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221bshrlocked · 5 years

Text

Follow Your Heart

Pairing: Ardeth Bay x Reader

Words: 12,609. Please do not hate me. I put markers to where you can stop and continue later

Warnings: Some pining. Little bit of angst. Definitely some fluff. And as you should know by now, smut. Unusual dirty talk in the sense that it is more romantic than dirty. Hopefully it gets you going though.

A/N: I have not written anything in so long and I apologize that this is not what you expected (aka Bucky or Steve) after the on/off hiatus. I am genuinely surprised considering this is the longest story I have written. I’m trying my hand at something completely different and since there are a few of us out there thirsting for Ardeth Bae Bay, I hope you like this. And shout out to @mss4msu for literally handing me the Middle Egyptian and Hieratic on a platter because Lord knows I still suck at this and she is a genius. Also, Happy Birthday friend, you know who you are. Lastly, refer to this for an in depth disclaimer for this fic.

~I~

It was a quiet day, one of the few since you’ve arrived with Evy on the site. You weren’t one to tag along with her or her husband, but you couldn’t pass a chance to visit a place like Luxor, not when it was your professor’s favorite city. Being one of Sir Gaston Maspero’s students, you’ve heard all about the temple, this side of the Nile even, and you’d always wanted to come to it, not just for research purposes but to enjoy the magic that was Egypt.

You always envied Evy for living in this place for so long, even wished you were favored by the librarians and professors like her, but she was much more charming, beautiful even. You were the cousin no one paid mind to, apart from the Professor of course. He had always favored you amongst the others and you didn’t mind it, not when you were learning about the greatest civilization in the world. You had always wished to be more connected to this land but sadly, you weren’t. Your only connection was the knowledge of the languages and the culture, not a parent you could always speak of during parties and galas.

Looking up from your notebook, you placed it aside and sipped from your afternoon tea, eyes searching the landscape in front of you, hoping the sands and waves would tell you something, anything about the place you were in. It has been years since you’ve spoken with your Professor, wishing he was here with you, telling you all the secrets whispered to him by the stones. He always had a sense of things around him, and he once told you that you had that same instinct but you brushed it off. If you did, it hasn’t made itself visible yet. You’ve been here for months now, without a new find or anything to write about back home.

But like Evy, you weren’t one to give up so easily, constantly searching for the impossible. A breeze flew through your hair, your skin shivering for the first time in a long time. The summer was close to ending and while it was unbearably hot during the day, the night could be even deadlier. You drank the rest of your tea and were collecting your notebooks when a few papers flew away. Immediately, you ran after them before they fell in the water, managing to catch all but one. You were about to jump in the water when a hand flew and grasped your wrist, pulling you back before you stepped any further.

“Wha-”

“The waters are not safe in these parts of the country.” Your eyes shifted back and forth between the man’s own dark orbs and his hand. He finally let go, staring at you as he passed and went into the water to collect your page. You hoped it was soaked enough that he wouldn’t see what was in it, sighing in relief when he came back out with what used to be a sketch.

“You must be careful. We do not need anymore incidents around here.” He threw the wet paper in your hands before walking away from the hill, yelling something to the men working around the temple before getting on his horse and leaving. You sighed before throwing the page away, hating how you somehow always made a fool out of yourself in his presence. You had not expected to see him today. Rick and Evy weren’t around so he had no reason to be here, or so you thought. You walked back to your tent to wash up before dinner, telling the men it was time for them to go home.

"في أي وقت تريدننا أن نأتي غدا يا انسة؟"

Miss, is there any specific time you wish us to come tomorrow?

One of the men yelled out to you, wiping the sweat from his forehead and waiting for your response. Your Arabic was that of a child’s and although you loved practicing it with the men and the people in the village, you hated how it came out like that of a toddler’s, sometimes grammatically incorrect and other times completely wrong. But you struggled through a response anyway, smiling at them before replying to the leader of the workmen.

"يمكنكم الراحة غدا وسأخبركم لاحقًا."

You can rest tomorrow and I will let you know later when you can come in.

They put their tools near your tent and left, thanking you and bidding you a good night. You were aware of the position you were in and at times, truly disliked it. You thought of maybe giving them a week or two break but you weren’t sure how that would go with your superiors back in Oxford. Once everyone had left, you brought food and water to your guards and asked them to take the night off. Both of them turned to each other and thanked you for the opportunity but told you they would remain nearby. When you realized they would still do whatever they wanted, you thanked them and left back to your tent.

You left them chatting about some wedding coming up and went back to your tent, shutting all sides before stripping down and showering. You were thankful for the men’s expertise on setting up this tent. They left you a place near one of the palm trees, closed from all sides so you could wash up quickly if you needed to. It was your favorite part of the day, standing in the middle of the desert and surrounded by the ancient air. Finishing up quickly, you left your hair down to dry naturally, wrapping yourself in a night robe before walking out of the little room. As soon as you looked up, you almost squealed, hand clasping at your chest for air.

“You nearly gave me a heart attack.” Your words were a mix of anger and fear, body refusing to budge from its place until the figure in front of you said something. When he continued to stare at you, you cleared your throat and moved to pour some wine for yourself. “I thought you had left.” You turned around and saw he was still staring at you, his eyes following the droplets of water falling on your shoulders.

When he continued to remain silent, you sipped from your glass and sat opposite of him. “I’m assuming Rick and Evy are coming soon then?”

“What makes you say that?” His response was laced with sarcasm and you hated how he sounded, how he always treated you. Perhaps it was the heat finally getting to your head or the long hours in the field, maybe even the wine, but you’ve had enough.

“Seeing as you are never around unless they are, I thought they would be coming. We both know you are not here out of interest…” Your words trailed off and you looked up, surprised to see his demeanor change, however, not for the better. Without any hesitation, his frowning expression followed you as he stood, walking towards your chair and leaning down enough for you to feel the heat radiating off of his body.

“Never ask your guards to leave.” His eyes darted to your lips but for a moment, watching the wine stain them a dark red before he pulled away and growled something in Arabic you didn’t quite catch, walking through the little opening in the tent and leaving you a mess. You downed the rest of your drink and crawled under your covers, finding it impossible to sleep now that you were so close to him. The man did things to you ever since you met him and you hated it. Somehow, you were always like a dog in heat whenever he was around. You weren’t sure what it was that was attractive about him; between his nearly black eyes and plump lips, and his dominant yet kind personality, you were sure there would never be another that would catch your attention.

But it was just your luck that he absolutely despised you, constantly calling you out whenever Evy and Rick were around or, when they weren’t, ordering you around like you were a child who couldn’t care for herself. You wished you could know what it was that made him regularly angry with you but you opted to thinking it was because you were a complete outsider that, like her cousin, dug around in places where she didn’t belong. You chose to fall for a man that couldn’t stand you, a man that had every reason to not like you or your family, a man who could have any woman in his bed should he ask, a man whose sole purpose was to keep Egypt's secrets hidden from the curious eyes of the world.

A man who went by the name of Ardeth Bay.

~II~

It had never occurred to you that the day would come when you could speak with a living being who belonged to an ancient tribe. While the modern Egyptians you interacted with were descendants of the ancients, whether of the Coptic or Muslim traditions, it amazed you that one of the least known tribesmen were among you to this day. In any text you read, administrative and personal, you could always find hints of the Medjay’s presence. In the royal letters, they were those who protected the deserts of Seth, the Pharaoh himself, and sometimes even the borders of the country. In the personal ones, although rarely mentioned, they were described as ones who never carried out much interaction with the population, always keeping to themselves or helping out wherever they were needed in a village before leaving. They patrolled the lands at times, making sure there were no Hittite or Akkadian spies seeking to destroy Pharaoh.

Now, the chieftain of the Medjay was another story. He was constantly mentioned in any type of literary texts. Most of the times, he was mentioned by name and on behalf of his people. He was the most important of the Medjay for obvious purposes. You continued scribbling absentmindedly in your notebook, not paying attention to what it was you were writing down. You fell out of your haze when you heard a commotion in front of your tent. Looking at your watch, you jumped out of your bed when you realized you’ve been idle for an hour, quickly putting on your robe before exiting the tent.

“Is everything alright?” You saw the two guards arguing with a few women from the village, immediately walking up to them to see what was wrong.

“There is nothing to concern yourself with Miss.”

“Please, tell me.” You saw the two men look at each other before nodding at the women.

"يريدونك ان تحضر حفلة زفاف صديقتهن الليلة."

They want you to attend their friend’s wedding tonight.

The women stood there in silence until you decided and although you wished to go, you weren’t sure you would be welcomed, especially if the bride and the groom did not know. You struggled with what you wanted to say and hoped you would make sense to them.

"انا اتشرف لكن هل تعرف العروس أنكم طلبتن مني؟"

It would be my honor, but does the bride know you came and asked me?

They smiled at your broken Arabic and nodded in unison before telling you that she was the one who asked them to come and invite you. They told you she would have come herself but she was preparing for the wedding in a few hours. You told them you would be more than happy to come and laughed when one of the younger girls jumped and hugged you before kissing both of your cheeks. The men did not look pleased at your decision but said nothing, telling you that one of them would stay on site while the other accompanied you to the wedding. And when you tried to tell them there was no reason to do so, they told you it was non-negotiable.

So you left back to your tent to dress more properly before making the regular morning rounds, grabbing your notebook and heading to the other side of the temple where you have yet to excavate. You had asked permission from the townspeople first, and although you thought they would not grant you access since the mosque built on the site was still in use, they surprisingly agreed as long as you didn’t damage any part of the prayer house. You found a bolder near the mosque and sat on it, sketching the grounds first before going anywhere near the mosque.

You stayed there for hours, losing all sense of time when your thoughts strayed away from the place to something, or rather, someone else. Flipping through the pages, you stopped and looked at the page you were invested in during the morning hours, shaking your head at how pathetic you were. Near the portrait you sketched of him instead of the one which fell in the Nile were hieroglyphs. You never knew that day dreaming would include writing in a dead language and you laughed a little, not because of what was on the page but because of how clever your mind was even when it was idle.

𓇯𓂠𓍑𓇌 𓏥

“ḥry mḏꜢw.” You whispered to the monuments, tracing the lines of his features and wishing you had a better understanding of the man that was Ardeth. He was a living marvel in every sense of the word. And although you were attracted to him because of his intelligence and past, you couldn’t deny how handsome he was, probably the most beautiful of men you’d ever had the pleasure of looking at. You’ve only ever seen his face and hands, and as much as you hated to admit it, they were the fuel of your evening activities far too many times. And whenever he haunted your dreams, you always woke up heaving and sweating, knowing very well what your dreams were about.

So busy continuing your sketch of him, you didn’t hear the footsteps approaching you until it was too late. For the third time in less than twenty four hours, Ardeth crept up on you, standing a few feet away behind you and ignoring your obvious distress before approaching you.

“You have got to stop doing that.” You said humorously but stopped smiling when you realized he was in a foul mood once more.

“Why are you going to the wedding?” He ignored your previous comment, crossing his arms and waiting for you to reply.

“I thought it would be rude to decline the invitation. I have never gone to an Egyptian wedding before and I have a feeling I will not get a second chance again.” Your tone came out more aggressive than you intended but you didn’t care.

“And the guards? Had I not told you last night to never ask them to leave.” Ardeth took a step forward and part of you felt a twist in your stomach at his proximity, not because he would hurt you. No, he would never do that. But because you were barely over what transpired the night prior.

“Last time I checked, I was the boss around here, not you. Now, I understand your position and hold great respect for it, but if you think you can walk around ordering me simply because I am a woman then it is best you don’t come around unless Rick or Evy are here. I don’t need to listen to you and you know this very well. If you’ll excuse me, I have to prepare for a wedding.” You stood up and took one step forward, not seeing the giant rock in front of you. You prepared to hit the ground but no such thing happened. Instead, you felt a pair of arms wrapped tightly around your waist, holding your body against a solid chest. Looking back, you felt Ardeth’s hands tighten around you as soon as you made eye contact with him. His eyes were dilated, the beautiful brown barely visible, jaws clenching when he saw your parted lips. He let go instantly, looking away and leaning down to pick up your notebook before you asked him not to.

As soon as he flipped the notebook to dust the sand off, he saw his portrait and the hieroglyphs written at the bottom, blinking confusingly a few times before handing you back the notebook and excusing himself. You wished the Nile could just flood and take you away from here. Not sure what to make of his reaction, you went back to your tent, aggressively opening the flap and throwing your things on the bed. You noticed something on the chair and picked it up, looking around to see who could have possibly come in here.

Walking outside, you saw the two guards drinking tea under a tree. Approaching them, you asked if they saw anyone go into your tent. When they told you that one of the women came back with clothes for you to wear, they accompanied her to your tent to make sure she placed it inside and took nothing. You thanked the two of them and walked back, studying the familiar gown you saw everyone wear in the village. You were glad they had given you one, not because you had nothing to wear but because you were afraid you dress might offend them. Quickly washing up, you put your hair up and put the long silky black gown on, twirling around in front of the mirror before putting your heels on and leaving.

It was around five in the afternoon by the time you finished. You walked out and made your way to the guards to let them know you were ready. But when you got there, you saw them talking to Ardeth, bowing their heads to him when they saw you standing there and leaving. For a second, you thought he was going to argue with you and ask you to stay but as he approached you, you saw the almost reserved gaze he held.

“Both men will stay here tonight and I will escort you to the wedding.” He said calmly and although you preferred this side of him, you couldn’t trust his sudden change of demeanor.

“Are you serious?” Ardeth looked up at your question and you could pinpoint the moment he felt guilty but you chose to ignore it. “You do not wish to be in my company.” He said, more as a statement than a question and you hated how you denied him immediately.

“No no, that’s not what I said. Nevermind, we should probably leave. I don’t want to miss anything.” You turned around and refused to look back until you had reached the streets of the village. You realized you didn’t know where the wedding would be held but you saw some families walking towards the main church and thought to follow them. As soon as you arrived, you saw the girls from the morning standing outside. You smiled when one of them saw you and ran to welcome you in but as soon as she saw Ardeth, her eyes widened and she said something in Arabic that you did not recognize.

And then something you’ve never seen before happened, absolutely taking your breath away and causing you to swallow the lump in your throat before approaching the other guests. Ardeth smiled at the young woman and asked her to not tell the elder of the village that he was here. You watched as he interacted with her and waved to her friends, telling her that he would rather enjoy the evening with everyone than have the attention on him. She smiled at him, telling him she will make sure no one will tell any of the administration that he was here before leaving to join her friends.

You wished you could ask him why he said this but you thought it best to leave him alone. No need to start arguing from now. The night was young and you wanted to enjoy every moment of it.

~III~

The ceremony was longer than you thought but you didn’t mind it. You enjoyed the hymns they sang, surprising Ardeth when you had picked up one of the books and followed along with the Coptic. You could tell he was staring at you but you ignored him, wanting to commit this to memory. When they finished and the priest announced them as man and wife, all the women began ululating and although it took you by surprise, you were glad to be a part of this. They were all so joyful, following the newly wed outside to the street as they walked to the giant tent and stage in the middle of the town.

Not thirty minutes later, everyone was dancing and singing along with the couple. You watched as musicians played and danced around the woman and her husband, laughing when he picked her up and twirled her around. You forgot Ardeth was there and continued to watch everyone celebrate the two, but Ardeth was very much aware of your presence.

Unbeknownst to you, he has spent months in Luxor, watching you and making sure nothing out of the ordinary took place but more importantly, making sure you were safe. He begrudgingly listened to Evy when she told him she knew his secret. He had tried to lie but Evy was clever, telling him that there was no shame in admitting the feelings he had for you. Ardeth told Evy that he could never be with you because you did not think of him the way he thought of you and up until a few hours ago, he thought Evy was lying to him when she told him that he was mistaken.

When he saw the sketch you had of him, along with the hieroglyphs of his name and his title, he changed his mind. Maybe, just maybe, the feelings were mutual, but even then, he has been nothing but rude and condescending ever since he met you. Perhaps this was more out of curiosity than anything else, because in his mind, no woman as intelligent and beautiful as you would think of him that way. He was not from the ordinary population. This was even excluding where he came from; surely you would want to marry someone who held the same customs and traditions, perhaps even faith, as you. Why would you look at him, a man who was living proof of an ancient people, whose culture was completely different from yours, who might not give you everything you would wish for?

Ardeth was brought back to reality when he saw you standing up and leaving. He was about to follow you when he saw who it was you were approaching, sitting back down in the back along with a few others and watching as you went to the bride and the groom.

When the young woman saw you, she tapped her husband on the shoulder to get his attention. The man thanked you for coming and told you that his wife aspired to be as kind as you one day. You were taken aback by the response, thanking the two of them and taking a small bag out of your purse.

You told her you didn’t know what was proper to be given as a gift. She had declined it at first but when you opened it and showed it to her, both of them were surprised and asked you if you were sure. You didn’t know how to convey why you were giving it to her so you looked around to see if anyone who understood English could help you. As soon as you looked towards the back, you saw Ardeth staring right back at you. Swallowing your pride, you motioned for him to come, clasping your hands together to tell him you truly needed his help. He was next to you within moments, asking you what it was you needed.

“Could you please tell them that, as I understand, the blue scarab brings luck and keeps the evil eye away. And I wish for their marriage to always be happy and that they never struggle in anything.” You watched as he took the golden necklace, his eyes holding your gaze before he turned to the bride and told her what you said. She was surprised and said something back, her husband agreeing with her.

“They are telling you that you are right but they could not possibly accept this.” Ardeth smiled at the couple and translated to you, watching as your expression frown in confusion. He thought it the most adorable thing he’s ever seen.

“Why not?”

“It is made of gold and lapis lazuli Y/N, this would be the most expensive thing they own and they couldn’t take something as precious from you as this.” You almost gasped when he called you by your name, and you stopped yourself from asking him to say it again, knowing this was not the time or place for such a confrontation.

“I know. But I want them to have it. Please, try to tell them again.” You placed your hand on his hand to turn it their way and Ardeth couldn’t help the blush that crept on his cheeks. He asked them again, telling them you knew very well what it was and that you really wanted them to have it. The couple looked at each other and back to you before taking the necklace and thanking you for it. The young woman hugged you tightly and kissed your cheeks, thanking you once more before asking her husband to put it on for her.

You went back to your seat and sat down, waiting until a few moments passed before thanking Ardeth for helping you.

“It was nothing.” Ardeth replied, smiling again and watching as you timidly looked away, busying yourself with something other than the handsome man next to you. In that moment, everything clicked in his mind. The bickering, the shy demeanor, the quietness whenever he was around. You didn’t do these because you disliked him but because you thought of him the way he thought of you. Maybe not completely in the same way because he thought of you in such a manner that wasn’t allowed for him. Not unless you were his own to do such things with.

You saw some of the workmen dancing around, one of them stopping when he saw you sitting next to Ardeth. He approached you and asked you if you would join him, to which you declined insistently, telling him you would only make a fool out of yourself. When he asked again and saw the way Ardeth clenched his jaws, he stopped, knowing it was unwise to anger a Medjay. You followed his gaze and saw the way Ardeth was staring at him, your heart fluttering for a moment at the thought of him being jealous. But no, that wasn’t possible.

“Perhaps it is best if you take a week off?” You asked the man and he looked at you strangely, asking you if he understood you correctly.

“Yes, a week. Don’t worry, you will be paid.” You smiled when he jumped and kissed your cheek before running to the other men and telling them they had a week off. You turned to look at Ardeth but he was nowhere to be found. Looking around, you didn’t find him anywhere, mind reeling back to see if you had said anything to offend him. You waited around for another hour and when he never returned, you excused yourself, bidding the couple a good night before walking back to your tent. But you were stopped by one of the girls, telling you that it was custom in their village for everyone to sit, even for a minute, with the palm reader on weddings. You never believed in these matters but thought why not, following the girl until she brought you to the older woman.

“Sit down my dear.” The woman took your hand and pulled you down until you sat across from her.

“You speak English?” You hadn’t meant to sound surprised but you have never met someone her age that could speak English.

“A little. I learn quickly.” She winked at you, opening the palm of your hands and drawing patterns across the lines. She remained quiet for a long time before putting your hands down and looking at you. “You have a long life ahead of you, a bright one too.” She said nothing else and you didn’t know what came over you but you asked her anyway.

“Is there love in this life?”

“There could be.”

“What do you mean?” Before you finished your question, the woman was bringing out a small piece of paper, handing it to you to see your reaction. When you opened it, you read the few lines written in Coptic and turned to look at her once more. You knew what it was. You had seen something similar at your time in Oxford when Professor Maspero brought you his findings and although you didn’t believe in such things, you were not one to tempt your luck. “Thank you, but I think it is best if I leave.” You handed the paper back to her, watching as she smiled and nodded your way.

“To be wise at such a young age. May Allah bless you and keep you safe my child. And to answer your question, there is. And you will not need such charms to make it so, for the one you seek has always had his eyes set on you and no one else.” You didn’t have time to say anything before the woman was standing up and walking away, leaving you more confused than before. Silently leaving the festivities, you made you way back to the excavation grounds, your legs leading you to the shores of the river rather than your tent. There was no way you could sleep after hearing the old woman’s words.

~IV~

You returned to the same spot you always sat in to watch the sunset every day, looking up at the sky and marveling at the many stars and constellations so visible at night. But your mind quickly returned to the old woman’s fortune; did she mean what you thought she meant? It couldn’t have been possible that she knew your feelings, let alone Ardeth’s. But she was so sure of herself.

You dug into your purse and pulled out your notebook, returning to the familiar page once more and passing your fingers over his name.

“You know, I never thought of how my name could mean something else.” You turned around when you heard Ardeth call behind you, not bothering to tell him that he almost made you drop your notebook again. When you said nothing, he continued.

“May I join you?” He asked and you could tell he was fully expecting you to tell him off. But when you nodded and motioned for him to sit next to you, he did so quietly.

“What do you mean?” You asked him, not bothering to hide the page from him anymore. He silently asked if he could see your notebook and pencil, and you handed them over. He traced his callous fingers over his name in hieroglyphs, reading them out loud and smiling at you.

𓄿𓂋𓌗 𓂞𓇌𓏏𓏛 𓃀𓇋𓄿𓎡𓅄𓅆

“Ꜣr dı͗t bı͗k…”

“The one who makes the driving away from the falcon.” You repeated after him, watching as his smile brightened even more so than before. Then you saw him scribbling something down right next to the last part of his name.

𓃀𓇋𓄿𓈅𓏤𓈐

“bı͗Ꜣ? As in path?” You asked him, trying to see what his name would mean now.

“The one who makes the driving away from the path,” he whispered, then pointed to the tattoo on his forehead and his cheeks. He watched as the meaning of his name dawned on you.

“The one who makes the driving away from the path of the netherworld through maat.” You responded, smiling when he nodded at you and told you he preferred your interpretation better.

“Why?” “As I see it, it was our role to protect Pharaoh who was the manifestation of Horus on earth. It makes sense that my name parallels the old ‘job description’...to drive away Horus from his demise and being taken into the underworld.” He handed you back your notebook and looked towards the river, watching as the waters softly hit the shores.

“Do all the Medjay have those as well?” You asked, hoping he found no offense in your curiosity.

“No, just the chieftain. But all of us hold names that correspond to an element of our past lives.” He continued, turning to look at you once again and hoping he could find it in himself to apologize for all the times he disrespected you. You met his gaze before looking away immediately. It was hard to maintain eye contact with him, his eyes making you feel as if he was staring into your soul. Then you felt his hand rest on your own in the sand, looking down and seeing his fingers clasping yours harshly. Your heart was beating against your chest and you hoped he couldn’t hear it.

When you turned to face him again, he was already staring at your lips, and you couldn’t help it, licking them and mirroring his actions before leaning in towards him. Ardeth didn’t want to move, afraid he would break this trance between the two of you, but when he saw you moving towards him, something completely otherworldly took over.

He let go of your hand and cupped your cheeks, pulling you towards him and taking your lips aggressively in a hungry kiss. You gasped into the sudden motions, hands fisting in his clothes to hold onto him so you didn’t fall over. Ardeth took this as a sign of submission, pushing you down on the sand and cornering you between his arms. When you moaned against him, he snuck his tongue past your lips, exploring your skin like it was a new oasis. His hands crept into your hair before rolling down your form, holding onto your waist and squeezing you against him to feel every inch of you.

You didn’t know what to do, torn between pushing him away to ask him about the sudden change of heart and begging him to take you to your tent and have his way with you. When he felt your nails dig into his shoulders, he pulled away, his breath fanning over your cheeks and his eyes memorizing your blissed out facial expression. When you finally opened your eyes, you had already regulated your breathing, pulling your hands away and keeping them to yourself. You hoped he would understand and move away, and when he didn’t, you looked anywhere but him.

Ardeth finally understood what you were silently asking him, moving away and sitting up slowly. Before he could say anything else, you were standing up and running away to your place. He knew calling after you wouldn’t do him any good so he sat by himself for a while. When the night air turned colder, he stood up and was about to go to the other guards when he saw your notebook lying on the ground.

Picking it up, he dusted the sand off and made his way to your tent. The Medjay saw him approaching and stood up, greeting him before returning to their posts.

“wḏi.” The command passed his lips angrily, and the two subordinates knew not to question him. They stood up and walked back to the village, leaving Ardeth standing outside your tent. He had spent hours committing to memory the pass of your tongue against his, every smooth touch of your skin against his rough fingers. Without thinking much of it, he walked into your tent to place your notebook on the nightstand, telling himself to not look at you even for a moment.

But his self control flew with the breeze, his eyes turning back and seeing your naked figure under the thin covers. He could tell you were naked, for your entire back was exposed to his gaze. Gently, he reached over and rolled the cover until you were shielded from his eyes. You looked so beautiful in your sleep, hair forming a halo on the pillow. He knew this was wrong but he couldn’t stop himself even if he tried. Slowly, he traced the blush on your cheeks up to your hair, brushing the few strands aside to take a closer look at you.

“A-ardeth…” His name spilling from your lips pushed him back to reality, pulling away and exiting the tent immediately out of fear of himself. He bit his tongue to distract himself from the familiar ache creeping into his groin whenever you were around. It was much worse now however, because he knew what his name sounded like when you moaned it in your sleep. Sitting near the fire, Ardeth removed his knife and picked up a large tree branch, cutting away to distract himself from the sleeping figure not twenty feet away from him.

Unbeknownst to him, you were very much awake when he entered your tent. For a moment, you were afraid it was not him but when leaned over to cover your body, you could smell his scent, one that you were more familiar with now more than before. You knew he would not try to force himself on you and when he brushed your hair, you couldn’t stop the moan that escaped your throat in the form of his name. He was gone a moment later, leaving you a mess beneath your covers. You wished you could bring him back to your bed, tell him you ran away because you were afraid of offending him by asking him to do something that may not be acceptable in his culture and not because you were refusing him.

You slept knowing the old woman was truthful in everything she had told you, and Ardeth laid awake through the night thinking you ran away because you did not want him.

~V~

You woke up earlier than usual, making yourself exceptionally presentable before exiting the tent. You walked out prepared to face Ardeth and try to make small talk so he doesn’t feel awkward but he was nowhere to be found. You hated when he did that and he seemed to do that a lot around you. You saw the two guards, who you now knew were Medjay, standing around and talking. When they saw you, they bowed their heads before returning to their conversation.

You didn’t bother to look for him, going about your day as you normally would have and hoping you could be productive instead of thinking about him. You continued recording mounds of interest in your notebook, walking around the area near the mosque and straying away from the major area to the west of the temple. You never came to this part of the grounds, knowing Professor Maspero had already discovered the Chapel of the goddess Mut. There was no way he would’ve missed anything, he was a thorough man. But in your attempt to not topple over the rocks, you skipped a step and fell on your face on top of what used to be a column in the hypostyle hall of the temple.

“For god’s sake,” you whispered to yourself, looking for your pencil and dusting off your pants. You cursed under your breath when you saw your pants have ripped at the knee. Resting on the column, your eyes passed through a relief that seemed oddly familiar. Ignoring the pain in your legs, you tried to wipe the sand as much as possible from the relief, eyes widening in surprise when you realized what the relief was.

Frantically standing up, you picked up your notebook to mark where you were on the site before discarding it again, kneeling down and dusting off as much as you could without damaging the column.

There, engraved in large letters, was a Coptic inscription surrounding a cross that was most likely carved over a hieroglyphs. You almost screamed at the sheer luck, marking the area before running to your tent to grab your tools. The guards saw you running around frantically and were about to ask you when they saw you jumping out of your tent with your small kit. They knew not to disturb you when you were working.

You returned to the column and brushed away from the column before grabbing a shovel and removing the rubble from around the column. You’ve never had to do this much work in your years of excavations but you didn’t care, this was far more rewarding than anything. You looked like a wild woman by the time you cleared the column, sitting down to sketch as many of the reliefs as you could. The Coptic would have to wait, you had no energy for this today.

When you returned to your tent, the two guards saw the state of you and asked if anything happened to you. You explained what took place and told them that dinner was on you, giving one of them money to fetch food from the village. The men thanked you and told you they would tell you when the food was here.

You went back in to bathe, knowing you looked like an absolute mess of a woman and that you should not be in their company in such a manner. You were about to unbutton your shirt when someone walked into the tent.

“That was quick. You must’ve been truly hungry to-” The words died in your throat when you turned around and saw Ardeth standing at the entrance. You said nothing, silently kicking yourself for not returning sooner and cleaning up. The last thing you needed was to look filthy in front of him. But none of this compared to the way he was looking at you, like a predator ready to devour his prey.

His eyes softened, however, when he saw you the state of your knees and the dried blood on the beige pants. Without thinking much of it, he stepped towards you, kneeling down to inspect your skin.

“What happened?”

“I- there was a…” You couldn’t think of a coherent sentence, the feeling of his warm hands wrapped around your legs too distracting. “I was just walking around and quite literally fell upon a new discovery. Did you know there was an old church built in this temple?” Ardeth ignored your rambling, asking you to sit down on the chair while he fetched a clean cloth and some water. You didn’t dare argue with him, silently taking a seat and rolling up your pants for him. He came back with a small amphora filled with cold water and a cloth. His blood thrummed in his ears as soon as he saw your skin. And although he tried to hide himself, you couldn’t help but smile at the blush that crept across his cheeks.

Gently, he sat down and held your calves, cursing himself for thinking he could do this without making a fool out of himself.

“You should be more careful Y/N.” There it was again, your name whispered so softly and causing you shake. Ardeth felt goosebumps erupting on your skin, barely holding back the smile of pride at being the cause of such a reaction. You nodded, not trusting your voice just yet. He was tender in every touch, slowly dabbing the wet cloth around the inflamed area before treating the other knee in a similar fashion. Like the previous night, something took over him and he couldn’t hold himself back, leaning down and kissing your knees, telling you to watch the wounds when you washed.

When Ardeth looked up, he saw the frenzy swimming in your eyes, and he could only smile at you when your lips parted to attempt and thank him.

“I will wash this for you.” He raised the blood stained cloth and you tried to stop him but he insisted, telling you it was nothing. When he left your tent, you were sure your heart was close to jumping out of your chest. It was such a minor touch but it boiled your blood, knowing what his lips felt like on your skin yet again. Shaking your head, you went to the corner of the tent to wash up quickly, your heart already leaping at the thought of seeing him again.

But then something broke your trance. God you could not never have the heart to refuse this man if he asked you to have him, but you also couldn’t bear it if you were to tempt him to do something that went against his culture, even religion. Come to think of it, your knowledge of the Medjay’s religious beliefs was minimal. You had spent a long time with them when you were with Evy and Rick, seeing many of them walking into the mosque in their village during the day to pray. But you also saw your two guards walking out of Mass on Sunday morning numerous times, singing some of their hymns as they walked back to their post.

Either way, you could not possibly be the cause that Ardeth strayed from his beliefs. You had respected him far too much to tempt him or place him in an unpleasant situation with whatever religious leader he knew. You were very much aware of your position, not just as a stranger to the culture and religions but also as a woman that did not care for the rules revolving around physical relationships. It was one of the things that had many men and women of your social circle angry and whisper about. You only had one or two affairs with men but you still valued yourself, just not in the same way that women of your society did. You did not care for the limiting rules set upon you by the Catholic church or English culture. Thankfully, neither did your parents, always telling you to follow your heart and not care for what anyone thought of you. You were only Catholic by name after all, not by belief.

But you couldn’t apply this advice now. You cared what Ardeth thought of you and you did not want him to think you were “easy,” neither did you want him to see you as a prude. So you reeled back all thoughts of approaching him, wanting to give the two of you some time to test the waters. You took your time in the bath, slowly washing yourself to make sure the wound did not bleed again. It was an hour later when you emerged from the water, wrapping a towel around yourself before rubbing another around your hair.

But when you emerged from behind the wooden screen, you saw Ardeth walking in to place the urn and cloth near your bed. When he turned around, his body went tense, hands shaking at the sight of you and eyes blinking slowly. Neither of you moved for a few moments. You waited to see what he would do, chest rising and falling when you saw the way his eyes took you in. You saw his adam’s apple bob up before resting back in its place and you thought, ‘20 seconds of courage.’

Throwing the hair towel away, you walked up to him, standing a few inches away from his rigid torso.

“You are treading on dangerous grounds Y/N.” Ardeth whispered, his nose flaring when the scent of lavender hit his senses. He was losing every ounce of control coursing through his veins and he wished you would step away before he did something he might regret. Slowly, you reached your hands towards him to cup his cheeks, watching as he shut his eyes to control himself. You saw his jaws clenched tightly, fists cracking from how harshly he was holding himself back. Leaning forward, you brushed your lips against his own before pulling back.

“Tell them to leave.” That was all Ardeth needed for confirmation, setting the animal loose and wrapping his arms around you before devouring your lips. His hands fisted in your damp hair, pulling your neck back so he could lay kisses all over your skin. You moaned loudly against him, causing him to clamp his hand on your mouth in fear of the men hearing you. Reluctantly pulling away, Ardeth told you to remain in your spot until he got rid of the two guards. You barely held yourself up when he left you to walk out of the tent.

You could hear him ordering the two men, and telling them to not return unless they saw Horus. Both men responded their agreement and left, and you couldn’t help but feel embarrassed because they probably knew why their chieftain ordered them so aggressively to leave.

Ardeth walked back in and tied the knots of the entrance, walking around all sides of the tent to make sure there were no visible windows or holes or even entrances for anyone to disturb the two of you. When he came back to you, he saw you looking at the ground, arms set at your sides shyly.

“You do not owe me anything Y/N, certainly not your body. I can leave now if you wish me to.” It broke his heart to tell you such things but he never wanted to force you to do anything you did not wish to do. When you looked up at him and blinked, he knew your answer.

And before he could do anything, you were loosening the knot of the towel, letting it fall to the floor to leave you naked to his eyes. Ardeth was having a hard time, in more ways than one, maintaining his nerves. His heart skipped a beat at seeing you bare in front of him and he knew there was no holding back anymore when you looked up at him through heavy-lidded eyes.

"يا اللة."

My god.

~VI~

As soon as he whispered those two words, you were on him like the water clinging to your skin, not caring about any consequences to your actions. Ardeth embraced you with as much passion, swallowing your cries when his hands got bolder with every pass over your skin. He was a much more aggressive lover than you thought and perhaps it was due to the sexual tension between the two of you in the past few weeks.

He pulled away and you noticed that he held a direct gaze, not a playful expression in sight. You whined at the loss of his lips and if he were any other man, Ardeth would have smiled and felt a sense of pride for having this much of an effect on you. But he wasn’t another man. He was a starved man and you were exactly what he yearned for in decades. Ardeth couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt this strongly to another woman. The last time he was in a relationship, be it physical or emotional, was so long ago that he couldn’t remember who it was. He was a young boy who thought being with a woman would make him a man but he knew soon after it was not this simple.

His lips sucked at the juncture of your neck and noticed you biting your lips to prevent any sound from escaping past them. His fingers squeezed your waist and brought you closer to him harshly, a part of him knowing he should slow down and cherish every inch of you in a perhaps gentler manner. But you were finally in his arms, and he couldn’t bring himself to hold back, not when you were so responsive to his mean and quick touches. He bit down a little harshly on your clavicle and a part of him wished it was to hear your noises and not to mark you as his, but he would dwell on that later. When you finally moaned against him, he eased the hold he had on your hips and pulled away to take you in. “Do not silence yourself Y/N, your sounds belong to me,” he gasped when you visibly shuddered against him, his hands shaking when he felt your nails dig into his arms. “Sweet music to my ears…”

You didn’t know what came over you but no sooner than his hoarse request were your moans loud enough to be heard from the river. He continued his assault on your flushed skin, nipping and licking every inch of you until you surrendered yourself to his hands. You tugged at his shoulder, fisting your fingers in his robes before reaching for his turban. Loosening the scarves away from his head, you watched as his hair fell down past his cheeks and framed his handsome features. Ardeth looked up and saw the way your eyes gazed at him and he felt relief wash over him because he was not the only one who felt this unbearable need.

You leaned forward and Ardeth thought you were going to kiss him but then you pulled his hair and exposed his neck for you, sucking on his adam’s apple and feeling his shaking hands wrap around your entire body. “My heart aches for you Y/N-” Ardeth couldn’t help the growl that flew past his vocal cords, his hands shaking violently when you continued to bite his throat time and again. He wasn’t sure if he was this sensitive because it has been decades since he was touched in such a manner or if it was because you were the one claiming his body. “It yearns for you when the sun rises each morning and- ahhh by the gods woman...and craves you when it sets past the Nile.”

If it were any other woman, Ardeth was sure she would be turned off by his words. They weren’t seductive in any way, but he knew you. He knew your preferences, your likes and dislikes, perhaps already understood what you desired after even though he has not been an hour in your bed. Somehow, however, he sensed your appreciation for the sensual and romantic words he uttered and he continued to test both his resolve and yours with every affection he emoted. And he was right to think so because within minutes, he had your body willing and ready for him. You should have expected him to have such a sinful tongue and you rubbed your thighs when Ardeth moaned shamelessly at your equally-aggressive hands. He was more vocal than any of your previous lovers and you found that you enjoyed it immensely.

“Ardeth, please just...take these off. I need to feel your skin. I want to touch you, kiss you, look at every inch of you.” Ardeth smiled at your lack of patience, not warning you as he leaned down and carried you to the bed. He laid you down gently before standing over you, shaking his head when he saw the way you grabbed at your breasts to seduce him.

“You are a vixen, the most beautiful my eyes have seen.” Ardeth licked his lips as he looked you over, undoing his robes slowly to fill his mind’s eye with you. You arched your back and moaned when you saw his bare skin through the robes, not caring that you were being forward when you grabbed his robes and pulled him towards you. Ardeth stepped confusingly towards you, hissing when he felt your hands palm him through the black material.

“Y/N, I- I thought your hand would calm this heat I feel for you, but- oh gods, ahhh you- you have done little to quench this fire.” His words went straight to your core and you began to pull at the clothes until they pooled at his feet. Before he could step out of them, you were leaning forward and kissing his hard member, hands kneading and teasing the base until he was panting mess above you.

“Ahhh gods, my love you’re- you are truly talented.” Ardeth tries his hardest to focus on your blissed-out expression but he fails as soon as he feels the palm of your hand close around the tip of his erection. He manages to open his eyes and look down just in time to see you lick the protruding vein ending right below the head and he almost loses himself right then and there. As much as it pains him, he fists his hand in your hair and pulls you off of him before pushing you down on your bed and standing once more. He holds a dangerous and warning gaze and you understand why he silently asks you to not touch him again. You shamelessly look at him as he moves around, watching the way his muscles flex whenever he pulls an article of clothing off aggressively.

You almost giggle at how quick he is but you hold back, afraid of making him think you are laughing at him. His mind freezes when he stands up and turns to you, unable to look away from where your fingers are. Ardeth raises a curious eyebrow, slowly kneeling down on the bed before approaching you like a lion waiting to devour his prey at the proper time. He is almost angry at the way your eyes challenge him but he chooses to think past the brave aura, gently parting your thighs wider so he could take a better look at the motion of your fingers. He growls, silently chuckling when he sees your legs shake at the sound. You stop your actions altogether and suddenly realize just how dry your mouth is.

“Do not stop on my account Y/N,” Ardeth’s voice is deeper than normal and you whine at his self-control. You had thought he would take you as soon as his guards left but he proved to be a more patient man than you thought. “Ardeth please, please-” You stop breathing when he leans down between your parted thighs, licking your navel and blowing air on the wet skin until you reach for him. Slowly descending down your body, Ardeth holds your gaze and squeezes your buttocks before whispering against your heat, “unless you want me to stop, you will be patient. Remove your hands.” You obey him instantly, letting go of his shoulders before pulling on the bed sheets violently to have some semblance of control.

He hums in approval and returns to the task at hand. A part of him wished he would be gentleman-like with you, but his mind was losing the last bit of control and he couldn’t stop himself even if he tried. Shutting his eyes, he leaned down and licked your core once, twice to open you up for him. As soon as you threw your head back in pleasure, he did what his mind dreamed of doing to you for months, years even. Not caring for how filthy it must have looked, let alone sounded, Ardeth poked your wet lips with his nose and took a long whiff of your scent, groaning when the sweet smell swept straight to his groin. Your eyes shot open and glanced down at him immediately, gasping at the obscenity of his actions. Ardeth was afraid he scared you but when he turned his attention back to your heat, he saw proof of your arousal leaking down your thighs.

He smiled and glanced back at you, maintaining eye contact as he licked you dry. You were embarrassed but for a moment, moaning his name over and over again as he pleasured you until you could no longer feel anything but him.

“Ardeth, ahhh pl-please Ardeth I-” he didn’t let you finish, sucking on your wet core vigorously before pushing down on your lower abdomen to keep you still for him. As soon as you felt his fingers part your sensitive core, your hands fisted in his long locks and pulled on it. You had expected him to cease his actions or ask you to be patient again but the opposite occurred. Ardeth coated his fingers with your pleasure before pushing them against you, exploring your body with his quick digits while he continued to nip and lick at the protruding bundle of nerves. He was slowly driving you mad with his ministrations and you managed to keep whatever control remained because the last thing you needed was for the whole village to know what is transpiring in your tent.

But then he curled his fingers inside you and increased pressure once, twice, three times until he felt your back arch off the bed. You couldn’t hold back anymore, clenching around his fingers as he brought you to the utmost pleasure and when you begged him to stop, he refused, wanting to coax another petite mort out of you before he pulled away. Ardeth raised himself just in time to see you let go once more, his eyes taking in your features before slowly descending down your body. Your skin was glistening with sweat, chest rising and falling rapidly with every breath you took and Ardeth almost lost his mind when he saw how perky and flushed your breasts were. When he saw how spent you looked, he pushed his fingers inside you one last time before taking them out and rubbing your thighs to soothe you. You fell back onto the bed, hair disheveled and lips parted from how hard you were breathing. As soon as you managed to look at him, Ardeth took this chance and licked his fingers dry before slowly ascending your body.

He left a trail of kisses on your skin, occasionally nipping an area he found desirable and you smiled when he came face to face with your breasts. You couldn’t hold back the scandalous moan that emanated when he leaned down and took a pert nipple between his teeth, fondling the other until you felt pleasure from the pain of his touches.

“I- I’m sensitive there Ardeth,” your attempt at warning him did little to nothing, only edging him further in his actions until you were a mess beneath him again. “All the more reason to devour you Y/N. You torment me with your moans. Your whispers of my name...in the name of the ogdoad, forgive me. Do not reproach me for losing myself in your beauty. If you choose to deny me this, then send me away this instance for I cannot...will not hold back any longer.” You were overcome with warmth at the intensity of his words, knowing it must be hard for him to say such words given the nature of his quiet personality, let alone the position he was in. “You fill me with desire from head to foot Y/N. My love shall never be veiled again.” He continued his assault on your breasts and you continued praying his name when you felt his shaft leaking on your belly. You weren’t sure what you wanted anymore, but you were absolutely certain of one thing: Ardeth was the last man you would allow in your bed because you knew in your heart that no one else was capable of loving you as much as he does, not just physically, but emotionally.

“I have wanted you for so long, and I- ahhh god your tongue drips of sin, and I pleasured myself at night, imagining how you would touch me, h-how your skin would feel against mine, how rough you would be when you lose control, and-” you took a deep breath, holding back what you wanted to say for fear of making him think you were ill-mannered. But he has not once held back from you this night. As a matter of fact, Ardeth has done the opposite, voicing his desires proudly before stealing orgasm after another from you. You found courage through his actions and whispered to him what you have wanted for so long. “And I dreamed of feeling you so deep inside me, giving you pleasure with avidity until you stilled my torments.” You wrapped your legs around him, not giving him a chance to contemplate on your actions before gyrating your hips into his verge until you felt him rub against your damp core.

Ardeth shuddered in your arms, his surprise turning into firm touches as he wrapped one arm around your back while the other hand smoothed down your hips. He leaned down and captured your lips in a hungry kiss, his hand pushing your lower back into him to control the motion of your hips. He could feel himself nestled between your thighs, moaning and sucking on your tongue when he sensed how dripping wet you were for him.

“You drive me mad woman,” Ardeth smiled against your mouth before reaching up and pulling on your hair to get more access to your neck. He bit down wherever he could as he felt your desire drench his thighs. You would tell him later that you preferred nothing more than feeling his chest slide against yours, not because of how toned and muscular it was but because of how rough it was to the touch. The friction his chest hair caused was painful yet it ignited a fire within you instantaneously.

“Please, please just-”

“What do you need Y/N, I will give you anything.” Ardeth was breathing just as harshly as you, if not more. He gazed into your eyes, watching the brewing storm erupt as he rolled his hips against you. You dug your nails into his back, the other holding onto his hair when you couldn’t take it any longer.

“I need you, Ardeth, I need you now. Please, I- I burn for you… need to embrace you,” and for good measure, you stretched your hand between your bodies, grabbing his painfully hard member and rubbing it between your parted lips. “Let me embrace you, let me quench this radiating fire.” You pronounced each word with a rough pass over your core and Ardeth prayed your name until he couldn’t take it anymore.

He grabbed your wrist aggressively, slamming it above your head and pushing you down until he felt your submission and before you could whine again, he was spitting in his hand, proud of the response he received from you at the sudden and audacious action. He stroked himself a few times before lining himself up against you, slowly pushing past your slit into your heat until he felt completely engulfed by your silky walls. You ceased to breathe as you felt the intrusion reach deeper, refusing to tell him to stop because even though he was filling you to the hilt, you still craved him.

Ardeth could barely hold himself above you, his arms threatening to give out beneath him from the immense pleasure. He wasn’t sure if you were purposely clenching violently around him or not, but all he knew was that he has never felt such satisfaction in his life. And he silently cursed you for feeling so tight and inviting because he knew very well no other woman would compare to you. Neither in your intellect and wittiness, nor your beauty and perfection. He couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought because he never thought he would have the neural capacity to applaud your brilliance when he was this deep inside you.

You didn’t know why he was laughing and you hoped it wasn’t because you didn’t live up to his expectations. You loosened your hold on him and he noticed, gazing down at you and seeing the inquisitive expression you held. Brushing your hair aside, he refused to look anywhere but your doe-like orbs as he soothed the slight hint of panic away from your skin.

“You have, without a doubt, utterly ruined all women for me Y/N,” Ardeth claimed shamelessly before pulling himself out, and refusing to move until he made sure you were content. When he saw you release your breath and throw your head back, he thrust back in a little vigorously than intended. Before he could apologize for his lack of patience, he heard you faintly whispering for him.

“Ardeth, d-don’t hold back. Take your pleasure, please. I- I want you to ruin me...ahh god, want you to brand my soul.” You pulled him down to you, kissing the corner of his mouth and licking his jaw, enticing him until he lost all self-control and took from you what you dreamed of giving him ever since you laid eyes on him in the desert long ago. At your request, Ardeth lost himself, moving in and out between your thighs without remorse. He hummed against the juncture of your neck, the grip he held on your hair getting tighter with every passing minute. You turned your head to the side, sighing and moaning his name as he roughly drove himself into you.

You bit his wrist, causing him to lose his balance for a moment before growling and thrusting into you. “If- ahhh gods, if one time will not suffice to quench your fire, I shall do it again to satisfy you. You have bewitched me body and soul Y/N, m nb pt I surrender myself to you.” You felt a sudden flare of lightning strike across your abdomen as soon as he spoke in his native tongue, unintentionally clenching harder around him and causing him to scream into the night air. Even though he spoke little in his language, you couldn’t help but imagine him continue to do so as he brought you to the utmost pleasure. Ardeth noticed your responsiveness to his words and he felt pride deep in his lungs at the thought of knowing he was the cause of such a reaction.

His pace began to falter, knowing very well he could not last any longer because of how perfect and velvety you felt around him. He set a punishing pace nonetheless, wanting to feel you fall over the edge with him. Taking hold of your chin, he turned you to face him before claiming your mouth again, not caring that he might draw some blood from his aggressive actions. The only sounds heard in the tent were your moans, and his skin slapping against your own. It drove him mad hearing your arousal seep down your thighs with every pass of his verge past your slit.

“sttyt nṯr ꜥꜣ, come with me, please Y/N, come for me. Now!” For god knows what time that night, Ardeth bit down on your skin, somehow managing to thrust into you harder than before until you couldn’t control your own body. He felt your orgasm before you had the chance to tell him, shuddering against you as he released himself deep inside you. You arched your back against him as waves of pleasure coursed through your body, the intensity of your gratification terrifying your heart. You never realized you were capable of feeling such things and yet here you were, in the arms of the man you never thought you could get close to until a few hours ago.

As you opened your eyes, you saw dilated pupils staring right back at you. It seemed comical that you felt naked under his potent gaze and actually attempted to cover yourself. His grip on you hardened, silently telling you to never attempt such a thing again.

“What have you done to me woman? Not even I had any control over myself.” He whispered before smiling and leaning down to kiss you passionately. You wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him closer to you, feeling the muscles of his back shift under your touch as he moved to pull himself out of you. Ardeth fell to the side, reaching for the covers before bringing you to him. You laid beneath his neck, pushing your thighs around his legs and chuckling when he warned you with a huff. Ardeth tried his hardest to think of anything but your hard nipples teasing his chest and he realized he could never be able to not think of you as long as you were in his embrace.

~VII~

“This is not the time, and perhaps I should have inquired before...this...but I wanted to apologize if I caused you to do or say anything against your ways.” There was no other manner you could state what you wanted to tell him and you hoped he wouldn’t be offended by your boldness. You sighed when you heard him chuckle for a second, turning your gaze to him to study his facial expression.

“The chieftain of the Medjay is seldom a follower of any religion besides the old one. As far as I know, he can only belong to the old traditions and it is not our custom to hold such things as taboo before marriage. If anything, it is I who should apologize for being incapable of stopping this before it escalated.” He played with your hair, and you couldn’t help but shiver at the seriousness of his voice.

“Why?”

“You often wear a cross around your neck and I could only assume you are Christian.”

“I was raised one but never believed in any of it. There are too many similarities between the Ancient Religion and Christianity, and do not tell my family any of this, but I genuinely believe Christianity stole its stories and beliefs from your religion. If I were to ever follow a tradition, it would be the Ancient Egyptian one. Horus knows I swear by his name all the time.” You never expected to hear Ardeth laugh this loudly but he did so and you couldn’t look away from the beautiful expression he held. The sound was so pure you almost begged him to do it again. Both of you remained quiet for a few minutes, and he occasionally smiled when you continued to draw patterns on his chest.

After a while, Ardeth broke the silence and surprised you yet again. “I have spent many nights imagining what it would feel like to have you naked and willing in my arms, and now that I am here, I cannot fathom how divine you are.” You blushed under his gaze and Ardeth knew he would do everything in his power to see that blush creep down your breasts once more.

“bı͗ꜣyt.ı͗, my heart belongs to you.” You continued to stare at him, and he sighed in relief when you graced him with a shy smile. Slowly, you sat up and cupped his cheek, tracing the hieroglyphs on his handsome features before touching each one with your lips. You could feel him smiling against your neck and sighed when his grip tightened around your waist.

“And mine is yours, wbnnı͗.ı͗.” Ardeth couldn’t help himself, grabbing your neck and pushing you down to kiss you before wrapping his arms around you to keep you as close to him as possible. You laid your head back on his chest and shut your eyes, the feeling of tranquility slowly washing over you as you focused on the beat of his heart. Finally, since decades, Ardeth felt content, knowing he would never allow himself to embrace another woman and would fight an entire army before he lets another man touch you. You remained in each other’s arms for the duration of the night, letting the sounds of the Nile lull you into a deep sleep, knowing that everything was, at long last, as it should be.

Tagging some people who expressed excitement at the idea of this fic:

@feelmyroarrrr @thorodinsvn @oplunket16 @vvigilantes @the-rookie-97 @blackcoffeeandgreenteaforme @buckylokihoes @redqueen1221 @kuronekotsiigan @sai-kida134 @wonderwolfstrash @commissioner23 @valeks-princess @libbymouse @taliaalghuldeservesbetter @ruby-white-rabbit @jamdropx35 @dramadreamer14 @tnupsweetpie @jessicahoppes @la--petit--croissant @kandomeresbitch @pleasantdreamqueen

#ardeth bay #ardeth bay x reader #ardeth bayxreader #oded fehr #the mummy #the mummy 1995 #the mummy returns #the only mummy movie that matters to me #brendan fraser #rachel weisz

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mavspeed · 3 years

Text

First Line Meme

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favorite opening line, then tag 10 of your favorite authors!

Hey @applesfallingfromblondehair, thanks for the tag love!! likewise i dont usually do this but this feels interesting so lets see if my ass has improved over the last few stories lmfkjgjk

also this will prob be a mix of xmcu fic + kingsman fic bc i think i have a more or less equal number of fics written for both

The first time Charles meets Lucifer Morningstar, actual devil from hell, ruler of the underworld, fallen son of the lord above and god knows what else, it had been after Erik had been sentenced to life imprisonment in the highest security cell in the Pentagon.

- this is from a professor and a devil walk into a bar, which is kinda a crossover rarepair fic that rose out of me and mutuals on twitter discussing tom ellis and james mcavoy being roommates and kinda... devolved from there. i am proud of this one lmfnjgkj

“Are you okay, Professor?” Hank asks quietly.

Charles blinks. He supposes it’s a valid question. He’s been in a bit of a funk the past few days- scratch that actually, the past few years. He’s just lost so much- his father, and then his mother’s love, and then Raven and Erik and Sean and countless others. Building a school, gaining students he loved to teach and nurture hadn’t helped him in the slightest, and he’s as lost as he ever was, wandering the halls of a drafty mansion alone, feeling like he’s been stranded at sea even whilst surrounded by people.

- from in the belly of the beast, which again came out of me wondering what would have happened if fox had gone w their original plan and charles had been that last horseman instead of erik. this story will prob gain a sequel... sometime in the near future when im not too bogged down by current wips

The Xavier family hall of the deceased- because of course they’re weird enough to have a cemetery- is full of rows upon rows of holograms. Charles is four and gets bored of his father crying over his mother’s hologram, so he toddles over to the other rows. Unfamiliar names, all of them- Charles is young, and he doesn’t understand death. He doesn’t even know who his mother is, who’d died at childbirth and left him with a father still at a loss when it came to bringing up a kid.

- from tequila on a spaceship, the sequel to a fic that still has some people angry at me i think. this fic never did gain as much traction as the first one but im still proud of it esp since it discusses certain themes of reincarnation that ive always wanted to see explored for myself in reincarnation aus (and i only ever saw it in danveresque’s reincarnation au)

There are cork boards covering every inch of the wall. Red strings, photographs, conspiracy threads, everything. Raven takes it in, swallowing, noticing the picture in the middle.

It’s one of Charles, when he’d been in university. His final year- he'd just been done presenting his year- end project, his fringe a tumbled mess and a bright smile on his lips. Erik had taken the picture, Charles scurrying to his side once he’d been done and demanding to look at the image, his tongue poking out the corner of his mouth. He looks like how Raven had always imagined him to be.

“He wouldn’t want this,” she finally says, turning to look at Erik.

- from tequila on a beach, the first fic to the fic above. this fic is v special to me because i actually wrote this on a spiral after having a very tough visit with one of my parents in the hospital after a surgery for organ removal to prevent the onset of cancer. its simpler than my other fics yet i think more powerful because of what happens. also i think the first time i killed charles off lol (spoiler alert). also idk if ppl were aware of this but this is called tequila on a beach precisely bc charles and erik were tipsy from tequila at a frat party and then went to a beach. its the way they first met (and will continue to meet for all their next lives)

Erik doesn’t know how it all started. Maybe it was when his insane sergeant had started rambling about imaginary cities, treasures of gold and cursed incantations. Maybe it was when trickles of rumours had started pouring down about the higher ups wanting to investigate unfound territory, disregard the Egyptian government’s feelings on the matter, and put a previously unfound myth on the map for all the world to see. Or maybe, Erik thinks, it was when archaeologist Klaus Schmidt put a bullet through his mother’s head and he ended up going to America armed with dual citizenship and the sole intent of wanting to drive a coin directly between Schmidt’s eyes, joining a division of the American military focused solely on guarding archaeological digs- more importantly, in Egypt, where Schmidt’s interest had shifted.

- from courting the end of the world, another one i’m just insanely proud of! this is the first time i’ve ever attempted a multichapter movie au and it actually managed to work pretty well, i at least haven’t run out of inspiration for it yet lmfjgjg. also erik as himbo rick connell... very rent free in my head

The day after they murder Shaw and leave his house of horrors, Erik crosses the Canadian border with Charles across his back. Charles had started getting tired while they’d been walking, stumbling and nearly tripping until Erik had forced him to get on his back, ignoring Charles’ protests.

The blood’s seeping out steadily from Charles’ nose, staining his shirt and soaking it through. It’s been leaking on and off, and the effects are already obvious in the dark circles beneath Charles’ eyes. Any more, and Erik knows they’ll have to find him a doctor. He hopes the nearest town in Canada has one that would be willing to treat them.

- from a world built for two. i actually dk where the inspiration for this came from, i think i was once again on a depressive spiral and wanted to break my comfort characters into pieces and put them together again. this also deals with codependency and unhealthy coping mechanisms as a result of trauma which i showed as sweet in the fic but i would def not recommend in real life. pls if u relate to either charles or erik in this go see a therapist

The call comes in the afternoon, an hour before Charles is supposed to teach his Intro to Genetics class. Frowning, Charles abandons the game of Candy Crush he’d admittedly been playing rather badly and picks it up. “Charles sp-”

“We need you, Prof,” Kitty says desperately into the phone. “He’s been in a temper all morning, and then Alex’s reports missed out a whole subsection, so he’s fired the entire marketing team! Please, Professor, you have to come immediately!”

- from and we can be pirates. i wrote this in like 4 seconds for my friend who wanted professor charles and ceo erik and actually did not expect this to gain the attention it did... its always the fics u write in like 4 seconds lmfjggj. a sequel for this Is coming too probably at some point in the very far future

Charles Xavier can admit as he sits across from Essex, hands cuffed to the desk, that in hindsight, this had perhaps not been one of his better ideas.

He refuses to admit it as he controls Erik’s mind, preventing him from lashing out and making him close his eyes to the nightmare unfolding in front of him. He refuses to admit it as he gets shoved into the back of a black pickup truck, and the butt of a gun is smashed across his forehead hard enough to knock him out cold for a few hours. He refuses to admit it when he wakes up what appears to be hours later in a cold interrogation room, hands cuffed to the table in front of him, with a suppression collar rendering his mind dark and almost achingly silent.

- from from the land of gods (bring me home). i’ve been struggling w this fic a lot (it didnt come as easily to me as the first one did) but its getting there. also i put charles through hell in this rip sorry mister xavier

In the aftermath, both of them stand at the border of the mansion. The air feels frigid, slicing into Raven’s lungs like a thousand paper cuts. “Charles, please,” she begs, heart in her throat and voice hoarse. “He wouldn’t want you to be like this. He wouldn’t want you to do this. It’s not too late, you can come back.”

Charles gazes back, a brick wall. He hasn’t even cleaned up, still in that damnable yellow and blue suit with blood drying in the corners of his mouth, the bridge of his nose. There’s nothing in his eyes- blank, almost see through. He looks as if he’s a mere shade, a ghost lounging about where he once was. Raven knows better.

“I will raze the world to the ground,” he finally says, his voice free of any inflection, “and when I’m done, no one will be left standing. Not you, and certainly not me.”

- from where all the poets went to die, a dark fic based on what would have happened if moira had killed erik with the bullets. its the first time ive written dark charles and it was v fun if im being honest

10.

Charles is a light sleeper. It’s a trait that stays with him- all the way from his father and the tests to taking care of his mother to Cain Marko and his fists to Cuba and then now, the dust of Washington settling over him and making the waking world lie an inch beyond his eyelids. It therefore stands to reason that the second the windowsill creaks he’s up in a shot, hoisting himself up and lashing out with his telepathy instantly.

That’s not a trait that had stayed with him. That’s a newly formed trait, bitter and bold, carved into existence by Cuba by his students disappearing one by one in Vietnam by the letters that announce Sean’s death in black unfriendly print by-

The tendrils of his telepathy forged cold and distant meet a barrier and recoil, stunned. He focuses his eyes and then widens them, staring at Erik who stares back, hidden beneath that infernal muddied magenta helmet of his. They stare at each other for a moment before Erik clears his throat.

- from in the valley of kings (you will come home). my first ever cherik fic! im actually also proud of this one even if i ended it horribly and half my mutuals refuse to read it bc of how it ended LMFJGJGJ. i cant believe this was supposed to be a funny and cute kid fic and then i turned it into an angst ridden mess. also leo is actually an oc whose adult version is fancasted as charlie rowe by me and another mutual on twitter and im v proud that readers are willing to die for the baby

11.

Mike has to google it, finding a crafts shop nestled into the corner of the street right smack in the middle of Louisiana, past a long and winding dirt road and the crumbling farmhouses relics of a time long past. The air is hot, humid, sticking to the back of his neck like an unwieldy parasite as he pushes the door of the shop open to the sound of the bell tinkling above.

He finds the origami paper quickly enough and has a momentary breakdown about what Bill’s favourite colour even is- he had never thought to ask him. Twenty seven years of following every single footstep of his like a dedicated, most definitely creepy stalker, three months of more than a few states traversed with Bill’s laughter now echoing in his ears like a shadow that trails after him, and this is what stumps him. It takes ten minutes, but he finally settles on light green.

- my first and last entry into the IT fandom bc i love these two but to be very fair there isn’t much content out there for him (and twitter content actually intimidates me lmfjgjjg) a thousand paper cranes never got much traction either but i suspect its bc i was horrible at promoting it. also i very much love this fic even if it never did that well bc ive always wanted to write a fic like this after watching the movie in cinemas in 2019

12.

ok nsfw i guess

Mornings start like this- Eggsy snuffling into David’s neck, attempting to work his way back up to wakefulness as David sleeps the sleep of the dead, the streams of morning sunlight gradually lightening up the room. It’s a while before he gets the energy to sit up, pushing an eager V off the bed- V for Vendetta, a kitten named after one of David’s favourite movies that they’d adopted about a month after moving in together- before stumbling to the loo. He’s already in the shower when David comes in, naked as the day he’s born with his arms entwining themselves around Eggsy’s waist as he murmurs a sleep-soft, “Good morning, love,” as he presses a kiss into the two-days-old hickey on Eggsy’s shoulder. His breath smells of toothpaste, the minty fresh kind he insists on buying from Target no matter how much Eggsy insists that the other brand is much better. Without fail, Eggsy always has a split second thought of thinking that he must truly be in heaven because no way can this be his reality, every single day, before sinking to his knees and allowing David’s cock to hit the back of his throat.

- from that’s the kind of love i’ve been dreaming of. i genuinely wish i had an opinion for this but i don’t remember writing this its been way too long

13.

The first time Eggsy sees her is in Trafalgar Square.

Trafalgar Square is uncomfortably packed on any normal day, but on New Year’s it is quite the hothouse. Sweating armpits and hot bodies plastered against each other, the twinkling lights overhead providing a flash of blue and green and yellow and red, screaming children and giggling teenagers shoving their way through- it’s a recipe for disaster. Eggsy doesn’t know how he ends up there. It happens sometimes- one second he blinks, sequestered in the comfort of his living room, and the next he’s somewhere else, as if he’s been teleported. “Life goes past you,” Tilde had said once, “and you don’t even notice.” Tilde would be right.

- this is a roxy and eggsy friendship centric fic that i abandoned bc i lost my ardor for this world about the same time i got into xmen lmfjgjg. all the king’s horses also had some great fancasts in it with dev patel fancasted too... rip ig

14.

once again, nsfw

Eggsy, truth be told, doesn’t actually like having sex in bathrooms. First of all, bathrooms generally have an unsanitary air about them. Besides that, the granite of the sinks always feel cold against his hips, there is the ever present fear of being walked in on and unlike what people might say, he actually really isn’t that much of an exhibitionist- and truth be told, he’s never liked the look of himself in the mirror mid coitus.

For David Budd, however, he suspects he might be up for anything.

- from do you ever dream of me. im actually proud of this fic and this series, i never usually write straight up porn or friends w benefits and i think it worked well in here. once again didnt get much traction but that was very of the norm for my kingsman fics lmfjgj

15.

It is on his fifth meeting with the therapist on site that she brings the issue up. The elephant in the room- or the bomb , David thinks morbidly. If asked, he can’t remember specifics about that day now. All he remembers is this- the burn of Julia’s picture in his wallet against his thigh, the Botticelli painting on the far wall and Miss Paulson’s face, severe and unsmiling.

“When you couldn’t reach Julia,” she says, after he finishes describing the feeling of running to Julia, the panic searing his chest as he’d prayed for his legs to work faster so he could do something, anything to reach her hand. “How did that make you feel?”

- from your haunted social scene. i genuinely... do not remember anything about this either helpfkjgjg,,, this has 55 comments tho which. Nice

16.

David brings her home on- in a move far too cliche for it to be reality- a stormy night. It’s in fact storming so hard the windowpanes shudder like leaves in the wind, droplets crashing against the glass in a cacophony so loud Eggsy more than once considers turning the radio all the way up to drown it out. He’d gone scrounging for David’s sweatshirts instead of his own halfway through, wincing intermittently at the flashes of thunder. At a particularly loud one JB had jumped up, squeaked in a very undoglike manner and skidded across the floor to cower beneath the sofa, only coming out when coaxed by Eggsy to do so. Officer Oatmeal had watched the proceedings from her regal place by the armchair, dozy eyed and blinking heavily.

- from a cat named lavender. from what i remember this was also my first try at bringing up trans eggsy

17.

He first appears at the black prince on a cold Monday evening, eyes like Frank Sinatra and lips arresting anyone’s gaze if they weren’t careful enough. He stood out too, clad in a respectable bomber jacket and boots that clicked against the tile rhythmically and loudly, a sort of organised, measured cacophony.

“Go and serve him,” Andrew said, fat and disinterested, seated behind the counter and idly flicking through bills, less than ten percent of which he pays Eggsy. “I’m busy.”

- from trust is left in lovers after all. i never continued this which is sad bc this did get a lot of attention... it was just v hard to keep the story going

18.

It usually rains cats and dogs in London but for some reason, the rain is heavier than usual today. The droplets splatter against the windows in a constant buzzing rhythm, the sound meshing together in a melody not altogether pleasant to the ears. It’s half past five and yet the light has to be kept on because that’s how dark the sky has gotten- thunder rolls like a loud crack, abrupt and deafening, causing Daisy to jump in her seat.

“Just a thunderstorm, flower,” Eggsy says. They’re seated at the dinner table, Eggsy going over her homework while David sits opposite them, hunched over his laptop as he attempts to finish a post mission report. Eggsy is half convinced he gave up ten minutes ago- he’s got his earbuds in and he hasn’t really typed anything in a while, eyes focused on the screen. His eyebrows are scrunched up in a glare that’s too adorable for his own good- and for Eggsy’s.

- from could feel like kryptonite. a lot of my kingsman fics are actually so much happier than my cherik ones... i should prob look into that rip

19.

“When you’re done lazing around you can come in, you dozy dog,” he tells Officer Oatmeal, who butts her nose into his knee. She’s the only one not on a diet in the house, Eggsy deeming her far too healthy and skinny to need one anyway. In fact, she’s under strict instructions by Eggsy to fatten up instead.

Once the animals are done feeding- Eggsy sporting a suspicious scratch on his left forearm- they settle down to eat their scrambled eggs and toast. David’s taken a large gulp of his scalding coffee when Eggsy says, all of a sudden, “So, I have a school reunion.”

- from gonna set this dance alight. don’t remember much about this either tbh

20. (the last one FINALLY)

It isn’t a big event or explosion that makes David realise he wants to see his father’s ring sitting pretty on Eggsy’s index finger. No teary confessions in the rain like in the rom coms Eggsy loves to rent out and sniffle his way through, or a fight that makes David see sense. In the end, it’s breakfast that cinches the deal for him.

The day had started out normally enough. David wakes up at eight like clockwork, the soft downy hair at the base of Eggsy’s neck tickling his nose with his arm locked tight around his waist. He’d yawned, exhausted- mostly because they’d stayed up very late into the night making good use of the bed- before standing up and shucking his shirt off to head for the shower. Eggsy had shifted in his sleep, mumbling something unintelligible, and the sight had been too endearing to resist so he’d bent down, pressing a kiss to his forehead and smiling when Eggsy groaned out loud.

- from lover boy rules. i actually started a lot of my kingsman fics in the same way which is rather awful of me. im glad thats changed with my xmen fics lmfjgjk. also this has 15 comments???? i dont even get that much attention with my xmcu fics these days... which is arguably a more active fandom... Hello

anyway that��s the end of it needless to say i do not know 10 other authors so im just gonna tag whoever i know rn: @hellfre , @queerneto, @ikeracity, @drinkingstars, @zebraljb

#whew this is super long i apologise #u can pinpoint the exact time i replaced taron with james as my number one boy #fic tag #fic meme

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theshipshipper · 5 years

Text

wish i could be | the little mermaid jonsa au

Chapters: 1/1

Words: 10,113

Read it on AO3

---

It’s mornings such as these, with the cool sea breeze and the sun rising from the horizon, that Jon loved the most. He’s travelled a great many distance and visited many incredible sights but to be at sea was still his favorite.

“Fine morning, My Prince,” His father’s old adviser greeted, coming to stand next to him on the deck of the ship.

Jon turned to face the man, finds his expression hard and dissatisfied. He's known Connington since he was a child, the man was his father’s most loyal adviser and now his own, and he was fully aware that the expression on his face was due to the fact that this trip hadn’t been as fruitful as Connington hoped.

The sole purpose of their journey to Essos was to find Jon a match.

As the future King of Dragonstone, it’s expected of him to find himself a woman to marry. A woman who would stand alongside him as a symbol of a prosperous kingdom. Connington had taken it upon himself to introduce him to the Royalties in the East to hopefully find him a girl he may wed to secure the Targaryen line, though the effort had been a fruitless one.

The whole thing felt absurd to him -- his future kingship, most especially.

He never imagined that his father’s Kingdom would be his to rule one day. He was the second son and a bastard one besides, to even think that he would one day be King was preposterous. He knew it was his brother, Aegon, who was always meant to rule and he’d welcomed it.

Growing up in Dragonstone had been suffocating. Everything he did was scrutinized and it felt as though there was no room for him to breathe. Second son or not, there were expectations of him and not all of them he could meet. It had been a relief when he turned sixteen and was allowed to forge his own path, choosing to explore the sea and relish in the freedom it had to offer. But his brother’s death had altered his fate forever.

“I shall miss this greatly once we land,” Jon sighed out, his gaze once more on the horizon, though the statement was meant more for himself than his present company.

“I’m sure you shall,” Connington replied gravely, no trace of understanding in his tone. “But your voyages has kept you from Dragonstone long enough, My Prince. Your people would surely find pleasure in knowing you’re among them once more.”

Jon stifled a sigh. He’s not sure it’s true. His people surely would have preferred his brother. Aegon was primed to rule them, not him. Up until a year ago, Jon had been but a sailor, and now, before him, lay an endless road of responsibilities he’s expected to cross.

ii.

Sansa scanned her surroundings carefully, determined to find a new treasure to add to her ever-growing collection of human artifacts.

Though the site was too far from her father’s kingdom and too close to the Golden Witch's realm, she has been excited to visit the site specifically. She's heard from merfolk and other sea creatures that this shipwreck was one of the few that still remained untouched by humans and therefore still full of wondrous treasures to be found.

As she swam through the area, though, she found exactly why that was. The damage to the ship had been too massive to salvage anything. Most of the items she’s found so far had been covered in black dust and nearly ruined; there wasn’t much that she could keep.

A smile blossomed onto her face as her eyes alighted on a small item hidden among the corals. She swam towards it and grabbed it for inspection, wondering what it’s meant to be. It’s thin and long, the design similar to her Father’s Trident, though significantly smaller and of a different color.

She frowned, waving it around to try and figure out its use. Finally, she sighed and inserted it into her sack, resolving to ask her friend, the Seagull, what it was. He would surely know.

She wandered around for a while longer, finding more treasures than she expected before finally calling it a day. She was sure there was plenty more to discover but she didn’t want to stay and risk being caught. Her Father would be angry if he found out she’d been visiting the shipwrecks.

“Sansa!” Sansa! Sansa!”

The sound of her younger brother’s voice brought a smile to her face upon her return home, turning to catch the littlest of her siblings as he swam towards her.

“Hello, little brother,” she greeted fondly, planting a kiss on his cheek. “Are you done with your lessons for the day?”

He nodded before glancing at her sack eagerly. “Did you find anything?” he asked her in a quiet tone, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

Rickon, her youngest and wildest sibling, shared her fascination with humans and their ingenious inventions. He's asked to bring him along during her travels many times before but she refused in fear of getting him in trouble.

Rickon followed her into the cave she’d found to store and hide all her treasures and she showed him each of the new items she found and its uses

“Dinglehopper?” Rickon repeated, taking the trident-like item from her hand. “What’s it for?”

“For your hair,” she told him dutifully. “Humans use it to keep their hair proper.”

“Huh.” Rickon mused, weaving the end of the Dinglehopper through his own head of curls. “Incredible.”

Sansa laughed and showed him the other items, explaining each as she’d learned from the Seagull. Her brother listened eagerly, trying them all out for himself.

"Next time will you let me come with you?" Rickon asked quietly as they made their way back to the castle. "Please, Sansa? I want to see the surface too."

She made a face. "Rick, you know I can't. I'm not even supposed to go there myself. Father would be furious if he ever found out I also brought you along."

He pouted and she was almost tempted to agree to let him tag along next time if she didn't know any better.

Though she herself didn't see any problem with it, her father, the King of the Sea, had decreed that no merfolk shall ever wander close to the surface and interact with humans.

None of her siblings had a problem with this; they were content as they were, but Sansa, with her dreams of one day venturing onto land, couldn't help but be curious of the life above.

A sudden loud eruption caught her attention, followed by another one. She looked up and saw strange colors reflected in the water.

She bit her lip, itching with curiosity. Any other time she wouldn't have hesitated to swim up and see what the commotion was, but it's getting too late and their family would surely notice their continued absence.

"What do you think it is?" Rickon asked curiously, changing his direction upwards.

She grabbed onto his arm, shaking her head. "Rick, you know you're not supposed to."

"But, Sansa, don't you want to see?" He asked, a mischievous glint in his eyes before untangling himself from her grasp.

"Rick," she shouted after him, gaining speed to try and catch onto him.

It's too late, though, because he reached the surface before her, and she found herself speechless once she saw what the commotion actually was. It was some sort of explosion that lit up the sky with strange shapes and colors.

"It's amazing," Rickon said, his voice filled with wonder.

"It is," she agreed with a grin, before she noticed the ship where the shapes were coming from. "Rickon, stay here and stay out of sight."

"Where are you going?"

"I just want to see something."

"Wait - " he reached for her arm when she started making her way towards the ship. "Sansa," he said in a hushed tone. "We're not supposed to go near humans."

"I know," she admitted, though this wouldn't be the first time she tried.

"I'll be back soon," she promised before swimming towards the ship.

It's a familiar one, dark and slim with a big sign painted with the color of blood. There's many dark tales surrounding the ship in particular and all sea creatures feared the sight of it. She's heard the whispers among her people about the humans responsible for the demise of their kind.

She was frightened the first time she ever saw it but the fear had diminished the longer she observed them. They all seemed so harmless and joyful. She always saw them - what was it called? - dancing with their feet and swaying about.

With enough practice from times she'd done it before, she managed to climb to the side of the ship. She peeked through the small opening and the big four-legged creature was upon her almost immediately.

"Hello, friend," she greeted with a giggle, reaching out to touch its face. The humans on the ship called him Ghost, Sansa decided it must be its name. "Did you miss me?" Its tongue lolled out and licked her face, making her giggle all the more. "I guess you did."

"Ghost! Where did you go off to, you big oaf?"

Ghost turned and headed directly to his caller, a man with dark hair and dark grey eyes. Sansa sucked in a deep breath when she caught sight of him. The Prince, she thought with a dreamy sigh. She's only been admiring him from afar, watching him in the daylight with the wind touching his hair as he watched the sea.

He was already a sight to behold from a distance but seeing him up-close was even more glorious. Oh, how she longed to be next to him.

"Beautiful," she sighed out, watching him laugh with the other humans as music played around them.

Thunder rolled suddenly, followed by the strike of lighting, making her turn to the sky. The waves have started to get violent, tipping the ship dangerously into sinking. She fell back into the sea when the ship tilted, swimming away for her own safety.

She met her brother at a distance, and together, they watched in pure horror as the ship ultimately collapsed.

iii.

The soft humming voice is what finally brought Jon back to consciousness, the sound as gentle as the calmest sea.

He coughed out uncontrollably as water dripped out of his mouth, trying to get up. He opened his eyes to the most beautiful woman he’s ever seen, her hair aflame and her eyes as striking as lightning. Radiant, was the first word that slipped into mind as he stared at her, the thought proving more accurate when a bright smile enveloped her face.

“You’re awake,” she told him softly, ceasing her singing.

“Where - ” He blinked, trying to make sense of what happened.There was the storm and his ship catching fire. And trying to get Ghost into the boat and getting himself stuck. “What - um, who are you?“

She opened her mouth to respond, except it’s not her voice that he heard.

“Prince Jon! There you are,” he heard Connington’s voice calling him from a distance. “We’ve all been worried sick, I was preparing some men to go back into the sea and...”

He doesn’t hear the rest of his words. He turned back to the girl, except she wasn’t there anymore. He looked around and tried to think where she could’ve gone. “Where is she?”

“Where is who?” Connington asked, reaching for his arm to try and help him up.

“The girl,” he clarified. It took a bit of effort to stand up, his entire body protesting at each movement. “Where did she go? She was just here.”

“What girl?” Connington asked again, as though he wasn’t making any sense. “Goodness, Jon, your skin is pale and hot. We need to get you ins -”

“No. Wait - I need to - ” He tried to push Connington away but stumbled when he tried walking on his own. He felt much weaker than he realized. “The girl - ”

“There’s no girl, Jon,” Connington insisted, leading him to the direction of the castle. “Come inside. You need to be seen to by the Maester.”

Read the rest on AO3.

#jonsa #jon x sansa #jonxsansaff

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neil-neil-orange-peel · 5 years

Note

63 and rivyan for the drabbles thing. (if it's not too much trouble) :)

Sometimes – may Cliff forgive his soul – Rick detested the working class.

This wasn’t to say he was secretly a wannabe lefty with less political convictions than Neil had happy memories… of course he wasn’t! Where would anyone get an idea like that from? Rick was simply fed up with the average cockney wheeler-dealer who overcharged for secondhand tat at the flea markets. It was a reasonable reason to detest the working class, he told himself, only this once. He was still the people’s poet; he was still all in favour of raising a people’s army of these very cockneys with him as their leader. He would have just preferred it if they put their efforts into overthrowing Thatcher rather than refusing to accept his perfectly fair offer.

“What do you mean 23p isn’t enough!?” he demanded, waving his purse at the particular salesman who was clearly overcharging for his Cliff Richard records. Rick was fully aware of what masterpieces they were but that didn’t excuse scroungers from selling them to the kids for extortionate prices!

“Look, I’ve told you five times, spotty!” the con artist bellowed right back at him, “£1.99! Now – either hand over the money or BUGGER OFF!!! Alright?” He turned away from him, focusing on his next unsuspecting customer. Rick trembled and quickly put his hands on his hips to disguise this embarrassing fact. Typical! He might as well ruddy well leave then, that would show the fascist! In a more subdued fashion than he would have liked, Rick did just that, turning to give the man the two fingered salute once he was far enough away.

“You really are a poof, aren’t you?” Vyvyan suddenly spoke up from behind him, causing the poet to jump.

“Don’t sneak up on me, you bastard!” Rick grumbled crossly, “You made me drop my purse!” At this, Vyvyan had the audacity to laugh. He didn’t even help the poet pick up the fallen change, either.

“Proves my point really, doesn’t it?” he instead said. Rick blushed crimson.

“Oh! Oh! That’s very forward-thinking of you, isn’t it, Vyvyan? I suppose you think all men have to go around clutching great glasses of beer whilst the women make them dinner, too?” he ranted. The punk just laughed again and grinned at him.

“It’s hardly my fault people aren’t willing to accept the complete rip off of an underpayment you’re offering them,” he pointed out smugly. He was able to see through Rick’s agitation far too easily.

“Well it’s hardly MY fault you decided to tag along in the first place, is it?” Rick retorted, “I haven’t seen you buy anything either.” This was true. Both of them, despite having been in the middle of a busy street in the middle of London for a few hours, were still empty-handed where goods were concerned.

“I’m not buying,” Vyvyan told him, scrunching his face up in satisfaction, “I’m selling.”

Now it was Rick’s turn to laugh.

“Selling? You? What on earth does someone like you have to sell?” he snorted, “Half a tube of used hair gel? Five empty bottles of vodka? This is pitiful, Vyvyan, it really is!”

However, despite Rick’s attempts at mockery, the punk remained undeterred. He took off his denim jacket and shook it roughly over the pavement. Rick quickly jumped away in disgust as hundreds – no, thousands – of filthy fleas scattered on to the concrete and began scuttling away towards ignorant shoppers. Well, most of them did. There were definitely a few dead ones.

“And what was that in aid of?” Rick snapped peevishly. The nasty things could have escaped on to him, for all he knew! He lifted his feet uncertainly one by one to check the soles of his boots.

“You said this was a flea market!” Vyvyan replied, as if the answer was obvious, “I’ve got tons of fleas, it would be selfish of me to keep them all to myself!”

What was he suggesting? Rick face palmed and began walking in the direction of the house. As he did so, a confused Vyvyan by his side, he couldn’t help but snicker.

“Vyvyan,” he eventually got out, “Flea markets don’t carry fleas, you know? You can’t sell the cweepy-cwawlies that you never bothered to wash out of your wevolting clothes!” He was almost crying with mirth – just wait until Mike heard about this! The cool person might finally see Rick as the superior member of the household that he was! Unfortunately, one of the consequences of laughing at Vyvyan that Rick had forgotten was about to come crashing into his stomach…

“Oi!” the punk raged, dragging the now doubled over poet back up painfully by his braids to face him. He didn’t look terribly angry, though. In fact, he looked more like he was about to-

And that’s when it happened: before Rick knew what – or, more appropriately, who – had hit him, he felt Vyvyan’s lips on his. It was brief and not exactly gentle; when Rick checked the mirror later he would find his lip bleeding. Vyvyan tasted of cigarette smoke and a faint hint of the vodka Rick had joked about earlier. All of these new sensations were present and so very intense, until suddenly they weren’t. Rick frowned in confusion.

“If you ever bring up flea markets around the others, I’ll just mention that!” the punk warned him, a devilish grin on his pale face.

“But you- you kissed me!” Rick protested, conscious that his own face was probably extremely flushed. A look of apprehension flitted momentarily across Vyvyan’s eyes before he smirked.

“But you didn’t pull away! You enjoyed it!”

“Pfft! Enjoyed it? You’re the one who enjoyed it, matey!”

Vyvyan took off running down the street then. Rick, still shocked and winded, took a few seconds to comprehend this and then he ran after him.

“YOU ENJOYED IT!”

“NO! YOU DID!”

~~~

Thanks for the ask! I always like Rivyan themed stuff. Hope this is okay - Vyv seems quite dumb here… or does he? Was his intention to get Rick alone and kiss him all along? Who knows? Hehehe.

#the young ones #tyo #asks #rivyan #writing prompts #rick pratt #vyvyan basterd

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usatrendingsports · 7 years

Text

School basketball teaching carousel: 2018 teaching adjustments and rumors

March is only a week outdated and the faculty basketball teaching carousel already has some pace below it. There are 20 jobs that want filling as of Wednesday, and 22 colleges whole are listed under.

You’ll want to bookmark/favourite this web page, as it would get up to date usually with the most recent hirings, firings or resignations in faculty basketball. The colleges are listed so as of which jobs have been crammed and prominence of this system/convention affiliation.

Out: Reggie Theus. The previous NBA participant and coach couldn’t discover success within the Massive West, bottoming out after 5 seasons with a 6-24 file. Theus, 60, went 53-105 at CSUN.

Out: Bob Walsh. After 4 seasons, Walsh determined to stroll away from one of many hardest jobs in faculty basketball. Walsh texted CBS Sports activities on March 5: “I’ve determined to not pursue a contract extension at Maine. Wanting ahead to pursuing new challenges.” Walsh is wired in a different way than numerous different coaches. He might decide to remain on as an assistant in D-I, or he might coach at a decrease degree, or he might get out of the enterprise altogether.

In: Richard Barron. What’s taking place at Maine is a rarity on a few fronts. Primary: Barron is the previous ladies’s coach at Maine. He’s taking over the lads’s program after a medical go away of absence brought on him to step away from the ladies’s workforce beforehand. Quantity two: It is uncommon to see a program have its head coach step down — after which announce that coach’s alternative, who was not on the employees, inside a matter of hours. Maine is on a slim-pickings tight funds and is without doubt one of the hardest jobs in faculty basketball.

Out: Rick Pitino. The Cardinals are a bubble workforce who’ve been coached all season by David Padgett, tagged with an interim title. He is the one member of Pitino’s teaching employees who was stored on after the FBI scandal broke and Pitino was fired in early October. (Pitino is within the technique of suing the varsity.) The Cardinals nonetheless await NCAA evaluate concerning criminal activity uncovered within the FBI probe, which means this system might be topic to a different spherical of sanctions. When that occurs nobody is aware of, and so it is powerful to gauge what number of high-profile candidates for this job would think about passing on it with a lot uncertainty. When freed from any NCAA restrictions, Louisville is definitely thought of a top-10 gig within the sport. Cheap names Louisville ought to think about embrace Xavier coach Chris Mack, Wichita State’s Gregg Marshall, Windfall’s Ed Cooley, Cincinnati’s Mick Cronin, Virginia Tech’s Buzz Williams and former Indiana coach Tom Crean.

Out: Andy Kennedy. Ole Miss and Kennedy formally parted methods on Feb. 18. He went 245-156 in 12 seasons, making the NCAA Match twice. The Ole Miss job is taken into account bottom-three within the SEC, so athletic director Ross Bjork might want to nail the rent with a view to improve this system in an upgraded SEC. Center Tennessee’s Kermit Davis can be a pure match for this system.

Out: Larry Eustachy. Resigned on Feb. 26, following being positioned on administrative go away for an investigation into how he handled his gamers. Eustachy left with $750,000 for this season and $250,000 over almost the following 12 months. Candidates embrace South Dakota’s Craig Smith and Drake’s Niko Medved, amongst others. The job, which is in a fascinating spot within the Mountain West, will most likely pay round $600,000 within the first 12 months of coach’s contract.

Out: Jeff Lebo. Resigned on Nov. 29. This can be a bottom-tier AAC job. The Pirates went 10-19 this season. Take a scan at each program in a Main 7 convention, and the one one which may compete with ECU proper now when it comes to determined want of a whole overhaul in identification and personnel is Washington State.

Out: Mark Value. Houston Fancher took over after Mark Value and Charlotte severed ties in December. The 49ers, as soon as a program anticipating to make the NCAA Match almost yearly, went 2-16 in C-USA and appear to be beginning a protracted technique of rebuild from the athletic director on down. Charlotte basketball was at one level an unquestionable top-50 program, however we’re nearly 20 years faraway from that.

Out: Paul Lusk. The trade had murmurs about Lusk’s job standing within the closing weeks of the season. The Bears had been the preseason favourite within the Missouri Valley however went 7-11 in league play and completed 18-15 total. Lusk spent seven seasons with this system and averaged 15 wins per 12 months. Many who do work or have labored in The Valley think about it a top-two job within the convention now that Wichita State has left.

Out: Tim Floyd. On Nov. 27, Floyd abruptly retired after a 1-5 begin. Floyd coached this system for seven full seasons. He by no means received to the NCAA Match at UTEP. The Miners went 11-19 within the common season. The Miners play in C-USA, and this job, though as soon as a spot the place NCAA Tournaments had been attainable, is without doubt one of the hardest spots within the league. A great rent can be a grinder with high-level X-and-O smarts mixed with the ambition to recruit on the JUCO degree.

Out: Dan McHale. Japanese Kentucky terminated McHale on Feb. 26 after simply three seasons. EKU athletic director Stephen Lochumueller made the decision, which took some within the trade without warning. McHale went 38-55 however by no means made the OVC event below his watch.

Out: Marty Wilson. The college introduced on Feb. 14 that this season can be Wilson’s final. The Waves went 6-26 this season, together with almost upsetting Saint Mary’s within the WCC quarterfinals on March Three. The college final earned an NCAA Match bid in 2002 below Paul Westphal.

Out: Mike Maker. A nasty four-year run led to Maker’s finish with the Purple Foxes. This system totaled solely 28 wins in his tenure. When the following rent is made, will probably be the sixth coach in 16 seasons on the college. Marist is taken into account a bottom-third job within the MAAC.

Out: Tim O’Shea. The Bulldogs transitioned to D-I in 2008-09. O’Shea spent a decade with this system, however the workforce was a depressing Three-28 this season. The job is taken into account an excellent one within the Northeast Convention. One potential candidate who Bryant might take a look at: Jim Ferry. The Penn State assistant coached LIU Brooklyn to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments in 2011 and 2012 — within the NEC.

Out: Larry Hunter resigned after 13 seasons with this system. Hunter received 193 video games, good for second in program historical past. The SoCon program based mostly out of Cullowhee, North Carolina, will lose 5 seniors and doubtlessly extra gamers to switch as a result of change in management.

Out: Scott Cherry. The college introduced March 7 “mutual” settlement between Cherry and the administration had been made to sever ties. Cherry was at Excessive Level for 9 seasons, and sometimes had a top-two workforce within the Massive South. In 5 of Cherry’s seasons with this system the varsity received 10 or extra video games in league play. Accidents to high gamers prevented the varsity from reaching the NCAA Match.

Out: Dennis Cutts. It was not a pleasant begin to 2018 for Cutts, who was fired Cutts on Jan. 1. The Highlanders went Four-12 in league play below interim Justin Bell. This system has been in Division I since 2001-02 and has by no means gotten to the NCAA Match.

“There’s a have to elevate our males’s basketball program to a extra constant degree, to extra successfully compete with mid-major Division I packages,” the varsity’s athletic director mentioned in January. “We’d like a training philosophy that can speed up our program’s total success within the Massive West Convention, that emphasizes a tradition for champions.”

Out: Dave Simmons. He lasted 12 seasons at one of many hardest jobs within the Southland Convention. Simmons’ peak got here in 2010-11, when the Cowboys went 21-12 and misplaced within the league title sport. The college final made the Massive Dance in 2002.

Out: Kyle Perry. The college dismissed Perry and faculty athletic director Julio Freire on March 1. Perry was introduced on simply final October. The Spartans rated because the worst defensive workforce in faculty basketball. This program is shifting out of the Atlantic Solar and going to the Massive South.

Out: Jayson Gee. Went 7-26 and was there for 5 seasons. The Lancers began Three-Three in Massive South play earlier than dropping 12 straight. Gee’s workforce didn’t win a non-conference sport vs. a Division I opponent this season. In 5 seasons, he by no means received greater than 11 video games on the college, which has been in Division I since 2004-05.

Out: Ken Burmeister. It was 12 months No. 5 for the Cardinals in D-I. It was their worst season but, a 7-21 end with a 2-16 file within the Southland. The administration must make the correct of rent to exchange Burmeister with a view to get on monitor within the Southland. It might be detrimental to D-I transition if the following coach cannot carry this system to the highest half of the convention within the subsequent three seasons.

Out: Keith Walker. The Hornets ranked 350th out of 351 groups at KenPom this season. Walker lasted 4 seasons as a head coach within the MEAC. This system final made the NCAA Match in 2005.

To be decided: Lamont Smith. The day after USD’s common season finale at San Francisco, Smith was arrested on the airport on suspicion of home abuse that had been in reference to an alleged incident in Smith’s lodge room the evening earlier than. On March 6, expenses weren’t held in opposition to in opposition to Smith, although he stays on administrative go away. Legally, the matter is over. Smith was employed at San Diego in 2015. The Toreros’ 18-13 season ended within the first spherical of the WCC event.

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lovingzombiechaos · 7 years

Text

The Price We Pay-Chapter One

Summary: In which they meet. Word Count: 3245 No tags as this is an old chapter for the master-list. NAYNA

Negan stalked towards her like a jungle cat on the prowl. With glimmering eyes the color of chocolate, he stared into her soul. Even at this distance, her head tipped back as she studied him. She ignored the sinking lump in her stomach as she scanned his broad, chiseled face, entranced as his tongue dragged along his lower lip. What would his beard feel like scraping against her nose and lips? Would his tongue tease as much as his eyes?

An elbow bumped into her arm, breaking her from her daze. It was only Rick, grabbing for his gun. Liquid heat rushed upwards from her breasts to her cheeks as the man caught her staring. A slow, malevolent grin spread across his face, showing off perfect white teeth and deep to-die-for dimples. He smiled as if they shared a naughty secret between themselves.

Nayna lowered her eyes, taking in the rest of him. Dark leather jacket with matching gloves. Over his shoulder lay the infamous baseball bat Jesus told them about.

Still, he advanced on them until he stood only a few feet away. Toes curling in her worn boots, she braced herself, holding her head high and throwing her shoulders back. Any sign of fear would make her weak in his eyes. Those eyes flickered between Nayna and Rick, stopping for more than a second on her before flitting back to Rick.

He thrust his hand out, pointing between the two of them. “Which one of you pricks is the leader?”

In a show of solidarity, Rick pressed his thigh against hers. Nayna sucked in a deep breath and surveyed Negan through half lidded eyes.

“I guess we have to fucking do this the fucking hard way. Let's try this again. Which one of you is fucking Rick?”

“His wife,” she said unable to stop herself. Instead of looking to her right towards Rick with the sour stare, Nayna turned her nose up at Negan.

His heady gaze fell upon her and she shivered, though the wind had died down. Her heart began to beat rapidly, making her jittery stomach roll with dread and anticipation.

“You his wife?”

Soles of boots scuffing on the empty streets and the occasional cough or sniff penetrated the silence between her and Negan.

He shook his head, laughing a little. “You fucks really like doing things the hard way, don't you? Any-fucking-way. I'm Negan and I do not appreciate you killing my men. Also, when I sent my men to kill your men for killing my men...You killed more of my men. Not cool. Not fucking cool. You got no idea how fucking uncool that shit is.”

She swallowed hard against the panic in her throat. “What do you fucking want?”

“What I want?” He put his hands on his wide chest. “It's not about what I want. It's about what you fucking owe me.”

Rick shifted beside her. “And if we say no?”

Negan chuckled and spread his arms. “Rick, it's about fucking time you got used to the new world order. The new world order is this, and it's very simple, so even if you're stupid, which..you very well may be...you can understand it. Ready? Here it goes. Pay attention.”

He leaned in close to them with his wicked grin. The smells of soap, mint and cologne filled her nose, sending a warmth racing down her body. There was something familiar about the cologne, though she couldn't grasp the memory behind it. She had the sudden urge to bury her face in his chest, inhaling his scent over and over. The twinkling malice in his eyes was the only thing stopping her.

“Give me your shit, or I will kill you.”

Nayna burst out giggling at the absurdity of the situation. They'd survived the CDC, the fucking Governor, and Terminus for this. The laughter threatened to erupt and bubble over. Rick jabbed his elbow into her ribs and she covered her mouth to hide the snorting. She felt his eyes boring into her willing her to shut up but she couldn't stop. The smug expression on Negan's face, the confidence with which he said those words and the air of utter surety emanating from him set off her giggles.

Negan turned his smile on her. “Something funny, doll?”

She ignored the little thrill running up her chest, making her heart stutter when he called her doll. Gesturing, around her she gave another bark of laughter. “This is fucking ridiculous.”

“As fucking ridiculous as it sounds,” he said as he jabbed a thick, gloved finger against her chest. “The truth still fucking stands. You work for me now. You have shit—you give it to me. That's your job.”

She pushed his hand off and rubbed the place where he'd poked her. God, she wanted him to touch her again and again. Nayna pressed her lips together, barely suppressing a snort and making Rick glare at her. She took a deep breath and rearranged her face into cop mode.

Negan continued on as if Nayna hadn't so rudely shoved him away. “I know, it is a mighty big pill for you to swallow, but swallow it you most certainly motherfucking will. I get it. You ruled the roost. You built something. You thought you were safe. And then you killed a good fucking portion of my men. Have I told you how fucking uncool that shit is? I'm sure I fucking have. Anyway, you're fucking fucked. You fucking owe me now. And what I want is half your shit. If that's too much, well you can make, find or steal more. You know, it'll all even out in the end. And if you don't give it to me, you'll be even more fucked. Next time we come knocking you will open that door for us immediately, or we will fucking knock it the fuck down. Understand?”

He glanced between Nayna and Rick, one brow perched above the other. He cupped his free hand around his ear. “No answer? Well, you didn't think you'd get out of this without being punished, now did you?”

Nayna cleared her throat and brushed her fingers against Rick's wrist. “Look, I understand that we--”

She froze as he grabbed her by the jaw and put his gloved thumb over her lips. “--doll, kindly shut the fuck up, okay? It's my turn to fucking talk.”

Her eyes narrowed and her fingers curled into fists as she resisted the urge to bite him. Rick grabbed her elbow, a silent warning her to keep her cool.

“Let go,” she said, her lips sliding over the leather. In her minds eye she saw herself taking that thumb in her mouth...

Rick stepped forward, throwing an arm between the two of them. She stumbled backwards but he paid her no heed. “I'm the leader, if you have a problem, you come to me. Now what do you fucking want?”

Negan laughed again. “I just fucking told you I want half your shit.”

Rick shook his shaggy head. “And if we say no?”

Negan grasped the bat ever so gently by the handle, hauling it off his shoulder and caressing it, fingers gliding along the grip to the taper, stopping right before the natty barbed wire. Her already knotted stomach rolled as she realized the purpose of the bat. One of them was going to die.

“This is Lucille. She is awesome,” he said as he stalked back and forth like a large, bulky lion. “Now it's just a matter of picking out which one of you gets the honor.”

Rick's voice was strangled when he spoke. “No, no.”

“Well, what do you expect after killing so many of my men? Step the fuck off, Rick.”

Nayna grabbed the sleeve of Rick's jacket and tugged him back next to her. She glanced up at him and shot him an imploring look, begging him to trust her. He half turned away, and she stepped up to Negan until they were nearly chest to chest. The heat of his body radiated into her, staining her cheeks a dark pink. “No.”

Negan put a hand on her chin, making her heart skip another beat. “No? This isn't fucking Burger King, doll. You can't have it your way.”

Her mind raced, going a thousand miles an hour as she tried to search for a way to save them all. “There must be something...You can't...”

His hand slid down and he wrapped his fingers around her throat, the cool leather of his glove making her shiver. His thumb swept back and forth over her quickening pulse. She had to swallow to get a grip on herself, trying not to imagine his hand gliding down the front of her shirt, slipping into her vest and cupping one of her breasts, weighing it, considering it, maybe even squeezing it.

Negan leaned down, so close his straight nose almost touched hers. “I'm fucking in charge here. I'll do whatever the fuck I want. And now you gotta pay. How many of my men did you kill?”

She licked her lips, and her voice came out quite husky. “Quite a few.”

“Exactly. And tell me, dollface, why should I let you go unpunished?”

His sweet, minty breath purled over her cheeks. Nayna closed her eyes, shuddering at the warmth of his breath in the cool air. “I didn't say unpunished. You don't think taking half our shit isn't punishment enough? We're already starving here.”

He glanced around and his smiled widened. She turned her head as far as his grip would allow. He stared at Olivia. Poor, overweight Olivia, as sweet as she could be. Negan snapped her head back to look at him. Behind her, she could fucking feel everyone's eyes glued to her. Could feel Rick's anger. She prayed he wouldn't say anything, wouldn't fuck up her plans.

“Starving? No. But it's my shit. All of it is mine. As I told your fucking friend, Rick, you work for me now. No, no, no. You are not coming out of this smelling like a fucking rose.”

She pressed her lips together, cheeks flaming as the space between her thighs throbbed. “There must be some agreement we could come to.”

Another unsavory grin spread across his face. He allowed his hand to drop down onto her shoulder and his gaze fixated on her breasts. She became aware of how her vest pressed them together and pushed them up, how they bobbed with every breath she took in. Part of her enjoyed the attention. Part of her wanted to punch him. She shifted uncomfortably, and his hazel eyes slid downward, taking the rest of her body in before he stared back into her eyes. She knew her face was red, red, red. Yet, as her common sense recoiled, there was something in her mind that was slightly...intrigued. Nayna liked the way his gaze focused on her, as if she were a woman and not just...Nayna. When he looked at her, she didn't feel so invisible; and she hated it while loving it at the same time.

“You know, you may be fucking right,” he said, picking up the heavy, dark braid from her shoulder and twirled the ends between his fingers.

He held Lucille out to Rick. “Hold this.”

Nayna glanced over her shoulder at Rick's blazing eyes. She inclined her head, gesturing for him to take the damned bat. He glared between the two of them before stepping forward and snatching the bat from Negan.

“Thanks,” Negan said, wrapping his free hand around her elbow and guiding her to a patch of empty grass, away from the others.

She regarded him, trembling on the inside. He picked up her hair again and brushed the ends along her lips.

“What are you offering dollface?”

“What are you looking for?” Nayna asked, grateful her voice remained level.

Negan cupped her chin, tilting her face upwards. “You're a fucking pretty girl.”

“And you're blind.”

“Oh no, doll, I fucking see you just fuckin' fine.”

He ran his tongue along his bottom lip. She closed her eyes, letting out a shaky breath. His fingers brushed a stray hair away from her brow, and she fought against the instinct to recoil. He trailed them downwards to brush over her lips, leaving them tingling.

His voice was heavy and breathy when he spoke. “What's your name, doll?”

Her lips brushed his gloved fingers as she spoke. “Nayna.”

He chuckled. “What fucking kind of name is Nayna?”

She jerked back and squinted up at him. “The fuck kind of name is Negan?”

He put a hand on the small of her back and drew her closer. He trailed a finger along the curve of her jaw. Nayna glanced over her shoulder and her eyes met Rick's, asking her what the fuck she was doing. She lifted one shoulder up and then let it drop back down. When she glanced back at Negan, he smirked down at her.

“I'm gonna fucking call you doll. Sound good?”

She shrugged. “You can call me fuckhead for all I care. What do you want from me?”

“Tell me what the fuck you're doing, doll.”

She turned her attention back to him, anger rising at the glittering laughter in his eyes. She placed a hand on his firm chest and pushed herself back. “I'm protecting my people.”

He tilted his head to the side, a slight smirk on the corner of his mouth. “And I'm not fucking doing the same?”

She realized her fingers had curled slightly into the rough leather of his jacket. Nayna let her hand drop and dangle by her side. “Fine. Kill me. If you're going to kill one of us, let it be me.”

He glanced down at her limp hand and laughed. “You're too fucking hot to die. If I bash in your head, you'll never make it into my fucking spank bank.”

She sucked in her lip. The thought of Negan touching himself both appalled her and turned her on. Again, she peered over her shoulder at the scared faces behind her, making her heart ache. She grabbed her elbow with her other hand and stared at the toes of her boots.

He grabbed her face on both sides and tipped her head back. “I'm feeling fucking lenient and reasonable here. Normally, I would beat the holy hell out of one of you, but I think...I think that's not gonna work. Not with you fucks.” His stare fell behind her. Nayna glanced over her shoulder at Rick and was surprised to see him teeming and trembling with anger.

Negan guided her head back to him, smiling. “I know exactly what I fucking want. I know exactly what will keep all you fuckers in line. Fear with a fucking mixture of hope.”

“What do you mean?” she asked in a tiny voice, so unlike her own.

“Come on,” he said, grinning. He grabbed her wrist and tugged her confused self back to the amassed people.

Negan began addressing the crowd of Alexandrian's. “In exchange for the life of one of you now, Nayna has offered to take your fucking place. If one of you so much as steps out of line, toes the line, fucks the line, I will kill her. Do you understand?”

“No,” Rick said, reaching out and yanking her towards him. She stumbled, but regained her footing as Rick stepped in front of her. “No fucking dice.”

Negan raised a thick black brow at them. She rubbed her forehead and sighed, holding up one finger at him. She motioned for Rick to step to the side with her, to the place where she and Negan just left. “Are you fucking stupid, Rick?”

He glanced first at Negan, and then at Michonne for reassurance. Nayna grabbed his chin and turned him towards her.

“This is our only chance.”

His jaw tightened. “No, I won't let you do this.”

“I'm the only one who doesn't have...You have the kids and Michonne. Daryl and Carol have each other. Glenn has Maggie, who's pregnant. Sasha has...look, I'm the only one who isn't connected...It has to be me. I have no one. I can't not do this. I can't not save our people.”

He reeled back as if she slapped him. “And you're implying I wouldn't do anything to save them?”

She blinked up at him. “Stop. This is how it's going. This isn't...You may be the leader, but don't you forget who steps in when you lose your shit. Who takes charge when you don't. Who makes the hard decisions when you can't. So don't you fucking throw that at me. Don't you twist my fucking words around.”

He stared hard at the street. “What about me?”

She sighed. “Rick, please don't do this. I'm trying to save everyone. He's fucking willing to make a goddamn deal.”

“It's not a fucking deal Nayna. He gets half our shit and...you.”

She grasped the front of his jacket and shook him. “It's the best goddamn deal we're gonna get. So fucking deal with it. Or don't. But shut up and let me take care of this.”

Rick was cornered. She glimpsed into his eyes and felt a strange pang of unfounded longing. Not a new feeling for her, but not one she ever dwelt on. Being the pragmatic girl she was, she turned away from him and slipped back to Negan and his wolfish grin. That same fucking grin he'd worn ever since he'd first laid eyes on her.

Negan grasped her hair once more, letting the braid slip through his hand. “Well?”

She blew her bangs off her forehead and gave him a curt nod. He grinned and laid her hair across her shoulder, his leathered fingertips skimming down her bare arm. Instinctively, she pulled away and he chuckled. She wished he would touch her again and draw her closer to his warmth. Being away from him, the heat of the May evening had been sucked away. She shivered, watching Negan grinning down at her indulgently.

He gestured toward the truck. She shook her head, suddenly afraid.

“Get in the fucking truck,” he said, keeping his voice pleasant and cool.

She glanced back at the truck and shook her head. The truck meant certain death. Her body may have ached for Negan, but her mind feared him and what he might be capable of. “And how would they know I'm alive, Negan? You want to hold me for good behavior? Can't do that if they're constantly thinking I'm dead. This ain't how it works. I'm gone, they'll forget. But if I stay here, well, it'll remind them constantly that I'm a marked woman.”

She was only half bullshitting him, boldly staring into his eyes as he mulled her honeyed words over.

“Don't fucking think I don't know what you're fucking doing, doll. You're fucking lucky you make a good point. Fine, but one misstep from you, dollface, and you're coming back with me. Got it?”

She exhaled the breath she didn't realize she'd been holding in. “Yes, of course. I would do nothing to jeopardize the lives of my people.”

“Good,” he said, leaning down to whisper in her ear. His breath tickled her ear. “And I fucking look forward to seeing you later, doll.”

It took everything she had to not move away, to show no emotion, especially when he traced his thumb over the arc of her ear and all the way down to the lobe. Nayna wasn't sure if it was repulsion or an involuntary reflex causing her shiver. But Negan chuckled and tugged her braid before turning back to his men.

Behind her, she felt Rick fuming. The quiet discord of the crowd hung over her like a heavy fog. When she turned she was met with a smack of disapproving faces. She froze, looking all around. How else could she have saved everyone?

The worst part of it all? She wanted him, she felt an insatiable pull towards him. It was more than lust. She was drawn to him, like a moth to the flame. The moth knew it would be destroyed by the flame, yet it couldn't get enough of the dancing light.

She steeled herself and hitched her bow higher on her shoulder. Keep on keepin' on, that's all she had to do. Nayna moved through the parting crowd, ignoring the whispers, the stares, the sneers.

No one followed her home that night.

#tpwp #nayna #negan #tpwpchap1

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