Glitter and Crimson (Slightly Altered AU of the League Universe)
Ashe walked out of her room blithely, looking through every corridor of the vast castle with a lighthearted smile on her face. Her old Freljordian garb was getting a bit tight around her as she progressed to carry the heir to the throne, so she settled for a loose and flowing chemise-like dress she had borrowed from her lover's wardrobe, completed with a pair of plain white ballerina flats for her morning stroll through the castle.
As she walked into the throne room, a soft and sweet titter filled the room while the smile on her lips widened as she met with a familiar face she'd been accustomed to, said person being perched on the windowsill.
"Katarina Du Couteau," She uttered the so-called 'intruder's' name with a little knowing look, tone light, and eyes locking with Katarina's, who continued inside the throne room.
"A pleasure seeing you this morning. How may I be of service to you? Just a chat?"
Rather suggestively, she raised her eyebrows at her lover as she walked steadily to her destination. She settled cautiously onto her chair, watching the redheaded assassin closely. Her usually tightly wound white tresses were currently flowing freely, which was honestly a fact Katarina was fond of seeing. Ashe rested her hand on her rounded belly awaiting an answer from the still-perched woman, a slight grin being the initial reply.
"I got you an assortment of gifts from my outing with Fortune earlier," Katarina said with a nod, her words inspiring a seemingly intrigued look from the other. She raised a finger at Ashe when the woman parted her lips to say a query, simply telling her, "Hold that thought."
Tugging on her jacket as she leaned over to the edge, she called out to whoever it was that stood below. Even though Ashe couldn't see who it was Katarina was looking at, she had a hunch on who it may be.
"Talon, let's go." The redhead called out to one of her siblings as he chuckled lightly and nodded her way, throwing the first of many presents in her direction as she caught them with ease and precision.
The Queen's smile got a tad bit wider as she watched with an entertained look to what was unfolding before her. One by one, either a bag or a box was launched up from the ground and to Katarina, who meticulously piled them in the room.
The next thing Ashe knew, a dozen bags and boxes littered a fair space of the throne room. She bit her lip for a moment, stopping herself from flashing an outright giddy grin at the sight. By the time she raised her eyes though, she found Katarina with a smirk plastered on her lip.
"Katarina." She lightly hummed with a titter as she gave the woman at the window an amused gaze.
"Yes?" Katarina smirked back with humor lacing her words as her eyes locked with her lover at what was about to be said.
Ashe gestured to the door with a hand, her amused smile morphing into a feigned exasperated curve. "There's a door over there if you haven't noticed."
Katarina looked over to where the tall and grand panels could be found and nodded, giving a comedic 'ah' before turning back to the Queen. "I know."
"And they were built there for people to use them." The Queen deadpanned, pursing her lips as she audited the mischievous look the woman gave her.
"Old habits die hard," Katarina responded with a nonchalant shrug before turning back to where the other Du Couteau still seemed to be waiting for her and caught his attention.
"Go and make sure Annie doesn't enter the throne room."
From below, Talon sighed and gave a nod, thinking how far he had come and how much his life had changed ever since Katarina began her romance with the ruler of Freljord. To think he started killing people from such a young age, now, he was practically just ordered to do babysitting.
And to make things much more comedic, he was actually going to do it. Underneath the cool and serious demeanor, Talon Du Couteau adored his little niece.
Ashe let out a soft sigh of her own as Katarina finally left her place at the windowsill and started towards her, as she got to her destination, she placed her hand on top of Ashe's hand and fiddled slightly with her wedding ring, and rubbed her belly gently, leaning in and capturing her lips in a silk sweet harmony. The kiss lasted at least a full minute, which honestly made the royal guards stationed around the room cough awkwardly amongst themselves. The couple eventually broke apart, smiling widely at one another as they both savored the fleeting moment. Their bodies melded together perfectly beside each other on the throne.
"I see you bought a few things for the baby and myself." Ashe murmured as she nodded towards the items, which Katarina gestured for some of the guards to bring closer.
"Indeed I did," Katarina replied with a somewhat proud look.
"Though I still can't believe you're so insistent on having a huge party at the palace." She huffed out as she ran her hand through Ashe's tresses softly.
"What's wrong with that, hmm?" Ashe challenged playfully, giggling at her lover's antics.
"You're seven months pregnant, babe." Kat pointed out, jokingly making a motion of poking Ashe's stomach, which prompted Ashe herself to slap her hand away before it could come near the prominent bump.
"Call this party a result of my unpredictability," Ashe said with a light shrug before pointing to a sparkly blue bag that had piqued her interest, ushering for one of the guards to bring it to her as she brought it to her lap and started digging its contents out.
The smile on her face faltered, visibly being replaced with surprised disbelief as she pulled out a dress eerily similar to the outfit she had once worn at Heartseeker's Ball. Unlike the original one though, this one was a bit bigger and had the usual royal blue color scheme. A light, almost imperceptible redness, spread across Ashe's cheeks as she turned and attempted to give Katarina a pointed look.
"And I see you're still insistent on something. Specifically in seeing me in Heartseeker even in my current state." She spoke in a somewhat deadpan tone, raising an eyebrow at Katarina, who tried holding back her snickering.
"No, no, I know nothing of what you're implying, Your Majesty." Katarina lied as smoothly as she could, biting her lip to stop herself from grinning.
Her mind was honestly wandering, conjuring up a picture of the Queen herself who would gorgeously don that particular outfit. She chuckled lowly at the image, only to result in Ashe giving her exposed stomach a harsh poke and causing her to flinch a little. Behind her, the royal guard had to cough once or twice just to hide his wide smile at the turnout.
"Get your mind out of the gutter," Ashe said with a playful glare, knowing quite well what was going through her lover's head.
Katarina gasped playfully and shot her hand up in protest. "N-No my mind wasn't in the gutter, I swear" She sputtered in defense as Ashe looked to her in a slightly scrutinizing manner.
"Sure it wasn't" Ashe snickered as she shook her head as Katarina continued to pout, booping her nose cheekily.
"Queen Ashe, Princess Katarina, your assistance has been heavily requested in the kitchen," Braum stated as he opened the door slightly, catching the attention of the two.
"Braum thinks this is an opportunity for a picture moment." He added, with a slight chuckle as he couldn't suppress his big smile as both women raised their eyebrows and nodded at each other.
"I might need help" Ashe laughed as Katarina stood from her spot first and offered her hand to her beloved. Ashe gratefully took it, gaining her balance in an instant as the Queen and her wife went through the castle corridors, wondering what they would come upon as they went to the kitchen.
A large roar of laughs echoed through the hall as they approached the scene. As soon as they reached their destination, a huge grin and a laugh couldn't help but escape from both rulers as they gazed upon their adopted daughter Annie, having tied three men with jump ropes on chairs. Two of her aunts were grinning and shouting at her what to do. The three men, identified as Tryndamere, Darius, and Talon were in a row getting all sorts of makeup doused upon them as they protested, but the little girl's giggle and wide smile at it all made them accept their fate.
"Good morning boys" Ashe said with an amused tone and a wide grin as she watched her little darling work beside her wife, trying to conceal their smiles. Tryndamere eyed her instantly as Orianna, Cassiopeia, and Morgana waved to them with mischievous grins. With a nod of acknowledgement to the other women in the room, the two rulers whipped out their phones as Annie finally noticed they were there.
Forging a big grin on her face, Annie posed beside the three, giving bunny ears to both Darius and Tryndamere on both sides and placing her head down on Talon's shoulder as her mothers took pictures, tittering at the men's reactions of protest and discontent.
"They look so adorable sweetheart" Ashe complimented with a big smile as Tryndamere raised his eyebrow in defiance.
"I am not adorable, Ashe" He growled out, huffing and pouting as he glared.
"Says the big burly man wearing blush and lipstick" Ashe simply retorted with a smirk as he crossed his arms as Darius and Talon nodded toward the queen politely.
"At least we aren't Swain, Trynd'' Darius huffed out, then laughed a bit, thinking of what happened a few moments before.
"You think they look like a million bucks, check out Noxus's fearless leader" Cassiopeia laughed out, pointing to the hall where Annie's room was.
"When's the party again, Queen Ashe?" Orianna's soft voice rang out as she looked over at the rulers. Ashe softly smiled at her and opened her mouth to speak before being cut off.
"About 2 or 3, we have a bit before then" Katarina said, smirking at both women as her lover flicked her ear.
"I was gonna say that" Ashe huffed as Katrina rolled her eyes playfully and felt someone poke her side multiple times.
"Momma, it's 11, I think" Annie spoke up as she looked at the clock on their oven. Katarina's smirk morphed into a soft smile as she looked down and picked Annie up. Holding her close as she kissed her forehead, face and cheeks. The laughter from the child caused Katarina to widen her unusually big grin.
"So this is Momma Kat" Darius snickered as Talon smiled widely while Kat sent them daggers with her eyes from a short distance away as Annie snuggled into the crook of her neck, peering up at her.
"I won't hesitate to end you if you tell people in Noxus" she growled before Annie smacked her cheeks together, causing Katarina to have a fish face. The red haired assassin quirked her eyebrow in amusement at the little darling in her arms that was clearly messing with her.
"You gave Mom the gifts from You, Me, and Aunt Sarah, Momma?" Annie whispered over to her mother, looking over at her other parent, Ashe, who was talking with Orianna and Morgana. Katarina nodded, humming at the child's inquiry.
Ashe walked off, signaling the end of the conversation with the cook and the dancer. She then walked over and tenderly watched Annie, marveling with a tender look at the cute little girl she and her beloved wife called theirs, as she heard Katarina and her little conversation about the gifts. To show her gratitude to her daughter, she kissed her face multiple times, making sure to leave red lipstick all over her features, then turned and kissed her wife deeply.
"I'm just gonna go change and be back in a few, if it's alright with you guys." Ashe abruptly spoke up a few seconds to a full minute later as she pulled away, and everyone nodded in agreement as she walked off towards her chambers with Kat a blushing mess and Annie whining and grumbling about the lipstick stains.
"Don't forget to untie the idiots" came a loud request from across the castle before a door shut and a loud laugh rang through the room.
After Ashe had deserted to her chambers, Annie groaned cutely trying to wipe off the lipstick trails littered on her face to no avail. She began doing a puppy dog face at the adults near her and all she got was a few raised eyebrows.
"Need some help?" Morgana questioned the child and she nodded frantically. Morgana smirked, taking a wipe from the big lidded box she had and got to work, cleaning the face of the girl with Orianna's help as she fidgeted in Katarina's hold. After it was all said and done, Annie's face was as pristine as before and she gave a wide smile as a thanks as Orianna picked up a conversation.
"You and Ashe's new song reached number one on the charts the other day" Orianna cheerfully smiled at Kat while Morgana hummed along, showing her attention to the redhead. As they conversed, Talon and Cassiopeia watched Annie carefully, letting the little girl slip out of her mother's grasp and setting her on the ground without a thud.
Kat nodded, looking down to try to fight off the big smile and blush that was creeping up on her form. She took a deep breath to compose herself before she started.
"Three Cheers for Five Years, right?" Katarina hummed and poked her chin deep in thought, for her next words as Morgana and Ori absentmindedly nodded and grabbed a few treats from Morgana's box, listening intently.
"I think myself, Ashe, our drummer Lucian, along with his wife Senna, K/DA and Karthus all went to catch up before Pentakill went on tour and we wrote it then just off of a whim. I'm impressed at how it turned out to be this good that quickly. None of us expected the success" Kat admitted as a dopey grin wound up stitching itself onto her face as she opened the fridge to get some sodas passed around the room.
"Fortune and the others will be here in a bit, so don't drink them all." She hummed teasingly as she returned to her place on the counter.
"How many people did you guys invite?" Darius questioned as he raided the pantry to find all the food he could.
"About 20, I'm guessing" Katarina shrugged and walked around, surveying the room.
That gave her time to think to herself at how far she had come since coming to Freljord.
The thought had passed her mind, marrying royalty that didn't just lord over their subjects but had genuine passion and desire. Yet there she was in the flesh, a determined and warm demeanor that contrasted sharp eyes colder than the Freljord itself. A woman who could appreciate the arts? A woman whose drive to create that was just as powerful as her arm drawing back a true bow? She'd never thought it was possible. Yet here she was, married to this lovable goof.
Katarina from back then to now was like night and day, she had always dreamt of being happily married, with almost two children, feeling unstoppable, but now it was her reality.
She went through all of the doors immediately available, but stopped as she heard a banging from Annie's bedroom door. She furrowed her brows and opened the door to an angry yet very beautiful looking Swain.
Swain scowled and grumbled as he fixed his attire, moving swiftly away from Katarina and into the living room as they all looked over.
"That little menace..." Swain spat, eyeing the little girl a few feet away from him, then motioned to himself hastily.
"Put me in a dress and a wig. She even drew on me whatever that was" Swain angrily grumbled out, pointing at his face as Cassiopeia walked over and hi-fived Annie, causing Katarina to silently chuckle as she went to Orianna and Morgana and sat by them, sneaking herself a cupcake in the process.
"You let me do it though, old geezer." Annie quickly defended herself as she held her trusted bear by her side and was once again in a fit of giggles as Katarina looked on in amusement, watching her daughter ruthlessly stick her tongue out at the big boss of Noxus, silently patting herself on the back at the development.
"New look huh? Suits you" Katarina quipped sarcastically looking over to him as Swain shook his staff at her angrily, glaring intensely.
"No time for useless jokes, Sinister Blade" Swain harshly retorted as Kat childishly stuck her tongue out at him.
"Like mother, like daughter" Cassiopeia whispered snickering, pointing to the pair as the onlookers laughed heartily.