INDULGE YOURSELVES X/A LOVERS :)
''In my defense, that was only a dream! '' he childishly rushed to mention, already predicting the direction in which their conversation was bound to head.
'' Half an hour ago I would have agreed with you…'' she bit, visibly disturbed by the loathable ending of the memory she had just witnessed- and yet, undoubtedly intrigued by the unexpected change in characters ….
The War God's eyes widened slightly at the small frown he could now detect on her perfectly sculpted visage, and if that was not enough to worry him, the very obvious curl of her lip followed by the deep breath of air she took was more than enough to make him understand that she was not going to let things slide that easily ….No….she was already analyzing each and every single detail of that dream, her amazingly intuitive brain probably offering countless possible explanations for that strange plot twist …
''I had a dream last night….'' she sharply announced, and let's just say it was Ares'turn to frown at the news.
''Judging by your tone it wasn't one worth remembering….'' he replied, doing his best to voice that line on a casual, jocular note, but failed miserably at it….He knew perfectly well what she meant, but by all gods, for once, he was going to play dumb and even try to get a Golden Euripides award from the Athenian Drama Group for what was absolutely imperious to become his most stunning performance ever.
''Actually it does…..-unless you believe in coincidences, that is….''
''Not my cup of tea, as you very well know,Sweet….Neither is fate …So ...hit me. What was your dream about ? '' he seductively inquired, aware that just as he could see right through her, she could do too….Not to the same extent of course, but enough to make her realize that his utterly uncharacteristic nervousness was a clear sign that he was hiding something- and that could only bring more trouble.
''Don't tempt me…Hitting you is an almost irresistible indulgence at the moment! I might just do it…'' she muttered, taking a sit on the edge of the bed, briefly wondering if it was a good idea to share such intimate details with him or not …..
''Xe…..just tell me …'' he insisted reading her hesitation, bluntly ignoring the fact that it would have obviously been in his best interest if she simply dropped the subject …..It was eating her alive though –he could clearly see that . Needless to say, he couldn't really stand the thought…
''It was very similar to yours…..Strikingly similar come to think of it …..'' she answered in a weak, musing voice, breaking their gaze the very following second.
A few steps later, and he was sitting by her side- considerate enough as to make sure he offered her some space. Fates knew that was not the right moment to piss her off some more…
'' Ok….similar how ?''
''In all respects I guess….Minus the characters …..'' she finally confessed, and when their eyes met again, he could clearly see the tornado of mixed emotions playing on their surface –disappointment , frustration, love , hate , confusion, anger….they were all there, the full spectrum …..
His quizzical expression urged her to continue, so she just let it all out, without restraint- and in a way, she was glad she did . It had been such a heavy burden to carry, that freeing herself from it felt like the Elysian Fields on earth!
''You were with Amytis …..Not me ….''
He parted his lips to say something but no sound came out. What could he have said anyway ?
'' Do you think we could have shared the same dream? '' she then asked, almost fearing the answer.
'' I have no clue ….I have never heard of people sharing dreams- especially given the fact that mine was of you and yours was…..well….slightly different …..'' he tactfully replied, making sure to avoid any kind of association with that conniving bitch, thus giving her even more reasons to hate him.
''Sweetheart …..'' he whispered, this time gently covering her hand with his, giving it a light squeeze before he continued. ''Whatever it was …why do you even let her get to you like that, in the first place? As I see it, this is exactly what she wanted and you're falling for it, hook, line and sinker….''
''Falling for it ?!" she replied in a high- pitched, scandalized tone, swiftly removing her hand from his. ''Have you lost your freaking mind, Ares?! She tried to kill me, for crying out loud! You said it yourself ! ''
''Princess….that was only a supposition! We don't know that for sure….I mean ….we have no actual proof that she was actually behind all this …..''
''No proof?! You had to literally raise me from the dead the other night! As for the dark magic you were talking about… ?! Isn't that more than enough ?!"'she screamed at him, boiling with undisguised rage. ''Maybe you're way too blinded by your feelings for her to still see the truth! Or maybe you simply refuse to see it….'' she muttered, getting up from the bed, ready to leave. Sadly, what she had hoped to be an honest, soul healing dialogue, was slowly turning into an out of this world, disastrous mess.
Luckily for her though, the God of War was not the one to get easily impressed by such womanly fits of jealousy, and without a second thought, he pulled her back next to him with so much force that Xena involuntarily escaped a wince of pain at the heart stopping sensation of her arm being torn from her shoulder.
Seconds before that atrocious pain became even more intense, a sudden wave of dazzling blue light flashed before her azure moons, forcefully transporting her into another one of Ares' memories- but this time, he was actually transferring a set of meaningful images and bits of conversation into that twisted brain of hers- the content of a few recent events she had no knowledge about- given the surreal state she had been in at that precise moment.
… Maybe this would make a difference in the way she perceived his relationship with Amytis….
"I have an idea…" Amytis sensually insisted, her lips brushing lightly against the side of his neck now- overly confident that a blunt refusal was out of the question- " Why don't you let me distract you for a little while….? Let them have their share of fun while we have ours….I mean…take a look around you, at all these people…most of them have already started doing exactly what we ourselves are sooo good at…". she suggested, desire flickering in her eyes, certain that she knew him better than ayone and that there had to be a crack- no matter how small in that outrageous self control of his.
..Nothing could have prepared her for what happened next...The crushing violence of his reaction left her paralyzed in fear for a brief moments.
" Just because there's still fire burning between us, don't think for one second that I would ever allow it to turn into weakness, Amytis! I'm neither dumb nor that blinded with lust to pretend that I can't see straight through your little act and your cheap manipulations ! " he barked at her, barely containing his wrath the minute his dagger grazed her throat. "Next time you try something similar, I'll cut you to little pieces, I swear it on the head of Zeus and on the Styx itself!"
" You're threatening me for that common whore who's rubbing herself like a bitch in heat against my husband's cock?!" the Queen, growled back furiously, and suddenly, it appeared as if she couldn't care less that the God of War in person was about to gut her like a pig.
Right before he could push that sharp blade deep into her tender flesh though, Xena's voice, so distinct- so unique despite all that noise- reached his mind, filling every little inch of his immortal being like nothing else could, and he instantly jumped to his feet at the suffocating anxiety and panic reverberating from its notes.
" Aresssssssss."
As the images brought to life by that memory began to disolve , the shape of another one started to form just as fast . It was the same acursed location, but with definitely more action, and given that she was still under the effect of the drugs the King had used on her, it was something she was definitely seeing for the first time ...
He couldn't really tell how much time it had passed since he begun hitting Nabucco- he only knew that- strangely enough for a God- his blemished knuckles were starting to hurt, and that the petty excuse for a King was nothing more than a limp, boringly predictable rag doll.
" Ares… ! You're killing him…." Amytis screamed again- uselessly trying to push him away from the heavily bleeding form of the now unconscious King.
"I wish I could…..Sadly, I don't have on me the necessary weapon for that rewarding treat – I didn't suspect I would need it here..- shame on me for having been that reckless…won't happen again, I assure you!" he hissed through clenched teeth before getting a sharp knife out of a boot. " Still, this should do quite fine for a bit of high quality carving…..What should we start with? I was thinking with something he doesn't use often…" he asked- a rhetoric question really, for he didn't have the slightest intention to wait for an answer.
Needless to say, the Queen's skin crawled at the sight of that dreadful dagger heading straight for her husband's chest, and one thing was certain: she acted solely on instinct- pure mindless instinct- when she caught her ex lover's wrist, preventing the blade to actually pierce the flesh deeper than it already had the chance to.
" Ares I'm begging you….Please….he saved your life once. This is how you repay him?! By taking his own?!" the half yelled reproach fell from her lips as bitter and as poisonous as her soul was at the moment…..
"It was for his boundless generosity that I offered you both the gift of immortality in the first place, or has that little detail slipped your mind, Amytis? He has already lived more than he deserves! "
" Do it for me then, for the past that we shared….Please…he's all I have, you know that….."
"Oh, the romance!" The God couldn't help the half amused, half sarcastic chuckle that started tickling his throat until it gradually tuned into an completely uncontrollable fit of laughter. " He's all you have….That's funny…..all you have apart from most of the cocks in this room! Is there anyone here who hasn't fucked the Queen?! " he shouted, glaring at the crowd, but no answer came of course. " Well just in case you haven't, I'd suggest you take a shot at her juicy cunt before midnight….she was very horny and unsatisfied just a few minutes ago and well...she's quite a ride, may I add. You should be proud to have such a giving Queen!" he yelled at the top of his lungs.
The silence turned even heavier the moment Amytis' palm collided with his cheek.
" You disgusting pig!" she spat, a silent tear rolling down her visage, but Ares could see right through her…It was not the public humiliation that had hurt her so, but his contempt- and though he had definitely done some damage to her perfectly shaped image, he knew better...He could clearly see the pain in her troubled, teary eyes and he silently congratulated himself for it.….
As surprising as it might seem, he didn't say anything even when she rose her hand to strike him a second time, on the contrary- he laughed….But then, a mere blink later, the laughter suddenly turned from amused to sinister and soon, his fingers were furiously tangling into her hair, with a brutal force throwing her down on the floor, face down, straight in the pool of blood coming from the King's horribly deformed body.
" Can you taste that?! …."he barked, pushing her head down, low enough to make sure that her lips touched the still warm claret." Next time we meet, it will be your own blood you'll be bathing in….And that's a promise ."
When Xena opened her eyes this time, the War God sketched an apprehensive smile. He could clearly see that most of her sadness and anger had melted somewhere along the road ..That could only mean one thing- he was finally getting through to her and the perspective of it made him almost estatic ...
'' When you pledged yourself to me , you chose me over all the other gods...Athena, Artemis, Apollo, Zeus , Hestia ...they would have all welcomed you with open arms. And yet, here we are ...''
''Hestia, Ares , really ?!" she snorted, suddenly amused by his unbelievably ridiculous suggestion.
'' Do take my word for it; I'm actually quite relieved she wasn't on your list...It would have been such a terrible waste !'' he chuckled, her contagious smile now spreading fully on his lips as well...
She just had to roll her eyes at his inisnuation . She couldn't help it ...
''You have such a dirty mind, War God...'' she openly replied, involuntarily fixing his lips with her gaze, and on their own accord hers parted at about the same time.
''Anyway, what I was trying to say...'' he continued, on a slightly more serious note, tenderly caressing her jawline ''...was that I would never choose anyone over you, Princess...regadless of the circumstances. I really want you to know that, cause you sure seem to forget it a bit too often for my taste ...''
Her heart skipped a beat or two hearing his words –by Chronos himself, up to that moment she hadn't even realized just how much she needed that reassurance!
''Ok...so uh...now that we've got that cleared up...Wanna kiss and make up ?'' he playfully questioned- no expectations what so ever- casually leaning back and resting on his elbows- an impossible to refuse invitation for any sane mortal or immortal being out there...
Taking him completely by surprise, with slow, languid moves, the Warrior Princess scooted up in his arms straddling his lap.
''Maybe you do deserve a peck on the cheek after all ...'' she murmured, in such a low, enthralling voice, that the War God did a double take, unsure he had heard her correctly.
"I do ?!...Well of course I do! I mean, why wouldn't I ?''he barely managed to mumble, litreally holding his breath as she began to lean forward. He could see it all in slow motion, he could feel it- those raven strands framing her face, moving a bit forward, tenderly caressing his skin for a splitsecond right before her perfect lips paused but a whisper away from his mouth,and just as her brain screamed for her to change direction and stick to the plan, his fingers laced into her hair, torturously keeping her there,a mere inch away from him.
Contrary to her expectaitons though – she knew him far too well after all- he didn't pull her into that classic, possessive, will-breaking kiss they both craved for so much, but instead, he waited- patiently waited for her to make a choice, giving her a chance to pull herslef together and put some distance between them if that was what she really wanted. Truth be told, a million reasons popped up in her head for why it was in fact better to stop that maddening interaction then and there...Instead, casting all doubts aside, she simply wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him even closer until her chest was so pressed against his that she could feel his heartbeat. Next thing she knew, her mind went blank as their mouths grazed, the softness of his lips trapping her there- no escape route whatsoever- and she just swallowed hard before he began guiding her, his tongue slowing the rhythm to an excruciating pace, until she moaned into his mouth the moment she felt everything igniting inside her. By all gods and goddesses, he tasted so good...-she couldn't put her finger on it, but it must have been elderberry blossoms or maybe a hint of that sweet, spicy Olympian wine he loved to drink ...Whathever it was, it drove her wild...
As his other hand finally slid around her, she could sense his warm palm resting on the small of her back, adding just a bit more pressure on her spine and she could't help thinking just how right this actually felt, despite all the previous tension between them.
As for Ares, let's just say that once that kiss ended and he lovingly craddled her in his arms , holding her as tight as her mortal body could allow him, he silently thanked all living deities that she had actually bought that crappy version of the dream he had showed her...They had been standing on the edge of a precipice , and as much as he wanted to slap himself for his sick nerve to manipulate her like that, it sure beat the dreadful scenario in which she only ended up hating him with a passion . He wasn't going to allow that, no matter the rules he was forced to break ...