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sheep33hallow · 3 years

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I work the Night Shift(Hisoillu, KuroKura)

Tags: Mpreg, Stealthing, Mafia, No Nen AU, Kurapika and Illumi are best friends

Summary: Kurapika founds out he is pregnant from his long term fuck buddy, Kuroro.

A/N: This is currently a oneshot, but I may do more of this AU.

AO3

___

Illumi was sitting at his desk. His laptop was in front of him. Breast pump in motion as he typed out an email to his parents. He was looking around for a new curtain to keep the light out of his daughter’s nursery and his mother’s uncle knew a guy that made custom curtains. He looked to his left for a moment, seeing his daughter was still asleep. Thankful for the breathing space. She begged for his attention like her father. She can’t be far from his side.

A vibration rolls over his desk, looking away from his daughter, he grabs his phone. It’s Kurapika.

“Yes?”

“Do you ever think about going on a vacation and never coming back?”

He looks at the family photos on his desk. His siblings, his fiance, his kids.

“No.”

“Fuck you.” He hears Kurapika sighs. “I’m pregnant.”

Illumi shuts off the breast pump. “Oh, hold a second.” He puts his phone on the desk. Unstrapping the harness, he puts the bottles on the desk and grabs his crop top. An overused red shirt he finds comfort in. His long hair is in a braid today. Hisoka put it in before heading to work this morning. He opens the mini fridge under the desk and puts the bottles inside with a shut off the door.

Shifting back up, he grabs the phone again. Being careful of the noise he makes, he slowly tilts his office chair back before speaking again.

“By Kuroro?”

“Yes.” Kurapika says, frustration lacing his tone. “I feel like he did this on purpose.”

Illumi thinks about Kuroro. Would he? He was Hisoka’s best friend, and the man seems to barely be interested in anything unless he got something out of it.

“Why?”

“I just feel like it. My intuition.” Is all he says.

He looks at the clock. He has time before his siblings show up. “Want to come over?”

“Sure, I want some shaved ice.” He hears shuffling over the phone.

“I craved shaved ice too.”

“Fuck I remember. You better be ready for payback for all those times, I made you some when Hisoka wasn't around.” A door being slammed is heard through the phone.

“Yes, yes. Use your key. I might be feeding Silvia when you get here.”

“In the nursery?”

“No, office.”

“Kay.” Kurapika hangs up.

Illumi sighs. Then groans as he shifts his seat up right again. His nipples were rubbing against his shirt. He moves one of his hands under his shirt to graze the hard rub. Rolling it between his fingers lazily.

So sensitive.

His other hand is holding his phone. He brings it to his face as he looks for the camera app. He lets go of the bud as he pulls the shirt up higher. Tucking it under his chin.

Keeping his face out of frame, he rubs his nipple as he takes pictures from different angles. After a few snaps, he lets go of the shirt. Leaning over his desk, he scrolls through the pictures, marking a couple of them as his favorite.

A sneeze from his left catches his attention. Putting the phone face down. He scoots his chair closer to his daughter. Her dark eyes gaze up at him. He gazes back. Waiting to see if she’ll need his attention or if her toy is enough.

She reaches for him.

He obliges. Scooping her out of the bassinet and onto himself. Her solid five month body burrowing a spot into his chest. Her little body was a comfort against his body. Looking down she doesn’t make any movement that she wants to be fed, so he simply rocks back and forth in his office chair.

Ten minutes later that is how Kurapika finds them.

His friend is in a fitted creamy white sweater, high waisted light wash jeans, and a single red dangling earring. It hits Illumi’s face when Kurapika kisses his cheek in greeting. His fingers lighty touch the top of Silvia’s hair before he puts back, moving to go sit in the chair in front of Illumi’s desk.

“What makes you want to keep it?” Said Illumi. Still rocking back and forth.

“I never said I was keeping it.”

Illumi scoffs. “You’re keeping it.”

Kurapika twists his face. “I guess.” He begins. “I can afford it and Kuroro will make sure it has a trust fund.”

“So Kuroro knows about it?” Illumi says.

“I called him before telling you.”

Kurapika watches a displeased look shroud over Illumi’s face. “You told him before me?”

Kurapika looks at his friend. “I did.”

Illumi looks away from his friend. Seconds pass.

“I’ll need a babysitter on the 13th. It’ll be you.”

Kurapika pulls out his phone. Scrolling through his calendar. He did have a meeting with his parents that day. Looking back up, Illumi still isn’t looking at him. He will just bring Silvia along. Kuroro too if needed.

“Okay.”

Illumi looks back at him. “I love you.” Said Kurapika.

“I love you too.” Said Illumi. “I love Hisoka more.”

“See and that’s why Kuroro found out first.” Kurapika says with a chuckle. Illumi smiles back.

“I want to be at your first ultrasound.”

“Okay, but only because I was at yours.” Kurapika replies.

“Hisoka and my mom were so mad when I kicked them out of the appointment.” Illumi said, smiling at the memory.

“I think that’s why he introduced Kuroro to me. Thought we were too close.” Kurapika said, leaning on his palm. Elbow rested on the arm of the chair.

Illumi pauses at that. He squints his eyes at his friend. “Are the both of you official together now?”

“No. I don’t want to be serious with Kuroro. He’s just for fun.” Kurapika said with a shake of his head.

Illumi chose to believe that for now. “Are you staying for dinner?”

“I don’t have anything better to do, so I guess.” Kurapika said. Sitting upright. He grabs both sides of the chair’s arms as he pushes himself out of his seat. He walks over to the little family on the other side of the desk. He squats down to Silvia’s level. He presses a finger to her cheek. The soft skin under his finger sends a satisfying hum through his body.

“Want to hold her?”

“Nah. She’ll cry like a bat out of hell.” He inches closer to kiss her cheek. “I know my place.” Said Kurapika.

Removing his finger from Silvia he stands up.

“You didn’t send me your daily nipple rant of the day.”

“There is nothing to rant.” Illumi said. Adjusting his hip. Thinking of the small photoshoot he did earlier.

Kurapika watches him. He raises his hand to slide it up his friend's chest. Cupping the breast slightly and grazing his thumb over the nipple. Illumi tenses up at the jolt up his spine. Thankful that the shirt is in the way, so he doesn’t feel all of the sensation.

“You aren’t crying out in pain. So there really isn’t anything to rant.” He says casually. Continually looking at his friend squeeze his thighs as he rubs the bud.

“You look cute like this.” He said. Removing his hand.

Illumi grits his teeth. “I will bite you.”

“Please do.” Mocks Kurapika.

Illumi kicks him.

Not expecting that. Kurapika loses his footing but catches himself. He doesn’t glare at his friend, knowing he had it coming to him. He rubs his calf. Even after birth, Illumi hasn’t lost his athletic edge.

Silvia coos at that. Her little fist bangs on Illumi’s chest.

Looking down, he spots a wet spot around the nipple Kurapika was playing with. “Guess you’re ready to eat?” Silvia doesn’t reply, but continues to grab at his shirt.

“Yeah, yeah, hold on.” He slips an arm out of the sleeve and shoves half of the shirt behind him.He adjusts Silvia to his nipple. She instinctively latches on.

“I’m two months along.” Said Kurapika. Sitting on the edge of the desk.

“Hmm.” Is all Illumi says. Waiting for Kurapika to continue.

“This is a lot.” He pauses. “Thought I’d be married when I gave birth to my first child.” He runs his fingers through his own hair.

Illumi can’t share the same sentiment. Hisoka has been trying to marry him since before he got pregnant. Illumi is the one hunkering down on a long engagement. So he stays silent.

“I might have my mom move in during the first few months.” The two friends stare at each other. Kurapika smiles. “Will you be my Jedi Master through all of this?”

Even before Silvia, Illumi has endless child experience. “Are you going to be more like Anakin or Obi-Wan as a padawan?”

Kurapika laughs. “Let's get to the last trimester and see.”

Illumi reaches out a hand to his friend. Kurapika grabs it. Lacing their fingers together. “Well, I can’t guarantee the type of Master I’ll be either.”

“I trust you.” Said Kurapika.

Illumi smirks. “Can’t say I share the same thought.”

“Oh fuck off.” Laughs Kurapika. Squeezing their hands tighter together.

____

“So?” Said Hisoka. They were on their lunch break. Sitting at a cafe next to the office they owned.

“So. I did it.”

Hisoka smiled. Looking at his friend and business partner, Kuroro as he sips his coffee. They were both waiting on their meals to get to them.

“You’re going to be a father.” Hisoka found it funny.

“Yes.” Kuroro said.

“I can’t believe your little plan worked.” Hisoka has known about his friend’s plan with Kurapika since the beginning, but knowing it worked was a shock. He doesn’t compliment other people often, but Kurapika was an intelligent person.

“Next will be a marriage.”

Hisoka lost his smile. “I can’t wait.” He said sardonically.

Placing his cup down. “Just ask Illumi again.”

Hisoka tensed his jaw. “Today is about you.” Forcing a smile onto his face. “You made him pregnant.”

“That I did and I will always be grateful to you for introducing us.” A genuine smile on Kuroro's face.

Hisoka knew his friend meant it and dropped the strain smile. Choosing to look out of the window next to them instead. A bride and groom caught his eye next to the fountain in the courtyard.

He took a deep breath. Thankfully, Kuroro isn’t asking him to speak anymore than necessary. He looks away from the window to look at his friend.

They were both a part of the mafia. Doing shady things was a daily requirement for them. Yet, when it came to Illumi, he wanted everything by the books. So waiting was no issue, but it wasn’t easy. Unlike Kuroro who didn’t like to wait. Kurapika wasn’t someone who fell into someone’s arms unless pushed a little bit.

To Kuroro poking holes was that push.

A smile returned to his face at the same time the food arrived.

Kuroro said thanks to the waitress.

“You look happier. Excited to eat?” Said Kuroro as he unwrapped his utensils.

Illumi and his relationship was based on honesty. No matter how brutal or nasty it was. He loved it. That alone was something he cherished.

“Oh my friend. You have no idea.” Said Hisoka.

Part 2

#Sheep33Hallow #kurokura #hisoillu #hisoka #illumi zoldyck #hxh #Hunter X Hunter #my writings

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mompchi · 3 years

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Wahhhh 😭😭😭 "my fiance is in love with my little sister" hurts my heart :<

I was so frustrated by the novel, but I just couldn't put it down!!! At first I kept calling Ilya a dumbass but I realized how wrong I was pretty quick! She's incredibly smart, but has a difficult Time because of her fucked up childhood. Like the time with the tea, legit she was so smart to notice what it was. Of course she does some... idiotic things, but that's just because she doesn't want to acknowledge the truth.

For a while I was addressing Crow as "the only good character", and I'm glad to say my opinion on him hasn't really changed. It was really cool to see his pov :>

Ilya's friend is a cool character that I hope to see more of.

Don't get me started on ilya's family.....god I hate them so much. The dad can go burn in hell :[ the way he treats Ilya is so!!!!!!!! Ugh. I'm with Crow, his opinion of Silvia is so relatable. I understand Silvia had a weird upbringing but how do you fuck your sister's fiance?????? I genuinely enjoyed when ilya's mom vibe checked herself, Not that I wanted her to die or anything I just really like any scene that had to do with the tea. Ilya was so badass during the whole incident !

#my fiance is in love with my Younger sister #japanese novel #novel #deppresing novel #i cry #crowxilya

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frustratedpker · 4 years

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Some thoughts and analysis on Clarabelle and Horace

I wanted to write this for a long time!

Buckle up guys, this is gonna be long!

As you probably know if you ‘re following my blog, I am a big fan of the series Pippo Reporter (Goofy reporter) written by Teresa Radice and illustrated by Stefano Turconi.

For those who are not familiar with the saga, it’s a series of stories that take place in 1930′s America revolving around the life of Goofy who works as a reporter with the narrative building up and leading to his first meeting with Mickey.

The stories feature the usual cast of characters but what I find fascinating is that not all relationships are established in the beginning of the story. (e.x Goofy and Mickey haven’t met yet, the Phantom Blot hasn’t become the Phantom yet...). I could even dare call it a prequel of the ‘cannon’ events.

Here’s where Claire and Horace come in! I ‘ll attempt to present a chronicle of their relationship, along with some analysis and the reasoning of why I find their ship so well written in this particular saga.

Let’s start with the first story!

In the first story “Cronista per caso” both characters are introduced seperately.

Horace is in this series the introverted mayor of the city and Minnie’s boss as she’s his secretary at the town hall.

Claire is a fortune teller, a friend of Minnie whose advice she seeks in tricky situations. In the first story Minnie particularly seeks her advice for a matter concerning Horace and her job and Claire is happy to assist her.

Now, disney fans usually know that these characters are in most stories portrayed as engaged or in a relationship, so in this scene it’s established that in this narrative they don’t know each other (yet).

But for readers not so familiar with the disney canon (as I was when I first read the story) who don’t know that Claire and Horace are meant to be together, this scene still establishes them as two individuals associated with the main characters.

In both cases though, a link is made subconsciously between Claire and Horace, forming a base on which their relationship will be built.

As concerning the plot, this is the moment when Claire first hears about Horace who -as he’s the mayor- undoubtedly has heard of before (if not voted for) and she has her first glimpse in his private life through Minnie’s sayings. It’s a nice starting point in this episode for their subplot to begin.

In the second story, “Vasetto sospetto’‘, Claire and Horace don’t appear at all so I won’t bother examine this one.

In the third story though, “Crociera con ghiaccio”, we have the next clue.

“ [Mickey] won’t be able to attend [the cruise], he is very busy with his work! Claire, a friend of Minnie, will replace him (...). I could have taken Horace with me but he’s the mayor and mayors always have many things to do”

Once again Claire and Horace don’t interact and once again a link is made between them by reffering to them in such a way.

Here we are presented with a motif which is very important in “Pippo reporter”. The motif of ‘failed meeting’ as I call it. It has been established in previous stories that main characters (mainly Mickey and Goofy) had had many chances to meet all of which failed in the last moment.

Some other examples:

The reader, knowing by experience that those meetings are the most important plot points and meant to be epic (everybody knows that Goofy is Mickey’s best friend) now applies the same motif to Horace and Claire, even if they are not familiar with them.

Progress is also made in the fourth story, “Finale di campionato”

Here we learn Horace’s fascination with baseball and the whole plot revolves around him looking almost identical to his favourite baseball player, practically being his clone.

Horace ends up taking his idol’s place in the championship after the athlete’s mysterious disappearence.

Where has this player gone to?

At Claire’s aunt’s farm in the countryside trying to escape his overwhelming life as a sports celebrity!

“And he’s not at all ugly, isn’t he?” rushes to comment Claire upon first setting eyes on him.

That’s what I call forshadowing!

And her physical attraction to him persists on the entirety of the story. The first solid base is set for her later meeting with Horace and her -now undoubtful- falling for him. At this point, even for not disney connaisseurs, it becomes evident that Claire will be Horace’s love interest.

Their official meeting happens in the fifth story, “La perla del fiume”!

I think that all necessary setting up has been established from previous episodes and now we are finaly ready -and curious- to witness their meeting!

Goofy: Oh, I haven’t introduced you! Claire, this is...

Claire: Our first citizen, Horace Horse, so mysteriously intruguing!

Goofy: And she is...

Horace: Claire la Belle, fascinatingly charming woman and fortune teller!

The attraction is instant and evident! A “love at first sight” that is actually believable. Why that? Because proper setting up has preceeded. It’s not the sudden ‘‘love montage’‘ that we ‘d get form a disney movie (I’m not accusative, I actually love them).

I can’t actually find a scene from the saga that explains how Horace already had heard of her, but with some guessing and common logic, I can assume that either Minnie or Goofy (who by now are his close friends) would have surely mentioned Claire to him and her involvement in some of their previous adventures.

It’s really realistic how they came together, getting to know each other through mutual friends.

Hoarce: You have a lovely hand!

Claire: Yours isn’t quite bad either! Would you mind me reading it sooner or later?

Horace: I would also have you read me your phone number!

Claire: What a brilliant idea! I always loved giving numbers!

They’re meant to be! (poor Goofy third wheeling)

I love how from the first moment they can’t get their eyes from each other.

There’s no more to say! They are so cute!

And they soon, almost at once confess their feelings to their friends (tbh Horace does try but Goofy is kinda oblivious, Minnie on the other hand is much more in sync).

And there is obviously a ball which they attend together:

I really like how Turconi makes sure to make their love so evident throughout the story’s events, event at a paranoic degree, just to show how in love they are:

I ‘m sure someone’s getting their ears chopped off in that fight but they keep dancing serenely. And poor Goofy just ... exists there (I feel you fam)

Claire: They have stopped playing the music...

Horace: Does it matter? Your voice is music to my ears!

I don’t know the bodycount of that fight, but good for them!

Claire: May I have this last dance under the moonlight?

Also Claire: May I also have this last dance under the sunlight?

And that concludes the ball and starts their relationship (dating at this point to be precise)

I particularly find the story’s ending very touching:

Horace: *spotting the motorcycle* Would you mind ... ?

Claire: Are you kidding?

Claire: It’s so romantic!!!

At the very next story (”Un ombrello, un capello, un monello”) they’re already a couple:

The romance reaches its peak in “La piuma d’ oro” in which they get officially engaged and have their first (shown) kiss. This is actually the core of the whole episode and their relationship is for the first time, not a sideplot, but the actual plot.

[ you will excuse me but I sadly don’t have any pics from this story

have this little heart instead --> <3 ]

Their sideplot may have already concluded in “La piuma d’ oro”, but them being a couple now gains a plot forwarding role.

Claire: But what are you doing?

Horace: Making your dream come true my treasure!

In “Quel faro sui monti del lago” the characters find themselves entangled in another adventure only because Horace takes them on vacation in the place where Claire dreams to go (get you a rich mayor for fiance ladies)

And it’s time for their relationship to have its first test! While on vacation they meet this beautiful German (who **spoiler** turns out to be a spy)

Instant dislike! (I still prefer Silvia Ziche’s designs of displaying jealousy but Turconi gave us this fashionably annoyed Clarabelle so I can’t argue)

It was about time for them to endure jealousy. As in real relationships after some while not everything is seen through rose tinted glasses.

Still, everything turns out okay, leading to their last appearence together in the saga in the final story, “ Il rustico cavallerizzo”.

Minnie: The mayor has just arrived in the box of honour!

Lady: Let me see! Let me see! Is he in sweet company?

That’s how we leave them, together, officialy a couple and happy!

In conclusion, I really liked how this series treated them. Radice took time to first develop them as individuals, give them distinct personalities that also work apart. She made also sure to make them compatible and discretely foreshadow their romance, so when it comes it doesn’t feel forced or rushed but expected and natural. They also remain consistent as side characters who don’t disappear after their sideplot is concluded. They continue making appearences, both together and individually, that also forward the plot. The relationship between them evolves gradually, passing through different levels and situations to arrive at the point of ‘‘cannon’‘ events (by which I mean the disney lore outside of the saga).

I think that I said all I wanted to say, perhaps even more that needed to be said. But as I really like those characters and as I am a great fan of Radice and Turconi’s work I couldn’t pass up this chance to talk about them!

Thank you for reading and coping with my blabbering!

#this took two days to write #but I am mostly satisfied #if anyone has pics from ''la piuma d' oro'' it would be a real treat #analysis #pippo reporter #not duckverse #clarabelle #horace #stefano turconi #teresa radice

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ask-mythical-creatures-lasprimas · 5 years

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Who is this fiance?

“He is Diego Machado, a kind and honest man whom I love with my whole heart.” Silvia sighed happily, hand reaching up to touch the ring that had been placed on a chain around her neck.

“He is a sailor; the sea is as familiar to him as the town we live in. He has ambitions of becoming a captain and soon, have me as his wife.”

Her joy and pleasant thoughts quickly faded and a dark cloud of worry took their place.

“However, there has been an accident. His ship has been lost, caught in a storm along its route. The whole town is waiting for any news but nothing has come of it yet...”

#in the beginning #in the beginning event #aph myth au #aph cuba #aph honduras #ask mythical creatures las primas

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romanoartsless · 6 years

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Hey so I gotta write this quick so here’s a three chapter update because why not!

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter

Chapter 53

“I miss it.”

Victor got up off the chair and walked over to where Esther stood at the window. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders when he got to her. “Esther,” he said as he played with her chocolate braid, “Novak was never kind to you. It doesn’t deserve you.”

“I still miss it,” she almost whimpered as she pushed away from his touch. “It was my home for nineteen years, how could I not miss it?”

“But Esther, you have me now.”

“And I appreciate your help with Caterina, but I still miss it.” Tears welled up in her black eyes, her voice trembling as she spoke. “I miss my brother, I miss my sisters, I miss my friends, and I- I miss my fiance.”

“He never deserved you.”

“We were going to get married, we were going to start a family. Him, me, and Caterina. We could’ve had more kids. I wanted three; two girls and a boy. I want to go back. I want to just go back and finally be Mrs.-”

“Esther! Esther. You have me. Me and you. Aren’t we family enough?”

She hesitated, almost as if she was afraid to answer. The urge to use her compulsion to make his interrogation stop was strong inside her. She didn’t act on them, however. Victor was her friend, he’d know when he crossed the line. But he didn’t seem to get the memo. “I care about you Victor, but it’s not the same. Caterina deserves a family.”

“She has you.”

“But Victor, she deserves her father.”

“Esther.” He pulled her in closer to him. Esther froze, but eventually eased with the thought of Victor understanding her boundaries. His hand brushed through the strands of hair not in her braid. “Aren’t we enough?”

Next thing she knew, Victor pulled her into a kiss. She wanted to push him away, but his grip on her was so tight she could barely move. The first time he’d kissed her she didn’t enjoy it and this time was no different. There was one problem. Esther missed a lover’s touch. She’d been practically alone for almost a year, only having Caterina for two months out of it and Victor for one. She closed her eyes and imagined he was someone he wasn’t- her fiance.

She pretended he was taller and the hair her fingers were bunched in was black instead of red. It made it easier for her just to sink into the embrace. His hands moved under her skirt and brushed against her skin, drawing closer and closer to her brassiere. Her mind screamed at her to pull away, but her body seemingly craved touch so much she simply gave way when he pulled the shirt over her head.

As his lips trailed down her neck and collarbone, she only thought about the other people who’d done it. Even as they were half naked in her bed, she felt like a body without a mind. She only missed Novak more. The bed she slept in, the man she lied next to, all of it.

After she’d let Victor have his way with her, she sat lifelessly in the bed. She wanted to use his sleeping state to her advantage and grab Caterina to run back to Novak, but as she wrote the letter explaining the things she wanted to do, she felt guilt build on her shoulders. Maybe Victor was right. Maybe the three of them were enough.

She bent down on the floor next to her bed and pried open the floorboard she made sure wasn’t quite in tact. She took the box out of the hole and opened it. With the letter in hand, she took out the envelope full of letters she’d never send and added it to it. Once it was sealed again, she laid it down back in the box, putting the silver chain over it to keep it in place.

When she closed the box, she stared at the intricate designs on the top a little longer. She remember buying it like it was yesterday. Her fingers traced along the letters CD before she put it back into the floor and locked the floorboard back on top.

Before crawling back into bed, she went into the adjacent room to look down at the baby in the crib. She brushed the back of her hand along her cheek, water welling up in her dark eyes. “I’m sorry, Caterina,” she whispered. “I’ll tell you everything when you’re older, I promise.”

Chapter 54

Lucky was what they called Jonathan Warren. The death of Victor Delikov was sudden enough as it was, but Jonathan’s abandonment only twisted the knife in Samantha’s back. Jonathan knew Victor would never let him live it down if he left his sister. Compared to most however, Jonathan was a good husband. Him and Samantha had known each other since they were children. He’d supported her through her hardships over the years and made sure no one ever called her Sammuel ever again.

But his downfall was a baby left on their doorstep in the middle of summer. He’d never wanted kids and no amount of time with his son would change it. Gideon never felt neglected or abused by Jonathan, but he also never felt loved by him. He couldn’t help but feel like his parents would’ve just been happier without him.

He would never forget how his mother just sat at the table, piece of paper in hand, sipping on a glass of water. When she went off to her room, Gideon could hear her weaps through the walls. He used her absence to his advantage and ran into the kitchen to read the letter.

Samantha,

I’m sorry I had to do this, but I’m not happy. I don’t want to have you suffer through my unhappiness. I just don’t want to be a burden to you- or Gideon. You know I didn’t want to be a father, but just seeing how happy that boy made you, I knew I couldn’t take that from you. As you know, I have family in Bortain, so I’ve decided to go back to them. If you don’t already hate me, I have one request; don’t become Bartholomew.

Love,

Jonathan

In the years following, his mother never became bitter of her husband’s decision. Gideon sometimes wondered if she respected it on occasion. He’d never heard her cry since that first day.

“Is everything alright, sweetie?” she asked from across the table, her grey eyes looking back at him.

“I’m fine,” he replied, not even looking up from his sketchpad. “I just bumped into a few people on my way here, same as always.”

“Why don’t you check and see if there are any possible bruises forming? I could help you heal them a little faster.”

His eyes shot up towards her. The sight of her standing up to walk towards him flooded his veins with anxiety. “No! I mean no. You don’t need to do that, mom.”

Sorrow and disappointment shown in her face. “You’ve been insecure like this since you were thirteen, does it have anything to do with your father leaving?”

“No it doesn’t, I swear,” he said as he pulled down at the sleeves of his sweater.

“Well, alright then.”

She still walked towards where he sat, but only to look over his shoulder at the sketches he was working on. The Petrovs had commissioned him to design and tailor this Silvia Crocus’s dress and so he vowed to make the ugliest wedding dress his mind could conjure up. He even heard his mother cringe as she looked at his concept sketches. “Gideon honey,” she spoke with sarcastic worry in her voice, “please tell me you’re purposefully making it look this bad.”

“Do you expect any less from me?”

“What sort of creature have I raised?” she laughed.

He chuckled at her comment. “I could’ve made it worse, but I’d never hear the end of it from Sere.”

The smile on his mother’s face faded at the mention of the name. “About her…”

“Mom, she’s fine. She’s just a bit overprotective, that’s all.”

“She just- she reminds me of your uncle.”

“Uncle Victor was a wonderful man, there’s nothing to worry about.”

She rose her red eyebrows at the statement. “I grew up with him, Gideon.I know his baggage.”

“And I grew up with Sere, I know her baggage.”

As she walked out of the dining area, she let out a large sigh. Before turning the corner, she peaked her head around the corner. “If you want more inspiration, be sure to look at the Ranez’s wedding book.”

“Oh I will.”

Chapter 55

Caterina sat in front of the tree with the box in her lap. She did this every single year. Sitting in front of the tree her mother died on, she’d talk to her. It was therapeutic. Her birthday had always been the hardest day of the year for her to get through. It didn’t help that today just so happened to mark fifteen years since her mother’s demise.

“Hi mom,” she was already choking back tears as she spoke, “it’s me, Caterina. I mean duh, who else would it be? It’s my twenty-first birthday today, that’s fun I guess. I was what, two when you were twenty-one?

“I should probably catch you up on the past year. Well, I still haven’t opened this,” she traced her finger along the GVS engraved onto the lid of the box, “and I won’t. It’s not my place and I respect your privacy. The Crows are- Jackie and Blackwing are good, I don’t know about Silvertongue. She- she left. I still wish you could’ve met them. You would’ve gotten under Jackie’s skin, but who doesn’t.”

Caterina tilted her head back in a desperate attempt to keep the tears that were beginning to form in her eyes. “There is one thing that’s happened. The king’s having a competition for the throne. They’re supposed to find me and bring me in to make me like a slave or something. No one’s found me, yet. Well… There is Thomas. Unlike the Crows, I’m glad you’ll never meet him. I think you might scare him away with your lack of a filter I’ve been told about. He… he makes me happy.

“Is this how my father made you feel? I know you don’t want to talk about him because he’s dead and all, Victor told me you didn’t want to tell me about your past, but I still want to know about him. I mean he’s my father, but if you don’t want to talk about him can I ask you about your old friends? What about Natasha Petrov? I know her husband killed you- I only found out a month ago- but her son tells me you two were friends. Speaking of him, do you know anything about him when he was a baby? Blackwing would probably love to know.”

She couldn’t hold it in anymore. The dams in her eyes opened to a flood of tears and uncontrollable crying. Into her hands, she violently sobbed, “I miss you so fucking much. I want you back. I’m going to make to make Shaw Petrov pay for what he did to you.”

A hand was suddenly on her shoulder and she looked up to see Thomas. “Caterina,” he whispered in a sympathetic voice.

She pushed the box off her lap and stood up to wrap her arms around his neck. Her tears didn’t stop even as she was in his arms. The fabric on his jacket where her face sat even began to wet. After a few minutes, she was finally able to collect herself, pushing away from Thomas only to see a crushed purple flower in his hand. “Shit! Was this for me? Fuck. You brought me a flower and I crushed it.”

“Well,” he stepped away to reveal a trial of identical flowers, “there’s more.”

As she followed it, she began to realize what was going on. It was only cemented when she walked into the cabin and saw the six flowers she’d had since she was a child in a jar on the table. When she counted the purple flowers in her arms, there were only fourteen. “It’s my twenty-first birthday, Thomas.”

“You kind of crushed the last one.”

“Well, you did interrupt my mommy-daughter time.”

“And I apologize for that.”

“Don’t. It’s just a stupid thing I do on my birthday.”

“If it means something to you it isn’t stupid.”

She took the flowers out of her arms and strategically put them in the jar, one at a time. Once they were all in, Thomas handed her the last one and no matter how hard she tried to make it stand up, no matter what position she put it in, it always seemed to fall on its broken stem. “And what are we to do with this little guy,” she chuckled.

“It adds character.”

“If your definition of character is a sad, limp, little flower then yes, it adds lots of character.”

Thomas let out a faint laugh as he turned around to grab something off one of the chairs at the table. It was a bag. “Why did you get me something?”

“It’s your birthday.”

“Yes, but you didn’t have to get me anything.”

“But I did.”

She took the bag out of his hands slowly, her fingers lingering as they touched his. “You did…”

She pulled away the crinkled paper in the bag to reveal around a dozen violet hair ties tied together by a bow. “Thomas…”

“I know when you made that comment about purple hair ties you were probably joking, but I thought you still might enjoy them. I had them custom made because, you know, you’re the only person who has purple hair…”

Caterina took one of those ties, gave a heavy sigh, and pulled up her hair into a high bun. Her hand covered the back of her neck as she looked up at him and said, “Thank you.”

She was terrified when she turned around, not wanting him to ask about the scars on the back of her neck. Lucky enough for her, not a word about them came out of his mouth. “You’re welcome.”

He walked over to where she stood leaning on the counter next to her. Her hand slowly crept towards his until their fingers were tied together. His fingers traced over the tattoos on her hand, causing a faint smile to emerge on her face, her toes curling at the touch. With her free hand, she cupped Thomas’s face and pulled him down to close the space between them. His own free hand slid down her waist. The grip on each other’s hand released for Thomas to pick Caterina up.

Her hands were now both on his face, the tips of her fingers brushing his hair as he carried her off to her bedroom, closing the door behind them. “Lock it,” she whispered onto his lips.

Once the door was locked, the two of them fell back onto the bed and Caterina reached up to unbutton his jacket. Pulling away from their embrace, he looked down at her and asked, “Do you want to do this?”

And with the biggest smile she’d had in years, she looked back at him and enthusiastically said, “Yes!”

With his own grin, he brought himself back down to her level, his lips trailing down her neck and collarbone. Once he got to the collar of her dress, she could feel his hands pull up at the bottom of it until it was all the way over her head. Before he could get back to his trail, she glared up at him with a smirk as she said, “Don’t you think it’s a little unfair for you to be fully clothed as I lie here in my underwear?”

“My deepest apologies, Ms Scilia.”

He threw his jacket onto the floor himself, but Caterina made sure to help him unbutton and take off the shirt under it. When the two of them were both fairly undressed, Caterina reached up to her tied hair, took the hair tie, and flung it across the room. “It’s good to know you really treasure that gift I got you,” Thomas laughed.

“There’s more. Besides that, I’ll find it in like a year.”

The roll in his eyes was accompanied by a grin as he was pulled back down to kiss her again.

* * *

Caterina half panicked when she woke up to an empty bed until she began to hear Thomas’s voice from outside the door, along with Jackie and Blackwing’s. She grabbed her underwear and Thomas’s guard’s jacket off the floor and slipped them on. When she got to the door, she only opened it a crack, just enough to get a peek as she listened in on the three of them.

Jackie and Thomas sat at the opposite ends of the table, the Crow with a book in hand. Blackwing sat on top of the counter, kicking her legs as she picked at whatever food was on the plate she held. “Caterina’s door was locked last night,” Jackie said as she glared up from her book to the captain.

“Yes,” he replied as he picked up the glass of water in front of him.

“And you’re still here.”

“Yes,” he repeated, sipping the water now.

“So did you two have sex last night?” she bluntly asked.

She could hear Thomas almost choke on the water. There was also a warmth rising in Caterina’s own face. “No comment,” he coughed.

“The lack of an answer is an answer in itself,” Blackwing finally cut in, hopping off the counter and sitting down in the chair next to her sister.

“I was just about to say that, my dearest sister.”

The smile shared between the two of them would terrify even the toughest of men. “Smart minds think alike. Besides that, I heard them.”

In a desperate attempt to change the subject, Thomas looked down as he asked, “What are those scars on the back of her neck?”

Caterina’s heart rolled onto the floor, bouncing on the way there. Jackie and Blackwing’s faces simultaneously went blank. “The ones that say witch?” You could hear the hesitation before Blackwing said the last word.

“Those…”

“It was her sixteenth birthday,” Jackie began, “Cecelia Delikov showed up randomly and asked her if she wanted to go to the Delikov manor to celebrate- I mean, it was a milestone birthday. After deliberating for a few minutes, she went.”

Please stop, Caterina screamed in her mind, stop.

She didn’t.

“The three of us stayed here as usual, but when we woke up…” And there was one of the handful of times Caterina heard Jackie Crow almost cry. “Blood. So much blood. She was just sitting in a giant pool of blood. We thought she was dead.

“She didn’t say a word when we stitched her up. We made sure there weren’t any infections, but we couldn’t stop the scarring. When she came out of her room the next day, she had those tattoos on her face. We always assumed they were a control thing. Like if she couldn’t control her scars or her eyes or her hair, she wanted to control those tattoos.”

Before any more words could come out of any of their mouths, Caterina burst through the door and sat down at the table. Jackie shot her a look that told her she knew she had been eavesdropping. In an attempt to lighten the mood, like a teasing sibling, she simply said, “Caterina.”

“Jackie,” she replied in the same tone.

“How’d you sleep last night?

“Amazing.”

“Good to know.”

Only by Blackwing’s grin did Caterina realize she had subconsciously reached for Thomas’s hand and was currently holding it. A couple of months ago, she would’ve ripped it away, but right now she just wanted to hold it. Something came over Blackwing and she left the table, coming back with something in her hands. Caterina almost immediately pulled the box off the table after she set it down. “You left this outside, so I brought it in.”

She could feel Thomas peer over her shoulder at the initials on the box. “It was my mother’s.”

“Wasn’t your mother’s name Esther?”

“Yeah. It’s just…” She looked down at the initials and really thought about why those letters in particular were on it for the first time since she’d originally found it. GVS. “...I don’t know.”

Thomas shrugged as he got up off the chair to go and grab his clothes, but not before leaning down and planting a kiss on Caterina’s lips. She could hear Jackie groan, but before she could comment, her sister elbowed her. Caterina couldn’t help but smirk. She eventually followed him back to her room, leaving the Crows to have their sibling bickering in privacy. After she pushed the box under her bed she said, pointing to the jacket she still wore, “You probably want this back.”

He shook his head while he buttoned his white shirt. “Keep it.”

“Isn’t it part of your uniform, though?”

“Yeah, but I have more so keep it.”

“But-”

“Please just keep it.”

She gave a small smile as he softly kissed her forehead before walking to the door. Before he could turn the knob, she let out, “Wait.”

He turned around, his brown eyes tinted with a little concern. “What is it?”

“Thank you.”

“For… for having sex with you?”

“No! I mean yeah but… What I meant was thank you for remembering the little stuff I mentioned. No one’s ever done that for me- not even Victor.”

“You deserve to be remembered.”

Once he was gone, she was left alone to her own thoughts. Maybe she did deserve to be remembered. Maybe she wasn’t a dim candle that would barely even leave a trail of smoke when it was blown out, maybe she was a light that refused to go out no matter how hard anyone tried. Five words. You deserve to be remembered. She didn’t want to be in parentheses next to Shaw Petrov’s cause of death in history books, she wanted a chapter all to herself; Caterina Edith Scilia, last magic user of Novak.

#in coming years #icy web series #romanowritesless

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kmp78 · 6 years

Note

Will you be watching the royal wedding? and also, if you guys dont have royals do you sort of watch the danes or the swedes royals? or the whole country just doesnt care about that sort of thing?

Yeah I´m gonna be watching! Are you gonna?

When I was a kid/teenager, I was fascinated with the British Royal family, I had thousands of clippings saved and I recorded TV programs about them and everything! Diana was obviously my ultimate fave, but also Monaco´s royal family (especially Caroline) was one I enjoyed following up on.

I´m not as keen anymore, but I still read up on their activities if smthg scandalous pops up, haha!

Yeah we don´t have a royal family over here, but Sweden is just around the corner from us and it annoys the bejeezus out of me that the Finnish press is so obsessed with them. Like... WHO CARES?! They have nothing to do with us! Ugh.

Maybe it´s because the Swedish royal family is so god damn boring that I can´t be bothered with them... Altho I did enjoy reading about Maddy´s fiance f*cking around on her and the whole engagement going to sh*t, haha!

Oh and also Carl G´s decades of cheating on poor old leather-faced Silvia.... 😭

(Disclaimer and rules)

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sirens-and-dragons · 7 years

Photo

My fiance bought me my first danger noodle! (After I did a ton of research over several months and set up her cage and etc, etc.)

Her name is Dr. Silvia Noodles Wigglesworth and I love her.

#milk snake #snake #pet #baby #milksnake #I am so sorry if I spam pictures of her #...not really sorry

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romanoartsless · 7 years

Text

I hope none of you got yourselves too worried by me saying act one was over. I didn't plan on taking a hiatus and I don't plan on taking them ever really, so don't worry (I'd never finish this thing if I took one lol).

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter

Chapter 47

In his whole twenty-four years of life Crispin Petrov hadn’t blindly smiled throughout the day until today. Even when he sat on his father’s couch, next to the woman he was forced to someday marry, his face was still covered in a grin. His mind still reeled through images of Blackwing: her lips on his, the way his hands felt in her hair, the faint smile he’d catch on her face between kisses. In his mind, nothing could rip his current state of happiness away from him.

He turned to where his mother stood by the mantlepiece, staring at her husband’s skulls. For as long as Crispin could remember, Natasha would talk to- even name- the skulls Shaw kept in their house. Occasionally she’d try to reorganize them, but Shaw would always object. “What are you doing?”

“I just thought Esther and Isla should be close to each other.”

“Leave the skulls alone, Natasha.”

“They weren’t super close, but they’re still sisters so I thought-”

“Leave the skulls alone, Natasha.”

The two of them then sat on the seat across from Crispin, Edith Delikov in the chair next to it. “I see you’re pretty happy, Crispin,” Shaw said.

Crispin didn’t even do so much as look at his father. He wanted to simmer in his state of positivity for as long as he could and he knew even the sight of his father would ruin it. “We can do this without his input,” Edith finally spoke up.

It took everything inside him not to turn and glare at her, but he knew it was what she wanted. “Does she know why we’re here today?” Shaw asked, gesturing towards the dark haired woman seated next to Crispin who beared a scary resemblance to Blackwing.

“Why yes, she does.” Edith gave her a nod before requesting, “Silvia, why don’t you remind us why we’re all here.”

“To set the wedding date,” the woman- Silvia- said as though she’d rehearsed the line many times before.

They wanted a rise out of Crispin, but he kept his anger bottled up inside him. Edith still smiled her grim smile, even as she said, “My vote is in three months.”

Without hesitation Crispin spit out, “Six.”

Shaw was enraged by his input, but Edith kept him in line. Her grin even grew a little after he spoke up. “We can’t do six, Crispin,” she began, “we have to have the wedding before next year.”

“Then five.”

“Four.”

Crispin debated his options and when he realized he didn’t really have any other, better ones, he said, “Deal.”

* * *

Everyone had left the room except for him and Edith. She’d give him side eye glances every time his eyes would drift anywhere near her. Whenever her icy blue eyes would meet his, he’d feel an indescribable sort of uncomfort. “So,” she finally spoke up, “how’s Blackwing?”

Crispin’s breathing stopped for a few seconds. “How- how do you-”

“Everyone was at my cousin’s party and let’s just say, you’re not the most quiet drunk.” Relief filled him until she continued with, “Crispin Petrov and Blackwing Crow, what a pair.”

His eyes went wide as soon as she said her full name. “I never said her last name at the party.”

“Oh I know.”

He wanted to shrug it off as a simple lucky guess, but he couldn’t. She had said it so eloquently, as if she’d known the name for years. “How do you know her?”

“You really think I’m dumb enough to tell you. Let’s just say I know people who know things- valuable things. And I’d be an idiot to tell you about them this early on.”

“Edith-”

“And you think you’re so much better than your father, but you’re just like him.”

“Don’t you ever compare me to him.”

“You’re cheating on your fiance, love.”

“I was forced into the engagement, love.”

“Why are you trying to paint me as the villain? In my perspective you’re the villain. I’m just trying to help a girl get a better life and you’re trying to ruin it. How do you think you’re the hero? You’re a liar, you’re a cheater, you’re a coward-”

“Shut up!”

“I don’t hate you, Crispin Petrov. I’ve known you practically my whole life. You’re just one part in a big plan that you’ll never understand. And I wish I could tell you about it, but you’d go and blab your little mouth off to Blackwing and she’d ruin it all.” She stood up from her seat and began to walk out into the room where everyone else had gone off to, but not before saying, “Congratulations on your engagement, Crispin.”

Chapter 48

“How do you do it, March? How do you live knowing no matter how much you care about them, you’ll never have a chance with them ever again?”

“Bartholomew, you act like life is a game people always play by the rules. People cheat all the time. It isn’t a fair game and it never will be.”

Thomas was going to just walk straight into the king’s office until he heard March in there, consoling him. Inbetween words he could also hear muffled cries come out of the king’s mouth. He didn’t want to intrude on their alone time, so he just stood outside the door, listening in on their conversation through the walls.

“I should just listen to Shaw- call this whole competition off. He’s right. It’s useless. It won’t work out the way I want it to. I should just give the throne to Crispin.”

“Bartholomew! Do not just listen to Shaw! He’s what got us here in the first place! If you give his child the throne you might as well have pulled the trigger to blow out Novak’s brains.”

“You’re just biased, March. With Natasha and everything-”

“This has nothing to do with Natasha! It has everything to do with the fact that no one in this entire fucking country has the guts to call that man out on his actions all because his last name is Petrov! He’s driven his child to try and kill himself! Twice! And Nina-”

“March! I just- I don’t want to talk about Shaw right now. I- I-” The sound Thomas heard come through the door next sounded like the king crying into his cousin’s shoulder. “I want her.”

In a few minutes time, March eventually walked out of the office and seemed a bit startled to see Thomas standing by the door. “Oh,” he said as he slightly jumped, “hello captain.”

“Hello Mr. Ranez.”

Thomas peeked through the door and met with the king’s crying brown eyes. “Should I come at some other time?” Thomas asked.

“No no,” he said, wiping away his tears, “you’re fine. Please, come in.”

He sat down in the chair in front of the desk. “I’m sorry for not coming in this morning,” he began to explain himself, “I just-”

“You’re fine, Thomas. I know it was raining last night and you’re not one to mess around, so I trust you. Just don’t make this a habit, please.”

If only the king had known what he’d actually been doing. He didn’t let his facial expression give it away however, he just gave a simple smile and nod. “Yes sir.”

“So… have you found anything?”

“Not yet.”

A thought suddenly came to the king’s mind and it showed in his face. “The forest! Have you thought about checking the forest?” Panic set into Thomas. “I can’t believe I haven’t thought of this! It makes perfect sense! So few people are even allowed to know about it, it’s a perfect hiding place!”

“Your Majesty!” The king instantly looked up at Thomas, hope in his dark eyes, but it all faded away when he said, “I’ve already checked there- multiple times- I haven’t found anything.”

“You’re right,” the king’s voice quivered as he spoke, “Victor and Shaw found nothing so why would you? I guess I’m just a blind optimist.”

Thomas felt at ease again. The king couldn’t even think of the possibility of the magic user being in the forest, because if he mentioned it to Thomas why wouldn’t he mention it to the other men in the competition? “I’m sorry.”

You could tell in the king’s voice he was holding back a stream of tears. “No no, you’re fine. I just- I- You can go now.” And as Thomas walked out of the office, he heard soft sobs coming through the door.

#in coming years #icy web series #romanowritesless

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romanoartsless · 7 years

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Sorry about the pain cause by that last chapter, hopefully these ones are a little less painful.

Previous Chapter

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Chapter 14

Over the past week, Edith had conjured up a plan. Today was the day they would act on the first step. “What family is coming over for dinner?” Silvertongue asked as the redhead combed through her hair.

“The Petrovs.”

“If it’s only one family, then why does it look like you invited the entire population of Novak to your manor?”

“You clearly don’t know anything about the Petrovs.”

Silvertongue stood up from the chair she sat in and looked into the mirror before her. The dress Edith had picked out for her was the same dark blue as her eyes. She also wore a tight, velvet necklace around her neck.

A knock sounded from somewhere outside the manor and Edith perked up, her tight red locks bouncing along with her. She walked to the exit of the room they were in, but looked back at the other before leaving. “Say it one more time for me.”

“My name is Silvia Crocus. I have lived and been raised by the Delikovs for the past twenty years.”

“Good. Now don’t leave this room until I give you the order.”

The door slammed and Silvertongue was left alone to think of what she had gotten herself into.

* * *

“Cecelia.”

The woman turned to see a shadow with all too familiar green eyes. “Shaw.”

Out of the darkness in the doorway, Shaw Petrov, with his pitch black hair and striking emerald eyes, appeared. He sat himself onto the side of the woman’s bed. “You don’t look too good, Cecelia.”

Her hazel eyes shot to him and a small piece of her red hair fell onto her face. “I’m kind of dying if you couldn’t tell.” She coughed into her bloodstained handkerchief after she finished.

“You’ll get to see him at least.”

“He doesn’t want to see me.”

The king’s second in command leaned back into the bed and crossed his arms across his chest. The two pairs of eyes met each other. “Is that why you killed him?”

“You know why I killed him, Shaw.”

He pushed a strand of her red hair behind her ear and leaned closer to her face. “I know more than you think, Cece.”

The next thing Cecelia knew, the Petrov head was halfway out the door. “Shaw!” she shouted at him.

He didn’t reply and simply continued on his way. “Shaw!” she shouted a second time.

This time he turned around to face her. “Oh Cecelia, you and Victor had a lovely child. I never had the chance to appreciate those beautiful Delikov blue eyes. I’ve only ever seen them on three people. They’re no Petrov green, but they’re quite admirable.”

She was then left in the privacy of her own room. She didn’t even try to get up and join the dinner, knowing it would only cause her more pain. Now left to her own devices, Cecelia coughed once more into her handkerchief.

* * *

Edith had called her out and properly introduced her to the entire Petrov family. Each had the same green eyes except for the mother of the children whose eyes were a striking turquoise. The mother and the eldest and only son were the only ones with a dirty blond shade of hair. The father’s and all the daughters’s hair was black. Silvertongue counted how many were in the family: two parents, one son, and nine daughters. It was now clear to her why Edith prepared such a large table.

“Shaw!” the Delikov exclaimed as she embraced the head of the family. “It’s so nice to finally have time to properly talk to you and your exquisite family.”

She wasn’t wrong by saying they were exquisite. Each daughter, ranging from their early twenties to their preteens, was meticulously dressed. Most of them had inherited their mother’s delicate face. The sole son wasn’t too bad either.

“Please,” Edith started up once more, “take a seat.”

They all obeyed. Edith and the father sat at the heads of the table. “As you may know Shaw,” the lady continued, “we have previously discussed the future of my dear Silvia.”

Her hand gently touched Silvertongue’s back as she spoke and the ladder couldn’t stop the blush rising to her face.

“Why yes, Ms. Delikov,” he replied, putting his own hand onto his son’s back.

“Wait,” the son said, “what the fuck did you sign me up for?”

“Crispin!” his mother shouted across the table to him. “Watch your language! We are Ms. Delikov’s guests!”

“If you’re doing what I think you’re doing,” he continued, completely ignoring Mrs. Petrov, “I don’t consent to it, not even a little bit!”

“Calm down, Crispin,” Shaw spoke up.

“No! I know what you’re doing! You’re trying to marry me off when I specifically told you that I don’t want to get married! I don’t want to get married, I don’t want kids, and I sure as hell don’t want to rule a fucking country!”

“Think about the Petrov line.”

“Okay?! Is that supposed to change my mind?!”

The rest of the table sat in complete silence as the two men fought. Silvertongue turned to look towards Edith, who sat with a slight smirk on her face.

“You being a prude is not going to end my line.”

The look on the blond’s face showed that those words hit him a little too close to home. “And what are you gonna do, Shaw? Have my future wife rape me multiple times so you can have little green-eyed grandbabies?”

Silence fell upon the group. The more minutes that passed, the more realization came onto the eldest Petrov child’s face. He shot up from his chair and turned to his father. “I was kidding!”

“I wasn’t,” Shaw spat into his face.

The tears swelling up in Crispin’s eyes were as clear as day to everyone else. “Men don’t cry, Crispin,” the elder laughed.

“Men don’t threaten to have their children raped for their own selfish wants, Shaw!” he yelled in reply before storming out of the manor.

Once again, everything was quiet. The only thing heard was muffled coughs coming from the story above them. “Well then,” Edith spoke, breaking the silence, “may we continue with our dinner.”

They all did so, acting as though the scene that had played only minutes before had never happened.

* * *

With the money she and Jackie had earned, Blackwing thought it would be alright if she splurged a little. Jackie was likely looking at weapons in the market and Silvertongue was nowhere to be seen, as she had been for the past couple of weeks.

The pub Blackwing found didn’t look too bad; not too fancy, not too dingy. When she walked into the building, she wasn’t surprised by the crowd she saw. There were men sitting in booths with prostitutes, a guard sitting in the corner drinking what she thought was an alcoholic beverage, and children running around behind the bar without supervision. It was just about as nice as pubs got in east Novak.

She managed to find a small, empty table to sit at and began to read the menu already placed on it. As she read over the options, she felt a hand comb through her hair. “You have such pretty hair, darling. It’s so long and black.”

Blackwing didn’t recognize the voice or the man’s face when he sat down next to her. “Do I know you?” was all she could think to ask.

“No,” he replied, “but you could get to know me a little better.

His brown eyes looked a seducing manner that left her uncomfortable. She caught a glimpse of him trying to caress her arm, but she pulled it away before he could. “Please don’t touch me.”

When Blackwing looked around the pub to see that no one had even noticed the situation she was in was what set the worry in. “Oh! You’re playing hard to get, aren’t you?”

He used his hand to guide her face towards his own and Blackwing began to shake in fear. She managed to lean away from his advance and say, “I’m just not really interested in sex, you see. I just don’t find myself sexually attracted to anyone.”

Even with those words, the man continued to shrink the space between them. He had one hand on her cheek and the other still on the table. She felt cornered. “Not when I get my hands on your pretty little body.”

She had to hold back tears as she imagined all the things this man would likely do to her. Instead of a cry, a scream came from her lips when a knife came down onto the man’s hand.

Chapter 15

This wasn’t how Blackwing expected to get out of this situation. Blood from the man’s hand was now seeping through the table. After a cry came out out of the first’s mouth, the second man spoke. “Did you not hear her?”

She recognized this one. He was the one that had run into her a few weeks ago at the market. She wouldn’t have even noticed it was him if it weren’t for his eyes.

He didn’t reply and the other laughed at his silence. “Keep your hand off my fiance,” he said, then looked at Blackwing with his emerald eyes and seemingly told her, Just go with this.

“Your fiance? Where’s her ring?”

“We haven’t found the right one yet. Right… Catherine?”

She nodded. “Oh yes, my love. Shall we leave now that you have returned?”

“Why yes.”

The two interlocked arms and the man planted a kiss on her cheek to make their act more believable. “Aren’t you going to take your knife back?!” the first man shouted towards the table as he struggled to painlessly remove the blade from his hand.

“Keep it.”

* * *

“Thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me.”

“I do.”

The two never released their arms from each other. They had eventually forgotten they were even interlocked. “You don’t know what he could’ve done to me,” Blackwing continued.

“I guess you’re right,” the man said. “It’s just that I saw you over there and I overheard everything you said.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

All was quiet between them as they walked through the streets. Blackwing didn’t know where they were going, but the man seemingly did. They had walked for minutes until the man stopped in front of a building. “You don’t have to go,” he spoke, “but I thought, since I kind of interrupted your meal, I should treat you to a nicer experience.”

* * *

She sat down at a table the man lead her to. The place was at least three times nicer than the pub. Blackwing watched him take ten gold coins out of his pocket and gesture for her to take them. “I can’t take that,” she said, “that’s too much.”

“It’s nothing.”

His statement shocked her. Ten gold coins could survive her, her sisters, and Caterina a couple of months. For him to act like it was nothing took her aback. “I’ll only take it on one condition.”

“And what is that?”

She pulled out the chair next to her. “Eat dinner with me.”

He laughed at her response. She thought it was a pretty laugh. It made her smile a little more than she already was.

Finally, he took the seat next to her own. He turned to face her and extended out his hand. “The name’s Crispin Petrov,” he spoke. “I don’t think I ever introduced myself earlier.”

She took his hand and shook it. “And mine is Blackwing Crow.”

“Blackwing? That’s an interesting name.”

“Well, I didn’t choose it so…”

“I like it. It’s unique. I’ve never met someone named Blackwing. I don’t think I’ll meet another. That name is probably entirely yours.”

She giggled and a small blush rose to her cheeks. “You better not just be being nice to me to get in my pants.”

“Oh gods no! I heard you in the pub and I related to everything you said. I thought I was alone in feeling the way I did- not being sexually attracted to anyone that is. I’ve been constantly told that I’m some freak of nature for feeling that way. So no, I’m not just trying to get in your pants. Even if I wasn’t the way I am I wouldn’t try to because I’d still respect your wishes.”

“Oh.”

Blackwing didn’t know how to react to this burst of honesty. She’d barely known Crispin, yet he still felt comfortable revealing this to her. “Anyways,” he started again, “I doubt you want to hear about my tragic novel of a life.”

She put her hand onto his and she noticed his cheeks redden. “You can talk about it, but only if you want to.”

She noticed him perk up a bit. “Really?”

“Really.”

And he did. He sat and told her everything that came to his mind. Blackwing could tell that he had never had someone that truly cared about every little thing he said, so this small moment meant the world to him. Even when their food came, Crispin kept talking, and Blackwing listened attentively to every word that came from his mouth.

They had talked for hours in the end. The workers at the restaurant had to kick them out at the close. When they ran out, it was pouring rain. “Oh gods!” he hollered. “This is like a scene from a cheesy romance novel.”

She laughed at his remark and caused a slight smile to form on Crispin’s face. “I guess this is our goodbye, Crispin Petrov,” she said in an overly dramatic voice. “It was nice meeting you.”

“It was nice meeting you, too,” he replied.

Blackwing walked away, her black hair becoming soaked from the rain. She would’ve continued walking if she hadn’t heard a voice call her name. “Blackwing, wait!”

Her head spun around to see the same bright green eyes she’d looked into minutes before. He too was soaked and the water caused his blond hair to darken to a light brown. “Yes, Crispin?”

“Is there a way we could maybe do this again? You know, hang out.”

“Are you asking me out on a date?”

His face shifted to a deep red. “No no- I just- I just want to, you know, talk, like friends, so it’s almost like a friend date.”

“A friend date?”

“Yeah! Exactly! You see, I just really enjoy your company and you really get me so I-.”

“I’m at the market every other weekday. If you stand by one of the booths I’ll surely see you. You’d be hard to miss.”

“Is that a yes?”

She gave him a nod in reply and a grin grew on each of their faces simultaneously. “I’ll see you then, Blackwing Crow!” he yelled as he headed off into the distance.

Blackwing simply watched him, still standing in the pouring rain. She’d never forget the way his face lit up when she accepted his offer. She liked this Crispin Petrov so far and she hoped she would continue to like him the more she got to know him.

#in coming years #icy web series #original writing #original story #romanocaresless ocs #romanowritesless

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