Lilo and Megara Ship

[nolessthan5ships]

The First First Day || Jack and Ellis

[nolessthan5ships]

hymn-less:

He listened to her list off the things that they needed to do before they could actually relax for a moment. While he had remembered to make sure Pearl would catch the bus, he had completely forgotten about her hair.

Her hair was nothing like his and required substantial time to just make sure it belonged on her head. He had threatened to shave it at one point but Ellis said he couldn’t unless Pearl wanted him too. Which of course, she didn’t. So he was left spending time watching youtube videos learning how to take care of his daughter’s hair properly. It was long and it was beautiful when it was done but it had to be a rat’s nest by now.

Groaning as he sat up, Jack rubbed his eyes as watched Ellis finish changing into her pajamas. “Fine,” he sighed. “I’ll get her up and get her dressed and do her hair. Can you do everything else?” Jack asked as he slid his feet out of bed and stood up on the cold floor.

He hated school when he was younger, he couldn’t believe he was forced to go through the same things again except this time it wasn’t him going to school, it was his daughter, something he never thought he would have. Something he didn’t want to have but as fate would have it, he loved her very much and would cross to the end of the world for her.

The woman and her beau had been quite the pair the day Jack learned to do his daughter’s hair. With the both Jack and Ellis being caucasian, and sweet Pearl being mixed, her hair – and the texture – was a mystery to the two of them. But Jack did the work necessary for a technically single father. He watched video after video and pulled and poked and prodded his daughter’s scalp for hours, while Ellis entertained with treats and toys and Frozen — or whatever movie preschoolers were obsessed with at the time. The movies all blended together after a while. But as a paramedic, she had to be good at distracting and placating children. If he wasn’t already in love with her, that day made it so. At least, that’s what she liked to pretend, because it was absolutely one of the days marked in her mind as a reason to be in love with Jack.

“I can do that, handsome.”

The cajun leaned down and kissed her partner on the place where the cheek and the lips met; her favorite spot to kiss Pearl. It was a spot so gentle and loving. She pulled herself away from the man and stalked her way to the closet. Ellis pulled on a black hoodie – probably Jack’s – then turned to leave the room — but not before looking over her shoulder and winking at Jack. 

Ellis hadn’t ever expected to be a mom to anyone ever, but she loved Pearl more than she ever thought possible. That child was the best thing to happen to the earth, and Ellis knew that for a fact. Jack didn’t often talk about his family and his history, but Ellis knew that it wasn’t good. So for a child to take his genetics and be as kind and sweet as she was would have to be an incredible feat of the universe. Hell, for Jack to be as good of a person as he was could be considered an incredible feat of the universe. Those two portuguese fuckers make Ellis want to be the best mother on the face of the fucking planet.

Their fridge smelled like leftovers from Empress of China – which sounded incredibly good right now – but she found the ingredients of sandwich that she hand been looking for. Mother fucken chicken salad. That girl could eat her weight in Ellis’ cajun chicken salad, so the makeshift mom had made a point to prepare some on her day off for her daughter’s first day of school. 

A few minutes later, the world’s best sandwich was done, and packed alongside some carrots, apples, and a brownie. A damn good lunch for a would-be food desert. Ellis had ignored the arguing coming from Pearl’s room between her and her father, but the two of them had finally made their way to the kitchen – hair finished and uniform donned. Ellis handed a cup of coffee to Jack (black) and began making Pearl’s lunch.

“Are ya ready for ya first day a school, bae?”

[nolessthan5ships]

The First First Day || Jack and Ellis

[nolessthan5ships]

ajackxmusings:

Being a parent was something Jack never once planned to be in his life. Yet here he was, his daughter was now starting kindergarten and he was nowhere near prepared as he should have been for the day. He did manage to set an alarm but it was a last minute alarm, one that only gave him and Pearl enough time to get ready to get to school on time. School for her, more sleep for him when he got back. But judging from the slow wake up call he was getting from Ellis, Jack was starting to wonder if he had slept through the alarm.

Opening his eyes slowly, Jack blinked and turned to rub his face in his pillow before grabbing his phone and looking at the time. A small groan left his throat as he put it back on the nightstand and rolled onto his side to look at Ellis. “I did set an alarm like a responsible parent you know,” he spoke slowly as his brain was trying to catch up with what was happening around him. “She doesn’t need that much time to get ready anyways. We still have another hour or so before my alarm goes off.”

His hand found her thigh and started to caress it. “Go to bed. I’ll get her ready when the alarm goes off.  It’s just school after all,” he yawned as he snuggled deeper into the bed.

Ellis smiled and shook her head. If there was ever a doubt in her mind that Jack and Pearl were related, that thought had been squashed. Jack was going to be just as hard to rouse. “I know ya did, Jack,” she replied, moving a hand to his bicep and giving it a gentle squeeze, “But we need to make her a lunch, make sure she gets her uniform on, pack her backpack, feed her a good breakfast, and do something about her hair. We really really can’t do all that in the time ya gave yourself.” 

She stood, his hand sliding off her thigh, and began pulling off her uniform. Why she hadn’t changed the moment she got home, she did not know. But the thick material of her pants and the starchy shirt of her black on black uniform felt so much more uncomfortable as Ellis looked at her sleeping loved ones. She crossed the room to their closet and pulled out an old t-shirt of her dad’s and a pair of Jack’s boxers. This particular shirt – a black, unlicensed Lucky Dogs Inc shirt – was a favorite of hers, nearly threadbare with the years of use it had seen as a sleep-shirt. But Ellis wouldn’t dare throw it away. Her old cotton shirt collection boasted some of the softest fabric she had ever felt, and the shirts always kept her cool on warm Louisiana nights. Despite the nearing fall season, it was still hot in New Orleans and Ellis wouldn’t dare wear real pajamas. Especially not after working a rare night shift.

“Come on, hon.” She turned away from the closet as she pulled the shirt over her head and looked back at Jack. “Ya know I’ll help ya with it all, but I can’t do it myself.”

[nolessthan5ships]

The First First Day || Jack and Ellis

“Pearl, baby, ya gotta get up.” The mass of curls was burrowed further into the pillows as Ellis spoke, and a small groan came from deep within the would-be nest. This kid really didn’t want to leave bed, and Ellis could relate. Her shift had ended an hour ago, and she wanted nothing more than to be dead asleep in a mass of blankets and pillows two rooms over. But Jack didn’t seem the type to know how to get a kid ready for their first day of school, and Ellis wanted to take those cheesy photos she kept seeing on Facebook.

When Pearl made it clear she wasn’t going to come quietly, Ellis wrapped her hands around the small girl’s waist and attempted to physically pull her out of the bed, but Pearl’s hands shot out of the blankets and grabbed her bed frame, keeping herself in place. Ellis let out a deep sigh and released the kid, momentarily admitting defeat. She had been attempting to let Jack sleep in, knowing her boyfriend likely hadn’t gotten to bed at a reasonable hour, but his daughter was stubborn – or, determined, as Leslie would say – and Ellis was just too damn tired to try to get Pearl out of bed herself.

Tired legs walked down the hallway of the dark apartment on Frenchman Street in New Orleans. This time of day was usually something Ellis sat in and loved. It was the rare time of day when the Quarter was quiet. No drunken tourists trying to find their way to their hotel, no locals setting up the French Market, no brass bands playing out of clubs and bars. The apartment was far enough from downtown that guns couldn’t be heard going off regularly, and the area had recovered from Katrina well. Or, as well as the broke city of NOLA could. This time of day had always felt like the calm before the storm, but today was it’s own kind of storm. Jack’s daughter’s first day of kindergarten.

Ellis slipped into the room she shared with her boyfriend, and sat on the bed beside him. In the same way she had attempted to wake Pearl, Ellis gently rubbed Jack’s back and spoke softly. “Bae, you gotta help me get ya daughter awake.”

[orchidwrites-deactivated2017052]

Seeing Tia was not always the top of Jack’s to do list. In fact he rather avoided her as much as he could for the simple fact she scared him. Her powers were enough to send even the toughest of men back to their mothers. Yet when he was lost and needed guidance she was the first person he went too. This time though he avoided it, hoping that he wouldn’t need to visit her. He wanted to try living on his own without any help for the time being.

So he traveled.

He traveled around the continent until he realized that without his family he was nothing. Just another person. He couldn’t go back however. He had burned that bridge has much as he could. He wanted to prove himself as something but he was nothing more than a street rat. One that was racking up a reputation wherever he went. It was easy to steal but harder to get caught. He was careful which was all he had to be. He knew his father was just waiting for him to screw up and come crawling back but he was too prideful for that which is how he found himself standing outside of the small house in the broken down part of town. It looked as though nothing survived the hurricane that came though years ago. Everything except for Tia’s house. He half wondered if she charmed it or cursed it to withstand anything that came it’s way.

Not bothering to knock, he walked into the house, hearing the soothsayer’s voice echoing through the house. He knew better than to interrupt so he waited, listening to the reading she was giving to—Megera? He almost looked into the room just to make sure he had heard her correctly. It was not like there were a lot of Megera’s running around in the world.

The last time he had saw her was on a job. She insisted on coming but quickly learned she didn’t have the stomach for what his family did. She was just a girl after all and wasn’t born into the life like he was. He could look at a mangled body while she struggled to just to not vomit in front of everyone. Valarie was nearly cheerful as she sang I told you so once Megera had left. He never saw her again and never looked for her.

Hearing that Tia was done with the reading he walked into her reading room and surveyed the room. Sitting across from Tia was in fact his old classmate. He smiled at her when she looked his way and crossed his arms, a smirk playing on his lips. He knew she believed in some weird things but he never took her to see the voodoo queen. That was more his family’s thing.

“I never took you for superstitious Megera. Let alone to take advice from an old soothsayer,” he told her, shooting a look towards Tia who just scoffed at him while she cleaned up the bones on the table.  

@ursax

[nolessthan5ships]

Oh, that voice. The arrogance, the baritone gravel, the condescending way he said her name. Megara knew it well. "You live in New Orleans long enough," she muttered, not bothering to look at him, "And it begins to rub off on you."

Megara never could have expected how quickly she bought into all that New Orleans superstition was. Maybe it was the molly she took week one here, or maybe it was just that this place felt more like home to her than anywhere had in a long time. Whatever the case, Meg was a part of it now. Readings, soothsayers, crystals, the whole nine. And here was Jack, the one person from school that she was absolutely positive never wanted to see her again, teasing her for it. If she hasn't enjoyed Tia so much, she would've spat some sarcastic comment back at him.

She wasn't even supposed to be there. Meg's appointment was for half an hour before, but the reading before her had gone long, and she was pushed until 25 minutes ago.

Meg stood and winked at Tia, dropping some cash on the table as she did so – double what she usually paid. Half was for the reading. She had been told something she didn't want to hear about herself, and those readings were always the best. The other half was because she was sure that Tia was going to get harassed about this, and she didn't want to be banned from coming back just because of Jack.

She lifted her eyes to the man she once knew, and crossed her arms over her chest. "Plus, this is one of the few places in this city that isn't some fucking tourist trap, and I hate Esoterica. But," she pulled an amethyst necklace out of her pocket and pulled the long gold chain over her head, "Since you're here – and I'm sure you have words for me – I'll find somewhere else to go until you leave."

[nolessthan5ships]

Thunderstruck | Courtney and Colette

Courtney hadn’t even noticed his sister’s presence in the house. Neither he nor his human partner had stopped moaning or moving. So wrapped up in this other girl, he had abandoned his heightened sense of smell in favor of focusing on the feeling of this human wrapped around his cock. Colette sneered in disgust at the and sped through the house until she was in their upstairs bedroom, watching the act for herself. She stopped only for a split second, watching her brother in the most intimate act with someone not her. With each thrust, Colette felt a pain shoot through her, a ghost of the emotions she had felt as a human. That pain passed, though, and she crossed the room in one swift movement. Slender fingers wrapped around the human’s head and, as if pulling the lid off a bottle, Colette twisted the human’s neck. 

Her spine made a sickening, yet highly satisfying snap. The girl’s entire body went slack, but Colette could hear the faintest sound of a heartbeat. With claw-like nails, Colette reached through the girl’s chest and pulled out her still beating heart, threw the heart on the bed beside her, and let the girl fall – face first – down on Courtney with him still inside her. The murder had taken only a moment, so rapid were the movements of the vampire. The girl’s blood seeped out of the wound and Colette had to refrain from feeding, instead focusing on the anger she felt towards her brother at this very moment. 

“In our fucking bed,” she growled, the guttural words tearing through her lips.

[nightflowerwrites-blog]

Attention || Remy & Tab

Tab dragged his feet as they were walking across the grass. He missed the cities. There was at least something to look at other than bushes, trees, tall grass, he wanted something else. Crumbling buildings at least had the mystery of what they were. He may not have known how they got that way, but he liked to imagine that some angel did it. He didn’t know how the war ended but it did end and the one fact he did know was there were no more angels being create. This was it. This static number that lived on this planet was it.

“Where are we going?” He asked with a sigh. “How much longer?”

He already knew the answer was going to be a growl or maybe a shut up if he was lucky. He just had to ask though. He couldn’t take the silence anymore.

“Reeemy,” he whined, “pay attention to me.”

[nolessthan5ships]

Walking, always walking. Across crumbling cities, through abandoned towns, over the river and through the woods… Remy smirked at his own bad joke. The walking was getting monotonous, but they couldn’t very well just sit around and wait. Not with who Tab was and who was hunting him. They needed to keep moving. Never stay in the same place for more than a couple days and never letting anyone know where they were. 

Remy gave an annoyed, side eye glance at Tab as he continued to whine. Damn angel could never take the silence. Weird that something who should have no real concept of time could get bored, but here he was, whining about whatever was bothering him. The witch spun on his heel and quickly turned to the angel behind him. “What?” he snapped. Rethinking the action, his face softened and he took a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Tab. I know you don’t want to be out much longer. We’ll find a place and camp out soon, maybe a few miles more. I just want to put as much space between us and those hunters as possible.”

The hunters he was speaking in reference to were dead, strangled by a particularly useful vine that Remy had been lucky enough to remember how to enchant at the last possible second. The couple were about thirty miles back, but Remy didn’t want to risk anything by camping too early. Not with how humans seemed to be hunting lately. Not just in pairs anymore. It seemed that everyone was part of a pack. Almost like wolves. For Remy and Tab, it meant that any hunters they killed might have a family waiting in the wings to attack as soon as the two thought they were safe. So, unfortunately for Tab, this meant that they had to put as much distance as possible between them and the last hunters.  

[nolessthan5ships]

You Look Like My Next Mistake | August and Archie

Archie grunted and pulled the other man into a deep kiss. It was like August was sunshine and Archie needed to defrost. He grunted and ground his body against the other mutant, his body already begging for a release. A very small part of his brain told him that this was stupid and wrong, but he ignored his conscious in place of pleasure. “Fuck,” he grunted. August tasted like cinnamon and sunshine.

[nolessthan5ships]

Wake Up | Adelaide and Adrian

[nightflowerwrites-blog]

“Don’t blame me for your problems Adelaide,” Adrian snapped, standing up from the blood covered floor. “You wanted to be different. You wanted to tell them no. Which is why they were always disappointed in you. You could have just done what they asked. Why couldn’t you have done just that?” He had no idea why she was so angry. He never remembered that about her but then again maybe he forgot all the bad when she was dead. Maybe she had always been like this and he never knew until now. “And you couldn’t handle your guilt so you had to drag me down with you.” Adrian snorted as he ran his hand through his hair. “There is no rule that says I have to stay here with you. And I don’t plan on it.”

[nolessthan5ships]

“Fine,” she retorted. “Leave! Have a fun time figuring all of this out on your own!” She crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin, defiantly. Turning him had been the wrong decision. Her mind had been so clouded by loneliness that she had entirely forgotten what it had felt like when she was initially turned. And now she’d gone and turned him into something he would hate for the rest of his eternal life. The look of defiance on her face softened as she stared down the man who had formerly been her other half. She would not apologize for what she had done; him living an eternal life full of hatred for her was better than her outliving him by centuries. But she could still regret the pain that she caused him.

[nightflowerwrites-blog]

Rain

[nightflowerwrites-blog]

August pouted a bit as he watched Mara leave him alone. As much as he loved spending alone time with Archie, he did not want to talk about this subject with him. He never wanted to talk about this subject with anymore.  Least of all with him. There was somethings he hated talking about and this was his only secret that he had left. Something he wasn’t ready to share with the world just yet.

He let out a long sigh as he was dragged over to the side of the room and rolled his eyes. What was the best reaction to this lecture. Tuning him out or just making comments in the middle of his speech. Turning him out seemed like the best bet. He didn’t why it matter that people officially knew about his other power that only seemed to show up in times of distress. The only time he seemed to be able to do it was in the dark and he was not about to repeat it just to prove a point for Archie.

“I was here the whole time. You just didn’t pay attention.”

Lying to adults. Is this what his life was coming too?

“Anything else or am I free to leave?”

[nolessthan5ships]

Archie closed his eyes in frustration and groaned. This kid was going to be the absolute death of him. Why? Why could he not easier to deal with? Why couldn’t he just understand what Archie was trying to do? “I really didn’t want it to have to come to this,” he grumbled under his breath. 

The older mutant opened his eyes and locked them with August’s. The consequences of this were going to suck. It took only a moment to sift through August’s recent memories in order to come up with the proof of the other world that the younger had visited. Once he had seen it, Archie pulled himself from the younger man’s mind as fast as he could without touching too many other thoughts. He straightened himself up and took a step back from the man.

“Now you’re free to go,” he muttered. He was annoyed with the man, but knew that the annoyance could just have been chalked up to the fact that he was forced to use a power that was not meant to see the sun often.

[nolessthan5ships]

Wake Up | Adelaide and Adrian

[nightflowerwrites-blog]

One minute she was beside him and the next he could feel her on him. Pushing down on him as that made her point any clearer to him. Inhuman? No one was inhuman except demons. So is that what she made him? A demon? Cursed to live forever and never die? “I will never forgive you Adelaide,” he spoke with venom in his voice. “You should have just stayed dead rather than drag me to the same depths as you.”

[nolessthan5ships]

A fury tore through the girl and she shoved her brother’s shoulders hard against the floor. “It is because of you that I am in this mess,” she said, gnashing her teeth. “Had you not been born the perfect son that you are, I would not be constantly disappointing our mother and father. I would not have been in the wrong part of town, begging for anyone to treat me as something other than an object to be bought and sold between men! I would not have been approached by some inhuman man who offered me the world. I would not have been turned into this... this thing! Had I just been given some respect in the family, none of this would have happened. But here we are. You, the perfect son no longer, and me, the demon who turned you.” She stood and sped across the room, picking up a rat and throwing it – decapitated – to her brother. “You may think you wish me dead now, but just wait. This pain is just the beginning, Adrian.”

[nightflowerwrites-blog]

Married Life || Anya & Herbert

[nolessthan5ships]

 nightflowerwrites:

“Sounds exciting,” he answered, not really excited about the thought. In truth her job bored him. He didn’t understand it. How could a person find pleasure in designing other people’s offices and houses? It was so mundane. Then again, his ‘job’ wasn’t any better. “Meet with some clients.” Truth. “Took on some new cases.” Truth. “And went to court today.” Truth. Well lie. He hadn’t step foot in a court in years. He did go out though and planned out he was going to kill his next mark. That was what he did. He planned on ‘winning a case’ tomorrow and getting paid. “Nothing exciting I’m afraid.”

“Well,” she replied, holding the knife so tightly in her hand that her knuckles were white, “It still sounds more interesting than what I did today.” Why why had she married this man? Love? They both knew their relationship was bullshit. It didn’t mean anything to either of them. Maybe, in the beginning there was something. But not anymore. Now she just wanted to kill him and leave this shit life behind like she’d been wanting to for the last year. “Why don’t you go wash up. Dinner will be ready soon.”

[nolessthan5ships]

Wake Up | Adelaide and Adrian

[nightflowerwrites-blog]

Adrian didn’t know what the words he was supposed to use anymore. Intoxication was one. Especially as he lifted his head from the body, his mouth stained from the blood. He wanted more. It felt like once he started, he couldn’t stop, he didn’t want to stop and that scared him. Yet every time he blinked, it seemed as though the world became sharper, somehow clearer. He could hear more than just the inside of their room. He knew there was no heartbeat inside their room except for the small beats from inside the walls. Mice maybe? 

“What did you do Adelaide?”

[nolessthan5ships]

Despite his tone, Adelaide’s smile grew. She leaned forward and kissed his cheek, capturing some of the residual blood on his face with her lips and licking them clean. “Nothing that I regret,” she answered. “Nor will you. This may be scary at the moment, but you will, soon, see my side of this. The gifts that I have given you will make you a fantastic being. You could go up against a mountain and end the victor of the battle. You will never again feel weak.” With inhuman speed, Adelaide moved across the floor and sat herself upon her brother’s lap, hips to hips, holding him in place with her weight. The smile was still firmly in place. “I made you inhuman.”

[nightflowerwrites-blog]

Married Life || Anya & Herbert

[nightflowerwrites-blog]

Shez thought about how easy it would be to just leave. Just up and leave his wife. The neighbors would talk about it at least. Everyone would feel sorry for her and surely try to make him out to be the villain in her little story. He personally didn’t care. This life was not what he wanted. Sure the cover story was nice. He had a home to come back to when the work was done. He had someone who cared about the fake him but it was just aggravating in a way. Everything was too perfect for him. “Good plan,” he commented absentmindedly. “Any other projects going on with you or just the one?”

[nolessthan5ships]

“This is all for now,” she told him. “I have a meeting with a potential client tomorrow who wants me to help layout his offices so we’ll see how that pans out.” This was a half truth. She did have a meeting tomorrow, but it had absolutely nothing to do with the layout of offices. More so the head sitting the freezer of her office waiting to be delivered to the woman who ordered it. But she needed to change the subject from herself. This mundane conversation was driving her crazy. “What about you? How was your day?”

[nightflowerwrites-blog]

Angel vs Human

[nightflowerwrites-blog]

Sammael didn’t much care for anything this human was saying. He didn’t understand why it even mattered. Wi-Fi? What was that even? Should he pretend to care or just not. He did understand the love your neighbor bit but he didn’t see how it applied. Certainly this human did not have a “personal” relationship with his God but he went on quoting the bible like he did. 

"Use it, replace it. Wi-Fi sucks. And you’re girlfriend practically lives here" he rattled off, uninterested in the conversation as it stood. This was going to be the longest three months of his life and he actually had to go through it, in order. "How much do I owe you for this month then? Before I forget."

He could hear the angels teaching him how to be human, their orders and how he was apparently failing them all as he mentally checked them all off. Running his hand through his hair he sighed, knowing he needed to work on it. “Sorry. I’m tired. My name is Sammael. Short stay and then I’m off. So this short term works for you yes?”

[nolessthan5ships]

"Short works best," Huntington replied. He held out his hand for Sammael to shake. "Huntington, but you can call me Hunt if you want. I know it’s a mouthful. Rent is five hundred a month. Can I call you Sam or would you prefer Sammael?" 

Huntington was talking a lot, and he knew it. He just had question after comment after question. It was like his mouth never seemed to want to stop running. Usually he was fine, but occasionally, when trying to impress some one or make a good first impression, his voice acted like a faucet that just wouldn’t turn off. He wasn’t exactly sure how to stop it, but none of his friends or family members seemed to care. At least, no one had said anything to him yet. He usually calmed down after a bit. 

[nightflowerwrites-blog]

Rain

[nightflowerwrites-blog]

Wrapping his arms around Mara he shivered slightly, adjusting to her coldness. “Couldn’t keep warm without me?” He teased her while warming her up back to normal. 

The students looked grateful that the class was over. As the weather manipulator left, so did some of the students, out searching for the sun to warm them up after this winter.

August didn’t want to explain anything to anyone. Least of all the professor. He would split him from Mara, which was the last thing he wanted. Then again he wasn’t even sure what he was doing any more. Whatever it was he did, he rarely happened and when it did, it happened without him knowing. He didn’t want to train to perfect it. He didn’t even want to do it to begin with. Some were nice like today was, but others were things from nightmares. Russian Roulette with the world he landed in.

"Explaining?" He feigned the response with tilting his head slightly as Mara left him alone, retreating from the two of them. "Were you watching me Professor? You should have been watching the whole class, not just me" he smirked. "So if you were doing your job, you wouldn’t have seen be sneak by you. But if you want to admit to staring at me, please go ahead. I could use the ego boost."

[nolessthan5ships]

"Mr. Moore," Archie shook his head, not really wanting to joke around about this. "This is serious. A manifestation of unknown powers is something that needs to be figured out.” The older mutant then turned to the girl. “I’m sorry, Mara, could August and I have a moment alone? He can report back everything I said to you when we’re done, but I need his full attention right now.”

As soon as the girl was gone, Archie wrapped his fingers gently around August’s arm and pulled him off to the side of the room, away from the last few remaining students. “Look, August, I know that you disappeared one moment then showed up across the room in the next. I know you probably don’t know what happened to you, and you need some answers. Being changed to a different training group or getting a private tutor could really help you. No actions will be taken without your consent, but this does need to be talked about with some higher ups. With things like this, people need to be informed. You could have easily hurt yourself or someone else with that jump without meaning to, because you don’t know how it works. If you do, just prove it to the board and they’ll let you continue on the same track, no issues.”

Archie lifted his hand and held it, palm up, towards August, as if to offer his explanation in hopes that August would accept it. “I just want what’s best for you, August.” He paused, then dropped his hand. “I want what’s best for all my students.”

The last part was more of a comment to save his own ass. Though it was very true, Archie couldn’t have August thinking that the older mutant favored him.

[nolessthan5ships]

A Political Arrangement | Olympia and Shota

[nightflowerwrites-blog]

Shota wasn’t sure but he at least knew a swear word when it was muttered in his direction. He didn’t care. He stopped caring a long time ago. He wasn’t his brother, who groomed his appearance and cultivated his media presence. He wasn’t well liked like his mother. He wasn’t social like his father. All of them seemed to be the perfect family without him in the mix. They understood politics far better than he did. He could a least play the game from his lessons, it did not mean he enjoyed it.

Her question though caught him slightly off guard. He wasn’t sure how he was ever supposed to answer the question fully. She knew nothing about him or his family. It had as little to do with him as it did his parents. She assumed he had a choice in the matter. In his world his only choice was the obey his parents wishes without argument. 

“In my family there is no questioning what your parents ask you to do,” he replied stiffly, leaning against the railing.

He looked up at ceiling and looked at the same art he had seen his entire life. It felt like his life was changing when in reality he was just getting married. He didn’t want to leave the capital, and he doubted he had too, but the feeling felt like something major had changed in his life, even if he couldn’t put his finger on it.

“My parents wanted to make a promising offer and the crowned prince is a better offer than a prince. Even if my brother would have been a better match.” He paused as he looked away from the ceiling and back towards Olympia on the couch. “Not as exciting as yours I’m aware. But it is what it is.”

[nolessthan5ships]

Olympia pursed her lips and cleared her throat. No wonder he hadn’t gotten married yet. Shota was a very attractive man, but her first impression of him was not a good one. “I don’t know,” she replied. “I think I wouldn’t mind something about that. It shows that you feel a sense of duty for your country. You may think that your brother was the right choice, but you’re either so submissive that you do whatever your told or some part of you thinks that you can do it and do it well.” She lifted her head and looked at him. “I think it’s the latter, don’t you?”

The question was rhetorical, but she really hoped that he got the point. Even if it didn’t boost his ego and make him at the very least kinder like she had wanted, she did believe it. Though, that could have just been because she wanted to think that she was worth more than simply one’s duty. “Either way, its better than having all of your romantic shortcomings and mistakes thrown across all of social media for the world to see.” 

She stood and crossed the room to where a small table of food and drink had been set up for them. It was often said that a couple was lucky when they got to have a bite of their own cake at their wedding, and the maids had likely planned accordingly. She took a glass of champaign from the table and sipped at the contents, not quite knowing what to do next. Her husband did not seem to be very forthcoming with information. In fact, he was almost hostile. Part of her was interested as to why, but another part – a stronger part – simply wanted him to at least try to make this thing work. Despite the fact that this was a very rocky start, Olympia still believed that they could have a happy marriage if only both parties were willing to do the work necessary. She was, was he?

[nightflowerwrites-blog]

Married Life || Anya & Herbert

[nightflowerwrites-blog]

He knew he needed to pretend to care about her job. She seemed to enjoy it well enough but god he hated listening to her talk about the different shades of colors. Red was red. There was red and dark red, not blood red or whatever shit she was talking about now. All he could think about was the same shade of blood that came out of bodies and wondered if someone actually compared the color to the paint to see how accurate it was. But she had been the one to decorate their house. He did like how she had decorated the house, he didn’t have to do anything which made it easy when they had bought the house. “Why would someone want to decorate their whole house one color? That just seems boring in reality.”

[nolessthan5ships]

Holy fuck, it was boring. This was boring. He was boring. Anya wanted nothing more than to take the knife in her hand and throw it as hard as she could directly at her husband's head. For a moment she actually considered it. But the mess would have been too much to clean up, and she really didn't want to have to deal with that. Plus, what if she missed his heart? Not likely, but then she would have to take him to the hospital and come up with some explanation as to why she had stabbed him. "Yes, it is boring," she replied. "But it's not our house and he pays well, so I'm trying not to put too much thought and stress in to the whole thing."