#bedfordshire probably doesnt exist in this universe but screw it

[askuemki]

Tempestuous Times

Hey hiya!! Im in the (struggling) process of writing some MW2 (Valeria) fanfiction, but I have an angsty story of my characters <3 Word Count: 2.1k Warnings: Angst, fighting (mostly verbal, some physical), swearing, lack of explanation for some lore/characters.

Summary: Akemi and Eclipse were married for political reasons. The brunette was never specifically fond of Eclipse.. The contract was over by then, but the marriage lingers. She hesitates to bring up the question: What happens now?

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Photos:

(Left: Eclipse Seuin // Right: Akemi Seuin)

The skylands always had a prudent, burning light source. Moya So. Skygrounds such as the Soaring Dynasty never had a proper night, whether closer to the Ebb or not. Instead, they opted for periods of rest and activity, usually rotating within 12 hours.. And it was nearing the imperial palace's bedtime. A silent lullaby lurked within the confines, and it especially lurked within her Majesty's bedchambers.

Palioxis' light was killed by a curtain, the orange glow struggling to seep in. The room was left dimly lit, faintly outlining the Empress herself. Brows furrowed, the tall mistress stood pensive. Her gaze seemingly narrowed upon the draping curtains. Her long tassle swayed with irritation, scales upon marble floors breaking the song of silence. A hand rose towards her features, the backside of her palm gleaming with the light of a ring. In proper setting, details of a spiraling dragon was laced within the jewlery. Arguably astounding craftsmenship -- fit for a ruler's display.

Akemi's world was broken by a creek, her elegant stature becoming a marble statue. Her gaze fixated upon the curtains, they too looked like they didn't want to be seen. If she could, the empress would hide behind them, vanish beyond the cloudy blanket of Moya So. Shoes clacked and clicked, it's own echolocation. A smile beamed from the connoisseur, a light british-accented voice giggling away without a care in the world.

"Why evening, your maaajesty," the voice playfully chippered, soon following the curtsy of ruffled clothing.

"Evening."

"Dark in here innit? Don't you dragons have some kinda fire powers?"

"Not on these lands, Eclipse."

The smaller frowned, her hands snaking into a cross. She puffed a "hmph," strutting towards the bedside lamps. They clicked on, flicking to life. From here, the empress was seen more easily. Her body from shoulder to toe was veiled in a nightgown, the curtsy of her tassel reveling out. Her brunette hair was situated in its usual bun, such long locks were hard to untangle after a night's rest. The latter was much shorter, with curly mauve hair tied into a high ponytail. Moons that hover within her curls were all bunched up, a bit of a bother -- but Eclipse seemed to be used to it.

She curled up within the king-sized bed, bundling herself within the layers of sheets. Despite the existence of magic, the cold was its own menacing being in the Dynasty's atmosphere. A shivering Eclipse tapped the empty space on the lavish mattress, glancing expectingly toward the empress. Akemi remained stagnant, ever so leering towards the velvet veils.

"Aren't you off to Bedfordshire yet..? Common noww.." Eclipse whined, her rasping against the sheets fluttered at a frequent pace.

"You're fine to rest. You're not beneath me."

Eclipse groaned, shuffling out of bed. The dry joke swooped above her head, hobbling over with no slippers. The empress' statue broke from it's bounds, tensing with warm arms wrapping around her waist. The werewolf's feet parted, creating a small bridge above Akemi's tail.

"I've become all peculiar about you.." Eclipse sighed, a tinted hand tracing the curvature of her wife's stomach.

"You're fine to sleep."

"No, I'm not. Not without you.." Eclipse grumbled, pressing herself closer to the brunette's back. An unnerving silence wavers as the fog, the clock slowly ticked. The room slowly fazed into background noise, the empress feeling every caress and touch from her spouse.. Gentle hands circled on either side of the navel, trailing up and down the silk fabrics..

Up, down, left, right, repeat.

Up, down, left, right repeat.

Up, down, left, right..

"You've been like this for days now sweetie."

The statement caused a hitch in Akemi's throat. Her tail twitching uncomfortably upon the cold marble.

"You don't think I notice?"

A warm breath escaped upon the empress' nape, a bit of fluster played upon her features. Her stare upon the drapery faltered, darting as if a busy fly would.

"Tell me what's on your mind. Am I doing something wrong my sweet mistress?"

Fuck.

Eclipse's voice was like a gentle melody, a lullaby to a child. Before the marraige, the girl was ruthless and cocky; though, not as cocky as her familliar: Erisa Calandor. She always had an ounce of playfulness to her words, a bit of tease.. But it wasn't as overbearing as Dusk's. Eclipse.. She was in the middle. She wasn't like a rose, but an ugly flower with no thorns. A weed in the garden, but it hadn't caused any problems.

"Please.."

It was like poison ivy. It slowly seeped into her ears, until now, she didn't realize her hands were fumbling. Her ebony tail was coiled around herself, ears drooping. The empress let out a hefty sigh, one she needed to release. The silent fog was long gone, the nervous nightmare of the inevitable replacing everything.

"Baby."

The brunette choked on her own spit, hurling forward. Only the brazen arms of her partner held her in place. A small sweat dripped from her skin, the mauve-eyed pecking her neck's salty sweat away.

"Is everything alright?"

"There… has been something on my mind."

Eclipse nuzzled into the back of Akemi's neck, only causing more sweat to clump and drizzle down. The werewolf nodded notingly towards the statement. Akemi's tail further clenched, she gulped, multiple times. This wasn't like Eclipse. She'd never been so calm. So sweet.. Like a cupcake. Her lips pursed, starting once more.

"So.."

"Mhm?"

"About.. Us.."

"What about it darling?"

The empress opened her mouth to say something once more, her thin lips struggling to ache any words. A deafening silence lingered, but she didn't want to do that to .. Her spouse? Was she even her spouse?

"The contract ended about a year ago."

She felt those gentle lips desipher into a frown, a downward crecent upon her neck sent the poison ivy further into her ears.

"Don't you want to be back with Howlington, Eclipse?"

"I'm fine here.. I don't see a point."

"But you married me just for military aid in the city."

She felt the werewolf's arms drop from her waist, that alluring mouth of her's pulling away. Her neck ached. She ached. But the empress flushed it down the drain.

"Why are you still here?"

"Why..?"

The word dragged upon Akemi's head. Why.. Why.. Why? Why did she decide to agree to this in the first place? Why isn't Eclipse so feral with her? …Why is she aching like this?

"Even without a marraige, I'd give you military aid."

"You wouldn't. With our relationship in the past, you wouldn't of bat an eye. I had to make such an offer."

Eclipse mused a small laugh at the memory, but it soon fell mellow. For a brief moment, Akemi could smile.

"You haven't answered yet," the brunette pushed.

"Do I need to answer?"

"Yes.. You do."

Akemi turned, seeing Eclipse's legs ravled in her tail. Momentarily she wagered enough room for Eclipse to slip out, but she remained. Her features were firm, her gaze laid upon Eclipse. Seeing that frown had the poison seeped in further.

"It should be obvious by now."

"You say that all the time."

Lies.

"Didn't I give you enough signs? Are you a man now?" Eclipse joked. Akemi's brows furrowed, her gaze adverting rightwards. Her tail coiled more tightly now, the werewolf was able to feel the pressure upon her limbs.

"Whatever these signs are, they aren't obvious."

"Then what else am I supposed to do? Make them obvious?"

"Yes! That's what you're SUPPOSED to do."

The empress threw her hands out in a "what?!" gesture, her voice risen to a higher, aggressive, volume.

"I thought' that you'd like these kind of things."

"When have I ever? When have I ever liked you?"

It struck a thorn in Eclipse's heart. Her soft gaze shattered from the quarry. She rose a shaky hand to her chest, clenched as it rested upon her bosom, as if she was reading off a ballad.

"It wasn't obvious? The affection.. The gestures.. The nicknames?!"

"Don't you do that with everyone?"

"Ok sure, yeah. I tease, I call people names. But I'm not this close to them, not like this."

"Oh sure, calling Dusk 'Sweetie' and 'Sweetheart', kissing your friends on the cheek out of the blue when you hang out with them-"

"I don't do that anymore."

"Stop lying Eclipse Lunar."

"Say my name right!" The mauve-eyed leaned in, throwing back her arms. Inches away, her breath was visibly shaky, tears welling up within her eyes.

"Say my name right.." she repeated, a glint of desperateness seethed upon her face. "You never say it right.."

"Stop lying."

"Akemi Seuin. Say my name right, Goddamnit. In fucking Paloxis' sake, I'M NOT LYING!"

The empress winced, leering right into those tear-soaked eyes. The werewolf faltered on her knees, the pressure from Akemi's coiled tail was too much.

"What are we..? Because I know you don't see me as your wife."

A breath stifled brought a moment of silence upon the bedroom. Eclipse started clawing at Akemi's tail. It grew only tighter.

"Bloody hell goddamnit.. Let me go you monster.."

Pointed nails sunk into the scales, blood seeped from the dragon's skin. Akemi's teeth clenched, her appendage aching. She'd only rile tighter, bending down to jerk the werewolf's face towards her.

"You think I'm a monster? Take a look at yourself Eclipse. That's all you do! Destroy, causing malice."

The muave-eyed hitched her breath, her mouth held agape towards the empress. Her stature was still, and the bruises upon her calves were horrid.. Dashes of purple were like child's play on a canvas, Eclipse's expression was one who was caught drawing on the wall.

"Monster.." she grimmessed, uttering the words as if they were like a curse. The werewolf's eyes shot down toward her hands. The blood. Her choker remained like a parasite. The claws dismantled from the tail, instead grazing over the fresh wounds. She hadn't dug that deep, but her own nightgown was blotted with red. She shuttered, though Akemi's hand remained, an unwavering eye glaring with judgment.

The brunette twitched, seeing Eclipse move out of the blue. Instead of further defence, the girl untied the wide rope that fixed her garment closed. Unraveling it, the vertical hem parted. Soon all limbs swerved from their grasp, leaving Eclipse's pillars upstanding on their own.

Slowly they rose and fell within a circular cycle, stationing themselves right at Akemi's coiled tassel. It was a being on its own, a frail ally cat when touched. The rope was fixated upon a good proximity of wounds, tucked beneath, and looped over.

"I never wanted to be one."

Eclipse tied up the rope snuggly, her hand gently stroaking the bandaged sector of the limb.

"Yet you.. You, all of you. Especially you.. Keep seeing me as one."

Eclipse shakily rose, clapsing blood ridden fists at her sides. Her expression was damp with tears, but she hadn't cowered with the sheep.

"Don't you think I at least tried to do good? Maybe with a tiny chance of redeeming myself?"

Silence.

"Don't you ever worry that you might be a monster too..?"

The tip of the empress' tail-end rasped the floor, pencive features playing at her face. Her arms tucked in the grasp of another, her breaths was silent with the wind.

"I stopped unworthy rulers of their turmoil. I reverted the Soaring Dynasty into a more ethical kingdom, where all are welcome. There's a proper balance of power within my leige. I did all that I can for my nation, so I don't think so."

"But what have you done for me?"

"For.. you..?"

"Akemi." If she were godly, the mere sobs from the girl could make the room crumble at their feet. She approached her wife beyond the tail as she spoke, the empress forming a firm barrier between the duo. That didn't stop the werewolf, her hands wiping against the stained silk of her open nightgown, soon gliding upon Akemi's face.

"You did so much.. So many things for your empire. Don't you think it's time to focus on your friends? Dusk.. Mau.. Windyl.. Me."

Eclipse momentarily paused, drawing a sulken shaky breath. Her thumb ran across the brunette's cheeks, surveying her expression.

"Don't tell me you're like them Em.."

The empress' brows furrowed by a centimeter, her lips pursing into a hesitant pout. Her head jerked away in instinct, but the chains of her spouse's hands kept her on hold. The mauve-eyed leaned in further, Akemi's gaze unable to waver from the sight. A black hole that drew her inwards. She exactly knew what her spouse was referring to.

She'd expected to meet the hole with unbearable melancholy, a piercing purple that could never forgive.. It was sweet. A black universe envelops Akemi in kindness. Starlight flickered from the dying light seeping through the veils.

"I'm sorry that I ever loved you."

--- Dear reader, I hope you enjoyed!!

Akemi has seen better days.. This was a rewritten version of something from (surprisingly) two months ago, where I brushed over this to get to the smut.. I haven't written that part yet, but I might???

Anyways, have a good day/night!