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caramelcal · 3 years

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His Favorite Girl

a/n: HELLO. (sounding like the guy in the cinema cba lol) anyways I have returned for a brief period of time to share this update with you guys. It’s based off of this request here: “ Do you think you could write a Luke x gang again where maybe he has to leave for work during sex and the reader touches herself out of frustration and he comes back and finds her ?”

STOP BECAUSE THIS IS DEFINITELY NOT WHAT THE REQUESTER WANTED BUT ILL WRITE SOMETHING AGAIN BUT LIKE JUST TH REQUEST IF THATS WHAT YOU GUYS WANT SDGHGDFGBH but this is kinda a part 2 to the Bambi/His Favorite Secret series thingy cause a few people wanted that! thank you guys so much for all the love mwah

i should literally be studying rn but im not so <3 im very sorry for this abomination lol

sorry for the long a/n guys! :( enjoy x

word count: 3.4k

warnings: smutty stuff (fucking, fingering, anal and all that...ive never written this before so PLS PLS PLS give me feedback omg) uh choking, doesn’t have a daddy kink in this but sir is mentioned. talks of being tied up and being tied up? talks about overstim... he calls her little girl at one point...

“Luke! Stop moving!” She lightly slapped her boyfriend’s hand, to which he groaned in return. Her tongue stuck out slightly from between her lips in concentration, eyebrows furrowing as she returned to the task she had firmly put her mind to. That was, until the blond giant moved again, “Luke!”

“Bambi,” Luke echoed lightly, using his nickname for the smaller girl in front of him who looked up at him with an unimpressed facial expression.

“You’re gonna ruin it,” She mumbled lightly, pointing back down at her artwork which Luke only then first looked at. It was safe to say, although he shouldn’t have been, he was thoroughly shocked.

His nails, which his girl had somehow managed to convince him into painting weren’t black, or blue. No, they were bright, blasting, hot pink. He groaned lightly, wondering just how exactly she had managed to rope him into this and just how he was going to hide his nails from the rest of the gang later on tonight when he -they- met up with them tonight.

She was a bundle of both nerves and excitement, finally getting to meet Luke’s closest friends. It had been about a week since their argument, and now she was meeting his friends. It seemed like everything was moving in the right direction, thankfully. She couldn’t wait to be honest, very much looking forward to being able to hear more about Luke from his friends, and just meeting them in general.

They seemed fun.

Well, as fun as gang members could be. She probably should have been more cautious surrounding them, but Luke got her guard down so quickly and she was yet to regret that. How scary could they possibly be considering the man in front of her, soft blond curls held back by her bunny bath headband, nails painted hot pink, was supposed to be the scariest man in the whole city.

“Cal’s gonna rip the piss outta me for this, Bambi,” He complained softly, with no plans to take the polish off of his nails as he looked at his girlfriend, between his legs, small hand wrapped around the bottle of nail polish with her other hand laying against his knee.

She couldn’t help the small upturn of her lips as she blew softly against the nail polish on his fingernails, not patient enough to let it airdry despite it being a fast-drying polish. She shrugged lightly, head flopping to the side adorably as Luke stared down at her, resisting the urge to run his hands through her hair; another issue he had with the wet paint on his fingernails.

“I think it looks great, we’re matching,” She then flaunted the bright pink color that coated her own nails, and Luke’s lips twitched into a grin, careful not to ‘aww’ at the cute words that came out of the smaller girl’s mouth.

He hummed lightly, leaning back against the couch but his baby blues never leaving her face, “They look a lot better on you than they do me, Bambi.”

“I think they’re cute,” The girl climbed onto his lap, making Luke take a deep intake of breath as she sits barely an inch away from a rather sensitive area of his. She, however, seemed to pay no attention to the risen area of his jeans as she leaned against his chest, face hidden in the crook of his neck, soft breaths from her mouth fanning against his neck.

He twisted to give her a small kiss on the forehead, to which she responds by kissing his neck softly, lips staying against his neck as her hand traveled up his stomach up to his neck, holding him close as she began to kiss the base of his neck more.

“Lu,” She whispered softly, “How much time have we got?”

“Like an hour, baby. Why?”

However, the girl never replied verbally, and instead repositioned herself carefully, Luke’s neck void from her warmth before her hand started to travel down, painfully slow, until it landed right above the tent in his jeans. His eyes traveled up to meet hers, eyebrow raised as she dropped her hand down barely, lips struggling to pull the smirk away.

He lifted his hands to her back, going to reposition her before she shook her head, “Your nail polish, Lu. Hands down.”

His hands didn’t move, frozen in place around her clothed waist. His nails were long since dried, she knew that, but she liked this. She liked the intake of breath he took when her hand ghosted over the hardened cock in his jeans, the way he couldn’t lift his hands; scared to smudge the pink on his nails.

He was restricted. Oh, how the tables had turned.

Her hand gently palmed against his hardened, clothed cock, causing a grumble to emit from his throat. It was a deep rumbling sound, -something that the girl had heard numerous times but would never get used to.

To her, everything about Luke was perfect, even his moans.

“Bambi, you know the rules about teasing-”

Her lips attached to his, cutting him off rather efficiently, pressing softly as she continued to palm him through his jeans, gently rocking on his thigh. He moaned into their kiss, her tongue, as a reflex, finding its way into his mouth. Their tongues pressed against one another, lips still pressed together as her spare hand crawled up to the back of his neck, playing with his soft curls.

Her palm pressed into his fully hardened cock now, his tongue swiping over her lips before tugging on it, pulling apart, breathless. His hands found a place on her waist, guiding her softly but firmly, taking back the control he craved.

Looking her straight in the eyes, one of Luke’s hands went around her neck, thumb pulling her lower lip down as he unbuckled his belt with one hand, taking his cock out of its confined clothing and bringing her hand down to hold onto it. It wasn’t the first time that she had given him a handjob, and it wouldn’t be the last, but she still couldn’t help but be nervous.

Despite not being a virgin when she met Luke, she still lacked a lot of experience that Luke definitely had. She knew that he would never judge her, but that never stopped the nerves that festered.

“All shy all of a sudden, Bambi?” He mocked, hand around her neck tightening as he bit down on her ear lobe, gently tugging at it before letting out a breath, “All big and brave, teasing Sir, aren’t you? If you’re going to start it, then you’re going to finish it. On your knees. Now.”

Releasing a shaky breath, the girl clambered out of Luke’s lap dropping to the floor, in a similar position to the one she had been in minutes before, only in a more sexual manner. Her lips met the tip of his cock, tongue lightly swiping across the base.

His hand grabbed firmly onto the hair on the back of her head, holding her steady as she got used to the feeling of his cock in her mouth before thrusting against her. She gagged as it hit the back of her throat, sending vibrations up him, releasing a deep moan from his throat.

“Suck, little girl,” Luke commanded deeply, leaving no room for argument as the smaller girl abided to his command, tongue swiping over him as she reached up to cover the last part of his cock with her hand.

Yet, she didn’t get much further when a ringing sounded through the room, Luke groaning but ultimately pulling away from the girl who stayed on the floor, watching Luke as he grabbed his phone.

“What?” He gritted his teeth lightly, trying to keep his frustration at bay after being interrupted.

He sighed softly, not looking at the small girl with furrowed eyebrows still on the floor as he pulled his jeans back up, clambering to get shoes on and getting ready to leave, hanging the phone up.

“Luke what’s going on?”

“Gang shit, Bambi. I gotta get going, be ready for six, we’re meeting Cal, Ash, and Mike later, remember?” He offered her no more words, but she can tell he isn’t angry at her, just due to their interruption.

However, she can’t help but be frustrated at the interruption, waiting until after Luke leaves to huff and puff about it before starting to get ready.

. . .

“Luke has this old penguin fan account on Instagram from like seven years ago. There’s this one picture on there with him with a penguin hat-”

“Cal, stop,” Luke interrupted Cal swiftly, an arm going around his smaller girlfriend’s waist who looked far too amused by the embarrassing things about Luke that Cal was telling.

“No, no, Calum please keep going. Please,” The girl begged, feeling very comfortable around the Maori boy. They were pleasant, to her at least, and so far they had made her feel very comfortable and very much at home. It was hard to believe that the people joking with her where infamous mobsters, ones that were feared all across the city, and state.

They had met in Ashton’s house, who she had already met before, at six o’clock. It turns out gang members like to be punctual, or maybe it was only these ones.

Luke was in a bit of a hurry once he arrived back home, with no time to finish what he and his girl had started before he had to leave in a hurry, leaving her oh so frustrated. This was only magnified when she saw him afterward, ready to head to Ash’s in that pale pink silk button-up that only seemed like it would suit him; like it was made specifically for him.

Maybe it was.

Luke was never shy of customized clothing, cars, or anything he wanted honestly. If you have the money, why not? Was always his answer when she asked why he seemed to wear all of these expensive items. If it wasn’t custom-made, it was a high-quality designer that he wore, she rarely ever found him in anything that didn’t smell of cash and high-class, -far too expensive but albeit intoxicating- cologne.

This money of Luke’s also happened to extend to her also. He was never shy of picking her up a few things, letting her have his card for shopping and now, he started going out shopping with her too. He didn’t look like the type that would go out with his ‘girlfriend’ or anyone, but in the case of her, he followed her around like a lost puppy; willing to hold her bags, let her drain his bank account. Not that she did, anyway. She was still mindful, even if Luke had more money than he knew what to do with.

“Nah, can’t. Don’t want Luke to kill me for embarrassing me in front of his precious little girlfriend,” Calum teased lightly, shaking his head as his eyes darted to meet Luke’s baby blues. Truthfully, Luke could pretend to be annoyed at Cal and the rest for exposing his old penguin Instagram account but he was just glad to see them getting along with the girl that owned his heart.

She was the first girlfriend that his best friends seemed to approve of. He didn’t normally bring his girlfriends to meet them, but the ones he did, the boys he called his best friends didn’t usually like them. For the first time, Luke could actually see a future with the girl in front of him, beamingly smiling as Cal and Michael joke about with her and laughing at their attempts of humor.

God, he loved her.

“So, do you think they like me?” She asked the moment they got home, the door shut behind them. Luke turned around, staring at the wide-eyed girl with a small smile on his lips.

Did she seriously not realize how much they liked her? Especially with how much joking that they had done with her, he was certain that she would have realized but then again, she wasn’t the most self-assured person when it comes to new people. He nodded his head, “Yeah, Bambi. They really liked you.”

Luke would never get over the way her eyes sparkled, his smile only growing. She looked amazing in that red silky dress that he had bought her, and he looked just as good in the coral colored button-up he was wearing.

Their lips met softly, Luke bending down slightly to meet her lips as the girl went up on her tiptoes, bare feet on the top of Luke’s shoes. He didn’t mind, in fact, he barely even realized as he swiped his tongue across her bottom lip for access which she quickly gave him. Her hands wrapped around his neck, one entangling in his blond curls, while his went around her waist and one under her ass, lifting her up.

Her legs wrapped around his waist, lips never breaking away from his as she moaned into the kiss. She pushed herself closer to him as the kiss heated up, eyes closed as Luke tried his best to navigate the way to their bedroom. Thankfully, even with his eyes partially closed and completely distracted by the soft lips on his, he managed to get there, fumbling with the doorknob before kicking the door open.

Luke pulled away quickly to get a breath, now at the edge of the bed as his mouth went to the side of her face, pressing kisses along her neck before whispering in a sinfully sultry voice, “Let’s finish what we started earlier, huh?”

With that, she was placed down on the bed, staring at Luke with a glaze in her eyes, lust, lips slightly swollen as he pushed her dress up, nudging her underwear to the side. His fingers ghosted over her pussy, making her take a ragged intake of breath. He was on top of her, watching her as she awaited every movement of his fingers, completely helpless under his touch.

“So wet for me, baby,” He murmured, pressing a few chaste kisses against the base of her neck as he rubbed her slit. She didn’t reply just yet, whining lightly when he slowed down his movements, coming to a stop, “Tell me what you want baby.”

“You, Lu. I want you, sir,” Her words flooded out of her mouth quickly, the aching between her legs becoming too much. If Luke didn’t do something about it soon then she would have to. She stared up at his smirking face above her. His fingers pulled away from her, making her whine as he reached for his belt, skillfully unbuckling it and letting his cock spring free from its confines.

He looked up at her as he repositioned himself, her squirming with need beneath him before he lined his tip at her entrance, baby blues meeting her eyes, “You sure?”

She nodded vigorously in return, but Luke didn’t move, commanding lightly, “Words, baby.”

“Please Luke, I’m sure. Please fuck me.” He swatted her thigh at the sound of the swear falling from her lips but obliged nonetheless, plunging deep into her letting out a moan, her strangled moan following behind.

He plunged in once again, hitting a spot that made her whimper and moan at the same time, hands reaching around to his back, clawing on the now exposed skin. Luke’s hips are flushed against hers as he goes deep inside of her once again, both moaning.

“Fuck, Bambi,”

Luke’s pace quickened, thrusts becoming sloppier as he continued to thrust into her, hitting her sweet spot over and over, moans filling the room with small pleads from her and soft curses from him.

Then a phone went off. Luke froze inside of her, and she groaned, sweaty, a mess, and incredibly sexually frustrated. She could feel Luke sitting inside of her; how big he was. She thought that he was going to ignore the phone call, to continue something that they were robbed of earlier. He wasn’t really going to let them be interrupted twice today, was he?

He reached over to the bedside table, picking his phone up and looking at the caller ID before sighing. He pulled out of her, baby blues looking at her with a frown, “I need to take this.”

“Luke,” It was a plead. For him to stay with her, to let them finish what they started. She shuffled lightly until she was sitting in front of him, on her knees. Her hand went to the side of his face, caressing it gently as she put her face at his neck, “Stay with me, Sir. I need you.”

He knew exactly what she was trying to do, but he wasn’t going to fall for it. He pulled away from her, gripping onto her side as a warning with his free hand, “No, Bambi.”

His voice was low, a warning for her to stop what she was doing as he sent her a pointed look. He didn’t even let her make another move or get another word in before he was back in his jeans and walking out of the room, leaving her alone.

The seconds that she was alone turned into minutes, and those minutes turned into ten, then fifteen. She shifted uncomfortably, still on edge and incredibly frustrated. It didn’t seem like Luke was coming back as he had left without saying goodbye or telling her where he was going to be or how long. Was this all because she had tried to get him to stay?

Well, if he wasn’t going to get back, she would have to take stuff into her own hands. Leaning back, her hand reached her own clit, rubbing desperately, basking in the feeling once again. This time, she would get the job done.

Her fingers slipped inside of her, curling into her, moans softly filtering out of her lips. She was close, her fingers covered in her own slick as she continued to curl her hands into herself, soft pants falling from her lips as she spread her legs more to get a better angle, trying to go deeper.

Her hands would never be as good as Luke’s though, her small fingers not holding a torch to his digits. He knew everything that made her squirm, even better than she did, he had her all decoded, knew how to navigate her better than anyone else ever could.

“Baby I need to get-” Luke opened the door, stopping when his eyes met her figure on the middle of the bed, fingers inside of her as soft breaths fell from her lips. Her head titled back, eyes lidded as he froze on the spot before a smirk made its way onto his face.

“Really?” He asked incredulously, sauntering up to the bed before grabbing onto her wrist, pulling her fingers out of her desperate cunt making her whine. Her eyes met his, which never strayed, even after he brought her hand up to his mouth and swirling his tongue around her slick-covered digits.

“Lu-”

“Quiet,” He shut her up quickly, voice hard and commanding, something that made nerves bundle in her stomach and turned her on even more. He stood up again, sauntering over to the dresser before pulling a belt from the top of it, grabbing her hands and confining them with the thick leather, “Since you can’t keep your hands off of that pretty little pussy of mine, I guess we’re going to have to do something about that.”

Luke pulled her up to the headboard, hooping the leather around there and tightening it. When he let go, she pulled against the leather restraints, only to find her hands unable to move from their position at the headboard.

“So desperate to cum, baby? Well, you’ll be desperate to stop after I make you come over and over until there’s no more cum left in your body and you're writhing beneath me. Do you understand me, baby?”

“Yes Sir,” She whimpered out in return, nodding her head as she breathed heavily, watching Luke’s hand as it trailed teasingly down her side until it reached her pussy, a finger flicking up and down it, making her hips jerk up.

“But first of all, I need to go deal with the drug run. See you later, Bambi.”

And with a smirk on his face, Luke left his girlfriend there, tied up to the bed, whining for him to come back. And he would, and when he did, she wouldn’t be walking for days afterward.

#luke hemmings x reader #luke hemmings x you #luke hemmings x y/n #gang!luke hemmings x reader #gang!luke hemmings #gang!luke hemmings x oc #luke hemmings gang #luke hemmings smut #luke hemmings x oc

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apocalypticwafflekitten · 2 years

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Starry Night

Darth Maul x Reader (set in @justalittlecloud ‘s AU)

A/N: Hey, It’s been a while huh? College has royally kicked my ass, and this story is my way of coping. Is it anything revolutionary? No. Is it something I wrote late at night because I was an emotional mess? Yes. Enjoy! (I wrote this to Vincent, sung by Don McLean, so feel free to get deep in the feels with me)

Original Imagine/Summary Thingy: You’re having a rough night, and Maul is there to soothe your every worry. (We’re going to pretend like Maul is in the proper mindset to say some of the things he does)

Word Count: (No Idea, but Ill get a count soon, probably less than 1k)

Warnings: I don’t think this qualifies as angst, but the reader is depressed, so please take caution if that’s a sensitive subject for you. Otherwise, none!

He could hear the gentle wind crossing the Dathomirian plains. Soft cries against against the burnt tall-grass muffled the quiet whimpering he heard coming from behind the stalks.

He found you shrouded in the grass, red all around your huddled, shuddering form. This cold night offering nothing to warm your weary heart.

There might have been rustling in the grass behind you, and you thought, maybe you’d heard something like metal clinking behind you, but the sound of your heartbeat in your ears, and the way you couldn’t stop sniffling clouded everything around you.

You don’t know when he he first touches you, but now there’s a warmth beside you and around you, holding you close until you hear two heartbeats in your ears, and neither of them are yours. Quiet mumbling, something comforting moved the depths of your soul even though you didn’t know what exactly he was saying.

Some time passed like this, in his arms, and he held onto every tear and every cry you gave. He let them settle in the bottom of his gut, and he felt the depth of everything, just as you did.

But eventually, your tears dried up, and you pulled yourself from his chest, searching for those beautiful ambered eyes.

“Hello Starlight.” He smiled.

You manage to attempt a smile, but your lips barely twitch, and there’s a new lump rolling into your throat.

“Hi.” You respond with a cracking voice.

There’s a pause when you look away; when your eyes cast upon the crimson dirt, and Maul’s hand falls to your arm.

“My dear, what’s wrong?” He whispers into the space between the two of you.

You have trouble even trying to speak, the mounting sobs almost forcing their way from your mouth as you try to explain.

“I--I never feel like I’m enough. There’s always something more I should be doing. I’ve never been good enough.”

Maul, for a moment, stared at you, and had you been looking, you would have seen the moment his hearts sunk, and the dawning realization on his face.

“But my love, look at everything you’ve done. Look at our beautiful family, and the home we’ve built together. You’re more that I could have ever asked for. More than we could have asked for. Oh Starlight, please look at me.” Maul pleaded, and when he took your face in his hand and brought your face to his, you met eyes so desperate and worried that you felt their weight bore into your own.

You couldn’t bring yourself to speak. If you had even tried, tears would have taken their place and spilled from your eyes before a word could be uttered. So silent you stayed until Maul spoke again.

“In all of this galaxy, you have done more for your people, your family, and myself than anyone could ever quantify. And still that doesn’t define your worth. You could take on the heaviest work load in the galaxy, or you could take on none, and either way we will still love you the same. We will still look up to you, and still adore you. Nothing could ever change that. Remember that when you feel like you’re not enough. You could do absolutely nothing, contribute nothing, and we would still love you just as we do now. Starlight, I hope you never forget how we love you, and how these two hearts adore you.”

A small sob pushed from behind your lips, and right as the dam broke, you grappled onto Maul.

“I-I l-love you!” You cried over his shoulder, only to be followed by a trail of more aching, unrestrained sobs. You wailed out into the tall-grass, and Maul simply held you close, cradling your head into the crook of his neck.

“I love you too dear.” He whispered into your ear, “And nothing will ever change that. Nothing.”

When you were ready, you pulled away, and Maul head your face, pressing a tender kiss to your forehead.

“Come now my Starlight, lets head home hmm?”

You nodded, smiling and taking his hand to walk back home, facing the newly emerged constellations above.

“Yeah. Let’s go home.”

~~~~~~ Taglist!

@fanficsforheartandsoul @thundershield @spookiifi

#darth maul x reader #darth maul x you #darth maul imagine #darth maul

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hollowtreesinhollowwoods · 3 years

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Barriers

Taglist thingy bc...yeah?? only one person but we thrivin for it ╮(╯-╰)╭♥ @tombombadilbutmuchworse

CW: suggestions of choking, very mild gore, this is mostly just fluffy stuff but I put this here in case ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Part 1--The Child

Research Log #2

It’s been at least three human days since the child was rescued. We’ve woken her up a few times in that interval, but according to Δοφρι, my mentor, she’s only ever been half-conscious. She spoke, but it was all very mumbled, and my English isn’t very good yet, so I didn’t understand anything. She was very ill, and it’s likely she won’t remember any of this when she has recovered. Though, Δοφρι says she’s getting better and better, so hopefully she--

Bonlett’s plated fingers stopped typing as they heard a noise behind them. They’d been writing their progress in the child’s room, and they looked over. The sound was a weak, gravelly noise, and it was followed by a sniffle from the... the pod! Bonlett perked up with excitement, hurrying over to see the child again.

“How are you feeling, child?” they asked gently. They knew the young girl couldn’t understand them, though. Xrieke spoke an entirely different language to theirs... but Bonlett was too excited to remember the English they had learned.

The child stirred slightly, her eyes a bit unfocused. She heard Bonlett, though, and let out a whimper of fear.

“Hey, it’s alright. Don’t worry, you’re safe,” Bonlett replied, reaching gently over to lift the girl’s chin up and check her neck again. It was heavily scarred, and probably sore, too--

As the girl’s eyes focused on Bonlett’s face, though, they blew wide and her whole body tensed as her mouth opened wider and her throat produced a strangled, whiny rasp. Bonlett stopped in shock at the sound. It sounded almost like she was trying to scream. Her eyes flooded with tears, and her head twitched away from Bonlett’s hand, as if she were trying to get away. Her eyes darted to the space behind Bonlett, then to the thick veil above her that displayed the night sky--it was meant to sooth and block the light out, though it seemed only to confuse her-- then to Bonlett’s face.

Bonlett snapped out of it, cupping their other hand around the girl’s face. “Shhh, shhhh, it’s okay. I won’t hurt you, child,” they soothed in as human a way possible. They couldn’t help when their face contorted to concern. The child couldn’t understand anything they said, could they? Besides the few human words they threw in here and there. “It’s okay,” they reassured.

The girl slowed, but still watched Bonlett apprehensively, especially as they lifted her chin higher to get a better look at the girl’s neck. As Bonlett carefully felt the damaged skin, the girl’s breath hitched. That confirmed Bonlett’s suspicions... somewhat. Someone had been hurting the girl. Bonlett could practically feel the fear radiating off of her.

“All that worrying can’t be healthy...” they muttered to themself, reaching above the pod’s heightened lid and pressing a button that caused a scented vapor to diffuse in the air--one that would hopefully cause the girl to calm down a bit. As Bonlett reached towards her again, the girl let out a weaker whine.

“Please, I’m here to help,” they said, noticing that the girl’s body was shivering. They felt the girl’s temperature, and she was startlingly cold.

“Wow... you’re really cold. How’d you get so bad?” Bonlett wondered. They’d taken off the girl’s damp clothes and given her a blanket, but maybe it hadn’t been enough. Humans could get shockingly cold. Bonlett pulled some more blankets from beneath the pod, laying them gently on top of the girl.

The girl, with what strength she had, burrowed herself in a bit deeper. Bonlett racked their brain for a certain English word... Then they found it.

Leaning forward, they caught the girl’s eyes. “Good?”

The girl stopped, the familiar word shocking her a bit. She stared at Bonlett for a moment before giving a small, meek nod and shrinking into the blankets.

Bonlett smiled, pressing another button to turn the pod’s heating function on. “Alright. I’ll be right back. Don’t worry,” they said, heading for a bowl of broth that they’d set on the counter in preparation. The bowl had a function that kept the contents hot, so they had no need to reheat it. Bonlett carefully sat the girl up against the pillowed, then scooped a spoon of the broth and held it to the girl’s mouth. Her stomach growled, but her head shrank away from the spoon and she whined again, swallowing.

Bonlett blinked, confused. “Do you not like soup?” they asked, tilting their head slightly. “I know humans are selective with their tastes, but please try it... you’ll get better faster. It’s good,” they said.

The girl watched her intently for a long moment before carefully opening her mouth and closing it on the spoon. Immediately, her expression changed to awestruck, as if she’d never eaten good food in her life. Her stomach roared.

Bonlett smiled, getting her another spoon. The girl pulled her arms free of the blanket, her strength seeming to return more and more. Her mouth closed on another spoon, but as Bonlett went to get another, the girl grabbed the bowl, pulling it out of their hands and spilling a few splashes on the blanket as she pressed the rim to her lips.

A laugh escaped Bonlett’s throat as the girl gulped the broth down. “Slow down, there’s plenty--”

“(hic!)”

Bonlett froze at the noise, their eyes going wide. It had come from the girl’s throat--was she choking? The girl clamped her hands over her mouth as the sound came again.

“(hic!)”

“What was that? Are you okay?” Bonlett asked, growing a bit frantic. “Are you choking? Are you going to--”

“(hic!)” The girl shook her head, then nodded, then shook her head again, seeming unsure.

Bonlett jumped to their feet, panic jolting through their body as they bolted out the door, calling back after the child. “I’ll be back!”

They nearly tripped over their own feet as they ran into Dopri’s study. The other Xrieke turned, eyeing them with confusion.

“Bonlett? What is--”

“The child! There’s something wrong, I think she’s choking or--”

Before Bonlett could finish, Dopri had already bolted out the door. Bonlett followed quickly after her.

Rushing into the room, Dopri bent down beside the bed and examined the girl. Tears were coming from her eyes, and she sniffled, a sob interrupted halfway by another “(hic!)”

Then Dopri spoke to her. Luckily, the Xrieke was fluent in English--she’d been studying it much longer than Bonlett had. “Can you breathe?” She asked.

The child looked like she was about to respond before her shoulders shook with another “(hic!)”, after which she gave a weak nod, tears rolling down her cheeks.

Dopri furrowed her eyebrows, examining the girl a moment longer.

“(hic!)” The girl’s hands drifted back up to her mouth, and she sniffled.

Dopri let out a sigh of relief. “Don’t cry, young one," she said, reaching over to wipe the girl’s eyes. The child squinted them shut as Dopri carefully swiped the tears away. “Bonlett overreacted. You only have the hiccups. Perfectly harmless.” She smiled gently. The girl’s gaze drifted cautiously over to Bonlett.

“(hic!)”

“Did she eat or drink too quickly?” Dopri turned to Bonlett.

“She did take the broth from me and drink it all at once,” they responded.

Dopri smiled, sighing and shaking their head. “She just gave herself the hiccups--that’s all.”

“Hiccups?” Bonlett’s eyes narrowed in confusion.

Dopri sighed. “It’s just a thing their bodies do sometimes. They’ll drink or eat so rapidly that it accidentally interrupts the breathing cycle. Their diaphragms sort of... spasm, in a way. Hiccups normally go away within a few minutes, and they’re perfectly harmless. Though they can be a bit annoying for the, eh... victim,” she chuckled. She glanced over, noticing the girl’s eyes were still watery. “How are you feeling?” She asked.

The girl blinked her tears away, watching Dopri apprehensively. She opened her mouth as if to say something, but her breath stilted. She sucked in more and more, her mouth stretching into a wide O before her lungs seemed to reach their limit and she let out another strange noise, a bit of a raspy, whiny, breathy wail, her eyes welling again with tears. When she finished, her eyes widened and she raised her hands to her mouth again, watching them nervously.

Bonlett turned to Dopri in confusion, and Dopri’s smile widened. “Don’t worry, young one,” she said, then turning to Bonlett. “Get her a cup of water.”

Bonlett nodded, filling one up and hurrying back to the bed, holding it to the girl’s mouth as she hesitantly drank it. Once the cup was empty, Dopri ushered Bonlett to take the cup away, and they did.

“Get some rest, child. Your body is working hard to recover. Once you are better, we’d like to ask you some questions, too--if that’s alright. It’s just to help you. I know we look intimidating, but we aren’t here to hurt you, alright?” Dopri spoke to the child, holding her hands gently.

The girl swallowed, blinking and offering a meek nod. Dopri smiled at her again, letting her hands go and gently shifting her back down to sleep again. “And don’t worry about Bonlett. Sometimes they’re overbearing, but they’re really kind and caring. They’ll be here if you need anything at all, so don’t be afraid to ask.” Dopri said, gently pulling some hair out of the girl’s face.

The girl’s gaze was fixed intently on them for a long time as Dopri reached up to pressed the button on the pod that turned on the diffuser. After a moment, though, she let out another of those strange whines as her eyelids drooped closed and she went to sleep. Dopri stood, answering Bonlett’s silent question.

“And that was a yawn,” she whispered, smiling again as she got up to leave. “They do that when they’re tired.”

Bonlett turned from Dopri to the child, a fascinated expression on their face.

“If you need me again, you know where to find me.”

Bonlett nodded, their eyes conveying silent thanks as they went back to their writing, reading back what they’d written and deleting a bit before starting again.

...Δοφρι says she’s getting better and better. She even woke up today! I’m sure I could fill pages with the experience, but first and foremost...

Bonlett couldn’t help their excited grin.

...those noises that...that Δοφρι called “hiccups” and “yawns”... are adorable?

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brooklynislandgirl · 3 years

Note

Sinday- voyeurism

Cardinal Seven || Accepting {{ @mynameisanakin, for reasons }}

~ Ivers Estate, Nul, Zelos II~

He doesn’t realise how mesmerising he truly is.

Even in artificial light his hair gleams silver and gold except where the sweat of exertion has darkened it to a burnished hue and has it curling up by his ears, around his neck, itself stretched in the way it curves. Chasing the light as it pours down his shoulders, narrow without the multiple layers he wears as armour, a barrier to keep out the world as much as to protect the softer parts of him buried beneath his often placid surface, he’s not as thin as he once was but he’s not the dreadnought that the posters and holovids make him out to be. Even so there’s the the subtlest ripple of long lithe muscle as his hand slides up, down. Slow. Methodical. There’s a discernible pattern, an almost mathematical rhythm to his movement that in and of itself can be hypnotic if lingered over for too long. It feels like music, like dance, like art. The focus with which he expends his frenetic energy turns from the faint tremors and occasional twitches into something far more fluid. Anakin is water, filling in the edges with himself like a vast sea allowing itself to be imposed upon by its own choice. What then were he to let himself overflow, go spilling ever outward and only returning in hushed waves of his Presence?

This isn’t the first or only time she has watched Anakin. She could gather up all of the longing glances spared under the watchful gazes of the Masters, furtive as Ikopi when the weather turns and the predators begin their hunt, because there are risks, always. Add them to the the times he’s fallen asleep beside her and she’s glanced down with every feeling glimmering in her eyes, and smiled fondly as she’s stroked his hair. These are often the only times he looks like he’s truly at peace. She has learned to follow his every movement from beneath her lashes, so she can keep her head reverently bowed in the halls as they walked from one place to the next. And once she held them in her hands she could toss them into the heavens and there would be more of them than stars.

She would be lying through her teeth if she said that she didn’t find him as arresting as most people did, especially upon first meeting him. If she said that her blood didn’t catch fire when they were wrapped up in one another. That she doesn’t drown in his kisses only for him to breath life into her again when he pulls back and rests his brow, his nose tip to tip against hers. But to say that this is all the she sees and feels is also a grievous falsehood. More than simply the shell that houses him is his voracious intellect. The way he intuitively grasps everything he reads, the things he watches. The gentility of his spirit in the kindness he shows others, the willingness to extend that to everyone from his troops to droids, the epitome of compassion. She is moved as much by his strength to rise no matter how others shatter him as she is by the little things. How absorbed he can become in a task that he puts his entire being into it. Or how blindingly radiant his enthusiasm can be when he enjoys something and chooses to share. All of his doubts and his fidgeting. His greater uncertainty of his place in the universe and how that shadows his every step. Those fears that are abjectly unfounded that he thinks are unforgivable as they are...well. He uses words like annoying and strange. Little does he realise that those are the very things she loves most about him, and always has.

Okay, and maybe that particular scar, earned during the battle of Rendili, might actually come in a close second though she would never admit that.

A hitch in his breath, a ground out but creative curse in the back of his throat and his body shudders to stillness, and she half smiles, blushing verdant to the roots of her hair. It sends a very vivid, very personal brightness through their connection.

Anakin stills, now realising she’s there. His best friend, his Left Hand, his adoring bride. All of these things and all else that she could be. Watching. Always watching. The tip of his tongue darts out and pulls his lower lip between his teeth where he bites down on it. Drains the colour until the full lower tier is nearly as pale as the rest of his skin before he lets it go by slow degrees. Once this happens he lets that smouldering blue gaze drop back down where a moment before it had caressed her own, but there’s just the tiniest flicker at the corner of his mouth that gives him away, the ghost of a smile meant only for her. Anakin’s not-so-secret is that he actually enjoys when she watches him.

“What?” It’s only a single word, lacking that very specific lilt that is part inflection and part ill-ease with conversation. His mind fills in a million things that it could be, all deliberately malicious in only the way he can be with himself.

She peels herself from where she’d been leaning and approaches now, appreciative and full of a little star-struck awe that never fully goes away. She waves a hand to indicate him in his entirety as she approaches on silent, bare feet. “I was coming to see how the work was progressing. You’ve been tinkering with that engine for hours now. Which, by the way...” She lifts a thumb up and wipes away a smear of grease from the hollow of his cheek. “Mmm, better. I propose a compromise. Come inside with me and while I make us lunch...you can tell me all that you’ve done. Because I don’t know what that glowing thingy is, and that other particular whatsit is but it looks...broken. Afterwards we can come up with at least a dozen reasons to avoid the Inner Council for another few days. So far, my favourite is you didn’t get any messages because of electromagnetic radiation storms pushing in from wild-space black holes. Or...” He narrows his eyes suspiciously. “...Or what, Keni?” One did not need to be sensitive to the Force to feel the influx of heat that clouds every ounce of her as she smiles, baring her teeth to their full extent.

“...Or that you were seduced by a terribly fierce witch who ended up doing indescribably carnal things to you that you are absolutely certain might have been your Inescapable Doom. I mean, could go either way.”

“Electromagnetic radiation it is,” he grins right before kissing her.

#Mahalo!Belle <3 #Leaves from the Dreaming Tree #Images of Broken Light|Anakin Skywalker #Pools of Sorrow-Waves of Joy|Anikeni #Growing Pains|Birth of the Galactic Empire #Across the Universe|Star Wars AU #southern-belle-outcasts

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oatsn-honey · 4 years

Text

Tribulation (Tranquility chp 2)

AO3

masterlist

Summary: He wants to shake his head in protest at the wet, sorrowful glimmering in her eyes. “Why can’t you just ask someone for help?”“Please,” She slowly sinks down on him, pressing her head into his shoulder and wrapping her arms around him, “Just talk to me. Be open with me.” --- A continuation of a supposed one-shot, where Link is sick and it results in the saviors of Hyrule unpacking some emotional damage and snuggling in between.

hiiii :>>> this is a continuation of a one-shot i posted a long time ago -- this has been floating around in my head ever since, and i actually hinted at this happening when i posted that thingy i'm sorry that it's taken so long for me to update and finish anything! but hopefully u enjoy this regardless!

When she awakens, Zelda is tangled up in soaked sheets. Something hangs in the room’s thick air, and the princess feels like she’s suffocating against the blistering heat. There’s distressed shifting next to her, ceaseless, troubled tosses. With worry gnawing at her stomach, and her mind denying what she already knows, Zelda turns her body towards him.

“Link…?” Her voice is hesitant, eyes scanning his scrunched up face for any sign of consciousness. She moves with an unsure hand, brushing the tense muscle of his shoulder. She nearly flinches away at the scorching temperature, but steels herself. Sitting up, her free hand supporting her body, she tries again, “Link, are you alright?” She gives his shoulder a gentle shake.

His voice rumbles in a quiet groan, eyelids twitching and brows furrowing. “Hmm?” The hum comes out raspy, cracking painfully.

“Are you alright?” Zelda repeats, gently stroking his arm, hoping to further rouse him awake. “You’re burning up.” A suppressed, wet cough breaks from his throat, and Zelda cringes at how painful it sounds. Her insides knot with concern.

Link’s eyes open in slits, the blue a hazy cloud. “I’m alright,” he croaks out, slowly lifting his body. One elbow braced under him, he tenderly, carefully ( never harshly ) peels her hand from his arm. “I bet I just got,” His words are interrupted by a cough intended to be concealed, “hot under the covers.”

Zelda unleashes the most doubtful look she can possibly muster and levels her gaze with his own. “Mmhmm,” She drones, quickly pushing the blankets back, “And that’s why you’re shivering, right?”

He lets out a nervous laugh, making to fully sit up. He ignores the way his vision sways and his stomach lurches. “You just pulled back the covers, it was a temperature shock,” His voice is strained and he turns away from her. He rubs his legs in an attempt to make the goose bumps disappear.

“You were always an awful liar, you know.”

“I-I wasn’t—” The knight sluggishly swings his legs over the edge of the bed, placing his feet on the cold ground.

“Don’t even think about getting up, Link.” She warns, and he can hear the bedding rustling as she moves closer. A slender hand tugs at his own — reminiscent of his own actions from earlier in the day — and her voice turns pleading, “You’re not well. Please, lay down again.”

He sighs, brows pressed as he worries his bottom lip (a nervous habit the other knights had so kindly pointed out). “O-Okay.”

With gentle hands, she guides him back to her, her emerald eyes shimmering with tender concern. “Thank you,” She breathes in relief, propping some pillows against the bedframe for him.

He hums a pitiful response, gaze locked on his lap, plump lip still trapped between his teeth.

“Stay here for a moment,” Link can practically hear the frown in her voice. Bare feet pad across the floorboards and the screech of old drawers opening echoes off the walls. After rustling through the chest, Zelda returns with a pile of clothes for Link. (She is thankful that she keeps a drawer for just his clothing.) “You’re soaked.”

He looks down at his tunic — she’s right, he realizes. With trembling, numb hands, he begins to untie the string on his tunic. Quickly, and expectedly, Zelda takes over, unraveling the tie and slipping the shirt from his torso.

Many agonizing minutes later — every movement sends bile shooting up his throat — Link’s uniform has been exchanged for cotton sleeping clothes. Laying breathless and covered in a new sheen of sweat, his muscles scream in an all too familiar post-battle ache.

Worry dripping from her pressed brows, Zelda hovers over him, brushing his long bangs from his face. A whoosh of air escapes her lips, a strange little sound, as if she has lost her ability to speak. She swallows thickly, fingers tentatively running through his hair, massaging his scalp (Link tries to avoid leaning into her comforting touch), before squeaking out, “So… So how long has this been going on?”

Something coils deep within Link’s stomach, wrapping around his lungs and heart — and he’s pretty sure it’s not sickness. Tired eyes darting anywhere but at Zelda, his lip finds its place between his teeth once again, easily settling into that jittery tendency.

Ministrations coming to a halt and all apprehension falling away, Zelda purses her lips. “Link,” She warns, hints of scorn accompanying the uncomfortably common unease.

He stamps down the urge to recede into that stoic husk of blankness and silence. “This is Zelda. You trust her, you love her,” He reminded himself. “Um, maybe a couple of days?” It was intentionally phrased as a question — he didn’t know, really, hadn’t cared much to pay attention.

“Link!” He flinches back, expecting but still afraid of her reaction. He curls in on himself, preparing for more outrage and shock. He deserves to be scolded, most likely.

“Sorry,” He whispers, staring at the silk bed sheets.

With a heavy, burdened sigh, she drags her slim hands down her face. Exasperation lacing her tone, she speaks in a hushed voice, “Link.” Taking care, Zelda brushes his cheek and makes him look up at her. He wants to shake his head in protest at the wet, sorrowful glimmering in her eyes. “Why can’t you just ask someone for help?”

His jaw quivers, at a loss for words. Guilt plays in his heart, crushing any voice left into shambles. “It’s okay to need help. It’s okay to have moments of weakness, it’s okay to be weak. There’s no need for you to always be strong anymore, Link. There are people who want you to be happy and healthy. But you can’t do that by yourself, and we can’t help you if you don’t let us.” Distressed tears drip from her emerald eyes, and he ignores the ones threatening to fall from his own. “ Please, ” She slowly sinks down on him, pressing her head into his shoulder and wrapping her arms around him, “Just talk to me. Be open with me.”

Hot liquid cascades down his face, soaking the bed underneath him. “I’m here for you, Link.”

Shaky arms snake around her waist, and he tucks his head into the gentle crook of her neck. Link tries to ignore the stinging tears swimming in his vision, sliding off of his flushed skin; willing them away with weak blinks, to no avail. “Sorry,” He chokes, clutching her ornate dress like a lifeline.

“Shh,” She hushes, voice strained and high, “It’s alright, love, it’s alright.” Overtaken, she kisses his cheek, the tear tracks. Gentle words -- tender whispers and mutters -- tumble from her lips as they brush against his burning skin. She runs her hands through his long hair, cradling him, as she presses her lips again to his face, the freckles that map like constellations. Soft lips meet a fever-riddled forehead, then the corners of closed eyes, tears lingering in thick eyelashes. A constricted sob escapes him, his chest hiccuping against her, and she pecks the tip of his nose, red from crying and illness. “Link,” she murmurs as another strangled cry resounds throughout the room. Zelda places her shaking hands on either side of his face, caressing the scarred skin with her thumbs. She kisses the spot where that single dimple resides, the counterpart to every smile. And with an unyielding love glistening with the tears in her emerald eyes, their lips lock together.

When they break apart moments later, Zelda smiles -- a sad, tight expression -- down at him. He tries to return it with his own wobbly smile, only for his face to scrunch up painfully, sobs once again breaking from his tattered throat. Fresh tears trail down his face as Zelda pulls him to her shoulder, holding him desperately. Her words catch, and she’s left to embrace him as he cries, rocking them gently.

His hands grip further up her back, the silk wrinkling in his grasp, as his chest aches and his heart sinks. “Zelda-” Wails rip past his raw throat, muffled by her shoulder. Her hand braces the back of his head as she leaves chaste kisses on searing skin. She presses her forehead to his temple, the contact leaving her kindled. In a voice wrought with emotion, she finds herself humming -- to soothe herself, too.

Days later, it seems, his weeps dwindle down into weak whimpers. Weeks later, those too vanish. Zelda lifts her head to gaze at him, finding Link’s eyes closed, chest rising in shuddering breaths. With the pads of her thumbs, she delicately swipes at the water clinging to his lashes and freckled cheeks.

Slithering out of his iron-tight clasp, she brushes the sweat-soaked bangs from his blistering hot forehead. Eyebrows furrowing, she presses the back of her hand to his face, then his neck. “Poor thing, cried himself to sleep. And he’s burning up.” Zelda purses her lips, heartache glinting in her half-lidded eyes.

A knock at the door rouses her from her stupor. Resisting the urge to groan, Zelda eases herself from the bed (careful not to awaken Link). She smoothes out her horribly crinkled dress as she makes her way to the door. “Princess?” An older woman’s voice comes from the other side.

“Y-Yes! Coming,” Zelda calls, her voice quiet. She gives her clothing one last glance before opening the door. “Yes, what is it?”

“Oh my,” The old maid’s expression is temporarily shocked as she takes in Zelda’s appearance: bed-messed hair, cheeks flushed from crying, tired gaze, a pained look harbored in her eyes, the state of her gown. Zelda gives an uncomfortable laugh, one side of her mouth quirking up awkwardly. “Your highness, pardon me for asking, but are you alright?”

“Uh, yes! I am fine,” Zelda affirms, nodding her head, “Fit as a fiddle!”

“Are you,” A soft sound (a snore, a whine, perhaps) comes from farther in the room, “sure?” The attendant's brows press together, and she leans to look through the doorway.

Zelda quickly covers the visible gap with her body. “Yes, I am sure,” She emphasizes. “Is there anything else?” She smiles, aware of the lady’s attempts to see past her.

“It’s just that you’ve been in your room all-- I mean, do you have any particular requests for dinner?” The maid shakes her head, dismissing her earlier statement.

“Actually, could I have two bowls of soup? Nothing too rich, and could we try to avoid lots of meat?”

“Excuse me, did you say two?” The woman cocks a brow, eyes narrowing.

The princess laughs nervously, cheeks flushing. “You should’ve thought this through, Zelda.” “Yes, I am feeling especially hungry tonight!”

The maid hums suspiciously, “Two bowls of soup, then.”

“Oh! And could I get two glasses of water, as well -- very parched.” She adds, tone chipper and unsuspecting.

“Would you like a glass and a pitcher, instead?”

“No, two glasses, please.” Zelda tilts her head, fully aware of failure to deter the woman’s doubts.

“Alright, two soups and two waters. Anything else? Two deserts, maybe?”

Zelda restrains a small laugh at the jab, “That will be all, thank you.” She sends the maid off, allowing herself a sigh of relief. “I’m glad that she didn’t press for explanations too much, at least.”

She creeps back into the dim room, the foul stench of illness invading her senses. She heaves a great breath, approaching the bedside. He’s curled up now, knees tucked nearly to his chest. Each inhale is a rattling wheeze, hoarse and shallow. “Link,” She coos, sweeping her slender fingers through his matted, honey hair. “Still asleep. Good.”

Silent as possible, Zelda lifts the lid of a chest with a creak. She cringes, but swiftly retrieves a sleeping gown. Sliding out of her rumpled, elegant dress she shimmies into the laced, translucent slip. The princess laments about the smock as she steps into the washroom, “I just don’t see the need for embroidery on something that’s being worn to sleep . It’s not like anyone sees it.” She thinks of Link, “At least no one that cares what I wear.”

She snatches a small rag from the towel rack and dips it into a bucket of clean water. She shivers from the biting temperature. “Perhaps I should grab some of my clothes from home.” Zelda hums, wringing out the cloth, “It definitely wouldn’t hurt to take a trip there.” Rising to her feet, she stretches out her back, looking into the room. The figure on the bed emphasizes her point, “Soon.”

She ambles over to the bed, placing a knee on the blankets and leaning over Link. Smoothing his hair back, Zelda gingerly places the wet towel on his still boiling forehead. She bit her lip, hand lingering on his cheek. “I hope his fever goes down soon.” Stroking his skin lovingly, she lowers herself to the bed. “He’s so stressed out, a little break would do some good. Maybe I should request some leave for this coming weekend.”

“Your highness?” A meek voice calls from the door, “Dinner is here.” Sighing, and with one last tender kiss, she drifts to the door.

“Thank you,” She smiles softly, taking the tray from the maid, much younger this time. “I appreciate it.”

“Of course, milady. The soup is just as you requested -- it’s a thin poultry broth with vegetables,” The young woman informs, tilting her head towards the bowls. With a small curtsy, the servant turns away, and Zelda begins to close the door.

“Oh, and Princess?” The maid is facing her again, expression unreadable.

“Yes?” Zelda hesitates, looking over her shoulder.

“I hope you two get some rest.” Zelda’s gasp rings in the marbled hallways, her eyes widening and shoulders shooting up. If she wasn’t occupied with the food, she would be frantically fanning the fiery, embarrassed pink on her cheekbones. “That is all. Have a good evening,” The attendant’s knowing smile falls, and she retreats.

As she teeters back into the room, setting the trays on the wooden bed stand, Zelda tries to ignore the blood pumping to her face and the stinging at the tips of her ears. She takes a steadying breath. “Why do I feel the need to be embarrassed,” Reprimanding herself, her gaze settles on the sleeping knight, studying his features, “When there’s nothing to hide.”

“Link,” Her voice is like a sweet lullaby as she rubs his shoulder. “Do you think you can eat something?”

It takes a moment, but eventually Link stirs, a quiet groan as his first sign of waking. “Hmm?” He hums, her voice lulling him into consciousness. Tired eyes, puffy and red from earlier (or from sickness, too) peek open at her, hazy with fever.

“Do you think you can eat something?” She repeats, her smile light and cautious. She stares down at the warrior, noticing the sluggish blinks that are beginning to last longer. “Link,” She whispers, and he gives a small shake of his head (followed by a grimace at the motion) to keep himself awake.

“‘Can try,” his voice is hoarse, and every vibration of his vocal chords aggravates his throat -- it feels like it’s shred into ribbons. They both cringe, Zelda pursing her lips in worry.

She fetches the damp, now warm towel from his forehead, placing it on the carved headboard. She checks his temperature, frowning, “You still have a raging fever.” She wraps her arm around him, bracing him with the other, and soon he’s leaning against the pillows. “Goodness,” She exhales. He doesn’t ask what she’s referring to.

“The chef made some soup,” She announces, grabbing a bowl, steam puffing from the liquid. Taking the polished spoon in her hand, she gives the food a stir, watching as the vegetables float and shift around. “Here,” Zelda gives him the bowl, her hold lasting, lest he drop it.

“Thanks,” Link murmurs, voice scratchy. “So, wha--” The statement is interrupted by a series of wet coughs, and he brings a quaking hand up to his throat, haltingly rubbing the sore skin.

“Are you alright?” Her brow presses in worry, as she leans towards him. Link nods, face full of discomfort. “Maybe…” She starts, hesitating. “You could, um, sign instead of talking?” It’s phrased more as a question than a suggestion.

“Yeah, maybe,” He whispers, gazing down at the soup. Zelda can’t help the small laugh that tumbles from her lips, and when he realizes his lapse, he softly chuckles along with her.

“Now, let’s eat,” Zelda declares, snatching the second dish from the table, “Before it gets cold.” She hastily blows on a spoonful before tasting it. “Mm,” she hums, her voice sing-song as she practically melts.

Several minutes pass in silence, both occupied with dinner. She’s sitting across from him, knees touching, watching him frown at the food. He stirs it, takes a spoonful and slowly dumps it back into the bowl, then stirs it again -- over and over. When he sighs heavily, tilting his head back to rest against the headboard, Zelda finally intervenes. “Link,” She begins, setting her half-empty bowl to the side.

His own dish safely resting in his lap, he signs, “I know, I know.” He fixes his gaze on her, a small pout on his full lips, “I promised that I would eat a little.” Link grabs the soup again, blowing on the since chilled substance. He stares with distaste at the murky broth.

“No, that’s not what I--” Zelda shuffles forward, biting the inside of her lip. “Does your stomach really hurt that much?” She brushes his thigh, hovering near.

He angles his head to her, cobalt eyes half-lidded and glazed over. He quirks his mouth to the side and gives his shoulders a gentle toss. “I guess,” Link glances back at the soup, and his face blanches, “Yeah,” He decides, thrusting the bowl towards her. She’s afraid he might vomit, but instead, he simply pulls the downy covers higher up his shuddering body.

“Alright then,” She places the dishes back on the trays, her eyes briefly studying the opulently decorated metal. The princess slides closer, and she envelopes him, her arms tucked underneath his. He groans, leaning forward to place his head on her shoulder, exposed from her gown’s wide neckline. “Oh,” She breathes, blowing away the pieces of his hair tickling her skin, “Tired?” A small nod, and her face softens, a small smile peeking through her concerned demeanor.

She pecks his mop of hair, snuggling into his warmth. “Why don’t we go to bed?” She hums, and he can feel the comforting reverberation of her chest, “Alright?” Zelda places a sloppy kiss on his forehead, making more distance between them, and Link whines at the loss of contact. It’s hard to keep his eyes open as he watches Zelda’s pleasantly pink lips curve into a perceptive smile. “C’mon,” She beckons, moving to rest her back against the headboard. Her hand pats her thigh.

“Oh,” Link exhales, and he tries not to break into a violent coughing fit. Hesitantly, he sets his head into her lap, curling up on his side.

“I’m sorry that you’re so sick, love,” She mumbles as her fingers begin to sift through his golden locks. Her nails gently scrape against his scalp and he leans into her touch, his scarred hands clinging to her gown. Zelda examines his face: the red-rimmed eyes, swollen and tightly closed; the splattered freckles and supple lips. Sticking out her bottom lip, she proposes, “Link, darling, do you need anything? Water, or-”

He shakes his head curtly, the motion hardly detectable. “S’fine,” Link slurs, nearing the brink of sleep. Her lips curl upwards, the sweet smile lifting her solemn face. “Love you,” he whispers, cuddling into her as she twirls a tendril of honey hair.

“I love you too, more than you can imagine,” The cherished song is natural as it reaches his ears, Zelda’s voice lilting blissfully. As the knight begins to fade from reality, he can faintly sense his princess adjusting the blanket around him, tucking it near his face and swaddling him in a grounding warmth. The ocean-orbed champion drifts off with fondness in his heart and his other half sorting his hair into sloppy plaits.

For the second time in the same evening, Zelda is startled awake by panicked thrashing. “Huh?” She jolts upward, met with a horrendous crack of her neck and blurry vision. Her head nearly slams back onto the headboard, but she resists. Her heart leaps as she frantically scans the room, a drowning sense of wrong overtaking her.

Whimpering fills her ears and she finally has the mind to look down, to the knight resting fitfully, his head on her thigh. His mop of hair spills from its clumsy braid, cascading over her leg, as he shifts continuously. She presses her hand to Link’s forehead, flinching back at the temperature. “The fever has only grown worse.” Zelda harbors a deep breath, cupping her own face. “Maybe I could-”

He jolts awake, his head nearly colliding with her own. “Link!” She calls as his body jerks upwards. He doesn’t answer, only throwing the thick blankets away from himself. “Link?” She tries again as his legs rapidly swing over the bed and his feet hit the floor. He lurches forward, stumbling into the wash-closet, and her heart sinks.

By the time she’s raced over, crouching next to him, he’s already leaning over a wooden bucket. “Goddess,” Zelda’s voice, high pitched and frightened, wavers, as she scrambles to gather his hair. “I-I’m so sorry, Link, I’m so-” Her breath hitches as her shaky hands rub lopsided circles on his violently spasming back, “Sorry.” He veers forward again, a choked cry passing his lips.

Minutes of torment and dry heaving later, Link’s leaning against Zelda, both exhausted. The princess cradles him in her arms, her nimble fingers instinctively tracing familiar triangles into his warm skin. Every inhale he draws is shuddering, his arms wrapping limply around his abdomen. Zelda bites her lip, watching as his pale face scrunches in pain.

She bitterly curses herself; curses the part of her that’s thankful for his trust in her -- trust to reveal pain. “How could that even cross your mind right now?!”

“Link,” Her voice is meek, but it still makes his muscles tense, goosebumps littering his skin. “I have to get help,” She rolls one of her shoulders, sore from supporting Link.

“N-No,” He tries, his voice even gravellier than before and less than a wheeze. A corner of his thoughts wonder if she can hear him, but his limbs are too numb and heavy to begin to sign. “Jus’ g-gimme a momen’. I’ll be fine,” Link croaks, tired eyes shifting to look up at her through thick, wet eyelashes.

She purses her lips, her eyebrows gathering in scorn, “Absolutely not ,” She lifts her hands from him, his loss at her ministrations clear, to show him that she’s serious. “You are sick, Link, really sick. And I’ll be damned if I let you die from some illness that got out of hand because you couldn’t swallow your pride and accept that I’m here and willing to help you.”

Abruptly, she launches up and whips around to the other side of him, to see his face. He nearly falls back without her support, but braces himself with his hands. His newfound balance is almost lost at her expression -- cold hard determination. Link visibly gulps. “I refuse to lose you.”

Zelda surges forward, enveloping him in a warm hug. His face is shoved into her shoulder, her sunflower hair tickling his nose -- he can smell the lavender and hyrule herb in it. Her hand weaves its way through his locks, her opposite arm wrapping around his waist. Link takes a shuddering breath -- and let’s his body grow lax, sinking into her embrace. His fingers fiddle absently with the hem of her slack gown.

She mumbles something, the gentle sound of her voice relaxing, and his eyes flutter closed. He ebbs from consciousness, safe in Zelda’s arms. By the time she murmurs, “Link?” he’s too far gone.

“Are you asleep?” Zelda cranes her neck to peek at him. She smiles fondly, cherishing his placid expression. After a brief moment of contemplation, the princess decides that she’ll allow a few more minutes -- after all, it seems to be his first fitless rest. Leaning her head against his, she takes a deep breath, allowing her eyes to drift shut. “Do not fall asleep, Zelda,” She warns, too aware of her waning sense of waking, “Lest you wake up on the washroom floor tomorrow morning with an even sicker hero.”

It seems the tranquil scene, much like a second of breath, is over all too soon. But the stomach churning stench calls to Zelda’s attention. She bites her lip, considering her options. No matter what, she’s going to need someone. As soon as the first needle of anxiety pricks her heart, her mind is racing -- “Who can I trust?”

In some distant corner of her mind, she recalls something. “‘Oh, and princess?’” her mind echoes, “‘I hope you two get some rest.’” The maid! A murky, distorted image of the young brunette flashes before her. In her excitement, Zelda hardly notices the sleeping Link beginning to slip from her arms. “Oh!” She cries, rushing to catch him. “He must really be out,” She whispers, holding him securely once again.

The princess heaves a steadying breath, her lips pursed and quirked to the side, emerald eyes uncertain. “Link?” Naturally, she’s careful with her volume. With no answer, she’s louder than before, “Link.”

Her persistence causes him to stir, shoulders twitching and eyelids fluttering. “Mm?” Link croaks painfully, “Zel’a?” His ocean orbs are hardly revealed for a fleeting moment, before fully disappearing as he hisses at the dim candle light.

“Yeah. I’m going to move you okay? Against the wall-” She’s informing, but it seems he’s already gone again, his chin to his chest. Briefly, Zelda stretches her legs, her grip on him tight, but not harmful. She tucks her hands underneath his armpits and hoists him upward, urgently pulling his limp body forward and to the tiled walls. After easing Link down, his back against the wall, Zelda straightens her body. “ That wasn’t so hard ,” She groans, straightening her back, “Maybe I’ve gotten stronger.” Another thought occurs to her, “Or maybe he’s just gotten lighter.” She desperately shakes it from her head.

“There’s more important things to worry about,” She reminds herself. “So, the maid, how should I get to her, and- Zelda, what could be more important?” Her mind cries, tears of frustration stinging her eyes, “Focus, Zelda. If you do this, that can be helped too.” With a laborious breath, she begins to pace the small room, her bare feet slapping against the ground as a plan comes to inception.

Before anything, the princess lugs one of the massive extra blankets from the bed over to her sleeping night, draping it over his shivering body. With one last check of his temperature ( “It’s getting worse.” ) she whispers, “I’ll be back soon, Link.” As expected, he doesn’t respond outside of shallow, quivering breaths.

With a borrowed cloak, belonging to none other than her restless champion, and a flickering candle, Zelda sneaks from the chambers, cautiously slipping through the grand, hand engraved doors. Her face illuminated by the small light, the princess deftly avoids the knights on patrol, their tight schedules burned into her memory. A small smile paints her face as she navigates the halls, reminded of times from Before.

(A calloused, warm hand pulling on her own too well protected hand. Her incessant giggles echoing off the imposingly glorious walls as his gentle voice tries and fails to hush her.)

Zelda clips a right, eyes shifting to each side. Despite the nervousness racing through her heart, she recalls her memories with fondness.

(She looks up at the lanterns, strewn from building to building, mouth agape and eyes bright. She turns to face him, and her smile only growing wider as she watches his stoic facade melt away under the glow of the stars, moon, and festivities.)

Zelda’s almost there, just past the kitchen and dining hall, then down a short staircase. She gulps, small goosebumps littering her flesh -- the castle is colder at night, especially towards the west wing.

(It’s her first festival held by the townsfolk. Her father hadn’t orchestrated this; it was all of these people before her. If she were honest with herself, she wouldn’t hesitate to say that she preferred the lively, but yet homely, atmosphere over the chaos of the royal events. The smells of home-baked goods and flower petals sprinkled on the ground were more appealing than the smells of gunpowder and sweaty men.)

Steeling herself, the princess takes her first step down the tight corridor, towards the maids’ quarters. She waves the candle around, hoping to brighten the black hallway.

(She asks him the day before -- “Could you take me there? To the festival?” She had heard word of it floating about the women that always tended to her bedroom. At first, he looks awestruck, but then his expression hardens. Before he can voice his opposition, she blurts, “Listen, I know it breaks protocol and code, but I’ve never been to one… Nothing like this. I just want to feel what it’s like to be… part of my people. To be normal, I suppose.” He can’t say no to her pleading eyes, or the genuinity to her words. Later that day, he’s sure to purchase her some ordinary clothing.)

Zelda considers herself fortunate for the roster tacked to the wall. It has every name and every corresponding shift. And room. Racking her brain for the maid’s name, Zelda frantically scans the list.

(The night of the festival -- The People’s Festival was its name -- Zelda waits anxiously for his signal, clad in her common garb and the braid he had hastily done for her earlier. As the time teeters towards 1:00, his knuckles rap on her bedroom door. She launches for the door, but waits for the seventh knock, following a pattern they had designed. He cracks the door open for her, and she slips into the darkness with him, creeping down the castle hallways.)

After finding the girl’s name, thank Hylia, Zelda tiptoes towards her room, Link’s cloak billowing behind her. Standing outside the door, she bites her lip. “Is this the right choice? ”

(She’s not surprised when the first thing he pulls her to is a food stand. Apple pie -- his favorite. She smiles warmly, the scent of cinnamon and apples wafting towards her. Only after he’s leading them somewhere else does she realize that he paid, and that there is only one. But he offers her a fork, anyway. As she takes the first bite, followed by him, and then her again, she momentarily wonders if he’s bothered by this. She lightly huffs, feeling funny in the face -- but she notices the small pink to his freckled cheeks. She takes another bite of the delicious, home-baked dessert, and subconsciously knows that it’ll forever be a reminder of him. No wonder it’s his favorite, she muses to herself. Suddenly, he holds up his finger, handing her the treat and disappearing into the crowd. She’s stranded, but feels no alarm, only a peculiar sense of nostalgia and magical excitement washing over her.)

Creaking the door open, Zelda glares into the room. It’s chock full of women and girls, extra futons placed on the ground, even one or two sleeping on the floor. The princess shuffles in, keeping the door cracked. She makes her way around the room, hoping to find the one she’s searching for.

(He emerges from a flock of people, expertly dodging the streams of festival-goers to reach her. She smiles at him, and he grins back, like a little kid -- she stamps the butterflies in her stomach and grounds the soaring of her heart. He thrusts a dish towards her. It’s her favorite. Fruit cake. The exquisitely decorated slice is topped with fresh fruit, maybe from a personal garden, and encircled by a variety of flowers. In the middle sits a fully blossomed silent princess. She doesn’t think about how the plant is rare or endangered, only left to admire the beauty of the arrangement. Unbeknownst to her, tears begin to collect in the corners of her emerald eyes. He fumbles, frantically trying to make things better. He wonders if he overstepped his boundaries. After a moment, she smiles at him, softly reassuring that he did nothing wrong. “It reminds me of my mother.”)

At last, Zelda stumbles upon her, sprawled out on a futon, tangled in a threadbare blanket. She makes a note: better staff housing. She allows the candle to soak the girl’s young face in light. Her eyelids twitch, and hesitantly Zelda breathes her name.

(The sun is peeking over the horizon when they are entering the castle gardens. She laughs jovially, and she prides herself at his small, unsure chuckles. It’s something. Her braid sways in the morning breeze, the flowers from the cake -- and from a small bouquet he insists he didn’t buy -- woven remarkably into her sunflower hair. She tells him that he should do her hair everyday. “Why are you so good at it anyway? I mean, you don’t even do your hair up this nice. Sometimes you look like a dirty toddler who’s been running around on the streets, no offense.”

He giggles lightly, before a soft smile highlights his features -- the single dimple she hadn’t noticed before. He tells her it’s because he has to do his younger sister’s hair. Or, he used to have to, before he became her personal guard. She can’t help but feel guilty as he continues. “I don’t see her often, but she always asks me to do her hair when I do. So, I want to be better every time.”)

The girl jolts awake, launching upwards. “Who’s there?!” She screeches, and Zelda is quick to clamp her palm over the maid’s mouth. After recognition flashes in her eyes, Zelda lowers her hand. “Princess?” She gawks, mouth agape.

“I need you to help me,” Zelda hisses, tone urgent. This needs to be quick.

“Wha-What would you need my help with-” Panic flashes on her face, and she abruptly changes her statement’s direction, “I mean, how can I be of service, Your Majesty?”

“Come outside,” Zelda says, standing. She slips from the room, leaving the girl to clamber out of bed.

(As they approach the edge of the garden, and the entrance to the castle itself, a figure stands imposingly before them. He’s a distance away, but his anger is clear. They get closer and her laughter dies and his face turns white as a sheet. It’s the king. It’s her father. “Oh Hylia,” Her knight breathes, sick to his stomach.

She murmurs something, a nervous rambling, as they stop in their tracks. Clenching her fists, she turns to him, eyes set with determination. “Whatever happens,” She exclaims, “Thank you for this! I will never forget it. Thank you, Link.”

He swallows, soft cheeks those mysterious shade of pink again -- are his ears pink too? -- and gives her a shaky smile. “Anytime, Zelda. ”)

Zelda wishes the cherished memory could last longer, take her away from reality, but as she and the maid drag heavy buckets of frigid water through the corridor, the situation washes over her. Emotions come in waves, crests of anxiety — “Is he okay? Goddess, please let him be okay.” — followed by troughs of frantic reassurance — “He’ll be okay. He is okay.”

The princess if fully aware of how she’s leaving a sopping trail behind her, the water sloshing over the edge in her frenzy to return to him. She can hear the maid’s sharp footsteps falling behind, but she heads no mind as she rushes forward, ignoring the pulling of her muscles at the heavy weight. She wills her body to move, despite the exhaustion seeping into her bones.

As the grand doors of her bedroom become visible, her heart thuds erratically, and she nearly ceases to breath as she surges forward, a deep coil of anxiety springing from her gut. The blood pumping in her ears becomes overwhelming as she draws nearer. Clumsily, she slams her hip into the door, launching it open. It collides with the wall, a clatter resulting throughout the corridor. At this point, Zelda doesn’t care if the entire castle is awakened, or if the guards come rushing to her quarters wielding brandished blades. Just as long as she gets to see him.

She drags the buckets of water along with her, almost half of their contents already soaking her overly ornate sleeping slip. She swallows thickly, tripping on her own breath as she crosses the threshold into the washroom. Her bare feet touch the ice-cold stone and her lungs suddenly feel desperate for oxygen. With little grace -- unfit for a princess -- Zelda lets the handles of the water buckets slip from her hands.

She drops to her knees, shuffling towards Link, snatching a withering candlestick. She finds herself stumbling over a thick blanket, and as she uses the light’s flickering glow, Zelda finds Link tangled up in the bulky comforter, slumped against the wall. Carefully, she sets the light on the ground and crawls forward to grab his arm and begin rousing him awake. For a moment, she is frozen staring at him, and the way his eyebrows are pressed together and how the dying light casts strange shadows on his face.

“Princess?” The maid enters the room, her meak voice breaking Zelda from her daze. For a reason Zelda can’t place, she finds herself gripping Link’s arm more firmly -- almost protectively -- as she glances over her shoulder. The girl has placed her own pails on the ground, and she uncomfortably wrings her hands, eyes flitting about the dim room. They land on Zelda, and past her, Link. Her expression draws together in an emotion akin to pity, and she can’t help the comment that slips, “He looks quite ill.” It’s shortly followed by a gasp and rushed apologies, but Zelda doesn’t think much about it as she looks back at him.

She purses her lips, heart constricting painfully, as she responds quietly, “Yes.” She runs her hand across her haggard face, releasing a sigh deep from her chest. Tenderly, she adjusts the blanket around her knight, before nimbly rising and facing the maid. “Let’s get started.”

Together, Zelda and the maid manage to successfully heat the water and empty the buckets into the linen-lined washbasin. Quickly, the princess tosses in various herbal salts, followed by a thick liquid with a rich scent. The maid watches as it swirls in the water, creating small suds. She glances upwards, only to find Zelda staring intently at her. The girl stammers, body tensing with nervousness.

“Thank you,” Zelda ducks her head, expression worn but grateful. “I couldn’t have done this by myself.” Her piercing emerald eyes meet the maid’s, and the dark rings underneath them become increasingly apparent. “I’ll insure that you’re rewarded.”

“Oh--! That’s unnecessary, your highne--” She begins, only to find that the princess has already turned away, looking towards her knight. The girl smiles dismally, before softly closing the chamber’s doors and disappearing down the dark hallway.

“Link?” Zelda tries, to no avail. “Link, please wake up.” Gently, she grasps his shoulder, causing him to stir. She inches closer, studying his face as it scrunches up. “Are you--?” His hand comes up to unsteadily rub at his eye.

“Hey.” She catches a glimpse of cobalt blue, flashing from between thick eyelashes. With a small shiver, shimming deeper into the blanket, he looks up at her, wearing a small grin.

Zelda heaves a sigh of relief, her shoulders falling as she rests her face on her palm. “How do you always manage to scare me?” He chuckles softly, weakly, before his hand moves to rest on her side. He rests his head against the wall, eyes falling closed. “Hey now,” Zelda speaks lowly, fingers tapping his warm cheek, “I drew you a bath, and then we can go back to bed.”

He hums drowsily, “That was nice of you, Zel.”

Tucking her hands underneath his arms, she laughs, “I can’t tell if you’re being serious or not. And…,” She hoists him onto his feet, “Up we go.” He giggles lightly as she guides him over to the beautifully carved washbasin and begins peeling off his soaked nightclothes. Bracing him, she helps him climb into the tub, watching as he sinks into the warm water, tension evaporating.

“Mm,” He exhales, soothed by the feeling of Zelda running her fingers through his hair. She smiles tenderly, pouring water over his head.

“Your hair is so unbelievably tangled,” She states matter-of-factly, combing soap through the honey tendrils. She purses her lips, carefully working on a particularly stubborn knot. After finding success in her task, Zelda cups water into her hands and rinses Link’s hair of the suds. He gasps, and she looks at him curiously. Narrowing her eyes, a sly smile on her face, she sniggers, “You were falling asleep, weren’t you?”

He looks up at her, embarrassed, a small cough exhibiting his surprise, “P-possibly.” Zelda laughs softly, her soapy hand concealing her mouth, only for her to chuckle loudly moments later. Link pouts at her indignantly, cocking an eyebrow.

“Sorry,” Traces of amusement still accentuate her speech, but Link sighs, letting it go as their usual playful banter. “All done,” She pats his head, retrieving a towel from next to her. She gingerly dries his hair, then hands it off to him. “I’m going to fetch you some clean clothing. Will you be fine alone for a moment?” He nods, and she disappears from the washroom.

She returns moments later with a fresh set of night linens, which he promptly changes into to ward off the cold pricking at his skin. As he finishes dressing, Link watches Zelda tug the cumbersome comforter back into the bedroom. He shuffles out to the quarters, approaching Zelda quietly from behind. Raising his hands, he reaches out to scare her, only for her to whip around violently.

“Oh!” Both of their eyes widen, before he chuckles, his arms dropping back to his sides. Zelda quirks a brow, smiling inquisitively, “Now, what were you doing?”

“Hmm,” He hums, cupping his chin, lips puckered in mock-pondering, “What a very good question.”

“Mmmhmm,” She answers, doubt at his beguilement. Zelda rolls her eyes, flicking his arm. Link yawns, prompting Zelda to latch onto his hand, pulling him towards the newly blanketed bed. “Come on, let’s get you to bed.” They slink underneath the covers, and she pulls him close.

Tenderly brushing her fingers through his damp hair, she whispers quietly, “Are you feeling any better?” He nods into her shoulder, soft breath sweeping across her skin. “Mm, that’s good.” Swaddled in the snug covers and his comforting (albeit unhealthy) warmth, all of Zelda’s forgotten fatigue washes in like a tidal wave.

And as she senses her protector, now the protected, drift off, she couldn't be more thankful for the moment. Softly kissing the top of his head, she sighs serenely, “Thank you, Link.” He doesn’t answer, already asleep, but she knows that he receives and understands her sentiment. “Thank you for trusting me. I love you, so very much.”

tysm for reading!! pls lemme know what u guys thought or what u would recommend for this story! sorry that the ending is so rushed haha, but i wanted to get it finished,,, ohh, i don't think that i'll make another update for this fic, since i think it's wrapped up pretty nicely, but i do have lots of projects underway! there's something big coming and i can't wait to share it with you all!

anyway, hope u guys all had a merry christmas and happy holidays! feel free to tell me about it in the comments! <333 ilysm

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a-gay-bloodmage · 5 years

Text

—Shopping—

Pairing: Leliana x Female Tabris

Pairing Type: F/F

Words: 1,864

Warnings: Treat Your Girlfriend Right, Bisexuals Love Shoes and that's just a Fact, Local Woman Has Never Been Treated to a Shopping Trip in Her Life, Girlfriend Must Remedy That Immediately

"Birdie..." Leliana felt a little tug on her shirt, making her turn around. Faelyn's eyes were downcast, her floppy ears drooping.

Leliana crouched down, tucking a strand of hair behind her lover's ear. "Is something wrong?" She asked. The poor elf looked like she'd done something horrible, but Leliana couldn't fathom what.

"I have a hole in my boot." She looked like she was about to cry.

Leliana looked to Faelyn's feet, noticing for the first time how worn the leather boots really were. She could see wool socks beneath the frayed brown leather, nearly poking out at the toes. "Bunny," she sighed, shaking her head. At Faelyn's movement to crouch into herself, Leliana gently held her face. "Why didn't you say something earlier? I'm not cross with you, but your poor feet... they must be aching!"

Faelyn shook her head. "I couldn't see my socks before," she said. "And my feet are okay. I only found... uh, two blisters yesterday. I think..." She bit her lip in thought. "Maybe three. I don't know... I can't remember."

Leliana let out a deep breath, standing back up. "Well," she said, "I think this means you're in sore need of new shoes."

Faelyn quickly shook her head no. "I can patch them!" She grabbed Leliana's shirt. "Birdie! Don't spend your coin on something I can patch!"

Sometimes, Faelyn looked and acted so much like a princess Leliana forgot the fact that she came from an Alienage. That most days, she probably had hardly enough for food, or not enough at all. The poor thing hardly knew how to spend—she didn't have one bit of practice. Well, today was the day she would learn.

"Bunny, we are going shopping," Leliana said, straightening her back. She shushed her before she could protest. "The Landsmeet is in two days. You're going to be wearing the best shoes in Denerim, and that's a promise." Faelyn looked like she could hardly comprehend the words coming from Leliana's mouth. Leliana took the elf's small, warm hand in hers. "You've spent so long wading through the mud of this country in ill-fitting armor," she said, voice kind yet firm. "You've sacrificed your time and damn near your life for Thedas, and today I intend to show you some gratitude. Not as much as you deserve, no, I could never dream to match that, but as much as I can. Let me be your humble Orlesian for the day, my Warden." She held Faelyn's hand as she bowed to kiss it. When she looked up, she saw the utter glee in Faelyn's eyes, her buck-toothed smile, and her ears standing straight out and occasionally twitching.

"You- you really want to?" She asked, sounding out of breath. "You want to... treat me... like a, a princess?" Leliana nodded and Faelyn positively squealed in delight, bouncing up and down. "Oh, Birdie!" She pulled Leliana into a tight hug. "Oh, can we go now? Pretty please?"

"Of course!" Leliana laughed, hugging her back. "Now, time to replace those shoes!"

• • ♡ • •

Faelyn led her by the hand through the streets of Denerim, along the crowded cobblestone streets lined in homes and shops and beggars. As was her nature, every beggar got a silver, but Leliana couldn't bring herself to stop the elf from giving away so much coin. Leliana had more than enough in her coin purse. Eamon had been very generous after his and Leliana's conversation about gratitude to a certain elf.

"And there's this little shop that Mrs. Dalia runs that you have to go into! She makes these little trinket-thingies out of copper and iron and they're just so cute!" Faelyn rambled on. Leliana was listening to every word. Her lispy, dopey voice was music to Leliana's ears. "If we have any coin left for spending, we should visit!"

"We most certainly will," Leliana smiled, nodding. Faelyn's delighted smile set the promise in stone. She was pulled along into the Alienage, giving each elven beggar two silvers, a smile, and a say hello to so-and-so for me! Everybody took each of her little gifts with a smile equal to hers.

The Alienage really was its own little city, and Leliana was glad to see it back to what she presumed was its more normal state after the mess that went down not that long ago. With the Vints gone, there seemed to be a considerable deal more joy in the elven slums. Children ran by chasing wiry little dogs and cats, only stopping to say hello to the Warden. It was obvious Faelyn was incredibly happy being addressed as Faelyn as opposed to Warden or Rabbit or Knife-ear.

"Hello, Ms. Yielvra!" Faelyn called out as she pulled Leliana through the low door of the elven cobbler's. A thin, elderly elven woman looked up from a project on her countertop, smiling in surprise as she saw Faelyn.

"Miss Tabris!" She smiled, holding a hand to her chest. "How nice it is to see you!" Faelyn leaned forward on the counter, ears twitching in excitement. "I didn't get to see you when you came back that month ago," she sighed. "How are you, dear?"

"Very good, despite all the Blight," Faelyn giggled. "This is Leliana!" She grinned, turning and pulling Leliana into a tight hug. "We're out shopping today!"

"Nice to meet you, shemlen," Yielvra said, obviously unsure of how to address a human in her shop.

"Not just any shemlen," Faelyn said, "she's my shemlen!"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, madame," Leliana said, giving the woman a shallow bow. "Faelyn's boots are in dire need of a replacement," she smiled, rubbing Faelyn's shoulder affectionately. "And she mentioned you were an excellent craftsman."

The old lady flushed a little, nodding. "Ah, well, I'll go look in the back for shoes her size," she said, collecting up the miscellaneous parts on the counter and scurrying off to the back.

"Remember," Leliana said, giving Faelyn a kiss on the forehead, "anything you want." She blushed a little, smiling and nodding.

Yielvra came back, arms full of shoes in a dozen colours. "Feel free to try them all on," she smiled, crow's feet around her bright eyes deepening.

Faelyn cooed over the shoes, and Leliana couldn't hold back her excitement, either. Shoes held a special place in her heart.

"Oh, Bunny," Leliana said, holding a pair of petite little flats. The leather had been carefully dyed a light greenish blue, the buckles polished iron. "Aren't these the cutest little things?"

Faelyn's pretty pink lips fell open a little as she touched the shoes ever so carefully. She nodded.

"Here," Leliana said, leading her over to a chair in the corner of the tiny shop. She sat the elf down, kneeling before her. "Let's try them on, yes?" It was wonderful to see Faelyn looking so happy being treated like the princess she was.

Worn boots were taken off and replaced with the pretty little flats. They fit like gloves, perfectly shaped for Faelyn's feet. The elf wiggled in happiness, swaying her feet a little to test them out.

"Walk around a little," Leliana smiled, taking Faelyn's hand. She led her around the shop, watching her positively bounce. "I think we'll take them!" Leliana said to Yielvra, who was watching the pair with soft eyes. "How much?"

"I usually charge fifty silvers for a pair like that, but-"

"Fifty?" Faelyn sighed, visibly deflating.

"I'd be willing to make a discount for the Warden," Yielvra continued.

"Nonsense," Leliana said, walking up to the counter. "We've more than enough."

"Birdie..."

Leliana shushed her, smiling softly down at the elf. "Let me count it out," she said. "You just wait, alright?" Faelyn nodded, standing as she bounced on her toes.

"So, finally find someone, huh, Miss Tabris?" Yielvra asked. Leliana watched the exchange out of the corner of her eye.

Faelyn nodded, a soft smile on her lips. "She's very sweet," she said. "Even if she's a human, she doesn't act like they do around here." She was leaning against the counter, her big aquamarine eyes soft and shimmering in the sunlight streaming into the shop.

Yielvra patted Faelyn on the head, smiling in that way kind old ladies do. "Has she met your father yet?"

Faelyn giggled. "Her and Daddy got along very well," she said, nodding. "He wasn't so much a fan of my mabari, but Pup won him over eventually!" Leliana had treasured her time in the Tabris household, and Cyrion had been ever so sweet to her. She and him had spoken for a while in private, and the greyed old man had nearly cried, telling her how much it meant to him that his daughter was happy. She wouldn't deny that she got a little choked up, too.

"Oh, your father gets along with everyone," Yielvra smiled, taking the finished count of coin from Leliana. "Well, you two have a good day, alright?"

"Will do, Ms. Yielvra!" Faelyn called out as they left, grinning. She swung the bag that held her old boots in the hand that wasn't interclasped with Leliana's. She was going to give them to her dog to chew on, as he had a certain fondness for old leather.

By the end of the day, Faelyn had a new, silky white dress and a new hairpin they'd bought at Dalia's trinket shop, and she looked downright adorable. Her hair was pinned up in a braided bun, her lithe frame was draped in the prettiest dress, and her eyes were complimented by a pair of shoes that matched their beautiful colour.

It took no shortage of effort on Leliana's part to get her out of her new clothes at the end of the day, but she had to admit that sliding the elf out of her dress and into a frilly nightgown was fun.

"Birdie?" Faelyn asked, her face hardly visible in the dark bedroom of the Denerim estate.

"Yes, Bunny?" Leliana rolled on her side to face the elf, who was staring at the wooden beams above her.

"Thank you," she said, a soft, genuine smile on her lips. "It was really nice of you to treat me to a day out like that. You didn't have to."

"I wanted to," Leliana said, brushing a lock of blonde hair from Faelyn's face. "I enjoy seeing you so happy."

"You can make me happy in a million ways," Faelyn said back, shaking her head. "I know that gifts are just... things, but it means a lot. I've never had someone so willing to just... get me things before." She swallowed before she continued. "And you didn't even think of the cost. You just... wanted to make me happy."

Leliana hummed softly in agreement. "Making you happy makes me happy, Bunny." She gave her a quick kiss on the forehead. "Life has been so chaotic that just spending a day with you, not a care in the world, such a thing is priceless." She laid down fully, cuddling up against the tiny elf.

Faelyn's smile was wide despite her fatigue. "I love you," she said, voice soft.

"I love you, too."

#femslashfeb2019 #dragon age #dragon age origins #da leliana #da warden #leliana x warden #fanfiction #original content #faelyn tabris #GOD i love them #sweet sweet babies

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freesneezes4every1 · 5 years

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Can I request Keith getting sick with this type of galra illness that's similar to a bad cold/sinus infection but worse and makes him sneeze a lot while on and of times his eyes turn into his galra eyes. He feels terrible but Krolia is there to take care of him. This happens post s7 when they make it back to earth. Kosmo is also there to give Keith emotional support and cuddles. Both Kosmo and Krolia makes sure he doesn't try to run off to settle his duties on the garrison (stern mom Krolia).

Oh my god, yes! Of course you can! My first request, I’m so excited!

I have to admit though, that I haven’t even finished season three (I’m still not ready for clone!Shiro and Keith joining the BOM), so there might be mistakes.

Anyway, as requested some bonding time between Krolian and Keith with a hint of broganes (sry, I couldn’t resist) and a lot of sneezing. I hope you enjoy it!

Everything began with a sneeze.

Keith had felt off all morning. At first, he blamed it on all the stress he’d had recently and not having slept well the night before, but soon enough his throat started to scratch and he felt a headache coming on.

Nothing of this, however, could stop him from doing his work. There was so much to do; all the meetings and briefings he had to attend, the training of the new pilots, spending bonding time with his lion, practising hand-to-hand combat with Shiro who was still getting used to his new prothesis… by the afternoon, he was pretty sure he was running a temperature and it was showing.

“Are you good? You don’t look too hot.”, Shiro asked worriedly. Keith looked a little more sweaty and out of breath than he usually would after training and he hadn’t even been going hard on him.

“Sure. I’m fine.” He was the black Paladin for heaven’s sake! He was needed and couldn’t throw a sickie, right now.

“Maybe you should take it a little easier.” The older boy sighed at the look Keith gave him. “Well, thanks for training with me. When I come back from the recon flight in a few days, I’ll make sure you get a few hours off and we can go on a hoverbike race like in the old days.”

“Sounds great! When do you have to go, anyway?”

“In about half an hour. I should better be going now before Iverson throws a fit. Don’t overdo it!”

They hugged each other goodbye and if Shiro felt him shiver against his chest, he was generous enough not to comment on it.

Keith was sweaty and achy and a shower wouldn’t be the worst thing, right now, but he didn’t have the time for it. He had promised Krolia to meet up with her and Kolivan.Tiredly, he run his hands over his face brushing his nose which set off a tickle. Had his sinuses been prickling like this the whole time?

He quickly made his way to the changing rooms but didn’t get far. He stopped dead in his tracks as he felt a sneeze overcome him. “Hgtshh!”, he stifled. Unfortunately it didn’t stay by just one. It never did. “Hih yishh! Ish! Igshiii! Hihhh ihh itshhh!” He moaned in the aftermath. The itch still hadn’t vanished completely and- what was wrong with his eyes? Had the room been this bright the whole time?

He squeezed his eyes shut, but it was too late. The light caused the prickling sensation in his sinuses to return and before he could get a tissue from his bag, he was overwhelmed again by a sneeze forcing its way out of his nose. “Hrshiii! Hishh! Hih Ishh!” Before he could brace himself, he was set off once again by a soft tissue brushing against his nose. “Itshhh! Hih ih ihhh Tshii! Tshhh!”, he sneezed into it.

When he was done, he opened his eyes again. This time the room seemed significantly darker and the light didn’t set him off again. He looked up to see Krolia pressing the tissue against his nose and looking down worriedly at him. He blushed becoming aware of the fact he’d basically sneezed into his mother’s hand. He opened his mouth to apologize but the tissue that was still pressed firmly against his nose prevented him from talking. He briefly wondered what his mother was doing here. Had he lost track on time once again?

“Blow!”, Krolia ordered making no move to pull back.

Keith tried to take the tissue from her but she didn’t seem to get the hint, so he had no other choice but to actually do as he’d been told. His flush deepened when he buried his nose into the Kleenex and emptied it with a gurgling sound. The blowing affected his throat and he went into a forceful coughing fit soon after.

Krolia pulled back her hand disposing the soaked tissue with a worried expression on her face, before she went back to her son. “You should’ve said you’re sick!”, she scolded.

“I’m fine. Sorry if I kept you-huhh! and Kolivan wahhh- waiting.”, Keith was barely able to answer already fighting off another annoying tickle. This cold sucked! “I’ll be right hih! there. Ihhh hih igtsh! Itshh!”

She sighed.“Keith, do you think I’m a good mother?”

This question put Keith off. He looked at her with a puzzled expression not understanding how they’d gotten there. “Of course, you’re a good mother! Why-“

“Woulda good mother allow their kid to work while sick?”

He should’ve known that would backfire. “It’s important! I have too much to do to be sick right now! Besides, it’s only a cold, so I’ll be fine.”

“It’s not a cold, Keith. I’m not sure if you’re aware of it, but when you sneezed your eyes turned purple which means the virus is interacting with your alien gens, so you ought to have a galran sickness. I think, it’s probably a sinus paranasalis which is equivalent to the human cold but will be worse for you because your human form is weaker.”

Well, that explained why the room had appeared to be so much brighter all of a sudden. Keith knew he should probably be more worried about the whole sickness and his eyes turning purple thingy, but every thought that wasn’t drowned out by the deep tiredness settling upon him, was dedicated to all the things he still had to get done today.

Just when he was about to tell her that he couldn’t possibly afford to take the day off, Kosmo appeared out of nowhere (like usually). He looked back and forth between mother and son like he was trying to figure out into which situation he’d beamed himself (Keith’s fever had to be very high) and barked at them. Suddenly, Keith found himself in his bedroom with Krolia grinning triumphantly at him.

“Good boy!”, she praised Kosmo who wagged his tail, then she turned back to Keith who was still staring puzzled at his new surroundings. She stepped closer slipping her hand under his bangs in order to measure his temperature. “You’re burning up, Keith! Off to bed with you! I’ll send a message to Lance to ask him to cover you. The world is not going to stop turning just because you take a day off.”

But what if it did?

“Besides, you really need the rest. Selfcare is important!”

Well, that was interesting! “Interesting statement from somebody who never took a day off in their whole life! Kolivan has told me everything about that one time you were stabbed 16 times and still volunteered for the next mission two days later.”

Krolia pursed her lips obviously not happy about Kolivan betraying her like this. “Get into bed! Do as I say, not as I do!”

Keith realized that there was no point in keeping up his protest. Besides, he really didn’t ’t feel too hot and if he was honest, the idea of having his Mum to take care of him while he was sick was an experience he was kinda excited for. When he was sick as a child, he had always wondered what it would feel like having somebody stroking back his soaked bangs from his fever hot forehead and tucking a blanket around his shivering frame gently. (Not that he’d ever admit this!) Later, when he’d found Shiro who would’ve been more than willing to take care of him like this, he had gotten hurt and abandoned so often, he simply couldn’t couldn’t accept this kind of platonic intimacy anymore.

But during the last few months, a lot had changed.

While Krolia rummaged around in his room for a paper and a pen to write the message to Lance, he quickly changed into his Pyjamas. After she’d sent Kosmo with the short letter to the blue Paladin, she helped Keith under the covers and tucked him in.

Even if Keith didn’t like to admit it, he actually felt better. The covers were warm and cozy and for the first time in weeks, he was able to actually lay back and relax. Even if not for long. A tell tale tickle in his nose told him, he was about to- “Hgtshhh! Hih yishh! Ishhh!”

Once again, Krolia grabbed a tissue to press it against her son’s twitching nostrils. “Bless you!”

“Hih Ishhii! Ihhh Hishiii! Hishhh! Hgthshh!”, Keith managed to stifle the last sneeze. He didn’t want to embarrass himself even further and the Kleenex was already soaked enough. Apparently, Galrans were not as private about these kind of things but that didn’t mean Keith wasn’t highly aware of soaking his mother’s hand with his snot.

“I heard stifling is not healthy.”, she scolded. “Do you need to blow your nose?”

Keith wanted to answer, but his breath was caught by another quickly approaching sneeze. He felt the weird thing with his eyes happen again as he launched into another messy fit. “I- hih ihh tshiii! Ishii!”

“I take that as a yes.”, she held a fresh tissue under his nose waiting for Keith to blow.

“I can hold the tissue on my own.”, he reassured her.

“But I want to take care of you!”, she stated like it was the most obvious thing on earth.

“I know but hih! but it’s not com-hih itshieww! Ishiew! Hih Ishhh! God, this is torture!”

“I’m afraid the sneezing will keep on for the next few days but I’ll ask one of the Blades to get you something that will reduce it. The other Paladins were right, by the way. You do sound like one of these small animals Pidge showed me so many videos of!”

Keith groaned again. “I don’t have a kitten sneeze!”, he protested.

“The facts say otherwise.”

Keith closed his eyes. The lights were too bright and he wondered if they were still galran or if it was only his headache that had increased. Whatever, he was tired and cosy and if he managed to stop sneezing for a while ready to go to sleep. He snuggled back into the covers willing himself to relax and not think about all the important stuff he was missing. But his nose wouldn’t let him rest for long. Soon enough, he pinched forward with another sneeze the tickle in his nose never fully abating.

Krolia was ready to catch the oncoming fit once again much to her son’s dismay and humiliation. “Hih hihhh ihh Tshiewww! Hishieww! Hishiiii! Hih Hitshhh!”, she rubbed the Kleenex against his reddening nostril setting his sensitive sinuses off once again. He barely managed to catch his breath when he- “Ashieww! Ashiii! Ashhh! Ishh! Hih hih ihhh Yishhh! Yishh-Ishhh!”

“Oh my!”, Krolia sighed. Impromptu, she stood up from the edge of the bed where she had been sitting and instead climbed onto the bed crawling beneath the covers.

“What-“

“You know, I’m not good with these… things. I could never be there for you when you were little which I am incredible sorry for, especially thinking about what happened with your Dad, but I want to make up for this now. I don’t know how to do this, but I’m your mother and I will figure something out!”, she stated just as determinedly as if it was about taking out a galra base or defeating Zarkon, almost making Keith laugh. They were definitely related.

She slung her arms around his slightly shivering form, a fresh tissue ready at hand. Keith turned onto his side burying his head into her chest enjoying the warmth of his mother’s embrace. He couldn’t remember when he had been that close to someone for the last time.

“I don’t know how human illnesses work, but without direct blood contact it’s very unlikely I’ll catch this form you, so don’t hesitate to cough and sneeze on me if you have to. I don’t mind.”, she reassured him.

Keith nodded but turned away for the next sneeze anyway. “Yishiii! Hih Ishiii!”

Sighing, Krolia pulled him back against her chest. She opened her mouth to say something when Kosmo reappeared and jumped on top of the bed. Apparently, he sensed Keith’s weakened state because he carefully snuggled up against him resting his head upon the boy’s hip.

“Good boy.”, Keith muttered tiredly patting the space dog’s head.

Krolia smiled at the scene in front of her. She had waited for this so long. Gently, she carded her fingers through the black longish strands enjoying the softness of Keith’s hair against her fingertips. “When you wake up again, we will get a grip on your temperature and I’ll get you some medicine and call Shiro to ask what usually helps you when you’re sick, okay? Until then, you should try to get some rest.”, she ordered gently.

Keith was almost asleep already which explained why he didn’t manage to cover his nose in time when he felt another sneeze approach. “Hitshhh! Hih Ishhh!”, he sneezed tiredly onto his mother’s chest. He sniffled. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”

After he let her help him to blow his nose, he snuggled into her once again. For the moment, his nose had stopped tickling and he was determined to use that possibility to do as his mother had said and actually get some rest.

“Sleep well!”, she whispered.

“I love you, Mum.”

Her eyes filled with tears at that and she squeezed him tighter. This was the first time he’d called her that! “I love you too.”

Kosmo barked in agreement, but Keith had already fallen asleep in her arms.

#ask #request #snz #sneeze fic

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brokenmimir · 6 years

Text

The Soulmate Chalice

White Rose Week Day Two: Soulmate AU

All her life Ruby Rose had dreamed of getting into Beacon so that the Archmages could find her soulmate. She was sure everything was going to be perfect, just like her parents marriage had been.

Nothing, not even some crabby girl she ran into after landing could get in her way!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14905727

The stories say you'll know the moment you meet them. Your soulmate. The person you're destined to spend the rest of your life with.

Ruby had been looking forward to meeting them since she was old enough to talk. Her mother and father had read fairy tales about soulmates to her, and she couldn't wait to meet her own. When her mother died and her father shut down, her older sister had taken over reading her stories, and while she'd been more hesitant, she'd never been able to resist Ruby's pout.

Of course, the world wasn't quite so simple, something she'd started to discover as she'd gotten older. Her mother and father had met at Beacon, as most mages did, but somehow her father had had Yang with someone else even though he'd already met his soulmate. In fact, despite most mages discovering exactly who their soulmate was, some never married them.

“You excited Rubes?” Yang asked.

Ruby grinned. “Yup!”

“Even though it means meeting new people?” Yang asked, raising a questioning eyebrow.

Ruby folded into herself a little. “Er…”

Yang chuckled and bumped shoulders with her. “Come on sis, it'll be great. You'll see. You're gonna make a ton of friends.”

“Why do I need friends?” Ruby grumbled, crossing her arms. “I'll have you! And my soulmate!”

Yang's smile faded slightly. “Ruby… it's not that easy. I mean, yours might not even be here, yet.”

“Yours was!”

“Yeah, I got lucky,” Yang said with a grin, which faded slightly as she gave Ruby a serious look. “That doesn't mean it was easy, though. Seriously, I had to work hard to win my kitty cat over. She didn't want anything to do with a soulmate, and it took forever to wear her down.”

“I still don't understand what some people have against soulmates,” Ruby said, crossing her arms. “Why would someone want to be with anyone else?”

“'Cause people choose what they want, no matter what some magic spell says,” Yang said. “Some people don't believe it's real, or that the Archmages make it all up so tjey can control everybody. Some people claim the soul mate finding spell is basically a giant love spell, making people they want to be together be together. And of course, most of the old families think marriage is the best way to make alliances and gain power.”

“That's all stupid,” Ruby grumbled. “I just… I just want what mom and dad had.”

“I know,” Yang said, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Just remember… even if your soulmate is already at Beacon and you can meet them the first day, that doesn't mean things will just work out like, well, magic. You've gotta work for it.”

“I had to work for my magic, too,” Ruby pouted. “Not everybody taught themselves how to make fire when they were two.”

Yang chuckled. “Yeah, I wonder sometimes how dad isn't all gray hair.”

They airship set down at Beacon's dock with a splash and a creak, and the two of them stepped off onto dry land, walking past someone that was puking noisily over the side while a statuesque redhead rubbed his back. Once they were on solid ground again Ruby turned to her sister, who was already walking away. “Wait, where are you going!”

“Sorry Ruby, I'm off to find my Blakey!” Yang called as she dashed away.

“Wait, come back!” Ruby shouted as she tried to run after her sister. “I want to meet Blake… don't leave me alone! Oof!”

Ruby slammed into someone while she was focused on keeping up with her sister, knocking them both to the ground. She groaned for a moment, and was just about to get up and apologize when a loud, angry shriek interrupted her. “Get off of me!”

“Sorry!” Ruby yelped, stumbling back and barely reaching her feet before she was confronted by her victim.

The woman was about her height, with long white hair in an off center ponytail and angry blue eyes that glared spitefully at her. She was dressed in an incredibly fancy white dress, which was obviously enchanted since it didn't pick up any dirt from their impromptu fall to the ground. Ruby realized that she must be very wealthy, and was probably the most beautiful girl she'd ever seen, the scar over one eye somehow enhancing her already sharp features.

Then she opened her mouth. “You!”

“M-me?” Ruby stammered.

“Are you completely braindead!?” the woman shouted. “What are you doing, running blindly through a crowd?!”

“I said I was sorry, princess!” Ruby snapped.

“Do you have any idea who I am?”

“She's Weiss Schnee,” another voice drawled, this time coming from a tall brunette with cat ears. “Heiress to the Schnee Family… the most infamous family of dark sorcerers and demon summoners in the Magocracy of Vale. Only the Salem Clan has a worse reputation, but they didn't have enough gold to bribe their way out of banishment.”

“How dare you, Belladonna,” Weiss sneered, before turning on her heel and storming away, a small collection of white creatures, some form of imp that Ruby didn't recognize, scrambling to gather her luggage and follow after her.

“I'll make it up to you!” Ruby shouted, only to be ignored.

“You must be Ruby,” the woman named Belladonna said.

“Yeah! How did you know?”

She chuckled. “Your sister wouldn't stop talking about you. I'm Blake Belladonna… Yang's soulmate.”

“Oh!” Ruby gasped, before jumping forward and pulling Blake into a surprise hug. The faunus stiffened up for a moment, before relaxing and hugging her back. “I'm so happy to meet you!”

“I'm happy to meet you, too,” Blake said. “But where's Yang?”

Ruby rolled her eyes. “She ran off looking for you and left me behind. Come on, I'm sure she's around here somewhere…”

It took a while, but Ruby enjoyed getting to know Blake, and Beacon's campus was lovely, so she couldn't really complain. When they finally found Yang she was waiting in the main amphitheater with a growing crowd of students. Ruby hung back for a moment while the couple kissed, before finally Yang turned her attention to her. “Hey Rubes, I see you met Blakey.”

“Yeah, she saved me from some crabby girl,” Ruby said.

“Crabby girl?” Yang asked.

“Weiss Schnee,” Blake explained.

Yang made a face. “Ugh. Her.”

“What's her deal, anyway?” Ruby asked.

“She's a stuck up ice queen,” Yang said dismissively.

“She's worse than that,” Blake said darkly. “Her family uses magic to summon and bind creatures to their service. Mostly demons, which is bad enough, but they made most of their wealth by magically enslaving faunus. They only stopped when the White Fang forced them to, and even then it wasn't until Vale threatened to banish them to the Darklands that they agreed to free their slaves.”

“That's terrible!” Ruby gasped.

“Yeah, and despite everything they never had to give up even a copper of their ill gotten wealth,” Blake said, glaring hatefully at a head of white hair a few rows ahead of them. Ruby jumped as she realized that Weiss was close enough that she could potentially overhear them with how loudly they were talking. “They are the worst kind of mages.”

“But I mean, she was kinda crabby, and she had those imp thingies carrying her luggage, but… she's still in school so it's not like she enslaved people, right?”

“The Schnee slaves were freed ten years ago, so who knows,” Blake said. “At the very least she had faunus waiting on her hand and foot as a child, and she still acts like she expects everyone to keep doing so.”

“Yeah, she's a lost cause,” Yang said. “She spends all of her time studying and looking down her nose at everyone. She doesn't have any friends.”

“That's… sad,” Ruby said quietly.

Blake's ears twitched. “Sad?”

“Yeah, I mean, can you imagine not having any friends?” Ruby said. “She must be really lonely. Does she have a soulmate?”

Blake snorted. “She'd need a soul for that.”

Before Ruby could reply two adults walked to the center of the room. She recognized them as the Archmages Glynda Goodwitch and Ozpin. The rest of the room obviously recognized them as well, as everything quieted down.

“Thank you,” Goodwitch said. “Now, as is traditional, all new students will take these enchanted cards, fill them out, and then push some of your mana into them. Then, you will place them in this magical chalice, which will determine if your soulmate has done the same. This way every mage who passes through Beacon has the opportunity to meet their soulmate.

“Now, all new students, please come to the front so that we can begin.”

As excited as Ruby was, she hesitated for a moment. This was it. The moment she'd been waiting for. In a few minutes she could be meeting her soul mate. Or maybe she wouldn't be matched to anyone at all.

“Go on, sis,” Yang said, giving her a shove. “It's time!”

She stumbled a few steps, before rushing forward to reach the line of other first year students. She bit her lip nervously as she was handed the heavy parchment card and quill, writing her name on it quickly and then carefully channeling a little burst of mana into it. The card glowed bright red for a moment, and she grinned, knowing it was ready. She was ready. She could do this.

She also had a name in the second half of the alphabet, so while other students one by one were called forward and placed their cards in the chalice she watched everything that happened. Most names simply went in, making the chalice flash silver, but some of them flared with golden light, provoking cheers as two cards shot back out, snatched from the air by Ozpin who would then casually read the names of two people who's lives were bound together forever.

Ruby looked around at the crowd. Most people were eagerly watching, excited about the drama unfolding. Older students who hadn't found their soulmates yet were either playing things off as unimportant, or eagerly watching every student that approached the chalice, hoping or fearing that each one would be their soulmate.

She noticed Weiss sitting by herself near the front. Apparently her sister and her soulmate had been right about the girl not having any friends, as no one even seemed to want to sit near her. She had a cold, disdainful look on her face, like she was above all such silly things like soulmates, but Ruby saw a glint of well hidden hope in her eyes whenever the chalice flashed gold.

Ruby hoped that Weiss would find someone, even if she did feel a bit sorry for whoever was stuck as her soulmate. Even if she was kinda mean no one should be alone, and she bet that Weiss was probably mean because she was so lonely. In fact, when things calmed down she was going to track the white haired girl down and make her a friend, since everyone needed a friend. Besides, with Weiss she might actually have someone worse at making friends than her around!

“Ruby Rose!” Goodwitch called.

Ruby eeped and jumped, dropping her card and having to pause to scoop it up before she could run up to the front where Goodwitch was tapping her foot impatiently. She ignored the derisive laughter for her clumsiness and hurriedly stuck her card in the chalice, biting her lip as it disappeared into the shimmering opalescent magical fluid within.

Ruby felt like her heart was going to explode from her chest, and that was before the chalice flashed gold. She had a soulmate! She couldn't even imagine what they were like. This was the greatest moment of her life!

“Ruby Rose… and Weiss Schnee,” Ozpin read, giving her a warm smile.

“What!?” Yang shouted.

Ruby felt her smile freeze for a moment, before she turned around and looked at the crowd. Her sister and Blake both looked upset, making Ruby shrink into herself, and the unpleasant looks she was getting from the crowd didn't help either. Weiss, her soulmate, was looking at her like a particularly unpleasant bug that had crawled on top of her freshly baked cookies and started doing the can-can.

She swallowed hard, unable to move, until Goodwitch cleared her throat forcefully, making Ruby stumble forward, almost tripping over her own feet as she moved up next to Weiss, taking one of the empty seats beside her. The other girl stiffened up, her perfect posture somehow becoming even more rigid, although she didn't say anything.

“Hey,” Ruby said quietly.

Weiss just gave a disdainful sniff, but she was at least looking at Ruby out of the corner of her eye.

Ruby gave her a nervous smile. “Look… I'm sorry about the whole running into you thing, and the whole Blake ambushing you thing… uh, but… I mean… I hope we can get along.”

“Why?” Weiss asked flatly.

“Well, I mean… we're soulmates,” Ruby said with a smile, which faded as Weiss glared at her.

“I fail to see the relevance of that,” Weiss said. “No Schnee has ever married their soulmate. My father will pick someone for me to be with, so I can assure you that you won't receive one gold piece from my family.”

Ruby's brows furrowed. “What?”

“Look, whatever it is you think you can gain by being with me… you won't get it,” Weiss said.

“That's not… I don't want anything,” Ruby said. “I just… my parents were soulmates. And I remember… they were so happy. I've always wanted that for myself.”

“The world isn't that easy,” Weiss said, standing as the group was dismissed. “Soulmates are nothing but a waste of time.”

“If you thought that, then why'd you watch everyone so closely?” Ruby challenged, but Weiss ignored her as she strutted away, nose in the air.

“Rubes?” Yang said, coming up behind her and putting a hand on her shoulder. “I'm so sorry.”

“Huh?”

“You got her as your soulmate,” Yang said, grabbing her and pulling her into a too tight hug. “I know you really wanted to meet yours, and then this happened.”

Ruby looked down, frowning for a moment, before looking up with determination. “No.”

“No?”

“No,” Ruby said, pulling away from Yang. “Nothing is wrong. I've found my soulmate, and now I just need to convince her to give me a chance.”

“Why would you want her,” Blake said.

“Because she's my soulmate,” Ruby said simply. “Look, I appreciate you guys being worried about me and all, but… she's my soulmate, and that's good enough for me. Now I'm gonna go find her.”

“Wait, Ruby!” Yang shouted, but this time she was the one left behind as Ruby ran out of the room.

Ruby didn't know where to look, but she refused to be dissuaded, running around the school as fast as she could, hoping to spot a glimpse of long white hair. Just when she thought she would never find her she saw someone hunched over under the shadows of a tree next to a small pond. It was only when Ruby got close that she heard soft crying.

“Weiss?”

Her soulmate froze, before wiping her face. “What are you doing here?”

Ruby carefully sat down next to her, although she stared into the pond to give Weiss a little privacy to recover from her crying. As much as she wanted to hug her and make her feel better, she was on thin ice as it was, and she had a feeling that Weiss' pride wouldn't let her accept being comforted. “You're my soulmate. Where else would I be?”

Weiss scoffed. “I already told you, this is meaningless. We're never going to be each others anything, no matter what a glorified cup says. So why don't you just go away and leave me alone.”

“Nope,” Ruby said.

“What?!”

“Jeez you're so loud,” Ruby grumbled, before finally looking at her. “Weiss… why are you so against this?”

“I already told you, this is meaningless,” Weiss scoffed. “Look, even if soulmates and that stupid chalice are real, my father would never allow us to have any sort of relationship.”

“But what about what you want?” Ruby asked.

Weiss blinked. “What I want?”

“Yeah,” Ruby said. “You told me what your father thinks, but what about you? Do you want a soulmate?”

“There's no such thing.”

Ruby rolled her eyes. “Come on, Weiss. I saw the way you watched people putting their names in the chalice. I know you wanted someone. Am I really that bad?”

Weiss hesitated, a sharp retort on her lips, before she looked away. “Bad enough,” she grumbled, but it lacked the force of her earlier complaints.

“Look, we're at Beacon, right?” Ruby said. “Even if your parents don't like soulmates, they wouldn't pull you out just because of this, would they? I mean, graduating from here will really help your magic and stuff, so wouldn't they let you stay?”

“Unless I bring shame on my family,” Weiss said. She didn't actually say that Ruby had the potential to be that, but Ruby felt her stomach churn at the implication.

She pushed that thought away and reached over slowly, giving Weiss a chance to retreat before carefully taking her hand. It was so soft and delicate, making her heart pound in her chest just from something so simple. “Then I'll be good enough they won't say anything! I'll work super hard, and they won't be able to be upset with you hanging around someone at the top of their class, right?”

“Maybe.”

“See, and we can get to know each other,” Ruby continued. “Before you know it you'll be like, 'wow, that Ruby is so awesome, and I'm glad I'm her soulmate.'”

“I will never say such a thing,” Weiss said with a sniff.

Ruby grinned. “Just you wait. I'm going to make you so happy you won't be able to believe you tried so hard to keep me away.”

“Why?” Weiss asked, staring into her eyes, obviously searching for something. “Why do you want this so badly?”

Ruby smiled at her warmly. “Because I want to be happy, and nothing could make me happier than being with a happy soulmate.”

Weiss finally looked away. “F-fine. If that's what you want to do I'm not going to stop you. Just don't expect things to work out so easily!”

Ruby grinned, squeezing Weiss' hand, which she noticed the other girl had never let go of. “Nothing easy is worth having.”

Weiss harrumphed but didn't say anything. She did, however, tighten her grip as well.

#white rose week #fanfic #white rose #weiss schnee #ruby rose #rwby

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