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ikeromantic · 3 years

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Mad Dogs

A Mitsuhide Akechi fanfiction. This scene occurs at the start of Ch. 12 in the romantic route! Approx. 2600 words.

First: Mitsuhide and the Maiden

Previous: Keeping Secrets

Mitsuhide sat beside his little mouse, sharing space at the desk in their rooms. A packet of letters sat open in front of him, missives from Kyubei and his distant intelligence network. They were closing in on the shogun’s location. Ashikaga’s hiding spot was down to two holes he might have crawled into. Both had features to recommend them.

Nearness to reliable roads, distance from well-maintained lands. Space to accommodate his collected forces. Mitsuhide closed his eyes in thought.

“I’ll ask for some tea,” his little one said, and gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek.

“I thought I was the mindreader,” he smiled.

She laughed softly. “Another skill I learned from you, hm?”

Mitsuhide felt a burst of warmth, and would have pulled her into his arms had he not caught the soft chime of bells on the stairs below. His smile turned sharp as he stood, placing himself between the door and his beloved.

“What -” she started to ask, interrupted by the door sliding open and the sound of a harsh, wild laugh.

“Motonari works fast,” Mitsuhide muttered. “This will be our next ally.” He hoped. This meeting was an even bigger risk than Mouri had been.

He heard her whisper under her breath. “I hope we get a cleric. Someone with a lawful alignment, at least.” It was an odd thing to say, but strangely accurate, considering.

“Special delivery,” Motonari called out as he entered the room and presented the figure behind him.

“I assume you’ve called me here to perform your last rites, Mitsuhide Akechi.” Kennyo’s voice was low and smooth. Like an underground river, steadily dissolving the stone. Unstoppable, unchanging. He was as solid as ever, his wide shoulders filled the doorway. His mouth was set in a grim line, and his eyes were twin fires, giving heat but no light.

Mitsuhide met his gaze, acknowledging the shared history of violence between them. “Welcome, Abbot. I have been looking forward to this meeting.”

The chatelaine’s eyes went from Kennyo to Motonari, clearly trying to weigh the greater threat. She lingered on the monk, her eyebrows rising with a flash of recognition.

Mitsuhide wondered what she was thinking. Was it only surprise at seeing the man in person after all the rumors and stories she’d heard about the Abbot? Or did she have yet another secret she hadn’t shared with him? The need to know was a dangerous distraction and he worked to force his attention back to the immediate problem. “My dear, you should wait next door.”

She stubbornly shook her head. “I’m staying right here.”

He wanted to argue with her but Mouri dismissed the problem of her presence. “Forget the girl, kitsune. Let’s get to business, savvy?”

Kennyo’s glare rolled from Mitsuhide to Motonari. “I am not here for business.” He pulled his prayer staff apart, revealing the slim, sharp blade hidden within.

Mitsuhide pulled his own sword the second he caught the reflected lamplight in its metallic sheen. It was a good thing he did as he only barely managed to block the Abbot’s strike. “What a very sensible weapon.” He gave the monk a tight smile.

“I am not here to listen to you talk,” Kennyo growled. “I am here to send you to hell where you belong!” His advance was like a boulder coming down the side of a mountain. Inexorable.

The monk brought the blunt end of his staff up. Mitsuhide caught the blow on the flat of his blade, but the force of it shivered up his arm and left him open. Open to the glistening tip of Kennyo’s sword as it swept toward his throat.

The chatelaine lurched forward, her hands flying up as if to stop the monk’s sword.

Mitsuhide moved back and the strike that would have killed him only left a small pearl of blood at his throat. His attention wasn’t on the wound or even his near-death blow. It was on his little one, who stood awkwardly in the midst of drawn blades, her hands still extended. “Get back, now,” he shouted, his voice cracking with panic held barely in check.

If she was hurt . . . if . . . he couldn’t finish the thought. His little mouse turned her head to look at him but didn’t follow his order. Mitsuhide grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him and into a corner. With a wall on two sides, leaving him a smaller area to guard.

Kennyo’s scar pulled at his face, twisting the grim smile he now wore. “You are afraid, Akechi. Good. May your death bring a measure of peace to your victims.” The Abbot prepared for another strike.

Motonari’s shrill laugh split the tense air. “Come on! Yer not tryin’ ta leave me outta the fun, are ya?” He pulled his sword in one hand and his pistol in the other. His grin was manic and feral as he looked between possible targets.

Mitsuhide felt sick with anxiety. Against one madman, he was sure he could keep his little one safe. Against two? And one armed with a pistol? He would need to disarm or kill Mouri first. Kennyo was a deadly opponent, but predictable. The move would leave him open to the monk, but made it less likely that his beloved would be hurt. He shifted his stance, readying himself.

“Thanks fer gettin’ the party started.” Motonari laughed again. “I was feelin’ lonely over here.”

Mitsuhide leapt at Mouri, giving the pirate no time to move into a better position. But Kennyo wasn’t going to wait for his turn.

The Abbot stepped between Motonari and Mitsuhide, shoving the kitsune warlord back. “I will not be cheated of your death!”

Mouri struck at the monk, forcing Kennyo to turn and block his blade.

Mitsuhide took advantage of the distraction, knocking the pistol from Motonari’s grip. The sharp edge of his sword left the skin of Mouri’s hand split open and weeping redly. He chanced a look back at his beloved. She hadn’t budged from her spot in the corner. “Run!” Mitsuhide kicked Mouri’s pistol further from him. “Run while you can!”

The pirate laughed even louder, moving as quick as an eel to dodge Kennyo and turn his aggression toward Mitsuhide.

The chatelaine shook herself from her shock and darted around the edge of the fray. Mitsuhide felt a spike of worry but in a moment she’d reach the door, and safety. But before she was out of danger, she stopped, turned.

Mitsuhide recognized the expression on her face. Naive resolve. That stubborn streak he loved and hated.

Instead of running, she shoved herself into the middle of the combat. “STOP! Stop fighting this instant!”

Motonari’s cackle rose in volume and pitch as he laughed at her bold - and foolish - move. But Kennyo’s sword armed dropped.

“That’s right! You heard me! Cut it out!”

That was perhaps not the best choice of words, Mitsuhide thought. But it seemed to work. At least, it brought a moment of calm as the monk and the pirate watched her. He calculated his next move should they resume the attack. At this distance, he could easily get his little one out the door, though it would leave him painfully open. Worth it, but he’d take a wound or two. Probably not enough to kill him. Not quickly. Plenty of time to take them both down . . .

The chatelaine put her fists to her hips, staring them down. Even Mouri felt the weight of her disapproval. His laughter died off. “You. Are acting like children. I thought this was a meeting of men.” One hand rose, finger extended like a weapon toward the Abbot. “And you! Aren’t you a monk? Attacking your host?” Her voice was hot with outrage. “Where are your manners?”

Kennyo took a step back, his eyes wide. “Are you . . . rebuking me?”

Her lips were set in a firm line, cheeks red with anger. Hot eyes swept Mitsuhide and Mouri up together. “And you! Don’t think this doesn’t apply to you. Did you want help? Or not?”

Had they not had an audience - and a deadly one at that - Mitsuhide would have kissed her. Battle-lust still sang in his veins and all that energy needed an outlet. He could imagine crushing her against the wall, his lips taking hers while his hands tore open that kimono to . . . he coughed. His little one was . . . entirely . . . too distracting.

She seemed oblivious to his thoughts as she crossed her arms. “Well? You have about three seconds to put up your weapons and prove to me that you are men. Otherwise I’ll - I’ll turn this party right around!”

Motonari’s lips turned up in a muted smile, unusual for him. Mitsuhide did not like the light in Mouri’s eyes as he regarded the chatelain. After a long moment of silence, the pirate sheathed his sword and picked his pistol up.

He put his own blade away and heard Kennyo do the same. He chuckled as she watched them obey her order. “To think, after everything it is you that now lectures me.” He bowed to her and then to his guests.

“Perfect,” she chirped, flashing the three men a tight smile. “I’ll get some tea.”

Mitsuhide could tell by the way she stepped toward the door that she was a breath away from falling over. Her firmness was an act. Convincing, but short-lived. He caught her by the elbow and helped her to the door.

She leaned against him taking strength from his closeness.

He kissed her cheek and whispered. “I am sorry to put you in danger like that. It seems I - I lost my cool.”

“It’s because of me, isn’t it? You never let anything disturb you before.” Her troubled expression broke his heart.

“No,” he shook his head. “I don’t want you to think about that. My actions are mine alone. Only I bear any blame.” He bit at his lip before continuing. “I couldn’t handle seeing someone pull a weapon so close to you.”

Behind them, Kennyo cleared his throat. “Who is this young girl, Akechi?”

Mitsuhide turned, his arm still around his little mouse. “She is a princess of the Oda, the chatelaine of Azuchi castle and my - my fiancee.”

“Your . . .” The Abbot’s expression was one of surprise. His hard eyes focused on the chatelaine. “Young lady. I have a question for you.”

Motonari leaned back on the wall, looking as if this had been the outcome he wanted all along. “Finally ready to talk, eh?”

“Quiet. I’m not speaking to you.” Kennyo’s gaze did not waver. “Why are you here, girl? With Mitsuhide Akechi on the dawn of his march against the shogun?”

With a deep breath, the chatelaine stood up straight, removing herself from the warmth and support Mitsuhide offered. She met the Abbot’s eyes without flinching. “Officially, I’m here to get in Mitsuhide’s way. To stop him from being reckless.” She smiled wistfully. “At least, that’s my job until the battle starts. But up to that moment, I plan to be by his side.”

“I see.” Kennyo’s gravelled voice sounded uncertain, a tone that rarely came from the demon-monk.

“If you’re done talking to my lit - ah, my fiancee, I’d like to speak with you about my proposal,” Mitsuhide interrupted.

The Abbot’s expression hardened. “I have put down my weapon at the request of this young woman. Do not take that for interest in whatever game you play, kitsune.”

Mitsuhide glanced at Mouri in annoyance. “I had hoped your former ally would put a little more effort into persuading you.”

“Pfft. Be thankful I even brought ‘im,” Motonari snorted.

Kennyo’s squared his shoulders. “I am leaving. Be warned that when I see you again, I will not show mercy.”

“Please. A moment more, Abbot Kennyo.” Mitsuhide thought courtesy and respect would buy him just a little more time to soften the monk to his plot. “You have reason to disdain an alliance with me, but you share a need to see the shogun dead.”

The Abbot raised one eyebrow.

“Your follower, the one killed in the Azuchi dungeons?” Mitsuhide assumed Kennyo would remember the recent loss. He saw the Abbot give a slight nod. “He was murdered on Ashikaga’s orders. Yoshiaki used that death to try and make it seem that you and I were connected.”

Kennyo’s low growl sounded more demon than man.

The chatelaine nodded agreement. “Yes, that’s right. He admitted it at Honno-ji.”

Mitsuhide watched the Abbot carefully. This was delicate work. “That death came after days of gruesome torture as he was forced to lie, and falsely confess we were allies.”

“Why . . . why are you telling me what I already know?” The words tore from the Abbot’s throat, a rumble of warning like the snarl of a rabid dog.

This would either win him to their side or provoke a renewed attack. Mitsuhide took a small step forward, just to make sure he could easily push his little one out the door if it came to that. “What other agents of yours might the shogun already know about? Perhaps another spy in the Oda forces? One my informants tell me is currently pursuing the shogun as we speak?” The image of bright, troubled eyes and a sweet smile accompanied the words as Mitsuhide thought on the subject of their discussion.

The Abbot’s expression shifted to one of surprise and barely suppressed rage.

Yes. Now they had him. Mitsuhide kept his expression neutral. “I am right, am I not? Your faithful pet, the one you snuck into Azuchi some time ago . . . he is the one you’ve set to hunt the shogun.”

Mouri chuckled. “Damn. You even know about the kid, huh?”

“You hellspawn,” Kennyo rumbled. He grabbed Mitsuhide by his clothes and lifted him up as if to shake him.

Mitsuhide knew he’d won this round. “Perhaps? But as you may know, my memory is quite poor. I find myself often confused . . . forgetting all kinds of things . . .” The Abbot had only to accept his defeat now. “I suspect that as long as I have proper allies in my fight against the shogun, this little detail will have quite escaped me by the time I return to Azuchi.”

Kennyo did shake him then. Still refusing to see the inevitable conclusion of this meeting.

“Abbot . . . tell me, didn’t you come tonight because your own fight against Ashikaga was going harder than you expected? Didn’t you wish for some assistance? Be honest with yourself, if not with me.”

Motonari straightened. “Come on, Kennyo. It’s not like yer marryin’ the kitsune. This is all just temporary. We can kill Akechi the second we put the shogun down.”

“You are both vile men.” The Abbot lowered Mitsuhide to the ground and released his grip.

“An’ vicious, mad, bloodthirsty,” Mouri went on, his grin widening until his teeth shone.

Mitsuhide straightened his clothes. “Yes. We are all birds of a feather. And to kill a man who barely grants others their place as fellow humans, it falls to monsters like ourselves.”

Kennyo’s nod of agreement was barely a tilt of his chin. “Do not expect camaraderie from me. The moment the shogun’s head leaves his neck, I will again seek Nobunaga’s life. And yours.” The twin fires of his eyes burned like banked coals.

“Your terms are accepted. Now. We have much planning to do.” At that, the three sat on the floor, together, but apart. Hands near weapons, tense shoulders, and terse words.

“I’ll ah, go get that tea then,” the chatelaine mumbled.

Mitsuhide flashed her a small smile. He was so proud of her. And so troubled by her. How could one little mouse leave him such a mess?

Next: Unexpected Gifts

#ikemen sengoku #ikesen mitsuhide #ikesen motonari #ikesen kennyo #Mitsuhide Akechi #otome boys #otome #fanfiction #fanfic

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incorrectlumityquotes · 3 years

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FULL REVIEWS: “Covention”

I didn’t think I’d have a harder time doing these reviews on my days off than on a workday, but errands and all that. I had no expectations going into this episode at the time since “covention” is a fake made up word. But I heard Amity was going to be in it, so I got excited. The spice of life returns. It’s been a hot minute. Let’s see how the episode holds up.

The episode starts with one of my favorite cold openings. Super funny and gives a good shot at those books that have that pretentious flowery language. Seriously who says “thou” and “hast” anymore. Lame. Luz tossing King into the portal right when it closes was my favorite bit. Was Eda really going to go to the human world just for that?

Also I didn’t notice until someone pointed it out but I guess they’re using Azura and Hecate as some kinda parallel to Luz and Amity. Hope Amity doesn’t find out that she’s not the Azura character. Does that mean that Eda is that old ass lady and King is that little fox dog thing? That’s not cool, man. Be nice.

So much can be read into it, but that’s for another blog post for another time.

And of course, dumb-dumb me had to wait until the word was said out loud to realize that it was a play on the words “coven” and “convention.” So basically it’s a con episode. Cov episode? Whatever. Big brain hurt.

Relationships are a give and take and sometimes you gotta give in. Sorry, Eda.

I don’t know about you guys, but I never really had a lot of fun going to cons. The only part I really liked was meeting my favorite voice actors and watching indie wrestling. All the food, merch, and art was always overpriced and from shows I don’t watch. I don’t join video game tournaments because those people take the games way too seriously. Plus the area that I live in isn’t known for being big on nerd culture so the cons are never that impressive. I met Steve Blum last time and went to one and you can only go down from there so I don’t think I’ll be going to another one any time soon.

I caught this first time I saw it on TV. Luz and Willow arm in arm. Maybe in another life I would be shipping Luz & Willow. Maybe maybe. Also, Skara in the background. I think her design is really cute. Maybe she’ll get an episode in season two. Maybe maybe.

More lore and more worldbuilding which people really seemed to want and we got it. Eda explains that while covens seem like cool groups to belong to, they also strip you of all the other kind of magic you can do. Why? My theory was (and is) that about fifty years ago a bunch of religious and political hustlers got together and tried to figure out a way to control people. Really keep them in line. They knew that people were basically stupid and would believe anything you told them, so they announced that this one guy could talk to the titan that the Isles were based of off. This one guys says that only he could talk to the titan and hear what the titan was saying and that only he could do all kinds of magic. Everyone else is doing it wrong and only he’s doing it right. With no proof or evidence, but trust him he’s on the level. The Boiling Isles was just doing fine before him, but now all of a sudden, we’re all doing it wrong. Let that be a lesson to you, kids. If anyone tells you anything like that, it’s bullshit.

Also the nine covens. Why nine? Why not group the bard and illusionary covens together into the music video coven? Why does potions get its own coven? How much school do you really have to take to learn to mix shit together and stir? Wouldn’t the plant magic coven know something about using plants to make potions? Why does the construction coven get it’s own coven? Couldn’t you use any kind of magic to build things? Is the construction coven the blue collar coven? Beast keeping gets it’s own coven? Like the bitch at the plant coven needs to switch covens to be told to feed her dog? My theory, the nine covens was really a marketing decision. Ten sounds too official. They knew that if it was too neat and tidy, they’d know something was up. Would they though? I don’t think so.

Any group that has their own stormtroopers is automatically evil. Even more proof that the coven system is bullshit.

“Distraction spell!”

This moment made me laugh so damn hard. The crap that Eda pulls is one of the highlights of the show for me.

Luz and Eda go check out The Emperor’s Coven panel in the main hall, and we’re introduced to another major character. Enter Lilith, Eda’s older sister. And I swear to you guys, I was so confused this entire time on who was the older and who was the younger sister until the season finale. Seriously, I kept getting mixed messages. I mean, I know now but give me a break here.

I think Lilith is a good character and a great foil to Eda. The fun part is that since they are sisters, Eda knows exactly how to push her buttons and drag Lilith down to her level. It’s always fun to see a stoic character break.

My finger points.

Amity shows up which automatically makes this episode better. Luz properly introduces herself and we get more back-and-forth. Amity being a real bitch here is more to mislead us for the last act of the episode, but when I first saw it I thought it was more confirmation that Amity was going to be the Draco Malfoy-clone of the series. Glad I was wrong.

We get more of Luz trying to make life play out like her favorite stories and challenges Amity to a witch’s duel. A thing she read in Azura that she has no clue whether or not is a thing in The Boiling Isles. There’s an equal chance that Amity could have just shaken her head and be like, “The fuck is a witch’s duel? That sounds like something you just made up.”

Also Amity should have caught that Azura reference from the start, but then that kinda would have spoiled Lost in Language, huh?

Again, Luz needs to learn that life does not play out like it does in her favorite stories. Challenging your rival to a duel is cool on paper but a big “Yeah no” IRL. Especially since she knows no real offensive spells, no defensive spells, is a weak nerd who has probably never been in a real fight in her life and has no fighting spirit. Trust me guys I learned the hard way. Life is not a shonen anime. You can’t settle anything by fighting.

I love mentor/mentee stories especially when they have a rival mentor/mentee pair. Too bad Dana has already said that Amity and Lilith were not close at all. It was more a relationship of convenience. But then again that would help witch whole foil angle. Lilith and Amity just use each other to get ahead while Eda and Luz do actually build a familial bond.

The duel goes...exactly the way I thought it would. Honestly. The cheating, the whole fight just breaking down, even Lilith and Eda doing an actual witch’s fight. Totally saw it coming. What I didn’t see coming was the bad ass animation they used for the Lilith/Eda fight and...

The Amity scene. The big reveal that Amity is not a Draco Malfoy clone (I only saw the first four movies). She’s just a girl who thinks people should follow the rules, hates cheaters and is under a lot of pressure to succeed. Only someone as empathic as Luz and try to keep building that bridge and try to make things right with Amity, but that’s a whole other episode.

And the episode ends with another great lesson I really like. “Will I ever be a true witch?” “I don’t know. What’s a true witch?” There are always expectations and pressure put upon you to be a true something. Others will want you to conform into a label for one reason or another. But all those expectations and labels are just illusions. It reminds me of a Bruce Lee quote. When an interviewer asked Bruce if he considers himself Chinese or American, he answers that he considers himself, “a human being.”

Labels can be fun because it makes it easier for the brain to organize things, but when people put too much stock into these labels problems arise. Think of labels as a boat to get you across the river. Once you cross the river you leave the boat behind. You don’t carry the boat with you. That’s just dumb.

“Witch please”

FINAL SCORE: 5 - Loved it.

Hot take, Amity makes every episode better. More funny jokes, more worldbuilding, more Amity and hints at the main villain of the show. Lilith was a great addition and the episode hints at the main plot. Probably the most fun I’ve ever had at a con. And speaking of more Amity...

#the owl house #my works #full review #full reviews

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emerald-echeveria-plant · 3 years

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Me to myself: Holy moly, when are you gonna stop creating treasure planet ocs?

Also me:

WARNING: mentions of murder, r*pe, miscarriage, racism, fighting, and torture.

Name:

Hatred

Actual Name:

Ailani Keahi Amore

Name pronunciation:

Ai-lan-i Kea-hi A-more

Personality:

hateful, spiteful, ambitious, unforgiving, stern, delusional, & hot-headed

Age:

Five hundred years old

Species:

Amoretian

Ethnicity:

Half Polynesian Half European

Gender:

Female

Pronouns:

She/her

Sexuality:

Asexual - Aromantic

Height:

6'9

Weight:

150

Looks:

Backstory:

(it's very long so prepare yourself for a looong read)

Many years ago, a girl by the name of Ailani was born on the planet Amoretia. Her father the prince of Amoretia and her mother a witch. Ailani was the product of an affair between the two. You see, her father was supposed to marry the neighboring princess that would end a war between both planets. Not wanting his affair to be discovered, he ordered an executioner to kill Ailani and her mother. With one chop of the axe came off her mother's head. As for Ailani. She was thrown in a river to drown. Fortunately, a local priest noticed the child being thrown. In an act of mercy, they pulled the poor thing out. Thinking that whoever throw them away must of not wanted the baby. So, the priest took in the small thing and had her raised by the nuns. They decided to give her the name Ailani. For the next fifteen years, Ailani was raised in a church by the nuns. They taught her how to read and write. Act like a proper lady. And had all the bible verses engraved into her mind. Ailani wasn't exactly raised in the most nurturing and loving place. The nuns didn't really raise Ailani as their own. They treated her fairly but it was obviously they didn't really like her. Reason why? They were massive racists. They didn't like her for her skin color so she was often met with abuse and bullying. They'd harshly critique her, push her down a flight of stairs, or straight up bully her. Regardless, Ailani kept her head up high. Being taught that revenge and wrath were sins. That she should love her enemy, no matter how hard they hurted her feelings.. or physically hurted her. Ailani would try to hide her anger but it was obvious that there cruelty was bothering her. Not wanting to commit the sin of wrath against the others, she decided to take her anger out on the forest. She'd spend hours during the night, punching trees. Often muttering to herself about her mistreatment. Sometimes, she'd end up breaking a few of the trees. It escalated from trees, to boulders, and a few times, beast's that would roam the forest. Of course, Ailani could never bring herself to killing the beast. So she'd up letting them go. Ailani ended up becoming physical stronger because of what she wad doing. Some of the civilians noticed this as whenever she wanted to do a simple task, like opening a door, she would accidentally break it off its hinges. Ailani would apologize right afterwards and try to fix it.

One day while attending church, a couple of theives came in, trying to rob the people attending. Ailani was not going to stand by and watch the people get their goods taken away from them. In an act of heroism, Ailani decided fight against the thieves. They laughed in her face and mocked her on how "a tiny little nun was gonna take down four men twice her size." They underestimated the fact that underneath that nun outfit was JACKED woman getting ready to knock their lights out. It took less than a few minutes for the four theives to beg for her to stop. Ailani told them to repent their ways before they were taken away to jail. Unfortunately, what happened right afterwards was Ailani getting kicked out of the church for "acting like a deranged hooligan." It was an obvious excuse for them just to kick her out but Ailani didn't seem to notice that. She was broken by this but instead of lashing out at them, she thanked them for having her there and wished them all well. Ailani moved away from her small village to seek work elsewhere.

As she was looking for work in the city, Quartzville, she stumbled across another problem. A pirates were invading the city as an act of revenge towards the king. Just as Ailani was going to leave to avoid further escalation, two wannabe "heros" came out to protect the citizens. One being a red haired young man by the name of "Sevi" and the other a valiante woman by the name of "Maribelle". They looked to be around Ailani age but clearly weren't as mature. The two tried to fight them off but embarrassingly failed. Ailani, not wanting to view their failure any longer, tried to leave once more. What stopped her was seeing the captain of the crew, stealing a toy away from a little girl then mocking her sadness. Angered by this, Ailani told the captain to knock it off. He mocked her as well which resulted in Ailani fighting him. She almost lost but by some sheer luck, managed to get in the final punch in, knocking him out. The royal guards arrived just on time in order to arrest the entire pirate crew. Some escaped but the majority weren't so lucky. Meanwhile, Ailani was cleaning the blood dropping down her nose when one of the wannabe heros walked up to her. It was Sevi. He seemed rather impressed by her strength. He introduced himself to her and asked if she would like to be apart of their hero group. Which only consisted of Sevi and Maribelle. Ailani wasn't sure if she should. She didn't know if in the eyes of God if this was the right thing to do. She has already been kicked out of her previous church for fighting and already felt guilty for committing another "sin". Sevi, realizing she was a religious person, decided to manipulate her by using her religion. Saying that "of course god would appreciate you for doing this" and that "you'll be just like all those heroes in the fairytal- I mean stories."

After being "convinced" it would be a virtuous act in the eyes of god, Ailani agreed to being apart of their group.

For the next few months, the trio would fight crimes and put criminals in jail. They were praised for their acts of heroism by the people of Amoretia. They'd often be gifted things like money, clothes, and alcohol. Mostly it'd be Maribelle and Sevi partaking in the gifts. Ailani on the other hand not so much. She didn't want compensation for her help, believing that it was wrong of her to get something in return. Strangely, Ailani would oftenly be the one doing most of the work. Sevi would often to get distracted trying to show off and Maribelle would let her anger get the best of her. Ailani would just get straight to the point. Shed be the one favored the most out of the three of them. Ailani didn't care that she was more liked, she's doing her job. Meanwhile, Sevi was growing jealous of the favoritism she was facing. Maribelle, could care less. She only wanted alcohol after all.

Sevi would make it obvious he was jealous towards Ailani. Ailani being kind-hearted would try to make him feel better. This would work sometimes but most of the time he'd brush her off. Ailani still persisted in making him happy. Secretly, Ailani had feelings for Sevi. She thought he was attractive, smart, and charismatic. This was the first person she was ever in love with. Someone she felt that understood her as a person. Ailani often felt that it was her fault for his unhappiness, so she tried to make him happy in any way she could. Realizing that Ailani would do anything for him, Sevi had some rather interesting thoughts he could do with her... Such as making her risk her life to get him things, convince the public that he deserves all the credit for their victories, and had her do some inappropriate favors for him. Ailani didn't care how stressful his tasks were. If it made him happy, she was happy. They ended up getting into a relationship when Sevi thought she was "good enough" for him. Ailani was enthralled with their relationship, finally getting to be with her one true love. She believed that they were meant to be.

Although their relationship came crashing down, when the trio went to a party at the king's castle. Their they met the king, the queen, and the princess, Angelina Amore. Angelina was a beautiful pink haired maiden with a bubbly attitude. Albeit she was incredibly spoiled, many men still wanted to marry her. One of those men being Sevi. It wasn't purely out of love but more out of wanting to be king. He immediately asked for the king for his daughters hand in marriage. The king turned him down, not wanting his daughter to marry a peasant. Although, he quickly reiterated his answer when seeing Ailani at the party. He couldn't believe it with his own eyes. Was that his daughter?? The same child he requested to be killed many years ago?? Alive? No. It couldn't be. After processing what he saw. He thought to himself that she shouldn't be kept alive. His reasoning being what if she revealed that he cheated on his wife? The resembles of her looking like him was far too much. He could be kicked from his throne if the people of Amoretia found out. Amoretians don't take cheating on your spouse very lightly... Deciding she shouldn't be kept alive. Yet the people loved her so much. Her disappearnce would obviously go under investigation... The king decided to make a deal with Sevi. If he got rid of Ailani, he could marry Angelina as a reward. Sevi agreed to the deal.

After the party, the king let the three heros stay in his castle for the night. As they all went to sleep, Sevi snuck out from his room and went to the servants room. He proceeded to slit their throats, killing them in their sleep. Sevi then went to Ailani room where he placed the knife he used in her bed. He proceeded to covered her hands in blood as well as the sheets. In the morning, the queen screamed at the sight of her servant staff lifeless bodies. Immediately, people started questioning who committed such a horrible crime. Then Ailani came out of her room, covered in blood. Seeing the blood, the queen blamed her for what happened. She wanted Ailani to be executed for her crimes. Ailani tried to reason with the queen, pleading that she was innocent. She even tried to have Sevi to convince her that it wasn't true. Sevi, turned his back on her and said she must have done it. The king stepped in between the two women, trying to calm both down. Albeit, the evidence was too far stacked against Ailani. The king sentenced her to life in prison on the planet Xevari. She was then dragged away by the guards and put on a ship where she'd be shipped off to Xevari. Xevari was one of the worst planets to be on. The entire planet was dedicated to being a prison for the worst possible inmates, who've committed the worst crimes. The guards would often treat the inmate like dirt. Some inmates were violently killed and there bodies were never found again. Fights would happen everyday over the smallest issues. It was quite literally a hell on Earth... As soon as Ailani arrived, she was treated no different than the other inmates. Even though she was on the worst planet in the eitherium, Ailani tried to be kind and thoughtful towards everyone. This only made the inmates and guards despise her. Ailani would be picked on by everyone in the jail. Didn't matter if they were a low ranking officer or a the biggest guy in courtyard. Ailani would be treated awful. Yet, she still persisted in being kind. One day a new inmate arrived. A special type of inmate was put in the prison. The inmate was a large hell beast of dragon with a skeletal appearance. It killed anything in it's path for killing was all that it knew. Ailani took interest in the creature. One night, she visited it. What she saw was the dragon with several scars and a spear piercing one of its wings. Ailani felt pity for it and immediately tried to help it. The dragon tried to attack her but after realizing she was helping him, stopped to let her pull it out. After that incident, Ailani formed a bond with the creature because they shared similar experiences. They were both tormented by the inmates and guards. There was unfortunately nothing that they could do about it. Ailani wasn't as strong and the dragon was chained down. But they had each other. Ailani decided to call the beast "Carrion". A play ok words as he seemed to always "carry on living". The dragon didn't understand puns buy none the less took the name regardless. The guards noticed her befriending the hell beast and decided that they weren't going to let her have a simple slice of happiness within this jail.

The guards decided to punish her by throwing her into a room with all the deranged lunatics. Saying, "try being kind to these crazies" before chuckling and walking off. What happened next was Ailani getting forced on by all the men in the room. It was a horrible experience and one that would finally be the breaking point for her. Once they were done with her, she was left in an emotional state. Hyperventilating and crying. Ailani questioned how she got herself into this situation. Why would god curse her to suffer through this fate? What did she do wrong? After questioning herself, Ailani was dragged back into her cell. Where another guard proceeded to rape her. The following days, Ailani would be in a state of shock over what happened. She had thoughts running through her mind still questioning her own religion and actions. Ailani hadn't realized this but she was pregnant at the time from being raped. She unfortunately went through an incredibly painful miscarriage in her cell. No one came to help her or take her to a doctor. While having a psychotic breakdown, Ailani finally came to the conclusion to all the roots of her problems. Love. Love was the reason why she was here... She has her love to the wrong people, she loved the wrong person, she loved... In that very moment, Ailani became a hateful person. She wanted revenge and she was going to get it. Ailani silently made plans on how she could escape from the prison. She went with the best possible outcome. When the guards weren't watching, Ailani took the pair of keys they had in their pocket. She unlocked herself from cell and immediately headed towards Carrion's cell. Ailani freed him from his chains. What followed next was mayhem. Carrion destroyed and killed multiple people as him and Ailani made their escape. No one could seem to stop the beast so they best thing to do was run... Eventually, they got off of Xevari with Carrion flying away while Ailani was on his back. Ailani told Carrion to go to the planet Amoretia. She promised him that there was plenty of victims to eat if he listened to her. That same day they were arriving to the planet was the day Sevi was marrying Angelina. The spoiled princess finally agreed to marry him after some persuasion from her parents. Just as Angelina was walking down the aisle to her new husband, Carrion flew down and devoured the princess. Carrion blew his acidic fire breath towards all the guests as Ailani went for the king and queen. She blamed them for her issues and wanted to kill them both. With one chop from an axe came off the queens head. The king desperately pleaded with Ailani to not kill him. He even said that he was her father in a last attempt to save himself. That only fueled Ailani's anger even more. She chopped off all his limbs and went for his head last. As for Sevi, he met the same fate as Angelina. Albeit more gruesome. Carrion tore the tiny man apart before eating him as well. Amoretia became disarray. All the royals were now dead. Who would take charge next..? Unfortunately it would be whoever was the last blood relative... Ailani.

No one wanted her to rule seeing as how she was responsible for their deaths in the first place. But they had to bow to her... You see only blood relatives could be in charge of Amoretia for they could yield the magical staff that protects Amoretia. Passed from the older generations, the staff was entrusted to the future generations to protect Amoretia. To use it's magic to help others in need. Ailani now knowing of this power, took it for herself. The staff dramatically changed from it's colors of white, red, and pink to black and red. Instead of using its power for good... She used it to torture others and make them suffer. Ailani changed her name once she got a hold of the staff... She changed it to Hatred. For that was the only feeling she could feel now. Hatred made it clear that she was the eitherium's savior and it needed a deep cleansing to get rid of love. She blamed love for all the problems that exist. Saying love was an unnatural feeling, a disease of sorts that plagued ones mind. Hatred was going to get rid of all love. In any way she could, no matter how hard it took.

Her tyranny started with her forcing her new ideology on the people of Amoretia. The people tried revolting against her but with the help of her new staff and her pet, Carrion, they were silenced into submission. She managed to "cleanse" Amoretia by getting rid of all love. Hatred went from Amoretia to neighboring planets in order to "cleanse" them as well. Multiple planets faced the same fate as Amoretia. Becoming incredibly miserable to live in. A war started between Hatred against the entire eitherium. No one wanted to believe this insane woman's ideology and they certainly weren't going to submit to her either without a fight. So the war went on, with both sides facing multiple casualties. Hatred went on with an ironfist, refusing to give up. She'd often take kidnapped soldiers and torture them back on Amoretia. Pictures of the soldier's mutaliated bodies surfaced with the intent of driving fear into her enemies hearts. Albeit as the war went on, she became very paranoid. She felt like someone was plotting to kill her. To stop her from cleansing the eitherium. She'd have frequent nightmares about it. Hatred refused to sleep or even eat anything in case it was poisoned. In order to ease her paranoia, she tried conducting a spell that would make her immortal... Hatred couldn't risk dying because she believed it was in her virtuous purpose to make all love disappear. After multiple months, she managed to make an elixir of immortality. She drank it which killed her minute but immediately brought her back to life. It caused her hair color to change to black and her eyes to a red hue. Now that she was immortality, there was absolutely nothing standing in her way. She conducted more spells so that her army could become stronger, faster, and easier to control. The armies against her, couldn't take it anymore. They were on the verge of giving up. It seemed like Hatred was going to win. The eitherium was going to become an utter hellhole from now on... Luckily, as Hatred planned her next attack, she was ambushed by enemy soldiers. Somehow they were able to kill Carrion and managed to get to her. Hatred didn't have her army with her and tried using her magic. Fortunately with there being more enemies against her, she was promptly knocked out and had her staff taken away from her. A couple of hours had passed and Hatred woke up with chains all around her. She was at the bottom of a well and above her were the leaders, looking down at her. They declared that this was her punishment for the crimes that she's committed. Hatred tried to argue that what she was doing was an act of good and that love was a true plague on the world. Not wanting to listen to her rambling anymore, the sealed up the well and left her there to rot..

The leaders of the other planets announced that Hatred was dead. They were lying but it was too keep the people safe and to not cause panic. Albeit, some rumors floated around saying that she wasn't actually dead.. perhaps she was still alive.. being kept somewhere.. and maybe... Just maybe.. she was planning on returning one day.

Likes:

Torture, heavy metal, red wine, writing, and "enlightening" others

Dislikes:

Love, children, making fun of her ideology, and essentially everything/everyone else in the universe

Weaknesses:

Anger; her own anger is her weakness. While she's on a rampage, she'll be too angry to realize what's happening around her.

Easy to manipulate; hatred makes it obvious what her goals are which can be taken advantage of by others.

Harm; she may be immortal but she can still have harm inflicted on her.

Ambition; Hatred will do anything it takes to get to her goal of destroying all love

Strengths:

Physical strength; she's so strong she can break your arm like a bar of twix.

Strategy; is skilled in battle strategy to know how to attack her enemy

Immortal; unfortunately she can't really die.

Pets:

Has a large hell beast of a dragon by the name of Carrion. It's a skeletal dragon that can firebreath acidic fire. He likes to tear the bones from his victims and add it to his own body in order to make himself look more fearsome and bigger.

Weapons:

Magical staff; a staff that which can perform any type of magic. Currently being occupied by the Terran royal family.

Duel swords; two swords used for the purpose of harming others

Other:

As an initiation to join her army, soldiers have masks sewn onto their faces. In her ideology they were giving themselves a new purpose so they needed a new identity.

#welp the Treasure Planet universe just turned into silent hill #oc insert #tw: rape #tw: death #tw: murder #tw: mental illness #tw: torture #tw: mutilation #Hatred

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quarantined-with-bucky · 4 years

Text

Good Together

Bucky x Reader

Words: ~ 9,300 (sorry!)

Summary: You and Bucky have a very tumultuous relationship -- but you’re good together.

Warnings: Smut!! Angst maybe.

A/N: Inspired by “Good Together” by SHY Martin. This is my first time writing smut, so please let me know what you think and I’m so sorry if this is terrible!! Just let me knoowwww also sorry for making it so long!

...

I've been working on myself and on my patience But sometimes that shit don't come easy And I see you've been tryin' your best to give me explanations But words don't really cut it lately

“Buck, would you just listen to me,” you spat, emphasizing the last three words, shaking your hands in significance. He continued calmly putting the dishes away; you knew it was a façade: his relaxed shoulders, plain face, raised eyebrows – all a ruse to make him look like a victim. “Turn around.”

He spun quickly on his heel, still holding the clean plate in his hand, facing you with a strong tone of expectation: expectation that you had something really fucking good to say if you had to interrupt him putting the dishes away, especially since you ask him every day to help out with the chores. “Yes, dear?”

You rolled your eyes almost immediately as the term of less-than-endearment slipped off his tongue. “Listen to what I’m saying – ”

“I can multitask, (Y/N), thank you very much.” He continues on his merry way unloading the dishwasher, turning his back to you once again.

You shut your eyes and took a deep breath. An inhale and exhale through your mouth; so quiet yet you’re sure he heard you. Focus, you thought to yourself, shutting your eyes and finding your peace. He wants you to snap. You took another deep breath, craning your neck in a circle, listening as the top of your vertebrae cracks with a loud pop! “All I’m saying,” you begin smoothly, “is that you need to stop acting like a baby.”

He scoffs, eyebrows raising in doubt. “What part of this is being a baby, (Y/N); enlighten me.” Patronizing fuck.

You swore that talking to him took more patience than raising a puppy – hell, at least the puppy would learn to listen to you. “You’re always like acting like the victim; such a martyr. I try to bring up one thing with you – have an adult discussion – and suddenly you act like it’s all my fault and that I’m crazy? Like I’m the bad guy here.”

You can feel him roll his eyes through the back of his head. He shrugs. “Look, (Y/N), all I was saying was that you were bitchin’ over nothin’ – all I did was apologize.”

You actually laughed arrogantly, reminding him what he stated earlier, laying the sarcasm on as heavily as he did: “oh, I’m so sorry, (Y/N). Sorry that I have eyes and like to use them to look around.” You narrowed your eyes at him, finally gaining his full attention as he fisted the cutlery. “Sorry, how does having eyes justify you eye-fucking the girl behind me?”

“I wasn’t even staring – ”

And you snapped. In his defense, you maybe sounded a little shrill when you flipped out at him; your voice did, in fact, raise about twelve octaves. “You were literally undressing her with your eyes, James.” You threw up your hands in the air, exaggerating a groan as your head dropped back. “You probably have x-ray vision, don’t you?” You accused, almost jokingly. But as he narrowed his eyes as he hesitated to say something back, searching his mind for the proper response – but you were too fast. “You fucking do, don’t you, you piece of shit. Of course – ”

The sound of shattering glass cut you off immediately. You opened your eyes and straightened your stance to be faced with Bucky, butter knife in his hand, and a plate, split perfectly in half, sitting on the counter beside him. His blue eyes were squeezed tight in control, his flesh hand gripping the knife so hard that his knuckles had gone white. You stared at the porcelain dinner plate, feignedly wondering if that’s what he wanted to do to you.

Deep down, you knew he would never lay a hand on you; he always insisted on throwing or breaking something when he became so frustrated with his anger – with you. He’d gone so far as to throw a lamp at the wall (in the opposite direction of you, of course); thus, showing his intention to release his anger and not an intention to hurt you. The two of you had been working on different ways to channel his anger; however, as he stated: he was used to a life of destruction, so that’s how he vented. He found that it got the job done: it got you to shut the fuck up.

“I don’t have x-ray vision, don’t be a child about it.” His voice was surprisingly calm, especially considering how he still hadn’t put the knife down. “I wasn’t even starting. I glanced at her – in her direction.”

This wasn’t the first time you’d had this conversation, though. That’s the issue that he didn’t comprehend. You let out a sigh, speaking calmer than you had all night. “Bucky, I’m just sick of having this same conversation, please,” you pleaded, taking a step closer. He remained silent and still, eyeing you as you approached him. “I feel like I’m not asking for much.” Stop staring at other girls while you’re on a date with me: not much. It was not only infuriating, it was embarrassing.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, putting the knife on the counter beside the pieces of plate, turning his head down. “I didn’t mean to be doing it. I just get distracted.” His voice was quiet, almost child-like as it rose in inflection.

You were torn. You could believe what he was saying, hoping that this time he’d actually be telling the truth: you knew he had a short attention span, and he did have a tendency to space out a lot. But you were caught between believing that and the fact he had spaced out in the direction of a girl with a significantly low-cut blouse. These other times, he liked to play the victim-card, blaming his less-than-appealing tendencies on his poorer qualities that, technically, nobody could refute him having.

You’d learned to read through his words, though. And this time, it was the latter.

Remember when our love was precious We thought what we had was the best, yeah Now every answer's a question Like every night is one of us is getting aggressive The other one's acting possessive Guess it's the way that we do shit now

Your fights had grown frequent.

Your relationship had grown volatile.

Not that it wasn’t based on your tumultuous roots – but it had just gotten so much worse lately.

This relationship started off fairly normal, however, the cherished affair the two of you shared quickly became tainted through the media. Countless news outlets had gotten word of the coupling instantaneously, leaving the two of you swamped with paparazzi and yelling passerby’s every time either of you left your houses. It was quite the shock that James Buchanan Barnes had a girlfriend – a regular girlfriend, too; a non-Avenger. People were quick to sell you out, too. Close friends and even some family selling information about your relationship (and even just material about you) to make a quick buck.

It had gotten the best of the both of you early on. Bucky was tired of being constantly followed and photographed. He was a man who had grown used to solitude and, while he was slowly but surely adapting to twenty-first century life and everything that came along with that, all of the flashing lights and constant yelling made him want to climb into a hole and live in the dark forever.

You, similarly, were extremely unaccustomed to this. Suddenly, you were on the cover of magazines, reading articles about yourself in People & Us magazines, scrolling through stories of yourself on Snapchat. Old friends, people from college, even some work colleagues sold stories about you to the tabloids. Maybe some of the resentment that you held towards them reflected upon Bucky. You didn’t think about it often, but maybe there was a correlation – an unfair correlation, obviously. Your hatred on the outside world didn’t equate to hatred towards Bucky, but you still aimed it towards him quite a bit.

Bucky, never slow to defend himself, returned said animosity right back at you. The two of you picked each other apart until you were both bloody and raw.

Tonight was no different.

The entire evening, meant to be romantic, turned into a fight. You both intended for event at Stark Industries to be uneventful: a night of mingling with friends, reminiscing in old stories, and drinking expensive champagne. It started off halfway decent, that is, until you started meeting more of the people that worked at the Tower.

You had no problem hanging out with the rest of the Avengers – especially Sam, who you bonded with through teasing Bucky (nothing but love, of course), but when it came to meeting a couple other supporting agents, you were a little out of you element.

Take, for example, Agent Toller, who came up to you and Bucky early on, greeting him kindly with a hug and introducing herself to you with a handshake. “Nice to meet you, (Y/N)! Bucky’s told me so much about you!” You smiled genuinely at her statement, responding and continuing the conversation. It, of course, came to a point where she slung her arm around his and stated matter-of-factly: “You better keep him locked up. I know a lot of ladies wanting to get their hands on him.”

Your lungs deflated. Including herself, apparently. “I’ll do my best,” you reply through gritted teeth.

Then there was Agent Rivers, who straight off the bat ignored you. She came up to Bucky telling him she finally mastered the thigh-grip, a move, she later clarified, made notorious through Black Widow. “All that time in the gym finally paid off, huh,” Bucky teased.

“I couldn’t have done it without you,” she beamed back, touching a hand to his arm.

He rolled his eyes playfully, chuckling. “Please, just playing the dummy – as usual.”

She merrily smacked his arm, grinning. “Don’t say that, Buck.”

You stood next to Bucky, staring up at the man blankly. Rivers trotted off once she caught wind of you glaring at Bucky. Plucking another glass of champagne from the passing server, you took a long sip, finally asking: “So, Buck, what would be your part in her mastering this thigh grip?” It was a bit condescending, a little irked, and extremely sarcastic. The image of her perfect legs around your boyfriends neck did not sit right with you.

Was he more of a flirt than you remembered? It had been ages since he’s properly flirted with you. It was nothing to get angsty about; its not like you had anything to truly worry about. He came home every evening, spent the night in your bed with you; save for when he went on missions, but surely, he wasn’t accompanied by any women you had to worry about, at least – Natasha and Wanda had your full confidence. But it wasn’t the women that bothered you; you shouldn’t have to worry about Bucky. No matter how many beautiful, strong, talented women flirted with him, he should shut them down – not flirt back literally in front of you.

A few more introductions played out exactly like that, so a few more glasses of champagne were necessary for you to get through the evening. At one point you actually started having a good time. You’d left Bucky to chat with the boys while you found sanctuary in your girlfriends off to the side. You were able to air out your grievances, confidential information falling onto open ears. They took your mind off it by bringing up their own drama, in which you all openly made jokes and critiques, the liquor now fully streaming through all of your bloodstreams.

Once the party started to clear out and even some of the Avengers began to leave, Bucky swooped by your pow-wow and wrapped his arm around your waist, whispering a quiet “ready to go?” in your ear. You and Bucky walked out with Sam and his girlfriend, chatting casually.

As you expected, as soon as the pair spilt off from you two, everything fell silent. Not the good silent: the silence that swirled around you two as your gazed at stars together, the silence as you laid napping in each other’s arms on the couch, the silence that comforted him after a nightmare, accompanied by your fingers curling through his hair. No; this was the silence filled with tension; it was the kind of silence that you’d rather die than have to ride home in the car with him not talking to you.

You bit your lip when you brought it up.

He actually laughed, one hand gripping the steering wheel, the other resting loosely on his lap. He turned his head to you momentarily, a glint in his eye as his smile mocked you. “What on earth are you talking about?”

“They’re all throwing themselves at you!” You clarify, exasperated, throwing your hands in your lap, turning towards him underneath your seatbelt.

“I can’t help that, can I?” He shrugged it off, turning back to the road, reclining farther in his seat, biting his bottom lip to stop himself from smiling. Smug bastard.

“Yes, James. It’s called personal space and we all have it.” You spoke slowly, enunciating each work clearly. “It would really kill you to tell these girls to stop touching you?” He pulled into a parking spot in front of your apartment and got out of the car without even letting you finish. You followed suit, trialing him up the few steps to the front door. “Every single woman you talked to had her hands all over you.”

He shoves the door open, leaving it wide open for you. “I wasn’t touching them, was I?” He ran his hands through his hair, pulling it back. He groaned and pulled at the tips, acting as if any sort of physical torture would be more preferable to this conversation. “No, my hand was on you the whole entire time, (Y/N). It’s not an issue.”

You slammed the door, crossing your arms over your chest. “Really?” You questioned, tone and volume raising significantly. “So, you don’t care about them touching you in front of your girlfriend? It’s not an issue? Forget it just pissing me off – you don’t think that was fucking embarrassing for me?”

He shrugged earnestly, raising his eyebrows and pursing his lips.

Taking a page out of his book, you pick up the closest thing in arms-length: the half-empty wine bottle you’d left on the table from earlier. You don’t intentionally aim for Bucky, but maybe you weren’t seeing as clearly as you thought you were. It narrowly swipes past him as you drive it into the wall, only marginally missing him because he took a step sideways. His eyes are wide momentarily, turning his head from the large red splotch dripping down the white wall back to focus on you. Instantly, his posture changes: he’s standing upright, more alert – no longer seeing you as annoying instead of nonthreatening; his chest puffs out, his eyebrows knit together, lips pressed into a firm line as he glowers at you. “What. The. Fuck.” His teeth are barred, the words coming out bitterly.

“Oh,” you scoffed, unable to hide the smirk forming on your lips. “You don’t like it when I do it to you?” If you were in his position, you’d want to slap yourself. You were only taunting the beast, speaking to him in such a patronizing tone. You couldn’t help yourself, though; it was finally a taste of his own medicine: to be treated like a child. You bit your lip, trying to smother the smile pulling your lips as you watched with half-lidded eyes as he strutted towards you.

“You don’t fucking talk to me like that.”

You raised your eyebrows in challenge. “Says who?”

He stares down at you, another stride forward, consuming all the space left between the both of you. Taking one more step, he backs you into the wall. Your shoulder blades make contact with the cold plaster. “I do.” His voice was rough, about six octaves lower than usual, volume barely above a whisper, yet so much anger in his tone. You laugh, breathing out, sneering at him. “You better wipe that smile off those pretty little lips.” His voice did not waver; there was no inflection nor cadence of amusement.

Your smirk does not faulter. “Make me.” His metal hand snakes around the base of your throat, squeezing the sides of your neck. He watches in amusement as your smile quickly drops into an open mouth, gasping as you struggle to take in a sharp breath in shock.

His hips press into yours, hip bones jamming into each other’s. His breath tickles the shell of your ear as he leans in closer to you, chest against chest. “Not so funny now, is it, baby?”

You and me we never say we're sorry Hands around my body Fucking 'til we're good Fucking 'til we're good And we promise we'll do better Both go down together Fucking 'til we're good

You stare up at him under your eyelashes and focus all your energy on inhaling and exhaling through your nose – this wasn’t your first rodeo.

He watches you, jaw tense, flexing at the sharp contour under his ears. You feel his angered breath as it warms the air over your nose. He grinds his hips up against yours, just moving ever so slightly, pushing his thigh in between your legs. You narrow your eyes at him, clenching your own jaw and huffing out a sharp breath. Your hands flew up to his metal forearm to have something you could hold onto as your oxygen left your lungs.

He leans in once again to whisper in your ear. “What’s that, baby?” He coos condescendingly. He kisses the spot just under your earlobe, the sensitive skin sending a jolt through your body. He trails a few more kisses under your jaw, just above his hand; each kiss becoming progressively longer and sloppier. He makes his way to your other ear, now pressing his lips right up against the cartilage. “You got more to say to me?” His metal fingers and his left leg. His thigh hitches farther up, you’re now practically sitting on his leg – trying to stabilize yourself on your tiptoes. His fingers squeeze your throat, causing you to shut your eyes as you release the breath from your lungs with a whine. He hums in response – you can feel his smile pressing into your skin. “That’s what I thought.”

Your eyes open at the sudden loss of contact as his grip loosens and he shifts back in front of you, face-to-face. He stares at you through the dark strands of hair that had fallen loose in front of his face, his eyes dark and clouded over with lust. You imagine you looked the same way, completely disheveled, staring up at him with nothing but desire. Your legs clench around his thigh, pulling yourself farther down onto his muscle-bound leg.

Bucky leans down, slowly diving in for the kiss.

But he stops too soon, his bottom lip just brushing yours. You try to meet him halfway, struggling against the sturdy grip on your throat. You can’t help but groan, eyebrows pulling together in need as he beams down at your joyfully. “You wanna tell me what you need, baby?”

“Touch me,” you whine, hips now moving ever so slightly against his thigh. You couldn’t move much, considering you were barely balanced on there, but you could manage.

“Touch you?” He questioned, quickly swooping forward, pressing his lips to yours chastely. As soon as you tilted your head to deepen the kiss, he tore himself far enough from your lips to speak in a hushed tone: “Touch you like those girls were touching me?”

Fuck. Immediately without thinking, you release his forearm where your hands previously rested, pushing back on his chest as hard as you absolutely could. He stumbled back a couple steps, completely taken off guard. God, you were so hot when you were aggressive like that. He loved pushing you to your breaking point: to the point where you’d begin to assert yourself towards him. He loved when you stood up to him, reeling in anger, just so he could take charge and show you who was boss.

It was an adrenaline rush for him.

For you, too.

You stood before him, fists clenched in rage, staring at him. He was just barely smirking, eyelids half shut, a hungry look on his face. Ever the challenge, he would conquer you.

You nearly jumped when he pounced, taking him up against you, legs twined around his back, arms locked behind his neck. His tongue was hot on yours, meeting in a seething hot kiss. His hands immediately palmed at your ass underneath your cocktail dress that had now ridden up to pool at your waist.

As he began up the stairs towards the bedroom, you broke the kiss – with a displeased groan from Bucky – and laid a sloppy trail of kisses and licks along his throat and to his ear. You pressed an open-mouthed kiss to the corner of his jaw (his weak spot), touching your tongue to his hot skin, following it with another kiss. His steps stuttered, his knees buckling as he took the next step. He groaned deep somewhere in the back of his throat, pinching your ass, a quick slap ensuing afterwards as he regained his footing and kicked open the bedroom door.

He tossed you on the bed, wasting no time in grabbing the back collar of his shirt, pulling it over his head and onto the floor in one swift motion, completely disregarding the row of buttons sewed along the front. You took the hint, shimmying off your tight dress while laying on the mattress. He followed suit with his pants and underwear off next. As soon as the cool bedroom air hit his body, he was throwing himself on top of you, pulling your dress off the rest of the way and unhooking your bra. He discarded your underwear next, pitching it over his shoulder, fingers immediately finding your pussy and sinking in.

He took you by surprise, eyes squeezing shut and knees involuntarily closing together. Bucky used his hand to hold one leg down, prying them apart completely. He looked between his hand – his fingers pushing in and out of you completely soaked – and your face – eyebrows knitted together and mouth hanging open. He didn’t know which view he liked better. “Shit, baby, you been this wet the whole time?”

That was the thing about Bucky – he was a talker. If he wasn’t egging you on, then he was filling the room with his vulgar commentary and dirty talk. He added another finger, pumping in and out of you faster, obscene sounds blocking out anything and everything he said. He moved his metal hand from your knee to your clit, rubbing in slow circles, contrasting to his other movements. His metal hand was great – sensitive, temperature resistant; better than his flesh hand – but, god, there was something about feeling your wet cunt on his own skin drove him crazy.

You gasped, quickly biting your lip in anticipation of your orgasm. “Oh yeah, baby? That feel good?” He huffed, thumb whirling on your clit faster. He hunched to lay a kiss on your breast, meeting you hallway sitting-up to capture his lips with yours. You released the sheets you’d been clutching, instead opting to fist his hair, pulling his mouth hungrily to yours. As your body throbbed and your pussy clenched around his fingers, you moan into his mouth, falling back onto the bed.

Bucky sat upright on the bed and watched you as you laid on the bed completely blissed out; hair splayed across the mattress around your head, chest heaving up and down, legs shut – shaking – but knees pulled together, arms once pulling taught at his hair now limp on either side of you.

He waited patiently for about forty-five seconds for you to open your eyes. As soon as you did – without enough time for your eyes to even focus on him, he grabbed your waist, flipping you on the bed, gripping your hips to pull you ass to his face. He truly was a face-down ass-up kind of guy. Not that you minded.

You squeaked, burying your face in the sheets as his hand slapped your ass; his palm following to rub away the burning hot sensation it left behind. You felt his tongue drag a long line up from your clit to your tight hole, taking extra note to curl inside your leaking pussy.

Bucky wasted no more time in straightening up and giving his cock a few pumps, smearing his precum all the way down to the base. He grabbed your hip in one hand, guiding his dick to drive into you with the other. He sighed, your soaking wet, tight cunt squeezing him as he pounded into you from behind. He took hold of both your hips, balancing himself on his knees, pulling you backwards on his dick as he rifled his hips forward.

His momentum drove him forward, nearly folding on top of you, your ass pushed dangerously high in the air, tits and face pressed firmly into the mattress, muffling the sounds that escaped you every time the tip of his cock drove into you. His metal hand remained gripping your hipbone, his other palm pressing flat into the curve at the small of your back, pressing your arch deeper and ass further up as your ribcage met the top of the mattress.

He pounded relentlessly into you, the tiniest change in position making your pussy even tighter around him. “Take it,” he growled through gritted teeth. “Take my fucking dick, baby.” You couldn’t help but release a short breathy moan every time his dick brushed against the very edge of your cervix.

Bucky gathered a fistful of your hair in his metal hand, half slipping out, the other half tangled dangerously in between the death grip of his fingers. He hauled you up, causing you to yelp as you tried desperately to push yourself up. He never let go of your hair, instead using it as a vice to keep your back pressed firmly against his sweaty chest, yelping as he did so.

The pain subsided quickly as his other hand found your still sensitive clit, rubbing it with fast, loose circles. You dropped your head, no longer resisting him pulling it back, falling against his shoulder. “That’s my good girl,” he cooed, driving his dick upwards into your wet cunt; the soft pants you made egging him on.

He waited until he could sense your orgasm – feeling your muscles clench, your body stiffen, temperature rise – before he let himself cum, pumping thick ropes of his cum deep into you. His fingers didn’t stop working on your clit – in fact, they moved even faster even harder. You came with a shriek, his hand finally releasing your hair, allowing you to drop forward onto the mattress.

You didn’t move – couldn’t move – but Bucky followed suit, hovering lowly over you, pressing kisses down your spine, reveling in the feeling of his cum dripping out of your pussy around his dick still warm inside of you.

We don't do no, we don't do no conversations We don't talk the way we used to You act like we're all good sometimes, you know I hate it 'Cause it's so obvious it ain't true

“Hey, Buck,” you called from the kitchen as he walked through the front door. He didn’t acknowledge you, didn’t even look in your remote direction. He kicked off his shoes, tossed his keys on the table, and walked directly past you to grab a snack from the fridge. “Dinner will be ready in fifteen,” you mention, watching as he already began devouring the left-over chicken legs from the other day.

You gave him the benefit of the doubt: maybe he had a bad day. You continued chopping the onion, minding your business, silently cursing him out. He can’t even give you a simple hello back? Yes, a bad day makes anyone want to come home and eat a whole meal, but does it really give him the excuse to eat a whole meal right as you’re working on dinner in front of him? If you knew his plan was to eat cold chicken for dinner, you would’ve gone out to eat by yourself instead of making supper for the both of you.

As you started working on mincing the garlic, you mulled over last nights’ events. The two of you had it out, sure, but it was nothing out of the ordinary. You’d fought, made up, even cuddled when you went to sleep. Now today he was going to flat out ignore you with no rhyme or reason. Unless something did happen – something regarding his coworkers? It wouldn’t be impossible, you thought to yourself, bitterly slamming the knife on the cutting board.

“Can you chill with that?” Bucky grumbled, finally looking in your direction, mouth full as he spoke to you in an irritated tone.

“I’m chill,” you mumbled, scraping the contents of the chopping block into the pan, a sizzle filling the silence that now washed over the two of you.

“What’s your problem?” He muttered, mostly to himself, as he took another bite.

“You’re my fucking problem.” You earnestly didn’t mean for him to hear it; if it weren’t for his goddamn super soldier hearing, he wouldn’t have.

He sighed heavily. “What did I do? I’ve been home all of two-minutes.”

You abandoned your pan, turning on your heel to face him. “You’re always ignoring me.”

“What?” He questioned, dropping the container on the counter and raising his hands up. “I can’t enjoy silence anymore? Do you want me to hate every aspect of my life?” He bit his tongue, immediately regretting what he said, but lacking the filter to be able to stop himself. He just wanted for once to be able to have a conversation – actually, he wanted for once to not have to have a conversation – but to have one without arguing would be a gift from god.

You lay the wooden spoon on the island counter between the two of you, the smell of burning onions and garlic now very fragrant in the space between you. “Damn, I wish I knew you hated your life earlier,” you sigh. He rolls his eyes, preparing a refute about how you always seem to blow things out of proportion, but you cut him off before he can open his mouth. “I would’ve left a long time ago.”

He’s the one who was always incapable of talking. One small thing ticks him off and suddenly the only thing he’s capable of doing is shutting himself in a dark room alone. He’s always shutting you out and pushing you away; and all you every try to do is something nice for him – making him dinner, offering an open ear to ramble off some steam – but he always ends up throwing your good deeds back in his face.

Not anymore.

You simply walk out the door. You took your purse, your keys, put on your shoes, and left him standing alone in the kitchen with his chicken.

Maybe it was an overreaction. However, you felt that it was fine based on how he acts like this every day. Was he doing it so you’d fight, and he could just have angry sex with you to make it okay later? Did he genuinely not want to talk to you – ever? If he really hated his life – and you in it – he would surely let you know? Unless this was the actual way he was letting you know? He didn’t call out after you, he just rolled his eyes and let you walk out the door.

Not extremely surprising, but it did hurt your feelings a bit. How could it not? The man you loved for the past two years, put up with this tumultuous relationship for, dealt with his mood swings, waited for him to come back home to you – all that for him to tell you he hated his life? His life that you entered and made so much better; at least, that’s what you thought.

So, you gave him a day. If silence and peace was what he truly wanted, you’d give it to him. You crashed at your friend’s place that evening, taking that bumpy couch so Bucky would have his time alone.

The only issue is that he didn’t call you the next day. He didn’t call or text.

He was waiting for you to come back to him. Understandable but annoying – aggravating. You (and your friend) hatched out a plan. You waited until he left for work before you returned home, grabbing a few necessities: clothes, toothbrush, the works, and heading back out to her place. There was no doubt that he would know you were gone. This happened twice before. That you became so irritated with him that you left for the night. But you went back the next day, coming home to him lounging on the couch with not a care in the world, hindsight told you that much. You’d simply laid on top of him, his arms snaking around your waist and your face buried in his neck. He waited for you to come back because that’s what he knew you’d do.

This time, you wanted him to reach out. To see if you were okay. To see if you were coming home. You felt like the only one putting in effort and you were so tired. That effort, of course, was shown in the fights the two of you had. You might be able to pin 75% of said arguments on you; but yelling at him was the only way to get through to him. Boy, he loved to fight. You’d honestly never seen him show off such emotion. You brought everything up – the other women all over him, his attitude problems, everything that bothered you. But he never said anything to you. He was so apathetic towards you that he barely spoke to you anymore. He didn’t ask how your day was, he didn’t get jealous when another guy flirted with you, he didn’t even respond to you saying hello – he was completely apathetic.

You waited four days: Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.

Monday, actually, you called in sick for work. You were caught between sobbing to your friend about how much Bucky didn’t care about you and wanting to show up to the Avengers Tower with your fists clenched and a certain red-headed Russian spy to back you up. There was no word from him. He obviously saw some of your things were missing; hell, he probably knew exactly where you were, too. He just didn’t do anything about it.

He obviously didn’t care, so you wouldn’t either.

So good together Maybe I'm crazy Maybe we're crazy No one loves me better Than you, you, you, you

It was clear that you were broken up. Neither of you said anything, but you slowly started to move out of your shared apartment, taking small amounts every day while he was at work until you were fully moved out and into the spare bedroom at your sister’s place on the other side of the city. It made your commute to work a little harder, now having to take two trains and walk a couple blocks; but you learned to appreciate the city, the architecture, the weather. Living with her was great – she was a built-in friend; but it wasn’t living with Bucky.

You were a little heartbroken – maybe more bitter. He just let you go without a fight.

Without a single word.

It was four months of binge-eating, wine-drinking and moping around about Bucky before you had a date. The date itself was fine. The guy was cute enough, funny enough, sweet enough. Your sister convinced you to go out with him again. You almost used him just to take your mind off Bucky. You felt bad about it, but he technically knew you and Bucky dated not long ago.

Everybody knew. It was in the tabloids. They photographed the two of you separately. They connected the dots after they hadn’t seen you and him together for a few weeks. Instead, they only got photos of you or him doing mundane things: you grocery shopping, Bucky going for a run around Central Park; you sitting on the train on your way home from work, Bucky saving the world.

Although you never grew to like having paparazzi take photos of your every step, you’d grown accustomed to it. You never made the front page or headline news, more reserved to as a style-guide or just a few Buzzfeed articles about yourself. Bucky, however, made headlines a lot. You had to speed walk past the newspaper and magazine stands around the city because you didn’t want to see him: whether he was decked out in armor, fighting bad guys, or simply smiling alongside Steve and Sam as they enjoyed one rare night out – you didn’t want to know about any of it.

You continued to see Oliver, almost seriously now, but trying to see past the whole using-him-as-a-rebound mentality. You’d gone on a few more dates, and, before you knew it, he had officially asked you to be his girlfriend. He was awkward in a cute sort of way – couldn’t be more of the polar opposite of Bucky.

Bucky had a demanding, intimidating presence; Oliver stood lanky and slender. Bucky was every bit of tall-dark-and-handsome; Oliver was fair and pale. Bucky’s attitude read toxic, masculine, and provocative; Oliver read like a nerdy-teenager, meekly quiet.

While there was nothing wrong with Oliver, he just wasn’t Bucky.

There was another aspect in which Oliver didn’t hold a candle to Bucky.

In. The. Bedroom.

You may not have been in love with Oliver, but, damn, after six months a bitch gets horny. It was fine at first, you were going to throw a dog a bone and not judge him too much the first round. After all, he was genuinely nice and seemed to care about you a lot, so you weren’t about to crush his heart just because he couldn’t make you cum the first time.

You’d grown to a certain level of intimacy with Bucky. One minute you could be making love – softly, sensually; the next minute he could be choking you and fucking you senseless. A long time was spent building the light affection between the two of you, before either of you even got comfortable with the toxicity and animosity that surrounded you – that egged you on, riling each other up until it was too much and you’d just explode. And maybe that was your problem. Each of you had too much pride and hidden hostility that it engulfed you. You’d lost touch with your younger selves. That became your downfall.

You tried not to think about it too much. Especially when you were in Oliver’s bed and he was kissing your neck. Exactly the position you were in at that exact moment.

His lips were sucking a hickey on your neck as he fucked you slowly. You laid flat on the bed, his elbows bent on either side of your ribcage, head tucked under your jaw. “You like that?” He whispered, dragging his hand down your stomach, fingers desperately trying to find your clit.

You laid there like a dead fish. There was no way you were going to be able to stand this for any longer. You stopped him, pressing a hand to his chest and pushing him off your body. “Let’s switch,” you suggested.

He laid down in your place, allowing you to hop on, reverse cowgirl, fucking yourself the way you wanted.

Bucky liked it when you did that. And you liked the way that Bucky would’ve let you use his dick to get yourself off, smacking your ass along the way, spurring you on. “Fuck, I love it when you ride me like this, baby,” he’d groan, snapping his hips up to match yours.

Oliver stayed quiet, breathing heavily as he watched your perky ass bounce up and down in front of him. You were just getting into rhythm when he began to groan behind you. No, no, no, please. One more minute, you begged, cadence not faltering. Before long – before you came – Oliver finished, leaving you with no other choice than to lay on the bed beside him. He pressed a breathless kiss to your lips. “That was amazing,” he mumbled against your lips. “Did you cum?”

Yeah fucking right. You kissed him again, humming in neither confirmation nor opposition. He got up and shimmied to the bathroom to dispose of the used condom. You shut your eyes and nearly face-palmed yourself.

God, Bucky had ruined you.

Ruined your emotions, your life, your perception of love.

Ruined you for any other man.

So, laying in Oliver’s bed, unsatisfied, you couldn’t help but think about how much you’d want to off yourself if Bucky slept with someone else – especially Toller or Rivers. You were broken up. It had been months – nearly a year. Hell, even you were technically sleeping with someone else.

But just the thought of him treating someone else the way he did you – pulling her hair, fucking her, eating her out, making her scream his name like it was the only word she knew – it devastated you.

You promise yourself not to ask and never to find out.

If it isn't love, tell me why do we hurt so good? If it isn't love, tell me why do we hurt so good together? If it isn't love, tell me why do we feel so good? If it isn't love, tell me why do we hurt so good together? So good together

You broke up with Oliver that night. It was better for everyone.

You felt it best to take this time to focus on yourself. Hell, you spent your whole past relationship focusing on Bucky, you spent all of your time with Oliver focusing on how he wasn’t Bucky.

This was about you. It was about your career, your health, your sanity.

Your broken heart.

No matter how hard you threw yourself into your work, how much you worked out, how much you refined your cooking, how many self-help books you read – you felt empty.

You got promoted at work, you built your confidence up, your pallet refined, you loved yourself more than you ever had – something was still missing.

And that’s how you ended up with your phone ringing against your ear, Bucky sitting silently on the other end.

He agreed to meet you. As you walked up the stairs from the subways station, your heartstrings tightened as you walked around your old neighborhood. It had been a year since you’d really been back here; you’d passed through occasionally, but never wanted to take your time travelling down the streets, as it was too painful. There were too many memories of you and Bucky walking hand-in-hand down these streets.

You strolled down your old block, stopping in front of your old apartment. Books and plants cluttered the front windowsill, CDs stacked along the side, bright lights shining across the windowpane, a shadow cast over the glass.

Of course Bucky sold the place. You left. He had no reason to keep it. He had a place at the Tower. He had people there. He had a life there.

You crossed your arms over your chest, pushing the collar of your coat higher around your neck, shielding yourself from the cold New York winter evening. You turned the corner at the end of the block, seeking shelter in the coffee shop. Bucky agreed to meet you here; it was neutral ground for the both of you. You’d had plenty of dates there, Sundays spent catching up on work and getting coffee. There were no bad memories here, no fights, no fowl words, no animosity. Only hand holding, hot coffee, and shy smiles passed from over the small tables.

You pulled open the door to the shop, sighing in relief as the warm air hit your cheeks. You stopped suddenly in your tracks, breath hitching in the back of your throat.

There he sat, fifteen minutes earlier than you planned, wrapped in that navy-blue sweater you loved – you loved to wear – waiting for you. You couldn’t feel your legs. You couldn’t take a step forward.

You barely recognized him. Obviously, you’d never miss him. He just looked so different. His hair was cut – short. He was clean shaven. He was a completely different man.

He stared you up and down. You looked good, he could tell even with your thick winter jacket and tall boots. He missed your face, your eyes, your lips, your hair, your smell – everything. He waited for you to walk over to the table; it took about two more minutes of you staring at him before you even made your first step closer.

You finally took a seat at the opposite side of his table, a large latte already waiting for you. Your hands were shaking as your held it against the porcelain cup. You couldn’t even look him in the eyes. His handsome blue eyes. His chestnut locks brushed back nearly away from his face, showing off his chiseled cheekbones and jawline. You loved his long hair, you loved grabbing it, you loved the way it hung in his eyes, contrasting his blue eyes; it made him look so edgy. But this Bucky. Ladies’ man, charming, mesmerizing. You’d only seen pictures of Bucky like this, but you couldn’t believe how alluring he actually looked in real life.

Bucky with long hair would fuck you raw until you screamed yourself raw – Bucky with short hair would smile while doing it.

“Hey,” you whispered, voice failing you as you dropped your eyes to your latte.

You saw him nod at you from under your eyelashes. He lifted his own coffee to his mouth, taking a long sip before clearing his throat, gaining his full attention. You bit your bottom lip, staring at him wide-eyed. “So…” he began softly, giving you a half smile. “You’re the one that called me here.”

You stared blankly at him. He was right. It had been over a year and you’d called him up. Why? The answer escaped even your own mind. You didn’t know what compelled you to call him or what your plan was going to be once you actually sat down in front of him. “I guess…” you sighed loudly, dropping your eyes again. “I – I was wondering…” You lost your voice again.

“Why I never called?” He finished for you. He looked sad, once you finally gained the courage to raise your head again. He stared blankly at you, very matter-of-factly. You nodded, not trusting your own voice. He confirmed your nod with one of his own, taking another sip of his coffee. “I didn’t think I should drag you down anymore.”

You rolled your eyes. Just like old times. “Stop playing the victim, James. That’s why I walked.” You took the first sip of your latte, cooled now after it had been sitting out.

He narrowed his eyes at you, but you were right. Just like old times. He shrugged casually, trying to keep his cards close to his chest. “I just thought you’d be better off without me.” He stops himself from reaching across the table and taking your hand. “And that’s being honest.”

You nodded, processing his words. “We weren’t good for each other, huh,” you muttered over the rim of your glass.

“It was kind of toxic,” he admitted, a nervous chuckle following after. He tugged his knit sleeve farther up his arm, flexing it behind his head and pulling at the tips of his hair at the top of his neck.

“You hair looks nice,” you throw in, filling the silence that had fallen between you.

“Thanks. Just needed a change-up,” he replied, dropping his hand to the tabletop.

You nodded softly. You leaving his life wasn’t enough change? “I just wanted you to want me to come back,” you blurt. That’s the change you were waiting for.

He slowly let out his breath, shifting in his chair. His eyebrows raised at the accusation. “I don’t know how you could think that I didn’t want you back.”

“Buy you didn’t say anything,” you protested, laying your hands on the table, trying to keep your voice calm and steady. “Every time I left – you never tried to call, text – nothing.”

He brought his hand up to his chin, rubbing his jaw firmly. It was his old habit dying hard; back when he had a beard, he used to scratch at it all the time, you used to run your fingers against it, used to revel in the feeling of it brushing roughly against your thighs. “(Y/N),” he sighed. “I didn’t know what I was doing – I was stupid. Look, I thought about what I said to you for days; Every day that you’ve been done, actually. I treated you like shit.”

“Well,” you interjected. “It goes both ways.”

Neither of you could hold back your smiles. God, you treated each other like shit. But that didn’t stop either of you from loving each other as much as you did. “A little pain with the pleasure,” he mumbled, drinking his coffee. “So, you called me just to ask me that?”

You sighed, now your turn to awkwardly scratch the back of your head. “I missed you.”

And that’s how you ended up at the Avenger’s Tower, Bucky throwing you on his bed. He laid on top of you, bringing his lips to yours. You fisted at his sweater, trying to tug it off of him, Bucky breaking off the kiss just to pull it off his back, his lips finding yours once again. You kicked off your boots as Bucky unbuttoned your jeans, making quick work pulling them off your legs. You sweater followed suit, lifting your torso off the bed so he could peel it off you. As soon as your skin was exposed, Bucky’s lips attached to your warm flesh.

He trailed his tongue and wet lips against your collarbone, trailing it down your chest, then between the valley of your breasts. He quickly pulled off your bra, throwing it on the ground beside the bed. He took your nipple into his mouth, sucking softly, flicking the tip of his tongue over your nipple. He continued downwards, kissing the underside of your breast and down your ribcage.

Your breath hitched as his tongue dragged across your warm slit; he let out a low moan, reveling in the taste he’d been missing for so long. His hands found your inner thighs, pushing them apart, pinning them to the bed. Your hands slid through his hair, grabbing handfuls of his chestnut locks, short strands slipping through your fingers.

He laid his tongue flat against your slit, pointing the tip to curl between your lips to taste your juice. He circled his tongue gently at your clit, his hand finding your lips, spreading open your pussy and spreading you open with two fingers. He pumped in and out of you slowly, indulging himself in your velvet cunt.

He hummed against your clit, kissing it softly before groaning into your folds. He added a third finger, joining them with his tongue as he stretched you open, licking his fingers clean afterwards. He ate you out with vigor, rapidly fucking you with his tongue and fingers.

As he continued tongue-fucking you, he pulled his fingers out, holding them up to your face. He looked up at your from over your pussy, holding his fingers to your mouth. “You taste so good, baby,” he whispered against your clit.

You opened your mouth, sticking your tongue out. You shut your eyes, swirling your tongue around his first two fingers as you sucked of the salty taste. You moaned around his fingers, Bucky’s face burying itself deeper into your pussy. As he sucked your clit, you sighed, dropping your head against the mattress and shutting your eyes tightly. You were surrounded by darkness and a sudden bright light.

He kissed your sensitive clit, kissing up your pubic bone and making his way up to your lips. “I missed your sweet pussy, baby.” You moaned, something about his low voice whispering against your lips, talking about how good you tasted that made you melt.

“Bucky, please,” you whimpered, fingers dragging through his hair, pulling at the ends. “I need you.”

He sighed, staring down at you. You were glowing. Sweat beading along your hairline, eyes glazed over and shining, skin luminous. “I love you, (Y/N),” he whispered, gazing into your eyes in admiration. “And I want you to know that I’m not letting you leave again – ” he pressed a firm kiss to your lips, his tongue running against your bottom lip. You parted your lips to accommodate his tongue, although he pulled away from you. “And I’ll follow you to the ends of the earth.”

Your heart was heavy as it leaped into the back of your throat. Your breathing shallowed – and it wasn’t because of Bucky’s bodyweight laying on your chest. You blinked the tears away from your eyes, willing for them to not fall in this exact moment. “I love you, James.”

After two chaste kisses to your lips, he buried his head in the crook of you neck, lining up his cock with your entrance. As he pushed into you, he sighed against your collarbone, his hot breath tickling your skin. “Fuck, you’re so tight.” He bit into your shoulder, you eyes rolling to the back of your head as he bottomed out inside of you.

You hadn’t been stretched like this in so long. You felt like you could be torn in two as he impaled you. It hurt in all the best ways.

You gasped as he pulled out of you, quickly shoving back in – he bit his lip, nearly cumming in that exact moment. You were so tight, so wet. Nobody could fuck you like this – nobody could make love to you like this.

He took hold of your thighs, pulling them over his shoulders, calves resting against his collarbones. He took a hold of your upper thigh with one hand, intertwining his fingers with yours in his other hand, pressing it into the mattress. He angled his hips directly on top of yours, pounding straight on top of you. The sound of skin slapping against skin echoed in the hot, steamy room, your sounds muffled by Bucky as he swallowed your moans.

He kissed you sloppily, his cock pulsating in your pussy, you writing underneath him – it was driving him crazy. It had been over a year since he had you under him: a squirming mess. You almost had to push him off of you – out of you – it was nearly too much. His wet lips on yours, his hot breath on your skin, his words whispered in your ear, you overly sensitive clit. This is what you’d been missing: all the pleasure that made the pain so worth it. The endless fights, the ruthless words, the meaningless fights.

Unbeknownst to either of you, it was the moment in which you both came simultaneously, in which you both silently promised each other to love each other forever – to never make the other hurt that badly again.

#bucky barnes smut #bucky barnes oneshot #bucky barnes imagine #bucky x reader #bucky barnes #captain america #bucky barnes fanfiction #fanfic #bucky x you #angst #smut

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aros001 · 3 years

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Going in blind: Watching season 4 for the first time. Random thoughts.

I never said anything about it before but I love Shadow Weaver's DCAU Batman eyes. They're so expressive.

Episode 1: Okay...I wasn't expecting Catra to do that. I mean, it makes sense. If she has leverage over Hordak then she's basically in charge of the Horde and that's what she's wanted (or at least believes she wants) since episode 1. It's an aspect that made her a good antagonist, that she's not blind to the evil of the Horde, she just doesn't care as long as she herself is secure. Which naturally begs the question, when the rebellion and the princesses are crushed, when the Horde is on top, when Adora is dead, when Catra finally has everything she's ever wanted...will she actually finally be happy? Somehow, I have my doubts.

I definitely feel for Glimmer in this. When you go through as big a loss as she did you need to be able to feel and vent if you're ever going to get through it. It doesn't have to be right away but everyone doing everything in their power to avoid the topic entirely can make you feel like you're going crazy. It'a especially bad for her since it unintentionally makes it feel like everyone is acting like it doesn't matter that Angela is gone when it clearly means everything to Glimmer.

Episode 2: I actually had a potted cactus plant once. Accidentally forgot about it and left it outside for an entire winter. Once the snow was gone the cactus looked like it had melted.

I kind of want to see what an interaction between Double Trouble and Clayface from the Harley Quinn animated series would look like. I'm guess Catra was just testing how good Double Trouble was as a doppelganger because it doesn't seem like she did anything while Adora was being distracted, though I suppose that could be a reveal in a later episode.

Not much to say except that I love how buff Huntara is while still clearly being a woman. Like, women can have a variety of different body types, as this series and Steven Universe show, and Huntara's build isn't just, like, Bow's body with lipstick and ponytail and the animators calling it a day. No, she looks like a freakin' jacked adult woman.

Episode 3: I didn't figure out the Flutterina = Double Trouble twist until a minute before it was revealed, so good job there. Before that I was wondering if Flutterina was some fan's original character where they won some contest where their OC got to be in the show for an episode. She was giving off some weird self-insert vibes. That twist made it all work though. It's honestly not a bad plan. Shapeshifters haven't really been a thing in the series before now so there's no reason to suspect it. Even if they did they'd probably be expecting it by way of magic or technology, while Double Trouble's seems to be a natural ability.

I like that even though Bow is definitely the goofier one of the trio he is still consistently shown as competent. That's never in question. He was very heroic and reassuring to the villagers this episode. I get why those kids idolize him so much.

Catra's having guilt over what she did with the portal and to Entrapta and her response is basically to just double-down. She doesn't know any other way to be. Not going to lie, I am kind of hoping we get another moment in the show where Adora just completely overwhelms Catra with the sheer power of She-Ra. I'm not saying like brutalize her or anything but just something where Catra is made to realize just how powerful Adora is and that she could just destroy Catra if she had a mind to do so.

Episode 4: Well, I was saying I wanted Adora to do it but I guess I don't mind Glimmer being the one to get some good shots in on Catra. Like I predicted, Shadow Weaver's moving in to become her teacher like she was with her father. Honestly I like that that was more Adora's problem than Glimmer using her as bait, which she seemed to get over pretty quick. Yeah, it was kind of a heartless thing to do but it was an understandable tactic and she clearly outright told Adora that she did it and why afterwards, which at least means she's still being honest.

It occurs to me that Glimmer and Catra may be the ones running parallel right now. Both are basically leading their respective sides of the war. They both have lost someone very important to them. And both are trusting someone they probably shouldn't. Both even have outfits that've been updated in the intro. The difference is Glimmer's just trying to deal with a bad situation while Catra's is entirely self-inflicted.

Minor thing but I like Glimmer's new outfit this season. I'm sure this is the intention but it makes her look older and more mature. A little more muscular in some shots too.

Episode 5: Heart of Etheria project. No idea what that is but assumedly whoever's a part of it doesn't like Light Hope and Mara being friends. Sounds like it's very much interested in She-Ra being just a warrior, and perhaps a tool, for the greater good. It does make me wonder though how much Light Hope remember from when she was rebooting. Even if she deleted the Mara memory she could potentially still have the memory of her and Adora watching the Mara memory, as well as Adora asking to be her friend.

Episode 6: Yep. Scorpia; definitely favorite supporting character. There is something kind of funny about her whole "Scorpions are loyal" line when you remember the story about the Frog and the Scorpion, where it stings the frog despite it meaning death for itself as well simply because that is its nature. But finally we're having someone go save Entrapta, and I can only assume at some point Scorpia's going to access the power of the Black Garnet.

The parallels between Catra and Hordak are definitely at their max here with that speech of hers to him. She's basically trying to convince herself that she doesn't need anyone, the timing of which is appropriate since she just drove away Scorpia and now truly doesn't have anyone. Not that I blame Scorpia, obviously. Like Adora before her, however good you believe someone can be and that you can help them, at some point you just have to cut the toxic people out of your life. You have the right to be happy too.

And man, Bow is just the best. He saw something was wrong between Adora and Glimmer and defused the situation like (snap) that, pushing them to talk like any sane person would.

Episode 7: I'm sure it is just because I've seen way too many TV shows and movies (both animated and live action) that don't do it but it is just such a relief to have a show where the characters just TALK and LISTEN to each other. It doesn't solve all their issues but they're at least not being stupid and freakin' petty. It helps the drama feel a lot less forced and contrived.

Episode 8: A little bit of amusement in Bow thinking at first that Glimmer and Adora didn't even notice he was gone despite them coming to his rescue very shortly afterwards, given Catra is only now realizing Scorpia has left and assumedly she did so a while ago. Bow and Sea Hawk hadn't been gone for that long so it's not unreasonable Glimmer and Adora wouldn't be worried about their absence (Bow was literally talking about "me time" when they last saw him), while Catra is only noticing Scorpia's absence now and it was because she wanted something. Like Scorpia said, she's a bad friend.

Kind of ironic given that a lot of Catra's issues are the direct result of Shadow Weaver giving her very little love growing up but it does seem this tough love is probably what'll get through to Catra the best. She might finally stop making bad decisions and lashing out if she's forced to live with the consequences of them, like Adora told her last season.

Glimmer gets a bit of slack from me since she suffered through a huge loss, that being her mother, and then was immediately thrown into being queen right after. It'd be hard for anyone to be 100% on their game and well-adjusted in a situation like that, and I buy that she was on some level resentful of Adora for coming back instead of her mother, even if unintentionally so. What definitely helps is that Glimmer very clearly and immediately regretted what she said to Adora. Like Catra she's lashing out but unlike Catra Glimmer recognizes some of the damage she's doing and knows, at least in this case, that she went too far.

Episode 9: Now that I can see the design in color I definitely prefer Mara's She-Ra with pants to Adora's She-Ra with shorts. Honestly, while the differences are pretty minor, I do think Mara's She-Ra design is overall a lot better than Adora's. Sharper shoulder guards. Bigger cape (especially the cape, I love capes). I don't know, there's just a lot that clicks with it and I wouldn't mind Adora getting a similar outfit later.

Madam Razz definitely had a Yoda feel this episode. I was very much expecting her to start wacking Mara with a stick over the sugar like Yoda did with R2. Though while that was Yoda acting crazy, for Razz it's because she experiences time out of order, and I don't think I've ever seen that concept taken to this extent, or at least done this way before. There are characters like River Song from Doctor Who, Professor Paradox from Ben 10, or even the Reverse-Flash who interact with other characters in time out of order but those characters are still on a linear path from their own perspective, even when travelling through time. Razz is just bouncing around her own timeline, seemingly not even any real reason or cause to it like Subaru from Re:Zero. Clearly she's not just remembering things oddly because her talk about things of the present are heard by people in the past and have an effect. I wonder if maybe the reason why is because Razz was at ground zero of Mara's actions and this is a side-effect of pulling Etheria away from the rest of the universe.

Bringing more Star Wars into this, it basically sounds like the Heart of Etheria project has turned Etheria into a magic Starkiller Base; storing power that'll be unleashed to destroy whole planets. And jeez, I think this was the first time I really felt creeped out by Light Hope when she was talking to Mara.

I'm looking forward to seeing what it means that the First Ones only made the sword and that Etheria made She-Ra. If that's the case, why is only the sword able to bring out the She-Ra form? Is it like MCU Thor's hammer and the weapon was just meant to help him control the power he already had? Or is what we think is She-Ra not actually She-Ra and that form that Adora and Mara take is just a stand-in for the real thing?

Episode 10: It didn't even occur to me until now but Double Trouble's capture is another blow to Catra's circle of "friends" too. They were at least able to make her laugh. One less person for her to talk to and just...really just distract her from her thoughts.

It's a good dilemma this episode presents about what to do with the Heart of Etheria. The safest and probably best option is to just dismantle it, like Adora and Bow want, since it could easily lead to the destruction of the entire planet if it goes off. Not the mention there's so little they know about it and what it was intended for and the one person who can potentially tell them, Light Hope, they were warned not to trust. But it's not hard to understand where Glimmer is coming from in wanting to use that power to fight the Horde. They're already losing the war and now she knows Hordak Prime and his FAR more powerful forces are on the way. Tapping into the Heart is a huge risk but she's not seeing any other paths for the rebels to win. It's a really good dilemma, with good arguments presented from both sides, and I buy this widening the schism between Adora and Glimmer.

Episode 11: I have mixed feelings on King Micah still being alive. On the one hand there's a lot of good potential interactions we can now have with him, primarily between Glimmer and Shadow Weaver, and he is a fun character. But on the other I can't help but wonder if this kind of lessens the impact of what Angela gave up to overcome the false reality. Part of what made it so emotional was that she had to accept the person she loved was dead and not coming back...except now we see that he wasn't dead and now he is coming back. Yeah, their family lost out on years together and that does still carry some emotional weight but I was already also half-expecting Angela to come back later in the series because she's stuck between dimensions, meaning there's a chance she could still be alive. If both Glimmer's parents come back then that really feels like it takes a lot of weight out of her story. But I guess we'll see what happens.

Also, why did the Horde exile him to Beast Island? Why not just kill him?!

Episode 12: So the Horde exiles Micah to Beast Island instead of killing him. The First Ones protect their secrets by sending their bad tech to Beast Island. Does no one know how to just destroy things in this world?

Ohhh, I am so looking forward to next episode. While it's debatable whether Glimmer should be going through with her plan she is at least being smart with how she's going about it. Double Trouble was being paid by Catra to work for the Horde, not out of any sense of loyalty. Glimmer has the resources of Bright Moon at her disposal so it's reasonable she could pay them more to switch sides. Double Trouble was very good at sabotaging even a group as tight-nit as the heroes, so Hordak and Catra are probably easy pickings with all their issues.

Episode 13: ....WELL THAT AIN'T GOOD!

I'll admit, I had a little bit of an unintended laugh. After all we've heard about Horde Prime, like this shadowy all-powerful monster, I wasn't expecting the fabulous flowing dreadlocks and smoothness. Credit where it's due, man has charisma and charm, which goes a long way in helping your big evil world conqueror not be a very flat character, because it's doubtful he's going to have the same kind of sympathetic motivation as Hordak or complexity as Catra to keep him elevated.

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Double Trouble kicking at Catra while she's down. Adora and Scorpia were honest but they never wanted to hurt Catra. Not so much with Double Trouble and they just shove reality into her face. Everyone leaves Catra because of Catra. She's the common factor. It's her fault and no one else's. Again, I don't know for certain if Adora and Catra get together at the end (Catra would have a LOT to make amends for regardless) but Double Trouble was definitely implying Catra had feelings for her with the way they put Catra's hand on "Adora's" cheek while talking about how she left her.

I like that we see Glimmer's plan actually working at first. The princesses get a massive power boost and decimate the Horde forces. But the minute it starts going wrong she immediately admits Adora was right and she tries to stop the energy flow. I imagine having her there with Catra was intentional by the writers. Despite some parallels, Glimmer can actually accept her failures and work to try and fix things. Unlike Catra, she didn't blame Adora for things going wrong.

So the sword allows the First Ones to control She-Ra and the energy she'd be absorbing from the planet. Assumedly that means there are at least some parts to She-Ra that have nothing to do with the First Ones and thus maybe Adora can still use some of those powers without the sword.

Season 4 verdict: Yeah, the show keeps getting better, though I will admit last season's finale had me more emotional, but that's a bit of an unfair comparison given everything that happened in that finale vs. this one. This is definitely the series hitting its darkest hour, where it feels like EVERYONE lost. Not just the rebels but the Horde as well. The sword and Light Hope are gone and She-Ra (for now) along with them. Glimmer and Catra are basically prisoners. Hordak's probably going to have his personality stripped away. The Fright Zone is in ruins. The only one who's gained anything is Prime.

Really looking forward to what the final season has in store, especially since there seems to be the implication that Catra just saved Glimmer's life.

Original Reddit post: https://www.reddit.com/r/PrincessesOfPower/comments/o1j5gk/going_in_blind_watching_season_4_for_the_first/

#she ra #she ra spop #random thoughts #reddit repost

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let-it-show · 4 years

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Wet

So I was actually at a swimming hole today when I got inspired to write this...its good to post something in between parts of my new story (new chapter soon!) Anyway I had intended for this to be a cute, short drabble of these two just having fun but the thing ran away from me and got incredibly horny wtf. There’s no actual smut, though, SORRY. Random Elsanna scene go!

No matter how secluded it was, no matter how warm it was, none of Elsa's words had worked on Anna. While Elsa had absolutely no trouble melting off her dress and dipping herself into the cool water completely naked, Anna wasn't willing to go farther than her bloomers and her undershirt, because what if someone did come along?

"Nokk led me here, and is watching for our safety but I'm telling you, Anna, we are far from any camp. Come in here with me," Elsa tried to tell her.

"You just want to leer at me," Anna had replied back while she examined their admittedly secluded surroundings. The wonderful little pools of water were between large rocks, surrounded by not only tall grass and bushes, but the forest as well. Upstream from where they were at the moment, multiple little waterfalls fed into the water flow.

There was nothing but nature.

Elsa smirked at her. "And is there really anything wrong with that? I do see and touch your naked body often."

Anna blushed and just shook her head while Elsa shrugged and started down to the water.

The water looked cold, and that didn't help. Cold didn't bother Elsa at all and especially when temperatures were up she wanted to be in a shower of snow or ice cold water. Anna, not so much. She liked to cool off by swimming but sometimes river water just looked too chilly.

She did lean against the side of one of the boulders to watch Elsa. Her sister looked like some kind of mythological beauty swimming in the water like that, her white-blonde hair spreading around her and seeming to float. She was like a gem in the river...

A sexy gem with gorgeous breasts that were going to be dripping wet. Anna couldn't wait to rub her hands over them, nevermind Elsa's stomach and thighs. Knowing how good she looked made her feel even more on alert for anyone who might spy. There wasn't a single person out there aside from herself that deserved to see Elsa like that.

While she waited, and to distract herself, Anna found a little pool of water that came up a little past her ankles. It felt very nice. The coolness was refreshing. Still...if she went swimming, that was cold water on her whole body, and on top of that Elsa might prank her with even colder water.

Elsa swore she just liked to see Anna's nipples hard but Anna knew she found the squealing and colorful language adorable. Then Elsa would have the nerve to act all graceful and above such silliness when Anna raged at her. She would then kiss Anna, nudge her legs apart and, well...

"Changing your mind any?" Elsa asked, climbing out of the pool, coming up at her like a damn goddess. Anna's eyes were immediately drawn to the glistening pearls of water on her skin and the way her wet hair draped over her shoulders, dripping down her chest.

Would it be weird to have sex on a giant rock in the forest? She was tempted to shove Elsa against the rock and kneel between her legs for a little afternoon delight. Elsa always tasted so amazing...and thinking about her only made Anna feel hotter. She was not doing herself any favors.

She took a deep breath and focused. "You done already? You just got in," she responded.

"I'm going to climb over this rock to get to the other pool, it's a little wider even if not as deep," Elsa explained. "Maybe you'll come in then?" she asked, giving her a pleading look.

Oh that look was hard to turn down when Elsa was naked! "Maybe," Anna grumbled, because it was not fair, not fair at all.

Elsa stepped closer to her, until their faces were inches apart. "What, am I distracting you? Don't say its not fair. I told you to take off all your clothes and you won't." She said it with such a smug, queenly look.

Anna wanted to wipe it off her face with a well placed bite on her breast, but she resisted. "And I still won't," she declared, staring Elsa down. Being difficult with Elsa was fun sometimes. Elsa would take out her frustration by doing certain wonderful things to Anna's body...

She needed some self control that's what she needed. Relief flooded through her when Elsa rolled her eyes and turned away to face the steep, light grey rock she needed to climb up in order to access the next spot. She walked toward it and looked down to place her feet safely.

Then she bent over to keep her balance.

Her ass was like a beacon to Anna and before she could stop herself, her legs carried her forward, out of the shallow pool. Elsa was going to be an obnoxious tease? Well, Anna knew how to deal with that, and her hand was raised as she closed in.

Elsa had started to go forward when Anna's open palm connected hard with her pale butt cheek, nearly sending her face forward into the rough ground. The wet, sharp sound of the perfect smack echoed around them briefly along with Elsa's yelp of surprise at her backside being suddenly attacked.

Anna bounced back on her feet. That had been one good sounding smack and even if her hand stung a little, totally worth it! The light shade of red on Elsa's bottom? A mark of success! She laughed loudly. "Yes!"

"Really!?" Elsa asked, glaring over her shoulder and still appearing stunned.

"Well you can't just stick it in the air like that and think I won't do anything!" Anna declared, oh so pleased with herself. She stuck her tongue out.

Elsa turned and looked at her, and that's when Anna backed up a little. Her victory was probably about to be short lived. She didn't dare run either, because the slope of the solid ground was uneven, easy to trip and hurt herself on terribly. She'd have to take whatever punishment Elsa gave her.

The good thing was, as Elsa came closer once again, Anna had an idea of what to expect. A bite, a pinched nipple, iced body part, a long kiss that left her unbelievably turned on before Elsa walked off again - she could deal with it all. As a result, she stood proudly when she could back up no more.

Elsa closed the distance, snaking an arm around Anna's waist. Anna could already feel the tickle of ice on her skin, but she didn't budge. "Very bold of you to come after me like that," Elsa whispered in her ear, body almost pressed against Anna's own.

"Bold of you to be naked around me and not expect shenanigans," Anna retorted, placing her hands on Elsa's damp, cool hips. Oh they felt good, so good! Maybe Elsa would punish her by shoving a hand down the front of her bloomers and doing...stuff. Her brain was already shorting out.

"I suppose that was foolish of me," Elsa purred, dipping her head down to kiss Anna's neck lightly. She didn't suck or bite, only kissed, and Anna made a content little sound. Elsa prodded her to turn in her arms and Anna complied, eager for what could be next.

Her back pressed against Elsa's generous chest, and Elsa continue to neck her as she fondled Anna's breasts through her shirt. She squeezed and grabbed, breath hot on the crook of Anna's neck. Elsa knew just what to do to reduce Anna to a needy mess. Anna was shifting the way she stood, trying to cope with just how wet she was starting to get.

And that was when it happened. Elsa suddenly tightened her grip around Anna's middle and starting walking forward forcefully, toward the first pool of water she'd been in. Anna's eyes went wide and she realized she couldn't stop them with the momentum Elsa had given them. "Elsa no-nono no no Elsa hey no ELSAAAAAA!"

That was when Elsa half shoved and half threw Anna into the water. It was so cold as her body crashed through the surface and Anna spun around trying to get her bearings!. Good thing it was somewhat deep. She could find the bottom and she could stand on it with her head poking above the water, but her eyes were half open and she was coughing and sputtering and glaring.

There was Elsa, sitting with her legs dangling in the water and once again looking super proud of herself. "How's the water?" she asked innocently.

"It's-it's just fine!" Anna declared angrily. Being in it a few seconds was all it took for her body to get acclimated and it was actually quite pleasant. She could float around in there for quite a while. But she wasn't going to say that!

"Bet you wish you'd gotten naked," Elsa teased and Anna fumed. She supposed Elsa could tell she was slightly pissed, because she sighed and dropped the attitude. "Well, Anna, are you okay?"

"...Yes." Anna knew that if she did get hurt Elsa would drive herself crazy apologizing. Elsa liked to have fun with her, but didn't go too far. "I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Elsa questioned, tilting her head.

Anna blinked, swimming closer to where Elsa was perched. "Yes? I think so?"

"So...you probably don't need mouth to mouth?" Elsa asked, and smiled so sweetly at her.

That little...! Well, that was fine. Anna grinned. "No, but you might."

Then, before Elsa could question it, Anna grabbed her pretty ankles and pulled hard. It didn't really take much. With an undignified shriek Elsa was yanked into the water, and Anna laughed.

#Elsanna #ficlet #Elsa the stinker #Anna the stinker

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oveliagirlhaditright · 3 years

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This Is Your Life - NeShiki

A NeShiki AU for Week 2, Day 2. Neo Spoilers. Oneshot.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/33449641

Shiki and Neku had been together for three years now… Three blissful years, even amidst all the heartache and pain of them having to live in the UG these days, but blissful they were.

Shiki could still remember well, the time that Neku had wanted to celebrate Christmas with her in the UG (their first Christmas together) and had wanted to buy a tree, of course. And he had… But he’d ended up buying a fake palm tree to decorate with instead of a pine tree, in fearing that if someone happened to see him in the UG… they might somehow link Christmas to the Christian God, and then that with the Composer, and then maybe jump to the right conclusion that Neku knew who the Composer was, and bring even more danger down on them all that way.

So, Neku had bought a fake palm tree. And, truly, it had been silly. Shiki had been sure to tease Neku for it, too. And later, even he’d realized he overreacted (even though they probably wouldn’t take back the chance to try and protect Josh, even if they could… as he had been pretty good to them since enlisting them here)… but even with the silliness, it was probably Shiki’s happiest memory. She’d put a Malibu Barbie on top as the “angel”, and Neku had replied that that seemed fitting of a fashionista like her… and it had all been ridiculous, and so much fun.

And it was for that kind of happiness, that Shiki was mostly glad that she had ended up in the UG with Neku again. She hadn’t killed herself after Coco had murdered him—even though a part of her had been tempted to, to Partner with him in the Game again if he had needed her—and hadn’t gone back to the old Shiki, but rather had gone to work getting Gatto Nero up off the ground with Eri.

But then… Shiki had died in another accident. Not a car accident this time, but a piano falling on her head, of all things, while she was walking down the street. Thankfully, she hadn’t felt that, and the next thing she’d known, she’d been in the UG with Neku and Joshua…

Shiki had then thrown her arms around Neku then and sobbed uncontrollably. And while Neku often tried to act calm, cool and collected, she thought that he had behaved as emotionally as she had when they’d been reunited.

Joshua had explained then, that he was just going to give her the penalty of not being able to play the Game again, since she and Neku were Partners (at the time, Shiki had wanted to slap Josh—thinking that he was trying to rip away her chance of trying to come back to life again—but now she understood he had just given her the solid of not having to play the Game again), and for that reason, they would be his unofficial Reapers working with him to figure out what had happened in Shinjuku.

Neku had apparently been working with Josh on that as soon as he’d died… though Shiki could tell he wanted to come back home, eventually, and so did she.

So, she told herself that when they stopped whatever was going to happen to Shibuya—Josh had to be mums the word about some things, it seemed—she would try and see if he would let them go back to the RG.

Shiki wanted to believe that Joshua would let them… seeing as how he hadn’t forced them to become actual Reapers, or anything—which he more than had the power to do so—and instead pretty much let them be Players, but without a Game to play.

Shiki did still work on Gatto Nero with Eri. Very rarely, Joshua would tune her into the RG, so they could work on a few designs—she would go and see her bestie in the dead of night—and the next day, they would be back to having to e-mail it again… It was hard, but Shiki would take it.

So, this was the life that Shiki and Neku (and Josh, to an extent) had had for three years. A lot of the time, they would live with Joshua at the Shibuya River—because it was faster to be able to work with him on things that way—but other times, they needed their private time and stayed in an abandoned house together. Relators said that it was haunted, which was why people didn’t go there, but Neku—who had learned how to scan Souls during some of their time in Shinjuku—told Shiki that that wasn’t true in the slightest: to which she had had to giggle, that people could be so superstitious.

This was the life that Shiki and Neku had built for themselves… And maybe it was a little reckless to split up from Josh, when they had so many people gunning for them. But she and Neku deserved some happiness, right?

They both had seemed to think so… but now Shiki was very much wondering about that, when in this new Game… Neku had been caught—after he’d been unable to help himself from aiding Players in need—when he’d been going back from the Shibuya River to their home.

And Shiki hadn’t heard from him since he had headed for the Room of Reckoning this morning.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out what had happened. And Shiki did find herself going outside, to hear players and Reapers alike talk about how they were going to catch Neku.

“Oh, Neku,” Shiki thought, as a tear escaped from her eyes now, “I should have made more of the trips to Josh myself. I’m less recognizable than you are, since my Entry Fee was my appearance and most people don’t know what I look like now. Nor am I a ‘legendary player’. Your leaving now had foolish written all over it, and I should have seen it and gone in your stead!”

The fact that Neku hadn’t even had time to text her since he’d become the UG’s most wanted didn’t bode well to Shiki, either.

And Shiki was freely crying now—and near a panic attack, as she clutched at her arms—but she told herself to hold it together. It wouldn’t do to start fretting while standing over here at her and Neku’s dining room table…

Their dining room table that Neku had once gotten so sick at, almost acting liking he had Malaria, as he how tripped down the stairs and into it, while Shiki had looked up from her knitting, horrified—even after being in the UG, he had gotten this sick, when she wouldn’t have thought that that was possible—and she’d had to lay him down on the table to get him to drink medicine as fast as she could then, as his fever had been great… and he had finally grown to like the stuff, and the flavor of it that she liked, too… And then, thankfully, he’d been alright.

If Shiki started losing it so that she couldn’t help now, she would never again get to heal Neku, or share more of her favorite flavors with him.

So, she had to do something!

Shiki no longer had Mr. Mew on her… she had given him to Tsugumi for her to use as a psych—as she’d had an even harder time finding a psych she could use than Shiki had—when it had seemed that she might be able to save Shinjuku in those early days… but she hadn’t gotten him back since Tsugumi had been lost.

But still… Shiki thought she could probably use some other psychs now, like telekinesis, if she had to.

She thought about calling Joshua for aid here… but Shiki feared that his hands were tied with the Higher Plane on this one. And if he was going to help Neku, he was probably already doing it or would have done so by now.

So, Shiki couldn’t waste time on that.

Instead… she prepared to run all over Shibuya to find Neku, if need be, but instead ended up going to the Scramble (so close to her and Neku’s home), which was pretty much right where she and Neku had met: since Hachiko Statue was right there.

Somehow, Shiki had known Neku would be there… and her instincts had been absolutely right about that.

Neku looked exhausted, worn down, and beaten, as he knelt on one of the Scramble Crossing’s many crosswalks now… All of the Players and Reapers fighting him must have really taken a toll on him, Shiki thought despairing and empathizing with Neku immediately.

And Tsugumi was about to erase Neku!

Shiki didn’t even think about what to do then!

She thought she saw a blond boy worrying with a certain pin, but she couldn’t process that now. Instead, she dove in the way of Neku and Tsugumi (holding him tightly as he shook, after she’d just saved him).

And after she got her bearings, Shiki very swiftly snatched her Mr. Mew from Tsugumi’s grip, synced up with Neku—and how she adored, that even now… that he was able to do that with her; if that didn’t show what they were to each other, she didn’t know what would—and did a level three fusion with him once more.

And once everyone was distracted by the laser show Mr. Mew was putting on with his eyes, Shiki grabbed Neku’s hand and ran.

Somehow, some way… she discovered she had a new psych like Neku did, as they sped away—that must have been activated the times Joshua tuned her back and forth—because Shiki could mess with their frequencies!

And for now, she got them both to the RG: Neku holding her and kissing her body all over in thanks and worship, as she did so.

She could breathe again.

And Shiki knew that their perfect life together would continue on… thank God or the Composer, she thought, grinning ear to ear and kissing him back.

Author’s Note: So, this is based on how after Tsugumi erases Beat or whatever… if you look closely, there’s a pair of white shoes that walk towards him afterwards.

And tbh… I was mostly certain that Hoodie was going to be Beat, and he was, but just for fun, I let myself imagine it was Neku or could have been him on this day. And I thought those shoes could have been Shiki coming to save him (because I thought they looked like the shoes she wore at the end of TWEWY, but now I think I’m just crazy). I also thought it might have been Rhyme coming to try and rescue Beat, but I doubt that, too. It was probably just Tsugumi walking or something.

But this whole story is based on that first fun AU idea. And that’s also why it ends right when Shiki saves Neku/when we see those shoes walking towards him or whatever.

Hope you all enjoyed!

And the medicine thing, is based on how… I think Neku didn’t like certain medicines in TWEWY? Or maybe none of them? Shiki liked one of them, though (I think). So, that’s what that whole thing is based on. I wanted it to be food, but I couldn’t find a canon food that Shiki liked that Neku disliked, that he could have changed his mind about for her, so this it was.

And it's NeShiki Day! I actually didn't think I would write this for NeShiki Day (I had something else done). And I just wanted to write tonight, and I didn't know where it would lead me. But, hey. It's NeShiki right on NeShiki Day. I think it's only right I share it for that day!:)

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jloves-pp · 3 years

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The Story of Merida and Hiccup part 4

Chapter 4-Tales of bears and dragons

Merida led Hiccup and Toothless to a large river, they could see tonnes of rainbow trout that swam and jumped up the small waterfall. The Night Fury's eyes lit up, on impulse he jumped into the water, splashing both teens.

"Thanks for that, I needed a morning soak" Hiccup said sarcastically while Merida laughed as she shook water off herself.

As Toothless was enjoying catching fish after fish, Merida and Hiccup sat on a log nearby, they were eating the food Elinor had given them. As the princess happily ate her sweet cake, she glanced over to see her horse drinking the fresh spring water.

"So, what's this bear incident your dad mentioned" Merida heard Hiccup ask. He was thinking to himself about what to say to Merida, then he remembered the comment Fergus had said. "I mean, if it's something you don't want…"

"No, no, it's fine. It's no big secret" Merida reassured him. She turned to face him properly and began to tell her tale.

"It all started when my mum told me that at the highland games that three suiters would be competing for my hand" she began.

"You mean to marry you?" Hiccup interrupted in shock. He didn't understand why anyone would force someone their age into marrying.

"Aye" the redhead answered clearly annoyed "You can imagine how angry I was about this; I knew talking to my mum wouldn't change a thing. On the day of the games, when mum announced that the first born on the clans will try to win my hand and the princess will choose the game, that gave me an idea"

The Viking could see where the story was going.

"I, of course picked archery and after they had taken their turns, I snuck into the field and won by shooting all the targets" Merida said, but then her face fell. "Mum pulled me away and we had the worst argument we'd ever had, she was shouting and I was shouting and I was so angry that I ripped the tapestry of own family in two, then to make matters even worse mum threw my bow in the fire. I hated her at that moment and I ran off".

Hiccup felt really sorry for her, he of course knew the feeling when something you cherish is taken from you. He noticed tears running down her cheeks, that memory was still painful. Merida almost jumped out of her skin when Hiccup gently placed his hand on top of hers.

She looked up, Hiccup gave her a small reassuring smile

"Hey it's ok, it's ok" he said softly to the princess. Normally Merida would havepulled away if a man had tried to hold her hand, but Hiccup's touch made Merida feel calm and safe. She wiped her tears before continuing on with her story.

"I rode Angus to the forest; I didn't care where we were going. We ended up at the standing stones and before we could leave, I saw something in the distance, a wisp"

"A…a what?" Hiccup asked.

"Well, Willo the wisps are spirits that look like small white flames in the forest that lead you to your fate." Merida explained "I went up to it and then more appeared, so I followed them, they led me to a cottage that belong to a witch" Merida noticed Hiccup's eyes widen. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, it just back home, we're very superstitious about witches. You know, tales of them cursing people to go crazy and stuff like that" the boy told her, rubbing his neck. Merida nodded understanding and then continued.

"Even though she wanted me to leave, I asked...well demanded a spell, a spell to change my mum. I wanted her to change her mind about the arranged marriage thing and call it off. The witch gave me a cake and I headed home to give it to my mum".

"But how did you know if it would work?" He asked.

"What do you mean?" Merida said raising her eyebrow.

"Well what happened if you gave your mum the cake and she dropped dead".

Merida was horrified by the thought. She would have yelled at him, but he was right, she knew what she did was wrong and selfish so she couldn't be hard on him. She took a moment before she spoke again.

"I didn't think probably, I was blinded by my anger. I gave her cake, waiting for her to cancel the marriage but mum became unwell, I took her to her room and that's when it happened.

"W…what happened?" Hiccup asked, not knowing if he wanted to know.

The princess took a big breath in and then said

"That's when she turned into bear".

Hiccup's eyes widened; fire breathing dragons was one thing but people turning into creatures was unbelievable.

"I was scared, she was scared and we tried to escape the castle".

"Why?"

"Because my dad is well known as a bear killer, he can smell them. Well unluckily for us he did smell my mum, now she was a bear, so he the lords and their men went on a rampage around the castle, they were after my mum. Luckily my brothers helped us, so desperately me and mum headed back the witch's cottage." Merida explained rubbing her hands, thinking back on everything. "We searched till we found it but the witch wasn't there. She'd left a message saying the spell may be permanent".

"Did she mention anything to reverse to spell" he was hanging on her every word, now wondering how Elinor had changed back.

"The only thing she told me was a riddle. Fate be changed, look inside, mend the bond, torn by pride"

Hiccup thought over the words but he was coming up with blanks.

"I didn't know what it meant at first. We slept in the forest for the night and next day we came here so mum could have breakfast." Merida remembered the fun she and mum had had, but then her head face changed suddenly, "But then she started acting like bear"

"Acting like ... wild?" Hiccup asked. He of course didn't know a thing about bears but knew what wild beasts were like.

"Aye, after a while she was back to normal but it was obvious, we were running out of time, the wisps appeared again and led us to a ruined castle" she added, Merida was looking in the distance at place were the path went down.

"Why did they take you and your mum there. Was there something in the castle that would help? Merida snapped out of her memories by Hiccup's question. Seeing his soft green eyes made Merida smile.

"Well, we didn't know what we'd find until we found the throne room. We discovered that someone else had use the spell before" Merida explained.

"Who?"

"A prince from a long time ago. Long story short, he wanted to rule alone, hedestroyed the kingdom and became the demon bear, Mor'Du"

"So, what happened to him" Hiccup asked, worried now for Merida and Elinor.

"He roamed the Highlands attacking whoever or whatever crossed his path, we came face to face with Mor'Du in the ruins" Merida said, she saw the boy's eyes widen once again. Hiccup felt fearful.

Then they heard a low growl next to them. The two teens found Toothless sitting near to them.

"I don't like the sound of this bear either bud" Hiccup said grinning, seeing the hate in his friend's face but it changed when Hiccup scratched Toothless's neck.

The princess let out a small laugh, seeing the blissful look of the dragon's face. After this, Merida told the rest of her story. "We managed to escape and return home, we thought that if we fixed the tapestry, that would change mum back"

Hiccup did think that maybe the tapestry wouldn't provide the answer.

"The plan was to reach the sewing room, but a huge fight had broken out between the clans while mum and I were gone, and they had barricadedthemselves in the main hall" She huffed a bit. "We didn't know what to do at first but mum came up with the idea for me to try and distract the and calm them down, while she sneaked in"

When he heard this, Hiccup thought about the time he snuck Toothless into the village to fix his tail.

"After I calmed them down and they left the room, we reached the tapestry but as I tried to fix it, dad barged in and when he saw my mum, he tried to fight her" Merida said as she rubbed her arms.

"Did you try to explain to him? Hiccup asked, worried what would happen to them.

"Yes, but he was convinced that she was a real bear that killed my mum, my dad and all the men chased after her, but not before he locked me up and gave the key to Maudie the housekeeper".

"That's...not good" Hiccup bit his lip and Toothless shook his head in agreement.

"I felt powerless, I didn't know what to do. Luckily my brothers found me and would you believe they were all bears too!".

Hiccup was genuinely shocked. He thought back the triplets and the spell cake.

"Well your brothers DO have big appetites".

Merida clutch her fists, letting out her frustration.

"I should had thrown that cake into the fire when I had the chance"

"Well, to be fair. You were a bit busy with a huge bear who happened to be you mum, plus you were hiding from men with swords and spears, its no surprise you didn't think of a small thing like a magic cake" Hiccup said showing a toothy grin.

The princess couldn't help but laugh, feeling better by his comment and his smile.

"Well, they managed to get the key and with the tapestry, we rode to the circle of stones where dad and the men caught up with us and tied mum up. I stoppedthem, but then Mor'Du showed up, we tried to fight him off. There was a moment when he was close to killing us both"

"What?" Hiccup spoked faintly. Even though it had already happened, he didn't want Merida to get hurt.

Merida could see the worried look on his face. She gave her a reassuring smile before finishing her story. "Aye but it was mum who saved us. I wish you could've seen it, she didn't hold back when she fought Mor'Du. Mum smashed him against one of the stones and half of it fell on the demon bear and killed him."

"Wow, remind me not to get on your mums' bad side" Hiccup joked and Merida giggled faintly. Understanding what he meant.

"We noticed the sun was rising, I put the tapestry over mum but nothing changed. I was crying and was so sorry" Merida's voice dropped to a faint whisper "I was telling her I loved her". Tears welled up in her eyes, the fact that she almost lost her mum was still a painful memory. The redhead was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice Hiccup gently place his hand on her shoulder. She gave a slight jump and glanced up, there was that strange warm feeling again as she saw his kind eyes and warm smile. She soon felt better at this and took a few breaths.

"I thought I'd lost my mum forever until I felt her hand and saw her back to her old self" Merida said smiling at the memory. "And after that, mum and I have become closer and the kingdom is better than before".

"Wow" Hiccup said when Merida finished her story "That's incredible what you and your family been through" Toothless nodded in agreement. "But what happened about the whole marriage thing?"

"Oh, well during that time my mum and I became closer, we've listened and learned for each other. We both know we've made mistakes, it's shown me how much my mum really loves and cares for me, and she's proud of me, so she changed the marriage rule, so from now on we can choose who we marry" Merida said before she took some water.

"That's great" Hiccup said, happy for her but then asked " What about your old suitors".

"They were happy with it too, they told me later that they didn't want to compete for me, we're just friends now and one has a girlfriend too" Merida explained.

"Oh…well that's...ok" Hiccup murmured under his breath. I don't know why he was glad at this news.

"Well enough about me, let's talk about you now" Merida then said placing her head in her hands.

"Oh...ur...it just, my story isn't as interesting" Hiccup admitted starting to rub his neck.

"Oh, come on, tell me about how you and Toothless met then" Merida insisted before poking a long stick at the fire.

"Alright. Where to start" Hiccup murmured. He didn't mind talking about his and Toothless's story but he had to try not to mention about the Vikings.

"Well at little bit of background. For over 100 years, my village and the dragons didn't get along. My... leader wanted to find their nest and destroy it so they could move on. I wanted to help fight them but when you're someone like me, you're seen as a nuisance and as a joke".

Merida looked at him in shock.

"Were you bullied?" She asked hesitancy.

"Yeah" Hiccup reluctantly said "Everyone saw me as a disaster waiting to happen. Even my dad. He sighed heavily and looked down.

Merida couldn't help but feel sorry, Hiccup seemed like a good person, hearing that everyone in his village hated him made her heart sink.

"So, one night when the village was attacked, we noticed a Night Fury was among them. Knowing that no one had ever killed a Night Fury before, I was determined to be the first". Hiccup said, then saw the princess's expression of disbelief.

"What?" said Merida.

"Now I know what you're thinking but let me continue and things will be clearer" the boy reassured. Merida was willing to listen.

"I ran off to find it with a large slingshot of my own design, I waited until I caught a glimpse of it across the sky. To my amazement I actually shot it down...but my triumph was short lived".

"Why?"

"An enormous dragon called the Monstrous nightmare came out of nowhere and chased me into the village and nearly burned everything down." He answered before he continued "After getting told off in front of whole village, I snuck off to find the Night fury. I nearly gave up until I came across him. I found Toothless tangled up in ropes and... One of his tail fins was gone" Hiccup explained then he felt a thwack at the back of his head.

"Ok I said I was sorry Toothless" Hiccup apologized, rubbing his head as his dragon turned his back to him. Merida gave a small giggle as she watched the two. "Now where was I... Oh yes" Hiccup remembered where he was up to. "I was determined to prove to everyone that I could be just like them, but I could see he was scared as I was and..."

"You couldn't hurt him" Merida said.

"No. I wouldn't hurt him" Hiccup replied "Then I released him. I thought that he'd try to kill me, but he flew off". Hiccup told Merida but skipped the part where he'd fainted.

"Then what happened? did you follow him?" Merida asked as Toothless lay next to Hiccup, the young boy gave his dragon a scratch behind the ear which made Toothless purr happily.

"No, I went home. I was headed to bed when my dad wanted to talk" he said before having a drink of cool water.

"What about?"

"Well he wanted me to start dragon training, even though I'd changed my mind. I tried to tell him but he wouldn't listen, he ordered me to do it and then left to sail off to the find the dragon's nest" Hiccup explained with a small huff.

Merida couldn't help but think how similar Hiccup's relationship with his dad was like what she and her mum had before.

"The first lesson was a disaster, I was being chased and nearly fried by a Gronkles, Gobber who was our teacher told us that dragons always go for the kill. That got me thinking, was that was true? If so, then why didn't the Night Fury kill me when it had the chance? So, I decided to go back and search the last place I'd seen the Night Fury and I found him in a nearby cove. Because of what happen to his tail, Toothless couldn't fly" Hiccup continued.

They then heard Toothless growl as he lay down next to Hiccup and began eating some fish. Hiccup laughed lightly to his best friend before he continued on with the story.

"Later on, I learned that there was no information about Night Furys so I asked Gobber the next day, but he said that no one knew".

"Could you not have asked anyone else?" Merida wondered.

"No. They probably wouldn't know either" Hiccup replied.

"Oh"

"Well later that day. I snuck into the cove to find Toothless, but he found me" Toothless let out a laugh at what Hiccup said. "Anyway, I offered him some fish but he wouldn't take it because he was very nervous and threatened when he saw my knife, so I got rid of it and wearily with one eye fixed on me he ate the fish. We got to know each other, Toothless saw me drawing on the ground, he then started doing his own drawing".

Merida was amazed hearing that Toothless could draw, but was curious about Hiccup's skill, she needed to asked about his drawings later.

"It was then that something incredible happened" Hiccup said getting Merida's attention back. "Me and Toothless were face to face with each other, I wasn't sure why but I held my hand out. At first nothing happened until Toothless began to trust me and pressed his face into my hand. I felt a deep connection between us, it was amazing and that was the start of our unique friendship."

Hiccup felt his dragon pressing against his head, the boy smiled before he hugged Toothless. Merida could already see the special friendship they had;they were as close as brothers.

"Thanks bud, it was later that I learned that dragons will suffer if they don't have their wings and tails. So, I worked on a tail fin for him. I tested it out the next day, it did work but it still needed some fine tuning.

Hearing this, Merida was impressed and wanted to see how the tail was made.

"As the days went by, as I improved the tail, we learned about each other. Being around Toothless, I got to know what dragons were really like. Probably more than any human ever before" Hiccup went on.

"Well most people would've ran at first sight or ended up being it's dinner" Merida then commented. This made both teens laugh, even Toothless laughed to in his own dragon way.

"You're not wrong there" Hiccup added before he ate some bread while Merida had some of berries she picked. "Anyway, back to the story. I took what I'ddiscovered and used that knowledge in the dragon lessons, soon I was popular but...I didn't know about the attention. I had my best friend and that was the most important thing to me" he said softly as he pressed his head to his dragons who purred happily.

The princess had to smile. Even though he got admiration from the others, he'd found what he needed from of Toothless, so he didn't need the other people acceptance.

"One day after we were flying over my island. I was in sitting in the workshop, just thinking when my dad walked in without warning. It turns out he and the others returned that day and he wanted to talk to me. I was panicking because I thought he somehow knew, but he'd heard how well I was doing in Dragon training and that led to the most awkward chat we'd ever had" Hiccup sighed, burying his head in his hands.

Merida always thought her conversations with her mum were bad. Hearing this, it made hers look like small chats over cakes and drinks.

"Ok" Hiccup started after a moment. "Me and the other students did our last dragon training, it's tradition the best student gets to kill their first dragon and that ended up being me".

Merida instantly knew this was bad. She was about to ask but was before she could...

"Everyone was excited, the whole village! I was always planning leaving with that evening" Hiccup then said. Merida let out a sigh of relief,

"Just as I was about to find Toothless. Out the nowhere, Astrid appeared, she wanted answers. She got them when Toothless tried to stop her, she ran off, I thought she was probably going to tell everyone about Toothless so we stopped her by...ok we kidnapped her and showed her what dragons were like".

Hiccup had told Merida about Astrid and the other kids. She would like to meet them, even though she was wondering about Astrid.

"We flew around for a while. Toothless was suddenly distracted and flew off with us on his back with a pack of other dragons. We didn't know what would happen as we entered a mountain until we realised, we were in a dragon's nest, the same nest my dad was searching for" Hiccup said. "We barely escaped that place with all of dragons except their queen"

"Queen. Do you mean there's a dragon who rules over the other dragons" Merida asked?

"Yes, the Red death. It was as big as the whole mountain. We returned back safely but I still didn't know what to do the next day. I knew no matter what I did, it would end badly. Hiccup sighed and buried his face in his hands.

He was deep in his memories when he felt something holding his hand. He looked up to see Merida had place her hand into his. She understood how he felt confused and hopeless.

"I know how you feel, you're stronger than you think" Merida reassured Hiccup just as he had done. At first, the young boy wasn't sure what to do. He would be freaked out by a girl holding his hand but Merida's touch gave him strength and confidence he didn't expect. He also felt his heart was lighter and warmer than he'd ever felt before. It was the same with Merida, she couldn't understand what she was feeling.

"Thank you" Hiccup said, smiling sweetly at the princess. He shook off the thoughts before he said "So the dragon killing day came and everyone including my dad was happy. I had a plan. To be honest, it wasn't a great plan but I didn't know what else to do".

"Well a bad plan is better than no plan" Merida said and the two laughed lightly at this.

"Well. My plan was to show them that we could have peace between us and the dragons, but you can guess how well that turned out".

"It didn't".

"Exactly. Things went out of control, I tried to escape but the Monstrous Nightmare trapped me. I thought I was going to die but Toothless saved me. He risked his own life to save mine".

"Because he loves you" Merida said which was true and she knew Hiccup would do the same. The dragon let out a soft growl and pressed his head to Hiccup's.

"Hey me too" Hiccup said as he wrapped his arms around his dragon's neck. After a moment he pulled away, petting Toothless he said "He managed to stop the other dragon, but dad and the others ended up fighting him and then he was captured".

Merida could see the pain in his face, but didn't think things were going to get worst.

"Dad pulled me away and yelled about lying and Toothless. Then he found out about the dragon's nest and planned to use Toothless to find the nest, I couldn't stop him" Hiccup felt tears running down his face, just remembering the disappointment on his father's face.

Merida's heart went out to him, she thought back to the argument she and her mum had but Hiccup's was worse. He was protecting his best friend and his dad didn't care at all. Merida gave him a reassuring squeeze, she smiled at Hiccup to show her understanding.

He wiped his face with his sleeve and continued.

"They tied Toothless to the ship and sailed in no time, I needed to think quick, Astrid and I thought up a plan. I taught Astrid and the others how to bond with the dragons, then we flew off to the nest, luckily, we arrived in time, for the Red Death was attacking my dad and Gobber. As the others distracted the Red Death, I went to save Toothless, but by now the ship had caught fire, the Red Death had broken the ship, Toothless could free himself he was trapped".

Merida was astonished, but before she could ask. Hiccup continued.

"Suddenly the ship began to sink beneath the waves, in horror I saw my dad diving into the water and rescue Toothless, amazingly he managed it",

"Honestly?" Merida asked, he could see how surprise she was and Toothless nodded too.

"Yes. He said he was sorry and how proud he was" Hiccup answered "Me and Toothless soared up and lured the giant dragon away from everyone. We blasted it and it exploded in a ball of fire but before it was destroyed it swung its tail and hit me! That was the last thing I remember".

"Hiccup..."

"I know. It was awful, everyone filled the blanks. Toothless was the first one I saw when I woke up weeks later, it was great but then I found I'd lost half of my leg" lifting his leg "Gobber made me this one, I lost mine in the fall".

"So that's how…" Merida murmured but caught herself. "I'm Sorry"

"No. It's fine everyone else couldn't believe it either but I couldn't believe what I found. I opened my front door to see dragons all over the village and not burning the place down". Hiccup explained.

"So, the dragons and the village are at peace?" Merida asked.

"Yes, life is great now. We can't imagine life without them, sometimes it's hard but I wouldn't change that" Hiccup said as he gave his best friend a scratch underneath his chin.

"What about you and your dad?" Merida asked. Wanting to know if his relationship with his dad was like hers and her mums.

"Well dad did change, he listened to me more, he let me plan ideas to help the dragons and he trusts Toothless. We're closer than I can remember" Hiccup said smiling to the princess. Then, an idea came to him. "Wanna see something really cool?"

"Aye?" Merida said. She wondered what he was up to as Hiccup and Toothless got up, Hiccup then held out his hand to her. Merida didn't know why but she already trusted him, she slowly took his hand and stood up. Hiccup the led herto the front of the Night Fury.

"Ok, hold your hand up like this" Hiccup said softly placing her hand down. He let go and backed away, Toothless came closer, then Merida gently pressed his head against her hand. Merida realized what this was, she felt the smooth scales and the incredible feeling flowing over her. She couldn't help but smile. "So how was it?" Hiccup asked Merida.

"That's was magical" She said still amazed "Thank you Hic"

Hiccup never had a nickname before, mostly he was called by names he'd rather not mention, but it was a genuine surprise to Hiccup being given a sweet nickname.

"You're welcome...Mer" Hiccup replied. Merida didn't know what to think. No one had ever given her a nickname before but she found herself liking it.

The two teens smiled sweetly to each other. It was surprisingly how they like each other so quickly, maybe even...

They heard Toothless growling which made them both turn around; they saw him chasing a butterfly and trying to catch it. This made Hiccup and Merida laugh.

"It's getting late. We should start back" Merida said looking up to see where the sun was.

"Yeah you're right. Come on Toothless, you can chase them tomorrow". Hiccup called as Merida went to get Angus. They packed up and started the long trip home.

"If you want," Merida said "I can show those standing stones tomorrow".

"Sure, maybe you can help me mend Toothless's Tail" Hiccup suggested.

"Ok, I'll have someone set up a shed for you to work in".

"Thank you" Hiccup said. He thought how similar their stories were, Merida thought it was nice to have someone who could understand her and not judge her. They asked the other some questions about some details of their stories as they rode away.

#mericcup #hiccup #Merida #brave #how to train your dragon #fanfic

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vvinter-queen · 3 years

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Name: Elsa Sommers Age: 27 District: 1 Magic: Ice Magic Occupation: Victor of the 290th Hunger Games Opinion on the Games: It's… complicated

Biography:

TW Death, Gore, Murder, Drug Abuse, Overdose, Passing Mentions of Sexual Abuse

Elsa was fourteen when she became the Ice Queen.

One of the youngest competitors in the 290th Hunger Games, Elsa was never really one to watch. She was a little tall for her age, with pretty, odd white-gold hair and piercing blue eyes. Her stylist had put her in a gown of diamonds, with a long trailing cape and silver braided in her hair. Her interview had been unremarkable; she was honored to represent her district and hoped to make Swynem proud, she was bringing a stuffed snowman her baby sister had given her into the arena. She had only a middling score from the Gamemakers.

(Elsa had never particularly cared for the Games. She knew her friends liked them, clambered for the chance to be called one day to compete, but Elsa had never liked how vicious they were. Didn’t like the haunted look in her mother’s eyes every time someone mentioned what little remained of Enchantra. When Anna was born, Elsa was even less enthusiastic about preparing for the games. She had her little sister to watch over, especially with her father busy at work and her mother often sick and distracted.)

It came as a shock to everyone when Elsa seemed to vanish into the snowy wastes of the arena within moments of the horns blowing. It took the Gamemakers two hours to find her again, and by then she had already traversed halfway across the arena, running through the snow with ease. She had a set of throwing knives strapped to her thigh, and a hard, determined look in her blue eyes.

(Elsa came home after the reaping every year and she would cling to her baby sister as she slept, letting the tremors die down. If Anna was awake, Elsa would make patterns across the ceilings with ice and little ice dolls for her sister to play with until she was distracted. The year she was reaped, she had thirty minutes to say her goodbyes and promise her baby sister she’d come home. She made Anna one last ice doll before she was shuttled off to the Capitol, leaving Anna and Iduna shell-shocked and scared. Agnarr told her to put on a good show, and by god, Elsa, stop with the snow and ice--)

The Capitol watched in wonder and delight as the quiet, shy girl from District 1 cut through the other tributes like a wrathful goddess, leaving the snowy tundra dripping red with blood. Her knives, glimmering like ice, cut through skin and tendons and arteries alike, and Elsa would disappear back into the snow again before the cannons would go off, becoming one with the arena. She swam through ice cold rivers, climbed snowy trees, and built small, well-hidden igloos for shelter. In the end, Elsa killed eleven of her fellow tributes and ended the 290th Hunger Games by burying a knife into the throat of another tribute from District 1.

(Elsa used to make tiny ice palaces for her sister in the backyard of their modest home in District 1. She would show Anna how to shore up the sides of the igloo properly so all of the heat stayed inside, while making a hole for air to circulate on the top. She’d lead her mother into their tiny winter oasis by the hand, sitting her down on a blanket and helping her tell the stories of her home district, the way it was before their great-grandmother escaped to District 1. Anna didn’t know their mother was descended from the destroyed district, only that she had to take special pills or the winds would act up around their home. Agnarr had suggested taking the serum to remove their magic permanently, but neither Elsa or Iduna could go through with it. Their magic was their soul; who were they without it?)

When Elsa came back to District 1, it was following days of interrogation and testing. How else would she have managed so well in the Hunger Games unless with her magic? Had she somehow found a way around the blockers? When they were satisfied with their questioning, they sent Elsa home to a bigger house for her and her family, more food and supplies than they knew what to do with, and the ever-present reminder that they would be watched if Elsa’s magic began to act out. Iduna took more magic blockers so that the Peacekeepers her husband worked with would have no reason to suspect any wrong-doings. Elsa began to take them regularly as well, for when she didn’t, she would freeze rooms the moment she walked in, her skin frosted over protectively.

(Elsa clung to her sister when she came home, letting the warmth of her tiny body melt away the ice in her chest she’d carried home from the arena. Agnarr gently but firmly separated the two when he saw ice creeping across the back of Anna’s dress. Maybe it would be better for you to stay away from your sister, Elsa, he’d said. Just for a little while, until your magic calms down. Why don’t you come with me to visit the Mayor? He’d love to meet you. If you behave, then Father might be able to get you and Anna something nice, wouldn’t you like that?)

As the years following her victory passed, Elsa grew into a beautiful young woman befitting of the title Ice Queen. When her father paraded her in front of important District officials and politicians, she was cool and polite, maybe a little odd if only because she seemed distracted so often. She let her white-gold hair grow long to her hips, decorating it with silver and diamonds and crystals. She visited the Capitol a few times a year, usually with one of the Westergaard brothers, in her trademark long, sweeping gowns and jeweled gauze capes. She had never mentored, despite the rising speculation that as her sister aged into the reaping, she might.

(Elsa kept to herself, wandering alone through the corridors of the house she won and trying not to think too hard about how hot she felt without her magic. Without the magic blockers, her ice was wild and untamed, lashing out of her at the earliest opportunity. Iduna was a shell of herself, confused and weak when on the blockers, cranky and volatile and dangerous when she wasn’t. Iduna died from an overdose when Elsa was 18. Elsa avoided Anna when she could, too afraid of reaching out to her baby sister only to put an icicle in her throat.)

Now, Elsa stands tall as the Ice Queen of District 1, regal and cold and beautiful. To earn a smile from her is to watch morning sunlight peek over icy mountain tops, to hear her soft, pretty laughter is to stand out in the first snowfall of the season. She whispers in the ears of some of the most powerful families in the Capitol, using the flutter of her thick, white-gold eyelashes over icy blue eyes to sway them towards whichever tribute suits her fancy that year. She still hasn’t attended the Hunger Games as a mentor, but she goes to the Capitol every year to show her support and survey over her kingdom like any good queen would.

(Elsa answered the door to Anna a week after her 12th birthday with red, dry eyes and a set of throwing knives in her hand. Anna would never have to take tessarae, and as a Mundus her name would be entered only once. But Elsa wanted to make sure she was prepared anyways. Her kind little sister with the biggest, warmest heart, who had never known the cold as something to fear. Every year on the day of reaping, Elsa holds her breath until it’s done, until Anna is safe again. They go home and Elsa runs her fingers through Anna’s hair and gives her a tired smile, before going to her room and trying desperately to forget how the heat of her room feels like warm blood running over her skin.)

Elsa was fourteen when she became the Ice Queen. She was eighteen when she understood the terrible irony of that name. And she was twenty-one when, on Anna’s twelfth birthday, Elsa decided she would bury the whole of Swynem in ice and snow before she ever let her baby sister face the arena.

Will this be the year she decides that waiting in dreadful anticipation for Anna to turn twenty-six isn’t good enough? Can you bring the Ice Queen onto your side?

#bhgbio #bhg #//the Darkest of my bios goddamn #//i really said 'elsa is my character im mean to in aus'#//tldr elsa won the games at 14 and now her father uses her as a political bargaining chip #//shes addicted to magic blockers like her mother was #//and shes not a mentor but she does go to the capitol to try and win sponsors for her district

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alteregog13 · 3 years

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act I - never grow up

hey, if you are reading this... welcome to my version of this magical universe Taylor created :) as a huge fan of her work, listening over and over to folklore and evermore inspire me to create my on version of this story and this characters in my head. i decided to post this here because maybe it could make to somebody else out there too, so without further ado:

chapter one: is nice to have a friend

- summer of 2009 -

betty was sitting on the porch waiting for her mom and pressing both of her hands in her ears while she murmured to herself the song her daddy had taught her when she was only a baby.

she waited for the screams to stop, and felt like a eternity until her mom finally approach her and said:

"c'mon kid, let's go, mommy is taking you to work with me today okay?"

betty just nodded and held the hand the woman was offering her and they walked together, in silence a couple blocks, when they stopped betty looked up and saw a castle, they advanced and passed the big gates crossing this huge garden. at that moment betty thought she would find a beautiful princess very soon.

she was not completely wrong, because when the door opened she saw this beautiful blond lady standing there, her blue eyes were as bright as the sky and when she smiled betty swore the room just lightened up a bit. she had to be a princess, that was the only logical explanation betty could come up with.

she got herself distracted for a minute, trying to come up with some theory that would explain what a princess was doing so close from her loud house, and she didn't realize when the princess spoke to her:

"hello, betty! my name is este. it is really nice to meet you, i have a daughter that is the same age as you, would you like to meet her?"

betty didn't respond verbally but made sure to nod firmly so the princess -este- could understand that she liked that idea very much. the princess -este- slime in response and guide betty and her mother inside the house calling for the little princess -her daughter/betty's play friend.

"dorothy! dorothy, come here honey there's somebody i would like you to meet!" the princess said.

"i'm here mommy, sorry, me and daddy were busy playing" answered the little princess.

"playing? oh honey, didn't I tell you not to tire him?"

"is ok mommy, we were playing lying down, he didn't get tired at all!"

"you are incorrigible, honestly what am i supposed to do with you?" responded the princess, but then she laughed and bent down to continue: "come on little monkey, meet betty, your new friend"

"hello" betty said, looking up to look at the little princess closer. she realized that the little princess - dorothy - also had blue eyes and blond hair, she looked a lot like her mother but there were sutil differences that made the little princess look even more bright, if that was even possible .

"hi! i'm dorothy, so are you betty?" when she spoke, betty couldn't help but to smile at the girl in front of her. that was something about the little princess that just exhaled pure joy, and that was pretty contagious.

"yes, i am, nice to meet you!"

"nice to meet you too, wanna play?"

"yeah sound like fun..." betty said, than she looked up to her mother to see what the woman thought about the idea, and when she received a huge smile and a nod in response, she smile back and then turned to look at the little princess, who just answered:

"this way, let's have fun!" and ran into the huge castle, betty kept her smile and followed the little princess to an afternoon of pure joy. at that moment she couldn't guess, but that was how her life would be for a long time, or at least for whenever the little princess would be around.

- summer of 2017 -

betty was sitting on the porch with her earphones on, she closed her eyes and drank her coffee pretending her parents weren't fighting again because he got home drunk again. she was good at pretending that she wasn't there while these things happened, and at this point this was already her habitual routine. summer vacation had only started, and betty couldn't wait for it to come to an end.

her dad was an alcoholic since she was too young to actually remember, most of the memories she had with the man involved a drink, a drunk or a that smell of alcohol that did not leave much room to assume why he was behaving like that.

not the idealistic childhood, short money, alcoholic father, a strong mother that could not save the day everyday but somehow always did anyway. her mom was one of betty's favourite people in the world. she was strong, independent, smart, hardworking and always knew what to say or do to not let everything fall apart.

betty wishes to become just like her and to help her as much as she can. betty felt guilty for letting her mom carry everything alone, but she didn't know what to do, at least not when the subject was her father. betty would work all summer to doesn't depend only on her mom's money, would do the domestic chores and study as hard as she could, behave as good as she could, only to not be another weight for her mom to carry.

but when her dad spent the night out and came back with the sunrise and the smell of alcohol, it was like she was seven again. lost, scared and waiting in the porch murmuring some old song while waiting for it to pass so she could pretend nothing ever happened at all. she didn't like that impotency, but she had no clue how to overcome it, so she sat there with her earphones and waited.

betty waited until the clock struck 8:30 am, so she could go to the one person that she knew could transport her far and far away from the noise coming from her house. she got up and took the well-known route to dorothy's castle. she got there and the blond little princess was already expecting her, sitting in the garden reading a book, like every summer they spent together running away from their loud houses and messy families.

when dorothy listened to betty footsteps, she closed the book and looked up with that bright smile that lightened up anything within a 50km radius. betty smiled back taking her earphones off and saying:

"good morning, how are you today madam?"

"morning, my lady, better now that I've been graced with your divine presence"

"oh, and there will still be fools who would think that chivalry is dead, look at you, a true gentleman!"

"finally someone who appreciates my good manners"

betty laughed and asked her best friend: "so what are we doing today?"

"oh my dear miss, i was starting to think you would never ask" dorothy answered without a doubt, standing up at once while her face broke into a huge grin, she gathered her things and continued: "we will have fun, of course!"

so they did. they spent the whole day together, they laughed, swam in the river, talked about everything and nothing and before they could realize, time had flown and the day came to an end. betty got back to her house and prepared dinner for her mom so she couldnt have to work more when she got home from the hospital. then she got upstairs, took a shower and laid down, enjoying that feeling that spending a day with dorothy brought to her, that pure joy feeling. and for a couple minutes betty swore that life was simple and bright as her friendship with the little princess, and that everyday could be as fun as any day she spent with dorothea.

by the way, that’s how betty looks in my head :)

xxx

#fearless taylor’s version #taylor swift #taylor nation #folklore #evermore #lover #fanfic #original fiction #stories #betty taylor swift #dorothea #folkevermore #cardigan

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phantasmalduelist · 4 years

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LISTEN ON SPOTIFY 🌟

Continuation and the final part of the playlist Awakened in Starlight I did ages ago!! I hope you enjoy!! Under the read more is the story. Please do read!!

Thank you for reading and listening, if you do.

ACT I: I could never sacrifice you

1. Sacrifice by Sharon Lyons

A tiny little sacrifice. Her mother would always say, for worlds to turn, some things would be lost among the space between galaxies.

Ouri was young back then, a much tinier dragon, much more impressionable. Now one sacrifice felt like touching a pulsating black hole.

The silver tree bloomed above Ouri. She dug her hands in the golden sand of the cosmos. By her feet the lifeless body of Najwa lied.

“Weaver of Worlds, you must let go.” The leaves echoed through the white room. “Fate beckons you, Scion. It is time.”

Golden magic blossomed on her fingertips and she felt a pang of frightening pain. “I’m sorry, mother. I’m sorry, Silver Tree. I’m sorry, Najwa.”

The room was a golden field, and death became life.

2. Across the Universe of Time by Hayley Westenra

“And the cold, cold wind, it blows me away The feeling all over is a black black day But I know that I’ll see you again And I know that you’re near me”

***

ACT II: I could never forget you

3. Light in Between by Abby Gundersen

Najwa tried to forget. She really did. Tried to leave everything behind. To be forgotten amongst the cliffs of Desert Highlands.

Shame, sadness, anger; they danced underneath her skin every day. Her dreams were plagued with meadows blooming in the sunlight. Songs of ancient times.

Najwa wondered if other Awakened actually dreamed. Or if she had just ended up in a bizarre predicament. One that would forever be a mystery. Unless…

Unless she found Ouri.

Najwa gritted her teeth and patted Toffee’s back to try and distract herself. The summit wildhorn bleated and rested her head above Najwa’s. “Yeah, I know gal.”

4. God Only Knows by RAIGN

“I may not always love you But long as there are stars above you If you should ever leave me Though life would still go on Believe me”

***

ACT III: And so they dance between knives and lies

5. You Have to Let Go by Adam Fielding

“How could you!?” Najwa shouted. Her hands grabbing at Ouri’s Mordant Crescent outfit. A reminder so grim. A reminder so ugly.

“Najwa, I’m not who you think I am.” Ouri was visibly shaking. Forming words had become hard for her.

“Oh you think I don’t know? The display is sickening.” Najwa pushed Ouri against the wall with such force the nearby shelves shook. Ouri simply stood still, her eyes full of guilt.

“No, it’s not that.” She tried to relax her shoulders, but ultimately failed. Ouri knew bringing this up right now would be either an incredibly stupid idea, or completely destroy their chance of ever reconnecting. “I’m just… following a list of things to do.”

“This can’t be serious.” Najwa’s eyes were pure rage. “Was “Awakening” me part of the list!?“

“No… He didn’t do anything to you. I-” She swallowed hard. “I did.”

It took only a second for her eyes to lose the deep hazel color. Replaced by golden shades and cosmic hues. Ouri was the night sky. The far seeing cosmos. Written all over her skin.

Najwa stepped back in a daze. Her mind was a volcano erupting in the middle of the ocean. “What is going on.” Najwa stepped back as further as she could clinging to her scythe. If she still had a beating heart she knew it would have plummeted out of her chest by now.

“Spearmarshal. Najwa.” Ouri paused. And the universe watched them from the corners of the tapestry of time. “The list is what your people call a prophecy.”

The sudden realization hit Najwa like a crashing wave. All those cryptic dreams. All those shades of gold dancing at he back of her mind. The prairies of starlight. All of it. “Am I bound to you!? You did this to me!?”

“N-no! No! I cut the connection. Your will is your own.” Ouri quickly interjected. Panic was taking over her.

“How dare you!?” Najwa’s grab on her scythe was painfully tight. Tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

“If it were not me. It would have been Palawa Joko! I didn’t want that!” Ouri pleaded. Pleaded to be understood between fate and choice. Between golden threads and shadows.

“You…” Najwa’s anger was like a bursting sun. Extinguishing a galaxy before it was even formed. “You are a monster. I regret the day I crossed paths with you.”

A sacrifice. A hole in the tapestry of time.

“I know.”

The birds did not sing that morning.

6. I Cannot Raise the Dead by The Dark Element

“In a time before us We were both someone else And we can be again We both let wrong one in To keep the right one out And now we’re both without”

***

ACT IV: Until tomorrow begins again

7. Heart Lying Still by Nightwish

The Domain of Kourna was even more dreadful than Najwa remembered; she ended up finding an empty building to sit on while the Sunspears were organizing the attack on Gandara.

She kept pulling at her attire. It felt strange to use the Sunspears’ dervish insignia again. But here she was, ready to help destroy the cause of all the pain in her home.

“Mother?” A voice came from the door.

“Yes, Khalida?” she responded lamely.

“Jeez, I thought you’d be happier. Is not seeing your daughter for the first time in eight years a good thing?” Khalida teased her, raising her eyebrow playfully.

“I- No. I’m sorry, hunbun.” Najwa panicked and tried to get up.

“Hey. I’m just teasing. I know all our wounds are still pretty fresh.” Khalida placed her hand over her mother’s shoulder, signalling her to sit back down.

“Yeah…” Najwa said.

Khalida sat next to her and hugged her knees. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“Ha. I should be the one asking you that.” Najwa leaned her back against the wall. Her whole body was tense.

“C'mon, Mom. We might all just die in a few hours.” She elbowed her mother and grinned.

“Gods. When did you become so…” Najwa tried to find words to fill the gap of so many years lost. But nothing came up. She knew it would always be something hard to manage. “Never mind. I came to a conclusion. And I don’t like it.”

“Uhhhhh? Yeah? So early in the morning?” Khalida quipped.

She snorted at the comment. “You know, Ouri.”

“I do know her.”

“I might have said some really. Really. Upsetting things to her.” She shuddered remembering the last time they had talked. It was a chilling sonnet in the back of Najwa’s mind. “I was hurting. I still think she had no right to bring me back to life. But…”

“You see her point now?” Khalida said.

“Yeah… Being bound to Joko would have destroyed every fiber of my morals. I am still here. I am still mostly myself.” She looked at her hands and felt a spark of warmth. “I got to see you again.”

“Then you should tell her that,” Khalida simply offered.

“I think I should just let it go-”

“You did that for eight years.”

“And here I thought I was the mother.” She frowned and crossed her arms.

“Things change. I am a Spearmarshal now.” Khalida smiled.

8.To the Moon and Back by Moonlight Haze

“I still love you so bad To the moon and back and I Yes I miss you daily to the moon and back I’d go anywhere now To the moon and back for you Hope my voice will reach you To the moon and back Time cannot heal scars that lie so deep Inside this void of mine”

***

ACT V: I will cling to the heart between dawn and dusk

9. Between the Lines by Felix Räuber

Ouri and Najwa both stood across each other. The fortress sounded eerily silent after Aurene and the Commander had stopped Joko. Only the faint cheers in the distance, from both the dead and the living, could be heard.

Najwa took a deep breath and touched the grotesquely adorned walls. “This could have been my fate.”

Ouri eyes followed the other woman’s form. She bowed her head slightly, avoiding her gaze.

“I don’t know how I feel about everything that happened,” Najwa continued. “I even find it hard to believe that I am here.”

The former Spearmarshal dragged her feet through the tar. The oozing pools reflected her face in such a distorted manner. “Gross. I wouldn’t want to have this inside of me.” Najwa grimaced.

Ouri bit her lip, trying not to chuckle at the comment.

“Are you just gonna let me monologue?” Najwa pouted. “I remember you being a chatter box.”

“You said you wanted to talk…”

“Always a little too literal, are we?” Najwa walked over to Ouri. “It’s just. I… I don’t know how to fix this.”

“Fix what?” Ouri blinked. Her eyes were gold and shining. They contrasted the beautiful dark blues of her skin.

Much better outfit, Najwa caught herself staring at her curves. The essence of the stars painting her body was mesmerizing. Ouri titled her head at the slight pause.

Najwa coughed and tried to re-focus. “Us.”

Tentatively she reached out for Ouri’s hands. They were glowing in a flame-like effect. Najwa could swear they felt like what one would describe as the heart of the universe. Warm, cold, terrifying, and enticing all at the same time.

“The reason. The reason it hurt so much to know what you did. The reason it felt less of a burden if I was just another Awakened is…” She pushed back her tears. And squeezed the other woman’s hands. “Is because. I.”

“I love you.” Ouri cut her off.

Najwa didn’t need to ask. Najwa didn’t need to understand. Ouri was a Celestial. A Scion of a grand river of the cosmos. A life bearer. How could a life bearer leave someone to die. Someone she loved.

Yet disbelief still colored her blushing face.

“You. You love me?”

Ouri nodded.

Najwa should have known that from the first day they met. Ouri had always been a spark. The fountain of the gentle sun. Najwa connected their lips in a rush of emotion. Soft and willing. Somewhat rough and passionate, too. Full of regrets, mistakes, and guilt. Full of joy, love, and forgiveness.

“I love you, too. Gods, I do.”

Dusk and dawn danced together for the first time in a millennia.

10. Forever by Frozen Crown

“Find in light the essence of the night Say forever Forever Till the stars shine on our hearts Tides won’t last Our time is dying fast But this moment, our moment It will shine bright on our hearts”

***

ACT VI: Spearmarshal and Scion

11. Celestial Dreams by Rachel Currea

“So do I get an honorary Celestial membership?” Najwa’s hair sparkled against the wind. The grey tips had become glowing and golden much like her eyes.

“Well… if you want one.” Ouri laughed.

“Yes, I do.” She grinned widely. “Don’t tell the other Awakened, but this is so much cooler.”

12. Night Will Fade by Beyond the Black

“Somewhere beyond this world Far beyond this life Fate will raise our souls out of the past Somewhere beyond this day Night will fade away Will you follow my final words For tomorrow beyond this world”

13. Into a Dawn by Feridea

“I never let go, of my hopes and dreams I never was afraid, the road is free To find a star, to guide me through this twilight fall Into a dawn”

#guild wars 2 #gw2 #Apostle Najwa #Awakened (♢)#Human (♢)#human #awakened #the Astral Ouri #Dragon (♢)#scion #dragon #humanoid form #Khalida Mukantagara #playlist #my writing #stories

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love-pyramus · 4 years

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Stars And The War

Ok uh-

Warnings: Death, depression, crying, funerals, a very small thing of giving birth I guess? Idk. And yea! Enjoy!

Also this thing is about five pages and 2775 words, it is my pride and joy

@buttonsdelaguerra @trans-witch-cauldron @theworldisyaerster1 @that-aint-news-no-more @brooklyn-is-here @thatsrichhhh @the-cowbi @heyy--adora

====================================

“Stella, we leave tomorrow.” She looked over at her fiancés, a terrified look in her eyes. “So does Alex. You two better look after him, and yourselves.” She says, giving them both hugs. In the morning she goes with the two to the train. “Come back safe, alright?” She says

Stars was sitting at her kitchen table, about two months after the two were deployed. She went and picked up her mail, her heart stopping as she saw an official looking letter. She picked it up, reading it over, before screaming and falling to her knees. She began sobbing, rereading the letter, praying that somehow if she kept rereading it it would vanish, or the words on the paper would change. Her hands shook, as she somehow made her way back inside the apartment, and sat down, sobbing into her arms

She stood at the back of the funeral, people who had known the two men were there, but Stars couldn’t manage to be close to them. She had tears streaming down her face, her engagement rings on a necklace. She looked up as someone walked in, recognizing that it was Tate, and walking over to him, accepting the hug. “Thank you for being here.”

A few weeks later her heart dropped as she got another letter, collapsing and crying again. When the funeral came she seemed to not be able to stop crying, and saw Tate again. She tried to say something to him, but she just couldn’t force the words out. Tate took her hand and gave it a squeeze, and she looked at him, nodding

Her and Tate moved in together after Otters death, and she tried so hard to keep acting like everything was normal, but eventually she just stopped. She couldn’t function, she couldn’t move, she was sitting down on a bed against the wall, just completely still. She didn’t move for a week, tears the only sign that she was even alive. Slowly, after a week, she shook her head, letting herself feel. It was painful, but a contrast to the numbing despair she had felt for the past week. “Tate?” She called. It was weak, trembling, and broken, but she called out for him. Said man came, looking just as broken as her. She hugged him, muttering his name once again and beginning to cry. He hugged back, crying slightly. “You wanna go for a walk?” She asks. Tate nods, and the two begin walking through Manhattan. When they reach the bridge that leads to the Bronx, Stars freezes, her breath catching in her throat. She’s staring at the bridge, and all she can see and hear is the memories of shouts and laughter from her family.

Memories of the four of them running across the bridge after the fight with Otters parents, grinning and triumphant, of them running across with all the older newsies following, Otter running across the bridge to them with a giant grin and a blush, of Captain and Locks asking her out on the bridge, of nights spent climbing the railings to point out constellations. Of Captain dancing with her while Locks drew, of her telling the two her name. Of Locks watching her and Captain jump off the bridge and into the river, before finally joining after learning to swim.

She doesn’t know how long she was standing there lost in her memories, it could have been seconds, minutes, or hours, but she was broken out of her stupor by Tate pulling on her arm, moving to lead her away slowly. She tried to keep the bridge in her sight for as long as she can, trying to speak, tried to tell him she wanted to stay, but she can’t force the words out of her mouth. They walked back to Tate’s apartment, and Stars began cooking to try and distract herself. She cooked Otter’s favorite meal, the one Captain and Locks loved as well. She gave a plate to Tate and then to herself before sitting and pushing it around on her plate. “I miss them too…but they’d want us to survive, right?” Her voice is quiet, looking up at Tate as she speaks. He doesn’t meet her eyes, but she continues to speak. “And…and they’d want us to continue on, and they’d want us to live. To go out and live our lives to what we can.” She begins feeling nauseous, each word burning, but she continues on. She hears the fork clatter from Tate’s hand, and sees the tears but she keeps going. “And-and you and I both know it.” She gets up from the table, the nauseous feeling taking over, and she runs to puke, but she felt a bit proud, having managed to speak and get her points across. Sitting down again she picks up her fork but only pushes her food around, not able to eat any of it. She feels Tate take her hand and give it a little squeeze, and she stares at their hands in silence before speaking. “Tell me about him.” Her voice is quiet but encouraging. As Tate begins to speak, she squeezes his hand occasionally, encouraging him. None of the information Tate told her was new to her, but hearing it come from someone else made her feel a bit happy for the first time in a while. When he’s done he squeezes her hand. “Tell me about them.” Her voice is a bit raspy as she speaks, but she does. She tells all the stories from hen they were newsies, stopping when she reached the day they all aged out. Once she finished Tate goes: “Let's go for a walk.”

“I want to try and go to the Bronx tomorrow.” The sentence is random and out of the blue, but she had had it on her mind for a while, and she looked at Tate over their dinner. “Alright. I wanted to go too, so we’ll go together.” Stars nods at that, beginning to eat again. Come the next day she’s very hesitant to cross the bridge, stopping every few steps, and she feels like she can’t talk again, a lump caught in her throat. Tate slowly pulls her along, moving across the bridge. She stops right at the edge of the bridge, holding onto Tates hand with one hand and the ring necklace with the other, just staring at the place that used to be her home. She doesn’t notice Tate step off, but when she looks at him he’s in the bronx, and still holding her hand. Taking a shaky breath, she steps off the bridge and slowly walks forward a few steps. She begins walking to the lodge, and leads him up to the roof, unable to speak, but squeezing his hand with a small smile to thank him

Stars sat down as she stared at her stomach, one that had begin to show slightly. “I’m pregnant…” she mumbles, holding her arms over her stomach protectively. “Hey baby...I’m gonna take care of you, I promise…” she gets up quickly, scribbling a note saying where she had gone for Tate, and began running, all the way to the Bronx, to Otter’s beach, and sat at the edge of the water. She held her arms over her stomach, feeling the slight bump there, and began crying. “Hey baby, my baby, I’m going to protect you, always.” She mutters to her bump. She stays there for a few hours, just sitting, until Tate finds her. He sits next to her, and her arms go around her torso again. “I have a baby.” She mumbles, not sure if he heard her, but he pulled her to stand up.

Come the day of her child's birth, Stars lay in bed, crying for Captain and Locks, squeezing Tate’s hand as she pushed her baby out. She was exhausted after the labor, but she had a smile on her face as she held the gurgling baby. “Hey baby...I’m your mama…” she held him gently, looking at his face. “What’s-What’s his name?” Tate asks. “Thomas Peter Alexander Pacino.” It takes a few seconds for the significance of the name to register to Tate, it seems, but when it does he looks ready to cry. “It’s a beautiful name.” Stars nods, looking up at the midwife as she comes in. She looks him over, before looking at Stars with an apologetic look in her eyes. “His leg is crippled.” Stars gasps, beginning to cry a bit, but asks to hold him again, and the midwife hands her her baby before leaving again. “He’s gonna be ok.” Tate says to her, and she nods. “I know he is. He’s perfect.” Tate nods, and she looks at him. “Do you want to be his godfather?” Tate looked like he had done a double take, but nodded. Stars grins at him. “You wanna hold him?” Tate nods, and Stars goes to hand him to Tate. She begins falling asleep a bit, being exhausted from giving birth.

“Mama?” Stars looked up from what she was doing at the sound of Thomas’ voice. “Yes baby?” “Where are my dads? Why can’t I meet them?” Stars sighs, at his question, beckoning him to come closer. He does, and she picks up the seven year old and puts him on her lap. “Your dads died in the war, months before you were born...do you want to go see them?” she asks. Thomas nods, and Stars sets him down and hands him his crutch. As they walk, she takes his free hand, and Tate joins them. She walks to the cemetery, and leads Thomas over to the plot of three graves. “These two....these two are your dads...and that’s Tate's husband, Otter.” she sits in front of the two grave, staring at where her fiances were buries, playing with the three rings on the necklace. “Uncle Tate? Can you tell me about him?” Thomas asks, looking at him. He listens to Tate tell stories, and interrupts him when he mentions swimming. “Can we go swimming?” He asks, grinning. His giant grin was out of place in the cemetery, but brought comfort to the two still grieving adults. “Yeah, I know a spot, come on.” Stars answers, pushing herself up and handing Thomas his crutch.

The three began the walk to the bronx, and Stars led them down to Otter’s beach. Tate swam out a bit, and Stars stayed at the edge of the water. “Go on. Swim to Tate.” Thomas began swimming out to him, and Stars laughed as she watched them. “Mama! Come in!” Thomas called. Stars shook her head, she hadn’t swam since before Otter was deployed, when her, Captain, Locks, and Otter decided to spend the day together at the little beach. “Please mama!” Thomas begged, and Stars sighed, walking into the river. Thomas (and Tates) cheers as she swam out to them made her laugh. “Alright, alright.” she says, but her tone is full of laughter. Thomas swam over to her, and she giggled as she held him close. Thomas laughed, and Stars froze, realizing his laugh sounded almost identically like Captains did when they were the same age. “Mama?” Thomas asks, having seen her freeze. She shook her head at the concern in his voice, quickly snapping out of it. “What happened?” Stars just shook her head. “Don’t worry about it baby.” She says, kissing his temple.

At eleven years old, Thomas was going through the boxes in his moms closet, trying to find the one that had the old outfits they were going to give away. He opened one box, seeing three dusty newsboy caps in it. He pulled one out, gently wiping the dust off of it. “Mom!” He called, Stars stood at the doorway. “Yes?” She asks, before spotting the cap in his hand. She walked over and kneeled next to him, taking the cap and wiping a certain spot. “This was Peter’s.” She says, handing it back to him. She pulls another one out, wiping dust off a certain spot. “Thomas’.” She pulls the last one out, not even needing to dust it off. “And mine.” She hits it gently on her leg, trying to get the dust off it. Thomas took the dust off his dads, picking one to try on, before turning to his mom. She smiles at him, tears pricking at her eyes, but a smile on her face, with her own cap on. “You were newsies?” Thomas asks. “We...we were the leaders of the Bronx…” Stars says, and Thomas’ grin grows. “You were?” Stars smiles, and digs through another box, pulling out a box of old papers. “Those two are your dads...theres me...look, that’s Otter and Tate!” a few tears slipped down her face, and she went quiet as she ruffled through the box. She pulled out a drawing on an old sheet of paper, being gentle with it as she moved. More slowly roll down her cheeks, and she moves it away. It was a drawing of her and Captain dancing on the bridge, and she holds it before putting it aside and going back to the box. She pulls out the photo of just the three off them after the strike was settled, and another one next to it with all four of them. “I wish I could’ve met them…” Thomas mutters, staring at the photos. His mom looked so much younger, so much carefree, and so much happier. “They would’ve loved you baby, so much.” and she brings him close to her, kissing his head.

One day, when he was fifteen, the day had a different feel. The apartment was quiet, not filled with the quiet chatter that usually did. He grabbed his crutch and moved quietly, as if disturbing the silence would be disastrous. His moms door was shut, and she wasn’t anywhere else in the small apartment. “Uncle Tate?” He called, moving to look for him. Said man was in the kitchen, trying to make some food. “Morning Thomas.” He says, and he looks a bit anxious. “Where’s mom?” he asks, shifting his weight. Tate sighs. “Todays just a bad day for her. Normally she’d try to keep going and get up, but today she’s just not having a good day.” Thomas nodded. “Todays the day they died, isn’t it?” he asks, looking at the closed door. Tate nods. “Yeah...give her a bit, ok?” Tate puts a hand on Thomas’ shoulder, and the boy nods. After a few hours passed, and no one had heard anything from Stars, Thomas takes his crutch and puts down his sketchbook, moving to go into his mom’s room. He opened the door and saw her laying on her bed in the dark, and Thomas closed the door behind him and made his way over to her bad. He climbed into it with her, and cuddled into her like he would when he was younger. She pulled him closer to her, playing with his hair. “I love you, so much baby…” she mumbles, kissing his temple. “I love you too mom.” He could see a few tears falling down her face and cuddles into her. “Can we go to the park tomorrow?” Thomas asks. Stars smiles at him. “You want to go now?” she asks. Thomas hesitantly nods, and Stars smiles. “I’ll be out in a few. Go get whatever you’re bringing.”

At age sixteen, before Christmas, Thomas snuck into his moms room and took the newspaper clipping from when the strike was settled. He grabbed the bag of money he had saved and began making his was to the small store nearby, looking at the frames, and getting the clipping fit. He had the wooden frame engraved with stars, an anchor, a wave, and a lock in each corner. Buying a few newspapers from newsies he saw on the way back he wrapped it in them before hiding it in his sock drawer. Come Christmas, Thomas brought the photo out with him to where Stars and Tate were waiting. He opened his gifts, a new set of pencils, a small pocket knife, and a new drawing book. He gave Tate the small drawing he had made for him, of the memory he has of them in the water when he was younger. His hands shook slightly as he handed Stars hers. “I know it’s already yours and I shouldn’t have taken it without asking, but I wanted to get it framed…” He looks at his mom, who was crying, but had a smile. “Thank you Thomas.” She says, smiling at him.

#Stars #The Three™️#Tate #Newsies OC

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you-are-my-neverland · 4 years

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Positive Self Analysis Challenge

Rules: Post an excerpt you are proud of, and talk about why you’re proud of it! Choose a few sentences and talk about why you like them/what you were aiming for while you were writing.

Tagged by @commasinsidequotes ! I know it’s been like a month or whatever, but I kept getting distracted from writing.

I’ll tag @semblanche & @landfillmp3 & @acrimoneous if you guys haven’t done this already ;-;

This excerpt is from Fairbone and there are, like, kind of major spoilers mentioned, and I couldn’t edit them out without messing up the scene. It’s also long, because I couldn’t find a good place to cut it lol.

“For the dead.” Aurelius raised his glass into the air and clinked it against nothing. “No one asked me to go into the fire, Xanthe. No one asked me to let your brother burn alive either.” Xanthe flinched at how crudely he said it, let your brother burn alive. “No one asked me to leave Ashe behind. No one asked me to make any choice I made, but I made them, and now I’m paying the price and it’s fine, I’m fine with that. It’s just karma, right?” His eyes were red rimmed, from exhaustion, from pain, when he looked at her with his smile twisted in all the wrong ways.

“Aurelius.”

“Don’t say anything.” The words were a whispered plea. “Don’t say anything. I don’t—I don’t even want to be speaking to you right now. I just want—” He trailed off, voice wavering, and dug both his hands into his hair. The glass dropped to the floor and shattered apart, Xanthe watching it fall as if in slow motion and making no move to attempt to stop it.

“I want it to be quiet,” Aurelius whispered into his hands. “I want to die.”

Xanthe’s heart constricted, painfully. “Aurelius,” she started, but he turned away from her before she could even begin to reach out to him.

“I think…” He paused, looking up at her from between his spread fingers. “I think I want to go to where I belong.”

“Where is that?” Xanthe asked, but she thought she already knew.

Aurelius looked at his thin wrist and traced the empty space there languidly. “Someplace not where you are.”

Her heart squeezed even tighter. “I understand,” she whispered, but the words tasted like sawdust in her mouth. “I don’t know when you’ll be able to, though. Ruka’s been imprisoned.”

Aurelius raised his eyebrows, eyes darkening. “Bluespeer?” he guessed.

“How did you know?” Xanthe asked, tilting her head.

“The righteous are the most ruthless,” Aurelius responded. He looked up at her, and Xanthe could see the wheels turning. “Luckily for us, we’re neither.” Xanthe didn’t know if it was a compliment or an insult.

“I won’t see you for a while,” she said softly.

“You won’t,” Aurelius acknowledged. “Not unless you plan on leaving.”

Xanthe touched the place where the rose was tattooed over her skin, and felt it burn beneath her thumb. “I can’t,” she told him. “Not yet.”

Aurelius’ lips twitched, almost. “It’s probably for the best,” he said, more soberly than he had spoken before. “We probably shouldn’t see each other for a while.”

“What does that mean?” Xanthe asked, feeling a lump in her throat. She felt like she was being slowly torn to pieces this whole conversation, each word from his mouth another piece of her being thrown to the wolves.

“It means that you’re painful for me, right now,” Aurelius answered. “And I don’t think I can look at you without remembering Ashe. I don’t...I can’t heal if you’re here with me every step of the way.”

Xanthe swallowed, but it got stuck. She hadn’t been expecting him to say it so bluntly, like something had been stabbed between her ribs and stuck there.

“Am I the problem?” she asked, so softly that she thought, for a moment, it had gone unheard.

Aurelius looked away from her. “I think we’re both the problem,” he whispered. “Because whenever we’re around each other like this, people die.” Xerxes, Xanthe thought, back then, what had broken them apart. Ashe, breaking them apart now.

She couldn’t even argue with him and say that it wasn’t true, because that was a lie she would be unable to say. The girl that had seen the death and the man who had led them into it. They were both a pair, weren’t they? A type of dysfunctional that had worked when they were younger and didn’t have to suffer the consequences as much, but now the blood had found their hands and dried there.

“Okay,” she whispered, sliding off the counter, her bare feet touching the cold ground. “But if this is the last time we’ll talk, can I do something?”

“What?” Aurelius looked at her.

Xanthe swallowed. “This,” she whispered, and then she kissed him as hard as she could. He stumbled back, against the counter, and Xanthe pressed forward, trying to feel anything, but he was unyielding, shoving her off. She broke away from him, gasping, and wiped at her mouth sloppily.

“What the hell, Xanthe,” Aurelius said fiercely, his words biting.

She shrugged, feeling tears in her eyes. “I’m not sorry,” she whispered, and his eyes softened. He took a half step towards her and then he was kissing her instead, lips soft against her own. Xanthe felt heat in her body, tingling in her nerves, as if her blood was on fire. She felt the counter behind her, scrambling for balance against it, the edge digging into her back. She leaned forward, to deepen the kiss, only for him to gently pull away from her again.

“We shouldn’t,” he whispered, shaking his head. “It’s grief.”

Xanthe looked away. She felt guttural and raw. She felt like something had been ripped apart inside of her. “It’s fine,” she whispered, but the words stretched her tongue the wrong way, made her feel all wrong, because it wasn’t fine, it wasn’t fine.

“Why…” Aurelius broke off. “It was my mistake,” he said instead, pressing his lips together. “It was my mistake, I’m sorry. A lapse of judgement.”

“I don’t want to be your lapse of judgement,” Xanthe whispered. She couldn’t raise her voice. “I’m in love with you, Aurelius. I’ve been in love with you for a long time. I was going, I was going to tell you at the River of Forgetting, but I couldn’t, so I’m telling you now.”

“Go, Xanthe,” Aurelius said, rubbing at his temples. He sounded tired, looked exhausted, but Xanthe was unwilling to let the conversation simply filter off. Not when her words were in the air, not when they had finally been said.

“Is that all you have to say?” she asked bitterly. “No comment? You can’t even reject or accept me?”

“It’s your feelings towards me, I shouldn’t have anything to do with them,” Aurelius retorted, a snap in his voice. “What, you need me to validate your teenage love for me? Even if I feel the same, even if I don’t, that won’t erase your feelings. It’s not my responsibility, Xanthe.”

“Fuck you,” Xanthe whispered.

“Too late for that.” His eyes were ice cold chips. “You don’t get to fucking say you love me, Xanthe, not after we both nearly died and Ashe did die and she died because of us.”

“That’s not our fault!” Xanthe cried. “If you were me, Aurelius, you would understand that I can’t accept responsibility for every death that happens just because I had a vision about it!”

“And what about your brother?!” Aurelius shouted back. “You’re telling me you saw Xerxes was going to die and you did nothing to stop it? Because I was the one who dragged you out of there, Xanthe, and you were screaming to go die with him.”

She felt tears in her eyes. Everything was hot and bitter and burning. “Don’t bring him into this,” she said.

“Xerxes is as much of a part of us as the two of us are,” Aurelius responded. “He’ll always be there.”

“So what, that’s why this will never work?” Xanthe questioned, hands curling into fists where she held herself tight. “Because of my dead brother?”

“You tell me,” Aurelius said with his dark eyes and his golden hair and his ruination, all over him. She said nothing and he turned away from her, looking somewhere that was not her, somewhere that did not have her. “Go, Xanthe.”

She left.

Analysis

When I first wrote this scene, I wrote it all at once, and I didn’t exactly feel that good about it, but I liked it all the same, because I kind of just like Xanthe and Aurelius...anyways, it was a lot of raw emotion, and when it comes to raw emotion, I tend to write it, well, rawly (which can sometimes be re: messy). So I wasn’t really sure how much I actually liked this scene, but I kept coming back to it, and it still really jumps out at me, now.

Mostly, because this is, in a way, the ending to Xanthe and Aurelius’ story. The whole theme of them throughout the book is that they keep coming back to each other, even after everything that happened, but here is where they end, this is where they know they’re not coming back to each other.

“So what, that’s why this will never work?” Xanthe questioned, hands curling into fists where she held herself tight. “Because of my dead brother?”

Xanthe saying this kind of encapsulates their whole relationship - even if they have feelings for one another, they never acted on them. At first, when they were teenagers, because Xanthe was his best friend’s sister, and then because Xerxes died and neither of them could save him. Even when they reconnected, after three years, Xerxes is still there, in the empty space, even when they’re not thinking about him.

“What, you need me to validate your teenage love for me? Even if I feel the same, even if I don’t, that won’t erase your feelings. It’s not my responsibility, Xanthe.”

I’ve always liked the concept of someone...not being responsible for your feelings, if that makes sense, and not having to reciprocate feelings. Aurelius and Xanthe deal with their feelings and emotions for one another in slightly peculiar ways; they’ve never really confronted them, even if they’re definitely there. There’s always been a sort of understanding between the two of them that they are more than friends, but it’s never something they’ve acted on, due to external pressures and circumstances. This scene is basically Xanthe considering why not and going for it, but once again, circumstances hold them apart.

Xanthe and Aurelius are basically the definition of two people who might be destined for one another, but keep meeting at the wrong time, if you know what I mean? There’s a quote or something that could explain it better, but I can’t quite remember it...anyways.

This scene focuses a lot of emotions. I wouldn’t call any of the characters in Fairbone to be particularly emotional people, besides maybe Ashe and Thieu, and while Xanthe and Aurelius have practically clashed in all their scenes, here is where it all overflows. Aurelius, on one hand, finally lets it all out:

“I want it to be quiet,” Aurelius whispered into his hands. “I want to die.”

Aurelius, in a way, has been like this the whole book. He’s broken. He’s suffering. He’s lost. But we as the readers might not really understand this so explicitly until he finally admits this: that he’s tired. That he’s so tired. And he’s been tired. Now he’s just plain exhausted.

This turned out long and I kind of just talked in circles, but in conclusion, it’s an emotional scene, if not a good one, and I like that.

#wip: fairbone #lovely mutuals #writers on tumblr #wip excerpt #my writing #writing #commasinsidequotes #me: comes out of the woodwork to post fairbone and then disappears #you can maybe avoid the spoilers if you don't read close enough but they are mentioned #this is the beginning of part four so it's near the end...#all xanthe and aurelius do is hurt each other is that kind of toxic?#maybe but it's their own personal issues getting in the way..#xanthe's power #xerxes being dead #ashe dying now #star crossed lovers in the worst possible way #8.17.2020 #yeah it's been like a month or so i am so sorry

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maaaddiexo · 4 years

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Chapter Sixteen | Peter Pevensie

[Red Series Book One: Roses]

Synopsis: With World War Two ravaging the world, no one is safe and no one is happy.

Despite their protests, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie are evacuated from London and sent to live in the English countryside with an old professor. Scared and unhappy, only the youngest Pevensie child remains optimistic and ends up sharing her hope with her siblings in the form of a wardrobe that takes them to Narnia, a different world where they are the only form of hope to bring an end to an evil witch's reign of terror.

Rosemary Bennett has no more hope left in her heart. Her brother and father are off fighting for their country, the former having gone missing months ago, and her mother ignores her, preferring the company of a bottle over her own daughter. Giving up seems the only logical plan of action. But when it finally comes to carrying it out, she's transported to a different world, with talking animals and a prophecy that doesn't involve her. Unsure as to why she is there, she must navigate a new world and ponder the possibility that maybe - just maybe - she doesn't actually want to die.

*Warning: this book deals with depression and suicide. Though mental illness isn't what this story revolves around, the act of suicide and depressive thoughts are intertwined with the plot and act as 'backseat drivers' to the novel.

[Chapter Seventeen] [Series Masterlist] [Masterlist]

Rosemary watched the four Pevensie children from afar, smiling at their happiness. For the first time since Rosemary first saw them, they looked genuinely and completely happy. There was no weight on their shoulders. No line between their brows.

"Well done today, Rosemary," Aslan praised, coming up to stand beside her. She was standing a few feet from the Witch's body. She had to see for herself that the Witch was well and truly dead. And now she couldn't stop staring at the long sticking out of her pale throat.

"I just did what you asked."

"You did more than keep my secret. You saved countless lives today."

Rosemary looked at Aslan but it was like looking through water. Her eyes were glassy, tears ready to spill onto her cheeks. "Not without taking some myself."

"That is the nature of war. Kill or be killed."

"It doesn't matter!" Rosemary fisted her hands and began to shake. "Even though I won't be losing any sleep over the death of the White Witch and her henchmen, a life is a life and that is what will make me lose sleep. I killed people, Aslan. The only person I ever wanted to kill was myself."

"You said 'wanted'. Does that mean you no longer have the same plan you once did?"

Rosemary stood silently for a moment, looking at the Witch's body. The blood on her face and neck was starting to get sticky. "Before you arrived, I got distracted for a moment and one of the Witch's supporters attacked me. We fought and all I could think was, 'I don't want to die'. And it wasn't because I had to protect Peter or because I had a job to do. I didn't want to die because I didn't want to die. I don't want to die, Aslan."

Aslan hummed. "I'm glad to hear that, Rosemary. You make excellent company."

Rosemary chuckled and bent over to hug the Lion. "Thank you, Aslan. For everything."

"You're welcome, my dear." Together, with Rosemary's fingers tangled in Aslan's mane, they walked over to the group of four.

"Rosemary!" Arms wrapped around Rosemary's neck and a body threatened to knock her to the ground. Rosemary was able to right herself and Susan, laughing through a mouthful of hair. "You're alive!"

"Did you doubt me?"

Susan shook her head vehemently. "Never. Thank you for having Peter's back. I'm certain he wouldn't have made it out alive if it weren't for you."

"Okay, now you're doubting me!" Peter gasped overdramatically. But he smiled.

"Obviously," Susan remarked, loosening her arms from Rosemary's neck so the others could hug her. Peter hugged her the longest, pushing back her hair, which had come loose during her fight with the hag.

"What happened to you?"

"It's not mine," Rosemary said simply. Shakily. Gently, she touched his wounded arm. "How's your arm?"

"Saw that, did you?"

"I was the one to put an arrow through the witch's jugular."

Peter scoffed incredulously, "And you couldn't have done that before she put a sword through my arm?"

"I had to let you get a bit of a beating. You know, lull her into a false sense of security and confidence and all that."

Peter's shoulders shook as he laughed and he pulled Rosemary in for another hug. One hand held her head against his shoulder and he whispered into her hair over and over again - "Thank God you're okay."

•

The slain warriors of Aslan's army were carried back to camp, where they would be burned on a pyre and their bones buried by the lake nearby at sunset. The air was heavy with grief and so thick with silence that it could be cut with a broadsword.

Rosemary had walked back to the camp without saying a single word. When they got to camp, she grabbed a towel and a fresh pair of clothes and then made for the river. Peter frowned but let her go. The surviving warriors continued to the center of the camp with their heads hung low. There would be no celebration tonight.

"Aslan, what happened to Rosemary?" Edmund wondered.

"She's never had to take a life before today."

"Shouldn't someone go check on her and make sure she's okay?"

"Maybe not while she's bathing, Peter," Lucy giggled. Susan and Edmund joined in, their giggles quickly turning to full blown laughter at Peter's red face.

"Right. Of course."

"Don't worry, Peter," Aslan assured. "She will be fine."

"Is there something you're not telling us, Aslan?" Susan questioned, cocking her head at the Lion. The look in his eye as he stared in the direction Rosemary had gone gave nothing away, but the tone of his voice did otherwise.

"It isn't my secret to tell. And besides, it is in the past. Pack up your things, Your Highnesses. We leave for Cair Paravel in the morning."

Peter watched Aslan walk away before heading for his tent. "Susan, Lucy? Let me know when Rosemary's returned? I need to speak to her."

"Going to kiss her again?"

Peter froze before he turned back around to face Edmund. "Who told you?"

"Nobody."

"You saw?! Rosemary asked you to leave us alone!"

"I did. But then Oreius asked me to go get you. You seemed quite... preoccupied so I let you two be."

"You kissed Rosemary?" Susan squealed, running to hug her brother. "Oh, Peter. You're growing up!'

"Shut up. I'm older than you."

"Only by a year."

"I'm still older."

"Shut up."

"I see everything is back to normal between you four." Rosemary appeared from behind the tent. Her face was now free of blood and she wore her familiar red dress. Instead of being braided back, her hair hung loosely over her shoulders. The only thing out of place were the bruises on her neck. They weren't visible before, having been covered by all the blood, but the purple finger-shaped bruises were easily noticeable now.

"Telling Peter to shut up happened before Narnia and I'm sure it will continue after," Edmund replied. "That will never change."

Rosemary laughed, moving to her shared tent. "And it will also never happen."

"Okay, that's it!" Peter lunged for Rosemary, snatching her up by the waist and pinching. She let out a squeal of laughter as Peter's fingers assaulted her sides. She tried to escape his grip by falling to the ground but he followed with her, laughing overtop of her as she rolled from side to side, panting and laughing.

"Stop! Please!"

"What do you say?"

"Shut up!"

"Wrong! Try again!"

"I don't know. Pizza!"

"Ugh, now I want pizza," Lucy groaned, simply watching on and not bothering to help Rosemary.

"Say that you're sorry."

"But then I would be lying."

Pulling away, Peter helped Rosemary into a sitting position. "You're going to be the death of me, Rosemary Bennett."

Without thinking, Rosemary smoothed out Peter's tousled hair. "Quite the opposite, actually. I saved your life so many times today."

•

In one of the guest rooms at the Castle of Cair Paravel, Rosemary stood in front of a large mirror as servants rushed around the large room. A pale blue tulle dress with off-the-shoulder sleeves had been laid out on the bed with the expectation that Rosemary would be wearing it to the Pevensie's coronation. A second, more detailed and extravagant dress hung on a rack in the corner. She would change into that one for the "after party " of the coronation.

Rosemary sat in the chair without a complaint. She let the servants prep her for the events to come without a word. Her hair was braided back and then pulled up in a bun, secured with a hairpiece made of roses and forget-me-nots. They didn't have to hide the bruises on Rosemary's neck thanks to Lucy's cordial. One hour later, and Rosemary was making her way through the extravagant halls of Cair Paravel. Waiting at the door to the hall were Beaver, Mrs. Beaver, and Tumnus.

"You look beautiful!" Mrs. Beaver exclaimed happily.

Rosemary graciously bent down to give her a hug, careful not to step on her dress when she stood up. "Thank you. Your fur looks very well-groomed."

"Oh, stop it."

Inside the hall, knights and warriors dressed in decorated armour stood shoulder-to-shoulder on either side of the aisle all the way from the large double doors at one end of the ballroom to the stage on the other end. On the stage were four thrones made for two kings and two queens. Rosemary couldn't think of anyone more deserving than Lucy, Susan, Edmund, and Peter Pevensie. In the past few days that they had spent in Narnia, they had all faced so much and aside from the friendships they'd made, none of them were good. But the hard times didn't begin when they hid in the wardrobe. Their father was off fighting a ruthless war and they'd been ripped away from their mother to go live with a reclusive stranger and his unpleasant housekeeper.

Rosemary took her place next to Tumnus and felt her chest swell and almost burst with pride as the horns blew and the new rulers of Narnia appeared. Lucy looked around the Great Hall with wonder in her large brown eyes, smiling enthusiastically at anybody she made eye contact with.

Susan kept her eyes on what was in front of her, but the pride and contentment in her eyes were clear. And to think - she didn't even want to go on the adventure.

Edmund seemed a little fearful of the large swords over his head but did his best to keep his emotions hidden. He was, after all, considered a traitor at one point. But now he was a king and the past was in the past.

Peter held his head high as he walked between Edmund and Aslan. His strides were confident and he stood tall with his shoulders pulled back. He looked distinguished. He looked like a king.

Not one soul in the room could help themselves from watching the Pevensies make their way to the platform at the end of the hall. Rosemary's cheeks began to hurt from smiling so much but she didn't stop. She couldn't. The pride and happiness that filled her to the brim were worth the small amount of pain.

"To the glistening Eastern Sea, I give you Queen Lucy, the Valiant." Lucy smiled at the surprise in front of her. Tumnus and Rosemary walked behind Beaver and Mrs. Beaver, the latter two carrying the crowns. Rosemary went to the far side with Beaver, while Tumnus and Mrs. Beaver approached her. Gently, Tumnus placed a silver crown on Lucy's head, giving her a gentle smile. The crown's design was the perfect mix of delicacy and strength. The laurel leaves represented victory and the yarrow flowers symbolized healing, love, and courage. The crown was clearly made for Lucy.

"To the great Western Wood, I give you King Edmund, the Just." Rosemary stepped forward and Edmund bent down to one knee. Proudly, she placed a silver crown on his head. This crown wasn't delicate like Lucy's. It was thick and decorated with birch leaves which symbolized protection and change. Rosemary knew that after his time with the White Witch, he came out a changed boy. They all had, but Edmund especially.

"To the radiant Southern Sun, I give you Queen Susan, the Gentle." Gentle seemed the perfect word for Susan and the crown perfectly embodied the tall brunette. She went down into a perfect curtsy so that Tumnus could placed a golden crown detailed with daffodils on her head. The flowers represented beauty and spring, and the leaves that connected them were of the mountain ash tree - the wood that bows were made from.

"And to the clear Northern Sky, I give you King Peter, the Magnificent." Peter gently got down on one knee. With shaking hands, Rosemary placed a golden crown on Peter's head. The design features consisted of fleur-de-lis, oak leaves, and apple leaves. The oak leaves symbolized wisdom and the apple leaves were the symbol of Narnia's protection tree, an attribute Peter clearly channeled. When he stood and she curtsied, he could see her glassy eyes and bright smile. Her joy was contagious and even King Peter - who had killed an uncountable number of creatures twenty-four hours ago - wasn't immune. He smiled back at her.

"Once a King or Queen of Narnia, always a King or Queen of Narnia," Aslan declared. "May your wisdom grace us until the stars rain down from the Heavens."

Together, the crowd chorused, "Long live King Peter! Long live King Edmund! Long live Queen Susan! Long live Queen Lucy!"

[Chapter Seventeen] [Series Masterlist] [Masterlist]

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