Another installment of Dulce that I really enjoyed working on. Thought I’d post it here – I really liked Sombra and McCree in this, their sass makes me laugh. 🤣 Ao3 – Chapter | Story Tags: AU – 16th century era, kidnapping
– “Surely you’re aware of the sort of tyrant the Marquess truly is?”
Sombra scoffs. She’s tired, hungry, and aching. But mostly, she’s just angry. At the situation, at her life, at her uncle, and the man now questioning her. She has no patience left to be polite. “Yes. And if you were half as knowledgeable as you think you are, O Mighty Bandit King, you wouldn’t be keeping me hostage.”
The legendary bandit lets out a laugh, a hearty sound full of mischief, no doubt a trait that has gotten him this far since boyhood. “Oh? And why’s that, My Lady?”
“He won’t give you a single copper coin for me.” Sombra’s aware that she’s essentially making herself expendable to a lawless thief but anger has a way of loosening even the most tightly sealed mouth. When his grin drops, she gives one of her own. “Really, his carriage and horses you sent off with the coachman to inform him were worth more to my uncle than I’ll ever be.”
He approaches her, causing Sombra to step back until her spine meets the trunk of a tree and the bandit looms over her, letting his arm rest over her head and pinning her to the spot.
“You speak so freely. Do familial loyalties mean nothing to you, girl?”
She snorts and gives a hard shrug. She knows the sound is unladylike but she really couldn’t care less at the moment. “Why be loyal to a tyrant? Even if he does happen to be your uncle.”
A smirk slowly spreads across his face. A breathy chuckle escapes his throat. He lifts a hand to the thick drape of dark hair resting on her right shoulder, his fingers gingerly toying with one soft lock. “Heavens, but you are a pretty one,” he says, voice low and amused.
“Say that to my face, bandit, not my hair.”
Earth-brown eyes move up to meet hers and Sombra has time to take inventory of his face. He’s rugged, alright, perhaps what many women, even of court, consider ‘dark’ and ‘handsome’. For a criminal, he’s not the worst thing she could imagine. Her musings are interrupted when he presses closer.
“Pretty thing, you do realize with your confession, you are of no value to me?”
The words still sting, even though this is something she’s known and accepted her entire life. She licks her lips in thought. “It wouldn’t be the first time I was worthless to someone, bandit.”
She catches sight of his eyes following her tongue’s trail over her lips.
“Your life is in my hands now.” The bandit speaks slowly, as if this is a statement he’s barely processing. “To do with as I see fit. Does the idea not frighten you?”
His head moves in closer and Sombra sighs, passing him a look that she hopes conveys her level of exhaustion. “My life is no one’s but my own and the only thing I have left. Would it make you happy to take it, as you surely do everything else?”
The silence between them is almost enough to have her sleeping against the tree behind her until he barks a laugh, startling and confusing her.
“Are all women of court as cheeky as you are?” he asks, chuckles still seeping into his question.
“The trick is to catch them when they’re as tired, hungry, and angry as I am,” Sombra says, voice even and still devoid of any true humor.
It seems enough for the bandit, whose head is now hanging and his broad shoulders tremble with silent shakes of laughter. Just as she’s about to ask if she can start wandering off, he lifts his head, looking over his shoulder.
“Ready the horses, men!” he shouts to his group of thieves in the distance. As they begin moving, leading their horses back to the main road, the Bandit King turns back toward her. “It seems I was mistaken, My Lady.”
Sombra doesn’t understand, eyebrows pinched in confusion; she has no energy left to pretend to care too much. “About?”
“You’re worth far more than any bauble your uncle would toss my way.”
She shifts uncomfortably in place, wondering exactly what he’s insinuating by such a comment. “You’re keeping me?” Before he can answer, she groans, head rolling back to thump against the bark of the tree. “And just when I thought I would finally have some sort of peace.”
He laughs again and steps away, beginning to head toward the others. He doesn’t seem at all concerned that she may or may not be following him. Perhaps he recognizes her intelligence and says nothing as she lets out another sigh, pushing herself off the tree and walking after him, knowing better than to attempt to outrun armed men on horses, let alone the legendary Bandit King himself. But even beyond all that, he entertains her, and she is sure that he wishes to keep her for the same reason.
When they approach his horse, he helps her up, settling himself behind her. “My men won’t harm you,” he tells her, voice alarmingly soothing in her ear as he urges the horse into a trot toward the front of the group.
She rolls her eyes, passing him a look over her shoulder. “Is it them I should really be worried about, bandit?”
“Are you questioning my honor, good Lady Oli-”
She intercepts him, effectively shushing him as she turns and presses a finger tight to his lips. His eyes cross over, staring at her finger and the sight is almost comical until his eyes focus back on her. “I won’t call your honor into question ever again as long as you don’t utter that name.” She shudders. To think that despite her and her uncles estranged relationship, he still has enough influence that complete strangers, including bandits, would know her by name.
He quirks an eyebrow at her, smirking against her finger. “And enough with this ‘My Lady’, nonsense. You’re no member of the court,” she huffs, removing her finger. “You will address me as Sombra.”
“Oh, as you wish,” he says, humming in amusement. “Bandit King McCree is at your service.”
Sombra has a quip prepared about his so called ‘title’ when she feels him take her hand, watching with widened eyes as he lifts the back of it to his lips, pressing a lingering kiss to her skin.
“What’s the matter? You’re all flushed,” McCree states with a grin, and Sombra realizes she feels the burning sensation prickling at her neck and cheeks. “Come now, so bashful over a simple gesture?”
No. If she’s going to spend time with this ruffian and his goons, then she will not be made to look weak. “You idiot,” she mumbles.
“Idiot?” he repeats, sounding truly appalled at the less than polite name.
“I’m flushed with embarrassment over your terrible manners.” She presses her fingers to her forehead, closing her eyes and shaking her head. “You only kiss a lady’s hand if she offers it to you. Even then, you kiss the air above it, you uncultured pick-pocket.” She refuses to acknowledge the warm shocks that his kiss sent through her body.
She hears his men laugh behind them and McCree turns to regard them, more than likely with a look of warning. When he turns back, he’s a bit flushed himself but that same infuriating and alarmingly charming grin is still on his face. “I suppose I should consider it great luck that such a cultured member of court will be with me to teach my men and I proper etiquette,” he muses. “I’d hate to appear so uncouth on my next raid.”
Sombra misses her chance to reply as McCree sends his horse into a gallop and the thunderous sound of hooves hitting the dirt road is all that fills the air. When his arms enclose around her, a wave of emotions flare through her mind. She knows that this is still essentially a kidnapping but she has a feeling that perhaps freedom, should she desire it, is not as far off a reality as the situation deems it. Spending most of her life with her only family reinforcing her worthlessness to him, the arms that supposedly imprison her have her feeling the safest she has in quite some time.
I’m 100% certain that I bleed Angst at this point and I love it! *proceeds to lay on the ground while happily crying* Angst and fluff is my calling!
~~~~~
You shrieked as you heard the metal clink of your weapon against the one before you. Turning only at the last second to block the next attack coming at you, your leg kicking out to the creature coming at you.
“Why don’t you give up?”
You turned glaring angrily at the man before you, “Ardyn.”
“I have to admit, I’m quite happy that you did not forget about me.”
You wish you could forget this creature that was after you, you wanted to forget this horrid creature, as he was the one who placed you in your current predicament. Still, at this moment you had to keep going and fighting if you didn’t then what good were you. You were worried about coming on this trip, worried that you’d just be the weak link that would get the others hurt time and time again. At the moment you were that last line of defense to protect them, your friends and boyfriend, and that drive alone was what was keeping you standing, swing after swing, and each hit you took from the elder man, magic or other.
Your body was screaming at you, that you were the healer of the group, that you weren’t supposed to know how to hold this weapon in your hand. That your spells weren’t supposed to be this fierce or angry, you were balancing between healing major wounds to less serious ones but trying to do that and fend off this crazed man before you was more than you were trained for.
Ever since playing the quest for a second time, it’s reignited a headcanon idea I had.
> Two millenniums ago there was a black chocobo that accompanied Ardyn on his journey.
> The chocobo was a friend to him that was ever so dear. It would even participate in battles along side Ardyn, she was a feisty little thing.
> When ever Ardyn was saddened or plagued with night horrors (the poor man); there she was comforting him by nuzzling into him as a soft ‘kweh’ left her.
> Both Ardyn and his chocobo friend were a source of mischief.
> As Ardyn’s healer duties would wear him out and weaken him, she would take Ardyn up on her back and carefully trot away to take him to either a camp site or a place where he could rest.
> When sleeping, she would lay in a comfortable position and Ardyn would rest on her.
> When that tragic day came and the people, his brother and the crystal turned against Ardyn she did her best to protect him from those that tried to harm him. A spear ended up impaling her however as a pained ‘Kweh’ left her and she collapsed in front of him in a pool of blood. This left Ardyn filled with heartbreak and anger.
> A millennium later, Ardyn makes a visit to Wiz’s chocobo farm and there is the black chocobo chick that Ardyn is currently standing in front of. (The rescue of her is the only thing Ardyn is thankful to the chocobros for.)
> He feeds her the finest of chocobo feed as she releases a serious of cute happy ‘kweh’s’ in appreciation.
> A somber yet genuine smile graces the man’s lips as his golden eyes look at her with warmth. “It’s nice to see you again, dear old girl.”
You: “You know there are other moreeffective ways of putting me to sleep, Ardyn.”
He chuckles at your cheek and pulls you in close, kissing you fondly on your forehead.
Ardyn: “Of this, I have no doubt. But it is not this night. I’ve been meaning to tell you this for awhile.”
Intrigued, you propped yourself up by your elbow and looked at him questioningly.
You: “Oh, and what is this exactly?”
Ardyn: “A tale of a young man on his way to becoming a king.”
You: “A fairy tale.”
Ardyn: (smiles slightly) “Of sorts. Will you entertain me?”
When he hears no complaints on your part, he takes in a breath, holding your gaze as the words ran fluidly from his lips.
Ardyn: “There was once a man born to be king. But before he can claim his crown, he needed to prove himself. Blessed with gifts from the gods, this man set out to carry great many selfless deeds across the land. Healing the sick, protecting the weak, purging the evil that plagued the hearths and homes of all corners of the world.”
You: “Sounds like the perfect hero.”
Ardyn’s grin turns wide at this.
Ardyn: “So many had thought. But he did not do it alone. The to-be king had help. He had friends who helped him along the way, friends he would go to the ends of the world for and they for him in turn. It was thanks to their combined efforts that the lands knew peace.”
You: “Until one day there was no more peace.”
Ardyn: “As with all good stories. The evil that ravaged this peace returned tenfold in the form of a great horde. Within the horde, a darkness so horrifying rose from the flames ablaze. It was too much, even for the man, so he begged to the gods for the power to rid it for good and save his people. The gods, however, did not hear his plea.”
You: “What? Why would they do that? Did they not care about the world?”
Ardyn: “The will of the gods is beyond human understanding, the man did not realize this until much later. Despite this, he knew something must be done. Desperate to defend all that he had loved and cared about from an unspeakable fate, the man stood against the darkness…along with his friends. Although he was against their aid this time around, they refused to leave his side. Swords raised, they dove into perilous combat together and an epic battle ensued. The battle was long, hundreds upon thousands of monsters dissipated back into the shadows from whence they came. The heroes appeared to be winning. Then when the last of the evil, the core of the plague stood alone, the man lifted his blade to deal the final blow…”
At this point, you had your head against Ardyn’s chest, so engrossed in the story that you did not notice that his pause held more meaning than just for the sake of dramatic effect.
You: “What happened then?”
Ardyn: “…The evil was…more powerful, more devious than any of them can ever imagine. The companions were turned around, blinded by the darkness that surrounded them. They lost sight of what they were fighting. It nearly consumed them. When it was about to devour them all whole, beginning with the man himself, light shined upon him. A piercing strike and all was illuminated.
When he came to, the man found that the darkness was no more. Victory was finally had. Relieved and overcome with joy, he looked to his friends in jubilee. He searched and searched, but what he found made him fall to his knees. One of his friends, the dearest of his heart laid dead before him. So peaceful, almost as if asleep, but most certainly gone from this world. The gods told him that it was an act of sacrifice to protect him, a much needed action to allow him to fulfill his role as the hero. What did it matter that he had to lose everything to achieve it?
The world finally knew peace, that was of only importance. And all embraced its warm glow, all except the man who became cold as he held his dearest to him. He cannot recall how long he shed tears. It felt like ages.
But from that day forward, the man swore vengeance against the gods and the world who turned their backs on him.”
Your eyes were growing heavy, but you felt a deep sadness at this ending. Such a remarkable story, you can imagine the scenarios he painted. The pictures running through your mind were so vivid, so clear. He really knew how to make you feel like you were living this story along with him.
You: “So the hero became the villain in the end? That’s so cruel.”
He becomes quiet again. You wondered what he was thinking. The short moment passes and Ardyn speaks again.
Ardyn: “…With love ripped away, there’s nothing much else but hate, nay?”
You: “I guess, but…”
Arms snuggled around Ardyn’s form, pressing yourself closer to him.
You: “After all of that, the man deserves some sort of happiness.” (a slight gasp) “Did he ever become king?”
Ardyn nearly laughs at this.
Ardyn: “After all of that, that is what you decided to dwell upon?”
You: “There has to be some sort of perk in all of this!”
Ardyn: “Hmm… What do you think, love?”
A deep yawn escapes from your mouth, but you managed to mutter one final bit before sleep took you.
You: “He’s a king to me…”
And just like that, your dreams claimed you. A comfortable silence filled your shared room embraced in each other’s arms. Ardyn gazed towards the ceiling, rubbing soft circles against your back, he listened to your lengthy breaths and felt the steady rise and fall of your back as your breathed so serenely atop him.
Ardyn: “Thank you, beloved…”
A single tear escapes him as he closes his eyes, a saddened smile betrays him even though he knows you could not see his face.
Started this a couple nights ago to de-stress. Ended up being an excuse to paint some ugly clouds. Happy past! Ardyn with a little holy glow cuz he was SO BLESSED until he wasn’t
You don’t do it on purpose mind you, when you “accidentally” bump into him in the hall. He just always happens to be there. When you first began working with him, you turned a corner and walked face-first right into his broad chest.
You: “Oh my goodness. So sorry, chancellor.”
Ardyn: (tips his hat to you) “It is I that must apologize. Do have a good day. One…”
You didn’t register that last part as he was already walking away. The next time happened to be in that same hall, at that same spot. Face-first again, you groan in slight pain and embarrassment.
You: (trying to laugh it off) “I swear I am not doing this on purpose.”
Ardyn: (he chuckles politely at your attempt for humor) “Well, given the circumstances, I believe an introduction is in order.”
He takes off his fedora and moves his body to a low, exaggerated bow. He takes your hand in his and plants a soft, lingering kiss to your knuckles.
Ardyn: “Ardyn Izunia-”
You: “-Chancellor of Niflheim. I-I know.”
Of course, you did. Who didn’t? You only see his face everywhere in the papers and on t.v.. Sometimes heard his deep, lulling voice on the radio and over the PA system.
Ardyn: “Ah, so you do. Then it seems, I am at a disadvantage. May I inquire your name to even the score?”
Was he implying that you were playing a game? Regardless, you give your name to him and he repeats it back in a low timbre that almost made you melt in place. Ardyn stands upright and returns his hat atop his thick, unkempt hair, you realized how tall this powerful man is.
Ardyn: “Hmm. Please enjoy the rest of your day. Two…”
There he goes again, mumbling something as he simply saunters away out of earshot. Is he counting? Since that day, you felt bad about bumping into him. You didn’t want to upset the chancellor. You gathered that he was counting his accidental encounters with you and panicked that it was a reference to a “three strikes, you’re out” kind of deal. Would he really fire you for bumping into him? Not wanting to take the risk, you decided to take a different route to your work station. So far, it worked rather well. You didn’t see him in your route, only during briefings where you took extra care to sit all the way in the back so that you will be the first to leave and not risk familiarizing your face with his chest ….That last part came out wrong. Probably because you were too busy staring at his wide frame as he spoke at the head of the table. Good thing there were so many other people in the same room so that he wouldn’t take account of your presence let alone the deep blush reddening your cheeks.
Some time has gone by and you take your usual route. It was comfortable considering that hardly anyone goes this same way, just you. You listened to the sound of your own footsteps bounce off the walls as you read over your notes for your next assignment. A sudden pain whiplashes your senses, your nose intakes a deep musk you knew all too well, your vision obscured by a familiar white shirt and vest. You freeze.
You: “Astrals spare me…”
You hear a throaty chuckle, you remember that husky voice anywhere.
Ardyn: “You truly must watch where you’re going. You may just be waltzing into certain danger.”
You: “S-Sir, I am truly, truly sorry. I did not think you go this way-”
You bit your tongue before you finished that sentence, but he heard you loud and clear and tipped his head slightly, an amused glint in his eyes.
Ardyn: “Oh? And pray tell, why did you think that? Could it be…”
He leans closer to you, his intense, golden eyes meeting yours.
Ardyn: “That you are purposefully avoiding me?”
You: “No, no! Well….yes, but only in the hallway! Y-you see, I felt like I was offending you. You’re a busy man, powerful man who needn’t have to deal with something as trivial as nearly tripping over someone in the hallway. That would be such a burden, n-not that I dare say that such burdens offend you but…”
Oh dear lord, you’re rambling. Somebody stop you! As if he heard your inner turmoil, Ardyn places his hand on your shoulder and looks down at you. He gazes down at you with hooded eyes, the usual honey tint taking on a darker tone that seemed to accentuate when he furrowed his brows. Oh no….is he mad? He clears his throat darkly.
Ardyn: “That’s three.”
Before you can even dare to ask what he meant by this, he forces your back hard against the wall.
Ardyn: “You see, dear. You did not wrong me. Our chance encounters were a thing I admittedly looked forward to. The little faces you make in my presence even when you think I wouldn’t notice are quite…quaint. And dare I say…enticing. It made me curious to see what other faces you can make when I’m near you. But then suddenly, you no longer walked the same hall as I. And to just now find out that it was done purposefully…”
He squeezes your shoulder and brings his body closer to yours.
Ardyn: “That…I do find offending.”
His face is so close to yours now.
Ardyn: “I suppose by now you have surmised what happens after three?”
You weren’t sure whether you found your voice to answer him or not, or whether he waited for you to give him one or not. But in that once-quiet hall, he closed the distance between you two.
Hi anon! Glad you loved the Deku shirt HC’s, and thank you so much for requesting our lord and savior Small Might! I love writing for this guy, but it doesn’t seem like a lot of people request him (same with iida, one of these days I will have an iida request). Anyway i’m glad to do a simple request before diving in to all my extra long ones, so thank you again for requesting this. I hope you enjoy. 💕
Order up!
Toshinori Yagi.
🥧Toshi’s T-shirts aren’t really shirts when you wear them, they’re dresses. One shirt will literally reach to your knees when it only reaches to his stomach. Though what did you expect when you fell in love with a 7’2 man.
🥧Toshi can’t help but laugh whenever you try and wear his T-shirts. You just look like a child playing dress up in their fathers clothes, and it’s too amusing for him to not laugh. Though you puffing up your cheeks in annoyance just seals the deal for him.
🥧Toshi though does love it when you wear his sweaters. The way the sleeves just envelope your hands is so sweet. Though he changes his mind once you start slapping him with the baggy sleeves.
🥧Toshi has a distinct scent of that tea he really enjoys, and god do you love it. It’s just so peaceful and so Toshi that you can’t not obsess over it! Every time you get a chance to you bury yourself in his chest just so you can get a huge whiff of that smell. Though when the days of his absence came around you had to just get one of his shirts and hug it close to you while you relaxed on the couch. You hated the days he was gone, and you always feared the worst when he returned (if he returned). So hugging one of his shirts just became a method of comfort for you, that everything was going to be ok.
🥧Sometimes when you’re sad Toshi will stretch his shirt and put it over your head so both of you are wearing it. He knows you love the closeness, and he can never help himself whenever he gets a chance to bury his face in your hair. He will especially do this with sweaters during the winter, because more warmth to go around! The two of you even once slept like that, as it was the most comfortable sleeping place in your opinion.
🥧The most legendary clothing swap ever though was when you surprised Toshi by wearing the All Might suit, well it wasn’t really meant to surprise him. You were finished drying a bunch of clothes when it caught your attention, and since your lover wasn’t home you thought it would be a good idea to try the suit on (don’t judge! this was a long time dream of yours!). Until said hero walked in on you with it falling off your shoulders, and he began coughing up blood from the surprise of it. Though once the coughing subsided he could only smile in response.
🥧“Wow is that All Might? In my house?” You slapped his shoulder in response, and puffed your cheeks. He then proceeded to scoop you up bridal style so he could bring to the couch for some much needed cuddles. What? You just looked so cute with the baggy suit that he couldn’t help himself. Plus holding you close was the best way for his to destress from a long day.
So I know I said I wasn’t going to post the parts of my story, Dulce to tumblr until the first part was completed, but I got really excited with this prompt and it turned out to be one of my favorites so I wanted to share it! If you like what you read, please go read the rest on Ao3. And please feel free to leave some feedback – I’d love to hear what you think! Enjoy!
Tags: Alternate Universe – High School, First Kiss, Teenagers
———–
“Alright, you two! Seven minutes on the dot, starting now!”
The door closes behind them, muffling the giggles now slowly quieting down, no doubt to be able to hear what would be happening inside.
Provided anything did happen inside.
He turns to face the other person he’s been thrown inside with, his eyes taking a moment to adjust to the darkness of the stuffy closet. With the sliver of light coming underneath the crack of the door, he isn’t able to see much, but he does make out her long, dark brown braid resting over her right shoulder and the bright, pink shoes she’s wearing. He finds his gaze trailing up the length of her leg toward her skirt before he closes his eyes, chastising himself for falling for this stupid scenario. Is he really this weak?
“Sorry,” he mumbles, willing himself to open his eyes once more but staring hard at the floor. “I’m sure this was the last thing you were expecting when you came to this party, huh?”
There is only the sound of the stereo blasting music from the other room echoing dully in the small space until his partner shifts, sitting back against the stack of blankets behind her. “Not really,” she begins, her accent apparent. “Parties in Mexico aren’t like this.”
His palms are sweaty, he notes, as he rubs his palms against the carpeted floor underneath. “Yeah? What are parties in Mexico like?”
I’m sorry I let this sit in my inbox for so long but every time I would try to respond, I would stop to think and just end up scrapping every response I tried making. Still, I would think about it a lot and still do, to be honest.
I too have had the headcanon that it takes Sombra a while to get used to the idea of having a meaningful, non manipulative relationship with anyone, really. For the longest time, she just doubts everyone and their intentions. It happens when you’ve been the manipulator almost all of your life and have had no true friendships.
I can totally see her questioning her and McCree’s relationship, whether it’s real, if she’s just kidding herself or if maybe she’s the one being used this time around.
But it’s just so sweet to think that McCree would take notice of her hesitations and troubles. I imagine that he would care quite a bit about Sombra at this point – he wouldn’t have taken things so far with her if he didn’t care about her. When she does get these small panic attacks, he’ll hold her close but keep talking to her, stroking her hair and quietly reassuring her. These episodes always end with her falling asleep, with McCree shortly afterward. I can see Sombra apologizing to McCree for it the next morning when they’re awake. She says she’s sorry for ruining their time together and being a burden but he always stops her, telling her that he doesn’t blame her in the least and she would never be a burden to him.
He’s very patient with her and she appreciates it so much. Sombra never says anything aloud either, but she considers herself incredibly lucky to have met someone like Jesse, who she deems very important to her. For the longest time, she continuously calls him a friend only, because she’s so afraid that once she cross over into the ‘l’ word territory, if something were to happen to him, she’d never be able to handle it. She loves him, even if it takes her a long time to admit it to herself.
~My Tumblr Back-Up And Stuffs~ 
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