#exert

Journey To Excelsior illustration project illustration 2 of (you know what let’s not say that big number) 😅

Find it on ao3 here! (And Wattpad above!)

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It took me a minute to find his training room, but it turns out, it's literally right next to his office. He could have told me that, I huffed, as I walked in ten minutes late. I came to a halt.

He was battling a droid, and it was not a light sparring. Actually, I realized as a droid stood up from his fallen position slightly behind Thrawn, he was battling two droids. Where did he even get these things?

He was moving swiftly, very swiftly. I was taken off guard by just how quick and elegant his movements were. His blows rang out, the impacts shoving the droid back each time. He spun, blocking the second droid's attack, before sliding across the ground. My eyes narrowed. That was my trick. When he stood up, his eyes flickered over me before halting the droids with a term I didn't quite understand. Rock? Oh, Rukh, his weird little alien, perhaps.

I assumed the people in high command posts grew soft. I could easily take Tarkin in a fight, I'm sure. But Thrawn, apparently, stayed in great shape.

"Impressive, Admiral," I commented without emotion. "I'm not sure I'm quite up to your level," I added, though that wasn't true. It would be difficult, but an all-out duel with this man would be fairly even, I thought. The droids began walking away from him as he started toward me.

"I doubt that. You're rather late," he said, throwing me his metal staff.

"You could have told me your training room was by your office," I said, spinning the rod. I watched as he went to retrieve another for himself. He walked with poised purpose, and my eyes drifted down to his slightly swaying hips, his long legs, defined in his loose, well-worn workout pants. Everything about his walk screamed self-assurance.

"I figured you knew the layout of the Chimaera," he said in his usual tone. Was that a jab?

"You've modified the ship. It isn't like other Star Destroyers."

"All the more reason for you to understand her," he said. Actually, he had me there. The fact that I didn't know he had his own training room was rather surprising. I wondered what else I didn't know about the ship. I'd have to ask Kandria to send the team the blueprints.

As he approached me, he bowed, low and slow, his eyes never leaving mine. I copied the action. Then I struck out hard. He pushed the blow away effortlessly, immediately advancing with his own attack. I twisted the upper half of my body back, only my right foot leaving the ground, letting the swing fly past my face.

We went around and around, our breathing becoming heavier. Within a few minutes I stopped my stick just short of his neck, and he came back at me with twice the force. He pushed me back, his weapon moving at incredible speeds, until I knew I had no choice but to end my retreat. The wall was approaching quickly, and I couldn't get trapped. He was learning my fighting styles, evolving his own, exactly what I'd begun teaching my team so many years ago. I, however, had expected this, and had been keeping a steady style, hiding my own abilities to evolve. And I too, absorbed information on my opponent. Learning. Analyzing. Preparing.

I feigned a hit to his head—a move I'd attempted twice already—hoping he'd react as he had both times. He did, raising his staff to push my own up and away; but this time, my weapon wasn't there.

I changed courses at the perfect second, knowing he was too far in his momentous swing to do the same. My rod fell into a low, sweeping motion, knocking his legs out from underneath him. His hand reached out unexpectedly as he fell, pulling me down with him and slamming me on my back next to him. The breath shot out of my lungs, and I tried to roll away from him, searching for my weapon. Evidently, this was no casual duel. Energy was rushing through me like an endless river, and the air was thick with his as well.

He gripped my leg and turned me back just as I saw his fist coming toward me. I laughed a quick, humorless sound and moved my head to the left, gripping his fist before it hit the soft padding beneath me. I turned his wrist, and his body reacted, turning with it to prevent the sharp pain. My knee shot out, but his other forearm reached down, protecting his abdomen. Both of us were moving at lightning speeds, not thinking, only reacting.

I released my grip on his hand and again tried to roll away, but he reached out, his forearm wrapping across my chest. His strong arm yanked me toward him in a swift, powerful movement, holding me tightly against his chest. I could feel my chest rising and falling with choppy, gasping breaths under his arm, and felt his chest doing the same against my back. Before I could react, he spoke.

"You're impressive," he said. His voice was slightly ragged, but it was smooth and sultry, and I lit up with startling, unwelcome desire. I pushed it down, swallowing hard.

"You aren't," I said, taunting him.

With a crack, my head flew back, making contact with his forehead. He made a pained grunt, and his hold relaxed. I broke it, flying out from his grasp. I rolled to my knees, but he was already in motion. He tackled me, shoving me back to the ground. Gods he was quick. His hands reached out for my wrists, slamming them into the ground with force.

Before I even grasped what was happening, his lips were on mine. My body reacted before my mind could, my chest rising to meet his unrelenting body, our lips tangling together. My mind tried to object, and for once, I ignored it completely. His lips felt so good, they were hot and soft, and to my surprise, he tasted exquisite. I wanted to eat him up, my hatred forgotten. I almost moaned, pleasure enveloping me. I wrapped my legs around his waist, entirely lost in his burning lips. The large bulge that was now between my legs sent pleasure signals through my brain as a new, aching desire swept through me.

When he made a deep, guttural sound in reaction to our new position, my eyes shot open, and I remembered where I was, and who I was locking lips with. I pulled back, gasping for breath. My eyes met his, and I noted that they were wide and alive with passion. My body twitched involuntarily at the sight.

I tried to move my wrists, but he was still holding them tightly. He grinned, then pulled off of me, standing up. He reached down, helping me to my feet.

"What was that?" I asked, my eyes narrowed. My heart was racing, and I was aware of the warmth pooling between my thighs.

He leaned down and picked up my stick, before moving to his retrieve own. My eyes scanned his body as he turned and walked toward the rack at the other side of the room. My chest was still moving in quick, rough breaths, though it was no longer due to the intensity of the duel.

"I'm not sure yet," he said, his back to me. Again, my own body betrayed me, reacting to both his voice and his words. After he placed the weapons on the wall, he turned, heading toward the door.

The thought causes my eyes to wander up to the rooftops, reminiscing on the time after I discovered my power. I got bold, I wanted to run across the rooftops like some kind of superhero. I think I was about ten when I worked up the courage to start trying. Had a good few failed attempts, but it worked eventually. I’m able to run about up there without many worries now, or at least I was the last time I attempted it.

And then of course after some time I started to grow accustomed enough to it to take matters into my own hands. I knew what happened. I knew I’d come back from it. As crazy as it sounds, it never seemed so much of a big deal to me after that. It was just… visiting Nexus the old fashioned way, so to speak.

And as I finally approach my grandparents’ street, I pass the very spot where it happened for the first time. The road isn’t so busy here today, only the occasional car or two passing by. They’re not stopping. There’s no screech of the breaks while the driver panics and swerves just a little too late. There’s no distant scream from my nan as she finally realises I’ve wandered into the road. There’s no moment of frozen terror where I’m just barely registering what’s about to happen, but I can’t do anything to move out of harm’s way.

i saw your holiday prompt andddddd

yes, may i request prompt number 20 for Diana and Felix (yet again, yes) where Diana stays at Hogwarts after knowing the reason why Felix doesn't go back to the Rosier Manor for Christmas? ( Rosier Manor? does that even exist? let's just pretend it does <3)

if you no longer take requests, then it's fine! you can ignore this ask and pretend it didn't happen!

20. “you’ve been ranting about your family’s holiday celebrations since october and you seemed really excited but you found out i’m staying at hogwarts by myself and decided to stay with me wow i like you”

They were playing wizard’s chess. Diana hates wizard’s chess. But, as unlikely as she is to admit it to his face—at least, not yet—Diana likes Felix. And Felix likes wizard’s chess.

You see where this is going, right?

Still, Felix did not go easy on her. This is their second rematch and as much as it may pain her pride Diana will not be asking for a third. At that point all the losing is more painful. Time to cut her losses and all that.

“Shouldn’t you be packing?” Diana asks after a long pause, doing her best to just get this match over with. Her shoulders are slightly hunched over the table and her chin rests in her palm as Felix contemplated his next move.

“Shouldn’t you be winning?” Felix quips back, a small smirk lifting the corners of his mouth as he takes another one of her pawns. “Or at least not losing this badly.”

Diana pulls a face at him and carelessly moves a piece on the board. “Seriously, though. You don’t have much time left. Train departs tomorrow morning, Felix.”

Another one of her pawns captured. Felix shifts slightly in his seat across from her. “Well, maybe that’s because I’ve decided to stay here for the holidays. Train fare is horrible these days, anyway.” He waves the awful lie off with a dismissive hand but Diana does anything but write it off.

“What? Why? You never stay at school for the holidays.”

“My, someone’s perceptive.” He comments dryly but at Diana’s look he sighs, their game of chess forgotten. “Look, truthfully my residence has never been the most…festive place, nor are my parents very festive people so I thought that I would stay here this year. It’s really not as big a deal as it may seem.”

“Really? The Rosier Manor isn’t bursting with charm and holiday cheer? Color me surprised.” Diana teases, though her tone is a little flat, as though her statement held something else beneath it.

Felix shrugs casually, but even his casual looks elegant and holds a practiced grace. “Mother prefers the word ‘mansion’ these days. She says she’s trying to modernize.”

“Cute, but totally not the point.” Diana sighs and pushes the chess board to the side to rest her elbows on the table. Felix’s eyes flash to them but quickly retreat at her flat look. When she speaks again, her tone is hushed and much softer than it was before. “Felix, are you sure that’s the only reason?”

He looks up at her like a scolded child. He clears his throat, trying to shake it off but Diana can count on one hand the amount of times she’s seen him look that small. “It’s…not exactly a fun place to be, Diana, even at the best of times. It’s cold and dark and the entire place feels like an empty cardboard box with seventeen rooms and only three people living in it. Is that what you want to hear?”

Diana’s brows pinch together in concern, her expression a twisted mix of pity and sympathy. “Why didn’t you ever say this before? Why wait until now to decide to stay here?”

“To answer your first question,” Felix arches a brow and Diana flushes just slightly at the callout. “It was never relevant before. It’s not like it’s a good icebreaker for casual conversation. Secondly,” he gestures vaguely with his hands in detached frustration. “By this time next year we’ll have graduated and become contributing, independent members of society. I suppose I thought this was long overdue. My father certainly wasn’t happy about it but it’s not his decision anymore. And I’m tired of letting him control mine.”

“And you’re okay with that?” She asks, doing everything in her power not to reach forward for his hand. “Because the castle will be just as empty as your house. You know that, don’t you?”

“Anywhere is better than there.”

“And what if…what if I stayed here with you?”

Felix pauses, looking at her in pure bewilderedness. Confusion is written all across his face as he sends her a slightly disbelieving look. “I can’t ask you to do that for me, Diana. You’ve been talking about your holiday plans since Halloween.”

And dammit, she loses the fight with herself, reaching across the table to grab his hand. She refuses to look at their hands, sitting on the table right in front of them. Looking at it will make it serious. Heavy. It must remain casual. Friendly.

“You’re my friend, Felix. I have forever to spend time with my family, but I’d hate for you to trade one misery for another. It’s the least I can do.”

Felix’s eyes soften as he looks from her face to their hands and he clears his throat again, looking away with a deepening blush on his cheeks. “Yes,” he rasps and his blush deepens. He clears his throat again and Diana suppresses a giggle. “I suppose it is, isn’t it.”