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talkfastromance4 · 3 years

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Three Days of Love--Luke&Lily Valentine’s Day Special

A little love from Luke and our flower girls!🥰💕

Word count: 3.8k

Warnings: implied sexual situations, mentions of pregnancy and morning sickness

Luke&Lily Masterlist

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February is a very fun month for the Hemmings household. Yours and Luke’s anniversary is on the 8th and then there’s Valentine’s Day which the girls have always loved. Lily loved having you and Luke help make her Valentine’s Day mailbox for school; she loved using glitter and placing hearts all over it. Posy loved to make and decorate the heart shaped cookies you always baked and made one special for Ashton who boasted about it for days.

This year was a little different because ever since you found out you’re pregnant again, your morning sickness has been every day and all hours of the day.

You’ve had a migraine ever since you dropped Lily off at school. You gave her a kiss, made sure she had her Valentine’s all ready to hand out (a special glitter one was for Roman only) and reminded her Cory and Ella would be picking her up after school.

Thankfully, work was on the slower side, but your head and shoulders were full of pain and even the slightest bit of movement made your stomach turn but you never got sick which was a very small win considering. Halfway through the day there was a knock on your door and a man with a large red box and a white bow strode in.

“Y/N Hemmings?” he asks.

“Yes, that’s me,” you respond watching him set the box on your desk. There’s a small card under the ribbon with your name on it. You’d recognize Luke’s loopy script anywhere.

“Happy Valentine’s Day,” the delivery guy says and leaves the room.

You pull the box towards you slowly, making sure your stomach stays inside, and open the envelope. It’s a small card with two little lovebirds on the front. On the inside he wrote:

I couldn’t ask for a more wonderful wife than you. Thank you for being the wonderful woman you are and for being mine. You’re a bird, I’m a bird and we create the sweetest song. I love you endlessly my love.

xx Luke

The tears of love and tenderness fall freely, you won’t even deny it’s partially from your hormones, but Luke is the sweetest and you can’t wait to go home to him and spend the weekend together. You untie the ribbon and lift the box to see a beautiful display of red, pink, and white roses designed into a heart shaped ‘wreath.’ The smell is intoxicatingly sweet, but in a good way. At the bottom of the heart is another ribbon with the words ‘My Sweetheart’ written in glittered calligraphy.

How’d you get so lucky with Luke?

By the time you get home, your feet are sore, your breasts are tender, and you’re absolutely famished. Your nausea tends to disappear at nighttime, and you want to eat everything in sight. When you open the door and kick off your shoes, you see a display of all your favorite foods on the counter.

Luke and Posy are sitting at the kitchen table coloring in her coloring book she got from Ashton.

“Mama home!” she shrieks dropping her red crayon and slipping off the kitchen chair. Luke’s hands hover around her little body to make sure she doesn’t bang her head on the edge of the table, then she runs to you.

You set your box with Luke’s delivery on the table and lift her in your arms.

“Hi, my love bug,” you kiss her cheek and wipe away a leftover crumb from her goldfish cookies. “What are you coloring with daddy?”

“Veggies!” she raises her arms and you peer at the table just as Luke stands up. He’s wearing basketball shorts and his black FOF hoodie. He looks extra cozy.

“Ashton better frame each of these on his fridge since he’s such a veggie man,” Luke grins grabbing onto your elbow. He ducks down to give you a soft kiss. “Welcome home, lovie.”

“Hi,” you respond almost shyly, bringing his hand into yours. “What’s with all the food?”

“This is the first gift of the weekend. I have all the food you’ve been able to tolerate right now and the three of us are going to watch Princess movies until this little one’s bedtime.” He pinches Posy’s cheek lovingly; she giggles in response.

“And what are the two of us going to do, then?”

“You’ll see,” he winks. “Let’s eat.”

After singing and reading Posy to sleep, Luke takes your hand and leads you into your bedroom then into the bathroom. There’s candles lit, soft music playing, and the bath is drawn complete with bubbles and rose petals.

“Oh, Luke,” you exhale breathing in the warm glow of the room.

“I have your pajamas on the counter and bought you some new lotion,” he kisses your neck before pushing you closer to the safe haven of water. “I have your playlist set up but if you want to watch your shows or a movie, that’s all set up too.”

“Aren’t you going to join me?” you turn to face him, a slight pout on your face. His blue eyes dance with the flickering of the candles.

“Not tonight. Tonight, this is all for you,” he kisses your forehead. “Tomorrow it’s you and me because Posy is spending the night with Ashton and KayKay. More surprises are coming your way, Mrs. Hemmings.”

He gives you a soft peck, but you keep him closer by holding onto his neck. You press your body against his, feeling how warm he is, and your fingers tangle in his curls.

“I’d rather have you make me come…” you murmur. He groans.

“We have all of tomorrow and well into the night for that, trust me,” he gives you one more kiss. “Now, get in there before I change my mind.”

“Yes sir,” you sigh slinking away from him. He makes another audible groan, and you smile to yourself as you start to strip.

You peek behind your shoulder to see him watching you, his fingers stroking the sides of his beard that you’ve been aching to feel between your legs. The way he’s watching you gives you butterflies, it’s with such an intensity as his eyes follow your slow movements. The way he’s looking at you doesn’t even make you think about your stretch marks or the extra parts of skin you just can’t get rid of. The way he’s looking at you makes you feel…empowered and sexy.

“Stop looking at me like that,” you say bashfully and climb in the tub carefully. The water is the perfect temperature as you sink further in.

“Like what?” he asks picking up the tub remote. He turns on the jets.

“Like you’re about to devour me,” you pick up one of the red petals and give it a sniff.

“That’s for tomorrow, lovie. Enjoy your bath,” he kisses the air in your direction then exits the room.

You’re woken up to Posy’s cries from down the hall. Your muscles still feel relaxed from your bath and as you stir, Luke does as well.

“I’ll get her,” he grunts trying to get up.

“I got her, stay in bed,” you pat his shoulder affectionately and get out of bed. Petunia follows you into Posy’s room. “Good morning, Po!”

“Morn’mama!” she sits up in her crib, her curls looking like a rat’s nest from just waking up. “Unca Ash?”

“Not yet, Posy,” you shake your head lifting her from the crib and to her changing table. “Uncle Ash will be here at lunchtime. What do you want for breakfast?”

“Waffles!”

After breakfast, going for a morning walk, and Posy’s nap. It’s time for Ashton to come pick her up for her sleepover. Luke already has her overnight bag packed with all her essentials ready to go. After your shower, there was another little card pressed in the mirror’s edge.

Wifey was written on the outside. When you opened it you read,

While I prepare for OUR special night tonight, you will enjoy a full spa treatment. Mani pedis, a facial, and a ninety-minute massage. When you come home, you’ll be in the dojo of our love.

“You’re ridiculous,” you murmur into Luke’s neck from behind the couch. You pepper his cheek in kisses, his soft beard tickling your lips. He’s watching Blue’s Clues with Posy until Ashton arrives.

“How so?” he laughs craning his neck to look at you.

“You’re spoiling me way too much this weekend,” you wrap your arms around him.

“It’s my job to spoil you,” he hums and kisses your jaw.

“Where’s my favorite two-year-old?” Ashton’s voice booms as he enters your house.

Posy gasps and is quick to hop off the couch.

“Careful, Pose, careful!” Luke reprimands gently as she darts towards Ashton’s voice.

“Unca Ash!”

“Hi my girl! Are you ready for pizza and chocolate and dance parties and jumping on the bed?” Ashton tallies off as he spins Posy around.

“Ashton, do not—”

“Don’t worry, I’m supervising the children,” KayKay smiles shaking her head at the pair. “There will be pizza and chocolate and a dance party…but we don’t jump on the bed.”

You and Luke laugh at her statement but know full well the couple will take care of your Posy. She always has a fun time at their house.

“Thanks for taking her again,” Luke stands up from the couch. You follow him as he lifts Posy’s things to Ashton. “Want to have a special night with my lady.”

“Then why are you sending me away?” you laugh.

“It’s all a gift!”

“Ridiculous,” you shake your head at him fondly. “You be good for Uncle Ash and Aunt KayKay, Posy Mae, okay?”

“Otay, mama,” Posy smiles reaching her arms out to you. “Bye.”

“Bye, I love you,” you hug her tight and kiss her cheek before handing her off to Luke.

“We’ll see you tomorrow when we go pick up Lily. Have fun, yeah?” Luke pokes her nose, and she nods. “I love you, bug.”

“Love you!” she wriggles out of Luke’s arms to the floor then grabs KayKay’s hands tugging her to the door. “Time to go!”

“What time will you be by tomorrow?” Ashton asks hefting her two bags on his shoulders.

“Around ten, then we’ll get Lils from Cory’s,” Luke explains.

“Awesome, see you then. Have fun you two,” Ashton winks then follows his own love and Posy out the door. KayKay and Posy are singing baby shark, a song that Ashton introduced her to and wouldn’t stop singing for weeks.

“And then there were two,” you sigh dramatically twisting around to face Luke. You intertwine your fingers with his, grinning up at him like a lovesick puppy.

“Technically three,” his eyes drop to your stomach that is just starting to show. “How are you feeling today?”

“In love with my husband. And also wondering what he has up his sleeve,” you giggle.

“You’ll see soon enough, lovie,” he smiles.

Your spa day was very much enjoyed and went by too fast but that just made you more excited to get home to Luke and what he was planning. Before you left for your day, he told you to call him before you were on your way, so you did.

“Hi lovie,” he greets before the second ring went off. “How was your relaxation?”

“Amazing,” you sigh pulling away from the curb. “Am I safe to come home?”

“You are,” his voice surrounds the whole car over the Bluetooth. “Before you come inside…there’s something you need to grab from the mailbox first. Then ring the doorbell.”

You make a face at the odd set of rules.

“Uhh…okay? That’s oddly specific,” you laugh.

“I’ll see you soon. Drive safe.”

When you open the mailbox there’s a small box inside. You open it to see the cotton nightgown he bought you for your anniversary this year. It’s a blushing pink with white lace along the breasts and on the hem. It was also very see-through cotton. On top of the nightgown was a red blindfold with the words ‘sexy time’ written across the eyes.

“Ridiculous,” you chuckle and make your way to the front door. You ring the doorbell like he said and he’s quick to open and shut it behind him before you can peek inside.

“Let me put this on you,” he takes the blindfold holding it over your eyes. His fingers are gentle as he ties the satin, he kisses the crown of your head. “Now I’m going to lead you to the bedroom and you’re going to put this on for me and come into the living room.”

His lips graze your ear as he tells you the next set of instructions. You smell and abundant aroma of sweet flowers as you pass the living room. He spins you around, gives you a knee buckling kiss then takes the blindfold off.

“I’ll see you out there,” he hums.

When the door snaps shut, you move as quickly as you can to take off your clothes and put on the nightgown. You’re glad you shaved this morning in the shower. You freshen up a little bit, spritz on a bit of perfume and make your way downstairs where you hear Luke playing guitar.

When you turn the corner, you recognize it as ‘stuck in gravity’ which is your wedding song and Luke is sitting on the floor on a large, white fur rug. His black shirt is open, exposing the planes of his chest while he plays and hums along to the lyrics. He lifts his eyes to you, smirks, then starts to sing.

If he didn’t take your breath away then the rest of the room did. There’s balloons everywhere, fuzzy pillows and an array of sweet treats on the coffee table. A pink balloon is in front of the table forming the word ‘love’ and in front of Luke is a red rose.

“Luke…”

“Yeah, this high, high love that you give to me is dripping down my hands like honey, it’s all I’m missing…”

You take in the whole room, amazed at the twinkly lights and candles. The pool even has floating flowers that are lit up shining through the sliding doors. You move towards him, the fur rug tickling your toes and you sit next to him. He sings of dripping honey, but his voice is what sounds like it. when he’s finished the song, you launch yourself at him, kissing him hungrily.

“You’re the most amazing, thoughtful, kind, and best husband,” you tell him. He chuckles beneath you and shifts the guitar from his lap.

“And you’re the most wonderful, kind, loving, and sexiest wife,” he whispers.

He lays you down gently on the fur rug. You moan at the comfort of it and at Luke’s hand slipping up your nightgown. You make love amongst the flowers and sweet delicacies; his heavy breathing and your soft moans fill your space of love.

You eat the food he’s prepared, feeding each other chocolate covered strawberries. When a drop of chocolate drops on your shoulder, Luke is quick to lick it up and it’s your turn to push him on the floor.

It’s a night where you’re the only two in the world. Loving on each other, whispering sweet sentiments, fingers and hands exploring spaces you’ve memorized. You’ve never felt so loved.

Posy runs up the walk to Cory and Ella’s door where Ella is standing smiling and waving. She lifts Posy in her arms and waits for you and Luke to come inside.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, guys!” she says giving you both a hug.

“Happy Valentine’s Day!” you smile and take a good look at her. She’s almost a month further in her pregnancy than you are and she’s glowing with the perfect bump.

“I hope you two had a good night,” she nudges your elbow knowingly.

“The best. Luke spoils me too much,” you throw him a look and he grins.

“Mama! Daddy!” Lily exclaims bounding to you and Luke.

“Hi my sweet! How was your weekend?” Luke swings her up in his arms.

“Fun! I made you all Valentine’s!” Lily says happily. “And I got this from Roman.”

You and Luke look down at her hands that are touching a candy necklace. There’s a big heart in the center that says ‘be mine’ on it. You share a look with Luke. Roman and Lily have been best friends since kindergarten, you and his moms always tease about them getting married someday. Trina and Sophie are one of your closest friends and they’ve raised Roman to be such a gentleman.

He’s so sweet with Lily but he also brings her out of her shell a little bit. They’re a great pair of friends and now you know why she gave him the only card with glitter on it.

“That’s very pretty, Lily,” you smile. “Did you say thank you?”

“Yep! He liked my card and said he’d use it as a bookmark!”

“Hey guys,” Cory says. “Brunch is just about done if you want to head out back. Hey man.”

Luke and Cory shake hands then Cory gives you a sweet kiss on the cheek. You follow Ella to the backyard where they have a nice table set up with a pink tablecloth and a vase of daisies.

“I picked the flowers!” Lily states proudly pointing to them from Luke’s arms.

“They’re very pretty, my sweet, you did such a good job,” Luke kisses her cheek. “What are we having for breakfast?”

“She also selected the menu,” Ella smiles sitting down in a chair. She situates Posy on her lap. You sit next to her and give Posy one of her toys she brought to play with.

“Can I try and guess?” Luke asks and Lily nods while he sits next to you. “Hmm…I think Lily would pick…blueberry pancakes…hard boiled eggs…. prune juice….and turnips.”

“No! Wrong, dada!” Lily laughs heartily.

“What? What was I wrong about?” he fakes surprise.

“It’s scrambled eggs and orange juice and no yucky turnips!” she pokes his dimple.

“No turnips? Hmm…then…are we having cupcakes?”

“Cookies! I decorated with sprinkles!” she claps her hands excitedly.

“She did a very good job, too,” Ella praises.

“It sounds like a delicious meal, I can’t wait to eat it,” Luke smiles and kisses her forehead just as Cory comes out.

“We also have bacon and breakfast sausages; Ella’s been craving bacon.”

“Mm, and I’ve been craving breakfast sausage,” you smack your lips.

“Yeah you have,” Luke smirks over Lily’s head and you give him a stern look.

You learn about what else Lily did this weekend. She helped Ella pick out a design for the baby’s room and Ella cried when Lily presented her with Valentine’s cards for her and the baby. Lily’s really excited to be getting two more siblings.

“Are you two going to find out what you’re having?” Ella asks as you all sit back and let your food digest.

“I don’t think so, we want to be surprised,” you nod at Luke who’s also nodding.

“Are you going to find out?” Luke asks rubbing Lily’s back.

“Yeah, we want to know,” Cory smiles. We’re playing around with a few names, but nothing is really sticking.”

“How’s your morning sickness going?” Ella asks while Luke and Cory change the subject to a new lawnmower they read about.

“Still bad,” you laugh rubbing at your belly. “Luke got most of the things that were making me sick out of the house, and I calm down more at night. What about you?”

“I literally threw up before you got here,” she grimaces.

“Oh no, do you want us to go? You can go lay down,” you tell her.

“No, no, it’s okay. I want to hang out with you guys,” she smiles. “It comes in waves. Lily was such a big help this weekend, you’ve got one special little girl.”

“And me!” Posy shouts.

“Yes, and you, Po,” Ella laughs brushing her hair away from Posy’s forehead.

“She’s excited to be a big sister to your baby,” you tell Ella.

“I’m glad. I don’t want her to think Cory will forget about her or something…”

“I don’t think she thinks that. She knows he loves her.”

“I’m secretly hoping we’re having a girl,” Ella says in a hushed tone.

“As soon as you find out, I want to know!”

“We’ll have a party, don’t worry,” she smiles.

You spend another hour at Cory and Ella’s place then Posy is yawning. It’s almost time for her nap and you know she’s going to be asleep as soon as she’s in her car seat. You all hug each other goodbye, promising to get together next weekend.

Lily tells you and Luke all about her day at school Friday. She said everyone loved the glitter on her mailbox and she loved shopping with Ella. When you got home, Luke took Posy to her crib to finish her nap and the three of you looked through her Valentine’s from the rest of her class.

“Wait!” Lily slips off the couch and goes to her backpack. When she comes back she has two big cards and hands one to each of you. “I made these with Daddy and Ella.”

“Are these for us?” you ask and see her lopsided writing of ‘Mama’ on the front. There’s glitter and stick figures you’re assuming is you and Lily.

“Uh-huh,” she smiles joining you on the couch again.

You open it up and see Ella wrote what Lily probably told her to write.

“Read it out loud!”

“’Dear mama,’” you begin and pull her close, “’I love how you play with my hair and always make bad dreams go away. You’re the best mama. I love watching movies and finding rocks at the beach. Love your Lily.’ Oh, honey, I love it, thank you so much,” you cry into her hair and give her a big hug. You’re very emotional today and her sweet words pierced your heart in the best way.

“Dada’s turn!”

Luke clears his throat and opens the card dramatically.

“’Dear dada, I love when you sing, and I love singing frozen together. You make me laugh and I love when you make me chili! I miss you when I’m gone or you’re with Unca Cal playing for the people. I love you lots and lots. Love your sweet.’”

Luke is speechless and you’re crying even harder at her sweet words.

“You thought of all that by yourself?” you ask her.

“I did. Ella helped write because I don’t know some words. Do you like it?”

“We love it,” Luke tells her and pulls her on his lap. He hugs her tightly. “Thank you, Lily. I love you very much.”

“Love you, too, dada.”

For the rest of the day, you play outside. While Lily and Posy are playing with Petunia, you give Luke his present which are plane tickets to Australia. It’s been a while since you’ve been there and you want to head out before the baby arrives. His gift to you was a bracelet of pearls. It’s a lovely weekend that you never wanted to end.

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#dad!luke #luke&lily #luke hemmings fluff #luke&lily oneshot #l&l writing #dad!luke fluff #luke 5sos fluff #dad!sos

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canyouhearthelight · 4 years

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The Miys, Ch. 105

I’ve managed to get slightly ahead on these, so: A belated thank you to @littleshydragon, @dark-chocolat-cupcake, @overusedblur, and @allegrochicken for all the love I have seen blowing up my notes recently (I’m queuing this on Aug 25, even if it won’t post until Sept 8).

Also, to the 30 new followers who I have somehow acquired: Welcome! Ask box is always open, and I don’t get nearly enough of them. I love to interact with y’all, so don’t be afraid to ask me every little question you think of as you read. Anon is on if you feel you need that.

Other than that, thanks for this chapter goes out to @baelpenrose for beta reading. Also @quantumizedinsanity, @charlylimph-blog, @wildforestferret, @creakingcryptid, for the characters you gave me to play with in chapters like this.

Later that same ‘day’, I was forcefully reminded of Noah’s observation regarding human communication. Things were generally calm, and an impromptu family meal-snack-thing was happening in my quarters. Antoine had been over to visit, as he seemed to be making up for lost time caused by infiltrating Jokul’s accidental cult. Zach and Hannah were over, as well, so when dinner time rolled around, I just threw together some small po-boy sandwiches and banh mi for us to snack on while we kept visiting, rather than making a full meal.

Hey, I was allowed lazy days, too.

As it happened sometimes, conversation turned to things we either did or didn’t miss from Before. Tonight was very firmly in the ‘do not miss’ category.

“Plagues started by dumb experiments,” Maverick pointed out, smirking.

Catching on, Conor swatted him playfully. “I said I was sorry about that! And Else is an alright person, turns out.”

Snorting, Hannah covered her face with one hand. “Tell that to Nixe.”

“Her new tail is gorgeous,” I gushed. “If I got reparations like that, I’d at least consider forgiving someone.”

“For almost killing you?”

“It was an accident,” I brushed the comment off, reminded of explaining that gesture to Noah. “Besides, there are a lot of other things I genuinely don’t miss.”

“Aunt Flo,” Hannah intoned seriously.

“Tyche and I already did that one, so it’s not admissible,” I admonished. “But spoiled food? Do not miss.”

Zach shuddered. “Hell, that’s not even from Before. I don’t miss that at all.”

Antoine lifted his coffee in a mock-toast. “To all the people we lost to antibiotics.” After a few confused looks banded around the room, I laughed and waved at him to clarify. Rolling his eyes dramatically, he sighed. “Bread mold. This is why people died in the After of antibiotic allergies: they didn’t know it was derived from bread mold.”

“Dude, that’s dark,” Zach whispered.

Clearing his throat, Conor soldiered on. “I never lived through one, but wildfires were pretty bad, yeah?”

Nodding seriously, Maverick - who had lived on the western coast of NorthAm - added “Yeah, fuck THOSE things. Australia had it worse, but still.”

Raising her hand and waving it, Hannah started making eager noises to ask for her turn. “Absolutely idiotic job requirements, am I right?” Nods abounded, and she took the opportunity to vent the spleen I hadn’t even guessed her to possess. “The number of jobs I didn’t get because I didn’t have a degree were absurd. I don’t even know why they even required them, for some! I’m sure most of you had that happen.”

I kept my silence, but Conor was right behind her. “A Master’s in Engineering, to be a foreman. You’re babysitting a bunch of knuckleheads pounding rebar and pouring concrete! And they’ve had a decade of learning to do it right, I would’ve just been there to make sure it was compliant. And they wanted a Master’s for that!”

Hannah took a sip of her drink and nodded eagerly. “That’s what I’m talking about! There was a job I qualified for that was basically a glorified secretary… They wanted a four-year degree and paid peanuts. Absurd. But I was unemployed for way more of my life than I should have been, because I didn’t have that piece of paper.”

Idly, Zach stared at his drink. Like me, he had one of said-degrees, so this was something of a conversation we couldn’t really take part in. “I wonder how many Councillors we would have if those kind of requirements were put in place here.” Arching an eyebrow, he glanced up at me and inclined his head knowingly.

“Well,” I exhaled. “It depends. If they asked for a Master’s degree of any kind, I wouldn’t be a Councillor.” A thought struck me. “Hey - “

“No, Sophia, you cannot recommend that as a way to retire from the Council,” Antoine scolded with a laugh. “You would be grandfathered in with everyone else.”

The laughter broke the serious tone that had descended, and led to everyone speculating jovially, starting with Conor. “Well, we know Grey would still be a Councillor in that case - they admitted they had a PhD when Else was still getting sorted, rather than an MD.”

“Pretty sure Eino has a Master’s, at least,” Zach pointed.

Maverick shook his head, firmly disagreeing. “Doctorate in Education. I saw it on his wall. Don’t sell that one short.”

“So that’s two.” Hannah leaned forward eagerly. “Conor, what about Huynh?”

“Masters in Engineering,” he confirmed ruefully. “But he’s no PhD.”

“Pranav,” Zach interjected. “Post grad in robotics. Even worked on some of the Padrugoi mission stuff, early on.”

A respectful murmur filled the room, accompanied by appropriately impressed nods. Maverick had to actually shake the starstruck look out of his eyes before he could speak. “So that’s three PhDs, one Master’s, and a Bachelor’s on the Council. Not bad, honestly.”

Antoine cleared his throat politely. “Grey actually has two doctorates, if I am recalling correctly.”

I shook my head firmly. “Three. Biochemistry, genetics, and molecular chemistry.”

With a low whistle, Conor shook his head. “So, we have a clear leader as far as ‘most degrees on the Council’. Would Eino or Pranav be second, though?”

An argument erupted, and when it looked like Zach was about to say something, I shook my head. I knew the same thing he was about to point out, as a by-blow of fixing some of Derek’s more… enthusiastic shenanigans, but I wanted to see if anyone would figure it out or even question it. A solid half-hour later, Tyche arrived and scooped up a mini-sandwich before she even registered the conversation/argument taking place.

Whirling to face me, she pointed at the rest of the room and glared at me disdainfully. “Seriously? How long has this been going on?”

“Forty five minutes?” I admitted sheepishly. “Maybe an hour if you include the ‘what we don’t miss’ portion of the conversation. But ‘degrees on the Council’ has been at least forty five minutes.”

“And you said fuck all?”

I shrugged. “I know it’s not me who has the most or even second most. I have the least formal education of any Councillor.”

Tyche pinched the bridge of her nose and blew out a long breath. “Okay, everyone. What do you know so far?”

Without hesitation, Maverick rattled it off. “Grey has three doctorates, Eino has one and a Master’s, it turns out. Pranav has one doctorate and a Bachelor’s. Huynh has a Master’s, and Sophia has a Bachelor’s.”

“And the Councillor you have left out?” she interrogated wearily, while Zach and I tried to restrain our laughter.

“Xiomara?” he asked, face scrunched in confusion. “She was career military, but I don’t know if she has any degrees. Maybe a Bachelor’s?”

Tyche shook her head, glaring again when I started gasping for breath. “Wrong. And you know what? Soph knew this, so I’m going to make her tell all of you. Like she should have. From the beginning.”

“Hey!” I cried, still giggling. “I was giving them a whole other 5 minutes before I broke the news. I just wanted to see if they would even question their reasoning.” Antoine’s eyes got wide, sending me into another giggling fit. “None of you even mentioned the idea of Xiomara having any degree,” I gasped, almost in hysterics. “Mav was in the military, so I get that he just assumed she was busy as fuck, but… et tu, everyone?”

Hannah’s head turned slowly to stare down Zach. In self defense, he held up both hands with one pointing at me. “She told me not to say anything.”

I nodded. “Yeah, I did!”

Carefully, Conor slowly asked the question that was on everyone else’s minds. “Sophie? What’s so funny?”

Tears were pouring down my face at this point - not because I thought the situation was funny, because it wasn’t. Not really. I was hysterical because I was so caught off guard that we still brought something like this with us. “I don’t know the real reason why nobody considered Xiomara, and I’m scared to ask at this point. I’m hoping it’s because she looks tough as hell and like the kind of person who would beat up highly educated people rather than be one.” Wiping a tear from my face, I glanced at Tyche. Her jaw was tight, clearly thinking the same things I was. “But the fact that she is the only other woman on the Council, that hurts, honestly.”

I took a few deep breaths to compose myself. “The fact is, Xiomara has five degrees. Five. Along with her military career. Tyche and I have to know this, since we handle staffing.” Counting on my fingers, I started ticking them off. “Two doctorates, one in international law and one in experimental economics - as in, yes, the calorie economy was her idea. A Master’s in military history, along with two Bachelor’s degrees: one in experimental chemistry and one in nuclear physics.” Shaking my head, I glanced at the shocked and guilty expressions in the room. “It isn’t three PhDs, but damn, y’all. The woman has five degrees!”

“How did she do that, and a military career, so young?” Maverick asked, his tone nothing but awed.

Antoine looked confused at the question. “My friend, how old do you think Xiomara is?”

He shrugged. “Sophie’s age? So, thirtyish?”

Conor poked him. “Mav. You know how old Sophie is.”

Maverick rolled his eyes. “Fine. So maybe forty? The whole healing stuff messes with me, I’ll be honest.”

Smiling, I cut him some slack. “Xiomara is just over ten years older than me,” I clarified.

Hannah’s eyes widened, and Zach looked like he had been punched in the gut. “So hot-scary-lady is fifty?” After Tyche and I nodded, he shook his head. “That’s still super-impressive for fifty. For seventy, even!” Zach shook his head. “Grey, I could understand. They seem like the type to just live for education, you know? But, Xio? I’ve known for a year and I still get dizzy thinking about it.”

“It does explain why she’s so intimidating,” Conor pointed out. When I opened my mouth to scold him, he held up one hand. “No! No. Doctorates have to be argued and defended, right? Plus one of those is in law. And she balanced a military career on top of all that. If I accomplished all that, people would look at me with respect and expect me to be a direct, take-no-prisoners kind of person.” He glanced at Antoine, who winced and nodded in confirmation.

“She isn’t though,” I complained. “She’s a leader.”

“Definitely not ruthless, but she is intimidating to the general population,” Hannah pointed out gently. “That’s part of what Jokul was talking about, right? The Ark, as a whole, doesn’t get to see her get excited over her favorite foods, or pictures of baby pandas, or…. Cherries? Is it cherries she’s crazy for?”

“Pomegranate,” I corrected, begrudgingly.

“Pomegranate,” Hannah asserted. “They don’t get to see that. They get to see ‘hot-scary-lady who lays down the law’. Not ‘Xiomara who gets googly eyed when Parvati Fletcher wears that one violet shirt’.”

“Or hates plantains,” Tyche pointed out. “Which never made sense to me, because fried plantains are basically dessert with dinner.”

I started to giggle a bit. “It makes even less sense when you’ve seen her order coffee.” Tyche groaned, but more confused looks bounded about the room. Full out laughing, I explained. “She… she puts… maybe three ounces of coffee? Not espresso, just regular coffee… with what looks like a gallon - “ I snorted so hard it hurt my nose, but couldn’t stop. “Of milk! And sugar! Oh gods, she must put a cup of sugar in her coffee, I swear!”

Hannah and Zach exchanged glances, as did Conor and Maverick. Within seconds, the entire room erupted in laughter. “That?” Conor gasped. “That is hilarious….”

“I...I always thought… she took her coffee blacker than sin….” Zach wheezed. “And baby pandas?”

Sobering suddenly, I straightened and glared at the entire room. “OI!” I shouted. “Baby pandas are fucking cute, and if you don’t think so, you aren’t human, and I will ask Noah to do genetic testing to prove that.”

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userarchive · 4 years

Text

Unexpected Circumstances Ch 5

*not my image* Warnings: Smut, language

You nearly barrelled into Sonny’s apartment that Sunday, having worked late over the weekend with Amanda (you were the rookie of the squad after all) you were running behind. You’d been with SVU, and back in his world for 4 months now, your official “date” night having been a month ago.

“I’m sorry.” You pleaded, dropping your bag, asking where was safe to stash you gun and badge, Sonny merely laughed, taking them from you, telling you to calm down, gesturing to the glass of wine at the kitchen island. You sighed heavily, sitting down on the stool, pulling out a couple of work files, tossing them down on the island amongst Carisi’s stuff. Upon his reminding you did have a little bit of time before you had to leave you thought you might go over some work stuff, you were just so fucking anxious about seeing his family again. He emerged back into the kitchen, wrapping an arm around you, kissing your forehead softly,

“You look beautiful.” You half snorted,

“Sonny I came straight from work…”

“Ya always look beautiful sweetheart.” He took the time to kiss your cheek again, lips starting to trail down you neck, you exhaled sharply,

“None of that!” You gently smacked his chest, “Your Ma’s already ready to kill me, we can’t be late.” He chuckled to himself, nipping at your neck lightly.

“It won’t take that long ta get there, finish your wine.” You rolled your eyes, taking a large swig from the glass, humming in appreciation as Sonny wrapped his arms around you from behind, innocently burying his face into the nape of your neck,

“You sure they’re not gonna hate me?” Your voice was barely above a whisper, your gut was in knots, your eyes burned with the tears that threatened to fall.

“Doll..” Carisi started, kissing the back of your head softly, “They loved ya from the instant they met ya, and I told them you were back the second you showed up at SVU…”

“Really?”

“Ya’ sweetheart…Ma’s been dying to have you over since…she’s had the time ta speak her mind. Bella’s dying to see you, hell even Mia’s been complaining she hasn’t gotten to see you yet.” You laughed lightly into your wine at that,

“God…she’s what.. 21 now?” You quirked a brow, even though he couldn’t see it, he laughed into your shoulder.

“Yeah…”He kissed you gently, “Think she wants a night out with her favourite Aunt.” You finished your wine with a gulp, turning in his arms, lacing them around his waist. You hadn’t noticed earlier out of your panic but he was still dressed in his 3 piece suit from work, you pulled him against you, kissing his lips deeply.

“Well Mr. Carisi, shall we face the family?” He chuckled, bending to kiss you again, lips lingering against yours,

“If you say so….”

***

Roughly an hour later you and Sonny had arrived for Sunday dinner, Mia had practically tackled you in the hallway, you promised you were here and back for real, and that you would definitely show her a night out on the town (respectfully of course) once things cooled down. Bella’s eyes filled with tears at the two of you reunited and she introduced you to her daughters, you nearly cried at that, you’d always been the closest with Bella, and to know you’d missed out on so much of her kids lives stung you a lot.

Sonny placed his hand on the small of your back, moving you through the house to the kitchen, the moment you dreaded most,

“Ma.” He gently called out, “Got someone you might wanna say hi to.” You were literally terrified, frozen to the spot as Mama Carisi turned around at the counter, surprisingly her face was filled with relief,

“Oh thank GOD,” She pulled you into the deepest of hugs, you let out one hell of a breath of relief at that, “Sweetheart, I thought you were dead,” She muttered into your neck, “And like hell Sonny would ever possibly find someone nearly as incredible and wonderful as you again.” At that that she pulled back, a soft laughter breaking through the kitchen, you paused a moment, glancing between Carisi and his Mom before laughing yourself.

“Please, have you met him, he could easily find anyone worthy.” You smiled at her, rubbing her arms gently,

“Someone worthy? Maybe! Someone as worthy as you? I highly doubt it.” She kissed your cheek before turning back to the counter, “Now, go, sit, dinner’s almost ready.” Sonny pulled you in to kiss your cheek as you made your way back to the dining room.

Dinner went surprisingly well, as the evening continued the tenseness you felt dissipated (you were sure the wine helped with that) but the family was all accepting, their questions were only about how you were fitting in the the new squad, how you were settling back in with New York.

You’d offered to help with the dishes but were shoo’ed away, ending up with the youngest of the kids in the family room while you either played board games or decided what colour they should be using in the most recent book. Sonny found you with one of his nieces on your lap, helping her colour in the blue ocean with one hand while the other had your attention with the game of Life. He leaned against the door jam, taking in the scene in front of him, he couldn’t help the dopey grin on his face. As you spun the dial and landed on bankruptcy, you groaned, dramatically throwing your head back and he couldn’t help but laugh. Your head shot up to the door, a happy grin on your lips as you noticed him watching you.

“Sounds like you’re losing babe.” He made his way into the room as his nephews cheered at your loss,

“They are kicking my butt.” You made the move to stand, leaving the niece on the floor but she clung to you, so you pulled up to standing with her, “Apparently this one doesn’t wanna let go.” Sonny beamed at you, the look of a kid in your arms was practically too much, he knew he had to hold back, it was still too soon.

“You want me to get Bella?” He questioned,

“You kidding?” You joked, “You see how adorable this one is? Plus, we’re colouring Dominick, can’t be interrupted.” You were still joking but were very serious, Sonny laughed, even harder when Bella came into the room, smirking at the look of her toddler in your arms between the two of you.

“Hi baby….” She cooed as you passed the toddler off to her, she smirked at Sonny, pinching his arm, looking over to you,

“Bella!” You were the one to reply, “C’mon, I just got back!”

“I’m just sayin’” She smiled, collecting her kids before her and Tommy left the house. You sighed heavily, your game of Life clearly already over you looked up at Sonny. Carisi’s parents had gathered around the doorway as Bella was leaving, it gave you the prime opportunity,

“I supposed you two need to take off too?” Ma exclaimed, “Years of my son being a cop, I know what it’s like.” She smiled gently at you, “Thank you so much for coming Sophie, I know it must’ve been hectic, but this will always be a place you can come to.” Your eyes watered, nearly launching against Mrs Carisi into a hug, this family had always been more of a family to you than your own, and to know they were still in the same lane, made you feel amazing. You and Sonny thanked his family, making your way back to his truck, his hand reaching yours, caressing it gently.

“See?” He questioned before he moved around the truck, “They never stopped caring about you.” Your eyes cast down at that, hating that you’d been gone for so long, you felt Sonny’s fingers curling under your chin, bringing your gaze to meet his, “And neither did I.” This confession was barely above a whisper, you felt his soft lips meet yours, moving against them like you’d never imagined, his tongue was in our mouth within seconds, tasting you, moaning softly. You pulled him against you, sick of waiting, wanting to roll your hips against his as he pulled away from your mouth to latch onto you neck,

“Dominick…” You practically whimpered,

“Ya Doll?”

“Don’t you think we should maybe wait to NOT be outside your parents house to do this?” He chuckled lightly, kissing your cheek before moving around the truck.

“You want me to drop you off at home?” Sonny’s voice broke your thoughts as he pulled into Manhattan, you shook yourself out of your daydream,

“Shit, no…” You murmured, “My gun and badge are at your place…”You took a minute, “Fuck I left my whole bag there.” Sonny chuckled,

“It’s okay Soph,” You nearly thought you imagined the glint in his eye as he pulled into his apartment building a few moments later. The air was thick as the elevator rose to Sonny’s apartment, you were begging the universe that after the evening you’d experienced you were feeling the same thing.

Sonny unlocked the door, letting you in and without a second to let you think he’d pulled you back, crushing you against the wall, his lips sealing against yours. You groaned heavily as his tongue peaked its way into your mouth, wrapping your arms around his back, pulling him impossibly close to you, you nipped against his lower lip as one of his hands buried into your hair, his mouth moving down your jaw. You whimpered, body thrusting against him as he kissed and bit his way down to your pulse point, you gasped loudly as he made a sharp bite into it.

“You okay?” He pulled away, his blown pupils meeting yours, lips red and puffed out, hair a bit of a mess as he stared down at you, you giggled softly,

“More than okay Dominick.” You pulled him to you, kissing those heavenly lips again, rolling your hips against his growing bulge, hands raking through his hair. “Haven’t we wasted enough time?” You husked against his lips and that was all it took. Sonny growled against your lips, tapping your thighs, causing you to jump, wrapping your legs around his waist as he carried you to his bedroom.

He softly let you down on your feet, you gasped lightly as he ripped your shirt off, quickly stripping each other of your clothes until you were both bare. You let out a soft whimper, taking all of him again, stoic and regal, his cock hard and ready for you. Sonny could barely look at you without pouncing, he mumbled something unintelligible at you as he tossed you down onto the bed, lips and teeth nipping their way across your body.

You moaned heavily as his fingers found your cunt, tracing your folds lightly, smirking against your throat as you turned your head, begging him to kiss you. You gasped into the kiss as he torturously started to pump a finger into you knuckle deep, watching you writhe beneath him, he added a second finger, curling them against you. Your hips shot up, begging for more, nails scraping against his back as his thumb began to roll your clit, his mouth found its way to your nipple, sucking and biting gently, it was too much, it had been too long that as he added a third finger into you, you found yourself cumming embarrassingly fast on his hand.

“Good girl.” He murmured against the shell of your ear as he pumped you through your first orgasm, you regained your sass a moment later.

“Dominick, what did I say?” you bit into his shoulder, “Just fuck me already.” He smirked down at you, lining up with your entrance before pushing in. You moaned in satisfaction, having missed the feel of him beyond belief.

“Fuck, you’re so tight sweetheart.” Sonny pulled himself out slowly, pulling a loud groan of satisfaction from you. “Feel so good…” His mutterings of sweet nothings continued as he moved back into you, the feeling of your warmth encasing him. He’d missed you so much, the feeling of you back in his arms, his length buried deep into you was nearly too much “‘M’ not gonna last sweetheart.” He buried himself into your neck,

“I don’t fucking care, just fuck me baby..please.” Sonny nearly laughed at the response, lifting himself up off you, leaning on his haunches as he pounded into you relentlessly his hips closed against yours over and over again. As his thumb found its way to your clit, circling heavily, hoping that you’d be able to come relatively close to him. He felt you thrash under him, moaning breathlessly your nails digging into his thighs. The feeling of you clenching around him, the sight of you cumming was all it took, he groaned heavily spilling himself into you. You were both panting for breath as Sonny collapsed on top of you, you were the one that started to giggle lightly. He pulled his head from the crook of your neck,

“What?” He murmured,

“Nothing..I just…” You shook your head, “7 years later and we finally consummate.” Sonny laughed heartily at that, rolling off you to lay on his back. He pulled the sheets up as you curled into his side, finding your spot in the crook of his neck, tracing circles on his chest. He kissed the top of your head, a lanky arm wrapped tight around you while the other interlocked your fingers.

“Stay?” He whispered into the darkness of the room, a slight sense of unsureness in his voice.

“O’course.” You murmured against his skin, burying deeper against him as your eyes fluttered with a hazy sleepiness.

#law and order #Law & Order SVU #law and order svu #law and order special victims unit #sonny carisi #dominick sonny carisi #sonny carisi x reader #sonny x reader #dominick sonny carisi x reader #sonny carisi fluff #sonny carisi series #sonny carisi fanfiction #sonny carisi imagine #sonny carisi one shot #law and order svu fanfiction

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bad-at-names-and-faces · 4 years

Text

Decisions

Chapter 26 chapter index

Arendelle, September 23rd, 1864

Dear Henry,

I got your letter this week, and I would have replied several days ago, but I’ve been quite busy covering for my mother, who seems to have gone into hiding. All is well, so they tell me, and I really have no idea what's going on, but Frederick and I have been picking up the slack. When I saw Mother today she even wanted me to attend some of the meetings for her. This morning’s meeting will be with your Mr. Meyer, so perhaps you'll hear about it later. There's been some fuss about the naval pensions we pay to Corona, but it sounded like the issue was settled so I really don't know why my mother still seems to care. Oh, and one of our other ambassadors disappeared into the wilds of America.

I look forward to hearing more from you, and I'll write more when I have time again!

Sincerely,

Inga

Inga paused as she was addressing the letter. She looked outside and walked out to the balcony.

She looked around and whispered, "Gale?"

***

“It’s strange going so long without talking to anyone else,” Elizabeth remarked.

“We’ve had someone delivering food to us,” Lars reminded her.

“Oh, you know what I mean. But I suppose that delivery boy would have told us if anything exciting happened,” she sighed, resting her head on his chest. “He certainly was eager to tell us about the issue with the mislabeled fish at the market the other day. We weren’t even getting any fish!”

“I remember my mother telling a story about Father yelling at someone he had hired on his ship for trying to tell him he had caught a more expensive kind of fish,” Lars laughed a little.

“It’s so funny, back home, I was just wanting to hide away and find a quiet moment, and here I am, nervous that I’m missing something.”

“I understand,” he laughed. “I keep expecting Mr. Meyer to come through the door and ask me why I’m not ready for today’s meeting.”

“I think your brother is quite competent, in his own way,” Elizabeth laughed. “I suppose your mother enjoys having him around an extra week or two. I know Father was planning to sail off the day after our wedding.”

“She has been catching up with him, that’s true,” Lars smiled. “Do you mind that you won’t get to go with your mother and sisters? I know you haven’t seen your aunt in Wesselton in quite some time.”

“No, that’s not a problem, really,” Elizabeth sighed. “Mother isn’t particularly close to her, even, but it was Father’s next stop.”

“I remember Karl saying there were plans to take the Maldonian prince on to Wesselton if he didn’t decide to stay longer in Arendelle.”

Elizabeth laughed. “I can only think of one reason he wouldn’t be sure about how long he stays on here, and I’m pretty sure he’ll be sailing right on schedule.”

“I don’t think I’ve heard this gossip. What do you know?”

“Really, the only thing I’d really call gossip was from my own sisters,” Elizabeth grumbled. “I was half afraid that Inga would never want to talk to me again after my sisters were pestering her about getting engaged to Prince Henry. Inga didn’t even get a full day in Corona before those girls were making assumptions.”

It was Lars’s turn to laugh. “What did happen while you were there? I don’t think you finished telling me.”

“Well, I already told you what happened that first day, with the saddle,” she smiled, sitting up again. “Now, never speak a word of this to anyone else, but… I’m not surprised there were rumors the morning after that ball.”

Lars sat up and gave Elizabeth a puzzled look.

“Now, don’t get me wrong. As far as I know, Inga is technically correct,” she insisted. “There’s no engagement, or any official agreement, and I’d never want to be the source of rumors about that. I told my sisters to mind their own business. But… she and Prince Henry got along rather well, I thought, especially after the footman brought out the extra bottle of sherry.”

“What about you?” he asked with a teasing look.

“You know I can’t stand sherry,” she swatted him gently. “I think I was the only one there who stopped at wine with dinner.”

OoOoO

“Your Excellency,” Inga greeted Mr. Meyer as she entered the room.

“Your Highness,” he returned with a small bow.

“And…” she hesitated, “how should I greet Lieutenant Nilsen this week?”

“I think Lieutenant Nilsen will work,” the Ambassador chuckled. “We wouldn’t want too much confusion with his brother.”

“I don’t think there’s much risk of that,” Inga smiled politely.

The Lieutenant laughed. “Should we offer congratulations, Your Highness?”

“What?” Inga exclaimed, barely holding her temper. She didn’t want to sound defensive, but every question and insinuation reminded her how much of her life people considered their own business. “If there’s been an official announcement, I’d like to know.”

The Ambassador shot a glance at his temporary secretary. “Your Highness, you will excuse the lieutenant. He hasn’t had his brother’s training. There has, of course, been no announcement, official or otherwise, from either court.”

“Indeed,” Inga sighed. “May I ask where you heard this?”

“Sorry,” the lieutenant apologized sincerely. “Don’t blame my brother, or Elizabeth. Neither of them said a word, but I did hear her sisters talking at the reception, and nobody seemed to contradict them.” “I’m sure His Excellency will be sure to contradict any unsubstantiated rumors,” Inga said dryly, looking directly at the Ambassador.

“I assure you, Your Highness,” the Ambassador replied, almost sheepishly.

“Very well,” Inga replied. “We were going to discuss steamship service?”

***

“Anna, sending Lars? Do you really think that’s a good idea?”

“If you can think of a better idea, let me know. The fact is, the actual requirements for the position of ambassador are almost nonexistent. The only time we didn’t bother refilling a position was when our ambassador to the Southern Isles conveniently left his post twenty-one years ago.”

“But does it have to be right away? They’ve been at war for how many years now? This doesn’t seem like the time to be sending someone over there, does it?”

“Is it the time to leave the position empty?”

“But him? Lars and Elizabeth are young, and I don’t know what the foreign newspapers are saying, but it doesn’t sound safe.”

“Then we don’t send him to the capital. It’s not like Arendelle has proper embassies anywhere.”

“What about the draft riots?”

“Those were last year. Things sound safe enough now… Well, away from the battles, of course, but he wouldn’t be drafted, since he would have diplomatic immunity.”

“Fine, what’s to stop him from taking a farm just like the last one?”

“And if he does?”

***

“Olaf?” Inga said as she approached the stables.

“Inga! Hi! What are you doing here?”

She glared a moment, then softened. “Have you seen Elsa?”

“No, why?”

“Well…” Inga paused. “Actually, I think maybe you could help me.”

“Okay! What?”

“This summer, you started telling us about the time that Papa was going rock climbing with the prince from Corona...”

“Yeah? And?”

“Prince Henry, in Corona, was telling me that Papa took his father to see the trolls because, well, everyone else was gone at Christmas. I don’t remember hearing about that before. Were you there?”

“Oh, the time Anna and Elsa and that princess from Corona were on that trip?”

“Yes.”

“I went to the North Mountain to see Marshmallow.”

“Oh,” Inga sighed. “And were Mama and Elsa really gone long?"

"No,” Olaf replied, matter-of-fact. “Elsa was back a few months earlier, and then she left again when that Eugene guy left."

“Wait, what? Where was my mother that whole time?”

“I think she was in Corona. She didn’t want to talk about it. You know, you’d think if she spent that long somewhere, she’d at least talk about it, don’t you?”

***

Frederick was expecting to see Peder and Anton waiting when he arrived for dinner. He was not expecting to see his parents there for the first time in five days, especially since he hadn't seen them when Elsa had left that morning.

“Mother? Father? You’re feeling better?”

“Yes, we’re fine,” his father replied, looking uneasily at Anna.

“I’m glad to hear it!” Frederick began excitedly. “When I was talking to Admiral Sorensen this morning, he said he thinks I could do a short training run in April.”

“Training run? With our Admiral?” his mother exclaimed, sounding panicked. “What’s this about?”

“Um,” Frederick muttered. “You said it would be fine when I asked.”

“Did I?” Anna looked at Kristoff. “Did we?”

“Yes, when I brought you that letter about the American Ambassador,” Frederick groaned.

“Are you sure?” Anna asked.

“I’m pretty sure you told me you were fine with it,” Frederick insisted, “unless you were talking about something else.”

Anna and Kristoff looked at each other. Frederick wished they would have told him before if they had a problem with the idea but he held back from complaining more. The admiral had been enthusiastic when Frederick had told him that his mother approved, and he knew that it wouldn’t look good for her to walk back on that.

“Oh, so, have you figured anything out with that?” Frederick asked.

“Figured out what?” Inga echoed as she walked in.

“The American Ambassador,” he reminded his sister.

“Of course,” Inga replied. “Do you have any idea what you’ll do about that, or are you just going to wait until they’re done fighting over there?”

“See?” Kristoff whispered a little too loudly to Anna.

Inga looked curiously between them, then raised her eyebrows at Frederick.

Anna spoke up. “I haven’t met with the council yet, and I’ll need to speak with Mr. Meyer, of course-”

“Why would you need to speak to Mr. Meyer?” Inga asked, then frowned. “Wait, he’d need to approve if you’re picking Lars? Why him, though?”

“He seemed like a good candidate,” Anna stated.

“We discussed it,” Kristoff added. “The timing might be an issue. We’d have to wait until a replacement arrives from Corona, at the very least.”

“Do you think Corona will even agree to it?” Frederick asked, “I mean, Lars is part of their diplomatic corps-”

“And he’ll have to agree,” Inga pointed out. “You can’t just send him off to a place like that. And what about his mother?”

Frederick nodded. “Really, wouldn’t it make more sense to ask if anyone in the council has a candidate? I mean, sure, his mother is from Arendelle, but that doesn’t seem like a good reason to pick him over someone else.”

“Well,” Anna said, biting her lip, “like I said, it’s not settled. So until it is, let’s drop the subject, and have dinner.”

***

Anna closed her eyes and knocked at the door on the guest wing. It opened slowly.

“Your Majesty!” Mrs. Nilsen exclaimed. “I wasn’t expecting a visit from you.”

“May I come in?” Anna whispered, trying to hide her nervousness.

“Of course!” Mrs. Nilsen stepped back to let Anna in, carefully closing the door behind her.

"Elsa told me," was all that Anna managed.

"I know," Mrs. Nilsen replied, offering a chair. "I was wondering whether you would come to me."

"I… I suppose I should say thank you," Anna sighed as she sat down.

"It never felt like a duty," the woman assured her. "He's always been a delightful child. Karl would have grown up very lonely otherwise, even if we had stayed in Arendelle."

“But you were… you were practically in exile for twenty years,” Anna said, looking away.

“They were very good to us. And I do understand why it had to be that way.”

“You do? I thought-”

“No,” Mrs. Nilsen confessed quickly, “nobody told me anything until your sister came to Corona last month, but it was obvious.”

“How much did you figure out?”

“I think I know everything,” she sighed. “And I have never spoken a word of it to anyone else, except your sister. I don’t think it would do anyone any good to know. When I was talking with your sister back in Corona last month, I…I mentioned him. I think you know who I mean. The look on her face, I knew I’d guessed correctly.”

“What… how did you guess?”

“I wasn’t always sure about it. But I kept up with news from Arendelle, and I read about your family here. I knew there had to be a reason. For several years I had prepared myself for someone to come claim him.”

Anna sighed and looked out the window for several minutes. She still didn’t feel comfortable talking about this, particularly with Mrs. Nilsen of all people. She hoped she was being completely honest about being happy with her life the last twenty years. Elsa had told her that Margit was planning to move back to Arendelle permanently, so Anna needed to bring up her plan before any official decisions were made.

“I need to ask another question.”

***

“Your Majesty, this is a most unusual choice.”

“Do you have any other suggestions, Your Grace?” she replied to the duke.

The council members mumbled quietly to each other. A few were gesturing, most ended up shrugging. There was some half whispered discussion of alternative candidates, but most agreed this was not where they would want to send friends and relations any time soon.

“He is very young,” one of the guild masters pointed out.

“I realize it is a bit unorthodox, perhaps? But he is qualified.”

They settled on her Majesty's proposal. Pending agreement from Corona, and the arrival of a replacement secretary for their ambassador, the council approved the nomination of Lars Nilsen for Arendelle’s Ambassador to America. The council decided to hold off on discussing where, exactly, to send him until a later date.

***

It was a cool morning in late September. Mr. Meyer looked at his diary. Today was the day his private secretary was to be returning from his honeymoon. He had been forced into granting him the leave. He looked out his window into the town. It was still early morning, and he imagined that the young couple would not want to leave until after breakfast. The young man’s brother had nice enough penmanship, but he seemed to have no sense of decorum. And now he had heard from his old friend on the council that he would need to find a new secretary. Lars Nilsen had some explaining to do.

***

Lars and Elizabeth returned to Arendelle just before lunchtime that Tuesday. The Ambassador was waiting for them just inside the castle gate. The couple were disappointed, but not surprised that Lars was being called back to his duties so quickly after their arrival.

“Your Excellency!” Lars called out as he walked towards Mr. Meyer.

“Mr. Nilsen, I need you to come with me,” Mr. Meyer said sternly.

“May my wife and I unpack first?” Lars asked, looking over at Elizabeth and smiling, feeling some satisfaction in being able to use those words.

Elizabeth smiled and walked over, taking his arm. “Your Excellency,” she greeted the Ambassador, who nodded in return.

“On second thought,” the Ambassador hemmed, “I think she may as well hear what I need to tell you. You can unpack later.”

They followed the Ambassador inside and up to his quarters. Once they were both inside, the Ambassador closed the door behind him.

“Mr. Nilsen,” he began with a sternness that went beyond his typical formality, “I had understood that you hadn’t learned very much about your family connections here.”

“That is true, sir,” Lars replied.

“And your mother, she hasn’t said anything since she arrived?”

“No, sir, she showed us the house where she used to live. It was a very tiny one by the harbor. She told me none of the men working by the docks were anyone she remembered, and nobody seemed to remember her. Halima did, a little bit, but she was, as I expected, a friendly acquaintance, and nothing more.”

“And,” the Ambassador probed, “the former queen…”

“I’m not sure, sir,” Lars responded with some confusion, not certain where his employer’s line of questioning was leading. “I’m only aware that she was acquainted with her."

"If I may," Elizabeth interrupted, "she paid several visits to Mrs. Nilsen's home in Corona. They seemed to be on familiar terms, as far as I could tell."

The Ambassador gave a sigh. "Well, perhaps that's it, then. Mr. Nilsen, I'll be honest, I don't understand why your mother has two different royal families interested in her family, and I'd say it was none of my business, except it looks like I'm going to need to find myself a new secretary now."

"Excuse me, sir?" Lars asked, trying to sound as calm as he could. Elizabeth grabbed his arm tightly looking at him with a worried expression.

"Queen Anna has approval from her council to make you the new ambassador to America."

"But…" Lars trailed off, trying to make sense of the news. He looked at Elizabeth, whose worry had transformed almost immediately into confusion.

"You can decline, of course," the Ambassador reminded him. "It might be awkward, naturally, as rejecting this kind of honor isn't something to be taken lightly."

***

Inga once again managed to get the most recent letter from Corona out of the stack of mail before anyone else saw it. She looked at the date: it had been a week and a half. She sighed.

Corona, September 24th, 1864

Dear Inga,

I’m not sure how I got your last letter so quickly. I’m sure you’ll tell me at some point, but you don’t have to now. I hope your meeting went well. And please tell me more of the story about your ambassador in America, it sounds interesting!

I haven’t been particularly useful here. We sit in on the meetings, but there really isn’t much to talk about. They want to send us on tour, me and Hilde, I mean. I’ll make sure we visit Arendelle, if they’re serious about it, but they don’t even know if it will be this year or next year, so who knows.

Sincerely,

Henry

P.S. I’m still waiting for a recent picture of you!

After fetching a piece of paper to reply, she found a copy of the family’s recent photograph. That would have to do, even if it wasn’t just herself, which she had the feeling would have been more to his liking.

Arendelle, October 8th, 1864

Dear Henry,

I’m happy to hear my letter got there so quickly! I hope I can explain it to you at some point.

I’m going to go ahead and send you the family portrait we had a photographer take right after I got back to Arendelle last month. I ended up holding my baby sister for this one, but believe me, it’s not as bad as it could have been. As far as the situation with the ambassador, I don’t know much more about what happened to the old one. Since I’m not sure if anyone besides you will be reading this letter, I can’t say too much about who was picked to be the new one until you officially hear about it. I don’t understand the choice, and I don’t know if your mother will be upset by this, too.

Tonight we have a ball for the Prince of Maldonia, who will be ending his visit this weekend. I’ll be very relieved to see him gone, and I’m sure he is very disappointed with me.

Sincerely,

Inga

Inga walked out to the balcony, looking around to see if anyone was nearby.

“Gale?”

#my fic #kristanna #chapter 26 #frozen fic #frozen fanfic

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spidercakes · 4 years

Text

Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four

Warnings: Peter is underaged (17), mentions of abuse/ abusive relationships, feminization (Peter).

Peter looks adorable in flannel pajama pants and a baggy shirt that says ‘I survived New York.’ His hair is messy and he looks younger than he is but it’s a good look or maybe Tony’s just a little in love. Its way too soon for that kind of thing but he’s never really been known for doing anything small so its not like he’s surprised at all by his feelings, even if he’s not about to admit them.

“So um. May confiscated all the lingerie she didn’t know I had,” he says, curling his knees up to his chest.

A mental image Tony didn’t need at the moment if he wants to concentrate on the subject at hand but he does his best regardless. “Well that’s disappointing,” he says and Peter laughs, shaking his head.

“You should see your face. You look like someone slapped your mother with a wet kitten,” he says and Tony snorts.

“Where do you even come up with this stuff?” he asks.

Peter shrugs, “no clue, it just comes to me. But um, I’m grounded until further notice so that sucks,” he says, pouting.

“If you’re grounded how the hell are you on the computer talking to Tony?” Rhodey asks from behind Tony and he jumps.

“God damn Rhodes, make a noise!” Rhodey rolls his eyes at him and Tony chooses to ignore that rudeness.

“I need the computer for school so I bartered to keep it,” Peter says.

Rhodey snorts, “man I wish I had white parents,” he mumbles, walking away. Peter frowns a little but Tony gets the feeling May isn’t terribly strict more because Peter doesn’t give her a reason to be than letting her kid run wild the way his parents did. Well, alright, Howard didn’t care if he ran wild but if Tony broke some kind of expectation of his he didget his ass beat about it so its not like things were peachy.

“In May’s defense,” Peter says as his door opens. Tony tries his best to convey to close the damn window with his face or something but Peter doesn’t get the hint, “I don’t think she’s very good at grounding me.”

In the background May looks damnunimpressed. “Well apparently I’m going to have to get better at it,” she says and Peter’s eyes go wide as he whips around to face her.

“May!” he says, surprised. May stalks forward, eyes on Peter’s computer and he whirls back around, “okay love you Tony, bye!” he says and closes the computer, effectively ending the video call.

Tony stares at the screen for a few moments in shock when Rhodey walks back in. “Wait, aren’t his parents dead? How the hell did you manage to offend them? What’d you do, pull out a Ouiji board?” he asks.

It takes a second to get through Tony’s clouded brain to think for a moment. “Um, no. I pissed off his aunt. Got caught with my hand in the metaphorical cookie jar,” he says and Rhodey lets out a long sigh.

“What did I tell you about locking doors, man? It will save your ass from a crazy ass priest with a shotgun one of these days,” he says like that’s not a highly specific to him kind of experience. Well okay, highly specific to him and Carol but they were being chased off for wildly different reasons.

Tony rolls his eyes at him, “you remember that when you’ve got your arms full of hot omega and get back to me,” Tony tells him.

“Oh my god, no wonder omegas think we don’t know how to think past our junk. Stop giving us a bad name,” Rhodey tells him.

“In his defense I’ve been there. Not fun, but good for you man,” Carol says, giving him a thumbs up from the doorway. “Next time risk sexiling Rhodey again, probably less consequences that way.”

Rhodey frowns at her, “whose side are you on here? I would never get my damn room back if I allowed Tony to just have his way with it.”

“Don’t be ridiculous Rhodes, I have class,” Tony points out. And so does Peter, plus travel time. He’s got plenty of time in here all things considered.

Rhodey squints at him, “I have class withyou asshole. Don’t listen to Carol I willfind a way to make your sexiling not worth it.”

“No he won’t,” Carol says, dodging a sock Rhodey throws at her head and laughing.

Peter sits awkwardly as May paces back and forth. He knows she’s worried but she shouldn’t be, he knows what he’s doing. Kind of. Well okay maybe he doesn’t know what he’s doing at all but does anyone?

“Peter,” she says softly. “What is going on with you?”

“Nothing May, I’m fine.” He tries to put on an air of more fine for her sake because he doesn’t want her to worry about him, not when the one shitty thing that was in his life still is gone.

May doesn’t look like she believes him though. “Are you sure? Because you haven’t been acting like you lately and I’m getting worried here. Is this some sort of… I don’t know, latent reaction to Ben because you know you can talk to me, right?” she asks.

Peter clenches his jaw and looks away because he didn’t really need a reminder of that. He misses his uncle and if he’s honest he hasn’t totally made peace with his death but that’s not influencing his actions. “No, its not that,” he murmurs.

May sighs and sits beside him, wrapping an arm around him. He leans into it, pressing his face to her shoulder because it feels like its been a long time since they’ve done this and he kind of misses it. They used to do movie nights, but Ben was always the one who chose the movie and when they realized too late they kind of fell out of the habit. He thinks that neither of them really wanted to take his place. “Peter,” May murmurs. “In the last couple months you have broken up with a guy who by all accounts did not seem to treat you right and I suspect I don’t know the half of it, then you pretty much immediately moved on to someone new and I don’t want to consider what the two of you have been doing together, I found a bunchof lingerie in your room and I don’t even know when or even howyou got it, and you’ve been doing an awful lot of sneaking around lately. I’m sure you can see why I’m worried.”

Okay, from her point of view he gets why things might seem so off. “Its not like… I mean yeah Quentin pretty much sucked and yeah I know I moved on a little fast but Tony’s really great, you should give him a chance. He’s smart, and funny, and he’s really supportive and sweet and I really like him. And also you can buy things online,” he says in way of explaining the lingerie. Liz’s dad still has a PO box in the city so they all send their goods there and Liz picks it all up before anyone else can and distributes it all. Peter has no idea why Ned thinks his Star Wars collectibles count as contraband, he was a little surprised to discover that MJ mostly got her cousin to mail edibles from California, and he and Liz share a love of all things lacy. Their system works pretty well or at least it did until May busted him. Not that she knows about the PPO box thing and he’s not about to rat everyone out. No one is even sure anyone knows about Liz’s dad’s PO box in light of him going to jail and they aren’t about to say anything either.

“Peter,” May says softly, squeezing him a little. “Are you… sureabout this guy you’re seeing? Because I did find you two in a pretty compromising position,” she points out.

They’ve been in more compromising positions than that but Peter doesn’t mention it. He figures he will spare his aunt and also himself from spreading that knowledge around. “Yeah, I am. Like I said, he’s really sweet and supportive and stuff. You’d like him.” Probably better than Quentin, no one had liked him but both Ben and May let him come to his own conclusions even if their facial expressions told him all he needed to know about what they thought.

“I sure hope so because you told him you loved him before you closed your computer,” she says and Peter’s eyes probably triple in size.

“Please tell me you’ve told me that as some sort of cruel and unusual punishment,” he says, horrified. They haven’t even been together that long, definitely not long enough to go professing his love even if its true he’s going to die.

May frowns, “no, you said that.”

Maybe if he feels enough shame he can use it to power himself back in time and undo this mess.

Peter is distant but Tony figures that’s mostly because he’s been banned from most of technology on account of his aunt is trying to actually ground him. Tony has decided he should bridge the gap because he missesPeter and MJ is a good conspirer if he bribes her with driving time in her choice of car so he has it on good authority that Peter will be brought right to him. He looks at his phone, considering pulling a fire alarm to speed this process up when students start pouring out of the school. Yeah, he doesn’t really miss high school not that he went for long. Genius brain and all that, he got to skip out early.

Peter is walking with MJ, Ned, and Liz predictably and when he sees Tony he looks panicked. He’d be worried, but MJ has already informed him that his accidental declaration of love has freaked him out and Tony suspects MJ hasn’t told Peter he feels the same way because she likes the drama of it all. She will deny it, he’s sure, if he confronted her about it, but she doeslike the drama. So she and Liz shove him forward and Ned quickly takes his place in the line so he can’t try and slip behind them.

Tony grins and reaches out for him and that seems to be enough encourage Peter to come to him. He all but runs over, launching himself at Tony and he catches him easily, happily kissing him as he holds him up. “I love you too,” he murmurs when Peter pulls away. Its so worth it to see the look on Peter’s face because he glowswith happiness.

“I love you,” Peter says back, pressing in to kiss him again and Tony could do this for the rest of his life, hold Peter in his arms like this.

Someone lets out a soft ‘aw’ and Tony pulls away, noting the small crowd around them. Ugh, okay. He wrinkles his nose a little and lowers Peter back to the ground not that he pulls away much. He pretty much stays glued to Tony’s side, arms around his neck beaming at him. A slow clap to his left catches his attention and he looks over to find, presumably anyway, Peter’s ex standing there looking superimpressed about this whole thing.

“Great, Peter. You’ve made your point, now get rid of this guy,” he says and Tony squints.

“Its been months buddy, take a fucking hint.” He knows he texts Peter a whole bunch too not that Peter complains much. He suspects he doesn’t want to trouble anyone with it and Tony thinks that’s a bit of a mistake but he’ll mention that to Peter if he ever choses to say something about it.

Quentin, if Tony’s remembering the guy’s name right, doesn’t even bother to look at him and that kind of pisses Tony off. Especially since he’s decided to look at Peter like he’sthe authority on the situation as if he doesn’t want Peter to just do what he wants. “I’ve told you like a milliontimes that we’re done and we have been for months can’t you just give it up?” Peter asks, sounding exhausted.

Quentin takes a step forward and Peter is pulled from his grasp by Liz, who’s giving Quentin suspicious looks and ohTony so does not want to get in a fight with this guy. First of all he’s like a foot taller than him, which isn’t hard because he’s so short, but still. Peter mentioned football and Tony doesn’t like the idea of constant training to keep in shape. Not, he supposes, that he’s lacking his own. Lab equipment isn’t exactly light but that isn’t the same thing and he’s not much of a fighter. He prefers to keep things a battle of the brains, no risk of him losing that way.

“Why don’t you just admit that you don’t even know how to deal with Peter and go away,” Quentin tells him.

Tony rolls his eyes, “seem to know how to handle him much better than you given that he was in myarms like four seconds ago,” he points out.

God, this is why Rhodey tells him to keep his mouth shut but he can’t help it if its true. If the truth pisses this dude off so much maybe he should have grown the fuck up and pulled his head out of his ass. Its not Tony’s fault he didn’t. “Yeah, you don’t know shitif you let him walk around dressed like that,” Quentin says and Tony knows he’s making some type of face because people start laughing. Mostly omegas, he notices, not that he’s surprised by that. Alphas would be more likely to sympathize with Quentin for some stupid ass reason.

“I don’t give a fuck what Peter wears, its hisbody. Besides, unlike you apparently I figure when Peter wakes up in the morning and goes to look at his clothes he thinks to himself ‘I like this piece of clothing and it looks cute on me, I’ll wear it’ rather than ‘every alpha in the immediate vicinity will assume I’m sexually available and simultaneously try and get up my skirt while also degrading me and treating me like shit. I will wear this because I love being verbally abused and treated as a sex object! Its my favorite past time!’ Use what little brain cells playing football hasn’t knocked out of your head and consider how fucking dumb you sound,” Tony tells him.

Its not the right thing to say because he ends up crowded against his car and oh this is sonot an ideal position to be in but true to his personality he can’t just keep his mouth shut. “What the fuck kind of intimidation tactic is this? Feels more homoerotic than intimidating,” he says, leaning further into Quentin’s space and reaching up to touch his face. “I wish I could quit you,” he says in a bad southern accent that gets him shoved away for it and Quentin lurches forward but Tony panicsand he doesn’t mean to, really, but its like his hand moves on its on accord and the heel of it slams into Quentin’s face.

The results are crunchy and immediate as he falls back, clutching his face. “What the fuck?” he yells, blood falling from his hands. Tony looks at his uninjured hand because that was a fluke of some epic proportions and he already knows it was mostly Quentin’s own momentum that resulted in a broken nose. The fact that Tony managed to get the angle right and not injure himself is pure luck.

“No!” someone yells off to the side and Tony turns to find MJ throwing her book at the ground. “His throat was rightthere! Fucking throat punchhim! Is no one ever going to do it!” she yells, throwing her hands into the air.

They’re all driving back to Peter’s house silently and Tony’s real worried he over stepped his bounds because that seems like the kind of macho shit Peter has shown a distaste for and its not like he meantfor any of it to happen but-

“‘I wish I could quit you?’” Liz asks, leaning forward from the back seat of the car with questions all over her face.

Tony shrugs, “because he looks like that guy from Brokeback Mountain. The one that wasn’t Heath Ledger. You know the guy. Seemed like a good idea at the time,” he says, wincing. He gives a small glance to Peter, who isn’t looking at him at the moment. Shit.

“That’s… hilarious,” Ned says and they all start laughing, including Peter a little bit so Tony feels a little better.

“His face!” MJ wheezes out. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look so pissed.”

“That whole bit about being sexually harassed being Peter’s favorite pastime,” Liz says. “Great way to put that.”

“The look on Tony’sface when Quentin implied he should control what Peter wears,” Ned says.

“Yeah, that was funny but leads to some worrying questions about Quentin’s relationship with Peter,” Liz says, effectively ruining the mood.

They go back to being silent for a few moments before Tony speaks, “yeah, I don’t care what you wear. Its not my business and unlike that ignorant ebola virus I think your skirts look greatso I would be real fucking happy if you continued to wear them. But if you do or not is your choice,” he says. “If you do though those long socks look really nice with them,” he adds.

Peter frowns, “thigh highs?” he asks and Tony shrugs.

“If that’s what they’re called,” Tony says.

“Who doesn’t know what a thigh high is?” Ned asks.

“You’re only jealous because you can’t find a pair that fits,” Peter tells him, laughing a little.

Ned lets out an offended noise, “it is not my fault that the beauty industry discriminates against thighs as bountiful and beautiful as mine, okay?”

Peter figures he should maybe do some thinking about whyTony punching his ex is so attractive to him but for the moment he works on keeping it to himself on account of it’d be pretty embarrassing for everyone to get a whiff of that. Tony’s polite and walks him to the door of his building though so Peter figures he’ll let go of the pretenses and drag Tony into a kiss. He makes a surprised noise as he wraps his arms around Peter’s waist and lets Peter pull him in. He lets out a soft moan as Peter moves a hand to his thigh and Tony pulls it up to his hip.

“Fuck, who cares what your shitty ex thinks you’re sofucking hot like this,” he murmurs into Peter’s mouth. He moans, curling his fingers into Tony’s hair as Tony’s hand flexes on his thigh a little.

Tony lets out a soft noise as he pulls away, “okay, okay. I um. Maybe should go before I get arrested for public indecency,” he says, giving Peter a lusty once over.

Peter glances into the building to see if anyone is there and winces when he notices May standing in the lobby and she doesn’t even look angry or disappointed, she just looks worried and that’s worse. “Um. Yeah maybe for the best,” he says. Tony looks over, sensing the mood change, and winces hard. Yeah, this isn’t looking very good for him. He goes to pull away but Peter pulls him back into a kiss for a moment, “I’ll try and sneak out to see you soon, I have plans,” he murmurs against Tony’s lips. His face brightens significantly so Peter feels better about leaving him like this.

“Great!” he says enthusiastically.

May paces back and forth, clearly worried and Peter wilts under her gaze. “Do I need to have the talk with you?” she asks and Peter swears to godhe almost gags.

“No, I’m good thanks. We got plenty of that in school,” he says. Also Ben had awkwardly explained a few things a few years ago and he’s pretty sure they both would have liked to have been spared from that.

“Are you sure? Because it really seems like I should have the talk with you,” she says.

Peter is going to die of embarrassment. “Its fine May, I know what’s going on and it’s a little late anyway,” he says accidentally and May’s eyes basically double in size before she presses her hand to her forehead. “Can we please act like I never said that?” he asks fast.

“No, we can’t. We really can’t pleasetell me you’ve been using protection,” she says, looking horrified to be having this discussion.

She isn’t really alone there. “Yeah May I know what a condom is and how to use them can we drop this now?”

He can see her consider it and he really hopes she stops considering it because this is awfuland he hates it. “Okay, for now fine. What were you doing with your boyfriend? You’re grounded, remember?”

Shit, right. “Can you call the school and do something about Quentin because he won’t leave me alone and its been monthsand he keeps sending all these texts and he almost got into it with Tony and it would be really nice if he just backed off,” he says, tears springing to his eyes fast.

May frowns, sitting down beside him, “Peter whatdoes that have to do with anything? And how come this is the first time I’ve heard about any of this?”

Peter throws his arms around her instead of answering, letting her comforting hug back calm him a little before he explains some things.

#tony stark x peter parker #starker #alternate universe #fanfiction #alpha beta omega

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leisnarcotics · 4 years

Text

Honestly, this is the hardest farewell post to write.

Like my mama said, "She prepared us for this moment but it still hurts."

Everyone knows her, shes willing to help in anyway she can. Shes willing to share or lend a hand as much as possible. She serves sincerely, patiently & love to the Lord, to the Church, to the community, to the people,to her friends and to her family.

But not everyone knows who she is to me, who is Mami Uchie to Rizzie. She is not my mother but she is one. She is my godmother, my aunt, my 2nd mom, my Mami Uchie and even a friend to me. When my grandmother passed away (Lola Nona) and my Mama Ganda left for Canada, Mami Uchie was my go to person, especially when "Mama - Rizzie clash" (Love you Ma!)

Mami was always willing to listen, she'll let me cry on her shoulder, shell let me hug her, she'll explain things to me without judgment and more. She never let me feel that I dont belong, she loved me and took care of me as her own. She never close any door for me, she was always there.

Indeed, I am lucky to be one of her inaanaks.

Mami got diagnosed with C in the year 2016, I was already working abroad that time. It broke my heart, it was a nightmare that I wish I can erase but I cant. During that time, I felt helpless but every videocalls, every vacation back home I can see her face that she is fighting this battle, her infectious smile is still there you can never say that she is suffering or she is in pain. And so I told myself, I will stick with her on this battle and I have my faith.

She was strong on those 4 memorable years; I joined them one time for her chemo, I saw how much she wanted to be okay. Before my flight to UAE she will check if I have medicines, she will give me prescriptions for cough, colds, fever, diarrhea, asthma, allergy etc. One time, she wrote me a letter and just read it while I am on the plane I was crying coz the letter was filled with emotions of Mami Uchie her "tampo" and her love for me. When there is a chance we do videocalls I will ask Mia then Mia will ask her help on how to cook some dishes (like the last time Chicken Hamonado), what do on certain situations and even when it comes to my relationships. There was even a time that I got little sick and she was reminding me to drink my med and asked me to just stay at home to rest for a while (The normal Mami Uchie, thinking of others health before her) I even used to tell her that if Ill get pregnant shell be my midwife wherever I am and that Ill book her a flight if I am abroad. But then I didnt thought this day would happen. One of my greatest fear, death of a loved one. But this one is the hardest, I was supposed to be home end of May to surprise my favorite cousin Mia on her grad but then pandemic happened and so instead I got the biggest surprise of my life - that Mami Uchie is gone.

Mami, I am sorry po but at first I really do not want to see you on your new bed because I am so scared. I am so scared of this day that we can no longer see you, we can no longer touch you,we can no longer hug you, we can no longer hear your voice, I am so scared that someone I love the most and who love me too is now gone forever.

They kept on telling me that God has His reason and I should accept it, I know that but still acceptance will take time for me as for now I will surrender you to the Lord. No more pain, no more struggles, no more machines, no more medicines and no more chemo. I will wholeheartedly let you go Mami. Do not worry about Dadi, Gelli, Ara and Mia we will all be here for them, I especially.

Sleep peacefully Mami Uchie, maybe when we both wake up we will see each other again. 🙏

Mahal na mahal kita Ninang ko.

Mamimiss kita ng sobra sobra Mami Uchie.

Maraming salamat sa pagmamahal mo sa akin at kay Mama.

Iyakap mo po ako ng mahigpit kay Lola Nona, Tita Onie, Tito Tommy, Tita Goyie, Tito Nick, Kuya Dante, Kuya Jayson.

I dont wanna say goodbye, because I know we will see each other on the other side of the rainbow someday.

See you someday Mami. I love you.

❤

Rizzie

Mami Uchie is indeed a true gift from God, I am sure everyone will agree with me. She is literally my fairy godmother, she was there for me when I needed her the most and she touched my life with her magic as how she touched the others. ❤

(1961 - 2020)

https://www.instagram.com/p/CAWCkqjjGki87CLijWW9loSQ_vInemvcWnFPd80/?igshid=14b9qyjcsjcll

#death #aunt #family #love #farewell

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katharaya · 5 years

Note

Uy, opm Okay pero how about something written with a few lines from "Sa Ngalan ng Pag-ibig" by December Avenue as a prompt naman (sorry po natuwa kasi may nag anon nung isa)

okay but for real tho, this song is like. prime Drunk Karaoke™ music, just sayin

u didn’t specify a pairing, sooo here’s some one-sided asra/muriel, with mentions of asra/rei. pre-game angst, angst, and more angst.

—

If only you had been able to seethe sadness in your smileThat one morning you did not returnWake up now, so you can finally seeThe sweetness of those times from a yesterday that won’t return

—

“Muri,” Asra’s voice calls out in the dark of the hut. “You awake?”

Muriel turns on the bed, making it creak beneath his weight instead of answering. From his pile of furs and pillows in the corner, Asra’s eyes shine like little moons in the light leaking from the window above the door.

“So,” Asra says, propping himself up on an elbow, “Rei—” Muriel stiffens at the sound of her name, and almost misses the rest of Asra’s sentence, “—asked me to move into the shop.”

A beat.

“… is she leaving.”

“What?” Asra’s hair bounces when he startles, his curls flopping over his forehead. “No, I'm—I’ll be moving in with her.”

Another purposely-obtuse beat.

“… is she sick.”

“No, she’s not,” Asra says, always good-natured, always patient. “She just—asked.”

“Why.”

“Well, because—” Muriel sees Asra’s fingers moving in the moonlight, picking at a stray thread on the corner of one of his many, many pillows. “—'cause we're—y'know—”

Muriel knows. He does. And he’s happy for Asra, truly.

(But being happy for Asra and being happy about it are two very different things.)

“When are you leaving?” Muriel asks, and he hopes Asra does not know how much those words cost him.

Asra flops back down onto the pillows, his teeth flashing white in the moonlight as he grins at him, though Muriel knows Asra can’t see him across the room, hidden by the shadows as he is. Good. It means Muriel doesn’t have to control his face as he listens to the sound of his impending solitude.

“Well, tomorrow, I thought,” Asra says, rolling onto his back, tucking an arm beneath his head. “I’ll start moving my things over bit by bit, and then I’ll spend the night there, but I’ll be coming back here the next few days to get the rest of my stuff.” Asra tilts his head at Muriel and smiles, but Muriel knows the light in Asra’s eyes belongs to someone else. “So you’ll still be seeing a lot of me.”

Muriel grunts, then shifts, earning him a soft whuff from Inanna as she’s roused from her sleep at the foot of the bed. He stills, letting her settle, and tries to imprint the image of Asra’s moonlit smile in his mind, for safekeeping.

“I’m worried about you, though,” Asra continues, voice going soft. (The sound reminds him, strangely, of the sea.) “Will you be okay?”

(Or not so strange. It reminds him of a smaller Asra, a younger Asra, a not-yet-in-love Asra, who only cared about Faust, and mealtimes, and magic, and Muri, Muri, Muri.)

“… yeah.”

“You sure? Maybe—”

“Are you happy?” Muriel asks, before Asra can second-guess himself, before he can put Muriel’s happiness above his own.

“What?”

“Are you happy.”

“I—yes,” Asra says, voice going softer still. It’s the voice of an older Asra, a more-in-love-than-ever Asra. “I'm—I’m really, really happy.”

“Then,” Muriel says, “I am, too.” (It is only half a lie.) “I’ll be fine.”

Muriel closes his eyes, but he can still hear Asra’s smile when he says, “Thanks, Muriel.”

Muriel grunts again. He hears Asra shift, hears the rustling of fabric as Asra settles onto his side with a pillow under his arm, the way he always sleeps.

“Night, Muri.”

He lets it echo in his mind, the words bouncing around until it gets tucked away into his long-term memory with all the other Good night Muri’s from over the years. Night, Muri; Night, Muri; Night, Muri.

It’s the last one he’ll hear for a long while, he thinks. He wants it to last.

“Night,” Muriel says, and hopes morning never comes.

—

It does, of course, and not even a full hour after the sun has cleared the horizon, Asra is already packed and dressed, standing in the open doorway.

“—come back for more of my stuff tomorrow,” he’s saying. Muriel nods, only half listening. Asra looks so bright in the sunlight, Muriel feels like he should cover his eyes. He doesn’t. He looks at Asra and tries to imprint this memory of him, too.

“—should come visit,” Asra continues, turning to look straight at Muriel. “I’m sure Rei would love to have you over.”

Muriel just shrugs. “Maybe,” is all he allows, but Asra smiles anyway like he’d agreed all the same.

(In truth, it’s only a matter of time, and stubbornness. He doesn’t know how to say no, not when it’s Asra.)

“Well, I’ll be off,” Asra says, fitting his scarf closer around his neck. It’s what he’s said pretty much every morning for the past—four? Five? Gods, he doesn’t even know anymore—years, ever since Asra’d started working for Rei’s aunt, before Rei had ever come to Vesuvia and stolen (no, not stolen—had been gifted) his heart. It shouldn’t sound so melancholy, and in truth maybe it really isn't—it’s just Muriel’s ears and his brain and his heart overlaying a string of please don’t go’s that make it sound that way.

“Yeah,” Muriel replies. It’s what he always says, too, but this one (the last one?) feels heavier on his tongue.

Maybe Asra senses it too (of course, of course he does), because his smile turns a little sadder, a little more wistful, and Muriel wants to kick himself for it. Asra should always smile like the world has given him everything he’s ever wanted.

Asra reaches out, places one of his soft, soft hands on Muriel’s very-much-not-soft arm. “Take care,” Asra says. “See you tomorrow, okay?”

“Yeah.” Muriel touches just the pads of his fingers to Asra’s knuckles, and smiles a little, only a little, only for him. “I’ll be here.”

And Asra smiles back like that’s everything he’s ever wanted.

—

II.

Until the very end of our infinityUntil this heart stops feeling anythingEven if this forever ends somedayI will still wait, all in the name of love

—

Muriel shoulders the door of the hut open and carries Asra inside. Neither of them had spoken a word the whole way back from the Lazaret. In the quiet of their old home, the sound of the sand stuck to Muriel’s boots scraping against the floor with each step is much too loud.

Asra refuses to let Muriel heal his hands. When Muriel reaches for a pot of salve after washing off the blood from the skin of his split knuckles, Asra wrenches his hands away, tucking them close to his chest.

“Leave them.”

“Asra.”

“Leave them,” Asra says, almost a growl, before he slumps over, and says, softer, “please.”

“They’ll scar,” Muriel says. He knows this from experience. Asra shouldn’t have to bear such scars.

“I know,” Asra sighs. “Let them.”

And then Asra gets up, crossing over to the pile of furs and pillows that Muriel never put away, and climbs into it, laying himself down facing the wall, his hands tucked to his chest as if to hide them from a world that would steal what little macabre mementos he has left of her.

Muriel stays awake that night, listening to the dead silence.

(He thinks it would have hurt less to just hear Asra cry outright.)

—

Asra doesn’t move for a solid twelve hours, save for the shallow rise and fall of his breathing, which is the only thing that reassures Muriel that he’s still alive.

And even that, perhaps, is not a certainty; there are many ways to die, and not all of them means the heart stops beating. Alive is sometimes relative thing.

(Muriel would know.)

Late in the afternoon, Muriel kneels down beside the unmoving lump of furs and nudges a plate of eggs forward.

“Eat,” he says.

The lump stirs, a little.

“’M not really hungry, Muri,” Asra mumbles. “Thanks. Maybe later.”

Muriel sighs, and sits, and waits patiently for later.

When later comes, when the sky has gone purple and the eggs have gone cold and the embers in the hearth have dimmed to a dull glow, Asra finally rolls over, blinking when he sees Muriel. His eyes are puffy and dull, but dry, although the wounds on his knuckles are still weeping, shining faintly in the dark twilight.

“Muriel,” Asra rasps out, voice cracked and dry like a desert gone decades without rain. “You’re still here.”

Muriel shrugs. “Where else would I be,” he says.

Asra doesn’t smile, but he doesn’t cry either. He just sighs, eyes closing, and goes back to sleep under Muriel’s watchful eye. There is still ash smearing Asra’s cheek, and a few grains of sand dotting his skin. Muriel reaches out to brush them away, then stops himself, and decides to just let Asra sleep.

Muriel shifts into a more comfortable position, and settles in to watch, and wait.

Morning couldn’t come fast enough.

#the arcana #the arcana game #the arcana fic #asra #muriel #asra x muriel #asriel #katharayawrites #anon asks #i want y'all to know that translating the lyrics takes up like 80% of the writing time #have mercy on me fam #also ive been contemplating writing asra/muriel/rei but idk #whatchu guys think #also if the cut doesn't work then rip im so sorry guys

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ren-of-the-arcana · 5 years

Text

Let me tell you a story...

My apprentice Ren's story before he died of the plague. It's something that I've been working on, slowly, since I started the Arcana months ago. Ren has a twin sister that is featured heavily, as well some other family members. I plan on writing short snippets of what happened in greater detail, but that's not here yet.

This paints Count Lucio as a really despicable person, as a fair warning to Lucio fans...

I'm on mobile, so I apologize in advance for the super long post....

Warnings - death, blood, mentions of unwanted sexual advances

Ren 'of the Sea'

- the apprentice with a point to prove to the world.

Favorite Food - Pomegranates

Favorite Drink - Earl Grey tea with cinnamon

Favorite Flower - Periwinkle

- As children, Ren and Jazmine were regaled with stories of their clan. Of ancient ties to dragons and magic, of desperate battles and travel. Though the Dragons of the West were a peaceful clan, full of magicians, bards, and healers, they were feared by many for thier power and influence. As the years passed, it became sport to see who could defeat them. And though the clan tried to avoid conflict, they were hunted and killed like prey. The Dragons were scattered; but, slowly, faction by faction, they were taken out. Until the only ones left were Ren, Jazmine, and their father, Jolon. Their mother, Illiana, had been murdered at the hands of Morga Eirsdottir of the Scourge of the South, shortly after the twins were born.

It was an understanding between Jolon and Illiana that if either of them was killed, the other would take the children to safety and not seek revenge. And Jolon was always a man of his word, no matter the circumstance. The three settled on the coast, far from any town or city. Jolon thought they were safe. That was until Montag Morgasson found them.

Ren and Jazmine were only five years old when Montag learned of their small family's continued existence. It had been his mother who killed Illiana, and had been unable to finish the job. As a mercenary on the run from Morga, Montag saw this as the perfect opportunity to spite her. Finish what she had been unable to.

It was a chilly spring evening when Montag came to their door. If it had been any other family, he may have succeeded in his quest. However, Jolon had foreseen Montag's arrival, and would not let anything come of his children if he could stop it. Knowing that they would be hunted to extinction, Jolon sacrificed himself. He sent Ren and Jazmine out to sea in the family's small fishing boat, begging the gods to lead them somewhere safe. He stayed behind to face Montag, swearing that it would be the last death in this fickle tirade of clans.

Ren still has nightmares of that night, knowing he would never see his father again. Watching the flames engulf his childhood home, the twisted grin of his father's murderer flashing before his eyes, the vague echo of a promise to keep his sister safe and not seek revenge.

The small boat came upon a terrible storm, rattling it to pieces. Jazmine had been struck by a board, many of her memories fading into oblivion as Ren kept her from drowning, afloat on part of the broken mast. With next to nothing but the clothes they wore, and a tattered book, the twins washed up on the shores of Vesuvia.

They were found by a kindly female magician named Ilana. She took them in, and raised them as her niece and nephew, in her modest magic shop. Under her tutelage, Ren became a master magician; and though Jazmine was just as capable, she found her focus on herbology, and became an expert herbalist.

Ilana was an older, willowy woman. Her dark hair was heavily streaked with grey, often worn in a long braid down her back. She had a grey sheepdog as a familiar, named Fenrir, who was as old and ageless as his master. Though she was strict with the twins, she was lenient enough with them to let them explore and develop themselves, sending Fenrir to accompany (follow) them. This led the twins to getting in trouble...often.

Ilana kept the book that the twins had arrived with hidden in a secret space upstairs, beneath a floorboard, along with many other important things, warded with the strongest spells Ilana could conjure. They would only reveal the contents when the time was right.

Much like their father, Ilana was able to see the future. Often she would foretell the day for the twins, as well as in-depth personal fortunes. Ilana once told Ten that he would die when the beetles came and his soulmate left him. But, he should not worry, for it wasn't his true end, and he would return. It made little sense to Ren, and he struggled with it for years before coming to accept it.

Often, the twins went to the docks to play with the other orphans, or to tell them the tales that were passed down from their father. More so, it was Ren who told the stories to Jazmine, and she recited them for the orphans, due to Ren's social anxiety. It was in this way that the twins crosses paths with Montag again; though this time, his name was Lucio, and he had become the Count of Vesuvia. The twins were around ten years old at the time. Hearing the tales of the Dragons of the West, Lucio thought that perhaps he had failed in his goal of eradicating the clan (which he had). Confronting the twins, as well as a young Muriel and Asra, Lucio tried to start a fight, or at least arrest whosoever they learned the stories from. It came out that Jazmine had learned the tales from Ren, but at that point it didn't matter. Lucio had tried to hurt Jazmine, harming Muriel and Asra as they tried to intervene. That didn't sit well with Ren. He didn't speak much, or even defend himself, but when someone he cared about was threatened, it was on. He attacked Lucio, and in the process, Lucio had clawed at him with his alchemical arm. Three bloody cuts trailed down the left side of Ren's face, close enough to his eye that, due to the magic of the gauntlet, changed the original blue/grey color to a bright seafoam green. Ren attempted to curse Lucio then, to forget the interaction, to forget the stories he heard, and to forget he had even seen the four of them at the docks that day. The curse worked long enough to get Lucio to leave. However, it also caused Asra and Muriel to forget they were friendly with the twins, making then strangers, coming to the docks to tell interesting stories and nothing more. Curses were not Ren's strong suit. The curse backfired, not lasting nearly long enough. Lucio didn't permanently forget his interaction with the twins, and laid in wait for many years to exact his revenge. Ren and Jazmine were able to escape, and Fenrir took them back to their Aunt's shop. Though Ilana scolded them for being so careless, she still attempted to heal the damage Lucio had caused. While the wounds themselves healed effortlessly, the scars would never fade, a constant reminder of the day.

Into his early teens, Ren often hung around the docks. He earned a small wage helping the ship crews ready their ships, rigging and loading cargo mostly, or helping fishermen with making and mending nets. One particular traveler, a wandering bard by the name of Icarus Jobe, recognized the storyteller in him. Late at night, when Ren wasn't needed at the shop, he and Icarus would sit together on the beach, and the bard would tell Ren stories of all the places he had traveled to. They became fast friends, and Icarus became an almost father-figure to Ren. Ren managed to develop a slight crush on the seafaring bard, and learned many lessons along the way.

Nearly a year after their comraderie began, Icarus was accused of high treason against the court by Lucio, though there was next to no evidence to support this. He was sentenced to death via hanging. Icarus wasn't frightened of death, his only regret being that he wouldn't see what type of man Ren would grow into.

Ren was present for the hanging, knowing there was no spell he could find to save his dear friend in time. When the floor dropped out from beneath Icarus, his hat flew into the crowd. Ren caught the hat, placing it on his own head with finality, another blow to Lucio. The old pirate hat served as another reminder that Ren had a story to share with the world that hadn't been written just yet.

It wasn't until after Icarus Jobe's death that Ren learned he had been a close friend to his mother....

Death followed Ren like a lost dog, always begging for scraps, the lives of his loved ones.

When the twins were fourteen, Ilana passed under mysterious circumstances. It was then that they learned that Ilana was actually their biological aunt, their father's sister. They received a modest inheritance, as well as access to the hidden materials beneath the upstairs floorboard of the shop, thier father's grimoire and writings of their clan's history.

Jazmine was heartbroken, and couldn't bring herself to stay at the shop. Despite her fear of the sea, she left Vesuvia on a ship, taking Fenrir with her, to travel anywhere but home. Ren took over the shop, staying to carry on Ilana's legacy. It was in the years that followed that Ren started his relationship with Asra. Jazmine periodically visited, but mostly she sent letters and herbal lore from the various places she had been.

When the Red Plague came to Vesuvia, Asra wanted to leave, and Ren knew he had to stay. With tears in his eyes, he told Asra to go, but it wasn't goodbye, because he knew Asra would return when it was over, of that Ren was certain.

In the months that followed, Ren worked at the Palace under Lucio, in the Count's campaign to find a 'cure' for the plague. Ren became friends with Doctor Julian Devorak, and Jazmine returned to use her herbal knowledge to help. Eventually Jazmine and Julian started a relationship, often fighting and getting on one another's nerves, but somehow made a great couple. Ren could see the red strings of fate binding the two, knowing that they would eventually make it on their own path.

During one particular low point, when Ren was thinking about Asra, and Jazmine had left Julian and Vesuvia for at least the second time, they went to the Rowdy Raven together, and Ren let slip that he was destined to die soon. He ended up erasing that particular memory from Julian's mind, though it would inevitably be returned through his deal with the Hanged Man.

Working in close proximity with Lucio and his courtiers, Ren was constantly harassed by Lucio, who had developed a twisted crush. Ren was still very much in love with Asra, attempting to contact them intermittently, and would have none of it. In his down time, Ren would tell the stories of his people to the children stricken with the plague, trying to keep their spirits up with the tales of magic and dragons. Lucio often listened in, never straying far from Ren.

Ren learned by mere chance that the plague was the result of a deal Lucio had made in his youth, and that the only real cure was Lucio's death. Though the Count had given Ren many reasons to kill him, he was reluctant, and tried to find another way. After one too many times of being harassed and cornered by Lucio, Ren finally snapped, telling him to leave him alone or else. Lucio revealed to Ren that he knew who Ren was and how Ren had gotten his scars. He knew that Ren had discovered his secret, and was paranoid that Ren was going to kill him any day. Trying to escape the library where he had been cornered, Lucio pinned Ren to his chest with his alchemical arm so that he couldn't get away. Lucio crushed a plague beetle into dust and forced Ren to inhale it, knowing it was an almost absolute guarantee that Ren would catch the plague. Ren was so angry that he cast one last curse, knowing that this one would actually take without fail. He cursed Lucio to catch the plague, that Ren's end would be the beginning of the end for Lucio.

Terrified, Lucio locked Ren under the Palace with the other plague doctors to work, accusing Ren of attempting to give him the plague at the same time. Ren was scheduled to be burned alive at the Lazaret if he didn't find a cure in time. It took several days for Ren's symptoms to become apparent, Julian not even noticing until it was too late. Ren tried one last time to contact Asra, but they still wouldn't respond.

Ren managed to escape the Palace, merely wanting to settle his affairs before the guards took him to the Lazaret. At the shop, he was interrupted by Muriel. Ren ended up telling Muriel everything, but then took the memory away so that if the guards found him, he wouldn't be labeled as an accomplice to Ren's supposed murder attempt. Leaving Muriel passed out in the shop with letters for Asra and Jazmine, Ren met the Palace guards at the shop's doorstep and calmly went with them to his death.

While Ren was with Muriel at the shop, Jazmine returned, going immediately to the palace, and learning Ren's fate from Julian. Julian had attempted to stop Ren, but even he knew it was too late. Jazmine felt the moment Ren died.

Asra returned within hours of Ren dying, having felt it themselves, cursing themselves for being too late. Jazmine let Asra stay at the shop, unable to care for it herself with all the death tied to it. She stayed with Mazelinka, coming and going frequently like before.

Once Asra foiled Lucio's ritual, and Ren returned, Asra warned Jazmine that she couldn't see him. The potential that the memory of her might kill him being the strongest factor. But Jazmine, being Jazmine, didn't listen. She let herself be seen in the marketplace, around the city, all but stalking Ren. Eventually they became friends, without Ren realizing that she was his twin, though he had suspicions, especially with his dreams at the time.

It was during Asra's last trip that Ren learned the truth, but he couldn't be mad at Asra. Ren understood why they did it. He kept the knowledge a secret from Asra until the events of the Lazaret, telling Asra he had been ready for a long time to recover his memories, and had been doing so, slowly and carefully over the last several weeks.

At some point after the events of the game, Ren and Asra stumble upon the burned out remains of Ren's childhood home. Inside they found a strange grey egg, that neither could identify. Taking it back to home to Vesuvia, Faust and the stove salamander help Ren hatch it. It turns out to be a dragon egg. That dragon hatches a vivid lavender color, and becomes Ren's familiar, Veritas.

Appearance -

Pale complected, with short, dark hair. Roughly 5'8", with a narrow, sturdy build. Born with blue/grey eyes, but the left eye turned seafoam green after being attacked by Lucio as a child. Many scars from random fights, but the most vivid being the scars near his left eye; he grows the top of his hair slightly longer than the rest to cover them. Usually wears a black three-quarter sleeves shirt, green and blue scarves, black pants and boots. Wears an old pirate hat wrapped with a grey scarf when traveling.

Random Things -

Ren wears a dangling silver sun earring in his right ear, and Jazmine wears a dangling golden moon earring in her left ear to represent their twin and their connection.

At home, Ren is almost always wrapped in a sea-colored shawl, with a cup of tea and a book in hand.

Ren and Jazmine both tan very easily, but of the two, Ren is paler.

When they were young, the only way to tell Ren and Jazmine apart was through their eye color.

Before the plague killed him, Ren identified most with the Moon Arcana, seeing through illusions and the hidden aspects of life.

Ren owns a magical shawl. One side is teal with a compass rose embroidered in it so that they never get lost. The other side is black with a white lotus embroidered on it to protect them from death. When Lucio trapped him and forced him to inhale the plague beetle, the shawl fell from his shoulders, allowing the plague to take hold.

- That's all for now. I know it's a mess, and not always easy to follow, but I will be fleshing out more of Ren's story as I go. As well as other small details and sketches I have made of him.

#apprentice ren #apprentice backstory #fan apprentice #death #long post #to be continued...#the arcana

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dibs4ever · 6 years

Text

DickBabs Wedding Day (Fanfic)

As promised here is my DICKBABS wedding fic, it turned our longer then I expected but I hope it’s worth the read

“Get back here!” Stephanie grinned chasing after the toddler and scooping him up with a smile. She tickled his belly causing him to giggle.

“Say my name” she smiled pressing her forehead up the against the 15-month-old’s

“Teph” he grinned playing with the sequence on her short sleeved lavender bridesmaid dress

Stephanie smiled “That right” she bopped his little nose

Cassandra entered the room followed by Jason.

“There you are” Cassandra smiled “Let me see my nephew” she held her hands out

Stephanie shook her head “Barbara gave me one duty as her bridesmaid----to get my nephew dressed, you’re not taking that from me. Besides they’re letting you watch him while they are on their honeymoon” she mockingly argued blowing raspberry on Nathan’s cheeks

Cassandra rolled her eyes continuing into the room “I’m not, let me just hold him for a second, besides if it bugs you that much I’ll let you and Timbers play house with him for one night” she held her hands out and Stephanie handed him over. “Barbara is dressed, she look’s amazing”

“Mama!” Nathan smiled

Jason rolled his eyes and walked toward the girls “Now you did it”

“I see mama” Nathan said again

Cassandra shook her head “Sorry bud, we let you see her now you’ll be throwing a fit when we have to pull you away from her, so you can play ring bearer” she brushed the strands of jet black hair away from his little face

Nathan looked at her oddly before twisting his body sideways, making it slightly difficult for Cassandra to hold onto him “Unci Aye see Mama” he reached his little arms toward Jason

Jason held his hands up “Sorry Rugrat, I’ve been told no men are even aloud in that wing of the manor”

Cassandra turned Nathan, so he was back in her arms “I feel like he talks so well for his age” she commented

Stephanie nodded in agreement

“Hey Nate” Jason spoke catching the toddlers attention “What’s her name?” he pointed to Cassandra

Nathan pointed a finger at Cassandra “Ass” he said proudly

Jason and Stephanie laughed

“Ass” Nathan said again, enjoying the reaction he got from his aunt and uncle

“It’s not funny” Cassandra barked “Nathan Cass” she held the C

“Ass” Nathan said again

Jason laughed “Dick wanted me to tell you to just deliver the rugrat to the room where the us groomsmen are when you’re done getting him dressed” he explained before leaving the room

“I’m going to go see if Alfred needs any more last-minute help” Cassandra said passing Nathan back to Stephanie

She nodded and watched her leave the room

“Let’s get you dressed little stud muffin” she told her nephew as she kissed his chubby cheek

“Welp I hate break it to ya Dickie but your kid curses like a sailor” Jason grinned closing the door to the room where the male side of the wedding party was getting dressed

Dick was looking in the mirror making sure everything was straight “Were you making him say Cass’ name again?” he quirked an eyebrow

“You bet I was” Jason laughed flopping down on the couch

“You know she hates that” Tim pointed

Jason shrugged “Would I be a good brother if I didn’t annoy the tar out of my siblings?”

Damian rolled his eyes from where he stood on the opposite corner of the room

“Alright, how do I look? Dick asked turning to look at his brothers

Bruce stepped out of the adjoined bathroom and nodded his head “Barbara isn’t going to know what hit her” he complimented clapping Dick’s shoulder

Dick smiled proudly

There was a knock on the door and Tim stepped forward opening it, Stephanie stepped in holding Nathan now dressed in a tux. Her once neat hair was now slightly tussled “Well it took some wrangling, but I got him dressed” she smiled

Dick laughed moving forward “Hey buddy, look at you” he stretched out his hands

Nathan grinned brightly “Dada!”

He took the toddler and threw him lightly into the air causing him to giggle

“I’m going to go get this fixed” Stephanie motioned around her head

Dick nodded “Thanks for getting him dressed Steph, he looks great” he set the baby down, immediately he ran toward the curtains.

Bruce knew his grandson well enough to know that the small human was going to attempt to climb them, so he quickly stopped him by scooping him up.

Barbara took a deep breath looking herself over in the mirror. She turned around just as the hairdresser was finishing up fixing Stephanie’s hair.

“I’m sorry about that” Barbara apologized

Stephanie laughed standing up “Forget about it, it was my fault for putting him down and not keeping a close eye on him. I swear he’s part spider or something. I stepped out of the room for a second and he was half way up the bookcase”

Barbara laughed “That’s Dick’s fault, he taught him how to climb just about anything”

Dinah smiled “Only, 15 minutes left till the ceremony is supposed to start”

Barbara nodded “Don’t remind me.”

“You nervous?” Cassandra cocked an eyebrow

Barbara nodded “Like you wouldn’t believe, I’m getting married....to Dick Grayson. If you had told me that when I first met him I would have said you were crazy.”

Dinah laughed “Considering you were 12 and he was 9 I’d say I’d understand”

She took a deep breath “I need to sit down for a moment” she passed her bouquet to Dinah and sat down, running her fingers through her hair careful not to mess it up

“You’re not going to run, away are you?” Stephanie half joked

Cassandra nodded “Yeah cause the guys have your kid and if you run away he’s going to be raised by them.... can you imagine how bad that would turn out?”

Barbara laughed “I’m doing this——I want to do this.” She stood taking the bouquet back “I’m ready to marry Richard John Grayson.”

The doors flung open and Helena rushed in dressed in the same matching bridesmaid dress as the rest of the girls “I’m here, I’m so sorry I’m late but I’m here with” she glanced at the time “8 minutes to spare “she let out a breath

Barbara laughed “Sorry the hair and makeup girl just left”

Helena shrugged “No biggie it’s my punishment for being late. You on the other hand look stunning!” Her eyes widened

Dinah nodded “I know right, with her looking like that we’ll be lucky if her and Dick even show up to the reception”

This made the bridal party laugh as they made their way to the door

Dick stood at the front of the aisle bouncing on his toes. He was never nervous but right now he felt like he was about to faint. He looked around at the crowd of guests in front of him he locked eyes with the Clark Kent who was sitting in the second row Jon and Lois beside him. Clark grinned sending him a thumb up

The music started, and Dick moved his attention to the doors as they swung open. First up was Helena and Damian, there were a couple of “Awes” heard from older women finding the sharp dressed yet short for his age 13-year-old paired with the much taller than him woman. As Damian passed the Kent’s Jon covered his mouth to suffocate a chuckle earning a glare from Damian.

Next was Jason paired with Cassandra then Tim with Stephanie and finally the Best man and Maid of Honor Wally and Dinah

Nathan came out last serving as ring bearer, Wally’s daughter served as flower girl “Awes” filled the room as the toddlers entered holding the small white pillow and basket with Bruce beside them guiding the toddlers gently along.

As Bruce tried to hold Nathan’s hand and move him a little quicker the 1 year old stopped in the middle and narrowed his eyes “I do it” he said proudly

Bruce shrugged releasing the boy and walked ahead, this made Nathan quickly follow his grandfather causing the crowd of guests to laugh.

Once they were at the alter Wally bent down taking the ring box that was tied to the pillow and Bruce sat in the front row with his grandson.

Then the wedding march began, everyone stood, and the doors once again swung open revealing Barbara dressed in her white gown, her arm hooked with her fathers. Dick’s breath caught at the sight of her as she walked down the isle

Suddenly he felt tears welling up in his eyes as Jim led her down the aisle. Dick blinked back the tears “Get ahold of yourself Grayson, this isn’t like you” he thought

Jim and Barbara stood in front of him

“Who gives this woman to this man?” Alfred asked, yes Alfred was officiating the marriage. Would they honestly trust anyone else?

“I do.” Jim stood straight

Dick stepped forward to take Barbara’s hand but felt her being held back. The couple looked back at the police commissioner “Dad this is where you let go” she whispered

Letting a low sigh Jim leaned forward pecking Barbara’s cheek

“Take care of her Grayson” he lowered his eyes

Dick nodded “I will sir”

With that Dick took Barbara’s hand and turned so they were standing in front of Alfred

“We are gathered here today to unite this man and this woman in marriage” Alfred began.

After going through the stereotypical wedding ceremony Alfred smiled “The Bride and Groom have decided to read their own vows which they will do at this time, Master Dick” Alfred nodded toward the man

Dick nodded, to everyone’s surprise he didn’t take out a paper “Barbara, as I stand before you today thousands of memories flash through my mind all the way back to the day we first met. We’ve had a lot of ups and downs. Good things and bad things. Surprises that neither of us saw coming. I’ve left and came back more then once. But one thing has always remained the same. It has always been you, no matter how far away I went, how bad things got or whatever obstacle we were going through something always told me you would always be the answer. Our love story is not a fairy tale. In fact, it is probably one of the furthest things away from a fairy tale.” This line caused some eyebrow raises from guests who didn’t know the full story of Dick and Barbara. Dick grabbed both of Barbara’s hands in his “But one thing is for sure it’s ours which makes it perfect. I know I’m nowhere near perfect, but I promise to do my best to be as close to that as I possibly can for you and our son” he kissed her hands

The guest clapped

“Easy Master Dick I have not told you to kiss the bride yet” Alfred teasingly wagged his finger.

Dick chuckled

“Alright Miss Barbara it’s your turn” Alfred smiled

Barbara took a deep breath “Well I’m going to do my best to follow up with that” she joked “Dick, like you I’m standing here just thinking about everything we’ve gone through. We’ve known each other longer then I sometimes realize. I remember when I was 17 there was this short lanky 14-year-old boy who confessed he had a crush on me and asked me out, obviously I shot him down. Then a year later that same boy sneekingly stole a kiss, naturally I punched him in the face” Dick and Barbara exchanged smiles “Little did I know I had just kissed the love of my life for the first time. Fast forward through puberty, and some years later here we are standing in front of each other and that same boy is the father of my child and soon to become me husband. Through everything you never ever gave up on me. You have always been my biggest supporter, even when I was 12 years old and stressing about a test I could count on you to encourage me and make me feel like everything would be okay. I can’t thank you enough for all the things you have done for me through the years. I hope that I can always do the same for you, I vow to always be your biggest supporter through thick and thin no matter what life throws at us”

Next it was time to exchange the rings, when they finished Dick turned to Alfred “Can I kiss her Alfie?”

Alfred smiled “Yes Master Dick, you may kiss your bride”

Dick shot Barbara a wide grin, she smiled back just as widely as he wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her close her arms found their way to his neck and in one swift motion Dick pressed his lips to hers. Both embracing in a gentle yet passionate kiss.

They pulled apart still smiling “Ladies and Gentlemen it is my honor to introduce to you for the first time Mr. and Mrs. Grayson!”

The guests cheered as Barbara and Dick clasped hands they stopped so Barbara could take Nathan from Bruce and together the family of 3 made their way up the isle and out of the room.

“Alright let’s go get wasted!” Jason shouted——-which lead to the reception, and that’s a whole other story.

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dailyaudiobiblechronological · 2 years

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12/5/2021 DAB Chronological Transcription

2 Corinthians 5-9

Welcome to Daily Audio Bible Chronological. It's the fifth day of December. I'm Jill welcome. It's a brand new week around here, which means we start a brand new translation. New mercies, new translation. All things new. I love that reminder as we begin a brand new week and a brand new day. And we are well into our last month winding down this full year of walking through the Bible together in chronological order. Man, it's been such an incredible journey and we're still journeying. So onward we go. Today we are continuing our reading in Second Corinthians. So today we're reading chapters 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9, and the translation that we are reading from today is the Contemporary English version, which happens to be one of my very favorite translations to read from Second Corinthians. Chapter 5.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for your word today. Thank you for this brand new week. We thank you for rest and restoration. We thank you for all things new. We let go of the things that we didn't quite accomplish that might be nagging on us. And we look forward to a clean slate, a brand new start. We let go of perfection and getting it all done exactly right the exact way and we give you and this week our best. We let go of the guilt and the shame of the things that we didn't accomplish and the things that we will not accomplish. We look to you our helper, our very present help in time of need. We thank you that you hear us when we pray. We pray this in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Announcements:

Daily Audio Bible, that's home base. Check it out, if you have not. Take a look around, that's the website. If you would like to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, thank you so much for your partnership. We cannot do this without you. That is the truth. If you're giving by mail DAB PO. Box 1996, Spring Hill, Tennessee 37174 or you can hit the Give icon. It's up at the top right hand corner of your mobile devices. Look for the Give icon on the website as well. If you need prayer, if you'd like to pray for someone that's previously called in, you are so welcome to do that. There's three ways to do that. 800-583-2164, or you can utilize the Prayer Wall. It is available on the website and on your app. Just a click of your fingertips and you can type out your prayer need or your prayer. And there are people willing and waiting there to pray for you. Or you can once again use your mobile device. Just hit the red circle button it's up at the top right hand corner. You've got two minutes. Make sure you hit submit and then turn that wheel to chronological and it will get to the right place. It's going to do it for me today I'm Jill. We will turn the page together tomorrow, and I look forward to it every single day. Until then, love one another.

Community Prayer Line:

Hi, my DABC family. I have spent the past year on the DAB side. I've never prayed on the DABC side or asked for prayer, but my name is Tammy from the Adirondacks. I don't know if I said that. I know that there's a lot of you that listen to both, but I just wanted to ask for prayer. Just, I'm a caregiver for my husband. I'm nine months in remission from ovarian cancer. Some days are easy. Some days are hard, going through a menopause depression. But all that aside, I just wanted to tell you guys and tell Brian and Jill that I know that lot of you are double Dabbers. So you're going to hear me on the DAB. And I didn't think it was fitting not to come to the DABC and also to thank you guys for your love and your prayers. And I'm so grateful to my aunt, who has introduced me to this app and this community. And I was born again a year ago, a little over a year ago. And I'm just grateful for this walk that I'm on with the Lord learning, questioning a lot of what I do but learning to just trust in Him and know that he loves me and he will take care of all things. It's a journey. But I wanted to tell you guys that I love you and you mean so much to me. And I pray for you guys. And I love you all. And I thank you for being there for me and my husband. God bless you all. I love you. Thank you. Bye.

Hi, DABC. This is Under Construction, so I think that it has finally been determined that me and my half, or my other half will be going our separate ways. It's just a matter of time for him to finish getting situated so that he can leave me. So this means for the last 20 years, I have been the roof over somebody else's head and the support that they needed to get their lives together, to just be left when they did. I'm just, I guess not lovable. I'm not meant to have a partner and have a family and have my dreams. Just meant to pick others up and help them up... Good morning. This is Sally in North Dakota, one who loves to worship. Hey, I just want to say thank you, Jill, for the gift of everybody sharing their story. And it was especially nice to hear you and Brian share how the Bible has transformed your lives and to hear so many people call in and a lot of new callers that called in to share. It was so nice to hear each one of you. So thank you for that. Thank you for that gift. It was just a joy to listen to every one of you and to hear everyone's story. I am so thankful for you, Jill, for sharing and coming to us every day. And I look forward in the new year for you and China sharing together and reading. What a blessing we have- this family that comes around the global campfire. Thank you so much. I love each and every one of you. Bye.

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dailyaudiobible · 3 years

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05/08/2021 DAB Transcript

1 Samuel 2:22-4:22, John 5:24-47, Psalm 106:1-12, Proverbs 14:30-31

Today is the 8th day of May welcome to the Daily Audio Bible I'm Brian it is great to be here with you today as we bring to the close another one of our weeks together, this being the first full week of the month of May. So, well done. We moved through quite a bit of territory in this past week landing ourselves where we are in the book of 1 Samuel. We began 1 Samuel yesterday we talked about it then and were just getting to know Sammy. He is just a little boy. His mother, Hannah, prayed for him at Shiloh which is where the permanent tabernacle was for...for hundreds of years before the temple was constructed. And, so, Samuel has been given back to God and he lives there in Shiloh under the priest Eli's supervision. And he's got this little robe, this little priestly robe that his mother…she makes him a new one each year when she comes to worship. It’s a beautiful story because we all know how we like to dress up our toddlers in grown up looking clothes and they just look so sharp and handsome or beautiful. And, so, you can just imagine Samuel with this little priestly robe and ephod on. It’s just a little junior version and he walks around the temple and he's learning the ways of the Lord from the high priest Eli. So, that's basically where we are. We’re reading from the New International Version this week, which is today. 1 Samuel chapter 2 verse 22 through 4 verse 22.

Prayer:

Father, we thank You for another week in Your word, this first full week of this fifth month were taken note of it. You have been faithful. We are here. You have carried us this far and we are learning and You are shaping and we open ourselves and invite You to continue this work of sanctification within us that we might be set apart as holy to You and we might be living sacrifices, living the light in this world. Come Jesus we pray. In Your precious name, we ask. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is home base. That is…well…home base. It’s home base, it's the homepage, it’s where you find out what's going on around here. So, check it out.

Check out the different sections of the website, specifically the Community section and the Shop. And, of course, if you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app…and if you're not using the Daily Audio Bible go download the Daily Audio Bible app. It's free, just search for Daily Audio Bible in your store…in your app store, download the Daily Audio Bible app and off you go to find the Community section, the Prayer Wall, the Shop, all that by pushing the Drawer icon in the upper left-hand corner of the app screen.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible, you can do that on the web or in the app as well. On the web there is a link on the homepage. If you're using the app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner. And I thank you with all of my heart for your partnership. We wouldn't be here, these servers wouldn't be spinning, the word of God wouldn’t be spoken out across the world on a continual basis every day, all day, if we weren't in this together. And, so, thank you for your partnership. So, there's a link on the web. There is the Give button in the app, or if you prefer the mail, the mailing address, it’s PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174. And as always if you have a prayer request or encouragement, you can hit the Hotline button in the app, the little red button up at the top or you can dial 877-942-4253.

And that's it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hello Daily Audio Bible family my name is E, I'm from Texas and this is my first time calling in asking for prayer. I'm sure I've needed to plenty of other times but I just I don't know why I haven't. But thank you to this entire community for constantly praying for being committed. For Brian for you and your entire family for pouring into people daily and touching people and just being obedient to God to help people in a way that many people have probably shied away from, so thank you. I'm calling today because I'm actually not too far off and I'm trying to stay ahead of the curve and in prayer. I've had a lot on my plate in so many ways. I'm interested in writing a book about it. It's just so much. I'm coming off of it's been about a year since I've kind of my husband of 14 years has been having an almost yearlong affair with his assistant in my face and the girls at my house been around my kids. It's just absolutely overwhelming and unbelievable but I'm still I feel like God actually told me to stay in the marriage. He prepared me that this would happen years before it happened, and it happened and so now I'm just dealing with the aftermath of it but it impacts my life. I've been on anxiety drugs I've taken I've gotten off all of that and I'm just trying to trust God and but it is overwhelming. I'm in a support group but it's still a lot to deal with daily paired with just regular life where I have a family member an aunt who I've actually had to take care of and become a carrier and power of attorney and everything. Plus, I have my own 3 little kids and other businesses that I'm running and new ventures for career paths and I manage artists. I'm deeply embedded in the music community and just trying to function as a normal person when your life isn't normal it's very hard it's overwhelming. So, I’m asking everybody for prayer today that I can stay balanced and…

Hi DAB Emmy from Illinois here just calling in to say hi and just continued prayer for my husband and I that we can find a way to work through our marriage. My husband is still pretty much adamant that nothing can be fixed. He's actually contemplated moving across the country and working at a job that he would only be home a couple of weeks every few months and I haven't he's not really communicating much with me so I don't know if he got the job or not. But if that happens it would be in June in that would leave me through the bulk of my pregnancy to be home alone. I have support systems but both of them are an hour plus away. I kind of live in the middle of nowhere. So, it would just be a really hard transition of living life by myself. I can do it, I did it for 37 years before we got married but I wasn't pregnant then. So, I'm hoping and praying that God will use my pregnancy and I don't know maybe my husband going across the country to open his eyes to the realities that running from God is what's making him unhappy, and our marriage is just taking the is the scapegoat for his struggles. So, if you could just continue to pray. I am trying to stay happy and positive and stay as healthy as possible for this baby. So, thank you. Bye.

Hi everyone this is Mary. I don't really have a nickname but I guess it could be white or something. I don't know. But I just wanted to come on here and just ask for prayer for my mom. She recently lost her job and it's just been really scary. But I'm trusting in God and, you know, I say that but it's hard to do, you know, and so he's first. So, I just ask that you pray that she gets to find another job. She's actually going on an interview today. So, I hope it goes well. I know God blessed her with the interview. So, I know that he will bring her through it. But yeah, if you could just keep us in your prayers. And yeah, I'm keeping you all in my prayers. Thank you for inspiring me and reminding me that God's in control and just all the inspiration, all the positivity that you guys say. It just really, really encourages me. So, I thank you. God is so, so good even in, you know, the worst moments. And, yeah, thank you Brian for this community. I pray blessings over your new granddaughter. And yeah, I was so excited for that new chapter that you guys are experiencing. My sisters also having a baby in July. So, I'm really excited. She'll be having a baby boy. So, yeah, I just pray blessings over you guys and peace and yeah, I love you guys. Have a good one. Bye.

Hey family this is Lazarus calling. I'll let you know through the prayer request since I was baptized, reborn I went deeper and deeper into Christ father and his Holy Spirit has just been amazing transformation and powerful. I, so, I want you to know that I pray for you all and I care about you all deeply and here for you. Just know about that was out there praying for you in response to your prayer request. So, I have an ask. And come along way. Some of you know my story. It's been pretty brutal. But right now, I'm about to finish up here on a project that will at least dig me out of the ditch for the moment and it's been a deep and long ditch as many know. So, I just ask for your prayers. The other party has been this more complicated and has put me at risk even more risk than I am and this will make a huge difference for what I can do for the community. It's not about me. That job is dead this is the new Lazarus talking and this is about God. This is about doing the right thing getting in a posture of heart and position to be able to work out his plan the father's plan support his plan. And again, he's first, I’m last and that's just the agreement that we have. So, we go out together every day to fight evil and darkness and he's with me and it's made all the difference. So, I ask your prayers that I get through this one last step and get on my new track completely. I pray in Jesus’ name. God bless you all.

Hello Daily Audio Bible family this is Carla Mathis from Orlando FL. I'm calling to pray from my husband and my family. My husband is in a federal facility in __ County Texas so I'm here with my daughters. I just wanna say a quick prayer for him. Oh Lord I pray that you will protect __ from any accidents, diseases, dangers or evil influences ___ especially where he is, hide him from violence __ evil people wherever he walks secure his steps keep him on your path so that his feet don't slip. If his foot does slip, hold him up by your mercy. Give him the wisdom and the discretion that will help him walk away safely and not fall into danger. Be his fortress, his strength, his shield, and his stronghold. Make him to dwell in the shadow of your wings. I pray that__ that we might __ what will happen around him will not come near us and not hurt him. Save him from anything that the enemy __ against him or to destroy him. Lord God I just __ continue in the faith and let him come home. __ When I come back __ . __ I love him so much and I love daddy and he's going to come home sooner but we have to wait until __. Amen. Amen.

Hi family this is Biola from Maryland I hope you're all doing well. Well, congratulations China and Ben on the birth of Reagan the Brave. What a beautiful name. Beautiful baby, I saw her on Facebook. Congratulations to you Brian and Jill. Brian I must say that I am really impressed. I mean I've always been impressed by the I am doubly impressed by your dedication to this beautiful ministry you know even after your first grandbaby girl. I know you have other grandkids who are who are boys. Came into the world you still came to read to us. May God bless you brother. May God answer you before your call you and Jill in the name of Jesus and I pray for Reagan Brave. I pray that as her name indicates she will be brave for the Lord. This little girl will be on fire may God give her parents wisdom to know how to raise her in the way of the Lord in the name of Jesus. May they never lack for any good thing in Jesus’ name. And I pray the same for you Brian and I want to encourage everyone who listens to Daily Audio Bible, as you listen and put your log in the fire, please give to Daily Audio Bible. This is really important. Honey Bee I am praying for you my sister that God will touch your eyes and heal you, that God will work a miracle in your life in the name of Jesus. Cammy, I want to give you kudos for such a beautiful, beautiful encouragement that you give to the sister who wanted to know what to do while she's in an unequally yoked relationship. What a beautiful advice that you gave to her. And Lastly, Tony the Truck Driver I'm so sorry for your loss. I pray for the Ramirez family that God will touch them, that God will wrap his arms around them, that God would comfort them, and God would provide for them. It's a name of Jesus…

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secretagentspydetectiveninja · 6 years

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The Misadventures of Prince Kim - chapter 67

The closer and closer to the end of this fic, the more bittersweet the chapters seem to become...

Anyway, reminder that the Morse code hecks up on tumblr and therefore you should read it on AO3 here, and other reminder to not question the fact that the snake speaks in Morse code

Over the next few weeks, the school population dropped even lower. While the new Empress Chloé did seem to have avoided a full-on civil war by the skin of her teeth, that certainly didn’t mean that the Bourgeois Empire was stable or prospering, and it showed. There were even fewer guards and servants than before, and it was strange to be able to walk around the entire school without seeing any renovation work going on at all for once.

Most of the students who left were the younger nobles, afraid of being far away from home for so long during such turbulent times. The remainder of the royalty class was still intact for now, though who knew how long that was going to last. Class seemed strangely quiet without Chloé’s incessant nattering going on in the background. Lady Caline did her best to keep everyone’s spirits up, trying not to give them too much homework and encouraging their friendships, but there still seemed to be a storm cloud hanging over the school.

By the time of the Cupid Festival, that storm cloud had become literal. Aurore herself had left the school, deeming it no longer satisfactory to her elegant tastes, and Mireille’s broken heart was influencing the weather so strongly that there was a torrential downpour for the whole week, and it simply wouldn’t cease.

Kim woke up on the morning of the Cupid Festival to the sound of that rain again, the endless rain that had been going on for days now. His heart sank – how were he and Max supposed to have their anniversary picnic at the fountain if it was still raining? Well, perhaps the rain would have stopped by afternoon, and they could still go ahead with it…

There was a knocking sound on his window. He went over to open the curtains, before it hit him – how could someone be knocking on his window?

Looking outside, he didn’t see anything strange in the sky. No birds hitting the window, no one climbing up here to play some prank on him. Just the raindrops.

There was another tap on the window. This time Kim saw it himself – someone had thrown a stone at it. He looked down at the ground to see two people standing there under an umbrella, looking up at him. Not just any people. Max and Alix! From the looks of it, Alix was getting ready to chuck another stone.

Kim opened the window, ignoring the splashes of rain that got onto his arms. “Guys! What the heck are you doing?”

Alix was the one holding the umbrella over them, since Max seemed to be carrying a… okay wow, he was carrying an actual guitar with him, and a megaphone too.

“Good morning Kim!” Max said through the megaphone. “I can’t actually hear you from down here, by the way, so you don’t need to say anything. Anyway, I promised you a guitar serenade like this, didn’t I? I doubt you’ll be able to hear it over the rain, and also I can’t really play the guitar, but I’m not going to let any of that stop me, and Alix very kindly agreed to steal Marinette’s umbrella to keep me dry…”

Kim just watched in amazement as Max proceeded to attempt to play the guitar far below, barely audible at all. Alix seemed to be laughing, earning her occasional glares from Max. To be fair, Kim would probably be laughing too if he could actually hear the guitar – he knew perfectly well that Max didn’t know how to play!

“There, I did it!” Max was talking through the megaphone again, audible once more. “I’m sorry that wasn’t particularly romantic, but I wasn’t counting on the rain. I’ll see you for our picnic later, which I’m sure will be much better!”

The window in the room beside Kim’s opened too, and he stuck his head out to see Marinette there, looking down at the courtyard, bewildered. “Max? Alix? Is that… my umbrella?”

“Bye Kim!” Max said quickly, and he and Alix rushed off before Marinette could say anything else.

Well… that had been an odd start to the morning. Was the rest of the Cupid Festival going to be this weird?

Alix already had a bunch of friendship stickers stuck all over her pet snake from various people by the time she managed to track down Markov to give him one too. He was in the “new” wing of the school – though it had been around for a year already by this point – hovering just far enough behind the large balcony over the river that the roof protected him from the rain. Evidently he wasn’t cold at all, though probably because he was a robot.

“Markov, there you are!” She ran over and stuck a friendship sticker to his forehead. “Happy Friendship Festival. Yes, I said Friendship.”

He stared at her silently for a few seconds, before speaking oddly quietly for once. “Alix, I… I have a confession to make.”

Really? What could a robot possibly need to confess?

“Did you kill anyone?” she asked. After all, this balcony wasn’t exactly the safest place, despite being so big. Maybe Markov accidentally pushed someone off the edge or something. Or maybe he electrocuted someone with the rather dodgy-looking chandelier in the room just behind the balcony. It would be easy enough to push someone off the staircase to make them land on it. Or something like that.

“No, I haven’t killed anyone! It’s not a bad confession. Just… a strange one.”

“Oh, okay.”

“The truth is… I am no longer like you. I now know what it feels like to be in love.”

Markov was in love with someone?! A robot, made out of metal and wires, had actually fallen in love?

Alix had to stop herself giving a rather spiteful retort – honestly, to think that a robot could fall in love, and yet she couldn’t, and Markov was a traitor for…

No, she couldn’t think stuff like that, that was mean! She was past the stage of being bitter about things, right? She was cool with everything now. And this was obviously something important to Markov, so she very firmly told herself to take it seriously and stop being a jerk.

“How do you know?” she asked, before wishing she hadn’t said that. It made it sound like she didn’t believe him or something, but she did. She knew too well what it felt like to not have people believe her. And anyway, Markov already had emotions. Considering that, him falling in love wasn’t a stretch.

“It is the conclusion that seems to make the most sense,” he said. “She fascinates me beyond what appears to be normal, and when I see her my internal processors start overheating for no discernible reason, and my logic pathways seem to malfunction terribly, she makes me feel so strangely happy, and I wish I could tell her how I feel but I can’t…”

Hearing a friend gushing about unrequited love seemed to kick Alix back into winggirl mode instantly. “Yes you can! Give her a Cupid sticker and tell her the truth, whoever she is!”

“No, it’s not like that. It would not work. It is impossible for me to ever be with her, no matter what.”

“Are you sure? I know you’re a robot, but still. You could totally date a human.”

“The problem is not that I’m a robot or that she is human. It is something more fundamental than that. And I must resign myself to the fact that it cannot happen, and move on, though it makes me unhappy…”

A rather unnerving thought had just occurred to Alix. “Dude… it’s not me, is it?”

“What? No, it’s not you!” Markov laughed, bobbing up and down and poking her in the nose. “I do like you a lot, but the same way I like all my friends! Though you are very pretty to look at. Especially when you’re doing sports, and you wear those… sporty clothes… uh, I think my CPU is overheating again… um…”

“So who is it then?” Alix asked quickly, deciding to ignore that last part.

“Oh! It’s… um, well, you see, she’s dead. So I cannot confess my feelings to her, unless ghosts are real, but as of now I have no way to detect them. She will never know the truth.”

“You’re in love with a dead person. Uh, okay.”

“But she’s a wonderful dead person! You yourself told me how amazing she is!”

Really? Alix could not remember ever telling Markov about any cool dead ladies.

Wait… unless…

She flicked open the lid of her sceptre, revealing the little blue hologram of Pharaoh Rania.

“Are you talking about this dead lady?”

Markov’s dot eyes had already transformed into hearts. He zoomed up close to the hologram, his fans whirring so loud they could be heard over the rain. “Yes… it’s her… she’s so beautiful…”

So he was in love with the hologram of a long dead pharaoh. For several seconds Alix just stared, in stunned silence. Out of everyone she could have possibly expected Markov to fall in love with, Rania wouldn’t have even made the list.

“So you have a crush on my like great-great aunt or something,” she said finally. “My ancestor. Who has been dead for a hella long time.”

“Yes.”

“Well… uh… one time Jalil did decipher an old text that seemed to be a necromancy ritual, so maybe it’s not totally hopeless, but like…”

Markov snapped out of his reverie. “No, don’t wake her from the dead! Let her rest!”

“Um, okay.”

“And anyway, she was already married, and she was old by the time she died, so she would not have looked like this… though of course that doesn’t matter to me! Looks are not more important than personality when it comes to love, I know that. For example, you look nice, but that doesn’t mean I… I mean, you have a nice personality too… you look a little like Rania, actually… but I’m not – I’m not saying I–”

Alix snapped shut the sceptre. “Stop making it weird.”

“Right! Sorry.” Little dark blue blush circles were creeping up under his eyes. “Anyway, none of this matters, because Rania is long dead. I should move on. I have this Cupid sticker I’ve been keeping in my pocket, so I suppose I should give it to someone else.”

“Pocket?”

Markov retracted his arm for a second, then pulled it out again holding one of those heart-shaped Cupid stickers in his hand. “Yes, pocket. Sometimes I store food in there. I don’t know what it feels like to eat, but I can always pretend!”

Oh yes, of course Markov couldn’t eat. Somehow that seemed so much more depressing than him being in love with someone who was already dead – though maybe that was just Alix’s priorities being in a weird order.

“Who should I give this to?” he asked.

“I dare you to give it to Lady Mendeleiev.”

“What? But I don’t like her!”

“Yeah, that’s why it’s a dare. She’ll be mad at you but it’ll be so worth it.”

Markov shook his head. “I don’t want to waste this sticker. And I wouldn’t want to play with anyone’s feelings, not even Mendeleiev. Maybe I’ll just have to… pretend it’s a friendship sticker… and give it to a friend instead…”

“Like Max? He’s the one who created you, after all.”

“No, the only person he should get one from is Kim! I was actually thinking… well… someone else… I mean, it isn’t a big deal, but…”

He had started drifting ever so slightly closer, the blue blushy marks back, CPU whirring so fast Alix could feel the heat from here. Rolling her eyes, she just snatched the sticker off him. “Okay yeah, I get it, fine. I’ll have this sticker. Now get out of here before you self-combust, you lovesick toaster.”

Markov did not need to be told twice. “Bye!” He zoomed off and out of sight.

Alix opened up the sceptre again and stuck the Cupid sticker on the underside of the lid, where it could be with Rania all the time. “Somehow I don’t think Rania’s the one he really likes…”

The snake nodded in reply. Poor Markov, he probably didn’t even realize it. She’d just have to find a way to set him up with someone. Someone who was okay with dating a robot, somehow. Or get Max to build more robots, so that Markov could have an immortal companion who would stick around forever, just like him.

“Hey! Alix!”

She turned around to see Kim running over, looking pleased – crap, he wasn’t going to try to throw in her a basketball hoop again, was he?

“How much coffee have you had?” she asked quickly.

“Huh? None, don’t worry!” He had something strapped to his shoulders, and once close enough she saw that it was the lute thing he had used to play her songs on the previous Cupid Festivals. “I’m just happy because Marinette’s made cookies and she’s gonna give some to Mireille, so hopefully that’ll change the weather, and then me and Max can have a picnic date like we were supposed to.”

“Isn’t it too cold for a picnic outdoors?”

“Pfffff, as if a bit of cold weather is gonna bother me. We have coats, we may as well use them. Anyway, I have something to do for you, so…”

“I know already,” she said. “You’re going to tell me to shut up and not laugh, and then you’re gonna play me a song, and then you’ll give me a friendship sticker and tell me how awesome I am.”

“Nope!”

He went and sat down on the nearby bench with his lute in hand, then patted at the seat beside him.

“C’mere. I have a way cooler present this year.”

Really? Like what? She sat down next to him, and then he handed the lute over to her along with a guitar pick.

“There you go. This instrument is your present this time. It’s called the đàn nguyệt and it’s all the way over from my kingdom, so you’ll take care of it, yeah?”

“Wait, what? You’re giving me this?”

“Yep!”

“But… I don’t even know how to play it…”

She took a closer look at it. The end of it was circular, and there were only two strings. It might look like an ordinary guitar from a distance, but close up it didn’t resemble one at all.

“I’ll teach you how to play it, don’t worry,” Kim said. “You taught me a bit of electric guitar that one time, remember? I’ve kinda forgotten most of it, but still.”

Oh yes… that had been years ago, during the cursed spring holidays. She had almost forgotten about it by now.

“So, are you ready to learn?”

Alix nodded, still too surprised to say much – she hadn’t expected to be getting music lessons today, of all things.

“Okay. The name of the instrument means ‘moon lute’ and it’s got these two strings made of silk, and you can pretty much tune it how you want, though I’ve put them a 5th apart for now, and…”

For a while he explained various things about the instrument itself, far more knowledgeable than usual. Then he began teaching her to play simple little notes on it. It certainly did have a different feel to a guitar, despite still being a string instrument.

The strangest thing was how good a teacher Kim was. For once he wasn’t being his usual annoying competitive self, as much fun as that always was. He was being…

Well, he was being more like Max!

Maybe all that tutoring he’d been getting had ended up being put to good use, and not just for schoolwork. Perhaps what Kim had learnt from Max was something far more valuable. Patience, encouragement, clarity. It was surprising, and in the best way possible.

“And that concludes today’s lesson,” Kim said finally, once Alix had actually managed to play a little tune on the instrument. “As a thank you for being such a good student, here’s a sticker. Happy Cupid Festival, you little goofball.”

He pushed aside her fringe and stuck a friendship sticker on her forehead, just like he’d done last year. Almost at the same moment, the sounds of torrential rain from outside lessened to near-silence. Looked like those cookies had worked on Mireille after all.

“Well, as a thank you for being a good teacher, here’s thirty six friendship stickers,” Alix said, pulling a roll of sticker paper out of her pocket and thrusting it into his hands. “I mean, it’s not as cool a present as yours, but…”

“Yeah, well it makes sense.” Kim had already started peeling off the stickers and putting them all over his shirt. “My best friend is way cooler than your best friend, so she deserves to get better presents.”

“What? No, you’re wrong. My best friend is way cooler than yours, he’s the coolest ever and even thirty six friendship stickers aren’t enough to show it.”

“Pffffffff, that’s stupid. My best friend is the awesomest person in the universe, while your best friend is a total idiot, and you know it.”

“Well actually, your best friend is the one who’s a total idiot, while mine is surprisingly smart and thoughtful, so…”

-... --- - .... / --- ..-. / -.-- --- ..- / .- .-. . / .. -.. .. --- - ...! the snake tapped out on the wall behind them.

“What did he say?” Kim asked.

“Um… he says you’re still a punk bitch, but he’s gonna miss your stupid antics after school finishes.”

Kim grinned at her, not fooled for a second. “Yeah, okay. And what else does he say?”

“He says that… that you’re a really awesome friend. Like, when you’re not being annoying. Okay, even when you’re annoying! Because you’re fun. And… and no one else in the universe is like that. No one else is as fun to hang out with, or mess around with, or just talk to, or…”

“Wow, your snake really seems to think highly of me, huh?” He winked and ruffled her hair.

“Yeah, I guess he does.”

“You know, Alix, you’ve already told me more than once how awesome you think I am, and how we’re gonna be best friends forever and all of that stuff. I already know you love me. You don’t have to keep being all defensive about it! You don’t need to worry about me getting really full of myself – I’ve got Max for that!”

“No, it’s not that…” She put the instrument aside and curled up with her knees to her chest, wondering how to put it. “It’s just… we’re not really gonna be best friends forever, are we?”

“What? Why not?”

“Because you’ll leave! When the summer holidays start! Either that or something awful will happen, but let’s pretend it won’t – you’ll go home and you’ll stay there for years and years and I won’t get to see you.”

“But that doesn’t mean we won’t still be friends! I’ll call you up like every single day, and… and…”

“That’s not the same, is it? I know that friendships diminish over time and distance in a way that romances don’t, because… because it’s less important… and I know you say it’s not, but…” She trailed off, wondering if she sounded like a whiny broken record. It still worried her, though. Sometimes it seemed that life had doomed her to forever be a third wheel, no matter what it took.

Kim gently put an arm around her. “Then it’s a good thing this isn’t normal friendship, is it? It’s super, extra special friendship. And the reason I gave you the đàn nguyệt this time is so that next year when I probably won’t be able to meet up with you, you’ve still got a cool present to remember me with.”

She wiped her eyes with her sleeve. “I need to give you something really special too then…”

“You already did! My phone was a present from you, remember? And I wasn’t lying about calling you up every single day. When the telecommunication lines back home are fixed, I’ll be able to talk to you whenever I want.”

“Good! You’d better!”

He pulled her into a hug and didn’t let go. “You’re so tiny and annoying. I’m gonna miss you.”

It wasn’t often that he hugged her like this. Usually his ridiculously long, heartfelt hugs were reserved for Max, so often that it was a wonder they hadn’t lost their impact. But this felt special, and different, and good.

“Hey Kim?”

“Yeah?”

“Promise me you’ll be careful.”

He chuckled. “Wow, I can’t believe you’re the one telling me that. No wonder you’re related to Jalil.”

“I mean it! Fu said the timelines are gonna split again, didn’t he? I don’t want you to… I don’t want anything bad to happen to you, okay?”

She left out what she really wanted to say. I don’t want you to die. True, not every bad timeline had resulted in death. But the ones that had turned out fatal still haunted her. Decapitation, snake venom, poisoned chocolates… what could possibly be next? Whatever it was, she couldn’t let it happen to Kim. The thought of losing him, after everything else they’d had to go through…

“You have a point,” he muttered. “I’ll be careful, I promise. I don’t wanna die.”

Oh, so he was thinking it too. Was he afraid? He must be. Everything seemed so much colder all of a sudden, thinking about those stupid cursed timelines full of despair.

“Hey look, it’s snowing!” He let go of her and jumped off the bench, running over to the balcony. She looked over to see that it had indeed started snowing outside – maybe that was the actual reason it was suddenly cold, then. Had Mireille not liked the cookies or something?

She followed him over, looking over the edge of the railings at the raging river down below. “The moat’s really turbulent today, isn’t it?”

“Pffffffffff, I could totally still swim across it. Not that I would! Because I am being careful from now on, of course, so I won’t do that.”

“Good.” It was cold out here, but something was making her cold on the inside too. Like some strange sense of… foreboding. But what? She had a quick check of the timelines, but nothing bad was happening in any of them right now.

“This is so awesome!” Kim was saying, catching snowflakes on the tip of his finger. “I hardly ever get to see snow, and now me and Max’s date is gonna be a snowy one, that’s gonna be so cute…”

Alix didn’t want to dampen his fun, but she had something on her mind, and she had to say it. “Dude, I have a bad feeling about this place.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know, I can’t put my finger on it. I just don’t like it. This… this balcony here.”

The snake hissed, tapping something on the railing.

-- . / - --- ---!

“Oh good, so it’s not just me…”

Kim was staring at her in wonder. “Alix, are you psychic or something? ‘Cause that’s awesome!”

“I’m not psychic! Well except the timeline thing. It just feels bad somehow and I don’t know why. Look, I’m gonna go now, it’s freezing out here…”

“Oh yeah, same. I need to go prepare for my awesome Cupid date with Max. See you later then!” He gave her another quick hug, then ran off.

Huh… this Cupid Festival somehow seemed so bittersweet compared to the other ones. Two years ago the biggest thing she had to worry about was wondering if her friend secretly had a crush on her. Last year she’d been totally focused on getting Kim and Max together, and it had worked. This year though, she’d got the nicest present ever, and reassurance that her best friend cared about her too much to ever drift away, but with the ever-growing fear that she would lose him at some point during the next few months…

Max was already waiting out at the fountain in the snow. He was early, he knew it, but there was just something so enchanting about snow! Though he was not an outdoors person in general, this kind of weather was too precious and fleeting to miss. Sure, the ground was still slippery and wet from the rain earlier, and the snow was not settling, so maybe a lunch picnic here would not be ideal. But at least spending some time out here would be nice.

Thinking back to last year he remembered how it had been so sunny and bright, such a different atmosphere to now. That was back before the assassination drama, before the Bourgeois Empire almost collapsed into chaos, before the danger got so real and tangible that it weighed everyone down. Part of him just wanted to go back. Last year’s Cupid Festival had been a day so magical it was almost impossible to believe it had really happened. But the results were right here – Kim was his sweetheart, and had been now for a whole year!

Right on cue, he saw Kim running over towards him out of the snowy mist. “Max! How dare you get here before me?!”

The next thing he knew, he had been wrapped in one of Kim’s giant ribcage-crushing hugs, though this one seemed much fluffier than usual considering the coats they were wearing.

“I guess I’m just quicker than you sometimes,” Max replied, gladly hugging Kim back. “Remember last year, when I confessed before you too?”

Kim hugged him even tighter. “Of course I remember. That was like, the best day of my life. Anyway, I guess I’ll beat you to giving you a present this year, and it’s not just gonna be a generic Cupid sticker.”

He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a little box. For a few seconds Max wondered if the box contained a ring, and if Kim was about to get down on one knee and… well, it wasn’t like Kim hadn’t proposed before already, because he had. But the thought of him doing it properly stopped Max’s heart for a moment in a way that it hadn’t done before – oh boy, if Kim actually really proposed to him…

“I know I kinda already gave you a brooch,” Kim continued, his face going red, “but that one didn’t really count, did it? I bought it for Chloé, and then I only actually gave it to you because Alix didn’t want it. It didn’t really mean… well, it didn’t mean what this present’s going to mean.”

He opened the box and pulled out a small heart-shaped object. It was partially red, partially green, and decorated with little heart sequins. Definitely not a ring.

“I made this one myself. With Marinette’s help, though, since I don’t really know how to make stuff. But yeah, it’s green and red because green’s your favourite colour and red’s mine, so I thought it would suit us. And um… this time when I’m giving it to you, I really mean it.”

Kim stepped in and pinned the new brooch to the front of Max’s coat, so gently and delicately, frowning slightly in concentration. Max couldn’t take his eyes off him. Those little flecks of snow settling in his hair, the admiration in those dreamy grey eyes, the visible wisps of breath curling out into the cool winter air, oh, there was just something so beautiful about it all.

“There you go. A new brooch, and an actual Cupid present this time. And I know I say this all the time, but I… I love you, Max. A lot. And every time I say it, I mean it.”

It was true that this was something Max had heard very often, considering how openly affectionate Kim was with him, even long before they’d gotten together. But this time Kim seemed somewhat more flustered, now running a hand through his hair and inadvertently loosening many of the snowflakes resting there.

“And like… I know I’m a hopeless romantic and I’ve had loads of crushes on people, but this one feels different. It always felt different. You… you just feel right, Max, in a way that no one else ever did. You’re always there for me. You’re special. And I don’t wanna use the term ‘true love’ lightly, because I know I take love way more seriously than other people, but…”

He trailed off. Max tried to think of something to say in reply, anything at all! But it would just be impossible to match Kim’s heartfelt speech in words of his own. Instead he laid his shaking hands on the side of Kim’s face, those warm cheeks heating up his frozen fingers, and kissed him softly. It had been exactly a year since their first kiss, and how many had they had in between? Too many to count.

By the time he pulled away his glasses had fogged up too much for him to see. It didn’t matter, though. He simply closed his eyes again and let his forehead rest against Kim’s, still close enough to be sharing breaths. His lips were tingling, and not from the cold.

“I love you too, Kim,” he breathed. “I love your present, and I… I feel the same way about you that you do about me…”

“You do?”

“Yes. I’m well and truly in love with you.”

“Aww, Max, me too…” Kim chuckled slightly. “That’s so cheesy though. I love it.”

“I know. And I have a present for you too.” He stepped back and quickly cleaned his glasses, then pulled the little wrapped gift out of his pocket and gave it to Kim. “Here you go. I feel like perhaps it’s not as heartfelt as the brooch you made for me, but I wanted to give you something that you can use, so…”

Kim had opened the wrapping in no time and was now staring in wonder at the little box in his hand. “Is this some kind of camera?!”

“Yes. I remember how excited you were to buy a disposable camera in my kingdom quite a while ago, so I built a digital one for you while I was working on Markov. It doesn’t run on film, so you can use it for as long as you like, and can transfer the pictures onto your phone to look at them or send them to people.”

“You… you built me a techy camera?”

“Yep!”

For a few seconds Kim just stared in silent amazement, before pulling Max into another giant hug. “That’s the coolest thing ever! A digital camera! And you’re the one who built it, I mean, can you even get any cooler? I’ve got the coolest sweetheart in the entire world!”

Hearing compliments from Kim always made Max’s heart swell with pride and love. “I’m so glad you like it! You’ll send me pictures you take, right?”

“Of course I will! In fact…” He let go and pressed the on switch on the camera. “The first picture I take has gotta be of you. Or wait! It’s gotta be us. Both of us. I don’t know how I’m gonna do that with no one else here, but I’ll find a way.”

“The commoners have a recent trend of doing that actually,” Max said. “Hold the camera at arm’s length with the lens pointing in our direction and hope it works.”

“Okay, I’ll try that… Smile!”

Max put on his best smile as Kim held out the camera with one arm and put the other around him. There was a snap as he took the photo, then they took a look at the preview of the photo on the little screen at the back. It seemed to have worked, even if it did look a bit daft – the two of them were smiling cheerfully at the camera, with the snow around them and the fountain in the background.

“Oh Max, this is perfect! This is wonderful! Thank you so much!”

“Well thank you for being a wonderful friend and sweetheart!”

“This picture is the best. I’m gonna get it printed out and framed. And then when I properly go home, I’ll hang it up on the wall in my bedroom. That way I’ll get to see you every day, even if you’re halfway across the world.”

Max’s heart sank slightly – it was a bittersweet notion. “I’ll do the same. I’m going to miss you a lot, you know.”

Kim, putting his new camera into his coat pocket, sighed. “Yeah, same. I guess some things about getting to go home again are happy, and other things are sad. In fact, since I don’t even know whether or not I’m gonna make it all the way to summer, I want to ask you to do something.”

“Kim–”

“Shhh, you know what Fu said about the timelines, you know you might end up in the bad one. Please listen.”

Thinking about a possible timeline where Kim was not with him was almost too heart-wrenching to contemplate, but it was a possibility all the same. Max nodded.

“Okay. So, whether or not I live or get to go home or whatever, you have to promise me you’ll still hang out with Alix loads. Properly, I mean. Spend time with her and stuff.”

“Of course I will!”

“Good, because she always says how she never had real friends before coming to school, especially not best friends, and I know she’s worried about me. But I’m not her only best friend – you are too. I’ll be too far away to do anything, but you won’t. I want you to make sure she’s not gonna spend the rest of her life as the lonely third wheel she’s always been. Even if we all end up in the best timeline, she’s still the only one who’ll actually have suffered through the experience of losing us all, and she’ll need more than just her pet snake for comfort.”

“I promise I’ll be there for her, no matter what,” Max said firmly. “You two will both have countries to run, but I won’t need to do that. I think I’ll actually have time to visit you both plenty.”

“What, even me?”

“Your kingdom may be far away, but didn’t you once say that the very first thing you’d do when returning is build an airport?”

“Huh, I did say that, didn’t I…”

“Exactly.” Max’s own sense of hope and resolve was increasing now, just at the thought of it. “If you do build an airport early in your reign, I’ll be able to visit fairly often. Of course there’s still the issue of cost and fuel and time zones, but we’ll sort that all out. The important thing is that I’ll be able to see you.”

Kim hugged him once more, though this time more gently, and when he pulled away his eyes were shining. “Yeah, that sounds awesome. And I guess I could attend International Alliance events myself rather than sending diplomats, so that would give me even more excuses to see you guys, right?”

“Right. But focus on your country first and foremost. Your people will need your help. And if you’re ever the one who needs help, well… I’ll only be a telephone call away.”

“Jeez, sometimes I wonder if it’s possible for you to get any sweeter, and you still manage to outdo yourself. I love you so much.” Kim took Max’s hands in his own. “Your hands are so cold!”

Max’s face wasn’t cold, that was for certain. “In that case you should probably keep holding onto them… you know, thermodynamic equilibrium and all that…”

“Hmmm…” Kim raised Max’s hands to his lips and kissed the tips of his fingers. “Hey Max? I know we probably should have lunch now, indoors so we don’t freeze, but I’m not in a hurry so, um… can I kiss you again? Please?”

Last year it had been Max who asked for a kiss, and this time Kim had indeed managed to beat him to it. He nodded, holding Kim’s hands a little tighter. “You always can.”

“Aww… Happy Cupid Festival, Max.”

“Happy Cupid Festival, Kim.”

They kissed again, thousands of snowflakes swirling around them in the winter breeze, settling into their hair and clothes only to melt in their shared warmth, and even a few mysterious flower petals seemed to float through. And Max was melting too, his cold hands heating up, and he wanted to make the most of every moment like this he got – aware that with a timeline split on the way between now and summer, every kiss with Kim might be his last.

#will anyone hate me if i make markov the token straight friend? yes a robot #royalty au #miraculous ladybug #le chien kim #max kante #kimax #like sO MUCH KIMAX #alix kubdel #markov #random stuff #aish writes #the misadventures of prince kim

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