#veraspromptchallenge

Fic Writer’s Appreciation- January 2018 Writing Challenge January (2018) Day 4 First

Inuyasha paces like an animal in an invisible cage, back and forth across the stoop outside of Kaede’s hut.  Inside the old miko’s hut, his wife and the love of his life, the woman who scoffed at time and came back to him after three long, agonizingly lonely years was bed ridden and in the throes of more pain than he could ever imagine.  Guilt wracked his mind of what she was going through because of him, and the hopeless feeling that there was nothing he could do to soothe her discomfort threatened to send him over the edge.  Why had this been so important to him?  If he had understood what she would face, what she had to endure in this age without pain medications, to go through it all…  Would he have still let her?

No words offered by his friends Miroku or Shippo could allay his fears.  Humans could die because of this, and just the mere thought of losing her…  that was something he just couldn’t fathom, or didn’t want to.  But they tried, and continued to try, she’ll be okay, Inuyasha, Kagome is tough, she’ll be fine.  And she was, he knew she was, stronger than he ever could really be…  but it was still so hard on the Hanyo.  He could barely stand to see her cry let alone be in pain of any kind.  

Inside the hut Sango and Kaede attend to Kagome as best they can with the herbs and remedies of the time.  When Sango endured this twice now, it was easier for her and she did worry for her friend.  Maybe because it’s Hanyo, she wondered, could that make this more difficult?  But Kaede worried none, this was normal, she said, each one is always different, some harder, some easy but always a blessing in the end…

His ears flatten from her screams, covering them with his hands to muffle the cries coming from within the hut.  How much longer is she going to be in pain!  Miroku does his best to restrain Inuyasha from rushing in, which is pretty damn hard against the Hanyo’s strength.  Tears now flow down his face, if he could suffer this agony for Kagome he’d gladly take her place.  But his friend reminds him, there is a reason why this burden falls on women, they are stronger than they could ever be.  

Finally, after what seemed like forever, Kagome’s screams subside, replaced by a tiny little cry…

Kaede opens the door and ushers the nervous Hanyo to Kagome’s bedside.

“Inuyasha…” his wife’s weakened voice fills his ears, bringing those pangs of guilt forward again.  So tired and yet she has such a glow about her and a sweet smile on her face; she beckons him to her side.  “Inuyasha…”  It was all becoming so surreal to the Hanyo, as his liquid filled eyes stared down at his wife.  After all that, the peace and happiness she exuded, how after what she just went through?      

Sango hands him the bundle she cradles in her arms, beaming at her friends.  “Meet your first child.”

“It’s a little girl,” Kaede pats him on the shoulder as he stares down at the tiny infant in his arms.  “And she looks like you.”

“Aye, but with Kagome’s face.” Sango chimes, “So adorable.”

“The first of many, I’m sure,” adds Miroku as he joins his wife’s side, “If he can handle going through this again.”

But the Hanyo pays his friend no mind, too enraptured by the lightly mewling child in his arms, “M-my daughter?” Inuyasha stammers out.  He’s so afraid to move, all he can do is sit stiffly, supporting this precious jewel in his arms.  The little girl has her eyes closed and is wrapped up so snug in the blanket only her head is peaking through, but he can see white hair just like him and the two adorable ears so tiny!  Now understanding like only a parent can, the blissful energy Kagome was feeling.  He looks to his wife with tears in his eyes, “Our daughter?”

Fairy Tail, Nalu

Lucy shuddered and screamed, her cry going thin at the apogee of her pleasure. She enjoyed internal fireworks, the colours a joyful mix, intense and as powerful as her lover. Her inexhaustible husband of two months - Natsu Dragneel.

"Easy, Luce!"

"Never," came her breathless reply. "You're going to be the death of me, but what a way to go!"

"Maybe - but not until we're old and gray." Natsu laughed and dropped a kiss on Lucy's brow. "There's so many things we need to try - lots more firsts in the world of pleasure, don't you think?"

The Slipper Thief

Fandom: Code: Realize

Rating: G 

Saint Germain, Cardia Beckford, pre-Saint/Cardia. Featuring Sisi the matchmaking Corgi.

For the December fic challenge, prompt “slippers" 

Written for the December prompt challenge @fic-writer-appreciation​  

….

Useless.

Saint threw the book down on the couch with uncharacteristic frustration. He could usually regain his composure and focus by reading for awhile, but today nothing helped. Every time he tried to read a sentence his mind slipped back to the prize documents and the revelations they might hold… how they would change the relationships between them… how this precious alliance of strange and damaged souls could be lost in a single moment.

How he would certainly be the one to destroy it.

Once the truth of Isaac’s whereabouts were revealed, Omnibus would order him to finish the mission and “erase the mistakes.” If he did as he was ordered, they would all despise him, though not nearly as much as he would despise himself. But if he didn’t do as he was ordered and disaster struck again…

Saint dropped his head in his hands. The agonizing mixture of self loathing, anger and despair threatened to consume him. He didn’t know anymore which was worse. He didn’t even know what was right or wrong. He had been told that his only path to salvation was to follow Omnibus’ orders unquestioningly to the letter and keep correcting humanity’s mistakes- he had even believed it- But now…

He rubbed his forehead. Perhaps a walk would settle his mind.

He put on his right slipper, but when he reached for the left one-

“Not again.” Saint sighed in exasperation, crouching down to search for his missing slipper in vain hope that it had merely been pushed further underneath the chair. But of course it wasn’t there. Nor under the couch, behind his desk or between the boxes of books.

Since he doubted Lupin would have a reason to steal one of his slippers, that left his smallest, furriest apprentice as the likeliest culprit.

He opened the door and walked gingerly out into the hall barefoot, hoping that Impey hadn’t dropped any screws or bolts dashing from one project to another. Saint was numb to most pain, but finding a stray bolt with his bare feet was always particularly excruciating… and it happened much too often.  

Still, he couldn’t be angry at the furry thief. Sisi always looked after everyone. If someone was feeling sad or anxious, he would always make sure to find the right person to help them. He even warned Saint when the other apostles were spying on them. Normal dogs couldn’t sense apostles when they wished to remain unseen. Even he couldn’t always sense Guinevere when she didn’t want him to know she was there, but Sisi could. To his knowledge, only Omnibus’s dog, Lilith could do such a thing. Saint had heard many strange rumors about Lilith…

He shook his head. It was hardly an important topic to be occupying his attention with things as they were. None of the people in his house were the least bit normal. It was unsurprising that their dog wasn’t normal, either.

He thought he knew where Sisi was leading him. To the person he most wanted to spend time with… to the person he least should spend time with.

His suspicions were confirmed by an overturned lamp near the door to Cardia’s room, and a faint paw print on the border of the carpet in front of her door.

As expected. Despite everything, Sisi had often wanted him to visit Cardia lately. He didn’t know why. It seemed to him that anyone else would have been a better choice to comfort her. He pushed aside the mixture of joy and anguish that seeing her face brought him, ever more strongly as the days passed, and knocked on the door to find it already slightly ajar.

“Miss Cardia?” he called gently, “is everything all right?”

“…. Oh. Good afternoon, Saint. Yes, I-I’m all right.”

She didn’t sound all right. He knew she also hoped for and dreaded what the documents they had won in the race would hold. He wished hopelessly that they could forget all about them and everything would stay just as it was. “May I come in?”

“Yes… of course.”

He pushed the door open to find his slipper on the floor and the little thief lying triumphantly on the bed. Sisi wagged his stub of a tail and gave a self-satisfied bark when he saw Saint.

Cardia turned from the desk where she was reading. Her face was pale and her beautiful eyes were deeply troubled. His heart, if he still could be said to have one, ached abominably. He wanted to tell her it would be okay… but he had lied to her enough. 

“What is the matter, Miss Cardia?”

“Oh… it’s nothing. I was just studying.” she said unconvincingly.

Something in her expression said she wasn’t quite ready to tell him, so he nodded as if he believed her, “Apparently Sisi thinks my slipper will cheer you up.”

Cardia turned to the shameless Corgi, “Sisi! How many times have I told you not to take people’s things!?”

Sisi’s ears drooped with an expression of false contrition, but his tail still wagged happily.

“Hehe. No harm done. Would you mind helping me shelve some books that I received the other day? I can offer tea and biscuits when we finish.”

Cardia’s innocently expressive face brightened, “Yes, of course! You have done so much for me… I am always happy to help you.”

“I am glad to hear it.” he said lightly, suppressing the pain her words brought him. “Then shall we go, my lady?” he offered her his arm.

Cardia tentatively put her hand on his arm. Saint could see that she was happier. He felt happier, too, if he could dare admit it to himself. Even if such happiness at spending time with Cardia was the last thing he deserved to have…

Feeling unaccustomedly rebellious, Saint pushed it all aside, tucked Cardia’s hand beneath his arm and smiled down at her. Even if it was wrong or selfish and he didn’t deserve it, he would enjoy the afternoon spent in the company of this gentle girl with a lively and strong spirit, and would do his best to ease her burdens and sorrows for as long as he could.

Cardia’s eyes widened, “Your smile is beautiful,” she said softly, “I have never seen you smile like that before.”

“Have I not? Then it must surely be because of how happy I am to be with you now.” he said, telling the complete truth for once. He impulsively took her hand and kissed it through the glove.

Cardia blushed and smiled shyly. Saint wondered what it would be like to be able to love her, to show her all he knew… to protect her from everything and everyone who would ever do her harm.

…..but how would he protect her from her cursed blood? From the iron chains binding his own soul? From Fate itself?

He didn’t know. He only knew that this afternoon was theirs, and he would make the very most of it he could… and Cardia’s eyes had a light in them that was not there before. 

Yes, for just this moment, that was all that mattered.

Sisi barked cheerfully, his mission accomplished. He grabbed the slipper and trotted out the door, leading the way back to Saint’s library.

Part 2 of the Winter and December and Christmas, Oh My! series.

Read on AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/12982881

Rating: G

Characters: Fukunaga Shouhei, Kozume Kenma, Kuroo Tetsurou, Haiba Lev, Nekoma Volleyball Club.

Pairings: No.

Additional Tags: Scarf, winter prompts, Ugly scarf, This hideous scarf is the light of Fukunaga's life, Nekoma will protect it, ShouheiProtectionSquad, Lev makes many mistakes, But he fixes them too, Nekoma being family, Badass Kenma.

Summary:

Fukunaga has a scarf. It's the most hideous, disgusting, ugly and mangled scarf the team have ever seen. But it's precious. It means more to him than anything.

by Impracticaldemon Fandom:  Fairy Tail

Day 19, Black cats

“Don’t worry, he’ll be fine,” Levy told her scowling spouse, as he tramped over to the door for the fourth time that half-hour.

“I’m not worried, of course he’s okay, and even if he has run into trouble I’m sure he can deal with it,” Gajeel snapped back, eyes searching the darkness beyond the street lamps for his black Exceed.

Not long after, Levy and Gajeel found themselves staring across Magnolia’s main street at the missing Pantherlily, who appeared to be watching the Magnolia Halloween Parade with a resigned expression on his usually stern countenance.

“They wouldn’t let me across,” he explained to his friends once the parade was over, shaking his head at the eccentricities of humans.  “They claimed that I would bring them bad luck, even in the air!”

Pairing: Fraxus (Freed x Laxus)

Prompt: Rainy days

Rating: K

Sometimes it would be Freed sitting on the broad windowshill of their living room, enjoying a good book along with a hot cup of coffee or tea. And sometimes, just like right now, it was Laxus staring outside and listening to the pattering rain as he possibly hoped for a storm to come. Storms tended to draw the dragon slayer's attention, and Freed knew they gave him a feeling of special comfort as well.

"Hey."

Laxus turned his head upon hearing his boyfriend's calm deep voice. His lips twitched hinting but not quite forming a smile, however the tiny movement was all Freed needed. "Hey."

"Are you okay?"

The question surprised the blond and it could be seen on his face. Though instead of letting his boyfriend wait for a reply he just nodded, and this time his lips did more than just to twitch. "Yea. Just relaxin' a little. You wanna join me?"

"I had hoped that you want my company." Freed smiled in return, inwardly glad that everything was fine. There was one particular calmness that had him worried sometimes. There were differences.

Pairing: Stingue brotp

Words: 307

Sting pushed along the shopping cart, head turned towards Rogue as he gloomily walked behind him. “Seriously, Rogue, when are you going to stop sulking? You’re 22, for crying out loud!”

Rogue stuck out his tongue at him. ”Just because I’m 22 doesn’t mean that I can’t sulk.”

Sting grinned. “Oh, so you admit it, then?” In his opinion, Rogue needed to get out of the apartment more, and Sting didn’t give a fuck if Rogue moped about it.

Rogue grimaced at his slip-up, and Sting skittered to a stop when they approached his car. “My baby,” he whispered, stroking the roof lovingly.

“Ugh, gross.” Rogue made a face at him, and Sting nearly lunged at him. “Don’t you talk shit about my baby. You’d be fucked without her.” He unlocked the vehicle and sat comfortably inside, hands on the wheel, eyes closed in reverence.

The silence was ruined, however, when Rogue opened the driver’s side door and yelled into his ear. “Hey, dickwad, who’s going to load the groceries inside?”

He is my friend I must not punch my friend he is my friend I must not

Sting jumped out and slammed the door behind him. A second later, he turned around and placed both palms on the window in horror. “Oh no,” he breathed.

“Did you say something?” Rogue asked, a bottle of detergent in one hand and the other on the cart.

Sting whirled to face him, eyes wide. “You wouldn’t happen to have the spare keys on you, right?”

Rogue narrowed his eyes. “Why would you ask me that, Sting? You wouldn’t have, oh say, locked us out of your car for the fucking fourth time?”

Sting grinned sheepishly. “Looks like we’re going to be stuck here for a while.”

August Writing Challenge FF.net

Ceraunophile: (n) A deep love of thunder and lightning. It also connotes the idea of finding both intensely beautiful.

Lucy loved to watch her husband spar. The very nature of his magic was wild and beautiful and he embodied every aspect of it. The electricity in the air made her nerves tingle as flecks of lightning licked his skin. The only thing she loved to marvel at more were the untamed summer storms, though if he wanted to, Laxus could easily rival one.

She was surprised by how long he and the iron slayer had been at it, considering that neither blonde were getting much in the way sleep due to the six week old she was currently cradling. Lucy was happy that her husband had been so helpful with little Lyla, not that she expected him to do nothing. It was just hard to imagine him live such a domesticated life.

As grateful as she was though, he'd been using the excuse of taking care of the baby to skip out of his duties as guildmaster. He was already much like his grandfather and hated paperwork. She didn't blame him because it was natural for him to be moving around and doing something, but it sometimes left her and Freed with far too much to complete.

She had half a mind to fuss at the lightning mage but every time she thought she would, she'd find him rocking Lyla to sleep in the nursery or him asleep in bed with the bassinet pulled up beside him. He was such a loving father and often worried about messing things up, but Lucy would watch him and sometimes cry because the sight of him holding that little girl was far more beautiful than any storm she'd watched before.

Tears began to gather as she thought about that, causing the dragon slayers to stop. Laxus looked over at his wife and walked over to her. He sat down behind her and carefully pulled her so that she was leaning against him.

He rested his head on her shoulder to look down at the baby and whispered, "What's wrong, Blondie?"

She just shook her head and tried to keep the tears silent so Lyla didn't wake up. "Nothing. I was just thinking is all."

"What about?"

"About how wonderful you are." He scoffed at her statement. "I'm serious." She puffed cheeks.

"I know," he admitted, loving how cute she looked when annoyed. "But you know that I'm the lucky one, right?"

"Oh?"

"Yep. I've got the prettiest wife and she has given me the most beautiful baby girl." Laxus held his arms under hers so that they were holding Lyla together. "I'm lucky because she loves the thunder and lightning almost as much as I do."

"You're wrong about that last statement," she claimed. "Trust me, I love you more than anything, Laxus."