#you might ask yourself is this worth it mila? and the answer is yes!
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tag directory
decided to do a little tag directory, for anyone whose ever been curious what my silly little long tags are for! i treat these like personal little archives, so i’m constantly cleaning them up
art
‘on the question of art’ - art history, fine arts
‘on the topic of art’ - contemporary illustration / animation / digital art
‘till the devil whispered behind the leaves’ - texts about art, art theory, discussions about art (primarily visual art)
‘a story is true a story is untrue’ - discussions about narrative particularly in the context of various media
‘personal art vault’ - my favourite artist and works of art, usually means i’ve reflected on these works/artist in a more serious capacity
“we do not judge the object but what it tells us” - eastern european art. made by, made in or made about.
‘lgbtq art / balkan art / comics zines and artbooks / history of propaganda // gen art tag
specific / themed
‘who suffered death because she chose to turn’ - on nostalgia and memory. this is a topic i work with and research a lot
‘the stories we want to believe are the ones that survive’ - things that resonate with me personally, usually in the context of my artistic practice
‘parallel lines meet at infinity’ - web-weavings and things adjacent to web weavings
‘gastarbajter tag’ - a tag for my experiences with moving/living abroad. a mix of personal posts, transitioning from eastern european culture to western european culture and bits about nostalgia/immigration/exile/etc
‘yugocars impromptu art club’ - my ongoing attempts at having conversations about art (film/music/literature/etc) with followers/mutuals, cause its neat!
‘the robot cycle’ - robot things which are also a personal metaphor for me trying to live with autism which is also just some overall collection on what being human means ? hope that helps
“you will tell me stories of the sea and the ones you left behind” - everything about leaving
healing tag - a collection of art and words that focus on gentle thing and the fact that life goes on
personal nostalgia collection - what it says on the tin. this contains primarily things from ‘90/early 2000′s.
on the problem of flesh - reflection on the difficulty of having a body and what to do with it
the infant’s wail - the base desire and desperation to be seen and loved
the poison seeps through - all things regarding the strange reality of family
with these clumsy hands - collection of how humanity stumbles through life
how the world ends - what it says on the tin
metamorphosis of monstrosity -
on betrayal / on love / on friendship / on violence / on homecoming / on sisterhood / on grief / on longing / on being understood / on the visual / roads left behind / swan song / on solitude / on gentleness / on salvation / on divinity / on haunting / past the final hour (on resiliance) / on tragedy /
general
‘soon nostalgia will be another name for europe’ - pretty much everything connected to europe, i dont tag most purely balkan things with it because i have a separate tag for that
‘balkan youth have always outlived evil times’ - tag for all things balkan. primarily ex-yu countries, but sometimes also other places
‘you must have soul crushing hope to be this afraid of missing it’ - a very long title for what is essentially a ‘me’ tag
‘the world’ - as it says on the tin, pictures from all over the world, from different cultures. it isnt a tag with critical texts, just a tag to appreciate the diversity of this world
samenleving en politiek - a broad tag that contains politics, social commentary, etc
‘reading logs’ - whatever i read and feel like sharing, usually small bits from the texts.
logs - me talking. blacklist if you wanna ignore the silly stuff i say
love visualized - all kind of moments of love and intimacy
‘ee tag’ - eastern europe tag. if it doesnt have an elaborate name yet, i’m still workshopping it!
lgbtq history / lgbtq tag / ee lgbtq tag (eastern europe)
on living / a bit of humanity / a bit of laughter / media corner / general gaming tag / arthuriana / superhero stories and such / future past of the internet / music corner
autism tag / mental health tag / dutch tag / mental health refs /
my own stuff
endless list of world war one artist / endless list of female artists
my edits / my art
#index#still working this out but i wanted it out of my drafts#you might ask yourself is this worth it mila? and the answer is yes!#its pure serotonin for my autistic brain#so for my sake i hope tumblr sticks around so i can keep my silly little archive :))))))#should pin his later
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Lucky.
the one where you realize being in love with your best friend sucks and movie night isn’t as sweet as usual (part three of Pivot)
A/N: well i don’t know if there’s going to be more but here she is; part three of Pivot…
Word Count: 4k
TW: angst??? fluff??? it’s a mess honestly
thank you to my darling @belladonna-styles for reading it over!
Read Part One! Read Part Two!
If it wasn’t for the dance, you wouldn’t be asking yourself why being Harry’s friend wasn’t enough.
You wished it was. You wished you didn’t need more. You wished you didn’t wonder about the taste of his lips or about feeling his fingertips. You wished you hadn’t felt like this when his hand brushed the back of your neck. When his breath touched your skin. When his voice whispered in your ear. You never felt this way about him. So why did you have to feel like this, now?
You knew it would only bring hurt. You didn’t have a chance with him. You’re his friend. Moreover, you’re his best friend. And if that hurt, you couldn’t even imagine how much it would kill you to lose him. How much you’d cry the moment he’d tell you he don’t feel this way about you. You tried to convince yourself it was a night crush. Nothing more.
But over the course of the last few months, you found yourself missing him more than ever. You kept wanting to touch him. To kiss him. To love him. The feeling took over your whole body. You felt a wave of heat every time he looked at you, a boiling sensation in the pit of your stomach every time his hands landed on your body. You’d squeeze your thighs when he would curse under his breath when you two played scrabble and you’d win. Although, you let him win lately. Just so you could see his dimples pop out as he made his victory dance.
Every minute you’d spend with him felt sweeter but, god, did it hurt. It was like flying in the air, velvet kisses and silk but then you’d be stabbed in the heart every time reality struck you. You were his friend. Not the one he’d wake up in the morning next to. Not the one he’d kiss on the lips. Not the one he wants to see before he falls asleep. Not the one he loves. At least, not the one he loves like this.
The worst part of all was that you knew you either had to get over yourself and stop thinking about him or your friendship would be ruined.
You decided it was better for the both of you to spend some time apart. So you wouldn’t see him and wouldn’t feel him. You tried not to answer his texts and avoid his calls as much as you could. You would text him that you were too busy to talk and would stop answering from there. It hurt. Knowing he was probably worrying over you but you needed that time apart to reevaluate your feelings and kill them before they’d kill your friendship.
You left for the weekend; spending some time at your parents’ place. You didn’t tell Harry a word about leaving. You just went to get some time alone with your family.
You were sitting in the den at your mama’s, watching some cartoons on the tv. You knew you had to leave for London tomorrow. It was your last night there so your mom cooked a whole meal and bought you some ice cream. And now you were just waiting patiently for sleep to kick in. Your phone was charging next to you. You heard it vibrate and swallowed the spoonful of ice cream you had in hand before grabbing it.
Bambi sent a message
Milkie?
You looked at your phone and put it away as you didn’t want to indulge into a conversation with him. You still felt some way about Harry and you hoped it would soon be gone. Your phone rang again. You hesitated for a moment and picked it up.
Bambi sent a message
I’m worried about you. Please just answer me. Tell me you’re okay. Is everything okay? Is it something I’ve done? I’ve talked to Mila she said you were at your parents. I didn’t know you left. I hope you’re good. It’s just… I miss you. Answer me please.
You felt a pinch in your heart when you read his text. You could almost hear the pain in his voice. You knew he meant it. It was just so hard for you. Being far away from him was hard but being near him was even harder. You had to watch him being the most wonderful person, being the only person you want but can’t have. And that shit hurt so much. Loving him was hard enough that you had to put him through pain so you decided to answer.
I’m okay. Sorry I’ve been busy af lately
Wassup Bambi?
Your answer wasn’t as heartfelt as his message but you couldn’t allow yourself to go for more. A few moments later, you felt your phone vibrate again.
Bambi sent a message
Ok… Can I call you?
You felt your blood rush through your veins. It’s been weeks since you last heard his voice. Your heart begged you to take the call. You gave in and typed your answer.
Sure
Next thing you knew your phone was ringing between your hands. You picked up and heard Harry’s little voice through the phone. You missed it. You missed him actually. You talked for hours. He stayed on the phone with you until 3 in the morning. You told him about your family, work, everything except your feelings for him. He caught up on every little thing he missed over the last weeks. And you did too. At a price. He told you about that guy he met. They went on a date and he likes him. He’s planning on seeing him again. It was rather painful hearing him gush about somebody else. But maybe it would help you get over your feelings for him.
“I’m kinda paranoid… We’ve been out a few times… Casual. But yeah, I like him. I’m kinda hoping it will go somewhere. He showed interest but how do you really know? Boys are so cryptid.”
You laughed at his last words. Genuinely it was something that you knew by heart.
“Yeah, you guys are messed up. You can’t never really know. But I’d say go for it. What do you have to lose?”
In that situation, he had nothing to lose. He could just go and tell him how he felt. You wished you could free yourself like this. Just tell him how you felt. But there was something so important at stake there. You just couldn’t.
“You’re right, Milkie. We’re messed up. Not too keen on communication. At least, I’m trying on that. I guess I could tell him but I don’t want to scare him away. I’ll think about it. I’ll let you know how the date goes.”
“Sure, Bambi. I’m glad I could help.”
“When are you coming back?”
Should you tell him the truth and plan to see him on Monday so you will have to go under the torture of hearing him tell you about his crush live?
“Next week. I don’t know… I’m… I’ll see.”
You heard him hum through the phone. You could tell he was skeptical regarding your answer.
“You’re not working this week?”
Fuck. You didn’t think everything through. You do work next week. You’re a terrible liar… And a terrible friend, for what it’s worth.
“Ah.. yes. Well, I don’t know yet. I mean… I might call in sick… or something.”
“You suck at lying.”
His tone was dry. He hates lies. Especially coming from you. He found out that he could trust you with anything and you could trust him too, so why would you have to lie?
“Yeah, I know.”
“What’s going on, Y/N?”
“Nothing. Just going through some personal shit.”
“You’ve been bloody distant, avoiding my calls, not answering my texts, pushing away every proposition to see each other and now you’re lying to me about coming back to London. I hate this.”
“Look, Harry, it’s okay. I just have to figure some shit out and then everything will be back to normal. I have to go. Good night.”
You hung up quickly, before he could say anything. You tucked yourself in bed and spent the night overthinking. You needed to be over with this. You had to. You needed to woman up and stop being so immature or you would lose your best friend.
Fuck the pain of rejection, and hearing him say he doesn’t love you like this. You need to tell him so you can move on. It’s the only way. If he tells you, right to your face, that he’s not in love with you then you’d get over it. So if that’s what it takes, you would just face him. You fell asleep trying to picture how the conversation would go and every time you’d break down…
When you woke up in the morning, you expected to see a few texts from Harry but when you checked your phone, nothing. You felt a pinch in your heart. He was probably mad at you. You’ve been ignoring him, you lied to him, then pushed him away and hung up on him. You’ve been a terrible friend. You needed to apologize. Harry has never been nothing but amazing to you. He didn’t deserve to be treated this way because you can’t control your feelings. You started typing something on your phone but stopped yourself. It would be better to apologize face to face.
You packed your clothes and had breakfast with your family. You kissed your ma goodbye and headed to the train station.
***
It was already Wednesday and you still had no news from Harry. You felt so guilty. You sent him a text asking him when he was free so you could see each other and he didn’t answer yet. You sent it on Monday. You decided to try your luck again and called him yesterday. Still no answer. You were worried about him and about your friendship. You just hated yourself that you messed up one of the best relationships you ever had. You tried to get him out of your mind. So you went out for a walk.
You didn’t work on Wednesday afternoons, so you strolled around the busy streets of London, picked up a bagel and went to eat it on a bench in Hyde Park. You pulled your phone out of your pocket and typed in a message for Harry.
Hey Bambi… I’m eating a bagel in Hyde Park I’ll be there until 4 if you want to stop by. I’ll be at the old bench by the pond
the ducks are missing u (i am too)
An hour passed and you still had no answer. You pulled your phone every two seconds checking for a notification and nothing… It was almost 4. Maybe you truly ruined it. You scrolled a last time through Instagram, your eyes focusing on the images streaming down your screen. You felt someone sit beside you. You didn’t look up but you saw the shoes of the person sitting next to you. You felt warmer and safer. You unconsciously smiled.
“Hey.”
You raised your head to look at him. He was wearing a black hoodie, a pink beanie and sunglasses. Camouflage required in the middle of London.
“Hey.” Your voice was soft. You didn’t look at him, you felt so guilty.
“So… How’s that bagel?”
You knew he was just beating around the bush, being his usual self and avoiding confrontation. But he came, that meant that he wanted to break things down.
“Nice. It’s… Nice.” You breathed a second. “How are you?”
He pinched his lips and raised his eyebrows, faking a reflection. “Well my best friend ignored me for weeks, lied to me about coming back in London and then acted like nothing happened by sending me a bunch of memes.” He looked at you. “So I guess I could be better. What about you?”
You looked down in shame. You’ve been a fucked up friend, for sure.
“I… I’m sorry, Harry. It’s just-” You looked in his eyes and you felt the wave of heat taking over your body. You hated this feeling so much. His stare set you on fire. You just wanted to kiss him sorry. To melt between his fingertips. You tried to gain some composure. “It’s just… I’m going through a weird phase and I don’t really know how to deal with it. I’m sorry I ignored you. I just needed to be alone.”
His glare intensified. You stammered a little bit before keeping up with your apology.
“And..uh… I…. I’m… I’m sorry I lied about coming back. I just… I didn’t really know.. I don’t really know, actually.. Why I did that. I’m a dumbass.”
You heard a giggle fall from his lips and the tension you felt in the back of your neck eased.
“Yeah, you are.”
You turned your head to him and smiled. “I know.” You pinched your lips before a pout appeared on your face. “Am I forgiven?”
He sighed loudly as he reached out his arms to place it around your shoulder. “I can’t stay mad too long at my little Milkie, can I?”
You swooned in his arms, giving him the fondest look. Your head fell on his shoulder and you gazed at him through your lashes. He was beautiful, kind, funny, smart… God, he was just so bloody amazing. But he wasn’t yours. No matter how much you wanted him. You decided to hurt yourself a little bit. Get a sting of reality. Your pain kink took over, probably.
“So tell me about your date?” You smiled softly, a painful look in your eyes.
“Hm… Well, it went well. He’s really cool. I like him.”
You swallowed a nervous laugh before biting your lower lip. He liked him. Fuck, he liked him. Not you.
“Ah that’s cool… I’m glad it went well…”
He smiled at you, his dimples popping out, leaving your body sore from how much you wanted to kiss him.
“So…” You raised your head at him, looking for his eyes. “How about a movie night? Tomorrow?”
He rubbed the back of his neck with the palm of his hand and offered a sorry look. You already knew what that meant.
“Can’t tomorrow. I’m seeing Lucas.”
“Who’s Lucas?”
“My date.” He smiled fondly. You felt your heart sink. The way he smiled just hurt. Because you were not the one he thought about when he smiled like this. You’d never be.
You felt a burning sensation in the depth of your abdomen. You wanted to scream. Scream and shout because you knew he would never love you like this. No matter how much you loved him. And fuck, that hurts.
“Okay.” He probably could hear the pain in your voice. But you just couldn’t hide it.
You got up from the bench, leaving a confused stare on Harry’s face.
“Well, I- I have to go. I guess I’ll see you around.”
Harry got up. He grasped your wrist gently and turn you around to face him.
“Is everything okay?”
You looked at him and faked a smile. “Absolutely. Everything’s okay. I just have a shit ton of things to do. And… I mean, I’ll call you Bambi.”
He let go of your wrist. And just stared at you for a second. “Okay, Milkie.”
You gave him a last smile before going, the tears streaming down your face as you walked as quickly as you could.
***
You were sprawled on the couch. Your oversized sweatshirt covered half of your body while the other stayed bare. Your computer played the movie A Star Is Born and your fingers were picking Maltesers from the bowl sitting next to you. Your mind was everywhere except on the movie. Actually… It was on Harry. Of course, it always was. It was supposed to be your movie night… But it’s more like ‘overthinking your feelings for your best friend while binging a shameful amount of junk food night’. Was it that bad? No? Junk food is like a remedy for the soul. You always feel better when there’s chocolate… You always feel better when there’s Harry…
It was already past 10. Harry was probably on his date. Laughing, smiling shyly, batting his beautiful eyelashes, and telling stupid jokes to get his date to laugh. And they’d probably go out of the restaurant hand in hand and kiss at his door. Smiling and playing with each others’ fingertips. God.. You needed to get him out of your mind.
But it hurt that he chose his date over you. He did. Didn’t he?
You spent the next half hour trying to convince yourself it was just to be polite that he chose to go to his date instead of spending his night with you. Truth was, he just wanted to be there… Because he liked him.
You got up from the couch looking for a refill of your bowl. When your bare feet touched the cold wooden floor, you felt a shiver down your spine. The rain was pouring on the large windows in your apartment making the floor look like an art piece with the shadows of the drops dancing on the floor. You watched them for a second.
You jumped when you heard a knock on the door. Who the hell could it be this late? You had an idea and you truly wished you were right.
You walked towards the door and looked through the peephole, missing a heartbeat at the glimpse of the person standing behind it. You slowly opened the door.
“Hey.”
Harry smiled at you, his jacket soaked and his hair glued to his forehead. You invited him to come in. You didn't say a word for a while. Just took his jacket off, sat him on the couch and gave him a towel.
“Is everything okay?”
Why was he here? Was his date a creep? Did he miss you? Was he just bored?
He looked at you with a smile, ran a hand through his hair.
“Everything’s okay. I just…” He breathed for a second. “I felt wrong about… Missing movie night. You know? It’s our night.”
He beamed at you softly and your heart swooned. You loved him. God how much you loved him. Fuck how much you loved him.
“Oh… That’s sweet…” You grabbed the glass of wine you left on the counter. “But what about your date?”
He grinned widely. “Oh it was great. I just… Left early.”
You kinda hoped it hadn’t went well, but he seemed sincere. You had to go through it.
Harry pressed the towel over his hair, and neck. You watched him take his shirt off. You couldn’t even watch him. You’d probably come on the spot. How stupid. You saw him get undressed a million times but now it was different. You wished you could run your fingers against his skin, press soft kisses on his jaw, draw his tattoos with your hands, touch his hair, taste his lips. Everything you couldn’t do.
He gave you a confused look and a chuckle fell from his mouth. “You know you already saw me naked, right?”
You giggled softly. Maybe you should just tell him now. And get over it. Be like ‘So Harry I’m in love with you. Break my heart now.’ or maybe you could say ‘Bambi I want to be more than friends but it’s cool if you don’t want to I’ll just cry for a week or two.’ Well maybe you should just go for it in real, instead of playing this shit inside of your mind for the hundredth time.
“Bambi, can I talk to you?”
He looked up from his shoes that he was taking off.
He kicked it to the side, and stared at you. How could you focus when he’s shirtless, wearing light jeans and barefoot? The intimacy and ease you crave so much is right there. You just wish you could cross the line.
“Yeah sure. What’s up Milkie?”
You took a long breath before stepping in front of him, tugging on your sweatshirt. You coughed before talking.
“So…” You inhaled loudly. “I…” You were pretty much shaking. It was frightening and like the calm before the storm or in your case before the heartbreak, you needed a bit reassurance.
Harry stood up and gently grabbed your wrists in his hands, tilted his head to the side to look at you.
“Hey… Everything’s okay. It’s me.”
Well yes, it’s him, duh. That’s the reason why you’re freaking out. You gazed up at him and breathed again.
“I love you.”
You stepped away for a second, analyzing his reaction. The moment you saw him open his mouth to talk, you stammered a word, not letting him put one out.
“But it’s okay. I mean, I love you. It’s kinda fucked up. It’s like…”
You chuckled nervously.
“Being in love with your best friend, it’s just a weird thing. I don’t really know how it happened. I mean… Maybe it’s that night you pretended I was your girlfriend and it… Just felt right, you know? I mean… No you don’t know.”
Another giggle left your mouth. Harry was standing in front of you, watching you rambling over and over.
“Like… That’s pretty much why I was acting so weird. I don’t… It’s just a phase. Like… I’m gonna get over it. It’s not like I’m watching you and I want to kiss you or anything. I mean I do. But… No. It’s like… Oh that’s my friend Harry, Bambi, and yeah, I’m like in love with him… But not too much.”
You bit your lip and ran a hand through your hair. “Does that make sense?”
He looked at you with a smirk plastered on his face and his eyes were trying to decode you.
“Okay that doesn’t make any sense. I’m sorry… It was all a joke. Happy April Fools.”
You heard him chuckle and he pinched his lips. His eyes never leaving your face.
“I guess It’s okay. It was not such a good joke.”
You looked down and you felt him approach you. He raised your chin with his fingers.
“Are you done?” He whispered softly against your face.
“I guess.”
“So you’re gonna shut up now?”
You laughed nervously and nodded, you still couldn’t look at him.
“Can I say something?”
You felt his fingertips stroke your chin gently and you hummed for an answer.
“Will you look at me, Y/N?”
You glanced at him for a second and realized his grin never faded away.
“It’s okay. I think I knew, actually.”
Your eyes widened. “You knew?”
His whisper brushed the skin of your cheek. “I knew.” His voice went up and a chuckle left his lips. “You’re not really good at hiding your feelings, are ya?”
You hide a smile. You were definitely not. “No..”
He cupped your face with his hands and murmured, “Can I kiss you?”
You felt your blood rush through your veins. You didn’t think about anything. Your brain literally shut off. You had a hard time breathing. It was like a dream. You just nodded for an answer. But your eyes they were begging. Begging him to kiss you. To touch you. To never leave you.
His face was inches away from yours and when his lips pressed softly against yours, you felt like flying. They were soft and tasted like champagne. You closed your eyes for an instant.
And when you opened them, he was standing there, on the couch, pulling his shoes off, looking at you through his wet hair.
“So what is it that you want to talk to me about?”
You felt like sinking, like crashing on the ground. He raised his chest up, his tattoos were glistening because of the water. You could see a bit of worry in his eyes. “Everything’s okay, Milkie?”
You looked at him, your eyes shimmering because of the few tears gathering at the corners.
“Yeah…” You fake coughed. “Everything’s okay. I’m just lucky you’re my friend.”
#harry styles#harry styles fanfiction#harry styles blurbs#harry styles drabbles#harry styles x reader#harry styles fluff#harry styles angst#harry styles smut#harry styles au#harry styles oneshot#harry styles fanfic#harry styles imagine#harry thoughts#harry talks#harry styles fiction#harry styles writings#writings#fanfiction#pivot#dance#lucky
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The Avyan Immortal Dynasty, Chapter 7: All This Feelings Junk
Index
<- Previous
So, the wedding had another little story, right? The sun is setting slowly over the party. Miko wants to socialize, I’m taking care of the bar. It’s been a perfect wedding. And up walks Gino, a little slower than usual.
“I got my notice today,” he said with a little sigh. “Time to get the ol’ affairs in order.”
Now, I could ask the reasonable question, which is whether he was just going to take that lying down. But I’d wreck my whole gig.
“That’s rough. Anything I can do with that?”
“Probably not. I’ve been enjoying the liveliness! I’ve been enjoying the company… All the company, if you understand me. I’ve got a little boy, you know. Julian.”
“Congrats!” So, this glass for my sympathetic bartender shtick has gotten really, really clean in the time I spent waiting for him to say anything more. “What’s your drink, Gino? I’ll make you a double.”
“I don’t think you can make a double of a Sour Punch, but sure! I’ll give it a shot!” This gets a smile out of the old guy, at least.
“If someone told you that, they’re just afraid to try. If it’s double the liquor, it counts. Break out a taller glass.” I start mixing it up as he settles back down and says, into the silence:
“Have you ever really wondered about what it means to get your affairs in order?”
“I refuse.”
“Fair enough, little missus,” he shakes his head. “What I mean is… Let’s say you love someone. Like you’ve never loved anyone.”
“Like you love Mila,” because there’s no such thing as a real hypothetical anymore. Also, because I just got married, so, you know.
“She’s a wonderful lady! A hard worker! A sweet woman. And it’s...it’s real fun. Just being around her.” The promised drink arrives at his seat. “Maybe I’m just being sentimental, on account of your wedding. Sweet wedding… But there are things I’d like to say to a woman like that… But then I’d leave her a widow, just like that! That seem fair to you? Is it settling my affairs to go all in -- or to keep things settled?”
“I think you asked me because you know what you want -- and if you didn’t want to do it, you wouldn’t even need to be asking this question. If she won’t be happy, she’ll say no. If that’s fine with her, she’ll say yes. Go get her, tiger.”
I won’t ask why he was in PJs. I think he might have slept through the start of the party.
“Oh, yeah! No moving her in!” I shout after him.
“Mila! I’m glad you came!”
“It’s always a delight. And a fine sartorial choice you’ve made, dear.”
“Every party can be a pajama party if you want it to be! Besides, it’s a perk of being an old guy.”
“I’ll have to try it sometime.”
“ I want to ask you something. It’s important.” He takes a deep breath, holds it a while. “We both know we -- there’s just not enough room for us to ever live together.”
She nods, sadly.
“But all the same: you’re a beautiful, excitin’ part of my life. And I want everyone to know it. I want you to know it, now and forever, from the bottom of my heart.”
“So I’m asking you to marry me.”
“Oh!”
“Oh?” A little waver in his voice tells its own story. But then the ring is swept up onto her finger, dazzling.
“Don’t worry! Yes, of course I’ll marry you!”
“Arright! Off we go to the arch!”
“Right now?”
“Life is short! Up you go!”
“Gino!” She says it like a scolding, but then the lift throws her head back; her laughter throws her head back, her braid draped over his arms. “Hahahaha! You stallion! This can’t be good for your back.”
“...No,” he admitted, in a slightly strained voice. “Not really.”
“I can walk there just fine.”
“We’ll run, then,” he said, swinging her back down.
And so they end up running; when Mila runs by I can hear her making a noise somewhere between a pant and a laugh, outpaced by a man a whole life stage ahead of her.
“I -- I didn’t think of myself as the marrying kind. I’ve got to admit, I don’t know what to say.”
“Except that I love you. And I didn’t think my heart would be settled, not if you weren’t sure of that. I’ve seen the sea in a million moods, I’ve fought fish the size of me! But I feel like this, right here -- you, right here -- is the most thrilling, amazing thing I’m going to find, and my… Well. My biggest catch.”
“I think that’s just right. I’m honestly very surprised. I’ve thought of myself as, oh, splendidly lucky; lucky to have loved someone once, and with him having a wonderful family. If that was all the love allotted to me, I’d have been happy.” She guides his hand into hers. The dusk between them is bridged. There’s an outside world, sure, but it was miles away. “You’ve given me far, far more than my share. No matter how long it lasts, I’m so happy to share my love with you, to share a family with you.”
“As long as we both shall live,” Gino said, his voice breaking huskily over the sentiment, like water over river rocks. “...And as long as you care to remember.”
“As long as you’ll have us,” she answers.
“I now pronounce us man and wife. You may kiss the bride.”
And Gino Levin and Mila Munch marry alone in the dusk; I think they liked the privacy, a little moment -- a series of moments -- carved out just for the two of them, like the sudden elopement of young lovers.
When the night’s gone very still and dark, and the party’s dispersed, Gino goes out fishing again.
And maybe the fish sense something; maybe there’s something a little faster to the twitch of his fishing rod, a lightness to his step that doesn’t drive away the fish. How should I know?
But apparently, a newlywed can catch a lot of fish when he’s happy; he fills out his first aquarium’s worth of angelfish.
I can just tend my bar in the night, and I’ve got to laugh. I’m in such a sappy mood. All this feelings junk. It’s really alright.
Mila probably understands just how short time is running there. Sure, active might add a little extra. It might not.
But this is probably why, the next day, they go out to celebrate, and spend a little time together. And I came, too.
Oh, and Zest is here with a pretty thing. He has embraced this philosophy of bad humor and fairly white-bread debauchery.
Me? Miko’s at work. So I’m just here for the pictures of experimental food!
Don’t know if I’ll keep the experimental food pictures as a museum thing. They’re not worth a whole lot. But hey! It’s an idea for now.
The actual happy couple gets their own table, away from this whole business. As they deserve, and can talk about this and that -- more sailing stories, Mila’s first three kids: little Julian, too.
“Of course, I do intend to make his food. I think it’s an important touch, even when you’re just considering baby food.”
“That boy’s going to be spoiled rotten! I need to come see him.”
“...You do.”
Before we leave, Johnny tells me he picked up some Lilies and Snapdragons. How good!
Just after dinner, because when you’ve resigned yourself to the so-called “fact,” like you’re just going to take what’s given to you even when that’s losing, you know, existing, you’ve got to gamble on when the last time is, she invites Gino to the chateau.
Well... I can’t think there’s anything wrong with making every second count.
and I’m there, too, because I hate being left behind when people are out and about. Gets me behind on all the good gossip. Besides, my wife gets to come join when she’s done working. I’ve got seconds to make count, too.
And we can enjoy some time together. Just me, her…
“And the tickle monster!”
“Ahahaha~ Ow, my sides! Ahahahah Hey, that’s not -- Miko!”
I’ll have to get payback!
And a powerful smooching, to close out the night peacefully.
Little did I know, the true horror that awaited me in the morning…
“Akira Kibo, what is that?” Whatever it is, it’s going in the blackmail folder.
“Casual friday?”
“Too casual. Put it back.”
I can get another turn closer -- yeah, that’s right, another mixology level. They certainly fly by… This is a solid 7: nothing to worry about but hitting the career branch for this level.
Later that day, Gino stops by our dear neighbor’s to see his son.
“Hey there, little man. Hey there… Look at you. How tiny! You’ve got to grow up big and strong, alright? And be good for your mom, OK? What else… Oh. Yeah.” He bounces the boy up once more, and holds him as tight as he can. “I love you. Remember that.”
Julian probably would never remember this moment. It’s all kind of unfair, isn’t it? Well, that’s why I’m getting out.
Miko’s giving stuff some thought. Because she heard about that, and she let out the biggest, goopiest “Awwwww” you’ve ever heard.
I know it looks like she’s mopping, but that is a zone right there, and she is in it.
“Alright! Bathroom’s washed! Dishers are in the dishwasher! Teapot’s clean! I am doing my best thinking, I am living my best life! ...What do I want?”
She takes a deep breath, and she smiles a big, bright smile.
“Keeestraaal~ Are you ready?”
“I think we’re ready. Soo… The marriage bed’s still pretty new. We might still need to… Try it out.”
“And try for a bit more than that, teehee.”
That’s right. We think the days off are getting decent; the pay’s getting manageable.
“Yes!”
We’re going to have a baby!
#sims 4#The Sims 4 Gameplay#the sims 4 story#The Sims#Immortal Dynasty Challenge#The Avyan Immortal Dynasty#crosspost#I love Mila and Gino#I do that was just a happy surprise#I also love an upcoming boy
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Dear Friend - Chapter 9
My festive project. A Modern AU heavily based on The Shop Around The Corner, in which Cullen Rutherford finds love between Satinalia and First Day. [Read on AO3]
Chapter Nine
Something had changed. Cullen just couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.
It wasn't as though the routine had changed, either at work or at home. With First Day approaching, complete with its variations in the rota to allow those who had worked Satinalia to have First Day free, he had his new responsibilities thrust upon him somewhat, having to work out that rota, sign the leave requests and pay slips, meet with the board to confirm his promotion. That should have been distraction enough. But no. He was finding Mila Trevelyan incredibly distracting this week.
Whether it was his being so aware of her when she walked into a room, or the simple fact that his daughter's deadline was approaching fast and he was battling true terror at the thought of confessing his deception, he couldn't tell. All he really knew was that this new awareness of a woman who could make his heart shudder with a smile was messing with his ability to hold more than one thought in his head at a time. And Maker's breath, that smile. The way her dark eyes lit up when she looked at him these days; the way her expression warmed, her whole being seemed to soften; the way she said his name ... was that what had changed? Was it worth daring to hope that she'd decided to focus her attention on him, rather than the pen pal that had inexplicably abandoned her?
"Daddy?"
"Mmm?"
Cullen looked up from his paperwork. He'd set himself up in the break-room to work on the staff rota for the first quarter of the new year coming, ostensibly because it was warmer in there than in his office, and better for Alys to be somewhere people were constantly moving in and out of. In all honesty, he was here because of ...
"Do you think Mila has a nice bottom?"
Cullen jerked sharply, dragging his eyes away from the shapely posterior he'd been absently focused on for the last Maker-knew how long just before Mila looked over her shoulder at him, that sinfully sweet smile rather wicked as she raised her brows.
"Why would you ask me that, Alys?" he asked, attempting to seem innocent. He knew as soon as he said it, however, that it had been a bad call. Alys had not yet learned tact.
"Because you keep staring at her bottom," his daughter pointed out with a grin that only grew when Mila laughed. "So you must think she has a nice bottom."
"You have been watching it move about for a while, Cullen," Cassandra added from the other side of the room, her own smile a little more teasing than he was entirely used to.
"Maker's breath, Cassandra, don't encourage her," he protested, trying to ignore the multiple grins pointed at him from the current inhabitants of the break-room. He was just lucky Varric wasn't here, he supposed; that would have been much worse.
"I have to admit, I'm curious," Mila commented in a teasing tone of her own, twisting to look over at him more comfortably. "I'd quite like to hear this answer."
Cullen felt his mouth working silently as he tried to think of some way to save himself from what he knew was going to be the inevitable embarrassment of either pretending ignorance or admitting his distraction. And since both Alys and Cassandra had so kindly pointed out the focus of that distraction ... He sighed, rubbing a hand over his neck.
"Yes, Alys, Mila has a lovely bottom," he heard himself say, feeling his skin flush with bashful awkwardness. But he was determined to come out of this with at least some dignity, raising his eyes to meet Mila's smiling gaze with defiance. "What I've seen of it, anyway."
The woman in question laughed again, that rich warm sound Cullen could have sworn he'd started hearing in his dreams this week. "If you want a better look, you only have to ask."
The explosion of laughter from Cassandra on the other side of the room told Cullen all he wanted to know about the look on his face. Even Alys was giggling, abandoning her little project to pad over and pat his hand gently.
"S'okay, Daddy," she assured him. "I don't mind if you want to look at Mila's bottom some more."
"Can we please stop talking about Mila's bottom?" he asked helplessly.
The question was badly timed - Sera had just walked in. Never one to resist the opportunity presented to her, the cheeky elf snickered at her welcome, stepping smartly over to Mila to squeeze said backside just for the hell of it.
"Softer than it looks, yanno," she informed the room in general, cackling with laughter as Mila batted her hands away.
"No touchy-touchy!" Mila laughed with her, handing over a cup of coffee to the bright-eyed elf in charge of the small primates. "Did you manage it?"
Sera grinned over the rim of her cup. "All settled," she agreed mysteriously. "Small Bits should get the full treatment."
"Of what?" Alys demanded in a curious tone. She knew her own nicknames among the staff at the zoo, after all.
Mila flashed her a cheerful smile. "Oh, a little bird told me you were interested in seeing the orangs up close," she said casually, not even glancing at Cullen as he grinned. He wasn't exactly a little bird. "I might have called in a couple of favors."
Alys' eyes were wide. "I can see the orange monkeys?" she asked breathlessly, excitement rolling off her as she bounced on her toes. "Up close? Like touching and everything?"
Mila chuckled. "Sure," she nodded. "If your dad says it's all right, we could go right now. I'm still on break for another twenty minutes, and Bull won't let anything bad happen to you with them when I have to get back to it."
At that point, Cullen found his face captured by two small hands squishing his cheeks between her palms as Alys looked into his eyes hopefully. He could only imagine how ridiculous he looked, judging by the poorly concealed snickers coming from Sera as she made her own lunch.
"Can I, Daddy? Please, please, please?"
He laughed, pulling her little hands away from his face to kiss her fingers affectionately. "If you promise to do everything Bull tells you to," he bargained with Alys. "Just because they don't have claws, it doesn't mean they're not dangerous if you don't approach them in the right way."
"But they're cuddly," the little girl began to complain, but to Cullen's surprise, Mila had his back on this one.
"No, sweetie, they're not," she told Alys, moving to join them. "They're wild animals, even if they do have to live in captivity. They're strong, much stronger than humans - that's why Bull is their keeper. If one of the males decided to grab hold of you, he could break your arm or your leg, and that wouldn't be fun, would it?"
Alys shook her head, sighing. "But if I stay with Bull, I can go see them and maybe shake hands or something?" she asked hopefully.
Mila's expression gentled. "That's the idea, kiddo."
"Okay!" Just like that, Alys' enthusiasm returned, and again Cullen was on the receiving end of that hopeful gaze. "Please, Daddy?"
He chuckled at her cheerful plea. "I'm still waiting for that promise."
"I promise I will do everything Bull tells me to do and I won't poke the orange monkeys," the little girl declared in a singsong voice, wiggling her little finger in his direction.
Despite the sheer inanity of being asked to join a pinky-swear in front of his colleagues, Cullen wrapped his little finger about Alys' without a second thought, squeezing gently as she beamed up at him.
"All right," he conceded, laughing when she let loose a loud cheer and threw her arms around his neck for a tight hug. "Go, have fun!"
"I'm goin'!"
There was something very endearing about the way Mila let Alys seize her hand and drag her toward the door, the two of them very natural together as they slipped out of sight. Very natural, he realized. They'd spent so much time together over the past year without knowing who they were to one another, and despite his animosity toward Mila and hers toward him, she had never let it colour her friendship with his daughter. How had he not seen that?
"You are staring again."
Cullen blinked, his head snapping around to look toward Cassandra with vague irritation. "I have not been staring," he protested quietly. "I've just been ... looking in that direction while thinking."
"Thinking about what's at the top of Legs's legs," Sera agreed with another cackle of laughter, taking her sandwich and coffee back out through the door. She never actually ate in the break-room, preferring to go and sit with her marmosets over the people she worked with.
"I wasn't -"
"Cullen." Cassandra's voice was surprisingly gentle. "Don't you think it is about time you told Mila the truth? It is clear that she likes you very much, just as you are. Surely the revelation will not be so very dreadful now you have made this connection."
Cullen sighed, leaning forward onto his elbows. "It's harder than it seems, Cassandra," he told her regretfully. "I ... I like her. Alys likes her. But what if telling her the truth destroys that? What if I all end up doing is hurting myself and two people I care about? That isn't so very hard to understand, is it?"
His friend frowned, her expression thoughtful. "She is not so unforgiving as you seem to think," she reminded him. "She has certainly forgiven you for a year of grumpiness, as you have forgiven her. I do not think the risk is so huge as you are allowing yourself to believe."
"But still a risk," he said in an unhappy tone.
Cassandra sighed, rising to her feet. "I do not know what to tell you," she said softly. "I see you enjoying her company; I see Alys enjoying her company. I see that you seem to make one another happy. But I also see you holding her at arms' length, keeping your shield up at all times. That is a sure way never to be hurt, yes. But it is a certain way never to be loved, either." She squeezed his shoulder gently. "Perhaps it is time to lower your shield, Cullen."
"Perhaps." He managed a faint smile for his friend, patting her hand. "I'm working toward it, Cassandra," he promised in a low tone. "Just ... just give me time."
She nodded, letting the subject go at that. Cullen was relieved when she left the break-room, able to turn his attention back to the rota in front of him, grateful for the distraction from those worrying thoughts that urged him into making a leap he was not certain he was ready for. Wrangling names and dates into some kind of fair distribution across four months of duty shifts was more than enough to keep him enthralled for a couple of hours, at the very least, in his own little world, unaware of the comings and goings of shift changes and coffee breaks happening in the same room.
Until a slender hand found his shoulder, and a fleece-covered chest leaned against his other shoulder from behind, urging him out of his scowling at the rota to look up and find Mila leaning over him, setting a fresh cup of coffee and an elfroot tablet down on the table by his hand. She was so close, he could see the smudge of dirt on her neck below her ear, flecks of hay caught in her hairline at her nape, smell the elfroot lotion she used on her hands overlaying the honest sweet musk of her clean sweat ... caught her smiling eyes with the quiet horror of a man who knows he's been caught staring. Her fingers flexed gently on his shoulder.
"You look like you're brewing a headache there," Mila commented in a soft tone, her own eyes scanning the draft rota in front of him. "Can I help?"
Swallowing, Cullen dropped his eyes to the page on the table. "I don't know, can you? I know there's a mistake somewhere here, but I've been looking for an hour and still can't find it."
It was embarrassing how quickly her hand fell to tap gently against the column for Wintersend. He knew before she spoke what the mistake had been.
"Zoo's closed on that day," she pointed out, her smile audible in her voice. "You've put a full crew on for a half-crew day."
"That does explain the problem." He nodded wearily, almost regretting his agreement when she drew away to slide down into a seat beside his. Missing the gentle pressure of her against his back, the strange sense of intimacy within boundaries that had become normal over the past week. Was that what had changed?
She watched as he made the correction, her hands tucked about her own cup. "Alys tells me you're on your own for Last Day," she said conversationally. "Something about staying at her grandparents'?"
Cullen let out a huff of laughter as he leaned back in his seat, gratefully swallowing the elfroot tablet with a swig of coffee. "They claimed her from me with the promise of staying up past midnight," he told Mila in amusement, shaking his head. "And since I'm working First Day morning, I thought it wouldn't do any harm."
She seemed to consider him for a moment, a flicker of something wary that might almost have been fear showing in her dark eyes very briefly before she shrugged one shoulder. "Well, it's no fun to be alone on the last night of year," she said in a casual tone. "Would you like to spend it with me? I have a party to go to but, uh ... well, no one to go with."
He stared at her. Did she just ...? "Isn't that rather a waste of an invitation?"
Mila snorted with laughter. "I don't consider it a waste to invite someone I like spending time with to come and ring in the new year with me."
She did. She asked me out. And despite the wariness, the nerves, the fear, Cullen heard his answer make itself known aloud before his caution could veto it. "I'd love to," he told her, his lips quirking into a smile that she echoed with startling warmth. "Shall I pick you up at eight?"
She nodded slowly. "Make it nine," she suggested. "I'm working the overlap shift - won't be home until seven. There's all sorts of things a woman has to do to make sure people in public don't realize she does anything but bathe in jasmine and sing princess tunes all day, you know."
Cullen chuckled, his own head bobbing in agreement. "I shall endeavor not to arrive before you have done all that you feel necessary to do to yourself," he assured her, "though you don't need to do any of it."
"Oooh, listen to the charmer," she laughed teasingly, leaning back in her own seat with a comfortable smile. "We should have a good time. Just leave the stick up your ass by the door before you leave home."
"Only if you leave the twisted panties in the dresser before you leave home," he heard himself counter, suddenly torn between guilt and amusement at how easy it felt to tease her in return.
Mila let out a burst of laughter. "You've got a deal, Rutherford," she assured him. "No panties, no stick. Should be a fun evening."
The wink she sent his way was enough to derail his thoughts yet again. No panties ... Maker's breath. How in the Void am I supposed to concentrate on work now?
#dear friend#modern au#shop around the corner au#cullen rutherford#mila trevelyan#cullen x mila#alys rutherford#cassandra pentaghast#sera#soooo close to the end now!
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More Bodyswap please!!!!!!
Sure thing, Anon!! I was just thinking about writing more~↪ Parts 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5Also available on AO3: Switched
“Absolutely not!” Michele barked, crossing his arms over his chest. Well, Emil’s chest, but whatever.
“Why not?” Mila asked as both she and Sara pouted.
“Because it’s dangerous!” he snapped and then looked to Emil for help. “Tell them, Emil.”
The other man cleared his throat, ducking his head a bit - a nervous habit that Michele usually found cute, but didn’t care much to see from his own body - and then finally replied. “It does sound a bit dangerous, Mila.”
“Et tu, Emil?” the redhead lamented with an over-exaggerated sigh. “We’re running out of cures, here.”
“Yes, but I don’t think going to the roof and getting struck by lightning is going to fix this,” Michele said, gesturing between them. He wanted to get back into his body just as much as the next guy, but he certainly didn’t want to run the risk of being electrocuted. “Besides,” he added, “there isn’t a cloud in the sky.”
“Fine.” Mila folded her arms and glanced over at Sara. “You got any ideas?”
A slow smile spread on his sister’s lips as she answered. “I do, actually.”
Oh no.
“Mickey,” she began, cocking her head to the side. “You’re sure you don’t remember how you two switched in the first place?”
“If I did, don’t you think I would have told you?” He quirked a brow.
“It would make it easier to switch back if we knew,” Mila agreed. “I’m sure he wouldn’t keep it to himself,” she paused, “no matter how embarrassing.”
“Why do you two keep talking like you know something we don’t?” Emil asked, chuckling nervously - not a good look on Michele’s face, Michele thought.
“We don’t,” Sara promised. “I just have my theories.”
“Well, spit them out, Sara,” Michele said, getting annoyed. “We’re running out of time.”
“Of course, Mickey.” She smiled again and it made him want to swallow his words. “We’ve tried a lot of crazy cures-”
“Thank you, tvtropes.org,” Mila snorted.
“But why not go with the age-old, standard cure-all?” Sara smirked.
Emil caught Michele’s attention and gave a little shrug. “Might as well give it a try?” he offered and Michele begrudgingly accepted with a curt nod.
“Fine.”
“Good.” Sara clapped her hands excitedly, her wicked grin returning. “True love’s kiss.”
Michele nearly choked on his spit. He whipped his head toward Emil to find the other man similarly taken aback, his face bright red, despite Michele’s darker complexion.
“What?” Michele managed.
“You heard me,” Sara said, she and Mila exchanging knowing looks. “Now, pucker up.”
“Sara,” he started, knowing his blush rivaled Emil’s, what with the other’s pale skin. “I…we-”
“Don’t act as though you’ve never done it,” Sara accused. Out of the corner of his eye, Michele saw Emil blink in surprise. Sara turned toward him and winked. “Mickey tells me everything.”
“Plus,” Mila interjected, “we all saw you two making out on the dance floor last night, so-”
“We were not!” Michele gasped, but then paused, trying to remember. They were definitely at a club, and there was some drinking, and a dance battle. Sara and Mila left and then… His face flushed impossibly hotter. “W-Well…never mind!”
“Let’s just do it,” Emil said and Michele snapped his head up, staring at him with wide eyes. Emil was looking at him, a serious expression on Michele’s own face, but there was still a telltale blush high on his cheeks. “It might help us switch back.”
Loath as Michele was to participate in public displays of affection, he knew they were right. It was worth a try. Besides, they were in the privacy of Emil’s room. He swallowed and nodded, surprised to see Emil’s shoulders relax and a bright smile grace his features - again, odd on Michele’s face.
“But you two have to face the other way,” Michele ordered, pointing at the girls.
“What? Seriously?” Mila pouted. “You’re no fun, Mickey.”
“Sara…” he whined, shooting his sister a pleading look.
“Fine.” She shook her head. “Let’s look this way, Mila.” She placed a hand on the other girl’s shoulder and turned so they were both facing the wall. “Okay, go ahead.”
Michele swallowed again, barely able to meet Emil’s sheepish gaze. “All right,” he breathed. “You close your eyes, too.”
“Me?” Emil raised an eyebrow. “But how will I-”
“Do you really want to kiss yourself?” Michele asked with a frown. Emil shook his head and he continued. “I’ll do all the work, so…just wait.”
Emil nodded and closed his eyes.
Michele leaned forward, taking a deep breath. It was surreal to see his own face in front of him, eyes closed and lips puckered, waiting to be kissed. Was that what he looked like? Surely not.
Deciding he couldn’t do it like this, he placed a hand over Emil’s eyes, ignoring the other’s surprised squawk, and closed the distance between them, pressing their lips together in a chaste, though lingering kiss.
It was nice, actually. He did like the feel of Emil’s mouth on his, even if it was a little backwards.
But, when he pulled back, he was disappointed to see his own face staring back at him, violet eyes blinking in confusion.
“Shit,” he cursed and then glanced over to the side to see both Sara and Mila staring at them.
“Hmm, I thought that would work,” Sara mused, bringing a finger to her lips.
“Well, back to the list.” Mila pulled out her phone. “Let’s see…fortune cookies,” she read aloud. “I think there’s a Chinese restaurant downstairs.”
“Mila-” Emil began, but was interrupted.
“Let’s go!” Sara chimed in and the two began heading for the door.
“Wait!” Michele called and then turned back.
“What?”
“What about us?” He looked at Emil. “We can’t go anywhere like this.”
“Sure you can,” Mila assured them.
“But what if we run into someone we know?” Emil offered and Michele was thankful he’d taken his side.
“Well,” Sara made a show of thinking it over. “You’ll just have to pretend to be each other, now won’t you?” Then she snickered. “Just don’t try speaking Italian again, Emil.”
Uh-oh. What’s going to happen next?? I can’t bear to watch! Or can I?
This one was actually supposed to be split into two…but it worked better as one long chapter (long for this au, I mean)Please look forward to the continuation~
#answered#anon#emimike#michemil#body swap#emil nekola#michele crispino#sara crispino#mila babicheva#long post#super long lol#drabble#yoi#yuri on ice#continuation
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F I R E W O R K O U T ~#13
previous | next
A/N: THE TIME FOR MY TARDY LEAVING FIC HAS COME. I had tests, ok? But I am free now. So… super late, but this takes place on a random day after the first rebel attack and (most of it) on the day Aileen gets eliminated. That means before the Queen’s funeral. Thanks @mila-regan and @lady-naomi-lafleur for the RP’s! And FYI it begins and finishes with Colleen guys ;) I think it’s not that bad lol Ft. Cole, Naomi, Mila, (suuuuuper brief mention of Haiden) and Aileen’s maids. Enjoy!
“This is not how picnics work.” Cole pointed out as he chewed on his sandwich.
I smiled at his muffled voice, “Best one I’ve had so far.” He replied with an eye roll and scoffed. “You don’t believe me?”
“We’re in the hospital wing.” He stated, raising an eyebrow at me and then gesturing at the room to emphasize. “Picnics are supposed to be outside, sitting on the grass under the sun, surrounded by flowers or a good breeze…” He paused when he noticed the look I was giving him and with a teasing smile added, “Or you know something corny like that.”
“Thanks for ruining it, Cole.”
“That’s what I’m here for.” He smiled, giving me a kiss on the nose.
“Whatever. Grass is overrated anyway.” I mumbled, snatching one of his grapes and placing it in my mouth. “Plus, the sun hates me.”
“The sun hates you.” He repeated with a smirk.
“Yes, it does. It gives me sunburns.”
“Hate to break it to you, but that happens to a lot of people, Firework.”
“When you get sunburn because you forget to put on sunblock to stand in line for an ice cream we can talk about this.”
“Very well, the sun hates you.” He reached for a grape too. “You never seemed bothered by it when we walked in the gardens though.”
“We were usually in the shade, and besides, I use sunblock every time to avoid becoming a lobster.”
He grinned at that. “I bet you’re a good looking lobster.”
“No. I’m the grumpy lobster that tells people to stay at least one foot away from her skin at all times until she’s not a lobster anymore. That means no nose kisses or hugs.”
He made a face at my last statement. “Okay, so not a favorable lobster, but still a very good looking one.”
“You know I say lobster because I look red.”
“Hey, be purple if you want. Just don’t lose that hair of yours or I’ll have to come up with new nicknames.”
“And that would be a tragedy.” I snickered.
“Well, I’m not that creative.”
I reached for a grape again and he glared at me for taking yet another one. “You know, there’s no point in you bringing me lunch if you’re going to eat it for me.”
“I’m a food stealer, get used to it.”
“Okay,” he grabbed one of my tangerine slices before I could stop him “I do it too. Don’t have to hold back now.”
Giving him a narrowed-eye look I crossed my arms over my chest. “Shameful, Cole. You’re stealing from an innocent girl.”
He ate the slice without remorse. “Clearly I am a bad example to all the little children out there.”
“A disgrace really. Your cow should be dishonored.”
He lost the straight face at that, “My cow?”
I mentally thanked Naomi for my win. “It’s a Selected thing, you won’t get it.”
“And here I thought you were the only weird one.”
“I guess I’m not that special.”
“I beg to differ.”
“Please, do elaborate.”
“I call you matchstick because of your hair, but Firework can have more than one meaning.” He seemed amused by my confusion.
Moving aside our food he carefully scooted closer to me and reached for my hands, “Close your eyes.” I frowned at that, so he squeezed. “Come on, close them.”
“Fine,” I grumbled, doing what he asked. “But if this is some kind of move to steal a kiss from me I’ll slap you.”
He laughed and I smiled at the way the sound seemed to echo in the room. Even with my eyes closed I could imagine his lips revealing a grin. “Feisty.”
“And that’s why you like me.”
“Questionable.”
I opened my eyes and gasped dramatically to feign offense. He leaned closer to me and placed his forehead on mine. “I’m kidding. Close your eyes.”
I closed them again after another glare and the touch of his forehead disappeared. Slightly disappointing.
“Perfect. Now, imagine you’re walking on the gardens at night by yourself,” he began. “So, you’re minding your own business, right? But then you catch the glimpse of something lighting up the sky behind you, the sound of crackling filling the silence. What do you do?”
“I turn around, of course.”
“Mhmm, exactly, you turn around and find yourself with flashes of light in different colors that appear in the air with every pop heard in the distance.”
“Fireworks.” I chuckled.
“Precisely.” A kiss to my knuckles. “Captivating, aren’t they? You were in the gardens for a regular walk, but then they just appeared out of nowhere and the thought of looking away became impossible. You’ll pause for as long as it’s necessary. Maybe you’ll even derail from your path to find a better spot to admire them, someplace closer. They light up the sky in a different way and you just have to see it. Once they’re gone you’ll wish there were more.” I nodded again, and this time felt his hand move to intertwine our fingers, his palm facing mine. “That’s you every time you cross a door.”
Even though my eyes snapped open at those words he continued with a smile, staring at me like he believed I was the only thing worth looking at in the moment. “You do whatever it takes to make everything an odd adventure and you drag people with you to join the fun. A walk through the gardens becomes a charade game, searching for a cat becomes a pillow fight, washing the dishes turns into a musical, taking pictures ends up with a splash on the fountains. When you laugh it fills up the space and makes everyone else wish to share the moment with you. When you joke it’s so others can become part of your flare.”
I knew my mouth was agape, but I couldn’t help it. I’d never thought words could strike me so much. It wasn’t only the idea he was trying to convey, it was the sentiment behind it, the true belief that I was all that. How he could actually compare me to something so simple and make it have a deeper meaning. It was the way the words flowed out of his mouth with the very intention of leaving me in awe.
“You’re a firework,” he leaned to kiss my forehead with a grin. “Now that I think about it, being a matchstick means you light yourself up as well.”
“You might be a lot better with nicknames than you think.”
“Maybe I am.”
“Is it too soon to be using the L word for real?” I whispered, placing my arms over his shoulders.
He closed his eyes—bringing his forehead to rest on mine again—the grin on his face growing wider. “Maybe it is…but I love you too.”
I tuned my ukulele as Cole ate. He was stuck with hospital food that day since I’d decided to start packing before eliminations and had no time to make him lunch myself.
“Does it taste like cardboard?” I joked.
“Actually, it’s pretty good.”
“Better than mine?”
“Nothing is better than yours.”
I raised an eyebrow. “Not even Chef Baguette’s?”
“He doesn’t make cat shaped sandwiches… so I’m gonna say no.”
“Good answer” I smirked.
He replied with only a wink and continued eating, yet his eyes drifted back to me when I started playing. I tried to ignore his gaze and instead focused on my hand movements. The sound. The beat. Letting my fingers touch the required strings, instead of struggling to remember the chords. When you practiced a song long enough there was a point where the notes became an afterthought and it was just your hand memory playing, automatically moving to the next thing. Almost like your head created a pattern.
When I was done Cole blinked a couple of times before whistling. “That was…well…where you even touching the strings?”
I could only smile. There was always the feeling of fulfillment when I made it all the way through a song with no mistakes. “Pretty neat, huh?”
“Neat will never do you justice, Firework.”
“Flattery will only get you so far, Cabbages.”
He chuckled and returned to his food once more. “So today is your last day?”
I nodded, walking over to him so I could steal some bread. “My time in the Selection has come to an end.”
He reached for my stealing hand and snatched the piece of bread back, “Your time in the Selection, yes, but not your time in the palace.”
“Well, if I have a reason to visit…”
He pulled my arm and I fell on the bed next to him. “Do you have a reason?”
Our noses grazed one another. “I think I have plenty.”
“Elizabeth Matthews.” She didn’t seem too bothered. “Patricia Beauchamp.” Slightly disappointed, but Mila was quick to comfort her. “Alexandra Amaria.” Well…she’s not even in the country.
Haiden paused just for a second to glance at me before reading the last name. I faked a pout and he looked down at the paper again with a suppressed smile. “Aileen Hollingsworth.”
And so, I am out.
“Aileen!” Naomi practically screamed, stressing the last syllable in my name. I turned around to look at her and yelled “Naomi!” back at her.
She lunged at me for a hug. “I’m gonna miss youuuu!”
I returned her hug. “I’ll miss you too, but I won’t be far away!”
We were screaming so much Haiden turned to look at us with raised eyebrows as he made his way out of the room as well. I stuck my tongue out at him and he rolled his eyes in slight amusement as he walked past us.
Naomi—who hadn’t been able to see our little exchange—held me at arm’s length and tilted her head. “Where will you go?”
I laughed. “It’ll be a couple of weeks before my parents come back from filming in Dominica, but they told me I might as well stay here since they’ll be back soon. I’ll stay in my uncle’s house with my cousins…and my brother.”
She gave me a sympathetic smile. Naomi had been one of the few people I’d told about Sam. Burning therapy had been nice. “I hope that goes well! You better write to me!”
“We talked…I think it’ll be fine. And don’t worry, I’ll write! Maybe I’ll even sneak in and say hi.” I wiggled my eyebrows at the last part, technically not sneaking in if I’m invited.
“That would be great!” she practically jumped with excitement, but then in a whisper she added, “I’ll secretly send you Baguette’s food.”
I squeezed her hand thinking about how I would miss seeing her every day, doing something equally dramatic as me. “That would be wonderful.”
I was making sure I had all my things ready to leave when my room’s door swung open. “Aileen!” This time it was Mila who was running to me for a hug. “I can’t believe it!”
She came at me with such force I almost fell, but I managed to keep my ground and hugged her back with a laugh. “Well, I can. I’ll miss seeing you every day however.”
“I’m going to miss you so much Aileen. But how did you know? Did Haiden tell you he would send you away?”
“Um…” I smiled awkwardly. “I didn’t mention it to you guys before, but winning hasn’t been on my plans for a while now.”
She laughed. “Wait, what?”
“Haiden and I agreed being friends was as far as things would go for us… but don’t worry, it wasn’t tragic at all or anything. We’re actually pretty close…just not romantically speaking.” I had decided not to tell others about it to avoid problems, but if I was finally out I could trust Mila with it. “We realized it pretty early on actually.”
“I’m happy you two could go through with just being friends. But why did he make you leave now and not when the “One” is chosen?
She had no idea how much I wished I could stay. “This is just the moment where leaving me in if I’m not really participating isn’t possible anymore. I knew I’d be out this round since before his birthday.”
Mila accepted it with a sigh. “Couldn’t you’ve warned me? I don’t want you to leave Aileen. I like the other girls but my best friends will be gone now…”
Her words caught me off guard and I couldn’t help but tear up with a smile. “That’s not fair! You don’t get to make me cry!”
Tears formed in her eyes too as she gave me a sheepish smile back. “I can if we cry together.”
I looked up at the ceiling to stop the tears from coming down and laughed. “I won’t even be that far! I’ll probably still see you once a week!”
“I know, but it will be so different without you. The palace is already this big; it will be almost empty without you.”
“I guess I would have felt the same if you or Naomi had left before me…” I paused, remembering my conversations with Cole. “Oh, but trust me. I think I’ll be around more than you think. I’ll just have to find you.”
She shared a mischievous grin with me. “What are you up to? Just sneaking your way back into the palace?”
“Well…” I trailed off, plopping on the bed. I’d let Naomi think I was just going to sneak in, but I couldn’t keep it in any longer. I’d have to talk with her about it soon too. “Some sneaking around will be involved, but I’ll probably be here with an invitation…A royal invitation.”
She gasped and plopped down next to me. “Stop the mystery and tell me already!”
“Remember Cole?”
“Yes… Wait he didn’t..?” She frowned at me and I remembered the only interaction she had with him was the crashing bowl incident.
“Ok, there are a lot of things I haven’t been telling you now that I think about it. I’m a horrible friend. Naomi should dishonor my cow.”
Mila laughed at the reference. “Oh, she should! But I forgive you for not telling me if you tell me now.”
Here goes nothing. I quickly stood up from the bed, rambling as I paced the room, unable to hide a smile. “Okay, so you’ve probably noticed I go to the gardens a lot or I’m just generally not in the women’s room. Or maybe you haven’t noticed? I don’t know…but anyway, sometimes it was because I was with Haiden—talking about how he was going to deal with you girls without dying and becoming a puddle of confusion—but other times it was because I was hanging out with Cole.”
I took a big breath before continuing. “I mean, it wasn’t anything planned. He almost killed me with his horse, and then we started walking back to the palace, but we ended up talking, and he sucks at charades—but I suck at them too so who cares. After that we just kind of kept on meeting each other there. It turned out he wasn’t a complete jerk, he actually tried to help me when I was upset about my brother, and at some point we just kind of started getting along. I don’t know why I didn’t realize how I felt about him before. After all, we did spend a lot of time together, and I liked our random and not-so-random meet ups…yet for some reason it didn’t cross my mind!” I rolled my eyes at my own naivety. “No wonder Haiden kept asking if there was something I wanted to tell him! He probably realized I liked Cole before I did!”
“I am completely stunned, Aileen!” The surprise was written all over her face. “Of course I noticed you weren’t allowed in the women’s room a lot, but I thought you just needed some alone time…. Well, you did but with Cole! I’m glad he isn’t that much of a jerk, but he almost killed you with his horse?”
“Oh, I’m just being dramatic, don’t worry. I kicked him in the shins when he came with his lousy apology anyway.”
She shook her head with a laugh. “I already like you two together. And it’s so funny Haiden is totally fine with it.”
“Uh, I don’t know if he’s fine with it. I mean, I know he’ll be happy for us, but I’m still working on getting him to admit he cares for Cole in general… You see, they don’t get along so well, but the two idiots care for each other, so at least there’s that.”
“Yeah, I figured out they didn’t get along that well.” She paused before smirking. “Sooo, when’s the wedding?”
I scowled at her. “Don’t jump to the wedding just yet!”
“Sorry but that means I get to see you more!”
I tsked. “We’ve barely just kissed…and we admitted our feelings for each other, but I doubt he’s thinking about that just yet.”
“YOU KISSED?”
“Oh my…” I brought a hand to my forehead. “I forgot to tell Haiden we kissed! DON’T TELL HIM I TOLD YOU FIRST.” I wasn’t even sure of how he would react to the news. “But yes! WE KISSED.”
“No, I won’t! I’m so happy for you, Aileen!”
“I wish it hadn’t taken us a near death experience to actually realize this…but I’m happy about him, about us.” Us. I couldn’t help but squeal at the thought before jumping on the bed and covering myself with a blanket. “You make me overly happy about things, you know? I become a danger to humanity.” I thought of Cole again and buried my head in the bed. “But he’s just really adorable, you have no idea.”
She practically squealed with me. “You two are so adorable! This makes me so happy, you deserve a happy ending too!”
I smiled at her. “Thanks Mila, I still can’t believe it sometimes to be honest. I wish he wasn’t stuck on that dreadful medical wing however.”
“He’s where? Is he okay?”
“Oh…I guess you haven’t heard.” Not really a surprise since Cole had insisted word shouldn’t get out. Apparently he didn’t want the country focusing on his medical monitoring.
Mila gave me a questioning look after mumbling a “No.”
I rubbed my neck and averted her gaze. “We…encountered a rebel during the attack from last week.”
“What? You did!?”
“Yeah…”
“They didn’t hurt you, right?”
“He got shot, but he’s okay now… They’re keeping him there for a while longer just to be safe. I kind of got a concussion,” I did my best to dismiss her concern “it was nothing though.”
“I wouldn’t call a concussion ‘nothing’, Aileen! You two could’ve died!”
“I barely remember what happened after we met the rebel…I didn’t even see when Cole got shot—which I’m not sure if I’m thankful for or not—I just woke up and we were in a completely different room, and Haiden was there and Cole was…” I shook my head to push the image of Cole’s bloody side and clammy skin away. “The important thing is we were all okay in the end.”
“I am so grateful you’re alive. And you’re right; in the end we’re all okay and safe.” She gave me a hesitant smile. “Try to be more careful next time.” Then with a wink she pulled me in for a last hug. “I have saved you some bags of chips, so you can still think of me.”
“Thanks Mila, but I doubt they’ll survive long.” I laughed, but tears threatened my eyes again as I felt the familiar smell of pine around her. “Ugh, this feels like we’re not going to see each other again even though we will.”
“I know, but we will! Imagine us both ending up in the palace…”
“I guess we never know…” Could it be her? Was she the girl Haiden had been talking about? I’ll have to wait and see.
“Have a safe trip home, Aileen.”
Anne and Janet hugged me tightly and I almost felt the need to cry again. I managed to keep it together though, and shook my head as they left the room to convince Chef Baguette to make me one last quick meal. I doubted he would agree to it if he still remembered me and Haiden stealing his baguettes months ago.
When we were alone Sydney seized the opportunity to say her farewells. She still reminded me of my mother a lot. “You better behave yourself, Lady Aileen.”
I frowned at the use of my temporary title. Since the day they assigned her as my third maid she’d never once called me Lady before. “Sydney, now it’s just Miss.”
“I don’t think it’ll stay that way for long.” Her smile broadened at my puzzled look. “Just because Prince Haiden wasn’t interested in you romantically, it doesn’t mean another prince isn’t.”
The blush that took over my face was probably enough evidence to confirm her claims, but I still stammered to refute them. I might have told Mila the truth—and planned to tell Naomi soon enough—but I hadn’t planned on letting the whole palace in on the story just yet. “W-What? Sydney, I don’t know where you’re getting the idea that— Why would you even think he— I’m not—”
She stopped my blabbering by placing her hands on my shoulders. “Aileen, I’ve spent over a year watching my boy deny his own feelings for a girl. Luckily for him, despite the lack of courtship, the girl seems to share the sentiment and is only keeping it at bay like he is. Maybe a lot of people didn’t notice it on you two either, but I saw the way you looked at each other once and it’s that same look. Considering the amount of time you’ve spent on the hospital wing lately however… I like to think you two have gone past denial.”
I blinked a couple of times, taking in her words and then giving her a shy smile. “Yes, we have.”
She nodded with approval. “Good, I wish my Nathan had been that fast to accept it.”
Sydney had mentioned her son a couple of times before, a guard like his father, so I’d actually met him too, but she’d never mentioned he had a liking for someone in particular. I suddenly wondered who it was. “Do you think he’ll ever accept it?”
“Oh, he better, though I understand his reluctance.” She shook her head with a sigh. “Either way, I hope things go well for you and Prince Cole.”
I finally hugged her. “I hope so too.”
“I wish I could go with you.” Cole grumbled, staring at the ceiling.
“That would have been slightly suspicious anyway.” I snorted.
“Ugh, fine, but I’ll be allowed to walk again soon. They said I should be able to do so before…Aunt Alize’s funeral.” Every time the Queen was mentioned it was like the air in the room shifted out of place—even for just a split second.
Haiden might smile at certain things now, but it wasn’t the same as it used to be. As for Cole, whenever it was brought up by accident, he always made a moment of silence (that I wasn’t sure if he noticed he did or not). I for one felt the constant reminder that a brave woman’s life had come to an end for no logical reason, and not only her, but other dignitaries as well. Ambassador E-Jun that had been so sweet with everyone…
Cole cleared his throat as we both tried to get past that split second together. “Maybe once I’m discharged we can have a decent picnic. At night. That way we’ll avoid your transformation into a lobster.”
That managed to get a laugh out of me. “In the moonlight it shall be.” I gave him a quick kiss before trying to head for the door, but he didn’t let go of my hand and instead pulled me to the hospital bed again. “What?” I asked with a grin as he examined my face, only bare inches apart from his.
“Just wanted to get a good look at you before you leave.”
“I’ll come visit soon enough, don’t be so melodramatic.”
He smirked and gently reached for my face to give me one last kiss. “Trust me, I’ll be counting the minutes.”
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Entry 286
“Mila, open this door, or I’ll go through it.” I warned her.
“To give you a fair warning, that’s not wood. Knowing significantly more about its composition than you, I don’t like your odds unless you plan to take the whole house with the door. Even with a nuclear explosion, I’d put your odds at roughly three to two against..” she replied, sounding amused. “But don’t worry, you’re to have access. Hopefully, you’ll understand that the master has been indisposed as I’ve been telling you.”
I squashed the spark of anger that word induced as the door swung open. James was at his desk, leaning back with his eyes closed. He didn’t seem to know I was present. Walking into the room, I said, “James, we need to talk.”
Not even a microexpression.
Had he not heard me? “James?” I asked a little louder. When he still didn’t react, I started fighting a pang of worry, wondering what was wrong with him. “How long has he been like this?”
“For three days. On Monday, he seemed to die for…”
“Seemed to die!? James, answer me!” I exclaimed.
“several seconds, and then he started some intensive study before relaxing back like this.” finished Mila.
“James!?” I called, wondering if I should shake him. I could tell he was alive, but… what had happened to him? I’d suspect magic, but no magic should affect him. “JAMES!?” I yelled, feeling relief flood through me when he moved slightly.
His eyes flicked opened, and stared at me blankly for a second. Then he was suddenly moving toward me. “Is something wrong!?” he asked, concern plain on his face.
Refraining from hitting him, I said, “What have you been doing? I haven’t heard from you in days. By the end of the second, I asked Mila to contact you, but she claimed that you seemed to be sleeping. She failed to mention that you were sleeping at a desk.
“Sorry to offend you, Lady Pendreigh, but my master was indisposed.” explained Mila.
“I’ve heard quite enough of that, thank you.” I snapped, annoyed that she had used that word again. Indisposed was all I'd heard for days.
“I truly am sorry for worrying you. I’ve been working something out.” stated James with a sincere, apologetic tone.
Stopping myself from kissing him right then, I asked “Oh? Something for our wedding?” Anything James had spent days on would have to be marvelous!
“No.” he replied instantly. Catching my expression, he said, “Sorry. Please, don’t be upset.” The pleading tone in his voice tugged at my heart. “I don’t even know what day we’re on now. I hope I didn’t miss any clients.” He looked up, obviously wanting a response from Mila.
“No, Master. Don’t worry. Your schedule was cleared ahead.” she assured him.
He sighed in relief. “Well, I’m thankful for that at least.”
“But what has kept you so preoccupied?” I asked slightly forcefully. Being metaphorically kept in the dark always annoyed me.
“I can finish Jarod’s suit. There are still some things I’d like to refine more, but he’s going to be thrilled!” exclaimed James excitedly. His hands had moved to my shoulders, and I could feel the strength of them pulling me a step forward as he bent down to stare into my eyes.
“Finished? What do you mean?”
He leaned back, considering for a moment. Then he said, “Oh. Remember how he had asked me to enchant his suit for him? I know how now.”
“I already showed you how such a thing could be done.” I told him, barely holding back a sigh.
“What?” he questioned, looking confused for several seconds. Shaking his head, he said, “No. That would never do. The enchantments as you do them can never hold on their own, and the spells you demonstrated are too inefficient.”
“And you can do better?” I questioned with a touch of annoyance. Having been instructing James for nearly a year now, I felt his sudden confidence at miraculously inventing new spells was a touch much.
“Sorry. Please, don’t be mad. I really can do better. Far better.” he insisted with earnest excitement. “Give me a couple hours, and I’ll show you.”
“Now what are you doing?” I questioned, not wanting to wait hours more after waiting a whole day.
“I need to stop in my forest for a minute, and then I’ll get to work.” he replied, smiling now.
“You expect this to take you a couple hours? Let me watch.” I told him, my curiosity peaked.
A pained expression flashed across his face before he said, “I can’t, not yet.”
I frowned, not wanting to let that pass.
“I promise this will be worth the wait.” he assured me, taking my hand and kissing it. “Please, just a little longer.”
I rolled my eyes, failing to keep the smile from my lips. Poking his chest, I said, “You’ll pay if I’m disappointed.”
“No doubt. See you soon.” he stated, smiling broadly. After a single step, he spun around and asked, “Would you do your best to protect everyone’s minds for a bit?”
“How much are you planning on absorbing?” I questioned with more than a little anxiety. James’ presence was like a whirlpool, sucking everything in, on an average day. If he absorbed much energy, he could put hurricanes to shame.
Smiling again, he said, “You’ll soon feel it.”
I dashed out of the room, starting to create protective spells as I moved. I felt where the others were throughout the house and felt guilty for not knowing where those who were out happened to be. They’d feel this too. Drawing heavily on my magic to create ample amounts of energy, I charged each spell with enough energy to fill a small room, moved to the next, and sent out streams of energy to reinforce each of my spells when every person was protected.
“Protected as best as I can.” I muttered, feeling James through my ward. I felt as if I could point to him before I sensed the heat of his body. He was down in the garage just seconds after leaving the forest.
Time ticked slowly by as I continued reinforcing all of the spells, leaving me feeling restless. I didn’t dare let my concentration slipped, so I had next to nothing to do as I waited, other than drawing residual energy for the spells and pacing throughout my rooms.
Finally, James had finished, and I let myself relax as I sensed him heading toward me. This had better be fantastic. Even for me, drawing on that much magic for hours was draining.
James? Are you finished? You would not believe the amount of energy I had to expend simply to maintain my spells. I dare say half of the state might have been affected by you.” I chided.
“I can’t help being myself.” he replied, graciously looking a touch guilty.
“Did you fail?” I questioned as I examined the suits without sensing any magic there at all. Noticing the suit’s proportions, I asked “You don’t expect <i>me</i> to wear that, do you?”
Energy suddenly shifted near the suit, pulled into it and disappearing. What had he done to this?
“Yes, I do expect you to wear this. Aside from Raine, you’re the most durable person here.” he stated.
“I would have suggested Cosette to be your guinea pig, since she might actually get some use from this thing.” I replied, frowning while I continued to guess at what had been done. The way I had shown him to hide spells had flaws that could be exploited to circumvent it, and prodding this was getting me nowhere.
James was smirking. “I’ll wait for you out back.”
“Race you there.” I teased as I grabbed the suit. Lifting it with magic had failed.
The moment the suit was donned, I felt as if the world slowed down even more. When I moved, I had to adjust for the large increase. Beating James outside was easy, despite his headstart, though he didn’t seem to be putting much effort into winning.
“This accelerates the mind as well as the body.” I muttered. “Oh, James… this might well be addictive.”
“Mind if I try a few spells against you?” he questioned, smiling at me.
I moved to defend myself, smiling back.
“No, don’t defend yourself. The suit should handle these by itself.” he stated.
Sighing, I stood straight, crossing my arms as I rolled my eyes. He produced a few basic fire spells, which were beautifully redirected downward by the suit’s defenses, disappearing beneath the soles of my feet.
“If you wanted to test fire, all you needed to do was ask.” I told him, starting to draw on my magic.
“No! Don’t!” he exclaimed. “You should be able to affect yourself with spells that the suit would stop from others, so you could probably burn it off and ruin our tests.”
“I see.” I stated, beginning to see why enchanting the suit had taken so much time and energy.
“Try running without your usual spells.” he suggested.
I obliged him, immediately pleased that physics wasn’t working against me as it normally would without magic. The air wasn’t getting blasted away, and no heat was being produced by the friction that should occur. Everything was going smoothly. Even when James did a strange spell, I saw no effect from it.
“What was that?” I questioned, filing away the components I caught.
“A variation of one of the spells you use when you move. I created a slick spot in the grass, and the suit countered nicely.” he replied, looking slightly embarrassed.
“Mind showing me that spell? I only caught a glimpse.” I admitted.
“Sorry. I can’t show you any of what I used in the suit until we’re married. Aaliyah gave me access to a… spellbook of sorts.” he told me, obviously holding something back.
I frowned and nodded. Death was meddling again. Still, I admitted, “This is absolutely remarkable. I don’t believe I could keep up with Raine for an instant, but I feel stronger.”
His smile returned. “I think the suit will work for Raine as well, though I’m not certain. Hopefully, she’ll give it a try when hers is enchanted.”
“Did you prepare your own?” I questioned hopefully.
“No. Not yet.” he replied.
Sighing, I asked “Whose then? Surely not Jarod’s when he’s not even here.”
“No, but I plan on doing his next and delivering it to him in Japan. I only finished yours.” he told me.
“Only mine!?” I exclaimed, thinking back on how much energy I had spent on just protecting everyone I could from his enchanting aura.
“Well, yes. The spell which holds everything together is… complicated. I’ve done nothing but work toward this for days.” he explained, a dreamy glaze coming over his eyes.
“I’ll be quite interested in seeing this spellbook once we’re married.” I stated, wondering what types of magic had been hoarded by Death.
James’ smile broadened again, and he looked at me in a way that made my heart beat faster. Then he said, “You won’t find the spell in there. I made it.”
“James, experimenting with magic is dangerous… You should’ve asked for help at the very least.” I chided, though I admitted to myself that he was the most well-suited person in history for magical experimentation. He still should have at least gone far from the city first to protect the populous from any mishaps.
Nodding, he said, “I remember. I just…” Pausing in thought for several seconds, he frowned slightly. Then he looked at me and said, “I felt really confident in it. I know each part very well, having been quite careful in my design. Most of the time I spent enchanting the suit was spent on that one spell. It’s enormous. You won’t believe the size of it. Just creating it is a bit of a strain for me.”
Smiling ruefully, I said, “I can’t say that I’m surprised given the amount of energy you must have used, but I’ve never heard of a spell that massive without global implications.”
“What do you mean?” he questioned.
“I can’t actually tell you much until we are wed, but I will say that there have been only a few spells of such magnitude created in the history of mankind, at least to my family’s knowledge. One such spell was used to create Poenari Island.” I told him, knowing that no one would question me giving away a secret of the vampires.
James seemed to sit and think about what I said, worrying me slightly. The thoughtful expression could be from him working out how to create an island. Given how complex the spell for this suit sounded, I could no longer put such feats past him. I had chosen very well indeed.
Tired of waiting in silence, I asked “James, is there anything else you’d like to test?”
“Oh. Sorry. Yes, actually.” he replied, snapping out of his thoughts.
By the end of the first minute, he was clearly showing off what he had done more than testing anything. The advantage the suit gave me in fighting him was absolutely tremendous. He had no chance at beating me without a suit of his own. The thought was incredibly exciting for me. These suits now had the potential to change the world.
#Best Friend For Hire Reprise#Best#Friend#For#Hire#Reprise#Jovial Times#Jovial#Times#Fantasy#Fiction#Story
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