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official-weasley · 3 years

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Headcanon time (Part 4)

I can't believe I am back! I have been away for such a long time (almost 2 months since I posted any of my content I have been told) and I missed writing so much (even though it felt good to take a break too) so I decided to return with a Charlie HC since I love writing these and it's something lighter to come back with 💙

Nobody’s going to tell me that with the amount of knowledge Charles Weasley possessed about animals that he wasn’t invited to teach Care of Magical Creatures at Hogwarts.

It wasn’t something Charlie ever thought about doing – even though there were moments when he reached his fifties when he wondered what will he do if he ever gets too old for dragons. Just the thought sent shivers down his spine but he had to at least think of the possibility.

Charlie Weasley loved his job more than any of the Weasley siblings loved theirs. He was proud of every scar and bruise he had and he worked hard to get to where he is. He blew people in the Sanctuary away on the first day of him working there because they haven’t had such a talented lad in quite a while.

Everybody wanted him on his team and even though he was quite a popular sibling in the house he couldn’t deny that the amount of attention and praise he got from his co-workers felt nice.

He loved working in the Romanian Dragon Sanctuary – so much so that when they offered him a job in both Chinese and Swedish Sanctuary he turned them down. Not that he didn’t like working with Chinese Fireballs but he liked his variety of dragons more – always said that it kept things interesting being surrounded by so many breeds.

With that being said he did not expect to get a letter one morning from his former Head of House (now Headmistress).

He stared at the closed envelope for a minute more than necessary and no matter how much he tried figuring out what she could possibly want from him he couldn’t and the curiosity got the better of him.

He breezed through the letter, his eyes stopping at the signature just for a moment before flicking back up to the beginning so he could read the letter – slower this time – as he couldn’t believe what he was reading.

Hagrid has taken his first proper vacation and they need someone to fill in for him for 2 weeks?

And out of all the amazing teachers and acquaintances the school had the Headmistress thought of him? But he only knows about dragons? Like REALLY knows. He is knowledgeable about every creature in the book but he isn’t confident about teaching about them.

He never taught anything in his life – maybe a newbie here and there but that’s different!

Charlie tossed the letter in a drawer in the hopes that he would remember to reply to Professor McGonagall in the morning and kindly decline her offer.

Of course, the opposite happened – he couldn’t sleep all night!

The question Charlie was puzzled with was why? Why couldn’t he stop thinking about the offer he got? He loved his job. He loved his routine. He loved his peaceful life in nature surrounded by creatures he adored since he was a kid.

Why would he go to Hogwarts again? He had nice 7 years there – there was nothing to complain about – but he would be lying if he said that he missed the place. Being in his books most days he didn’t have that many friends and the ones he did have disappeared after the war or he lost contact with them so nothing was connecting him to the place.

Perhaps it’s a thrill of something new?

To do something else.

Or maybe to share his knowledge?

Charlie’s favorite professor was Silvanus Kettleburn and he will never forget him. He remembers when he asked Ron about him but Ron replied that Hagrid is teaching them instead. Charlie was intrigued and wished he had the time to attend one of Hagrid’s lectures – his little brother, however, wasn’t so impressed.

He loved to listen to Hagrid and only Bill knows that he was probably Charlie’s best friend while at school. If Hagrid went for a vacation and Charlie was the next best thing – he couldn’t even imagine what an honor that is.

Hagrid!

That’s it! He wants to take the job for Hagrid’s sake – so he can take a proper vacation!

Without thinking twice about it, Charlie stood up and replied to Professor McGonagall. It’s only for two weeks, how hard can it be?

Charlie decided to take the Hogwarts Express to the school – purely for nostalgia and definitely not because he doesn’t like apparition.

The second the train conductor told him that they will arrive in 10 minutes Charlie’s nerves started to kick in.

This was a mistake! Who was he kidding? He can’t be a professor. What if the students don’t listen to him? Or worse –what if they laugh at him or mock him?

The work in the Sanctuary might be difficult at times but at least everybody minded their own business and they never laughed in his face if he made a mistake. But these are students – teenagers – he can’t deal with teenagers, he doesn’t know how!

A carriage was waiting for him at the station and brought him to the castle where his former Head of House greeted him with one of her special smiles. He knew that she appreciated him coming on such short notice and that she couldn’t wait to see how Charlie will do.

She kept saying what a wonderful job he will do and how excited the students are for Hagrid’s temporal replacement and how happy she is that she got such an amazing person for the job.

He, however, couldn’t share her enthusiasm. Charlie didn’t see the qualities she saw in him and couldn’t imagine how could he – with zero experience – be a good teacher.

Charlie thought of expressing this concern but he liked McGonagall too much to wipe that soft smile off her face.

“Will I sleep in Hagrid’s hut?” Charlie asked as they were making their way to the part of the castle Charlie never managed to explore.

“Oh, don’t be ridiculous, Mr. Weasley. You will be staying in the teacher’s quarters. You are getting a nice room with a fireplace and a living room.” McGonagall replied and pointed to the door ahead of them.

Charlie was appreciative of the room when he saw it but he couldn’t help but be a bit sad that he can’t stay at Hagrid’s. Charlie wasn’t big on socializing so staying away from other professors and away from the chatter of students in a small hut seemed like a dream.

It didn’t matter that he had a nice room or a very comfy bed. Charlie woke up feeling like a mummy. He couldn’t sleep at all, the nerves kicking in, and it was even worse when he remembered that he didn’t even have a syllabus or any idea what he is about to teach in his first class.

On Monday morning McGonagall calmed his nerves at breakfast and told him that she prepared a list of topics for every year so that he will feel more organized.

Year 3 – Porlocks

Year 4 – Werewolves

Year 5 – Pixies

Year 6 – Dragons

Year 7 – Demiguise

Charlie’s chest felt lighter when he realized that he knew loads of fun facts about all these creatures but he couldn’t help but be the most excited about teaching sixth years about dragons.

He had one hour before his first class to prepare an introduction for Pixies and then talk and teach about them for 2 hours. It seemed like an eternity to talk about a creature like that for 2 hours and since Charlie was never a smooth talker or good at making small talk he began to feel nervous again.

He tried to remember how he was like when he was in his fifth year but failed. He knew that he was nose deep in the books Kettleburn gave him about dragon care but he doesn’t remember much else than that.

Charlie’s legs have never felt so heavy walking down for his first class. He was seconds away from just giving up and going to tell McGonagall he can’t do this when one of the students called for him to wait up.

He stopped walking and turned around to see a girl running toward him. She introduced herself and started asking him questions about the creatures they are going to study. Without letting him answer her first question she bombarded him with the next one about the Dragon Sanctuary and then started to name every creature she is fond of.

This calmed Charlie’s nerves – knowing he had a student just like he was in his first class.

After his second class of the day, he couldn’t believe how amazing the students were. Charlie couldn’t recall his classmates being so interested in Care of Magical Creatures as he was but fourth and seventh-year students were more than happy to listen to him talk about werewolves and demiguise. They also asked loads of questions and didn’t complain at all when Charlie gave them a bunch of homework.

Waking up the next morning, he felt rather confident in his ability to teach. He had nothing but a pleasant experience so far. The professors and students have both been so nice and he couldn’t help but think that he overreacted. Being a professor wasn’t so bad and perhaps if the day comes when he won’t be able to handle dragons anymore he might apply to work here full time or if Hagrid will still work then at least as his assistant.

Charlie was on his way to the last class of his second day. He met every year students except the sixth years. He was walking down the path with a big smile on his face and his chest was filled with confidence – dragons – he has to talk about dragons!

“Good afternoon, students, my name is Charles Weasley and I am your substitute professor until Professor Hagrid returns. We are going to talk about dragons today. Can any of you name 5 breeds of dragons?”

“Aren’t you a Dragonologist, you name the breeds!” One of the students said after a few seconds of silence.

“I am and I know all the breeds that’s why I am asking you.” Charlie wanted to swallow thickly but he also didn’t want to appear weak in front of the first rude student he had.

“Seems to me that you’re avoiding the topic. Are you a fraud?” The student kept pushing.

Charlie couldn’t believe it. The class he was most excited about and it didn’t go well! He looked around, all eyes on him. He won’t let this student ruin this experience and the ability to learn about dragons from a real Dragonologist for everyone else!

“Fine,” he said softly. “Ask me anything you want to know and I will answer. If I get one question wrong you are free for the rest of the lesson. If I get all of them correct you will write a summary of every breed of dragon – half a parchment each – and get detention for talking back at me as you did. Does that seem fair?” Charlie wanted to smirk, a look of triumph on his face, but he had to stay professional.

After a minute of silence – half of the students looking at Charlie and half at the boy who dared to talk back at a professor – they bombarded him with questions.

Charlie answered every question correctly from how many known species there are to how long do the Antipodean Opaleye’s eggs need to hatch and without having to think for 2 seconds about the answer.

The students stared at Charlie in pure awe and admiration and he couldn’t help but notice that even the boy that tried so hard to bring him down on his second day of work looked impressed.

Charles Weasley left that class with his chin high up, feeling confident for his next day, happy and humbled that he took this opportunity and with a student put in detention.

Doing all that in one day, he was now even more sure that he could do this and even though he missed all his dragons back at home in Romania, he couldn’t help but admit that this was a rather nice pace and change of scenery from what he is used to and perhaps – somewhere in the distant future when he will lose a hand and a leg like Kettleburn – he might see himself working like this every single day.

#charlie weasley #charlie weasley headcanon

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rosalineandrosemary · 3 years

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one final goodbye

hi! i wrote this for @maribat-angst-fluff-april with prompt 14, goodbye. you can check out my partner, @yoltastic09 ‘s fluff submission here. anyway, warnings for major character death and descriptions of blood and the fic is below the cut!

the video is blurry, filmed with shaking hands. when it focuses, they see a girl coated in red spotted spandex. she’s leaning against a wall, eyes closed and smiling softly, but their eyes are locked on the stab wound through her abdomen.

“thanks… thanks alya.” her voice is soft and raspy, and behind the camera, someone chokes on a sob.

“lb, please. just hold on a bit longer. chat... carapace. Someone will bring your lucky charm and it’ll be okay.” the voice, alya, trembles, and the spotted girl’s eyes fly open.

“i didn’t tell you, did i? alya, there’s no saving me. that’s why we’re recording this. I have his miraculous but my lucky charm can’t fix me. it’ll fix paris and i’ll still be here.” the camera falls to the ground with a clatter, and beyond the black screen they can hear alya’s sobs.

“alya please, I need you to do this. I need to be able to tell them myself. I need to be able to tell you myself.”

“tell me what?” alya’s voice is thick and broken, and the camera is lifted off the ground. they see a girl, fox ears coming from her head and in another spandex suit, before the camera focuses on the bleeding girl again.

“hello viewers, hi alya. my name is marinette dupain-cheng, also known as ladybug. and this is my final goodbye.”

the dark room where they sit is filled by the sound of things shattering, a mug falling to a ground, a wine glass being crushed in someone’s tight grip.

“alya, i love you. it’s been an honor fighting alongside you as ladybug, and despite our ups and downs, and even how things were before you got your head on straight, it’s been amazing being your friend. i’m so sorry that this is how things turned out.” alya sniffles, and her soft words are easily picked up by the mic.

“mari, please. you can’t leave us, please.” marinette smiles and looks away, faltering. she takes a deep heaving breath and looks back at the camera.

“maman, papa, i’m so sorry i couldn’t tell you about this. i’m so sorry that i can’t say goodbye properly. i’m sorry that i lied and i’m sorry that i kept this from you. i just didn’t want you getting hurt. you two are the best parents a girl could have and i’m so grateful to call you two mine. please don’t blame yourselves. i chose to keep this a secret to protect you, and you raised a pretty clever little girl. there isn’t anything you could have done to stop this.” marinette is crying at this point, tears streaking across the red of her mask and down her cheeks. “make sure they see this alya. please make sure they see this.”

“of course, i promise girl. i’ll do anything.” alya’s voice is broken but marinette nods solemnly before continuing.

when they see this, marinette’s parents wail and sob, the sounds echoing throughout the arrondissement. their neighbors tense, waiting for the destruction their akuma could cause, but hawkmoth is gone, and tom and sabine dupain-cheng are free to mourn their only daughter.

“bruce, or, well, dad. i thought you might want to hear me call you that at least once, considering i’m not going to be able to meet you again for you to hear me say that legitimately. i’m sorry i didn’t tell you about this. i’m sorry that when i said goodbye, that when i said i’d see you again soon, that it turned out like this. it was nice being your daughter, at least for a little while.” the viewers turn to look at him with the mention of his name, and bruce opens his palm, glass shards falling to the floor. he stands up, staggering to the side, and walks out of the room.

when bruce had first met marinette, he thought she’d fit in with the rest of them. he wasn’t oblivious to the jokes his kids made about the black hair, blue eyes, and the way she held herself made him think she’d fit in in other ways too.

she was always cautious, always nervous, like she was expecting something to attack her out of nowhere. she was good at hiding it, beaming sunshine smiles and a charming yet genuine demeanor, and he could see the resemblance from miles away. he had seen her baking with alfred, laughing with dick and jason, drinking coffee with tim. she had found a slot in their family and fit herself there perfectly, and in the short time he knew her, he had grow to care for the daughter he was unaware he had.

the last time he saw her, she hugged him and smiled, a soft tentative thing, as she whispered goodbye. she turned to leave, but her back was too straight, her shoulders too tense. he swore to himself that he’d find out what was troubling her back in paris and that he would see if there was anything he could do about it.

bruce never got the chance.

“dick. you’re a great older brother. i’m sorry that i couldn’t be your younger sister for very long. it could have been fun. we might have done acrobatics together, or you could have showed me trapeze if you wanted. you try so hard to take care of people, please remember to take care of yourself.”

marinette, dick thought, was tiny. she was so much shorter than he was, and she looked up at him when she introduced herself. bruce’s other unknown child. she has the hair, and the eyes, clouded with the same world-weariness he had seen in all of them. he hadn’t been the first to meet her, as that honor had gone to bruce and alfred, and tim had been walking by when she walked in the door, but he had been the first to declare her his younger sister. he asked her questions and she responded, she asked him questions and he responded.

he learned of her love of fashion and cooed as she bashfully showed off her outfit that she had sewed and designed herself. he told her of his gymnastics and trapeze skills, and she was wide eyed and nearly glowing when she asked if he could teach her. he had swallowed heavily, looked away and back at her, and told her that “maybe we can next time, marinette. i think b-man has an itinerary for you and everything.”

she had looked disappointed for a second before composing herself. “okay, maybe next time. but speaking of mr. wayne, i should probably go find him again, talk to you later dick!” he had heaved a sigh of relief, scared of bringing her so close to something that had already taken his family once.

when he hugged her goodbye before she left for the airport, small hands clasped around his back, dick resolved that he would try to teach marinette the trapeze next time she came over. There would be nets and she wouldn’t get hurt and then there would be more memories of the trapeze that didn’t come with the bittersweet tinge of all his memories at haly’s circus.

dick didn’t get that chance.

“hi jay. i was making you something, did you know that?” marinette laughs softly, then inhales sharply as she aggravates her wound. and yet, she continues. “no, of course you didn’t. i didn’t tell you. it was almost done, just had a few finishing touches. you could still wear it though. it's a leather jacket. i saw that the one you had seemed to be getting worn out, thought you might want a new one. a new leather jacket for my big brother.” her tears quicken and she attempts to curl in on herself, even as her body lay against the wall. she looks so small. “even if your advice wasn’t the best you were still there and i was happy to be ‘pixie pop.’ i wish you were here. you’re safe, you know that? you feel safe, like if anything tried to hurt me you’d fix it. And i’m scared but at least other people are safe now. Thank you for making me feel safe.”

jason todd did not think he was a good man. there was too much blood on his hands for that. and even if the bastards had deserved it, it still didn’t make him a good person. so when he had seen the tiny slip of a girl who ran into him as she attempted to find bruce, his first instinct had been to stay away. she was so tiny, so pure, and no amount of washing would ever be able to clean his hands.

but then she had flinched and started spewing out apologies, hands flying everywhere as she drove herself further down this spiral, and he saw in her what he had seen in so many of the other street kids. fear of retaliation, a desperation to appease him because she was afraid of what he might do.

and jason was furious. not with her, but with whoever had taught this girl (bruce’s daughter. he had warned them all about her, telling them to hide the objects that showed their “nightly pursuits.” he hadn’t told them she’d be so small.) that she had to apologize like this. whoever had traumatized her in this way.

“hey, no need to apologize, pixie pop. no harm, no foul, right?” she had looked up at him, confused, and he grinned at her and clenched his fists, trying to dispel some of the anger festering in his chest.

“who’s pixie pop?” she had said, eyebrows furrowed adorably.

“you are, of course. because you’re so tiny, like a little fairy. and all my siblings need nicknames, like dickie-bird, or replacement, or demon spawn. and since you’re my little sister now, you get a nickname too.” she had smiled and nodded, responding with a soft “okay,” and he swung an arm around her shoulder.

“so let me help you find bruce. but on our way there, is there anyone you’ve got any problems with? Any bullies you’d like big bro jason to deal with?” she had tensed, pursed her lips, and shook her head.

“there’s nothing you can deal with. it’ll be fine.” he hadn’t believed her, but he wasn’t going to pry.

when he hugged her goodbye, she had shook, clutching the sleeves of his jacket within her hands, but when he went to ask her what had happened, she said she’d tell him next time. he said he’d help her through anything.

jason never got the chance.

“cass.” with this, she attempts to lift her hands from where they lay on the floor. she’s shaking with the effort, but manages to hold them up to her chest. slowly, she signs out every word with her hands. “i think that you could tell something was up. i don’t know how, and i’m not sure even you knew it would end up like this, but i think you could. thank you for trusting me, even if it ended up like this. thank you for being my friend, and i’m sorry i couldn’t improve my sign language fast enough to have a full conversation with you. i hope this is good enough.”

cass could tell that marinette was like them from the way she held herself. she had muscles curled under her clothing, and whenever she tripped she shifted her center of gravity if she didn’t catch herself first.

cass hadn’t really spoken with her, standing as bruce introduced her to marinette. she could tell when marinette had processed bruce saying she preferred sign language, and when marinette’s shoulders sunk, she could tell it was with concern instead of malice.

marinette turns to her with a small frown, apologizing for not knowing any sign language. marinette smiles afterwards though, and reaches out a hand. “i’d love to learn asl though! and i’d also love to be friends if you’d want to be. of course we don’t have to be, i don’t want to…” she trails off as cass takes her hand and nods. marinette’s smile grows wider and a small warmth grows in her chest.

friends sounds nice. and marinette promises that she’ll try to learn asl and they’ll have a conversation in a way that cass is comfortable with, talking with that same smile.

the last time cass sees marinette, she signs goodbye. marinette’s right hand goes up, thumb out, and she closes the rest of her fingers to her palm. she continues with the sign for cass’ name, and cass responds in turn, goodbye and marinette, and marinette leaves, excited at getting it right.

marinette inhales, a wheezing breath, and the video is interrupted by the sound of heavy footfalls and a man’s calling voice. “ladybug? rena?”

alya lets out another sob and the man approaches. they can tell when he sees marinette, as he stalls before sprinting towards them.

he’s clad in blue and snake print, teal tips at the bottom of his black hair, and he goes directly for marinette, trying to press a red and black spotted objects into her hands.

“ladybug please, please take it you can fix all of this with the lucky charm. just do miraculous ladybug and the magic will fix it.” he begs her, voice jumping. marinette clutches the object in her hand but makes no motion to do anything with it, and he speaks again. “ladybug…” he hesitates for a second before continuing. “marinette, my melody, please don’t die on me.” her eyes widen slightly before she looks away.

“i should have known you already knew, mon coeur. but you also have to know this is the end.” she smiles at him, lifts the object in her shuddering hands and attempts to yell miraculous ladybug. she’s cut off halfway through by her own coughing, shaking her whole body and sending blood spilling from her lips.

it works regardless though, and the remaining waynes watch in awe as glowing ladybugs reverse the property damage. they fix the walls and the pavement before crowding around marinette’s body, but when they leave the wound is still there. the blood is still there.

marinette’s eyes are drooping, and when she tries to talk, it comes out a whisper. “damn it. i thought i had more time.” she coughs again, more blood dripping out of her mouth. “tim, i was so happy to be your work buddy. steph, you are so fun and so important and it was so so lovely being your sister and your friend. damian, i wish i could have been your sister without scaring you, but that won’t be a problem anymore.” her breathing is shallow but she continues going, trying to say all the words she’s scared she wouldn’t be able to. “alfred, being your granddaughter, baking with you, all of that was such a pleasure. babs, spending time with you was so much fun and i wish we could do that again, that we could be friends for longer. duke, i know we didn’t interact much but i wish we could have.” she exhales, leans her head back against the reformed wall. her eyes flutter closed.

“goodbye.” she says, one last word before her chest stills and marinette dupain-cheng dies.

#maribat angst and fluff april #maribat #bio dad bruce wayne #rosaline writes

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wellhellotragic · 3 years

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These Wounds Won't Seem to Heal 3/4

Summary: It’s not her fault. She’s still new and doesn’t know. He’s not flawless. Not anymore. He’s got scars, ones she’s seen first hand. Ones she helped tend to. His body is covered in them. There’s a thin red line where he took a bottle to the face during his early beat cop days. There’s another angry red mark on his torso from where he was stabbed with a knife in his ribs. The one where he had his hand slammed in a locker as a teenager has long since faded, only the barest hint remaining, only visible in just the right lighting.

There’s two oval scars now too. One in his stomach and one on his chest. Those are from the worst day of her life.But none of those scars compare to the ones he carries on the inside. The self-inflicted cuts he makes to his soul never quite healing over. He blames himself. It’s not his fault.

There’s a scar on her soul now too. One he left. A piece of her heart forever missing.

Rating: Mature (mostly for language)

A/N: Guy, I suck so hard core. I don't even know how I let so much time lapse between chapter 2 and now, and then to really top off my suck-o-meter, I realized that there's going to have to be a chapter 4 because I can't fix what I've done so easily. Not realistically at least. I promise, and happy ending is coming though, and it won't take me another 8 months to get it up. I hope to have it up and finished by the weekend.

The AO3 version

It’s been a hell of a night. She’s not sure where exactly it falls on her list of worst days ever, but it’s in her top five. It has to be. It’s not the worst, that honor is saved for the night she almost lost Killian, but it’s still up there. She’s spent hours now going through all of the details over and over again with Graham and Lance, her story never changing. Getting poked and prodded by EMTs, despite telling everyone that she’s fine.

She’s not, but they can’t stitch up her insides.

David, her partner, on the other hand has a bullet hole in his leg. Better than his head though.

She’s not even sure if she can fully reconcile everything that happened. She and David were investigating the death of a low profile importer, a nobody, interviewing some dock workers that had found the body. Some gruff looking men who easily blended in with the usual fishmongers and cargo sorters.

But they weren’t. She realized it just a second too late, right before a bag was pulled over her head. She fought like hell, but she was at a disadvantage. From what she heard, David had put up a fight as well, but in the end, it was useless, and she lost consciousness with a sharp blow to the head.

She woke up strapped down to a chair with David the same a few feet beside her. She shouldn’t have been surprised, Jefferson had always given her a bad feeling, but she never actually thought he’d go dirty. She certainly never expected to be facing the wrong side of his department issued sidearm.

Even now, everything is still a blur. Graham assured her it’s the shock, that it’ll fade once the adrenaline wears off; that everything will clear up after a good night's rest. She’s not sure about that though. It’s four in the morning now and the adrenaline seems to be hanging on for dear life still and she knows she's not going to rest any time soon. Humbert offered to drive her home but she declined, choosing to wait for August to finish wrapping up his report.

She’s not sure what time it is when they finally arrive at her apartment. The battery in her cell phone died ages ago. Neither of them even make a move for the fridge, choosing to bypass the beer she keeps stocked for the hard nights. Instead, the two of them move in silence to her room. She plugs in her cell before crawling in bed next to him, like when they were kids in Ingrid’s foster house. She’s not sure who’s comforting who at this point, but she knows that she just needs to be with family.

“Do you want to talk about it?”

She doesn’t, but she knows she needs to or it’ll eat her alive. She’s tried that once already and it ended up with her almost having a complete nervous breakdown and a three week leave of absence with daily Archie sessions.

“I don’t even know where to start.”

It’s true. So much has happened in the last twelve hours, there’s no one easy to pinpoint place to begin. So August goes first. He fills in the blanks that he can, so that she might be able to piece together the rest. He tells her about Killian sending him undercover, about Jefferson and missing drugs and money. How Jefferson was helping to conceal evidence that would link Walsh and the Nikko empire to a wide distribution of pixie dust.

Some of it is just speculation, that Jefferson must have figured out they were closing in on him and that’s why he went for Emma, and David was probably just collateral damage. How he most likely picked Emma because he knew how much she meant to him , and while he didn’t say Killian’s name specifically, the implication hung over her like a heavy cloud.

“Before you got there, he told Killian to choose. Between me and David I mean. To pick which one of us would live and which one would die. And then he just started laughing and screaming in this crazed voice that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forget.”

It was the single most terrifying thing she’d ever heard. The mania that accompanied it. She already knew that it was going to haunt her for months to come, if not longer.

It’s a real Gracie’s choice. Gracie’s choice Killian. GRACIE’s CHOICE!!!

She felt August shift next to her.

“Gracie was his daughter. She died while he was undercover with a Southie Gang. Killian was undercover with Cruella at the time. It was a freak accident, a gas leak and the house went up in flames, but he was convinced that she was killed by one of the De Vil boys. He told me once that he knew Killian had given him up as a snitch to prove his worth. The De Vil’s had nothing to do with the Southie boys, but he’d twisted it up in his mind. I never thought he’d do anything about it though. It was just crazy drunk venting one night.”

She knows August. Knows that he’s blaming himself for what happened tonight, but she ignores it. Nothing she says will stop him from tormenting himself, and she’s not done.

“I told him to choose David. He has this whole perfect life, you know. An adoring wife and a new baby, all of these people that would miss him if he were gone. I told Killian to save David, and I-” She hates how small she feels when she cries, but she can’t hold back the tears. “He gave me this look. He’s been cold, but this was something different. There was just so much anger in his eyes.”

And that’s when she breaks. Knowing that hated her was one thing, but watching him train his gun on her. Seeing the pure darkness in his eyes. She doesn’t know how to voice it to August, but she knows that if August hadn’t arrived when he did, she knows he would have done as she asked. That he wouldn’t have had to think twice about it. And it’s that knowledge that sliced open the last piece of her heart that had been hanging on by a thread, even after all that time.

August holds her through the tears, until she finally exhausts herself enough to sleep. And so she drifts off, completely unaware of the new voicemail alert waiting for her.

________________________________

The February air is cooler on the water and he kicks himself for not bringing a heavier jacket. It’s been ages since he’s been out on this boat, and time has helped him to forget everything except for the things he wishes he could. Liam always used to tease him, so much so that Killian would reject any offers of warmth from his brother just to prove a point. He wasn’t some silly kid that needed to be minded anymore. He was capable of doing everything on his own, except for bringing an extra coat. He forgot everytime, and today was no exception.

Luckily for Killian, the spare that Liam kept on the boat just for him is still in its place, folded neatly in a small storage locker below deck. It hits him in the gut a little, that Liam could be so right about some things and incredibly wrong about others.

It’s eating Killian alive, not talking to his brother. Not being able to express himself because despite everything Emma has done for him, Liam still doesn’t approve of her. Liam often still thinks of him as the teenage boy, awkward and desperate for approval from anyone that will give it to him, even if it means getting taken advantage of.

He’s not that kid anymore though. He isn’t letting his crush steal his essays and letting her claim this as her own. He isn’t using all of his hard earned money to buy her jewelry that she’s just going to pawn for cash later. He isn’t following after Emma like a lost puppy dog.

He’s in love with her, and he has a sneaking suspicion that she feels the same way. But at this rate, he’s never going to get Liam’s blessing, the only approval he needs anymore.

He shouldn’t be thinking about this now. He really shouldn’t. Not when he and Liam are sitting in a rented dilapidated loft across from an abandoned fabric warehouse waiting for the Canal Street Cutter to emerge. There had been a lot of chatter that morning about where he might be hiding and Liam assembled teams throughout South Boston hoping to catch a glimpse of him.

Emma and August were stationed about eight blocks over. Lance and Arthur were on the edge of South Boston and Waterfront. Other teams were scattered, but too far away to get to if they needed assistance.

Killian had tried to tell Liam that it was a bad idea to spread everyone so thin, but the elder Jones brother had been instant and headstrong as ever. It would have been a career making arrest, and Liam, ever aspiring to be more just wouldn’t let that chance pass him by.

“I just think that you have other obligations that require your attention right now.”

“If this is the bros before hoes speech you can just save it.”

“Killian,” The exasperation evident in his brother's tone, “you know I detest such vile language. It's crude and you are better than that little brother.”

“What obligations?” He has to quash his desire to correct his brother’s description of him.

“I just think that you are meant for so much more in this life and I worry that you gave up so much when you left the narcotics division to follow her into homicide. You were a rising star there and now you’re having to cut your teeth all over again.”

“It’s not as if I’m starting all over. For God’s sake Liam, I just made Lieutenant. But there’s more to life than a job.”

His brother takes his gaze away from the binoculars to turn to Killian.

“Look at father and all of his vices. It strayed him from the path. But you, Killian, you persevered and now everything you've wanted is in your grasp.”

“This isn't the same thing and you know it. Emma isn't some pathetic man’s addiction. Liam, I'm in love with her.”

“Killian,” Liam pauses, taking a deep breath. “She's a distraction. Think of all that you’ve accomplished in the year that you were undercover. You brought down an entire crime syndicate. You did that without her taking your attention away.”

“I didn't bring the De Vil family down because ‘we’ were apart. I did it because we were ‘apart’ and I knew the only way I'd be able to see her again without putting her in harm's way would be to find the evidence and make the arrest.”

“Fine, if you need another reason, have you thought about working directly with her, or even over her in a supervisory position? Have you considered how your personal relationship with a subordinate could affect your judgment?”

“It’s not-”

Liams sees movement in the distance, cutting off Killian’s rebuttal, but his view is obscured so he motions for Killian to follow him, to leave the safety of their little room. They stay silent as they walk downstairs and head out a propped-open door leading to an alleyway. They had to wind through hallways to get from the loft outside and now they’re further away from the warehouse with no cover.

Killian even tries pointing out how visible they are, but Liam shuts him down, determined to close the case. He’s halfway sure that Liam’s trying to prove a point about how Killian can’t be successful and be in a relationship with Emma. He’s seen it before, the way professional jealousy destroys couples. But Emma’s not like that. She wouldn’t see his success as her failure.

They try to skirt the perimeter and he knows he should keep his mouth shut, this just isn’t the time, but he’s just so frustrated that he can’t keep holding it in.

“Please don’t make me choose between you.” It’s an angry whisper, more to himself than anything, and even though he did his best to keep his volume low it’s still enough that Liam’s heard and turns back to him, missing sight of the empty beer bottle at his feet.

The glass battering against the gravel echoes through the night as they both stay silent, waiting to see if they’ve been heard. The air is still around them, and Killian thinks they just might have lucked out.

And then he hears the gunshots ring out.

Liam is on the ground before Killian has time to register what’s happened. He runs to Liam, but gets knocked to the ground before he can get to him. His body hurts and he can see blood covering his hand from where he just touched his abdomen. He’s always heard people say that the shock blocks out the pain, but they must all be liars, because the longer he lays there, the more the pain intensifies.

It takes everything he has to pull himself behind a dumpster, half crawling, half slithering like a snake.

The shock eventually did kick in though, because even to this day he has no memory of radioing in for help. Just the vague memories of Emma leaning over him. The look in her eyes as she tried her best to hold back tears.

The same tears he fought back the night he left Boston, like the coward he was. But Archie was right. He needed to get his head on straight, to distance and center himself. He had to leave, for her.

He’s still wrestling with the guilt. He talked about it with Archie, how she begged him to kill her and save David. And that he actually considered it for about two full seconds. Not because he wanted to, but because he didn’t want her feeling the way he did. The burden of knowing that someone else was dead, and knowing that no matter how good you are, how hard you try, that you’ll never live up to them. He didn’t want her hating herself the way he did. Didn’t want her to destroy herself like he had.

But then something snapped inside of him and rage bubbled up. The audacity of her to beg him to kill her. For her to try and force that decision on him, with no regard to him or his feelings.

It was at that moment that he finally realized what he’d been doing to her ever since Liam had passed away. He finally understood the choice she’d been forced to make that night. And he knew - he knew that despite it all - he could never live with himself if he’d chosen anyone but her. That he couldn’t let her go just like she didn’t with him.

The only thing that saved him was Boothe. In the moments that passed after August arrived, while the two of them tried to wrestle the gun away from Jefferson, he felt the weight of Liam’s death wash over him. And then he heard a shot ring out and there was nothing but panic. Panic and guilt.

It felt as though ages had passed as he searched for Emma in the smoke filled room. The SWAT team had moved in at some point, but he’d been too focused on fighting off Jefferson to notice. He pushed through the sting in his eyes and the tightness of his chest as he looked for her, but all he saw through the haze were armored cops everywhere.

It wasn’t until he was forcibly escorted outside the building that he saw her, saw that she was safe, and then his stomach turned. He ran around a corner away from all of the prying eyes, and for the first time in his career, he gave in and let the night overcome him.

It’s been nearly a year since that night and he’s been running ever since. Some days are better than others. The anger is mostly behind him, but some nights he still wakes up in a sweat clutching his bed sheets, ready to fight. But there’s never anyone around to take a swing at, because he’s all alone. He’s pushed away anyone that ever mattered and isolated himself on that damn boat.

He thinks of Emma, wonders if she’s moved on or not. He’s too cowardly to call her, partly because he has no idea what he will say if she answers, but mostly because he’s terrified that she won’t answer. So he broods. He takes to the local bars as he sails the coastline and drinks a little too much before stumbling back to Liam’s boat alone. It’s a wonder nobody’s robbed him yet for what a careless sot he’s been.

Tonight is one of those nights. He’s made his way down to Florida and back, only a few hours away from Boston, and his demons are screaming again. He’s hoping against all hope that the rum in the tumbler across from him will help quiet them. Just holding the small glass in his fingertips helps a bit. A placebo of sorts. He doesn’t want to be this man anymore though. This pathetic lonely human. He doesn’t want to feel this way anymore, but he doesn’t know how to fix it. Archie said that him realizing it was a good first step but he’s not sure if he agrees. He’s called Archie a lot over the last year. Somehow doing therapy over the phone as the boat sways back and forth under his feet has helped to ease his hesitancy. There’s something about knowing that he can hang up at any time if he wants, and that no one knows. No one will judge him.

They don’t talk about Emma, not in present tense at least. They’ve had conversations about the way he’s treated her in the past, about his complicated feelings for her, the way it’s all shaped him, but they never talk about her now. He’s not sure if it’s because Archie doesn’t know if he’s ready for that, or if Archie knows something that he’s absolutely not ready for.

Archie is here tonight though, the rum is.

He’s still twirling the amber in his hand as he hears the familiar scraping of a nearby barstool against a wooden floor. There’s a scent that follows, a floral perfume that doesn’t match with the musk of the dive bar. He doesn’t look at her directly, doesn’t need to when he can see her from the mirror behind the bar. Her top is low, flashing more skin that it’s covering. She’s closer than he thought.

“Is that for me?” She’s bold.

He’s reminded of those early days on the force, when he wouldn’t even have to talk to a woman. When he could just flash her a smile and she’d be on his arm heading out the door to her place. He’s not that guy though, he’s salty and cynical, and the look he flashes her is closer to a smirk.

“Excuse me?” “Well, you’ve been toying with it for almost twenty minutes. I just thought maybe you were waiting for me to walk into your life.”

Was he this bad at picking up women?

“Look, I’m not trying to be rude, but I’m not in the mood for woman.” “So you’re gay?”

It’s a good thing he hasn’t started drinking yet because he damn well might have chocked otherwise. He doesn’t get a chance to respond though. The bubbly blonde that served him his rum has returned with a spray bottle in hand. “Mary of Mothers. Didn’t I already have you escorted out of here tonight, Teresa?”

“Bite me, Tinkerbelle.”

The girl behind the bar might be all of five foot tall but there’s a beast inside her that towers over any man in that bar and before he knows what’s happening the bartender is drowning the girl in what smells like stainless steel cleaner and the words coming out of her mouth would make any Navy man blush.

The girl ends up running away and Killian isn’t sure what to make of any of it. He’s broken up bar fights before, but he’s never seen anything quite like that.

“Sorry about that. I know this little bar might not seem like much, but it’s all I’ve got and I’ll be damned if I let the likes of her selling her body in here.” “Oh, she wasn’t-” “Trust me, where you had agreed upfront or not, you would have been light whatever cash you have left in that wallet before the night was up. And I’ll bet you dollars to pennies you would have had a lovely little itch or two down there.” She nods her head towards his crotch before switching the subject like she hadn’t just implied the poor woman from before was an STD ridden whore. “So, I haven’t seen you here before. Where you from?”

He’s not sure how she’s disarmed him so quickly, but he finds himself telling her all about himself over the next hour. Business has slowed down and her other barmate seems to be more than capable of handling the few strays still walking in.

She makes him laugh too with her feisty spirit. It’s been far too long since he’s felt at ease like this. They talk and talk. Not about much in particular, just random conversation. She bought the bar about six years ago, and tells him about how it’s let her build the family she always wanted and never really got. She’s carved out her own little place in the world and he envies her that. The way she can just lay her whole life bare to a complete stranger while he can’t even talk to the people that know him best.

The night rolls on and it’s time to close up. He half expects that she’s going to invite him upstairs, to the little apartment she mentioned earlier, but she surprises him. She’s done that a few times tonight, but this one hits him in the gut. “So, what’s her name?”

This time he actually does chock on the water she’s poured for him.” “I’m sorry, what?”

“Killian, in the last few hours, you’ve told me your entire life story, everything from your shitty father to your arrogant brother, your job, your leave of absence, but you haven’t mentioned a girl one single time. You’re holding back, which means there’s something to hold back.”

“You don’t know that. I could be gay.” “Um, ya, I saw you check out Teresa’s rack earlier, definitely not gay. So what’s the deal.” He doesn’t want to talk about it, but he doesn’t want to be rude either. So he gives her as little as possible, but she sees through him. In fact, she actually asks him what the hell he’s waiting for as she pushes him out the door.

He doesn’t really know what he’s waiting for to be honest. He’s wanted to go back to Boston, but there’s just so many threads he left unravelled when he left.

#These Wounds Won't Seem to Heal #Captain Swan #captain swan ff #CS fanfics

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artxyra · 4 years

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The Secret Life of MDC | Part 3

Part 3 - Welcome to Gotham, now get out!

Part 1 | Part 2 |

Arriving in Gotham was just an absolutely massive mess, that quickly turned into a several page report for Marinette to send to the school board the moment she arrived in her temporary dorm at Gotham Academy.

Let recap back to the airport. When everyone got off the plane, Lila was quick to make up an excuse about Bruce Wayne sending her a private limo that she’ll be happy to bring the class along. Of course, Caline Bustier, absently believed the long-time liar telling her students to gather their belongings and for Lila to call the Waynes. It was as if she had completely forgotten the arrival procedures. Arriving in Gotham, proceed to find the bus driver, and meet up with the Gotham Academy Headmistress to retrieve the rest of the plans for the month. Marinette tried to tell Caline that what they were doing was against the procedure, something that she had to memorize for moments like this, only to be lectured about behavior the second she finished talking off to the side.

Then when they finally arrived at the school, Caline had the nerve to lecture her again about not informing her about the bus before being dragged off by the Gotham Academy headmistress, who clearly was not happy with the decisions made before they could even step foot onto the school grounds. Gotham is not a place to dilly dally unless you know the area or a native.

“Do you think, she’ll be fired after this?” Chloe asks while setting her things into the wardrobe as Marinette clicks the save button on her laptop.

“Maybe, no matter what happens, we’re here for a month regardless of the decisions the GA headmistress and Principal De La Fontaine decides in the coming days. All I know as the class president and temp. TA; my job is to help her overlook you guys.” Marinette sighs and closes the laptop's top before giving Chloe her full attention.

“I still can’t believe you graduated early. Though Adrien and I are grateful you managed to stay despite everything.” It was rare moments like these that made Marinette glad that she gave Chloe a second chance. Chloe had apologized one winter when she was freezing to death outside because her parent went on a tropical vacation on her request and decided to allow the staff to take a few days off. It was Sabine and Tom that took the former bully into their arms and made her feel loved, a love that she rarely receives from her parents. Since that day, Chloe takes pride in the honor of being Marinette’s sister just as Adrien did when they took him in also.

“I couldn’t leave you guys to perish in that class. Also, I just didn’t want to give Lie-la the satisfaction of winning.” Marinette says as her phones with the familiar sounds of “The Other Side” by Ruelle. Instantly, Marinette picks up the phone and smiles. “It’s Damian, he wants to go out tonight. Think I have time before—”

“Go, I’ll keep you from trouble, maybe even invite Adrien over if he isn’t doing the same with Jon.” Chloe pushes the noirette out of their room before closing the door behind the designer with a smirk on her lips.

As Marinette makes her way out of the dormitory, little did she know that Lila was just doing the same but for a different reason.

~*~

Damian Wayne @therealbloodheir I had a wonderful night with my beloved. I can’t wait for more nights like these. [Attached is an image of two hands intertwine with each other with the moon shining between them.]

Nette @GothamsFashionSense Replying to @therealbloodheir That sounds like a marriage proposal. Missing you too.

~*~

In the halls of Gotham Academy, conversations buzz around the single fact that Nette was back in Gotham for the first time in weeks. Groups of students gather around a single person, whose phone is out in the open, all gushing about theories on how the date went.

The same can be said for GA’s exchange students who crowd around Lila Rossi like she was the air.

“Gurl, spill, how was the date? You’re tending on twitter, again!” Alya squeals, gripping Lila’s arm.

“Oh you, it was truly romantic. Damiboo took me on this romantic dinner, but the first place we went to didn’t serve any vegetarian meals, and as you know I’m one but he’s not. We left and found another place that was just right.” Her high pitch voices drive a shiver down people spines, well anyone that is in clear hearing distance to the Italian teen's voice range.

“Do they truly believe that she’s Nette. Bitch please, we all know that Nette has dark hair from the back of the head photos on twitter.” A random student scoffs behind the trio.

The trio turns around looking at the person in a new light. The student had long braided blonde hair and wearing the GA uniform. “You’re not fooled? I was pretty sure that she would try and convert you the moment you step foot into the building.” It was Adrien that spoke first.

“I'm Allegra, besides me is Claude and Allen.” The student says shaking hands with Adrien before continuing with, “Anyone with brain cells can tell you that she is not Nette from @GothamsFashionSense.”

Allegra then takes the empty seat beside Marinette.

“Name’s Marinette, these dorks are Adrien and Chloe.” Marinette says, “About the brain cell thing, we’ve been saying that since she joined our class a few years back.”

“It ridiculous, utterly ridiculous, as to how they manage to hang on her every word. And one of them is a self-proclaim reporter. The bitch hasn’t reported anything remotely true since the liar had joined us and don't get me started on her early years.” Chloe places her two cents into the conversation.

This was the start of a blooming relationship.

Claude, Allegra, and Allen were quick to understand the environment that the Paris Trio was living in. An irresponsible, enabling teacher and a class full of idiots. With the Gotham Trio, the Paris Trio was able to understand how Gotham Academy works and learn the ins and outs of specific places. Despite the fact that Marinette vaguely knows just about much.

~*~

“So, how were your first three days at GA?” Dick Grayson asks as the Paris trio who are sitting on the couch inside the living room of Wayne Manor. "Is it about the same as it was when I went?"

“Dicky, I am this close to making heads roll.” Chloe’s fingers are teaching as a look of crazy twitches in her eyes.

“It wasn’t all that bad the first couple of days and then Lila tried to convince GA students that she was me by photoshopping our twitter photos. Other than that, I’m more worried about when Bustier announces that our class has been invited to the upcoming Wayne Gala. I’m already booked with mine and Chloe’s dresses along with Selina’s and Cass’s.” Marinette says, resting her head on Damian’s shoulder as their hands' interlock. Damian places a quick peck on her forehead.

The room was once again oddly silent before Adrien let out a loud giggle.

The family turns to the model who was staring at his phone with the biggest smile on his face. Adrien was no doubt in a group chat with Luka and Jon about upcoming meetings and plans.

“What?” Adrien asks, looking up to the group of extended family members staring at him. They all quickly look away, some whistling while others mess with the person they are next to. “Seriously guys, what?” The whining in Adrien’s voice just made it harder for them to pretend to do something as they hold in a laugh.

“Nothing,” Marinette snickers as Damian brings to play with her hair by braiding strands of it. She always liked it when Damian messed with her hair, he sometimes does something nice, surprising everyone with his styling skills.

“Hey, Pixie-Pop and Pixie-Pop’s friends. When did you guys get in?” It’s Jason, to which majority had forgotten about even though Tim was a close second as he is hovering over a half-full cup of coffee trying to stay awake but isn’t with them in reality. Maybe Marinette should make her special concoction that would knock anyone out for quite some time.

“Hey Mari, can you make the switch?” Dick whispers in the designer’s ear. Marinette huffs agreeing to the older sibling’s request. Damian nearly groans as his girlfriend gets off his lap and walks into the kitchen.

Marinette comes out nearly ten minutes later with a steaming coffee mug in hand. She walks over to Tim and pushes his cup out of his hand and replaces it with hers. Tim, absently, takes a sip. Within seconds he is knocked out, cold.

“I’ll never not be amazed at how fast your drink can knock Tim out,” Dick says as he picks up Tim and exits the room. Marinette shrugs and takes her seat next to Damian.

“When does Cass get back from her trip?” It was Chloe who decided to break the silence between them.

“Before the gala, that’s for sure,” Jason answers as he pulls out the controllers for the game console. He gives Marinette a knowing look, who smirks with mischief in her eyes. He should know better than to play against Marinette.

~*~

It was times like this that made Marinette wish that the school board had investigated Mlle. Bustier years ago, like for example when the liar first tried to get her expelled in college. Yeah, that was such a long time ago.

Today was supposed to be an easy-going day, but for some reason, Lila managed to convince the teachers, Mlle. Bustier specifically, to allow the class to visit a nearby street mall. Mlle. Bustier, of course, agrees despite the GA teachers telling her that it was a bad idea to let the student go out unsupervised in a place they still don’t know much about. Caline laughs it off stating that they’ll be fine, and it’ll be just like walking down the streets in Paris. That added another dash to her inability to be a proper teacher.

Which brings us to the street mall. Lila was going into stores left and right proclaiming to be Damian Wayne’s girlfriend or stating that she is the niece of some high profile celebrity in hopes of getting free or discounted items. That doesn’t dwell well seeing as Gothamites are not as gullible as Parisians.

The Paris Trio along with the GA Trio watch the mess that she was drumming up from afar. Chloe had invited Allegra to join them which then extended to Claude and Allan who wanted to go for the arcade.

Lila even had the nerve to ask Adrien to join her and Alya shopping trips with the underlying message of making him pay. Once being denied on numerous occasions, Alya managed to steal Nino’s wallet in hopes of paying for all their stuff. Yeah, that didn't help their relationship status.

“Alya I told you that money wasn’t for you,” Nino screams into his girlfriend’s face as she tries to come up with an excuse. He was infuriated.

“Nino, baby, if you love me you would have just given me the money. Lila really needed those items for her date with Damian.”

“I don’t care about Lila’s need; she is not my responsibility. In fact, neither are you, Alya. You just spent the money I had saved up for this trip.” Nino had wanted to go into a DJ shop that sold the equipment he wanted and started saving the moment the trip was announced the year before.

“Stop bitching, it was only a couple hundred dollars.”

Oohs and side-eyes make up the crowd they were drawing. It was a free drama tv for them.

“Ooh what do we have here, a lovers quarrel? Now would be the perfect time to spring my new trap.” Suddenly, it was like time freezes.

~*~

Chloe B. @QueenBeeOfParis The best thing about my idiotic classmates is television drama. #savemefromthem

Tina @thepinkmistress I was finding my own business when this shit happens. [Attach is a video clip of a couple arguing and goons dress in green takes over the streets]

Tim Drake’s Bish @rachelcovefe The nerve of this group. Just finished my shift only to be told by some foreigner that she was @GothamsFashionSense like bish please I know you ain't her. #anotherdayingotham

Kimmy @kimmyontheblock Replying to@rachelcovefe OMG same but she then added in that she was Jagged Stone's niece. Um excuse you but we all know that it's @MDCfashion

Mari Needs Coffee @MarinetteMemes So the first relaxing day in Gotham ruined by the Riddler and Lie-la’s fanatics. Yup, so good to be back. #memescomingsoon #goodgrief #imabouttoheadout

Part 4 >>

Tag List: *View my Tagging System guidelines for how to to be properly tagged or removed.

Note: The SPECIFIC Tag list is officially closed. If you wanted to follow the story please mark the tag fic:The Secret Life of MDC.

#daminette #maribat #teacher assistant au #teacher assistant Marinette AU #ta marinette #fic:The Secret Life of MDC #ml x dc #mlb x dc #dc crossover #ml crossover #damimari

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quickspinner · 3 years

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A for Effort

Written for the @lovebugs-and-snakecharmers Sprint Challenge. This week’s challenge was a round robin, and I got to write with @sapphicmarinette and @ladycat1!

Our prompt was Ladybug Juleka and Black Cat Luka are superheroes who keep having to rescue their respective pink damsels in distress...but I read it completely wrong and I was the first sprinter, so we have Black Cat Juleka and Ladybug Luka instead! We had to take a little extra time to do this because after our allotted 3 sprints we had the first half of a chapter of a multipart epic, so we had to do some last minute brainstorming to reign it in....but I really hope one of us chooses to expand on it further because it’s such a fascinating idea!

Thanks for writing with me friends!

Luka and Juleka trooped into their room, one after the other, and both of them flopped on their beds with identical groans of exhaustion.

“When we find Hawkmoth,” Juleka mumbled, “I get first dibs.”

Luka snorted, but for once, didn’t rise to the bait of their typical post-battle debate. “I can’t believe you did that.”

Juleka frowned. “If I hadn’t jumped in front of it, that blast would have—”

“No, not that,” Luka interrupted, and then sat up and flopped in the other direction on his bed so that he could look across at her. Juleka looked over and knew the smirk on his face was trouble. She started turning red, and Luka laughed. “See, you know exactly what I mean,” he chortled, flopping onto his back. Juleka glared at Plagg, who was snickering from his perch on her foot.

The kwami’s only response to her glare was to shove more of his disgusting cheese in his mouth. Juleka groaned, and pulled a pillow over her face. “I can’t believe I did that either,” she muttered.

“You kissed her hand .” Luka grinned, handing a giggling Tikki another cookie. “You swept her up in your arms, carried her to safety, and then you got all up in her face—”

Juleka folded her arms over the pillow and screamed.

“I’m dying to know what you said,” Luka added.

“NO,” she barked, and he chuckled.

“And then you took her hand and you—”

“What about you?” Juleka said suddenly, swinging her legs over the side of the bed and sitting up, hurling the pillow at him all in one smooth motion that he had to admire.

Until her words hit him. “What?”

Juleka smirked. “ She was there again too.”

Luka’s ears went red, and Juleka smirked wider. “Is that why you tripped over that fire extinguisher?” Juleka asked innocently, and cackled when he threw the pillow back at her.

“I really hope she didn’t see that,” Luka muttered, slapping his hands over his face and dropping back on the bed. “I just wasn’t expecting to see her there!”

“Especially not wearing that outfit,” Juleka snickered.

“Oh my God,” Luka groaned. He definitely hadn’t expected to see her in that sweet little red and black spotted dress. “I thought I was going to die. Worst hero death ever.” He couldn’t help the goofy grin that wanted to tug at the corner of his mouth. “Just imagine if your little blonde pixie—”

“Her name is Rose .”

Luka rolled over to look at her. “Imagine if you showed up and Rose was wearing that dress, only in black and green.” He raised his eyebrows. “With kitty ears .”

Juleka blushed again, and sighed. “It’s a good thing we have practice today,” she muttered.

“Tell me about it,” Luka agreed. “I’m gonna be playing this out for days .” He frowned, and Juleka raised her eyebrows as his expression grew thoughtful. “There sure are a lot of akumas coming out of that school,” he said at last.

“Well, the mayor’s daughter does go there,” Juleka pointed out, rolling her eyes.

“True. I’m glad you didn’t end up going there. Still.” He shook his head slightly. “Maybe we should go over there sometime and...I dunno. Investigate.” He cringed slightly at the sound of himself. He was good at making plans in the moment, but when it came to the larger goal of capturing Hawkmoth over time, he felt pretty deficient.

Juleka pretended not to notice his insecurities. “It might be worth it, I guess,” she shrugged, and then gave him a sharp look. “And if we just so happen to run into a pretty blue-eyed, black-haired girl—”

“Or a blonde,” Luka grumbled, picking at the rips in his jeans.

“I don’t know if you’re a genius or an idiot,” Juleka muttered, and then sighed. “All right. I’m in.”

***

A few days later, Juleka texted him a flyer. Gaming Tournament 15/2, at Collège Françoise Dupont, students 13+ from other schools welcome! Luka had agreed that it was the perfect time to investigate. They’d have a reason to be there, and they’d be able to go as civilians, not Misterbug and Lady Violette. Going as superheroes would mean the public would be watching— Hawkmoth would be watching. There would be more breathing room as Juleka and Luka Couffaine.

On the inside, Collège Françoise Dupont seemed fine. The hallways were clean, the furniture was in good shape, and the adult who greeted them at the door seemed perfectly pleasant.

The gaming tournament was held in the library, with a big projector screen on one wall with rows and rows of audience chairs. The two gamers would sit on two separate seats near the front, with everybody watching them. Luka realized that he might not want to play a round, with all those strangers staring at him, but he signed up his name on the registration sheet anyway.

The room was dark to accommodate the bright screen, so Luka actually couldn’t distinguish the faces that were not directly in front of him. It made him feel more at ease, at least. “Have you seen Rose?” he asked.

“Not so loud,” Juleka hissed, socking him in the shoulder. Luka laughed good-naturedly, even though it hurt. “She could overhear you and then wonder how I know her name.”

“Hey, I just thought you wouldn’t want me to say ‘blonde pixie—’”

“Shut up,” Juleka replied with a huff. “Come on, let’s sit in the back.”

“Sure,” Luka agreed, deciding that he had filled his annoying sibling quota for the day already. He followed her into the back row, which was currently empty.

“Hey, that’s her,” Juleka said, and Luka followed her gaze to find Rose. Rose was talking animatedly to another student and holding a gaming controller. She must be going in the next round, which meant that Juleka would be distracted for the next ten minutes. Maybe now would be a good time to leave the room and scout around a bit.

“I’m gonna look around a bit,” he told Juleka, who nodded and gestured him off. He considered saying something along the lines of we’re not here just to watch pretty girls play video games but then decided against it. It was not like there was an akuma, after all. It was okay to let Juleka have fun for a night.

Luka slipped out into the hallway just before the next round started, letting out a sigh of relief the moment that he was on the other side of the door. The bustling atmosphere of the gaming room wasn’t a bad thing, per se, but he certainly lost his taste for it after a while. Especially since it was a room full of strangers.

After he took a moment to calm his breathing, he tried to think of what he should be investigating. How far could he wander and still be able to claim that it was to ‘look for the bathroom’? Maybe just this first floor, then.

“Can I help you find anything?”

He recognized that voice. Of course he recognized that voice.

Luka schooled his facial expression into something neutral and unaffected before he turned around. “I was just getting some air,” he told her. “Thank you, though.”

“I understand,” she said. It was a little surreal, seeing her in a quiet environment. There was no akuma threatening her or the rest of Paris. It was just the two of them in an empty hallway, and she had absolutely no idea who he was. “Sometimes it gets a bit too loud for me in there, too! Are you a student here? I’ve never seen you before.”

Luka only let it hurt his feelings a little bit. “No, I’m not,” he told her. “Um, we actually came because my sister was thinking of transferring here. Do you…do you like it here? Are the students nice?” The concept of Juleka transferring to this school was only a half-lie. On her worst days, when she’d come back from school with a clear air of frustration, she’d mutter about transferring somewhere better. Certainly never to Collège Françoise Dupont, though.

She lit up, as though it was the best question that she had ever been asked. He found himself proud that he had been the one to put that expression there. “Oh! Yes! I’d say that the majority of students here are super sweet! There are a few students who…struggle with manners, I suppose, but I think it’s dealt with well. I’ve also heard that there’s less drama in the other classes. I happen to have a few… conflicting personalities in mine. What’s your sister’s name? I should introduce myself.”

“Her name’s Juleka. She’s a little shy,” he said. He wondered about this class of hers. Was the mayor’s daughter in it, like Juleka suggested? How many of them made up the akumatizations? Luka debated the social etiquettes of it, and then asked, “What’s yours?”

“Oh! I’m Marinette.”

“Luka,” he introduced himself in return. Marinette. It was a pretty name for a pretty girl. “Well, I’m certainly honored to have met you, Marinette.”

Something about his words made her stumble, but she seemed to recover quickly. “Have I… have I met you before?” she asked.

Luka paused.

Yes. He wanted to say. You’ve met me in my superhero form. But he knew better.

“I’m...not sure.” he answered instead. “I don’t think so.”

Marinette shrugged, and wrapped a lock of her hair around her finger. “Oh, okay. For some odd reason, your face looked familiar,” she explained.

Satisfied with her answer, Luka nodded, then stuffed his hands in his pockets. “Are you playing in the tournament?” he decided to ask. Marinette’s face lit up once again, and Luka couldn’t help but suppress a tiny smile at how cute she was.

“Oh yes! I’ve actually loved to play video games since I was a little girl! Are you playing in the tournament?” she asked. Luka nodded in return.

“I’m not that great at gaming though. Not really anyone in my family. We’re more music-oriented.” he said.

“Music? Do you play any instruments?” Marinette asked, and Luka internally winced at how off-topic the conversation had gone. After all, he had come here to investigate the number of Hawkmoth akumatizations, not chat about instruments. Nevertheless, he answered.

“Yeah. I play the guitar—actually both Juleka and Ma do too.” He answered. Marinette nodded, an awkward silence falling over them.

Gesturing back to the hallway that led back to the library, Luka shuffled his feet a bit. “Well I should go back in there now,” he smiled, “Since the tournament is done, you know.” he said. Marinette chimed in a ‘me too’, and the two walked silently to the library. Parting ways at the doorway. Luka quickly paced to Juleka, who was still ogling at Rose, and tapped her on the shoulder.

“The game’s over, Jules. You don’t have to keep staring at her like that, y’know.” he said, rolling his eyes, and Juleka turned around and shot him an irritated look.

“You didn’t have to say that so loud, you know.” she mumbled, causing Luka to smile. “Anyways, see anything interesting while you were looking around?” she asked. Luka shrugged and shook his head.

“Not really. Met Marinette though,” he smiled, a grin appearing as he recited Marinette’s name.

“Who’s— oh.” the words dying in Juleka's throat, as she saw the dark-haired blue-eyed girl grab a game controller and a nametag with the name ‘Marinette’ on her.

“So that’s why you didn’t see anything worthy to investigate. You were distracted. ” Juleka smirked, and Luka gave her a look TM . “Anyways, this school seems pretty tame. The only thing that hints upon the reason for the number of akumatizations that happen here is the mayor’s daughter—Chloe Bourgeois. I heard a few kids talking about her here. A real big drama queen—and a huge school bully.” Juleka shrugged, and Luka nodded. That made a lot of sense. But it wouldn’t really help in the long run finding Hawkmoth. Perhaps Hawkmoth’s civilian identity was linked to some students at this school. Or maybe he worked here. That would be a valid reason for him targeting most students at this school.

Luka jerked suddenly as his name was called, and he turned around automatically. The organizer was standing at the front with a clipboard and—and Marinette was approaching him. Luka’s gaze snapped up to the board they had set up and saw his name across from Marinette’s.

Oh—

“I’m going to kill you slowly,” Luka said conversationally as Juleka began snickering behind him. “Tikki, what the hell happened to that whole ‘good luck’ schtick?”

There was a high-pitched but quiet giggle from his hood. “It all depends on your point of view, doesn’t it,” Tikki whispered as Luka made his way mechanically to the front.

He was going to have to play in front of all these people, and against her , and oh this was possibly the worst idea he’d ever had.

“Don’t worry,” Marinette smiled at him as he sat next to her. “I’ll go easy on you.” She winked, and smirked , and Luka was pretty sure his soul departed the building at that point.

His body, however, was still stuck there, and he tried to get his head in the literal game so he didn’t look like too much of a fool.

Marinette was really good, though. Luka had good reflexes and excellent hand-eye coordination, but damn . Some detached part of his brain noticed that Marinette was a tactical thinker, and he had to appreciate that. He wondered briefly what she would do with, say, the mouse miraculous, that they rarely used because it was physically weak but in the hands of someone like Marinette, it might really be—

He stared at the flashing screen dumbly for a moment before he realized that his thrashing was finally over. He mustered up a grin for Marinette and turned to congratulate her, and froze when she held her hand out to him.

He had never touched her without his suit in the way.

But if he didn’t, she would think he was a sore loser and—

Luka swallowed and shook her hand awkwardly. Her hand was tiny in his.

“Good game,” he managed to say, letting go of her as quickly as he could.

“You did pretty good!” Marinette smiled encouragingly. “Especially if you don’t play that regularly.” She made a face and Luka felt his own turning red. “Sorry you had to go up against me in the first round, though. Luck of the draw, I guess!”

“It’s all good, I was only playing for fun anyway,” Luka said, hoping he sounded, if not smooth, at least natural . “It was kind of a whim. Sometimes I just get these crazy ideas, and you know, why not?” He clenched his teeth against any more babble.

“It’s good to be spontaneous,” she said kindly, and Luka tried to think of a way to make a quick exit. He didn’t know why he ever thought it was a good idea to meet her in his civilian identity, she must think he was so lame—

Her head tilted slightly and she gave him that look again. “Are you sure we haven’t met before?” she said, scrutinizing his face, and Luka was suddenly looking at her lips and remembering how she’d kissed his cheek the last time he’d saved her and he needed to get out of there now .

“Uh...I mean well— you wouldn’t know!” Luka managed to stutter out, but then slammed his out shut, realizing what he had just said.

Idiot.

He had practically given himself away! Sweating nervously, Luka glanced around— anywhere but at Marinette’s face —to find an escape.

“Wait... what?” Marinette asked, bewildered. “What do you mean?” she asked, slowly, as realization struck on her face.

Crap! He felt a hard tug on the back of his hair and knew that Tikki was also freaking out back there in his hood. Ugh, he had to do something!

Luka fidgeted nervously, panic coursing through his veins. He silently prayed that somehow an akuma would appear so he could leave. Fortunately, luck was on his side as a bell rang through the school indicating that an akuma had appeared. Finally.

“I s-should really get going! Ma doesn’t like it when J-Jules and I stay out during akumas!” Luka rambled, running up to Juleka, and grabbed her hand. Marinette pulled a skeptical face as she saw Luka leave.

“What was that all about?” asked Juleka, as the two ran into an alleyway to transform.

God, he was so screwed.

#quickspins #collab fic #lbsc sprint fic #lukanette #endgame lukanette #lukanette endgame #luka couffaine #marinette dupain-cheng #miraculousladybug #miraculous ladybug

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maribatlife · 4 years

Text

Without Context pt. 2

Part 1

It’s been a while but I finally finished part 2

After a quick conference, everyone decided that Marinette would continue to her apartment accompanied by Batman and Red Hood would meet up with her tomorrow.

Jason kept giving everyone distrustful looks. They were taking this all too well. That all changed when they reached the cave.

"Little Wing it was an honor to witness your soul meeting." Dick laughed out like the dick he was.

Tim just collapsed with laughter on the floor after removing his cowl. "Your mask was so ugly it made her scream."

It is amusing, Todd," Damian added, a small smirk.

"Shut it," he growled, removing the helmet.

"Make me."

He lifted his arm, holding the offending helmet aloft. "Try me Replacement."

"Your mask is so terrible your soulmate didn't even realize you said her words until Dick pointed it out."

"That's it," he moved to chuck the helmet and himself at Tim when a heavy hand landed on his shoulder.

"That is enough." Bruce's voice rang out. "Jason stay here, the rest of you," he let out a heavy sigh, "go tell Alfred what happened."

"What do you want Bruce?"

"You and I are going to watch the feed."

"Feed, what fucking feed?"

"The feed I set up in your soulmate's apartment while I dropped her off."

"Fucking creep…"

Across town Marinette raced into her apartment and slammed the door behind her. "Tikki, Tikki where are you? Oh, this is terrible."

"Marinette, what's wrong?" Tikki asked flying out of the Miracle Box with Plagg, Wayzz, and Barkk.

"Well, I went out to get some ingredients so I could bake for the grand opening…"

Across town, Bruce and Jason watched in amazement as a cookie started to levitate and was eaten in midair, while Marinette was clearly talking to something the camera couldn't see.

"...and then I screamed. In his face!!!! Oh, this is terrible." She fell face first onto the couch. "You know what, I need to go on a run. Plagg, you up for it?" At Plagg's nod she shot off the couch and made a fist. "Okay then Plagg, Claws Out!"

Across town Bruce and Jason watched in shock as a light obscured her form. As it dissipated their jaws dropped at the sight of Marinette now clad in black leather, with cat ears and a bell and, nope they rubbed their eyes, no it really was a tail. They watched in shock and disbelief as she kept off the balcony and into the night. Bruce turned off the feed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

Jason spent the rest of the night with more questions than he had since he woke up from the Joker's attack.

The next night Marinette sat on her balcony, a small plate of cookies in front of her as she watched Re- her soulmate swing into the seat across from her. She went to start the conversation, like a Band-Aid, she thought it was better to jump right in. But Hood just held up his hand, as he picked listening devices out of seemingly thin air and destroyed them.

She had spent the day transplanting her multitude of Queen Anne's Lace and Wild Rose plants to the boxes hanging off her balcony effectively obscuring anything a curious eye might see with a froth of pink and white flowers.

"So, in the interest of full disclosure," Hood started while removing his helmet. "Batman is a dick and bugged your apartment last night. There also was a camera, because he's a paranoid bastard, but Red Robin removed that last night after A started his "I'm disappointed in you" speech on B. But I know about the whole magical cat vigilante thing." Underneath the helmet he wore a Domino mask. Small, thin lines of discoloration were visible on his cheeks. Jason watched the gir- Marinette get visibly shaken after he revealed his scars. But then she quickly recovered and kept her gaze fixed firmly above his head and away from his ugly scars.

Marinette was startled. She was such a bad guardian. She hadn't even been in Gotham a month and already people had found out about the Miraculous. This was a disaster! A complete and utter disaster. Then out of the corner of her eye she spotted Tikki and Wayzz holding up a note that read: Soulmates are the exception! Plagg was writing something below that and when he flew off she noticed it said: Tell him the truth!

Mentally she sighed, what harm could it do. "So full disclosure, I'm kinda sorta thegurardianofmagicaljewlerythatharnessesthepoweroftinygodsthatcanbelenttohumansintimesofcrisis."

Hood blinked at her. "Um, hmm, that was a little," he paused clearly searching for the right word to use, "fast. Could you repeat that?"

"When I was 14, I saved an old man from getting run over, and in return I got a mountain of responsibilities, a more than healthy dose of anxiety, and a ton of magical jewelry that harnesses the power of tiny gods that I’m supposed to protect and no one is ever supposed to know about the Miraculouses’ existence but now you and Batman know and ugh.” Her head slammed to the table. “Tikki, can you take over?” she said without lifting her head from the table.

All of a sudden, a little red bug-thing was floating in front of him with a green, was that supposed to be a turtle? And a black cat thing that looked like it came out of some Ghibli film.

“I’m Tikki,” the red one started. “The Kwami of the Creation and this is Wayzz,” she gestured to the green one, “he is the Kwami of Protection, and Plagg,” she gestured to the cat thing.

“I’m the Kwami of Destruction, one wrong move from you or that Bat and -” he suddenly flew off.

It was then that Jason noticed that Marinette had left the table and returned with…

“Sweet, glorious Cheese! Is it… really the Epoisses de Bourgongne?”

“What have I said about cheese privileges?”

“I wouldn’t actually.”

Marinette shot him a look.

Suddenly the Cat was back in Jason’s face. “I will not destroy the town, Kwami’s Honor. Now please let me have that wonderful smelling ambrosia.”

“As I was saying,” Tikki continued as Marinette gave the cheese to Plagg. “Kwamis came into creation thousands of years ago as the idea of what we embody was realized. First was Creation, then Destruction, and then the rest. However, we couldn’t interact with people until a mage bound us to our Miraculous, which is a technique lost to time. In time the Order of the Miraculous was created to protect the Miraculous from falling into the wrong hands. Eventually the Order fell, and a young monk escaped with the Box but the Butterfly and Peacock Miraculous were lost. Flash forward a couple hundred years to Paris and Wayzz notices the activation of the Butterfly Miraculous in the hands of a holder with a negative intention. It was determined that the Ladybug Miraculous and the Black Cat Miraculous were needed to fight against the current holder, who was calling himself Hawkmoth.”

“So, you got the Black Cat?” Jason asked Marinette.

“Nope, I was Ladybug.”

“A Ladybug should be creative and compassionate, a Black Cat tends to be impulsive and protective,” Tikki explained.

“And Marinette fits both perfectly,” Plagg interrupted.

“At the time,” Tikki continued, “She was the best option for a Ladybug. After a few years, the Guardian’s identity was discovered by Hawkmoth, so he passed the title down to Marinette.”

“So, um,” Marinette stammered, “What’s your name? Just so I can stop calling you Red Hood in my head.”

A gruff bark of a laugh burst out of Jason. “Seriously? I’m Jason, Jason Todd-Wayne.”

“Nice to meet you Jason.” Marinette didn’t recognize the name but with how he said it, it must be important.

“Don’t even recognize the name, do you Pixie?”

“Should I? I don’t really keep up with pop culture besides fashion designers and trends.”

#maribat #jasonette #soulmate au #marinette/jason #without context au #My writing

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scarletaire · 3 years

Text

homeland (Chapter 5)

A/N: Last chapter before the epilogue, and it is the longest one by far! To each and every single one of you reading and supporting this little fic of mine: thank you. Just – thank you. This one's for you.️

Fandom: The Folk of the Air

Genre/s: Contains Fluff, Slight Hurt/Comfort, Slight Angst, Smut

Rating: E

Tags: Post-QON, Canon Compliant, Established Relationship, Protective!Cardan, Bewildered!Jude, Jude and Cardan discuss the Undersea, but they get a little Distracted

Description:

Cardan’s eyes flash open.

“Why?” he repeats, and Jude feels the power shift between them. “Don’t you remember, wife?” he croons. “It was the Undersea who stole you away from me.”

And Jude has only enough time to think, danger, before he lunges at her.

or:

Cardan and Jude work on removing their armor. Taking off this particularly stubborn piece happens in varying states of undress.

Links: Masterlist | AO3

Cardan doesn’t get very far.

Well.

She doesn’t let him.

Jude snatches her forgotten knife off the ground, not far from the couch, and throws. It flies hilt over blade, over and over, a flash of silver teeth in the moonlight, until it strikes its target: the patch of mossy wall just a hair's breadth away from the tip of Cardan’s ear.

He freezes. Inches from the door. “Did you just throw a knife at me?”

“I should’ve aimed closer.” Jude glares at his turned back. She still hasn’t quite gotten her breath back and it shows in her voice. “Where do you think you’re going?”

“Back to the revel. The one you were so worried about missing.”

“The one you clearly don’t care enough about considering you led me here instead.”

He turns, finally, raising his shoulders as if to say, I guess you’re right. The smile has returned to his face. It is a mask, and it does not fit.

She wants to slice it off.

Jude stands. Or, well, attempts to, with as much dignity as possible. The thing is — she can’t feel her knees.

Cardan notices. His smile ripples, shifts. A smirk begins to flirt with the corner of his mouth.

“Don’t you dare.”

The smirk only grows.

Jude cuts her eyes to the knife embedded in the wall. “I mean it.”

“Or what? You’ll kill me?”

“Not funny. Listen,” she hisses. “I don’t have time for this. Trying to figure out what’s wrong with you. You’re distant, you’re brooding, whatever. But you don’t get to walk away from me.”

His eyes flash. “And what makes you think I’m walking away from you?”

“Because that’s what you do. Running away. Hiding under tables. Drinking wine to clear away reality.” She doesn’t know where this is coming from. There is something cold, too cold, in her blood. She let him have his way and he still turned his back on her.

Jude watches the words land, sees him rear back in response. This urge to hurt him, just a little, is familiar but wrong. Like putting on old clothes that are too small. She makes it fit. “I don’t see why it matters anyway,” she continues. “The Folk don’t care about these things. Brothers kissing the same girl. It’s what counts as fun around here.” She thinks of Locke, and of Taryn, and the taste of it is bitter in her mouth.

There is no mistaking the fury on his face now. She can’t even celebrate the loss of his mask. “Is that what you think this is about?”

“What else is there?” she says without thinking, at the end of her rope. “Are you jealous, Cardan? Do you think I liked kissing Balekin better than –”

“Shut up.”

“No.”

“Foolish human. You couldn’t possibly fathom it.”

“Exactly,” she snarls. “I can’t fathom it. I can’t understand what you’re thinking. Is that it? Is it because I’m human? So I got kidnapped and held hostage and you had to make a deal for me. Are you defending my honor? Is that how little you –”

“Tread carefully, wife.” Malice sparks in his tone.

They’re going in circles. Like a faerie dance that an enchanted mortal can’t break away from.

“I’ve made my peace with it!” She very nearly shouts it. “Why can’t you?”

Because that’s what the problem is, isn’t it? She’s made her peace with it, the whole, terrible lot of it. She was kidnapped, used, tortured in that insidious way the fae like to torture. Geases and tricks and not-truths. But she didn’t let it break her. So why is it that he’s the one that’s broken, the one shaken awake by nightmares, the one unable to meet her eyes?

Jude is — exhausted. She feels a little sick for goading him, and she despises how little she is able to control her words and her temper. This isn’t how she wants to treat him, but her head hurts. She desperately misses the way they were in the safety of their room: open, vulnerable, trusting. She wants him the way he was after his nightmare, trembling and soft and ready to tell her everything without making her guess a word.

She won’t let him see her shoulders slump, but her voice loses its edge. “Fine. You clearly don’t want to — to talk about it right now. I hate it,” and she makes sure her eyes burn her vitriol at him, “but that’s not my problem. I will not beg for your favor.” And she says it with her chin held high. “Nor do I need it.”

He’s watching her, the wariness unmistakable on his face.

“But know this, High King of Elfhame. The next time you turn your back on me will be the last time I throw a knife at you.” My blade will strike true.

Jude sweeps past him to retrieve her knife embedded in the wall. She means to leave him there, much in the same way he meant to leave her only moments before. But her hand has barely closed around the hilt of her blade before there are soft fingers encircling her wrist, gently tugging her backwards.

Cardan wraps his arms around her from behind, pulling her back against his chest. Jude wants to snap at him, to tell him that no amount of cuddling will account for the way he closed himself off to her – but then his head is dropping to her shoulder, stray curls brushing against her bare, chilled skin, and her body is melting against him because he’s warming her up all pressed close like this, and, well, isn’t this what she wanted all along?

He sighs, and it feels like a kiss against the skin behind her ear. Before she knows it, she’s leaning completely against him, until her cheek is resting against his temple and he’s supporting all of her weight. And everything feels like it could be alright, just for a little while.

Jude allows herself to chip a little. A piece of armor falling away. It wouldn’t normally be this easy, but this night has taken so much from her already. Her fingers wrap around his forearms. “Just – are you angry?”

“Yes.”

Jude swallows it, the word a lump of ice in her throat.

But Cardan is speaking again. “Not at you.”

“Oh.”

“Jude.” He sends her name into her skin. And he sounds exactly the way he did when he woke up from his nightmare. “How could you ever think it was you?”

Her fingers tighten around his forearms, digging into the black fabric of his shirt. She fixes her gaze on the ceiling, golden lanterns and constellations for a revel that suddenly seems so very far away. “I just always thought you would hate me for it. Think me weak.”

“I could never. If there was anyone weak in the face of the Undersea, it was I.”

Jude lifts her head. “What?”

“I couldn’t do anything when you were taken. Anything that mattered. I couldn’t stop them, couldn’t bring you back. Not without a king’s ransom and admitting Madoc one step closer to the crown. I hated that making the deal was the only thing I could do. But I did it anyway.”

The words he whispered in their bed ring through her ears.

I would have done anything to get you back. Anything. Everything.

She wishes she could see his face, turn around and lift his eyes to her. But his arms have become iron around her waist, and he is pressing his face into her neck as if he never means to surface from her again.

“Every day that you were gone, I stood on the cliff and gazed into the waves. As if I could bring you back by the sheer force of my longing. Never before had I loathed the feeling of being weak as much as then. All the power of Elfhame and I couldn’t bring you back.”

“But you did,” she says, because as much as she kept herself alive and refused to let them break her, he got her out. He got her out in the end. “You did.”

He doesn’t hear her. “And then now you tell me of my brother’s tricks and machinations. Taking what he can from you. Giving you no choice but to yield to him. Another tally in the long list of ways I’ve failed. Do you understand me now, Jude? I am haunted by the water.”

And Jude is thunderstruck.

Because this whole time.

This whole time, he was angry with himself.

He thinks — he thinks he failed her.

She tries to speak, to say something, anything — you didn’t fail me maybe, or I think you might have saved me even — but he’s pressing a kiss to her temple and turning her in his arms. Holding her hips and smiling a rueful smile, neither a fake nor a mask and even more disconsolate in its truthfulness.

“My Queen of Knives,” he says. “Come. We have a land grab to settle.”

–––––––––

They’re ambushed the minute they emerge.

The Courts of Elfhame are eager to stake their claim on the Isle of Ash, and it would seem the carefully crafted festivities of Cardan’s peace revel are not enough to placate them any longer.

They are met with a blur of faces and titles and allegiances and honestly, at this point, barely veiled propositions as the people of the kingdom vie for their favor. Cardan takes the lead in charming them all and maneuvering the conversation without really agreeing to anything, because they both know that’s what he’s best at. The revel continues as the politicking unfolds. The music is liquid, the air thick as syrup. And Cardan – doesn’t let go of her.

From the moment they stepped out of their secret room behind the throne, he’s made sure that he’s touching her somehow. It’s his tail twining around her elbow while a goblin with lime green skin outlines his extensive plans should Insear be bequeathed to the Court of Moths. It’s his pinky curling around hers while a pixie chatters away at them, her wings near vibrating with her enthusiasm. It’s his steadying hand on her back as he leads her away from a member of the Gentry that has clearly had too much wine.

As if he understands how much she’s pushing her body right now to keep going on. As if he understands how turning his back on her was a sting that she won't easily forget. As if maybe she isn't the only one in need of these small affections.

The King and Queen hold court with their kingdom, but neither of them are really listening, because they are also holding court with each other. The Folk watch them with bemusement.

Jude doesn’t really care at this point.

She had seen the tightness in his eyes, the clenching of his jaw. She had assumed their meaning, and oh, how wrong she had been. Now she is taking in all the things she missed the first time, wondering how she hadn’t noticed the slump to his shoulders, the unhappy tilt of his lips.

Anger is a strange thing, in that it takes root from the things that hurt the most.

Cardan steps away at one point when something far ahead catches his notice, and he presses a quick kiss to her cheek before departing. She almost chases after him, because he took all the warmth with him when he left, and she’s not sure if she could endure another round of simpering and sidling without him.

When the Bomb suddenly materializes at her side, Jude almost sighs in relief.

“Here.” The Bomb hands her a vial filled with clear, violet liquid.

Jude narrows her eyes at it. “What is that?”

“The king said you weren’t feeling well.”

“What? When?”

“Not long after we returned from Insear. He was frantic. Said you fainted into his arms.” There’s teasing in the corner of her smile, if she looked close enough.

Jude snatches the bottle from her. “I did no such thing.”

“Whatever you say, Your Worshipfulness.”

Eyeing the contents, Jude asks, “What kind of antidote is it?”

It’s the Bomb’s turn to frown. “It’s just a tonic. Why would you need an antidote?”

“I think I’ve been poisoned. But I can’t be sure. It’s not a poison I know. It’s just that the symptoms came on so fast for it to be anything else.” Jude goes over how she ruled out all the possible common fae toxins.

“Jude, you should have told someone sooner. What symptoms?” Her friend’s voice has transformed from easygoing to clinical.

“Headache. Chills. Sore muscles.” Jude thinks over the last hour, her encounter with Cardan behind the throne room. “And some kind of mood change. I’m… I’m too irritable. Volatile.” She shakes her head. “More so than usual.”

“Glad to know you’re self-aware, at least.”

Jude ignores the jab. “I’ve run out of ideas. I don’t know what it is, or how I imbibed it.” And the symptoms aren’t going away. But even in front of her friend, Jude is loath to show weakness. This conversation, asking for help, it’s already uncomfortable enough.

“Leave it to me.” The Bomb turns to go, but before she leaves, she looks back at Jude with a grin. “And here I thought you were out of sorts for a different reason.”

“What?”

She sends a look over Jude’s shoulder and melts into the shadows with one last wink. Jude turns and sees Cardan making his way back, eyes heavy on her.

His clothes are covered in glitter.

Blue, turquoise, and gold powder shimmering against all the black. Scattered on his shoulder where he threw her leg over him. Across the front of his chest where she grabbed him. Dusted across his cheekbones where he pressed his face into —

Her. His clothes are covered in her.

Has he looked like that the entire time? All the ambassadors they talked to…

“Your Majesty.” It’s Randalin. He pauses, leaning forward to peer a little closer. “Are you feeling alright? You look a little flushed.”

“Hm? Oh, I’m perfectly fine,” she lies. She’s not sure if it’s because of whatever poison is possibly in her system right now, or because she’s still not recovered from that mind-melting orgasm, but she wouldn’t mind betting that she always looks like this after a period of Cardan’s undivided attention.

“I’ve finally caught you alone, my queen. You see, I wondered if I might have a word –”

“Speak directly, Minister.” And quickly, for your sake.

Jude casts her eyes around. Where did Cardan – oh. It looks like he’s found himself caught in the clutches of the Council as well. Nihuar stands in between them, and they are locked in a conversation that clearly looks like one he doesn’t want to be having.

“The resolutions to the Insear claim have been delayed. Intentionally. Multiple times, all of them without due reason. Well, with perhaps as singular a reason as this.” He gestures at the revelry unfurling before them, and she much mislikes the disdain in his goat eyes.

Her fingers tighten on the vial in her hand. She hasn’t even had a chance to drink the damn thing. “What are you implying?”

“I come to simply say that perhaps in this matter, the king cannot be relied upon, and to prevent further damage to the kingdom, that the next course of recompense be –”

Jude sees red. The vial of tonic crashes into the floor, where it shatters and seeps like strange jeweled blood.

“How dare you,” she sneers. Rage creeps like frost under her skin. “Unreliable and incompetent are the last things Cardan will ever be. You should know. He saw right through you, didn’t he?”

And then there is actual blood on the floor, because Randalin is bleeding, a good chunk of his hob’s ear missing. She’s got her knife in her hand, and him in a chokehold, spluttering and gasping and scrambling to put pressure on his wound.

“That’s why you came to me, isn’t it? The king was too smart to play along with you, and so you thought to try your luck with the queen. Maybe you should change your title to the Fool, dear Minister of Keys.”

Finally. She finally got to sink her knife into someone who deserved it.

Her blood sings, loud in her ears.

Somebody screams.

“You will leave this matter alone,” she’s telling him. Threatening him. “You will not try to play the crown again, especially not for the sake of the Council’s useless pockets, or else the next time it won’t be your ear missing its tip.” She angles her blade towards Randalin’s horns, and he makes a little scared sound in the back of his throat.

Then there are arms, warm and strong, pulling her gently away. Unwinding her hands around Randalin’s neck and lifting her up. The bloodlust evaporates from her at his touch and suddenly, she’s dizzy and reeling.

“Take the Minister away,” Cardan says to someone she cannot see. She feels the words rumble in his chest where she’s pressed up against him.

“At once, sire. And the queen, will she need a healer’s attention?”

“No. Leave us.” The frisson of authority in his voice thrills in Jude’s blood. When he looks down at her, his eyes are pure black. “I will deal with the queen.”

–––––––––––––––

Cardan carries her all the way to the bathroom of the royal suite.

He doesn’t speak when he sets her down on the floor. He doesn’t speak when he starts to help her out of her dress, fingers masterful but not lingering as he undoes the laces, peels away her skirt, threads the feathers out of her hair. He doesn’t speak when he holds out his hand and guides her into the great, green marble bath, already steaming with fragrant, flowered water.

The scent is the first thing she notices. Pink roses and snowy jasmines float along the edges of the bath. The water swirls blue and turquoise when she sinks into it, the night’s colors washing away from her body. It’s wonderfully, blessedly hot, soothing the chill under her skin.

Jude is almost too distracted by how good the water feels to be self-conscious when he takes a seat by the side of the bath, folding his long limbs onto the floor to sit with her as she soaks.

And then, finally: “You do realize that there are other solutions to political scheming that are not attempted murder?”

Jude sinks further down into the water until it covers up to her mouth. “None quite so efficient,” she mumbles. The words come out as bubbles.

Cardan watches her as she leans back against the bathtub, expression neutral. “Liliver thinks you’ve been poisoned.”

“I think I’ve been poisoned. I told her so when she came to deliver the tonic you requested.” She raises an eyebrow at him in a silent question.

“Yes, I believe I gave her a bit of a fright after you fainted. How are you not dead?”

She doesn’t know if it’s a comfort or a concern to realize that they’ve reached the point in their monarchy where poisonings and assassination attempts are now considered topics for small talk.

“It’s either I was given the wrong dosage, or poisoning me wasn’t the intention.” She taps a lone rosebud as it floats by her on the water. “It’s not a toxin I recognize.”

“Maybe it’s not a toxin at all.”

She lifts her head to see him wrinkling his brow. “What do you mean?”

“Have you eaten anything? Drank anything?”

“Nothing you haven’t. That’s why I ruled out the food tray from earlier. The one with the honeycakes.”

“I remember.” A corner of his mouth lifts, and she thinks of the way he had pressed the honeycakes into her hands, wrapped in a king’s kerchief and a lover’s promise. “So if it wasn’t the food tray, then it must have happened at Insear. Did you… did you touch anything?”

She narrows her eyes. “Yes. Some of the flowers. Why?”

Cardan sighs. “The magic there is unfamiliar. New.” He looks down at his hands, rings shining. “I’m not entirely sure we know enough about it.”

“It’s supposed to be your magic, though, isn’t it?”

“Yes,” he begins, then stops suddenly. He stares at her as if an idea has struck him. “If it was my magic that caused this, then I wonder…”

“Cardan?”

“I wonder if my magic can fix it.” Cardan is suddenly leaning forward. “Close your eyes.”

“I don’t really –”

“Trust me.”

And she does. The world goes dark behind her closed eyelids, and she is engulfed in the scent of roses and jasmines, heavy and dreamy in the air.

A stream of water trickles down her forehead and she opens her eyes in surprise to find Cardan’s cupped hand above her face.

“Trust me,” he whispers again, and his voice lulls her eyes closed once more. The next stream of water flows down her nose, and over her lips. She can almost taste the flowers. Another stream of water, this time over her eyelids, droplets catching in her lashes, and then Jude begins to feel the strangest thing. The cold is washing away. The tension, the ache behind her eyes, the soreness in her muscles, swirling off into the water. She is lighter, warmer, calmer.

Jude takes her first full breath in what feels like days.

She opens her eyes, and Cardan is smiling down at her. A real one this time, a small tilt of his lips, but real.

“There you are,” he says.

He healed her. He healed her and now he’s smiling like he’s proud and she wants to wrap her arms around his neck and drag him down into the water with her fully clothed, but instead she croaks out, “It’s my magic, too. Why didn’t I just heal myself from the beginning?”

Cardan’s smile catches. He searches her face. “Is it truly so bad to need my help, Jude?”

She looks away. “You know I hate feeling powerless.”

“I know it far too well.” A pause, and then, as if he’s speaking it through his teeth, as if he is barely leashing himself: “Balekin and the Undersea made you feel powerless.”

“Yes.”

“Is that why you killed him?”

It’s a good question. It isn’t the right one.

“A part of it.”

“And the other part?”

Jude meets his gaze, holds it. Unwavering. She lets another piece of armor fall. “You’re not the only one who’s willing to do everything.”

He doesn’t say anything. By the look on his face, it doesn’t seem like he can at the moment. Mouth parted, eyes wide. Stunned. How could he still be so surprised even now?

Clearly, she needs to do better at telling him how she feels.

Jude leans in, unrelenting. “Ask me if I liked it.”

His voice comes out a little hoarse. “What, killing him?”

“Don’t be stupid.”

“Did you like it, Jude? Did you enjoy kissing my brother?”

“No.” She’s daring him. Daring him to find the lie in her words, her face, her voice. “No. I loathed every second of it.”

“Then how –” The words come out in a hiss, as if he couldn’t stop himself from speaking them. He tries to take a steadying breath. It sounds ragged even across the bath water. “You said you made your peace with it.”

“Yes.”

Ask me. Ask me the right question.

It comes out in a whisper, as if the words themselves were something to be careful with. “Then, how, Jude? How did you survive the Undersea?”

“I thought of you,” she confesses, and there it is. “The whole time. Through the worst of it, I remembered you. Your face, your voice, the way you held me when –” She’s whispering now, and he has stilled, as if his entire being depended on the next words out of her mouth. “Sometimes I imagined you were there beside me, in my cell. And when I did, things weren’t quite as bad as they seemed.”

She seems to have shocked him into speechlessness for the second time in ten minutes, so she goes on.

“The only way I got through kissing Balekin is by pretending that it was you. That was the only way I could bear it. So you see,” she ends awkwardly, when he continues staring at her like he can’t believe she’s real, “you ended up helping me after all.”

The act of speaking this, of telling him, is somehow infinitely more intimate than sitting in a bathtub naked in front of him, or letting him put his face between her legs with hundreds of their people dancing in the next room.

“Jude,” he breathes, his voice hushed like hers. It’s as if they both realize that something sacred, something precious has passed in the air between them.

“You saved me then. And you also saved me now, tonight.” She reaches out to graze his cheek. “Not quite so feckless after all.”

It’s Cardan who moves first, curling his fingers around her hand at his cheek and pulling her forward, into him. His lashes are wet. Jude almost thinks it’s because of the bath water, but then he’s pressing his forehead against hers, his breaths coming out in little gasps, and no, it’s not the bath water.

Their lips are barely touching, suspended in this moment. She’s half out of the tub. He’s half in it.

She wants to kiss him, to lean those last few inches and close the distance. But this is just as important. This is what makes everything worth it. This is one last piece of armor crumbling between them, and suddenly it’s not quite so bad feeling vulnerable when there’s someone in the world who loves her this much. She tilts her head so that their noses brush. A silent comfort.

Somebody’s shaking. It might be her.

“You’re shivering.” His hands wrap around her shoulders. “Let’s get you dressed.”

Jude lets him pull her out of the tub. Normally, she would hate being coddled. Is this what being coddled even means? She realizes that she doesn’t really have much experience to draw from. But the soft, tender parts of her have been laid bare tonight and so she doesn’t fight it when Cardan begins to dry her with a warm cloth.

His hands. There are rings on most of his fingers, and the thought occurs to her that she should get him a wedding ring of his own. Something with rubies. Something that would match the one he gave her, the one she wears each day on the finger missing its tip. Jude tucks that idea away for another time.

She’s moving before she even knows it, palms rising to his nape and fingers sinking into his curls until she’s pulling him down, down. Until she’s brushing the hair back from his forehead and pressing her lips there. A kiss as tender as she knows it.

The air leaves him in a sharp exhale.

The cloth falls to the ground.

Cardan grabs her around the waist, and suddenly, it doesn’t feel like coddling anymore.

Anticipation curls low in her stomach.

But he doesn’t kiss her. He just stares down at her with his dark, deep eyes. Memorizing her. Drinking her in.

And Jude has waited far too long for the kiss he would have given her if they weren’t interrupted after waking up.

All her life she’s had to get what she wants herself. And what she wants right now, well, she knows exactly how to get it.

Cardan doesn’t bend down to make it easier for her when she starts to wind her arms around his neck. He makes her work for it a little. Makes her stretch her naked chest up his front. Makes her stand on her tiptoes.

She knows how this goes, this delicious war of bodies between them. She knows her weapons, and how to use them.

“Please,” she breathes against his lips.

Cardan melts into her with a groan. A sense of finality. Something important has changed between them tonight, and Jude welcomes it just as much as she welcomes the crash of his soft, lush mouth against hers.

Long, dragging, drugging kisses.

She had once told him that he was out of her system, and it was perhaps the biggest lie she has told anyone. It was definitely the grandest lie she has told herself, mithridatism be damned.

Nothing could have prepared her for the likes of kissing Cardan.

Kissing Cardan is like reaching to touch the sun.

She crowned him, cursed him, and killed him, and now — she gets his tongue in her mouth any damn time she wants. His hands pressed open on her back, her hips, his fingers spread as if to feel as much of her as he can against him.

She would have endured a thousand nights in the Undersea for this.

The journey from the bathroom to the bedroom is a blur. Cardan breaks away to lower his mouth to her breast, and oh, the way his tongue feels is obscene. Her skin is still damp and tingling from the bath and so she feels lit up everywhere when he sucks.

“Sweet,” she thinks she hears him mumble, his hands beginning a path downward, “always so sweet for me.”

“Off.” Her hands are taking a familiar path too, undoing buttons and unclasping fastenings. It’s wholly unfair that he’s still fully clothed. “Take it off –” Cardan’s cape of ebony feathers falls away from him, and she just about gets his shirt undone all the way before his fingers find her, wet and wanting between her legs, and her voice cuts off on a gasp.

His thumb presses against the bundle of nerves, driving her to the tips of her toes.

Her toes, which are slippery from the bath water.

Jude loses her balance, feels her feet slide out from under her, thinks oh, shit, before grabbing on to the nearest stable thing.

Cardan’s shoulders shake under her fingers.

“Don’t –” The order loses a bit of its ferocity because she’s choking back her own laughter. “Don’t you dare laugh –”

It’s no good. “That was the most uncoordinated I have ever seen you.”

“Shut up –”

As it turns out, kissing is the best way to shut the both of them up, but she feels the curve of his mouth against her lips, unable to hide his humor. One last chuckle escapes him before he hauls her over to the edge of their bed.

Jude looks up at him. His shirt is undone and half-way down his arms. His hair is mussed, his tail swaying from side to side. The last of the moonlight is streaming in through the windows, and it outlines the traces of laughter in his face. Jude has seen Cardan many ways, but happy just might be her favorite.

He guides her hands to the bed posts on either side of them.

“Hold on,” he tells her.

Then he’s kneeling before her for the second time that night.

It’s an encore of his performance in the ivy-filled room behind the throne, a symphony of fingers, lips, and tongue that he plays on the instrument of her body. She would have thought that it would take longer this time because he’s already made her come tonight, but no, it has only made her all the more sensitive. He works her up so fast it’s almost ridiculous, as if she’s back in her peacock skirts seconds from a climax just feet away from an entire ballroom.

Cardan runs his hands over the ugly gash along her shin. Along the multitude of cuts and scrapes that she’s accumulated over the years. “These are the scars I know you by. And these are the marks you’ll remember me for.” He mouths at the bruise he left on her inner thigh during the revel. Was that just hours ago? It feels like it’s been days.

He slips a finger inside her, then another one, when she whines. He curses at how wet she is, like he’s angry, like he can’t believe it. Then he gets her going with thick, luscious strokes and her thighs close around his head. He curls an arm around one, opening her to him again, until he can lick and lap and suck the soul out of her body and into her second orgasm of the night.

She must lose a little time because the next thing she knows, she’s opening her eyes and Cardan is completely undressed.

They stare at each other from across the bed, like two opponents waiting for the next move.

She wants him. She has him. She just doesn’t know quite what to do with him.

She thinks of honeycakes and hands helping her into her clothes and steaming baths waiting for her in the ensuite. All the things she didn’t know she needed until he gave them to her.

Moving slowly, deliberately, keeping her eyes on him the entire time, Jude releases her grip on the bed posts and turns. On her hands and knees in front of him.

She feels more than hears the strangled groan that leaves him. “Jude.” A warning. A plea.

Jude Duarte Greenbriar has always craved power. Tonight she understands that the relinquishing of her control is maybe its own special kind, the kind that she’s quickly beginning to realize is one that only she’ll ever have — the power to give her husband exactly what he needs.

“Please,” she whispers once more into the waiting night air, because even though she doesn’t know how to put it into words herself, she may have him the slightest bit figured out already.

He drops his head to kiss her, and Jude’s neck is craned over her shoulder in a way that would swiftly become uncomfortable, but she doesn’t care. The things he can do with his tongue are absolutely filthy.

“Heart of darkness, soul of mine,” he breathes into her mouth. “You ruin me.”

And only then does he press on, press in, press deep. Slowly. Opening her up. Inch by inch. Jude holds her breath, head bowing against the sheets of their bed, feeling that glorious stretch and that consuming pressure. This. She will give him this. They both groan when he bottoms out inside her, his hips flushed against her.

She cranes her neck back to look at him. Cardan’s face is vulnerable in a way she's never seen before, mouth open in stunned pleasure. He closes his eyes for a moment, as if he needs to piece himself back together.

Jude has never felt more powerful in her life.

He doesn’t move at first, letting her get used to the feeling of him in a different position. He bends his head and trails kisses along her spine, between her shoulder blades, up the nape of her neck. Each kiss is like a brand on her heated skin.

She’s bracing herself for him to take her, a little hard, a little rough in that way that she’s only seen from him once or twice before. They are perhaps two people well versed in how to find pleasure within the space of pain, and so she waits for him to fuck her with an unexplored sense of anticipation. But when he finally starts to move, it’s short, gentle rocking motions. He barely leaves her body, barely goes an inch without pushing back in again. He’s thick inside her, dragging along the front of her walls.

Jude’s back arches as that pressure gives way to pleasure.

Her body is still so sensitive from her previous orgasm just minutes before. Every stroke, every pull, she feels it like she has never felt before. Above her, around her, inside her. Cardan is everywhere, and she is surrounded without any fortification. She’s open. Raw. He could destroy her.

She is coming to terms with the fact that she might not be so afraid to let him get the better of her this way.

But instead of keeping her on her hands and knees like she thought, he’s pressing her down, his chest against her back, until she’s flat against the bedsheets and he’s holding her down with the length of his body. This is new. This she could like. It’s a different kind of forfeit altogether. And he continues to rock into her, the pace of his thrusting picking up. Jude can’t really move back against him like this, but it’s alright, he’s whispering in her ear that this is good, this is perfect, this is everything he’s ever wanted.

“Just like this,” he says. “I’ve dreamed of you just like this.”

Jude can’t quite catch her breath. It feels like all the air has been punched out of her lungs with the sheer breadth of him inside her.

She doesn’t really have any comparison, but she has thought more than once before that just a little bigger, just a little more of him pressing into her and he could easily break her into pieces. She has always managed before. Taking him, all of him, was a challenge she was determined to beat. And Jude’s always been good at winning.

Now, though, with his thighs holding hers closed and firmly together between his, with the solid weight of him bearing down on her back, her shoulders, the fit is tighter. Impossible. Almost unendurable.

He hitches his knees up a little, the bed dipping under them, and then he thrusts into her at an angle she has never felt before. And he goes in so deep, so hard, and he hits that spot inside of her that he’s only ever been able to reach with his fingers and it makes her feel —

“Oh,” she gasps, fingers scrabbling into the sheets. “What was that, what the fuck was that –”

She feels his smile curve into the nape of her neck. It’s the only warning she has before he’s pulling out and driving into her again. Jude loses her words. Her face drops into the pillows, unable to support herself any longer.

“That’s it.” His voice is rough. “I’ve got you.” And then he laces their fingers together, his palms to the back of hers, squeezing, reassuring. As if he hasn’t set out to completely devastate her with each pull of his body above her.

It takes her too long to realize that she’s just given him another weapon to use against her. Another weakness to exploit, another advantage to hold over her head. And he wields it against her so well, relentless in his pursuit of this new pleasure he has just learned he could take from her.

Cardan knows her body, knows it well. He knows the right angle to keep his hips so that every thrust hits exactly where it needs to.

She doesn’t recognize the sounds that she is making anymore.

It’s dark, with her head face-down into the pillows. She feels the skin of her forehead and cheeks shifting against the bedsheets with each thrust, but she doesn’t have it in her to move. She can’t get very far anyway. She is smothered. Tight and still and a little bit crushed. Like she almost can’t breathe.

Cardan is a voice above her, the one recognizable thing to anchor her. Without her vision, every other sense is heightened. She feels the kiss of his words as he speaks into her skin, feels it all the way down her spine. He’s whispering one more, Jude, give me another one.

“I can’t,” she sobs, and she doesn’t really know what she’s saying anymore. It’s too much. Too good. She’s going to die. “I can’t, I can’t –”

“Yes, you can. Of course you can. You can do anything, my love.” He sounds absolutely ruined, unmade above her, fucking her so sweetly and so thoroughly into the mattress. Some semblance of coherent thought forms in Jude’s brain that she would give whatever it takes to make Cardan Greenbriar sound like this all the time.

“Please.” And she’s completely lost track of how many times she’s said this tonight. It’s not a weapon she’s using against him anymore, it’s unmitigated and untempered desperation. “Please, Cardan, please –”

“I know. I know what you need. I’ll give you everything, Jude. Can you scream for me this time? The way I once promised you that you would. You were going to scream, weren’t you, in our secret room where all the revelers would have heard you.”

She tries to deny it, but he takes his sharp teeth to her neck and she is gasping and wet and writhing back against him.

“Show me.” His hand untangles from hers, finding a path against her stomach and down, down, down to her clit, which is throbbing and way more tender than she’s ever known it to be. “Show me what you can do.”

Then he begins to rub, artless circles around and over, and he doesn’t stop thrusting into her, dragging against that spot that makes her want to lose her mind — and oh, this will be her shatterpoint, this maelstrom of sensation, of pleasure, of the best thing she’s ever felt in her entire life –

– and Jude breaks.

It feels like a surrender, the way her body seizes up under him, head tilted back with an open-mouthed scream. The scream he asked her for. The scream she can’t hear because her vision goes white at the edges and there’s ringing in her ears. It feels like a surrender, but it’s also a consecration, the way she bares her heart and soul and body to him, unafraid to be caught against the sheets of their bed, letting him in and letting him take and letting him give, until she's quivering with everything he has made her feel tonight.

And then he’s coming too, with an ineloquent curse cast into the back of her neck. For the second time that night, the High King of Elfhame trembles against his queen’s pliant body. His weight crushes her for just a moment before he’s moving off to her side.

The room is cool, the bed is warm, and she holds her breath and tries to hold the moment with it. Then, one more breath in, shaky and not enough, like her lungs will never quite have the oxygen they need anymore. The air is heavy with the smell of sex and jasmine petals — and sunlight.

Jude turns her head just enough to see the beginnings of dawn breaking across their window. They’ve chased the night away completely tangled with each other in bed.

Maybe she was wrong. In the light it’s easier to see. Their bed isn’t a battlefield. It’s hallowed ground. Sanctuary.

Cardan pulls her closer against him, his arm draping around her waist. They’re moving like honey. She can’t see him behind her, but she knows that he’s there. He has her.

“I think tonight went well, all things considered.”

“I almost cut the Minister of Keys’ ear off in a poisoned haze. You think it went well?”

His tail sweeps over her hip, the top of her thigh. “Oh, yes. My heart is intact. You’re in one piece. The revel was a success, and Randalin’s in his place. See? Well.”

“You have a very strange definition of success.”

“I achieved what I set out to do. You’ll see.” There’s something smug in his voice. Is he talking about the land treaty? Because all she can remember from the negotiations is that there wasn’t much of it. “Did you like the decorations?”

“Yes, they matched my dress.”

“I wanted you to see that you belonged there. I wanted everyone to see.”

“Where I belong is my decision to make.” This bed. Soft and cozy. She belongs in this bed. Forever.

“And what is your decision?”

Jude thinks about prolonging it, making Cardan wait in suspense for her answer, and finds that she doesn’t much want to. She reaches down, fingers trailing over his forearm and then his wrist, until finally, she’s tangling her fingers in his and lifting their intertwined hands up above their heads.

“You,” she says. “I belong with you.”

The sunlight filtering through their window gilds the outline of their hands against a warm glow. There is gold on their skin, and gold in their blood.

A new day awaits them.

_______

Chapter Visuals:

Moodboard.

End Notes:

This officially closes the main arc of this little fic that could! I wanted to preserve a sense of parallelism with the very first chapter, bookending the story by finishing it exactly where they began: in bed and hopelessly tanged up in each other.

All that's left is one last chapter/epilogue of sorts to wrap everything up. Man, I'm getting a little mushy thinking about this fic ending. The update should come around the weekend of Dec 19, but feel free to check out my tumblr for accurate status updates (and other Jurdan goodies) in case anything changes.

Ooh, and if you'd like to read about Jude getting Cardan his own wedding ring, I've written about it in my oneshot, covenant mine.

I had the time of my life writing this particular chapter, and I can only hope that you enjoyed reading it, too. As always, kudos, comments and thoughts are unceasingly appreciated! ❤️

Tagging: @ireallyshouldsleeprn

* Let me know if you’d like to be tagged in future chapters/fics and it would be my absolute honor to do so!

#jude x cardan #jurdan #jude duarte #cardan greenbriar #tfota #The Folk of the Air #tfota fanfic #jurdan fic #jurdan fanfic #jurdanfanfic #the cruel prince #the wicked king #the queen of nothing #tcp #tcp fic #twk #tqon #fic: homeland #zita writes

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descendantofthesparrow · 4 years

Text

Daughter of the Honorable Thief - Harry Hook x Hood!reader - part 15 - Lying bitches and Group chats

Harry raised his brow as Aaron glared at him from the other side of the room, the other teen had been more aggressive at Harry ever since he returned from the Sherwood forest fair.

Harry sighed, ignoring the glare and going back to his notes for algebra.

“Hello~” a voice purred suddenly from beside him, Harry mentally frowned and slowly looked up, his shoulders dropping and a glare settling.

Lila had decided it was a good idea to sit next to him and try to flirt. She fluttered her eyes and trailed her fingertips across the table counter, licking her lips flirtatiously “I haven’t seen you around before? I would know if such a handsome guy like you had been around”

Harry let out a dark chuckle, the green-eyed girl faltering for a moment, eyes widening as Harry gave a sharp grin and a harsh glare. “too bad I know who yeh are huh? Lie-la~”

Lila suddenly stood, tears starting to pour from her eyes “I knew it! Erza and (y/n) lied to you! They-they abused-“ Harry let out a snarl, standing suddenly, making Lila squeak as Harry towered over her. She hadn't expected for harry to be as imposing as he was.

“cut the crap yeh cunt, I know what yeh did ta Erza and I'm not interested in yer lies, besides I'm an isle kid, I know how ta lie like its breathing, yeh think I cant tell when someone's lying ta me? Go try it on some other poor soul yeh bitch”

Lila's jaw dropped, never before had she been talked to like that, “you-how boorish-“ Lila squeaked as Harry reached for his waist, and in a flash, the curve of his hook was inches from her nose.

“yeh might wa’nna get a move on lassie” Harry chuckled darkly “I don’t have a care fer people like yeh” Lila stared at him with fear-ridden eyes before she turned and bolted out of the study hall.

Harry snorted and rolled his eyes, packing up his work and books and heading out of study hall, glaring back at Aaron as the other teen continued to glare at him.

Harry stopped as he saw Aaron's eyes flash purple, but harry shook it off, taking out his phone and texting the group chat.

Mr.Cookie -I officially hate Lila >:(

It was a moment before Erza replied first.

Marriedtocake -u officially met her huh? Yeah shes a bitch, luckily she hasn’t spotted me yet

Marriedtocake -…somehow

Harry snorted, remembering the small explanation Erza had given him and the others about Lila's abuse.

If he had anything to do about it, Lila would be running for the hills away from Auradon.

Wait, why was his name-

Mr.Cookie - WHY IS MY NAME MR COOKIE?!

Gillyboi - Hook sounds like Cookie, and Erza said Hookie that one time so, Cookie~

Mr.Cookie - that makes no fkin sense

Hawkeye - deal with it mr.cookie, ur not getting out of it until we find a more funny nickname for u

Mr.Cookie - why is (y/n)’s name cool?!

Hawkeye - because im cool

Seagoddess - Cookie stfu im in class rn

Mr.cookie - FKIN UMA U TOO, AHHHHHHH

Mr.Cookie has been muted by Seagoddess

Marriedtocake - HA

Harry pouted as his messages wouldn't go through, he looked up, grinning as me made eye contact with (y/n) who glared at him

Hawkeye - u idiots he-fukoasjdfsodhg

Hawkeye - UMA HOW FUCKING DARE U

Seagoddess - heh

Gillyboi - Cookie stole (y/n)s phoooone

Seagoddess - we know gil

Piratequeen has entered the chat

Piratequeen - wtf is happening I leave for two minutes and you all descend into chaos

Hawkeye - MAKE UMA UNMUTE HARRY

Piratequeen - Harry get off (y/n)s phone

Hawkeye - NOT UNTIL UMA UNMUTES ME

Piratequeen - at least stop the caps lock

Hawkeye - NEVER

Seagoddess unmuted Mr.Cookie

Mr.Cookie renamed Mr.Cookie to Harryisabitchboi

Hawkeye - HEY

Harryisabitchboi - GET THE FUCK OFF MY PHONE THEN

Gillyboi - (y/n) stole harrys phone

Seagoddess - thank you gil, but harry give (y/n) her phone back

Hawkeye - NO THEN YOULL MUTE ME AGAIN

Harryisabitchboi - GIVE ME MY PHONE BACK U FUCK

Hawkeye - MAKE ME

Gillyboi -ooooh those some fighting words

Hawkeye sent a photo

Piratequeen - harry she will beat your ass don’t tempt her

Harryisabitchboi - TOO FUCKING LATE

Hawkeye - WAIT IM SORYISGHHHHHHHHH

Gillyboi - annnnnd (y/n)s chasing harry around the campus

Seagoddess - I can see them from class

Piratequeen - just let them fight it out

Marriedtocake - XDXDXD found em, (y/n) is on Harry's back smacking him

Seagoddess - HA

Uma looked out her class window, smirking as she watched (y/n) wrap her legs around Harry's waist and smack at his head, Erza a few feet behind them and cackling, holding up her phone to record the spectacle.

“idiots” Uma chuckled, turning back to the teacher and continuing to take notes.

She heard a low audible groan from the class as the classroom door opened and someone stepped in. she looked up, freezing as Lila stepped into the room, a soft smile on her face.

Ooooh, Uma could see a fake bitch from a thousand miles away.

And that was a fake bitch.

Seagoddess - guess who just stepped into my class

Marriedtocake - u fucking serious? First, she bugs harry now shes in ur class? Christ

Marriedtocake - she better leave u alone or im throwing hands fuck my trauma

Harryisabitchboi - erza no

Marriedtocake - ERZA YES I WILL KICK ASS FOR MY GIRLFRIEND.

Uma sputtered, a blush rising across her face, Ezra just called her her girlfriend…..and it sounded nice.

Fuuck

Hawkeye - erza please leave it, Uma please tell me there's not an empty seat next to you

Seagoddess - nope, the only seat is near the back.

Uma looked up as Lila turned to the teacher and touched her ears “oh Mr. Crawford, I have tinnitus and it's hard for me to hear if maybe someone can switch seats with me?”

The teacher just gave her a look “Ms. Lila, we have your full file including your pathological lying, please go sit down before you make a fool of yourself” Lila turned pale and she looked down at the floor as she speed-walked to her seat, her ears turning dark as the class snickered at her failed to try at the teacher.

Uma smirked, glancing back down at her phone.

Seagoddess - teach knows about her shit, sent her to the only empty seat after she tried saying she had tinnitus

Marriedtocake - HAHAHA!!!!

Marriedtocake - MY YEARS OF BITCHING TO THE SCHOOL COUNCIL HAS PAID OFF

Marriedtocake - EVERYONE KNOWS SHES FULL OF SHIT

Hawkeye - we must celebrate! meet at Tiana's café after school!

Several people are typing….

Mr.Cookie - Yes ma’am

Gillyboi - aye sir!

Seagoddess - alright then

Piratequeen - k

Marriedtocake - look at harry being all polite~ after hood kicked ur ass~

Mr.Cookie - shuuuut the fuck up

Uma chucked again and pocketed her phone, tuning back into the teachers droning about the history of pixie hollow.

“to the bitches downfall~!” Erza cheered, holding up her frappuccino in the air, the rest of the group cheered with her, raising their drinks.

“and to not failing our tests next week” Uma snorted, Harry and Erza groaning at that.

“don’ remind meh” Harry huffed, sipping at his mocha.

“How bout a study night tomorrow?” you suggested, bitting into your sandwich “gods knew we all need a set time for studying or else it'll never get done”

“true that” Erza chuckled, leaning back in her chair, the front legs lifting off the floor.

“Erza?” Erza’s eyes widened and she slowly turned around, her shoulders dropping as she made eye contact with Lila. “you, you’re still he-?”

“I'm still here? Yes Lila, I'm not as weak as you thought I was” Erza snapped, standing up and cutting off Lila by a few inches “now what do you want?”

“well I” Lila stuttered, eyes running up and down Erza’s body “I was wondering if you wanted to talk?”

“she” Uma interrupted her, standing from the table and walking over to Erza, tossing her arm around her waist “is going to be spending time with her girl, no time for you sweetheart” Uma purred, knowing Erza’s cheeks were now pink.

“you?” Lilas lip curled in disgust “why would she with someone….like you?”

Uma let out a dangerous chuckle, Harry's insane laughter popping in. Lila's eyes went wide as she finally noticed the rest of you, including the bright, eyed harry and Harriet staring at her, sharp smirks on their faces “yeh never wan’ ta anger a sea witch lassie, they aren’t ta be trifled with”

Lila's eyes snapped back to Uma, taking a step back from the glowering sea witch. “you-you're the daughter-“

“daughter of Ursula~” Uma purred, giving Lila a low bow “ now, leave” Uma's necklace gave a low glowing pulse, sending Lila out the door and down the road, away from the group of friends. “good riddance” Uma huffed, tugging Erza back into a chair and leaning on her shoulder.

“she's a right off bitch” you muttered, holding your hand up to Uma for a high five “nicely done by the way Uma” Uma smirked and smacked her hand into yours.

“back to the original topic” Harriet sighed, setting down her iced coffee “study night? Where?”

“my room” you perked up, finishing off your caramel frappe and setting it on our leg “it’s the biggest and I have a lot of snacks already in my room”

“Alright, hoods room it is tomorrow night! Then after that video game!” Erza cheered, the rest of the group cheering with her.

“sounds good” Uma hummed.

“so for now, let's go to the arcade cuz im bored” you suggested, raising your brow at the others, Gil and Harry's eyes glinting with excitement at your suggestion.

“that ALSO sounds good” Uma chuckled, standing from her seat and nodding her head out to the road “lets go”

“yeet!” Erza cried, hopping from her seat and running out the door, the rest of you following after her.

-end of part 15-

permtaglist

@queer-cosette @sephiralorange

@lunanight2012 @daughter-of-the-stars11

@musicarose @random-thoughts-003

@rintheemolion @verboetoperee

@remembered-license

taglist for dotht

@redryderdesigns

#Descendents #descendants #disney descendants #daughter of the honorable thief #robin hood #harry hook #harry hook descendants #harry hook x reader #harry hook imagine

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thebookwormfairy · 4 years

Text

Daminette/Maribat Fairy Tail OVA

So this is my final part of my Fairy Tail Au. This will be like a bonus section just extra little snippets that didn't make it to the main story so it will be shorter than my other parts. Enjoy

Part 1

Part 2

Sometime around when Marinette first joined

Marinette: So Barry is a speed mage, Arther in a Water mage that can turn his body INTO water, Diana is an equip mage, and Clark is a Fire God-slayer like Jon.

Damian: That's right

Marinette: So what type of magic does your dad have?

Damian: Oh he doesn't have magic, just a bunch of gadgets

‐——————-----------——

Damian following Marinette around

Damian: Watch out Angel

Damian lifts Marinette up by her waist to avoid Wally running by

Marinette smiling: Thanks Damian

Damian blushing: No problem

------------------------

Sometime before the opening ceremony on the Grand Magic Games

Wally speeding by Team Hatchlings: LUCKY!!!

Wally sped towards a pink hair girl dressed in all black, engulfing her in a hug before kissing her

Marinette: Who's that?

Jon: That's Wally's girlfriend, Jinx.

Damian: They've been together a few years now, but she's part of a different guild so they don't get to see eachother as much as they would like

Marinette: That's so romantic

The younger members of the guild watch as Wally zips away only to return a few seconds later with a red rose

-----------------------

After Team Hatchlings First Offical Mission with 2 blocks of town destroyed

Jon: Oh man we really made really made a mess this time

Damian sighing: I guess we can say goodbye to the reward this time

Marinette: Actually I have something that can help

Damian and Jon give her A hopeful look

Marinette: Open gat of Creation, Tikki!

Tikki: What do you need Marinette?

Marinette: We need to fix some damage

Tikki: Right away, Miraculous Ladybug!!

As Tikki cast her magic thousands of ladybugs appeared and wherever they passed the damaged was fixed

Damian hugging Marinette: Way to go Angel

Jon joining in on the hug: You are never leaving us

Marinette laughs and hugs her boys back

She can tell that she is going to stay with these two

----------------------------------

After Team Adrien's first mission without Marinette

Nino: Oh wow dudes we really cause some damaged

Half the town was destroyed

Alya: It's okay Marinette will take care of it like always. It's the only thing she's good for

Lila laughing: You're so right Alya

Lila and Alya high fived eachother

Adrien: Guys did you forget? Marinette left the team

Alya: Oh no that's right

Lila: Then who's going to clean all this up

The mayor of the town walkd up to the 4 glaring

Mayor: You four are and you won't be getting the reward either

Lila: That's not fair! You can't do that!

Mayor: YOU CAUSED MORE DAMAGED THEN THE DARK WIZARD YOU CAUGHT! EITHER YOU FIX OUR TOWN OR WE CALL THE GRAND MAGIC COUNCIL!!!

The four nodded their heads terrified

They got straight to work and finished about 4 weeks later

They returned to the guild late, tired, and with no money

--------------------------

A couple of months after Marinette joined Damian and Jon

Marinette: Do you guys think we need a team name?

Damian: What did you mean, Angel?

Marinette: I mean the Masters call their team The Justice League, that's how they got the guild name. Dick, Kori, Rachel, Garfield, and Victor are the Teen Titans. And Tim, Wally Megan, Connor, Kaldur, and Artemis are Young Justice. So shouldn't we have a name as well

Jon: You're right we should have a name! But what should it be

Marinette: My last team was called Team Adrien

Damian: How narcissistic. No we need a better name.

Dickwalking up to the younger kids: What are you guys talking about?

Damian: We're trying to think up a team name

Dick: But you guys already a team way

Jon confused: No we don't

Tim joining in: Yes you do

Marinette: What is it?

Jason also joining in: Team Hatchling!

Damian glaring: That is NOT our team name

Dick: It's not? Everybody calls you that

Jon: No they don't

Dragon Slayers besides Damian: Yes we do

Rest of the guild: Yes we do

Guild Masters: Yes we do

Jason: It's because you're the youngest and so cute

Jason look down at the two glaring boys and the wide eyed Marinette

Jason: Well at least Pixie Pop is

Marinette: Well I guess we have our team name

-------------------------------------

After the Grand Magic Games

Marinette running into the guild

Marinette: GUYS! GUESS WHAT I WAS CHOSEN TO DO A INTERVIEW WITH SORCERER'S WEEKLY!

The girl of the guild surrounded Marinette congratulationing her and talking over the details

Stephine: Congratulations Marinette! I guess you finally made it

Kori: That is a great honor Marinette!

Damian: What?

Marinette: Apparently I'm also going to be the center fold

Barbra: Way to go Starlight. When is it?

Damian: What?

Marinette: Next week at the beach

Dick: Way to go Stardust!

Damian: WHAT?

Damian was ignored throughout the whole conversation

Everybody knew he was just being possessive of his mate

Damian and Jon were going to follow Marinette to her interview to make sure nothing happened to her

Damian also dragged his brothers along under the guise of back up but really he was hoping they would be their rowady selves and ruin the photoshoot

Which backfired greatly

Marinette wore a off the shoulder blue crop top and a pair of jean shorts

It wasn't as revealing as most center fold out fits but it still made Damian's blood boil with jealousy

Somehow through their antics Dick was dragged into the photos aswell

They were doing a kinda siblings photoshoot with Dick swing Marinette around

Photographer: That's it act like you just got a big bowl of your mama's spaghetti

Damian glares at Jon

Jon: What?

Damian: Your mom is the owner and top reporter of Sorcerer's Weekly call her and make them stop

Jon just laughed at his friends antic shaking his head

Louis is the one who suggest Marinette for this no way would she stop it

When the article came out it wasn't as bad as Damian thought

Sure there was a lot of cute and some saucy pictures of Marinette, but there was also a lot of her and Dick playing around

And there was one of her kissing Damian on the cheek as he glared at the camera.

Jon is the only person who knew Damian requested that they send a copy of that picture to him

And if Damian can help 9t Jon will be the ONLY person who will ever know

A week later Jason found out and told everyone

@loysydark

@mikantsume

@doli09

@krissykat0207

@czgamz

@myazael

@renscorpio

@mochinek0

@daminett4life

@kuroko26

@vixen-uchiha

@goawayi-mreading

@fusser90

@queen-of-the-trash-planet-tm

#marinette x damian #daminette #maribat #fairy tail au

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malindamay · 3 years

Text

Ian POV: Hi uh, I’m Ian and I-I’m going to you a story about time that. I saved Disneyland and how me and Barley become the 26th characters so, uh, I’ll try my best I never tell anyone story’s except my movie story, of course. Uh, *clears throat* so here’s my NOBLE story. *chuckles* Mickey Mouse will you please be the narrator, please?😅

Mickey/ normal POV oh boy! Yes! So *clears* one day In a beautiful place, where all mystical creatures live in peace and harmony mostly, called, New Mushroomtin. The Lightfoot family was starting a new day. Ian, a 16-year-old elf, is shy and sometimes unconfident, but he wanna make his family proud especially his dad and his beloved brother, Barley. “Dear Brother we have a buffet awaits us!” Said Barley with enthusiasm-

Ian POV if you don’t know barley, he’s my older brother, and he’s very joyful and kind-hearted for me and the only thing that fears him the most is A, staying in hospital long time, B, he sees someone who has medical problems or has tubes, ventilator ETC, and C, seeing me hurt

Sorry, Mickey, gotta tell our Disney/fans about my brother if they don’t know who he is.😅

Mickey POV ok, so Ian replies with a chuckle, “*chuckle* its dinner Barley not a fancy buffet lol” Blazey pounces on Ian making Ian almost dropping the food “ *yelps* laughs * Blazey *ack!* okx3!🤣 😅 love you too.” Till Ian saw a letter tape on their door it’s from me(Mickey Mouse)

“ Hey Ian

this is Mickey Mouse and I was wondering if you and your brother can come to Disney world for the DVC Celebration plus you and your brother will be debating on the Disney team I know you’re shy,but you’ll be fine I’m sure my pals love ya, and even there’ll be fans who love your movie! Please accept this invitation.

Love, Mickey Mouse.❤️”

Ian reads it twice and his face turns from 😕 —>🙂😀 “Barley, will you love to go on a majestic quest with me?!😀”

Barley suddenly answer” *laughs* My dear brother, of course!” Ian nods he grabs his staff and he goes pack up their luggage’s! Laurel( their mom) looks at them a little nervous.” Are you sure you boys will be fine?” Ian nods “don’t worry I’ll call ya if something happens wrong,ok?” Laurel says “but-“ Ian cuts her off with a smile “I’m wizard well, 1st stage *chuckles* we”ll be fine, I’ll try to protect barley and he’ll protect me!”

Laurel had a tear in her eyes “ *sniffs* you two always have your father’s spirit. *sobs* 😢” Ian hugs his mom “before you go I have something for you,Ian. *grabs a flowey (lavender with gold,swirly glittered design in the edges) scarf(same style like elsa’s mom’s but different) it’s from your dad’s when he’s about almost your age.”

Ian clenched it suddenly a guset of wind swirls around him ounce as Ian closes his eyes. “Thx mom.”

Barley smiles at Ian till Blazey comes up to Ian and hugs him likes they’re gonna be leave her with their mom alone for few months, Ian says in his sweet tone “sorry girl wish we could take you with mom but, I think Mickey just wants me and Barley,ok? Who’s a good girl,come on who’s a good dragon?” Blazey barks at Ian as a “I am.” Ian gets up grabs their luggages “we’ll miss you mom,Blazey. We’ll be fine I’ll text call or FaceTime you when we want to.” Barley comes and puts his shoulder around ians’s softly “ it’s ok mom.🙂” Lauarel sheds a tear “*sniffs* you’ll always have your dad’s spirit.”

Ian goes and about to close the door “see ya in a few months,mom. *blows a kiss*”

In New Mushroomtin Airport:

Ian was a little nervous and excited to go,but he knew he always have his brother by his side and his spiritual dad beside them. Barley smiles at Ian “ready,Ian?🙂” Ian takes a deep breath and grabs his luggage’s as Barley grabs his, as Ian says” *sighs* yes!🙂”

After few days they had landed and as they saw the beauty of the Disneyland hotel Ian slowly twirls as he admires around “woah, this place is gorgeous!”😀” they’re about to unpack their luggage’s till they heard a knock on their hotel room(room 24) Ian opens the door and saw the big cheese himself,the one that started it all, Mickey Mouse! “Hi pals, hope you’re enjoying your room so far *ha ha* oh boy!” Ian shakes Mickey’s hand, *gasps* it’s a really honor to meet you Mickey can’t wait to make our 1st debut in DCA!😅” Barley comes up “hi, names Barley nice to meet you,bro*laughs* “ barley gives Mickey a bro hug. Mickey asks in his kind voice “is anything that my cast members can do for you, or-“ Ian says “no,but we’re a little hungry.” Mickey says in his cheerful tone” oh boy! I know just the place! I’ll wait till you 2 are done with your unpacking.” Ian nods and says “ I’ll knock after we’re done unpacking

Mickey closes the door as the 2 brotherly elves unpacking their luggage’s Ian took his staff out of his long suitcase. Barley asks “need help dear brother?😀” little help,please!”Ian replie. As Ian saw something in his satual shiny is a locket that has the Lightfoot gain including Blazey in the inside! replies, He puts it around his neck and looks at his reflection in the mirror Ian sheds a tear in his eyes. Barley looks at him and coax him “hey,you ok?” Ian couldn’t control his tears, so he let his tears out Barley gently puts down his stuff and hugs Ian to conforts his beloved brother. “I know you miss mom and Blazey, I miss them too,but hey, we get to make our 1st apperience in DCA,Disneyland! They’ll be tons of human fans will love us,and ETC, it’s ok.” Ian sobs softly as he hugs barley back. “ I love you and *sobs* I’m not letting anyone or anything hurt me or you. *sobs softly*😢😭“

Chapter 2

After they unpacked their luggage’s, Ian wears his shawl/scarf and grabs his staff, and knocks on the door, “ready pals?” Mickey asks. Ian grabs Barley’s hand, “*sighs* yes!🙂”

“ wow this place is majestic!” Ian said

Mickey replying “yes it’s a fun place where all ages to have fun and ETC.

Mickey: Yes, the wind blows a little bit cooler

And we're all happy

And the clouds are moving on with every pixie dusts

Our flowers just became gorgeous

Goofy:And my leaf's a little sadder and wiser

Mickey: That's why I rely on certain certainties

Yes, some things never change

Like the feel of your hand in ours

Some things stay the same

Like how we get along just fine

Like an old stone wall that will never fall

Some things are always true

Some things never change

*to Ian and Barley* Guys, did your dreams come true?

Minnie: The flowers are already blooming

Pluto, it feels like the debut is coming

*talks for pluto* tAre you telling me tonight he’s gonna get down on one knee?

Yep, but I'm really nervous at planning these things out

Like greeting them the 1st time!

*talks for pluto* Maybe you should leave all the exciting stuff to the characters

Yeah, some things never change

Like the joy that I feel for them

Some things stay the same

Like how dogs are easier

But if I commit and I go for it

I'll know what to say and do, right?

*talks for pluto* Some things never change

Pluto, the pressure is all on you

Ian: is this really true , could that be this day of our debut?

Dad, wish you could see us now? I'm not sure I want things to be perfect

These days are precious, can't let the magic fade

I can't stop this moment, but I can still go out and see this day!!

Other Disney characters: The wind blows a little bit cooler

Goofy: : And if you believe in yourself

The elf brothers: It's time to count our blessings beneath an heaven sky

Disney characters: We'll always live in the kingdom of plenty

That stands for the good of the many

Ian: And I promise you the flag of Disneyland will always fly BOOMBASTIA! *staff swishes*

Disney characters:Our flag will always fly

Our flag will always fly

Some things never change

Turn around in the time that's flown

Some things stay the same

Though the future remains unknown

May our good luck rest, may our past be past

Time's moving fast, it's true

Some things never change

Barley: And I'm holding on tight to you

Ian: Holding on tight to you

Mickey:Holding on tight to you

Ian and barley: Holding on tight to you

Chapter 3

A trolly appears and a tourist comes would you both like a tour of the park?”

The elves replied “ yes of course. *laughs at each other*” Ian goes inside the horse trolley Barley sat beside his brother after he grabs few snacks from one of the shops in Main Street USA.

After 2 hours of touring around and. Behind the castle. “Thank you so much for giving us a tour!” Ian shakes the tourist and hugs him and Barley asks, “if you don’t mind can I take a selfie with you Ian and your trolley with your horse?” “Oh absolutely!” Ian poses with his staff and helds his shawl/scarf. “SELFIE!😀” Barley calls out with delight! “Thank you so much!” “Hey no problem, have a magical time on your 1st day!” Calls out the tourist as the 2 elves goes out and have fun. They’d arrive to the AMC in Disney Hollywood studio. “Ready Ian?” Ian takes a deep breath and he holds his staff in his right arm and the other holds his brother’s hand, and said “ Yes, Yes! I’m- we’re so proud of our hard work with our movie. *sigh* I’m ready to meet our fans!”

They enters the entrance and they stop at their meet and greet spot and Ian is ready.

Chapter 4

The crowds was in line and a little girl, a 2 year old dressed as Ian, got her own Ian’s staff. It was her and her family’s turn. She hides behind her mom’s leg. Ian kneels and holds out his hands “hey little girl, it’s ok I won’t use my staff on you to hurt you, it’s ok, awww. *hugs* it’s that your staff?” The mom says “ wanna show Ian your 19 inch Ian plush?”

Ian holds his doll and make it wave at her and covers its eyes “peekaboo.”

“Aww, hey, name’s Barley it’s ok. Wanna take photos? Huh?” The girl turns towards the photographer. Ian holds his doll in his left hand and his right, hugs the girl. “ok say bye.” Says the mom. Ian blows a kiss to the girl and make his doll waves bye to the girl and says in his little high pitch voice “bye, love you * makes his doll blows a kiss and make his doll hugs her* *normal pitch* bye love you, one more hug? aww. *hugs* bye.we Love you.”

Chapter 5

Suddenly blast of wind burst the door open! Malificeint appears, smoke appears from her. “Well well well.” The wind from her power makes Ian’s hair,flannel,scarf/shawl, Barley’s vest flows. “Who are you?” Ian asks as he holds his staff and points it towards the dark souceror . “I’m Malificent. The powerful villain in all the land!” Thunder boomed as she evil laughs. “ there’s something I want. Something that’s magical and more powerful. I need your magic.😈” Ian looks at her puzzled “what?” Barley looks little upset “ why,why do you want his magic?!😨😠 Ian nobley says “wait so-“ Malificient cuts him off “let you something to you all! I want his magic to becomepowerful and become the queen of DISNEYLAND!!” Ian emotion turns from 😠 —>😨 “wait. NO!! *grunts* VOLLTEr ThUNDE-“ Malificent used her power to push Ian! “*yelps in fear* NO you YOU MONSTER!!” “YOU’LL SEE YOU’LL ALL SEE!!!! *evil laughs out loud*😈” a huge gust of wind blows ounce hard across the room. Ian’s flannel opened from the wind! Ian looks at his hand and the staff “NO! *sobs*” Ian grabs his shawl/scarf and flieds through the park the trolley horse stops and yelps out the tourist tried to calm the horse down and saw Ian ran to the hotel room(room 24). Ian shuts the bedroom door and sinks to his knees and cries as he hugs his dad’s staff. “Dad! *sobs* please help me! *sobs*” suddenly the window opens and a swirl of wind created a spirit of his dad his voice echos. “Ian,my son. Why does she wants your magic?” “*sniffs* *breaking voice* I-I don’t know.” His dad puts his hand on his young son’s cheeck.

Ian holds his scarf close to him as he looks up at his spiritual dad. His dad holds his staff and gives it to Ian, but Ian slowly grabs the staff. Suddenly he saw darkness pulls into Disneyland. Ian looks out the window, he gasps in horror his iPhone rings. “I-Ian it’s me B-barley please he-“ Ian got scared his dad told him “listen you can do this you defeated the curse dragon last time.” Ian looks at the staff and looks noble! “ I’m going to give Malificent what she wants!😠” Wilden cries out “What?! No Ian I can’t let you be powerless I can’t let my son be powerless and weak!” Ian clenched his staff and runs off to Malificent!”

Chapter 6

Inside Disneyland castle all the Disney/Pixar characters inside Malificent is waiting for her power gift,Ian! Doors slam open with a blast of Ian’s staff from Ian. “Oh Ian *hugs* I thought you-“ Ian cuts Barley off. “I’m here to give you the gift. My MAGIC!” Barley gasps in horror so does all the other characters! Malificent approaches to Ian and she stabs him in the heart Ian yells in pain.

“IAN!!!😱 NO!!!”Malificent froze Barley in place. Ian lies there shouting out pain! “No *moans* please.” “Your magic will make me more powerful! *evil laugh*

Malificent: I'm not the villain in distress.

I'm not your girlfriend or the frightened sourccer .

I'm not a little bird who needs your help to fly.

Nope..... I'm the bad guy.

All these former villains that you see...

Each of them with shaking knees has knelt before me.

So I'm not your teammate or your partner in crime.

What am I, boys?!

-She's the bad guy..-

Oh, it's magic

To watch a planet

Shrivel up and die...

Oh, it's thrillin'

To be a villain.

I take over their homes and then I watch them suffer...

Mwhaha!

CUZ, I'M THE BAD GUY!!!!😈

Ian tries to stands up but the pain in his heart hurts so bad Malificent dissapears Barley unfroze as she dissapearss.

Chapter 7

Barley brought Ian to their hotel room and laid Ian on the couch, along with the other characters “Runpunzel use your heal power.” Flyn says. Runpunzel sings a special song as she wraps her hair around Ian’s torso.

✨💫flower gleam and glow,

Let your power shine.

Make the clock reverse,

Bring back as mine.

Heal will help the pain.

Change the faith desires.

Say what’s has be loved bring back ounce was mine.

When ounce was mine.💫✨

His heart was healed Ian breaths as Barley holding his hands while he sobs sofyly and saying prayers.

Chapter 8

Elsa and Anna rush yo check on Ian withe the other Disney characters

“Elsa! *moans*” barley coax Ian @shh Ian lie down.” “ I’m so sorry it’s not our fault.”

Ian: Barley, 🎶 you’re the soul who I understand. The love that show me of who I am! through the darkness to the light. You got my back and I believe you. If It weren’t for you. I’ll be the wheels and you’ll be the road.

Barley: Ian,what you’re trying to say? Can you please let me know.

Ian: cause you carried me with you

From the quest of the gem to the battle of the dragon. I was so brave cause of you. Like a moonlight with the stars you’ll guiding me, yeah it’s true. You carried me with you!

Barley: Ian, 🎶from the day that Youall begun. But, I was there to protect you. But when I see you being hurt. I tried to help, you’re a fighter. And when my heart filled with worried. found a way to comfort me. You always found a bright side, and make me feel better.

Both: cause you carried me with you

From the quest of the gem to the battle of the dragon. I was trying to protect you, like a moonlight with the stars, you’ll be guiding me, yeah it’s true, yeah carried me with you.

Ian: oh we’ll be always be together no matter what.

Barley: watching out the days turns into night

Ian: we know to brave the stormy weathers.

Both: well never give so without a fiiiihhhhhhttt!!

Ian: and if it weren’t for you from the battle

I’ll would’ve die without you.

Barley: I’ll see us through thick and thin

For love and lost till the end.

Both: yeah you carried me with you

From the quest of the gem to the battle of the dragon I was just to secard to see

Like a moonlight with the stars you’ll always protect me

Yeah it’s true

You carried me with you

Ian: oh you carried me with you.🎶

Chapter 9

Judy and nick rushes to Ian and barley with other characters in the hotel. “We heard the news! oh sweet cheese and crackers, are you ok,Ian? *holds Ian hands*” “*sighs* he’s fine,except he has no magic left Malificent had his power!” Barley told Judy. “I’m-we’re sorry we-“

“How do we stop this darkness?!” Ian asks. Barley puts their dad’s shawl/scarf around Ian’s shoulders. Barley ordered all the characters, except Ian, to go and try to stop Malificent with him, but Ian won’t let him. “What?! No” “Ian I can’t let you die!” “No I’m coming too! If dad was here, he would go a-and go to be noble to fight and never give up. I may not have dad actually being here, but if I swear to God, he’ll be with us spiritually,I love you!” Barley looks at him little sceard. Ian holds his shawl/scarf and shouts “Come on, stay together! STAY STRONG!!” Barley can’t believe that his brother is gonna sacrifice his love for his family and old/new friends!

Chapter 10

Malificent : 🎶Believe me I know

I've sunk pretty low

But whatever I've done you deserved

I'm the bad guy, that's fine

It's no fault of mine

And some justice at last will be served

Now it's time to step up

Or it's time to back down

And there's only one answer for me

And I'll stand up and fight

Cause I know that I'm right

And I'm ready, I'm ready, I'm ready

Ready as I'll ever be

Ian: Now it's time to rise up

Or it's time to stand down

And the answer is easy to see

And I swear by the staff

If you're in, get on board

Are you ready?

Judy: I'm ready

Mickey Minnie : We're ready

Crowd: We're ready

Ian: Ready as I'll ever be

Barley : Are you quite sure we can do this?

Ian: Together we will guarantee

Malificent : I'll make them hear me

Crowd: Now it's time to redeem

Or it's time to resolve

Ian : Prove they can trust me

Crowd: And the outcome will hardly come free

Ian: I'll save or land and family

Crowd: Now the line's in the sand

And our moment's at hand

Mérida : And I'm ready

Barley : I'm ready

Ian & Judy: I'm ready

Malificent : Ready as I'll ever be!🎶

Chapter 11

Ian got on a horse(which it almost reminds him Guenivere (their stead)

Barley looks confident but scared for his brother. “Ian, are you sure? I don’t want you to get hurt. “ Ian says “I may not have magic, but I still have little magic inside if me.” Ian fleds through Main Street USA to the Castle. As Ian gets off alone with the horse, the horse neighs meaning: be careful, ” it's ok I’ll be fine.

Chapter 12

In Disneyland caatle area the sky covers with darkness, The wind blows across the land. Ian gasps in horror along with the Disney characters. Ian stood noble to try to control his tears. “Come on, Barley you Judy with me the others splits together.” The characters nods as they splits up. They go inside the castle until army of guards surrounded them Ian reaches out his staff,Barley grabs his sword and Judy grabs a spare sword and they start batting! “Boombastia! Guys I’ll go and and find Malificent!” They agree as the others continue battling withe guards. Ian goes and find Malificent with his staff till *whoosh* smoke appears and she appears in front of him! Ian grabs his staff, “you’ll never NEVER take away my magic😡!” Malificent and Ian starts their battle as she knocks him out the bouncony and top of the castle’s roof the wind was strong. Ian shivers from the wind. Malificent uses her magic. Ian uses his staff “Volltar Thundersir!” Till Malificent shoot her magic and Ian hit hers created a huge gusts of wind till *whoosh* Ian was shot a little thank god he’s still alive. Barley saw the action “Ian? NO!!!!!” And the final act of the magic Malificent and Ian magic hits Barley and knocks him down,dead. Ian cries out “BARLEY,NO,no, please, YOU MONSTER!!! VOLLTAR THUBDERSIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” *BOOM!!” His staff explodes and kills Malificent, for good Chapter 13 sadly, Ian rushes toward his brother crying, “*voice break* Barley no please don’t leave me. I-I love you *sniffs*” Ian tries his very best to use his staff to try to heal Barley. Ian grabs his staff,still crying, and says”I-insta r-Repairo!(please work please😢😭)” suddenly swirls of wind swirls around Barley from his staff his vest,hair,shirt,Ian’s hair,flannel flows in the wind. Ian’s eyes squinted from the wind and bright swirls. Few moments later with a soft swish, Barley slowly opens his eyes. Ian cried out tears of joy! Then suddenly his staff swishes around Ian the TRANSFORMATION of a WIZARD! The cape,kimono flows in the wind as his staff rose Ian in the air and twirls him majestically . Few moments later Ian opens his eyes still full of tears of joy. “Wow,Ian you look majestic!” Barley amazed “thanks *sniffs* “Chapter 14. At the castle where they do spectacular front of the stage the crowd is waiting for a special ceremony debut. Loud speaker booms over the speaker.”laddies and gentlemen,boys and girls, please welcome,Tennesha and Alex!” The crowd cheered as they appeared to the stage “Welcome everyone we’re so delighted to have this majestic debut coming for this day before we meet our special surprise guests, we wanna bring our Disney / Pixar friends on stage!” The crowd cheered as the Disney/Pixar characters come on stage and greeted the audience. “Hello everybody!” Minnie says, “Hey pals oh boy how everybody’s doing today?!” Mickey asks the crowd shouted yes out loud! “So Mickey we are so excited to see our special characters on their debut,right everyone?!!” Tenneshia says as the crowd screams with excitement! Woody says “can’t wait to meet them *giggles*” “Ok everybody I want everybody to say Onward really loud,ok? Ready? “ the crowd stood up and shouted withe the characters “1 2 3, ONWARD!!!!” Suddenly Ian voice boomed over the speaker BOOMBASTIA!!!” Fireworks and with a flash of a firework with smoke shooting and appeared, Ian and Barley are on stage and the speaker played “Carried me with you in instrumental. “It’s Ian and Barley Lightfoot say hi Guys, come on Ian don’t be shy!” The crowd went wild with excitement till they settle down. @bluezey @itsme-starmunch

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tabloidtoc · 3 years

Text

Us, February 1

You can now buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Brad Pitt’s Baby Drama -- is ex Nicole Poturalski pregnant?

Page 2: Red Carpet -- Kaitlyn Dever

Page 4: Who Wore It Best? Lili Reinhart vs. Lily Collins

Page 6: Loose Talk -- Stephen Colletti on his viral reunion with ex-girlfriend and former Laguna Beach costar Kristin Cavallari last year, Kyra Sedgwick on husband Kevin Bacon giving her a bikini wax, Priyanka Chopra Jonas’ response when asked how many children she wants with husband Nick Jonas, Jessica Simpson on kids Maxwell and Ace and Birdie whom she shares with Eric Johnson, Rob Lowe on finally spotting his very reclusive new neighbor Prince Harry

Page 8: Contents

Page 10: Hot Pics -- Michael B. Jordan and Lori Harvey enjoyed a romantic getaway together in St. Barts

Page 11: Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt splashed around the ocean with their son Gunner in Carpinteria in California, Miley Cyrus and stylist pal Bradley Kenneth McPeek spent their evening at the beach watching the sunset in Malibu, Selma Blair went on a coffee run in L.A.

Page 12: Josephine Skriver shot a commercial for Maybelline with a pretty bouquet in NYC, Vanessa Lachey wrapped up a Hot Tools Volumizer before gifting to a pal

Page 13: Katie Holmes wore an all-denim ensemble while out and about with beau Emilio Vitolo Jr. in NYC

Page 16: Padma Lakshmi stunned in a white dress at the Gotham Awards in NYC, G-Eazy shared a laugh with a female costar while filming a music video in Pasadena, Brian Austin Green and Sharma Burgess kiss in Hawaii

Page 18: New Year, New Hair -- celebs are already changing up their ‘dos in 2021 -- Demi Lovato ditched her signature dark hair for a pink pixie cut, Tom Hanks called his bald look for the upcoming Elvis Presley biopic horrible, Kate Hudson with rose gold tresses, Taraji P. Henson with short magenta locks, Bella Hadid’s new dyed front strands give off Ginger Spice vibes, Keke Palmer rocking a mullet

Page 20: It’s all relative -- good genes run in these stars’ families -- Gwyneth Paltrow and her mom Blythe Danner and her daughter Apple, Heidi Klum and Erna and daughter Leni, Jada Pinkett Smith and daughter Willow and mom Adrienne Banfield-Norris

Page 21: Chrissy Teigen and mom Vilailuck and daughter Luna, Jessica Alba and Cathy and daughter Honor, Kris Jenner and Kim Kardashian West and her kids Saint and Chicago and Psalm and Mary Jo Houghton

Page 22: Stars They’re Just Like Us -- Kelly Bensimon got where she needed to go via Citi Bike in NYC, Helena Christensen stepped out with her beloved dog Kuma in NYC, Meg Ryan filled her gas tank in L.A.

Page 23: During a commercial break Good Morning America coanchor Robin Roberts sipped in a cool beverage in NYC, Rachel Brosnahan partnered with Amazon to support one of her favorite charities Covenant House in NYC

Page 24: Love Lives -- Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez are feeling refreshed after a recent trip to Turks and Caicos

Page 25: Jessie James Decker and husband Eric Decker are enjoying a lot more alone time now that they’ve finally put a lock on their bedroom door, Jackson Guthy is Olivia Jade Giannulli’s No. 1 fan

Page 26: Hot Hollywood -- After 10 years of marriage Elizabeth Chambers thought she knew the real Armie Hammer but when graphic messages surfaced of his alleged disturbing sexual fetishes of rape and cannibalism she was horrified and it’s like she’s living in a nightmare and she’s focused on protecting their kids Harper and Ford and she wants to shield them from seeing their dad so unhinged

Page 27: Kim Kardashian West is set to finally file for divorce from husband Kanye West by February 14 -- Kim wanted to hold the marriage together for the sake of their four kids she’s now ready to turn the chapter and move on with her life

* Meghan Markle’s half-sister Samantha Markle isn’t the only one telling all -- her estranged dad Thomas Markle now has a documentary in the works about his life and raising his famous daughter -- Meghan is absolutely repulsed by her father and she was praying that he’d stay out of her business and move on with his life but he won’t leave her alone and as a result Meghan will never let him meet her son Archie

* Keeping Up With Us -- Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas have called it quits, Vanessa Bryant opened up about coping with loss just days before the one year anniversary of husband Kobe Bryant and daughter Gianna’s tragic deaths, Jason Sudeikis has returned to work on season 2 of Ted Lasso amid his ex Olivia Wilde’s new romance with Harry Styles, Tom Cruise has splurged on robots to enforce Covid-19 safety protocols on the set of Mission: Impossible 7, Chrishell Stause and Justin Hartley have finalized their divorce, Dustin Diamond has been diagnosed with cancer

Page 28: A Day in My Life -- Hunter Hayes

Page 29: Chandler Powell and Bindi Irwin are counting down the days until they meet their baby girl -- Bindi who is in her third trimester cannot wait to be a mother and she’ll be wonderful at it

Page 30: Cover Story -- What Does Brad Pitt Know? Questions arise after Brad’s ex Nicole Poturalski is spotted with what could be a baby bump

Page 33: Inside Angelina Jolie’s new life

Page 34: Erin and Ben Napier -- doing things our way -- the breakout HGTV stars sit down to talk about making it big and putting family first

Page 36: Justin Timberlake turns 40 -- Justin’s highs and lows ahead of his milestone January 31 birthday

Page 40: Beauty -- surprisingly sexy scents -- Ariana Grande’s latest R.E.M.

Page 42: Entertainment -- Genevieve Padalecki on starring in Walker with real-life husband Jared Padalecki

Page 43: James Lafferty and Alexandra Park on Everyone Is Doing Great

Page 46: Fashion Police -- when bad clothes happen to good people -- Cardi B edition

Page 48: 25 Things You Don’t Know About Me -- President Joe Biden

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thejacketandthehook · 4 years

Text

The Art of Pretending 2/?

Title: The Art of Pretending 2/?

Author: thejacketandthehook (aka everystareverywhere)

Summary: Killian Jones needs a family and needs one now. In order to impress his boss, Killian hires a single mother and her son to pretend to be his wife and son for the weekend. Nothing can go wrong, right?

Rating: Teen (for language)

Words: 6875

Author’s Notes: Hello all! Here is my submission for the @captainswanmoviemarathon! This is based off of the Lifetime movie, "Borrowed Hearts," starring Eric McCormack and Roma Downey. The movie came out in 1997, and I consider it to be one of the first made-for-tv Christmas movies.

A couple of years ago I was watching it and thought this would be a fantastic scenario for our favorite Captain and Savior. I wrote it and then stopped, and then started it again, only to stop again. When I saw this movie marathon, I knew instantly this was the movie I wanted to do and I wanted to make sure that I finished it this time.

I hope you enjoy it!

A30

Chapters: 1

"Emma," Granny called with the phone on her shoulder. "Come. It's for you."

Putting down the pot of coffee she was holding, Emma made her way over to the phone and picked up, "This is Emma Swan."

"Ms. Swan, I'm sorry to disturb you at work, but it's about Henry," Henry's teacher, Ms. French, responded calmly.

"He is okay?"

"Yes, yes, he's fine. He just...he put a couple of worms in another teacher's desk this morning. A few other students saw him doing it. Usually we would just talk to him about this, but seeing how this is has happened twice before, I do believe we need to get you involved as well."

"Yeah. Yes, of course." Emma bit her lip and blood rushed to her face. She was going to kill Henry. "I'm sorry for this."

"It happens, it happens." She replied with the same calm voice. Ms. French must deal with so much shit in her day, that a few worms in the desk must be nothing. But still, Emma had to ask --

"Whose desk did he put it in?"

"Mr. Gold," she responded.

Yeah, Emma thought, that sounds about right.

See, Henry was overall a really good kid, but there was something about Mr. Gold that got under Henry's skin, and frankly, Emma's as well. He was an older man who walked with a limp. Your first impression of him would typically be "Oh, this poor man," but after he graded Henry rather harshly on the last two exams, and refused to up Henry's grade by one point so he could make honors last year, yeah...Emma didn't really mind Henry putting worms in his desk.

For the third time.

"I'm so sorry, Ms. French, I truly am. I'm going to speak to Henry about it tonight."

"Just one more thing, Ms. Swan." Ms. French took a deep breath and continued speaking a tone of voice that made Emma think that the teacher really didn't want to be saying this, but felt like she must. "Henry has been talking a lot about his father lately."

Oh God no.

"Last week he was telling the other students that his father is a firefighter in Arizona and he saved many people's lives. I almost believed that until this morning, he was telling them how his father is a spy for the FBI. I thought you might want to know."

Emma grabbed onto the counter and took a few deep breathes. She knew that Henry was having a hard time letting his father go, but she didn't realize it was this bad, honestly. "Again, I apologize, Ms. French. I will speak to him about it."

"Thank you for being so understanding," his teacher said before hanging up.

Once the phone was back in the holder, Emma turned around to see Ruby standing there with her hands on her hips. When she saw Emma's expression, her face and arms soften. "Oh no. What did Henry do?"

"He put worms in the teacher's desk."

Ruby waved an arm. "Oh, I did a load worse when I was his age. I'm sure Granny can tell you all about it."

"I don't doubt it," Emma replied. She took a deep breath before leaning on the counter. "But he was telling his friends about his father."

Ruby leaned on the opposite side and muttered, "Oh shit," under her breath. With her shoulder slumped, her long brown hair fell forward and made almost a curtain around her face. When she looked back up, she said, "What are you going to do?"

Emma shrugged, "Talk to him, obviously. You know he's still holding onto hope that Neal is going to come magically back into his life and all will be forgiven."

"Well, he is eight years old. And he has seen a lot of Disney movies."

Emma raised an eyebrow and muttered, "If you're trying to help me, I can assure you, you are not."

"Sorry." Ruby shook her head before continuing, "That jackass really is something, huh? Gets you pregnant at seventeen and while yeah, he stayed with you and all, continued doing shady business on the side."

"You know that I thought he was done with that, of course."

"Right, of course," Ruby nodded with agreement. "And then he..." she shook her head, too angry to continue.

"I know," Emma muttered.

They stood there in silence for a good thirty seconds before Granny called, "Well, I'm glad I'm paying ya to just stand there and talk!"

Emma sighed before picking up the pot of coffee and going over to table seven.

~*~

Emma put the car in park, but put her hand on Henry's arm before he could get out. "We need to talk."

He sighed. "I'm sorry about the worms, Mom. But he's asking for it."

She let go before putting her hands back on the steering wheel. "No, that's not...Well, yeah, you should apologize for that too, because come on, Henry," she finished, exasperated. "Worms? Really? I know the guy is a jackass and all, but instead of not treating him with respect, just.... ignore him."

"How do I ignore my teacher?"

"You prove that you are not who he thinks you are," she insisted. "He thinks you're a troublemaker now, Henry, and you're not. I know you are not. But putting worms in his desk is not telling him that."

He nodded. She took a deep breath.

"But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about." Henry looked at her curiously, but she couldn't look at him. Instead, she stared at a gate that was badly chipping from rusted paint as she said, "It's about your father. And the stories you're making up."

He looked down and started picking at his nails. "I know he's not working for the FBI, but where is he?"

Probably running from the FBI, she thought before she answered honestly, "I don't know, kid. I really don't know."

"When is he coming back?"

Looking at him, she said softly, "He's not, Henry."

His bottom lip started to quiver before he tugged the handle bar open and jumped out of the car. "Henry!" she shouted as he ran off to a tree right near their house. He began climbing it, and by the time Emma reached the bottom, he was sitting on a branch a good five feet off the ground.

She crossed her arms as she looked up at him. "Henry Swan, you get down this instant!"

"He's coming back!" Henry shouted.

She shook her head. Why couldn't Neal just say his damn good-bye so I didn't have to put up with this? "Henry, you need to get down!"

"No! He promised! And Dad never breaks his promises!"

I wish. Thinking of the engagement ring burning a hole in the bottom of her jewelry box, she could think of a few promises that Neal Cassidy broke over the course of the last ten years.

"Henry, you need to get down." When he didn't budge, she answered, "Fine! I'll donate all of your toys to charity!"

Leaning on the tree, Henry crossed his arms. Sometimes he was too much like Emma for his own good.

"Henry!"

"Henry Swan, you get down now!"

Emma turned to see her best friend come walking towards them, her stomach leading the way. Being six months pregnant didn't necessarily mean a huge belly, but when one is the size of a pixie, like Mary Margaret Nolan, a pregnant stomach tads to stick out more than usual.

Mary Margaret was also a school teacher, who perfected her teaching voice a long time ago. So Henry had no problem coming down when she told him to.

"Thanks," Emma muttered.

"No problem. What happened?" she whispered as Henry grunted his way down.

"We got into a fight about Neal."

"Oh geez," she commented as Henry's feet hit the cold ground. Having a best friend meant that she understood what Emma was talking about, even when she said almost nothing. "Henry, why we don't go in a make a nice hot cup of hot chocolate?"

"Do you mind watching him ‘til six?" Emma asked. She had already spoken to Mary Margaret about her watching Henry while Emma went back to work, but she just wanted to make sure it was all okay.

"Yeah, yeah, no problem. Henry can help grade me second-grade tests."

"Really?" he asked with a bright smile.

She smiled back as she combed his hair with her fingers. "No."

~*~

"Do you believe in angels?"

Mary Margaret looked over at Henry, the credits rolling on It's a Wonderful Life on the screen behind him. She laid down her pen, and leaned back in the chair, rubbing her belly as she did so.

"Yeah. Yeah, I do."

Henry got up from the floor and walked over to the table, putting his hands on the chair in front of him. "Why?"

She shrugged. "It's a nice thought, I guess. Thinking that someone is looking out for us."

"Like in that movie?"

"Kind of. I mean, I don't think an angel is going to show me how everyone's life would be different if I wasn't there, but I do think angels try to help out when they can."

"How?"

She got up and groaned a bit as she did. "Oh, geez, well I'm not sure. Maybe they help you decide what job to have. Or help you cross the street so you don't get hurt."

"Can they help bring a family together?"

Henry's innocent question made her stop in her tracks. Mary Margaret knew she had to answer this question as honestly as she could without giving the kid false hope. Having hope is one thing, but having false hope - that can be soul crushing, especially to an eight-year-old.

"Well, if the angel thought that it was the best thing for the family, then sure. Yeah. Maybe they can help bring a family together."

Henry grinned so wide, his two front teeth were clearly visible. Mary Margaret came over to him, though, and bent down as low as she could go before she continued sternly. "But you have to be very lucky to have an angel come and visit you. You would have to be the best child in the world for something like that to happen."

Henry nodded. "I am a good boy. Except for when I put worms in Mr. Gold's desk. But I promised I would never do that again. Because I'm a good boy."

Mary Margaret stood back up and held onto the chair. "And no more climbing that tree!"

He held up his fingers as though doing a Boy Scout three finger promise. "I promise I'm never going to climb that tree again."

She chuckled before shaking her head and turning towards the kitchen to get a glass of water.

Henry following behind her asked, "How do we see the angels, though?"

"Well," she said, grabbing a glass from the cabinet. She asked if he wanted water too, and he nodded. Grabbing a second glass, she continued. "I think they look like us, right? Nothing particularly special about them --"

"But they have wings!" Henry interrupted. "Where are their wings?!"

As Mary Margaret poured the water from the pitcher into the glasses, she replied, "They must hide their wings inside, so we don't see them."

"They would leave feathers all over the floor!"

She chuckled as she placed the pitcher back down. "Henry, I'm sure that the angels know how to hide their wings and their feathers from us."

"Why would they want to hide the fact that they're angels? Angels should want to help people, not hide from them!

Handing him his glass she said, "True. But people can take advantage of the angel and the help they can bring."

"What does that mean?"

"Sometimes when people try to help, others....well, they don't know how to stop asking for help. They just take more and more and more. So angels have to hide who they really are."

He took a gulp before asking, "But how do I know if there is an angel around if I can't see their wings?"

Mary Margaret took a sip before answering. "Good question. When you hear something like the tinkling of bells, but there are no bells, that's means there is an angel nearby."

He nodded again seriously before taking another big gulp and putting his glass on the table next to him. "I'm going to leave my listening ears on, to make sure I can hear the bells."

She nodded with a smile. "Sounds like a good plan."

Just then there as a knock on the door, and Henry went running to it, yelling, "Mommy! Mommy!" He threw open the door, and sure enough his mother was on the other side, looking exhausted but still had a huge smile on her face.

"Henry!" She shouted with joy. He gave her a big hug before asking for pizza for dinner. "Sure, kid. Why not?"

She was just reaching for his book bag, when Mary Margaret's husband came up behind her. "Oh good, you're still here," he said when he saw Emma. "I need to talk to you."

Emma looked over at Mary Margaret, who shrugged. "Okay..." She said taking Henry's bag and throwing it over her shoulder. "What's up?"

"No, this is a couch conversation," David insisted as he gestured to the couch before taking off his jacket and scarf. Emma and Henry sat down on the couch, Mary Margaret sitting in the arm's chair as David paced back and forth in front of them. When he finally stopped, he only said one thing:

"Please don't kill me."

Mary Margaret and Emma looked at each other, while Henry looked up at his mother. All three looked at David as Emma said, "That doesn't sound reassuring."

Mary Margaret asked, "What's going on, David?"

"It has to do with Emma. And Henry. Both of you."

"David, what is going on?"

"Okay, so our CEO, Mr. Marco Woodman is coming in a few days to discuss branching out and making London the new headquarters for Woodman's Architect."

"Okay...Why would this lead anyone to kill you?"

"I'm getting to that. You see, him coming is a really big deal, especially to Killian, the CFO of the branch here, in America. If Mr. Woodman likes Killian, he'll have Killian oversee everything, which is a huge deal."

"David, stop circling the airport," Emma said, leaning forward, resting her elbows on her knees. "Bring this baby down."

"What?" Henry asked, confused by what his mother meant.

"She means, get to the point!" Mary Margaret almost shouted.

"Okay, okay. So Mr. Woodman is the definition of a family man and Killian, who is a good guy, I should point out, is not a family man. So Regina may have...tweaked his image a bit."

"Tweaked it how?" Mary Margaret asked. "By giving him a family?"

Emma's arms dropped. So did her stomach. She tilted her head down, looking up at David. "And, what exactly, does this have to do with me and Henry?"

David held out his hands. "Please don't kill me."

"David!" Mary Margaret and Emma shouted at the same time.

"David, what the hell?!"

"Look, you're going to get paid," he said quickly, like that would make up for the fact that he basically sold his friend and her child to a man. "You are. One thousand dollars a day. And you're only working two days. A thousand dollars a day."

Two extra thousand dollars doesn't sound too bad, Emma thought, almost hating herself. That can help when looking for a bigger apartment.

“I can’t believe you sold Henry and me out!” she shouted. “David, what were you thinking?!”

“That this could help you, honestly.” David looked at Henry before looking back at Emma. “I know that things are…tough, right now, and I thought that this could help make some things a little easier. It’s very simple: all you and Killian have to do is pretend you’re married—”

“Killian?” Mary Margaret asked from her seat.

David looked over at her before answering. “Yes.”

Mary Margaret bit her lip and Emma noticed. “What? What’s the problem?”

“No. No problem,” she said quickly. When Emma raised her eyebrow and crossed her arms, Mary Margaret continued. “It’s just—”

“I knew there was a problem!” Emma shouted.

Mary Margaret tried to get up quickly, but it took her a few extra minutes to stand in front of her best friend. “There isn’t. Really. I’ve met Killian on many different occasions. In fact, I can’t believe the two of you haven’t met before.”

“I’ve been a bit busy these last few years,” Emma said before pointedly looking down at Henry who was taking this conversation in.

Mary Margaret nodded. “Of course, yes. And Killian is a nice man. Really. He’s just…”

“You’re not helping, Mary Margaret,” David groaned.

“No, no, no! It’s just he’s…been around the block a few times.”

“Like on his bicycle?”

The three adults were taken back by Henry’s innocent question and David found himself nodding. “Yes. Yes, exactly like that, Henry.”

“I’m not doing it,” Emma answered sternly as she shook her head. “No way. I don’t care about him,” she looked down at Henry before continuing, “riding his bicycle or whatever. My son and I are not for sale.”

As she gestured to Henry to get his coat, David stood in front of her blocking her path. “Look, before you fully say—”

“No!”

He closed his eyes before trying again. “Yeah, before you say that, just meet him. Please. You know that I am a tough person to impress, and Killian has impressed me. He’s a close friend.”

“So why haven’t I met him before?”

“Honestly, I don’t know how. But you can meet him tomorrow. You and Henry. He invited you to his house.”

“He has a house?” Henry asked.

“Where did you think he lived, kid? A mouse trap?” Emma asked, with a raised eyebrow.

Henry colored a bit before replying. “No…No, I mean, he doesn’t live in an apartment, like us? He lives in a house?”

David nodded. “Yeah, and it’s huge.”

Henry smiled. “Would I have my own room?”

David nodded again. “Of course, buddy. That was the first question I asked.”

Henry smiled even bigger. “With a big bed in it and toys and a desk and –”

“All of that, Henry! All of it!” David replied esthetically.

“Mom,” Henry quickly turned to his mother and started pulling on her jacket. “Mom, we have to meet him. We have to! I could have my own room, Mom, a big room!”

Emma sighed before looking at David. Sarcastically she said, “Thanks.” He gave a small shrug before Emma rubbed her son’s head and said, “Henry it’s not that simple.”

“Why not, Mom? We just hang out at his house for two days and you get money. How is that hard?”

“Well, it’s a little harder than that, kid,” Emma said sitting on the couch and placing her hands on her son’s shoulders. “It’s not just hanging out at someone’s house for two days. It’s…well, it’s pretending that we live there. It’s pretending that it’s…it’s our home.”

“Are we going to go back to the apartment?”

“When the two days are up, yeah.”

“Oh.”

Emma hated that he sounded disappointed about that. She cleared her throat before saying, “Listen, kid, this isn’t going to be real, okay? It’s like…it’s like playing pretend. Actually, it’s a lot like playing pretend. We just have to pretend to be…one happy family.” She looked down before letting go of Henry’s shoulders. “You think you can do that?”

He nodded enthusiastically. “Yep! Sure can!”

She sighed before standing back up. “I’m sure I’ll have a thousand questions, but...Okay. Let’s meet him. I’m not agreeing to doing this, though.”

David nodded. “Understood. I’ll call Killian and let you know what time he’ll be expecting you.”

Author’s Notes: I promise you, Killian and Emma will meet in the next chapter.

#captain swan #captain swan movie marathon #fanfiction #CSMM #CSMM2020 #csff

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rosierocks30 · 3 years

Text

Hidden: CH.8

Chapter 8: Homecoming

Levi stared at the stairs that led to his hometown, the Underground City. It’s been many years since he considered going down to see how different the shitty place looks. He knew one thing was the smell hadn't gotten better. It still smells like feces and death.

The Captain of the Survey Corps walked down the dark stairs to enter the tunnel.

“What’s that awful smell?” An American accent echoes the dark dingy tunnel.

“Oi old man, quiet down. We don’t want to attract unwanted attention.” Levi glanced at his grandfather.

Both grandson and grandfather kept walking. Levi took Bill with him on a small trip to find any artifact that the late Jacob Miles left Kuchel Ackerman to hide it from Templars. This wasn’t his idea. Levi would have not come here if it wasn’t necessary. Bill insisted Levi to accompany him on this family duo mission.

The captain may not be part of the Brotherhood yet, but for a few months Bill had been training him of the creed. His squad are also going through the training too. Levi knew how to fight and kill human beings. For Walls’ sake, he was raised by Kenny the Ripper. He remembered the heated conversation between Bill and him.

(Flashback)

“Levi, don’t be stubborn. This is your heritage. Why don’t you want to be an assassin?” The Mentor sighed in frustration.

“Because the Survey Corps needs their captain. I will not abandon my comrades especially if we're close at war. My people need their Humanity’s Strongest. I won’t let them down. So no. Out of the question.” Levi explained.

“No one is asking you to leave the Survey Corps or not be part of the upcoming war. I think you should do it. Learning new skills can add your advantage of fighting against our enemies.” Commander Hange was leaning on the wall staring at the assassin and the captain arguing.

The room was dim from the candle lights. The meeting room was full of soldiers and assassins. Of course the queen was sitting at the head center of the table. The news of Premier Zackely’s death was what lead this emergency meeting to happen.

An old maid who cleaned Zackely’s Office, found him dead. Blood was covered from the desk to the floor. That was what the old lady witnessed when she reported to the MPs. The whole Paradis’ military were shocked and alerted.

With his death, a new Premier must be elected soon as possible. Whoever murdered Darius Zackely, it was a declaration of war. Darius was known to be a few steps ahead from everyone which got him to be Premier in the first place.

“Fine, but on one condition, my squad will be part of the Brotherhood. They’re the best soldiers I can rely on.” He said.

“Alright, you got a deal, son.” Bill nodded and agreed to the terms.

(Flashback)

They finally see the light of the end of the tunnel. Luckily, no one was there to keep an eye out of the entrance. Levi took a step back to let all the nostalgic memories he had as a child to an infamous thug.

“The only place I can think of is the brothel where my mother and I used to live there.” Levi pulled his hood more to cover half of his face. His grandfather already had his hood covering his eyes. They kept walking on the muddy road. There were people doing their daily activities. In the corner, some prostitutes try to allure them with their terrible flirting skills in Levi’s option.

Thank the Walls, Historia didn’t join them. Her mood had been changing as her womb got bigger. Only a couple of months left for the baby to pop out. She would glare at them and maybe cause a scene. His wife usually wasn’t like this. It’s probably the hormones’ fault. Hopefully, after the baby is born, he won’t be walking on eggshells around her.

These past few months had changed at a fast pace for Levi. First is the assassination of Darius Zackely then choosing his new successor which it was the Garrison commander Pixis. He’s a brilliant man but a drunkard also. Oh yeah, most of the higher ups officers know Historia is pregnant and married to him. The public doesn’t know yet, but they’re half way there.

(Flashback)

Before Darius Zackely’s death, the three commanders of the Survey Corps, Garrison, and Military Police, were summoned by the Premier along Captain Levi, Mentor William Miles, and Queen Historia for this sudden late evening meeting.

As Levi and Historia entered the room and sat in their places. The Premier made a sound to get everyone’s attention. “Alright, everyone and your majesty. I have summoned this private meeting because one of my spies in Marley sent me a letter that General Magath will soon plan to invade this island than we hope for a little longer we anticipate.” Most of the group were not happy about this news.

“Before we discuss defending our home, Captain Levi and Your Majesty is there anything you both should share with us?” Darius glanced at the married couples.

Historia was confused while Levi glared at his superior officer. He had a hunch what the Premier meant when he asked them.

“I’m sorry, Premier Zackely. I don’t follow what you’re saying.” The queen said while posing as the authoritative figure. She is the queen of Paradis Isle, not the little soldier she once was.

“You know what exactly I mean, You’re Majesty. Your relationship with Captain Levi. I admit both of you kept this secret for so long. I applaud both of you, but you both know that the nobles will cause a riot for this scandal.” Commander Dok was speechless when the secret relationship of Levi and Historia was exposed. Commander Pixis was intrigued at this revelation.

“How the fucking hell did you know about us?” Levi still glared at Darius. This isn’t happening. The Premier will throw Levi to jail and she won’t be able to see him. Historia was scared for her husband.

William was observing the way his grandson was ready to attack to protect Historia. “Levi, please calm down.” Then Levi’s glare shifted towards him.

“Captain Levi relaxes. I’m not planning to lock you up or execute you. I just want you two be aware that I know for a long time about your relationship, even your marriage. Commander Hange, I’m not surprised you knew about them and witnessed their marriage. I’m disappointed that I needed a spy to know about the lovebirds.” Darius Zackely glances at the finger where the ring is located from Historia’s hand. The queen blushed embarrassingly.

“You have someone spied on me?!” Something in Historia made her snapped. She has been tired of being too cautious just to have some privacy. Ever since Historia became queen, it has been suffocating. Her ladies were around her most of the time that she needed to give them an excuse to be alone. The nobles come for an audience with her for planning some extravagant party or trying to ask for her hand in marriage for themselves or their sons. She never wanted to be queen, but some midget decided to choke her into agreeing. Historia never told Levi or her friends that sometimes she gets breakdowns.

“Your grace, calm down for the sake of you and your heir.” The Premier noticed the queen got up and glared angrily.

“Did one of my doctors tell you?” She said.

“No, like I said one of my spies who’s name will remain anonymous.” The older man trying to make the queen understand.

“Alright, so now you know about us. What do you plan to do with us then?” Levi intervened. He grabs Historia’s wrist to gesture her to sit down and try to remain calm.

“I’m not planning anything. This would have been avoidable if you both told me personally so I can make sure this stays a secret. A baby right now is not the right time at the moment since war will come soon.” He lectured on the married couple like misbehaved kids.

“It wasn’t planned, sir. It just happens.” Levi felt uncomfortable about getting to that topic.

“I see, so now that’s settled. We can now plan properly for both the queen’s safety and the future crowned prince or princess. Who knows what the Marleyans will do if they knew your pregnancy. “ Zackely shuffled the papers.

“Your majesty, once you reach six months, we’ll escort you to the Farm from the orphanage to be bed rest and prepare you for a safe delivery away from the possible battleground.” He continues. On the other hand, Historia was concerned for the residents’ safety. “What about the people? We need a plan to have an evacuation if they make it into the Walls.”

Commander Pixis speaks out. “Your grace, my soldiers and I will make sure the enemies won’t get through the Walls. Not under my watch.” His tone was filled with passion and promise.

The queen nodded in gratitude for the Garrison Commander. Commander Nile Dok joined in the conversation. “I’ll increase soldiers to patrol for the safety of the citizens.”

“Thank you, Commander Pixis and Commander Dok. I don’t want fatality to increase to the mass when the war starts.” She leans against her chair to breathe in relief.

“Premier Zackely, if I may intrude; Levi and I had talked about sending the queen to the location where my fellow assassins are based.” William speaks out.

“Hmm that would be safer, but the Marleyans would track us down and shoot the ship.” He pointed out.

“Yes, but I know someone with a cargo plane to take the queen along with some bodyguards to New York City.” Bill suggested his plan to the Premier.

“Very well, I’ll consider it. As allies, we need to be on our toes since you mention these Templars could be involved with the Marleyans?”

“Also, if anything does happen to me, I named Pixis as my successor. Since the day, the late Commander Erwin led his Scouts to Grisha Jeager’s basement; this kingdom had been transitating the changes from not being the only last humans on Earth.” Zackely said.

Commander Pixis salutes his higher up officer. “I’ll be honored to accept you as your successor.”

“Good, I’m pleased you accepted it, you’ve earned it, Pixis.” Zackley nodded.

(Flashback end)

Levi shook his head to focus on why they were here as his eyes glanced at the old familiar building. It still looks the same since he left with Kenny. His grandfather stared at him in concern. “Are you alright, Levi?”

The raven haired soldier nods his head to assure the elder man that he’s fine. “Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s get this over it. I have a date with my heavily pregnant wife after this.”

They enter the brothel slash hotel. The place is full of people. The smell of the air is full of perfume and smoke. Levi hated the smell. It had suffocated him when he used to live here as a child.

“Let’s see if Mr. Douglas is still alive.” Levi mumbled and walked to the bar section. Bill followed him then both sat on the stools right beside each other.

A bartender was cleaning a glass shot when he noticed Levi and Bill sat on the stools. “What can I get you gentlemen? I see you both are not from around here.” The man started the small conversation.

Both the soldier and assassin had their hoods hiding most of their face. “We’ll have whiskey on the rocks.” Bill said. Levi wasn’t a fan of drinking since he always needed to be alert 24/7 in order to survive this world.

The bartender nodded and began to grab a bottle of whiskey. He grabbed two glasses then put two ices in each glasses. The amber liquor was poured into the glasses half full then slides one by one to Bill then to Levi.

The captain stared down at the whiskey. Don’t get him wrong. He has high tolerance in alcohol, but that doesn’t mean he enjoyed it. Tea is his preference. As some of the Americans say to him one time. Tea is love, tea is life. That he agreed.

Levi lifts the small glass the way he holds his tea and has the rim of the glass press on to his lips. His lips open a bit to let the strong scent of alcohol run down to his lips as he drinks into a small sip.

“He is not, but I am.” Levi finally answered one of the questions from the bartender. “I used to be born and raised here. I’m Levi, Kuchel’s son. Is Mr. Douglas still working here?”

The young bartender gasped from Levi revealing who he was. “You mean, you’re the Captain Levi that my gramps told me about when he used to run this place?”

“Ah you must be related to him?” Bill said.

“He died long ago. Now, this hotel belongs to my ma and me. My grandpa used to tell me stories of a small kid who liked cleaning too much that he learned many tips from you.” The bartender smiles from thinking old memories of his grandfather.

“I’m sorry to hear that. He was a good man from what I remember.” Levi sympathized with the young man.

“Thank you, but it was long ago so it’s alright. So, can I ask why are you here? Ever since you moved up the surface, you made a name for yourself as Humanity’s Strongest. I would never have thought I'd meet you. You’re a hero to the people down here. Most of us were overjoyed to have one of our own protecting good people like us. Well, some since this underworld city is full of cruel bastards ruling over good honest people like my gramps and my neighbors.” The bartender frowned at the thought of the criminals ruining the poor people who just want to be left in peace.

Great another fanboy. Levi hated to encounter anyone who admired him as a hero because in his reality, he doesn’t feel like a hero. He’s just a soldier who fights for humanity to repay his sins. He’s a monster. Monsters are not heroes.

“I came back to finally face my past. I’m ready. Will you lent me the key of #7? I want to look at the room where my mother died in it, before I go to war. Who knows I might not ever get the chance to tell my mother’s soul goodbye.” Levi lowered his head as tears tried to threaten to come out.

His mother was a warm and compassionate woman. She reminded him of Historia. His beautiful sweet Historia. Every night his mom always sang lullabies during bedtimes. Some songs were in another language but he knew them from the heart.

(Flashback)

“Levi, come to mama. It’s bedtime.” A beautiful raven haired woman called her toddler son.

“Yes mama.” A little Levi runs to his mother’s arms. Kuchel picked him up and smiled warmly. “Oh my, you’re growing bigger and stronger.” She chuckles while holding him up in the air like a plane.

“Look mama, I can fly! I’m a birdie.” Levi flaps his arms like a bird flying with its wings.

“Yes, my little eagle.” She threw him up into the air and caught him. The little boy giggled and hugged his mother. Her smell was pinecones and wild flowers. He doesn’t know why since they have never been to the surface. But she somehow smells like it.

She began to gently rock him. Her hum turned into a tune. Then she sang away a lullaby that Levi’s father taught her.

Close your eyes

Let the sound of the night sing away

Feel the breeze to drift you a far this place

So spread your wings

Rise high, my little eagle

Fly away into the clear sky

You’ll be free

You’re meant to be free

Don’t stop and keep flying

To freedom, my baby eagle

So my baby eagle, fly away

(End of Flashback)

(Another flashback)

Historia was reading a children’s fairytale book to the unborn baby she’s carrying in her womb. Levi was on the desk doing paperwork for Hange which irritated him since papaerworks is not his best skill. He lifts his tea cup to sip it and stops his work to turn around and listen to his wife reading a book to the unborn.

“Tch, our kid isn’t even born yet, and you’re already reading to her or him.” Levi scoffed.

Historia stopped and rolled her eyes at her grouchy husband. “The pregnancy book said by now our child already developed ears to listen to our voice. I want the baby to be nurtured with our love now.” She placed her hand on her now swollen belly then rubbed it. She’s now heavily three months away from birthing their baby.

They still don’t know the gender of the baby. It’s best to be surprised whether it’s a girl or boy. Either way, they don’t care what gender it is. The soon to be parents will love their baby no matter what. Ever since the late Premier Zackely’s death, Pixis became the new Premier. The plan resumed what the late Premier Zackely wanted. Once the queen started to show, the MPs and Levi escorted Historia to the Farm where an Orphanage was resided. The Orphanage was funded by the government when Historia and Levi advocated.

Levi pushed the wooden chair to leave space for him to get up. He walked to the large bed and flopped on the mattress next to his wife.

“If you say so.” He said and glanced at the huge belly. Levi hoped the kid wouldn't be taller than him, but he felt the unborn will grow tall in the future. He pressed his forehead on Historia’s belly and began to hum into a similar tune that his late mother used to sing to him.

Close your eyes, little one

Let the sound of the night sing away

Feel the breeze to drift you afar this place

So spread your wings

Rise high, my little eagle

Fly away into clear sky

You’ll be free

Don’t stop and keep flying

To freedom, my baby eagle

So my baby eagle, fly away

After Levi stopped singing, a sniffle sound was heard from Historia. He glimpsed at his wife as she cried silently.

“Why are you crying. Are you in pain?” The soldier gets up to check if she was in serious pain. Historia shook her head to respond to his concerning questions.

“No, I’m fine. It’s just...that was so beautiful. Who taught you?” The queen still has tears falling.

“My mother. She used to sing this song to me every night before I go to bed.” He whispered.

He felt her hands cup his cheeks to guide his face to hers. His lips press against hers to feel those soft warm lips he comes to cherish. This kiss was not their usual passionate hunger, it was soft and tender.

“You’re full of surprises, Levi Ackerman.” She whispered while kissing him.

“It won’t be surprising if I gave it away all at once.” He smirked playfully.

She giggled and cuddled him on the bed. Levi grabbed the book to place it on the nightstand table to be comfortably close to his wife.

“Tomorrow, I’m going back to the Underground City. I haven’t gone there in many years.” He said in a quiet tone. This caught Historia’s attention.

“Why are you? You’re ready to face your past?” She was concerned for him. Historia knew she couldn’t go accompany him underground.

“Yeah, I’m ready. It’s time to have that closure for us and the baby. I don’t want to have that regret if I lose my chances to have my peace. Also I want to check if I find anything that my father gave something to my mom to hide it from templars or any one with terrible intentions.” He said.

She nodded in understanding. “Go, if you must do this. But come back home to me safely. At least, take someone with you. I would feel less worried if you go alone.” She buried her face on his chest just feeling scared again being so far away from her husband.

“I will, and don’t worry; I’ll come home as soon as possible.” He made a promise. His nose buried on her hair to inhale her scent. Damn, she always smelled so pure and divine.

“Good, I’ll hold on to that.” The queen smiled.

“Let’s sleep, I need to wake up early anyways.” He began to undo his just the shirt to take it off and place it on the chair where his desk was. Historia already wore her nightgown but it was maternity style. He could feel her eyes staring at him. His head turned to glance at her which she was blushing.

“Can’t get enough?” He chuckled deeply then went to his side of the bed and lift the covers to lay on the bed then covered half way.

Historia coughed. “No matter how many times I see you naked or half naked in this case, I am still blushing like a virgin.” She chuckled along.

He wrapped around his arms on her body to snuggle under the covers. Both husband and wife laid on the bed peacefully as their eyes drowned away to sleep.

“You are too adored, my goddess. Goodnight, my love.” He gave her a goodnight kiss.

“Goodnight, my soft warrior.” She whispered and kissed him back.

(End Flashback)

The bartender decide to give the key to Room # 7 to Levi. So now, Levi and Bill walk through the empty halls where it still haunts the captain for many years. So many bad and good memories, he had within these halls as a brat.

Finally, they reached to the door of room #7. Levi stands in front of the door as so many flood of memories of his mother and him barely surviving off the money his mother earned by prostituting herself with men like Ethan and Raymond. He doesn’t know if Ethan is alive. He so badly want to crave the now old man’s body as he torture him slow and painful. The pain he caused with Destinia, Jessie, and his mother…

“Are you sure you're alright, my boy?” Bill places his hand on Levi’s shoulder to comfort him. Levi snapped out of his trance of emotional pain. He turned his head to look at his grandfather to nod in reassuring him.

He inserts the key into the door knob then twists it as the door unlocks it. His hand opened the door slowly. Inside the room was dark and empty.

Levi steps into the room. After all these years, he has returned home.

“Ok, this place may be empty, but we’ll try to find anything.” Levi said. Both of them begin to look through the empty furniture. Yet, nothing. Levi glances at the mattress and pulls out his hidden blade to cut the mattress. He ripped open the old mattress. “You could have used the Eagle vision if it is an artifact of the First Civilization.” Bill pointed it out.

Levi made an annoyed expression. “Fine.” He had been practicing to use his Eagle vision. It was cool when he accessed it.

The captain closed his eyes then opened it as his vision is grey with some faded blue lines. He scans the mattress to see once again, nothing. “Damn it. It’s not even here either.” Levi sighs in frustration. Bill frowned in disappointment of not finding anything. “Probably someone already took it and we’re too late.” Mentor assassin said.

Levi looked up to scan all over the room. On the left, he views a golden-reddish sphere inside the wall. Bingo. They have found it. “Or my mother was good at hiding things.”

“You found something?” Bill was excited. Levi gets off the ripped mattress to walk toward the wall where the sphere is located.

“Yeah, it’s inside this wall.” Levi places his hands then presses his ear. He knocked on the wall which made an echo bang. “It’s hollow. I’m going to have to make a hole.” He steps back to have space to punch into the wall. A hole was formed then the raven haired man saw a glimpse of a sphere object glowing.

“I don’t believe it. Another Apple of Eden.” Bill wonders is this the same object that Jacob had found long ago on his mission to the ruins of the Aztecs, where he found this sphere object?

Levi rips some pieces of the wall to make a bigger hole then grabs the object carefully. He observed the Apple of Eden. This thing is so peculiar but intriguing. So many wars between the templars and assassins were fought over to gain controlled over this.

“So, what now?” The captain looks at his grandfather in guidance.

Before Bill says anything, the sphere glows brighter. Levi stuck out his hand away from him but didn’t drop the Isu’s object.

The piece of Eden created an illusion image of a man who looks like sitting on a wooden chair. When the image of the man appears, Bill gasps in shock that it was his first-born son, Jacob Miles.

“Hello Levi, my little boy. It’s me, your dad.” The projected image of Jake chuckled lightly.

“Listen son, if you found this piece of Eden then you probably know about your heritage. We come from a long ass line of warriors called the assassins. Hopefully, dad already began training you. But this thing is the only way for me to send a message since by then I would probably be dead by then. I just want to say...I’m sorry. I’m so fucking sorry for leaving you and your mother in this shitty place. Both of you deserve a life. I’m sorry I couldn’t be there to watch you grow up into a fine man. Heck, I bet you got my good looks. I had the same vision of you all grown up slaying some giant-like monster. I don’t know it was, but you were looking badass. Your mother didn;t believe me at first. I convinced her, we got to give you a badass name.” Again, he chuckled.

Levi’s hand was trembling. He can’t believe it. He finally met his dad. All those years of denial of wanting to know about who he was? Bill was trying not to cry when the image of his son was in front of him. This was his last days before he died.

“Levi, I understand you probably might hate me for leaving you and your mother alone on this island. I could have taken your mother away from here, but with you being so close to be born; we don’t want to risk pregnancy complications. The plan was to take you both after your birth, but it’s like faith didn’t allow it. I am being called on to go on this dangerous trip. I might not survive, but if I did, I will promise you both that we’ll go to America where you won’t live in hunger, worry about being prosecuted because you're an Eldian and Ackerman. I love you so much Levi. No matter what you’re capable of, I will always love you. Don’t let your guilt consume you. You’re a survivor. You’re a descendant of both warrior’s bloodlines. I may be long gone from this world, but I will always be there within you to guide you just like our ancestors are within you to guide you. We’re all in one. Protect your mother for me, kiddo. She is my world. That spunk woman is one of the kind. One day, when you become a man, you’ll find someone who will make you feel their worth of risk of getting that happy life. So, this is it. Goodbye son, live for yourself. Live for the right of the happiness you deserve. It’s never too late to chase that dream. I love you, son. Kuchel, if you’re listening. I love you so fucking much baby. I’ll try to go home to you, ok.”

The image of Jacob had disappeared. The apple of Eden had stopped glowing. Levi dropped the artifact as his knees hit the ground. His head bow low as tears are trying to escape. His body trembles from hold in so much emotion. William encouraged his grandson to not hold it in. “Levi, it’s ok. You don’t have to bury them anymore. Let them out.”

The captain presses his hands on the cold floor then makes a fist of both of them. A sound of choked sob was heard from the former thug. For years, Levi learned to bottle up his pain, grief, and any emotion to be a numb human. Now, he finally shattered every wall he built. The tears dripped on the floor and a scream of years bottle up was let out. This is how Eren Jaeger felt when something in him spark of anger and determination was let out. Levi continues letting out his emotions until he finishes. WIth his strength, the Eldian soldier gets up slowly.

“How are you feeling now, grandson?” the whisper of his grandfather said. Levi Ackerman wasn’t the type to hug. The only exception is Historia and few people in the past that are long gone. He wraps his arm around his grandfather to hug him. For the first time since he was a boy, his inner child is awake from a long hibernation. His inner child craves comforts and affection from a blood relative since his parents are long gone. His grandfather is the closest parent he will ever get now. Tch, his dead uncle, Kenny Ackerman was never a parent material.

Bill gladly accepts his grandson’s hug. His grandfatherly gesture comforts Levi. Bill held him tight not wanting to let go. For a few months since both of them met face to face, it was nothing bitter and distant well at least from Levi’s part. Bill had tried to reach out to his only family member. He too lost so much. His sons, wife, his parents, and his friends from the Brotherhood. Both Miles men sacrifice so much for what price? To have their loved ones died either way?

“Is it too late to ask you to be accepted as a Miles? I’m ready to be an assassin. To be your grandson, grandfather. I want to protect my friends, comrades, the people of Pardis Isle, family: you, Historia and our unborn. I want to win this war so my descendants can live in peace. I promise I’ll listen to you whenever you’ll mentor me in the way of an assassin.” Levi vowed.

“Of course, my boy. You have always been a Miles. My blood runs in your veins, but we can legalize it if that’s what you mean.” The old man chuckles.

“I will still have Ackerman as part of my last name. I want to honor my mother’s heritage also as an Eldian. My children will have those two proud names when they come to this world.” He continues.

“Also, I want to find my mother’s remains. She deserved to be buried in a better place then in this shitty ass underground.” Levi said. Already, the raven haired man let go of his hugs from his grandfather.

“Yes, we can do that too. I think we can have her buried alongside with your father in South Dakota where his remains lay to rest.” This made Levi give his rare smile at his grandpa.

“Yeah, I would appreciate that, gramps.” He nods.

After their heartwarming moment, Levi and William go back to the bartender and hand him the key. Before leaving, Levi asked one vital question.

“Did your grandfather say anything of where he buried the remains of Kuchel Ackerman?” He asked.

The bartender was thinking carefully trying to remember. “What my old pa used to mention, Kenny the Ripper guy, he dragged that body and asked us to be buried anywhere we see fit. So my grandpa is buried in our family’s little graveyard. I can show you where she was buried.”

“Thanks, I apprenticed for it. One more time. You got a shovel?” Levi asked.

(The Orphanage Farm)

Historia Reiss-Ackerman was helping some of the caretakers to make supper for the children. She sniffed the aroma of the chicken and potatoes stew. Oh the queen can’t wait to save some for Levi when he returns from his mission. Her belly is big and round already. Now she’s almost seven months until the baby is ready to come out. Most of the time, Historia takes many naps or just reads a nice book under the shade of a tree during a sunny day. Summer is almost over, and most likely this child will be born by October.

How time passed by when it seemed just like yesterday, Levi and Historia were fooling around to fill their void with lusts. Her sparkle blue eyes glances down at her wedding band on her ring finger. This was never her plan to fall in love, become queen, get pregnant, get married, now preparing for war and for the birth of her child. This was too much for her if she was back then pretending to be Christa. That girl, Christa, was too soft, kind, and afraid to be herself. Historia despised that part of her.

If it wasn’t for her being Christa, she wouldn't have met her friends, gaining valuable life tips from Ymir. Ymir was more than a dear friend to her. The tough Ymir was her guardian angel. She was always there to protect and cherish her. This is something Historia will keep in her heart. Beside her sweet older sister, Frieda, Ymir had loved her and reminded her how worthy she is.

The queen touches her cheek when tears roll down from her eyes. Ugh, it would be great if she would stop shedding tears every time Historia thinks about Ymir. The blonde woman wipes them away. Once the stew simmer, she turns off the stove then lightly stir the stew before covering the huge pot with a lid. The main dining table was already set up for the children and caretakers to eat dinner.

Historia turns to call for one of the staff. “Emily, would you let everyone know that dinner is ready, please?” The woman nods with a smile. “Of course, Your- I mean Historia.” The light haired woman blush from feeling embarrassed forgetting the first rule in this Orphanage. The young queen made it clear to everyone in this establishment that to call her by her name. So, there;s no your grace, your majesty, or my queen. Just Historia. She wants to feel normal for once in a while. The royal life can be drainful. How did her late sister or any members of her estranged family had dealt with it?

The woman Emily already walked away to announce dinner is ready. Meanwhile Historia places her hand on her watermelon size belly to bend down to open the lower cabinet and takes out a medium size pot to pour some stew into it. The one thing her husband loves when he comes back from his missions is her cooking. Historia makes his favorite dishes like stews, pot pies, and anything related to bacon.

She placed the other pot on the countertop next to the stove. A strong kick was felt in her belly. Historia smiles from feeling the baby being activated. “You’re hungry as well?” her hand rubs on her stomach. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. We’ll eat soon.”

The queen uses a wooden spoon to scoop out the stew and pour into the other pot until it's full. She left the other pot on the countertop to cool off a bit while serving a bowl of stew to everyone. Of course, the staff woman, Emily, has come back to help her serve the kids their meals.

The dining table is full of kids and the staff who work here. They are like one big family. There are chattering conversations from left and right. Some kids play with their food and others bite down to rip the bread rolls that were freshly baked earlier.

Historia ate the stew quietly while listening to certain conversations. She took a glimpse at the window to see if Levi had come back yet. The view was getting dark as the sun’s rays disappeared slowly from the horizon.

The blonde haired beauty got up then said goodnight to everyone, but the children ran to her to give her a hug. Historia smiles from embracing these innocent kids. When she and Levi started to build this orphanage with the special squad help of course, Historia vowed to give love affection to these kids whenever she comes here to stay for temporary. Some of the caretakers jokingly tell her; both Levi and Historia are like the mother and father with the kids.

At first Historia panicked they knew about their relationship and they might or had spread their secret to anyone. Fortunately, the queen had an informal staff meeting to clear the air if they knew something’s going on between her and the captain. She was ready to deny any claims until the same woman, Emily, spoke out that they did figure out their relationship, but they will respect it by keeping it to themselves in this household. This made the queen sigh in relief.

Some of the staff who are close to Historia’s age, asked questions on how they met, and oh how romance and forbidden their love is. Their love is forbidden and romance but it’s not all glamorous as fairytale books like to mislead you. All the heartbreak, arguments, and happinesses are worth enduring. In the end, their bond grew stronger and tougher to break.

(Flashback)

A year ago…

The aftermath of their unexpected one night stand in Levi’s quarter, Christa Lenez aka Historia Reiss was washing the dishes. She volunteered doing cleaning kitchen duty for the morning while most of her friends and comrades did their assigned chores from Captain Levi’s orders.

She can’t believed Captain Levi and her had sex a month ago. These past weeks, all the small female soldiers could think of her captain in a very erotic imagination.

Her cheeks became warm and reddish from thinking in such profanity to her higher up officer. The biggest question Christa wanted to know was what are they now? She remembered what he said to her before proceeding in taking her virginity. Once he takes her, he will not share her with anyone. So what the hell does he mean? Since the day after, he avoids her like she’s some deadly plague. It had hurt her because maybe she had hoped she was not the only one who felt something like they had become one with each other.

The meekly soldier shook her head in trying to forget these thoughts. It won’t matter anyways because Levi made it clear in his action that whatever had happened between them was nothing. Christa was used to not being loved especially how she was raised by her estranged mother until her death when she was a little girl by some man named Kenny Ackerman. Her father just stood there to let it happen. After the incident, she was sent away to some random family in Wall Rose in a town of District Trost.

The family who took her in were one of her father’s connections. The Dinkles were worshipers of The Three Walls. Every morning the household must pray to the Walls or get punished. Christa used to worship in order to gain her foster family’s affection, but they were distant and cold to her. In their eyes, she’s a product of sin and lust; a bartard as Mr. Dinkles had spewed her constantly. No matter what she does to try to please them, they somehow punished her. That’s when the girl began to realize how worthless and a burden she was to this cruel world. There were times she attempted to end her life. Of course, Mr. Dinkles lectured and punished her more that she would go to hell if she succeeded. So Christa had tried to not do it. When she got older, her foster parents sent her to join the military since that was the deal her father made with the Dinkles. Good riddance that she did because it was hell being with the Dinkles.

Christa frowned from the memories of her childhood after watching her own mother being killed in front of her. The adolescent soldier was not aware when a fellow soldier from the Scouts leaned against the countertop in a cocky attitude. “Hey there dollface, maybe after you finished, wanna take a stroll in town with me?”

The blonde haired girl stopped washing to turn at the male soldier. “No, thank you. I must finish other chores that Captain Levi ordered me to do before the end of the day.” She politely declined him.

“Ah come on, cutie. I’m sure the Captain will not notice. Let me treat you to dinner and maybe we can have some fun afterward.” The male soldier roamed his fingers on one of her sides. Goosebumps form on her skin from male human contact.

“I said, no, thank you.” She frowned at what this guy's real intentions were. She may have slept with the captain but that doesn’t mean she’ll give herself easily to anyone. Christa had learned her lesson.

“Don’t be stubborn. You will miss out on having a cock giving you pleasure. Since Ymir girl is not here to cockblock some of the guys here that wanted you, you are like an angel waiting to be tainted by one of us.” He smirked.

Christa had enough listening to this asshole. She is tired of being the too nice girl, Christa. Only her friends and Section Commander Hange, Commander Erwin, and Captain Levi knew who she really is. The petite soldier finished her chores then walked away from the creep.

The guy grinned down his teeth angrily. Who does this bitch think she is? Every girl the guy talked to, they either blushed or flirts back. He never was rejected. His arm wrapped around her waist before Christa was out of his reach. Christa or Historia panic a bit from his bold advances on her. She wiggled from trying to escape from his grasp. No, she will not be weak. She can’t be weak anymore. She will be strong. She must be strong. Goodbye Christa Lenez, no more the sweet naivete girl. From now on Historia Reiss will rise.

Something in her snapped and jabbed hard his rib then butthead his stomach. The guy fell on his knees while clenching his stomach from pain. “What the fuck, you bitch?! You will pay for that.” He glared at her. Her eyes widened from being astonished at her strength.

The guy grabbed her ankle to make her fall on the hard floor. The blue eyed girl kicked her legs to be away from him. He pounced on her which she was trapped under the male soldier. Shit, what can she do to escape now? Her heart beats in fear from what he will do to her if she doesn’t find a way to run away. “Let go of me.” She yelled at him.

The creep smirked in victory. “Why should I? This wouldn’t happen if you agreed to go out with me, dollface. Now, you will know the consequence for rejecting me.” His hand already traveled on her body. Historia felt his touch replusing. Only Levi’s touch was warm and rough but also gently. This creep’s touch was uncomfortable and just terrible. The female soldier cried in distress. She, still trying to fight him off then glared hatefully at her soon to be rapist. Historia spit on his face.

“Yuck, you little whore. Now, I will make you feel pain.” He slapped her face. Her cheek sting from his attack. Historia closed her eyes to imagine the night with Captain Levi to get through this nightmare.

“Tch, looks like you should be the one to feel pain.” A deep baritone voice appeared in the kitchen.

Historia felt the heavy weight of the guy was off of her. She opened her eyes to see her captain pinning the creep on the wall. The same guy was scared to death from seeing an enraged Captain Levi. The raven haired man usually doesn’t have that expression unless killing Titans.

The tiny soldier gets up to walk towards Levi. “C-captain please, don’t do something regretful.

Levi had a knife pressed on the guy’s neck. Historia saw it as she got closer. She needed to stop her captain before he got in trouble instead of the true culprit.

On the other hand, Levi sees red and already thought of thousands ways to use this knife on this pig. How fucking dare this brat touched and harmed Historia? He heard a soft familiar voice trying to talk him out.

“Trust me, I won’t regret it.” His tone became chillingly dark.

“Please....sir. He will get the punishment he deserves by Commander Erwin.” She pleaded with Levi which he glanced at her to see her beautiful blue eyes begging him to stop. The captain growled as he put the guy down but still grip his shirt.

“You should be thankful that she showed you mercy otherwise you would have been in pieces. We will go to the Commander and you will fucking explain to him what you were about to do to Historia, a fellow soldier who’s part of my squad. Is that clear, you shithead cunt?” He said in a cold tone. The other soldier nodded in fear. “Tch. Come soldier, we’ll need your testimony to Commander Erwin.” He glanced at the petite beauty. He can see the hand mark on her soft creamy skin tone cheek.

Levi prayed to the Walls for Erwin to let him tortured this pussy brat. He dragged the whimpering boy to Erwin’s office. Historia follows the captain silently. Once Levi reported what had happened in the kitchen and made the creepy brat explain what he did and almost planned to do to Historia, Commander Erwin had the cunt arrested for assaulting sexually and physically on a fellow soldier. This was unacceptable in a time like this. So Erwin had the MPs take away the soldier.

After the drama, Historia and Levi were in his room. The captain was attending to her injury as it formed a bruise within hours. His hands were soft and delicate on her skin. This is right. His touch was the only thing that brought her comfort from the traumatic experience.

“H-how are you feeling?” Levi was concerned for his subordinate.

Historia was quiet but she looked into his steel grey eyes as tears fell from hers. This was all too much for her. It was not just almost being raped but how hot and cold Levi had treated her after that night. She was so confused. Deep down what they had done was wrong, but she can’t help feeling the fire that ignited her spirit. Levi had awoken her willingness to keep on living. She doesn’t want to let go of that fiery feeling.

“I-I don’t know, Captain.” The blonde beauty whispered.

“Historia, call me Levi.” He said.

This made her snapped. “Why are you doing this?” She tried to contain her emotions.

“What are you talking about?” The older man was confused.

“You have been treating me like I’m some disease but there were rare times you treat me like we have been lovers for a long time. So what is it that you want from me. Levi? You can’t keep giving me misleads and expect me to be ok about it. Because I know what I want. What do you want?” She looked into his eyes while standing her ground.

Levi was astonished that this meek girl had the balls to confront him. To be honest, the captain doesn’t know how to respond to her attacks. Ever since that night, he can’t stop thinking of her. He wants her, but there were many reasons Levi shouldn't have tried to pursue this girl. Most of the women he was with, they had met their doom. From Jessie to Petra, what makes Historia any different from the others? The blonde soldier deserved to be with someone who will give her comfort, stability, and love.

Levi can’t offer any of it. He only can give his leadership to survive the missions. Somewhere deep in him, had been controlling his decisions when it’s involved Historia.

That stupid Iapteus suddenly decided to show up and makes it difficult to detach himself from Historia.

Iapetus rarely gets involved with Levi’s personal life since he let his host have free will. That free will had diminished when he met the cute female soldier on her graduation from being cadets. His head was giving awful headaches. Then he heard a deep monstrous like voice in his head screaming “mine, mine, mine”

Tch, his titan is like a greedy kid that can’t shut the fuck up. He noticed Historia was waiting for his reply.

“I…” That's all he can say. This disappointed her. She gets up from the bed to start walking towards the door. Historia just wanted him to be honest, but it seems he couldn’t answer her questions. The blue eyed girl felt tears falling again.

Levi shook his head in disbelief of himself. This petite woman somehow has power over him. He should have let her leave and ended whatever that had in a very short period of time. This is for the best for both of them. But no Levi doesn’t want her to walk away from him. His soul yearned for this goddess-like girl.

“Hold on.” He finally spoke as his hand snatched her wrist to stop her.

“I’m sorry...I didn’t want to cause you pain.” He whispered.

“I just want to know what does that make us? I felt something between us, perhaps I’m being silly and imagining you also feel that too.” She tried to wipe her tears from her eyes.

Levi was too quiet again, but he used actions to speak loudly. So, the raven haired man pulled her towards him. Historia felt his solid tone chest when her body pressed against his. The older man wrapped his arms around her to hold on to her.

“I want you, but I’m scared if I get closer to you; something terrible will happen to you. I can’t lose another person who matters to me again.” Levi finally said what he wanted to say.

“I understand. I am also scared too, but what’s the point of living and be happy if we let fear consume us. We don’t know what will happen tomorrow or in 5 years or 20 years if fate granted us that privilege. Levi, would it be better to give it a shot at us?” She glanced at the man.

Levi stared into those pretty blue eyes and moved her golden blonde hair away from her face to see it better.

“I-if we do this, just promise me you won’t leave me too soon.” His hand caresses her soft cheek.

“As long you don’t leave me as well.” Historia smiled with joy. She leaned to kiss his lips.

(End Flashback)

Historia had already left the dining room in the main Orphanage building. She had the porcelain container of the stew she had made for supper. The queen walked on the stone pathways that led her to a cottage house behind the property she now owns being the last member of the Reiss family.

The sun had set down for the day. The sky was clear and dark, only the stars and the full moon shined to give some light. The August breeze passed by her which her dress lightly flowed. When she became the owner of her late father’s property, both Levi and Historia not only built the orphanage but also a cottage to have some privacy for them.

The cottage they built looked like one of those fairytale stories she used to read them as a child. At first, Levi teased her in his usual jerk way about having her dream home. He was a practical man, but with convincing she made a design plan so he can see what she visualized.

The pregnant queen unlocked the door to enter the house then closed it. Since lights weren’t installed yet, Historia used a candlestick to light up once the container of stew was placed on the table in the kitchen.

She looked at the time to see it’s late and sighed. Guess, Levi might not get home tonight. Historia decided to make tea before she headed to bed. This baby had been too active with kickings and movings around. Was Levi active too when he was in his mother’s womb? That’s something she won’t have the luxury to know.

“Aren’t you exhausted, sweetheart?” The woman blonde whispered to her unborn child. In response, she felt a kick.

“So a no.” She chuckled then heard the kettle whistling as the water was ready to be used.

While she was preparing the tea, the sound of horses from outside was heard. The queen stopped what she was doing to speed walk outside of the cottage. By the time the petite woman reached the front of the building of the orphanage, a figure on his horse galloping towards the entrance of the estate.

Historia smiled to see it was Levi. As he got closer to her, Levi spotted his wife waiting for him outside.

“Oi woman, why are you up late? Should you be in bed? It’s past your bedtime.” Finally her husband arrived. He got off his horse. Historia didn’t bother to answer him as she hugged him to welcome him home.

“Levi! I’m happy you’re home safe and sound.” She nuzzled his chest.

“Of course, I did promise you, I’ll come back tonight. Didn’t I?” He gave a warm smile to her then embraced her hugs.

“How hungry are you? Because I made your favorite stew.” She grinned.

“Chicken and potatoes stew?” His stomach growled all of the sudden. Levi hasn’t eaten since breakfast. Today was emotional for him. He lost his appetite when His grandfather offered to buy him supper earlier. He declined politely which Bill was understanding.

“Mhm with bacon bites.” She added. Levi was a sucker when it comes to bacon.

His expression shifted to a child-like. “Well what are we waiting for? Let’s go eat. I’ll meet you in the cottage once I put Beauty in her stall.” He said.

Historia nodded and gave him a peck on his cheek. Both went in opposite directions. Levi went into the horse stable. Just when he was about to enter, the stable man came out in a rush to help out Levi.

“Welcome back Captain Levi. I hope you had a good day, sir.” He said with a smile.

“Tch thanks. Could you give Beauty her carrots, she had earned it.” Levi stroked the horse nose gently to show affection.

“Yes, sir. I will.” He saluted to show the veteran with respect. The captain nodded to acknowledge. “Alright, good. Well, goodnight. Sam.” He started to head out.

“Goodnight, sir.” The stable man, Sam said.

The raven haired man walked back the same direction to get the cottage. As he opened the door to the front of the cottage, he spotted the candlelights from the kitchen. Once he reached there, Historia was setting up for Levi to eat on the table. She poured two cups of tea then placed one for her husband and the other for herself. Levi sat down on the chair to see a bowl of stew in front of him. On the left, a roll of bread was placed close to the bowl. On the right, his cup of tea and a spoon ready for the stew.

“You’re not gonna eat?” He noticed his wife only had a cup of tea in front of her.

“I already had supper, but don’t worry. I’m still here to company you while you eat.” Historia reassured him.

“Hm, ok.” As long as she had food in her belly, he doesn’t need to be concerned at the moment.

While Levi began eating his stew, Historia started the conversation. “How was the mission with Bill?”

The captain stopped eating to find the words of what he went through. “It was shit hell.”

Historia frowned then placed her tea cup on the saucer to reach out his hand. “What had happened? A-are you ok?” She was worried.

“I found out that my dad wasn’t a shithead who left my mom when she was pregnant. He went on his mission that got him killed. I can show you better than to explain it.” He gets up to go to the living room and open his carrier bag to pull out the Apple of Eden sphere. Historia looked at the object with curiosity and was amazed.

Levi held it as it activated then a hologram of his father appeared. The queen gasped in surprise at how advanced this technology was. She was listening to what the man in the hologram said. Carefully, the queen observed some traits between Levi and his father shared. They both have similar posture when they sit. He inherited his father’s jawline. Most of it Levi got from his mother, but still the young woman can’t believe this man was his father.

After the hologram of Jacob Miles finished talking, the image disappeared. She glanced at Levi then went to hug him tightly. “Oh Levi, your father has always loved you.”

She was glad for her husband to have loving parents who went great lengths for Levi to be protected and born with love even if it was a very short amount of time. A part of her envy him. At least, her husband will have closure that his father did want him.

“I told grandfather that I’m ready to take it seriously on being an assassin.” He said.

“That’s great news, my love. We’ll kick ass together.” She said jokingly.

“We? You’re still pregnant. I’m not gonna let you kick anyone ass when you’re in that condition.” Levi scoffed.

“I’m aware that I’m still pregnant, but that doesn’t mean I’ll be pregnant all the time. Eventually, I’ll participate in missions.” Historia pouted.

“Like I’ll allow you to do any missions. You're a queen. You should be focusing on running a nation.” He mumbled.

“You know damn well, I’m capable of doing both. If I must join the Brotherhood to protect and rule our people, then I will do it without your permission.” She glared at her husband.

“Historia, I preferred you not get involved.” He growled low. Historia placed her hand on her hip to gesture in not giving in.

“What do you mean not to get involved? Levi, I’ve been involved the moment you decided to go great length into convincing me to be queen by choking me. So, it’s too damn late for me not to get involved.” Her tone was firm.

The captain glared with his steel grey eyes at his wife. He was silent from her comment. She does have a point, but why can’t she understand that he wants to protect her to make sure she lives longer.

“You’re one stubborn woman.” That’s all he could say as his eyes looked away from her.

“Of course I am. You married one. My love, I understand your intention. You want to protect me, and I’m grateful for that; but I am not a damsel in distress or I don’t want to be one. I am tired of being weak and staying on the side lines. It kills me to see that soon our soldiers are going to have to fight in the war while I stay locked in some safe house. I feel I will have blood in my hands for not doing anything! I should be going to war with all of you to fight or at least motivate our soldiers that we are going to survive and thrive to have our freedom to live as human beings.”

Levi sigh then reached out to grab her hand to pull her towards him. Historia let’s him and sits on his lap.

“Baby, you don’t have to feel a burden of not doing anything. You are already contributing so many things to give up hope to fight the war. I know the Scouts are motivated because they have a queen who is compassionate, honorable, and makes changes for the people. They called you the queen’s people. You know the noblemen feel threatened because you inspire the common people in Paradis to have the power to make their destiny. Besides they will fight for their lives, families, and friends; they will fight for their queen. I will fight for my queen. You’re so special to all of us, my love.” His words were encouraging. Historia couldn’t help to smile. She leans to kiss him sweetly.

“Oh Walls Levi, I love you so much.” She whispered between their kisses.

“I love you so much too, Historia. I promise you. Everything will be ok. I will make it alive so we can be together to raise our child when she or he is born.” His forehead pressed on to hers.

“Please do. I need my other half to be complete., baby.” She stroked his hair softly.

“As you wish...” he said.

Both couples stayed in the same position to embrace this beautiful moment. Who knows what could be in stores for them.

A/N: You think the last chapter was the longest I wrote, but nope this one is definitely the longest. So my lovely readers, enjoy this chapter. There will be more to come. I’ll see you all until the next chapter. Peace and love everyone.

#levihisu #rivahisu #levi ackerman #historia reiss #snk #aot #attack on titan #assassin's creed #fanfic #crossover

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