ardently yours

@ardauntly || continued from (x).

There was something about being around her that calmed the mara in a ways that he had an inkling of understanding. There were moments where it surged but when around her it became predictable, he was learning when to step away and contact her later.

This long life was still a curse he would part with at the end of his journey but right now he had her, they were together once again for now and as much misery and death follows him the fact she was here with him soothed him in ways he didn't feel inclined to think to much about.

Their fingers interlocked he pulled her knuckles to his lips. It felt strange to do, his memories were like boiling water. Difficult to hold and yet when it came to her and her alone he wanted the pain because she is his single vice that followed him into moments of sanity.

He would kill for her, he would destroy any man that would dare promise her a better life, she was his. And while he couldn't be there with her forever and like they might have been in a past life he wanted to take these moments he had with her now. "I am still a wanted criminal. But I will try."

Breath caught in her throat as warm lips meet soft hand, her other hand moves to cup Blade's palm, "That is more than I can ask for," she whispers softly, voice trembling. Just as he kisses her hand, she presses her lips to that of his bandaged digits, "That is all I ask for," she says in a quivering tone. Forehead moving to press against the hand she held, as if to revere the man before her.

This is enough, her mind says . . . Even if her heart longs for MORE than just that, her mind soothes it . . . It's enough, she cannot ask for more, lest he disappears again.

feel free to change pronouns. suggestive tw, death mention tw.

"i want my life back. i want myself back."

"long story short, i survived."

"but if you send for me, you know i'll come, and if you call, you know i'll run to you."

"killing god is a family bonding activity."

"i give a fuck. i give a lot of fucks, actually. i'm a prostitute of feelings."

"yeah, i'm fine. no worries."

"you cannot change the cards you are dealt, just the way you play the hand."

"the legend part is easy. it's the living that's hard."

"i tried to choke my demons, but they liked it."

"it's magic, bitch. i'm not gonna explain shit."

"the horrors persist, but so do i."

"i'm this close to fucking snapping."

"i don't want to be a monster."

"they didn't deserve death. i did . . . i do."

"can i be mean?"

"i'm about to choose violence."

"will you take me as i am?"

"do i seem anxious to you? backed into a corner?"

"he was pretty cute for a monster."

"i was quiet, but i was not blind."

"if i can still breathe, i'm fine."

"what, pray tell, the fuck?"

"it's mortifying to be the one who remembers."

"i don't like people to acknowledge me as a human being."

"death and i have been seriously intimate for some time now."

"you can be a kind person with a good heart and still say no."

"it's okay to be sad after making the right decision."

"twinkle, twinkle little snitch, mind your business nosey bitch."

"it mattered because it hurt."

"sorry about my cool muscles, everyone."

"the first time i met you, i had no idea i'd love you this damn much."

"the risk i took was calculated, but man, am i bad at math . . . "

"i will always find you."

"chaos runs in our blood."

"remember why you started."

"i said what i said."

"there's bravery in being soft."

"i'll fucking slap the mcshit out of you."

"i have secrets."

"if our bodies could touch again, what would they say?"

"i don't really know why i'm still hoping."

"i have cried all of my tears. all i have left is anger."

"i am not who i was."

"for you, i'd steal the stars."

"i wanted to hurt all the people who hurt me."

"and as you can see, i am not dead."

"angels would damn themselves for me."

"please say sike . . . "

"fall in love with me."

"that info is so fucking unnecessary."

"the laws of physics can kiss my ass."

"hey baby, can i get your credit card number?"

"don't tell me what to do."

"your name hurts."

"you can't just touch my soul and leave."

"i wanted them to kiss me."

"we won't ever forget each other, right?"

"a knife? are you flirting with me?"

"that sounds illegal. i'm in."

i thought i told you to stay back.

i love you too much to let you get hurt like this.

this affects me, too, you know.

every time you leave, i sit up all night waiting, praying you'll come back alive.

you keep pulling stunts like this and something bad will happen.

do you have a death wish or something?

this isn't fair to me.

i deserve better than this.

i didn't get any sleep last night because i was so worried about you.

you promised me you'd stop going out at night.

i don't like hearing this.

you've been risking your life, and for what? so you can feel like a goddamn hero?

i said i would handle it.

what the fuck are you doing here?

you told me you'd stay put.

so much for laying low.

you remember how bad it was last time.

seems like you haven't learned anything.

i believe you promised me you'd lay low.

i can't keep doing this.

don't give me that look.

we'll discuss this later.

this stops now.

i'm tired of picking up the pieces once you've left.

you keep throwing yourself into danger.

you don't give a shit about yourself, do you?

i'm sitting here, worried out of my mind, while you're out doing god knows what.

that was really stupid of you, and you know it.

i thought you knew better than this.

what's your excuse this time?

you do realize what this does to me, right? seeing you get hurt like this? you know it hurts me, too?

you really don't give a shit how this affects me, huh.

that was the dumbest possible thing you could have done.

i need you to stop throwing yourself into harm's way.

that was completely unnecessary.

they had it handled.

you didn't need to step in like that.

why do you think you're invincible?

the last time you pulled a stunt like this, it nearly got you killed.

i can't just sit here and watch you get hurt.

what are you trying to prove?

you just like fucking with my heart, don't you.

this shit hurts me, too, you know.

you're not the only one affected by this shit.

you've got a lot of people counting on you to come home every night.

what happens if you don't come back?

you think we can just carry on without you?

you think i can handle things if you end up dead?

i'm not sticking around to watch you get hurt.

you're not even slick.

you think you're invincible, don't you.

quit pretending you've got everything under control.

let someone else do it for a change.

you can't keep putting yourself through shit like this and expect me to just sit back and watch.

i'm done with this.

next time you do this, i'm not coming back.

promise me this is the end.

look me in the eyes and tell me you'll stop doing this.

let the authorities deal with it.

you're making a big mistake.

is it worth dying for?

dialogue.

wait ... that's it? i've waited all this time for you and i only get a peck?

if i don't move away from you right now, i might just kiss you.

do you mind helping me with the back zipper ...?

this is never gonna happen, is it?

let's not keep wasting each other's time.

so ... are we just gonna eye-fuck all night or actually do something about this?

you have a crush on me?

do you or do you not love me? i need to know.

were you ever going to tell me?

i've been in love with you for as long as i can remember.

i never thought this would happen ... you've always been just out of my reach.

i can't wait anymore for you to open your eyes and realize i've been here all along.

why do you keep staring at my lips ...?

concepts.

hover. sender is standing so close to receiver that their lips are inches away. both are acutely aware that they keep staring at one another's lips and then eyes. does someone make a move?

at last. sender and receiver finally share their first kiss after an accidental confession of longterm feelings and it being reciprocated.

love note. sender sends receiver a letter confessing how they feel. how does receiver respond?

love in the rain. after a dramatic exchange between sender and receiver that ends with a deep kiss ruined by sudden pouring rain, receiver drags sender indoors to continue where they left off.

the zipper. sender asks receiver to help them with a zipper that's gotten stuck or is out of reach. the tension between the pair is high while receiver attempts to help.

For if anyone dared laughing him, he would tear them apart. He would drag them away from such a pure sacred place then listen to their screams of terror and pain as he ripped them apart. They would be shredded like his broken heart. Entrails, blood and gore far from the beautiful shrine he had built for her. Even if it was no longer the simple thing he had developed all those years ago. Even if nothing he had created to honor her withstood the test of time and had all been replaced.

But no one would come, he knew no one would come. Or at least he thought until he heard a voice. He couldn't tell what the voice was saying just that it was a distinctly feminine voice. He didn't dare hope even as he heard the soft sound of footsteps. Only when those steps stop does he sit up. He didn't look back to see who could possibly be judging him or finding him in a position of such reverence.

He simply stood up, then only then did he turn back around to find her there. First glee came over him, then he felt... something. He didn't know what it was but he knew it hurt. All this time longing for her, missing her, finding nothing but silence when he visited the shrine he built for her until his death... and here she just is.

He didn't know how to feel. Didn't even believe who he was seeing was even real. He felt like the dog that caught his own tail, pursuing his passion with such zeal but now he got what he wanted he didn't know what to feel.

Then hurt kicked him in the chest. Because it's been so long, there was no way a being as beautiful as she was would simply abandon him in his living years if he still held her heart and ignored his calling to her until death took him.

So he understood. She really did intend to come down here and kill him.

He probably should have fought then. But he meant what he said, if she really did not want him anymore then he would not force himself upon her. He wouldn't curse such a beautiful strong woman for finding happiness in someone that was good enough to ascend. But he could not exist knowing there she might feel another man's touch.

So he sank back down to his knees. His head bowed because ghost king or not... she was lost to him and his heart simply could not take not seeing her strike him down if that was what she chose for him.

hair longer and loose, shoulders broader and frame sturdier . . . she notes the bandages that cover his fingers, and when he rises, his height seems to dwarf her. he looks different, and the timbre of his voice lacks the warmth that it used to have when he calls for her so sweetly . . . and yet, at a glance, she knew who this man was and she saw the emotions that flickered through his eyes.

a step forward, oh . . . OH, how he's changed . . . what horrors befell him in the centuries she took to quell the uprising and riots of the unruly divines. and yet, her heart SUNG at the sight of the man . . . he's changed, but he's still the man she loves. he's come back to her, different as he looks ; he's no different than the man she married.

❝ yingxing . . . ❞ she says, voice in a breathless rush, another step forward. when he drops to his knees, her steps become a hurried run, his submission to her pushes a knife through her chest and calloused hands reach to cup his face. forcing the man — or rather, with a lack of force, he easily allowed her manipulation — to meet her gaze.

honeyed eyes meet bloody ambers, and her eyes waters. she drops to her knees before him, the cold tiled floor digs into her barely cushioned joints, yet she ignores the biting cold and the unforgiving hardness.

❝ oh, love of my life . . . ❞ she whispers, eyes searching those of his, feeling the cold seep through her palm. ❝ what happened to you? how did this happen? ❞ she asks, mournful and full of regret. was this her fault? was this her DOING? her chest feels heavy, as if something sat upon her bosom, forcing her breath to come difficult and labored.

“Heh, well I like the idea of a chance encounter.” He smiles rubbing the back of his neck. “Er..ya saw all of that huh, well the cards aren’t bad..I’m more of a wrestling tradin’ card guy but the kid and his brother love this Yukamon series. Basically like action heroes in cosplay like monsters or somethin’...some of the designs are nice.” The busty women with scandoulous costumes, and he wondered if this game really is targetted towards kids. 

“Riko, the kid has a younger brother, incredibly sick little guy who’s been down on the dumps lonely and Riko bein’ a good big brother said he’d get his brother a very rare card t’ cheer him up…all with a nice whoppin’ budget of 1000Y.” While a pack costs 2000Y. “Kid had his heart in a good spot..ugh the amount of booster packs I went through t’ get that one monster.” He sight in utter defeat, over 30.000Y gone. “But heey, it’d put a smile on that kid’s face so I guess it’s worth it. Though yer right let’s get lost before I’m suckered into somethin’ else.”

Hands tucked into his pockets, a big grin on his face as he takes a few steps forward. “Soo Doc, I figured this be a good chance t’ get t’ know ya better..outside of the office..and you healing claw wounds and bullet holes. Would ya prefer a movie or bowling?”

Mirth flickers in her eyes, "Was this a set up?" she jokes, "Suddenly asking me out after softening me up?" she teases, a tilt of her head. "Well, I do enjoy both, but right now, I think bowling is more what I'm into right now," she says, after spending all morning cooped up in her office, completing reports . . . She could do with some moving around and boisterous atmosphere.