Sinfully Yours

Sometimes I write~

[alwayslilmisstreated]

*Work is killing my writing time at the moment. Prepare to be spammed by several unfinished pieces after the holidays. Meanwhile, rereading saved stories does this to me.*

Alice: Kinda want cookies and cream.

Luka: Okay.

Me: Kinda want him to beat my cookie until it creams.

Luka: ...

[alwayslilmisstreated]

Just exist for me, Luka. That's enough 💕😘

[alwayslilmisstreated]

Thanks to people not keeping their traps shut, I knew this was going to happen. (Mostly directed at my in laws) But I still ended up crying my damn eyes out 😭.

[delicateikemenmemes]

plJSCNFHDHEU I CANNOT HANDLE. THSI. WYFBFTUFNUFCKCUFKCKFKFUFUCK

[alwayslilmisstreated]

Yes, very much so 🔥🔥

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Biding my time with my Herbidean Black dragons. 💜 Kind of pissed off they cut Charlie out, just like in the movies, but at least we get to hang out.

[alwayslilmisstreated]

Hubby: Writers block?

Me: I'm struggling writing from the male POV.

Hubby: Boobs and ass are everything.

Me: But I need-

Hubby: Boobs.

😂 I need more tips, I think.

[alwayslilmisstreated]

Chapter 7: The Nightmare- Mari’s POV~

*In previous chapters, Mari's recurring nightmare has been mentioned; here's how we're going to start this next installment. It's going to be lengthy and very descriptive. This chapter has taken two years, just by itself. It also sheds some light on her past, which will come out later in as well. I just could never actually put it down on paper. I hope you like this. I poured my heart and tears into it. Here you go.*

~Asleep I knew I was dreaming; I came here every night. It never got any easier nor did it change. I was running through the forest, my legs were burning, but I refused to slow down. I could barely see enough to make a path for myself, let alone take in the details of my surroundings. The branches and thorns tore the skin off my arms as I barrelled through, but I didn't notice that pain. An endless stream of blood seemed to ebb from my thigh, even bleeding through the strips of cloth I had hastily tied there. The wound itself had been shallow, but my hasty bandage job and exertions weren't helping. The muscles in my legs were screaming in agony, but I knew if I slowed down, that would make it worse, so I pushed harder, using the incline in terrain to my advantage. When I crested the hill, I used the free burst of speed on the decline to gain several more yards. The chase had begun several miles back, with no destination in mind, just escaping this world. I could still hear the heavy footfalls behind me; as he got closer, using the same techniques that I had to advance. He would. He knew how my mind works and also my weaknesses. He knew everything. "It's over, Mari! You may have managed to slip your tracker, but you can't escape me." He was tired, but he still managed to laugh. His laugh used to be one of my favorite sounds in the world. Now it was cold and unfeeling, and I hated it.  I hated who he had become. I pumped my arms harder, using my last bit of energy to get a small burst of speed. I could practically feel his breath on the back of my neck. I banked left at my last attempt to shake him. I should have gone right. The last of my breath was forced out of my lungs when he lept the last few feet between us and tackled me to the ground. An action that had been so familiar through our childhood; but I knew this time, we weren't playing. And it hurt in more ways than one. My spine jolted as his weight landed squarely on top of me, rattling my teeth in my skull.  I didn't have a chance to process before his fingers knotted roughly in the hair at the base of my skull, and jerked it hard. I felt my neck crack and a feral sound rumbled from my throat. If he hadn't had a grip on my head, I'd break his fucking nose. Hell, if I survived this, I still might.  With all the strength I could manage since he had me pinned, I threw my elbow back as hard as I could. "Fuck!" I saw stars when he slammed my face down in the dirt angrily. Pietr rolled off of me onto his back, breathing hard as he clutched his abdomen, where I was sure an imprint of my elbow was already blooming across his skin. He glared at me for a moment and huffed as he propped his knees up and crossed his arms under his head, and looked up at the night sky. How many times had I laid beside him on the grass, looking up at the stars with him in that same pose?  He knew I was too exhausted to make a run for it again. Just like I knew he was, too. He was giving me time to regain my breath, I realized. But why? We both knew that one of us wasn't going to get out of this alive. I had little choice but to take advantage of that. My eyes never left his relaxed form as I slowly pushed my body up onto my elbows, cringing as every bone from my back to my knees seemed to crack as they realigned. I swiped my hand up to discover that my lip was split and a small rock had opened another just over my left eyebrow. He didn't move as I silently slid the knife from my boot and tucked it tightly along the side of my wrist as I sat up. My lip was quivering, and tears were fighting to fall, but I tipped my head back and looked at the sky to keep them inside. It was a full moon tonight. But I was so fucking empty. "This is where it ends, huh?" I finally moved my eyes reluctantly over to him again. His arm still covered his face, and his breathing had evened out, but the rest of his body was tensed and ready to spring.   "You know the rules, Mari. No one can leave. This life chose you, and once you're in..." he trailed off to lift his arm and look at me through the small space under his arm. "Besides," he sighed as he slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position, my body tensing for his words, "you know this doesn't end with us. Remember the last time you tried to pull this shit? Do you have any fucking clue, what happened afterward?" My mind was racing too fast, thirty trains on two tracks, and they were all heading towards a single tunnel. "I want a life that is mine! I'm through doing these greedy bastard's dirty work," I sneered. "And I am done being a fucking chess piece to be put in play whenever they see fit. I'm not going to kill any more people. No, I'm going back to London, and I'm going to get Alice-" He laughed again, throwing his head back as he did so, and a small part of me died: right there. "It's adorable that you think you still have a chance," he was shaking his head back and forth as he continued getting his seven god-damned chuckles in, "Who cares about any of that? It doesn't matter who the target is. That is your job, Mari." He began to pick casually at his nails with a scalpel that I hadn't seen him pull from his pocket. He was a doctor, after all. "My job is taking care of them afterward. You'd be surprised how much money those extra... parts, " he grinned apologetically at me, "are worth to the right buyer. My offer still stands, your cut would be more than enough for you and little Alice to live on. Oh wait, that's right," now his lips were turning up into a wolfish smile, "this is where it ends. For you." I was glad my stomach was empty because it was rolling with disgust. "You're fucking sick, and I hope you rot in hell," I managed to say. I was shaking from head to toe by this point. Pietr chuckled softly once more and slowly got to his feet, waiting for me to do the same. He may be a monster, but he wouldn't kill me on my knees. "Thank you, Mari," he smiled as he slid his finger down the side of the blade he had pulled from the sheath on his hip. "What for?" I felt strangely calm as I slowly got to my feet, rolling my shoulders around, making it a point to show that I wasn't going to accept my defeat easily. "For telling me where she is. Now that you're out of the way, I think I'll pay little sister a visit. I'm sure she isn't so little anymore if you know what I'm saying." My blood burned like wildfire. "You wouldn't dare," my teeth were gnashing now, so hard I was sure he could hear them snap. I was angry, but I had to keep him talking. I had to buy myself as much time as possible. I was trying to find an advantage in the terrain surrounding us, without drawing his attention to it. I'd wasted too much time thinking the boy I'd once known was still in there. He shrugged, his lips pouting at me. "You know I will. And do you want to know why?" This was it. He was stalking closer now, his eyes bright as he took in my blood-covered form. I took one step back, and to the right, continuing to circle. I tightened defense and prepared for his next move. I had to keep him moving. "They killed my mother, Mari," he whispered. His bottom lip quivered and for a moment I almost relaxed my stance. "The last time you tried to leave. They went looking for Alice that night, but they couldn't find her. So they went for the next closest one to you. And to me. It's your fucking fault, you ruin everything!" "I'm sorry! Pietr!- That's not where it ended, but that's when I woke up. ~

Mari. Mari? MARI!? I heard my name, my mind was still under the deep foggy spell of sleep when I felt warm hands gripping my shoulders, shaking me lightly. I sat up quickly and immediately laid back on the pillows to avoid head butting the person that hovered directly over my face. The most beautiful pair of toffee brown eyes stared back at me and a strong hand gently pressed me back down when I tried to sit up. "What the fuck happened?" I demanded, feeling my eyebrows begin to knit in confusion. I slowly slid my eyes around the room and they froze in horror as I spied the IV in my veins and followed the line to a fluid bag that was hung half-hazard around the bedpost. And then the full situation sunk in. "And where the hell is my shirt?!" The man that was in bed with me seemed amused and completely aware of this fact, much to my embarrassment. He was utterly at ease. Seth tsked his tongue at me as he moved back to sit on the edge of the bed. He crossed one long leg over his other knee and studied me. "That is not the sort of word a lady should be using," he smiled and pointed a manicured finger until he touched the tip of my nose. "In fact," he purred while he continued to scold me, "that's probably the dirtiest word you could have used. As for your shirt," he paused to pick at a nonexistent thread, "I threw it in the trash." "You... you what?"   I felt blood rushing to my cheeks, but it definitely wasn't attraction this time. He was probably younger than me, and yet he'd managed to make me feel about three feet tall. I had to turn this around. I licked my lips slowly and batted my lashes even though I was sure I looked as bad as I felt, if not worse. "I'm sorry, would you mind please telling me what happened?" My eyes darted around, seeing that no sunshine shone through the window, but the room was lit once again by that eerie lamp I couldn't figure out how to operate. Seth blinked at me slowly and giggled. " I see you know how to play the game when it suits you. Very well then, it seems your blood sugar dropped. Alice said you didn't sleep very much last night, so that probably didn't help, either. Oh, that reminds me, the doctor left some medicine for you as well as some instructions for how it should be taken." I frowned. "I... passed out? And all of you took care of me?" I wasn't sure how many of the words were actually audible, but he seemed to hear me anyway. "Of course! We would never let anything happen to you. That's what friends do, silly." He booped my nose playfully and excused himself to go make me a small pot of tea. It seemed it was late and everyone else had retired. But Seth had stayed with me. "That's what friends do." His words kept replaying in my head on a loop and I just laid there, letting that sink in. Friends?

~

Missing chapters? Find them on Tumblr or read them on my AO3: 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18092384/chapters/42767210

[alwayslilmisstreated]

I can't handle blushing Seth 💕 🔥🔥🔥

Have I mentioned that I live for him with his hair down? 😉

[alwayslilmisstreated]

Chapter 6: Diagnosis

Alice's mind was racing, but she managed to focus on the task at hand as she put one foot in front of the other. She'd left Luka in the kitchen where he was preparing a soup for when Mari woke up. She took her time walking through the sprawling corridors until she reached the room that had formerly been hers. Alice moved slowly into the room with a tray in her hands, her blue eyes widening as she took in the sight of Seth at Mari's bedside. The sight of the pair brought her to a halt. Seth had removed her socks and shoes as well as her shirt, leaving her in her black sports bra and cargo pants. He dipped a towel into a basin of warm water, wringing it out thoroughly before bringing the cloth to her face, where he gently wiped the grime and blood away. His eyes seemed to dance over the ink that was carved into Mari's skin, each one covering a deeper scar beneath. His usually bubbly aura was colder now, she noted as she gently set the tray on the bedside table across from where he worked, silently. Each stroke of the cloth cleaned away dirt and sweat, but it revealed scars and red splotches that were already blooming into bruises. The soft trickling of the water was the only sound in the room for what seemed like hours, but Alice stared wordlessly; as he scrubbed every inch of her, clean. She focused on counting the tally marks that were lined in rows down Mari's ribcage. There were twenty-seven of them in total. "Who is Pietr?" Seth's voice broke the silence, stunning Alice out of her thoughts. She blinked and realized that he had finished and was wiping his hands on a clean towel. His eyes were on her, expectantly. Waiting for an answer, she realized as she cleared her suddenly dry throat. "Did she tell you about him?" She asked; uneasily as she shifted her gaze to Mari's sleeping form. "No," Seth sighed and bent down to retrieve her tags from the nightstand, swinging them from his fingertips, casually. "I found these." He leaned across the bed to hand them to her, returning his arms to cross over his chest defensively. Alice read the words silently, her breath caught in her throat. "He was her best friend," she finally said.  "This isn't my story to tell, and she would kill me if she knew. Besides, he's gone, and she never talks about him. Not anymore." Seth offered her a small smile as he crossed the room to her side before looking at her curiously. "Was he her lover, then?" Alice shook her head slowly as she reached for the glass of orange juice with a shaking hand. "He wanted to be, I think. But Mari never saw him as more than a brother. Can you lift her, please?" She whispered. Hoping maybe shifting his attentions would also work on taking his focus elsewhere. Seth sighed and gently lifted Mari into a sitting position. Supporting her weight against his shoulder as Alice moved the cup to her lips to make her drink. "Why do you ask? Aren't you more concerned with the fact that she lied about who she is?" Alice marveled as she brushed her fingers down her sister's throat, relaxing it so a few drops slipped down. "No," he answered softly. "We all have our secrets." Seth stiffened as footsteps rapped sharply in the corridor, heading towards them. Alice put the cup back onto the tray as Kyle Ash strode into the room, followed by Sirius and the rest of the Black Army leaders. It had been a couple of weeks since she'd seen the man, and even though peace had been declared, it was still strange seeing his white and red jacket amongst the ebony sea in which he stood. Kyle flashed her a bright grin and a small wave as he sat his medical bag down on the small coffee table at the front of the room. Everyone else moved to the sides of the room except Seth to give him room to work. He remained beside Mari, looking as poised as ever. "I hoped you haven't skinned another knee," he joked with her as he began pulling several contents and bottles out of his bag. Alice took this as her chance to escape Seth's inquisition and moved to stand beside Sirius, who put a reassuring arm around her waist. "Not this time, Kyle," She smiled over at the red-haired man as he turned his attention to Mari, a frown marring his usually cheerful face. "I thought you said you had an injured soldier." His eyes narrowed as he glared at Sirius. He began to roll up his sleeves and pull his stethoscope from his collar, breathing on the end, before placing it against Mar's collarbone. He counted softly to himself as he reached with his free hand to place two fingers against her pulse. "We do," Sirius replied cooly. Kyle pursed his lips and scanned his eyes over the unconscious woman before him before moving on. "You said you think her blood sugar dropped? That's a good possibility if she overexerted herself and didn't have the proper nutrient intake. Do you have any other ideas about why she may have collapsed other than the fact that her body took a substantial beating?" Sirius' eyes narrowed at his words. He hadn't wanted to put a woman through that, but she'd held her own. He'd talked it over with Fenrir and given him a verbal lashing that he was sure would stick with him. But still, he was proud of her. "She isn't weak," he snapped, his hand already digging in the breast pocket of his jacket as he moved to smack the handkerchief down on the table. "Do you know what this is?" His tone was sharp as he indicated the small red-tipped barb that he had removed from Mari's leg. Kyle paused to take his glasses out of his pocket as he proceeded to write down her measurements before moving closer to the older man. The air in the room seemed to change as everyone watched him pick up the small metal piece and bring it closer to study. Alice stiffened, leaning into Sirius as she swayed on her feet. "What is that?" "I've never seen anything like this," he mused softly, turning it over between his fingers before gently bringing it closer to his nose and inhaling the point, still stained with blood. "Show me the affected area," he quirked his brow as Sirius knelt beside the bed and gently rolled up the pant leg, revealing a small red puncture wound that was already purple at the edges. "Interesting," Kyle murmured, one hand clutching his chin, deep in thought. In a quick movement, he brought it to his lips, and swiped his tongue across the barb, tasting the contents. Luka stiffened at the exchange, "What are you doing?" Kyle chuckled softly at the concern in the younger Clemence's tone. "It's not poison," he determined with a shrug. "I was trying to determine the properties that may have been used. There isn't a bitter after taste, so I can determine that it contains no poison. But," he cut off to stare at everyone in the room. "There is a numbing agent, which leads me to believe that this is a form of a sedative." His words hung heavy in the air as everyone seemed to absorb them. Kyle continued, moving on to the clear bags of liquid that he had laid out on the table, selecting one. "She's extremely dehydrated, and that is my main concern. You also said she has post-traumatic tendencies, I think this is just her brain's way of protecting itself." He'd hooked up a tube to the end of the bag as he'd talked and was hanging it on one of the bedposts. "Protecting itself?" Sirius frowned as he watched the man insert a needle into the crook of Mari's elbow, quickly taping it into place. "If I remember correctly," Kyle chuckled, "Alice the Second became very worn out after she transitioned to Cradle. Slept for a couple of days if I recall." The other men in the room nodded as Alice looked down at the floor, her face darkening in embarrassment. "This one," he nodded down to the woman who slept on the bed before them, "is a fighter." He said with a smile. "I expect once she's slept for a few hours, she'll be up and raring to go again. But she needs rest." "Yeah, she is," Fenrir spoke up for the first time during the whole visit. "She packs quite the punch, too." He grinned at Kyle as he wiped a smudge of dirt from his jacket. "What do I owe you?" Kyle paused from counting some pills he'd spilled out of several bottles. "You did this?" He nodded at Mari as he set aside a small pile of pain killers and a few for nausea, handing them to Alice, who sat them on a tray at his new patient's bedside. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I'm not sure you can cover the tab on this one." His eyes danced mischievously. Fenrir grinned. "How about a bottle of Cradle's finest Firewhiskey? My old man sent me a bottle for a special occasion. I'll go get it." "This is a special occasion?" Ray snapped, his tone sharper than he intended. A grin played at the edge of his lips, giving him away. "Wouldn't you rather drink it at the party after she wakes up? A toast to your victory, after all." Fenrir paused on his way out the door to retrieve the bottle from his room. Technically, he had won. Mari had passed out even though they had stopped the fight. But he didn't see it as a victory. She would have had him if he hadn't have called it; he'd been at his limit. And somehow, he could sense that she hadn't been on top of her game, even from the start. "No," he smiled. "I didn't win. We did. Mari is on our side now. No one can beat us.”

~I hope you’re enjoying the story so far. If not, Meh xP 

Read the rest of the story and chapters so far on Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18092384/chapters/42767210

[alwayslilmisstreated]

Chapter 5: Questions

Fenrir caught Mari's head before it hit the ground. He gently pulled her into his lap, leaning her back on his shoulder as everyone gathered around them in a circle. He winced as he wiped a small trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth. Every inch of their bodies was going to be bruised by the end of the day.

Alice came up short, her hands still clutching Mari's hoodie, the pockets filled with what seemed to be an endless weight that only grew heavier as she stared down at her unconscious form.

Sirius knelt to study Mari's face, his eyes filled with concern as he forced Fenrir to meet his gaze. "What happened?"

Fenrir's voice was rocky at best. "I'm not sure. She seemed fine, but then she just collapsed. She blocked ninety-seven percent of the headshots, but-" He blinked slowly and focused on a small red dot that stood out against the stark black of Mari's attire. It was on the back of her leg and about the size of the tip of his pinky finger.

Sirius saw it in the same instant and met his gaze. "Alice, why don't you go into the kitchen with Luka and get some juice for Mari? Maybe her blood sugar is low." He flashed her a reassuring smile. "We'll take her up to her room, so meet us up there."

Luka moved beside Alice and took her gently by the elbow. Her body was already moving in the direction of the kitchen. "She needs the sugar," she whispered. "And then she'll be fine."

Luka smiled down at her. "Don't worry," he said softly. "She's strong. I'm sure she'll be fine." He glanced back at Sirius, who met his gaze for a second before turning back to the others. Something had happened, but they didn't want Alice to be worried, he decided. He'd act calm so she wouldn't pick up on anything unusual.

"I know," Alice whispered, taking one look back before they disappeared through the doors.

Sirius waited until they were gone before he gently pulled the small object from her leg, holding it up in his palm for Ray to examine. It was a small dart. "What do you make of this?" He asked softly, his gaze on the unconscious woman before then.

Ray looked uncertain as he watched her eyes flutter frantically underneath her eyelids as if she were dreaming. "I'm not sure," he said softly. "What concerns me the most; is what was on it. Be careful not to stick yourself with it."

Seth frowned as he stared at the dyed end, "Do you think it was the Red Army?" He'd knelt to get a closer look, anger flaring inside him as soft groans emitted from Mari, causing them all to freeze.

"Let's get her inside," Sirius repeated, nodding to Seth, who gently took her from Fenrir's grasp and clutched her to his chest. "I'm going to send a man to Red territory; for a doctor." Sirius gently took out a handkerchief and slid the tiny barb into it, tucking it safely in his pocket. He chose his words carefully. "In the meantime, I want all of you to keep this quiet from Alice. Until we know what we're dealing with, I don't want her to worry. I'll fill in, Luka, later. Seth," he paused as he glanced at Mari nestled against the other man. "Stay with her," he said finally.

Seth smiled and got to his feet, turning with Mari in his arms. He called to one of his soldiers and asked him to bring a pitcher of warm water and a pile of towels up to her room for him as well.

She continued to groan and murmur in her sleep, words too undecipherable for him to catch. The tinkling of her necklace irked him when all he wanted was for her to sit up and berate him for touching her. Seth gently grasped the chain around her neck and lifted the tags off, holding them in his hand as he turned the corner and entered her room.

Gently he laid Mari on top of her comforter and pulled her hair slowly from the elastic that held it in a tight ponytail at the top of her head, so it billowed across the pillows in fiery waves.

He sighed softly and pressed a soft kiss to the top of her head. "Don't worry, Princess. I'm going to take care of you."

Mari sighed as if she could hear his words, and he smiled as he looked at the decoration in his hand. Every time he'd caught the briefest glance at them last night, she'd tucked them in her shirt and said nothing more on the matter than they were, "Her lifeline."

Four oval-shaped tags hung from a single chain, with words etched in each. The first two, he figured, belonged to Mari but frowned at the words on the first two. Alice had told them a little bit about the military custom in the Land of Reason, but he recalled the lines Mari had fed them the evening before. They did not match the information that sat in front of his face.

Cpt. Liddell, Mari

Sct. Svc.

02-29-1989

O Neg

Christian

If Found

Please Call, Alice

6784698

Seth froze when he read the next two.

MD. Saer, Pietr

Srgn. Gnrl.

10-31-1985

AB Pos

Catholic

Never

Forgotten

10-31-1985

-

09-30-2013

[rabbitmotifs]

this guy is such a loser i want him in my bed immediately

[alwayslilmisstreated]

Always. I've always been P.O.S.H.~

On a sidenote, it's really difficult to write my Fenrir piece when you keep teasing me like this ❤️❤️❤️💜

[ashstfu]

“are you okay” mf you’ve seen my blog you tell me

[alwayslilmisstreated]

I feel this on so many levels, it's not even funny.

[fandom-collective-writers]

Hi there! We have officially changed our name! Please circulate this post to let everyone know that the Ikemen Discord Writers are now the Fandom Collective Writers!

A big huge thank you to @bex-ish for creating out new logo and header image!

The links to the blog will broken for a bit while we go through and update them all! As soon as maintenance is finished, we will announce when requests will open!

-Admin Ruka

[alwayslilmisstreated]

Chapter 4: Sweet Dreams Pt. 2

{This is for my Alice the Third fan-fic, if you haven’t read the other chapters yet, please feel free to check them out!}

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

____________________________

Mari's eyes flew open. She clutched her hand to her chest in a panic as she came awake, a mere three hours after she had fallen asleep. Her dreams had begun, with warm brown eyes and silver hair, but they quickly changed to the familiar face that always haunted her when she closed her eyes. The nightmare was the same as it always had been, but it was never any easier.

Her hair had come loose in her slumber, and the long waves matted to the thick, sticky sweat that covered her entire upper body. Damn, night sweats. The only minor side effect of not regularly taking her medication. 

The cold chains of the two sets of dog tags that balanced above her heart weighed her down with a bittersweet sadness as she took in her surroundings and replayed the last few hours in her head. Her throat was on fire so she slowly got to her feet and made her way to the small bathroom and filled the cup she had found on her nightstand with it. Then she made her way back to her bed and sat on the edge of it.

She was in her room in Cradle. She had escaped for now. Alive. Mari reached for her lighter and tin, hoping to forget everything for a while longer. She went through the motions of slipping the joint out and lighting it, inhaling deep and long. She'd slipped up with her story several times that evening, partially hoping that someone would catch on and question her motives. But they hadn't, she thought sadly, as she took a deep drag and held it in for as long as her lungs would take. 

___________________________________________________________

Several hours later, the courtyard. 

"Are you sure you're up for this?" Alice asked again. 

"Positive," Mari nodded as she rolled her shoulders and turned her head from side to side, stretching. Again. 

She couldn't figure out how to turn the lamp in her room on and gave up before she hurled the damn thing down the two stories to the cobblestones below. Not wanting to risk waking anyone, she'd dressed in the dark after her morning smoke session and quietly made her way out to the gardens and listened to music as she'd fallen into her daily routines. The only difference between here and there had been the solitude, and it had been nice. 

She'd run into Sirius about an hour earlier and talked with him as he watered flowers and she disabled the blades from the toes of her boots. Alice had met them shortly after with cups of coffee for both, which Mari had downed in two gulps, much to Alice's dismay.

"You do know this is just for fun, right?" Alice worried her bottom lip as she eyed her sister, who had dropped to a split on the ground, her arms stretched to the tip of her toes, pulling back. She loved to feel the strain of the muscles, the aches as they strengthened and strained.

Mari rolled her eyes and shifted her attention to her other leg. "Of course, I'm not going to hurt him." She paused to forward and pressed all of her weight onto her palms, lifting her body perpendicular until she settled into a handstand. "Too much," she added softly.

"Please try not to hurt him. And I'm not talking about the fight," Alice balled her fists at her side and turned her attention as the rest of the Black Army filed out the doors and headed towards them. "It's just... there's another reason I wanted you to come here, not just for the wedding. Will you please promise me to at least attempt to get to know everyone? Maybe you'll even make a friend or two."

Losing focus, Mari sighed and let herself fall forward, landing on her toes.

She could see Fenrir walking with Ray and Luka with Seth, leaving Sirius to follow behind, making sure everyone was present.

"We'll continue this conversation later," she interrupted Alice, not wanting to hear how this was going to end. It would be a real fight, unlike the one she was about to partake. In her world, friends were a luxury Mari couldn't afford to have. She'd learned that the hard way. 

She sighed, "I promise to try." Mari gave Alice a reassuring smile and walked forward to greet her opponent.

Fenrir broke away and stopped in front of her; his eyes were sparkling with excitement. Ray continued with Luka and Seth while Sirius beelined towards her sister, who was gaping behind her.

"You ready to do this?" He smiled and held his hand for her to take.

Mari's hand was steady as she took his hand in hers and walked with him towards their battlefield.

"She'll be okay, sweetie." Seth practically sang, but uncertainty flashed behind his eyes for the briefest of seconds. 

"That's just it," Alice retorted bitterly. "Mari lies for this. It's a party to her."  She sighed and took Sirius' hand. "I just wanted her to relax for once." 

Luka's ears perked at her words. "So... she's like Fenrir?" 

Sirius' easy smile dropped as he assessed that news. "It'll be like two Fenrir's?" 

Alice nodded. 

"Great." 

~

Fenrir faced Mari head-on from several yards away. He'd been too shocked that she'd pulled her gun on him upon meeting so he hadn't paid too close attention to her appearance. She wasn't what he expected. Mari was several inches taller than her sister, while Alice was delicate and brunette, she had orange hair and she looked dangerous. She had sharp green eyes that made him feel like she could see through him, and her skin was toned and scarred, he noted as she removed her sweater and tossed it to Alice who was waiting with the rest of the leaders off to the side. She had a pair of black cargo pants that were formfitting, and a black tank top, clanking sound of aluminum rang as she tucked two silver tags into the front of her shirt to rest between her breasts. 

That was when it hit him that she may be a soldier, but she was a woman, and that thought froze him in his tracks as he saw Sirius give Ray a nod. They were ready. He'd never fought a woman before.

Ray cleared his throat as he took a couple of steps closer to them and rubbed his hands together. "The rules are simple: No weapons, it's okay to hit vital points, though." His eyes scanned over both of them and after neither made a move, having already disarmed, he continued. "The winner will be decided the same way we always do it. The last one standing wins!" 

Mari took a slow breath as she sized Fenrir up and dropped into a defensive crouch. He seemed to be hesitant to make the first move, as a lot of others had been. His pose was much the same as hers, but his left side had an opening. So she broke the ice and lunged. 

Fenrir's eyes widened, as Mari closed the distance between them quicker than he thought. She drew her right hand back as if to throw a punch but at the last second, she swung her leg up and connected with the side of his head, rocking him back for a second.  Somehow he knew she could have put a lot more power behind that kick, this was a warning. Take me seriously, it said. 

"Wha-!" Seth shrieked and everyone took one step forward. Luka's eyes were wide. He'd helped rescue Alice from the Red Army's headquarters when she first arrived in Cradle. They'd all helped train her for the war and knew in comparison, she was weak. Mari however...

"You okay?" Mari asked, tilting her head to the side from where she stood only a foot away from him. He got it now. She didn't want him to go easy on her. He'd have to pretend she was Ray and just go crazy. 

"Never better," Fenrir smirked and hooked his foot around her ankle with a sharp tug, bringing her down onto her butt. But she was fast and back on her feet in a second, already rushing him with a stream of blows. 

They went on like that for a while, blocking, punching, and kicking. 

Each time someone went down, everyone held their breath, waiting for the announcement of victory, only to keep watching as Mari and Fenrir faced off, the occasional laugh escaping both parties. They'd been going at it for almost an hour straight at top speed from the looks of it. 

"You getting tired, yet?" Fenrir taunted as he sidestepped Mari's butterfly kick. Barely. 

She was, but she'd never admit that to him. Mari inwardly kicked herself for all the excess exercises she had done that morning to distract her mind from wandering; she'd used a lot of her energy considering she hadn't eaten anything since yesterday either. Her stomach growled at the thought of food. 

Fenrir's ears detected the foreign noise. "Did you get any breakfast this morning?" He frowned. "You should take better care of yourself if you want to be in top performance and health." He put his fists down and dropped the offensive stance, holding his palm up to her. "Let's take a break." 

Mari's head was spinning with exhaustion, but she managed a nod. Her vision was getting a little cloudy too, how many hits had she taken to the head? She'd been careless, she'd never put herself in a state like this in front of anyone. It was humiliating. 

Fenrir nodded and called over to everyone. "Is there any breakfast left?" 

Luka stepped forward, "I can make something, what do you want?" 

"It's not for me, it's for Mari." Fenrir turned towards her, "What do you like?" 

Mari blinked, his words sounded like she was listening to them from underwater. Audible, but not intelligible. 

"Mari?" Alice's voice was high. 

"Mari!" 

The last thing she saw was Fenrir reaching towards her as the ground moved closer, and footfalls thundered closer. Then the world went dark. 

[alwayslilmisstreated]

Hey everyone! 👋

I'm back and ready to write (:

If you have any ideas or would like something written for Ikerev, please inbox me! If I promised something before my hiatus, kindly remind me, I'd be happy to fill your fluffy smutty needs.

[alwayslilmisstreated]

I am P.O.S.H. {Property of Seth Hyde} 🔥🔥🔥

I'm just now getting back to the game and my writing after a two year break and this is how I'm rewarded?