#Gemini t shirt

[johnnydany]

Don't Flirt With Me I Love My Girl She Is A Crazy Gemini T-Shirt

Get yours now: https://www.teepublic.com/t-shirt/38101612-dont-flirt-with-me-i-love-my-girl-she-is-a-crazy-g

Let's Share & Tag Someone Who Would Love This Shirt

#gemini #geminizodiac #geminizodiacsign #geminishirt #geminitshirt #lovegemini #geminilover #geminiiquotes #funnygemini #geminihoroscope #geminigirl #geminiwoman #geminisign #geminisayings #ilovemygirlfriend #crazygeminigirl #geminilovers #love #valentinegift #valentinesdaygift #shewillmurderyou #dontflirtwithme #boyfriend #girlfriend #zodiac #horoscope

[sihapparel]

⚡ Futuristic Vibes: AI-Generated Abstract Art Tee ⚡

🖤 Bold, Modern, and Unique.

This T-shirt features an AI-generated abstract art design — futuristic lines meet moody tones. Perfect for streetwear fans, tech lovers, and modern art enthusiasts.

🔗 Tap here to shop the look

and bring home wearable art!

[creativedesignt-shirts]

Gemini SZN is for all seasons. The undefeated sign that's double the strength of any other. Show the world who you are and let them know you're coming at them with full energy all year round.

[slvdesigndotcom]

Gemini Zodiac by studioslv

[blaaaaask]

Zodiac Full Circle on RedBubble

Back at it again! I decided to rework my Zodiac patterns into a fun circle moment, and left it in black ink this time. More colors for the backgrounds are coming soon!

Shirts have different color options, so choose whatever you like!

Get it here in my shop! https://www.redbubble.com/shop/ap/160799107

[terminator-product-art]

[motion90affect]

(via "Splitting Impressionism 1st Edition" Tri-blend T-Shirt for Sale by Thomas Berberich)

[valleydreamshop]

(via Gemini Zodiac Sign Art Abstraction Active T-Shirt by ValleyDream)

[venusianpulp]

Rising Sign & Your Perfect Festival Outfit

Here are the perfect any music festival outfits for each of the 12 zodiac signs and Ascendants, with details on color schemes, materials, accents, and overall aesthetics:

PSA: Images and descriptions are both complimentary, so they may not be entirely identical, but everything is relevent.

Aries Rising: Bold and daring, an Aries rising would rock a fiery red crop top paired with high-waisted denim shorts. Accessorize with a black leather choker, combat boots, and a statement belt. The outfit screams confidence and adventure.

Taurus Rising: Earthy and sensual, a Taurus rising would opt for a flowy, bohemian-style maxi dress in shades of green and brown. Pair with a leather fringe vest, ankle boots, and a wide-brimmed hat. The outfit exudes comfort and laid-back elegance.

Gemini Rising: Playful and eclectic, a Gemini rising would mix and match patterns and colors. A graphic tee paired with a colorful, patterned skirt, fishnet stockings, and high-top sneakers. Accessorize with layered necklaces and quirky sunglasses for a fun, youthful vibe.

Cancer Rising: Soft and feminine, a Cancer rising would choose a vintage-inspired, pale blue sundress with delicate lace details. Pair with a cozy, oversized cardigan, ankle-strap sandals, and a small, cross-body bag. The outfit radiates comfort and nostalgia.

Leo Rising: Bold and dramatic, a Leo rising would make a statement in a metallic gold romper with a plunging neckline. Accessorize with a chunky, gold chain necklace, oversized sunglasses, and platform heels. The outfit screams glamour and confidence.

Virgo Rising: Clean and practical, a Virgo rising would opt for a crisp, white button-down shirt tucked into high-waisted, black denim shorts. Pair with a black leather belt, minimalist jewelry, and comfortable, low-top sneakers. The outfit is polished and effortlessly chic.

Libra Rising: Elegant and balanced, a Libra rising would choose a flowy, pastel pink maxi skirt paired with a white, off-the-shoulder crop top. Accessorize with delicate, gold jewelry, strappy sandals, and a woven clutch. The outfit is feminine and harmonious.

Scorpio Rising: Mysterious and alluring, a Scorpio rising would opt for a black, lace bodysuit paired with high-waisted, faux leather leggings. Layer with a sheer, black kimono, and accessorize with a choker, ankle boots, and a dark, smoky eye. The outfit is seductive and intense.

Sagittarius Rising: Adventurous and free-spirited, a Sagittarius rising would rock a tie-dye, cropped t-shirt paired with distressed, cut-off denim shorts. Accessorize with a woven, multicolored belt, layered anklets, and gladiator sandals. The outfit is playful and adventurous.

Capricorn Rising: Classic and sophisticated, a Capricorn rising would choose a sleek, solid & colored co-ord with a structured, cinched waist. Pair with knee high or thigh high black boots or dainty shoes, minimalist jewelry, and subtly refined look. The outfit is timeless and powerful.

Aquarius Rising: Unique and unconventional, an Aquarius rising would opt for a holographic, iridescent bodysuit paired with high-waisted, flared pants. Accessorize with a chunky, silver choker, platform boots, and a brightly colored, faux fur coat. The outfit is futuristic and eccentric.

Pisces Rising: Dreamy and ethereal, a Pisces rising would choose a flowy, sheer, pastel purple maxi dress with delicate, floral embroidery. Layer with a soft, crochet cardigan, and accessorize with a flower crown, layered, beaded necklaces, and strappy, barefoot sandals. The outfit is whimsical and enchanting.

[sacha-bug]

Written in the Stars

Arcane Characters × Gn! Reader Astrology Headcanons | SFW | 1.7k | Part 1/3 *Reposted from an old blog of mine!

- What Signs are they most likely to date? - How long do they stay together? - What are their relationships like? Featuring: Vi , Jinx , and Ekko

VI ⋆ Aries , Cancer , Capricorn , Aquarius

Vi was born December 19th! Thus, she's a Sagittarius! The fire element truly suits her personality-- brave, bold, and sometimes a little too hot to handle. A few of her traits align very well with her sign, too! She's free-spirited and yet grounded in her sense of duty. She struggles in relationships that feel too clingy or walled-in, though in her heart's heart, Vi dreams of a partner that will remain by her side no matter the adventure.

ARIES ⋆ Fiery & Genuine ⋆ 8 Months - 2 Years

Fire for fire, heart for heart. Vi's relationship with an Aries would come on hard and fast-- and is likely a relationship of circumstance. With two strong personalities, Vi and her Aries are sure to get a lot done together regarding their personal goals.

However, when trouble comes, it comes on just as harshly. Split goals can be the thing to crumble their connection, as Vi needs someone who can stay on her page, and unfortunately, lacks a lot of give when conflict hits. If you want to be the Aries to conquer that 2-year mark... You'll have to be ready for hellfire, and ready to promise her that you'll still be there, even when she is being a bit unreasonable.

CANCER ⋆ Loyal & Intuitive ⋆ 2 Months - 5 Years

The road to heaven is a rocky one. Unlike the whirlwind romance of Vi and Aries, Vi and Cancer take time to develop. Though a Cancer with a sharp eye can decode Vi with a few spare moments and an eyeglass-- Vi struggles a lot more to bond fully with her Cancer. They're intuitive, and deep, but tend to keep that vulnerability composed when they're just getting to know someone. That can be very frustrating for Vi, who struggles with more poetic relationships.

But once Vi's Cancer learns to let her in, Vi is an apt learner. She may not say it aloud, but Vi remembers every single inch of her Cancer, from their favorite color, to their favorite cut of shirt. That's when a Cancer can really dive into Vi's vulnerability, too, leading to many late-night talks about things Vi hasn't told anyone else.

CAPRICORN ⋆ Responsible & Balancing ⋆ 1 Year - Forever

Stability starts with trust. Vi's relationship with a Capricorn very likely starts as friendship. Before Vi can love her Capricorn, she has to learn to appreciate how balanced she feels, by the earth sign. While Vi is a very fiery, active Sagittarius, her Capricorn can give that fire a stage to burn on without getting out of control.

Once Vi learns stability with her Capricorn, the only way to lose her is by never showing her your own need for stability, as well. While Vi loves having a pillar of confidence at her side, she begins to doubt herself if you don't show her that you, too, need her. If Vi's Capricorn can let their walls down and allow Vi to take the wheel-- they're bound to be together forever.

AQUARIUS ⋆ Independent & Thoughtful ⋆ 6 Months - 7 Years

United under the same cause. Vi and her Aquarius are another case of circumstance-- united under their same desire for equity. Aquarius can frequently pose as the planner behind Vi's action, and many may not know it. Until stated aloud, many may not even realize Vi and her Aquarius are a couple, because they're so driven to the work they do together.

Things become much more intimate in the later years, if an Aquarius makes it so far. Things begin to take shape when Vi begins to learn to let herself be vulnerable in front of them-- leading to a very fulfilling sense of mutual understanding. Overall, very fulfilling and sweet-- but you may have to push for additional affection, if you desire it.

JINX ⋆ Taurus , Gemini , Leo , Pisces

Jinx is an October baby! The tenth, specifically-- making her a Libra! I find her Libra-ness to be so interestingly contradictory! Not to say she isn't like a libra... But that it's so clear that she is one, although terribly wounded away from the diplomatic, social nature they're known for. Due to her struggles, it shows through primarily in her grudge-holding ability, and in how much she hurts when she's stuck by herself. Jinx needs a loving hand-- and one that will not waver.

TAURUS ⋆ Patient & Devoted ⋆ 1 Month - Forever

Survive the storm, then smooth sailing! Jinx inherently struggles with forming real, true relationships. A Taurus is genuinely the perfect match for her-- to supply the stability and empathy Jinx so deeply desires. At first, Jinx will self-sabotage, testing her Taurus just to see how far they can be pushed before they jump ship. No one would fault the Taurus for leaving-- but a real stubborn bull can bring her home.

Once she realizes that there's no amount of fighting, crying, kicking or screaming she could do to chase you off, the storm clouds fade. Jinx still has her bad days, and will need extra assurance then. But rest assured, once Jinx knows you would never abandon her, she'd do just about anything to keep you. Expect many, many, many handmade gifts.

GEMINI ⋆ Affectionate & Gentle ⋆ 3 Months - 5 Years

Not forever, but never forgotten. I don't think Jinx would find her life partner in a Gemini. However, I do think Jinx would learn so much about loving herself and others from one. Gemini marks the gentle hand of her first sweetheart, and reminds her that it's okay to be gentle and sweet, as she once was.

Jinx and her Gemini teach each other so much about the good and the bad of love, and they do it all together. Though Jinx is a holder of grudges, she will never forget the whirlwind of flower petals her Gemini lovers always flurry her way.

LEO ⋆ Passionate & Cozy ⋆ Never or Forever

The truest match. All I'm saying is, if Jinx finds a Leo, the other signs don't stand a chance. Chances of Jinx dating a Leo are very, very low... But if she gets even a little too captured by the passionate, yet adoring nature of a Leo, she's going to be smitten for eternity! Jinx and her Leo understand perfectly both the softness, and the insanity, of each other. A mutual understanding leads to a lot in common!

Leos can provide for Jinx the passionate crazy of a fire sign, but with a handful of the security and devotion she's attracted to in earth signs. This leads to a relationship that challenges her and her ideals, while also providing her with a feeling of safety and security.

PISCES ⋆ Compassionate & Intuitive ⋆ 2 Years - 3 Years

Weigh your consequences, and you'll make it! The selfless nature of a Pisces makes it relatively easy to make it into Jinx's circle, but beware! Jinx's desire to succeed in her plans makes her more likely to not see you as a partner, but an aid. She doesn't have bad intent, but she's greedy when it comes to her intentions-- and they may just be bigger than the two of you combined.

If you're able to draw a line between doing Jinx's bidding and helping her when she needs it, she'll learn to only call upon you when she needs you. Fruitfully, her needs become less of a reliance, and more of a desire for your kind, flowing energy in her space.

EKKO ⋆ Libra , Scorpio , Sagittarius , Virgo

Ekko was born May 28th, making him an adaptable, quick-witted Gemini. Though Ekko puts on his tough, determined face when fighting for freedom with the Firelights, that little kid is still alive and well within! This just means he's chock-full of passion, and also plenty of silliness he may only show around those he loves most.

LIBRA ⋆ Cooperative & Peaceful ⋆ 3 Months to 1 Year

Collaborators... And more. Ekko's bond with a Libra is precious. It reminds him of his youth, and makes him feel free. His Libra works with him at his side, to reach common goals. You seldom fight (Dear Libra, your habit of leaving minor issues unspoken can poison Ekko rotten), and often fill nights with long-winded conversations about your ideas and beliefs.

Libra, though, is very committed. Ekko is not ready to settle down, and while that doesn't mean he plans on screwing around, he simply isn't ready to commit to a forever partner. This can dishearten his infatuated Libra, and may even be the final unspoken disagreement that ends their relationship.

SCORPIO ⋆ Powerful & Assertive ⋆ 8 Months to 6 Years

Honesty, always. The bond between Ekko and his Scorpio will never be tarnished by lies or lack of communication. Their shared practicality leads to easily shared goals and aspirations, making Scorpios the most common of Ekko's date choices.

I do think they conflict a little, in the common Scorpio desire for physical affections. Ekko prioritizes time spent together, and can sometimes forget that bed isn't just for falling into, exhausted, and ending the night. Remind him that you need that physical assurance, and things will retain nicely.

SAGITTARIUS ⋆ Generous & Intellectual ⋆ 1 Month to 6 Months

Short lived, but passionate. Ekko's relationships with his Sagittarius tends to be one of shared ideals and interests, but little deep emotional bond. The two enjoy being together, working together, and chatting-- but the two find it hard to bond on a deeper level. The free-spirited Sagittarius is predisposed to getting bored of this lacking bond.

If you're the special case he decides to let his walls down for, though, it can be very fulfilling. Ekko and his Sagittarius challenge each other in every way-- opinions, intelligence, and all. It's an incredibly energetic relationship, with lots of gentle teasing and prodding.

VIRGO ⋆ Loyal & Stable ⋆ 4 Months to Forever

Two sides of the same coin. Typical of an earth sign, Ekko's Virgo offers a sense of security and stability in routine and presence. They bounce off of each other very well, learning that maybe being a little less this and a little more that can round them both out very well! Ekko can bring a quiet Virgo out of their shell and into the spotlight, while the Virgo can teach him that sometimes, it's okay to step back and watch the big picture as it comes into light.

However, Ekko and Virgos both share a similar issue-- Unending aspiration. Ekko's priorities can make things inconsistent, while Virgos tend to prioritize their goals in a way that leads to comfortable change and strict ritual. Ekko can't promise those rituals will always be around, and it poses a serious risk for the both of them.

[astroismypassion]

✨PART OF FORTUNE IN SIGNS AND HOUSES SERIES: 4TH HOUSE✨

Credit goes to astrology blog @astroismypassion

ARIES PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 4TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Aries and Cancer Sun people in your life. You could make money via starting your own small business from home or take a leadership role, especially in the kitchen, family matters, children, education, history and geography. You may be an excellent tour guide of your local town. You may also find wealth through becoming a coach, personal trainer or someone who suggest meal plan for a specific sport, for example meal plan for runners.

TAURUS PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 4TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Taurus and Cancer Sun people in your life. You could make money via real estate, gardening, landscaping, art and craftsmanship. You can sell handmade items, such as pottery, jewelry or home decor. You may also offer gardening services, sell plants or draw plants and sell your drawings online. You could start a home-based catering service, bakery or sell homemade goods at a local market. You might be able to create financial plans for families since you have a knack for helping others to manage their finances.

GEMINI PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 4TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Gemini and Cancer Sun people in your life. You could make money via writing articles, blogs, even e-books from home. Especially on platforms like Medium, Substack or starting your own blog from the comfort of your home. You may also offer tutoring services o reven create online courses in subjects you are passionate about (Udemy, Coursera, VIPKid).

CANCER PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 4TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Cancer Sun people in your life. You could make money via a home-based business, such as home bakery, daycare or arts and crafts. You could find abundance in life by becoming a life coach, counselor or therapist. You may earn money from a home-cooked meal delivery. You can also each yourself interior design.

LEO PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 4TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Leo and Cancer Sun people in your life. You could make money via music, singing, performing from home, tutoring someone in music and teaching them how to play an instrument. You may also post tutorials (for example guitar tutorials) online from the comfort of your home.

VIRGO PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 4TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Virgo and Cancer Sun people in your life. You could make money via selling your homemade jams, pies or granola mix. You may also offer healthy student snacks or offer tips on how to make those at home with cheap and easy ingredients. Again, you could feel abundant when starting a podcast or your own local book club or even themed book club.

LIBRA PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 4TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Libra and Cancer Sun people in your life. You could make money via designing and selling your own T-shirts, designing logos for other people. You could be good at doing make up for weddings or birthday parties. You have a knack to be an excellent host at your own home. You feel the most abundant when you have balanced family relations and friendships, partnership.

SCORPIO PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 4TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Scorpio and Cancer Sun people in your life. You could make money via teaching people how to overcome tough situations in life and helping them find their purpose, hosting a leadership course online or from home. You may also enjoy talking about mental health and psychology.

SAGITTARIUS PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 4TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Sagittarius and Cancer Sun people in your life. You could make money via showing tourists your hometown, hosting a culinary course in a foreign language on the local cuisine. You could also find abundance by becoming a local tour guide, even offering virtual tours of your local town.

CAPRICORN PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 4TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Capricorn and Cancer Sun people in your life. You could make money via working with your parents, helping other families finding structure and order in the home, organising someone's closet.

AQUARIUS PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 4TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Aquarius and Cancer Sun people in your life. You could make money via video gaming from home and streaming. You could also start a home-based business. You feel the wealthiest when you are being progressive, unique and standing out from the community. You may attract wealth by starting a podcast with your close friends, building websites from home or launching your own social media channel, platform.

PISCES PART OF FORTUNE IN THE 4TH HOUSE

You feel the most abundant when you have Pisces and Cancer Sun people in your life. You could make money via taking photos of families or pregnant women. You may also do videos for someone's wedding, anniversary or birthday. You may host themed parties at home for your friends or poetry nights.

Credit goes to astrology blog @astroismypassion

[aettuddae]

business matter — chapter 125.

↳ synopsis: two of the most important kpop companies covet a partnership with a huge global brand, only to be surprised when the deal is extended to both labels. fearing potential sabotage and cynical strategies to secure exclusivity for just one of them, both CEOs resort to desperate measures. in a bid to maintain trust and prevent betrayal before the signing, they come up with a pact: forcing a fake relationship between the leaders of their star girlgroups. if one side attempted to fail the other, they threaten to expose it all to the conservative south korea.

masterlist | prev | next

[written chapter]

ryujin and serim were lying on the older woman's bed, both at extremely opposite ends, as far apart as possible. ryujin had half her body slumped towards the floor, but she would never have moved an inch closer to her best friend's woman. both pairs of eyes staring at the ceiling, in a room in almost total darkness if it weren't for a colored light that serim turned on for her phobia, and not a word filling the air. serim's foot kept tapping the air repeatedly because of the discomfort and anxiety of the situation.

the hours passed and they tried to sleep, but there was such tension and thoughts flitting around in their heads that they were not allowed to. something about the situation was not right, and no one can sleep when something is not right.

"are there any habits you have when sleeping that you want to do to make yourself more comfortable?" dared jang to vocalize from her extreme.

"i usually have a stuffed animal to cuddle with." commented ryujin with a thread of a voice. "but the truth is that today i was hoping to sleep cuddling a beautiful woman." honesty charged her words, making what she was referring to very clear.

"but i am a beautiful woman." for a moment she completely forgot about the previous situation, offense clear in her tone.

"yes, you are a beautiful woman, serim." she admitted defeatedly, bringing her hand up to her forehead to squeeze between her brows. "but i want to sleep cuddling with yeji." she admitted.

"you can sleep with yeji every day, but you can only sleep with me this one time." she pointed defensively.

"since when do you want to sleep holding me?" she questioned quickly, tired.

"i don't want us to sleep cuddled, but i can't believe someone has the chance to sleep with me and doesn't take it." she explained haughtily, arranging her hair even when she could barely be seen by the girl.

"serim, focus." she threw her body more towards the center of the bed to manage to reach the opposite one and tap her on the shoulder.

"i'm sorry." she spoke regretfully. "it's hard for me to think of only one thing at a time."

"listen." she ordered decisively. "you have to sleep with jimin."

as hard as it seemed to believe, ryujin wasn't thinking about her manhwa. even her manhwa wasn't as important as yeji at that moment.

"don't even think about it." she flatly refused, raising her upper body quickly, erect, giving the younger girl a mortifying look.

"please." she got down on her knees over the bed. "this is my chance to sleep with the girl i like." she grabbed the older one by her t-shirt, shaking her lightly. "i know you and jimin are going through a marriage crisis-"

"marriage?" she exclaimed.

"basically." she confirmed. "but i need you to stand her for just one night and let me sleep in the arms of a beautiful cat-eyed gemini."

she threw herself forward, leaning her forehead on jang's shoulder and pretending to cry from despair as she continued to mumble pleas.

serim had been a queer girl for as long as she could remember, and even though she had a hard time dealing with her feelings, she was a romantic. many times she would have begged for the chance to sleep next to someone she was attracted to, or just to be alone with her. she was moved, she felt as part of the situation, she might have to deal with her greatest nemesis and yet she couldn't refuse to help a woman be happy with another one.

fucking sagittarian victim of the sense of community and the need to fight for a movement,

or fucking hopeless romantic.

"go." she averted her gaze to the floor of her room, dejected.

"what?" ryujin raised her head with speed to look at her expectantly to see if she had heard correctly.

"go." she reiterated louder. "but tell jimin to get lost on the way." she joked, though not quite as much.

"i can't tell her that." she warned as she got out of bed. "it's because of plot issues."

"of what?" she looked at her in confusion as ryujin walked away.

"it's for the plot." she repeated walking out of the room almost running.

after a couple of minutes the door opened with strength and from behind it jumped jimin who came almost striding towards serim's room, to lash this one behind her back once inside.

"ryujin said you wanted me to come sleep with you!" she made an almost olympic leap towards the mattress, remaining kneeling next to serim, looking at her with eyes full of illusion waiting for her to confirm ryujin's side.

"i never said that." confessed serim, causing jimin's expression to drop to one of disbelief.

"disappointed, but not surprised." she said.

"she must have said it so yeji wouldn't suspect she begged me so she could go sleep with her." the oldest added.

"oh, so i'm here just for ryujin?" she asked in a low volume as she tucked in the sheets.

"what can i say?" she said seriously, confirming the girl's doubt.

now the taste in their mouths was sour. when ryujin told her to go sleep with serim, jimin already knew not to expect anything since the woman was still angry, but she couldn't help it. the thought that maybe she couldn't resist having her so close and not being right next to her invaded her brain and wouldn't let her find clarity until serim reminded her that it wasn't so. in fact, jang was in a bad mood since she didn't want to share a bed with her.

they both had the realization that it would be best to pretend the other wasn't there and sleep, hoping that time and grief would fly away without them noticing, thus waking up in the morning with no more pain to bear or resolve.

but if it had been difficult to fall asleep next to ryujin, for serim it would be even more complex having a few centimeters away a woman who usually without even being there already kept her awake during the nights. she could feel her perfume from her place.

no one talks about the willpower you need to resist the perfume of the one you love.

serim was losing her patience and composure, if she got into a certain position she could feel her there, her presence, her scent and the pungent idea that if she stretched out her arm she could touch her soft porcelain skin. if she settled on the other side she would become impatient thinking that maybe she was looking at her and longing for her in the same way, only to immediately block it out by telling herself that this was impossible, and the doubt kept her brain active. she couldn't stop moving around trying to find a place on the mattress where she could lose consciousness in peace without feeling intoxicated by yu jimin.

"namu." called the younger girl gently, but only got as an answer another abrupt rotation of serim's body still searching for comfort. "namu." she said again louder.

"what?" her voice sounded bitter, because of the bad taste in her mouth from not being able to sleep and having the dancer next to her.

"are you okay?" she inquired with concern.

serim gave a long sigh, closing her eyes in an attempt to calm down a bit all the negative emotions she was feeling. "yes, i'm fine." she assured, but she sounded stressed.

"you can't sleep?" she turned her head to look at what was visible of jang's profile in the dim light.

"no, i can't."

"do you want me to help you?" she offered.

"what could you help me with?" she asked wryly, assuming it was an idea with no possible outcome.

"i don't know." she said, her voice weak. "i know you like me to play with your hair until you fall asleep, i could do that." she proposed, in her voice you could hear she was smiling slightly.

"no." she coldly declined.

"anything else?" sounding vulnerable again.

"jimin." she took a breath. "you can't help me solve the problem because the problem is you." admitted.

there was a silence that took over the room, but it didn't become uncomfortable. they could have tried to sleep in that silence and it would have been fine, but they both had a bad habit of not knowing when to let things go.

"i know that." commented the younger one. "but maybe i can still do something for you." she thought. "would you be better off if i lay down in the sleeping bag?" she suggested.

"as mad as i am at you i wouldn't let you sleep on the floor." she refused. "i can use it."

"you're crazy if you think i would let you sleep on the bag." jimin held serim by her arm in case she thought about standing up.

"just forget it." she removed her limp from the girl's grip. "the problem is that you're here and i don't want you to be here." she acknowledged sullenly. "i couldn't sleep when ryujin was around, less i'll be able to with you." she complied.

"but you've shared a bed with me before." she reminisced.

"that was before you screwed things up." jang scorned.

"are you seriously telling me you're not comfortable sleeping next to the one you love?" she ignored her comment.

"i'm just saying that even ryujin i would trust more than you."

serim fixed her pillow, ending the conversation. even if she had implied that she couldn't give herself to morpheus, she still closed her eyes so as not to let jimin continue talking. but after a moment of being still her own body was bothering her again, and she tried to cover herself with the blanket, remove it, raise and lower her legs, tilt the pillow to different sides, but nothing was working.

her eyes remained sightless and with all the chaos she was generating, she hadn't heard when jimin slid across the bed until she reached her, it was only when she felt her hands holding her head that she realized she was there. her body rested against hers, while with one hand she made room to slip her full arm behind her neck and hold her in her embrace with it, while with the other she ran her fingers through her locks of hair.

serim over time had learned that jimin would never listen to her, but sometimes it didn't even bother her. it felt good, her body heat felt good. her cuddling, her touch, the feeling of her lips resting on her forehead, her breath crashing against her. jimin always felt too good. she didn't feel the need to seek comfort in any other way, perhaps because she couldn't think of anything else but the woman around her.

was she so pathetic? once she came into contact with jimin she couldn't push her away? was she all talk?

even more humiliating was when jimin began to leave kisses on her temple, gently, carefully as if she were made of glass. her lips leaving short caresses as they moved across her face, serim's forehead, cheeks, nose, even kissing her eyelids that lay closed still, no longer trying to sleep, but enjoying the contact.

at no time did they intend to approach her mouth, but it's not like serim had time to think anything about it, to complain or thank her, because something much more daring was happening on her neck that was being soaked by the saliva of the younger girl. the kisses were still subtle, but they were spreading naughtily from her collarbone to her jaw, who just responded by putting her hand on jimin's waist, squeezing it.

for a moment she had to force herself to wake up from the trance she had entered so she could use her head and remember why she was so angry at karina.

was there anything, really, that yu jimin had done right?

serim gathered strength and increased the force she had on her waist, pushing the girl away from her arms.

she rolled over on her body, lying on her stomach, her forearms pressed against the blanket and her face sunk into them to cover herself from the mixture of embarrassment and annoyance she felt, catching her breath, coming back to herself.

"i'm sorry." karina spoke first.

"do you just want me for sex?" she lifted her face, looking at her uneasily.

"no, my namu." she approached her gently. "i just don't know how to behave around you." she rested her palm on the back of serim's neck, as they looked into each other's eyes with a very short distance between them. "i like you too much." she put strength where she was holding, making serim, who didn't resist much, lean into her. "i don't get to be around you without wanting to kiss you." jimin laid on her back and guided jang to lie on top of her, the woman's head resting on yu's chest.

jimin was the oldest's achilles heel. when she found herself in these situations where she couldn't fight her desires, she wondered if she ever behaved this way for other people, but not even when she broke up with her ex-girlfriend yeeun, for whom she suffered deeply, did she allow herself to succumb to her in this way. which led her to think about what was so special about the person under her at that moment that made her so vital to her, and she would always bump into herself finding endless reasons why there was no other like karina.

serim left a few kisses on the youngest's skin, unable to hold back her need to adore her, but immediately being hit again by the wave of reality that had come to her earlier and was still lurking around them. "you can't do whatever you want with me." she flung herself to the side falling face up, right next to jimin, but not touching her.

"i know, it won't happen again." she flipped her body over, lying on her side, over her arm, facing serim. "i just want to show you how much i care for you." she whispered.

jimin molded herself to serim, closing the distance that kept their skins from touching. she brought her hand to her cheek to caress her there, her chin on her shoulder, her breath colliding with her neck, and to the surprise of neither, jang was unable to resist. as she did this, her leg snaked up the vocalist's, gently, until her knee dropped over her belly and the rest she wrapped around the woman.

she knew what she was doing.

serim's eyes fell to the intruding limb above her waist and she had to take in an embarrassing amount of air, she was moving without realizing it, out of complete inertia, and her palm wrapped around karina's thigh tightly, squeezing, clawing and considering forgetting all the reasons why she was angry, as the milky skin scraping so stubbornly over her stomach and the warm breathing on her neck seemed to be stronger than she was.

"you know, in situations like this..." began jang. "i have to think about my mom."

"what?" karina blurted out suddenly, stunned.

"i can't get engage in sexually implicit situations while thinking about my dear mother." she used the arm that was between them to pull her off.

well, that had really killed the mood.

"are you seriously thinking about your mom?" she wasn't able to believe her ears.

"i have to fight you somehow." she started to shift until she was far enough away from jimin.

"but why should you fight me?" she questioned in exasperation. "just accept that you need me as i need you." she pleaded.

"why do i have to avoid falling for you again?" she reiterated angrily. "why did you have to be a piece of shit to me?" she countered.

"god, serim." she rubbed her face uneasily. "you're complicated too." she pleaded.

"me? what did i do so wrong?" she pressed her index finger to her own chest. "i might have treated you badly before, but since i know i have feelings for you i've done nothing but let it be clear and long for you to feel the same." tiredly, she began to let the things she was thinking come out. "you knew that i love you and yet you play with my emotions, you wouldn't fight for me, you can't even admit that you feel the same and you even kissed another girl." she listed, absorbed in her emotions.

"i didn't kiss that girl!" she defended herself. "i already told you that i stopped before and only confessed it to you so you would realize that i can't and won't get you out of my head." she tried to keep her voice low so no one would hear them arguing, but she was too overcome by the chaos inside her. "and i'm trying to make it up to you for the rest." she dropped her head, defeated.

serim didn't answer anything, the words wouldn't come out nor could she find ones she wanted to say. the reality was that it wasn't the time to talk about the things that bothered them when all their friends were sleeping in the rooms next door, though they never seemed to find the time to properly communicate in other instances. she gave her one last annoyed look and turned her back to her, laying down on her side and covering herself up, ready to sleep.

jimin watched her for a moment, dumbfounded by the exchange they had and even more so by how serim had chosen to cut the conversation short to simply go to sleep. she thought about how she should act, but couldn't find it in herself to dispel the thought that invaded her mind. "can i hug you?"

"do whatever the fuck you want." she replied curtly.

karina moved to her, letting her body fall just behind, resting her front against her back, her face in the crook of her neck and with her arm around her torso. her hand groped the space where it fell until it found serim's, and then wrapped her palm around her thumb.

"rest well." she said low in her ear. "i adore you."

"oh, fuck you." she replied without moving.

"jimin." she called her.

"yes, my namu?" the younger gave her a look that mixed tenderness and heaviness because of what they had discussed the night before.

"you know you can't solve everything by bringing me breakfast and having your manager pick me up from work, right?" she asked sincerely.

"i'm trying." she said again for the thousandth time. "give me more time and opportunities, please, and i'll show you how much i care about you."

serim said nothing in response and just lowered her gaze to the food.

[decaffeinatedfannacho]

His shirt 🤍

Warning: nothing.. enjoy!:)🤍

Pino arrives back at the hotel entrance after a long day of journey with Gemini. Turn the lights off from the cage. Pino roamed around the halls of the hotel quietly at through out the night, unable to rest his mind.

Pino went to a nearby library that was close to the main staircase to look for something to do , skimming through the bookshelf, but there was little to no motivation to read in him. Then a sudden voice made his head turn to the door of the library; you slowly opened the door and walked in to stop at the doorway to see Pino looking at you:"I can't sleep..." 

Pino slowly nodded his head as you close the door behind you , you watch his body continue to roam through the bookshelf, the way he moves and small twitches happen sometimes, but there's one thing that makes you blush the moment you see Pinocchio.

His shirt

Pino must have a rainy adventure out there because, oh boy, the way that shirt is soaking wet tells it all , the way the beautiful ruffles is a bit wetted down, but the rest of his shirt is just sticking on his body, especially around his chest and shoulders. The way his skin is a bit noticeable through that shirt, not to mention it is also cut deep, reveals a bit of his chest.

You stood there for a while admiring him without realising that you were just staring at his chest with such a blushing face. Pino could feel your wondering eyes kept looking at him , making Pino a bit nervous as he waved his hand a bit to get your attention.

You snap out of your admiration and go further into the library. You look at Pino :"you should go change...your shirt is uhm..wet" . Pino only answered with a slight nod but still continued to look through the books on the shelf. Is he going to change or is he still gonna stand there looking around? He's a puppet after all, so he won't get sick or anything. But you're still worried about him.

"So, what book are you looking for?" As you slowly looked around the shelves, too, to find yourself a book to read , it was raining outside. The weather was a bit chilly but with the warmth of the fireplace and the rain outside it makes the perfect temperature to read a book. 

After a while, you finally find a book that you want but there's one thing. The book is placed on the top shelf completely out of your reach. You even try to tip your toe to get higher but still can't manage to touch the book at all. Then suddenly you feel a hand behind you reach the book , someone's body is completely towering over you from behind, a taller figure. 

You know that the only other person in this library is Pino. As you can feel his chest slightly touching your back, his arm, which is high up getting the book for you , is slightly touching the back of your head. His shirt was touching your back, the distance between you two was just close to nothing, your two bodies were so close that blushes started to creep up on to your face as your body stood frozen .

"Is this the book you need?" You heard Pino ask, so you turned around to meet his chest ,the blush got worse, your face is now so red. You look up a bit to see

He got the wrong book

You slightly shake your head as a no that the book you want is next to the one he took. You point back at the book you wanted Pino nodded; he put the book back on the shelf to get the one you want. The book you wanted was slightly a bit place to the right, so he reached a bit higher, closing the distance between you two even more and...

Your face is now touching his chest.

"P-Pino!" Your face was so red , you're surprised, flustered. You feel like you wanted to just crawl away from this situation , hide somewhere and just stay there forever. Your mind started to panic a bit when Pino got the book and looked down at you with a confused face:"Yes? Is this the book you want?"

You look up at him again, eyes went to his hand that is holding the book you pointed to him to take, you took the book and look away:"t-thank you" Pino gently smiled and started to roam through the bookshelf again. You took a deep breath trying to calm yourself down after that.

Eventually, after wandering around , Pino didn't find any books to his liking, he turned around to see you sitting on a couch reading; slowly approaching you , Pino sits next to you making you stiffed up a bit , leaning closer to you to see what you're reading about.

"Can I read with you ?" You turned to look at Pino and simply shook your head yes as you held the book a bit to Pino's side and smiled shyly.

You two read together for the rest of the night, silence filled the room. The only thing that is making noises is the rain outside.

Your eyes wonder through the letters within the book , understanding the stories and its characters. It doesn't take long until your eyelids start to feel heavy and eventually your body starts to feel tired and sleepy. Unable to handle the desire for some rest, your body slowly relaxes and your head leans on Pino's shoulders.

🤍

The next thing you know when you wake up, you are lying on the bed ; the lights from the outside gently dim from the windows and landing on a small part of your face . You shift your body to the right. At that moment ,your eyes met a sleeping Pino.

His eyes were closed, freckles were decorated around his face, some are even in on the neck , his rosy lips are slightly parted. Curly locks of hair spread a bit across the pillow , some strands are moving due to the slight gentle wind in the room . He looks so peaceful..so beautiful. His arms were wrapped around your waist with his sleeves rolled up a bit . His shirt was falling a bit to the side, revealing a small glimpse of his collarbone.

You were so are observed by the beautiful scene that is displayed in front of your eyes , your heart yearns to get close to him , to cuddle with him.

That special moment was ruined when you inch a bit closer to feel some damp spots around Pino, especially where his shoulder is. Why are there some wet spots on the bed? That's when you remember something last night.

This dummy takes you to bed and sleeps with you ,with a rain-water soaked shirt.

You tap his shoulders slightly to wake him up , Pino flutters his eyes a few times gaining a clear vision before looking at you. Oh how that pouting face makes his stomach filled with butterflies. "Do you need anything?" said the confused Pino. You look at him, your pout deep a little.

"Yes.. go change your shirt!"

He did and then the two of you had breakfast with each other after that 🤍

( AHH okay so I'm supposed to post this one a while ago but I forgot so don't come after me ;-; And also I'm working on something else too!👀 it's a really long one so I'm taking my time to do it.IM TRYIN MY BEST UDJBA- )

[tinkerbellsgf]

Cassie Parker

Daughter of Dionysus

Her name means “shining over man" which is like super slay and cool

Her last name doesn't really have that much of a meaning

Her mother, Erika Parker literally sucks so bad

She was super neglectful of Cassie

But luckily she had a babysitter and she was with her until Cassie had to go to camp

Her name was Ms. Adriana

But we'll get into that later

Her full name is Cassandra but nobody minus her "mother" calls her that and she rarely sees her mother since she left for camp

Pretty much as soon as she got to camp she was claimed by Mr. D.

He just walked up to her

Took a giant sip of his diet coke, pointed at her and went like

"Yeah that kids mine"

Out of the three Dionysus kids, Cassie was the first one to get there

Then it was Castor and Pollux

Her main weapon is a pole-arm and she's very very skilled with it

She's super super close with the Stolls and Katie Gardener

The four of them sneak out of camp often just to fuck around in the mortal world

Little fun fact: Her brothers are named after the Gemini twins and her zodiac sign is Gemini

Since her dad is the god of madness and insanity

She has control over it

And she's sent several of her mom's boyfriends into the psych ward

She can also control grapevines and has strangled the Stolls and her own brothers with them several times before when they're being annoying

Also whenever Connor makes a move for her wallet (which he does like way too many times)

A grapevine smacks his hand away

All four Dionysus kids have an addiction to a specific drink and for Cassie is Cherry Coke

Most of the time at camp you'll find her sitting on the steps of her cabin, either being pranked by the Stolls or pranking with them

Cassie has some immunity to alcohol. Her brothers have this too but it's more obvious with her because she actually drinks

Her hobbies include, pranking with her friends, losing at pinochle against her dad and yelling at Connor for stealing her wallet for the nth time this week

Her style is a lot of small shirts and big pants

She also has a leather jacket she'll wear from time to time

For training she wears a regular camp-half-blood t-shirt and a pair of shorts

There are a few things about her story that I left out so if I can muster up the creativity to start writing a series about Cassie after I start my Nadia series there ya go

[inthedayswhenlandswerefew]

Napoleonville [Chapter 7: The House Of Cards]

Series Summary: The year is 1988. The town is Napoleonville, Louisiana. You are a small business owner in need of some stress relief. Aemond is a stranger with a taste for domination. But as his secrets are revealed, this casual arrangement becomes something more volatile than either of you could have ever imagined.

Chapter Warnings: Language, sexual content (18+ readers only), dom/sub dynamics, smoking, drinking, drugs, infidelity, kids, parenthood, bodily injury, ANGST!!!!!!

Word Count: 5.8k.

Link to chapter list (and all my writing): HERE.

Taglist: @marvelescvpe @toodlesxcuddles @era127 @at-a-rax-ia @0eessirk8 @arcielee @dd122004dd @humanpurposes @taredhunter @tinykryptonitewerewolf @partnerincrime0 @dr-aegon @persephonerinyes @namelesslosers @burningcoffeetimetravel-fics @gemini-mama @daenysx @chattylurker @moonlightfoxx @huramuna @britt-mf @myspotofcraziness @padfooteyes @targaryenbarbie @trifoliumviridi @joliettes @darkenchantress @florent1s @babyblue711 @minttea07 @libroparaiso @bluerskiees @herfantasyworldd @elizarbell @urmomsgirlfriend1 @fudge13 @strangersunghoon

Let me know if you’d like to be added to the taglist! 🥰🧁

Under blue light like the gleam of sapphires, Aemond is standing shirtless at his bathroom sink and cleaning blood and grime from his face with a wet washcloth that has turned from white to a muddy maroon. His missing left eye is angled towards you; his scar looks black beneath the cobalt glow. He’s gingerly manipulating his eyelids so he can wipe away the filth, leaning in close to the mirror. Then his hands begin to shake and he throws the washcloth to the dark tile floor. The walls are painted like Van Gogh’s Starry Night; you remember learning about it in your 8th grade art class. The bathtub is deep, spacious. You think of Aemond filling it and sinking into the water with you, misty with soap and steam. You wonder how long it will be until Christabel is lolling in this tub, clean before she ever touched the water: no scars, no history, blue blood and pure fantasies.

He hears when the floorboards creak under your bare feet. He turns his face so he can see you, an intruder lurking in the doorway of his bedroom, soaked clothes beneath the warm, dry, smoke-smelling Marlboro jacket he gave you. “Get out.”

“Aemond, let me help—”

“Get the fuck out.”

But he hasn’t said the right word, and you both know it. He hasn’t told you to stop. You go to him and ignore it when he tries to push you away, when he tries to yank his hands away from yours.

“Don’t touch me—!”

But you aren’t trying to grab him. You’re trying to give yourself to him. You force your wrists into his grasp and then he understands, then he feels the desperate hunger flare up in him like a lighter flicked to life.

His fingers tighten; he drags you closer. Then he says, low and husky: “I’m in charge now.”

“I know, I know. I want you to be.”

“You’re going to do exactly what I tell you to.”

“Yes,” you whisper, perfect obedience, helpless need. You gaze up into his glinting, savage right eye. You do not allow yourself to glance at the empty socket of the left. That would be disastrous, ruinous, an irredeemable betrayal.

Aemond takes you to his bed: thick wooden bedposts and a navy blue velvet canopy swimming with koi fish built of silver stars, celestial fins and constellation tails. He tears off the Marlboro jacket, your drenched Pepsi t-shirt, your simple cotton bra. “Don’t move,” he growls, and momentarily leaves you. Moonlight streams in through the stained glass windows of fractured, kaleidoscopic blue. Goosebumps rise on your bare skin. You can hear the friction of a drawer opening and then closing again. Aemond returns. Every move of his hands is rough, insistent. You don’t care if he hurts you, if he scrapes or bruises you. You wish he could bruise you down to the bone, stay trapped there in an indigo pool too deep for anyone to cut out, remind you of his closeness with every ache, never leave you.

Aemond clicks a handcuff around your right wrist; not a silk scarf, not the weight of his own hands, but cold metal that he tightens until it bites into your flesh. You should tell him to loosen it, but you don’t. You want to help Aemond. You want him to keep going; you want him to touch you until you forget about Jade Dragon Energy, Lake Verret, The Last Desire, Christabel.

He loops the short chain around one of the posts at the foot of the canopy bed and then fastens your left wrist as well. The handcuffs are secured in an indentation between ornate carvings of the sun and the moon; you cannot slide them up or down more than a few inches. Your arms are trapped above your head. You are facing the bed—the one he’ll soon be sharing with Christabel—and cannot turn around. Behind you, you can hear Aemond unzipping his jeans that are still dripping with brackish lake water. Now he’s yanking off your shorts and panties, so hurriedly you almost trip when he wrenches them past your ankles. Aemond kicks your feet apart—farther, farther—and then pushes you down until your back is bent as low as possible. You moan, just as much in pain as ravenous anticipation: your wrists burn, your shoulders stretch until you can imagine them splitting open and spilling blood like a river, knots of ivory bone peeking through the gore.

He’s touching you, but it doesn’t feel like much. He’s saying things, but you can’t hear him over the hurricane raging in your skull, thrashing waves of fear, dread, agony, heartache.

Has he brought other women here? Who will distract him when he’s done with me?

Aemond’s hips are braced against yours, his fingers are between your legs. He’s making you wet, but you know you aren’t ready. Inside, you are tense, uneasy, unable to surrender yourself to him. You close your eyes and try to remember what it was like the first time you were together, or the second, or the third time in the back of his Audi Quattro. Those memories feel so far away now, like they happened a hundred years ago or in a different galaxy or at the bottom of the ocean. Aemond’s teeth nip territorially at your throat. He’s tearing open a condom wrapper.

He’s not mine, he’s not mine, he’ll never be mine.

Now he’s forcing his way into you, and he has no way of knowing that it feels like gasoline on a fire, like scissors and knives, like the first time Willis convinced you to sleep with him again after Cadi was born. And Aemond is so big that the discomfort doesn’t fade into a vaguely unpleasant numbness but swells like gales as a storm rolls in. You’re facing away from him, so Aemond can’t see when you wince or squeeze your eyes shut. You don’t try to slow his rhythm, you don’t ask him to be more gentle, you don’t tell him to stop. You want to help him and he needs this, even if he doesn’t need you.

Aemond twists your hair in his fist and tugs your head back, and when you whimper he mistakes it for kindling passion, for something approaching euphoria. His thrusts are hammering, merciless. He’s panting as he battles against his own climax. And he’s beginning to get impatient, too; his fingers stroke you relentlessly, when you glance back at him his brow is creased with thinly-veiled frustration, confusion, disappointment.

I have to finish, you realize, horrified. If I don’t, he’s going to think it’s because of him, his face, his eye, his weakness, his unworthiness.

You’re nowhere close to finishing. You know you won’t be able to; there’s too much pain in your body, too much torment in your mind.

I’ve faked it plenty of times before, on other nights with other men. I can fake it again.

You breathe in gasps, you moan, you beg, you arch your back, and then—

Aemond strikes the bedpost with an open palm, hard and loud enough to make you yelp. He hisses through your hair, fever-red, hateful: “Don’t fucking lie to me.”

“Aemond, it’s not you, it’s not your fault, it’s me, I’m so sorry, I’m just—”

“I want you out.” He disentangles himself from you, snaps off the condom, snatches a set of tiny keys off the floor where he must have left them.

“Don’t do this,” you plead as he unlocks the handcuffs, cold rattling metal. “Don’t make this about something it isn’t. Aemond? Aemond, please, it’s my fault—”

“Get out,” he says, stepping away from you. “Right now. Go.”

You reach for him, your fingertips settling on his bare chest, damp with sweat and still tarnished with the ancient silt of Lake Verret, with streaks of his own blood. “Aemond, listen to me—”

“Stop!” he roars, and your hands fall away. He points to the door that leads to the hallway. “Get out. Get the fuck out. Find someone else. I’m done.”

“What? No!”

He picks up your denim shorts and hurls them at you, then your Pepsi t-shirt and bra and panties. You fumble to catch them, and as your hands are occupied Aemond leans in close, grabs your face roughly by the jaw, forces you to look at him. The gory void of his left eye socket is close enough that you can see the flecks of dark grit from the lake that he will have to wash out of it. And you flinch—not at the wound itself, but for the child who was once maimed—and now you’ve proved him right.

Something flashes across Aemond’s scarred face, so animalistic in its mindless fury that for a sliver of a second you actually think he might hit you. Then he turns away without a word, walks into the bathroom, slams the door shut. As you pull on your clothes, you can hear his knuckles striking the mirror with sick thumps until it shatters. You bolt from the bedroom, through the hallway, down the staircase, surrounded by portraits of blonde strangers with foreign names, and whatever world they lived in wasn’t yours. Their world was made of gold and marble, contracts and lineage, chandeliers and champagne and coins sticky with some anonymous worker’s blood, and it was beautiful but it was cold, hollow, lonely, everything that would have made them human peeled away like a snake’s skin. You don’t belong here. You will never belong here. Your world is sloping floors and cracked paint and sun and salt and struggle, but it is real.

In the grand foyer, Vhagar is guarding the front door. The blue merle Great Dane bares her teeth as you approach. There is a rumble from low in her chest, a ferocity in her reptilian green-gold eyes.

“I really can’t deal with you right now,” you say, voice breaking as tears spill down your cheeks.

Vhagar trots towards you and you look around for a rescuer, Alicent or Criston or Daeron; but the house is hushed and still. You recall how Alicent once shoved Vhagar’s face away to fend her off. You don’t feel brave enough to attempt that.

“No!” you try instead. “Bad dog! Go terrorize someone else!”

The Great Dane snarls, ropy strands of drool dribbling from her jowls, and you fall silent. Vhagar sniffs at your ankles and then your fingers as you stand frozen. She seems to discover something that intrigues her. I smell like Aemond, you think, and almost start crying again. For the second time, your eyes search for a champion and find none. The dog nudges your right hand with her muzzle, licks at your palm, and then—bizarrely, shockingly—pushes her head under it and blinks up at you expectantly.

“What?” you say, confounded. Vhagar waits, suddenly cordial. Her long tail swishes; her floppy ears hang limp and relaxed. She doesn’t leave until you pet the top of her colossal head—once, twice, three times—and then she stalks off into the shadows of the kitchen. You hurry to the front door before Vhagar can return to second-guess your newfound alliance.

You step out onto the front porch, white paint and towering columns, lightning bugs and screeching cicadas. It is only when you survey the flock of Audis, Porsches, Alfa Romeos, and Lexuses in the cobblestone driveway that you remember you didn’t drive yourself here.

“Goddammit.” Then you catch a whiff of marijuana.

You turn to your left. Aegon is slumped in a rocking chair and smoking a joint. He has just showered. His long hair is wet and messy; he wears a tie-dye tank top, purple gym shorts, and neon yellow flip flops. Sunfyre is curled up in his lap. “You need a ride, cake lady?”

“Not from you.”

“It’s just weed. Weed isn’t a drug.”

“The Reagan administration would disagree.”

He rolls his eyes. “Those miserable fascists. They’d outlaw orgasms and ice cream if they could.” He slips his car keys out of his shorts pocket and spins them around with his index finger. “Come on. Let’s go for a drive.”

Aegon’s Porsche 911 has a custom paint job, glittering gold with pale pink accents. It’s even smaller than Aemond’s Audi; the back seats are impossibly tiny, and in any case they are filled to the windows with empty McDonald’s cups, Taco Bell bags, and Popeyes boxes.

“Here, hold him,” Aegon says, and tosses the ferret to where you sit in the passenger seat. The weasel-like creature scrabbles over your thighs, circling, burrowing, making some deranged gleeful sound halfway between a clicking and a chuckle.

“Um…?!”

“It’s fine, it’s fine, he’ll settle down.” Aegon starts the car and pitches the remains of his joint out the open window. “Where do you live?”

The directions are simple, a straight shot east on Route 401. But it’s going to be a long ride. Aegon is only driving 15 miles per hour.

“So,” he says, noting your bloodshot eyes and dazed preoccupation. “It didn’t go well. With Aemond, I mean.”

“I don’t want to talk about him.”

“Sure you do.”

You stare out your window, night wind in your hair and your lungs, stinging in your watery eyes. The southern live oaks—vague, monstrous shapes with branches like prehistoric claws—block out much of the moon, the stars. Distractedly, you rest a hand on Sunfyre’s small, furry back. “What happened to his face?” And then, remembering what Aegon told Viserys in the foyer: “What’s the North Sea?”

“It’s on the east coast of the U.K. It starts down by France and the Netherlands and goes all the way up to Norway. Jade Dragon has a bunch of North Sea rigs. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen offshore oil rigs, maybe on the news or something?”

“I haven’t.” When you look down at your wrists, beneath the dim silvery moonlight you can still see the indentations that the handcuffs left in your flesh.

“Well they’re fucking terrifying. You’re on a metal platform in the middle of the goddamn ocean, and the waves are smacking into it, and the whole rig is lurching back and forth. You’re standing maybe 200 feet above sea level. From that height, the water’s like concrete. If a man falls off, they never find the body. The sharks eat him, or the waves rip him apart, or if his gear is heavy enough he just sinks to the bottom and implodes like a crushed can when the pressure gets too strong. I hate those things. I hate them. And of course Viserys was always trying to drag me along when he’d fly up there to inspect the company property. Gotta parade the heir around. Gotta turn me into a real man somehow. I’d be doing lines in the helicopter the whole way there, trying to work up the nerve to step out onto the deck when we landed.” Aegon gives you a wry smirk, shadowy beneath the obstructed moonlight. “This was before Viserys gave up on me.”

“Aemond lost his eye on an oil rig?”

“Yeah,” Aegon says. “He was young, eight or nine, something like that. And he begged our father to take him with us. Can you believe that? I’m hiding under the dining room table and Aemond is clawing at Viserys’ feet, promising he can handle it. So Viserys says okay, fine, Aemond can come too. Mum and Criston didn’t want Aemond to go, Helaena didn’t like it, hell, even Otto thought it was too dangerous. But Viserys is God in the Targaryen family religion, so Aemond got to go to the North Sea.”

You’re watching Aegon, eyes wide, heart pounding, appalled. He was a little kid. He wasn’t even Cadi’s age. “Viserys didn’t protect him?”

“Oh yeah, at first he did. He was showing Aemond off to everyone—Look at my son! So brave, so clever!—and meanwhile I’m lying on the floor of the helicopter having a panic attack, I can’t stop thinking I’m about to go plummeting into the ocean, and Criston is kneeling beside me trying to strap an oxygen mask onto my face.” Aegon sighs, gazing at the yellow lines of Route 401. “And then Viserys got to chatting with some of the engineers and forgot all about Aemond. Aemond who? The middle son, the forgotten son, the runt, the backup plan. And Aemond started exploring, poking around in the wrong places, and he ended up watching some of the workers spinning chain, which is how they connect drill pipes together. A chain snapped. It hit Aemond in the face, fractured his skull, and basically liquified his eye upon impact. He was in a coma for two weeks. We all thought he was going to die. But he lived, and Viserys…that bastard was nowhere to be found while Aemond was lying half-dead in Moorfields Hospital. But the day Aemond woke up, you better believe our father waltzed into the room with balloons and Cadbury bars, gushing about how happy he was that Aemond was alright, how proud he was, how relieved. Within a month he was indifferent again. But Aemond’s been chasing that feeling ever since. Being wanted. Being seen.”

“Why do any of you do it?” you ask, nauseous with despair. “Why do you destroy yourselves for Viserys? Why do you listen to him, why don’t you leave?”

“I can’t leave,” Aegon says, stunned. “Do I look employable to you? I’d end up living in the woods with the paranoid schizophrenics.”

“But you’d be free.”

“I don’t want to be free,” Aegon replies. “Freedom? That scares the hell out of me. I don’t know who I am without my family. I don’t have the first fucking clue. I don’t want to be a Targaryen, but I am a Targaryen, you know? And there’s no going back. That’s my gravity. That’s everything I am. Trying to imagine a life without Aemond, Helaena, Daeron, Criston, Alicent, even Otto, even Viserys? I wouldn’t exist. I would blink out of existence like the Big Bang in reverse. They’re my bones, I’m just what grows around them. I’m a jellyfish, I’m a tangle of guts and arteries.”

You stare at Aegon as faint ribbons of moonlight stream in through the open windows, voice choked, tears falling onto Sunfyre’s sand-colored fur. “I don’t know how to help Aemond.”

“Yes you do.” Aegon smiles. “Give him what he wants.”

“I think he’s done with me now.”

“No, no way,” Aegon says. “What did he do, freak out and yell at you? Break things, tell you to fuck off? That happens sometimes. He doesn’t mean it. He’ll be back on your doorstep in a week.”

“He always has to have a girl. But that girl doesn’t have to be me.”

Aegon laughs, his blonde hair flying in the wind. “New girl, new rules. You ruined him.”

“What?”

Aegon grins. “He’s in love with you.”

You pet Sunfyre with one hand while you swipe tears from your cheeks with the other, sniffling, shaking your head. “I can’t be his mistress. It will kill me.” I want more than that. I want all of him.

“You’ll get used to it,” Aegon says encouragingly. “Criston did. Camilla did.”

“Please shut up about Camilla Parker Bowles.” You point as the mouth of your short gravel driveway comes into view. “That’s it. We’re here.”

Inside, the house is dark and quiet and cold; you were in such a rush to meet Willis and help Aemond find his ever-errant brother that you accidentally left the air conditioner on all day. You shut off the whirring machine in the kitchen window—Aemond put that there, he did it for me—and then turn on the little pink Panasonic boombox so it feels like someone else is here. Roxette’s Listen To Your Heart plucks mournfully from the speakers.

You draw yourself a bath, descend into the hot water, scrub Aemond off of you. The walls are adorned with no Van Gogh’s Starry Night, no stately portraits, no grandeur or glitter or marble or gold. They are only a pale, listless blue lined with thin cracks through the paint like the sinking house’s veins.

~~~~~~~~~~

Seven sunsets, six dusks, and then it is Friday all over again. You help Amir close up the bakery and then crawl into bed: head pounding, room spinning, that endless late-afternoon light of the summer flooding in through the window blinds. You unplug the phone on the nightstand and nestle into the pillows, hiding your face from the world. Cadi is fine, she’s blissfully playing her Nintendo and she knows there’s some of Amir’s leftover ribs and rice in the refrigerator. She doesn’t need you, and this will only become more true with each passing year. There was a time when you yearned for Cadi to become more independent. Now you’re beginning to see the horror in it, that bittersweetness that parents always talk about.

One day she’ll be gone. And she’ll get to choose whether she ever comes back.

No one has ever chosen you. It seems unwise to assume there will be exceptions to the rule.

You doze off for a while. There are distant noises you try to ignore: the kitchen phone ringing, the humming of the air conditioner, the drone of the microwave, the Super Mario Bros. theme. When you wake, it is because you hear the bedroom door creaking open. Through blinking, bleary eyes, you see Aemond’s silhouette in the doorway. You know it’s him; you would know even if he wasn’t wearing his familiar Marlboro jacket and red Converses and teal duffle bag slung over one shoulder. You would know him anywhere.

You say, unsure if you’re more angry or depressed: “I thought you were done.”

He ignores this. He has two eyes again, one real and one a lie, and this seems to be becoming a recurring theme in his life. “I called. Cadi said you were sick.”

“It’s just a headache. I’ll be fine.”

“Do you get them a lot?”

“Yeah.” When I’m stressed. When I’m sad.

There’s a palm on your forehead, cool and gentle, feeling for fever. “Have you taken anything for it?”

“Nothing ever works.”

You recoil from the thud of the duffle bag against the sloping wooden floor; every sound is too loud. You have your eyes pinched shut, but you can hear Aemond unzipping the bag and then opening some sort of container. “Try this,” he says, pushing a pill between your lips. “They knock out my nerve pain when it flares up.” Then he passes you the glass of sweet tea you left on your nightstand. You sit up to swallow the pill and collapse back onto the bed. The wildflower-patterned duvet covers you up to your chest. You moan softly, touching your fingertips to your temple.

There are small thumps as Aemond quietly kicks off his Converses, and then his weight settles onto the mattress. He waits to see if you’ll tell him to stop. You don’t. He folds around you, blood and bones and muscle and warmth. His lips brush against the shell of your ear. One of his hands interlaces with yours and settles on your waist. You inhale his smoke, his cologne, his strange intermittent tenderness. He murmurs: “I’m sorry I’m doing this to you.”

“I wish I could stop,” you answer through a thick fog.

“Stop what?”

“Wishing it was possible. Wishing we were different people.”

Aemond doesn’t reply. Perhaps there’s nothing more to say. Within minutes, you are unconscious again.

When your eyes flutter open—painless, glass-clear—the room is dark and you are alone. The flashing red numbers on your alarm clock read 10:14 p.m.

“What?!” you gasp, scrambling out of bed. You rarely nap, and never for that long.

You hurry to Cadi’s room, expecting to find her bored or irritated or prepared to launch a formal complaint. Instead, she and Aemond are sitting on the floor and watching Ferris Bueller’s Day Off; Ferris is currently singing Twist And Shout on top of a parade float. There are several Pizza Hut boxes scattered around them; Cadi is eating a slice of pepperoni and mushroom. She and Aemond are mid-conversation. She is asking him as you walk in: “Wow, so Bobbi was on the news and everything?”

“He sure was. But they made him sit in this glass box because the CBS Evening News staff were so scared of AIDS they wouldn’t go anywhere near him, not even to wire him up with a microphone.”

“That’s totally bogus.”

“Yeah. Yeah it is.”

“How old was he when he died?”

“Thirty-two.”

“Really?” Cadi says, alarmed. “Grownups can die that young?”

“Sure. It’s rare, but it happens.”

Cadi looks to where you stand in the doorway. “Mom, aren’t you like thirty?”

“Almost. I’m a few years away from it.”

“Still,” Cadi says; and you witness something unfold on her face that you can’t remember seeing since she was a toddler. She is shocked, she is afraid. Her eyes shimmer; she’s forgotten all about her pizza. Aemond is watching her, realizing he’s made her aware of something that didn’t exist in her mind before.

“Oh no, love, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Aemond tells Cadi, resting a hand on her tiny shoulder. “Bobbi Campbell had a very serious disease, he wasn’t your average person. Most grownups live a long time. Your mum is going to live to be a hundred, okay? Maybe even a hundred and ten. Maybe even a hundred and twenty. It depends on how many cupcakes she eats.”

“Okay,” Cadi says, somewhat pacified but still shaken up.

“Do you want any pizza?” Aemond asks you. “We got cheese, pepperoni and mushroom, and supreme.”

“No, I’m not really hungry, thanks though.”

“Are you feeling better?”

“I am. What did you give me?”

Aemond smiles. “Percocet.”

Your eyebrows shoot up. “No wonder it worked so well.”

“I left a bottle with about ten pills in your bathroom cabinet. But don’t start liking it too much. You’ll end up like Aegon.” He staggers to his feet.

“You’re leaving?” Cadi asks, openly disappointed.

“It had to happen sooner or later. It’s long past your bedtime. And I don’t live here. You couldn’t pay me to either, not with that dinosaur that lives in your front yard. I’m in fear for my life every time I visit.”

“The gator wouldn’t hurt you,” Cadi objects. “She’s too small. She’s just a baby. Next time, can you bring Gremlins?”

“Sure. I think I’ve got that VHS. Daeron might have borrowed it.” Aemond gives Cadi’s hair an affectionate ruffle and she tolerates this, something you would not have believed was possible. “I’m going to go talk to your mum for a few minutes and then head out, alright?”

“Okay. Goodnight.”

“Cheers, love.” Then Aemond follows you to the kitchen.

You pour yourself a fresh glass of sweet tea as Aemond helps himself to a snickerdoodle cupcake from one of the cake plates on the kitchen table. He licks off the frosting as he gazes at you, and you try not to feel anything. “You didn’t have to stay.”

“I know. I wanted to.” His right eye flicks down to the copy of the Bayou Journal that lies on the counter. The headline proclaims: Early tests reveal increased salinity of Lake Verret; breach of underground salt dome is suspected. “I’m sorry about that,” Aemond says awkwardly.

“Sorry about what? Ruining our lake?”

“Well, it’s not ruined, technically. It’s just…salty.”

“Aemond, almost all of the fish are going to die.”

“Will the alligators die too?” he asks hopefully.

“No. They won’t.”

“Oh.” He takes an evasive bite of his cupcake then changes the subject. “Come to my house tomorrow. After Willis picks up Cadi.”

“We’ve had this conversation before.”

“Yes, and now we’re having it again.”

“I don’t think this situation is good for either of us,” you say, but with pitifully little conviction.

Aemond places his snickerdoodle cupcake on the counter and steps towards you. And for a moment you think he’s going to order you, to command you, and you know if he does you’ll obey. But that’s not what Aemond is doing. He cradles your face in his hands and kisses you deeply, unexpectedly, without any roughness to it. Then he touches his forehead to yours as he whispers: “I was wrong. I shouldn’t have done that. I was wrong, I was wrong. I was fucked up. But I’m better now.”

“Why did you jump into the water for me?”

“Come over tomorrow,” he pleads again without answering you.

“Aemond…I don’t think I can.” I think this is destroying me. I think it’s flaying me alive, carving me away piece by piece.

“I don’t have to fuck you. I don’t even have to touch you. I just want you to be there.”

“Can I bring a friend?”

This catches Aemond off-guard. “Amir?”

“Have you not yet memorized my long, long, long list of friends?”

“Of course you can bring Amir,” Aemond says. “He’s always welcome. The only reason I haven’t invited Cadi is because Aegon leaves coke all over the house and I don’t think a kid should be exposed to that.”

“Yeah, I mean obviously I agree.”

Aemond kisses you again, a swift parting token, kind and weightless. “Bye, Cupcake. See you tomorrow.” He wolfs down the last of the snickerdoodle cupcake, grabs his teal duffle bag from the living room couch and is gone, the off-kilter front porch steps groaning under his Converses. You stand in the kitchen sipping your sweet tea for a while, listening to the air conditioner purring and the cicadas shrieking and the long-eared owl hooting as it swoops for prey. Then you begin pulling bowls and baking pans out of the cabinets.

Cadi appears, helps herself to a beignet, and turns on the little pink boombox on the kitchen counter. “Hey Mom, listen, it’s your favorite song!” She cranks up the volume: Heaven Is A Place On Earth.

You force a smile. “Yeah, it is.”

And you wait until Cadi dashes off to the bathroom to take her shower before you change the station.

~~~~~~~~~~

“What the…?” Amir squints at Sunfyre, who is floating by himself on a neon green inflatable raft in the middle of the swimming pool. “What the fuck is that? A Chernobyl hamster?”

You laugh. You’re wearing denim shorts and an unceremonious white t-shirt over your swimsuit, Kmart sneakers, hair assailed by wind and humidity, a tiny bouquet of wildflowers that Amir picked for you tucked into your back pocket. “It’s a ferret.”

“It’s a freak of nature. This is how you know the Bible isn’t real, why would Noah have let that mutant on the Ark?”

“Oh, my very favorite Napoleonville residents!” Alicent calls, beckoning you and Amir over to where she, Criston, and Daeron are gathered around a dark green beach towel littered with playing cards, gambling chips, strawberry daiquiris, and Marlboro cigarettes. Apparently, they run in the family. Alicent puffs anxiously on one, rings gleaming on her elegant fingers. “Come play with us. Do you have good poker faces?”

“I certainly hope so,” Amir replies as he pushes his tortoiseshell glasses up the bridge of his nose. He’s wearing swim trunks patterned with bright, multicolored geometric shapes. “I suspect we can’t afford to lose.”

“Can’t afford to lose,” Daeron’s blue macaw squawks from where she is perched on a nearby lounge chair, and Amir gapes at it, startled.

“Quiet, Tessarion,” Daeron soothes the bird.

“If you incur any debts, Aemond can pay them.” Alicent smiles warmly, then takes notice of the two white bakery boxes you’re carrying. “Have you brought us more of your scrumptiously authentic Southern desserts? I’ve been raving about them to all my friends back home in London. I ring them and they’re mesmerized by the notion of hummingbird cake and sweet tea. They’re even having their own kitchen staff try to replicate them.”

How antebellum. “It’s nothing too special. Just a blueberry custard pie. And some Cap’n Crunch Treats for Aegon.”

“Wonderful!” Alicent chimes. “Criston? You must get us plates and silverware immediately. We must sample this new delicacy straight away.”

Criston dutifully rises and disappears into the house they call The Last Desire. Helaena—with her chameleon Dreamfyre clinging to her shoulder—is absorbed in a conversation with Otto as they wade in the shallow end of the pool. Aegon has fallen asleep on a lounge chair and is snoring loudly; the boombox beside him is playing She Blinded Me With Science. Aegon is turning lobster red beneath the sun, but no one has bothered to wake him up. Before you can do it, Aemond walks through the French doors of the living room and out onto the cobblestones, wearing his black swim trunks. He beams when he sees you, then kicks Aegon’s chair as hard as he can.

“What?!” Aegon shouts as he jolts awake. “What happened? What’s wrong?”

“You fell asleep and you look like a Twizzler.”

“A chunky Twizzler,” Daeron adds.

“You want a palm reading?” Aegon asks. He grabs Aemond’s hand and flips it over. “It says you’re a bitch.”

“Aemond, phone for you,” Criston says as he breezes out of the house holding a stack of plates, forks, and knives. “I left it off the hook in the kitchen.”

“Thanks. Got it.” Then Aemond tells you: “I’ll be back in five minutes.”

When he vanishes, you and Amir join the poker game. Aegon splashes into the pool to grab Sunfyre, collects his bakery box of Cap’n Crunch Treats, and then pads into the house to presumably slather himself in Noxzema. Criston cuts everyone a slice of blueberry custard pie, which Alicent raves about. You can’t bear to have Criston inconvenienced once again to prepare daiquiris for you and Amir; before Alicent can think of it, you jog to the kitchen to grab two cans of Pepsi from the fridge. But just as you reach the doorway, Aemond’s voice stops you. It isn’t a phone call about the rigs or the stock market. It isn’t family, it isn’t friends.

“Yes, dearest,” Aemond is saying, and you peek into the kitchen to get a better look. He’s got the handset of a blue phone to his ear and is turned away from you. His back is straight and rigid; his voice is steady but dispassionate. “Right. I understand. Yes, completely. Don’t be ridiculous, of course I miss you. All the time. Yes, and we’ll discuss it then. I can’t wait either. I’ll see you soon. Yes, yes. And you as well. Cheers, darling.” There is a pause. “I love you too.”

Aemond hangs up the phone, sighs deeply, rubs his scarred forehead. You slip away before he knows you’re there.