This War is Mine

It Started with a Spark || Zasher to improve your day (mostly ours.)

She knew she would have never fallen back asleep, but the simple idea of closing her eyes reassured her. As she began to regain feeling in her hands, Zalia shoved Asher after he spoke. “Would you please, shut the fuck up?" Groaning loudly, she rolled over to face him now. Her eyes remained closed but her other senses were alive. His warmth, his scent, his everything. Zalia sighed reluctantly, afraid to breathe out and forget what he might smell like, and opened her eyes. “What did we do last night?”

No. Asher was entirely prepared to protest- to flat out refuse to shut the fuck up, probably just out of spite because there wasn't much worth saying at this hour. He was slightly surprised to realize the argument had only been voiced in his own mind. Verbalizing things took a bit more effort so when the time came, he would choose his words a little more carefully. He was used to waking up alone and having sufficient time to adjust to waking and whatever he had planned for the day. It wouldn't be like that in the arena. Nights with Zalia were wild and wonderful things but on the rare occasion that it ended in them sleeping- and then waking up together made things awkward. This particular morning had the sensation of a hangover: headache, irritability, slight memory loss. What did we do last night? Asher scoffed mockingly at the quesiton. "What do we do every night?" He was beginning to think the experience hadn't been so ordinary for them but it was too early- both in the morning and in their relationship -for too much speculation.

Asher woke with a sudden start, feeling as though something had been torn away much too quickly. He groaned with a low, tired protest and didn't even bother opening his eyes until the crashing sound shocked him into full alertness. Scowling and propping himself up just slightly, he faced the cause of all the commotion. Zalia. Of course. Who else? Were they in his room this time or his? The only details that mattered were identical: the bed, the relative silence that only made sense when they were too tired to fight it, and the way she feigned innocence and peace just barely convincingly enough to fool those who didn't know her like he did. "I blame you," he whispered in a low growl that expressed more teasing than actual resentment- although there were always plenty of both.

Swaying Through The Wagon Wheel || Zasher

"It’s not a game anymore," she responded, only half listening to the questions he asked her. Asher could pretend that he was the one in control as much as he wanted, but it was obvious that he was beginning to enjoy the show himself. His hand over hers definitely added a fantastic pressure she had never experienced before, but this didn’t totally make her lose herself. Taking her fingers back to herself she had finally turned herself on enough to move on. Placing them on his lips, she raised her eyebrows and winked, half expecting him not to give into it.

The fact that Asher found himself somewhat aroused now didn't mean anything- he swore it didn't. He'd gotten off on just the thought of bloodshed before. Zalia's moist fingers on his lips prompted two very different, though equally tempting ideas. After a moment to sort it out mentally, Asher found a way to act on both impulses. He covered Zalia's hand with his own once more, this time bringing her palm to rest against his chin while his tongue extended to trace the space between two fingers. The taste was sweet and somehow metallic, addictive as always, which only made it more exciting when Asher took it a step further. His lips parted and he took the tips of those fingers into his mouth, caressing them with his tongue for a moment before biting down hard when he assumed she'd least expect it. The thing about sex and violence was that they weren't so different. It was all about connection and intensity. In both cases, someone would always take things a bit too far. Asher had lost sight of what result he even wanted here but he kept pressing regardless, lost in the building thrill of it.

Swaying Through The Wagon Wheel || Zasher

His immediate grasp to her wrists angered Zalia. Narrowing her eyes she watched him as he smirked down at her with an usual set of happiness. No, he was not the one in control, and he knew that. Clearly the simple things that once aided in their sexual encounters wouldn’t be enough today. Ripping her arms back to her own body, Zalia formulated a plan. She quickly pulled away her pants and threw them across the room to land in the pile of clothing that she didn’t plan to wear again tonight anyways. Brashly she hid her hand inside of her underwear and rubbed herself watching Asher thought slightly closed eyes. No doubt would his next move be utterly violent, but she didn’t care. She at least wanted some enjoyment out of tonight.

When Zalia tore her wrists from his grasp, Asher made no real effort to keep holding on. He expected retaliation and he welcomed the possibilities. He'd braced himself to feel a kick, a punch, a scratch, or some combination of the three. This only made it more confusing when he watched her touch only herself, removing her pants and seemingly only half-focused as the fabric hit the floor and her hand slipped inside her underwear. Asher tilted his head to one side and then the other, watching her as though there was something to be learned. She was trying to turn him on, that much was obvious; but, oddly enough, it wasn't the sight or the subtle invitation that got his attention: it was an alteration to his own plans. What was an even more exciting form of torture than physical harm? Denial. Asher could keep trying for a fight and push Zalia to the point of desperation. He'd give into her only when he'd regained full control. Smirking at the inevitable outcome, he leaned in closer to her and covered her moving hand with his own, grasping it gently and just riding along with her motions at first. Finally, after a few more seconds of tension, he forced her hand down, trying to increase the pace and pressure she applied. Pressing his lips to her ear, he taunted, "Is this getting you off? Do you really like this game?"

Swaying Through The Wagon Wheel || Zasher

Zalia let out a small and short breath of air when he grabbed her. By this point he was her’s, and she was in complete control of the situation. Just as she was about to move on, she noticed that he wasn’t as physically excited as he should have been by now. (AKA HIS WILLY NO WORK) It was then that her inquiry was noticed. His fist connected to her ribs in one hard and taylor swift movement. Zalia grunted against his movement and fell against the mattress. She had not been expecting that in the slightest. Nope, not one bit. No, he was not in control. Zalia was, and it clearly was going to take more this time to show him that. Clenching her jaw, she shoved herself back into a position that she could access him in. “You want to play dirty?” She asked. Cocking her head to the side, she brought her nails to trace lightly down his torso. “I told you you should have stretched.”

Just as he'd hoped, Zalia expressed more shock in response to the blow than any actual pain. For an added bonus, she was quick to retaliate and offer a challenge. The move, however was weak. They'd bit and scratched at pulled at each other's hair so many times before. It always made for interesting foreplay but such actions barely caused pain anymore. Zalia was doing this in a playful sense so, naturally, Asher assumed he hadn't hit hard enough to let the message sink in. This wasn't a lovegame, it was fight and hadn't she struck first? He growled and seized both of her wrists, stopping her fingernails in their tracks and forcing her hands to turn over and then twist even further, actually smiling at Zalia as he did so.

Swaying Through The Wagon Wheel || Zasher

"I always do," she muttered while grazing her hands along his chest stopping along his collar bones. Zalia shoved his shirt off quickly wasting no time now. It was clear that Asher was distracted in his thoughts. He had taken her comments all to seriously. If she were going to distract him from their previous conversation, she would need all of his thoughts laid on her— or what laid between his legs. Stepping up the pace, Zalia moved to kiss his collar bones she once touched only moments ago.

Asher had to let go of Zalia's hair when her insistent hands took advantage of his distraction and forced his shirt off. Her mouth seemed equally devious but, somehow it wasn't quite as captivating as usual. As smart and fast as he could usually be, Asher still needed a few extra seconds to figure it out. He was actually in the mood for a fight. After all, he'd practically come in here to pick one and he'd been one of the first to insist that the girl was so much more than just some pretty slut Farren. She knew how to cause pain, but, more importantly, she could take it. Damn, she was tempting. But the thought of her bruised and weakened conjured up an even more delicious concept in Asher's mind. He smirked but she was too busy teasing at his chest to see it. He spent a few more seconds pretending to be interested- and, admittedly, a part of him was -and even brought both hands downward to grip her ass somewhat possessively. It was then that he pulled them away and used one fist instead to throw a hard punch against her ribcage and waited for the shocked response.

Swaying Through The Wagon Wheel || Zasher

Asher’s hand off of her neck instinctively had her sit up more to keep any attempt at grasping it again at bay. Zalia laughed at his comment, completely understanding what he meant, but she wanted to push his limits a little further. Releasing a low rumble of laughter, she raised an eyebrow at him seductively. “You should have stretched, then.” She said simply, and pulled herself out from under him in a quick swipe. Leaning into him, she pressed her lips against his and kissed him feverishly, only to break away for one moment. “You should have been stretching for weeks,” she said just before biting his bottom lip and pressing her hands against his stomach just under his shirt.

For a moment, Asher was severely confused. It was only a matter of seconds but that seemed to have been enough time for Zalia to switch their positions and seize some semblance of momentary control. She was trying to be clever but ended up just a bit too vague. If flexible had been a pseudonym for happy to switch objectives at any moment (in the mood for anything), the stretch likely implied something related, but what? Asher groaned internally. The intellectual side of his brain had decided to kick in right when he'd rather ignore all thought and just focus on Zalia in general. Stretching before exercise was just part of getting ready and getting your body accustomed to whatever strain it would face. Asher raised an eyebrow. Was it possible she meant it in an almost literal sense? Shaking his head, he smirked and resolved to just let her hands roam wherever they pleased. And, obviously, his held a similar freedom as one instinctively reached up to grasp a fistful of her hair. "So," he murmured, between kisses. "I assume that you did stretch before this?" Whatever she thought it meant, every concept that Asher came up with seemed equally intriguing.

Swaying Through The Wagon Wheel || Zasher

It seemed for a very brief moment that Zalia had won the simple little fight, but oh how she was wrong. His hold against her neck wasn’t obstructing her airways, but it was putting a pressure that she disliked. She swallowed against his hand and winked. “I should be swallowing something else right now,” she murmured.

If Zalia was still able to speak and express spiteful defiance, then Asher clearly wasn't doing too much damage. All the same, he released her throat and continued to stare down at her. "You'd like that, wouldn't you?" He managed finally. His signature smirk was missing but, then again, so was his sanity. He blinked and shook his head in slight annoyance. "Zalia..." Asher traced his fingers gently up and down her neck, the opposite of what he'd been attempting a minute ago. "I'm not as, uh, flexible as you, okay?" Meaning, I'm not sure if I want to fight or to have sex now. Please stop confusing me... "Why don't you tell me what you really want?"

Swaying Through The Wagon Wheel || Zasher

Her nostrils flared and burned against the gradual pressure Asher applied to Zalia’s windpipe. Still, she refused to show him any sort of true reaction. Her lungs screamed for air and it was obvious that she couldn’t go on much longer like this. She needed an out. Quickly searching for an option, she licked her lips at him and raised her eyebrows. Her knees, which were positioned close to his…. thing… gently rubbed him there to provoke a reaction. Then, with as much force as she could muster, Zalia kneed him there in the groin. His hands released around her neck and she swallowed a deep breath of air. Taking advantage of his pained state, she quick shoved him back and held him down with her knees and feet. “Try that again,” she said through clenched teeth. “I dare you.”

Where it was currently headed, Zalia's knee wasn't quite as affective as, say, her hand might have been but it was a nice start and Asher caught himself smirking. That only lasted a moment because, right then, she pulled a horridly unexpected bitch-move. Asher groaned and hissed through his teeth, expressing more anger than actual pain but the physical shock had still been enough to make his hands instinctively fly away from the source of the blow. Zalia, he growled internally. He couldn't speak just yet; his voice would be noticeably higher than usual and there was no way he'd give her that satisfaction. He'd been torn between trying for sex or starting a fight but Zalia had just made the call for him. If you're trying to get me to stop hurting you, he finished that mental threat and stared up at her. You're going about it in entirely the wrong way... The corners of his lips twitched upward into a sort of deranged grin and, because he was twisted, sadistic, stubborn and a million other things, he took the bait. He reached up without warning and grabbed Zalia by the throat. Using that hold and the force of his upper body, he rolled, forcing her back against the mattress and narrowly close to the edge of the bed. He wasn't going to kill her, obviously, but this served as an almost-playful reminder that he was still something to be feared.

Swaying Through The Wagon Wheel || Zasher

There was a time in the past in which Asher allotted just too much pressure against Zalia’s windpipe. The point exactly was lost on her, but it seemed that this time she realized what was happening. As he glanced in her general direction, attempting to catch a reaction, her eyes stayed locked on his. Fear slightly coursed through her vision, but aside from that she remained calm in order to spite him. Placing her hand on his back, she pulled him closer. Zalia tried her best to keep her breathing even as she ran her hands under his shirt and over his bare back just before clawing down with sharp nails against his soft skin. She smirked up at him watching his reaction.

The reaction- or lack thereof -that Zalia offered was disappointing. Asher was looking for any sign of fear or protest but what she gave him was flat-out defiance. He would have sighed just to make this obvious for her but her hands were moving again, maybe it was time his were also repositioned? It was tempting. There were parts of Zalia that needed some reminding who they really belonged to, but his best chance at total control still rested in the way she breathed. Asher almost lost his grasp on that plan- and his sanity in general -when her nails scratched down his back. It was an intriguing combination of pain and pleasure and no one could have done it better. Damn her! Zalia smirked and that was the last straw. Asher shifted so that most of his weight rested on her and let his fingers constrict, grasping at her throat and increasing the pressure every few seconds. This would continue until she managed to break free, or at least until that smirk faded into something better suited for a trapped girl.

Swaying Through The Wagon Wheel || Zasher

At the small interruption she took a moment to drop her legs and move more comfortably to sit on her knees. “There’s worse things to be addicted to,” she breathed then pressed her lips against his again. In order to slip off the jacket that was too hot to wear now, the contact between their hands needed to be broken. Zalia tossed it across the room to reveal a tank top in contrast to her typical t-shirt. “That doesn’t mean you aren’t an addict,” she whispered between kisses. Leaning closer to him now her hands moved to play with the bottom of his shirt, teasing him slightly by brushing underneath of it occasionally, as if by accident.

When Zalia began to undress herself, she did so in the most visually pleasing way. It's funny because Farren also does that weird thing where she likes to be shirtless before her partner is idk slut logic. Asher waited with lascivious impatience for her to continue but her attention shifted instead to his shirt and a teasing effort that made him tilt his head back and exhale slowly. Damn her. Her hands made little progress as the kissing continued heating up but right when Asher was about to get his own fingers involved, he was struck by a sudden notion: this wasn't a power struggle any more. Did giving into temptation mean admitting equality? And if so, was it worth it? Asher resolved to postpone answering either of those questions for as long as he could. Taking advantage of Zalia's apparent focus and a burst of his own strength and adrenaline, he shifted to lie on top of her. In the process, he accidentally-on-purpose let his hand move from the back of her neck, in a semicircle until it finally hovered just above her throat. It was then that he pulled back just enough so that he could see her reaction.

Swaying Through The Wagon Wheel || Zasher

Zalia finally sat up for the first time during their whole exchange and brought her knees to her chest. Placing one hand on his cheek, she searched for his other and grabbed hold of it gently squeezing it as she did so. Some would have called it a romantic gesture, but to Zalia it was a means of distraction: another form of contact. She brashly deepened the kiss in order to think of another distraction. After a moment, she finally allowed herself to close her eyes and actually enjoy the moment.

The way Zalia shifted made it seem like she was trying to close herself off and not just physically. Her sitting up did bring them closer but her legs now blocked the majority of her upper body. Had she done this subconsciously? Asher just had to wonder. He'd read a bit about body language but people could be surprising. His goal now was to convince Zalia to open up physically as well as verbally. She had a secret but she also had far too many clothes on. He dared to open one eye slowly to see that hers had been closed as well. It felt right to get lost in the kiss and not rely so much on the basic senses. With minimal sight and sound, the sensation of her lips against his and the occasional brush of tongues seemed that much more intense. It took him a moment to realize that he hadn't imagined it. The kiss wasn't their only form of contact. Their hands had linked and the gentle squeeze said more than words could have in the moment. He pulled back just enough to manage actual words and he breathed the challenge against her lips, "What were you saying about not being an addict?"

Swaying Through The Wagon Wheel || Zasher

His hand on her neck made her shiver. (READY: RAMBLINGS START NOW) The thing about Zalia is her impeccable confidence. With all of her previous lovers back at home, she had always been the one in control and the one telling the other what to do. But here, with Asher, it was clear that they both had the same amount of control, even though both think they are the leaders. In truth, Zalia is terrified of Asher and the lack of control she has over him. Even though she had no clue what he meant, it almost felt like she owed him the ‘truth.’ Swallowing, she shrugged off her inhibitions and raised an eyebrow. “I really don’t know what you mean, but hunting down some wimpy girl? Isn’t that a bit low for you?" Without hesitating she pressed her lips against his.

Some wimpy girl who made you cry... Asher pressed his lips together in a stubborn glower rather than actually voicing the protest. Even I haven't managed that. Was it so twisted that there was a side of him that still welcomed the idea? While he was distracted by that thought and what seemed like the early stages of a plan in his head, Zalia had closed the space between them. He wasn't falling for that aga- She kissed him, either because she was just as addicted to him as he was to her, or because she wanted him to shut up. Did it really matter? His grip on her neck tightened, not enough to seriously hurt her, but enough to provide a sense of dominance. After a beat, he kissed back with more force.

Swaying Through The Wagon Wheel || Zasher

What ever story Asher was making up was completely ridiculous. Zalia never cried. Ever. Blinking at him, her expression didn’t falter. She impassively rolled her eyes once, and reluctantly searched through her memories. The name Felicity did ring a bell, yes, but aside from her name being familiar, she couldn’t think of any significance of the name. When he leaned closer, Zalia couldn’t resist but to move in as well. “I don’t know what you’re talking about," she said in a low voice, a slight smirk tugging at the corners of her lips. “But I don’t cry. Whatever you thought you saw, I definitely wasn’t crying."

"Liar," Asher countered. It was the only response that made sense- unless Zalia was delusional or truly that forgetful. He frowned at that thought but deemed it unlikely. He placed one hand on Zalia's shoulder and squeezed it for a moment before letting go and bringing that hand slowly closer to her throat. After a few seconds, his fingers curled around the back of her neck, under her hair. He tilted his head to one side and stared waiting for a response that didn't come fast enough. "Okay," he said with flat impatience. "Are you going to tell me what she did or do I have to hunt her down myself?"

Swaying Through The Wagon Wheel || Zasher

His final question, while direct, wasn’t making much of an impact on her. True, she had heard of a girl named Felicity, and she knew that she spoke to her, but nothing really stuck out. It had been a while since Zalia had that conversation in the first place. Raising her eyebrows, she also cocked her head to the side slightly as if to ask him to elaborate. But asking him bitchily.

"I have a pretty good memory, Zalia." Asher blinked a few times but he managed to hold an impassive expression on his face. Her lack of cooperation had him annoyed but not deterred. "You came into the kitchen bathroom couch in tears. I wasn't going to ignore that forever." He stared at her expectantly and leaned a little closer. She had to give him something now, or this would only get worse.

Swaying Through The Wagon Wheel || Zasher

Zalia gave a long, drawn out and dramatic form of laughter before she could answer him. “Oh please, it would be an honor if I were avoiding you," she lied rather convincingly. “Don’t give yourself that much credit. You aren’t that kind of special." Sighing, she crossed her arms over her chest. “Is there something you want or are you just aiming to be as fucking annoying as possible today?"

"I am that kind of special," Asher smirked. Wearing that expression was as easy and constant as breathing for him. As for the statement, it didn't matter if was true or not; he said the words with ease. "And there's a lot of things I want. Not gonna lie, you're pretty high on the list, but I came for information." There he was: arrogant, businesslike; as if there wasn't anything between them, as if they could fool each other. If Zalia wanted to play cold and impersonal, she'd get that same treatment. With that in mind, he spat out the question with no warning or regret. "Were you avoiding me because of Felicity?"

Swaying Through The Wagon Wheel || Zasher

"I’m not much of a reader," she said, her expression unwavering. “But I’ll be the one to save you when you eat a poisons berry in the arena." Asher remained silent for a while, and his hand raised. Glancing up at him finally after finishing her page, Zalia gave him a blank expression. She wasn’t sure what he was asking for, so she dog eared the paged and placed it in his hand instead of the objects on her chest that he so desired. Narrowing her eyes at his question, she shook her head. “I’m surprised you caved as quick as you did. I think you’re addicted to me."

Asher was so surprised by the book pressed against his hand that he instinctively gripped it in a firm hold rather than letting it drop immediately. He stared at the spine and rolled his eyes. Now her earlier comment made sense. "I'm a hunter," he said flatly, assuming Zalia was playing dumb just to mess with him. "It's mostly animals but I think I know a few things about berries." He lowered his hand and set the book down in the small space between them. "But on the subject of addiction," he redirected with a smirk that expressed more confidence than he actually felt. "You've been avoiding me. Were you trying to break the habit..." He shook his head and mouthed the word 'unlikely'. "Or are you hiding something from me?"