I’m face to face with the one who claimed responsibility for everything. The one who launched an attack on the academy I was at, and lived to tell the tale.
Alicia Rivera, famed terrorist, is in that doorway.
---
I've expected to get used to it. But as of yet, I didn't. It still overwhelms me. A room of new recruits, falling silent, staring at me with huge eyes. Some of them have been taught to fear me half their lives, some have hoped for me to come and save them. Some even both.
It's worse this time, though. I'm not the athletic, heroic fighter they expect to see. I've been limping down the stairs outside, forced to stop twice when the pain in my hip has become unbearable. Now, there's an artificial smile on my face, encouraging and welcoming.
Years in front of cameras have made me fluent in the language of facial expressions. I stand straight, my hand that is clutching at the doorframe for stability hidden from their eyes. I'm here as the hero who freed them. There's a responsibility to this.
I don't know them, save for the boy who carried me out. Grayson. I greet him with a grin. He decided to stick around. Good news.
"Hey guys", I say to nobody in particular, my voice more even than I expected. "I'm Alicia. Glad you're sticking around. Welcome to the third shittiest Resistance safe house we got." I lift a hand, fighting to keep it steady, and point at the kitchenette. "At least this one has booze."
The couch is right in front of me, and I take a huge step towards it with my good leg. At least my muscles are mostly intact. I bite back a whine, as I settle on the blueish thing, but at least I made it to sitting without embarrassing myself.
"Lilly Atwood", I say. "Nice to finally meet you."
I commissioned this piece a while ago from @shepscapades for the wonderful @cirianne! Featuring her Alicia, my Lilly, and @writingonesdreams‘s Grayson on the night Lilly met Alicia for the first time!
Thanks again @shepscapades! It’s truly a pleasure to see your hard work like this!
Oh my goodness!!!! I was the Anon who asked about Lysandre; since I'm new to the blog, I hadn't seen the comic- but I've read through it, and I'm in LOVE!! The comic is amazing!!! I'm so invested, just wanted to say thank you for clarification and I'm really looking forward to reading more!!!!
aaaaaaa, thank you so much for reading!!!!! I am so glad!!! that you’re enjoying the story so far!!!! I can’t wait to draw more of it!!!
@fandomescapades replied to your post “Yogswap AU”
I need to know about Sips and Sjin!
OH JEEZ I FORGOT ABOUT THEM thank you for reminding me!
Sipsco is but a simple fertilizer company, that is REALLY rich. They only sell natural stuff, their main export being dirt and fertilizer, and they’re a farmer’s go-to for anything related to the sort. But they can’t really be that rich by simply selling cow shit, right...?
Absolutely right. Sips is a man of connection, the big CEO who always knows a guy for a job. He knows how to sell you cow shit, but he also knows that there’s more ways to make some big bucks out there. The face of Sipsco doesn’t need to do the dirty work, but has a system in place for when its needed. So when the totally legal exchanges are exposed, he can easily cut ties and carry on like its nothing at all.
So, who does the dirty work? No one other than Sjin, of course. Head of the illegalities that goes on behind closed doors, he’s fairly skilled at the art of lying, and can easily draw people in with his charm. Since his branch is already loose as it is, Sips turns a blind eye towards whatever Sjin does, so long as he doesn’t give away stuff for free or talk about him. So after illegal dealings got boring (somehow???) Sjin started blood magic! Don’t worry, all his blood comes from locally sourced ranch animals.
I manage to get to his side and keep pace with him.
"I just wanted to say thanks," I tell him, watching him and how he walks. His hands in his pockets, leaned forward, not even looking at me. "For what you said back there. Those guys were..."
---
That stops me in my tracks.
Thanks?
I don't remember the last time someone said 'thanks' to me. It's a little...stunning.
"Think nothing of it, Atwood. I didn't do it for you."
Oh really? And who did I do it for?
Happy birthday @writingonesdreams! I hope you have a wonderful day!
And I really hope you like this art I commissioned for you from the always amazing @fandomescapades! Featuring that time Lilly and Grayson properly introduce themselves to one another! XD of course this is set in the wonderful @cirianne‘s Street Magic Universe.
I wish you all the best, and I really hope you like this present!
A little Lilly/Grayson story I wrote for @writingonesdreams set in @cirianne‘s Street Magic universe, and is set much later than the rest of the stories I’ve written so far :D I hope you enjoy it friend!
I don’t remember falling asleep, but waking up and not feeling Grayson asleep beside me – just a cold, empty space – is a surprise.
I open my eyes, blinking away the sleep and trying to look around to see if where Grayson is. Maybe he’s getting dressed and letting me have a lie in this morning. But Grayson isn’t in here at all. It’s just me and our children in the crib opposite the bed.
The relative silence of the house is actually a nice change. Being able to wake up myself without baby-o-clock going off instead is a wonderful feeling, and I don’t feel nearly as tired as I have done these last few days. Grayson has been gracious enough to handle the night-time shifts with the twins, but it still doesn’t explain why he isn’t still here, asleep, with me.
I grab my enormous, woolly cardigan from the floor and wrap it around me, tiptoeing across the creaky wooden floor towards the crib, and to my surprise, only one of our girls is here. Little Grace, sound asleep snuggled in her duckling yellow blanket, content and comfortable.
I don’t think I’ll ever get over the peaceful stillness in her little face, her rosy red cheeks and button nose, her ghostly wisps of dark hair that are just about coming through. She’s almost identical to her older sister – except little Lucy has a tiny birthmark on the back of her left hand.
Grayson must be with Lucy, if Grace is still here. Maybe she got fussy and he’s getting their bottles ready.
Oh well, best go join him and get this little one woken up and fed.
She barely makes a sound as I reach in and lift her gently out of the crib, lifting her up and holding her close.
“Morning, Gracie,” I whisper. She coos a little, and I can feel her stir in my arms, but she’s okay. “You had a nice, long sleep? That’s good for you, little one.”
Still wrapped in her cosy little blanket, I make my way out of our bedroom to the common area, whispering in her ear, taking care not to wake up the other residents here. We seem to be a household of light sleepers in this place, and the last few weeks adjusting to having the twins around has probably had a profound effect on the sleeping patterns of the other inhabitants. Of course, some like Casey and Anna have offered to help when they have the chance, but it doesn’t seem fair when we the parents are home with them almost all the time.
Opening the bedroom door, I’m startled by the figure in the common area over there. Leaning back on the sofa, not moving. I can hear the gentle breathing that can only be coming from there. I quickly recognise the messy mop of black hair, and it’s Grayson. I make my way around the furniture to go see him, before I realise that he is laid there – fast asleep – with Lucy on his chest.
I stop in my tracks, not daring to interrupt the wonderfully heart-warming sight before me.
Grayson is asleep, head carefully resting on the child’s, holding her carefully in his embrace. Lucy is peacefully slumbering too, on his chest. Of course, Grayson has loved our girls from the moment they were born, but the simple way in which they are sleeping together, not a care in the world, with just them. He looks so natural with her there. I don’t want to disturb this, but I want to remember it forever.
Reaching for the heavy weight of the phone in my cardigan pocket, I open the camera and take a moment to capture this memory. Click. There he is, with one of his little girls.
“I think Daddy is a bit tired, Gracie,” I whisper, “we’ll get our breakfast first, shall we?”
The baby in my arms rubs her eyes a little, but I can hear the little coo she made as an answer to my question.
“Good point, come on Gracie.”
And even whilst I quietly get Grace’s bottle, he never moved from his spot, and the warmth I feel when I look at him there makes my heart melt all over again.
The simplest thing to remind me that Grayson is the person I love with all my heart, and I know he loves us three too. But I’ll let him sleep, first. Let him stay like that for just a bit longer.
Art by the amazing @fandomescapades, thank you again!
Lilly’s eyes widen at the gift presented, unwrapping the glinting paper to discover the snow white lilies inside. There is such pure joy and astoundemnt on her face, it’s practically gleaming with joy.
“Oh my god, Grayson! They are so beautiful.”
I don’t think I can take such intense gleam at once. Averting my gaze I sheepishly run a hand behind my neck, at loss for words.
Lilly isn’t though, as she throws her arms around my neck so strongly, that she topples me over to sit on the chair. “Thank you so much.” She says into my neck as I hold her in my arms as we sit on the chair together.
“Is this why you and Casey disappeared for hours and you didn’t want to tell me what you did?” I chuckle at the memory and pull away to catch her face in my hands.“You are a mess,” I say to her and kiss the piece of butter from her nose.
She laughs, in that melodic enchanting way that I can’t get enough of and kisses me. Sitting across my lap like that, while I hold her up in my arms, I lose myself in that kiss. In how deep and sweet it is and how much of Lilly I can taste in it.
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Happy birthday @writingonesdreams!! I hope you have an amazing day!
Here’s some art I commissioned from the lovely, talented, amazing @fandomescapades for you! Some Good Content #Lillson4Lyf immortalised here for you!! Based off this Incredibly Soft Valentines Day Piece that I love so so much, it’s easily my favourite! (the drabble is set in @cirianne‘s Street Magic universe!) Thank you so much for writing it, and for creating such an amazing character!
