bakerstreet | ❝Just Love❞

❝Just Love❞

❝Just Love❞
Perhaps you're the kindest, most love-filled person in the world. Or, on the other hand, you may be a calculating, cold villain. But for this meme, everyone in this spectrum has one thing in common: you feel love towards someone. Not a facade, not even lust, but real, true love. This, of course, complicates things, yet your love is all-consuming and cannot be ignored.

How To Play:

This is a shipping meme that operates on "true love." You're welcome to interpret that as you will through your character and your character's culture/society/canon, but what your character will feel is equivalent to love. Not pretending, not a falsehood, etc etc. Actual love. This may be hard for them but that's the point of the meme!
Comment with your preferences.
Comment around to others. Respect their preferences.
Use the prompts or make up your own ideas.

Prompts:
1. First Love: You've never felt love before, at least not romantic love.
2. Been Burned Before: You had a relationship or loved someone before, and it didn't go well.
3. Fighting It: Nope. You don't want love. Not gonna happen.
4. Confession: You decide not to fight it. Instead, you just want to give in and tell the person, for better or for worse. Good thing they love you back...
5. Courtship: You want to take it slow, so you're doing the dating thing. Awww, how sweet.
6. Do That To Me One More Time: The obligatory smut option. You're using the physical to show the emotional.
7. I Don't Deserve You: You don't think you deserve the affection of the amazing, perfect person who loves you, disgusting and horrible and broken you.
8. Forbidden: It had to be here. You're both members of different factions, species, classes, and so on. But nothing will stand in the way of your feelings unless you let it.
9. Be My Bad Boy: Similar to the above but one of you is "good" while the other is "evil." Despite this, your relationship is just as strong and just as pure as anyone else's.
10. For Your Own Good: We all know the romance trope. One party must leave the other, though they still love them desperately. They must make their love hate them for their own good.
11. Trying to Make It Work: Through good times and bad, you've decided to work together for what you feel, because you know you'll only ever love this person.
12. Back Together: You only had room for one person in your heart, and they were the one that got away. Now, though, you have another chance.
13. I Refuse to Leave: Sometimes, even true love isn't all that good. Sometimes it's destructive and painful, and the person you love isn't the one who's good for you. But they love you, and you can't leave.
14. Keep Your Hands Off!: You have to defend your partner, and you won't let anyone stand in the way.
15. Marry You: You've decided to make things permanent. You're getting married to this person, or whatever other bonding ceremony applies.
16. Doomed: You are seeing this love through to the end, even if you know one of you is dying, being taken away, or otherwise gone from the picture.
17. Wildcard

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[ civil war spoiler-friendly. ]

[Would you be open to a Bucky?]

[ civil war spoiler-friendly ]

[ooc: any prompt you prefer?]

[ooc: Sheeee'd need to be older at whatever point this is in said established timeline if we're shooting for it actually being even vaguely shippy this time. (Then again, no one said it had to be true ROMANTIC love.) But other than that, nah, go crazy.]

[ooc: because well, as Somebody he's not exactly monoromantic, so he could... possibly have a crush on her, if she's a few years older than 15, that is?]

[rolled 12, could work.. as in, they meet for the first time in a few years.]

When he sees the familiar silhouette on the streets of Radiant Garden, for a moment he's not sure who he's seeing.

Still, her hair's fair, not red, and it can't be just a trick of light.

"Excuse me, miss?"

He's still not sure, so he's not going to make a fool of himself in front of a Princess, if it can be helped.

"Do you know if there are any vancant houses in this city? I've been meaning to - settle down, lately, and this world seems as good as any to try."

He's not a Keyblade Wielder, so he's never felt bound by the 'world order' business, anyway.

If it's her, he'll know soon. If it's the Other Princess - well, he might at least get his question answered.

[ooc: Yeah, let's just say she's 20ish and call it a day.]

The woman pauses at the sound of his words.

Head turning very slightly - not enough to get a good look at him - Naminé frowns. It's awfully familiar, that voice, and it doesn't take her more than a full second to place it. But it wouldn't the first time she's been reminded of someone or something in her past that wasn't truly there, and surely it will not be the last.

So there's a subtle strain in the set of her brow, but she works her mouth into a smile all the same with well-practiced ease, and to the average stranger it would be indistinguishable from sincerity.

"Not off the top of my head, but I'm sure there must be one somewhere." Beginning to turn, she lifts her shoulders in the barest hint of a shrug, mouth still carefully upturned. "The restoration effort has been--"

Her eyes finally catch sight of him and she stops short.

Almost immediately, the smile drops straight off of her face. Her hands, previously folded together, drift apart and down until they hang at her sides. Even looking at him, she doesn't quite believe it - has less faith, maybe, than he did when he saw her and wasn't sure either.

But she still says, after a lengthy pause, "... Yukikaze?"

She hasn't changed much, really. Older, yes, but only a little taller, face only a little leaner. Her hair just a touch longer, the delicate curl that was always at the ends subtly more pronounced. Any minor awkwardness that was there in her youth is gone now, and she makes for quite the elegant lady.

Edited 2016-05-14 18:38 (UTC)

So his eyes didn't deceive him, after all. For a moment, he wonders - would she even want to see him? One of her former captors? Or would she even care?

After all, he's the one who's only now realising that he... may have missed her.

Looking at her hair - but not staring, he's learned long ago that staring is never safe - he sees that she's no illusion, her hair never turning red or even dark, for that matter (...what? Nevermind, he must've had a strange dream once).

"Naminé. You're no child now, so I've almost failed to recognise you."

That's what he said to one of his younger sister sisters, and it was pathetic even then, so he frowns. And then, he smiles, just a little.

"But most royal children mature, and so, all Princesses grow up to be Queens, so that should be expected. Ah, no offence, I don't mean anything untoward by this. I think - you look beautiful."

She makes no secret of her own staring. It's not at any one part of him, really - she looks him over in his entirety, eyes at first not lingering until he speaks, at which point they come to rest on his face. If she has any doubts about his identity at this point, they're quickly dispelled with the first word.

Expression still colored with the disbelief she no longer feels, she listens, silent. It isn't until a moment or two after he's finished talking that she draws a slow breath in...

... And suddenly begins to laugh. It's a catching thing at first, but quickly becomes freer, more genuinely amused and strangely relieved. It doesn't last long, because then she's answering, "That's the first thing you say to me, after all this time...? Yukikaze, you--"

She cuts herself off with another breath of a giggle that never quite forms, and thereafter her lips press into a smile that raises her cheeks, her eyes warm and stinging. It only occurs to her late that she was complimented, but by then any color to her face is easily hidden by her mirth. The upturn to her mouth is short-lived, however, and wanes with her, "I didn't think... I assumed I'd never see you again. Even after everything, when I couldn't find you--...." By now, her frown is in full force. "Where have you been?"

"Ah, sorry. It's just... such a surprise, you're you and noone else, somehow, I don't think - I've expected this? Because I'm me, I think, but with you, it's always been different.

I'm relieved."

Frowns at her question. Where I've been? Well, where haven't I? They say you can only find what whom you're not searching for. Maybe that's one the one I've found is Namine, not anyone else. But... it's not bad.

"I've been to various world. You could call it - searching for friends, I suppose. I feel slightly ashamed that you're not one of the ones I searched for. But I suppose I made wrong assumptions. And nowadays, I've been almost ready to just settle down and put the cloak away for good."

'I didn't expect it either,' she wants to say, because it's true that she never really was able to hold onto hope for that outcome as tightly as she probably should have, but his expression of relief causes her to fall silent instead.

Ah, but he wasn't looking for her. It's more uncomfortable a discovery than she would have expected it to be, and her hands fold together with her soft, 'oh.' Were she younger, perhaps her head would duck, her frown would deepen - but now, she tugs her expression closer to neutrality even than it was before, only the barest suggestion of hurt in her eyes. She'd said, hadn't she, that he was - something like a friend, to her? The idea of having been discarded so easily does not sit well with her.

Even so, when she admits quietly, "I searched for you. Perhaps not long enough." ... It isn't bitter. There's a touch of sadness, yes, but no spite. Turning, she casts a glance along the street, and if she were less preoccupied, there might have been something fond in her eyes. "Well, this is as good a place as any to call home, these days. There are a lot of people who have been doing their best to make it that way."

Eyes back to him, she offers a fragment of a smile, brief but not insincere. "I'm sure they'd welcome you, if you decided to stay."

"I'm sorry."

"You... have?" She's searched for him. Maybe she didn't resent him as she should have, after all.

"Would you welcome me as well, Naminé? Even after I've neglected our friendship?"

He instantly regrets asking such a bold question, but it's already too late. And he's not one to take his words back when they've already been heard. Because he's already guilty of said words.

Moreover, he's grateful. Grateful that she's thought of him, if only for a moment. Does that make him vain?

"It's alright." Really, what else can she say? It is her nature to forgive - though not, unfortunately, to forget. "I had no reason to expect that you would." Other than-- well, more optimism than she'd have thought she possessed, in retrospect. But no, even now she is not resentful, whether she should be or not.

Silent, she nods at his first question. The other is... not quite as simple. It isn't because the answer's more complicated, it's because the feelings involved are, and she hesitates.

But when she does answer, there is no reluctance despite the softness and somberness of her voice. "... Of course. I wouldn't have searched for you if I were going to give up that easily." Her shoulders move in the barest suggestion of a shrug, a quickly ebbing smile flickering onto her lips and disappearing again. "You... deserve the chance to finally rest."

"So do you, even more so, after everything that's happened to you. I always do what I've chosen to do, you, on the other hand - well, now that I do have a Heart, I'm slightly ashamed of keeping an innocent girl a prisoner."

Shakes his head. "That is to say, unlike us, you didn't always have a choice in your life. And I wish to apologise for that. What can I do for you?"

He's not wrong. There's a certain sense of weight that's always been in her shoulders - less so, now that she's older, but still present - and they lower very slightly as she's reminded of the cause of it. No, there were many times that she had no choice, or at least no good one, and the memories are unpleasant ones. Her expression begins to darken, though subtly. It's been a while, now, since she's given that part of her life too much thought, and the recollection doesn't exactly help her mood.

And then comes the bit that surprises her straight out of those thoughts. "What can you do for me...?"

It's almost disbelieving. For a moment, she just-- looks at him. Then comes a soft, wry little hint of a smile, and she shakes her head. "... You're not that eager to find someone else to serve, are you?" Given what's happened already. She exhales, regarding him with an almost fond sort of tiredness. "Your apology is enough. I won't ask you to do any more than that."

He almost sighs, seeing her face expression. As for him, he doesn't regret any moment of that life, though maybe she would call him insane for that. He was doing what he wanted to do, Heart or no Heart. Still, it wasn't the case for her - and if he did have any regrets, now that he thought of it, it'd be keeping people in Organisation (though she - she wasn't really a member) against their wills, so...

As for her reaction to his question, it surprises him. He's wanted to make the amends! Wasn't that a human thing to do? What was wrong with her? Nevermind.

He smiles, softly, with a somewhat disbelieving, somewhat slightly patronising (though that's accidental) look on his face. "Alright. I understand."

What's unspoken is I'll leave you alone, since apparently that's your wish - or command. He won't say that outloud.

She's not the sort of girl liable to call anyone insane without significant provocation, and he's never managed to reach that point. No, she can accept that, her own morality aside, he was doing what he wanted to. What he was meant to, maybe.

But as she looks at him, she begins to wonder if he really does understand. Her eyes linger on his face, studying, and she can't fight the feeling that maybe something's been misconstrued. Chin tucking slightly, she asks, "... Do you?"

There's nothing patronizing about that - at least in her tone or expression, though it may not be possible to say as much about the words themselves. She can't claim to know precisely what's going through his head (not that she couldn't find out if she'd a mind to) but she gets the distinct impression that she probably wouldn't like it. Venturing a guess, "It's not that I don't appreciate it. It's just... like I said, you deserve a chance to rest. You shouldn't have to worry about making it up to me when you're already the one who treated me best."

Treated her the best? He'd think she'd consider Axel to be the one who treated her best. Or maybe Konatsu. Still, he appreciates the sentiment.

"Well, I can't claim to understand exactly, can I, really? I'm not you. Still - I think I like this world. So if you're ever in need of my help, you know where to find me - for a few months, at least."

Axel also very nearly killed her to get to Marluxia that one time. Sure, he's the one who let her go, and he's become a better person since then, but at the time it was primarily for his own gain, and what other interaction they had back then wasn't always the most comfortable for her. That isn't to say Axel - or Lea, now - isn't important to her, too, but it was never quite the same.

"I... no, I suppose not." Quiet, and she falls silent for the rest of his words, lips pressing together. She's happy about that, truly she is, but it still doesn't sit quite right with her. Which might be why, after a momentary pause, she says, "... Actually-- I've changed my mind. There is something I want you to do for me."

Now that brings a slightly surprised chuckle out of him. Was she still a child, after all?

"Yes?"

No - but she is old enough to know that it's easier to achieve cooperation if one phrases things in a way the other person can easily accept.

"I want you to look after yourself. No matter what - make sure the rest of your life is a good one."

She can't say 'do what makes you happy,' for... obvious reasons, but it's something of that sentiment, all the same. She's remarkably serious about it. There is no hesitation, however, until the next part.

"And... if you do decide to leave this place, please-- don't do it until you tell me where you're going. I don't want to have to wonder where you are anymore, or worry whether you're okay. ... That's how you can make it up to me."

Ah... to take care of himself, huh? Such a friendly thing to say - were they truly friends, now? If so, that makes him glad.

"I can't promise to be good, if I'm not even sure whether our definitions com close. But I can promise you that I will follow the Wishes of my own Heart, as I've done till today."

"And that I will tell you wherever I'm going. When it come to that, I can give you my word with certainty."

Forgiveness, patience, caring... these are all fundamental parts of her nature. It has always been thus, and with any luck will remain the case, for it's those truths that have always kept her from being a threat to the worlds and those who reside in them. But it's true, too, that as far as her heart is concerned, he is her friend.

So there's a little hint of a smile that upturns the corners of her mouth at his words. She nods, because that really is all she can ask of him, isn't it? She'll take whatever promise he can give her as long as it provides at least some likelihood that he'll be better off for it.

Which is why she begins to step closer. The distance at which she stops is a comfortable one for speaking, but the real reason she's moved to such a position becomes clear only when she then holds out her hand, all of her fingers curled in but for her pinky, which she extends to him.

He did say he'd promise her, after all. What better way is there than a pinky promise?

( Good for any of the prompts! I can start if you'd like, just let me know. Prose pref. PM me if you'd like to hash out any specific details/AU. )

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❝Just Love❞

Rey | SW:TFA | OTA

Peridot | Steven Universe | OTA

Yukikaze | 07-ghost | ota

steve rogers | mcu

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bucky barnes | mcu

BUCKY BARNES | WINTER SOLDIER/CIVIL WAR | OTA

Naminé | Kingdom Hearts | f/m, no smut

idk if this will ever work with our established verse, but let's try for fun

PFFFF YEAH they do make it difficult. :|a Well, worth a shot.

yeah, both could be a few years older for this to work, and maybe Kaze could be a Somebody again?

Sounds like a plan!

Re: Sounds like a plan!

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Jemma Simmons | Marvel's Agents of SHIELD | OTA

Sarah Manning || Orphan Black || F/M

Rey || Star Wars: The Force Awakens || F/M

apollo | mythology or PJO | ota

Yukisada | Ice Scream | M/M