#One leader to another; Ben

[theconstantsidekick]

klaus got sober, finally got sober but was made a germaphobe. he was ridiculed for finally having his shit together but having weird coping mechanisms for it. then he was made to spiral again and then killed off. he got his life on track, was an exceptional uncle/second parent to his niece and then they made him sell his body for drugs and inevitably killed him off as a junkie.

luther, who was the leader, who was smart enough to be an astronaut could amount to nothing without his powers except from being a stripper. he had absolutely nothing and no one, even sloan was ripped away from him and then he, too was killed off. lonely and unaccomplished.

ben was brought back, finally alive, granted not the same ben but he wore the same face and he had a family who could annoy him into shape but he stayed a dick, became a apocalyptic monster and credited for the destruction of all the branching timelines, and died as a monster that he was so afraid of becoming.

alison got her happy life but couldn’t sustain it. her husband left her but at least she got to have claire and for that i can give credit but she remained codependent on klaus to be her passion project that made her feel better. she never learnt why that was not healthy and then died without her daughter.

diego had this beautiful life, a family that called him their own, three kids and wife who called him darling, and love and then he was made to fuck it all up because of some obsession with the CIA, in service of a romance between his wife and brother because the creator thought an old man needed some romance. he wasn’t even shown saying goodbye to his kids.

lila left behind her assassin ways, she stopped being batshit crazy and ultra suspicious to settle down with a man she genuinely and wholeheartedly loved and trusted, only to throw it all away because his younger (and yet much older) brother found her a timeline with strawberries. she was made to give up her kids, her family, her happy fucking life when all she ever wanted was to not be alone.

viktor got dealt the worst hand, always. he was abused vehemently by his father and ignored and relegated due to no fault of his own. he was made to feel ugly and broken and small but then he realised that his family loved him even if his father didn’t. he got a chance at being normal and he took it, only for it to be stripped away from him so that he could sacrifice his life for a world that was never kind to him. he was made to reconcile with his abusive father and then promptly erased out of existence.

five. my dearest boy, young man, old fool, five. he survived an apocalypse after another. fought tooth and nail to keep his family alive and well and dedicated his entire life to make sure of it. only for all his efforts to be made futile and his snark to be mellowed. he made it his life mission to keep the world safe and his family safe only for all that to be stripped away from his character and made into a lovesick fool who abandoned them during the final battle to mope about his brother’s wife not liking him back.

there were so many character assassinations this season, GoT writers would be proud of dear old steve.

[art-of-a-ghostie]

I HAVE BEEN SUMMONED!!

Part 2 of the BOYSSSS :)

Part 1

(@art-of-a-ghostie I summon thee-)

[greensagephase]

Nonviolent Communication - Part One

Pairing: Spider-Man!Miguel O'Hara x Spider-Woman!Reader Summary: You don't show up to a meeting or report for other duties as a Spider Society member because of your period. Your boss shows up to your apartment. Word Count: 5,144 Warning: A little bit of angst?; Mention of death; menstruation, cramps A/N: There's multiple pieces of fan art for this fic. If you'd like to check it out, you can find everything linked in my masterlist! Masterlist Music Inspo (Spotify playlist for the fanfic here) "Nonviolent Communication" - Metro Boomin, James Blake, A$AP Rocky, 21 Savage Next Part

Part One

You were recruited four months ago into the Spider Society. Ever since the beginning, you couldn’t help but gravitate towards the leader and founder of the society. You learned quickly about his past and the way he carried himself these days.

Miguel O’Hara worked day and night. If he wasn’t in his lab working on something, he was out on missions with a select few members or on his own. There were days that you wouldn’t even see him. You wondered if anyone did on those days. You told yourself to mind your business. It’s not like you were friends and you hardly interacted anyway. You were a member of the Spider Society but one of the newest ones. You weren’t part of the most trusted members for Miguel.

And yet… There was something. You felt a need to look after him. You couldn’t understand it. You wanted to chalk it up to interest. Maybe you found his story interesting. How a man had simply replaced a version of himself in another universe to be a father, only to lose her when that universe collapsed. How heartbroken and guilt-filled he was over it. That had to be it, you told yourself. It was just intrigue. 

You figured that if you just gave in to your interest, it would go away eventually. It would fade away… So, you allowed yourself to be interested. You showed up to meetings earlier than anyone else when Miguel scheduled them. You stopped by the cafeteria to pick up coffee cups beforehand and arrived at the meeting earlier. You came in, looking unbothered and uninterested as you placed the cup of coffee in front of him, greeting him.

“The cafeteria staff gave me another cup, and I didn’t know what to do with it,” you’d say as he looked up with an uninterested look on his face.

You’d walk away and take a seat a few chairs away, picking up the nicely done reports he provided at every meeting. You did this every week with a different excuse each time. You didn’t know if he ever wondered why the cafeteria staff gave you so much coffee since that was usually your excuse. You doubted he even cared; you were just another member.

The first few times, you noticed the cup would sit in the same exact spot you’d leave it. Miguel wouldn’t even acknowledge it after looking up at you. You still brought it each week. After some weeks, he wouldn’t even look up when you placed the cup in front of him on the desk but – he started giving you a small grunt of acknowledgement. You’d walk away with a little grin, quickly putting it away when you sat down on your usual seat so he wouldn’t notice it.

Then about two weeks later, you saw it. As he was going over the reports and listening to Ben Reilly ramble on about his past because of some anomaly he caught that week, he picked up the coffee cup and took a sip. You looked away as you felt his gaze about to turn to you. The reports looked very interesting indeed.

All throughout this, you also started showing up to his lab after he and Jessica requested to see you about a mission. You noticed there was quite a mess of gadgets lying around. You offered to organize it, as it is something you enjoy and are good at. You didn’t even know why you offered but Jessica seemed eager about the idea while Miguel frowned.

“Oh, come on, Miguel. Some organization around here wouldn’t hurt, you know? Look at this mess,” Jessica said looking around, pointing at different areas cluttered with all sorts of tech pieces.

“Fine,” Miguel said as he walked away, apparently done with the conversation.

Jessica beamed at you. She seemed to like you a lot since you did your job well and didn’t get into any drama. You were like the perfect pupil. You nodded at her, with a warm smile.

So that’s how you ended up showing up once a week to Miguel’s lab to do some organizing. You show up and organize as he works on something. Sometimes he is up in the air on his platform, going through monitors. You simply greet him as you arrive before you begin organizing and cleaning. Sometimes there is no response, other times there is just a “hmm”.

These visits have led to Lyla taking a liking to you. She often asks you questions as you work while Miguel is there. You don’t know if he pays attention to what Lyla and you talk about. You honestly doubt he even listens. He is always so engrossed in what he is doing.

Lyla definitely makes the time pass faster. It isn’t like you wanted it to but the silence in the lab is… off sometimes. Lyla asks you all sorts of things like whether you have plans for that weekend, if you enjoy a certain activity because other spider members enjoy it, if you like a certain food, or how missions have gone, etc. It is always something different. You respond to her questions as you work. You are fast and efficient.

You never miss a week, and you are never late as you have made it a habit to show up at the same time. Except this week that is. You started your period and this month is kicking your butt with excruciating cramps and lower back pain. You barely make it to your home after patrolling your city, sliding into bed in pain.

You dig through your nightstand, looking for the specific medicine you take to take care of this even if it makes you extremely drowsy and dizzy. You take it and lie down, hoping it will help right away as you groan in pain. You lie in bed, clutching your stomach. The medicine definitely makes you drowsy and dizzy, but it doesn’t seem to help much with the pain. You pass out a few times but wake up again, the pain too much.

You’re so out of it that you don’t notice the time. You don’t remember the day. You don’t notice the sun out behind your closed blinds. You don’t hear a multidimensional portal open in your small apartment living room. You don’t register the heavy footsteps that move through your apartment. Your eyes are closed, hands clutching your stomach, soft groans escaping your lips. You don’t see the large shadow moving through your room until the last second.

“Go away,” you say weakly, thinking someone has broken into your home.

Despite your pain, despite feeling drowsy and dizzy, your mind still has the time to find this funny. The one day you feel like absolute crap is the day someone decides to break into your apartment. And you’re Spider-Woman! How ironic, you think. Let them take whatever they want, you think, as long as they don’t hurt you.

However, you are surprised when you feel a warm and heavy hand pressed to your forehead.

“No fever,” the voice says stating it as a fact.

You continue to clutch your stomach, eyes closed. Unbeknownst to you as you lay in bed in and out of it, a man is in your apartment. His height towers over you in bed.

Miguel O’Hara is in your apartment… Checking on you. He stares down at you as you lay in bed. He sees you clutching your stomach and as he observes carefully, he sees no injury. There is no sight of blood either. His eyebrows furrow in confusion. You are clearly in pain but why? He turns to your nightstand, noticing the bottle of pills. He inspects it. Painkillers…

His eyebrows furrow further as he realizes what it could be. He walks to your bathroom to confirm. His suspicion is confirmed when he takes a look at your garbage can, spotting the plastic wraps of feminine products. His suspicion is further confirmed when he sees a pack of feminine products on the counter, ready for easy access.

“Coño,” he says quietly as he realizes his suspicion is true.

He walks out of your bathroom, looking at your shape in the bed. You are still clutching your stomach and soft groans escape from your lips ever so often. Miguel remembers the days he used to take care of his wife before everything collapsed. It was a long time since he had even thought about doing that for a woman, but his mind started remembering everything he did to ease his wife’s pain each month. He stood there, thinking before he walked out of your bedroom and into the one room that was the kitchen, the living room, and dining room all at once… New York apartments, Miguel thought, as he took in your apartment.

You were organized and clean, but that didn’t surprise Miguel. You did organize the lab each week with such ease despite Lyla peppering you with questions the entire time. Your apartment was warm with its colors. It gave the impression of someone happy and warm. Miguel noticed a bookshelf in the part of the apartment that plays the living room. It is filled with so many books that you have some stacked horizontally over the vertical ones. An avid reader, Miguel thinks before he heads to your kitchen.

It is clean for the most part except for a plate and a cup. Miguel searches through your kitchen, looking for something specific. He returns to your room, looking through your drawers looking for something else. A few minutes later, he returns to your bedroom. You lay still. Seems that you have passed out at last. With ease, Miguel slides some homemade socks with warm rice under your sweatshirt. He places one on your stomach and the other one on your back.

A satisfied hum escapes your lips, letting Miguel know his idea was somewhat successful despite it being homemade. He gives you one more look before heading out to your living room.

He doesn’t even know why he came. All he knows is that you didn’t show up to organize the lab like you did each week. You didn’t show up to the morning meeting either. Jessica hadn’t heard from you in hours and there was no activity from your gizmo.

A few hours later, you wake up from your slumber. You yawn and stretch your body gently. You lay in bed for a few seconds, realizing your pain is gone. Now you just feel the exhaustion that comes from having a period. You sit up in bed slowly, feeling something on your stomach. You look down. Your sweatshirt is tucked into your shorts on both sides. You untuck it and two socks filled with something slide out. You furrow your eyebrows as you lift them up to inspect closer. You bring them to your nose.

“Rice…” you say, recognizing the specific scent of rice. Your eyebrows furrow but you shrug. You don’t even remember getting up to make these, but you thank yourself for doing it despite being out of it. You get up from bed slowly and check the time. It’s already evening. You decide to take a shower to ease your muscles.

Your shower is hot. You fill the bathroom with fog, but it doesn’t matter. It makes you feel like a million bucks when you get into fresh clothes, all shower and fresh. You head out of your bedroom to get something to drink and that’s when you see it. The lamps in the living room are on, there is music playing from your record player. You look confused as you step out further.

“Mierda,” you hear an annoyed male voice, causing you to jump a little.

You turn to the voice, located in the kitchen and find…

“Miguel?” you say slowly but with confusion as you find him with his back to you.

He stands in front of one of your kitchen cabinets, holding it open. There’s a screwdriver in his hand. He turns around at your voice.

“Y/N… You’re awake,” he says turning fully around now.

You take him in. He’s in his suit as always. You’ve wondered many times if he ever just dresses in casual clothes since he’s always in his suit. He stands tall, of course, and you can’t help but think how he makes your already small kitchen look ten times smaller than it is with him standing there. You rub your eyes, making sure this isn’t just some hallucination.

“Um- you are here,” you say looking at him again.

Miguel nods, turning back around to the cabinet. You watch as he uses the screwdriver. You remember then. Your loose cabinet that has been a pain in the butt for months now. You look around the place. There were some dishes in your sink, or at least you remember there being some but now they’re gone. You notice the trash was taken out. Clean dishes were put away. And to your surprise, there’s food on the stove. There’s also a sweet scent lingering in the air that you cannot pinpoint right now.  

“You feel better?” Miguel asks, with his back still to you as he finishes fixing the cabinet.

“Yes. A lot better, actually…” you say as you cross your arms across your chest, finding this situation so strange.

Miguel turns around to face you now. He looks at you before looking down at the screwdriver in his hand. The screwdriver looks like a toy in his hand, you notice.

“Yeah, well…” Miguel starts, looking up at you again. “Jessica was worried about you. She said you didn’t report to the meeting we had this morning. She asked if you had gone to my lab to organize it and when I told her no, she grew worried something had happened to you since she also noticed no activity from your gizmo. She wanted to come herself and check on you, but the baby kept her busy today. She asked me to come in and check for her.”

I nod, realizing that makes perfect sense. Jessica has grown fond of you after all, you just never realized she was that fond of you.

“Well, thank you for checking in on me for her. I’ll be sure to thank her tomorrow,” you say looking around the kitchen again.

“You probably shouldn’t do that,” Miguel says, putting the screwdriver down on the counter. It looks normal sized again. You raised an eyebrow. “She doesn’t like it when people thank for her… caring. If you want to thank her, just get her a coffee and tell her you appreciate her mentorship,” Miguel explains, resting his hands on his hips.

You nod slowly, maybe it was better to just thank her for everything instead of just this act. You sigh.

“I guess you’re right,” you say, scratching your neck softly. “Did she also tell you to fix my cabinet, or did that just bother you so much?”

Miguel’s face remains void of any expression. You wanted to ask about the homemade socks with rice since it became apparent to you that you weren’t responsible for them, but you kept your mouth shut.

“I was looking for – rice when I noticed your loose cabinet and other messed up things around here. You have a shitty landlord or something?” he asks, looking around.

You shrug. “Yeah, but the rent is good.”

“You’re not exactly strapped for cash, are you?”

You shake your head. It was true. You had some money. You could afford to move somewhere else where the landlords were better but…

“Why are you still here then?” Miguel asks.

His question is laced with interest, and you can’t help but think about how this is the longest conversation you’ve had with him since… meeting each other. And even then, that conversation was probably about three minutes long. You avert your gaze from him, looking at the wall nearest to you. Your eyes land on a single picture amongst many.

You lost your Peter three years ago, just like many of your spider colleagues. Losing him has been the hardest thing you have ever experienced. You have been punched till the air was knocked out of you, you have laid in ruble with buildings crushed over you, and you have been on the verge of death many times, but nothing has ever nor will ever compare to the pain and grief of losing Peter.

As you look at the picture of Peter and you, the one you took the first day you moved into this apartment, you think about all the memories in this apartment. It was all the two of you could afford back then but you two loved it. It was your place. It was the first time you were living together, and it didn’t matter much that it was a little rundown. You guys just wanted a place to live together. You two made it what it is now. A warm and happy place where you two could come home after a long day of work. You spent hours thinking of how to decorate it. Choosing the right and most affordable couch, choosing the wallpaper, choosing where the furniture went.

In the end, it had turned into a beautiful apartment. It was a haven for the two of you but what mattered the most was that you shared it with him, your Peter. You sigh, feeling overwhelmed by the loss again. You had moved on, of course. You had to. How else would you live otherwise? And you had promised Peter you would. Your mind is overwhelmed by the sudden memories as he laid in your arms. He had been crushed by ruble during an attack by a villain, his body was weak, his eyes glistened as they looked at you. You remember caressing his face and hair. He loved it when you did that. He always said it was the perfect way to soothe his nerves. The perfect way to get him to relax and nap after a stressful day.

Your own eyes were filled with tears as you saw it. The way his life was slowly leaving his body. What hurt a million times more, if it was even possible to hurt that much, was that you knew he knew. He knew that was it. There was no turning back. There was no miracle. There was no secret medicine or miracle serum that could make him get up and walk away from this unscathed. That was it.

You held him in your arms, rubble all around you. He looked at your eyes, his own hazy, as you caressed his face and hair. He gave you a gentle smile as he reassured you, he was okay.

“You will move on, right, baby?” he asked you, his voice indicating how little time there was left. “You have to… You must promise me you will. This city depends on you.”

You nodded your head and unable to hold them back any longer, your tears spilled down your face. You remember how some of your tears had landed on his pale yet still beautiful face.

“You must promise me, out loud, darling. Please,” he said, struggling more to get his words out.

“I promise. I promise I will try my best…” you said, and he had nodded. He looked satisfied with your response.

“You must continue – you are my hero. You always have been. And you are the love of my life, darling… I only wish we had more time. That I had more time to make you happier… To make you, my wife. Please – promise me you will be open to other loves,” he had gasped out.

You shook your head. That was impossible. How could you fall for someone else when Peter was the love of your life? Peter, noticing your reluctance, lifted his hand weakly to your face. Despite everything, he was still trying to comfort you. You felt something in you break further. He wiped your tears and gave you a weak yet comforting smile.

“Please promise me you will allow yourself to love again… If there is someone out there that makes you feel like that, please promise me you won’t shut them out. Please, love, promise me,” he said, looking at your eyes and cleaning your tears away.

His voice was weaker, and you noticed his chest was beginning to rise slower and slower. The time was running out…

“I promise I will. I will open my heart if someone comes along but I promise I will never stop loving you, Peter,” you had answered, trying to make him happy in his last minutes. He smiled at you, sweetly, and thanked you. You held him close to you, breathing in his scent. You tried to hold on to his warmth desperately. You clung to him, like you could defend him from Death herself. Like you could defy her this one time.

You cried your soul out as his heartbeat ceased to beat. You cried out as his body became limped in your arms. You cried as his chest stopped moving. You cried, cried, and cried as you held him close to you like your tears and grip could bring him back.

You cursed Death.

You often worried about hurting Peter if something happened to you. You never counted on Peter being the one who left too soon.

You inhale shakily. Your vision has become blurred with tears as you continue to stare at the picture on the wall. You turn around, remembering that Miguel is there. You wipe your tears discreetly. You swallow the lump in your throat, trying to force it down. Otherwise, the moment you speak, your tears will flow. You clear your throat.

“It doesn’t really bother me – and besides, I spend a lot of time out,” you finally say, sounding somewhat normal now. Though the ache is there, deep in your chest. It’s like someone stabbed you in the heart with a wooden stick and left a small piece of it stuck. It always hurts, it always aches.

Miguel doesn’t reply as you turn back around, feeling more in control of yourself. However, you can see something in his eyes. Perhaps understanding? You guessed he probably knew to some extent what had happened to you. It was a canon event for all spider-people. To lose someone.

“Have you eaten anything?” Miguel asks suddenly, dropping the apartment conversation probably for your own sake.

You shake your head. It was hours since you had eaten something. Since yesterday, really.

“There’s some food here. Let me…” he says trailing off, turning around to get a plate from a cabinet. You can’t help but feel a little surprised at how fast he learned his way around the kitchen. Then again, it’s not that large you realize. You approach the kitchen island and take a seat on one of the two island chairs as Miguel turns around with a plate of pasta. Your eyebrows raise in surprise. It is one of your comfort foods. Miguel slides it over to you, gently. A fork is already on it, ready for you.

You slide the plate closer, the scent of it making your stomach growl instantly. You’re definitely hungry.

“Thank you,” you say before you dig in. You can’t help but smile with satisfaction. It is amazing. “This is really good.”

Miguel doesn’t say anything, just watches you. You eat some more, feeling a bit self-conscious as you feel his gaze on you, but you ignore it. Or try to.

“So, are you a really great cook or is pasta one of the few things you can cook?” you ask, slowing down on your eating, trying to fill in the silence.

Miguel shrugs. “My mother taught me how to cook when I was a teenager. It stuck.”

You nod, still eating. “Great skill to have, really… It helped me and –“ you pause, realizing you were about to mention Peter. You swallow. “It helped Peter and I when we were in college,” you finish, looking down at your plate.

A hint of a smile forms on your face as you remember Peter and you cooking for the week over the weekends. You guys lived separately but shared groceries to help each other out. It saved you guys a lot of time and money and brought the two of you closer.

“It is a great skill to have,” Miguel agrees quietly as you continue to eat, looking down at your plate.

You nod silently as you finish eating. You look up at Miguel, he’s looking down at the counter. His hands are flat against the counter, and he looks lost in his own thoughts. You can’t help but take this time to look at him. The sight of him in your kitchen is really something. You think about how great he is at these things like looking after a woman when they’re on their period or cooking. You want to facepalm yourself as you realize it’s obvious he would be good at these things. He did have a wife and daughter at one point, you remind yourself. You look down at your plate.

“Oh, I made this for you, too,” Miguel says at last, breaking the silence.

You look up curiously, wondering what else he had made. He turns around towards the stove and you watch carefully as he retrieves a mug from one of the cabinets. Again, you feel surprised seeing how he knows exactly where to find what he’s looking for. It disappears from your view in front of him and you hear him pour something. He turns around again, holding one of your mugs. Whatever it is, is hot as you can see steam from the top. He sets the mug down on the counter and slides it over to you. Again, his movements are gentle. You lean forward and reach for it.

“Careful. It’s hot,” he warns, as you pull the mug towards you gently.

The scent fills your nostrils quickly and you recognize the sweet scent that met you earlier when you exited your bedroom. You look up at him.

“Canelita,” you say, grinning.

Miguel nods. “Growing up, my mom said it helped with cramps. It used to help my…” he trails off.

You nod. “Yeah, my grandma used to say that, too.” You pause as you inhale the sweetness of cinnamon. “Thank you…” you reply, with sincerity, still meeting his eyes.

Miguel only nods. You drink the warm liquid, enjoying the warmth that spreads down your throat, chest, and finally your stomach. As it settles in your stomach, you feel warm and cozy.

Miguel clears his throat then and looks down at his gizmo. “Well – I should get going. I have some things to catch up on,” he says turning his attention back to you.

You nod as you place the mug on the counter gently and get up. He walks out of the kitchen portion and heads to the middle of the room. He starts clicking on his gizmo, presumably starting a multidimensional portal. You walk towards him, leaving some distance, of course. He looks up at you as the portal appears in the middle of your apartment behind him.

You clear your throat. “Hey – I just wanted to say thank you… For everything. I know Jessica asked you to check up on me, but you did much more than that. I truly appreciate it,” you say, hoping that you’re fully expressing how grateful you are.

You can’t help but think about how you’d probably still be in bed right now. Miguel nods.

“It’s no problem…” Miguel replies, though he looks like he wants to say more. You watch, waiting but he just stares back with little emotion until he nods at you and turns around. He starts walking into the portal. The bright lights coming from the portal create shadows in your apartment. You watch wordlessly until he looks behind his shoulder. “Don’t forget – don’t mention it to Jessica. She can be weird about being thanked sometimes.”

You nod. “I won’t bring it up, no worries. Thank you again. Enjoy your night!” you call out and he just nods before he disappears into the portal. The portal disappears a few seconds after him, taking away its shadows with it.

You sigh as you stand there for a few more seconds before taking a seat again on the counter island. You drink more canelita, still cherishing the warm feeling. You look at the stove. Everything is in containers and there’s no sight of dirty pans, pots, or utensils.

“Cooked and washed the dishes…” you say to yourself before taking a sip again.

Your attention turns to the cabinet you found him fixing earlier. You get up and walk towards it. You open it with no issue. You think about all the little nicks this kitchen has. Like the drawer that doesn’t come out fully or the other cabinet door that makes a noise every time you open it. Curiosity gets the best of you because before you know it, you are pulling said drawer. Your lips part in surprise as the drawer fully slides out without issues. You check the other cabinet door. No sound.

You sigh as you look around, your eyes landing on the containers. One of them is full of leftover pasta and the other one contains the canelita. Your thoughts are interrupted as you hear your gizmo go off. You turn in the direction it came from, trying to remember where you left it last night. You are usually very careful with it but last night you barely made it through the door.

You find the gizmo on the console table in the living room section of your apartment. You realize there are a few messages from your colleagues like Hobie, Miles, Ben, and Jessica. You quickly reply to the first three who asked about your whereabouts before you move to Jessica’s. You realize she sent multiple messages all ranging from asking how your last mission went to why you weren’t answering to asking if you were okay. The last one makes you stop. Your eyebrows furrow in confusion as you read it.

“Okay… You haven’t replied to any of my messages. Do I need to send someone to check on you? You’ve been MIA all day. Let me know you’re okay!!”

You look up towards where the portal was opened just minutes ago. You shake your head and reply to Jessica, notifying her about what happened. You leave out Miguel though. You put away your gizmo in its usual spot and look around your apartment, thinking. The lamps in the living room section are still on, the record player has stopped playing, however.

“Hm.”

--------------------------------------------- Translation for italicized words: Coño - fuck (it varies by country) Mierda - Shit Canelita - a tea made out of cinnamon sticks

Next Part

A/N: Might do part two. If it matters, I listened to "Nonviolent Communication" from the ATSV album as inspiration. Such a lovely song for Miguel, I think.

I love Miguel O'Hara. That's all.

[welcome-to-green-hills]

Hi Guys!❤️✨

I’ve got some more Sonic 3 (2024)—related trivia for you all to enjoy! This comes from a recent interview that ScreenRant did with Jeff Fowler. I’ll post the subtitles and link the article for you to read when you’ve got some downtime:

1). Casting Maria In Sonic 3 Was Easy Because Of The Mad Max Franchise. Aylya Browne was an easy choice due to liking her performance in the Mad Max series and how she engages with fans in the fandom.

2). Early Versions Of Sonic 3 Included More Ozzie Subtitles. There were a few lines that Ozzie was meant to say at the B-earth-Day Party that were scrapped.

3). Keanu Reeves Pitched The First Interaction Between Sonic & Shadow. Reeves pitched the interaction between Shadow and Sonic being confused with one another’s appearance due to the humor of the situation.

4). Shadow Didn't Want To Start A Fight With Team Sonic At The Beginning Of Sonic 3. Fowler revealed that Shadow never wanted to fight Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles due to wanting to be alone. If Knuckles hadn’t started the fight, then Shadow wouldn’t have left them alone.

5). Fowler Wanted SCU!Shadow’s Origin Story to be Simple. He wanted to keep the concept simpler to introduce Black Doom in the future due to Shadow being made with Black Arms DNA in the games. The “creation” is still there with Shadow and Gerald in terms of harnessing chaos power and unlocking abilities.

6). Sonic 3 Was About Sonic Learning To Be A Leader. This was a conversation with Fowler and Schwartz on discussing where Sonic’s arc in the story would be. Ben felt that learning to be a team leader was the best due to dong things on his own for so long, as well as learning that he can have people to approach when needing help.

7). Jim Carrey's Hair At The Beginning Of Sonic 3 Is Real (but I think that many of us knew that😂)

8). Jim Carrey's Ivo & Gerald Robotnik Scenes Had To Be Filmed On Separate Days. This was due to make-up and costume changes taking up most of the day for Dr. Robotnik and Professor Gerald.

9). Jim Carrey Pitched The Nanotechnology Idea For Ivo & Gerald Robotnik's Final Fight. This was an idea that Jim had due to physical comedy appearances, as well as the belief that the two would invent their own nanotechnology to see which one was better.

10). Jeff Fowler Teased Shadow's Role In Future Sonic Movies. We can expect more of Shadow to appear in potential spinoffs and Sonic 4. He is a loner and not an individual to join a team, but Fowler feels that he would come and assist when needed.

SCREEN-RANT INTERVIEW

[tamamita]

why do zionists always assume its antisemitic to think that zionism a settler colonial idea

Modern Zionists aren't actually well-read into their own history. I could invoke the likes of Theodore Herlz, Ze'ev Jabotinsky, David Ben Gurion, and many other political Zionists and how they were ardent supporters of settler colonialism, yet it wouldn't get through their head, because they genuinely believe the land of Palestine is their right to claim, despite the people inhabitating the area. But to claim that the establishment of the Settler state was necessary due to antisemitism is not correct.

The pogrom of the Jewish people in the Pale of Settlement in Imperial Russia resulted in the mass displacement of Jews. But most Jews did not flee to Palestine, but to the US and Western Europe to live relatively better lives, due to the French revolution and so on. They had no desire whatsoever to move to Palestine due to its harsh climate and environment. Although the repression of Jews in the 19th century added to Zionism's appeal, Zionism did not emerge because of it as is often portrayed.

Jewish historian Michael Stanislawiski explains:

The first expression of this new ideology were published well before the spread of the new anti-semitic ideology and before the pogroms of the ealy 1880s. The fundamental cause of the emergence of modern Jewish nationalism was the rise, on the part of Jews themselves, of new ideologies that applied the basic tenets of modern nationalism to the Jews, and not a response to persecution.

-- Zionism, a short introduction (Stanislawski, 2017)

As was the case for that time, the doctrine of nationalism became prevalent across Europe. Many versions of it gained hold of European intellectuals and the upper-classes. One of these were ethnonationalism, which emphasised common ancestry. Such a view was popular among Germans, Hungarians, Russians, Poles and etc, who saw their "tribes" as being distinct, and therefore needed to be preserved from foreign threats. Zionism would mirror some of these aspects, which was prevalent in Eastern Europe. The founding father of Revisionist Zionism (and the precursor to the Likud party), Ze'ev Jabotinsky stated:

"The creation of a Jewish majority, was the fundamental aim of Zionism, the term "Jewish State", means a Jewish majority and Palestine will become a Jewish country at the moment when it has a Jewish majority".

-- Zionism, and the Arabs, 1882-1948 A study of ideology (Yosef Gorny, 1987)

However, there was another ideology emerging which was far more popular among the oppressed Jewish people, which would propell them to emancipate themselves where they lived. Revolutionary Socialism.

According Ilan Pappe, the doctrine of Zionism was vehemently opposed by Jewish leaders all around Europe on the basis of Talmudic violations, the rise of revolutionary socialism and the rise of Jewish assimilationism. Additionally, in a conference in Frankfurt, rabbis decided to omit the mentioning of "the return" from Jewish prayers as a reaction to Zionism. However, Zionism would face intense opposition from Socialist Jews, especially the Bundists, who openly declared Zionism to be anti-Socialist, opportunistic and reactionary. Zionism was an alien idea, and revolutionary socialism emphasised the importance of the liberation of Jews where they lived, resulting in an ideological feud between the Bundists and Political Zionists. Even the likes of the Chaim Weizmann, the first president of the Settler state, and David Ben Gurion, the first PM of the settler state, would condemn the Bundists for their opposition to Political Zionism.

[exhaslo]

Kinktober Day 3- Feral! Miguel x reader

       Was it weird to want to have sex with a version of Spiderman while you were a Spider-woman? The thought had popped itself several times as you stared at Miguel O'Hara. The leader of the Spider Society; the Spiderman of the future; and the man of your dreams. It was no lie that Miguel was good looking. He was no Peter Parker. Hell, he barely even seemed human at times. His fangs, his strength, his everything was just so...amazing.

        You on the other hand were just another Spider here. You had been working at the Spider Society for almost a year now. From time to time you have bumped into Miguel, but were given the cold shoulder. It was sad, but you had to admire the man from a distance. It seemed like no matter how close to tried to get to him, Miguel would push you away. What were you to do?

        A soft sigh escaped you lips as you sat upside down in the cafeteria. Not many people were at the Spider Society today. Apparently, it was the anniversary for Uncle Ben's death. Only a few Spiders were keeping themselves preoccupied while others went to console their Aunt May. You had your own story. Your own lost ones. You were not a Peter Parker variant of any kind. You were different and special, but apparently not special enough for Miguel to even pay you mind.

"Ugh, what do I have to do?" You whined softly before remembering something, "Ah, since almost everyone is out, maybe he needs help!"

        That lightbulb that appeared above your head was a blessing. You decided to grab an extra empanada from the cafeteria and made you way over to Miguel's large office. Hopefully he would be in a mood to talk today. You were even bringing him a peace offering!

-------------

        Miguel hovered above his desk, trying to catch his breathe. He was rutting bad. Wiping the sweat off his forehead, Miguel tried to ease his pain by masturbating's, but it was of little help. He needed to be in someone. In you. A soft growl escaped his lips as he tried to picture you under him. How could he ever get close to you when all you ever did was smell so sweet. Miguel had to hold himself back from ravishing you every time you got near him.

        He wanted to fuck your brains out and plant a baby in you. Stroking his dick faster, Miguel tried to imagine your cries of pleasure. Your desperate moans for him to fill you. How dirty these thoughts were when he barely said a full sentence to you most days. The scent of your arousals every time he spoke to you was so tempting. 

"Hello? Miguel?" 

        Miguel halted immediately as something new drifted in the air. He sniffed towards your direction, eyes widening. Now was a horrible time for you to show up. You were ovulating and Miguel could smell it. 

"Is this a bad time?" The drop of your voice was cute.

"Mierda. (Fuck)" Miguel hissed before swinging before you, "You shouldn't have come here," He groaned, his large hands on your shoulders. Your heart skipped a beat,

"Sorry, I just wanted to see if you needed help," You admitted.

        You ignored the twisting feeling of your gut. Your spider senses were tingling, but you had an idea as to why. That look Miguel was giving you was making you wet. His hands moved up to your neck, tossing aside the container in your hand. Oh. You knew where this was going.

"I do need help," His voice was low and needy, "Te voy a follar tanto que no querrás volver a tu mundo. (I'm going to fuck you so much that you won't want to go back to your world.)"

        You inhaled deeply as your body turned to jelly. You understood that. Ohhhhhh, you understood that. Miguel inhaled deeply once more before crash his lips against yours. You did not have time to do anything before his talons ripped your suit. His tongue forced its way into your mouth, causing you to lose air. Miguel was making you dizzy from just his kisses.

        Miguel grabbed your hands as you tried to push his chest. You needed air. He webbed your hands to your back before ripping your panties off. Finally, you gasped. Miguel let you catch your breath as he grinded his hard erection against your cunt. Your heart rate had picked up as you listened to him groan and moan. This man whom you admired and dreamed of fucking, was making such sexy noises. To be fair, moans were coming out of your mouth from the friction he was giving you.

"Ya estás tan mojado para mí. Voy a llenarte. llenarte con mi semilla. (You're so wet for me already. I'm going to fill you up. Fill you up with my seed.)" He panted softly.

        You tried to get a word in, but Miguel had shoved his cock inside your folds. A loud gut wrenching moan escaped your lips as you tried to adjust to the sudden intrusion. He was so large. This was so sudden. Once more, you tried to say something, but Miguel pulled back and slammed himself inside you once more. Then again and again. His cock was bullying your pussy and you were loving every minute of it. He was making you wetter by the second.

        The gushing sounds your pussy made whenever he slammed his hips into yours were delicious. Miguel took your breast in his mouth, finally enjoying those moans he so desperately wanted to hear. Your tight walls sucking him more and more. Each orgasm he gave you, leaving him to want more. He was not going to stop. He needed to feel more.

"Di mi nombre. (Say my name.)" He demanded.

"Miguel! M-Miguel~" You repeated as he hit just the right spot.

        Miguel gripped your waist harshly, his talons threatening to pierce your skin. He brought his fangs to your neck, giving you a small bite. Yes, it would paralyze you, but that was what he wanted. Watching as your body arched for another orgasm, Miguel licked his lips. Your walls gushed around his cock, sucking him in for more. Complying, Miguel groaned as he filled you with his cum. A dark chuckle escaped his lips as he watched you pant for air.

        He laid you on your stomach, entering your throbbing hole once more. Your soft cries were music to his ears. You were begging him to give you a chance to relax, but why would he? Miguel was in heat and he finally got his cure. Pounding you harder than before, Miguel moaned softly as he felt himself twitch inside you. This was what he needed. What he wanted. To fill your womb with his seed. To impregnate you with his child.

"Ah~ Miguel~" You cried out. Miguel brought his fangs to your shoulder,

"No voy a parar pronto. No con lo bueno que estás siendo con mi polla. Tu dulce coño chupándome para obtener más semen. (I'm not stopping anytime soon. Not with how good you're being to my cock. Your sweet pussy sucking me for more of my cum.)" He whispered in your ear. You body shivered in delight,

"T-That's n-"

"I could smell how soaked your panties were every time you spoke to me. Do you know how hard it was to not fuck you each time?" Miguel threaten with a growl, shoving his cock deeper inside to fill you once more.

"Y-You could smell me?!" You squeaked in embarrassment.

        Miguel changed positions once more, placing you on his lap. He freed your hands, allowing you to wrap them around his neck. Miguel noticed that your legs were starting to grow numb. He wasn't sure if it was from his rough sex or the venom from his fangs.

"Si, mi amor. (Yes, my love) And right now, you came to me in heat while ovulating." 

You're burned up once you registered what he said. Realizing that he was determined to get you pregnant, you begged him to wait. Miguel ignored your adorable cries as he thrusted his hips upward. Despite your complaints, you obedienly bounced on his cock. You couldn't help but want to fuck him more. He was too good to stop.

Miguel licked his lips as he took your breasts in his mouth again. You tasted so sweet. Next time he was going to have to taste every part of your body. He had wanted to do it nice and slow, but you came onto him with your scent. Either way, Miguel was enjoying your body melting under his mouth. He watched as he brought out another orgasm from you. Your body laying against his from exhaustion.

"I never said we were done." Miguel smirked.

He laid your back against his desk once more, earning more cries and moans from you. Your body was being overstimulated. Miguel watched as you bit your lower lip, shaking in pleasure from him cumming inside you again. It was cute how you begged him to stop, but made such lewd faces when he filled you.

You on the other hand were so cock drunk to even think anymore. The only thing you can think about anymore was the feeling of Miguel's cock stuffing you full. You could feel your womb full of his cum, yet it still wasn' enough for him. You were seeing stars at this point as he kept bullying his cock into you.

"Hah, perfect fit. Your pussy was made for my cock," Miguel panted heavily, riding out another high. He brought you in for sloppy kiss, "Fuck, I can't wait to finally take you home. Fuck you everyday...hah, finally getting to taste you."

Miguel kept blabbering as he kept fucking you. He was enjoying this after months of denial. You were finally his and his alone.

------------

A soft groan escaped your lips as you finally started to come to. Your eyes fluttered opened. It took you a minute to adjust, but once you did, you noticed that you were in a bedroom. It wasn't yours. You attempted to get up, but your body was weak and sore.

"Morning, mi amor." Miguel said as he entered the room with a wet rag. You cooed softly as he placed the rag against your forehead,

"So it wasn't a wet dream," You muffle. Miguel resisted a chuckle, stroking your cheek,

"No."

"How long was I out?"

"..." Miguel furrowed his brows, "Two days," He told you, earning a shocked look.

"Two-Miguel!" Words were caught on your throat. Miguel stole a kiss from you, stroking your cheek,

"I had a small window. I made sure not a single second was wasted during your time." His smirk only grew, "But when you recover, I'm going to properly taste you."

"M-Miguel!"

The stamina this man had was going to make you lose your mind, but you loved it. Trying to hide your embarassment, you covered your face in the blanket.

"F-Fine, but go easy on me." You muttered. Miguel was taken back for a moment before hovering over you the next second,

"Guess I can't wait afterall. Thanks for the meal,"

[f1lovr]

the prince and me ' ln4 - the meeting (ch 1)

summary: in which he meets her and she runs into him.

pairing: prince!lando x exhcange student!reader

warnings: none i don't think? a little language

word count: 1933 words

series masterlist! series pinterest board!

you never expected to end up leaving the states for anything besides a vacation, but here you stand, listening as your tour guide gives you facts about 'Big Ben' as people would call it. your hand hurries as it writes in your notebook the things that might need to be known for a later test as you listen on, admiring the architecture that was in front of you.

"did you know big ben is actually the clock itself and not the tower?" you whisper to your friend who was standing next to you.

she gave you a pointed look as her head turned to look at you, "you are such a nerd, did you know that?" she says while she chuckles.

"hey! there is nothing wrong with being a nerd!" you say as you pull your phone out to take a picture of the monument. "the tower itself is actually called the Elizabeth Tower after Queen Elizabeth II," you continue as you take a picture.

your friend laughs at that as she goes back to paying attention to their group leader. you were busy capturing pictures for your family back home to notice that your group was leaving to head to the next stop and by the time you were done scrolling through images to look at them and looked back up they were already long gone.

you paused as you just stood, looking around you in every which way to see if you could catch a glimpse of anyone, "fuck," you mutter as you don't see anything.

you move to call somebody on your phone to find out where they were only to see you didn't have any service where you were standing, "double fuck," being the next words you mutter as you walk forward to see if you a get bar of service to call somebody or at least find your trip itinerary to see if you can find where they were headed.

you find yourself at a little cafe when you were able to get service, the hustle and bustle of the people there confusing you, but you just assumed that it was just a popular cafe. you pressed the contact for your friend to make a call to her as you whip your head around to see if maybe you can spot them somewhere, a highly unlikely possibility but you weren't one to stop being hopeful, especially considering you were lost.

"hello?" your friend asks, her voice coming in kind of breaky from the lack of service you had.

"em? where are you guys?" you ask into the phone as you cover your other ear in an attempt to hear her. you were moving back and forth from where you were standing as you tried to continuously get out of people's way as they shove past you to get inside.

"what do you mean where are we-" she broke off after coming back with just the word "palace."

"you're at a palace? what palace?" you ask confused, trying to decipher what she said with the cuts in the call.

your call cuts out as you mutter out another string of curse words, you still having no clue where your group was. you ran to see if you could hail a taxi in hopes that by some miracle if you went to the nearest palace you would find your group, or better yet get better service.

you tried your best to shove through the crowd that was now encompassing you, growing larger by the second. you get pushed backwards by someone making you bump into someone rather harshly.

"i'm so sorry," you say as you try your best to turn around to look at them, hands shooting out to grab you, "hey let me go," you yell as people in suits grab at your wrists.

"this is public defamation you know, i didn't do anything, let go," you yell as you try to get out of their arms. you tried to make eye contact with one of the guys holding you, "i swear i'm not a terrorist, i'm a measly little college student that is stupid and lost her group i swear."

"you probably shouldn't say that," a voice says as another hand reaches out to you, this one gentler, their accent thick on their lips. "you can let her go, Jerry, she's fine."

"are you sure sir?" a voice beside you says, your head whipping to look at them with a glare.

"yes, please listen to this nice british man and unhand me," you say as you tug at your wrist again.

"watch your mouth girl," the voice you assume is jerry snarls.

"jerry, stop, let her go," the gentle voice said again as his hand remains on your wrist, pulling you closer as the other two men let go of you, "come with me, just trust me," the gentle voice whispers into your ear as he holds you close, guiding you forward.

"are you kidnapping me?" you ask as you let him lead you to wherever it was that he was going, the gentleness in his voice telling you to trust him despite not having been able to even see his face.

"you really should watch what you say, you're going to get yourself thrown into the dungeon," the gentle voice laughs as he pushes you into a limousine as camera flashes go off around you.

"they actually have those?" you ask with a shocked face as he follows you in, silence consuming you both as the two men that were holding your wrists earlier got in behind you both and closed the car door.

the gentle voiced man collapses with a sigh next to you and it was then that you finally get a good look at his face and your face flushes when you notice how fine this british man actually was, the curls on his head working great for his mullet that he sported, and the suit he wore clung to his frame just right.

"what? like what you see?" he chuckles with a smirk when he turns to see your stunned and flushed face.

you sat there silently just staring at him not really knowing what to say, him staring back just as confused as he waits for you to say something, "so are you going to say something? maybe a 'thank you prince lando for making your guards unhand me after i threatened your land.' that works you know?" he said sarcastically finally.

your face dropped at the one word, your eyes going wide as you remained silent for a new reason, "p-prince?" you ask carefully.

"prince lando, heir to the throne, at your service," he says, sticking his hand out for you to shake.

you stare at his outstretched hand for a second before looking at the two men who had grabbed you earlier that were sitting across from you both, you now guessing that 'jerry' and this other guy were most likely his bodyguards, "am i allowed to shake his hand or will i be arrested for that?" you ask them jokingly, your response being a glare from the both of them.

"ignore them, they're annoying," the prince says as he grabs your hand and places it on his own to shake.

you shake his hand carefully as you let go, prince lando turning to look at you as he leaned into the seat he was sitting in as the car drove to an unknown place, "so, do you always joke that you're a terrorist or am i just special?" prince lando asks as he relaxes into the seat, his legs spreading a bit as his arm rests on the door.

you flush as he speaks before composing yourself a bit, feeling a little weirder with just sitting normally now that you were in the presence of royalty, and totally being conscious of your more than average outfit, "um- no, that was a heat of the moment thing," you tell him.

"oh? heat of the moment? like you staring at me earlier?" he says with a smirk.

your face flushes more, "is your ego normally this big or am i just special?" you quip back.

you can tell his bodyguards were going to say something at the comment you made considering the prince held his hand up to stop them before leaning forward, "are all you americans like this? the lack of manners i will say is kind of annoying sometimes."

"your poshness is kind of annoying sometimes, what is this? the 1800s?"

the prince chuckles at that, "no i guess not, but i am royalty so what exactly were you expecting from me? sweats and a tank top? dribbling a basketball down the streets? did i nail the american stereotype?"

"just about," you giggle, "you're missing the flirting with every single thing with boobs that passes by though."

you watch as his eyes goes wide at what you said, clearly surprised at how immature you were being in his presence, but he laughs nonetheless, "what are you doing here anyway if i may ask?"

you cleared your throat as you look away from him, realizing his accent and looks were getting to you more than you'd like to admit, "i'm um- i'm doing an exchange program for a semester, i got lost though, got distracted by big ben, hence the whole running into you thing."

prince lando nods his head at your words, "so you were stupid?"

you glare at his words, "yes," you say while gritting your teeth, "i guess you could say i was being stupid. where are we going anyway? you lowkey kind of just kidnapped me, i can call the police on you you know?"

the prince gestures to his bodyguards, "you're perfectly safe, and also this is the police basically and you're on their bad side." he leans towards you again with a smile, "we're going to buckingham palace though."

your eyes go wide in excitement when he mentions that you were going to buckingham palace, "so you were just going to kidnap me away to buckingham palace and just leave me, an american girl who's by herself, on the side of the street?"

prince lando chuckles at you again as he shakes his head, "no, i was going to bring you inside and ask you where you wanted to go, but now that i know you're lost we can help you get back to your group when we get there."

"i'm going inside?" you ask softly as your eyes widen in surprise.

"yeah," the prince chuckles, "who do you think i am? someone who leaves pretty little american girls who are here by themselves to get kidnapped on the side of the street?"

“yeah actually, i don’t really know anything about you” you say honestly.

“well i’m not so you don’t have to worry, and you’re coming inside with us, end of story,” he states as he turns to look back to the front, most likely making eye contact with this jerry guy, as he sits back in his seat.

you decide to just sit in silence for the rest of the ride, wanting to crack a joke on if his other bodyguard was named tom but deciding they were probably already annoyed with you enough so you stuck to watching the city around you pass by outside the window as you all drove to buckingham palace.

you could tell from that moment that it was only the start of your time with the prince, but you didn’t know how you felt about that.

[nataliescatorccioapologist]

Season 3 Official Trailer Breakdown

*Huge disclaimer that this show is so unpredictable that all of my guesses will probably be wrong. I know many of these shots are probably misdirections and missing important context.*

Lottie spotted alive and well and looking great (with a bodyguard? Or just a very well dressed man?)

A series of scenes that imply Nat is definitely in some hot water this season. It seems that she might have known where Coach Ben was but didn’t tell the group to protect him, which pisses the rest of the group off enough to question her leadership. Unlike Lottie, Nat wasn’t chosen by the group to lead them, which will likely result in tension and resentment from those who feel like she didn’t earn her new title. The group is shifting towards ferocity and darker morals, so maybe Nat can't meet the group’s needs or take them down the path they want to go on. Maybe the trial we saw in the first trailer was actually related to Nat? But why would Coach Ben be there in the background for that?

With the way Nat looks on her knees in the middle of the group and the vitriol she seems to be facing, I am so interested to see how she makes it out of this alive. However, I do think it’s important to note that, in the close up shot we get of her with blood on her face, there are no actual wounds visible. It could be someone else’s blood!

And related to that, we see the group setting up what appears to be a makeshift table. As we saw with Javi, I wonder if this table is being set up to butcher something (or someone) on. Or just to have a nice innocent family feast on.

I think it’s interesting to note that the clip immediately following this is Nat in what appears to be an apron with her hair pulled back. To me this looks like Nat is going to be the one doing the butchering in this scene (the apron and her hair being pulled back implies that she’s trying not to get blood on her clothes and hair). Could Nat be relegated to Shauna’s role as the butcher after Shauna becomes the new leader? Or is she just filling in for the moment?

It looks like Travis might be getting bit here (by Shauna?) while Lottie laughs. I really have no guesses as to what’s going on here. Maybe Travis stood up for Nat and therefore was attacked? I have a feeling Travis is going to be very conflicted as to where his loyalties lie this season, which might make him a target. The first image could actually be Mari getting the chomp, though, as we have already seen a clip of Shauna biting her hand in the previous trailer.

It looks like Tai is attacking Van here (!!), which I'm willing to bet is Other Tai taking over, and we also see Tai screaming and crying (which I'm guessing is related to her attacking Van?). I'm wondering if this could be some kind of nightmare Taissa is having of losing control and hurting Van, which reflects how she is afraid of herself and her lack of control over her darker alternate. Or it could be her actually attacking Van. And is it just me or does it look like they are wearing the same outfits in the attacking scene and the scene where they're running through the street?

It looks like Shauna (and likely the other survivors) will be receiving some threatening letters and tape recordings from an unknown source (Shauna says that someone is trying to kill them for what they did in the wilderness). It looks like Shauna received both a letter (notably addressed to Shauna Shipman, not Sadecki, which could be a way of hinting that this person knows her past) and a tape? And then it looks like she is trying to secretly play the tape in her bathroom (trying to hide it from Callie and Jeff?).

There's another clip of Mari running from the group again and hiding behind a tree, very reminiscent of when Nat hid behind the tree after drawing the Queen card in S2. Even though Mari does look genuinely scared here, the second clip of Mari laughing with Van in what appears to be the same scene makes me wonder if this is actually not Mari running for her life and rather just a fun game the YJs are playing. Maybe they're literally playing tag or something? Or maybe they were playing a harmless game which quickly devolved into something darker.

A closer shot of Tai holding the gun. This time, we can see she is not as stoic as she appeared in the promotional images we saw before. She's crying, and I feel like that combined with the following clip of blood splattered on some leaves nearby confirms that Tai put to the task of shooting someone in this scene. Mari is in the background, so its not her, so is it Coach Ben? Why is Tai the one chosen to carry it out?

We see more of that scene where Shauna is being pulled down into the lake by someone/something. I truly have no idea what is going on in this scene. I am kind of hoping that its Nat taking revenge and trying to threaten her/drown her but I am 90% sure that's not going to happen. Who do we think would try to drown Shauna?

Pretty sure this is Mari spraying Shauna with some kind of mace! And by the looks of it, Shauna probably deserves it (sorry). Maybe this is following the scene where Shauna is trying to bite Mari's hand and then Mari sprays her with whatever this is to defend herself?

A shot of a hooded figure holding the rifle, with some other hooded figures following behind. To me this looks like some kind of search party, like they are hunting someone down who ran away and hid. I wonder if they're looking for Nat? Especially after Shauna's "We'll give the wilderness what it wants" line. They could also be searching for Coach Ben or Mari.

Tai and Misty about to smother someone to death in a hospital?? I would think this person must know too much about what they did in the wilderness and therefore they have to kill him. Another part of me is really just hoping they're smothering Lottie's dad to death because I know he's going to be in this season and I really hate that guy, but I am also pretty sure that's just wishful thinking on my part.

Things aren't looking too good for Akilah. The expression on her face and the way she's being held up by someone make it seem like she just got shot or stabbed/is actively dying. But not sure if they would be bold enough to show that in the trailer. Whatever is happening to Akilah here, she definitely doesn't look like she's doing too great.

I'll say it: I think we're getting a Pit Girl reveal this season! Or at least we will get up to the point in the storyline right before Pit Girl. These are the same outfits we see the group donning in the opening scene of the pilot episode. We can clearly see the skunk head (referred to as The Hunter in the script) who was standing over the pit trap looking down at Pit Girl's body. It is still pretty impossible to tell who's who. But I think this tells us that Season 3 will go through spring, summer, and into the beginning of the second winter (or we could just be getting flash-forwards to winter). Looks like they've gone full feral at this point, they've got spears and they are definitely hunting someone down. I wonder if this is actually the Pit Girl scene itself, just from the perspective of the hunters now instead of the prey.

This is pretty much confirmed to be Lottie given that we have behind the scenes photos of Simone Kessell wearing this exact dress and heels. Lottie, I am so scared for you, please be okay. hoping she's just passed out or something. Or maybe she just got tired and she's taking a nap...on a dark mysterious concrete floor surrounded by candles.

And last but absolutely not least we have Lottie eating the fuck out of someone with blood all over her face. The cannibalism in this season has been turned up to 11 for sure.

--

There are some shots that I left out because I ran out of room! There are just so many details in this trailer that I want to unpack, but I tried to pick out the ones I found most important. Some other important shots not mentioned were the arrow in the tree trunk (I'm guessing this is actually the adult timeline since I'm really not sure where the girls would get an arrow like that in the wilderness, unless it belongs to someone outside of the group👀), a Queen card being picked up off the street in the adult timeline, the floating lantern scene we have seen in promotional photos, the girls having a feast, Travis walking with the rifle, and the girls running around their makeshift huts having fun (wholesome).

[ryngzmn]

₊˚ෆ | awakening | S.B (4)

SUMMARY: After the fight with Homelander, Ben patches up your injury and realizes how differently he treats you compared to the others.

WORD COUNT: 858.

WARNINGS: s3 spoilers. set after s3 but ben didn’t get put under again, the boys just failed to stop homelander, general fluff towards the end, swearing, very little dialogue; mostly just ben’s thoughts :)

A/N: IM SO SORRY TO THE TWO PEOPLE WHO R ON THE TAGLIST I’VE BEEN SUPER BUSY W/ COLLEGE AND WORK LATELY SO I HAVENT BEEN ABLE TO WORK ON THE SERIES :((

part one! | part two! | part three!

The fight with Homelander was… brutal, to say the least.

You had to take some Temp-V just so you wouldn’t be fucking lasered in half by the blonde man baby that was the leader of The Seven.

Even towards the end, you had sustained a small injury somehow. But it wasn’t life threatening, just very fucking annoying to move around considering you had to limp since said injury was on your thigh.

—————————————————————————

Ben was absolutely seething on the ride back from the Seven tower, he felt like some kind of failure; it reminded him of his childhood. Ben was Butcher’s last resort to defeat Homelander and he failed.

Ben snapped at anyone that tried to reassure him it was okay and that they “always had a second chance.” Except you.

He actually gave you a weak smile when you tried to reassure him. But for the others? He snapped at them to shut the fuck up before he punched their teeth in.

When you guys got back, Frenchie was the first one to notice the crimson red stain seeping through your pants.

Ben immediately dragged you over and sat you down on the raggedy couch that was in the office building.

Considering there weren’t really any rooms that allowed privacy in the building, Ben just decided to tear a small hole near the wound that way you wouldn’t be uncomfortable considering how close the wound was to an intimate part of your body.

Ben carefully grabbed some alcohol that he had grabbed earlier to drown out his anger, but it had luckily came in handy in another way now.

You winced aloud as the burning scotch hit your wound, causing it to bubble up a bit before going back to oozing out the familiar crimson liquid.

Ben — to his own surprise — asked Kimiko to grab him some bandages and gauze that he was sure Butcher had lying around this dump so he could patch you up fully.

While Kimiko swiftly left to get supplies for your injury, Ben was left with his own thoughts.

He looked up at you, noticing how the shitty lighting of the building somehow highlighted your features. Ben found himself entranced, like he could just stare at you for hours on end.

He quickly shook it off, not wanting you to get suspicious of him and his staring. But the thought lingered in his mind.

Ben started to realize that he treated you so much more differently than the others. He treated you kindly.

Hell, he didn’t even do that with Payback back before they betrayed him. Now that he thinks about it; he also never yelled at you.

While he might’ve done so in the beginning, you warmed up to him somewhat quickly and he yelled at you less and less.

You were also allowed to call him Ben. And while Butcher said it too, he always got annoyed and made some vulgar comment about it. But with you, he didn’t do any of that. He actually let you call him by his first name.

Ben didn’t call you any mean nicknames, either. He just called you by your name and threw in some pet names every now and then, but not enough to make you annoyed. Besides, they were mostly used to make lighthearted jabs in your direction.

Ben didn’t even realize that Kimiko was trying to hand him the supplies until your voice piped up.

“Ben. Kimiko’s tryin’ to give you the supplies.” You grunted, glancing down at the gash on your thigh that was slowly starting to stain your jeans and skin even more.

Shaking his head, Ben quickly grabbed the supplies before mumbling, “yeah, sorry.”

Ben meticulously placed the gauze pad over the gash and then placed a firm pressure, ignoring the small pang of guilt that hit him as you groaned at the sudden burst of pain.

Once he placed a firm pressure, Ben carefully wrapped the bandages around your thigh.

After he finished, Ben pulled away, patting your other — and obviously uninjured — thigh before getting up.

“There, all done sweetheart.” He said with a smug grin, obviously proud of his okay-ish medical skills that he just provided for you.

Ben plopped down on the couch next to you, staring lazily at the ceiling.

“Thanks for patching me up.” He heard your quiet appreciation and he patted your shoulder affectionately.

You slowly leaned to the side and placed your head against his shoulder, closing your eyes with a tired sigh.

Ben didnt push you away like he would with anyone else, he instead wrapped an arm around your shoulders and gently pulled you closer against his side.

Ben found himself caught in his thoughts again: did he feel something more with you?

He didn’t think it could be true, he didn’t even truly love Crimson Countess; that was all just some shitty PR stunt for more money and recognition.

But this wasn’t the 80s, this wasn’t some PR stunt that Vought cooked up for money and possibly more movies or merch.

There was no way he was in love with you.. was there?

—————————————————————————

taglist! : @mostlymarvelgirl @anu-piyakya97

[dovesdreaming]

Lost in the tide

Summary: You and Harry were best friends til you took your chance at a new beginning on the isle. When reunited he finds his forgiveness in a passionate kiss.

Request

Masterlist

-

The Isle of the Lost had always been your home. It was dark, gritty, and full of danger, but you never cared about any of that, not when you had Harry Hook by your side. Harry had been your best friend for as long as you could remember. From sneaking around the Isle, plotting mischief and laughing at the chaos you caused, to watching the waves crash against the shore in rare, quiet moments, he had been your anchor in a world that didn’t offer much comfort. Being the daughter of Maleficent and sister to Mal came with its own set of challenges. Expectations weighed heavily on you, and while Mal embraced her role as a leader on the Isle, you had always felt a different pull, something that made you long for more than what the Isle could give. You and Harry had often talked about escaping, about breaking free from the chains that bound you to this place. But when the time came for one of you to leave, when Auradon came calling, you took your chance. And Harry had never forgiven you.

Now, years later, your heart pounded as you stepped off the boat, the familiar sights and smells of the Isle hitting you all at once. The air was thick with the scent of salt and grime, the streets bustling with the same chaos you had left behind. It was as if time hadn’t moved at all. Yet, everything had changed. Especially you. You were back on the Isle for one reason: to save Ben from Uma and her crew. But despite the mission’s urgency, your mind was consumed with only one thought, Harry. The boy who had once been your best friend, the one who had stood by your side through it all. The boy you left behind. The one whose anger still haunted you. “You alright?” Mal asked from beside you, sensing your unease. “Yeah, I’m fine” you lied, giving her a quick nod. “Let’s get this over with”. But as your group made its way toward the docks where Ben was being held, your heart raced faster with each step. And then, as if summoned by your thoughts, there he was.

Harry Hook stood near the edge of the dock, leaning casually against a post, his ever-present hook twirling in his hand. His eyes, sharp and glinting like shards of ice, were locked on you the moment you came into view. He hadn’t moved, but the intensity in his gaze was enough to make your heart skip a beat. The years apart had changed him, he was taller, broader, his features sharper and his demeanor even more dangerous but those familiar blue eyes, filled with a mix of anger and something else, were the same. And just like that, it felt like no time had passed at all.

“Well, well” Harry drawled, pushing off from where he’d been standing and taking a step toward you. His lips curled into a smirk, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Look who decided to grace us with her presence. The prodigal daughter returns”. You swallowed, trying to keep your composure. “Harry...” “Don’t” he snapped, his voice cold as he cut you off. “Ye don’t get to say my name like that anymore. Not after ye left”. His words hit harder than you expected, a sharp pang in your chest. You’d known he would be angry, but hearing it, feeling the bitterness in his voice, was worse than you imagined. “I didn’t have a choice” you said softly, meeting his gaze.

Harry’s eyes darkened, and he took another step closer, the space between you shrinking. “There’s always a choice, lass. Ye just didn’t choose me”. The hurt in his voice was undeniable, and you flinched at the rawness of it. He’d always been so strong, so confident, but now, standing in front of you, there was vulnerability there, a crack in the armor. You glanced down, your fingers curling into fists at your sides. “I didn’t want to leave you, Harry. But Auradon… it was an opportunity, a chance for something different. You know that”. “Auradon” Harry spat, his voice filled with venom as he stepped even closer. He was right in front of you now, his breath hot against your skin as he stared down at you with an intensity that made your knees weak. “Ye got your perfect life, didn’t ye? While I was stuck here, rotting on this godforsaken Isle”.

“I didn’t have a choice” you repeated, your voice cracking. “I had to go, Harry. You don’t know how hard it was-“ “Ye left me” he interrupted again, this time his voice softer but no less fierce. His hand came up, the metal of his hook gleaming in the dim light as he pointed it at you. “Ye left me here alone”. You bit your lip, your heart aching at the pain in his voice. You wanted to reach out to him, to touch him, to tell him everything you had never been able to say. “I never wanted to leave you behind” you whispered, your voice trembling. “You were all I thought about”. Something flickered in his eyes at that. Surprise, maybe, or disbelief, but he didn’t move, his body still rigid with anger. For a long, agonizing moment, neither of you spoke, the silence heavy with everything that had been left unsaid over the years. “I didn’t hate ye, ye know” Harry finally said, his voice rough with emotion. His eyes softened slightly as he studied your face, and he let out a harsh breath. “I thought I did, but..I was just jealous. Jealous ye got out. That ye left me”.

You reached out tentatively, your hand brushing lightly against his chest. “I never stopped thinking about you, Harry. Never”. His breath hitched at your touch, his body tensing beneath your fingers. His free hand, the one not gripping his hook, came up to catch your wrist, holding it in place as his eyes bore into yours. “Do ye mean that?” he asked, his voice low and raw. You nodded, your heart pounding in your chest. “I mean it”.

For a moment, neither of you moved. You could feel the warmth of his hand on your skin, the way his chest rose and fell with each shaky breath. And then, with a growl of frustration, Harry closed the distance between you, crashing his lips against yours in a kiss that was as desperate as it was fierce. You gasped into the kiss, your hands flying up to tangle in his hair as you kissed him back just as eagerly. Years of pent-up emotion and unresolved tension poured into that kiss, the heat between you building with every second. Harry’s arms wrapped tightly around you, pulling you flush against his body, and you could feel the rapid thrum of his heartbeat as his lips moved against yours, hungry and demanding.

He backed you up against one of the wooden posts of the dock, pressing his body into yours as his lips trailed down the side of your neck, nipping at your skin with a wicked grin. “Ye don’t get to leave again” he murmured against your throat, his breath hot and teasing. “Not without me”. You shivered, your fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt as you tugged him closer. “I’m not going anywhere”. “Good” he growled, his lips finding yours again in a searing kiss that left you breathless. His hook brushed lightly against your side, the cold metal sending a thrill through you as he tilted your chin up with his free hand. “Because I’ve spent too long thinkin’ about this, about ye”.

Your pulse raced as his lips hovered just above yours, his voice dropping to a low, seductive whisper. “And now that I’ve got ye… I’m not lettin’ go”. The mission to save Ben could wait, just for a little longer. For now, all that mattered was the heat of Harry’s touch and the way he made you feel like you had finally come home. And this time, you weren’t going to let him go.

-

Thank you for reading!

[starguardianniom]

Billy and Lighter

I love their dynamic so much.

Freaking Lighter of all people sees Billy as his worthy rival.

Ngl but I legit think it's because Billy is the only one he can fight without being afraid of passing out.

Given Lighter faints at the sight of blood and that Billy is an android, if Billy gets hurt he will probably leak oil, but no blood, which is perfect for Lighter.

I honestly, half-seriously thinks that's the sole reason Lighter considers Billy is rival, because he won't risk embarassing himself if he manages to hurt Billy while fighting as Billy has no blood for him to faint to.

But he also does respect him given he thinks highly of him and actually likes him like a brother too.

They playfully tease one another but you can also clearly see that Lighter has a high opinion of Billy and is also happy for him to have found happiness somewhere else too, and that's so wholesome, my heart.

I was pratically screaming of joy in my head the entire time yesterday when I speedrun the chapter (I had the day off lucky me so I used it to clear out chapter 4 entirely yeah!).

I took so many pictures, will upload them this weekend, now I need to go do that certification exam to get my people to level 50, given I need to level up pretty much everyone I have right now (Billy, Anby, Nicole, Corin, Soukaku, Ben, Anton, Seth, Jane and Lucy are the characters I currently have the game refuses me Piper and just sended me a lil army of Corins, Anby and Soukaku, now I have Anby and Soukaku to M4 and Corin to M3, though it gave me Billy M2 and Seth M2 thank god) I'll be at it for a while.

But honestly I expected Lighter to be a bit more mean toward Billy and feeling superior to him but it seems like I was worried for nothing, Lighter loves Billy and Billy loves him back, though I'm pretty sure Billy also thinks that he wasn't able to escape Lighter entirely given he now has Anby around. XD Lighter keeps forgetting things and Anby keeps forgetting the line between fiction and reality, I imagine Billy must be used to Anby because he had to spend half his time reminding Lighter of stuff all the time. XD

I swear Billy had it better than Lighter back then, given he was the Champion that means he was the strongest of the Sons of Calydon, which means he's stronger than Big Daddy, and Big Daddy is most likely the one who raised and taught Caesar how to fight, so if she didn't get the title of Champion back then, then Billy was most likely strong enough to beat her too and Big Daddy. But then he left. But he also got to meet Lighter before that, but Lighter is weaker than Caesar but still has the title for some reason, so it's a bit murky there as to why they needed 2 champions.

I think Billy wanted to leave or something happened that made him leave and then Big Daddy brought in Lighter to pick up his title but Billy sticked around long enough to make sure Lighter was up for the job given they have a good brotherly friendly rivalry relationship together so once Billy thought Lighter was ready he gave him his title and left. And then Caesar got to be the new boss of the Sons of Calydon when Big Daddy retired, and was strong enough that she was able to beat Lighter apparently.

But the title of Champion is basically being the number 2 of the gang, so if the leader isn't around it's most likely the champion calling the shots and making sure everything is alright and settling disputes and what nots, but since Lighter is pretty scatterbrained, most of the duties went to Lucy while Lighter is just now extra muscles, since Lucy is pretty much the one making sure everything is alright and being the brains of the Sons, but she clearly doesn't have the strenght to be the Champion because Lighter is the one with that title.

So I imagine Billy used to handle negotiations and relations and other stuff with Big Daddy before he left and probably used to be deadly efficient, in some parts of the story he is a lot more aware and shrewd than he presents himself most of the time, such as asking us about the H.D.D and asking why we'd bother to be proxies when we could have done so much more and get a much more lucrative job, or when he was ready to sell us out to PubSec to save the Cunning Hares and himself pointing out that the Cunning Hares could get their record cleaned if they reported a proxy, which was a very smart way of thinking given their situation back then. He is also knowledgeable about the Outer Ring, so he is way much smarter than he acts too.

I do feel like Billy is seen as a superior predecessor to Lighter and while Lighter doesn't resent Billy at all for it he also feels the need to prove himself to him in some way to live up to his "brother's" legacy.

Lucy probably didn't have much to do until Billy left and Big Daddy retired. Then she basically became the second half of the Champion title in the Sons of Calydon, being the brain to Lighter's brawn, but Billy before them had the title on his own to the point that he is still feared today by other people in the Outer Ring.

It does beg the question of what was Billy like back then, probably less happy and more brutal and having the mindset of a weapon maybe, but he was still cared for a lot.

I also like to think that Big Daddy called him Billy Kid because he honestly saw Billy as "his" kid when he bought him from a group of drifters, now I really want the whole story, if they release Big Daddy and Lighter, give them more content with Billy, I need more, Hoyo!

[pepi1989]

Tangled in Love

Pairing: Ben Shelton x F!Reader

Warnings: None

The house buzzed with energy as you walked through the front door, greeted by the familiar sounds of family chatter and kids' laughter bouncing off the walls. You could already hear Ben’s voice carrying from the living room, mixed in with the playful shrieks of his nieces and nephews. A smile tugged at your lips these family gatherings always had a way of feeling like home, no matter how chaotic they got.

As you rounded the corner, you stopped in your tracks, the scene in front of you too precious to disturb. Ben was sprawled out on the floor, totally surrendered to the chaos of four tiny bodies piling on top of him. He was laughing so hard his eyes were squeezed shut, his arms pinned to the ground by one particularly determined little girl. His hair was a mess of curls, half of it falling across his forehead as he tried, and failed,to shake off his captors.

“Hey!” His eyes flickered open when he spotted you, still grinning even with a five-year-old perched on his chest. “A little help here?”

You leaned against the doorway, crossing your arms with a playful smirk. “No way, you’re on your own. You look like you’ve got it handled.”

The tallest of the kids, Ben’s nephew, who took his role as “team leader” very seriously, jumped to his feet. “We need reinforcements!” He looked straight at you, eyes wide with purpose. “Auntie, help us! We have to take him down!”

You laughed, already being pulled by the hand into the fray. “Oh no, I don’t think this is fair. You’ve got him pretty cornered already,” you teased, but before you knew it, you were kneeling beside them, part of the tangle of arms and legs.

Ben shot you a look of pure betrayal. “Traitor!” He groaned dramatically, but you could see the affection in his eyes, the way his smile softened when he looked at you.

It was moments like this that reminded you why you adored him so much, not just because he could charm his way through any conversation or light up the court, but because he was just so good with his family. He was patient, playful, and every bit the big kid when he needed to be.

One of the younger girls, with the cutest little pigtails, suddenly declared, “We win! Uncle Ben is squished!” She flopped down onto his chest, giggling uncontrollably.

Ben groaned again, rolling his eyes in mock defeat. “Alright, alright, you got me. I surrender.”

You let out a breathless laugh, collapsing onto the floor beside him. The kids started to disperse, distracted by another game across the room, leaving you two in a heap. Ben turned his head to look at you, still catching his breath from all the wrestling. “You know,” he said quietly, “if I had known they’d get you on their team, I would’ve trained harder.”

“Please,” you snorted. “You didn’t stand a chance.”

His eyes softened, a tender smile curling at the corners of his mouth. “I like seeing you like this,” he murmured, his voice lower now, more serious than the playful banter from moments before. “With my family. It feels… right.”

Your heart did a little flip at his words. Before you could say anything, one of the kids yelled from across the room, “Uncle Ben, come play hide and seek!” And just like that, the moment was gone, his playful grin reappearing as he got to his feet, offering you a hand.

“Better go defend my honor,” he said with a wink before jogging off to join them.

You stayed there for a moment, watching as he dove right back into the chaos. Your chest swelled with a familiar warmth, knowing that this right here, in the middle of his family, surrounded by laughter and love was exactly where you belonged.

[jrswritings]

Tingles and Giggles - Chapter One - Tyler Owens x Reader

Chapter One - Nice Try, Owens

It was the end of the second tornado-chasing season for (Y/n) and the Storm Riders. A couple of years ago a local bar in Oklahoma named the Dust Devil Dive hosted a yearly celebration party for all the storm chasers to relax and share stories from the year's chases. 

Granted, most times it was just your team, a few from Storm Par, another smaller team named Atmosphere Aces, and the Tornado Wranglers. Thankfully when the owners, Kathy and Randy, threw this party they closed the place down to outsiders, which included all of the Tornado Wrangler fans. You and your team got tired of having their fans around constantly just because the leader, if you could call him that, was good-looking and charismatic enough to make any girl who looked at him melt. That man is Tyler Owens. 

While, yes, he is good-looking and a smooth talker, he was also reckless and annoying. There were numerous times you had watched him and Boone drive into the middle of a storm in that old red truck of his and put it in park to then shoot fireworks up into the tornado. You’d have to admit that his bravery and respect for the storm were admirable; driving into the middle of a tornado was not as admirable. 

You smirked to yourself while sitting at the bar while sipping your whiskey and diet coke thinking of all the crazy stunts the Tornado Wranglers have pulled. You turned your barstool slightly to watch the teams intermingle on the dance floor, forgetting about all the turbulence everyone had gone through the last few weeks. 

As Rodney Atkins played throughout the bar, you turned back to the bar and finished your drink hearing everyone sing along at the top of their lungs. 

“If you’re going through hell, keep on going, don’t slow down!” They all sang, “If you’re scared, don’t show it, you might get out ‘fore the devil even knows you’re there!” 

In the corner of your eye, you could see Tyler playing pool with Dexter while trying to teach Ben, a journalist from a city near London. You smirked while watching Ben try to use the cue to hit the white ball on the table which was basically lined up with the seven ball and one of the corner pockets. 

While he took his shot and missed horribly by barely hitting the white ball and almost falling onto the table, you couldn’t help but let out a laugh. That caused Tyler to look up from under his cowboy hat and make eye contact with you. 

For a man you didn’t necessarily enjoy talking with, he sure did something to your brain chemistry. You lifted your new drink and slightly tipped it toward him in a cheers manner. He did the same with his beer bottle, the two of you both took a drink and you turned back to the bar where the bartender was asking if you needed anything else. 

“I’m good, thanks,” you said, placing your glass back on its chintzy bar coaster. You took your phone out of your pocket and scrolled Facebook for a minute or two to catch up on your family's lives that you had been missing for the last few years while out storm chasing. 

“It’s hard for you, too, huh sweetheart?” A voice you knew instantly asked from beside you. 

You glanced over and saw Tyler sitting on the stool while putting his bottle on the bar to signal the bartender for another. 

“I wish I could go back more and- wait. Why am I telling you my sap story of not seeing my family for the last couple of years?” You laughed, putting your phone down and grabbing your drink. 

“Because I’m just another friendly face at the bar?” He said, looking over at you and smiling slightly. 

“I don’t know about friendly, but definitely another face,” you said, stirring your straw around. 

“Ouch, okay, (Y/n)’s in that type of mood tonight,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. 

“I’m in no mood, Tyler,” you stated, “Just stating a fact.” 

“I see how it is,” he chuckled, “And to think I was talking to quite a beautiful face.” 

This statement took you back slightly, you were used to Tyler picking on you and calling you other things like your last name and calling you Salado, which is the town in Texas you’re from that’s about 45 minutes away from Waco, Texas. Salado is a quaint village with what you can call an artistic flair. While your parents were cattle farmers, you did your chores and spent time with a few favorite cows; you also liked going to the heart of the small town and enjoying the artists painting and sculpting in the parks and the numerous bands playing around the town in the little saloons. That’s where you fell in love with music and tried to pursue it as a second job aside from helping out on the farm as that was a full-time job. 

When that fell through, you moved up to Oklahoma to try storm chasing as you had always been in love with storms when you were little. Instead of hiding under the covers or running to your parents, you were at the big picture window in the living room watching the lightning and trees blowing in the wind. 

You were jolted from your thoughts by Tyler nudging your elbow with his. 

“Hmm?” You asked. 

“Dance with me?” He asked, standing up and holding his hand out to you. In the mirror behind the bar, you could see the teams paired up in couples to do their best slow dancing. 

You laughed slightly, “Nice try, Owens.” 

“Please? We’re the only ones not dancing right now,” he said, taking your hand off your glass and pulling you to the dance floor to the tune of ‘Made For You’ by Jake Owen. 

He didn’t give you much of a chance to say no as he pulled you to his chest, his right hand going to your waist and his left finding your hand. You sighed to yourself and put your left on his bicep, which was more muscular feeling than it looked. You figured as long as you were here, you might as well enjoy the dance since the last time you slow danced was with your dad at a friend's wedding. 

You weren’t sure if he was just that intoxicated or if he was fully coherent, but he was rubbing small circles with his thumb on your hip while you both swayed to the music. While your body relaxed you took a deep breath in, smelling the mix of leather, dried rain, an almost musky smell, and a hint of sweat. All of it combined made your heart swoon for this crazy cowboy. 

“Hey (L/n)?” He whispered in your ear, holding his head close to yours. 

“Yeah, Owens?” You whispered back. 

“Think maybe sometime I can take you out?”

You looked up at his blueish green eyes that looked down at you with the most sincere look. 

“Why?” You asked, giggling slightly, “Why would Tyler Owens want to go out with someone like me?”

“Because the girl I’m holding in my arms is the best woman I’ve met in my years of livin’,” he stated, pressing the bridge of his nose to the top of your head. 

“Yeah right, Tyler,” you said, sighing, “Everyone knows you got a thing for Kate.” 

“But she is nothing compared to you,” he said, pulling you closer slightly, “Call me crazy, but I fell in love with you when we first met and I knew I’d have to try and get closer to you somehow. I just hate that it’s taken me this long to finally say somethin.” 

“I guess I don’t believe you?” You said softly, taking in the scent you’ve grown to want more of.

“I mean it, sweetheart,” he said, “It might be, well, I know it’s the beer talkin’, but everything I’m sayin’ is true. You’re one of the smartest and most beautiful girls I’ve seen. And that’s sayin’ a lot since I’ve seen my fair share of gals.” 

“I can’t tell if that last part is an insult or a compliment,” you whispered, Tyler kissing the top of your head softly. 

“Always a compliment when it comes to you, baby girl,” he said, pulling away and twirling you as the song ended and ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ by Luke Combs started. 

You looked back up at him, his eyes looking back at you with happiness sewn in them.

“I suppose one wouldn’t hurt, just no YouTube star Tyler, got it?” You said, walking back to your seat at the bar. You could feel his eyes on you as you walked away. 

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, following you to the bar. 

“You should probably get back to your game of pool before Ben hurts someone,” you giggle, Tyler looking over and seeing Ben almost hit Boone in the gut with the end of the cue. 

“Good call, I’ll be back once we win,” he said while grabbing his beer. 

“If you win,” you state, taking a drink of your now watered-down whiskey coke. 

“Don’t test me, sweetheart,” he mumbled against your head, kissing it before walking back to Dexter and Ben. 

You shook your head and laughed softly. If the tornadoes you chased didn’t do anything to you, this cowboy definitely would. 

Want more? Here's Chapter Two! Masterlist :)

[kromeihl]

🕸️ prev. | next.

“Hey.” Kenji spoke as he entered the kitchen, coming back from school. “I’m making katsu curry tonight.” Aunt Mina spoke as she chopped the ingredients. “You’re serious? Katsu curry?” He mutters as he opens the fridge to grab a drink after glancing at the table.

“Since when don’t you like katsu curry, huh?” His aunt asks, moving the ingredients to the counter placing it on a pan. Kenji slowly moves away and into the sink as aunt Mina looks at his face in surprise. “Oh my God..”

“What’s up?” Kenji glances at his aunt as he asks. “What happened to your face?” She says in concern as Kenji laughs it off, “Oh, I’m all right, I just— I got hit by a baseball in practice.” He waves off, “I’m fine.”

His aunt gives him a look, not buying his excuse. “Kenji— you don’t even play baseball that much anymo—“ she gets cut off as she sees her husband carry a box of trophies. “Ben Sato, don’t you even think about leaving that filthy box in my kitchen. She says with a glare as she wipes her hands with the towel draped on her shoulder.

“These are my.. bowling trophies.” He says, trying to convince her to let him put it there. Kenji smiles as he listens to his aunt and uncle’s banter, chuckling as his lips are placed on the opening of the plastic bottle of juice he’s drinking.

Uncle Ben looks at Kenji, noticing his state. “What happened to you?” He says as he moves down his box of trophies. “He got hit by a baseball. You’re lucky you didn’t get hit by a bat instead.” Aunt mina answers, making Kenji chuckle.

“Well, it would’ve been more interesting.” Ben adds as he winks at Kenji, having fun at riling up his wife. “Ben!” Aunt Mina scolded.

“It’s funny because it’s stupid and dangerous.” He adds, making his wife turn to him as Kenji lets out another hearty laugh, “Remember how we were stupid and dangerous?” “No.” Aunt Mina quickly replies, stirring the food in the pan. “Trust me we were.” Uncle Ben nods, looking at Kenji.

“All right, good to know I’m not the only one.” He smiles, looking down at the wet floor. “Hey, where’s the flood?” He asks, uncle Ben picking his box of trophies again. “Follow me. I’ll show you.” He walks away, barefoot. “You serious?” Kenji asks, “Yeah!” His uncle replies. “All right.” Kenji mutters under his breath, his aunt looking at them both, unamused, as she continued to cook.

Seriously…men.

After Kenji and his uncle talked in the basement while trying to find the leak, his uncle finally starts walking up, Kenji still cleaning up some boxes and organizing them. “Hey, before you come up, see if there’s anything else worth saving.” His uncle speaks as Kenji held a piece of frozen meat on his bruised lip. “Okay.” Kenji replied, still organizing the things inside a box.

He walks away, moving a box from a corner. He puts it down, suddenly noticing a briefcase with the initials, “HS” on top of the lock. He remembers in the car, on their way to this house when he was still a child, his dad had the same bag. Hayao was taking out a folder, with plenty of papers outside.

He blinks the memory stuck in his mind as he slowly picks it up, walking upstairs. His aunt and uncle were heard bickering, Kenji still fixated on the briefcase of his father. He walks and stops into their view, his aunt and uncle staring at him in shock. They look at each other before looking back at Kenji.

“I forgot all about that thing. It was your dad’s.” Uncle Ben speaks up, making Kenji turn his head to him. “Yeah..” He mutters, “He asked us to keep it safe for him.” Kenji felt his eyes tear up at the sight of his father’s belonging. Feeling a sense of nostalgia wash over him. “He saw it in the window of that leader shop in Okinawa. He was 19.”

Uncle Ben sat down on the chair, Kenji placing the leather bag on the table. “What does a 19-year-old kid need with a briefcase?” He jokes. “And guess who sold it to him.” Kenji shrugs, “Your mother.” Kenji glances at him in surprise, “Mom?” He smiles softly, remembering his mother.

Aunt Mina walks towards them, leaning on the wall as her heart clenches at the sight of Kenji smiling sadly. “That’s how they met!” Uncle Ben replies, nodding his head. “Dad asked you to keep this safe?” He glances at the bag before looking at his uncle, “Why? There’s nothing in here.” Aunt Mina smiles, walking a bit near.

“Hayao was a very secretive man, Ken.”

“Yeah, that’s true.” He laughs, remembering his father. He starts opening the bag, feeling paper. He pulls it out of the bag, shock present on his face as he stares at it. “Who’s that? Do you know who this is?” He furrows his brow in confusion as he shows the picture to his aunt and uncle.

“Some guy who worked with your dad, I guess.” Uncle Ben says, acting unsure. Kenji tries to show his aunt, but she doesn’t reply. Ken looks at it, feeling like the answer was incomplete. Aunt Mina suddenly walks towards him, wiping the table. “Okay, put it away from the table. We’re going to eat, and wash your hands, now.” She says sternly, earning a nod from Ken as he puts the picture back inside.

“Go on.” Uncle Ben motions him to move, Ken nods, taking the hint as he walks away. As soon as his figure disappears, uncle ben looks at aunt Mina, a hand falling over her mouth as she looked in disbelief. “Oh dear..” She mutters.

Kenji was in his room, opening the briefcase as he placed the things outside, on the floor, all organized. Pictures, coins, scientific calculator, pens, were all scattered there, even his dad’s ID with the name “ULTRA” printed on the top. Kenji’s eyes slowly move towards the eyeglasses’ case, hand moving to get it.

He pulls out the glasses from its case, staring at it longingly as he remembered his father wearing them.

He slowly walks over to the bathroom, blinking as if to get ready to put on the graded glasses, even if he already had perfect vision. He slowly put it on his face, closing his eyes and opening them as he tries to adjust at the change of view. He slowly looks at the mirror, trying to adjust to his new look. He flashes a smile, poses, and even adjusts his glasses to look cool.

He takes them off, putting it on his shirt as he went back to his room, sitting down on the carpet floor as he grabs his father’s ID. Suddenly a memory flashes in his mind.

“Ken, I need you to be good.” Hayao, pats his son’s shoulder gently. Little Kenji looked taken a back, looking down then back up to his father who was kneeling on his level. “Dad, you’re leaving me?” He said with a voice that almost cracked, his father gently smiles, trying to cheer his son up.

“Just for a little while, Kenji. Your mother and I have something to do, it’s very important.”

Kenji shakes his thoughts off, still staring intently at the ID. He bites his lip, his eyes landing on the word “ULTRA” again, making him sigh as he placed the ID down, grabbing the briefcase that was laid at the center of the floor.

He starts observing it, moving it from side to side. He opens the briefcase again, putting his hand inside as he searches for more, maybe he missed something. He groans, turning the bag to the back as he opens the zipper. And he was right, he did miss something.

He slowly moves his finger from the start to the end of the zipper. His finger gently moves across as it stops in the end, flicking it as the part of the border opened. He finds a folder.

Before he lets it out fully, he quickly stands up a bit to close the door and clicks a device that he created which locks his door. He then sat back down, grabbing the folder like notebook and opening it.

He traces his fingers softly against the paper, eyebrows furrowing as he bites his lip, studying the notes and equations his father had written down. “What the heck, dad? You’re some genius..” He mutters, still studying the writings intently. His eyes falls to a sentence, an equation at the bottom of the paper, with the title “ØØ Decay Rate Algorithm.” He mutters the words written. “Zero, zero, decay rate algorithm.”

Suddenly his thoughts were cut off as someone knocks on the door, making him rush to keep the things out of the way. “Wait! One sec.” He says while moving it around. He finally sits back at his chair, placing his arms on the desk as he moves his hand around the computer. “You can come in now.” He replies, moving his long fingers around the mouse.

Uncle Ben looks at him, hand on the door knob. “You okay, Ken?” Kenji nods, “Oh, yeah I’m okay. What’s up?” Ken nods his head, acting cool. Uncle Ben raises a brow, his eyes falling to the glasses hanging on his shirt. “Is that..?” Before uncle Ben could further ask, Kenji puts the glasses on, blinking once in a while to try and adjust to the grade again.

“Yeah, it’s dad’s.” Uncle Ben smiles, giving him a nod, “Well, you look just like Hayao.” Kenji gives a small smile at the comment, “Can I come in?” Kenji nods at his uncle’s request.

Uncle Ben nods, closing the door behind him as he grabs a rubik’s cube from Kenji’s desk as he walks. “Well, uhm.. Listen.” He starts. “I don’t have much education. You know that, Ken.” Uncle Ben, sits down on his bed, fidgeting with the rubik’s cube as Kenji turns his head to look at him.

“Like, damn, I stopped being able to help with your homework when you were ten. Don’t even mention the fact that I don’t know how baseball works.” He sighs, “What I’m trying to say is, I know it’s been rough for you without your dad.” He looks at Kenji, who had looked down. “And I know we don’t talk much about them.”

“No, uncle it’s all right.”

“No, it’s not all right, Ken. I know that. I wish I could change it, but I can’t.” He sighs.

“Onda Hakase.” Kenji’s uncle said, making Ken look at him seriously and with curiosity. “That’s the name of the guy in the picture with your dad. They worked together for years and they were close. But after that night we never saw him again. He never called.” Kenji felt shock as he takes in the information, but hiding it with a nod.

“Not once.” Uncle Ben nods back, looking down at the rubik’s cube, “Go figure.” He mutters, looking back up again, his eyes trail to the computer, with a picture of you. “She’s pretty.” He points his head to the picture making Kenji’s smile falter as he turns his head back to the monitor. It was a photo of [Name], the one he had taken when she was so serious into reading that book. Kenji felt his face heat up slightly, feeling embarrassed that he was caught with his monitor screen with you on it.

“Uncle Ben.” Kenji calls out before his uncle was about to leave, “You’re a pretty great dad.” He smiles, making uncle Ben feel a pang of warmth engulfing his heart at the comment.

It was a few seconds after uncle Ben had left, Ken staring at the monitor screen, it was still you on it. He places his chin on his hand, his elbow resting on his desk as he zooms in into the book you were reading. “All about Kaijus.” He snorts as he mutters out the title of the book, raising a brow. He had sworn he heard that name before, it just wasn’t clear to him anymore.

His eyes slowly move to your face, observing your features. The background didn’t matter to him at all, he was just starstruck at the sight of you. He quickly snaps his thoughts off, moving his mouse to move the tab to the side and search the internet.

He remembers the name of the guy that his uncle mentioned, swiftly typing on his keyboard. “Hayao Sato and Onda Hakase.” He quickly clicks on a link after it popped up, his eyes slightly widening as he reads.

“𝐂𝐑𝐎𝐒𝐒 𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐒

𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐜𝐭?”

His father and Onda Hakase were beside each other, a picture also displayed on the screen as he continued to scroll relentlessly. Pictures were shown. “𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐚𝐬𝐡 𝐊𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐇𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐨 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐄𝐦𝐢𝐤𝐨 𝐒𝐚𝐭𝐨.” His eyes slightly widened, knowing that his parents had already died wasn’t such a shock to him, it was just a really bad memory.

He searches again, “Dr. Onda Hasake.” Tapping on another link that says, “A World Without Weakness.” His eyes slowly scan Dr. Onda’s statement, tapping into even more links to get more information as he studies all of them. His eyes then slowly fall into an Intern Enrollment, which was now closed. His cursor slowly move to the picture of a building, the ULTRA.

He furrows his brows as he continued to do a little more research on it, making a plan to meet Dr. Onda. He sighs, exiting the tab and seeing the picture of you in his screen again. He smiles, “Uncle Ben’s right.” He turns his attention back to his plan, sighing.

This is just the start.

Hi lovies! I know what you’re thinking about, there’s less interaction of reader and ken together here but the next part will take a big turn👀 Just wanted to make y’all wait ‘cause patience is a must (or I just like playin’ with y’all.) I’m working on two stories, (one that pays up and this one on tumblr!) So sorry if I haven’t reached your expectations this time..😞

Thank you so much for the support and being patient. I’ve been busy lately, with much love 💕

This series will be under this tag— if you’re having difficulty finding other parts, check this: #ameijamsspiderken🕸️

taglist: @luneariaa @lovingyeet @aishallnotbefound @harperwasstaken1 @onlysarang @thewifeoflevi @mochminnie @zayai

[the20thangel]

The Dragon and The Raven

Chapter 5: The Dragon Princess and Her Raven Lord.

Chapter Summary: Jacaerys did not believe that the Lord of House Blackwood was the best for his beloved sister. It is too bad that Aemma has fallen deeply for the Lord of Raventree Hall, and nothing will stop her from getting her way.

Please let me know your thoughts :)

Keep track of the story: masterlist

Word count: 3215

Jacaerys looked at the lord, to whom his sister insisted on being betrothed. Lord Blackwood looked like he had just come out of a duel. Sweat dripped down his face, his hair was messy, and his clothes were wrinkled and muddy. Benjicot knew that even though he had Prince Daemon’s blessing, getting Prince Jacaerys' approval was just as important. 

Benjicot bowed and addressed the prince, “Prince Jacaerys, let me be the one to welcome you to the Riverlands and Harrenhall.” 

As Lord Blackwood made his statement, all the men from House Blackwood followed their lord in bowing, leading the North and the Vale men to bow as well. Grinding his teeth, Jace couldn’t help but admit that the lord was respectful and was a natural leader. Not wanting to seem rude but also not wanting to give the impression of approval, Jace merely nodded his head. When this happened, Princess Aemma was frowning; she did not need a Daemon 2.0 to try to intimate her betrothed. Aemma turned to Baela, who winked while shaking her head. Ugh, Men, they both thought.  Thankfully, before another awkward moment passed, Daemon cleared his throat. 

“Jace, Baela, come, first unpack your things at the tents before we start making any…foolish decisions.” Commanded Daemon as Jace frowned at his stepfather, but he knew better than to argue with the Rouge Prince and followed him to the tents where they would be staying. 

As people began to leave, Aemma walked to Benji, smiling at him. She took his arm and kissed his cheek. Benji returned the smile as he led them towards his tent. 

“Your brother doesn’t seem to like me…” stated Benji, as they entered his tent, leading the princess towards the bed. 

“Jacaerys is a dragon, and dragons are very overprotective with what they love, but he will come around, I'm sure of it,” stated Aemma as she unraveled her braids. 

Benji hummed as he decided to sit next to her and help the princess undo her braids. Aemma couldn't help but close her eyes. His fingers were like magic, easing the tension she had. Before she could stop herself, a slight moan slipped from her lips as she whispered.

“ You truly have a talent with your fingers…” Aemma stiffened, as did Benji once those words were spoken. The phrases had two meanings, and Aemma didn’t want him or anybody who might have heard them to misinterpret them. 

Benji huffed with laughter as he finished undoing her braids and kissing the top of her head. Which in turn made Aemma huff and turned to glare at him. 

“It is not funny, Ben!” she exclaimed as she lightly slapped his chest. 

Benji laughed even louder as he pulled the princess to his chest and brought them down on his bed. 

“Oh, I thought it was hilarious, my dear Aemma.” 

Aemma leaned on his chest, staring at his eyes as she playfully glared at him. Benji looked down and could not help but feel warm inside. He never thought his life would be played out like this, being betrothed and falling desperately fast in love with a dragonriding princess. Aemma sighed and placed her head on his chest, drawing small circles on his chest, the two peacefully enjoying their silent company. Soon, all the events that had happened the last few days finally caught up with them as they lulled themselves to sleep with the sound of breathing. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Once Jace set himself up with his tent, he quickly checked on Baela, who told him she wanted to take a quick bath because she reeked of a dragon. Then he went to his sister’s tent only to find it empty. Before he continued his way to look for her, he was summoned by Daemon. Walking into the tent, Jace saw his stepfather sitting behind a desk, reading some letters with a cup of wine. Daemon looked at the restless boy, giving him an unimpressed brow as he waited for Jace to sit. Once Jacaerys noted that his father would not speak until he took a seat before him, he sighed, sat on the chair, and tried to raise a brow back. 

Daemon chuckled, “Now, son, what brings you to Harrenhall and away from your beloved mother’s side? Hmm.” 

Jace blistered, “I came here to convince my sister out of her foolish decision to get engaged.” 

Daemon shook his head; his little dragons were an overprotective bunch, each taking the creed of his father Baleon and protecting each other fiercely, sometimes a little too much. Which was more than he could say his brother Viserys ever did for him. Daemon took a swing of the cup before answering his stepson. 

 “Our Aemma can be many things, but she has never been the one to make foolish decisions. The boy is a fierce fighter, and his armies will greatly benefit your mother’s fight for the iron throne,” explained Daemon, watching Jace's face turn sour with each word. 

Jace knew this path would be long, especially since his stepfather seemed to approve of the Lord of Raventree Hall. It would be harder to separate Aemma from him because whatever Aemma wanted, Daemon provided. 

Jace sighed. As he stood, he faced his father. “I will see for myself, but if I don’t like him, my mother has permitted me to break the betrothal if I am not impressed.” Jace bowed before turning to leave, only pausing once he heard Daemon call out. 

“Do what you must, but remember never at the expense of potentially harming your sister.” 

Jace nodded as he continued walking, determined to find his sister even more. Daemon sighed as he rubbed his face. His children would be his death. 

Jace continued walking, looking through the sea of gray, red, and black, trying to find a princess and lord but having no luck. While wandering, he found Cregan Stark as he was speaking to a woman wearing House Blackwood colors. When both noticed his presence, they paused and gave a quick bow. Jacaerys laughed and hugged Cregan, who was like a brother to him. 

“Cregan, it's good to see you again. How was your journey south?” Jace asked as he grinned at the Wolf of Winterfell. 

“Long and humid Jace. I’m sorry, lady Aly, but the Riverlands are much too humid for my taste,” stated Cregan as he stared at Aly Blackwood, who laughed. 

“No harm done, Lord Stark. I sometimes find the Riverlands too much. Good day, Prince Jacaerys. I’m Alysanne Blackwood, but you may call me Aly.” Aly introduced herself to the dragon prince. 

Who in turn smiled, wondering how close she was to Benjcot Blackwood. 

“Yes, it is pretty humid for my taste as well; I prefer Dragonstone’s winds to this,” Jace answered before turning to Aly. “Well Met, Lady Aly Blackwood, pray tell me who you might be to the Lord of House Blackwood?” questioned Jace. 

“I am his lady aunt, my prince,” explained Aly, confused about where the conversation would go. 

Jace nodded and looked around again, searching for a sign of his sister, but again, to no avail. Cregan and Aly turned to each other, guessing who he was looking for. Jace noticed their questioning stare. 

“Have you both seen either the Lord of Raventree Hall or the Crown Princess?” questioned Jace, staring at the two. 

Cregan and Aly shared a secret look, both shaking their heads no, 

“No, but let me look for them, my prince; I will bring them to you once I have found them,” replied Aly as she turned and walked away from the prince. 

Alyssanne walked towards the main Blackwood tent, chuckling at the sight before her: her nephew and the princess warmly embraced. As much as she hated to wake them, she knew Prince Jacaerys would blow a fuse at the current sight. Aly walked to them and quietly shook the princess awake. 

“My princess, you must wake up quickly….please, princess,” Aly loudly whispered, feeling relieved once the princess opened her violet eyes. 

Aemma sharply gasped, seeing Aly in her face, and accidentally dug her elbow into Benji’s stomach, causing the young lord to groan and wake from his slumber, then also sitting up, noticing his aunt. 

Aly shook her head; these two would be the death of her. “Princess, you need to go to your tent. Your brother is looking for you both and will not be pleased seeing what I saw. Go on now quickly from the back.” 

Aemma nodded as she stood, quickly pecking Benji in the space between his cheek and lips, and walked out. Benji sighed, fully waking up as his aunt glared at him. 

“I would rather not have my nephew turn into dragon food, Ben; you must impress Prince Jacaerys as much as you did with her father.” Explained Aly as she asked a maid for a bath to be ready. Alysanne walked towards the entrance before turning to her nephew. “Take a quick bath and meet us outside, please.’” 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Aemma quickly walked toward her tent, making sure no one noticed her, when Baela walked out of her tent, giving her a mischievous grin.

“Well, well, dearest sister, where are you coming from in a hurry? Hmm, from a certain lord who happens to wear a house color similar to ours?” taunted Baela. 

Aemma playfully rolled her eyes, pushing her away and walking to a steaming bath awaiting her. Aemma turned to her sister in thanks as she began to undress and walk in the tub, sighing as she felt the boiling water ease her sore muscles.  Baela sat behind her and began to wash her hair. 

“Jace was looking for you..” started Baela as she reached for the perfumes. 

“Yes, so I have been told,” whispered Aemma as she began to wash her body. 

“You need to be more careful, sister. Our father may have given his blessing, but Jace has special permission from your mother to reject the union if he doesn’t like Lord Blackwood. He already has a closed mindset, thinking that you should marry Lord Stark instead.” carefully explained Baela as she finished washing Aemma’s hair and walked to the main room to take out a beautiful, lightweight red dress with black accents. 

Once Aemma came out, she took the dress from Baela and began to dress herself, letting her sister tighten the corset laces. Baela paused, analyzing her sister. Luke’s death took a toll on everyone but more on Aemma and Rhaenyra; both women had dark circles under their eyes. But now, Aemma looked glowing, her skin and hair shining, bringing out the true Valyrian beauty bards loved to sing about. 

“So tell me of Lord Blackwood, what did this lord do that many others couldn’t?” asked Baela, noticing Aemma’s blush. 

As Aemma spun her tale from the first meeting at his hall to Sliverwing, allowing him to fly on her and the duel, Baela began to see that her sister was falling for the young lord. 

“You are falling in love with him…” stated Baela as she went in front of Aemma. 

Aemma sighed wistfully, “Earlier this week, I would have denied it, but now, I truly believe I have fallen, and he is with me.”  

Baela was glad that, as much as this union would be best for their family, having Aemma find love in it was the best outcome. Baela embraced her sister. 

“I’m glad… Jace will try to find faults, but I can tell there are none. I will support you in enlightening him.” Aemma grinned but noticed Baela wanting to say more. 

“Have you told him about you and Aegon?” 

Aemma inhaled sharply at the words, walking away from Baela.

“There is nothing to tell; it was a stupid promise two naive children made, nothing more; Benji has nothing to worry about.” 

Baela sighed; she knew bringing up Aegon would upset Aemma, but she also knew how far the greens would risk believing in their delusions. 

“ I still think you should tell him. You know how cruel Aegon is, and he will probably try to cause a stir once he finds out about your relationship,” explained Baela, taking hold of Aemma’s hand. 

Aemma sighed; she knew what Baela had said was true, but she did not want to worry Benji. Young Aemma didn’t know about the vipers of the court or what kind of monster her uncle would have become. She couldn’t love someone who enjoyed tormenting servants and her poor aunt Heleana. Furthermore, she definitely couldn’t love someone who celebrated her brother’s death. The Aegon that Aemma made a promise to was an illusion, an idea, and not reality. Benjicot was ten times the man that Aegon could only hope to be, and truth be told, Aegon never had her whole body sing like when she was with Benji. 

“I’ll think about a way to explain it to him; for now, I need to focus on Jace accepting Benji and making sure our betrothal continues.” Aemma decided as she and Baela walked to the feast hall. 

Everyone stood when they noticed the two princesses walking in, Baela sitting between her father and Jacaerys. Jacaerys had Cregan next to him, and a spot opened next to Cregan. Aemma noticed this and rolled her eyes at her brother’s blatant plan for her to sit next to the Stark. Noticing Benji farther down with his aunt, Aemma grinned and walked towards them. Jace, in confusion, watched as his sister whispered something to Alysanne who then stood and walked towards Cregan and took the seat next to the winter wolf. Aemma turned, smirking at her brother, and sat next to Benjicot, keeping eye contact as she kissed the Blackwood lord's cheek. Jace huffed in annoyance, much to the amusement of everyone else.

 As the feast continued and more wine was consumed, people joked around and made numerous toasts. The hall quieted once a brave and drunk Blackwood knight stood, swaying a little as he raised his cup. 

“A toast to the Sea Dragon Princess, The realm’s pearl, Crown Princess Aemma, for nearly beating our lord and showing us the true power of the dragon. Our House will thrive under you and our lord’s rule!”

All the men started cheering, whistling, and cracking jokes as the princess blushed at the words spoken to her. Benji smirked and whispered something into her ear that had caused the princess's blush to darken. Jace sniffed at the sight and was surprised once he saw Cregan stand up, raising his cup. 

Cregan grinned at the couple making the toast, “The greens will have a hard time with the likes of Princess Aemma and Lord Blackwood on our side. A toast to the Dragon Princess and her Raven lord; may they strike fear into our enemies' hearts!” 

Everyone cheered at the words of the Winter Wolf as Jace stared at his friend in shock. As the feast ended, everyone went on their way. Jace, noticing his sister leaving with the young lord, followed them, asking Cregan to accompany him. Aemma led her betrothed to where the dragons were resting, wanting to spend time with Sliverwing. As Jace watched, he was surprised to see how welcoming the she-dragon was to the lord. 

Cregan looked at Jace and sighed, “Jace, I think you should give it a rest; Benjicot is a good lad, and he will make a fine husband to your sister.” 

Jace glared, “So would you, Cregan; my sister should have at least considered you before making her rash decision. 

A joyous laugh broke their conversation as both turned to see Aemma laughing and trying to move Sliverwings' snout from Benjicot’s chest, who was laughing on the ground and being knocked down. 

“I love Aemma but only as a sister. Besides, Benjicot has expressed how much he will give up for her. Your sister runs too hot for my taste, and I don’t enjoy my feet leaving off the ground. While I run too cold for your sister, she loves to soar far too much to be stuck on the cold floors of the north. Benjicot fits with your sister; he doesn’t get burned from her heat but welcomes it; he took flight like his ravens. There is no better man for her than him.” explained Cregan, hoping Jace saw what he saw. 

Jace, staring at his sister, knew Cregan was right, but still, “We could have been brothers had you married my sister.” 

Cregan shook his head, chuckling,” We are brothers. We made the blood pack, and nothing can change that, but forcing marriage on your sister would not bring us closer. Give your sister your blessing and let her marry her lord.” Cregan clapped his hand on Jace’s shoulder as he returned to his tent. 

Jace sighed; he knew everything everyone had said was true; as Baela made her way to him, he kissed her hand and walked towards his sister. Aemma, noticing her brother, quickly helped Benjicot stand. 

“Brother, I hope you are not here to sour my mood,” questioned Aemma as she raised her eyebrow. 

Jace shook his head, “Not at all, dear sister, Lord Blackwood, I want to express my blessing to my sister's hand. I will send a raven to my mother, letting her know my decision, and expect her in a week for your wedding.”

Aemma was shocked, “a week? I’m not complaining, but isn’t it way too fast?” 

Jace explained what their mother said: because of the war, it was better to have a fast wedding just to be safe. Aemma nodded while taking Benji’s hand and leaning into his side. Jace stated that Baela and, hopefully, Lady Alysanne would help with the maiden and marriage cloaks. He also noted that the day would have three separate ceremonies: One in front of a weirwood tree in the ways of the north, one of the faith, and the last being a Valyrian one. Aemma scoffed at the faith ceremony but knew it had to be done. They could not risk the Greens declaring her marriage invalid. As the group separated, Aemma and Benjicot walked to the princess’s tent, stopping at the entrance. 

“As much as I wish for you to stay with me, I don’t want to risk the ire of my brother or father,” whispered Aemma as she stared into her betrothed eyes. 

Benji smiled, understanding; Jacaerys barely gave his blessing, so it was best not to push it. 

Aemma reached up to give a sweet kiss before asking, “Are you truly fine in marrying me in a week?” 

Benji caressed his beloved's face as he returned the kiss before placing his forehead onto hers. “I would be willing to marry you tonight. You have taken my heart, and I don’t wish you to return it.” 

Aemma’s heart felt like it would explode because of how much love she felt. “And you have mine, my love, my raven.” She whispered, kissing him once more, letting him feel all her love through the kiss. She separated herself from him, wishing a goodnight as she entered her tent. 

“Sweet dreams, my dragon,” whispered Benji as he stood outside her tent for a while before walking to his tent, hoping to dream of a loving princess.

[faithinus]

Forbidden Fruit

Summary: Mat and his friends gather for an annual poker game. A shocking revelation about his sister throws him off balance.

Relationship: Quinn Hughes x OC Barzal!Sister featuring Mat Barzal himself :)

Word Count: 800

The dim overhead lighting cast long, skeletal shadows across the faces of the men gathered around the poker table. Empty beer bottles and half-eaten plates of chips littered the coffee table, testament to the relaxed atmosphere of their annual holiday game. Liam, Mat's childhood friend and host, dealt the cards with a practiced flourish, a grin spreading across his face.

"So, Mark," Liam drawled, his voice low and gravelly, "spill the beans. Anything juicy happening in the big leagues lately?" Liam, a former hockey player whose career had fizzled after college, was notorious for his relentless pursuit of insider information. He slapped a hand on Mat’s shoulder. "Mat here is giving me nothing. He's been cooped up in the gym ever since he got back to Vancouver.”

Mark, a burly man with a thick neck and a penchant for strong opinions, was the newest addition to their inner circle. Despite having faced him on the ice, Mat still felt a degree of unfamiliar tension with him. Mark took a long sip from his beer. "Not much. Just the usual trade rumors, injuries, the standard fare."

Liam leaned forward conspiratorially. "Oh, there's more than that. Heard you ran into our boy Quinn the other night."

Mat raised an eyebrow. "Quinn?"

"The Captain himself," Liam confirmed, a sly grin spreading across his face. "I heard he's found himself a new muse, but he's being oddly secretive about it, even with his teammates. My bet is a reporter. That's why he's so tight-lipped."

Mat always respected Quinn, both on and off the ice. He was a quiet leader with a steely resolve and skating that was nothing short of poetry in motion. But he didn't care much for the details of any player's romantic life.

Mark, shuffling his cards absentmindedly, mumbled, "Nah, doesn't seem like the type. I saw him out at Blue Water Cafe the other night with the girl. My sister recognized her..."

Another one of Mat's old friends, Ben, kicked Mark under the table.

"What the hell was that for?"

Ben, reaching out for his cards and pulling them to his chest, muttered, "Just get back to the game."

Mark's eyes snapped to Mat's face. "Oh shit. I forgot."

Ben glared at him. "Just stop talking. Please."

Mat, noticing the tense conversation, finally looked up from his cards. "Okay, now I'm interested."

The room fell silent. Mat's eyes darted around the table to each of the men, searching for a clue.

"What do you know that I don't?" he asked, a dangerous edge to his voice. Liam held his hands up in defense. "I have no idea. I swear."

“Ben? C'mon. Spit it out." Mat's eyes pleaded with his childhood teammate, burning into him. Ben sighed under the weight of his stare.

"It's Alayna." He said under his breath, averting his gaze.

"Excuse me?" Mat shook his head in disbelief at the name that came out of his mouth.

Liam, eyes wide with surprise, stammered, "The girl is Alayna? As in, Mat's sister?"

Mat's face paled. Alayna? Dating Quinn? The Captain of the Vancouver Canucks?

A wave of icy dread washed over him. All those "I'm never dating a hockey player" speeches echoed in his mind, a bitter irony. And her last relationship… that had been a disaster. It took her months to recover. He had just started to see that spark in her again. Now this? Mat imagined Alayna, her laughter, her gentle spirit, potentially entangled with the unforgiving, predatory world of professional hockey. Surely no captain would have the energy and emotional bandwidth to put his sister’s needs above their own. Victory often came at a person cost.

He could feel Liam's gaze on him, a mixture of amusement and sympathy in its depths. He managed a weak smile, his voice trembling slightly. "Right. Alayna. Of course."

Mat pushed his chair back from the table, his mind reeling. This couldn't be happening.

His eyes flew around the table once again. "You guys already knew? Alayna has my friends covering for her? Like some kind of secret operation?" Mat said, incredulous.

Ben leaned his head back on the chair in defeat and wiped a hand across his face. "If it makes you feel any better, apparently they're inseparable. Head over heels, the whole nine yards."

Mat groaned. He wanted to sink into the floor and vanish. “My sister, though? Out of anyone in Vancouver?”

The rest of the group fiddled with their cards absently. The silence grew suffocating. Mat sighed, the weight of the news settling heavy on his chest. "He better not be fucking around."

"I wouldn't get your hopes up. Those Canucks are notoriously..." Ben swatted Mark on the head. "Not. helping."

Mat took a long pull from his drink, wishing he had something stronger to singe his throat, something to dull the shock. He had a feeling this was going to be a very rocky holiday season.