“Are you just going to stand there like a bump on a log, or do you intend to tell me what the hell you want?”

@theartofmadeline
Aqua Utopia|海の底で記憶を紡ぐ
Lint Roller? I Barely Know Her

Origami Around

pixel skylines
Claire Keane

No title available
RMH
TVSTRANGERTHINGS
taylor price
h

★
$LAYYYTER
KIROKAZE
dirt enthusiast

ellievsbear
NASA
I'd rather be in outer space 🛸
he wasn't even looking at me and he found me

Discoholic 🪩

seen from New Zealand

seen from United Kingdom
seen from United States

seen from United Kingdom

seen from United States
seen from United Kingdom

seen from United Kingdom

seen from Malaysia
seen from United States

seen from United States

seen from United States
seen from United States

seen from United Kingdom

seen from Malaysia

seen from United Kingdom

seen from United Kingdom

seen from United States
seen from Mexico

seen from United States
seen from Argentina
@alexanderxbarrett-blog
“Are you just going to stand there like a bump on a log, or do you intend to tell me what the hell you want?”
5&3 for Saria, Dante, and Crowe ;3
“sariaxyoung saiid: 5&6*”
5: be a slave to, be your slave, sell to a slave market (TW: SLAVERY)
Be a slave to: Saria.
Be your slave: Dante.
Sell to a slave market: Crowe.
6: kill, betray, have on your zombie apocalypse team
Kill: Dante.
Betray: Saria.
Have on your zombie apocalypse team: Crowe.
6 + Celine, viktor, Maddox
6: kill, betray, have on your zombie apocalypse team
Kill: Celine. Cocky bitch would just turn me over at her first chance, anyway.
Betray: Viktor. One of us is bound to do it eventually.
Have on your zombie apocalypse team: Maddox. He’s loyal and insightful.
Send me three names + a number...
fuck, marry, kill
marry, cuddle, sleep with
fuck, take a bullet for, murder
adopt, be adopted by, marry
(TW!) be a slave to, be your slave, sell to a slave market
kill, betray, have on your zombie apocalypse team
seduce, steal from, serenade
“Knew you were a noble. Though that does answer your question, doesn’t it? Commoners only, nobles are exempt, so no, what’s mine is mine and I’m not feeling generous anymore. And no, but frankly I don’t think much of stuck-up nancyboys who think they’re so above it all they can’t even be bothered with basic manners. Also who turns down free food? Only idiots in my book. I might look like I’m next to homeless, but thanks to some good people and constantly working for it, I’m not. So you can shove your hoity-toity attitude right up your ass.”
“Go whine about it to someone who gives a shit,” Alexander spat, rolling his eyes. Just what he needed after a long day of mentally exhausting himself in Sansorian court; dealing with this pain in the ass. “I have wonderful manners, but I don’t say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ to intrusive bitches who get their panties in a twist when I won’t feed them confidential information. And I’ll be sure to get right to doing that, princess, as soon as you pull the iron rod out of yours.””
Tatiana couldn’t have been more excited over the fact that she had finally managed to stumble upon her favorite big man - after nearly a week of being without him, she had been missing him so desperately that she could hardly even stand it…and now, he was here and standing before him, and they were finally reunited. He didn’t seem to be quite as exulted as she was, but she reasoned that was due to how reserved her Shura bear’s nature normally was to begin with. Surely he was happy that she had found her way to Aurelia to visit him - after all, the last time that they had been away from one another, it hadn’t been easy on either one of them at all. Now, however, she was quite the excited little squirrel - she stood on the tips of her toes to clutch at his broad shoulders and kiss all over his face, mewling in delight as she even allowed her tongue to flicker out in an attempt to ‘groom’ Alexander and mark him with her scent. She didn’t stop even when he spoke, in a low voice, to let her know that she shouldn’t have made her way into Aurelia to begin with - why on earth was he so concerned in the first place? “Shura, is - is okay! Tatia being leave note before she left letting retainer know that she being with big man and big brother! Is not Tatia fault new bodyguard being fall asleep outside of door when should be standing guard instead. Hmph.”
She could have gone on and on about her great dislike of the new bodyguard that had been assigned to her, continuing to groom her big man all the while, but she was instead taken by surprise when Alex, clearly intent on telling her something important, reached for the brim of her hood and tugged it down further to cover her bouncy blonde curls and her small, heart-shaped face, causing Tatiana to squeak in shock as the sudden movement forced her to settle down onto her feet once more. She looked up at him curiously, her eyes wide and her brows furrowed together confusedly, and when she met his gaze, she was startled to see just how on-edge and serious Alex seemed to be. “O - okay!” she agreed breathlessly when he informed her that he would be taking her somewhere safe, nodding and tucking her bottom lip between her teeth to worry it briefly. She ran her hands soothingly along his tense shoulders, rubbing over knotted muscle in an attempt to hopefully set him at ease. “Tatia…Tatia being big man’s valuable treasure?” Her voice was soft now, shy and sweet and bashful, and she offered him a glowing little smile, her heart pounding and her cheeks flushed with rosy heat. “Because - because that is what big man being to Tatia.”
This was a death wish...as was everything else Tatiana seemed prone to doing, as a matter of fact. A day didn’t go by when Alexander didn’t spend his time worrying about what would become of his princess. Now that he had stepped up to serve as one of King Viktor’s inner circle in particular, he wasn’t permitted to keep as watchful an eye over the bubbly young princess as he once was. No doubt her new bodyguard would receive a verbal lashing for allowing the princess to make it all the way to the neighboring kingdom before realizing she was gone, but if Alexander had anything to do with it, he’d make sure the man was whipped for his idiocy.
She could be fucking captured out here, for God’s sake. Did she think nothing through before she acted on whims and fancies?
Alexander tried to deny the way his inner wolf growled in pleasure as Tatiana began to lick all over his face, grooming him the way a mate would, and instead focused on the task at hand: getting Sansoria’s princess as far away from the cluster of Aurelians as possible. He was grateful that she’d brought the cloak around with her (the hood served wonderfully to shield her riot of blonde curls), but still worried that she was too conspicuous out here in the busy streets. He glanced around once to make sure no one was watching their interaction, and then immediately cut through some of the back streets and alleys immediately at their disposal. Once he’d brought them near the edge of town, behind what appeared to be an abandoned establishment, he pulled back slightly so that he could look into her face, gazing at her with worry, concern, and anger on his features.
“You can’t--you can’t do this,” he said, his voice laced with frustration and exhaustion. His brows were furrowed together, and he licked his lips before speaking once more. He’d have to take her back to their camp and keep her there; it was the only way to protect her from being spotted. “Tatiana, are you determined to get yourself killed? It doesn’t--it doesn’t matter if I’m not your bodyguard anymore. My number one priority here is keeping you safe. I’d lay my life down for yours in a heartbeat.” And Alexander found, strangely enough, that they were the most honest words to come out of his mouth since he and Tatiana had first met so many months before.
“We’re going back to camp; and you aren’t going to dare step one toe out of line until we go home. Your brother will be furious.”
Mirroring Alexander’s advance, Rhee lessened the distance, raising his chin while the other spoke before smirking. Come now, did he think belittlement would work now? Rhee was a god in comparison. And him? This prideful knight? A peasant. “Tell me, when I’ve killed your Queen and your entire pack, how strong are you all on your own?” The inquisition was met with a tilt of his head before he bowed his head, as if showing respect for someone grieving. Turning his body, he moved to walk slowly around Alexander until he was to the wolf’s back, “Do you remember how easy it was for me to get inside your bitch’s room? I’d really hate to think about what I could possibly do next to her. Gut her, perhaps? Cut her from head to toe like a deer carcass? Hang her upside down while I let the blood drain from her poor, defenseless body while you watch? That would drive you mad, wouldn’t it?”
There was an unspoken glory in knowing of the army he commanded behind the scenes. Who needed a pack when he could have thousands of wolves under his hand? Who needed love when he could have power? Maddox was nothing in comparison, a speck on his sword that he could wipe away. Losing Maddox hadn’t put a dent in his armour, not when Rhee gave hardly nothing away - there was no advantage for Alexander to gain, nothing to carry him forward in his cause to sabotage Rhee, not when the maddened wolf was already several leagues ahead. Losing everything he worked years for was an advantage - there was nothing to tie him down, no lies to keep up with, no duties to fulfill during the day at command. He was free. Now, he could travel at will between the two kingdoms, existing in the borderlands to strengthen his own militia to its fullest potential. Alexander just didn’t know what kind of hell was waiting for him. “I really am disappointed that you didn’t guide him first,” Rhee said, frowning contemptuously at the alpha. “He came on really strong but that’s just your luck, isn’t it? Always attracting the naive. I thought it was common sense not to be so obvious about your intentions. Between the two of us, I believe it’s you drawing the short sticks. You keep choosing to fuck with dumb bitches.”
“How about poor, dear old Antonio? Check up on him lately?”
Alexander really wasn’t in the mood to deal with Rhee’s half-assed bullshit this evening. The other alpha (or beta bitch, as Alexander continued to refer to him as) was growing increasingly deranged as the weeks and months slipped on by, and Alex couldn’t help but wonder how much further Rhee would push himself and test the limitations both of mankind and the kingdoms of Ronsanella before the world came crashing down on him. Being reckless and bloodthirsty would only end with Rhee in a messy grave, sinking to his own death far too prematurely. Is this what would have happened to Alex if he had strayed down the path of wicked? Is this how his life would have become if he had chosen to divulge himself in something other than vengeance through justice after his mother’s death? Some might have said that Alex and Rhee were two sides of the same coin; that they were constantly spinning and twirling around one another, blurring the lines between what was right and what was wrong.
But Alex knew...he knew that they were alike only in what they could have been. Not who they were.
“My bitch’s room?” Alexander managed, the corners of his lips twitching. His heart was racing at an alarming rate, and each moment that passed in Rhee’s presence proved to be a greater and greater struggle of denying himself from shifting into his true form. He showed his teeth and gave a quick bark of laughter, then reached into his side and unsheathed his dagger. He gazed at it closely, as if he were inspecting the craftsmanship, as he drawled-- “It’s adorable, how easily you think you’d have access to her again.” He twirled the hilt of the dagger once in his hands, angling his body to gaze at Rhee head on.
His body was thrumming with anger, but he forced all of those sensations to simmer down as he gazed at the monster before him. If Alex was going to get what he needed out of this, then he’d have to play his cards right. He couldn’t break down and let his true colors show; not when so many of his potential alliances hung on the precipice of something more. Rhee had the potential to ruin some of Alexander’s most carefully crafted plans and they both knew it. Alex and Rhee could easily be the ruin of each other, and Alexander sure as fucking hell hoped Rhee was as aware of this as he was. So he tried to ignore the sickening feeling in his gut as Rhee spoke so condescendingly of Maddox; his instincts to protect that omega were at an all time high, as well. And when Rhee dared to speak Antonio’s name, Alexander felt his blood run cold. His first instinct was to protect his pack; always his pack. They were his family--they were all he’d ever had.
“I’m afraid I haven’t had much time,” Alexander managed, his lips forced into a tight smile as he spoke. He thumbed the edge of his dagger, and in an offhand manner, added-- “Celine sends her regards, of course.”
Sighing and stepping forward, he twirled his dagger until the edge just barely brushed against the ends of Rhee’s hair. He had no intention of using the weapon on him, but it was entertaining all the while. His voice low, Alex’s eyes locked onto Rhee’s. In their close proximity, just barely loud enough to be heard, Alexander said--
“I bet she’d love having this used on her, wouldn’t she? Most sadistic bitches get off on stringing people up like ribbons in the bedroom. I could ask her the next time we have a rendezvous, in case you’re too much of a pussy to confront her about it yourself.” He pulled the dagger away and, without breaking Rhee’s gaze, placed it back in its sheath. Refusing to tear himself away, he lifted his hand and patted Rhee’s cheek once.
“Before you speak about what would drive me mad, pup, you might want to consider that you arrived at that station far, far before myself.”
It was mere moments after she had attempted to ask a nearby stranger for any insight on where she could find her brother or her mate that Tatiana felt the back of her cloak being tugged upon, and with a startled little squeak, she was being yanked backwards into an alleyway just to the left of where she had previously been standing. Immediately, her eyes went wide, and she let out a shocked squeal of a sound as she was forcefully lifted off of her feet; the hands that were grabbing at her were incredibly familiar…they were strong and warm, rough and calloused, and Tatiana knew them as home. A breathy gasp fled her parted petal-soft lips as she realized the true nature of the supposed stranger that had roughly tugged her away from the view of the public eye, and she paid no mind to the angry sound of his voice as her mate - her mate - demanded to know just what it was that she was doing in Aurelia.
“My big man - my big man!” she chimed happily, all but singing instead of speaking, as she squirmed out of Alex’s vice-like grip in favor of leaping off of her feet and tossing her arms around his neck instead. She clung to him excitedly, like a puppy reunited with its owner for the first time in years, and she nuzzled her nose into the crook of Alex’s neck, pressing reverent little kisses wherever she could all the while. “Tatia being find you! She missing you so much, and she not liking being left all alone in castle…especially with bodyguard who not being Shura. So - so Tatia being stow away in luggage carriage like little handbag!” She beamed, undeniably proud of herself, and she stood on the very tips of her toes once more so that she could rub her nose excitedly against Alex’s, blissfully unaware of the anger and frustration rolling off of him in waves. “Now we are being spend rest of journey together, yes? Maybe we even build little love nest!”
Alexander’s heart was hammering something fierce in his chest. Of anywhere in the world he could have wanted to run into Tatiana, the middle of an Aurelian town center, surrounded by civilians who might recognize her and an army who knew her by name was the last place on that list. He’d spent so many weeks trying to shield Tatiana from this more...gruesome side and aspect of war; to protect her in ways which he was otherwise failing. To realize her new bodyguard had allowed her to slip away under his fingers had Alexander simmering with rage, and the urge to hunt the bastard down and spit in his face until he understood the severity of what he’d just allowed to happen was stronger than ever before. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, nostrils flaring as Tatiana explained exatly how she’d managed to escape.
Fuck. She was going to be the death of them both, wasn’t she?
“You shouldn’t be here,” he stated in a low voice, blinking in shock as Tatiana jumped into his arms and began to pepper his face with kisses. For an ordinary man, it would be next to impossible to stay angry with someone as sweet and affectionate as Tatiana. For Alexander, though, it was just a constant reminder of how very naive and in danger she was. Rhee was here somewhere, and if he caught wind of her...Alexander shuddered at the thought.
“I’m taking you somewhere safe,” he said quietly, pulling her hood up tighter around her face and meeting her gaze with his own, as turbulent as the sea itself. “You shouldn’t keep running away; you’re too valuable a treasure to lose.”
It was Tatiana’s first-ever visit to Aurelia, and despite the fact that she wasn’t technically supposed to be inhabiting the kingdom - and that was putting it lightly - she couldn’t help but be curious about the country on the brink of heading to war with her own. She had been nothing short of distressed when she had learned that Viktor and Alexander both would be travelling to the opposing kingdom to stand guard; she couldn’t stomach the thought of them being so far away from home for so long…thus, after having managed to slip past the not-so-watchful eye of her newest bodyguard, Tatiana was able to sneak into one of the carriages being used for luggage, and now…now, she was in Aurelia.
Wearing a silk-lined cloak of deep red velvet, Tatiana tucked the wide-brimmed hood over her head in an attempt to hide the bright blonde curls that would undoubtedly be her identifier, looking around the street with wide-eyes as she sought out the first person she came across. “I - excusing me, excusing me!” she said with an anxious little chirping sound, her gaze both imploring and a little bit pleading. “You have not been seeing two very much tall men with dark curls and big shoulders, have you? One of them being have face like puppy dog, other one being more of grumpus!”
One minute, Alexander had been surveying the streets of Aurelia--his home, he was home--and the next, he felt a tug deep within his abdomen. The hair on the back of his neck bristled, and he grew stiff as he sniffed the air around him. Something felt...familiar, yet so achingly out of place, and as he turned his head to the left and spotted a streak of red scurrying through the crowd, Alexander swore he felt his heart drop through his stomach. That movement, so telltale of a woman he’d grown to know quite intimately, was coupled with the sound of her begging people to move aside for her and asking if anyone had seen her grumpus.
Tatiana. No.
Immediately, Alex whirled around to where Tatiana currently stood, weaving his way through the crowd with his heart thundering in his chest. Not here, not now, not in his homeland. Not when she didn’t know who he was; what he’d done. Reaching out with one bare hand, Alexander gripped Tatiana’s shoulder, grabbing a fistful of her cloak and pulling her into the nearest alleyway.
“What. Are. You. Doing. Here?”
“Some people aren’t comfortable with silence. Once you get a taste for it it’s hard to stop. There’s not much in this world, we have to fight for all we can. The ones dwelling at camps aren’t being forceful, they’re defending their piece. Some just talk big.”
“Sometimes--and I know this might be considered a radical opinion--it isn’t about comfort, but about what’s most practical. Most intelligent. Defending Sansoria and protecting it...yes. That’s exactly what we’re doing.”
“Unfortunate, that is, to finally realize Aurelia isn’t the only nation capable of bloodlust and strategy. I do pray for the next day where you’ll lift that veil and see how weak your great kingdom truly is, especially under rule of the new Queen. It’ll be worse when she finds out her one and only loyal knight has gone and done the unthinkable by falling in love with a naive bitch across the pond. Tell me, Barrett, who of the two would you sacrifice? Love or honour?”
“Charming; I see someone’s forgotten to call the exterminator again,” Alexander snapped, his blood freezing to ice and his heart thudding with anger against his rib cage. He hadn’t seen Rhee face-to-face in quite some time, but now, with all of the...history and turmoil brewing between them, Alexander was having to exercise a great deal of control not to reach for his nearest weapon and slit the fuckhead’s throat then and there. How sweet it would be, having Rhee Oliver writhe and squirm for his last dying breath at Alexander’s feet. He wouldn’t go down without a fight, of course, but it was a charming thought nevertheless. One to entertain for a later date, perhaps.
“I see your manners are as pleasant as the last time we spoke; tell me, how is blondie doing these days? Still spreading her legs for her prey like a self-loathing cunt, or has she finally decided to neuter you? Send your precious huntress my best regards.” Alexander drawled, aching to draw the dagger he kept sheathed on his thigh and press it against his favorite beta bitch’s neck. “Tell me...does it hurt? Knowing I have everything you clearly wish you could have? A mate who doesn’t actively despise my species, a stable job and a steady income, the respect of my peers, a pack where I belong, friends who are loyal...” Alex stepped an inch forward, narrowing his eyes slightly. “What’s it like, knowing that even those you thought were loyal to you...” he flashed his teeth in a wicked grin. “...come home and answer to me?”
“Oh buggering shit, not you.” Her hard-eyed glare turned to a full glower. “Matter of fact, here’s an invasive question for you: what’re you doing on my land, however small a piece that may be, with your bad attitude and more idiot comments. Haven’t you got anyone else better to bother?“
“What’s that saying commoners like to preach to each other? What’s mine is yours and all that? I suppose that rule applies here, hmm? Ah, so now I’m an idiot for not wanting to spill private, confidential information to a woman who looks like she’s living on the cusp of homelessness?”
“Right. Because any amount of discretion would do me good here.” Viktor remarked dryly, trying not to roll his eyes at his newest adviser. “The commoners don’t know what I look like, and even if they did, they know better than to start anything. Do you honestly think I would show my hand to their scouts without just cause?”
At the uttered comment, the alpha snickered as he shoved his way through the crowd towards the scent of roasting meat. “Very funny, Barrett. But I’m not the least bit interested in seeking out that sort of company here. We’re merely scouting out the layout of the festival. Where the most people will be, and how many escape routes there are. Try to stay focused, will you?”
“If you wish for your head to be served on a platter by a rogue assassin or wandering sentry from Aurelia, then by all means, the choice is yours, your majesty,” Alexander commented, struggling not to let his irritation show much through the hiss of his teeth clenched together. “You lead and I advise, remember? I’m merely upholding my end of our new arrangement.”
“You must be hearing things, your Grace, for I said nothing,” Alexander commented, biting back a smirk and inspecting the country’s borders stretched out before them. He didn’t need to sketch the layout of an Aurelian festival; he knew these streets, these stones, this architecture like the back of his hand. But to appease an oblivious king, he supposed he could feign ignorance.
“Though between you and me...” he trailed off, glancing up and down the street and making his mental calculation of exits obvious to anyone watching (for King Viktor’s benefit, of course). “I'm not the one with a track record of getting...distracted by other...things.”
maddoxgrayson:
“Only once… I’m afraid I will get caught if I do it more,” Maddox admitted, losing eye contact with Alexander. Omegas were usually not allowed to do much and with Maddox being a stable boy as well it only limited what he could do. A few times he had practiced with a wooden sword when business was slow, but his training only lasted mere minutes before someone would pass by. Maddox glanced up at Alexander and shook his head. “No. Haven’t seen him either. I think we’re both avoiding each other for different reasons.”
“Perhaps I could talk to her majesty; explain your importance to this mission,” Alexander mused, more to himself than the omega standing before him. “She seems more tolerant of these matters than her parents ever were. In the meantime, you can always train in the weapons chambers after hours, or out in the woods surrounding the forest. Disguise yourself if necessary.”
“What reason do you think he’s avoiding you and vice versa? Specifically, I mean.” Alex asked carefully.
“Me?” Maddox asked, voice lowering at the mention that Alexander had been looking for him. “Right…Well. Is it about the queen?”
“First and foremost, I wanted to make sure you’ve been practicing since our last training session,” Alexander began, his eyes honing in on Maddox.
“And second of all, I wanted to ensure you haven’t spoken with Rhee since our last...discussion.”
“It’s…unsettling to see how few guards there are around these parts. Are they seriously out at the castle? Without any thought to have security out in the streets? What are they thinking?”
“Ah, don’t mind me. I just figured that there would be more supervision here, but I suppose that would dampen the festivities. Could you point me to the nearest food stall? You would think that a celebration this large would have an abundance of them.”
“Your majesty, I implore you to use discretion at an event this large. You risk exposure by talking to anything that breathes.”
“Among doing other things with them,” he muttered under his breath, thinking of the king’s rather...promiscuous reputation.
“Sorry. You look a little…lost. Did you need help finding anything?”
“You, actually. I can’t stay long; King Viktor will wonder where his new favorite little lapdog has run off to.”