For the fic ask game: W for bw Evka and Antoine please!!
Did you forget asking me this for the fic ask game, @epiphany-jones? I didn’t! My brain just stubbornly refused to go back into canon-realm while on the BW fixation and then, as you know, even more stubbornly refused to do anything at all. Why it decided to abruptly spit this out all at once, I cannot say, but here it is.
(I did slightly misremember the full prompt and only remembered ‘waiting’ but, uh… I mean, look, it’s halfway there, right?)
W. Waiting for something impatiently
It is a matter of patience and strategy, these days, to secure a moment or two of the First Warden’s time.
Antoine did not have too much cause to complain. He did, after all, manage to secure a great many more of them than most. But they were often stolen things, tucked in where time allowed—more often than they once were, less often than he’d like.
Fortunately, he is inventive.
There is a short queue of people waiting beyond the closed door of Evka’s office. (There is always a queue of people waiting beyond the door of Evka’s office. On better days, it is short.) It is understood, generally, that Antoine will join it with the rest to wait his turn. In official matters, after all, he is a Senior Warden of no other particular distinction, and posted at the Hold to boot. The same can’t be said for all gathered, on either count. It is unfortunate for them, then, that he is not here on official matters today.
“Ah—my apologies. Martin must have been called away or he would have been here to tell you—” Martin had indeed been called away. By Antoine. But technically, true. Yes. “—the First Warden has obligations this afternoon and will not be available for the next few hours. If you have anything written to deliver, I’m happy to pass it along.”
Grumbling follows, naturally. (There is also always grumbling.) And a few reports, which Antoine tucks neatly beneath his own to rediscover after dinner. Then the group disperses, and he is left alone to wait.
Five minutes is entirely reasonable. Ten, even—whoever is with her beyond the door waited just as he is, surely, after all. At a quarter of an hour, Antoine decides it’s been plenty of time to have made it through the major points, whatever they are. The nuances will keep. He gives a brief rap on the door but does not wait to open it.
Two sets of eyes turn up at the sound. Evka herself blinks and then raises an eyebrow at him, the silent question plain. Beside her, Rook doesn’t lift her finger from the long paper unrolled across the desktop before them, but her face does brighten with the sudden smile.
“Pardon! If I’d known it was you in here, I would have interrupted much sooner.”
She laughs and withdraws her hand. “I was wondering where you were. I popped by your workshop when I got in earlier.”
He holds up the battered leather folio containing his own report. “The old manor again. The soil there finally seems to be starting to recover. But that’s not what you’ve come for. Please, unless you’d prefer I step back out…”
“Why make Evka repeat it later?” she grins and returns her attention to the desk. After one more look, more skeptical than searching now, Evka does the same as Rook resumes whatever it was she’d been saying. “So… right, yeah. Here—it’s about a two-day ride south of Brynnlaw on my side. They’re not coming up anywhere I can find along the edge of the forest, so we’re thinking something must have opened up not too far inside. Dav and I figured…”
It goes on a few minutes more, an excellent opportunity to set the reports gathered from those he sent away down for later.
“Alright,” Evka says eventually. “I like it. You two let me know how many you think you’ll need and we’ll go from there.”
“He ought to be coming in today, too. I’ll catch him and we’ll come back to—” Rook falters only briefly as Antoine catches her eye. The adjustment comes quickly. “—morrow. Morning. Once we’ve gotten some names together.”
Not quickly enough (of course, with Evka, it rarely is). “Mm,” she says, looking between them. “Tomorrow then.”
Rook rolls up the paper but leaves it neatly to the side of the desk. “Left a few bags of that coffee you liked in your shop, by the way,” she says. “And I’ve got a message from Viago. Something about Ghoul’s Beard. Find me when you’re free.”
“My thanks on all counts,” he tells her, though of course he means mostly for the one where she leaves. Given the quick wink on her way past, she seems to have gathered as much.
“He doesn’t need more coffee,” Evka grumbles, and Rook’s laughter is abruptly muffled by the door she pulls closed again behind her.
“She’s a week or two early, no?”
“Soil?”
Again, Antoine raises the folio. “A report—for the First Warden’s consideration.”
She does not seem to have quite decided whether she is amused or bothered. “You’re here to bring me a report on soil.”
“There are some very promising signs,” he assures her, which is quite true. And then, “I waited,” which is certainly not.
Perhaps amused is winning. Only just. “You waited out there.”
“I did.”
“On the line.”
“It was my turn.”
“But you didn’t notice Rook, standing right in front of you.”
There is that, yes. “Some others may have wandered away,” he concedes. “I’m sure they will return.”
Evka rolls her eyes, hand outstretched for the folio, though a hint of a smile does appear all the same. “I’m sure they will,” she says, and opens the cover to look briefly down at the top page. She does not sound the slightest bit surprised when she adds, but a moment later, “This is blank.”
“Oh, no, it is quite dense, I assure you,” Antoine takes it back when she extends it towards him, if only to set it to the side. “An hour’s worth of reading at the very least. Perhaps two.”
“Antoine.”
“It may even need your attention through dinner—to address any questions.”
No longer a hint, her smile, but a battle, and one she seems disinclined to fight for much longer. (A promising sign.) “You know I can’t.”
“Mon cœur, no one is in the hall—”
“Because you got rid of them, I’m assuming.”
“—and if something pressing comes up, we are not exactly well hidden here, no? Someone will come along.”
Evka considers that, her hands on her hips, and there is a smile, yes… though not a decision. Not yet.
But Antoine has nowhere else to be than right here, where she is, now or any other time. He does not mind to wait.
“Just this once,” she finally says, and allows him to catch her hand, to draw it up until he can press his lips to the back of her fingers.
Just this once is perfectly fine. He can come up with something new next time. He is, after all, inventive.
“You’re pretty,” Dazai whispers, even though he knows the other man is asleep, he can’t help but say it, he had to be the most beautiful thing in existence.
He reached out gently move the ginger locks out of his face, allowing him to see more of his peaceful expression.
Dazai scooted a little closer, careful not to wake him, so that they were breathing the same air.
“And you’re all mine,” he whispers with a teasing lilt, just in case Chuuya heard him; he couldn’t just give him a compliment after all.
this post by @yeah-ephi hit me over the head with inspiration so. there is this now.
please enjoy
summary:
There is blood under this Clancy's nails, blood in his teeth. His knuckles are split, almost perpetually, like his skin has given up on healing wounds that it knows will always come back.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
The Drs. Fenton had finished their portal project earlier.
It wasn’t a fourteen year old Danny that stepped into the machine that day, it was a fourteen year old Jazz.
No one knew about her secret other than Danny, who was eleven at the time, and saw the whole thing.
She would use her new powers to help ghosts and humans, while also dodging her parents attacks.
Danny mostly keeps their parents distracted and ruins their inventions before they can get back to Jazz.
Until they nearly catch her one day, and Danny jumps in the way to protect her.
The blast hit his right side and knocked him out, but the Fenton parents didn’t once stop to see if their son was ok.
It was the last straw for Jazz, she took Danny and left.
—
And that decision left them both here, in a questionable apartment, dodging bats and birds from one direction, and an adoption obsessed billionaire in the other.
But Danny was safe, and was making friends in school.
And Jazz had made friends too, her, Babs, Steph, and Cass got along like a house on fire. And hey, if she put in some extra effort to look nice when she hung out with Cass, that was her business.
It was also oddly easy to fake their paperwork, but maybe that was just because they were in Gotham.
Now if she could just get Danny to stop fist fighting the damn rogues…
—
I actually wrote this for the art, not the other way around lmao.
(All of the pose references I used are by mellon_soup on TikTok and Patreon. Check them out!.)
Tagged by the absolutely phenomenal one and only @hedwig221b (omg hi?? thank you so, so much!)
Works Published: 1
Comment Threads: 2
Word Count: 6634
Top 3 Kudosed Fics:
🥇 Back to the start
Top Word Count:
🥇 Back to the start
Top Ships:
🥇 Sterek
Top 3 Tags:
🥇 Angst
🥈 Humour
🥉Time travel fix it
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It's definitely not about quantity. I'm not convinced it's quality either but I haven't published anything online in over ten years. So to me this feels like an unbelievable milestone! (And I am still freaking out!!!)
Behind the scenes I've written 56,695 words this year on 4 different sterek fics (including the one above) but the idea of actually sharing them (especially in their entirety) has always reduced me to a giant puddle on the floor.
So since this is a new year thing I just want to say an absolutely massive, mega thank you to ALL the moots - each and every single one of you - because to me, you made this possible!
And er. One day. I might actually finish one of the other projects. And when that day comes, thanks to you, I might actually publish them!
Extra super duper special shout outs to the people who boosted me, rooted for me, distracted me, inspired me and, in one case, threw chips at me and kept kicking me. Cariad ti. Thank you. 💙💙💙
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So! No pressure whatsoever to @greyhavenisback @gege-wondering-around @jadezdominion @novasillies @all-or-nothing-baby
Uploaded the first chapter of my Silvertorch fanfiction :)
PREVIEW
He couldn’t explain it, even to himself. Every night for the past week since the battle it had been the same vision: drifting weightless through a void of violet stars, hand-in-hand with a woman made of starlight. They didn’t speak - didn’t need to - it was as if their souls were one. Her presence was gravity, her touch an inferno felt even though his powers.
And when he looked at her, he felt two things: a heartbreak so old it had turned quiet… and love.
The kind of love that made you do impossible things, the kind that left scars on the very foundation of your soul. Only there were two problems. One, Johnny Storm had never met her; and two, Johnny Storm didn’t do love....
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
Hey lovely, how about 43 from the smut dialogue list if you’re still looking for inspo - and maybe buddie as the ship? (I may have started reading a few fics and it might be about to become a problem…) but any ship that takes your fancy if you’re prefer!
Hello my dear pal!! I am so so excited you're reading some Buddie!! xox
I am so sorry this took this long to write (I've had some real rollercoaster ups and downs over the past few days with this silly broken leg bullshit). So anyway - here is where my brain went! (Keep in mind, I am lots of painkillers and have barely written in months!)
43. “Slowly, baby, I’m not going anywhere.”
Show My Mouth (Your Favorite Places)
Buddie, ~2300 words, Explicit
tags: getting together, first time, Eddie Diaz has yet another close call, gratuitous use of italics, only lightly beta'd by me, set somewhere vaguely post season 7ish?
They’re barely through the door of Buck’s loft and Buck immediately has Eddie backed up against it, reaching out to run a hand over Eddie’s chest.
“I’m fine, Buck,” Eddie says again, and yeah, okay, it’s probably the tenth time he’s repeated the words but that was too close a call, and Buck says as much as Eddie tips his head back against the door, his eyes closed.
“Take your shirt off,” Buck says, reaching for the hem of Eddie’s t-shirt. It’s dirty and torn and Eddie doesn’t protest, doesn’t even open his eyes, just lifts his arms and lets Buck pull the rough fabric over his head.
“If you wanted to get me out of my clothes, all you had to do was ask,” Eddie says and Buck freezes.
“I just. I need to see you’re okay,” he says finally, and Eddie just smiles.
“Help yourself. I told you, the thing barely grazed me.”
Buck doesn’t answer, just flips on the light and runs his hands lightly over Eddie’s chest. There are some scrapes, a few spots that will probably bruise, but Buck has to admit Eddie is probably right, the damage is superficial. Buck doesn’t really pay attention to what his hands are doing, caught in the memory of the way the tree had come down and for one, brief, terrifying moment he’d thought… He’d thought. That’s all.
He’s still thinking, lost in it when Eddie says, his voice rough, “Buck.”
“What?” Buck startles back to the moment and realizes he’s been, well.
He’s been gently stroking Eddie’s bare chest, and Eddie’s eyes are open now, dark and intense, fixed on Buck’s face. His skin is slightly goosebumped and his nipples are tight buds on his broad chest. Buck rips his gaze away and swallows, his throat dry.
He’s worked so hard to just be chill, is the thing. After he and Tommy broke up (no real drama, just Tommy gently letting him down), Buck has been so, well. Aware of men, is the thing. Men in general and one man in particular. Buck knows he’s been weird about Eddie from the very beginning, and he knows Eddie is just as weird about him, and there have been moments where he’s thought… maybe… but he’s never been sure. Never seen a look on Eddie’s face like the one currently leveled at him.
“Are you, um. Are you cold?” he whispers and Eddie’s mouth curves.
“Not even a bit,” Eddie says, and his voice is so low and gravelly, it legitimately sends a shiver down Buck’s spine.
“Are you in pain?”
Eddie just shakes his head, not breaking his gaze.
“I, just.” Buck’s heart is pounding. It feels like an avalanche in his chest, and under his hands, he can feel Eddie’s heart racing, just as fast. “Eddie,” Buck says, his voice pleading, although he doesn’t even know what it is he’s asking for.
Eddie knows though, the way Eddie always knows.
Eddie simply replies, “Buck,” and then lays one hand over one of Buck’s where it’s still resting on his bare skin.
For one brief, agonizing moment, Buck worries that Eddie is pushing his hand away, but it immediately becomes clear that's not what’s happening. Eddie is not pushing Buck’s hand away, he’s pushing it down. Eddie slides Buck’s hand down over his own toned abdomen, slowly enough that Buck can feel the expansion as Eddie takes a deep breath, and then, oh god. Then he shifts Buck’s hand even lower to where he’s hard in his LAFD sweats.
Buck stares at him as Eddie presses his hand to the hard length of him under the rough cotton. “Eddie,” he whispers.
“I’m not cold,” Eddie says quietly. “I’m not in pain. I don’t need you to fuss over me.”
“Then what,” Buck swallows. “What do you need?”
Eddie just grins, and he lifts the hand that’s not pressing Buck’s against his cock to curve it around Buck’s face.
“I think you know,” is all he says and Buck breaks.
He surges forward, tightening his fingers around the hard shaft under his hand as he pushes forward, his mouth landing on Eddie’s. Buck is frantic, gasping as he lets himself go, lets himself take what he’s been longing for for so long. He’s afraid that this might be his only chance, that if he takes his time, Eddie will change his mind.
But Eddie doesn’t seem inclined that way. He meets Buck in the middle, strength for strength, passion for passion, kiss for kiss, until he begins to gentle things between them.
Eddie pulls back, and whispers, “Slowly, baby, I’m not going anywhere.”
He leans back in and this time he sets the pace with deep, slow kisses, syrupy-sweet, until Buck thinks his knees might genuinely give out.
“Buck,” Eddie whispers and shifts, letting his mouth move over Buck’s face to his neck, a quick nip to the sensitive skin behind Buck’s ear that has Buck groaning and shaking. “Buck, baby. Let me take you to bed.”
“Too far,” Buck mumbles, turning his head to catch Eddie’s lips with his own. “Can’t wait.”
“Couch then,” Eddie insists and doesn’t stop kissing Buck, just gently herds him backwards through the apartment until Buck’s dropping onto his couch and pulling Eddie down with him.
For several moments, Buck doesn’t think about anything at all except the feel of Eddie’s chest against his own, the taste of Eddie’s mouth, Eddie’s hand in his hair as they kiss. He finally has to pull back to take a deep gasping breath, and just stares at Eddie over him.
“Is this… is this really happening?” Buck finds himself asking and Eddie grins, drops a quick kiss to the tip of his nose.
“It is if you want it to be.”
Buck just blinks at him. “I didn’t know. How did I not know you wanted this?”
Eddie shrugs, shifts his weight off of Buck so he can pull Buck up to sitting. “Let’s just say… when you started dating Tommy, I figured a few things out.”
“You didn’t say anything.”
Eddie shakes his head. “Of course not, Buck. You and Tommy, well. You were happy. Having fun. I didn’t think this was possible, but then when you guys broke up, and we were back to hanging out all the time. I started to think that maybe…” his voice trails off as he hooks his fingers under the hem of Buck’s t-shirt and starts to remove it.
Buck automatically lifts his arms. “Have you ever… with a guy?”
Eddie just smiles, shakes his head. “Never let myself even think about it when I was young, and then. I guess it was just never the right time. Until now.” He lifts his hand, brushes his knuckles across Buck’s cheekbone, skates his hand down to curl it around Buck’s jaw. “I want to, though. With you, if you want that.”
Buck stares at him. “If I want that? Eddie. Of course I want that. I just. What does it mean?”
Eddie leans in, kisses him once and then again. He feels so good that Buck can’t help but groan as Eddie’s mouth moves to his collar bones as he slowly pushes Buck down onto his back, slides between his legs.
Eddie lifts his head after pressing one last kiss to Buck’s chest. “It means whatever you want,” he says finally.
“But,” Buck is compelled to ask, “what if it changes everything?”
Eddie laughs, low and rough. “Of course it’ll change everything, Buck, and I want that. I don’t think it’ll take anything away though. It’s just another way for me to love you, and I already do, so…”
He pauses and Buck grabs him by the shoulders.
“Up, up, up here now,” he says frantically, suddenly sure that if he can’t kiss Eddie immediately, he may genuinely die.
Eddie snickers and Buck realizes he’s said that last part out loud. Then Eddie’s mouth is back on him, and Buck stops thinking at all.
He’s aware that this is Eddie’s first time with a guy (and holy hell, that’s a thought so hot that Buck’s brain might melt out of his ears) but there’s nothing in the way Eddie’s moving against him that suggests any hesitation about what they're doing. He lines them up, hard cocks pressed together, both of them still in their sweatpants, and sets up a slow, filthy grind. It’s good, so fucking good, that all Buck can do is wrap his legs around Eddie, grab onto his shoulders, and hold on.
Eddie’s kissing him again, those same deep, slow kisses, his tongue fucking into Buck’s mouth in counterpart to the way their bodies are moving together. Buck’s got his hands firmly planted on Eddie’s ass now, and it’s just as spectacular as Buck always thought it would be, especially with Eddie gasping into his mouth, sexy punched out groans that bring Buck closer and closer to the edge.
“How do you…” Buck starts and then shudders at a particularly innovative shift of Eddie’s hips. “Eddie, fuck, how…”
“How what, babe?” Eddie whispers against his lips, not letting up on the way he’s rolling his hips for even a moment.
“How do you want to come?” Buck finally grits out, holding on by sheer force of will now.
The question seems to surprise Eddie and he eases up now, rocking his hips so slowly as he considers Buck’s face.
“I mean,” Eddie says and then a wicked grin crosses his face. “You’re the expert here, Buckley. Walk me through it. What are the options?”
Buck stares up at Eddie and then can’t help himself, starts to laugh, deep belly laughs as his head drops back onto the couch cushions. “Not an expert,” he gasps finally, and sweeps his hands from where they’re resting on Eddie’s shoulders down his arms to his wrists and then back up again, to link his fingers behind Eddie’s head, pulling him in for a kiss. “Journeyman at best.”
Eddie is still grinning and rolls his eyes affectionately. “Fine. Journeyman. Whatever.”
Buck kisses him again, reaches down to grab Eddie’s hips and pulls them flush to his own, before working his way down Eddie’s neck.
“Lots of options,” he mumbles into Eddie’s collar bones.
Eddie is grinding against Buck harder now, gasping, and Buck can taste the sweat on Eddie’s chest under his tongue.
“We can keep doing this,” Buck manages to say and then groans at the way Eddie feels. “Fuck, that’s so. Oh my god, Eddie.”
“What else?” Eddie pants.
“I could… oh shit, Eddie, I could.” Buck swallows, his own breathing ragged in his ears. “I could suck you, jerk you off, whatever you want. You could fuck me,” and Eddie goes rigid above him, head thrown back, tendons in his neck standing out in stark relief as he lets out the sexiest sound Buck has ever heard, and Buck feels Eddie’s cock jerk as he starts to come.
For a long moment, the silence in the room is broken by the harsh sounds of Eddie’s breathing. Then Eddie opens his eyes, and the look on his face cracks Buck’s heart wide open. Eddie looks astonished, awed almost, as if his entire worldview has been shaken, and maybe it has, Buck thinks, remembering some of his own recent revelations. Maybe it has.
Eddie stares down at Buck as his breathing starts to settle, and the weight of him pressing Buck into the couch is as intoxicating as it is reassuring. There’s something so raw and honest about this moment — the way Eddie’s eyes are fixed on Buck’s face, the damp heat between them, the smell of sex intermingled with the scent of the peonies Buck bought at the Farmer’s Market the other day. Buck feels like every sense he has, and maybe some he didn’t even know about, are dialed all the way in.
“Buck,” Eddie breathes and his smile makes Buck’s throat tighten and his eyes prickle suspiciously. “My god, Buck.”
Eddie leans down and brushes a kiss across Buck’s lips, gentle and sweet, but as he does so, the extra pressure on Buck’s aching cock makes him hiss, his hips jerking up not of his volition.
“Oh fuck,” Eddie says, and without further ado, slides down Buck’s body and sticks his hand down Buck’s pants.
It doesn’t take long after that. Objectively, it’s nowhere near the best handjob Buck’s ever had — Eddie’s hand is dry, his grip a bit too tight, and his rhythm isn’t great, but none of that matters because it’s Eddie staring down at him, Eddie whispering things like “God, Buck, you’re so gorgeous, sweetheart, c’mon baby, give it to me,” and Buck is helpless to do anything but obey.
It feels to Buck like his orgasm is being drawn out from the very depths of his being, starting deep in his belly and rolling over him like the tide, inevitable and inexorable. Eddie keeps muttering words of encouragement, and when Buck’s head tilts back and his back arches, Eddie grins in satisfaction.
“There you go, sweetheart,” he murmurs. “Just like that.”
It turns out Eddie is mistaken. They clean up, make some dinner, collapse on the couch with their food and beers, and it’s no different than any other normal post-shift hangout. In the morning, Eddie good-naturedly submits to the ice packs Buck presses against his bruises, lets Buck make him coffee and bring it to him on the couch. No different from any other close call aftermath.
But Eddie’s never spent the night at Buck’s like that. Never brushed his teeth side by side with Buck before crawling into bed, wrapping himself around Buck like an octopus, the bare skin of his chest pressed to Buck’s back, his hand resting possessively on Buck’s hip. He’s never brushed a kiss to the sensitive skin at the nape of Buck’s neck. And he’s never said I love you quite like this before. So yeah, it turns out that he was also 100% correct. It changes everything.
Here it is guys, a new part! Not very long, but it's new and I'm happy. Thanks for everyone who waited.
Masterpost linked here for anyone who wants to re-read.
___________________________
*** Soul transfer 25% complete. ***
As the words formed in front of me, I felt a sudden surge of dark power from deep within my soul. It crackled just beneath my skin, an incredible, immeasurable force. I could feel it, knew it was there with a deep certainty I couldn’t explain. But while I could sense the enormity of it, I couldn’t touch it, couldn’t reach it or use it in any way. I stared down at my hand in frustration, wishing I understood what “soul transfer” meant, and how it was connected to this power within me.
“Umm… are you okay?”
A soft voice broke me from my reverie. I glanced up to see Liam staring at me with a look of concern. “If this is a bad time, I can come back later…” He was still extending a hand down to me to help me to stand.
How long have I been sitting here, staring at my hand, like a crazy person?
“Sorry.” I took Liam’s offered hand, sucking in a shocked breath once I did so. There was a sudden connection when our hands touched. Something deep within my soul that had felt empty and alone had filled the moment my hand touched his, like a puzzle piece clicking into place. The connection was strange to me, but at the same time achingly familiar. I shook my head, trying to clear it of the shock, and used his help to stand next to him. I was somewhat surprised to realize how tall he was, his thinner frame disguising his height. I tilted my head back, my eyes meeting his own quietly amused gaze.
“Sorry.” I repeated. “I’m just a little confused and lost.”
“Ah. No worries about that! You’re in good company, I happen to specialize in being lost and confused.” He answered with a smile.
I couldn’t help but laugh at that. “I’m Bel.”
“I know.”
I sighed with relief. “Good, I wasn’t sure, since we looked so different when we last saw each other!”
“You knew that was me?” He blurted out, obviously surprised. “How?”
I tilted my head. “You have the same name? We had coffee? You were the assassin who wasn’t a cat?”
“Ah… Yes! The assassin world. That’s definitely the time I was thinking of, and not any other lower realm.” Nodding enthusiastically, he avoided my curious look, but didn’t step away from our close position.
It was then I realized, somewhat uncomfortably, that I had not let go of his hand after taking it to stand up. With a regret I couldn’t quite explain, I released him, my hand feeling immediately empty and cold. Besides that, I felt a deep fatigue slowly settling in, an unexplainable tiredness as if my energy was slowly being sapped away. It had started from the moment I woke up here, and slowly became more noticeable over time. I looked over at Liam, who seemed unaffected by any similar exhaustion.
There’s something so familiar about him, I feel it even more so than I did in the assassin world. Which reminds me…
BAM!
“Ouch!” Liam rubbed his upper arm where I softly punched him. He looked down at me, confused. “What was that for?”
Avoiding his puppy dog eyes, I forced myself to scowl and explain. “THAT’s for poisoning yourself, you jerk!”
“Oh. That.”
“YEAH THAT! Do you know how hard I cried when I realized what you did? Just casually drinking poison and sneaking off to an alley to die?”
“I’m sorry, I…” He stuttered as he rushed to explain himself. “I didn’t think…”
“Didn’t think what?”
“Didn’t think it would matter.” His voice was neutral, almost carefree, which made the certainty of his words even worse. He truly didn’t think there was anyone who minded that he died in that world. “I’m the villain, Bel. I had to die if that lower realm world was to avoid being destroyed. I didn’t want you to feel sad or guilty, and that seemed the best way.” He paused. “Wait… why did you cry? Weren’t you happy the world was saved?”
I shook my head, resisting the urge to knock some sense into this man. “I cried because I thought you were dead! I thought I would never see you again!”
“You wanted to see me again?” His excited tone threw me off.
“Well… yes, but you’re missing the point!”
“You’re right, I’m sorry.”
“Do you even know why are you apologizing?”
“Because I made you sad when I drank poison and died in the lower realm. So I’ll try my best not to drink poison ever again.” He paused. “Is that right?”
I rubbed my forehead. “Not just poison, Liam, try not to get hurt at all.”
“That would be difficult.” He now had a solemn expression on. “Villains have to have a bad ending for the story to end happily.”
The villain? I felt a dull burning ache in my heart at his words, a memory just beyond reach.
“Why do you think you’re the villain?”
He shrugged. “It’s my role.”
“I don’t think you’re a villain. Villains don’t drink poison to protect a world from being destroyed.”
“I never said I was good at being a villain.”
I sighed at his amused words, and gave up trying to convince Liam for now. Turning away from him, I finally took a good look at my surroundings. The sense of fatigue was growing stronger, I felt dead on my feet, but curiosity overcame the tiredness as I examined my new location.
“Where are we?”
It was a forest, somewhat similar to the one that surrounded the castle in the Higher Realm, but a dark and twisted version. The sunlight around us was a muted, almost grayish light, piercing through the rotting branches, barely reaching the ground that was mixed dirt and dying grass. The trees pierced through the earth, tangled dark wood fighting each other for the slightest hint of light and air. The shadows were just a bit too dark, not matching the objects casting them.
“Is this still the higher realm?”
“…No. I’ve never seen that place, but I heard it’s beautiful. This place is different.” Liam looked around dully.
“It’s not a lower realm though, there’s no story or mission prompt. So where is it?”
“It a separate realm, with a specific purpose.” He was now staring at his feet, avoiding eye contact.
“What purpose?”
“It’s a cage, Bel.” His blue eyes met mine, and I could see the deep sadness within it. “And you can’t stay here.”
I was shocked at that. “You want me to leave?”
“What?!” He almost fell in shock at my words, stumbling over his words as he tried to explain. “No, that’s not what I mean at all! I would love for you to stay! Nothing would make me happier than if you could live here… I mean…” He seemed to realize what he was saying, and flushed with embarrassment. “It’s this place that’s the problem… watch:”
He reached out and touched a tree branch, which fell to pieces in his hand.
“This place destroys life, slowly draining the energy from everything in it until only death remains. Nothing good can survive here.”
That explains the tiredness I felt. For a moment I remembered Adonis showing me a blood red door. What had he called it? “A higher realm like ours. But a place of pure evil.” He told me something similar at the time, that nothing good could survive there. Looks like I managed to explore the scary portal in the end. But if what they are saying is true…
“What about you, Liam? How can you live here if it’s so dangerous?
“I told you.” He shrugged. “This world is a cage. And I’m the monster it’s meant to hold.”
“You’re not…” I wanted to protest his words, but I stopped at the look in his eyes. Changing tactics, I asked instead: “So how do we escape this cage?”
“I don’t know.” He frowned. “How did you get here?”
I thought about my last memory before I woke up, and then cursed loudly. “That IDIOT!”
“…I’m sorry?”
“Not you! That jerk who drugged me and tossed me in here!” My stomach growled. “And he did it before I could even eat BREAKFAST! He couldn’t wait until I had a chance to eat?” I shook my head sadly. “That’s almost as much of a crime as the kidnapping itself!”
The tree Liam’s hand had been resting on snapped like a twig, falling to the ground with a loud crash. Ignoring the carnage, he turned towards me, his face grim. “Who did this to you?”
“The kidnapping? He calls himself Adonis, I, however, have much more descriptive and fun colorful names for him.”
“Adonis…” Liam thought the name over for a moment. “Blonde fellow? Acts as if he’s the most important person in the universe?”
“That’s him!”
Liam growled under his breath. It was difficult to make out words, but I barely made out “Should have bit him harder.”
I raised an eyebrow at that, “You BIT him?”
“In another world. Wish I could snapped his neck, or at least ripped a limb off, rather than just take a bite...” He stopped, seemingly realizing what he just said, and looked over at me with an embarrassed expression. “Not that I’m normally biting people!”
I waved a hand at his distressed expression. “Don’t worry, I’d bite a few limbs off of the guy if I could right now. Especially with how hungry I am.” I laughed bitterly. “He better HOPE I get some food in me before I see him again!”
“Well, if Adonis the Great and Full of Himself was the one who put you here, then we have a bit of a problem. He’s the only one that I know of who has been able to open the portal to here.”
“Not that I want to go back anyways.”
“I told you, this place will kill you if you stay.” He shook his head at that. “First, we need to figure out food. Follow me.” He started walking deeper into the forest. I had to trot to keep up with his longer stride at first, but he quickly slowed down to allow me to walk at a regular pace. Even that was tiring, but I pushed forward. I looked at the forest, wondering what there would be to scavenge in such a dead place. Deciding to ask Liam, I tugged at his hand, noticing idly his ears turning red at the brief contact.
“What kind of food do you normally eat here?”
Liam blinked, seeming almost confused by the question. “There’s a few beasts… kind of. They should be edible for humans.”
“Okay. Cooked meat doesn’t sound too bad.”
“…Yes… cooked…because that’s how normal humans eat. I eat it like that too.”
Eyeing his dodgy appearance, I decided not to ask.
After a few minutes of walking, during which I became progressively more winded, we finally came to a large cave.
“Here’s my home!” Liam smiled proudly as we entered. “I carved it myself!” He proceeded to show me the fairly spacious cave with roughly made, mostly empty rooms, boasting about the thickness of the walls and the special rocks he had collected along the way.
I smiled at his boasting, the stared at the enormous claw marks in the carved stone walls, and silently looked away.
He pushed a roughly made stool close to me. “Here, have a seat.”
“Thank you!” I sat down, breathing heavily. “I’m beat!”
Liam’s expression was concerned as he watched me rest. “This place is already draining you, Bel. I’m worried what will happen if you stay here too long.”
“I’m fine!” I waved a hand tiredly. “Just need to catch my breath.”
He wasn’t reassured. “I don’t want you getting hurt.”
“Maybe I’m just out of shape, have you thought about that?”
“Sure, that’s it.” Liam laughed quietly, almost seemingly in spite of himself. “Either way, while you rest, I’ll get you some food.”
“I’ll help…” I stood up, but my legs gave out beneath me and I started to fall. Liam, surprised, caught me, lifting me up in a careful hold. Silently, he moved deeper into the cave, entering one of the carved rooms. A single cot sat on a dirt floor, and he gently laid me down on it.
“Umm, thanks.” I looked up at Liam and paused saw an embarrassed expression, his eyes avoiding my own as he turned away.
“Rest here. I’ll bring you food.” He muttered quietly. “Cooked meat. Cooked.” He seemed to be reminding himself as he hurried out of the room, leaving me alone with just my thoughts and the sound of a rumbling, empty stomach.
I stared at the empty room for a few seconds, and then laughed. “What a cute villain.”
*** Soul transfer 28% complete. ***
______________________________
“Where are we?”
I looked up at the stranger who called himself Liam. His face was indifferent, his dark blue eyes cold as he shook his head slowly. “This isn’t a place for you. That’s all that matters. You should leave.”
“I can’t leave.” My voice cracked into a soft sob as I failed to hold back tears. “I’ve been betrayed, I don’t have anywhere to go.”
“You can do what you like, but you shouldn’t stay here.” He tried to laugh, but the sound couldn’t really be a laugh, it was far too sad and bitter of a sound to be called something so cheerful. “Otherwise, you’ll die, just like everything else.”
_______________________
“Bel, wake up.”
I blinked, the vision in my dream fading away as Liam’s face came into view.
I thought about the scene I had seen, similar to my recent interaction with Liam, but different. It felt real, like a memory. I’ve been here before. I’ve met Liam before in this place. It’s the same… but different.
But what is different? If I had to pin down what had changed from what I had remembered, it was Liam and I. The “me” in that memory was far more devastated by Adonis’s betrayal. I on the other hand, was more pissed than sad, wanting to save my mental energy towards plotting my revenge rather than mourning the friendship.
Anyone who is willing to stab me in the back doesn’t deserve my tears.
The Liam in my memory was different too. He was harsher, colder. The current Liam’s eyes were gentler, filled with a deep strength that hadn’t been there before.
We were both stronger, but it was more than that. There was a connection between us, not present in the brief memory of him from before. Something had changed in us. Something that had happened to bring us here again. I had a feeling that as the “soul transfer” continued I would learn more. If only I could figure out what made it increase!
“Bel, are you okay?”
I smiled at Liam, trying to reassure him. “I’m awake.”
“Good! So I made you some food…” He held out some charred meat that had been roughly cut up into bite sized chunks. It did not look very appetizing.
“I’m sorry.” He noticed me looking the food over and put his head down. “It’s my first time cooking it like this.”
I tried not to wonder how he usually ate meat if he didn’t cook it and took the burnt food from his hands. “Thanks, I’m starving!”
I ate it slowly, surprised at the not-terrible taste. Finishing the portion, I gave Liam a thumbs up. “It’s good!”
“Really?” He lit up with excitement. “I’ll keep working on my cooking and make it even better!”
Support spouse. The thought came and went, the words seeming strange and familiar at the same time.
“Hopefully I’ll be able to track down some fruit on the edge of this realm that are still alive and edible.” He said with a grin as I continued to eat. “That should at least keep you going until that Adonis the Jerkwad can come back to save you.”
I put down the meat in my hand. “I mean it Liam, I’m not going with him.”
“But you’ll die here.”
I didn’t hesitate, meeting his dark blue gaze with my own. “I’d rather that then agree to his broken idea of fate.”
The word fate seemed to twist within Liam, and for the first time I saw rage instead of amusement deep within his eyes. “Fate.” He spat the word out like a curse.: “… So you want to stay here?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.”
“Look you see we should talk about this before you say no…” I paused. “Did you just say ‘yes’?”
“I actually said ‘okay’ but essentially yes.”
“But… but…”
He was grinning again. “Did you want me to say ‘no’’? Or did you want to finish convincing me? Because I can pretend to say no if you want to say your piece.”
“Aren’t you worried I’ll get hurt?”
He pointed at me. “You don’t want to be under Adonis the Asshat’s control, under the control of fate.” His finger pointed at himself. “I happen to really really like having you around.” He shrugged. “So I guess we’ll just have to come up with a way to help you survive here.”
“Just like that?”
“If that’s what it takes.”
I grinned. “Then it’s settled. I’m staying with you AND not dying!”
*** Soul transfer 29% complete. ***
Eyeing the silent glowing words in the air, and curious about their meaning, I went back to eating the meat, which seemed to taste even better than before.
_________________
After eating I fell asleep again, feeling drained. This time I didn’t dream, but when I woke up, I still felt tired. Liam wasn’t kidding when he said this place would drain my energy from me.
…
Where is Liam?
Looking around, I saw that Liam, who had been by my side since I first woke up in this realm, was gone. I felt momentarily lost, and a bit lonely. Shaking my head in mild frustration, I forced myself to stand, bracing a hand against a claw marked wall.
Bel… you’ve been just fine being alone in the higher realm before this. In fact, you used to be excited when you could ditch Adonis the Buttface and spend time by yourself! How can you be so affected by just a few minutes without Liam?
…
…
… as the uncomfortable silence stretched on, I twiddled my thumbs, feeling a strange urge to juggle.
BAM!
A loud noise sounded out from a different part of the cave. “Thank goodness for that!” I didn’t even care if it was a deadly monster that broke into the cave, it was better than sitting bored and silent. I walked out, holding onto the wall for support, my feet shuffling oddly as I forced them to move. Taking short pauses to catch my breath, I continued to go slowly to the source of the noise. When I exited the room into the large open common space of the cave, however, I stopped, this time due to shock rather than exhaustion.
A glowing portal had opened in the air. It was similar to the ones in the higher realm, but different in several ways. The edges glowed a blood red, and the whole space gave off a malicious energy. As I watched, the tear in space closed, leaving only the feeling of unease behind.
And on the floor beneath where the portal had hovered, lay Liam.
“Liam!” I stumbled forward, half kneeling, half falling towards him. He was curled in a ball, his clothing damp with sweat. His face was paler than it had been, his face drawn in a silent mask of pain.
What had he gone through in a lower realm? I knew from experience that injuries from the lower realms didn’t follow you to the higher realms.
But the pain did.
Before I could investigate further, Liam turned over onto his back, his blue eyes still showing pain… but triumph as well.
“I got it!”
“You got what?” I asked. “Beaten up?”
“No! … I mean yes I did but that’s not the point!” he laughed. “I tricked Dumbo into slipping up and telling me what we need!”
“Dumbo… you mean Adonis?”
“That’s what I said, Adonis the Great and Mighty Dumbo.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle, having to sit down as even kneeling became too much. “So what did he tell you?”
“You don’t belong here… your very nature makes this realm reject you. Just as my nature, my energy allows me to live here trapped but fine. Which means you just need a different energy to survive in this world! One that won’t be sapped away. And who happens to possess an energy that this realm doesn’t feed off of?” His grin widened.
“You?”
“Yep!” He stood up, muttered “excuse me” and picked me up again, carrying me back to the cot in the other room.
“Wait! So if that’s the case why are you taking me back to bed? Can you just give me the energy? Also how do I get your energy? Do we have to do it on the bed?”
Liam turned a bright red. “No, it’s not what you think! I’m just letting you rest while I go prepare stuff…” He very quickly but gently set me down and rushed out of the room, as if afraid to hear anything else from me.
“Ummm…”I was asking in earnest, but my words seemed to make Liam misunderstand. Thinking for a moment, I groaned and covered my face in my hands, feeling the heat radiating off it “Stupid Bel.”
After what seemed like an eternity Liam returned with a cup. Still slightly embarrassed, I took it from him, looking at the liquid inside.
It was gold.
“What is this?”
“This?” He seemed confused by the question. “It’s blood.”
“No, it’s not.”
“What do you mean?”
“The blood of what? A magical creature?”
Liam laughed uncomfortably. “No, just my blood.”
“Why is it gold?”
He hesitated at that. “Normal blood is a gold color. That’s what regular human blood looks like. Yep. That’s it.”
“No… it’s red.”
“Maybe you’re confused?” He flinched at my expression. “Maybe everyone has gold blood and it just seemed red at the time? Because of bad lighting?”
I watched him bend his head uncomfortably, looking almost scared that I would ask further. My heart ached.
“Sure, Liam. It’s just normal, human blood.” I smiled as I saw him sigh with relief out of the corner of my eye. “Now what do I do with it?”
“You drink it. Thus, the cup.” Seeing my blanching expression, he continued to explain. “You see, it’s how to transfer some of my energy to you. It won’t fix everything, but it will help with the worst of it. I promise it won’t hurt you!”
I believed him. “Thank you, Liam.” I tipped it back and drank it. It was warm, but strangely sweet.
Yeah, definitely not “normal human blood” even if the color didn’t make it obvious.
As I drank it, I felt a good portion of energy return to me. I was still a little tired, but at least I should be able to walk without falling or passing out. I stood up, turning around, and gave Liam a hug. “Thank you!”
He stiffened in shock, but reached out to hug me back before stepping away, blushing. “S-sure… anytime…”
We smiled at each other, and for the first time that I could remember, for the first time since I had woken up in the higher realm, I felt at peace.
