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raviotherabbit · 3 years

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royal pain in the ass - chapter 5

Chapter 5: Greatfish Isle The Zeldas find themselves stranded.

[first] - [previous] - [next] read it on ao3!

△ ▲△

The first thing Dusk notices when she steps through the portal is the smell of salt, carried on a cool breeze. And then, almost immediately, her vision begins to swim and she doubles over in dizziness.

“You weren’t-” she swallows. “You weren’t lying…”

“I’m never getting used to this,” Artemis collapses on the sandy beach, draping an arm over her eyes. “Flora, where are we?”

“Well…” Flora exchanges a concerned glance with Sun, who shrugs in return. “We appear to be shipwrecked.”

“What?!” Dusk straightens herself out in an instant, finally getting a view of their surroundings. The island they’re on appears to have been ruined in some way, the ground torn apart as though wrecked by a great force. And, as far as the eye can see, there is only water.

“By Hylia, this can’t be happening!” Dusk brings a hand to her face in horror. “We’re stuck here?!”

“Hey, it’s not that bad,” Flora kneels down, scooping a handful of sand and letting it slip through her fingers. “We have our food supplies, and there doesn’t look to be any danger around here.”

“And we can sleep under the stars!” Sun chimes in. “Have you ever gone camping, Dusk?”

“No.” She crosses her arms grumpily. “I have not.”

“I’ve basically been camping since Link finished his quest…” Sun takes a moment to count on her fingers. “Almost two years ago, now. Trust me,” she places a comforting hand on Dusk’s shoulder. “You’ll catch on in no time.”

△ ▲△

“So what are we thinking about for dinner tonight?” Flora holds up her slate as she asks, inspecting its contents. “Dusk, I must admit, your era was great for stocking up on supplies. We have the ingredients here to make quite the meal.”

“Shouldn’t we ration, though?” Sun asks, peering over her shoulder. “I mean, we don’t know how long we’ll be stuck here.”

“The Era of the Great Sea isn’t as desolate as it appears,” Artemis remarks, head poking up from where she’d been laying out her bedroll. “Sooner or later, someone is going to come by.”

“You know when we are, then?” Dusk pipes up from her seat at the fire, arms and legs both crossed.

Artemis nods. “It’s truly a beautiful time. A shame that we’re stuck here.”

“A shame indeed,” Dusk mutters under her breath.

“Ah, I remember hearing about it during my lessons,” Flora comments, but it’s all she says on the subject before turning her attention back to Sun. “How about some risotto? We can use pumpkin in it, if you’d like.”

“Really?” Sun’s eyes go wide,and she grips onto Flora’s shoulder just a bit tighter.

“Why not?” Flora flips to the page showing her supplies. “We’ve got everything we need for it.” She pauses for a moment, eying the scowl of their newest member. “Dusk,” she asks, causing her to perk up. “Would you like to help with dinner?”

“Oh,” Dusk almost seems a bit… confused, her head slightly tilted to the side. “Really?”

“Though Wild’s taught me a few things, I’m not the best chef,” Flora admits. “I’d appreciate the extra hands.”

With a bit of hesitation, Dusk slowly scooches over to Flora and Sun. “So,” she glances down at the Sheikah Slate. “What do I need to do?”

△ ▲△

There have definitely been better pumpkin risottos, that’s for sure. The rice is a bit undercooked, adding an uncomfortable crunch to every bite. Not only that, the pumpkin is slightly goopy, almost spine-shiveringly so.

“Well, this is…” Artemis starts, but she doesn’t finish the thought.

“It’s made with love,” Flora grimaces.

“This sucks,” Dusk says out loud.

“I think!” Artemis deliberately speaks over her. “Because we’re out in the middle of nowhere, we need to start keeping watch at night.”

Oh. Oh no. Dusk’s stomach twists at the idea of that. Sitting around, basked in darkness, doing nothing but watching, waiting? You know what that sounds like?

“Oh, that’s an excellent idea!” Flora comments. “We can even separate into shifts, to minimize any issues that would come from staying up late.”

“We are in unfamiliar waters,” Sun jokes, earning a small laugh from Flora. “But seriously, it may be the best way to ensure our safety while we rest.”

So they agree, just like that?!

“Are-are you serious?” Dusk chokes out, the taste of pumpkin risotto growing even more sour in her mouth.

“Dusk, what’s wrong?” Flora reaches over to her companion, but Dusk jolts away as soon as her fingers brush her arm.

She stands abruptly, her cloak fluttering behind her. “Do as you wish, but I won’t be participating.” Without another word, she storms out of the camp.

△ ▲△

Thankfully, at least in Dusk’s mind, her counterparts opted not to mention her outburst from the night before. The three of them seemed to have sorted the watch out amongst themselves, but just the thought of that causes a burning feeling of shame to ignite in her chest.

The next morning, the four set about trying to make their small fragment of an islet more comfortable. Artemis has been insistent on keeping a fire going, so they could catch the sight of any passing ships. Sun was more than happy to help her scavenge for kindling. But Flora…

“Malanya’s goddess-damned hooves,” Flora curses under her breath.

Perhaps a bit annoyed, Dusk pokes her head up from her rapier, which she’d been sharpening. Just a few feet away, Flora sits with her legs crossed, arduously attempting to drag a comb through her hair. And arduous is the right word, as no matter how hard she tries, she makes little headway in regard to the tangles.

Dusk places her sword to the side, deciding it will serve her well enough for now. “Do you need help?” she asks.

Flora startles at her words, but settles into a sweet smile when she realizes who’s speaking. “Oh, Dusk.” She holds out the comb. “If you’d like a try at this, go ahead.”

Taking the comb, Dusk silently takes a seat right behind Flora. She tenses slightly as Dusk gently grabs one of the locks, experimentally running her fingers through it.

“This isn’t so bad,” Dusk remarks. “It just needs a bit of maintenance.”

Flora relaxes with a deep breath. “It’s these ocean winds,” she explains, a huff of irritation in her voice. “It always gets bad when I travel, but especially with all the salt in the air…”

Dusk smoothly runs the comb through the top layer of Flora’s hair, removing some of the surface-level tangles. “I can only imagine. How have you been taking care of it before?”

“Typically I’d try to stay ahead of it, but…” Flora sighs. “I’ve fallen behind, lately. Everything has been non-stop since I arrived in Artemis’s time.”

“And how long has it been for you since then?”

Flora takes a moment, and peering around, Dusk can see her counting on her fingers. “Around five days, give or take. It’s just so hard to take care of, you know?”

It takes a great deal of effort for Dusk to swallow down her shock. “Well, if you don’t like it long…” She pinches Flora’s hair between her pointer and middle fingers, miming scissors, at a length just at the bottom of her neck. “Have you considered cutting it?”

“Cutting it?!” Flora brings a hand to her cheek, as if scandalized by the idea. “I- well, I’ve thought of it a few times, yes, but- I’ve never really...” With a strange focus, she twirls one of the strands by her face around her finger, before glancing back at Dusk. “Do you think it’d look good?”

“On you?” Dusk grins warmly. “I think it’d be great. Most of your tangles are in the lower half, so we could just cut them off.”

Suddenly, Flora frowns. “Oh, but we don’t have any scissors. I guess it was a nice thought.”

“I brought a dagger with me,” Dusk reveals, pulling said item from her boot. The handle is intricate and golden, yet not too flashy. “I could get the length down in no time.”

Flora chuckles. “You know, Artemis would kill you if you nicked me.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Dusk surveys Artemis and Sun’s work at the firepit. Sun is currently demonstrating to Artemis the proper way to fan a fire, using a palm leaf.

“How do you know this?” Artemis asks her ancestor with a glint of suspicion in her eye.

Sun straightens, realizing Artemis’s implication. “I didn’t start any fires, Artemis, it was for a Loftwing ceremony-” At that point, though, Dusk stops listening, turning back to Flora.

“Then I’ll have to be careful.”

The first cuts are the most dramatic, slicing away the largest chunks of hair. Flora fidgets with her hands the whole time, but she has the poise to keep her head still for Dusk. Once it’s down to length, though, all that’s left to do is to clean up the edges.

Finally, running the locks through her fingers one last time, Dusk announces, “It’s done.”

Flora gasps with elation, and before Dusk can even lament their lack of a mirror, she pulls out her tablet. Much to Dusk’s surprise, when she points it back at herself, both of their faces appear on its screen. Her own shock and Flora’s pure excitement are reflected back at them.

“Oh, it’s amazing!” Flora turns her head back and forth, her new bob cut twirling with her. “Dusk, thank you so much for this!” She wraps an arm around Dusk’s shoulders, pulling her forward. “Smile!” she says, just before her slate makes a clicking noise.

By the time Dusk processed those words, though, it was already over.

“Wh-what was that?” Dusk stammers out.

For a brief moment, Flora looks at her with confusion. Then her eyes go wide, her mouth forming into an ‘o’. “I took a photo of us on the Sheikah Slate.” She holds out the slate for Dusk. “Do you want to see?”

Hesitantly, Dusk takes the tablet from Flora. She doesn’t have to do much after that because there, right on the screen, is a photograph of Flora’s sweet, smiling face. And Dusk is right next to her, looking towards her descendant with the most bewildered look on her face.

“Woah,” Dusk says, politely ignoring her less-than stellar appearance. “This is amazing.”

“I know, right?” Flora takes her slate back.

Struck with an idea, Dusk grabs a few of the strands of hair left on the ground, holding them up and shouting, “Hey, Artemis!”

Artemis looks between the hair in Dusk’s hand and Flora’s new cut. “What did you do to her hair?!”

Dusk waves the hair back and forth. “I got you more kindling!”

Flora and Sun’s laughs are worth the shade of red Artemis’s face turns.

△ ▲△

“Are you sure you don’t want to sit with me?” Flora calls over her shoulder. She’s lounging on one of the sharp edges of their little islet, her legs hanging over and dipping into the sea below. “It’s a great way to cool down!”

“No thank you!” Sun responds with a smile. Together, she and Dusk are happily sitting under their makeshift canopy, constructed from their spare blankets and tied together both with stakes and to the sole tree on their shard of an island. Dusk’s own cloak has been abandoned, now serving as a barrier between them and the itchy grass.

“We don’t have bathing suits like you and Artemis do,” Dusk explains, with Sun nodding along solemnly, “So we probably shouldn’t get wet.”

Flora shrugs, but her resignation turns to horror as, suddenly, a hand wraps around her ankle. With a shout, she disappears past the ridge, into the ocean.

Oh, Lanayru’s tears!

“Flora!” they both shout, leaping to their feet and sprinting to the edge of the islet. When they skid to a stop, though, they don’t find a horrible sea monster attempting to snap its jaws around their descendant.

Instead, they’re just in time to bear witness to Artemis, waist-deep in the shallows, hefting Flora upwards and, despite her kicks of protest, supplexing her into the water.

SPLASH!

And, just like that, Dusk and Sun are soaked.

Artemis springs out of the water, laughing in a way a cat would laugh if it caught its prey. If Dusk didn’t know any better, with her wet hair and all her grace, she might have thought she was a mermaid.

“Rude.” Flora surfaces just behind Artemis, though she doesn’t emerge past her neck.

“You needed to stop delaying,” Artemis insists, crossing her arms. “I was getting bored on my own in here.”

“I was just checking on Sun and Artemis-!”

“Uh, hello?!” Dusk shouts and gestures to her dress, which is currently dripping saltwater onto the grass below. “Two sopping wet queens, here!”

“I’m not a queen,” Sun murmurs, though she’s mostly focused on wringing the water from the edges of her own dress.

“Can it, Sun,” Dusk orders, pointing an accusatory hand at Artemis. “You splashed us!”

Artemis rolls her eyes. “A little water never hurt anyone.”

“A little water?!” Dusk almost shrieks. “Do you know how much I spent on this dress?!”

Flora stops blowing bubbles to poke her mouth above the water. “Why did you bring an expensive dress on your time travel adventure?”

“Because as a queen,” Dusk refers to herself with her fingers on her chest. “I need to present myself nicely. In fact, I’m surprised you three don’t have anything nicer.”

“Anything nice I own has been eaten by moths by now,” Flora mutters. “Or malice.”

“This is my nicest outfit?” Sun reveals.

“Stop saying nice,” Artemis groans. “It doesn’t sound real anymore. Dusk, if your dress is ruined now, do you want to join us?”

Dusk gasps with indignation. “I would never-!”

“Fine! Fine!” Artemis waves her off. “Forget I asked. Go back to your castle or whatever.”

She almost leaps into the water then and there, just to give Artemis a piece of her mind. In fact, Dusk takes one sharp, threatening step towards, her fists curled into balls, when- “Come on,” Sun takes Dusk’s hand, and the contact grounds her in a way. “I know a lot of good laundry tricks. I could probably un-saltwater your dress.”

“You’d do that?” Dusk asks, almost confused as Sun guides her pack to their canopy.

“Of course,” Sun smiles at her. “Why wouldn’t I help?”

Artemis stands in the water, watching as Dusk and Sun retreat. Her lips are pressed together, eyes narrowed in, and Flora can’t figure out what she’s thinking for the life of her.

This kind of sucks.

Hylia, alright. She can figure this out.

For now, though, Artemis has made a grave tactical error, leaving her back to Flora while her attention is elsewhere.

As quietly as she can, Flora sneaks up behind Artemis. Then, when she’s close enough, she leaps at her back, pushing down with all of her might.

“I’ve got you!” Flora shouts, before realizing… Oh no. Even using all of her strength, she hasn’t pushed Artemis down an inch. And now, Artemis is looking right into her eyes, one eyebrow raised in amusement.

Wordlessly, Artemis flips Flora off of her back, and she lands in the water with a Smack!

“Ow,” Flora whimpers as she peeks back above the water.

With a sigh, Artemis dramatically brushes her hands off. “Now, that can’t be the best we can do.”

△ ▲△

“Sun, this has got to end.”

That’s what Flora proclaims when she wakes Sun that night for her nightly shift.

“What’s gotta end?” Sun slurs, still half asleep.

“This fighting between Artemis and Dusk,” she crosses her arms. “I don’t like it.”

“You’ve noticed it too?” Sun asks as she rubs her eyes.

Flora shrugs, settling next to Sun’s bedroll. “I think just about anyone with eyes could notice that.” And then, without thinking, she adds, “It reminds me of Link and Revali.”

Just a little bit, Flora’s heart aches.

“Huh?” Sun tilts her head upon hearing this. “Who’s Revali?”

“Oh, Revali- uh,” Flora stammers awkwardly. “He’s a friend. Was a friend.”

Immediately, Sun breaks out those sad little eyes, as if she can guess exactly what happened to Revali. As if she knows anything about her Hyrule. “I’m sorry, I know it’s hard-”

“It’s fine!” Flora shouts, just a bit too loudly. Instinctively, she covers her mouth, though she’s relieved to see that Artemis and Dusk don’t stir within their own bedrolls.

“It’s fine,” she reiterates, quieter this time. “We need to focus on this, now.”

“Alright,” Sun pushes her blanket down, meeting Flora’s eye with a determined smirk. “How do you propose we do it?”

△ ▲△

“See, this is the Cryonis Rune,” Flora demonstrates by summoning a pillar of ice in the shallow part of the water. “It can make ice.”

“Very interesting, Flora,” Dusk comments, eying the designs on the surface of the ice. “In fact, it’s kind of pretty, too.”

“Thank you,” Flora bows jokingly. “Obviously, it can be used to keep us cool during hot days. But also, they can be utilized as makeshift bridges across waterways.”

“Oh? Like from this island to another?” Sun’s acting leaves a bit to be desired, but she can at least keep the ball rolling.

Flora snaps her fingers at Sun. “Exactly! Now, I can’t be certain of where any proper islands are, but I can at least make my way over to one of the other land masses nearby. It could be good for foraging.”

Artemis raises her hand. “Are you sure this is safe?”

“Of course, Wild has done it plenty of times,” Flora assures her.

“I don’t know if anything that kid does can be construed as safe,” Dusk murmurs under her breath.

Artemis’s eye slightly twitches at that. “Dusk does bring up a good point.”

“Oh for Hylia’s sake,” Flora pinches the bridge of her nose. “Wild is fine! He’s accident prone! Not safety unconscious!”

“Oh, last time he visited, we played this fun flying game!” Sun reveals with a small clap. “He kept jumping off the side of Skyloft, and I had to try and catch him with my Loftwing while he avoided me!”

“Sun just disproved your point, Flora,” Dusk points out, smugly.

“We’re getting off-topic!” Flora suddenly shouts. “I can only have three pillars up at a time, so not everyone can come with. Any volunteers?”

“Yeah, Wild was really good at that game!” Sun continues on as if nobody else spoke. “He almost reached the Surface once.”

“I said, any volunteers?” Flora states once again, drawing out the words to catch Sun’s attention.

“Oh, I-!” Sun clears her throat. “I’ll come with you, Zelda!” she says in a tone that is not at all natural.

Flora sighs deeply before muttering to herself, “Why’d you call me Zelda?”

“What was that?” Sun asks innocently.

“I said let’s go now!” Flora jovially swings her fist. “We don’t know how long we’ll be there, so we should get there as fast as possible.”

Artemis looks between the two of them, narrowing her eyes. Flora almost buckles under her scrutiny. “Alright, you two. Be safe, Dusk and I will be keeping an eye on you.”

“Yeah sure,” Dusk says, more focused on her nails than whatever Artemis is saying.

The climb onto the ice pillars is a bit slippery, but Flora and Sun are able to find their footing once they’re squarely on top. Slowly yet surely, they make their way towards the tallest of the island shards. They’d decided on it ahead of time, since it seemed like the obvious choice.

Occasionally, Sun keeps glancing back, meeting Artemis’s gaze every time.

“I think she’s onto us,” Sun whispers, tugging lightly on Flora’s cloak.

“Keep with the plan,” Flora assures her, though her voice is shaky. “Everything will be fine.”

Once they’re at the halfway point between the islands, Flora suddenly stops. Finally, she turns back, facing Sun.

“Are you ready?” she asks, holding her Slate up slightly.

Unable to bring herself to speak, Sun nods.

Without any hesitation, Flora pulls up the Rune once again. But this time, instead of creating a new ice pillar, she breaks the three they’re standing on.

For a brief, helpless moment, they’re weightless. Then gravity rushes in, and the two girls plummet into the sea below.

“Flora! Sun!” Artemis shouts, her hands on either side of her head in horror.

“Oh no!” Flora shouts, purposefully keeping her head just above the water. She thrashes with her arms around wildly.

Sun kicks up to the surface as well. “Dusk! Artemis! Save us!” Dramatically, she raises a hand to the sky.

“Idiots! You can swim!” Dusk doesn’t bother to stand, just cups her mouth as she yells at them both. “You’re not hurt or anything!”

“Uh.” Flora and Sun exchange a glance, temporarily pausing their drowning.

“There’s a sea monster!” Flora tries.

Artemis’s shoulders sag, and just barely, the two of them can hear a groan. “Get back on land! Both of you!”

“Naydra’s fucking ice!”

“Language!” both Artemis and Dusk reprimand Flora.

△ ▲△

“Oh no, I’m bleeding to death!” Flora theatrically collapses into Sun’s waiting arms. “I need both of you to donate blood!”

“Flora,” Dusk deadpans. “You literally aren’t bleeding.”

△ ▲△

“I got stung by a bee,” Sun pouts, holding up her finger. “I need medical attention from two great queens of Hyrule, please.”

“Why can’t Flora help you?” Artemis asks, noticing that said queen is poorly hiding behind the tree.

“She died.”

△ ▲△

“Dusk, Artemis,” Flora solemnly approaches the two queens, both of whom were previously busy tending to camp. “I have decided to grant upon both of you a great honor. One that, previously, I’ve only given to my dear knight Link. And, as you know, I am heartbroken over the fact that it’s been so long since I’ve seen him, and I mourn his presence everyday. Desperately, I wish for his safety and hope to reunite with him soon This is a task that I hope you will take up in his name, for he is no longer here to-”

“Spit it out already, Flora,” Dusk commands, her hands paused in the middle of sewing her blanket, because she did accidentally slash it when she was working on her dagger. “You’re giving me a headache.”

Flora presents the Sheikah Slate to the two of them. “I want you to make dinner tonight.”

“No.”

△ ▲△

“I give up!” Sun throws her hands into the air in the middle of dinner. Having suddenly lost her appetite, she pushes her fried wild greens to the side.

“Oh thank goodness,” Dusk sighs in relief, leaning back against their lone tree. She takes another bite of her meal. “I thought you’d never stop.”

“What exactly were you two doing, today?” Artemis questions, pausing her own dinner. “Were you trying out acting?”

“No,” Flora grumbles, crossing her arms.

Gently, the moon rises into the sky. Tonight, its left half is missing, like an incomplete puzzle.

Something inside of Sun snaps. How dare they?! Whether she’s Hylia or not, she’s their ancestor! And here they are, treating her like a child?! She isn’t even that much younger than them!

“Do not speak to me in that tone,” Sun’s words are sharp, like a knife through wool, and directed towards Artemis and Dusk. “I am your grandmother several times over, and I don’t deserve to be treated with such disrespect! You reap the benefits of my kingdom to this day!”

“Oh, like I’ve enjoyed leading your kingdom!” Dusk snaps back. “Do you know what I’ve done, what I’ve sacrificed for Hyrule? Don’t hold it over my head!”

Squeezing her eyes shut, Flora covers her ears.

“Can it Dusk!” Sun throws her words right back at her. “All day, Flora and I have been trying to get you two-” she points between Artemis and Dusk. “-to get along! We’re family, this shouldn’t be so hard!”

Artemis gives Dusk a pointed look. “Well maybe if some people were a little more open to my ideas, we wouldn’t have issues in the first place!”

“Oh since we’re going there!” Dusk stands, directing an accusatory finger at Artemis. “Maybe if you didn’t try to control everything, I wouldn’t have a problem with you!”

“Both of you, stop!”

Flora peeks one eye open, hoping desperately she doesn’t find one of her ancestors choking the other. But, in reality, it’s not any of her counterparts that catch her attention. No, it’s something past them, past their small islet…

There’s something on the water.

“What in Hylia’s name is that?!” Flora points at it in horror.

Shocked out of their argument, the three Zeldas all turn to follow her finger. Floating on the water, there it is.

A ship, bathed in a ghostly blue light.

#linked universe #lu dusk #lu artemis #lu flora #lu sun #fanfic #rpita #rav's writing

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juliandev0rak · 3 years

Text

Magic 🔥

Three: Magic – talk about their magic, when did they discover it? Did they have to learn how to use it or did it come naturally?

echoes of the past event

@arcana-echoes

Aster, she/ they

Nopal

Starts 19 years before the events of The Arcana, ends around 11 years before the events of The Arcana, Aster starts age 5, ends age 13

Words: 1540

Warnings: angst, mention of background character death, mention of an injury (someone gets set on fire, they don’t die but they do get hurt)

Aster remembers the day vividly despite all of her missing memories. She may have forgotten her family's faces and names, but she can remember the day she lost them, and the day she found her magic.

She’d been staying at her grandmother’s house while her parents were away, a routine trip to the larger market a few towns over. She doesn’t remember what her grandmother looked like, but she can remember the house, small but full of curious looking nick-nacks that Aster was never allowed to touch. She can trace the layout of the house like the back of her hand, the line of the pink-painted hallway that curved towards the sunny bedroom she always stayed in.

Things had been so normal that morning until there was a knock on the door, some man she didn't know asking for her grandmother. She remembers the Nopal sun, scorching hot as it streamed in through the open door.

The events are a little hazy after that, she remembers that her Grandma told her to go play outside. She knew something was wrong, but she went outside without complaint.

It’s the middle of summer, and too hot to be outside, so Aster takes refuge under the old mesquite tree in the front yard, enjoying the cool spot of shade. A flash of color to her left catches her eye and she turns to see a brightly colored salamander sitting on a rock next to her.

“Hi little lizard thingy!” She says, reaching out for it. She’s surprised when it immediately jumps off the rock it’s perched on and runs away. She rises from her spot on the ground and gives chase, the bright orange salamander easy to spot against the tan landscape. Her bare feet burn against the hot sand but she doesn’t flinch, the heat’s never bothered her. Finally, she corners the salamander against the edge of the neighbor’s house.

“There you are lizard!” She shouts, once again reaching for the cornered animal. This time she’s shocked as it bursts into flames in front of her. Aster takes a step back, then a step closer, inspecting the flaming salamander. “How did you do that!”

The salamander seems to regard her, the flames dying out as it registers that the girl means no harm. She reaches out for it again and it bursts into warning flames, but she keeps reaching, picking it up without registering the pain of the fire. In fact, it doesn’t hurt at all. The salamander’s flames are ticklish and she giggles at the sensation as the salamander sticks its tongue out at her.

“Can I do that?” Aster frowns slightly, putting the salamander down to stretch her hands out in front of her. Her eyes scrunch closed and she tries to will heat into her hands, thinking of the hot sun overhead and the sand beneath her. She pictures the salamander bursting into flames and begins to feel a tingle in her fingertips. She’s as focused as a five year old can be, her hands stretched out as far as they can reach, but her focus is broken by the salamander squeaking in alarm.

Her eyes open to see that the cactus in front of her is in flames. She turns to the salamander and smiles gleefully, “Did I do that?” the salamander squeaks again in assent.

“I did it, I did it! Let’s go tell Grandma!” She scoops up the salamander and rushes back home, the cactus still flaming behind her.

“Grandma! I set a cactus on fire!” Aster squeals, holding the salamander up who gives another happy squeak. Her grandmother turns to her with watery eyes, not giving comment on the cactus fire.

“Aster, put that salamander outside and come sit down. We need to talk.” She says sternly, her tone immediately making Aster nervous. She opens the door as if to let the salamander out but slips it into her pants pocket instead, giving it a whispered “shh” to warn it to behave.

“Aster, sweetie, there’s been an accident…”

At that moment everything Aster had ever known was ripped from her. Her parents weren’t coming back from their trip, they weren’t coming back ever.

Aster’s grandmother had been sick for years, she couldn’t take care of a child on her own. Certainly not on top of her grief at losing her son and daughter in law, and especially not after Aster’s revealed that she can set things on fire with her mind. So, she’s quickly shipped off to a distant family friend in the city, someone Aster had never even met.

When Aster arrives at the friend’s house she’s greeted by a woman with bright purple hair and a pointy witch's hat. The woman tells Aster to call her “Auntie” but all Aster wants to do is cry. She spends the first few weeks setting things on fire a lot, she doesn't mean to do it but now whenever she thinks of fire she can’t help it. The first time it happens she’s terrified. She wakes up from a nightmare to her bed covered in flames, too scared to even scream. Luckily the flames once again do her no harm.

Her aunt runs in to put the fire out, but she isn’t angry as Aster had feared, she’s excited. From then on Aster practices her magic every day, trying to learn to contain it. The salamander takes up residence inside the stove, choosing to ignore the people who live in the house and the chaos they create for the most part.

As the years pass Aster get’s better at magic, but try as she might she can’t keep it entirely under control. When she’s emotional, which she often is, the fire bursts out of her and she has to remember to breathe and calm down enough to stop the fire. But fire is unpredictable, and so is Aster. It’s a dangerous combination.

Countless furniture items are burnt beyond repair, the sleeves of Aster’s shirts are always singed, and sometimes even people get hurt. Her aunt owns a shop downstairs, and as Aster gets older she gets to help. Most of her tasks are prepping potion ingredients, which Aster finds incredibly boring. Sometimes she’s impatient and wants to finish her tasks early so she’ll use her fire to cook ingredients rather than waiting for water to boil. It usually works fine, but on a busy summer day, it has dire consequences.

Aster is using a handful of fire to heat valerian for a sleeping potion, it works best boiled but she figures that what her aunt doesn’t know won’t hurt her. Just as she’s about to put the flame out a man comes over to ask her a question about one of the potions. When she can’t answer quickly enough, focused on trying to stop the fire in her hand, he gets rude and begins yelling at her about her “poor customer service”.

She can’t help it, the flame in her hand rises from a tiny spark to a blaze as the rude customer continues to berate her. He doesn’t seem to notice as the flame bursts out of her hand and catches on the sleeve of his coat, not until the fire spreads up his arm.

He yells, not immune to Aster’s fire, and she immediately snaps out of it and tries frantically to put the fire out as it spreads. Her aunt finally realizes something is wrong and runs over to put the fire out, but not before it’s eaten through the fabric of the man’s clothing and left a violent looking burn. He runs out of the shop before her aunt can offer to heal it and the few people left in the store turn to fearfully glance at Aster before they run out too.

“I didn’t mean to-” she chokes out, staring at her hands which still glow faintly. She’s biting her lip, trying hard to keep the tears at bay.

“I know, Aster, but you did. You could have killed him.” Her aunt frowns, reaching for Aster’s hand. “You have to get this under control, you can’t keep exploding like this.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t even do magic anymore.” She yanks her hand away and starts to clear up the potion ingredients so she doesn’t have to look at her aunt’s pity filled expression.

“I don’t think you’d be able to stop if you tried.” Her aunt says gently, “You’ll be able to control it someday, I’ll help you.”

“I didn’t mean to set that man on fire.” Aster says again, hoping her aunt believes her. She makes impulsive decisions and loses her temper sometimes, but she would never mean to hurt someone like that on purpose.

“He was an asshole, at least it got him out of the store.” Her aunt jokes and Aster’s eyes fly up to see if she’s serious.

“So you mean I should set more customers on fire?” Aster smiles, glad for the joke to break the tense moment.

“Only if they’re rude, we have to be able to afford food somehow.” Her aunt laughs, ruffling Aster’s hair. “Now come on, let’s see you practice the most difficult magic of all- putting the kettle on for some tea.”

#arcana eotp #apprentice aster #all of my ocs aunts be like ‘it’s tea time!’#maybe aster killed count lucio 👀#aster says: when dealing with rude customers at work- the answer is- FIRE!#the man will be fine i'd like to point that out lol #aster has like no memories of pre-plague but she unfortunately remembers these events :/ sorry bby

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lululawrence · 4 years

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lululawrence’s Fics Posted in 2019

Master Fic Masterpost / Buy me a Coffee?

2019 was a bit crazy, but I’m so proud of the fics that I’ve been able to write and publish this year! There were quite a few of them, so here they are in order of when they were published. I hope you enjoy!

Hey Look, Ma (9k) - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson

“I’m so sorry,” a deep voice said.

Louis made sure he’d only dropped his hat, reached down to pick it up, and was dusting it off when he finally looked up.

“It’s alright...mate…” Louis had seen this man before. He was gorgeous. He lived somewhere in the area, because Louis would often pass him on the street heading home from the tube or the nearest bus stop.

And now, here he was. Standing in all his fluffy, curly haired glory in front of Louis, apologising for nearly bowling him over.

“I really am sorry, though. Let me get you a coffee to make up for it?”

Or the one where Louis is a hybrid who agrees to go on a blind date with his neighbour's colleague's son the same night he literally runs into his dream man. Surely this isn't going to end well... or is it?

Charisma (5k) - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson

Harry was smiling, and maybe blushing a little as well, as he accepted the phone back. “Thank you,” he glanced down at his phone and then said, “Louis.”

Smiling happily at the way Harry had said his name, Louis watched him leave the room. The further away he got, the more confused Louis was. Yes, Harry was gorgeous, but how the hell had he forgotten that Harry was also the man who had caused him to almost have a major accident earlier because of his haphazard driving? How had he allowed Harry to distract him with his charm to the extent that instead of giving the man a lecture, Louis accepted the offer of a date?

Well. Whatever the reason was, Louis wouldn’t forget when Harry called. Louis would give him a piece of his mind then and see if Harry still wanted to go out with him at that point. Because yeah, Louis was not mad enough about his overreaction to Harry, both on the road and at the event tonight, to turn that opportunity for a date down. He wasn’t stupid.

Or the one where Harry feeds on awesomeness (possibly literally). Louis is awesome and also angry. They’re probably going to fall in love.

Drabbles for Harry's Birthday Drive 2019 (25k) - Various Pairings

Each chapter is a different drabble dedicated to a person who donated to Harry's birthday drive! The prompt requested as well as the pairing are in the author’s note for each chapter as well. There are multiple pairings due to various pairings being requested by the donors, so please pay attention to that information in each chapter! Pairings include Harry/Louis, Zayn/Liam,, Grimmy/Louis, Greg/Louis, Zayn/Louis, and Niall/Shawn.

It’s the Climb (25k) - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson

Louis stretched out his back and turned around, startled to see the most beautiful man he’d ever encountered in his life riding towards him on a horse.

He had to still be asleep. This was one of those super weird dreams people had where the knight in shining armor (or in this case, red sleeveless flannel) literally rode up to them calling their name.

The Hannah Montana AU where Louis is a world famous punk rock singer with a stage name of William and Jay drags him back to Tennessee for the summer. In her attempt for Louis to get back to his roots, he just so happens to reconnect with Harry, and things never go quite as Louis expects them to.

It Was Only a Kiss (16k) - Various Pairings

I participated in a kiss prompt drabble challenge on Tumblr, and ended up writing thirty-three drabbles! Because of the amount all for one challenge, I decided to post them on AO3 to save them. Each prompt exists on its own without relation to others, so pick and choose as you like.

If You Want To Be Loved (0.5k) - Greg James/Louis Tomlinson

Greg can't sleep. For once, he doesn't really mind.

(Something’s Been) Hiding In My Heart (26k) - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson

“My eyes must be deceiving me,” Harry said in his slow drawl. His voice was deeper than Louis remembered. Maybe some things had changed after all.

“They aren’t deceiving you. I’m here because I need you to finally sign these papers,” Louis said before he dropped the stack of paper on the hood of the car and held out a pen to Harry. “Just do it, Harry. Get it over with and then I’ll be out of your life forever, alright?”

Face blank of all emotion outside of a sneer Harry said, “You’ve gotta be shitting me.”

“God,” Louis groaned. Harry just couldn’t let this be easy. His pride wouldn’t allow it. “You know, I never really understood that phrase, but no. I am not ‘shitting’ you. Just sign the damn papers.”

“Ya know, I don’t think I will,” Harry said before turning back to the front door.

When the screen door slammed behind him, Louis realized Harry didn’t have anything else to say.

Or a Sweet Home Alabama AU where Louis comes home to finally get his divorce from Harry finalized so he can move on with his life. Alderford holds its own set of challenges when he returns, but by facing his past maybe he can find the healing he so desperately needs.

You Try To Be Everything (I Need) (36k) - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson

Wars, and rumours of wars, were nothing new for the world in the twenty-fourth century. The fighting had evolved over the years, and rarely did it involve traditional weapons. A group most widely known as the Southern Powers gained strength amongst portions of the western European continent and spread quickly.

There was a fight the Southern Powers didn’t expect coming from the north of England, though. Resistance came in the form of an organised underground; a group comprised of people with the Touch that did the best they could to enforce a line that would not be crossed. Slowly, that line was moved from the Channel to boundaries further and further north. It seemed only a matter of time before the Southern Powers took over everywhere.

Until that time, people did the best they could to live their lives in some semblance of normality. For Louis Tomlinson, that sense of normality was about to change when his best friend, Harry Styles, goes missing.

Louis embarks on the journey of a lifetime where he uses his newly developed abilities to search for his friend, even when it takes him to places he never thought he would see while surmounting trials he never could have imagined.

You Turned Up (Like a Friend of Mine) (10k) - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson

Louis padded downstairs, feeling incredibly thirsty. He filled up a glass of water and was about to take a drink when a loud knock sounded at the door accompanied by some yelling and ringing of the doorbell.

“What the hell?” Louis muttered, setting his glass on the counter and rushing towards the door.

As he got closer to the door, though, his mind stopped whirling because the voice was one that was etched forever in his mind, but one that he never thought he would ever hear again.

“Why’s the door locked? Did you seriously go without me? And who’s car is in the driveway? Lou, I knew you’d be late to get me. We’re going to miss-”

Louis whipped the door open, sure that he was just imagining things. There was no way…

Except there was. Standing on the front step was the curly haired, boy-faced Harry Louis had last seen ten years ago today.

Or the one where Harry disappears on graduation day only to show up on Louis' door looking exactly the same ten years later. Through a series of strange events, maybe they can finally figure out that they're destined to be together, no matter what.

Stealing Flowers (4k) - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson

When Louis finally arrived, he walked in and grabbed an apron. Without even saying hello, he immediately approached Jesy and said, “Sexy Stranger steals flowers.”

She kept pouring the Tanqueray shots she had lined up in front of her, but her face screwed up in confusion. “I’m sorry, he what? Did you finally talk to him and that was what you learned?”

He nodded to another couple of tourists and welcomed them to the Way Station as they eagerly made their way to the Tardis restroom.

“No, I didn’t actually talk to him, but—”

“Then how do you know he steals flowers?”

She was wiping down the bar and stacking the empty glasses to take back to the dishwasher when Louis realized maybe he should help too. After all, he was there to work, not just talk to her about his maybe crush.

“I saw a poster.”

Or the one where Louis pines after the Sexy Stranger on the Subway and almost asks him out. That's when the strange posters start showing up around Brooklyn.

Yellow, Is It Me You’re Looking For? (3k) - Greg James/Louis Tomlinson

Standing in the mess Greg’s shift had left behind, Louis decided he would start small. He’d organise the paint colour cards that displayed the names and then get started on the sample tins. It wasn’t until he started opening the boxes of colour cards that Louis started to wonder whether Nick had been the one to name the paint after all.

Yellow, Is It Me You’re Looking For? was along the top left corner of a mustard yellow card. Nick was as big a fan of puns and music as anyone, so while it was unorthodox, Louis didn’t think too much of it. Part of the appeal of Annie’s Hardware was that they didn’t take things too seriously while always maintaining professionalism.

The names that followed did leave Louis to wonder if Annie knew exactly what the chosen paint names were, though. The Colour Of My Tears When ‘FRIENDS’ Ended for a soft white, Barneys Blood for a pale purple, and Blond. James Blond. for a sand tone had Louis convinced that it was a different co-worker who had renamed the colours.

Or the one where Louis has pined after Greg for what seems like ages, but when Greg renames the company's paint colors, something might finally be ready to give.

Like a Lighthouse On The Coast (I Need You) (19k) - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson

Louis placed his order with the server and was about to type up some possible lyrics when he heard the music being piped in go silent and a throat was cleared into a mic.

Oh God no. If Louis had known there was going to be live music, he would have chosen somewhere else. Why did they have to ruin what was truly the perfect ambiance for Louis with some sub-par wannabe singer-songwriter?

“Hello, I’m going to sing some songs for you tonight. I hope you like them.”

The voice was deep and smooth, slower than Louis had expected. It made him want to look up at the singer rather than cower into the corner of his booth.

So he did. The man didn’t look nervous at all, but he didn’t look like the cocky asshole Louis had been expecting either. Louis continued to brace himself as he took in the simple Ramones shirt and jeans the man was wearing, when something Louis hadn’t been expecting happened.

The man began to play his guitar, and he was good.

And then, the man began to sing.

Or the one where Louis has all the pressure of his sophomore album and none of the inspiration, but maybe all he needs is someone like Harry Styles to turn all that around.

Oh Honey, Honey (4k) - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson

Louis hated honey. He didn’t like the flavour, he didn’t understand why some liked it in their tea, he hated when it was put on sandwiches or cake or anything really. But, standing stock still in front of a rather large display of honey in that 24-hour Tesco, Louis found himself grabbing the largest jar of “100% pure London-local honey” and adding it to his trolley, simply because he knew it would make Harry smile.

Louis always wanted to make Harry smile.

Or the one where Louis pines after Harry, Harry is passionate about helping save the bees, and a late night shopping trip gone wrong doesn't end quite as horribly as Louis imagines.

You Don’t Care About Me (One More Night) (60k) - Nick Grimshaw/Louis Tomlinson

“Nick. You’re into guys. What should I do?”

Nick snorted. “You think just ‘cause I’m gay, I know what you should do?”

Louis blinked at him and Nick admired his eyelashes against his will. “Well. Kind of, yeah.”

“That is not how this works,” Nick said. “Besides, it’s not like you can just go and suck someone’s dick to be sure you like it the way I did. You’re too famous to try it my way.”

Louis’ expression changed to one of awe. “That’s how you figured it out? You sucked some random’s dick?”

Nick shrugged. “Yeah. Basically. I mean, I knew for pretty damn sure before that, mind you, but that did solidify the matter for me.”

“I need to suck a dick,” Louis said, turning to look at the wall of Nick’s room.

“You could suck mine, if it would help,” Nick offered before he could stop himself.

Or the one where Louis pines for Harry and Nick helps ease his way into figuring himself out through a friends with benefits sort of arrangement. Things quickly turn complicated.

A Taste of Honey (3k) - Greg James/Louis Tomlinson

Louis opened the door expecting someone with Deliveroo. Instead his gaze lifted so he could look at a very frazzled, incredibly fluffy haired Greg James who was inexplicably holding out a very large jar of honey.

“Hello, Gregory,” Louis said slowly.

Shifting around, Greg stepped forward and held the honey out towards Louis again. “This is for you.”

“Erm, alright,” Louis said before carefully taking the heavy jar from him. “Thank you?”

Greg flashed a wide grin, nodded, and then without another word walked back out the front door of the building.

Or the one where Louis has been pining after Greg ever since he started his job. Greg randomly showing up at his flat with a jar of honey might be just the push Louis needs to finally talk to the man.

Just Like Honey (3k) - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson

Louis opened the door and he looked so soft and beautiful. He was in a ratty pair of grey joggers and that was it. Harry had never seen him look so good.

When Harry finally raised his eyes from Louis’ chest, he realised Louis had likely said something.

“Uh,” Harry said, clearing his throat. “Sorry, what did you say?”

Smirking a little, Louis crossed his arms and popped his hip. “I said, ‘Hello, Harry. What brings you here so late on a Saturday?’”

Then his brain kicked in.

“Right, fuck. Hi, Louis. I just wanted to give you this.”

Louis’ brows creased as Harry held the honey out to him. Taking the jar from Harry, he said, “Honey?”

Nodding, Harry said, “Yep. Hope you have a great night!”

Fisting his hands at his sides in frustration, Harry left the building as quickly as he could.

Honey, Honey, How You Thrill Me (3k) - Greg James/Harry Styles

Harry knocked once more before coming to the conclusion that knocking for longer than that was rude.

He’d just decided to leave when the door opened.

“Fuck, you were asleep, weren’t you?”

“Well, it’s past 8, so yeah, basically,” Greg said with a yawn.

God, he’d been asleep for over an hour. Harry was the worst.

“I’m so sorry. Here. Take this and get back to sleep. I’m so incredibly sorry for waking you up,” Harry babbled, shoving the jar of honey into Greg’s hands.

Greg looked at the jar then back up at Harry, still not saying anything. Probably because his brain was still asleep just like his body would’ve been if Harry hadn’t been a fucking idiot.

“Sorry again!” Harry said before giving a lame wave and rushing off to the nearest tube station.

Or the one where Harry pines after fellow Radio 1 DJ Greg James but doesn't know how to start a conversation with him...until he gets the needed inspiration.

Our Love is Timeless (6k) - Niall Horan/Shawn Mendes

He rinsed out his shampoo and began to scrub at his body. Turning around to rinse his back and wash his front, Shawn was not prepared to be met with a cursing blond Irishman.

Letting out a rather loud, high pitched scream and covering himself as best he could, Shawn backed up into the wall behind him, which also turned off the shower.

“Thanks, mate. Was hoping not to get my clothes entirely soaked,” the man said as he began stepping out of the shower stall. “Say, what year is it?”

“I...what?” Shawn sputtered. “You just show up, fully clothed, in a stranger’s shower and your first question is what year it is? How the fuck did you get in here? Why my shower? Who are you?”

“Well, yeah. I guess so. I’ve not quite got a handle of the whole time traveling thing yet.”

Or the one where Shawn falls for Niall, who just happens to be a time traveler. The course of true love never did run smooth.

Like Honey to the Bee (3k) - Nick Grimshaw/Louis Tomlinson

Nick didn’t even remember knocking, but suddenly the door he also didn’t realise he was leaning on opened and he started falling inside Louis and Harry’s flat.

“Fuck,” Nick blurted as he tried to right himself. He was caught by Louis, which was great because he was exactly who he wanted to see and he didn’t really fancy dropping a massive jar of honey on his doorstep.

“Nicholas?” Louis asked.

Nick couldn’t help it. Hearing Louis call him by his full name made him shiver. He usually hated it, but there was something magical about Louis Tomlinson that made the usual negative association suddenly become an incredibly positive one.

“I brought you honey,” Nick blurted as he handed Louis the jar.

“I can see that,” Louis said, sounding confused. “Thanks?”

“Of course! It’s what friends do, yeah?”

Or the one where Nick has been trying to find a way to get past the banter stage with Louis for ages, and honey might be just what he needs to finally do so.

Rings and Things (2k) - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson

Niall: I know you’re a lesbian and all, but this is fast even for you

Or the one where Harry wakes up after a night of drinking to find her bed isn't empty and there's a ring she's never seen before on a very important finger.

The Only Thing That Keeps Me Grounded (28k) - Nick Grimshaw/Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson

“Shit, I definitely missed the last train.”

“Oh no,” Louis lamented. “I’d offer a ride, but I’m part of a carpool and we’re full already. I’m so sorry.”

“Really, it’s fine.” Then, what Louis said sank in. “Wait, I thought you were here alone?”

“Oh, I am. I’m the only one dancing here tonight. The others were working. In fact, here’s Nick now.”

It felt like slow motion as a tall, lanky man with incredible hair came walking over towards Louis. He smiled before pulling Louis into him and giving him a quick kiss.

“Nick, this is my new friend Harry. He just moved to the area and he’s amazing at swing. Harry, this is my husband, Nick.”

Fuck.

Or the one where Harry moves to Washington DC to be a nanny and never expects that his past struggles with love will be brought to a head. He definitely never expects the solution to it all will be the man of his dreams that just so happens to be married to the other man of his dreams.

A Halloween M(ass)hap (1k) - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson

Harry was never going to forgive Niall. He’d been so distracted by his roommate’s cleaning and fussing while he had been looking for the perfect trousers for Liam’s annual Halloween fancy dress party that he’d not realised the black leather trousers he’d chosen to complete his vampire look were arseless.

Of course there was a no return policy, so he’d done the only thing he could do in order to not waste the money he’d already forked out online for the damn things: he added a cape.

Surely, nothing could go wrong.

I Wanna Love (Like You Made Me Feel) (28k) - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson

By the time Harry and Louis are eighteen years old, they've known each other all four years of high school. Through those years, they never have a real chance to spend time together just the two of them. The summer after graduation gives them that chance, and it changes just about everything.

Ten years later, Louis returns home feeling like a failure after losing his job and not knowing where to go next. He never expects to run into Harry again, much less rekindle their friendship. Could this finally be their chance to finish what they started all those years ago, or did they really miss their chance at love?

Swipe Right for a Clean Flat (3k) - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson

Harry was done. He was over this shit. He literally only asked his flatmate to do one chore, and that was the washing up. He couldn’t even handle a few plates and cups. Harry obviously overestimated him.

Louis wasn’t that bad. It was just that he only did the washing if he was going out to pull and wanted to bring someone home. If the dishes were put away, that was how Harry knew to vacate the premises. There was no way he was going to listen to yet another girl moan Louis’ name while Harry laid in bed and wondered what it might be like if only Louis liked men.

Glaring at the full sink and debating washing up himself - again - Harry finally turned and stalked to his room.

“Dire circumstances,” Harry muttered as he picked up his phone and unlocked it.

Or the one where Harry and Louis are flatmates and Harry is tired of Louis not doing the washing up. He figures signing up on Tinder as a hot girl might be just the fix for this issue.

You’re a Nightmare, I’m a Disaster (7k) - Nick Grimshaw/Louis Tomlinson

As Nick scanned the shelves, his eyes caught on a bright blue binding. Snooki, it read, A Shore Thing.

“Oh my God,” Nick mumbled, trying not to laugh as he picked it up. He’d watched bits and pieces of Jersey Shore way back in the day.

Without bothering to look any further around the store, he headed up to the counter where Blue eyes was watching him. Nick cleared his throat nervously and set the book on the counter and the man immediately flashed him a look of disdain.

“Seriously? Out of everything we have available, you chose the book we special ordered for a customer?”

“Well, it can’t be that bad if someone specifically requested it, right?” Nick said, trying to keep a teasing tone.

“Why do you think we still have it if it was a special order?” the man asked with a scoff. “They returned it after reading something like three pages.”

Nick frowned at the book. “Well that doesn’t seem very fair.”

Or the one where Nick is a writer, Louis works in a bookshop, and things don't exactly start off on the right foot, but they might just end on it.

The Goat Guy of Bethlehem (26k) - Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson

“What a pretty little thing!” a voice cried, catching Harry's attention.

Harry looked up, assuming it was a merchant talking to Gemma or some other “citizen” of Bethlehem, but when he did, he found a woman with bright eyes and long dark hair walking over to him.

“Me?” He wasn’t sure what to expect from any of this since she wasn’t a merchant he had met before.

“Yes, you! I think you’d make a very good husband for my son. Are these your parents?”

“Uh, yes?” Harry said, almost like a question. Robin and his mom just watched on with amusement, much to his chagrin.

Turning to Anne and Robin, the merchant woman said, “I’ll give you six goats for the marriage of your son to mine.”

Or every year, Harry and his family attend a church festival called Bethlehem. Harry's freshman year of high school Bethlehem expands, bringing in new vendors, including one that just might change everything for Harry. But first, he has to see if Anne and Robin are willing to part with him for the price of a few goats.

#mine #my fic masterpost #yearly masterpost #2019 masterpost #my fic #my fic rec #fic rec

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indestinatus · 4 years

Text

Something Blue (part 4/15)

Please read it in AO3, this fic has soundtracks.

Summary: Now that Ziva is safe and can return to her family… Tony doesn’t waste any time. She’ll need to have something blue to go along with a white wedding gown.

“Have we died and reached paradise or am I dreaming?” asked Nick looking up to the clear blue sky.

The team stood assembled at the bridge that connected the sea to the island, every single one of them laughing after dancing non-stop to the songs from the boat. Their tongues tasted of bubbly champagne and citric fruit, the wind playing with their hair and the hats that scaped occasionally from their heads. The early afternoon sun was reflected on the slow waves of the pier, seagulls a constant subject of the light blue sky, following the passengers from the boat to the coconut trees. White painted every surface, from the large circular domes to the infinite steep stairs of restaurants and balconies, mixed between wide, ancient stone walls separating the many houses.

Bright yellow flowers colored the wooden stakes of the bridge, intertwined with olive branches and other herbs. At the end of it, a small wooden sign was placed on the sand, an arrow pointing northeast to one side of the beach, next to a message in elegant handwriting.

Welcome to our beginning. Please, have lots of fun. - love, T and Z.

Little bare feet came running towards the group, raising sand on its way as the summer air filled with giggles.

She clung to Gibbs’ leg and looked up, a few strands of hair coming loose from her braid which was swinging in the wind. She wore a little white dress with a floral pattern. A big gap-toothed smile framed her face as he raised her to his arms, receiving a sweet kiss on the cheek on return.

“Hey, Tali,” he said softly as the other members of the team greeted her as well, making her shy for a moment when she hid her face on the crook of his neck, “where’s your father?”

“On your six, boss,” a familiar voice greeted them.

Gibbs had never seen Tony look so happy. He was tanned, small freckles painting his cheekbones and a wide grin displayed on his lips. Like his daughter, he was also barefoot, a Hawaiian shirt complimenting his look along with black sunglasses which he put on his front pocket.

“Finally you’ve arrived, I was starting to doubt if my specialist on weddings would come to support my own,” he added with a smile, squeezing Gibbs’ shoulder, “I promise it’ll only be one though, I don’t have your kind of vigor, boss.”

He received a head slap in return.

“Nothing changed, uh?”

“It never will, DiNozzo.”

Gibbs put Tali down for a moment to give a proper hug on his former agent, patting his back firmly.

“You’ve done well, son,” he whispered in his ear.

“Don’t you dare me make emotional right now, I have a feeling my eyes will sweat a lot during the weekend,” Tony replied with a smile.

They let go and Tony surveyed the team, clasping his hands together.

“Now to presentations,” he continued, “my fondest, warmest, kindest welcomes, everyone, it is a pleasure to have you here. I see old faces and new faces,” he glanced at Torres and Kasie and smiled, “and me and Tali here are glad that you came all the way from DC to witness this miracle. And where is the Rapunzel of the story? Well, funny you should ask, she’s currently going mad about the color of the table cloths and if we should put lights on or off in a wedding set at sundown. Who knew crazy Israeli ninja was so fond of this kind of stuff?”

“We all knew, Tony,” said Palmer.

“Yeah, yeah, that’s why I’m marrying her,” he replied with a warm smirk, “so… she told me she’d meet you up the hill, where you’ll be staying, with lots of food and drinks as an apology. Go easy on her, she still has a wedding to attend tomorrow and I’m quite scared she’ll go entirely Daenerys before it happens. Then I’ll have to marry McGroom and fulfill his lifetime secret dream.”

“Oh, give me a break, will you,” McGee huffed a laugh, his lips turning upwards instantly.

“You’ll never have a break from me, McDad. Never. I will hunt you when we both become ghosts, chasing you around the cemetery as I scream McBoooo,” he lifted Tali in the air, tickling her sides before putting her back down on the ground.

“How long have you been holding this joke?”

“Well, it’s been a while since I’ve seen you, Probie, now that you’re a dad of these little monsters, you’ve been quite busy, uh?” he winked to Delilah, “two of them running around the house-”

“Just you wait,” McGee replied with a grin.

“How indiscreet, McGoo, what are you-”

Abby coughed loudly, gesturing to the wooden sign with wide eyes.

“Oh, let’s get out of the sun immediately,” said Tony gratefully, “Ziva made a whole schedule we have to follow and, to be fair, it’s quite good. She should think about working with that instead of being a trained assassin.”

“Ladies, with me!” exclaimed Abby, a hand raised in the air, “I’ll be your greek tour guide for the weekend! Yaaay! We’ll go up the hill by van so we can appreciate our surroundings,” she winked to Delilah, who nodded thankfully from her wheelchair, “I’ll be the best guide there is, you’re lucky you didn’t end up with Tony.”

“Hey!” Tony complained with a smile, “no one knows how to have fun better than I do. Okay, guys and little monsters, with me! Apparently, Tali has everything already under control.”

“Mermaids!” was all Tali said, running towards Victoria next to Jimmy.

The group dispersed, going to different directions. Tony approached Ellie, who was standing next to the one of the faces he didn’t know. The guy wore a white tank top and a Panama hat, his arms sculped and a knowing smile on his lips.

“You must be the wuss,” said Tony holding his hand out.

“News fly,” Nick faltered for a moment and glanced at Ellie, cheeks a bit red.

“Wuss…?” she asked confused.

“Ziva told me you let her win a fight,” Tony intercepted with a knowing look at Bishop, “I’m impressed, rumors are she killed Houdini.”

“Houdini? As in the magician?” asked Ellie.

“She doesn’t recall all the names, she said,” answered Tony with a smile, twinkling eyes directed to Torres, “if you excuse us gentlemen, agent Bishop,” he kissed her hand, “we got to get to some donkeys.”

“DONKEYS?” asked Nick startled, a laugh escaping his lips.

“A big greek wedding, my friend, donkeys are a must.”

Tony wrapped an arm around the man’s shoulders, directing him towards the right path.

“Just so you know,” he muttered in a tone only Nick could hear, “I made my own personal mission to make you tell her how you feel by the end of this weekend.”

Nick glanced to Tony, who was casting him a mischievous smile.

“Then where’s the alcohol, bro?”

“I like you already.”

°°°

“One… two… three!” Tali placed her little legs on top of Tony’s shoulders, his hands firmly gripping her ankles from below, “push the button,” he said as he held his index finger high for Tali.

She pushed it slightly with her finger, just as her father yelled “HERE WE GO!” and started to swing his body from side to side. A moment later, a loud splash could be heard across the waves, the white seafoam coloring the crystal blue water. Tony emerged with Tali wrapped around his torso, happy giggles echoing all around on a sunny afternoon.

“Uncle Tim, Uncle Tim!” exclaimed Victoria, wearing bright pink arm floats and a little floral cap, as she pointed at something underwater, “there, I can see it!”

“Where?” he looked at the place she was showing, Morgan in his arms with wet pigtails, “oh, I see it. You’ve found a big one, good job!”

He let his daughter float at the slow waves as he dived down to grab something at the bottom of the ocean.

“Ooooh,” said Victoria out loud, hands on her cheeks, “can I touch it?”

“Yes, just do it slowly, it’s a little gooey,” said McGee as he held the shining orange starfish at the girls’ direction.

Vitoria’s little finger touched it softly, but she backed away as soon as she got to know its texture.

“No, no, I don’t wanna touch it,” said Morgan as she gripped her father’s arm hard.

“It’s okay, Morgan, let’s just put it back where it belongs then, uh?”

He dived again to put the starfish at the sand bottom and surfaced a moment later, Victoria already swimming to another location to search for a new sea creature.

“First you turn your hands into a vessel, like this,” Jimmy laid one hand atop of each other, “close it tight, like you’re gonna catch water, and then blow steady between your knuckles, like this.”

A loud high pitch whistle reverberated across the rocks they were sitting when Jimmy blew inside his hand, similar to the sound of a clear flute.

“Whoah, do it again!” exclaimed Johnny, trying to mimic his hands.

“Just like the Cherokee Indians,” Jimmy repeated the whistle, now changing the notes and creating a soft melodic pattern.

The coconut trees swayed with the wind, the rays of sunshine kissing their skin and marking their cheeks with soft freckles as it descended on the horizon. Minutes stretched into hours, and time turned fake in the children’s hands. It seemed infinite. The afternoon could go on forever.

It was paradise.

A loud whistle blew from the sand, revealing Senior calling the group with an energetic wave. He walked towards Gibbs, who was sitting in the shade carving up something out of a piece of wood.

“Can’t they stay like this forever?” asked Senior, a sad note in his voice.

“No,” Gibbs replied, looking to the horizon, eyes hard and sad, “no, they cannot.”

The children came running towards the plates of strawberries and pineapple, screaming with delight and raising clouds of sand in their wake. They threw themselves on the colorful pillows scattered on the sand floor, wet bodies splashing drops of seawater all around them. Their fathers came close behind, Tony shaking his body like a wet dog making everybody laugh.

“Palmer, can I talk to you for a sec?” he asked softly, after drying Tali’s wet hair with a towel.

“Yeah, of course,” Jimmy passed the coconut to McGee and got up, going with Tony towards the sea again.

Once their feet touched the waves, Tony turned to him, arms crossed and face furrowed in concern.

“Did you have the chance to bring it? I know I shouldn’t ask you that, it’s just, I think she would-”

Jimmy opened up a smile.

“What are you talking about? Of course I did, they don’t call me a man of honor for nothing,” he replied, squeezing Tony’s shoulders slightly, “don’t worry, my friend, everything’s gonna be fine. Great, even, you’ll see.”

“I’m not worried.”

Tony raised his clear eyes to Palmer, but the harsh laugh that escaped his lips revealed otherwise. The men laughed together, patting each other in the back and walking towards the children.

“Have you ever been closer to paradise than this place?” asked Torres, sitting on the slackline he had just proudly crossed, with sunkissed skin and eyes facing where the sky met the sea.

“Did you know the definition of ‘paradise’ ultimately comes from an Iranian word that the Greeks modified into paradeisos, meaning ‘enclosed park’,” answered Ducky, a bottle of cold water in his hand, “in Hellenistic Greek, “paradeisos” was also used in the Septuagint - an early Greek translation of Jewish scriptures - in reference to the Garden of Eden. So we are staying where the word came from.“

"I’m gonna take that as a no,” Nick replied laughing.

“I’ve arrived a little bit later than I’ve expected and I didn’t have the chance to see young Eleanor,” Ducky sent an amused look to Torres, “is she well?”

“You too, Ducky? Can’t no one give me a break?”

“Oh, I’m only asking, Nicholas, you seemed rather close,” but Ducky’s eyes were not so clueless.

“I’m sorry, yeah, yeah, she’s great,” Nick replied shrugging.

Ducky let out a charming laugh, looking up to the clear sky, “I think this is the worst-case scenario for someone to give you a break, Nick. We are at the wedding of another office couple, after all.”

“Another…?”

Nick pointed his index finger to Ducky and then put it on his lips, asking for silence, “please don’t go spreading out this idea to the others, Doctor Mallard.”

He stood up and with a surfboard under his arm, Nick raced towards the ocean. The wind was perfect for surfing at the calm waves.

Ducky reclined himself on his sun lounger, taking a sip of his cold water, “oh, I think they already know, kid,” he laughed to the sky.

°°°

“To your left. No, your other left. Yeah, up a little bit. A little bit more-”

A loud crash sounded when the glass jar shattered at the tiles, flowers and candles scattering everywhere. Ziva cursed in a foreign language, already bending down to the clean the mess on the floor.

“I’m sorry, Ziv,” said a younger cousin of her, who came along with her family from Tel Aviv to eat and dance for free, as well as try to help her with the numerous decorations. She was hanging the lights up in the olive trees, but there were so many of them to coordinate with the flowers and pieces of cloth, even Ziva was a bit confused with where to put them.

“It’s okay, Sorsha, I’ll handle it later,” she replied with a smile to the young girl standing up at the ladder, a guilty expression on her face.

“We still have to set the tables and wrap the gifts and talk to the band,” proceeded Ziva exasperated, sighing tiredly with the back of her hand rubbing her forehead.

“And test the lights,” added Sorsha, who now ticked things out of a small paper list, “and see if the cake turned out okay.”

“That Odette is taking care of, you can cross it out.”

“And welcome the guests.”

Ziva stopped where she stood and turned around as soon as she recognized that voice.

“Breena,” Ziva opened a wide grin to her old friend, who came running to hug her tightly, “I’m so glad you’re all here!”

Ziva greeted every one of them with a kiss on the cheek, bending down to talk to Delilah.

“You must be the one who finally stole Tim’s lion heart,” she said with a knowing glance.

“I know, I’m still shocked from time to time,” Delilah replied with a smile.

Ziva gave her a thankful nod, and no words were needed.

“Okay. Food. You must be starving,” she came back to her worried self, tying her hair into a knot, “I just need to check a few things.”

“Hey, are you okay?” asked Jack, her professional voice taking over, “Ziva, I think you need to relax for a bit. You’re the bride, remember? How can we help?”

“Take her out of here,” declared Odette, who was guiding two people with a large flower vase nearby, hands on her hips and a meaningful smile at Ellie, “or I will myself prohibit her getting any closer.”

“I’m- I’m sorry. I think I bit more than I can screw,” said Ziva, trying to recompose herself.

“What…?” asked Kasie, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

“We called it Zivaisms,” answered Abby, grabbing Ziva’s arm and leading her towards the accommodations, not caring about any response, “when Tony is not around to correct her, we just ignore the weird and move on.”

“I tend to do a lot of ignoring the weird and moving on down at that lab,” remarked Kasie.

Abby looked at her with a wide grin, then started to jump up and down, not being able to contain her excitement. She let go of Ziva to run towards Kasie and hug her tightly, while the bride just burst out laughing with the scene, finally letting herself relax.

“We have so much to talk about,” said Abby, arm wrapped around Kasie’s shoulders, “what kind of music you play there now?”

“Uh-”

“It doesn’t matter, I’m so excited there’s finally someone who understands. YAAAY!”

They walked together until they arrived at the lodgings, stationed just above the sea, the white stone balconies disappearing among the many similar others along the coast. The air smelled of sea salt, dried herbs, and the feeling of freedom of a new vacation about to start. Ziva entered the bridal room, making everyone cheer when she showed the sign of “Future Mrs.” placed at her door. A smooth wooden table filled with plates of fruit, various types of seeds and pastries greeted them, along with bottles of cold champagne and rosé wine. Across the hall, a white bed was stationed in front of a large floor to ceiling open window, the big beige curtains flying with the ocean wind.

The view was magnificent.

It was close to the sea so it was possible to discern the silhouettes of the villagers, but far enough to have some privacy. The sound of the waves could be heard all over the room as they hit the cliffs, the constant splashing a calming tune. A small dressing table was placed near the windows, seashells covering the whole surface around the mirror.

Only three objects were set on top of it.

A photograph of Rivka and Eli David, arms wrapped around each other when they were incredibly young, the Jordan mountaintops behind them. Its frame was made of pearls.

A photograph of Ziva holding her sister Tali’s hand, her brother Ari at her other side, all laughing, their bicycles laid on the ground. Its frame was made of buttons.

And a photograph of a man pointing to the camera, his eyes looking towards a little girl whose face was dirty with the chocolate ice cream she held in her hands. Tali was smiling, her baby teeth appearing through her mouth in a wide grin, dark brown eyes twinkling. Tony was also beaming, as if it was the first time he made her truly laugh.

That one she didn’t frame on purpose, the paper almost damaged with time and constant folding to pocket size. It was the most precious to her.

“Whoah, that’s a hell of a view,” said Kasie, eyebrows raised and mouth opened in an oval shape.

“Perfect, wouldn’t you say?” Abby replied, sending Ziva a naughty grin and wiggling her brows.

“Abby,” Ziva huffed a nervous laugh, her cheeks reddening in a rare moment, “this isn’t where we are going to stay for the honeymoon.”

“Why not?! It’s the perfect place, with a great view of the stars, and the sea-”

“Abby,” Ziva stopped her, “he did not want to tell me about it.”

Every woman looked at Ziva, all casting disbelieving glances at each other.

“Really?” asked Jack, “is he that good?”

Ziva smiled shyly, looking down to her feet.

“Yeah,” she answered, “yeah, he is.”

Giggles filled her room, and for the first time in her life, Ziva David was grateful to have such a great female company.

“I’m so glad that you’re here, ladies. I was getting suffocated with all the planning and the last minute decorations. At least Tony is taking care of Tali, or else she would’ve wanted to opine on everything,” she smiled with the thought.

“So, Ziva, tell us the news! How did Tony propose?” asked Ellie, sitting down at a nearby chair after Abby popped open a bottle of champagne, “we didn’t hear anything about you until the invitations arrived.”

“That… that’s a very long and funny story, but we have something more important to discuss first.”

Ziva grabbed a grape and threw it in her mouth, chewing slowly while studying Ellie, who seemed a bit nervous with the sudden turn in the conversation.

“Eleanor, will I need to give you the bouquet directly or are you already aware that Nicholas is fond of you?”

Ellie froze. Her cheeks blushed until the redness reached her ears, and she huffed a laugh while putting a loose strand of her hair behind her ear.

“What? No. Nick? Puff, no way. He’s… he’s just… he’s my partner. We’re coworkers, nothing will happen.”

Everyone glanced at her with a bemused look.

“You do realize what we’re doing here this weekend, don’t you, Ellie?” asked Sloane carefully, placing her hand on top of Bishop’s.

“A wedding?” Abby giggled, “Of… coworkers…?” she added.

Ellie opened up a shy smile when the women started to shake her shoulders and cheer, her cheeks turning even redder than she thought it was possible.

“Don’t worry, uh?” Ziva cast her an honest look, “just have fun and I promise you, time will tell.”

°°°

“HEY TATER TOTS,” called Nick from the water, four kids giggling behind him on the low waves, “HEY, BISHOP!”

Ellie startled where she was lying down on a sun lounger, back facing the sun and wearing a high waisted bikini set. The warmth made her head dizzy with sleep, and she was so tired from the long journey, she didn’t even notice when the back massage Ziva arranged for her ended and when she started to only sunbathe.

“WHAT DO YOU WANT, BRUSSELS SPROUTS?”

“I have a dare for you.”

She startled once again when she realized he was standing just next to her, drops of water wetting her shoulder when he bent down to whisper in her ear.

“What… what dare?” she turned around carefully, hands shading the sun from her eyes as her skin started to tingle with the sight of Nick’s silhouette against the sun.

“I dare you to do a better handstand than those kids.”

“What?” That was unexpected.

“The one with the higher score is Tali. For now. Johnny said that it was because she was older, so I told him you’re older than any of them and doesn’t know how to do a proper handstand.”

Ellie snorted a derisive laugh, taking Nick’s hand to help her stand up, “do you think Eleanor Bishop doesn’t know how to do the most simple summer thing such as a handstand?”

“You’re talking in third person, creep,” he repeated her words from hours before, racing with her towards the kids. Sounds of constant laughter and waves crashing echoed all around.

Abby had taken every one to show a little cave she found with clear hot springs inside, near the cliffs on the other side of the beach. Gibbs and Jack had gone to the opposite direction, walking in the sand until they weren’t visible anymore around the bend.

Meanwhile, Ziva had arranged back massages for her and Ellie to enjoy the little spare time she had before the big event.

She now was lying down at a recliner chair, knots on her back coming undone by the amazing hands of the venue massagist. Her maroon bikini top was untied and she rested at the shade, palm trees swaying with the wind next to her. Her mouth tasted of cold sparkling wine, the sensation of bubbles exploding on her tongue still lingering. All she could hear was the wind, the birds and the sea nearby.

“Hmmm,” she moaned as the massagist touched a particularly painful spot. Her vertebrae cracked carefully under his fingers and the muscles started to slowly relax.

It was heaven.

“Hmmm, just like that, yeah.”

“Miss?” asked the young massagist in a polite tone.

“Hmmm…?” was all she could muster.

Ziva heard the loud sound of children laughing far away, followed by one “I win!” muffled by the powerful wind. She didn’t have a clue what that might be, but she smiled softly with the thought.

The massagist’s hands left her back from a moment, the wind caressing her skin and making her shiver.

“Uhh,” he said, a nervous note distinguishable in his voice, “are you the one getting married, miss?”

His hands returned, massaging her shoulders and the back of her neck as she moaned out loud with the sensation. She was alone and didn’t care about anything or anyone, to be honest. Tony was showing the surroundings to the guests with Abby and Tali was playing in the sand with the other kids. This was her moment, and hers alone.

“Yes, yes I am.”

“And… and who is the groom?” the young man asked politely, voice now steadier once she stopped with the moaning.

“He…” Ziva did it again just to feel him stiffen, biting her lower lip as a loud sound escaped her throat, “his name is Tony. Tall guy. Talks a lot.”

This is still too easy.

It was few the moments in her life Ziva David had truly felt like a woman, only when her job demanded and when her guilty desire asked her to. Now, she had a little girl who asked her about princess’ stories and glittery clothes, a good man at her side whose eyes always landed on her filled with need and a wedding party about to happen.

With a white gown and something blue included.

It all seemed like a dream, after years running away and hiding from Sahar, she was now in this beautiful place with all her family to cherish her wedding.

The girl who ran all her life had finally found herself.

“Is he… is he here?” asked the massagist, hands trailing down her lower back with care.

“Yes, he is. Well, not now, but you know, I do hope he is at the wedding, at least.”

“Of course.”

He changed the position of his hands to press down at her calves and Ziva purred in delight. She felt him bending down to massage the back of her knee, so she moaned once again just to play with him, her sassiness on overdrive.

“Is he, you know, strong? Knows how to fight?”

Ziva’s mind filled with images of Tony with shoulder holsters and sweaty skin, and she had to bite her lip again to prevent her from muttering anything too inappropriate. Gosh, the waiting for this honeymoon would make her explode with greed until there.

“Yeah, I’m afraid he’s pretty good at it.”

The massagist hands trailed the back of her thigh, making a skip from her hips to her lower back again.

“Is he… good looking?”

“Oh,” she smiled with the sight of him in formal attire tomorrow, “oh yeah-”

Her voice abandoned her as she felt the young man bending down atop of her and doing a fast lick at the shell of her ear.

“HEY, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING?”

She quickly grasped her bikini top to turn around and stand up, wanting to punch him right away, but his body pressed her down at the chair, laying on top of her back.

He was too heavy, and for a second she couldn’t move from the position she was lying down.

She had to think fast.

She had to found a quick way out of here.

“I could ask you the same thing, Dah-veed.”

Tony’s raspy voice caressed the back of her ear just as he came closer to place a lingering kiss on the crook of her neck.

“You have no self-respect moaning like that, do you?” he grabbed her hair to position her neck how he liked, placing wet kisses from her shoulder to her earlobe, “you have no respect for the groom also, uh? You do know he’s obeying your wishes to wait until the honeymoon, don’t you?”

He kissed her neck, again and again, and again, making her dizzy and hot and sweaty. Her skin began to prickle wherever he touched and she could feel a tingling sensation starting to grow strong at the base of her belly.

“You do know,” another kiss, “that you’re driving him crazy,” another kiss, “with your bikini like that?”

She started to shiver and couldn’t take it anymore as one of his hands trailed down to grab her firmly at the waist.

“Tony, I-” a loud moan escaped her lips as he pressed his whole body hard on her back.

“He can’t. Wait. For tomorrow. Sweetcheeks,” he said slowly, the syllables leaving his lips just as he placed kiss after kiss on her neck, again and again, making her want to scream, her heart threatening to explode.

Tony planted a wet smooch on her ear, making a loud 'pop’ as he moved away, letting her turn around. An amused smirk danced on his lips as his green eyes gave an appreciate gaze down her body, waiting for her as she tied her bikini. The young massagist was nowhere to be found.

“It was you all along?”

He opened up a boyish smile, eyes growing dark as his gaze lingered on her lips a moment too long.

“Did you really think a massage that good could be done by a shaky little guy in training?”

Ziva chuckled, licking her lips as she watched Tony’s eyes carefully trace her tongue with hard focus.

“How much did you give him to ask that stuff?”

“Your habilities are faltering, Israeli, once upon a time you could sense me in your sleep just by my marvelous natural musk,” his eyes darted from her lips to her chocolate eyes, the color almost invisible as it became two completely black orbs.

The air between them was filled with electricity, the tension almost unbearable with Ziva licking her lips and Tony tracing her tongue with his eyes.

“Just kiss me already, will you?”

She opened up her mouth to welcome him, his wet tongue crashing into hers with obvious need, smooth and tasting of cold tequila. He moved closer to her, wrapping his arm around her waist, the other lifting to her hair as he intensified the kiss.

Ziva couldn’t think straight, she felt like she had drunk at least a whole bottle of wine, mind blank with all the senses taking over her. The warmth in her belly was spreading across her body, through her veins, and, judging by the way he was groaning into her mouth, she guessed he felt the same.

They were sweating as the lust and desire for each other scrambled on the surface and the body heat between them could cause a fire. It seemed that neither of them wanted to stop the kiss.

But it was necessary to inhale, so Tony drank in her lips for one last long moment and then released them with a soft moan. He opened his eyes and licked his lips, tasting her on them as he looked at him and saw the effect of the kiss. She banged her head once lightly against the chair, feeling completely dumbfounded and, with closed eyes, took a deep breath.

“Why did we wait so long again?” Ziva asked, voice quavering and raspy.

“I ask that myself every day,” Tony answered with a wide smile, “so do you think, HEY-”

A pair of steady hands gripped him at his shoulders and lifted him from the chair, just as another held his ankles and he started to be carried away from her.

“Not now, pal,” said Nick, holding his ankles and moving towards the other side of the beach, “you got somewhere else to be.”

"No, no, no, guys, put me down."

“A bachelor party, I think,” added Jimmy from behind, hands under Tony’s arms.

"PUT ME DOWN," exclaimed Tony, tossing in his friends' arms.

“For the one and only Anthony DiNozzo,” said McGee, winking at Ziva as she chuckled, “YOU CAN HAVE HER TOMORROW,” Tim put his hands in a shell shape, his voice echoing across the beach.

“SHE’S MINE EVERY DAY,” Tony yelled back, trying to turn his head towards Ziva but the guys didn’t let him.

“Is he drunk?” she asked, crossing her arms and eyes twinkling.

“No, he’s not,” replied McGee, a knowing smirk on his lips as he nodded towards Tony, “I think he’s just in love.”

#ncis #tiva #ellick #slibbs #tiva fanfiction #ellick fanfiction #ncis fanfiction #something blue fic #my fics #PLEASE READ IT ON AO3!!!#there is music there #very beach vibes #dads and their kids #then it gets a little hotter whoof #and I can't wait to write the next chapter #it's called 'the bachelor'

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thevelvetseries · 5 years

Text

The Heart Wants What It Wants

Summary : The Ackles oldest daughter Y/N has been growing up hiding a secret from her whole family and the entire world. She tries her best to keep it hidden, until one day her secret is released to the world.

Pairing : Jensen Ackles x Daughter Reader / Danneel Ackles x Daughter Reader / JJ Ackles / Arrow Ackles / Zeppelin Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Genevieve Padalecki

Warnings : Lesbian Reader, Forced Out, Swearing, Drinking

A/N : I had just finished reading the book ‘Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda’ and really enjoyed it. After watching the movie with a few friends it gave me the idea to write a short one-shot about a female reading being outed.

Main Masterlist

I was currently sitting in my last period of the day at school. We had 10 minutes left until the end of the day. I was meeting Bram, Alexandra, Hannah, Nick and Marcus we were heading to the mall after school to look around get dinner and see a movie like we do every Friday. Once the bell rang, I put away my books and picked up my coat and leave the classroom and head over to my locker to grab the rest of my books to take with me for the weekend. While I was placing books in my bag Hannah bounced up to me.

“Hey Y/N” she says while leaning up against the locker next to mine. She was wearing a light blue top with black skinny jeans and some simple sneakers. She looked amazing she always did. They way she would do her makeup and hair everyday she looked beautiful.

“Hey Han, have you seen the others.” I say while closing my bag, placing it on the floor to put my coat on.

“They are walking to us now” she points behind me and I see Bram, Nick, Marcus and Alexandra walking our way. I close my locker pick up my bag and we all had outside. Since there is 6 of us we take two cars, in the mornings I pick up Hannah, Nick since they live on near me while Bram picks up Marcus and Alexandra. We get into our cars and head off to the mall for the night.

Around 8pm I get home. When I pulled up in the driveway I noticed that Jared and Gen were over. I park my car and turn off my engine. I take an deep breath, and lean my head against the headboard and closed my eyes. After 5 minutes I grab my bag and head inside. I open the front door, took my shoes of sand hanged up my coat on the hook by the door. I walk into the kitchen place my bag on the counter and grab myself a bottle of water. I had drank about half the bottle when dad walked in the room.

“Hey kiddo, how was school today?” He asked while giving me a kiss on the head while continuing over to the kettle and tuning it on.

“It was ok, nothing out of the ordinary.” I say while putting the lid back on my water bottle. “I saw the Padalecki’s are here” I say while pointing to the living room.

“Yeah, they decided to come over tonight.” Jensen says while making coffee.

“I’m gonna say hello and head upstairs.” I say walking out the kitchen. I say hello to everyone in the living room and head upstairs to my room and start to do my math homework. After about an hour I make my downstairs to get myself a snack. I walk into the kitchen and see dad and Jared sitting at the table talking.

“Hey Y/N” Jared said while drinking some of his drink.

“Hey J” I say while grabbing myself an apple and joining them at the table.

“How’s school been?” He asked.

“It’s been fine. Nothings really changed” I say while biting into my apple.

“Got a boyfriend yet?” Jared says while dad gives him a look.

“Hey”dad says while putting a hand on Jared’s shoulders “She’s 16. She doesn’t need a boyfriend.” Then he looks at me. “You don’t have a boyfriend do you?” He asked me.

“No dad, I don’t” I say. What he didn’t know is that I didn’t want a boyfriend or a husband when I got older. I wanted a girlfriend, and a wife. I’ve know this fo a long time. Like when me and my friends would watch TV shows or movies I would always pay more attention towards the actresses.

“Well good. Wait until college or after college.” He says. I give me a smile and tell him I would. It was a way to keep him off my back. I get up from the table and head into the living room where mum and Gen where with the little children. They were watching Frozen and eating popcorn. I make my way over to mum and snuggled into her side. She gives me a kiss on he head and continues o talk to Gen and watch the movie, at some point I’ve fallen asleep.

When I woke up I was in my bed and it was light outside. I look at my bedside table and saw it was 6am. I get out of bed and make my way downstairs and find mum and dad in the kitchen cooking breakfast, JJ and the twins where in the living rom watching cartoons.

“Morning sweetie, did you sleep ok?” mum said while cracking some eggs into a bowl to whisk them together.

“Morning mum, dad.” I say while sitting at the table and yawning.

“Oh, is it still ok for me to go to Jessica’s party tonight?” I’m ask to the room. Mum and dad both agreed so when I finished my breakfast, I sat with my family in the living room for a few hours before heading upstairs and texting my group asking if they were going to go. We all were. We decided that I was going to head over to Alexandra to get ready with her and Hannah since she lived closer to where the party was being held. Jessica used to go to out school before she transferred when she moved last year but everyone still loved her.

Around 9pm we arrive at the party. We head to the kitchen to get ourself some drinks. By 12am I was drunk. I wasn’t really sure what was going on, all I knew was that I was with Hannah and Alexandra in the car and was heading back home. They pull up to my house I grab my bag and head inside. I quietly enter the house and close the door and went upstairs to my bed. I had a good night, but what I didn’t know was that my life was going to change when I woke up the next morning.

My head was pounding like crazy. I slowly open my eyes and immediately shut them when I come contact with light from my windows. Yes, I was definitely hungover. It wasn’t the first time it had happened but never this bad. After about 20 minutes I was finally awake enough to head downstairs. It was 10am. I left my phone by my bed. When I reached downstairs I saw JJ, the twins and their three little Padalecki’s in the living room while mum and dad and Jared and Gen where in the kitchen talking with a laptop in front of them. When I enter the kitchen they all look at me. I grab a bottle of water from the fridge and turn around and looked at them.

“Why you all staring at me like that?”I asked confusedly while opening my bottle of water.

My dad looked at me and asked my to take a seat. I sit down and now I’m starting to get a little worried.

“When we woke up this morning there was an article wrote about you. It looked like someone took some photos of you at the party you went to last night.” Dad said while looking at me sweetly.

“Ok. That’s not bad. Is it.” I ask nervously.

Mum turned the laptop around and I could hear my heart break. The headline was the first thing I saw ‘Y/N Ackles seen kissing a mystery girl’. No, no no no no no. Fuck no. I start to scroll down and I see a photo of me kissing a girl. Tears start to build in my eyes. Why was this happening, for the past 3 years I’ve kept this hidden inside me. I look at up and a single tear runs down my face. I didn’t know what to do, they were all staring at me.

I got up from the table and ran up to my room ignoring the calls for me to come back. I enter my rom and lock the door and crawl into my bed. My phone was blowing up with missed calls and texts from my friends asking if I was ok and I just broke down crying.

I could hear my dad and mum, outside my room knocking asking for me to let them in. I couldn’t move. I stayed in my room all day.

When I woke up the next morning I woke and immediately hated the day. It’s Monday. School is in 2 hours. I head to my ensuite took a shower then go dressed, did my hair and makeup and went downstairs. When I enter the kitchen I see mum and dad and JJ eating breakfast. When they saw me dad looked me in the eyes. We hadn’t talked since they read the article. “Would you like a waffle sweetie?” He asks I just nod.

I seat down at the table not talking. I know I need to say something I should just tell them they already know. Dad placed my waffle in front of me and sat back down next to mum.

“I want to talk to guys about something.” I say. They both look at me, JJ was bus eating her waffles. “Well… I… I.. I like girls. And I don’t want you guys to think anything different. I’m still me.”

Mum jumped “of course you are sweetie” she said. “It’s ok hunny.” I give them both a small smile. “I loved you”

“We love you too” dad said. “Come here” he put his arms out. I get out my chair and walk over to him. He gives me a big hug and kissed my forehead. Then mum comes from behind me and joins the hug.

2 weeks later. Everything was great. I’m not sure why I was so worried in the first place. Nothing has really changed in my life except everyone knows my little secret, my family and friends still loved me everything was ok. I’m not sure why I was so scared too begin with. I’m was now myself. Who cares, the heart wants what it wants.

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a-sweet-pea · 4 years

Text

Soup or Stew

A lil borrower one-shot starring Elle and James. Been meaning to dust this off for a while but I never wrote the intro. She’s borrowing for snacks in the cupboard when the bean shows up unexpectedly (don’t they always?). Hope this can tide folk over until I get some fresh stuff going!

- x -

“A wee mouse, is it?” The giant took the bag of sugar off the shelf below her, and leaned forward to peer into the dark back corners of the cabinet. She took advantage of the fact that his attention was elsewhere to tiptoe from behind the honey jar to the tall rectangular package of biscuits. I wanted one of those, she thought sadly. Oh well, another day. Though he was out of sight, Elle could tell by the sound of it that the giant was taking jars and packets of things off the bottom shelf; at this rate, she would be through the hole and back down the ladder before he even started on top one. “Wee sleekit cowrin, timrous beastie, whit a panic’s in thy breastie.” His voice vibrated the wood shelf beneath her; it sounded even deeper and larger echoing off the walls of the cabinet. “Thou need nae start awa sae hasty, wi’ bickering brattle! Ah would be loathe tae run an chase ye, wi’ murd’ring prattle.”

Her heart was racing in her chest. Good, then don’t. Keep on reciting poetry and stop rummaging around. She slowly edged around the back of the biscuits, past an unopened jar of peanut butter, toward the hole in the back of the cabinet. Freedom. She went the last stretch of it crouching low to the ground. So low that her knapsack tipped, and two thumbtacks fell out with a clatter that could probably be heard three rooms over. Dammit. She turned her head, just in time to see the giant’s face eclipse the light in the cabinet opening.

“Whit the…” His eyebrows shot up, his eyes widened. She watched another silhouette come across the light; a hand open and reaching. No, no, no, she thought, racing to the shadows at the back of the cabinet. You idiot, how could you be so loud, you are the worst at sneaking. The hand thudded down onto the shelf and swept back and forth on the spot where she had just been. Which meant that it was between her and the hole, she couldn’t even make a run for it. But, maybe I can sneak past it. Slowly, the hand moved across the shelf away from her, the fingertips brushing against the peanut butter jar and a few loose grains of rice. Good, she thought, taking silent trembling steps toward the hole. You just stay over there for a bit. It did not. Something large and soft and warm prodded her leg, almost knocking her over.

“Ah, there you are.”

Her stomach dropped; she hardly had time to turn around before she felt massive fingers curl around the back of her and lift her up and out into the light of the kitchen.

I’m dead.

James couldn’t believe it.

But he had to, because there it was, tumbling off of his palm into a little trembling heap on the counter. Not a mouse at all. A tiny human figure, no more than five inches tall.

“How are ye so small?” She stood up and fixed him with a deer-in-the-headlights type stare. “And whit were ye daein’ in ma cupboard?” She straightened the hem of clumsily-sewn purple dress and opened her mouth as if to speak, but nothing came out. After a silent moment, she crouched down, tucking her head down against her knees and covering her head.

“No questions.” A muffled high-pitched voice came from the shaking ball. “Just get on with it.”

“Get on wi what?” He leaned down a little further, taking in the small details of her appearance. She had mouse brown hair tied in a low ponytail with a scrap of red cloth. There was a patchwork bag at her side, in which James could just barely make out a few recognizable shapes; a few thumbtacks, a paper clip, a torn off bit of a yellow post-it note.

“Squishing. Poison. Eating me. Whatever you’re going to do.”

“Is that what you’re afraid of?”

The little voice was stronger, almost pouty. “I’m not afraid!” James chuckled, and the little ball shuddered.

“Naw, of course you’re no afraid. Ye’ve got nu’hin tae be afraid of.”

“Is that so.” The ball didn’t move. She was such a tense wee marble; he just wanted to scoop her up and give her a cuddle, but he resisted the urge.

“Naw, of course no. There’s nothing scary about me.”

“So, you’re not going to boil me into a soup.”

“Ah dinnae like soup.”

“A stew then.”

“Soup and stew are the same ‘hing.”

Her head popped up, and there was something of an edge to her tone when she spoke. “They are not!”

“Aye, they are.” James tried not to let the excitement show in his voice. Her eyes were bright and her expression delightfully contrarian. “Soup is meat and vegetables in water. Stew is meat and vegetables in water.”

“That doesn’t make them the same thing!” She uncurled and sat upright, cross-legged. “You might as well say sandwiches and pizza are the same thing, just cause they both have meat and cheese on bread.”

“I would agree with that.”

“No, you’re not supposed to agree with that.” She rolled her eyes. “You’re supposed to say, ‘That’s ridiculous, no one would say that.’ Because it is, and no one would.”

James laughed. “Well, ah said it, and I’m no hearing a counterargument.”

“That’s because I’m thinking of one.” She stood up and paced back and forth, scratching the back of her head thoughtfully. Outwardly, James remained passive. Inside, his mind was racing, trying to catch up with the events unfolding on the counter. Such a tiny thing. Why was she in the cabinet? Does she live here? Was that why his guitar picks had been disappearing; had she been squirreling them away in her tiny bag to use as plates or shingle a miniature house? He’d been a bit peeved at the time, but he supposed if they were being put to use, that wasn’t as bad as them sliding between a crack in floor boards, never to be of use to anyone ever again.

“Ahm waiting.”

“Well, you can keep waiting!” She drew her mouth into a thin line, and James laughed.

“Aye, I can. I’ve got nu’hin’ better to do this evening.” He sat back and watched her pace back and forth across about 8 inches of counter space like she was the Great Mouse Detective, until suddenly she stopped and turned to face him with a triumphant expression..

“There’s two pieces!”

“Two pieces of what?”

“Bread! A sandwich has two pieces of bread with stuff in the middle. And it’s just for one person. A pizza is a big round bread with stuff on top of it. Also, it’s for multiple people to eat.”

“Speak for yoursel, wee yin. Ah can eat a whole pizza, easy.”

“Well you shouldn’t.”

“Besides,” James crossed his arms and leaned over, resting them on the counter in front of her. He was close enough to see freckles on her face now, like grains of sand. “I thought the argument was about soup and stew.”

“It’s about establishing..a…precedent…” The girl froze statue still. Her gaze travelled up along his arm to his face. Her’s was a bit pale.

“Hey, dinnae go shy on me now.” He spoke as softly as he could, and watched as his breath blow a strand of hair away from her face. “I just wanted tae get a better look at ye.”

“W-why?” She clutched at the strap of her bag where it reached across her shoulder, like it was a safety harness.

“Have you ever seen oanybody my size before?”

“Yes, all the time. You guys are all over the place.” She gestured widely with her hands, avoiding eye contact.

“Well, I’ve never seen oanybody like you.”

“That’s because we’re very good at hiding.”

“No that good.” James said it with a smile, but immediately regretted it.

“I guess not.” The girl shook her head and looked away from him; raising a miniscule hand to wipe her eye.

“Hey, dinnae dae that!” Without thinking, reached out and curled his fingers gently around her. She gasped and her eyes were like saucers as he lifted her into the palm of his other hand. “It was a joke, that’s aw; ah didnae mean it. I’m sure you’re great at hidin’.” Her eyes were wet, and pink around the edges, but she wasn’t crying anymore. She appeared to have short circuited.

“You…you p-picked me up. I’m…in your hand.” Her little hands prodded his palm.

“Oh, aye. Sorry. I jist, I wanted tae gie you a cuddle, you know?” James was nearly as sorry as he probably should have been, if he was being perfectly honest with himself. He’d wanted to pick her up again since he put him down. She was such a fascinating little creature. Holding her felt not unlike holding somebodies pet rat; if pet rats could talk and nick office supplies.

“You…you weren’t just lulling me into a false sense of security so you could scoop me up and Science me?”

“Science you?”

“Y-you know,” she stammered. She hadn’t stopped rubbing his palm. “P-put me in a jar and poke me with a thermometer or something like that.”

“No. I am not going to science you. Or eat you. Or squash you. Or oany of that.”

“Promise?”

“Aye. Promise.”

“Not…not even if I say something that makes you mad?”

“Wee yin,” he spoke as soft and gentle as he could. “There’s nu’hin ye could say to me that would make me want tae hurt ye.”

“Soup is a thin watery broth o-or a cream base with chopped meat of vegetables or noodles or fish or whatever suspended in it, and the proportions are lots of liquid to a little bit of solid stuff. Stew is always beef, and it’s cooked for a long time with vegetables, but never noodles or fish, and the liquid is more meat sauce than anything else, and it pretty much only barely covers the solid bits. So while I concede that they are in the same category of foods, they are absolutely different.”

James tilted his head and fixed her with a stony glare. “I am going to boil you in a soup.”

“Really?” The high, anxious tone of her voice took all the fun out of the joke.

“No, no of course not! Whit kind ae monster do ye take me for?” Her shoulders relaxed immediately. “Ah am hungry tho. If I made a pot ae mac ‘n cheese, wid ye have some?”

Her eyes just about rolled back into her head. “I love mac and cheese. But by the time I get to it, the scraps are stone cold, and cold mac and cheese is basically worse than no mac and cheese at all.”

“And its no soup, right?”

“No.” Her laugh was like a little bell ringing with a tiny goose honk in the middle. “It’s not soup.”

#g/t fluff #giant/tiny #g/t fiction #g/t writing #asweetpeawriting #asweetpea #g/t

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mymelodyheart · 3 years

Text

Forget Me Not Chapter 8 ~Cuddles and Talks~

We're just going to cuddle. That's what he said to Claire before they left Lallybroch earlier. He groaned inwardly as Jamie replayed the images of them alone in his house, surrounded in quiet with all time restraints fading away. He knew he was setting himself for torture, knowing full well that this time there would be no distractions nor intrusions from his family. As much as he fought it, visions of Claire, naked on a pile of blankets by the fireplace, the light of the fire illuminating her pale skin, kept popping in his head. The thought made his cock twitch and tightened his muscles to the point of pain. It was going to be a very long night, and he wondered if cuddling would be enough to assuage the aches from years of wanting her. But they needed to have that talk before anything else went any further, and he had only five days to erase whatever doubts lurking behind Claire's eyes.

Willie's reaction from earlier didn't go unnoticed. What the fuck was that all about? Jamie wanted to believe that it was nothing other than an overprotective older brother's response. Although he was relieved the rest of his family took their news in a stride, he couldn't help but feel the gnawing sensation in his guts that Willie's reaction was more than brotherly.

As he opened the door to his house, Jamie gestured Claire to precede him. "I'll get the fire started... and...uhm...ye can make yersel' comfortable," he said, trying to swallow what felt like a cotton ball lodged in his throat. Christ, keep it together! The last thing ye need is Mick Jagger doing his stand up routine! Focus!

"I'll prepare the drinks. I saw you slipped a bottle of whisky in your bag, but I brought some red wine too." Claire walked in, kicking off her ankle boots and taking out bottles from her duffel bag that she placed on the floor in the process.

Following her to the kitchen to look for matches, Jamie's eyes involuntarily skimmed the length of her body as she slipped off her jacket and placed it on the worktop. His gaze settled on the black pants she wore, which was way too snug in the curves department. Good Lord, he figured restraint was going to be more difficult than he thought when he felt his heart relocate to his throat. He could feel it beating there painfully, making breathing difficult.

Thanks to boobs, Jamie first became aware of Claire's womanly charms at a tender age of twelve when one night she had agitatedly barged into his room, holding a tiny bra in her hand. At age ten, she was an early bloomer, and like his ma, he hadn't failed to notice the changes that were occurring with her body. "Ma says I have to start wearing these because my tits jiggle when I run," she wailed while waving the offensive undergarment in the air.

Naturally, his attention had been immediately drawn to her breasts. Alarmed like she was with her physique's transformation, part of him had been curious what it would have felt like to touch that part of her growing anatomy. Although guilt, shame and confusion plagued his thoughts, his love for Claire was always at the forefront of his mind.

It had all started when three older boys stole his brand new bicycle. He was only ten, and she had been with him, on their way back home from school. The bullies had pushed Jamie off his bike, and Claire bravely fought back swinging his cricket bat at the offenders. She ended up being propelled into the mud and having her eyeglasses smashed. Instead of crying, she had run to Jamie to console him. "It's alright, Jamie, I'm here for you. I chased the bullies away. Don't you worry, I have a bit of pocket money saved, and I'll buy you a new bike. You know that I love you, don't you?" she had crooned in his ears, sounding like a sweet angel that she was, her small hands rubbing his back.

From that moment on, looking into her huge honey, coloured eyes, he knew he would love her forever and swore to himself to protect her whatever harm or hurt came her way.

"Jamie, is there hot water? I would like to have a shower first." Snapping out of reverie, he noticed she had turned around, puzzled features staring back at him, golden eyes big and questioning. Why does she look all flustered all of a sudden?

Suddenly aware that his expression must have spoken of all sorts of filthy intentions, he mentally kicked himself on the arse. Remedying that split second of awkward moment, he closed the distance between them. Framing Claire's jaw with both hands, he kissed her briefly, careful not to make body contact. It was important to have his wits about him and not be distracted from what he had planned. "Aye, we had the boiler installed last week. Ye go have a shower, and I'll bring the drinks in the living room," he replied hoarsely. He needed a few moments to start breathing again and hopefully, by the time he started the fire and prepared their bed for the night, he would have regained control of his runaway thoughts.

Twenty minutes later, hearing Claire exit the bathroom, he lit the scented candles on the fireplace mantel, muttering to himself that all his preparations weren't any form of seduction. Yeah right, Fraser lad, who are ye kidding! He had five days to make their time together count and convince her that she's the only woman for him even though he would be leaving her side to help Annalise for an indefinite period. He didn't want to leave her doubting his love for her, fully aware of the many insecurities she had. And not to forget Frank, that damn prick , who had his eyes set on his girl. Shaking his head to refocus on the present, he quickly scanned the room, glancing at the warm glow from the fireplace, the flickering light of the candles and the mattress in the centre of the room, layered with blankets and pillows. Satisfied with his handiwork, he poured whisky in two tumbler glasses.

Claire walked in with bare feet wearing one of his shirts, the hem dangling just above her knees. His whisky glass froze midair as he watched her twirl her damp locks into a bun on top of her head, keeping it in place with a hairband. She looked like she just stepped out from his wet dreams. Christ, reel it in, lad. Stick to the plan...it's cuddles and talks, mind? "Enjoy yer shower, Sassenach?" He thought he sounded like he swallowed a handful of sand with crushed glass. How could he ever withstand leaving her when its time to go to France?

"I did." She paused for a while before saying anything further, her eyes lighting up as she took in the room. "Aww, Jamie, this is so romantic and cosy. Are you trying to seduce me?" She laughed, the words coming from her own mouth seemed to have startled her, making crimson slowly creep up her neck.

Ignoring her question, he stifled a groan. "Do ye like it?"

She nodded eagerly, the smile on her face making his chest ache. "Sorry for nicking your t-shirt. I prefer them to my pyjamas."

So do I. For as long as he could remember, Claire had taken to using his t-shirts as her nightwear, and he loved the idea of her wearing something that belonged to him. Refilling his own glass, before handing her a tumbler of whisky, he hoped the task would lower his pulse enough to enable him to concentrate. "Nick away...ye look better in it than I do."

"Na-uh, not true. You fit in it nicely in all the right places," Claire replied softly, her eyes animating playfully as she took a sip of the single malt, a different hue of red spreading across her cheeks.

Jamie took a healthy gulp of his own drink, instantaneously feeling the lethargic effect of the whisky, making him loosed-tongue and relaxed. "Christ Sassenach, keep talking like that and ye're going to see what's underneath really fast." Taking the glass from her, he turned away to place their tumblers on the floor with a resounding whump. "Come here."

Claire didn't hesitate. In a heartbeat, she was stood before him, her arms around his neck, and on tiptoes gazing into his eyes. She tilted her head to the side and quirked an eyebrow. "You're still in your jeans. Don't tell me you're going to sleep in that...that can't be comfortable," she breathed, making his head whir.

"Aye, I'll change later," he replied a little too gruffly, one hand unconsciously raking through his hair. Jamie was grateful for the snugness of his jeans, hiding the torturous throb of his cock, that seem to be in a full protest mode, begging to be freed. He stirred the conversation to a safer subject. "I wish I had more comfortable furniture in the house...maybe ye could help me once the house is completely done."

"Jamie, don't worry about it. Making a house a home takes time. Besides, it's a charming set up for cuddles and talks."

"Aye, that's the plan." God help him, he wanted to take it slow, but here they were in an empty house with a girl he loved almost all his life. She was so trusting, provocative with a side of cute, and her mouth was poised for a kiss. He knew if he succumbed to that kiss, he wouldn't be able to stop this time around. The plan was to spend the evening talking, and he was determined to see it through. Reluctantly, he eased her back away from him with a kiss on the nose. "Let's get ye under the covers, shall we?" he suggested in a low voice.

She nodded with a small smile, a slight frown puckering at her brows. "Alright, then." Turning away from him, she lowered herself onto the mattress, and instead of going under the blankets, she sat cross-legged, hugging a pillow close to her chest.

Jamie followed suit, lying on his side to face her, propping his head on one big hand with elbows braced on the pillow. He badly wanted to have her in his arms, but he knew if he so much as touch her, there would be no talking done. "Ye ken it's tearing my guts out to leave ye behind...ye only need to say the word, and I'll stay," he started.

Claire's head bobbed down as she tugged at the corner of the pillow, contemplating her response. When she finally looked up, she had a cloudy look on her face. "If you don't go, Jamie, you'll never forgive yourself, and if I told you to stay, one day you will resent me for it if ever the worse happens. And we have to remind ourselves, there's also a possibility you could become a father..." she said ever so quietly that he had to strain his ears to hear her.

He was distracted by the tension forming in her shoulders, but he refrained from reaching out. "And if I was the father, would that change anything between us?" Jamie studied her expression and tried to be quiet about letting go of the breath he'd been holding.

"I can't answer that, Jamie. I honestly don't know how I would feel. This...us...it's all new to me...and I'm just coming to grips with this whole transition of our relationship from what we were then to what we are now. I'm still trying to digest the fact that ma and da are alright with this...meaning us."

Jamie straightened and became aware of a dull ache ticking at his cheek. "Sassenach, do ye doubt our love for one another?" God, he was so in love with her, he wanted to bang his head on the floorboard.

Her eyes widened, seemingly shocked at the question. "Oh God no, not at all. I don't doubt the love between us. It's always been there, and always will be no matter what happens. We've had that since we were kids and that doesn't simply go away. But we can't deny that there's a possibility...that us...what we have now, our relationship...it might not work. And if that happens, I still want you in my life. You're too important to me, and it would devastate me if I lost you," she murmured, now tugging at the hem of Jamie's t-shirt that she was wearing.

"Ye'll never ever lose me, Sassenach. And why even go there...what makes ye think our relationship won't work? Because if it's about Annalise that ye're worried about, I will stay." He could feel an ooze of panic seeping out of his heart. Christ, where is this conversation leading to?

"No.No. It's not Annalise." She sighed, taking a deep breath. "Did you know that, on my way back home on the train, all I could think of was Frank? I thought I was in love with him and then..." Jamie flinched at the mention of Frank.

"And then I kissed ye..." he said softly.

"Well, there's that among other things." She paused, unsure of what to say next. "Jesus Christ, damn it, sometimes I wish I had previous relationships to compare this...us to. It's so bloody confusing that I can hardly form a sentence that would do justice to what I actually want to say. What if...the bond we have is merely sibling love, and we're both mixing it up..."

"Hold on a minute and stop right there, Sassenach..." Jamie was more confused than ever as a multitude of thoughts bounced within the walls of his brain.

Without warning, Claire got up and grabbed her whisky. "No, Jamie, I won't stop. You brought me here to talk, right? So we're going to talk. I'm confused because...because... you're giving me mixed signals..."

"Wh-what mixed signals? What do ye mean by that?" He watched her walked towards the fireplace and downed her whisky, an audible swallow coming from her throat.

Claire shook her head, staring into the fire. "When you first kissed me...it was very nice. No...it was more than nice. It was mind-blowing. I felt things...you know...I've never felt before," she stammered, trying to catch her breath. "And I wanted more, and every time I wanted more, you always pulled away. So it got me thinking, maybe you're confused about your love for me. And here I thought...when two people are in love, they can't keep their hands away from one another. Well...I can only go along with all those film romance I've watched. Maybe...just maybe, you're the one who's confused about us. I mean, I get it, really. I experienced first hand how I mistook my childhood infatuation for Frank for love and boom, just like that, suddenly all those years of thinking I loved him, was nothing but an illusion. Perhaps it was a disguise to what I actually felt about you because I always thought it would be unethical to fall in love with a foster brother. So I understand if that's what you're actually feeling and the kiss we had just confused you into thinking you were in love with me. That's the reason why you want to talk, right?" By now, she was babbling, still resisting to look at Jamie.

He stared at her with stunned disbelief. Here he was trying to do the right thing by taking it slow lest he scared her, and she thought he was pushing her away. He sighed, a load lifting off from his shoulders. After Claire's statement, he knew, there was no chance of getting his pulse to simmer down now. Getting up from the mattress, he walked to where she was stood and from behind, he reached out to take the glass from her hand and placed it on the mantelpiece. Claire stood still, not saying a word. He sensed she was trying her hardest to suppress the tears threatening to fall.

Dipping his head, Jamie grazed his lips against the side of her neck, resisting the urge to touch her. "Ye have nae idea, Sassenach, have ye?" he murmured close to her ears, his heart slamming against his chest. "Ye have nae idea how much it pained me not to touch ye the way I want to. Though I am less than impressed with what's going on through that pretty head of yers, I am rendered speechless by yer explanation of my actions." He leaned in closer, burying his face on the curve of her neck. "Now, what I am about to do is open to yer interpretation. And I look forward to hearing yer accounts of my efforts."

Claire spun around bringing their faces inches from each other, his one hand pressed against the edge of the mantelpiece, as he drifted towards her. She blinked like a madwoman, trying to read his eyes. "What are you trying to say?" she croaked.

Without warning, his mouth brushed against hers in agonising slowness. He wasn't rushed as he stared directly into Claire's widening honey coloured eyes, merely breathing against her lips, their warm breaths mingling. "I think we're done talking, for now, Sassenach. May I touch ye?" he asked hoarsely, his eyes dropping to her heaving breast.

..........

Holy Christ in cheese and crackers!

Nodding shakily, Claire cleared her throat to speak, but no words formed her lips. She lifted her head and saw eyes she'd never seen before. There was no longer a trace of the sweet Jamie she knew and in place was a man in severe need, the pain of sexual frustration etched across his face. He brushed his lips once more against hers, his breath tasting of whisky, and male while looking at her with erotically focused eyes.

Jamie's hand hesitantly went under the hem of her shirt, and when she didn't object, his fingertips slid slowly to the side of her hips, tucking a blunt digit under the thin strip of her lace panties. Holding his breath, his hands stilled as if in anticipation. She almost cried as the movement ceased and his mouth continued to hover over hers, denying her of kisses. "I can stop right now, Sassenach," he rasped, his breath turning more shallow by the second. "Just say the word. But once I touch ye again, I dinna ken if I'll be able to stop."

Hearing a touch of a moan in his low expulsion of air, a delicious shiver coursed through her. Before the cogs of her brain could begin to function again, which seemed to be stuck in suspended animation, she placed both her hands on his chest. "Jamie, please make love to me." Her words seemed to ring out in the room, surprising herself.

Silence hung heavy between them as she watched Jamie's throat work as he swallowed. "Are ye sure, Sassenach? I don't want ye to have any regrets."

She touched her parted lips against his neck, extracting a guttural exhale from his throat. "There will be no regrets, and I will not change my mind," she said. To prove her point, she slowly took off her top, allowing them to fall on the floor and dipped her fingertips to the waistband of his jeans to pull him towards her.

Jamie's breath hitched, and she looked up to see his face. His eyes were closed as he swallowed convulsively. She was so surprised she could evoke this sort of reaction from him. When he finally opened his eyes, he stared down at her momentarily, his darkened blue resting on her naked breasts. "Christ Sassenach, I still can't believe that ye have absolutely no idea how beautiful ye truly are."

The reverence in his voice brought tears to her eyes. For as long as she could remember, it was always Jamie that reminded her she was beautiful. Memories of taunts and rejections faded into obscurity as her love poured out for the only person that mattered. Suddenly feeling conscious of her nakedness, she smiled shyly as she reached out to touch him. Muscles rippled beneath her fingertips as she smoothed her hands over his broad shoulders, his arms and sculpted chest. Elevating her feet onto her tiptoes, she kissed him, slipping her tongue into his warm mouth to stroke his. "And you taste of whisky," she said huskily, against his lips.

With a groan, Jamie took over, moulding one his hands on the back of her head, angling it for a deep kiss as his other free hand held her lower back against his arousal. He dragged his mouth along the underside of her chin, pressing a trail of hot kisses before stopping to playfully to nip at the side of her neck. When she moaned, he unexpectedly lifted her into his arms, making her squeak in surprise. "Time for bed," Jamie teased, the corner of his eyes crinkling. Although there was humour in his voice, there was raw hunger too evident in his expression.

After easing her gently on the middle of the mattress, Claire watched through hooded eyes as Jamie stripped naked, before prowling toward her like a sleek animal about to devour his prey. Slowly he stripped off her panties, exposing her only for a second before his tongue teased her wet folds with a lick, before moving upward, leaving trails of kisses on its path. Her mouth went dry as she stared at his jutting cock. Good Lord! Expecting him to go on top of her, she was surprised when Jamie laid on his side, his arousal pressing against her thigh.

"Are ye alright, Sassenach?" he asked gently, his free hand pushing away a strand of hair away from her face. She could only nod and smile, feeling shy with the newly discovered intimacy.

Before she could guess his next move, he slipped a hand down ever so slowly between her legs to gently part them, eliciting a gasp to escape her lips. "Jamie...what are..."

Smothering her next words, he lowered his head to kiss her, his tongue stroking her lips while his fingers caressed the insides of her thighs with long gentle sweeps, making Claire whimper. "Oh God, ye're so wet, Sassenach..." he muttered under his breath, before running his mouth down to her breast to suckle a nipple.

A hard shudder went through Claire's body, making her gasp involuntarily. Encouraged by his bold moves, she ran her hands behind his back and kissed him back boldly, her hips writhing eagerly with each stroke of his finger. "Jamie, please...I want you on top of me," she breathed as shivers sparked through her, his caresses coaxing impatient movements.

A vibration ran the length of him as Jamie shifted his body, bracing his forearms on either side of her, giving Claire his weight little by little, both of them moaning at the contact. "Ye're so beautiful, Sassenach. I can't believe I'm with ye like this," he gritted, his hips grinding down, pushing the hard length of his cock between her thighs.

Squirming underneath his weight, a throbbing ache started to bloom between her legs, her hips pushing upward for more friction. "Jamie, please..." she begged.

Once more, Jamie slipped a hand between their bodies, and then his fingers were there, delving inside spreading moisture around her opening. He groaned as he surged over her, stopping to give her a hard, bruising kiss. Reaching for the pocket of his jeans, he took a foil packet and ripped it open with his teeth, his hand vanishing between them to cover his erection. "Look at me, Sassenach," Jamie bit out through his teeth. "I want ye to look me in the eye when I take ye."

Whimpering, she could only nod as she watched the sweat beading on his upper lip, her hands moving erratically all over his flexing muscles.

He bent his head to suckle on one of her breasts again, his tongue flicking at her sensitive nipple before positioning himself at the opening of her centre. Taking his cock in hand, he rubbed the throbbing tip around her moisture, moaning out loud as if he was a starving man.

Claire instinctively hiked her legs up high around his waist and pressed his taut arse with her heels as an indication of urgency, while bracing herself from the discomfort that threatened.

"I'm going deeper now," Jamie groaned, pushing his hips forward and letting loose a string of curses over her head. "Oh Christ, Sassenach, ye're so tight...so, so tight." Trembling with the strain of holding himself still, he stared into Claire's eyes. "Are ye alright? Did I hurt ye much?"

The sudden pressure of Jamie's penetration made her eyes water. "Just a little. But don't hold still, keep moving Jamie," she whispered as she shifted her lower body around, raining kisses on his jawline.

He complied, his jaw rigid with great restraint while his hips ploughed of their own volition, his large hands lifting Claire's hips tightly against him, controlling, rolling her with him in a primal rhythm. "Oh my God, Christ, Sassenach...ye feel so good."

The burn between her legs began to ebb as pleasure took hold, Claire moaning deliriously, as tension built within her core aching to be released. Her hands travelled down his muscular back to settle on the swell of his arse, pulling him close.

Grunting, Jamie shifted his hips slightly, angling his body so that part of him rubbed against her sensitive flesh. Staring down at Claire, he pumped his hips harder, his tongue tracing a path across her lips as he breathed heavily, pressure threatening to erupt from his balls. Then he felt her body quaking violently underneath him, her whole being gripping him tightly.

Claire's voice locked down, only allowing a strangled scream to emerge as she arched off the mattress, waves of pleasure engulfing her. Jamie gripped the underside of her knees, grinding her down, faster and faster, Claire watching in fascination, as Jamie found his own release, the cords of his throat stood out, his mouth open and her name on his lips. "Sassenach, Christ..."

Then they were both still, catching their breaths and holding on to each other, her legs still wrapped around his body. For Claire, it was the most incredible moment in her young life as she witnessed Jamie being rocked with tension to being utterly devoid of it.

Moments later, Jamie lifted his head, searching her eyes as his hands cradled her face. As unspoken thoughts, but understood passed between them, Claire gave an answer to the silent question Jamie sought. "Jamie...I'm completely and irreversibly, totally in love with you," she said hoarsely, her arms wrapping around his waist.

Jamie gave her a brilliant smile, his handsome face lighting up with satisfaction. "Och Sassenach, I'm glad to hear it. It was all worth the effort to pry that answer from ye." Then he collapsed to her side, gathering her into his arms, and they both fell asleep with her head wedged beneath his chin.

#melodyheart #forgetmenot #Claire Beauchamp/Jamie Fraser #outlanderfanfic

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razorblade180 · 4 years

Text

Seasons Beatings

[The Void, Vytal tournament ring]

Everyone falls into a random seat. Their weapons right beside them and they are wearing their actual clothes for a change. Lucas checks his katana before putting it on his left hip. Jael examines his baggy Belladonna purple fisherman pants and smoky gray tank top. She’s really into his sneakers that match the whole outfit.

Jael:Yep, definitely a Menagerie kid. Fashionable yet functional.

Lucas:You know it. Why are we?

Jael:Beats me? I don’t hear a test commencing. Also this place is usually blank so this is uncharted territory.

A few rows above them in the north bleachers. is Valerie in a light brown coat with fur around the collar, sleeves, and bottom rim. Underneath is a pink shirt with a white lightning pattern that makes it look like it’s cracking. Navy blue tights and light brown fur boots complete the look.

Valerie:Sup guys.

Jael and Lucas:.....

Valerie:It’s not real fur you two so relax. Geez, so touchy. *smiles*

Lucas:Well....

Jael:You can never be too sure. Did you bring us here?

Valerie:Never been here before in my life.

Nicholas and Summer sit on the opposite side with Tenzen right behind them in th south bleachers.

Tenzen:Hey you two. What’s shaking?

Nicholas:Ooh you know, school.

Summer:Skipping school.

Tenzen:Those are two very different things but I respect both sides. I was in the middle of a nap but this is way more interesting. Anyone see Yujin?

Yujin:I’m over here Tenzen!

He looks to the right and sees her jumping and waving in the west bleachers. Sienna and Jacquelyn sit next to her.

Yujin:You think he can hear me?

Sienna:I’m pretty sure you can just go sit next to him if you miss him.

Yujin:*blushing* Pfft I don’t miss him. I’m just letting him know I’m around.

Yujin:Sssshhh!

Jael:Anyone notice the disturbing lack of Carmine?

Everyone:.....

Valerie:Come now, there’s no way she’s apart of this. Carmine never wants to participate she just naps and brags about being strong.

Spotlights immediately shine down on each of them before spinning around the stadium. They converge in the middle as the platform rises. The giant screens turn on to focus on it. The sound of tapping echoes through the room and keeps everyone’s attention on the middle. They can’t believe their eyes; specifically Valerie. Carmine stands in the middle tapping her right foot and a confident smile clear as day in her face.

She’s wearing calf high combat boots that match her sand colored cargo shorts that stop just below her belly button. Red tear away sleeve hug her arms to show off her toned arms and stop righ before her shoulders. Everyone can see her flat stomach with the red crop top she has on and makes the tips of the X shape scar on her back visible. It’s hard to make out from a distant the Arc crest is visible to Yujin right above her left hip. Around her neck is a silk scarf that matches the same sandy yellow as her bottoms. Despite all that, it was hard not to notice her red contacts were out and the decent sized curved blade on her back that looks like it was dragged right out a video game. It sort resembled a dorsal fin with knicks on the outside of it. The handle had worn bandages on it it and connected to a circular piece before the blade actually started. Last but not least, black fingerless gloves.

Carmine:Hello every-

Tenzen:No combat skirt?

Valerie:No hood?

Carmine:It gets pretty windy and hot in Vacou so no to both of things.

Tenzen:But you’re a Rose!

Valerie:Yeah a hood would be perfect for the sun beaming on you too.

Carmine:My last name doesn’t mean I have to- stop ruining my entrance! I set all this up and this is what you say?

Yujin:I think you look awesome!

Carmine:(At least one person cares) As I was saying, hello everyone. Enjoying the holidays? Well it’s getting better. I’ve decided to be less secretive around you bunch and give y’all what you wanted. A proper match.

Everyone:Eyes widened

Carmine:You heard me. Think of it as my gift. Each one of you will enter the ring one at a time and we’ll show off our skills. Aura matches are too long. So you can also win by ring out or a lethal pin. Don’t worry about tiring me out either. Each match restores all of us to peak condition after fighting. In other words.....

Lucas:Get crazy with it.

Nick:This is a really weird holiday gift. Do we get anything if we beat you?

Carmine:Hmmm I’ll let you all decide that if one of you manage it. In case you haven’t noticed, I don’t plan on losing.

Jacquelyn:Few rarely do.

Carmine:Indeed..... Anyone is welcome to jump in first. *stretching* ‘Tis the season and all that jazz. Who am I kidding though? One of you is already dying to jump in.

She closes her eyes and shakes out her limbs. Suddenly her foot pivots and her entir body turns around; putting immense force into a right hook until it’s stopped by a hand. Her left hand raises in front of her face to catch what feels like someone else’s right hook. Carmine opens her eyes to see Tenzen with an excited look in eyes that matches her own. The audience is left quiet as the pressure builds in the air.

Valerie:I....I didn’t even see him move.

Yujin:Don’t feel bad. Most people don’t.

Tenzen:This is unexpected. How’d you know I was coming for you?

Carmine:The moment I talked about fighting I could feel my hair start to stand up. Might as well as screamed “let’s fight!”

Tenzen:What can I say? I’m an eager man!

He slides his leg in between her and sweeps both feet. Before he could follow up with a throw, Carmine twist her body mid fall and one leg on either side of his neck and locks them. She finally lets go of his fist and uses the free hand to support her dangling upper body. All her strength is used to bring her body as quick as she can into a handstand; flinging him in the process. Tenzen rolls out of the throw and sees his opponent standing upright and pacing side to side slowly. Her eyes studying him. He begins to do the same and stretch his neck.

Tenzen:(Okay, let’s not get too eager. Talk about a leg press.)

Carmine:(He’s fast and extremely nimble. I won’t catch him off gaurd like that again. Last thing I need is a drawn out fight. I’ll go for a pin next time.)

He tried taking a step back but Carmine took one step forward. Not just that either. She was mimicking each move he made down to the swing of his arms. Her body tensed the moment his left foot jerked forward then calmly back into a steady pace. Letting him build up speed is dangerous, but giving him time to think wasn’t good either.

Valerie:Geez they’re really trying predict each other’s movements uh?

Lucas:Can you blame them? One just got thrown and the other can’t make a sloppy move and get blitzed. If he body checks her and misses then he might fly out the ring.

Valerie:Can’t you see what we’ll happen next?

Lucas:Yeah but that’s boring. I’m more invested this way.

Tenzen:Alright let’s do this....

Pink lightning crackles around his clothing before vanishing from sight. Orange sparks pop around Carmine as he reappears to her left with is semblance activated. There isn’t enough time to react and connects a jab that digs into two ribs. He then pivots on his front right foot and slams into Carmine’s upper back with a left elbow strike. Letting her counter is not an option. She tries turning around into a side kick but misses completely as he jumps overhead head; grabbing her shoulders. Electric shocks prevent Carmine from grabbing the sleeves and she gets thrown across the ring with incredible force.

Tenzen:Ring o-

Carmine pulls out the sword and stabs it firmly into the metal flooring; stopping all momentum before she flings herself right back at him without the blade. An aura blast from Tenzen pushes her back to the previous direction until she once again manages to grab the sword to slingshot herself with even more speed. This time Carmine pulls out a small black rod from her left pocket that extends into a hollow nightstick that crashes right into Tenzen face when Carmine flies pass him. The impact makes his head fly back and he finds himself starring down the barrel of it right before what looks like a musket round is fired into his back. The impact feels like a slammed against a wall Ursa and makes him stumble forward. His head comes back up just in time to side step what should’ve been a sword still sticking out the ground, yet there was. Spinning like a saw right by him.

It’s no sniper rifle but the gun is nothing to snuff at. Carmine points it backwards and the recoil from the next shot is enough to push her forward slightly keep her from ringing out a second time. The assault continues with her running back at him and catching the sword with her right hand. Carmine front flips into a cross slash with both weapons but is blocked by Tenzen holding his tonfas in front of him. Neither budge an inch in force or from the deafening sound of the clash. However, only one is smiling now. The other is regretting going first.

Tenzen:Your ...your sword.....How did you-

Carmine:If I told you then it makes it less impressive. Like how you and Ren can fit entire weapons in your sleeves. You gotta teach me that sometime.

They finally push apart. Carmine swings her weapons in tandem but Tenzen is more than fast enough to react. Everyone of her strikes his met with a perfect block using his tonfas that protect his forearms. Left, right, above, thrusts, she consistently keeps the pressure on him while constantly trying to sweep a leg. There isn’t one pivot or slight shift in footing that he doesn’t account for and immediately maneuvers around while trying to find an opening. The others are amazed by his footwork except for Yujin. People don’t flock to him when he dances for nothing. Still, it was interesting to see him struggle for once. Also unnerving since she still has to fight.

Yujin:(Come on, show her what your made of...)

Finally an opportunity arises. Tenzen baits her into using her weapons to hook the inside of his. Carmine swipes outward “disarming” him but leaving herself wide open. He immediately drop kicks her in the chest to get a little distance. The spry boy lands on his back spinning with his legs out like a helicopter. Aura swirls outward and knocks her even further away but she braced herself for it. He has more than enough space regardless. Tenzen dismounts backwards of his hands and concentrates aura into his right hand while using it to pull the lightning dust out the sleeve. Stadium lights flicker. Carmine isn’t quite sure what she’s witnessing. All she knows is Tenzen’s hand is now ungulfed in pink lightning while his discarded tonfas lay apart but currently has a current running jumping between the two. The metal floor definitely isn’t helping....

Carmine:(He made a trip wire out of electricity!Won’t let me dodge to the other side huh? Certainly can’t block that attack head on either. Jump into the air? No, I’ll be a sitting duck. Hmph, not bad.) You got skills.

Tenzen:You ain’t see nothing yet!

In a blink of an eye he launches himself at her with an aura kick. Carmine smirks and hurls pass him towards the ground. The spin on them is enough to make them bounce off the floor and redirects the sporadic currents of electrified aura anywhere else while she dives to a safe spot; only getting grazed. One bolt finds it’s way towards the west bleachers where Jacquelyn counters it with her own lightning.

Jacquelyn:Phew......

A second one flies to the south where Lucas bounces it safely off his scabbard and up into the air.

Valerie:Wow....

Lucas:Okay... I might’ve peeked ahead once.

Valerie:No complaints from me!

Summer:I’m glad we’re on this side when Carmine dodged.

Nicholas:Right!?

Back on the area was still far from safe. Carmine was officially disarmed but not out of ideas unknown to Tenzen. He was already on his return trip with a smaller version of his attack; he was losing steam. It was time to put Arc endurance to the test. Dodging twice would be too predictable. Instead she rushed right at him and grabbed the charged fist; shocking her. More importantly, catching him off gaurd. Quickly he pulled his grandfather’s knife out his shoe and tried to bringing down to her chest. The blade was avoided by twirling behind him while maintaining the grip on his hand to pin it. Without hesitation she swept both legs and let her weight come crashing down on top of his back. Carmine reached for the knife and brought it to the side of his throat; all while his clothes shocked her like a bug on a zapper.

Carmine:You’re pinned with a knife!!! Match over!

Tenzen:......crap.

He deactivated his semblance and the aura in his clothes. Carmine hops off of him and lays on her back. Both her clothes and skin are a bit roughed up momentarily before a light shines down; restoring both fighters. Tenzen didn’t move as he was still catching his breath and replaying the last few moves in his head. Yujin could tell from her seat that he frustrated with his performance.

Tenzen:(She had a counter for basically everything I thought of. Even clearing the floor; catching my attack...) *tenses up*

Losing wasn’t new to him and he’s not a sore loser. Still, it felt like a blowout and that’s because it was one. He probably would’ve stewed on the ground longer of his thoughts weren’t cut off by the feeling of a hand on his shoulder. He tilted his head to the side to see Carmine looking at him. No smug look, no pity, just simple curiosity and a hint of amazement.

Carmine:When Yujin said you were basically a ninja she wasn’t kidding. I don’t know anyone who can move quite like you do. Also that hidden knife? If I went for a throw or a different pin then that could’ve really sucked. You’re just full of neat mix ups aren’t you? Who knows what would’ve happened if I let you do anything really crazy.

Tenzen:*red* Yeah well, you are too much to for me. Felt like I was read like an instruction manual. That’s some crazy reaction time. Even if I could reach full speed without flying off the edge, you’d have a plan. I can see it in your eyes.

Carmine:And I can see who I fought is only just finding his groove. Beacon better watch out. Their power bill is gonna suck. *holds out hand* Good match, I’m glad we fought.

Those words. They were so sincere. Carmine wasn’t the type of person to coddle. A few conversations with her was enough to know she has no problem being direct with people. If he’s getting praise then he earned it. In the end Tenzen got a gift after all. He smiled at her before taking her hand to get up. Quickly he grabbed his things and walked to the bleachers.

Tenzen:I’ll be watching the other matches closely. I still wanna know that sword trick you did and what you got up your sleeve.

Carmine:Hopefully everyone is as interesting as you.

Tenzen:*going to west bleachers* Hey Jin.

Yujin:Hey uhhh, you weren’t over here.

Tenzen:Are you saying you don’t want me around?

Yujin:No no! Just....*pats seat* thought you wanted space.

Tenzen:I’ll be alright. Rather spend time with you like I always.

Yujin:*red* Do as you please.... anyways, any good advice when I go?

Tenzen:Not exactly hehehehe. Honestly I’m starting to think declaring herself as the strongest wasn’t just ego.

Jacquelyn:You don’t say....

Sienna:You see anything you think you couldn’t handle?

Jacquelyn:Not really, but’s that’s sort of the problem.

Sienna:I don’t follow.

Jacquelyn:Her semblance, I didn’t see her use it.

........

The three of them tried to recall it but came up with nothing. Their attention turned back to Carmine who was calmly sipping out of a water bottle and shaking her limbs out again.

Carmine:Alrighty then! Who’s next?

#carmine arc rose #my oc’s #rwby #yujin xiao long #lie tenzen #sienna frost #jael frost #jacquelyn frost #val valkyrie #nicholas schnee #summer schnee #lucas belladonna #seasons beatings #renora #rwby lancaster #dragonslayer rwby #rwby knightshade #rwby whiteknight

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kyberphilosopher · 4 years

Text

Seven: Chapter Ten

ChaP^ter T3n

It feels really good to watch Cal chew Celeste out.

He’s been doing it for 6 minutes and 38 seconds now. Practically nonstop. Even with the door to the break room closed, you can hear Cal’s muffled yelling through the glass. Not that you’d need to hear the conversation to know he’s upset, but still.

It is currently 9:47 pm. The only people left in the precinct are us and Officer Blackwell, who stands guard near the entrance awkwardly. He cringes every time Cal raises his voice, which makes me even happier. I sit at Cal’s desk, upright and proper while trying to keep my patient smile off my face. My hands ball and unball themselves against my knees anxiously.

Cal is completely furious. You should’ve seen him in the car ride back here. Absolutely fuming, he gave Celeste the dirtiest look I’d ever seen and snapped at her. Fuming, he yelled “Why didn’t you cover the exits?!” while Celeste’s overly glossed lips struggled to form an excuse or words of any kind. The tension in the car after that was so thick, you could’ve cut it with a knife. We all sat in silence though. Celeste had a trembling lip, I had a hidden smile, and Cal had one hand on his head while he neared having a heart attack. He sort of looks like he’s about to have a heart attack now.

“I asked you to do this one thing… Are you a fucking moron? I… The Android even knew what to…” are snippets of his yelling that comes out more clear. Celeste stands silently, still looking like a painted whore and trying not to collapse in on herself or yell back.

It’s 9:53 when the yelling stops. Cal throws the break room door open, storming outside, still fuming. Celeste stays in the room, turned away from me to hide her shame. I stand up as Cal approaches, at the ready for anything he may need.

“Can you believe her?” he says loudly, too angry to realize he’s actually talking to me willingly. “I mean I give her one job and she just blows it off, completely costing us the whole fucking operation!”

“It’s my fault too,” I offer, a little nervous. My hands meet each other behind my back, playing with the others fingers in anticipation. “I should’ve been faster.”

Cal’s piercing gaze meets my eyes crisply. Despite his increased heartrate, I can tell his sharpness is out of intensity instead of rage.

“No, you saved my life,” he says, almost like a promise. “We would’ve caught them if it weren’t for Celeste.”

There’s a silent exchange between us then. A wordless agreement, a quiet thank you. Cal isn’t aggressive towards me because I’m an Android. It’s almost like he’s talking to another person, and he’s grateful that they saved him in peril. Cal walks past me and takes something from his desk. I don’t turn around to look, instead taking the opportunity to run a quick diagnostic. I am in optimal condition.

“You gonna be hear in the morning?” Cal says from behind me.

“I believe so, though there’s always a chance for unlikely things to occur.”

“Like what? An Android snatcher sneaking in?” Cal chuckles to himself quietly. I keep the recording of it in my memories, because it’s the first time I’ve heard Cal chuckle and I like how musical it seems.

“Always a chance,” I repeat.

“Guess so.” Cal closes his door with a muted slam and fumbles with his clanking keychain. “Night Tin Fuck.”

“Goodnight,” I mean to say with a friendly tone. It comes out hoarsely, like someone whose insatiably nervous.

I watch Cal walk away for the night, out the doors and past my field of vision. Then, it is just me and Celeste Amora, who is trying to contain her tears in the break room.

I don’t feel like standing upright while I power myself down. Instead, I go around to my desk and sit down in the chair. I use my arms as a sort of cushion for my head. This is something I’ve seen humans do when they’re very tired. I’ve seen Cal come close to doing so once or twice, but he never does. He just sips his coffee with a zombie-like expression on his face.

I let my led cycle yellow and my vision go black.

“Aleksandra,” she greets coldly. Her outfit is white today, and she’s turned away from me. Of course she is. I still can’t manage to enter into our scape the correct direction.

“Hello, Adelicia.”

She says nothing to me for 37 seconds.

“How would you say your investigation is going?”

“It’s progressing,” I say slowly. I can feel her disapproval, her frustration, her patient demeanor expand with my words. “I’m learning a lot about the Exceptions.”

“Why don’t you tell me what you’ve learned?” Her voice is so cold and sinister. She’s challenging me. Has she seen my memories? No. No she couldn’t have. But… there’s always a chance.

“I’ve learned that many Exception Androids seem to go astray because of an emotional shock. A child model that killed its parents showed signs of PTSD from a history or memory of sexual abuse.”

“What else have you learned?”

“The Exception Androids I’ve encountered have all chosen to hide immediately after their deviation. The child model stayed in a closed shower, and two others squatted in abandoned buildings. It’s like… it’s like they want to avoid confrontation.”

“Merely an emulation of fear,” Adelicia tells me.

“Of course.”

�� For some reason, I begin to compare Adelicia to a rose. I’ve seen her in every shade a rose can take- white, red, yellow, blue- all of them in the form of a pantsuit or blazer and skirt. She’s pale and prim and proper, with elegant manners and a tone like ice. Her mind, sharp as ever, never stops working. But like a beautiful rose, her thorns jut out and slice open your thumb whether you’re expecting it or not. You may think you’ve said the right thing, over for her disapproval to nick you and make you bleed. Beautiful, but dangerous, Adelicia is all too similar to the overly sweet flower.

“And your relationship with Detective Kennedy?”

“I-he… He seemed grateful I saved his life.”

Adelicia whirls around to face me. “Grateful?” she hisses, like a cat who doesn’t want to be stroked any longer. “I wasn’t aware you had saved his life. When did this happen?”

Don’t answer. Don’t answer. Don’t answer. “Tonight. He was going to fall from a building. I helped him up.”

“I see.” The disappointment oozes from her tone like poison. I’ve been noticing that more and more lately. “Aleksandra, if you don’t make progress in your mission by Christmas, I will consider replacing you.”

Something in my biocomponent sparks. Immediately, the word ‘no!’ pops into my brain in response to her words. It’s almost like… it’s almost like I don’t want to be replaced. I don’t want to be shut down.

But there’s a problem with this line of thinking. I don’t ‘want’ anything. I’m an Android. I am completely replaceable and the idea shouldn’t bother me.

That’s what I decide to tell Adelicia. “For the sake of the mission, that might be best. I am of no importance and the investigation should come first.”

Adelicia’s features soften in their own way. Like a wash of approval finally comes over her at my words. Her pupils dilate slightly, her shoulders wearing down in a type of relaxation. Despite this, her grey eyes are cold and steady, frozen like the rest of her.

“You have until Christmas.”

I open my eyes. This time, it is not a smooth, swift and soft motion. It is startled, almost clumsy as I do so. I’m certain my led runs red with it.

It’s 4:17am. I can see the darkness of the sky outside, and a faint sprinkle of stars dotting above. The moon is still visible up high, like a shiny, vanilla colored crescent. It’s going to rain soon. A dark purple color will fill the sky and replace the midnight blue currently present, and the sun will rise in the east.

I sit up, not taking my arms from their position on my desk. It seems so… calm. Calm and quiet. Even with the occasional airplane overhead, and the distant sound of drills and smoke and party music, it’s a silent night. I can see the space needle, and water and even a faint picture of mountains way in the distance. Skyscrapers and other sleek buildings stand tall in the landscape.

Today is Tuesday, October 19th. The temperature today will be 48 degrees Fahrenheit, with suspected showers in the morning. The day after tomorrow, Cal will turn 27 years old. I wonder if he’s excited about it.

It dawns on me now that I am still wearing my stakeout outfit. My hat had fallen off in my sleep, but my jacket and jeans and shirt are all still present. I put the beanie back easily and turn my attention elsewhere. The leather of my baggy coat is still warm with Cal’s scent. The black turtleneck would’ve gotten itchy against human skin by now, but I don’t mind at all. It’s soft to me.

I watch the sky for a little while. I really, really like it. I like it even more when at 4:28am, drops of rain start hitting the windows outside. It’s not strong, like bullets or hail, but gentle, like flower petals. It’s so lovely, wonderful even.

Somewhere, above the moon and the stars, some humans believe there’s a heaven. Supposedly, the clouds there roll in shades of brilliant, blinding whites, pale oranges and rose pinks. The sun rises in the West and sets in the East, and the moon appears as lilac and periwinkle. You can see the planets and all the planets moons. There are corners with lush greens and trees so tall you’ll never see the tops, and others with white sand beaches with jade waves and jewels buried deep down. The sky changes colors depending on the angle, like an Opal. There is no real end, only serenity and breathing.

I would very much like to see this thing someday, because the humans all describe it so beautifully. But this heaven is only attainable after death, and I doubt there’s a heaven for Androids.

I push myself out of my chair, and shuffle down the way to the elevator. I push the button for the roof and begin up. The sultry elevator voice tells me I’ve arrived and the doors slide open smoothly, revealing the dank hallway I remember. It hasn’t changed since the last time I was here, and all the trash and other effects are still in place. I’m about to step out, but then I press the button to go back down. Cue the voice alerting me of my destination, cue the doors opening. The next time I press the up button, I’m holding a small, dark trash bag in my right hand.

I clean everything in the hallway to the roof. Beer bottles, chip bags, a handful of old light blue pills in the corner. They all disappear down the trash bag, which I tie up and leave by the door. When I emerge outside, the biting air hits my synthetic skin. I don’t react to it in the slightest.

After 43 seconds, I walk to the edge of the building, and sit. My legs dangle over the side, hanging over the pavement below. The rain drops spring and pop on my shoulders. My hat protects my hair from getting damp. Petrichor fills my nose and I’m drowning in the smell of spring. In contrast, the Autumn leaves in the distance are falling in orange, brown, and crimson dots.

And, maybe for the first time ever, the city of Seattle is still. It all reminds me of a painting- perhaps one that Cal Kennedy himself has painted.

I doubt there’s a heaven for Androids.

Software Instability^^

At 10:03am, I move myself from my position. The sun has risen, the rain slowly ceasing out. Several officers and detectives have entered the building, ready to start their day. I even see Captain Ericson share a kiss with his husband while his two children sit with earphones in the backseat.

I rouse myself up and grab the trash bag. When I get back to the main floor and the bullpin, there is a man sitting at Cal’s desk. The man is, in fact, Cal. This takes my by surprise. He’s never been this early before. Still, I put the trash bag in the bin by the break room before making my way over.

A few steps away, I pause. Cal doesn’t have a coffee cup with him today, and his form is more hunched than usual. He must be exhausted. I turn around before he notices me, return to the inside of the glass room and poor him a cup of steaming black coffee. I put a top on so he doesn’t sip it too fast and burn his tongue, and then carry it out to him.

I put the cup on his desk softly, as to not alarm him. The Detective looks up at me, and his eyes are glinting in the light.

“Didn’t I tell you I hated you?” he croaks tiredly. His voice is husky and slightly sleepy, but I don’t mind. It’s low enough for only me to hear it in the commotion of the plaza.

“Multiple times.”

Cal breathes out with a quick smirk. “And you’re still bringing me coffee?” I don’t say anything, because he seems like he has something more to tell me. “For a bunch of freaks who seem to be demanding freedom, you sure do like slavery.”

“I bring you coffee because I want to,” I correct, quickly. Cal’s eyes dance with curiosity at my statement. “At least… I think I do.”

His eyes look me up and down. I like it, I think. “You’re still wearing those old clothes?” he half asks, half observes.

“So are you,” I counter. Though slightly wrinkled, he is still dawning his dark blue shirt and normal brown jacket.

Just like last night, there is a silent exchange between us. We can both pretend that Cal’s hostility towards me doesn’t exist for the moment. His still eyes are nearly kind, and his lips are soft and slightly upturned in a relaxed way. I reciprocate, making note of all the little details on his face. He has a freckle I never noticed before, under the right side of his jaw. His face is slightly more clean shaven today, though not by much. It seems stubble and five o’clock shadow are his signature look. I don’t mind, because it suits him and he looks handsome, just rough.

After 10 seconds, I turn away and walk to the other side, seating myself in my desk.

Throughout the rest of the morning, Cal and I share a few words.

“Did you sleep well last night?” I ask as he sips the coffee.

“Yeah,” he replies. He then gives me a rather unexpected line of dialogue. “You?”

Androids don’t really ‘sleep’, though I suppose what I was doing was the equivalent. Even so, it wasn’t my most friendly encounter. The more I encounter Adelicia in my thoughts or even just in the white room, the more icy she becomes to me.

“Yes,” I lie.

A few minutes later, we have another verbal interaction.

“I have not seen Officer Amora this morning,” I say aloud. I meant it mainly to myself as I glance around the room, but Cal heard.

“Yeah, me either.”

I lean forward on my shoulders, my curiosity taking the best of me. “I don’t mean to impede,” I begin slowly. “But what exactly is your relationship with Officer Amora?”

Cal rubs the back of his neck like he has a crick in it. I can tell he’s thinking of an answer, because maybe he doesn’t even know himself. “Heh,” he chuckles shortly. “Well there certainly is one.”

“I-I just mean..” don’t say it. Don’t you dare say it Aleks. “She seems a little… bitchy.”

Cal freezes in place, watching me. I’m scared for a moment that whatever relation he and I have is ruined, all because I ignored my Social Relations program. But then a smirk smile spreads across his face. His brows ease up and his eyes sparkle with charisma. A quick laugh escapes from his lips.

With that, my own features soften. My shoulders ease as the tension melts away, and a smirk of my own emerges on my lips. “Well, you’re certainly not wrong,” Cal says lightheartedly as he looks back at his computer.

I watch Cal sip his coffee between our short bursts of dialogue. As time goes on, he does seem to come more alive with the caffeine. He types faster, opens his eyes more, takes shorter blinks. The darkness and bags under his eyes don’t just evaporate into thin air, they remain, but I can’t define how I feel about them.

I don’t think I like that they mean he lacks a healthy sleeping schedule. But I do think I like how much character they add to his outward appearance. He looks entirely unique from everyone else here, maybe everyone else I’ve ever seen. He lacks a uniform, a clean image. He doesn’t mind just being. I wouldn’t understand that. It’s far too outside of my programming.

At 12:10, Cal disrupts the air of silence between us.

“Hey,” he mutters. His eyes are averted, stuck to something on his desk nervously. “I uh… I wanted to thank you. About yesterday, I mean.”

I know he really didn’t like saying that. I run my tongue along my lips inside my mouth, nodding my head sincerely. I can’t help the words that fall from my lips after that. “Of course.”

“No I mean you… you didn’t have to do it. You choose me over the… never mind.”

I’ll never forget it. One, because I physically can’t, unless my memory gets corrupted. Two, because I think it’s important for me to remember. Still, the only thing more to that conversation is a quiet “sure” from me.

“Actually, I did want to ask you something.”

Cal looks in my eyes this time. They’re not as relaxed or lighthearted as they were, and his eyebrows are more scrunched down in their usual position. Still pleasant enough to look at according to the golden ratio, though.

“I was going to ask Celeste but, well- you know…”

I dip my head slightly, urging him to continue.

“My birthday’s in a few days and I’m going to see my father.”

“You mentioned that. Your brother too, correct?”

“Yeah,” Cal clears his throat with a cough. “Well, my father’s been bugging me to get a girlfriend and I was wondering it you’d… you know… come along?”

My led flashes red so fast you wouldn’t be able to see it. But then it goes yellow as I try to make sense of the proposition. “You mean as your girlfriend?”

“No- kind of. Like a fake girlfriend. To trick my family for the night.” Cal watches my led as an indication as to my answer. He’s so anxious about this. I can see his heart rate only increase. “You can say no,” he adds quickly.

Registering Request…

Creating Pro and Con List…

Pro and Con List Created.

“I can do that,” I tell him. “It’s no trouble. I will have to research things that girlfriends do, however.”

“Fine, that’s…” Cal waves his hand, leaning back in his chair. His heart rate decreases, slowly but surely. “That’s fine.”

My led stays yellow. I can’t define the feeling in my biocomponents, sparking against my synthetic skin and making the fake hair on my arm stand on end. Anxiety? Anticipation? Anguish? Or just plain Aleks?

“My dad lives in Spokane, so we’ll have to take a half day tomorrow.”

My led swirls green as I confirm my schedule. “I have no issues with that.” A new idea runs into my mechanical brain though. “I don’t have any suitable clothes, however.”

Cal lets out a joking scoff. “Clearly.”

“Hey, this is your jacket,” I retort.

“And it looks better on me,” he quips slyly. I wonder if he’s forgotten I’m an Android when he jokes with me like this, if he’s so focused on the comedic value he doesn’t care who it’s with. Maybe that’s what everyone who hasn’t shown hostility towards me have been like. Shovelman, Tom, even that woman who smiled at me- Sophia. Were they so intent on being themselves and being in the moment that they didn’t register how different we are? Or is it because they were so aware of our differences that it was a sort of mercy to show me a kindness. I know Cal isn’t doing the latter, but maybe the others were.

“That’s your opinion,” I decide to say jokingly, typing something into my computer with a smug look on my face. I didn’t even realize it was there until the memory of Cal making the same expression comes to mind. I must’ve learned it from him without realizing.

“You know, if you’re going to be my girlfriend, you’re going to have to be nicer than that.”

I doubt there’s a heaven for Androids.

Software Instability ^

taglist: @omg-we-really-doo

hope you enjoy, S. happy fourth.

#dbh #dbh fanfiction #detroit become human #detroit: become human #detroit become human fanfiction #detroit: become human fanfiction #story #android #androids #technology

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mikrowrites · 6 years

Text

How to Save a Life (epilogue)

Tony Stark x Daughter!Reader Tony Stark x Pepper Potts Avengers x Reader

Warnings: MAJOR INFINITY WAR SPOILERS INFINITY WAR SPOILERS INFINITY WAR SPOILERS

Summary: 5 years after the events of Infinity War, years after the original Avengers team retired, Y/N gets a job offer.

A/N: what a journey this has been. Thank you to everyone who made this series possible, and to all who supported it. I felt so loved and sad to end this series, but it has run it’s path and it’s time to let go. Thank you again. Let’s do this one last time❤️

————

5 years later...

————

Y/N ran down the beach, no time to catch her breath. She could hear the footsteps behind her, catching up. She turned in time for the figure to tackle her to the ground.

With a yell Y/N grabbed the figure off her, holding him to her chest before running into the water with him.

The 4 year old cried out with joy as Y/N put him down, grabbing his arms and spinning him around. “Again! Again!” He kept yelling.

Y/N would take her brother out to the beach, playing in the ocean with him and holding his little hand as they walked across the sand. Y/N adored him.

Hours later, Y/N was laughing as she sat on the edge of the shore, beat.

The little boy plopped down on her lap, immediately falling into a light sleep as she wrapped her arms around him.

He was a spitting image of his father. Dark hair, his nose, his humor. But he had his mother’s eyes and mouth.

The moment Y/N met him she was smitten. She held this innocent baby in her arms and decided: “yeah, I need to protect him and love him.”

Y/N stared out at the vibrant sunset, the smell of salt and the sound of the crashing waves and her little brother’s snores gave her a sense of peace. It took her a long time to find peace.

She still beared the results of her decision even though a year had passed. She had the scars (her brother would trace his tiny fingers over them and laugh), but she still would remember. And remembering was worse than the injuries sustained.

But the little boy asleep in her arms helped her realize it was okay, she was fine. He was her peace.

Y/N heard footsteps, her father sitting down on the sand with her, letting out a soft groan.

“Feeling your age?” Y/N snickered, turning to Tony Stark.

“Haha you’re hilarious my dear.” He snarked back, eyes dropping from his daughter to his son. “I think he actually likes you better than me or Pep. I’m kinda offended.”

Y/N gave Tony a shit-eating grin. “I’m sorry, the kid has good taste.”

Her father let out a snort, wrapping his arm around her shoulders as they both looked out at the horizon. Y/N let out a sigh. “One day he’s going to realize who I am. Who you are. What do we do? What do we say?”

“We tell him the truth.” Tony responded, his eyes drifting to the dozing boy. “My father was an arrogant asshole. He sure as hell didn’t raise me or give a damn about me. It was such a relief to not have to burden my child-my children-with his name. Because though I do admit, my ego can sometimes be a little... much-“

“Wait wait wait... did Tony Stark just admit his ego sometimes sucks?” Y/N interrupted in mock surprise.

“Why’d you have to go and ruin the moment? Why? I was in the midst of a grand soliloquy! I don’t care that you’re a legal adult I will still ground you. Anyways where was I?”

“Inflated ego.” Y/N bit her lip, smiling as she shook from the effort not to laugh and wake her brother.

Tony pointed at her. “You watch yourself little girl. Anyways, yes, my ego can be a little much but I would move heaven and earth for the two of you. Because I don’t know what I did to earn two amazing kids like you guys.”

“You did because you deserved it.” Y/N smiled up at her father. “Everything you’ve done—you deserve it.”

Tony kissed her forehead before leaning down and kissing the top of his son’s hair. “Thank you.”

Y/N leaned into him, the three sitting on the beach in the orange sunset. She had no idea how much time had passed. Hours, maybe. It was too good to be true, but it was true.

“Y/N!” Pepper yelled from the little beach house on one of the secluded shores of Miami where the family of three lived, Y/N stopping by frequently from her home in Clearwater. “There’s a phone call for you.”

“Well, duty calls.” Y/N shifted the little boy into Tony’s arms as they both stode up, embracing.

“Go save the world.” Tony whispered in her ear, Y/N smiling.

As she walked away, she turned to him, cupping her hands around her mouth. “I’ve actually already done that. Twice.”

“Get off my beach, smartass.”

Y/N grinned at him before running up to the house where her mother gave her the phone and a hug. Y/N grabbed her bags and waved before walking out of the house and answering her phone. “This is Agent Y/N Stark speaking. Hide the weed.”

“Very amusing, Agent Stark. Your presence is required immediately at New York HQ.” Nick Fury responded in his usual monotone voice.

Y/N scoffed. “I was having a lovely weekend. This was my week off.”

“Well, shit happens. Be there in 4 hours.” Fury responded curtly, before hanging up. Y/N threw the phone in the passenger seat. She started her car with a scoff, murmuring “prick” before driving away from where her heart truly was.

————

Y/N walked into the HQ conference room, where Peter Parker and Nick Fury sat. Peter immediately stood up, Y/N nodding.

“Parker.”

“Stark.”

The two stood for a few seconds before smiling and pulling each other into a hug. Y/N clapped his back. “How’s it been, Pete?”

“Pretty good. It’s nice to have finished school and to focus on my job, especially taking over your father’s company.” Peter scratched the back of his head, smiling. “How about you? How’s your family.”

Y/N beamed. “Great. The little kiddo’s getting bigger and more like dad each day.”

“I hate to ruin the reunion,” Fury cut in, “but we have an important matter at hand.”

The two nodded, sitting down at a table across from Fury. The man cleared his throat, shuffling some papers. “You two have worked for us under Spider-Man and Iron Man for awhile, yes?”

They both nodded once more before he continued, “the original Avengers team have disbanded and retired years ago. But our world is still in need of an organized task force with... let’s just say more unique traits and methods than a SWAT team.”

Y/N raised her hand. “Agent Stark?”

“You aren’t say to bring the old Avengers out of retirement, sir?” Y/N seemed to hiss.

Nick chuckled. “I may be cold, but I’m not that cold, Stark.” He clicked a button, a hologram showing the files of several people, Y/N and Peter included. “We need to start fresh. Since the disbandment of the Avengers, crime rates have risen, innocent lives have been taken.”

“So... why are we here?” Peter asked, fidgeting with his shirt.

“Mr. Parker, I’d like to offer you a high-ranking spot on the new Avengers Initiative. And you,” Fury turned to Y/N, “Agent Stark I want you to head this group. You have all the leadership qualities and you sure have proved yourself.”

“I-I don’t know...” Y/N stumbled over her words, massaging her temples. “I have a family, Nick. I want to be there as my brother grows up, I-I don’t know if I can do this.”

“Y/N, I see a leader in you. I trust you the most to control this team. And if it’s your family you’re worried about I can be sure if you need time with them Wilson can take command while you’re gone. It’s up to you Stark.”

Y/N silent for a bit, staring at the table she turned to Peter, who gave her an encouraging smile.

“Aw hell, I’m in.”

Fury smirked, before sending a signal out to the candidates. “Glad to have you on the team, Spider-Man,” Peter and Y/N stood, Fury shaking his hand and staring Y/N in the eye as she shook her hand. “and Iron Man.”

“Thank you, sir.” They both responded, Fury giving them a curt nod before leaving the room.

“Well shit, never thought I’d be an Avenger again.” Peter sighed. Y/N silently walked over to the list of people. “Y/N?”

She murmured to herself, staring at the files. She suddenly turned to Peter, a smile on her face. “What was it Steve always said?”

Both smiled before turning to the files as a signal went out to the future defenders of earth.

“Avengers... assemble.”

————

Where did I go wrong?

I lost a friend

Somewhere along in the bitterness

And I would have stayed up with you all night

Had I known how to save a life

————

Taglist:

@lovely-bree @isnow-0r-never @peterfromtheavengers @not-jk-rowling @nxtalia-rxmanova @meridele473 @ayyidkeither @kit-kat-katie99 @trenzaloures @extrovertedantisocialunicorn @spacetor @the-ordinarylady @lizlil @natashacamillaus @spacequeenstuff @bluegirlusa1 @lilulo-12 @lovely-dreamer19 @jorileychan @ladyaragorn13 @marveltrashaddict @imabookworm31 @insultme-notmyfandoms @let-me-try-mom

#avengers x reader #avengers iw #avengers x teen reader #avengers imagine #avengers imagine iw #infinity war imagine #infinity war x reader #infinity war spoilers #pepper potts x tony stark #tony stark x daughter!reader #pepper potts x daughter!reader #steve rogers x platonic!reader #peter parker x reader #htsal

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fanficwriter013 · 6 years

Text

The Tower - Chapter 17

The Tower: An Avengers Fanfic

Chapter 17

Chapters: one / two / three / four / five / six / seven / eight / nine / ten / eleven / twelve / thirteen / fourteen / fifteen / sixteen / seventeen / eighteen / nineteen / twenty / twenty-one / twenty-two / twenty-three / twenty-four / twenty-five / twenty-six / twenty-seven / twenty-eight

Word Count: 3484

Warnings: So many y’all. Drinking, body shots, sexual language, smut. ((Bi MMF, ambitious oral, vaginal dp, fingering

Synopsis: A welcome back party is thrown for Tony. Elly bites off a little more than she can chew.

Author’s Note: Written with the wonderful @emilyevanston

Chapter 17 - The Super Soldiers

After we took Tony back to tell the others that he was back in again, Natasha insisted on a party being thrown. There are pretty much two things Tony Stark is known best for, the first is Iron Man and the other is his parties. This wasn’t the usual massive blow out you’d see on the society pages but there were people who weren’t in the group there. Vision and Rhodey of course. Happy as well. There were a few others. I met the Maria that Nat would bring up from time to time. A kinda scary guy called Nick. Plus a half a dozen other people they seemed to trust with the knowledge of their polyamorous relationship with each other.

At some point, I got drunk enough to think it was funny to make everyone cocktails with sex names. I started with Natasha and Clint who had been watching me bemused just making myself stupid cocktails.

“This is for you,” I said sliding a cream based drink in front of Natasha. “I’m giving you an orgasm.” I turned to Clint and slid a brightly colored red and orange fruit cocktail in front of him. “And some sex on the beach for you.”

“I don’t like having sex on the beach. Too much sand.” Clint said.

“This doesn’t look like it has nearly enough vodka in it,” Natasha added as she stirred the straw in her drink.

“It has zero vodka. Is zero enough?” I joked taking the drinks and switched them. “Fixed. This one is mostly vodka and this one tastes like coffee.”

Clint picked the drink up and sipped it. “This doesn’t taste like any coffee I’ve ever had.”

“No, because I didn’t add dirt to it,” I said, starting to giggle.

“You’re such a little shit.” Clint laughed.

I leaned over the bar in front of him. “You love me.”

He made a noncommittal grunt sound and kissed me.

Next, I made a virgin sex on the beach for Bruce because he doesn’t drink and it was all I could think of. I don’t know that he loved it, but he drank it anyway, I think just appreciating the fact I was including him in the joke. Tony, I made a Suck, Bang, Blow. This thing has like 10 different liquors in it. He took a drink and told me it wasn’t alcoholic enough and then slapped my ass.

I then made up two small layered shots with cream on the top giggling the whole time.

“What are you planning?” Sam asked eyeing me suspiciously.

“Nothing,” I said, as I kept laughing. “Keep watching Steve though.”

I walked over to Bucky and Steve not able to quite keep a straight face and held out the drinks to them. They each took them hesitantly eyeing the glasses like I’d done something to them.

“I’ll bite, what are they?” Bucky said.

“I just gave you both a blowjob at the same time,” I say with a smirk.

Bucky started laughing while Steve just stared at the drink in his hand. “I think you’re a little ambitious there, doll.” Bucky teased.

“You just have to set your mind to these things,” I said, unable to contain my giggles.

Bucky put his hand on my hip and took a sip of the drink. “Well you know if you ever want to put your mind to these things.”

“It's a shot. Just all in one go. Like... when... I try... blowing you both …” I said through hysterical giggles.

“How much have you had to drink?” Bucky asked, tossing the drink back. He grimaced at me. “Please don’t make me any more of those.”

“I have had a lot,” I said taking the glass back. “And don’t worry, it was a one-off joke shot.”

Bucky nudged Steve with his elbow. “Come on, Stevie. Enjoy your nice blowjob.”

“Yeah, Stevie.” I teased. “You know I’m good at them.”

Steve blushed and threw the drink back. “Oh god, that was awful. Your mouth is much better.”

“Why thank you. That’s really nice to say.” I said between giggles, taking the glass back off Steve. “It’s nice to see you both swallow,” I added and turned walking away.

Bucky completely lost it behind me.

“Nice,” Clint said when I got back. “That went right to his ears.”

“Alright now for Wanda,” I said, looking through the drinks. I layered another shot and went and found her talking to Maria Hill.

She looked up as soon as I was near her and started laughing. “You’re such a dork.” She said taking the drink from me and putting her arm around my waist.

I nuzzled into her neck. “You don’t like it? We can make a different kind. You and me in the shower?”

She turned into me her skin warming up under my hand. “You’re a very bad girl.” She whispered, almost teasing my lips with her own.

Maria cleared her throat and we both looked up. “Hey, kid? I don’t get a drink?”

We both jumped a little and looked at her. “Oh shit. Yeah… yeah of course. Any preference?”

Maria laughed. “I’m just messing with you. But if you’re gonna start making out, maybe move it over there.” She said, pointing to the couches where Tony and Bruce were talking with Rhodey.

“Maybe later. I still gotta make Sam his drink.” I said. I kissed Wanda briefly before pulling away and heading back to the bar. “Alright, Sammy. What am I going to get you?”

Sam cocked his eyebrow at me and pulled me close to him. “I have a better idea.”

He lifted me up on the bar and his hands went to the hem of my shirt. I knew right away what he’d planned to do. He teased the side of my neck with his nose. “Can I?” He whispered.

I looked around at the room and nodded. He lifted my shirt up over my head. I lay back and Sam grabbed some salt and ran a line down from my breasts to my belly button. He picked a piece of lime up and held it out. I took it between my teeth. I watched as he grabbed the bottle of tequila. People had started to gather round now. Sam poured tequila straight into my belly button. The cold liquid made me clench up and a shiver ran up my spine.

Sam ran his tongue down along the line of salt and sucked at my belly button, his tongue swirling over my skin. He moved to come take the lime and I didn’t even pretend that I was going to maybe keep holding it for him. I dropped it immediately and wrapped my arms around his neck pulling him into a hard kiss. I swirled my tongue in his mouth, the heat and woodiness from the tequila still clinging to his lips. His hand went to my hair and he hummed against my lips. He pulled back and looked down at me his brown eyes twinkling. “I don’t think that’s how you’re supposed to play that game, El.”

“I think that’s exactly how you play it,” I smirked.

“Alright, birdboy. You’ve had your turn.” Tony said, elbowing Sam out of the way.

I laughed as he started to draw the line of salt on my skin. “Am I going to have to do this for everyone?”

“You can’t go playing favorites now, El.” He said, pouring the alcohol into my belly button.

“I wouldn’t dare.” I teased.

So I let them one at a time, each take a shot off me. Clint followed Tony. I kissed them each instead of letting them take a bite of lime. Natasha went after Clint, but instead of putting a slice of lime between my teeth, she just squeezed the juice of it over them and licked it off when she reached them. Bruce passed on the game. Maria had a go as did Rhodey though I let them both bite the lime. Vision did too, though he wasn’t really sure what the fuss was about. His tongue felt like how it tastes to lick a battery. Wanda followed Vision and she teased me with her powers as she ran her tongue over me, making me squirm under her. Bucky’s metal hand squeezed my thigh as he drank the alcohol from my skin.

“Now your turn, Steve,” Bucky said as he pulled back from the kiss.

I propped myself up on my elbows. Steve blushed and I held my hand out to him. He approached me and I lay back running the salt down my stomach. I squeezed lime juice on my lips as he filled my belly button with tequila.

He licked the salt slowly, his tongue dragging down my skin. When he sucked the tequila from my belly button his tongue curled up and he dragged his teeth over my skin. By the time his lips reached my lips my body was prickling. I wrapped my arms around his neck as he kissed me hungrily. He lifted me up and placed me so I was sitting on the bar pulling me flush against him, without breaking the kiss. his hands slid up my sides and I tugged on his hair. He broke the kiss and trailed his lips to my ear.

“You want to spend the night with Bucky and I?” He whispered.

I glanced over to Tony who was talking to Bruce and Rhodey again and much, much drunker than me. He looked over to me and smiled, patting Bruce on the back. “Okay,” I whispered back. I grabbed my shirt and pulled it back on and slid off the bar.

“We’ll be calling it a night,” Steve announced. He went over to Tony and embraced him. “Welcome back.” He said and kissed him softly.

Tony swallowed and looked up at Steve, then shoved Steve’s shoulder. “No need to get sentimental, Cap.” He then took my hand and pulled me up against him, hugging me tightly. I wrapped my arms around him and we kissed slowly. Our tongues dancing together. He pulled away and rested his head on mine. “Thanks for making me see sense.” He said at barely a whisper.

I closed my eyes and breathed him in. “You’re welcome. Thanks for the multiple orgasms.”

He slapped my ass again. “You’re a dork.”

“Yes, yes.” I agreed. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

I ran over and jumped onto Bucky’s back and he and Steve took the stairs down to their room. I kissed Bucky’s neck and flicked my tongue over his earlobe, nipping and sucking on them as he carried me downstairs. By the time we got to their apartment he dropped me to the ground, pushed me up against Steve’s chest and started kissing me hungrily. He kept one hand on my hip and the other bunched into Steve’s shirt.

Steve’s toyed at the hemline of my shirt, his fingertips brushing over the smooth skin on my hips. He kissed a line down from my neck to my shoulder and I broke my kiss with Bucky and leaned back capturing his lips with mine.

His tongue traveled over my top lip and I parted my lips circling my tongue with his. Bucky kissed my neck and started grinding into me. I could feel both their cocks start hardening through their pants.

I moaned softly and ran my hands through Bucky’s hair. “Bed?” I breathed.

Bucky lifted me and they kissed each other before carrying me to their room. He put me gently on the bed then looked down at me through lust blown eyes. “Too many clothes.” He said at a half growl.

“Much too many.” I agreed and started scrambling out of my clothes as I watched the boys remove their own. Watching them undress was almost as much a turn on as when they touched me. Seeing their cocks spring up as they dropped their pants made my cunt flood and I squeezed my legs together.

Steve climbed up onto the bed behind me and enveloped my body with his. Bucky crawled up between my legs and started to kiss me again. I reached up behind me, wrapping my arm around Steve’s neck and pushed my other hand into Bucky’s hair. Steve teased my nipples before letting his hand travel down my stomach between my legs and ran his finger up and down my soaked folds.

“Buck, you should feel this.” He hummed. His words made me wetter and I wriggled against his cock.

Bucky ran his fingers down over Steve’s hand and slipped his finger into my cunt. I gasped, breaking our kiss and leaned back against Steve’s shoulder. “Oh god.” I whimpered.

“Oh, darlin’. So fuckin’ wet for us.” Bucky purred. He added a second finger to the first and started fucking me with them as Steve teased my clit. Steve teased my lips with his and we started kissing as Bucky began sucking and biting at each of my nipples.

The boys quickly brought me to orgasm with just their hands. I was already so turned on and ready for them that in almost no time I’d completely lost control between them. Bucky’s metal hand clamped around my thigh to keep me still as I writhed in pleasure. I came hard arching against Steve and the boys began kissing as they continued to stroke me through it.

“Now, Elly. You gave us both a pretty terrible blowjob upstairs.” Steve said against my ear. “Care to try again?”

“Both of you at once?” I said looking from one of them to the other.

“Come on, doll,” Bucky teased. “You just got to set your minds to these things.”

I moved from in between them and rubbed the corners of my jaw. “Had to be the two biggest guys in the building that asked me to do this.” I joked.

Steve and Bucky chuckled. Steve lay back on the bed and Bucky straddled his lap so their cocks were lined up. He wrapped his metal hand around the base of both of their dicks and I leaned in, opening my mouth wide and sucked on both the heads at once. Bucky and Steve made a low graphic moan. It spurred me on. I wanted them to make those sounds. I wanted to be the cause of them. Saliva pooled in my mouth and I began to bob my head up and down.

“Fuck, that feels good.” Bucky groaned his head falling back and his eyes closing. He started to pinch and tease my nipple with his metal hand.

“You’re doing really well.” Steve praised, his hand bunching in my hair.

I shivered and started rolling my tongue around their shafts. My pussy ached for them, but the way they responded made me just want to do more. I pushed them down as deep as I could go and sucked hard as I pulled back. I bobbed up and down and slurped graphically at them until my jaw ached.

I pulled back and looked up at them wiping my mouth. Bucky climbed off Steve and cupped my jaw. “That was much better than the other one.” He said and kissed me.

Steve sat up and moved closer to us both, he kissed Bucky’s throat and ran his hand up my back. “Still feeling ambitious, El?”

I pulled back and looked at Steve. “What are you thinking?”

“We’ve always want to try…” He stopped for a second and his drew circles on my hip. “Do you think you could take us both?”

I looked down at them. Neither of them were small. I had tried some pretty far out things in the past though having mostly been with women who liked pushing boundaries. “You’ve never done it before?”

“No, the few women we’ve asked have laughed like we were joking,” Steve answered.

“You got lube. It’s gonna take lube.” I said.

Bucky chuckled. “Of course we do. We may be super soldiers, but …” He made a vague hand gesture which I think must have translated to not wanting to do anal without lube.

I got up off the bed. “Let’s stand. Then you guys can kiss if you want.”

They jumped off the bed excitedly, Bucky going to the drawer and grabbing their lube. He slicked his cock and handed it to Steve. While Steve applied the lube to his cock Bucky picked me up. I wrapped my legs around him and wriggled down so the head of his cock teased at my entrance.

“Little eager there, aren’t we?” Bucky asked with a smirk.

I hummed and nipped at his lips. “You just feel so good inside of me.”

Bucky growled and lowered me down on his cock, slowly filling me. “Like this?” He teased.

I moaned and squeezed my walls around his shaft. “Oh fuck yes, exactly like that.”

Steve came up behind us and started teasing his cock along my crevice. He leaned into Bucky and they kissed. I buried my face into Bucky’s neck and Steve slowly started to ease into my cunt, his cock pressing against Bucky’s and stretching me to the breaking point. I whimpered and Steve paused and pressed his lips on my shoulder. “Are you okay?” He said, gently.

“Mmm… yeah. Keep going.” I murmured against Bucky’s skin.

Steve kept pushing and both he and Bucky let out a low groan. “Fuck, doll.” Bucky groaned.

Steve’s hands ran over Bucky and my stomach and he kissed my shoulder. When he was in as deeply as he could go he stopped and they both stilled as my cunt adjusted around them. I felt so full, and my entrance burned a little but it felt good. I started to bounce on their cocks.

I leaned back and wrapped an arm around Steve’s neck. They both started to move with me, their faces were set, and they couldn’t keep quiet. Each time their hips snapped forward they let out a moan or a whimper.

Bucky’s finger came to my clit. The cold steel was a stark contrast to the heat of my sex and I started to tremble in their arms. “Fuck.” I panted. “Fuck, you feel amazing.”

They each started kissing my throat. “You’re doing so well,” Steve whispered. “Feel so good. So intimate.”

I gave over all control to them. Just clinging to their necks as they fucked me. It felt like I had magma in my veins. The heat passed between us making us sweaty and gasping for breath. When I came it was like a dam burst. I arched back, relying on them to keep holding me up and my cunt clenched around them both.

Steve and Bucky kissed as the stroked me through it and I leaned against Bucky chest watching them. As my body settled I began to bounce. Bucky looked down at me. “Might want to watch it there, doll. I’m going to lose all restraint.”

“Don’t hold back on my account.” I teased, squeezing my cunt around their cocks.

Bucky smirked and started to thrust faster into me. Steve groaned when he did and his head fell forward. His fingers went to my clit and I gasped. I was overworked and sensitive and an orgasm started to build again almost immediately. I started biting at Steve’s throat. On anyone else, it would have marked the skin. It made him moan regardless. Bucky leaned down and pulled one of my nipples into his mouth. It was too much too soon and I came again. This time Bucky groaned, his hips snapped forward and he came. I could feel the twitch of his cock as he spilled in ribbons inside of me. His orgasm seemed to set off Steve and within a few short thrusts, his semen was spilling inside me too, mixing with Bucky’s.

“Holy shit.” I panted as the last waves of my orgasm shuddered through me. “That was unreal.”

The boys slipped from within me and lowered me to my feet. “And really satisfying,” Bucky said, feathering kisses on every part of my skin he could reach.

I sagged between them and Steve lifted me and put me in bed. “Are you good?” He asked.

I looked up at him, still completely high on endorphins. “Mmm… so good. How about you? Was it worth the wait?”

Bucky and Steve curled in around me. Steve grabbed some wipes from the bedside table and started cleaning the three of us up. “I’m not overstating it if I say that that was my favorite sex thing I’ve ever done,” Bucky said.

Steve hummed in agreement. “Felt so good feeling both of you like that. All together.”

I snuggled in between them and they both wrapped me in their arms and that’s how we stayed until we woke the next morning.

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woodelf68 · 6 years

Text

The Cave

December smut prompt for @a-monthly-rumbelling: water, outdoors, hidden, blindfold, guessing game. Rushbelle, rated M. 3234 words.

This is awesome,” Eli observed reverently, gazing out on the fine white sands of the horseshoe-shaped cove and the crystal clear turquoise waters beyond. Destiny had dropped out of FTL, and given them a full three days on this planet which seemed to contain a little slice of the Caribbean, barring the fact that the palms waving gently in the breeze were an unusually vibrant shade of green.

“Can we go swimming?” TJ longingly asked the question that everyone was probably thinking. Bathing in the mist showers just was not the same as getting thoroughly wet and being able to sluice the water off your skin.

Rush had collected a water sample and was checking various things. “Salt,” he announced. “We’ll be able to evaporate some water and get a good supply of salt on board. Nothing toxic.”

“Food has been getting a little bland,” said Greer happily.

“It doesn’t just help with flavour,” said TJ. “Sea salt contains a lot of nutrients that our bodies need, like iodine and trace minerals and electrolytes. And we can use it to salt meat if we can find anything on this planet. We need to split up, and search along the coast in both directions. Keep an eye out for seaweed, that will be full of nutrients, too, if it’s anything like its Earth counterpart.”

“Yum,” said Eli less than enthusiastically. “But what about the swimming?” He looked to Young.

Young realised everyone else had turned and looked at him and hesitated, grateful when a brisk voice interrupted.

“Two people on guard on the beach,” Belle said decisively. “Don’t go out beyond the range of their rifles, in case something comes up, and comes up fast. Don’t go out beyond the point where you can see clearly all the way down to the bottom. Watch where you step. Animals can be poisonous, plants can be toxic. Don’t touch anything with your bare hands. Gloves for those harvesting seaweed, and bags to carry it in. Other than that, I say yeah, we could go swimming.”

“You heard the lady,” said Young, quickly running over the advice in his head and finding it good. He figured Belle must be more familiar with beaches that might have dangerous wildlife lurking offshore than he was. “But gathering supplies comes first. We’ll split into two teams, work our way down the coast in either direction from this spot. Radio if you find anything useful or interesting. Eli and TJ, you’re with me, Greer, you go with Rush and French.”

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

That had been two days ago, and they had been busy ever since. Besides the ongoing salt collection, seaweed had been plentiful, as well as the alien coconuts, a few other varieties of fruit and some tuberous vegetables. They’d managed to net some fish and find some large clams, worth almost as much for the calcium carbonate of their shells as for the meat contained within. There didn’t seem to be any local wildlife larger than the birds and lizards and rodent-like creatures they saw occasionally scurrying through the undergrowth beneath the trees at the back of the beach, which was nice as far as not having to worry about any predators, but disappointing as far as replenishing the Destiny’s larders with meat. At least the stream leading away from the cove into the trees eventually turned from brackish to fresh water as they followed it inward, and the slow work of maneuvering the hover sled and a load of water kegs through the tangle of vegetation to stock up on fresh water had begun, fallen branches for firewood being collected along the way and a couple of tall, straight trees being felled for lumber aboard the ship. Almost better than anything, in Rush’s opinion, was the small waterfall they’d found just below where they’d set up their water collection point. It quickly became everyone’s bathing spot, and it was bliss to stand with the fast-running water beating down on his tense back and shoulders, and to feel like he could properly rinse the grime out of his hair. Certain times were scheduled for separate men’s and women’s bathing, inhibitions soon being shed along with sweaty clothes.

Rush, like everyone else on the ship, had spent several hours of each day on the planet, soaking up some much-needed vitamin D from the sun and exploring for anything that might be useful aboard Destiny. Today, their last day before Destiny jumped back into FTL, he realised that he’d never seen anyone work their way around the promontory that formed the left side of the cove, and, investigating, had found there was just enough room to walk safely around at the base of the cliff. He came upon a narrow cleft in the rock, and as his eyes kept glancing downwards to be sure of his footing, he realised that what was simply a deep crack in the rock at eye level widened the lower down it got, until it was a good yard wide where the sea washed into the hole. He bent and peered in, then ducked and went inside, keeping to the narrow ledge against the wall of the sea cave that kept his boots mostly dry. The sea flowed gently into the hidden cave, forming a small pool whose waters reflected a rippling pattern of blue-green light onto the walls, the muted light and quiet causing Rush to draw a deep breath, feeling the headache from the bright sun outside almost immediately ease from behind his eyes. He edged his way to the crescent of sand behind the pool and stretched, looking up. The cleft at the front of the cave went all the way up to the top of the hill, letting in a narrow sliver of light from above and keeping the air fresh. Belle had coaxed him into the sea yesterday, but he’d been too conscious of the other people around them, swimming and frolicking in the surf to really relax and enjoy himself.

This was what he wanted, somewhere peaceful and quiet where they could be alone. He smiled, unclipping his radio and calling Belle.

“Are you able to take a break from whatever you’re doing right now?” he asked. “I want to show you something.”

“Yeah, sure; where are you?”

“Come find me,” he invited, and gave her directions. Putting the radio down, he wasted no time in unlacing his boots and stuffing his socks into them, then stripping off his short-sleeved t-shirt and jeans and briefs, putting them all in a pile on a protruding ledge of rock safely away from the water. Lowering himself to the ground beside the pool, he slid in, the water just coming up past his hips. He let himself sink into the water, resting his head back against the stone and closing his eyes. As his breathing slowed, he became aware of the faint movement of the water against his skin, like a cool caress, and he let his lower body float to the surface of the water, reaching down to stroke his cock lazily, remembering the way, once wet, Belle’s underwear yesterday had left nothing to the imagination.

“Nick?” Belle’s voice floated in from outside.

“In here,” he called, turning over and swimming to the entrance of the cave. It was too bad that the path outside was so narrow, or else he would have gone out and led her in blindfolded, to maximise the surprise. “Come on in. Careful of your footing.”

“Oh!” Belle exclaimed, startled, but was quick to twist and duck her head to pass beneath the entrance. “Oh,” she said in a completely different tone, looking around once she had done so. “It’s lovely.” She made her way to the strip of sand, Rush pushing through the water like an otter at her heels, liking the way the water felt sleeking against his naked body. He lazily rolled over, front to back and onto his front again.

Already pulling her tank top off over her head, Belle paused to watch the sinuous twist of his lithe body, a striking contrast between his tanned upper half and his paler hips and legs, unable to help noticing his erection before it disappeared beneath the surface of the water again. She untied her shoes and toed them off, her rolled-up pants and underwear soon following to make a similar tidy pile next to Nick’s clothes.

“Got room for one more in there?” She sat down on the edge of the pool and slid in, submerging herself briefly as Rush shifted to his feet to make room for her.

“I think we can fit. Of course, we might have to stand really close.” He reached for her as she resurfaced, his hands finding her hips and pulling their bodies close together.

Belle lifted one leg up to wrap around him, positioning his cock where she wanted it, rubbing against him. He wasted no time in cupping his hands beneath her buttocks, and Belle placed her hands on his shoulders and brought her other leg up, trying to mount herself on his cock but she wasn’t wet enough yet for him to slide in easily. She made a sound of frustration.

Rush, feeling the problem, backed her up against the edge of the pool. “Here, wait, let me take care of you first. Hop up there.”

Belle reluctantly let go of him and hoisted herself back up onto the smooth, water-lapped rock, leaning back on her elbows and spreading her legs for him. “Just get me wet.” She began to pinch and rub her nipples.

“Impatient?” Rush queried with a grin, sinking in the water until his head was level with her thighs.

“I have no desire to be interrupted when someone comes looking for one of us,” she said drily, her head falling back with pleasure as he dragged his tongue up between her folds and over her clit.

“Good point,” he acknowledged, focusing on her clit, licking steadily and feeling his cock, weightless in the water, brush up against the rock wall of the pool with his movements, maddening him. Belle’s clit was swelling hard against his tongue and he switched to sucking; whether or not Belle was impatient, he suddenly was.

“That’s good,” she said breathlessly, feeling the spurt of moisture between her legs and sitting up and tugging on his wet hair. Rush pulled back to slide a questing finger inside her, gathering her juices and drawing them out.

“I’ve got a condom in my jeans pocket,” he offered, although he knew she’d just come off her period and this was as safe enough time as any to go without. They’d figured out how to make them the old fashioned way, out of the intestines and bladders of animals they killed, and while the quality wasn’t quite up to modern latex ones, they were far better than nothing; no one wanted to get pregnant out here. The supply wasn’t consistent, though, so they judged when having intercourse would be pretty safe without one, Rush tracking Belle’s cycles as carefully as she did.

“No, we’re fine, I think.”

Secretly glad of it, he held out his arms and she sat up and slid off the ledge, arms going around his neck and legs wrapping around his hips. He steadied his cock with one hand and she leaned back enough to give him space to line them up and then he was sliding in, her channel slick and hot and snug around him. His world narrowed focus.

Belle closed her eyes for a moment, pressing her forehead against Nick’s. “Hold tight,” he said, leaning back and letting the water take their weight as he stroked backwards, carrying them to the opposite edge of the pool. Belle tightened her arms and legs around him, and even clenched down on his cock, making him want to groan out loud. Glancing over his shoulder, he tried to figure out the best way to do this. Reach back and brace himself, and let Belle ride him? Or the other way around? He decided on the latter, pivoting so that Belle’s back was to the ledge of rock. “Reach back and brace yourself,” he instructed.

Belle did as bid, letting her lower body float up as Rush began to set up a slow, steady rhythm, keeping his thrusts short, his cock buried inside her to prevent her slippery fluids from washing away in the water. The water lapped up and over her body, reflecting in wavy patterns on the walls and ceiling of the cave, the muscles in Rush’s body flexing as he pushed into her, retreated, his hands on her hips, anchoring her, everything suddenly quiet and intent and otherworldly. Shivering with pleasure Belle hooded her eyes, imagining a merman had come up out of the depths to pleasure her, a merman with Nick’s face. She would have been sunbathing nude, and he would surface near her rock, watching, until the first thing she knew, he would pull her into the water, and she would know what he wanted by the hard length of his erection against her body...she would feel a small thrill of fear, but her juices would begin to flow, a primal hunger rising that made her open her legs to him, feeling the wide, flared head push into her body, the slightly alien shape of him, the fin-like frill that fluttered over her clitoris when he was fully sheathed…

Belle tightened, her body arching and her head falling back with a soundless gasp as her climax hit her. Rush picked up his pace, and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he slammed into her with a grunt. She let go of the rock behind her, letting the water take all her weight, part of the tide, floating free except where she was joined so intimately to Nick.

He slid his hands up over her taut stomach, palmed the undersides of her small, perfect breasts as his thumbs swept over her nipples, felt her clench around his cock. “Give me your hands,” he said, and hauled her up and against him when she did so, pressing their bodies together, sinking more deeply inside her as the angle changed. She buried her face against his neck with a murmur of pleasure as he drove up inside her.

“Oh yeah, that’s good, right there…” she squirmed.

He sucked at her neck, lapped up underneath her jaw. “You taste salty.”

“So do you.” She mouthed at his earlobe.

“TJ will be glad -- “ He slipped his hands under her buttocks, unable to thrust properly but urging her to rise and fall on his cock. “ -- that we’re getting our nutrients.”

Belle laughed, and the vibrations from her shaking body transmitted themselves all the way down to his cock, making him groan. He spread his legs, bracing himself, and Belle quite deliberately tightened her muscles around him and let go of one of his shoulders to trail her hand down his back, finger gliding down between his butt cheeks. He stilled as she found that right spot to press up against his perineum that sent shivers through him and his orgasm was suddenly approaching fast. “Inside you?” he double-checked.

“Yes.” She pulled her hand back and slipped it down beneath where they were joined, cupping his balls and feeling the heavy weight of them. “Fill me up, Nick,” she said, squeezing firmly.

It sent him over the edge instantly, his seed jetting out of him as he came hard, automatically thrusting up and pulling her down to seal their bodies together, nothing else existing for a few seconds but for the pulsing of his cock deep inside her. He forgot to breathe as he stood frozen in place, his muscles locked in ecstasy, the spasms rippling through him, and then his whole body relaxed, his hands dropping, and Belle lowered her legs and let him slip out of her, a milky swirl spilling out into the water between them.

Feeling like he had to close his eyes for just a few minutes, Nick moved back to the rock ledge where the water was deepest, folding his arms upon the rock and pillowing his head upon them, enjoying the feeling of utter relaxation. Belle followed suit, but kept her eyes open, watching him contentedly.

They both jumped when the shrill crackle of a radio interrupted their reverie.

“Belle, where are you? Have you seen Rush?” It was TJ.

Belle scrambled out of the water and dove for her radio. “I’m here. And, um, Rush is with me; we’re just doing a little exploring.” She listened a minute, then glanced at Rush. “Shuttle’s leaving for the ship in a half hour if we want to get back on board tonight.”

Rush nodded and pulled himself out of the pool as Belle told TJ they’d be there, drying himself the best he could with one of the thin towels that most everyone was carrying around with them. It wasn’t exactly the most absorbent thing, but at least it dried quickly and enabled him to pull his underwear and jeans back onto mostly dry legs. He tucked his shirt through his belt for now, noticing something as he glanced at Belle, who was also dressing. “Water’s rising. From the marks on the walls, I’d say the opening of this cave is entirely submerged during high tide; no wonder no one has reported seeing it before. “

“Time we got out of here, then, eh?” She glanced up, following the line of the crack as Rush had done, seeing the colours of the sunset start to tinge the sky. “This was nice. Why doesn’t Destiny have a swimming pool? Or some hot tubs?” The thought of going back to nothing more than mist showers for the foreseeable future was depressing. She straightened up from tying her last shoe and they began making their way out of the cave.

“A hot tub or two doesn’t sound like such an impossibility,” Rush said thoughtfully. “It need only be filled once and the water kept clean by a filtering system. You know, there’s still a lot of unexplored areas on Destiny that we haven’t been able to get to yet.”

“Do you really think there might be something like that?” Edging along the narrow rock ledge, Belle looked back at Rush with hopeful eyes.

“I don’t see why not. I’ll put that on the ‘to do’ list, shall I?” He grinned at her.

Her cheeks dimpled. “Yes, please.”

Rush thought of all the other things on his neverending ‘to do’ list, things like ‘keep the ship running’ and wondered how he’d find the time, or justify the search to Colonel Young. On the other hand, who knows what they might find in one of the closed-off areas of the ship? There might be something that would help them keep the ship running -- extra weapons, an extra power source, extra supplies. And it could only help them in the long run to repair all hull breaches instead of just closing off those parts of the ship.

Find Look for Ancient hot tub, Rush mentally scribbled down, resolving to find time for some more exploration. It didn’t hurt to dream. And in the meantime, maybe he could ask Destiny to look for a planet with some hot springs.

#rushbelle #anyelle #the cave #a-monthly-rumbelling #ficwoodelf

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harrystupelo-blog · 7 years

Text

Sleep On The Floor

Harry inhaled deeply, the smell of sun cream and ocean water filling his nostrils. The grass was cool under his bare feet and his bare shins were being tickled by the wind. He had on his favorite sunglasses and an old t-shirt and swimming shorts paired with a snapback. Harry smiled softly to himself, enjoying the warm breeze and sounds of happy people surrounding him. He truly hadn’t felt this at ease since his time in Jamaica - there was something about sun and sand and good company that made him so relaxed. The sun was beginning to set over the horizon, causing the entire area to turn a beautiful golden shade, and the air was full of barbecuing food, sweet sangria, and chatter-filled music and dancing. He had a glass of champagne in his hand, his phone in the other. He’d just left behind a giggling Jeff and Glenne who seemed fully ready to start making out in the middle of the dance floor, and he was dodging couples left and right, but he didn’t at all feel alone. He was surrounded by people who loved him, however tonight, he had eyes for only one girl, his daughter.

Harry followed a chattering laugh, the familiar sound filling his ears and bringing him peace and calm. Fixing his snapback, he set down his glass and crouched down, lifting up a familiar, tiny being and spinning her around, peppering kisses to Maya’s face. She squealed, wrapping her arms around her dad’s neck as her little legs wrapped around his upper body, fitting into her father easily. Harry nuzzled his face into her shoulder, her baby-soft skin smelling of soap and distant seawater. She had on a pink sundress over her swimsuit, her hair freshly washed and in a small bun at the top of her head. The two were in Hawaii for his friend’s wedding, and the rehearsal had been earlier that day. Since Harry was the best man, he’d spent a lot of the day at the stag party for Jon, his old friend who was getting married, while his daughter spent the day at the beach with Glenne. Harry hadn’t seen Maya all day, and he had to say he missed her. They would be in Hawaii for the next few days, and so far it had been nothing but relaxation and fun. Harry loved spending time with his girl, and he loved not having to do anything but spend time with friends and in the sun. He wished life could always be so simple.

“How are you, Birdy? Fun day? Were you a good girl for Auntie Glenne?” Harry asked. He picked up his glass, pocketing his phone. With Maya chattering away at his hip about her fun day, he bounced her up and down with every other word, small giggles spurting out of her lips. Harry grinned, nuzzling his cheek against her’s before placing her on the ground once they were in a clearing, less partygoers and children dancing around. He took a sip of his champagne, smiling curiously at his daughter, who was looking up at him expectantly. “What do you need, sweet girl?” he murmured, getting on his knees before her tucking a loose curl behind her ear. “Do you need to use the toilet? Are you hungry?”

“Daddy, can I have some apple juice please?” she asked, reaching for his glass. Harry let out a breathy laugh, kissing her nose softly.

“No can do, baby girl. This is special, uh, adult juice.” He was never very good at coming up with things on the spot. He smiled, kissing her forehead and smoothing out Maya’s frown lines. “Come on, Birdy, Dad will get you some juice. And crisps, too? Sound nice?”

Maya nodded, sighing a little. She reached up to hold her father’s hand carefully, her other hand gripping his shorts, staying close to his side through the crowds of adults she didn’t know. Harry scooped her into his arms, visibly feeling her body relax as she resumed her chattering easily. Harry pressed kisses to her forehead as he listened, stroking the back of her head carefully while also trying not to spill his drink.

Opposite the grassy, crowded party and onto the beach, a few couples and children were either lounging in the cool sand or enjoying the waves before the sun set. Harry smiled at Maya, sat beside him in the grass and humming to herself as she sipped her apple juice. Harry had since replenished his own, uh, juice, and he had his arm stroking up and down her back as she sipped and talked to him about how Glenne had braided her hair today after her bath. Jeff and Glenne joined them after a bit, when Maya was leaning against Harry’s side and playing with his white sunglasses, ones she dubbed his “Willy Wonka glasses.” Jeff patted Harry’s shoulder, leaning in to give Maya’s forehead a kiss as Glenne pulled her into her lap, Maya happy to sit with three of her favorite people. She couldn’t really explain it, but she always felt very safe around Jeff and Glenne - and her father, of course. He was her safest person. It was difficult for her to reason it with herself, but she knew her dad would go many lengths to protect her and make her happy and safe.

“Jeff, do you have an adult juice too?” Maya asked curiously, pointing to the red drink in Jeff’s hand that certainly wasn’t just cranberry juice. Harry rolled his head to the side, eyeing Jeff carefully. The man wasn’t drunk; he would never hang around Maya if he were anything but sober, both he and Harry knew that, but he wasn’t exactly...good at censoring himself around kids.

“Daddy said he has adult juice,” Maya said, frowning and reaching forward to take a sip of Harry’s water bottle that he offered her, Harry wiping some that dribbled down her chin.

“Yeah, it’s adult juice,” Jeff nodded, trying and failing to keep a straight face. Glenne rolled her eyes, playing with the straps of Maya’s dress. “You wouldn’t like it, babe. Too sour.”

Maya frowned, then, taking another sip of Harry’s water, Harry smiling at the confused expression on her face, lying on his back with his forearms supporting him, smiling softly. Maya was truly growing up to be a beautiful girl - her eyes were the same green as Harry’s, her dimples soft and her hair curly and unruly. She was a happy, gentle girl with so much love surrounding her, just as Harry had grown up. He ignored the comparisons to their bodies - Gemma liked to giggle to him that just as Maya was a little chubby from baby fat around her middle, Harry had some of his own around his hips, too. (He refused to admit he’d gained Dad Weight, refused. Plus, it had only been a few pounds. That didn’t count.)

“Uncle Nick said that adult juice makes Daddy dance a lot,” Maya said casually, finishing the last of her crisps and wiping her hands on the grass, sliding Harry’s sunglasses over her face. Harry’s mouth opened in shock, Jeff and Glenne howling with laughter. Harry sat up, Maya squealing as he lunged for her, falling over her feet as she stood, hiding behind Glenne, who was laughing and trying not to spill her wine. Harry tried to grab for Maya, laughing when she went under his arm, but he looped his other arm around her bum and swung her into the air, holding her firmly as he spun her around, his glasses sliding off Maya’s face.

“Daddy, no!” she laughed when he, gently, took them off her little face, putting them on his own head and kissing in between her eyes.

“I’m gonna toss you into the ocean, I’ve had it with you,” he growled, giggling when Maya gasped and tried to squirm out of his arms. Harry stood in the ankle deep water, still warm but not as warm when the sun was up. Maya flailed her legs and kicked him in the nads once or twice, causing him to wince as Jeff laughed loudly.

“One.....two....three...” Harry said, jostling her and pretending to drop her into the ocean, nuzzling his face and blowing a raspberry to her shoulder with each count. He set her down gently on her feet in the ocean, the water hitting just below her dress. “Careful, Birdy, hold my hand please,” he said softly - although the water was clear as day, he didn’t want Maya to fall in and get upset from the cool water. “Stay with me, okay? We can swim tomorrow morning before breakfast.”

“Okay, Daddy,” Maya nodded, keeping a firm grip on Harry’s hand while also treading carefully through the water, her feet bare like Harry’s were.

“Push him in, Maya!” Jeff called, Harry turning to give him the finger when Maya wasn’t looking, but in his distraction, two tiny hands pushed his thighs to the side, Harry flailing into the knee-deep water, his swimming trunks and grey t-shirt immediately soaked. He reached for Maya, Glenne cheering behind them as he pulled the squealing girl into his chest, her dress becoming as soaked as he was as she gasped and giggled, holding onto his neck as he laughed, holding her tightly as he stood. Harry made quick work of finding a thick towel to wrap her in, cradling her to his chest like she was a newborn. “Let’s go dry off and get cleaned up before s’mores, yeah?”

“Are you tired, Birdy?” Harry asked softly, running his hands through Maya’s hair. The two had taken quick showers and Harry had gotten Maya into a sweatshirt and shorts, bringing a blanket along with them as they joined the group back down on the beach, sat by a roaring bonfire that kept them all warm and happy. Maya had spent much of the evening playing in the sand with the other children she had befriended on the trip, but after she’d started yawning she found her way back to her father, who pulled her into his lap wordlessly and wrapped her in the blanket he brought for the two of them. Maya was sleeping off and on on Harry’s chest, her head right where his heart was beating and her hands loosely clutching his red Hawaiian t-shirt. It was past ten o’clock now, and Harry couldn’t help but agree with the small nod Maya gave to him, her eyes fluttering. It had been a long, fun day for the both of them, but now it was time to say goodnight. Harry bade his goodnights to the group, keeping Maya in a bundle of blanket in his arms, keeping his voice low so he wouldn’t wake the sleeping girl. As he made his way back to their hotel, a short walk away, Maya hummed, her face raising from Harry’s chest, her hair mussed against her face.

“Daddy?” she whispered in confusion, Harry shushing her gently.

“Go back to sleep, Birdy, s’just me. Let’s go to bed, yeah? Long day for us. We’ll have fun tomorrow,” he promised. As long as his daughter was safe, well-fed, and warm, he didn’t need anything else. So when he laid her down in his bed instead of her own and she nuzzled into his chest immediately as she peacefully slept, he figured he was doing something right with this parenting thing.

#masterlist #my writing #harry blurb #harry drabble #gender neutral

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watermonkey0 · 7 years

Text

The Ramen Princess: Scroll One

The Girl and The Bar

"Crap," I breathed, shoving my hands deeper into the sand, fingers digging frantically. "The book said it would be just below the surface…"

The midday sun was beating down on my back from the open skylight and sweat beaded my brow. Blood dripped onto the thirsty earth, my knees skidded and chaffing from the gritty sand beneath.

When my fingers finally glanced over something prickly, I sighed in relief. "Found it!"

"Why would someone break into the herb canyon?" Temari asked, annoyed. Somehow, she had acquired an elusive grain of sand in her sandal and it was stabbing her foot with a vengeance—but even that wasn't worse than this stupid mission.

"The real question is: how are they stupid enough to trip the chakra wires? Nobody ever comes out here," Kankurou responded, not caring in the least.

Gaara didn't say anything...per the usual. Since his birth, Gaara didn't do much of anything...except kill and breathe. His existence was so singular that when Temari was bold, she considered him retarded for how simple-minded he was. Kill. Breathe. Kill. Breathe. Staaaaaaaaare.

She glanced back at him for a moment as they trudged through the desert and shuddered.

Up ahead was the Herb Canyon, used for growing healing herbs for medicinal purposes. The few medic-nin Suna had hailed it as their sanctuary. Temari vaguely recalled Baki telling them why the herbs were grown in this specific canyon, but she hadn't really been paying attention.

None of that idle stuff mattered to her. She was trained to have all the pertinent facts and see all the moves, but that didn't involve storing useless information such as which herbs made your boo boos feel better. Her brain space was better spent mastering her new summon.

"Isn't it supposed to be guarded?" Kankurou pointed out as they got closer.

Temari nodded, eyes scanning the area for any signs of enemies.

As a hailed sanctuary, the medic-nin required someone to stand watch day and night, although it seemed pretty pointless to her.

Who was going to raid the herb canyon anyway? What nation would brave her desert for some cactus blossoms?

It was just another useless thing she had deleted from her memory.

But the lack of guard did pose a problem. Were they walking into some kind of hostile situation, or had he just gone off on his own to sleep away the noon heat?

I impatiently pulled up the spiny root, cutting my palms in the process, though I barely noticed the pain. It wasn't the worst I'd had.

I glanced back at the scroll with the instructions, just to make sure I wasn't missing anything. My stomach churned at the sight of bloody fingerprints marring some of the words of the text, when my ears picked up voices from the entrance.

"Oh no!" I scrambled to my feet.

It wasn't like there was anywhere for me to hide in here. The canyon was just a round outcropping in a large sandstone hill. The walls were all smooth and round, with one way in...and one way out.

Only one option then, I thought grimly. I have to make a run for the entrance.

I jumped to my feet, scooping up the scroll and roots, but before I could even try to move, a yell stopped me in my tracks.

"Hey!" Temari yelled as she and her brothers shadowed the entrance.

She saw the intruder hovering along the back row of crops and spun wildly, looking for an escape. She couldn't have been any older than Temari, and the look on her face was complete terror. Brown hair, tan skin, old clothes, shinobi sandals, scarred left arm…Expertly, Temari took in the details, making her evaluation.

No threat.

"What are you—" Kankurou started to shout, only to be cut off by Temari.

"Shut up," she snapped, grinding her teeth in displeasure. She was team captain on this assignment, and he was to follow her lead.

The final thing Temari noticed as she made her assessment was the girl's arm. It hung limply at her side once she'd frozen in place, and it was covered...literally coated in blood. The red liquid dripped into a small puddle by her feet, and swung this way and that like a streamer attached to a stick.

Blood and sand, thought Temari, shuddering inwardly. Gaara…

"Who are you?" Kankurou yelled, despite Temari's direct growl.

"Kankurou, I told you to shut up," she snapped. He immediately shot her an annoyed look but acquiesced.

"Stay here," she ordered, and started towards the girl.

The only thing worse than getting caught, was getting caught by shinobi.

I could clearly see the giant fan on her back, and the Suna headband around her neck.

This was not just any Suna-nin either. I knew exactly who she was once I got a good look at her—Temari.

She was famous for her ability to use her Kyodai Sensu, her giant fan, and for being the only sister of Gaara—the sand demon.

Everyone knew of him, of course. Rumor had it that he'd killed hundreds of people over nothing.

I always doubted he could be any worse than Giia, but as I stood in the middle of a restricted area and saw his silhouette in the entrance, I wasn't so sure.

Temari stopped a few feet away from me and squinted, like she was sizing me up. Surely, there was no mistaking the fear in my eyes, or the lack of hatred and malice.

I wasn't going to strike first—surely, she saw that.

"What's your name?" The kunoichi asked.

My eyes trailed downwards, and I saw that she was standing in the Pleurisy root like she had no idea how rare they were.

Was she going to kill me?

I was stealing from the village, but that wasn't punishable by death, was it? Accidentally, I glanced over her shoulder to the mouth of the canyon and caught a glimpse of her brothers.

He killed over nothing...

When I didn't answer, she barked, "Answer me. Name?"

"Daagana," I said thoughtlessly.

I should have given her a different name. Maybe the name of one of those girls who worked at the perfume shop by the ramen bar. Maybe the blonde one that snickered at Giia whenever she floated by.

"And why are you here, Daagana?" Temari went on, not in the least bit phased. My name sounded dull on her lips, like she was just listing off another noun on a long list of unimpressive nouns.

"...My arm…" I glanced down at the bloody mess that was still leaking from a wound on my shoulder.

In theory, it shouldn't have been bleeding this badly, unless something more precious had been nicked, such as an artery.

Temari took in my wound with a long calculating stare. It made me antsy, and a wave of dizziness gave me the vague reminder that if I didn't do something soon, Hiniku was going to be performing her first amputation before she even graduated from the academy.

"Give me the herbs," Temari ordered.

It was my turn to study her skeptically.

Was she just going to take them and banish me from the canyon, knowing I would probably die on the walk back to the village? Or would she snatch my arm when I gave her the herbs and chop it off herself? Was there even a scenario where I got to keep them?

I didn't have any other options at this point, so I reluctantly held them out to her, quickly pulling my arm back before she could draw her knife.

With a melodramatic sigh, Temari pulled on the sash that was tied around her waist, folded it up neatly and stepped forward. I stumbled backwards, hardly believing she was going to try and strangle me! There were plenty of other ways I could die that wouldn't take that long! But she was quicker than I was and firmly pressed the sash on my wound.

"Apply pressure or the bleeding won't stop," she said, and then looked down at the herbs in her hand.

I stared at the crown of her head in shock, but obeyed her command reflexively, holding the sash where she had instructed me to.

I suppose it was just in my nature to obey.

I had no spark, no spunk or, as Giia would say, no spine. If I followed directions and didn't cause a fuss, everything should work out fine...

An insidious voice, one I usually ignored, whispered in my ear, that philosophy never rang true at home, so why should it now? It always pipped up when I didn't want it to, making my hands sweat and my tongue go numb. I couldn't let it get the best of me here, though. If I gave even an inch, Temari would see, and she would not be so understanding then.

Temari bent down and placed the herbs on the ground to begin sorting through them. She seemed to know a little first aid and applied it as she pulled the leaves off all the stems and discarded them.

I whimpered a little at the discarded greens like I was watching someone stomp on silk. They could still be used to make tea, she didn't need to-

"Sit down," she ordered, and I flopped to the ground with a thud, all floral comradery forgotten.

Temari made a face, but didn't comment. She spun all the stems together, and made a simple hand seal over them, then pulled back the sash from my arm and placed the twined stems right in the gash.

I winced and looked away quickly when she made the other hand seal and the stems started to glow green. They activated, leaking out a dull white foam that stretched over the wound, and pulled the two sides together again, then hardened. What was left was an organic plaster scab.

Once the procedure was done, Temari took her bloodied sash and tied it securely around the new scab.

"In case it falls off or reopens," she said under her breath.

I couldn't believe it.

Temari...the strongest kunoichi in the village was helping me! Me, of all people!

She'd applied the stems just like the diagrams in Hiniku's book, and the reaction was exactly right.

If I'd read it correctly, the scab would rejuvenate the connective tissue between my muscles and fall off after a few hours.

And on top of it all...she'd given me her sash!

I guess I couldn't help myself. I flew forward and tried to throw my arms around her, but her hand instinctively flew up and I slammed my face into it.

There was an awkward moment of realization before I pulled back and sunk into a bow, used to my affection being rejected.

"I'm so sorry! Thank you! Thank you! I'm sorry! Thank you!" I squeezed my eyes tight, hoping she wouldn't pull out a kunai and gut me right there. It wouldn't be good for the herbs.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she coughed awkwardly, nonchalantly glancing over her shoulder to see if her brothers had noticed. "Now get out of here, and don't come back!"

I jumped up and ran for the entrance, blowing past her siblings. My heart skipped a beat as I ran past Gaara, hoping he wouldn't kill me for being in his general vicinity.

Giia usually didn't need more of an excuse than that, after all.

Days Later

"Temari, I'm starving! I need food!" Kankurou whined as the two elder Sand Siblings made their way through the streets of the village.

Baki hadn't given them anything challenging to do during training, so they had the rest of the day to work as they wanted, but Temari was tired of babysitting her whiny brother, so she agreed.

Gaara never trained with them, and she was thankful for that, but it also meant he never ate with them, and for that, somewhere deep down, she felt a little guilty.

"I wish you weren't so damn annoying," she grumbled, but Kankurou was already sitting down at the closest ramen bar.

This wasn't a street they usually traveled, but it was a nice enough part of town. The building was old but well-kept and sported bright lanterns to chase away the coming evening drowse.

"How many?" the old man behind the counter asked as Temari bent past the noren and sat down beside her brother, leaning her fan against the bar.

"Three," Kankurou said immediately, licking his lips and rubbing his hands together like he was about to receive a blessing from the almighty god of food.

"Three?" Temari sneered. "Why? You think Gaara's going to magically appear and you'll be able to sate him with ramen?"

"No, I'm eating two," Kankurou said happily, ignoring her quip at him.

The old man was cleaning bowls on the other side of the counter and, although he had acknowledged them, he didn't make a move to prepare their meal.

"Heeey, start on our food, old man!" Kankurou whined.

"Soon as my hired help gets here. She's late again." He shrugged at Kankurou's ire.

"So fire her," Temari said, leaning her head on her hand, bored.

"Wouldn't be right. She ain't got a good home life," the old man said with an angry sigh. "New cuts and bruises every day." He picked up another bowl and began to dry it. "That hag comes in and takes all her money too. It's a sad sight."

"But I'm hungry…" Kankurou whispered to Temari but she shoved his face away.

"I tried to stop 'er once..." The old man continued, before catching himself.

"What happened?" Temari asked, just to keep anyone but Kankurou talking.

"That darned woman hollers for everyone to hear that she can raise her daughter however she well pleases, and it ain't my place to go against the woman, especially if the daughter don't complain."

Temari cocked an eyebrow.

"You're telling me she doesn't complain?" Temari asked incredulously. "Even though her mom abuses her?"

"I told ya' it's a sad sight. The girl ain't strong enough to hate the woman. I tell 'er every day, she ain't a mother anyone should have," the old man said, the frustration in his heart prompting him to offload somewhere. "But she's stubborn, and won't let anyone help 'er."

The thought occurred to Temari that this wasn't exactly table talk. It couldn't be good for business to discuss child abuse with your patrons.

"Why are you saying all this, old man?" Temari asked, feeling edgy from his overshare.

"Jus' between you and me, I thought maybe ya could—"

But before he could finish, a girl came rushing out of the back room, apron flying.

"I'm sorry Ojiisan! I...tripped and...had to clean a wound," said a familiar girl with a nervous smile.

Temari's eye twitched slightly.

Daagana.

I hated lying to Ojiisan, but he always took things too far.

Sure, Giia had pushed me into a pile of her shoes and one of her stilettos dug into my leg in a bad way, and cleaning it up made me late, but that was because I had rolled my eyes at her when she was picking her outfit for the day.

After I pulled the shoe from my thigh and rinsed it for her, I made a mental note to keep all eye movements in check. It was ridiculously cheeky, I don't know what had gotten into me lately…

But one glance at Ojiisan told me that he didn't believe me.

It was a good thing he never asked questions anymore. The last time he had, I didn't come to work for four entire days because of Giia's punishment.

I glanced over the bar, and saw the wonderful faces of Temari and Kankurou. Gaara was nowhere to be found, although I wasn't sure if Ojiisan would have served him if he had shown up. Sabaku no Gaara wasn't welcome at any Suna establishment, even all-accepting Ojiisan's. 'Oh great.' I thought to myself.

"Serve 'em three," Ojiisan said, and went back to drying bowls.

I nodded my head and quickly began to fill three bowls of ramen as ordered. It didn't take long. After two years, it was more muscle memory than cooking. I worked in this shop every day, and it was more a home than my house was.

That's pathetic, the insidious voice whispered, and I firmly suppressed it. It would not get the better of me here, either. With practiced ease, I bumped my hip into the searing stove, feeling the singe on my side. I held my breath, knowing that no one had seen, but feeling relief when the shadow in my mind simmered back to where it came from.

Without missing a beat, I placed a bowl of ramen in front of each of them, but paused with the third bowl…maybe Gaara was coming, and I was suddenly self-conscious of my ramen.

I didn't want to die because my broth was too salty.

But Kankurou motioned for me to put it in front of him as he slurped up his first bowl of noodles.

When they were content, I turned my back and began to beat udon dough into noodles.

"Where's Hiniku?" I asked Ojiisan, with my back still turned.

I heard him chuckle, and quickly spun around, only to have a bottle of water dumped on my head.

My first thought was of the noodles that were now ruined, and my second thought was to take her down.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw that Temari looked confused, but Kankurou burst out laughing, noodles wiggling from his mouth. I quickly recovered and grabbed a loose bottle from the counter, throwing it in her face. Temari couldn't help but smirk.

"Dinner and a show," she hummed as I play-fought with my friend.

Hiniku's curly blond hair was sticking to her face, my face, and everywhere as we giggled and ran circles around Ojiisan, splashing water at each other. He sputtered and waved his spatula around in the air like we were little mice scampering around his kitchen.

Just when I was winning and Hiniku's waitress uniform was more sodden than mine was, the worst person had to walk in.

Giia came waltzing up to the bar and leaned over so far that her breasts rested on the menus. I only caught the flash of her golden hair before I nearly threw Hiniku to the ground to make myself presentable, knowing it was in vain.

Giia was beautiful and terrifying, and I was plain and spineless. Next to her, I was nothing.

She leaned back rigidly while I jumped to my feet, smoothing down my damp hair and straightening my rumpled skirt and apron. She looked like smoke was about to come out of her ears, she was so mad.

Hiniku jumped up in front of me protectively.

"So, is this what you do here? Make fools of yourselves in front of respectable customers?" Giia gritted through her teeth. Her eyes slid over Temari and her brother and I saw her debate her next move, realizing who they were.

My head hung in shame.

I shouldn't have let Hiniku distract me from my duties, especially not in front of customers. Especially not in front of Temari and Kankurou.

Ojiisan was going to be put out because I would have to remake that batch of noodles, which I should have started on immediately. This was my fault.

"Outside," she hissed at me, gliding out of the ramen bar with a snap.

"Gana..." Hiniku murmured quietly, but I shook my head and slowly walked around the bar to follow my mother.

She spun around to face me after leading me to the back alley, and before I could even say anything, she slapped me across the face.

It wouldn't have hurt so much, but she wore a ring on her right hand, and had a habit of turning it around her finger. It was a huge, fake thing, but sharp. She'd stolen it from the night market, hidden it in her purse, and showed it off to me later, while I scrubbed the floors at home. It just so happened to be the thing that came in contact with my face.

"You're due," she hissed, palm outstretched.

My face stayed to the side, just so I could hide the tears that were building up.

"Now," she demanded.

Slowly, I pulled out my old wallet, but she was impatient. She snatched it from my hand, tore it open and took all the money, then dropped it on the ground and stepped on it with the heel that had been in my leg that morning.

She wore them out of spite, I was sure, but there was still no mistaking how good she looked in them.

"Remember Daagana, you make a fool of yourself, you make a fool of me. And you don't want your mother to look foolish, now do you?" she asked, and I quickly shook my head.

"No, mother."

"That's a good girl," she cooed, patting my bleeding cheek.

I didn't fail to notice her perfectly manicured nails, or her new purse. She wafted the smell of cheap perfume around her like a cloud as she turned on her pretty heels and sashayed down the street. I watched her enter a bar further down the road and I knew she would not come home alone tonight...and that I should not go home at all.

Temari, without even really registering it, was anxious to know what was happening out there.

She couldn't hear what they were saying, but that in itself unnerved her. From what the old man had said, Daagana's mother was not the kind to let her give an excuse.

Power was one thing. Power was respected and feared.

Cruelty was an entirely different thing.

Cruelty was her father.

Cruelty was Gaara.

And apparently, cruelty was this woman.

Temari didn't know why she cared. Maybe it was the helplessness of the girl, something innate that made Temari want to protect her. Maybe it was simply because she already knew the girl, however tenuously.

Maybe it was because something of this girl's situation echoed her own.

Maybe…

After a few minutes, I re-entered the bar bleeding, and Temari stood from her stool abruptly. There would be no hiding the shallow gash across my face, but I still averted my face from her angry eyes just the same.

"I'm gonna kill her!" Hiniku roared and charged towards the entrance, but I caught her at the end of the bar.

Her anger was expected, and wholly unnecessary. This situation played out all the time. What reason was there to get upset about this one little thing? Giia had just had a bad morning that was all.

Yeah, just like every morning. Admit it—you'll never be good enough to help her.

"Will you help me?" I asked disarmingly, ignoring the whispers. It was unfair of me to manipulate Hiniku like this, but I couldn't have her go after my mother.

It was a misunderstanding, end of story.

Hiniku immediately dropped her rage and threw an arm around me protectively. "Let's get you cleaned up, Gana," she said, and led me to the back where we kept the first aid kit.

I didn't deserve someone like Hiniku, but that was alright. In a few months, when she's graduated, she'd forget all about me, just like Giia always said. I wouldn't hold her back anymore.

"I hate 'dat woman," the old man said disgustedly, shaking his spatula in the air. "One of 'dees days, I'm gonna let Hiniku at 'er. That'll show 'er."

Temari glanced at her brother, who wasn't paying much attention to anything but his second bowl of ramen.

She felt foolish for reacting to the evidence of abuse on Daagana's face. It was nothing compared to what she got during simple sparring matches with her friends. Cuts, bruises, and even the occasional broken bone were all very normal.

She was a shinobi. Pain was a weapon and an occupational hazard.

But this girl…was not like them. She didn't know to use her circumstances to her advantage. Before Daagana had come in, the old man was going to ask her to do something about it, Temari was sure.

But what was there for her to do?

Quietly, Temari walked out and glanced down the road.

She couldn't see Daagana's mother, but when she looked down, she saw a ruined wallet and a few small drops of blood.

She picked the torn piece of leather up and brushed it off.

It was a cheap thing with the Suna symbol on the front. It piqued her interest as she pulled out her own wallet and saw that she had the same one. She had gotten it in the academy when she was younger, before her Genin exam.

Perhaps this girl understood her own circumstances more than Temari gave her credit for.

#naruto #gaara #sabaku no gaara #sabaku no temari #sabaku no kankuro #sunagakure #suna #abuse #ramen #princess #shinobi #ninja #mother #best friends #daagana #giia #hiniku #ojiisan

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