the feeling fades.

— “What?! How dare you call me a– ugh! No!” Ekaterina couldn’t help but blurt out in mock offence, clearly only meaning to tease. “… At least you will admit that I am horrifying, but you must work on your compliments.”

( @aokardos )

the winter soldier prompts.

🍷 - were you a capri sun or cool aid kid?

— “… I do not know what this means, at all. Does this have a context that I am not sure of?”

🧠 - do you have any fidgets?

— “Fidgets? Ah… oh– I see. I suppose, yes. I write a lot, so… perhaps I play with the pen or pencil without realising that. And I cannot help but move my glasses back onto my face when they slip. I… cannot think of any more– you would be better for asking Grace. She knows and sees what I do not.”

🍧 - what’s your favorite treat?

— “I have always been one for comfortable food; draniki reminds me of home. I remember eating it all the time as a child, and I have a lot of good memories with it.”

( @classiciisms )

unique asks.

The morning they’d met Charlie had found himself completely and utterly blindsided by the haughty figure Ekaterina had cut even in the midst of viewing incredible art in a reasonably public place. For as much as he could remember the rest of his day after he’d spoken to her for the first time, he might as well have been utterly alone with her for as much as his memories of the day focused on her and her alone. Fifteen years had drifted by since that moment, and Charlie still found it incredible that Ekaterina hardly had to do anything at all to earn the same sort of devoted interest he had held for her from the moment he’d set eyes on her so long ago. They’d fought, and they’d been apart, and they’d committed themselves to learning one another all over again so they could maintain a relationship that had long since been missing for both of their lives.

Charlie considered himself a lucky man in the loosest terms, but pressed against his mattress in the soft heat of the afternoon with Ekaterina hovering over him he felt like the luckiest man in the known world. 

“I’m fairly sure we’re meant to make our own rules,” He drawled, a low, easy laugh rumbling through him at the genuinely adorable look of confusion that flickered over the princess’s features before it was replaced by her familiar ( and no less adorable ) grin. Of course, having his lips pressed against hers hotly usually did more than enough to distract Charlie from any train of thought that wasn’t either kissing the woman in his arms, or sorting out exactly how to get her out of her clothes as quickly as possible with as little fuss as possible. He was a simple man, really, and enjoyed simple things— the sight of his first love’s body bared for his eyes alone was certainly one to be enjoyed as thoroughly as possible. His breath hitched lightly in his throat as her hips rolled against his with purpose, and he raised his hands to settle them on her hips almost delicately; if he allowed himself to give into the full brunt of the passion he could feel held at bay somewhere in him in that moment he knew he’d spend the rest of the day naked with Ekaterina Markovy and not a thing would get done otherwise.

Not that he would mind such a turn of events. 

His cock stirred at the thought alone and he allowed a vaguely frustrated whimper to creep through him unabashedly; it was all he could do to tamp down the plaintive sound that threatened to follow when she pulled away from him and he was left staring up at her with a full pout for a split second before she began to explain her plan for the rest of their afternoon. “I think that sounds like a brilliant idea,” He announced, a broad grin taking the place of his previous pout. “Granted, I’m almost tempted to have you think of something first if only to get a shite load of questions wrong,” Charlie teased, leaning up to nuzzle the underside of the princess’s jaw with a hum of delight. “But you know I’d be happy to go either way considering what the prize for losing is.” His blue eyes were bright with excitement even in the low light coming through the half-covered windows on one side of his room. 

He accepted her kisses happily and allowed himself to take in the feelings it inspired in him almost immediately - the least of which was the excitement stirring in his lower belly at the notion that they could skip the game altogether and accomplish the same things. “Are you sure we need to play the game?” He murmured lightly, pulling away from her mouth to press kisses along the length of her jaw. He paused briefly to suck roughly at a section of skin along her throat ( almost too noticeable to be covered by any means, he observed with more than a little satisfaction ). “What if I want to skip to the eating you out portion of the game? What should we do then?”

Ekaterina couldn’t for the life of her remember when laying in bed with Charlie like this had become habit, or tradition. She could, however, recall that it always felt like a lazy, Sunday afternoon, no matter the time, day or date. Nothing to do, nowhere to be, no one else to talk to... It was perfect. Just them, basking in the presence of the other. On this particular day, sunlight did peek through windows-- just enough to remind her that there was, indeed, an entire world out there separate to what they were experiencing. She’d taken so much of their hours together for granted when they were younger, always so sure that there’d be another Sunday, sure there’d be more time. More them. “Well... would rules would you say?”

She hadn’t been wrong, if one wanted to get technical. But going off of that logic, they’d sure gone through one of the longest weeks in history. Maybe they’d even set a world record; a smirk tugged on her lips at the thought.

Having already leaned forward to kiss Charlie, she felt her smile grow even more resting her head on his collarbone while her body lay flat against his, their body heat intermingling and causing Ekaterina to take the impressive action of grasping Charlie’s hands, pulling them behind her and wrapping them around her torso the best she could at the first sign of goosebumps. They, of course, didn’t cease to appear when she heard the sound she had evoked from the blonde man but rather came in droves, and a shiver ran down her spine once more. And the pout he gave her-- it told her that he, too, was struggling.

It took all of thirty seconds for her to realise that he was getting hard (how could she not tell?) just from a few simple pokes and prods. If she hadn’t felt that familiar stir already, if she hadn’t been straddling Charlie, and if she hadn’t been about to send a teasing quip his way, she might have made much of the same noise as he had, crossed her legs as tight as possible and when she’d felt like she could think about more than Charlie’s tongue inside her, she would have sprinted to take a cold shower. Humming in agreement to, well, Charlie’s agreement, she nodded and laughed, the corners of her eyes crinkling with sincerity. “I knew it! I knew you would do this! Now I am thinking we should change these rules...” She taunted her lover. “And if we become tired, we can think of something else. But-- do you have any rules you want to play? It is only fair that you get to pick like I did.”

And then, all of that was completely thrown out the window. More kisses, more touches... more heat. “I wan-- if you want to play,” Ekaterina replied, the rhythm of her normally steady breath so offbeat already with the nervous-system melting sensation of Charlie’s stubble running across her jaw, and then her neck. God, her weaknesses. Sometimes she wished she’d never let it slip how easy it was to have her like putty in one’s hands with a little attention to those extremely sensitive areas, but there was no way of escaping what Charlie already knew so well. Soft and gentle moans were left behind in an instant, her back arching and her head angled back in a silent request for more.

“Not-- fair-- Charlie!” A mewl of pleasure left her lips, followed by her train of thought completely derailing and a laugh, all three effects of such a small and simple action. Thankfully, she mustered up enough strength to reply to the next question. “Uh-uh,” She all but commanded-- firm though reluctant to deny the temptation of the offer, Ekaterina might have called it. She knew that she didn’t give a damn about the game anymore, and neither, it seemed, did Charlie. “Still have to-- earn it. Earn it... you can fuck me however you want, then...” Then I will ask for you to be mine and for me to be yours, again. I want to tell you so badly. I want to live far away from the rest of the world. You, Grace, myself, plenty of animals, other people we love deeply... where we can grow old together. I never want to waste another second taking you for granted.

“Be gentle; every person you meet fights a tough battle.”

-Socrates, Ancient Greek Philosopher, (469-399) B.C.

           ❛ I don’t TRUST in animals!!! ❜ Not when you can’t read what is going through an animal mind. But she also doesn’t trust people. To be clear, in the end, she doesn’t trust NOBODY. Unsure of what to do, she stayed still as the other requested. Now she was getting tense when she saw Erica get to rid off the snake, she flinched when saw the poor snake in the air, and then going to another direction from both of them. During the whole scene, she forgot to breathe, now the problem was solved she sighs heavily, in relief.            ❛ Hmm… Yeah. ❜ In regards to being happy. She sat on the chair again with posture, her hazel hues orbs dull on Erica. Now she decides it’s time to mimicking any motion Erica will do from now on because this is how she’ll kill her boredom.

It took all of five seconds to regret that she’d done something so horrible to the snake. Bile swiftly coated her mouth and though she forced herself not to throw up, she had to get rid of the acrid liquid that had gathered. With as much as haste as one could muster, she stood up once again, spat it out and curled back up in the chair before the princess demanded that she do anything else to harm an animal. And if she did, Ekaterina would have no problems spitting whatever else came up in her face the next time. “And I do not care.” She shot back, with all the warmth of an intense Siberian winter.

The attention-seeking attitude and reaction to animals in general made Ekaterina feel physically sick, even without the knowledge of her own actions, mind already jumping to several dark and uncomfortable thoughts about what this girl might do to the most gentle of creatures, who meant absolutely no harm. God help this prissy bitch if she ever met Ekaterina’s beloved pets and dared to hurt them-- she would hand out no mercy for that kind of behaviour. The thoughts alone unsettled her to a great degree, and she found herself extremely wary in the Hungarian’s presence. All of that coupled with her short temper caused her to snap out one thing before she made the decision not to speak to her any longer: “You do know that humans are animals, yes? If you are that afraid, you should be running from everything. So run, Kardos.”

She could have taken her things and walked away, but she had been here first. She had made the effort to lug the chair over to the beach, she had set herself up underneath the tree and to enjoy the view of the crystalline ocean, she was using her free time to read in peace. So, instead of moving away, she simply folded her legs off to the side, leant against the arm of the chair and providing her with a flat surface of sorts to work on her translations and reading, picked up her book, her pencil and notes and resumed her previous activity, paying absolutely no mind to Alexandra as she murmured broken and incomplete phrases in Belarusian, French and English, halfway through a page. As far as she was concerned, whatever interaction she had had with the princess was over and done with, and she wanted absolutely nothing to do with her.

   Silence filled the space between them, as the two royals smoked. Andris was comfortable with the silence, finding it to be preferable as opposed to having idle chatter. He would speak when there was something worth speaking about. If there was none, then he remained silent. 

   And how rare it was to find someone equally comfortable in the silence.

   Just as he suspected, Ekaterina identified herself as a monster, just like him. ❝I agree.❞ Was it not obvious? ❝People deprive themselves of their monsters, and proceed to wonder why they are so tortured. Man is naturally monstrous in its nature, and to deprive one’s self from their true nature will only result to self-destruction.❞ It was why he acknowledged who he was and what he was capable of. ❝Curiousity is not enough. Once they have had a taste of their monsters, they will truly realise who they are.❞ Andris had little to no respect to those who denied themselves of who they truly are. Those who donned on masks and faces and pretend to act like angels.

   He flicked the end of his cigarette lazily, watching as the burned ashes whisked into the wind. ❝I think you’ll have to thank my lack of sleep for that one.❞ he chuckled lightly, taking another drag. ❝I become more docile than I wish when I’m sleep deprived.❞ Had he just revealed to her a weakness? Most likely. ❝But really, I suppose us finally talking again was long overdue. There’s only so many places we can try to evade each other.❞ As such, what he had been doing all this time, solely to avoid her presence. Glancing to her keenly, the Hungarian stated, ❝This might be good for us.❞

“Naturally. Curiosity is a... well, a curious thing. It leads you to places you would never go before, to thoughts you would never think, to actions you would never perform. And those who lock their primal nature away... they want to believe that they are more than an animal. More than what they truly are. Untouchable, even. And that is why that taste, that dip into the pool is all it takes for people to surrender to what they have always been. They will still deny it, but behind those doors... they are every bit a monster. Hidden in shadows, away from the eye of a crowd, away from societies for fear of shame, and judgement. Others, however... such as you and I, Andris,” A flare of darkness had risen in her gaze, as her eyes were drawn from the prince out into space, before she sighed, snapping out of the trance she had been in while speaking and glancing back to the Hungarian. “We know better than to deny what has always been there. I still do not know if that makes it better, or worse. At least-- we can accept what we are.”

She had a plethora of questions for the man, many that she was sure would seem odd, invasive or just plain uncomfortable. But now... now, when they had just seemed to come to an understanding-- a ceasefire, at the very least --while she was truly interested in asking what she could of him, it seemed inappropriate. Better to leave it for a later time. Ekaterina had no intentions of antagonising Andris any further now or in the days to come, but whether he would feel the same after some sleep was yet to be seen. All she knew was that it would be a terrible shame to dismiss the possibility of what could so easily become an alliance, or, dare she think it, a friendship. She suspected she’d have more respect for Andris after everything and following an amicable path, as it seemed that they had an unspoken agreement not to serve the other a plate of lies or utter bullshit. The entire conversation thus far had been simple, straight to the point. No pretences, nothing had been faked, and they had had a rather pleasant back and forth.

Still, she knew that some time in the future, she would have to speak with him about what had happened in the past, about what was going on with Ainsley. For as terrible as her mother had been at being a mother, the rest of her family, the friends and lovers she had chosen as her family meant absolutely everything to her. And while she was aware that Ainsley could handle herself just fine-- she was a Markovy, and no one in their family was left unprepared for life --the older cousin/big sister part of her had already kicked in. Determined to protect her people, determined to ensure that Andris would not hurt her cousin. She wasn’t sure she believed he had, anymore, but she still needed to tie up those loose ends. Hell, if it really was miserable, if it really was as ridiculous as her cousin had claimed in the past, she knew she’d take Ainsley’s place in the betrothal in a heartbeat, if she could.

Anything and everything she could do to help her family, the people that she loved, she would do without a second thought.

But that was for later, as much as she wished to bring the topic up then and there-- Ekaterina and Andris had already made miles of progress in just one encounter, and she was not about to push her luck. Another wry smile (one of her favourites to pull, it seemed) appeared in thinking about his comment on lack of sleep. “Perhaps this is how we should always meet, then,” She joked, before shaking her head lightly. Her logical mind knew then and there that the best time to speak with Andris was when he was tired, but instead of filing it away to take advantage of it, she paused-- was there any real reason to be cataloging what was advantageous or effective with him and what was not? The question, truly, had her stumped.

“... We might never have said such vile things to one another if we had always been this tired.” Taking another pull from her cigarette, Ekaterina’s eyes drooped shut, continuing to speak on her exhale, the smoke appearing in short puffs. “I suppose it was. An island is a finite space, and when you come to know everyone, then... what is left?” She opened her eyes at his final remark, feeling genuine surprise at the sentiment. Looking back toward the prince with a hopeful yet content expression, lips turning upward in a crooked smile. He really did seem to mean it. For a long moment, she studied his face, before shifting the book in her grip and nodding. “... Yes. I think so.” Ekaterina then caught her cigarette between her lips and offered Andris her open hand to shake, as if entering into a deal.

Put simply, her entire day had been an exhaustive test of Ekaterina’s patience. Charlotte was, as usual, firm and disciplined in training her-- but she couldn’t have predicted Eli’s baleful expression as he surveyed her work. His eyes had been glued to her whenever he thought she wasn’t looking. But she knew. She always knew. After two hours of mostly silent observation she had finally cracked, irritable and goddamned tired of the man watching her this closely. What was his problem with it all? Why did he have to stare at her like this? She’d heard it enough from him-- this wasn’t a good choice to make, she would have been better off working from the inside. Just about everyone who knew what she was up to had said the same thing, in so many words

All it did was push her to do more, to prove to those people that she was far more useful with a blade and a pistol than she was with political debates. She wasn’t made of glass, either. Eli should have known that. And she most certainly didn’t feel as though she was under pressure training with Charlotte but under the man’s gaze, it felt as if she made a minor mistake he’d tell her, once again, to stop going down this path.

He just didn’t seem to get it. He couldn’t understand where she was coming from, why she didn’t want to return, why she was so comfortable turning on her own mother (a poor excuse for one at that) and violently ripping down every structure that had messed with her mind, her love, her life and her reality. But how could he understand?

She’d snapped at him once more throughout her tasks, doing what had been commanded of her without question and without trouble. With a frustrated look of her own shot at Eli, cheeks flushed with emotion, she had found herself with far too much pent-up anger, with no way to get rid of it. Eventually, she had settled for doing more of what she’d been told to do. Packing and unpacking things. Untying and retying knots. All done without any imperfections. And finally, when that did nothing to help and she suspected that no one else was around to see her, Ekaterina moved over to the mast, beginning to beat it with her knuckles (not enough to damage it, of course) as if it were a punching bag, her breathing uneven as she tried not to give in to her anger.

Blood was drawn quickly, and she just couldn’t help herself from picking up the pace, letting out a cry that gradually rose in pitch and volume as she rapidly beat at the wood, unwilling to stop until it became too painful to bear. She could have sworn she heard something crack, and finally, she stopped. Her fists fell to her sides, listless, and Ekaterina slumped forward to press her forehead against the mast. No damage had been done-- not to the ship at least, but she could have cared less about her hands. Sore, exhausted, and still frustrated, she reluctantly walked over to disembark from the ship-- when a face caught her eye. Eli. No. She didn’t want to fight, she didn’t want to argue. Please, no more, was all she could silently beg for. It was all she could do was raise a hand to point an accusing finger at the pirate, bark ‘no’ at him, before turning to leave.

Of course, that didn’t actually happen. Instead, in a flurry of movement, no words left her lips, the air having left her lungs with a soft wheeze. In what felt like an instant, Eli’s large eyes were staring directly into hers. A mixture of fear and exhilaration began to fill her, though she still couldn’t speak; a small noise of confusion was about as much as she could muster, not even a tangible word-- but she didn’t struggle under his touch, nor did she shrink away from him.

He’d never truly harm her. Not Eli, not ever. Not unless she expressed the want for it. And this sudden chain of events had set her heart thrumming, what he’d just done practically radiating pure dominance. It was easily enough for her to slip into a submissive role, causing her knees to shake as if they would give any moment-- not to mention that further up, she could already feel a warmth. Fucking hell; Eli had apparently figured how to give her the shock of a lifetime whilst simultaneously arousing her. How did he do that? No matter that she could likely match him blow for blow in a fight-- she really, really didn’t want to. If he was going to get annoyed and spark another argument, then of course she’d scowl and shoot back, ever the brat.

All of this had happened within mere seconds, though. And right now she was completely at Eli’s mercy, still trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

   Everything that Ekaterina was saying was hitting close to home. Talk of feelings as weakness. Talk of demons and how they were more friends than enemies at some point in your life. Talk about pushing people away. It was all too familiar. 

   If he didn’t know any better, he’d have guessed that she’d been living in his head, all this while.

   Exhaling smoke out of his mouth, Andris held onto his cigarette, pinched between his forefinger and middle finger. His other hand hugging himself, whilst his mind remained adrift with thoughts. It was too easy to get lost in his own head then, especially as he took another drag. He hadn’t smoked in a while, and by Heavens, did he miss the taste of nicotine on his lips. It was a dirty habit he had yet to quit.  

   Though he had a feeling the question thrown his way was more rhetorical (or maybe even a joke), the Hungarian uttered his piece. ❝I think we’re all monsters.❞ A pause hung in the air then, as he took another drag. ❝Some of us are just better at pretending that we’re not.❞ At least, that was how he saw the world. Some people managed to keep their monsters locked away. Some simply let it run amok. 

   What interested him, however, was their proximity now. ❝I just never thought we’d end up like this.❞ he said, gesturing vaguely to the space that existed between them. ❝Didn’t think this day would even come.❞

The smoke from their cigarettes sluggishly wafted up into the air, eventually dissipating as she remained quiet. It was easier, this way. Forcing conversation to fill the silence would only make things tense again. She hated that. Her aunts and uncles would do it, sometimes. No one was ever truly comfortable with being around someone without speaking. They never seemed to understand that at times, words did not have to be uttered. Things could be simple, quiet and mean far more than to speak all the time about nothing. She couldn’t help the smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth, while watching Andris.

It felt so very nice, to have been so wrong about a person.

Whatever had happened, both of them were hot-tempered, morally grey, stubborn, misanthropic, apathetic, even cruel people-- and when put together, they had created a mountain out of a molehill. She could argue that his treatment of her cousin was the lynchpin in her hatred. She could argue that the night he’d found her concussed and simply left her there was why she’d labelled him as uncaring.

But they were excuses. Excuses to dislike someone without truly knowing who they were. Perhaps Ainsley had not told her everything about their situation. And Andris didn’t-- he couldn’t have known why leaving her with her head injury had scared her deeply. She couldn’t have expected him to know, neither did she now. So, she left it unspoken. For as much as she wanted him to understand her behaviour, something stopped her. Whether it was the fact that they had settled into this... utterly strange circumstance, or the fact that he had affirmed she had nothing to apologise for, she just listened to him speak again.

At his remarks, Ekaterina felt the toothy, almost sinister grin spread wide across her face. Monsters. “Maybe you are right,” Oh, she knew many of them, too. She knew herself to be one, too and that, she’d already come to terms with. Whatever kind of beast she was didn’t matter. What did was what she was capable of. “And some do not want to hide it.” She eventually quipped, her implication clear as day. “Some even enjoy it. They like to pretend they do not, like to pretend that what they do is just to know. ‘I just want to know what it feels like. I do not like it, I just have to know.’ They justify the unspeakable so that they can feel no shame, no guilt.” Taking another drag of her cigarette, she began to blow rings of smoke into the air around them, before exhaling the rest swiftly. “Liars, cowards. Just to know. I respect the man who knows that they are the monster; I respect the woman who knows it, and would destroy the most evil of creatures. I take pride in following that path.”

With so many pirates about, it was peculiar to see someone using a branch to practice. Then again, Antoni knew nothing when it came to piracy or sparring. He hadn’t realized how long he’d been staring until her eyes met his. His nose crinkled when hearing the question, the word no practically on the tip of his tongue. It wasn’t uncommon for him to turn down an offer to hang out, or in this case, dance. Though the proposal was seemingly innocent, the flare in her blue gaze was not. “You should pick a different partner.”

She wished she’d paid more attention to the person watching her. The gleam in her eyes dulled, and her stomach dropped the moment she recalled the familiar features, movements. ... No. Not again. No. She was just seeing things, she had to be-- but the Polish accent and a voice with intonations she knew well sounded out; he was physically here. Ekaterina wanted to deny it, badly, but it just made no sense to dream up an old friend. Her good mood had all but vanished now, any hint of a smile fading as the branches slipped from her hands, colliding with a soft clatter on the sand. “... Oh.”

It had been a while since she’d last laid eyes on the prince, so long that she’d barely recognised him at a glance. Had her time here really been that extensive that she couldn’t even recognise an old friend?

He seemed older. A far cry from the little boy, more mature than the teenager-- a fully fledged adult, now. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t seen him after he’d come of age, it was simply difficult to remember him as such. All of their prominent memories, time spent together had been when they were young, before she had left for college, before she had begun to travel. Even with a six year age difference, they’d connected well. Always hiding from parents, always looking for secrets, always spending their time escaping everyone else. A pang of regret ran through her system at the thought. She should have kept in touch.

No doubt, it would have been difficult to recognise her as well. Braids twisted amongst loose locks, trinkets weaved through curls, all pinned back with what she could scrounge to keep it out of her face. The dark circles under her eyes only served to make her look gaunt, her arms and hands were littered with scars, old and new, not to mention the dark purple bruise running down the outside of her forearm. Her clothes were unkempt, and she seemed to care little for how she appeared to others. One learned not to give much thought to how they looked, she supposed, the longer one was here. She couldn’t even remember how she’d looked when she’d seen him last, and doubted he even remembered-- she couldn’t blame him for that.

“Antoni, I--” Whatever she could have said died immediately. What could she say? When had they taken him? How had she not noticed? Had he been alright? What was going on at home? What was going on with him? Was he well? She didn’t even know whether to hug him or stay put. A million questions ached to be voiced; Ekaterina only allowed one to pass her lips as she took a step forward, her hand reaching out with intent to provide comfort before pausing, falling lifeless at her side. “Are you okay?”

Being so out of sync, the little insecurities had Grace’s mind in overdrive. She didn’t know where she stood with Ekaterina, despite the fact her rational mind knew her girlfriend loved her. Secrets, things like this, it was never them. They were open and honest with each other to a fault. Secrets, omission, lack of communication, all of those traits were a point of pride with the two princesses. Grace had sworn she had seen Ekaterina with a pretty blonde pirate and it tore her up inside to see. 

On a normal basis, she was far more secure, but her mind flashed back to having to justify her every move to others. She didn’t want to believe Ekaterina had found someone else after being assured that it was unnecessary to, that the two of them had all they ever needed with the other and with Charlie, should he decide to be involved with them both. 

(Grace still needed to meet him.)

Then Ekaterina hugged her and every last insecurity melted away. Grace’s face buried into the crook of the brunette’s neck and took a deep, shuddering breath. Her love was back. Thank God. “I lost everything,” she whispered.

God, she wished Grace hadn’t spoken. The words sent icy chills up and down her spine, and an uneasiness settled in her bones that she knew she couldn’t just... shake, or ignore. Why? And then she felt it-- well, didn’t physically feel it, but she knew it was there. Just as if brushing the nape of her neck, an impossibly cold point that threatened to plunge deeper into her body. Even if she had a hand free, she couldn’t swat away. She didn’t have to look at it to know what it was. A gem covered pommel, the steel of the forged blade ever-keen, all hung from a single horse hair just above her, come back after all these months and years. ‘Damocles,’ Came the defeated realisation. There it hung. And there it would stay, as long as she held any sort of power.

Ekaterina briefly wondered if Grace could feel it too, wondered if she had also felt this hang over her for longer than she wanted to think about, or if this was something only she could see and feel. Panic set in, and she gripped her lover tighter, her breathing growing increasingly shallow.

I lost everything.

“No,” She refuted, and though she tried to sound as sure as possible, it was weak. Weak, dumb and small. “We-- you--” Her knees threatened to cave as her mind ran through every possible situation. Teddy? No-- she had seen him. A betrothal? She had one. Her parents? She didn’t know-- but Grace would have told her a lot quicker if that was the case. “B--” Was Ben here? No... he couldn’t be, he wasn’t in line for the thro--

Throne. Ben.

Something about those thoughts had her fearing the worst.

Her voice was trembling as she finally strung two words together. “What-- happened?”

In spite of his best efforts, and his overwhelmingly mellow personality— Charlie had always been what his mother had simply termed ‘busy’. He was constantly up and moving - getting himself into trouble or doing whatever work was required of him or preemptively working towards finishing things several days ahead of time in whatever free time he was given. It wasn’t that it was rare that he allowed himself to relax, but it was particularly rare that he let himself relax and refused to think about everything he had to do when he was finished relaxing or taking his rest. Of course, he’d never been prone to remembering he had anything to focus on but Ekaterina when he was lucky enough to be present in her company; every movement felt as though he were dragging himself through mud if the sluggishness with which his limbs moved was anything to go by, and he couldn’t find it anywhere in him to mind the feeling at all. It certainly didn’t hurt that the feeling of her skin against his had always been one that captured all of his attention inexorably and refused to allow it to fade for hours after they’d been together.

He found himself distracted with that same inexorable focus as he took in the expression on Ekaterina’s face, and the clear, blue depths of her eyes. His heartbeat faltered in his chest, and a smile he knew must have been love-struck or dopey or a distinct combination of the two settled onto his lips the longer he sat there with his head crooked at an awkward angle simply to take in the Belarusian princess. “Is this where I’m supposed to admit that you’re always right and I should never have doubted you?” He asked, a teasing lilt in his voice as his smile widened and he tilted his head enough to press a feather light kiss to the tip of Ekaterina’s nose before he settled back against the pillows and contented himself with watching her fingers travel over his skin with hooded, curious eyes. “You might have better luck tracing my tattoos, kitten; at least you don’t have to count the lot of them.”

He offered her a sluggish blink in response to the series of rapid fire questions she shot in his direction, and forced himself to slog through the pervasive sleepiness that often came with relaxation when he was comfortable in a bone-deep sort of way. “Do I know any good question games?” He parroted, a brow quirked briefly in time with the question before his head lolled to one side on the pillow as he thought. “Bloody hell, I reckon I don’t. Does twenty questions count? You can win that one, I think? You have to think of something and I have to guess what it is within twenty questions. Or, y’know, the other way ‘round.” He wasn’t particularly surprised when Ekaterina moved to straddle him, but he felt a tinge of embarrassment spark to life in the form of a blush that crept slowly up his neck as his body seemed to surge to life as her weight settled against him. 

If her body against his hadn’t been enough to catch his attention he was certain the tone of her voice would have captured every bit of conscious awareness he had to give in an instant, and he found himself watching her carefully with poorly concealed excitement, as though it was the first time they’d ever found themselves in such a situation. “Well, how could I possibly say no to that?” He muttered distractedly, accepting her kiss with a soft sigh of approval. He raised his hands to cup her face and deepen the kiss for a few moments before he pulled away to press their foreheads together, a shuddering breath escaping him, “Let’s play then, my darling.”

“Yes,” Ekaterina proudly declared, a wide grin spreading across her face. As if she would have give any other reply to that sort of question, but the banter itself only served to make her feel even more comfortable and contented, melting into the man’s touch and feeling completely at ease while tangled in an embrace with him. Any time she spent with Charlie felt so enrapturing and enchanting, as if when they came together, time stopped and nothing beyond the two of them mattered.

Humming a quiet tune as her fingers moved across fabric and exposed skin, she paused, and moved her gaze to watch the blonde. Even through her exhaustion, there was love. Always love. “I like your scars; they tell stories. And they remind me you are here, with me. You are a survivor. Like we always were-- like we are.”

“Twenty questions... and you guess what someone is thinking of. I do not know... What if you win? What if you lose? What are the rules?” She queried, before furrowing her brow and grinning once more. In straddling him, she was well aware of his reaction, at which she chuckled. This could turn out to be a very fun game. Maybe she meant it, and maybe she didn’t but regardless of intent, Ekaterina’s hips rolled forward against Charlie’s out of habit, a breathy sigh escaping her while a chill ran down her spine, lips parting oh-so-slightly. She just wanted more, more to touch and more to feel. No-- questions.

The thought was forgotten immediately when she kissed him. It was so unfair. She knew why she was so desperate for that kind of touch-- she had gone long enough without it to no longer ignore the desire for friction between her legs. And stupid Charlie had to be... well, stupid Charlie, and all she wanted to do was forget about some stupid game, rid themselves of all their clothes and--

Wait.

A devilish smile appeared on her lips, still brushing against his while she spoke again. “What if I am thinking of something, but-- if your question is wrong, then you must take off a piece of clothing. And if you cannot guess what I think in twenty question... You must get on your hands and knees, and eat me out-- as many questions as you are wrong for. And if I lose, I must do the same.” She knew it was a win/win situation for both of them, but hell if she cared. It was a way to pass the time, and a way to have fun with Charlie. “I can go first... or you can think of something. Deal?”