#//and I haven't seen anything from this conference yet

[neptuneiris]

sparks (04/04)

But I promise you this I'll always look out for you

pairing: business-boyfriend!aemond x fem!reader

summary: at the beginning your relationship with aemond is perfect and there were no worries. until he becomes the Heir of his father's company, the most important in the whole country and certain events and certain people start to interfere in the relationship.

word count: 9.0k

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now yes, the epilogue is officially coming soon haha

hello loves! hope you are having a wonderful day!

I made an announcement about the change in the story so if for some reason you didn't read it, don't worry, here I will explain again what happened:)

the reason why I decided to add a part 4 to the fic is very simple: the chapter was too long for the epilogue and when I say too long I mean really long. and I didn't want to bore you or fill you with too much, believe me that the epilogue was exaggeratedly long:(

I'm sorry if it wasn't what you expected, but I decided the best and I really hope you like it a lot, after all it's not the end yet😚

that's all, I won't keep you any longer, enjoy!

Aemond Targaryen had never felt so miserable in his life.

The trip to Casterly Rock was one of the most important in his entire working career and yet it was the worst trip he had ever attended in his life.

His mind would not leave him alone and the urge to cry along with the anxiety and desperation he felt was too much. And it was so much that he couldn't control it.

But outside of that, he didn't care too much about the event, socializing and having conversations with other important businessmen, as if it wasn't something he did every day, nor did he attend to the press which was what he avoided the most nor did he care about Larys Strong and Alys Rivers.

He honestly didn't care about anything.

At least nothing outside of the important thing that was his meeting with his partner Jason Lannister and attending his conference with the board of directors.

He didn't care that this would later lead to 'serious consequences,' if you could call it that, with his grandsire.

Even after he caught up again with Jason Lannister and properly attended the conference with the board of directors, as soon as it was all over, he took his flight back to King's Landing in a needy and desperate manner.

And the first thing he did after landing was to look for you and try to talk to you. Although he must have known that you would not let him find you.

Your university is extremely large and although he tried to find you by asking the administration and coordination of your university for your varied schedule, they did not give him anything, as they cannot give out their students' personal and private information so openly to strangers.

They only do so on occasions that require it and are extremely necessary with hard evidence, such as to a family member of the student for an emergency or something like that.

And Aemond honestly didn't blame them, as he looked extremely desperate and like a madman, especially when they told him they couldn't give him that information.

So he went to your work, where he knew it would be easier to find you, but again… he was unsuccessful because you wouldn't let him.

"Uhm… I'm sorry, but she's not here."

Your coworker told him and judging by her face, he knew instantly that she was lying, especially by the pitiful face she was giving him amidst the assurance she wants to create by saying her words.

"Please, just tell her I need to talk to her," he tells her pleadingly, feeling like he will burst into tears at any second.

She lets out a long breath, as she looks away from his gaze for a moment, looking hesitant, nervous and even watching him with pity.

"I'm really sorry but… she hasn't presented for days now and I haven't really seen her."

"But I need to talk to her as soon as possible," he insists, sad and still with a hint of hope that he can fix this, "Do you know where I could find her after her classes and work?"

"I-I…" she starts to say nervously, biting her lips, then completely avoiding eye contact with him "I'm sorry but I don't know. Like I said, I haven't seen her, so I'm not aware of her plans after work."

He takes a deep breath, as he runs a hand through his hair and also over his face, feeling his heart beating too fast, losing patience, losing hope, feeling completely desperate and frustrated.

"Please," he begs, not knowing what else to do, "Please tell me. I really need to see her and talk to her. I'm worried."

Sophia, not knowing what else to say, can't help but feel uncomfortable and again averts her gaze from his.

"I'm sorry but I haven't seen her and I really don't know where she might be."

Aemond watches her for a few seconds without saying anything else even with his sad and desperate face, understanding perfectly that he wouldn't get anything from her about you.

He sees how she is more than willing to keep lying for you and even though he feels completely desperate and frustrated, he knows it's not her fault, so he decides not to push her too hard.

So he took a deep breath and tried to sound calmer.

"Okay, I understand, thank you," he says resignedly, "But if you see her, please tell her that I came looking for her and needed to talk to her," he tells her one last time, "Tell her to please consider it."

And Sophie nods with a sympathetic nod, still watching him with that pity.

"Sure, I will."

And he nods back.

"Thank you."

That time Aemond came out of the coffee shop completely disappointed, having the foolish hope that you would come out of hiding and stop him after the little show he gave to your coworker completely sad and desperate.

But of course, that didn't happen.

Upon returning to the apartment, nothing felt the same anymore. Aemond now all he feels now is a deep loneliness and sadness that eats him alive inside as he finds himself alone in that place, a place that was once home to him and you, where you both started a little life together as a couple.

With loneliness in his chest and in the middle of the apartment, he sees everything around him with his melancholic eye and face.

Everything now felt like a painful reminder of what he had lost.

The place is completely permeated with memories where every room and corner tells a story of his relationship with you.

The cushions on the couch where you used to cuddle and watch movies together, the kitchen island where you shared with each other your day to day separately and the kitchen where you made food or washed dishes together, laughing and talking about anything.

Aemond then goes to the bedroom, where he now sees your empty desk where there is no longer your laptop, your lamp and all those pens and markers with which you used to make notes for your classes, nor the various sheets and folders with which you used to do your projects and research.

So he understands why you decided to leave him, because even though it was never intentional and the least he wanted to do was hurt you, he still did.

Your vanity is also completely empty, where so many times you spent hours doing your makeup happy and energetic singing your favorite songs.

And other nights you would remove your makeup crying for him and because he never put a serious stop to his work by standing you up.

And as he looks at the bed, only the memories invade him more, beginning to feel his eye watering.

The two of you cuddling, him taking refuge in your arms after a stressful day at his job or you taking refuge in his arms after a stressful day at college. Also before bedtime, the two of you would talk about anything silly until you fell asleep, where the moment felt more intimate than anywhere else.

And Aemond loved those moments, as did you, where you both shared space on the comfort of your bed.

Aemond then wanting to return to the living room, he stops in the middle of the hallway looking at the door with a serious and at the same time pained expression, where he also remembers that day when you were here and he was at the entrance waiting for Cole, where everything happened.

But it's also where you both made love and showed that love to each other with that passion, with that affection and with that deep intimacy of just the two of you that was nothing ordinary or common.

You were just two people in love loving and enjoying each other with that complicity and that unique union that characterized them.

Letting out a huge breath, he then plops down on the couch, staring at a spot in the living room in silence, feeling completely alone and hopeless.

And he hates it.

He absolutely hates the feeling.

Just as he hates the feeling of emptiness in his heart that seems impossible to fill. Because he knows it can never be filled by anyone else. Only you.

And that's when Aemond starts to really break down, realization and acceptance slowly creeping into his mind, eating him alive, destroying him, leaving him with nothing.

Until it happens and in the midst of his silence and loneliness, he starts to cry without being able to help it anymore.

He hates everything, his job, his grandsire, the association with Alys Rivers, the press, absolutely everything and also himself, for letting you slip through his fingers and not doing anything more efficient from the beginning to avoid the breakup.

Because if he had, you would still be with him.

It's only until Aemond really feels miserable and like he can't breathe that he decides to call the only person who can get to him sooner, really not wanting to be alone, needing someone to be able to reassure him.

So he calls the one person he thinks might be able to help him and reassure him.

He would have called you, of that there is no doubt, you would be his first choice, but you have blocked him from everywhere, from every social media, calls and messages.

He would have called Hel too, but she's in Highgarden, Hells, he would have even called Aegon, but he's in Storm Ends.

"Yes, Aemond?"

Rhaenyra Targaryen answers on the other end of the call, and Aemond really can't formulate coherent sentences for every sob.

He tells her your name, that he can't find you, that you've blocked him from everywhere, he mentions his grandsire, the company, loneliness, sadness and that it all happened too fast, that he needs her and doesn't know what to do.

And soon after that Aemond says he doesn't want to be there anymore, so they both leave the apartment and with every step he takes away from the place that used to be a home for him, he feels an increasingly heavier weight than before in his heart.

Soon Rhaenyra arrives at the apartment to help her half brother, not asking him anything about what has him like this while he continues to cry and holds her hand tightly.

Rather Rhaenyra tries to reassure him by telling him that she is there for him.

It is only a matter of time before his entire family knows of his breakup with you, instantly Hel calling him, as does Aegon, Hel being the more surprised and incredulous of the two, wanting to know what has happened.

Since Aemond has no vacation and can't afford to miss work with a few extremely important and one hundred percent justifiable exceptions, he soon finds himself setting foot inside the building.

Though they both know, as does their whole family, that it was because of their grandsire and everything to do with the company, also because of Alys Rivers.

And they are not surprised when Aemond implies he had something to do with it, not saying anything else, clearly because he doesn't want to talk about it.

All his workers notice the down and serious mood of the next boss, as it is also noticeable that he doesn't want to talk to anyone and doesn't want anyone to talk to him more than necessary, so he just locks himself in his office to continue with his work.

But as soon as he starts his work day, inevitably having that hope by looking at his phone screen from time to time that you will call or text him, Eleanor calls him and warns him that he has a meeting in ten minutes with his grandsire.

This makes his mood worse, even though he knew it would only be a matter of time, but he reluctantly gets up and heads for the conference room.

And the moment Otto enters the room, clearly with his annoyed and frustrated face, the whole place fills with tension. And when Otto makes it clear to him that he is not happy at all, still Aemond maintains an emotionless and indifferent face.

"I can't believe how irresponsible you're being, truly."

Otto begins to say with incredulous surprise and a frown on his face, watching him completely annoyed.

"I asked you for one, just one thing on your trip to Casterly Rock."

"The only important thing on that trip was to attend my meeting with Jason Lannister and also the conference with the board of directors, in both of which I did perfectly well," Aemond says still completely indifferent.

"Don't you want to play dumb with me, Aemond," he warns him through his teeth, "You know perfectly well what I'm talking about."

"Look, I'm not in the mood for this right now—

"And you think I am?" he inquires instantly, "You think I'm not tired of telling you the same old thing over and over again?" he says annoyed, "Wasn't I clear with you when I told you I didn't want Rivers to cause a scene for me again because of you and what's the first thing she does when she comes back from that trip?"

"For fuck's sake, you close your fucking contract with her!"

Explodes Aemond annoyed against him without being able to control himself anymore, tired and annoyed of him, but of course Otto also responds in the same way.

"No, this is your job! She wants you, not me! And now that you're finally done with Y/N, you can do something about it, something more than necessary, but you do nothing!"

Then again something inside Aemond snaps at the mention of your name and the breakup, leaving him completely silent and watching his grandsire with his parted lips.

Everything in his mind is still fresh, his emotions are still running high and that he has mentioned the breakup as a good thing so that he can finally whore himself out to Alys without any guilt and restraint, as his grandsire has asked him to do, only makes his gaze turn dark and one of complete anger towards him.

And Otto, as he is looking him straight in the eye, notices that change within him and in his gaze, but he doesn't move, doesn't flinch, and continues firm.

"So you know."

Aemond says in a low but firm tone, watching him intently and without even blinking, even with that dark and determined look, making Otto watch him silently for a moment, then swallowing hard and finally speaking.

"Of course I know. Just because I'm not home much, doesn't mean I'm not informed of what's going on with my family."

"And you're happy now?"

He inquires him really without much emotion, with an incredibly calm and soft tone of voice that surprises Otto, while now Aemond's gaze reflects the slight pain, watching him completely attentively, being strong and as much as he can in front of him, clenching his jaw.

And Otto says nothing, just watches him, which Aemond considers him a coward, as what he wanted so badly has finally happened and he says nothing.

"I bet you do," he answers her question for him, watching him bitterly.

Otto lets out a long breath.

"Look, I know you cared about her, and I feel sorry for you, but the company—

"No, that's not true, you don't feel the slightest bit sorry for me," he interrupts him with a disinterested tone, "She broke up with me because of you, but also because of me. And I'm sure when you found out, you were so pleased and had more hope that I would finally do something about Rivers and the association," he says dispassionately.

"Aemond, I'm just asking you to be professional and fulfill your obligations as heir to this company. I'm asking you because I care about you and because you can't get stuck thinking about a girl, instead of your job, your company."

"Don't mention her," he tells her instantly serious and with a threatening tone and look, "I don't want you to talk about her, ever again."

Otto lets out a long breath.

"Rivers has given us a warning and a deadline for you to convince her to sign those papers. She's already upset and unpleasant enough thanks to you," he tells him seriously, "This whole process has gone on long enough, so either you act now or we lose her forever. And we're not going to have the conversation again about why it's important to partner with her company, are we?"

Aemond looks away from him, completely pissed off and annoyed, and then gets up from the swivel chair, intending to finally get the fuck out of here.

"I'm talking to you."

Otto tells him in a higher tone of voice, watching him seriously.

"Yes and I've heard enough."

"You will do as I have told you and you will do it now," he warns him.

Aemond scowls at him, then puts on an annoyed and more threatening face than before, placing his hands on the very expensive refined wooden table then leaning towards him as well with his threatening posture.

"You're not going to order me around anymore."

"Aemond, do you really want to force me to do something I don't really want to?"

"Don't worry, I know you really do want to and I honestly don't care. But believe me it wouldn't be good for you, after all… I remind you that you're forgetting your place."

The fight and silence builds the tension further, as Otto and Aemond stare menacingly and defiantly at each other, each with their differences being more than clear, when suddenly the door to the conferences bursts open.

This breaks all the tension and also draws the attention of both of them, who look towards the door and under the doorway stands Rhaenyra, whom Otto observes slightly surprised and completely confused.

"Sorry to interrupt," she says as she places a soft smile, "I hope it's not something important."

Aemond turns his gaze back to his grandsire for a moment with his jaw clenched, who continues to stare at Rhaenyra confused and this time with a questioning look, showing his annoyance at the sight of her.

"No, we were done," Aemond makes clear, his voice in a serious and low tone, to turn his gaze back to her.

"And what are you doing here?"

Otto inquires Rhaenyra, who is not surprised by his attitude towards her, as she is used to it and doesn't really care.

"I came to speak with Aemond," she says then turns her gaze to her half-brother, "Your secretary told me you were here and I thought maybe you could talk to me, if you're not busy."

He nods in her direction.

"Sure," and she nods back, waiting for him as well.

But Aemond turns his gaze to his grandsire, who also looks back at him, confused and questioning to see that in his gaze he still intends to fight him with his threatening posture.

Again they both stare at each other, where Otto stares at him completely serious without saying anything and Aemond continues threatening, completely serious.

"If you pay someone to notify all the press and all the media anonymously of my breakup with Y/N or tell only Rivers to take advantage of me, believe me I will publicly announce and tarnish your image about how you tried to whore me out to Rivers with proof."

He threatens and Otto gasps for a moment.

"And i will tell worse, that she was also seeking an intimate relationship with me, a woman who has almost my twenty years on me."

And without saying anything else, Aemond leaves the room together with Rhaenyra without waiting and without hearing any answer back from his grandsire, for the first time in a long time having won the fight and leaving him completely speechless.

"What? You thought I didn't know?" he asks, "She doesn't say her age and she doesn't look nearly forty, but she is, so we don't want any of that, do we?"

He observes him expectantly,

"It will be a disastrous scandal. And it won't be good for her, nor for you and the company. I also know it won't be good for me, my mother, my siblings or my entire family. But I will do it if you leave me no choice and I won't give a fuck, because it will all have been your fault," he makes it clear.

At that moment he feels liberated and empowered, as he has finally left him in his place and has not done what he always ordered her to do, while he experiences a sense of relief and renewed self-confidence.

But unfortunately, that feeling doesn't last forever. Or at least it doesn't last once he's outside the company walls.

And that's because he's still thinking and longing for you.

He tried a few more times to try to find you, asking all the people he and you have in common where you might be or where you live now saying he needed to talk to you, but no one would give him an answer, making him miserable.

Even at work, he couldn't concentrate, because all the time he was thinking about you and if he could do his work, it was all thanks to Eleonor, who would notice his tired face and the bags under his eyes, as well as notice how hard he was trying.

She would see him drinking coffee more than usual and it worried her, but knowing how stubborn he is, she knew there was nothing she could do.

And once he got home, no one knew the sadness and loneliness that consumed him completely.

Even sometimes when he couldn't sleep, he kept looking at the selfie of you and him on his phone screen that he hasn't taken down, both of you smiling and more than happy, instantly feeling the pain in his chest and the tears about to run down his cheek.

It's going on a month since you decided to end the relationship but Aemond is still haunted by the moments you both shared and the 'what ifs' that haunt his mind.

Every day, the pain of the breakup seems to increase rather than decrease. At every moment of distraction, also at work or doing the most ordinary thing in life, like making a coffee, Aemond gets lost in his thoughts, remembering you.

And in every memory, he blames himself for what had gone wrong, thinking of all the ways he could have acted differently and done more for both of you, for you.

And he couldn't accept that he would simply never see you again, that it was all over, he needs you and he needs you so badly every time he starts crying and blaming himself at the same time.

He feels completely trapped in the memory of what the relationship was and feels unable to get over you, the woman who had and still means everything to him.

It is not until Rhaenyra and her mother began to notice Aemond's instability and begin to worry about him that even Helaena decides to fly to King's Landing to be there for him, reporting everything to Aegon.

And fortunately Aemond doesn't push her away when she visits him by surprise, telling him that she has come to stay with him as long as necessary.

And he hugs her tightly and cries on her shoulder, asking her not to leave him alone, to please help him recover you, that he needs you, that he understands that everything was his fault but that he deserves at least one more conversation with you.

The people Aemond cares about are there for him, even Rhaenyra, but Helaena is the one who is almost all the time with him at home and also at the company, running the Highgarden company from there, helping him heal at the same time.

Unfortunately you never responded to Helaena's messages, neither to Baela's.

So even though it hurts Helaena to see her brother like this, she knows that you are hurt too, she knows your reasons why you did what you did and she doesn't blame you for it.

But Aemond can't.

And though he doesn't know it and doesn't even think about it, you are just as or worse off than he is, trying just as hard as he is to cope with the breakup, barely being functional in your day to day life and in having enough energy, being completely broken inside.

He is still immensely in love with you and every day that goes by and he doesn't see you or hear from you, it's complete torture.

He even stopped being seen in public and stopped attending events, focusing entirely on the company and nothing else.

It's not until another full month passes that one day, when Aemond wakes up to find Helaena in the kitchen with her face completely pale, her eyes wide open and her lips parted with her phone in hand, she gives him the news that he knew would happen someday but still takes him by surprise.

His father has died.

And he knows what that means, everyone knows.

He is the successor and literally overnight, he is now the boss, officially. And with that begins the real chaos for Aemond Targaryen.

It was a moment he was looking forward to but at the same time not because of the great responsibility that would fall on him, all the great weight.

But first of all, the whole Targaryen family is busy with a funeral and taking an indefinite rest, all of them and him especially hiding from the press and everyone.

1 month later

"So…

Speaks the calculated voice of Alys Rivers with a condescending tone, looking expectantly at Otto Hightower in front of her as she slowly turns in the swivel chair she is sitting in, having her uncle Larys Strong next to her, who in comparison to her is calmer.

"He won't show up?"

She inquires as she fiddles with the pen in her hand, twirling it between her fingers with her perfectly painted dark scarlet fingernails, raising an eyebrow in Otto's direction.

"Of course he will, he knows how important this is to us," he tells her immediately, "It's just that with the death of his father, he and his siblings still need a little more time. It's been very recent still."

"We still mourn the death of Viserys Targaryen," Larys Strong says in a soft tone and Otto nods in his direction.

But Alys is not at all pleased, for months now.

"We've been waiting for almost fifteen minutes."

"Yes, I know, I'm sorry, honestly—

The door suddenly opens, interrupting Otto and drawing the attention of the three in the conference room who turn their heads and see Aemond entering the room unhurriedly and calmly.

"Sorry for the delay," he says as he approaches his place, "I was taking an important call."

Rivers instantly looks at him in a penetrating manner as she continues to fiddle with the pen in her fingers, while his grandsire watches him seriously.

"More important than this?" hisses Otto quietly through his teeth.

And still not caring, he takes a seat to adopt an equally nonchalant posture, looking even annoyed that he has to be in this room with these people, causing Rivers stress and frustration, as well as his grandsire for his attitude and lack of interest.

"Yes."

Aemond replies to him without dissimulation and without caring.

"I don't think you have understood the gravity of the matter, Mrs. Targaryen," Alys Rivers speaks, catching the attention of the three, looking directly at him, "I gave you a deadline to sign the association papers and you still haven't given me one good reason why my company should be associated with yours."

Aemond shrugs, observing her indifferently.

"That my company is the most important, innovative and efficient in the entire country is not reason enough for you?"

"That's not what I meant."

"We're talking about business and what's in the best interest of our companies, aren't we?"

Rivers clenches her jaw.

"I think you know perfectly well that a partnership requires more than that, it's also about building interpersonal relationships."

"As far as I know, you are a co-owner of Riverlands Group and the one who actually founded the company was you, Larys Strong," he observes the man, "You shouldn't decide if you want to sign these papers or not?"

Otto throws daggers at him with his eyes and an utterly deadly stare, but Aemond doesn't even notice, as well as Rivers starts to get annoyed. So before Larys Strong can speak, she speaks first.

"We both work as a team and make decisions together," she tells him instantly, wanting to make it clear.

"You seem to make all the decisions."

"Aemond—

"As far as I know, it's not in your best interest to lose this opportunity to be able to partner with my company," Rivers speaks with a firmer, more serious and determined tone, "And I've been very patient and accessible for months now."

"Also as far as I know, months ago we attended an event together and it was you who announced how proud you were to have a partnership between us in process to everyone, yet you are the one who hasn't signed the papers, so what exactly is it that you need or want from me or the company for you to sign them?"

He dares in asking with a challenging tone and look, watching her completely intently, wanting to know how bold she is, pushing her a little to say or not to say what she really wants from him.

As Otto hides in his chair and holds a hand to his face, not being able to believe this is really happening.

And Rivers looks completely serious and annoyed at Aemond, who starts to look amused by his lack of response. So the next thing he does is point to the contracts on the table in front of him, extending them to both of them.

"So… do we have a deal or not?"

He inquires, not wanting to waste any more time and wanting to get this over with once and for all, watching them expectantly.

Strong and Rivers exchange a glance, where Rivers still has his serious and annoyed look, but also has something else on his mind after fully analyzing this new Aemond now that he is he boss.

So he silently nods in his uncle's direction, making Strong extend his hand to place the papers in front of him to sign them.

But just as his fingertips touch the paper, Aemond abruptly puts them back in front of him, leaving them out of his reach, drawing the attention of all three instantly and more so of his grandsire who already feels completely relieved after so much.

But Aemond's attitude is alarming just then.

"Before you sign, I need to tell you something important."

All three of them frown, especially his grandsire.

"And it can't be after the two finally sign?" he inquires without having the patience for any more of this.

Aemond lets out a long breath, looking at his grandfather and then Rivers directly, wanting to be completely clear with his words.

"I want you to know that in another occasion I would have really appreciated having the opportunity to work with you and partner with your company, I really would," he tells her honestly, "But you never acted the right way, neither did you," he turns to his grandsire to focus back on Rivers, pausing slightly, "So I don't need this association anymore."

Surprise and disbelief completely takes over the three of them, but more so on Rivers and Otto, who exchange confused and puzzled looks.

"Aemond, what are you saying?" his grandsire inquires.

"I'm saying that I don't care and I'm not going to do what you tell me anymore nor am I going to let people like you intrude into my personal life," he then tells Rivers with determination.

Rivers looks at him completely offended.

"Me intruding in your personal life? What are you talking about?"

"I think you know perfectly well what i'm talking about, so since you have nothing more to do here, I'm sorry for wasting too much of your time, but you can go now."

His grandsire looks at him in complete surprise and disbelief.

"Aemond—

"If you think I'm going to sit here and allow this treatment of me by you, you are very wrong, I will not tolerate it for another second," Rivers says, getting up from her chair, annoyed and offended, "You need me but this is your loss. Let's see how long it takes before your company goes bankrupt and you lose everything."

Aemond lets out a bitter laugh.

"No, in fact I don't need you," he makes it clear, amused, "And if I needed you, believe me I wouldn't have partnered with you even as my last option," he tells him decisively, "Do you think you're the only company that has partnerships with Essos? Not only you, but also Rodrik Greyjoy, the owner of the Pike company in the Iron Islands, my new partner".

He says and Otto Hightower looks on in complete surprise, not expecting that at all. And this only causes more anger and indignation in Alys Rivers.

"You're going to regret this," Rivers tells him humiliated and annoyed as she grabs her purse and then heads for the exit with big strides, "And my company is never going to be associated with yours, ever!"

"Have a nice day."

Aemond tells her not forgetting his manners and the doors slam shut with a loud slam that still doesn't completely flinch, then looks at his grandfather who looks like he's going to explode at any moment.

"You can leave too," he tells her nonchalantly, rising from his seat, "I've had enough of this shit. I expect your resignation by tomorrow at the latest."

"My resignation?" he repeats, completely bewildered and surprised.

"Yes, your resignation," he affirms him" "Rhaenyra will now take your place while Daemon is left running Dragonstone."

"W-what…? Aemond, you can't do this! I helped you, I supported you, I broke my back for you, I made you what you are now and I put you where you are!"

"Actually yes I can and in fact I already have," he says dispassionately, heading for the exit, "I'm the boss now."

And even hearing their protests and shouts, he leaves the room with him following, causing a huge scene, but once he makes his way to his office, he slams the door in his face and asks Cole to take him out of here immediately and he instantly complies with his order.

And when Aemond sits in his chair, he lets out a long sigh and closes his eye as he drops his head completely on the backrest, no longer feeling that weight on his shoulders and that tension he felt every day all over his body, finally feeling free, relieved and at peace.

It honestly feels good, after so long.

And he sees the positives of him finally being the boss, as he can now do these kinds of things, things he couldn't do before and finally give him that needed balance to his life and work.

But as soon as he leaves his work space and gets home, he again feels that emptiness in his chest and that sadness, not feeling full and like him, knowing full well that you are missing for his life to finally be perfect.

He wishes he could have done all this with you by his side. He still wants to fix everything between him and you, but you being off his radar, it's just impossible.

And he still loves you too much to use money to try to find out where you are, knowing he couldn't do that to you, the woman he still loves with every fiber of his body and heart.

He still misses you, very much. He wants to have one more reason to be this new person he has become, a better person really.

But he respects your decision, even though he still thinks he deserved more.

That same day he sends a message to Helaena asking her when she will come to King's Landing and if she wants to stay with him at his house and that same day at night he receives a message from Floris Baratheon, a friend he and you have in common, finally things being in his favor.

The moment he so deserved arrives when Floris invites him to a pub in the center of the city to celebrate his birthday. And since he knows you and Floris are close friends, he knows you'll be there.

You thank the driver for dropping you off at your destination after paying him, then you get out of the car, close the door and head towards the entrance of the pub that Floris has chosen to celebrate his birthday.

Today you don't know what's wrong with you, as you suddenly have a very positive mood and attitude that hasn't been seen in you for months, clearly since what happened that day.

But today you have all the willingness to have fun, celebrate with Floris, have a couple of drinks and see what else the night takes you to, you really need it.

So you open the door of the pub to enter, instantly ringing that typical bell that announces a new customer, which draws the attention of some people already inside the place, but you focus on finding Floris and his friends at all the scattered tables.

"Y/N!"

Suddenly someone shouts your name and you turn your head, seeing that it's Floris, calling you from the table they are at and you start to smile, about to head towards all of them, when suddenly, your gaze crosses with a blue eye that you know all too well among all the people at the table.

A blue eye you haven't seen for months.

And your whole world around you fades away.

You freeze completely and a shiver runs down your entire back as you stare at him in shock, attentively and with your lips parted, definitely not expecting to see him, at all.

Your heart starts pounding, your legs turn to jelly and your throat goes dry. You don't know what to do, let alone what to say, you just can't speak or react, nothing.

You don't feel any more that mood of before, that disposition and that attitude, you simply feel like a little girl who wants to hide behind her mother's legs.

The memories of the relationship, the happy moments, the painful moments, everything you went through together comes back to you in an instant. Just as you remember that day, when it all ended, feeling sick to your stomach, suddenly no longer feeling strength in your whole body.

You feel completely trapped in a sea of emotions flooding your mind. The feelings that you had tried to suppress for months, now overwhelm you.

But not only does your whole history with him come back to you, you are also affected by seeing him again physically after so many months because you had not even seen him through a photo on the social media after the breakup.

And to see him now after the passing of his father and that he is now the owner of the most important company in the country, is just more of a surprise for you.

You try not to let the surprise be so noticeable on your face, although you probably already failed at it, seeing now his gorgeous short platinum hair, giving him a completely different air and look, although not in a bad way.

So you assume that those are the reasons why now he has changed. You can't say the same for yourself as he has really changed, physically.

You had never imagined an Aemond with his hair cut short, you never thought about it and now seeing it… it makes you feel a sensation all over your body that you really can't explain.

He looks more… mature and like… an expert in business, which is what he really is. He looks even younger for his age, also more handsome. He looks like a big businessman.

Unable to help yourself, you still can't move, just standing there, clearly affected after seeing your ex-boyfriend again, who Floris immediately jumps to your rescue, while at the same time you see how Aemond says something under his breath to Liam, a friend of his and also yours, to then get up and head towards the bathroom without looking any further in your direction.

You follow him with your gaze, swallowing hard and starting to tremble, while Floris stops in front of you with a small reassuring smile.

"Hey, I'm so happy you came."

She hugs you and you let her, as you really need it and she knows you need it too.

"Easy," she murmurs comfortingly in your ear, "You've got this, take a deep breath."

You blink, as if to clear your thoughts that way, then drop your head defeatedly on her shoulder, inhaling deeply, as she has told you to.

"I'm sorry," she tells you with some pity, feeling your body tense, "The guys mentioned it to him but he said I still wouldn't tell him anything, so in order not to make him feel bad, I decided to invite him too," she tells you sadly.

"No, no, it's okay."

You tell her instantly, turning away to watch her, seeing Floris as your eyes are full of emotions and with effort, you try to nod and understand her, although you really do, since after all, Floris is not only your friend, she is also his friend and you can't blame her, you would never do that.

"I-I… I… I know, I just… I didn't expect it," you confess, trying to compose yourself.

At least he's out of your sight now and that helps a little but still, you know he'll be back soon.

Floris takes your hands gently, offering you his physical support that she hoped would be enough for you in comforting you.

"I know it's all still very fresh in your mind, so if you need to leave, that's fine with me, I'll understand perfectly, don't worry."

"No, no, I mean, yes, it all still feels very fresh but…" you let out a long breath, "Sooner or later it was bound to happen, you know? And it's your birthday!" you exclaim out of nerves, "I-I can't just leave, I-I…" you bite your lips, "Happy birthday, by the way."

Floris smiles.

"Thank you bestie."

You smile back as best you can, still feeling your mind working at full speed, your body feels it more tense than usual and you unconsciously keep on the lookout for him, because he might come back at any second.

You give her the gift you bought for her, then she gives a few words of motivation and finally she leads you with almost everyone to the table.

You greet old friends and also meet other friends of Floris, trying to look calm and relaxed at all times, when in reality, inside you are a bundle of nerves and not calm at all, not at all.

You can see that all your friends… and Aemond's friends too, know that he and you are no longer together, which causes you some discomfort, but for Floris, you decide to face it, him too.

"At any point in the evening you can leave if you need to, really," she reassures you again before you take a seat and you nod in her direction, understanding.

Meanwhile Aemond in the bathroom leans fully into the sink as he breathes through his mouth and closes his eye for a moment, trying to calm himself, letting a sigh escape his lips.

He honestly doesn't understand what has happened to him.

He thought he could, that this is all he's ever wanted so he could have you back with him, but… when he barely laid his eye on you the moment you walked into the place with five meters in front of him, he felt like he was going back to the past.

For all these months, even yesterday, I was waiting for this moment. He was waiting to see you again, to try to talk to you, to try to get you back and now?

He just felt like a scared little boy.

His heart broke into pieces again as he remembered that day, when you decided to break up with him.

And how he felt at that moment, besides the weeks after when he tried to look for you and you wouldn't let him and blocked him from everywhere, he relived it again, feeling every emotion, remembering every tear he shed and all the other pressures he had on him because of his grandsire.

Not to mention the death of his father and his promotion in the company, all in a matter of days, making everything worse.

And although everything is totally different now, he still recognizes that he did not prepare for this moment.

Everything still hurts him, he no longer feels capable, he feels that you will break his heart again, although no more than he broke yours, where he did nothing about it, he only asked for forgiveness, as if that was enough.

Aemond looks at his reflection and tells himself that he must keep calm, keep his posture and not make this any more uncomfortable than it already will be.

But at all times he has this longing in his heart to be able to get you back.

While you now find yourself sitting, having a place at the big table, basically at the other end, away from where he is sitting, trying to calm yourself down from now on, although it is costing you a lot.

And not a moment too soon, Floris places a beer in your hand, murmuring in your ear that your mind needs to stop thinking and worrying too much.

And just as you take a sip, Aemond returns.

You try not to look at him too much, just the same way he tries not to look at you too much as he takes a seat next to Liam again, but unconsciously it's impossible.

The table by the others is full of laughter, while the pub is full of music, with a party atmosphere that really contrasts with your whirlwind of emotions and also with his.

Even though you don't want to, yet when he doesn't notice, you watch him. And this frustrates you. You want to enjoy Floris' birthday, but you can't help the tension you emanate along with him even though they are extreme to extreme.

Every time his gaze meets yours, you avert yours to the other side, nervous and alert, telling yourself that you can't let this disturb you for the entire time you'll be here.

"We're just here to celebrate Floris."

You repeat to yourself in your mind constantly.

On the other side, Aemond's mind doesn't stop spinning. Every time his eye meets yours, he feels a knot in his stomach and in order not to feel too much, he takes a sip of his beer as well and tries to appear unconcerned.

You both feel completely vulnerable, you don't want to make the atmosphere more tense and uncomfortable, so you make an effort to think about Floris and his friends.

You try to distract yourself by talking to other friends, talking to Floris and observing the whole place, but Aemond is always on your mind.

And even though you shouldn't, you ask yourself inevitable questions, unable to control it.

How is he doing?

How is he coping with the fact that he is now the boss?

Did he suffer a lot because of his father's death?

Must he hate me for ending things with him like that?

Did the association with Alys Rivers' company happen?

You let out a long breath, hating your mind at that moment, but you also inevitably begin to answer those questions with assumptions.

You assume he must be fine, since he's here, which surprises you since he didn't have time for almost anything before, so his new position at the company must give him a little more free time, although you don't really know.

You think about whether he must hate you for breaking his heart in such a cruel way, taking advantage of the fact that he had to leave to get on his plane and you guess he must still be seeing Rivers, even the breakup probably made things easier.

You bite the inside of your cheek and scold yourself, since you don't really know anything and take a long swig from your beer bottle, having had enough of you.

Aemond, on his own, in his mind was trying to find a reason or a good excuse to approach you, but he couldn't find the right moment. He wished the words would flow naturally, but every time he imagined a conversation, he felt blocked and unable to utter a word.

As the night progresses, the tension between the two persists, but fortunately it also becomes a little more bearable.

Although you have not spoken and have only exchanged glances, you had taken an important step in facing the past in that same place. But although the purpose was to have fun, neither he nor you did, it was impossible and you just sat in your places for Floris, nothing else.

Luckily everyone else didn't feel uncomfortable or tense because of you two, as little by little the table fills up with more drinks, the guys and he also smoke, the music helps and most of them are getting drunk, except him and you.

Until the hours go by, it's a little past midnight and already some people are starting to leave, Floris' night of celebration slowly coming to an end.

When only Floris, Liam, Sarah, Jenna, him and you are left, therefore, Floris considers the night over. And that's your cue to leave, so you say goodbye to her and everyone except him, taking the opportunity to leave the pub as you see him busy asking for a cigarette.

As you leave the pub, you lean against the wall with your phone in hand and the Uber app on the screen, waiting for a driver to accept your ride, but it keeps asking you to wait every long minute, making you feel desperate and worried.

You know it's only a matter of time before they and he come out and see you here and that's what you don't want.

But luck in that regard is not in your favor.

After continuing to wait for five more long minutes, you grunt under your breath in frustration as the application doesn't tell you anything, besides it's too much to ask for but you don't blame that either as you recognize that your dorm is far from here and you also take the time into consideration.

When then, Floris and all of them leave the pub, instantly her and also him noticing you.

Floris instantly turns to you and you give her a tired and distressed look.

"What's wrong?" she asks you in a low voice.

You bite your lips as you stare at your phone in frustration and answer her in a low voice as well.

"No driver accepts my ride. I don't know what to do."

"Well, Aemond has offered to drive us," she tells you with some caution and even in a low voice, "I'm sure he'll have no problem driving you too."

And here's just what you didn't want.

"No, I-I…" you let out a long breath, "Maybe I should try another app or walk a little further."

"Have you lost your mind?" she reproaches you in a whisper.

"I'm not going to ask him to drive me too," you clarify, frustrated and sad, "I've had enough."

"Come on, Y/N. I'll ask him."

Aemond, actually hears everything from a distance and realizes the situation, so he notices how Floris watches him and also how you try to watch him from the corner of your eye, noticing how you move your fingers across the screen of your phone in a desperate way.

And just then Liam speaks in his direction.

"I don't think we're all going to fit," he tells him as he points to his car.

He lets out a long breath as he pulls his keys out of his pocket, unlocking the doors.

"Get in, everyone."

He says in his voice loud enough for everyone and especially you to hear, without even looking at you, he also says it with a nonchalant tone, then starts across the street, heading to his car, which is big and spacious enough for everyone.

He listens as you and Floris speak again, but it's not so audible to him anymore, with the others following him to the car as well.

Tonight hasn't been the best, neither was the way you both ended it, but he still cares about you and your well-being, as there was no way he was going to leave you here alone, at almost two in the morning.

And when he gets in the car, he thought he would have to stand still, waiting for you, to the point of having to tell you himself that he will drop you off at home, but in the end he sees you following Floris with a look that he can't really describe.

Liam gets in as co-pilot and all the girls settle in the back seats, you too.

And pretty soon he's driving through the city, watching you in the rearview mirror from time to time, unable to help himself, while you watch him too when he doesn't notice, biting the inside of your cheek and feeling completely nervous.

And you don't know if it was intentional, but it really wasn't, Aemond just started asking for directions and those who had their houses closest to them spoke, leaving Sarah first, then Floris, Liam and at the end there's Jenna and you.

"My dorm is in Walden Residence, it's on the first block of the university," she indicates to Aemond and then she looks at you, "You live in a dorm too?"

You nod, feeling unable to speak.

"In which residence?"

You swallow hard, as you lick your lips.

"Westbridge."

"Oh! Then you'll drop me off first, her dorm is further in the back," she says to Aemond, who starts the car again.

Oh fuck.

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[melanieph321]

SEVEN DAYS OF REQUESTS 3.0

(DAY 2)

Riccardo Calafiori x Reader - Difficult Part 3/3

+18

Part 1 Part 2

Reader is the media manager for Bologna FC and is reluctantly paired up to help Riccardo Calafiori with interviews after a badly played match.

Enjoy!

It was strange. You spent the weekend believing that you were fired from your job, only to receive a phone call on Monday from your boss, asking you to come fly to Milano with him.

"So....why am I here exactly?" You asked, all dressed up and in a full face set with makeup.

"What do you think, I need help with the press." He insisted.

The Bologna FC annual charity event was held in honor of the teams own foundation. Donations were made throughout the year, but the annual charity event was a chance for sponsors to meet the players and the recipients of the granted scholarships that the foundation offered.

"I get that part, but why did I have to dress up?" Your boss had been awfully specific during your phone call. Especially when it came to which hotel you would be staying at, along with what attire you should wear for the big event (high heels, black dress).

"Y/N, hasn't anyone told you that asking too many questions can be perceived as rude?"

"No. Asking questions is my job. Your job too."

"For God's sakes."

You were pulled aside. Your boss spoke to you in hushed tones. "Don't let tonight fool you. If it was up to me, you'd be long gone, fired for the shit you pulled last week. However, a certain player may or may not have refused to appear in front of the press tonight unless you were present."

"Huh, who?"

"Oh, please. Don't act coy with me. I should have known that it was more to you and Calafiori. No one has managed to get him to attend these things, let alone speak to the press about the teams work with the foundation. Just make sure that your relationship is kept under wraps until the end of the season, will you?"

"Wait, what?" You were as confused as you had ever been. "Riccardo refused to attend the event unless I did so too?"

"Here we go again, Riccardo, Riccardo. How about you stick to addressing him by last name while he's here."

"He's here?"

"Jupp. He's coming this way too."

You turned around at the exact moment that Riccardo spotted you from across the room. A smile lit up his face as he set out to approach you.

"Just remember what I said." Your boss whispered. "Keep whatever is going on between you away from the press."

"How many times must I tell you? Nothing is going on between me and...."

"Y/N!"

"Riccardo!" At the moment of his appearance, your boss gave you one last stern look before slipping away.

"You made it." Riccardo said, sounding genuinely happy to see you. You had never seen him so dress up either, with his hair brushed back and set behind his ears. "I was hoping that your boss received the email that my assistant sent him."

"Yeah, about that. You were already quite set off from the crowd. However, you took the initiative to look for more privacy. Thankfully, Riccardo respected your wishes, following you into an empty salon decorated with flower ornaments and a grand piano.

"Is there anything you wish to tell me?" He asked, speaking to you with unrecognizable grace, as if the two of you were strangers yet acquainted.

"Yeah, please tell me whatta he'll is going on?"

He frowned.

"I was fired last week." You exclaimed. "From the shit you pulled at the press conference."

Riccardo regarded you curiously, a sly smile on his lips.

"And don't tell me that you haven't had a say in me being here, because my boss just told me that you do."

"I do?"

"Yes, you do. So please, for once, be honest with me."

"Honest?"

"Yes, be honest."

"Honestly....last week made me feel like shit. Not the part where I told those journalists to fuck off. They sincerely deserved that."

Your arms folded as you rolled your eyes.

"But, I do regret getting you fired Y/N. When I noticed you missing during the post interviews of last night's game, I realized that I fucked up and needed to make things right."

"And so you brought me here, to Milano?"

"Yes."

"But, why?"

"To apologize of course."

"Well, apology accepted. Can I go now?"

"Y/N, wait."

It was the first time that you touched. Riccardo, despreatly grabbing a hold of your wrist as you turned your back on him. "Don't leave." He said. No. Demanded.

You turned back around to find his eyes shamelessly eyeing you up and down.

"I cant't belive you wore it."

"Wore what?" You frowned.

"You're boss is a real push over, you know that right?"

"I do, but in what way are you..."

He pulled you towards him. With his hand around your wrist, you stumbled forward, Riccardo catching you in his arm. "He's a real bitch."

Your faces were inches apart. The tip of your nose, the bridge between your touching lips. You smiled. "I've never heard a grown man call another man a bitch before."

He smirked, a hand reaching to remove a hairstrand from your face. "Well, get used to it, baby. You're with me now."

"God, you're so difficult to work with."

"Difficult to work with, but easy to get in bed. There's always two sides to a coin."

"Oh, just shut up and kiss me already."

It was done in relief. The smacking lips and groping hands were all done to finally release the intense sexual tension between you. It had always been there, underlying, knocking on the surface. Riccardo felt it, and so did you. Hey, even your boss jinxed it. Now, the two of you were pushed up against a grand piano with Riccardo's large frame hovering over yours as he lifted you up and laid you down on top of it.

"Fuck me."

"Don't you want to me to play with you first?"

"Play? I'm a grown woman."

He laughed and proceeded to bend down and kiss you, his lips wet and soft against your own.

Who knew that all that hot-headed temper would be put to good use. Riccardo was a fair enough football player but an even better lover. He insisted on taking care of you first, refusing for you to reach for his belt. At least not until he had you arching your back on top of the piano, begging him to stop eating you out.

"No." He chuckled, as you squirmed on top of the piano.

"Please. I'm making a mess."  Being a mess was the correct term. Once Riccardo detached his lips from between your legs, you made the effort to pat down your tousled hair, as well as wipe off any smudge lipstick.

"I hate you." You said. To which he grinned.

"No, you don't. I'm just difficult to work with."

Part 1 Part 2

[luveline]

if you’re doing hotch baby blurbs maybe hotch reconnecting with an old friend maybe an ex fling and there are sparks

thank you for your request! ♥︎ fem!reader 1.2k

Aaron has occasionally seen strangers with your face. It sounds unsettling. In reality, he enjoys those few seconds. He sees someone with your hair, your shoulders, and he waits for them to turn around and smile your sweet smile. They never do. 

Or, they usually don't. 

You turn around and Hotch's heart does a hurdle, another when your familiar smile lights up your face. When you're sure he's recognised you it somehow grows brighter; you're sunshine incarnate as you weave through uniforms and desks to reach him. 

"Aaron," you say, and there's the shyness he remembers, your eyes flitting over the surprised faces of his team. "Hi, how are you? I didn't know you were coming here." 

He smiles as you reach up to hug him around the neck. It's a decidedly slow hug, not quite professional though you never have been, but it's also very gentle. It's a hug between friends.  

"I had no idea you were here," he says honestly. 

"Oh, I know. I'm not good at using my emails even if you did." Your eyelashes kiss in the corners, your serene smile yet to fall. "It's so good to see you," —you pull away from him, directing your attention to the team— "and to meet you all. I'm Y/N L/N." 

Aaron introduces the team, thankfully without tripping up. 

"How do you know each other?" Morgan asks, always one to be nosey when the others won't risk it. 

You wait for Hotch to answer. 

"We worked at the same office when I was an attorney," he says. 

"You were an attorney?" Prentiss asks you. 

"Oh, no, I was just a glorified secretary honestly. That's what I am here." You smile, unashamed at your profession. "I'm one of the secretaries, so if you need anything please tell me, even if it's a cup of coffee, okay?"

You cross your hands across your chest. Hotch hadn't known it back then but this is one of your tells. You're self-conscious underneath all the lightness. 

"I'll show you guys to the conference room, if you like? And I'll track down Mr. Tanner for you." 

You lead them to the conference room. It's crammed with tables, but a good space has been cleared and a big whiteboard has been wheeled against the wall. You offer everybody coffee and he's grateful when each member of the team says no, cutting his schoolboy panic short. 

The door closes, and he relaxes, and Rossi's generous enough to talk under his breath. 

"It could've been worse," Rossi says. 

"You knew she was here?" 

"How could I know that?" Rossi asks. Hotch would give in if his smile weren't so smug. 

"You have history?" Morgan asks. 

"Absolutely not," Hotch says. "We have work to do." 

And they do a lot of work. Hotch is great at compartmentalising, keeping your pretty smile locked away at the back of his head, only thinking of you when he sees you, or hears your tentative knocks at the door twice a day for the few days they're there.

By the time the case is over, he's going insane with memories of the past. You haven't changed in all that time, you're still soft and sweet-natured, still over generous, still beautiful. 

"You're going home now?" you ask from the door. 

Hotch looks up from the account of events he'd been noting. "Pardon?" 

"You're going home? Back to Quantico?" 

"Yeah, bright and early tomorrow morning." He sits back in his seat. "Out of all the places I pictured you, I never considered Virginia Beach." 

"It's very family friendly." 

He stills. You start to laugh, and your laugh has always been so bubbly and contagious to him, it brings back fond memories of you. 

"I don't have a family," you say, "sorry, that's not what I meant to imply. I want a family, of course, but it…hasn't worked out. It will, hopefully. What about you, did you ever?" 

"I did– we had a son, Hailey and I." 

You don't say congratulations though he knows you're happy for him. You lean your face against the doorway. "Does he look like you?" you ask. 

"No." He laughs. He doesn't know why. "He's all Hailey." 

"I bet he's beautiful. She was always so lovely, how is she?" 

"I assume she's fine, but we don't speak very often anymore. We separated." 

Your eyebrows thread together at the starts. "I'm sorry. It's not easy, and it's not fair, but you got a good thing out of it."

"Yeah, we did. Do you want to see a photograph?" 

You don't waste a second. Hotch doesn't doubt that your enthusiasm is sincere. "Yes, please, I'd love to."

Hotch has a lot of photos of Jack. You want to see them all, and your eyes get happier with each one. 

"You're a liar, Hotchner, you said he doesn't look like you. He's a beautiful kid. Wow, he looks so happy." You loll your head mildly to one side. He can smell your perfume. "Are you happy, too? I always meant to reach out, Aaron, and ask how you were but I… don't know. I thought hearing you about you being happy would hurt more than it really did. I'm so glad to see you again." 

Why would it hurt? he thinks desperately. He already knows, of course. He knows the kind of feeling that would make you move 180 miles away from home. He can read just about anyone. He knows how you feel now. 

"I'm glad to see you too," he says. 

"And surprised, I mean, I'm so far away from home, but I guess you guys go everywhere, huh? Seeing you again is like fate." 

He can agree with fate, but far away feels subjective. "It's only a three hour drive." 

"Only!" you repeat, beaming. "You don't think that's far?" 

"It depends on what you're driving too," he says, each word measured. He's careful. 

"I think you're right. You know what I always miss? The Three Dragons, the one closest to our office." 

"That's still there," he says. 

"I would drive three hours for that." 

He's a fool. He's coming on too strong. He's misinterpreting the signs. He tells himself all of this and it doesn't matter at all, he can't control his hand, can't stop himself from covering your smaller palm with his. 

"And here?" he asks. "Are there any nice places to eat nearby?" 

Your eyes lock onto his hand. Your thumb hooks over his hand, and your skin is so warm, your hand pressing closer to his as you draw your gaze to his face. Hotch isn't sure he's ever been looked at the way you're looking at him — your lips press together in a thin line like you're trying to stop from smiling and failing spectacularly. 

"Nothing as nice as the Three Dragons, but I think we can find something," you say softly. 

Hotch is yours until tomorrow morning, and if all goes well, he knows Virginia Beach will be a drive worth making. 

[wordstro]

[3:37 PM] + space/interstellar inspired + wooyoung + "please just come home. i need you to come home."

a/n: 2k words, angst, don't really need to have watched interstellar, just know that love transcends dimensions, time, space, and relativity

-

tick tock, tick tock, tick tock, tick tock.

each tick and each tock knocks against your skull in the otherwise quiet hallway. it's all you can hear, it's all you can see. your vision is a blur, and your hands are shaking as your grasp at your knees, and the chair you're sitting in is too fucking hard.

tick.

you are fifteen again, kicking rocks across the sidewalk as you trudge towards yet another new school. the school uniform is too tight at your collar, and your shoes are too scuffed against the pristine white of your socks. someone shoves past you, cackling at something his friend says. you stumble. he doesn't say sorry.

someone grabs your elbow. steadies you. you look up, and the boy is tan and ruffled, his buttons uneven and his tie loose, his grin askew.

he says, "what an asshole."

he sticks out his hand.

"the name's wooyoung. jung wooyoung."

you smile.

tock.

you are nineteen again. you are in a long dried up cornfield, screaming, "wooyoung sit the fuck down!"

his laughter is loud, boisterous, echoing through the fields as he clings to the back of the pickup truck. the kite he spent months upon months modifying in his parent's old shed zips above the speeding truck as it plows through dried corn husks.

"faster mingi!"

"no don't you dar -" you screech when mingi slams on the gas, grabbing wooyoung's free hand over the console even as mingi's deep laugh joins wooyoung's, even as his kite flies. wooyoung cuts the cord and it flies. it flies on its own. it soars. you haven't seen anything like it in a while. wind whips at your face. you let out a terrified laugh, eyes watering. wooyoung squeezes your hand back, even as he grins down at both of you.

tick.

you are twenty-three again.

"do you think there's a point to this anymore?" you ask. your throat is itchy and dry - but that is common nowadays, when the very earth has become a dried up husk of what it once was, and dust settles over everything, even the inside of everyone's lungs.

wooyoung stays his hand against the door handle and turns to look at you. you're both needed at the office - wooyoung is a top researcher and you run the hr department and you know the point is to save earth from its impending doom, but you could not help but ask. just last week, you two had seen footage of a brawl break out over a measly basket of food.

"we have to keep trying, don't we?"

"i suppose we do," you mumble.

tock.

you are twenty five again, sitting in a conference room with the few people left who decided to keep trying. professor hongjoong's words ring through the silence.

"the last people to starve will be the first to suffocate," hongjoong says. "but we can still save humanity. there is a wormhole - born from a gravitational anomaly next to saturn - and it can take us to a different universe. one that could have a planet that can sustain life."

"sustain us." mingi says in awe.

the excitement is clear in his deep voice. and when you look to wooyoung, it lights up his eyes, his face, the same way the kite had in that dried up cornfield when you were nineteen. your heart clenches.

this is a room full of scientists and researchers, professor hongjoong and mingi and wooyoung, choi san, and kang yeosang, whose need to try far outweighs whatever survival extincts had convinced everyone else to long abandon this effort. you are merely a human resources representative, meant to sit and do paperwork professor hongjoong or senior analyst seonghwa could not be bothered with.

"how do we know if it can?" you ask, your voice echoing in the room. all eyes flit to you. "you said could have. how do we know for certain that there is a planet that can sustain life, let alone us?"

"we need a team to go in first."

hongjoong looks around the room.

his smile falters.

"there's a catch, isn't there?" san leans onto his elbows against the conference table. yeosang's brows furrow. you find your gaze flitting to wooyoung.

"the wormhole has a massive gravitational pull. i don't know what it will do, or how this will turn out. time will become relative. an hour there could be years here or vice versa. but i need a team of four researchers out there who understand that, who understand the importance of this mission, and who are willing to go into the unknown for humanity. the data you collect from that black hole will give us the ability to fuel humanity's escape. the rest of us will prepare here and help you however we can."

"we get to go through a wormhole?" wooyoung asks, and the childlike glee is endearing, if it were not for the heavy weight settling on your chest.

hongjoong nods, grinning.

tick.

twenty two again, and wooyoung holds a hand out to you, threads his fingers through yours, and the two of you peer up at the night sky. he says, "it's beautiful, isn't it?"

"you think everything is beautiful."

you feel his eyes on your face. you look at him. he looks at you as if you are the stars he's always been so fascinated by. your heart skips a beat. he just hums in agreement.

tock.

twenty six again. you find wooyoung nervously tapping his fingers against the cafeteria table and staring off into space. his thermal spacesuit is folded neatly in front of him. san gets to his feet when he sees you. he shakes his head before you can say anything, and pats your shoulder as he moves past you, leaving you and wooyoung alone.

you sit across from him. he keeps drumming his fingers against the table.

"excited?" you ask.

he leaves tomorrow.

he meets your gaze, and his shoulders loosen a bit. he nods, "and nervous."

"me too." you say.

wooyoung peers at you, as if he's memorizing your face. you don't like the thought of that. after a beat, he asks, "what do you think is worse? staying or leaving?"

"i don't know. staying feels pretty shitty right now."

"you could ask me, you know." wooyoung's fingers still against the table. "to stay."

you laugh, "i could never."

he is born for this. to soar. to explore. he loves you, you know it, you've always known it, even without either of you ever saying it, but he loved learning, he loved the pursuit of knowledge, more.

wooyoung lets out his own shaky laugh.

tick.

twenty five again, and you're standing with your arms crossed over hongjoong's desk, ignoring seonghwa and jongho's presence in the corner.

"let me go, too."

"no, you're a liability."

"i work here too."

"you do paperwork, y/n. what the hell could you possibly do on a spaceship?"

"then why the hell did you let me in that room?" your voice rises, and your chest hurts, and suddenly all the anger and fear you've felt since that meeting bursts from your chest. you bang your hands on his table, and you say, "why the hell are you telling me what's going to happen? why the hell am i being kept in the loop when i have no say in any of this?"

hongjoong's gaze flicks from your face to your curled, shaking fists. he doesn't say anything.

"please, let me go with them."

"no."

you open your mouth. you want to say, then don't let him go. but you can't. you cannot.

you could never.

hongjoong's gaze softens. he says, "if you go with him, he won't have a reason to come back. he won't fight for it. he'll stay out there forever. he belongs out there. i need wooyoung to fight to come back, no matter what happens out there."

you press your hand to your mouth, you say, "and if that's not enough?"

hongjoong just shakes his head, "you are. you have to be."

tock.

you aren't.

seonghwa opens the door in front of you.

the ticking stops as abruptly as the door opens.

seonghwa looks at you with furrowed brows and gentle eyes, and he holds out a hand you do not take. you pants crumple in the death grip you have on your knees.

you are much older now then you had been when you helped wooyoung put on his space suit. he'd held your hands between his for a long, long time, until yeosang clapped his hand on wooyoung's back, and said it was time to go.

it's been twenty-two years since then.

wooyoung's face takes up the entirety of the command center's screen. the room is empty, except for hongjoong. he gets up from the chair, and lets you take it. the door to the command center room clicks shut behind you.

wooyoung hasn't aged a day.

"an hour on the planet they've landed on is seven years on ours," jongho told you quietly when he came to pick you up this morning.

it's only been a few hours for him.

"y/n?" he says, and his voice cracks into a million pieces. you want to pick up all those pieces as best as you can, but you can't. you are too far away. he doesn't exist in the same time as you.

"am i that unrecognizable?"

he is the size of the moon, and that is only half of how you see him. you'd started to forget how he looked.

he shakes his head, blinking rapidly, and he says, "you look better than ever."

"can't say the same thing about you."

he lets out another laugh. his voice is filled with crackles, with static, but it is the same boisterous laugh it's always been.

he says, "did they tell you what's happened?"

you nod, swallowing the lump in your throat, "you're stranded there."

"there's another ship, from a previous expedition."

"is it far?"

"it's only a kilometer out."

"are you going to come back?"

wooyoung closes his eyes, then. he opens his eyes, his brown eyes soft and sad and so so sorry, but so full of the resolve you'd always loved and will continue to love. "i have to keep trying."

"please, just come home," you say, you beg really. twenty-two years ago, you could never. but now, you whisper, voice breaking around the lump in your throat, "i need you to come home."

wooyoung brushes at his eyes with the back of his hand. he bites his lip, and he says, "i have to finish this."

"okay," you say, because that's all you can say.

but you never know if he finishes it or not. you never know if he comes home or not.

tick tock.

you are twenty again, and a book flies off wooyoung's bookshelf. another one. another one.

you frown at wooyoung, baffled, really at his intrigue, though you can't help but smile at the way he paces. you sit on the floor watching him. he shrugs his coat off and places it gently over your crossed legs before he starts pacing again. mingi peers in from behind the door, a plate of snacks in his hand, "are you both done messing with the ghosts?"

you shake your head. mingi rolls his eyes and leaves.

that night, wooyoung shakes you awake from the floor. you'd fallen asleep and he must have tucked a pillow under your head at some point. he whisper-shouts, "this is binary code, y/n. the books. they fell out in code."

you blink away sleep, "what?"

"they're coordinates."

"to where?"

wooyoung lifts his bright phone screen to your face. you squint, blinded by the light, before you read, "AZ Space Station? why there?"

wooyoung shrugs.

"so," you sit up, "we're going, aren't we?"

wooyoung grins, clasping your face between his hands in excitement as he nods. you grin back, laughing.

tick tock.

01100011 01101111 01101101 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01101000 01101111 01101101 01100101

[velvetcloxds]

LITTLE BIRD- CHAPTER THREE | S.B. - R.L

word count: 2.1k

characters: mfia!sirius, secret agent!regulus (not related to sirius in this au), prince!james, princess!reader, potter!reader, bodyguard!lily, prince!remus

warning: blood, shooting

summary: james has to speak at a press conference which forces you to come face to face with other royals, one of whom you haven't seen since he broke your heart as a teenager, plus an unexpected visitor at the conference sends everyone running in terror

previous chapter | series masterlist

You could hear the commotion all the way from James’ room, right down the hall and though you couldn’t see it you could picture the poor maids scurrying out of his way, and with a subtle look to Lily and a scoff, she opened the door just in time for him to burst through it.

“Morning, James, sleep well?” he didn’t care for your teasing, at least five ties draped over his one arm, the coloured paper cards of his speech in the other and you wanted to laugh, but it wasn’t nearly as amusing as it should be when he frowned at you.

“You joke? Can’t you see I’m in the midst of a crisis?” If only he could fathom the true meaning of the word, still, you stepped down from the little podium in front of your mirror and smiled at the stylist to dismiss her, context clues aside, you didn’t think his scene was entirely fashion-related. You had a feeling the drinks he’d drowned himself in the night before was getting the better of him this morning, though he’d not admit that and you knew better than to point it out to him. So, you handed his speech to Lily instead, biting your lip to hide the satisfied smile when you realized that her smudged lip gloss was the very same shade that shimmered on the corner of your brother’s lips.

“Calm down, would you, you’ve done the same speech at least a thousand times,” you tutted, picked the sage green tie to complement his eyes and match the lines of the intricate pattern on your dress, it reminded you of something your mother used to say about unity, how looking the part was half a step closer to being it.  “You use a whole bunch of fancy words to hide the fact that the country is actually in danger and then just briefly glance over the fact that you are taking yet another year to find yourself instead of being crowned in mom’s place,” the last tug to force the knot into place was just a little too rough by the way he stumbled, rolled his eyes, that mess of curls on his head clearly not combed yet as it fell about his face.

“I don’t see you stepping up for a shiny crowning title riddled with responsibility,” he bit back, and you scoffed, moving on to fix the collar of his blazer and then straighten the crest pinned on his pocket.

“That’s because, big brother, I’m already doing all the work without the crown and the title and the praise,” you had no sense being bitter about it, you’d rather pull the strings from the shadows than stand there in the spotlight telling lies and not getting anything done in the process. James yawned, you’d think he’d planned it perfectly to your comment but really you had a feeling he was just barely awake and stumbling around with his big boy feelings on his sleeve as always, hence the moaning and groaning you were so very accustomed to.  “Now, go down to Dobey in the kitchen and ask him for one of his magical hangover cures, and then on your way back, have Dad slap some colour into those cheeks of yours so the press doesn’t write another article comparing you to the walking dead.”

“Sometimes I think you forget that I’m a full four years older than you,” you didn’t prove him wrong much when you took the crumbled piece of fabric poking out of his pocket to wipe the lip-gloss from his lips, both him and Lily growing flustered, James’ cheek heating up under your touch and Lily looking away just a tad too quickly for it to seem casual.

“How could I forget when you take every petty chance to remind me.”

With a lot of grumbling and yelling, mostly from James though some from your mother, you’d managed to get out of the palace, it was a whole ordeal even just getting out to the palace grounds, there were too many people for such a short notice press conference. Still, you linked arms with Lily who had a steady grip on her gun from over her blazer, just in case, and whispered lightly about whoever one of you saw in the crowd first, entirely out of character, but Lily has always been your friend first and your guard second, only she did a very good job of acting like the second was by choice and not by pay.

“Don’t look now,” she whispered, and you knew your part, kind smile and dainty steps as you looked over the people and not at them, the perfect shot to portray that classy princess they so wished you to be, but that didn’t mean you weren’t excited to hear who she was looking at. Lily had a way of disguising her surveying for gossip as surveying for danger which had her look the perfect unsuspecting spotter. “I can’t believe they came out of hiding long enough to grace us with their presence,” the intrigue left your system in a second, she didn’t need to say much more for you to piece together exactly who she was talking about and it made your body run cold.

“The Lupins are here?” you weren’t sure how she heard you, you spoke so softly you barely heard yourself. Maybe it was just his parents, they’d been talking to your parents through letters for months now, maybe they just stopped by to see them quickly and they’d run back to their little island on the other side of the globe. “Is he…”

“Yes,” her voice was softer now too and were your mother not leading the bunch of you directly to the podium for James to speak, you would’ve run right back into that palace until they were on a plane and you were assured they weren’t ever coming back. “He’s looking at you, though he looks a right mess- could at least have ironed his suit before stepping out in the public eye after so long.”

You couldn’t believe it, Remus Lupin. The sheer audacity he had to come back here after all this time of complete silence, no letters, no explanations, just left you to try and go on with your life after what he’d done. It was always just the four of you, him and James, you and Lily, you’d rarely spent a second apart before things changed. Honestly, making you fall in love with him was one thing, abandoning you when you dared to acknowledge it was another and you had the right mind to knock him right off his feet the first chance you got. He left you as a naïve, lovesick teenager, and now when you’d finally moved past that, rewritten yourself, he had the nerve to show up to your home and make you rethink everything and you hadn’t even set your eyes on him yet, spoken to him yet.

“Breathe,” Lily reminded you, a soft squeeze to your hand when she took hold of it where it rested on her arm, aside from the letters in your journal you’d burned years ago, Lily was the only one who knew how your heart used to beat for his grace, the pompous bastard that is Prince Remus Lupin, so unlike his father is was laughable. “He’s sitting on the far right, just look straight ahead and you’ll miss him,” she handed you over to a very confused James, hoping that a look from Lily would be enough to explain why his usually calm and collected sister looked like she was about to faint right into his arms.

You shook your head, plastered on a pretty smile, and gripped the podium for dear life, thank goodness James couldn’t talk himself through a speech at a reasonable pace, words rushing out of his mouth faster than his mind could plan them- you wouldn’t have to pretend for too long. You considered yourself to have changed quite a bit since all of you were kids, you’d stayed the same in the parts that counted but the parts that hurt, the ones that made it hard to go on, you’d left those in the past, traded them in for attempts at bravely, traded your meekness for willingness, pushing for more- you weren’t completely similar to the girl who felt destroyed when Remus left for Hogwarts to get away from you, yet you felt her aching inside of you all the same upon knowing he was here.

An odd thing, all of this, trying to be brave while allowing the weakness in you a place to flow freely and have its moment. Yesterday you were talking to the leader of the mafia surrounded by horrendous, murderous people and you felt stronger than all of them, today you were surrounded by noblemen, royalty, family and a man you’d known for years only as the boy who broke your heart and you felt small enough to be picked up and taken away by the very breeze that shook through the trees around you.

You allowed your eyes to search for his, steal a guilty glance despite how much worse it could make you feel, and you tried your best to hide your reaction. He looked the same, you didn’t know how that was possible, how his eyes so beautiful they still begged you to get lost in him, how you could look past his own surprise at seeing you and in a second experience every single good and bad feeling he’d ever made you feel all at once.

There was movement behind him, you were distracted but you noticed it, everyone was so focussed on James’ talking and your parents standing behind you and the appearance of the Lupins, why anyone would be walking around didn’t make any sense. You thought you saw a face that shouldn’t be there, someone out of place, someone you’d seen only in darkness so how it was allowed in the light you weren’t sure, so you dismissed it, shot it down instead of looking to Lily to have her check and maybe if Remus wasn’t looking at you and James wasn’t talking and the idea of Sirius sending texts to your phone stuck in your room wasn’t consuming you, things might have turned out different. Instead, a horrific sound filled the air of the garden, people scurried, James was pulled away, you swore you’d seen that face before, and the pain of the past couldn’t measure up to the feeling of your flesh ripping apart or the coldness that filled your veins as you fell back into Lily’s arms or the surreal wetness of your own blood dripping onto your fingers. You couldn’t think with all the noise, couldn’t breathe from pain, couldn’t see from the shock but you knew for sure that there was about to be hell to pay.

It was silent and unthinkably loud all at once, the only voice that was cutting through was your mother’s, she was the only calm one, giving orders, calling for people and then you saw Lily- she looked so worried, so guilty even though it wasn’t her fault, as soon as you could fathom the idea of speaking, you’d tell her that. You’d tell your mother about what you’d been doing behind her back. Tell James to stop messing around and properly take Lily on a date. Tell Remus to go to hell.

Surely you could think yourself out of this one, reason yourself out of it, but the truth was it hurt like hell, and not once, not since you started working with Sirius, did you think you’d be the one getting shot. Maybe you were naïve, made friends with the wrong foe, you thought Sirius Black was the first in line to take out your family once he had the chance which is why you solved that problem but clearly there was someone bigger out there, someone who had no intentions of peace and unity and talking it through- if only they knew how much trouble they’d just gotten you into.

Being shot, one of the worst kinds of pain, letting your mother down, that was just pure torture.

[jenniferjareauwife]

Jj x fem reader with AFRID its a type of eating disorder type thing.

Completely fine if you don't want to write xx

Sandwich

pairing: jennifer jareau x fem reader

category: fluff, hurt/comfort

warnings: eating disorder

word count: 800

summary: you suffer from arfid and your girlfriend helps you through it

I paced around the conference room with Spence while we tried to come up with the geographical profile. We had managed to narrow it down between ten miles but that was it. We couldn't have police patrol 10 square miles, there aren't enough troops. I could feel the anxiety radiating off of Spence which wasn't making anything better.

"Come on. You two take a break." I heard JJ's voice once the door opened and I knew it was going to be ok. "You've been at it for hours and I haven't seen any of you eat or take a break." She gave me a side eye and I looked at the ground.

Spence left the room, giving JJ and I the space. "So...how are you doing?" I asked her.

"Good. We're getting further in the case. How are you?"

"I'm ok."

"Have you eaten anything yet?"

"Um...no." She knew my struggles with eating and she understood them but she also looked out for me, kept me in a good place. She knew I was struggling right now and wanted to make sure I was staying healthy.

"Well then let's take a break, eat something?"

"JJ..." I let out a sigh and gripped the back of one of the chairs, feeling anxiety bubble in my stomach.

"How long has it been since you ate?"

"Just like...I don't know...3 days-"

"3 days-"

"But I had smoothies!"

"Ok but smoothies have no protein or fat. You need solid food too. Come on honey, let's get to a sandwich or something." I shook my head. "Y/n I'm not asking."

"Can you just give me a minute?" I gripped the chair even tighter.

"Yeah...yeah of course. Can I go get a sandwich or do you want me to stay with you?" I nodded.

"Stay."

"Ok. Do you want a hug?" I shook my head.

"It's just gonna...I'm gonna...what if I like choke or something or what if I get sick-"

"Shh, honey that's not gonna happen." Her voice softened as she reached for my hands. "The odds of all of that happening-"

"But it can still happen." I breathed out. "And I...when I was younger I was eating an onion ring and the onion got stuck in my throat and I almost died."

"Shh, I know. I know." She caressed my hands softly and slowly, trying to keep eye contact with me. "Just take a few deep breaths, calm down."

"I can't- can't I just make a smoothie-"

"My love you haven't had solid food in 3 days and you've lost weight-"

"But I didn't mean to!"

"I know you didn't mean to." She kept her voice soft. "And I'm not mad at you, I just want to be here for you."

"But I-"

"Shh. Just breathe. It's ok." She held my face in her hands and caressed my cheeks. "It's ok. I'm gonna go downstairs and get your sandwich and then I'll stay with you as you eat it, yeah?" I gave a reluctant nod and sat down.

She came back with a BLT, watching me carefully as I tried to get all the bad thoughts out of my head. "It's ok. If you do end up choking I'll be here the whole time." I gave her a small nod and took a small bite of the sandwich. I chewed it slowly, making sure that there was no choking hazard before swallowing it. JJ kept her hand on my back, rubbing it soothingly. "Just like that. Take it one bite at a time."

"One bite at a time?" I laughed softly and looked at her.

"Yes my love. One bite at a time." She moved closer to me, kissing my cheek. I took another small bite, feeling a little bit better. "There you go. See? It's not so hard is it." I shrugged and took another bite, still making sure to chew thoroughly.

"Thank you." I whispered, feeling my stomach thank me so I figured I should thank JJ.

"Of course baby. You know I'm always here for you. Now finish your sandwich, I'm not leaving until you do, ok?" I nodded.

"I'm gonna make you a smoothie when we get back home."

"Mm. Can I have a strawberry banana smoothie?"

"Of course. Those are my favorite too." She laughed and kissed my temple and before I knew it I had finished my sandwich. I took a deep breath, leaning back in my chair.

"You ok?" She reached for my hand instead.

"Yeah...yeah I'm good. Just hope I don't throw up." I joked weakly.

"You won't." She helped me stand up and then wrapped her arms around me. "I've gotta get back to work but call me or text me if you need anything."

"I will."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

[allthelittlecreepycrawlies]

Do y'all want spoilers for the time travel fic I haven't updated in two years?

Of course you do!

So here's how the entire thing will go if I can ever hammer it into chapters.

(Cut to spare people's dashes. Also, thanks again to @micchikureshima for letting me use our discord convo to rant this out.)

Meng Yao manages to get a meeting with Yu-furen (with Jinzu and Yinzu on duty, of course). It's the first time he's ever seen her from within the same room (he only saw her once in the original timeline and it was from all the way across the marketplace during a festival) and he is desperately hiding how nervous he is.

She gives him a suspicious once-over, which has him sweating bullets that he might be recognized as a Jin Guangshan bastard, so he is infinitely glad when she instead identifies him as "that shadow chasing behind Nie-gongzi at the last conference in Qinghe."

Yes. Absolutely. He will definitely take that over being identified as anything else.

He tells her that he does pretty much whatever his sect leader needs him to do, which includes going out into the field as a scout because Nie-zongzhu doesn't trust the Wen in the slightest.

Considering word is already out about the attack on the Cloud Recesses, she agrees, then asks why, exactly, he has come to Lotus Pier instead of reporting back to the Unclean Realms.

He's already made up a lie about his mother having spent time as a maid in the Palace of the Scorching Sun before taking him and fleeing for their lives when one of Wen Ruohan's bad temper spells resulted in her being the only survivor of her servant cohort. He was young, true, but old enough to have seen the kind of man Wen Ruohan was turning into.

Then he tells her his observations and theory that since the attack on the Cloud Recesses failed to produce the kind of bloodshed the Wen Sect wanted for their threat, it's very likely that, as their closest neighbors, either Lotus Pier or the Unclean Realms will be next. And he has already seen (and killed) some scouts from the Wen sect sniffing around the outer edges of Yunmeng Jiang's territory on the way to the Pier.

Yu-furen, absolutely stone-faced, thanks him for the information and orders him to leave.

He goes far enough that no one will notice him, then pulls out some cloaking talismans that don't exist in the cultivation world yet because they were cribbed from the Yiling Laozu's notes back in his previous run of this life. Unlike the usual silence or stealth talismans, which can only bubble a staid location, these can be pressed to clothing to make a moving bubble. It's how he was able to kill the scouts.

He uses one to spy on the Jiang and find out whether or not Yu-furen will take his words to heart.

(He doesn't go spy on her directly because he knows she'll have to talk about it with her husband because he's the sect leader, and he got more than his fill of warring couples when he had to put up with both his father and Jin-furen.)

The security patrols are stepped up within the next week, more frequent, with two or three guards apiece instead of just one. Not enough that it would look suspicious to the Wen, but enough that he can tell his information got through.

He's especially relieved when he watches Yu-furen personally send her daughter and son off to visit relatives in Meishan Yu, ostensibly because she wants them to know more about that side of their heritage.

As head disciple, Wei Wuxian has to stay behind this time, which doesn't help his nerves.

For the umpteenth time, he can't help but wonder what in the world Jiang Fengmian was thinking almost two years ago, cheerfully putting a fourteen-year-old in charge of all their combat necessities, especially one who even now still seems to be goofing off. The Nie sect had been backed into an unfortunate position when it came to Nie Mingjue, a problem the Jiang sect didn't have, and even his own promotion from assistant to military aide had come after the war had started, when he was an adult.

Whatever, he's not going to think about it any more.

He's got work to do.

Meng Yao spends his time focusing on laying traps in the most likely spots for the Wen to infiltrate, taking out more scouts, and other such sabotage, while quietly sending reports to Mingjue.

For almost a month, it looks like his plan is going to work and the Jiang will be prepared if the Wen try anything.

-----

Then he's woken up in the middle of the night by screaming, and sees the orange glow over the trees from his window.

Fuck.

He quickly dresses, grabs his hidden weapons and talismans and sword, and makes a beeline for Lotus Pier. He slaps on a cloaking talisman as he breaks the treeline, and is stuck just staring for a moment at how many buildings are on fire.

How did this happen?!

No time to wonder about it. He shakes himself out of the stupor and immediately starts looking for survivors, waiting until the soldiers and cultivators aren't paying attention to grab them into his stealth bubble and drag them to a safe spot.

He's not a hero. He doesn't want to be doing this. But he can't imagine having to go back and look his sect leader and young master in the eyes and admit that he watched the Pier burn and did nothing.

It's not lost on him at all that most of the ones he's finding still alive are children and very young teenagers, left to die on their own while the adults were more thoroughly finished off.

He finds Jinzu (dead) and Yinzu (barely breathing) and drags the latter out, having to soothe her protests by promising to look for their lady.

He drags out an injured and half delirious Wei Wuxian, who somehow finds the energy to mumble a thousand questions about the talisman on his clothing.

Then he goes back in to look for Yu-furen.

Of course, she's in the middle of the mess, Wen Chao and his annoying girlfriend gloating over the bodies of her and Jiang Fengmian-

-then Meng Yao sees her hand twitch and oh, hold up.

Yu-furen, stunningly, is alive, though she's not gonna be for much longer if he can't get her out, which is looking increasingly difficult with more and more guards joining the -gag- lovebirds and Wen Zhuliu.

Then a charred flag waving in the wind gives him an idea. He sticks a stealth talisman to it and charges the hell out of it to act as a distraction for what he's about to do, then turns around and uses another burst of qi a knife directly at Wen Chao's throat.

The asshole has the unbearably frustrating timing to move right then, but he still hits a target, the knife zinging right past his face to bury into Wang Lingjiao's, killing her before she even hits the ground.

Wen Chao, naturally, completely loses his shit and starts screaming orders as he drops to his knees to cradle her body, and Meng Yao runs like hell towards Yu-furen, leaving behind the cloaked lure flag to make people think the assassin's in the spot he's already abandoned.

He barely manages to get his stealth bubble over Yu-furen before anyone can notice, but they realize she's gone as he's dragging her into the forest.

Ha, let 'em search all they want, he thinks triumphantly, but the adrenaline euphoria wears off as he reaches the rest of the sect members he managed to rescue.

Roughly two dozen kids and teenagers, a badly injured Yinzu and Wei Wuxian, who are trying to tend their injuries as best as they can, and now a nearly-dead Yu-furen.

His time-melded body is somewhere in his twenties, and he's the most capable adult standing here. Damn, he really didn't think this through.

But that's usually how it goes when he gives into impulse, isn't it? Like with-

No, he is absolutely fucking not going to think about the Jin captain from his last life. He is going to think of a way to get himself and this sorry little squad of Jiangs somewhere safe.

Of course, Meishan Yu comes to mind. Getting around the Wen now patrolling the forest won't be easy, but he still has plenty of stealth talismans. The real problem will be managing to get there with any speed, considering all the injured.

"How conscious are you?" he asks Wei Wuxian and Yinzu. Their answers aren't exactly encouraging, but will have to be good enough.

Some of the kids are starting to look at him warily, so he introduces himself as a member of the Nie sect, who'd been sent to warn the grown-ups this attack was coming and had… partially succeeded.

He gives Wei Wuxian some of the stealth talismans and they split the group to make it harder for the Wen to catch them, Wei Wuxian leading one and he and Yinzu leading the other, carrying Yu-furen on a makeshift stretcher between them.

When they reach the front gates of the Yu Sect compound, the guards on the walls recognize Yu-furen and guards come to hustle the Jiang group in.

He, on the other hand, is made to stay outside the gate,

It's not like he really expected any different, being from an unallied sect, but the blunt snub still stings a bit.

He sits down to wait for Wei Wuxian's group to show up, exhaustion creeping up on him as the hours pass. He's almost asleep when someone clears their throat from the wall above.

It's Jiang Yanli, who carefully lowers down a basket on a rope laden with food. For rescuing her mother and the kids, she says before disappearing from the wall.

Grateful and hungry, he tries to keep himself from just wolfing it all down in seconds, with the wistful thought that he should have tried to get to know her better in that life before.

Night falls, he sleeps at the gate, and morning arrives with Wei Wuxian's group still not having shown up.

This can't possibly be good.

-----

Almost on reflex, he makes his way towards Yiling, stopping only to take an extremely quick bath and get -most of- the blood off his clothing in a river.

As he gets closer and closer to the town, the rumor mill gets more and more animated. Most of it is expressly about the sacking of Lotus Pier, but there's one that makes his stomach churn.

A bunch of little Jiang sect kids were tortured, possibly killed, just the day before, and the Wen are forcing some local laborers to haul all the sect corpses from the Pier to the Burial Mounds.

He hears nothing about Wei Wuxian himself, which is… well, he knows better than to hope he just got away clean. The man destroyed his reputation and got himself killed once to shield former enemies, there's no way he would have up and abandoned his shidis and shimeis to save his own skin.

Which means Wei Wuxian must be on the way to the Burial Mounds as well, alive or dead.

And Meng Yao now has a very, very difficult decision to make.

So, pros and cons here.

On one hand, they have a lot more of the Lan sect available to fight this time, and because this whole mess has started two years early and without the Indoctrination Camp (yet… he really hopes it doesn't get to the point that happens again), many of the sects the Wen had absorbed are still independent and could be lured to the Sunshot side.

On the other hand, that's a lot of people available to potentially get killed, and corpses would do a lot more damage with a lot less… casualties, he'll say, even though that's not the right word for whatever goes on with a corpse army.

And then, there's also the possibility that Wei Wuxian is simply dead, or that he can't master the resentful energy necessary to form the corpse army while still having a core.

Though if he could, there would be an entire army already waiting for him because Wen Chao had been stupid enough to dump so many semi-fresh bodies there as an act of spite.

It's not his business.

It is his business, because he'd been impulsive and gotten involved at the Pier.

Fuck, he has the worst headache forming.

Looking down, he realizes he has wandered close to the "border" that the Yiling Laozu had once made by positioning hundreds of corpses around the Burial Mounds. There aren't any bodies about right at the moment, but he can feel the resentful energy trying to find fissures in his qi flow, recognizing him as a potential tasty snack.

He takes a deep breath and focuses on keeping it out, and the pain in his head lessens enough to let him think clearly.

He decides he'll send word to Jiang Cheng -because Yu-furen is in no condition to lead and probably won't be any time soon- about the body dump and the possibility that there might still be survivors, and let him decide what to do with that.

They might end up getting a corpse army anyway.

He still knows how to make the butterfly messengers. It will invite some questioning if too many people see it, since that's a technique he shouldn't know, but he has to make sure the message arrives.

And after one more night of restless, uncomfortable sleep driven by nightmares of the war as it had unfolded last time he'd gone through it, he turns towards the Heijan front.

Towards home.

After days of travel on foot to keep from being noticed and a few unfortunate fights when he failed at that, he barely makes it three steps into the military camp before almost being knocked off his feet by a fierce hug.

"You're back, you're back- you look like hell."

He snorts. "Hello to you, too," he says to Huaisang dryly. But inside, his heart is suddenly full to bursting at the knowledge that his young master must have been keeping a very sharp eye on things to have already known he was coming.

Had been keeping an eye out for him specifically.

Meng Yao knows he should go report to his sect leader first and foremost, but Huaisang drags him off towards the hospital and kitchen tents, dead set on getting him stuffed with food and checked over.

"I'm surprised your brother let you out here," Meng Yao admits as the medic tuts over the condition of his qi from all the stunts he'd had to pull at Lotus Pier.

After all, Nie Mingjue had been adamant about keeping Huaisang as far from the battlefield as possible in their past life, burying him in paperwork in either the Unclean Realms or the Cloud Recesses.

"I'm really only allowed these places," Huaisang says, giving him a conspiratorial grin. "After all, in a kitchen or infirmary, I'm never really disarmed, right?"

Very true. Huaisang had taken to hidden weapons training much more readily than he'd ever taken to the idea of a saber,

and even Mingjue had eventually been forced to admit he was quite good at improvising. Their sect leader still tried to drag him out with a practice saber occasionally, but wasn't nearly as vehement about it as he'd been in Meng Yao's memories.

After he's finally released from the infirmary, he makes his report, and then… he's tired. Too little sleep, too much stress, and even if his core was much stronger than it had been in his past life, he'd pushed it past most of its limits.

"You're staying with me," Huaisang announces. "Until they can get you set up somewhere else. Maybe even then."

He's too fried to argue, but once he's collapsed on a cot, Huaisang clinging to him like a barnacle, he finds he wouldn't have wanted to argue anyway. This feels right, similar to how the Unclean Realms had started to feel like home.

He would like- he could see himself getting very comfortable with this.

But there's still a war going on, and he can't rely on the mere hope that Wei Wuxian is alive and able to figure out resentful energy channeling.

So, with great misgivings, he slips out early in the morning, before Huaisang's awake, to go present his plan about installing a spy in the Wen sect to Mingjue.

He doesn't want to leave again, not so soon after arriving. Mingjue looks downcast about it, and he knows Huaisang is going to be upset.

But there's no one better suited to the task. He already survived Wen Ruohan once when the man had been at the peak of his volatile madness, he's the only one who knows how to predict the unpredictable. It has to be him.

Changing out of his sect clothing back into the dull travel robes, he slips out of the camp like a ghost and begins making his way toward Qishan.

-----

The next time he sees Nie Mingjue, it's in the throne room of the Palace of the Scorching Sun. Wen Chao is dead, Wen Xu is in the pits of the palace, essentially being kept on life support after he barely survived a fight with Mingjue, and the corpse army is tearing its way across the jianghu, bolstered by the rest of the Sunshot forces including an undecimated Lan sect and all the rogues who've rallied to Jiang Cheng.

Unlike the first time this happened, Nie Mingjue is in on the plan, the both of them having agreed to Lan Xichen being their go-between (maybe they could end up friends after all... he could at least hope).

Unlike the first time this happened, the 'killings' of the Nie cultivators are carefully staged.

Unlike the first time this happened, Wen Ruohan catches his movement out of the corner of his eye.

The force of hitting the wall shocks him to the point he doesn't even feel the pain that should have come with so many bones fracturing at once.

But even if he didn't deal the killing blow this time, it's fine. He made a good enough distraction for Nie Mingjue to get his chains around the tyrant's throat.

The last thing he remembers before he loses consciousness is his sect leader desperately calling his name as he drops Wen Ruohan's corpse like a discarded rag and rushes towards him.

-----

He wakes up to the victory banquet having come and gone without him ever meeting his father, and he is relieved

He wakes to the realization that he has already changed an entire war so much that manipulating the political aftermath to an ending that benefits everyone but his father should be easy, and the spiteful little ember he has always carried in his chest finally quiets into smoke.

He wakes to Nie Huaisang clutching his hand, having fallen asleep in a chair beside his bed -"The brat only ever left you if I personally dragged him out,"- Nie Mingjue tells him with an annoyed eyeroll that is immediately disregarded for a fond, proud smile as he ruffles his brother's hair.

And Meng Yao thinks, for the first time in two lifetimes, that he is completely satisfied with the results of all his hard work. (THE FUCKIN END)

[heretherebedork]

All of your insights on wedding impossible feel so spot on to how I’m also consuming the drama. I haven’t gotten to the press conferences and stuff since I’m only on episode 8, but I’ve seen posts about it and even those frustrated. It just feels insane to me that anyone can think Dohan is the selfish one. I know we’re kind of beating a dead horse and preaching to the choir here but it’s just so baffling. Jihan who tried to get his brother’s fiancee not to marry Dohan so Jihan can build a mall. Jihan who tells Ajeong to her face he doesn’t like her but he’s going to seduce her and she’s not going to be able to resist bc he’s just sooooooo handsome and charming (which gave me a huge ick, how lowly does he think of this 32 year old woman that he assumes she’ll fall for someone who says he doesn’t like her??? But then she does???). Jihan who then does try to seduce HIS BROTHER’S FIANCEE. Jihan who tried to stop another woman from getting married by saying he should’ve hit on her instead (I also feel bad for CEO Chaewon in this show). Jihan who then strings Chaewon along to get things he wants (like breaking up his brother’s marriage that he thinks is real). Jihan who takes zero time to worry about Dohan after he’s outed by a crazy ex before immediately getting angry at Dohan and then again telling Ajeong not to marry him. Jihan who did all of this because he wants money. He’s the selfless one? Why, because he held an umbrella?

The writers are resting on the assumption that viewers will just ignore how awful Jihan is because he’s the male lead and is supposed to be the ideal man we all fall for, so they aren’t putting in any work to actually make him sympathetic. The worst part is it’s apparently working for the vast majority of viewers. You’re also so right that the show keeps telling us Jihan and Dohan are supposed to be close, but doing absolutely nothing to show us that. They might as well be strangers sharing a lease at this point. I had never watched a (het) romance kdrama before this (I always stuck with mystery and thrillers which korea does quite well imo), and I’m not sure I ever will watch one again if this is considered good. Also do we ever find out wtf happened to the ex? It’s been a couple episodes since we saw him all beat up but there’s no indication of what happened. Did they really use a gay bashing to create an evil ex boyfriend who could out Dohan to Jihan and stalk Ajeong for a bit and nothing more?

The ex was so underutilized and basically amounted to nothing except him forcibly outing Do Han to Ji Han to make the plot move. That's really all he does. Well, maybe he does more in the finale. I haven't watched yet. I'm working up to it.

But, yeah. This is my dead horse to beat.

Ji Han was the single most selfish character in the show and anyone who tries to claim otherwise is trying to sell you something.

Or trying to salvage a romance that ended up just generally unpleasant to me because, seriously? The entire romance started with him trying to steal away his supposed fiance and then ended with him getting pissed off about Do Han being gay and supposedly manipulating Ah Jeong and then was him just destroying their supposed sibling relationship.

Which I guess they don't have anymore? Or something?

The show gave us zero closure on that and I hate it so much. Because it's so stupid. Because there was no sibling relationship. None! The show refused to give us anything. Nothing but Ji Han being selfish and Do Han having to feel like the worst person ever for even remotely trying to protect himself.

Ah, but the show isn't going to show any homophobia. Why would they do that?

Instead, the show is just gonna give us nothing.

Absolutely nothing.

Not even a goddamn glimpse.

No one seeing this would ever believe these brothers loved each other.

[scoonsalicious]

Here we are ladies, gents, and the non-binaries. The long-awaited Chapter 27 which you've blessed us in FULL today. 8 parts??? what have I done to deserve this? And I've got so many thoughts I Literally had to stare at my screen to collect myself because where do I even start????? Well, first off, I can start with the fact that that was amazing and you're incredible, and thank you for this. I've got so many things to say but I'm literally short-circuiting so AAAH. okay. I'm doing it by roughly by parts so I don't miss a thing. And since you've given us 8 parts, expect this to be the longest essay yet (I'm not even kidding please I apologize this got away from me)

First off, the slow build-up was killing meeee. But then again, I do love seeing them having normal conversations (I mean, a dick in the garbage disposal isn't exactly normal but I digress because that part made me laugh) and seeing Bucky be so protective of her because he has a point. Jesse is out for blood and leaving Pocket alone would be a terrible idea (I mean, well, we obviously see this later). I love their banter too! The teasing and the joking and Bucky's smug lil "nothing I haven't seen before" like okay, pipe down. I love Pocket's stubbornness, arguing with Bucky that she can handle herself (which she can obvs) but I couldn't help but giggle when she *pouts* "I have a gun" *pouts* when Bucky told her that even Nat couldn't handle Jane in hand to hand ESPECIALLY when the unhinged snake is set out for the kill and a super soldier at that.

Now, the footage of Jacky in the Hydra base. That was….a lot. It honestly was so disturbing and scary. It's absolutely insane the way Hydra manufactured her obsession with Bucky. But it's also genius in the sickest way. Because THAT is how you make sure you get a mission done. A teenage crush turned obsession? I mean, have you seen one direction fans back in the day? They were unhinged and could hack anything and that's without training (I was a fan too and I saw it all happen online LMAO). Now we have someone who is a teenage girl with an obsession, who's fucked in the head with all that Hydra manipulation, has super soldier powers, a highly trained assassin and has been made to believe that she can get everything she wants? Who’s stopping that? She makes serial killers look sane. She's been set out to him before anyone even knew she existed. Honestly, that whole thing just had me sitting staring at the wall for a few seconds before I could continue because it's insaneeee. It's so scary, just thinking about someone like her existing in the real world. But that part where she was about to jerk off to Bucky's picture has me laughing and feeling distraught at the same time. But that hint of Bucky being uncomfortable about it followed by Pocket's comment about already sleeping with her, at first I thought he just felt guilty about it but after reading all the parts? A foreshadowing that he's never been comfortable in the first place? I see what you're doing. But god, massacring a whole Hydra base and just the image of her Carrie-style but with a proud grin. Chills. Get her away from me please I'm scared.

(on a side note, Pocket thirsting over Jesus Barnes in Wakanda please BIG MOOD. That really reallyyyyy short clip of him in Infinity War throwing that sack with one hand has me falling in line like, yes sarge, me next please. ANYWAY back to the story)

I'm glad they cleared up that whispering in the conference room when the whole below the paygrade comment. Because people keeping forgetting that were just in Pocket's POV and with that comes some unreliable narrating sometimes because we obviously won't get the full scope of what happened because we're only seeing her thoughts and her perception on the situation. Which is why I always think it's important to think on a broader scale outside what's shown on the text. But god, THAT much money? I'm still heartbroken for Chloe though because she didn't deserve that. But sigh, we just discussed not letting Pocket leave the safe house for her safety and then suddenly we're leaving her alone? Barnes? Really? Have you read any fanfics in your life? Anyway.

That whole commentary about the whole trafficking situation was so spot on. I have nothing else to add to that because you pretty much said it all. It's both sad and so enraging. BUT AH NO. YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO LEAVE POCKET SERIOUSLY. But she genuinely did think Dimitri was the least evil of them all so sigh. I already knew where this was going and I already had a hunch who this "Hydra" boss is waiting at the club. But lol the gasp I let out when I read her name. *insert that 'why am I gasping, I already knew that meme' here* Even just that hint of Jordan being so quick and strong since she's a super soldier, it really sets the tone how Pocket really can't get out of this through physical strength. And now the face off begins.

But damn. I honestly didn't think she'd get even crazier yet here we are. I even felt my skin crawl just knowing the amount of time Jerms spied on Bucky, Pocket, and them both together. She's literally been watching their every move even in the confines of their bedroom. And that gives her so much upper hand because all the fights, insecurities, weaknesses, all their trauma and past, what makes them tick as a couple, what breaks them down, she knows it ALL and she's obviously going to use that to her advantage. Well, she did and she did it well. Imagine playing a cheese game with someone who already knows all your moves. How can you win against that? Every time she says she "loves" him I have the urge to throw up. Like girl you don't. You’re obsessed with him. There's a huge difference. And God that she show here obsession and delusion and that really is the best play Pocket could make. Shattering that deranged fairytale she has in her head of Bucky ever wanting her.

That part, where Juno admitting to feeding Bucky all the things she'd been feeding him, especially the degradation parts. When you're so desperate to try and save a relationship, you really do become willing to try anything and take any advice even if it's not the best ones. And like I said many parts ago, she's smart so the way she manipulated Bucky (who's already so insecure and broken and such an easy mind to manipulate) was so calculated that it was always going to be a success.

Which brings me to the infamous video which was without consent, might I add. The way Jayla made it seem in her text when she recounted it Bucky was so far from what actually happened. She really was selling it as if they'd fuck like no tomorrow and Bucky turned into this feral sex god or something. But that's her delusions playing it up, making it seem like it was the best sex ever when in reality, that couldn't have been farther from the truth. That wasn't fucking, hell I don't even know what you call that. I mean, I could be pushing it here so please do correct me if I'm wrong, but that was SA in a way. An unenthusiastic yes is still a no and you could clearly see that Bucky wasn't into it, tried to stop it even. And with men, there's a different dynamic when it comes to SA because of patriarchal standards and toxic masculinity and this misconception that they always want sex etc. And it truly was pathetic on Josef's part claiming that they fucked because, dude, what was that? But it also left a bad taste in my mouth for Bucky. Because what I saw in my head was just him laying there while she took what she wanted, I guess. And yeah, he didn't push her off and there was a part of him that was so hurt and angry thinking that Pocket betrayed him that he wanted to get revenge but even then, he didn't seem that excited on the fact. I mean, the snake had to bring up the articles and Steve over and over and over again because that's the only way she could keep Bucky angry and hurt enough to not protest and just, let things happen. And she was feeding him lies and hitting exactly where it would sting with that purple push up bra because how could she have known that right? In Bucky's head, that was confirmation that she was telling the truth because he didn't know that Jenny had access to footages. She played her game well and she stabbed him exactly on where the stitches are so that was a lost cause on Bucky's part.

And God, I have all my reports saved in one doc and I really did hit it already did I. About me saying how Bucky probably let Russia happen as a way to punish himself too. And that Jayla truly did play into Bucky's insecurities with those articles because what fight does he have against America's Golden Boy? When he already believes Pocket deserves someone better and that someone took form into the person he's insecure about the most? How can you not spiral? I know I'm repeating myself but we truly can't just ignore what Bucky went through with Hydra in all of this. He's got such a fragile mind and self esteem that it's already easy to break him down if you truly think about it. Now, imagine having someone who knows EVERYTHING that made you crumble and has all the ammo and information to be able to say just the right words for you to trust them? And, well, speaking from experience, you really can't know you're being manipulated until you're out of it. I didn't realize how bad my experience was until I retold it to a friend. So I don't Bucky had an ounce of awareness as to what Joanna was doing to his mental state. It was the sickest most calculated thing what she did that I think even the most secure person could feel that security crumble even for a little. Now you have someone who's already fragile and insecure in the first place? He honestly stood no chance.

Obviously, it doesn't take away the fact that Pocket was still hurt and she has every single right to be. But I think she was more hurt that Bucky wasn't secure in their relationship and her love for him rather than the act itself. Because the way it happened really was kind funny and God I cringed at the way Jocelyn took so so long to even get him going and not even get him going at all because Bucky had to think of Pocket to get hard. And he truly only got himself going by imagining it was Pocket. I mean, he had his eyes closed!!! Beyond me how Juan was able to keep going since Bucky was practically screaming someone else's name so fucking obvious and loud and I have no doubt she heard it since she's a super soldier but she's a different level of delusional so I'm not even surprised. Taking what she could get probably.

I can't WAIT to see feral protective Bucky on the next part. And as much as I want to see all the action, I kinda want him to see him be so calm with his confrontation with Jude. Because you know what would truly break that snake? Bucky telling her over and over and over how he could never love someone like her in all the languages and all the phrases he could. Is it evil of me to want him to break her down on a mental level rather than physical? Because to me, that would be a much more worth it revenge with all the emotional and mental abuse she's done on Pocket and Bucky. Because yeah, Pocket saying those things already hit a nerve. Now imagine it coming from Bucky's mouth? The man she claims she "loves"? Either way, I have no doubt you're going to feed us well so I'm going to be happy not matter what happens. I CAN'T WAIT.

— Jnon 🤍

\y Beautiful Jnon,he 'dick-in-the-garbage disposal' line will live rent-free in Bucky's head for the rest of his life, lol. I like to imagine that it's a visual that got Pocket through a lot of tough times. I loved writing their banter (tbh, I love writing banter in general, lol). I just adore seeing them in a little bit of domestic fluff. And .Bucky has definitely seen it all before, lol. Literally nothing Pocket's got going on hasn't been exposed to his... intense scrutiny, lol. When it came to leaving Pocket alone, the safehouse was probably the safest place for Bucky to do it. I mean, Carthage knew about the Wiggle Room, but she didn't know where the safehouse was.

I'm pleased (which is weird to say) that the Hydra footage was disturbing-- it was 100% meant to be. Like, back in the '90s (the glorious '90s, which I miss with every fiber of my being), I was a HUGE Hanson fan. Like, so rabid I look back on it with embarrassment, lol. And I was thinking-- there's no one with greater obsessive focus than a teenage girl with a celebrity crush, you know? And it just kind of made sense to me that Hydra would harness that to ensure the greatest success to assure they get their asset back. And Jade's not a teenager, but she grew up in isolation, without peers her own age, so I see her as emotionally stunted. In a weird way, she has that in common with Pocket. They were both prevented from growing up in the natural order of things so they could serve the agenda of men. They're like two different sides of the same coin. And Bucky was so uncomfortable at the idea of seeing Jade get off to photos of him, because she did, essentially sexually assault him-- he was never comfortable having sex with her, and the idea that she was using his photo for sexual gratification long before he ever knew she existed makes him feel even more violated.

Let us discus Jesus Barnes. Bless me Father, for I have sinned. I have had impure thoughts of a man, repeatedly, lol. But for real, if you're not familiar, please check out Rock Me, Sexy Jesus from Hamlet 2, which is literally THE ONLY thing I can think about when I see this:

Like, turn my water in whine, please. (I'm not even sure how that works as some kind of filthy entendre, but I'mma leave it 'cause I like how it sounds, lol)

I almost didn't include the bit about Bucky telling Pocket what he actually said to Jade during the mission briefing, but I realized I didn't want her thinking he divulged her secrets. He did some shit, but he didn't do that.

Bucky has not read any fanfics in his life, unfortunately, but this just gave me a hilarious idea for a oneshot where Pocket tries to get him riled up by reading a smutty Bucky Barnes fanfic to him, so thank you for that, lol.

Sad part is, Pocket trusted Dimitri. And I think he trusted her, too, which was why he was so betrayed when he found out she wasn't who she said she was. I did need Bucky to leave Pocket alone, but in his defense, the safehouse was the safest place he could have left her. I mean, Jade knew about the Wiggle Room, knew that she would be working there, but she didn't know where the safehouse location was. So, it seemed liked the safest place at the time, and it would have been if Dimitri hadn't shown up for her. Everyone wanted Pocket to kick Jade's ass, and I wanted it, too, but Jade's always been too strong and fast. All Pocket could use to beat her is her wits.

Having her spy on Bucky and Pocket was actually a late addition to the narrative, and I'm so glad I included it, because it really cements how messed up she is. And it gave her so much ammo to use against them. They really did not stand a chance with her having all that access. (Also, I know you meant "chess game," but you wrote "cheese game" and I am in so in love with that, I'm going to pretend you did it on purpose, lol). I also wanted to show that Jade wasn't just crazy, but she was smart, too, and resourceful, which is what makes her so much more dangerous.

And you're not wrong-- the Russia incident bordered on sexual assault. I don't think he would ever see it like that, being a man from the '40s, but it was. An unenthusiastic yes is just as bad as a no. She pushed and manipulated him so badly, he really had no chance. And once she brought up that purple push up bra? It was over. Without knowing she'd been spying, how could he not believe her?

I'm dying to hear your thoughts about Chapter 28! I can't wait! Love you!

[ariesmusingz]

૮ ˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶ ა    ╱    THE OFFICE SENTENCE STARTERS ( created using s1 ep1 of the office. feel free to adjust to fit your muse. )

"how are things going at the library?"

"i couldn't close it"

"so you've come to the master for guidance?"

"is that what you're saying"

"you called me in here"

"let me show you how it's done"

"i'd like to speak to your office manager"

"i'm sorry, my mistake"

"she had a very low voice"

"probably a smoker"

"so this is my kingdom"

"if you think she's cute now you should have seen her a couple of years ago"

"any messages?"

"how many times have i told you that there's a special filing cabinet for things from corporate?"

"people say i'm the best boss"

"i'm boring myself just talking about this"

"he still loves that after seven years"

"was there anything you wanted to add to the agenda?""i'm sorry, what?"

"i didn't get an agenda"

"i faxed it over to you this morning"

"did we get a fax this morning?"

"why isn't it in my hand?"

"a company runs on efficiency of communication?"

"why didn't i get it?"

"you put it in the garbage can"

"that was a joke"

"that was actually my brother's"

"do you want to look at mine?"

"we haven't made any decisions yet"

"it's up to either you or him to convince me"

"this does mean there is going to be downsizing"

"it is a real bitch"

"i certainly wouldn't wish it or my men or women"

"how long do we have?"

"do you mind if i take it?"

"that's not appropriate"

"i don't know what you mean"

"i've been meaning to ask her one question"

"that's horrifying"

"do you think you can keep a lid on this for now?"

"don't want to worry people unnecessarily"

"it will not leave this office"

"guilty as charged"

"right here, my vibe"

"that's a guy thing"

"i don't think it would be the worst thing if they let me go"

"i don't think it's many girl's dream to be a receptionist"

"i like to do illustrations, mostly water colour"

"let me call you right back"

"i can't concentrate"

"it's not your desk"

"one word, two syllables: demarcation"

"safety violation"

"i could fall and pierce an organ"

"i have no problem with that"

"i even brought it up on my interview"

"i say bring it on"

"you still have messages for yesterday"

"relax, everything is under control"

"that's important, right"

"i should run to answer it"

"that would be a good salary for me, don't you think?"

"just be professional"

"i think i am a role model here"

"i think i garner other people's respect"

"please can we have a meeting in the conference room?"

"it's really beyond words"

"it's really incalculable"

"i know there's some kind of rumours out there"

"i should know first"

"can you just tell please?"

"just a whisper in my ear"

"i'm about to tell everybody"

"do you want me to tell them?"

"you don't know what it is"

"you can tell them with my permission"

"permission granted, go ahead"

"corporate has deemed it appropriate to enforce an ultimatum upon me"

"it's my first day so i really don't know"

"it could be out of your hands"

"it won't be out of my hands"

"can you promise that?"

"yeah it is a promise and frankly i'm a little insulted that you have to keep asking"

"she did say that it could be this branch"

"maybe you should stick to the ongoing confidentiality agreement of meetings"

"information is power"

"so you can't say for sure whether it's us or them?"

"you did not see me in there"

"i'm the head of this family and you ain't gonna be messing with my children"

"yeah, he's onto me"

"watch out for this guy!"

"nice to meet you"

"introduce yourself, be polite"

"that is his profit!"

"i've got some photos"

"judge is in session"

"he put my stuff in jello again"

"that's real professional, thanks"

"that is the third time and it wasn't funny the first time"

"people are taking advantage because it's so relaxed"

"you have to eat it out of there"

"you can be witness"

"can you reprimand him please?"

"how do you know it was me?"

"are you going to discipline him or not?"

"ooh discipline, kinky!"

"i'm sorry cause i've always been your biggest flan"

"you should have put him in custard-y"

"yes, the new guy! he scores"

"what i'm most concerned with is damage to company property"

"do you wanna go out at the end of the week for a drink?"

"when are we going out?"

"we've been engaged about three years"

"do you mind if i go out for a drink with these guys?"

"let's get out of here and go home"

"we are going out and it could be a good chance for you to see what people are like outside the office"

"just tell her i'll talk to her then"

"do i think I'll be invited to the wedding?"

"sometimes we play hard when we should be working hard"

"i am a friend first and a boss second. probably an entertainer third"

"you are going to be my accomplice"

"just follow my lead"

"can you come in here for a sec?"

"just have a seat"

"i was gonna call you in anyway"

"you have made my life so much easier in that i am going to have to let you go first"

"what am i supposed to have stolen?"

"what are those worth?"

"you steal a thousand post it notes then you've made a profit margin"

"are you serious?"

"i can't believe this"

[randomjreader]

My GMMTV 2024 predictions

We're about 1.5 months away from the rumoured gmmtv 2024 press conference (I'm assuming it'll be in the later half of October), so I figured it was about time I threw in my two cents on the lineup

What I want (but don't think I'll get):

Joylada bl series

If you didn't already know, I'm a massive JDPP fan, and I absolutely love their friendship, so ofc this has to be the first thing I mention. Do I think I'll get it? No, they haven't been seen together filming anything that isn't promo yet so the chances aren't high. But am I still being delulu and hoping gmmtv gives them a crazy, super chaotic bl comedy series, with dunkphuwin as brothers and joongpond as best friends who fall for them? Yes. (Bonus, the CP's get mixed around for maximum chaos)

Power rangers gang bl series

Similar to above, I think the vibes of this would be absolutely hilarious. Unlikely gmmtv would do this tho, the last time they capitalised on these cp friend groups was that series with the holy trinity (singtokrist, offgun, taynew). But with some of their biggest OGs leaving (singto, bright, ect) they might be trying to form the new generation of cp friend groups, so maybe it's not entirely implausible?

Viewjune gl series

If you follow my blog, you would know I'm Viewjune's #1 fan, so ofc I want them to get a GL series of their own. However, I honestly don't think they'll get it. One big thing about becoming an established, branded cp is fanservice, but despite being paired together for 2 shows already, there really hasn't been any interactions outside scheduled promos and a few pics here and there. Yes, this might just mean that they don't wanna feed into fanservice, but a part of me also thinks that it might mean they are trying to phase this ship out before people get too attached, possibly to explore mixing the cps up, which I will get more into later.

Prigkhing in a gl

The way I wanna see this so bad; Prigkhing would totally kill it in a GL, she already has chemistry with every girl she's put on screen with. But I'm not sure if GMMTV would actually do this, though this might be the most probable from this list.

Forcebook-pondphuwin bl series

Full disclosure, I want this solely because I love forcepond's friendship. They have similar humour, and it would be hilarious to see them play best friends (or lovers if gmmtv is ballsy enough to mix up their BL cps 👀). Even if the series flops I'd be invested solely for all the chaotic BTS. Also, the visuals would be serving. We all saw that one post of them in the gym right? Exactly.

Leading roles for the underutilised gmmtv artists

I'm talking about people like Drake, Mike, Aun, Bimbeam, Ploypach, ect. They are all so talented, but it feels like gmmtv hardly uses them (not so much on Ploypach, heavy on Bimbeam). GIVE OPPORTUNITIES TO YOUR OTHER ARTISTS PLEASE.

AJ and JJ leads series

These two needed a whole separate point for themselves. They have been with gmmtv for a while now, and they've literally been in like, 70% of gmmtv's series, yet not a single leading role for them. They have so much potential, not just because they are identical twins (how many of these companies have that), but also because they're really talented. GMMTV, stop overlooking them and give them their well deserved leading roles please.

Mark Pakin and Pond Naravit as twins series

Speaking of twins, forget GeminiPhuwin for a sec, I want to see THESE TWO play twins. They look so goddamn alike (imo more than geminiphuwin do), and they are both so funny without even trying, they would be great in a comedy together. Or hell, even a lakorn, they both have experience in those. Give me Mark as the outgoing, confident older twin and Pond as the shy, more introverted younger twin, and hell while we're at it throw in Milk Pansa as their older sister who's so done with their shit but loves them very much, because she raised them after their parents died.

What I'm expecting:

Geminifourth bl series

This one has already been confirmed, so really not much to say about it. Hell, I'm pretty sure gmmtv will give them 2 series instead of just one. I'm hoping to finally see red flag Gemini (but watch him be the one to fall first AGAIN)

Pondphuwin bl series

This one also has been subtly, sort of confirmed by Phuwin, and I'm holding on to all that hope. I never really understood why people were acting as if Pond is dropping out of the industry simply bcs he said he was going back to school, like he still needs to earn money to support himself and his family y'all, pondphuwin aren't going anywhere (not with their current popularity). It's literally giving the same energy as everyone freaking out when he tweeted about wanting to further his career in dance one day, and when he supported Santa when he went to join Fantasy Boys, because they thought that meant he was leaving the bl industry to focus on dance. Like pls everyone, relax. More likely than not it just means he'll get less work, probably only one 2024 series with phuwin and your usual artist appearances.

Dunkphuwin bg series

This one I've seen rumours of already, and hell yeah I'm so down for this. It's probably the closest we'll ever get to a joylada series, which makes sense since Dunk is graduating while Joong and Pond are probably going to be spending more time on school (we don't talk about Phuwin, Mr "I got into Uni at 16 while also working and am currently very close to graduating with honours" is crazy smart and can basically do anything). I'm hoping to see them play brothers (GMMTV don't you dare mess up that golden opportunity) and maybe have them paired up with Jaoying for Phuwin and a new gmmtv actress for Dunk.

Winnysatang bl series

Of all GMMTV's established cps, they are one of the only ones who have yet to get their own series, and given their immense popularity (they already have fanmeets of their own), it's highly likely to be getting their own series. I'd be surprised if they didn't. I'm hoping for some dark angsty drama for them, enemies to lovers or maybe even a forbidden love type of thing?

At least 2 new gl series

With their growing popularity, GMMTV would be dumb not to hop into this bandwagon. They've already started with 23.5, and that show has a lot of anticipation already. I'm thinking that 2024 is going to be the year of GL experimentation for them, where they mix and match a bunch of their actresses to find some new cps, hell they might even put together a GL ensemble series to compete with Love Senior that's coming from StarHunter.

But also, I think gmmtv might use this new gl experimentation to also experiment with not having established cps at all. It's something I've seen a number of fans talk about, not having established cps, and seeing what they've done in MLC and OF, two extremely popular series, it might be something they find worth exploring. However, no way in hell would gmmtv risk it on their bl guys, they earn too much money from them. So, if they're gonna do it, they'll more likely do it with their actresses, since there is really only one fully established gl cp so far (milklove), and a million other gl ghostships. Hence why I said I didn't think viewjune would get their own series, I think gmmtv might want to try pairing View up with a bunch of different girls, bcs let's be real she has chemistry with everyone.

Some pairings I'm hoping to see are NamtanFilm, PiployPrim, PiployEarn, CiizeEarn, JaneCiize, Viewtu, PrigkhingPrim, ect. Honestly I'll take anyone there's endless amounts of options if gmmtv would just open their eyes and utilise their women for once.

A pairing of 2 gmmtv rookies

Every year, there's usually an introduction of new CPs, and gmmtv has recently signed in a bunch of new people, so they'll definitely be used in 2024. Most likely they'll be put in as a side couple, but I would like to see gmmtv be ballsy and give leading roles to completely new actors (hey, it worked for gemfourth didn't it).

Dewjane bg series

I'm currently catching up on Homeschool, and Dewjane have crazy good chemistry. They also have quite a fanbase (go look at Jane's comments section of her Barbie post), so I don't see why gmmtv wouldn't take advantage of it and give them

Homeschool season 2

I've see rumours about this, and fuck I would love to see this. A whole new generation of students under new leadership, I think it would be interesting. Cast a bunch of the new artists, and some of the older ones like Prim, Phuwin and Gemini. Throw in Mike as a teacher while you're at it.

Firstkhaotung bl series

Listen, they are absolutely one of GMMTV's biggest cashcows rn, up there with geminifourth. They are literally the first cp to get an international fanmeet OUTSIDE ASIA, which is a huge huge achievement. They are also both incredibly incredibly talented, and super versatile too. Gmmtv has to give them a new series, preferably a comedy or something cute and lighthearted this time, because yes I know they do angst so well and are very pretty criers, but give them a break from crying let's all be happy for once HAHAHAHA

Markford bl series

Yes yes, I know we are in NeoMark era rn, but who says we can't have both huh? Markford were so godamn popular, in a way I don't think gmmtv expected, and I feel like with the Markford fandom still well and alive they might try again with them. Just to add to the chaos why not have a new NeoMark series too, have both fandoms happy (or competing) the entire year.

Even better, have all three of them in a love triangle, and have both fandoms warring, only for the show to end with all three of them getting together in a little polyamorous relationship. And let P'Jojo direct this one he'll know what to do.

Other works I want to see:

SIZZY CONCERT/ALBUM

I truly cannot stress this enough. GMMTV, THEY HAVE BEEN A GIRL GROUP FOR YEARS NOW, AND ALL YOU'VE LET THEM GIVE US IS 3 SOLO SONGS AND 2 COLLABS? NOT EVEN AN ALBUM OR A CONCERT? I'm literally begging on my knees, please please utilise them. I will literally buy a ticket to Thailand to watch their concert if you're so concerned about earning a profit, I swear I will just give them a shot. Even just an EP will do.

Joongdunk variety show

A lot of gmmtv's popular CP's have gotten their own already (EMS, LBW, FBS, ect), so I think it's about time Joongdunk got one too. It'll be hilarious, and I will be expecting pondphuwin to show up as guests thank you very much.

Milklove variety show

With how late in 2023 23.5 is going to be released, I don't think milklove will get a new series in 2024, but being the only real established GL pairing right now, I don't think gmmtv will just forget about them, so instead I want them to get their own little variety show, maybe something to do with crafting or travel.

Safehouse season 5: girls edition

After the disaster that was the last safehouse season, a part of me never wants that show to be a thing again, but the possibility of seeing all the gmmtv girls under one roof is too tempting. Who knows, maybe this will be what saves the Safehouse series. I would wanna see all the Sizzy girls, Namtan, Film, Milk, Earn, Prigkhing, View, June and Jaoying.

Final thoughts

Like many others, I'm thinking that there will be 10 new QLs — 8 BLs and 2 GLs, but of the 8 BLs I would like 2 of them to have a GL side couple, so 4 GL couples in total. I'm also thinking of probably 5 or so BG series.

If you've made it this far, damn. Thank you for reading my very long post. And if you make your own, tag me or something I would love to read about everyone's theories.

[ingravinoveritas]

AMY GEORGIA’S LATEST POST OF BTS STAGED. THAT PHOTO OF DAVID AND MICHAEL SITTING, UNCLE MICHAEL??!!!!

Well, this was a hell of a way to start a Wednesday. Haha. Yes indeed, I have seen the pictures in question, and there is much to discuss. First, here's a link for folks who haven't seen it, but I'll also post the relevant pictures here so we have the visual:

There's obviously a lot going on here, but Anon #2, let me first say that I cackled at your mention of "bisexual sitting," because I had exactly the same thought. What I really love is that both David and Michael are sitting bisexually, but in completely different ways. Truly a blessing for us all in the last few days of Pride Month. (Also, I think "accidental gif" is referring to the fact that Georgia probably thought she was taking a picture but had the camera on video mode instead. Thus, an accidental gif once the video got into the hands of the fandom.)

What I need to say before anything else is that all of this--Staged 3, and the BTS pictures--hits very differently now that we know Michael and David have [REDACTED]. This touches on a larger discussion that I am hoping to have in a separate analysis post for Staged 3, but they filmed [REDACTED] for GO 2 prior to filming Staged 3, which now makes me look at everything we've gotten related to S3 through a very different lens.

But yes, there are a lot of choices happening here. Georgia's post focuses specifically and clearly on Michael or Michael/David. As you said, Anon #3, the post immediately got a slew of likes and engagement, and Georgia being smart/savvy with Insta most likely engineered it for that purpose. Yet what stands out (as was pointed out above) is that there is not a single picture of Anna in the post.

I think when we talk about what AL is posting (such as the baby picture, which is here for those who haven't seen it) versus what Georgia is posting lately, we really have to look at what AL isn't posting, which is something you mentioned, Anon #3. The Staged BTS pictures AL has posted are all recycled--either the black and white one of her with Myrtle, the screenshot of the scene with her and Michael in the car (at least three times, at last count), and then this reshared group picture, which is cringey on so many different levels:

(Why is AL sitting like that? Why is Michael sitting closer to/looks more comfortable with Lucy than her? I have so many questions...)

But what AL has noticeably not posted is pictures of David. Now, that could be because of what you said, Anon #3--that she knows he and Michael together will draw attention away from her (and I have another Anon waiting to be answered that touches on this in more depth, which I will answer soon). It could also be because, as I've written about previously on my blog, AL and David do not get along because of Michael's strong connection with David and how he is so much on the receiving end of Michael's passionate attention. It could also be for another reason, one I've had a few folks DMing me about, wondering if maybe there is some kind of agreement in place where--for whatever reason--AL does not have permission to post pictures of David. We already know he's not a fan of social media and Georgia has permission and (supposedly) clears everything she posts of him beforehand, but it would not surprise me if the same privilege is not extended to Anna. And it would explain the lack of BTS pictures from her--along with her absence from seemingly multiple scenes/places where Georgia was present.

Of course, Georgia was a producer on S3, so that absolutely could explain why we have photos from her of Michael and David in the scene where they were interviewed, or of the David/Michael pile up that she was in in the conference room scene (pic #2, which was interestingly cropped so that we couldn't see too much), and why AL wasn't there.

And then there's the third picture. "Uncle Michael" (and doesn't that make your heart ache?). There's a part of me that wonders if this was almost a deliberate phrasing, because in decades past when same-sex couples could not live openly, if a man had a male partner, he was often referred to as "Uncle [Name]," as a euphemism to hide the true nature of the relationship (even though everyone likely already knew). Georgia has already called Michael David's "other wife," however, so this just seems like an extension/affirmation of what has been previously said. But where, then, is "Aunt Anna"? To me, her omission is almost less surprising, because I have felt that Georgia has been slowly distancing herself from AL for some time now (commenting on AL's head shot, for example--something professional, to do with the business--but ignoring/not commenting on AL's birthday post for Mabli).

It's just glaringly noticeable at this point, and it is definitely making me wonder what all of this--the BTS pics from Staged 3, and the soon-to-be-released second season of Good Omens--is leading to. I know I could certainly be reading too much into it, but every post from Georgia has felt like it is building up to something, and I'm incredibly curious to find out what. I suppose for now, though, we'll just have to wait and see (sorry/not sorry. Haha).

So yes, those are my thoughts on today's new BTS pics. I have a ton of other Anons to answer (now past 700, which is crazy), so there will be lots more to discuss about all the recent happenings soon. Thanks for writing in, Anons! x

[pochapal]

I love your analysis, if you haven't already can you give your opinion on Maria's and Beatrice's relationship? (Sorry if my English isn't understandable, it isn't my first language).

i think there are two angles to their relationship. the first is maria's own extreme faith in beatrice as an almost godlike figure who will lift her from her cruel life and bring her to the infinitely more joyous golden land (i think the religious associations with the magic are on purpose).

i also think that the culprit(s) have been using this faith in beatrice on maria's part to turn her into an unbreaking believer of the witch narrative in order to make the crimes more compelling for the rest of the family. there's some evidence that maria and "beatrice" have spoken before the events of the family conference which i think indicates some kind of marinating with maria - you have a servant claiming to be beatrice somehow in a type of rehearsal of the rose garden conversation with the umbrella. if i was to give my gut feeling given what we've seen i think it's likely that before the family conference a lot of maria's belief was coming from stories told by shannon (perhaps under kumasawa's direction?).

so you have maria desperate to believe in anything other than bleak reality and someone who stands to offer her everything she wants in the story of a powerful yet merciful witch who rewards true believers with a kind of paradise. if you tap into this with maria through promises of playing together in the golden land then you're simultaneously bringing joy to an abused child and creating an incredibly useful asset for the murders. as a result maria has enough love and belief for beatrice that she is able to "see" her in a way that makes everything that much more real for everyone else.

the beatrice in maria's head is more of a concept so i don't think we can consider that as a true relationship, but i do wonder about the servant(s) that helped sell the stories to make beatrice "real" to maria. belief in the witch is a great source of joy for maria, but it is also a naked manipulation done to guarantee the slaughter of her family. you have to wonder how someone like shannon or kumasawa felt telling these stories knowing their ultimate purpose.

[lenaperseveranceoxton]

I haven't seen anyone post content from Declassified focused on Lena, Jack, or Winston yet and can't get the book for myself, but I saw an image in a tweet from @gayviatorr on Twitter.

Fareeha looking younger than ~24, Jack looking younger than ~48, and Lena having the OW2 chronal accelerator over the OW1 chronal accelerator aside...

We've never heard anything about Lena meeting Mina before, to my knowledge? We saw the Declassified leak weeks ago where it said Mina felt guilty and didn't know what to do about Lena's chronal disassociation, but it seems as if they never got to know each other outside of maybe a few conferences about how Lena should manage the accelerator and chronal disassocation as a whole.

Lena standing next to Jack, though... ouch, my heart... This is the content I've been needing. Inject it directly into my veins.

Lena, my sweet February child, this is just one of many funerals in the next 2-3 years.

[https-chaos]

I saw on your Sonya Massey video breakdown that you said her lawyer and family have advocated for the spreading and watching of the video. Could you possibly dig up your source for that? There's at least one other post going around scolding people for sharing it and I wanted to let them know the family's wishes, but I'm having a hard time finding a source.

hi there! i want to start by saying that this whole thing is awful and if watching the video is going to be harmful to someone they definitely shouldn't watch it. also, i'm not a professional or anything. but this quote from Ben Crump (the lawyer) on USA Today goes a little bit into their hope that the video will spur the country into action. there are more quotes from him elsewhere but the link is below:

also, i haven't watched it yet, but the family and the lawyer did a press conference yesterday. the link for that is below. if they've changed their mind and anyone has seen it before i get to it this evening, please let me know and i'll update this post and the other one.

[abidethetempest]

Rise and Fall Ghosts

was inspired by @/shaxxuality to do this ask game for the Ghosts of my OC Fireteam! Spoilers for my fic, rise and fall, will be below (mostly character's names/personalities). Also this got insanely long so rip if youre reading it on mobile.

Haedriks, Fenris's Ghost

legendary shards. What is your Ghost like? What character traits do they have? Haedriks is pragmatic, cynical, and sardonic. They care about Fenris more than anything else in the universe.

glimmer. Is your Ghost a loner or has a friend group? Do they hang out with other Ghosts or Guardians? Haedriks is a loner. They do warm up to the other Ghosts in Fenris's fireteam and are casual friends with Sundance.

ascendant shards. How did the Ghost find your Guardian? How long did it take them? They found Fenris fairly soon after the Collapse, early-mid Dark Age (I hesitate to put a solid date on this bc the Destiny timeline gives me hives). She was found dead outside an Awoken ship; Haedriks doesn't know why she was there and has no interest in finding out.

enhancement core. How does the Ghost behave in combat? Do they help the Guardian in any way? Haedriks is quite cautious during combat and only emerges to heal Fenris if she is dying or unable to continue fighting. They talk to her telepathically a lot, giving updates on where everyone else is or any threats she needs to be aware of.

bright dust. Is your Ghost stylish? Do they like different shells or do they stick to one? Do they have a unique or recognizable feature? Haedriks saw little point in fashion during the Dark Age-- after all, being pretty just draws attention, and attention gets you killed. However, Fenris does recieve a gift in the form of a Ghost shell from a ✨certain someone✨ later on, and Haedriks likes it very much. I haven't quite settled on the design yet but the placeholder in my head rn is the Totem Shell.

silver. Does the Ghost have their own space wherever the Guardian lives? What does it look like? Not really. Haedriks only comes out to sleep and they do that by just snuggling into Fenris's hood.

exotic cipher. How does the Ghost feel about the Crucible and Gambit? Crucible is a good chance to hone your skills against other Guardians in preparation for their inevitable betrayal, nothing more. They don't trust the Drifter enough to like Gambit.

spoils of conquest. What is the Ghost’s attitude towards the Darkness powers? And the Guardian if they are using it? They're more open to them than Fenris is, since they've seen all sorts of atrocities commited by those who weild the Light. Fenris would sooner cut her own arm off than use it, but Haedriks would still support her if she did.

enhancement prism. What was the Ghost’s life before finding their Guardian? Rough. The Dark Age was, well...... dark. It almost broke their spirit, watching other Ghosts die and seeing Lightbearers, the ones supposed to fix this mess, turn into petty tyrants and killers.

upgrade module. What does the Ghost like to do in free time? Do they have hobbies? Haedriks really likes writing poetry. Fenris is the only one who will ever see it, though.

Vesper, Niamh's Ghost

legendary shards. What is your Ghost like? What character traits do they have? The ideal Ghost for a Warlock, quite inquistive and nerdy. Has a lot of Opinions (tm) about academic subjects and is not afraid to voice them.

glimmer. Is your Ghost a loner or has a friend group? Do they hang out with other Ghosts or Guardians? Associates with a lot of other Warlocks' Ghosts bc I headcanon that there are Ghost book clubs and academic conferences.

ascendant shards. How did the Ghost find your Guardian? How long did it take them? Vesper found Niamh on the moon after the City had been founded. He wanted to wait until he knew things would be safe for his Guardian.

enhancement core. How does the Ghost behave in combat? Do they help the Guardian in any way? He hates seeing/feeling Niamh hurt and will insist upon healing her as much as possible.

bright dust. Is your Ghost stylish? Do they like different shells or do they stick to one? Do they have a unique or recognizable feature? He likes to coordinate with Niamh, which usually means wearing lots of orange and red. She buys him lots of shaders.

silver. Does the Ghost have their own space wherever the Guardian lives? What does it look like? A corner of Niamh's desk is reserved for him. He has a lil cushion to rest on and a stand to hold books open while he reads.

exotic cipher. How does the Ghost feel about the Crucible and Gambit? Both are fun! Vesper is a very competitive lil guy and loves to win.

spoils of conquest. What is the Ghost’s attitude towards the Darkness powers? And the Guardian if they are using it? It's a new frontier of knowledge, so Vesper has an interested academically... but he's worried about the effect it could have on Niamh. There's a line between curiosity and recklessness (not that either of them are good at knowing where it is).

enhancement prism. What was the Ghost’s life before finding their Guardian? Pretty okay, all things considered! He spent time with other Ghosts, helping out with research or learning about whatever interested him. It was a little lonely until he found Niamh, tho.

upgrade module. What does the Ghost like to do in free time? Do they have hobbies? He loves reading, both nonfiction and fiction. He also collects pretty rocks!

Sweetpea, Sigil-3's Ghost

legendary shards. What is your Ghost like? What character traits do they have? As the name implies, an absolute sweetheart. She's very shy and quiet, but had a secret protective streak when it comes to Sigil. She just wants everyone to get along and be okay.

glimmer. Is your Ghost a loner or has a friend group? Do they hang out with other Ghosts or Guardians? She's well-liked by pretty much everyone she meets, but Sweetpea is too introverted to spend a lot of time with others before she gets overwhelmed. She does like to hang out with Haedriks, who tends to be blunt enough to say what Sweetpea is also thinking 90% of the time.

ascendant shards. How did the Ghost find your Guardian? How long did it take them? She set out to find Sigil right away, worried that he would be lonely or sad waiting too long for her. She found him in the very late Dark Age and they immediately went to the fledgling Last City to help protect it.

enhancement core. How does the Ghost behave in combat? Do they help the Guardian in any way? Sweetpea is the Ghost with the best hacking skills on the team and so is deployed to open doors or such things most.

bright dust. Is your Ghost stylish? Do they like different shells or do they stick to one? Do they have a unique or recognizable feature? Sweetpea loves feeling nice or pretty, and Sigil often buys her new shells whenever he has the funds. Some of her favorites are the Star Map shell, the Adonis shell, and the Dreamer shell. Her most recognizable feature is her that her eye color is pink.

silver. Does the Ghost have their own space wherever the Guardian lives? What does it look like? Sweetpea likes being close to Sigil, so she usually just hangs out on his shoulder no matter where they are. He did insist on giving her the space by one of his windows to grow her flowers.

exotic cipher. How does the Ghost feel about the Crucible and Gambit? Crucible is okay, she doesn't like Sigil playing because watching Guardians fight brings back bad memories of the Dark Age but she tolerates it. Drifter gives both of them weird vibes, so they're in agreement on not playing Gambit.

spoils of conquest. What is the Ghost’s attitude towards the Darkness powers? And the Guardian if they are using it? Big old nope. It makes Sweetpea feel physically ill just thinking of it. Probably the only thing she could ever blow up at Sigil about would be him using the Darkness.

enhancement prism. What was the Ghost’s life before finding their Guardian? Scary but not without good moments. Sweetpea traveled with other Ghosts the whole way since it was safer, and she still knows those Ghosts well. They kept each other safe, and more importantly, they made sure nobody lost hope.

upgrade module. What does the Ghost like to do in free time? Do they have hobbies? Sweetpea likes to grow plants and learn about different kinds of flowers. Her favorite, of course, is the sweet pea plant.