#Or you continued to give him a will to live but have that end up in him getting killed by voting him Innocent

[siambre]

hello again. things are only getting worse here, so i wanted to give an update.

so A LOT of things happened since my last update, but i will only touch upon the most important ones here, otherwise this'll end up being the longest post on tumblr. i'll get the wildest shit out of the way first:

1- a few days ago, Erdoğan said that any person who decides to run as president against him will perish. yes, he literally used that word. and today, CHP's leader was attacked and got punched in the face, and then a group of people leaked his daughter's address and stated that they'd kill her tonight (thankfully, there haven't been any news of her getting harmed). the man who attacked CHP's leader turned out to have MURDERED TWO OF HIS OWN CHILDREN, IS A DRUG DEALER, AND HAS FACED CHARGES OF THEFT AND THREATENING PEOPLE. now, you may be asking "wtf??? why is that man not in prison????" and you would be absolutely correct. but you see, our Minister of Justice goes on tv every day and says that we're a state of law and have an independent judiciary, so there's nothing to worry about :D

2- after İmamoğlu's arrest, his lawyer got detained. and then his lawyer's lawyer got detained for MEDDLING IN A JUDICIAL PROCCESS. like, that's his fuCKING JOB??? so now İmamoğlu's lawyer's lawyer has a lawyer :DD

3- the Turkish Police Organization made an announcement saying that people who say that they will "speak about women who are sexually assaulted in custody every day and resist against this" will face charges :DDD

4- the Council of Higher Education sent a message to all universities that any student, professor, or staff supporting the protests or calling for an academic boycott should "be dealt with and reported to the council" :DDDD

5- in total, 301 students were arrested during the protests, and a lot of them were unlawfully kept in jail cells with actual criminals (like murderers, rapists, and drug dealers). one student was strangled in his sleep by a cellmate for "being a terrorist". another student had to live with broken bones and ribs for a week before being allowed to see a doctor. it's also said that the cells are overcrowded, so people have to sleep on the stone floor and rotate each night on who gets to sleep on a bed. :DDDDD

6- 3 people who held up a poster which said "Dictator Erdoğan" were taken from their homes at dawn by the police and arrested. one of them has a chronic illness and her condition is getting worse by the day, but she still won't be released. even worse, a few days before her arrest, a TERRORIST who TORTURED AND BRUTALLY MURDERED SOMEONE was given an executive pardon by Erdoğan due to health concerns. but guys it's okay, we are a state of law :DDDDDD

7- about 50 more high-ranking officials in the Istanbul Municipality and businessmen who worked with İmamoğlu were arrested. 2 of those people were İmamoğlu's brother-in-law and the wife of İmamoğlu's advisor. another one was the President of Istanbul Water and Sewerage Administration. turns out, he was arrested on the testimony of a businessman who had demanded something unlawful from him and he had declined :) another arrested person was asked by he kept calling 2 people in particular. they were his brothers :)) this is the shit we have to deal with.

alright, now onto more "normal" stuff. the street protests have mostly died down due to police brutality and censorship (journalists who show them are arrested, and our social media is so heavily censored that we hardly see people talking about them online and we have to really put in work to continue seeing relevant posts. these make it easy to assume that no one's protesting anymore, and thus make you less likely to take to the streets). the focus of the protests has instead shifted to boycotting government-supporting companies. we are living in an authoritarian oligarchy, so Erdoğan's supporters own almost everything we consume. in order to boycott them, we've resorted to checking the owners of every item and service we buy — eggs, pads, milk, flour, coffee shops, shopping malls... anything you can think of. i go out of my way and avoid those brands and markets, even if it costs me more to do so.

we had a nationwide general boycott on April 2. on that day, we (i.e. HALF THE NATION) agreed to halt ALL kinds of purchases, no matter the company, and refused to buy anything for a whole day. people stayed home to avoid paying for gasoline or public transportation, made their own coffee at home, brought home-made food to office, some businesses closed down for the day in solidarity or gave out free food/drinks, and some people exchanged groceries with their friends/neighbors so that they wouldn't have to go to the store. this scared the SHIT out of Erdoğan because not only did it show everyone how united the opposition had become, but it also severely cut down on nationwide spending, therefore he'd be losing out on all those taxes he and his supporters would steal later. the night prior, he had multiple ministers call news channels to convince his supporters that boycotts are not useful and they're harmful for the economy. (it's funny, he's been boycotting Israel's products for longer than a year, yet only NOW boycotting has become a bad thing.) on the morning of the boycott, even more ministers (including the Minister of Defense) went shopping and filmed propaganda of buying a bunch of things to "support our domestic companies". the Minister of Internal Affairs called the boycott a "coup attempt", others called boycotters "traitors" and "enemies of capital" (capital as in money). multiple celebrities got kicked off of their TV shows for supporting the boycott, and some were even detained. the day after, mainstream media declared that the boycott failed and caused national spending to double from April 1 to April 2. people joked that if Erdoğan is saying that the spending doubled, then it must have been cut in half in reality. turns out, that's ACTUALLY what happened lmfaoooo. according to the central bank statistics that were released a week later, the spending nationwide dropped by 53% on April 2nd. can't make this shit up lol. just to show you a visual representation of what the boycott caused, here's what a popular location in Istanbul looked like on the day of the boycott (pic 1) vs what it normally looks like (pic 2).

another note about the boycotts, a businessman who had called protesters "traitors" turned out to own an entertainment company, and that he was going to organize concerts/shows for the famous band Muse, Norwegian musician Ane Brun, and comedian Trevor Noah. a boycott was called for this company, so people started mass-messaging, tweeting, and mailing Muse, Ane Brun, and Trevor Noah to reschedule their events with another company. all 3 have now cancelled/postponed their events. the businessman later said that he regrets calling us traitors, not because he was mistaken but because he "lost millions of dollars".

since the day of İmamoğlu's detainment, the central bank has had to sell 50 BILLION USD to keep the economy stable. when we run out of money to burn, that's when things will REALLY go to shit.

on March 29, CHP held a massive rally in Istanbul. allegedly, over 2.2 MILLION people attended it. this number is even more impressive when you consider that this day was the first day of a 9-day national holiday (so thousands of potential attendees left Istanbul for their hometowns), entrance to Istanbul was restricted so that people wouldn't join the protests from out of town (this had been going on for a while at this point), and Erdoğan made it really difficult to get to the rally area (he lowered the metro services that were going there, and shut down the metro stations nearby so people, including elderly and disabled people, had to walk several kilometers). in addition to the people in the picture below, thousands more were walking to the rally area when the pic was taken.

CHP has also been holding rallies across the country, especially in the cities where Erdoğan gets the most votes. for example, pic 1 is from Yozgat (72.58% of its population voted for Erdoğan in 2023) and pic 2 is from Konya (69.37% voted for Erdoğan in 2023).

okay a little history lesson: on April 23 1920, Atatürk officially opened the Turkish Parliament in Ankara (our current capital) and conducted our War of Independence against the Greeks, the Brits, and the Ottomans from there. this date was declared to be our National Sovereignty and Children's Day. this year, CHP (which Atatürk founded btw) wanted to gather the people in front of the Parliament and walk together to Atatürk's mausoleum, but Erdoğan banned this and barricaded thousands of people in (they ended up breaking through the barricades and going to the mausoleum anyway). the funny thing here is that the police unlawfully blocked roads to stop people from joining the protest, and then when the driver of CHP's bus refused obey the ban, Erdoğan had him detained and sentenced to house arrest :)

on May Day, thousands of protesters gathered all over the country. in Istanbul alone over 400 people were detained (and 230 more were detained in the days prior for calling for the protests). these protesters, again, faced police brutality and torture. it's reported that over 50 THOUSAND police were tasked with stopping the protesters that day (which included unrelated and unlawful police forces like the traffic police). they locked down THE ENTIRETY of downtown Istanbul, and demanded people to prove that they're living/working in the those districts in order for them to be let in. they didn't even let doctors see their patients. if that doesn't prove we're being occupied by our own government, i don't know what does. below are footages from those protests.

police using force on lawyers who are trying to reach the protesters

a protester being dragged on the ground and police pushing journalists around

a member of parliament (who has legal protection from the police) being blockaded by the police

as i said, i could list so much more but i'll spare you the misery. thinking about them alone drains the life out of me. if you want to help us, please please like and reblog this. we need all the help we can get. the international silence on Erdoğan's dictatorship is honestly so heartbreaking (but not surprising).

just like last time, i'll end this on a positive note. here's a picture of two protesters kissing in front of a police barricade.

last but not least, here's another quote from Atatürk:

“İstiklal, istikbal, hürriyet, herşey adaletle kaimdir!”

(Translation: "Independence, future, freedom, everything exists with justice!")

hello all. as you might have heard, right now Turkey is on the brink of slipping into autocracy. as a Turk, i feel it’s my obligation to raise awareness of what we are and have been going through for the past 23 years. i’m not asking for any donations — i only want our voices to be heard.

the details are below the cut.

last Wednesday, the President of Turkey detained his most powerful rival and the Mayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu, along with more than 100 others including mayors of prominent Istanbul districts (who are all members of opposition parties). İmamoğlu was detained on the basis of corruption and aiding terrorist organizations; however, his interrogation questions reveal that the charges are entirely based on hearsay. nevertheless, he was arrested yesterday based on the corruption charges, and sent to the same prison where another opposition leader and many opposing journalists are also being held. to add insult to injury, just the day before his detainment, İmamoğlu’s university diploma was unlawfully revoked. a university degree is required to become president here, so this was clearly done to bar him from running for president. ironically, our current president famously didn’t go to university (although he claims that he did).

İmamoğlu and the other mayors’ arrests are the culmination of 23 years of our president’s regime. he rules with fear and violence. if you speak against him in any way, you lose your job and, in many cases, go to prison. that’s how he has silenced our nation for more than 2 decades. he has built himself an empire off the back of our people and continues to milk us for everything we have. he owns all branches of the government, all the ministries, the military, the police. EVERYTHING. his policies have destroyed our education system, there’s no justice anymore (unless it’s against the opposition), at least one woman gets murdered every single day, people aren’t safe even inside their homes, you can’t find a job unless you know the right people, there are almost no governmental checks on important industries due to corruption (ie. food regulation, construction, etc.), and last but certainly not least, the sky-high inflation has lead to millions of people living below the starvation threshold. i mean, just look at how much our currency has been devalued over the years.

people are suffering. they’re committing suicide because they can’t afford to live or provide for their families. and it’s only going to get worse. İmamoğlu’s arrest alone has devalued our currency by 10% in a single day.

as if all these weren’t enough, two consecutive earthquakes in 2023 caused the death of an estimated 100-200 THOUSAND people and injured thousands more. we have been paying the government a special tax specifically for disaster situations like this since 2002 — and yet, when the time came, the government STILL failed to rescue, help, or protect the survivors. they literally sold blood and tents to the survivors... AND instead of delivering the goods that millions of citizens gathered to send to the survivors, some municipalities of the ruling party stored them for themselves and gave them out as “gifts” to potential voters when the elections came around.

moreover, last month 79 people burned to death in a luxury ski resort, and all the government did was blame the firefighters and detain the mayor of the city (a popular opposition party member).

not a single government official resigned after either of these disasters.

there are so many other examples of the president and his cronies’ depravity, but if i were to list them all, we’d be here all year. i hope you can understand why we, the people, are frustrated with them. we have been crushed under his thumb for decades.

we are fed up. we are angry.

so it was no surprise that the public reacted against İmamoğlu’s detainment. what no one expected, however, was how MASSIVE the backlash would be. the last mass protest we had was 12 years ago, and the protesters involved with it are STILL being prosecuted. now, it’s said that over a million people are out on the streets every day, and the numbers keep rising. yesterday, all while İmamoğlu was being arrested, the main opposition party held a vote to officially pick him as their presidential candidate, and they invited the public to vote symbolically to show support. over 15 million people showed up to cast their votes for him (around 61 million people in total can vote in a real election, and remember, many people didn’t/couldn’t vote due to fear of repercussions). this arrest has brought every opposition party and organization together and had them rally against the government. and i do mean EVERY opposition party. right, left, religious, secular… ALL of them. university students who were murdering each other 40 years ago due to their right-left clashes are now running to each other’s rescue and holding hands. that should give you an idea of how huge of a deal this is.

this is the president’s worst nightmare — us coming together and no longer fearing him. because he knows that if we remember our strength as the people and keep up the fight, he doesn’t stand a chance against us.

here are a few photos from the protests:

peaceful protests are our constitutional right, but before we even heard of İmamoğlu’s detainment or had the chance to protest, the president released his army of riot police on us with their batons, tear gas, rubber bullets, and armored cars. he declared that all large gatherings were prohibited for 4 days (which he later extended to 8), slowed down the internet so we couldn’t use Twitter or Instagram or Whatsapp to communicate, censored news channels and threatened to end any channel that broadcasted live footage of the police brutality against the protesters, called the protesters “street terrorists” and “vandals”, detained more than 1100 protesters (some of whom i personally know), and continues to detain protesters from their homes using facial recognition. the detained protesters are kept from speaking to their lawyers for as long as possible (thus extending their detention), and many more are being injured out on the streets (some permanently). it’s only a matter of time until someone gets killed.

the average citizen doesn’t own guns here. the only people that do are the armed forces and gang members. and yet, we’re still fighting back against the police who fire rubber bullets, tear gas, and freezing pressurized water at us, and beat us up. we’ve already caused some minor changes with these protests, but they’re not nearly enough. tonight, the opposition leader has called for a nationwide boycott targeting every company close to the government (he even gave specific brand names, another first in Turkish political history).

as a nation, we’ll have to endure a lot of physical, mental, and economic hardship to get rid of our dictator. but it’ll be worth it in the end. it has to. we’re at the end of the road here. one more step forward, and we’ll turn into Russia. we can’t let that happen. this is a fight for life or death now, and we have almost nothing left to lose.

if you’re looking for ways to help us, the most effective thing you can do is to stop buying anything imported from Turkey and, if you can, cancel any upcoming trips here until the president steps down. domestic and international economic pressure is our greatest weapon against the government.

this fight will seriously hurt the country as a whole, but us Turks are used to adversity. we will fight until the last man if we must. democracy will prevail.

HAK! HUKUK! ADALET!

[2698rr]

saddle up

jason todd x fem reader | smut | cowboy au | 3.7k words

notes; gets a little lazy at the end cause i got sick of having it sit in my notes app, was supposed to be a small Drabble but.. yeah, and check out my other work! (if u want to)

—

he had been trying to lay low, trying to find a way to stay near the ever growing and bustling city without making a new name for himself.

the bounty he had obtained wasn’t much to dwell about. but he wasn’t too keen to get back to his operations until it was cleared.

another factor, he needed a back-up place, somewhere to hide when things were too risky, or if someone where to go knocking asking about ‘red mask’

and well, he hadn’t meant to find it, he had just been strolling through the growing city. his eyes had flickered around noting all the law that hung in every crevice.

and then, he saw it. a flyer, for some ranch not that far from here. yes, it was still a way ways out but it was close enough to keep him keen.

he had rested his hands into his belt, fingers wrapping around the worn leather as he leaned forward, lips pulling into a puff as his eyes lazily skimmed every word.

some ranch needs extra help, the pay ain’t too horrible, they offer living and if you got no experience they’ll train you. His lips curl into a smirk and he rips it off the lamppost.

after all, he didn’t need any competition, and everyone in this city needed a new dollar here and there. his boots smack against the concrete as he continued his walk, it was getting far too dark to appear at their ranch now.

but next morning, he’d be determined.

even if it wasn’t just some handy thing for cash or even a place to lie down until his bounty washes over, it was still a damn good deal.

—

when morning came he was already on his horse, in-fact he’s been on his horse since before the sun began rising. the misty air could be smelt, a morning that was damp in the early hours only to become gruelling heat later on.

birds chipped loudly, the grass remained sticky and wet, glossed over with it’s own residue of water and ice. the sun was the only comfort of some warmth, it lacked for now but with the somewhat cold morning he’d woken to, it was pleasant.

the ranch wasn’t too far, about a fifteen minute ride. however, he decided he wanted to find a way to get there without using the main paths.

after all if he was ever in a sticky situation, the main paths would be a fools mistake. and Jason was taught to never be a fool.

maybe he hadn’t been taught how to be a gunslinger, an outlaw. but people only ever listen to outlaws, the law ain’t doing much except teaching people of the new ways.

and a lot of people, especially the older folk, they don’t like the new ways. it was all just a big mess.

when he finally saw the wooden fences appear he gave a hum, it seemed generations old, maybe made when people first settled here or what not.

the wood wasn’t old, but it sure wasn’t new. he could hear cow’s and some sheep, maybe even some chickens. the same few you’d see on any ranch, out the corner of his eye he noted some horses.

when his horse trotted all the way to the entrance of the ranch he could see some beautiful swivels, an old faded green. it marked the name of the ranch and he gave a nod to himself.

he continued on, eventually pulling up and giving his horse a few pats, maybe some self confidence to himself more than anything.

Jason was never taught how to apply for a job, never taught nothing except how to fend or fight, and as his boots crackled at every step on the porch, he was very aware of those facts.

he rang the bell a few times, trying to position his body to come off relaxed yet not lazy, however with his muscle and height it just became rather awkward.

when the door opened his breath stuttered, he had not once thought about a woman appearing. which spiralled his mind for thinking so lowly.

but here she stood, her fingers tapping against the door as she offered a polite smile, hair decorated into a beautiful up-do that compliments every feature on her face.

her mouth parting to speak only for Jason to hold out his hand and stutter his own words out. “I saw your flyer, need help on the ranch or something like that..”

a chuckle left her, as her hand dropped from the door and she moved to make room for him to step in, as he did he was aware of how homely the place was.

every light was warmly tinted, candles flicked despite night not yet creeping. a dog could be heard yelping from somewhere. there were portraits, paintings, some carpet here and there—although looking a little old.

“Finally” she spoke up, a laugh leaving afterwards. moving to step infront of him and redirect him to wherever she had in mind, Jason was still marvelling at how peaceful the house was.

her heels tapped against the floor, the corset hung around her body and blended so carefully into her dress. “We’d put it up a while ago, but.. we’re growing quite fearful it might not work” she hushed out, only to give a laugh afterwards.

she sat at a table, putting her hand out to motion for him to join.

only for them to get into the interview. the entire time Jason would direct his attention momentarily to something else, weather that be the softness of her palms as she waved them around.

or possibly, it would be the animals chirping from one part of the ranch to the other. eventually, Jason had left with a job, a stomach full of food and a new home to stay at.

weeks would further pass, getting to know his other ranch hands. laying low so perfectly he hadn’t heard nothing about himself even when he stopped into town.

only problem that had raised since it all was, well, your father. he was a nice man, always helping everybody despite the fact age was quickly getting to him.

he’d help with patching up a fence as his words trailed on to talk about your late mother.

but we’ll, the only problem was. if any man were to direct his attention to you for longer than a second, or to drawl a conversation out longer than needed, he made sure to let the men know he wouldn’t think twice about shooting them.

despite those warnings, Jason had taken to watching you. only sometimes, only ever on your morning walks. your eyes were still a little hazy with sleep, your dress fresh and new as it would trail over the path you’d made for yourself.

you’d walk the entire fence line, taking note of some fixes here and there that would be needed, letting the men know to keep an eye or to fix it if it was too bad.

and jason revelled for these moments, keeping an eye at all times to watch. you held a sense of grace, a sense of beauty he hadn’t been gifted.

he dosent truly belive you’d find him as much of a suitor as he does you, he’s too burly. he has muscles that makes many fear, his hands are only good for hurt—never to cradle nor care.

but those early mornings, where the soft wind is only ever slightly present as it whispers through your hair, as your fingers sometimes cradle a cup of some coffee, the smoke wafting over you face as some warming comfort.

you’ll wave a hand to the small group of men, every single one of them saying their own greetings. and once that’s done you retreat back to the house, doing whatever you do in the days.

you’d only had a handful of conversations with jason, the first one being the interview, the other time being when you had a worry about a horse and wanted him to take a look and the most recent being if he could fill up the feed for the sheep.

but oh he graciously laps it up, the soft sing of you voice, the way the light frames your figure like an angel. he hadn’t realised he’d been finding an attraction for you until too late.

maybe it was due to the fact he was often on the ranch now, maybe it was due to the fact he’d never been graced with a woman so delicate. or maybe, you just had that way to soften him.

—

maybe those thoughts, those moments where he watches you— admittedly not very secretly— had sunk deeper than he thought, because for the last few nights now he can’t go to sleep without thoughts of you.

and maybe some nights, those thoughts drift. not too anything scandalous, he dosent want to disrespect you like that.

but he does wonder how a peck to your neck would cause you to react, how a drifting hand over your lower back would make you shiver, would you cast him a look or not?

he refuses to let his thoughts tempt anything other than that.

—

autumn was dwindling to an end and it wouldn’t be long til winter took its place.

the entire farm was being prepped for the lack of materials it’d be able to sell, pounds of food was brought in and placed into the shed, enough for well past winter and into spring.

and you, you’d grown frantic.

having a lot on your plate mainly due to the fact your father was too old now to do much, aswell as too ill.

you’d been running around, trying to keep the house clean and inviting, making sure your father stayed well fed and rested and making sure every ranch hand had a meal.

you’d been nothing but doting as the ranch prepared for snowfall, and jason couldn’t help but admire it.

your hands swift and precise as you saddled up the horses, most men in the ranch were growing ill, sick with the weather as the reason.

due to the fact you were losing men quicker than bees could sting, you were becoming antsy.

most winters weren’t good, anyone could drop ill—or dead— at any moment, the animals were a further priority and you hardly made any money.

it had been easier when your mother was around, when your father wasn’t as old. but now the property’s of the farm were left to you, and whatever ranch hands hadn’t got ill.

that had only been jason and another guy called john.

the first day snow had fallen you were quite upset, mainly because snow wasn’t meant to come for atleast another week.

you’d had ushered Jason in. john hadn’t been able to make it that morning, his pa or whatever reason he’d given.

“Brush that snow off yer boots” you’d called out, the harshest he’d ever heard. he tried not to think about how delicately that tone had made him feel.

he’d done as told, brushing off any and every speck of snow or dust, making sure to keep your floors top notch and clean.

jason sees how hard you put into it after all, how hard you put into everything.

he’d slunk off his jacket, dusted his hands onto his pants —mainly due to how sweaty they were becoming— and hovered over you, waiting for an order.

you looked over at him, hands fidgeting with the ruffles of your skirt and the laces of your corset, before bringing a hand to your forehead.

“I’d send you home but.. you’d be shivering and that’s not quite fair to you” you said, a tired laugh leaving you as your lips raised with an uncertainty.

he waved a hand around as he leaned into the wooden banister, “It’s quite alright.” he said, his voice a drawl as he tried to stay quiet.

when he’d originally applied for the ranch hand job, few months back now, there had been places for him to stay if he needed housing, but a month ago you’d asked for his permission if you could change it to a storage place.

he’d agreed. (mainly to see your smile) and reassured that he had a place to stay, he didn’t.. kind of, he could set up camp most nights, he was used to that.

however, it truly wasn’t a problem. he had bared worse than a winter breeze or snow.

your heels tapped loudly against the ground as your teeth nibbled against your cheek, huffing to yourself in annoyance.

the ranch was somewhat ready for winter but not to its standards, it was too late to try and work on it now though, the snow was already causing its disruptions.

You turned your head his way and offered a smile, he tried not to focus on the fact he felt larger than usual around you.

he’s aware of his statue, of the fact he’s taller than most of the fact most shirts will dwarf just by the size of his forearms alone, but around you, well..

you made him feel double that size, and something about that caused a heat to settle in him, he couldn’t place if that was pleasant or not.

“Could you get some firewood, should be some under the porch” you said, voice a little quieter now as you raised a hopeful eyebrow his way.

in order to get under the porch he had to go back outside, maybe in your mind you’d decided that was a reason to say no, but it was hardly an inconvenience to jason.

you would say bark and he’d bark his throat raw, kneel and he’d bruise his knees til their bloody.

so maybe it had grown into more than he’d realised, or maybe he hadn’t been faced with you in such close quarters for a long enough time for him to realise what it was.

but now he was, and he couldn’t stop it.

He gave a nod, turning around and putting his boots back on and jacket aswell before he made his way under the porch.

by the time he got back you were sitting in the main room, staring at the dwindling fire. jason plopped the wood in, poking it and blowing at it to make sure the fire stayed. the warmth that carried was met with a gracious sigh from you.

he turned his gaze to you, eyes heavy as he took in your frame, only this time he wasn’t as quick to look away, there were no hay bales to move, horses to tend to or a fence to inspect.

instead he was met with your gaze, catching him admiring you. a part of him felt sheepish for that and he looked away, only for you to softly whisper his name.

“I think we need to talk..”

his body was in flames, every nerve possible suddenly awaken. you were going to fire him, maybe you were so disgusted at the fact some ranch hand had looked at you in a way that you were possibly even gonna shoot him.

he tapped his fingers against his thigh,

gave a weighted sigh, and followed you to the table.

the two of you remained quiet, your eyes on his face as he let his gaze drift outside, although he still watched out of the corner of his eye.

“I’m sorry..” he started only for you to cut him off, “You ever been with a woman?”

even if you hadn’t cut his words off he’d be choking on them anyway. he trailed his gaze to you, a ruggish eyebrow tilting upwards as his mouth sat dumbly open.

when no response came from jason you stepped forward, reaching your hand out to trail the bones of his wrist.

he gave a choked out breath, “Not exactly ma’am” he said, voice suddenly wavering. suddenly nervous beyond belief and he’d be embarrassed about it, if it weren’t for the smile you sent his way.

you put both hands flat on his chest and he had to remind himself to stay upright. “What are you doing..” his voice was shaky, caught off guard and unable to believe what was happening.

you pressed your body into his and he had to bite down a long drawn out groan, his fingers digging into his thigh to remind himself to act accordingly—however that is in this situation.

“I see the way you look at me, i see how hard you work too..” you whispered, your hands moving up and down, the warmth of your fingers making his body shiver.

he couldn’t process words, couldn’t process a single thing. he reached a shaky hand out, and planted it in the curve of your waist.

“Look Miss, i ain’t sure what you’re tryna do, but you don’t have to do it..” his face looked down at you, his eyes taking in every piece of you he could, still admiring the beauty even when he’s refusing whatever you’re giving.

You gave a chuckle, pushed him further back causing his knees to buckle and for him to land flat on one of the chairs. one of his palms smacked down onto the dining table, trying to ground himself.

“What if i want you to?” you whispered, your lip slowly captured between your teeth as you stood in-front of him, both of your thighs pressing against his spread legs.

he threw his head back, eyes shut as he struggled to contain a groan. he was trying to hold himself back, not wanting to do anything incase he was misreading it, but you were tempting it all.

he was swiftly brought out of his thoughts when he felt a kiss to his neck, only for you to straddle his lap next. his hands quickly punched to wrap around your hips as he looked at you.

you only smiled back, he bit his lip. but he wasn’t able to stay contained for long, he gave a feral groan as he dove in, kissing at your neck and feeling up your hips all at once.

the pretty little meek moan you have caused his hands to shiver, making him trace his tongue over that sweet spot right under your jaw.

you were making quick work of your corset as he did the same with his vest. as soon as your corset fell off he was quick to unbutton the floral shirt you had underneath, his hands quick to grab at any every inch of skin he saw.

he dove his mouth onto your breasts, swirling his tongue right over the nip and looked up at you as you gave a guttural whimper.

the cocky laugh he gave reverberated against your skin, and all he could do was appreciate the sight, your hands grabbing at his forearms, your ass grinding into his bulge, the way your lashes fluttered and your lip wobbled.

you were captivating to jason.

after awhile of petting at each other the two of you had twisted your body to end up over the table, jason’s hands flat on your thighs as his heavy cock hung right over you.

you laid like a beautiful meal, and he couldn’t help but stare down hungrily. “Take me.. Please” you begged and he gave a groan as he dove in once again to kiss you.

your tongues fighting against each other as he stroked at himself, pushing himself in. the shiver you gave had him on a high, but he gave you a few moments to settle.

he wasn’t a cocky man, most of the time, but he knew he had a pretty impressive cock.

Your breath was shaking, wilted out yet so desperate. “I’m good..” you breathed and he nodded, pushing in again, the thrusts starting slow, almost teasing.

he had to pull himself back from slamming into you a few times, with the way you dragged your nails down his body or gave some sweet little sounds that caressed his ear.

but eventually you were practically begging for him to go faster, and he couldn’t hold back. his hips fell forward, meeting you every single time.

he held a hand in your hand, mainly so you wouldn’t smack it against the table, but also to kiss you at any moment he wanted to, and he really wanted to kiss you.

he gave a moan himself when your legs wrapped around him, suffocating himself to you. he slapped a plan onto the table as he leaned down closer to you, digging his head into your neck.

he was panting like a beast, unable to suck up enough air in time. “Goddamn miss.. you feel perfect” he held tight onto your hips.

he licked up your neck, pressed kisses here and there. his thumb dragged down over to your clit to give some teasing petting.

“I tried to never think about it.,” he huffed out. “you’re a lady after all, but.. god, this is perfect” he’d groan, heavy breaths sinking into your skin.

you were jumbling out your own words, curses he’d never heard you say of some praises that left his cock swirling heavy, until eventually you lightly smacked his back, voice high pitched and shaky as you practically screamed. “i’m close.. i’m so close”

just the words alone, the way you said it and the fact it came from you caused him to lurch forward, a heat signalling in his gut as he toyed with your clit.

he kissed you, gulping down all your sounds as the two of you came together. he was cautious to pull himself out.

when the moment had settled, the heat of your skin slowly passed and your breaths grew steady he turned his head to look at you.

offering a smile as he moved to grab your clothes for you, settling them beside where you laid as you looked up at the ceiling,

he moved to search for a washcloth, spending an embarrassing amount of time before eventually finding the cupboard.

however when he got back you were already dressed, he stood there, felling a little dumb as the water dripped down his hand before you gave him a soft smile.

you stepped closer and he remained in place, but when you wrapped your arms around his neck and pulled him down to give a feather light kiss, anxiety washed away.

[dolusectus]

INNOGEN THE LAPDOG [DOL PC/POI]

You are in an alleyway in the commercial district. You can hear the commotion of the high street, a figure once leaning on a wall straightens up into view. They're young—maybe nineteen—but built solidly under loose, baggy clothing. Their buzz-cut hair is a creamy tone of blonde, it's hard to discern the design slapped on it. You think you've seen them before, but the thought leaves you when they finally look up. The alley’s dim lighting catches on sharp teeth, glinting just slightly as they speak. "Yo," they greet, voice unbothered, almost bored. "Hold up a sec, you free to talk with a stranger?"

⥼║ False name: Innogen (Innoi)

⥼║ Real name: Eógan Ó Beline

⥼║ Pronouns: They/she/he

⥼║ Age: 19 years old

⥼║ Height: 5’8” (172 cm)

⥼║ Role: Lapdog

Innogen is a “questionably” trusted asset of Bailey, working as one of his goons despite being a ward of the orphanage themself. Often found collecting dues from other orphans, loitering around the nursery, or lending added muscle when needed. They attend school and live in the orphanage like you and the rest, but few can say they've actually seen them around. Their face, however, feels oddly familiar—like someone you've seen before but can't quite place.

[ UNLOCKING INNOGEN POI ]

Innogen is an unlockable POI when having an outstanding amount of missed payments owed to Bailey—precisely unlockable if the player has been staying at the orphanage (not other safehouses) and fighting off Bailey and his goons every Sunday. They're an added scale to the challenge of avoiding payment and making money. All first meetings engage into an encounter where the player can either agree to hand over the payment or not. Payment asked is small but will gradually increase with added 'interest' until the missed payments are completely paid for. When declining to pay, Innogen will reaffirm—once again asking, increasing stress. Declining once more, Innogen will leave, ending the encounter with the following line: "Okay, cool. See you at home."

Returning back to the orphanage, the player will find their room completely ransacked—any stored clothes in the wardrobe torn, all (bought) furniture damaged, and the bed hardly damaged but covered in a substance you're not willing to unknowingly touch bare-handed. A note will be posted on the now ruined mirror: on it, a cute cat face—eyes and mouth—is scratched in the middle. The words below are just as messy but readable: "Should have paid him. Hope you weren't attached to any of this."

This increases stress, lowers control, and greatly reduces any positive effects brought furniture could provide. You can either clean the mess, building up fatigue and stress, or simply buy new furniture—though with either choice, your room and items is at risk of being damaged again.

From then on, giving overdue payments to Innogen or Bailey will help lower your missed payments. Continuing to miss your payments, Innogen’s punishments will gradually worsen into more creative methods.

[cheralith]

hear me out… i feel like roommate!karasu is the type to walk in on you sobbing (lowk js pms) and immediately console you without question. he doesn’t bother to ask what’s wrong until you finally stop crying under his arms. to his surprise, when he finally asked, you let him know that you were crying over a movie…. (these boys would know know ANYTHING about these damn period hormones😭)

"hey, just wanted to let ya know that eita and i are—" karasu pauses momentarily, the sudden hiccup that sparks out of you making him freeze and tighten his grip on your doorknob. he squints , adjusts his eyes to the darkness of your room only lit up by your tv with a limp lamp in the corner and widens them when he sees you.

you're underneath the covers, sitting up with the duvet over your head and a wet river of tears flowing down your face with every blink. a stuttered breath pulls out of you, your voice tight and raw, a disposition that doesn't take karasu too long to deciper.

you turn towards him, revealing the full nature of your face. your eyes are red and heavy, a certain sadness swirling that makes karasu's chest tighten.

at his appearance, your lips tremble.

karasu is quick on his feet— going to quickly close the door to hide your state from yukimiya and otoya who sit outside the walls of your enclosure and sprint towards you, a magnetic pull bringing him to offer you comfort before anymore sorrow can wring more tears out of you.

"woah, woah, hey there," he mutters and lands on your bed, an arm wrapping around you to bring you warmth from other than your blanket. "what's goin' on? you alright?"

a dam bursts suddenly within you and you wail quietly, another stream of tears going to drip down from your swollen eyes. the words that you try to convey to him suddenly tangle in your throat and you can only reply in weak gibberish that karasu can't comprehend.

"talk to me when ya can," he murmurs with patience, you only hiccuping weakly in response.

one large hand goes to rub up and down your back soothingly, the other holding your head tenderly and letting you lean into his chest as another sob wracks your body, a mix of a cry and a cough echoing in your dark room. karasu doesn't know what's wrong, but based on your current state, something must have happened badly enough that it's blurred your voice of reason, so he doesn't need to. the way you leaned into him told him all he needed to know—that you just needed someone here with you.

part of him thinks that he shouldn't be doing this—being so close with you like this, especially in such an enclosed environment and touching you so delicately, fervently even maybe.

if anything, karasu thinks this is the closest you and him have ever been with each other since you started living here. your relationship has bloomed fruitfully, reaching new heights that he thought didn't even exist with you during the first few months, and karasu can't help the flutter in his chest when you give a bright smile or sing a giggle to him at his antics.

so to see you like this makes his heart ache heavily. he's seen you upset, but never in the manner where words are drowned by a sudden sadness. and while he's glad that you've grown comfortable around him to let you see this side of you, karasu doesn't like seeing you overwhelmed with a weeping melancholy.

he lets you cry it out for a moment more, letting his sweater be soaked with your tears as your body slowly settles back into a more composed state.

he swallows when he hears you no longer hiccuping, just soft sniffs here and there.

"ya ready to tell me what's wrong?" he asks.

he feels you nod your head and lets you take it away from his chest that he prays you don't hear the beating of his heart from.

you sigh out heavily, blinking bearily and looking up at him. he raises his brows, as if to let you continue on your behalf.

a finger suddenly points your television, where some ending credits are rolling from a movie.

"the dog died..." you whimper suddenly.

karasu blinks, finding your sentence strange.

"huh?"

you jut your finger again towards the tv.

"hachiko..." you mutter, "the dog... he died waiting for his owner for nine years..."

karasu whips his head at the tv suddenly, where the logo of the movie rolls onto the screen momentarily and finally revealing karasu all he needs to know.

“you were..." karasu clears his throat, "you were sobbing over... a movie?"

you nod feebly, eyes still glazed.

karasu lingers in his place for a moment, trying to make sense of the situation and sighing so heavily, his lungs nearly give out. then, he lets out a shaky chuckle, before it bursts into full-blown laughter.

"hey!" you shove him suddenly with a crease in your brow at his antics. "you can't laugh! why are you laughing at a dog's death?!"

he lets himself settle down for a bit, some leftover laughter still shaking his body every few moments or so. "darlin', ya nearly scared the wits outta me. i thought someone died or yer ex did somethin' to make you cry like that."

you frown. "god forbid someone cries over a sad movie every once in a while..."

"i can't lie t'ya," karasu shrugs, grin still on his face. "it's not that sad of a movie."

you scoff, reddened eyes widening. "it is too!"

"it's not."

"yes, it is!"

"it's really not."

your jaw grits, sadness now replaced with a slight aggravation. "how would you feel if your dog waited for you for nine years and you never returned?"

karasu shrugs, getting up and dusting himself off to prepare you a glass of water to clear up your senses with a relief that nothing too bad happened to you to cause you to cry.

"beats me," he quips, "i'm a cat person."

a/n: apartment 345 masterlist

[righteousgems]

Full round up of my finale thoughts before I watch for a second time later today

Cape and Pistol is unparalleled comedy to me and John Goodman doing their goofy arm movements elevated it to a new heights I couldn't stop laughing

Jesse's moment of growth in understanding that he actually is a good leader when he's not trying to big dog everyone around being punctuated by him accidently shooting a dude was perfect

"you know what - fuck y'all.." "REEEXXX!!!"

Keefe and Kelvin proposal was perfect and the fact that his moment of growth in the episode is that he's actually starting to let go of his issues with external validation in the aftermath of tcfm is so satisfying to me

"Clap for Jesus - not me!!"

Judy being so supportive of BJ and gaining a better understanding of her range and grief is everything to me - Judy is the character of all characters I love her so much and I am so proud of her

not proud of her saying skibidi toilette tho

love a family group hug after you tell your dad how proud you are that he's still jizzing

LAKE HOUSE - my beloved has return to me

Judy and Miss Lori singing together is so important to me

LEAVE HIS ASS JANA

Corey's rampage was a MASTERPIECE - simultaneously hilarious and genuinely alarming I was living for it

RED RED WIIINNEE

there was a hot second I convinced myself they were all going to die and the wedding was going to happen in heaven

Corey's last rights was so perfect - the gemstone sibling doing what their ancestor couldn't and giving a man who did horrible things a profound and peaceful passage to the afterlife was so beautiful

the wedding was just perfection no notes so beautiful - so happy to see Jesse and Judy so happy for their little brother and his freak husband

Danny speaking to the family and the fans through aimee leigh's letter was a perfect ending - a beautiful piece of closure to have as the family continues on even when we cant be with them anymore

let them old folks 69

[aussie-engene]

Best Friend!Niki x gn!reader

Best friends to lovers

Fluff

Warnings: teasing, reader calls niki an idiot (in a teasing/loving way), one kiss

You and Niki have been best friends from kindergarten. You were the chaotic duo that everyone loved watching. You always fought (still do), but not in a serious way. Mostly over who would get the last piece of pizza or who would choose the movie. You would always tease each other in every given chance, and the other would immediately fire something back. It was daily life now. Wake up, fight, sleep.

You both had eachothers apartment keys for 'just in case something happens'. Well, based on that, something happened every day because you always used it. You'd come back home and find him on your couch munching on your snacks, or he would find you playing video games in his room.

Today was no exception. You went to his apartment while he was away. You kinda got cold, so you went to his closet and took one of his hoodies and wore it. It was huge on you since he was really tall. You instantly felt warmer, and you could smell his characteristic perfume. Everything smelled like him, and you loved it. Wow wow wow you what? You narrowed your eyes at your own thoughts. You loved something about Riki? Nahhhh that can't be... right? You shrugged it off and went to the living room to watch a movie.

After a while Niki came home. He already knew that you would be there at this point. "Y/n I'm home!" He yelled from the doorway

"Hi~ How was your day?" You sat properly on the couch waiting to see his figure

"You have no idea how tiring it was! Firstly I-" He stopped in his tracks and looked at you with shock

"What? What's wrong? Is there an insect? A mouse? What is it? Don't scare me!" You were now standing on the couch because based on his expression, there was something frightening in the room

"H-huh? Um no no there's...nothing there..."

You threw a pillow straight to his face

"*bam* You scared me idiot!"

"S-sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"You seem weird... what's up?" You raised your brow and looked at him with suspicion

"Ughhh nothing!" He answered way too quickly

"Okay..."

You were getting confused. It wasn’t like him. Yeah, he was weird but not like that, but it was 'best friend' like weird. This was just weird with the original meaning of the word. You didn’t push him anymore, tho.

He went into his room, and you continued to watch the movie. Once it ended, you decided to go to his room and tease him a bit.

"Riki~" You slowly entered his room only to find him laying on his bed with his phone

"Mhm" he didn't look up from his phone

"Hey! Look at me!" You put a pout on your face in hopes he would look

"Why should I?" Still nothing

You were getting annoyed, that's why you practically jumped on him and snatched his phone away

"Hey! Give it back!" He tried taking it away, but you pulled further

"Not until you tell me what's wrong." You were searching his eyes to see any hint of what was wrong

"Nothing's wrong, now give it back!"

"Nope!"

"Ughhh fine you wanna know what's up? You drive me crazy that's what's up!"

You were confused. 'I drive him crazy?'

"What do you-"

"You go around walking in my house, with my hoodie literally hiding all of you acting all innocent!"

"Huh? Riki, what are you talking about?"

You didn’t know what was going on. You had never seen Niki like this. You couldn’t read his expression. It wasn’t frustration nor teasing. It was something new.

He looked in your eyes and calmed himself down

"You're not helping..."

"Riki, don't talk with rhymes!" You wanted to know what was bothering.

"Y/n...look...I like you...a lot...more than a friend. I thought that I had it under control, but when I saw you in my hoodie, I couldn't help but think about how you would look like in it every day. How you would like in my arms... I know that you don't feel the same, but I couldn't keep it in me anymore. If you want to end our friendship, I get it, but-"

Before he could continue, you smashed your lips onto his, making him gasp.

You pulled away and were overwhelmed by all of his words. Your best friend and your long-time crush that you never wanted to admit liked you. You couldn’t stop smiling while he was in pure shock

"I like you too, you idiot!"

"You what?!?"

"Are you deaf or what?" You chuckled "I like you...more than a friend..."

He smiled down at you, and he swore that he was the happiest person alive.

You loved seeing each other happy, and that's what made your relationship even more pure and filled with love.

[friendlyrandomperson]

The world is dark but you shine bright enough.

The cold air bit Frank’s nose, the weight of Eddie against his side, the southern man’s arm around his shoulders providing warmth against the flurries that made their way onto their bodies. Eddie’s sniffles, shaky, hallow breathing, Frank’s ragged breaths, the rush of wind against their ears, the crunch of the snow beneath their shoes, the harsh feel of tears against the smaller man’s left shoulder and the taller man’s cheeks.

”I’m so sorry..”

Frank glanced up, Eddie still trudging beside him, his face pointed at the ground appearing heavily ashamed, tears falling onto the snow as if physical pieces of his dignity being lost to the ice below.

“There is nothing wrong with needing to leave, Mr. Dear. I understand.”

Frank abruptly freezes, glancing between the Post Office and his house. Logically, Eddie would want to go home; Frank was aware he lived in the back of the Post Office, he could very easily drop him off with a goodbye and return to Home.

That did not sit right with him. Not at all.

That would be cruel, leaving him alone when he clearly should remain under supervision; he can barely hold himself up, he might fall unconscious!

Frank turns his head, quickly examining Eddie’s features. Furrowed brows, eyes pressed shut and lips tightly together.

He’s in pain.

Frank furrows his brow and turns towards his house, the change seemingly unnoticed by the crying man.

A few minutes later, Frank wraps Eddie’s right arm around himself a little bit tighter, stepping up and placing his weight onto the bottom step, lifting Eddie a bit to get him onto the stairs. A soft groan came from the orange man, who lifted his other arm and wrapped it around Frank as well, for support of course.

Ignoring the pooling heat in his cheeks, Frank continues to assist Eddie up to the porch, where they stood awkwardly for a few moments as Frank sifted through his jacket and pants pockets for his house key. Patting his right pants pocket, he felt the silhouette of the metal against the fabric and quickly took it out, placing it into the keyhole and jiggling it a few times before managing to open the door, hitting both men with a wave of heat similar to a lit fireplace.

Standing beside the door when they got inside, Frank slid off his shoes, realizing that he just lost about an inch of his height and Eddie is about to fall down and send them both to the floor.

Many people have absolutely no clue the amount of strength that Frank has; yes, his arms look very thin, as does the rest of his body, but he is overall very toned. Gardening requires a lot of strength to maintain, physically and mentally.

Which is how he ended up spontaneously lifting Eddie up bridal style, his hands firm against his waist and his legs.

Without giving the situation a second thought, Frank turned towards his living room and walked over, gently setting a stunned Eddie down onto the cushions, moving in front of him and removing his hat with his right hand before walking back to the coatrack that was left completely ignored, setting the white and blue cap onto a hook before freezing, his fingers still lightly pressed against the rim of the navy blue fabric on the cap.

Eddie, sitting on the couch, still had tears streaming down his face. He wipes them away, only for the action to be pointless. As he rubs his eyes, he allows his mind to wander from whatever happened at Home to what Frank had done.

He knew he was strong, he had seen him uproot a plant one handed without thinking, but he did not expect to be handled like that. Frank made it seem so effortless, dragging him along in the snow that was up to the middle of the mailman’s calves, holding him up as he tried to open the door, and then simply lifting him up and setting him down to rest.

His heart warmed, feeling as if it swelled up, radiating heat from the middle of his chest.

He’s so kind to him. Eddie set his hands down to rest on his knees as he stared at his boots, tears slowing down slightly. He unzips his jacket about 1/4 of the way, undoing his tie and folding it neatly before setting it down in front of him, zipping up his jacket again, resting his hands on his knees once more.

He heard footsteps approach him, hesitant and slow, light from the lack of shoes.

“Mr. Dear, take this.”

Eddie glances over to his left, seeing a yellow teacup with little roses lining the top in Frank’s hands, a loop of steam rising from the amber tea inside, carrying a pleasant aroma of something he could not quite place his finger on.

He lifts his head, wiping his eyes one last time with a shaky right hand.

He gently takes the cup with both hands, the quivering causing ripples on the surface of the steaming liquid, his shoulders loosening.

”Thank you kindly F- Mr. Frankly.”

“Frank.”

”I- Huh now?”

“Please, just call me Frank. For tonight.”

“Oh! I- Uh- Alrighty then, Mr- gosh Frank?”

Frank smiles softly, a sigh escaping his lips as Eddie appeared to relax. Frank went over to the kitchen, swiftly grabbing his own teacup before returning to Eddie’s left, sitting next to him and sipping the tea to avoid saying something stupid.

Frank peeked over the top of his glass, taking in Eddie’s features.

His eyes were closed as he sipped his tea, his eyebrows no longer furrowed and his body no longer quivering as violently.

He’s beautiful.

Frank knows he can never say that, but it’s true.

Frank set his teacup down on a coaster, placing another one down in front of Eddie before sitting up straight and folding his hands in his lap.

He turns to face the other man, and as he opens his mouth to speak, he heard a gentle click before everything went dark, nothing but the glow of the moon through the curtains illuminating the house.

He heard Eddie yelp, the glass wobbling slightly before he heard a thud as Eddie set the cup down on the table, pausing for a second before the mailman set it on the coaster Frank set out.

The howling of the wind, the rattling of the windows, the shaky breaths of one man and the stable breaths of another.

Frank saw Eddie’s illuminated body, the moonlight giving a peaceful glow to his figure. The man’s posture was stiff, his hands fidgety in his lap, clearly attempting to hide his fear.

Hesitantly, Frank reached out and placed his hand on Eddie’s shoulder, flinching at the same time Eddie did before placing it down again, light and nervous.

He tapped his fingers over and over, thumb, pointer, middle, ring, pinky, repeat, unsure if he was providing comfort to the redhead or himself.

“I have never seen you cry before.”

”Heh- yeah I- I’m sorry ‘bout that.. I dunno what came over me!”

“Was the party too much this year?”

”Heh.. guess you could say that.”

”What am I missing?”

”It’s just.. ahh, you know what? It ain’t that big a deal-“

”Mr. Dear.”

Frank’s voice was firm, stern. Eddie knew Frank was the kind to take a stand, but he’d never heard him use that tone before.

Frank let go of Eddie’s shoulder, placing his right hand on the man’s cheek and turning his face towards himself before resting his hand in his shoulder once more.

”It is a big deal if you were so shaken that you could not hold yourself upright.”

Eddie froze, his cheeks growing more and more red, similar to a rose, the longer he stared at the entomologist. Blinking twice, he lifted his right hand and rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, directing his gaze at the teacups instead.

“Shoulda known you were smart enough ta catch on, huh?”

After Frank snickered slightly, Eddie felt his face burn like he ate chili a little too spicy.

He was so amazing.

A few minutes later, after Eddie had taken off his boots and left them by the door, they both found themselves back on the topic of the party. Frank had his hands folded neatly in his lap, and Eddie had his own resting on his knees.

”Well, heh… I didn’t even know it was goin’ on, actually. Completely slipped mah mind!”

Frank’s eyebrow furrowed a tad.

”That explains why Sally dragged you through the door.”

”Yep! I uh- heh.. I spent the whole day at the Post Office waitin’ for a neighbor to stop on by!”

Frank’s eyebrow raises as he realizes that Eddie was not told that they gave him the day off.

”Mr. Dear.. we delivered our own mail so that you could rest. Did you actually spend the entire day waiting for someone to drop something off?”

Eddie stiffened, his eyes growing wider than saucepans as Frank’s words swirled in his mind.

“Y’all… did my job for me? Ya didn’t… need my help with anythin’?”

Frank lowers his eyebrow and changes his expression, something more reassuring and comforting.

”You work yourself ragged, it was the least we could do. Luckily, there were no packages that needed delivering today. Just many letters, including a few addressed to you! I was going to inquire if you got them, but when I went to find you, Sally dragged me over and told me you were ignoring her.”

An uncomfortable pause as Frank pressed his lips together tightly before whispering.

”That’s when I started trying to get you to respond. Until I said your name you…” Frank meets Eddie’s eyes for the first time since the party. “You just sat there with tears streaming down your face and a blank expression.”

Eddie gripped his pant legs tightly, his knuckles turning pale as his mind ran faster than he did when Barnaby chased him.

“I spent the whole day doubtin’ these kind people while they were off doin’ my job, better than I ever could. How rude of me, I was doin’ a whole bunch of nothin’ and then I had the audacity to sit down at Home, no wonder he seemed so upset with me. Now look at me; I couldn’t even hol’ myself up to walk myself out and get ready fer tomorrow, and Mr. Frankly is missin’ out on all the festivities ‘cause o’ me, I got ‘im all worried fer nothin’. That’s not very neighborly of me, is it?”

Unbeknownst to Eddie, tears had made their way down his cheeks once more, his pain unable to hide behind a friendly smile, or a simple comment to brush it off.

Frank could tell Eddie felt like he wasn’t valued, wasn’t important. He always went far beyond his limits to please others, it worried him sick. Seeing the poor man like this… it shattered Frank. His soul, his heart. Frank reached over, and against his better judgement, rested his right hand on top of Eddie’s left one gently, feeling the man’s shaking fist loosen just slightly. Eddie flipped his hand, locking their fingers in a tight grip, but Frank did not care, instead leaning over and softly wiping away Eddie’s tears, letting his head rest on his hand as he felt Eddie lean into his touch. When was the last time he had been given affection?

Frank’s hand slid down, reaching Eddie’s right shoulder before he tightened his grip and pulled Eddie forward slightly, letting go of his hand and choosing to wrap his arms around Eddie’s shoulders as Eddie cried into his chest, the man’s muscular arms around his waist and his hands on his upper back holding him tightly, as if he would leave him too when he let go.

The darkness and the warmth of the other man left both very tired, so Frank adjusted himself to allow Eddie to lie on top of him for a moment, his breathing slowing and becoming deeper as he calmed down. His grip loosened, and after a moment, Frank heard a small, almost inaudible snore come from the mailman. He smiled gently before closing his eyes and allowing himself to doze off.

After all, he had no plans.

[otp-after-dark]

6x07 – Shattered: This love was never meant to be easy. But real love is choosing someone — even when they’re at their worst.

Alright I'm here to offer a little bit of hope despite cussing the writers every few minutes during that episode.

I knew this episode would break my heart — and it did. But it also laid bare everything this story has been circling for years.

And despite how painful it was, I’m still holding onto the belief that all of this — the silence, the anger, the devastation — is building toward something. A resolution. A sacrifice. A moment of truth. Because I refuse to believe that the story they want to tell ends with tragedy or conditional love.

💥 Nick: Fractured and Finally Honest

This episode cracked something open in Nick — and it needed to.

For the first time, he says the things we’ve all known were simmering beneath the surface:

“You pretend like I’m not a Commander or an Eye unless it suits you.” “You never cared what I did when I helped you.” “One of those men was nineteen.” “You didn’t face it. And now you have to.”

He’s not just lashing out — he’s finally drawing a line.

Nick has lived with guilt. He’s held her pain. He’s sacrificed his own soul to keep her breathing. But he’s done hiding who he is to keep her comfortable. And it’s long overdue.

“You’re just like them.” “And you love me. So what does that make you?”

That last line gutted me.

Because it’s the truth. The heart of their entire dynamic.

Nick is not clean. He’s not perfect. But he has never stopped loving her. And now, June has to decide: Can she love a man with blood on his hands — just like she asked him to love her?

Or was this love only real when it was wrapped in denial?

💔 "Not without her." – Nick Blaine, Devastated

Nick’s scene with Rita broke me. This man — who has always held himself together, who has carried everything in silence —finally says it:

“She thinks I’m a monster.” “Not without her.”

He doesn’t just miss her. He doesn’t just love her. He doesn’t believe he’s a good man without her love.

That’s not co-dependence. That’s grief. That’s heartbreak. That’s a man who gave everything and was left standing in the wreckage.

Rita reminds him of who he is — and he can’t hear it. Because right now, he doesn’t feel like that man.

And yet, buried in all that sorrow is the seed of where I think we’re going:

Doing the right thing whether or not he ends up with her.

That’s the arc. That’s the full-circle moment coming. Nick’s redemption isn’t about earning June’s love. It’s about believing he’s still worth something even without it.

🛑 June: Not a Hero Right Now

This is where it gets hard.

Because I love June. But in this episode?

She’s not the hero.

She’s angry. She's hurt. She's unraveling. And instead of seeing Nick’s truth — of finally acknowledging everything he’s done for her —she walks away.

Yes, she’s shattered. But so is he. And the lack of grace she gives him in this moment is devastating.

Because she of all people should understand what it means to make impossible choices in order to survive. She’s done it. Over and over.

And if she can’t give Nick even a sliver of that empathy — if she can’t acknowledge that his love for her is the thing that’s kept her alive —then she’s not as emotionally honest as we thought she was.

❤️ Moira: The Friend She Needed

Moira continues to be one of the few characters who shows up with real empathy.

No judgment. No emotional manipulation. Just care.

She sees June. She sees the devastation. And she reminds her — gently — that Nick has been there.

Always. Even when June wasn’t ready to admit what that meant.

❌ Luke & Lawrence: The Bad, the Worse, and the Manipulative

Luke’s behavior in this episode is... a lot. And not in a good way.

From the start, his dynamic with June has always carried an undercurrent of control masked as concern. But here? It fully crosses a line.

“Don’t be in love with a fucking Nazi.”

That’s not love. That’s emotional abuse. It’s not about protecting June — it’s about punishing her for loving someone else. And the worst part? He’s not wrong that Nick has done terrible things. But the difference is: Luke says it to wound her. Nick says it to be honest with her.

Let’s be clear: June didn’t come to Luke because she wants him. She came to him because she’s angry and heartbroken over Nick. Luke is winning by default — not by love. And he knows it.

His outburst doesn’t come from moral clarity — it comes from jealousy, desperation, and the inability to accept that June’s heart has always belonged to someone else.

And June? She doesn’t push back. Not because she agrees. But because she’s shattered, and Luke’s rage is easier to hide behind than the pain of what just happened with Nick.

She’s not choosing him. She’s surviving him. And that’s not a love story — that’s emotional resignation.

The truth is: If you love someone enough to almost leave the country with them — you don’t stay with someone else out of guilt or fear. But that’s exactly what June is doing.

This relationship is over. It has been. She just hasn’t admitted it yet.

And Lawrence? A manipulator in full swing. He uses their love now because it suits his strategy — the same way he used it in Seasons 4 and 5. And frankly, I’m done rooting for his peace plan. He doesn’t care about June or Nick — just power.

🔮 Where We’re Going

This episode hurt. But it clarified so much.

Nick and June were never going to survive on a fantasy. It had to break. Because the real question was never do they love each other — we know they do.

The question is: Can June love Nick for who he is? Not who she wants him to be?

Because he’s always seen her fully. It’s time she did the same.

And I still believe she will.

Because this story? It’s never been about perfection. It’s about choosing love anyway.

Even when it’s messy. Even when it’s painful. Even when the world tells you to let it go.

There’s something bigger coming. And when it does — Nick Blaine will still be standing. Not for power. Not for politics. But for her.

[bleachsmutfest]

May I ask for workplace scandal, Gin Ichimaru? Job would be a bored security guard who enjoys watching the security cameras (Have fun with it 😉)

🆆🅾🆁🅺🅿🅻🅰🅲🅴 🆂🅲🅰🅽🅳🅰🅻

If they had jobs in the world of the living.

Gin Ichimaru border security edition

Warning: SMUT, NO MINORS, MORDERN AU, short 750 wc.

a/n THANK YOU FOR THIS FUN FUN FUN PROMPT!!! I LOVED WRITING THIS and it ended up being longer than a Drabble and so here is a separate post for this fucker

(Just FYI some airports have curtained off sections for quick pat downs)

Free entertainment.

That is what Gin Ichimaru had signed up for when he got himself a job as a Border Security Officer. The job itself was easy. Sit back and watch the live security cameras at the international airport. He wasn't the one who did the pat downs or screenings. But when you casually walked past the security cameras, his hand began to itch. He really wanted to get his hands all over you.

He followed you around through the 50 little computer screens spread out on display in the control room. Eventually, he spotted you standing in line to get your luggage scanned before your departure. He was quick to leave the control room and make a beeline towards the security gates. 

He blended well among the security officers as the uniforms were all the same, although his role was much more passive. He waited for your turn before patting the back of an officer and offering them to take their snack break. The young man just shrugged and left without hesitation. Gin tried his best to shrink his sly grin that he wore most of the day. He had to look mean and intimidating to blend in. He pointed a finger towards you and signalled you to step forward. 

Funny. None of the scanning alarms had gone off and now he was scanning your hand bag, going through your personal belongings. Your face went red when his long fingers tangled into a ball of G-strings and panties and bras. And he sure was fondling them for a good few minutes before zipping up the bag and handing it back to you.

Just when you thought you were done and passed the security, he motioned you to follow him towards the small box for a quick pat down. You were confused but you followed him regardless. The border security officers were typically mean and it had always been a stressful part of travelling for you.  

Gin quickly closed the curtains behind him and crammed himself inside the tight small box. He noticed your tense shoulders and stiff face. “Relax. I don't bite”, he whispered softly. You had to admit, the whisper was enough to melt away your stress.

He began his pat down from head to toe, his thin fingers gliding down your body, measuring you out without your consent. He stood behind you, his warm breath tickling the back of your neck and ears. You bit your lower lip as he got closer to your breast and gave them a firm squeeze. Luckily, he didn’t linger for too long around your sensitive nipples.

He glides his hand lower towards your stomach and you tense up again when he reaches your pelvis, expecting his hands to crawl all over your sensitive area. 

You are wearing your tight leggings and he can feel the heat through the polyester fabric. Your breath hitches when he cups your crotch and palms against your heated sex. Your clit throbs and you unconsciously widen your stance to give him more access. 

Gin takes that as an invitation and closes in on the gap. His warm body against your back. His clothed erection resting between your soft cheeks. Your legs are about to fail you as he continues to tease your clit with an open palm. 

“Mmmm hiding some gems in here? Are they duty free?”he joked.

“Why dont you check the receipt”, you joked back.

“Don't mind if I do”, he whispers and slips his hand past the elastic of your leggings. His long fingers slowly creep towards your pussy, your hard clit not really hard to find. His fingertips brush over the sensitive nub so he could feel those soft wet folds beneath it. “Oh? You do know liquids are not allowed past security”.

“I am allowed 100mL per item”, you replied.

You couldn't see it as your back was against him but you could tell his face was nothing but a lip sealed wide grin. 

His fingers continued to tease your folds– between fingering your pussy and teasing your clit. It doesn't take much for you to cum undone all over his hand, his hips humping against your soft ass. You cum fast and hard, squirting all over your pants, not wasting time as you had a flight to catch. But this officer had other plans for you.

“Mmm i’m going to have to take you in for further questioning. Your liquid limit has reached beyond 100mL”. He pulled out his wet fingers out of your pants, revealing the mess you just made around his two digits. 

Ah, well you can catch the next flight. 

[cantareincminor]

My wonderful husband commissioned @juuyeah to illustrate the epilogue of Orpheus as a Mother's Day gift! (Minor spoiler: it's a happy ending 😊)

More spoilers under the cut:

“Franky, if not for that day, for that conversation we had…my life might have been incredibly different. Even if WISE was still going to recruit me regardless, what you said to me that day, and just the way you acted, like there were no real dividing lines between us…it left a lasting impression on me that I’ve never forgotten all these years. You’ve always been a man of courage and conviction. You’ve always had a unique ability to see past all the bullshit, whether it came from the politicians running this country or from an 18 year-old soldier on the other side. Or from the so-called super spy I used to be. Thank you for that. Thank you for always pushing me toward the truth.” Franky wiped at his eyes in frustration. “Ugh, I come in all frazzled from being run into the ground by this little monster I live with, and now you spring this on me? You Westalian son of a bitch.” He had whispered the last few words, but Ernie somehow still perked up and yelled, “Swear jar! I have enough to buy ice cream now! Take me to the ice cream store!” Franky ignored him and enveloped Loid in a crushing hug. The latter returned it with equal fierceness.

Juu did an AMAZING job capturing the hope and joy of the epilogue, especially Twilight (now Loid) finally at peace with himself. And able to compliment Franky genuinely and hug him without being embarrassed!! I love his smile of contentment, it’s exactly how I imagined it!

And Franky’s son Ernie playing with Anya in the background!! They’re SO CUTE!!! (Thanks Juu for suggesting Ernie as a name!)

After Twiyor, I absolutely love writing the friendship between Twilight and Franky. In canon and in Orpheus, Franky continuously challenges Twilight to question his own deeply ingrained assumptions and fears, while supporting him through every trial. He deserves all the love for everything he does for the Forgers!

To me their friendship is just as powerful a symbol as the other bonds between East and West (like Twiyor). I decided to write this scene instead of another Twiyor moment into the epilogue because Franky is Twilight’s oldest friend, the first Ostanian he talked to in a civil manner and really connected with. The only person who knew Twilight before he joined WISE, and the one who nudged him onto the path of giving up his blind hatred of Ostanians and seeking out the truth for himself. A neat little bow to tie together the newfound peace between their countries.

[screechingdefendorpuppy-blog]

The Player That Got Played

Part 2

You softly bite your lip and you purposefully trace the sketched lines in your sketchpad. The power behind every edge yet softness can be found on every curve. It had been a crazy day in the studio.

Having Abby suddenly enter the studio in nothing but a robe had been a surprise. But then getting to see what was underneath.. well lets just say that you are lucky to have great cardiovascular health. If not you would've surely died from a heart attack right then and there.

Turning to the next page you continue to admire the sketches you where able to do, even with a shaky hand. As you trace the defined line of her shoulder blades you are startled by a groan.

"Dude, you're drooling." says Ellie as she places the big bowl of popcorn on the coffee table.

"Who's Drooling?" asks Dina as she waddles in to the living room with the bottle of soda and cups. Last year had been a big surprise to learn about Dinas pregnancy. She had been in a on again off again relationship with Jesse since high school.

It had been a bit rocky when she had found out she was pregnant since she had broken it off with Jesse and had started dating Ellie soon after. Luckily after talking it out they came to an agreement when it came to the baby and had stayed great friends.

Now at almost 8 months pregnant she was ready to pop. That however didn't stop her from getting an education in Botany. She had a plan for her life and she will adjust accordingly and bring her son along for the ride.

Sheepishly you start to close your sketchpad. As Ellie answers her. "This goober on her newly acquired porn."

Dina groans as she settles down on her side of the sectional sofa. Once comfy, she makes grabby hands towards you in a silent request to take a peek. Huffing you hand it over and you lean over to grab some popcorn just to busy your hands.

She low whistles and she looks at the new additions. "Daaaamn, She's a looker."

"HEY!" Protests Ellie

"Oh hush I'm just looking." Dina counters a prevalent smirk on her lips. "She's.. well she's something."

"She's unreal Dina!" you say as you scootch over to show her a particular sketch. "Look at this." you say turning to the correct page.

On it an almost done sketch of today session. only thing missing was more detail and some shading. "She look ethereal! Like she was sculpted by gods!"

Dina makes eye contact with Ellie as you continue to rant about how you had struggled to capture an angle and how you didn't give up till you got it right.

"Wow, she really captured your attention huh?" Dina asks, But before you are able to say anything Ellie interjects.

"Psh please more like she was to enraptured by her-"

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

"TITS!? HAHAHAHAHA" Leah's voice blares out her phones speaker.

Abby is mortified as she watches her friend shake from the full blown cackles after learning about her mishap.

"Full on Leah! it was crazy. I never thought I would see that side of Abby." says Manny from beside her squeezing himself in to the camera view. Abby's tsks at him as she places her hand on his face and pushes him away.

"Wait who was bare chested?" Owens voice asks from Mels screen view but completely out of frame.

"Abby" Mel tell him. "What!?" he appears over Mels shoulder "You showed off your mosquito bites!?"

Another cackle is heard from Leah's end of the line this time joined by Manny.

"Fuck you, all three of you." Abby says, her fair skin dusted pink. She sulks down further into the worn sofa. This had been going on for and hour now. All thanks to Manny who took it upon himself to go check on his friend after her disappearance.

“Hay mija calmate! At least you got her number.” Manny shoots back.

“You got her number?” Mel asked with a genuine happy smile for her friend.

Abby smiles softly remembering the moment you had hit save new contact on her phone. “Yeah”

“But that was before she exposed her areolas to the art department.” Nora so helpfully interjects while she, from Abby’s point of view, mixes two chemicals together in the campus lab.

Before Abby is able to put her two cents Manny speaks up. “That doesn’t matter cuz this chicken shit hasnt-”

————————-

“Texted you yet?” Asks Dina, eyes wide balancing the popcorn bowl on her belly.

“No” you answer disappointed present in your voice. Ellie gets up and grabs the bowl off of Dina to make some more popcorn. This is gonna be a long night.

Dina opens her arms and you immediately fall into them. She cradles you and places a soft kiss to your temple. You focus on lil spud as he moves inside his protective home. You couldn’t wait to meet your little nephew.

“Give her time. Maybe it was an accident or something. Hell maybe she’s embarrassed.”

“Maybe, I just wish I would’ve been able to talk to her. She literally disappeared once the class was done.” You sink in to the sofa a lil more.

“Hey guys, Jesse just texted that he got out early from his shift and is asking if y’all would like some Korean food?” Asks Ellie from the kitchen.

“Yes please.” Both you and Dina answer simultaneously.

“You should’ve seen her Dina.” You exhale a far away look in your eyes.

She chuckles. “Oh boy, you are down bad huh?”

You nod defeatedly sitting up again but staying close to your best friend “I am Dina I wanna get to know her more.” You poke at a lil bump that emerges on Dinas belly.

“Damn I haven’t seen you this smitten since seeing Haruka tenoh from sailor moon for the first time.”

“Eh I was more of a Sailor Neptune kind of gal.” Adds Ellie flopping on to Dinas side and starts rubbing her belly.

You groan “We were thirteen!”

“And you clearly have a type!” Says Dina.

You huff and deflate into the sofa some more. Then after a but of silence your phone pings with a new message. Picking it up and looking at the screen you find a message from an unknown number. With only the words “Hey.” in it.

—————————

“Hey!?, seriously thats the best you can do!?” Asks Manny. A horrified expression on his face.

“What? It’s fine it’s casual.” Abby argues. Finally after getting completely roasted by her so called friend via video call. She had decided to finally text you.

“More like basic and pathetic!” Manny shouts as he lunges to grab her phone.

“You are spending too much time with Leah and her fashion friends.” She says as she dodges his attempts.

“They make me free clothes and buy me coffee after every fitting as a thank you for being their mo-” he pauses mouth agape. Abby can see that wheels in his head turning and she starts to dread what will come out of his mouth next.

“That’s it!” He basically screams in her face. She jumps and pushes him off of her.

“The fuck is wrong with you!?”

“You Abigail Anderson! Will volunteer your body in the name of… The Arts!” He shouts dramatically.

Abby deadpans

“What?”

“Think about it! She’s already seen you naked! Seeing you like that a fee more times wouldn’t hurt.” He watches her expectantly.

“You’re ridiculous.” She finally says as she goes to get up.

“No I’m a genius that has given you the opportunity to spend more quality time with your chica!”

Before Abby can answer her phone chimes still on the sofa cushion. A small text bubble with your name clear as day on it: ‘Hello, umm who is this?”

Both of them look at the phone then each other and lunge themselves towards it at the same time. A scuffle ensues and Manny comes out victorious taking off with Abbys phone furiously.

“MANNY RAMIREZ ALVAREZ GIVE ME MY PHONE BACK!” Abby shouts after him as she struggles to chase him.

Manny slams the door to his room right as she picks herself up and darts over. Once she is able to get inside she jumps him and takes her phone back.

Both exhausted from the rough housing he relents and gives her phone back to her. Abby pants as she looks down at the screen. There she sees a bubble with the words delivered on the bottom. The context of said message?

‘It’s your buff french girl model 😉.’

Before she can react, yell at manny, delete or unsend the message, literally do anything. The little words on the bottom changes to read.

Her. Heart. Sinks.

She turns to Manny and for the first time tonight he looks afraid for his safety. She charges at him and starts smacking him as hard and as fast as she can.

“Are you fucking kidding me!? *smack* french girl!? *smack* you *smack* fucking *smack* asshole!” *smack smack*

He is in a fetal position trying his best to block the blows but Abby does not relent. As Abby lifts her hand to hit him again her phone goes off. She looks over and starts towards where she had dropped it on the carpeted floor. But before she walks away she sharply turns and points her finger in manny’s face.

“Don’t Fucking Move.” She threatens and he lifts his hands in surrender while sinking back to the floor.

She gives him a glare as she picks up her phone. Once unlocked she glances down to the screen.

——————————

‘🤭 hahaha thats funny. Hello Abby.’

‘I will admit your presence in class today surprised me.’

“Are you sure double texting was the move?”

You ask as you continue to look at your phone while biting your nail. Dina smacks your hand away.

“Stop that! It’s going to be fine, I told you this will peak her interest.”

You nod nervously, subconsciously you acknowledge Jesse’s presence as he places the take out on the table. “So who is this girl?”

“Anderson, you know the women’s rugby captain.” Ellie tells him as she takes a small bite of the kimchi.

He chokes on air “ Anderson? As in THE Abby Anderson?”

Ellie nods as she starts towards where cough cuz of the spiciness of the food.

“Dude it’s not that hot.” He tells her.

“Shut up dude you know im white.” Says Ellie as she takes another bite in spite, her eyes watering.

*Ping*

The room goes silent.

You read the text but don’t say anything.

“Well? What did she say!?” Asks Dina using her foot to nudge you back to earth. You shake your head and read it out loud.

‘Sorry, that was my best friend Manny who sent that. But ummm, was it a good surprise at least?’

——————————-

Abby feels like she seconds away from a stroke. Her hands are shaking and clammy. She doesn’t want to fumble this opportunity. She looks up and Manny still in the same place gives her a thumbs up.

When it had come to her dating life. She didn’t have the best track record. There had been a few girls that had captured her attention through out the years. Unfortunately she had either crushed on them from afar, or had been so awkward with them that they had just left. Since then she had decided to not do emotions and just have fun.

However, the moment her eyes landed on you Abby felt something she had not felt in a good while. The want, no the need, to get to know you get close to you. She was so scared to push you away cuz of her awkwardness.

She was trying her hardest to be the cool buff rugby player she portrayed. Unfortunately for her being with you brought out the goober, as her dad would say, out of her.

She inhales the moment she sees the small dotted text bubble appear. You were typing, oh god, you were typing!

‘I was pleasantly surprised. ☺️’

Another dotted bubble appears. Then disappears, and appears, then disappear and appears again. She chuckles thinking about how you were trying to say something keep changing it. Finally.

‘Didn’t now you did figure modeling. But honestly I can see why, with your physique 😳’

————————

“Stop! She’s going to think im a perv!” You whine as you try to grab your phone back from Ellie. Dina laughs as she eats her food,Jesse on the floor next to her trying to get his son to move.

“Let me cook bro I got this! Plus you’re already a perv.”

Ellie continues to hold your phone high and away from your grasp. In times like these you really hated the height difference between you two. Your phone pings with a new message and Ellie reads it out loud.

“Can I be honest? What the fuck does that mean?” She says

Finally you take your phone back and start walking towards your room.

“Hey! Where are you going!? I wanna know what happens next.” Dina says after you, you shout back to her that you will tell her afterwards and close your door shut.

Finally in the privacy of your own room you focus on the task at hand.

‘Always’

Greek Goddess: ‘It was the first time I’ve ever done something like that. 🫣’

‘You’re joking 😮’

Greek Goddess: ‘I swear, very first time.’

‘Seriously? How did you even get in on doing so?’

Greek Goddess: ‘It was a misunderstanding 😓’

Greek Goddess: ‘if I could be honest again.… I did it because of you.’

You smile curiously to your phone as you read her message.

Abby on the other hand has her heart in her throat as she waits for a reply.

Her phone goes off as she closes her bedroom door.

Cute lil Artist: ‘really? Me? Or are you just flirting with me?’

‘Yes and yes.’

‘After you went inside the studio. I wanted to keep spending time with you. Then out of nowhere your teacher asks me if im the sub for the previous model and without thinking I said yes.’

Cute lil Artist: ‘So you are telling me. That you willingly volunteered to be a nude model just to spend time with me?’

Abby rubs at her neck and then types.

‘Tbh I didn’t know it was a nude figure class. I thought it was like my friend Leah’s fashion class where you stay with your clothes while they try to imagine it differently.’

She watches as you type,then stop. A minutes passes and still no answer. She panics ‘Did I say something wrong!? Was it too much? To soon? Ugh way to go Ab-’ her phone starts to ring.

Looking at it she sees that you’re calling her. Her mouth dries as she hits the answer button.

“He-" she clears her throat “Hello?”

She is met by your laughter

“Omg no way! That’s so funny! You ended up being completely naked infront of strangers!” You say between laughter. She laughs along those she can feel embarrassed.

“Oh man, I’m so sorry Abby that so funny. You are so damn cute.” At that you both freeze, theres a moment of complete silence on both ends.

“You.. you think I’m cute?” She whispers

You for your part breathe heavily as a blush hits you.

“Yeah” you whisper back “yeah I do”

“Not hot?” She cheekily asks a smile on her lips.

She hears you groan “Maybe, but I think I have inflated your ego enough for tonight.”

“Oh I think you could do better.” A hidden confidence appears in her voice.

A confidence that draws you even closer to one Abby Anderson.

[just-dreaming-marvel]

Crimson Ties ~ 16

CRIMSON TIES MASTERLIST

< previous chapter

Word Count: 3,475ish

Summary: Tony tries to make things right. The two of you get to know each other.

Warning(s): talk of abuse, non-consensual touching, injuries, panic attacks

Reminder: I DO NOT do taglists. Please don’t ask. Please follow and interact! I appreciate any reblogs, likes, comments, and asks!

While you were in with Tony, Steve and Yelena watched the cameras, overhearing everything. They quickly called everyone else, telling them what had happened. Steve scrubbed the footage over and over again as they waited for the others to arrive. Only to find that there was no proof Brock was ever here.

“Damn it!” Steve exclaimed, throwing the tablet down. “How did he do it?”

“Give me that,” Yelena murmured, grabbing the tablet. She aggressively tapped at the screen. “How the hell did he do that? There’s no proof that Rumlow ever got in.”

Steve sighed, running a hand down his face. “This is not good. That means that, somehow, the Stane’s got access to our security system and we never noticed.”

The front door slammed open, Howard entering first with Maria, Peggy, Natasha, Bucky, and Rhodey close behind.

“How could this happen?” Howard was clearly angry, but holding it together.

“We don’t know,” Steve responded. “We’ve scrubbed the footage.” Yelena handed the tablet over to Rhodey. “There’s no proof that he was ever here.”

“Where is Y/N?” Maria asked.

“She’s still with Tony,” replied Yelena. “They are in his office.”

“I’ll go see if I can be of any help.” 

Maria quickly headed for Tony’s office. She gently knocked on the door before slipping inside. Her breath caught at the sight of you and Tony kneeling on the floor. Tony was holding you close, slightly rocking you, while you continued to cry into his chest. He met his mother’s eyes and her heart sunk further. There was a pain in Tony’s eyes that she never thought she’d ever have to see. A pain that only comes when someone you care about is hurting and you don’t know what to do about it.

“Oh, sweetie,” Maria cooed, coming up to the two of you. She carefully knelt down and placed a gentle hand on your back, only for you to flinch. She pulled away quickly.

“Sor—Sorry,” you cried.

Tony shushed you. “No, it’s okay,” he told you softly. “It’s okay.”

“I should have warned you,” Maria said. “That was my fault.” She turned her attention to Tony. “Everyone is here to come up with a plan.”

“Alright,” Tony gave a nod. His focus fell back to you. “Y/N, I have to meet with everyone.”

You gripped him tighter. “I— I— Please…“ You whimpered, unable to put your thoughts together.

“I can get you where you want to go and then mom will stay with you. I’ll have the cameras open on all the screens for the room you’re in. You will be watched over.” You nodded. “Where do you want to go?”

“My studio.”

“Alright, let’s get you there.”

Tony helped you up to your feet, but kept most of your weight. With Maria on your other side, Tony guided you out of the office. Everyone froze at the sight of you. They stared as Tony and Maria took you across the living area and to your studio. Tony led you over to one of the chairs and helped you sit down before crouching down in front of you. His large brown eyes met your red, cloudy ones.

“I’m going to be watching,” he promised. “Mom will stay here. We’re not far if you need anything, okay?”

“Okay,” you said with a nod.

Tony stood up and motioned his mom over to the door. “She hasn’t eaten,” he whispered. “I’ll have someone whip up something for her. And I… She said that he marked her. I need to know if we need to call in one of the family doctors.”

“I will do what I can,” Maria said. She leaned in and pressed a kiss to her son’s cheek. “You’re doing good, Anthony. You’re doing what you can.”

“Not enough.”

“She’s alright and she’s still here. Just find a way to end this.”

Tony nodded, sparing you another glance before heading off to join the others. Maria closed the door behind him and then came over to you.

“Y/N, sweetie, I need you to talk to me,” said Maria. “I need you to tell me where he hurt you. Do you need a doctor?”

“I… He…” you rasped. With a shaky hand, you pulled the neck of your sweatshirt down and revealed the dark purple hand marks that Brock had left.

Maria failed to hold back the gasp that ripped through her. “Y/N…”

“Doesn’t hurt… At least, not anymore.”

“I think we need to get it checked out.”

“No,” you shook your head. “No, please.”

“You won’t have to leave the house. We have family doctor’s who can come and check on you. They bring everything you need and they set up in one of your extra rooms.”

“I don’t… I can’t…”

“I’ll be there the whole time. Okay?”

You could tell that Maria wasn’t going to let up. You gave in with a nod and she quickly pulled out her phone and texted one of the family doctors. Once she got a reply back, Maria slipped her phone away.

“Dr. Cho is on her way,” she told you. “What do you want to do while we wait?”

“No—nothing,” you mumbled.

“Okay. If that’s what you want.”

A soft knock sounded at the door and Maria moved swiftly to go check it. She came back with a plate of food for you and offered it.

“You haven’t eaten yet today,” she said. “You need to get something in your body. It will help heal the marks.”

You nodded and took the plate from her. She pulled up a chair and sat beside you as you began to pick at your food.

~~~

Tony’s eyes were focused on the live video footage of your studio in front of him. The others were scattered around his office, discussing plans to stop Brock and Obadiah.

“Helen Cho is at the door,” Natasha stated. “Maria called her in. She’s here to check over Y/N.”

“I’ll let her in and explain the situation,” Yelena offered. “I’ll stay with Y/N, just in case.”

“Thank you, Yelena,” Tony muttered. “And let me know what is needed.”

“Will do.” Then Yelena left to go help take care of you.

Tony sighed, hand running through his hair. “We need to end this.”

“Agreed,” Howard said. “But we can’t just go in guns blazing. We will lose more than we gain.”

“Then what do you suggest?”

“We get everyone patrolling the streets. Anyone associated with the Stane’s get arrested by the police who are on our side. We have plenty of crimes to pin on them. We’re going to tighten up the reins and choke the Stane’s out.”

“They will not stop using Y/N. They won’t stop coming after her.”

“Then we deal with this, quickly.”

~~~

Dr. Helen Cho was nice and handled you well. Maria and Yelena stayed with you during the examination to make sure that you were okay. Maria teared up and Yelena clenched her jaw as they saw all the marks Brock left on you. Once you were given the all clear, you grabbed a book from one of the shelves in the living area and curled up in the window seat on your side of the house. No one disturbed you, though they hovered nearby.

Eventually, the others left and Tony watched you carefully from the kitchen. It seemed obvious to him that you weren’t completely focused on your book. You were lost in your mind. It was close to dinner time, but Tony wasn’t hungry and he knew that you weren’t either. He came over with steady footsteps, making sure you could hear him. He grabbed the closest book he could and stood in front of your window seat.

“Hey,” he greeted.

“Hi,” you replied, closing your book and glancing at him.

“Uh, how— how are you?”

“I’m fine.”

You both knew that was a lie, but Tony didn’t push. “Is there anything I can do?”

“I’m fine.”

“Can I join you?”

“Sure.”

You curled in closer to the corner as you could while Tony did the same to the opposite one. He opened his book and began to read it. He kept an eye on you over his book. Tony could tell that you were a little bit more relaxed and focused on your book. His lips lifted up slightly when you finally turned the page of your book.

~~~

In the morning, you went to your studio only to see your wheel all fixed up. On top of the wheel, was the glued together vase that had been broken weeks ago. You walked closer to see a small note folded on top of the wheel.

I made some modifications to the wheel. It’s good as new and ready for you to use. The vase was the one I broke weeks ago. I tried to piece it back together as best as I could. I wish I could make it brand new again. Don’t feel like you have to keep it. And if you want a new wheel, just say the word and it’s yours. - T

You couldn’t help but smile at the note. It was so thoughtful of Tony to fix your wheel and try to piece together the vase. Carefully, you picked up the vase and examined it. Tony had clearly pieced it together with great precision. The vase could never be used to hold flowers, but it could be a great decor piece. Besides, you didn’t have it in your heart to get ride of it. Not after all the work Tony had put into it. 

Setting the vase on one of your work tables, you quickly gathered paints and got to work. Where some may want to cover up the noticeable cracks in the vase, you wanted to make them the focal point of the piece. 

You end up in your studio for most of the day. Yelena, Steve, and Clint came and went, bringing food and checking in. Tony kept fighting himself. He would get to your door and then chicken out, heading back to his office. The others kept him updated though.

When dinner time rolled around, you had the cook make something but still secretly hoped that Tony would join you. Tony exited his office to head to your studio to see if you had eaten when he noticed the table already set and you standing there.

“Hi,” you whispered.

“Hi,” he responded, stepping into the kitchen. 

“Have you eaten?”

Tony shook his head. “I was just coming to see if you had.”

The two of you sat at the table and got to eating.

“I got your gifts in my studio,” you told him. “Thank you.”

“Are they okay? I did my research on pottery wheels but I don’t know how to use it to make sure it works. And the vase—“

“Both are perfect, Tony.”

“Good. Good.”

“I was looking at the schedule that Yelena made and it says I have class with you in the morning morning.”

“If it’s too much, then we don’t have to. I don’t want to overwhelm you.”

“I think it would help me if we kept our class.”

Tony tried to not show how excited he was about that. “I’ll be there early to help.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I know.”

~~~

Tony kept his promise and he was waiting outside your studio before you were ready. The two of you entered and Tony’s eyes immediately scanned the room to make sure that nothing was wrong. He couldn’t take anymore chances with your safety and your items getting ruined. As his scanned, his eyes caught sight of the pieced together vase that was sitting on the counter, half painted.

“What are you doing here?” He asked, going over to get a closer look.

“Oh, I’m, uh, painting the vase,” you answered, nervously rubbing a hand down your arm. 

“You… You’re not just tossing it?”

“No,” you shook your head. “Even broken things can be beautiful.”

Tony spun around to look at you and, for some reason, it seemed like he Wass seeing you for the very first time. Your words echoed in his mind as he lost his breath. How had he never seen how beautiful you were? And not like model on a magazine cover beautiful, but true beauty. He shook his head and gave the vase another look.

“You will show it off to me when you’re done, right?” He wondered.

“If that’s what you want,” you replied. “Our mugs are ready to paint, if you’re okay with doing that today.”

“I’m okay with anything you want to do.”

“I’ll grab the mugs. You choose out your paint colors.”

Tony nodded and headed over to where you kept all your paints. He decided that he wanted to paint the mug for you. You were constantly making items for other people, but he hadn’t seen you with a hand made mug. But as he looked over the paints, Tony scowled. He realized he didn’t know your favorite color. He actually didn’t know a whole look about you and that suddenly irked him.

“Uh, Y/N?” He called.

“Hmm?” You hummed, grabbing brushes, palates, and any other tools you may need for painting. 

“What’s your favorite color?”

“It’s F/C.” Tony nodded, grabbing the color and a few others that would compliment it. “What’s yours?”

“Red. Red and gold.”

You walked over and grabbed the red and gold paints before heading back to where Tony was now getting situated. The two of you began painting, really paying no mind to what the other was doing.

“Do you, uh… Do you ever think about how we don’t know each other?” Tony wondered. “Like, we’re technically married but I just learned your favorite color.”

“I guess I’ve never thought about it much,” you mumbled. “I guess that I was too busy worrying about other things…” You didn’t need to go into detail, Tony could easily guess what your mind was occupied with. “But we could get to know each other now. If you want.”

“I’ll start. If you could have any superpower, what would it be?”

You laughed. “Really? That’s where you start?”

“What? It really tells a lot about a person. So what is it?”

You shrugged. “I’ve never given it any thought.”

“Well, mine would be super intelligence. The ability to have access to all knowledge immediately.”

“I didn’t even know that was an option. I guess I’d have teleportation. I could go anywhere, see anything… escape and no one could follow.”

Tony’s heart clenched at your wish. “If you want to see the world, I will make that happen, Y/N. Just say the word.”

“Maybe when all this is over…”

“Think about where you want to see and I’ll send you and Yelena.”

“You… you wouldn’t come?”

“Not if you didn’t want me to.”

You were surprised at his offer. That Tony wouldn’t force you to bring him along. Though, deep down, you did want him tagging along. Something told you that you would be safer with him around.

~~~

Steve and Yelena watched with fond smiles as you and Tony grew closer, laughing and getting to know each other. Days passed since the last Brock incident and it was clear to everyone that you were feeling more comfortable with Tony. Yelena was sure that you didn’t realize that you were seeking Tony out for comfort when your mind became too much. That you stood closer to him and were smiling more than she had ever seen.

Steve was noticing changes in Tony too. He seemed less tense. He was more about your needs and less about his own. The two of you no longer sat at opposite ends of the table during dinner, Tony’s new place was at the seat beside you, still careful of the space you needed to feel comfortable.

A week after the latest Brock incident, you and Tony were back in your studio. Tony was carefully holding the fired vase up to see the wonderful paint job that you had done.

“This is beautiful, Y/N,” he breathed out in awe.

“You think?” You questioned.

“I know.”

“Well, I was thinking it could go in your office.”

Tony gripped the vase harder as to not drop it. “What? You want… m-m-me to have it?”

“I haven’t made anything for your side of the house. But if you don’t want it, then I can—“

“No, no, no, no, no! I want it! I’ll take it!”

You giggled. “Yeah?”

“Yes!”

“There’s also this,” you pulled out the mug you had made with him, painted in his favorite colors. “I made this for you.” You handed it to him. 

Tony carefully set the vase down and took the mug from you. “This is… mine?”

“Mhm,” you nodded.

“Thank you. And I, well…” He put his mug down and grabbed the mug he had painted. “This is for you.”

“What?”

“I noticed that you didn’t have any mugs for yourself so I painted this for you.”

You took the mug from him. “You didn’t have to.”

“You deserve something nice too, Y/N.”

“Thank you… I really don’t know what to say.”

“You don’t need to say anything. And, please, start putting pieces on my side of the house. In any room, in any place. I would love to have more of your work around as I worked.”

~~~

Quickly, there were more of your pieces of various styles all around the house. Another few days pass and Steve found Tony outside of your studio, looking in. He was clearly completely mesmerized by you. Steve smirked as he came closer.

“You know that you can go in there, right?” Steve teased. “She doesn’t make you knock anymore.”

“I don’t want to disturb her,” Tony mumbled, still not tearing his eyes away from you.

“Mmm. Or you don’t want to disturb your view… You know, I may be crazy, but I think you’re catching feelings for your wife.”

Tony’s head snapped to look at Steve. “What?”

“You heard me. You’re falling in love with her.”

“I— I—“

“It’s not a bad thing, Tony. You two are good for each other. Don’t over think it.”

Steve walked away. Leaving Tony’s mind reeling at the idea of catching feelings for you.

~~~

Later that day, Tony knocked on your open studio door. You immediately looked over and greeted him with a smile.

“Hey, Tony. What can I do for you?”

“I wanted to show you something,” he told you. “Do you have some time?”

You nodded. “Let me get cleaned up.” You quickly swashed up and met him at the door. He began leading you towards his side of the house. “What do you want to show me?”

“My workshop. I figured it was long overdue for you to see this side of me.”

He opened the door and the lights flickered on. You immediately took in the two fancy cars, the work benches, the half completed projects, and the tools scattered everywhere. Tony led you on a tour of the space, talking more animate than you have ever seen him about all his gadgets and projects. You got help but smile softly as you listen to Tony. This was a different side to him that you’ve never seen, but that you could get use to seeing.

“Do you want to try your hand at tinkering?” He offered.

“Oh, I don’t know—“

“You’ve let me try my hand at some clay projects. Come on, try it.” 

Tony led you over to a stool and place a circuit board in front of you. From your side, he guided you through putting some of it together. He’s gentle and calm, making sure to never crowd you too much or touch you without warning. As you follow one of his instructions, you seemed to mess up something.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry,” you say frantically. “I’m sorry!”

“Hey, hey, hey.” Tony quickly got in front of you and tried to get you to focus on him. “It’s okay. It’s okay. It’s an easy fix. See. Here.” Tony moved enough for you to see him fix it. “All good. It’s all good.”

“I’m sorry.”

“There’s no need. Okay? No one expects you to be perfect at this. We’re just having fun. Okay?”

“Okay,” you nodded.

~~~

Later that night, in the darkness of the Stane house, Obadiah sat angrily at his desk.

“We only have one shot at this,” he stated. “We barely have enough mean thanks to the Starks. We cannot screw this up.”

“I’ll make sure the men understand the plan,” Brock said. “And I’ll hold up my end of the plan.”

The men turned to the third person standing leaning up against the wall.

“You don’t have to worry about me,” Pepper responded. “I’ll handle Tony.”

next chapter >

[darklove4u]

A new town member

Part 2

1.3k words

Warnings: none

Tim had disappeared and mayor Lewis issued a wanted post that hung on the black board of the town's square.

Sam told you that he and Sebastian went looking for the guy in the mountains. To Sam's disappointment, all they found was rocks.

Alex checked the town. He said if there was a dangerous guy running around, his grandparents wouldn't be safe.

Elliot had wandered across the beach and Willi promised you to keep an eye out for the stranger.

Leah searched the forest but eventually got an idea for her next wood work and was distracted.

You also checked all those areas but couldn't find the young man either that had escaped the hospital.

+××+××+××+

You went back to your farm as you could not abandon your crops much longer.

You had planted some parsnips, potatoes, green beans and strawberries. The rusty watering can did its best to keep the crops moisturised but it was obvious that you needed to buy a new one.

For today, you wanted to check out Robin's prices for a chicken coop and then head to Clint to upgrade your tools.

However, you never made it to the carpenter's shop.

As you took the stairs, you saw movement in the lower part of the backwoods.

You halted your steps and looked intently for the shadow that had scurried by.

Could it be..?

It might just have been a rabbit or a bird.

But you were almost certain that you had caught a glimpse of a human figure.

You wonder who it could have been.

Definitely not Alex or Elliot.

Perhaps Sam and his gang were down there. But they should be at work right now.

You decided to investigate.

Hesitantly, you stood at the bus stop and looked to the left as to see something.

The wind tucked at the leaves of the bushes and trees in a light breeze.

You heard birds chirping and the sound of your shoes shifting over the gravel.

You mustered up all your courage and walked onwards towards the tunnel.

"Is anyone there?!," you whisper-yelled as you entered the tunnel.

Your eyes weren't used to the darkness, thus you squinted them to try and see something. The air was stuffy and stale. With every step you took, you wanted to leave the tunnel more and more.

"Anyone?" You wish you had a flashlight with you but continued on anyway.

You were about to shout again when your foot collided with something heavy and immovable, making you stumble and fall forward onto the ground.

You heard a pained groan behind you and carefully got back up.

"Tim..? Is that you?" you ask into the half-dark. You moved closer to the person on the ground and managed to make out the young man that had disappeared about five days ago.

The only response you got was a grunt and you started to carefully lift him up.

"Let me help you."

Tim was reluctant but eventually you got him back onto his feet.

"Are you hurt? We've been looking for you all over the place! Come with me. Please." You ushered him forwards and eventually he followed.

You reached the light at the end of the eerie tunnel. You looked at Tim shuffling behind you.

"Are you hurt?," you asked again.

"I'm fine," He said through tense lips.

"You don't look fine. That's why I ask." He wasn't wearing the hospital gown anymore and instead some jeans and a loose fitting shirt. He must have 'borrowed' it frome someone's clothesline. The shirt was torn on the side and on the bottom, his hair was a mess and his face had a few scratches. He still looked pale.

"I'll bring you back to the doctor," you explained but he immediately tensed up.

"No doctor. I'm not going there again."

"What— Why not?," you looked at him confusedly.

"Because I said so," he insisted without giving you any reason.

You sighed defeatedly and thought where else to bring him.

"Alright. No doctor. Then we're going back to my farm."

"Who else lives there?," he asked warily.

"Just me and my crops. Some parsnips, some potatoes. Come now, you'll like it there." You gently urged him to keep moving.

"Fine. But don't tell anyone I am there."

"Sure, sure." You had to tell someone eventually but for now you were happy he followed you and didn't run off again.

"Why were you in that tunnel?," you asked as the two of you left the bus stop.

"Nobody was looking for me there. Your little search party made it difficult to hide. They even checked the mines."

"You were in the mines? That's dangerous!" You couldn't believe your ears.

"I wasn't there for long."

"Don't go in there again, please," you ask. Even you had only made it to the 5th floor so far. The many slimes had made it difficult for you.

"Hm," was all you got from him.

You reached the farm ground and Tim looked around warily.

"That aren't a lot of fields for a farmer," he remarked dryly.

"I'm working on it!," you said defensively and led him to your house.

"This place needs some maintenance...," Tim looked at the wooden facade and the holes in it. The stairs were quite withered from the rain of the past years.

"Nobody lived here for some time. I am saving money for renovations," you sighed and opened the door.

Tim looked around your tiny space, sighed and sat down on a chair.

"This is where you live..?," He made a face that could only be read as pitiful.

You pouted and looked for your medkit. You didn't save Tim just for him to judge your whole lifestyle!

"Here, I'll stitch you up," you offered but Tim grabbed the kit instead.

"I will do that myself." He opened the medkit and made quick use of it. You were honestly a bit impressed by it.

"Why did you leave the hospital? Harvey just tried to help you."

"I have places to be and I wasn't feeling that bad."

"Hm. Is that why you passed out in the tunnel?" You didn't believe a word he said.

"Funny," he responded, unimpressed. "I cannot stay here. There's people that need me."

"Who exactly are those people? Your family?"

"...Yes," his answer was hesitant.

"How did you even end up here? We found you at our shore. That's not how most people get here," you asked him curiously if he could remember anything.

"... I don't know, honestly." He avoided your eyes when he answered. "My memories are a bit blurry."

"Oh... That's not good."

"Oh really? I thought it was ideal," he rolled his eyes at you.

"Oh, come on!" You huffed. "Then tell me about that family of yours. They must be looking for you. I can help find them."

Tim was done stitching himself up. A bandage covered his lower belly. He had two plasters in his face. His hair was still a mess and he still looked pale.

"I don't need your help with that. I doubt you can do much to begin with."

"Well, I found you. That must count for something." You couldn't believe that guy. Why was he refusing help so badly?

"Whatever. I'll buy something to eat," you said and got up from your chair.

"Wait. Where are you going?" Tim also rose from his chair and stood in your way.

"To the saloon. I'll be right back." You tried to move past him to no avail.

"How do I know that you won't tell people where I am?," He looked at you with distrustful blue eyes.

"Jeez, relax. I promised I wouldn't tell so I won't. I don't gain much from telling people where you are. Trust me. Please."

Tim gave you a scrutinising look, then he gave in and moved out of your way.

"Don't take too long". He sat back down.

"I won't. Try not to run away in the meantime." You opened the door, looked at him one last time and then left.

"I'll do my best." Tim mumbled.

[darklydeliciousdesires]

A Storm of Stars - Chapter Seventeen.

Well, guys, here we are at the final chapter of Aemond and Aemella's story. Thank you for being such a wonderful audience while I told it, I appreciate you all so much :)

Summary: The Targaryen twin stars. Two sides of the same coin. Aemond and Aemella Targaryen, second children of King Viserys I and his queen, Alicent Hightower, had spent their entire lives almost as one, the lines blurring where one twin ended and the other began. What started as an inseparable sibling bond eventually bloomed into a deep, limitless love.

A day would come, though, when their love story - famed for generations to come - would be tested by the one who sought to tear them apart. When the storm of stars descended, nobody who had wronged them would come away unscathed. 

Words - 6,060

Tag list - In the comments. Please DM to be added.

Warnings - 18+ content throughout. Incest, mentions of child loss through miscarriage. Minors DNI.

Previous Chapters - One Two Three Four Five Six Seven Eight Nine Ten Eleven Twelve Thirteen Fourteen Fifteen Sixteen

“Your troops now move forward to march on Harrenhall, your grace. We have also received word this morning from Corlys Velaryon, who offers his deflection to you on the condition that he remain Lord of Driftmark, retreating there with his granddaughters. 

“I presume after so much loss, the man simply wishes for his life to return to some semblance of normality, rather than supporting the rebellion of your uncle. This now leaves us with the issue of Rhaenyra’s heir. Jacaerys we could perhaps placate in his own quest for the throne by the offer of Lord of Dragonstone...” 

His eyelids fluttered, leaning onto his hand as the words of Criston Cole became muted, slurred, Aemond feeling himself falter. 

“Your grace?” Something shook his arm. His grandsire’s voice. “Your grace?” 

He sat up with a start, closing his eye momentarily to avoid the discomfiture of knowing smiles all greeting his return from ten seconds of unintentional slumber.  

“My lords, I do apologise,” he spoke, reaching for his goblet. “Even with a nursemaid in attendance, a new child reaches sleep shattering wails.”  

Grand Maester Orwyle nodded kindly. “We understand, your grace. Would you care to reconvene at a later time today, perhaps take leave and rest a while?” 

“A king cannot rest at a time of war, whether that war is coming from afar, or from his very loud, very irascible newborn son.” Clenching his jaw, he stifled the yawn that threatened its way up his throat. “Please, Ser Criston. Continue.” 

“I was at an end, almost, your grace. As I proposed, offering Jacaerys the title of Lord of Dragonstone may perhaps be enough to make him realise that in a losing war, with allies turning cloak left and right, it is perhaps his wisest decision.” 

Aemond frowned, finishing his drink, nodding towards his cup bearer for an immediate refill. Gods, he was exhausted. Wine would have to serve as his fortification in the absence of decent slumber.  

“I do not wish to bargain our ancestral seat to a bastard,” he stated crisply, sipping his wine. “I’d sooner fucking give it to Daemon.” A pause followed, the king’s biting sarcasm settling as his small council waited on his thoughts.  

The silence of the room was then disturbed by a noise, the sounds of a babe wailing beginning to flitter through the air. Despite an entire night of squealing and refusing to settle, Aeryn was in good voice still, it appeared. It had been a week since his birth and already, Aemond was beginning to recognise what the pitch and urgency of his cries, all slightly different to the other, were coming to mean.  

This one he recognised instantly, Aeryn’s howling specific in its call to one person. His daddy. 

“No bargaining. No offers. Allow the Sea Snake to keep Driftmark, but he must attend court and swear his loyalty by bending the knee. As long as my uncle and nephew remain free, they pose a threat to my reign. They either relinquish their separate claims and live in exile from Westeros entirely or face the consequences of their continued campaign against me. Those are my terms, my lords.” 

Otto felt his clenched insides slowly unknitting themselves to hear a set of conditions so fairly given by his grandson, Aemond’s good sense and logic prevailing. While he and his daughter had been living in quiet dread of a second tyrannical ruler coming into power, another they would desperately have to tether, it seemed Aemond was settling into his position much better than they had begun to fear.  

“Now, moving forward. Lord Jasper, what is the state of play with the Iron Bank currently?” the king then questioned, steepling his fingers together before him, trying as the rest of them did to ignore the continued conniptions of the royal family’s newest member.  

While he attempted to concentrate, Aemond cursed Ceira, wishing she had taken a different direction in which to walk with his son and attempt to rock him into rest, although he realised he would not likely cease until he had gotten exactly what he wished for.  

“While the crown’s debt does remain manageable at this point, I would like to advise that we perhaps consider the raising of levies. I feel it would be in poor taste to tax the people further, given the recent spate of so many of the poorer hungering for as long as they did...”  

The wailing grew louder, Aemond’s thoughts interspersed by Lord Jasper’s continued financial summary. 

“For the love of the gods, woman. Take him elsewhere. Surely, she realises that we cannot give our tasks the utmost attention while there is a backdrop of howling?” 

“As I see it, your grace, perhaps the most efficient course of action would be to impose a slightly inflated export tax on our goods moving across the water to Essos...” 

“The fucking Red Keep is vast enough a castle. Why in the world is she sequestering herself so nearby?” 

“Even a smaller amount of coin per shipment would soon reap a beneficial sum...” 

And still, the crying grew ever louder, Lord Jasper increasing the volume of his words, Aemond’s nostrils flaring slightly as he tapped his index finger rhythmically against the table in mild vexation. 

“I cannot abscond my regal duties, yet I equally cannot put up with this cacophony for much longer. And it is I whom he wails for. Seven fucking hells…” 

The king in him was irritated by the nursemaid’s folly, but the father in him softened. “One moment, Lord Jasper.” Rising from his seat, he strode for the door, the small council all exchanging glances. A few moments passed, the sounds of the little prince’s cries falling to hush, the king returning with said little prince in question held against his chest. 

Taking his seat once more, the faces that greeted him all bore mild to moderate disbelief, a little baffled at the sight. “He will settle now, and in the interests of my concentration, if it is I who must calm him then so be it. Continue, my lord.”  

It was an unprecedented sight, to see the king sitting there somewhat happily with his infant son lying quietly in his one-armed embrace. To witness a father take such a hands-on approach with his child – the presiding monarch of the realm too, no less – was very out of the ordinary. It would be fair to say that Aemond was quite unconventional, though.  

After all, he had already sat his queen upon the council, her grace absent that morning as she continued to recover from her labours. 

As Lord Jasper resumed his report, detailing the financial state and strategic options available with the Iron Bank's current stance, Aemond's thoughts wandered momentarily to the precarious balance he was attempting to navigate – the duties of the crown weighed against the responsibilities of fatherhood. The counsel of his advisors buzzed in the background, each word a thread weaving through the intricate tapestry of strategy and governance.  

His gaze softened as he glanced down at Aeryn, still peacefully resting, his son so very content there against his chest. He had no clue at all over the weight that would one day rest upon him, when he sat in that very chair himself. All he could hope for was that by the time his son reached the Iron Throne, it would be to preside over a more peaceful realm.  

Once the meeting was at its conclusion, Aemond returned to his quarters, carefully handing the baby to Ceira. 

“I once again must offer my profuse apologies, your grace, for walking with him close to your small council chamber,” she spoke, gulping a little with nervousness. The way the king had eyed her when he had arrived to retrieve his son from her arms had been a little chilling, but as soon as he’d held his little boy, that freeze had thawed.  

“Take him in the other direction next time. While I do not seek to push aside my duties as a father, you must understand my duty to the crown prevails when I am absconded to meetings. You are never to forget that, Ceira. Do you understand?”  

She nodded, swallowing hard. “I do, your grace.” 

“Good.” Placing a kiss to his son’s head, he turned to move to the living quarters, finding Aemella in the armchair, her arms folded upon the arm, head rested down in slumber.  

A tender smile warmed his face, leaning to press a soft kiss upon her temple. He wouldn’t wake her, knowing how tiredness ached deep right to her bones. As Ceira had warned, Aeryn had indeed leaned to fussiness, refusing to feed from the wetnurse, his sole insistence centred to his mother’s breast. This left her shattered, waking three times a night to feed him. 

With a little free time between his duties, he contemplated in joining her for a moment before deciding against it. Remaining awake might serve him better than napping quicky, then thusly feeling groggy all afternoon. He chose to settle with a book, reading a volume he’d been progressing through prior to his life being turned upside down by the ministrations of his late brother.  

With only two pages turned, though, the decision was made for him over whether he was to remain awake or resigned to sleep. Lamentably, it was nowhere near as lengthy as he needed it to be. 

“Hmm?”  

Waking with a start, he looked up in a daze to see his wife, holding the book he had been reading within her grasp. She winced, looking apologetic. “I am sorry, darling love. I was attempting not to wake you. The book was about to slide from your lap to the floor.” 

Reaching for her hand, he pulled her to sit beside him. “I think I only dozed for a short time. Nobody has come to retrieve me, so I doubt I have missed anything.” 

Ever bound to his duty, despite sleeping so little over the last few nights thanks to Aeryn’s incessant crying. “You missed him sneezing earlier. Between bouts of squealing for no reason.” 

It had become a little occurrence her husband lived for, to witness the tiny sneezes of his son. Not much melted the stoic demeanour of her husband, but when their baby sneezed, he couldn’t help but find it adorable.  

“Yes, he is in good voice with his conniptions,” Aemond remarked, taking the book from her and marking the place, reaching to put it onto the table. “He also partook of his first small council meeting this morning, though he slept through most of it.” 

Aemella was taken aback a little, viewing her husband quizzically. “Well, there’s a first.” 

“Ceira was touring the corridors in an effort to soothe him, but he was howling with the ‘daddy, come at once!’ cries. I took him with me so that he would finally give everyone’s ears a rest and settle.” He paused, frowning at her beaming smile. “Stop it.” 

“Stop what?” she exclaimed softly, reaching to stroke his face. “Your softness for our babe is truly endearing.”  

He snorted a little. “It was mostly out of practicality, so he would cease his noise.”  

Aemella wasn’t fooled for a second. However, she kept it to herself. The tenderness she witnessed in her husband towards their child was a thing of heart melting beauty. He still flatly refused to change his nappies, though. As king, perhaps it was only fair he decreed certain tasks to be beneath him. Aemella was not too fond of it either, truth be known. Others, though, he happily partook of without complaint.  

“And it was said that when the mighty black dread took flight, entire towns were darkened by his shadow,” Aemond read aloud from the book balanced against his thighs, Aeryn snuffling contentedly upon his chest later that night. “The same happens now, when your mummy and daddy take to the skies aboard their dragons, too.” 

Unknown to him, Aemella watched from the doorway, her heartstrings tugged at like harp strings at the sweet sight. “Your grandsire was the very last rider of Balerion, before he died of old age.” The babe then gurgled, shuffling his feet around as Aemond continued. “No, my son. Otto is your great grandsire. He is a Hightower, and they have no place aboard the dragons.” 

It made joy and humour bloom through her, the way Aemond would pretend the boy was asking him questions when he made noises, giving his nonsensical mutters a reply. And on he continued with it after another gurgle. 

“What will your dragon be like, you ask? Well, I suppose we are to wait and see upon its hatching. Do not be discouraged if it does not, though. Our ancestors claimed failed hatches to mean an ill omen, but the egg placed within my cradle did not hatch. Now I ride the biggest dragon in the world.”  

It was one of Vhagar’s eggs, laid a few moons prior that sat within the cradle of prince Aeryn, one which had been kept warm beside the fire in anticipation of his arrival. His parents saw it as a favourable omen, though, that for the first time in many, many years, the mighty dragon had laid a clutch at such a time, as if anticipating her rider’s offspring requiring a dragon of their own.  

“How long have you been standing there, hmm?” he asked, Aemella moving toward the bed, very happy to climb upon it and rest her weary limbs. 

“T’was not for long.” Reaching over, she stroked the soft, silver wisps of her son’s hair. “I find it lovely, when you read to him.” 

“He will be well-informed and well-read, this boy of ours. I always intended to begin this from day one by reading to him myself.” 

Her hand moved to his chest, gently stroking beneath his clavicle, shuffling closer to rest her head next to his shoulder. “You will be vastly different to our own father. I always knew that you would be, before you even vowed it.” 

While king Viserys had always appeared to make much more time for the twins than his other offspring, his presence within their childhoods could still have been at best described as fleeting.  

“I want him to know who I am,” he sniffed, closing the book and gently lifting Aeryn to place him into his mother’s arms. “I will be a father who his children can find safety and comfort in, not someone who merely turns them over to the nearest servant. This is not the way deep bonds are formed.”  

As his wife cradled their son, Aemond's gaze softened further, and he sighed contentedly. "I want him to see me not just as a king, but as a father who is present, involved, and loving," he mused, his fingers idly tracing patterns on the bedspread. "He will grow up understanding that while he bears the weight of our legacy, he is also cherished beyond measure."  

Aemella, with her concentration upon lowering her dress to allow Aeryn to latch, murmured her agreement, feeling the warmth of their son's small body nestled against her. In that tender moment, bathed in the gentle flicker of the fireplace, they found a profound sense of unity and purpose, as if the future of their family was being forged in the quiet strength of their shared devotion. 

“I think that beneath my tiredness, I am gladdened by his choice not to feed from the wetnurse,” she spoke softly, raising her son’s tiny hand to her lips and kissing his little fingers. “I enjoy the bonding of feeding him myself. I might not think quite as favourably when I end up with sore nipples, though.” 

Aemond raised an eyebrow. “I can always kiss them better for you.” 

She looked a touch pained, reaching to softly poke him between the eyes with her index finger. “You shall rein in those desires, husband. Until I am at least a little less broken from childbirth.” Her eyes fell to their child for a moment, a fleeting glance then meeting him with a sultry smile. “Do not assume that I do not burn for you still, though. The mind is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 

“I can wait.” he chirped, settling down beside her.  

The pledges that they made over the way they would raise their son on that night certainly stuck, as they would with every day and every moon that passed. As that time turned into years, the bonds they cultivated with their son only flourished further. Aeryn grew under the watchful eyes of his doting parents, thriving in an environment filled with endless love and unwavering support.  

Aemond's determination to be a father of both strength and gentleness never waned, and Aemella's nurturing presence became the bedrock of their family. Together, they navigated the challenges and triumphs of parenthood, always prioritising their son's well-being and happiness.  

Whether through late-night readings by the hearth or the tender moments of shared laughter, the legacy they built was one not only of royal duty but of profound familial devotion. The same promise was upheld to Aeryn’s eventual siblings, too, the Red Keep filled with the sound of children’s laughter, much to their doting parent’s delight. 

Except when perhaps the three Targaryen hellions were up to the kind of mischief they maybe shouldn’t have been... 

“Hide, quickly!” Aeryn whispered, grasping his younger brother’s wrist and tugging him down, he and Aurion muffling giggles behind their tiny hands, hearing the footfalls of their father’s boots echoing throughout the throne room.  

“I wonder where my boys are?” he called, seeing a wisp of silver hair behind the Iron Throne itself. Aurion was never all too good at concealing himself. “Verily, they shall find themselves in trouble should they not reveal themselves.”  

He kept his tone cool, yet Aemond could not bite back the grin as he quietly crept forwards towards the throne, his stealth meaning his sons screamed giggles echoed loudly when he finally located them.  

“There they are!” His eye widened, his face half stern, half adoring father. “And what in the name of the gods are you boys up to, hmm? You know you are not allowed in here.”  

“Playing battle!” Aeryn announced, brandishing his wooden sword and waving it around.  

“Can battle not be played outside? After all, we are finally enjoying summer upon us after the many years of winter.” Indeed, since Aeryn’s birth, the realm had been plunged into a cold that had lasted for six long years. 

“But we’ve been outside already, and the battle had to move within!” 

Aemond rested to his knee, reaching to ruffle Aurion’s hair. “Was this because the ladies of the court spoke of you disturbing their peace?” 

“They are boring!” 

At five, he would naturally think that. “Well, you cannot remain in here. Come on, shall we go and find your sister? Wherever you two happen to be, the third is never far behind.” 

She wasn’t either, the silent creeping of tiny, three-year-old feet sneaking up to smack him across the back with her own wooden sword. Just like her mother, she had never been one for dolls. 

“Got you, daddy!” his little girl shouted in triumph as he turned, feigning his death. 

“Oh, the princess has indeed slain the king!” he cried, lifting her aloft as he lay back. “Whatever is the realm to do without its illustrious monarch?” 

“Place me on the throne!”  

Of course, she’d say that. Aelora had made every single one of her demands known in great voice ever since she had learned how to talk. “I think Aeryn might take exception to that, my little darling.” 

“I would,” the boy vouched, puffing his chest as he rose to his feet. 

Aelora would not be dissuaded, though. “He will do as he’s told!” 

“I will not!” 

“You will!” 

“And that is quite enough squabbling,” their father interjected with, rising with the little princess in his arms. “Come along, let us go and find your mother.”  

While the boys dashed off ahead, their volume preceding them out of the throne room and through the corridors of the castle, Aelora remained within her father’s arms.  

“Daddy, daddy,” she began, her hands weaving into his long, silky silver tresses. “When can I go and see my pony?” 

Ahh, the tiny, yet ferocious beast she had so amusingly named Teddy. Twice since his purchase he had kicked Aemond, his shin and thigh a host to the semi circles of hoofprint bruises. “I have duties to attend to presently, but I shall allow some time before supper. Shall we ride out to visit with Vhagar?” 

“Yes!”  

The pitch of her response caught sharply within his ear, but with three children now, Aemond was very much accustomed to the noise. He often felt something was amiss if he were to go without it for too long, in the moments when their nursemaids would take them outside, or they would go off and ride under the watchful eye of Falion Sand to give him and his wife a few moments of peace.  

The little princess was still yet to be competent, led aboard Teddy by a stableboy around the paddocks while receiving her basic tuition. 

“Mummy!”  

Aemella had been arranging a bouquet of flowers she had collected from the gardens in a large vase quite contently when the shout of her name disturbed that peace. For her children, though, she was only too happy to allow it. 

“Hello, my little sweetling,” she spoke warmly, Aelora wriggling to be set upon the floor, dashing across their quarters and into her mother’s arms. “You look very jolly, I must say.” 

“Daddy is taking us to see Vhagar!” 

Oh, how she adored the mighty, elderly dragon. With only one of the eggs hatching for their children, Aurion’s small, bluish green and golden dragon Skyfyre, her little ones were obsessed with going to see the sole fully-grown dragon who tolerated their presence safely.  

“May I come along, too?” she asked, turning her head to receive a kiss from her husband. 

“You’d fucking better,” he whispered discreetly, “I am not herding them by myself.” 

Not that he would be alone, of course, but he preferred to have his wife at his side for extra support in minding their brood. As the king, his journeys were always under escort by members of the Kingsguard, newer knights Ser Brandon Tarly and Ser Liam Tyrell both accompanying the royal family on their ride out along the coast.  

When they arrived, predictably, the gargantuan dragon was sleeping. Her snores sent gusts of breath through the long grasses, the familiar whistle from Aemond rousing her from slumber.  

“Konīr ziry iksos, issa lovely uēpa riñnykeā,” he spoke warmly, lifting the princess from her pony, the boys waiting patiently once they had dismounted theirs and taking their mothers outstretched hands.  

“She is a lovely old lady, isn’t she?” she chirped, shielding her eyes from the sun as they slowly made their way towards the dragon. 

Aemond raised an eyebrow. “You understood that, what I just spoke?” 

“Kessa.” Aelora confirmed. Gods, this child. Bright was a complete understatement.  

Nearing her, they waited until she was fully awake, the beast lifting her head from the ground to lean forward, her noises soft in greeting, a content, low rattle within her throat. Sniffing them all in turn, she then met Aemond with a soft shove, the king smiling warmly at her, reaching to stroke the crest of her nostril. Predictably, she soon rested her mighty head to the grasses beneath her again, her huff ruffling the boys’ hair as they let go of their mother’s hands. 

“Be steady, my sons,” Aemella spoke, “remember your respect.”  

Aeryn and Aurion carefully approached her, the former stroking the huge plane of her lower jaw, his younger brother softly patting her dark scales. The tiny princes looked even smaller in her presence, her glowing amber eyes swivelling to view them, her knuckling noises continuing.  

“We love you, Vhagar,” Aeryn cooed, kissing her scales, the great beast huffing a soft snort. How she put up with much from her riders' little ones. Fyreclaw was not as welcoming, the king and queen never trying again to introduce their precious children to the often-ill-tempered beast. His loves were Aemella and Vhagar, with a mild tolerance begrudgingly shown toward Aemond. The list ended there.  

“Tell her in High Valyrian, my son,” Aemond insisted, “so that she understands you.” 

“īlon jorrāelagon ao, Vhagar.” he spoke perfectly, after a moment of pause to think on the words. Six, and he was tackling his language studies exceptionally well, now able to hold small conversations with his father and mother in their ancient tongue. 

The dragon seemed to grow weary again, her eyes falling shut, Aemond running his hand over the point of her muzzle once more before the family departed. As they rode back to the castle, he kept his eye upon the skies, ever searching for the one who flew free. 

“He has not been sighted this far south for some time, darling love,” Aemella spoke, turning her attention away from where their children rode ahead, Aelora led as usual by one of the stable hands. “Wherever Vermax flies, tis’ nowhere close to here.”  

After the death of his rider at the hands of his stepfather, without Jacaerys’s claim to him, Vermax had since flown wild. He neither turned up at Dragonstone nor Kings Landing any longer, yet Aemond was always on the lookout for the erstwhile creature.  

Peace had been restored to the realm as of two years past, where upon the slaying of his stepson, Daemon had been threatened to be overpowered by those loyal to both Rhaenyra’s heir as well as the surging army of the Greens. Grossly outnumbered and with few remaining loyal to him or his claim, he had taken to Caraxes, flying out across the narrow sea.  

He had last been heard of arriving in Essos, he, his sons and his dragon taking up residence somewhere not far from Asshai. His daughters, it seemed, had wished to stay with their grandsire upon Driftmark.  

Aemond cared not for the finer details, only that the menace he had once so looked up to remained as far away from Westeros as possible. There, he would likely find another house to preside over, more battles to concern himself with, and an abundance of whores willing to fall to their knees for a Targaryen prince.  

He would be quite content with that, Aemond often thought. He did not discount that perhaps further into the future, he might encounter his rogue uncle once again. One could never truly tell with Daemon. 

“I would like for Vermax to settle,” the king spoke, placing his reins in one hand and reaching the other toward his wife, who mirrored his movement and laced her fingers with his. “Syrax eventually returned here, and I do hope to find another dragon. I seek for Aeryn and Aelora to possibly bond with them, if such is at all achievable.”  

Aemella looked upon him lovingly, touched that her husband wanted his children to have everything that they had and beyond. “If it is meant to be, then he shall come. Or he will return to Dragonstone, and mother will alert us to his homecoming.” 

In the years since her dismissal from court, Alicent had enjoyed a more sedate pace of life, thriving in her role as a grandmother, but ultimately seeking a place to call hers in which she could live in the peace that she craved. She had been granted it, as well as the title of Lady Alicent Hightower of Dragonstone, where she, the dowager queen Helaena and princess Jaehaera now all resided. 

Finally, a peace stretched across the realm, once in which the presiding monarchs knew their father would be proud of.  

Aemond's thoughts drifted to the days of old, a life that seemed very distant from all he now had, every battle and sacrifice that had led to him attaining it, too. He pondered the legacy he would leave behind for his children, not just one of power and prestige, but of wisdom and resilience.  

Chiefly, they could thank their wonderful mother for that, who never faltered in showing both qualities no matter what she came to face.  

As they neared the castle gates, illuminated by the setting sun, a sense of contentment washed over him. The realm was quietened in harmony, his family were safe, and the future looked brighter than ever. He squeezed Aemella's hand, grateful for her unwavering support and love.  

He had never forgotten that he had all of this because of her. 

Once supper had been served and eaten, the children were taken to their quarters, leaving their parents in peace to sit out on the terrace. There, they drank of fine wine and the tranquil atmosphere, on the first of what promised to be many a balmy summer evening to follow. 

“You look contemplative, love,” Aemella spoke, reaching for his hand.  

“I am.” His fingers skimmed her knuckles, wrapping her hand in the soft grasp of his own. “I find myself very thoughtful this evening, sweet wife. All that we have faced together that has led us unto this moment. It’s quite staggering when you contemplate the odds we fought against, in order to remain together.”  

His mind had turned over the many ways life could have ended up for them in the time between, wondering how he would have fared in a life of separation from her. He wouldn’t have, he always assumed, for without his darling Aemella at his side, he would have burned everything in his path in an unrelenting quest to bring her back to him once more.  

And if he didn’t, she’d have. 

“Destiny can be shaken, but it can never be changed in its charter,” she spoke wisely, releasing his hand and rising from her seat. Moving to him, she seated herself upon his lap, winding her arms around his neck as she pressed a kiss to his head. “You and I, we were always destined to have this.”  

He smiled, tucking his head beneath her chin, breathing in her scent. “I believe you are correct, precious one. There is more we are destined for as well, tonight especially.” 

“We are? What might that be?” she questioned, although she needn’t have. She knew the connotations of his huskily delivered words.  

He placed a kiss at her throat, standing with her in his arms. “An early night.”  

While peace and tranquillity swathed the realm in a sweet hush enjoyed by many, there was no such quiet in the king and queen’s quarters that evening.  

“My first,” he murmured, her dress falling to puddle at her ankles. “My last,” he continued, her undergarments being deftly cast aside. “And my only.”  

Laying her on their bed, his eyes and hands roamed her beautiful skin, mouth soon to follow. He heaped upon her every ounce of his adoration, her hands pulling him from his clothes, naked skin pressed together, kisses rapidly gaining fever.  

As the sun sank into the sky that evening, the temperate climate cooling a little, the heat between them only grew like a plentifully stoked fire. They were, as they’d always been, entwined on a level that went beyond the love and passions they shared, becoming one again and again.  

Twin stars forever orbiting the other. There was no everlasting love in history quite like the one shared between King Aemond and Queen Aemella, and there would be nothing like them again.  

Perhaps they were not twins stars after all. Maybe, the twins instead were comets, streaking through the sky beside one another, lighting up the dark with the blaze of their love before they returned to stardust. There was no denying, though, for as long as they reined, they twinkled the brightest for each other. 

While her love slept, Aemella found herself a little restless shortly before dawn was about to break, quietly creeping from her bed and sliding on her silky robe over her nightdress. Calling for Ginny, she asked for some tea to be brought to her, gently pacing before the door of her quarters while she waited for the beaker to be brought up from the kitchens.  

With her tea in her grasp, she ventured through the vast corridors of the castle, everywhere shrouded in tranquil quiet. Reaching her workroom, she took a careful sip of her cherry and chamomile tea, walking out to the terrace. 

“Good morning, my little beauties,” she addressed her various fledglings, all flourishing well beneath their spotless, glass domes. “We certainly look very pretty today.” Taking a small vessel of water, she lifted each with care, quenching their soil, doing her pruning where necessary as well.  

The dutiful care of her plants still filled her with a sense of purpose and accomplishment, coming to the very last, her favourite. Its orange blooms caught the rays of the rising sun exquisitely, Aemella certain it was surely the most beautiful rose she had ever grown, thrilled to see further buds forming upon its thorny stems.  

While the sleepy realm below her lay mostly quiet those days, she would always be prepared to defend what was hers, should she need to. Not for one minute did she expect her uncle to remain in his self-imposed exile within Essos, for one. However, if he did ever intend to darken their shores once again, she would be prepared for his arrival.  

The same would surely prove true for any other would-be threats towards her family, too. The queen certainly did go a long way to earn the nickname she was eventually given in years to come... 

“Still engrossed in your tale, princess,” Ser Davos observed warmly, entering the room given to the little girl there at Castle Black. “What part are you up to now?” 

Shireen marked her place, stretching her toes a little further towards the roaring hearth. “I’m reading of Queen Aemella’s fondness for her plants. In particular, how it was said she used a specific one to smite her enemies.” 

The knight sat down in the armchair close to her, widening his eyes a touch. “Aye. She was quite famed for that, so she was. She could have reduced her enemies to mere ashes in an instant aboard her dragon, but she was cunning. Some still refuse to believe it of her, so gentle and graceful as she was.” 

“What do you believe, Ser Davos?” Shireen asked curiously. 

He took a moment to ponder. “I think she did what she had to in order to protect her family, princess. After all, King Aemond I’s reign was very peaceful, until it wasn’t. And we all know that story, don’t we?” 

She smiled, flicking on through the pages of her book. “We do indeed. I think I am just coming to that part of their tale now, in fact.” Raising a dainty hand to her mouth, she covered her small yawn, her sweet eyes growing heavy. “I think it is a story for another time, though.” 

“Will you read it to me, when you get to it?” 

“Always,” she nodded. “Or I could read it with you and teach you, so that you can enjoy the books for yourself?” 

His heart could have burst with love. “You would do that for me?” 

Shireen placed her book down, rising to her feet, leaning to kiss the knight atop his balding head. “Of course, I would. Like Queen Aemella, I would do anything for those I love. I will retire now, though. Goodnight, Ser Davos.” 

Clutching her little hand in his, he smiled fondly. “Goodnight, princess.” 

Once she had departed for her bed, the knight reached for the book, lifting it to his lap and opening the pages. Though he did not understand the words, it filled him with a sense of hope that one day, he’d be able to without assistance. The illustrations, though, needed no such tutelage to understand.  

The illustration of the Sunset Rose was only one of them, the famed sigil synonymous with the very first woman in the history of Westeros to be named Queen of the Thorns. 

That tale, though, was indeed for another time.  

The End.  

A/N - Now, did you enjoy what you just read? Please remember, this is not Instagram. Clicking that heart does little, but a comment? Your author will be rewarded. A comment and reblog? Your author is throwing roses at your feet! It takes less time to do this than it did for you to read the chapter, too. Please, be kind and help support the fandom! :) 

[ahalliance]

"This season, Dylan is isolated and I think he has neglected his connections with the MDR folks. And then he reads [his outie]'s letter and he kinda decides, 'Well I'm gonna be here, let me get back to my friends, and be here with them'."

Zach Cherry on Dylan, S2E10 of The Severance Podcast

[sulky-cabbage]

The sukugo fight can't get animated any sooner I'm craving sukugo tiktok edits