In honour of my bday being today...Leera Rennera Series AU

I decided to create some alternate reality where Sir Guard and Leera have escaped the queen's clutches. It's Leera's birthday :)

Tag List: @tears-and-lilies

"Do you still think about then?" Leera asked, absentmindedly twisting a strand of her raven hair as she watched the very few leaves left on the trees be carried away by winter breezes.

Sir Guard didn't have to ask what 'then' she referred to. He always knew what she meant, and she he. They knew each other, inside and out. Knew one another's mannerisms, quirks, and aggravations.

"I try not to, but at night, yes."

The assassin nodded. The string of hair fell to her shoulder. "I'm glad you don't blame yourself anymore."

"It made you sad when I did. You were going through enough."

Leera faced him, one corner of her mouth lifted. "Will you smile for me?" She was thinking of that first dream of Sir Guard she had while in captivity. The assassin had seen him smile many times sense then, but it still carried the same magic every time. It transported her outside if her darkened mind.

"Whatever for?" he jested, lightly tossing an elbow into her shoulder. His lips split to reveal teeth. "Happy birthday, Leera." Sir Guard wrapped an arm around her back and grasped her shoulder, pulling her into his side.

"You remembered," she whispered in response. Leera was looking up at Sir Guard, or at his chin as he watched the sky.

Eventually his chin folded, his face once again appearing in her vision, so that he could see her. "Of course I did. How could I forget?"

She shrugged. The fabric of her shirt caught on his, dragging his shirt up as well. Leera said, "You've going through a lot. Something as little as a birthday is hardly memorable."

Now he shrugged. "Not when it's yours." He turned his gaze back to the sky, but not before dragging Leera to the ground with him. She now laid on top of him. They both took in the clouds. "Being King doesn't mean I've lost sight of my true priorities."

"You've made an assassin's birthday a priority?" She shifted positions, her bottom sliding to the ground, legs tucked beneath her, and arms supporting her weight so she could sit up. She leaned, one arm crossing her king's chest.

Leera blocked Sir Guard's sight of the sky. It was fine. She was more beautiful anyways. He only needed to hold a hand out to block the sun in order to see her as more than a silhouette.

"You're still terrible at accepting the truth aren't you?"

"I suppose if that's what you think, then yes."

"How many times did I tell you I was a prince before you believed me?"

"Only twice," she quipped, and held two fingers in front of his face. They'd had this conversation many, many times.

He hummed. "And how many times have I told you I loved you?"

"Too many to count." Her hand dropped.

"And so how many times do I have to tell you that until you believe it?"

She considered, but stopped, seeing a tuft of hair nearly going in his eye. Leera lightly pushed it aside and smirked. She loved his eyes almost as much as his smile. "You should cut that piece of hair," she told him. "It's only ever that piece. Do what you will with the rest of them, but I should not let you go blind from a few strings of hair. That might be considered a crime."

"You strayed from the conversation."

"Did I?"

Without much warning, he tossed the arm balancing her and caught her body, pulling her into him once again. His hands found her side and his fingers sprung into action. Her laughter pierced the air until she almost commanded it. It whirled and rained desaturated leaves on the two of them.

"Stop," she screamed and squeal-laughed again. "Stop it!"

The assassin fought Sir Guard, trying so desperately to tickle him back, but she couldn't stretch her arm out far enough without exposing another sensitive spot that he reached for at every opportune moment.

"Okay, okay! Wait, stop!"

Leera chuckled even after the king ceased his attacks. She couldn't get rid of the smile on her face. Her cheeks hurt so badly, but it was okay. That was her favourite pain; the kind that came from overdosing on joy.

"I don't think I strayed from anything," she said, and jumped up as she saw the look in Sir Guard's eyes. He was preparing to tickle her again. "Wait a moment. Let me finish." Leera gave another giggle. Goodness she couldn't stop it. "I think I was inviting you to tell me again."

"Is that so? Well then," He held his hands out, nodded his head at them, gesturing for the assassin to hold them. He was creating a familiar scene, one in which the roles had been slightly switched. Sir Guard remembered her doing the same when he fully admitted he was a prince.

Leera came back to him and plopped down, sitting cross-legged.

When she placed her hands in his, he pulled her right one to his lips. "I love you," he said and kissed it. He pulled Leera's other hand up and watched her face as he kissed that one, too, telling her he loved her. He let her hands fall back to her lap, and then he put his own hands on either side of her head. Sir Guard made sure to take in her pink cheeks before pulling her head towards his own. He planted a kiss on her forehead, and whispered again, "I love you, Leera. Happy birthday."

P3 Darling, I Did It For You

NOT A PROMPT

This is apparently a series now haha. I'll make sure to add it to the masterlist when I get the chance. And maybe I can actually give the characters name at some point? Anyway, here we are with Part 3!

Part 2 is here

@silverwhisperer1

******

Slowly, Hero's eyes opened. Everything was fuzzy, colours blended, woven together. She closed her eyes and stretched, arms reaching out, toes poking out from beneath a blanket. She groaned as she retreated back into herself and opened her eyes again. This time, she gasped.

"Good to see you're awake." Hero hoped to hear Caretaker's voice, but instead it was Villain and he was sitting on the edge of the bed. Hero clutched the blanket covering her in a fit of anxiety, pulling it back with her as she slammed her back against the headboard, trying to separate  herself from Villain as much as possible. "There's no need for that."

Hero only stared, chest rising and falling as she assessed what she should do, why she was here. Bit my bit, it was coming back to her. First, the breakup with Caretaker, then the breaking news, the cab driver, The Milk Bowl, and finally submission. They were in Villain's home, or lab, or whatever it was that Villain had. It looked plain as far as Hero could see.

There was a bed, of course, which Hero and Villain sat on now. Beyond that, there was a desk on the other side of the room, a closet- which Hero noticed already had clothes in it- a window, curtained and beaming with sunlight. The room was...pleasant, and entirely unexpected.

"Where is Caretaker?" Hero's voice was low, not demanding, but still groggy from just waking up moments ago.

"They were never here. I imagine they're at home or wherever they tend to be on a Tuesday night."

"Never here?" Hero whispered to herself and looked away. "You said no strings!" She threw the blanket, bounded across the bed, but Villain leapt away before she could do damage to him.

He tilted his head back and forth. "No strings, I said. And I have followed through. I said nothing about lies."

"You tricked me."

"It was the only way I could take you without forcing your will."

"And what do you care about my will?"

Villain scoffed lightly. "You make me out to be a monster. I'm not. Or at least I don't mean to be."

Hero shook her head. She wasn't here, not with Villain. She was in her apartment, sitting on the couch with Caretaker and this was some sort of twisted nightmare Hero was having.

"You're not...you're not saying anything."

"There's nothing for me to reply to," Hero said. Where were they? Could she break out of the window when Villain left? If Villain ever left? "I don't respond to lies."

"You think I like to terrorize cities?"

She nodded, then glanced at Villain before staring at the closet once again. It wasn't full of just any clothes. They were her clothing. Hero would have thought she would be wearing prisoner clothes while in Villain's company.

"I don't. And if the media weren't so terrible-" He walked to the other side of the room then pulled out the chair from the desk, swiveling it on a leg so he could face Hero. "-you would know that I tell everyone in the premise to leave before I wreak havoc and bust windows, knock down electric lines- before I do all the things I do, I ask the people to leave. I've never made it a goal to hurt anyone."

As if to prove him entirely wrong, Hero inspected her arms, touched one bruise, then another, and another. She touched her cheek and winced slightly. Finally, she said, "I don't believe you."

Villain nodded. "You don't have to, but now that you're here, I guess you have no choice but to allow me to prove it." He tried to give a laugh, but Hero glared at him. "Too soon, okay. Um. Listen, the house is a little large, kind of hard to navigate, but you can go anywhere in it." Villain stood from his seat. "Yard's big, too. You can go there. I have a really nice garden that you...might like. I don't know if you appreciate gardens, but it's there. Anyway, you- uh- can't leave the property obviously, but I- well I hope you'll find yourself satisfied."

"I don't understand."

Villain hummed and lifted his eyebrows as he reached for the door to leave the room.

"You're..." Hero couldn't even think. "Why aren't you being mean and- and throwing gusts of wind at me, pushing me to the ground, or- or smiling at me like I'm your prey?"

"Those weren't predatory, my dear. Those were pride." Villain twisted the knob of the door and walked out, clicking it shut behind him.

Hero expected the shutting of the door to hurt like when Caretaker did, but something swelled in Hero's chest this time, something warm and fulfilling. Villain cared- in a way Hero didn't quite understand, but he cared, and he wanted her to be happy. Hero hated to admit that a part of her was.

Part 4 here