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loki-hargreeves · 3 years

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You Flower, You Feast - Loki x Reader [PART 2]

[PART 1]

Warnings: pregnancy, relationship issues, morning sickness, angst, fighting, flinching, falling ill, magical medical procedures, mentions of death (possibility of dying, but no one dies), mentions of torture, hurt/comfort, bittersweet fluff and implied smut (love making) at the end

Word Count: 8,1K

Summary: Part 2 of ‘you flower, you feast’. You’re pregnant, but you’re hiding the fact from Loki. After his return, he has been different and you haven’t been able to confide in him like you did before. The truth is revealed after you end up in the infirmary after getting sick. The fear of almost losing you makes Loki realize that things need to change, and he finally tells you what happened to him after he fell from the bridge. It seems like he’s finally back again.

Author’s Note: You don’t really have to read the first part in order to read this, but it would help paint a fuller picture. The first part has smut, but the plot is quite long as well. I hope you’ll enjoy this! Requested by @sunshineyrosie

THIRD POV

The sickness took over Y/N by surprise. She had just woken up and she immediately knew that something was wrong. Without wasting any time, she got up from the safety of the warm bed, running toward the bathroom that was in her and Loki’s shared quarters. By the time she reached the toilet, everything she had eaten the previous day came up, making her eyes and nose sting. It made her stomach sick when she coughed up everything which left a foul taste in her mouth.

She couldn’t remember the last time she had woken up so abruptly. When she was finished, she cleaned up after herself and had to rinse her mouth thoroughly.

A thought crossed her mind as she wondered why she was so nauseous. Could it be? Could she be pregnant?

It had been a few weeks since she and Loki had decided to try for a baby. For countless nights, they had been tangled in a rough dance and her body had every mark to prove that. Not that it didn’t feel great, because the rough sex with Loki was mind-blowing, but that was all it was; rough. Loki was still not letting her in. He was hiding behind his tall and strong walls and she was afraid he’d never break them down. It felt like he used the sex as a distraction.

Y/N put a hand on her stomach and realized that if she was carrying a child - their child - it would change their lives. Would Loki change? What if he stayed the same, distant and rough man. Could that be good for a child?

“Are you in there?” Loki’s voice startled her. He hadn’t been in bed when she had woken up, but now he was right behind the bathroom door.

Although she was still in shock, she tried to push her thoughts away. Her hand dropped to her side and she cleared her throat, “Yeah,” letting him know she was awake and well.

“Is everything alright?” Loki wondered. It was sweet of him to care. Perhaps he was hoping to hear some positive news, but she wasn’t going to tell him. Not yet.

Y/N took one last glance in the mirror, noticing just how tired she looked. Perhaps a bath would make her feel better and more at ease? She decided to get the water running.

“I’m fine, Loki. I’m going to take a bath,” She let him know, leaving an open invitation for him to join her.

The door opened and Loki walked in. He had magicked his clothes on because once they were in private, they came off by vanishing into thin air. “Mind if I join you?”

The water began to flow silently into the big bathtub. Surely, the hot water would make her feel better. Perhaps Loki would benefit from the relaxation it offered too.

“Sounds great,” She smiled, but she didn’t sound too convincing. Her morning sickness was fresh on her mind and all she could think about was the possibility of being pregnant. For some reason, it absolutely terrified her. If only Loki was alright, so she could confide in him. How would he react to the news? Would he be mad if she hid it from him?

As the two of them sunk into the water that smelled of lavender and other expensive herbs and oils, Y/N leaned against Loki’s body. She was still exhausted and she wished that even for a moment, they could just be like this. It reminded her of the good old days when they were so happy. Everything had changed. Being like that, so close was lovely.

Loki’s skilled fingers traced patterns over her exposed skin. He was careful not to apply too much pressure to the fresh love-bites and bruises among the old ones. If anyone saw her like that, it would be obvious that she was his, and vice versa. Loki’s back was certainly covered in scratches.

Y/N wondered if Loki could feel the way her heart was pounding in her chest. She wondered if he could tell she was troubled by her own thoughts. Did he still care?

“What’s on your mind, dear?” He noticed that something was different. For weeks, everything had been out of the ordinary. Was he simply imagining it or was she distracted by something?

She blinked a few times, hoping to get rid of the sleepiness that still had a hold on her. Then she faced Loki, searching for something familiar in his eyes. She knew that he was still in there, and sometimes it showed, like in moments like these.

What is on my mind? She thought. She wanted to know what happened to Loki on the bridge because Thor and Odin refused to tell her the details. What happened to him after that? Where had he been and who had he been with? Why did Loki show up on Midgard with the goal of taking over the realm? Why had he visited Earth out of all places before coming to her? Had he missed her? Because she had missed him more than words could’ve ever expressed. The nights she spent in the palace where she couldn’t escape his memory, thinking he was dead, had been absolutely dreadful. She had thought of him every single day.

“Nothing, I’m just tired,” Y/N sighed and decided to keep things to herself, for now. It was better that way. Perhaps Loki saw that she was lying, but he decided not to poke holes in her story. Deep down, he feared he might’ve already known the answer. Guilt was tormenting him already but he had no clue how to deal with it. Where would he even begin? It was easier to shut her out.

A few weeks passed, and she held tight onto her secret. By now it was clear as daylight that she was expecting a child, their child. It should’ve been easy to tell Loki, but so far she kept it to herself. Sometimes it felt like Y/N was trying to fool her own mind and lie to herself. Despite it all, she knew that it was wrong. At some point, he would find out whether she liked it or not and she knew it would be best if Loki heard it from her. Yes, he wanted a child. But how would he react? Was he ready? Was he having these fantasies merely so they would stay together? What if he didn’t actually want a baby and he’d be mad?

Y/N hated the thoughts she had. She absolutely despised the fact she feared him for no good reason. Loki had never hurt her and he had never implied that he would, yet her mind twisted things. He had changed, and she still didn’t know why. Would she ever see the old him again?

It was midday and the sun was bright enough that even inside in the great library in the palace, she could read with ease without additional lights. With a cup of tea by her side and a book in her hand, she focused on the fictional world she was reading about, completely blocking out her real life for just a moment. In stories that had never happened, nothing mattered. She could look into a character’s life and worry about their problems instead of her own. Besides, for a few days now she had felt sick to her stomach and a headache had been prominent for days on end now. Not even her own magic had pushed it away which was unusual, but she assumed it was because of the pregnancy. Therefore she didn’t think to mention her odd symptoms to anyone. Not that anyone would’ve cared much of a headache anyway.

When she put the book down, it was much darker. Through the sheer curtains, she could see the sun was setting, which painted all of Asgard golden and pink. When had she finished her tea?

“Y/N?” Loki’s familiar voice caught her attention. Time had passed quicker than she could’ve expected, and she realized that she had forgotten to meet him. They had planned on eating dinner together that day.

Quickly, she put the book down and she got up, noticing how stiff she felt after having been frozen on one spot for several hours probably. For a moment, she felt dizzy which she blamed on for standing up so fast.

“I’m here!” She let him know about her whereabouts as slowly the occurrences of the protagonist faded away from her mind.

As Loki walked up to her, he seemed relieved - but only for a short while.

“I was worried when you didn’t show up,” He said honestly. It was possibly the most caring thing he had said since his return, yet he was probably disappointed. Y/N quickly wiped away her bitter thoughts and focused on the brighter side. Despite how guilty she felt about missing their dinner date, she thought it was a great opportunity to try to dig deeper into what happened to him. Perhaps he’d open up?

“I’m so sorry, Loki, I am,” Y/N apologized sincerely, closing the gap between them. She felt hopeful when Loki let her take his hands in hers. His were always so soft, even when his touch was rougher than before between the sheets these days. His hands never changed. “I wasn’t feeling well and when I opened the book, I didn’t even notice how much time had passed until now.”

Loki overlooked what she said about feeling unwell. Perhaps it was wrong but he assumed she was avoiding him. Truthfully, he knew he had been a lot to handle recently. Hell, if he had been in her shoes, he would’ve probably avoided himself too. Loki couldn’t be too mad at her, because he did blame himself a lot. If only he knew how to change. His mind would surely be the end of him.

“Hey,” Y/N noticed how lost he seemed in his own head, “Are you alright?”

A smile spread on his face, completely disregarding the sad trace that glimmered in his eyes a moment ago. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

So defensive, she thought. “If there’s anything you want to talk about, I hope you know I’m here for you.”

Loki recognized that look on her face. It was pity, and he hated it. Loki didn’t want her pity, he didn’t feel deserving of it.

He pulled his hands out of her gentle grasp, “Do you think I can’t take care of myself?”

The way he assumed things that she would never think was infuriating. Perhaps he was taking a toll on Y/N’s nerves because her headache was getting worse and she felt her blood boiling beneath her skin. She didn’t know how much longer she could hold up with his, and pretend as nothing had ever happened, or how long she could keep it a secret that she was carrying their child and she was unsure whether or not it was a good idea to have this baby. The guilt and pain were tormenting her.

“That’s not what I said, Loki-”

“You were thinking it, were you not?” Loki didn’t know why he said that, but now it was too late. He didn’t wish to fight with her, but it seemed like his own thoughts and feelings were about to pour over the brim.

A sigh escaped her lips and she felt like sitting down. The world around her was spinning and she wasn’t sure if it was just her nerves burning up that was causing it. It grew worse at an alarming rate and she felt cold sweat on her skin.

“Don’t twist my words, Loki,” She groaned, more annoyed at the sick feeling that was overwhelming her rather than his attitude.

Those words she said were a sharp reminder of the moment Loki shared with Odin. When he lifted the ice casket, when he confronted his so-called father and found out that he had been taken from Jotunheim as an infant.

Loki’s heart was breaking in his chest piece by piece. The lie he had grown up in was now shattering and he saw through the cracks. Everything was beginning to make more sense. The pain and pure agony he felt was barely contained. He kept his teary-eyed glued onto his father, Odin, who wasn’t that much of his father after all.

“The casket wasn’t the only thing you took from Jotunheim that day, was it?”

Odin looked shocked, but he didn’t look sad. It was like he cared more about being caught in a lie rather than being caught as a liar and a terrible father. Odin never cared about Loki, did he? Loki began to believe that he had never even been loved by him. Why did Odin know about Loki’s blue skin? Why did he know that it wasn’t a curse? It should’ve been a major shock to anyone, but Odin knew...

“No,” Odin eventually answered him.

Loki stopped walking once they were close enough for his liking. He wanted Odin to see his wrath and fury, and he wanted to see the shame on Odin’s face.

“In the aftermath of the battle, I went into the temple and I found a baby - small for a giant’s offspring,” Odin recalled the day he found Loki. Of course, he didn’t tell Loki the exact story of the events that occurred. Odin wanted it to seem more glorious and heroic than it actually was. Loki would never know. “Abandoned, suffering....left to die.”

“Laufey’s son,” Odin confirmed.

“Laufey’s son,” Loki had to repeat that in order to process what he just heard. They were only two words, but he felt tears gathering in his eyes and he was choking up which he tried to ease by swallowing thickly, nervously.

“Yes,” Odin nodded. He was oddly calm.

Loki stood there in shock, not wanting to believe what he was hearing. As if it wasn’t worse enough that his family had lied to him his entire life, now he was hearing that his actual family hadn’t wanted him either. Could it be true? That he was a prince that no one wanted to see become a king? Had he ever been worthy of love? What would Y/N think of him once she’d find out about his true origin? Would she stop loving him?

“Why?” Loki struggled as he searched for the words he wanted to use. His thoughts were racing in his head and he felt like he would go mad if he tried to think too much right now. “You were knee-deep in Jotun blood, why would you take me?”

“You were an innocent child-”

Loki could smell Odin’s lie from a mile away and it fueled his rage, “No. You took me for a purpose, what was it?” Loki had to know, even if he feared it would torment him for the rest of his life. There had to be a reason, Odin didn’t care for abandoned babies - otherwise, the palace would be full of children.

Odin was shocked that Loki had interrupted him, let alone refused to listen to his sorrow story. How would he react if he told him the real truth? Odin wasn’t sure if he wanted to know.

The silence in the vault was uncomfortable, and it was burning on their skin. For Loki, the silence was dreadful and he couldn’t take it,

“TELL ME!” He demanded loudly, his painful cry echoing throughout the entire room and surely beyond the golden walls.

Odin couldn’t look Loki in the eye, “I thought we could unite our kingdoms one day, bring about an alliance, bring about permanent peace through you.”

Tears rolled down Loki’s face now, which he couldn’t control anymore. What Odin said was almost worse than not knowing at all. Odin had only seen an opportunity in Loki as an object, as a piece in negotiation.

“Why?”

“But those plans no longer matter,” Odin was quick to reassure him, but Loki doubted that. How could he ever trust another word that came out of his mouth ever again? That man had lied about Loki’s entire existence, made him believe that his own race was the pure evil enemy of the nine realms. Loki had heard Odin bash about how he had defeated the Jotuns in battle, and killed unimaginable amounts of Jotun soldiers. He had said those things as he kept the secret of Loki’s true nature. It was gross, it made Loki taste muck in his mouth.

“So I’m no more than another stolen relic,” Loki looked at the other stolen things in the vault that he was surrounded by, which was incredibly ironic, “locked up, here, until you might have use of me?”

Odin didn’t enjoy being talked back to. He couldn’t foresee this ever happening and he couldn’t imagine what Loki was going through. The old king could only think about himself, about how he had faced this before with Hela. Why were his children not good enough?

“Why do you twist my words?”

Odin’s question echoed in Loki’s head and for a moment, he forgot the conversation that he had with his wife, one that was quickly escalating into a fight. It was a miracle it hadn’t happened sooner.

“Loki,” Y/N noticed that somehow, her words had affected him terribly. She wanted to know why. One side of her mind told her to give it up, to keep pretending like everything was fine because clearly Loki was still hurt. Another part of her wanted to encourage him to open up, to trust her again. She wanted to help him. The rough sex and silence afterwards would only get toxic and it wasn’t good for any of them long term.

“You wouldn’t understand,” Loki made up his mind.

Being pushed away constantly was not only frustrating but painful. When they got married, they had become a team. They had to be there for each other through the good and the bad. She had promised to be his rock, to be the one he could confide in no matter what. Suddenly, guilt overwhelmed her. He had promised that to her as well, and yet she hadn’t told Loki about the baby.

“How can you say that if you don’t even try to make me understand?” She wondered, almost demanding him to say something, anything at all other than dismissive sentences and strange gazes.

Where would he even begin? It had been so long, and Loki had seen so much. Would he tell her about what happened on Asgard? Or should he begin with the titan that still haunted him like a shadow.

“Loki, what happened to you on that bridge?” Y/N dared to ask him about something that surely was a sore spot. No one had told her, although she had asked many times. Thor had tried to come up with a heroic explanation for it all, but Y/N knew it to be all lies. Something darker had happened and she wanted to know so that she could help Loki.

Had they really not told her? Loki was surprised at how little she truly knew. A broken smile spread on his face. Odin and Thor hadn’t had the guts to tell her the truth. They were so cowardly, it was almost comedic in a way.

“What did they tell you happened?”

“They told me lie after lie. I don’t care about their version of the story. Loki, the only story I care about is yours,” She let out a shaky breath. The spinning was getting worse by the second. Had she consumed something bad?

Loki wanted to tell her, but he knew the truth would put her through a lot of sorrow. Would she still care for him if she knew everything?

He held onto his words for a while longer. Every cell in his body was burning with longing, wanting to tell her everything, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Besides, he kept thinking about Odin which agitated him. Why did he have to make it into every aspect of his life?

Loki fell silent and watched her walk away. Instead of trying to reach for him, she walked to the nearest bookcase and leaned against the fine wood.

“What’s going on?” Loki realized how oddly she was behaving. Perhaps she was genuinely feeling under the weather? His anger began to fade as it was replaced by worry.

“Nothing!” She hissed, lying, but only because she didn’t want to focus on her.

Loki couldn’t bear hearing her lies, as ironic as it was. “Don’t lie to me, Y/N, I can tell that something is off!”

As he spoke with a loud voice and walked towards her, Y/N flinched. She didn’t mean to, but the loud noise and his abrupt movement had startled her. Her hand quickly covered her stomach, which was completely unintentional and her eyes widened in shock. Why did she react like that?

Loki stilled completely, unable to believe what happened. Did she think he would harm her? Was she afraid of him?

“Did you think I was going to hurt you?” He muttered in disbelief. Seeing the look on her face made Loki feel disgusted with himself. He felt like a monster.

Y/N let her hand fall to her side.

“No, I just...I don’t know, Loki,” She felt awful for even thinking about it. That was Loki! Her husband. The man she was in love with. If it wasn’t for the torturous headache and nausea she was suffering from, she would’ve hugged him and reassured Loki that she wasn’t afraid of him, but right now all she could do was lean against the steady bookcase. Y/N was convinced that her balance would betray her if she tried to stand all on her own.

It was definitely not something she could’ve ignored furthermore. In a desperate attempt to make things right, she tried to walk to Loki. Although she was lightheaded and everything around her began to turn into a blurry mess, she knew one thing; she needed Loki. She couldn’t let him think he was a monstrous creature. She hadn’t meant to flinch like that - it just happened.

Whenever times were troubling or she was afraid, she always wanted to be with him.

Loki noticed how quickly her demeanor was changing. It almost looked like she was intoxicated. The way she massaged her temples and how she leaned into her own touch, looking dizzy even though she was standing, was strange. As he looked closer, he noticed that her body was trembling ever so slightly. The sight of her like that calmed his anger since it got replaced by worry.

“Y/N?” He wanted to see her face. Was she crying?

She took a step toward him and almost tripped over her own feet. Loki caught her in his arms just in time.

“That’s it, I’m taking you to the infirmary,” Loki made up his mind, past conversation now long forgotten. The only thing that mattered was her well-being. Frankly, seeing her like that terrified Loki. During all the years they had spent together, he had never seen her like this and it was more than alarming.

The walk from the palace library to the infirmary wasn’t that long, but it felt like it took them hours. With every step they took, she seemed to get weaker. By the time they were walking down the hallway to the infirmary, Loki had to wrap his arm around her waist to keep her on her feet - otherwise she would’ve fallen on the cold, hard floor.

The healers had seen them coming. Without a shared word being said, they took Y/N from him and placed her on the bright inspection bed nearby where they could figure out what was wrong with her. Loki wanted to stay, but everything escalated incredibly fast, leaving him in the side. There was no way he would’ve pushed himself between the people who were trying to help her.

The words everyone said merged together, and it seemed like he could only hear his own heartbeat ringing in his ears. He just stood there and watched as the love of his life was surrounded by the best healers in the nine realms and even they seemed panicked. Something was terribly wrong.

The gold magic surrounded her and Loki caught a glimpse of the soul forge that the healers were examining. Even if he had wanted to focus on it, he wasn’t sure if he could’ve. Loki looked at Y/N again whose eyes were closed by now and she looked to be asleep, only he knew that she wasn’t resting.

He didn’t really phantom how much time had passed until a healer walked up to him, gesturing Loki to walk further away.

“We need to use drastic magic in order to heal her,” She explained carefully, not wanting to upset the prince.

“What’s wrong with her?” Loki had to know, worry clear in his voice.

The healer looked lost, almost nervous. “There is a blockage in her head. The magic it requires to heal her is strong and we do not know if the baby will survive it.”

The baby?

Loki’s mouth fell open but he didn’t find any words. He was already in shock when she fell ill so fast, but to hear about a baby was like a bucket of ice cold water was doused over him. She was pregnant?

The lady knew that there was no time they could waste, so she was forced to move on, “Since you are the father, we need your opinion on the procedure. Are you willing to risk losing the baby-”

“Yes!” Loki couldn’t believe they were asking him that. “Yes, please, I just need her to survive.” He didn’t want to lose the child that he just learned existed, but most importantly he couldn’t imagine losing her. Nothing else mattered than his wife’s well-being. If he lost Y/N, he would lose himself. As tragic as the idea was of possibly losing their unborn child, it would be even worse to lose her. After all, there was only one of Y/N. They could always try to start a family of their own again if they wanted to.

They took her away and Loki was forced to wait outside the infirmary. He had no clue what they were doing to her, and he couldn’t just stand in the hallway and wait. Loki was going to retreat to the privacy of their shared quarters, but it felt like his legs had turned to pillars of ice. As he stood there, taken back by shock and tears that threatened to spill from his eyes, he heard footsteps coming his way. As Loki glanced in the direction, he saw Lady Sif walking there along with Frigga. Right now, the last thing he desired was to talk to anyone.

“What happened?” Frigga seemed concerned, looking into the infirmary and then at her son who had tears in his green eyes. It hurt her to see him like that.

“I don’t know,” Loki realized he hadn’t spoken in a while. He wasn’t sure how long he had stood there, but by now it was dark outside. His heart was still racing and it felt like the world was caving in on him. “She fell ill so suddenly, they said it’s serious,” Loki pushed the words out of his mouth. Saying it out loud just made it real, and now he felt like crying the pain away.

Lady Sif didn’t say anything, but Loki felt a pair of judging eyes on his skin. She probably thought it was Loki’s fault somehow,

Was it?

He couldn’t help but wonder if he had noticed these signs sooner, would she be alright?

Frigga pulled Loki into a hug and he didn’t resist it. In fact, it felt comforting to be held. Had it been any other day recently, he would’ve pushed her away but not now. Loki hugged her back and wished that Sif would turn around. As he leaned against his mother’s touch, he felt his own tears rolling down his face silently.

Y/N was pregnant, but he wouldn’t tell them. Not now.

“She’ll be alright,” Frigga attempted to comfort him. There was a certainty in her voice that Loki wanted to find solace in. He knew there was no way she could tell whether or not Y/N would be alright, but in that moment it was nice to believe that.

The headache had turned into a dull pain, which felt so good compared to what it had been before. It was warm in the air around Y/N and she felt oddly comfortable. She was waking up from sleep, but she couldn’t remember falling asleep. Why was it so dark?

As she opened her eyes, she quickly learned where she was. The palace infirmary. The healer’s weren’t anywhere to be seen, but someone was holding her hand.

It was Loki.

He was awake and he looked at her with glistening eyes. She noticed just how exhausted he looked and it made her heart sting.

The baby!

Y/N had to know the baby was safe. In a moment of worry and confusion, she put her hand on her belly and opened her mouth, “is it safe?”

Then she realized she had never told him. For so many mornings now she had been woken up because of the feisty little thing, that she had grown accustomed to it. If Loki hadn’t known, now he certainly did.

“The baby is safe, Y/N,” Loki finally spoke. He didn’t sound resentful at all. Instead, there was a calm in his voice, because of how relieved he was. Not only did the baby make it, but so did she. The healers had worked their magic just in time and therefore both of them had been saved. For a moment, Loki had been afraid that he had lost them.

Guilt began to crawl beneath her skin. Although she rested comfortably on the soft bed, she didn’t feel good. Nothing had gone to plan. Loki had deserved to find out about the pregnancy differently.

“I was afraid I’d lose you,” Loki admitted, his grip on her hand tightening ever so slightly. It felt so good to hold her, to know she was alive and well.

Slowly, she tilted her head so she could face him. Had Loki been crying? The sight of him like that, with slumped shoulders, messy hair and sad eyes was heartbreaking. As if he hadn’t gone through enough already.

“Thank you,” She barely got the words out of her mouth. Loki had been the one who took her there in time. Surely, if he hadn’t come to the library, she would’ve been sprawled on the couch, book in hand and with a terrible headache - or worse. She didn’t want to think about it.

“They said you had something in your head. It could’ve...it could’ve taken your life,” Loki recalled what the healers had explained to him as he had listened half-heartedly. His mind had been tampered with worried thoughts and guilt-riddled ideas. All that mattered was that they were both safe and sound.

Whatever it was, Y/N was just glad they were alright. All she could think about was the baby. She felt bad for ignoring her symptoms for so long. Had she endangered the fetus? What had caused it? Would she ever know?

“I’m sorry you had to find out like this,” By now she had teared up. The words struggled to pour from her quivering lips.

Loki brushed his fingers on her face, attempting to comfort her the best way he could. His touch was so gentle, so affectionate. It sent shivers down her spine. The gentle touch reminded her of how things used to be.

“How long have you known?” Loki was almost afraid to ask.

“A few weeks. I wasn’t sure until recently.”

“Right…” He couldn’t blame her for hiding the fact. During the several hours he had spent sitting by her bedside, he had thought over the time they had spent together in the past few weeks since his return. The fact that she could feel guilty about it was mind boggling to him. Loki was angry at himself for just how much he had pushed her away. It was no wonder she didn’t fully trust him. Each time she had tried to connect with him, he had turned a blind eye or he had distracted both of them with sex. As he thought of it, it made his stomach twist in knots.

Y/N could tell that Loki was deep in thought. She squeezed his hand lightly, “I was going to tell you. I just didn’t know how.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Loki was quick to reassure her. Once again, he felt tears in his eyes, blurring his vision. He hated crying, but sometimes he couldn’t make it stop. It was time for them to fix things.

“I’m sorry,” Y/N blinked and felt tears sliding down across her face and her neck. Despite his comforting words, she felt guilty. The pain she had carried in her heart for weeks now was seeing daylight and it felt fresh. It was all so overwhelming.

Loki leaned closer to her and pressed a kiss on her forehead. She could feel how his lips were trembling ever so slightly.

“It’s going to be alright,” Loki whispered after a while. “I promise. I’ve shut you out for far too long.”

Was he going to open up to her?

Loki recognized the hopeful gleam in her teary eyes. He knew how important it was for both of them to discuss what had happened. They couldn’t move on if they pretended that he had never been gone in the first place. But he wasn’t going to speak of it now when she was recovering.

“I love you, Loki,” She murmured softly and managed to crack a smile.

His heart swelled with affection. God, he loved her more than she could ever know. Loki couldn’t understand how he had treated her, it made him angry.

“I love you too,” He returned the words to her. Loki might’ve been a master at lying, but when he professed his love to her, no one could deny the sincerity in his words.

Carefully, he moved his hand and placed it over her stomach, where he figured the baby was. He felt goosebumps all over his skin as he laid his palm flat over her. Knowing that their child was growing there was astonishing. Loki felt so lucky that he was going to start a family with her.

No more words were needed. Y/N could tell what he was thinking. He loved both of them so much.

A few days later, she was feeling much better. The healers had told her to take it easy for a while, especially now as she was pregnant. Returning to her and Loki’s quarters was exciting. Finally, some proper privacy.

Ever since the incident, something changed in Loki. Perhaps it was the startling revelation that he almost lost her that changed him. Time was precious, even for them. He had been away from her long enough and he wanted to make up for the wasted time.

Although they had been quite happy for the past few days, he knew it would all come to an end, at least for a while as he’d open up about what he had gone through since he last was on Asgard.

Candles had lit the room, making it comfortable and warm. There were a few candles on their nightstands, others on the shelves nearby and some were levitating midair with the little help of magic.

Loki had certainly made her feel welcome in their private space again, after she had stayed away for only a few days. As she saw the tea on a tray by the bed, her heart swelled in her chest. It was so sweet of him.

“You didn’t have to,” She turned to Loki who was right by her side. The joy on her face was irreplaceable to him.

“But I wanted to,” Loki reassured her.

It had been yet another long day and they couldn’t wait to get wrapped in the blankets and fall asleep in each other’s arms. Despite how scared they both had been when she ended up in the infirmary, the time afterwards had been wonderful. Loki had finally softened up again, at least to her.

The two of them sat down on the bed with warm teacups in their hands. For a while, they embraced the silence that settled around them. It was nice.

“You know,” Y/N was the first one to speak, “I’m having a great time, but I was wondering if you’d like that. It’s okay if you don’t.”

“I suppose now is a good time,” Loki’s reply surprised her.

She put her nearly empty cup away as Loki magicked his on the nightstand. The mood shifted slightly, but it was less dramatic than anything that they had went though in the past few weeks. They sat on the bed in a way they could face each other and they were still cosy.

“Where do I even begin?” Loki laughed, but he didn’t sound full of joy. He was genuinely nervous. No one had ever heard this story. No one knew.

Y/N put her hand on his shoulder, attempting to make him relax as much as he possibly could. She sensed that whatever it was that he was going to say, it would be extremely difficult for him. “Were you alone?” She asked him, initiating the conversation. By now, even her heart was racing in her chest. The thought of him being all alone for so long made her sad. She hoped he had good company at least.

Although he sat safely on his bed, Loki could feel the vastness of space around him. He could see the darkness and the stars that were so incredibly far away. There was nothing but stone beneath his feet and he was cold, inside out.

“I was found by a titan, who calls himself Thanos,” Saying his name felt wrong. It was like fire burning on his tongue. “For a while, I was trapped with him. Wherever he went, I did too. I didn’t have much of a choice.”

Loki’s entire demeanor changed. He couldn’t look her in the eye. It almost seemed like he was mentally in an entirely different place. Seeing him like that was so unusual for her, and it made her feel terrible.

She put her hand on his arm, running her fingers up and down his skin every so softly, to remind him that she was right by his side.

“When he found me, I was weak. I tried to put up a fight, and he saw what I was capable of. When his puppets showed up, I was outnumbered,” Loki felt ashamed that he hadn’t been able to fight them off. They were more powerful than he liked to admit.

“It wasn’t your fault,” She reassured him as she recognized the hint of guilt and shame on his face. Loki had been weak when he fell. Most would’ve died after being sucked up by the portal and being thrown out into the emptiness of outer space. The energy was so strong it could end someone’s life in seconds. It was a miracle he survived that alone.

“Thanos wanted me to work for him, to do his dirty work. I refused,” He smiled but it was an empty smile, “which resulted in months of torture.” His smile vanished completely, leaving behind only a shadow of misery.

Although she had expected something awful, she hadn’t thought she’d hear that. Suddenly, it made sense why he had been like that when he returned. Why it looked like he hadn’t slept in months, why he was afraid to put pressure on his other leg almost like he was in pain. Why he had shut everyone out completely and distanced himself physically and emotionally.

Y/N wanted to say something, but it felt like she had eaten flour. Her mouth was dry and she was speechless. Instead, she pulled him closer ever so slightly, hoping to comfort him with her actions.

Loki let himself be embraced by her. In fact, when she wrapped her arms around his body and his face nuzzled the crook of her neck, which made it so easy to inhale her sweet scent, he realized how much he needed it. Loki thought he would have spoken more without getting so emotional, but to even think about the pain he had endured was hard. It made him cold to his core and he felt nauseous all over again. When he hugged her back and let himself get lost in her arms, he could begin to heal.

“I don’t think...I would’ve survived if I hadn’t thought of you,” He said so softly he wasn’t sure if she heard him.

She did.

Picturing Loki being tortured by a titan made Y/N so angry. She hated the fact that someone had made him feel so terrible, forcing him to feel so much pain after everything that he had gone through. Hearing that he thought of her when he was going through it all broke her heart. If only she had been there, right by his side.

“You didn’t deserve that, Loki,” She was surprised she was able to speak. Her lips were quivering as she tried to stay strong for his sake.

Her words were warm. They pushed the cold he was surrounded by away. Perhaps she was right?

Loki pulled back ever so slightly, because he wanted to face her. When he did, he was surprised to see that she was holding back tears. He already had silent tears on his skin that he couldn’t stop even if he wanted to. What had he done to deserve her?

“I agreed to work for him,” He revealed, skipping ahead of time because there was no way he could’ve gone into details about the nightmare Thanos put him through. Most of the memories were dark, just barely there. It was like his mind didn’t want to remember the tiny details.

“I saw places I didn’t know existed - far beyond the nine realms. I became friends with Nebula. She was Thanos’ daughter,” Loki wasn’t sure if they were quite friends, but she seemed to understand him despite her harsh words and mean attitude. Out of all the children, only Nebula had been someone Loki could tolerate. “We were supposed to find something. I suppose they were called the infinity stones.”

Y/N could’ve sworn she had heard someone mentioning them before, but it didn’t ring any bells now. It did make her curious. Why wouldn’t Thanos go seek them himself? “Did you find them?”

“Well, soft of, yes. Thanos sent me to Midgard to fetch the tesseract. In exchange I was going to be freed,” He explained why he had gone to New York. It had been quite recent, but it felt like so long ago. Loki had been so scared but incredibly determined to get the job done too. He thought it was the only way he’d ever get to see her again, and live a day without excruciating suffering.

Y/N suddenly understood more than before. He hadn’t wanted to go to Earth out of his own will. He was on a mission to win his freedom. She wondered what had happened. Thanos didn’t have the tesseract, but Loki was right there by her side. Did it mean he was safe and free?

“I’m happy you’re here,” She let him know. Having Loki back was the greatest gift she could’ve ever asked for. Although the things that had happened on Midgard weren’t good, she wasn’t mad. She was more furious over the fact that Thor, and others who had done much worse things, pretended that Loki was some kind of villain and they were the heroes.

“I was so scared that Thanos would come here,” and I still am, he thought but left it out. “I failed to deliver the tesseract,Y/N. They…”Loki couldn’t say it. He blinked, and remembered the Other who had threatened him repeatedly.

...If you fail, if the Tesseract is kept from us, there will be no realm, no barren moon, no crevice where he can not find you. He will make you long for something sweet as pain…

“You don’t have to say it,” Y/N noticed that he got lost in his memories again. She understood if some of them were too hard to speak of now. He had said so much already. It couldn’t have been easy for him. “You’re safe, you’re here with us again. We have all the time in the world to speak of this, one step at the time.”

Gosh, her words were keeping him sane. Loki was able to take a deep breath as he heard that, keeping himself grounded there. He wasn’t with Thanos, and he certainly wasn’t being harmed. He was in the arms of his wife and they were in the palace of Asgard with numerous guards and warriors outside their door. It was quite the resistance if Thanos or his children would show up.

“I think I’ll have to continue tomorrow, dear.”

“That’s okay, Loki. I understand,” She was so understanding.

As Loki looked at her, the daggers in his heart twisted. Thanos knew that she existed. Thanos also knew how to torture others, and the worst torture Loki could’ve possibly imagined was that Thanos would find her. There was no way he could ever let that happen. Loki knew he had to do something to get Thanos off his tracks. Could he make the titan believe he had died? It was something he had to think of sooner than later.

“I love you,” Loki had to voice his feelings. He caught her by surprise when he leaned in for a kiss, but she didn’t seem to mind it. Instead, Y/N wrapped her arms around his neck and tilted her head, deepening the kiss ever so slightly. This time it was sweet and tender. His hands cupped her face and the back of her head and it was sincere. The kiss was bittersweet. It tasted salty like their tears, but it was so passionate. They truly loved one another.

When their lips parted, they stayed close. Their foreheads touched gently and they both closed their eyes, enjoying each other’s presences for a moment. They let reality sink in.

For the first time in months, Loki felt more like himself again. A weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He was beginning to deal with his issues. There was hope for the future.

“I love you too,” Y/N exclaimed after a while. She placed a sweet kiss on Loki’s neck, then another. There were so many kisses they had to catch up with. She wanted to touch him with love and kindness where others had hurt him, until there wasn’t a trace left of the others.

And Loki wanted to be pampered by her, to get lost in her and forget about all the rest.

His hands travelled down her side, slowly but surely making their way to her hips. Loki wanted her closer, but for the first time in so long, he didn’t know how to ask her. Usually, it was so easy to pull her in and take her, but not now. Everything felt so much more intimate and he felt slightly lost. It had been so long since the last time they had made love.

She felt the way he touched her, so needy, silently asking her to get closer, so she did. Carefully, she straddled his lap which made it so much easier for her to hold him, to touch him and to kiss him. Loki’s hands never left her body as she sat on his lap. There was no rush whatsoever. They wanted to enjoy every little moment they could share.

“Are you sure you want this?” Y/N wondered. After all, he had talked about quite heavy things. Was he in the right mindset?

Loki almost yelled out how much he desired her, but managed to contain himself. “I need you, Y/N.” He needed to feel her, he needed to make her feel his love. He needed to be one with her.

“Okay,” She quickly replied with a small smile. Once again, their lips met in a loving kiss. It felt wonderful. Between the kisses, she made sure to tell him sweet little nothings, “I’m here,” “I got you,” “Everything’s going to be okay.”

A/N: I hope you liked it! I originally planned on having fluffy smut in this, but it would’ve been so long. I’ll have to write sweet Loki smut separately in the future. Please leave your feedback. It always makes me so happy and it means a lot to me. Thank you!

Forever Taglist: @iraniq @embrycallsgirl @blackroseyaz @badass-psycho @r-alexandra01 @p3aches13 @your-pixels-are-showing @disasterren @iamsuperjenna @yuna-belikova @ornella0910 @optimisticpeacecollector5 @thehumanistsdiary @your-pixels-are-showing

Loki taglist: @yuna-belikova @ornella0910 @castiels-majestic-wings @lucywrites02

#Loki #Loki x You #Loki x Reader #Loki x Y/N #Loki fanfiction #You flower you feast #Loki Laufeyson #Loki Odinson #Loki angst #Loki fluff #Loki hurt/comfort #tw pregnancy #pregnancy

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vickylamore · 3 years

Text

Tuebor | I

Summary: You didn't regret it. If the same option was given to you again in the future, you'd do it without question for the people of Orian. However, what you did did not help your current situation at all, especially now that you're babysitting a literal outsider all the while trying to make amends with the gods.

Pairing: ??? x Female! Reader, NCT (127, Dream, WayV) x Female! Reader (with appearances of other idols under SM).

Genre: Magic Realism, Fantasy, Slight Comedy

WC: 11.7k

Warnings: Mentions of killing, mentions of torture, blood, slight injury, swearing, mentions of toxic relationships, death, mentions of death, violence, attempted murder (sorta), mentions of religion (name drops like archangel Micheal, Azarel), mentions of lynching, toxicity, sexism (slight), misogyny (if you squint), too much foreshadowing lol.

Notes: This is a very quick post before I vanish for another month lol. My favourite fic I've written for far and I have so much more planned for it. This will be a trilogy, the first part being the shortest and last being the longest (one of, it depends on which route I'm choosing for the ending). I hope that you enjoy this just as much as I did! There will be a tag list for this so feel free to send an ask/leave a comment!

Disclaimer: This is a work of FICTION. The idols used in this fic are solely for character use only. I do not condone any actions committed in this fic. The pairings are for lore purposes ONLY and are not real in real life because again, this is fiction. Thank you.

Tag List: @stayarmytinyzenmoa-l (mwah)

Someone was going to die tonight.

It wasn’t the best way to start your morning, to start your day, but the ache in your chest was climbing up your throat and pressing onto your vocal cords, almost suffocating your entire body. You couldn’t move, nor could you speak in the hallowed room. It was so damn quiet that you could hear the little pitter-patter drizzle of rain from your window.

Someone was going to die tonight, your intuition was telling you as much. The phrase was banging in your head like a loose screw in a cookie jar. Constant sounds bouncing from one end of your head to another, and it was getting unbearable.

You flicked your wrist to the side, the curtains automatically pulling back only to reveal the dead and quiet neighbourhood you recently moved into. The solemn high-rise apartments were gloomy and the dirty chocolate-coloured brick walls looked disgusting in this weather, especially since the sun wasn’t out— which is almost every day. Even the plants that were on the window seal were dying, fawning out and losing their green hue. No birds were out, no chirping or singing. It was eerie, almost like it was setting up your day.

Your mother always said that nature was connected to the bad vibes of the atmosphere, that they were connected to the future. You didn’t know how much you believed that however, you were never connected to the elemental lineage of your family tree.

You let out a heavy breath, your throat finally relaxed after the minutes of the dreadful ache and managed to swallow the lump in your throat. Your feet dragged themselves out the door to your nearly empty bedroom and immediately walked into the kitchen seconds later. A hot mug of the darkest coffee beans you could find in Athlar was now in their liquid form, swirling in the mug in your hand. Yet, even then, the taste wasn’t as strong as you’d like it, and you’d probably end up throwing the entire bag of coffee beans down the portal back to Larizmar and shove it down the throat of the shopkeeper that sold them for à whopping three hundred crystallines.

A waste of money. You let out a laugh, a sharp sound of annoyance before placing the mug on the counter. Six days before the council made their decision about what the hell they were going to do with you, it was only a matter of time that they got rid of you. You didn’t understand why Taeyong made you leave your villa in Khisfire just to live here… in Athlar; the city of demons and dark angels, the city where you wouldn’t dare step into unless you wanted to be devoured by the first demon who laid an eye on your weak, power-deprived figure.

It wasn’t even that bad compared to the rumours that spread about the city. Alright, maybe they weren’t exaggerating when they said the entire city was depressing and lacked life and the king of Athlar was a total asshole that you’d love to pluck his eyes out and shove them down his disgusting rotten mouth, but you were already in enough trouble with the council as it was, there’s no way you’d survive if the king of Athlar had something to say about you.

Stupid, it was stupid. The entire council would’ve been in coffins six feet under if you didn’t do what you did. And instead of being the grateful bastards they are, they threw you in jail with a ten thousand gold bail on your head. It was rising to twelve thousand just because you shouted, abolish the fucking council, in Medrain, Khisfire’s square while they tried dragging you to the jail cell. Bunch of misogynistic entitled fucking assholes. Except like two of them, but still.

A knock on your door disrupted your thoughts, and it was only increasingly frantic the more you stayed in your kitchen, debating on whether you should open the door or not. It’s not like you had anything better to do except mope around the literal empty space that was given to you as a little hideout.

You walked towards, sighing before opening the door with a blank expression, only to groan and close it, locking it with a lock spell.

You waited, and waited, probably a good ten seconds before the door burst open, revealing an angry-looking archangel with his black wings sprawled in the hallway glaring at you with less-than-impressed eyes. You raised an eyebrow.

“It’s seven in the morning.” The archangel merely rolled his eyes and dispersed of his wings, closing the door before him with a loud clack. “It’s seven in the morning.”

“Does it look like I have time for your shit?” The black-haired man boar his ink turned eyes into your skull, veins turning black at the sudden frustration that overcame his senses. You merely shrugged and moved towards the couch, leaning against its back with your hands stuffed in your hoodie’s pouch. “I should be asleep right now.”

“Well, you’re here are you not?” You asked with a raised eyebrow, nudging your head towards the end of the hall, “there’s a bed in the bedroom, shocking I know. Use it if you must.”

“Get dressed.” Jaehyun looked at you impatiently, arms crossed over his chest. His eyes were back to their original brown colour, but his veins were now grey, meaning he was still frustrated with you at the moment. “Taeyong got you a deal with the council.”

You squinted before letting out a laugh, “Taeyong literally is the council.” You got up and walked towards your bedroom, slamming the door shut. “He’s the supreme archangel, the hell you mean he got me a deal? You guys should buy me a way out of here.”

“The council is made of four other members,” Jaehyun’s voice echoed through the small apartment complex, his voice a lot closer which told you he was right outside your door. “You’re even lucky he got you a deal before they behead you in front of the entire population of Orian.”

“Not the entire realm," you scoffed. "And you know that’s not true; they're just abiding orders from the king,” you laughed and finished getting dressed into your garments. “Even if they did want to behead me, there are so many ways that will go wrong.” You turned and opened the door, sending a small grin at the man in front of your door, “you forgot I’m quite popular with the people of Khisfire, and the many allies I had will make the entire council shake in their boots.”

“You’re not wearing that.”

You raised an eyebrow and stared down at your outfit, “why not?” you asked. “Isn’t it appropriate that the supreme sorceress of Khisfire wear this outfit that was gifted by the council oh-so-many years ago to her beautiful demise?” He could tell you were mocking your title, ex-title if you plead guilty, which you will. The council aren't a bunch of sympathetic saints.

Jaehyun clenched his jaw, seemingly rethinking his entire decision of helping you in the first place. “I genuinely do not have time for your shit; you know exactly why you can’t.”

“Yeah, yeah,” you ignored his complaints, “it’s the whole ‘I only listen to and serve Taeyong so please don’t get me in trouble’ crap. I’m not changing.” The black-winged creature inhaled deeply, probably counting his lucky stars to possibly avoid an infuriated archangel, that is if he had any left.

“You think the death of a man will stop me from wearing my favourite outfit?” You brought your hands to your hips. “A man at that, if he was a she, maybe I’d reconsider.”

He whispered under his breath and shut his eyes, “angels give me strength.”

“The angels don’t like you.”

“Will you please shut up?”

You shrugged and walked around the archangel, your heels softly clicking through the empty hallway. You waved your hand to close the curtains and with another flick, you close the door to your room, causing Jaehyun to turn around with a heavy sigh, sounding more like a low growl.

Let’s just say that you and the archangel went as far back as your fucking birth. Always in and out of your life, never with you for longs periods of time as he, Taeyong, had his shit with the council and you had your business. You were rather a young sorceress; your kind could live to hundreds of years before dying and going back to the elements of the world. The man in front of you was an archangel that had close ties with your family. You were one of few warlock families that helped the different species in Orian when the great war broke out between the council and the faes, the angels, archangels, demons and so many more. Hell, even the supreme archangel and the warriors and vampires were helped during the war. The archangels and a few different groups were extremely grateful for the help brought to them. Although you weren’t alive during the time of the war, you were born sometime later barely twenty years ago.

Let’s just say that some archangels owned a lot to your family and what better way to repay them than to take care of their now orphan daughter?

Long story.

Anyway, despite the shit your family did for half the council, they’re still a bunch of ungrateful and unappreciated grade-A assholes. There is no sense of loyalty except if it is for their own, and even they’re a bunch of two-faced, backstabbing pricks.

“Okay and so what if I killed someone in this outfit? It wouldn’t be the first time.” And honestly, it was your favourite dress you had. It was a two-piece jumpsuit that had a cape-like piece that attached to your lower back and flowed as you walk. The colour changing from a deep blue to an emerald colour from the top to the bottom, except the white belt and white lace flowers that ran from your torso to the baseline of your neck.

All of that said, it was a gorgeous dress. A dress that was handcrafted by the council as a gift for becoming one of the most powerful and youngest sorceresses in the city. Guess they’d want it back now.

“You killed the commissioner.”

You opened the front door to your temporary house, “I’ve dealt with plenty of commissioners.”

Jaehyun was behind you in less than a sec, slamming the door shut again. You let out a heavy breath and turned to him in annoyance, a spark lightly grazing your fingertips. “It’s seven in the morning.”

Jaehyun held his gaze with his hand still pressing against the closed door, his much taller figure looming over your own by more than a few inches because of those overanxious boots the archangel wore. The look on his face made you look at him; as it was grim and twisted with a serious aura that, given the circumstances, made you feel uneasy. “You don’t get it, do you?” he asked in a low, serious voice. “You killed one of the head commissioners of the Celestial Army who happens to be a pureblood angel and the Orian king’s son.”

The angels were never ones to mess with, not with their soldiers, not with their full-bloods and most definitely not with their children or their royal line. The only difference between full-bloods and purebloods of any species was that one of them wasn’t a part of the royal line. The angels cared immensely for their pure bloodline of royals; they’d raised Hell for both the prince and princess of Orian. The purebloods angels; gold eyes when upset and red when livid, blue when sad and purple when in mourning. The colour code was excruciatingly long and unnecessary to remember; you didn’t need to know what shade of blue means they’re starving and what shade of orange means they’re tired. You genuinely did not care enough to make an effort to memorize the stupid colour list.

The purebloods angels were one of the highest-ranking species when it came to the power they possessed, second right behind their father; the Orian king, also known as the almighty angel. Technically, the almighty angel and the supreme archangel had incredible amounts of strength and power that either came from the high peaks of the divine regions or the darkest pits of the abyss. No one really knew which one of the two was stronger, most didn’t want to know. As for the purebloods angels and pureblood archangels, there isn’t a comparison; there aren't any pureblood archangels, only half breeds. And although they were quite powerful and stronger than some full-blood faes and vampires, they were nothing compared to the angels. The mother of the pureblood angels was weaker than them and other purebloods like the pureblood faes, pureblood wolves, pureblood vampires and so many more. The purebloods, any kind, were legit pains in the ass. Stuck-up, spoiled royal rich kids.

The sky only knows how they react when upset.

“Like I told you, the council and the fucking royal family; Liu Yangyang was not the beloved prince they thought he was.” Your eyes pierced his and, for a moment, one of the leading archangel soldiers of the Uriel region felt inferior under the cold gaze dethroned from a very powerful and young sorceress. If looks could kill, Jaehyun would’ve been in the tower’s sanctuary for the umpteenth time this year. “I still don’t understand why exactly I’m being hauled for doing the entire realm a fucking favour.”

A conspiracy was what started your investigation. A conspiracy against the oh-so-beloved angel prince, one of the greatest leaders of the entire realm. Those who didn’t know his true intentions would say that. The angel was an amazing deceiver, you’ll give him that; a manipulator, a narcissist. He was greedy, wanted many things for him. He had the power to wipe out cities upon cities if he really wanted to. And he nearly managed to do so, your own kind probably wouldn’t have survived the attack if he was successful. There was no way the faes or the wolves would have survived, the mermaids? Maybe. The sorcerers? Not so much. The council, except for the few, would have survived, and it would’ve been the worse ones too; the angels only know how much the Athlar king despises you for just being in his realm.

“I did what I had to do, you guys are just trying to find someone to blame.” You cocked an eyebrow and crossed your arms, watching as Jaehyun slowly removed his hand from the door. “Instead of taking responsibility for their son’s actions, the almighty angel is having the council kill me.”

“They haven’t decided yet.”

“So what?” The smallest lump appeared in your throat at the mere thought of being executed for doing everyone a favour. Unappreciative jerks for sure. “Taeyong might have negotiated some type of deal with them but it doesn’t mean I’m gonna walk later today.”

“He’s not going to let that happen,” murmured Jaehyun, opening the door. “He isn’t going to let them kill you, not with all the history between your family and us.”

Confusing. It was all confusing, the link between the archangels and our family fucking tree. Your parents lived for centuries before they succumbed to their age a lot faster than planned a few years ago. However, before they died, they did a lot for the archangels. One great deed was the help during the war that started nearly two centuries ago and only ended a few decades before you were born. Sorcerers and archangels usually don’t mix, hell, a great portion of them are legitimately terrified of them. Again, except a few. So when Jaehyun said that Taeyong wasn’t going to let them kill you, you believed it.

The archangels had a knack for keeping their word and allegiance to any family whether it be years or centuries or millennials in the future. The bond was that strong. Your parents never told you what exactly they did to have an entire colony of archangels fight for your survival, whether those archangels were forced or not, you didn’t care. You befriended some without them knowing who you were. And the supreme archangel, as well as your most acquainted friends, blatantly refused to tell you so you just gave up after years of trying.

“I feel so much better.” He could practically hear the sarcasm slip from your tongue as you walked out of the apartment, heels softly clinging once more. “This is a fucking death wish.”

“A lot of things you do are death wishes.” The archangel said with a scoff, “now you’re worried?”

“Yeah, well,” you put your foot in the doorway right before Jaehyun was able to close the door, sticking your arm through the small entrance space and flicking your wrist and fingers, “the after-dawn activities I have are always in my control.”

Jaehyun looked at you and leaned against the wall, tongue poking the side of his cheek and a contemptuous expression danced on his face, “you summoned Azrael two weeks ago?”

“Azrael is a very nice demon, thank you,” you defended the archangel of death in a split second, looking back at the man in front of you, “just needed a few things from him, that’s all— where the fuck is it?”

A clutter of noises emerged from inside your temporary home, from keys being thrown to the floor to glass shattering made Jaehyun wince. You really gotta practise your magic in Athlar, the elemental resistance is ridiculous in this realm.

“The hell are you looking for?”

Finally, you brought your hand out of the apartment complex, the last hues and sparks of purple and silver disintegrating in the air. Before the door closed, two items flew out. The first was a double-layered silver choker with a black obsidian pendant hanging from the first layer. The last was a gold rhinestone glove bracelet, enveloping your entire forearm and had a black onyx pendant that rested on your index finger.

Jaehyun’s mouth curled upwards, “you’re bringing your shield?” You turned towards the older male flexing your fingers until they cracked and the black onyx glistened under the dull light in the hallway.

“Of course I’m bringing Soteria’s bracelet if that’s what you’re asking,” you said it as if it was the most obvious thing to anyone. Jaehyun only huffed, you added, “the Athlar king is going to be there right?” A nod. “Exactly, that man hates my guts and does not care if the council is present or not. He will kill me if I piss him off enough or anyone else— am I missing anything?”

“Phone?” You opened your door again and fetched your phone the same way you got Soteria’s bracelet and the collar. You locked the door soon after.

Soteria’s bracelet was a gift from the eldest sorcerer, the bracelet in the form of a glove that cuffed around your wrist and half of your forearm. A protective seal, alerting you of any possible threat that might act on their vicious actions. An energy enhancer, enhancing all your magic if needed.

Jaehyun got off the wall and stretched, looking from left to right before chuckling under his breath. You raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything, you practically read his mind. You keep summoning his demons (Y/n), doesn’t mean he can be a bitch about it.

Jaehyun was one of the first archangels you’ve ever met, Taeyong being the first. Archangels you knew existed, archangels that were feared in multiple cities for their reputation and history with the angels and demons. It was bloody and treacherous, the tales and stories of what their kind did to others, to elderly to children. The deals they had to stay in power, how they’d manipulate the weakest to stay on the top of the food chain.

Predators, the archangels were the predators of Orian. The lions of the Savanna, the sharks of the ocean. Archangels aren’t ones to be messed with, it doesn't matter if you’re a demon or angel. Even Micheal wouldn’t deal with his own fucking people, which is why he left all the responsibility to Taeyong.

It’s funny how you met the most important people at funerals and memorials. The people you didn’t think ever even heard of your name making a grand yet subtle entrance at your parents’ funerals years ago when you were only sixteen. Funny, really, how the supreme archangel said his condolences and even gave a eulogy in honour of your parents. People you didn’t know but knew what their kind was were surrounding the room. Offering condolences was one thing, it was a bigger issue when the archangels are actually present. Again, your parents never really talked about them, never really spoke about their friendship with the archangels. Nothing was left behind, no explanation of the sudden interest after their deaths or what exactly they did to be honoured in such a way.

They were just gone and left you in a state of mourning for months.

“So,” you started walking down the hallway, Jaehyun right beside you, hands stuffed in his dress pants. Only then did you notice how well-dressed he was. “Where are we going?”

Jaehyun nudged his head towards the staircase, and while climbing up, he whispered the location. Your heart fell to the pit of your stomach. Of course, this was where you were headed.

No wonder Jaehyun tried convincing you to change your outfit.

To the Orian palace, you go.

Any mentally sane person would’ve taken a portal, hell would’ve teleported to the palace. Something normal, something that wasn’t over the top, especially after assassinating the prince of the entire world. You didn’t know if Jaehyun thought this through, obviously, he didn’t think a lot of things through because as of right now, you laid on his back while he flew in the air. People were staring, and they were staring hard; whether because the prince’s assassin was in the air or if the archangel’s figure was that damn attractive. He was such an attention whore, my god.

The sky was a beautiful orange and blue hue, the pinkish-purple clouds were clearing as the sun was now coming up, the clouds that were once filled with water and cast a light drizzle on the corner of Athlar had long been gone and dispersed elsewhere. Khisfire’s weather was always the nicest in the morning, you still can’t believe that Taeyong made you move into that dump to ensure your safety.

Ensure your safety my ass.

Jaehyun gazed in the air for a second, and it was then you realized that you were just above the gates to the palace. You sighed into his shirt, closing your eyes, nausea overcoming your senses. “Next time we do this, can you not go so fast, I get motion-sickness easily you know.”

“I’m sorry princess,” he mocked with a curt laugh, “I can drop you off right here—”

“Don’t your fucking dare.”

Jaehyun laughed again and swopped down towards the ground, a series of laughs ripping through his throat while you tried your best to keep your eyes shut and avoid hurling the half cup of coffee you drank this morning. Archangels and their fucking thrill for heights will never not confuse you. Nor will their history with the demons but that was truly a story for another day or hour. It depends on how today’s meeting will go.

He finally landed on the square, concrete pavement right in front of the looming silver gates. You got off his back and hunched forward, dizziness clouding your head. “I think I’m going to hurl.”

“Great first impression.”

“I killed the prince, that’s enough of a first impression.”

The Orian palace was located on one of the three floating cities right above Khisfire but under the clouds. The floatings cities were the homes to the angels, some creatures live there as well like faes, nymphs, pixies and any flying species in the realm who were exiled by the Seelie queen. Octavia, home to the Orian palace and the Orian royals, was the city in the middle of the other two, Tarrin and Ellesmere. The other two were also homes to water, fire, air and earth spirits, the basic elemental elements of the realm.

The palace was a giant white castle with angel warriors and guards flying around the premieres. The palace nearly reached the top of the clouds, a white aura radiating from angel to angel. The sun beamed down on the city like a spotlight, the trees from the fruit in the crates brimming in gold hues. There were a bunch of markets surrounding the castle, a handful of angels walking and discussing among themselves. It was so different from Athlar, not too far off from Khisfire. The main difference was the atmosphere surrounding this place; it reeked of pure magic. Not that you hated it, but it was so damn overwhelming that it made you want to hurl— again.

“Come on,” ushered Jaehyun as you got back up, lightly touching your arm. “It’s not safe out here.”

You raised an eyebrow and were about to question why exactly landing in Octavia was already dangerous to both of you, but you straighten your back and almost immediately felt the laser beam stars and knife-throwing glares that bored into your skull. The whispers were so quiet yet so loud, a clutter of them mettled into à pot and you were able to hear the gist of most. Murderer. You shivered slightly, feeling the unwelcoming chills from nearly every angel, you were spared by those who haven’t spotted you yet.

You followed Jaehyun towards the main entrance. You played with the collar around your neck, the dull thud of your heart bounced in your head. You and Jaehyun continued walking towards the entrance of the palace, where a bunch of guards were standing, wings spread and brown and gold garments lingered on their bodies. You sighed heavily and glanced at Jaehyun, who only stared back in return but didn’t say anything.

It was either go one of two ways; either they know that you’ve been invited to the castle for a deal or they have no idea why archangels are in their city and kill you on the spot. You wouldn’t be surprised if the second of the two scenarios were to occur; the angels were known for their looks and not their brains, one of them was going to pull their spear to your face.

As you approached the group of archangels, you felt a certain gaze glaring at you— not that no one else was excessively staring you down, but this one was different. This one felt menacing, and it was coming from above. You refrained from looking upwards because you neared the station of diving winged saints but you knew that the same gaze would bore into your skull as soon as you stepped foot in the castle.

You settled in front of the guards, the guards eyeing you both suspiciously. You bit back a groan as Jaehyun spoke first, “here for the meeting with the council.” God, you could feel the hostility towards Jaehyun, your own was borderline unbearable at this point. The stares from the guards, who were supposed to be expressionless while on duty were practically giving the middle finger as soon as you stepped foot in their city. Guess the angels and the Athlar king have something in common; they both despise you, one of them wasn’t even justified.

“You can pass,” the guard told Jaehyun but his blue eyes pierced your own in a matter of seconds. With à deep, gruff voice, he growled, “this one doesn’t have permission to enter.”

“The meeting revolves around me dipshit—” you bit your words as soon as Jaehyun let out a cough. You would’ve kept going if the situations were any different, Jaehyun couldn’t just boss you around if he wanted to. The only reason you stopped was… everything was against you right now and because the glare the angel shared with Jaehyun was absolutely terrifying.

Angels and archangels, a simple case of cat and mouse except it had a millennium's worth of history and bad blood that no agreement could ever put an end to the war before the fallen angel and divine angel. Both were equally as petty, one was just as stubborn as the other and just as vicious. If you had to choose who’d within a fistfight, you’re biased and would pick the archangel. But the way the tension was thick and suffocating, you weren’t so sure.

Not that you had no faith in Jaehyun, but it was one against eight with each of them having spears and stones that worked so much better in Octavia than they would in Khisfire. Just like how your powers work immensely well in Khisfire compared to Athlar.

“She’s coming with me, whether you want to or not,” Jaehyun said with a shrug, eyebrow cocked to the side. “Check with the royals if you need to. In the meantime, we’ll be entering now.” Oh, if things were just as easy, life would be a piece of cake.

Jaehyun was always a cocky son of a bitch, Jaehyun was always an overconfident asshole. It was one of the reasons you liked him so much; the man had an excessive way to show his power over others, whether, with a glare or cocked eyebrow, any facial expression will do. It was easy to get whatever he wanted, he was one of the most powerful archangels in Orian, no one would dare cross him.

You? Huh, not so much.

If everything was that easy, you would’ve gotten away with the prince’s assassination. If life was that easy, you would’ve been one of the most powerful people in all of Orian.

But of course, something had to go wrong.

As soon as you even attempted to move, the swift movement of the guard who denied you entry did not go unnoticed. In a split second, a spear nearly caught your neck, the tip light grazing your skin; it would trigger a bled if he moved it just a bit more. “Well,” you laughed, pinching the bridge of your nose, and glanced at Jaehyun, “this is awkward.”

“I told you,” the angel looked at Jaehyun again, spear still laser-focused on your neck. “We don’t accept murderers in our palace.”

You wonder what he’d say if the prince was alive and well while half the realms mourned their people and loved ones. You wonder just how much the angels knew of the entire situation, how much anyone knew what the prince intended to do unless the Orian king kept quiet. Liu Yangyang’s death was a necessary one, his life was eliminated to keep the peace between the realms. You scoffed and looked at the spear, the sharp end grazing your collar a little more. You’d honestly love to hear all the beautiful rumours spread about you.

Like every mistake, there’s some sort of solution. To everything, to ever fuck up, there’s always something to hold it in place and fix it before it completely blows over. Every action has its consequences and although you didn’t know what it was, Jaehyun’s sudden head tilt and smirk told you everything you needed to know.

Lighting thundered in the sky, black bolts lingering in the sky one after another. The warm weather suddenly chilled and nearly everyone was shivering from the bitter and sudden cold. The sky was no longer a bright blue colour, instead, it was now a filthy black and purple, as if a storm was quickly approaching. The lightning bolts became more and more constant, bigger and shorter-lasting in the sky. The sound emitted from the sky sounded like loud cracking noises and came closer and closer to the floor. Thunder roared across the sky, the last much more focused than the first. Every angel stopped staring at you and focused on the sky, dreadful expressions on their faces and flew away as fast as they could.

And finally, four huge black orbs of energy that spurt silver lighting swirled closer and closer to the ground before crashing onto the gravel, denting it in the process, right on your left, a few feet away from you. The black fog lasted for only a few seconds before four figures slowly got up from the floor, the side of their faces lingered with visible silver veins that looked straight out of a mutant experiment movie.

They sprawled their ink-black wings and their ink-black eyes looked around them, taking in their surroundings. Every angel knew better than to glance in their direction, even the children looked away when one of them started. They wore what any archangel would; having a very similar attire to Jaehyun, whether it was for the meeting or regular clothing, you didn’t know. The one in the front groaned once he clicked his feet on the pavement, noticing the caved-in stone.

“They’ll have to send me the bill later.”

“We all know you aren’t going to pay for it.”

The man fixed the cuffs of his dress shirt, looking as unbothered as the now minding-their-own business angels who'd flown as soon as he made his appearance known. With a side look, his voice came out as a sort of chant, like a warning, “soldier, I suggest you put that spear down.” His eyes turned black for a split second as he fully glared at the soldier, whose spear was now far, far away from your neck.

The power of this man was unimaginable.

He dispersed his white fading black wings and rolled his head and shoulders, blonde hair reaching the back of his ears and brimmed against the sun of the now normal sky. The men around him are doing the same. They made their way towards you and Jaehyun, less than impressed expressions lingered on their faces.

The colony of angels that blocked the entrance fully froze in their movements, eyes whining slightly yet some were literally shaking. You raised an eyebrow at the angel in front of you, “not so tough now huh?” you whispered under your breath, smirk tugging your lips. The angel clenched his jaw and closed his eyes. “Mh-hm, that’s what I thought.”

Funny how the angels were almighty and powerful until an archangel step in the proximity of them. Shaking in their boots like a bunch of children scared of a clown. The difference between their auras was overwhelming as well, the blond-haired archangel’s aura was black littered with darkness, death and abyss property that you wanted nothing to do with. The angels’ aura was white and reeked of pure and divine magic, their auras clashed against the archangels, a true fight between black and white.

However, the archangels greatly outweighed the angels, even if they were less numerous than the latter. The power system was an interesting one.

“This was inconvenient, pray to the skies that it doesn’t happen again.” The man was truly a menace to society. He might not be the buffest or tallest archangel, but his power was immense, it couldn’t be measured on scales. He knew that too, for his eyes flicked from one end of the line of angels to the outside. “Gentleman, if you would.”

Again, if it was that easy, you wouldn’t be in this damn predicament fighting your life. The angels moved into two groups, creating a clear pathway and letting you walk as freely as you could until you’d eventually reach the entrance of the palace. Commanding the angels in their own city, embarrassing. The man motioned for you to walk into the field of stone pavement, beyond the gates first and he followed suit after, the rest of them, including Jaehyun, followed from the sides.

The man right next to you didn’t even wait half a second into walking to let out a low, menacing growl. “You make my job one hundred times harder with that fucking outfit.”

“Good morning Taeyong,” you exasperated and looked over your shoulder to the other archangels, “Doyoung, Johnny, Yuta. Haven’t seen any of you in a couple years.”

“Tell me about it,” Johnny laughed bitterly, his hands in his front pockets, “wish we could’ve seen each other under better circumstances.”

Doyoung hummed from beside him, “hmph, all that protection and you can’t use it properly?” You rolled your eyes and twisted the black obsidian around your neck, the pendant glistening and a purple hue encased the stone.

“I didn’t think I’d be attacked at the gates,” you defended. “It’s activated now, happy?

“Anyways, we’ve been busy,” Yuta sent a subtle glare at Taeyong. “We’ve got debts to pay.”

The debt system wasn’t uncommon between archangels. Usually, a fae or vampire would have to pay their debt toward an archangel for a favour the latter has done. You can buy protection, wishes, money, nearly anything except freedom. Once you pledge your soul to an archangel, you have to pay debts over the years. An example would be a warlock who made a deal with an archangel for money. The archangel now had the power to summon the warlock for spells, information and any of the sort. Other fallen angels will acquire a pension from their clients. It was also common for archangels to have a debt towards another archangel.

The Venom Guard. The “council” of archangels. You’d describe it more as a group of the most powerful archangels that lived in Uriel as well as the deepest parts of the abyss. The Venom Guard was a group of seven archangels that reigned over Uriel, the realm of dark beings. From chimeras to skinwalkers, the land was filled with being with black to grey auras. The Venom Guard pledged allegiance to the supreme archangel long before the war broke out. They had an endless list of debts to pay if they ever wanted to be free again. It was how the debt system worked. You never asked what kind of things they’d have to do to clear their debt, but you had a few ideas.

“And how’s that going for you?”

It was genuinely a harmless question, poking fun at an archangel could go one of two ways. When Yuta’s glare went from Taeyong to your neck, you shut your mouth and climbed the last steps to the palace. You’ve been to the palace once in your entire life, and that was to receive congratulations from the royal about your title a few years back. At the time, the prince was a year older than you and the princess had just turned fourteen. Five years. It’s been five years since that happened.

You reached the entrance and looked down the hallway of the unbearable white and light silver walls and white and gold marbled pavement. It truly was a huge cathedral if you were honest, especially if you went up to the third and fourth levels. Two angels stood as guards at either side of the door. Taeyong nudged his head forward, the rest of the archangels continuing forward into the palace.

You raised an eyebrow, “what?”

You couldn’t tell if Taeyong was completely tired of your bullshit or if he didn’t want anything to do with today’s meeting. You can tell by the way his face was tight and his eyebrows were scrunched that something was on his mind. “How much did Jaehyun tell you?”

“Not a lot,” you replied and followed suit after him when he started walking into the palace, the archangels far in front of you. Your heels clicked on the marbled floor and you turned the corner. “Something about a deal you made with the council.”

“Nothing else?”

You shook your head and flexed your fingers slightly, the dull ache from the bracelet cramped them for a split second, rippling impulse shot through your arm. Taeyong glanced at your bracelet but you shook your head, shaking your arm to get rid of the tingling sensations. He didn’t say anything else, only moved the strand of blond hair that lightly skimmed his eyebrow to the side. “Don’t say anything rash.”

You scoffed, “I’ll try.”

“Don’t try, act on it,” he said sharply, voice low and menacing. “Keep the games outside the banquet room. If you don’t think you can control yourself, Jaehyun can bring you back to Athlar or the soldiers can bring you down to the dungeon.”

Your surprised face altered into a sly smirk and your fingers met your pendant around your neck once more. “What aren’t you telling me?”

Something was on his mind and it was nagging to the point where you had to ask. The supreme archangel glanced at you for a second before staring straight ahead. “I’m telling you everything you need to know.”

“Which is nothing at all?” He didn’t reply.

Mysterious. Incomplusive. Obscure. The entire deal was still a mystery to you and it didn’t help that the man who struck it refused to tell you anything. The less you know, the better it is for everyone. Taeyong’s words rang in your head after you had asked him what exactly happened between the archangels and your parents to have infinite protection the first time you met. The archangel had a smirk on his ring and fingers to his lips, dismissing the questions as soon as it had risen. Odd how someone could be so powerful yet so secretive and kept to himself.

He loved to make himself known, state his presence in the room and had a sort of carefree nature. But when it came to matters of the council or his own business, he kept quiet; like a shadow in the dusk, unable to be seen by the eyes of many.

You finally made it to the antic banquet room at the end of the hall after rounding the last corner. The white door, covered in black angel encrypted writing, was closed and guarded by an angel servant dressed in all white. The heirlooms hung on the wall of the hallway and various artifacts such as paintings and swords decorated the halls. The rest of the angels were gathered in the hallway to the left, Taeyong leaving your side to brief them for whatever reason. He had told you that you could enter the room and wait for him there. You nodded with a less-than-interested expression on your face. With nothing better to do than mope and sit around, you twirled towards the angels, skirt flowing in the air and watched as the door opened before you.

Slowly, the door opened. And the more it did, the faster your expression went from bored to alert and hostile. You felt it, you felt the same orbs who stared you down outside the palace return to haunt your surroundings and they— rather, she glared with deep blood-red eyes. A battlecry left the young woman’s throat, despite the yell from the man behind her. Her entire arm’s veins turned to gold and an arrow of pure, white divine magic shot its way out of her palm and towards you like a bullet.

Honestly, maybe she could’ve done some damage. She had the guts and certainly had the spirit.

But the arrow ricocheted off your body and flew right towards the group of archangels who were emulsified in the sudden attack. Taeyong’s hand caught the arrow before it could’ve done any initial damage to Jaehyun’s face and, it slowly disintegrated into white sand-like dust.

Ugh, you just gotta love having protection. You’d have to thank the angel who nearly slit your throat at the entrance, and Doyoung as well— if you hadn’t activated the obsidian around your neck, you would’ve succumbed to your injuries moments after acquiring them. The woman in the room certainly wasn’t happy though, not with her eyes still blood red.

“I appreciate the welcome gift,” you chuckled, staring from the white dust to the angel, your own eyes glinting sparks of purple and silver. You shared a heinous glare with her. “Next time, keep the present for yourself, princess.”

The room was unbelievably quiet, so quiet that you could hear the gritting teeth of the angel across the long, brown table. The archangels were outside of the banquet, at the end of the hallway to be specific. Direct guests are only allowed to participate in today’s discussion. Unless you were in the royal family, no one could intervene, even in the case of emergencies. You averted your gaze from your lilac faded white nails back to the woman who was only looking down at the table, red hair as intense as the internal hatred she kept for you. You scoffed.

Ridiculous. Imagine attacking the person you invited— forced to or not— to talk about this so-called meeting you still had no clue of. And she still had the nerve to sit at the other end of the table, her bodyguard sitting next to her.

“Control your face,” the archangel chirped, mimicking your movements. Your head quirked to the side and you clenched your jaw. “Not a good look on you.”

“Tell princess to control her fucking anger then,” you smiled and locked eyes with Taeyong. The archangel found this amusing, you could tell by the slightly twitched corner of his lip. “We wouldn’t be so hostile if she learned to act civil.”

She scoffed from the other end of the table, head snapping up, “did you act civil when you brutally murdered my brother?”

She loved pushing buttons, hitting nerves and sticking her nose in places it doesn’t belong. It was either listen to her and succumb to all her worthless babbling or she’d make your life a living hell, pun intended. It took everything in you to not turn the entire banquet on its head, and you would; an army of angels didn’t scare you. But an archangel who would not hesitate to stop your dumb shit? You wouldn’t try unless you choose to die.

If YangYang was the heavens’ warrior and protector, NingNing was their divine grace, pride and joy. The Liu siblings, snakes disguised in divine glory and pure magic. Usually, female pureblood angels would take after their mother’s last name, but Orian’s pride and joy loved power a little more than her mother, finally switching her name to Liu nearly seven years ago, at the fucking age of eleven.

Yeah. It should be enough to give everyone an idea on how spoiled the little brat actually is.

YangYang was most definitely a mama’s boy, and NingNing was her father’s precious gem. They were both close to their respective parent, yet argued with the other like the world would end the next day. If only their people knew how manipulative the siblings were.

Sinking further into the chair, you rubbed your fingers against your temples, eyes shutting to block out her gaze. “If she doesn’t shut up, I’ll be on trial for two pureblood deaths.”

“Excuse me?”

“Enough, NingNing,” the man beside her, probably a lesser threat than her— at the moment—, jabbed from under his breath, leaning in the chair next to her. She scoffed but sat back, angrily crossing her arms over her chest like à toddler that was refused their favourite toy. The black-haired man sighed. “Save the arguing for later.”

“There won’t be any arguing,” Taeyong spoke up, looking between both angel and the warrior. “It’s just a matter of agreement.”

“You got it all figured out huh?” Hendery said leaning onto the table, a small smirk tugging his lips, snarking tone and jabbing comments followed, “you really think the council will agree to whatever deal you have planned?”

“I’d watch your tone if I were you,” the archangel merely laughed, his smile only getting wider, “in any case, keep your thoughts to yourself, members of the council ideas only.”

The doors to the banquet opened and two people walked in, a man and a woman, although the woman was advancing further into the room compared to the other. She looked around, displeased eyes scanning item to item, either out of disgust or disinterested. Her heels clicked against the floor while she clicked her tongue. Your seat was facing the door, but you didn’t bother looking back, you noticed those footsteps from anywhere.

“Your mother never knew how to decorate this room.” The woman caught eyes with the princess, and with an already annoyed tone, she hissed with a curt laugh, “you also look displeased— where is she?”

You raised your hand over the chair, eyes still shut but a smile fully planted across your lips. “My queen, I am right here.”

You could practically feel the smirk as she walked closer to her, her probably six-inch heels skimmed the floor. Her dark, elegant yet malicious aura went from one corner of the room to another before her presence was right behind you. With a tap to the shoulders, you felt her many rings and the top of her long nails. She ushered, “fix your posture love,” and chuckled, her hands on your upper back. You groaned. “Queens don’t slouch in chairs.”

“Are you fixing her posture for the execution in a couple days, your highness?”

God, it would take one second to shut her up. You snapped your eyes open, glaring at the princess but didn’t say anything. At least, you wanted to, but the Seelie queen beat you to it.

“We don’t listen to the wrong patch of eggs,” she quipped without even glancing in the angel’s direction, and ushered you to sit back up and straight, “know your place when in my presence; snakes belong in cages after all.”

She didn’t even whisper or talk in a low tone— no. The Seelie queen practically chanted the words aloud, making sure the angel pureblood understood where exactly she was coming. You couldn’t help but smirk, tongue skimming your back teeth while swallowing your mocking laughs.

“Taeyong,” she rested her hands on the top of your head and glanced at the archangel with cautious eyes, “you will not disappoint me, right?”

“Irene,” Taeyong used the same tone as the Seelie queen and fully turned his attention to her, head resting on the palm of his hand. With a smug smirk, he twitched his eyebrows. “Do you think I’m stupid enough to let anything happen to her?”

“Debatable.”

“Reconsider.”

You looked between both immortals, a questionable look bouncing between your eyes. “You guys talking as if I’m not right here.”

“Ssh,” Irene tapped the side of your head and let out a soft chuckle, “love, the immortals are talking.”

The Seelie queen had unique characteristics compared to the other member of the council; dark green and brown vine-like-veins ran from the left side of her face staring from her ear and covered the entire left side of her body. Bright brown eyes under the rays of the sun that turned a dark orange whenever upset and threatening. She always wore her crown when in her realm, but today, she was wearing her classic long-sleeved dark brown jumpsuit with beads running against her sides, silver jewelry— from earrings to bracelets to rings— enhanced the beauty she already held.

How were you so lucky to be friends with one of the coldest leaders? The Seelie queen, whose name remains unknown apart from Irene, ruled over all seelies, fairies, nymphs, pixies, earth and wind spirits alike in Veritas, land of nature and divine creation. The most powerful fae in all of Orian, the most cunning leader and probably the most cold-heart out of the council.

Not towards you— you were a completely different story when it came to your well beings. Just like the archangels, the faes owned a lot to your family, however, the Seelie queen took interest in you ever since you’ve been a child. Whether she knew how powerful you were at a young age or because she knew you’d be a powerful ally in the future, you didn’t know and you honestly— just like with the archangels— didn’t care.

You had the Seelie queen on your side, that’s all you had to know.

“Love the family reunion and all but the Seelie queen isn’t what’s most important right now.” You turned around upon hearing the deep, growl-like voice. The man that entered beside Irene exclaimed, one hand stuffed in his front pocket and his pinky skimming against his front teeth, moonshine ring glimmering under the gold light. “Which one of you cowards decided to have this meeting on a full moon?”

“There are sticks outside, Alpha,” Irene shivered in disgust, her eyes roaming him up and down while he dug his nail further into the crevices of his teeth. “Use a toothpick if you must.”

“A piece of thin, dull and old wood won’t get dinner out of my teeth,” he growled and gave up soon after, “no point in doing it now.”

“Junmyeon please,” the archangel bellowed, crinkling his nose, “take it outside.”

There are the seelies, faes, pixies as well as the angels, archangels and sorceresses. The werewolves were the canines of the realm. The alphas to put it. Egotistical, self-centred and highly sexist wolves who always had to have the last word, even if wrong. Of course, not all werewolves were horrible. You were friends with some of them,.some of the best people in your life. But Junmyeon's pack? The worse decision if ever someone tried crossing them.

The de La Lune pack was vicious, power-hungry and narcissistic assholes that every time you had a conversation with at least one of them, you wanted to pluck your eardrums out to stop hearing the bullshit that littered their mouths. It was even worse when the alphas walked and talked in pairs— horrible if it was all nine of them.

Their leader wasn't any better but you did like him a lot more than the Athlar king— who has yet to arrive— for obvious reasons. Yes, the de La Lune back are conservative and play by their old laws, they were at least civil about it. For the most part; some of them needed a good slap, or four, to get their gears turning again.

You did pray for the women in their pack, especially the younger ones who didn't give two shits about the law. May the sky help them.

"Alpha Junmyeon," the pureblood angel smiled upon seeing the werewolf. "Thank you for arriving, it won't take too long."

"I wouldn't get my hopes up princess," he scoffed lightly and switched his gaze towards you. "This one always had a trick up her sleeve."

Was he wrong? Right now, yes he was. But you didn't dare go against his words, challenge him in a city where no doctor would heal you if he decides to rip you to shreds right now. Sorcerers and werewolves don't exactly mix; it's like physical strength versus magical ability, it already puts both parties at odds. Faes and sorcerers, archangels and demons, werewolves and vampires would mix. Only in a few cases, like your own, would faes, archangels and sorceresses would be seen remotely close together.

But the werewolves would do anything to disassociate with witches. The de La Lune pack was no different.

You rolled your eyes and mumbled under your breath, "I fucking hate wolves."

"We feel the same about you, you aren't damn special."

Fuck alpha werewolves and their stupid fucking enhanced and ultra-sensitive fucking ears. Nothing could go past them, more of a curse than a blessing if you were honest. Hearing everything, especially in the dead quiet of night would be a nightmare. Forget hearing crickets singing, what about the owls’ miles away? A hard pass.

And technically, he was wrong. Not all the wolves felt the same about you. They wouldn’t say it aloud but you knew a certain pack always had your back. And you theirs. But were you going to say it? No. Of course not.

"Your kind isn’t the only one that despises sorcerers," the door to the banquet opened and as soon as the voice ran through the room, the Seelie queen's hands tensed on your shoulders. A small noise, like hiss, escaped her throat. Taeyong and Irene caught eyes, and for a moment, hatred swam in their eyes. “Especially those who commit such vile actions.”

The room suddenly dropped in temperature, you could’ve sworn that the hairs on your arms stood straight and fixed their posture. The room leaked with ice and venom, blood-reeked clothes had an odd sweet scent to them but the eyes that skimmed their gaze through the room were less than kind. You caught eyes with NingNing, for who smirked with a mischievous gaze and stood up.

“Empress,” the princess bowed, “so glad you could make it, things would’ve been out of hand if it weren’t for you.”

“Given the guests in the room, I’m not surprised.”

Why was she so close? Disgustingly close that made your skin crawl and you wanted to sink back into your chair. But with the Seelie queen’s nails practically digging into your shoulders that they felt like nails ramming through a hard concrete wall. You couldn’t even bear to move, at this rate if you tried moving in the slightest, the sudden jolt would rupture all the nerves in your shoulder. You swallowed back a yelp when you felt the skin break underneath your clothing, ever-growing cool blood seeping down your back. At this point, you’re more glad that your outfit is dark enough to hide the streaks of red.

Taeyong must’ve noticed though. “Fingers on the chair, less into her shoulders.”

“Who would’ve thought that the Seelie queen hated the Lamia empress so much that she injured her favourite playtoy,” Junmyeon whistled while smirking, his toothpick logged into his two side teeth and was set across from you. “Just like a dog picking his favourite bone.”

The empress laughed mockingly, “Seelies do betray their own kind, are we shocked?”

“Do not mistake me for a bloodsucker.”

Slowly but surely, the wounds started to heal; Irene’s palms glowed a light green and the veins on the left side of her neck glowed, her energy transferring to you. Seelies had interesting powers, from camouflage to talking to wildlife. The Seelie Queen had many abilities; communicating from water, talking to the wildlife, transferring and gaining energy and strength, and healing. You’re sure there’s so much more you didn’t know. Finally, the wounds healed. “Sorry, love,” she whispered, comfortably rubbing your shoulders, “I tend to see red when someone I dislike gets too close to me.”

“I tend to see red when I’m feasting,” the empress expressed playfully, “but I guess I have that effect either way.” She finally walked past you, her long and overly ink-black dress dragged behind her before merging with the lace-coloured red corset at her torso and ended with blood-red sleeves and ruby red jewelry.

Stereotypical. Vampires that wore red and black as their go-to colours were stereotypical. If you voiced it out, you’d earn a hum of agreement from Irene, a small laugh from Taeyong and a glare from the Lamia empress herself. Lamia, vampire in Latin. Bloodsucking demon, monster of the night, nosferatu, or whatever the fuck other names they had— vampires suck— not only blood.

And the empress was truly the worst of the worse.

She sat right next to NingNing, nodding her head to Hendery as a form of acknowledgement before turning in her seat, moonlight brown hair tied back and braided, gaze piercing yours. Now if you really could sink into your chair, you would.

“It’s been a while since I fed on sorcerers,” her tongue skimmed her lips, a smirk tugging them upwards. “What time does the meeting end?”

“Worry more about your minions lurking in my realm than someone’s neck Taeyeon,” the archangel deadpanned, “they’ve pestered my market and my soldiers, call them out before I make them.”

Taeyeon sadly sighed, exaggerating it to no end and tapped her long black nails in order on the table, palm holding her head up. Puppy eyes. You didn’t think you’d see the Lamia empress give someone puppy eyes but there’s a first time for everything. “If I knew you’d talk to me in that tone, I wouldn't have been with you in the first place.”

There’s definitely a first time for everything and it’s definitely the very first time you’re hearing of an archangel and vampire relationship— let alone Taeyong and Taeyeon. You should really be up to date with the council drama but never you would've thought that they were ever a thing— especially with the way the archangel is boring bullets into the other’s skull.

And if you thought you were shocked, the princess had to close her mouth before she caught flies. For a moment, you understood her shock, both of you making eye contact to address your surprise but quickly stopped when you realized who exactly you were looking at.

The Lamia empress was manipulative and a seducer. Anything she’d want, she’d get; giving out empty promises to those suffering in her realm for intel or convincing some leaders to turn on each other was her specialty. If anything, she always knew what was going on before it was ever spoken by anyone. Which made you think…

Did she know about the prince? Either answer would shock you if you were honest, whether she knew or she kept quiet didn’t matter now; the council was slowly turning into each other and benefiting her, in some way, in the end.

She’d do anything to get what she wanted or disperse of anything or anyone that got in her way.

Though she isn't afraid to cross anyone, there are only a few who she wouldn't dare upset, not when her entire realm dwells on the protection of a certain king of Athlar. You watched as her eyes widened slightly before she sat up, her lips pressed in a thin line. Her eyes grew cloudy, a mist of red swam in her pupils before the door opened once more.

Now, if the room grew cold because of the Lamia empress then the room, as of right now, is freezing and feels like you were caught in a winter blizzard. The walls grew small ice crystals and the jewelry nearly everyone was wearing we're covered by a harsh cloud of ice-cold mist.

The banquet echoed, the floor vibrating under the weight of his footsteps. The air grew tense, as thick as blood and as heavy as the humid summer air. Your skin crawled at the sudden change, a pit forming at the bottom of your stomach. No one said a word, no one dared to speak or mutter anything aloud.

God, your throat was tightening, as if being choked by the wrath of the king himself. Even the Seelie queen's fingers tightened on your shoulders, refusing to tremble out of fear and discomfort. The supreme archangel didn't say a word, nor looked interested in the arrival of the king. Instead, he simply sighed and closed his eyes.

Demons and archangels, best of allies yet the worst of foes.

The footsteps ceased. The air stopped moving. A curt, short and brisk chuckle bounced from one wall to another. "Hmph, tough crowd." His voice boomed so much louder than your heartbeat. His scent was overbearing and overloaded your senses. It was putrid, awful and horrifying.

The difference between archangels and demons was simple; one was created by the heavens and the other was created by the deepest abyss of darkness. Taeyong’s scent— rather, his aura — was not as potent or as dark. He still had some sort of divine element that merely morphed with the elements of Uriel and the abyss. The king's aura was authentic; the true product of the abyss and was overloaded with sin and corruption.

You felt his eyes skimming the room, pupils piercing every head and everybody before settling on the Seelie queen's neck. Somehow, in some way, his glare went through her body and attacked yours in the blink of an eye. You shut your eyes, anxiety climbing up your throat like acid coming from your stomach.

The princess got up with shaking booths and an uncomfortable smile tugging her lips. For someone who wanted the Athlar king at the meeting, NingNing isn't as welcoming as she should be. "My lord, welcome." If the situation was any different, you'd laugh at her quivering voice.

The princess took a deep breath, "I hope your travel was well—"

“This place stinks.”

May the skies have mercy on your soul. May they find some way to forgive because it took everything in you not to let out a loud, mocking cackle while the banquet was dead silent. You might despise the Athlar king but you must admit that the man has a great sense of humour and boldness you can't help but admire.

A smile didn't stop itself from tugging your lips and as hard as you bit them down, the smile just grew larger by the second. The Seelie queen's fingers tapped on your shoulders, seemingly sensing the laughter in your throat. They were warnings— to be careful of how you act in front of others, especially those who disliked you.

"I find it a bit ironic how you're the one complaining about the stench." Those warnings weren't applied to her, not with the unpleasant tone that dripped through her words. "You practically reek."

"Seemed you built the courage to speak," the empress cut in, leaning on the table and glaring at Irene. "Although, I don't think you're in the right position to be talking."

"Because I'm going to listen to someone whose breath smells of mundane blood half the time."

"Don’t be mistaken, I'm a woman of modesty."

"Where's your father?"

The Athlar king didn't boom out the words or even say them at normal speaking volume. He merely had to whisper the word father to gain everyone's attention. And suddenly, everyone's gaze was glued to the princess, including your own, awaiting an answer. Where is the almighty angel? With that kind of title, it'll be quite unprofessional to not appear in the meeting, then again, the same could be said about your outfit.

NingNing seemed to stare off in the distance as if remembering something for her gaze was unfocused. You raised an eyebrow and looked at Taeyong, you simply shrugged and leaned the temple off his fingers. Your already quirked eyebrow only rose when Hendery gently touched her hand and gave her a reassuring squeeze.

"My father cannot make it today, nor can my mother as they are both grieving for the loss of their only son and finalizing the arrangements for the Adieu Ceremony. Which is why I’m here."

Oh. They're actually doing it. You couldn’t help but roll your eyes. You couldn't blame them; losing your only murderous and highly destructive son to a sorceress that did a huge favour to the city? Must be hard. It did make sense now that you think about it, NingNing isn’t even part of the council and yet, she’s here as a representative.

“Is he now?” NingNing nodded at the King’s question. “Can’t say I’m impressed.”

The table went silent, everyone’s eyes either glued to the table or in front of them— anywhere except the Ruler of Demons. As the King walks towards a seat far, far away from you, a loud and dragged-on sigh echoed through the room. Your eyes widened like saucers and not-so-gently threw your head to the side, glaring at Taeyong.

Sometimes, you didn’t understand the nerves the man had, especially since one would think they’d rebel against the angels.

But Taeyong looked up at the Athlar king and said in a tired breath, “let’s get this over with, I don’t have time for your little feud with the almighty angel.”

“And you think I have time for this meeting?”

“Please,” Taeyong had scoffed under his breath, his fingers drawing figure eights on the wooden table, “the only real reason you’re here Onew, is because you want to see what kind of punishment (Y/n) is going to receive. We both know you’ll say no to whatever deal I have to offer.”

Both men seemed to glare at each other, for the room sat in silence for a few moments. You glanced between both leaders but cleared your throat and caught eyes with the ceiling when the demon king locked eyes with your own. Taeyong certainly had the balls to stand up to him but good for him— you, however, will stay far, far away from the man that wants you killed.

“Gentlemen!” Both Taeyong and the Athlar king broke eye contact with each other and gazed at NingNing. “We will now start the meeting. My lord, if you may take a seat.”

The Athlar king took a seat next to the Lamia empress, specifically to her left and sat a few chairs away from Junmyeon, who was still very uninterested in the topic at hand. The alpha sat near no one, a couple of chairs vacant to each of his sides.

To your left was the Seelie Queen and to your left was the supreme archangel. You, in the middle of both of the leaders, sat directly facing the princess while her guard and brother's best friend sat on her right.

The air was dense, whether because you held your breath for so long or because everyone had some sort of grudge with someone in the room. You only and genuinely hope that their hidden-pretty-baldy hatred and signs for one another don’t interfere with the fate that bestows soon.

But like you said, someone was going to die tonight but you sure as hell know it wasn't going to be you.

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iamrealbuilder · 3 years

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Bill Buchalter interview

Bill Buchalter was a level designer for Sunstorm Interactive. He’s worked on 3 official add-on of Build Engine games: Cryptic Passage for Blood, Suckin’ Grits On Route 66 for Redneck Rampage, Caribbean Life for Duke Nukem 3D. Interview, November 2020: Corentin: Can you introduce yourself?

Bill Buchalter: My name is Bill Buchalter. I’m an avid gamer of all kinds – video games, board games, and especially tabletop RPGs. I’m currently a freelance writer for AAW Games (Adventure A Week Games) writing mini adventures for Dungeons & Dragons 5E. I live outside Indianapolis, IN with my wife Jane, our three kids, and our dog Roxi. When I’m not gaming, I also enjoy music, playing guitar, hiking, and camping.

C: With Sunstorm Interactive, you're credited for level design on Cryptic Passage, Caribbean Life and Route 66. How did you start working with Sunstorm and what do you remember from that time?

BB: In the mid 90’s, maybe around 1995 or 96, I was very into playing Duke Nukem 3D. Like most PC gamers at the time, I had played Castle Wolfenstein and Doom, and Duke Nukem just blew me away. Back in those days, when we played online, we would use a 3rd party program called KALI. You dialed up on your modem, logged onto the internet, and then used KALI as a portal to chat with other gamers and find someone to play with. The KALI software would then allow you to network together over the internet and play PVP matches. It was crude, and the lag could be horrible, but we didn’t know any better at the time and we loved it!

I remember I was in a B. Dalton bookstore in the mall one day (another relic of the 90’s that is long gone!) when I found a book called the “Duke Nukem 3D Level Design Handbook”. I was intrigued, and as I flipped through the pages it talked about a program on the Duke Nukem CD called Build, which allowed you to create your own levels. I had no idea Build existed, let alone how to use it. I bought the book and spent the next couple weeks diving into learning how to use Build. I was hooked!

Making my own maps quickly became an obsession. I would share them with my friends on KALI and I quickly earned a reputation for making user maps. I remember there was a map building competition, but I don’t recall who sponsored it. A guy named Robert Travis won the competition. When I saw his maps, I was blown away! His designs were so much more advanced than mine. He was using tricks I had never thought of to get lighting effects and set moods. I had to reach out to him to pick his brain.

Robert responded and we began talking and quickly figured out that we both lived in Indianapolis. He was working for Sunstorm at the time and invited me to come to their office to discuss level design. I met him there one evening, and he showed me some of the stuff he was working on. We ended up playing Duke all night on Sunstorm’s network with some of the other guys in the office. I was in heaven!

Robert introduced me to Anthony Campiti, the lead producer on Sunstorm’s next project – Cryptic Passage, an add-on for a Build engine game called Blood. They invited me to design some levels for the game and I jumped at the chance. Robert assigned me to design an opera house level and immediately I got pictures in my head of the theater scenes from Interview with a Vampire. I went home and worked furiously on designing the level. I was still rough, but with Robert’s help I tweaked things here and there and slowly learned his techniques. In the end I was really pleased with the level I’d designed. Robert and Anthony were happy too and asked me to design a second map specifically for deathmatch.

The next project Sunstorm was working on was Suckin’ Grits on Route 66, an add-on for another Build engine game called Redneck Rampage. Robert again asked if I’d like to be a part of that team and assigned me to build a truck stop level. Using a lot of the things I’d learned on Cryptic Passage, and the campy feel of the Redneck Rampage game, I had a lot of fun designing that level.

The last project I worked on for Sunstorm was Duke Nukem Caribbean Vacation. By this time Duke’s popularity was beginning to wane, and Quake was taking over. Robert was already starting to experiment and learn how to use the Quake engine. I was a new dad at the time (my first daughter had just been born) so unfortunately, I didn’t have the spare time to devote to learning a new engine. I barely had the time to design my level for Duke Caribbean, but I did manage to finish the casino level for that project. I do recall that Robert ended up going through in the end and changing a lot of the aspects of my level to fit the theme they had in mind. I remember being a bit disappointed and not really feeling like the level was “mine�� because of so many of the changes. It was the last project I worked on for Sunstorm.

I kept in touch with Robert and Anthony for a while after that. They were branching out, working on other projects, and even trying to develop their own FPS game that I don’t think ever really got off the ground. Sunstorm was having the most success with their Deer Hunter line of games that at the time were selling well in Wal-Mart. Sadly, I eventually just lost touch with those guys.

I’m sure this is WAY more information than you were wanting (I’m a writer… I can’t help but go off the deep end!) but you dusted off some fond, old memories for me, so I apologize for walking so far down memory lane!

C: I see that you're still making maps, different kind of maps! This makes me wonder if maybe you were involved with W!Zone (a pack of maps for Warcraft 2 released by Sunstorm). Can you tell us a bit about that if possible?

BB: I didn’t have any hand in the W!Zone project for Sunstorm, but I loved the Warcraft series. As was common for many video gamers like me, who had roots in fantasy games like D&D, I played a lot of Warcraft and eventually got sucked into the world of MMOs with Ultima Online, Everquest, and World of Warcraft! If only I had back the time I sunk into those games!

These days I’m exclusively writing and designing for Dungeons and Dragons. I started about ten years ago writing for D&D Organized Play in a campaign called Living Forgotten Realms. I co-authored two adventures for that with my good friend, Michael Pearman, and authored a third adventure on my own. As you know from tracking me down via AAW Games, I’ve now authored six adventures for them, five of which are already published and one that is still in the works but should be released soon.

When I do manage to find time for video games, Diablo III is my game of choice these days. I’m looking forward to Season 22 starting here shortly, and like many others, I’m really hoping for something great with Diablo IV. I’ve been a huge fan of the series since the beginning, and even wrote an entire campaign for D&D 5E that translated the story of Diablo III into Dungeons and Dragons for the players in my home game! Thanks again for the opportunity to share some of this history. It was fun putting it all down and reliving those days!

C: There are two signatures in the Truck Stop level for Route 66. Do you remember anything about that ? There also several levels with no known credit : Fun Park, House of ill Repute, Mystery Dino Cave, Bigfoot Convention.

The signature on the truck stop is Route 66 was a joke! I was the only designer on that one. I just signed it "Billy Joe Jim Bob Buchalter" as a joke for bad redneck name. I wasn't the kind of guy that had to sign my maps the EXACT same way every time. :)

Other than the truck stop, I don't recall designing any other maps for Route 66. I pretty sure none of those you listed below were mine, but I don't recall whose they were.

Finally, here are some final comments Bill made after reading through some forum posts:

Wow, I am really quite humbled that you guys looked so deeply into my work! The fact that you could recognize my build style is pretty cool - I didn't even know I had a style! LOL. The truth be told, the reason you probably had so much trouble telling my levels from Robert's is because he was a big influence on me. I learned a lot from him and incorporated a lot of that into the stuff I built.

Its funny how reading through that thread you linked brought back memories... I remember now that my biggest disappointment from Duke Caribbean was that my only level in the game ended up being a secret level - that some people wouldn't even find it or ever play it. I was actually pretty excited about that level. I was the one that suggested a casino because my folks had retired to Vegas, so I'd been in a lot of the casinos there and had some great ideas for the map. I'd forgotten all about the restaurant I worked into it, and the big fish tanks.

There seems to be some debate about Robert. From what I remember, he was a really good guy. Maybe a bit tough to work for, but only because he really strived for our designs to be the best they could be, and he demanded that of both himself and the other designers. As I said before, I learned early on to accept criticism and critique and not take it personally. It was just Robert doing his job. I'll be the first to admit that I designed better levels thanks to the stuff I learned from Robert.

Someone on the message board made a very astute comment, basically to the effect that "Bill had to have other work out there. Sunstorm wouldn't hire an unproven guy off the street." But truth be told, that's exactly what they did! I hadn't done a single thing before working there. But I think a few things played in my favor. First, I lived in Indy, just 15 minutes from their office, so it was easy for me to go in and work directly with Robert. Second, while I didn't have anything officially published, I did have a disk full of the maps I'd designed on my own, and Robert thought I showed promise. I would design at home a lot, then go into the office a couple times a week and sit with Robert while he critiqued my work and offered advice on how to improve it.

I'll be honest - I'm blown away at the number of people STILL playing these old maps we made so many years ago. I watched a couple YouTube videos of a guy playing and reviewing Duke Caribbean and Blood Cryptic Passage. His high praise of both Full House and the Opera House really made my day. It's nice to know that people enjoyed my work.

_____________________________

Thanks a lot to Bill Buchalter for taking the time to answer these questions! Thanks also for sharing... “Big City” !

A Duke Nukem 3D map he created back in the day before joining with Sunstorm Interactive which was never released before! Screenshot:

Map download:

https://msdn.duke4.net/bigcity.zip

______

External link: Duke4 forum blog megathread: https://forums.duke4.net/topic/11471-blog-interviews-of-build-engine-video-games-developers/page__pid__353013#entry353013 The forum posts Bill read, mentionned above, can be found here: https://forums.duke4.net/topic/9418-duke-caribbean-multiplayer-levels/

#build #build-engine #blood #duke nukem #redneck-rampage #duke #nukem #duke nukem 3D #video games #route 66 #caribbean life #cryptic passage

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iggy-licious · 4 years

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One Shot: Hotline Connection

Here’s my next Iggy story… Iggy has picked up an interesting gig while he’s between record label deals. It’s veeery explicit, lots of colorful language. Just seemed right for the Ig.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hello, this is Jim… To whom am I speaking, and how can I make you come today?” He chuckles with a deep, throaty laugh.

Toni is elated and more aroused than she’d expected to be. She has finally connected with Jim, the phone sex operator.

Toni's best friend Wendy told her about the hotline. Wendy had flirted with Jim and brought herself to climax at the sound of his voice and his explicit instructions. She swore that it was just as good as her best face-to-face experiences with her lovers. Wendy's glowing review has Toni dying to experience Jim for herself.

Toni has called the hotline over the past few days and has hung up whenever another man answered. She had been getting frustrated, always calling when Jim wasn’t available. Finally hearing his voice is the best news she’s received all week.

“I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m so happy that I've finally connected with you! I'm Toni.”

Wendy is convinced that Jim is actually Iggy Pop, and that has made Toni more curious. If Jim's voice were to sound anything like Iggy's sinfully testosterone-drenched baritone, Toni knew she'd be in trouble. And, Iggy or not, from the few words Jim has spoken so far, she feels headed toward a scorching interaction.

“I love your voice, Toni. What are you in need of to get off?"

She giggles. She had not been prepared for Jim to be so direct. But it does fit for Iggy, she realizes. It’s still in the realm of possibility that it's him.

“I love your voice, too. It's so deep and masculine… What a turn-on… Um, why don’t you tell me what you look like and what you’re wearing?” She downs a second shot of tequila.

Toni hadn't ever called one of these services before she started her quest to speak with Jim. She feels foolish for asking such sleazy questions, but the liquor in her system convinces her that it’s the right thing to do. And, she rationalizes, it's necessary to have a good vision of Jim to get the most out of the fantasy. Besides, Toni needs to know if her friend’s suspicion about Jim's identity is true.

Toni thinks it's exciting to be intimate with a seductive stranger, sight unseen. She waits for Jim's response and realizes she's holding her breath. His description could make or break the interaction.

“Well, I am a little small in the old height department. Some people think I look kind of weird, but there are plenty of girls and guys who have disagreed with that assessment over the years…" He chuckles. "Athletic build, but kinda sleek, like a ballet dancer. Some asshole once said my dancing looked like Nureyev on bad acid." He drops his voice conspiratorially. "I also like to be nude a lot. It just feels right. I’m inside my house and not wearing anything right now." His devilish chuckle returns.

Iggy or not, Toni feels light-headed as she imagines Jim's lean, bare body. Somehow she ekes out an unfazed "Mmm hmm…"

He continues. "I've dyed my hair black. Big, blue eyes. Some people think they're my best feature. And I know you're probably wondering… My winkie is pretty fucking big. Other people think that's my best feature..."

Toni’s heart skips, and her sex jumps for joy. She’s thinking it just might be him. Iggy. The irrepressible Midwestern accent sounds like his and, by his interviews, she knows that Iggy willingly calls his cock a winkie. There are very few grown men who would do that.

"Now, what about you? What do you look like? It's no fun for you to have more information than I do." He complains in a teasing way that makes it easy to envision him pouting in his home.

"I'm African American, a nice golden brown color, shoulder-length hair, brown eyes. Average height. Curves in all the right places…"

“Mmmm… You sound real hot!” he proclaims. “And I've always loved brown girls. Dated and mated with lots of them. So, now that we’ve gotten the preliminaries out of the way, are you ready to play with me?”

“Yes!” Toni responds quickly. “But there’s one thing I need to know…”

“What’s that, doll?”

“Well, ah, this is going to sound stupid, but are you…, uh… Well… My friend chatted with you, and she thinks you’re--”

“--That crazy guy from The Stooges who liked to stage dive and pull his cock out all the time? Guilty.” He drags out the last word and lust surges through Toni’s body.

“Really?”

“Really.” It's another word that wafts slowly from his lips like the smolder of a fresh fire. It’s underscored by a deep, breathy purr, like a big, grizzled lion has been awakened from its slumber with a desperate need to feed.

“A friend suggested that this would be a great way for me to earn money and have a little fun. The music isn't progressing as smoothly as I'd hoped right now, so I thought, why the fuck not, you know?"

“Oh, my goodness! It's a pleasure to talk to you. I'm a big fan.” Toni is freaking out, but she’s also silently thanking her friend for telling her about the hotline and this very special operator. Toni is standing in her bedroom while she talks, but with this news, she has to lie down on the bed.

"I don't tell people unless they ask, and I'd rather be making music, but I couldn't resist when they offered to set me up at home," Iggy explains. "I mean, you're a fan, can you see moi, sitting in some small, fucking cubicle like a good little employee to make some extra bread?" He laughs, and Toni does, too.

"I was hooked with the first call that came in. I won’t say that it makes me feel powerful or anything, you know, but it does feel real good to know there’s still magic in my voice, even when the label execs are being pussies about getting my music out there. And, of course, flirting with horny callers is not a bad time…"

Toni never thought she’d be seduced by a disembodied voice, but that’s what’s happening. Iggy’s baritone resonates in her body like a good concert sound system and stokes need inside of her in the most pleasing way. She gives kudos to herself for her persistence in finding Iggy, and her courage in confirming it’s him.

“How long have you been doing this?” Toni asks.

“It’s been a few months now. I think I might stick with it, even after the tide turns for my music again. I can work from home, talk to all kinds of people, and get them off with my voice. It's like a private concert with each one of you. It fucking rocks! And, like I said, the dress code… Or lack of one… Perfect for me."

Iggy pauses, and in the handful of quiet seconds a series of sensual scenes and sweaty coupling positions flash through Toni’s mind.

“Is there anything else you want to know?” he asks.

"Do you ever get off when you’re doing this?" Toni blames the liquor and her growing wantonness for this question.

"While I'm on the clock?" He feigns offense before he lowers his voice. "A gentleman never reveals his secrets… But since no one would ever dream of calling me a fucking gentleman, why don't you give me your best shot and see what happens, babe?"

Fuck, Toni says to herself. She’d lose her mind if Iggy would interact with her in a real, primal way. She pauses and imagines a wild alpha of a man, urging her to a heated jumbling of bodies. Her breath catches and her body throbs uncontrollably.

"You still there, horny girl? Come out and play…" He sing-songs his comment, and Toni snaps back to the present. She knows the reality will be much better than fantasy, even if the reality is limited to Iggy’s words and the sound of his voice.

"I'm here."

"Good, Toni. It would be a shame if you were to leave without getting what you need from me… Any more questions, doll?"

“Not really,” Toni replies.

“All right…Can I lead a little for our time together? That OK?"

"Very OK."

"Perfect. You know what I want?”

“What’s that?”

“I’m not as hard as I'd like to be for you. I need to kiss you,” he purrs. “My hands are on your face, pulling you closer to me… Mmm… Your lips are real soft, just like I like ‘em… Can I put my tongue between your lips?”

“Please…” Toni sighs and makes herself comfortable on her bed after having another tequila shot. The floral pattern of the bedroom’s wallpaper begins to recede from her view as her lust leads her to tunnel vision--it's just her body, the phone, and the sexy musician on the other end of the line.

“That’s it… You’re so willing… So welcoming… Do you like how it feels?”

“Oh, yes… Oh, Ig… Jim… uh…”

“You can call me Iggy if it’s more fun that way. Whatever works for you, no big deal. Now, do you like how my tongue feels in your mouth?”

“Yes, Iggy… Mmm…”

“I should let you know that it's pretty fucking long, too. I'm very comfortable using it. Anywhere you want."

"Anywhere?"

"Any-fucking-where," he rumbles.

This proclamation causes Toni’s body to tingle. It's only just begun, and she wonders if she can last until the end.

"Let's talk about your lovely tits… I bet your nipples are real hard right now. Am I right?" He breaks Toni out of her lusty thoughts. "Feel ‘em for me.”

Toni takes off her shirt and bra, and brushes her fingers over her nipples. “Yes, Iggy. So hard. And, um…” She places a hand down her leggings. “I’m very wet, too. I just checked.”

“Fuck, you read my mind… Now, tell me, do you like touching yourself in that way?”

She pulls off her leggings. Her skin feels cool against the comforter as she writhes to the scene that Iggy is creating. She needs release and begins to take care of herself.

“It’s so good, Iggy… I'm thinking of you, and…" Her thought is interrupted by an irrepressible moan.

“Mmm… I can’t wait to get to your pussy… You'll get your chance to imagine me doing it, but right now I want to kiss you some more.”

“Are you a good kisser, Iggy?”

“I’ve been told so, yeah… It's something I enjoy. It can be almost as good as sex with the right girl. Almost.”

Toni’s feeling flushed as she imagines her mouth locked with Iggy’s, imagines clutching the back of his head through the sheaf of his soft hair, imagines the pleasurable recklessness of his tongue. Iggy seems to never do anything half-heartedly, so she knows it would be a sublime experience.

“Oh! Naughty, naughty… Your tongue is chasing mine. Fuck, such a great kisser… I'm going to keep doing this for a while, while I let my hands do whatever they want to you… ”

"Yes," Toni barely breathes out.

"Your skin is so soft… Mmmmm… Fuck, what a hot body you have… You're a real sexy girl…"

"You're so hot yourself, Iggy… You have such a beautiful, strong body... I'm touching you everywhere now…" Toni thinks about the muscular terrain of his torso, and she throbs inside more and more insistently. She answers her body’s call with an expert hand in her wetness.

"Mmmmm… Let's lie down on my bed… I’m on top of you, licking those hard nipples. My, my, my, your moans, doll… I know it feels fucking good to you…"

"So good, Iggy… I'm kissing your neck… Oh! I have to clutch your back. I'm holding on, but I'm going to need you soon, need you inside of me…"

“Mmmmm… I'm afraid I'm going to make you wait a little longer… I'm nice and hard now, but I still need to explore your pussy, you know? Speaking of, I've got a couple of fingers inside of you… Fuck, you are really wet… Now I'm working your clit over… Oh… Need to taste your pussy, dear Toni… I can't help it…"

Iggy's breath comes shallow and rapidly. A soft growl escapes his lips.

"Iggy, are you…"

"Yesss… He hisses through his teeth. "I feel so connected to you. I can't stop thinking of you and what I would do if I was really there..."

The admission is music to Toni’s ears. She imagines him stroking his large shaft and getting into a groove with one hand on his cock and the other on the phone. She continues to pleasure herself, reveling in the intensity of sensation but wishing he was really face-down at her entrance.

"I'm so glad you're joining me, Mr. Pop. We'll have so much fun together…"

"Uhhhh… I think so, too, Toni… You smell real good, and your pussy tastes so fucking good, too… Fuck… So wet..."

"Keep going, Iggy… I'm holding you there… I'm grinding into your face…"

"I'm lapping at your clit… Sucking on it. And I don't have to ask, I know by your moans that you like it."

"Yes, Iggy!" Toni’s fingers dance across her wet, sensitive skin and settle on stoking electric fire through her clit. Her hips buck at her ministrations.

"I wanted to make you come from eating you out, but I can't wait… Maybe some other time?"

"I'd love that. I know I'll be calling back again." Toni’s chuckle is husky with lust.

"Mmmmm… I'm glad to hear it. It's a date, then…" He inhales sharply and a tortured exhale staggers out of his mouth.” Then his voice drops to a murmur. "I need to stick my cock deep inside of you. OK, if I do that now?"

"Yes! Fuck, yes, I need it!"

"Uh…" Iggy exhales another ragged breath. "Do you feel it?"

"Yes! Shit! You’re huge…" Toni knows that Iggy has exposed himself at many performances over the years, and she has heard about how shockingly endowed he is. She’s fantasized about him entering her before, and she can't believe she’s one step closer to that, even if it's a fantasy.

"In that case, let me take it slow. I’ve got nothing but time. Mmmmm, such a tight pussy, Toni… I could stay here for hours."

Toni wails at the thought of him settling in for a marathon of fucking. "That's fine by me, Iggy…" She imagines he has relentless stamina, being as fit as he is. And she imagines he would know how to keep her wet in any way that would keep the sex going, probably in ways that would be new to her. Iggy is a machine onstage, and she’s convinced that he's also a machine in bed.

“I’m grinding into you… Nice grip you have on my ass, doll.”

“I can’t help myself, Iggy… I need every last inch of you.”

“Trust me, that's not a complaint…” His breathing gets more ragged. “Mmmmm… Fuck a phone date, I wish you were here right now… I’m in NYC. Would you come see me sometime if I sent you a ticket?” He utters a long, guttural moan.

“Do you say that to all the callers, Iggy?”

“Only the callers that make me feel this fucking good, and it’s a short list, doll. Just you. And that’s the truth.”

“It would be my pleasure.”

“Yours and mine both, Toni. That’s a guarantee.”

With that, Toni’s fantasy becomes more real, as real as it can be until they’re skin to skin. She inserts a couple of fingers inside of herself. She knows it isn't anywhere close to how Iggy would feel, but it will have to do.

“Jim! Yes! Shit!” It feels right to use his real name, now that this is becoming something more than a simple transaction.

Toni fucks herself a little more quickly. She’s soaked at her core, and so sensitive there. Seconds from paradise. She can feel it. She needs it. She can’t stop now.

“Toni. Toni. Toni…” His breathy worship sounds like an incantation of a fearsome, powerful spell. “I’m so close… So fucking close…” He moans in a way that’s no simulation for a pay-by-the-minute interaction.

“Me too, Jim." She imagines him, eyes wide, mouth agape, his hair plastered to his face and neck from his sweat as his thrusts become punishing. The image, and his shallow breathing on the other end of the phone are all she needs. An overwhelming climax wracks her body and soaks her sheets as her satisfied wail fills her room.

"Mmmm… I’m glad you had a good time. What a beautiful sound, Toni… I'm imagining you flushed, on your back, legs still spread, maybe shaking a little… Your tits moving up and down with your breath… Ohhhhh…"

"You made me feel so good, Jim. Are you ready to come?"

"Yessss… Almost… Fuuuuck…"

"Are you ready?"

"Yes! Oh… Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!!! Jim shouts the last interjection before he exhales an exhilarated groan.

He is silent for a moment, except for the sound of his breathing gradually becoming more gentle. "That was a hell of a nut, Toni. Fuck! Fuck, Toni!" He laughs in disbelief.

"You made me feel the exact same way, Jim… My friend Wendy was right, you are the best."

"Ah! Thank you, babe. It's sexy girls like you who make this gig all worthwhile. Listen… I know you'll be hanging up soon… That wasn't a cheap line earlier, OK? Let's exchange numbers. I wasn't being a flirty rock asshole when I said I wanted to see you. I mean it. You got a pen handy?"

Jim and Toni exchange numbers and some more pleasantries while they gather their composure and make plans to meet.

"Well, OK, doll, the lights are flashing wildly on my batphone… Other callers coming in. Call me anytime before you hop on that plane in a few weeks. But do yourself a favor? Make it that private number I gave you. I need another date with you. No more waiting in line with the common callers."

"Sounds good, Jim. I’ll call again soon. I can't wait until we chat again. Bye!"

"Bye, Toni."

Toni hangs up before Iggy does. She takes one more shot of tequila and prepares to get on the phone again, to tell Wendy about her unbelievable call.

#iggy pop #the stooges #classic rock #punk #punk rock #garage rock #protopunk #one shot #fanfic #fan fiction #short story #short fiction

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slightly-nerdy-rambles · 4 years

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Robstar Week Day 4: Real Magic (Prompt: Fantasy AU)

Hoo boy, I was excited when I saw this prompt. Fantasy is my jam, and it’s a fun experiment to imagine what characters would be like in various AUs. My first instinct was to go for the classic swords and sorcery concept (it’s one I’ve played around a bit with before), but then I realized there was no real limit on what kind of fantasy AU we had to do, and was suddenly struck with the urge to do urban fantasy monster hunters. It was an interesting challenge – giving readers a clear enough look at how this world works while still finding time to make things mushy in the course of a prompt oneshot. Enjoy!

Real Magic

The dim blue glow of his computer screen washed over Dick’s face as he leaned forward, poring over the case files for the umpteenth time that day. He rubbed his eyes, took another swig of long-cooled coffee, and then squinted at the screen, searching for some subtle pattern he may have missed before.

He was finally pulled from his thoughts by a sound of heavy, yet surprisingly gentle buzzing. He looked up to the source: a faintly luminous young woman, who at that moment was touching down beside his desk and folding gossamer wings behind her.

Many would have found themselves caught up just looking at the faerie, entranced by her ethereal beauty. Dick would know – he’d seen it happen several times, and loathe as he was to admit it, even he sometimes felt a twinge of her mystical pull. A distraction, that was all it was.

Now, though, his only reaction was a half-smile and a friendly nod. “Need anything, Kori?”

Koriand’r was one of his comrades and closest friends in the Titans, a modern-day monster hunting team commissioned by local law enforcement to deal with dangerous cases of a supernatural nature. The Titans were a particularly diverse group – Dick was the only one without some personal tie to the supernatural, and alongside the literal faerie, the team included a sorceress, an enchanter and a werebeast.

Kori leaned over his desk, brows furrowed as she reviewed the screen. “You have been studying that for a very long time,” she said. “Did we not already apprehend the culprit? Is there something we missed?”

The ‘culprit’ in question was a vampire who’d been responsible for a rash of attacks in the past week. Dick sat back and rubbed under his eyes.

“That’s what I’m trying to find out,” he admitted. “This kid looks like he came out of nowhere. Just starts running around, leaving people half-dead from blood loss… I think he was either just turned and couldn’t handle it, or someone lured him here specifically to wreak havoc.”

His partner frowned doubtfully. “Those are certainly options, but I fail to see why they are the only ones... Or how staring at the reports of his attacks will help you determine so. Can you not ask him in interrogation?”

“Not tonight. I’m just looking for any possible patterns that might lead us to a sire or… whoever could have set this up,” he said, trying to keep his voice light. “You know, specific targets, locations that might be significant…”

But Kori had already seen through his deflections, as he saw when she narrowed her eyes at him. “You mean you are looking for a chance Slade was involved in this.”

Dick winced. He had a… complicated history with the elder vampire who called himself Slade, and his teammates knew this wasn’t the first time he’d let it color his view of other cases. Still, he schooled himself into a hard expression and didn’t back down.

“Yes, Slade is one possibility. You can’t deny that it would fit his profile. I’m not going to let a possible lead get away from me.”

Kori sighed and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I know we must catch him, and we will. But wearing yourself out searching for clues you cannot guarantee are there though methods that will tell you very little is not the way to do it. You must take care of yourself, Robin.”

Dick let his gaze drop. “You know you don’t have to call me that off the field,” he muttered in a weak attempt to change the topic. “Those names are just to keep dangerous fey from using our true names against us.”

Kori leaned down until she was in his field of view again. She had a warning look on her face, but he caught the hint of a teasing smile.

“And I am not a dangerous fae?” she challenged him.

Dick couldn’t help but smirk. “Fair enough, Star.”

Kori’s expression softened. “You need to take a break from this.” She stood up straight and took his hand, pulling him up with a strength that belied her delicate appearance.

Dick let her, if a little reluctantly, and together they made their way out past their other teammates who were wrapping up for the evening. Vic was meticulously polishing his custom enchanted armor, but he paused when he looked up to greet them.

“I can’t believe it. You actually got him away from that computer,” he said with a smirk. Dick tried to ignore him, but what he couldn’t ignore was his own increasing awareness of Kori’s fingers still curled lightly around his own. It was… nice.

No, that’s just because she’s a faerie, he told himself. And that’s not fair to either of us.

He never could understand why she was so distracting, when he had such a good handle on dealing with other fae.

Unfortunately – and predictably – Vic noticed too, and elbowed Gar none-too-subtly to bring it to his attention as well. Gar quickly joined in, shooting Dick a wolfish grin as he passed.

“Where ya headed?” he asked innocently. “Are we allowed to come with, or is this personal?”

Kori paused in the doorway, confusion evident in her face. “Do you wish to join us? I fail to see why you could not.”

Dick just rolled his eyes and pulled her outside. “Ignore him, Kor. It’s just a juvenile attempt at teasing,” he said dryly.

It was darker outside than he’d expected, and he was privately thankful that Kori had dragged him away from his work when she did. She cast him a skeptical glance – doubtless puzzled by the antics of her mortal friends – but then her expression softened and she swung around to take his other hand.

“I believe what you need is a new perspective,” she said. “You are troubled, and if you remain in that troubled state for too long then it will hamper your investigations as much as your mood. I wish to bring you to a place that allows me to relax and reflect. I believe it will do the same for you.”

Dick smiled. “Yeah? And where’s that?”

As he spoke, he turned his gaze to the side – and stopped. While he’d been focused on Koriand’r’s face and words, she had brought them into the Faerealm without him realizing. He could see the results of the subtle influences the physical and fae worlds had on each other: a small hill with a sort of burrow in the side stood where the Titans headquarters had been a moment ago, and massive boulders covered in glowing moss seemed to take up the rough positions of most other buildings. The pink-and-purple sky overhead held a perpetual twilight, and in the distance, he could see towering trees that marked where a small forest could be found in his own realm.

It had hardly been Dick’s first time in the Faerealm, considering his occupation, but the nature of his usual visits meant he rarely got to take in the sights. He turned back to Kori and gave her a little lopsided grin, shaking his head. “Okay, you got me. I should have seen this coming.”

Kori wore an innocent little smile as she replied, “It is good to know I can still surprise you. Now, it is not very far to where we are going, but I will need to fly you part of the way. Is that all right?”

It was, of course. A short flight brought the two of them over the misty bay, to one of several small rocky islands that dotted the water. Tiny glowing lizards and shy coastal spirits scampered out of the way as they touched down, and strangely glimmering water lapped gently at the shore. Without fanfare, Kori plopped herself down on the moss-covered ground and looked out over the water, sighing quietly to herself.

As Dick sat beside her, he watched her from the corner of his eye. She seemed to… fit in this quiet and beautiful place, and not just for the obvious reasons. In a metaphorical sense, her presence always lit up Titans headquarters on the stressful or boring days, and she brought hope to the scene whenever they faced off some mad wizard or ornery ghost. Her veins ran thick with literal magic, of course, but that intangible sense of joy and spirit – what his father had always called “real” magic, in days long gone – shone even brighter than her natural aura.

It was then that he realized what he truly saw in her. It was not her beauty, mesmerizing him with its subtle pull or even piquing more than a reasonable amount of mundane attraction. And it was not that she could do something like this, hopping back and forth between realms and flitting over obstacles and conjuring powerful light magic with ease. Those were just excuses, reasons he could use to justify ignoring or fighting how he felt.

It was that she would do this, that she’d leave her world behind to experience and aid another, and that she’d take the time and effort to bring someone like him back to her special spot just to get his mind away from stress. It was that she wondered, and that she cared, and that she put her beauty into whatever she set her heart to.

Koriand’r caught his gaze, and he realized belatedly that it had not been as subtle as he’d thought. With a small twitch of her wings, she leaned forward on folded legs. “What is it?”

Dick felt heat prickle on the back of his neck, and he cleared his throat and faced forward again. “It’s… it’s nothing. Just lost in thought, I guess.”

It doesn’t matter. This is unprofessional, he chided himself. She’s your teammate, and your friend, and…

But even as the old arguments instinctively gave way to new ones, he could not help but thrill at the intimacy of their private moment.

#Teen Titans #Robin #Starfire #robstar #robstarweek #writing #prompt #fanfiction #AU #Dick is so deep in denial here #oh noooo now I want to make this universe into a series too

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surveys-at-your-service · 5 years

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Survey #215

i’m not dead yet, just not into surveys very much lately.

What is your favorite dinosaur? Spinosaurus. <3 Would you rather live with wolves or tigers? Hypothetically, if I wouldn't be harmed, wolves. I love social species. Have you ever forgotten what a certain kind of pain felt like? Getting my nose re-pierced like fuck man. What do you remember the most about your childhood? I think the strongest memory is my parents not getting along. Or the stories I made playing with my favorite toys. Would you rather have a pet dinosaur or have mythical creatures be real? Have mythical creatures exist. I want a tame, little dragon. Do you have a favorite toy from childhood still? Astonishingly, no. I was incredibly surprised to find out I got rid of them at some point when I wanted to add the crocodile to my room as a cute decoration and memory. What are your thoughts on the end of the world? *shrug* Not like we can do anything about it, unless you count our own carelessness as a selfish species, but that won't actually end the "world," just mankind. Which sports do you enjoy watching? Dance. Would you ever have a breed of dog that is considered aggressive? I don't want another dog, but hypothetically, yes, because no species is inherently mean. It all depends on how the owner raises it. Have you ever made bread? No. Would your childhood self be disappointed? FUCK YES SHE WOULD BE. God, the thought is depressing. Has anything ever fallen asleep on you? Animals and my niece. Would you like to live in a realm where the zombie apocalypse is possible? Is it too far into imagination to say it's possible in the one we're already in? You have zombie viruses in things like bugs, so in time, something developing that can affect humans isn't out of the question. But anyway, anyone who answers "yes" to this, as in they'd like it, are full of shit. Most of us would die in a heartbeat. You'd witness others that you love die. Every day you question if you'll see the next. The zombie apocalypse has been so romanticized in many forms of media, but please, tell me you'll still be having fun when you watch your mother be eaten or some shit. Have you ever gotten into an accident with you parents’ car? No. What’s the wallpaper on your computer? A meerkat pup looking close up to the camera. What was the most difficult decision you’ve ever had to make? Deciding Jason couldn't be my entire world anymore and I had to let go. Name a band/artist you like that isn’t that popular. There's a YouTube artist named Jonathan Young that I MARVEL over the fact he's not signed with someone. My mom didn't even believe he wasn't professional the first time I played some songs in the car. Can you lift your significant other (your best friend if you’re single)? I'm certain I could. What is the first vehicle you recall your parents/guardians owning? A greenish-blue van. What was the most rebellious thing you’ve ever done? I don't know. I'm not really that rebellious. Pick one: Laundry, Dishes, or Vacuuming? I actually don't mind vacuuming. Have you ever moved and had to change schools growing up? No. Name the most meaningful thing a non-relative has done for you. When my former best friend let me live with her while we were homeless. Memories like that sometimes make me question my decision to cut her off permanently... though I remind myself the bad outweighed the good and our relationship was just never going to be stable. The highway and back roads take you to the same place; Choose your route. Depends on what's quicker to save gas. Are you more likely to give up or persist when you’re having trouble? It depends on the situation. Tbh I think I give up more often. Do you resemble one parent more than the other? I don't think so. Your best friend needs a kidney to survive; Do you give them one of yours? That's my girlfriend. So duh. Name a big life event that has taken place for you within the last 2 years. I physically met Sara. Do you end up regretting things you say often? I don't know about often. Name one thing you look forward to as you get older. Hopefully being financially stable. Do you use your hands when you talk to emphasize what you are saying? Yeah. You own a huge business; what is it? I can't even imagine myself owning a "huge" business. Are you afraid to ask for help when you know that you need it? Sometimes. Depends on who I'm asking. Name somebody you think died before their time. A LOT OF PEOPLE. I think above all of my options, Steve Irwin. Fucking saint, teacher, and pilot of conservation and loving our fellow animals. Name the possession you’ve had the longest. I have a lot of infancy stuffed animals up in the attic. You’re writing a novel; Is it horror, mystery, romance, etc.? Fantasy. Would you consider yourself an interesting person in general? I guess. I know I'm at least different. Have you ever gotten in trouble for running up your phone bill? No. When is the next time you’ll change your hairstyle? Will you color it? I don't plan on changing the style any time soon. Hopefully at some point soon I can get to the damn hair salon and get it dyed lilac, though. But it'll be expensive for a pro to do it (I'm very much so done with anyone less trying to do so, as it always fails), so that's something I don't think will come soon. It's not high on my priorities. Who was the last person to see you cry? Is this person special? I'm sure it was my mom. Probably. Of course she is. What season would you like the world to experience year-round? Autumn. When was the last time you took a picture of something? Was it yourself? Lmao it was of something funny on Facebook that I texted to Sara a few days ago. Are you currently drifting away from anyone? Who is it? No. Would you say you are really close to the members of your family? Most, no. I barely see anyone outside my immediate fam. Is there anyone who lives in the same house as you, that you can’t stand? The stupid dog. Do you remember the first conversation you had with the person you have feelings for? No, but it was likely RP-related. Think of the last person you kissed, when was the first time you talked to them on the phone? She knows I hate talking over the phone, so we use Skype to talk. I think the first time I called her via phone though was when I was having an emotional breakdown. What does your phone do when you get a new message? It makes the sound from Spyro when you pick up gems if it's not on vibrate, and when the screen goes black, a green light blinks. Do you automatically check your phone when you wake up? Yes, for the time. Who was the last person you were in a car with? Mom. Do you party too much? I never did. Who were you last on the phone with? I answered a number I didn't recognize, and it wound up being some bullshit about my car warranty or something when I don't even have a car. I just hung up the moment I knew what it was. Last movie you watched? The Lion King live action remake. Incredible. If you had to get a piercing (not ears), what would you get? Fuck, I want collarbone dermals so badly. Do you like holding hands? With Sara. Have you ever seen the last person you texted naked? Yes. What are you listening to? "Third Day of a Seven Day Binge" by Manson is on rn. Do your parents allow you to date? I'm 23. They never really restricted me from it. Then again, I started dating in the 7th grade, so I was older than most first couples. Have you ever had a serious conversation with your dad? Yes. Would you rather have long or short hair? I could not be happier than I have short hair now. It's so much easier to manage, and it really did me well chopping it all off considering my bad self-care episodes. I recommend it soooo much to anyone struggling with that. Do you want to have children? Big No. Do you think you’ll have the same boyfriend/girlfriend a year from now? Realistically, yes. How old were you when you stopped sleeping with a nightlight? I don't know. What topic did you write your last essay about? This awful book "Masters of Doom" or whatever I had to read in game design in college, I think. Whose car did you ride in last other than yours? Dad's. What was the last clothing article you purchased? Some pants. Who was the last person that made you cry [accidentally or on purpose]? Probably myself. Is there construction going on in/near your neighborhood? No. Who did you go/plan on going with to prom? I went to Jason's senior prom and he came to mine. What language[s] did you study in school? Latin for one awful semester, then German for four. I miss German, honestly. Have you ever been to a debate and speech tournament? Hell no, that sounds so boring. Choose two dead celebs who could be your biological parents - explain why? Steve Irwin for my incredible love of animals and uh... I'm not sure about a mom? I thought about this for like two minutes and really don't know lmao. If you were living in the past, which job that doesn’t exist anymore would you like to have? No idea. Which animal are you afraid of? Most afraid of, probably some spiders, like huntsmen spiders. I'm afraid of most spiders in general (if they're near me or in my house, anyway), I cannot stand maggots and larvae of that sort, and whale sharks freak me out. AND WASPS. FUCK WASPS. How would your wedding bouquet look like? *shrugs* It would probably depend on the wedding theme. What kind of game would you like to play that doesn’t exist yet? I can't even swallow how unbelievable Shadow of the Colossus would be in VR. What is one thing you would never ever eat? Escargot. Is there a music video that you would like to see turned into a movie or a TV show? Which one? *shrugs* Which character in your favorite movie do you hate the most? It's impossible to hate any from TLK. How do you think the world will end? A meteor striking, or a deadly volcano going boom. Either way, it's gonna be smoke shrouding the sun. Do you own anything clown related? No. If you were a celebrity - which celebs you would befriend? Y'all done know one, but I think the celeb I would connect to most and most easily befriend would be Shane Dawson. He is such a goddamn sweetheart, chill as fuck, and #relatable. There's really a lot... All YT-related lmao. Except Bindi Irwin. Damn, would I love to meet her. If you were going to make a horror movie that you would be scared of yourself, what would it be about/how would it look like? I can't handle those movies about women being raped and impregnated by a demon and shit. I can't. Fuck The Rite. If you could take a pill that would cure something in you that isn’t an illness - what would you be cured off? How ungodly shy and awkward I am. Ew. Do you like Rihanna? I don't know most of her music, but I don't enjoy most pop, so. Have you ever experienced hydroplaning? Not severely, anyway, and not while I was driving. What’s your opinion on the legalization of weed? Legalize it medicinally. What’s your current favorite song? Man idk. Have you ever hit a girl? I hit my sister once as a kid. What was your New Year's resolution? I don't make them. Do you find Eminem attractive? Not particularly. Are you wearing nail polish? I never do. Have you ever been/considered being vegetarian? I was for a couple months and definitely plan on going back to it once I get to the weight I want... if that ever fucking happens. What’s the last concert you went to? Alice Cooper. Do you own a cat? Yes. :') He's my best buddy. Do you like cats? I love cats. Do you like watching music videos? No. How are your grades? I'm not back in school yet. But SOON. Do you listen to Aerosmith? YO "Love In An Elevator" just finished on my iTunes. I love them. Have you climbed a tree in the past month? I never have. Were you ugly in middle school? Jfc save that child. What’s your type? CHARISMATIC. Stand out, man, and be proud of it. Having a smart head isimportant, too. Having a loving heart. Have a good sense of humor. Don't judge. Do you sleep with one of those mask things on your face? No. Have you ever straightened your hair? Yes. What kind of calculator do you use? The one on my phone or laptop. Have you ever seriously tried to count the stars? Lol no. Did you see the lunar eclipse? I'm guessing you're talking about the biggie from early this year? Yes. It was incredible. Do you have a bank account? No. Did you go on vacation last summer? What's a "vacation?" Where to? N/A Have you ever been in a choir? At church as a kid as well as elementary school. Are you happy with your looks? No. Have you ever gone streaking? You couldn't have paid me to do so even when I was in great shape. Are any of your siblings married? Yes. Were you in the wedding party? Yes. Have you ever seen a ghost? I've sure as hell seen something. Do you even believe in ghosts? I absolutely do. Have you ever had an eating disorder? Thank God no. What big corporation(s) do you support, particularly because you like what they stand for (many vegan items, donate large amount of money to charities, pay their workers a living wage, etc)? I'm really not educated on the morals behind most businesses. Oh, I do know Jeffree Star's products are entirely vegan and cruelty-free though, so his company definitely is one. If you wear foundation or have in the past, what type of applicator do you use (beauty sponge, foundation brush, fingers, etc)? Is there a type of applicator that doesn’t work for you? I've always just used my hands because we don't have anything else for foundation, I think. For those of you that do listen/watch ASMR videos, what are your favorite “triggers”? If you don’t watch ASMR, what are your thoughts on the whole phenomenon that seemed to happen the past couple years over it? I don't listen to it, but I don't care if others do. It doesn't do anything for me. I personally find the talking ones super uncomfortable, but if someone likes that, whatever. Are there any true crime cases that bother you immensely because of the story or verdict of the court case (ex. OJ Simpson)? I know there're some I've seen on Facebook and such. Do you use store loyalty programs? If you don’t use them, what is your reasoning behind that? What store loyalty programs do you feel offer the best incentives, regardless if you aren’t a member of them? I think I am for Hot Topic? I know I have a card for there. I think Sam's Club is a great place to have membership; that place has some damn deals. Mom used to be one, as well as an employee, and that shit was great. When it comes to skincare, what product could you not go without over the other ones? Where are you most likely to shop for your skincare needs? I could go without any, save of course for a wet washcloth. If I get something for skincare, it's just gonna be at Wal-Mart. Regardless if you aren’t someone who hoards or keeps stuff for a long time, what is one (type of) item that you have a hard time getting rid of? STUFFED ANIMALS. FUCKING CHRIST. If you eat meat, what is at least one vegan item (not necessarily a banana) that you like or would like trying (such as trying a soy ham substitute)? If you don’t eat meat, what is one meat item that you like and understand why people eat it? I have no idea. Being vegan just sounds... gah. I couldn't imagine. Major respect for vegans, man. What is a food that is always better homemade? How about a food that is always better at a restaurant? I don't know about the homemade one. Maybe like... cobblers? Meanwhile, steaks tend to be better at restaurants, I've found. If you watched teen dramas growing up (such as 90210 or One Tree Hill), which one was your favorite or you liked the best? If you watched family sitcoms growing up (such as Full House or The Fresh Prince), which one was your favorite or liked the best? I'm not sure if I watched teen dramas. For family sitcoms, ummm... I loooooooooooved/still love The Nanny. I like the two mentioned as well. What is a tradition either within your country or family that you feel is not needed or could in fact even be bad (ex. using paper plates for every party, eating hot dogs every weekend during the summer, etc)? Getting drunk as a motherfucker on New Year's Eve. Is there something you said you wouldn’t do, but in the end you did it? Yeah, a few things. Are you originally an American, or are you some other kind of nationality? I'm just American, save for like, if ancestry is involved. Then I originate from Europe. Do you sometimes pretend to do things you don't know how to do? No? What was the last compliment you remember someone gave to you? Who was it? Hm, I don't know. Have you ever had one of those pregnancy scares? When did this take place? Two completely unrealistic ones in high school. Are you someone who puts ranch dressing on everything you eat? No. Have you ever personally been friends with a stripper or prostitute? Not to my knowledge. What, to you, is the best way a guy can smell? Give examples? I personally like gentle colognes. How many times a day, on average, do you think critically about something? Twice or so. Are you someone who speaks their mind, or do you hold it all in? It depends. Where do you work at this moment in time? Does this place have insurance? I don't currently work bc I can't be a functioning adult in a work environment without collapsing into panic attacks. :^) If you have tattoos, which one that you have was the most painful? The inside of my forearm. Are you currently in the process of ‘bettering’ yourself as a person? I'm trying to grow more independent. What is something you tend to not be able to stand in the least bit at all? Anti-LGBT bullshit. OH BOY, or anti-vax insanity. Do not even interact with me if you're a "vaccines cause autism" imbecile. Does it make you angry when people complain an excessive amount around you? If it's over stupid shit or an issue you brought about yourself, then yes. At what age did you actually hit puberty? Was it hard for you to handle? I don't remember, and yes, it was. I remember crying outside the day I got my first period because I realized I wasn't a kid anymore. Are you considered a graceful person or are you more clumsy? I'm the clumsiest fuck you'll meet in your entire life. Have you ever sucked in helium? Did your voice change at all? No. Do you know any girls who have an overly manly voice and features? Girls can't be "overly manly," just as men can't be "overly feminine." Do you play any sports? If so, did you meet new friends that way? I did, and yes. Do people ever make fun of you for something you really can't help? No. Do you have any pets who will bite anyone else out there, besides you? No. Have you ever tried chocolate chip waffles? Are they now your favorite? Yes; no. What company are you signed up for car insurance, if any at all? N/A Are you someone who really likes to cook? What’s your favorite meal? No. Are you the candle lighting type? I prefer incense. Is your ex sexually attractive to you still? If he looks anything like he did, yeah. But I haven't even seen a picture of him in forever. Coffee in the morning, yay or nay? Don't like coffee. Do you ever drink your coffee black? N/A Body waxing, yay or nay? Ow, I would never do it. Honeymoon, where? I'd love the pink beaches of the Bahamas... but fuck Bermuda's Triangle, my conspiracy theory ass ain't going near that shit lmao. The black beach in I think... Scotland or whatever will do. Anal sex, yay or nay? Never tried, never will. The concept just really grosses me out. Has anyone ever written on you? Probably. Have you ever dated a fat person? I'd prefer the term "overweight," but w/e, once or twice depending on if you count one relationship as "dating." How many foreign friends do you have? In which countries do they live? Quite a few, having been on the Internet so long... I've got some in Europe and one in Australia. How long have you known the oldest friend you have? "Old" as in who I've had the longest? Since I was ten, I think. If you include my "real" friends. What’s the most interesting story you’ve never told anybody? Good question. When’s the last time you went to a bookstore? What did you buy? Last year when we were threatened by a really bad hurricane. I got The Fault In Our Stars and only read like... ten pages lmao. It wasn't because the book was bad, I just don't read anymore. What’s the most complicated meal you’ve cooked? Hunty I can't cook. I've cooked scrambled eggs and spaghetti like once lmao. What is truly attractive to you? Wisdom, for one. Have you ever come up with your own game? As a kid, yeah. What is something you value a lot in your life? The fact I have my mom in my life hit me first. I. Don't know where the fuck I'd be in life right now if my mom wasn't here with me. Whose hand did you hold last? Sara's. What was the last thing you planted? Oh boy, I have no idea. Oh wait, years ago I grew habaneros only to find out non-pickled ones are fucking gross. What or who was the last thing you gossiped about? I have no clue. I don't really do that. Did anything exciting happen just before you went to sleep last night? Well, my cat literally peed on Mom. That was "exciting." When’s the last time you helped a senior citizen somehow? I don't know. What’s the most selfless act you have done? Man, a lot of "I don't know" in this one. You see a spider web in the corner of your room. What do you do? I'm finding that guy or moving. Have you ever intentionally fed a house spider? No. How do you like your favorite beverage? Cold. What’s your big family secret? We don't have one. Do you answer the phones at your work? I don't have a job. Have you ever given up on someone and then went back to them? Many, many times with my former best friend. Did you wake up in the middle of the night last night? I do every single night, and it sucks ass. What shows do you watch? None. Have you ever broken someone’s heart? I don't know. Has anyone ever told you that you have pretty eyes? Yeah. When’s the last time you had a headache? I think I had a mild one a few days ago? I don't remember. My days are sooo blurred together. Do you know anyone who has been arrested? Yes. Think back to the last person you kissed, how many times have you laughed with them? A whole lot. Have you ever suspected anyone of cheating of on you? Yeah, because of his ex and a believable lie. It was ultimately a good thing that that was what immediately turned me away though, as I don't want to imagine how a long-term relationship with him would've gone, honestly. Who was the last person you kissed? Sara. Do you still talk to the person who hurt you the most in life? No. Who’s the last person you sent a friend request to? I've no clue. I don't really send requests because I don't know more friends on there. Is anyone in your family a criminal? Not by blood. Who was the last person you told to shut up? I don't recall; I don't tell people to shut up, generally. I haven't had a confrontation in a long time, besides the occasional arguments with my mom, and I wouldn't tell her to shut up. What was the last thing you lied to your mother about? I don't remember. Have you ever been in an abusive relationship? No. Name a song that reminds you of a past relationship: I could name 50 that remind me of Jason and myself if I cared enough to. Do you think anyone hates you? One person probably does, at least. What do you think your last ex would say about you? I don't know, but probably something nice. He's my closest friend irl. Do you still talk to the first person you fell in love with? No. Do you still want the last person that hurt you to have a happy life? Yeah. Have you ever had a crush on any of your teachers? No. I, along with like every girl in class, found a former band teacher attractive, but I definitely didn't have an actual crush on the dude. Thank God considering he was eventually fired for relations with a student. Why did your last relationship end? I learned I didn't like him romantically, and also because I discovered I liked Sara instead. How long did it take you to get over your last heartbreak? A year and a half. And that's just when I started moving on. Do you know anyone that looks up to you? I doubt it. Which one of your friends is always serious? I don't think any qualify for that. Are there any people in your life that you wish you never met? Yeah. Do people think you’re a bad person? Probably someone. Do they also think that you’re a slut? I don't see how a single person could think that. Are you with the last person you kissed? Yes. Have you ever been punched? No. How many people do you know that have been to jail? Multiple. Three off the very top of my head. Do you know anyone that sells drugs? I don't think so? Do you know anyone that does drugs? Yes. Do you care about what’s happening in other countries? Well yeah. I care about the world being a good, safe place. Do you think you have a pretty good reputation? I guess, at least as far as being a decent person goes. Meanwhile, I'm sure my rep as being a proper adult and such is shit. Where do you see yourself in 25 years? I don't want to think of that. You’re at a bar, you witness a man drugging some girls drink. What do you do? I'm not even REMOTELY kidding, I'm knocking the fucker OUT, calling the cops, and of course telling the girl. Fuck that guy getting out of that without a black eye. Who is more attractive, someone who is edgy or preppy? I could never, ever be attracted to a preppy person, so guess. I wouldn't want an excessively edgy person either, but I'm NOT into the preppy jazz. Short term dating, or long relationship? I've always been about long-term relationships. Kids? How many? Why? Names? Boy or girl? *Bugs Bunny "no" meme* Ever play that game MASHO?? "I’ve played MASH. I don’t know if MASHO is similar or something different entirely." <<< Same. A sad child, skinny and underfed, approaches you. What do you do? Obviously ask them what's up if they approach me, and from there, it would depend on what they tell me. I'd most likely call the cops first about a child like that because I wouldn't know the appropriate place to actually call; if the kid is underfed to an obvious degree, odds are I shouldn't find their parents first. I'd think it wiser to get some kind of officer to do so and determine if that child should even be with those people for their own good. What happens after death? I hope some kind of peace, but who really knows. Would you cheat on your BF/GF if you knew they would never know? No??????? Because I would know?????????????? And I have a conscience???????????????????????? Do you think there will ever be peace on earth? Why or why not? No. People as a whole can't get along and too many find violence to be the ultimate solution to big problems. Favorite childhood story growing up? I remember I particularly liked Stellaluna because of the drawings, and I enjoyed the actual story of Chrysanthemum. Worst way to die? Why? Some form of slow torture, I'm sure. Because if you've gotta die, make it quick. And humane. What were you in school? Jock, nerd, prep etc… I was recognized as an emo/metalhead thing. Did you ever eat playdoh at a child? I don't think so. Your dreams tend to be? As of the late, violent, at least those that I remember... I wake up attacking the air a lot. Describe your aesthetic? A quiet pastel bunny and a furious but awkward gothic demon are aggressively fucking 24/7 while trying to decide who's top and who's bottom. Do you believe in the afterlife? I believe in something. What book have you re-read so many times that the cover is completely worn? None. Are you a morning person or a night person? I'm in a brighter mood in the morning. Who do you most admire? There're multiple people I look up to for different things. But as for most, yeah, probably Mark. What is your favorite thrift/antique shop find? I love this shipwreck lamp that I have. What is the most incredible place in nature you’ve visited? The mountains. What is your greatest achievement? Still being alive lmao. Is something expensive better than something made with love? Almost never. What do you think of stealing? Uh, don't do it??????? If you could be told when you were going to die, would you want to know? NO. What would you do in case of the zombie apocalypse? Die very early on lmao. Okay but realistically, I'd want to climb somewhere. I'm going to assume a zombie can't figure out ladders 'n shit. What have you learned from pain? You yourself play a big part in making things better. Are you more worried about doing things right or doing the right thing? Doing the right thing. What’s something you know you do differently than most people? Eat biscuits like a fucking caveman by separating parts and eating each individually lol. Would you ever adopt a child? If I actually wanted a kid, yeah. If you could make anything glow in the dark, what would it be? *shrugs* Could you ever picture someone writing a biography about you? Hell no, my life's uneventful as could be.

#survey #quiz #questions #random #bored

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dragonfairy1231 · 5 years

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Reversed Quartet

This was partially made for and very much so inspired by queenofhearts7378. Please check them out, they and thier Secret Quartet side blog are amazing!

Chapter 1. Heroines in New York?

“Ugh!” A teenage girl with bright violet eyes, pitch black hair and a fair complexion groaned into her phone, on which was a three way call to her best friends.

“It-It’s not that bad Sam.” Danny Fenton, son of local town (formerly thought to be mad) scientists and known as the boy with his head in the stars around the small town, tried to placate his irate friend.

“Not that bad?!” The girl shot back, springing back up from the bed she’d just laid down on.

“Danny, I’ll be going to New-freaking-York. Just so that my mother can go see the newest fashions revealed. And I’ll be gone for a week! What if something major happens?” She frantically questioned him. Should someone have been listening in, they may have thought she was referring to the Ghost Attacks the small town of Amity Park suffered from nigh daily. However, you would have then been very confused, considering any ordinarily rational person would want to be as far away from those attacks as possible. Yet, Samantha Manson, who’d tell you yes, is usually quite rational, wasn’t a particularly ordinary person. This is thanks to an accident involving the Fenton’s portal into the Ghost Realm a little less than a year ago; the purple eyed girl was, quite literally, only half alive.

Or, more accurately, a Halfa. Half ghost, half human. Her ghostly self was known as Sam Wraith*, Amity’s own superheroine against the other ghosts that came through the Fenton’s portal in order to start and stir up trouble. Sam has made it her job to make sure Amity Park was safe from the more ill-intended ghosts, while calming and even befriending those who were merely sprites born of being wronged in their own life or afterlife.

Thanks to her mother’s plans of going to New York, and dragging her husband and daughter with her though, Sam would not be able to do her job for an entire week, more than long enough for the town to be destroyed. The other voice on the phone call snapped Sam from her thoughts with a scoff.

“Well geez, thanks for the faith, Sam.” Tucker Foley shot back, the Techno Goth of the Trio, who knew how to solve most of the team’s problems either by technology or the dark mythology he so enjoyed. Sam rolled her eyes as she let out a puff of exasperation.

“It’s not like I don’t trust you guys, I just don’t trust karma, fate, chance and all those other universal forces to not send the biggest baddie here the minute after I’m out of state.” She refuted. She heard Danny giggle softly over the phone and resisted the urge to clutch at her heart at the sound, despite neither boy nor anyone else being able to see her. ‘Stupid crush!’ She cursed as Danny began to speak up again.

“Sam, we can deal with a little bit of trouble. If it gets that bad than we have Jazz, Marth*, my parents and even Valerie helping out. The town will survive, promise. Besides, even superheroines deserve a week off every once in a while. And yeah, I know that a fashion week isn’t really your scene, but it’s New York. There has to be plenty of things to do. Not to mention all the different cultures.” Sam bit back a groan and gritted her teeth. He was tempting and daring her now.

Yet, Danny has always been able to do that, he knew just what to say, always. Whether her and Tucker were fighting about Veggies VS Meat, or she was riled up because of Skulker’s bragging of his ‘accomplishments’ in hunting down others. It was probably bad he had so much power with just a few words, but he never abused it against anyone. That was just part of who he was. As always, Sam let out a sigh.

“Yeah… okay…” Sam relented, “but only because Marth is around.” Danny and Tucker laughed.

“Of course.” She could hear Tucker’s smirk over the phone and solidly decided she’d pinch his ear next time she saw her goth friend.

“Well, I’ve got the last bit of Lancer’s essay to power through, so I need to let you lovebirds go.” Tucker told them.

“WE’RE NOT LOVEBIRDS!” Came the automatic angry yell from Sam and the embarrassed one from Danny. Tucker just laughed as he hung up as he said goodnight, leaving his two friends alone on the line.

“I have to go too, Jazz and I need to make sure all the ghost gear is turned off so none of it finds Marth in the night or morning.” Danny told her, the shyness he never quite could be rid of evident in his voice, and Sam smiled.

“Okay, night Danny. And, thanks again.” She told him.

“You all are always welcome here Sam, goodnight.” Danny responded as he hung up. Sam sighed again as she stared at her ceiling. She shook her head as she got changed into her PJs and headed off to sleep.

‘Who knows. Maybe a week off could do me some good.’ Sam thought before the halfa drifted off to sleep.

*I choose Wraith to be Sam’s transformed last name because of the switched from M to W is easier to correlate and similar to the F to P of Fenton to Phantom.

*Marth is this AU’s version of Danielle (Trust me, I’m sobbing that’s she’s gone too). His full name is Samarth Manson/Wraith, but he prefers going by Marth to make himself feel more different from his ‘original.’ And, unlike Danielle who could definitely be just Danny’s clone and a girl because of XY genes for male and XX genes for female, Marth got his Y gene from Danny, which is why he stays at Danny’s house instead of with Sam when visiting Amity. That and the fact that he’d have two people looking out for him and if he is sighted or his signature found it can be more easily played off by being in a ghost hot spot. And, yes, Vlad is around in this AU, and his goals still include the death of Jack and Maddie for his wife, as well as Danny as his son because of the boy’s intelligence and skills with ghost weapons. He wants Sam as his protege, the one to which he will teach all of his skills to. However, Danny and Sam both vehemently refused. So it’s actually a bit ambiguous if Marth got Danny’s DNA in him on purpose or accident.

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“Marinette! Are you ready?” Sabine Cheng called out to her daughter, her and her husband’s suitcases besides her.

“Almost, Maman!” Her daughter called back. Said girl already had her suitcase packed, and was now looking for her portable charger that she knew was somewhere for the plane ride.

“Ugh! Plagg, could you please help me?” The blue eyed girl begged the small black kwami that floated above her desk, currently eating his apple and camembert cake.

“I could, but… I could also keep eating this.” The black cat countered,cackling as he took another bite of his cheesy cake. Marinette sighed and shook her head, but couldn’t keep the smile off her face. As troublesome as her kwami could be, she couldn’t help but love the mischievous cat-like being.

You see, most people would peg Marinette as a normal girl, with a normal life. Marinette herself would be the first to say as much. But, she had a secret. She was one of Paris’ two main heroes, Chat Noir! With her Kwami Plagg’s help, she was able to transform into the superheroine with the power of destruction at her fingertips with only a word needed to give the command. Her partner, the ever handsome Ladybug, and her had saved the city more times than one could count on both hands from Hawkmoth and his Akumatized victims.

Right now, however, Marinette was going to visit her mother’s cousins along with her parents, the Longs. The Longs lived all the way in New York City, New York, America. Which brought Marinette to her current problem. The aspiring fashion designer could’ve sworn she placed her portable charger on her desk just last night, but it was now misplaced. Which seemed just her luck.

Speaking of… her phone began to ring, and a quick check revealed it to be one of her best friends, Adrien Agreste. Adrien was usually extraordinarily busy, being a model for his father’s fashion line, taking fencing, piano and Chinese lessons, on top of school and basketball. However, all of this had not stopped the green eyed blonde and the clumsy dark haired girl from becoming equally extraordinarily fast friends, almost to the same level as her and her nearly life long friend Alya Césaire. Marinette put the phone to her ear and smiled as she continued to search for her charger.

“Hey Adrien!” She answered happily.

“Morning, Bluebell!” He responded, calling her the same nickname he’d had for her since the sweet valentine he’d shyly given her. “How’re you doing today?” The blonde asked her. Marinette gave a half-hearted groan as she began to check the floor by her closest.

“Well, we need to leave in half an hour, I still haven’t eaten breakfast and the infamous Marinette luck has struck again, this time against my charger.” She jokingly complained. Adrien laughed and Mari had to smile at the noise, he didn’t laugh enough. And honestly, no one could deny the sound was practically sunshine. ‘Just like a certain spot of pure sunshine.’ She thought dreamily before shaking out of her fantasies and back into the present.

“Where have you checked so far?” Adrien asked her. Marinette hummed as she thought.

“Computer desk, where I thought I left it, floor around said desk, corners, fashion desk and floor around there, and now closet.” She listed.

“How about under your bed?” He suggested. Marinette blinked and shrugged.

“Okay, but I don’t see how it’d end u-what the heck?!” She exclaimed as she put her hand under her bed and almost immediately found her charger. Adrien laughed again and Marinette shook her head.

“Adrien Agreste, the everworking lucky charm.” She giggled.

“Aww, you flatter me Bluebell.” Adrien flirted back jokingly.

“So, what were you up to beforehand?” Marinette wondered as she placed the charger (after checking to make sure it was charged) into her travel bag, along with her drawing pad.

“Three guesses.” He responded dryly.

“Model shoot?”

“And she gets it in one!” Marinette laughed at her friend’s dramatic announcer voice.

“Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the shoots, but sometimes I wish I could just sleep in for a little bit. Once I’m up, I’m up until night.” He told her.

“Yeah, I’ve seen and marveled at that.” Marinette replied.

“Marinette? You ready to go?” Sabine’s voice called again.

“Oui maman!” Marinette called down as she grabbed her suitcase and bag.

“You’re going to visit your cousins, right?” Adrien questioned.

“Yep. Oh, hold on a second, Alya is calling. I’ll just make a four way call between us and our favorite couple.” She giggled as Adrien chuckled. Marinette saw it was now time for her family to leave, lest they be late to the airport. As the phone was still ringing Marinette spoke to her Kwami.

“Come on Plagg! We’re going to be late!” The black cat sighed before zipping to Marinette’s inner jacket pocket that she made for him, making a pleasantly surprised purr at finding it newly lined, and with some of the decorative yarn hanging from the edges. Marinette giggled at the vibrations against her heart, and began to make her way down the stairs as Adrien and Alya answered again, Nino joining the call a few seconds later.

“Hey girl! Hey Nino, Adrien!” Alya’s voice called out.

“Sup Alya, dude and dudette!” Nino greeted.

“Hi you guys.” Adrien responded.

“Morning Alya, Nino. And I was already talking to you, Agreste.” The four laughed, calling each other by last names had long since been a running joke. “My parents and I are about to be heading out to catch our flight.” Marinette told them.

“Well, you seem to be going to New York at a wonderful time for you, Mari.” Marinette could practically hear her friend’s smirk over the phone.

“And why is that?” She questioned her friend suspiciously.

“Yeah, I’m confused too.” Nino told his girlfriend.

“Oh! I remember now. My dad had gotten an invite but he turned it down in order to prepare for Paris’ next month.” Adrien added. Marinette raised an eyebrow and waved at her parents, accepting a cream cheese and berry danish from her father with a smile and mouthed “thank you.”

“Well don’t keep us in the dark, dude! Spill!” Nino implored. Marinette hummed her agreement with her friend through her mouthful of danish. Adrien and Alya laughed and Adrien said Alya could tell.

“You’ll be arriving at the same time New York’s fashion week starts girl!” Alya told her. Marinette was very glad she had just finished swallowing because her mouth had flew open and, if not for her willpower to avoid awakening her napping Kwami, she would’ve bounced in place.

“You’re kidding?!” Marinette nearly squealed, using her napkin to set her danish down. Her parents gave her questioning looks and she mouthed “NY Fashion Week!” with a large grin. Sabine gave a start and a giggle as she checked her phone, seeing that her cousin Susan had just texted a certain question. Tom gave his own deep laugh as he rubbed his enthusiastic daughter’s head.

“I can’t believe I’m actually going to be in New York during it’s fashion week! Maman, Papa, I know we’re going to see family but can we please, please pretty please just take a little peak?” Marinette begged her parents. Sabine giggled as she showed her daughter her phone, which showed her Aunt Susan asking

Susan: Hey Sabine, your daughter wants to be a fashion designer, right? Would she be interested in helping me out with some catering things for NY’s fashion week? It comes with free tickets.

Marinette couldn’t control it now, and did bounce in place, rushing to give her mother a hug and rambling to explain to her friends. It seemed as though her trip to America wouldn’t be able to get any better!

* Okay so… Adrien likes Marinette as way more than “just a friend” (I’m calling you out Agreste!!!), and I put this in through the nickname of Bluebell, the same way canon Chat calls canon Ladybug My Lady. AU Ladybug (Since male Ladybugs are still called Ladybugs, and with his general reaction to the stereotypically feminine things, I feel like Adrien wouldn’t really mind being called Ladybug. Plus it still allows for a lot of puns.) will playfully call AU Chat Purrincess (because this is still Adrien being a superhero. Just because he’s not Chat Noir doesn’t mean he won’t crack puns every five seconds.) and Chaton, but he likes his partner in a one hundred percent ‘platonic’ way. Or, at least as platonically as Canon!Mari likes Canon!Chat. This Marinette, on the other hand, likes her hero partner a lot, even if he does crack silly puns all the time at her expense as well as his own. And she’s completely oblivious to Adrien’s feelings for her, and will always deny Alya’s claims that the blonde does like her romantically despite his flirting that she always takes as joking. So… the Love Square. It’s still here. Yay! And! Mari likes to pamper her Kwami when he behaves himself. Plagg is anything but complaining when he finds all the little surprises Mari will leave for him, such as small balls of yarn, small knitted blanket piles, camembert treats and cubes, and little softly lined pocket in her purse and jacket so that he can be close by but take all the catnaps he wants.

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Theresa Fowler groaned as she popped her back. The flight from her hometown of Norrisville, Oklahoma to New York City, New York, was a tiring one.

“You alright, kiddo?” Her dad questioned her. Theresa smiled back.

“I’m okay dad. My back just hurts from those chairs. They were totally wonk.” She told him. He chuckled and shook his head.

“I will never get your generation’s slang, ‘resa.” He told her. Theresa just grinned back as she blew violet and indigo strands out of her eyes.

“Alright, your mom should be picking us up soon. Why don’t you use the ladies’ room while I call her and get us some food to go. I’ll send you a picture of the menu. After that, we can go to baggage.” He told her.

“Alright, thanks daddy. See you in a bit.” Theresa then jogged off to find the bathroom, the red glow coming from her bag brightening, causing Theresa to almost curse. Grabbing her cell, she put it up to her ear as she talked to the centuries old book.

“Okay, yes I know, just another minute. I’m trying to find the bathroom Nomi, would you calm down?” She told it. The glow died down and she rolled her eyes.

‘So dramatic!’ She thought. Finally, she found the bathroom. And by some miracle, a stall was empty. After putting a paper down so she could sit (do you know how dirty airport bathrooms are???)

“Okay, what’ve you got for me Nomicon?” She questioned as she shloomped into Nomicom’s lesson world.

Shadowy figures filled her view. One was very familiar, being herself. Well, herself in costume, at least. The Norrisville Ninja’s figure was with two other feminine ones, and one that was a frickin DRAGON, so that was cool. One of the female figures didn't have legs, rather a wispy sort of tail. The other was just a cat girl as far as Theresa could tell. A catgirl with a staff, but still, catgirl. The neon words then filled her view, as the four figure faced off against another figure, this one with a much meaner aura.

“Four heroes, with Power from times ancient, shall face a darkness reawakened. A bond between the Shadow Walker, Fire Breather, Nature Specter, and Sable Destroyer alone can withstand the restless Myth.” Theresa read. She blinked furiously as she looked at the five figures, trying to make out the Nomicon’s strange prophecy.

“Nomi, wha-” She felt herself starting to be tossed out and bit back a curse.

“Oh come on! At least explain it better than that! Nomi!” She yelled before being thrown back into the real world.

Theresa sighed, disgruntled. Sure, she loved being a heroine and all, but why did prophecies have to be so convoluted?

*Yep. Rather than Randy, the Messenger choose Theresa in this AU. I’m not actually sure if the Ninja has ever been female, as the only past ones we see were male, but it has now happened.

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Rose sighed as she stared at her ceiling. This Saturday was so far kind of boring. Sun said that there didn’t seem to be any trouble so far, and that Rose should take today to catch up on her homework. Her sister had even agreed, saying she could take care of any problem that came up in the community. Rose was grateful for that, but it was seven o’clock when that happened (curse her internal alarm!), and it was now two p.m.. Safe to say, Rose Penson was very bored. Trixie was visiting a hospital that was allowing high schoolers a chance to see how some surgical procedures were done, and Spud was… well he hadn’t picked up his phone so she assumed he was busy. Which only left…

“Hey Rose.” A very familiar voice greeted softly from her window. Rose’s face lit up as she saw her boyfriend sitting on her open window sill.

“Jake!” She grinned, bouncing off her bed to hug the green haired boy. Jake chuckled as Rose pulled him into her room, as Jake would often come in this way. After all, if anyone from the Huntsclan saw him just walk through the door, Rose and Raquel’s parents and identities would be in quite a bit of danger.

“Sorry I haven’t been able to come in a while.” Jake grinned sheepishly. Rose shook her head as she pecked him on the cheek.

“It’s fine, I understand. I’m just glad you were able to come over. I was kinda bored.” The blonde giggled.

“Aww, my dragoness was left all by herself? How cruel.” Jake teased. Rose laughed again.

“Dork.” She told him. Jake dramatically put a hand over his heart.

“Oh! How the lady wounds me!” He whisper-exclaimed as he fell onto his girlfriend’s bed. Rose couldn’t help laughing again, and Jake mentally clapped himself on the back. He knew it was cheesy, but man, did he love that sound. Rose sat down next to him, and ran her hands through his surprising soft hair.

“No gel? I thought your hair looked a bit deflated.” She whispered. Jake took her other hand and kissed the back of it.

“Just finished attempting to train 88 and 89 again. It was either hair gel, or you. I think I made the right choice.” Rose hummed, unable to keep her own smile off her face.

“I think so too…” she kissed the top of Jake’s forehead, and the couple just smiled at each other. Both inwardly sighed, content to just relax with the other close by. Jake and Rose may have had more rough patches than most couples, because of what they were. The fire that rested in Rose’s lungs, and the magic in her veins, being the first of her kind to be born with such in America, her role was clear. Being the American Dragon was her fate.

The mark that the swirled around Jake’s hand, visible only when he didn’t gloves or hide it with powder, pronounced that he was to be a slayer of dragons. To kill even the one he knew he loved. Even though Jake had refused, sometimes, he wondered just what Fate and Destiny had in store for them. He just hoped they would be on their side.

It was moments like this, that he remembered why he wanted that so badly. To go against everything he was taught and raised to believe. When he could see the flaxen haired, blue eyed beauty above him. Even when she had turned into a dragon, with sky colored eyes and slit pupils, with glinting scales and hair spun of gold, he couldn’t help but to be awed by her. Likewise, Rose adored him, this was her hunter. With hair dyed green by gel, and eyes so dark a brown they looked like two black holes that would just suck her in. She didn’t care that she was taller than him, it just made it easier to tease him and kiss his forehead and cheeks. They were each other’s first love, after all. And with how much they had been through, they believed that, just maybe, they were in love.

The sound of a phone ringing cut off their moment, and Jake groaned when he saw the number.

“Hello?” He questioned as he picked it up, gesturing for Rose to keep quiet.

“Yes. … No. … Yes sir. … I’ll be there shortly.” He said emotionlessly, hanging up his cell. Rose looked at her boyfriend, who had assumed a rigid upright position since he answered the phone. She watched him deflate and she put her hand gently on his shoulder.

“Do you have to go?” She asked him. He gave a half smile half frown.

“Sorry lovely, but we can’t have them getting suspicious. I much prefer your head where it is to be frank.” He stroked her cheek and kissed her forehead. She walked him to the still open window, and as he climbed out, she grabbed the front of his shirt, giving him a chaste kiss on the lips.

“Come back soon, Hunter Boy.” He grinned.

“As you wish, Dragon Girl.” And he was off. Rose sighed before shaking her head. Geez, sometimes she really did feel like a silly, love struck teenager. Of course, at least her boyfriend was no better. She walked over to her laptop and pulled up a site of what was going on this week.

“Huh. There’s a fair in downtown Manhattan? Sounds interesting enough.” The blonde shrugged. A knock on her door, which Rose answered with a “come in!”

“Hey Rosie, do you have any plans for today?” Her mother poked her head into her elder daughter’s room. Rose has just closed her laptop and was heading to her closet to pick out a hoodie to ward off the spring chill, even if her inner fire usually worked plenty enough to provide her with enough heat.

“There’s a fair going on in Downtown Manhattan. Figured I’d let ‘quel, Trix and Spud know than start heading down there myself.” Rose told her. Amaryllis Penson hummed.

“Well, tomorrow is the beginning of New York’s fashion week. I know you’re not super into the latest fashions, but I figured some mother-daughter bonding wouldn’t hurt.” The elder blonde offered. Rose narrowed her eyes, a small smile playing on her face.

“Raquel said no already, didn’t she?” She folded her arms as her mother groaned.

“Really sweetie? Just have to call me out like that?” Rose laughed as she nodded.

“Yeah mom, I don’t have any plans for tomorrow anyway. It sounds fun.” Rose told her. Amaryllis grinned as she hugged her elder daughter.

“Oh, here. For the fair. You know they’re really expensive, and working at Mr.Long’s* shop only gets you so much.” Amaryllis said as she pressed five twenties in her daughter’s hand.

“That’s for your sister too by the way.” She told Rose. After putting the money in her wallet, and her wallet in her handbag, she gave her mother a quick “thanks” and a hug before rushing down the stairs with her helmet and grabbing her skateboard.

“Later mom!” She called.

So far, today seemed like it’d be a pretty good day.

*so the Longs (and by extension, the Changs) still have Dragon Blood, but they haven’t had the actual transformation in many generations. Lao Shi decided that unless his grandchildren were dragons, the secret wouldn’t be passed on, hence why he still knows of the magical world and has Fu Dog, but isn’t the Chinese Dragon. He just accidentally found out Rose is the American Dragon, and offered her a cover job. She does help out in the store and work there, and Jake has been over a few times and met the man. Lao Shi thinks that his employee’s boyfriend looks an awful lot like what his grandson could’ve, but doesn’t act on any suspicions incase they’re wrong, and he would only cause more harm to his daughter.

#four way crossover #secret quartet #reverse!AU #for queenofhearts7378

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amethyst-noir · 6 years

Note

i enjoyed the inclusion of tony sort of... whoring himself in that last fic. would it be possible to write an au more centered around that subject? maybe stephen had to sell himself to get through medical school and sometimes it wasn't consensual? if thats too much i understand! just figured it might help some people who deal with that

[Sunday is now officially my post-it-if-you-have-something-day. People send me prompts, so they obviously want to read the result. Thanks for that; I feel honored.]

Uh, that’s a hard one but it caught my imagination. I won’t write non-con;the aftermath of it is bad enough. (I like sex scenes to be sweet and romanticand/or kinky as hell but always consensual and I’m bad at writing them.) So,this happened. The Stephen/Tony here is “just” friendship (aka themost important foundation for any relationship). There is the potential for itto maybe become more in the far-off future but right now? No. There are other,more important, things to do first.

And if the prompt itself and my note up there don’t make it clear enough: TWfor rape/non-con. It’s not described at all and not spoken about in detailbut it’s there because… well, look above.

Find a Way(to break the fall)

Stephen didn’tthink about it anymore. It had been buried deep beneath all the other shit he’dhad to live through in the last couple of years and it didn’t impact his day today life in any way whatsoever. His nightmares were of dying in a myriad ofways, one more painful than the other, not reliving the ancient past.

It wasn’t as if hewas looking for someone or that someone to be another man; he was too busyliving, learning and protecting.

So it was anunpleasant surprise for both of them when one day Tony grabbed him by the hipsto move him out of the way and Stephen flinched. Hard. He froze on thespot a second after and Tony put up his arms and backed away as if afraid of anattack. Only then he’d noticed that he’d put up his hands in a classicdefensive position, his magic tingling in his fingers to fight off the threat.

“Stephen?”Tony asked, more confused than afraid but a hint of fear lurked in his eyes andvoice. He still had trouble with magic, especially the offensive kind. And tohave a friend threatening him…

Shit. Stephen knew almost immediately why he’d reacted like that, of course. Hestill felt Tony’s hands on his hips, even though it had only lasted for a momentand his grip had been gentle. But suddenly he could feel bruises on his skin,beneath the layers of clothes he wore, and it was as if it had happenedyesterday. All his carefully constructed barriers - broken down in an instantby an innocent touch.

“Sorry, I’msorry. I’ve just…” He didn’t even try to explain further, just turnedaround and vanished as soon as the portal had formed.

The same night hisnightmares gained a new flavor - old and new elements mixing together to form anew kind of torment that was worse than ever before. Worse than the dreamsabout the accident; far more devastating than the dreams about dying in thedark dimension or the ones about his fight against Thanos. There he had beenable to do something, to fight, be active, resist, despite his handsbeing almost useless. He hadn’t been a victim by choice without any power.Helpless and desperate. The only thing that came close was the sensation oflosing himself and fading away into nothing.

Now, all thecombined trauma gave him a whole new appreciation of the term “nightterror” that went so far that he started to research ways for forgoingsleep altogether. Unfortunately, escaping into his astral form while his bodyrested wasn’t a long-term solution. Okay for a couple of days - or even weeksif necessary - but it put too much stress on his body and the toll would onlyget higher and higher the longer he used this escape.

Plus, there wasTony. The man who had backed off considerably since Stephen’s flight and whosepresence was sorely missed. Tony, who could be an emotional idiot but was morethan perceptive enough to see that something was off and by now was probablyworried sick that he had done something wrong.

Their friendshiphad started off strong and had only gotten stronger in the months since Thanos’defeat. Playful banter had become more, the flirting too and… oh. There it was,the reason for his reaction to Tony’s innocent touch.

Stephen felt sostupid he could have hit himself. Instead, he forced himself to look away from hisbook and at his resting body. In sleep it looked innocent, only the stillshaking hands betraying that something was not quite right with it. It hadbrought him some much pain and misery over the years but it still didn’tdeserve the treatment he put it through now. He deserved better. He puthis book aside with very slow and precise movements, took a deep breath and triedto force away the images from his youth that wanted to destroy his hard-wonpeace. He pushed away the memories of strangers with cruel hands and too muchstrength and tried to imagine what he wanted instead.

Himself, curled upin bed, Tony behind him, holding him loosely, both of them relaxed in theirsleep. No nightmares, just peace. For both of them.

I want this.

With a sickfeeling in his stomach he went back into his body, knowing that this littlefantasy would probably never play out. Others would.

The nightmare of athousand needles piercing his flesh everywhere, while Ebony Maw had his waywith him woke him a short while later.

He awoke in tears,his hands on fire, and with the knowledge that he owed it to himself to dosomething, anything to make it stop.

He tried themystic arts and the other Masters, of course. Made his farewells to a disappointedand wondering Tony and vanished to Kamar-Taj. Tried to lose himself in researchand training but also visited the healers. Meditated, tried to find peace withhis choices back then. Told himself over and over again that it wasn’t hisfault, that it was time to move on. It did help, a little, but not enough.

You need therapy. The voice of Doctor Strange, MD, became louder with every passing day.Stephen knew it was the truth, but still he resisted. He was stronger thanthat. He’d gotten over it on his own before, he could do it again. Andyou’ve it done so well the first time, his inner doctor mocked him. Stephenbegan to hate the logical, rational part of himself but finally concededdefeat.

“Stephen!You’re back!” Tony came nearer, his hands spread out wide. “Greetingsfrom this earthly realm, oh Master of the Mystic Arts! Welcome back on thisplane of existence!”

Stephen just hadto smile at the sheer joy in Tony’s voice and roll his eyes at the words, butthe smile dropped when Tony came to a standstill before they could embrace. Hisarms were still open. He’s waiting for me to make the next step, Stephenrealized and suddenly wanted to cry. Instead, he forced the smile back onto hisface and stepped into the embrace of his friend. Tony obviously suspected whathad set him off weeks ago because while he held Stephen in a tight embrace hewas very careful to keep his hands high up on Stephen’s back.

After a moment ofinternal fight Stephen just gave up and let himself collapse into the hold,trusting Tony to catch him.

Tony, of course,did, without a word. Except a soft: “I’ve missed you.”

“How did youknow?”, he asked about an hour later. He held a hot cup of tea in hishands to keep them as steady as possible and force his mind to be in thepresent.

Tony gave him alook as if he was earth’s biggest idiot. “I touch you on the hips and yourfirst instinct is to raise a defensive shield? I might not get people, as I’mreminded over and over again, but know that kind of reaction.” He lookedaway and played with his own cup of coffee. “I’m sorry. I’ve never saidthat, didn’t I? You never did give any indication that my touch wouldn’t bewelcome or I would never have…”

Why? How? Didsomebody hurt you or was it someone you love? Every protectiveinstinct he possessed reared up and demanded to know the answers, to extractrevenge. “I didn’t,” he said instead. “It didn’t occur to mesince it’s not something I’ve thought about… in a long time. It happened when Iwas a student, barely in my twenties. Practically three lifetimes away. It tookme as much by surprise as you.”

“Stephen.”Tony put his coffee down and focused all of his attention on him. It was likebeing in the focus of the sun itself, wonderful and terrifying in equalmeasures. “You don’t have to explain anything.”

“But what ifI want to?” The words had slipped out before he thought about theconsequences. He had played with the idea after he’d concluded that therapymight work for him but he couldn’t imagine talking to a stranger. He neededsomeone he already trusted, who already knew about his crazy life and hisexperiences in the last few years. He had thought about approaching Wong but asclose as their friendship was he just couldn’t imagine talking about… thatwith him. Or any of the other masters. The thought of speaking about this toChristine, the only other friend he hadn’t managed to alienate, was just asunappealing. Surprisingly, or maybe not, he could imagine to do so with TonyStark. Most people might not believe it but the man could be a great listenerwho had brilliant insights. “Forget it,” he said a moment later.There was no way he was putting even more pressure on Tony, he had already morethan enough demons of his own.

“Forgetit?” Tony echoed. “Seriously? You listened to me rave and rant aboutpretty much everything under the sun and then you want to deny me the chance ofdoing the same for you?” He suddenly looked a lot more vulnerable, as ifremembering something unpleasant. As always when he was uncomfortable withsomething he was rubbing his left shoulder. “I’m here, I’m free for thenext, oh, four to five days, longer if necessary.” He leaned back on thecouch, folded his hands into his lap and stared at Stephen. “You talking,me talking, just staring at each other thinking about how pretty we are… it’syour choice.”

Not everything waslost when Tony was still low-key flirting with him and it served as a reminderthat Tony didn’t suddenly see him in a completely different light. Stephenclosed his eyes, relieved. He carefully put his tea aside and stared at hisshaking hands.

“Whatevergruesome scenario you might have conjured up it wasn’t like that,” hebegan and grimaced immediately. “It wasn’t some brutal assault orsomething. It was by my own choice.”

“It was yourchoice that you were raped? Bullshit!” Tony sat up and startedpacing the room. Stephen got dizzy by just watching him. Then the full extentof the words hit him and the shook his head.

“It wasn’trape”, he said very quietly. “Coercion at worst. It was my choice. Ineeded the money and it was the quickest and easiest way.” He swallowed,feeling sick again. He forced himself to summon his tea just to have somethingin his hands again. He didn’t drink. “My choice,” he repeated.

Tony just lookedat him. If that’s what you need to tell yourself to get through this so beit, he seemed to think. “Easy is something else. If it really had beenyour choice you wouldn’t have flinched when I touched you.” Suddenly Tonywas kneeling before him and looking up. “But this is me, being pushyagain. Sorry. Backing down now.” He leaned back a little, presentinghimself to Stephen as if to say I’m not a threat, just look at me, beinghere. Surprisingly it worked. He was able to take a deep breath again andcould feel the oncoming panic attack recede a little bit. “Thank you fortelling me. I’ll be more careful in the future when I touch you.”

When, not if. Noteverything was irrevocably changed, Tony wasn’t disgusted and there was stillhope. One day he would ask Tony when and where he’d gone to therapy. He was fartoo good in getting people to get to calm down and knew when to back off -there was no way in hell the world-famous weapons dealer from eleven years agobecame the man he was today without some serious help. Professional, highlypaid, help from whose work Stephen now profited by proxy. He didn’t feel badabout it. He probably couldn’t even afford the help he really needed and thisreasons for not seeking it out still stood.

Tony was stillwaiting for an answer. Stephen stared at his hands and refused to look up.“I would like that,” he finally admitted, pushing against the wave offear that tried to claw its way up to the surface. He was safe now and morethan capable of defending himself should somebody try to take advantage of himever again. On the edge of his vision he could see Tony come nearer.

“Likethis?” he asked as he took the cup away from him. Instead he put hissteady hands over Stephen’s shaking ones as if he could still their tremblingby touch alone. The only feeling it caused was one of safety and warmth. “I’mhere, Stephen. Anytime you need to talk, just call me.”

Stephen smiled,touched by the gesture. “Thank you.”

It was a start. A rathergood one, considering everything. The rest would come in time.

=/\=

#ironstrange #frienship version #Tony Stark #Stephen Strange #tw: rape/non-con (non-graphic)#amy writes #promptfill #inbox #Anonymous

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foxjasminnie · 6 years

Text

Fated Blood Chapter 3

Pairing: Reader x Yanjun

Genre: Fantasy, Fluff,possibly some smut

Photo credit to yanjuns weibo

The music pounded loudly as y/n matched her moves to the rhythm,creating a sensual yet powerful choreography. Her old teacher Yixing always lectured her about balance, so she quickly became a expert. That was the reason she loved her job, teaching young vampires who wanted to become celebrities how to express themselves through movement like yixing did. To one day have a student think of her as the way she was inspired by him. Little did she know however that her every move was being watched intensely. She had a feeling someone was there but as she glanced around all she saw was herself i the mirror.

He couldn't help but not interupt, he was enjoying the view too much. Watching her body wave down to the floor, his thoughts couldn't help but take a naughtier turn. He wanted nothing more than to slowly remove her clothes and bit into her pale neck.

'Dancing with your silhouette, in the places that we met. Ooh trying to find you in the moon'

Echoed through the room as he emerged from the shadows with an all too cheeky grin.

"You don't have to find me in the moon, I'll always be right infront of you babe." Yanjun winked

"Well well well look what the cat dragged in, if i didn't know any better i would say you have become my stalker Mr Lin."

She laughed checking out the young male. He was dressed in a long white sleevless top with exposing his perfectly shaped muscles and tight black jeans. The look certainly complimented his dark red eyes. Although caught off guard by his sudden prescence y/n couldn't help but admire his him. She couldn't denie he was a beauty but the words of Xukun echoed into her head, disrupting those thoughts from going any further. He's a casanova.

"I'd like to think it's our fated blood bringing us together, instead of me."

"What are you doing here anyway? This isn't a playground, i have a student comming any minute."

"He's already here gorgeous" he beamed his dimples towards her.

"Of course he is."

Y/n rolled her eyes at the situation but then decided she could have some fun herself with this situation. If she was going to play with him she knew exactly what choreography to teach. First however she decided to torture him with an intense 15 minute warm up and work out, which left the young vampire trying to catch his breath.

"Too much work for you cutie?" She teased

"Never, but i know i can tire you out in a different way."

Yanjun winked and quickly chugged a small vile of blood he pulled out from his pocket. Within the next minute he was fully recharged and worse than ever.

"See babe, I can go at it lots of times" he winked again causing y/n to roll her eyes.

She switched the music to start playing Trouble makers 'There is no tomorrow'. Yanjun caught onto the choreo at a fast pace and before she knew it was adding his own flare to the dance. She didnt expect him to be this good. The firey gaze on his face as his body matched the beat to her own, which took her as a surprise. She had always been comfortable with Xukuns body complimenting hers and yet just as comfortable around Yanjun.

As his hand slid down her thigh in the dance break, her heart started to beat fast and a small blush creeped up onto her cheeks. She had never been this flustered with Xukun, what was wrong with her today? As the dance ended he dipped y/n back and pulled her body close to his, resulting in a light gasp from y/n. His eyes were staring intently down at hers as he moved his pale pink lips closer to hers. Just before they could meet y/n had snapped out of her frozen state.

"Well you've had enough fun for one day mister." She laughed.

" Damn and i thought the beauty was finally falling for the beast. I have to say, you definitely have to be a 9 out of 10 because I'm the 1 your missing." He winked

"You would be so lucky for that line to ever work." Y/n smirked.

Y/n had no idea what had come over her. She was meant to be using this time to tease and play around with him and yet she was the one blushing. Damn the blood still pumping inside my veins, she thought. Yanjun was just standing silently studying every part of her with one of the cheekiest grins. He knew his plan was starting to work and it was full proof. Thanks to the information from a reluctant Ziyang. But Yanjun had dirt on him that even he had to give in and help. Whilst Y/n was turned around tidying up the studio Yanjun quickly made his way behind her,wrapping his arms around her chest.

"Don't you know the meaning of personal space?"

"You seemed to be enjoying mine earlier."

Y/n rolled her eyes.

"Your class is over, time for you to go."

"I'm waiting for my takeout" Yanjun exclaimed.

"What takeout? You don't even eat human food." Y/n stood there confused.

"Our future"

Yanjun smirked as he whispered his response in her ear. Sending shivers down her spine.

"Guess you'll be waiting a long time, that takeout is non existant."

"I can wait an eternity for you princess, i have all the time in the world."

Y/n faked vomited at the cheesiness, before struggling out of his grasp. Much to his dissatisfaction. Guess the battle is still to be won. He thought.

"How do you have so many lines? And how do they even work?"

"I'm irresistible that's why."

Yanjun let his dimples shine again well aware that they were one of his best weapons and y/n couldnt help but think they were adorable.

"Look, i prepared a romantic picnic for us,will you give me the honour of a date just this once? I promise you won't regret it."

Y/n's mind went back and forth between both the positivies and negatives of the situation. On the one hand she did have nothing to do until Xukuns rap practice finishes. On the other it meant being left alone with Yanjun and she wasn't sure if her beating heart could take anymore shocks.

"You seem to get a lot of my charitable deeds of the day. But fine let's go."

Yanjuns face lit as he took ahold of her hand and lead her to the picnic location with his super speed. He didnt see the need for his car as it was a short distance away. The area was breath taking y/n thought. The soft moonlight reflecting of the dark blue lake; with pink cherry blossoms dancing around the area. She was shocked to know a area like this was so close by and she had never discovered it. Not far from the lake was a chequered blanket laid out with a brown picnic basket. She knew he was a flirt but she didn't expect so much romance either. Next to the basket happend to be her favourite bottle of red wine. She was shocked that her just happend to get her favourite type. Not many people knew her tastes and she decided that either it was suspicious or a strange coincidence. He gestured for her to sit down a she unpacked the basket that contained a bottle of blood for him and sandwhiches for her.

"I'm impressed." She smiled.

He smirked as he took ahold of her hand and pulled her close to him again. He then moved his hand up her arm.

"Did you know that the distance from your arm to your shoulder and the distance from this shoulder to your arm,is the same length."

Yanjun smirked as his arm was now wrapped around her holding y/n close to his chest.

"I changed my mind, I'm leaving. I can't take the greasiness."

She laughed trying to move away but his grip got tighter than before. She cursed not having full strength due to her mixed blood. Little did she know that Yanjun could hear just how fast her heart was beating. It had been so long since he had heard a heart beat that he enjoyed listening to her rhythum. It just made her all that more special to him.

Yanjun went to get the wine glasses out of the hamper but was unaware that they had broken earlier in transit. As he lifted it out he noticed his palm had been cut and that red liquid began to drip from it. He looked embaressed by this event as y/n stared at his hand. Not a smooth move he thought.

"You should clean that up."

"How about you do it for me princess." He winked

"I don't like drinking blood." Y/n shifted her gaze away.

"I don't like the taste of my own blood."

He laughed as he started to remove the last remaining shards from his palm without flinching. Y/n stared as the ruby liquid was now sliding from his palm and down his arm. She was never one of the metallic taste but he looked so pitiful sitting there. The last time y/n ever drank blood it was Ziyangs and she remembered all too well where that ended up. Against her better judgement however; she brought his palm to her lips and gently ran her tongue across the wound sealing it and then cleaning the stream that had travelled down his arm. It was strange his blood was so sweet tasting that she had to restrain herself from biting into him. She smirked as she let go of his hand.

"If you like it that much, you can bite me here and leave a hickey." He winked

"You owe me for this...and the whole bottle of wine." She laughed as she gazed into his eyes.

"Your such a tease and i love it." He smiled "I'll do whatever you ask of me angel."

They spent the rest of the time drinking from the bottles and getting to know eachother better. Y/n was careful not to reveal too much about herelf. Only how she was used to life in the human realm and as much as Justin was annoying,he was her world. She was a fool when it came to her brother. On the contrary Yanjun explained that he wasn't sire what he wanted in life and that he was trying to find some fulfilment. He had a high status in society but he grew up often left alone or with the servants. His parents too busy to deal with him. Y/n couldn't help but feel sorry for Yanjun. He had everything except happiness and was lonely. Maybe he was just misunderstood she thought.

As they continued their conversations various cherry blossoms had fallen around them. Yanjun couldnt take his eyes off y/n. She was the most beautiful girl he had seen in a long time.The way her long bangs shaped her small face and the soft pink tone on her skin. He had been with other half vampires before but something captivated him about her and he just didn't know why.

As a petal landed in her hair,Yanjun instantly went to retrieve it;shortening the distance between them. She blushed as one of his hands stayed on her cheek and the other now holding the flower.

"It's such a beautiful flower."

She smiled admiring it. However Yanjun's gaze didn't leave hers as he flashed his dimply smile.

"Not as beautiful as the one infront of me."

He felt the warmth in her cheek increase and giggled. He thought she had finally fallen enough for him to close the gaps between their lips quickly. Y/n put uo her arms to push him away but as his slightly cold lips touched hers it was as if she was drugged. He gently tugged at her bottom lip begging for permission before letting his tongue meet hers. He pulled her body closer to his so she was lying ontop of him as his hand travelled down to her waist. His pale pink lips soon after leaving hers;as he trailed them down her jaw and neck. She moaned slightly at the sensation. It had been so long since she had physical contact with anyone that she forgot just how good it felt. Her hand rested upon his chest until she could feel the point of his fangs on her neck. Which is when her common sense kicked back in and she pushed away from the young vampire. He looked confused as she got up from him and laughed it off.

"And there was me thinking we were finally going to get to the fun bit." He whispered in her ear.

"In your wildest dreams Yanjun." She rolled her eyes.

"Oh but I've already met you there." He smirked "Told you i'm irresistable."

"More like it has been a while and I'm sure it would of been the same with anyone."

Y/n stuck out her tongue as Yanjun held his hands over where his heart should be; pretending he was wounded by her words. Before he could retaliate a soft pinging noise could be heard;resulting in y/ns attention leaving Yanjun. This in turn caused him to pout. He hated not having her attention on him. He tried to see the message to see who had broken his spell but all he could see was the senders name. KUN KUN♡. That boy always gets in my way. Yanjun thought. He watched as her face lit up and couldn't work out why it would never do that for him.

Y/n was greatful for the distraction so she had time to calm down and compose herself again. She didn't want things to to further than what they already had. She knew where it would lead. So seeing Kuns name on her phone brought her heart much needed relif and joy.

A/N sorry it took so long writers block has been a big pain considering i never really thought i would take this story further. Let me know if you guys are still enjoying this ^^

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nessaiscute · 6 years

Text

look who missed you

“What? I can’t come?” I gasped.

I was sitting on my bed when as Meghan was telling me this. She was putting on her dress, and I was just about to grab my sword and getting ready to spare with Glitch. I can’t believe this, what is this even about? How come I can’t come? What if something happens to her? I don’t trust Mab as far as I can throw her, and don’t even get me started on Titania. All the stuff shes done to my queen, if a hair on her hair isn’t in the same place it was when she gets back....

“Ash, its just queens meeting. No guards are allowed. Even knights.” Meghan explained.

“How do you know this isn’t a trap?”

“Ash my knight, please relax. I can handle myself. We’re just going for drinks and talking bout politics, besides you hate these social gatherings.”

“If you say so.” I stated, I didn’t know what else to say.

Meghan then walked up to me, i stood up and she wrapped her arms around my neck. I found myself memorized by her scent. The softness of her arms.

“Ash, I won’t be gone long.”

“I-I know that. I... just don’t trust the other queens.”

Meghan then smirked, “You sure you just don’t want to go a day without your queen?”

My heart skipped a beat, “N-No. What are you even talking about? I love you Meghan but I’m not clingy. I... I’ll spare with Glitch the whole time and this will just give me time to torment the guards. I’ll have a blast.”

Meghan then kissed my lips quickly, ugh i hate it when she kisses me like that. so short, having my body begging for more. that sweet sensation taking over for just a brief second and the joy leaving just as quickly.

“Don’t miss me too much okay? I love you.”

“As if.” I smirked and she left, i watched from the balcony as the carriage took her to wherever they were meeting.

So now the golden question is: Now what do I do?

At first i decided to go to the Library, reading has always been my favorite thing to do when Meghan is doing duties. I found my fave book and started reading it.

Why is the library always vacant? This is a great place to be, The winter court library was always filled with fey looking stuff up. I guess these people are use to their tech. Hm, I wonder if they keep that Naruto manga Meghan loves so much.

Meghan.....

Oh no, i wasn’t doing this. I’m the great Ash, the ice prince. I’m not some clingy boyfriend who can’t leave his mate alone for five minutes without needing attention. I went to the end of the world for her, i can handle this. This is easy, just get back to your reading Ash.

However that was becoming harder and harder, I could barely focus on the pages in front of me. My mind wondered off to the taste of Meghan’s lips and the softness of her arms, and the passion in her eyes. I was missing her scent, her sweet voice. i miss running my fingers though her hair or caressing her face.

I put the book down, I suddenly felt like not wanting to do anything; giving up on that endeavor I went back into my chambers.

I don’t know what do with myself right now, I look around mine and Meghan’s room. its filled with pictures or me and her since I found a way into the realm of iron. My life has been so fun since then, I don’t even recall a time where i wasn’t human. Sometimes it feels like Rowen and Mab were just a bad dream.

And thats exactly how it should be.

All these pictures fill me with joy, I look at my face in all of them. I’m smiling and just enjoying myself. My eyes are full of life, Meghan also looks as happy as can be. The grin on my face is apparent is a good thing no one else is here or they would laugh at me. I don’t care, I’m happy now. I’m going grin like an idiot and i dare someone to try and stop me.

Meghan.... I love you....

Thinking of Meghan’s name right now made me happy but also popped my balloon of joy. Suddenly I missed Meghan’s touch and and her smell. I missed her presence. I wanted to hear her voice. Suddenly, I found Meghan’s scarf and coat. on their rack nestled high on the wall. I pulled them off wrapped the scarf around my neck and put the coat on my torso. The coat was small but I didn’t care. The scent of pumpkins went though my body, I sat on the floor and let that scent over take me. In my head i imagined te coat was Meghan’s arms holding me, I also did my best to imagine her voice in my ear.

Ash, I love you so much.

I love you too Meghan.

Ash, you’re the best thing thats ever happened to me.

That’s my line.

I know you’ll save me whenever I’m in trouble.

Only with my very life

“Hey Ash! Where are you? Why aren’t you training with-”

When Glitch saw me on the floor, cuddling up to Meghan’s clothing like some kind of high school boy, he just stared. He looked puzzled, his face was blue. probably thought he was in some kind of dream.

Finally he collected himself, bowed and said, “I apologize Ash, you are clearly very busy with your duties. Excuse me.“ and left.

Yes thats right Glitch, just walk away and no one has to get hurt.

Glitch snapping me back to reality made me drained, I wanted to go back to my fantasy. I picked up the remote and turned on the tv and cuddled up in bed, I kept the TV very low, i didn’t even use the blanket. Meghan’s coat and scarf was all I needed. Quickly I dozed off, my mind filled with thoughts of my lovely queen.

Meghan.... please come home soon,

Meghan’s POV

Ugh that was terrible.

I stormed into the throne room; Glitch greeted me, I sat on my throne, i know he would have something for me to do. I needed it, that stuck up.... wench.

“That bad huh?” Glitch asked

I guess he could sense my glamor, “Oh, I just love being mocked in almost every way possible. Also, it seemed like I was the only one there not allowed to bring a guy. Oberon and Mab’s new boyfriend seemed to be there and-”

“Im sorry my queen.” Glitch inquired, “Mab has a boyfriend?”

“I know right? I didn’t think anyone would want to date that crazy witch but there he was. They made out in front of me, i thought I was going to barf! We didn’t even talk about anything. Titania and Mab just wanted to harass me.”

Glitch then grinned “Well, why don’t you head upstairs into your room? You should go see who missed you.”

That remark confused me, There is no way Ash turned into some young love sick fool. right? Ash is strong. He can handle blades and magic, I’m sure he can handle me being gone for a few hours. I went into my room, and when I opened the door and my heart melted at what I saw. Ash cuddled up sleeping, wrapped in my clothes. He looks so happy there, he missed me. He thought of me the whole time. I softly removed the clothing put them up, and then nestled myself in his arms. He instinctfully wrapped his arms around me.

“M-Meghan..... Is this a dream?”

“Nope, I’m home Ash. I thought you were a strong prince.”

“Turns out without you I’m not as strong as I thought I was.” Ash mumbled, “I missed you.”

“I missed you too. It was hell.”

“Tell me about it.”

“Well.... you have a new father in law.”

Ash immediately perked, “What?

“Your mom has a boyfriend now. They can’t stop making out. They’ll most likely get married within the week.”

“Please tell me you’re joking.”

“I wish I was my love. They even made out in front of me. I lost my lunch.”

Ash’s face looked sick imagining his mom making out with someone.

“L-Lets talk about something else.” Ash stated.

Ash then kissed my neck, “I love you so much. I’m happy you’re home.”

“I never want to leave again.” I replied.

We didn’t say anything else, there was no need to say anything more. I stayed in Ash’s arms all night. He kissed my neck every now and then. I felt his breathe and smelled his scent.

Ash, you’re the best.

#Fall Fey #Iron Fey #Meghan Chase #Ash Chase

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headlesssamurai · 6 years

Note

Have you seen Altered Carbon? If so, what do to think of it?

Alright, I finally bucked up enough courage to do another honest, non-sarcastic, write-up for a piece of media. Just been somewhat bitterly reluctant to voice my true opinions on fiction, or anything else really, since it seems like lots of folks are quite intensely engaged in violent uproars of one kind or another. No need to add more noise to the feedback loop, if you know what I mean.

But you’re, like, one of a dozen or so dudes who asked me about this series. So I reckoned I’d write it up for you, it being such a popular subject and all. I’d also like to thank you for your curiosity. It’s pretty damn humbling to know anybody cares enough about what I think to even ask after my thoughts. I’ll make sure to offer a notary warning before I spill any spoilers.

I became acquainted with Richard K. Morgan’s Kovacs-verse a few years back, but accidentally read one of the protagonist’s later adventures before backtracking to the original novel. I found it to be a respectably well-written futuristic detective story in the grand tradition of vintage writers like Robert B. Parker, even if including the predictably pornographic sex scenes in the grand tradition of modern urban sci-fi/fantasy writers like Laurell K. Hamilton (maybe the ‘K’ middle initial is a code for graphic sex content). In preparation for watching the new Netflix series, I re-read Morgan’s Altered Carbon to refresh my knowledge of the future he created.

Now, I’d like to say I’m a prolific reader of novelized fiction and other books, but I’m not one of those “hardcore” purists who always cries “the book was better” while pounding my fist on the podium. Thus in my effort to avoid any such farcical nonsense, I’m going to sort of examine both the book and the Netflix series of Altered Carbon at once, and write about what I enjoy and dislike about both versions, instead of directly comparing them.

I’ve grown so cynical with modern film and TV, I tend to unintentionally generate lists of what I think they’ll change about a book’s story once they adapt it, and what they’ll add and leave out. Usually, these lists are fairly accurate. Game of Thrones, for instance: how depressing it is to be absolutely correct some times. Not that the books were much better, but a pinecone up the ass doesn’t make a kick in the nuts feel any better.

A lot of people would describe Altered Carbon as having cyberpunk vibes, and this is true, but I believe it fits more comfortably into the realm of biopunk than anything else. If you’re not familiar with the concepts herein, Altered Carbon involves a distant future in which humanity has colonized the stars over many generations using sleeper ships, and with a little help from recovered alien star-maps, but has not achieved faster-than-light interstellar travel. The central technology in this universe is the cortical stack, a type of neural backup which allows a person’s consciousness to be digitally stored in a “disc” and uploaded into a new body if they die.

The new bodies are referred to as sleeves, and the filthy rich clone themselves so their sleeves are all identical and genetically enhanced, but most common folk have to accept whatever body is available or is covered by their insurance, or even a synthetic sleeve (which in the novel is a cheap and distasteful thing, but in the series synthetics seem to have superpowers). People can only travel quickly to other star systems in the settled worlds (known as the Protectorate) by transmitting their stored consciousness into another cortical stack on their planet of destination and uploading into a new sleeve there (a process called needlecasting), but physically transporting anything still takes a really long time for ships to travel across the vast distance of space.

Straight out of the gate, this concept does not appeal to me at all. If there’s anything that drains your story of tension and thrills, it’s got to be the idea that everyone lives forever. The way the universe is constructed however, it ends up making the story far more interesting than what I had anticipated. Not everyone can afford to live forever, first of all, since re-sleeving can be an extremely expensive undertaking, and even those who have the money rarely feel the desire to live more than two lifetimes. Additionally there are complications which can arise, such as personality fragging, a type of insanity which occurs when a person is sleeved in one too many different bodies throughout their life.

Certain religious groups also vehemently resist re-sleeving, and for law enforcement various lengthy sentences of storage without the possibility to re-sleeve are the primary means of punishment for most crimes. There are even interesting concepts like criminals who copy their consciousness into several cortical stacks at once, making them difficult to apprehend once and for all. Other criminals and intelligence operatives also utilize virtuality to torture people in a digital environment, allowing them to subject victims to days or even months of agony which equates to only a few hours in real-time. Real death can also still occur, if the individual’s cortical stack is badly damaged or destroyed.

The actual plot involves a former soldier named Takeshi Kovacs, who is paroled early from a criminal sentence and re-sleeved by a rich tycoon who offers to exonerate Kovacs of his crimes if he can solve a murder. While reluctant to work for some rich asshole, Kovacs is almost instantly attacked by mercenaries which makes him curious enough to take the case. Kovacs then works to investigate the purported crime while getting himself into a bit of trouble with the locals, and trying to deal with extreme trauma from his combat experiences.

It’s surprising that in the case of Altered Carbon I was entirely incorrect in everything I thought the producers might add/change/amputate from the original story. I also could not have predicted what they decided to add and how they decided to change certain elements from the story of Morgan’s novel. I believe the series they crafted from his story is competently scripted, very well cast, doesn’t waste too much time with any silly subplots, and is generally a well-paced, adult-themed sci-fi story. Altered Carbon really wants to take itself seriously, in the same vein as things like SyFy’s praiseworthy diamond The Expanse, but its unique setting gets a little too bogged down in conventional tropes for my liking. Gratuitous T&A (as well as other, less commonly exploited extremities) and generous helpings of the fuck-words do not an edgy and intense sci-fi experience make. Good but not great, would be my general assessment of the series.

Don’t get me wrong here, Altered Carbon is plenty intense, even thrilling at certain points, but a somewhat bland smattering of writers and directors, thrown into the recipe with a few others who are brilliant geniuses, create a mixed bag of stylistic choices which don’t always fit together very well. So you’re often left with an unusually faithful adaptation of a badass novel, wonderfully enhanced in certain aspects, but grotesquely mutated in others, and some of the conflicting storytelling elements feel hurriedly stitched together. A Patchwork Man of a story, rather than prime quality tank flesh. None of Altered Carbon’s flaws are crippling however, and all-told I’d say the series is eminently watchable and very worth your while if you enjoy futuristic sci-fi stories.

WARNING: Spoilers ahead.

First the good news. This series stars an extremely talented cast of performers who own their roles with wonderful conviction, and very convincing poise.

Joel Kinnaman has been on my good side since he appeared in The Killing, and even his unfortunate role in the Robocop reboot didn’t water down my appreciation for him. I feel like his role as the newly sleeved Takeshi Kovacs was perfectly cast. Martha Higareda is just a little too cute to be such a badass, but she winds up playing Detective Ortega to that strong female archetype in a far less sensational and much more casual way than what you might expect from the modern trends of scripting for such characters. Though quite the opposite of Higareda in terms of the role she plays, Renée Elise Goldsberry brims with charisma as Quellcrist Falconer, a sort of futuristic Che Guevara if he had also practiced Zen and gong fu, and was a woman. Chris Collins is also incredibly memorable as Kovacs’ A.I. hotel manager Poe.

Ato Essandoh as Vernon Elliott became one of my favorite characters as the series goes on, and though I wasn’t totally sold on the arc of her character Hayley Law as Elliott’s daughter Lizzie completed a very nice trifecta of beautiful lead women who just happen to be racially diverse. The third of these ladies, of course, is Dichen Lachman who I’ve got to say delivers probably the most convincing and most nuanced performance in the entire series, having to run a wild labyrinth of different emotional expressions which all feel very genuine. As was the case with Sylvia Hoeks as Luv in Blade Runner: 2049, Dichen Lachman as Rei hooked me instantly and woudn’t let go. Maybe I just got a thing for sociopathic women or something.

There are also a few minor roles worth mentioning, Marlene Forte does a great job as the overbearing mother of detective Ortega, which again felt very genuine and not forced, Tamara Taylor as ambitious sleazy attorney Oumou Prescott gave me chills with her smug smile (again perfect casting), Kristin Lehman and James Purefoy seem a perfectly matched pair of megalomaniacs, Byron Mann and Will Yun Lee kick ass portraying Kovacs at very different stages of his troubled life, and there is some terrifically believable acting on the parts of child actors Morgan Gao and Riley Lai Nelet.

All that being said, not everything the actors are given to do is particularly well-written, in my humble opinion.

Takeshi Kovacs is something called an Envoy, a type of specially trained soldier who is mentally conditioned to be hyper-aware at all times, integrate and adapt to new environments and circumstances, and even manipulate his own bodily chemistry, allowing him to eliminate the pain threshold, instantly recover from debilitating drugs, and avoid lingering trauma from torture. The Envoys were created to help the Protectorate put-down political dissidents and rebels, which were running rampant throughout the settled worlds at the time of the Envoy Program’s inception. Many of these rebels often followed the outlawed “Quellist” writings of an infamously respected revolutionary leader called Quellcrist Falconer who fought, and lost, against the Protectorate hundreds of years before the time of the novel (and long before Kovacs was born). When she was born, Quellcrist Falconer, like Kovacs, also happened to be from Harlan’s World. In the novel, this reputation causes Harlan’s World to be viewed as a backwater source of rogues and misfits by citizens of more civilized worlds (which is fair, since it’s described by Kovacs as being overrun by crime syndicates and swamp gangs). But even compared to Harlan’s World, Earth is considered a polluted over-populated shit hole.

In the novel he was trained by the somewhat fascist forces of the Protectorate, and the Envoy Corps was an elite black ops group who could be transmitted to any planet and topple the regime in less time than it would take a massive army to win a single battle. In the series, Kovacs is just a random soldier burn during the time of the Quellist revolution, but Envoys were created and trained by revolutionary leader Quellcrist Falconer to combat the very fascist forces of the Protectorate, whom were too used to conventional warfare to properly adapt to Quell’s asymmetrical tactics.

The problem for me, with this particular change in the writing, is that much of the details have been glossed over. I never got a sense of how Quell was able to so efficiently condition her soldiers into such a formidable force, nor did her portrayal emphasize her military acumen in this manner very convincingly. Quell’s character is certainly charismatic and sympathetic to the audience, but I find it much easier to accept that Envoys are the product of sociopathic, strict, and brutal military conditioning than to grasp the concept that a fairly undisciplined group of freedom fighters were able to develop such a sophisticated method of training. If Quell’s rebels were portrayed differently, it might be easier to accept, but in the series they seem more like hippies with guns than hardened elite warriors.

This is one of my only major gripes with the series as a whole, and it wouldn’t even be that big of a deal to me if it didn’t play such a large role in the plot and arc of Kovacs as a character. I didn’t like the way it changed his backstory either.

See, in the novel Kovacs is a former Envoy turned career criminal since Envoys are generally feared by everyone despite their having fought for the Protectorate, so they don’t have a lot of options and their skillset is only useful in a limited context. He’s haunted by his combat experiences, regrets his role in assisting the government in putting down various rebels, and has a cultural misunderstanding of Earth because he’s from Harlan’s World. His criminal ventures could be seen as his own personal revolution, and Kovacs has spent about a century in and out of storage since leaving the military, but has only been consciously alive for about forty years. He isn’t portrayed as a morally centered person, but he has his own system of honor, and he selfishly accepts Laurens Bancroft’s offer because it’s a way out of a lengthy sentence. This gives him a nice arc, because he slowly becomes more morally invested in what he’s doing as certain things come to light, and ultimately risks it all toward the end basically to avenge the death of a prostitute and save a single life, which is a nice shift in contrast from the Kovacs we see leave storage at the start of the book.

In the series Kovacs is a lovesick puppy dog, who misses his one true love. He’s a former Quell revolutionary who also became a career criminal, but the moment he got caught they put him in storage indefinitely, because he’s the last of the Envoys, the rest of which were mercilessly butchered by stormtroopers from the evil Protectorate which has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. When the series begins, he awakens 250 years after he was captured and he finds that the galaxy has become what he always feared, a one-percenter’s paradise ruled by the rich, where the poor are exploited and marginalized and everyone with even the slightest sense of prominence is an irredeemable asshole. Politics aside, this change makes his character arc far less interesting to me, because he doesn’t want to help Bancroft but his reluctance comes from a very different place than the book, and ultimately Kovacs accepts the offer not out of selfishness but because the ghost of his dead girlfriend tells him to.

This also deeply conflicts with the first time we’re introduced to Kovacs, in his usual East Asian sleeve on Harlan’s World where he speaks of caring only for “getting paid” and seems like a typical devil-may-care bad boy. Then when he’s talking to Bancroft, he tells the tycoon “Some things can’t be bought. Like me.” So which is it? Do you only care about getting paid, or can you not be bought? This makes for a somewhat confusing characterization of Kovacs, who one minute is murderously avenging himself upon psychotic bio-smugglers and claiming he cares for no one, only to turn around and behave like a typical romantic the next. It isn’t entirely jarring, but for me it hurt the dark tone and mature themes to discover the central core of the series is a centuries-old fairytale love story.

Sorry. I like fairytale love stories. But I also like darkly thematic dystopian science fiction, and in my opinion the two mix about as well as apple liqueur and olive oil.

This is all, however, as I said one off my only major gripes about the series. And even the sum of its parts aren’t badly executed. Like I said, Quell is charismatic, Kovacs is haunted, and all three actors (Kinnaman, Goldsberry, and Kim as Kovacs in his original sleeve) deliver convincing performances as well as share a great sense of chemistry, so the love story is believable at least. Visual effects and set design are also wonderful, and for such a high concept sci-fi setting it all feels very seamless. Dialogue is well-scripted as well, and most of Poe’s interactions with other characters are some of the best scenes. It’s also nice to see a series that exploits the naked female form to a fault, yet also makes a point to ensure you get just as much if not far more male nudity to surprisingly counterpoint its shamelessness. I haven’t seen this many swinging dicks since the last time I read YouTube comments. Just makes you feel better when the characters finally ride the stuffed unicorn, know what I mean?

Many of the minor roles from the novel are also modified to make certain characters more important, and some of their roles have been altered so that they are completely different people. Some of these changes work better than others. Rei, as Tak’s sister rather than just some asshole crime boss he once knew, was a change in the story that had the reverse effect of how I felt about the altered Kovacs/Envoy backstory. It makes Reileen a more interesting character than just the Big Bad you might expect in such a story, and causes her motivations, maniacal as they remain, to be far more empathic and invested in the events of the plot. In that light, they made the villain stand out as memorable among the bland villains we often get in movies and TV shows now, thanks to the K-Mart quality antagonists so popularized by the Marvel movies.

While certainly not perfect, Altered Carbon still manages to offer fans of science fiction a fascinating world populated by characters who are easy to give a damn about, and a galaxy spanning story of heartbreak, betrayal, and retribution. I personally wasn’t that big a fan of the romantic warrior monk stuff in this particular story, but that doesn’t mean it won’t appeal to others. There’s enough mystery here to keep you guessing, and enough solid dramatic force to keep us wanting more on its own merits, not by virtue of any stupid cliffhangers. Much of the visual style and action sequences are just icing on the cake, really. Though, I confess, I almost jizzed my pants when I got to see the Phillips Squeeze Gun in action. And there’s nothing quite like one of those sci-fi stories where someone picks up a samurai sword, let alone during the finale.

All told, I’d watch Altered Carbon again, and you should too. Regardless of whatever I say, or my own personal preferences, it deserves your attention. Because it may be adapted from a novel, but a least it’s trying to be something different than most of what’s out there right now, even if its poetic love story doesn’t want it to be. So, ignore cynical bastards like me, watch the damn show and decide for yourself.

侍 headless

#cut-rate journalism #biopunk #altered carbon #joel kinnaman #dichen lachman #martha higareda #renée elise goldsberry #science fiction #anonymeisters #curious people #stuff i write #tv shows #reviews #netflix #gif #takeshi kovacs #detective fiction

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rowlets-are-seriously-round · 6 years

Text

What's in a Title?

Summary: Virgil, Logan and Patton visits Roman's imaginary kingdom and finds out that they all have titles amongst the subjects in Roman's kingdom.

Warnings: Near panic attack, a bit of arguing, food mention, first fic

Words: 2724

(This is an idea from a conversation with @chemically-imbalanced-romance that sprouted from his amazing fanfiction. You can find both our conversation and the fanfic here.)

Taglist: @chemically-imbalanced-romance, @painfullybisexual

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Virgil would normally never agree to go with Roman on any of his quests, as he never knew what might happen. Roman had asked so many times, but now, he no longer invited him to adventures about slaying dragons or witches (or both, damn Dragonwitch), instead he asked Virgil to join him for picnics or walks. Roman wasn't an idiot. He realised quickly that Virgil would never join him on any trip that could end in danger. Therefore, he opted for ideas, where they could relax. He even made an entire kingdom, where no dangerous beast resided. He was normally against that, but he would do anything to bring Everlasting Gloom a new piece of scenery.

Virgil finally accepted. He was nervous the whole way to Roman's room. He was on edge inside the room and he tensed up, when they stepped through his mirror. But he gasped in wonder when he saw the forest and the pond and the small village and the fields and-

"Woaw, easy there, Fall Out Emo!" Roman had cought Virgil before he fell over from dissiness. Virgil grumbled, removed himself from Roman and pretended to smooth out the vrinkles in his hoodie.

"Soooo? What do you think?" Roman vedged, already knowing that Virgil at least found it somewhat impressive. Virgil rolled his eyes. Roman would do anything to get a compliment.

"It's nice, I guess…" it was a bit too bright for his tastes, but it was grand, and it was… Roman. Yeah, it was nice… Roman's smile seemed to light up the fantasy world even more. He puffed out his chest.

"Awww, I knew you loved me, Edgelord!"

"Whatever, did you want to show me something, or what?" Virgil puffed. He was a bit on edge. What if Roman was going to drag him all the war through the village or up to the castle? …. Or into the castle?! Virgil's breath quickened and he started to tremble. He could feel a tingle running up his spine. His head felt numb and ice cold and heavy. He felt like he was drowning. He didn't want to go there. There would be crowded as everybody would surely want to greet their prince! What if they got seperated?! What if he got lost? He would never be able to get ou-

"Virgil" Roman's voice cut throught his muddled thoughts like a sword… no… more like… water rinsening a dirty stone free of grime.

"S-sorry" damn, he hated his voice for stuttering. He wasn't weak! Roman searched his face, not with pity, but some kind of nearly-understanding. The prince gently took his arm and led him towards the pond. Virgil started to relax. The hand on his arm was like an ancre, keeping him grounded. Luckily, there were no people around the area, just like Virgil liked it. There would be nobody to damand his attention (besides Roman) or question him or being loud. He was starting to work himself up again. He took a deep breath and tried to relax. This was important to Roman. Roman who had tried so hard to include him and be kinder. They still bantered, but the words weren't so harsh anymore.

They had reached the small lake. Ducks swam around, quacking and filling their beaks with the gross-green-whatever that was floating around in the water. He could never remember what it was called. They sat down and enjoyed the scenery.

"Did you know that ducks can't eat bread? It will fill them up, so they don't feel hungry, but they get no nutrience from it, so they might starve to death." Virgil shared.

"Tumblr?" Roman asked. Patton would most likely have started crying and Logan would have given him a more detailed report as to why and how this happened. Roman would usually have made a dramatic gasp, sworn to protect the ducks from bread-feeding or proclaimed Virgil a mood-killer. But he didn't. The Sides where more than the Sides. They were more than what aspects they represented. And if Roman could put away his need for dramatics, Virgil could at least try to put away his negative demeanor.

"You are- It's really- … You did a really good job with this world… I like it… a lot…" Virgil wished that his tounge would stop tripping over itself. He nearly continued talking about the flaws of this world, but stopped himself in time and it was worth it. Roman's eyes were wide in astonishment. His hands flew up to his mouth while he squeeled in glee. Virgil snorted and gave a little smirk.

The moment was ruined when a man ran towards them. Virgil tensed up again, when Roman rose to his feet. The man seemed excited and not frightened, but it did nothing to lessen Virgil's rising anxiety.

"PRINCE ROMAN! PRINCE ROMAN! WHAT AN HONOUR!!!" The man yelled eagerly. Virgil guessed that he was a knight. He was certainly dressed as one. The anxious side had no idea, how the man was able to run that far with a chainmail, but everything was possible in Roman's imagination, he thought.

"What is troubling you, Lancelot?" Roman asked worried. Virgil snorted at the name and Roman shot him a look.

"Prince Roman, you have returned!" the man exclaimed and could barely stand still. "Your subjects have awaited you! You must come quickly! They are all waiting for you!"

Roman shook his head, "My apologies, but I'm here in a different errand at the moment, but I will return soon enough," he said and gestured at Virgil, who had placed himself behind Roman.

"Oh! The Shadow King! My apologies, sire! I did not see you!" the knight said and bowed deeply. Roman made an affronted noise and turned towards Virgil.

"Shadow King??! How come, you're a king, when I'm a prince?! That hardly seems fair! And how come, my own subjects seem to have you in higher regards than me?! I created them!" By now the world had paused. The knight stood still as a statue, mouth still open while he was raising himself from his bow. If you looked up, you would see birds, frozen mid-flight, still in the air. It unnerved Virgil. It didn't feel right.

He shrugged. He honestly had no idea as he had never met any of Roman's "subjects" before.

He smirked.

"Maybe, it's because I'm better than you?" he tried to sound innocent, but his growing smile ruined the effect.

Roman was better at hiding his own smile, when he grabbed his sword to stand in a majestic pose.

"In your dreams, Emo Nightmare!" heh, back at the old nicknames, huh? Virgil chuckled and shook his head.

"Let's head back to the others," Virgil said as he stretched "I wonder, what the others are called in your kingdom? Dr Bookworm and Mr Sunshine? Or do you think they have more regal names?" Virgil glanced at Roman, who huffed, but wore a thoughtful expression. The Prince led the way home. The trip was kind of ruined anyway and both parts were more curious about whatever the other two could possibly be called by imaginary townsfolk.

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"I could be a fairy!" Patton exclaimed, "And Logan would probably be a wizard or something!" he seemed to enjoy the idea a lot.

"Although, I do not know as to why, Virgil was given a title by Roman's imaginary world, I do not believe that we can "choose" our own character as one would in a game," Logan said.

"Then we have no choice, but to find out! It's Adventure Time!" Roman was already ready for another trip, while Virgil just wanted to retreat to his room for a bit. Even though, their time in Roman's room hadn't lasted for more than half an hour, he felt worn out. Logan noticed this.

"Perhaps we should wait with this experiment and conduct it tomorrow instead? This way, I will not need to interrupt my reading, and Patton will not burn down the mindscape with that bakery of his."

"Bakery?"

"MY CAKE!!!"

Patton's cake had been saved just in time, although it was a bit dark in the edges. They hadn't had the chance to taste it yet, as Patton had been determined in using it for their picnic the next day. If they were visiting the fantasy realm, they might as well make it enjoyable.

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Logan had been quick to point out birds that were made up, as he didn't recognize them and Roman was just as quick to refuse the offer of borrowing a book from the logical side about different bird species. Logan couldn't see the point of making up new birds, if Roman didn't even know, what they ate or why they had such amazing colours.

"You are completely ignoring Darwin's theories of evolution! Take that bird for example! Why is its beak blue?! Is it a part of its performance for its mate? Is it because blue objects attract its prey? You cannot just make up a new race without-"

"Logan, PLEASE! Please stop… I don't care about all of that! Its beak is blue because it looks good!"

Virgil and Patton shared a look and sighed. They could go on like this for hours.

“Can we please have our picnic now, guys?” Patton tried to defuse the growing tension. The two sides tried to be better at not arguing so often, they all did, but sometimes, it just couldn’t be helped. When you lived with people who were so different from yourself, arguments would naturally arise. And Patton was usually the one to go to, if you wanted a fight to break up. One would think that the others didn’t want to hurt his feelings, but the truth was that there was a reason for him to be the dad of their group. You didn’t want to face him in full Dad Mode. It was terrifying.

Roman and Logan quickly agreed and helped spread out the blanket. Roman found some rocks to place in the corners so the blanket wouldn’t flutter away.

“What do you think this world would call us?” Patton wondered, it was hard for him to just relax and enjoy his slightly dry cake. “Maybe I’m the Dogfather!” he grinned.

“Patton, you cannot be a dog father as you are neither a dog nor an actual father,” Logan explained, while Roman groaned into his hands. Virgil tried to smother his sniggers. Patton ignored them all.

“Logan! You can be The Sun!” Patton gasped. Logan squinted. He knew what was coming.

“How so?” he asked. He might as well get it over with.

“Because you brighten up my day!”

Logan sighed. It seemed he couldn’t avoid neither idiocy nor puns today. He turned to Virgil, who was trying to keep a straight face.

“Shall we get this over with? I honestly couldn’t care less about whatever title Roman’s little world made up for us, but I surely hope that it doesn’t take a whole day. I do have other plans.”

Virgil rolled his eyes and huffed.

“I’m with you, dude.”

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The picnic had been... nice… Virgil and Roman had as usual one of their disagreements, which wasn’t all bad as they tried to not be too insulting, but when Virgil had commented on how Roman didn’t live up to the princes in Disney, Roman had picked up his piece of cake and smashed into the anxious side’s face. And thus, the food war had begun. They looked like a mess. In the end, Virgil had apologised. He had definitely crossed a line. In turn, Roman had apologised as well. They still looked like an un-cool mess, but they were no longer glaring at each other.

Roman noticed how Patton was overflowing with excitement and Logan was overflowing with…. Impatience… and decided to get it over with. He loved his dreamscape, but knew that the others didn’t have such a strong attachment to it. While he could spend hours in there, the others were already done and over with it. Well, except for Patton, naturally, but he was excited about nearly everything. Therefore, Roman decided to call for his trusty knight, Sir Lancelot. The name certainly lacked creativity, but he had liked the character so much, that he had to use it himself.

The knight appeared almost immediately from a path near the forest. This time, he was riding a nut-brown horse.

“Prince Roman! You have returned!” the knight was quick to bow down as soon his feet landed on the ground. In the beginning, Roman had made all his imaginary figures talk like in the middle ages, but it had quickly grown old and insufferable.

“Sir Lancelot! You’ve already met Virgil here-“

“Ah, yes! The Shadow King!” the knight bowed again

Roman squinted at the man. He had interrupted him! How dare he?! Roman sniffed before turning his attention toward his nearly blind friends.

“Yes. As I was saying; you’ve already met Virgil, but here’s my other friends, Logan and Patton!” the prince swung out his arm as in presentation. Patton held his breath, waiting for the outcome. The two left-brained sides rolled their eyes.

For the third time that day, the knight bowed and it was honestly getting tiring, according to Virgil, who bit his tongue to keep his sarcastic remarks at bay. Logan had the same opinion, but could also see the value, the knight held in terms to Roman and his self-worth. It was painfully clear now, how much Roman craved the attention, respect and acknowledgement the knight overflowed Roman with. Logan made sure to remember note it down and praise Roman a bit more in the future. Of course only because it would help Thomas’ well-being. Naturally.

“Lord of the Nerds and King of Hearts!” the man exclaimed. Virgil snorted and hid his face behind his bangs, his shit-eating grin still visible.

Logan blinked, not quite believing what he just heard.

“Awwww! That’s cute! I’m the King of Hearts AND I HEART YOU ALL!!!” Patton yelled flailed his arms around.

“Well, now that this is over with, I believe that it is time to return. Agreed?” Logan was so done with this whole escapade and just waited for them to return to the mindscape.

“Well, I can only say that this turned out to be a CAT-ASTRO-phe!” the others stared at him and seemed confused.

“What? Logan told me that ‘astro’ means star! And I also really like cats…” Patton giggled. Virgil snorted, while Logan continued to look confused.

“But why would you mention stars? You usually follow some kind of logic with your... so-called witty puns,” Logan looked like he had smelled something unfortunate.

“Because you’re my star,” the moral side whispered.

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It was a few days after their trip and one might believe that they had pushed the whole ordeal to the back of their minds or that everybody had forgotten about it. Sadly, that was not the case. Ever since they had returned, whenever Roman and Logan was arguing, Roman had pulled his so-called ‘trump-card’.

“Logan, please remember, who the prince is here!” he would say and make some kind of sassy pose. It was getting tiring and old really quickly.

“To be honest, our so-called titles form your underlings does not matter to me the slightest, and I cannot see, why you put so much weight on a nick-name from somebody that has only met us once.” Logan was getting ready to throw in the metaphorical blanket and just give up. In Roman’s dreamscape he had realised just how dependent the Prince was of flattery, acknowledgement and praise, and he really tried to not drag him down, but it was getting hard with the way Roman continuously tried to fight and mock him with their new-found titles.

“What’s the matter Logan? Can’t handle me being better at something than you?” Roman glowered, while Patton and Virgil was sitting at the kitchen table enjoying a cup of hot chocolate and coffee, respectively.

“I wouldn’t quite say that, as I have no interest in these titles, therefore it does not matter to me if your rank is higher is mine. You on the other hand-“

“Please be quiet children, the kings are talking,” Virgil interrupted with a smirk. Even Patton berating Virgil couldn’t make him stop grinning at the flappergasted looks he received.

#sanders sides fanfiction #virgil sanders #roman sanders #patton sanders #logan sanders #trigger warning panic attack

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insane-weasel · 6 years

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The Plague of Farawaia (Prinxiety Fanfic)

Also: posted on Archive of Our Own

General Audiences

Sum: The Prince of Farawaia is convinced that an evil warlock had caused a plague that has caused the King (Thomas) to become ill and bedridden as well as their darling healer, Patton! He sets out to find the Warlock and break the plague!

Or The time Thomas got the flu.

Once upon a time lived an evil Warlock and a Beautiful Prince in a land in Farawia. That absolutely gorgeous and stunning Prince was the fair ruler of his kingdom, next in line for the throne until a dark plague washed over the kingdom, courtesy of the Warlock. The King and the court’s beloved Jester and Healer, Patton had fallen ill. The Prince had to ride to face the Warlock.

Roman, elegant and a brave prince was not as kept as he usually was. His hair was tousled, his sash askew, and he felt his heart beating painfully in his chest. “Father?” He opened the heavy door to his father’s room and spotted his father, Thomas, lying ill in bed. Coughing and curled up on his side, shaking like a leaf in the wind. Roman cautiously edged towards his bed. “Father, can I get you anything?”

“N-” Thomas couldn’t get more than that out, erupting into a coughing fit. Thomas reached for the chalice on his table filled with water, but his shaking hand caused it to slip, crashing to the floor. Roman darted in and quickly filled it back up and held it to his father’s lips to drink. “I’m so sorry, Father.”

“Fine.” Thomas coughed and took a drink. “Not your fault. Go…go have fun. Let me rest.”

But Roman could not. Heart pounding he left the room, his stomach twisting as he quickly wove down the stairs to talk to his advisor, who was still sitting in the Healer’s bedroom. It was connected to the Medical Ward where Patton, the lovely healer, with a cheerful face treated and helped people, but Patton was ill as well, and could not help. Logan sat next to the bed, quietly leaning towards Patton and reading a book out loud about fantasies—something Logan didn’t enjoy himself, but he knew Patton did—as Patton listened in, half-awake, half-asleep. Awoken by his own coughing every few moments.

“How is he?” Roman asked and Logan shook his head. He closed the book gently as Patton began to fall asleep again nestling closer to his pillow and pulling the covers around him tighter. He gestured for Roman to follow him into the hall and they stepped out quietly, the door closing behind them. “He needs medicine—everyone does. A cure, if you will,” Logan said quietly. “We don’t know what we’re treating. I’ve read through every medicine book of Patton’s and then the ones we had in the libraries—there’s nothing on this disease.”

Roman’s stomach fell. He didn’t know what he would do without his father or Patton. “We...there has to be something!” Roman questioned and Logan sighed. He fixed his spectacles and leaned against the door to Patton’s room. “Roman, I’ve search everywhere. The only other option would be seeking the source of the disease—the first infected person or-”

“The Warlock!” Roman accused, and Logan shook his head.

“Roman, we’ve never proved there has been a Warlock. Nor would I jump to demonic influences or magick—they’re hardly ever the cause of most of these illnesses,” Logan said calmly, but he sighed with stress. “We can’t afford you running around and leaping into trouble, if you got hurt…”

Roman shook his head, bit his lip. “Logan, magick is real. Remember the famine—the dying of the crops. You didn’t have a reason for it.”

“I didn’t have enough time to collect information,” Logan said quietly. “Roman, we need to focus on real possibilities. You could help me find more texts, maybe experiment through similar diseases.”

“I’m going to go find the Warlock and force him to give me information about the plague!” Roman declared. Logan shook his head and rubbed at his forehead. Roman grabbed his arm and stared at him seriously. “Logan, be honest, do you want to see Patton well?”

“I want to see everyone healthier—so of course I would like to see Patton in better health, as well as our King and—” Roman just shook his head. Logan eyed him oddly, but rolled his eyes when he understood his point. “Roman.”

Roman smiled, “I will find us our cure. Within half a fortnight! I will be back with our cure and no more plagues will ever rid our realm!” Logan shook his head, but he put his hand on Roman’s shoulder and stared him in the eyes.

“Be safe, the kingdom cannot afford to lose you either.” Logan stressed, and Roman nodded solemnly.

“Don’t doubt me, my friend. I am far more capable than you give me credit for.”

“I believe you give yourself too much credit,” Logan said, but let Roman go off. The prince strode confidently through the halls, through the meeting areas, past wooing women, and handsome soldiers where he made his way to the stable. He took his trusty horse and pet her mane, staring off into the woods. It was dark, menacing, and far more uncomfortable than it needed to be. He pulled himself onto his horse and took a deep breath. He had an adventure ahead of him.

The prairies flew by under the hooves of his horse, but he felt himself more hesitant as he crossed into the woods. The terrain was difficult, roots, and snares, and all kinds of trouble he was sure of. It was growing dark, the trees blocking out the only sun there was left. The woods were a treacherous place, no man should traverse them often. He rode elegantly, until complete darkness enveloped him.

Foolishly, he hadn’t brought a lantern. Or anything beyond camping supplies he had grabbed last minute. In his head, he had envisioned this going much more smoothly. This was, after all, the first time he had just rode out into the woods, alone, without any idea where he was going. Roman wasn’t inexperienced—he had slayed a dragon (although Logan said it was a large lizard), he had rescued damsels and misters—from uncomfortable situations. He had plenty of experience—just not enough.

“Sure is cold,” Roman muttered and he dismounted from his horse. It was no use, he couldn’t see far enough. He rubbed his arms and rummaged through his bag, pulling out a sleeping bag, some apples, a roll of parchment, a quill, a bottle of ink, and a spare jacket. He slid the spare jacket on, and eyed the twiggy ground. He did not feel like sleeping there tonight. But he had no other choice. Sucking it up, he tied his horse to a tree, found an area without as much branches and laid down in his sleeping bag.

Hoot! Hoo! Hoot!

HoooOOOOoooowl.

Yip.Yip.

“Why is it so frightening here? Don’t animals sleep too?” Roman questioned, turning over in his sleeping bag, and hiding himself. The howling didn’t cease, but grew closer. His horse began to panic. Soon, Roman had no choice. He got up and tried to calm her down, offering her an apple as the howling grew a lot closer. Soon he could see eyes glittering in the moonlight. Sets of eyes. Teeth too.

“Oh…” Roman muttered. “Oh no.”

His horse tore itself from the tree and started running. Some of the wolves chased, but two didn’t. Instead, they stared at him, sharp eyes pinning him to a tree. Roman gripped the tree and found a branch—small, but fierce. His sword was still lying in his sleeping bag. Whoops. Maybe he should have grabbed that right away. “Nice doggy…nice doggy.”

It snapped at him and pinned him further to the tree. Its snout only inches away. Roman fumbled and all he felt was the apple still in his hand. He threw it in a far away direction. “Fetch!” The wolves regarded the apple with no interest, in fact one jumped at him. Roman screamed and threw the stick and took off running, trying not to trip. He stumbled and scratched his beautiful face and hands against branches. Roman glanced behind him to see how close they were and missed the large fallen tree in the way. He fell on his face and felt sharp teeth sink into his ankle. Roman screamed in pain and fright and kicked wildly. He was going to die.

Roman managed to break free and he ran again, his injured ankle slowing him down. Stumbling, he steadied himself against a tree as he felt something crash into his back. Death. He was truly going to die. The great, fiersome—and not to mention gorgeus—prince. As his second jacket protected him from some of the clawing he heard a loud crack. A branch. The wolf clawing him stiffened. From the trees, an even more fearsome monster appeared.

Skin as pale as a skeleton, eyes sunken in like a dead-man’s, and carrying the very aura of terror—the Warlock. He was holding a torch and one look at Roman in the wolves he gestured the with the torch, terrifying the wolf and causing them to dart away. Roman struggled to pull himself so he could run as well, but the Warlock was already upon him. The man propped his torch up in a gap of the tree and bent down to the injured Roman.

He took one sharp look at Roman and his eyes shot into his eyebrows. “The prince?” The Warlock questioned.

Roman wanted to bluff but, he was currently trying to get up and he was in a lot of pain. This was not going how he expected it to go. Firstly, he wasn’t interrogating the Warlock—who was kneeling over him and secondly—he was in a lot of pain. “Unnnngrh.” Was Roman’s dignified response. He felt the Warlock shift anxiously as he glanced behind Roman in the direction of the wolves. “Hang on, I’ll get you inside.” The Warlock disappeared for a moment, leaving the torch casting light over Roman who had managed to sit up, but that caused his wounds agony on his back. The jacket hadn’t completely saved him and the scratch marks that were starting to close, burst open when he sat up.

“Ow,” he murmured and looked around desperately for a weapon. The Warlock had returned—with a wheel barrow. Of course! To dump his dead body off into who knows where.

“It’s not great, but it’s what I have to get you up there. I can’t carry you that far,” the Warlock muttered nervously under his breath. He reached for Roman hesitantly and Roman pulled away. “Can you walk?”

“Yes.” Roman stupidly said, and attempted to stand, before wincing and stumbling. The Warlock caught him around the waist and gently helped him get into the wheelbarrow, trying to be mindful of his injuries. Roman was in pain and the moving was making it so much worse. “I’m dying.” He declared.

“Not yet,” the Warlock argued, sighing and then starting to push the wheelbarrow. Roman shuddered. It was cold, he was tired, he regretted coming here. He wanted to go home. Yet, the blood loss and shock of the pain hit him in a tidal wave, and despite the circumstances, he passed out. When he awoke—he was in front of a fireplace, shirtless, and covered with a soft blanket. He was left lying on his stomach, his head turned to the side so he could breath—bandages wrapped around his back tightly. Roman groaned and he heard a spoon fall into a bowl. Across the room sat the Warlock, eating a bowl of porridge.

He had never pegged evil doers to just eat a bowl of cereal in the morning. The Warlock wiped his mouth off and warily eyed Roman before depositing his bowl in the sink and inching forward. “You’re Roman, right, the prince?” the Warlock questioned uncertainly.

“Why,” Roman said, fighting the dry mouth, “do you want-” Roman started coughing, and with a jolt he realized he was sick. The warlock had cursed him! Promptly, the Warlock offered him a glass of water—that Roman refused for safety concerns. The Warlock frowned.

“Nothing’s been done to it,” the Warlock said.

“Don’t trust,” Roman said, before coughing again, the force of the coughs reopening the wounds. Cursing the Warlock sighed and retreated to the corner of the room, grabbing jars full of roots and flowers and poultices. He pulled down a book and flipped to a page before he began measuring out substances from each jar. Witchcraft! Roman coughed again and rolled over in agony in the bed. His body hurt everywhere! The Warlock clamored away and Roman suffered silently.

Until the Warlock stopped and moved back to the bed, the same glass of water and a poultice in a small cup with a spoon in it. “Take a spoonful of the medicine and then the water, it’ll help with the taste.” Roman shook his head. The Warlock narrowed his eyes and frowned.

“Why not? I’m trying to help you.”

“Poison me. Warlock!” Roman said between coughs, feeling his insides start to twist painfully. He groaned and with a sigh the Warlock grabbed the cup and spoon and scooped out a spoonful, he then braced himself and shoved it into Roman’s mouth as he started coughing. Roman gagged, and fought as the vile Warlock tried to poison him. The Warlock pinned him down as much as he could, hand over Roman’s nose and mouth so he had no choice, but to swallow.

Eventually, the battle was lost. Roman swallowed and the Warlock retreated, quickly wiping his hand on his cape and leaving the glass of water on the night-stand as he went outside, not staying around in the one room small home. Roman coughed, but the substance didn’t come up. It hadn’t tasted all that great and quickly downed some of the water. “Vile Warlock,” Roman muttered, surprised his voice had suddenly returned. It must be, because the Warlock was out of the room.

He lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling, waiting for his death by poisoning, but it never came. Eventually, he fell asleep again. When he awoke, his bandages had been changed, his scrapes on his face wash-cleaned, and he felt a thicker bandage on his ankle. There had been one there earlier, but it must been temporary. Roman looked around to see where the Warlock had gone, but he was nowhere in sight. On the night stand was a glass of water, and a bowl of stew, and a note next to the cup and spoon from earlier.

“Take a spoonful. Eat. Went to find your horse—saw the tracks while gathering herbs.”

Roman eyed the food and the strange substance, but he unsurely speculated that maybe it was medicine. What had Logan said? You can’t say something is something, until you’ve at least tested it a few times. He hadn’t died by poisoning, so maybe it wasn’t dangerous to take again. His cough had improved and Roman thought, just maybe, that poultice was helping. He took the medicine, took a drink of the water, but didn’t have a stomach for the stew. He turned over and buried himself in the covers, finding more on the side to throw over himself. When he awoke, the Warlock was back.

“Uhh…sleep well?” the Warlock ventured awkwardly, as he worked on hanging wet herbs to dry. The air smelt strongly of sage and various unidentifiable spices and it was both relaxing and full of memories. He was sharply reminded of Patton preparing medicine at times. Roman sunk into the bed, curling up comfortable. He noticed both of his jackets were lying on the nightstand and folded—badly mended, but mended and clean nonetheless. The thought touched him.

“Yeah, pretty good,” Roman wasn’t sure where to start on the accusations. If the Warlock had been this awful person and made rude comments it would be so much easier to say something to him. So much easier to hate him. He seemed mostly just awkward and unsure of social reactions.

“That’s…good,” the Warlock ventured, “Sorry, I’m not used to having guests over very often.”

“No—no, you’re fine,” Roman said courteously, feeling more comforted than before. He then remembered his illness, but he found it in only a faint niggling sensation in the back of his throat and a faint headache. The medicine had treated it. He eyed the spoon and cup and wondered if he should take another dose. The Warlock followed his eyes and nodded.

“You probably should, to be safe,” the Warlock answered his unasked question. The Warlock had turned his back on Roman and was sorting the herbs and storing them. Some he set off to the side to use later, others he mixed with water or a juice before storing it in a jar. Roman watched him curiously before he did take the spoonful of medicine and chased it down with water. He saw bread, sausage and cheese cut-up and still wafting warm streams of air from them. His hunger returned, Roman dug in, eating comfortable and trying to be semi-mindful about not covering the bed in crumbs. He noticed the warm fireplace still ran and that a few candles were lit as the sun had begun to set. He wondered how long he had been asleep.

“W-” Roman stopped himself. That wasn’t likely the man’s name or preferred title. “Sir?” the man turned, dark eyes raising into eyebrows. “How long was I sleeping for.”

He noticed the small facial tick and then the tensing of the shoulders. The man, still maybe a warlock, was not expecting a good response after giving his answer. “A week. There was a sleeping mix mixed into the poultice, because you moved too much and tore open your wounds,” the Warlock said carefully and went back to mincing a herb and scraping its contents into a bowl. Roman tensed and he nearly exploded with anger. The Warlock had forced him into a slumber! How dare he. Roman could have minded the bandages fine and not torn them open—Patton always said he was a good patient. Roman made to argue, but he noticed the quiet way the Warlock had sunken into himself, shoulders tight and his body curled tightly to himself. He was expecting Roman’s anger, dreading it.

Roman’s anger soured and fizzed out. He took a deep breath and he forced himself to work through it like Logan always told him. Take a deep breath, use reason? Why did they do it? Did they do it to harm you? No. He didn’t do it to harm you, he was trying to help you. You did tear open your bandages the first time.

“I guess…I did. Thank-you, sir,” Roman said amicably and noticed the way the Warlock’s eyes darted to him and the way part of the stiff posture cautiously unwounded.

“You’re welcome…your highness,” the Warlock said cautiously. “Sorry for the lack of formal address, I had almost forgotten.” The last part he said bitterly, causing Roman’s eyes to shoot into his eyebrows. He could feel the lull of sleepiness, but with his body in better health he fought it a bit.

“Did my father, or I, or the kingdom do something to you?” Roman asked and the Warlock paused in his work.

He tensed his shoulders and had a mental argument. “It’s not important. Just rest, your horse is being taken care of and you should be fit to leave in a day.” The Warlock quickly dismissed causing Roman to feel a bit miffed. He felt utterly relaxed, but clearly the Warlock was not—there was something wrong, and if it was something he did then he wouldn’t be a good guest to just ignore it. But the Warlock was retreating, finishing up his herb work and eying the door. He intended to leave until Roman slept again. Roman wasn’t letting that happen. He didn’t like lying or faking things, but he wasn’t above using tricks to save people. And this man clearly had a problem he needed saved from. Roman pretended to sleep and he waited, forcing himself not to actually fall asleep as the Warlock finished up. He felt eyes creep over his form where he pretended to be deep breathing.

The Warlock sighed. “Prince, I’m no fool.”

Roman cursed. He sat up again, rubbing his eyes as the Warlock rested against his counter and eyed Roman with a cat’s wariness. “Why do you wish to know so badly?”

Roman rubbed his eyes and took another drink of the water, the fatigue taking stronger hands. “I assumed the worst of you, and you’ve been nothing, but kind. As a gentleman, I would very much like to correct any errors I have not yet fixed in the way I approach you,” Roman suggested diplomatically. The Warlock didn’t buy it—or rather, he read some of what Roman was saying and found more meaning in it.

“Prince, why did you leave your castle and come into the woods?” the Warlock questioned and Roman thought about lying, but Patton would disapprove. Patton would always give him lectures on lying—especially when he lied to his father to get out of doing work.

“To find you…”

“Because?”

“Because I—may I say, wrongly, wrongly thought—or believed…that…” Roman stalled and the Warlock sighed, ran his hand over his face and pushed off the counter and went to the corner of the room next to a bookcase.

“Let me guess, you thought I’m the cause of the plague?” the Warlock ventured, and Roman’s gut twisted. The Warlock looked hurt for a spare moment, but he shielded it well. “No, but I know the cause. It’s been carried by livestock before and it just happens that livestock caught it again and spread it. Likely you picked up the disease from any number of possible interactions with livestock. I have the instructions for the cure. I can send it with you, and your healer can prepare the herbs and treat the ill. It shouldn’t be too hard. Its brutal, but easy to cure.” The Warlock listed off, his voice tired and monotone and Roman felt worst. “I’ll be back in a few days, when you awake, just take what’s yours, the cure and be gone.”

“Wait!” Roman said, but the Warlock didn’t listen, and he left Roman alone as he went out the door. Roman felt a sort of cold emptiness and he felt sorrow. He had hurt the Warlock deeply, but he was only adding to the overall hurt the Warlock felt. He was misunderstood and Roman made him feel worse. Roman could not fight off the sleep any longer, and he closed his eyes. He promised himself, that when he woke up, he would find the Warlock and talk to him. He wouldn’t let this misunderstanding continue.

…

True to his word, when Roman woke up—there was a note on top of his jackets and a few jars of herbs in a rough-sack with the parchment of the cure in it. There was jerky, and bread left out for him—but cold now in the morning air. The fire had waned and left the place feeling cold and lonesome. The Warlock was not anywhere Roman could see and Roman anxiously slid his jackets on and found his boots—lacing them up as he pondered what he was going to do. He went outside where he found his horse, saddle still intact and the horse looking awake and warm—covered by a thick blanket. Fed recently judging by her alertness. Roman attached the bag to her, but didn’t climb on. Instead, he saw his sword hanging from his sheath in the saddle and the ruined remains of his knapsack with his sleeping bag neatly left in it. Roman grabbed the sword, but not for harm—but because if there was another wolf he didn’t want to be hunted—or so he told himself. Part of him was still betraying his better nature and feared the Warlock.

He found a well-worn path and followed it curiously, looking for any sign of the Warlock. He came to its end, a ledge over-looking a lake, but there was no Warlock in sight. Roman turned around and noticed the various large trees. The Warlock could be hiding in any number of these—or what if he had fallen off the ledge! Roman quickly peered over, concerned, and nearly fell over himself as wind swept fiercely by him. He started to inch away from the ledge, but the wind caught him, and he felt himself falling forward.

A hand grabbed the back of his jacket and he was balanced again, safely still on the ledge. The Warlock let go of him almost immediately, backing up, his eyes dancing with tiredness and wariness. The man didn’t look like he had slept for a…week. Roman had been occupying his bed and that made the man feel even more guilty. The Warlock didn’t speak to him and almost immediately backed off and disappeared down the path. Roman chased after him, trying not to seem threatening, but the Warlock was certainly quick on his feet.

“Wait, I just want to talk!” Roman cried as the Warlock disappeared behind a tree. Roman followed, but the man was gone from sight. Maybe he did know magic. Roman took a step forward, and then glanced up. The Warlock stared down at him. He was on a branch eight feet above the ground. He glared down at Roman. “Can we talk?”

“You’ve got me cornered, so fine—this is perfectly fine your highness,” the Warlock retorted sarcastically, with a bite. Roman felt like he had chased a cat into a tree and it was hissing at him. Roman took a breath. “Roman, my name’s Roman.”

The Warlock chuckled darkly. “Great, leave me alone, Roman.”

“What’s your name?” Roman tried and the Warlock nearly groaned.

“Just leave.”

“Not until I get your name.”

“Promise you’ll leave.”

Roman didn’t want to leave, even after that. He didn’t want to leave the Warlock alone like this, but if this was the only way.

“I swear on my mother’s grave,” Roman said, putting a hand on his heart and the Warlock rolled his eyes.

“Virgil. The name’s Virgil. Now leave,” the Warlock—Virgil told him.

Roman was going to get crap from Patton about this kind of trick. “I didn’t promise, I swore on something that doesn’t exist—I don’t know my mother.” Virgil’s eyes narrowed and he glared daggers at Roman. He—to Roman’s surprise—he dropped down from the tree and pointed a finger into Roman’s chest.

“You’re a jerk, Roman, Prince, your majestic highness,” Virgil spat. “This is why I don’t like the kingdom. This—all of this—is why I’m sometimes glad I was exiled for having magic—because of pretentious princes like you.” And Roman saw the vines on the tree behind Virgil begin to shudder, the tree began to creak ominously, and the plants in front of Virgil began to lean away from him. Roman stood his ground as he realized something very familiar about Virgil. He was the one so long ago when Roman was a kid—where they chased a Warlock out for causing a disaster.

Virgil was a Warlock—but not a terrifying dangerous Warlock—he was a terrified warlock who had been left to fend for himself at a young-age. His only magic was plants—he just had mild control over plants. Or that’s what Roman was really hoping for, because Virgil seemed nice at the core. Roman stood his ground. “I’m sorry Virgil—I’m sorry they exiled you—but that was my grandfather—not my father or me. You can return. Come with me.”

Virgil shook his head, but Roman saw he was crying. He let the plants drop and shoved past Roman, heading back to his hut. As Roman followed after him, Virgil slammed the door, leaving Roman standing in front of the hut. Roman stood there for a moment before he knocked. There wasn’t a response. Idly, he eyed his horse and with a deep sigh, he went to his horse.

Maybe sleeping on the ground wasn’t as bad the second time around. He grabbed the sleeping bag, laid it out in front of Virgil’s door, and huddled there. It wasn’t dark out, but it was warmer than just waiting without it. Time dragged by, but Roman sat there, beginning to doubt his plan. Logan hopefully hadn’t gotten sick—and what if Patton had gotten worse—and his father. But it was his duty to save people—and Virgil’s life was just as important. Roman curled up against the door and closed his eyes. Maybe he should just take a nap.

He was awoken by a yelp the next day. Virgil had tripped over him, and landed ungracefully on his face—covering himself in dirt. Roman quickly helped him up—apologizing. His arms and legs felt stiff and he realized how cold he was. “Virgil, hey, are you okay?” Virgil got up quickly and glared at him and then at the sleeping bag.

“Were you sleeping in that outside my house?”

“Yes.”

“Why can’t you just leave?” Virgil said, exhausted. He sat there on the ground for a moment, idly pulling at the grass.

“Because you’re not happy here—and I don’t think its fair,” Roman said and Virgil shook his head.

“Roman, listen to me, I’m fine here,” Virgil argued, reaching out to grab Roman by the shoulder, but hesitating. “I’m fine.”

“You’re lying,” Roman pointed out, and Virgil stood up, heading back to his cabin. Roman followed, quickly getting in Virgil’s way.

“Move, Princey,” Virgil muttered.

“Come with me—you can help me treat the sick!” Roman offered and Virgil shook his head.

“You have your healer—just have him-”

“He’s sick.”

“Roman-”

“Please.”

“And if I say yes?”

“I’ll guarantee no one ever forces you out. You can help Patton—he’s been needing an assistant. You’ll be welcome to all the kingdom has to offer—I’ll accompany you anywhere you don’t feel safe and protect you!” Roman offered, and Virgil looked petrified.

“Roman, that’s a big thing to just offer someone—how are you supposed to-”

“I’m the best prince, of course I can,” Roman argued.

Virgil laughed, and it was the most beautiful sound Roman had ever heard. “You have too big of an ego.”

Roman offered Virgil his hand, “Come with me?”

“Yes.”

And so the lovely Prince and the shy, handsome and talented Warlock went to the castle. They were just in time!

Logan was pacing nervously outside of Patton’s door when Roman made it up there, one of his hands still clenching Virgil’s wrist as he raced up there. Virgil looked more nervous by the minute and Logan had bags under his eyes. “There you are!” Logan’s eyes were focused on Roman, “Patton’s stopped being able to get out of bed—and Thomas…Thomas is on death’s door.”

“We found a cure,” Roman said and Logan’s eyes moved from Roman to Virgil. “We? Oh, I see. And you are?”

“Virgil,” Virgil mumbled, and Logan noticed his bag of herbs he clenched tightly to himself. He was nervous as hell and Roman moved his hand from his wrist to his back.

“Come on, we can introduce each other properly later, let’s treat my father, and then we can treat Patton,” Roman said, gently guiding Virgil as Logan followed behind them, silently, analyzing the situation and watching Virgil carefully. When they reached the king’s chambers, Roman turned to Virgil and held him by the shoulders. “Virgil, I trust you. I’m going to give you space to work.”

Virgil nervously looked to the side, “I don’t need space—but thank-you, Roman.”

“Of course, go in there, Virgil.” Virgil cast a nervous look at Roman and Logan before heading into the King’s chamber, bag in hand. Logan watched him go in before turning to Roman.

“I see you’ve met the Warlock and found that he was not in fact the cause of the disease?” Logan questioned. “Although, I didn’t know he would know about herbal concoctions for illnesses.” Logan was ever the analyst and he seemed relieved now. His shoulders slackening. “Even though your trusting abilities are terrible at times—I do support you on this decision.”

“Glad you have faith in me, Logan,” Roman said and Logan shook his head.

“No, I have faith in the Warlock—I did some research and I came close to the same solution. I was one herb off—but those herbs match up with what I found. I was just missing the key piece,” Logan argued, adjusting his spectacles. Roman glowered at him.

“And you say my ego is bad,” Roman muttered and Logan just flashed him a minute smile.

“The difference is I have the knowledge to back it up.”

Virgil reappeared a moment later, and Roman smiled brightly at him. Virgil nervously twisted, “I think—I think the poultice and the feverfew should help—I administered some poppy into the mix, but I don’t know if—if it’ll be enough. I’m not a miracle worker.”

“I have a feeling it’ll work,” Roman said confidently. “Now, let’s go treat Patton!”

And that marked Thomas’s flu breaking, his heart and emotions rising back up from their depression—Patton being the sweetheart he is apologized for not being able to help. The unlikely alliance between Anxiety and Creativity during the time shocked Logic—but he never told either of them about that. Logan felt less driven without Patton around, but he soon was suffocated by the over-bearing comforting Patton tried to give him, when he realized Patton seemed to have tired himself out. Creativity, quick to assume that the lack of creativity and sudden illness was brought on by stress, accepted that Anxiety had a good hand in fixing the situation, directing their focus and with the power of Creativity and Anxiety—they found a time in their schedule to get Thomas to the doctor and complete all the assignments—including the ones Logic failed to figure out.

“And that…was the time Thomas got the flu!” Roman said, “How’d you like it?”

Virgil stared at him hard, but tilted his head and chose his words carefully. “Roman…your room and you…are…”

“I know, I know,” Roman waved it off, “Magnificient.”

“You really do see things in a weird light, Princey,” Virgil said and Roman hugged him close. Roman’s room looked like it came out of a fairy-tale, but it also was still Thomas’s personality warped into it. “Not to mention, you described me for most of the story as a horrifying beast. I mean…you don’t actually—I’m not.”

Roman’s laughter quickly quieted, and he cupped Virgils’ cheek, causing the other man to shy away some, but Roman only rested his forehead against Virgil’s and pulled him into the hug tighter. “I’m sorry for that characterization, Virgil. I mean it in jest, but I don’t take your feelings into account, and I’m sorry for the grief I cause you,” Roman meant sincerely and Virgil absently returned the hug.

“And I almost thought I was the villain,” Virgil muttered into Roman’s shoulder and Roman nodded.

“I know, my sweet and fragile heart—I once thought you were too and I’m sorry for thinking you caused Thomas’s grief that time and for the many other times I wrongly accused you,” he said, burying his face into Virgil’s neck. Virgil gently patted him on the head and blushed, but didn’t fight against the hug. He let Roman pull him down until they were lying next to each other on Roman’s over-dramatic bed. Virgil lay back, hands behind his head as Roman began describing another time—that Virgil could remember clearly, because he was part of Thomas too—but Roman’s spin had him closing his eyes and imagining a total different story. “So, remember when…”

Roman looked over at Virgil as he spoke and saw him breathing deeply and just smiled and watched him.

“I’m still awake,” Virgil said, opening an eye to look at Roman and Roman blushed, and continued the story as Virgil unconsciously shifted closer to Roman as the man smiled gently at him. Again, Virgil closed his eyes and Roman relaxed into the story, closing his eyes and sinking into the bed, hands gesturing in the air as he spoke.

“This time, my heart, you were the most beautiful Prince, but so distant and hurt, and this is the time I saved you from a much more terrible Villain!”

“Who?”

“Your self-doubt and criticisms.”

Virgil opened his eyes and eyed the closed-eyed Roman with cautious territory.

“I don’t think that’s happened yet,” Virgil ventured cautiously.

“This is a future story, if you want to hear the how—you’ll have to listen!” Roman cried in exaggeration, suddenly attacking Virgil in a hug again, his eyes wide open. Virgil submitted, but he lay against Roman, his eyes closed and breathing quietly.

“Thank-you, Roman.”

“Course, my heart. Now let’s begin.”

#fanfiction #prinxiety #sanders sides #virgil sanders #roman sanders #fluff

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siren-dragon · 7 years

Text

His Final Fantasy (Ardyn Izunia x OC) drabble

Hey everyone, I wrote a small little drabble featuring a headcanon idea from @pascha-chan about an Ardyn afterlife scene. So this is for you @pascha-chan, since you are so sweet and amazing; and I hope you like it! :D

Also a shout out to @rosecoloredkay for helping me with descriptions. Here we go! ^_^

He felt as if he were trapped within that thrice-damned prison once more.

It took every inch of will power Ardyn possessed to bow to the younger king. A final gesture of respect he thought the boy- no, the man deserved. As the Scourge continued to consume his flesh, its host finally submitting at last, Ardyn watched the King of Light summon their brethren. He felt every slice, every blow of their blessed steel batter his already broken body. When at last the final strike was dealt, Ardyn grinned as he begun to fade into the nothingness.

It was finally over….

To be honest, Ardyn never knew what he wanted to await him upon his death. He did try to imagine what the world beyond the mortal realm appeared to be; and if those he had lost were waiting for him. Though as time marched onward and left him unchanged, he abandoned such fantasies. After all, what good was dreaming of such reverie’s while immortality clung to him like an iron shackle. Immortal Accursed indeed….

Though he never thought he’d awaken to the scent of flowers.

Slowly opening his eyes, Ardyn frowned; glaring up at the evening sky as the moon and stars illuminated the field of sylleblossoms he was lying in. No! Why did the sky remain shrouded in darkness? Did the prophecy fail? Does all of Eos remain cursed by the daemons after everything he had done!?-

Wait….was that….was that music?

A soft humming, almost like the tinkling of bells, drifted across the gentle breeze along with the sound of….was that water?

Slowly Ardyn rose to his feet, the field of sylleblossoms stretching far and just along the horizon; the ocean. It appeared as if he had awoken within Galdin Quay; though not the modern resort that had overtaken the beach, but the Galdin Quay of his past. Gone were the obnoxious tourists and ambient tropical music, allowing the calming sound of waves to echo all around. He watched the black water crash against the shore before the music began again. Like a moth to a flame the magenta-haired king hurried after the sound, each step bringing him closer and closer to the ocean.

As he walked he watched the sky begin to lighten, the sky holding streaks of blue, pink, and indigo as he approached the water; allowing him to see a tall silhouette walking along the sand.

No…it wasn’t possible…..

The figure stopped, ending the melodious tune, they were humming and spun about. Even in the pale light of the early morning, Ardyn could still make out the features he remembered from so long ago. Long brown hair, darker than the finest chocolates, cascaded down sun-kissed skin in an elegant braid tossed over her left shoulder. She wore a gown of ivory that swayed in the breeze, revealing her bare feet and the anklet resting around her right foot. And he stared into those beautiful eyes; eyes of brilliant blue and purple that shinned brighter than the flames of the Meteor.

A hushed silence fell between the two, only to be broken by the crash of water along the shore. Ardyn stared in disbelief at the sight of his long dead wife, unsure if such a vision was real or a cruel fabrication. Was she truly here? Was she-

“Took you long enough! You sure know how to keep a girl waiting, Ardyn.” She teased, her violet eyes sparkling playfully.

Ardyn blinked in surprise before a smile pulled across his lips. There was no mistake, it was her….his Stella.

“What can I say? I am worth the wait, my dear,” he chuckled.

She smiled, lifting a hand to his face and brushing his stubble. Ardyn leaned into her touch; sighing softly at the warmth of her skin.

“I will say that the beard looks good on you. Though it does make you appear rather old.”

“For a 2000-year-old man, I believe I am holding up alright.”

Stella laughed, taking hold of her hand and guiding him toward the shore. “Well then old man, will you be open to a little walk along the shore?”

“Of course.”

Together they strolled across the sands slowly, admiring the view of the ocean. The sight took him back to that day, so long ago where he knelt before the woman beside him and asked her to be his wife. It seemed almost too good to be true; seeing her here once more. Was….Was this even real? Was it all simply a lie spun about by his own longing and sense of loneliness?…

“I’ve something for you,” Stella spoke, a bright grin spread across her face with hands clasped behind her back.

Ardyn blinked, her voice pulling him from his thoughts. “Oh? And what might that be?”

She brought her hands forward, showing a pair of sky-blue ice cream popsicles. “Did you think I’d forget about your insatiable sweet tooth? It’s a new flavor I thought you’d enjoy: sea-salt ice cream!”

“Sea salt? Well, you always did like odd things.”

“That is why I married you,” she laughed.

Slowly Ardyn took hold of a single popsicle, the frozen sweet dripping upon his hand. He could already smell the salt coming from the ice cream- or was it the ocean? - before taking a bite. The tang of sea salt danced across his tongue before the gentle sweetness of the sugar followed suit, a strange blend of flavor that complimented each other perfectly. Glancing to his left, he watched his lovely Stella stare out into the ocean, ice cream in hand as the horizon slowly began to brighten. How was such a vision even possible? After all he had done, did the gods truly grant him such a blessing? Or perhaps it was all a mere mockery for the Fallen King-

“What troubles you?” Stella asked curiously.

He froze, her words a Thunder spell through his entire body. Ardyn stared down at the sand beneath his feet, unable to meet her gaze. “What makes you think something would be ailing me?”

“Ardyn, I know you better than you think I do. It does not take much to see that something has been plaguing your mind. So…what troubles you, my love?”

Ardyn turned to face her, tears threatening to fall from his golden eyes. “…Are you real? Is this place, all of it, truly what lies beyond? Am I with you now, so close that I can feel the heat radiating off your flesh; or is it all some cruel illusion? While I soon awaken in that cold, throne-room alone once more?” His voice growing more hysterical by the second.

Stella watched him with an unreadable expression, her eyes never leaving his own. Ardyn panted heavily as if he had run across all Lucis and back as he waited for her answer. Did he break his own illusion? Was it time to finally wake up again?…

Calmly Stella took a step forward, now only inches away from his own body, before allowing her lips to meet his own. It was as if a floodgate had been released and Ardyn allowed the tears to fall as he kissed the love of his life once more. He immediately wrapped his arms around her, breathing in the scent of sylleblossoms and vanilla as her own arms curled around his neck. It felt as if an eternity had passed when they finally separated, a cheeky smirk pulled across Stella’s now swollen lips.

“I do hope I was rather convincing,” she teased playfully.

He laughed, tears flowing freely down his face as he embraced her tightly. “More than you know. My beautiful Star….I’ve missed you, so much…..”

“And I you. My sweet Ardyn, you have been through so much pain and strife. But now you may rest at last, my brave King.”

Stella took hold of his hand once more and pulled him toward the sand, tucking her legs beneath her as she gestured for him to join her. Ardyn soon sat beside her, tossing the ice cream before laying his head against her lap. Her hands weaved through the strands of his wine-colored hair, causing Ardyn to sigh softly. “…I love you.” He spoke as he gazed upward at her, golden eyes meeting indigo.

She smiled before placing a kiss against his forehead. “I know. Now go to sleep, you silly man.”

He chuckled before turning toward the ocean, watching the sun rise over the horizon and bringing forth a new dawn. Stella began humming softly once more as his eyes began to close, her music causing a relaxed smile to appear on his face. A rest….sounded truly marvelous.

#ffxv #ardyn izunia #ardyn lucis caelum #fanfiction #my writing #ardyn izunia x oc #drabble

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ineverhadmyinternetphase · 7 years

Text

Steal My Heart (steal my whole life too) 18/24

Genre: Chaptered, fantasy AU, Prince!Phil, Thief!Dan, romance, enemies to lovers, angst and fluff, slow burn (like serious slow burn)

Warnings: some violence, mentions of death (no main characters), dark magic, descriptions of wounds/blood, some hints of sexual scenes (but no actual smut), murder, dangerous situations, stealing/thievery

Summary: Captain of the Royal Guard and Prince of Morellia, Philip Lester has never been given the chance to find love. Instead, he’s run from a system that works to end class differences and improve equality for its citizens. Happy as he is to make the world a better place, Phil can’t help feeling bitter towards his ancestors for making it impossible for him to find someone who will actually love him for more than just his title, and strives instead for a life of justice and doing good - only to meet his match in the King of Thieves, a man who will change everything he once thought he knew in life. Together, they must depart on a quest to save the kingdom, and, in the process, destroy their differences and find their own form of love.

Word count: 240,000+

Updates: Sunday

Thanks so much to @botanistlester for betaing this giant monster, as she’s been super helpful and encouraging with her little comments and endless excitement. We couldn’t have done it without you <3

Disclaimer: In no way do I claim that this is real or cast aspersions on Dan or Phil

For reference, @snowbunnylester is Phil, @ineverhadmyinternetphase is Dan

(AO3 link) (Masterlist) (Previous)

Chapter 18

The night was fitful for Dan. He’d slept a little, wrapped up in Phil’s arms and reassured in the best way possible that they were secure in their relationship, but his dreams were uneasy and he woke again often, staring at the greenery surrounding their little camp inside the tree. His mind was racing, but this time not with doubts and fears about Phil’s feelings for him - no, Dan was finally secure enough in that. What worried him was the stark reminder of just how much danger Phil was in.

Dan had known, he supposed, that the royals weren’t always safe. It just always seemed that way. They lived behind their palace walls, they existed in a realm so different to Dan’s own that he’d never realised that their world could come with its own dangers. It had taken the Duke to make Dan realise that Phil had enemies, too, and sometimes they were even more powerful than Dan’s own.

Eventually, Dan couldn’t take the silence any longer. He rolled carefully out of their shared furs, making sure not to disturb Phil, who was still sleeping soundly. It was warm inside the tree, even warmer because Dan had refused to let go of Phil all night. The result was both of them being quite sticky, but Phil didn’t seem bothered. He was still sleeping soundly, fringe falling in his eyes, furs wrapped determinedly around him.

Dan spent a moment watching him softly before he picked up his washing kit and crept his way out of the tree.

The sun was just starting to rise, just reaching the top of the canopy far above Dan’s head. The temperature was pleasant, cool but not cold, and the scent of greenery was thick and heavy in the air. The landscape was still unfamiliar to Dan. He found himself longing for his desert, for the long wide expanse of sand and sun where he knew how to take cover and catch himself a meal. There were too many trees here, too many things crowding the ground. He didn’t know where to run if he needed to.

Phil did, though. Phil knew this land, and that went a long way to making Dan feel safer. He trusted his Prince, despite everything.

Dan followed the line of the trees until he found the river bank, the water cool and clear, reflecting the greenery surrounding him. It didn’t even look the right colour. Dan had to admit, though, that no matter how much he missed the desert, the easy access to water in the forest was convenient.

He stripped down quickly, depositing his clothes in a little pile, and ducked under the cover of the water, hidden in the fronds of bushes surrounding the bank. Everything smelled earthy and muddy, completely different to his home, different even to the capital. Dan couldn’t be completely at home here, and even as he washed, he was completely on guard.

So he heard the footstep the minute someone else approached.

In seconds, his hand was on his dagger and he was crouched among the bushes, concealed by the overlapping leaves and rush of the water.

A little way away, buried among the trees, stood an unwelcomingly familiar shape. Dan’s eyes narrowed, and he didn’t let up his grip on his dagger at all as he pulled on his clothes, still hidden in the trees.

The Duke had seen him, though. He could tell from the wicked smirk he was being sent. “Ah. I see you’re awake, then.”

Dan did his best not to snarl. Phil had given him leave to be as uncivil as he liked, but Dan wasn’t going to feed this Duke’s ideas about commoners anymore than he absolutely had to. So he simply answered, tone biting, “It’s no business of yours.”

The Duke raised a brow. “Oh? I would beg to differ.”

Dan ignored him. He simply set about packing up his things, saving a fur washcloth to keep damp.

He wasn’t going to let Phil come out here now he knew the Duke was lurking.

“You see, Daniel,” the Duke continued, sneering at the lack of a title to Dan’s name. “I am simply here, reporting for duty. Making myself as useful to our Prince as I can.”

Dan’s hand clenched into a fist. He whirled, eyes flashing, dagger still in his hand, unsure just how much to check his temper. Phil had said he could be as uncivil as necessary, yes, but Dan still had to be careful - he couldn’t risk giving up his true identity. He had to play at being a simple commoner.

But he still wasn’t letting the Duke get away with anything.

“Shame you have to lurk outside our camp,” Dan snapped in reply. “I seemed to wake up in our Prince’s arms, so.”

The Duke seemed unbothered, his tone still casual. “Oh, I doubt for much longer, though.”

Dan’s grip tightened on his dagger, and he took a threatening step closer. He wished he was dressed in more than just his simple trousers, longed for his long cloak. He felt very exposed.

And rightfully so. It didn’t take the Duke long to drag his eyes down Dan’s body, and Dan gritted his teeth. His scars were in plain sight, telling a harsher tale than would belong to a plain commoner. But there was nothing Dan could do.

He wouldn’t be caught unawares again, he vowed. Not until he could find some way to do away with the Duke quietly.

The Duke simply smirked, slowly. “You have lived an interesting life, Daniel Howell.”

“As I said,” Dan said roughly, “None of your business.”

“Oh, but it very soon will be.” The Duke narrowed his eyes. ��I know you are the one who attacked me with the dagger at the banquet. You have good aim, too good for a simple commoner. And your name, completely unknown… a man like you would not go unknown for long.”

Dan stood a little straighter, lips twitching. “Careful. That was almost a compliment.”

“My mistake,” the Duke answered flatly. His eyes drifted down to the dagger in Dan’s grip, and he took a slow, measured step back before continuing. “But either way, it will not be of import for long.”

“You say that like I have any plans of going anywhere,” Dan answered silkily. “Which, I assure you, I do not.”

The Duke’s eyes were glittering through the dawn sunlight. He backed up another step. “Perhaps. But I think your intentions will not matter for much longer. Someone as scarred as you is too damaged for a Prince.”

Dan’s eyes flashed. In seconds he leaped from the river bank, moving silently through the trees to grip the Duke by the collar of his fine jacket, shoving him back against a tree trunk. Dan was satisfied at the small flash of fear that crossed the Duke’s expression.

“I suggest,” Dan stated silkily, “That you keep your opinions to yourselves. Would be a shame, wouldn’t it, for a Duke like you to be bested by a mere commoner.”

“Never,” the Duke spat.

Dan simply grinned, releasing him slowly and stepping back. He turned and continued on his way with an airy wave of his hand over his shoulder. “I’ll leave you to wash. I’m sure Phil - sorry - Prince Philip will have time for you shortly. Just as soon as I’m done, anyway.”

The Duke’s look of chagrin was sweet enough, but Dan was still troubled as he made his way back to the secret camp within the tree. The Duke knew too much for his own good, and his words still dug at an insecure, vulnerable itch deep under Dan’s skin. Dan didn’t expect to feel so insecure.

His scars - he never let anyone see them. And now the Duke had, and said he wasn’t good enough for Phil because of them.

Dan shook the thought away, and focused on ensuring he wasn’t followed as he slipped back into the camp, where Phil would be waiting for him.

---

Phil woke up sticky and disoriented, curled up on top of his and Dan’s pile of furs, but minus the existence of Dan. It left him confused for a moment, just blinking awake, when there was a rustling sound from the entrance, and Phil rolled just in time to find Dan crawling back through to him with a wet looking fur in his hand he’d probably pulled from their bags.

With a mumbled hum of greeting, and feeling far more relaxed than the flare of panic in his gut when he’d first thought Dan was missing, Phil closed his eyes and opened his arms in request for Dan to join him back in bed. He hadn’t expected to wake up and not get the chance to curl up with his thief, after all, and was seriously craving the intimacy. Dan, however, seemed to have other plans, because not moments after Phil heard the sound of Dan’s footsteps approaching, he didn’t get to enjoy the feeling of a warm body curling up against him - instead, he squealed as something cold and wet touched his skin.

“Dan!” Phil hissed, eyes flying open as he sat up so quickly, he got a head rush, body feeling all tingly from the rather sudden movement. Phil moaned at the feeling, and Dan shoved him back over until Phil was laying down on their furs once more with a murmured “Shush,” that sounded a little -- put out?

"I'm not letting you bathe in that river where the Duke could see you, so you'll just have to settle for a clammy wash down from me instead," he explained, to which Phil couldn’t even argue, relaxing into the warm furs and trying not to feel too embarrassed that he was being treated like a child.

After yesterday, who was Phil to complain if Dan wanted to keep Phil all to himself? Besides, Phil couldn’t exactly deny that having Dan wash him felt really nice, his fingers gentle but firm as he pressed the fur turned washcloth down against Phil’s body, cleaning bits of Phil that made him squirm and blush as he tried to rock away. Dan merely ignored the motion, however, pinning Phil with a stern glare and carrying on about his business.

Unable to help the teasing, Phil interrupted him with a slight grin to say, “If you wanted an excuse to touch me so badly, you could have just woken me up with that rather than a cold fur.”

Dan tossed Phil an unimpressed look, but Phil could see the way the corners of his lips were quirking up regardless, and it made him laugh, reaching for Dan the minute his thief had deposited the wet washcloth off to the side just so he could pull his thief into a warm kiss.

Unfortunately for Phil, however, their lips had barely brushed against each other before Dan was pulling back, an expression of fire in his eyes. That was enough to startle Phil awake, who finally took in the fact that… Dan did not look happy, and he did not know why.

Brow furrowed, Phil asked, “What’s wrong?” quietly, his hand moving from Dan’s cheek to caress down his neck and cup gently at the skin there, marked my Phil’s mouth not all that long ago now.

Dan's eyes narrowed at Phil's question, not fully wanting to talk about it, especially when his Prince had been so oblivious as to have not noticed something was wrong right away. Sighing, Dan refused to come into Phil's embrace, no matter the fact that Phil had been reaching for him ever since Dan had returned. Instead, Dan sat with his knees pulled into his chest, and rested his chin on his knees to survey Phil closely.

Phil sat up a bit, finally, apparently noticing Dan's discontent for the first time, and Dan released a heavy breath through his nose. He toyed with the damp washcloth he’d set beside him, and looked away. He didn't want to upset Phil again, not after the terrible day they'd both had yesterday. So he met Phil's eyes with a small smile. "Would you like the nice lie, or the honest truth?"

It was hard for Phil to see Dan like this, sitting curled up the way he currently was, chin resting propped up on his knees, arms wrapped loosely around himself. More than anything, he wanted to go over to him, but Phil was still wrestling sleep from his eyes, and it didn’t look like Dan so much as wanted to be touched just then. He’d hardly let Phil kiss him for goodness’ sakes.

The question, though… that was an easy one, and as Phil gave Dan a look, he knew his thief would understand.

Dan lifted his eyes heavenwards. "Yes, yes, no secrets, I know. Alright then." Dan pursed his lips, then very deliberately placed the wet washcloth on Phil's bare stomach, watching with amusement as he squirmed away.

Squealing when the wet washcloth pressed to his stomach once more, Phil wriggled, glaring up at Dan as he removed it from his skin. He couldn't be too angry, however, when the look in Dan's eyes resembled his usual playful nature once again, and his expression softened some as he watched Dan. A tiny grin pressed over Phil’s lips, and he shifted to join Dan, but his thief shifted away with him, and that was enough to tell Phil that he really wasn’t okay just then.

Instead, Phil tilted his head, and waited for Dan to go on.

"The Duke saw me washing at the river,” Dan explained, his voice a little rough. He still refused to meet Phil’s eyes. “I covered my dignity, don't worry, but he was just standing there smirking for ages. As soon as I pulled my tunic back on, he laughed and said how the Prince would never want someone as scarred and damaged as me."

Instantly, Phil could feel the anger and disgust twisting into his belly all over again, and he sat up even straighter than before at Dan’s words, at the idea of the Duke, of all people, making fun of the person that Phil loved. He felt his jaw clench, and his fingers start to curl into fists at his sides, but his lips were glued shut with the lack of knowledge on what to say.

Dan shifted a bit. He never let anyone see his scars - Phil aside - but he felt more than a little vulnerable, knowing that the Duke had seen him. He reached over to rub Phil's shoulder reassuringly, not wanting him to be too worried for Dan, but also not wanting to be held just then. "I'm not insecure, usually. I have no problem with what he thinks, especially as you seem to love my body so much." Dan winked, but his expression remained a little forlorn. "It's just - he saw my scars. And I'm worried he'll realise I'm not exactly your run-of-the-mill commoner."

Dan's hand on his shoulder did nothing to calm Phil down. There was no room inside of Phil to be jealous that someone besides himself had seen his thief naked, or at least, partially so, but there was room for Phil to want to castrate the Duke for ever having insulted his Dan.

"I do love your body," Phil insisted, ignoring Dan's joke completely, and only holding back for reaching for him this time because Dan had recoiled the time before. He kept his fists clenched at his sides, wide awake now. "I adore every inch of it, scars and all. And it's not just what you do with it that I enjoy, Daniel,” Phil insisted, voice fierce. “It's how you look, and feel, how you make me feel, just by looking at you. I'd never change a thing about you," he insisted. It didn’t matter to Phil that Dan had insisted he wasn’t insecure about his body, because even if Phil did believe that, did believe that Dan was more worried about the Duke catching them out, like hell if Phil wasn’t going to reassure Dan that Phil loved every inch of him.

"It doesn't matter what he thinks, either way, though, Dan. It doesn't matter if he figures you out, either. Neither one of us is going to just let him run off and run his mouth, not when there's so much more on the line than a mere Duke’s head left on the ground."

Dan could do nothing in response but stare at Phil in awe, eyes a little wide in intent surprise at such a serious response from his Prince. Still, despite himself, it made him grin, and he ducked his head to smile up at his Prince from under thick lashes. Gently, Dan reached for Phil, and took his clasped fists into his own hands, smoothing out the anger there and threading his fingers through Phil’s.

Phil's words had brought a sense of comfort and reassurance to Dan. No matter what Dan might say, his pride had been wounded a little by the Duke's words. Dan knew he was attractive, had used it to his advantage in the past, but getting told he wasn't enough for Phil dug into some of his more recent worries.

Phil was pretty quickly eradicating them with the way he used that tongue of his, though.

“Is that right?” Dan asked, half teasing.

Phil, for his part, couldn’t relax quite so easily, mind spinning with all of the terrible things he wanted to do to the Duke for daring to say such cruel things to his Dan, merely nodded his head. He could feel that his brow was still furrowed, but Dan was looking up at Phil with such a sweet expression on his face, that he couldn’t help himself when he ducked in close and took Dan’s mouth in a passionate kiss.

His fingers were quick to untangle from Dan’s, just for the excuse to reach out and touch his body, grasping tight to his hips and making it clear just how much Phil always wanted him. He thought he’d shown Dan just how much he loved his body last night, but perhaps they needed another round to cement that fact home.

By the time Phil pulled away, he was dizzy with want.

“Yes,” Phil replied, as a delayed response, and ducked in close to kiss Dan all over again.

"Good," Dan whispered against Phil's lips, finally leaning down to push Phil back into the furs. He held himself over Phil carefully, elbows by his head and legs entangling together messily. "I may have told the Duke you'd be sleeping in late, and that I'd be keeping you busy. It'd be a shame to let him down. Here - let me make up for waking you with cold water."

So Dan leaned down and sealed their lips in another kiss, before moving his attention elsewhere.

---

Mornings could be very satisfying, Dan was beginning to learn. He kept Phil trapped in his embrace for a while after, holding him against his chest as Dan pressed his face once more into Phil's hair. He wanted to hold onto this moment, to remember the intimacy they shared, the way it felt to have Phil's lips on his. Dan knew they'd have precious little chance after this.

Eventually, though, Dan stirred, because he knew otherwise he would sleep in Phil's arms forever, and they did have a castle full of royals to save.

"Phil," Dan murmured, nudging him with his elbow. "C'mon, roll over. You've got to let me up, much as I'd like to stay here with you forever." He moved his hand down Phil's newly-sticky skin, allowing himself a chuckle. "I think I have to clean you up again."

Phil was far too relaxed and content, sleepy even, in Dan's arms to want to move away when Dan begun to nudge him. His head rested over Dan's heart, his favorite spot, and Dan was breathing softly against his hair. What more could he want? But Dan was quickly jostling Phil, insisting he roll over and get out of bed, hand sweeping over Phil's sticky skin all over again. Drowsy as he was, it took Phil a moment to register what Dan had said, but he was grateful for it when his thief slapped the wet fur to his skin once again and he wasn’t taken completely by surprise this time. He didn’t even squeal, which was a nice relief to his ego.

It was warmer now as well, though still cold, and Phil's stomach caved away at the touch. He ended up groaning in disgust a little, and then shoved at Dan for his effort.

“Stop it,” he complained. “I’d make you let me bathe you properly if I weren’t so against the idea of the Duke getting the chance to sneak a peek at me. I think he’d be dead before he got the chance to see much, though,” Phil muttered, voice gruff with the early morning. He was still buzzing with his orgasm, still flying high on the way he could make Dan feel, and it was difficult now to remember what their mission was, but he knew he needed to get up.

Far more lax and comfortable with Dan cleaning him this time, Phil hardly squirmed when Dan pressed the washcloth against Phil’s skin, moving it over his most intimate bits. Instead, he just closed his eyes and allowed himself to relax. He'd never once thought he could be this comfortable, feel this safe, with anyone, and yet here he was, trusting Dan with all of him.

This was something that Phil never wanted to lose.

Once Phil was clean, or as clean as he could get from a simple wipe-down, he got up and started to get dressed, getting distracted only once when Dan stopped him to draw him in for another lingering, more heartfelt and sweet kiss that told Phil everything he needed to know about how Dan was feeling. He swore to himself, as he kissed Dan back, that he would make this up to Dan someday, somehow. He hated himself for putting Dan through so much pain and heartache, but he didn't know what else he could do to keep his family safe.

After making certain the coast was clear, Phil crawled out of their shelter, not wanting the Duke to ever know about the existence of these trees, and made his way to the river where his bridge was to distract the Duke while Dan got all of their stuff together and settled. He'd join them later, with a heartfelt promise that Phil would not allow the Duke to pull anything on him.

Dan’s expression had told Phil exactly how his thief felt about the situation, but they didn’t have much of a choice if they wanted to keep themselves safe, so he’d let Phil go without too much complaint. Still, Phil knew beyond a doubt that Dan was going to rush the packing process, unwilling to leave Phil alone with the Duke for very long at all.

Not that Phil could blame him.

Dan was reluctant to allow Phil to go to the Duke alone, but he knew it made sense. Dan knew how to conceal their camp, to make sure no one could track them and the Duke would never find out about their tree. The idea of him finding and invading their own space upset Dan. It was enough to know that they had to spend the rest of the day in the Duke's company.

Dan let Phil go with one last, long kiss, and then turned to clear up their hideout alone.

Their three packs had grown much lighter in the week they'd been travelling so far. Dan packed up the furs and their spare clothes into one, and set about putting away the cooking equipment in the other. He checked their remaining food stocks and grimaced. Hardly enough to last till this evening, never mind past that. Dan had been thinking of going stealing once they reached the mountain village, but now the Duke was around that probably wasn't going to happen. Dan had to be Daniel Howell, not the King of Thieves.

With a heavy sigh, Dan knew he had to go hunting. He was loath to have to leave Phil alone with the Duke, but they needed food, and it was probably about time that Dan started to prove just how much he trusted his Prince. Plus, it would be much healthier to take his frustration out on animals than Phil or the Duke, and Dan could already feel jealousy flaring in his gut. So Dan scooped up his crossbow, shouldered his cloak that he couldn't wear around the Duke for fear of giving away his identity, and disappeared.

By the time Phil reached the lake clearing where he’d left his bridge last night, he found the Duke already eating a pile of berries he’d collected. It was the glint from Phil’s curved dagger wrapped tight to his arm, and the dagger at his waist, that alerted the Duke to Phil’s presence, which nearly made him snort for how unobservant the Duke really was.

He wouldn’t survive a minute against Dan or Phil unless he managed to take them by surprise. Phil was just going to have to not let that happen.

“So,” the Duke said, trying on his best smile as Phil approached him. “How is this bridge meant to work? I’ve never seen a bridge made before, when will it be done? You seem quite practiced with your hands, my Prince,” he added, the words flirty but falling on deaf ears.

Phil knew without a doubt this was the crappiest bridge anyone had ever seen in their life, so to have the Duke complementing it seemed like the most desperate of ploys, and he rolled his eyes at the remark. Instead, he kept walking straight past the Duke, unwilling to accept the berries the man had picked up to offer to him, and settled down instead where he’d left the bridge last night. He was pretty sure he just needed one more row for it, but he was still trying to figure out how he was going to get the rocks he planned to attach to the far end to stay attached to the wood for him to launch it across the river.

That’s when a bright idea hit Phil like a slap on the face, and he turned a rather bright grin the Duke’s way.

“Actually, it’s almost done,” Phil explained, batting his lashes at the Duke, who know looked rather taken aback, though he tried to hide his surprise at Phil’s meager bridge. “I just need someone to help me toss it across the river and weigh it down with rocks once it hits the other side. There’s no way I can attach the rocks directly, after all, so we’d have to move fast. Think you could help me anchor the bridge to the other side?” Phil asked.

The Duke’s jaw dropped open at the request, and he blinked a few times like he wasn’t sure if Phil was serious, but after a moment, he seemed to realize that Phil, in fact, was. It was at that moment that the Duke scrambled to his feet, and dusted himself with a quick nod of his head.

“Of course, your Highness,” he declared, winking at Phil, and turning instantly to go about finding rocks that might just do for weighing down Phil’s bridge. With a smirk spread full across his cheeks, Phil turned back to his bridge, and got to work finishing up what he hoped would be the end of the bridge, more than long enough to hit the other side of the river, but not too long it would sag between the banks and sweep Dan, Phil, and now the Duke, into the water.

While he did that, the Duke approached with a few rocks here and there, checking with Phil if they were big and heavy enough, to which Phil constantly said no, asking for bigger and heavier rocks each time just to fuck with the Duke. He was certain that both he and Dan would be able to lift and toss just about anything the Duke could find in this clearing, but it was becoming more and more clear that the Duke could not.

Once Phil was finished with his final row, however, he went ahead and moved the bridge back over to where he’d anchored the first parts of the bridge, and stood at the bank there. He stared contemplatively across the river, double checking whether he thought his bridge would make it, and then tossed the end he was holding across the water, hoping for the best.

The bridge landed softly, and held for a few seconds, before it started to slip back into the water. It was enough to show Phil, however, that if anchored properly, the bridge would not dip into the river itself, and while they’d likely have to crawl across the bridge, it would keep them afloat. That was all that he needed to know, and he grinned at the bridge floating into the water and rushed to the left with the current, but also back towards Phil, who reeled it in.

When Dan returned, he had a fat deer over his shoulder. He dropped the weapons and cloak back into the packs and made sure to conceal the entrance of the tree, and then shouldered the bags and the deer and made his slow way back down to the riverbank.

When he got there, Dan raised his brow, impressed. Phil was sitting at the bank, and the Duke was messing around with heavy rocks with a very disgruntled look on his face. On the whole, Dan was quite pleased with the image.

"Look what I've caught us, my love!" Dan announced, loud and proud, not caring if the Duke heard. He presented the deer to Phil, grinning. "I don't think we'll be short of meat for a while. Oh, and I swear I saw a satyr hiding in the trees, but it fled when it saw me. And there was a little nest of greenfinches all chirping away, you'd have loved to see it." Dan tilted his head, smiling coyly from under his lashes. "Are you going to reward me for all my hard work?"

After all, if the Duke was allowed to publicly flirt with Phil, then Dan was, too. Even better, he knew Phil actually wanted his advances.

Phil was just sitting down after dragging the bridge back to his side of the river when Dan appeared behind him in the tree line, shouting something about a deer. Turning around, Phil grinned, as Dan had managed to catch and hunt a very large, very fat deer, and he currently had it hoisted over his shoulder, not only showing off his hunting skills but his strength as well. It made Phil's heart flutter to see it, to watch Dan prove his worth to everyone, even if Phil didn’t think he should have to, and he was quick to stand, already planning to head straight to Dan’s side, Duke be damned.

No more avoiding each other today.

Unsure if Dan was lying about all the other creatures he’d seen in the forest, or if he’d been telling the truth, Phil couldn’t help his grin spreading either way. The idea that Dan had seen a Satyr had his heart fluttering away like crazy in his chest, as it had been a rare sight indeed even for him.

“Seriously?” he asked, as he made his way over to Dan, who merely smiled brightly at Phil and nodded his head with a look of such sincerity on his face that Phil had no trouble believing him. He cursed, then. “Shit! I wish I’d gone with you, now. I’m so sad I missed it,” he complained, and pouted a little even as he moved to wrap one hand against the back of Dan’s neck, mindful of the deer still against his shoulder, and drew him in close.

“You definitely get a reward, though,” he whispered, and kissed Dan soundly and sweetly, uncaring if the Duke was staring on, which Phil knew he would be.

If the Duke hadn’t been there, the kiss would have been so much more, and Phil would have teased the crap out of Dan just because he could, but as it was, Dan and Phil had far bigger worries now. Pulling away after a moment, Phil grinned at the way his thief's eyes glistened with mischief, and couldn’t help being beyond proud that his thief had been able to turn his jealousy and anger around to come up with a plan like this for today. Besides, Phil much preferred today’s careful flirting to yesterday's silent anger.

“Alright, off you go with your deer,” Phil teased, releasing Dan and shooing him away with another small grin, before finally turning back around to find the Duke. The man had his back pointedly turned away from both Dan and Phil, and he seemed to be searching the shore line further down the river where the bank was lower to find more rocks. Phil already knew he wasn’t going to find any good ones there, but he left the Duke to it while he wandered back to his bridge to sit down and bask in his plans for the day.

Dan was more than pleased with Phil's response. He grinned into the kisses, making sure to emphasise his happiness when Phil pulled away for the benefit of the good Duke. Dan didn't go too far when he set about skinning the deer, either, making sure he had a perfect view of the bridge-building - or rather, raft-floating might be more accurate. It still didn’t look like much of a bridge to him.

The Duke was being sent along the river bank on a menial task, though, so Dan couldn’t complain too much. He’d just make sure to tease Phil about his ‘bridge’ later.

Dan was skinning and preparing the deer to pack up and carry with them for meals over the next few days, and the Duke - well, the Duke was just going to continue his hunt until he brought Phil the perfect rock - by which he meant, the first one the Duke really started to show a struggle with.

Settling in, Phil got himself comfortable for at least a short wait, and did his best to keep an eye on the Duke while also sneaking glances at Dan from time to time.

Dan couldn't quite hold back a snort when he realised what Phil was doing, disguising it under a cough. Phil actually winked at him, and Dan had never thought his honest Prince could be quite as cunning as this. He definitely liked this side of Phil.

It took a a few more approaches of the Duke towards Phil for him to finally arrive carrying a rock that looked just heavy enough to be too much for the Duke to throw, but when he finally did, Phil jumped up with an excited grin on his face.

“Yes! That one! That one’s perfect! I think it’ll do well to anchor down the bridge. Do you think you can throw it across the river?” Phil asked with a cheeky smile on his face, innocent as ever as he stared up hopefully at the Duke. He knew without having to wait what the Duke’s reply would be; the only reply he could give if he wanted a chance at impressing Phil.

“Certainly, my Prince. Just tell me when,” the Duke replied, but his grin was less than enthusiastic. If anything, it looked more like a grimace. Phil ignored it, forcing himself to brighten immediately and offer the Duke another happy grin.

“Great!” he said, and, as the Duke attempted to lift the rock just high enough for him to lob it over the river, Phil moved to collect his end of the bridge, getting ready to toss it across the river as he’d done earlier.

“Ready?” Phil asked, moving closer to the bank, and tossing a glance back at the Duke, who nodded his agreement, though his face was turning purple with the effort he was exerting just to keep the rock help up to chest height. Grinning again, Phil turned back to the river, shouted, “Set!” moved to throw the bridge, and then shouted “Now!” at the same time as he tossed the bridge.

He expected the bridge to land before the stone, and, if done right, the rock would catch the bridge just before it could start to slip back down into the water, but, as Phil had predicted, the rock turned out to be too heavy for the Duke, and though he grunted and made a great show of tossing the thing across the river, it never made it to the opposite bank.

Instead, it landed with a solid plop in the middle of the river, sinking straight to the bottom, while the bridge Phil had constructed was dragged back into the river. Jogging closer, Phil leaned over to fish it out, and shouted over his shoulder, “Bad form, then. Find another one, and we can try again!”

The Duke didn’t dare to argue, nor did he let the quick flash of frustration Phil saw stay for long as he offered Phil a strained smile, and said, “Of course,” before walking off. The displeasure was more than pleasing to Phil.

Watching the Duke struggle to heft a large rock over to the other side of the lake was more than amusing. Dan turned back to his deer with a grin unashamedly spread across his face, though it fell a little at his next task. He had to gut the deer next, to set aside all the good meat, and it was messy and smelly and Dan's least favourite task.

And then, the perfect solution came to him.

"Ah, I'm sorry for the rock!" Dan called, standing and moving back to Phil's side with an innocent smile on his face. "Before you find another one to lose, my good Duke, why don't we swap jobs? You must be tired, and I'm sure you know how to properly prepare a deer, don't you?"

The Duke turned his furious gaze onto Dan, but Dan ignored him, instead smiling sweetly at Phil. "You agree, don't you, my Prince? I'm sure I could have a go at these rocks while the Duke is busy."

When Dan suddenly spoke up, offering his help and to switch jobs with the Duke, Phil had to hold back a snort of amusement. He could see Dan's eyes twinkling at him, as well, and he turned to catch his breath before he finally responded.

"Great idea, Dan. I think I may have tired the Duke out. Besides, our food source is just as important as crossing this river," he explained, tossing the words out carelessly as he turned back to his bridge, pretending not to notice as the Duke stormed away. In reality, though, Phil was smirking into his hand as he judged the distance of the far shore one more time. He couldn't help wondering, idly, if it wouldn't have been faster for him and Dan to find a shorter stretch of river to cross. Perhaps on their way back, then…

Much to Dan's delight, Phil was quick to agree. The Duke was left with no choice but to stamp on over to the deer, his fury made obvious in the way he glared at Dan.

Dan simply smiled sweetly in return, and then went straight for another rock. He lifted it easily, making a show of his strength, and smiled warmly at Phil, his eyes glittering with wicked intent. "To the other side, you say?"

"When I say 'now'," Phil agreed, and his tone was just as bubbly as Dan's, a grin stretching across his face from ear to ear. There was something in his eyes that told Dan just how much he was enjoying this, and it made his stomach do something strange. It was more and more often, these days, that Dan realized… he and Phil were not so unalike after all.

As Dan turned to face the river at the same time as Phil got into position to throw the bridge across, he felt his grin widening, and his heart nearly burst out of his chest. There was just something about Phil…

As soon as Phil gave the signal, Dan threw the rock, watching as it soared gracefully through the air and landed exactly where it was supposed to.

"There we are," Dan said lightly. "Not as hard as it looks, that."

Laughing lightly, Phil agreed easily enough, but he was busy staring across the river bank at where his bridge stood now. It wasn’t perfectly secured, Dan’s rock having landed a bit further to the middle than Phil would have liked, but worse than that, the part of the bridge not fully anchored was sagging into the water, making the bridge less than safe.

Biting his lip, Phil had to think for a moment before getting a bright idea. He smiled to himself, and tossed Dan a subtle wink as the thief moved to his side and stared at the problem Phil could see; the river was tossing the bridge about a bit more than it should have been able to .

“It seems so, my love,” Phil agreed dramatically, but he ended the statement with a sad sigh. “Only it would appear the other half maybe be harder still. It’s not secured properly, nor can it be from this side… Would you be willing to brave crossing without it fully anchored down to secure the second rock?” he asked Dan, turning to him with wide, innocent eyes.

For a moment, Dan looked confused, but then Phil’s earlier expression seemed to hit him, and he grinned, opening his mouth to reply when -

“If you’d allow me, my Prince,” the Duke said, just loud enough that Dan and Phil turned around to find the Duke wrist deep in the deer. He seemed to be doing his best to gut the animal, but he wasn’t very good at it, and he looked to be tearing up a good portion of the good meat, causing Phil to wince and Dan to roll his eyes from next to him. “I could cross the bridge for you,” the Duke offered, dislodging his wrist and standing up with a clearly relieved sigh, glaring down at the deer as if it had spited him.

Worried for the state of their well being should the Duke do any more damage to their food stock, and more than a little proud he’d been right in assuming the Duke would take any chance to prove his worthiness after failing with the rock throw earlier, Phil grinned. From beside him, Dan merely shrugged, looking put out, but Phil knew it was merely a show for the Duke.

"Alright, Duke Hemsworth. Let's see what you've got," he conceded, and went to the side of the bridge anchored by rope and logs to this side of the river bank. In response, the Duke jogged over grabbed a less heavy rock, before stopping at Phil’s side. For a moment, he looked triumphant, but then he took in the water and the way it tossed part of the bridge, and his expression became one of dubious fear.

"If it's too daunting a task, Duke, I could do it myself," Phil offered, grinning when the Duke shook his head.

"I would never ask my Prince to risk his life in such a way," Duke Hemsworth disagreed. "Hold the bridge steady for me, and I will cross.."

Doing exactly as he'd been told, Phil tried to right the right half of the bridge for the Duke, grinning all the while and having to hold back his laughter as the duke crawled unsteadily across the raft-bridge Phil had been forced to make. He couldn't help imagining the more beautiful, sturdy bridges he was capable of creating, and the ease in which he could have shoved the logs across the river to the other end of the shore were his bridge not so… flimsy, instead.

Still, it was amusing to watch the Duke make his clumsy way across said bridge.

Dan would have been more upset about having to leave Phil's side again, were it not for the delight he felt in watching the Duke struggling across to the other side of the river. Apparently, when they put their heads together, Dan and Phil made quite the team. The Duke was trapped and he knew it, and although he had to remain his simpering, smarmy self in front of the Prince, he sent Dan many charged, furious stares.

Dan took his place back by the deer. He frowned at the butchered, crude job the Duke had made of it so far, releasing a quiet sigh to himself. He should have known better than to assume some highborn Duke would know how to gut an animal, but really, he'd cut into some of the best parts of the meat. Dan set about fixing it with an eye roll aimed at Phil, which was returned with a grin. Dan loved Phil's grin. He'd happily sit watching it forever.

What was even more entertaining, though, was watching the Duke struggling with the rock. He floundered across the river, getting caught in the current more than once, and Dan found himself idly daydreaming of the Duke accidentally losing his footing so he'd go floating off downstream and no longer be a pain in Dan's backside. Unfortunately, Dan had no such luck, but it was still incredibly entertaining to watch him floundering across the water, soaked to the bone.

Once Dan had finished properly packing up the meat, he wandered back to Phil's side. The Duke had finally made it over to the other side of the river, and the bridge was stretched out nicely, looking as if it would hold well enough against the current. Dan placed a hand on Phil's shoulder with a small grin.

"I still think it looks more like a raft. Still, if it's the best you can do, well done." There was light teasing in Dan's tone, his voice low and strung with amusement.

There were a few moments where Phil thought the Duke was going to lose it all, scrambling as the river nearly forced him downstream, but he held tight to both the rock in his hands and the bridge even as he fell into the water more than once. For that, Phil could give the Duke some props, but it didn't mean he had to like it. He kept sending smiles at Dan, though, grinning and chuckling to himself as the Duke struggled, too distracted to notice the Prince's laughter, and then finally, he was on the other side.

Mere seconds later, Dan was next to Phil. Bristling with annoyance, Phil shoved him. "Shut up. I could have done better. Stop making fun of me or you're going to be sorry," he teased, though the flimsy bridge truly was irritating Phil and was about to become his new sore spot if Dan didn't quit his prodding.

Dan chuckled, shaking his head. "We’ll see about that. But for now, I say we make the Duke test it before we send the packs accidentally downriver, hm?"

Meanwhile, across the river, the Duke was shouting something about how he’d done it, and Phil was doing his best not to laugh at how ridiculous he looked, soaked to the bone by the river water.

Sending a nod and a thankful smile the Duke's way rather than replying, Phil murmured a quick "Absolutely," to Dan.

"Can you come back across? See if it holds steady?" Phil asked, grinning when the Duke's face dropped. He was sweaty and wet already, and yet he didn't complain.

It was amusing to watch him wobble on unsteady feet back across the bridge, but Phil did his best not to let that show, even when the Duke ended up half crawling in his own panic that he’d fall back into the river bed again. Dan, however, had no such qualms, snorting inelegantly at the Duke, and rolling his eyes while he shouted passive aggressive comments at him.

Phil didn’t interrupt. He didn’t have to. The Duke couldn’t say a word about Dan, but Dan could squabble all he wanted with the Duke in front of Phil, and it wouldn’t matter. In any other relationship, it might make a difference, revealing the Courter’s less desirable side to the Courter, but nothing could turn Phil away from Dan at this point.

Eventually, however, the Duke did manage to make it back across the bridge, breathless and a little wild in the eye, as he stood up and dusted himself off - rather pointlessly, considering he was drenched in water, rather than a bit musty from the earth. “The bridge is steady enough, my Prince. You’ve done a great job with it.”

Phil nearly snorted. The idea that the rickety old thing he’d made was any good was outright ridiculous to him, and yet he would be the last to admit that to the Duke when it was just so much more amusing seeing him try and suck up to Phil. So, instead, he grinned and said, “Well thank you, Duke Hemsworth. But I couldn’t have done it without you and my Dan.”

Turning with very little care for what the Duke thought of the motion right in front of him, Phil gripped tight to Dan’s face, and dragged him in for a quick, soft kiss, before letting him go again.

“Now, love, if you could be so kind as to finish up with the deer and pack up for us so we can leave?” he asked Dan, noticing the Duke’s smirk from the corner of his eye, and smiling himself. “The Duke will be busy testing out the bridge with me, so I’m afraid you’ll be on your own.”

The Duke blanched, but Dan absolutely cackled, shaking his head with shining eyes as he waved Phil off, offering him a perfectly respectful bow, before turning on his heel and going on his way. Phil did nothing more than grin after him, and then turn back to the Duke with a devilish look in his eye.

“Well. Shall we get started, then?”

By the time Dan returned with all three of their bags, having packed up Dan and Phil’s camp from inside of the tree, Phil had made the Duke re cross the bridge a total of 16 times, with constant new duties for him. The Duke had tested out if the bridge would collapse any time soon, scouted out the forest on the other side, and then walked up as far as the mountain edge just to reassure Phil that their route was safe and clear from any foreseeable dangers.

With no trust in him for the Duke, Phil didn’t much care for his reassurances. Mostly, he’d just wanted to torture the man a little bit longer, get him back for forcing Phil to accept his attempts at courtship, and keep him distracted from what Dan was doing, but now Dan was back, Phil thought it was about time they get a move on.

The sun had already reached its mid point in the sky, and Phil didn’t want to waste anymore time here than he had to. After all, he still had a curse to break, and who knew how long stealing from the dragon was going to take? Phil shuddered to even think of it.

“Ready, my love?” Phil asked as the Duke was making his final way across the bridge to Phil’s side. He didn’t bother to look behind him, already knowing by the way Dan walked that it was his thief.

A soft chuckle from behind him reassured him that he was right, and then Dan was replying with an easy, “Of course. Got everything packed away.”

The reassurance was enough for Phil, who knew Dan meant he’d taken care of hiding their hideout and erasing their tracks, in case anyone else had followed them all the way out here. They had no true way of knowing if the Duke had come alone, but Dan’s adventures in the forest the previous day and that morning had uncovered no threat, so it seemed unlikely. Still, they knew they could never be too careful.

With an undignified huff, the Duke walked off the end of the bridge to solid ground once more, and put his hands on his knees as he panted from exertion.

“My Prince,” he began, glancing upwards to find that Dan had finally arrived again. Instantly, he forced himself to straighten up, not wanting to show weakness in front of a rival. The thought made Phil grin. “I assure you, I have found no danger on the other side, nor does the bridge show any signs of giving out under my weight. Perhaps it is time we leave, before the sun falls any further in the sky?” he continued, face red and giving away the breath he held inside to prevent himself from panting.

Phil tilted his head, and gave the Duke his best contemplating stare, and then turned his gaze onto the bridge behind the Duke, and then onto the mountains beyond them. Finally, after another moment’s hesitation, Phil straightened up with an easy grin.

“Alright, I suppose you're right, Duke. We should be getting a move on,” he agreed.

The Duke let out an audible sigh, and quite nearly collapsed on the ground right then and there, when Phil added, “Come on then. One last quick trip across, and we’ll follow right behind!” Phil declared, turning away from the Duke in a dismissive gesture and walking quickly to where the Duke had left his, rather lackluster, bag from yesterday. Then, he tossed it over to the Duke, and nodded to the bridge.

“Well? Let’s go! Weren’t you the one in a hurry?” he asked when the Duke didn’t immediately go ahead.

Dan was guffawing into his arm, trying to hide how hilarious he found this entire situation, and Phil tossed him an affectionate grin as the Duke finally, finally turned to make one last trek across the bridge. If Phil had it his way… it would be the last time this side of his kingdom ever saw the Duke cross any bridge.

All three men took turns crossing. The Duke went first, nearly sliding off the edge and into the river bed all over again, but just managing to catch himself. Phil knew it was from the exhaustion, and while he wanted to grill the Duke for information, almost wished the Duke had fallen and been taken away by the current this time.

Dan insisted on crossing second, even making a show of taking two of their bags, when he’d normally make Phil carry all three, and it made Phil shake his head with something akin to fondness in his eyes. Finally, once the two were across, Phil made his way along the weak branches, his gait a saunter that neither man previously had been able to maintain, and hopped off on the other side with a cocky grin.

For the first time, the Duke looked rather impressed with Phil, while Dan -- well, Dan just rolled his eyes, but Phil didn’t mind. He was just proud of the fact that he’d managed to cross without tripping his own two feet for once. His gait had always been much heavier and less sure than Dan’s, after all.

Once across, however, Phil finally let the Duke have a small rest while he cut down the bridge he’d built and let it wash away into the river. He then rummaged through the bag Dan had left with him, looking for the letter he’d written for his father and brother. It detailed the account of what he’d been through so far, where he was, and his suspicion of the Duke. Phil had been careful to write it in enough code that his family alone would understand, and then he’d sealed it up tight so that the raven Dan had mentioned would not be able to open it or lose it too easily.

Once he fished it out, Phil moved to the raven post Dan had told him would be around here, a few meters away and into the thick forest, from where the three had crossed, and tied his letter to the bird's foot.

“Fare thee well,” Phil told the raven, and then it was off, and for the first time… Phil felt hope.

He was almost upon the dragon. His quest was nearly done. Soon… he would be home.

Grinning to himself at the thought of the end of this adventure, at the chance to move on from this heartbreak, and take Dan with him, Phil let out a soft sigh, and headed back to where he’d left the Duke and Dan. The Duke was sat against a tree, clearly trying to recover from the day’s events, while Dan was stood in the middle of the open area, both packs still on his back, sharpening his dagger, of course.

Once again, Phil rolled his eyes, and then cleared his throat to gather both men’s attention. The Duke jumped, as he always did, unobservant as he was, but Dan -- Dan merely flicked his eyes towards Phil casually, and nodded his head.

“Onwards, then,” Phil insisted, and so they went.

It only took another hour or so for the three men to encounter their first village up the mountain. They hadn’t yet had lunch, though Dan had whipped up a quick breakfast for Phil in their hollow before they’d joined the Duke, and the lack of food was showing most in the Duke. He looked haggard and beat down, even worse for wear than before he’d met up with Dan and Phil in the first place. His eyes looked sunken into his skull, dark bruising underneath, and he was snappier than usual, even to Phil.

This came as a welcome surprise, and even Dan used the Duke’s mood to his advantage, needling the man and hoping to provoke him just enough that he’d snap on Dan in front of Phil, where Phil could dismiss him. Unfortunately, the Duke and Dan had little time together, leaving Dan very little time to pull out his best tricks with the intent of messing with the Duke’s head. It was for the best, though; Dan would much rather be close to Phil.

It didn’t help that they really could use the Duke’s help making their way up the mountain and past the villages. The Duke was well known here, these people somewhat under his reign, though he had far too little power, as he liked to complain. Still, he had just enough sway in his words that Phil was certain he and Dan would be granted safe passage.

As suspected, they were only a few meters from the outskirts of the first village, having chosen not to hide, when a village leader came out to greet them.

He approached with narrowed eyes, a heavy headdress adorning his shoulders to denote his ranking among his people. His clothing was far better tailored to him than even the Duke’s, who looked a mess out here in the wild, and he wore his hair in long braids down his back. His arms were crossed over his chest as he came to a stop just outside the village.

“Duke,” Phil muttered, as they, too, approached ever closer.

Plastering a clearly false smile to his face, the Duke nodded his head, and promised Phil that he would take care of this danger for them.

Dan, Phil, and Duke Hemsworth all came to a stop a couple steps away from the Elder of the village, the Duke leading their counsel, though even that Phil did not truly like. He kept his own irritation at bay with the reminder that this was for the best. Dan and Phil would have less worry if someone took care of the village people for him.

“Elder Takanou,” the Duke greeted, offering the man a low bow, before coming back up to grin at him once more. “It is very nice to see you again. I am not here on official business with your people as times before -- I merely intend to pass through and continue on my way to the top of the mountain. The Prince and his suitor have business to be taken care of. I assure you… we will not bother your guardian,” the Duke explained, charming as ever, but with the tongue of a snake.

For Phil’s part, he was watching the cold eyes of the village Elder, Takanou. Takanou had nothing but derision for the Duke, that much was clear, and it was almost confusing to Phil. He’d been expecting the Duke and the village people to have some kind of agreement, some kind of… tentative truce, as they worked together with the witch, but it didn’t appear in the least bit true.

Was is possible that the Duke was not working with the witch after all? Was is possible it was merely the mountain people, and Cornelia’s parents alone? Perhaps… the Duke was working alone, and using the situation with the witch to his advantage. Or, perhaps, the Duke knew of the mountain people’s involvement with the witch, but they did not know of his…

Phil would have to figure that out.

“I can grant you free passage through my village alone. You will have to convince the other elders of their own, and I make no promises that they will let you though -- definitely not the closer to our guardian you come,” Elder Takanou replied, lips barely moving as he spoke, though his voice came out sure and strong. “They have far much more to lose than I.”

With that, the Elder shifted to the side, moving his body from a blocking position of his village, to one of welcoming. Phil let out a relieved sigh at that, while the Duke bowed low again in front of him.

“Of course, Elder. We understand, Elder. Thank you, Elder,” he praised, before raising once again.

Following in his example, both Dan and Phil bowed to the elder as well, murmuring thank yous to him, and then Dan, Phil, and the Duke were moving forward at an unhurried pace through the seemingly deserted village. As they walked, Phil did his best to keep his gaze respectfully forward, allowing the Duke to lead them through to the other side. So they continued up the mountain, but from time to time, he’d see movement in nearby windows, and he’d catch himself looking, just in time to see children staring out in awe at the passing of who they viewed as a total stranger.

Phil hoped, despite the elder’s knowledge of who Phil was, that the news of the Prince’s passing would not spread. He hoped that these children and their parents, clearly gaping through their drapes, would not recognize him for who he was.

Finally, finally, after a near silent, awkward walk through the village, the three men came out the other end, and let out equal sighs of relief.

“Well, that was far more stressful than anticipated,” Dan spoke up from beside Phil, as they continued moving, trying to put some space between them and the first village. The Duke snorted from in front of them, but his shoulders had noticeably relaxed, so Phil knew that he’d felt the strain as well.

“Yes, well. Thank you, Duke Hemsworth. Hopefully, the next few villages will be just as simple to pass through. Your services are invaluable,” Phil praised, not wanting to lose the Duke entirely just yet. He still had questions, things he wanted to know… and the Duke had not shown himself as a threat just yet. They had time, surely.

Phil’s praise worked the way he’d hoped it would, and the Duke finally stopped walking in front of them to turn and offer Phil a proper grin. He bowed, lower even than he had for the village elder, and when he came back up, tossed Dan a most cunning grin.

“Yes, well. Anything for my Prince.”

Dan glared. He’d never become accustomed to watching someone else flirt with his Phil, would never let that stand, no matter how much his common sense told him Phil was never going to leave him.

Instead, Dan made a show of placing his hand on Phil’s arm, sliding his fingers down until they were linked with Phil’s. Then, he flashed the Duke a smirk.

Trying not to recoil at the silky smooth flirtiness of the Duke’s voice, Phil merely grinned in response, and then changed the subject rather abruptly.

“Well! Now we’re passed that mess, and the sun is only getting lower, perhaps it is time we stop for lunch?” he offered.

Neither man argued, though they appeared to be caught in a stare down to the death, so Phil sighed, dropped Dan’s hand, and continued walking, right past both men, and over towards a small outcropping of rock where he thought they could settle in for a little while.

“Or, I can just have a meal for myself,” he muttered, and sighed as he settled in to wait for his two suitors to finish their pissing contest.

#phanfiction #iwritephanthings #snowbunnylester #phan fluff #phanfic #steal my heart

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