Trash Panda

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Iris’s voice pulled Cas from his shock. He hadn’t even noticed that she’d gotten up from the sofa until she had spoken from right beside him. Hurriedly, he nodded and scrambled to his feet as well, knowing that she was right about needing to leave before the building came down on top of them. The mental image of being buried alive was more than enough to make him move quickly, grabbing what he could from the kitchen counter before he followed her to the door to escape into the open.

While they rushed outside, his thoughts wound up back in the state of confusion he’d felt when he’d first seen the bombers overhead. He still couldn’t believe that his father had permitted an air strike on any of the districts when he was still missing. Was Atlas completely unconcerned with bringing him home? Even if he didn’t care personally about what became of him, he would have thought that the king would be eager to make sure his only heir survived long enough to take over the throne. Apparently, he’d overestimated his father even about that.

Normally, he would have caught himself when his thoughts edged into such insecurities, but for as optimistic as he was, even he couldn’t think of a reason why Atlas would be risking his life like this. No matter which way he looked at it, the monarch didn’t seem to care if he came home still breathing or in a casket. The realization made his chest feel tight. His own father cared more about fighting the Scourge than he did about his own son’s safety. He would have been lying if he’d said he’d never suspected it, especially since he couldn’t even remember the last time he’d heard the king say he was proud of him, but knowing it with certainty pained him like a knife through his heart.

Caught up in his thoughts, he barely registered that they had made it out of the complex. It was only when a second bomb dropped over the nearby district that he was brought back to the present. He inhaled sharply, unable to stay upright when there was nothing around to hold onto and the ground felt like it was being ravaged by an earthquake. At least this time, there was no roof over their heads to fall down on them. The breath fled from his lungs as he was knocked sideways by the shockwave and hit the pavement hard.

For a moment he didn’t move, gathering his bearings after he’d hit his head on the cement. When he was somewhat coherent again, he reached out for Iris’s arm—or whatever part of her was within reach that he could touch—and grabbed her clothes. “Just stay down,” he hissed, grimacing as he felt warm blood trickle from somewhere above his right temple. With nowhere safe to hide, being out in the street like this was the safest they were going to get. As long as the last bomb didn’t fall on top of them, they could survive the attack.

Although he knew their odds were better outside, his heart still hammered with panic. Without thinking, he crawled over to Iris and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her to his chest. The gesture was partly a futile but instinctive desire to shield her from the bombs with his body, but it was mostly prompted by his fear that they were still very much in danger. Waiting for the last bomb to drop, he squeezed his eyes shut and held onto her tightly, praying that it would fall far enough away that they wouldn’t be killed in the next shockwave.

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

I threw in the beginning of the bombings in my post :) Can't let them have too much of a break lol

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Even without looking at her, Cas knew Iris wasn’t any happier about the situation than he was. She had said that she was fine with being with him for just a few days, but he knew he couldn’t disregard the feelings he had for her so easily. He had a sneaking suspicion that she wouldn’t be that nonchalant about it either if they actually tried to go through with her idea. She was too caring of a person to have a fling with no strings attached. He knew because he was the same way.

His friend, Jay, had had a few hookups with girls and had encouraged him to ‘just try it’ on multiple occasions, insisting that he’d have fun. However, the furthest he’d ever managed to get was locking lips with a woman at the bar. Of course, someone had caught a photo of the event and it immediately hit headlines that the crown prince had “gotten some strange,” but he’d regretted his drunken actions after he’d sobered up. The girl had meant nothing to him, and he’d meant nothing to her aside from becoming part of a story she had probably told all her friends. Even though he’d thought she was hot, he’d realized that he couldn’t just hook up with women and carry on like nothing had happened like Jay did. He was too deeply entangled in his romanticized vision of being with someone whom he truly cared about. That paired with his budding feelings for Iris meant that it would be impossible for him to have a casual relationship with her before they parted.

Sometimes being an emotional person was a pain in the ass.

Setting his clean plate next to the sink to dry, he let out his breath in a sigh and glanced back at the sofa, only to find that Iris had completely disregarded his instructions. He wasn’t sure if she was doing it out of spite or if she was genuinely having a hard time with the list he’d given her, but either way she wasn’t doing herself any favors by foregoing nourishment and tossing away her blanket. When he’d finished cleaning his dish, he’d planned to retreat to one of the bedrooms to put some more distance between them, but he couldn’t do that as long as she was refusing to take care of herself.

“I know you’re mad at me, but protesting isn’t going to change anything,” he frowned, walking around the counter to approach her again. He stood on the opposite side of the coffee table and reached down to pick up the bottle of water she’d set aside but faltered before his fingers brushed the edge of it. As he looked down at the container, he furrowed his brows. The water inside almost looked like it was vibrating. In the next moment, he tensed as the vibrating grew more intense and was followed by a load roar outside.

Eyes wide, he spun around to face the window as a formation of Aspirian aircrafts flew overhead. They were bulky in shape, built to carry heavy objects rather than maneuver quickly like fighter jets. Bombers, the realization made his heart skip a beat. He’d seen them before, on the ground when they weren’t being used, but never in flight. The color drained from his face as he watched them drift menacingly over Bel Bicis like massive birds of prey. Surely his father wouldn’t have sent the military out to strike while he was still missing though? Atlas didn’t know where he was, so it was dangerous to start bombing districts when he could have been in any of them. Maybe he’s just trying to scare the rebels, he thought, clinging to a thread of hope. He wouldn’t launch an attack when I could get caught in the crossfire…

As he watched, his hopes were immediately dashed when the hatch on the bottom of the center bomber slowly opened, and a black mass fell from within. Time felt like it slowed down as the bomb hurtled into the next district over—the one he and Iris had been making their way toward less than an hour ago. In the back of his head, he knew what was coming, but he couldn’t bring himself to move. He was too dismayed that his father seemed to be resuming the war without a care as to where he was. It almost seemed like the king wasn’t even trying to bring him back alive.

When the bomb struck the ground, he was ripped from his thoughts by a shockwave that made the entire housing complex quake violently. Not holding onto anything, he lost his balance and fell to his knees with a startled yelp. The image of the decimated plaza filled with corpses flashed through his mind, and his heart began pounding wildly in his chest. There were still two bombers left who hadn’t released their loads. If they dropped one much closer, the building might collapse on top of them, and there was nothing they could do to stop it. They were sitting ducks.

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

Very much enjoyed writing that one. Crow's little remarks are always fun xD

Let Me Steal Your Heart [BuzzingBee + Dagger]

When Penelope pointed out that Otto’s attitude probably had more to do with his past as a thief, Crow just shrugged. He knew she was right, but it didn’t change the fact that he was getting tired of letting the baron order him around. Whether Otto liked it or not, Albin had appointed him as Brerra’s next viceroy, and that title wasn’t going to change as long as his father didn’t strip him of it. He doubted the king would do that too, since it had sounded like he didn’t want to bother training someone else to learn about the languages and customs of the neighboring kingdoms. As far as he knew, he was going to hold the position for as long as he lived.

“The latter sounds more fun,” he grinned back at Penelope when she said he would either change the baron’s mind or drive him insane. “I’ll let you know how it goes after I get back from Younis.”

As the knight wrapped her arms around his middle, he slipped an arm around her shoulders as well. “If you didn’t, it would be a lie,” he said cheekily. “Darling, I used to make my living on stealing and selling jewelry just like that. I have amazing taste.” Teasingly, he pressed another kiss to her temple before they continued on their way to the inn. When they reached it and stepped inside, he let out a quiet sigh, disappointed that their last getaway before he left for the northern kingdom was coming to an end. He was going to miss spending time with her for the next two weeks while they were apart.

“No,” he answered honestly when Penelope asked if he was ready to head into their room. “But it’s better than driving Sir Whines-A-Lot to come looking for us, so here we are.” Reaching for the handle, he pushed the door open and entered the room first, bracing himself for Otto’s chastisement. He didn’t have to wait long before the baron took notice of him and the knight and spoke up.

“Where have you been?” the older man scowled irritably, sitting upright on his bed where he had just been putting on his boots.

“I think something in my supper disagreed with me,” Crow replied with a wrinkle of his nose. “If I were you, I’d steer clear of the privy for a few days.”

Taken aback by the viceroy’s tawdry reply, Otto faltered for a moment before he was able to pool enough thoughts together to realize that he was messing with him. “I suppose you think you’re funny,” he grumbled, crossing his arms in a disgruntled posture.

“Very much so, yes,” Crow confirmed nonchalantly, shrugging his cloak off his shoulders.

“His Majesty appointed all of us to protect you while you’re on your way to parley with the Younisian king, Collin,” the baron reminded him curtly. “We can’t do our jobs if you insist on being difficult. You’d do well to stop wandering off as if this was merely a holiday.”

“You don’t have to worry about that,” the viceroy rolled his eyes. “Penelope and I just wanted a moment to ourselves because she’s leaving in the morning. I don’t plan to do anymore ‘wandering off’ after she’s gone.”

“Good,” Otto’s shoulders relaxed as if he was relieved to get a straightforward response from the obstinate former thief.

With the subject dropped, Crow turned back to the knight and kissed her briefly. “I’ll see you in the morning, love. May the gods protect you from Naida’s feet.”

“I heard that, imp,” his sister shot him a glare from the bed she was already sitting on across the room.

He glanced at her with a wry smirk. He hadn’t had siblings for very long, but he was already enjoying the level of comfort he and the princess had developed over the past few weeks. As high-maintenance as she could be sometimes, he was glad that she was coming with him to Younis. The trip would be more bearable with someone else to banter with during their down time.

Turning back to Penelope he lifted a hand to his mouth to cover a yawn and then casted her an affectionate smile, “Anyway, I actually do hope you sleep well. I love you.”

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

No worries! I've been busy as ever with my project. Worked about 10 hours so far today, and I needed a break, so I got a post up :)

I hope your work gets less stressful!

Also, I had a thought. It's still afternoon, so what if the Aspirian military launches an attack on a nearby district during this part? It would be pretty startling for Cas and Iris to be unwinding at the apartment and then the ground starts to shake from the bombings

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

In his heart, Cas knew he’d done the right thing. Even though it was difficult, they had to keep themselves from giving in to their desire for each other. To pretend like they weren’t on borrowed time would have been foolish. He couldn’t lie and say that he just wanted something physical from her either. They both knew that wasn’t true, and the same went for her feelings for him. Ignoring the deeper connection they had would inevitably lead to a painful parting at the capital, and he didn’t want to do that to her. He’d meant it when he’d told Maisie that he cared about her too much to put her through that.

When Iris said she understood, he let out a ragged exhale only to grimace in the next moment as she chased the statement by saying she wasn’t good enough for him. It was so far from the truth that it crushed him to hear her say it. He could understand why she thought so, since their differing statuses were the exact reason why they couldn’t be together, but that had nothing to do with who she was as a person. It was just the way things were. He was going to be the next king of Aspiria, and unfortunately, that meant whoever he ended up with was going to be the queen. By law, his future wife had to be a high born. There was nothing he could do about it.

“Don’t you ever say you’re not good enough for me,” he chastised her, forcing himself to pull back enough to seek her gaze. “You’re a better woman than anyone else I’ve met. I really do wish I could be with you, and if I could rewrite the law, I would do it in a heartbeat. It’s just… not that simple.” He squeezed her hands, studying her face with a solemn expression. “I won’t have that kind of power until my dad… well… kicks the bucket, and that could be many years from now. He barely lets me date high born women as it is, so there’s no way he would let me be with someone from outside the capital. It’s a shitty situation—I’d love to be able to make my own decisions like every other adult in the world—but I have to listen to him because he’s the king… Unfortunately, that means I can’t be with you.”

Never before had he felt more trapped in the box he’d been born into. He’d already had mixed feelings about being the crown prince, usually teetering on the negative side, but he’d never experienced the weight of his future like this. Probably because I’ve never been so drawn to someone like I am to her, he thought. It had been frustrating in the past when his father had forced him to end relationships with high born girls, but he had never been truly heartbroken over the breakups. They had never lasted long enough for him to care that much. Iris was the first person he’d ever developed a bond with that felt so substantial that he was almost terrified to see where it could go. He could easily picture himself falling in love with her when they reached the capital and always regretting the fact that he could never see her again after they separated.

So, when Iris said she didn’t care if they could only be together for a short while, he shook his head. “You say that now, but what happens when we get to the capital and actually have to part ways?” he frowned. “We’re only going to be out here for a few more days at best, so we should act like it. I just… I can’t hurt you, Iris. It’s for the best that we don’t make this harder than it has to be.”

Taking his own advice, he picked up her plate from the table and set it in her lap. “Eat those last two bites for me, okay?” he murmured, getting up from the sofa. “And drink the water too.” Needing to put some distance between them while he still had the strength of will to do so, he took his own empty plate to the kitchen to rinse it off.

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

This time, haha. He might not last much longer though

Sorry to hear your day was stressful! No rush on posting. I lost a day to work on my project because of the internet problems, so I'm spending time on that this afternoon anyway

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

So far it's been a lot better! No internet troubles at all ^^

Also, I know I've said it so much already, but I love Cas and Iris cx They're so adorable it hurts

Amnesia [Suki & Summer]

Cas could see that Iris was still reluctant to keep eating, but he was glad that she was trying. The food and water he was coaxing her to consume would do nothing but benefit her in the long run. Even if it made her stomach upset in the beginning, they had to keep trying to get her to keep it down, so she would have the energy she needed to break the fever. His own desire to get back to the capital aside, he was worried that if she didn’t start getting better, she would put herself in a dangerous position when they didn’t have access to a nearby hospital.

He nodded and lifted another forkful of food for her to eat, only to falter when he felt her hand on his arm. The gentleness of her voice and touch derailed his thoughts, and he cursed inwardly as a warm, fuzzy feeling spread through his insides against his will. It was frustrating to him how easily she was able to affect him—to make him question the logic that had given him the resolve to keep his distance from her. Silently, he meditated on the fact that they were going to have to part ways when they got to the capital, attempting to overpower emotions with reason. It was a difficult task for one who had a hard time ignoring his heart to begin with.

When she fixed her gaze on his mouth and leaned closer, he could feel his willpower fracturing. He desperately wanted to close the remaining gap between them. They were alone in the apartment with no one else around to interrupt them, and they were in no hurry to go anywhere because of her illness. It was the perfect time to give in, and for a moment, he did. Letting his hand drop back down to the plate, he set her lunch back down on the coffee table as he tentatively edged closer to her on the sofa. No words had been exchanged between them, but he knew she still wanted him too. Spurred by her reciprocation, he closed his eyes and moved in to kiss her, only to halt a hairsbreadth from her lips.

This is a mistake, the thought practically slapped him in its prominence. At once, reality set in again, and he inhaled slowly, trying to cool down the lustful fire that burned in his core. He couldn’t kiss her. Even though he wanted to, he knew it was wrong. They had no future together, so being physical again would just make their inevitable parting more painful for both of them. He didn’t want to lead her on and give her false hope that there could be something between them when it was impossible. He’d promised Maisie that he wouldn’t do that.

Yet he couldn’t bring himself to draw back from where he hovered near her mouth.

“We shouldn’t do this,” he whispered, opening his eyes again, though he avoided her gaze. Still lingering close to her, he could feel her hot breath mingling with his, and he shivered involuntarily. The sensation made it all the more difficult for him to say the next part: “We can’t be together, Iris. I don’t want to hurt you, but I know I will if we ignore what’s coming… As soon as I step back inside the walls of the capital, we’ll never see each other again.”