awalkthroughstellis

[awalkthroughstellis]

I’m switching blogs… again.

I’m a fiend for blog-hopping but I’m finally settling down - all my content, no matter what genre, will now appear on one single blog.

Don’t be alarmed if my works or characters appear on @kerrysdreamcorner - it is me and I am transferring everything over

Thanks everyone!

[awalkthroughstellis]

Dark Opposes Light, Angels Fall For Devils

Warnings: Spoilers for Marius’ MR card “Sinful Lust”, mild spice

Summary: As an angel, it’s Anna’s job to deal with creatures of the dark. Devils, and their charming ways, are the most problematic. So when Anna enlists the help of a devil to teach her self-defence, she ends up with more then she bargained for.

Everything has an opposite. Light and dark, warm and cold, happiness and sadness, the list goes on longer then I have time to complete. Even I have my opposite, and in order to defeat it, I have to learn how to defend myself against it.

And that ‘it’ is occupying the same room as me, floating in the air as if he owned the place.

If my father knew where I was right now, or who I was with, he would barge through the gates of Heaven and march all the way down to Earth to get me. As one of the higher ranked angels he’s dealt with his fair share of devils, but this one in particular got under his skin.

Why I sought this particular devil, I honestly had no clue, but now that I’ve been in his presence for a solid half hour I completely understood why he annoyed my father so much. I didn’t make a habit of cursing, but curse that confident smirk. Curse those violet eyes that gleamed in the moonlight. Curse that flirtatious edge to his voice. Most of all, curse that body that looked like it was crafted by the hand of God.

“You’re not paying attention, Anna.” The sound of my name on his tongue sent an unwanted shiver down my spine. “I thought you summoned me because you wanted help? Or did you have something else in mind?

‘Good Lord, he’s so irritating.’

As a visual display of how bored I was, I started picking at my nails. “I learn by doing, not by being lectured. So are we gonna start practicing? Or did I come all the way down here for nothing?”

Earth had a lot of beautiful places but the abandoned mansion we were hiding out in was hardly worth a look around. It will full of nothing but broken furniture, dust and mould. One wrong move and the ceiling might cave in.

Marius’ smirk curled up even higher as he stretched out his body -I tried my best to ignore the way his abs flexed- and dropped to his feet. His thin, pointed tail swished and his rough wings rippled a little as he walked towards me. Wait… is it just me or do his eyes seem even more purple now?

My heart starting beating faster, my skin felt like it was being pricked by pins and needles. A strange pulsing starting in the pit of my stomach, one that was growing stronger with each step he took. The white feathers of my wings started to stand on end, a warning that something wasn’t right. Angel wings, in a sense, had a mind of their own. In moments like these, it was extremely helpful.

Finally, I found the strength to snap out of it. “What the hell are you doing?”

The succubus pouted. “You caught on to my powers so quickly. There’s more brains in that pretty head of yours then I thought.”

I rolled my eyes and crossed my arms. “A little warning before you try to seduce me next time, alright?”

‘Get him back.’ A voice in my head said. Even angels have little devils on their shoulder sometimes. The idea was brilliant, really. He thinks I’m all beauty and no smarts? I’ll prove him wrong.

Laughing in the most seductive tone I could muster, I unfolded my arms and placed one hand on my hips, letting the other hang at my side while shifting my weight to one leg and making sure to pop my hip out. “You know, if you were trying to attract me, you really didn’t need to work so hard. There is a reason I summoned you, after all.”

The confident expression on his face started to slip as I closed the gap between us. My heels gave me just the height I needed to be able to wrap my arms around his shoulders without needing to stretch. He was much taller then me - if not for my heels, my head would only reach his shoulders. I leaned my weight into his chest and he stumbled back a step, but quickly found his footing and gripped my hips to hold me in place. I was conflicted about the way that made me shiver, and no, it wasn’t a bad shiver.

I batted my eyelashes innocently and reached up to touch his horns. His sharp nails dug into my skin as his eyes squeeze shut and jaw clenched, but something resembling a groan still slipped through his teeth. Once again my heart started to race, the pulsing in my stomach returned but this time, my wings didn’t react. Strange.

Marius jerked his head to the side to escape my touch. “So this is what you were after.” He clicked his tongue as if he were scolding me, but the look in his eyes and the tone of his voice was more mystified then playful. “I’m the one using my power of desire on you, but somehow, it feels like you’re the one seducing me, Little Miss.”

My skin flushed, a craving I didn’t know I had was clawing its way forward from the depths. For some odd reason, I liked the nickname and wanted to hear it again.

Marius’ hand glided over the fabric of my white dress as it glided up my back. A sound I didn’t know I was capable of making escaped me and, in an effort to hold myself together, I traced the outer edge of his pointed ear.

Marius gasped and took a hasty step back, throwing a wall of still air between us. The haze that lingered over my head was gone in an instant. “Sorry. Let’s stop here for today. I… need to calm down.”

That was all he said before disappearing out a broken window. Like a raging ocean turning into relaxed waves my emotions were finally starting to settle, though my heart still seemed to continue it’s odd pattern. One question was lingering in my mind and no matter how hard I tried to file it away, I couldn’t.

‘Was I behaving that way because I liked it, or because I was under his spell?’

~~~~~~~~

A week passed and I was still unable to find an answer to my question. My spare time was filled with thoughts of him, memories of how he made me feel kept coming back and making me blush in public. ‘What if’ thoughts kept echoing in my mind but it didn’t take long for reality to squash them. I’m an angel, he’s a devil. We’re from opposite worlds. It’ll never work.

A deep sigh suddenly cut off my train of thought. “You’re rather distracted tonight, Little Miss.”

My gaze shifted from the starry sky to the man lingering in the shadows. Looking at him was getting to be rather difficult. “I’m listening.”

“Really?” He smirked. “Repeat what I was just saying. If you get it wrong, I’m going to have to punish you~”

Crap. The last thing I remember was something about a devil’s lover being their weakness, but everything after that… I’m drawing a blank. Time for a new strategy.

Batting my eyelashes, I turned towards him and folded my hands behind my back. “You don’t trust me?”

Marius stepped into the moonlight, easily crossing the distance between us. “Playing cute won’t work on me this time. Try again, Doll.”

‘I wanna kiss him.’

‘No, you don’t. Stop it!’

‘No, I really, really do.’

My mind and heart were raging war inside me, back and forth battle I could only sit back and watch. My body must have grown tired of it, because before I could stop myself, I took a step closer and pressed my lips against his cheek. I felt the succubus tense as I leaned back and I couldn’t help but lick my lips. His skin was incredibly soft.

Marius blinked in surprised. “You…” He sighed again. “Fine. I see how it is.”

Suddenly, I was lifted off my feet and set down on the surface of a surprisingly sturdy desk. Marius caged me in, one arm on either side as he leaned over me. His face was so close I could feel his breath tickling my skin. It’s been a long time since anyone has gotten this close to me, but this was definitely the first time I ever wanted someone so badly. The muscles in my legs were burning with an urge to wrap around his waist but I forced them to stay where they were.

“I was saying that devils are very dangerous creatures.” He said, his lips brushing against mine as they moved.

“How dangerous?” My question came out as a whisper, my hands gliding up his arms and resting in the crook of elbows.

His eyes looked like they were glowing, but I didn’t feel that same sensation from the first night. This time, there was no spell at play. This time, it was raw, natural desires. “Too dangerous for someone like you to get involved with.”

He said that, but it didn’t stop him from claiming my lips as if they’ve always been his to kiss. I sighed in content and ran a hand through his hair, relaxing my jaw so he could kiss me even more deeply. By the time he finally pulled away, his chest was practically heaving against my own, which was doing the same.

“I guess it’s a good I have a bit of a reckless streak, huh?” I said, playing with the silver chain hanging from his neck. “What do you say, Marius? Keep a girl around?”

He chuckled and pulled me closer, so close that not even air could slip between us. “Devils pick a partner for life. You’re stuck with me now, Anna.”

“Oh, what a shame.” I teased, smiling playfully as I pulled him in for another kiss.

#tears of themis #x oc #tot marius #marius von hagen

[awalkthroughstellis]

Artificial Blossoming Of Natural Emotions

Warnings: Spoilers for Artem’s MR card “Imitation”, Halloween Special (AU)

Summary: As an elf, Harmony believes solely in the power of nature. Unfortunately, the world around her has turned to the advancements of technology. When she ends up with an android named Artem, her view of the modern world unexpectedly begins to shift.

Nature and technology are two elements that will never belong together. The ever advancing threat of modern day machinery has been slowly taking over the world inch by inch, and the forest that used to cover this land has lost almost all rights to the soil. The cause? A brand new city full of skyscrapers and humans that dreamed of things that shouldn’t exists.

I’ve been fighting this battle for years. Of all the forest dwellers that used to live here I’m the only one left. The others gave up and fled to a new habit, hoping to find a place the humans won’t steal and build on. If I didn’t care so deeply for my home, I would have gone with them.

If my old friends were here now, I wonder what they would say about the android standing in my kitchen, using the appliances to cook food like a person.

“Good Morning.” The robotic man greeted, his voice monotone and void of emotion, yet somehow it held warmth. “Breakfast is almost ready. Please, have a seat.”

Several days ago, the mayor and I had a meeting to discuss my agreeing to release the remainder of the forest. I would never agree to it of course, and although I made it perfectly clear, he just smiled and offered to send me an android free of charge.

“Just try it out. Who knows? Maybe you’ll finally see and enjoy the impressive knowledge found within technology.”

I almost laughed in his face. I told him the offer wasn’t necessary but surely enough, he sent this man, this android, to my door that same evening.

The android is undoubtedly handsome with his dark hair, bright blue eyes and perfectly ironed suit. His facial features were too perfect; another give away that he wasn’t a creature created by nature. His programming left him with a polite nature but as nice as he seemed to be, I still kept my distance and avoided him.

I’m an elf, for goodness sakes. What am I supposed to do with an android?

“What is it?” He asked, placing a cup of coffee on the table in front of me.

Only now did I realize I had been staring. “Nothing, it’s just… you’re the first of your kind I’ve met. I never thought you would look so…”

Perhaps it was because he looked so much like a living, breathing human that I found myself being careful with my vocabulary. Machinery doesn’t have feelings, so really, there’s no need for me to be so worried about it.

“Androids are made of machinery, but our appearances are designed to resemble a human as closely as possible.” He explained, returning to the counter to pile the finished food onto a plate.

“I see. I apologize, I didn’t mean to stare.”

“There is no need for an apology. You are my owner. You can look as much as you want.”

For some strange reason, his words made my cheeks grow hot. Cupping the warm mug in my hands, I brought the rim to my lips and took a sip.

“Oh, wow.” I said, blinking in surprise. “How did… You put the perfect amount of milk in.”

The corner of his lips pulled up a little as he set the plate in front of me. “I’ve taken note of your habits.”

Again, feeling surprised, I blinked. Did he just smile? Smiles are caused by emotion, something a machine shouldn’t be able to experience. Could it he that his programming has given him emotional response intelligence?

“Your name is Artem, isn’t it?” I asked, to which he nodded in response. “When the mayor sent you here, did he happen to also send an… um…” ‘What’s the most polite way to ask for his instruction manual?’

“No, he sent nothing else with me. Why do you ask?”

I circled the rim of the mug with my index finger. A childhood habit. “Well, I’ve never been responsible for an android before. If you were to start feeling unwell, I’m not sure what to do. The herbal medicine I use won’t work on you, right?”

“That is correct. What you are inquiring about is an ‘Abnormal Response Test.” Artem suddenly crouched next to my chair and began undoing his tie.

My entire body flushed. “W-What are you doing?”

He undid the top button of his shirt, revealing a small, luminescent core embedded in his chest. “Scratches on the skin indicate a malfunction. They will first appear closest to my power core. Detecting early signs will make repairs easier.”

Something about the blue light was hypnotizing. Perhaps it was how gentle the glow was, or maybe it was simply because I’ve never seen anything like it before, but I found myself itching to reach out and touch it.

I didn’t realize I was giving in to the desire until the pads of my fingers made contact with his skin. The texture was interesting; it was smooth, somewhat rubbery and cool to the touch.

Artem suddenly recoiled and I yanked my hand to my chest. “I’m sorry! Did I hurt you?”

He shook his head and stood up, setting the button back in place and fixing his tie. “No, I don’t feel pain. I don’t know why I reacted in such a way. However, I did feel something when you touched me.”

I titled my head a little. “You felt something, but it wasn’t pain… perhaps I made you feel uncomfortable?”

“No, I wouldn’t say I was uncomfortable. Rather, I would have liked you to continue.”

My heart thumped harder against my ribcage, my body growing so warm I could envision steam rising from my skin.

Artem pinched his chin between his thumb and index finger. “I seem to be growing increasingly abnormal. If this concerns you, you can dispose of me at the laboratory and request a new product from the mayor.”

Despair rushed through me with incredible speed. ‘Dispose? New Product?’ It’s clear to me now that androids don’t view the concept of life clearly, but hearing him speak of terminating his own existence so easily was making me uneasy.

“I’m not just going to… dispose of you for being a little different, Artem.” I said, rising from the chair and taking a step towards him. “Humans, elves, creatures born from a natural life, we refer to it was being ‘unique’, and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“I understand. However, should abnormalities continue to arise, there comes a risk of me losing control of my functions. Should I fall under the effect of a virus, there is a possibility I could harm you.”

Smiling up at him, I shrugged. “What’s the difference? People hurt each other all the time. Everyone is capable of hurting one another.” I paused for a moment. “You’re capable of thinking, speaking, feeling, to some degree. It’s difficult to look at you now and not accept you are alive, even if it is an artificial one. So, I’m gonna to respect your life the same as I do anyone else’s. I’m not gonna throw you away, Artem.”

He watched me for a moment, this brilliant blue eyes of his shifting back and forth between mine. I wonder what he’s searching for? “If this is your choice, I will not argue.”

“Good.” Satisfied, I placed my hands on my hips. “So, you’re capable of cooking and making coffee. Is there any other skills I should know about?”

~~~~~~~~

I tried my best to avoid venturing into the futuristic city but unfortunately, I couldn’t grow everything in my garden. Trips to the supermarket for ingredients such as flour, cheese, and milk were necessary every once in a while. Having Artem accompany me was a pleasant change.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to carry a bag or two?” I asked, eyeing his armful. “I’m sure they’re not that heavy…”

He gave me a reassuring smile. “It’s alright. My job is to aid you in whatever way I can. Will you allow me to do this for you?”

I sighed and relented. It was becoming harder and harder to say no to him, especially when he phrased things so politely.

I quickly realized I had gotten ahead of him. Expecting him to be right behind me I looked back, but to my surprise, he wasn’t there. “Artem?”

I glanced around frantically, and while I couldn’t spot him, I did notice a familiar grocery bag peeking out from around a brick corner. Racing towards it and turning down the corresponding alley, I found him. He was resting on his knees, his back to me as he leaned against a steel post for support.

“Artem? What’s wrong?” I asked, circling around and crouching in front of him.

I almost gasped. The first thing I noticed was that the top button of his shirt was undone, the power core that usually hid behind it visible and changing in brightness. One second it was glowing so intensely it was almost blinding, and the next it so dim it barely shined at all. The circuit system on the side of his neck was reacting the same way, glowing and dimming beneath his rubber-like skin.

“I apologize for disappearing on you, Miss. Castel. I sensed an abnormal response in my body and had little time to get off the street.” Artem’s apology was sincere, much so that it was painful to be on the receiving end of it. “If I were to be discovered like this, I would likely be taken and disposed of by force.”

I cupped his cheeks between my hands. “Look at me. No one is getting disposed of, okay? Not today, not tomorrow, never.”

I shifted my gaze to the street behind him. The city was known for being crowded but at this hour it didn’t seem as terrible. Unless we hid here until nightfall, we likely wouldn’t get another decent chance like this.

“I have an idea. Can you stand?” I asked.

Artem nodded and, while it took him some time, managed to pull himself onto his feet. I picked up the grocery bags - they weren’t very heavy - and loaded them onto one arm, then wrapped the other around Artem’s waist. I could have sworn I felt his body tense.

“Sorry, Artem, but this is the only way to get you to safety without drawing too much attention.” I said, unable to look him in the eyes. My cheeks were burning far too much for that. “If we pretend we are in a relationship, no one will question us. Um, you should put your arm around my shoulders so it doesn’t look one sided.”

“I see.” He went to do as I said, but hesitated. “Are you sure about this? If you are uncomfortable-”

I shook my head. “I’m comfortable with it. We should get moving as soon as possible.”

“Yes, you’re right. Forgive me.”

His arm slid across my shoulders and the sensation sent my heart pounding and encouraged butterflies to swirl like a cyclone in my stomach. Artem insisted on taking a few of the bags to make it look more realistic, and while I wanted to argue, to tell him not to push himself too hard, we were running out of time. I gave him the lightest bags and we headed back to the main road.

“How are you feeling?” I whispered, keeping an eye out for anyone who might have been suspicious. So far, no one’s spared us a second glance. Surprising, considering my pointed ears often drew unwanted attention.

“My software protection has begun the process to fight the virus. It will take time to remove it.”

I nodded and, without meaning to, I squeezed his waist a little. “Artem?”

“Yes?”

“This might be a ridiculous question, but once the virus is gone, does that mean you will… behave differently?”

My knowledge of technology was limited, but I knew a virus for machines was equivalent to an illness in people. To be free of a virus was to be healthy, but if Artem’s personality and humane kindness was the result of a virus…

‘What has gotten into me?’

The truth of my feelings was clear: the thought of losing him filled me with fear and sorrow.

“We’re being watched.” Artem’s voice snapped me out of my trance.

“We’ll have to pretend a little better.” I said, using my thumb to stroke his side in a display of affection. “Maybe we can… um…”

“Harmony, will you allow me to try something?”

His question was vague, but I didn’t think to ask him to elaborate. I trusted him enough to not need further specifics. “I trust you.”

Slowly, gently, Artem pulled me in a little closer and pressed his lips against the temple of my head. His innocent, respectful kiss caught me off guard, made my mind go blank for several seconds. I was so sure my legs would give out but they kept on moving forward.

“They’ve turned away. We won’t need to worry about them any longer.” His monotone voice sounded like honey in my ears.

“Good. That’s good.” I cleared my throat, a poor attempt to shake off the feeling blooming within me. “We’ll be home soon. Can you make it?”

“I can.” His eyes met mine and my breath hitched in my throat. “So long as I am with you, I will find the strength to persevere.”

It was then that I made up my mind, though really, I had made it up a while ago. I’ll fight to protect Artem just as I fought for the forest, and if anyone tried to take him, they’d have to go through me first.

#tears of themis #x oc #tot artem #artem wing

[awalkthroughstellis]

Love Bites On A Full Moon’s Night

Warnings: Spoilers for Luke’s MR card “Moonlit Prisoner”, Halloween Special (AU), spice, mentions of blood and injuries

Summary: Robin finds herself in a peculiar situation when an enemy asks her to restrain him. What’s more, there’s an attraction to him she just can’t shake.

It wouldn’t take much longer for the moon to reach its peak in the almost black sky. Now wasn’t the time for me to be outside, to be visiting the beast I chained for the sake of safety, but I couldn’t stop myself. This urge (or was it desire?) to see him was too strong to ignore.

The dungeon that belonged to this old castle was dusty and full of spider webs. It’s been centuries since anyone has been imprisoned here. Miraculously, the cells have held up all this time.

The very last cell contained the beast… the man, I couldn’t stop thinking about. The chains that secured him were holding strong; a cuff around each wrist, above both ankles, and one around his neck. The end of the chains were attached to the stone wall but there was enough slack in the chains for him to have some movement room. His jeans and boots were still in good condition, though the white sheet I had left for him was torn in multiple places and draped over one chestnut ear and both his shoulders. Locks of hair, the same colour as his ears, were messy and those beautiful coral eyes of his seemed to stare right through me and into my very soul. His fair skin was bruised and scratched in several places, all of which were relatively fresh and dripping small droplets of blood. There’s no doubt the cause of those wounds were his claws.

“You shouldn’t be here.” He spoke suddenly, his voice strained and raspy.

The cell’s door was so old and rusted it made an ear-splitting screech as I pushed it open. The heels of my shoes clicked against the cobblestone as I stepped inside, the door screeching again as I closed it.

“I’m stronger then I look. I’m not human, remember?” I said, voice echoing off the walls even though I was talking so quietly.

The chains rattled as he shifted. “The moon’s almost up. It won’t be long before my instincts begin to take over. I won’t be much of a threat to you with my arms and legs bound like this… but we are still natural enemies. Don’t take this so lightly.”

He’s right, we are natural enemies. I’ve spent the last century looking over my shoulder because of his kind. This urge… desire… whatever, to be near him made no sense. Neither did his lack of interest in attacking me. He should have been trying to rip my heart out of my chest earlier today… not ask me to lock him up.

“Don’t come so close.” His voice snapped me out of a trance. When did I get so close to him? “I can’t make any promises about what will happen if you stay here.”

I crouched in front of him and gazed into his eyes. “Are you going to hurt me?”

My question came out as a whisper. His ear flickered and a heat appeared in the depths of his eyes. “I won’t hurt you… but there are things I’ve been restraining myself from for a long time.” He suddenly hissed. “My body is starting to burn.”

Moonlight suddenly spilled in from a small window up above. The silver light fell directly into him, and the cuts I’ve been able to ignore until now were illuminated. My heart started to hammer as I watched a drop of blood trickle down his arm, the scent of him suddenly so overwhelming it was making me light headed.

I could feel my heartbeat pulsing in my ears as I crawled into his lap, one knee on either side of his hips. His upper body fell back against the wall and I fell forward with him, leaning all of my weight into him as I ghosted my lips over the skin of his neck. The taste of his skin alone was enough to make my lips tingle and cause my entire body shutter. The cuff around his neck was getting in the way but there was plenty of open space between the cuff and his jaw for me to sink my teeth into-

‘Stop!’

My self control finally caught up. Clenching my eyes and jaw shut, I turned my head the other way and let my cheek rest against his shoulder. Not that turning away did much to help - every breath was filling me with lungfuls of his scent. Every nerve in my body was heightened, every cell was pulsing with an intense need I’ve never experienced before. My electrified senses were making me even more aware of the strong body I was resting against.

Never before in my century as a vampire have I wanted someone so badly.

His hand suddenly slid up my back and in response, I gasped and arched my spine to get away from the contact. “D-Don’t do that!”

“You’re shivering really bad. You’re cold, aren’t you?” He asked, oblivious to what was really going on.

With a weak shake of my head and a lot of willpower, I lifted my head and looked him in the eye. “Not cold… thirsty. I gotta go…”

I tried to pull away but the second I lifted off his lap, one of his arms wrapped around my waist and pulled me back to him. The first half of his name rolled off my tongue but the rest was silenced by his lips. His tongue pushed its way into my mouth and pricked itself on the tip of my fang. The taste of his blood exploded on my tongue and the little self-control I had shattered.

It took only two seconds for me to pull away and sink my fangs into the side of his neck.

The moan that escaped me was nearly drowned out by the growl that erupted from his throat. My nails dug into his bare shoulders in case he tried to rip me away but he did no such thing - he tempted me to steal his blood and made no move to stop me from doing so.

“Atta girl.” I could feel the vibrations as he spoke. “Take as much as you want, just don’t drink me dry.”

I was so lost in bliss I almost didn’t hear him. After several more large mouthfuls I retracted my fangs and swept my tongue along the wound to collect the excess blood. The frenzied haze was slowly leaving my body now, a sense of calm and regret beginning to rise.

“I’m sorry.” I whispered, and with the help of impossible speed, fled from the cell.

~~~~~~~~

Two hours later, I returned to the dungeon with a bucket of water, a clean cloth and a roll of bandages. The werewolf was still in the cell, licking at a cut on his arm. The chains were still in tact, surprisingly.

Taking in a breath to calm myself, I stepped inside and approached him. “I didn’t get the chance to ask earlier, but where did those wounds come from?”

He lowered his arm. “I caused them myself.”

“And why would you do that?”

“It keeps on me alert, not that it worked well this time.”

Crouching in front of him, I set the bucket down and dipped the cloth into the water. “I’m sorry. It’s been a long time since I lost control of myself like that. I never thought I would be tempted by a werewolf of all things. I’ll clean those wounds for you as an apology.”

He shook his head. “You did what I wanted you to do.” When I gave him a confused look, he continued. “You weakened me. It made things more bearable. These wounds will heal on their own but if you insist on it, I won’t stop you.”

Wringing out the excess water, I shifted a little closer and starting cleaning the bite on his neck, being as gentle as possible. He didn’t flinch or show any signs of pain, but I was careful anyway. His eyes were glued to me the entire time, and the warm intensity of his gaze was making my heart race again. This time, for a different reason.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” I asked, feeling shy as I rinsed off the cloth.

“There’s not much else to look at. Besides, it’s natural to look at something beautiful, isn’t it?” His reply made me pause, brought forth a heat int cheeks I haven’t felt in… ever.

A lock of chestnut fell in front of his face and before I could stop myself, I was brushing it away and running my fingers through the hair on the side of his head. His hair was soft, gliding through my fingers so smoothly as if it were silk.

He shivered and let out a shaky breath as the tips of my fingers brushed against his ear. “Watch those hands. My ears are off limits.”

I almost pouted; his ears looked so fluffy but if that reaction gave anything away, it was their sensitivity. ‘I wonder if his tail is…’

Before I could make a move to test out my thought, the world around me suddenly flipped. One second I was sitting across from him and the next, I’m laying on my back with the werewolf hovering above me. The stone wall was above my head, my wrists pinned to the floor on either side of my face. The white sheet had been covering him the whole time fell away. I caught myself licking my lips as my eyes trailed up his abdomen.

“What are you doing?” I asked, my voice a whisper that shook with attraction.

“I should be asking you.” He dropped his head close to mine, lips hovering above my own. “The tail is even more out-of-bounds. Don’t even think about it.”

He pulled back, looked me over, then dove for my neck and pinched my skin between his teeth. I hissed at the sharp pain, my body jerking in surprise and accidentally rising to press against his. I’ve bitten a lot of people in my lifetime, but the last time I was bitten was when I was turned.

“What was that for?” I asked, eyes half-lidded as I looked up at him. There wasn’t a doubt in my mind he could sense the desire pulsing through me.

“A bite for a bite. It’s only fair, isn’t it,” He leaned in close to my lips again. “Robin?”

The sound of my name rolling off his tongue sent a pleasurable shiver down my spine. “Luke-”

He sealed my lips before I could say anything more. The time for talking and teasing was over.

#tears of themis #x oc #tot luke #luke pearce

[awalkthroughstellis]

I regret nothing

#tears of themis #luke pearce #tot luke

[awalkthroughstellis]

Passionate In Red

Warnings: Heavy spice

Rated 18+ - NSFW

Summary:

Part 1

*Apologies for the delay in posts the past few weeks. Life got in the way*

Though not a single light was on, Times Antiquities stood like a beacon in the shadows of the creeping evening. On any other day, at any time of day, coming home filled me with butterflies and warmth and expectations of kisses and cuddles when I walked through the door.

Tonight, however, staring at the cozy home and shop filled me with discontent.

“Robin?” Luke, who was holding my hand, appeared in front of me with concerned eyes. “What’s wrong?”

I didn’t realize I had stopped walking. I should reassure him, but that puppy-dog look made me want to tease. “I don’t want our date to be over yet. I’m having fun.”

Like magic, his smile stole the remaining warmth from the setting sun. “Me too. Why don’t we put on a movie and surround ourselves with snacks? We can even share the beanbag chair.”

He looked so excited and innocent, I couldn’t keep a laugh down. “You’re so cute, Luke!”

He blinked and, a moment later, his cheeks brightened to match the pink hues in the sky. “You were teasing me again.”

“Partially.” Grabbing his hands, I stood on the balls of my feet to kiss his cheek. “I meant what I said, though. I don’t want this date to be over just yet.”

Still giggling over how precious he was, I dragged him the rest of the incredibly short way home. Peanut greeted us upon entry, but chose not to follow us upstairs and instead returned to his perch in the corner of the shop.

As soon as the door to the apartment closed behind him, I spun and wrapped my arms around the back of his neck. “Can you get the TV going while I change and wipe my makeup off? I wanna cuddle and be comfortable.”

Luke chuckled, my favourite sound on earth. “Your wish is my command, Lovebug.”

I stole a peck from his lips. Although brief, the feel of his mouth on mine made something in the pit of my stomach stir.

‘Wait, I have the…’

I had to fight to keep my expression from giving anything away as I made a beeline for the dresser, pulling out a tank top and sweatpants, the type of clothing I usually preferred sleeping in. Hidden between them was red lace I prayed Luke wouldn’t notice as I inconspicuously moved to the bathroom. Thank god I mentioned cleaning off my makeup - he definitely would realize something was up if I suddenly hid from him while getting dressed.

Having already done so once before, figuring out how to put the lingerie on came easily. It hugged my body just as nicely has it had in the store, and without meaning to, my choice of makeup style for tonight worked well with the garment. All I had to change was the colour of my lip from nude to red.

Though I felt amazing, I still had to give myself a minor pep talk in the mirror before reaching for the handle and pulling the door open. I looked towards the television, where Luke was crouched on the floor sorting through his collection of DVD’s, his back to me.

“Baby, I changed my mind.” I said, feeling the corner of my lips curl into a smirk that felt too good to wear. “Can we do something other than a movie?”

Luke chuckled and put the cases back in the box. “What do you have in mind? A game, or-”

He turned his head to look at me and fell silent. My skin burned under his wide gaze as his eyes trailed my frame, mouth opening and closing but the heavy blush on his cheeks kept him silent.

Slowly, he stood and turned to face me, one hand covering his mouth. “R-Robin…”

Something dark and dangerous came over me, a confidence I was still learning breaking through the cracks of my nerves.

“What do you think?” I asked, stepping out from beneath the doorframe with a small spin. “I got it for you.”

The gears in his head were turning, I could see that clearly. Something about his stunned silence made power course through my veins, an addictive kind that gave me the courage to cross the distance and run my hands over his chest. His breath hitched, something about it reminding me of our very first night together.

“Cat got your tongue, Luke?” My palm gently pushed down over his heart, which I could feel was hammering away beneath his skin. “If you can’t say it, you can show me how you feel.”

Acting on my taunt, he grabbed my hips and pulled me flush against him. Feeling how hard he was against me had a moan spilling from my lips, one that was swallowed when he claimed my mouth in a deep, desperate kiss.

Fire spread, racing through every limb and burning hotter everywhere I felt him. When faced with such intense heat, trying to escape it was natural but no, not me. Not from this. Never from him.

He broke the kiss but didn’t go far, panting against my lips while exploring the lace and mesh with his hands. “You-”

“Are going to be the death of me?” I finished for him, grinning in victory. I pushed against his chest, walking him backwards. “I know that’s a crime, but for you? I’ll happily be a sinner.”

The backs of his knees hit the beanbag chair and he collapsed into it. I followed closely, holding his shoulders for support so I could comfortably climb onto his lap, his hips between my knees.

Arms wrapping around my back to keep me secure, Luke leaned forward and touched his lips to my collarbone. I sighed in bliss as he worked his magic, tasting every inch of skin above my chest before working his way down the exposed length of skin running through my middle. Thank god for his supportive arms - with the way my back was bending to give him room to work, I would have tumbled off him.

“Luke.” I breathed, chest heaving as he worked the skin above my belly button. “Baby…”

He cursed and pushed his hips up into me, and on instinct, I rolled my own. “You’re dangerous, Songbird. Of all the cases I’ve worked and the people I’ve met, somehow you have the most effect on me.”

I gasped in surprise as he suddenly stood, lifting me with him before turning and dropping me where he had been. Luke settled on the floor in front of me, kneeling, the sight setting something I didn’t know I had ablaze.

I whimpered under the hunger in his gaze, lifting my arms to grip the top of the beanbag. “Please.”

“What do you need, Robin?”

The tenderness in his voice pulled another sound from me. “I need you.”

Hypersensitive now, I trembled when he brushed his lips over the inside of my thigh, pulling the strip of fabric hiding me from him to the side. “You have me.”

I cried out when his tongue touched me. There was no need to think anymore. Luke would take care of me, just as he always has.

#tears of themis #x oc #luke pearce #tot luke

[awalkthroughstellis]

Playing The Part (II)

Warnings: Spoilers for Luke’s SSR card “Dark Swirl”, mentions of blood and violence, sexual tension and spicy moments, implied adult activities (SFW)

Rated 17+ - heavy sexual tension and implied adult activities

Summary (Part Two): Things get more dangerous when Luke and Robin end up at Bright Paddon’s personal villa. Not only is Robin’s commitment to her man tested, but her love for him could come at the cost of her life…

I didn’t think things could get any more stressful, but now that we were at Bright Paddon’s personal villa, I realize things could get more stressful. Not only were we in his home, but his home was located in the remote outskirts of Stellis, hidden within tall mountains and a pain to reach due to questionable road safety.

I paced back and forth across the guest room, arms folded over my chest and the clicks of my wedges against the floorboards the only sound. Raven and I were taken right to this room upon arrival so I had no idea what the layout of the place is like, meaning if I had to get out in case of an emergency I’d have no idea where to go. The only peace of mind I had was the small pager Raven left me, which was tucked safely in the pocket of my coat. I cracked the window a little, that way if anyone came in and questioned why I was wearing my coat indoors, I could explain that I needed a little fresh air. As for Raven’s whereabouts, he said he was going to the conference room to talk to Bright and try and squash any remaining doubts he might have.

“If something happens while I’m gone, just push the button. I’ll come running as soon as I get the signal. Don’t be afraid, okay?”

I took in a deep breath and sat on the leather couch. Just as I was collecting myself, there was a knock at the door. My head snapped up and an icy cold shiver ran up my spine, shoulders immediately growing tense. Raven wouldn’t knock first, would he?

“Who is it?” I called out, wrapping my coat around myself a little tighter.

The voice that responded wasn’t one I recognized. “Pardon the interruption, Miss. I’m one of Mr. Bright’s men. I have an urgent matter to discuss with you. May I come in?”

I stood up and approached the door, but I had no intention of opening it. “I don’t make a habit of inviting strange men into private rooms. We can discuss this through the door.”

“If that is what you wish, we can, but you, me, and Mr. Raven will suffer if this gets back to Mr. Bright.”

‘Suffer?’

The word made my stomach turn, and after careful deliberation, I opened the door and stepped aside to let the man in. Worst case scenario, I press the pager and hope my protector makes it in time.

The man was young, a little taller then me, had dark curly hair and dark eyes. He entered and made his way to the middle of the room, then stopped and turned to me with a toothy grin. “Thank you for meeting with me, Miss. My name is Blake Thomas. I work for Bright Paddon and have been for a while now. I’ll make this quick, but I’ve come to propose an offer.”

“What kind of offer?” I asked, still holding onto the doorknob just in case I needed to make an escape.

“Cooperation. Since Mr. Raven has brought you here with him, you must be quite close. I can get my hands on some special information involving Mr. Bright. If you and I work together, we can snatch those goods and split it fifty-fifty after we escape. We won’t have to work another day again for the rest of our lives.”

What he was really asking dawned on me rather quickly. The thought of it made me sick. “You’re asking me to betray Raven.”

Blake chuckled and scratched the back of his neck. “I can only imagine how hard it must be to please a master like Mr. Raven. Think about how many people you’ll be able to play with once your pockets are loaded. The world is full of men for you to enjoy.”

Now I really felt like I was gonna puke. Did everyone in Bright’s circle see people as nothing but mere toys for gratification? And was nothing kept private? Blake had to know about what went down between Raven and I in the hotel earlier, that’s why he’s using this angle to try and convince me to go along with his plan.

I didn’t even try to hide my glare. “I think it would be best if you left now.”

A panic look crossed his face. “H-Hold on, Miss! Please take a look at this before you make any rash decisions.”

He fiddled with the tablet tucked beneath his arm for a minute, then turned the screen around. The tablet was displaying what seemed to be camera footage of a room I didn’t recognize, but two people in the frame I did: Bright and Raven. Their voices starting coming out through the speaker before I could ask anything. It sounded like they were talking business, but Bright mentioned an address that caught my attention.

“7-Crossing Warehouse in North Stellis…” I repeated in a whisper.

I wasn’t familiar with North Stellis. The crime rate there was higher then I was comfortable with and Luke would never let me go there alone. The few times I have gone, he stuck as close to my side as possible. ‘Would he really hide such valuable goods in such an obvious place?’

This entire situation was bothering me. Blake seemed a little too eager to make this deal, and on top of that, we’ve never met before. Regardless of what rumours he’s heard, surely he can’t be so certain that my relationship with Raven is thin enough to be broken by money. Isn’t he worried that I’m gonna report all of this to Raven?

Something Bright said suddenly came through the audio port of the tablet, something that caught me completely off guard. “Alas, what happened with your father was very unfortunate. Who knows who tipped off his opponents.”

My heart stopped for a minute. Heart condition considered, I tried not to use that expression but there was no other phrase to describe what I felt. Bright Paddon knew Raven’s… Luke’s, father? Is this why Luke took this case in the first place? I thought the death of his parents was accidental, but could there be more to it? Did Luke discover something that died Bright to his parents deaths?

I watched as Raven turned to look out the window. “One day, they’ll all pay the price. I’ll make sure of it.”

Bright sighed and put down his cigar. “I heard you’ve been doing well overseas. If it weren’t for your father’s early passing, you wouldn’t have had to come back to Stellis so soon. I remember you being such a cheerful boy, but now I can’t see past the hate in your eyes. What a pity.”

Now I felt like someone punched me in the gut. Luke’s known Bright since he was a child? Does Rosa have any recollection of this man? Did Luke and Bright lost contact after Luke was adopted? I suddenly had so many questions I was losing track of the most important ones.

“There’s nothing to pity me for. It’s fate. But if it can be twisted, it can be rewritten, right?” Raven asked, the chill in his voice so intense I had to look away.

“I’m done watching this. Please turn it off.” I said.

The screen went black and Blake tucked the tablet under his arm again. “So? Have you made your decision? I mean, come on. You saw how cruel that guy’s smile is, didn’t you? You really wanna be stuck with that for the rest of your life?”

“Look, Mr. Thomas, I’m not in the mood. You have severely underestimated the relationship between Raven and I, and quite frankly, the thought of a betrayal makes me sick. You need to leave. Now.”

“Alright, how about I sweeten the deal?” Blake suddenly stepped forward and slung his arm around my shoulders. The weight of his limb, the feeling of him against me, all felt so wrong. “How about sixty-forty, leaning your way? Or seventy-thirty? Thirty is more then enough for me to live out the rest of my life in luxury.”

I could hear my heart calling out for Luke, wanting nothing more then for him to come save me from this nightmare. I reached into my pocket and grabbed the pager, slamming my thumb down on the button. To keep Bright’s suspicions low, since he wouldn’t be able to hear the pager, I let out the most high-pitched scream I could muster.

“Get off me!” I screeched, shoving Blake off and taking several steps back.

The door burst open in no time at all. Raven rushed in with Bright on his heels, but he stopped suddenly and looked back and forth between Blake and I with distrusting eyes. “What’s going on here?”

Seeing him standing there, recalling the sense of safety that always came with his embrace, now knowing that I was safe from any and all harm, my vision started to blur with real tears. “Raven! He just made a move on me!”

I rushed to him, throwing myself into his arms and burying my head in his chest. I was so overwhelmed by the experience that I could feel my body trembling a little. It wasn’t necessarily fear getting to me, but Blake’s touch left me feeling dirty. All night, the men other then Raven have looked at me as nothing more then an accessory or a tool to get what they were after. I understood it’s the part I have to play to get Raven and I through this safely, but it’s starting to take a toll. All I want to do now is to hide in Raven’s arms until the sun comes up.

Slowly, hesitantly, Raven wrapped an arm around my waist. He asked a question, and it was impossible to miss the danger laced in his voice. “Did he touch you?”

I nodded against his chest, digging my nails into the fabric of his suit jacket. I felt his arm tighten around me, pressing me against him even further. The temperature in the room seemed to drop as he lowered his head a little and spoke a little quieter.

“Are you hurt anywhere?” He asked.

I shook my head. I didn’t need to be looking at Raven’s face to know he was glaring. I could feel it in the tense atmosphere, could feel the nervous waves rolling off Blake and hitting my back. Raven grabbed my hands and pulled them from his chest, then moved me aside and, without warning, kicked Blake in the stomach. Blake dropped to his knees and was subjected to another kick, this time in the back. The man fell onto his chest and Raven planted his foot on Blake’s shoulder blade, keeping him pinned and flailing beneath him in a panic.

“Mr. Bright!” Blake choked out. “Mr. Bright! Help me!”

Bright seemed to be in a bit of a panic. “Raven, that’s enough. Blake did what he did for a reason.”

“It better be a good reason.” Raven snapped, turning his glare to Bright. “What happened at the show earlier, I can let go for you, Bright, but this time is different.”

Bright sighed. “Allow me to explain. I’m the one who asked Blake to do this.”

I couldn’t keep my eyes from widening as they turned towards him. ‘This son of a…’

Raven was practically seething now. Without taking his foot off Blake’s shoulder, he sat on the couch and beckoned me over with a single wave his fingers, then tapped his thigh. I approached him, sliding my coat off my arms and draping it over a nearby chair before taking my place in his lap. I sat on him sideways, one leg crossed over the other so that I wouldn’t be too close to Blake’s figure on the floor. I placed one hand on Raven’s chest and slid the other around his shoulders, then joined my lover in glaring Bright down as he delivered his explanation.

A business man makes many mistakes in his lifetime. This was Bright Paddon’s biggest mistake. At first, he thought of the woman on Raven’s arm as nothing more then an accessory, a rich and beautiful piece of jewellery. Oh, how wrong he was. Now, as he fell beneath a heat hotter then hell, he realized that Raven’s woman wasn’t a mere item. She was the other half of him, and the power they held together was so great he couldn’t help but feel as small as the cells in one’s blood.

Bright’s explanation was simple enough; he was suspicious of me and sent Blake over to figure my intentions out. One part of me wanted to laugh, another part was glad his suspicion has finally shifted off of Raven, but the biggest part of me was livid.

“There’s nothing wrong with having doubts. I fully understand what you were thinking.” Raven said, adjusting his position a little. A look of relief crossed Bright’s face, but Raven didn’t let it last long. He put more pressure on his foot, making Blake wail. “I have my own doubts. Doubts that someone wants to play games more then they want to settle a business transaction.”

Beads of sweat were rolling down Bright’s forehead. “No, that’s not what this is. I just want to look out for you, Raven. I promised your father I would if anything happened to him.” His eyes turned to me and he bowed his head apologetically. “Please, forgive me, Miss. I see now that you fully intend to stand by Raven.”

I turned to my man. “Should I? He asked another man to touch what’s yours.”

Blake started trashing again. Raven must be dishing out another harmless punishment. “I’ll let you decide this time. Choose wisely.”

I pretended to think about it, then turned to Bright. He looked more like a nervous wreck then a powerful business man. “For the sake of this deal, I’ll forgive you.”

All the tension in Bright’s body seemed to evaporate at once. “Thank you, Miss. I assure you, you won’t be disrespected again.”

“You’re lucky she’s so forgiving.” Raven chimed in, the corner of his mouth curling into a smirk. “Otherwise, we might have to rethink this deal.”

“Yes, of course.”

Bright’s phone suddenly started ringing. The stress in his voice was evident as he spoke to whoever was on the other line. “Keep an eye on them. Call me right away if anything happens.”

Raven finally gave up on torturing Blake. The poor man crawled away frantically, practically cowering behind Bright. “Did the police find the goods?”

“No, don’t worry. 7-Crossing Warehouse was just a decoy. They won’t find the real stuff, trust me on that.”

Raven chuckled. “So, you were testing me with the address earlier? Careful~” He practically sang the word. “Your caution will one day cost you more then you’ll gain. You’re so concerned about outsiders, yet the possibility of one of your own men leaning information eludes you. Your time is best spent watching your own men then scouting us out.”

Bright was sweating buckets by now. “Yes, of course. You’re right.”

“Get going, Bright. If anything goes wrong again, don’t ever think about getting another penny out of me.”

“I’ll get right on it, just give me a little more time.”

With that, Bright and Blake rush out of the room, taking the tension with them. I released a breath and felt my shoulders drop. For the first time since bumping into everyone tonight, I let my guard drop fully. I rolled my shoulders and neck and looked at Raven, blinking in surprise. There were no traces of the dark expression he was wearing seconds ago. All that reminded now was the gentle smile and kind eyes I was most familiar with.

“Ah, there you are.” I said, giggling a little as I kissed his nose. “I’ve missed you.”

Luke grinned and brushed a stray hair from my cheek. “I was stalling for time so that he would be forced to take the call right in front of us. In a couple more hours, this will be over.” His smile dropped to a frown. “Where did he touch you?”

I shuttered just thinking about it. “My neck and shoulders. I had my coat on, but it didn’t do much… I feel like he’s still here.”

Luke lifted me off his lap and set me back on the couch, then headed into the bathroom, closing the open window as he passed it. The guest room, for whatever reason, didn’t have a door diving the bathroom from the rest. I heard water running, and when it finally stopped, Luke returned with damp towel that had a light steam rising from it.

He sat next to me and, being so gentle it made my heart hurt, started massaging the top of my chest, neck, and shoulders with it. The warmth made my eyelids suddenly feel heavy, a blissful sigh slipping past my lips at the sensation.

“This is nice.” Said, peeling my eyes open just a little so I could look at Luke.

“They say warm towels can relieve fatigue and stress. Is it working?”

I hummed, letting my eyes close again. “Stress? Gone. Fatigue? It’s making me sleepy.”

“You can rest for a bit of you want. I’ll watch over you.”

I shook my head, trying to fight back the drowsiness. “No, we should both be on alert.” I had to find something to talk about to keep myself awake. “Blake showed me surveillance footage. He said he knew your dad… and you in your childhood.”

Luke was quiet for a little while, either gathering his thoughts or too focused on his task to respond right away. “Half-truths often make for the best lies.”

“Half-truths?”

He nodded. “The story about that “father” is real, but he was actually a senior of mine. He didn’t have any family, so he volunteered to go undercover and get as close to Bright Paddon as possible. He worked for him for many years before…” Luke shook his head and switched the towel to the other side of my neck. “To complete his identity, he needed a “son” that was being raised in a foreign country. I had just joined the NSB, I was the right age, so I asked my adoptive parents to send me a childhood photo for my senior to keep with him. Bright’s probably seen that photo many times.”

My brows furrowed. “When you say you were the right age… was plans for today already being made back then?”

“Considering where we are now, it seems like it. I have to finish what he started.” Finished with the massage, Luke wrapped up the towel and stood up. I grabbed his hand without meaning too, stopping him from going too far. He looked surprised, but sat back down regardless. “What is it?”

“Your senior… he died on this mission, didn’t he?” I stated right into his eyes, trying to peer into his soul. “I’m scared for you, Luke. Aren’t you afraid for yourself?”

He looked pained as he caught a tear in the corner of my eye. “Of course, I’m afraid. My fear isn’t a bad thing, Songbird. It’s actually a very important lesson I learned in my training.”

I titled my head in confusion. “How so?”

Luke licked his lips, then launched into a story of a time in his life I didn’t hear about too often. “When I first started training, I pushed myself too far too often. A senior pulled me aside one day and told me that if I only trained out if regret for not having enough strength, it would come back to bite me later. Strength has no upper limit. I’ll never reach the end and I’ll never feel satisfied with my progress. So, instead, he told me to let fear drive me. It took me a long time to understand what he meant, and I only ended up taking on more aggressive training. Then, one day, I visited a comrade in the hospital. He had a bruise on him, similar to one I had at the time. That’s when I finally understood what my senior was trying to tell me.”

“I’m… not following.”

He smiled a little, but there was sadness in it. “The comrade had passed away from an accident on a mission.” I gasped, but Luke continued. “The bruise I saw was one he had obtained from a training session prior to his final mission. That light wound that would heal easily would be branded on his body forever. That was… the first time I knew what true fear felt like. I started to fear failure. I feared that Rosa and my adoptive parents would be sad if something happened to me. The fears just kept piling. Ever since then, escaping fear has become my driving force. It’s made me learn to act with caution. But, over time, the fear got so intense it affected my own mental state.”

I was about to ask what he meant by that, but I heard a ping. Luke pulled a phone I didn’t recognize from his pocket, checked whatever notification he received, then relaxed again. “Bright’s is starting to get things ready. He’ll probably be able to get the goods over before dawn. I told him not to bother us until then.”

Luke stood, then suddenly, the phone in his hand fell as he wavered, his balance suddenly lost. I jumped to my feet and reached out to hell a balance him. His name was about to roll off my tongue like a speeding train but I managed to clamp my mouth shut at the last second. We weren’t out of the woods yet, I couldn’t just be freely screaming his name.

“Are you okay? What’s wrong?” I asked, my voice shaking with panic as I cupped his face in my hands.

“It’s just a side effect of the drugs, that’s all.” He rubbed his temples. “You know I’m not much of a heavy drinker. A couple drinks is enough to get me wasted and talking like a blabber mouth. So, on missions like this, I take a few pills before hand to keep me from getting drunk. They’re safe. The NSB made them, but after five hours, headaches become a problem. I just need a shower and some rest and I’ll be okay.”

Nodding, I headed into the bathroom and turned the faucet to the bath on. I balanced one hand on the edge of the tub and stuck the other under the water, testing them temperature. I wanted it hot, but not scalding.

Luke came up behind me. “What are you doing?”

“Running you a bath, obviously. Dawn is still many hours away, and you need to take every minute you can to rest. This can’t end without you.”

“You realize there’s no door, right?”

I stood up straight and dried my hand on a dry towel. “It’s nothing I haven’t seen before. Do you not want me to see you?”

“I don’t have an issue with you watching me, Robin. It’s just a reminder.”

After not hearing it for so long, my name sounded like heaven when it rolled off his tongue. Luke undid his tie and I started popping the buttons of his jacket and shirt out of place, doing my best to ignore my urges as his skin came into view. My hands were burning, wanting to run along his bare chest and abdomen but I kept them to myself. As Luke climbed into the bath, I laid his suit out on the bed so it wouldn’t wrinkle, then I returned and sat on the stool behind him. Placing a hand on each shoulder, I started massaging the knots and tension out.

Luke sighed and relaxed. “Your hands feel so good.”

My face and neck grew hot. “Let me know if I’m using too much pressure.”

Time slipped away as I worked on his neck and shoulders. Once I was sure all the knots were out -and my hands were getting sore- I stopped and leaned forward to press a kiss against his neck. He shuddered beneath my touch. The hot water must have made him more sensitive the usual.

“Sorry.” I said, breathing a laugh as I stood up. “I’ll leave you be.”

“Robin.” He called out to me just as I reached the arch. “There’s room in here for one more.”

I looked over my shoulder at him. He looked so tempting, and the way his eyes were travelling the length of my body again was making my heart race and ignited a flame in the pit of my stomach. It was so much stronger now then it was back at the hotel. If Luke wasn’t so sure it would be safe to do this here, he wouldn’t have suggested it. I trust him enough to be a little reckless.

Approaching the sink, I picked up a claw clip and gathered my hair, pinning my curls up so they wouldn’t get ruined by the water. I caught a glimpse of Luke watching me in the reflection of the glass, and my god I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look more like… well, a god. The water dripping off his hair and onto his skin, the firm expanse of his chest rising and falling, the muscles in his arms as he rested them on the sides of the tub…

“You realize there’s no door, right?” Holding his gaze in the mirror, I repeated his words to him as I started slipping out of my dress.

He repeated mine. “It’s nothing I haven’t seen before. Do you not want me to watch you?”

“It’s just a reminder.”

My dress pooled at my feet but it was nothing more then a clump of fabric to me now. I took my time approaching the tub, stepping into the hot water and lowering myself into it. I sat with my back towards Luke, who was more then willing to greet me with his hands as I leaned back against his chest.

“Hi, beautiful.” He whispered, pressing a gentle kiss against my jawbone, right below my ear. I hummed and let my eyes fall shut, relishing the feeling of the light callouses on his palms gliding across my skin. My back arched a little as he ran his fingers down my stomach. “Will you sing for me, Songbird?”

~~~~~~~~~~

The bliss from a few hours ago felt like a lifetime ago. My uninterrupted time with Luke was the calm before the storm, a storm that none of us were expecting to hit this hard. The storm Bright Paddon was threatening us with didn’t have thunder or lighting. It had bombs.

The world seemed to freeze as my heartbeat grew louder in my ears. Naturally, my eyes found Luke amidst the chaos and things fell back into motion as I dashed towards him. Something scraped my arm as I ran past a bookshelf, leaving a stinging sensation behind but I didn’t have time to dwell on it or even feel the pain. Luke met me half way, gathering me in his arms and holding me tightly, tucking my head safely into his chest. It was like he was trying to wrap himself around me completely, trying to shield me with his body from the impending blast. I wanted to do the same for him, but I barely had room to wiggle within his embrace. All I could do was clutch his jacket and pray to whatever higher power was listening that he would be saved. Take my life if they must, but they have to save Luke.

Bright, who was standing between two NSB officers with his hands in cuffs, suddenly broke into hysterical laughter. “You fools! No one cares about life more then me. I’d never do something so reckless. How you all acted just now, though, believing your lives to be at its end, was the best show I’ve seen in a long time.” He turned to Luke and glared. “You screwed me over, Raven, but whatever is going on between you and that woman is real. She’s your weakness, isn’t she?”

Luke slowly let go of me and took my arm in gentle hands, his eyes locked on the wound. Whatever cut me had ripped the sleeve of my dress and the surrounding fabric was already soaked. I couldn’t see what the injury looked like beneath all the blood, but it was bleeding pretty decently and left stains on his suit. The scariest part, though, was the look on his face. Even when posing as Raven, I’ve never seen such a dark, lethal expression on him before.

Luke was trembling with anger as he stepped away and turned towards Bright. “With all you’ve done, you don’t seem to cherish your life at all.”

The NSB officers were shouting discouraging words but it didn’t stop him. In the blink of an eye, Luke kicked Bright in the stomach so hard he doubled over, then swung his fist until it collided with the man’s cheek. The officers reached Luke at this point, pulling him away before he could pummel Bright into the ground.

“Get him out if here.” Luke said, waving at Bright dismissively before returning to me. “I’m taking you to the hospital.”

Shrugging off his jacket, he draped it over my shoulders and led me out of the villa, keeping his arm around my waist the entire time. I glanced at Bright as we passed, and although it wasn’t necessarily his fault I got injured, I didn’t feel the slightest bit sorry for him.

~~~~~~~~~~

Two days later, life returned to the one I knew best. Luke was finally home and, hopefully, wouldn’t be called away again for a good while. The wound on my arm was the worst to come out of that night. The nail, or shard of metal, or whatever it was that cut me did so in a jagged line near my elbow and needed stitches to close it up. I was also given a tetanus shot and antibiotics to prevent an infection. The doctor said it should heal just fine, though.

“And just what do you think you’re doing?” Luke asked, plucking the plates from my hands. “You heard what the doctor said. No physical labour until that heals.”

“Physical labour- I’m setting the table, Luke.” I said, watching in astonishment as he set both plates in front of the chairs.

Luke, my handsome, wonderful, cinnamon roll has turned into a mother hen since we got back. He hasn’t let me cook, clean, work in the shop downstairs, nothing. The second I went to grab something that required both hands, he was right there lifting it for me with a smile. I couldn’t find it within me to be mad at him, though.

“Let me help somehow.” I said, stepping on front of him and playing with the key that hung from his neck. “You made dinner. At least let me set the table. I’ll bring everything over one at a time so I won’t have to use my bad arm.”

“No.” He refused with a smile, carefully lifting my arm so he could gently kiss the bandage. “Rest.”

I pouted, but he simply kissed my nose and moved around me to get to the kitchen. I huffed and plopped down into a chair, waiting for him to return. Peanut flew over and landed on the edge of the table.

“What do you think, Peanut? Is he going a little overboard?” I asked, to which the bird chirped.

“I can hear you.” Luke called, making me smile and shake my head.

Even though I felt useless just sitting here, I was very excited to eat what he made. Luke… isn’t the most skilled in the kitchen, but it didn’t matter. He made it with love for me in his heart, and that’s a flavour that overpowers any other.

Luke returned to place a pitcher of lemonade on the table, and I grabbed his hand before he could leave again. “Wait.”

Concern flashed across his face as he crouched in front of me, taking my hand between both of his. “What’s wrong? Is your arm bothering you? What about your heart?”

I smiled and shook my head. “It’s not that. Both are fine, I just… Back in Bright’s villa, when he threatened to set bombs off…” Luke squeezed my hand, making my smile grow until I was smiling with my soul. “When I thought my life was about to end, all I could think about was you, and how much I wanted you to live. How much I wanted to protect you…”

Reaching out with my other hand, I pressed my palm against his heart. His heartbeat has always been so strong, as if it were beating to make up for the weakness in mine.

“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: If I was born with a weaker heart so you could have a stronger one, then I’m glad I was. I love you, Luke.”

He looked like he was on the verge of tears. “I love you, too. For the rest of my life, I’ll only ever love you.”

Water was starting to form in my own eyes. “Okay.”

Luke leaned his forehead against mine and rubbed the tip of my nose with his in a butterfly kiss. As frightening as the the experience with Bright Paddon was, I’m grateful we came out of it with an even stronger bond between us.

#tears of themis #x oc #tot luke #luke pearce

[awalkthroughstellis]

Playing The Part (I)

Warnings: Spoilers for Luke’s SSR card “Dark Swirl”, mentions of blood and violence, sexual tension and spicy moments (SFW)

Rated 17+ - Lots of sexual tension and heavy spice

Summary (Part One): With Luke away on a mission, Robin heads to a special event to distract herself from the hole in her heart. She had no idea she was walking right into his mission, or that Agent Raven would be on the case.

The first time Raven’s eyes drifted, the man sitting across from him didn’t think anything of it. Raven is a cautious man after, and it wasn’t unlike him to be taking note of those walking in and out the door.

The second time his gaze drifted, it lingered a little longer and it wasn’t in the direction of the door. The subject of his attention was a small group of people chatting by the o’dourves table with drinks in hand. The crowd was a mix of men and woman, and none of them drastically stood out from the others gathered in the event hall. The man took note of their faces and clothing and carried on with the conversation.

The third time Raven focused elsewhere, the man put the puzzle together. Of the small group conversing off to the side of the dessert table, only one figure had been part of the last one. She was a woman of an average height and build, with fair skin and dark hair that matched the feathers on a robin’s back. Her smile reached her chocolate brown eyes and her posture was proper yet welcoming. She wore a long black off the shoulder dress with a sweetheart neckline that showed off a scar on her chest and long sleeves. The dress had two slits that ran from the bottom to just before the tops of her thighs. She wore nude open-toe wedges, and her nails and lips were painted a pretty maroon colour. She wore a silver bracelet, a dainty ring on her right ring finger, and a delicate hairpin kept her curls out of her face.

‘So this is the kind of woman Raven likes.’ The man thought as he took a sip of his champagne, pretending not to notice his younger colleague’s fascination. ‘Interesting.’

~~~~~~~~~~

Stepping into the banquet hall was like stepping into another world. The bright lights, the fancy decorations and table arrangements, the wealthy community dressed in their finest garments, and drinks and snacks I’ve never even heard of before. Thank God for Anna and all her experience in accompanying Marius to parties like this, otherwise I would have walked in here very undressed with the personality of a deer in headlights.

“Just do what I do, girl: fake your confidence. No one’s gonna look that hard, trust me.”

I quickly forgot about my worries when I was spotted by a married couple that were regulars at the antique shop. We spoke for a while and they introduced me to a few of their friends, several of which expressed their interest in the shop and said they would come by one day to check it out. But now, as I lingered near the dessert table sipping on my lemon water, watching everyone navigate the social circles, the very thoughts I was trying to get away from came crawling back. Those thoughts were about a chestnut haired lover of mine who hasn’t answered his phone in a little over a week now.

Setting my drink down, I opened my purse and dug for my phone. My heart sank yet again at the lack of response. The only messages that were sent the last few days were all by me.

Me: Good Morning Handsome ❤️ Stay safe today

Me: Good Night Babe, I love you 😘

Me: I’m awake and I took my meds, don’t worry about me and focus on coming home safe ❤️

Me: I’m off to bed. I love you soooooo much, Luke ❤️

Me: Rise and shine my sexy detective! Time to kick more ass today!

I sighed and clicked my phone off, returning it to its place in my purse. I rarely heard from him when his mission’s were high profile, but even so, I liked to let him know I was okay. I’ve gotten much better at waiting for him to come home and I don’t stress about his safety as much as I did in the beginning, but the box that was delivered today… that really spiked my anxiety. The recipient was listed as ‘Luke Pearce’ but the word ‘belongings’ was written on the side of the box in bold red font. I don’t make a habit of opening his mail as it could be related to his line of work, and therefore, confidential. The urge to rip that box open was intense, though. If it’s not Luke’s stuff, then who’s is it?

“Pardon me, Miss.” My head snapped up at the sound of a nearby voice. “I couldn’t help but overhear that you are quite knowledgeable with old and rare items. Is that correct?”

The man standing next to me looked to be in his mid-thirties and was as well dressed as every other guest tonight. He had pale blond hair and dark blue eyes, but something about his eyes made me hesitate. They looked… what word was I looking for? Suspicious.

“I wouldn’t call myself an expert, but I know a fair amount for my line of work.” I said, offering a polite smile.

“Oh, where are my manners? The name is Bright Paddon. I’m a business man who is still trying to find my footing in the business world.” He gave a hardy laugh and handed me a business card. “I would be honoured if you would sit with my colleague and I. I’m interested in discussing future business endeavours with you.”

“Oh, thank you.” I accepted his card and placed it in my purse. “Your offer is rather kind, but I don’t own my place of work so it wouldn’t be appropriate for me to get involved in our business partners. I will pass this along to my boss and perhaps you will hear from him.”

“It’s no rush, but perhaps you can put in a good word for me.” Bright placed a hand on my arm and bend the other out towards the VIP tables. “Please, join us. The show is about to begin, and I assure you we have the best seat in the house.”

A voice in the back of my mind was telling me to turn him down, but an unknown pressure made me cave. I followed him towards his table and, as we got closer, my jaw threatened to drop. Standing around the mini lounge was a group of men dressed in suits - bodyguards, most likely. There was one man sitting, the lack of emotion in his eyes so cold yet so familiar. I knew instantly that I wouldn’t be speaking to my sweet Luke anytime soon.

‘I’m not supposed to be here.’

“Raven, look who I’ve brought over.” Bright spoke, tone full of pride as he presented me. “I’ve noticed you’ve taken an interest in this woman. She’s got an eye for old treasures, it seems. Why don’t we all take this opportunity to get to know each other?”

Luke’s frown ran deep, eyes indifferent as he met my gaze. Still, hidden deep down in those coral depths, I could see a heat. It wasn’t the passionate heat of a lover, though - it was more like a warning. Not that I blamed him; I very well could blow this mission to smithereens if I’m not careful and get him exposed.

“No need, Bright.” Hot and cold collided in his tone. “She’s my woman to begin with. We know each other on a level you could only ever hope to achieve. What need is there to re-familiarize ourselves?”

Bright looked genuinely surprised. “Oh, so you do know each other. Well then, there’s no need for you to sport such a frown in front of your lady.”

Luke stood up from the couch. “What man would be happy seeing their woman that close to someone else?”

Stepping between Bright and I -and practically bumping Bright out of the way as he did so- Luke wrapped an arm around my waist and tugged me forward until I was leaning against his chest. My hands naturally found his shoulders, the feel of his muscular body beneath his black suit and the scent of his cologne, a cool, light and elegant scent, sparked something within me.

Luke and Raven are the same person; “Raven” is the persona he takes on when handling undercover missions like whatever must be happening here tonight. Raven is much colder and more openly distrusting, and to be honest, more brutal when it came down to physical altercations. Raven is intense - I can feel it in the air around him whenever Luke showed this side of himself. Because I love Luke, I love Raven, and because I trust Luke, I feel safe leaving my life in Raven’s hands if it came down to it.

But for the sake of not messing this up, it might be best to mentally address him as “Raven” for tonight. It reduces the possibility of a slip up when addressing him.

“Besides… we had a little tiff between us earlier, didn’t we?” Raven asked, giving my waist a subtle squeeze… a request to go along with it.

Something about being in the arms of this man gave me the strength to mirror his confidence, and I responded in a gentle voice with a hint of seduction to it. “We did. You’re developing a bad habit of disappearing on me, Raven. I was getting worried.” Leaning my weight even further into him, I brushed my forehead along the curve of his jaw and batted my eyelashes. “Please don’t be mad. I just don’t want to lose you.”

The corner of his lips curled up ever so slightly. “I had no idea you cared for me so much.”

“Would I have come looking for you if I didn’t love you?”

The sigh he let out was barely audible. The smirk dropped from his lips and his eyes shifted to Bright, though he was still talking to me. “Really? Then what were you up to with Bright? You looked rather pleased that he was showing you attention.”

Bright laughed nervously and waved a hand dismissively. “You misunderstand, Raven. As I said earlier, I noticed you were interested in her. A lot of beauties have come your way, but I’ve never seen you take a second glance at any of them. I couldn’t help but be curious about this woman who has caught your fancy. I meant no harm.”

“You know I’m a possessive person, especially about the women I’m with. As for you…” Raven’s arm tightened around me again, dragging a heat out from my depths. “If you love me as much as you claim, don’t you dare betray me.”

“I would never even dream of it.” I replied, staring him right in the eye.

He hummed, sounding unsure as to whether or not he believed me. I didn’t miss the way his eyes flickered to my lips as he let me go and returned to where he had been on the couch. “Sit.”

I took up the space next to him, sitting close but not cuddling up to him like I would at home. Raven reclined against the back of the couch, one leg crossed so his ankle was resting on his knee. The arm closest to me was outstretched behind me, laying across the top of couch’s back cushions. He wasn’t touching me, but I felt protected all the same.

The lights dimmed and the show started, and though my eyes were watching the performance my mind wasn’t taking any of it in. I had more important things to focus on, like trying to figure out how to navigate this mess I’ve caused and how to do so without getting Luke, er, Raven, exposed. For starts, it would be best to keep my mouth shut and only give vague responses if I must. I probably shouldn’t touch or consume anything unless Raven directs me to do so, either. The banquet hall has suddenly become full of land mines and I have to be careful not to step on one.

Something moving in the corner of my eye caught my attention. I turned my head just in time to see Raven place a glass of ice water with a lemon hanging on the rim in front of me. I glanced at his face but he looked indifferent, so I whispered a ‘thank you’ and squeezed the lemon juice in before taking a sip.

“I take it your not much of a drinker, Miss?” Bright suddenly asked, and although it was dark I could feel him staring at the scar on my chest, a mark left behind from several surgeries.

I smiled politely and set the glass back on the table. “I’m not.”

“Her eyes are up here, Bright.” Raven snapped, though I dare say it was almost a growl.

“Ah, forgive me. I didn’t mean to be rude. I just can’t help but be impressed when I encounter a woman who is so confident in beauty that she’s not afraid to show such blemishes.”

It took everything in me not to screw my face up in disgust. At one point in time, I was too embarrassed to let this scar see the light of day. But then I met the man sitting next to me, and he helped me learn to see it as a mark of continuous survival instead of a reminder of my curse. It’s thanks to him that I can wear a dress like this, one that puts my scar on display and feel like the sexiest woman on the planet.

A waiter arrived at the table just then, breaking the tension that was starting to prickle the air. He said nothing, but wore a kind smile as he played several small desserts and appetizers on the table. He even brought a bottle of expensive looking wine with him. The dessert plates contained treats such as fruit tarts, muffins, and bread based pastries. I sampled some items from the dessert table earlier, but these were different. The staff must have reserved these for during the show. I turned my gaze back to the show, not intended to touch anything. They looked delicious, but the stress of potentially ruining things kept me from freely doing anything.

Raven’s huff of a chuckle brought my focus back to him. “Since when are you so modest? Eat.”

I noted how my cheeks warmed as I reached for a blueberry muffin. It didn’t seem like he was going to eat himself, but I’m sure he had his reasons not to other then the food being unsafe. He would never let me touch it if that was the case.

“I’ll admit, I’m very curious about how the two of you met.” Bright said, spreading some butter on his slice of banana bread. “Raven isn’t the type to be captured so easily. You must be one heck of a woman, Miss…?”

I pretended not to notice how he trailed off with a questioning tone. Creating a fake identity isn’t something that can be done properly on the spot. For a common passerby, sure, but someone like Bright Paddon who is on the NSB’s radar? He’d likely bust my lie in a second. Not giving him an identity has to be the safer option, surely.

“I’d say Raven is the one who caught me.” I looked at the man sitting next to me and flashed a quick, lovesick smile before reaching for my water. “He’s not the type of man to be captured by anyone. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“Yes, that sounds about right.” One of the bodyguards approached Bright just then, leaning down a little and whispering something to him. “Ah, I see. Excuse me for a moment, friends. An old client of mine wishes to say hello. I’ll return shortly.”

With that, he stood and followed the bodyguard off into the shadows, taking several others with him. Three still lingered from us at a bit of a distance, but not far enough. They were still close enough to notice if we dropped character.

Raven picked up a mini butter tart. “Don’t pretend I haven’t noticed you eyeing this since it was brought out. Go on. Eat it.” I reached for it, but he clicked his tongue and moved it away. “Did I say to use your hands?”

Hopefully the darkness was thick enough to cover my cheeks, which I’m sure were bright red. “You’re teasing me again.”

The smirk that tugged at his lips was dangerous and seductive. “I thought you liked it when I played with you?”

My body was lightly trembling now, but it wasn’t from anger. It was… something else, something I couldn’t name. The air around Raven was so intoxicating it was making my head feel light, much so that my subconscious control took over. My mind was stuck in a daze as I leaned forward and bit into the dessert, a sweet taste exploding on my tongue.

“That’s my good girl.” He said, and I was too late to stop the moan that escaped me. Hopefully, anyone who overheard it would think it was from the taste of the tart. Then, in a lower voice next to my ear, he said, “You’re doing great. Hold on for a little longer. I’ll get you out of here as soon as I can.”

I nodded, taking the rest of the tart between my teeth and leaning back as I chewed. My breath hitched as Raven touched the corner of my bottom lip, wiping something away before bringing his thumb to his mouth and licking it off. The flash of tongue, combined with the heat in his eyes as he watched me, had me squeezing my thighs together. He has to know how he’s affecting me, right?

Bright returned, shattering the tension and I couldn’t decide if I was grateful for it or not. “Apologies, my friends. I hope I didn’t keep you waiting too long.”

He motioned for the nearest waiter to come and refill Raven’s glass. Luke- darn it, I did it again. Raven, as fierce as he is, doesn’t have the biggest alcohol tolerance. He’s been drinking pretty steadily since I got here, and I had no clue how much he had to drink before that. He seemed to still be sober, or maybe he’s better at hiding it then I thought?

Bright gestured towards the stage, where the performance was continuing as scheduled. Several dancers in sparkling white ballerina costumes were dancing around glass swan sculptures and beneath decorations that looked to be made of pure gold. “See all those flashy things onstage? It’s ironic that my shady goods just came in with them. It took me a lot of effort to get them here, Raven. You can’t be stingy with your offer.”

I was listening while trying to make it look like I wasn’t, keeping my eyes glued to the stage and resisting the urge to glance at the man sitting across from me. Why he felt comfortable bringing it up in my presence, I had no idea. Maybe he’s that full of himself that he thinks nothing can stop him. If only he new the ulterior motives behind the man he was trying to sell them too. Whatever their goods were, it has to be what this mission is about.

Electricity ran across my skin as Raven’s fingers brushed my shoulder. His touch felt incredible on my skin. “Oh? Are you trying to bid up the price?”

“Nothing of the sort, but you can’t blame a man for having caution. Those goods cost me a lot, and I’d hate to be swindled.”

“I can, and would, swindle any man but you, Bright.” I watched him drain his glass of wine all once from the corner of my eye. He tossed the empty glass carelessly onto the dark carpet, then took hold of my chin and turned my face towards him. My breath caught, eyes flickering to his lips. They were so close. “I’m done talking business for now.”

Raven caught my wrists in a tight grip, but wasn’t hurting me at all. He pushed me further into the back of the couch, practically pinning me to it as he leaned in close and started peppering kisses along my jawbone. His breath was tickling my skin, my heart was racing, something in the pit of my stomach was throbbing, and my mind was drawing a complete blank.

“Resist.” He whispered his instruction so quietly I almost missed it.

It took me a second, but his order set my thought process back into motion. I placed my hands, the wrists of which were still caught in his grip, against his chest and pushed. I could feel him pushing back against me, and the heat of his body beneath the suit was making my knees shake. “Now, Raven, this isn’t the time or place for that.”

Bright cleared his throat. “Raven, you’re drawing unwanted attention. Why don’t you and the lady head upstairs so you can rest and sober up a little?”

Raven huffed in annoyance, but withdrew his advances. “I’m not drunk.”

“Right, well, you won’t be missing anything from the show. I’m sure you’ll find something more entertaining to pass the time.”

I tried not to react when Bright’s eyes flickered towards me. Two bodyguards escorted us to the upper floor of the hotel, where several rooms had been rented out to the guests of the event. I breathed a quiet sigh of relief when they left, but before I could break character completely, Raven gave a short, sharp whistle to grab my attention. His eyes were still icy cold.

“Come. Loosen my tie for me.” He ordered, voice stern.

I knew he wasn’t legitimately mad at me, but his acting was so realistic I couldn’t help but swallow a lump in my throat before approaching him. The second I touched his tie he spoke again, but this time, his voice was the tiniest bit softer. Barely enough for anyone who didn’t know the real him to notice, but I did. That little changed released some of my anxiety. He was being as reassuring and gentle as he could be, considering the situation.

“I checked the floor mirror in the corner when we came in. It’s a two-way mirror.”

I fought the urge to scrunch my face up, and responded in just as quiet of a voice. “Those creeps are watching us?”

He hummed, then unexpectedly grunted. “Easy, girl. You’re strangling me.”

“Sorry. This thing’s giving me a hard time. I almost got it.”

And I did. A second later, it finally loosened. I was about to let my arms fall back to my sides but Raven captured one, holding my hand against his chest for a moment before lifting it above my head. The heat in his eyes from earlier was back. “Turn. Slowly.”

My face, neck, shoulders, every part of me flushed at his command. As I spun for him, taking my time and perhaps even dragging it out, I couldn’t help but wonder when the last time I felt this shy in front of him was. I felt like prey beneath the starving gaze of a predator yet I wanted nothing more then to be caught and eaten. ‘God, what has this man done to me?’

“This dress is new.” He stated after I completed my spin. The way his eyes kept travelling was making my heart race.

“The girls helped me pick it out.” I said, purposely not mentioning their names. I didn’t want to get them dragged into this mess.

He hummed again, the sound coming from deep within his chest and making my skin tingle. I gasped as he tugged me closer, his hands finding my hips as he trapped me flush against him. I held onto his shoulders, my lunges going into overdrive to keep from suffocating on his scent. My dress suddenly felt too tight, my organs on fire as he started backing me towards the mirror.

“Do you trust me?” Raven asked. It’s one of the most intimate questions a lover could ask.

“With my life.”

He moved one hand from my hip to the back of my head, protecting it from smacking against the glass as my back finally hit the mirror. I barely had time to register how cool the glass felt against my heated skin before Raven descended upon me, claiming my mouth and taking ownership of my lips. I moaned instantly, overwhelmed by the ferocity of his kiss and the taste of him. I plunged one hand into his hair, grazed the nails of the other along the back of his neck, and he responded by leaning even more into me; not enough to crush me with his weight but enough for me to feel even more of him. I gasped and he took the opportunity to push his tongue past my lips, bringing the faint taste of wine with him. My body separated from my mind, instinct to relieve the building pressure taking over. I shifted my weight to one leg and lifted the other, wanting to hook it around his waist but Raven caught me just below the knee and held me against his hip. Because of the slit in my dress my leg was exposed, and I moaned again as his hand started running up and down my thigh.

I tilted my head away for a break, practically gasping for air but Raven wasn’t ready to call it quits yet. I sighed and closed my eyes as he started working my neck over, using his breath, lips and tongue to keep me going. “R-Ra-Raven…”

“Once the show is over, I’ll find an opportunity to get you out of here.” He said, working his way down to my chest. He pressed a lingering kiss against my scar, then started sucking on the skin above the fabric covering my left breast. “Police will be waiting outside. When you see a cab with the license plate AB065, hail it. It will take you home safely. Can you remember that?”

The gears in my head were turning, but nothing but smoke was coming out. “A…AB…” The image of the box labelled ‘belongings’ suddenly flooded my mind. I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head, trying to fight my way through the fog and back into sanity. “No, I’m not walking away.”

Something between a gasp and a moan escaped me as his teeth grazed my skin in warning. The feeling sent addicting tingles down my spine. He practically hissed against my chest. “Now’s not the time to be stubborn.”

He kissed me again. They say when two people love each other so deeply, they can send a message through a kiss. Luke’s message was obvious: “go home, please.” Home is safe. The monster he’s dealing with tonight won’t be able to reach me there, but I love this man far more then I love myself. I’d crawl my way through hell to make sure he comes home safely, no matter what enemy stands before us.

Breaking the kiss, I used all my might to turn us to the side and shoved Raven off, sending him falling back into a plush chair that, conveniently, was in a blind spot. I took advantage of his disorientation to straddle him and hold onto the back of the chair on either side of his head. His hands gripped my hips, Adam’s apple bobbing as he started up at me with hazy coral eyes.

When I was sure he wasn’t going to move me off him, I sat back on his thighs and fiddled with his tie. “Bright seems like he’s very wary. He kept trying to dig information out of us earlier, wasn’t he? You were so possessive of me earlier. Sending me off out of the blue is gonna make him question you.”

He wasn’t refuting my statements, so everything I’m saying must be true. Remembering that we still need to be cautious of getting caught, I leaned forward and pressed my lips against his neck. Raven’s fingers dug into my hips and I could feel his heart pounding in his chest. I adjusted, shifting a little closer to him as I planted more kisses to his skin.

I made sure to keep my voice down as I continued. “You’ve been gone for days, you haven’t had any contact with me - that means this mission is high profile, right? Use me being here to your advantage. I think it’s safe to say his suspicion has shifted onto me, and if anything goes wrong, you can pin it on me and get out safely.”

I sat up again, my face hovering right above his. He was wearing that signature glare but his face was beat red and his breath was coming out a little harsh.

I smiled and threw his question right back at him. “Do you trust me?”

The door to the room opened before he could answer. “Raven, the guards said- Oh, I see.” Bright tried to hide his smile behind his hand, but I could see the corners of it peeking out. “When the guards said they hadn’t heard a peep, I thought something had happened to you. I never expected you to have a side like this, Mr. Raven.”

If I hadn’t already known we were being watched, I would have been embarrassed to have been walked in on like this.

Raven practically growled as he glared Bright down. “Bright, shut up if you don’t know what to say. Get out.”

“Yes, yes, I’m going. I just came to say that I’ve been notified a rat has snuck in. It’s best we be on our way.”

“Understood.” Playing into character, Raven tapped the bottom of my chin with the side of his index finger. “Later, girl.”

I pouted, waiting for the door to close behind bright before letting it fall. “The things I do for you.”

I was about to get up, but he wrapped an arm around me waist and brought me back so he could kiss me again. This time, it was much softer. “You do what I say, when I say it. Understand?”

I nodded, sealing my promise with another kiss before climbing off him. Raven took my head and started pulling me towards the door, and as I passed the mirror, I caught a glimpse of the faint bruise starting to form on the left side of my chest. A mark of possession.

#tears of themis #x oc #tot luke #luke pearce

[awalkthroughstellis]

Colour Me Attracted

Warnings: Spoilers for Luke’s SR card “Timely Rescue”, slightly mature moments throughout the entirety, mild spicy ending (SFW), Trigger Warning for health complications (Robin’s heart condition acts up)

Rated 16+ - Robin is very ‘aware’ Luke

Summary: Robin is determined to keep up with her ever active boyfriend. Living with a heart condition has put a lot of limitations on her activities, but with hard work, she may be able to push past those limits. A game of paint ball might be pushing it a little too far, though…

My feet pounded against the moving track at a steady jog, my breath steady and my eyes locked on the treadmill’s digital clock. I was seven and a half minutes in to my ten minute goal, and while it’s taken me a while to build my cardio to this point, I couldn’t help but feel an early sense of pride. I’ve always kept up my fitness through yoga for the sake of a healthy heart, but now I have other reasons to seek better stamina. I have an active boyfriend I want nothing more then to be able to keep up with.

“Almost there, Peanut.” I mumbled. “Two minutes left now.”

The myna bird bobbed his head and ruffled his wings with a soft chirp in what I assumed was encouragement. I almost didn’t hear him over the sounds of virtual gunfire coming from the other side of the living room, where Luke was unwinding with a video game. He was both supportive and cautious of this new workout routine of mine, and tried to be present when I decided to push myself like this. While on one hand it felt a little extreme, on the other, I completely understood. While improving my cardio was great for my problematic heart, in a way, it was also encouraging it to-

The shock in my chest caught me completely off guard. I lost my footing, and with a sharp cry, landed on my hip and was pushed off the treadmill by the still running track. I was reeling in pain, both from the throbbing of the impact on my hip and the invisible kick to the chest. Peanut was squawking up a storm and rapid footsteps sounded like thunder rushing towards me.

“Robin? Baby, what happened?” Luke asked, sounding rather frantic as he crouched in front of me with an expression of petrified concern.

I inhaled deeply, paused, and exhaled before answering. “Pacemaker shock. I haven’t been shocked that hard in a while.”

With incredibly smooth movements, Luke scooped me into his arms and carried me to the giant green beanbag chair he was sitting in seconds ago. The seat was still warm with his body heat, the game on the TV still running even though the character wasn’t moving. He crouched in front of me again and took my left wrist into his hand, pressing his thumb into the skin just below the bone at the base of my thumb.

His brows pulled together to form a crease between them, but as he continued to count, that crease slowly started to fade. “Your heart is still going pretty fast. I’m taking you to the hospital.”

I grabbed his sleeve before he could go anywhere. “Hold your horses, Detective. Let’s monitor it for a little while before rushing to such dramatic measures, okay? I know I got shocked and all, but I was just working out. I’m sure my reset needs a little time to, you know, reset. Can you get me a glass of water, please?”

‘Reset’ is my lighthearted term for this kind of predicament. Luke didn’t look reassured in the slightest, but went to do as I asked regardless. He returned with a full glass and the blanket from our bed, draping it over my lap before handing me the drink. The water temperature was a little cooler then room temperature, no doubt something he did on purpose in attempt to slow my heart rate down without shocking it from something that was ice cold. Luke sat on the floor next to the chair and stayed there for the next ten minutes, re-checking my pulse every three.

“What’s the verdict, Detective Pearce? Am I spared of a trip to the hospital?” I asked after sometime, taking on a playful tone in attempt to ease his worries.

He didn’t reciprocate, keeping a serious tone. “It is at a normal resting rate now, but…”

“Luke,” Leaning forward a little, I cupped his cheeks between my hands. “I love you, and I’m so extremely grateful that you have so much love for me in return, but I have twenty-two years of experience here. This is nothing my body can’t handle. In fact, all this new exercise has made a difference. I don’t feel as drowsy as I usually do after a reset.”

Giving his lips an energetic peck, I peeled the blanket off and cautiously rose to my feet, testing the waters of my balance. Luke stood as well, matching my pace while holding his arms out, ready to catch me if I wavered. His patience and consideration made my heart swell and had me falling in love with him all over again.

I smiled up at him brightly. “See? I’m all good. I’ll be even better after a shower, and after I pass my physical exam later and get clearance from Dad, you and I will get to have fun shooting people with paint.”

Luke looked best with a smile, but right now, he looked almost pained. “Maybe we should reschedule. The air-soft arena isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.”

“No way. I’ve been working so hard to be ready for the opening weekend. I’m not gonna let something this small get in the way of our fun.”

“At least take a nap before you shower, just in case your body hasn’t fully recovered.”

I gave him a look. “I’m not bringing sweat into our bed unless it’s the fun kind. This is not the fun kind. I’ll leave the door open and sing so you can hear me. Or,” I batted my eyelashes. “You can come in and keep me company.”

His face flushed with a bright shade of red. Giggling at my success, I kissed his jaw and skipped over to my wardrobe, grabbing a change of clothes and winking at him before heading into the bathroom.

~~~~~~~~~~

The universe must have decided that we’re meant to be here today. The sun was shinning, the sky was clear and blue, a gentle breeze carried excited voices through the air, and tucked safely in my wallet was a note that cleared me for this kind of physical activity. The line was long but shorter then I expected, and while men mostly filled the queue there were a couple other woman here, too.

“They have so many game modes.” I stated, flipping through the pamphlet I picked up when we first got into line. “King of the castle, capture the flag, a treasure hunt… That sounds right up your alley. What do you think, Babe?”

Luke, who was standing behind me, placed a hand on my waist and started reading over my shoulder. “The Treasure Map can accommodate up to ten teams of two to four per game. Each team carries a piece of the treasure map. Collect all ten pieces to learn the location of the treasure. Each team is outfitted with a tracker that tracks the location of the map’s pieces. This tracker will be enabled fifteen minutes into the game. The team that reached the treasure within the allotted time wins.” He started drawing circles on my shirt with his thumb. “This one will have a lot of movement. Maybe we should-”

“Luke.” I spoke his name sternly. “You promised me that you wouldn’t be a worrywart. Besides, this is our best option, considering almost all of the other modes require at least a team of four.”

“I’m sorry.” I could feel the guilt rolling off of him. “I just don’t want anything to happen to you.”

Tucking the pamphlet under my arm, I turned around to face him and slid my hands into his, leaning some of my weight into my palms. The way he easily supported me was grounding, a reassurance that no matter what, he would be there to keep me on me feet.

“No, I’m sorry. I know I scared you the other day, and you have every right to be worried. I haven’t challenged my stamina like this in years. I want to do this with you though, Luke. I love how active you are and I want to be able to keep up with you so badly it hurts. I love your smile when you’re having fun, and I want to see it for myself more. I don’t want to let fear stop me from making memories with you while-” My eyes started to sting and a sob was quickly building in my throat. I cleared it away and shook my head. “I just want to have fun trying something you enjoy. So, let’s have fun today, okay? I love you.”

His cheeks turned a light shade of pink. “I love you, too.”

I didn’t realize we had gotten so close to the front of the line until a staff member was waving us through. We signed wavers, I presented them with my medical clearance, and then we were directed to the change rooms. Luke and I agreed to regroup by the practice dummies, which were within eyesight of the change rooms. Inside the woman’s room, a female staff member handed me a camouflage bodysuit and some protective gear while explaining how to equip it properly. It seemed simple enough. Thankfully I wore a short-sleeved grey t-shirt and black tights today, otherwise I would definitely overheat in this suit.

Feeling cute, I snapped a picture and sent it to a group chat that consisted of my fellow girlfriend’s of the NXX. My phone pinged with a message as I was re-tying the laces of my combat boots.

Anna: If Luke doesn’t jump you immediately after the game is finished, I will

Me: LOL I won’t complain if you 😏😂

Me: Marius might get jealous though

Harmony: It looks good on you! Have fun with the game.

Me: I will, but I’m worried Luke is going to be too anxious about me to enjoy himself. We’ve had a couple talks about it already, but he’s not just gonna forget it so easily. My handsome worrywart.

Harmony: I understand his concerns. I would be worried too, but no one knows your limits better then you.

Anna: ☝️

Anna: I’m sure Luke will calm down once he sees your having fun. Try not to stress babes.

Me: I’ll try. Gtg, ttyl.

Putting my personal belongings into a locker, I headed outside to meet up with Luke. As I headed towards the practice dummies I realized that most of the participants in the area were men, all of which looked experienced with this sort of thing. There was a small group of woman I passed, who were standing in a circle, giggling and talking in hushed whispers while pointing towards a particular man… my man.

The sight of him made me stop in my tracks and almost had my jaw on the floor. Just like everyone else he was dressed in camo, but on Luke it looked like the real deal instead of a mock military costume. The chest plate hugged his figure exceptionally and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. His hands were protected by fingerless camo gloves and were busy fiddling with a black rifle that looked incredibly realistic. Perhaps I should have felt jealous that those woman were gawking at him, but instead, I felt pride; pride that this handsome, talented, and loyal man committed himself to me.

I couldn’t help but feel like the most confident woman in the world as I strolled towards him. “If I had any idea you looked this sexy in military gear, I would have asked to see you in it sooner.”

Luke almost dropped his gun. I laughed and shook my head playfully, standing on the tips of my toes to kiss his cheek. Okay, maybe I was a little jealous.

The flustered look on his face suddenly disappeared. “Your armour is lose.”

“It is?” I looked down at myself. “Doesn’t feel like it.”

Setting his gun down on a picnic bench, he gave my chest plate a little tug. “It shouldn’t be lifting off of you this easily. Paintballs still hurt and can cause bruising, and we can’t risk one hitting your chest. Stand up straight and breath slowly, I’ll fix it for you.”

I did as he instructed, trying my best to ignore the desire building in me. Luke’s breath was rushing over the skin of my neck as he tightened the straps on my side, and it was making my heart pound. “This is nice and all, but I like it better when you’re taking clothes off me.”

He flushed again, turning a deeper shade of red this time. “Are you gonna be doing this the entire game?”

“Maybe.” I giggled. “Can you blame me? You know I find you attractive no matter what you’re doing.”

Finally finishing his adjustments, he straightened up. “How does that feel? Too tight?”

I pondered for a moment, doing some basic movements to test it out, then shook my head. “No, I’m good. Thank you.”

Luke flashed a charming smile. “Okay, then let’s get you familiar with a paintball gun.”

Luke picked out a gun for me that was a little lighter and easier to carry, then gave me a lesson on aiming and handling. I did my best to pay attention, but it was difficult when he was being so unintentionally distracting.

“Don’t place your hand too far up the barrel.” He spoke against my ear as he reached around me, his strong arms lingering in my peripherals as he slid my hand further back. “You don’t wanna risk the ammunition grazing your fingers, and don’t place your finger on the- good girl.”

I bit back a moan as a lustful shiver rocked my body. Luke had taken on a kind but serious and strict tone of a man with experience, and it was affecting me more then I ever imagined it would. I loved Luke in all forms but this… I really liked this.

“You’ve gone quiet. Are you okay?” He asked.

I could feel his eyes on me, but my cheeks were burning so much that I couldn’t bring myself to look at him. “I-I’m fine. Just focusing. Can I take a practice shot?”

“Yeah.” He adjusted, placing his hands over mine and using his arms to support my own. “These rifles are fake but they still have a little recoil to them. I’ll help you balance until you get used to the feel of it. The scope’s not perfect but it’s accurate enough so when you aim, aim for where you want to hit. Relax a little. You want to be firm, not tense.”

I took in a deep breath and released it slowly. “Does the closing an eye thing work?”

“For some. I use both to accurately gauge distance, but you’ll have to figure out what works best for you. Ready?”

Nodding, I took another breath, aimed at the vest on the dummy, and pulled the trigger. Luke was right about the recoil, but thanks to his support, I wasn’t thrown off balance too much. What did caught me off guard, though, was how aware I suddenly became of his strong body right behind me.

“Nice job.” He praised with a smile. “How did that feel?”

It took a second to form an answer. “Good, I guess. It went a little more to the left then I wanted, though.”

“The recoil threw you off at the last second. We still have some time to practice before the game starts.”

The next thirty minutes was spent this way, and thanks to Luke’s direction, I was finally able to handle the gun completely on my own by the end of it. A staff member gathered everyone together and led us to the playing field, and as soon as we were given our map pieces and backpacks, the buzzer went off and all ten teams went sprinting in different directions. Luke jogged a little ahead of me to set the pace, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he was conserving energy or if he was going a little slower for my sake. I wasn’t going to ask.

Luke suddenly slowed to a walk and let one strap of his bag slide off his shoulder. “Let’s stop here.”

I tilted my head a little. “Are you sure? We’re still pretty close to the start, aren’t we?”

He dug through his bag, not responding until after he had fished out a water bottle, unscrewed the cap, and handed it to me. “There’s no sense in running all the way to the edge of the arena. We don’t know everyone’s positions yet. Farther doesn’t mean safer.”

“I never thought of it like that.” I drank a little, then handed the bottle back to him. “So, what’s the plan? The tracker will activate any second now and the other teams will know exactly where we are. Should we hide our piece of the map and conceal ourselves nearby?”

Luke’s smile almost knocked me off my feet. “That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

We hid our corner of the map in a tree hole, then hid in a thicket of bushes within viewing range. I sat on the ground next to Luke and pulled the digital pad out of my bag. It turned on all by itself, showing the woods and where each team was. Teams One, Seven, Eight, Nina and Ten had covered a lot of ground and were basically at the borders of the playing field. Everyone else, including ourselves, was much closer in.

“We’re Team Six, right?” I asked, to which Luke nodded in confirmation. “Teams One and Two are closest to us, but they’re even closer to Three and Four, respectively. What are the odds of them going after each other first?”

“If their strategy is to take advantage of their geological locations, then the odds of them picking off the closest team is high. But, if they’re planning to eliminate the weaker teams first…”

I felt my shoulders drop. “Then they’ll come right for us.”

When the staff lead us to the arena, I took note of the other teams. The first thing I noticed was that I was the only woman. The second, Luke and I were the only team of two. Not only that, but if the other teams were scouting out the competition, they would have seen Luke coaching me during practice and realized I was new to this.

“They don’t see me as a threat.” I said, puffing my cheeks out in annoyance.

“If they knew how stubborn you are when you set your sights on something, they would think twice.” Luke said, trying to cheer me up.

I sighed and shook my head. Now isn’t the time to sulk on my lack of experience. Now is the time to get my head in the game. “Okay, so we have a target on our backs. We’re gonna need a plan.”

“Nah. I don’t need a plan to deal with the likes of them.” My handsome secret agent leaned over and kissed my cheek. “They’re amateurs. It’d be a disgrace for me if I had to lay down a trap for them.”

I laughed at that. “If I didn’t already know what you’re capable of, I’d accuse you of having an ego, Detective Pearce.”

Teams One and Two were starting to close in. While we should have been able to tell which direction they would be coming from, the team members carrying the map pieces stopped moving. Doing so meant the other team members gained the element of surprise and since everyone was dressed to blend in with the forest, I had no hope of spotting them.

I glanced at Luke, wanting to see what he was thinking, only for my breath to hitch in my throat. The way the sunlight trickled through the trees to highlight patches of his chestnut hair and fair skin made my mind go blank. The way the bicep of his bent arm bulged beneath his sleeves made my stomach flip. His narrowed brows, that glint of a cold look in his eyes, made my skin light up and tingle. A long time has passed since I’ve seen that look on him. Though, really, that’s a good thing; it means we haven’t been in any serious danger. ‘God, I want him so bad.’

He met my gaze suddenly, and I felt the glass veil between my consciousness and subconscious shatter. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” I answered in a rushed whisper, trying to ignore the burning sensation in my cheeks. “I just don’t know where to look.”

His cheeks rose a little with his smile. “Keep your eyes on your three o’clock. You’ll see them soon enough.”

Nodding, I shifted my eyes to the trees and struggled to keep them there. After a few seconds of silence something flew past me from behind, the rush of air tickling my hair as the grey canteen landed in a bush far off to the right. The rustling bush was answered with gunfire. ‘There!’

Luke and I fired back and it wasn’t long before every member of the rival team was splattered with paint. We used the same strategy on Team Two and the results were the same. Once they were dealt with, we ambushed the two members with the map pieces and grew from holders of one piece to three. I’m not sure if I actually managed to hit anyone in the crossfire, but even if I didn’t I was having a lot of fun trying, and seeing Luke enjoy himself, that was even more enjoyable.

The game carried on and after several more fights, we had six pieces of the map tucked safely into Luke’s bag. Since the first battle we’ve had to stay on the move, and by now, exhaustion kicking in. My calves were burning and my chest was starting to feel like a weight was sitting on it. I would have to keep an eye on that in case it got worse.

Luke, who was walking a little ahead of me, stopped suddenly. “Let’s stop here for a break.”

A sense of guilt attacked my gut. I was trying to pretend I didn’t notice how he had been slowly been shouldering more and more of the burden of survival, but now I had no choice but to address it. I know how bad he wants this win, and I’d feel awful if we lost because I convinced myself that I was ready for this kind of challenge.

I shook my head and forced what I hope was a reassuring smile. “I’m okay. Besides, we’ve got an even bigger target on our backs now. We should really keep moving.”

He gently caught my wrist before I could pass him. “Robin, we’re not gonna make it to the end if we burn ourselves out, Lovebug.”

“You mean if I burn myself out.” I huffed out a self-depreciating laugh. “I’m sorry, Luke. I know I’m not very helpful as a teammate in this sort of thing. You can easily win this thing without me, so how about I play bait and draw enemy fire? I’ll be out, but at least you won’t be slowed down anymore.”

A sad gleam appeared in his eyes. “Baby…”

Something caught his attention just then. Without warning, Luke grabbed me and pulled us both behind a tree with a thick trunk, which served as a shield to protect us from the paintball that just splattered the other side. That was way too close.

“Hide. I’ll take care of this quickly.” Luke ordered, flashing me a pleading look while checking the rounds in his gun.

I nodded, knowing now wasn’t the time to argue. I pulled a couple cartridges of pain from my vest and stuck them in the pockets of his. “Take these in case you need them. My gun should be loaded enough to defend myself if I need to.”

He touched my cheek. “I’ll be back soon.”

With that he made his move, drawing the opposing team’s attention toward him as I concealed myself within the short arms of several bushes and a large boulder. I did my best to keep my eyes and ears peeled, watching for any incoming attacks while listening out for Luke’s well-being. He’s been so quick at eliminating opponents up until now, but this time, it was taking him a lot longer. I suppose that’s to be expected, since we’re down to the wire and only the strong remain, but still, it’s only up to four opponents per team-

“Oh no.” I mumbled, fumbling through my backpack for the tracker, a key tool we haven’t been paying attention too.

My breath caught when I realized it wasn’t just one team Luke was taking on, but three. Judging by everyone’s position, he was locked in a battle with both Team Eight and Team Nine, and Team Seven was nearby. They must be staking out, waiting to ambush whoever won this brawl. Since Luke was holding onto the map pieces, they knew exactly where he was. I have to find a way to warn him. I could use our tactic from earlier in the game and throw something to catch the others off guard, but Luke wouldn’t be expecting it and it wouldn’t do any good to risk distracting him.

My palms were getting sweaty, and the longer I sat there, watching Team Seven’s advance, the more nervous I got. What could I do? I can’t charge into battle against them alone, I can’t make a move without distracting Luke… what could I do? Nothing. I couldn’t do a damn thing.

‘Stop that.’ A voice in my head said. ‘You didn’t spend so much time convincing Luke you were ready for this to just give up. Think.’

The gunfire around me suddenly quieted down. Luke must have handled Teams Eight and Nine, but Team Seven is about to descend on him before he could make it back to me. I had to tell him their location and I had to tell him now. With his battle currently over, I could throw something without the risk of diverting his focus.

“Not yet…” I mumbled to myself, watching Seven’s tracker approach. “Not yet… Now!”

With all my might, I chuckled a rock in the direction of team Seven and listened as more shots rang out. It worked in exposing their position but it also exposed mine and I just barely managed to fling myself around to the other side of the boulder before I could get shot. I wasn’t completely unscathed, though - red paint was splattered on my thigh. The rules didn’t count this as a hit since it didn’t splash my body armour, but it rendered me ‘injured’. I wouldn’t be able to move now without Luke’s aid.

Just when I thought Seven was going to round the boulder and take me out, Luke appeared and started firing at them. The team retreated, racing back into the forest the way they came.

“Are you okay?” He asked, slowly and carefully pulling me to my feet.

I nodded. “Uh huh. Actually, I’m better then okay. I think an adrenaline rush kicked in. What about you?”

I noticed the small red splatter on the side of his vest. If he got hit a second time, he’s out of the game.

“I’m alright.” Cupping my cheeks in his hands, he kissed me suddenly and wore a boyish smile when he pulled away. “You did so good, baby. Your timing was perfect.”

I couldn’t help but giggle like a high school girl as a daydream-like fog starting to cloud my head. “I’m happy to help.” Reality quickly set in again. “So, what do we do now? If you get shot again, you’re done, and there’s no way I can finish this by myself. I’m not even allowed to move without you.”

At Luke’s request, I dug out the tracker again. He stood behind me, glancing around to make sure the coast was clear before directing his attention to the device. “It looks like they’ve dug in behind this rock wall. Going around will take up too much time. We’ll have to attempt a frontal assault.”

I furrowed my brows. “They’re hiding behind a wall… how are we gonna attack from the front?”

All he offered was a smile before scooping me up and carrying me towards where Team Seven was hiding. After picking a particular tree, he set me down, climbed it and tied his belt from one of the higher branches.

“Get your gun ready, Lovebug. It’s shooting time.” Luke said, grinning as he motioned me over.

I blinked at him, confused. “What am I doing exactly?”

Wrapping an arm around my waist, he tucked me securely into his side. “I’m gonna swing us up, and you’re just gonna aim straight ahead and hold the trigger down. The wall doesn’t offer them any protection from this angle. Are you ready?”

My heart clenched with both warmth and guilt. Guilt from the knowledge that he could easily do this on his own, and warmth from the fact he was doing his best to include me in the plan.

Taking a deep breath, I gave a firm nod. “I’m ready.”

With what seemed like ease, Luke swung up up and gave me the signal to shoot. Just as he said, the members of Team Seven were exposed and every single one was splattered heavily with paint by the time we hit the ground. The players were good sports and handed over their map pieces without a fuss.

“We did it!” I exclaimed, throwing my arms around Luke in excitement.

He chuckled and patted my back. “Almost. We still have to put the pieces together and find the treasure.”

The scraps weren’t too small so piecing it together was rather easy. The new problem, however, was that the location of the treasure was five miles away and we only had twenty minutes to get there. There’s no way I would be able to run that far with my heart arrhythmia, especially not now that I was ‘injured’.

Making up my mind, I jerked my head in the direction of the finish point. “Go. Win this for us, Luke.”

His eyes went a little wide. “You want me to leave you?”

I nodded. “It’s not like there’s anyone else hunting us. You’ll make it in time, I know you will. Show me what you’ve got, Detective Pearce.”

I was expecting him to smile, to promise victory and go charging off, but that’s not what I got. His frown surprised me, but what got me even more was the whole he effortlessly tossed me onto his back and started running.

“L-Luke?” I stuttered. “Baby, you’re gonna exhaust yourself. I’ve had my fun, really. I’m okay with you taking this home for us.”

Because he was carrying my weight, his breathing was heavier and therefore, I could tell it was taking extra effort to answer. “I’m glad you’ve had fun today, but I’m still having mine. How could I say my fun was complete unless we finish this together?”

I sighed at his stubbornness. “Okay, but at least let me down for a second so I can dump this unnecessary gear.”

Luke stopped and let me down just as I suggested. I tossed my gun, dropped my bag, and ripped my armour and jacket off. Luke did the same, using the bottom of his shirt as a towel to wipe the sweat from his face. The way his abs glistened didn’t escape my notice, and I caught myself swallowing hard at the sight. The urges I had forgotten about were building again, and it only for worse when I climbed into his back again and felt his muscles working beneath my chest and stomach. I hope he didn’t noticed how tightly my thighs were squeezing his waist.

“We’re almost there.” I said, doing my best to encourage him to keep moving forward. “When we get home, I’ll make dinner. Whatever you want.”

“Yes!” Luke’s reply was short, but I’d rather that so he could focus on keeping his breath even.

“And I’ll give you a shoulder massage.”

“Hooray!”

I leaned in closer to his ear. “And… lots of kisses. Lots and lots of kisses.”

I had to tighten my arms around his shoulders as he suddenly found a new burst of speed. The treasure point finally came into view and with less then a minute to spare, Luke and I raised the victory flag. The game was officially ours, and as soon as we got home, I was gonna indulge in this man that let me call him mine.

~~~~~~~~~~

Eyes closed, breath broken, lips locked in a deep, starving kiss, I was completely at Luke’s mercy as he backed me through the door and practically slammed it behind him. He only broke away enough to peel his shirt off before descending on me once more, giving my hands more room to roam as he guided me across the third floor to our bed. His broad shoulders, firm abs, and sturdy biceps combined with the gentle touches of his hands was driving me crazy.

“Luke,” I moaned his name, pressing my body flush against his. I needed to be closer. “I need you. Please.”

He eased me down until my back was against the bed, taking hold of one of my hands and lacing his fingers with mine. “Are you sure you’re not too tired for this?”

I nodded desperately, looking at him with a pleading gaze and locking my legs around his hips. He didn’t make me wait much longer, and before long I was consumed by the loving waters that was Luke Pearce.

#tears of themis #x oc #tot luke #luke pearce

[awalkthroughstellis]

Eternal Dunes (II)

Warnings: Spoilers for Luke’s SSR card “Overflowing Thoughts”, mentions of violence, blood and death

Summary (Part Two): It’s getting harder and harder for Robin to ignore the truth. The clock’s ticking and she’s running out of time. If she doesn’t act soon, her life will be cut short. When the opportunity to escape presents itself she decides to take it… but there’s something, or rather, someone, she can’t leave behind.

If you fall, you won’t get up. If you fall, you don’t get up. If you fall, you don’t get up.

Pray to the gods, they will protect you. Pray to the gods, they will protect you.

“If you want to live, run.”

If you run, you’ll get caught.

“Remember to always deal with threats before running away.”

“Don’t take my baby! She’s sick!”

Your too weak to fight.

“I’m afraid I won’t make it much longer.”

Sometimes the best thing a flower can do is die.

I sat up wish a wild gasp, staring ahead blankly as I tried to navigate from that horribly fragmented dream back to reality. The walls around me was familiar, the bed I laid in was mine, the blanket my fingers clung to as soft ever. The only thing out of place was the man sitting on the floor next to my bed, his back resting against the wall with one leg bent at the knee and the other outstretched. In one hand he held a dagger, in the other, a thick stick he was peeling and sharpening to a point.

Luke set the stick and knife aside, exchanging the items for a bowl of water and a cloth. “I was starting to think you weren’t going to wake up.”

I watched as he dipped the cloth into the water, giving it a good soak before wringing it out. “What happened?”

“You fainted.” He reached towards my face with the cloth but I flinched back before he could make contact. His hand froze in the air, eyes studying me for a moment before pulling away. “Sorry. I should have taken your condition into consideration before taking that approach.”

I didn’t say anything. Luke reached for me again, hesitating to see if I would pull away a second time. When I didn’t, he pressed the cool cloth against the temple of my head. I closed my eyes and let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding, shoulders dropping their tension as he gently dabbed my face. The smell from the body preservatives was, as always, lingering on him yet, even now that I knew the source, the smell was, strangely, still comforting. Even as he wiped the sticky sweat from my face and neck, I didn’t fear him. Perhaps I should have, but I didn’t.

“Am I sick?” I whispered a question after some time.

“You have a weaker heart then most.” Luke replied, dipping them cloth into the water again before tending to the other side. “All those years confined in the temple has limited your opportunities to push yourself too far.”

“How do you know?”

“I’ve always known.”

Was I that protected by my own shell of naivety that I failed to realize this about myself? “You’re being cryptic again. It’s like you want me to know the truth without wanting me to know the truth.”

Finished, Luke pulled the cloth away and dropped it carelessly into the bowl. “Get some more rest. Now isn’t the time for you to be falling unconscious so easily.”

My eyes closed and my breath hitched as the pad of his index finger touched my forehead. He traced a symbol onto my skin, two loops that intertwined in the middle, then drew a line through the intertwined part as if he were slicing the binding in two. My eyes fluttered open as the warmth of his touch disappeared, cheeks warm as I watched him gather the bowl, dagger and stick before leaving the room and sealing the door behind him.

Once he was out of sight, I copied the symbol onto the sheets. The intertwining loops was undoubtedly the sign of infinity, but what did it mean to separate them? Did it mean to put an end to the eternal flow? To demolish the never ending pattern? Could it perhaps represent breaking away and creating a new path? There were too many possibilities yet Luke would likely never outright tell me the answer.

“Severing ties.” I mumbled, drawing the symbol again for reference.

With the line cutting through where the loops bound, the loops simply became two lonely circles. What did each circle represent now? Me and Luke? Me and my beliefs?

Frustrated, I rubbed my hand against the blanket as if erasing the mark and fell back against the pillows.

~~~~~~~~~~

In the golden throne room, I rose from my bow after swearing my loyalty as a messenger of the gods. The Pharaoh, dressed as lavishly as ever, rose from his throne and accepted a glass of wine from the maid standing next to him. Then he descended the steps and offered the glass to you.

“High Priest, please drink this sacramental wine to conclude the ceremony.” He said, voice echoing in the chamber.

I reached for the wine, but just before my fingers could wrap around it the Pharaoh vanished and drink fell, the glass shattering just as the flames from the torches went out. I stumbled back as a young boy appeared where the Pharaoh once stood, soft looking hair peeking out beneath a large, puffy hat. His eyes held a brightness despite the worried look on his face, his voice sounded familiar yet I couldn’t place it.

“If you want to live, run.”

I awoke with a start for the second time. Running my hands over my face, I sat up and tried to collect myself, accidentally knocking over the box resting on the side of the bed by accident. It fell to the ground with a resounding thud, one that sounded like a rush if thunder in the ever silent temple. Hopefully the guard standing outside didn’t notice.

Picking up the box, I opened the lid to make sure the jar of kyphi spice hadn’t shattered. Luckily it was still in tact, not a single scratch on the glass. Letting out a soft sigh, I lifted the jar and popped the cork off. The kyphi had an earthy smell, one that grounded my thoughts and shattered the illusions I’ve been too stubborn to let go of.

The Pharaoh didn’t care about his people. The beliefs I’ve been raised on no longer made sense. The assassin who’s hands were covered in countless layers of blood has been the only one trying to pull the veil from over my eyes.

If I wanted to live, I needed to run. Just like the boy in my dream said. Time was running out and if I didn’t act soon, I wouldn’t be alive for much longer.

When one of the maids brought my meal, I asked her to send Luke over under the guise that I needed to speak with him. Once the stone door sealed behind her, I dashed towards the plate of falafels and, using the tip of a hairpin, poked a hole into the ball and poured some of the kyphi spice into the mixture. I did this to a half of the plate, then ate a few of the safe ones myself. If what the merchant said was true, this plan should work. If not, I’d have to think of something else.

When the door opened again, it was Luke who came in. He was visibly concerned. “What’s wrong?”

“I have questions.” I said, gesturing to the empty spot across from me. “Will you help me finish these? I don’t have much of an appetite and it would be a shame to let them go to waste.”

Approaching the table, Luke sat on the floor and crossed his legs, reaching for one of the falafels with no sign of hesitation. “What would you like to know?”

I watched as placed the entire thing in his mouth, a sense of guilty making my heart ache as he chewed. “Are you really going to kill me?”

He froze, a pained look crossing his face as he swallowed. “Robin…”

The kyphi worked faster then I thought it would. Luke suddenly squeezed his eyes shut, fingers pinching the bridge of his nose as his posture started to falter. The guilt building in me worsened as his eyes cracked open, cheeks paler then usual as a bead of sweat rolled down his temple.

“What did you…” Luke fell onto his back before he could finish.

Forcing myself to stay strong, I tore a strip of cloth from the blanket covering my bed and used it to bind Luke’s wrists above his head while he was unconscious. I must have used just enough spice, because the second I finished tying the cloth, he started to stir. I positioned myself to hover above him, the bare skin of my stomach brushing against his each time he took in a breath. His cheeks were red, though I wasn’t sure if it was an effect of the spice or if he was flustered over how I managed to get the upper hand. Either way, his gaze was averted to anywhere but me.

Balancing my weight on one hand, I traced the line of his jaw with the fingers of the other. “Look at me.”

He did and for a brief moment, I thought I could hear his heart beat. “Don’t… come any closer.”

“Cooperate and I won’t have too.” Taking my hand off his face, I planted it on the ground again. “Whatever fear you’re experiencing now, I bet the people you’ve gone after have felt it twice as bad.”

A gentle look entered his eye, the softest of smiles tugging at his lips. “I didn’t think you had it in you to go this far. Sorry, this mustn’t be easy for you to do.”

My heart skipped a beat at the kindness of his words but I refused to show it. “Flatter me all you want. I’m not letting you go.”

“I’m not asking you to.”

‘Don’t break now.’ I told myself, taking in a breath before continuing. “No more distracting conversations. Where’s the key to the door and how do I get out of here?”

“There is no key.”

I didn’t believe him. There was no telling how much longer the paralysis effects of the spice would last, and I knew the second it wore off Luke would have the strength to fight free from his binds. His guard would be up from here on out and I’d forever lose my chance at freedom. I had to make it clear that I wasn’t playing around.

Swinging my leg over his waist, I sat on his hips and leaned in closer, brushing my nose along his jaw towards his ear. His breathing pattern became erratic, chest rising and falling rapidly and pressing against mine. “The truth, Luke.”

“That is the truth. There is no key.” The honesty in his words made me pull back to look him in the eye. “There’s no guard, either. You’d have known that if you tried to escape.”

I thought I was doing well at keeping my emotions in check but there was no way I could mask the shock at that statement. Did he avoid the use of a key and guard because he knew I was too loyal to go anywhere? Or was he purposely leaving an opportunity for me to escape? My mouth opened but no words came out, what I did remember, though, was that I had to hurry.

“Wait.” Luke stopped me as I moved to get off him. “Always deal with threats before running away. Aren’t you going to make your move?”

The thought of taking his life with my own hands created a burning sensation in my throat. “I’ll have enough time to escape. Besides, I’m sure you’ll be dealt with for letting me get away.” Staring down at him for a minute, I leaned closer again and softly kissed his cheek. “Thank you for taking such good care of me.”

Luke’s cheeks turned red again. “D-Don’t be so soft-hearted when you get out.”

Offering a small smile, I slid off him and pushed the heavy door open just enough for me to slip through. Just as he said there was no one waiting outside, no one to stop me from bolting towards the first exit I could find.

~~~~~~~~~~

The air drifting over the ocean smelled of salt, the waves lapping at the golden sand as the rolled onto the beach. Voices hollered to each other as the merchants and other passengers prepared to set sail to a destination far from the Pharaoh’s reach. Once I was on board I would be safe, I could start a new life somewhere else and would likely never have to worry about my life being cut short again. Yet, as I stared out into the moonlit horizon, fiddling with the dagger one of the men in the caravan gave me, no part of me was eager to leave.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get Luke out of my mind. I truly didn’t understand it; he was given the task to slay and mummify me, he’s been doing the Pharaoh’s bidding in the secrets of the shadows but he’s never harmed a hair on my head. Not even on the night we met. My head was confused, my heart was confused, and as much as I wanted to live, I couldn’t picture my days without him anymore.

Perhaps this is what being trapped for so long dies to someone.

“Come on, Miss! Time to go!” A voice called from the boat.

Letting out a small sigh, I turned and started towards the dock. The wind made my hair, skirt and sleeve fly, almost as if it were trying to drag me back to the temple. I placed one foot on the wide plank, then another, then I looked up and stopped. There was a man piling crates on the ship, a man I’ve seen before and never thought I would see again. He was the unconscious man laying in the alley the night I met Luke.

Luke didn’t kill him.

A breath forced its way out of my lungs, a single tear rolling down my cheek as the guilt of my actions penetrated the heart I worked so hard these last few hours to close. Luke saved this man, possibly the other missing people too. He’s struggled to get me to see the truth, and once I finally did, I abandoned him to die in the name of punishment and he didn’t even seem angry about it.

I have to go back for him.

Thanking the men for their kindness and apologizing for my change of mind, I turned away from the ship and started the long journey back to the temple. I hurried as fast as I could, praying to the gods I once believed in that I wouldn’t be too late.

~~~~~~~~~~

The flames of the torches flickered as if I had never left. The temple felt colder now, somehow even more silent as I quietly crept through the narrow hallways in search of Luke. I was hesitant to call out for him in case someone nearby heard me, and since I had no idea where his room was, the only place I could think to search was the room he showed me before. The room where bodies were prepared for preservation.

My hunch was right; Luke was there but he wasn’t the only one. I recognized the man standing across from him and the Pharaoh’s most trusted guard, and although his presence was intimidating he wasn’t the one I was worried about. Luke wasn’t in the pristine shape I last saw him him - scrapes and bruises littered his skin and his clothes were disheveled and torn in some places.

I had to bite my cheek to keep from screaming as the guard held the blade of his sword to the side of Luke’s neck. “Last chance. Where’s the High Priest?”

Luke glared back at him. “She’s long gone by now, and even if I did know, I wouldn’t tell you.”

The guard clicked his tongue. “I’ll save the Pharaoh the trouble of punishing you himself.”

The threat stole the air from my lungs and made my blood turn ice cold. Before I knew what I was doing, I was dashing out of my hiding spot and towards the head guard, dagger raised and aimed for his back. The man must have heard me coming, because in the blink of an eye he turned towards me and knocked the weapon from my hand.

“Look out!” Luke’s scream was full of an emotion I could only describe as raw terror.

My body acted on its own as the guard swung his sword at me. Ducking and darting to the side, I swiped two chisels from the table, faking a throw with the one in my left hand to distract him while actually launching the one in my right. It pierced his thigh, and the second chisel lodging into his side a second later. The guard’s sword fell from his grasp as he teetered on his feet, then he collapsed into an unconscious heap. Save for my heavy breathing, the room was silent.

In the blink of an eye, Luke was in front of me checking for injuries. “You’re okay… Yeah, you’re okay.” It sounded like he was reassuring himself more then me.

I couldn’t take my eyes off the unconscious figure. “How did I… I’ve never…”

“Looks like your body still remembers what your mind forgot.” He glanced at the head guard. “Wait here.”

As Luke tended to the man’s wounds, I leaned back against the stone table and held my trembling hands against my chest. I’ve felt a lot of fear lately but this time it was different. This time, I was afraid of myself. How was I able to pull those moves off despite never being in a fight before? How were my throws so precise when I’ve never wielded a weapon? Where did all of that just come from?

“Luke,” My whisper sounded so loud in the silence. “We’ve met in the past, haven’t we?”

He didn’t answer at first. Dragging and dumping the guard’s body in a dark corner, he returned to my side and looked me in the eye. The light in his eyes and their beautiful coral colour made me think of the little boy in my dream the other night.

“There was a little girl who used to sneak into the temple at night to offer prayers. She was, sadly, one of many children taken from their families and forced into recruitment training.” Luke began, voice heavy as he told a tale I wasn’t sure if I was ready to hear.

“Don’t take my baby! She’s sick!” A woman screamed, struggling against the men holding her back by the arms. “Robin! My sweet Robin!”

A young girl wailed hysterically as the man dressed in armour carried her away from her mother. “Momma!”

The man carelessly tossed the girl into the caravan, her cries mixing with those of a dozen other children who were also ripped from their mothers’ arms.

“The children were trained to fight like adults. Many didn’t survive. Because the girl was born sickly, the odds of survival were stacked against her more than the others.”

“Halt! That will be enough for today.” The booming voice of a man brought a stop to the violence.

The girl’s chest was heaving, blood clung to her skin, sweat was dripping down her face as her eyes searched the battlefield. Some, like her, we’re still on two feet but more small bodies lay scattered than those who stood.

A sharp pain attacked her heart, and with a sharp cry, the fell to her knees and pressed her hands Inuit her chest. The other children and supervising adults walked past her, offering no aid as they passed by.

“What the girl lacked in physical capabilities she made up for in spiritual strength. For as many nights and she could, she would bow before the statues and pray, sometimes she even brought an offering. She prayed not just for her survival but for the other children as well. Still, as firm as her belief in the gods was, no matter how much she thanked them for helping her live another day or asked to be saved, nothing changed. The only person who seemed to hear her wish was the young apprentice of the former High Priest.”

“I’m afraid I won’t last much longer.” She said, pushing a plate of stolen falafels towards the feet of the statue of Anubis. “My chest has been hurting more often. I’m scared.”

The boy sitting beside her listened intently, expression hard to read. “If you want to live, run.”

“But I’ve gotten so weak. They’ll catch me before I get too far.”

He shook his head. “They won’t. I may just be an apprentice, but I’ll make sure the gods protect you. Here, let me give you this.”

“The apprentice told her to run. He gave her a blessing,” Luke touched my forehead, drawing the sign of infinity with a line through the middle. The same mark he’s drawn on my skin once before, and the same mark the boy in my memories made. “So that she would find the courage to separate from her old life and form a new path for herself.”

Beneath the stars, the little girl dragged her feet through the sand. The desert was always much colder at night, and even thought she was dressed in the warmest cloak she could find, the girl was still cold. Her movements were significantly slower, her tongue was growing dryer by the hour, exhaustion looming over her like a cruel cloud. Her heart throbbed painfully, sending her tumbling into the golden blanket of the wilderness.

When she came to, she found herself laying on the softest sheets she’s ever felt. A man with kind, sad eyes sat on the edge of the bed, gently stroking her hair. “You are safe now, young one. The gods hold favour for you. Stay here and be my apprentice, and you shall suffer no more.”

The haze of a fever made the girl dizzy, but she knew that couldn’t have been right. “Luke… where’s Luke? The gods… favour him…”

The man mumbled a few words as her eyes closed again. “And he favours you.”

My heart was hammering in my chest, drumming against my ribs as a stinging sensation began behind my eyes. “You switched places with me…”

Like flashed a small, slightly pained smile. “The apprentice feared she wouldn’t make it. The last day he saw her was the day he stopped believing in the gods. How could they ignore someone so innocent and earnest in their prayers? Either they didn’t exist, or they were too cruel to be worshiped. So, he asked the High Priest to take her as his apprentice instead. And the boy, in turn, filled her place so suspicion of her disappearance wouldn’t spread. Maybe he was gifted with a naturally tough body, but his desire to survive kept him going until the end.”

“Why?” I asked in a broken whisper, searching for something unknown in his eyes. “I told you how awful it was. The bloodshed, the nightmares… why would you ever put yourself in a place like that?”

His smile softened even more. “Regardless if the gods hear your wishes, I hear them. So, I’ll be the one to grant them.”

My head naturally shook as if scolding him for his selflessness. Rivers of tears were rolling down my cheeks now. “You said you had a strong desire to live. It didn’t look like that a few minutes ago. You were surrendering, weren’t you?”

Luke reached for my face, gently running the back of his fingers down my damp cheek. “If I’d known I’d see you again in the end, I would’ve put up a fight.”

The last straw in me broke, a flurry of emotions swirling around in my chest so quickly I couldn’t tell what they were. I wanted to say something but I couldn’t find words, and no words meant I only had actions to relay what I wanted to say.

Placing a hand on the back of Luke’s neck, I pulled him closer and rose onto the balls of my feet at the same time, pressing my lips to his and releasing the bundle of emotions I couldn’t sort out. His lips were softer then I ever expected, addictive enough to fill me with the desire to kiss him more. His hand cupped my cheek as his mouth moved with mine, palm slightly calloused but made his touch all the more intense. Luke returned my kisses as eagerly as I gave them, and in the midst of it all I caved into the urge to touch his hair. Those chestnut locks were like silk between my fingers.

I was so lost in Luke I didn’t realize my body was demanding a break until my lungs started burning. Luke chased after me when I broke away, but pulled back instantly when he realized how heavily I was breathing. His cheeks were bright red, forehead warm as it rested against mine.

“There’s still time to get away.” He whispered, not nearly as breathless as me.

“I’m not running away again. Not unless it’s with you.” I said, the palm of my hand sliding down his neck to press against the left side of his chest, right over his heart. “Come with me, Luke. We’ll go somewhere new. We can start over.”

“Robin-” The room suddenly echoed with a stampede of footsteps. Luke cursed and grabbed the dagger I dropped earlier. “I’ll distract them. Go.”

“I’m not leaving you.”

His eyes narrowed. “Now isn’t the time to be stubborn.”

“You’re right. Now’s the time for a plan.” Glancing around rapidly, my eyes landed on the stone alter.

Getting an idea, I crouched and ran my hand through a pool of blood left behind by the guard and smeared a streak on my arm. Luke caught on quickly, closing a curtain I never noticed was there before scooping me into his arms and laying me down on the alter.

“Do you trust me?” He asked, to which I instantly nodded. “Close your eyes and stay still.”

The footsteps got close enough to sound like a raging storm. I let my eyelids fall shut and slowed down my breaths as much as I could, only taking shallow inhales to avoid my chest and stomach rising too much. Even though the curtain was in place, it was best to act as realistically as possible.

“The Pharaoh will arrive soon. Is she ready?” A voice outside asked.

“The preparations are complete.” Luke replied in that cold voice I heard the night we reunited. Even the air around him left me with goosebumps.

“Let me check to be sure.”

The man standing next to me sounded even angrier now. “The High Priest has been laid to rest. She will not be disturbed!”

I tried my best not to flinch as something sharp cut through the air, a short tickling my skin as the curtains fluttered, likely revealing the blood sticking to my skin. Our plan must have worked, because the guards were retreating. The disappearance of their footsteps and Luke’s soft sigh let me know it was safe to drop the act.

“Come here.” He said, bending over to help me up.

Instead, I propped myself up on a single elbow and wrapped the other arm around his neck, pulling him down to me and burying my face in his neck. Not expecting me to do that, Luke lost his balance and had to plant his hands on either side of me to keep from toppling over.

“What are you doing?” He asked, obviously flustered yet he made no move to pull away even though he could easily escape. “I told you that’s the smell of the body preservatives… I’m dirty.”

I shook my head against his skin. “You’re not dirty. I like your scent, and the way I see it, you’ve been protecting those people so they can rest peacefully. I’m sure it’s not an easy task for you to do, which is why you deserve so much more respect then you’ve gotten.” I paused, taking in another lungful of the calming essence. “How could I have forgotten everything?”

“It’s not your fault. It was the wine.”

“The wine?” Confused, I pulled away from his neck to look up at his face instead. “The sacramental wine? Is that why you didn’t let me drink it back then?”

“A person is easier to control when all they know is how to follow orders. If I kept letting you drink it, I doubt things would have turned out this way.”

A brief silence lingered in the air before I broke it with an old question. “I know it’s not fair to ask, but… would you really have killed me?”

The painful look that appeared on his face made my heart clench. “I’d get rid of the Pharaoh himself before ever touching a hair on your head. Everything I’ve done, even if it doesn’t seem like it, I’ve done to protect you.”

My cheeks grew warm, a smile pulling at my lips. It quickly fell when an unpleasant but necessary idea came to mind. “That’s what we’ll do. If the Pharaoh wants to use this ceremony to take control of the people, we’ll turn it around. We’ll use it to take care of him.”

Luke shook his head. “No, there’s no ‘we’. I don’t want you anywhere near him.”

“You can’t do this alone. If we make everyone think I came back to punish him on behalf of the gods we’ll both stand a better chance at survival. If you just go out there and do it yourself, you’ll be publicly executed. If it do it this way, I can pull some strings and prevent that from happening.”

“Still, to put you that close to the Pharaoh-”

Leaning up, I cut him off with a kiss. “I’ll be okay, Luke. I know you’ll jump into action if something goes wrong.”

“That doesn’t mean I’ll make it in time to-”

I kissed him again. “You can write me some wishes of protection if it makes you feel better. I know I won’t actually be dead, but protection is protection,”

Luke sighed heavily. “Okay. I’ll write you something, but you’re gonna have to stay alive to find out what it is.”

“Deal.”

~~~~~~~~~~

One month passed since the day the Pharaoh was assassinated. Whispers and rumours still floated around the city as to what exactly happened that day, but regardless of what people thought, the important people believed High Priest had returned from the dead and the person responsible for slaying the Pharaoh died in prison. Now, a new Pharaoh had taken the throne, a rambunctious young man who needed to learn to reel himself in a little. As troublesome as he was around the palace, he had a much better heart in him than his successor.

I sat at the vanity in my room, going over documents and correcting several mistakes the new Pharaoh made. I sighed a little as I dipped my quill into the jar of ink, correcting yet another error.

Two arms suddenly appeared in my peripheral vision, hands gripping the edge of the vanity as something soft pressed against the side of my neck. Startled, I jumped and nearly knocked the ink over. As quickly as I tensed I relaxed, catching sight of chestnut hair in the reflection of the mirror.

“Goodness, Luke. Don’t sneak up on me like that.” I scolded, setting the quill down and twisting my waist so I could face him better.

“Sorry.” He said, grinning against my neck as he gave it another kiss. “Old habit.”

Ever since I announced that Luke ‘died’ in prison, he’s had to live in the shadows of the city to avoid creating an uproar. If people recognized him walking around, especially his former colleagues, the consequences would be too harsh to think about.

“Those circles are showing again. You’ve been up most of the night again, haven’t you?” He asked, gently caressing the skin beneath my eye with his skin.

“I didn’t mean to. I couldn’t sleep so I did some work, and next thing I knew, the sun was rising and I had to meet with the Pharaoh for his lesson.”

Looking displeased, Luke clicked his tongue. “I think the new Pharaoh likes you a little too much.”

“Don’t be jealous.” I said, giggling as I set the quill down before placing a kiss on his cheek. “He’s not nearly half as handsome as you are.”

My compliment flustered him but didn’t stop him from lifting me off the seat, cradling me in his arms as he walked towards the bed. “Why don’t you take a nap while I guard you?”

“That sounds nice.”

Setting me down on the sheets, Luke laid on his back beside me, arm lifted to make space for me to snuggle against him. His arm closed around my waist as I rested my head on his chest, listening for the strong heartbeat I couldn’t get enough of.

“Once everything’s settled, we should go someplace no one will recognize us.” Luke said, playing with ends of my hair.

“I’d like that.”

Feeling his lips against the top of my head, I let out a big exhale and closed my eyes. Sleep was starting to take over, but before I completely faded, I heard Luke whisper the protective statement he wrote for me the day of the ceremony.

“I wish for you to persist and live on, just as you said yourself. When you’ve had enough, I’ll join you. And together, we’ll sink into the eternal homeland.”

#tears of themis #x oc #tot luke #luke pearce

[awalkthroughstellis]

Eternal Dunes (I)

Warnings: Spoilers for Luke’s SSR card “Overflowing Thoughts”, mentions of violence and death

Summary (Part One): As an Oracle Priest, Robin’s duty is to tend to matters at the temple and listen to those in search of guidance. When people in the city start to disappear, she can’t sit idly by. Her investigation into the matter forces her into an encounter with the true culprit… but maybe, he’s not the real person responsible.

Every day my view outside the temple’s windows was the same. The streets always seemed to be bustling, the air full of voices and rich smells of fresh food wafting in to make my taste buds eager for a bite. I always thought of the busy town life as a show of gratitude to the sun god, but as I walked those same silent streets beneath the moon, I hardly recognized this place.

Traditional to the Wag Festival, many houses had plates of food set outside their door. This was a means of comforting the spirits who have yet to move onto the afterlife. This year, the festival was accompanied by a haze of fear that grew thicker and thicker with each passing day. More and more people were flooding the temple to offer prayers and beg for the recent curse to end, for citizens to cease going missing and for those who have to return safely.

No matter how many times I’ve tried to bring this to the Pharaoh’s attention, no word has been sent about seeing to this matter. Whatever plan the Pharaoh claimed to have, no action was being taken quick enough. This is why I’ve chosen to enter the town this late. The people were crying out for help and as an highest ranking oracle priest, I had to do something.

Turning a corner, I tugged at the large hood of my cloak yet again to ensure it stayed up. Oracle priests were discouraged from casually leaving the temple and if someone close to the Pharaoh recognized me I’d likely be sent back.

“AHHHHHH!” A bloodcurdling scream came from nearby.

The sound ripped through the silence like a dagger through paper and after a brief moment of shock, I found the courage to run towards the person in danger. I followed the sound of pleas for help until I stumbled upon an alley, the voice no longer present but an unconscious man was.

I rushed towards him, dropping to my knees and shaking his shoulder. “Sir! Sir, are you alright?”

No reply. I was about to stand up and go searching for help but something from deep within was shouting that the unconscious man and myself weren’t the only ones here. As if guided by instinct, my head turned towards a dark corner further into the alley.

“Sometimes being sharp isn’t a good thing.” A voice said, a figure stepping out of the shadows a moment later.

The mysterious person was a tall man wearing a jackal mask over most of his face, leaving only his jaw uncovered. His black top was sleeveless and cut short, ending near the bottom of his ribs. He wore a fair amount of gold jewelry; an earring, bracelets, armbands, a necklace in the shape of a cross except the head of the cross was rounded with a hole in it. Dark pants, boots… if I had to guess off his clothing, he was an assassin or something of the sort. Normal people with nothing to hide had no need to keep their faces covered.

Rising to my feet, I narrowed my eyes at him. “I take it you’re responsible for the disappearances. What right do you have to take people from their lives like this?!”

He breathed out through his nose as if he were laughing. “You’re either brave or stupid to lecture someone you just met. You should learn what someone is capable of before getting involved where you don’t belong.”

“If you commit crimes in the streets, it is the public’s business.”

“If that’s your view, we have a serious problem.”

The silver blade of his dagger glinted in the moonlight as he strode towards me. True to the ways of an assassin he was quick on his feet, and as I stepped back to avoid him I tripped over the unconscious man. My hood fell as my back hit the stone wall, a scream building in my throat as the man drew close enough for me to breathe in his scent. It was unlike anything I’ve smelled before but for some reason, it calmed me and the scream in my throat vanished, tense muscles relaxing and my heart, which had been racing mere seconds ago, returned to a regular rhythm. The dagger stopped inches from my chest, the crimson eyes of the jackal mask peering into mine.

“You…” He said, voice quiet like a whisper. There was something else hidden in his tone, an underlying tone of disbelief. “You’re an oracle priest from the temple of Amarna.”

Eyebrows furrowing, my head tilted a little. Has he been to the temple enough times to recognize my face? No, that can’t be so. His voice, his figure, this scent clinging to him, none of it was familiar and I prided myself on recognizing people who frequently came by to offer prayers. My clothes were hidden beneath the cloak and I purposely removed my jewelry to further disguise myself. How could he have recognized me?

“That is correct.” I said, standing a little taller.

He hummed and withdrew. “Nothing I can do, then.”

He motioned with the dagger for me to move and I stepped away from the unconscious man. Looking around I caught sight of a thin pole, the hard bristled broom it was once attached to laying a few feet away. Just as the assassin reached for his victim I swung the pole, but with a speed he proved earlier he turned, grabbed the pole and tugged me forward. I crashed into his chest, one of his arms wrapping around my waist to hold me steady while the other tossed my weapon to the side.

“You shouldn’t try to protect others if you can’t even defend yourself. You won’t last long.” He said. My heart was racing again, hammering against my ribs as I tried to pull away. His grip tightened, easily keeping me trapped against him. “It would be wise for you to keep quiet about this. Even if you are reckless enough to run around shouting about what you saw tonight, no one will believe you.”

I glared into the eyes of his mask and bit my tongue. He must have been satisfied with my silence, because he finally let go and took a step back. Picking up the unconscious man, he carried him further into the alley until the shadows swallowed them both, leaving me with nothing but the sorrowful howls of the wind and more questions I could ever hope to find answers to.

~~~~~~~~~~

Days passed and no matter how hard I tried to get a handle on the situation, nothing was coming out of my efforts. People were still disappearing, my letters of request to meet with the Pharaoh were getting denied, and the informant I hired to dig up information on the assassin was unable to discover his identity.

I heard the commotion in the temple’s courtyard before I saw it. An incredibly small number of guards were struggling to get the crowd under control, frantic voices and demands for justice flying left and right. The fear of these disappearances had the people on the brink of a riot.

Some in the crowd suddenly looked in my direction, a look of relief appearing on their face. “It’s the High Priest!”

Instantly, the focus was turned on me. Several people rushed forward, talking over each other so quickly I couldn’t tell what was being said or who was saying it.

I put my hands up. “Please, try to calm down. I can only understand one person at a time.”

Suddenly, a voice sliced through the chaos. “How much longer are you gonna let this go on, cap?”

Every muscle in my body grew tense, an intense shiver running down my spine. Much like everyone else I instinctively turned to gaze at the roof of the temple but my position didn’t offer a clear picture of whoever was perched up there. That voice, however, left a clear image in my mind. It was the voice of the assassin.

Dozens more guards dressed in the armour of the Pharaoh’s Royal guard appeared, getting the crowd under control within minutes. Once everyone had settled down, the head guard unfolded a sheet of papyrus paper and read it out loud. He announced that the Pharaoh would soon be holding a ceremony to cleanse the curse and that I, as the High Priest, would also be taking part.

Relived sighs and praises rang out in the crowd but I was left with an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I’ve heard nothing of this ceremony until this very moment, no notice nor instruction on what to prepare. Besides, the ceremony would prove to be fruitless; the culprit behind the disappearances was a man, not spirits.

The head guard suddenly turned to me. “High Priest, if you would please come with us. We will escort you to the ceremony grounds.”

A lower ranking guard stepped towards me but I was quick to take a step back, pulling the arm he was reaching for away. “Don’t touch me.”

Something darted between us, a sharp sound filling my ears as the tip of a large dagger plunged into the ground, separating the guard from me. The voice from above spoke again. “Don’t bother. I’ll escort her.”

The guard mumbled something under his breath and reluctantly took a step back. Extending an arm, he gestured towards the temple. “If you would, High Priest.”

I had no idea what was going on but I had little choice but to follow along. Taking in a breath to banish my anxiety, I turned towards the temple and headed towards the roof top. The roof of the temple was the highest point of the entire city, bringing whoever stood on it closer to the sun god who watched over everything. Eagles, messengers of the gods, freely soared overhead but it wasn’t them I was here to see. I had no idea what to expect as I stepped into the sunlight; perhaps the jackal mask, but not this.

The man resting on a ledge against a pillar wore the same clothes I last saw him in, held the same dagger he pointed at my chest, and the same mask that hid his face was now laying next to him. Chestnut hair swayed in the gentle breeze, bright coral eyes a contrast to the soulless crimson eyes of the mask. He was handsome, and if I didn’t already know what he was capable of, I would have thought he looked rather gentle.

“You’re awfully quiet now. I didn’t think you’d take my warning of silence so seriously.” He said, speaking casually as if I hadn’t witnessed him commit a crime several nights ago.

“What game are you trying to play, here?” I asked, more like demanded.

My tone didn’t phase him. He remained calm, and if anything, seemed slightly amused. “There’s no game. I’ll be your escort to the temple outside the city under the Pharaoh’s orders. You can call me Luke.”

I couldn’t decide if I believed him or not. None of the guards below reacted to his voice or stunt with the knife, leading me to believe that they didn’t view him as a threat. So, one way or another, he really did have some connection to the Pharaoh. But why would the Pharaoh ever associate with someone who stole the lives of others?

Luke’s grin dropped. “You’re staring again. Do I look that strange to you?”

“No, you just look more normal than I imaged.” I replied.

“And you don’t look like the poor commoner you disguised yourself to be. You’ve seen my true face. I can send your head and body in different directions in seconds if I so desire.”

He was right on all counts. There was no need for the cloak anymore so I was in my usual garments; a white top that ended below my chest, a gold trim along the collar and hem. One sleeve was a short cuff while the other was much longer, ending at my wrist and hanging long like a curtain. My skirt was also white and had the same gold trim along the waist, hugging my hips and trailing just below my bellybutton. A white and gold veil of sorts was braided into my hair, hanging off the back of my head and ending at my low back. As for the head and body comment, he proved twice in one night that he was faster and stronger than me. He could kill he in the blink of an eye and there would be nothing I could do about it. However…

Placing my hands in my hips, I narrowed my gaze. “You could, but you won’t. If my existence meant nothing you would have done away with me earlier. If you’re following the Pharaoh as you claim to be, you wouldn’t even think about it.”

Luke studied me for a moment, a satisfied smile tugging at his lips. “I’m not gonna hurt you. I just don’t like being underestimated.” Jumping down from the ledge, he gestured towards the interior of the temple. “High Priest, do you know why I said no one would believe you?”

Following his direction, I moved inside. “It’s Robin, and no, I don’t.”

“It’s because the Pharaoh already knows the truth. He declared those guilty of imaginary crimes and punished them accordingly. The disappearances of all those people are his will.”

I shook my head. “I don’t believe that. He loves his people, he’d never do anything to harm them.”

“Is that how you see it?” Luke let out an exasperated sigh. “I take it you’ll agree to follow me despite the suspicions circumstances, then? All because the Pharaoh wishes it?”

I took a second to think over my reply. “I don’t know what plans the Pharaoh has to abolish the curse, but if you can confirm for me that this ceremony will be the end of the disappearances, I’ll go. The people are scared. I can’t just sit by and watch them live in fear. So, look me in the eye and tell me if this ceremony will be the end of it.”

“It will be.”

He held my gaze for a while, and no matter how hard I searched, I couldn’t detect any dishonesty. Strange, I never expected an assassin to be so honest. “Okay.”

Just then, a maid carrying a class of wine approached and bowed. “High Priest, please have some sacramental wine before your journey.”

“Wine?” Luke asked, eyebrows furrowing as I accepted the glass.

“It’s part of an Oracle Priest’s daily rituals. Drinking it helps us better communicate with the gods through a greater consciousness.” I explained, bringing the glass to my lips.

Luke suddenly plucked the glass from me and poured the contents onto the floor. “Too much wine isn’t healthy. Its best you stay off this for now.”

Astonished, I stared at him with wide eyes. “You didn’t have to spill it like that.”

He didn’t, but something told me his reason for doing so was to spite the Pharaoh. In the few minutes we’ve maintained conversation, I was starting to get a grasp of his distaste for the gods.

With nothing further to discuss, Luke and I left the temple and headed into the city. I’ve always witnessed the lively streets from the windows within the temple but being outside with everyone, listening to the laughter of children and smelling all sorts of delicious scents, brought forth an experience I didn’t realize I was missing out on. Citizens called out to me left and right, offering greetings and blessings for a peaceful day, some even shouted their thanks for my participation in the upcoming ceremony.

Luke, who was walking a few steps ahead of me, looked back over his shoulder. “Do you not come into town often?”

I shook my head. “No. This is my first time leaving the temple in broad daylight. It’s only acceptable for us to leave when it’s required of us, so I’ve never taken strolls like this.”

“I see.” He looked to the sky as a flock of birds flew overhead. “We worship birds because they are messengers of the gods. You are also a messenger, yet you trap yourself in such a small cage. Why?”

“Birds have wings, I do not. They can freely take to the sky when they’re needed, I cannot. Remaining at the temple is my way of being present when I’m needed.”

Luke stopped walking and turned to face me. “Even birds land for a rest. They can’t remain in the sky forever or they risk exhaustion and will plummet. Then who will deliver the gods messages?”

I’ve never thought of it like that before. Whenever I needed a rest I’d return to my room, but thinking about it now, living in the same temple I worked in meant I never truly got away. I always felt like I was waiting for someone to come by and request me again.

“I-” A growl came from my stomach, cutting my voice off and bringing an intense blush to my cheeks. Feeling shy, I averted my eyes. “Ignore that.”

He chuckled quietly and led me over to a bench. “Wait here. I’ll get you something to eat.”

He disappeared into the busy street, returning several minutes later with round delicacies wrapped in leaves. The steam rising from the plate smelled divine.

“Here, falafels straight from the oven. Be careful not to burn yourself.” Luke said, taking up the space next to me on the bench. He stuck a toothpick into one of the balls. “I’m not as well trained in looking after someone like the maids in the temple are, but I’ll do my best.”

My cheeks grew warm as he held the falafel for me. “I’m capable of feeding myself, I’ve just never seen anything like them before.”

The food prepared in the temple followed very strict guidelines, meaning the seasonings and style in which it’s been prepared hasn’t changed in years. The Pharaoh always said we must be humble in what we consume so that the gods will continue to reach out to us. Surely it wouldn’t offend them to eat what was available in the time of hunger, right?

Leaning forward, I took the falafel off the pick with my teeth and chewed slowly. The coating was crispy yet it broke apart so beautifully in my mouth, the flavours of exquisitely seasoned beans and vegetables exploding with flavours I never imagined were possible. For the first time in days, I smiled naturally.

“It’s delicious.” I said, eagerly picking up another.

As I continued to eat, something in the back of my mind was bothered. The taste of these falafels somehow felt familiar but I know I’ve never had them before. My earliest memories of life took place in the temple and I’ve spent every day of my childhood proving myself as someone worthy of serving the gods. There’s no way I could have ever eaten these before and yet…

“What is it?” Luke suddenly asked, pulling me from my thoughts.

I shook my head. “It’s nothing. I was just thinking how much of a shame it is the other priests won’t be able to try these.” Shaking my head to be-rid myself of those strange thoughts, I rose to my feet. “Shall we be on your way?”

The trip to the edge of the city was full of exciting sites. Even as we crossed the line that separated civilization from the golden desert, countless stalls run by travelling merchants aligned evenly to create a street in the sand. One particular stall selling what appeared to be bottles of spices caught my eye, much so that I stopped walking without realizing.

“Do you want to have a look?” Luke asked, snapping me out of my daze.

“Ah, I shouldn’t. If I keep stopping to look at everything, we’ll never reach the temple.”

“It’s fine. We’re almost there, anyway.”

Even though I turned the offer down, Luke headed towards the stall. I followed close behind, returning the merchant’s greeting with a warm smile.

“I have quite the variety of spices here, Miss. Is there any one in particular you’re looking for?” The man asked, the gestures to the many crates behind him. “If nothing on the counter peeks your interest, I have plenty more hidden away.”

As I glanced over the many small bottles, the calming fragrance I smelled on Luke a new nights prior came to mind. I couldn’t recall the exact scent, just like I really liked it. “Which one of these do you use, Luke?”

The man looked a little taken aback. “What do you mean?”

“You haven’t noticed? There’s a nice fragrance clinging to you. It was there the night we meet, too.”

Luke’s cheeks turned bright red. “You shouldn’t just say stuff like that.”

Clearly flustered, he took several steps to put a fair bit of distance between us. Was he shy about whatever scent he wore? Or perhaps he didn’t receive compliments often? Regardless, I brushed his strange behaviour off and asked the merchant for his suggestion instead. He showed me a blend of spices called kyphi, and after learning the story of such a slice had relation to the gods, I thought it was perfectly suited for me.

“There is one more thing.” The merchant said as he packaged the kyphi into a small box. “This spice was once used in rituals. It’s very strong and can cause whoever ingests it to experience paralysis and hallucinations. Be careful not to accidentally consume it in large doses.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” I said, trying not to show my concern. Was it really safe for something like this to be sold casually in the market?

Even though I wondered this I didn’t ask, simply bid the merchant farewell and continued to follow Luke further from the city. The temple in the distance got bigger as we drew closer, and each step forward filled me with an inexplainable sense of dread. I found myself second guessing my decision to trust Luke, and just as the idea of making a break for it came to mind, a sudden cry for help broke the silence.

Turning in the direction of the voice, I spotted a very tanned man stumbling towards us. His clothes were tattered, beard long and he looked exhausted. I gasped as he collapsed into the sand, but before I could make a move to help him, Luke was in front of me.

“Stay back. I’ll go.” He said, a protective edge up his voice I hadn’t heard before.

He took a few steps towards the stranger before tossing him a water skin. The weak man repeated his thanks over and over again as he gulped down mouthful after mouthful. I glanced at Luke, trying to understand why he was being so cautious. He’d be able to take the man down in an instant if something happened, so why the suspicious look in those beautiful eyes of his? The stranger thanked us yet again as he handed Luke back the waterskin. In the blink of an eye, Luke twisted the man’s arm and pinned him into the sand.

“Luke!” I gasped, having to plant my feet into the ground to keep from running over and pulling him off. “What are you doing? Let him go!”

The man thrashed under the assassin’s weight. “I won’t go back there! I refuse!”

“There?” I whispered, eyebrows furrowing as I turned my head.

Off to the west laid several unfinished pyramids, and upon squinting my eyes I was able to make out what looked like thousands of figures hauling heavy materials and faint shouts of orders. Two guards dressed in the armour of the Pharaoh’s royal guard appeared, bowing to Luke before grabbing the man and dragging him back towards the pyramids. I could only watch in silence, too shocked to even think of words as the worker struggled for his life.

“I’ve been under the impression that everyone working on the pyramids was there because they wanted to be…” I said softly, talking to myself more then to Luke.

“They’re wasting their lives to build monuments for the dead, all under the wishes of the Pharaoh you are so loyal to.”

“Oh…” Was the only response I could muster.

“Robin.” The sound of my name rolling off his tongue redirected my gaze. “What you saw just now wasn’t a good example. Remember to always deal with threats before running away. Otherwise, it’ll all be for nothing.”

Luke’s tone was stern yet gentle, as if he was really trying to teach me something about the laws of survival. I’ve lived my life believing that honest prayers to the gods and unwavering belief in them meant the gods would protect us, but Luke looks at the world through a different lens. To him, it seemed, every individual person had to protect themselves. It was a sad way to view things, and as much as I didn’t like it, there was nothing false about his statements to refute.

~~~~~~~~~~

“I hope you enjoyed your tour of the city, High Priest, because the second you stepped into this temple, you lost your connection to the outside world.”

Luke’s words kept repeating themselves in my head. I’ve lost track of how many days have passed; being trapped underground, far away from the reach of the sun meant I had to rely on others to keep track of time. If I was counting right, it’s been about four days.

Other then Luke or the maids occasionally dropping by, I was completely isolated. The feeling of boredom was a new experience. With no people visiting to offer prayers or seek guidance, no friends to talk to when I had a few minutes to spare, there was nothing to keep my mind occupied. Being left alone with my thoughts meant there were no distractions to keep me from doubting, and, too scared to abandon the only lifestyle I’ve ever known, I turned to an old hobby I haven’t practiced in far too long.

“Hush now, my baby, be still, love, don’t cry. Sleep as your rocked the stream~ Sleep and remember, my last lullaby~ So I’ll be with you when you dream~”

The emptiness of the room I now called home made my voice echo, the marking etched into the sandstone wall unchanging as I traced them for the thousandth time.

“River, oh, river, flow gently for me. Such precious cargo you bear~ Do you know somewhere he can live free? River, deliver him there~”

Hearing the door open, I turned my head to find Luke entering the room. He was carrying a tray that contained a glass, a clay pitcher, a plate of food and some more falafels, a treat I’ve been receiving on a daily basis since entering the temple. Perhaps it was a trick of the torch light, but his cheeks appeared a little pink.

“You sing very well. Where did you learn that song?” He asked, setting the tray on a short, round table.

“I’m not sure. I’ve just always known it.” I answered honestly, moving to sit on a floor pillow in front of the table. “I must have heard it somewhere before, I just can’t recall where.”

Taking the pitcher by the handle, Luke poured me a glass of water. I wouldn’t give us the title of friends, but he has been nice enough to keep me company while I ate. Our conversations have been small, sometimes we just sat in silence, but it was nice to have someone around. Perhaps it was because I’ve been so isolated, but deep down I really wanted to trust him. However, my belief in the gods and my belief in the Pharaoh… or rather, my wavering belief in the Pharaoh was keeping me from trusting him completely. I thought that if I avoided talking about the ceremony I would lose my doubts, that if I just followed along like I always have I’d return to my normal life, but now I wasn’t so sure.

“Luke,” His name slipped past my lips so easily, so softly it was as if I had known him for years. “This ceremony, what’s the purpose of it? If it’s as you claim and the Pharaoh is organizing these disappearances, I don’t see why any of this is necessary when he can just order it to stop.”

“The Pharaoh’s control over the people is slipping through his fingers. He has no blood relation to the previous Pharaoh; how he gained his seat on the throne is a mystery. He’s using this ceremony as a means to regain control.” He studied me for a moment as if checking to see that I was genuinely listening. “He’s using the disappearances to strike fear into the people’s hearts, the ceremony is a means to play the hero… and you will be a symbol of hope. An impossible dream that will keep everyone trapped in their loyalty.”

“Me?“ I shook my head in denial. “I don’t see how that can be. I’m nothing special, I’m just hard workout and dedicated.”

“And your honest. The people have more love and respect for you then they do for the Pharaoh. In his eyes, you’re a threat to his position.” Luke closed his eyes and let out a small sigh. “Your failure to recognize your value must make you all the more precious.”

I wanted to argue, I really did, but no words of that nature came to mind. My sense of reality was starting to crumble and although I wanted to run from it, I couldn’t stop trying to frantically gather the pieces and put it back together.

“If I’m supposed to give the people hope, then… what am I supposed to do?” I asked.

Something resembling pity flashed in Luke’s eyes. “Come with me.”

Luke lead me out if the room and deeper into the temple. After passing through a hallway darker then the rest, we ended up in a large room with two statues of the god Anubis, several torches mounted to thick support pillars and a short staircase that led up to a platform containing a long stone table and a smaller wooden one. The wooden table was lined with all sorts of tools and jars, and as I got closer, a familiar scent hit my nose. It’s the calming smell I’ve been picking up on Luke.

“What is this place?” I asked, turning to look at Luke.

“You seem to really like this fragrance. Would you have said the same earlier if you knew what this smell came from?” Picking up a sharp chisel from the table, Luke rolled it slowly in his hands as to not cut himself. “The Pharaoh is going to give you the rite of passage into the Field of Reeds. That is the hope the Pharaoh wants you to be.”

“The Field of Reeds? That can’t be right. Only the deceased can-” I stopped myself mid sentence, the weight of the truth too heavy for me to continue.

Luke walked towards me slowly, only stopping when he was close enough for me to be the only thing reflected in those pools of coral. “He’s also using this ceremony as a means to get rid of you.”

Every fibre of my being was screaming at me to fight this, to keep grasping onto the life I knew even if it came back to bite me in the end. “You’re just trying to scare me. Even if something were to happen to me, I’d be reborn no different then I am now.”

“Listen to me, Robin. Legends say the only way a person’s soul can be released for rebirth is after carefully preserving the body. As the High Priest, you should already know this.” Luke placed the handle of the chisel in my hand and closed my fingers around it. Then, he wrapped his hand around my wrist and pointed the sharp tip against his forehead. “To prevent decomposing, this part needs to be dug out first.”

The light in his eyes had grown dim, an almost soulless expression on his face as he guided my wrist down, letting the blade gently run over his skin without leaving any marks behind. My heart pounded against my ribs as he slid the chisel down the bridge of his nose, his neck, over his chest until it was resting against the muscles in torso. I couldn’t keep my eyes off the tool no matter how hard I tried, couldn’t turn away from the horror no matter how painful it was to watch.

“Next are the remaining organs, which are all removed from a hole cut in the abdomen.” He continued, unbothered by how badly my hand was shaking. “Then all that’s left of the heart. Everyone believes the heart is the essential for the journey to rebirth.”

His grip loosened and the chisel fell from my fingers, falling to the ground with a sharp sound that echoed off all four walls in the room. My jaw dropped a little but no words or sounds come out, the sheer terror running through my veins has made my mind go blank. Luke took hold of my wrist again and placed my palm over his heart. The muscle was strong, beating like a steady drum and I’m amazed I could feel it so clearly.

“But even if the heart’s left in the body, do you think it will beat again after all that?” Luke’s breath tickled my skin as he spoke, speaking in such a low voice it was almost a whisper.

Finally, he let me go for good but I was frozen, hand still glued to his chest. The rhythm of his heart was the only thing keeping me grounded. My ears were ringing, I couldn’t think, my eyes were stinging with tears and just like that, the truth I didn’t want to accept crashed over me like an angry wave.

The Pharaoh was planning on turning me into a mummy… and Luke was the one who was supposed to do it.

#tears of themis #x oc #tot luke #luke pearce

[awalkthroughstellis]

Sweet Escape

Warnings: Spoilers for Luke’s SR card “How I Remember You”, brief moment of angst (?), suggestive ending

Summary: A game with a reputation for destroying relationships lures our favourite lovebirds into its grasp. Trials and difficult questions will be thrown their way but Luke and Robin believe they’re strong enough to survive. This game makes Robin realize something… but is it a good something?

The sounds of running water and music from the radio filled the kitchen, the occasional clinking of glass and metal as I washed, rinsed and set dishes on the rack to dry. The window above the sink was open a little, the ends of the curtain swaying in the gentle breeze as air flowed freely in and out of the room. It was a cooler day, perfect for sweaters. A new song began to play as I scrubbed at the tomato sauce clinging to a plate, and unable to help myself, starting singing along.

“Remember those walls I built? Well, baby, they’re tumblin’ down~ And they didn’t even put up a fight, they didn’t even make a sound~ I found a way to let you in, but I never really had a doubt~ Standin’ in the light of your halo~ I got my angel now. It’s like I’ve been awakened, every rule I had you breakin’~ It’s the risk that I’m takin’~ I ain’t ever gonna shut you out.”

A pair of arms suddenly wrapped around my waist, a warm body pressing against my back as a chin dropped onto my shoulder, soft hair tickling the side of my face. I grinned at the contact and kept going.

“Everywhere I’m lookin’ now, I’m surrounded by your embrace~ Baby, I can see your halo, You know you’re my savin’ grace~ You’re everything I need and more, it’s written all over your face~ Baby, I can feel your halo, pray it won’t fade away.” Giggling, I reached towards the radio and lowered the volume. “Hi, Luke.”

The man hummed, swaying back and forth with me gently. “You can keep going. I’ll wait.”

Giggles turning to laughter, I let my head fall back against his shoulder. “Well, now I wanna talk to you. What’s up?”

“How would you feel about helping me with a case this weekend?”

Shutting the water off, I dried my hands with the towel hanging over the handle of the stove before turning to face him, back leaning against the counter. “What kind of case?”

“There’s an escape room I’ve been asked to investigate. Aaron’s cousin, Karl, said every couple he knows who’s attempted the escape room has broken up shortly after. His girlfriend wants to go, so he asked me to investigate and see what’s really going on.”

Confused, I titled my head to the side. “Since when did you start taking on romantic cases?”

He sighed. “I haven’t, but it’s a favour for your dad.”

“And because you’re curious about the escape room, aren’t you?” I asked, smirking at how easily his expression gave away that I was right. “So, you agree to investigate a game with a reputation for destroying relationships and you want to bring your girlfriend along? You must have a lot of confidence in us, Mr. Pearce.”

Luke titled his head a little. “You don’t think we can beat it?”

“I’m sure you can, but I’m not the smartest at escape puzzles. What if I run down the timer and we fail? It’ll compromise your mission and throw us into a round of relationship roulette.” I took both of his hands in mine. “I love my life with you, Luke, and I’m happy you’re willing to do this favour for my family, but risking everything we’ve built together over a game doesn’t sound like a good idea.”

He looked a little disappointed. “If you don’t want to do it, you don’t have to. I’d never risk losing you, either. The way I see it, if a game can split a couple apart, they aren’t very strong to begin with.”

His words settled in my mind, and honestly, he had a point. Why was I so worried about losing him over a game? Luke and I were stronger than that; if the hours and hours we’ve spent away from each other during long cases hasn’t hindered us, what could an hour in an escape room do?

Smiling, I wrapped my arms around his neck. “You have that much faith in us?”

“Of course I do. If I was worried we wouldn’t make it, I wouldn’t have asked you in the first place.”

His belief in our bond washed away any reservations I still had. “Okay. Let’s do it.”

Luke’s eyes widened a little. “Are you sure? If you really don’t want to do this…”

“I’m sure.” Stretching up, I pecked his lips. “If this game is so cursed, then getting past it will just make us stronger, right? Besides, you’re adorable when you’re excited about a mystery.”

A hue of pink coated his cheeks. “Should I be worried that you’re only agreeing to this so that you can tease me?”

“No.” I said, followed by a giggle. “I also want to see my handsome, sunshine boyfriend put his detective skills to good use. You’re hot when you’re thinking so hard.”

Blush getting worse, Luke leaned over to hide his face in my shoulder. “I should have turned this case down.”

Playfully shaking my head, I ran my fingers through his hair and, as an apology for flustering him, sang along with the next song.

~~~~~~~~~

The days flew by quickly and just like we planned, Luke and I headed to the escape room. The address led us to a mall and after consulting a map, made our way to the second floor.

“Excited?” Luke asked, chuckling while eyeing the way I swung our interlocked hands back and forth.

“Yeah.” I replied, looking up with a grin. “This is the first escape room I’ve done that’s above a beginner level. You finally won’t be bored.”

Luke’s taken me to a few easy escape rooms in the past, and while he would have been able to solve them within minutes, he really slowed down and let me try to figure things out while dropping hints when I got stuck. Thinking back, it’s almost like he was coaching me through those puzzles.

Luke flashed a reassuring smile. “I was never bored, Robin. I wanted to do those rooms with you.”

My cheeks grew warm and I gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “I hope all that practice will pay off today.”

Finally reaching our destination, Luke held the door open and let me go inside first. The woman behind the counter greeted us kindly, and after confirming our reservation, instructed us to wait in the resting area for our turn.

“What do you want to do for dinner tonight?” I asked as I sat in one of the chairs. “I found a recipe I wanna try, but if you’d prefer something else…”

Luke took hold of my hand again, the warmth of his palm comforting. “Home made sounds good. What recipe is it?”

“Four cheese grilled cheese with a rich and creamy tomato soup. It’s simple but I think this game will be adventurous enough for one day. Would you mind if we stopped at the grocery store on the way home?”

My favourite smile appeared on his face. “I’ll carry the bags.”

Heart swelling with affection, I leaned over to kiss his cheek. “Have I ever told you how much you remind me of a cinnamon roll?”

He blushed heavily. “W-What?”

A man and woman walked by suddenly, eyes cast to the ground as they walked silently towards the exit. The air around them was a depressing one, and by the way they seemed to be keeping a distance from each other, it was clear they had gotten into some kind of fight. This thought was confirmed when they started arguing by the front desk.

“I’m so glad we don’t argue.” I whispered, head falling to rest against Luke’s shoulder. “Unless it’s about someone working too hard and neglecting their basic needs.”

“Or someone so worried about inconveniencing their boyfriend that they sometimes don’t ask for help when they need it.”

I breathed a laugh. “We’re just a match made in heaven, aren’t we?”

A staff member approached us just then. “Mr. Pearce, we’re ready for you two. If you could please fill out these surveys separately before we begin.”

Accepting the sheets of paper and two pens, Luke left me where I was and moved to the other side of the rest area to fill his out. The questions on mine were rather trivial, things like what my favourite colour was or what I liked to do on a day off. These questions must be used in the game somehow and so, using the tiny camera bracelet Luke gave me this morning, secretly took a picture of the questionnaire.

As soon as Luke and I finished, the staff member escorted us to the door, wished us luck and with that, the game officially began. I held Luke’s hand tightly as we walked through a dark hallway, and when we finally reached the end, found ourselves in a dimly lit room decorated like an old, abandoned castle. A middle-aged man dressed in a clean, vintage tuxedo was waiting for us next to the dusty piano.

“Welcome to the Cursed Castle! I’m the butler who will be guiding you today.” The man began, and although he must have played along with the same script multiple times today, he maintained genuine enthusiasm. “The two of you will have to clear several trials in order to lift the curse. The first trial will consist of three segments and communication will not be allowed in any of these segments. Any questions?”

Luke shook his head. “I’m good. Robin?”

“Crystal clear.” I replied.

The butler smiled. “Excellent. The first segment will be a game of Pictionary. The man will draw and the woman will guess.”

I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. I’ve seen small doodles Luke has made before and while he wasn’t the best artist out there, it wasn’t too difficult to tell what he was attempting to draw.

Or at least, that’s what I thought until a creature with a round body, a stick for a neck, an oval of a head, four stick legs and a messy tail was staring up at me from a piece of blank paper. I could feel Luke trying to mentally send me a message as I stared at the drawing. It certainly didn’t help that I only had a minute to guess.

Luke suddenly drew something on the creatures back, something that looked like a seat. The added detail turned on a lightbulb inside my head.

“Horse?” I asked, glancing up at the butler.

“That is correct.”

A proud grin pulled at Luke’s lips, and I wasn’t sure if he was proud of himself for the drawing or proud of me for guessing right. Knowing Luke, it was likely the latter, or both.

Pictionary continued on for several more rounds and luckily, I managed to guess everything correctly. While the first segment was tricky the second was about to prove even harder, for it was a game of charades. I sucked at this game as a child and as a grown woman, I still suck at acting things out.

“Lord have mercy.” I mumbled, opening the slip of paper and reading the word written on it. ‘Cookie’.

“You may begin.” The butler said, clicking the button to start his pocket watch.

‘How the hell am I gonna act out a cookie?’ I wondered, but unfortunately 60 seconds to act and guess was not enough. In a brief moment of blind panic, I drew a circle in the air and poked little dots inside of it represent chocolate chips.

Immediately, Luke looked lost. “A round keyboard?”

I shook my head and waved my hand as if scraping the original attempt. If I was going to do this properly, I would have to paint a story to get the message across.

With this new idea in mind, I pretended to mix the dough in an invisible bowl, then, doing what I usually did when I made cookies, scooped some out and rolled a ball between my hands.

“Cookie!” Luke exclaimed, eyes closed, smile wide and a faint, happy blush on his cheeks.

I almost cheered at our success but quickly remembered I had to stay quiet and clamped my mouth shut. By the grace of God I managed to act everything out in a way Luke could understand and we cleared the round with a few minor hiccups.

“You two are good, but segment three is where a lot of couples struggle.” The butler explained, handing me a soft strip of black fabric. “For this part, the man will be blindfolded and the lady will hand him a clue. You’ll have to use the clue to find the answer, which could be the title of a book, a place, a person, so on.”

“Can she describe it to me?” Luke asked, crossing his arms casually.

The butler shook his head. “No. You will have to use your senses to figure out what it is.”

With the rules made clear, I tied the blindfold around Luke’s eyes and carefully guided him to a chair. Once he was seated, the butler handed me a slip of paper that read: ‘The Adventures Of Sherlock Holmes.’ Luke will easily be able to guess this if I can find the right clue to give him.

The butler gave the okay to start and I began searching the room for a good clue. Before meeting Luke I had never read any of the Sherlock Holmes books, but after learning he was a big fan of the series (and after I realized I was crushing on him) I picked up the books and read them. If I hadn’t, I would have completely disregarded the peanut candies sitting in a jar on top of the fireplace.

Fishing one from the jar, I returned to Luke. “I’m back. Open up.”

I ran my fingers along his jaw and Luke opened his mouth, leaning forward to take the candy. His lips were incredibly soft and his tongue accidentally brushed against my fingers, the sensation making me shiver and sent blood rushing to my cheeks as the sounds of Luke’s crunching filled the otherwise quiet room.

“The answer is a book title.” The butler spoke up, distracting me from my flustered state.

Luke grinned. “The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes.”

“That is correct.”

“Well done, Luke.” I praised, leaning down to kiss his cheek out of habit.

It wasn’t until I pulled away that I remembered the butler was around. Luke blushed a deep crimson all the way down to his neck and feeling my own skin burn, I turned my head the other way.

“Sorry.” I mumbled, too shy to face him even with the blindfold on.

“It’s okay…” He stuttered, then cleared his throat. “Let’s keep going.”

Nine clues later and the third segment of the first stage was over. The butler congratulated us for clearing the first trial and began the second. It wasn’t so bad, just a challenge of teamwork and thanks to all Luke’s training, we flew threw it rather quickly. When we filled out the wavers for the escape room I listed my heart condition as a medical restraint so the staff modified our challenge a little so I could still take part without overdoing it.

“Do you need a break?” Luke asked, rubbing my arm affectionately as the trial came to an end.

I shook my head and smiled. “I’m okay.”

“If you two are ready, I’ll explain the third trial.” The butler said, waiting for both of us to nod before continuing. “In this phase, the two of you will enter a maze from different entrances. Answer the questions, find each other, then search for the exit. I’ll meet up with you both at the end.”

“If you’re not coming with us, how will we know how much time is left?” Luke asked, looking a little concerned.

“You’ll start with twenty. I’ll notify you when there are ten, five and one minute left.”

I let out a little breath. “Okay. Now I feel the pressure.”

Luke took my hand and gave it a squeeze, eyes full of light and smile just as bright. “You’ll do great. I’ll find you real soon, I promise.”

An idea suddenly came to me. “Last one out has to do the dishes.”

Pulling my hand away, I laughed and raced towards the nearest door. Adrenaline was pumping as navigated the dark hallway, keeping my eyes open for clues and being careful not to trip over the props. After a minute or two of walking, I found myself at a dead end. A monitor was mounted to the wall and lit up as I got closer, presenting me with a question:

‘What time does Luke wake up in the morning?’

A) 12 PM

B) 5 AM

C) 9 AM

“Easy.” I whispered to myself, pressing the button for answer B.

The answer turned green and a clicking sound followed, the wall moving backward and turning sideways to reveal a new passage way. The mechanism was cool and all, but just how big was this place? The twenty minute time limit, which already felt too short, was suddenly even shorter.

~~~~~~~~~~

“What has Robin always wanted to be when she grows up?” Luke repeated the question on the monitor to himself, reading the options available.

A) Author

B) Nurse

C) Mother

For the first time since the game started, the excited smile fell from Luke’s face. There was no need for him to ponder the answer for so long; he knew what it was, but having it projected right in front of him was a reminder of something both of their conditions stopped her from having. Even if just one of them was a perfect bill of health, both grew up without their biological parents. While Luke and Robin were both raised by loving households, neither wanted their own child to grow up missing a parent.

With a heavy heart, Luke selected option C. The screen flashed green and the mechanism opened, leading the way to more questions that would surely remind him of a reality that would likely never be.

“I’m sorry, Robin.” Luke whispered, dragging his feet into the dark corridor.

~~~~~~~~~~

‘What was Luke’s worst childhood habit?’

A) Sleep Talking

B) Nail Biting

C) Always Late

The further I went into the maze, the harder the questions got. At first the questions had been things I would easily know from living with him, some asked about the early stages of our relationship but now they were dipping into the territory of time before I knew him. Luke and I have shared things about our childhood but I don’t remember having a conversation about bad habits.

Recalling a conversation I had with Rosa about how she and Luke would sleep in until noon as teenagers, I pressed option C. It turned red and entered a one minute cool down.

“Ten minutes left!” The burner’s voice suddenly echoed throughout the maze.

“Crap.” I mumbled, shaking my hands nervously. “Come on, hurry up.

Finally, the question refreshed.

‘Who confessed first?’

A) Robin

B) Luke

I pressed option A and flew through the door as it opened, nearly crashing into my boyfriend as I emerged from the dark. His quick reflexes kicked in, arms wrapping around me before I could slip.

“Sorry!” I exclaimed, laughing with a playful shake of my head. “I wasn’t expecting you to be standing there. I guess I’m doing the dish…” My voice trailed off when I caught sight Luke’s face. “What’s wrong?”

He shook his head, putting on a smile to mask the sadness hiding in his eyes. “It’s nothing. I’ll help you wish the dishes, don’t worry about it.”

Something was definitely off with him, but now wasn’t the time to press him about it. As soon as the game is over and the investigation is complete, I’ll ask. Now was the time to hustle.

Taking my hand, Luke and I hurried down the connecting hallway in search of the exit. The walls in this area of the maze were painted red, vintage chandeliers hanging from the ceiling covered in cobwebs that could be found in any Halloween store. A trio of paintings in old frames were mounted on the wall, perfectly aligned and suspicious looking yet nothing about them was interesting at all. Well, it was strange that the exact same portraits appeared each time we turned a corner. It was also strange that every corner had a black piano with a skull resting on the hood.

“Either this place is insanely identical, or we’re walking in circles.” I said after some time. “I swear we’ve passed that exact same scratch on the frame three times now.”

“I think you’re right. We’ve been walking for too long and haven’t gotten anywhere.” Releasing my hand, Luke lifted one of the paintings off the wall and after investigating it for a minute, purposely set it back on an uneven angle. “Let’s test this out.”

We continued on and just as we thought, it wasn’t long before we came across the slanted painting again.

“Five minutes left!” Came a call from somewhere unknown.

Really feeling the pressure now, Luke and I started a quick and through search of all the nearby props. As I ran my fingers along the frame of a portrait, I came across a slip of paper peeking out from behind.

“Found something!” I exclaimed, unfolding the clue to read it out loud. “Find me and take me away. Then, the curse will lift.”

“Find me and take me away.” Luke repeated, arms crossing and eyes narrowing as he thought. He was truly in his element now. “So we have to bring something with us.”

“But other then the paintings, what have we come across that we can easily carry?”

After a minute of silence, Luke turned to the piano. “Something’s off. Wait here.”

A wave of uneasiness came over me as Luke stepped away. The second he lifted the skull from the piano, every single light in the hallway went out. I let out a startled shout as a pair of hands suddenly grabbed my arms, pulling me away from where Luke had gone.

“Robin?” Luke called out for me, sounding a little frantic.

“Stay quiet. This is part of the game.” A voice said quietly, one I recognized as the voice of the butler.

The tension in my shoulders vanished and I let him lead me away without a fight. Despite how dark it was, the butler got me into the staff lounge without dumping into a single wall or prop.

“The two of you are attached at the hip. I had to wait so long for you two to separate.” The butler said, smiling kindly. “Apologies for the scare, Miss. I was trying to be as gentle as possible as to not cause stress to your condition.”

I smiled back and shook my head. “I’m okay. Thank you for your consideration, though.”

I was shown to a change room where I was instructed to change clothes. Laid out for me was a black ball gown with accents that resembled a skeleton and a heavy veil with a tiara made of skeleton hands. The necklace and bracelet had skulls on them and the gloves were plain, reaching up past my elbows to the middle of my upper arms.

Four staff members of a similar body build were dressed in the exact same way, and once I was ready, the butler led us all back into the maze. He brought us to an empty room and had us all stand in a line with our backs turned to the door, veils down to hide our faces. I was the second on the left.

“Alright, Miss. From now on, no talking or moving.” The butler said.

I was about to nod but stopped myself from doing so. The butler stepped away just as rapid footsteps could be heard, and seconds later, a door opened.

“Robin?” Luke’s voice called out and I had to bite my tongue to keep from replying. My heart, however, was racing from how anxious he sounded.

“Welcome back.” The butler greeted him with a cheerful tone. “The curse has almost been lifted. All you have to do is pick a bride and the castle will return to normal.”

I heard a big sigh. “I figured this was part of the game, but I was still worried.”

My mind raced with images of a panicked Luke running through the maze, calling out for me over and over again. I felt guilty but at the same time, it was oddly reassuring. Further proof of how much he truly loves me, I guess.

“You can observe the brides from five meters away and ask them to do one movement. However, they cannot turn around over lift their veils.”

Sensing a pair of eyes on my back, I reminded every muscle in my body not to stiffen and give myself away. There was no way I was going to blow this after we’ve come so close to the end.

“I don’t need them to do anything. Can I pick now?” Luke asked, almost sounding eager.

“Are you sure?” The butler asked. “You can only choose once.”

“Of course I’m sure.”

‘There’s no way, there’s no way, there’s no way.’ I repeated this thought to myself over and over as the sound of footsteps got closer. My breath hitched as a familiar warmth enveloped my gloved hand and it took everything in my not to close my fingers.

“You can turn around!” The butler called from afar.

I shifted but the veil was lifted before I could turn all the way. Because of how thick and heavy it was, everything except for the face looking down at me was blocked from view.

“I found you, my bride.” Luke said, eyes as bright as his smile.

My heart was pounding so loudly in my ears it was blocking the rest of the world out. There were so many emotions swirling in my chest I couldn’t make sense of what I was feeling. Happy that he chose me, amazed that he picked me out so easily, astonished at how confident he was that it was me and so many other things.

Still unable to wrap my head around it, I slightly shook my head in disbelief. “How did… How did you know it was me?”

Luke looked taken aback by my question. “How could I not?”

My cheeks were burning so badly I could barely find the words to speak. “Well, I mean… the veil…”

The expression that appeared on his face was so tender I thought I was going to break down in tears. “Because you’re you. I remember everything about you: your face, your voice, your figure… You’re my one and only Robin.”

The breath in my lungs was gone. Right here, right now, I’ve fallen in love with him all over again. No, I was beyond in love with him at this point. What expression was there that could explain this feeling?

~~~~~~~~~~

Even after I changed back into my regular clothes and rejoined Luke by the front desk, I couldn’t stop thinking about the right phrase for my emotions. Overwhelmingly in love? Indescribably in love? Painfully in love? No matter what I thought of, nothing sensed to fit.

A gentle hand on my arm pulled me from my thoughts. “Is everything okay?”

“Because you’re you. I remember everything about you: your face, your voice, your figure… You’re my one and only Robin.”

Another blush attacked my face. “Yeah. I just got lost in my own little world, that’s all.”

“I found you, my bride.”

If people were capable of melting, I’d be a puddle on the floor right now. If I could walk down the aisle one day, wearing the white dress of my dreams with my father leading the way, I’d want Luke to be the one waiting under the arch. In fact, the idea of marriage didn’t sound appealing unless Luke was involved.

The butler, who we found out recently was also the owner of the escape room, approached us with a smile. “You two have set a new record for the fastest completion time. We’ll contact you when your prize is ready for pick up. How about a photo to commemorate the achievement?”

“I don’t see why not.” I said, looking up at the man standing beside me. “Luke?”

“Sure. Let’s do it.”

Moving to stand in front of a white wall, Luke pulled me in close and and wrapped an arm around my shoulder, mine finding a comfortable place around his waist.

The owner smiled behind the camera. “No need to be so stiff, you two. This isn’t your wedding photo. Strike a pose or something.”

“W-Wedding photo?” Luke choked out, the tips of his ears to the base of his neck turning bright red.

He started coughing and momentarily forgetting my own flustered state, I started rubbing his back to soothe his lungs. That priceless moment was forever captured.

~~~~~~~~~~

A week flew by since then. Luke and I met up with Karl at a café this morning and learned that he and his girlfriend, Elliot, survived the escape room. After that, we picked up our prize from the owner. It turns out the photo the owner took of us was used to create little chibi replicas of us, and the figures had a new home on top of the dresser in our bedroom.

“Time stands still, beauty in all she is. I will be brave, I will not let anything take away what’s standing in front of me~ Every breath, every hour has come to this. One step closer~”

My voice mixed with the music playing from the speaker of my phone and the water droplets pelting the sides and floor of the shower. My hands were busy washing the shampoo out of my hair.

“I have died every day waiting for you. Darling, don’t be afraid, I have loved you for a thousand years. I’ll love you for a thousand more~ And all along I believed I would find you. Time has brought your heart to me, I have loved you for a thousand years. I’ll love you for a thousand more~”

My hands froze, eyes snapping open as the answer to a week long question finally revealed itself. Hastily shutting the water off, I jumped out of the shower, threw a robe on and dashed out of the bathroom, leaving a trail of water from my hair and feet behind. I rushed to Luke’s office on the second floor, throwing the door open so suddenly the detective nearly jumped out of his chair.

The shock on his face was quickly replaced by concern as he threw a file onto his desk. “Robin, what’s wrong?”

“I finally figured it out!”

“Figured what out?” He stood and quickly closed the curtains, blocking out the moonlight and any eyes that might happen to look up. “You shouldn’t just run in here like that. What if I had a client in here?”

“I’m sorry, but I have to tell you while it’s on my mind.” Practically throwing myself into his arms, I gripped his biceps and looked deep into those coral eyes I couldn’t get enough of. “Ever since the escape room, I’ve been trying to find the words to tell you this but I couldn’t think of any strong enough… not until now.”

Luke titled his head a little. “Tell me what?”

Taking in a small breath, I licked my lips and said the words that finally held the weight I wanted them to. “I am endlessly in love with you, Luke Pearce.”

The arms around my waist stiffened, eyes widening as they shifted back and forth between mine. It seemed like the gears in his head stopped turning.

Feeling shy, I lowered my gaze. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt your-”

The rest of my sentence was swallowed by Luke’s lips, a storm of deep, intense kisses that robbed me of my voice and pushed all thoughts to the furthest corner of my mind. He backed me into the desk, knocking the papers off with a sweep of his arm so he could lay me there instead.

“You are going to be the death of me.” He panted against my lips, pulling at the knot holding the robe together.

“That’s the fifth time you’ve said that this week.” I said, pulling at the material of his shirt.

Our lips found each other again and in the faint light of the lamp, we fell into deeper waters of passion then we’ve experienced before.

#tears of themis #x oc #tot luke #luke pearce

[awalkthroughstellis]

To Rest In Eden

Warnings: Spoilers for Marius’ SR card “Twilight Beauty”

Summary: Needing a potted plant for her new bedroom design, Anna agrees to let her boyfriend take her plant shopping. To her surprise, Marius doesn’t bring her to a flower shop, but to a wonderful garden owned by the von Hagen’s. Seeing the rare flowers in bloom fills Anna with bittersweet feelings…

A wave a crisp air slapped me in the face the second I opened the passenger door. The outskirts of Stellis were just as well cared for as the rest of the city, and although it didn’t have buildings that reached the sky it retained the beauty of raw nature that was lost in human development.

I heard the driver’s side door open and close behind me, followed by footsteps on the gravel. “What do you think?”

“It’s beautiful.” I turned to him with a smile. “I thought we were going to any old flower shop.”

“Where’s the surprise in that?” Taking my hand and lacing our fingers together, Marius led me up the driveway towards the beautifully designed villa and the breathtaking garden that surrounded it. “I’ve seen your room, and I know how picky you are about it. Not just any potted plant will please you.”

I playfully rolled my eyes. “Way to make me sound high-maintenance.” I adjusted my cream coloured cardigan. “Since you know me so well, what kind of plant are we here for?”

“Have you ever seen an epiphyllum before?”

I shook my head. “I haven’t. They’re not exactly common flowers you come across casually. What makes them so rare?”

“Epiphyllums only bloom at night and only last for a couple of hours before they start to wither.” Slowly stopping, Marius lifted our linked hands above my head and twirled me a full three-sixty before pulling me closer and swaying back and forth in a tender dance. “We’re here to get you one.”

My arms naturally slid around his shoulders and linked together behind his neck. “These sound like the types of flowers a professional should be taking care of… Are you sure this is something I can handle?”

The confidence in his smile blew all my doubts away. “When you become determined about something, you make it happen. You did it to get accepted into school, to get your job… To get me.”

“Really?” I titled my head to the side, flashing a smirk of my own. “If memory serves, Mr. von Hagen, I believe it was you who made the first move.”

Instead of replying with words, he leaned in closer and spoke with a kiss instead. I sighed happily and kissed him back, unlocking my hands so I could play with the dark hair at the back of his neck. The soft sounds of our lips parting blended into the humming breeze and mummers of the insects.

“You’re wearing strawberry.” He suddenly said, his violet eyes dropping to my gloss covered lips.

“That’s right. You’re getting better at this.”

Caught up in the moment, I stood on the tips of my toes with the intention of kissing him again, but the sound of a phone pinging destroyed the atmosphere. I dropped back onto my heels and looked away as a hot blush painted my pale cheeks. When I glanced back at Marius, I realized he was frowning a little.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, shyness forgotten.

“Vincent just told me the gardener doesn’t recommend moving the epiphyllums for a few more days. He said they’ll bloom tonight.” Marius shoved his phone back into his pocket. “Sorry, Doll. It might take a little longer to get you that plant.”

“Marius, it’s okay. We can watch them bloom here-” Something dawned on me and I cocked my head back. “Is this why you asked me to reserve my entire weekend for you?”

He chuckled. “No, that’s not why. Not even I can predict when the flowers are gonna bloom. I just wanted you all to myself this weekend.”

I gave him a look. “I turned down a shopping trip with Robin and Harmony for you. I hope you don’t ever doubt that I love you.”

My response may not have been the most romantic, and yes, my sass often slipped into conversations, but I truly do love him. I would turn down anything if it meant getting to spend some time with him in-between his busy schedules.

“You said you have a nature painting to do for class, right? That will be a good way to pass the time. Besides, we’re swimming in references and gorgeous scenery right now. There’s gotta be something around here to spark your inspiration.”

Taking my hand again, Marius jerked his head towards the back of the property. “There’s a lotus pond over there. Let’s go check it out.”

The pond he led me to was absolutely gorgeous. The water was such a deep shade of blue it reminded me the sky at night, and bright green, healthy looking lily pads floated on the surface, acting as resting points for several green frogs. The lotuses themselves were the most eye-catching with their vibrant pink petals and sunshine yellow centres.

Marius sat at the base of a tree with his sketchbook in his lap and a couple of different pencils at his side. Not wanting to distract him from his assignment, I lingered near the pond and played with a couple of brave little ducklings as they swam back and forth between me and their parents, who didn’t seem to mind their babies getting close.

“So how do you know about this place? Are you a friend of the owner’s?” I asked, breaking the silence between us after some time.

“Something like that. This garden belongs to my brother.”

The mention of Giann von Hagen made me pause. I knew very little about Marius’ older brother, only that Marius cared a lot for him and that Giann has been missing for some time now. As curious as I am, the last thing I wanted to do was push him to talk about something that heavy.

“I didn’t realize Giann was into gardening. I take it he’s fond of efi… Epfha… How do you say it again?”

“Epiphyllums.” Marius replied, chuckling with an affectionate shake of his head. “He does, but he planted them in honour of my mother.”

Miss. von Hagen, another figure in his life I didn’t know very much about. Though, considering she passed away when Marius was still a baby, his knowledge of her as a person might not be too wide, either.

“I’m sorry.” I said, turning my gaze back to the pond. “I didn’t mean to bring them up.”

“Don’t be sorry. I don’t remember her, so I don’t have a deep connection like I do with my brother. What I know of her, I figured out from her music and paintings.” He kept his eyes on his work as he spoke, his pencil continuing to move across the page. “A painting she did of an epiphyllum is hanging in the hallway of our old home. I feel in love with it. I want to know what she was thinking when she painted it.”

A soft smile pulled at my lips. “With how well you paint, I can only imagine how beautiful her work is.”

Suddenly aware of how loose the elastic in my hair was, I tried to fix it but it slipped out before I could get the job done. Signing at the loss of the hour I spent on it this morning, I gathered it up and prepared to just throw it onto a bun. There’s no way I would be able to recreate the same level of detail in the braids and twists without my bobby pins and mirrors.

I heard shuffling and a moment later, Marius was standing behind me and slipping the elastic from my fingers. “I’ll fix it for you.”

Even though he couldn’t see it, I raised a brow. “I know you’re good with your hands, but you know how to style hair?”

“I can manage a simple braid. Don’t you trust me?”

I could picture his pout in my mind. “Alright. Go for it.”

Marius ran his fingers along my scalp, gently working out the knots before getting to work. He wasn’t pulling too tightly, and for a while I thought he was making the braid too loose, and I got even more curious when I realized he was braiding across and down, he was leaving portions of my hair out. It wasn’t until he tied the elastic and turned me to face him did I realize he put my hair into a lace braid, staring above my right ear and running diagonally to the left.

He brushed some stragglers from my face, tucking the pink strands behind my ears. My heart leapt as his thumbs caressed my cheeks. “There. Aren’t you just beautiful, my sweet Anna.”

My cheeks were burning again, but I couldn’t find the strength to look away from him. I could hear my heart pounding in my ears. I opened my mouth a little but no sounds were willing to come out. I couldn’t see, hear, or think anything but him and the and the loving expression he was wearing. It wasn’t until a particularly strong gust of wind ripped several pages from his sketchbook that this trance I was caught in was broken.

I crouched down to grab it, only to be startled by the sudden panic in Marius’ voice. “Anna, wait-”

The wind ripped it away just as my fingers grazed the sheet. The paper twirled and tumbled in the air as the breeze carried it away. For a brief moment, it was still enough for me to catch a glimpse of the drawing. The pond, the lotus, the ducks… and a woman with glasses sitting by the water had been drawn.

I stood up and looked at Marius. The blush on his cheeks and the nervous look in his averted eyes squashed my disbelief. “You drew me?”

He quickly recovered, lips curling from a shy frown to a confident smirk that looked way too attractive on him. “You were part of the landscape. How could I leave out such an important element?”

Not knowing what to do with myself, I looked down and adjusted the way my glasses rested on the bridge of my nose.

I could feel the air around him grow from confident to cocky. “What’s this? Have I flustered you, Little Miss?”

‘I have to knock him down a peg.’ I thought, eyeing the sketchbook tucked under his arm. I gasped dramatically. “Marius! Your art!”

A quick look of panic crossed his face as his head snapped to look behind him. I seized the opportunity to snatch his book and dash several feet away, opening the hardcover as I slid across the grass to a halt. Each page I flipped to stole some of my breath, the childish smile of success slowly falling as I took in every detail. All of these were portraits of me. The later ones I recognized from moments we’ve had together recently, but the older ones… they had to have been from before we got together.

Butterflies were swirling in my chest as I turned to my boyfriend. “How long have you been doing this?”

“Long enough that I can draw you from memory. I’ll be able to recreate that lost sketch in no time.” He took the book back and closed it, then grabbed my hand. “It’s getting late. Are you hungry yet?”

“No-”

My stomach rudely cut in to disagree. My face turned red and my eyes narrowed into a ‘don’t you dare say anything’ glare, but Marius was sporting an innocent closed-eyed smile.

I puffed out my cheeks, crossed my arms and turned my head to the side. “It’s not like I’m starving…”

Maintaining his grin, Marius leaned over and kissed me on the check. “Dinner is being prepared for us. It should be ready soon.”

Taking my hand, Marius led me back to the villa. After eating a delicious lasagna I knew my mother would love the recipe to, we headed back outside and made ourselves comfortable on a wooden bench across from a cluster of epiphyllums. The sky had taken on a rich indigo tone and sparkled with the brightest stars I’ve ever seen and a shimmering full moon.

“I can’t believe how beautiful it is out here.” I said, wrapping both my arms around his and leaning into him. “I’ve gone camping before but this… this is different. It’s peaceful.”

“It’s beautiful now, but wait until the epiphyllums bloom. Then you’ll really see how beautiful it can get.”

I moved my gaze to his profile and nearly melted when I peered into his eyes. No matter what sights appeared before me, I don’t think I’ll find anything more beautiful then those violet orbs.

The corners of his lips suddenly curled up. “What was that?”

My heart stopped and panic set in. “Nothing!”

I buried my face in his shoulder, too embarrassed to look at him any longer. I can’t believe I just spoke my thoughts out loud - who slips up that badly in real life?

A comfortable silence eventually fell over us. The sound of Marius’ breathing mixed in with the crickets and the gentle rustling of bushes and leaves in the nighttime breeze. My eyelids were staring to feel heavy and only got heavier when I rested my cheek against his strong shoulder. His hand covered my knee just them, his thumb drawing slow circles over my leggings.

“Getting sleepy?” He asked. That playful edge to his voice was present, but much softer then usual.

I hummed and snuggled in closer. “A little. I didn’t take a nap today, but I’ll-” A yawn cut me off. “Survive.”

“Why don’t you sleep a little now? I’ll wake you when the epiphyllums start to bloom.”

It wasn’t a bad offer, so I saw no reason to refuse. Taking my glasses off and placing them in my lap, I got comfortable and closed my eyes, breathing the scent of nature and Marius in.

~~~~~~~~~~

It didn’t take long for Anna to slip into a peaceful slumber. Her pink lips were parted slightly, the air from her soft exhales tickling his neck. Marius was tempted to gather her in his arms and set her in his lap, but the risk of waking her deterred him from the idea. Not what she was a light sleeper - the woman could sleep through a war as if gunfire was a lullaby, but waking her up was just asking to lose a finger. It’s a delicate process.

Pulling his phone from his pocket, Marius quietly snapped a couple photos of her. Anna was gorgeous when she was being feisty but in moments like these where she was completely at peace, a different kind of beauty shined through. Ever since waking up next to her for the first time, seeing her in such a calm, vulnerable state, Marius was determined to protect this side of her and keep it for himself.

“If you knew how sweet you looked like this, would you keep letting me see it?” He wondered out-loud, his whispered question fading into the night without a reply.

Marius didn’t believe Anna was hiding her vulnerable side on purpose - he really felt that there was a guard he hasn’t managed to bring down yet. What that wall was protecting her from, he wasn’t fully sure, but hopefully one day it was let him through.

~~~~~~~~~~

Something poking my cheek pulled me from my dreams. My green eyes slowly peeled open, the angle of my head tilting so I could glare up at the man responsible. “What?”

He shushed me, put my glasses on and tapped my nose. “Smell.”

It wasn’t until I lifted my head and sniffed the air that I remembered where we were. My eyes shot to the epiphyllums, gasping in amazement at the sight of the white petals. They appeared to be shimmering beneath the silver moonlight and the aroma they gave off was heavenly sweet.

I jumped off the bench and pulled Marius with me, dragging him towards the flowers. “You’re kidding. Is this real? Flowers like this actually exist?”

“They do. It seems like the more beautiful the flower, the more rare they are to see.”

“I’m speechless.” I said, shaking my head in disbelief as I tried to find my stolen breath. “I just… I don’t have words, Mari.”

Every flower looked the same yet stood out with its own unique beauty that was unmatched yet on par with the one next to it. They were so vibrant with life it was hard to imagine that in a few mere hours, they would wither and lose their glory. I wonder, the next time they bloomed, if they would be just as lush.

An arm wrapped around my waist. “What’s going through that head of yours?”

I took a second to formulate an answer. “These epi… Epha…” I huffed. “These flowers, do you think they’ll bloom the same the next time they open?”

“That depends on the caretaker. If they’re raised with love and care, protected with genuine intentions, they have a pretty good chance. After all, they were only able to bloom because someone believed in them.”

“That’s true.” I paused, looking down to play with the hem of his sleeve. “Marius?”

“Yeah?”

“Do you think they would be able to bloom this beautifully all on their own? Without having to rely on anyone for help?”

He was quiet for a moment, and when he spoke again, it was so quiet I almost didn’t hear him. “Are we really talking about flowers here…”

“Huh?” I asked, pretending to miss what he mumbled.

“Nothing. Truthfully, I don’t think anything can blossom completely by itself. Wild flowers, even without the help of human hands, still rely on soil and sunlight and bees to flourish. Some flowers need more assistance then others. It doesn’t make them any less beautiful. I’d even say the ones who get extra assistance stand a little taller.”

His words sunk beneath my skin, flowing into wounds I thought healed long ago. “Sorry, I don’t know where that came from all of a sudden.” I laughed a little. “I guess beautiful scenes make me emotional.”

Marius nuzzled his nose into my hair and gave my waist a gentle squeeze. “You have good soil and get lots of sunlight, but if you feel like you’re tilting, I’ll always be here to support you.”

My eyes started to sting but I blinked the threatening tears away. “Okay.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Several days later, a epiphyllum of my very own was delivered to my house. After doing a lot of research, I arranged some of the items in my room so that the flower pot could have the best spot for success in it’s bloom. I was determined to take the best care of it that I could, especially because not only was Marius trusting me with this, but it was one he planted himself.

Snapping a picture of it, I uploaded it to my blog with a sweet caption. Several minutes after it posted, I got a text message from my boyfriend.

Marius: Did you get your other gift?

Eyebrows furrowing, I approached the open box sitting on my bed. I was so excited about the flower I failed to realize he had sent something else with it. The envelope resting at the bottom was too large, wide and thick to be a regular letter.

“What have you done now?” I wondered, lifting the seal and carefully sliding the item out.

What landed on my lap was a small canvas painting, one that made me gasp and tear up. It was a portrait of me from the waist up, sleeping on a bed of epiphyllums. The expression on my face was so soft and tender, I almost didn’t believe it was actually me.

‘Is this how Marius sees me?’

I covered my mouth as a sob escaped, but it wasn’t one of sorrow or pain. It was a sob of joy; pure unbridled happiness, knowing that the man I loved saw me in such an innocent light.

#tears of themis #x oc #tot marius #marius von hagen

[awalkthroughstellis]

A Night Underwater

Warnings: Spoilers for Luke’s SR card “Among the Great Blue”, there is one part early on that is suggestive but not graphic

Summary: When Robin is plagued by sleepless nights, Luke suggests a change of routine to help tire her out. When a date turns into a search for a missing child, his method proves to be useful.

4:54 A.M, an ungodly hour to be awake. Although, to be awake it meant one had to have slept, and I, for three nights now, have barely been sleeping. When I did manage to drift into the realm of unconsciousness it only lasted an hour at maximum, and no matter how hard I tried, or how many remedy’s I attempted, nothing was working.

I couldn’t figure out the reason behind my insomnia. If Luke had been out of town I wouldn’t be so surprised, but that’s not the case. In fact my boyfriend was right here, chest against my back, arm around my waist as he slept soundly behind me. He was warm, the pattern of his breathing relaxing, yet I, for whatever reason, still couldn’t sleep.

The first night this started I kept waking poor Luke each time I got out of bed to distract myself. The second night I moved less, trying my best not to push my wide-awake state onto him. The present night, I didn’t move at all. I didn’t wake him, I didn’t touch my phone, I just laid there and hoped boredom would do the trick. It didn’t.

5 A.M sharp, Luke started to stir. He buried his face in my hair and tightened the arm around my waist, holding the pressure for a few seconds before easing up as if giving me a hug. It was routine for him to get up this early to exercise, a discipline I would never achieve. Usually, if left undisturbed I would sleep until 9 A.M, but if Luke was around he would wake me at 8. He took my medication schedule more seriously then I did.

“Morning.” I whispered, voice scratchy from all the hours of silence.

His coral eyes opened, blinking a few times to focus. “You’re up?”

“I couldn’t sleep.”

“Why didn’t you wake me? I would have helped you.”

Shrugging, I let myself roll over so I was facing him. “I felt bad. Besides, you need enough sleep if you’re gonna be handling cases. You need sharp eyes for those types of things.”

Luke’s hand found my cheek, thumb gently caressing my skin. “I’ve worked plenty of cases while being half-asleep. Trust me, I can handle it. This has been going on for several days now, is there something on your mind?”

“No.” I replied. “I mean, I haven’t been stressed or overwhelmed or anything, and I feel just as safe as I always do next to you, I just… I can’t sleep. Then I start getting tired during the day but the second I lay down it’s gone.”

“Maybe a change of routine would do you some good. Getting your brain excited with something new will tire you out enough to sleep later.” His hand left my cheek, running up and down the bare skin of my arm instead. “I was gonna save them for this weekend, but I managed to get my hands on two overnight tickets for the oceanarium. Why don’t we use them tonight?”

My brows furrowed. “Overnight? Does this oceanarium have a hotel or something?”

“No, but we get to sleep in the underwater tunnels. Surrounded by water, fish and other aquatic life, I bet it’ll relax you enough to fall asleep. Especially after we spend the day exploring. What do you say? Wanna try?”

I nodded against the pillow. “I’ll try anything at this point.”

Luke smiled. “Great. Then tomorrow- no, this afternoon we’ll head over there.”

Dipping his head, his lips found mine. Our kisses were soft and slow, lazy and relaxed like the early hours of morning. Luke’s kisses got deeper, and as he gently rolled us until I was on my back with him hovering above, the blanket fell away to reveal bodies still bare from the night before.

“Is this,” I spoke between kisses. “Another attempt to break my routine?”

He hummed against my lips. “And to put you to sleep for a little while.”

~~~~~~~~~~

I packed an overnight back with pajamas, but for our date I chose an outfit that was cute and girly, something comfortable but would keep me from overheating in the summer sun. I selected a white cropped top with long sleeves with a thin layer of lace over the fabric and a flowy light blue skirt with a button on the front of my hip. Sandals were the best way to go in terms of shoes.

Stepping inside the oceanarium, I couldn’t help but absorb the excitement of a child. The lobby was gorgeous, walls painted white and the carpet had the pattern of an ocean floor. Statues of seaweed and small mammals were scattered about, and a massive orca ornament hung from the ceiling. A large, beautifully decorated tank next to the front desk housed a cluster of goldfish, some brilliant gold while others had orange scales that resembled a flame.

“Wow.” I breathed, examining the place again in awe. “It’s so pretty.”

Luke, who was holding my hand, gave it a gentle squeeze. “Excited?”

“Very.” I flashed him a wide grin. “What do you wanna do first?”

“Why don’t we start by checking in, that way we don’t miss anything.”

Giggling, I nodded in agreement. Maybe it was the lighting, or the background, but Luke looked extra adorable right now and I so badly wanted to kiss him. But, because there were people around, I resisted. Sneaking kisses in public was one thing when no one was around, but in a lobby with staff and other visitors, there was no way Luke and I could casually kiss without being flustered messes afterwards. I’d have to give it to him later.

After checking in, we decided to wander and look at the tanks. We saw fish and turtles and stingrays, even a small species of shark. The view in the underwater tunnels was amazing, and Luke, who had done some research beforehand, was an excellent tour guide.

“Luke, look.” I said, giving his hand a tug as I pulled him over to a tank. “I’ve never seen jellyfish like these before.”

The jellyfish swimming in the tank had seemingly transparent bodies, and if looked at from the top, you could see the pattern of a clover in what looked tiny little lights glowing inside them. They were so beautiful, looked so peaceful that for a second I forgot these creatures were capable of causing harm to people that touched them.

“These are moon jellyfish.” Luke explained, rubbing his thumb back and forth over my own. “They usually live between the seventy degree parallel north and the forty degree parallel south, and can be found in the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. They like living in costal waters, like river deltas and harbours.”

“I’m impressed.” I said, looking up at him. “You did this much research?”

“Some of it is prior knowledge from my bioengineering days. Moon jellyfish care capable of regenerating. They can automatically heal puncture wounds and perfectly replace lost tentacles.” His eyes flashed with sorrow just then. “However, they have short lifespans. They rarely live over six months in the wild. In captivity, up to three years if well taken care of.”

There’s that damn number again. The number three was haunting, for each time Luke and I heard it we were reminded of the timer nobody wanted, a timer I prayed every day would extend or vanish all together.

I let my head fall against his shoulder. “Freedom or more time, if these jellyfish could choose, I wonder which one they’d pick.”

“They’d pick freedom, obviously!” A voice shouted.

Eyes widening in surprise I turned around, finding a young boy around ten years old standing behind us. He wore a baseball cap, a soccer t-shirt and denim shorts. His small hands were balled into tight fists, face scrunched in an expression that went beyond anger, it looked like hatred.

The boy continued. “Adults don’t care what they want! Those jellyfish are stuck in a tank waiting for someone to give them attention!”

I was so distracted by the boy that I failed to notice that an entire group of kids had surrounded us by now. The others, however, didn’t pay the boy any mind and instead starting throwing questions at Luke about moon jellyfish. He answered each child patiently and with a smile, stealing the poor guide’s job from him. I loved watching Luke with children but the upset boy was still on my mind, and when I tried to find him in the crowd realized he was no longer present.

Just as I was about to write the boy’s behaviour off as that of a young, passionate animal activist, a man and woman came rushing in through one of the connecting tunnels. They were looking around frantically, and upon noticing the cluster of children surrounding us, came running over.

“Eason! Eason!” The woman shouted, looking from one child to the next.

I stepped towards the couple. “Have you lost your son?”

The man nodded. “Have you seen him? He’s 10 years old, and he’s wearing a baseball cap.”

“With a soccer shirt and short jeans?” Luke asked, appearing at my side. “He was here not too long ago.”

The woman looked relived. “Did you see which way he went?”

Feeling guilty, I shook my head. “I’m sorry, there was so many children around - I looked away for two seconds and he slipped away.”

As quickly as she was relived, she was distraught again. “I see.”

Luke suggested asking the staff to make a broadcast, so we went with the couple just in case they needed our help. The staff was very helpful and made an announcement, but after thirty minutes and no sign of the boy, the woman broke down into tears.

“This is your fault!” She said to her husband, glaring at him through glossy eyes. “You just had to take a work call!”

The man scoffed. “You did the same thing. I told you to watch him while I took an important call.”

His comment only made the mother more upset. He tried to console her but she slapped his hand away. Luke and I were standing on the other side of the room, trying to give the couple space but it was hard not to listen in when they were being so loud.

“Luke,” I called his name quietly. “What if Eason can’t hear the broadcast? Do you think he could have left the oceanarium?”

He took a moment to consider my suggestion. “It’s possible. I didn’t notice any speakers on the outside of the building, so if he really did leave then it makes sense for him not to hear the broadcast.”

“How far do you think he could have gone?”

“If he left on his own, I don’t think he’d stray too far from the oceanarium. There’s a beach outside we can try searching at.”

Not wanting to bother the parents too much, we alerted the staff that we were going to search the beach and would send a message if we found him.

The beach quiet. Not many people were around and the few who were didn’t have any helpful information on Eason’s whereabouts. In a place like this where it was common for kids to run around, no one would think twice about seeing a young boy on his own.

“Luke, I’m really worried.” I said, wrapping my arms around myself. “What if Eason didn’t just walk away of his own free will? I mean, kidnappings happen in broad daylight, and in a busy place like this…”

He squeezed my hand. “If there’s no sign of him here, we’ll go back and get the police involved. They’ll be able to look at the camera footage and see if he left with anyone.”

“Right. I just- is that him?”

Far ahead, a small figure was standing beneath a large umbrella. Hopeful that it was the boy we were looking for, I pulled my hand free and sprinted across the sand towards him. Sure enough, it was him.

“Eason!” I exclaimed, slowing to a walk as I got close. “We’ve been looking all over for you, kiddo. Your parents are worried sick.”

He glared at me, a look too harsh for such a young face. “Go away! I don’t wanna go home!”

I stopped, eyes widened in surprise. I shook it off, deciding to try a more gentle approach. “Is something happening at home you don’t like?”

Eason scoffed, crossing his arms and turning his head in the other direction. “You grew up in a loving home. You wouldn’t understand.”

Luke’s hand found my shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze before he stepped towards the boy. “What makes you think that? My parents died before I could really remember them, and my wife here has spent most of her childhood in and out of the hospital.”

…Wife?

An intense blush instantly attacked my cheeks. Luke just referred to me as his wife. Not girlfriend, not partner, wife. The ultimate commitment a couple can make and the term just rolled off his tongue so naturally I don’t think he even realized he said it.

Luke’s wife… Robin Marie Pearce… I liked the sound of that a lot.

Coming out of my daze, I sent the oceanarium staff a message that we found Eason. Luke kept him distracted until his parents came to pick him up, apologizing profusely to their child for their lack of attention, then turned to thank us repeatedly as they walked away.

“I’m glad we found him.” I said, folding my hands behind my back and smiling at the retreating figures. “They’re not a perfect family, but who’s is?”

“As long as it’s a happy family, it’s perfect enough for me.” Luke replied, cheeks tinting red as he smiled. “I’d say ours is pretty perfect.”

Our Family.

Because of Luke’s illness and my heart condition, children wouldn’t be part of our future - at least not the current planned one. A pregnancy for me would be high risk and Luke didn’t want to leave his kids to grow up without both biological parents like he did, it was something we discussed early on in the relationship. Still, I couldn’t help but picture children running around our home on top of the antique store.

Turning to face him, I loosely wrapped my arms around his neck. “Do you remember what you said to Eason earlier?”

His head tilted to the side. “I said a lot of things. Which one are you talking about?”

“About how your parents passed before you could remember them.” Standing on the tips of my toes, I whispered into his ear. “And how your wife spent her childhood in the hospital.”

Luke’s face was beet red as I pulled away, eyes wide, shy and embarrassed.

He looked so adorable I couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re cute. Give me a kiss.”

Cupping his cheeks between my hands I pressed my lips to his, giggling against his mouth. It’s been a while since I’ve seen him so flustered, but it was just as sweet as the first time.

Luke’s phone buzzed, cutting off the kiss before it could last too long. “It’s the staff. Dinner’s ready.”

“Dinner already?” I asked, turning my head to look at the sun hovering just above the ocean. “I didn’t even realize the sun was setting. Look how pretty the ocean is sparkling.”

I sensed him stepping away. “Hold that pose.”

I bit back a laugh as he started snapping photos with his phone, resisting the urge to playfully shake my head. I should have known he wasn’t gonna let this date go by without sneaking in some pictures of me like this.

“Got it.” He said, flashing me a charming smile.

Finally able to look at him again, I raised a brow. “You take all these pictures of me yet I never get to see them. What exactly are you up to, Mr. Pearce?”

“You’ll see them one day.” He stuffed the phone into his pocket and held out his hand. “Ready to eat?”

“Yeah.” I pretended to look at something in the sky. “Luke, look!”

The corner of his lips curled up. “Nice try. Even if you did get my phone, they’re in an encrypted file.”

Huffing, I placed my hand in his. “One day, I’m gonna figure out what you’re doing with those.”

He gave my hand a squeeze and started leading me back to the oceanarium. He mumbled something under his breath, and while I couldn’t quite make it out, it sounded like he said something along the lines of ‘I hope not anytime soon’.

~~~~~~~~~~

Leaving the woman’s change room, now dressed in a long-sleeved shirt and a pair of tights, I returned to the underwater tunnel we would be sleeping in for the night. Several sleeping mats were spread out, all an appropriate distance from each group to offer some privacy. Luke was sitting on ours, tapping away on his phone.

“You’re hair’s still wet.” I said, running my fingers through his damp locks. “Didn’t Rosa and her aunt scold you about this enough?”

His head snapped up. “You know about that?”

I smirked. “Yeah, and I know you used to have a bad habit of forgetting to pack a change of clothes. Come here.”

Luke set his phone aside and let me towel dry his hair. I did my best to be gentle, but when I pulled the towel away his chestnut hair looked just as messy as it did when he rolled out of bed every morning.

Laughing, I affectionately placed my hand under his chin. “You’re adorable, you know that?”

He put on a mock frown. “I thought we were here to get you to relax, not make fun of me.”

Giggling, I grabbed his comb. “Stay still.”

I combed through his hair, tapping his nose with my index finger when I was finished. Just as I finished, the staff instructed everyone to get in bed. Luke laid on his back, creating a space for me against his side. I rested my head on his chest, watching the fish swim through the tunnel on the other side of the glass.

“Tired?” Luke whispered, fingers gently massaging my scalp.

“Yeah.” I replied, pulling the blanket tighter around me. “Thank you, Luke. You always take such good care of me.”

“It’s not something you need to thank me for, and you take care of me, too.” His voice got even quieter. “Take slow, deep breaths. Focus on the quiet sounds of the tank.”

I did just that, holding each breath for a second before letting it out. I tuned out the soft chatter around us, watching the school of fish swim by peacefully. Luke’s heart was directly beneath my ear, it’s steady beating evening out my own and encouraging my body to relax. The sensation of his hand in my hair, the pattern of his breathing, encouraged my eyes to close. For the first time in several nights, they stayed closed.

~~~~~~~~~~

When I finally awoke, I felt like I had been asleep for decades. My eyelids were beyond heavy, body felt weighed down, mind unable to register where I was. It eventually came back to me, and as I sat up I realized two things. One, everyone around me was still asleep. Two, Luke wasn’t here.

Confused, I peeled the blanket off and got up, silently passing everyone and turning down the best hallway. I found Luke rather quickly, crouched with his back against the wall and a hand on his chest.

Panic immediately set in. Rushing over, I dropped to my knees in front of him. “Luke? Luke, what’s wrong? Do you need me to call my dad?”

He took a deep breath, shook his head, and dropped his hand from his chest to cup my cheek. “I’m okay. I just swallowed some gum, that’s all.”

Did he really? Or is he just trying not to worry me? Truth be told, I didn’t know anything about the details of Luke’s illness, just that it’s putting his life on a timer. It wasn’t my business and I would never push him to explain it to me, but that meant I had no idea what to look for in case it suddenly flared up.

I had no choice but to trust Luke, and since he was someone who never put himself first, it was hard to tell if he was being honest or downplaying his pain.

“Okay.” I said, voice full of uncertainty. “How did you swallow gum?”

“I bent down to tie my shoe.” He replied, standing up and bringing me with him. “Don’t laugh.”

I bit back the giggle that wanted to escape. “Please be more careful, Luke. You almost gave me a heart attack.”

“I’m sorry.” He took both my hands in his. “Follow me. I’ll make it up to you.”

Confused but interested, I let him lead me down another tunnel that ended with a descending flight of stairs.

“Where are we going?” I asked as we reached the bottom.

“You’ll see. Close your eyes.”

I did, hugging his arm as a way to stay grounded. I trusted Luke not to run me into anything and I knew he wouldn’t let me trip over something, but it was still nerve racking to walk without watching where you’re going.

Luke suddenly you stopped. “Okay, you can look now.”

I opened my eyes and gasped at the sight. The tunnel ended in a glass dome, surrounded my water and all kinds of colourful fish I hadn’t seen before. Stingrays, sea turtles, octopus and starfish, so many creatures shared the tank that I was finding new ones each time I shifted my gaze. If that wasn’t beautiful enough, the morning sunshine broke through the surface, making the coral sparkle.

“Oh, wow.” I breathed, one hand lifting to cover my mouth. “This is… I’m speechless.”

Luke smiled. “I found this place when I was working a case here last week. I knew you’d like it.”

“I love it.” Standing on the tips of my toes, I kissed his cheek. “Thank you for sharing this with me. You’re the best boyfriend ever.”

His cheeks turned a soft shade of pink. “You’re worth finding these things for. Anyway, what do you say we go get some breakfast? Seafood is on the menu this morning.”

I blinked in surprise. “Seafood? At an oceanarium? That’s pretty morbid.”

Luke looked confused. “But that just means it’s fresh, right?”

“Luke!” I exclaimed, lightly slapping his chest. “Way to kill the moment.”

Some days he could sweep me off my feet without even trying, and others made me question if he really understood the concept of a romance. Still, he was Luke and I loved every part of him dearly.

~~~~~~~~~

Several days passed since our overnight trip to the oceanarium and I haven’t had a problem sleeping since. I felt great, fantastic, even - and Luke’s little ‘wife’ slip up still hasn’t left my mind.

“Hey, Luke!” I called from the kitchen, shutting the fridge’s door. “Can we order a delivery for lunch? I’m craving pizza and wings.”

The loud sounds of his video game paused. “Sounds good!”

Pulling my phone from my pocket, I did a quick google search for the closest pizza shop and took a glance at the menu before dialing the number.

A woman picked up, her voice cheerful. “Thank you for calling Portia’s Pizza’s. What can I do for you?”

The kindness in her voice made me perk up. “I’d like to place an order for delivery, please. To Time’s Antiquities.”

“Alright, and what are you looking to order?”

“Can I get a large meat lovers and a side of sweet and sour wings please?”

“Is that the six pack of wings or the ten pack?”

I clicked my tongue as I thought. “Let’s do the ten pack.”

“Alright. I have a large meat lovers pizza and ten sweet and sour wings. Would you like to add any drinks?”

“No, thank you.”

“Awesome. It should be arriving in about twenty minutes. It was to Times Antiquities, yes?”

“That’s right.” Unable to help myself, I decided to try it myself. “My husband will meet them at the door.”

“I’ll let the driver know. Have a good day now.”

Hanging up the phone, I grinned like an idiot and turned around. I didn’t hear him approach, but Luke was standing by the sink, frozen in place with a glass in hand, coral eyes wide in shock.

“What?” I asked, playing innocent.

He coughed nervously, face bright red. “N-Nothing.”

“Did I make you upset?” I asked, looking down at my hands and playing with my fingers, pretending to be uneasy. “I’m sorry, I was just playing around…”

Panicking, Luke wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me off my feet. “No! No, baby that’s not it. I just-”

Laughter I could no longer control escaped. Placing my hands on his cheeks, I gave them a gentle pinch. “You’re so cute, Luke!”

Relief flashed briefly across his face before his expression fell into a sad one. “You were teasing me again.”

“I’m sorry.” I spoke between giggles. “I’ll give you kisses to make up for it.”

Luke’s eyes shinned with a playful light as he set me down, crossed his arms and turned his back to me. “I don’t want kisses.”

He walked out of the room without looking back.

“Luke!” I shouted, chasing after him. “Let me love you!”

The next twenty minutes were spent running around the house, and we got so distracted that the poor delivery boy had to call us to let us know the food had arrived.

#tears of themis #x oc #tot luke #luke pearce

[awalkthroughstellis]

Patience Rewarded

Warnings: Angst to comfort, original idea

Summary: As a private detective, an agent of the National Security Bureau and an investigator in the NXX, Luke’s ever the busy body. Robin’s supportive and has learned the art of patience, but when one week proves to be challenging, all she needs is a reminder that she’s good enough.

The house was annoyingly silent and far too lonely, as it’s been for almost a week now. Dating an agent for the National Security Bureau who also worked as a private investigator on the side, patience was key. There would be days you heard very little from them, nights they would come home too tired to eat. There would be cases that lasted for weeks, if not months and last minute summons that would take them miles away for days at a time.

Dating someone in this field was a test of patience, trust, and being supportive even when the distance was killing you. It was a test of courage, having to face each phone call with a worry that the person on the other line was about to say your loved one had lost their life on the job. Worst of all, if that were to happen, there would be no explanation for it especially if it had anything to do with a classified case.

Luke made me aware of all these things in the beginning, and I accepted each and every aspect. Being with him, loving him, was worth it.

I reminded myself of this as I pushed my last chunk of chicken around the plate with a fork, one elbow on the table while my cheek rested on the corresponding fist. Across from me was a full plate, the food likely cold by now. It had been sitting there for an hour, no sign of the man it was waiting for. The last few dinners had been like this.

Sighing, I set my fork down and got up, grabbing Luke’s plate and walking to the microwave to hide it inside. Grabbing a pen and sticky note, I wrote a message for Luke and stuck it to the microwave’s door.

Your dinner’s in here. Please eat something ~ R❤️

Several days ago, Luke shared with me that he was taking part in an investigation. He couldn’t tell me anything about it and he didn’t have to leave Stellis, he just wanted me to know in case there was ever a time I couldn’t get ahold of him. I appreciated that; he’s always told me what he could for my own peace of mind.

Whatever he was working on, it was taking several days. It’s not the first time he’s dealt with a long running case and it’s not the first time I’ve gone days on end without spending much time with him, but this time it was hitting hard. Why? I wasn’t sure. We’ve been in Stellis for a few months so I was used to the city by now and had a few friends, I had the antique shop to keep me busy and of course Peanut for company when he wasn’t helping Luke. I had hobbies like yoga and reading to take my mind off the time and chores always needed to be done.

So what was different this time then the others? Not that the others were any easier to deal with, but why, particularly now, did I miss Luke so badly?

‘Maybe it’s cuz he’s been spending so much time with Rosa.’

I shook my head, banishing the thought immediately. I promised myself I wouldn’t go there, that I wouldn’t get jealous of his childhood best friend, someone who helped shape Luke into the amazing man he is today. I’ve met Rosa before and consider her a good friend - she’s lovely and incredibly kind. She’s an attorney and likely was just aiding Luke on the case or vice versa.

Luke would never hurt me like that.

‘Doesn’t change the fact he was in love with her for so long.’

“I think it’s time for bed.” I said out loud, hoping it would shut my brain up.

Scrapping the remaining contents of my plate into the garbage, I put the leftover rice and mashed potatoes into the fridge before heading to the bathroom for a shower. I spent a little longer then normal under the hot water, soaking in the warmth I haven’t felt in what felt like an eternity. When I did finally get out, I changed into a tank top and fuzzy pants then crawled into bed.

I stayed up for another hour, scrolling through my phone in a final attempt to greet Luke when he came home. Every five minutes I was glancing at the door, listening for footsteps that never came. Every ten I was getting up to peek out the window, hoping to catch sight of his figure walking towards the shop. Every fifteen I was opening my messages, clicking on his name, then closing the app without sending anything.

By 10 PM I had given up. I clicked my phone off and set it on the nightstand, then got up one final time. Approaching the hamper in the corner of the room I dug through the laundry, pulling out the hoodie he wore yesterday. It was wrinkled but that didn’t matter, not when his scent was clinging to the fabric. The sleeves were a little longer then my arms, the bottom just a tad above the middle of my thighs. Wearing it made me feel like Luke was holding me, and as I crawled back into bed, I pretended he was.

~~~~~~~~~~

The other side of the bed dipped beneath someone’s weight. The perpetrator was moving slowly as if not to wake me, but did anyway. In my barely awake state, I could only manage a whine as I tried to look behind me.

A voice shushed. “It’s just me.”

Luke.

I rolled over and snuggled in close, head resting on his chest as his arm wrapped around my waist. “Welcome-” I yawned. “-home. Did you eat?”

“Yeah, it was delicious. Thank you, baby.” I felt his lips against my hair. “Don’t lose your sleep. We can talk in the morning.”

I didn’t respond, focusing my attention on the lullaby of his heartbeat. It was strong and steady, the gentle rise and fall of his chest in time with his breaths pushing my consciousness away. His warmth, the safety of his presence, all of it made me forget about the worries plaguing my mind. At least for now.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Robin.” A hand touched my face, gently brushing hair behind my ear. “Wakey wakey sleeping beauty.”

I groaned and buried my face into the pillow. “Don’t wanna…”

Luke chuckled. “You gotta take your medicine, and how am I supposed to leave without a kiss first?”

Leave? That depressing word banished drowsiness instantly, leaving me to blink a few times to clear my vision. Luke was dressed and had his camera hanging off his shoulder, clearly ready to go somewhere.

Confused, I sat up. “Are we supposed to go somewhere I forgot about?”

He shook his head. “No. Rosa and I are gonna grab breakfast before getting back to work on this case.” His expression shifted to one of guilt. “I was gonna make something this morning so we could eat together, but I slept later then I meant to. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, Luke. You were at it for hours yesterday. I’m just glad you got some rest.” I waved my hand in a ‘come here’ motion and Luke responded by sitting on the edge of the bed. Placing a hand on his cheek I leaned forward to kiss his lips. “Have a good day. I love you.”

He gave me a kiss too. “I love you, too. Don’t overwork yourself in the shop - if there’s anything you need me to handle, I’ll do it when I get back. Then we can enjoy dinner over a movie, your pick. How’s that sound?”

I hummed, sneaking a third kiss before letting him go. I stayed put, waiting for the sound of the door closing before falling back onto the mattress with a disappointed sigh. Of course I wanted to spend the morning with Luke, but he must be exhausted with all the hours he’s putting into this case. It won’t last forever, I just have to be patient a while longer. Besides, with our at home movie date tonight, I was sure to feel recharged.

~~~~~~~~~~

I practically skipped around the living room as I prepared it for tonight, making sure everything was perfect. The number of pillows on the couch had doubled, a large weighed blanket resting over the back and waiting for it’s time to shine. The coffee table was cleared of everything except a bag of pretzel sticks sitting in one corner, ready to be eaten after dinner. I stood in front of the TV, flipping through a list of new additions to Netflix. I was having trouble choosing between romance or comedy, but after stumbling on ‘Isn’t It Romantic’ I knew we had a winner. It was a blend of the two genres, not to mention the lead actress was one of my favourites.

My phone rang just then, playing Pink Panther’s theme song. Only one number was assigned to that song, and without hesitation, I pulled the phone from the back pocket of my jeans and pressed the green button.

“Hey handsome, on your way home? What do you think about ordering takeout for dinner instead of cooking?” I asked, setting the remote on the table. “Our poor letter holder is drowning in coupons.”

“Robin…” The tone in Luke’s voice was easy to recognize - it was the soft, uneasy one he used when giving me bad news.

My shoulders dropped, smile faltering. “Things are taking longer then expected, huh?”

“I’m sorry.” He said, and I could visualize the look on his face. “We made a breakthrough in the case and-”

“You don’t need to explain. I understand. Besides, it’s not like movie nights are rare. We’ll celebrate once your job is done. Rosa can come, too. I’m sure she’s just as exhausted as you are.”

“I’ll make it up to you, I promise.” Rosa’s voice was in the background, but I couldn’t pick up on what she was saying. “I have to go. Call me if there’s an emergency.”

“I will. I love you, Luke.”

“I love you, too. Sleep well, Lovebug.”

The line went dead. Sighing, I pulled the phone from my ear and shoved it back into my pocket, switching the TV off. I wasn’t in the mood for a movie anymore. I’d rather just go to bed.

~~~~~~~~~~

The room was dark, every corner blanketed in the darkest of shadows. Every piece of furniture, everything that once made this place home was gone. The only thing left was the window, the glass discoloured from various stains and dust.

The world outside was full of light, rays of sunshine showering upon the couple below. They stood in the driveway, loading a large pile of luggage into a silver car. The woman had a petite build, medium length brown hair and golden eyes. Her smile was beautiful and full of kindness. The man was tall, had messy chestnut hair and wore a golden key around his neck, which swung back and forth as he tossed suitcases into the trunk. They looked like newly weds preparing to set out on their honeymoon.

The man looked up just then, coral eyes meeting mine through the glass. I backed away, hiding in the darkness. His eyes were beautiful but looking at them filled my chest with an indescribable agony.

I waited a while, and when I stepped back towards the window for another look, all I saw was the silver car backing out of the driveway. As it disappeared down the road it took the sunlight with it until the world beyond the glass was pitch black too.

My eyes opened, revealing the wall I almost always saw when I woke up every morning. The room was dark, a sign that the sun was still asleep. The darkness reminded me too much of that horrible dream, much so that I didn’t want to be in it anymore.

I sat up and reached towards the lamp, turning it on. I jumped as someone groaned behind me. Whipping my head around, I caught sight of Luke covering his eyes with one hand, the other trying to block the light.

“Sorry!” I exclaimed in a hushed whisper, quickly flicking out the light. “I didn’t realize you were home.”

“It’s okay.” He said, voice thick with sleep as his arm dropped over his stomach. “What’s wrong?”

I bit the inside of my cheek. He sounded exhausted; the last thing I wanted to do add more to his plate. “Nothing, I just need a drink, that’s all.”

Peeling the blanket from my body I slipped out of bed, leaving the door open a crack on my way out. I followed the wall to the kitchen and turned on the light there, not wanting to disturb Luke any further. Opening the cabinet I grabbed a glass and turned on the faucet, filling it to the brim with water.

‘He wasn’t holding you. Luke always holds you when he sleeps.’ A voice in my head said.

‘He doesn’t have too. He’s exhausted and was probably being considerate not to wake us up.’

‘Luke’s always putting you first. He’d suffer in an unhappy relationship for your sake.’

‘That’s not true. Luke loves me. He’s never given me a reason to doubt him.’

‘Maybe not, but eventually he’s gonna get tired of being your caretaker.’

I froze, the glass half-way to my lips. Blinking rapidly I set it down, my momentary shock giving the awful voice more room to speak.

‘You’ll never be for him what she can. You can’t bring in the income she could.’

‘Relationships aren’t about money.’

‘But when you make a home it’s a factor. Luke covers most of the expenses - he technically pays you. It’s his antique shop. He stays on top of you for your medication, he takes you to almost all of your doctors appointments, does all the heavy housework… How could you ever be an equal partner to him?’

My hands were shaking as I stepped away from the counter. Letting out a shakey breath I moved to the living room, taking a seat on the couch as I tried to settle the rising storm. I didn’t want to go back to bed like this. No matter how hard I tried to beat the voice back, it wouldn’t go away.

A sob escaped without my permission and I quickly clasped my hand over my mouth, muffling my cries as tears started to pool in my eyes. Grabbing one of the many pillows littering the couch I buried my face into it, shoulders shaking each time a sob tore through my chest.

The voice was right… Rosa could keep up with him better then I ever could.

“Robin?” Luke’s voice reached my ears, the open space next to me on the couch dipping beneath his weight. “Hey, what’s wrong? Is your chest hurting you?”

He sounded worried, almost frantic. Crying too much to speak I shook my head, refusing to lift my face from the pillow that was undoubtedly soaked in tears by now. With strength I forgot he had, Luke lifted me from the cushion and sat me sideways on his lap. He didn’t try to take the pillow from me, just held me close with one arm around my waist and the other gently holding the back of my head.

“Talk to me. Whatever it is, I’ll help you.” He said, voice low and just for me.

Sniffling, I lifted my head just enough to avoid having my voice muffled. “It’s dumb.”

“If it’s upsetting you, it’s not dumb.”

“Yes it is.” I argued, voice cracking. “You have enough stress to deal with right now… I-” A hiccup cut me off. “I don’t want to make it worse.”

His hold on me tightened. “Nothing about you is stressful, Robin. I’m sorry I haven’t been around much as of late. I’m sorry I wasn’t here to help you sooner, but I’m here now. Please talk to me.”

I stubbornly shook my head. “I don’t want you to feel bad. The littlest thing goes wrong and you carry guilt you don’t need to be carrying. It’s not your fault, you’ve done nothing but make me feel loved and secure, but my insecurities just won’t go away. I want the voice in my head to stop but it won’t shut up.”

“What’s it saying?”

Finally, I looked up at him. His profile was a little blurry but I didn’t care. Blurry or not, he was still my Luke. “That you deserve better. Someone healthy that can keep up with you and contribute more.”

Luke’s expression changed to that of a heartbroken man. “No… Baby, no…”

Shaking his head, he leaned down and started peppering my face in kisses, whispering more ‘no’s’ between each one. He was holding me so tightly, cradled me so close to his chest I could feel it thumping against my ribs.

“What do I have to do? How do I make it go away?” He asked, sounding as though he was about to cry.

“I don’t know.” I whisper, head falling against his chest. He wasn’t wearing his key but if he was, I would have been toying with it as a distraction.

Silence fell over the room, but it wasn’t tense nor uncomfortable. It was the silence that came with two people lost deeply in their thoughts, scrambling to piece together something to say, something that would bring the other person comfort.

Luke seemed to have organized his own first. “Earlier, you said I deserve to be with someone healthy. Someone who can keep up and contribute more. You are all of that. Your heart is sick but you’re strong and healthy, and I don’t have the cleanest medical record either. You’re always on the go, always willing to help where it’s needed. You contribute to this place so much more then you realize. It’s not just a shop, an office and a house when you’re here.” He flashed me my favourite closed eyed and red cheeked smile. “You make this place home.”

As his words sunk in, my eyes started to water again. “You mean that?”

“What, you don’t believe me?” He asked, lips curling into a playful grin.

In the blink of an eye my back was against the couch, sides being assaulted by playful fingers. I squealed and tried to wiggle away from the tickle attack, but with Luke’s weight pinning me down I wasn’t going anywhere.

“L-Luke!” I called through my giggles, unsuccessfully trying to push his arms away. “O-Okay! I believe you! I bel-believe you!”

“Say ‘I know Luke loves and cherishes me with all his heart.”

I barely had any air in my lungs to repeat the entire thing, but I tried. “I-I know L-Luke loves and ch-cherishes me w-with a-all his h-heart! Now stop t-tickling me!”

His hands disappeared from my sides, slipping under my back instead. He pulled me up and straightened us out so I was sitting on his lap, one arm wrapped around his shoulders while the other rested against his chest.

“Feeling better now?” He asked.

I nodded, leaning forward to peck his lips. “Much better. Thank you, Luke.”

“You don’t need to. I do these things because I love you.” One of his hands started running up and down my back. “What do you say we watch that movie now?”

“Right now? At,” I glanced at the clock. “1:40 in the morning? Don’t you have that case to work on tomorrow?”

Luke shook his head. “We wrapped it up today. Tomorrow is a well deserved break. Don’t suppose you’d be willing to keep me company, would you?”

Giggling, I kissed him again. “I think I can fit you in.”

One kiss turned into two, then three then four until the movie was completely forgotten. It didn’t go further that tonight, but each kiss made up for every hour I spent without Luke. Heart full and battery recharged, I was sure to be in a good mood tomorrow.

#tears of themis #x oc #tot luke #luke pearce

[awalkthroughstellis]

Stroke Of Midnight

Warnings: Spoilers for Luke’s SR card “A Star in the Palm”, sexual tension, spicy ending

Summary: New Years Eve shouldn’t be celebrated alone! Luke and Robin decide to visit the owner of a bar, only to discover he’s in trouble. What a way to end of the year then with a case - and wrapped up in the arms of a loved one.

The massive digital clock on the wall was moving way too slow, much so that I was bouncing on my heels as if doing so would make it go faster. The lobby was quiet, though it was expected at such a late hour. Only a few other people were waiting for loved ones, and unlike me who was bursting with excited energy, they were sitting in chairs looking as though they would fall asleep any minute.

Luke’s plane would be landing soon and I was going to be the first to greet him. Rosa wanted to come but something came up at the firm so she had to work, but said she would call once the problem was settled.

A few days ago, Luke received a sudden notice to return to the capital. I knew it was something with the Bureau so I didn’t push for details since it was classified, but the timing was awful with New Years just around the corner. Luckily, he was gonna make it home to celebrate. Although it was our second New Years together it was our first one in Stellis, one to be commemorated.

My phone buzzed, a text from Rosa.

Rosa: Did the plane land yet?

Me: No. It’s taking it’s sweet time. I wanna see him so bad.

Rosa: How much longer?

Me: Board says 15 more minutes of torture.

“You’re looking at the wrong plane, Lovebug.”

I gasped, nearly dropping my phone in shock. My neck turned, eyes meeting bright pools of coral. A high-pitched squeal escaped my lips, body turning on its own and launching into his embrace. Luke caught me easily, the warm and strong arms I missed so much wrapping around my back and holding me tightly. I nuzzled my face into his neck and took in a big breath, filling my nose with his scent. He smelled like wood and leather, a common smell around the antique shop. Despite all the days he’s been away, the smell of home clung to him as tightly as I was.

Luke patted my back. “I love the enthusiastic greeting, but I can’t breathe.”

I forced my arms to relax, pulling back just enough to giggle against his lips. “Sorry. Welcome home, Luke.”

He hummed, closing the distance between our lips for a quick kiss. “I’m glad to be home. You didn’t have to pick me up, you know. You could have stayed home, warm and cozy and fast asleep.”

“I haven’t been warm or cozy or sleeping well since you left. The bed’s too big without you. The room’s been too quiet.” I covered my yawn.

An expression of guilt appeared on his face. “I’m sorry.”

I shook my head, standing on the tips of my toes to kiss his cheek. “It’s not your fault. Work is work, and I’m proud of you and all you do. The nights were lonely but I survived. Besides, I knew you would be back.” I rubbed his arms. “Let’s go home, yeah?”

The ride felt long. With how smoothly the taxi was travelling combined with the comfort of my head resting on Luke’s shoulder, his thumb making gentle circles on the back of my hand, my eyelids were getting heavier by the second. Just as I was about to fall asleep, it was over. Luke paid the driver and helped my tired self out of the car, through the antique shop and his office before finally reaching our apartment on the third floor.

I yawned again, the biggest one yet as I slid off my jacket. “I don’t think I’m gonna make it to bed.”

Taking my coat, Luke hung it in the closet before scooping me into his arms. “I got you.”

It was impossible to keep my eyes open any longer. Luke was careful as he carried me to the room, gentle as he set me down on the bed. In my half asleep state I struggled to change clothes, much so that Luke had to help me button my night shirt.

“Sorry.” I mumbled, rubbing my eyes as he popped the last button into place. “You’re exhausted too.”

“It’s okay. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I left my girl to struggle after she was kind enough to pick me up?”

He kissed the top of my head as he stood up, moving to turn off the light. I hauled my legs up onto the mattress and let myself fall back onto the pillow. I almost didn’t have the energy to turn onto my side, but the desire to be held by Luke throughout the night fuelled my willpower.

The other side of the bed dipped, an arm snaked around my waist and pulled my figure closer until a chest and stomach were pressed against my back. His warmth was better then the blanket itself and I couldn’t help but snuggle further into him.

Luke’s lips softly touched the side of my neck. “Sleep well, Robin.”

The only response I could manage was a hum.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Enemy on your left!”

“What? Where? I can’t see- AH!”

I smiled and shook my head, emptying the bag of tortilla chips into a bowl. The TV in the other room roared with gunfire, amped up voices commentating and shouting warnings every so often. While our original New Years plans were supposed to be more outdoors, they were changed to make it more relaxing for Luke. He did just come back from a work trip, after all.

Balancing the chips in one hand and jar of salsa in the other I left the kitchen and joined the others in the living room. Luke was lounging on his massive bean bag chair while Rosa took one end of the couch, each had a controller in hand, rapidly clicking away at the buttons.

“You winning?” I asked, setting the bowls on the coffee table.

“Barely.” Rosa said, shooting down an enemy. “I don’t remember this game being so hard.”

Watching the split screen, I dipped a chip into the salsa and ate it. Fighting and shooting type games weren’t my favourite to play but I didn’t mind watching them, especially when Luke was playing. It was well worth listening to gunshots for an hour if it meant I got to spend time with him.

A bright red ‘GAME OVER’ popped up on Rosa’s half of the screen. “Darn it. I died.”

Tossing the controller onto the couch, she reached for a chip.

I turned to my boyfriend. “Luke, you want a chip?”

“Yes please, baby.” He replied, eyes never leaving the TV.

Scooping a decent amount of salsa onto a chip, I brought it to his lips. Luke leaned over and took it between his teeth, smiling happily as he chewed. One of his hands let go of the controller, arm lifting to create a space - an invitation. I giggled and sat sideways on his lap, leaning against his chest. The open arm closed around me, gripping the controller again and mashing buttons.

“Do you want to play, Robin?” Rosa asked, holding her controller out to me.

I shook my head. “I’m content here.”

The friends played for a few more rounds before Rosa had to leave to get ready for a work party. She felt awful not spending Luke’s first New Years back home with him but she was a big participant in the planning and preparation for the event. Of course, Luke didn’t hold any ill feelings and was very supportive.

While he saw her out, I dug through his box of games for something easier we could play together. He had a pretty big collection so there were several small boxes worth, and as I went through them, found one that didn’t belong in the pile. One particular box looked rather plain, but upon lifting the lid, discovered a bottle of alcohol I completely forgot existed. ‘It’s not over till it’s over’ was written on the label with beautiful handwriting and was signed by ‘Bar • L’.

Sensing Luke’s return, I turned to him and held up the bottle. “Look what I found.”

“That brings back memories.” He said, walking up beside me. There was so little distance between us that I could feel his body heat. “It’s been a while since I went to visit.”

“This is that bar you were working a case at when we first got to Stellis, right? Why don’t we go visit tonight?”

“Are you sure? You hate the smell of alcohol.”

I set the bottle back in its box and turned to face him. “I do, but I can tolerate it. Besides, the owner was good to you. I wanna meet him.”

Luke smiled. “Okay. Let’s get ready, then.”

~~~~~~~~~~

We arrived at the bar minutes after it opened, the silver bell above the door ringing as we stepped inside. Very few customers were inside, so few that the place was practically silent. An older man, somewhere in his early to mid forties stood behind the counter, wiping the wood down with a cloth.

The man looked up as we approached, a wide grin appearing on his face. “Well, if it isn’t Luke. Welcome back.”

“Hi, Mr. Cole.” Luke greeted, holding a stool steady as I climbed onto it. “How have you been?”

“Same old, same old. Business is as strong as ever.” Mr. Cole’s kind eyes turned to me. “You must be Robin. Luke’s talked about you so much I feel as though we’ve already met.”

My boyfriend’s face turned red. “Mr. Cole…”

I laughed and reached out to shake his hand. “It’s a pleasure to officially meet you. Thank for you looking out for Luke during his time here.”

“Ah, don’t mention it. Matter of fact, it was the ‘detective bartender’ that looked out for the customers better then I could. The regulars will be thrilled to see you again.”

“Detective bartender?” I asked, head turning to look at Luke. “You never told me about that.”

Luke shrugged. “It’s nothing exciting. It’s just a nickname the patrons gave me for picking up small cases during my time here, that’s all.”

Mr. Cole waved him off. “Always so modest. You see Miss, the name was born when Luke solved a customer’s problems within the time it took him to make a single drink.”

I couldn’t help but giggle. “Sounds just like my Luke.”

The bartender slid a menu across the counter. “Care for a drink? The right panel is all non-alcoholic.”

I was about to ask how he knew I couldn’t drink, but that must have been something else Luke shared with him. A small part of me felt a little shy about it, but for the most part, was happy Luke talked to others about me. I knew he would only ever say good things.

I looked at Luke. “Any recommendations?”

He leaned closer, peering at the menu. “You’ll like the summer fruit. It’s got a little tang to it but it’s not too strong.”

Smiling, I looked at Mr. Cole. “I’ll take a summer fruit then.”

He nodded and got to work. It didn’t take long at all, and before so knew it, a tall glass with a blend of orange and red was placed in front of me. A slice of orange was floating on top of the drink, a tiny umbrella leaning against the edge with a cherry on its stem.

The drink was delicious. Mango and watermelon were the dominant flavours but a hint of pineapple was in there also. None of the flavours were too overpowering and the consistency was a little thicker then juice.

“Oh wow.” I said, setting the glass back on the counter. “That’s incredible. You’re really good at this, Mr. Cole.”

The man smiled. “Lots and lots of practice. It’s a shame Luke never brought you around while he was bartending - he makes them really well, too.”

The bell on the door rang and Mr. Cole excused himself from the counter.

I took another sip of the drink. “I should have come around when you were working here. I would have loved to see you behind the counter.”

Luke chuckled, chestnut hair shifting as he shook his head. “It really wasn’t anything exciting to watch. Besides, I wouldn’t expect you to hang around a place you can’t enjoy just because I’m there. Today I’m also a customer so I can keep you company, but back then, I was at everyone’s beck and call.”

“That’s true.” Smirking, I gave him a playful look. “I bet you looked dashing in uniform, though.”

His cheeks flared. “That’s-”

“Don’t ever call me again!” A voice shouted behind me.

I jumped, Luke’s hand shooting out to support my back so I didn’t tip the stool over. Looking back my eyes found Mr. Cole, shaking his head while shoving his phone back into his pocket. Whatever conversation he had, it left him displeased.

“Sorry about that.” Mr. Cole forced a smile as he stepped back behind the bar.

“Are you in trouble?” Luke asked, resting his elbows on the counter.

“It was just a harassment call. Nothing to concern yourselves over.”

“You’re not the type to react like that over a harassment call. What’s going on?”

Mr. Cole sighed, then started to explain. “A while back I loaned money to someone. They sighed a loan slip but when I went to collected what I’m owed, he claimed to never have borrowed from me. I sued but nothing came out of the investigation - it appears he’s learned how to write with the opposite hand. He was a lefty when he was younger.”

He passed a file over to Luke, who began to read it over with a stern, determined look on his face. As curious as I was I stayed out of it - I wouldn’t understand most of it, anyway.

Mr. Cole sighed. “Honestly, it wasn’t that much money. It’ll be a loss but not a damaging one.”

“It sounds like you’re giving up.” I said, shaking my head. “I’m not a detective or anything, but Mr. Cole, if you let this go who knows how many others he’ll target next?”

“Robin’s right.” Luke said, closing the file. “I’m the detective bartender for a reason. I’ll have the evidence you need by midnight.”

~~~~~~~~~~

HOT&CLUB was very different then Mr. Cole’s place. While Bar•L felt classy and quiet, HOT&CLUB had a bright neon sign and music so loud I could hear it clearly from outside the front door. Aydan Jimenez, the man we were looking for, was known to frequent this location.

“What’s the plan?” I asked, looking up at the man holding my hand.

Luke took a moment to think. “Aydan must have a big ego to call Mr. Cole and taunt him like that. He seems rather familiar with bars so I’m betting he knows a thing or two about common games. I’ll challenge him to a match of darts or billiards, and if he’s desperate enough to win, he’ll likely swap dominate hands.”

“That sounds great, but do you think he’ll accept? He just figured out Mr. Cole’s other detective was on his trail, and even though the deadline is in a few hours he must still have his guard up.” I paused. “Let me be the bait.”

“No.” He shot the idea down immediately.

“I’ll have a better chance luring him into a trap.” Trying to lighten the mood, I stepped in front of him and attempted to tease. “What? Am I not pretty enough?”

Luke shook his head, expression serious. He wasn’t paying my comment any mind. “You’re beautiful, Robin. Any guy in there is going to have a tough time keeping their eyes off you.” Lifting our intertwined hands, he pressed the back of mine against his chest. “I don’t want you to put yourself in an uncomfortable position. Not for me, not for Mr. Cole, not for anyone.”

I couldn’t help but soften my gaze. “I know, and I would never offer to do something like this if I didn’t trust you. I know you’ll intervene if it gets out of hand, and Mr. Cole has been so kind to someone I love so much. I want to help him. I can do this, Luke.”

He sighed, shoulders falling in defeat. “Don’t go anywhere secluded with him, and don’t drink anything you’re given. You’ll be in my line of sight the entire time. I promise.”

Smiling, I stood on the tips of my toes and kissed his cheek in gratitude. We headed inside and started looking around for Aydan, who Luke easily picked out from the row of people sitting around the bar. He was off to one side, a few empty seats between him and the other customers. It was so busy that he didn’t notice us enter.

Luke and I split ways, and as I approached the target, put on my best mask and pretended to be nervous. I slid into the seat next to him, pretended to look around for the bartender before glancing up at the massive menu hanging between the tall shelves of alcohol.

“First time in a bar?” A voice asked.

My head turned, eyes meeting Aydan’s. He had a thin build, short hair and eyes so full of pride it made me feel worthless just looking into them.

I forced a small smile. “Is it that obvious?” Pushing the performance further, I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear as if I were shy. “My friend bailed and it seemed like a waste to go home after coming all the way here, so…”

“Sounds to me like you need better friends. How could anyone leave such a gorgeous woman all on her own? And in a place like this no less.” He flashed a smile. “What’s your name?”

“Marie.” I said, giving him my middle name instead of my first.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Marie. I’m Aydan.”

Before I could register what was going on, he lifted my hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to the back of it. My eyes slightly widened and I had to resist the urge to turn my head and look at Luke. As minor as the display was, I felt so, so guilty.

Forcing a giggle, I pulled my hand back and held it to my chest, discreetly trying to wipe off the feel of his lips. “I don’t suppose you’d know anything about the games here, would you? My friend was going to teach me how to play, but she’s not here, so…”

Aydan puffed out his chest proudly. “As a matter of fact, I know my way well around the art of darts. I normally charge for lessons but for you, I’ll make it free.”

“That’s so sweet. Thank you.”

Aydan got off the stool and lead me to the back of the bar where a dart board and two billiards tables were set up. A group of friends were playing pool on the table furthest from the dartboard. Just as we got there Aydan stepped away, and when he returned, was holding a glass of what looked like iced tea - though the colour was slightly off.

“I realized you never did end up ordering. One iced tea, on me.” He said, holding it out to me.

“Oh.” I said, trying to find a believable excuse to reject it. “That’s very kind of you, but-”

“Long Island iced tea?” A familiar voiced asked. “You did ask the lady if she drank before ordering for her, didn’t you?”

I mentally sighed in relief as Luke approached. His presence instantly made me calmer, the stress of acting easing a little.

Aydan clicked his tongue and stepped back, setting the glass on the edge of the empty pool table next to us. “You trying to start something, pal?”

Luke chuckled lightheartedly. “Not at all. In case you haven’t noticed, we’re in a bar. It’s normal to hit on pretty girls here. While your method is to strike when they’re tipsy, mine,” He looked at me just then, the smile he wore a rebellious one. “Is to charm them off their feet.”

Under that coral gaze, my mind went blank. In the blink of an eye my calm, sweet Luke has turned into someone I almost didn’t recognize. The aura he put off was confident with a hint of danger, the tone of his voice drew me in and made my heart skip beats every time he spoke. The boy next door gone bad… that’s what this felt like.

Luke smoothly slipped the trio of red darts from my grasp, thumb running along the back of my hand as he did so. The contact left my skin warm and tingling, and the way he held my gaze as he spun one of the darts on his fingertip ignited embers in the pit of my stomach. An urge was starting to arise and I had to use all my power to ignore it.

Finally breaking eye contact with me, Luke turned to Aydan. “What do you say? Wanna go for a round?”

The target snickered. “501, double in and out.”

“Fine.” Seeming to lose interest in Aydan, my own boyfriend turned his attention to hitting on me instead. “Hey beautiful, do you know how scores are kept in darts?”

The compliment had my cheeks burning, but I couldn’t resist flirting back. Why waste this golden opportunity? Besides, if it bruised Aydan’s ego and increased the chances of him slipping up, it was a smart move.

Shifting my weight to one leg and letting my hip lean into the side of the pool table, I bit my lower lip and shook my head. “Will you explain it to me?”

Luke’s eyes flickered to my lips, grin growing. He was great at staying in character. “The board has twenty segments. The numbers around the board give different points from one through twenty. There’s two rings on the board, one being a double area and the other is treble.”

“So, hitting a double gives double points and landing on treble gives triple, right?”

“You catch on quick.”

Giggling, I casually leaned in a little closer. “What does ‘501’ and ‘double in and out’ mean?”

“Double in and out’ means a player can only start scoring after hitting a double, and that player can only win by hitting a double. ‘501’ is the score each player starts with, and it’s deduced as they throw darts. There’s twenty rounds in a match. Each player is allowed three darts per round. First to zero wins.”

Aydan cut in just then. From how tightly his fists were balled, his patience must be wearing thin. “You know, twenty rounds is a long time for someone so lovely to wait. Three rounds will suffice.”

“Only three?” I asked, pretending to sound surprised. “Is it possible to win with only nine darts?”

Aydan winked and stepped up to the throwing line. “Don’t worry, gorgeous. I’ll show you just how many ways I can blow your mind.”

I wasn’t even touching Luke yet I could sense how tense he was. Whether it was the shorter round time or Aydan’s flirting that was upsetting him, I wasn’t one hundred percent sure. If I had to make a bet on it, I would put my money down on the flirting. We had a dartboard at home as one of Luke’s habits was throwing darts when he had a lot on his mind. He’s a great shot and there was not a single doubt in my mind that he would lose.

A loud whistle snapped me from my thoughts. “Eyes on me, beautiful.”

Those words, ones I heard often on intimate nights, had my body so hot steam was practically rising from my skin. My heart pounded at the hint of aggression hidden in Luke’s eyes, an emotion I’ve rarely if ever seen in them before. My voice was robbed from me, fingers gripping the edge of the pool table so hard my nails were probably leaving scratches on the wood.

Luke chuckled. “That’s it. Don’t look away.”

‘You’re in public, you’re in public, you’re in public.’ I repeated this mantra over and over as Luke made his shots, nailing each and every section he said he would hit.

The cocky look on Aydan’s face vanished as the last dart hit the board. He huffed and flung his batch of darts into the air, catching them in his left hand as he approached the board again. I was still so flustered that I almost forgot what we came here for, but luckily, remembered just in time to pull out my phone and secretly record Aydan’s throws. Just as we thought, he was doing so much better with his left.

The game ended in a tie but with the evidence collected, it was a win. I shut my camera off and stuffed it back into my pocket, trying to think of an excuse to leave.

Aydan looked my way just then. “Beautiful Marie, let me guess: you’re going to leave now and tell the old man to submit his appeal, hmm?”

I froze. When did he figure it out?

The target waved his phone in the air tauntingly. “It’s 12:10. The deadline’s passed. Looks like I win.”

Luke laughed, setting his dart back in the holder where they belonged. “Some bars don’t have clocks because they want customers to forget about the time while they’re here. That means you’ll have to rely on your phone, but phones are easy to hack into.”

Aydan’s screen suddenly went dark, and when it lit up again, the time read 11:30 instead.

The man clutched his phone, the vein in his forehead bugling so much I thought it was going to explode. “You-!”

I gasped as he rushed towards Luke. Before I could even blink it was over - Aydan went flying back a few feet before landing hard on his back.

“Luke!” I exclaimed, rushing to his side.

“I’m okay.” He quickly reassured, placing a hand on my cheek, caressing my skin with his thumb. “It’s time to go.”

Pulling me closer, he draped his arm over my shoulders and guided me out of the bar. He called Mr. Cole on the way out to remind him to apply for appeal before time ran out.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” I asked, stopping him in the middle of the sidewalk. “He didn’t hurt you?”

Luke shook his head. “Not even a scratch. I have combat training, remember?”

Biting the inside of my cheek, I looked down at my boots. “I’m sorry.”

“What for?” The Luke I knew was back in full force, cupping my cheeks in his hands and titling my head up. “You did great in there.”

“But it hurt you to watch, didn’t it?” Placing my hands on his, I nuzzled into his left palm. “I was trying so hard not to cringe when Aydan got close, or when he made a comment, but with you, I didn’t have to act. I felt safe.”

His lips touched my forehead, lingering there for a short while. “I know. You may have fooled Aydan but you’re not good enough of an actor to trick me. I know where your heart lies.”

A loud pop sounded, the sky above lighting up with a stream of bright colours. Firework after firework exploded in the sky, all different shapes and sizes.

“Midnight.” I whispered, smiling up at the sky.

Luke let my face go, hands finding my waist instead. “So much for celebrating at Bar•L.”

“I don’t mind. This is great as it is.” I wrapped my arms around his neck. “Happy New Year, Luke. I wish you another happy, healthy year.”

“I wish the same for you.” He dipped his head down. “Can I have a kiss?”

Giggling, I did as he asked and pressed my lips to his.

~~~~~~~~~~

By the time we got back home it was just after 2 AM. We stopped by Bar•L again to hand the video footage over to Mr. Cole, who was extremely grateful for Luke’s help. The street we lived on was rather quiet tonight, no sign of a party on the entire block.

“You know, it doesn’t even feel that late.” I said, kicking off my boots.

Luke came up behind me just as I unzipped my coat, sliding it off my shoulders and hanging it on the hook next to the door. “So, you’re not tired?”

“Not at all, strangely.”

Humming, he came up behind me a second time and wrapped his arms around my waist, gently pulling my back against his chest and swaying back and forth with me softly.

“What about you? Are you ready for bed?” I asked, letting my weight fall against him. He supported me effortlessly.

“Not just yet.” His lips pressed against the skin just below my ear. “I wanna spend some more time with you.”

“What do you wanna do? We can watch a movie, or play a ga- Luke.”

My eyes fell shut as his kisses slowly trailed further down my neck. I subconsciously titled my head to the side, giving him more room to work as his hold on me tightened. Each touch of his lips left a lingering heat behind, one that seeped beneath my skin, awakening desires I had to put to bed earlier.

“Luke.” I breathed his name again, back trying to arch as he reached the juncture between my neck and shoulder.

“Do you have any idea how that guy was looking at you?” He asked, voice quiet as his fingers snuck beneath the hem of my shirt, drawing slow circles on my stomach.

I moaned, body pushing into him further to feel more. His touch, his voice, the way his breath tickled my hot skin as he spoke, it was all so much I could barely think straight.

“He was looking at you as if you were nothing more then a toy. You’re more then that, and any hands that touch you should be handling with extreme care.”

If I stayed in these clothes for a second longer, I was gonna overheat. “Luke!”

“I know.” He kissed my shoulder. “Turn around.”

I did, and the second I was facing him, jumped and hooked my legs around his waist, arms looping around his neck. Luke supported my thighs, lips locked together as he carried me across the third floor and into the bedroom.

#tears of themis #x oc #tot luke #luke pearce

[awalkthroughstellis]

Flirty In Pink

Warnings: Heavy spice, teasing in lingerie, adult actives, very light bondage

Rated 18+ - NSFW

Summary: After a shopping trip with the girls, Anna is ready to show her new garment off to Marius. Something about it inspired a new thing to try in the bedroom…

Part 1

My phone rang with a familiar tune the second I closed the door to my bedroom. Smirking at the familiar song, I tossed the shopping bags onto the bed, fished my phone from my purse and brought it to my ear.

“Marius.” I said his name, fighting to keep my tone even despite the idiotic smile plastered on my face.

“Anna.” The sound of his voice filled me with butterflies. “How was your girls day? Are you still out?”

“No, I just got in.” I sat on the free side of the bed and fell back until I was laying down. “It was fun. I like my friends at uni, but hanging out with them just doesn’t compare to Robin and Harmony, you know? I just feel more free with them.”

There are several reasons behind why, but the biggest one is how Robin and Harmony were friends with me for me and not as a means to get within Marius’ social circle. I had a few university friends who were safe but for the most part, I had to be careful. Not only for Marius’ sake, but for the sake of my own heart, too.

“I understand. Can I expect a ‘thank you’ for introducing you to them?” Marius asked in his usual cocky way.

I narrowed my eyes at the ceiling. “We bumped into Luke and Robin by accident, and Robin introduced me to Harmony. I don’t think that qualifies as you arranging this friendship.”

“But it’s because I know Luke that we stopped and started talking to them in the first place. I think I deserve some credit for that.”

I sighed and rolled my eyes. “Fair enough. What do you want?”

“If you don’t have other plans for tonight, how about I send Vincent to pick you up and you come spend the night with me? And,” He lowered his voice, suggesting there were other people around. “Maybe you can show me what you bought with my card today.”

I laughed seductively into the speaker. Of course he would have gotten a notification for the charge. “I don’t know if you’ve earned that just yet. Shouldn’t you be in a meeting right now?”

“The other party is late.” He said, and I pictured the annoyed expression he must be making. “So, would you like to come over tonight?”

“I would love to.”

Marius let out a soft chuckle. “Okay. I’ll have Vincent pick you up at eight.” Noise started in the background. “I have to go, I’ll see you soon. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

The call dropped and I pulled the phone away, smiling at the picture set as the wallpaper of my home screen like a lovesick fool. The picture was, of course, of Marius, taken by Marius when he took it upon himself to have a photoshoot with my phone while I was in the shower one day.

“This way, you’ll never be lonely when I’m not with you.”

Remembering the pout on his face pulled a laugh from me. He’s such a brat, but he wouldn’t be the Marius I love without his charm.

~~~~~~~~~~~

As promised, Vincent picked me up from home and drove me to the estate, stopping for chicken nuggets on the way as per Marius’ orders. He explained that some last minute business fell into Marius’ lap and after he dropped me off, he would be returning to Pax Headquarters to pick him up.

“I will have Master Marius to you within an hour. Is there anything I can do for you before I depart?” Vincent asked after showing me inside.

I smiled and shook my head. “I’m alright, I think I’ll just wait in his room. Thank you for doing this, Vincent.”

“Any time, Miss.”

He bowed at the waist, then disappeared back into the garage. With my overnight bag on my shoulder, I followed the hallways I knew well until I made it to Marius’ bedroom. Once inside I immediately got to work, arranging my make up and portable mirror on the round table next to his couch and plugging my curling iron into the nearest outlet. I’ve had a vision in mind ever since I bought the lingerie, and I only have an hour to make it happen.

“Time is never on a woman’s side.” I said with a sigh, tying my hair back into a tighter ponytail and switching my glasses for contacts.

The look I was going for was simple but flirty, innocent but alluring. I set the base first, then got to work on my eyes. I choose a soft shade of pink for the inner lid, a soft white for the outer, and blended them before drawing wings with black eyeliner. Then, I dipped my eyeshadow brush into a little bit of shimmery glitter and patted it over my eyes. I used a little bit of blush to bring colour to my cheeks, then started on my lips, which would be the main focus point. I outlined them, coloured them in with a rosy pink lipstick, and applied a coat of clear gloss to make them shine.

Finished, I checked my face over in the mirror to make sure nothing had smudged or needed to be corrected. Thankfully, the look turned out just as I pictured. All I had left was my hair and-

I glanced at the clock and bolt of shock ran through me. Thirty minutes had already passed, and if I didn’t hustle I wasn’t going to be ready in time.

“Come on, Anna. Get ‘er done, girl.” I mumbled, pulling the elastic from my hair.

Though my preferred way of curling was to separate my hair into multiple sections with clips, I definitely did not have time for that. The best option I had was to only separate the top from the bottom and pray I didn’t miss any locks. I managed to get the curling and styling done in fifteen minutes and spent the next five putting my make up and tools away. I used the last few minutes to change out of my clothes and into the lingerie.

By the hour mark, I was ready and waiting on the couch. Positioned on my side, I leaned against the back cushions with an elbow braced on the top of the couch, one leg tucked beneath me while the other hung off the side. I twirled a lock of hair as I waited, listening intently for the sound of the door handle turning. I couldn’t see the door from here, and Marius wouldn’t be able to see me right away, either. I had to settle for listening.

Finally, the handle turned and a pair of heavy feet stepped inside. I smirked and dropped the hair I was playing with, sitting up a little more in anticipation.

“Anna?” My favourite voice called, sending streams of fire shooting through my veins.

“Couch.” I replied, trying and failing to keep my grin under control.

My heart thumped with each step he took. “Little Miss, you’re hiding from me? Don’t you love me enough to give me a kiss the second I step through the-”

He came into view and froze, eyes doubling in size. Those indigo irises trailed from my face to my chest, down the length of my stomach and legs. When they finished their travels, his cheeks turned a vibrant shade of red.

I breathed a laugh and titled my head. “What’s the matter? I thought you wanted to see what you bought me. Or, should I say, what you bought yourself?”

“I didn’t realize I had such good taste.” As expected, my teasing triggered his.

He loosed his tie and made his way towards me with long, slow strides, dragging out the tension created by the playfully seductive smirk on his lips.

“Are you doubting your skill? I thought you were a master of the arts, Mr. von Hagen.” I said, licking my lips as he leaned over to hover above me.

Marius chuckled, low and deep, and reached his arms out to grip the couch on either side of my body, caging me in. His expression, despite the thrill of the moment, softened to a loving gaze. “I don’t think anyone, no matter his skilled they are, could have predicted this masterpiece.”

I hummed and looped his tie around my hand. “I don’t think I’m a masterpiece just yet.”

I pulled gently on the tie, bringing Marius down until our lips met. I sighed against his mouth, succumbing to the poison of his sweet, slow kisses. My skin started to tingle, whimpers I’ll never admit to were escaping every time our lips parted, and the lingerie I was so excited to put on, I was now dying to take off.

I inhaled sharply as Marius ran a hand up my thigh, tracing one of the underwear straps with his thumb. “You’re so fucking pretty, Anna.” I moaned, and he swallowed the sound with another kiss. “Wrap your arms around me.”

Releasing his tie, I shifted and slid my arms over his shoulders, holding on tightly as he lifted me off the couch. I hooked my legs around his waist, skin burning where his hands held me as he walked us over to his bed.

“Whatcha got planned for me, sir?” I whispered into his ear, grinning in victory as his grip on my ass tightened.

“First, I’m gonna put you here.” He said, dropping me onto the bed. Then, he smirked down at me and removed his tie completely. “Eyes or wrists, baby doll?”

A fire ignited beneath my skin. What was worse, not being able to see him, or unable to touch him? Sight often tempted touch, and I’ve heard a lack of sight can heighten the senses, but the wrists seemed teasing in an appealing sort of way…

I considered my options and decided on the third. “Both.”

Not expecting my curveball, Marius’ eyes widened a little. “Are you sure?”

I nodded with a hum. “What, you don’t want to?”

He chuckled and shook his head. “It’s not that. Hang on.”

He moved away, taking all the warmth in the room with him as he approached the drawer he kept his ties in, shedding the jacket of his suit along the way. When he returned, he bound my wrists loose enough that I could get out of them if I wanted to, and tied one around my eyes in a similar fashion.

“Is anything hurting you? If you change your mind about this, tell me and I’ll help you take them off.” He said, sounding slightly bit worried.

I laughed and leaned forward, somehow managing to find his lips and kiss them. “I’m fine, Marius. I’ll tell you if I’m not.”

“Good.” He pressed his fingers to my chest and gently pushed until my back hit the mattress. “You might want to avoid shorts and skirts for the next few days. I’m claiming these.”

“What- Ah!”

I gasped as he suddenly lifted my legs up and apart, making space for him between so he could attack the soft skin of my inner thighs with his lips. The rumours were right - having my sight taken away made his touches more intense, and the velvet fabric of the tie restricting my hands brought a thrill I’ve never experienced before. It made my palms burn with the urge to touch him just because I couldn’t.

“Ma-Marius.” I moaned as his lips climbed higher and higher, and I started to tremble in anticipation. “Go easy on the hickies, will you? The last ones just healed. I miss my skirts- oh, god…”

His attention wasn’t on my thighs anymore, but someplace even more sensitive. The foreplay, his kisses, the scent of him all around me, it was pushing me further and further from the real world and into one that was just him.

This night was far from over.

#tears of themis #x oc #marius von hagen #tot marius #tot spice