#and somewhere around here there is a very confused medieval person but I think he dipped out hours ago

[stayathome-ts]

WE ARE BACK (from outer space)

[phoenixyfriend]

hi, What do you Think a twilight starWars crossover would Look like¿

send me an au and i’ll give you 5+ headcanons about it

This ask meme is from over a year ago. Please don't send new prompts.

I think we ought to go full on intrusive crossover here. Couple of SW characters get dumped in Twilight via Weird Sith Temple. Somewhere midway through New Moon, after Edward leaves but before Bella starts clawing her way out of depression, some new people show up in town. "Ben," Anakin, and Ahsoka. (Obi-Wan quickly realized that his full name got weirder looks than the others, and Ben didn't, so he shifted.)

Ahsoka doesn't go out much, but fully disguises herself when she does. It involves a whole lot of tattoo-coverup foundation to disguise her marks, keeping her mouth mostly closed when she talks to hide her peculiar teeth, and wraps her lekku and montrals up in a weird way that ends up looking like a cross between horned hennin (the medieval veil horns, think "Disney's Descendants" Maleficent) and a hijab (deeply uncomfortable, because this is not her religion and, even if there are other religions that engage in similar coverage, she doesn't belong to any of them). It nets her a decent amount of attention, which she hates, so she usually stays in the small house they've gotten, or runs off to spend time alone or with Anakin in the forest. With the Force, she can stay warned of random hikers well enough to avoid running into strangers when she isn't in disguise.

Since Anakin and Obi-Wan are both too old for high school and do not have any interest in it anyway, and Ahsoka's definitely not going to do anything in that regard because she's not going out into public unless she absolutely has to, we do not have the usual Twilight crossover situation of running into people at high school. Instead, there are three separate incidents that lead to these lives intersecting: - Obi-Wan gets investigated by Charlie, because quite frankly people are concerned about His Daughter being such a shut-in and Charlie figured he'd check in personally before trying to get CPS involved. - Bella's old truck has a problem, and before she can take it to a mechanic or call Jacob (as suggested by Charlie), that Weird New Guy who's a few years older than her sees her staring under the hood of her truck with a look of pure confusion. - Ahsoka, who can usually avoid people in the forest, runs into one of the early pack members, who are much much faster than the humans she's been doing just fine circling around. Paul or Sam, probably.

Results: - Obi-Wan manages to talk his way out of trouble by being himself, but also by successfully explaining that Ahsoka, due to some bodily traits she was born with, finds herself very uncomfortable in public due to people staring at her, which does get corroborated by Ahsoka herself a few days later. - Bella, who gets 'this is a weird ass person who is very dangerous' vibes from Anakin, feels alive for the first time in months. She decides to seek him out for more of Danger Adrenaline Wakefulness to combat her debilitating depression. He handles this by deciding she should learn how to fight. It's not a great solution but it's... a solution? (Anakin would much prefer if she'd gone her canon route and started hanging out with Jacob instead. The only teen girl he wants to spend time with is his little sister. Why is this girl here? Anakin hopes she doesn't have a crush, he's definitely told her he's married in hopes of heading that off, which led to a very uncomfortable conversation with Obi-Wan.) At some point, Bella does start hanging out with Jacob, because their friendship means a lot to me, but also because Charlie's not exactly comfortable with Bella hanging out around that twitchy veteran who gets a far-off look in his eyes sometimes and is a few years older than Bella, just dashing enough that if she falls in love with a guy who moved in from out of town again, he's not sure she'll recover when he leaves. (Charlie's much less worried after Bella mentions, once, that Anakin's hoping to leave soon to get back to His Wife, whom he clearly loves a lot according to Bella, but Charlie's still much more comfortable with her hanging out at La Push.) - Ahsoka has some new friends, who are weird enough that she doesn't have to hide being weird too. Sure, she's a space alien with horns and fleshy tentacles and stripes, but they can shapeshift and are theoretically immortal, so who's counting?

Alice and Jasper show up a few weeks later, because 'being around Anakin' is actually not great for Bella's future being visible (because he's not actually 100% human, for Force baby reasons, so everything about him makes Bella's future fuzzy), and now they run into Ahsoka, and. That's not really great for anyone? Ahsoka isn't fast enough to run away from them without using the Force but she is tricky enough to trip them up and run off and trained enough to shrug of Jasper's emotional manipulations. She runs to the house and hides in her room after letting Obi-Wan know what happened. She's pretty sure these are the 'vampires' those shapeshifter guys told her about.

[karama9]

Locked Land AU

I've been playing with the idea of Hyrule existing on a planet where the rest of said planet is not involved in the various calamities brought on by Demise and his curse. So, you have the rest of the planet having their own history for tens of thousands of year beyond a point where Hyrule was roughly at medieval level of tech (Skyward Sword) and the rest of them were, presumably, also not in the stone ages. Now picture our society tens of thousands of years after our antiquity or medieval times, and... yeah, Hyrule is very much behind because of losing all progress and starting over each time the world ends thanks to some calamity or other.

Anyway, here's a preview! It's in the point of view of an investigator in the world outside Hyrule: some tiny kid with long pointy ears of all things just appeared out of nowhere and been dumped on his lap to figure out.

Untitled Locked World AU, extract

The boy in green is staring at my screen when I come into the room. He startles when he hears my steps and jumps back, looking like he's just been caught red handed. 

 He’s tiny. Judging by his face, I'd put him at about 12, 13 years old. His voice, not a child’s and not even cracking anymore, would put him a bit older again, but he's the size of an 8 year old.  

 And the green, and those EARS... he couldn't look more like some kind of wood fairy if he tried.   

No, that's not true. A fairy wouldn't carry a sword, shield and bow. We didn’t even bother trying to take them away, we just activated our personal shields - just in case they weren’t toys.  

"It's okay," I say. "You can look at anything you want. I'm going to need you to pay attention to me for a bit, though, we got to figure out what's going on with you." 

He blinks and frowns, obviously confused. "I'm looking for the Gods' Forgotten Stone," he says. "I already said that. I said it was sent somewhere out here a long time ago, remember? So what do you mean, you need to figure me out? I was waiting here because I thought you could help me." He sounds downright offended at the idea that not everything might line up for him in the most expedient and convenient way possible. 

"I AM going to try and help," I say. "Sit."  

As I say it, I sit down myself on one of the two visitors’ chairs. The boy sits down in my own chair, on the other side of the desk. I let it slide. 

"My name is Drankan," I say. "I'm an investigator here, and here's the thing. You're a child, and you're out wandering alone, and nobody's seen you around here before." 

He sags slightly at being called a child, which I take as another sign that he’s actually in his teens. "I've never BEEN here before," he says. "I didn't even know this place existed. Most people I talked to said I couldn't come this way. And I really couldn't, at first, but then I used the Song of Elsewhere." 

 He proffers an item from a small pocket on his chest, and the small gesture sends my heart racing again: he’s showing me some kind of flute or recorder, adorned with some kind of symbols I've never seen before, and if I’m understanding correctly, he’s saying that he played a song on that thing to come here from somewhere else. And, even more distressing, the instrument is way too long to fit in his pocket. And even MORE distressing, the idea he traveled through music matches the many accounts we have that he just appeared out of nowhere with no portal in sight. 

 "Are your parents, or guardians, here too?" I asked. 

 "My...? oh." His eyes widen. His long ears move as well from the motion. I try to ignore them. 

"You think I'm lost and need to find my parents, right?" 

"Aren't you?" 

He shakes his head. "My parents died a long time ago. My aunt raised me, but she's still home. I'm here on purpose, I'm not lost, and I can look after myself. I just need to find the Stone." 

"Okay, let's back up. Your name is Link. Right? Where are you from, Link?" 

"Castle Town." 

"I don't know where that is. Is the actual castle still there? What is it called?" 

The kid's eyes widen again. "You don't know about us either!" he exclaims. "It's Locked Land Castle. Where I come from is called Locked Land. It's West of here, past the Ocean." 

I frown and touch the translator on my cheek. Wherever Link is from, the translation is coming out as Locked Land. I have no way to know whether that’s the etymological origin of the name, the natural phenomenon called Locked Land, or whether it just means he’s saying he comes from a place people can’t go to. 

It’s a bit unnerving that I find myself unable to dismiss the possibility the kid actually is from Locked Land. But then he just took out a long flute from a small pocket and he is claiming to have traveled by song. Not to mention the ears. And the appearing out of nowhere. 

I must be going insane. Locked Land is a geological oddity with a side of supernatural looking shenanigans seemingly designed to keep conspiracy theorists and other nutbars happy with countless theories and conjectures. I’ve always figured that if its mysteries are ever conclusively solved, a lot of people are going to fall into depression from no longer being able to believe their wild imaginings of choice about it. 

“I can’t tell if my translator is getting what you said right,” I say. “The word it’s using means locked places. Let me show you something.” 

I get up and walk to the screen. I tap the upper right corner and it chimes, waiting for a command. 

“Show pictures of Locked Land,” I say. 

The kid’s eyebrows shoot up as the screen comes alive. The requested pictures pop up, a bunch of them filling the screen in tiles. 

I point at the clearest one taken from the surface. “See that waterfall looking thing in the Ocean? The one that looks like there’s water coming from the top?” 

I turn to look at him. He nods.  

“That’s Locked Land, viewed from outside,” I say. “It’s always been there. It was there BEFORE the apocalypse, if we go by the old texts. And that was about 30,000 years ago. Now, mind you, it would have been smaller then, less tall. We only have one record of it getting taller, from about 5,000 years ago, but THAT record mentions the knowledge it wasn’t the first time it happened. Now look at this.” 

I zoom on a space shot next. From there, Locked Land looks like an island with a bit of a weird outline off the coast and a shiny gauze over it. I zoom until the lay of the land is visible. “Same place, seen from above,” I say. “Recognize it?” 

“Yeah, that’s a good map, bit blurry but it looks accurate. Don’t know why you’re calling it Locked Land, though, it’s called Locked Land. That’s Death Mountain,” he says, pointing at the biggest mountain. He moves his finger to the large lake in the south. “Lake Hylia. And the desert here,” he added, pointing to an expanse of sand to the west. He leans towards the screen, squinting. “They didn’t put in the castle, just this blurry spot there,” he points to what is widely believed to be some kind of ancient urban sprawl towards the middle of the shot. “That’s where the castle is, and Castle Town. Five thousand years ago was the Great Destruction,” he adds, looking away from the shot and to me. “Vaati did that spell that wiped out almost everything. The Hero back then wished to restore the Kingdom. Wished on the Triforce, I mean. So you’re saying that when that happened, the new Kingdom was built OVER what was left of the old one? Like, burying it?” 

“I guess...” I say slowly. “Ok, what I heard is you telling me not to call it Locked Land because it’s called Locked Land. My translator is being stupid. Repeat the name again but one syllable at a time, slowly?” 

“Hiiiiiii,” he says obligingly. Then “ruuuuuulllllllll.” 

[reverieregina]

Curse of the all-knowing part 1

Caspian x fem!reader

Summary: Y/N was living her life like anyone in the 21st century, until one day she comes across a portal to a magical kingdom, Narnia. A kingdom she believed to be fictional, is suddenly real. What is the reason for her arrival? And what are the surprises that are awaiting her?

Words: 1806

Warning: None

English is not my first language

I look away from my laptop screen, where Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is playing. I look out at my window, noticing the nice weather, and get the sudden urge of going on a walk. I look back at my laptop. The movie is nearing its end and I can already feel my throat tighten and few tears running down my face. No matter how many times I watch this movie, the ending always gets me. Lucy, Edmund, and Eustace say goodbye to Aslan and Caspian before going to the waves and get back to their own world.

I wash my face so I don't look like I just cried and put on some comfortable clothes for a walk. I would rather chill on my bed but something told me to take a walk. I leave the apartment complex with AirPods, some random song playing in my ears, and go to the woods nearby. I found the familiar path through the woods. The birds are chirping and there are flowers here and there. The forest is giving away a different energy today, something I never have felt before. A gust of wind blows past me, almost pushing me off the trail. I look at the direction the wind is blowing. Should I? I just make sure not too far away from the trail. I follow the wind like I'm Pocahontas or something. I reach a door and furrow my brows. That's random, who would put a random door in the middle of the woods. I open the door like something else would be at the other side, but of course, it's just the same forest. My phone gives away the sound of a notification and I take out my phone as I go through the door. Just as I do that, I lose reception, weird. I close the door behind me and take off my AirPods as I look up.

I look around and notice I'm in some kind of garden, full of rose bushes. Impossible, a second ago it was just trees. I turn around to the door, if it took me wherever I'm then it can take me back. Just as I'm about to grip the handle, it fades away, like the rest of the door.

"No, no, stop it. come back!" I banged my hand on the door but keeps fading until it's gone and it's just bushes. Great, there went what could be my only way home. I look around, it's just roses. I walk around, trying to find my way from here. Survival mode on.

If I had any.

I reach what seems like a Medieval age's castle. How come it looks brand new while the rest in the world is in ruins? I try to find someone and just as I'm about to shout, a person walks by and by the sound of it, a horse is nearby. The bushes are in the way so I'm well hidden. I hate talking to strangers but I need to know where I am. Once again, just as I'm about to shout I stop myself. The bushes are no longer hiding the lower part of his body, his horse body. My eyes widen and my breath thicken. I must be dreaming. The centaur looks around like he could feel someone staring. I crouch down. I stay like that until I no longer hear his steps.

This can't be happening. Centaurs are supposed to be fiction, so why did I just see one? I must be dreaming. I pinch my arm and feel a bit of pain, okay so not dreaming. Still doesn't explain my whereabouts. Think Amy, you were on a walk, you left the trail and went through a randomly placed door. My eyes widened in realization. The door! I'm in a new place and I just saw a mythical creature. I must be in another world. Time to find out where and just work from there. I stand up and am met with an older man. I yelp leaves my lips and the man gets startled by my sudden appearance. After calming down for a few seconds I get a better look at him. He kinda looks like Santa, but shorter.

"I have never seen you before. Who may you be?" He asks. Pretty calm for someone that just saw a person come out of bushes.

"Me? Just nobody, no one!" Great Amy, lie when he seems nice and you need help. The man chuckles at my embarrassing state.

"Well, just 'Nobody.' Care to tell me your name and what you're doing here?" I look at the man that is staring at me very patiently. At least he doesn't see me as a threat. I sigh. I will sound crazy but it's the only explanation I can come up with.

"My name is Y/N L/N and I think I'm in the wrong world." Just as that leaves my lips, I realize how crazy that sounds. On the other hand, I just saw a centaur. The man just stands still, like he is comprehending what I just said. We just stay there staring at each other for some seconds until the man finally says something.

"Come with me." He says and walks away to the massive castle.

"Hey I'm not following a stranger anywhere, I don't plan on dying today!" I shout back. I was raised better than that. The man stops and turns around.

"Do you know where you are?" I shake my head. "Do you know how to get back to your own world?" Once again I shake my head. "Then follow me." Sorry mom, but I have questions and someone has the answers. I follow the man that is faster than you would think but I catch up fast.

"Excuse me sir, but where am I?" I ask. The man looks at me and then forward again. That man has a destination and he is determined to get there.

"You will get answers soon dear child." Good to know.

"Okay, but can I at least get your name." The man smiles at me, making me feel a bit calmer about this situation.

"I'm Professor Cornelius." Finally an answer! But why does his name sound familiar? I'm sure I never have meet him before, have I? As we walk to wherever he is taking me I notice the people around us. People dressing in Medieval clothing, dwarfs, minotaurs, and centaurs. I would think that we were on a movie set but I'm pretty sure we passed by a badger that was talking to a mouse.

We reach some enormous doors and the professor opens them up, looking around for someone. I slow down my steps. This place is magical, with pillars and a glass roof. It is so new yet so familiar. People were happily chatting, clearly happy for something since they have a small celebration of some sort. The deeper I go into the room the quieter the people get. Guess I crushed the party and I'm pretty sure I heard someone mention my clothes. When I reach the Professor I see him with his back turned to me while talking to someone and the surrounding people look at me with suspicion. Ignoring their staring, I look behind them. There are two thrones on a dais. Am I about to meet royalty?

"Miss Y/N, come here." Says the professor, taking me out of my thoughts. "There is someone you should meet." I walk the few steps to the professor and as he moves to the side I'm met with the most handsome man I have ever seen. He smiles and a warm feeling is spreading in my chest. The more I look at him, the more I realize.

I know who he is. I saw him just two hours ago.

"Miss Amy, let me introduce you to-" The professor starts, but my mouth worked faster than my brain and didn't let him finish.

"Caspian." His name leaves my lips. The man in front of me is Caspian. Everyone looks perplexed but I don't care, I can't stop staring into his eyes. They just give me comfort, I could stare into them forever. I finally know where I am.

"Professor Cornelius," Someone is talking but who I don't know. I just can't move. "I thought you said that she is from another world."

"She said that she is and her clothes are something I have never seen before. Also, she seemed so confused over where she is." He answered. Well, obviously my clothes are something you have never seen before, I'm from the 21st century.

"And how do we know she is telling the truth?" The same man asked. I finally find my voice and talk for the first time since I saw Caspian.

"I am in Narnia, aren't I?" I ask. Caspian chuckles and takes a step towards me.

"Yes my lady, you are in Narnia and I'm its king. Tho it seems you already know that." Caspian explained. I feel the blood rush to my cheeks and I look away from him. I look to my right and I see a balcony. Not saying another word I walk towards it. I can obviously hear someone laugh a bit and their footsteps following me but I keep going. While out I see the clearest ocean I have ever seen. A bit to the right and I see a cave in the distance. Must be the cave the Pevensies came from in the second movie. Someone stands beside me but my eyes are back on the ocean.

"Beautiful isn't it? It takes your breath away." Caspian. That man has been taking people's breath away for years.

"Yeah," I answered. A few seconds go by until I realize my mistake, he is royalty. "Your majesty." I bow, more or less. He laughs, gosh I could listen to that laugh forever.

"No need to bow and Caspian is just fine, Lady Y/N." Once again I feel the blood rush to my cheeks. I don't know if this is better or worse than watching him through a screen.

"Well then Caspian," I emphasize his name. "Call me Y/N." He put his hands on the rails and looks at me, the atmosphere goes from comfortable to extremely serious.

"Lady Y/N, I was told you were from a different world yet you know my name. I would really like to know why and how."

"I think it's for the best if we speak somewhere a little more private. Because what I'm about to say will change everything." He nods in understanding. A new world is nothing new to him, his friends and his ancestors were from another world. But what is new is that I'm not from the same one as the Pevensies.

"Follow me."

Next chapter

[dsudis]

Horse facts!

Dear Witcher fandom,

I love you all SO MUCH but as someone who was jsut enough of a horse girl to get riding lessons for a while and subscribe to Horse & Rider for three years and pay a lot of attention to the people who Actually Know Things About Horses when they talk about them, please stop writing basic horse things wrong. Please please if you have not done the thing you are about to have someone do to/with/on a horse, google it. Find a video of it, or a video that explains why it is not a good idea or not physically possible. There are MANY videos of people doing things to/with/on horses! MANY! 

Or you could read the rest of this post, at least!

Here are some (probably--actual horse people feel free to correct me!) non-wrong horse facts! 

1) this one is JUST for Witcher fandom (and, I guess, Star Wars fandom and any fandom where somebody might be using magic to control a horse): WITCHERS CAN USE MAGIC TO CONTROL HORSES. Specifically, they use the sign called Axii, which does minor short-term mind control, to calm a horse that’s starting to freak out about some aspect of witcher life, like carrying around a monster head, or a rider, that smells like DEATH, or coping with their rider shooting fireballs or something. If Geralt is in the vicinity of a horse that is panicking or fighting or in pain, he can make any of that stop literally with the wave of a hand. 

You can also use this to have Geralt be able to give complex commands to Roach or have her be super weirdly well-trained or any other purpose you like! Just! Use it!!

2) ONE SADDLE, ONE BUTT

Don’t worry, unlike Geralt I will not punch you in the gut for getting this wrong! I will just facepalm while wincing in vicarious discomfort for the groin areas of your characters.

If you look over Geralt’s left shoulder in the GIF, you can see the saddle Roach is wearing. It’s a little hard to make out because it’s a dark color, but you can see that it comes up in front and back. Here’s a traditional/historical type saddle with a similar shape:

It’s shaped like that to help the rider stay in the saddle--both when the horse is running and, for instance, if he’s injured/poisoned/very tired and needs his horse to carry him to somewhere he can safely recover or get help. (Medieval saddles were even more car-seat-like in that respect; Witchers might also get their saddles with tie points so they can lash themselves in if they think they might fall out.)

So the cradling structure of the saddle only really works if it doesn’t leave the rider much extra room to slide around between front and back. THERE IS NOT ROOM FOR A WHOLE OTHER PERSON TO SIT IN THE SADDLE WITH THEM. You can MAYBE cram in a small child? But otherwise I will leave you to imagine the sensation of being uncomfortably crammed onto either the front or back edge of that saddle (hint: it’s leather over a WOODEN FRAME, it DOES NOT SQUISH.) 99% of fictional characters would prefer to walk. 

3) RIDING DOUBLE: NOT A CUDDLE

Now you CAN fit another person onto the horse if you really need to--there’s a bunch more horse-rump out the back of the saddle that someone can perch on, holding on to the rider in front if they need to, the area where Geralt has a bedroll and saddlebags tied on. BUT! The whole back end of the saddle is then between the two riders. They are not spooning on top of the horse. 

4) WALK DON’T RUN

The majority of the time, the horse is moving at a walk. It is no faster to ride than to walk, or, for instance, to have one person walk while the other person leads the horse. In fact, the added weight of a second adult rider can be very uncomfortable or even harmful for the horse. Horses cannot sustain high speeds for very long; if they’re being ridden long distance and not being changed out for fresh horses (let us not even get into Why Geralt Should Be Traveling With At Least Two Horses), they move about as fast as a human. 

Humans are typically faster on any kind of uneven or rocky or boggy ground, and a responsible rider would likely dismount and lead--horses do not need a lot of encouragement to break a leg, at which point you are out an entire horse. If you think a klutzy or drunk human might twist an ankle on the terrain, you should not attempt to move a horse over it any less carefully.

(The advantages of having the horse, since they are not “routine travel speed” are: it can carry stuff, leaving the rider unburdened and able to switch to fighting quickly; when you really really need to cover a relatively short distance very fast, horses are better than humans for that; can carry an injured/ill rider to safety/assistance; riding puts you at not-a-disadvantage if you come up against a mounted enemy; warm; someone to talk to.)

5) STAYING ON THE HORSE

As mentioned above, the saddle is the main thing that helps the rider actually stay on the horse. Things that are NOT crucial to staying on the horse:

-REINS. They are attached to the bridle, either to a bar of metal in the horse’s mouth, or a strap around the horse’s nose. NEITHER OF THESE IS A GOOD LOAD-BEARING STRUCTURE. DO NOT PUT WEIGHT ON THEM, YOU WILL HURT OR AT LEAST BADLY CONFUSE THE HORSE. Reins are for guiding/communicating with the horse, and may not even be necessary for an experienced rider/well-trained horse--horses can be guided by the rider’s position/leg pressure, for instance. 

-STIRRUPS. They are helpful for stepping up onto the horse! They allow you to shift your weight over the saddle if you are doing a lot of maneuvering (as in fighting from horseback) or moving very fast (as in racing). Since most of the time the horse is walking, most of the time the rider’s legs are free to dangle over the sides and stirrups are just a spot to rest your toes.

If the rider is feeling very unsteady, they can usefully grab the front of the saddle or the horse’s mane near the base of the neck, i.e. right in front of where they’re sitting. (It’s not painful like pulling a person’s hair, this is how NOT to hurt the horse when hanging on.)

...Okay that is all the HORSE FACTS! energy I have for today! Please feel free to chime in with additional helpful horse facts!

[werezmastarbucks]

amalfi again

honeymoon masterlist

word count: 3500

music: give me novacaine by green day

warnings: kai is being cold-blooded (duh)

“What’s the worst thing that can happen here?” you asked. You were pushing the shopping cart with Kai in it. It was called Grab Racing: you were supposed to push him as fast as you could, and he could only have whatever he managed to grab on the way, and then cook whatever he can out of the food he picked. After several dinners consisting of gummy cakes with mashed gummies and gummy based lemonade you changed the rules slightly, including some necessary healthy ingridients. You picked them yourself. If your prison world diet depended on Kai wholly, you’d soon get ulcer, even though your stomach couldn’t hurt because it reset back to normal every time after midnight.

He tried to reach for the shelf, but you passed it by already. Should’ve been quicker. You heard creaking and shuffling behind your back.

“Hey! No magic!” you stopped the cart.

“Stop wasting it”.

While at the stop, Kai nicked a pack of crisps from a shelf.

“Italian supermarkets are weird as hell”, you complained. “I wanna leave”.

“I thought you liked the sea air”, Kai argued.

“There are many other places with sea. What’s your favorite one?”

Kai paused, thinking. You both had to listen to ‘94 Italian supermarket music for a while. Supermarkets were by far the eeriest places on this abandoned Earth. Perhaps it was about the time you personally grew up with; they have been commercialized; they have been shown as places raided by zombies and aliens in the movies you watched as a child; they were lit in a specific way and had that special kind of symmetria, a calming system to them. Supermarkets, artificial, plastic and glass, were the manmade labirynths created for confusion and gluttony. The amount of twists and turns you had to do to find whatever you needed, the fact that you got lost every time no matter how many times you visited one and the same supermarket, the long aisles with colorful packages distracting a person from the realization the line they walk on represents their life and death... at first, it’s baby stuff: baby food, mashed fruits and stuff, baby clothes... then there’s cereal, milk and candy; then, all kinds of bathroom things, pads, shampoos, tooth brushes... followed by thick bars of chocolate, greying slowly and invisibly underneath the paper packaging... then, vegetables and fresh fruit, and finally, shovels. It’s hard to decipher it. It’s a wonderful experience, to visit a supermarket, even in a normal world. Here, they turned into absolutely magical, meaningful, empty witch spaces. You always expected something to happen at the supermarket.

Kai had no idea about how deep you thought about it.

“I don’t like water”, he said finally.

“How come? Afraid?”

“I’m not afraid of anything”, he said proudly. You gazed down at his stubborn dark hair, his head and shoulders in jean jacket. Kai loved his jean jackets. While all you did was hunted down crop tops and long earrings in here, he started possessing quite an impressive jean jacket collection.

“That’s not true”, you murmured.

“What am I afraid of?” he asked. He sat with his knees close to his chest, the tips of his bacon Converses against the cage of the cart. Together with all the goods he already picked, the whole carriage was quite heavy. Every time you carried something heavy, or pushed him around, or climbed a hill, you thought bitterly that it’s no use. You don’t do anything to your body. Tomorrow, which is going to be today, your muscles will be completely oblivious of all the hard work you did.

The only thing you could train here was your mind.

“You’re scared I’ll leave you“.

“You’re mortified of this place”, he said with certainty. “That one time you thought I left? When I fell into the ditch?”

You recalled it like it was yesterday. This was a big joke now, you laughed at it a lot. Whenever you didn’t feel like doing something you’d say, I’ll do it tomorrow, and laugh like two complete assholes, in the middle of an empty street, which was either spectacurlarly hilarious, or tragic.

That one time you thought Kai left was when he literally fell into a ditch on one of the twisted, narrow Pisa streets. The ditch was more like an underground tunnel open on the top, deep and dark. You were walking down parallel streets, searching for a nice coffee shop. Apparently, he started climbing a stone wall, desiring to look inside a window. Maybe back in the medieval times, they have dug that very ditch specifically with the thought in mind, that some voyeuristic idiot will want to peek inside someone’s house. Centuries have passed, and Malachai no middle name Parker has tried climbing the stone wall, fell and broke his neck without making a sound. He was lying on the bottom of the ditch until dark while you ran down the streets calling him all the names you could think of, as your mind ran even faster. Has he been kidnapped? By whom? Aliens? Werewolves? Witches? Italian ghosts? Consumed by the ground? Has he left? Why would he do that to you? Was it a prank? Was he watching you and laughing? As he resurrected and crawled out back onto the street, you sat on the same street catatonically, your head in your hands, numb with horror. That was the day when you realized, this world was only tolerable if he was near you.

“You are so stupid”, you hissed through your teeth. You wanted to tell him how stupid he was, with his stupid white smile, and his monkey limbs that called him to crawl and climb everything, his stupid black hair and river grey eyes, and his stupid white neck with two birthmarks, soft like drops of chocolate. And his stupid... everything, he was so stupid sometimes you wanted to kill him yourself.

“You dig me so much”, he echoed instantly. “Going back to your question, I think the worst thing about this place is being locked somewhere without a chance to get out. Like, buried alive”.

You stopped pushing him for a second, and he noticed.

“Because you can’t really die”.

“Yeah. You suffocate, suffer, then return. You’re hungry all the time, your throat is dry, it’s completely dark, you’re alone, and you can’t get out. And you’re just there, for years. Or maybe even centuries”.

You nodded.

“Yeah, that must be it”.

You still had that ingrained instinct to head for the registers after you were done shopping.

After a little detour, you finally pushed him outside, into the sun, and looked up at the sky. The time of eclipse was coming, but every day it made less and less sense. At first it was kinda tragic. There it goes again, your chance to get out of here. You have no ascendant, no Bennett blood. The eclipse winks at you, gloating, scolds you, and goes away, and you’re still here.

After a couple of months, it made less sense and hurt less. You were preoccupied with something else.

He was giving you looks which you knew wouldn’t let go. Kai had nothing else to entertain himself with here: he’s been here before. He couldn’t share your amazement at the stars at night, the stillness of the cities, the emptiness of the landscape. He didn’t care for completely silent, glowing, crowdless New York standing over the Hudson. He couldn’t pretend he was even mildly touched by a thousand miles long California beach, with the waves crashing on the white sand, and bringing no jellyfish. He was over it. As much as you were curious about every little corner of this world, he despised it; he found incredible worth in studying you instead. Following the advice you gave him (not to get bored (again), he was crawling up to you slowly, like a snake. He learnt all your glances and the way you liked to sleep. He learnt the pace of your heart. He knew what you ate, and what you didn’t. What time you took showers. What colors you never wore. He had nothing else to do here, but you.

So now, he knew he had striken a nerve, unknowingly, and of course, he wanted to know everything at once.

“You still don’t get it, do you”, he chuckled, standing idly by, as you loaded the trunk of your new, bottle-green BMW, with food. You bit your lower lip because you found it usually helped you keep a straight face.

“All you have is me”.

You hummed, almost amused. You somehow liked the sound of it.

“I am all you have. You don’t tell me, you tell nobody. You keep it to yourself. You go crazy. There’s two crazy people. We kill each other and there’s no happy end”.

“We can’t kill each other permanently”.

“I know, but we can do it many times and turn everything into... Starving Fest?”

You lost, letting a giggle out.

“Hunger Games”.

“Yeah, I know. What was it?”

“Oh, Kai, you’re so invasive”.

“I know, I’m a virus”.

“I do get it, by the way. I’m keenly aware you’re all I have”, you said, looking him straight in the eye. You understood it well the day he broke his stupid neck in Pisa. You could not even fathom that terror completely, to say nothing about explaining the feeling to him. You were afraid some deep feeling of attachment was developing here, right beneath your forehead.

“Then tell me”.

You sighed. Telling stories was, obviously, a big source of entertainment. People told stories from the beginning of times. Mainly dark stories, frightening ones. So that the fire seems warmer.

“You remember that golden slender crabtree in the Salvatore yard?”

“Yeah”, he nodded, already delighted. He knew it was going to be something hurtful for you, and enjoyed it all the more. The glint in his eyes made him look very alive, the way he looked when he was in his killing mode.

You got into the car, and Kai followed you, buckling up, out of habit now.

“And Katherine? Katherine Pierce? Do you remember her?”

“Damon’s chick who looks like Stefan’s chick”, he nodded again.

“Well, it’s fair to say Elena looks like Katherine. She’s her double after all”.

“Eh”.

“But yeah, Damon loves her very much. Still”.

You looked at the empty parking lot, and started the car. Kai groaned.

“Don’t tell me you love Damon Salvatore”.

“I used to. When I was, like, sixteen. If you were a sixteen year old girl, you’d love him, too”.

“I really doubt that. I’m more into rocker guys”.

“Whataver you say, Kai. Anyway, their romance was turbulent, he chased her for many years, and she barely gave a fuck about him, but Damon loved her so much; he practically ended up a vampire because of her. The whole Salvatore thing started because of her when she started dating both of them...”

“How’s it connected to you?” Kai asked.

“It is. I’m trying to give you the full story”.

You took on the street. Now you knew the town of Amalfi very well, to your own surprise. Would you ever guess, even a year before? This was bizarre. You drove along the trickly weaving serpentine roads almost like a pro, having lived here for almost a month. The view was divine. Deep blue in the morning, the sea was heating closer to four in the afternoon and was losing the color gradually, until the evening made it navy under the violet sky.

Prison.

“The full story is dull. I hated that whole town specifically for their neverending drama. Who’s in love with whom? Who cheats on whom? Everybody fights for Elena, but I mean, have you seen what she’s wearing all the time?” Kai rambled lazily, “What the hell? And who cares, as well? I was baffled at how much drama they’re able to handle. If you like someone, why not just fuck them, and move on?”

You swayed your head, already quite used to his blunt view of attraction. He was being a little hypocritical, though. In the way he spooned you diligently, every night, there was way more than his straightforward sober calculation.

“Anyway”, you interrupted him, “the bottom line is, Katherine and Damon, although they both will deny their more or less mutual feelings, do tend to do stuff just to cause a reaction out of each other. Katherine, surprisingly, more so than Damon. He at least admits he’s still simping hard about her, which I find totally adorable and very cinematographic”.

“Why?”

“Well, Kai, he’s loved her since he turned. Which is, like, about two hundred years”.

“You’re so bad at math”.

“And yes, they had slept together, so it’s definitely, obviously not just an extreme case of trying to get laid. He really loves her. After all she’s done. If that doesn’t make you believe in love, I don’t know what to do with you”.

He frowned a little, looking ahead. You took the wheel with both hands as the car started climbing up the mountain. The laughably luxurious villa you occupied had two pools, insane city view and was on the top of the highest mountaint. If you can have anything, why not take it all.

“Princess, I still don’t get how it’s all connected with your eternal dread of enclosed spaces and that fucking tree”.

You ignored his impatience.

“Back at school, when I befriended Damon, because I was friends with Elena, and Elena dated his brother, he got some crazy idea I’m his project or something. He was trying to mentor me, even took me together with him when he needed to do something. There was a time I was working as his Door Girl���.

“What’s that mean?”

“Vampires can’t enter homes. If he needed to get inside someone’s house, I’d step on the porch and push the owner a little, so that they step out, and he broke their neck”.

Kai whistled really quietly.

“You are vile”.

“I was sixteen, and I was completely in love with him, and really wanted him to think I was badass and it never occurred to me that he was using me”.

“Wow”, Kai said slowly.

“You sound very judgmental for a psycho killer (by Talking Heads)”.

He tilted his head, and you just had to look. He looked so handsome. Maybe it was the biological thing, the last guy on the planet and whatnot. Every day, he seemed prettier and prettier to you, the stupid bastard. All his smirks, his cocky attitude, his stupid rubber neck bending sideways, the eyes always targeting you with the deadliest accuracy, it all was calling for you, and the depths of you replied.

“At least I never pretended to be a good person”.

“I never told you I was”.

“You all think that by default”.

“You claim to know me and yet...”

He smiled.

“Okay. Go on”.

“Damon started thinking of me eventually as of his very little sister, or something. Who was also his drinking buddy occasionally. I’m still very proud that a vamp like him considered me somewhat of a friend”.

You knew Kai would sniff with contempt, and he did.

“So, I became a person of interest. Of course, everyone knew I’m his buddy. It’s a little town. When Katherine came, and she always comes, and it seems to me, she even comes back sometimes - when she came, she really wanted to sting him somehow. So she took me, and she put me inside the earth in a chunk of a concrete drain pipe. She buried me alive”.

Finally, there was no opinionated comment. The utter silence in the car suddenly made you aware you forgot your phone at home. Kai watched you, almost mesmerized, clearly trying to picture it as graphically as he could. You wondered if your suffering was arousing to him.

“She obviously closed it on both ends. It’s way worse than a coffin, I can tell you. Have you ever been buried alive?”

“No”, he said simply.

“She buried me right under the windows of his room. In the yard. So that when he realizes I’m dead, it haunts him that I was right under is nose. Concrete pipe, six feet under the ground, you know, even a vampire ear would have hard time hearing me scream”.

“Did you scream?”

“Of course. I split my forehead and my elbows, I broke all my nails. I was sixteen, I gave in to panic and almost lost all the oxygen. For some reason, I decided to kill myself by breaking my own skull, not to suffer, and started banging my head on the pipe”.

Kai’s face was unreadable. You looked at him and then turned back to the glass smooth sunny asphalt. Every patch of asphalt reminded you of that pipe. Every concrete thing reminded you of that, always.

“How did you get out?” he asked. You were glad Kai didn’t ask for gory details or the uncomfortable, uneasy questions.

“He did hear me. Turns out, I’m very good at screaming”.

“I reckon”, he replied quietly.

“You’re enjoying it, aren’t you?”

He shrugged.

“Those experiences are very telling. If I’d known you could take so much and go on, I’d be harsher with you. How did it feel? Worse than now?”

“Nothing has ever been worse than that, to be honest”, you said, and had to clear your throat, because you suddenly lost your voice a little.

“This is not an invitation, Parker”.

He chuckled.

“Oh, dear Y/N. You think I’m some kinda maniac?”

You side eyed him with a smile. He grinned, too.

“And what with the tree?”

“Damon brought like... a seed he had found somewhere in Persia or whatever, and planted it on the spot I’d been buried. What a douche. Like I need to be reminded about it every day. That’s exactly what happens when you soulless jerks try to be sensitive”.

“That hurts me, when you say that”.

You sighed and let go of the wheel with one hand, feeling for his head.

“I’m sorry. I keep forgetting you have feelings now”.

“I have feelings for you”.

“Right. This crabtree was supposed to be usual, but it turned out some magical witchy fairy tree, it never brings apples, but it blooms when other trees don’t. And the trunk is golden. And the leaves, too. So, boo, Y/N survival tree. Wonderful. I made him cut it once, and what do you think. It grew back the next year”.

“Katherine is still alive though?” Kai reasoned.

“Yes, she is”, you responded, a bit louder, “she’s simply sleeping in the Fell’s old tomb. Apparently, bad guys don’t have to die if they’re cute”.

“Good for me”.

“He has betrayed me”, you noted, “he has chosen her over me, the girl he was supposed to take care of. I was a child, Kai”.

His hand laid on your lap, which you asked him not to do many times. You wouldn’t shrug him off this time, though. It didn’t matter anymore. You liked it when he touched you, and Kai knew it.

“Well, you said yourself he loves her. You just gotta find yourself a guy who loves you as much, and he’ll avenge you”.

You hummed. Tension settled in the car. It was so thick you didn’t even notice the sun blazing right into your eyes. You already knew the road pretty well. Soon, there’ll be a very sharp U turn, and after it, the most beautiful bay will make itself visible. Ghost ships with summery scarlet and orange sails are forever stuck there, swaying peacefully on water. Wooden pier with creeking planks, emerald green weed fluttering near the shore. It was quite a sight, and many times already, you almost sent the car down off the cliff, hypnotized by the sight. The cliff was rocky, completely vertical down there. You got your foot ready to push gently on the breaks.

“Have you ever loved anyone?” you asked. Here, now, as your car traveled on the serpentine, with around four hundred packs of frozen chicken nuggets in the trunk, it sounded a bit silly.

Kai clicked his tongue, already preoccupied with something new. Just like that, the conversation was over.

“Kai, I asked you the question”.

“Yeah, yeah, I have”.

The bay turned up. You realized the car isn’t obeying you like it did yesterday.

“What the...”

The turn was now speeding up to you as you pushed the breaks into the floor, but nothing happened. The car was rolling down the hill, gaining speed, on ice-slippery road.

You knew at once he was behind it.

“Kai, what the fuck?”

Your spine went numb with very natural, very animal fear. You could see the edge now.

“I cut the breaks”, he replied, and took your hand. He interlocked his fingers with yours.

You had no idea what he was trying to tell you.

[lowkeyorloki]

#50 and #27 kiss prompt with Loki! 🐍 I hope it’s okay that I picked two-

of course it is- esp. bc you picked some of the best ones 😈

27. Kisses exchanged while one person sits on the other’s lap.

50. A kiss, followed by more that trail down the jaw and neck.

i think this is the most dominant I’ve ever made the reader... you know, sometimes loki needs some love too 

~

Contrary to one might think, Loki’s bed was not your favorite part of his royal bedchambers. 

When you first came to Asgard, every part of the palace Loki had grown up in amazed you. The churches and castles on Earth were gorgeous, but they paled in comparison to any building in Asgard. They were breathtaking.

Loki’s room was, of course, your favorite. You were lovers for a reason, very similar, and your tastes were no different. Loki’s room was set up exactly how you would have liked for it to be. The bed, the balcony...

The couch.

It was the couch that earned the title of your favorite place in Loki’s room. For a simple reason, really. Because every night, after a long day of diplomacy and convincing beings from different planets he was reformed, Loki came back to sit on the couch with you.

Well, not sit. Straddle. 

That was what was happening now. Your knees were on either side of Loki’s hips, his fingers digging into your thighs. They were going to bruise, you could tell, but it just felt so good.

“Was it a better day this time?” you ask, and thread your fingers through Loki’s hair. You begin twirling a lock around your finger, and the smallest of smiles forms on Loki’s lips.

“I suppose.” Loki responds, his voice quiet. He doesn’t need to be loud. It’s just you and him. The other will be heard. “What about yours, sweet girl? I hate to think of you stuck in my chambers all day... I really am trying to schedule a time where I can take you all around the land.” Loki’s eyes meet yours, foggy with emotion. “I really do appreciate the sacrifice you’re making, darling. I know how it is to leave home.”

This statement confuses you: What was home to Loki? You had been under the impression he didn’t have one, seeing how desperate he had once been to leave Asgard for Earth,

But that was a long time ago. He was different now. Good.

“I don’t mind.” you whisper, then close your eyes as you press your lips against Loki’s to prove it. 

You hear his intake of air, slightly surprised, but soon feel Loki’s hands slide from your thighs to your ass as he pulls you closer. He deepens the kiss, his tongue sliding over your lips- you can feel him grinning when he hears your squeak of pleasure. 

This is enough for awhile, but you soon feel yourself needing more. You gently pull away, focusing your attention on the ties of Loki’s shirt. You try to undo them, attempting to figure out the medieval-like stitching.

Loki laughs, a rare sound, and with a wave of his hand his shirt is gone and he’s left bare-chested.

“I would have figured it out.” you say, already leaning back in.

“I have no doubts, sweet girl. But the truth is, I’m quite impatient when it comes to you.”

Loki’s words go straight to your heart, filling you with even more affection with the god than you already had.

“I’m so proud of you Loki,” you murmur before kissing his jaw. Loki lets out a breath, one of his hands coming to rest on your waist. “You’re doing so well here... Showing everyone you’ve changed... I’m just so happy for you.” you begin moving your kisses down, kissing the entirety of Loki’s jaw and beginning to trail your lips down his neck. Loki tips his head back to give you access, his eyes closed and his breath becoming labored. 

“I love you, Loki. I love you so much.” you bite down on Loki’s skin, near his collarbone at this point, and Loki lets out a moan. It’s music to your ears, knowing you’re the one making him feel this way, and you keep going. Taking a moment to appreciate the sight before you, you run your hands over Loki’s milky chest, stomach, and biceps; taking in how Loki looks with swollen lips and his head thrown back. 

“I love you too,” Loki opens his eyes. “I know I don’t say it enough. I almost hate myself for that, but I love you t-”

“I know.” you tell Loki, nodding. His eyes soften, and you press a quick, chaste kiss to his lips. You begin dragging your lips across Loki’s chest, your thumbs massaging his sharp hips, and you feel his length growing against your thigh.

“Darling.” Loki suddenly scoops you up in one fluid movement. “Let’s take this somewhere else.” he growls.

And- Oh.

Maybe the bed is your favorite after all. 

[sue-me-wright]

Been thinking about @flamboyant-prince 's S-support drama, and got permission to add to the universe, haven't written anything in a while but heehoo let's do it.

"Hmm... Well this isn't very helpful..." 

Oboro grimaced at the paper in her hand. She had been hoping to visit the accessory shop after greeting the Summoner and heading back home, but the hand-drawn map she received was rather vague. The Aether Resort had been easy enough to find but... whatever "main road" she was supposed to start at could have been any of the myriad of busy streets she'd already passed.

"Well, Styer has told me before that Summoners see things a little more simply that Heroes do," she murmured to herself before crumbling the paper in one hand. She'd just have to ask directions from the next person she saw, and she headed up the next road. Only walking a little, she came upon the dining hall to find another Hero sitting on the side steps. Hold on. Is that..?

"Lord Takumi?" She leaned over slightly and met his eyes as he glanced upwards at the sound of his name.

"Oboro?" He quirked an eyebrow at her, confused. There wasn't an Oboro in Kravice's army, was there? "Did you just get summoned here?"

"Oh, no. I'm actually here from an allied Askr to greet the Summoner. You know, just to say hello and give a gift of feathers. I was actually trying to find the accessory shop but..." She took a seat on the step next to him. "You looked trouble. Would you mind if I lent you an ear?"

Takumi looked down at his hands. Yes, having someone to spill his guts to about everything he was feeling right now sounded good but... Well, it wasn't that he didn't trust Oboro, there was just no real way of knowing if she was the same Oboro who pledged to protect him as his retainer so long ago in Hoshido, or if he was the same lord who accepted those vows. 

Finally he raised his head, stared off into the distance and said, "Do you...have an S Support?"

"Actually, I have two." She held her hands above her head, and there on each of her ring fingers sat a ring, twinkling in the evening light; one gold, the other rose gold, and though both were engraved with an S, the names upon each differed. "I've had these for so long, I sometimes forget they're there."

The faint smile, the look in her eye... they told Takumi plenty. "You must really love them both, huh? The two you have S supports with?"

Oboro took a deep breath. There was no short answer to that question. "Well, yes, but actually no." She traced her thumb over the rose gold ring, tracing the name "Styer" with her fingertip as she began to let her emotions take reign of the conversation.

"For Styer -- the Summoner of the Askr I'm from, that is -- I've been supported with her from the moment I was summoned. The first thing she said to me was... well she actually yelled 'MY WIFE!!' right there in front of everyone. When she came over and took my hand, there was suddenly a ring there. We had a C Support.

"And I was so angry at her. This is kind of embarrassing to tell you but... I was completely infatuated with, well, not you specifically, Lord Takumi, but the Lord Takumi I served. I only wanted a support with him, and I asked her to break our support, but she wouldn't do it. She said that she loved me too much.

"Time just kept going by and our support went up. Finally, we had gotten to S rank and I realized that somewhere along the way, I had fallen in love with her too. Honestly, I can't believe I ever wanted to break our support in the first place; the thought hasn't crossed my mind since. I'm really happy with her now.

"But... there was also the time when she showed up." A shadow seemed to fall over Oboro's face as she looked to the ground, her bangs falling to somewhat obscure her eyes. "The other me. The bride version of me. She was so beautiful in her bridal attire that I... well I..." She finally turned back to Takumi, the expression on her face pained -- her squeezed-shut eyes saying "I want to cry just thinking about it" and the forced smile upon her mouth saying "Not here. Not now."

"I was just so worried Styer'd want to break our support, y'know?"

Oboro looked away. She inhaled. Exhaled. Inhaled again and steadied her emotions. "I thought for sure she'd want that version of me over this one. I mean, who wouldn't want their wife as their bride. But... she never did. And I'm honestly not sure I could have handled it."

"You must feel the same way for your other S support, huh?" Takumi cut in, feeling it was the right time to ask.

"With Ike? Oh, no, of course not! We're really good friends and I'd trust him with my life, but there's nothing romantic between us. Besides, I'm pretty sure he has someone he's in love with already. We're... how did Styer put it... 'married for the tax break?' We're both tanks on the battlefield, so it made sense to give us that extra boost when fighting near each other. But otherwise, that's all we are to each other: just two members of Team Break Y'Face."

Looking like she was about to turn the conversation back to Takumi, Oboro began to speak when the cellphone in her pocket -- did she even have pockets? -- began to ring. Since Askr only had medieval-level technology, it was a flip-phone, of course. Excusing herself, she flipped open the phone.

"Hello?" 

"Hey, Oboro." -- from his spot next to her, Takumi could hear the voice on the other end of the line.

"Hi, Ike, what's up?" Ah. It was her other S support calling.

"It's Arvis, he's causing trouble again. He's still bitter about being kicked off the team and well... I'm just gonna put you on speaker phone..." The sounds around him made it obvious he was in battle just then, and finally, through the sounds of chaos came the unmistakable shout of a girl screaming "GET FUCKED BITCHES!"

Oboro's expression went dark as it twisted her face into its signature ugly expression, they one she wore when she came across Nohrians, the one that could give a child nightmares for a week. "By the Gods. Was that Lysithea?"

"Yeah."

"Isn't she, like, twelve? …Please, PLEASE tell me I didn't just hear Leanne say 'Hoes mad'."

"You did. I'm sorry, I would take care of him myself, but, y'know. Axe versus red tome ain't gonna get me far, plus my res isn't great."

"It's okay. I'll come back as fast as I can and beat his ass." With that, she ended the call and put her phone away and pulled her spear from the same pocket -- seriously, did she even HAVE pockets?? -- and stood abruptly.

"Sorry, Lord Takumi. I know I was supposed to hear you out, but looks like I ended up doing all the talking! But I really have to head out now. Maybe I'll see you around sometime?" With no time to wait for an answer, she ran off towards the castle gates. Though before she got too far, she turned back to him and called:

"Oh wait, I almost forgot to say two things! Lord Takumi, just know that, no matter what you're going through, even though I probably can physically help you, I'll be cheering you on! Also, I like your casual clothes! They look good on you!"

And with that, she finally hustled off, leaving Takumi to mull over everything that was going through his head.

[makkoskafanfic]

hello may i dump every idea i'm too lazy to write right here -they are very unoriginal, do what you want with them. Plus, you might not like them at all since my fav is hashirama and i guess urs is madara (and I used to prefer him too, but something in me changed when i went to look up the tag madara/hashirama on pixiv and discovered smithsan- such a great artist. okay i'll stop telling my life, but honestly it made me understand how ships worked so much, to switch points of view like that. anyway)

- three words: mokuton cancer cells (but it shows up before he's an old man)

- european medieval au (totally the idea of akatsukiarts but i'm shamelessly asking a talented author to write it :D)

- u probably prefer bottom madara -i've read all ur fics lolol and have i tell i love them all? cuz i do (which i totally get! we can't choose which one we're projecting one) buttttt may i ask for kinda nasty dom madara and obedient sub hashirama? (i'm again going on a tangent but it's so funny how people get "vibes" for who is top or bottom when it doesn't work like that. I mean yeah, u can get clues, but you could turn those clues totally upside down. The opposite situation is soft dom hashirama and bratty sub madara and it fits them just as well - according to me, because opinions are personal-. But that's what i'm getting at. It usually goes from "the sexuality u feel fits the character" -> finding the clues indicating it fits the character. And not the opposite direction. ANYWAY. I'M TALKING TOO MUCH.)

- tajima lives au; what does it change? -probably nothing. I'd like to hear ur opinion hehe (or worse; butsuma lives old au. what happens?)

- do u write hashitobi? i feel like i read one of urs but i might be confusing with another author. Anyway, idea: yandere/dark tobirama (honestly i feel like im so predictable it's not even funny, sorry for those awful ideas this is the worst)

- au where it's tobirama with the mokuton and hashirama (so without mokuton, to be clear).... well u tell me, but i doubt he would fit the scientist role.

okay, i think im done because the rest is even worse and u probs won't use them but here we go! do what u want with these! thank you for the opportunity to share ideas with u! bye now i'm going to hide in a ditch somewhere. urgh why did i write that. :(

Oh Anon, this is a treasure island or a minefield of ideas depending how you look at it!

But first of all, I have to say that if I have to pick one favourite, it is Hashirama and I do project to him maybe a tad too much. That’s why I like to write him from different aspects and see him suffer now and then. Let’s not dwell on this too much hehe.

(Smithsan is indeed a great artist!)

Mokuton cancer cells sounds way too sad! Not that I can’t see Hashirama turning into a tree or something, not knowing how he actually died and all that, but I’m not ready for it!

European medieval AU! Now that sounds a whole lot of fun, especially with some fantasy elements? Dark magician/warlock Madara and knight in shining armour Hashirama? But I do love akatsukiarts lovely arts there, will need to check them again. I fear this might be something longer winded than I currently have the capacity for atm!

I’m all for switching, but yeah, I do picture Hashirama toppier and Madara bottomier. Which makes bottom Hashirama all the more fun to write. Spice things up and all that! While S/D isn’t necessarily my cup of tea, I do like to play around with the dynamics. I actually really getting into the obedient sub Hashirama idea as I can clearly picture him struggling big time with that role, while Madara, I can equally see him struggling with being all dominant (though probably not with being nasty!). Anyhow, this can be gold for The Awkward Sex Scene I Always Wanted To Write, But Never Got Around To Do It.

I have maybe half a page started on a Tajima (and Butsuma) lives AU! It’s one where H&M managed to achieve peace pretty early on and their biggest concern is introducing the other as their boyfriends to their family. I wanted to write it for that one scene where Izuna tries to set Hashirama’s hair on fire with the Katon over family dinner as he can’t stand him having his hand over Madara. Not sure I’ll ever write it though!

I did on one (okay, two, it had a sequel) occasion wrote HashiTobi and I killed myself with it. I’m not saying never again but anything that comes to mind is rather sad and dark. (wow, you’re asking for Dark Tobirama and it’s Dark, who would have ever thought so.) Never wrote any misuse of Edo Tensei (bringing back Hashirama temporary) kind of story, so when I feel I’m in the mood I might go for it.

And nothing loads in my mind when I think about Tobirama and the Mokuton, but knowing me, this will wake me up one day 3 am hehe.

I’m really happy that you took the time to share all these ideas with me. I absolutely don’t promise anything, but I have two weeks before starting a new job and I plan to spend it as any responsible adult would, with playing video games and writing fanfic.

[xxfanfiction-emo-trinityxx]

Wouldn’t Give You My Number - Gerard Way x Reader

Request: maybe a gerard way x reader where they meet at a concert and it gets really fluffy? if you don’t have time it’s ok

Word count: 1 264

A/N: Time I spent at uni today plus time I spent studying today = eleven hours. I’m done, my brain is mash. I want to sleep but it’s too early, and I still have to write memory cards for five lessons, and finish writing two scripts summarising the lectures. And I should actually study the memory cards at one point or the other. Got my exams on Monday and Thursday next week. I mean, it’s fun to study, but knowing there’s a deadline, and I will have to write an exam is stressful.

The deep sounds of the bass made the floor vibrate underneath your shoes, and every beat of the drums was like a punch in the stomach. You stood rather far away from the stage, a soft smile on your lips that did not match the aggressive rock music that flooded the venue. Watching the audience, you nodded along to the rhythm of the song you did not know.

Originally you had come for the opening band, but since you were always open for new music, and you had paid for the ticket, you might as well educate yourself a little on this other band. The venue was not big, maybe three hundred people when sold out. It was a basement, deep underground, with ancient looking, huge pillars supporting the vault’s ceiling. You loved this specific place especially for its great atmosphere; the contrast between the almost medieval seeming room equipped with modern light and sound systems always sent a shiver down your spine.

Scanning the room again, you found that most of the people had indeed tried to be as close to the stage as possible. Only a few people were on their way to or from the bar, and a handful of people, including you, were sparsely spread over the last meters furthest away from the stage. Looking at them, your eyes met those of a stranger, who shot you a lopsided smile. Black hair hung into his forehead, and over a dark band shirt he wore leather jacket.

He was pretty, you noticed, beautiful even. You smiled back, and turned to look at the stage again, but after a few seconds you felt a strange tingle at the side of your face, the same tingle you got when you felt someone was watching you. And indeed, when you looked around the room once more, you found the black haired stranger was still, or again, looking at you.

When your eyes met his again, his smile grew a little, and he tucked his hands into the pockets of his ripped jeans, before starting to move over.

“They’re pretty good,” he shouted over the music the moment he was close enough to you.

“Yeah,” you answered, “kind of a raw energy. Do you know them?”

He shook his head no.

“No, was here for the opening band.”

“Me too,” you laughed.

“Really? Do you know the guys?”

This time it was you who shook their head no.

“Not personally if that’s what you mean,” you explained, “been a huge fan of their music though for a long time.”

The stranger nodded enthusiastically.

“Me too! They have some of the best tracks to-“ he continued speaking but the music suddenly got louder, and drowned his voice out.

Furrowing your brows, you placed your hand at your ear, signaling him to speak up. Instead he leant in closer to you, his head right next to yours.

“I said, they have some of the best tracks to get lost in your own mind to,” he repeated, making you nod.

“I don’t know how many hours I spent just dreaming away to their music! And it’s still so fucking angry all the time,” you laughed, but this time the stranger just copied your movement, so you repeated yourself, but he just shook his head. The music was so loud that there was no way to have a conversation here. For a moment he looked around, as if he was considering something, before pointing to something behind you.

Turning, you realised he was pointing to the door that lead up the stairs to the court of the old building. You nodded, agreeing to his proposition of going somewhere more quiet, and lead the way up the stairs.

In the court it was freezing cold, the winter breeze being a welcome change to the stuffy air in the vault. Quickly you pulled your pullover, which had been tied around your waist, over your head, and turned around to the stranger. Only a few other people were standing out here, most of them to have a smoke.

“So, what did you say downstairs?” His voice sounded so different, now that he did not have to scream anymore.

“I don’t know how many hours I spent dreaming myself away from the world while listening to them,” you explained, your voice sounding strange in your own ears after the loud music, “and yet they still sound so fucking angry.”

The man laughed.

“They do, don’t they? What’s your favourite song of theirs?”

You continued talking to him, finding out his favourite album was the one you had first heard of them, that his name was Gerard, and that he loved music just as much as you did. For ages you were discussing best songs, which songs should be made into a medley, why the new album was very important concerning the current political climate, and many other things.

By the time you ran out of things to talk about, you realised that the music of the band that had played, had stopped, and instead old rock music was sounding in the venue downstairs. Agreeing that it was time to go downstairs, not only because it was late, but also because it was cold, you made your way back to the vaults, where a little party was going on for the guests that had liked to stay.

Gerard and you decided to both buy something from the merch table, and even got the chance to talk to the band, which you had come to see, for a couple of minutes. They recognized you from a few other shows, joking around with you a little.

On your way back up the stairs towards the exit, Gerard made fun of you, in a sweet way, and you felt like he was almost a little envious, but you were not sure if it was because they had known you but not him, or whether it was because for a while your focus had not been entirely on him. When you reached the exit, Gerard nervously started tucking on his sleeves, making you raise your eyebrows questioningly at him.

“You okay,” you asked, watching him fiddle around with the zipper of jacket.

“Yeah, I was just- I was just wondering if I could see you again sometime,” he confessed, his eyes not meeting yours.

You could not help the sly grin on your cheeks as you felt yourself blushing.

“Got a pen?”

Confused he looked at you, but pulled a black felt-tip pen out of his back pocket. Taking it from him, you grabbed his wrist, and pushed up the sleeve of his jacket, revealing a pale forearm.

“This,” scribbling down a few well known digits, “is my number. Give me call?”

Looking back up at him, you found Gerard was grinning and nodding happily.

“If you’re okay with that?”

“I wouldn’t give you my number if I weren’t,” you giggled, and handed the pen back to him.

“So… can I call you to ask you out for coffee some time?”

“You can even call me just like that, or you can ask me out for coffee just like that,” you shrugged, amused by the stupidly happy grin on his face. It was adorable.

“I think I’ll do that,” Gerard laughed.

“That would make me very happy,” you nodded.

You kept talking and flirting for a while longer, until the night really got too cold, and you said good bye, going your separate ways home. But not before Gerard had officially asked you out for a date first.

Taglist (if you want to be added or taken off, please let me know):

General: @justawriterinprogress @robinruns @jayloverthe3rd @lookalivefrosty @butterfly-writes @angelevansfalls @rene-royale @500240 @starduststyx

MCR: @deadlovers

[bubblywrites]

Running From A Name Chapter 2

A/N: 

piccola - little one

Sfogliatella is a sweet Italian street food

Palermo is the capital of Sicily.

Alma walked hand and hand with Emilio and Miguel through a dark alleyway. The cobblestones of the path were eroded with a decade’s worth of streaks in the rocks. The walls were slathered in slang terms and profanity. Alma was thankful Miguel and Emilio were too young to understand the words. The pier she and her siblings came to Naples through was in an obscure area that did not connect to the city directly. It connected through a series of different back passage ways that led into main roads.

“Walking through here feels like a surefire way to get robbed.”  A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead at the thought of having to deal with a thief or pickpocket. Alma got pulled from her thoughts when Emilio and Miguel’s grips tighten on her hands. She stopped walking to look at each of them with a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry. We’ll be fine. We just have to keep walking.”

Miguel and Emilio still held a sense of panic in their eyes but nodded at Alma's words.

After a few more minutes of walking, Alma came across the gorgeous site of Naples. In the boat, Alma did not get as clear of a view of the city as she thought. Naples’ was a true representation of the deep history rooted in Italy. The city was an urban jungle with architecture that had elements of medieval, renaissance, and baroque styles. These styles complimented each other beautifully, creating an astonishing, modernized version of an ancient Greek city. As Alma strolled through the streets, Miguel and Emilio pointed out every little detail that caught their attention: crowded streets, people on balconies getting deliveries with buckets attached to string, children playing soccer in street pavements, and food stalls of all kinds. Alma breathed in the savory aroma of Neapolitan pizza. Her stomach rumbled and her mouth watered. Alma felt movement on her chest. Isabella had woken up. She waved her arms and kicked her legs in front of her as she gave little cries of joy. Alma massaged her head. “You must be hungry too.” Alma whispered to Isabella.  She kissed the top of her head and focused her attention on her brothers. “Miguel. Emilio. What do you guys want to eat?”

The two of them paused for a moment then shouted out their answers.

“SFOGLIATELLA!” “PIZZA!” “I don’t want pizza!” Emilio whined. “I don’t want anything sweet.” Miguel retorted.

The two of them bickered over which food would be best for breakfast. Isabella giggled and reached her hands towards her arguing brothers. Alma massaged her temples. She squatted down to her brothers’ heights to put her hands on their shoulders. “I’ll be the tie breaker. I vote savory so pizza.”

Emilio folded his arms over his chest as his eyes began to well up with tears. Afraid he would throw a temper tantrum, Alma picked Emilio up to hold him against her hip. Isabella made a noise to complain about her space getting invaded.

“We can get you something sweet after pizza, okay. So please don’t cry. Do it for me.” Alma begged, poking Emilio’s cheek. Emilio wiped his eyes and nodded his head at her. She sighed, putting Emilio back on the ground. Grabbing both of the boys’ hands again, she walked up to the first pizza vendor she saw.

“Those are some cute kids you have with you. What can I get you?” There was a flash of pity in the vender owner's eyes when he greeted her. Alma almost did not catch it. She brushed it off and placed her order.

“Can I get two slices of pizza?” ‘’No problem.”

Alma let go of Miguel and Emilio’s hands to grab some money out the backpack.

“Why’d you only order two slices?” Miguel asked. “Because the slices are really big. You and Emilio probably won’t finish it.” “I can finish it.” Miguel whispered, pouting. “Sure you can.” Alma's voice oozed with sarcasm. Alma paid the vendor owner and grabbed the piping hot slices of margherita pizza. She handed the slices to Miguel, careful not to burn his hands.

“I need you to hold these for me. Careful not to drop them.” “Okay.” Miguel ogled the pizza slices. Alma reached into her hoodie, pulling out a small piece of folded paper. She opened it to read it’s contents. She cleared her throat before speaking to the vendor owner.

“Excuse me, do you know where I can find a restaurant called Libeccio’s? I’m looking for a man named Marco Calamaro.”

The vendor owner stared up at the sky for brief a moment.

“I don’t think I’ve heard of that restaurant or that man. Sorry piccola.” “It’s fine. Thank you for your help.” “No problem. Also, weren't there four of you?”

Alma whipped her head side to side. All the blood drained from her face. Emilio was gone. She grabbed Miguel’s hand, causing him to drop the pizza slices. She frantically searched the area. Her heart thumped against her chest as she could not find Emilio anywhere. The streets were too crowded. He could easily blend in with all the other toddlers that walked along the pavement. Alma swallowed her pride and began to shout Emilio’s name. Isabella started to whimper. Alma was torn between comforting Isabella and shouting Emilio’s name. A groan escaped her lips as she compromised; rub Isabella’s stomach and continue to yell Emilio's name.

“Where could he have possibly ran off too?” Alma's mind raced with scenarios of Emilio in danger and getting hurt. She grabbed Miguel’s hand and ran around the area again.

After five minutes, Alma stopped running to catch her breath. She had one hand on her knee and one holding Miguel’s hand. She panted. Her eyes were wide open and she was sweating all over her body. Alma stung from the tears that were building up in her eyes. She covered Isabella’s ears, took a deep breath and screamed. “EMILIO WHERE ARE YOU?”

The people around Alma either gave her odd stares or pitiful glances. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes. Miguel pulled on Alma’s hoodie. She gazed down at him with glossy eyes.

“Will we be able to find Emilio?” His chubby face contorted with worry. “I don’t know.” Alma whispered, her voice cracking. Just as her tears were about to fall, someone grabbed her shoulder. She looked up and was met with a pair of cerulean eyes. The eyes belonged to a boy who appeared to about Alma’s age. He had a sleek, black bob that framed his face, and he wore all white clothes adorned with black spoon shaped polka dots.

His face filled with concern. “Are you alright?” “I can’t find my little brother. He ran off somewhere when I had my back turned.” Alma sniffled. The boy rubbed her back. The warmth from the his hand was comforting and reassuring.

“What does your younger brother look like?”

Alma stood up straight to answer him. “He’s two years old, comes up to about my thigh, has green eyes and black hair tied into a small ponytail.” Alma fought back her tears to talk to the boy properly. The boy’s face lit up with realization. He stood in front of Alma and pointed behind her. Alma turned her head to look in the direction he was pointing in. Emilio was under an unlit street lamp playing his shoelaces. Alma ran towards him and hugged him tightly. She pulled him back to stare into his eyes. “I’m so glad I found you! Don’t run off from me again. Where did you even run off to”?

“I think I can answer that for you.” The boy walked up behind Alma with a polite smile on his face. Alma whipped her head towards him. Her forehead creased in confusion.

“He was following me. He wanted to get my attention to tell me my clothes looked funny. Personally, I thought my clothes looked kinda cool. ” The boy chuckled. Alma stared at Emilio in disbelief. “You ran off to tell a stranger his clothes looked funny? I-can’t-uurgh”.

She sagged her shoulders and pinched the bridge of her nose. Faint snickering came from next to her. She snapped her head to the boy. His shoulders started to shake as a result of him trying to hold in his laughter. Upon closer inspection, Alma saw that the boy was very handsome. Her cheeks gave off a slight blush at her observation. The two of them were broken from their dazes from Isabella’s giggle fit. The boy leaned in close to Isabella's face to coo at her. She stuck her arms out, trying to grab the boy’s face. He moved a little closer to allow Isabella to latch on to his cheeks.

“I’m gonna assume these are all your siblings.” The boy stood up straight to look Alma in the eyes. She cleared her throat before she answered him.

“Yeah. Sorry about my little brother calling your clothes funny. I think they look good on you.” Alma mentally slapped herself. “Why did I let that last part come out?”  The boy grinned at Alma’s compliment.

“I’m glad you like my clothes. Even if your younger brother thinks differently." Alma and the boy shared a laugh.

“Thank you for helping me find this little rascal.” Alma said, ruffling Emilio’s hair. “No problem.” The boy began to walk off. Before he could leave, Alma called out to him.

“I know you just helped me out, but can I ask you one last thing? Well, two things actually.”

The boy turned back at her. “Sure what is it?”

Alma took the folded piece of paper from her pocket. “Do you know where a restaurant called Libeccio’s is? I’m looking for the owner. His name is Marco Calamaro.”

“I do. You want me to show you the way?” The boy flashed his teeth at her. Alma felt her cheeks heat up once again.

“I would ap-appreciate that.” She stuttered. The boy waved his hand, motioning for her to follow him. She grabbed Emilio's and Miguel’s hands and followed after the boy. He stopped after a few steps. His eyes were filled with curiosity when he looked at Alma.

“You said you had two questions. What was the second one?” “Your name. I wanted to know your name.” “Bruno Buccellati.” “Buccellati. Like the fig cookie?” “I guess so.” He placed his fingers on his chin staring down at the ground. Alma let out a quiet chuckle. Bruno glanced at her confused.

“Its a coincidence that I’m from Sicily. I eat buccellati every year for Christmas". “That explains why you move the way you do. I bet the crowds there aren’t as dense as they are here.”

Alma raised an eyebrow at his comment. “How I move"?

“People here know how to maneuver through crowds easily. You looked a little lost trying to get around.” “Oh. You are absolutely right then.” The two of them shared another laugh as they continued their walk to the restaurant.

“I guess this is your stop.” Bruno said.

Alma stared at the restaurant’s door. “I guess it is. Thank you for showing me the way.”

“No problem. Oh, I didn’t get your name.” “It’s Alma.” “That’s a pretty name. Bye, Alma.” He waved goodbye to her and her siblings as he left.

Alma stared at Bruno’s fleeting form for a while. “I can get used to this new name.” Her cheeks were tinted pink from embarrassment at her own thoughts. She settled her attention back on the restaurant's door after she could no longer see Bruno. Alma took a deep breath and pushed the door open. The restaurant had a welcoming atmosphere and was arranged similarly to a person’s home.

“Hello Ms. Can I help you?” A random waiter asked. Right when she was about to answer, she heard yelling coming from the kitchen. Concerned, Alma turned her head towards the person who was shouting. It was a young boy dressed in a waiter's uniform. He had golden eyes and brown hair that swept messily backward with some of the tufts sticking up in arcs above his head. He was holding a plate of carbonara with one hand and the kitchen door with another. Something about this boy was familiar to Alma, but she could not put her finger on it.

“I told you old man, I didn’t ruin the soup! Your age is screwing up your tastebuds. I know I seasoned it well!” The boy hollered into the kitchen. “As if!” Someone yelled back at the boy. “There they go again.” The waiter said under his breath, shaking his head. Alma looked at the waiter puzzled.

“Is it normal for the waiters to scream at the cooks?”

The waiter smiled at her, amusement laced in his face. “No, just that waiter. He’s the owner’s son. They are always bickering about something. It's all in good fun though. Don’t worry.”

Alma’s eyes shot open. “The owner’s son"! Alma speed walked up to him. He was making his way to the table that ordered the carbonara. She grabbed his shirt tightly and he turned around to greet her.

“I’d prefer if you just tapped me but what can I-”The boy paused. His pupils dilated and his nostrils flared. His shock caused him to lose focus and drop the plate of food. He paid it no mind as his eyes bulged out at Alma. The two of them made eye contact, sharing the same facial expression.

“(Y/n)?” His voice was barely above a whisper. “Angelo?” Alma's tone resembled his. Angelo grabbed Alma by the shoulders to stare deeply at her features. After staring at her for what felt like hours, Angelo let her go and ran into the kitchen.

“Someone clean that up for me. DAD!"

Alma felt her heart thump against her chest. She braced herself for when the restaurant would walk out of the kitchen.

After a few moments, the kitchen door swung open. Angelo stepped out of the kitchen with an older man staggering behind him. The man was of average height. He was wearing a white chef’s uniform with a red apron. He had short black hair that was fading into grey and his eyes were a deep brown that were almost black. His face was a mixture of emotions: surprise, remorse, sadness, and a hint of regret. He slowly walked up to Alma and gently grasped her face. Tears were welling up in his eyes as he gazed upon her. “Is it really you, (Y/n)?”

“Yeah, it's me Marco.” Alma responded, her voice cracking.

Sadness and joy ran rampant through her body. Her emotions overflowed upon seeing her old family friend again. The man kissed both her cheeks as tears escaped his eyes. He paused to look at the children with Alma. He wiped his tears away. “Are these all your siblings"?

Alma nodded, unable to speak anymore in fear of breaking down.

“Tonio, run the kitchen for me. I have to talk to this young girl.” Marco yelled. “No problem chef.” The man named Tonio responded.

Marco motioned for Alma to follow him. She walked behind him with Angelo, Miguel, and Emilio following suit. They walked through the kitchen. The smell of delectable soups, steaks dishes, and pastas made Alma salivate. Her stomach rumbled, a reminder that her search for Emilio earlier this morning did not allow her the chance to eat. Marco led her to a door that upon opening, revealed a flight of old, brown wooden stairs. Alma stepped on one of the stairs and it creak under her weight. Angelo leaned in next to Alma to whisper in her ear. “I’ve been telling the old man to get the stairs refurbished for forever now. We have the money for it, but he’s probably just being cheap.”

“I keep these old creaky stairs to keep you from sneaking out of the house.”

Angelo’s shoulders hunched forward in surprise. “You heard that? And here I thought your hearing was fading.” Angelo rested his hands on the back of his head. Macro slapped the back of his neck. Angelo sneered at him in, rubbing out the pain from the slap.

“My patience with you is what’s fading. I’m only forty five.” Marco said through gritted teeth. Alma laughed at their exchange. Although Marco’s face was painted with irritation, she could feel the love between the two of them. They both snapped their heads at her. They smiled and joined in on the laughter with her. Miguel and Emilio looked at them in confusion.

The group made their way upstairs. Marco’s house was a two floor, medium sized home that rested on top of the restaurant. The first floor contained the kitchen, living room and dining room. The walls were painted beige and had all kinds of paintings and word decorations. The house created a comfortable atmosphere. They all moved to sit in the dining room.

“Have you all eaten yet?” Marco asked. “No, we're really hungry.” Miguel answered for Alma. Marco chuckled at the boy. He pulled out several pots and pans to start on breakfast. While Marco prepared their meal, Alma took the backpack off of Miguel. She reached inside of it to grab a baby bottle filled with baby formula. She took Isabella out of the baby holder to begin feeding her.

After about twenty minutes, Marco brought out several dishes. The dishes included a potato frittata, sauted tomatoes, brioche with jam, coffee and tea. Miguel and Emilio wasted no time digging into the food. Alma put Isabella down on the floor before taking a bite of the frittata. She moaned in delight. She did not realize how hungry she was until she was scarfing down the food like a wild animal. Marco let out a deep, hearty laugh.

“When was the last time you guys ate?” Marco asked.

Alma almost did not hear Marco. She swallowed the food in her mouth before she answered him. “It was before we left Sicily.” She had a forlorn expression on her face as she stared at her plate. Marco said nothing. Alma appreciated his silence so she could focus on eating rather than explaining herself.

After they finished eating, Alma went to the bathroom to splash water on her face. She gawked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was a mess, her hoodie looked unwashed and bags piled under her eyes. “No wonder people were giving me pitiful looks".  She let out a deep breath and exited the bathroom. When she entered the dining room, Emilio, Miguel and Isabella were not there. Her shoulders stiffened.

“Don’t worry. I had Angelo take them upstairs to rest along with your baby sister.”

Alma relaxed her shoulders. She took a seat at the dining table along with Marco. He poured himself and her a cup of tea. She sipped the hot liquid, letting its heat melt away some of the tension in her body. Alma put the cup down and saw that Marco was studying her. His features were clouded with sadness. Angelo came downstairs and joined them at the table. The expression on his face was similar to Marco's.

“It’s been five long years since we saw you last. You’ve grown a lot.” Marco started. “I know. I’ve missed you Marco.”

Angelo cleared his throat in an exaggerated manner. She glanced over at him.

“I’ve missed you to Angelo. You look so different. I didn’t recognize you in the restaurant until one of the waiter’s said something.” Alma said, amusement in her voice.

“Wait. Good or bad different?”

Alma chuckled at him.

“Good different. Your face has become a little shaper.” “A little? Do you see how chiseled my jawline is?” Angelo exasperated.

“You're only fifteen boy. There is nothing chiseled about you.” Marco said. “You always gotta ruin my shine.” Angelo scowled at his father. He erased the faux anger in his face and continued talking. “Anyway, the older of those two boys. Is that Miguel?”

“Yes, it is.” Alma replied. “He’s grown a lot these past few years. Well, he was just a baby when I last saw him. Where’d the other two come from? I thought your dad was-” Angelo stopped himself. Alma’s grip on her cup tightened.

Marco spoke up. “What happened to you and your mother over these past few years? After Alejandro died, she stopped contacting me. What happened? How did you guys get by?” His tone held a sense of carefulness. It was like he was trying not to trigger something in her. She bit her bottom lip to keep it from trembling.

She breathed out a sigh. “My mother didn’t stop contacting you on purpose. She lost your number. After dad died, she worked a bunch of odd jobs to make ends meet. It still wasn’t enough so she turned to-” Alma stopped for a moment. Her eyes drifted to the side to avoid Marco and Angelo’s gazes. “She turned to prostitution. Emilio and Isabella are...” Alma did not finish her sentence. She did not have to for Marco and Angelo to get the picture.

“Where is she now?” Marco asked.

Marco and Angelo’s jaws visibly clenched in anticipation. Tears welled up in Alma’s eyes. She aggressively wiped them away with the sleeve of her hoodie. “She died giving birth to Isabella. I couldn’t save her.” Alma said in a broken whisper. Marco’s jaw slacked. He sucked in a breath and braced himself. Angelo’s pupils flared at Alma’s confession.

“When you say you couldn’t save her, are you talking about your gift to heal people?” Marco asked softly. Alma nodded.

“I thought that was a figment of my imagination growing up.” Angelo had shock written all over his face. “It wasn’t. I told you that so you wouldn’t go blabbering about it to your friends.” Marco stated.

Alma fought through her tears to continue her story. “Mom had Isabella in Doc’s underground clinic. They were both having complications after the birth. Doc didn’t have the proper equipment to help her. I had to choose between saving her or Isabella. Mom told me to save Isabella instead of herself. I tried to heal her as fast as I could so I could get back to mom, but I was too late.”

“My God, (Y/n). I’m so sorry.” Marco whispered.

Angelo rubbed Alma’s back as tears poured down her face. “Mom’s pimp still wanted the money she owed him even after she died. So he would harass us. Doc helped me run away from Palermo to come to Naples. He told me to change my name and to never use my ability again. He said I shouldn’t have the burden of holding people’s lives in my hands and that if I used it to heal people like did in Sicily, it would attract the attention of mom’s pimp.” Alma choked on her sobs.

Marco rubbed her arm. “Doc told you the right thing. Don’t use your gift anymore (Y/n). I know it sucks, but it will give you a sense of normalcy with your new life.” She nodded at him. Her ability to heal people could save hundreds, but the dangers of attracting attention to herself were not worth the risk. Her life was not the only life she had to worry about.

“What’s the new name you gave yourself?” Angelo asked.

Alma sniffled and wiped her eyes. “Alma.” “Alright. No more (Y/n). Alma it is.” Marco rolled her name on his tongue like it was a piece of candy.

“I wish your mom would have come to me. Even if she lost my number, she could have come to Naples. She knows where I am.” “She didn’t want to be a burden, and she was too scared to leave her pimp.” Alma said the last part faintly.

“Well, now that you are here, I want you and your siblings to stay. I don’t want you leaving Naples. Your father did way too much for me in our years of knowing each other. Alejandro was more than a brother to me. I can’t let his children suffer.” Marco's voice filled with resolve.

“Thank you Marco. I just have one request.” “What is it piccola?” “I want to work here.” “Sure, no problem. But you don’t have to.”

Alma closed her eyes for two seconds and opened them. “It’s going to cost a lot to try and raise five kids Marco. I want to watch out for me and siblings as much as possible without being a burden to you. So I want to work here. And I promise, to be out of your place in five years.” Alma's eyes had fire hidden behind them. It was like coming to Naples lit a spark in her. She wanted to prove to Marco she was hellbent on what she said. Marco stood up from his seat and ruffled her hair.

“Alright then. I hope you're ready to work hard."

Alma beamed at him, accepting Marco’s challenge.

[oh-phineas]

I’ll Be Looking at the Moon... | Phineas + Ferb (feat. Bob)

In which Phineas and Ferb reunite two very, very long-lost lovers

Date: 29th January

@ferbmanofactionfletcher

PHINEAS

It had taken a couple of months, but it was finally time. As soon as Phineas had seen the invite for the medieval-themed party, he knew this was the perfect event to bring Bob to, because not only was the whole town invited, but Bob's armor wouldn't stick out the way it might at other events. This also meant that this was Phineas and Ferb's only chance to help Bob find his lost love. For a long time.

So, like, no pressure, right?

Once they arrived at the party, Phineas motioned for Bob and Ferb to follow him to a quieter corner where they could regroup. "Alright, is everyone clear on the plan?" Phineas said, signing along as he spoke.

FERB

Leave it to the rich people of Swynlake to give them the most serendipitous set of circumstances. He had been both surprised and actually not at all that someone was throwing a party where the theme was almost too on the nose to a problem they needed solved.

He had been hoping they could have helped Bob out in the safety of their house, using the power of people's internet fingerprint to track down this person, but it looked like they were having to resort to doing it the old fashioned way. Which made sense, considering the person they were helping was old fashioned.

Ferb nodded his agreement and Bob shrugged, the armor clanking against itself. "I feel safer knowing that you will catch more attention with your attire than I will. What possessed you to dress as a fool?"

PHINEAS

“I dunno, I thought it’d be funny.” He shrugged as he signed the words. “Plus the suit-of-armor thing might be fun for you, but this is way more comfortable.” Phineas looked around for any sign of the man Bob had described. “Have you seen him yet? Anything that matches our research, Ferb?”

FERB

Having not caught Bob's word of judgement, he simply looked between the two and waited. He already felt out of place among the large crowd of people that had turned out for the party, the uncomfortable feeling of knowing that he was only going to cause problems for this mission. Ferb had half a mind to just ask if they wanted him to stay in this corner as a look out instead of following them around like a useless weight. But all he did was shake his head in answer to Phineas.

"What about over there?" Bob asked, distracted and moving without them back into the party.

PHIN

Oh no. Bob was on the move. Phineas could not let Bob out of his sight— what if he made a scene? This was not the place for a duel, and Phineas really didn’t want to call attention to the priceless artifact Bob was wearing.

“Bob! Wait! Stop!” Phineas called, running after him. “You’ve got to stick with me!”

FERB

Like string being pulled, Bob the lead, Phineas going after, Ferb followed the line with only a few seconds of hesitation as he tried to put together what had happened. Phineas' quick movement and body language communicated that he hadn't anticipated, he was just reacting. Which meant Bob had shot off on his own, which meant— probably nothing good.

"Then keep up, lads!" Bob turned to stop, managing to knock into a woman who gasped in surprise and turned around, eyes wide.

PHINEAS

“Sorry!” Phineas shouted to the woman Bob had knocked into. He grabbed onto Bob’s elbow, both to try and slow Bob down and to anchor himself to the knight so that Bob couldn’t run off again. “Did you see something? You’ve got to keep us in the loop, Bob!” 

FERB

"I beg your pardon," Bob said to the woman who took both apologies with a confused but appreciative nod before Phineas moved between the two. Ferb stepped to Bob's other side so that he couldn't escape that way either.

"I thought I had, but the room only continues to move." He turned from one boy to the other. "Are you sure coming here was a good plan?"

PHINEAS

Phineas was increasingly beginning to wonder that, too. They didn’t have much to go on— just Bob’s memories— and it was possible the person they were searching for wasn’t even here. Normally, Phineas would have suggested they divide and conquer, but he was not letting Bob out of his sight. Not after that stunt.

He did his best to sign along as Bob spoke so that Ferb could follow. “It’s the only one we’ve got,” he responded. “This is literally the only place you could go and kind of blend in. So that’s what we’re doing. Do you have a better idea?”

FERB

His brow furrowed as he tried to make out what Phineas was signing, not quite able to catch on to anything but the final sentence. He looked up to see who was being asked that, and was relieved to find Bob and Phineas looking at one another instead of him.

Bob bowed his head, as much as he could within the armor, giving a sigh. "Only to return to what I was doing before all of this. Maybe we should—"

"Wow!" Someone else's voice cut in. A man pointed a finger at the three of them as he approached. "That is an amazing costume! Did you buy it or make it yourself?"

PHINEAS

Bob looked offended. “This is no costume, it’s—“

“A highly accurate replica piece! Bob’s a really well-respected cosplayer, aren’t you, Bob?” Phineas cut in, clapping Bob on the back and then wincing in pain and shaking his hand. That armor was no joke.

FERB

Ferb could only watch the interaction, unable to help Phineas if he needed it. (He probably didn't.) This was why he always felt useless in situations like these where his phone wouldn't understand what conversation to pick up on and his lip reading skills were rubbish. Why had he even agreed to come along instead of insisting Phineas take someone more competent?

"So you just had that lying about?" The man's eyebrows rose as he nod, impressed before he turned his head. "Oi, Martin! Come look at this!"

More people in the near vicinity turned their attention then, too.

PHINEAS

Oh no. Bob was drawing attention from the crowd.

There was a possibility this could work in their favor. Maybe Bob’s lost love would see the crowd gathered around and come over to see what the big deal was. Or it could be a disaster, because someone could realize this was the Green Knight’s armor and try to fight him. Phineas was trying to avoid that.

Ferb would know what to do.

He left Bob’s side (oh well) and went over to Ferb. “People are gathering. What do you think? Should we get him out of here? Or do you think it’ll help him find his guy?” Phineas signed frantically.

FERB

The motion of the crowd turning toward the three of them did catch Ferb's attention, eyes flicking to meet the ones that were catching on the armor the encased Bob. Thinking the opposite to his step-brother, that Phineas would have the plan, he turned to see what he had up his sleeve— only to find it was being asked of him.

He swallowed. Okay, no time to freak out or freeze up, he ignored the churning in his stomach and heat on his skin under the scrutiny of strangers.

"Neither," he signed back. If they left it would end their chances of finding who they came here for and all of this would have been for nothing. If they allowed Bob to become a spectacle and someone turned this party into a fight they would have a bigger problem on their hands. "We need to get the attention off him. We need to— discredit the fit. Make them think it isn't all that great."

PHINEAS

At first, Phineas thought Ferb was going to suggest a distraction which he personally thought he would be pretty good at. But this was a better idea— the opposite of a distraction. They needed to get people to disperse.

Maybe if they could just get Bob to give up this whole Green Knight shtick...

“Bob, listen...” Phineas said through gritted teeth. “I need you to follow my lead.” He took a deep breath. “You know who has a better suit of armor? Uncle Waldo! I saw him somewhere, and he said that if anyone can guess which Knight of the Round Table he’s cosplaying, he’ll buy then a drink! RIGHT, Bob?”

It was the best Phineas could think of, anyway. Uncle Waldo was definitely not here tonight.

FERB

If anyone here was going to convince a crowd that there was something more interesting to look at than the Green Knight's Armor, it was going to be Phineas Flynn.

Ferb only nodded along, at Bob's side, though he had no idea what was being daid.

Bob, disgruntled, still caught on to his helper's meaning. He may not have used it in some time but he was no stranger to the art of subtlety. "Quite right, lad! In fact he was the one that helped me track down this costume! I am more of a uh— a...a what kind of cost-player would you describe me as, Mr. Flynn?"

PHINEAS

"An amateur. Trying his best, but you're really gonna wanna see Waldo's," Phineas said loudly. "I mean, this thing's basically made out of paint and tin foil. Lame."

He looked around. Already, two of the onlookers were starting to argue about whether it was more respectable to have a homemade or store-bought outfit. Okay. Phineas could work with this. Sow a little chaos. They just couldn't get involved and draw more attention to themselves.

"While you're all here-- we found a wallet on the ground! Belonging to a..." He looked at Bob. "What was his name again?"

FERB

As more onlookers turned away, getting back to their night as they were convinced that the display was nothing special, Ferb caught sight of the young woman from before (that Bob had accidentally hit in his excitement) continuing to watch with interest.

"What?" Bob turned to look at Phineas, searching his face for a moment, before catching on once more. "Oh! Oh, yes— erm, a chap by the name of Charles Ellis."

The woman's demeanor changed, her spine straightening as if in recognition. Ferb looked to Phineas, waving a hand to catch his attention. When he caught his gaze he nodded toward the woman.

PHINEAS

Phineas would have missed the woman if Ferb hadn’t alerted him. He was too busy planning his next announcement, thinking about what he could say to disperse the crowd. So when he caught Ferb’s eye, he was grateful that someone was paying attention.

“You said you know him? Charles Ellis?” Phineas confirmed, looking at her searchingly. “Is he here?”

Something shifted in Bob’s demeanor. Phineas waved him over.

FERB

The woman looked a bit stunned at being called out, the couple in front of her moving to the side to allow her to step forward to meet the three of them. With the mystery seemingly resolved and no longer in need of more help, the rest of the crowd that had still been paying attention went back to the party, leaving the four of them to their own.

"Uhm, maybe! I don't know. I'm Sloane Ellis and Charlie, or Charles, is my uncle! He's invited me as his plus one tonight. Though I have never known him to lose anything like a wallet." She smiled politely, nodding to Phineas. "May I see it?"

PHINEAS

"One second," Phineas said, then turned and summarized for Ferb in BSL: "It's Charles's niece. She's here with him. I guess we should tell her there isn't a wallet...? Should we tell her about the armor?"

As Phineas was signing, Bob stepped forward. "Where? Where is he? I've been looking for him for seventy years!"

Phineas winced, wishing Bob hadn't led with that particular detail. "He's... exaggerating."

FERB

Wallet? What—? Nope. It didn't matter, Ferb didn't need to know in order to answer the basic question that was being proposed here: did they tell her the truth or not? He went to answer but Bob stepped forward, blocking his view of Phineas.

Sloane leaned back, blinking wide. "Seventy years? What are you talking about?"

Ferb side stepped around them to stand beside Phineas. He held one hand out flat and brought the other one down on it, perpendicular, the sign for truth, and then pointed to the woman with an encouraging nod.

PHINEAS

Phineas hesitated. What if Sloane didn't believe them? It was kind of an unbelievable thing. But Swynlake was full of unbelievable things, wasn't it? And Ferb had lived here long enough to know what people would at least consider.

So Phineas exchanged a glance with Ferb and took a deep breath. "Okay, it's... kind of complicated. There's magic involved. So you can probably already tell where this is going. It might be simpler if we can explain with Charles here. Do you... know where he might have gone off to?"

But just as Phineas said it, Bob was already wandering off again. "Bob! Stop!"

FERB

Ferb knew it was a long shot to get anyone to believe but he was also of the belief that the truth was better than any lie they could have possibly come up with to get the woman to find her uncle for them.

Her face only grew more confused at the attempted explanation, hesitation making her mouth open on an answer she hadn't decided on yet to say aloud. But Bob was already making it for her.

A man, who was not quite frail but clearly no longer in his prime and dressed in a matching blue tunic to the dress the woman wore, was making his way through the crowd with two drinks in his hand. He nodded to Bob as he passed by, "That's quite an impressive get up you've got there!" only to continue on to Sloane, holding out on of the drink. "I crossed the room and feel like I took a lap around the town! Yeesh, I bet the people who live here get a work out just walking to their front door!"

He took a sip of his drink and then noticed the boys standing with his niece, and swallowed hastily. "I didn't realize you had found company! Hello, who's this lot then?"

PHINEAS

Phineas could handle this from here. If there was one thing he was good at, it was telling a story. He took a deep breath and started, gesturing for emphasis like he was giving a TED Talk. "So, basically, we were wandering around in the woods on Halloween and we were kind of running from a werewolf-- not important-- what is important is that we came across our new friend here, and he asked us if we wanted to--"

"...Charles?" Bob said softly. Phineas couldn't see his expression, but the tone was enough to make Phineas realize he could maybe stop talking right now. That there was something going on here that he might not be the right person to explain. Something powerful. "Charles, it's me."

He stepped back to let Bob have the floor.

FERB

Despite not being able to hear what anyone was saying, Ferb could tell that this man was who they had been looking for. He resembled the picture they had managed to find of Charles Ellis from the regiment number Bob had given. They had the same straight nose and slightly protruding ears, and the smile was almost identical— save for a few more laughter lines.

That smile faded quickly though at the sound of Bob's voice and he turned around again to face the man in the suit of armor he had over looked before.

Ferb watched, beside Phineas and the woman, as the two exchanged words. There was a lot of confusion in Mr. Ellis' face for a long time as Bob's mouth moved, on and on he went, arms moving stiffly in the armor. Every so often they space between them grew a touch smaller as one took a step closer.

Then Mr. Ellis' shoulders dropped and he reached across that space to touch Bob's metal clad chest.  When Bob gave a small nod, finally, that smile returned.

Ferb gently elbowed Phineas, flicking his head toward the two who seemed to be lost in the impossibility of the situation, and then toward the dance floor with a look that said, we should probably remind him of what he came here for.

PHINEAS

Phineas couldn't help it. He got caught up in the moment. As love stories went, this one was pretty epic.

He'd have to fill in Sloane eventually. Maybe once Bob and Charles got their dance. But Ferb was right, that was the important thing right now. Phineas gave Ferb an understanding nod, then quickly signed, Give me one second. Stay right here.

Phineas ran over to the stage where the band was playing just as the song was winding down and frantically asked the pianist if he could make one request. Just one. The band seemed reluctant, but Phineas promised he would make it up, that it was for an extremely urgent cause, and finally, finally, they agreed.

"Alright, I think I've got it," Phineas signed to Ferb, just as the band launched into the beginning chords of an instrumental (and somewhat medieval-sounding) cover of Billie Holiday's "I'll Be Seeing You."

"Bob? Charles?" Phineas prompted.

FERB

Phineas left Ferb and Sloane alone, and he was thankful that she was too taken with the situation to think to ask him anything. They watched as Bob pointed to Charles' hair only for his hand to be batted away, but the expressions on their faces were only filled with awe and fondness.

When Phineas returned he glanced toward the band to confirm, watching them take up their instruments. He followed, standing at Charles's side.

Awoken from their bubble, Bob peered down at Phineas for a moment and let the sound of the music remind him. He turned back to Charles and offered his hand. "I do owe you a dance, don't I?"

Charles looked at it, his hesitancy returning. He looked to Ferb, as if for aid, who only nodded. After only a moment Charles let out a large sigh and took hold of the gloved hand. "Better late than never."

As they walked together toward the dance floor, Ferb stepped up beside Phineas and smiled.

PHINEAS

They made an odd group: A jester, a green-haired boy, an extremely confused-looking woman, an old man in medieval garb, and the Green Knight. But Phineas didn't notice that. If anyone was staring, he didn't care. Something in his heart squeezed, and he was filled with warmth for these people he didn't know and might never see again.

Phineas wanted to believe in true love. He knew it didn't always work that way. People were complicated and life got in the way and sometimes the person you thought you loved turned out to be someone else, and sometimes it was something you made up in your head, or people's hearts just changed. Love went unrequited. Parents split up. People got hurt. But he watched something like this, and...

Maybe Phineas was projecting all of that. Didn't change the fact that he was getting a little misty-eyed.

Because he didn't know if wandering a forest for several decades looking for someone and then immediately recognizing them was true love, but hey, it sure was pretty epic.

He caught Ferb's eye. "I mean, hey, it's no Love Händel, but it's pretty good," he signed.

[justlookatthosesausages]

“In the eye of the storm” ◊◊◊◊ a post-Frozen 2 fanfic ◊◊◊◊ CHAPTER 6: All hail

There was no doubt. Elsa kept turning the crown between her fingers, and it was indeed her sister’s. Why was Anna’s crown lost in the middle of nowhere?

A flash of her younger’s coronation came to her eyes, smiling as she held the orb and scepter. It got layered with a vision of Anna suffering, and Elsa winced. She lost her balance, almost falling in the mud.

Her blood turned cold, and it wasn’t just a metaphor. The magic glow in her hand turned in a higher shade of blue, and the big ice snowflake she was making float above her palm was getting brighter and brighter, but also colder and colder. The air around it started to turn to smoke. The rain passing near her skin turned to snow before touching the ground.

The blonde’s breathing hitched, and she was staring at the crown in her hand like she was facing a ghost.

“Anna...” She moaned, her eyebrows twisted in a devastated expression.

Rask suddenly neighed, warning her of the sudden cold on the path and taking her out of her reverie.

The Snow Queen startled, and shook her head.

“No. No, this can’t be true. You can’t be...”

Even by whispering, she couldn’t say the word. She gulped, and stood up. With a trembling pace, she walked back to her horse, and was about to climb on his back.

However, when she touched the back of Rask’s neck to get up, the stallion neighed in fear, the touch being extremely cold.

Elsa gasped when she understood and apologized right away. She took a step back and tried to calm down her breathing. However, her twisted mind kept imagining a hundred sad ways Anna could have lost her crown here. She squeezed her eyes shut with a groan.

“Stop it. Stop it!”

Her fists clenched in anger at herself, and in the process, she crushed the glowing snowflake. It turned to ice dust that fell to the ground, plunging the path in darkness again. In her other hand, however, she felt the hard steel of Anna’s crown, and the tips ornated with crocuses pricking her skin as she clamped it. Elsa stopped at the pain – both physical and psychological – that it procured her, and looked down at the object, her gaze lost in the rain.

She remembered that, on the first day she had seen the crown, she had admired how the color of its green enlightened Anna’s eyes. She remembered that, when Anna had lifted her head after she crowned her, her gaze had descended from the crocuses of steel to the teal blue eyes just as powerful and solid of her little sister, staring right back at her. In that moment, Anna simply was the most beautiful Elsa had never seen, and she actually didn’t watch her long because she then saw blur due to the tears filling her eyes. Hopefully, she had blinked them away and continued the ceremony, supported by Anna’s touched smile, and later the claps of all the people present in the chapel.

Another thing had hit Elsa that day at Anna’s coronation; she knew instantly, by staring at those unique eyes, that her little sister would be the most amazing person she had ever seen. She would fight for what’s good, she would always be open-minded, she would always turn danger away, but also, she would never ever surrender.

Elsa’s gaze lifted up. Her eyes were determined now. Anna had to be safe. Somewhere.

She approached Rask, gently stroking them in excuse and care, and once the horse snorted, she climbed on his back.

Slamming her ankles against his flanks to send the stallion into gallop, she prayed for Anna to be safe in Hitiheimr, holding her crown close.

=======

Elsa quite literally barged into the kingdom. She had come to Hitiheimr in the past when she was Queen, so she knew where to head to the castle’s gates. Hopefully in that sad downpour time, nobody was in the streets, and as the castle had no ramparts, she got to the entrance really quickly. She hesitated between jumping off Rask and running to the doors, or gently putting the horse in the stables. When she saw the armored guards walking to her with voulges, their helmets and plastrons shining in the light of dawn, she preferred to go for the second option.

Elsa hoped down the horse, and was about to run to the stable boys. The stallion neighed to get her attention. She twirled around, because he sounded like he warned her that she forgot something. She followed Rask’s nod and saw that she was covered with mud from her feet to her tibias, not being very white anymore.

With a gasp, she cleaned herself in a burst of scrubbing snowflakes, and the heavy rain did the rest.

“Thanks, Rask.”

The Arendellian horse neighed.

It attracted the servants’ attention, and they came to her as she entered the stables. She explained the situation, and soon the guards came to her because they thought she was a thief – and very indiscreet one, remarked one of them, for she was entirely dressed in white with a clear blue ice armor. Elsa presented herself and summarized the urgency, then took leave and went to the castle’s heavy portcullis.

Hitiheimr’s castle was more medieval and had rounder shapes than Arendelle’s. Its stones were brown and black, and it had several towers, which gave it a haunted aura in the grey early light of day, though Elsa truly didn’t care. She explained her venue to the guards on the other side of the grid. They opened it up for her in a concert of metal chains and grunts, and the portcullis was barely one meter high off the stone that Elsa slid underneath and ran past them. Confused, they looked at her make her way through the courtyard, and into the castle.

The interior was way less lit than Arendelle’s corridors, due to the lack of windows and the use of fire torches on the walls as mere light. Elsa knew that this was an advantage and meant that the castle’s walls were thick and more apt to block invaders, but in that time, she was begging to see better. Her panicked steps led her into every corridor, her eyes scanning every face searching for Anna. There were a lot of people between the royals, their politicians, and the Hitiheimr staff. Elsa couldn’t help but frown at the crowd. Weren’t they supposed to be in a meeting? Did it end already? No, she could tell they were all waiting, and that nothing had started yet.

At a corner, Elsa’s gaze was attracted by a cascade of fiery orange on her right, and thought it was the flame of a torch. However, she then turned her head again and realized that this flame was at her height, and it was talking with a black man who looked exactly like... Mattias.

“ANNA!!”

She had yelled her name with all the force in her lungs, and it echoed against the stones of the walls. Many persons turned around, but once again Elsa didn’t care at all.

As she ran at full speed to her sister, the redhead followed Mattias’ shocked stare and turned around, just in time to have a bright white thing grabbing her arms with full force.

“ARE YOU ALRIGHT?”

A very noisy bright white thing.

“What the—”

Elsa was checking every inch of her body, palpating her arms, legs, face, and so on.

“ARE YOU ALRIGHT?!?”

“Sweet goodness, Elsa, yes, I am. What are you doing hhhh—?”

Elsa only needed for her sister to say the word before hugging her tight and burying her face in her neck. The air got ripped from Anna’s lungs at the force of the embrace. It wasn’t the most powerful she had ever given her, but it definitely entered the top five.

“El...sa...”

She tapped her elder’s back like she was stuck in a wrestling match. The blonde parted the hug, and she gasped as she could finally breathe.

Anna held to her sister’s shoulder, the other hand on her chest, panting as she retrieved oxygen.

“What in Odin’s name...”

“Hello, Mattias.” Smiled Elsa.

The man blinked at her sudden happiness, probably due to know that Anna was safe, and he awkwardly bowed.

“G... Good morning, Your Highness.”

Elsa returned to inspecting Anna’s state, her fingers checking her neck. “Are you sure you’re not hurt somewhere?”

The redhead swatted her hand. “I’m fine! Will you please tell me what the heck you’re doing here?”

The Snow Queen let out a long exhale, the effort and panic that held to her during the ride finally slipping out.

“I had to make sure you were okay.”

Anna blinked in bewilderment. “Well, I am, but now I’m starting to think that you aren’t. Are you feverish again?”

“No! I’m perfectly healthy!”

Everything in her behavior stated the opposite. Elsa had messy hair, and she had just soaked Anna with her hug because of how much rain she still had on her.

“When did you arrive?” Asked Mattias, surprised nobody warned of her arrival the day before.

“I just did. I’m coming from the stables.”

Two pairs of eyes widened in front of her.

“You traveled by night?” Exclaimed the general.

Anna frowned.

“Then where’s your...”

She then realized that of course, Elsa wasn’t accompanied by any guard.

“You came alone?!”

The Snow Queen genuinely couldn’t see where the problem was, and got intrigued by their expressions. “Why, yes.”

Anna massaged the top of her nose.

“Okay, now... How to phrase that politely... ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR GODDAMN MIND?”

Elsa startled at the shout, and Mattias urged to quiet her. Some leaders turned around at the sound, and exchanged some commentaries.

Anna pushed the soldier’s arm.

“Are you— Stop it, let me talk to her. Are you aware of how stupidly dangerous it is to have come to me and done such a travel?”

Elsa was about to reassure her softly, however she actually frowned and grumbled.

“Oh, so when you go, it’s the safest path in the world, but when I go, it’s perilous?”

Anna replied with as much force, and the two sisters fought out loud with sharp arguments.

“Please, don’t quarrel again...” Insisted Mattias, his jaw clenching.

He addressed a sorry gesture to the people watching them. The sisters were fully sending each other’s aggressive remarks now.

“Your Highnesses, you’re making a scene. Please stop.”

Elsa finally was the one who paid attention to the general and his worry, so she forced the redhead to quiet down.

“Anna. If I risked my life like that, it was to make sure you were okay. But now that I know you are, I’m infinitely relieved and happy.”

The Queen pouted. Elsa kept going.

“I couldn’t sleep at night thinking you were out there, maybe trapped in this storm, and we didn’t receive any missive...”

“The messengers are all busy traveling the country to get information from the Southern Isles.” Stated Anna, thinking out loud.

Mattias nodded.

“That explains it.” Understood Elsa.

Then she frowned. “Wait, the Southern Isles?”

Anna waved her hand to dismiss the discussion. “We’ll come back to it later.”

Elsa sighed, actually retrieving her normal breathing only now.

She looked at her sister with a smile, and hugged her tight. This time, the hug was slow and tender. Mattias smiled at the scene, and Anna closed her eyes as she embraced her elder warmly.

The blonde inhaled Anna’s scent to calm herself down, and when she passed a hand in her long hair, she realized something.

“Oh, wait.”

She parted from the hug and Anna lifted a curious eyebrow. Elsa noticed that she had been crying a bit, but looked down to the clear blue satchel made of ice fabric that she had crafted at her waist.

She took out Anna’s crown, and it shone at the light of the torches suspended on the walls.

“I think this belongs to you.” She announced, half gently and half sarcastic.

She handed it to her sister. Anna’s eyes went big as she gasped in surprise, the bright crown reflecting in her pupils.

“Oh my gods, there it is!! I’ve been looking for it everywhere!”

Even Mattias seemed impressed and relieved at the vision of it.

“She had searched for it all day yesterday, we had started to lose hope.”

Elsa stared at them. “Wait, so nothing happened? No accident? No aggression? Nothing? You just... Dropped it in the mud?”

“I had the very bad idea to put it in the back pocket of my orange bag. You know, the one with the hole at the bottom that I keep forgetting to sew? The question was: when did the crown fall?”

Elsa blinked disconcertedly. “Are you serious?! Why do you still have this bag???”

Anna pouted. “Because it’s pretty!!”

Elsa buried her face in her hand.

The redhead then frowned, looking at the item in her fingers. “Wait, you found it in the mud? Then why is it so clean?”

She inspected it. It was shining brightly, like the day she received it from the blacksmith and tried it for the first time. She turned it between her fingers, and blabbered in amazement.

“Wha— How? It looks brand new!”

Elsa followed her gaze. “I had to keep my hand busy on the way to not freeze the reins of my horse, and not hurt him. So I focused on twirling it in my hand again and again. I was a bit fidgety...

“But I had it for more than ten years. Like, I know there was a rust spot here. It’s not just cleaned, it’s...”

“Oh, yes. With the Northuldra, I’ve come to learn how to maintain metal, especially metal blades after hunt on old rusty knifes. Almost all of the Sami people carry a knife. I just used my magic to polis it. With the right amount of vibrations by condensing billions of snowflakes... What?”

She noticed that Anna had been smiling deeply at her words.

“What did I say?”

“Nothing. Nothing more nerdy than usual.” Grinned the redhead.

“So you really came here on a horse?” Intervened Mattias.

Anna turned to him comically. “That’s the part that surprises you?”

The sisters chuckled, and after admiring it some seconds again, the Queen lifted the crown and put it back in her hair.

Elsa smiled tenderly. At last, everything was back to normal.

“Thank you so much for bringing it back to me. It could have been lost forever.”

“You’re welcome. I wasn’t going to keep it for me anyway...” She joked to chase her emotion.

Her younger stared at her, and she could tell that Elsa was still affected by the haunting thought that Anna possibly didn’t make it to the kingdom.

A memory of her voice echoed in her mind. ‘If I lost you, I think I’d lose myself.’

She bit her lip and held Elsa’s hand in hers firmly.

“Are you hungry? We can ask to get you something.”

“Yeah, actually, I didn’t bring anything for the travel, and the emotion starved me, so...”

The Queen shook her head. “Why doesn’t that surprise me. I’ll ask for Hitiheimr servants to get you the same things we got for breakfast.”

“If that doesn’t make you late for the meeting... But it is my understanding that you won’t start until the King of the Southern Isles has arrived, isn’t it?”

“Yes, exactly.”

A silence passed.

“You’re very tempted to make an allusion to Hans, uh?” Guessed Anna, grinning.

“Very. But it’s his brother, so I’m not going to.”

The redhead nodded.

“It’s the occasion for you to take a break. For me as well, I have to admit. You gave me such a fright when you appeared...”

“You definitely both need it.” Advised Mattias, smiling.

His gaze then went to Elsa. “And if I may, I think you’re in great need of a towel as well.”

“I’m fine.”

Anna winced, looking at her from head to toe. “I’m not. It’s the second time in two weeks that I see you running to me completely alarmed and drenched. Please do your floaty water thing before I have a cardiac arrest.”

“Got it.”

Under Mattias’ wide eyes and dropped jaw, Elsa closed her eyes and focused, taking the raindrops out of her ice and snow clothes and hair. They flew and vanished in the air, then she passed a hand in her short spiky bangs to add an aesthetic layer of ice.

“Heavens, that is amazing.” Muttered the general.

The few royals who had witnessed the scene in the corridor almost fainted at the sight.

“Let’s get you something to eat.” Smiled Anna. “Mattias, you can close your jaw.”

The soldier smiled as the two sisters walked away, and he followed. So Elsa had made it all the way here only to check that her little sister was alright... They both had traveled the distance from Arendelle to Hitiheimr for two very different reasons and goals. Yet they shared the same motivation.

He discreetly chuckled. They truly were one leader and one protector, and forming a complete Bridge.

=======

“Wait, what?” Exclaimed Elsa, not believing her ears.

“You’re coming with me. You came all the way here, no? Then make yourself useful.” Teased Anna.

“But...”

“The King of the Southern Isles has just arrived. It’s now or never to ask to have another person present at the meeting. Be by my side during the meeting. If you will, of course.”

The blonde missed a heartbeat, her mouth trembling a bit as she had to take that suggestion in. She then closed it, and bowed with a smile.

“It would be an honor, Your Majesty.”

The royals all assembled in the meeting room, and the King of the Southern Isles appeared next to Anna, Elsa and Mattias as they were the last persons to pass the door. He talked to the King of Hitiheimr who was standing by the entrance.

“Please forgive me for my late arrival. The sea is raging, and our ship got delayed.”

“It’s alright, Your Majesty.” Assured their host. “After you.”

Mattias stared at him with disdain. He found it very rude to be late. If the monarch knew the sea was stormy, then why not leaving early? He lived on an island after all, surely they could plan these things.

Elsa stared at him with guilt. The man surely had risked his life coming here, but also the life of the advisor coming along with him – as the King of Hitiheimr suggested each monarch could be accompanied with one – and each and every life of the sailors on the ship. Nevertheless, she couldn’t help but think that it wasn’t that bad if he died, for he had numerous brothers who could inherit of the kingdom, and that the death of twelve siblings would never be enough to pay for the crimes Hans had committed towards Anna and her.

Anna stared at him with an undeniable hint of arousal. The King was muscular, tall, had an apologetic smile that could stop an arrow in mid-air, and piercing green eyes which seemed to get into her very soul and gave the promise to grant her every wish. Her throat got dry when she noticed that he would sit in front of her. If only his family didn’t carry the bastard who had tried to kill her...

The three of them hurried to shake those bad thoughts out of their heads, and mentally apologized for being this judgmental.

They all took place around the large table. It was more rustic than the one in Arendelle castle’s meeting room. It had more curves and thicker wood, noticed Elsa, so despite the different style, it actually was just as beautiful.

Anna explained the presence of Elsa to everyone, asking for the acceptance of her sister among them. Anna then took her seat between the King of Efstfold and the King of Bjargland.

There were a dozen monarchs. Mattias winced internally when he saw that, in all the room, only one other woman was wearing a crown. All other royals were men. He turned to Elsa. The blonde must have known this sad fact already, for she didn’t react. After all, she had been Queen of Arendelle herself for 3 years, so she surely had had meetings with people around this table. Mattias then realized that it meant that nothing had changed in 11 more years. Only two women in power were seating in the council, against six men.

All sat, and their advisors stood up next to them, behind the chairs, to leave the lead to their superiors. Mattias was standing on Anna’s right side, and Elsa on her left.

After presenting everyone, and the topic of this exceptional venue, the session started.

The King of Hitiheimr started to remind everyone why they were assembled here on this day, then turned to Anna.

“Queen Anna, I suppose that you wish to start.”

“Exactly. Thank you, King Isak. Your Majesties, I had the chance and yet the misfortune to see the progress of the storm that affects us all today.”

She explained how it led them to all gather in urgency, and they agreed.

“It is a storm that is not to be taken lightly.” Advised Anna.

“It fuels itself with the force of Nature, and therefore, won’t be stopped by human means.” Completed Elsa, bringing her knowledge, and her addition surprised everyone. “To alleviate it, we are required to think strategica—"

A King coughed in a way he wanted discreet, but it actually wasn’t at all, being in fact very rude. When everyone turned to him, he smiled.

“Pardon my interruption, but I don’t think that Lady Elsa should interfere. We were allowed to bring only one advisor with us, and it’s properly unfair that Queen Anna gets to be this surrounded.”

Several murmurs appeared around the table. Elsa gulped and took this as a cue to exit the room, and she left without a word. Anna however held her wrist right away. Before the blonde could even look down at the freckled hand grasping her, the younger tugged Elsa back to where she had been standing.

“My sister won’t go anywhere.”

This brought a cold silence in the room, and the King of Blómvegr encouraged the presence of Elsa by asking her a question.

“Surely you can bring us more information as you’re here, Lady Elsa?”

The blonde gulped as all gazes fell on her. “Yes. I can. I think that this storm may be magical, and created by two Spirits.”

“May be?” Repeated the King of Efstfold, frowning. “What do you mean, ‘may be’?!”

He was outraged, and another ruler joined in the anger.

“Aren’t you the Fifth Spirit?”

“Y-yes, I am...”

As she struggled with her words, she couldn’t help but notice that they hadn’t been surprised at the mythical part of her sentence. What annoyed them was her incompetence. It hurt her right into her heart.

“And aren’t you supposed to know it, as the Fifth Spirit?” Intervened now the King of Mosiland.

Elsa clenched her jaw, her emotion rising, and she thought of Honeymaren to not break into tears.

“They’re right!” Pitched the King of Efstfold, exclaiming again. “Why don’t you do anything to stop it? It’s your duty!”

Elsa felt stupid. “I... I tried, but...”

“You tried.” Sighed the King of Bjargland. “And failed, apparently. And now we’re all impacted by this storm.”

Elsa lowered her eyes, ashamed. Anna was as red as a beet, however, and furious of their behavior.

“Why are you even here, Lady Elsa?” Grumbled the same monarch, his tone severe. “This is a high board meeting. Not a—”

“That’s right.” Cut Anna, and everyone turned to her because of her clear voice. “She wasn’t invited to this meeting and King Isak had to kindly accept her presence among us. She’s not even allowed to intervene in this discussion.”

Elsa turned to Anna, about to say something, but the redhead’s eyes were on fire and she kept going.

“Which is why, if you’ve got anything to say to my sister, you go through me.”

All got impressed by her regal voice.

“And I’ll speak in her name for the rest of the conference. On that note, before you have any question regarding means of resolution by magic, know that I can attest that Snow Queen Elsa, as the Fifth Spirit of Nature and guardian of Ahtohallan, did all she could to stop this storm before even coming to Arendelle.”

A respectful silence followed. Mattias looked at Elsa with smiling eyes. The blonde was stunned, her big azure blue eyes sparkling at the light of the chandelier. Anna cleared her throat and kept going.

“This storm has magical origins, and it’s growing more and more every passing day.”

Some trusted her words, but others stared at her with spite.

“And I suppose that this magical manifestation stops right at the Northuldra territory borders?” Insinuated the King of Bjargland.

Anna had to bite her lip to not grunt at his annoying tone.

“No. It may be a magical storm, it is nationwide. Which is why we have to act all together to protect all of our people. Including Sami tribes.”

Half of the royals at the table nodded in agreement. But several groans fused. The other half still had trouble understanding the need to generously help the tribes which offered nothing in return, for they weren’t interested in joining the country’s market trades.

This was a one-year old debate, and the Kings kept being close-minded on this point.

“And I suppose that you merged with their land without telling us?” Accused a leader.

Elsa found that intervention rude, but kept her reverential mask of silence.

Anna stared at him.

“In fact, we never intended and will never intend to merge Arendellian and Northuldra territories, despite our relationship based on peace and respect for the past 11 years.”

She purposely weighed those positive terms to tell them in subtext that they better not critic her position towards the Sami people.

“It’s a deliberate choice.” She continued. “That way, we can ensure that nobody would build a house or a facility on a border of Arendelle thinking it’s a virgin land, when in fact it’s Northuldra territory.”

The same groaning Kings than before groaned again.

“Even if the Northuldra don’t have houses there?”

“Yes. It’s still their land.” Insisted Anna. “And I forbid any acquisition or colonization of it.”

The monarch who asked the question grumbled, and he took note of something on his papers. Elsa understood that her sister had just cancelled a plan of his.

“Now I think that we stepped out of the topic.” Coughed slightly the King of Hitiheimr.

“Yes. As I told you, the magic storm knows no limits and no borders in every meaning of the term.” Summarized Anna, and she side-looked at Elsa who approved with a discreet nod. “Now or never is the time to unite, and take care of everyone in this perilous period.”

Anna’s teal blue eyes inspected all the council members before dropping her tactical decision.

“I think that we should all ask our armies to stop what they are doing and order the soldiers of each of our kingdoms to help the citizens, and help build infrastructures which could have suffered so far.”

The Kings of Efstfold and Mosiland scoffed as they lost their breath.

“Mobilizing our armies?”

“Are you insane?”

Mattias frowned at the direct insult. If it was in a less diplomatic context, he would have attacked the monarch back in Anna’s defense.

“I am very sane, Sir. This is a deeply thought assessment.” Assured the redhead, firm in her response, and she didn’t need Mattias’ support.

“But... Your Majesty, with all due respect...” Started the King of Blómvegr. “What proves us that this is a safe solution?”

An advisor bent to talk to the ear of the Queen of Ellriheimr, thought he did it high enough for the whole room to hear. “My Queen, I don’t think this is a good suggestion to follow. It could be a trap.”

The leader frowned as she thought. She made eye contact with Anna, who obviously had been listening to that guidance to argue against.

“Queen Anna, can you attest that you won’t use this opportunity for an assault?”

“Yes, what proves us that this is not all a ruse, and that Arendelle won’t attack us as soon as we withdraw our armies?” Frowned the monarch of Efstfold.

Anna was shocked by the accusation. “Never would I do that!”

Her surprise was genuine and could be read on the honest woman’s face. Those who had trusted her so far understood that she meant no harm, but for the other remaining, she had just implied war.

“Do you intend to take advantage of that magic storm to extend the territory of Arendelle? And reinforce your position as the leading kingdom?” Frowned the King of Bjargland.

Anna’s jaw dropped. Not only this was a strong allegation, but it also was stupid, for Arendelle was by far the largest land of the country, and had no purpose nor desire in extending more, especially after inheriting from Runeard’s plans.  

However, their mistrust was legitimate, and Anna had to pledge the dubious faces turned to her that she wasn’t scamming anyone.

“King Markus, you know deep down that such a thought would never come to me.”

Mattias and Elsa exhaled discreetly, happy to see Anna had the correct answer.

“Queen Britt, King Kjetil, our geopolitical relationship goes back many years. My sister herewith has already proven to you of Arendelle’s peaceful intentions when she was on the throne.”

The two leaders lowered their gazes, exchanging even another between them and admitting they judged her too quickly. And just like that, the Queen of Ellriheimr and the King of Efstfold joined Anna’s decision and listened carefully to what she had to say for the rest of the conference.  

Two Kings still had not much trust in her. It was mainly due to the anger to listen to the decisions of the youngest monarch around the table who also happened to be a woman, but never would they admit it out loud.

“King Tom...” Started Anna, addressing to the head of Mosiland, and Elsa was impressed at how well she slid their names with a regal way, to be familiar with them without being disrespectful. “...Our two lands already had been in a similar situation a few years ago when a cliff had collapsed down South and fell on a road that both our kingdoms use.”

He bit his lip. “And Arendelle helped us without compensation.”

They all looked down, regretting a bit to have raised their voices.

His counterpart of Hitiheimr smiled, and took advantage of a silence to add: “Arendelle and Hitiheimr have been partners for several generations now, and we didn’t have a single problem in our history.”

He turned to his right, where the King of the Southern Isles was seating. “I suppose that you don’t see any harm coming from Arendelle as well, King Ruben?”

The man who had been silent and observing until now finally smiled. “None at all. Besides, we have a long debt of forgiveness towards Arendelle that I’m afraid will never be fully returned. So I stand by Queen Anna’s choice.”

Elsa and Anna noticed that he had been staring at them as he talked, and they were glad it had been addressed. They both nodded quietly.

The redhead eyed all of the monarchs. “To prove to you all that I don’t intend to attack you, I’ll leave here in Hitiheimr the general of my army, Destin Mattias, for as long as this storm lasts.”

She gestured to the soldier on her right, and they all widened their eyes in surprise. Did she just point to her advisor?

Elsa missed a heartbeat, but Mattias remained stoic.

“He’s someone you can trust with your life, and I sincerely believe you can all place your future in his hands without blinking an eye. He’s an acutely skilled soldier, and an excellent general. His competences in strategy are close to perfection. As you can see, he’s also my advisor today, because he happens to be my counselor. In other words... His presence here and away from the kingdom of Arendelle is a proof that I stand no chance if I attack you. Without general Mattias, I am in disadvantage to operate such an action.”  

Every monarch dropped their jaw. Elsa smiled at Anna’s wisdom, and if she wasn’t keeping her serious attitude for the conference, she would have cried.

Anna then pushed everything further with another promise.

“I also engage myself to give all the resources of Arendelle you might need right away.”

A round of gasps and mutters went across the table. Whispers came from advisors to rulers and back.

Elsa hurried to Anna’s ear, taking advantage of the jumble it had created to speak.

“Anna, you can’t be serious. Your people need those resources.” Panicked the blonde with wide eyes. “You can’t do that.”

The redhead placed a hand on hers as she was holding to the arm of her chair to bend to her.

“Don’t worry. I did the math the night before last.” Murmured back Anna. “It’s a solid plan. Trust me.”

Elsa stared at her for a moment, then smiled. “Okay.”

Anna smiled back, and her expression turned back to serious as she looked at the leaders again.

“What do you think?” Inquired the Queen to the council.

“This is a colossal statement, Your Majesty.” Puffed a King.

“It is indeed.” Smiled Anna, slightly sarcastic. “I let you think about it.”

As the leaders all mumbled about it again, she gave a quick look at Mattias, who approved her speech with a smile and a nod. Elsa looked down at her younger, whose eyes were sparkling with intelligence and determination. She had prepared everything. Elsa’s heart filled with pride to call her her sister.

She bent to her sister once again.

“Wait... If Mattias isn’t at your side as you travel back to Arendelle...”

Anna turned with a smile.

“I’ll come back with you, remember? I don’t risk anything.”

Elsa smiled widely.

The King of Blómvegr cleared his throat for everyone to quiet, and spoke to everyone. “I think Queen Anna convinced us all. It is a one of a kind time, and it calls for special measures. I agree with you, Your Majesty.”  

Anna gave him a thankful nod.

“I also agree to mobilize the army of my kingdom and share its resources.” Announced the King of Bjargland.

“King Isak and I also follow that movement.” Stated the King of the Southern Isles, after a quick look at his ally.

The Queen of Ellriheimr held her chin as she thought.    

“You are certainly right. As long as we cannot predict the progress of this storm, our kingdoms should help each other out.”

The King of Mosiland slammed his hand on the table, a bit too heavily, and everyone startled. “Alright, I join my kingdom to do the same process as well.”

The remaining monarch, of Efstfold, seemed convinced now that his seatmate had picked a side. “I join the movement.”

Elsa and Anna got flabbergasted by how fast they reticent monarchs had changed their decision. Mattias, however, wasn’t surprised. Anna’s persuasion power was always impressive. Once, she managed to pressure him enough to wear a hat as he was about to have a walk with Halima. Despite him finding the hat ridiculous, she used the right arguments, and less than ten minutes later, he was at the store buying it. Halima hadn’t detached her eyes from him for the whole stroll, and it had been a milestone in their relationship. He couldn’t have thanked her enough. On another thought, Mattias noted that without Anna’s tenacity and assurance, Elsa’s life journey would certainly have been different.

Little by little, all leaders had accepted to join the treaty, and when the King of Hitiheimr asked for voters to manifest themselves, all rose their hands in favor. The host took in the fact they all agreed with his role of witness. He stood up happily.  

“Then the decision has been taken unanimously! All Kingdoms will help wherever the need arises.”

As everyone clapped with diplomatic smiles, Anna couldn’t believe her eyes. She was the ghost of herself as she forced her face into a royal one and applauded along, doing all she could to not cry right then. She felt Elsa’s hand on her shoulder, squeezing there. Her sister was as emotional as she was.

They had made it! They had made a peaceful and assisting treaty based on mutual aid! The redhead gulped. How many times has she dreamed about this moment happening since she became Queen more than ten years ago? She felt like she should have done a bucket list to have the joy of crossing that line out with all her might.

“Alright. The meeting is over. Thank you all, Your Majesties, ladies and gentlemen, for your vivid participation.” Smiled the King of Hitiheimr.

He turned to the redhead. “Thank you especially, Queen Anna. Your dedication and honesty truly make this country stand.”

Anna blushed slightly, and Mattias and Elsa had a proud nod of agreement. The Queen masked her blush with a smile and a bow.

“Thank you, King Isak. But you’re the one keeping it together.”

A silence passed as they all nodded.

“That’s right.” Said the Queen of Ellriheimr. Thank you for your hospitality and your time.”

They all left in good terms, slowly exiting the room and shaking hands or bowing. Elsa felt intense warm in her soul at the sight, and the magic coldness calmed a bit in her veins.

=======

A hand slid in Anna’s as she walked in the corridor. She was used to this specific touch, and turned with a smile before even seeing her sister’s face.

“Thank you for defending me during the meeting.” Smiled Elsa tenderly. “Recently, I started doubting of myself and my capacities as the Fifth Spirit.”

Anna held her sister’s hand tightly.

“I’ll always defend you from anyone who aims to demean you, Elsa. And by the way, that means you too if you continue to depreciate yourself, young lady.”

Her expression had switched from loving to scolding, and they had suddenly stopped in the hall. Elsa bit her lips in a faulty manner.

“Because, seriously? Do you hear what you say?” Exclaimed Anna. “How can you doubt of your skills, when earlier, you literally have made water levitate from your body?”

A smile stretched the blonde’s lips.

“You’re right.”

“Damn right I am.”

They chuckled.

“You shouldn’t swear here.” Giggled Elsa, looking around them like the Hitiheimr castle was a sacred place.

The sisters kept laughing, and Mattias walked to them. Anna’s behavior changed when he was near, and the elder noticed that her face was covered with worry.

“Sorry for being this dramatic during the meeting. I didn’t intend to throw you into the fire like that.”

The man chuckled. “It was fine. You did well. It was exactly like we planned.”

Elsa’s jaw dropped, and she smiled. “You two planned that? Oh, of course you did.” She then comically slapped her forehead. “You two will never stop amazing me.”

Anna looked at her general.

“Mattias, is it okay if we leave now?”

“It’s perfectly fine, Your Majesty. I will handle things here. I’ll be of great help in the management during the crisis.”

The sisters smiled at his anticipation. The soldier grinned.

“Also, may I add, it was an excellent meeting. You lead admirably. And you have a remarkable sense of improvisation as well.”

Anna smirked and shove him gently on the arm.

“When will you stop complimenting me for little things, Mattias?”

He smiled. “I’m afraid I’m unable to stop since I saw you destroy the dam that day.”

Elsa put a hand on her little sister’s shoulder. “That was impressive, Anna. I agree with him. You were incredible, and everyone got speechless!”

“Well, one or two Kings couldn’t stop criticizing me, but... I’m not gonna cite their names.” Giggled the Queen.

An hour later, the servants prepared their horses, and Elsa made sure that Rask agreed to ride over this soon. To the stables staff astonishment, the stallion had a lot of energy and was even very enthusiastic to have an epic ride with Elsa again. She giggled, and the redhead tied her heavy fur coat, she looked at Elsa’s equipment, which had been reduced to the bare necessities.

“You really did fast, uh? Just a bridle. Thankfully, your horse doesn’t seem to mind. Hey, did you at least warn Kristoff that you were leaving Arendelle in a hurry??”

Elsa bit her lip. “No.”

Anna’s face stretched in shock, and the blonde hurried to correct herself.

“But I sent him an ice statue message just earlier! I told him we’re both alright and that we’re making our way back home.”

Anna sighed. “Okay.”

Elsa’s azure blue eyes seemed to still be marked with the panic that had rose in her when she saw Anna’s crown lost in the night.

“How do you feel?” Asked the younger, her voice melting to a soft level.

The Snow Queen turned to her. That tone could make her burst to tears instantly because of how warm and caring it was, and with her tiredness, she was close.

“I... I thought I had lost you. And... I feel like if something happens to you in that storm, it would be my fault.”

“Elsa, don’t say that. It’s not your fault at all.”

“You’re right. Not directly. It indirectly is my fault. Because of me, people are in danger every d—”

A finger had sealed her lips to be shut, and she startled at the gesture. Anna sighed, her arm stretched.

“I suppose that if I tell you one more time that you’re not responsible, you won’t believe me. So, hear me out, sis.”

She took her finger off Elsa’s lips, and the blonde was attentive.

“Even if you were the culprit, and I were injured, I would not be resentful. If you can’t counter it, why would I be angry at you?”

Elsa let out a noise that was a mix of a wet gasp and a relieved whimper. It was like all stress had lifted her soul, all weight had been taken off her shoulders, and she let them fall in a sigh.

A smile appeared at the corner of her lips.

“You’re so comprehensive. Sometimes I wonder what kind of miracle allowed me to have you as my sister.”

Anna smirked. “You should ask Ahtohallan. That’s what the Bridge is all about, I suppose.”

After they exchanged a smile, the redhead bent her head.

“Hey, are you sure you don’t want to take a break before we go back to Arendelle?”

“No, I told you, I’m fine.”

“And I told you to stop lying to make me happy. I know you haven’t slept last night as you were hurrying to check on me.”

“You know me two well, it’s unfair.” Muttered Elsa.

Anna pretended to not have heard that. Her elder gave up.

“Okay, we’ll stop to make a camp on the day. The night will fall on our journey back anyway. Do we have a deal?”

“Definitely.” Grinned Anna, who won everything in this situation; Elsa’s health, and a night of ice hut camping under the stars with a transparent roof to stare at them like Elsa always made them.

The horses were brought, and they mounted them before going in the strong wind. They made their way out of the castle after thanking everyone.  

At one of the windows of the towers, Mattias looked at them riding away. The King of Hitiheimr approached with a smile.

“They are unstoppable, aren’t they?” Admired the monarch.

The general grinned with a nod.

“Yes, sir. They truly are.”

[mollymauk-teafleak]

Prince Consort

This is a Valentine’s Day present for my lovely girlfriend who is awesome and the best and I really hope you like this baby @spiky-lesbian

Please consider leaving a comment on Ao3!

-------

Of course it was raining.

Alex gave Henry a smug smile as they’d sat at the loveseat helpfully provided by their hotel, right by the expansive window so they had a lovely view of the entire city, slate grey and swimming beyond a thick film of rain. One of the things they loved to argue about was whose country had the most ridiculous weather.

“Don’t,” Henry warned him, seeing the look and giving a retaliatory pinch to his already flushed cheek. Their very late breakfast had turned into something definitely other than breakfast and it had left them both dishevelled and out of breath.

“I didn’t say anything…” Alex pouted demurely, leaning up to lick a smudge of chocolate that had used to be part of a pain au chocolat from his cheek.  

“You don’t have to,” Henry went redder, pleasantly scandalised, catching his mouth and promptly wiping the smug look from his face with a deep kiss that tasted of coffee and brown sugar.

They were being excessive. They both knew it but neither could care. This visit was the first time they’d really been free of work, of law school, of responsibilities that kept them from falling into each other’s arms as often as they’d like. They felt like their younger selves again, nearly wrecking hotel rooms with the abandon of rock stars, lounging around in the afterglow with no clothes on with neray a thought of an upcoming deadline or press conference or budget report.

Except now they could kiss without fear.

“So what did you have planned for today?” Alex murmured when they eventually drew apart, only because they had to breathe and because they knew there were more kisses close in their future.

The reason they were in town was to fawn over their new niece, the week old Princess Margaret, immediately nicknamed Maggie and immediately spoiled by both her uncles. But today were the official portraits for the press and both of them were going to avoid those like the plague. Alex had been ready to construct an overflowing itinerary but Henry had told him not to make any plans. Telling a Claremont-Diaz not to make plans was like telling a shark to swim backwards but he’d somehow managed to refrain.

Having Henry sprawled on the loveseat with him wearing only a robe that was suggesting more than it was covering, that helped a lot.

His boyfriend smiled enigmatically, “I just need you dressed and ready for seven. That’s all.”

Alex frowned, studying his face eagerly for clues, “What kind of ‘dressed’? Fancy? Casual? Smart casual, the most infuriating category of clothing ever?”

Henry laughed warmly, “Whatever you feel comfortable in, dear. That’s all.”

Alex snorted and settled back against his chest, letting it drop for now. He was confident he’d wheedle the answer out of him sooner or later, there was no rush. He let his eyes close, enjoying the sounds of the city below, a city so different from the one he knew but which had become another kind of home.

Henry’s hand stayed on his back where it had settled a little while before, rubbing slow circles just below his shoulder blades. And then it began to creep lower, cupping the curve of his hip, his thumb pressing in the divot where it started to become his groin. There was something hungry in that grip.

A smile tugged at the corner of Alex’s mouth, “If we don’t need to be ready until seven, that gives us...what, four hours, right?”

“Something like that,” Henry murmured, a grin in his voice.

“What should we do with all that time then...”

Henry didn’t deign to answer, just chuckling in that unbearably sexy way of his as the hand gripped tighter, turning Alex onto his back and sinking his mouth against his love’s.

Fortunately, the rain had stopped by the time they headed down in the elevator of the impossibly expensive and indulgent hotel they’d sprung for, rather than face the awkwardness of staying in Kensington. Not that things hadn’t improved significantly since they’d come out but still, it was easier to feel like this was a romantic vacation when they chose their own bed. And when said bed wasn’t a centuries old antique.

The city was dark or, at least, as close to darkness as it ever came. The windows were still alive with light, bars and restaurants pools of it as they drove past, the streetlamps streaking it across the car’s tinted windows. Alex leaned his head against the glass, feeling Henry’s hand in his own, and smiled.

Though he was a little annoyed, down in his chest. He still hadn’t figured out Henry’s plan for their evening. He’d been watching the roads carefully, trying to map out London in his head with bars and restaurants he knew they’d been to before pinned in red. Placed they’d been to when they’d just started, places they’d had dates in since, places they’d spent one of their four anniversaries so far, though only two of them had been spent in London.

But, as he looked over at Henry’s face, illuminated by the car’s headlamps, he saw it again. The spark in his eyes, the suggestion that they weren’t here just for dinner and drinks. The look of someone who was up to something.

Alex tried to puzzle at it some more but he was quickly distracted just by looking at Henry. He always looked so content when he was driving, focused but at ease, the hand that wasn’t in Alex’s loose on the wheel. Sure their security detail flanked them from both directions in hire cars identical to their own but they were at least allowed their own privacy. It was a compromised sort of freedom, the kind they’d both grown used to. The kind that seemed to be tipping more in their favour as they grew.

“Hey,” Henry’s eyes didn’t move from the crowded London street ahead of them but his voice came soft and snagged Alex’s attention immediately, “I love you.”

Alex smiled softly, melting in the way only Henry had ever been able to get him to, “I love you too.”

Alex caught on about five seconds before they pulled up, with a sharp intake of breath and bolting upright in his seat, “The V&A!”

Henry gave him a grin, “Look at you, sounding just like a local. But yes, that’s exactly where we’re going.”

“It’ll be closed by now,” Alex was already shifting excitedly, not unlike a puppy, “Are we breaking and entering again?”

“Hardly,” Henry parked up with infuriating neatness and precision (he was easily the better driver though Alex would never admit it), “I don’t think it counts as that if someone just lets you in the back door. But yes.”

Alex bounded out, already smiling at the memories of the night he and Henry snuck out of the palace to come here, the night he’d looked at Henry and started to see a future. Even the weather was much the same, the pavements silvered by the earlier downpour, the blanket of clouds above him. He looked up at the grand, towering edifice of the museum and smiled, wishing he could go back in time and tell that confused young man that, three years from now, Henry’s hand would still be in his own and his own mind would be a place he genuinely loved to live.

He was so wrapped up in his own memories that he didn’t notice the security team pointedly staying within their cars.

Their footsteps echoed through the empty halls as they walked through the museum, dimly lit and eerie in a good kind of way. It had an excitement to it, like they were getting to see a side of it no one ever did. Like discovering a secret.

Henry was incorrigible; as soon as he came upon pieces he knew, he began to eagerly recount their stories, like an overzealous textbook given a voice box. Alex couldn’t complain, he was as much of a history nerd as the next person and he did adore seeing Henry so completely absorbed in something he genuinely loved.  He could listen to his boyfriend describe how the candlestick they were looking at was a fabulous example of the skill of medieval English goldsmiths all night.

They spiralled their way inwards, starting with the outer galleries with their Raphael cartoons and folios and moving down through costume displays and historical artefacts. Alex let Henry’s voice carry him somewhere else, to a place where everything was unique and precious and tagged with it’s own slice of history, perfectly preserved behind glass panels for anyone and everyone to come hear their story.

He was almost sad when they made their way to the main room, the last on their little journey. Though the statue in the centre was something of an old friend.

“There he is!” Alex grinned, gazing up at the twisted bodies of Giambologna’s masterpiece, looking almost haunting under the spotlights with no other light around, violence frozen into beauty, “No wonder the king passed it on to that Duke, you’d have to be gay to appreciate something this ostentatious.”

“That’s priceless artwork you’re talking about,” Henry pointed out, though he was smiling, abandoning his boyfriend’s hand completely and just sliding his arm around his shoulders.

Alex leaned closer in, enjoying the contact and the warm smell of him, “Priceless artwork with two buff dude’s asses on full display. Another point towards it’s obvious gayness.”

“You should be an art historian,” Henry snorted, pressing a kiss to the side of his head, just at the top of his jaw, “With a very specific focus.”

“Maybe I should. I could just keep going to school, doing degree after degree until I’m the most qualified person who ever lived who doesn’t actually have a job.”

Henry shook his head gently, deliberately, “No. The world needs you out there. Doing things, making things better the way you do.”

Sometimes Alex had to stop and just look at Henry, really look at him. Just so the voice that still lived somewhere inside him, the one that whispered to him and said he wasn’t good enough and he wasn’t worthy of everything he had, just so that voice could see the look of perfect sincerity on Henry’s face and know it was wrong.

“Fine. You can write the endless essays on the best asses in Renaissance art,” Alex murmured, aware that he was blushing slightly.

Henry smiled, hair looking like gold in the dimness, “Maybe...listen, I...I really, really love you. I just need you to know that.”

Alex frowned a little though his smile didn’t fade, “That’s twice now you’ve said that unprompted. What do you want?”

Henry looked a little abashed, like he really thought he’d been subtle, “Okay, fine, I do have something I want to ask you for.”

“Well spit it out,” Alex gave his usual cocky, lopsided grin, though there was now a genuine seed of worry in his chest, like something unseen was rushing at him, “You know I deal exclusively in blowjobs so we’ll see if we can come to an agreement about how many this favour of yours is worth.”

“Lord,” Henry turned his eyes upwards for a moment, looking exasperated, desperate and hopeful all at once, the expression of a man about to take a step forward into thin air, “Just…”

He pulled away suddenly and, for a moment, the seed of worry in Alex’s chest turned into a full blown panic...until Henry then sank to one knee and produced something from his pocket, something that caught what little light there was around them and glinted.

“I want you to spend the rest of your life with me,” he said, voice soft and sweet and sincere.

Alex froze in place, unable to stop his jaw dropping even though he knew he’d look ridiculous, “You...you’re proposing to me?”

Henry ran an anxious hand through his hair, sending it out of place, “Um...yes.”

“And...and the last thing I said before you did was a joke about you blowing me…” Alex said hoarsely.

Relief washed over Henry’s face and he smiled, “Rather appropriate for us, don’t you think?”

Before he could say anything more idiotic than he’d already managed, Alex threw himself down and caught that ridiculously perfect mouth in a messy kiss, one that nearly sent them both careening back onto the white tiled floor. Fortunately Henry shot one arm out behind him to catch them and managed to keep his grip on the ring.

“Is that a yes?” he murmured weakly, once their lips drew away for air.

“Yes,” Alex was crying like a baby, getting salt water on his jumper and Henry’s perfect collared shirt and he didn’t care, “It’s, like, a million yeses. I’m going to be a fucking prince!”

“Prince consort,” Henry corrected gently, laughing, his own eyes rather damp, “More importantly, my prince consort.”

“Yours,” just that simple word took Alex’s breath away and he kissed him again, unable to bear another moment without Henry’s lips on his own.

Somewhere in the middle of the crying and the kissing, the ring found its way onto Alex’s finger. Newly made and perfectly sized- just so they could have something that was theirs alone- it shone silver under the museum spotlights, as precious to Alex as any ancient statue or priceless painting.

There was so much Alex wanted to tell his younger self, standing where they knelt in a tangle, five years in the past, his heart heavy with doubts and fears and new discoveries about himself. He wanted to tell him everything would be okay. He wanted to tell him he was braver and kinder and more wonderful than he could ever know. He wanted to tell him that love was real and the future was bright.

But maybe he wouldn’t tell him that one day he’d marry a prince. Some things were better left as surprises.

[mostfacinorous]

GO Whumptober Day 20: Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore... [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]

They’d been on a stroll, like so many others, around the lake in St. James’, when it happened. 

It wasn’t the first time, exactly; Aziraphale knew of several other accounts, most of them dismissed as fiction or poppycock, but it had never happened to him before, and, judging by Crowley’s alarmed sounding squawk, which he would certainly not admit to emitting, later-- he was surprised as well. 

One moment, they had been in present day, Aziraphale’s hand in a bag of crumbs, on the lookout for any hungry or friendly looking wildlife, the next, they had taken a step forward and found themselves in a populated square, the grounds paved in wood and stone and dirt, the people decidedly confused by their appearances.

“Well!” Aziraphale exclaimed, albeit under his breath. 

Crowley took a step backwards, as though he expected to be able to reverse his way into the future. 

For the place they were was instantly familiar; they’d been here, only not for hundreds of years. Well, they’d been here the entire time, but the when was hundreds of years prior to the moment they’d just been in. 

Aziraphale couldn’t explain how he could tell. It was like a taste, almost. The Earth hadn’t aged yet. He couldn’t pin down the exact year, but the vintage was younger than the one he was used to. 

“It’s so long ago!” Aziraphale said, then clapped delightedly, bouncing on his toes. “Oh, Crowley, our own Moberly-Jourdain incident! Oh, we shall call it the Crowley-Fell Adventure.”

“Aziraphale.” Crowley said, and Aziraphale huffed. 

“Well it sounds better in alphabetical order, but if you insist we can call it the Fell-Crowley Incident. It does have a certain ring to it.”

“Aziraphale, one- Crowley-Fell sounds better, yeah. Two, you can’t write about this at all, we’re keeping a low profile, and three, which side do you suppose is responsible for this, and why do they want us now instead of back home?”

That did serve to deflate Aziraphale’s glee a bit. 

“Well.” He said. “I suppose perhaps to make a point. They mightn’t have succeeded in their hopes of killing us or forcing me to fall, but they still have power over our lives.” 

“Right. But why now, of all times? And when is now, anyway?” 

Aziraphale shrugged. “I imagine it was Heaven’s doing. They can’t conceive of a worse time than a dirty one. Let’s just hope we’ve landed between plagues.”

Aziraphale looked around. 

“Pardon me,” He said to the first person he saw who didn’t avert their eyes and hurry past. It was a boy, probably close to being thought of as a man in these days, likely only beginning to breach teen-hood. 

“Milord?” The boy asked, eyeing his clothing uncomfortably and doing a half bob of a bow, clearly unsure what to make of him. 

“Oh none of that,” Aziraphale said, waving off the formality. “My apologies, I think we’ve gotten a little lost. Ah-- our ship, you see, a rough voyage. What year is it? And who is King?” 

The boy looked a good deal more suspicious, of a sudden, and responded with the same incredulous snideness of teenagers everywhere. “It is 1204 in the year of our Lord, and King John rules England.” Aziraphale could almost hear the duh that would not be forthcoming for some time yet. 

“1204, Crowley!” He exclaimed. “We have been away far longer than I thought!” He shook his head. “Thank you, lad, and if you can, start saving grains for your family now. The… uh… church says it is to be an especially cold winter.” 

The boy looked, if anything, even more distrusting, but knuckled his brow and took off, glancing back at them as he went. 

“Come on Angel, let’s go get some clothes that won’t stand out so much. We need to blend in til we can figure out how to get back.”

“You know… it mightn’t be so bad, if we can’t ‘get back’.” Aziraphale said ponderously as they walked.

“What are you talking about?” Crowley sounded disgruntled, to say the least. 

“Well, you see, in all the fictitious accounts of time travel, the people doing the traveling have finite lifespans. They all want to go back for their families, their loved ones, to be with them. We don’t have that problem.” 

Crowley looked askance at him. 

“Sure, but do you really want to live through all this all over again? And isn’t there the fear of running into ourselves? I don’t know about you, but if I ran into me, I wouldn’t wait to ask questions.” 

“Oh!” Aziraphale brightened at that. “I should quite like to have a cup of tea with myself, actually-- what a grand way to catch up on the goings on of the time.” 

“Aziraphale, focus.” Crowley snapped. “There is a reason we have been sent back here and I suspect it’s to do with what’s coming in the future-- near to when we’re from. We need to find a way to get abc and stop whatever it is from happening.” 

“But if we don’t hurry the process, we’ll have an awful lot more time to stop whatever it is,” Aziraphale pointed out, sensibly, he thought. 

Crowley was silent for a long moment. 

“We won’t have your books to reference about it, though.” He said finally. “And no lovely takeout to eat while we work. No private plumbing, or gas lines, no central heating and cooling…” 

Aziraphale felt his face fall. 

“I have grown… accustomed, I suppose, to those little creature comforts.” 

“Like you said, that cold winter’s coming… food shortages and famine to follow. And all the sickness that’s to come-- 1204, we were at war with France, weren’t we? And England will be re-seizing church land soon, when John fights with the pope. You want to go through all of that nonsense again? You remember how conflicted you were about all of it, the first go round.” 

Aziraphale sighed. 

“Yes, of course, you’re right. The romance of it really is all in the nostalgia, isn’t it?” 

“It really is.” Crowley agreed. “Now come on, if I recall there’s a tailor up here somewhere.” 

It was odd, the echoes of familiarity and the utter strangeness existing together in this place. They found the tailor that Crowley remembered-- and he was, as Crowley remembered, really rather good. They left looking much more with the times, though Crowley insisted on keeping their other clothes with them, just in case. 

“So what’s next?” Aziraphale asked, actually privately enjoying letting Crowley be the hero of this little misadventure. 

“Next, we find somewhere to stay; a home base.” Crowley spoke authoritatively, as if he’d had a plan for a while now. And, given how long it’d taken to get hose made for his incredibly long legs, perhaps he’d done his planning then. 

“Did you make enough money for it?” Aziraphale asked, more than willing to pull his own weight, but Crowley reached down and nudged his coin purse, the currency within clinking softly together. 

“We’ll have enough for a while. Don’t want to attract too much attention.”

He’d said that frequently at the tailor’s, even as Aziraphale recalled the fashions of a mere few hundred years into the future with great fondness. 

He’d ended up with a loose fitting long tabard-like-thing over a longer linen robe-- comfortable enough, and stylish enough, though he couldn’t for the life of him recall the actual names of this style. No matter; it did its job well enough. 

They found an inn, fortunately located near several food stalls and a proper bar, insomuch as such a thing existed these days.

But there was wine, and ale, and water that looked mostly clear, and Aziraphale counted himself grateful. 

“So, what is your plan from here?” Aziraphale asked Crowley, once they were settled in their single shared room. Wouldn’t want to attract attention by spending too much, nor risk being separated into different lodgings. And so they had their wine bottle and the honeyed figs Crowley had bought, despite his admonitions of being careful with their coin, for Aziraphale to enjoy. 

“Now… we figure out how we got here, and why, if possible, and most importantly, how to get back.” 

“It’s been a very long time since I was lost.” Aziraphale mused, speaking to the fig he was considering in his hand. “In fact, when I have been, usually I would simply pop up to heaven, and come back down where I intended to be.” 

He bit into the treat, and Crowley stared at him. 

“You mean we’ve spent the entire day in 1204, and we could have just… gone home at any time?” 

Aziraphale shrugged and swallowed his mouthful. 

“Well, I don’t know that it will work, based on your fear that it’s heaven who’s sent us here-- and if it does, then we can do it at any time. Think of it as a… a work sponsored holiday.”

“A work spons-- Aziraphale are you mad? We’re in the medieval times! One look at my eyes, and I’m up on a flaming stake or off with my head, or--”

Aziraphale blotted at his mouth with a napkin. 

“Do you honestly think I’d let them do that to you?” 

“Well you sure didn’t stop Gabriel doing it, did you?” Crowley snapped back, and then his expression shifted, and Aziraphale could tell he regretted it as soon as it was said. Even so, he recoiled. 

“Alright. I’m sorry. Let’s… let’s go home.” He stood and made his way to a clear spot on the floor to begin drawing the correct sigils he’d need for transport. 

“Aziraphale, I’m sorry.” Crowley had stood and followed him, but Aziraphale ignored him in favor of his work. 

“So what, you aren’t talking to me now?” 

“I am trying to concentrate, Crowley. Certainly wouldn’t want to keep you where you don’t feel safe any longer than necessary.” He kept his tone even and his eyes on the symbols on the floor. 

“It’s not that-- I-- I have been so scared, all day, that they did this as a way to try and force us apart, or keep us away, and you… I don’t know how you can be so calm about all of this.” 

At that, Aziraphale did look up at him. “I can be calm because you seemed to have a plan, and I trust you and feel safe around you. I’m sorry that I can’t do the same for you, but I understand.” 

Crowley stared down at him for a moment. “That’s not what you mean to say at all, is it?” He asked. “You sound like them, shifting the blame, making it about-- about loyalty and faith. Why didn’t you tell me about your plan til just now?”

Aziraphale stopped drawing and sat back on his heels, dropping his head til his chin hit his chest. “Ever since the arrangement began…” He started, then paused to lick his lips. “I have been growing more and more afraid to use miracles for the things that matter. Useless miracles, frivolous ones-- making tea and the like? That’s not a problem, but… The important ones. I’m always afraid they’ll find out, about us, about me, and they’ll find a way to cut me off, with or without me falling, and… and so I avoid it.” 

Crowley tilted his head, then looked down at the floor, at Aziraphale’s half finished sigil. 

“But you would, because you realized how scared I am. You care about me more than you care about your own fear.” 

“Well, at least I can do one tiny angelic thing right.” Aziraphale spat back bitterly. “Now please-- let me finish this, and we will be on our way.” 

Crowley opened his mouth, seemed to think better of it, and sat back down to wait. 

Aziraphale nodded and got back to work. 

It was several silent minutes later when he heard, faintly, Crowley say, “Thank you.” 

He pretended he hadn’t.

[darksunrising]

Sola Gratia (9/?)

Masterlist

Rating / Warnings : General audiences, no particular warnings.

Fandom : Bram Stoker’s Dracula, BBC’s Dracula, various Dracula and vampire lore.

Part 9/? (2000 words)

Author’s notes : I’m trying to get the chapters a more consistent length, I think 2000-2500 is good ! Means I’ll be able to work more consistently, but please don’t hesitate to tell me what you think about it ! Also, sorry for all the build-up, but a girl’s gotta set the decor a bit !

~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~ - ~

During the following weeks, the presence of the Count became almost familiar. Every day, he waited for me with a different kind of pastry. I tried to protest at first, but quickly had to make my peace with it. At some point, seeing me wince at my terrible coffee, he forbade me to drink it anymore, and added that to my daily breakfast. I asked him exactly once why he insisted on feeding me, to which he replied that he liked my blood healthy, with a toothy grin. I hit him over the arm, he laughed. Other than that, he was careful not to step over my boundaries, and seemed to find the way to only be there at the appropriate time.

That was not the case for Leah, however, who was delighted to see Vlad was going to be a recurring presence in our lives. The two of them got along far better than I would have wanted. Vlad especially enjoyed playing along with her when she started asking probing questions about the both of us, although I had to admit he was an expert at deviating any question that could have revealed his true nature.

It took me some time to fully realize how much he had actually seen, and lived. He died around the 1470s, which meant he had all the time in the world to see the Sistine Chapel being painted, the construction of the Eiffel Tower, or the damn french Revolution. He could have just been a very polyvalent historian, which is what I told Leah. She interpreted that as a challenge, considering he and I were, as she put it, “introverted nerds who need to see the light of the sun once in a goddamn while”. She started dragging us along in random activities. There was a pottery class, to which I was barely able to make the Leaning Flower Pot Of Pisa, while she somehow made an incredible owl sculpture, and Vlad had made a delicate greek-inspired vase. Seeing him, sleeves rolled up over his elbows, hair tied up in a ponytail, his long fingers working in precise, expert gestures, probably had noting to do with my absolute failure to make anything correct. I decided then that manual activities were a no-go for me in the car ride, where I sulked on the backseat, while Leah and Vlad were still crying-laughing about my sorry excuse for a pot.

After the rousing success of that experience, she wasn't about to stop. We did a haunted castle themed escape game, which Vlad curiously sucked at. That would explain some stuff. Leah then found out that a Renaissance faire was taking place in a small town, about an hour or two outside the city, and decided we definitely had to go. I tried to pretend I had too much work and wouldn't be able to make it, but Vlad and her insisting, I caved, and marked down my calendar with the red pen of defeat.

Being stuck in period costumes with the both of them wasn't the only reason I tried protesting. Laurent really did throw a ton of work on my shoulders, and that wasn't considering the whole Stephan Helder situation. The kid was highly motivated, sure, but he started making me feel uneasy, for some reason. After all my classes, he came to chat, and always found a way to ask questions about Vlad. Strangely phrased questions, or about how he couldn't find publications under his name. Legitimate questions, to be fair, but his insistence was bugging me.

“I'm telling you, that is weird. Those are weird questions”, I told Vlad, sitting on my windowsill. He didn't react. “I am serious, what if he knew ?”

“How would he know ?”, he sighed. “Why would he even want to know ?”

“Well, that's a fair question. Which needs an answer, don't you think ?”

He tilted his head, softly smiling. “I think you are being a bit paranoid.”

“I spend most of my free time hanging out with an immortal murder-machine, I think I deserve the right to be a bit paranoid”, I snapped.

“Fair enough”, he laughed.

Being immortal had to have dulled his sense of danger. Although, I could see how a skinny 20-year-old medieval history student wouldn't spontaneously raise red flags.

“By the way, I am going back to Romania”, he told me.

I felt a small pinch to my heart. “Oh.”

“Only for a few days”, he completed with a smirk. “I have to pick up some things, and oversee the moving company. I do not trust them with half my things.”

I furrowed my brow. “Moving company ?”

“Oh, did I not mention it ?”, he innocently replied. “Before I even arrived, I bought a little something a little ways outside the city. The renovations are done, and you of all people understand I cannot live there without a decent library.”

I took a second to process it. He had a smug look, obviously enjoying my confusion. I had to say I didn't even think about where he spent his nights. I figured he either turned into a bat and hanged somewhere upside down, or simply didn't sleep. Did he even need to rest ? Gods, so many questions I didn't even think to ask. Every day, I felt like I discovered a puddle, only to realize it was part of a lake.

“When I come back, would you come visit ?”, he asked, sounding a bit hesitant.

“Sure. I mean, as long as I don't have to wear heels if you decide to go feral on me.”

He took a dead-serious expression. “I promise you, Eris Cetero, that as long as you live, I will never, ever, make you wear heels again.”

I threw my head back with a groan of agony. Was it so bad that this kind of humor was actually funny to me now ? Was having a six century old bloodthirsty creature imply he might try to murder me again really that hilarious ? Apparently so, as I was unable to contain a giggle. Maybe it was because the look he had was all but threatening. Maybe because every time I was near him, even with all that happened, I felt... Safe. For a few weeks, I had been able to decide staying over at the University library until ungodly hours. I didn't have to thing about what time I had to leave at before it became too risky for a woman with very limited knowledge of martial arts, alone.

I mean, he was arguably more dangerous than any encounter I might have had, but still... I knew he wouldn't hurt me. Maybe it was wishful thinking. Then again, he had plenty of occasions to lose it. Last week, for instance, I had no idea what to expect when I left my apartment, dosed with painkillers, as Mother Nature, that ruthless bitch, decided to drop by for her monthly visit.  He was simply waiting for me at the usual spot, looking a bit off, but holding a large box of chocolates along with my breakfast. He made himself scarce for the following three days, but I could tell he tried to act natural.

“I should let you get some rest”, Vlad told me, dragging me out of my thoughts.

I nodded, slowly. “When are you leaving ?”

“Some time tomorrow. I will still pick you up, if that is what worries you.”

He smiled, teasing. “Yeah, that's... That's it. I'd miss my personal chauffeur.” I looked away a second. “Now, get off my window, I need to sleep.”

“Of course, my Lady”, he replied, and backed away with an overly low bow. “I bid you good night.”

Once again, with a fluttering sound, the usual bat replaced the tall man. I called out to him, offering my hand as a perch. The tiny black creature gripped a finger. I would have expected a Vampire Bat, to be fair, and almost laughed when I realized it was a common little brown bat, only changing in the darker color.

“Well, don't you look adorable”, I told him.

I could take a more frightening appearance, if you want me to.

“Telepathy, huh ? That's new”, I commented. Nothing surprised me that much anymore, to be honest.

I try not to pry, it's usually considered rude.

“You don't say.”

He stretched out his wings. They were so thin I could see the tiny veins running across the membrane. I had to use all my will not to just scoop him up and pet his tiny head, or scratch his belly. Now, that would have been rude. Probably. Those kind of reflexions were a bit new to me.

I would stay here all night if I could, but I am starting to feel a bit hungry.

“Oh, by all means. I won't keep you.”

I heard a small squeaky sound I interpreted as a laugh, and he left. I closed the window, and the quiet made me rethink the situation. If he was gone, that would leave me some time to look into the Helder situation without him interfering. Now, I just needed the help of my favorite professional stalker. With a little smile, I slipped under my covers, and almost instantly faded into sleep.

~ ~ ~

After Vlad let me off at the University, he only came over to say hi to Leah, and announce his departure. He left right after, with a kiss for her hand, and one for my forehead.

“Do you need some ice ? You look pretty hot”, she snarked at me once he was gone. “A cold shower, perhaps ?”

“Oh, shut up, will you ?”, I groaned, placing the back of my hands onto my cheeks.

She snickered. She was the best friend I could ever hope to have, but man, as soon as someone was involved, she became absolutely unbearable.

“By the way, I need your help with something”, I told her, lowering my voice a little.

“Oooh, sneaky voice, I like it already. Tell me.”

I brought her inside, and we went straight to my office, a small, cluttered room in the old building. I dragged a folding chair next to mine, behind the heavy wooden desk.

“I'm having a weird feeling about a transfer student”, I told her. “I wondered if you could-”

Before I could even finish my sentence, she had already taken out her laptop, her glasses sitting on her nose. She turned on a bunch of apps she left running in the background, and turned to me.

“Name ?”

“Stephan Helder, with 'ph'”, I told her.

I kind of felt bad about it. If it was nothing, I was just prying into his personal life – or having Leah pry, anyway. She began typing away, and in less than three minutes, she had results. Stephan Jonathan Helder, 18, your typical genius type. Skipped a few middle-school classes, finished high-school at 15, with straight-As. Spotless criminal record, less so for the medical one, with a few bad cases of pulmonary infections. Didn't have one in years, though. Seemed like he was from a good family, but then again, no information on them showed up. Huh. I asked Leah to look into them.

“That's crazy”, she said after a good five minutes. “I mean, there's barely anything.”

“You mean he's an orphan, or something ?”

“No, it's just blacked out. I mean, most of the stuff has been scraped, erased.”

She sounded annoyed, but also excited. I knew she loved a challenge.

“Nothing I can't break”, she commented, and went back to it.

After a few more minutes, she finally had a triumphal shout.

“Got 'em”, she told me. “Stephan Jonathan Helder, the father is Thomas Mark Helder, and the mother is Mary... Huh. That's a cool name.”

“What is ?”, I asked, leaning over her shoulder to read.

My blood froze in my veins instantly.

Mary Van Helsing.

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