#Dark Waters and Lone Sails

[bluemoon1331]

@amarynthian-chronicles I failed. I needed to come up with a full length plot for it immediately after reading it, even if I'll never actually write it.

Dark Waters and Lone Sails

Y/N is a delivery merchant by trade, operating from a small schooner found wrecked and repaired proudly by hand. Through ingenious design, they sail the oceans blue solo, known to be among the top picks for if you need something fast delivered by someone while flying under pirates' radars. So unexpected is their speed that many wonder how they do it, a truth Y/N keeps close to their chest, smiling coyly every time.

That truth being that they dare far more treacherous waters. Ones that even pirates tend to avoid. Said to be infested by sea monsters and never ending storms. While it is true the weather is quite temperamental, they've sailed through with little issue after years of charting out routes.

To deal with the former, as a safety precaution, Y/N brings with them offerings, depositing them into the ocean to appease whatever beasts may lie within. They've yet to actually see one, even after all this time, but there have been moments where their offerings will vanish before they leave sight, and nary a sign of sharks or other such predators in sight, leading them to wonder if perhaps they are being watched.

And indeed, watched they are. Sun and Moon often trail you through their waters. At first, you were just another pesky human to shipwreck, but your invitations of food and humble nature quickly charmed them. They fell hard and fast, though have dared not make a move, lest it drive you away.

As their luck (and your misfortune) would one day, at last, have it, you are blindsided by nothing less of a megalith hurricane. The never ending storms other sailors spoke of suddenly seemed much more real, and you swiftly realize that even you will not escape this so easily. Your schooner overturns, and you are nearly lost to the waves you've spent your life upon.

However, you manage to not only survive, but come to atop the sand. After recovering enough to get up, you take stock of the isolated island before you, teeming with craggy rock that gives way to a rough looking forest, and finally a small, hilly mountain. You are shipwrecked.

Of course, your first order of business is getting yourself out. Your ship may be gone, but you are nothing if not skilled at crafting and repairing seaworthy vessels. That said, you do lack the usual tools, and it will take longer than you would like to gather something to make enough rope, based on the terrain you can immediately see. A deeper dive into the forest will be required. Plus there's the issue of freshwater and food...

Stuck on the beach, you ponder this among your plans, when a splash, something far closer and more deliberate than the waves of the tides, catches your attention. Looking over, you are stunned at the massive scaled golden mer grinning at you in the shallows, appearing quite pleased, an unnamed, eager hunger in its white eyes with their shrunken sky blue pupils. He addresses you as friend, tries to ease closer and encourage you to chat. You're, at first, frozen, certain this is about to be your end, your exasperatingly unresponsive legs refusing to let you flee, like any smart person would. It doesn't help you're still slightly dazed and disoriented from surviving what you shouldn't have. He's cooing at you, and it's quite the task for your brain to process his words, but at some point it leaks in. He SAVED you? He, and his brother? That can't be right. It feels like a trap. Or maybe, if they did, it was only to consume you later.

Except he's also telling you they've been very enthused to meet you, and talk to you in person. That your offerings have been much appreciated, as well as your company in their waters. None of which sounds even remotely sane to you, but, as the twilight approaches, realizing only how late it is when you spot a red gleam in the darkening waters, Moon appears. He is equal to his brother in size, if not more so with his many tentacles, and you stare into the face of an infamous kraken, whose wolfish grin far outmatches his brother for certain with his wickedly sharp teeth.

The both of them being there, towering above you, lavishing you in praise and whispering of their secret desires, is more than enough to finally break your trance, and you are quick to dismiss them. Do they think you're a fool? Just because they let you pass through their territory so much doesn't mean they have good intentions. Stating that firmly, you slip away before they have a chance to do anything worse, much to the brothers' frustration and chagrin.

The next several days, you plot and gather. You locate a stream from which to drink at the bottom of the mountain, discover berry bushes and small critters that have somehow come to make the lone island their home. Fronds and thick ivy make a promising start for ropes, while rock and bone become your friends as makeshift tools.

Every day, you sequester your haul near the beach, out of sight. And every time, it seems like the sea monsters know when you arrive. Sun calls to you from where you stand near the treeline, not terribly impressed by his honeyed words meant to draw you closer, though you cannot deny your bubbling mirth at his pouting.

When the day is over, and has been long enough to delay your visit to your raft project, Moon is there to greet you. He beckons you from the waves, gaze full of mischief and desire. You, of course, resist, which he seems to accept with some level of grace, if not paired by a touch of disappointment. When you go to hunker down and sleep, he sings, voice echoing over the island, and you will not deny his voice is hauntingly beautiful.

Little by little, you thaw to them. A cold shoulder becomes an amused response here or there, then casual remarks between you, and before you know it, you are sitting at the treeline, talking to them. They tell you of their life in the depths, the wonders and ferocities they face. You give snippets of your own life, traveling the many coasts to bring things where they need to be, a sailor proud to operate by themself.

There is no mistake to be made for their continued intentions, though. They speak of observing you on your trips, witnessing your confident and crafty nature even while sailing alone through such dangerous areas. They continue to urge for you to join them, that they would make you happy and loved within the ocean you would normally sail upon. Sun frowns and questions at your loneliness, while Moon empathizes but assures their company would not overwhelm your independence.

You begin to grapple with yourself, even if you refuse to admit it. You dare not lie and say you have not become fond of their company, but you cannot imagine committing yourself so wholly to the sea, when you have much you enjoy on land as well. All this unfolds as you get closer and closer to finishing your makeshift vessel. It is nowhere near the grandeur of your schooner, but it should be able to get you somewhere once complete. The only problem: how would you leave with the leviathans guarding the island? There is a doubt in you that they'll just watch you sail off.

One encroaching evening, you confront them, bringing up the topic, and they respond exactly how you imagined. How could you believe or expect them to let you leave them behind now that they've finally had the chance to meet you? You come to understand that you are all trapped by this bond now, and reach the conclusion that perhaps it would not be so bad to stay in their company, if only you are allowed to return to shore when you wish.

The deal is struck, and they can finally welcome you into their embrace and bring you home.

[blxxdysxn]

[citricacidprince]

could you draw the courtroom scene with relativity falls? (mabels bubble)

Gladly!!! I’ve already brought up some Stan Weirdmageddon Bubble stuff here, but the equivalent of the Mabel Trial for Stan makes me wanna blow up I just adore it!!

Okay, so first things first, here’s Captain Stan’s design, my precious baby boy <3

Figured it’d be fun to mix some aspects of Grunkle Stan’s Mr. Mystery outfit with a pirate twist, just for fun!

As for the ‘trial’, its more of a argument between two boys who just WONT talk about their issues

Fiddleford, Boyish Dan, and Anjelita are also there, but Stan isn’t mad at them. In fact, he doesn’t even care that they’re breaking the rules by being there, he’s only mad at Ford. He’s mad that Ford was just going to leave him behind and send Stan back to New Jersey by himself while he stayed and studied with their Grunkle Dipper. Leaving Stan all by himself at home. Alone to deal with their father. Alone with no friends. Alone to be the family disappointment.

But no matter how mad he gets at Ford, Stan can’t ever say that he’s hates him, and Stan would give him a million chances to fix things. So, instead of immediately throwing Ford off the deck of his ship, he gives him an ultimatum. A very easy solution to all of this.

All Ford has to do is say that he’s sorry, and Stan would let him go. He won’t leave the bubble because he actually really likes it in there, but he’ll let Ford go.

This.. doesn’t end very well

Stan, absolutely heartbroken, decides to make his brother walk the plank. If he’s dead to Ford, well then Ford is dead to him as well.

However, right before his crew could push Ford into the water, something happened.

You see, when Stan unknowingly gave the rift to Bill he only had one wish. That he’d never be alone again. So when he first appeared in his bubble it was actually completely dark and empty, except for a small light glowing in his hands. It was a little version of Ford. He smiled and laughed just like he did when they were a bit younger, and he said everything Stan wanted to hear.

Very quickly Stan realized he could manipulate the bubble and create anything that he wanted, just like he could back in the Mindscape. So he created what he knew. Glass Shard Beach, New Jerseys. It was full of never ending boardwalks, houses and attractions with silly names, and that beach he loved so much. It didn’t take long after that to realize it was still quite lonely, even with Lil’ Ford (a name he lovingly gave the small version of his brother). However, he didn’t want the town to be full of faceless nobodies or people he actually knew, that’d be weird.

Then he had the genius idea to just fill the town with himself! After all, he never had to worry about himself betraying him or leaving him behind!

Soon the town was overrun with imperfect duplicates of himself and he couldn’t have been any happier.

However, the duplicates were so much like him that it soon made a new problem arise. They started asking about Ford. Like, ‘Where is he?’ ‘Can you make one?’ ‘I miss having him around.’

Stan did have Lil’ Ford hidden under his pirate hat, but he didn’t want to tell the other Stans that he was there. He didn’t know exactly why he kept Lil’ Ford hidden away. Probably a mixture of bitterness and anger still aimed at his real twin brother and a selfishness to keep Lil’ Ford to himself. So he just declared that Fords were banned altogether and left it at that.

This was a problem when right as Stanford was about to pushed off the plank, Lil’ Ford came out from under the Captain’s hat and told Stan to stop all of this.

The two bicker for a moment and some Stans ask who that is, causing Lil’ Ford to happily state that he’s Stanley’s brother, that the two are going to sail the world together, and that he loves Stan very dearly.

This doesn’t go over well with literally any of the Stan on board and it especially doesn’t go over well with Ford

The Stans pull a mutiny and try to kill Stan because they don’t think he should be Captain anymore and one of them should run the town instead.

Hard cut to Boyish Dan, Anjelita, Fiddleford, Ford, and Stan having a high speed boat chase with other Stans and popping the bubble while escaping. (I like to think Stan popped the bubble at the last second with the help of Shanklin <3 )

Stan is NOT happy about having to leave his Weirdmageddon bubble.

“You should have left me in there. I was HAPPY there.”

“Who cares if you were happy, you were living a lie! A sad delusion! You should be happy we pulled you out of there!”

Boyish Dan has it cut in before the two start fighting right then and there

Stan eventually calms down enough to decide that he’s going to save their Grunkle Dipper from Bill, but there is a thick tension between Stan and Ford that last until the huge blow out fight at the Cipher Wheel

A fight that started because Stan wanted Ford to finally say it.

‘I’m Sorry.’

[javierpena-inatacvest]

Sail Away

Summary: Another nightmare leaves Javi wide awake, forced to wrestle with the consequences of his past as he looks towards his future

Pairing: Husband!Javier Peña x Wife!reader (no use of y/n)

Word Count: 2.6K

Warnings: Heavyyyyy on the angst, PTSD, references to violence/death (from Narcos), panic attack and descriptions of past panic attacks, insomnia, feelings of guilt/shame, mentions of pregnancy/parenthood, comfort, still a happy (enough) ending, post DEA Javi, poor Javi just really needs a hug :(

A/N: We're tryin new things here people!! Fair warning- I feel like this is DRASTICALLY different from the way I normally write (content and style wise) but big sad time, pre-period hormones said it's time to cry 🤷🏼‍♀️ I think a lot about how post-DEA Javi handles thinking about his time in Colombia, and how hard it is for him to talk about, even with the people he knows care about him the most ☹️ I hope this doesn't beat you to death with metaphors, imagery and lack of beta'ing (I can still hear my AP lit teacher screaming SYMBOLISM into the abyss) Trying to emulate a lil @jolapeno on this one (ily my descriptive queen 👑)

It happened again. 

You instantly knew from the stark cold of his side of the bed, the empty void where his broad frame should be, his sheets twisted and tangled from where he had fought another round with sleep and lost. 

3rd night in a row, the 5th time this week. At this point, it was hard not to keep track. 

The cyclical pattern of restless nights, haunted by ghosts of his past that taunted and teased him, cruelly lurking the back of his mind, no matter how hard he begged or pleaded for them to disappear. 

Forcing himself to wrestle with his demons in the darkness couldn’t help but feel like insult to injury- the harsh blacks and blues that flooded the sky, drowning out the last glimmer of sunlight as it dipped below the horizon, perfectly mirroring the way his mind so devilishly seemed to paint his thoughts in shades of ebony and cerulean with erratic, angry brushstrokes over the warm yellows and oranges of his new life he had finally learned to embrace. 

It only seemed fair that he went to battle with the darkest musings of his mind under the night sky that so cruelly reflected his mood. 

You weren’t surprised the first time you found him hunched on the back steps of your porch, head buried in his hands, fingers twitching for a cigarette- the vice he’d sworn to give up after his final return home, a vow that moments like these had made him distinctly regret. You always wondered how despite the stark silence that surrounded him as he stared off into the dark abyss, you could still hear his thoughts screaming at you- crying out for attention, acknowledgement, anything to get someone else to understand what he was hiding inside of his mind that he was too scared to say out loud. 

His midnight disappearances came in waves, fading and reappearing like an unpredictable ocean tide that left you wondering when the cool and salty water would crash around your ankles next as you stood at the edge of the shore. 

For a while, the seas had been calm, Javi’s body nestled next to yours, his warmth comforting and covering you along with the messy piles of blankets and bedsheets that filled your mattress, the nights being nothing more than drifting to sleep in each other’s arms, haunted dreams harbored at bay. 

For the last 5 nights, the tides had shifted. A storm was raging. 

The first few nights you let him go- you’d watched him weather this kind of storm before, always insisting it was a journey he was supposed to go on alone, the type of trip you need to make without risking hurting the innocent passengers that were supposed to ride with you. 

But as the days came and went, golden rays of vibrant sun shifting to dark and lonely blackness, it felt like you were leaving him out in the abyss without even so much as a life vest, praying for a return you knew would never come unless someone weathered the storm to save him. 

“You’re up again.” 

It’s a neutral statement, enough to disarm him from the implications you’ve sent yourself on a rescue mission to find him while you settle next to his stoic frame sinking into the porch step. 

“And you shouldn’t be.” 

Not quite resistance, but certainly not acceptance to you let you come aboard with him. Not yet. 

“I was already up anyway. Someone has been a big fan of punching me in my gut at 2 A.M. Hard not to notice when I wake up and your side of the bed is empty for the 5th time this week.” 

Both your eyes shift down to the subtle swell of your stomach, barley poking out from under the worn t-shirt you’d stolen from his dresser drawer. You’d never really had a knack for thievery until the past few weeks, claiming that everything was too tight for your growing belly. Despite all his years intertwined with the law, Javi had never had a problem with pardoning you for your violation, happy to let you, his household thief, and your new partner in crime indulge in the habit if it brought you any sort of comfort in your constant uncomfortability of growing a new life inside you. 

“Already picking up on her dad’s shit sleeping habit.” He scoffs under his breath, a bitterness in his tone that he thinks he’s somehow managing to inflict years worth of poor choices on his future child, still months away from even making her arrival into the world. 

It hurts, watching the pain well in his eyes as he stares off at the stars, glistening in the distance like some sort of unreachable sanctuary, the savior of a temporary distraction. Right now, you wish he’d look at you the same way, but he knows you won’t let him wallow in the all consuming waves of his own self pity like the stars will. 

A silent journey to outer space is the easy way out. You aren’t. 

“Do you wanna talk about it?” You ask it like it’s a question, like he has a choice in the matter. He knows that you’ll be gentle with him- you have been since the moment you met him- but Christ, he also knows you’re nothing, if not persistent, too. 

He sighs, accepting his defeat as his gaze drops from the sky down to the ground, cautiously allowing you to climb aboard with him. 

It’s like trying to approach a wounded wild animal- move too fast and you’ll scare him away, leaving him to writhe in even more pain as he tries to flee from you. Move too slow and you leave him to bleed out, alone and afraid. 

“I’m fine.” It’s almost humorous how blatant of a lie it is, immediately putting himself on the defensive, like he has any ground to stand on with his claim. 

You say nothing, your silence enough to intrigue him as his eyes finally meet yours, the look on his face revealing the truth his words wouldn’t. You try your best to remain neutral, but Javi knows the sadness slowly slipping through your expression, the one you’re trying your best to hide because you’re not the one that’s hurting. Yet, there’s something about seeing you hurt because of him that’s enough to chip away at the wall he’s put up between you two, finally allowing you a crack just wide enough to let you see through to the other side. 

“I- I keep having the same dream. Every night, it’s the same.” He says “dream” like he’s letting himself drift off to sleep to all the pleasantries the world has to offer him, waking up to his midnight thoughts refreshed and renewed. Because his dreams aren’t just dreams, his dreams are the most terrifying nightmares the majority people wouldn’t even be capable of imagining, a violent parade of the worst memories his brain can muster.  

“What dream?” You ask, as carefully and cautiously as the way you shift yourself closer to him. 

“I- It’s- I just- Fuck-” 

It’s then you choose to gamble, wagering that he’s let you in enough, your next move won’t startle him, inching yourself closer as your right hand begins to intertwine with his left. He’s resistant at first, but as the familiar warmth of your body grazes across his skin, he begins to let you in, allowing your fingers to gently tangle, anchoring himself in your grasp. 

“It’s okay, Javi. I’m here. You can tell me.” 

It’s then the bets become less of a reckless gamble, squeezing him just a little tighter, stroking his skin with your thumb and feeling him squeeze back, taking your hand and finally letting you start to lift him out of the eye of the storm. 

He still needs the reassurance you won’t leave, that the man his nightmares make him won’t scare you away like they have so many others. An insecurity that distresses him enough to make him ache, despite your compassion. 

You’re not gonna scare me away, Javi.

The words still ring in the back of his head when he finds himself like this, remembering the first time you found him on the living room floor of your apartment at 3 A.M., skin tacky and covered in sweat, heart beating so fast he was convinced he was dying, terrified of his mind, and even more terrified you would leave him, letting you find him exposed, like some sort of disgusting, open wound. 

He’ll never understand why you showed him so much mercy. In no lifetime will he ever be able to thank you enough that you did. 

It still doesn’t make what comes next any easier. 

“I just stood there. I just let him- I just let him do it. He was just a fucking kid.” 

You can practically hear both your hearts break over the stark silence. Javi’s, because of all the things he’s done, this is the one he’ll never forgive himself for. Yours, for the same reason. 

“Javi…” 

“I didn’t even try to stop him. He was just a kid. We just- we just fucking left him there. What kind of person does that? I- I spent so long trying to convince myself, trying to- fuck- trying to justify it was okay. That casualties happen when you’re trying to catch a fuckin’ monster. But what if- what if none of it fucking mattered because I was the one who was really the monster.” 

It was flowing out of him now, a flash flood crashing through the rest of the brick wall he had built up to defend himself. You can feel him trying to pull his hand away, trying to keep you from getting swept away in the current with him, but it only makes you double down harder. 

“You’re not a monster, Javi. What happened back then, it- it did matter. I know it hurts, but it doesn't make you a monster.” 

It’s not his admittance of guilt that breaks him- it’s your forgiveness. 

He wonders how can stand him, let alone love him. How his past hasn’t left him tainted and useless, like some sort of lame animal with a limp that can’t be cured, its only options left to die or be sent out to pasture, too weak to venture back for help. That you were the only one who wanted to help fix the parts of himself that were the most broken and mangled. That you were the only one who gave him a chance to be healed instead of leaving him for dead. 

When his eyes meet your stomach is when the guilt begins to morph into terror. Because years ago, a mother, just like you, was nestled away in the haphazard rows of colorful buildings that lined the streets of Medellín, carrying her unborn son, dreaming about the life she would plan for him. 

Javi knows that nowhere in those plans did she account for the pain and heartbreak she would suffer as some asshole DEA agent watched her son’s body become one with the earth while he took a bullet to the brain.  

How was he supposed to live with himself when he got a chance to play God- that now, after letting a life disappear, he was allowed to have a hand in creating a new one? 

You watch the gears in his brain churn, yearning for an explanation to the unexplainable puzzle he’ll never be able to solve, even though he’s convinced he can. His brain works in logic and reasoning, only making the emotional torment of his past decisions more confusing for him. The same kind of logic that you’re not sure will ever allow him to forgive himself. 

“How am I supposed to be a dad? How are you ever gonna trust me? How am I supposed to keep her safe when I’ve done so many terrible fucking things?” Tears begin to flow down his cheeks, each word more ragged and shaky than the last until he can’t fight it any more. 

It feels like the entire weight of the world collapsing into your lap as he melts into you, so heavy that there’s nothing that you can do but wrap your arms around him at let him cry and soak the battered fabric of the his stolen t-shirt draped over your top, fisting at the frayed hems. 

He can’t pretend anymore, not after he’s shown you all the cards he’s had to lay out on the table. There’s no more facade, no more attempt at a stubborn masquerade to hide his hurt. He’s finally let you climb aboard his ship and take the wheel, trusting that you’ll guide him home to shore where he belongs. 

“I’m so sorry. I’m so fucking sorry.” 

The way he repeats it, chanting it like a broken prayer, begging for your forgiveness makes you ache. You’ve forgiven him for the sins of his past long ago, yet he still feels the need to plead to you for redemption. You wish there was a way to take it from him, to let him unburden himself from the shame he’s carried for so long and carry it for him, even if just for a little while. To let him see what you see in him, to know that you love him for all of his past, and not just in spite of it. To let him know that the storm he has to weather is a storm you will never let him weather alone. But for now, three words are the best you can do. 

“I love you. I love you, Javi.” 

And you do. You mean it. With every bone in your body, with every fiber of your being, you mean it. And right now, he may not admit it, but he knows you do, too. Those three words are enough to let him see the shoreline approaching in the distance, to see the light of day beginning to peek its way through the cracks of the night sky, to carry him back home to you. 

He says it with his silence, the way his sobs start to slow, replaced with long inhales and exhales, his chest rising and falling against you. He says it with the way he holds you just a little tighter, hand splaying across the swell of your stomach, muttering a promise to himself just loud enough for you to hear. 

“I promise I’ll protect you. Both of you. If it’s the last thing I do.” 

“I know you will. I will, too. I promise.” 

The promise is the last gentle wave that pushes you back to the part of the beach where tides roll gently, forgetting the raging currents they once were in the middle of the ocean. A place where you can safely row your boat ashore without the fear of another dreadful thought creeping up on you and dragging you back out to face torment again. 

As you look out in front of you, the sky is no longer laden with heavy shades of black- a pastel sunrise is beginning to creep over the horizon, glistening like some sort of trophy for an underdog fistfight you’d managed to win, even if you’d come out the other side beaten and bruised. It was enough to nudge Javi’s head out of your lap, encouraging him to accept his prize at a game where winners came few and far between. 

Tonight, you'd never been more thankful the universe had let Javi come up a winner.

“It’s been a long time since we’ve been up early enough to watch the sunrise.” 

“Yeah. It is pretty, isn’t it? Sorry this is the reason you get to see it.” 

“As long as I get to be with you, that reason will always be good enough.”

@chaotic-iguana @rhoorl @bbiophiliaa @pertinentpostmortem @angelofsmalldeath-codeine

@pedrobaby @fatima-marisa @beboldbebravethings @poodlebae @kittenlittle24

@3sriracha @jungchloee @perennialdoll247 @prettyinpunk85 @raspberrybesitos

@partyofone3413 @harriedandharassed @pedrohoe04 @theorganasolo

@endlessthxxghts @beware-my-thorns @missladym1981 @milly-louise

@jay-zzle @the-one-with-the-grey-color @persephone-girl @bitchesuntitled

@pedropascallvr @millennial-teenybopper @vee-bees-blog

@hopplessilse @mxtokko @its-nebuleuse @mandoisapunk @msmorningstaarr

@amyispxnk @honeyedmiller @mountainsandmayhem @picketniffler @burningnerdchild

@copperhalfcent @theoraekenslover @bloodyinspirationaldemon @vee-bees-blog

@samgirl4life @pigeonmama @survivingandenduring @itsokbbygrl @javierpena-inatacvestnotifs

[yandere-daze]

I thought it was high time that I finally wrote something for this man and this idea was stuck in my head for days. I hope you enjoy! <3

gn reader

2.3k words

cw yandere, obsessive behaviour, hypnotizing siren song, manipulation

Yandere! Siren! Sunday x Sailor! Reader

You weren´t supposed to be anything more than an easy prey. A human led astray by his enchanting tunes like any other, only to be torn apart once within reach.

You were a simple sailor sailing the deep waters of the ocean with your small crew. For what purpose? Sunday wasn´t quite sure and he didn´t really care to know. All he yearned for was sinking his claws into your vulnerable flesh as he dragged you to the bottom of the ocean.

You see, Sunday was a siren, a hunter in the image of a beautiful young man with grey hair and enchanting golden eyes. Were it not for his singing voice, a deep gaze into his radiant eyes would be enough to tempt any poor fool into his waiting arms. Yet his voice, oh his voice, its heavenly sound masking his dark intentions.

Within his lifetime, Sunday has lured many unfortunate sailors to their demise though, in recent times, fewer and fewer boats have delved through the waters he called his home. From what he had witnessed being whispered onboard, tales of cunning and vicious sirens roaming these waters have reached the mainland, causing many to steer clear and avoid this place.

This naturally annoyed Sunday, for the flesh of humans was what he sustained himself with. This fact only increased his determination when after quite a long while of waiting for a sign of life, a boat had finally lost its way into his domain again. Sunday had been hungry for way too long now, he couldn´t let this stroke of luck go to waste.

So certain that he would finally claim his prey again, he decided to first spy on the passengers of the boat before making his move. It was important for him to know the routines and habits of the sailors if he wanted to catch them alone to entice them to run into their doom.

As a siren, Sunday was more powerful than an average human but even he wouldn´t be able to fight off several sailors if he were to try and hypnotize someone in broad daylight. He couldn´t risk the crew becoming aware of his presence and leaving, he couldn´t go on without another meal again.

And so, he secretly started spying on the passengers of the small boat, staring at them from behind a rock and making sure to keep his tail concealed within the water. He watched everyone go along with their days on board the ship when something unexpected happened.

He saw you, stepping away from the rest of the crew to stand near the edge of the boat, a smile on your face as you let the sun shine on your face. Without even realizing it, you had stepped close to where Sunday had gone to hide. You were so close, almost within arm´s reach. For a moment, Sunday deliberated if this was his chance to strike.

With you separated from the rest of the crew like this, it would be a simple thing indeed to lure you into the waters where you would disappear forever.

But just as he thought this, he stopped in his tracks as he watched your carefree smile, suddenly becoming enchanted by the way the light of the sun rained upon your skin. For lack of a better word, your presence at that very moment was mesmerizing and Sunday felt warm inside as if the rays of the sun were descending on him instead.

And then, for a moment, Sunday almost felt his heart stop for then you opened your mouth and started, he almost couldn´t believe it, singing.

There you were, practically within the jaws of a predator, and letting your soul rejoice in song so carelessly. And yet, within your naivety, Sunday couldn´t help but feel at peace. Your song rang out across the lonely waters, unaware that your secret audience was becoming more and more enchanted by you by the second.

Your singing, Sunday couldn´t quite describe it. It sounded nothing like his own singing, which was beautiful and yet felt intrinsically wrong somehow. Your song was nothing like that. It might have not been as pretty or practiced as his own singing, but yet it managed to ring true within his heart. Your song felt earnest and real, untainted and uncorrupted by malice. Within seconds, you had captured his attention and heart, yet you were completely unaware that he was even present.

In an ironic twist of fate, Sunday felt himself being pulled towards you as if touched by magic, an ardent longing for you deep within his chest. It was as if you were the siren calling out to him, beckoning him closer like a lovesick sailor lost at sea, yet Sunday was sure that instead of a sudden demise, he would find true salvation within your arms. With the way you were holding out your arms, he could almost imagine you wrapping them around his body in a lover´s embrace, pulling him so close as if you would never let go of him again.

Because he knows that´s what he would do if he finally had his beloved in his arms. For only a fool would ever let go of the person they want to spend the rest of their life with. It filled him all at once, this desire to have you for his own, to make you his dearest mate.

You were radiant and joyful in a way he had never seen before and he couldn´t bear the thought of letting you slip away from him.

And from the desperate yearning he could so clearly hear in your song dedicated to just him, he knew that you must feel the same way. You were just waiting, begging to be taken away by him. Why else would you walk so close to him, all on your own and profess all of your feelings like this? Sunday now knew that this meeting was fated to happen and he would be sure not to waste it.

He had been watching you closely for the past few days along with the other sailors aboard the ship and he saw how the other crew members acted around you. He had thought nothing of it back then but now boiling jealousy filled his being as he remembered how chummy they had been acting with you. How they had laughed and joked around with you so easily, how they had thrown their arms around you and sang cheery tunes beneath the starry sky.

He especially detested that one scoundrel that had dared to kiss your cheek so invasively. How dare they treat you like this? How dare they lay their filthy hands on you when your beauty was meant for solely him to treasure? But not to worry, Sunday would finally bring you home and keep you safe.

He understood your surprise when he finally emerged from his hiding spot and started swimming towards you. You looked so pitiful with your body shaking and your eyes growing wide when you saw his shimmering white mermaid tail. You poor thing must be frightened out of your mind because of all these stories you were told about his kind but do not be afraid! Sunday would never hurt you like this.

You were special to him, you just needed to allow him to show you that. You backing away from the railing, backing away from him, just wouldn´t do.

"Darling, there is no reason to be afraid, I´m not here to hurt you, do not let their horrid tales corrupt your thoughts. I am here to finally take you home!" He reached out his hands to you, wishing for you to jump into them and accept his love willingly yet he could only click his tongue in disappointment when instead, you took another step back.

"D-don´t come any closer!", you shouted out, breaking the poor siren´s heart in the process. How it hurt him to see you so frightened that you would turn your soulmate away. But no matter, he was prepared to take matters into his own hands and nudge you towards your own happy ending. You just needed a little bit of convincing.

"My darling, please listen to me! You and me, I know we were meant to be! So please don´t resist this, alright?", he hummed gently, his voice almost pitiful while begging you to hear him out.

You would have even felt sympathy for him if you weren´t acutely aware that you were facing a dangerous predator. There was no doubt in your mind that this was a siren and you needed to get away from there fast.

But unfortunately for you, you weren´t quick enough for as soon as you had gathered your resolve, Sunday´s ethereal singing voice had swiftly broken it down.

Suddenly, all your previous thoughts about him being a danger to stay away from evaporated, leaving you confused as to why you ever wanted to run away from him. There was nothing dangerous about him, was there?

Instead, your mind was now being filled with pleasant images of you and the siren spending time together, of him holding you close protectively, of him swearing his eternal love and kissing you. All of a sudden, you felt warm all over as you gazed deep into Sunday´s eyes and you knew that he was the one that was meant for you.

Slowly, one step at a time, you walked closer to the edge of the boat again, where Sunday was happily holding out his hands for you to take, eagerly grasping at air as if to usher you even closer.

And you were all too eager to follow his demands as a sugary sweet melody droned on and on in your ears, overwhelming you with feelings of everlasting love and devotion.

"That´s it, darling. Come closer. It´s only a few more steps.", he urged you on, almost desperately as you almost came into touching range. It was only a few more moments until he could finally have you in his arms. And once he did, he would never allow you to leave him again. Not that you would be able to underwater.

Voices were picking up in the background, quickly getting closer and Sunday realized that your crew must have picked up on what was happening.

"Come here quickly, darling!", he shouted, his voice growing more urgent and desperate the closer the booming voices got.

And you did as he said, quickening your steps towards him with a lovesick smile on your face.

"I´m almost there, my love", you said and Sunday´s heart almost burst at the sweet tone you took with him. He knew you were currently under the influence of his siren song but he strongly wanted to believe that the love you felt for him was real. Why else would you too be looking at him so full of yearning?

"Someone, quick! Grab on to them! That siren is trying to lead them to their death!", a gruff voice yells from the back with several more footsteps scrambling quickly behind. They were advancing on you fast and Sunday knew he was almost out of time as one quickly ran up to you.

"No, no, no! Don´t touch them! They´re mine! Don´t ruin this for me!", he yelled out in anger, his eyes a furious storm as they glared at the person trying to get a hold of you. He couldn´t fail so close to the end. How dare they accuse him of trying to harm you?!

"Please, you need to come to your senses!", the sailors try to reason with you but it´s almost like you can´t even register what they say.

" I need to meet with my love, he´s waiting for me.", you say, still smiling as you step to the very edge of the boat, looking down at a Sunday growing more and more manic by the second.

"Jump into my arms, darling! Accept my love and be mine forever!", the siren calls out to you as a crew member grabs into your arms, trying to pull you back.

"Don´t listen to him! Please, don´t do as he says!"

You struggle violently against the hold, kicking and screaming, demanding to be let go.

"No, you can´t separate me from my love, let me go! I need to be by his side!", you scream and with an especially harsh kick, the sailor lets go of you for a moment, leaving you with enough time to take the final step and jump right into your demise.

Sunday gently catches you in his arms, a lovesick smile on his face as he finally gets to hold you like he wanted to. You´re finally all his and there´s nothing that can be done about it anymore.

"I´m so happy you chose me, darling. We´re going to be so happy together. I´ll take such good care of you. No one else is ever going to touch you again.", he whispers into your ear and you can´t help but giggle joyfully at the prospect, your mind singing with affection, drowning out the growing panic within you.

But what is there to be afraid of? You´re finally united with the love of your life and nothing will ever separate you again.

Sunday holds you firmly as he quickly swims away from the boat, leaving your panicked crewmates behind.

Now that he finally has you, he will make sure that you´ll grow to love him even without his song. He knows that deep down, you love him just as much as he does you, you´ll just need a little bit of time to adjust to your new life underwater. He knows of a very beautiful underwater cave that he can keep you in until you grow more accustomed to your new life with him. Down there, you´ll never be able to escape his grasp again.

You will be his forever, for that is the consequence of putting him under a spell like you has.

And then he takes you with him to the very depths of the sea, never to be seen again.

[ficsilike-reblogged]

Beware Calm Waters

Summary: Aegon isn't favored by anyone in his life. And then you came along. Or the five times you picked Aegon, the one time you couldn't, and the one time he picked you. Pairing: Aegon II Targaryen/F!Reader (No Y/N) Warnings: Canon typical violence, canon typical misoginy Word Count: 10.1k A/N: No Civil War AU! This is Aegon's side story from my recent(ish) Aemond Series, As High As Honour. I don't think you need to read that to understand this. My hate of several Ironborn Houses came out in this. Sorry. Reader is slightly unhinged. My bad. Aegon is different from his show and book counterpart, ie not a rapist or a drunk, etc. Enjoy!

You loved the sea. You did. The way it smelt, the way it unceasingly battered against the shore, the way it held its secrets in the dark. All of it. Except the way it turned your stomach whenever you were aboard a ship.

And that was truly a pity because you were Ironborn.

It was laughable that you could trace your father’s bloodline back to the original Farwynd who first landed on this island and dubbed it Lonely Light and you couldn’t stomach the simple rocking of a ship for more than a few moments. But perhaps you took after your mother in that regard. She was not Ironborn—and that was something those who dwelt on Great Wyk often reminded you of. Another reason why the other Ironborn thought House Farwynd queer.

But to you it was just…your family. Your father, Sylas, was stoic in a way only Ironborn men are known to be but he delighted in his children and loved his wife, never straying. Your younger brother, Roryn, dreamed of finally taking the ship he and your father built by hand out into the Sunset Sea to add to House Farwynd’s fortune in an adventure of his own—but he had no will to pillage or take salt wives. Roryn was also the proud wielder of House Farwynd’s Valyrian Steel weapon, a falx named Dark Water. Your father had gifted it to him for his one-and-ten nameday while he had taken the Valyrian steel tipped spears your mother had given him as a wedding day present as his own weapon. And your mother, the Lady Senerra, was never fond of the harsh clothing and cruelty the Iron Islands often mistook for strength.

“Your father promised that when he brought me here I would suffer no longer the whims of lesser men,” she would say to you whenever you asked of their courtship. “And he has kept his promise. And I shall promise you the same.”

So, no. House Farwynd of Lonely Point did not keep every custom of the Iron Islands and you all were ostracized for it. The eight days’ sail from Great Wyk to Lonely Light probably kept most other houses from trying to take your lands, but House Farwynd was wealthy and that gained your family at least a small bit of favor, you supposed. That was probably why Dalton Greyjoy, Lord of the Iron Islands, had summoned House Farwynd to Pyke under the thinly made guise of duty.

“The old king Viserys is demanding closer ties to our fair isles.” Dalton’s dark eyes were alight with something you did not want to name. The young lord of the Iron Islands had always unnerved you; smile too sharp, eyes too hard. You did not trust him and you knew your father did not either. “I have no sons or daughters of my own and my other men have need of their children. From what I can tell, your children do nothing of importance on your tiny island.”

Your mother set a hand on your father’s arm, stopping his fist from curling. “House Farwynd has our own honor and duty.”

Dalton’s smirk widened. “I’m sure. But I still want one of your spawn sent before I have to deal with another raven from them.”

Your father was quiet but you saw the rhythmic clenching of his jaw, he was chewing over what he wanted to say. This was dangerous. The only time your father had nearly took up arms was when one of Dalton’s brothers had smacked your mother’s ass. His family was his life, even the sea came second. And now his liege lord was demanding one of his children be pulled from under his protection.

You stepped forward, mind made up. “I’ll go.”

Your mother hissed your name as your father set his rough hand on your shoulder. “My girl-”

“Roryn cannot set sail from the Red Keep. He is meant for the sea. I will go.” If you didn’t, you knew your family’s blood would be washed into the sea before the sun rose. Dalton had killed people for defying him and you would not see your family slaughtered for something you could do.

The Greyjoy clapped as he barked a laugh. “Presumptuous little thing. If you were my daughter, I’d have your tongue-”

“She isn’t your daughter,” your father spoke, low and dark. “And it seems you leave me no choice. My daughter will go.”

As the moon rose over the sea and you tried to stave off another bout of seasickness, your mother swept into your rooms aboard your father’s ship, dark eyes shining with tears. “What have you done, my sweet?”

You dared to look at her, opening your eyes for just a moment. “I will be fine.”

The small featherbed fell beneath her weight as she sat at your side. Her warm hands framed your face and the rolling of your stomach subsided. She leaned forward to press her forehead to yours and you pulled in a lungful of her mint and rose perfume. “Many paths are before you. I cannot see…” She paused. “You are my little girl.”

“I will always be your little girl, mama,” you whispered in return, but her words had your mind whorling.

She pressed a hard kiss to your forehead and whispered something in her mother tongue.

“I love you, too.”

You readied for your adventure in a bit of a haze, saying goodbye to your family and friends with tears in your eyes and your heart in your throat. Had you made the right decision? Would this truly be the best course of action for your family?

“Don’t be afraid. You are a Farwynd. We are adventurers. We are Ironborn. We are of Shadow. We are not afraid.”

You tried to repeat your brother’s encouraging words as you settled into your fine apartments within the Red Keep. There had been a bit of pageantry with your arrival, your family’s smaller ship bracketed by two larger ones with Greyjoy sigils blazoned on their sails. You met King Viserys and Queen Alicent first—the King seemed pleased that the someone from the Iron Islands was sent but his Hand, whom you immediately respected, Princess Rhaenys Targaryen, was not impressed when she read the missive Dalton had sent with your arrival, explaining that you would be the Iron Islands’ envoy, ward to the Iron Throne, with his blessing.

“He thinks quite highly of himself, does he not?” She said with a perfectly arched brow.

You tried not to giggle, but a few might have escaped anyway. Either way, both Viserys and Rhaenys seemed pleased with the large trunk of gold and jewels House Farwynd had sent alongside you, as payment for your care while as a ward to the Crown.

But you did not like how the maids in the Red Keep wrinkled their noses when they opened the trunk your mother had packed with things she had wanted to take with you, for protection, my sweet. The only thing keeping you from screaming at them was the stark reminder that you would soon be alone here. Lashing out would not gain you any favor. So, you swallowed your anger and soon realized that it was easier to be angry than to be scared…which is what you were. Alone. For the first time in your life, you were truly alone. In a land foreign to you despite supposedly being ruled by the man sitting on the ridiculous, pointed chair.

Your mother once accompanied you on a tour on what she called the mainland and what the Ironborn called the Green lands. You visited Banefort, Crag, and Castamere in the Westerlands. While it took some time for the houses and villagers to warm to you (and after your stomach settled from the voyage), you enjoyed seeing the sights, learning how different the Westerlands were from your small isle, and the highlight of your trip had been when you stopped on Fair Isle and had been wrapped up in the celebrations of one of Lord Farman’s son’s namedays.

So you weren’t entirely green when it came to the culture of the rest of Westeros. But this was King’s Landing. This was the Red Keep. Even when your father’s guards and mother’s handmaidens stayed for a fortnight to help you settle, you felt like little more than a mummer, playing the part of a lady. But you knew they wanted and needed to return to Lonely Light. This was not their home either and you had a duty to fulfill, adventure to have…a life to live.

But still, you stood on dock and watched their longboat disappear on the horizon with tears stinging your eyes.

“My lady,” one of the handmaidens assigned to you started in a soft voice, “we should return to the keep.”

You pushed out a slow breath and nodded, pressing a hand to your stomach as if that would settle your emotions. “Yes, of course. Please lead the way.”

Yes, you were scared even if this had been your decision. You twisted and pulled at the emotion, trying to temper it as you slowly settled into a routine. Trying to see if anyone else was scared gave you an odd bit of comfort. You would even wager that while the Greyjoy had selected your family out of opportunity to spite your wealthy but unliked House, he answered House Targaryen’s raven because he was scared.

Scared of their dragons.

That fear would not last forever, not with his ego and growing savagery. But for now, you could delight in his exposed fear instead of your own. And you were largely alone as the royal children had taken a tour of the Reach, spending time with their mother’s (or step-grandmother’s…honestly the family tree was confusing) family in Oldtown. Princess Rhaenyra and Queen Alicent were busy with Small Council duties or continuously going out into the city to slowly sway the smallfolk into adoring the Crown Princess with gifts of charity and an open ear to hear their troubles. They were kind to you, but you knew not to bother them unless absolutely necessary. By the end of your first moon in the Red Keep, you were little more than yet another tapestry to be hung on a wall. Something to be collected. A way for King Viserys to believe he had a united kingdom.

Ridiculous.

Being ignored for most of the day left you privy to some whispers. Alicent and Rhaenyra’s friendship and its demise after the former’s marriage to King Viserys had been the topic of quite a few. The following reconciliation had been the topic of even more. What mattered most to you was that they seemed at peace now. You would want to keep it that way.

Eventually, you were called to the Red Keep’s front steps with the older royals, and told to greet the royal children as they arrived. You resisted the urge to wipe your sweaty palms against your gown and stood straight as your mother taught you as the carriage slowly ambled its way closer. These would be the people you spent most of your time with, hopefully. You wanted to make a good impression. You wanted to make friends. You…didn’t want to be so alone anymore.

The carriage stopped and you tried to memorize which name went with which face as they were announced.

Prince Jacaerys with the perfect bow.

Prince Lucerys with the rounded cheek blush.

Prince Aegon with the sneer.

Prince Daeron with the open smile.

Princess Helaena with the worried brow.

Prince Aemond with the stern look.

And Princess Jeyne, Rhaenyra’s youngest, with the musical giggle.

You curtsied as you were introduced to each of them and you pretended not to hear Aegon as he muttered, “we shall have to hide the gold with her here, won’t we?” into his cup of wine as he walked by you. It was then, always liking a challenge, that you swore you would get Aegon to be your friend.

As you turned to follow them inside, Helaena appeared at your side, bright purple eyes wide as she stared at you. “You need not worry about the golden one. He shall be a rock and wave.”

And then she smiled and turned away again.

Despite not knowing what she had meant, you found yourself smiling.

1

A new routine was established and you were more or less grouped together with the royal children for most of the day. While you did little more than observe their lessons, you did learn more about the history of Valyria at their side. It was an interesting way to spend your time but it was at least better than your solitude.

Little Daeron was sweet. Jacaerys and Lucerys were kind to you, too.

Helaena was by far your favorite. You didn’t mind going with her to the gardens or the woods to help her catch bugs, readily ruining the hems of your fine gowns in muck and grass if it made her smile. She hadn’t spoken any other strange words as she did that first day, but you doubted she had much control of it.

Your mother had told you about people like Helaena. She called them Oracles. The Valyrians called them Dreamers, like Daenys. You thought that it suited Helaena. Dreamer. It didn’t seem that any of her family knew what to make of her and her quiet truths. You weren’t sure if they even knew what she was saying. And, to be fair, you hadn’t quite pieced together what she had told you, but you were sure it would make sense soon. Things like that always did. Helaena seemed a little removed from court, too, so you made sure to spend time with her, as much as she wanted.

Aemond was full of sullen silences and studious glances. He took his lessons seriously—all of them. From the histories of Westeros and Valyria to his time in the training grounds with Ser Criston; all of it was handled with a single determination to learn everything and excel at it. He even asked you questions about the Iron Islands outside of the lessons. You answered, always happy to talk about your home. Targaryens were truly a different breed.

You surmised you could slip away from the lessons you did not need, taking time for you to pull that hidden satchel your mother packed for you from the bottom of your wardrobe and just…breathe for a moment. But it was for naught. The third time you escaped the Valyrian lessons, you received a sharp knock at your chamber doors.

A stern looking handmaiden was waiting on the other side, fingers pressed together so tightly the pads were turning white. “My lady, the queen has requested you take your Valyrian lessons with the children.”

You rolled your lips into your mouth for a moment, trying to find a tactful way of proceeding before deciding on, “I’m fluent.”

While you hoped that would be the end of it and you’d be able to return to your own endeavors, you were all but hauled in front of the Queen and King and forced to prove your fluency. “My mother is from Essos, Your Grace,”, you said, trying to keep the boredom out of your voice, “I learned High Valyrian alongside the Common Tongue. I would be happy to teach your children the Bastard Valyrian of Qohor if-”

“That won’t be necessary,” King Viserys said, sounding like he was trying not to laugh as his young wife blushed beside him. “You are free to spend that hour as you please.”

And it was with that small rebellion, did you finally draw Aegon to your side.

“How did you get out of our lessons?” He groused.

You smiled. “I’m fluent in Valyrian. It is my mother’s tongue.”

Aegon grumbled something into his wine before plopping down into the seat beside you. “What else do you know?”

And you couldn’t help the smile pushing at your mouth now. “My preference is for the Bastard Valyrian of Qohor.”

“My grandsire says the Qohorik are blood-soaked heretics.” His periwinkle eyes stared at you over the edge of his chalice as if daring you to refute him.

But you had heard worse and while it hurt you to hear the popular misconception of your mother’s homeland, you knew to bite your tongue. “Would you like to learn it?”

“I’m sure you’ve already had your fill of teaching my brother. Aemond seems to tug at your skirts every time he has the chance.”

A laugh escaped your lips before you could even think of quashing it. “Your brother sees no need to learn anything aside from High Valyrian and I assure you he is never tugging at my skirts.” To be true, you had spied him sketching a woman’s face on the edge of his history work when the tutor was answering questions poised by one of the other children. You finally recognized the woman as Lady Arryn when she had come to the Red Keep to meet with Princess Rhaenyra. He was besotted. The way the younger prince stared at her…it was unadulterated devotion. And Lady Arryn seemed completely unaware of it.

Aegon stared at you for another stretched moment. “I have been told I am a terrible student.”

Your smile came again. “Well, I suppose I will be the judge of that, my prince.”

And the prince smiled at you.

2

Despite your best efforts, Aegon did not take to Bastard Valyrian either. But, to be fair, it seemed his dragon preferred the Common Tongue anyway. And while your lessons with Prince Aegon didn’t prove fruitful in the way you had at first intended, you found the friendship you had cultivated with him much more rewarding anyway.

He was the one person in the whole of the capital that you never felt like you were burdening with your presence. He laughed at your ridiculous jokes, he stopped sulking when you told him he’d had enough to drink, and sought you out more than the desperate hangerson that seemed to shadow his every move. To be true, you felt like you were at least friends with the other royal children, but Aegon was your favorite. Helaena was a close second.

And it was because of this that you were standing in the Dragon Pit, staring at two dragons while Helaena and Aegon bickered. “I asked her first!”

“Dreamfyre has been accustomed to having two people on her back. She will be safer with me.”

“I am not going to endanger her,” Aegon pouted. “I would never.”

A soft touch at your elbow had you turning to see Aemond at your side. He was still without a dragon so he had been spared the argument but he did present you with a carefully wrapped present. “Happy nameday,” he murmured, cheeks pink. You unwrapped it quickly and smiled at the new quills and inkwells filled with dark ink swirled with pearl dust. “I know you have been sending ravens to Lonely Light twice a moon. I thought you should have finer supplies.”

“This is an exceptionally kind gift, my prince. I truly thank you for it.” The pink grew darker when you pressed a quick kiss to his cheek in thanks before turning and handing the gift to one of the handmaidens to make sure they were deposited into your chambers without issue. Aemond eventually excused himself from the Pit, not that you could blame him. His lack of dragon was still a sore spot.

“Who would you prefer to ride with?” Helaena asked, pulling you back to their squabble.

You resisted the urge to curl your hands into your skirts, a girlish impulse betraying your nerves. You didn’t want to hurt either of them. But you knew your answer. “Perhaps it would be good to also have Sunfyre become accustomed to having two riders. I would not want to always burden you and Dreamfyre.”

Aegon crowed in victory but Helaena only smiled. With a gentle squeeze to your hand, she let the dragon keepers lead her down toward Dreamfyre’s roost so they could take to the skies.

“Your victory celebrations are unbecoming of someone in your station,” you said, trying to keep a straight face as you turned to Aegon who was still basking in your decision. But you eventually fell into matching giggles.

He babbled about how he would take you around the city twice and then over the Bay and didn’t stop talking even as he reached down to help you climb up into Sunfyre’s fine saddle. The dragon was glorious and golden—you had ‘met’ the dragon a few times but this would be the first time you had ridden one. And it felt right to go with Aegon.

He had become your best friend.

“Hold tight to me,” he said, urging his dragon toward the Pit’s entrance. “I wouldn’t have you falling off and dirtying the streets.”

You cackled and dug your hands into his sides, earning a yelp and shake from him. He hated being tickled. And then…you were flying. The air whipped by your face and you heard Aegon yell out a command to go higher, higher, higher and he turned to smile at you, the sun making his periwinkle eyes shine.

You chanced a look down at the quickly shrinking city and let out another laugh. Surely this was magic. This was…

“I have something for you!” He yelled over the scream of the wind. Aegon let go of one of the reins—only laughing when you screeched about holding onto it—and dug something out of his doublet. He pried one of your hands from around his waist and slipped a delicate bracelet around your wrist. Dark red rubies and vibrant topaz were embedded in blackened steel, the colors of your house, making them look like tiny waves but the clasp was two interlocked dragon claws.

“It is beautiful!” You yelled, quickly grabbing hold of Aegon again.

“Happy Nameday!”

Before you could say anything else, he ordered Sunfyre to fly through the nearest cloud and his laughter overtook your squealing as tried to press yourself further into his back.

3

Your mother once said that all the rage and ruin that your father lacked had found its way to you.

For a long time, you thought it was a curse she had given you. But now, as you stared at the newest envoy from the Iron Islands, you understood that it was a blessing.

A group of men from House Harlaw had arrived only a fortnight ago and you felt something growing and bubbling beneath your skin like an eel every time one of them opened their mouth. They were vile. While King Viserys simply seemed proud of himself for having another Ironborn envoy, you saw how the Harlaw’s sneered at the royal children, taunting them, being cruel.

Every time they called Helaena queer, called Aemond a “half-man,” or said Aegon was “cowing to a trollop” (you assumed they were referencing Rhaenyra but you were not about to waste energy asking for clarification), you felt it grow.

It came to a head when everyone was called to the training grounds. Viserys had the stupid idea that boys knocking each other into the dirt repeatedly would forge a bond. You knew it meant he didn’t truly see you as enough, but surely he couldn’t be that ridiculous to not see how House Harlaw had only accepted his invitation to gorge themselves on his food and take their pick of the royal jewels and gold before making their way through the Narrow Sea to greater ventures. But no one would listen to you, even if you did have the sneaking suspicion that Princess Rhaenys had the same reservations as you did.

“You are not dragons!” Meldred sneered. “You’re sheep!”

The taunts continued and you bit your tongue so hard it bled when Meldred, the heir, said he would make Helaena one of his salt wives. The situation worsened when Aemond was maimed, defending his family’s honor. Aemond then went on to claim a dragon, Vhagar, but of course, Viserys cared little for that fact.

Meldred and his family were raucous in their celebration, filling the halls with their jeers. You knew better than to try to see Aemond. He had shut himself into his rooms after landing his massive dragon atop the Holdfast, blood streaked and cracked his face and neck. He would talk to you when he was ready. You didn’t mind waiting.

But it was Aegon whom you sought out. You knew he had felt each insult Meldred had hurled at him—no matter his sneer and princely bravado, you knew him. You knew he hurt. And you also knew the hidden passageways of the Red Keep and slipped through the dark shadows until you were walking into Aegon’s chambers, as you had done dozens of times before, knowing that courtly propriety would demand otherwise.

“I knew you’d come,” he murmured without turning to face you. Aegon was sitting in one of the overstuffed chaises that he had pulled toward the balcony that overlooked Blackwater Bay.

“I always do.” You settled beside him and stared out toward the horizon, too.

Aegon was quiet for a moment and you waited, as you always did, for him to find what he wanted to say. You never did mind. But your heart clenched when you saw him start to turn one of his rings in circles around his knuckles. It was a habit he had inadvertently started after you had (none too gently) steered him away from wine and ale whenever he had a glimmer of upsetting emotion.

“Is Aemond…” The words trailed off.

“Your mother says she’s having the finest maesters look after him. And I’ve heard murmurs she’s sent a raven to Lady Arryn, too.” You were not sure why Lady Arryn would be needed but perhaps the whispers of her being a witch did hold some water if Alicent sought her out for this.

The prince nodded and continued to turn his ring but the movement stopped quickly as his periwinkle eyes once again settled on you. “You have not gone to see him?”

“I will see him when he calls for me. I’ll not force my way to his side until he is ready. And I wanted to see you, too.”

“I’m not the one who lost an eye,” Aegon muttered, lips pulling tight over his teeth.

Your blood boiled at the reminder, and stayed heated as you saw the broken rage in your dearest friend’s eyes. “What they said, about you, your brothers, and nephews, none of it was true.”

“What?”

“You are not sheep, Aegon. And I’ll not have you believing any vile falsehood that he spewed today.” You needed him to know that it wasn’t true. He was a dragon. Your dragon. “Allowing him and his ilk to have such a hold on you is beneath you.”

Aegon was quiet again before nodding. “You always know what to say.”

“And when do you listen to me, hm?” Knocking your shoulder into his, you were delighted with the smile you coaxed from him. “Aemond will be fine, I am sure of it. And we will be free of the Harlaws soon.”

“Have they said they are leaving soon?”

You reached out and brushed one of his silver curls behind his ear. As you always did, you ignored how your entire chest tightened when he leaned into your palm. “I will make sure they leave with haste.” You knew what you had to do. Just like your mother knew how to stem the blood from a wound and speak to clouds, you knew how to do this.

You slunk back out of Aegon’s chambers and into your own, pulling the blade your brother had given you from beneath your featherbed and sliding it up your sleeve. It fit. Of course it did. This who you were. You set back out into the halls, head held high and steel in your spine. And it only took a handful of steps before another jeer came from the Harlaw’s. “And there is the little Farwynd!”

You turned and saw Meldred saunter into the hall, a few of his cousins on his heels. They blathered something about their spectacle at the training grounds but you didn’t care to listen, only waiting patiently as he moved closer and closer, that same wretched smirk on his face. And, when he was close enough, you moved. The blade glistened as you held it below his belt.

“I’m only going to say this once, so I need you to listen closely. Understand?”

“You wen-”

You pressed the blade closer, feeling as it cut through the leather of his trousers and you delighted in the sharp inhale he took. Yes, he could feel the sharp point of it. He waved a hand at his cousins, keeping them from approaching. “I said, listen to me. You and your family are to leave King’s Landing tonight. Not tomorrow, not a week from now. Tonight. If you do not, I’ll geld you. Do you understand?”

Meldred’s sharp breath smelt of ale and meat and you tried not to recoil as it washed over you. “You cannot command-”

“I am not commanding anything. I’m threatening you. There is a difference, Meldred. I know your family does not do more than kill and fuck, but I am sure you can understand the difference. Leave. Now.” The man’s dark eyes were ablaze with fury and you sank the knife further, feeling more than a little satisfaction when his snarl faded. “If you try to make a move toward me or anyone else in this castle, I will do far more than gelding you. Nod if you understand.”

You watched the tendons grow tight in his jaw before he nodded. Just once.

“Good. Good. You are not as stupid as you look. Now, go. Leave. I’ll be watching.”

And when Aegon asked about the sudden departure of the other Ironborn, you could only smile.

4

Living in the Red Keep had somewhat numbed you to the absurdity of living amongst House Targaryen. Just a few moons ago, a hooded man had asked if you had anything with House Harlaw’s sigil on it and you handed over the small dagger you had taken from their vacated apartments. It was no bother. You would have needed to destroy the seal and it was the least valuable thing you had pilfered anyway. And then when news came a few weeks later that House Harlaw had apparently been entirely eradicated after a certain dagger’s sheath was found beside a murdered Dalton Greyjoy…well, you could only smile. It was not anything of consequence to you. Even as the Iron Islands descended into a bloody civil war, you knew your family and House Farwynd was safe. They were too far away to be targeted and your father had no plans to sail toward danger anyway.

“Your smile is unnerving.”

Your gaze dragged over to Aegon but your smile did not falter. “You like my smile.”

“I do,” he said, cheeks just a touch pink, “but you look mad.”

“That is not a recent development,” Daeron said with a laugh from beside him—Aegon quickly knocked his elbow into his arm with a scowl. He never did like it when anyone else teased you.

“How fares your family?” Alicent said, ignoring her sons’ bickering. “Any news from Lonely Light?”

“My father has told me that most of the violence has settled but he would wager against any long lasting peace for now.”

The corners of Alicent’s mouth pulled down and she quickly turned to discuss that revelation with Rhaenyra and Rhaenys. They would handle it as they saw fit (and Viserys would do little more than hum and haw, as he always did).

The conversation eventually turned to the upcoming festivities for Helaena’s nameday. You suspected Jacaerys and Helaena’s wedding date would be set soon, too. And every word about the upcoming feast and dancing had Helaena shifting more in her seat. You reached across the table and set your hand beside hers, knowing she had to reach out to you, not the other way around.

“I will be at your side for anything you need.”

Helaena’s long fingers moved to settle over yours, tapping a soft beat against your skin. “You will save me then?”

“Of course I will.” Helaena beamed at you for a moment before being pulled away into a conversation with Jeyne and you were happy to focus back on Aegon who set a hand on your leg, a pout pulling at his mouth when you didn’t laugh at a joke you hadn’t heard.

And soon the festivities were in full swing and you were fitted into an outfit the poor seamstress had fretted over for a fortnight. She had been so used to the styles of the capital and House Targaryen that she struggled with your requests. But you, once again longing for your home despite the friendships you had formed here and the years that had passed, missed Lonely Light. You wanted something that would be at home in the familiar shadows of your childhood home. It was a little strange, a little more…you. And it served a dual purpose, despite the seamstress’ confusion.

The music was lively and the crowd more so, probably bolstered by the Arbor Gold and Dornish Reds. That would be your only excuse as to why the princess they had gathered to celebrate was being actively ignored at her own party. You knew her betrothed, Jacaerys, would have been at her side but he had taken ill a few days ago and was currently asleep with a fever. The other royals were doing their best to keep the worst of the courtiers away from Helaena but they could be relentless.

The latest song faded and you hurried your trek through the crowd as you heard one of the jesters call for Helaena to take a turn about the floor.

Before anyone else could step forward, you did. You held out a hand to Helaena and watched as her elusive smile split her mouth. Her soft giggle made you smile, too, as her hand settled into yours.

“You have saved me.”

“I swore to you that I would,” you whispered as you took your position. The crowds behind you started to whisper but you paid no heed to them.

“Is that Lady Farwynd? Wearing trousers?” Someone whispered.

“Yes, I believe so!”

You and Aegon had spent hours in his chambers, learning the steps traditionally taken by men in these dances. He had been a patient if not teasing teacher, but he never gave up when you stepped on his toes or twirled when you were supposed to spin him.

Helaena was a beautiful dancer, light and airy as she moved through the steps and you hoped you hadn’t embarrassed her. Thanking all of your mother’s gods, you didn’t miss a single step and bowed to her as the song finished. She reached out and grabbed your hands, pressing a kiss against your knuckles, before she moved back toward the head table where Alicent waited. She caught your eye over her daughter’s shoulder and smiled at you with a dip of her head.

“That was quite the performance.”

You turned abruptly to see a comely man at your side, a charming smile on his face. Wracking your brain for his name or anything that might help you place him, you were relieved to recognize the sigil, a white weasel. “Lord Varner. Good evening.”

The conversation that followed was pleasant if not a little stilted as he seemed to know more about you than you did about him. But he was amiable, you supposed.

“Would you do me the honor of the next dance, my lady?”

“Apologies, but I did promise Prince Aegon my next dance, my lord.” During your dance lessons, Aegon had made you promise that you would dance with him for the rest of the night after your turn with Helaena. It had been the easiest promise you had ever made.

The man hummed, dark eyes narrowing for just a moment. “I have heard whispers that you are quite close with the prince, no?”

The smile that pushed at your mouth could not be stopped as you nodded. “He is a dear friend.”

And while you hoped that would be the end of it, Varner stepped closer. “A friend. A tricky sort of term, is it not? I must say, my lady, you have played the long game. You are from a wealthy house, but with nothing else to offer the crown.”

By now, your smile had faded and you had begun to unbutton the sides of your trousers and pulled the hidden skirt of your dress free, it was the only thing you could think of to do. Screaming at him and making a fool of yourself was not an option at present. Not when it was Helaena’s nameday. And you did not know why his words hurt you.

“He will never choose you, my lady. You must know that.”

“I will never ask him to choose me, my lord. He is my friend. And I chose him.”

“And when your family says it is time for you to marry? Should you not think of yourself instead of him?”

“What would-”

“Your beauty has been secreted away in the halls of this castle for ages, my lady. But I still heard whispers of it. Of you.”

“And apparently my House’s wealth, my lord. You seem to know that as well,” you added with a sneer.

A blush stained his cheeks and he glanced away for a moment. “We could be a formidable match. I had hoped-”

“Ah, there you are.” Aegon stepped in front of you, looking every bit the prince you knew him to be in fine clothes with silver and gold jewelry across his neck and fingers. “You owe me a dance, my lady.”

“I also asked her for a dance, my prince.”

And then, to your horror and belated amusement, both men held out a hand for you to take. You looked between Lord Varner and Aegon and easily slipped your hand into Aegon’s without a look back as the prince pulled you further onto the dance floor.

He led you through the steps of the dance and did not part from your side even as one song turned into two, then three, then four.

The fourth was slower, mostly meant for couples or lovers, but you did not mind still spending it in Aegon’s arms.

“You chose me, do you?” Aegon murmured and he held fast when you tried to pull away from him and continued to lead you through the dance. His periwinkle eyes held something you could not name, but it was gone with his next blink and he smiled at you.

“You know I do,” you said, confused at how and why your voice shook.

This was Aegon. This was your truest, dearest friend. Why did he suddenly stir something in your chest with just his smile?

-1

With the decree that the eldest child could inherit titles, regardless of their sex, you still expected your brother to become Lord of Lonely Light after your father passed. After all, you were still Ironborn and the laws of the Crown had little sway on the Iron Islands. But you received not one but three ravens from Lonely Light, each stamped with House Farwynd’s sigil. The first was from your mother, telling you that you could hold the title if you wanted it.

The second was from your father, asking if you wanted to be named heir. It was an honest question with no ill-intent behind it as he reminded you of how much he loved and missed you.

The third was from your brother, relief tilting his handwriting. You knew I never wanted it, dear sister. I cannot sail the world if I must be counting coin on Lonely Light.

Well. That settled that, then. You would be Lady Farwynd when the time came.

The revelation didn’t give you more than a moment’s pause. You hadn’t really given your future a thought other than eventually returning to Lonely Light. And where did that leave you with Aegon? He was your dearest, truest friend and Lonely Light was so far from King’s Landing. But still, Rhaenyra had invited you to stay in the capital for as long as you wanted and soon your presence would have been required anyway. Jacaerys wed Helaena in a lavish ceremony and soon after that, with the pull to go home and the push to stay still gnawing at your mind, Viserys finally died and it would have been rude for you without paying your respects.

You owed that man nothing.

The only good he had done was half heartedly helping create his children but you thought they were more like their mothers anyway. You sat behind Aegon during the prayers and let him tangle his fingers with yours when he reached back for you. If Aegon needed you in this moment, no matter his own conflicting emotions regarding his father, you would not falter. And you would never shun his company. If he sought you out more during Rhaenyra’s coronation celebrations, you would never complain.

He was your Aegon.

He danced with you until your feet hurt and they you sipped wine at his side, hiding away on one of the Red Keep’s many balconies until the sun came up. And as the celebrations continued on, you were one of the very few Ironborn Houses that came to swear fealty to the new queen in person. All others sent ravens with their oaths but you doubted many of them meant them, truthfully. And you doubted that Rhaenyra cared much either.

But with each day that slipped through your fingers, you felt the pull to go back to Lonely Light…and it was strange that you hesitated to call it home. It was only for a moment, but it was a hesitation regardless. You needed to learn how to truly care for your charges and responsibilities.

“You’re leaving, aren’t you?” Aegon asked.

Hot tears stung at your eyes without warning as you turned to look at Aegon, standing in the shadows of the hidden passage. “I don’t want to leave.”

“But you will.” He moved further into your rooms and grasped at your hands with shaking fingers. Without another word, he kissed each of your knuckles and your heart twisted with every brush of his lips. Why? Why now must you feel this? Or was it always waiting, patient for you to understand?

“And I will fly Sunfyre to your island if you are gone too long.” The prince tried to smile as he said it but it did not reach his beautiful eyes and it furthered the ache in your chest.

“I expect nothing less, my prince.” Your smile was no doubt stilted, too.

Aegon’s next breath stuttered against your hands as he still held them up to his mouth. “I’m just Aegon to you. Your Aegon.”

The words were a bell toll in your mind as you sailed away from the Red Keep and you tried to keep your eyes on Aegon as he stood on the shore, watching watching watching until he disappeared entirely. Your stomach still lurched all the way back to Lonely Light and your mother’s perfume and gentle touch still settled it. Your family threw a feast to mark the occasion of your homecoming and you slipped into a routine of shadowing your parents to make sure your island continued to prosper. It was good, fulfilling work.

But still, your heart ached and your dreams never ceased to bring you periwinkle eyes that haunted you when you woke.

“Part of your heart has been left behind in that wretched city,” your mother said, brooking no argument as she claimed the chair beside you as you learned the intricacies of collecting “taxes” from your men.

More tears came; you had tried to hide them since you had come back to Lonely Light. After all, were you not supposed to be here? Your home? “I… I do not know how to heal this wound, mama.”

She simply shook her head and pressed a gentle kiss to your temple. “I have lost so many years of your life to that crown and that iron chair. But you are still my little girl. I know your heart and it brings me the smallest bit of joy to still see you capable of such love.”

And the bell tolled again.

5

When Rhaenyra called on House Farwynd to help defend the Realm against the threat of the renewed Triarchy, you knew you must answer. Your family supported you and your men were all too eager to oblige. While your father might not have been as hungry for bloodshed and violence after marrying your mother, that did not mean the urges of the Ironborn beneath your care were the same. And you must lead them. You knew it. Your father knew it.

To truly be seen as the heir to Lonely Light, you had to do this.

The tears in your mother’s eyes were the only indication of her fear for you. “My girl. My beautiful girl,” she whispered. Deft fingers pulled at the straps of your light armor, tightening it a little more. “I only just had you home again. And now we must be parted again?”

“I will return to you again, Mother. I promise you.”

She nodded and pressed a kiss to your temple, wet cheek pressing against yours. “I know you will. But I…” Her thumb pressed against your cheek and her eyes held secrets she couldn’t divulge. It was something you always expected from her—her gods still burdened and blessed her. “I do not know how you will return.” She then murmured a prayer in her native tongue, asking for blessings, safety, and, strangely enough, happiness for you.

And you repeated the prayer to yourself as you stood beside your father on the bow of your ship, knowing your mother stood on the shores of Lonely Light, doing the same. Your brother was captaining a ship behind you and nearly a hundred more filled the sea beside you. When this was over, your brother asked for leave to take his ship and men east, wanting to explore Qarth and perhaps visit Asshai. He still wanted his adventures and you and your father were happy to oblige him.

But when you arrived at King’s Landing, almost all those thoughts vanished from your mind as Aegon shoved his way through the crowds at the dock to get to you. Ignoring propriety and courtly rules, he wrapped you in a tight hug that had strange tears stinging your eyes as his familiar scent engulfed your senses.

“Aegon,” you whispered. There was nothing else you could think to say.

“You have returned. To me.”

“I-”

“Yes, yes, and to help defend the Crown, that as well. But to me.”

A watery laugh punched out of you as you pulled back, fingers still gripping his shoulders. “Yes, to you.”

And it seemed the gods (or just Rhaenyra) were smiling down on you when you and your fleet were assigned to protect the shores of the Riverlands and Stormlands with Aegon and Daeron flying their dragons overhead. He would be at your side and you at his. For now, you would not be separated again. And while you knew this time together would be different, you still treasured it. Even when the Triarchy came and battered themselves against your ships and dragonfire, you knew you were with Aegon.

Your brother and father were not blind, Any time your men and the dragon riders made camp together, Aegon sought you out.

“You have a dragon shadow,” Roryn said with a smile.

“She has a dragon’s heart,” your father corrected, eyes finding your face over the chipped edge of his tankard.

The seas were calm tonight and you heard your men wondering if that meant the Drowned God was giving you a reprieve from your enemies or if it was a warning of what was to come. But still, you found yourself turning to see Aegon and Sunfyre at the edge of camp, both content with just each other for the moment.

“When you were taken from us, we thought you had been lost to us forever,” your father murmured. The ale sloshed over the side of his tankard as he set it down on the uneven table. “But you are still my daughter, but I think you have changed others.” His roughened fingers slid against your cheek before he stood. “You are salt, sea, and shadow, my girl. Every light needs its shadow.” And then he was standing and dragging your brother up from his seat, too. A question was on the tip of your tongue but it quickly left when Aegon approached the table. He and your father and brother dipped their heads at each other, the smallest bit of respect shown, before he sat beside you. Your stomach twisted pleasantly as you noticed how the firelight made his periwinkle eyes sparkle as the prince smiled at you.

It had taken you nearly a year of being parted for you to understand what you had with Aegon. It wasn’t loud or fiery. It was quiet and slow growing. And you wouldn’t have it any other way. “Is it selfish of me to be thankful for the Triarchy to attack? If I had to wait another moon to see you again, I would have flown Sunfyre to Lonely Light.”

You smiled and it grew when his hand nudged against yours on the table and you took the chance to link your fingers together, roughened palm against roughened palm. “Well, we can be selfish together.”

You and Aegon spoke until the last of your men started to turn toward the tents or their ships to sleep for the night. And it was still not enough time with him. You didn’t think you would ever have enough time with him. And you hope he felt the same way.

But you didn’t have time to seek an answer to your question when a horn blared and ripped you from your dreams of periwinkle eyes. You rushed out of your tent as you tightened the chestplate over your body, feet sinking into the sand. The horn blared again and you saw the foreign boats rushing ashore and shadowed figures hurdling out of them. They had come just before dawn. The bodies of the lookouts were half-submerged in the dying embers of the fires and you barely had time to recognize them before you were taken from your feet, tackled and spitting sand. It scratched your skin and blurred your vision for just a moment before you rolled again and grabbed one of the blades from your boot and thrust it down into the neck of the man who had taken you down. He gurgled in his own blood but you hardly heard it as you sprung to your feet.

Your men were yelling, hurrying to their longboats to take to the seas, culling the stem of invaders. They were yelling for anyone and everyone to follow them. And you knew you should. You were the heir to Lonely Light. You were Ironborn. And-

Daeron’s dragon Tessarion screeched and belched cobalt flames across a horde of men intent on hurting her and her rider before she took to the skies and then you saw Sunfyre struggling against the overwhelming numbers of Triarchy rushing toward him. And Aegon was there.

Your Aegon.

And your decision was made. You could hear Aegon’s screams and your mind cruelly conjured every time he laughed with you, the touch of his hand in yours, the whispered secrets you had given each other.

And it was about to be ripped away from you.

You sprinted toward Aegon, grabbing another weapon from around your waist and threw yourself into the fray with a scream that shredded your throat. Sunfyre’s golden fire rained down on the group but still more came, piling onto the beautiful dragon with glinting knives and screams of their own. Again and again you stabbed and swung and killed, pushing your way through the crowd to get to them. To get to Aegon. And then you were standing in front of him, a blood-covered blade in each hand and your heart roaring in your ears. And Aegon was warm at your back for just a moment before collapsing and you saw red and then gold as Sunfyre roared again. You could taste the other men’s blood on your tongue as it mixed with the greasy ash that swept by you, but still…you could not stop. Not until Aegon was safe.

You knocked away a knife as it aimed for your stomach and then took the man’s head from his shoulders with a roar of your own and then sank into the sand. Blood had soaked you to the bone…but it was done. Turning on your knees, you threw down your weapons and scrambled to drag Aegon into your arms. Sunfyre hissed, his own blood steaming into the purple light of dawn from where the attackers had managed to wound him, and curled his golden tail around you.

“Aegon? Aegon, can you look at me? Open your eyes!” Your bloodied hands patted at his face, his chest, anywhere you could think to touch him that wasn’t wounded. A crimson stain had spread across his stomach, a matching one down his left thigh. And he was…

“You…magnificent woman…” Slowly, ever so slowly, his eyes opened and he smiled at you, blood on his teeth.

Tears quickly blurred your vision but you hurried to blink them away as you stared down at him. “Do not worry. I…I will get a maester. You are going to be…” The tears came again. “We are going to be just fine. You and me.” He had to be. He had to. You just got him back.

Aegon reached up and brushed his fingers against the drying blood on your cheek. “I knew you’d come. My bloody savior. My vicious lady.”

“Did I not tell you?” You asked, almost laughing. “I would always come to you.”

The battle might be won, your men cheering and Tessarion roaring overhead, but you knew, as Aegon looked at you and found the strength to wrap his hand around the back of your neck and gently pull you down so your forehead pressed against his, sticky and warm, something else had changed.

+1

Aegon loved you. He loved you. He had loved you a few moments after you had offered to teach him Bastard Valyrian, picking him above all others. You had wanted him, over and over again. And he wanted you. Loved you.

And you were leaving him again.

The war was over. His family was safe. His sister’s reign was at peace, again. His siblings, niece, and nephews were settling into happy and mostly politically advantageous marriages. (He would still never understand why it took Aemond so long to get married to Lady Arryn but that was a story he could be told later, he assumed.)

But why not him? And why not with you?

You had run to him when the Triarchy had nearly overwhelmed him and Sunfyre. You had killed for him. So why were you leaving again?

Now, Aegon could have a silver tongue when the situation called for it, and often when it didn’t. But why could he not form the words to keep you from leaving again? He could not bear it a second time. Not again. Not when he just had you back. And why did this affliction now of all times? He’d never had trouble speaking with you before.

But still, he wordlessly watched as you and your men milled about the Great Hall, esteemed guests at the festivities celebrating the obliteration of the Triarchy. Aegon’s wounds were still tender but would heal, several maesters had checked and then checked again at the behest of his mother and eldest sister. And you were set to leave at first light tomorrow, back to Lonely Light. Away from him.

You caught his eye over your father’s shoulder and smiled at him, radiant and beautiful. You had been beautiful covered in blood and gore. You had been beautiful when you were in your finest gowns and your oldest sailing leathers. You were beautiful.

And then Aegon was standing and moving through the crowd, ignoring how his side protested and his leg burned with the sudden movement. He had to see you, touch you, let you know that he loved you. He bit back a snarl as someone collided with him but still carried on until he was standing beside you.

Brief but formal introductions had been made ages ago but Aegon was not entirely sure what the older man thought of him. Lord Farwynd was stern and Aegon was only momentarily stunned silent when he turned his gaze toward him. “It took you some time to make your way over here, princeling.”

Aegon’s smile felt a little crooked but it settled when you laughed and knocked your arm into your father’s side. “Father, please.”

He simply nodded his head, the very edges of his lips curling in a ghost of a smile. “I doubt I am the one you came to speak to.” Lord Farwynd pressed a soft kiss to her temple before walking away without really giving Aegon any sort farewell.

You looked like you were about to say something but Aegon couldn’t wait and wrapped both of his hands around one of yours and started to tug you toward one of the balconies. “I must speak with you.”

And you followed without a word but he could feel your gaze pressing into the back of his head and as he hurried to drag you behind the curtain and stone pillar of the nearest one.

“Aegon? What-”

He kissed you.

To be true, that was not what he had intended to do but he could not stop himself when the moonlight hit your eyes and your mouth looked so…perfect.

But you kissed him back.

Your arms wrapped around his shoulders and pulled him tight. It was a little uncoordinated, but Aegon didn’t care. He could teach you, and he could learn what you liked. You could learn together. And when you smiled against his mouth, Aegon’s entire chest felt like it was near to bursting. His hands framed your face and he pulled you closer, barely letting either of your lungs fill with your next breath, and kissed you kissed you kissed you.

He could kiss you forever.

And he wanted to.

“Marry me,” he murmured against your mouth. “Please, please, marry me. Be my wife and let me be your husband.”

You paused and your fingers moved to brush through the curls at the nape of his neck. He watched with rapt attention as you bit at your lip. “Aegon, Lonely light is so far from the Red Keep. I would-”

“The distance is nothing to a dragon. And I want to be with you. It was always you. It will always be you.” His thumbs smoothed soft circles into your cheeks and your eyes shuttered as you leaned a little into the touch. He should have been doing this for years. Why had he wasted so much time? “I will happily go where you lead. I will follow you everywhere.” He paused. “I love you. Do you hear me? I love you. I want to be your husband. Please, tell me if your heart is the same as mine.”

Your thumb pressed against his bottom lip as your next breath stuttered against his. And then you kissed him, just enough for Aegon to chase your lips, eyes closed, when you pulled back after a few too-short moments. “I love you, too.”

Aegon’s eyes opened and his answering smile almost hurt but he did not care when he pulled you closer, hands bracketing your hips. Just for a moment, he let him think of all the things he would learn about you soon enough…if you accepted his proposal.

The tears in your eyes gave him hope as they sparkled in the low light. “Will you tell your sister and mother or shall I?”

A/N: Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you think!

[tojislibrvry]

★ ︵ @ toji / reader , phone sex, corruption, virgin!reader, masturbation, voice kink, vibrator

you were young, the right age to be wild and fun. you saw your peers around you at midnight, as you swiped through everyone’s instagram stories. red heart coloured in as you tapped on every new post. red cups littered everywhere in the background, strobing lights manipulating the camera as your beautiful classmates flashed a charming grin or had their tongue out cheekily at their phones.

you wanted to be them so bad, yet you couldn't muster up the confidence nor the courage to get up and be yourself. 

this translated to your love life too. it’s not like you were a complete loser, you were friendly, thoughtful, and quite awfully pretty like that one song. there was just something that held you back constantly to go up and talk to the people you fancied. the inexperience made you insecure day by day.

it was not like you planned to be a virgin your whole life! the way things were progressing made you a little unsure though. you were also increasingly embarrassed that you couldn’t make yourself feel good. you would touch yourself in the dark whenever your roommate spent the night at her boyfriend’s. the coil in your stomach would begin to unravel but it would never snap. tears of frustration would bubble and there wasn't a day they converted to tears of pleasure.

and one normal tuesday, as you were scrolling through twitter a post caught your eye. huh?  there was no way something like that was legitimate. it was probably a scam, probably. curious enough you click on his profile and the image you are met with has your mouth watering.

stood a faceless man with his shirt off and presumably his pants off — the picture cut off below his achingly deep v line. his veiny arms, you are sure were twice the size of your head, were orgasm inducing. one of his hands held the camera while the other trailed off downwards…fuck.

ovulating and mind clearly way out of rationality, you texted the number in his post. if it was a scam, you would know — you could simply just block him. you weren't the brightest when it came to internet safety.

you closed the message app as soon as you were done typing out a cute "hii! is this legitimate? what’s your business model like? can i trust you? sorry for rambling. i've never done this before." and placed your phone under your pillow as you decided to sleep. 

the dreams you had that night were incomparable to the horniest porn you could have ever watched. the faceless man, held you against his warm body as he had you in the meanest mating press. your nails scratching his beautifully muscled back as you begged for more. your eyes rolled behind meeting your empty skull as he delivered a harsher thrust each time you mewled against his lips. as your dream self inched closer and closer to sweet release, you were thrown awake — your lonely beating heart ( and pussy ) your only company. 

you woke up cringing at the wetness between your thighs, the fluids of your insatiable arousal coating your thighs. you felt like a hormonal teenage boy who had nutted ( almost in your case ) in his boxers the very first thing in the morning. the discomfort and the migraine you developed from ruined orgasm made you get out of bed dragging yourself to the bathroom. your phone automatically flew to your hand like thor with his hammer as you scrolled as you brushed your teeth. 

everything was as smooth sailing as it could be until your eyes landed on a single notification that made you spit your toothpaste out halfway. you had actually texted that man in your delirious state. you glared at yourself in the mirror and clicked on the text expecting to see your usual scam test, something along the lines of "send me all your bank details haha promise i wont do anything about it!" instead what you are met with has you searching for a seat.

"so many fucking questions baby, why don't i call you tonight and you can see how legitimate my big dick is. you can pay me after i've shown you a good time. feel lucky. i don't do this for everyone, sweetheart." 

you spent the next thirty minutes trying to cool yourself down, splashing water on yourself to cool how heated your face had become. you sat down on your bed, pulling your knees up to finally answer the text. too embarrassed to text out a detailed reply you simply send him a thumbs up and wait for your racing heart to calm down.

the rest of the day went on incredibly slow, painstakingly slow. you had to sit through college lectures while your mind was clouded with thoughts about the nameless man you were going to talk to that night. you knew you were playing a dangerous game. you knew nothing about this mystery man.

sure, you could discern some of his features by stalking all the media from his x profile. he had raven hair that you could find in the reflection of one lucky post, his hair short and unkempt which did nothing but elicit more of your attention. another post had a little  bit of his face revealed, a salacious grin plastered on his face. you could see a scar run on his lips, the sense of danger it gave, had you turned on more than ever, making you wonder if you were going to discover more things about yourself from this ordeal.  

during your lunch break you had received another text from the contact, asking about the timings of your encounter. you had hastily agreed to 11pm, a time you knew very well your roommate would not be at home. 

if you were going to get dirty, might as well do it in a house with no one else. once you were back home, a quick eaten dinner with your appetite redirected to something else completely, you decided to unwind in the shower. you knew it wasn't a physical meet, this man probably had hundreds of callers before you yet deep down inside you wanted him to want you as much you did. silly as it was, you made sure to pluck and tweeze, shave and oil your skin making sure you smelled like a cupcake. you smelled good enough that the phone could pick up on your perfumed body if it were possible. 

the countdown had you pacing in your room, your lips were raw and red with the entire day spent with your lips tucked in your teeth. you were glancing at your clock every thirty seconds, watching the hands of the clock read 10:58. 

god were you wetter than ever before. you could feel the thrumming of your heartbeat spread throughout your body. taking deep breaths in you settled on your bed, legs criss crossed trying to pretend that the phone was not about ring any second. 

at 11.00pm, your phone rang. the marimba ringtone heard throughout your room, echoing off the walls. you had to remain patient. you didn't want the man to think you were desperate. well, you were! but he didn't need to know that. almost immediately, unable to wait any more, you picked up the call.

you were a smart girl, your grades were proof of that and even now, you had evidence of your intelligence by how you had your bluetooth already connected, so you could hear this man's voice as closely as you could, like he was ready to whisper in your ears. your nerves pooled in but no amount of adrenaline could have prepared you for what you could possibly describe as the sexiest voice on the planet. 

"heyyyy doll." it was a gruff voice, something that you would hear in the old cowboy movies your mother used to fawn over when you were a little girl. two words in and you could already hear the teasing tilt to his tone. 

"no greetings for someone helping ya out ?" he asked, bringing you out of your stupor. shaking your head like he could see you, you stammered out a quick, "n-no! fuck, im sorry mr...." you trailed off unsure how to address him. 

"want to know my name baby ? want to know what you should call out to when you are about to cum ?" 

you responded with a squeak, earning a chuckle from the other side of the phone.  you hear a quiet sigh as he whispers softly, goosebumps instantly painted on your skin when he says, "call me toji, i would love to hear you scream it."

before you could  thank him for his gratitude, you were interrupted when he surprisingly asked, "so tell me doll, what's the issue ? pretty thing like ya doesn't need my help getting off,  you must have those stupid frat boys drooling over you."

your eyes widened in surprise, "b-but you don't even know me! how do you know if i'm pretty !!?? or how do you know i'm in college !! are you stalking me ??" 

"ah, i understand the problem now." you heard him mutter, you were already tense, shoulders ready to cramp and your hands gripping the sheets so hard you were surprised they didn't tear by the sheer force. 

"you worry too much baby, do you think it's not easy to guess that someone that sounds as cute as you would be anything other than an inexperienced college girl. i might be exploiting my body, baby, but that doesnt make me stupid. i'm almost a lil offended." you could feel his sly pout through the phone. you only wished that you could feel it on you instead.

"...you are right, i am inexperienced." you said falling on your bed so you could stare at the ceiling instead. too embarrassed to look at the caller id. "i actually...." you tried to steel your nerves so it could be easy for you to admit it. taking a deep breath in you continued, "i cant..." "get yourself off? is that it sweetheart ?"

you sighed, nodding as you continued. "i've tried to, you know... touch myself, but i just can't!" you said exasperated. "you poor thing, you can't even get yourself off. of course you need my help. no one talks to me and goes unsatisfied." he stopped for a second, to let out a dry laugh.

"tell me, what are you comfortable with tonight?" he asked, letting you think for the first time. ten minutes on call with him and you were already too full of him in your mind, unable to think rationally. "i...i'm comfortable with touching myself and...there's something that i bought for myself, a toy to see if it would help me out. it didn't. i don't mind using that either." 

a low whistle. ""a toy? fuck baby, y'er killing me." you gulped at his shameless confession continuing, "i also like it when...when it's a little mean..." you flushed with heat as you voiced it out loud, "i like it mean, not a little— like a lot. sorry."

"awww baby, why are you apologizing ? if you want to be called a slut , i'll call you a slut. no need to feel ashamed for what you like." he pauses, "hm? maybe not ashamed but you do have to feel filthy for a mind like that." you gasped in surprise. "with such less experience, tell me how do you know what you like ?"

you blushed, cheeks feverishly hot now. "ah, i i just.." "just what baby? ya watch porn all alone in your dorm ? that is filthy." 

you tried to maintain a semblance of control. "tojiiiii m'not like that, i just—"

"awww, i'm playing, doll. i'm the last person to shame a pretty girl for trying to take care of her needs, no matter how bad she's at it." you felt yourself growing wetter with his words, thighs now spread apart as you laid on your bed, sweating on the sheets from his dirty words.

"silent now? can't hear you playing with your pussy either, waiting for permission?" you wished you could wipe off his smug smirk that is clearly translated through the shitty phone quality. realizing that you actually did not need his permission, your hands inched downwards.

"sweetheart, not yet." he said with a slightly terrifying tone attached to his elongated words. "tell me, what are you wearing?" you scoffed at him, "m'not wearing anything special." you lied. you were but it was too embarrassing to tell him that. "awww you are being a brat now? reaaaaaal cute." he paused, "quit playing,  we both know how you had your thighs pressed together all day because of me."

your eyes were already glassy with need. "toji...m'just wearing a babydoll dress, it's not that special i promise." 

"is that so sweetie ? all right then. why don't we start slow first? let's not rush into anything and confuse your pretty head." you nodded and quickly realized he could not possibly see you so you responded, "okay toji, i trust you..."

"fuck, you are going to kill me if you keep talking with that pout." he groaned, and you almost felt like he was itching to touch you the same way you wanted to touch him. 

"now, pull up your dress, get your tits out. no more than that." you carefully listened, obedience coursing through your veins. you pulled your dress up, freeing your tits to the cold room, nipples hardening immediately. "hah, can hear your heavy breathing through the phone, you are too fucking cute."

you left out a shaky breath at his words and waited for his next instruction. you could hear the sound of clothes rustling from the other side of the phone. "now, pretty, i want you to play with your nipples alright? tug on them baby, pinch them." you burned at his lewd comments but nevertheless followed his words to a tee. you were able to control your sounds till now, biting your lips to suppress the moans that bubbled at his dirty words.

you let out the softest whimpers as you pinched yourself, stimulating your already sensitive nipples. you began to feel hotter than you usually did. maybe it was the fact that you had an audience or maybe because the audience was him. 

“fuck, just like that. i wish i was there to see ya touch yourself, maybe even touch you myself a little bit. you would like that wouldn't you slut ?" you simply moaned in response, continuing the ministrations on yourself. "the way you sound like a goddamn whore, all i want to do is bite on your sensitive nipples for you." 

you couldn't stop the floaty feeling in your head flowing through your body, his words having an effect on you like nothing had ever before. 

"fuckin' slut, if ya can get turned on this easily by just having your tits fondled i think its time for you to touch your pretty pussy.." you immediately listened, wasting no time to bring your fingers to the valley of your thighs.

"fuck, spread yourself for me baby and let me hear the mess you've made for my voice." the simple act of you spreading your legs let out a sticky squelch, caught by your microphone and undoubtedly toji who practically moaned at that noise. "god. run your finger through your pussy, you sound fucking beautiful." you do as he said, letting the messiest sounds echo through the room. he groused loudly, "fuckin' hell, you have to be kidding me." you wouldn't believe your own body either. you had never been that wet before, never that aroused. 

"awww, my sweet slut got all wet from my voice, no longer my sweet baby hm? so fuckin' dirty." you could hear the sound of something being uncapped and a loud squelch that came from his side of the line. "it's a disgrace that i can't feel how wet your dirty cunt is getting on my cock. have to resort to lube instead." he muttered under his breath. "god sweetheart, your pussy probably tastes better than this shitty artificial strawberry despite it being so filthy." 

you began to inch your fingers closer and closer to your needy clit, which was already begging for your attention. maybe it was the praise along with his degradation that made you good because you immediately followed up with a "toj' can i touch my clit, please?"

toji growled at your innocent yet lewd request. "keep asking like that slut and ill give ya a baby too." you giggled at his words now actually touching yourself. finally, giving attention where you had desperately craved your touch had you arching your back off the bed, immediately crying out in pleasure. your bundle of nerves ached with need and being given the pleasure it needed all along, you could feel the black spots of pleasure already painting your vision. 

"i want you to be slow baby, take it slow." he cooed at you, "make sure you rub the softest circles on her, hm just the faintest ya don't want to overwhelm her, pretty." you were hooked to every word that left his mouth and you definitely didn't miss the way he tugged on his cock. it had you growing so needy to be filled. 

"that's right my filthy whore, why dont ya give her a kiss with your vibrator. come on, turn that flimsy silicon on." you nodded along, pulling your vibrator from underneath your pillow to use on yourself. you turned the pink silicon and brought it closer to your pretty clit just faintly touching it, hovering almost just as toji had told you to. 

the minute you brought your vibrator to your needy clit, your body arched off the bed almost unnaturally. your mind was fuzzy with the pleasure it felt. you had never felt like this before when you had used that very vibrator on yourself. you began to mewl uncontrollably as your thighs twitched at the faint sensations. 

"fuuuuuuck, you sound so slutty sweetheart. no one could have imagined that such a naive girl would be shamelessly getting off to a stranger's voice." you were babbling, mind too far gone to actually answer him. 

"now listen carefully baby, i want you to keep that stupid toy on your clit while your other hand plays with your slutty hole alright?" you forced yourself to bring back some obedience so you could follow along to his words. "i want you to put a finger in yourself, sweets, just one. you can do that for me right baby?"

you nodded again, no longer able to form coherent sentences. "i need ya to use your words like a good fucking girl, else i'll leave you all needy and alone." your eyes opened in despair, tears streaming down your pretty face. "noooo toj' —" you hiccuped, "please, just wanna feel good!"

if you could have seen the sight that was on the other side of the phone call you would have lost your damn mind. sat on a leather couch next to a plastic desk, toji fushiguro had the sleaziest grin painted on his face as he listened to your desperate begging. the raven haired man had his sweats pulled down just enough to spring his cock so he could stroke himself to the little whines you couldn't hold back. the way you called out his name had him high on pleasure, the sticky strawberry lube clouding every sense of his. 

all the poor man wanted to do was be able to push your head onto the bed as he pounded you like you deserved, snatching up your virginity like a disgusting pervert. alas, all he could do was fist his obscenely hard cock to the thought of your fingers pushed deep inside your cunt unable to give you the pleasure— a minute with his tongue could.

he settled for making you cry instead, revelling in the way you wobbled with tears. he moaned at your mewls, trying to talk to you but you made it so hard for him to talk. 

"i want you to put another finger in, baby, oh? what was that? too tight?" he cackled at your words, "go slowly, don't wanna break ya doll." you sniffled, trying to put another finger into you slowly, and you felt so full already. 

"if you can't handle your fingers, how can you ever take a cock? thought you were a cock hungry slut ?" you cried, as you began to scissor yourself open, hands beginning to cramp up. your body was beyond stimulated now, you could taste your orgasm on your tongue. 

"toji, m'close, ah—i think so." toji felt his heart beat faster at your words. 

"awww you are going to cum baby? my sweet whore about to have her first ever orgasm ?" you nodded as you continued to push your fingers in and out of your sweltering heat, eyes rolled back and mouth open as you couldn't crave for something bigger. 

"sweetheart, i want you to increase the intensity setting on your toy and continue to finger that cunt okay? you'll listen right? i promise to make you see the stars." you couldn't help but cry out as you increased the intensity, body pushed beyond its limits. you could feel a warm sensation all throughout your body as you pressed the toy impossibly closer to your clit.

toji tried to match his strokes, his cock about to cum around the same time as you just as he continued thrusting into his own fist at the same pace your fingers thrusted into your warm hole. he couldn't help but tug faster as your moans became louder and your words became less comprehensible.

"let yourself go baby, you can do it. toji's right here with you." he nearly whimpered as he heard your desperate whines. you began to feel your cunt squeeze impossibly against your fingers and suddenly the coil in your stomach snapped. you felt a gush of liquid splash everywhere, dirtying your sheets. you could feel the slick ooze from you as you squirted for the first time in your entire life.

all those years of remaining "broken" as your best friend would call you was all worth it because at that moment all you could see was heaven. white washed over your eyelids and the softest buzzing sensation racked through your body. talking about buzzing, your vibrator remained on the side having its use truly fulfilled for the first time in your life. 

meanwhile toji could not believe his fucking ears when he heard his so called inexperienced caller squirt only because of his voice. it was enough to send him over the edge, his fist grasping his cock almost painfully as he came all over his abs, his cum painting his tan skin white and his happy trail a wet mess from when he had started. he  was beyond ecstatic, hearing your soft pants from the line. 

you heard toji's grunts directly in your ears and if you were not completely exhausted, you would have brought the vibrator back once again. as you heard him finish, you muttered a shy thank you for being the first to make you cum.

he simply chuckles at your words following it up with a, “it's all good doll, just make sure ya pay me double before our next session.”

fuck, you needed to get a part time job now.

[hee0soo]

Children of the Sea

Pairing — KimHongjoongxafab!Reader

Summary — Living in a small town where everyone knew eachother, visitors were quickly recognized and sometimes freedom loving young women were especially drawn to said visitors... or maybe just their captain...

Genre — fluff, angst, smut, Pirate AU

Warnings — oral, fingering, penetrative sex , death, alcoholism, death by burning, death in childbirth

Word Count — 13.3k

Rating — nsfw

A/n: Thank you @caelesjjk for the wonderful header! <33

Disclaimer: this fic is written and copyrighted by ©hee0soo on tumblr. do not rewrite or repost on any other plattforms without my permission.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED!

"To be free means to be independent, not to be influenced by what others think or say!"

Those words were ringing in your ears as you stared over the edge of the cliff and down into the dark water that came crashing into the rocky surface of the stone in giant waves. Sat up there, you could almost make yourself believe that your life was good! That it was how you wanted it do be! But it wasn't. Far from it actually!

You were no fool. You knew that other girls your age were long married of to the richest suitor, waiting to bare their children and become the perfect little housewife! The thought alone send shivers down your spine. Remembering what it had done to your own mother, how she had withered away during those months she had carried your little brother in her womb only to tragically bleed out on while giving birth made your fingers dig into the soil and grass you sat on!

There were still moments where you thought you could hear her screams of said summer day echo through the night, making you miss her so much more. The nightmares her desperate screams had cause little 9 year old you had followed you for ages and the way it had suddenly been silent in your little cottage still haunted you to this day...

Years later is where you found yourself still mourning her soothing touch as she ran her gentle hand over your face when you had woken up from a bad dream as a child. You mourned the songs she had sang to you that you would never be able to hear again and how your little brother would never hear it at all...

Jungwon was the definition of soft, sunny and innocent, the carbon copy of who your mother had been as a person! Something your father had come to despise more and more the older the boy became. The man hated his sons soft nature, trying to make the perfect man out of the 11 year old but seemingly failing at it! Much to distracted to care for the disappointment of a daughter he had, the old man spend his days screaming, drinking and barely keeping the family Inn out of debts. The fact that it was you who kept things truly running, went ignored. Not that you cared anyways.

Enjoying the breeze of cold sea wind tugging at your face and the fabric of your skirts, you let out a long exhausted breath. The sun, drowning the scenery in a orange glowing hue was setting already and it was time to return home.

You got up, grass stains visible on your dress, looking back at the sea wondering what else could be out there for you. Probably nothing, but you liked to imagine that there was something else waiting for you out there then the sheltered and lonely life you had here. Your eyes focused on the ship sailing towards land and you couldn't help but stare for a moment longer. There was something about it that captured your interest!

Shaking yourself out of the trance you were in you quickly ran back to the village. It was almost time for dinner and you were not planning to let Jungwon go to bed on an empty stomach. That you were going to work all night without any food for yourself went ignored. You were used to it at this point and your brother needed it more, he was a growing boy after all.

Jungwons face visibly brightened at the sight of you appearing in your kitchen. His shaggy brown hair artfully braided back to prevent it from falling into his eyes and the big smile tugged at your heart. You couldn't help but brush your fingers over the side of his face as you past him and got ready to serve the admittedly sparse dinner of bread, cheese and a little meat to the 2 men of the family. The grim look on the old mans face didn't bothered you in the slightest. The smell of alcohol on him however did! It meant that he was already drunk and that you would probably have to work until the early morning hours again without him showing up to help out!

"An where wee you again?" the man hollowed, speech already slurred which told you all you needed to know.

"Helping Madame Delacroix with the new delivery of fruits. She promised to bring some over tomorrow." you said sounding utterly unimpressed by the tone of his voice. It wasn't a lie! Before you had wandered of and watched the sunset, you had helped the older woman you called your neighbor. And you didn't plan on telling where else you had been. Instead you winked at your little brother who had to hide a giggle as he took a bite from the slice of bread you had put in front of him.

 Your father huffed annoyed, looking at the food with disgust. Long used to the complaints of the bread being to dry or the meat being tasteless you busied yourself with listening to Jungwon telling you about his day instead. The happiness that radiated from him was almost contagious.

"Will you read me a bed time story later?" the boy wanted to know and promptly pouted when you shook your head.

"Why nooot?" he whined.

"I'm sorry Wonnie, but I'll be at the Inn already when you go to bed later."

It was evident that the child didn't like that but he accepted defeat quickly, knowing that arguing would get him nowhere.  "Ah don be such a wuss boy! Your sistr shouln be coddling ya so much, you weak nough already..."

Could looks kill, your father would have fallen out of his seat right then and there! Not that he wasn't close to falling of it anyway.

"Ignore him!" you mouthed at him and received a nod in return.

Soon the food was gone and without a word your father staggered out of the kitchen, almost falling over in the process. Where to you didn't know and you didn't want to.

"Will you be okay alone? You know that you have to lock the doors and to-"

"To come to the Inn and stay with you if there's something wrong? Yes I know sister, don't worry I'm a strong boy with a dagger!"

Of course he knew the rules, you had made sure of that early on. It wasn't safe, by far not but with the way things were you didn't have another choice and you had to trust that nothing would happen.

Taking a step towards Jungwon, brushed your hand over his head and placed a kiss on his temple. "Someday things will be different l promise!"

"I know and now go! I will be fine and father is here too."

That wasn't as reassuring to you as he thought but you nodded, a pained smile grazed your lips as you left. Your stomach was growling and you hoped that you could snag a bowl of stir-fry from the Inn kitchen later on.

The way wasn't far and you were the first one there to open the establishment. Soon 3 coworkers would arrive to cover their shifts for the night but as the daughter of the boss that never showed his face, you took on that role.

The candles were already lit up when the first one arrived. Yoongi, your head chef , could be compared with a grumpy cat! Ready to strike at any given moment but still lovable and in need of some head scratches.

And then there was Hyunjin, flirty and always ready for a chat. Oh and always ready to either punch or kiss Jisung, the man who came in only to bother the waiter you called your best friend. You were sure that the two were somehow involved with each other but both firmly denied that.

He waved shortly and helped you sweep the floor once more before you opened  and then vanished in the back. Hyunjin liked the dramatics of always being falling through the door just minutes before you turned the Closed-sign around to show Open instead and so, like always he flew in right when you wanted to turn the sign around. He apologized hurriedly and promised to never let that happen again. It caused Yoongi to laugh loudly from the back. As if. The dark mark sucked into the skin of his throat almost glowing!

The evening went and the night began and with it customers started pouring in. You knew most of them, it was a small down after all and nothing out of the ordinary happened.

It was the usual. Men came into get drunk or have their fun with the ladies searching for a good time and strip those idiots of their money, as long as there was no drama you didn't care or the occasional traveler searching for a room to sleep in and a warm meal. Nothing out of the Ordinary until the door opened and in came 4 men that were complete strangers to you. One glance to Hyunjin told you that he too was clueless to who they were. They looked like trouble as they sat down at the bar where you were making sure that drinks were being filled so Hyunjin could quickly deliver them to the tables.

Thankfully they kept to themselves for the most part. The shrieking laugh from one of them however could clearly be heard in the entire Inn! You would lie if you said that the first time didn't surprise you so much that you almost dropped the jug of beer you were filling causing Hyunjin to almost drop to the floor laughing. Quickly whacking him with a towel you made sure he knew how displeased you were and you hoped they hadn't noticed your little moment.

"What can I get you gentlemen?" Leaning against bar counter you looked at them expectantly.

Four pairs of dark brown eyes found your e/c ones with various degrees of surprise or interest.

The loud one was sitting there, wide-eyed and open mouth as if he had just wanted to say something. His black hair framed his face beautifully, not a piece out of line.

The tallest one—with honey-blonde hair sticking up wildly—had his head propped up on his ring-clad fingers. His white shirt was only halfway buttoned up, exposing the entirety of his very toned chest.

Next to him was another black haired one with mesmerizingly soft features that reminded you of your mother; and last, but not least, the one that glared at you, very unimpressed.

His silver hair was short at the sides and long on top, tied back with chains of black, white, and what seemed to be a gold chain. His ears were adorned with multiple earrings and a face reminding you of the fairies in old tales…

"Uhm, 3 beers and 1 whiskey please?" the tall one said, sounding unexpectedly shy even with his deep voice and you turned to look at him instead of staring at his fairy friend.

"Sure. Want anything else? Maybe some food?"

3 of them shook their heads while their friend was still not taking his eyes off of you.

"Here you go! Tell me if you need anything else!" You put the filled jugs and the glass down in front of them. "Thank you darlin."

Surprised by the higher pitched voice of the glaring stranger, your eyes found his again. It fit him well. You had to admit that he was handsome and definitely your type as he swirled the whiskey around in his glass with a calmness you envied him for.

You bit your lip, quickly turning away to get away from the situation.

A little further, old Jinyoung was hitting the bar like he tried to catch flies to get your attention. You rolled your eyes. The man was a regular and regularly he drank himself under the table, tumbling out of the Inn almost blackout drunk only to come back the next day and repeat it all over again. That’s how it had been ever since you were old enough to work for your father. He was nice, at least when he got what he wanted, but also very loud and had the tendency to flirt with everything that had legs.

"Aye girl, don ya look lovely today. How bout ya give an old man like me nother refill?" Jinyoung slurred, followed by a burp that had you grimacing at the smell.

"Don't you think you had enough already? I'm sure your wife is waiting for you." With furrowed brows he waved you off. "Don kid yaself girl!"

Hyunjin caught your eyes from across the room, balancing a tray of empty bowls and jugs as he made his way into the kitchen to rinse them clean. The waiter had never been a fan of the drunk man who continued rambling about the hardships of his life and marriage and tried to stay seated upright.

"Just throw him out. Man is wasted enough as it is and probably won't remember tonight at this point. Not like that's anything new..." he suggested in passing. Not bothering to answer him, instead you watched the old man eventually do tip over only to be caught be the loud shrieking stranger.

Huffing, you thought about it. Maybe your friend was right and you should send him on his way to sober up. A shudder ran down your spine at the thought of possibly provoking an argument.

"Ahh, Jinyoung-ssi, I think you had enough for tonight... Maybe come back tomorrow but I think you should go home and sleep a little."

A deep frown fell upon the mans face after the words had registered in his foggy brain.

"Thas not on ya to descide foolish girl!" he snapped, words barely audible at this point. "N' now gimme 'nother!"

Customers were turning their heads to see what the commotion was about, only to turn back to their own tables when they recognized who the cause of it was they were all used to the antics of the drunkard. The side eye he received from the four men beside him almost made you snort.

"I don't think so. Please leave my Inn and sober up."

Reaching for the jug, you planned to take it from him. Although horribly intoxicated, his reflex in grabbing onto your arm was still sharp and a dull pain made itself known.

"Let my arm go, now!" you hissed lowly, eyes focused on his hand tightly holding onto your wrist.

Not reacting to your demand, his grip only got tighter. The pain only getting stronger. You winced.

"Let go!"

Jinyoung growled,  sounding much like a wild animal at the moment.

"I think the Lady told ya to let go of her just now…”

Shocked by the sudden help, your head whirled around to where the silver haired man was taking a sip of his glass, effectively emptying it in the process and slamming onto the counter. The noise left the man still holding onto you startled, giving you the chance to try and twist yourself out of his hold!

Glaring at the much younger man Jinyoung snarled, "Non of ya business!" only to turn back to you.

"Now about tha beer girl-"

 The sound of a blade hitting the wooden surface of your bar cut him off. The silver haired stranger twisted a dagger between his fingers, reflecting the light of the candles brightly. The unspoken threat hanging in the air loud and clear.

"Captain!" his deep voiced companion warning quietly, receiving a blow to the side from the black haireds elbow.

“Ya gonna let her go now?"

The pressure on your arm went away but you could still feel his fingers lingering on it. Teeth bared, the man pulled out o few coins clumsily, dropped them on the counter. Stumbling out the door. while curses escaped him on the way out.

Turning back to them, you watched the stranger put his dagger aside. Eyes catching his, you nodded in acknowledgment to thank him. For a split second you thought you could see the corner of his mouth twitching upwards. Giving you the slightest hint of a smile!

Things calmed down again. Only your nerves were still a little unsettled, making you inhale to calm yourself.

It was already early in the morning and people slowly started to leave until everyone safe for you, Hyunjin and Yoongi were left to clean up. The first rays of the morning sun illuminated the Inn already when you were finally able to closeup and say goodbye to the two men.

Tired and ready to fall into bed until you had to get up again, you went straight past your snoring father who had passed out on the stairs it seemed, checked on Jungwon one last time before you your door behind you.

Sleep however didn't come easy, even with the blanket pulled up to your nose. The fabric felt unusual scratchy on your skin.

Your thoughts began to wander as you turned and twisted to find a position comfortable enough to let you fall asleep. They went back to the whiskey drinking captain. For the rest of the night you had felt him watching your every move up until they left again. It had left you more flustered then you would like to admit!

His piercing stare seemed to haunt you even now! You would be lying if you said you weren't intrigued as well. But now it was to late. The handsome stranger was gone and the chance of running into him again was close to none...

---------

 3 Days later you were on the way to buy some much needed food at the market down at the docks! The fisher boats were out at sea at this time of day so there weren’t that many ships there today, safe for one you had never seen before.

It looked familiar in a way and although you couldn’t pinpoint where you had seen it before, you felt an energy radiating off of it that mesmerized you!

Even early in the morning, the streets were already filled with people who -just like you- were running errands. Buzzing with life that forced you to navigate through the crowd,  empty  pressed closely to your front to prevent sneaky hands from stealing from right under your nose.

"How are you dear one? How is little Jungwon doing today?" Taeyeon, the bakers wife asked excided to see you. Stroking her swollen stomach ever so gently with her hand, she handed a still warm Loaf of bread to you.

"We are doing ok, thank you for asking! How's the baby doing in there? Still keeping you awake?" The older woman took the offered coins, nodding at your question.

"They sure do! I just hope they won't do the same once they're born..."

Knowing full well that she would probably get even less sleep then now soon, Taeyeon laughed.

You weren't one to indulge in the business of others, not if you could avoid it at least. But something about the bakers wife just warmed your heart. You couldn't help but admire her! She was one of the few women who did not let anyone decide for her! Someone who was smart, confident and very vocal about the unfair treatment women got from most men! Her marriage wasn't arranged, she had refused that early on and fought tooth and nails when her parents had suggested that as a young girl!

That was what you wanted too!

"And concerning your order for the Inn, it will be ready for you to pickup later today. Or do you need my husband to deliver it?"

You shook your head. No Yoongi already volunteered to pick it up the day prior on his way to work, meaning there was no need to cause any more work for them. "Okay, just tell us if you need anything else!"

The woman hurried to tend to the next customer leaving you to continue your own shopping. Still having to get some fresh milk, fish and herbs, you turned on your heel and ran straight into the firm chest of the man standing behind you.

Almost dropping the bread, your hand flew up to rest over your racing heart. His own holding onto your elbows to avoid you hitting the ground.

"Oh my god! I'm so sorry, I wasn't watch -" You stopped in your tracks, recognizing the man who had threatened Jinyoung just a few days ago.

"Ya okay, nothing happened."  He rasped, looking just as handsome as a few nights ago, voice sending a pleasant shudder over your skin. His eyes lit up, clearly recognizing you.

Ignoring the annoyed complaints from around you because you just stood there without any implication of moving along. Your could feel your heart racing underneath where your palm rested still. Now that you stood right in front of him and there was no counter separating you from him for entirely different reasons then just surprise! He was close enough that you could feel the warmth of his skin through the fabric of his shirt and his breath his your face, making you heat up rapidly as his focus trailed from your eyes to your mouth, down to the low cut neckline where he caught a glimpse of your cleavage and backup. Your cheeks were burning! 

It took a moment for you to come back to reality. The reality that you were pressed right against a total stranger! You! An unmarried women! It was enough to take a step back and his hold loosened.

For the first time his face relaxed and a friendly yet dangerous smile crossed his face.

"Ya the owner of the Inn right?" he mused.

"The owners daughter actually! You really helped me out a few days ago, thank you again for that…”

Moving along you thanked him hoping that you weren't embarrassing yourself right now.

He waved it of nonchalantly, like it was no big deal. "Ah it was nothin. Some just don't know when to stop drinkin!

 Reaching the farmers stand you pointed at a small wheel of cheese which you paid for and continued on your way. Stranger still walking  along to the next stand.

"It seemed like ya were used to it already," he stated and you shrugged. He was right after all and there was no point denying it.

"Well kind off. Jinyoung comes in every night so yes, you could say I'm used to it."

Displeasure flew across his face. "And your father let's him back in? With the way he acts around his daughter?"

Shrugging you stepped around a goat that ran through the crowd. "He'd have to stop drinking himself to notice that."

Why you told him all that you had no idea! He was a stranger who's name you didn't even know, and here you were talking about things that had no business being talked about with him!

You could feel his piercing gaze on you but ignored it. There was nothing you could say either way.

With full arms you took the herbs you needed from the apothecary, trying to juggle every without dropping it when the bread was suddenly taken from you.

"Here let me help you!"

„Thank you…“

„Ya can call me captain.“ Snorting you gave him aside glance. „Yeah, I’m not gonna do that!“

„Well then how about Hongjoong?“

You gave him an amused smile. " Nice to meet you Hongjoong, I'm y/n! L/N y/n!"

Together you walked, talking and teasing like you have never done so before until you came to a halt. Hongjoong recognized the ally where the Inn was, but was surprised to see that you led him to the back entrance instead.

The backdoor led to a little room that was connected to the main room and functioned as an office. There were books and parchment everywhere. It looked like a tsunami had went threw it.

You pointed to a side table to signal where he could put the food he had carried down.

"I'll be going through the books for a bit and take everything home later. Will I be seeing you again sometime? I'd would be my pleasure..."

Hongjoong thought for a second before answering. "Maybe ya will, Wooyoung has been begging me to come here again either way!"

The name didn't sound familiar but you guessed that it was one of his friends. Huffing out a laugh, you teased lighthearted," So you would only come back here to keep your crew mate happy? I see how it is Captain Hongjoong!"

An amused laugh resonated through the small room.

"Well, l/n y/n, ya'll see me around!"

And he was gone again. The whole encounter left you feeling various things at once. Happy that you got to see the handsome man again and even got to know his name, sad that he was gone again already and equally excited and impatient to see him again!

Suddenly the thought of having to go through the Inns income books wasn't as bad as it had sounded this morning.

-------

"And you talked to him?!" Hyunjin screeched, excited to hear the newest drama whilst drying a freshly cleaned plate with a rag. You winced and nodded, pulling another sound out of him that had customers turning their heads to see what the fuss was about. The waiter ducked his head at the scolding glare of Yoongi who, for once, was not hidden in the kitchen! Rubbing his hand over his ear, the cook quickly escaped. Leaving the proximity of where Hyunjins yells weren't as loud.

"How was he? He seemed really intimidating when he was here with his friends. Frowning all night long even though his friends seemed like so much fun..." It was clear that your friend wouldn't let it go and would keep bothering you until he knew every single detail about your encounter with the silver haired sailor. So you told him everything.

Jisung, who had graciously joined you at the bar once more tonight, propped his head up on his hands. A mischievous spark gleaming in his eyes.

"Sounds like our little y/n-ie has a cruuush!" he singsonged and received a rag to the face. "Yah! Have you lost it?" you snapped pouting.

Your waiter shook his head. "Nonono, for once I have to agree with what he's saying! It sounds like you were flirting, A LOT! And he flirted right back!" he agreed and Jisung mockingly stuck his tongue out at the other who responded in the same manner.

“Okay, first of all you two are acting like children and second, we were NOT flirting! And I do NOT have a crush!"

Both men looked at each other. "Sure you don't!"

You rolled your eyes, taking four filled mugs to bring them to a table near the back, leaving the two giggling lovebirds to chatter among themselves. Both of them were wrong! You hadn't flirted with the stranger and he hadn't with you! 

 The door swung open and a new wave of customers came in. Under them you recognized Jungwon ducking around a man who almost ran into a table. Your brother looked around searching for your familiar face and when he found it he skipped over to you.

"Wonnie what are you doing here? You should be in bed already," you questioned while balancing the empty mugs. The boy reached for some to take from you and followed you back to the bar.

"Father was being loud again." The casualness with which the boy answered left a bitter taste in your mouth. You hated it with a burning passion! Knowing that this was Jungwons reality since he was just mere moments old was one thing you couldn't help but resent! You knew what being loud meant and you were glad that your brother had chosen to leave rather then staying and listen to the old man moaning and screaming about how his children had ruined his life.

"Oh, really?" you asked dumbly, hoping to not appear to angry. Jungwon didn't notice and hummed.

"Yeah, couldn't sleep because of it," he placed the mugs on the counter for Hyunjin to clean. The tall boy looked confused for a split second but schooled his face and ruffled Jungwons hair in a friendly manner.

"You can take the bed in the back until I get out of here and then we can go home." you offered but your brother shook his head. Instead, he rounded the bar and climbed up the chair to sit next to Jisung who delightfully started to play games with him.

Yoongi let out a low whistle to get your attention. The cook had placed a steaming bowl with stew and fresh bread into your hands before signaling to Jungwon and disappeared again. The boy dug in happily and turned back to face Jisung.

You watched carefully. It wasn't often that he joined you ad work but whenever he did you always made sure that he was always around you or someone you trusted. This was after all a place filled with drunk men and women!

"Servin children in an establishment like this? 'm shocked!" the voice of Hongjoong ripped you out of your thoughts and you turned to look him in the eyes. You hadn't noticed him coming in, nor had you noticed him sitting down at the bar with his black haired friend that must have been Wooyoung.

The silver haired man winked at you which made your cheeks heat up.

"That's my brother." you stated quickly.

"’nd that's ma nightmare Wooyoung." retorted with a side smirk at his friend. Wooyoung sucked in a deep breath and answered with mock insult. "I'm wounded Captain! I thought what we had was special!"

With his hand thrown over his heart he made a pouty face at Hongjoong who just scoffed. Laughing gently you leaned against the bar.

"You're back sooner then I thought you would be,"

"What can I say? I was thirsty." Hongjoong said casually while the boy next to him snorted. "Thirsty for- "

He cut himself off at the glare he received and you hid a laugh behind your hand. Wooyoung was definitely not the type to hold back!

"And I thought you came to see me..." you quipped with an innocent smile playing on your face. You couldn't help but notice the way Hongjoongs eyes dropped to your lips and back up again. The knowing side eye from your waiter went unnoticed.

"Same as last time?"

The men both nodded and Wooyoung eyed you with a smirk but said nothing. Hyunjin filled both glass and mug and handed them to you to give to them.

Jungwon was yawning loudly and your focus went back to him.

"Tired Wonnie?"

The boy gave another yawn. "Can we go home now?"

You knew that it was way to early to close up now and with the way things were going, you didn't want to leave Hyunjin and Yoongi to have to cater all the customers alone. "You can lay down in the back if you want but I can't leave yet, I'm sorry little brother."

Jungwon rubbed his eyes.

"He can stay at my place for tonight if you want y/n. I was planning to leave soon anyways..."

Hesitating you looked at your brother and met his pleading eyes. "Fine, tonight is free of charge for you!"

Behind him Jinyoung raised his hand slowly. "Not for you!" you scowled. His hand dropped again.

The 11 year old hopped down from his stool  with Jisungs help. "I'll bring him by your house later, promise!"

You waved, blew a kiss and watched Jungwon pull a face of disgust before they went out the door.

"He's cute!" Hongjoong commented after a sip whiskey.

"He is and much to young to have to suffer late nights between drunk fools…”

At the questioning looks you received from both the silver and black haired you sighed. "What I said this morning was not just a phrase,"

While Wooyoung was non the wiser, Hongjoong had a look of understanding on his face. You weren't planning on airing out to the entire town how your family life was going but judging by the expression on his face, he understood very well without needing anymore details.

A plate shattered at a nearby table which ripped you out of your stupor and you went back to work.

Throughout the night,  non of your customers thankfully made any trouble. Relieved you whipped down the last table. People had cleared out and even Hyunjin and Yoongi had already left after the kitchen had been cleaned. You met Hongjoongs eyes who sat alone at the bar. His friend already gone.

"Where-" you began to ask where his companion was. "Went back to our ship already. He can handle a lot but he gets bored easily so he went back, probably to cause trouble with his shadow,"

His glass had long been empty already but something, or rather someone, stopped him from leaving too.

"Well I'm all done and since Wonnie is at Jisung's, I have no reason to go home yet. How about another drink? This time with me?"

You didn't know where this idea came from but the grin spreading out on the mans face was worth it. ”Gladly! I'll take another of those!"

He held up his glass only to get it taken from him and refilled just a second later with you rounding the bar and a glass of your own to sit where Wooyoung had sat earlier.

Silence engulfed the two of you. You felt him watching your every move while emptying your drink almost in one go.

“Seems like you needed that tonight. Ya okay little dove?" His voice was soft, soothing for your frazzled mind.

"As okay as I can be I guess. Raising a child and managing the Inn can be quite stressful at times." You snarked and turned your head to look at him. Hongjoong nodded.

"What about your mother?"

"Dead.”

While he had already thought that much, the man had not expected you to outright say it. In the short time that he had known you there were so many things that reminded him of the things he himself had gone through as a child! It was way to familiar to not be exactly what he thought.

He wished he could tell you how sorry he was that this was how you had to spend your life. Sure, the boy he met briefly tonight was an angel but he couldn't imagine that raising a child that young had ever been in your plans for life!

"Don't look so serious! It's fine and we're used to it! Better tell me when you and your pirate friends are gonna sail off again!"

The astonished look that crossed his face made you laugh loudly.

"What? Did you think I didn't know? The first night you came here the tall blond one called you Captain! You, wanted me to call you captain! And if you don't want people to know you should really change your look! You’re no exactly subtle..."

The pirate was rendered speechless at the teasing. He really thought you didn't know! He too laughed not knowing if he should get up and leave or stay right where he was.

"Don't worry, l won't tell anyone so tell me, how long are you going to be here for?"

Hongjoong shrugged. "We don't know yet. Our ship has to be fixed and we need to restock our storage first.  So probably a few more days!"

You hummed softly and he elbowed you gently into the side.

"Why do ya want to know? Ya gonna miss me?" he grinned and leaned over to get closer.

Your heart fluttered and you got even closer. Hongjoong glanced at your lips again where his eyes stayed for longer then necessary.

"Maybe..." you breathed out quietly and simultaneously you closed the gap between your lips. Eyes fluttering shut.

His lips soft and chaste moved slowly against your own, sending sparks through your body making you miss him as soon as he pulled back. Instead of entirely pulling away, he stayed close. Close enough for you to be able to feel his hot breath against you while his mouth hovered a mere inch over yours.

You slowly opened your eyes and could see him swallow harshly as you looked up, eyes finding his before they dropped back to his mouth, the tip of his tongue peaking out a little in a way that was almost mocking. For a split moment you just stared at the silver haired man.

The kiss had been brief, not long enough for it to be considered deep, but it had lit a fire in you that you hadn't known was there! It was an unfamiliar feeling that you had never felt before safe for the rare times you found yourself alone in the safety of your own four walls hiding you away from the greedy looks the men of the town often gave you! Never before had you felt this way in the presence of a man because of a man!

And when you suddenly felt his mouth back on your own, you couldn't help the sound that slipped out. The kiss now far more demanding and much less hesitant had your hands searching for something to hold onto.

Fingers buried into the lose fabric of the shirt covering his chest, giving you a short glimpse of his skin as you tugged on it, you rose from the bar stool to get closer. Hongjoong followed without further ado and without breaking the kiss. His own hands found their place on your jaw,  holding you right where he wanted and preventing you effectively from pulling away! Not that you wanted to!

You could feel his tongue licking at your lower lip, begging to be let in. A battle for dominance broke out, one that you willing and gladly gave up.

Quickly you found yourself pressed against the bar, the hard edge of the surface digging into your back. One of his hands let got of your face, instead holding onto your waist before you found yourself hoisted up and sad on top of your bar counter. The glass you had been nursing on got pushed back in the process and with a clanging noise it dipped over the edge and shattered into million little pieces on the ground.

Surprised by the sound of breaking glass you whipped around, separating your mouth from his which caused him to growl quietly in dissatisfaction.

"I-" you gasped out, inhaling deeply and with wide eyes you looked back at Hongjoong.

The pirate almost stared you down with desire darkening his eyes, breath short and his head slightly tilted back to take in the view in front of him. You didn't want to know what you looked like in that moment but you could imagine that you didn't look better then you felt!

"Ignore it," he said, voice low and licking his lips. "We can take care of it when I'm done with ya!"

 Hongjoong let his hands trail to your dress covered waist, down to your thighs and gently pried them open to stand in between them. His gaze was burning and you felt a little lost on what to do now.

It must have shown on your face because Hongjoong's softened at the sight of it. He grabbed your hands in his, moving them away from where they were still lodged into his shirt, lowering them and linking his fingers with your own. You looked down, noticing the black painted nail of his pinky for the first time before you got distracted again by his mouth slotting itself back against yours. Your eyes fluttered shut and you let him claim it as his again.

For a while that's all you did. You, high up on the bar with his standing right in front of you, kissing you and enjoying the little whines he managed to pull from you while he pressed his hard on straining against his trousers against your skirt covered thigh.

His lips were oh so soft against yours, warm and demanding in a way that made you want to submit to his every move the longer he kept his ministrations up! It made your whole body shudder. Heated skin brushing against the sleeves of your dress, making you want to get rid of it along with his! You wanted to feel his skin on yours, wanted him to touch you! So you moved to shrug the jacket from his shoulders, letting it drop to the ground carelessly.

"Hongjoong," you breathed against his lips, words sounding weak and whiny in a way you have never heard yourself sound before. He immediately looked back at you, a cocky smile adorning his face.

"What is it little dove? Got something to say?" he questioned and sounded sinfully innocent while doing so. It was clear that he was mocking you which you didn't appreciate in the slightest. With a rush of bravery and determination you  didn't know you had you directed one of his hands to the hem of your skirt, urging him to free you of it.

"Touch me!" you demanded.

Hongjoong had half a mind to simply rip the dress of your body once he saw a glimpse of the smooth skin of your legs but decided against it. He didn't want you walking through the streets later half undressed after all!

Teasingly slow he pulled the skirt up causing it to bunch up around your waist, leaving you in your undergarment. The man lost his patience fairly quickly after that and you felt him rip the last piece of fabric down your legs, leaving your dripping wet pussy exposed to the air around.

"Oh, little dove, I barely touched ya and you're already such a mess? Just for me?" he grins like a cat that caught the bird and let the fingers of his right hand slip through the juices collecting between your legs and over that sensitive bundle of nerve hidden there. His left one cupped your breast through your top. The way your nipple was pressing into his palm made him nearly lose his mind as it found it's way inside to free them just enough to spill over the fabric, giving him easy access to lean in and take the bud into his mouth and suck.

With a little shriek you weren't proud of you covered your mouth with your hand. The sensations you felt from your breast in his mouth and Hongjoongs hand between you legs left you speechless!

You clenched around nothing, pussy twitching with want to finally get some attention.

"Ah-ahh pleeease…”you begged breathlessly. What you begged for you weren't sure. The pirate looked up, still suckling and licking and his thumb slowly rubbing circles over your clit. Trying to push your hips further into his hand you let your head fall back.

"Are ya enjoying yourself?"

He guided your head back up, fingers under your chin, forcing you to look straight into his dark orbs. The hand working between your legs stopping and moving away. Frustrated at the loss you glared at him, causing Hongjoong to huff out a small laugh.

"Stop playing with me already and get on with it!"

The impatience in your voice wasn't lost on the man but instead of indulging you, he simply ignored it. He found it amusing that he could reduce you to such a bossy mess without really having done anything for it.

Entertained by the glare you gave him, Hongjoong shook his head.

"Ya know, I'm enjoying this way to much to just stop like that."

Without further warning the pirate dropped to his knees with a cunning smirk that should have been a warning in and for itself and let his tongue run over your folds. You jumped in shock, not having expected him to do that and a little shriek left your lips. Your first instinct was to push his head away but Hongjoong didn't let you! Instead the simply pushed your thighs further open to get even better access!

Sometimes you heard the whores that frequented the Inn talk and never had you even once entertained the idea of having a man between your legs yourself. It was harshly frowned upon to have sex outside of a wed-lock and even then it was never supposed to be about the pleasure of a woman!

But having this man, a pirate no less, lick up your juices like he was starving, finding joy in the way you moaned and keened highly with your hands trying to grab onto the wooden surface under you and your head thrown back, you cursed the gods that have led everyone to believe that.

His name fell like prayers from your lips and it was like music to his ears. Hongjoong had never been a child of innocence and showing you the wonders of what could be made his dick strain painfully against his trousers.

It was clear that you were quickly approaching your orgasm judging by the erratic breathing you let slip and to aid you he slipped his finger inside your fluttering hole.

You moaned loudly at the added pleasure, toes curling while one of your hands reached out to thread your fingers into his hair. The sudden tugging had Hongjoong groan into your pussy, the vibrations of it being enough to send you over the edge.

Hongjoong let you ride out your high before letting up, standing tall and pulled you upright.

You were panting, drops of sweat glistening on your forehead and eyes only half opened as you lazily blinked at him. Not giving you time, the pirate placed his juice slick mouth on yours, making you taste yourself. The kiss was rough nothing gentle about it and still you felt like this was how it was supposed to be!

Growing the courage to reach for the buckle of his belt, you carefully tried to open it with clumsy fingers. Hongjoong stopped you.

"We don't have to-"

"I want to! Please fuck me?"

The way the words fell from your lips, sounding so shy but sure at once had his mind reeling. Shrugging his trousers down to rest around his ankles the man tugged out his dick. You glanced at it, never having seen a naked male in all his glory and felt nervousness take over.

"Don't worry little dove, I'll make ya feel so good…”he trailed of lined himself up with your folds, kissed you softly and pushed in.

You clung to him, hiding your face in the crook of his neck. Hearing the quiet whimper of pain Hongjoong halted. His eyebrows were furrowed in pleasure and it took all his will strength to not just thrust all the way into your heat. He let his hands trail down your side ever so gently. You almost couldn't feel it through the silk of your dress but it was enough to relax a bit.

"Go on..." you exhaled into his neck.

The pirate slowly pushed in, shushing every pained noise until he was sheathed all the way inside of you where he stilled. Allowing you to get used to the feeling before he pulled out to thrust right back in.

The pain slowly turned into pleasure soon after and loud moans slipped out of you, telling the pirate exactly how good he was doing.

"Ya sound so good for me little dove. Let it all out, let me hear how good I make ya feel." He rasped right against your ear. It made your walls flutter around his cock and Hongjoong almost came on the spot as you whined his name in pleasure.

His thrusts grew irratic and Hongjoong knew that he wasn't gonna last much longer at the sensations of your head tightening around him.

Mouth pressing hard against yours he slipped his tongue inside while his thumb found your did again. Only mere seconds later you let out a high keen, cumming all over the pirates cock with him right behind you. Spilling his seed deep inside...

-------

Time past quickly after that night but Hongjoong seemingly had disappeared. It was a little disheartening if you were being honest. Something had changed for you. You were no longer just looking forward to have the pirate visit you but actively waiting for the man to open the door to the Inn and give you that cunning smile you had come to love.

That didn't happen. Hadn't you seen a glimpse of his mates around the market at times you would have thought the crew had already left town! However the captain stayed lost.

Your mood had dropped significantly since then and with it had your tolerance for bullshit from customers. Hyunjin had to cut in more times then you could count in just 4 days and you swore if you had to listen to one more scolding from him you swore you would lose it!

You weren't particularly eager to follow suit when both the chef and waiter had told you to go out, take some time off and then come back later the night.

And so you found yourself back at your favorite spot, looking at the moon glistening at the horizon and on the water of the sea. The cold air made you shiver, goosebumps rising on your skin.

The silence of the night cooling your frazzled mind significantly.

You inhaled deeply and a lonely tear ran down your face only to be whipped away and be scowled at.

"Stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid!" you chanted quietly to yourself. There was no reason to cry! So what if you gave your virginity to a stranger and gotten attached! He was a man and no man was worth even one tear!

"So this is where ya spend ya time little dove? I have to admit, its a beautiful sight!"

You didn't dare turn to look at him, fingers plucking at the grass under you.

"How did you know where I am?" you grumbled. Hongjoong stepped closer and sat down beside you.

"You weren't at the Inn, I was worried so l asked the chatterbox behind the bar."

His words made you scoff in disbelief which made him raise an eyebrow at your cold behavior.

"Is my little do- “ With a dark glare you cut him off hoping that he could see it in the darkness.

"Don't call me that! I'm not yours!"

Hongjoong immediately sensed that you were far from happy to see him.

"No you're not..."

The silence you gave him was loud and deafening. You bit your lip to stop the words you wanted to say. You wanted to know where he had been! Whether he really just didn't care enough about you and if you really weren't more then a quick fuck do satisfy his needs!

None of those questions came out. Much to scared to be right with your thoughts. You stayed focused on the gentle waves crashing against the rocks below you until you felt his rough calloused hands reaching for your own. You dropped the grass in shock which the pirate used to link them together.

"Ya mad at me," he stated calmly. "And ya have every reason to. Just know that I had my reasons... There were issues... lets say issues..."

You looked at his face, considering him for a moment.

"It's fine Hongjoong. You don't have to explain. Like I said. I'm not yours and you're not mine. So it's none of my business."

The words tasted bitter in your mouth but once they were out something seemed to settle over you. It made you feel the loneliness  you had felt much stronger then before.

"Maybe, but I don't like that frown on ya face little dove. I like ya much better when ya smiling."

"Hongjoong..." you sighed in defeat and looked back at the sea, hoping that he would finally say what he had to say so you could be alone again.

 The pirate searched for words that could best describe how he felt.

"Little dove, I- " he got cut off.

The sudden screams coming from the town had both of you looking back. One of the houses was brightly lit up, flames reaching into the nightsky! The stench of burning wood was causing your nose to itch and a bad feeling settled in your gut. Getting up, letting go of the fingers still linked with yours, you squinted your eyes when realization set in.

You lurched forward, leaving Hongjoong startled before he hurried after you.

The distance between your home and your favorite hiding spot had never seemed so far like in this moment and you finally reached the lit a flame house your lungs to felt like they were set on fire! Hurriedly you turned your head left and right to see if you could find your father and brother but all you could see was the intoxicated old man, sat with some of the older women while the worried about him and the burns on his arms.

Hongjoong too had reached the scenery staying close behind you.

"Jungwon!" you whispered when you couldn't find him. Darting forward, planning to run inside and get the boy out yourself, you charged towards the door when you felt 2 arms wrapping themself around your middle. Effectively preventing you from coming close to it!

"JUNGWOON!!!!"

Hongjoongs heart broke at the audible desperation in your screams. He had to use all of his strength to be able to hold you back while you pleaded with him to let you go. Tears were running down your face like a waterfall.

"Ya can't go in there little dove! Ya'll die trying!" he whispered into your ear from behind and sobs were bubbling out from your throat in response. Fighting against his hold was just draining your energy, his grip wasn't loosening and you gave up. Your knees gave away and you had to watch the house you had grown up in, the house you had raised your brother in, slowly collapse under the immense heat of the fire!

A series of unintelligible whimpers left you and all Hongjoong could do was shush you, his arms tightening around your trembling for, wanting to make sure you knew he was there. That you weren't alone.

The sound of thunder rumbled through the night and rain started falling as a slight drizzle soaking your hair and dress. You let it happen. Not caring if you got wet you let the rain mix with the tears until Hongjoong tried to move you to at least search for cover somewhere close.

The rain got stronger, fighting and winning against the flames until all that was left were a few still smoking, blackened beams of wood that had held the house up. Debris was everywhere.

A blanket was wrapped around your shoulders by your neighbor and Hongjoong who maneuvered you so he could properly hold you. Tired and numb you let him do as he pleased, still staring at the steaming remains.

You could hear the neighbors woman talking and for a moment you even thought you recognized Hyunjins voice but it was like your head was surrounded by a fog that made it impossible for you to really hear what they were saying.

Only when the sun started to rise, rain still falling and dark clouds covering the sky, did you finally see the entire damage the fire had left in it's wake.

Hongjoong watched some of the bystanders carefully search through remains, swallowing harshly when he saw the heavily burned body of a child being pulled out. He didn't think he would be this effected but just through the short moments he had seen of you and your brother, he knew that the confirmation of his death would be devastating.

The pirate glanced at your father. He had stepped out of the house he had been taken to and looked remarkably sober. Still, something about him irked the pirate to no end! With heavy steps the man walked through the rain right to where you and him where sitting. It didn't seem like you realized he was there and judging by the empty expression on the old mans face, it didn't look like he was very sad about the tragedy in the first place! Alarm bells went of in Hongjoongs brain.

"So you weren't in there," he said rubbing the back of his neck. The voice of your fathers hocked you out of your trance, making your red eyes focus on him.

"Father I-"

"What a shame…”

With those words the man walked off. You swallowed harshly at his words and Hongjoong carefully watched your eyes harden.

"Don't listen to him," he gently instructed as he looked after the man. This was the first time he ever met him and still, he could feel himself developing a kind of hate for the man he rarely ever felt. "He's just a bitter old man!"

Sniffing and whipping at your face, you turned your head to stare at your burned home.

"Yeah, maybe..."

Another single tear left your eyes.

"Oh dear! You're still outside? Heaven's you children will catch a cold the way you're sitting in the rain! Come inside please!" Madame Delacroix fussed as she came running. The seamstress pulled you up from the ground, out of the pirates hold and towards her home where she had prepared tea and some dry clothes for you. Hongjoong followed silently.  He was sure that with the way Madame Delacroix cared for you were going to be okay for now.

He stayed in the background, choosing to watch instead of involving himself in the way the older women made you lay down and covered you with a blanket. Not long after I you were out like a light.

The seamstress signaled for him to take a seat. Hesitant he followed the instruction. The scrutinizing gaze she gave him made him a little uncomfortable yet he did not back down, nor did he avoid her eyes.

"Who are you?" she asked, eyebrow raised as if to warn him about lying.

Hongjoong thought. "Just a friend Madame."

"A friend huh?"

It was clear that she didn't believe him.

"Yes ma'am, a friend."

"Well then, friend. I hope you'll stick around, cause y/n seems to really like you. And with everything that happened tonight, the girl really could use someone who will be there for her. Are you going to be staying?"

His mind went back to his ship and the crew that was waiting for him at the docks so they could restart their journey and guilt settled inside of him like a chain wrapped around the ankle of a prisoner.

"Not for long." There was no use in lying to the women. It seemed like she already knew when he was going to before he even did!

She nodded.

"Does she know?"

No.

-------

When he came back much later then originally planned, his first mate was already waiting for him at the railing.

"Where were you?!"

Seonghwa scowled at the captain. His long black hair was neatly tied back and a few astray strands were framing his face gently. With his arms crossed in front of his chest he glared at Hongjoongs tired form while he joined him.

"Things went differently then expected..."he sighed, leaning against the wood of the ships railing.

The black haired mans face softened a little. "What do you mean? We thought you wanted to say goodbye? Did she not want you to?"

Hongjoong ran his hand over his face in an attempt to rub the incoming headache away.

"Ya saw the flames I'm guessing?"

"It was hard not to see them."

"Hmm, it was her house..."

That left Seonghwa speechless. He gaped at the smaller man. "Ohhh."

"Yeah, ohhh. Her brother didn't survive and don't get me started on the father! He looked like he wished she was in there too!" he spat. "Ya should have heard him talk Hwa !"

"Judging by your face, I'd rather not." There was a moment where they just looked at each other before Seonghwa let out along sigh.

“I'll tell the others that we're staying until tomorrow, you make sure you're getting some rest and then take care of your girl!" with that the man was gone and Hongjoong left alone! A happy shriek could be heard not long after from somewhere on deck.

"She ain't ma girl!" Hongjoong grumbled to himself and looked down at the water slosh against his ship.

But the little voice in the back of his head immediately started taunting him.

Are ya sure? Or are ya just a coward huh? Ya know that if ya could, ya would just take her and sail away with her!

Would he? He would lie if he said that he didn't come to like your company and while having been running from a few pissed officials for the last few days after your shared moments against the Inn's bar, he had worried about you more then he would like to admit! You truly had bewitched him in a sense after just a few days spend together!

So yes, the annoying voice was right even if not entirely! He did want to spend more time with you, if only to get to know you better and the little flutter his heart did at the mere thought of your bright eyed smile was a sure sign that the voice was onto something.

Exhausted he stood upright and carried himself to his quarters. He threw his boots somewhere to the side, shrugged the damp jacket and shirt off, leaving his chest bare in sthis trousers and fell face first into his bed. He groaned, his mind plagued by the desperate screams of you while you fought to reach your brother.

Debating on what he should do now as he didn't want to leave you behind with a man that, to him at least, couldn't care less for you, yet he knew that the crew couldn't stay much longer without rising suspicions of who they truly were. He also couldn't just offer to take you with them, at least not without a lengthy discussion with the boys!

And there was no way of actually knowing if you even wanted to leave! This was after all where you had grown up.

Hongjoong closed his eyes and  there wasn't anything he could do to will away the mental picture of you, sleeping by his side in this very bed. Waking up together, cuddles and kisses and being able to fuc- NO!

He couldn't let his mind wander there or else he might do something drastic!

Frustration settled in his bones. Why was this happening to him?

-------

Shivering you opened your eyes to the smell of chamomile and stew. It was a weird combination but your stomach responded with a demanding growl.

A sneeze forced itself out; almost causing Madam Delacroix to drop the wooden spoon she was stirring the stew with. The woman cursed and whirled around, spoon raised as if to throw it any possible attacker only to come face to face with you propped upon her bed.

Your head hurt from all the crying and possibly having caught a cold. You also could feel your throat hurting due to the smoke you had inhaled.

"You're awake! Finally, I was already worried since you slept half the day away without even turning around once. I guess you truly were exhausted from last night…” The caring tone with which she spoke almost let the tears return.

"Jungwon, is he- “ you croaked out. Madam Delacroix stepped closer and sat down at your side.

"I'm sorry dear, they found his body this morning. He-“

You held up your hand to cut her off. You didn't want to know how they found him, if he was burned or not, that wasn't how you wanted to remember the bright little boy.

"And my father? I saw him earlier, so where is he now?"

“Maybe at the Inn, I’m not sure.”

“Oh.. okay, thank you.”

There were no tears left to cry just as there was nothing left for you to hold close. With Jungwon gone, you didn’t feel like you had any reason to return to your father. The man had already made it clear what he thought.

You were alone, alone in a world that had never been kind to you or wanted to see you strive in any way possible. The only one who you considered even remotely close, was Hongjoong.

Hongjoong had had not left your side until he was sure that you were taken care of. Why had he done it? He had no reason to do such thing.

A pirate captain who stopped in your town to make sure they stoked up on supplies, planning to leave sooner rather then later.

Who surely had not planned to stay stay for a woman he had met only a few years ago.

Why your even wanted him to consider that was beyond you but to think that the pirate sailing awy soon, broke what little of your shattered heart had remained in tact.

“Do you know what you’re going to do now? Going back to your father doesn’t seem like the smartest thing, dear.” Madame Delacroix hummed out as she took your hand, thumb grazing softly over the skin there.

All you could do was shake your head.

“I don’t want that, but I also don’t have much of a choice, do i?”

The old woman looked deeply into your eyes, wanting to make you understand what she was going to say next.

“You always have a choice! It’s going to be hard and people may judge you, but you can always choose to leave… You can leave this town, start somewhere else. Find a new home or sail away if you really want to. It is YOUR choice.”

“Where would I even go?” you cried prompting the other to take your face into her hands.

“Whereever you want to. Listen to your heart, listen to what it calls for. Who it calls for.”

Who it-

A knock on the door broke the moment and Madame Delacroix let up to go open it.

“Well hello there, friend! What brings you back so soon?”

Hongjoong awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck as he stepped inside the tiny living space. His eyes found yours.

“Ya are awake, how ya feeling little dove?”

The knowing side glance of Madame Delacroix went skillfully ignored by the man stepping closer, only to fall onto his knees in front of you.

“I’m… alone… Jungwon, he… he…” you whimpered almost to silent for him to hear.

“Ya aren’t alone, my little dove. Ya got me. ‘nd I ain’t plannin on-“ he tried to calm you down as best as he could. His rough calloused hands taking yours.

“You’re going to leave! Hongjoong you’re going to leave with your crew and then I’ll be alone. For real this time. Without Jungwon my life will be nothing. I don’t know anything else beside the Inn and taking care of Wonnie and I’m not going back. I’m not- I can’t-“

“Don’t ya say that. Ya won’t have to go there and ya won’t be alone. I-“ Hongjoong rushed to say, the brown in his eyes looked almost black in the light of the room. “I will come back… someday.”

The words tasted bitter on his tongue. Sounding like a lie to his own ears. Soemthing he didn’t want them to be. However he knew that the chance of the coming back was slim, almost non existend. So yes, they were a lie.

A thought struck him as he watched your eyes water, yet no tears fell. He knew Seonghwa and the crew would call him crazy for it but it only seemed logic for him.

You didn’t want to stay with that shit face that was your father. A mother that had died long ago and the lose of the boy you had raised, nothing was left that you could say you wanted to stay with.

“Come with me! Join our crew and-“

“And what then? I’m not a sailor. I’m not a pir- you know what! As much as I love the sea, I couldn’t…”

You looked at Madame Delacroix over Hongjoongs head. Watching as the older woman tapped her chest right where her heart was beating.

Nausea made your stomach roll, almost letting the tea you had a while ago come back up.

“I’m sorry Hongjoong.”

 Disappointed his hopeful expression fell. Hurt that you didn't even seem to consider it an option to leave with him, that you didn't consider HIM an option in this tragic turn of your life, the man nodded shortly. "Don't apologize little dove."

He let go of your hands. Immediately you missed the warm feeling of his skin on your own and the smallest wave of panic hit when you realized that he was trying to get up. Trying to put some distance between you and him.

It made your heart clench. His crest fallen face breaking it all over again. Reaching out to him hoping he would come back only to lower it again when Hongjoong avoided your eyes to instead look at Madame Delacroix who had busied herself in her little kitchen to not appear like she was listening to your conversation. She absolutely was. She also had the urge to smack some very stubborn youngsters!

"The Aurora will set sails as soon as the sun rises in the morning!" Hongjoong announced, his jaw sat with his chest puffing out to appear taller. "I came to say farewell."

"Hongjoong- "

His brown orbs fell back on you.

"It was ma pleasure to have met ya, little dove. Wherever ya are gonna fly, I hope the winds treat ya well."

Madame Delacroix stepped closer with a towel to dry her wet hands. A soft yet smile grazed her lips.

"Good luck boy, and take care of yourself. I promise I will look after your girl..."

The woman winked at Hongjoong who gave you one last glance. "Goodbye…” before he was out the door.

No, no, no! This couldn't be! He couldn't leave you just like that! Not now and not yet! When you had said he was going to leave, you had meant in a few days. Not the next morning! The sky outside was already dark, indicating that it was nighttime again. You felt like someone had emptied a bucket of Ice cold water above your head as realization set in.

Hongjoong had given you an out, one that you were to scared to take. You were overwhelmed with all the changes in such short time and your breathing started to pick up. Fighting against the fabric still wrapped around your legs and body, you hurried to get up and follow the man that threatened to leave your life again after he had shaken up your world in the matters of days. It seemed silly to be so attached after such short time but it didn't matter to you.

Never in your life had you felt as cared for and appreciated as when you were around him and that scared you.

Almost face planting in the process, you cried out. A loud sob sending you into a coughing fit cut through the silence of the house and it was only when the gentle hands of the seamstress helped you up and out of your prison fabric that you managed to focus your blurry vision on something else then the door that Hongjoong had just walked out of.

"Shhh, girl. It's okay, you're going to be okay, but you gotta breath for me. Do you hear me? You have to breath with me!" She took a shaky hand to lay it on her steadily rising and falling chest, forcing you to follow along.

"No he- he can- can't leave! Please I-“ you stuttered through the heaves to get air back into your lungs.

"I understand, but first you have to calm down. Breath and then we will figure this out." Her words were spoken softly but you heard her clear enough. Breathing became easier again, yet the scratching of your throat remained even as you stopped hyperventilating.

"That's right, just like that." She soothed and helped you of the ground to lead you to the kitchen table where she had prepared a bowl filled with broth and some bread to get some strength back.

"You really got yourself into situation there, hmm?"

You chocked out an agreement, staring down at the food but not touching it. "Yeah"

"So what will you do? There is not a lot of time to choose anymore, and judging by what I have seen so far, your heart almost screams for this pirate."

Of course she knew, you weren't even surprised. Old as she might be, Madam Delacroix was attentive to everything going on in this town.

"Listen to what it tells you y/n. Don't let yourself regret not doing it."

"I told him no just now, why would he still want me by his side?" You whispered defeated. The fight having left you completely and Madam Delacroix tsked at the pathetic sight you were right now. Having known you since you were barely old enough to walk, having seen the confident woman you had grown to be, she couldn't understand how you had let yourself get this lost in your insecurities.

"That man was very much ready to fight his crew in offering you a place on his ship, girl. Women are nothing sailors usually want as they think that a woman only brings bad luck once they set foot on board. He will be glad that you changed your mind. It's up to you now to do so, so what will it be?"

Silence overcame the room and time seemed to stand still.

“I don’t want to stay, not now and never again…”

“Then I think you have your answer.”

The chair screeched as it’s legs scratched over the flooring; clattering to the ground in the process with how abrupt you jumped to stand.

“I-“

Madame Delacroix held out a shoulder cloth she hadn’t used in years. “Go!” she urged just as the first rays of the sun appeared in the distance behind the horizon. Watching as you rushed out and knowing that it was unlikely she would ever see you again…

----------

Running through the empty village, you almost tripped over your own feet multiple times. Just like always, there was mostly no one to be see as you raced through the streets. You passed by the Inn, Jinyoung snoring loudly in front of the closed door with 1 or 2 chickens clacking softly and even picking at his hair. Had the situation you had found yourself in not been so serious, you probably would have laughed out loud at the sight.

The docks weren’t that far, yet it felt like you were running for ages when you finally reached the first ships.

With the Sun rising slowly over the water , it made it easy to spot the ship Hongjoong and his crew had arrived in only mere days ago. It was the only ship that was bustling with life; many faces you didn’t recognize and only a hand full you did through their visits at the Inn. Gasping for air and with your lungs threatening to give out you hurried up the gangway.

“y/n? What are you doing here? You cant be here, we-“

“Wooyoung please… where is Hongjoong?” you cut the rambling pirate off, coughing.

“He— I-“ The dark haired man stammered out.

“Follow me.”

You looked to where the voice had come from, recognizing another face from the first night you had met part of the crew.

The man didn’t wait for you and so you had to hurry after him, still trying to catch your breath. You could feel your airways protesting at the harsh breathing but that didn’t matter as you  did as you were told.

His knuckles rapped against the hard surface of the wooden door you guessed was the Captains quarter. Your heart was racing, pleading for this to not have been a mistake.

“Fuck off, Hwa!” The captains voice sounded rough through the door, angry at having been disturbed.

Hwa, you guessed, looked at you and nodded towards the door.

“Go on. He might sound annoyed but don’t let that scare you away.”

He left right after. Leaving you standing there to figure out what to do. This time you knocked, softer then the pirate that had left you by yourself, yet it didn’t seem to change the outcome.

Hongjoong only roared in anger and only when you heard a crash from inside did you get brave enough to throw the door open.

With wide eyes and his hair sticking up, he looked almost murderous as he swiveled around and glared at the door. Gaze softening upon realizing that you were in fact not his crew mate.

Closing his mouth that had stood open and gaping at you like a fish on land you both stared at the other before Hongjoong barreled forward, his hands suddenly cupping your face his lips pressed to yours in a hard, desperate kiss. Your fingers found the back of his head, running through the hair that was pulled up into his usual braided hair; seeking the warmth of his body while your tongues danced a passionate dance that was equally devastated and reassuring until you had to come back up for air.

“Take me with you!” you chocked out, a lonely tear falling down your face as Hongjoongs nose softly nudged against yours in a feathery touch. With his thumb brushing the salty liquid away, you waited, fearing what his answer might be.

“I’ll take ya anywhere ya want to!” He promised with another press to your mouth.

----------

Neither you nor Hongjoong knew where the winds would take you, but you both knew what ever would come your way, you would handle it.

Together.

[hwaslayer]

the lineup ;

wildfire (inspired by normani's all yours) | assistant professor!san x grad student!oc

assistant professor in bioengineering, incredibly attractive, lonely and divorced; that's how most people describe san. but despite the events that have happened in his life, san has a lot going for himself. he's a successful, sought out professor due to his brilliant contributions to science at just an early age of 32. he worked hard to get where he was now; head deep into his research, his publications, building his lab and creating a name for himself. everything was good and smooth sailing— until it wasn't. because when he meets you, a bioengineering grad student interested in rotating in his lab, he finds himself ready to risk all the blood, sweat and tears he put in throughout the years just to keep you close— his need for you spiraling out of control like a wildfire.

SERIES RELEASE: AUGUST

TAGLIST: OPEN

flowers on the floor (pt 2.) | yeosang x reader | series masterlist

when yeosang decided he was going to take a month-long vacation, he was mainly hoping to get away from his mundane routine and the stress of work. he certainly wasn’t expecting to meet you and build a connection unlike he’s ever known. when the end of his vacation nears, promises are made to keep the relationship alive, to keep it blossoming. but eventually, as the reality settles in and the distance continues to put a wedge into your relationship, you drop your end of the promise without any trace. despite the heartbreak, all yeosang can do is think about you— hoping the universe will lead you to each other again.

RELEASE: END OF JULY (COMPLETED)

TAGLIST: OPEN

[untitled] | bad boy!hongjoong x reader

everything and everyone in your life has always been safe. you have incredibly supportive bestfriends, two fathers you adore, and your life planned out for the next 5-10 years. for hongjoong though, it’s the opposite— known to be the campus badboy, he’s someone who doesn’t take anything seriously, hates commitment and seems to encounter something new every day. when you cross paths with hongjoong, you begin to think that being safe and comfortable isn’t exactly what you want all the time.

SERIES RELEASE: TBD

TAGLIST: OPEN

everythingship (inspired by the movie: life as we know it) | mingi x reader

your relationship with song mingi is the true definition of love and hate. though annoyingly despicable at times, he’s still someone you’ve grown fond over and both of your bestfriends are to thank for that. when life-altering moments leave you and mingi in charge of your bestfriends’ 10 month old daughter, the two of you learn how to navigate treacherous waters together.

SERIES RELEASE: TBD

TAGLIST: OPEN

darkness in divinity | fallen angel!seonghwa x reader

as a fallen angel, seonghwa runs alongside of his leader, yoongi, his right-hand, hongjoong, and the rest of the fallen as they work to keep their underground activities alive and continue to make yoongi’s power known across the city. despite the constant chaos and the darkness that surrounds him, he eventually meets you and finds a light that awakens within him. but as the stakes grow higher, seonghwa begins to question the path he’s chosen— torn between his loyalty to yoongi and the group, and his need to protect you from danger that arises.

SERIES RELEASE: TBD

TAGLIST: OPEN

[moeitsu]

The Dark Tide Siren!Arthur Morgan x Reader Modern AU Ch 5 - No Anchor For A Restless Heart Summary: For the first time, Arthur is left alone with his thoughts. Moved to a larger tank, he can’t help but wonder—is this freedom, or just a bigger cage? And then there’s her, the woman who lingers in his mind, pulling at something deep inside him, leaving him tangled in feelings he’s only beginning to understand. wc: 5.7k tw: none really, just arthur being horny and lonely Swim Back! ↞ ﹏𓊝﹏ ↠ Sail Ahead!

AN: Arthur's pov is here! It's a shorter chapter, but he deserved a standalone :)

tag list: @photo1030 @v3lv3tf0x @ireallyhonestlydontcare @shygamergirl01 @cloudywithachanceofcrisis @sevikaspuertoricanwife @bomdada

Arthur had never known a gentle touch for most of his long life. Not since before the cold hands, the steel walls, the endless experiments. His mother’s touch—if he could still remember it at all—had been soft, warm, full of something he had no name for anymore. But those memories had been stolen from him, washed away the moment his father tore him from the sea and sold him to men who had no love for creatures like him.

The scientists who raised him were not cruel in the way monsters were cruel. They spoke to him, trained him, taught him their language so he could understand their commands. Some even smiled at him. But their hands had never been gentle. Their voices never held warmth. Their kindness, if it could be called that, had always been edged with calculation. A means to an end. And he had learned—he had learned quickly that disobedience meant pain. That submission meant survival. 

Dutch had beaten loyalty into him so deeply, so thoroughly, that Arthur had never even questioned it. Not when he was a child, trembling under Dutch’s sharp gaze, desperate for approval. Not when he was a young pup, enduring every test, every needle, every wound inflicted in the name of progress. 

Not even when Dutch had told him it was an honor—that his suffering had purpose.

He had been conditioned to obey, to trust Dutch’s word above all else. If Dutch said he was special, he believed it. If Dutch said he was his, Arthur accepted it. If Dutch said he was meant to give—his blood, his body, his very existence for the greater good—he did so without hesitation.

Even when they asked for his own flesh and blood. Even when they took his son.

And still, some part of him had clung to the lie, to the belief that Dutch wouldn’t betray him, that there had to be a reason, a justification, for it all. By the time Arthur realized the truth, it was far too late. His loyalty had already cost him everything.

Even now, long after he had torn himself from their grasp, their ghosts still clung to him like barnacles.

Arthur inhaled deeply, the sensation unfamiliar. Was this freedom? Or did he trade one cage for another. The thought coiled tight in his chest, tangled with something that felt far too much like apprehension.

He had been moved to the largest tank in the facility by Hosea and John. He tolerated it, though he grumbled about being touched again by the greasy, scar-faced one. John’s hands had been firm, impatient, carrying none of the reverence the woman had. But Hosea’s touch—his words—had soothed something in Arthur that had ached for longer than he could remember.

The older man spoke to him like he was a person. Not an experiment. Not a specimen. He didn’t prod or pry or ask questions laced with ulterior motives.

Arthur appreciated it.

But it wasn’t Hosea’s voice that made his hearts pound or his gills flutter. It wasn’t Hosea’s hands he thought about when he curled into himself at the bottom of the tank, trying to calm the nerves that had been flaying him alive for the past twelve hours.

It was her.

The tank was bigger than anything he had ever been in before, spanning the entire length of the facility. A portion of it led outside, where Arthur could poke his head above water and drink in the scent of the ocean—real ocean, not the chemical-tinged, filtered substitute he had been forced to endure. The glass walls stretched through the hallways where visitors could admire the fish and coral, though Hosea had asked him to remain in the concealed section of the tank during the day, away from the public’s eyes. 

Arthur didn’t need to be told twice.

After being lowered into the water, he wasted no time seeking out the deepest, darkest crevice he could find, curling into the shadows like he could disappear into them. Like if he made himself small enough, unseen enough, the weight of his past wouldn’t be able to find him here. He was perfectly content with hiding here until his pretty friend returned in the morning. 

The water here was different. Clean. It carried no traces of rust or algae, nothing that made his gills sting or his body feel sluggish. There was no burning in his lungs, no chemical tang coating his tongue, no needles waiting for him just beyond the surface. He should have felt relief.

But the freedom tasted strange. Empty.

For the first time in his life, no one was giving him orders. No cold voice was demanding his compliance, no sharp hands were waiting to punish him if he failed. He could swim, he could hide, he could do whatever he pleased. But he didn’t know how to exist without a cage around him.

The water felt too open, too unfamiliar. He had spent so long in chains that now, unshackled, his body still braced for pain that wasn’t coming. His muscles stayed tight, his mind stayed restless. He had been trained to serve, to give, to obey, to be useful—and now there was no one telling him what to do.

And yet, despite the new sense of freedom, despite everything he had endured to get here—

He couldn’t stop thinking about her.

She was the only thing that felt real in all of this. The warmth of her touch, the way her voice softened when she spoke to him, the way she looked at him—not like a creature, not like an experiment, but like a person.

The feeling it stirred in his chest terrified him more than anything.

Arthur clung to the memories of her like a drowning man grips the last breath in his lungs. They were his anchor in a sea of uncertainty, the only thing keeping him from slipping into the abyss. He could still feel her fingers—soft, deft, human. Not webbed like his own, not cold and clinical like the hands that had always touched him before. Her touch had burned into him, not with pain, but with something deeper, something divine. When she had traced over his gills with such reverence, such care, it had sent a shuddering euphoria through his body—one he had never known before.

Her scent still clung to him, tangled in the delicate filaments of his gills. He breathed her in, played with the sensation, let it coat his tongue like a drug he couldn’t stop tasting.

No fear.

Arthur hated the smell of fear—it tasted like copper, sharp and bitter, like blood in the water before a kill. But what he tasted on her was something else entirely. Curiosity. Need. A deep, primal yearning that stirred something in him, something old and instinctual, something dangerous. He was desperate to explore it further, to understand the pull that was drawing him toward her.

Mating season had always been a torment for Arthur, a time when his body was out of his control, when it screamed with needs he couldn’t quite grasp. His hormones surged, a tidal wave crashing against every thought, every feeling. His emotions twisted into something unbearable—when he wasn’t consumed by a burning rage, he was drowning in a gnawing, suffocating loneliness. It was as if something primal was clawing inside him, itching beneath his skin, demanding to be heard and felt. The restlessness became a physical ache, a gnawing pressure in his chest, like something inside him just wouldn’t settle. His muscles tensed with an overwhelming urge to move, to mate, to escape—but where would he go? The compulsion to do something, anything, to release this energy gnawed at him until it felt like his skin might split open from the tension.

Before Isaac, before he had any understanding of what his body was crying out for, he had spent these seasons curled in on himself, pressing down the urges, starving for something he didn’t fully understand. It was a hunger that could never be satisfied, a desperate longing he couldn’t name, and it left him more frustrated and confused with every passing year.

He hadn’t even known why he felt so restless, why his body ached for touch, why he was always so goddamn hungry and aroused to the point it made him blind with frustration. He had never been given affection, had never known tenderness, but his body had craved it like he might go belly-up without it. His captivity had taught him nothing about his own biology—only pain, only submission. So he had suffered through those seasons alone, confused and miserable, his instincts screaming for something he didn’t have the words for.

And then they had asked him for an offspring. 

It had taken him a few seasons to figure it out. To understand what it meant, what his body could do. But when he did, it had been the greatest thing he had ever accomplished.

The tests, the experiments, the research could all be damned.

Arthur had created life. His body, the same body they had tortured, tested, and treated as nothing more than a tool, had given life. And for the first time in years, he had felt overwhelming pride.

Those four years with Isaac were the only truly happy memories he had. The only time he had ever known what it meant to love something so deeply it hurt. To connect the ache in his chest from this time of year with a deeper, greater purpose. 

Swallowing the memories that threatened to choke him like an oil slick, Arthur forced himself back to the present—to her. The woman who had captured something deep and ancient within him, sinking hooks into his very soul from the moment their eyes met. He whispered her name into the water, liking the way it vibrated in the current, how it danced through the filaments of his gills like a secret prayer.

It tasted like a song, like the word in his native tongue that meant bright hope. And Arthur thought it was fitting.

His language was the only piece of himself he still carried—a fragment of his mother, of his people, of a life he had been robbed of. But she, she was something entirely new. She wasn’t frightened of him, and wasn't disgusted by what he was. No, she enjoyed his presence. She touched him, explored him. Not out of obligation, not to take from him, but because she wanted to.

And god of the seven seas, he craved that touch more than anything.

Perhaps he had been too eager. The moment he felt her hesitate, a devastating fear had gripped him, the fear that she might pull away, that she might think better of this, that the moment might slip away. He had acted on instinct, capturing her wrist, guiding her fingers—offering himself to her in a way he never had before. Those scientists had touched him everywhere, but not like this. Nothing like this. And fuck, she had embraced him like she had done it a million times before. Like she was pleasuring herself.

Arthur sucked in a breath at the memory, the mere thought of her touch making his muscles coil tight. Her fingers had traced the edges of his mating slit with agonizing slowness, featherlight and teasing, before finally pressing into that delicate, soft center. He remembered the look on her face—wide-eyed, curious, innocent in a way that made something deep inside him ache. The soft pink dusting her cheeks, the way her lips parted just slightly, caught between fascination and something she didn’t yet understand. And then, that gasp—sweet and breathless—her brows knitting together as she felt him, as she marveled at the softness beneath her fingertips. He had never seen anyone revel in him before, never felt anyone touch him with such admiration and respect.

And now, alone in the water, he tried to mimic the way she had touched him. His own fingers weren’t as soft, weren’t as curious, but he tried.

He traced around the entrance, feeling the warmth beneath his own touch. His breath stuttered when he pressed deeper, his slick coating his fingers. Reaching that sweet spot she had found so effortlessly. A jolt of pleasure struck his core, sharp and electric, and his tail lashed instinctively. His bioluminescence flared to life, pulsing with the rhythm of his pleasure, glowing hot beneath his skin.

How had she known to touch him like this?

Arthur let out a soft, melodic moan at the thought of her, at the memory of those same fingers stroking his gills—so tender, so worshipful. He could still smell her, the musky scent of her arousal thick in his mind. When he had tasted it, when that intoxicating flavor had coated his tongue, his control had shattered.

Never had he slipped out like that on accident before.

He should have pulled away when he felt himself growing hard, when he felt the aching pressure pressing against his scales and parting to release, but how could he? He didn’t want her to stop.

The sensation was unlike anything he had ever known.

His gills were sensitive, a vulnerability he had never dared to share with anyone before. They had always been a source of pain, something that burned when the water was tainted, they were prodded and examined by hands that didn’t care if they hurt him. But her hands—her touch—had been reverent. She had traced the soft folds of skin like they were something precious and sacred. 

The moment she stroked along the delicate filaments, a shuddering gasp had torn from his throat, raw and unbidden. His muscles had tensed, his tail thrashing through the water as sensation overwhelmed him. It was electric, sharp and liquid all at once, flooding his nerves with heat. His gills fluttered involuntarily under her fingertips, instinctively fanning open in response to the stimulation.

His body had reacted before he could stop it. Before he could even think.

A wave of pleasure had surged through him, his bioluminescence flaring like the sun in the morning light. He knew she had seen it, just as he knew she had felt the way his body twitched beneath her touch. The growing hardness nuzzled into the warm flesh of her belly. Part of him was embarrassed, a deep, primal instinct telling him that he had exposed something he should have kept hidden. But it was out of his control—just like the lights that had fascinated her so much.

Another part of him—one much darker, much hungrier—thrived in the knowledge that she had responded to him as well. Along with her taste, he could feel and hear the pulse of her heart. It beat against her chest like the thrum of a storm-swept drum, resonating deep and wild, echoing through his veins, drawing him closer.

She was like a drug, an addiction he had never known he could have. Every part of her called to him, like the sea called to the moon, like the tide was demanding he take her, claim her.

Mate with her.

Arthur groaned and panted as his fingers worked, his body tight with a tension he couldn’t control, the scales parting once again to release a growing need inside him. The ache wasn’t just physical—it was longing, a feeling he hadn’t allowed himself to experience in years. Stroking himself to the thought of her hands, her scent, her body crying out for him. It stirred something deep within, something he hadn’t felt in so long: humanity and love.

The longing wasn’t just for her touch; it was for the connection he never had, for the feeling that he mattered to someone, that he wasn’t just a monster or a thing to be used. With every breath and every beat of his heart, the desire twisted inside him, it was that very desperation that made him realize just how much he had buried, how much of himself he had locked away.

How she was opening him in ways he could never imagine. 

A sudden, primal pride bloomed in his chest, his fingers moving faster, his body trembling with the thought.

Were they courting? Was this what a mating ritual felt like?

That must be it.

And yet, she had stopped. Before things could escalate further, before their bodies could follow the rhythm of something far greater than either of them, she had pulled away. Apologizing. For what, he didn’t know. Arthur knew he should be the one apologizing—for coming onto her so suddenly, for letting himself be swept away by the primal pull of his instincts, by the steadily growing fondness he had for her. And yet, even in that moment, he hadn’t smelled fear on her. Only a cocktail of nerves and uncertainty—emotions he shared.

Arthur had no idea what he was getting himself into.

But he knew it couldn't be worse than where he had come from.

Humans had brought him nothing but pain. And yet, in what felt like a single night, he had fallen head over tail for one.

He pictured her smile, the way she commanded a room without force, the way she challenged the other males, how she advocated for him when no one else had. She was fierce—a protector, a fighter. And a deep, animalistic part of him knew she would bear strong, beautiful children.

A low growl rumbled in his chest as the scent of his own musk thickened the water, saturating the space around him with the evidence of his arousal. The thought of mating with her nearly sent him over the edge again. He longed to see her beneath those layers of fabric, to touch what lay hidden between her thighs—the source of that intoxicating scent. He ached to lay his hands upon the soft mounds on her chest, plush and full like jellyfish. To discover the textures and warmth of her body, to explore her in ways that no human male ever had.

But Arthur was a patient creature.

He would wait.

He would wait until she was comfortable with him, until her body no longer froze in uncertainty every time he drew near. He wished to learn her without words, to explore every inch of her skin, to find the places that made her tremble, made her gasp. He wanted to know her, to hear the songs that spilled from her lips when she unraveled beneath him.

And when that moment came—when she realized that the ocean itself had brought them together—he would let it guide him into her, and set a rhythm neither of them could deny.

A purpose as deep and vast as the sea.

The tension ebbed from his body, the aftershocks of pleasure fading into a dull, unsatisfying ache. He had grown tired of seeking release with his own hand. It wasn’t enough.

It would never be enough.

* ‧̍̊˙· 𓆝.° ｡˚𓆛˚｡ °.𓆞 ·˙‧̍̊

Arthur slept little that night, though that wasn’t unusual for his kind. He only needed a few hours of rest, but even with the entire tank now his to explore, he remained curled up in his cave. The space was his—dark, quiet, safe—but his mind refused to settle. Every thought drifted back to her, the woman who had freed him, touched him with warmth, spoken to him with kindness. 

Would she come see him in the morning? Or would she make him wait? The anticipation gnawed at him, making the hours stretch unbearably long.

Despite his restlessness, Arthur wasn’t alone. The other creatures in the tank were just as curious about him as he was about them. They approached one by one, cautious but inquisitive, sniffing the water around him, brushing against his scales in hesitant greeting. He didn’t shoo them away—no, he observed them just as they observed him. He was meant to be part of their world, and yet so many of them were strangers to him. Animals he should have known, species that should have felt as familiar as his own reflection, and yet they did not. These were the ocean’s inhabitants, its true people. His people, for lack of a better word.

Some he recognized as food, and his stomach rumbled at the thought, but he wasn’t sure if he would be scolded for snacking on them. Hosea seemed to like even the smallest ones. Probably best to hold off on that.

Two creatures, in particular, seemed to like him more than the rest—a small gray seal pup and her mother. Arthur felt an odd warmth bloom in his chest as they stayed close, unafraid of him in a way that felt foreign and good. 

He named the mother Beatrice, after his own mother, and the pup he called Boadicea, the name he had nearly given his son. He figured they had been named already, but the words felt right on his tongue. Gave him a sense of belonging. A piece of home.

Boadicea was playful, nosing at his side, nipping gently at his arms before darting away, as if testing his reaction. Arthur grinned, playing along, pretending to be caught off guard each time she swam out from behind the cave entrance. They did this for hours—hide and seek, chase, gentle nudges and tumbles through the water. The little pup chirped excitedly, and Arthur found himself laughing, the deep, rumbling sound echoing through the tank. He hadn’t laughed like that in years.

When the first rays of dawn pierced the water, streaking it with golden light like the gates of heaven itself had cracked open, Arthur stilled. He counted the minutes. Surely, she would come to greet him. Would she make him wait until the day was over? Had he done something wrong? His stomach twisted at the thought.

But then—

A shift in the water. A familiar scent carried by the currents. A voice, muffled but unmistakable.

She was here.

His heart thundered. She was in the outdoor area of the tank.

Darting out of the depths, Arthur flicked his tail with such force that the water churned in his wake, sending ripples crashing against the walls of the tank. The sheer power of the movement sent a thrill through him, something raw and untamed awakening in his chest. For the first time in his life, swimming felt natural—not just a means of survival, not just another action controlled by those who had held him captive. 

This was what had been stolen from him. This was what had been taken. The freedom to move, to stretch, to exist without chains.

The thought sent a strange ache through him, but he refused to let it take hold. Not now. Not when he had something good waiting for him.

His body cut through the water with ease, and for a moment, he let himself revel in it, stealing an extra lap around the tank just because he could. Joy unlike anything he had ever known flooded through him. It was pure, unfiltered, and it made his bioluminescent veins flicker to life in soft, rhythmic pulses. He could only imagine what it would feel like to experience this in the open sea, to race with the tide and not against the walls of a tank.

But even that thrill couldn’t distract him for long.

He smelled her before he saw her.

Coming up to the outdoor section of the tank, his sharp eyes locked onto her legs dangling in the water, bare skin gleaming under the golden morning light. She was perched on a flat ledge, a space meant for the seals and turtles to sunbathe, but today, it was hers. The moment he saw her, something deep inside him settled, like a current that had finally found its course.

Slowing his movements, he didn’t want to startle her. Carefully, he poked his head above the surface, waiting, watching. It didn’t take long.

Her face lit up when she saw him, eyes bright with warmth, the sunlight catching in her hair, making it shimmer like gold spun from the gods themselves.

"Arthur!"

His name on her lips was the sweetest sound he had ever heard.

She extended her hand into the water, just as she had done the morning before. A simple gesture, a quiet offering, yet it sent something warm curling in his chest. He liked this game. This ritual. He liked that it was theirs.

It was an invitation—her way of asking for his presence, of letting him decide. It was a choice, his choice. And even though he already knew the answer, even though he would always choose her, there was something sacred in the asking.

Without hesitation, he closed the distance between them.

“How are you feeling?” she asked softly, her voice carrying over the water like a gentle breeze. Arthur pressed his bearded cheek into her palm, inhaling deeply as the gills on his neck flared. Her scent was stronger now in their proximity, wrapping around him like a warm undertow. 

He tasted her emotions in the water before he even saw them flicker across her face.

Guilt.

It was subtle, hidden beneath her usual warmth, but he caught it in the brief pause, in the way her fingers hesitated for just a second before stroking over his skin. His chest tightened. He searched her expression, scanning for an explanation. Has something changed between them? Had he done something wrong?

Then it struck him.

Their last meeting had been rather…intimate.

She must have been thinking about it too. About the way she touched him, explored him. The way he had—without thinking—asked her if she had a mate. And when she didn’t answer, he had let his nerves get the better of him, retreating before she could.

That must be it. She was here to tell him it wasn’t possible. That they weren’t possible.

Arthur’s heart sank.

“I’m fine,” he answered, already bracing himself for rejection. He forced his voice to stay even, though something in him twisted painfully. “The space is nice, bigger than what I had before.”

His tail twitched under the water as her thumb moved absently over his cheek, her touch soothing even as uncertainty gnawed at him.

There it was again—that flicker of sadness and guilt in her eyes.

Was it pity?

Or…was it something else?

“I hope the locals weren’t too bothersome,” she said, and though her lips curled into a smile, her eyes still carried that unspoken weight.

Arthur felt himself grin despite everything, his instincts tangled in the mixed signals she was sending. His mind told him to be cautious, to prepare for the inevitable, but his heart—his traitorous, aching heart—soaked in every moment of her presence.

“Nah,” he rumbled, tilting his head slightly into her touch, savoring it while he could. “If anything, I think I was the bothersome one. Managed to make some friends, though.”

Her face brightened instantly, the sadness momentarily eclipsed by curiosity. “Oh yeah? Tell me about them.”

“The gray seals have taken a likin’ to me,” he admitted, a soft chuckle vibrating in his chest. “’Specially the little one. She’s a sweet thing.”

And just like that, the tension in his chest loosened—if only for a moment.

“And adorable,” she mused, her fingers absentmindedly stroking along his cheek. “Her mother was pregnant and abandoned by her pod before coming here. Hopefully they’ll be released soon.”

Arthur nodded, taking in this information. He hesitated for a moment before speaking. “I called her Boadicea.” The name rolled off his tongue easily, carrying more weight than he intended. “Though she probably already has a name.” 

Her expression softened as she shook her head. “We don’t usually give our pateints a name since we see so many come and go. But I think Boadicea is beautiful.”

Arthur watched her carefully, studying every little shift in her face, the subtle movements that betrayed more than words ever could. He had spent so much time being observed—by scientists, by men who wanted to pick him apart, who wanted to see what made him useful—but he had never been given the chance to do the same in return. 

Not until now.

His eyes traced the gentle arch of her brows, the way her lips pressed together thoughtfully, the way she kept her hand on him, as if she wanted them to be close. She fascinated him. Not just because she had saved him, or because she wasn’t afraid of him, but because he wanted to understand her. To know her heart.

“You’re doing it again,” she said suddenly, and his gills twitched in surprise.

He blinked. “Doin’ what?”

Her lips curved into a knowing smile. “Staring at me like I’m some kind of puzzle you’re trying to solve.”

Arthur felt warmth creep up his neck, but he didn’t deny it. “Can ya blame me? I reckon you did the same when we first met.” A grin pulled at his lips as he teased. “Those eyes nearly burned a hole straight through my tail.” 

She laughed, tilting her head. “You got me there. Guess I can't help it, you're nice to look at.”

A comfortable silence settled between them, the tension from before now softened at the edges. Arthur still wasn’t sure where they stood, but she was here. Talking to him. Touching him. That had to mean something.

Then, as if remembering something, she shifted slightly, reaching into her pocket. “Oh—that reminds me,” she said. “I, uh… I have something for you.”

Arthur swore one of his hearts stopped. He furrowed his brow. “Fr’me?” The words slipped out so fast. A gift? No one had ever given him something before. 

She nodded, pulling out a small object and cradling it in her palm. “I found this on the beach yesterday, and I—I don’t know, it made me think of you.” A new shyness colored her tone.

She held it out to him, the delicate curve of her fingers cradling the shell like something sacred. Arthur leaned in, his curiosity piqued, his gills flaring slightly as he took in the shimmering gift. It was breathtaking—smooth and polished by the tide, worn soft by time and the relentless caress of the ocean’s currents. The sunlight caught its surface, casting shifting hues of blue, violet, and green that danced like light refracting through water. But what struck him most was the deep blue iridescence that ran through its center, a color so eerily close to the glow of his own veins that it made his chest tighten. 

“It’s an abalone shell,” she explained, her voice gentle, almost hesitant. “Charles told me once that they’re a symbol of guidance and calm emotions. The Native Americans carried them to ease their stress and release negativity.”

Arthur traced his fingers over its ridges, feeling the way the smoothness gave way to the rough, scalloped edge—proof of its long journey through the ocean. He had never owned anything before, never been given something just for the sake of it.

“It’s…it’s an apology,” she added quietly, her voice barely above a whisper now. “For, um… for before. For scaring you like that in the exam room and—”

Arthur tore his gaze away from the shell to look at her, catching the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. She truly thought he might hold it against her. That the moment between them—the one that had sent his heart thundering and his instincts into a tangled mess—was something she had to atone for.

“I love it,” he interrupted softly, unwilling to let her finish that thought. She had nothing to apologize for. Nothing.

The words came easier than he expected, and they made something in her shoulders loosen, the tension easing just slightly.

Slowly, his webbed fingers brushed over her palm as he took the shell from her grasp. The contact sent a shiver down his spine, something primal stirring deep in his belly, but he didn’t pull away. Instead, he let himself feel it—the warmth of her skin, the way her fingers lingered for just a second too long before retreating.

He turned the shell over between his fingers, letting the weight of it settle not just in his hand, but in his chest. It was small, fragile, and yet it carried something monumental with it.

“Sweetheart,” he murmured, his voice lower now, rough with something unspoken and thick with gratitude, “you didn’t have to do this.” 

“I know,” she admitted, offering a small, sheepish smile. “But I wanted to.”

Arthur’s hearts skipped a beat, and for a moment, the world around him seemed to blur. The weight of her words hung between them, heavier than anything he had ever carried. Her smile, soft and unguarded, spoke volumes—more than she could ever know. She wanted to, despite all the doubts he had harbored, all the insecurities that clung to him like barnacles on the rocks.

Swallowing hard, Arthur felt something shift inside of him, something raw and vulnerable that he hadn’t allowed himself to feel in years. A flicker of hope, fragile and fleeting, lit up in the hollow of his chest. 

It wasn’t just about the shell. It wasn’t about the touch or the words exchanged. It was about this. About the connection between them that pulsed beneath the surface, deep and undeniable.

He inhaled deeply, letting the warmth of her gaze wash over him. His gills flared, absorbing her presence, her scent, the reassurance that she wasn’t pulling away from him. Not now.

This was only the beginning. 

A quiet resolve filled him as the uncertainty from earlier began to dissipate. He would be patient, slow, and gentle with her. She had given him a treasure—something so simple, yet so profound—that he knew he would cherish it for all his days.

But it was also so much more than just a gift; it was an invitation to come closer, to explore a bond that transcended words. That went beyond the difference in their species.

Perhaps this really was courting. 

The realization settled like a stone in his gut, and though the idea was foreign, even terrifying in its vulnerability, something in him recognized the truth of it. Instinct and longing swirled together, creating a fire inside him that would not be easily extinguished.

What a wonderful feeling it is to be wanted. 

And that thought—that simple, quiet truth—was enough to keep his head above the waves.

AN: Arthur honey, you've got a big storm coming. Some old familiar faces are gonna make an appearance in ch 6, can't wait to share their role with you guys!

Oh! And here’s the abalone shell if anyone was wondering :)

[milliesfishes]

Enchanted𓇼 ⋆.˚ 𓆉 𓆝 𓆡⋆.˚ 𓇼

[fem reader] contains: nudity, talk of male anatomy pairing: billy the kid x fem reader summary: pirate billy x mermaid reader author’s note: based on my love @francixoxoxo 's pirate billy au- leaving the tag below. (thank you lovey for letting me write for this!) I have a mermaid special interest and it's been a delight. Pinterest Board Spotify Playlist

The sea was a home in and of itself, but it was lonely all the same.

Sitting on the rocks and looking out at the moonlight reflected on the water, Billy pondered this thought, but came to no conclusion from it. The crew of the ship was docked here for the night, on a regular supply run. It was also a chance for the men to stretch their legs, flirt with local women, blow off steam; gear up for the next bit on the ship.

It had been a long night of drinking and roughhousing, and truly, Billy was exhausted by it all. The usual distractions hadn’t sufficed, and now he couldn’t sleep, plagued by the thoughts he’d previously stuffed into the recesses of his mind.

Piracy was far from his first choice in lifestyle, but he’d had little choice in the matter. Growing up by the sea meant he’d taken to the work easily, and he got along with the crew well enough, but his inner voice irked him. It wasn’t honest work, he knew. And sometimes when he was tying a knot or leaning over the railing, he saw his life stretched out before him if he continued on this path. An endless path of mopping, sailing, robbing. He hated how it played out before his eyes. 

Shaking his head slightly, Billy began to strip his clothes off, deciding maybe a night swim would clear his head and get it back to normal. It was never good when he got too deep into thought- it only made things worse for a future version of himself. 

Summertime made the water warmer than it would have been otherwise, and he left all his clothes on the rock, sliding down into the water. The slight chill sent his thoughts scattering back into the dark from whence they came, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, some peace. A little while in the ocean and they ought to stay where he wanted them for a good while, maybe even until the next time the crew came to port.

Since it was dark, he floated on his back, unashamed of his nude state. He was definitely far enough away from the village that nobody would be able to see him without coming real close. Relishing in the quiet of it, he breathed the salt air and closed his eyes briefly.

While some found the sea terrifying due to the unknown of it all, Billy was comforted by the mystery. His mother had told him young that the water was like a woman; an untamable enigma. One could only fully appreciate it if they leaned into the secrecy. Regarding both women and the sea, the message had served him well.

There was a sudden splash behind him, and he shifted so he was treading water. It was probably just a fish, but he’d learned quickly in his days as a sailor to keep his guard up at the first hint of danger.

Turning in a full circle, Billy saw nothing. Just the moonlit water. The waves lapped gently at his chest as he surveyed his surroundings. A human wouldn’t have been able to hide this easily. An animal would have swum far from him by now.

He moved a little closer to the rocks just in case, keeping an eye on the horizon. Putting one hand on the rough surface of the boulder that held his clothes, he peered at the water below. Nothing, as expected. It was stupid to think he’d be able to see even a foot under.

Another splash. Billy jolted, whipping his head around. He was getting suspicious. “Anyone near?” he called, squinting as if that would make the visage of darkness clearer.

There was the sound of a body in water. A human body. Reaching up for his pistol on the rock, he half-shouted, “I know you’re there! I can hear ya.” Billy stretched his arm. The gun was just out of reach. “Come about!”

Just as he was convinced he’d made the whole thing up, there was a movement in the shadow of the rock a little ways from him, maybe ten feet. Something was hiding.

Intrigued, he stopped trying to grab his pistol. A feeling told him his unknown companion wasn’t a threat. Billy cocked his head, focusing on the spot. “I ain’t gonna hurtcha.”

Slowly, the creature revealed itself from the shadows. The pale light of the moon revealed more than he thought it would. He saw it wasn’t a creature at all. It was a woman. And a stunning one at that.

You were unlike anything he’d ever seen.

Beauty so rare it felt otherworldly. Long, wet hair sticking to your breasts, and he could tell they were bare under that. Your shoulders were uncovered, except by spiderwebs of hair.

He knew he was staring, but he couldn’t help it. There was a magnetic quality to you that he couldn’t shy away from, that he wouldn’t if he had a choice. You blinked at him owlishly, innocently. “Are you a human?”

Oh, your voice. Lilting and light and only comparable to music. He regained his bearings, realizing the odd question. “‘Course. Were ya expectin’ the kraken?”

You tilted your head, gliding closer to him. He felt his heart palpitate as he got a better view. Now he could see the water clinging to your skin and eyelashes, your goosebumps from the night air. It felt like he was being studied, but somehow he didn’t mind. With anyone else it would have been bothersome. With you…he was happy to have caught your attention.

Reaching out, you took one of his hands in your smooth ones and examined it, turning it over once. You traced a finger over the veins, the bones. It was as if you’d never seen one before. Your touch set him on fire.

He realized the oddity of the situation. “What…what’re ya doin’?”

“It’s just the same as mine,” you held out one of your hands for comparison, flexing the fingers.

“I’d imagine it is.” His mind was half and half. One part grounded, the other transfixed by you, hanging onto your every move. 

Shifting closer to him, your eyes wandered over his chest, his face, his hair, as if you were looking for something. Billy swallowed. “Is…is everything okay?”

“You’re just like the men we’ve got,” you said distractedly, not answering his question. 

“How different are the fellas where you come from?” Billy asked, a thousand unasked questions on his tongue. 

“Not much, apparently,” you said as your eyes roved over him. “Except-” your gaze fell below the water, and he got the distinct impression that you were looking between his legs. Suddenly remembering he was nude, Billy reached a hand down to cover himself, cheeks flushing even though it was dark. 

“I…uh…” he stuttered, then remembered the water was pitch black. You wouldn’t be able to see him. He removed his hand, shifting a little closer to you now. “What’re ya doin’ out here so late?”

“I like night swimming,” you explained, not providing a reason for your state of undress. Billy wasn’t in any place to judge, since he was in the same way, but it was just so rare for women to be so unashamedly naked like this. Not the women he’d met anyways; you were clearly something different. Something special. 

Still peering down into the water, you were squinting a bit. Again, he felt like you were looking at a bit of him he didn’t normally show just anyone. “It’s dark…maybe if I got a closer look-” You made like you were going to dive down, and Billy quickly caught you by the shoulders.

“Ah…let’s not get so close, dontcha think?” he smiled boyishly, slightly distracted by how silky your hair was even though it was wet. 

You seemed to understand. “Maybe another time.” As he was holding your shoulders, Billy sunk a little deeper, and you perked up. “Here, let me help you.” Gently, you pushed him against the rock, just holding him there. He was surprised by your strength. Not that women couldn’t be that way, but he was a fully grown man. Yet another strange thing to categorize. But the more unconventional you were, the more of a desire he felt to know you.

“Do ya…do ya come here often?” he asked, trying to learn something about the strange woman by the rocks. 

“Not nearly as much as I’d like,” you smiled, and his heart stuttered. “My father doesn’t like it when I stray too far.”

“Especially when you’re meetin’ strange men after dark I’ll bet,” Billy grinned, and you laughed, pretty and clear.

“I don’t imagine he’d like that very much, no,” you sighed. “Especially since you’re…you know…” you nodded at his body.

He nodded back, his grin still evident. “Ah, yeah. Ain’t imaginin’ he’d be too pleased if he knew I wasn’t wearin’ anythin’ either.”

You frowned confusedly. “It’d probably be more about you being human.”

Now he was lost. “Now…why’d that be an issue? You’re…”

There was a beat of silence. You drew back a little, fidgeting with your fingers. Lips rounding in an oh shape, you swam back further, shyly. Leaning back a little and biting your lip nervously, you lifted your tail out of the water. A long, shimmery fish tail.

Billy’s eyes widened in surprise. And suddenly your fascination with his anatomy made sense. He moved closer curiously, but you drew back, looking slightly frightened.

Recognizing it, he stayed where he was, instead outstretching a hand. “I’m not gonna hurt ya. I was just…surprised is all.” Some of the men on the crew had spoken of dangerous women with tails who sang sailors to their deaths and made them mad with lust, and he hadn’t known whether to believe them. But here you were in front of him…harmless, shy and inquisitive.

Reemphasizing his hand, he gave you a smile. “I just ain’t never seen any merfolk before, not in person. But I ain’t gonna do nothin’ bad.”

Looking from his face to his hand, you cautiously moved closer. Billy nodded encouragingly, trying to coax you over. An idea struck him. “I’ll letcha look at my…” he looked down between his legs. “...sometime.”

Your eyes lit up at that. Cautiously, you reached your hand over to his, your soft meeting his rough. He brought you closer, so your stomachs were a breath’s width from touching. 

Now that he had you here he was even more enchanted. He knew why he’d been so drawn to you; no doubt it was a part of your mermish characteristics. But there was something else here, something sparkling. Your eyes were like the sea, tumultuous and secretive, and he liked that.

Lean into it.

Billy dipped his head and caught your lips in a brief kiss. You tasted like salt, which only made him thirsty for more. When he pulled back, he saw your eyes were wide like the full moon behind him. “What was that?”

He smiled. “A kiss.” Reaching up, he thumbed the side of your cheek, tucking some of your hair behind your ear.

You searched his eyes. “We don’t do that where I come from.”

“Ah,” he watched your expression. “Did you like it?”

Adorably, your brow furrowed slightly in thought. Then you slowly nodded, lips parting slightly as you looked up at him. “Yes.”

Billy hummed, his fingers finding the spot under your chin. “Do ya…wanna do it again?”

A slow smile came to your face, and you nodded again, tilting your head up and waiting, looking expectantly at him. He chuckled slightly, the hand that had been holding yours sliding around your waist and pulling you into him. Now he could feel the line where your skin ended and your tail began. Soft and sleek, all of you was.

“Close your eyes,” he said warmly, and you obeyed, your chin still lifted. Smiling at the sight of you, waiting to be kissed, he committed the image to memory. Your eyelashes were touching your skin, causing a pearl of water to fall from one of them, looking like a tear. Skin glowing from the light of the moon, hair wet and curling over your torso, you were a vision.

Then he leaned down and moved his lips against yours again, feeling like every star in the sky had decided to smile upon him that night.

Maybe he’d imagined he could be captivated by a mermaid, but he never dreamed he’d be kissing one.

Billy felt your hands slide up his chest, seemingly testing the waters. He smiled against your lips, nuzzling his nose on your cheek. His hand lifted to slide into your hair, holding the back of your head and pushing your mouth onto his.

You seemed unsure what to do with your hands as they were settled on his shoulders. Billy sensed it and took his other hand off your waist, fingers grasping your hand and dragging it into his hair. It seemed that instinct took over, and your fingers combed through his curls, eliciting a quiet groan from him. 

Pressing your chest into his, you folded your arms around his neck, your hand remaining in his hair. The action lifted your body further up, and he lowered his hand to where your bottom would be if you had legs, making you shiver against him.

Pulling back slightly, he ended the kiss with a few gentle pecks, slowly easing you out of it.

Your smile when he opened his eyes was radiant. Billy traced his hand up your bare back, stringing through your salt strewn locks.

“Why do humans do that?” you asked in a hazy way, smiling sweetly up at him. 

He returned it, feeling happy in a carefree, foolish way. “To…show other people ya…ya like ‘em. Cause it feels nice.” He stroked the apple of your cheek. “Did it feel nice for ya?” That part was asked in a whisper.

Your eyes were soft, slightly stormy in the best way. “I liked it.”

Billy smiled and leaned in for another kiss, but you lifted your head suddenly, as if you’d heard something. He frowned. “Are you-?”

“I have to go,” you said hurriedly, fixing your eyes back on his. Carefully, you pressed your lips to his for a slow kiss goodbye, and he felt like he was floating.

Before he knew it, you had slipped out of his arms and the last thing he saw was the glimmer of your tail on the horizon. 

Billy didn’t move for a moment, dazed by you. He took in a breath, laughing slightly in disbelief.

A mermaid. He’d kissed a mermaid. And it had been like fireworks.

Next part

[thehistoriangirl]

The Tides Have Veiled [Third Interlude]

First of all, I wanted to apologize for the delay. I got a problem with this story as I found out someone fed it to an AI. I was about to stop posting it and eliminate it altogether, but it'll be unfair for every one of you who had been so sweet and kind with me and so loving with this story.

We're officially in the middle, and I will walk all this way with you guys ❤️❤️ thank you so much for the support, and I'll read you soon!

Viktor x Fem!Reader /Gothic AU; Haunted Sea/----1.8K---SFW

> MASTERLIST <- Previous // Next ->

Synopsis:  Piltover the Old has an old lighthouse that looms over an abandoned port. From the house in the wailing cliff’s edge, the lighthouse owner watches that the beacon is being lighten up each time darkness arrives, so that monsters wouldn't dare to crawl inland, or so legends say. Both buildings are haunted, maybe even the man himself, by both past and present ghosts. Surprisingly, the keeper’s work is beyond turning on the beacon every night— but the rest is on you to discover.

Chapter Summary: One fateful night, you two say the thing that wasn't supposed to be.

Tags: Fluff | I'm emotional rn so it may be a bit sad | Some kissing | They say!!! the thing!!! | Needless to say please PLEASE do not feed it to an AI 😭😭😭

Taglist: @lunar-monster @local-mr-frog @bittercyder @blissfulip @ihopeinevergetsoberr @ultimateslasherfan @beeblybub (it's been so long I'm sorry if I forgot to tag someone!! 😭😭 remind me and I'll do it for the next ones :3 pinky promiseee)

Third Interlude: The Stars in Your Eyes

New moon. The perfect witness to keep secrets.

And it isn’t that Viktor wishes to maintain his feelings hidden, resurfacing like the high tide during full moon—rising every night during the solitude of the watch, with the familiar glow of your window visible from the tower until sleep took you for the day, the light of the candle extinguished.

But it a necessary illness he doesn’t mind to be afflicted with.

The place you ought to call house it’s so different to this lonely tower; avant-garde wallpapers are here but starting to chip off. There the candles burn with riches fragrances, while here the beacon illuminates, unforgiving, leaving oil prints all over his fingertips.

At least he can pretend to watch over your dreams from here, peering at the starry night. A childish desire to keep you away from nightmares soaked in crimson tides and women jumping out the cliff.

It’s the same tale of every night—to cocoon in the couch by the control panel, door close to avoid any flicking light filtering inside the room. A book resting on his lap, forgotten pens scattered all over the floor by his shoes. Today isn’t worthy of writing in the logbook. At least not yet.

The door creaks open, metal scratch against wood.

“Viktor,” your voice makes him jump. Between a dream and a ghostly whispering like the sea uses to do with each crashing wave.

He stands up from the couch, leaving the book he was reading closed without any mark. It doesn’t matter. Viktor doubts he knew what the chapter was about even before you arrived.

His hands are eager. They settle in the roundness of your cheeks, finding like a miracle that your skin it’s so soft and warm. “You’re really here.”

It wouldn’t be the first time the water fools him, allowing him to imagine both of you, floating weightless inside an infinite of blue. Hands intertwined.

You oughtn’t to fear the place you come from.

“I almost got caught,” you laugh, leaning against the safety of his touch. Against the cold surrounding you in her way toward the lighthouse, Viktor is your refuge. “They hired new fishermen. Mister Gavin was talking with them in his office up until midnight.”

That catches Viktor’s attention, obliged to recoil his touch. “New fishermen?” Upon his hiring as lighthouse keeper, Viktor had seen the dark silhouettes of the fishing boats sailing on open water during the night, where fish could be easily collected. Every journey, fewer boats get out. And even less returned.

“He has always been a greedy man,” you sigh, sinking into the couch. He hopes your shampoo gets imprinted in his pillow for at least a couple of days. Until he gets to see you again. “He doesn’t wish to understand Piltover will never be the same as it was thanks to her.”

Viktor settles next to you. “I suppose sometimes dwelling in the past it’s the only thing one can do to avoid going mad.”

He observes you, loving that intense gaze that could only be described as a frozen storm, cloudy and deep and dark from all the tears he’s sure you don’t dare to shed.

“I hope he goes mad,” your voice is barely audible. A shivery whisper that crawls inside his chest. “I hope I get to do it.”

That need starts to nudge again the gate of his reason. You’re not like this, he wants to tell you. The poison dripping down every syllable, breaking its enchanting cadence. But it would be senseless to utter so—because your family has sworn upon themselves to forge you into whatever monstrosity the townsfolk’s rumors proclaim.

“There lies the reason behind your current visits?” Part of him lets slip, a terrible weight settled onto his heart.

Your chuckle echoes, a whisper that would remain even after you leave. “No, Viktor. It isn’t.” You drink from his golden eyes, twin stars guiding your way. You aren’t sure what this night has of special. It’s just a moonless night, full of stars in the sky. The sea laps all the same. “I would never drag you into my mess.” Not as Gavin and his new wife had dragged Astraia, hoping for you to grow all alone, feeding the desperation to seek freedom.

“I wouldn’t have minded if you do,” he says, and your eyes start to blurry.

His fingers are rough and cold, yet he touches you with the same delicate nature one would hold a butterfly. Afraid that if he takes too much, you’d be all but a shattered dream.

“I’m happy here,” you mutter, the secret you’re so afraid to say out loud if bad luck ever tries to snatch it. “I can’t go anywhere, but here… here I don’t want to run away.” And it terrifies you. All your life, wishing to be someone else, to forsake the family name impose upon your existence. Yet not even the waves could take what runs through your veins. “I loathe this place with every fiber of my being, but now you’re here and… everything has changed.”

It's like it was before. The blue of the sea is shinier, and the call doesn’t reverberate in your bones with the ache of impossibility. It calls you home. Morphed into one endless way up into the end of every lament.

For the first time in so long, you don’t want to leave.

His smile breaks your heart, and you let yourself cry, letting him hold you while every tear erases the grey colors once painted over the vibrant memories of your mother’s tight embrace, her haunting voice calling you to sleep. The way the sand got under your toes after one swimming afternoon. All the ghostly laughter you blessed upon the cliff.

Before everything turned crimson and empty.

“I will keep this place safe,” he says, his voice muffled against your hair. “For you.”

Your hands grab his shoulders, and for a moment it seems like you wish to disappear in him, to forever echo the rhythm of his heartbeat as another lullaby.

You can’t see him, so he dares to deposit a kiss on your forehead, muttering things you cannot understand.

“Come with me,” he says after an eternity that’s cut too short.

*~*~*~*

The water’s cold, but it lights every nerve on fire once you submerge.

Viktor slips behind you, your hands never leaving his once your tears are erased by the sea water hitting in gentle waves. A moonless night with inky water, yet you don’t have to fear the abyss. You have never.

“Does your leg hurt?” you say, waddling toward him. You could guide him toward the cliffiside where the coral grows meters under the surface, so he could feel the fish between his legs and grab at the rock for safety.

“N-no,” Viktor shivers. “The cold helps to numb sometimes.”

It’s barely visible outside of the lighthouse’s rotating beacon, which give you enough courage to inch shamelessly closer, until your dress it’s tangled in his legs. Because it’s your time to hold him, soak him in your warmth.

Astraia’s words haunt you, but what reputation do you still hold? You don’t care to stain the last name they force you to keep.

“Numb what?” You can barely feel his hands ghosting over your back. Afraid.

He averts your gaze. But you can’t let him; with your warm hands cupping his cheeks. Despite the coldness, you could see the faint blush on his cheeks every time the lighthouse painted the waves gold.

“Are you afraid of me?” you whisper, his fingers intertwined with yours.

“Never.” His voice is gruff, the grasp so tight his knuckles are bone-white. “But… there are some things meant to remain hidden.”

“Why?” You know why, but you have stopped caring about the reason long ago. “I don’t want to keep them locked any longer.” It was as if sometimes they drowned you, blocking every breath from your throat at the mere thought of saying those words your tongue longed to express.

Your name has never been more precious that in the way Viktor whispers it. A prayer he covets for only him to call.

And you’ll let him. Of course you’ll let him.

“I don’t want to, either,” he says, golden stars fluttering close one his lips beckon yours, soft and pliant and so sweet. Barely a sheepish brush, before you push yourself closer, his hands grabbing handfuls of floating fabric on your lower back.

You get lost. Barely keeping afloat in the great tides of emotions sieging you. Yet Viktor doesn’t care if your lips taste like salt, if you’re shivering and breaking in sobs. Despite all the love, he knows it hurts—being loved hurts by the mere thought of all this being stolen with the same easiness it could be taken away.

But he won’t let it.

“You make me feel free,” you utter, breathless. And this otherworldly vision will forever haunt him; your bright eyes, swollen lips. The smile that’s just for him.

“I’m in love with you,” he says, his voice dripping with dread, the ever-present possibility of rejection.

Your laughter fills him with pain, but Viktor quickly realizes, by how you embrace him, that it’s not meant to be mocking. It’s euphoric, triumphant in the way you call for him. “Viktor, kiss me.”

And he does, up until the cold seeps into his bones, threatening into leaving him up to the design of the sea. Yet you hold him close, guide him back to the shore where you both lay in the sand like teenagers laughing at the constellations above because they would never have the brightest stars in all the skies, light only meant to gaze upon you.

And you love those stars, making them close so you can kiss them along with every precious feature of his face that you’re decided to carve in your memory.

Viktor embraces you despite the warmth of the sand seeping through your clothes, the humid summer air blowing hair into his face. You want to tell him the truth, to let your throat sore from a scream so everything and everyone could hear it.

But you’re afraid. You know this place always takes those who you love, and you dread for Viktor to be next. So you don’t, and instead, cuddle up right into his side, your cheek pressed against his chest as his breath slowly grows steady.

He’s asleep, but his hands are still taking yours, his chin over your head.

“I love you, too, Viktor,” you mutter, so low either he or the sea can hear you. Yet the lighthouse sees, casting shadows along your refuge on the coastline like a blanket.

[thisgirlnamedblusy]

Hey, first of all love your work, your writing is incredibly compelling. Secondly, could I possibly get some GP! Donna orgasm denial with soft domme reader, maybe y/n teases Donna throughout the day and then keeps her on edge until she begs for release. Thank you so much!!

Yesss!!!! Thank you for your request, and for your support!!!! I hope you like it and sorry about the language mistakes!!!! :))))

Begging

Pairing: Donna Beneviento x Fem! Reader

Warnings: G!P Donna, smut, Minors DNI, fluff…

Word count: 6.231

Summary:  Revenges are sweet....

N/A: Sorry about the language mistakes!!! Requests are open!!! I love you all!!! :))

“Good morning...” you hummed in Donna's ear, after turning around in bed several times.

The woman accompanying you growled in annoyance, making you smile with a mixture of evil and tenderness.

Yes, out of all the people in the village, you might be lucky enough to win the heart of one of its Lords, Donna Beneviento, but that didn't mean that your life would become a succession of boring routines, of shared silences accompanied by two cups of tea.

You were never a boring girl, or an innocent one. You always tried to have some control over the things that happened around you, even living with someone you kept hearing horrible things about.

Dangerous, crazy, sick, strange... All those adjectives that always accompanied the one who was now the love of your life were always in your head, but, certainly, you were never able to verify for yourself that they were really true.

Legends were common in the village, and Donna was no ordinary person. Even so, you did not expect that everything they said would dissolve so quickly, thus discovering a shy, withdrawn and lonely woman, who, despite not needing anyone, she did, a lot.

A beauty spoiled at an early age, a body that changed without asking permission… It seemed more than enough reasons for Donna to stop wanting to share her life with someone. You couldn't tell if she had good or bad luck finding you that day wandering around her grounds.

You, the complete opposite of her, happy, outgoing and daring, were the one who made the Lord lose control of her emotions, the one who  were really able to discover what that black veil was hiding, as well as that sad and dark presence.

You would be lying if you said that at first it wasn't difficult to understand this poor unfortunate soul, but, little by little, you reached a point of stability with Donna that allowed you to go much deeper, to love her much more.

But like everything, in the end the phase of discovery, of passionate madness, gave way to a much calmer one, like a ship sailing with a light breeze, through calm waters.

Even though you knew nothing about long relationships, or what commitment really meant, you let yourself be carried away by the love you felt, settling definitively with Lady Beneviento, living with her, being with her just as you promised, forever.

The lady in black's shyness was never a problem for you, you always overcame it. But for several days now, the interest that the brunette had in you, or in your body, seemed to have vanished like a candle that goes out with a breath. Maybe the problem was your insatiable thirst for lust.

“Donna...” you murmured amused, biting her earlobe, deciding that day would be the last of that unexpected drought. Or maybe not... You still weren't sure how to handle it. Maybe you would play with her, maybe...

“(Y/N)... What time is it?” Donna asked, turning on the nightstand light.

“I don't know, I guess in the morning,” you replied, rolling your eyes at her passivity and her morning whines, ones that you found adorable.

She turned and kissed you quickly sketching a more awake smile, breathing deeply, admiring you, as if the simple fact that you were next to her awakening was like a gift, like a miracle to her.

But no, you couldn't get lost in that look. You couldn't let her tenderness, her shy smile, turn you away from the side of sin and put back your evil plans.

“Are you very interested in knowing the time?” you asked with an amused tone, running a hand across her chest, making her frown at your cheeky tone. “I’m not.”

“Well, maybe you're hungry. Shall I prepare breakfast for you?” she asked innocently, removing your hand from her chest, ready to abandon you once again.

You whined and shook your head, holding Donna next to you under the covers, pulling her by her waist and earning you another of her charming smiles and an additional blush.

“Mm no, I'm not hungry, but...” you murmured, lowering your hands to her legs, acting quickly to catch her off guard.

“(Y/N),” Donna protested, cringing when one of your hands ran over the small bulge between her legs. You smiled triumphantly, watching as she seemed to fall into your trap, or at least, her body fell into your trap.

“Don't you want to stay with me a little longer? I think you do...” you whispered in her ear, increasing the pace of your soft caresses between her legs, making the brunette gasp from the pleasure of your contact, and from the always exaggerated reaction of her body.

“Okay, okay,” she responded with a smile, releasing her eager erection so your caresses weren't just superficial. You nodded with that same mischievous smile, kissing her slowly as your hand slowly hugged her shaft, causing her to moan into your lips.

Well, you expected a similar reaction and you couldn't complain, but seeing the pleasure that your caresses gave Donna, an even more perverse idea crossed your mind. It was impossible for her to understand that your needs went beyond those of an ordinary human being. Sometimes you thought you were the very daughter of sin itself.

A week of abstinence for you was like an undeserved punishment. You knew that Donna wasn't doing it on purpose, that her duties as a Lord and her dolls were the only things that kept her entertained, apart from spending time with you, of course.

She probably simply forgot to please you as she should, or as you considered was due. You couldn't blame her, but still, you considered appropriate to vent a little revenge.

The kisses were wet, hungry. Moans filled the room and her hands roamed all over your body, going under your pajamas. Her gentle touch was more than enough to make you lose your mind, but this time you would have to be strong.

“I want you, (Y/N),” Donna whispered in your ear, slowly lowering your pants, placing herself on top of you to make you hers.

You couldn't hold back a moan when you felt her erection slowly caressing your wet entrance. Once again, your irrational desire for revenge overshadowed that intense pleasure and a wicked smile formed on your face when you placed your hands on her chest.

“On second thought... Yes, I think I'm a bit hungry,” you said in a casual tone, as if the atmosphere had not heated up, as if you had simply just gotten up, preventing Donna from moving closer, pushing her gently.

 “Sorry?” she asked, her eye wide, surprised and clearly frustrated by your reaction. You smiled, kissing her quickly and crawling out of bed. “Hey, wait a minute.”

“What?” you asked as you pulled your pants back up, ignoring her surprised look and her pitiful stance. “Is anything wrong?”

“No, well, yes, what was that for?” the lady stammered, covering herself with her nightgown and also getting out of bed.

Of course, you knew exactly what she meant, but you decided to follow your plan and play the innocent little girl. You frowned, approaching slowly, trying not to be tempted by the bulge that the thin fabric of her clothing revealed.

“I don't know what you're talking about,” you said, looking away from her, caressing her cheek erratically, making Donna move nervously, confused. “Anyway, I'm going to take a shower.”

“Fine, I'm going with you,” she said hurriedly, just when you were about to leave the room indifferently, as if you hadn't done anything. Yes, yes, yes you had.

“No, well, no...” you said amused, shaking your head, leaving the doll maker even more petrified, breathing nervously. “Why don't you make me that delicious coffee you make? You know I love it.”

“Coffee,” Donna sighed, letting her shoulders slump, not understanding how strange your behavior was, with the gleam of her desire still decorating her eye. You nodded, tilting your head slightly, pretending to pout.

“Yes, coffee,” you said amused, whispering your words in a sensual but subtle way at the same time. “Did you perhaps want something else, my love?”

“I... No,” she sighed in defeat, discreetly looking down, surely wishing that her arousal would stop giving away her true intentions, those that you didn’t want to follow. “I'll go right away.”

“Great, see you,” you commented, giving her another quick kiss and leaving the room, holding back your laughter. She didn't answer, obviously.

At least that shower calmed your own desire. Playing with women was always your favorite pastime, putting them under your control, making them want you so much that they begged to have you. With Donna it was different, it was always different. But you were still the same naughty girl. A bit of domination wasn't going to hurt the lady in black.

After your shower, you walked slowly down the hallway, humming with a wide smile on your face. To your surprise, Donna wasn't in the kitchen, yet.

“Hello,” she said after a few moments, with a serious voice, already dressed in that black dress, with her hair tied up in that messy bun you loved to undo. You smiled at that dry greeting, noticing her serious look, her frustration at your actions.

“You took it easy,” you murmured, amused, leaving the countertop and approaching her slowly, making her turn around and her gaze fixate on yours with some resentment.

“If you hadn't made me feel like this, it wouldn't have taken me that long,” she said in a low voice, looking for the old coffee grinder on the kitchen shelves. You laughed, pointing at yourself and blinking repeatedly, with a mocking look.

“Oh, me?” you said, feigning confusion, putting on your best good girl face.

“Yes, you,” Donna replied, pouring the coffee beans into that old machine. “Don't pretend you don't know what you've done.”

“Oh, do I detect resentment in your sweet words?” you joked, grabbing her waist, making her shift uncomfortably again. “What have you been doing for so long?” you whispered in her ear, causing her body to tense again, but with a cold expression.

“Niente,” she whispered back, moving you away so she could grind the coffee like every morning, it was a pity your grip prevented her from doing it properly.

“Nothing, huh?” you continued joking, speaking very close to her ear, with your hands traveling along her waist, trying to make her nervous again. Well, Donna would be nervous, but it wasn't that kind of nervousness you wanted. “You haven't cheated, have you, Donna?”

“Cheat? What are you talking about?” the lady in black wanted to know, with a tone that could not hide her annoyance at your cruel act.

“You know, maybe you couldn't take it anymore and...” you said amused, making the gesture with her hand, moving away from her.

Donna stopped grinding the coffee and looked at you sharply, shaking her head.

“No, (Y/N), you know I haven't done that since I've known you,” she said offended, as if your naughty question was an attempt to test the trust you had in her, which wasn't true, not even the slightest bit.

“Wow, I would have loved to watch it,” you said, this time whispering in her ear, returning your hands to her waist, slowly going down her legs.

“What is wrong with you today?” Donna asked, less upset, but curious. You couldn't blame her. That behavior of yours was something she didn't know about. “You excite me and then leave me and…”

“It wasn't my intention,” you said with a false apology, without giving it importance. Donna grunted, but she returned her gaze to the coffee and continued grinding it.

“I had to wait for it to go down, and it was more difficult than other times,” the lady confessed, to which you raised your eyebrows, trying not to smile triumphantly.

“Wow... I gave you a hard time, huh?” you murmured in a childish voice, resting your head on her shoulder, leaving the subtlety of your caresses on one side, traveling along her dress, passing slowly between her legs.

“Well, yes,” she said, with a sigh, leaving the grinder on the side of the counter, trying to move, to free herself from your grip, something she couldn't do.

“I'm sorry, honey,” you said with a sincere tone, turning the woman to look at you. Her expression had relaxed but her breathing was quite the opposite, probably due to your hands caressing her body, exciting her again. “Come here, let me make it up to you.”

“But, but, the coffee,” Donna protested, when your hand caressed her shaft, hardened again by your skillful hands, by that insatiable thirst of your body.

“Are you worried about the coffee?” you asked with that same good girl tone, stopping caressing the fabric of her dress, reaching under it and feeling her erection through her underwear.

“No, not at all,” Donna responded abruptly, shaking her head, closing her eye to enjoy your caresses more, the small kisses that you began to place on her neck.

You smiled against her skin as your hand freed her trembling shaft beneath the black fabric of the dress, fabric that covered her own embarrassment, one that didn't match her body's reactions at all.

“Shh, darling, calm down,” you whispered, moving your hand up and down, caressing her slowly, squeezing her most sensitive spots, causing those shy moans again.

“Faster, please,” she asked you, unable to look at you, unable to show the pleasure that your caresses gave her. Her shyness was always one of the things that turned you on the most.

“Okay...” you whispered nodding pleased with that request, kissing her slowly, letting her hands tangle through your hair while your movements caused small spasms in her hips.

“So... Close...” the lady in black murmured, shifting against the counter, trying to concentrate on something different than your hand stimulating her erection.

It was evident to you the truth that resided in her words, the incipient moisture you felt in your hand. A small part of you wanted to grant her wish, to stain her dress, to make her blush for it. An amazing sight for your brain, one you would remember. But your other side, a little more perverse, wanted to continue with that torture, with that silent revenge.

You didn't have to think which of the two sides would win. You already knew it, perfectly. Your hand stopped little by little, stopping stimulating Donna, who protested with a moan, opening her eye to check what was happening.

“Donna, the coffee...” you said, suddenly releasing her, moving away as if you were scared, something she did too, looking directly at the counter and then at you, repeating the process several times.

“What? What’s wrong with it?” she asked, looking at the grinder with curiosity, breathing heavily, rearranging her clothes.

“It's going to get damaged if you leave it there for too long, right?” You said, crossing your arms, showing with your posture that your hand would not play again, something that Donna soon discovered.

“But, but, (Y/N)…” she said protesting your actions, shaking her head, with a grimace of absolute frustration.

“You better prepare it before it loses its properties,” you commented with complete indifference, making her gaze harden more and more.

“My mind, (Y/N), I'm going to lose my mind,” Donna said, surprised and obviously upset by your attitude, going back to work in that coffee.

“Don't exaggerate...” you murmured, hanging on to her neck, despite her movements of rejection and the continuous avoidance of your gaze. “I'm going to set the table. Oh, one more thing,” you commented, before disappearing through the door again.

Donna looked at you as she poured the coffee into the pot, a dark shadow in her eye, but her breathing calmer, almost as if she had given up.

“Don't cheat, okay?” you murmured jokingly, peeking around the door frame.

“Vaffanculo!” she screeched, bursting into comical rage, playfully throwing a dish towel at you, missing as you ran out of the room, holding back your laughter.

You quickly went upstairs. You were clearly enjoying it too much.

“Your coffee,” Donna said, pouring you a cup in a slightly unpleasant way, with that dark shine in her eye. You smiled tenderly at her, thanking her without speaking, just moving your mouth.

The lady in black dropped into the chair in front of you, with a tired sigh, pouring herself some of that bitter liquid.

When you brought your cup to your mouth, you immediately noticed a bitterer taste than usual, as if it had been burned. You made a strange face, leaving the cup on the table, seeing that Donna made exactly the same gesture as you.

“Wow... It's intense,” you said amused, pretending to shiver.

“It's not intense (Y/N), it's burned, thanks to you,” she told you, maintaining a slightly proud posture, something that the trembling of her hands overshadowed.

“Me? What have I done?” you asked, feigning surprise, feigning again that innocence you didn't have. “I was up here setting the table.”

“Yeah, sure,” she said, nodding and leaning back with her arms crossed. “Tell me, what have I done for you to make me suffer like this?”

“You haven't done anything, my love,” you said passively, pouring oil on your toast. “Do you want one?” You asked, offering the piece of bread to the lady, who grunted in annoyance, standing up from her chair.

“I'm going to the workshop,” she said dryly, drinking that burnt coffee in one gulp and cowardly fleeing from your presence, which made you sigh tenderly, wishing she didn't see your sinister smile.

“Don't you want to have breakfast?” you asked, pouting again.

“No! I don't want to,” she said, already entering the elevator hallway. You shook your head, biting your lip.

“Poor Donna, am I being cruel to you?” you said to yourself, taking a bite of your toast, amused by your actions and by her nervous and erratic behavior.

But your conscience prevented you from continuing to attack her, at least for a few hours.

Bored, you looked for something to entertain yourself before assaulting her again. The idea of ​​revenge was already blurred. Saying you acted like that just for revenge was just a simple excuse. You always enjoyed doing that kind of things with your short relationships.

The mere idea of ​​being dominant, of feeling able to decide whether or not to comply with the wishes of a person as important as Donna, sounded so exciting in your head that you yourself had to make an effort not to fall into your own trap.

“Mm, time to eat...” you murmured when your stomach coincided with the time the clock announced.

The morning had passed too slowly. Neither Donna nor even the Angie doll had made an appearance. Was it your fault? Surely, and that made you smile.

But the hands of the clock showed something strange, a strange lack of punctuality in the brunette. It was later than usual, and no delicious aroma was rising up the elevator shaft.

Taking that small delay as an excuse to continue your little game, you went down the elevator, humming as usual, like you always did, every time you were going to do something bad.

“Anyone there?” you asked, knocking softly on the doors of the workshop.

“No,” a hoarse and gruff voice responded from the other side, returning an evil smile to your face.

“Donna, it's half past one,” you said, ignoring her unsubtle way of saying she didn't want to see you and entering the workshop, walking towards her and hugging her from behind, wrapping your hands around her chest.

“Thank you for the information,” she said, focused on knitting clothes for a small clown doll.

“Oh, come on, Donna, don't act like that with me... I just came because it's strange that you weren't cooking at this time of the afternoon,” you said, kissing her cheek and looking at her from her shoulder, a look that she returned, a bit listless.

“I'm taking refuge,” she said with a half-smile, stopping sewing and moving so your grip would stay in that place, and not dare to go down.

“Refuge?” you asked, frowning amusedly.

“Yes, from you,” she stated, corroborating your suspicions, something that made you let her go and lean against the table, with your arms crossed in a cocky and arrogant posture.

“I must be terrible,” you murmured, looking at your nails, ignoring the heavy feeling that her gaze conveyed.

“Sometimes you are,” Donna commented, returning to the fabric, sewing to distract her mind from your pernicious game.

“Okay, okay... I admit I went a little overboard,” you said, separating yourself from the table and forcing the lady to look at you.

“Oh, you admit it, good,” she said, with a satisfied smile, relaxing the expression of resentment towards you a bit.

“How can I make it up to you, my love?” you asked, with a sensual voice, bending down to be at the level of her lips but only touching them, without kissing them, making Donna moan again.

“Easy, finish what you've started,” she whispered in your ear, with a voice perhaps too dominant, something that made your body tremble with desire. Well, maybe it wasn't such a bad idea to end that game at that moment.

You raised an eyebrow, turning away to look at the lady, who was smiling almost the same way as you, patting her lap, motioning for you to sit down.

You rolled your eyes but nodded, kissing your lover deeply as you fulfilled her wishes.

It didn't take long for you to notice her erection again in your wetness, so close, so trembling... You moved, thus increasing the contact, the friction of your hips and her shy moans.

“You're in a hurry,” you commented when her fingers moved your underwear to the side, entering you quickly but gently, never wanting to hurt you. Donna nodded, sighing in relief as she felt your body hugging hers, holding your hips and moving them as she pleased.

You moaned too, looking for a comfortable position in that old chair. Honestly, you could have given in to your own desire, you could have continued enjoying that sensation so much, the way her shaft was pushing its way through your walls.

But your sinister side, that side that whispered evil things in your ear, had other plans.

Her moans became distorted into soft murmurs that you didn't understand. You shouldn't listen to them, or your body would surrender to its own pleasure. With great effort, just when her movements began to get out of control, you rose from the chair with a groan.

“What are you doing?” Donna asked. “(Y/N), I was about to…”

“I'm a bit hungry,” you said, putting on your dress and moving away from the trembling lady, who stood speechless, putting on her clothes as well.

“Hungry? What the...” she said, interrupted by a hand on her mouth and a mocking sound from your lips.

“Shhh, why don't you go prepare something to eat?” you asked, with an innocent voice, avoiding your lover's hatred and frustration, which was more than evident, in different aspects.

“No, come back, come back here,” she told you, pointing again at her lap, shaking her head, making you to laugh worse.

“I'm weak, Donna...” you said, caressing your stomach in a comical way, pretending to be that hungry.

“Weak, you're weak...” she sighed in disbelief, confused and almost desperate because of your painful attitude. “What do you want?”

“Nothing, I'm just telling you that without something in my stomach... Well, my capabilities are greatly reduced,” you said ironically, leaving Donna even more surprised and upset.

“No, that's not true... Okay, finish with me and then I'll make you something delicious, is that okay with you?” she proposed, reaching the agonizing negotiation phase, one that amused you even more.

“Oh, but how selfish of you,” you blurted out, feigning offense.

“Selfish? You've been torturing me all the morning. Do you know how...? How it hurts?” she asked you, lowering the tone of her voice, pressing her hands between her legs.

“Don't be dramatic, Donna...” you sighed, with a sympathetic smile, one that made the lady groan, crossing her arms in a slightly childish manner.

“I'm sorry, but no,” she said with a serious tone, trying to overcome your arrogance, something that was complicated. “I'm not going to cook.”

“No?” You asked, amused by her attitude.

“If you want me to cook, you know what you have to do,” the lady grumbled, looking at you comically.

“Well, whatever you want...” you sighed, with your dark side deciding for you again, walking indifferently towards the exit, but first, leaning towards her ear. “I'm not that hungry, I can hold on… The question is… Can you hold on?”

With that cheeky sneer, you left the workshop. Donna didn't respond, but you didn't expect her to do either. Maybe you were going too far, maybe you should leave her alone, just for a while.

Evening arrived. There was no sign of Donna, but you didn't want to seem desperate, or give up. If there had to be an undisputed champion of that macabre game, it had to be you.

With nothing better to do, you started reading, sighing worried. Your conscience took advantage of that moment of weakness to attack you, to make the idea of ​​releasing  your lover seem like the right one. In truth it was, but your dark and dominant side always prevailed over your compassion.

After a few moments of distraction thanks to that reading, the sound of the elevator startled you a little. It seemed that Donna had dedicated herself to getting out of the isolation, the protection and security of her workshop.

“Hello, darling,” you said kindly. Donna looked at you, walked towards you, but she didn't answer, she just sat next to you. She seemed nervous, good.

“Are you reading?” she asked with a hoarse, soft voice, as if her shyness had returned to your first days on the estate. You laughed, showing her the book with an amused smile.

“Well, I am, it seems quite obvious, right?” you joked, settling on her shoulder, sighing tenderly. You may have been dominant, but her perfume, the warmth of her body against yours in something as innocent as reading, was something that surpassed even your lust.

“Can you let me read with you?” she asked, moving your head to rest on her chest while her fingers played with your hair. You nodded slowly, surprised by that sudden change in attitude, by that lack of desperation in her voice.

Unfortunately for poor Donna, she wasn't the most subtle person in the world. Her expressions, her ways of acting were completely visible. She was up to something, and you were dying to know what it was.

Her lips made contact with your neck unexpectedly, kissing it slowly. You looked at her out of the corner of your eye, but you didn't do anything, you didn't say anything, you just settled in, intentionally giving her access to more corners of your skin.

Automatically she took the bait of your offer, running her hand over your chest, getting under your dress while her lips distracted yours passing over your skin so the pleasure of her kisses would divert your attention from the hands that were already climbing up your legs.

You laughed, pleased by her actions, and didn't make a move. You wanted to know what exactly she intended, that was certainly not her normal way of acting.

The moment her fingers passed through your underwear, the moment they made contact with the moisture that had resided between your legs since that morning, you understood what her intentions were. Poor Donna, sometimes she forgot that you were an experienced girl.

“Do you like it?” she asked seductively in your ear, making circles on your clit covered by that annoying fabric. You nodded and groaned, pretending to be distracted by the book, a book you stopped reading as soon as Donna showed up.

That approval of yours gave her enough courage to put her fingers under the fabric, sinking into the humidity of your folds, caressing your body with that delicacy that only she was capable of. You smiled, stealing a small kiss from her as your hips matched her slow movements, while the tips of her fingers surrounded your entrance like a predator cornering her prey. Poor thing, she still didn't know that the prey was her.

“Mm…” you moaned, giving her the silent permission you knew she always needed. You bit back another moan as her fingers entered you slowly, letting you enjoy every inch of that overwhelming sensation.

She didn't talk and neither did you. You simply limited yourself to enjoying her delicate hands on your body, that meticulous way with which she handled everything she touched, including you.

The movements were slow, soft, limited by your underwear still covering that lustful act that came out of nowhere, or rather, out of her mind. You bit your lip, you moaned, you let your hips increase the friction of her perfect joints, of her perfect, careful touch inside of you.

You may have been stronger than her, you may have seen her intentions, but those were not enough reasons not to let yourself be carried away by her actions. Donna could have sworn that she was inexperienced before meeting you, but due to things like that, you had a hard time believing it.

You dropped the book you weren't reading on the couch, closing your eyes, feeling your will to continue playing that sinister game gradually weakening.

“You're close, I can feel it...” Donna whispered in your ear, making your body respond by nodding involuntarily, biting your lip for the betrayal that pleasure made you endure.

“Yes...” you responded, giving yourself away even more.

“Perfect,” she said, with a different tone, removing her hand from your body and leaning her back with a satisfied smile. Your body, overwhelmed by pleasure and frustrated by the loss of contact, forced you to protest with a pathetic moan.

“Donna...” you sighed, letting your shoulders fall, returning to the reality the pleasure was hiding from you. Her expression was disinterested and her gaze avoided yours.

“Uncomfortable?” she asked with a mockery embedded in her words, with the severity of her face intact.

“You're vengeful, huh?” you said amused, bringing your legs together, imitating in any way the sensation that made you lose your mind.

“Are you?” she asked back, now, looking at you questioningly.

“What do you mean?” you asked curious and confused, frustrated, but without letting her realize it.

“Nothing,” she said simply, crossing her arms. “Enjoy that incredible feeling you've made me feel all day, I'm going to make something to eat.”

Just as Donna stood up, you laughed, catching her attention.

“Do you think it’s funny?” she asked, clearly upset, with her hands resting on her hips.

“No, well, yes...” you said, caressing your own legs, making her gaze drift for a moment towards your hand, something that you, clearly, didn’t overlook. “Your counterattack won't help you at all, darling... I can relieve myself.”

“Oh, isn't that cheating?” Donna questioned, with a mocking but confident tone. After all, those were your own rules.

“Mm, it's true...” you said with a smile, which brought back her evilness. “What a dilemma, Donna, what do we do now?”

“I don't know what are you going to do, I'm going to make something to eat,” she responded.

“Like that?” you said, pointing to the prominent bulge between her legs, one that she covered as best she could. “It’s not recommended to do something so dangerous, well… Without half the blood in your head.”

“If I'm like this it's because of you,” she said, defending herself, unable to hide her erection in the black fabric of her dress. “It will pass soon.”

“Really? Don't you prefer us to play?” you asked in a dark voice, reaching into your dress and pulling out your underwear, throwing it on the wooden floor without losing eye contact.

“I don't want to play with you. I don't want you to fool me again. I had a bad time, you know?”

“Come on, come on, I promise you this time I'll be good,” you said with a sincere tone, reaching out your hand to grab her wrist, gently pulling the lady, who shook her head.

“I don't believe you,” she said, looking away from you, but letting her body be dragged to the sofa.

“Come on, ragazza, trust me...” you whispered, sitting her and leaning back, slightly separating your legs.

“Don't use those words against me,” she said, looking between your legs, playing with her dress to release that pressure between them. You laughed, biting your lip and gesturing with your finger.

“Shut up and kiss me,” you ordered her, pulling her clothes so she leaned over you, kissing her lips in a wild way, letting the lust be completely free now, not wanting to prolong that game that you were already the undisputed winner.”

“This time... You're not going to escape,” she whispered, with a marked, angry accent, while her shaft entered your entrance effortlessly, helped by that small moment of free pleasure with which Donna compensated you without deserving it.

“I don't mean to,” you responded, closing your eyes as you felt your walls stretch so she could make her way through. Deep down you didn't want it to be so easy, but the feeling was so overwhelming... “But...”

“But,” she repeated, ceasing the fierce movement of her hips, searching your sweaty face for the cause of that sudden word.

“If you want to release, my love... You'll have to say the magic words...” you murmured, trying to keep your hips from losing that rhythm, so, even if Donna didn't move, you would continue getting that delicious pleasure.

“What?” she asked, obviously confused, letting her body do the same as yours trying not to lose that succulent rhythm of lust.

“Say them, and I promise I will set you free, you know I can do it…” you whispered, running your hands along her covered back, clawing at her skin through the black fabric.

“You're unbearable, I have no idea what you're talking about,” she said, moving fiercely again, as if your threats or proposals had not reached her ears. Once again, you couldn't blame her. You were the only one to blame. “But it doesn't matter to me anymore, you know? I'm not going to let... You leave me like this again.”

“Beg me, Donna,” you said, sitting up, stopping her increasingly erratic movements. Her erection betrayed her weakness, trembling inside of you and you, oh yes, you were going to take advantage of it. “Do you want to do it? Do you want to release?”

“Yes, please...” she acknowledged with an agonized moan, trying to resume the movements that were taking her to the edge again.

“Well then, beg,” you ordered in a firm voice, making her gaze rise to yours, causing her grimace of discomfort to change into one of astonishment, of doubt, of not knowing if she would obey a mere mortal like you.

 But poor Donna was weak and you knew it. She didn't take long to close her eye and look away, freeing herself from the grip of your hands.

“Please, (Y/N), amore mio... I’m begging you... Let me, let me release inside of you, let me fill you with all my love, let me show you how much I love you...” she said with a whisper adorned by frustrated gasps that her body emitted.

You smiled. It was more than you asked for, of course.

“Wow... I have no words,” you joked, moving slowly, so she wouldn't realize that you had given in to her desire. “Okay honey, you can do it.”

Donna smiled in relief, feeling your hips claim hers, resuming her movements again, intensifying her thrusts, grabbing your legs, holding them above you, holding on so you wouldn't have the audacity to escape and go back on your word.

Your walls hugged her shaft while you yourself took the opportunity to release yourself without being discovered, just at the moment when her hips stopped, very close to yours, at the precise moment in which her release filled your warm interior, accompanied by a moan of relief from the lady, who finally got what she longed for.

“Gods...” Donna sighed, letting herself fall into your chest, releasing your legs but not wanting that sensation of her release inside of you to disappear, staying inside, trying to dominate the dominant one in that very sensual way. “Don’t, don't do this to me again...”

“Okay, the same to you,” you said in your defense, recovering your breath. The lady in black raised her head, looking at you with a frown.

“What have I done to you?” she asked offended, pointing comically at herself.

“What haven’t you done? I think that would be the right question,” you corrected. “Donna, this is the last time you have me without sex for a whole week, is that clear?”

[haerenven]

⋅˚₊‧୨NIGHT COMPANY୧‧₊˚⋅

featuring. portgas d ace x fem!reader

summary. Late at night conversation under arabasta weather, with your captain’s older brother !✧˚ ༘ ⋆｡˚

warning, none serious

As the cool night breeze gently rustled through the air, you found yourself perched alone on the deck of the Going Merry, the silence broken only by the soft lapping of the waves against the hull. The ship was anchored in a secluded inlet, its sails furled and the mainmast towering above the water like a lonely sentinel in the night.

The moon hung low in the sky, casting a pale shimmer on the rippling water, and a carpet of stars extended as far as the eye could see. You took a deep breath, savoring the crisp, salty air that carried the scent of adventure, and leaned back against the railing, your thoughts lost in the vast expanse of the ocean before you.

“need a company?” Startled by the sudden voice breaking into the tranquil night, you spun around to find Ace, your captain's brother, standing a few steps behind you. His dark eyes seemed to dance with a hint of amused mischief as he approached, the moonlight illuminating his tousled locks, making them gleam like raven feathers.

"Mind if I join you?" Ace asked, leaning against the railing beside you, his voice a smooth, velvety baritone that seemed to wrap around you like a comforting embrace. The smell of the sea clung to him, mixed with a subtle hint of sea salt and something uniquely him.

you just nodded and moved aside, giving him space to lean against the railing next to her. The moon cast a silvery glow over them, making the moment feel like a secret shared between the night, the sea, and the two of them.

They stood in silence for a moment, the quiet only broken by the gentle lapping of waves against the ship's hull. Finally, she spoke, her voice softly cutting through the stillness, "Can't sleep either?"

Ace chuckled, his smile a lopsided grin that sent a flutter of warmth through her chest. "Nah, the sea's too restless tonight. I can feel it in my bones." He turned to face her, his gaze warm and steady under the silver moonlit, "Besides," he continued, "I saw you, and I wanted to join you." His words were playful, but there was an undertone of concern in his voice, and she found herself touched by his unspoken worry.

"I just needed to clear my head," she admitted, looking out at the vast expanse of the sea, her voice tinged with a hint of melancholy. The wind picked up, causing the sails above to rustle and snap gently in the night air, “but seriously, why you still awake?” She spoke with her velvety honeyed feminine voice

He stood still by the deck, gazing at the silver moonlight reflecting on the surface of the gently lapping waves. He couldn't help but immerse himself in his thoughts, mulling over the events of the past, each scene playing in his mind like a film reel. With a quiet sigh, he muttered softly, "past…running through my head."

She hummed a sweet tune and nodded, catching him a little off guard. "I can listen" she began, her voice soft and soothing. "if you want to talk about it." He found himself strangely at ease around her, like he could just open up and pour out his innermost thoughts without judgment.

His voice trailed off for a moment as he gathered his thoughts. "My family… or rather," he paused, his gaze drifting out to the darkened sea, "my mother." There was a hint of sorrow in his voice, a tinge of pain that belied the carefully constructed facade he usually wore, He began to speak, hesitant at first but gradually opening up more. It was a strange feeling, as he usually kept his personal life tightly guarded, rarely revealing anything to anyone. But something about her made him want to share, to confide in her in a way he had never done before.

He nodded slowly, his eyes still fixated on the waves he replied, his tone measured and guarded, "I've lost them." He didn't elaborate further, not willing to delve too deeply into the pain that still clutched at his heart, not because of anything, but because of thinking of his mother.

Her voice was gentle, like a comforting caress, as she responded, "Oh… sorry to hearing that." The velvety softness of her words seemed to soothe his raw emotions, a small flicker of comfort in the midst of his grief.

He took a deep breath, trying to keep his emotions in check. "It was a long time ago," he managed to say, his voice steady despite the ache that still lingered in his heart, Her slender, soft hand gently rested on his back, and rub it gently, the unexpected touch sending a jolt of surprise through him. As she began to rub his back with a tender motion, a wave of unfamiliar comfort washed over him.

“you must think I’m vulnerable and weak now, it’s ridiculous” he spoke up trying to keep his usual bubbly attitude, she hummed “no, I think you are even stronger then ever”

he looked at her surprised, stare at her beautiful stunning eyes shine under silver moonlight, “wha-?” , she nodded silently and softly “what you’ve been through isn’t easy, and it’s never ridiculous, you felt hurt and pain, so it’s not and never ridiculous, plus, now I find you much stronger, the fact you kept all these feelings hide inside your heart is really strong of you, no one can keep all this pain hide from the world” she spoke gently with Words full of wisdom

He stared at her, wide-eyed, not quite believing what he was hearing. No one had ever told him that his pain made him strong, that the act of hiding it was a testament to his resilience. Her words pierced through his defenses, touching a part of him that he had thought long buried.

"No one's ever said that before," he mumbled, his voice barely above a whisper. He found himself at a loss for words, too overwhelmed by the unexpected understanding he found in her gaze.

“Then I did” she said confidently with sweet soft smile,

He couldn't help but feel a flutter in his chest as she smiled, her sweetness and confidence radiating like a warm glow. It was as if her words had melted a piece of the wall around his heart, allowing some of the pain and loneliness to escape.

"You're…different," he managed to say, his voice a little hoarse. He couldn't quite put his finger on what it was about her that made him feel so off-balance, but he couldn't deny the effect she was having on him, Her smile only widened at his observation, her eyes dancing with a mischievous sparkle. "Of course I am," she replied easily, a hint of playfulness in her tone. "And you're different too, you know."

“I don’t think I can stop-“ Ace looked at her, his gaze soft and warm in the moonlight, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips. "thinkin' 'bout you" he replied, his voice quiet and intimate in the stillness.

Surprise coursed through her at his words, her heart skipping a beat in her chest. She turned to him, her eyes wide and her cheeks flushed with a hint of a blush. "M-me?" she managed to stammer out, her voice betraying her flustered state.

Ace chuckled, his smile widening into a wolfish grin. "You" he affirmed, leaning in a fraction closer. His eyes were fixed on her, the dark depths of them like pools of night reflecting the silvery moonlight.

“Now you thinkin' 'bout me all night long?, such a simp” she said playfully and bubbly hide her flustered attitude, Ace feigned offence, placing a hand over his heart in a dramatic gesture. "Hey, I'm not just thinking, I'm strategizing," he teased, his eyes sparkling with a hint of mischief. "I was figuring out the best way to win your heart."

He chuckled at the look on her face, her eyes widening with surprise and a hint of a blush on her cheeks. He leaned back against the rail, crossing his arms over his chest, the playfulness still dancing in his eyes. "And I've got a few ideas," he added with a lopsided grin.

“and why you wanna win my heart?” Her soft delicate silky feminine tone ringing in his ears, Ace could see the hint of shyness in her expression. He smiled gently, "Why wouldn't I?" he replied, an undertone of genuine warmth in his words. "Not every day you meet someone as intriguing and captivating as you." His glanced never brake the eye contact between you two, “you’re Cool, strong, brave, intelligent, reliable, and one of my lil’ brother crew members, and one of the prettiest, isn’t enough?”

She felt a flutter in her chest at his words, his gaze and subtle compliments causing her heart to skip a beat. "But there are so many others…" she trailed off, her voice soft and tinged with a hint of insecurity.

"Ah, but they're not you," he replied, his tone holding a hint of possessiveness. "They don't have your fire. Your determination. Your loyalty." He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a murmur, "And your smile makes my heart ache with the need to keep it shining just for me."

Her breath caught in her throat at the intensity in his eyes as his words, her pulse quickening as the space between them seemed to close. She could feel the heat of his body, and the subtle scent of sea salt that clung to him, and she found herself feeling dizzy, lost in the moment and the emotions he stirred in her.

“you know you can’t win my hearts, I don’t think fate can do it, I’m a straw hat pirate, and you are whitebeard pirate, actually, second Division commander”

Ace chuckled, leaning back against the rail and giving her a sly, sidelong glance. "Fate has a funny way of surprising us," he replied, a hint of challenge in his voice. "And since when has that measly little detail stopped anyone from going after what they want?"

he stepped closer a bit, but not really close so he won’t make you feel uncomfortable, “I know it’s seems weird by any chance, but I really like you, I’m not sure what should I call it, I can’t call it love when I barely know you, but I probably can call it LIKE?”, He looked at her, waiting for a response, a hint of nervousness beneath his exterior.

She glanced at him with sparkly gaze with stars shine inside them, “so?, will you date me?” His voice ringing softly with his cheeks were burning red, “if I said yes, can I kiss you?” She mumbled with smooth gentle tone, he smiled bubbly “if I said yes, will you be my girl?”, she had an angelic smile and nodded “yes”, he smiled slightly before grab both of your delicate soft slim hand that look smaller compared of his on slender tanned hands

and one of his hand smoothed on your waist, and pulled you against his muscular bare chest, feeling of the warmth of his skin against the soft fabric of your clothes, and lean forward closer and pressed a gentle sweet kiss on your lips, unexpected from a guy who seemed really player like ace, but either way, you just go with the flow of the moment, and your free hand brushed his cheeks with lovely touch

After while when they broke the kiss, and admire at both of each other sight, he had a small overjoyed smile before pressing a quick peck on your forehead, “thank you for the conversation, and for the kiss, to be honest”

”anytime” She chuckled softly in response, her gaze warm and amused. Then, in a coy tone, she suggested, "You know, I think it’s probably time for us both to get some shut eye. Let's head to bed."

“yeah, sure ~” he spoke up with his honeyed tone, with lovesick puppy expression and dreamy gaze, before shook his head and clear his throat “heh, yeah I think we should go” he rubbed the back of his neck shyly

He looked again at her before placed both of his hands on her cheeks and cupped them softly and pressed a loving kiss on her lips, “good night” , she had a small smile on her kissable lips, and her eyes glow of starts sparkle shines, “good night” she added with soft warm loving gaze

He give her last quick kiss on her lips, turned to move off to the boys cabin, before turned again and pressed another kiss on her lips, she chuckled quietly, then when he turned again he stopped trying hold himself but spun again and hold both of cheeks and locked their lips, and kissed her deeply, and when he broke it he meet her gaze again “sorry, I can’t get enough of—“ he stopped when you shut him by kissing him again gently and stopped before give him calm quiet smile then kissed his cheek and turned and leaved

His heart was a puddle of molten affection, and his gaze was a mix of lovestruck admiration. Pink-tinted cheeks betrayed his inner emotions, and he uttered to himself in a low tone, his voice barely above a whisper, "I think I'm in love”

note. Very cutie, very demure, jk but anyway I already love this, and at the moment requests are opened, plus tell me what do you guys think in comments . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

[dynasty889]

Scylla (Warrior!Penelope AU)

I totally remembered this was in my drafts lmao. Ima be pissed if there’s a typo or something in here oof

CW: Blood, death, descriptions of injuries to the body (lots of dismemberment and severed limbs)

——————————————————————————

The ship sailed slowly on calm waters. The sun was starting to set. The crew hummed quietly a shanty as they rowed onwards towards the narrow passage they had to pass through to get home.

The lair of Scylla…

Penelope walked across the deck to the bow. The waters in front of them were still and silent. Jagged rocks jetted out and as she turned around, she caught a glimpse of a floating, mutilated limb of a human.

Once they entered the strait, all light disappeared except for the torches that burned on the mast. Her crew gagged, a putrid odor of death and horror filled the air.

“This is our only way home,” she mumbled to herself. She breathed deeply as she reminded herself of this.

“Deep down…” The voice was quiet, yet crystal clear as it echoed across the walls.

“You’re quiet today.” Penelope turned her head and found Ctimene standing behind her with a pensive expression. She looked exhausted and ridden with anxiety.

“Deep down…” Those two words again echoed around, but several other voices accompanied the original speaker.

Penelope offered her friend a weak but kind smile. “Not much to say,” she admitted, then returned her gaze to what was in front of them.

“Deep down, you hide a reason for shame...” It was like whoever was speaking was above, below, and on both sides of the ship.

Ctimene ran a hand through her hair. She felt like her knees could give out at any moment. “Penny,” she asked.

Penelope turned to Ctimene again but stayed silent.

“I’ve got a secret I can no longer keep,” she said. Guilt seeped into her tone for she was filled to the brim with it.

“Deep down, you know that we are the same…”

“I opened the wind bag while you were asleep.” Ctimene was shaking like a leaf, her voice cracking as her eyes filled with guilty, regretful tears. Penelope didn’t flinch, she didn’t move. She just turned her gaze away.

“Leaving them feeling betrayed. Breaking the bonds that you’ve made…”

“I’m so sorry,” Ctimene exclaimed.

“There is no price we won’t pay…” Gentle splashes came from behind the ship.

“Forgive me!” she pleaded.

“We both know what it takes to survive…”

“Full speed ahead,” Petra demanded urgently. She didn’t care if she didn’t have the authority to say such a thing, she wanted to get away from these cliffs that seemed to sing on their own.

“Full speed ahead,” the crew chanted. They rowed faster. The oars clanked against the rocks, lifted the seabed up to the surface, and nudged floating objects in the water. “Full speed ahead, full speed ahead!

“Deep down, we only care for ourselves.” The ship bumped into something beneath the water. Or perhaps it was something bumped into the ship. The latter was confirmed when Penelope spotted the dark scales of a creature breaching the surface of the water. Whatever was following them dipped below again, completely out of sight.

“Ctimene,” she called, the first time had acknowledged Ctimene since her concession, “light up six torches.”

Ctimene nodded. She would do anything to appease Penelope, anything to get Penelope to look at her again and trust her. She had failed to obey her captain once, but she would not again. She handed five torches out, keeping the sixth for herself.

“Deep down, we’re lonely demons from Hell…”

“Captain, something approaches,” Ctimene stated as she peered over the railing.

In front of them was a woman. The head of a woman. She had long, thin, black hair. Her eyes blankly stared at the ship, her head slightly tilted, and mouth open. “Hello.” Her mouth didn’t move as she spoke. Her eyes didn’t blink.

Out of the water began to rise a being of great size. Six heads lifted out of the murky water, each baring three rows of jagged teeth. Ctimene stepped away from the railing. Everyone gazed up and down the monster before them. Penelope’s gaze was not on Scylla, only the faint light she could see on the other edge of the strait.

Penelope’s deep sigh was the last of the quiet. “ROW FOR YOUR LIVES!!!” she commanded. Nothing else was given a chance to happen as Scylla lunged for the ship.

“DROWN IN YOUR SORROW AND FEARS!”

Terror paralyzed the crew. This was unlike any monster they had seen before or heard in legends. This was a horror even the gods turned away from. A head creeped from behind and snatched a woman from the deck. Blood spilled as she hung onto the railing, desperate for her life, but the monster’s jaws crushed her and pulled her into the water. A torch dropped onto the deck.

“CHOKE ON YOUR BLOOD AND YOUR TEARS!”

Everyone, aside from Penelope, whipped around and watched the final moments of a life be destroyed. Immediately, another head closed in and stole away another life. Her blood curdling screams bounced off each cliff. She, too, held a torch. The severed arm that held the torch dropped back onto the ship as well. The head swallowed and consumed the spilled blood and broken limb before slipping back down into the water.

“BLEED TILL YOU’VE RAN OUT OF YEARS!” A third crew mate was picked off. She screamed and reached her hands out. Ctimene hurriedly gave her torch to another and ran to save her. Their hands touched briefly, but Scylla’s bite was too powerful. Ctimene was coated in blood and a torch dropped beside her feet.

“No…” Ctimene’s mind was working as fast as Scylla’s jaws were, but her body was not. The woman she had handed her torch to was crushed to pieces.

“WE MUST DO WHAT IT TAKES TO SURVIVE!”

Penelope was eerily calm. Scylla plucked a woman right behind her, piercing her chest and back with her fangs. The woman grabbed onto the ship. Penelope was right in front of her and she reached out for help, but Penelope didn’t move. She stared straight ahead like she was looking at Death right in the eyes. Like everyone else who Scylla had killed, the flickering flames of a torch was the last thing they left behind.

“GIVE UP YOUR HONOR AND FAITH! LIVE UP YOUR LIFE AS A WRAITH! DIE IN THE BLOOD WHERE YOU BATHE! WE BOTH KNOW WHAT IT TAKES TO SURVIVE!” Scylla’s heads finished their chant as the final person to fall victim to her was consumed and dragged under water.

Every head but the first one that greeted them sank below. She watched with the same blank eyes as the ship reached the other side of the strait. She sang one last chant, “We are the same you and I…”

“…I,” Penelope whispered. The ship emerged into the light once more, greeted to an orange sky and bright sunset.

Ctimene was sick with guilt and anger. She turned around, eyes blinded by the setting of the sun. When a cloud finally blocked its light, she only saw one thing in her way.

Penelope.

[book--brackets]

The Liveship Traders by Robin Hobb (1998-2000)

Wizardwood, a sentient wood. The most precious commodity in the world. Like many other legendary wares, it comes only from the Rain River Wilds.

But how can one trade with the Rain Wilders, when only a liveship fashioned from wizardwood can negotiate the perilous waters of the Rain River? Rare and valuable a liveship will quicken only when three members, from successive generations, have died on board. The liveship Vivacia is about to undergo her quickening as Althea Vestrit’s father is carried on deck in his death-throes. Althea waits for the ship that she loves more than anything else in the world to awaken. Only to discover that the Vivacia has been signed away in her father’s will to her brutal brother-in-law, Kyle Haven...

Others plot to win or steal a liveship. The Paragon, known by many as the Pariah, went mad, turned turtle, and drowned his crew. Now he lies blind, lonely, and broken on a deserted beach. But greedy men have designs to restore him, to sail the waters of the Rain Wild River once more.

Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke (1997-2021)

With lonely Ben aboard, brave dragon Firedrake seeks mythical place where silver dragons can live in peace. Over moonlit lands and sparkling seas, they meet fantastic creatures, summon up surprising courage - and cross a ruthless villain with an ancient grudge determined to end their quest. Only a secret destiny can save the dragons and bring them the true meaning of home.

The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow (2020)

In 1893, there's no such thing as witches. There used to be, in the wild, dark days before the burnings began, but now witching is nothing but tidy charms and nursery rhymes. If the modern woman wants any measure of power, she must find it at the ballot box.

But when the Eastwood sisters -- James Juniper, Agnes Amaranth, and Beatrice Belladonna -- join the suffragists of New Salem, they begin to pursue the forgotten words and ways that might turn the women's movement into the witch's movement. Stalked by shadows and sickness, hunted by forces who will not suffer a witch to vote -- and perhaps not even to live -- the sisters will need to delve into the oldest magics, draw new alliances, and heal the bond between them if they want to survive.

There's no such thing as witches. But there will be.

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon (2013-present)

In 2059, Scion has taken over most of the world's cities, promising safety for all the citizens it deems worthy and wiping out clairvoyants wherever it can find them. 

Paige Mahoney, though, is a clairvoyant--and a criminal just for existing. Paige is determined to fight Scion's power, and as part of the Seven Seals, Paige has found a use for her powers: she scouts for information by breaking into others' minds as they dream. 

But when Paige is captured and arrested, she encounters a power more sinister even than Scion. The voyant prison is a separate city, controlled by a powerful, otherworldly race. These creatures, the Rephaim, value the voyants highly--as soldiers in their army. 

Paige is assigned to a Rephaite keeper, Warden, who will be in charge of her care and training. He is her master. Her natural enemy. But if she wants to regain her freedom, Paige will have to learn something of his mind and his own mysterious motives.

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao (2021-present)

The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the mecha aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall. It doesn’t matter that the girls often die from the mental strain.

When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it’s to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister’s death. But she gets her vengeance in a way nobody expected—she kills him through the psychic link between pilots and emerges from the cockpit unscathed. She is labeled an Iron Widow, a much-feared and much-silenced kind of female pilot who can sacrifice boys to power up Chrysalises instead.​

To tame her unnerving yet invaluable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest and most controversial male pilot in Huaxia​. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily. She will miss no opportunity to leverage their combined might and infamy to survive attempt after attempt on her life, until she can figure out exactly why the pilot system works in its misogynist way—and stop more girls from being sacrificed.

Kushiel's Legacy by Jacqueline Carey (2001-2003)

The land of Terre d'Ange is a place of unsurpassing beauty and grace. It is said that angels found the land and saw it was good...and the ensuing race that rose from the seed of angels and men live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt.

Phèdre nó Delaunay is a young woman who was born with a scarlet mote in her left eye. Sold into indentured servitude as a child, her bond is purchased by Anafiel Delaunay, a nobleman with very a special mission...and the first one to recognize who and what she is: one pricked by Kushiel's Dart, chosen to forever experience pain and pleasure as one.

Phèdre is trained equally in the courtly arts and the talents of the bedchamber, but, above all, the ability to observe, remember, and analyze. Almost as talented a spy as she is courtesan, Phèdre stumbles upon a plot that threatens the very foundations of her homeland. Treachery sets her on her path; love and honor goad her further. And in the doing, it will take her to the edge of despair...and beyond. Hateful friend, loving enemy, beloved assassin; they can all wear the same glittering mask in this world, and Phèdre will get but one chance to save all that she holds dear.

Beauty by Robin McKinley (1978)

Beauty has never liked her nickname. She is thin and awkward; it is her two sisters who are the beautiful ones. But what she lacks in appearance, she can perhaps make up for in courage. When her father comes home with a tale of an enchanted castle in the forest and the terrible promise he had to make to the Beast who lives there, Beauty knows she must travel to the castle, a prisoner of her own free will. Her father insists that he will not let her go, but she responds, "Cannot a Beast be tamed?"

The Immortals Quartet by Tamora Pierce (1992-1996)

Thirteen-year-old Daine has always had a special connection with animals, but only when she's forced to leave home does she realize it's more than a knack--it's magic. With this wild magic, not only can Daine speak to animals, but she can also make them obey her. Daine takes a job handling horses for the Queen's Riders, where she meets the master mage Numair and becomes his student. 

Under Numair's guidance, Daine explores the scope of her magic. But she encounters other beings, too, who are not so gentle. These terrifying creatures, called Immortals, have been imprisoned in the Divine Realms for the past four hundred years--but now someone has broken the barrier. And it's up to Daine and her friends to defend their world from an Immortal attack.

The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander (1964-1968)

Taran wanted to be a hero, and looking after a pig wasn't exactly heroic, even though Hen Wen was an oracular pig. But the day that Hen Wen vanished, Taran was led into an enchanting and perilous world. With his band of followers, he confronted the Horned King and his terrible Cauldron-Born. These were the forces of evil, and only Hen Wen knew the secret of keeping the kingdom of Prydain safe from them. But who would find her first?

Seven Realms by Cinda Williams Chima (2009-2012)

Times are hard in the mountain city of Fellsmarch. Reformed thief Han Alister will do almost anything to eke out a living for his family. The only thing of value he has is something he can't sell—the thick silver cuffs he's worn since birth. They're clearly magicked—as he grows, they grow, and he's never been able to get them off.

One day, Han and his clan friend, Dancer, confront three young wizards setting fire to the sacred mountain of Hanalea. Han takes an amulet from Micah Bayar, son of the High Wizard, to keep him from using it against them. Soon Han learns that the amulet has an evil history—it once belonged to the Demon King, the wizard who nearly destroyed the world a millennium ago. With a magical piece that powerful at stake, Han knows that the Bayars will stop at nothing to get it back.

Meanwhile, Raisa ana'Marianna, princess heir of the Fells, has her own battles to fight. She's just returned to court after three years of freedom in the mountains—riding, hunting, and working the famous clan markets. Raisa wants to be more than an ornament in a glittering cage. She aspires to be like Hanalea—the legendary warrior queen who killed the Demon King and saved the world. But her mother has other plans for her...

The Seven Realms tremble when the lives of Hans and Raisa collide, fanning the flames of the smoldering war between clans and wizards.