Ashes to Ashes | ✓

25k Milestone Celebration!

Recently, Ashes to Ashes has passed several milestones: 10k reads, 25k reads, and 1k votes! Whew. Kinda crazy, honestly. Usually, I would publish a special for each of these to celebrate, but they all rolled in faster than I could keep up with. I'm honestly blown away by the love and support you all have shown for this story--I really never thought I would get here! Thank you to everyone who has read, commented, voted on, shared, saved, and supported this story in so many ways! I appreciate each and every one of you. And yes, I know I'm super behind on comment replies, but I do read every single one of them as they come in and I do appreciate all of them.

Long story short, thank you. I wanted to give something back, so here's some art to celebrate and a little bonus oneshot! Please enjoy!

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This oneshot is actually the result of some of my early brainstorming moments back when the story was first starting out, but I've always liked it so I thought it was worth sharing. Although it's not technically canon, it fits into the story some time after chapter 15, so there are minor spoilers if you haven't hit that point yet. Nothing big though since I did write this before I even hit that point lol. Anyway, please enjoy!

 Felix confessed he was a poor dancer, but Aiko had no idea just how poor exactly. When they danced at her coronation, he seemed to follow the steps fine. However, mimicking patterns and following orders down the letter was what he was good at—eerily so, if she were honest. He was raised to do nothing but obey, he told her, and obeying was all he knew how to do. Perhaps that was why dancing didn't come naturally to him. At its core, dancing was freedom, unbound by rules and laws. It was everything he wasn't.

That was why surprise sparked the flame in her chest when he asked her to dance a second time, far from the reaches of Niveus's castle and stranded in the dark forest. His shoulder was bound, still bleeding red through the bandages, but there was confidence in his brilliant green eyes when he asked. Her breath hitched, eyes widening as she searched his face. Warmth settled in her cheeks, burning the tips of her ears and creeping down her neck. Her lips parted, but she couldn't get more than a feeble squeak out in response. That teasing smile of his climbed higher. For once, it almost touched his eyes and shattered his empty expression completely, but a touch of darkness always lingered in his gaze.

"I'll take that as a yes if you don't mind," he murmured.

There was no music this time to guide their steps, but he pulled her into a nameless, soundless rhythm of his own making. His hand was warm as it cradled hers against his palm. She stumbled slightly as he tugged her against his chest, but she made certain to avoid colliding with the wounded arm which was tucked close to his body. Clearing her throat, she awkwardly rested her other hand against his forearm. There was no good way to do this when he was wounded, and yet a determined spark had lit up his viridescent eyes. She couldn't refuse such a look. Not when she craved a glimpse of humanity in his face for so long.

The steps to this dance were quicker and more wild. It was akin to a kind of festival dance rather than a ballroom dance. There was no pattern to the way his feet moved, and no sense in the timing at which he would twirl her, but her heart soared all the same. Laughter spilled from her lips as she followed him in his logic-less dance. There was something freeing about the way she spun and leapt, swaying from one made-up step to the next. It wasn't bound by rules, tradition, or even the Core.

And perhaps it was the freedom that finally brought that wide, boyish grin to his face. His laughter rang clear and beautiful through the air. Though his shoulder was wounded, and pain traced lines beneath his eyes, it did not slow the pace at which he danced alongside her. For the first time, he looked like a man, true and fleshed out with a flame that burned as bright as her own. Her heart stuttered at the sight and she almost lost her footing.

This was what she wanted. It was what she, Aiko, wanted.

In the forest, drenched in moonlight and far from the confines of the Core, they were free.

When their dance finally began to slow, Aiko found herself nestled against him. His arm wrapped around her waist as he swayed gently, humming to himself. She relaxed into his hold with a sigh, letting her eyes slide shut.

"I think I like you, Aiko," Felix murmured, resting his head against hers. "For real this time. I don't have a free hand for a knife so... you can trust me."

She giggled. "I trust you." A pause settled over them, in which she mulled over her next words carefully. The heat in her cheeks deepened. "Felix?"

"Hm?"

"Can I... kiss you?"

Much to her surprise, he laughed yet again. She had never seen so much life in his expression, and it made her heart flip. He pulled away just slightly, enough that he could meet her eye. Red tinted his cheeks, and his gaze couldn't find a place to settle on her face. There was confidence in his voice, yet his face betrayed how flustered he truly was. It was contagious, and she found herself wanting to shrink away because of it.

"M-my hands are empty," she said quickly. "No knives. I promise not to stab you."

"I know. I trust you."

Before she could attempt to bury her embarrassment in any sort of teasing, he leaned in and captured her lips in a kiss. She stiffened at the soft touch before melting into it completely. Soft, feather light—as cautious as he was in everything. It was only a few seconds before he pulled away, but she lost track of how long they stood there together afterwards.

A smile curled her lips and she flicked her gaze away with a satisfied hum. She tucked her head against his chest, folding into his embrace. Maybe everything would turn out okay after all.

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Hopefully you enjoyed that little taste of random fluff :D Thank you again for reading and supporting the story. It's been such a pleasure to write it and I hope there will be more to come for this project. Do remember there is a sequel if you want more ;) Dust to Dust is waiting for you.

Thank you again! 

-Turtle