The Infamous Crossover Meme~
I know I haven't really posted anything for a long time; I'm hoping to rectify that! This meme was actually filled with that intention in mind - to get back into he swing of writing, even though I don't tend to write crossovers. It was a lot of fun, in any case, even if it did give me a bit of trouble.
Also, Word Limits hate me. But everyone already knew that ^^' You'll see how badly I failed this time soon enough.
Meme stolen from revolutionjack!
Name 10 characters before you read the prompts. Then, write a fic of 100 words or less for each prompt.
1. England (Axis Powers Hetalia)
2. Prussia (Axis Powers Hetalia)
3. Roxas (Kingdom Hearts)
4. Axel (Kingdom Hearts)
5. Phoenix (Ace Attorney)
6. Edgeworth (Ace Attorney)
7. Merlin (BBC’s Merlin)
8. Keladry (Tamora Pierce’s Tortall Series)
9. Nealan (Tamora Pierce’s Tortall Series)
10. Kida Masaomi (Durarara!!)
And the phrase ‘What is this I don’t even-’ is put on a whole new level.
1. First Time: 4 and 6 (Axel and Edgeworth)
This wasn’t supposed to happen.
He was Miles Edgeworth; Demon Prosecutor, notorious for being distant with even those he considered to be close friends. Yet here he was, back being pressed into the wall of the courthouse’s restrooms by one of his witnesses.
It wasn’t right - downright unprofessional - but even as his brain demanded his hands to push the man away, he felt his fingers retaliate by weaving into those wild red locks; tongue slipping past the barrier of lips to tangle with another. He’d always maintained the opinion that smoking was a filthy habit but the taste of fire and smoke and burning that lingered as he pulled away was intoxicating.
A smile so sharp it could draw blood, Axel drew him in for another hard kiss with a deft tug of his cravat, acidic green eyes glinting with amusement as Edgeworth struggled to stifle a moan when he moved away.
Already by the door, Axel smirked as Edgeworth fumbled to straighten his jacket and cravat even as the sound of people approaching from outside became louder.
It was all he could do to put the look of invitation he’d seen in Axel’s eyes to the back of his mind for the remainder of the case.
[207 Words]
2. Angst, 7 (Merlin)
Will always got Merlin into trouble.
He’d orchestrate a plan, talk Merlin into participating and managed to flee the scene before anything could be pinned to him.
Merlin never tended to be quite so lucky. But it didn’t matter, because Will was always there to cause enough havoc to distract the adults long enough for Merlin to slip away.
This time it had not been Will who had brought the trouble, but it still fell to him to protect his best friend. That didn’t extend to the Royal Prat that had tagged along for the ride and put himself in charge. But his body moved without consulting his brain, obstructing the path of an arrow meant for Arthur.
The last thing he remembers is Merlin’s tearful face, peering at him from above as he often had as a child. Will can feel darkness creeping into his vision, insistent hands trying to pull him under but he can’t let go; not yet. Merlin can’t follow where he’s going this time, Will won’t allow it.
“It was me. I’m the one who used the magic.”
[183 Words]
3. AU, 1 and 8 (England and Keladry)
She had never really been one for the general fanfare of court - would as soon be doing something helpful as she could socialise with her friends often enough and didn’t need an excuse to do so - but today she had been required to make an appearance.
She had known that her presence would attract attention; there were, after all only two female knights that resided in and defended Albion at this point in time, and she was the only officially recognised distaff (Sir Alanna of Trebond was knighted as a man, after all, and even after her gender had been revealed she had retained the title; Kel, having been knighted as a female, was known as Lady Keladry of Mindelan). Many still believed that women should stay away from combat, that even considering the possibility of equality by allowing women onto the battle field and into the ‘man’s world’ was inconceivable.
But she had been out on the battlefield and had defended the realm in ways that many of the men who protested her presence never could. And that was why her attendance today had been required; she was receiving recognition for her courage, loyalty and achievements.
It was a little awkward - she was fairly quiet and modest by nature - so she mostly stayed with those she knew and felt most comfortable with, speaking briefly to those who wished to congratulate her and ignoring any derisive treatment.
Merric had wandered away when he had spotted his cousin Faleron with his betrothed, promising to be back shortly with their friend in tow and Neal had been dragged into a rather spirited argument on the nature of magic with another mage. Kel had been left alone for the moment, and she contented herself to watching the other nobles mingle where they felt most comfortable.
She had just began to muse on the whereabouts of her former knight master (she was sure Raoul had arrived at the function but hadn’t seen him after the first five minutes) when she heard a slight rustle as someone sat down in the chair beside her. She tilted her head to the side slightly to regard her companion; he was finely dressed, subtly more-so than many of the other nobles in attendance, and this indicated that he was perhaps one of the houses from the Book of Gold… But then why did she not recognise him?
Actually, that wasn’t entirely accurate. He seemed familiar in the way that long lost friends were the first time you saw them again. And yet she was certain of the fact that she had not once met this man in her life.
The man regarded the room for a quiet moment, and Kel wondered if he had just wanted somewhere to sit rather than to converse with her. She didn’t mind this, of course, but was still very curious about who this man was with his young face, confident poise and air of authority. How could she ask in a way that would cause no offence?
She was saved the trouble, as the man turned his attention to her. “Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan. I commend you for your services to the crown - and myself. You are a credit to the realm of Albion.”
His voice was crisp, like walking through leaves on an autumn day and in the depths of his green eyes she saw the forests that stretched across the land, the towers and turrets, the lakes and rivers, the people, the animals; everything.
But he couldn’t possibly be… this man who seemed to be only a few years older than herself, and besides, it was the stuff of legends meeting the representation of a landmass; this couldn’t possibly be Alb-
“Tell Queenscove that though I am fond of him, I cannot save him from his own tongue.”
Albion rose to his feet with a grace that she could scarcely believe she had overlooked before, giving her a brief nod before striding away and melting into the mess of nobles gathered in the centre of the hall.
When Merric returned, it was to find Kel squinting intently into the crowd and wonder in her gaze.
[695 Words]
4. Threesome, 3, 6, and 9 ( Roxas, Edgeworth, Neal )
Roxas had always had a talent for being subtle. Although his appearance could be quite striking (as could his words be if provoked) he tended to be able to make it seem as though it were perfectly natural for him to be there, observing.
Neal, however, had no such inclination to hide his interest, his attention clearly wandering from the medical journal set out on the table before him. Fingers tapping against the arm of his chair, he let his eyes roam over the man sat opposite him who was diligently poring through file after file - and making a point of not looking at Neal.
“Nealan, could you please stop staring at me.”
Roxas had seen it coming, of course; the steadily growing crease in the man’s forehead, the slight twitch in his brow, lips curling further down from concentration into irritation...
“Who am I to deny my eyes the pleasure of looking upon one as pulchritudinous as yourself?” Roxas had to stifle a snort at that; Neal sent a quick glare in his direction (though admittedly the expression lacked heat) and missed the object of his affections rolling his own eyes. “But alas, if that is what you wish... If you drop ‘Nealan’ in favour of ‘Neal’, you have yourself a deal.”
Edgeworth’s brows rose as he muttered something that sounded suspiciously like “Do you not have any of your own work to be doing?” and “Will it mean that you’ll leave me alone for five minutes?”
Despite not receiving an affirmative, Neal seemed to be appeased for the moment; Edgeworth hadn’t said no after all.
“...Don’t think I haven’t noticed you peering at me from over your book too, Roxas.”
Instead of acting affronted - as Neal often did - Roxas turned innocent eyes towards the older man, his tone deadpan as he spoke.
“Whatever do you mean, Miles?”
The completely unconvinced look he received for that looked so much like an expression Neal routinely made that Roxas had to supress another snort of amusement.
“I really have no idea what you’re talking about; I’m just gathering data to be looked at in terms of social cognition and interpersonal attraction.”
Edgeworth’s eyes narrowed at the small smirk curling around Roxas’ lips.
“Need any help testing any of the theories?” Neal asked with a wide grin. “It is for the sake of science, after all.”
“Well, they do say that physical proximity tends to increase attraction; I think this could stand to be… investigated.”
Looking between the two, Edgeworth could see that any resistance would be futile; he tried not to acknowledge the part of his mind insisting that he was giving in far too easily, and it was probably better for his sanity that he not examine why he really didn’t mind this.
But he would put his foot down on one matter.
“Not in the library. Never again.”
[478 Words]
5. Hurt/Comfort, 5 and 10 ( Phoenix, Kida )
Phoenix ran a hand through his hair, stepping through the doors of the detention centre as he ran through what Maya had told him as he’d been shoved from the office (he’d usually question why the medium wouldn’t be joining him, but she’d been raving about the exclusive online episode of The Steel Samurai that was going to be aired for months).
One girl murdered; beaten and tortured to death caught in the crossfire of a gang war. The accused: her boyfriend, leader of the Yellow Scarves.
Looking through the glass barrier as he took a seat opposite his possible defendant, Phoenix saw a boy far too young for the grief and darkness in those amber eyes. He’d heard that the boy hadn’t struggled at all when he’d been apprehended.
“Masaomi Kida? I’m Phoenix Wright, attorney at law. I’m here to be your defence lawyer if you allow it...” His voice trailed as the boy looked up through his bangs; now he could see what Maya had meant when she had said to just look him in the eye.
He had that same, hollow look that Edgeworth had always had when they had met again.
Phoenix’s voice became low and serious, “I will prove that you are innocent; to the courts and yourself.”
It was the same mixture of honest surprise, disbelief and misplaced guilt that he had become so familiar with that met his gaze now and he knew he had done the right thing.
[245 Words]
6. Crack, 1 ( England )
Norway had learnt early on not to ingest anything that the scruffy blond boy they had found in the southern part of the island they had invaded presented to him. The first time he was witness to the horrors bound to follow the consumption of it had been when Denmark had made the mistake of grabbing the spit hanging over the small fire that had been built up, and taking a big bite from the meat that hung there.
It was dropped into the dirt as Denmark rushed away shouting something about cleansing his tongue; Norway had thought he had heard something as the man raced away, but when he turned back to the scene it was only the boy fuming about his spoilt meal.
The next time it happened Norway was sure; he had seen the preparation that had gone into the meal and all the steps that had gone into cooking it. The only thing that was amiss was the slight glitter above the pot for the moment in which the child’s back was turned and the soft tinkling laughter that had followed.
It had been centuries since he had made the discovery; he had never bothered to correct the general misconception concerning the Brit’s cooking ability (or lack thereof) - it wasn’t worth the effort. Besides, who would believe him?
[222 Words]
7. Horror, 10 ( Kida )
Something was thrown at his feet; Kida uncrossed his legs and sat up straighter, looking down at the thing from atop his ‘throne’. He didn’t want to be here - didn’t want to be Shogun and back in the thick of things - but fuck, he’d been dragged back kicking and screaming. He wanted to go back to high school and tease Mikado and Anri for the way they tiptoed around each other, to drag Mikado to the park to hit on girls he wasn’t even interested in, to go back and find out what it was that Mikado had been trying to tell him before they had been interrupted...
And he was going to go back. After he dealt a lesson or two to the ones who were mixing his friends up in a world he had endeavoured to keep them far away from.
Horada gave the captive a brief shove, a foot between the shoulder blades to have him bow in submission at their leader’s feet, before turning away and taking his cronies with him as they cackled about the beating they had dealt to their victim.
“So you’re the leader of the infamous Dollars; you’re a lot scrawnier than I was expecting.” Kida got to his feet slowly and circled the boy - couldn’t have been much older than himself, from his build - before grabbing him roughly by the scruff of the neck, and pulling off the black sack that had been obscuring the person’s no doubt bloodied and battered features from view.
There was a moment of shocked silence before Kida forced himself to ask something he now really did not want to acknowledge...
“...M-Mikado?”
[276 Words]
8. Baby!fic, 5 and 9 ( Phoenix and Neal )
Neal watched the baby wriggle around on his front with a sense of detachment before turning his attention to his hands. They were covered not only in blood, but also other unpleasant bodily fluids; wrinkling his nose he glanced over at his knight mistress as she reassured the tired young mother that her son was in good health and that she should really rest.
Alanna took one look at her squire, one brow lifting as she surveyed him; he took that as enough of a dismissal to at least allow him to wash up a little in the basin at the side of the room.
As a knight he was bound to take lives as he defended Tortall, but to be able to save them - help bring new ones into the world... It was a little overwhelming even for Neal who prided himself on his cynical outlook on life.
When he turned back the mother had slipped into exhausted slumber, but the babe seemed wide awake; bright blue eyes roving around the room and dark tufts of hair fluttering in the ever so slight breeze. Neal eyed it curiously as the little boy patted the cot once with both hands and then moving as if trying to point at something. Apparently the attempted movement took the last of any energy left in the infant out of him though as after giving up on the pointing he settled down to sleep as his mother had.
Neal frowned, perplexed at the odd behaviour. He turned to see if his the Lioness was similarly confused; she merely looked upon him, expectant and irritable as ever, and barked, “Enough staring, Squire, we have other patients to tend to.” When Neal only blinked in response, she sighed. “It seems as though your reflexes are lacking, Nealan; perhaps we should remedy that with some sparring?”
That got him moving.
[313 Words]
9. Dark, 2 and 8 ( Prussia and Kel )
The extraction of information from even the unwilling was generally something that did not take a great amount of time or effort for his people; their reputation preceded them, often scaring their captives into reveal all that they wanted to know (and often a few that they really really didn’t).
This one was, apparently, different. Stubborn enough to go a month of torture with only enough sustenance to keep them alive; not so much as a change in facial expression, despite the obvious pain they must have felt.
It was enough for the soldiers to have had to bring Prusa in personally.
He strode into the holding cell purposefully, eyes flicking around the room and taking stock of the situation. The prisoner was almost a boy really; only just into manhood. His face was obscured by welts and bruises already, eyes dark with lack of sleep and flecks of blood decorating his clothing. Those eyes though; a soft hazel that should be gazing longingly into the distance were now hard and determined as they stared right back at the nation. For the amount that the lad had likely already been put through, the boy did not seem broken at all.
That had to change.
Prusa’s hand rose, striking the boy’s face with the back of it with a satisfying smack; still, defiant eyes stared back through a curtain of hair. He’d need to break that spirit.
“It has been a month and there has been no sign of any help from Albion; you have been abandoned and you no longer have anyone to be loyal to.” It wasn’t true, of course. Prusa knew how obstinate Albion was; he would no more hand over his people than Prusa himself would. “Speak, and you will be freed. Speak and you will stay alive.”
The boy leant forward, and for a moment Prusa thought it was a done deal. It was, in fact, another rebuttal; a pathetic amount of spit (mixed with a little blood) found itself onto Prussia’s breeches.
The soldier who had had the unpleasant task of alerting Prusa to their lack of progress, and had brought the nation down to the captive then chose to speak, lowly. “Most men would have given in to the agony by now…” Prusa could have struck him for his incompetence; words like that could make someone on the brink of spilling straighten their back in pride.
And it was true, the boy’s lips twitched into the first signs of a smile. He spoke his first words since his capture; “He speaks the truth - apart from the fact that I am no man.”
[431 Words]
10. Romance, 4 and 7 ( Axel and Merlin )
He spots a dark figure weaving between the patrons of the market in the lower city, the long black coat catching his eye immediately and he only pauses a moment to mutter an “I’ll be right back!” to the rather bewildered vendor serving him before he races off, hot on their trail.
He follows the hooded man through the city’s gates and into the thick woodland that surrounds Camelot and by now he’s certain of the identity of the one whom he follows. There’s a certain swagger to his step (somehow managing to be lethargic and calculated at the same time), a certain idleness about him; Merlin knows he’s been spotted and is glad that this doesn’t matter as it had on their first encounter.
They both halt as they enter a clearing - the very same as the one in which they first met - and the other turns, hood falling away to reveal a face that has now become a familiar one. Or, familiar to Merlin at least.
“Chasing me through the streets, Merlin? I didn’t think you cared.”
He can hear the smirk in his voice, the lilt it makes when he says Merlin’s name and it sends shivers tingling down his spine; it’s the same inflection that Arthur tends to use, and though the young prince uses it out of exasperated fondness there is something else entirely simmering beneath these words.
Merlin gives a soft snort, not quite as derisive as he’d meant to make it sound. A flash of golden eyes, a slight tug of the mind and Axel cries out as his face was sprayed with water.
“I think you deserve worse than that; were you planning on just disappearing again?”
Axel pulls off his hood and turns to face the young warlock, considering the words thoughtfully. There is a certain ease between them; Merlin loves that he can use magic in front of him and not be burnt at the stake - not be feared or prosecuted for merely being himself. Not be scared of losing him, or be judged by the great destiny that he supposedly has to follow. He is simply Merlin.
“I am supposed to be going straight back; the Superior’s got us on tight leashes lately.” But he doesn’t make a move to leave, just runs a thumb over one of Merlin’s cheeks lightly and grins at him.
Merlin knows it’s wrong; he has no idea who this ‘superior’ is nor what his goal is, knows that Axel is planning something and that his sporadic visits aren’t for him. He knows that one day they’re going to have to make a choice and neither can pick the other.
But as Axel leans towards him, he can’t find it in himself to care.
[461 Words]
11. Deathfic, 2 and 3 ( Prussia and Roxas )
It is silent, as it has always been, and Prussia does not bother to open his eyes as he knows the sight that will greet him very well. He has lost sense of how long he has been here, condemned to the silence and nothingness that stretched infinitely in all directions.
His eyes are still closed as his hand rises from his side to rest on his forehead as he remembers. He remembers reuniting with his beloved brother after forty one years and the beer and wurst consumed in celebration. He remembers rebuilding their country, their people, together piece by piece. Remembers fading like a childhood memory, so dear, as the country united under the sibling he would willingly give everything for.
He feels no resentment towards him; only grief that he cannot stand beside his brother anymore.
Red eyes flutter open at the sound of footsteps; he sits up and wonders if he has finally lost what little was left of his sanity - if the shadow of a boy that approaches him is a figment of his imagination, a hallucination conjured by his mind (because although he had insisted otherwise whilst alive, being alone sucked). He has blond, spiked hair that he’s not really seen in his time, wide blue eyes that seem very young but seem as though they have seen far too much.
But as the blond meets his gaze, something resonates within the former nation; there is a hollowness that he recognises all too well. An expression he had confronted in a mirror for years before his essence had faded, soul imprisoned in limbo.
This boy is no nation. Yet when Prussia looks at him, he can only see young Holy Roman Empire, bloodied from a battle he’d been doomed to be defeated and looking so very lost.
As a small smile curls humourlessly across his lips, he wonders what will become of this stray that he’s taking in.
[323 Words]
-Hollyrose-
Notes:
1. Axel/Edgey - First kiss? First time kissing in the (courthouse) loos? First time kissing a witness? All of the above?? XD
2. I really struggled to come up with something that wasn’t your typical Merlin/Arthur angst… Because although I like the pairing, I wanted to write something different. So I ended up with Merlin and Will friendship fic instead XD So still not entirely original, but I like how it turned out.
As to why Merlin didn’t use his magic to keep him out of trouble? Hunith told him never to use magic infront of people, so he mostly only used it when he and Will were alone or far from notice; they knew Hunith would separate them if she found out that Will was aware of Merlin’s powers.
3. This is in the same universe as 9; possibly after the events of 9. It doesn’t really spoil it though, and can be seen as unconnected apart from the whole ‘personification of nations/realms’ thing. In my mind, the current King of Albion is still Jonathan of Conté too.
4. This is set in a University library; Roxas is a 19 year old fresher on a Psychology and Linguistics degree, Neal is in the 4th year of his Medical degree at 23 and Miles is doing his PhD in law at 26. So this one has two things that I’m not entirely comfortable writing (the threesome and the age disparity [between Roxas and Edgeworth at least]), but I’ve given it a shot anyway! ^^’
I feel like the three of them would be academic types; Neal and Edgeworth moreso than Roxas, but I always felt that Roxas would be very smart if only he put the effort into it.
5. Dotachin and the gang were too late; Kida was found on the scene. Yup. Killed Saki off to make it a homicide case so that Nick would defend him. I have no idea what he’s doing in Ikebukuro though. Then again I don’t know what Layton’s doing in the Future or Nick’s doing in the past for the next game, either XD
I liked the idea of the parallel that could be made with Kida and Edgeworth, though, so I ran with it.
6. Yeah. I don’t know. The idea was, that England isn’t actually that bad a cook (I always say that English food is just a little bland, is all; it doesn’t taste disgusting or anything 0.o). The start of this one, as you may have guessed, was during the Viking invasion of Britain.
7. Uh, not really scary, per se, but horrifying.
8. Yeaaaah. Not really sure what’s going on in this apart from the baby is Nick trying to do his desk slam and point combo ^^’
9. Prusa = Prussia, and Albion = England, though most of you have probably guessed that already. Albion is the oldest known name for Great Britain; similarly Prusa is thought to have been the origin of the name Prussia, though this generally refers to the Old Prussians (who were actually Baltics) living in the Prussian region before the German Teutonic Knights conquered it. So I may be cheating a little, using Prusa, but I wanted to anyway ^^’
Also, even though this kind of ended up as a torture fic (in which the only thing that actually happens during it is Kel getting backhanded ^^’ ) I think being a knight Prussia would take chivalry pretty seriously. So her virtue is in no danger at the moment despite revealing she’s female.
I Figure Kel either got captured as she went on a one-woman rescue mission in enemy territory (sound familiar? XD) or that her travelling companions were killed and then she was captured.
10. Um. Yeah. I actually started writing that initial encounter, but a) it became too long and b) they hadn’t even said anything to each other yet so you get this instead. I still have the other version though, so I may finish it someday for the heck of it =3
11. I was so happy when I got these two for deathfic (even though I love them both and don’t want them to die); the parallel between the two is awesome. Prussia (or East Germany) fades into Germany (or West Germany) after the reunification of Germany in 1990 (historically speaking, rather than canonically since Prussia’s still in Hetalia). Roxas fades into Sora in Kingdom Hearts II.
And they end up stuck in Limbo together.
I’d initially had the idea of actual banter and dialogue, but when it came to writing it this felt more natural; I’m glad I went with this despite my initial idea as I now quite like how it’s turned out.
[Out take: Prussia thinking that Romano would be the one to join him; wondering which country Roxas was and how long exactly he’d been gone for]
Okay, it's now 3am so I'm going to call it a day and come back and edit/tag/cut this later ^^'
G'night everyone!
Also, Word Limits hate me. But everyone already knew that ^^' You'll see how badly I failed this time soon enough.
Meme stolen from revolutionjack!
Name 10 characters before you read the prompts. Then, write a fic of 100 words or less for each prompt.
1. England (Axis Powers Hetalia)
2. Prussia (Axis Powers Hetalia)
3. Roxas (Kingdom Hearts)
4. Axel (Kingdom Hearts)
5. Phoenix (Ace Attorney)
6. Edgeworth (Ace Attorney)
7. Merlin (BBC’s Merlin)
8. Keladry (Tamora Pierce’s Tortall Series)
9. Nealan (Tamora Pierce’s Tortall Series)
10. Kida Masaomi (Durarara!!)
And the phrase ‘What is this I don’t even-’ is put on a whole new level.
1. First Time: 4 and 6 (Axel and Edgeworth)
This wasn’t supposed to happen.
He was Miles Edgeworth; Demon Prosecutor, notorious for being distant with even those he considered to be close friends. Yet here he was, back being pressed into the wall of the courthouse’s restrooms by one of his witnesses.
It wasn’t right - downright unprofessional - but even as his brain demanded his hands to push the man away, he felt his fingers retaliate by weaving into those wild red locks; tongue slipping past the barrier of lips to tangle with another. He’d always maintained the opinion that smoking was a filthy habit but the taste of fire and smoke and burning that lingered as he pulled away was intoxicating.
A smile so sharp it could draw blood, Axel drew him in for another hard kiss with a deft tug of his cravat, acidic green eyes glinting with amusement as Edgeworth struggled to stifle a moan when he moved away.
Already by the door, Axel smirked as Edgeworth fumbled to straighten his jacket and cravat even as the sound of people approaching from outside became louder.
It was all he could do to put the look of invitation he’d seen in Axel’s eyes to the back of his mind for the remainder of the case.
[207 Words]
2. Angst, 7 (Merlin)
Will always got Merlin into trouble.
He’d orchestrate a plan, talk Merlin into participating and managed to flee the scene before anything could be pinned to him.
Merlin never tended to be quite so lucky. But it didn’t matter, because Will was always there to cause enough havoc to distract the adults long enough for Merlin to slip away.
This time it had not been Will who had brought the trouble, but it still fell to him to protect his best friend. That didn’t extend to the Royal Prat that had tagged along for the ride and put himself in charge. But his body moved without consulting his brain, obstructing the path of an arrow meant for Arthur.
The last thing he remembers is Merlin’s tearful face, peering at him from above as he often had as a child. Will can feel darkness creeping into his vision, insistent hands trying to pull him under but he can’t let go; not yet. Merlin can’t follow where he’s going this time, Will won’t allow it.
“It was me. I’m the one who used the magic.”
[183 Words]
3. AU, 1 and 8 (England and Keladry)
She had never really been one for the general fanfare of court - would as soon be doing something helpful as she could socialise with her friends often enough and didn’t need an excuse to do so - but today she had been required to make an appearance.
She had known that her presence would attract attention; there were, after all only two female knights that resided in and defended Albion at this point in time, and she was the only officially recognised distaff (Sir Alanna of Trebond was knighted as a man, after all, and even after her gender had been revealed she had retained the title; Kel, having been knighted as a female, was known as Lady Keladry of Mindelan). Many still believed that women should stay away from combat, that even considering the possibility of equality by allowing women onto the battle field and into the ‘man’s world’ was inconceivable.
But she had been out on the battlefield and had defended the realm in ways that many of the men who protested her presence never could. And that was why her attendance today had been required; she was receiving recognition for her courage, loyalty and achievements.
It was a little awkward - she was fairly quiet and modest by nature - so she mostly stayed with those she knew and felt most comfortable with, speaking briefly to those who wished to congratulate her and ignoring any derisive treatment.
Merric had wandered away when he had spotted his cousin Faleron with his betrothed, promising to be back shortly with their friend in tow and Neal had been dragged into a rather spirited argument on the nature of magic with another mage. Kel had been left alone for the moment, and she contented herself to watching the other nobles mingle where they felt most comfortable.
She had just began to muse on the whereabouts of her former knight master (she was sure Raoul had arrived at the function but hadn’t seen him after the first five minutes) when she heard a slight rustle as someone sat down in the chair beside her. She tilted her head to the side slightly to regard her companion; he was finely dressed, subtly more-so than many of the other nobles in attendance, and this indicated that he was perhaps one of the houses from the Book of Gold… But then why did she not recognise him?
Actually, that wasn’t entirely accurate. He seemed familiar in the way that long lost friends were the first time you saw them again. And yet she was certain of the fact that she had not once met this man in her life.
The man regarded the room for a quiet moment, and Kel wondered if he had just wanted somewhere to sit rather than to converse with her. She didn’t mind this, of course, but was still very curious about who this man was with his young face, confident poise and air of authority. How could she ask in a way that would cause no offence?
She was saved the trouble, as the man turned his attention to her. “Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan. I commend you for your services to the crown - and myself. You are a credit to the realm of Albion.”
His voice was crisp, like walking through leaves on an autumn day and in the depths of his green eyes she saw the forests that stretched across the land, the towers and turrets, the lakes and rivers, the people, the animals; everything.
But he couldn’t possibly be… this man who seemed to be only a few years older than herself, and besides, it was the stuff of legends meeting the representation of a landmass; this couldn’t possibly be Alb-
“Tell Queenscove that though I am fond of him, I cannot save him from his own tongue.”
Albion rose to his feet with a grace that she could scarcely believe she had overlooked before, giving her a brief nod before striding away and melting into the mess of nobles gathered in the centre of the hall.
When Merric returned, it was to find Kel squinting intently into the crowd and wonder in her gaze.
[695 Words]
4. Threesome, 3, 6, and 9 ( Roxas, Edgeworth, Neal )
Roxas had always had a talent for being subtle. Although his appearance could be quite striking (as could his words be if provoked) he tended to be able to make it seem as though it were perfectly natural for him to be there, observing.
Neal, however, had no such inclination to hide his interest, his attention clearly wandering from the medical journal set out on the table before him. Fingers tapping against the arm of his chair, he let his eyes roam over the man sat opposite him who was diligently poring through file after file - and making a point of not looking at Neal.
“Nealan, could you please stop staring at me.”
Roxas had seen it coming, of course; the steadily growing crease in the man’s forehead, the slight twitch in his brow, lips curling further down from concentration into irritation...
“Who am I to deny my eyes the pleasure of looking upon one as pulchritudinous as yourself?” Roxas had to stifle a snort at that; Neal sent a quick glare in his direction (though admittedly the expression lacked heat) and missed the object of his affections rolling his own eyes. “But alas, if that is what you wish... If you drop ‘Nealan’ in favour of ‘Neal’, you have yourself a deal.”
Edgeworth’s brows rose as he muttered something that sounded suspiciously like “Do you not have any of your own work to be doing?” and “Will it mean that you’ll leave me alone for five minutes?”
Despite not receiving an affirmative, Neal seemed to be appeased for the moment; Edgeworth hadn’t said no after all.
“...Don’t think I haven’t noticed you peering at me from over your book too, Roxas.”
Instead of acting affronted - as Neal often did - Roxas turned innocent eyes towards the older man, his tone deadpan as he spoke.
“Whatever do you mean, Miles?”
The completely unconvinced look he received for that looked so much like an expression Neal routinely made that Roxas had to supress another snort of amusement.
“I really have no idea what you’re talking about; I’m just gathering data to be looked at in terms of social cognition and interpersonal attraction.”
Edgeworth’s eyes narrowed at the small smirk curling around Roxas’ lips.
“Need any help testing any of the theories?” Neal asked with a wide grin. “It is for the sake of science, after all.”
“Well, they do say that physical proximity tends to increase attraction; I think this could stand to be… investigated.”
Looking between the two, Edgeworth could see that any resistance would be futile; he tried not to acknowledge the part of his mind insisting that he was giving in far too easily, and it was probably better for his sanity that he not examine why he really didn’t mind this.
But he would put his foot down on one matter.
“Not in the library. Never again.”
[478 Words]
5. Hurt/Comfort, 5 and 10 ( Phoenix, Kida )
Phoenix ran a hand through his hair, stepping through the doors of the detention centre as he ran through what Maya had told him as he’d been shoved from the office (he’d usually question why the medium wouldn’t be joining him, but she’d been raving about the exclusive online episode of The Steel Samurai that was going to be aired for months).
One girl murdered; beaten and tortured to death caught in the crossfire of a gang war. The accused: her boyfriend, leader of the Yellow Scarves.
Looking through the glass barrier as he took a seat opposite his possible defendant, Phoenix saw a boy far too young for the grief and darkness in those amber eyes. He’d heard that the boy hadn’t struggled at all when he’d been apprehended.
“Masaomi Kida? I’m Phoenix Wright, attorney at law. I’m here to be your defence lawyer if you allow it...” His voice trailed as the boy looked up through his bangs; now he could see what Maya had meant when she had said to just look him in the eye.
He had that same, hollow look that Edgeworth had always had when they had met again.
Phoenix’s voice became low and serious, “I will prove that you are innocent; to the courts and yourself.”
It was the same mixture of honest surprise, disbelief and misplaced guilt that he had become so familiar with that met his gaze now and he knew he had done the right thing.
[245 Words]
6. Crack, 1 ( England )
Norway had learnt early on not to ingest anything that the scruffy blond boy they had found in the southern part of the island they had invaded presented to him. The first time he was witness to the horrors bound to follow the consumption of it had been when Denmark had made the mistake of grabbing the spit hanging over the small fire that had been built up, and taking a big bite from the meat that hung there.
It was dropped into the dirt as Denmark rushed away shouting something about cleansing his tongue; Norway had thought he had heard something as the man raced away, but when he turned back to the scene it was only the boy fuming about his spoilt meal.
The next time it happened Norway was sure; he had seen the preparation that had gone into the meal and all the steps that had gone into cooking it. The only thing that was amiss was the slight glitter above the pot for the moment in which the child’s back was turned and the soft tinkling laughter that had followed.
It had been centuries since he had made the discovery; he had never bothered to correct the general misconception concerning the Brit’s cooking ability (or lack thereof) - it wasn’t worth the effort. Besides, who would believe him?
[222 Words]
7. Horror, 10 ( Kida )
Something was thrown at his feet; Kida uncrossed his legs and sat up straighter, looking down at the thing from atop his ‘throne’. He didn’t want to be here - didn’t want to be Shogun and back in the thick of things - but fuck, he’d been dragged back kicking and screaming. He wanted to go back to high school and tease Mikado and Anri for the way they tiptoed around each other, to drag Mikado to the park to hit on girls he wasn’t even interested in, to go back and find out what it was that Mikado had been trying to tell him before they had been interrupted...
And he was going to go back. After he dealt a lesson or two to the ones who were mixing his friends up in a world he had endeavoured to keep them far away from.
Horada gave the captive a brief shove, a foot between the shoulder blades to have him bow in submission at their leader’s feet, before turning away and taking his cronies with him as they cackled about the beating they had dealt to their victim.
“So you’re the leader of the infamous Dollars; you’re a lot scrawnier than I was expecting.” Kida got to his feet slowly and circled the boy - couldn’t have been much older than himself, from his build - before grabbing him roughly by the scruff of the neck, and pulling off the black sack that had been obscuring the person’s no doubt bloodied and battered features from view.
There was a moment of shocked silence before Kida forced himself to ask something he now really did not want to acknowledge...
“...M-Mikado?”
[276 Words]
8. Baby!fic, 5 and 9 ( Phoenix and Neal )
Neal watched the baby wriggle around on his front with a sense of detachment before turning his attention to his hands. They were covered not only in blood, but also other unpleasant bodily fluids; wrinkling his nose he glanced over at his knight mistress as she reassured the tired young mother that her son was in good health and that she should really rest.
Alanna took one look at her squire, one brow lifting as she surveyed him; he took that as enough of a dismissal to at least allow him to wash up a little in the basin at the side of the room.
As a knight he was bound to take lives as he defended Tortall, but to be able to save them - help bring new ones into the world... It was a little overwhelming even for Neal who prided himself on his cynical outlook on life.
When he turned back the mother had slipped into exhausted slumber, but the babe seemed wide awake; bright blue eyes roving around the room and dark tufts of hair fluttering in the ever so slight breeze. Neal eyed it curiously as the little boy patted the cot once with both hands and then moving as if trying to point at something. Apparently the attempted movement took the last of any energy left in the infant out of him though as after giving up on the pointing he settled down to sleep as his mother had.
Neal frowned, perplexed at the odd behaviour. He turned to see if his the Lioness was similarly confused; she merely looked upon him, expectant and irritable as ever, and barked, “Enough staring, Squire, we have other patients to tend to.” When Neal only blinked in response, she sighed. “It seems as though your reflexes are lacking, Nealan; perhaps we should remedy that with some sparring?”
That got him moving.
[313 Words]
9. Dark, 2 and 8 ( Prussia and Kel )
The extraction of information from even the unwilling was generally something that did not take a great amount of time or effort for his people; their reputation preceded them, often scaring their captives into reveal all that they wanted to know (and often a few that they really really didn’t).
This one was, apparently, different. Stubborn enough to go a month of torture with only enough sustenance to keep them alive; not so much as a change in facial expression, despite the obvious pain they must have felt.
It was enough for the soldiers to have had to bring Prusa in personally.
He strode into the holding cell purposefully, eyes flicking around the room and taking stock of the situation. The prisoner was almost a boy really; only just into manhood. His face was obscured by welts and bruises already, eyes dark with lack of sleep and flecks of blood decorating his clothing. Those eyes though; a soft hazel that should be gazing longingly into the distance were now hard and determined as they stared right back at the nation. For the amount that the lad had likely already been put through, the boy did not seem broken at all.
That had to change.
Prusa’s hand rose, striking the boy’s face with the back of it with a satisfying smack; still, defiant eyes stared back through a curtain of hair. He’d need to break that spirit.
“It has been a month and there has been no sign of any help from Albion; you have been abandoned and you no longer have anyone to be loyal to.” It wasn’t true, of course. Prusa knew how obstinate Albion was; he would no more hand over his people than Prusa himself would. “Speak, and you will be freed. Speak and you will stay alive.”
The boy leant forward, and for a moment Prusa thought it was a done deal. It was, in fact, another rebuttal; a pathetic amount of spit (mixed with a little blood) found itself onto Prussia’s breeches.
The soldier who had had the unpleasant task of alerting Prusa to their lack of progress, and had brought the nation down to the captive then chose to speak, lowly. “Most men would have given in to the agony by now…” Prusa could have struck him for his incompetence; words like that could make someone on the brink of spilling straighten their back in pride.
And it was true, the boy’s lips twitched into the first signs of a smile. He spoke his first words since his capture; “He speaks the truth - apart from the fact that I am no man.”
[431 Words]
10. Romance, 4 and 7 ( Axel and Merlin )
He spots a dark figure weaving between the patrons of the market in the lower city, the long black coat catching his eye immediately and he only pauses a moment to mutter an “I’ll be right back!” to the rather bewildered vendor serving him before he races off, hot on their trail.
He follows the hooded man through the city’s gates and into the thick woodland that surrounds Camelot and by now he’s certain of the identity of the one whom he follows. There’s a certain swagger to his step (somehow managing to be lethargic and calculated at the same time), a certain idleness about him; Merlin knows he’s been spotted and is glad that this doesn’t matter as it had on their first encounter.
They both halt as they enter a clearing - the very same as the one in which they first met - and the other turns, hood falling away to reveal a face that has now become a familiar one. Or, familiar to Merlin at least.
“Chasing me through the streets, Merlin? I didn’t think you cared.”
He can hear the smirk in his voice, the lilt it makes when he says Merlin’s name and it sends shivers tingling down his spine; it’s the same inflection that Arthur tends to use, and though the young prince uses it out of exasperated fondness there is something else entirely simmering beneath these words.
Merlin gives a soft snort, not quite as derisive as he’d meant to make it sound. A flash of golden eyes, a slight tug of the mind and Axel cries out as his face was sprayed with water.
“I think you deserve worse than that; were you planning on just disappearing again?”
Axel pulls off his hood and turns to face the young warlock, considering the words thoughtfully. There is a certain ease between them; Merlin loves that he can use magic in front of him and not be burnt at the stake - not be feared or prosecuted for merely being himself. Not be scared of losing him, or be judged by the great destiny that he supposedly has to follow. He is simply Merlin.
“I am supposed to be going straight back; the Superior’s got us on tight leashes lately.” But he doesn’t make a move to leave, just runs a thumb over one of Merlin’s cheeks lightly and grins at him.
Merlin knows it’s wrong; he has no idea who this ‘superior’ is nor what his goal is, knows that Axel is planning something and that his sporadic visits aren’t for him. He knows that one day they’re going to have to make a choice and neither can pick the other.
But as Axel leans towards him, he can’t find it in himself to care.
[461 Words]
11. Deathfic, 2 and 3 ( Prussia and Roxas )
It is silent, as it has always been, and Prussia does not bother to open his eyes as he knows the sight that will greet him very well. He has lost sense of how long he has been here, condemned to the silence and nothingness that stretched infinitely in all directions.
His eyes are still closed as his hand rises from his side to rest on his forehead as he remembers. He remembers reuniting with his beloved brother after forty one years and the beer and wurst consumed in celebration. He remembers rebuilding their country, their people, together piece by piece. Remembers fading like a childhood memory, so dear, as the country united under the sibling he would willingly give everything for.
He feels no resentment towards him; only grief that he cannot stand beside his brother anymore.
Red eyes flutter open at the sound of footsteps; he sits up and wonders if he has finally lost what little was left of his sanity - if the shadow of a boy that approaches him is a figment of his imagination, a hallucination conjured by his mind (because although he had insisted otherwise whilst alive, being alone sucked). He has blond, spiked hair that he’s not really seen in his time, wide blue eyes that seem very young but seem as though they have seen far too much.
But as the blond meets his gaze, something resonates within the former nation; there is a hollowness that he recognises all too well. An expression he had confronted in a mirror for years before his essence had faded, soul imprisoned in limbo.
This boy is no nation. Yet when Prussia looks at him, he can only see young Holy Roman Empire, bloodied from a battle he’d been doomed to be defeated and looking so very lost.
As a small smile curls humourlessly across his lips, he wonders what will become of this stray that he’s taking in.
[323 Words]
-Hollyrose-
Notes:
1. Axel/Edgey - First kiss? First time kissing in the (courthouse) loos? First time kissing a witness? All of the above?? XD
2. I really struggled to come up with something that wasn’t your typical Merlin/Arthur angst… Because although I like the pairing, I wanted to write something different. So I ended up with Merlin and Will friendship fic instead XD So still not entirely original, but I like how it turned out.
As to why Merlin didn’t use his magic to keep him out of trouble? Hunith told him never to use magic infront of people, so he mostly only used it when he and Will were alone or far from notice; they knew Hunith would separate them if she found out that Will was aware of Merlin’s powers.
3. This is in the same universe as 9; possibly after the events of 9. It doesn’t really spoil it though, and can be seen as unconnected apart from the whole ‘personification of nations/realms’ thing. In my mind, the current King of Albion is still Jonathan of Conté too.
4. This is set in a University library; Roxas is a 19 year old fresher on a Psychology and Linguistics degree, Neal is in the 4th year of his Medical degree at 23 and Miles is doing his PhD in law at 26. So this one has two things that I’m not entirely comfortable writing (the threesome and the age disparity [between Roxas and Edgeworth at least]), but I’ve given it a shot anyway! ^^’
I feel like the three of them would be academic types; Neal and Edgeworth moreso than Roxas, but I always felt that Roxas would be very smart if only he put the effort into it.
5. Dotachin and the gang were too late; Kida was found on the scene. Yup. Killed Saki off to make it a homicide case so that Nick would defend him. I have no idea what he’s doing in Ikebukuro though. Then again I don’t know what Layton’s doing in the Future or Nick’s doing in the past for the next game, either XD
I liked the idea of the parallel that could be made with Kida and Edgeworth, though, so I ran with it.
6. Yeah. I don’t know. The idea was, that England isn’t actually that bad a cook (I always say that English food is just a little bland, is all; it doesn’t taste disgusting or anything 0.o). The start of this one, as you may have guessed, was during the Viking invasion of Britain.
7. Uh, not really scary, per se, but horrifying.
8. Yeaaaah. Not really sure what’s going on in this apart from the baby is Nick trying to do his desk slam and point combo ^^’
9. Prusa = Prussia, and Albion = England, though most of you have probably guessed that already. Albion is the oldest known name for Great Britain; similarly Prusa is thought to have been the origin of the name Prussia, though this generally refers to the Old Prussians (who were actually Baltics) living in the Prussian region before the German Teutonic Knights conquered it. So I may be cheating a little, using Prusa, but I wanted to anyway ^^’
Also, even though this kind of ended up as a torture fic (in which the only thing that actually happens during it is Kel getting backhanded ^^’ ) I think being a knight Prussia would take chivalry pretty seriously. So her virtue is in no danger at the moment despite revealing she’s female.
I Figure Kel either got captured as she went on a one-woman rescue mission in enemy territory (sound familiar? XD) or that her travelling companions were killed and then she was captured.
10. Um. Yeah. I actually started writing that initial encounter, but a) it became too long and b) they hadn’t even said anything to each other yet so you get this instead. I still have the other version though, so I may finish it someday for the heck of it =3
11. I was so happy when I got these two for deathfic (even though I love them both and don’t want them to die); the parallel between the two is awesome. Prussia (or East Germany) fades into Germany (or West Germany) after the reunification of Germany in 1990 (historically speaking, rather than canonically since Prussia’s still in Hetalia). Roxas fades into Sora in Kingdom Hearts II.
And they end up stuck in Limbo together.
I’d initially had the idea of actual banter and dialogue, but when it came to writing it this felt more natural; I’m glad I went with this despite my initial idea as I now quite like how it’s turned out.
[Out take: Prussia thinking that Romano would be the one to join him; wondering which country Roxas was and how long exactly he’d been gone for]
Okay, it's now 3am so I'm going to call it a day and come back and edit/tag/cut this later ^^'
G'night everyone!