#Though they both also have side pairings i like

[charmedimsure]

uuuhhhhhm can i pretty pretty please with cherries on top request a Dae-ho x reader where the reader was also in the military? but its like that ep. where they revolutionized? if that makes sense? idk i think it be cool if reader eas good eith a gun

anyways HAVE A LOVELY DAY/ NIGHT love reading your stuff (i binge read it :p)

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot

pairing: Kang Dae-ho x gn!reader

summary: As a former soldier, you know just what to do when all hell breaks loose.

word count: 3.7k

warnings: guns, death, blood, squid game stuff, panic attacks, ptsd

A/N: i've played so many shooting games i feel like i've been training to write this fic my entire life. i even named it after a shield from my favorite game (brownie points if you know which game). if you find any mistakes no you didn't <3 tried to make this gender neutral but if you find any slip ups lmk so i can fix it

**this can be read as romantic or platonic**

You look at the woman standing between bunks with wide eyes. You weren't sure earlier when you saw her on the screen, but seeing her standing ten feet away from you, you're absolutely positive that you know who this is.

"Sergeant?"

Cho Hyun-ju turns and gasps when she sees you, a smile lighting up her face. She quickly embraces you, you happily hugging her back. You were always her favorite soldier (she never admitted it, being the sergeant of the Brigade, but you both knew she liked you best). You were one of the only people who supported her when she came out. You tried to fight against her discharge but, as a low-ranking soldier, you had no say in the matter.

"I knew it had to be you!" you say, pulling back with a smile. "When I saw someone go back into the playing field to help a guy with only ten seconds left, I just knew it was my sergeant!"

"It's good to see you," she says. "Though, I wish it was under better circumstances."

You nod solemnly. You had just watched at least a hundred people die while screaming and begging for their lives. As a former soldier, it was hard that you couldn't do anything to help the civilians. All you could do was stand there and listen to the screams and gunshots, and then the silence.

"How are you here? Are you not part of the Brigade anymore?" Hyun-ju asks.

You shake your head. "No, I actually left not long after you were discharged. It wasn't the same without you, and I just couldn't be civil with the others after how they treated you."

She nods, understanding. "Well, if I'm going to be here with anyone, I'm glad it's you. I trust you with my life, soldier."

You smile. "And I you, Sergeant."

<>

You and Hyun-ju had made it through the next two games together, along with some allies you made along the way. Together with Young-mi, Yong-sik, and Geum-ja, you had been the first team to succeed in the six-legged pentathlon.

You had also made it though Mingle with some new allies, though not all of your old allies made it. Young-mi's death was hard on your whole group, but Hyun-ju had been taking it the worst. While you had grown closer with Yong-sik and Geum-ja, she had formed a special bond with the young girl and had to watch her die right in front of her.

While you would like to take the time to mourn Young-mi, a lot has happened in the few hours since the third game ended. The vote on whether to go home or stay ended in a 50-50 tie, meaning you're going to have to redo the vote tomorrow. Then, a huge fight apparently broke out in the men's bathroom, leaving five players dead.

Both sides group together to count their numbers, and you find that there's now one more X than O. While the players around you celebrate, a feeling of dread shoots through you.

"Attention please. Lights out in 30 minutes. All players, please return to your beds and prepare for bedtime."

Shit.

Player 047 stands in front of the group. "Listen, you cannot change your minds. We have to win the second vote and get out of here tomorrow, alright?"

As the other players around you nod and move to their beds, you stay sitting, watching the O players. They're already looking at your group. Watching. Waiting. You look at Gi-hun, the previous winner, and know that he's thinking the same thing you are.

<>

"Those bastards are acting suspicious," Dae-ho says, returning to the small circle you formed on the ground. "It looks like they're up to something."

Jung-bae breathes out a laugh. "Whatever those idiots do, once we win the vote tomorrow, it'll all be over."

"You think we'll be okay?" Dae-ho asks, concerned. "They say things were really crazy in the bathroom earlier."

"We need to be ready," you say from your place between Dae-ho and Gyeong-seok. "They've been watching us since the moment they found out the prize money goes up if we kill each other."

The group around you tenses before Gi-hun speaks up as well. "Once the lights go out, people on the other side will attack us."

"Really?" Yong-sik asks from beside his mother.

Gi-hun nods. "Because if they kill us, they'll be able to win the vote and increase the prize."

"So what do we do?" Yong-sik asks.

"Let's attack them first," Young-il suggests. "They're probably thinking we'll just wait for the second vote. We can use it to our advantage. We'll attack them first once the lights go out."

"That's right," Player 047 says. "It'd be better to attack them first. We have more women and elderly on our side. If we get attacked we'll be at a disadvantage." You send him a glare that makes him freeze for a moment before continuing. "Attacking them first would give us a better chance of winning."

"I agree," Player 145 adds.

"We can't do that," Gi-hun says.

"But we have to get out of here," Young-il argues. "You said it yourself. Staying calm won't get us anywhere now."

"That doesn't mean we should kill each other," Gi-hun says. "That's exactly what they want us to do."

Jung-bae leans forward. "'They'?"

Gi-hun looks at him. "The ones who created this game." He turns to face the rest of the circle. "The ones who watch us play. If we're going to fight someone, it should be them."

It's silent before Dae-ho speaks up. "Where are they?"

Gi-hun looks to the ceiling. "Up there."

You all follow his gaze before looking around at each other.

"On the upper levels," Gi-hun says, "are the rooms they control the games from. The man in the black mask is their leader. Once we capture him, we'll be able to win."

"How are you going to fight them?" Young-il asks. "They have guns."

"We'll fight them with guns, too," Gi-hun says.

"But we don't have any," Jung-bae says.

Gi-hun turns to him. "We'll take their guns."

You and Hyun-ju look at each other. This is what you were trained for.

"From those masked men?" Gyeong-seok asks nervously.

Gi-hun nods.

"That's too dangerous," Young-il says. "Even if we manage to take a few guns, we'll still be outnumbered."

"What then?" Gi-hun argues. "Are you going to kill each other all night and hope you survive? Is that what you want, Young-il?"

Hyun-ju breaks the silence. "Do we... stand a chance?"

"We do if we catch them off guard," Gi-hun says. "Out of everyone, they're the ones who would least expect us to attack first. This is our last chance to end these games once and for all."

"How are you going to take their guns?" Young-il asks.

"Once the fight begins tonight, we'll have our chance."

<>

"Lights out in ten seconds."

"Ten,

nine,

eight,

seven,

six,

five,

four,

three,

two,

one."

The lights dim, then turn off completely, leaving only the red and blue lights from the floor.

You roll out of bed, getting under the frame. You feel someone else trying to get under your bed, and you move a bit to make room for Dae-ho. Just as you get in position, you see bodies creeping towards your side of the room, illuminated by the bright blue O on the floor.

There's a scream, and all hell breaks loose.

The lights strobe as you hear the sounds of screaming and bottles being smashed coming from all around you. Somewhere to your right, a bunk is toppled over, sending someone to the ground. Another player runs up to them, stabbing their fork into their neck.

You feel the ex-Marine next to you tense up and put a hand over his, trying to bring him some comfort, or at the very least trying to keep him from blowing your cover.

You hear the buzzer of the door and the lights come on. One of the soldiers fires into the air to stop the fighting as about twenty masked guards come into the room, all armed.

You quickly army crawl out from under the bed, Dae-ho following you as you lay down on the ground.

You hear footsteps getting closer to you, and your ear is moved as a device scans behind it.

You open your eyes, grabbing the soldier so they can't move. "Dae-ho! Now!"

The ex-Marine smashes a bottle over the head of the guard, knocking him unconscious. You take the opportunity to grab the submachine gun off of the soldier, shooting another soldier coming toward you and Dae-ho. You're so focused on the fight that you fail to notice the quivering boy holding his hands over his ears against the bunks.

Grabbing another gun, you quickly scale one of the bunks to get a better vantage of the fight.

"Sergeant!" You yell, gaining the attention of Hyun-ju. She looks to you and you toss the SMG to her. She drops her pistol and catches the weapon, turning just in time to shoot one of the pink guards coming for her.

You use your position to fire at the guards hiding behind bunks. You pull the trigger until you hear a click, cursing as the mag runs empty. You jump down from the bunk, using the butt of the gun to knock a guard out cold. You quickly take his ammo and reload your own gun, firing at a guard trying to shoot Gi-hun.

"Retreat. Retreat."

The voice over the intercom announces and the pink soldiers make their way towards the door. You're able to shoot two more, but most of the soldiers who are still alive are able to make it out of the room. The main guard with the square on his mask is too busy firing back to realize that the door has closed behind him, sealing him in the room with you just as he runs out of ammo.

"Stop! Hold fire!" Gi-hun yells.

Jung-bae and another player run over to the square guard, making sure he won't fight.

"You goddamn bastards!" you hear someone yell on the other side of the room and turn to see Player 047 aiming his gun at a bunch of O players.

"No!" Gi-hun yells, stopping the man before he can shoot. "This is not what we took these guns for. If we do this, we'll be no different from those masked men."

Player 047 lowers his gun, hanging his head and he softly cries.

Gi-hun steps to the center of the room. "Everyone! Don't be scared. Gather round, please! We're not trying to hurt you!"

You walk to stand by Hyun-ju and Gyeong-seok.

"Get the guns and ammo from the dead," she tells the both of you.

You nod, doing as your sergeant says while she takes out the cameras in the room.

<>

Placing one of the last guns on the mattress in the center of the room, you move to stand in line between Jung-bae and Dae-ho, handing the extra SMG in your hand to Dae-ho.

Gi-hun steps forward. "Everyone. We will now head up to the masked men's headquarters. We'll capture the ones who captured us, put an end to this game, and make them pay. Anyone who knows how to use a gun and wishes to join us, please step forward."

You look at the crowd in front of you, but everyone stays where they are.

"Hey," you hear a voice next to you say and turn your head to see Jung-bae stepping forward. "I know you're scared. I'm scared too. But this may be our last chance to make it out of this place alive. Fight with us so we can go home together. All together."

One of the players in the back of the crowd steps forward. "I'll fight with you."

Gi-hun waves at him to come and take a gun. Two other players come forward as well.

You watch as Yong-sik makes a move to step forward, but he catches your gaze as you shake your head at him. It's very brave of him to think about volunteering, but he hasn't even served his mandatory military service yet, and it would kill his mother if he didn't come back. You breathe a sigh of relief when Yong-sik stays where he is.

When it's clear that no one else is stepping forward, Gi-hun turns to you all. "Please check your guns and ammo."

"Let's take one radio each," Jung-bae says. "We'll use channel 7, the lucky number."

You put the strap of your gun around you, checking the mag and putting it back in place when you're satisfied with the amount of ammo that is left. You look to your right to see Dae-ho fiddling with his own gun. Just as you're about to help him, Hyun-ju steps forward.

"Attention," she says, holding up her gun. "This is the MP5, a submachine gun." She continues on the demonstrate how to load the weapon and set it to the mode you should be using. When she's done, she looks at you all. "Are we clear?"

"Yes," you answer, falling right back into the rhythm with your sergeant.

Hyun-ju nods to you, silently telling you to stay by her when you get out there.

"How do you two know each other?" Dae-ho questions, his voice a bit shaky.

You smirk, cocking the MP5. "I was in the 13th Special Missions Brigade. Hyun-ju was my sergeant."

Dae-ho stares at you, completely stunned. "You were in the Decapitation Unit?!"

You chuckle at his disbelief, nodding.

The man can't believe it. He's been bragging about being an ex-Marine while there's been two ex-Special Forces soldiers right next to him the whole time.

Gi-hun points a pistol at the square-masked guard. "Take it off."

The guard slowly removes his mask, revealing a boy no older than 25.

"Good God," Jung-bae says. "Do your parents know what you're doing here?"

The guard just stares at him.

Gi-hun cocks the pistol. "Take us to your captain."

<>

"All players, it is bedtime now. Please return to your quarters immediately. Otherwise, you will be eliminated from the game. Let me repeat..."

Gi-hun fires at the speaker, effectively shutting up the voice. Three guards are stood over you. "Get down!"

You duck behind the wall of the stairs. Feeling a hand on your shoulder, you turn to look at Hyun-ju behind you.

"Cover me!"

You nod, shooting at the guards while she sprints to the top of the stairs. From her new vantage point, she is able to take out one of the guards, causing their body to fall over the ledge and down to the floor.

When you duck down to reload, you see Dae-ho next to you. The ex-Marine is sitting in a ball, covering his ears and flinching every time a shot rings out. You look at him with concern, but your attention is stolen by Gi-hun telling everyone to hold their fire. Dae-ho gets a grip on his weapon and you all move, following Gi-hun and the un-masked guard.

As you move down an alleyway, Gi-hun stops the guard. "How much farther? Is this the right way?"

The boy points toward the end of the hall. "The entrance to the management area is around that corner. The control room is right above it."

Gi-hun pushes him. "Move it, then!"

"Wait," the guard says, reaching toward his pocket.

"What are you doing?" Gi-hun stops him.

"I need my mask to pass security," the guard explains. Gi-hun nods and the guard takes the mask out. He looks up, but before he can say anything else, a bullet goes right through his head.

You all take cover as more shots are fired at you. Something slashes onto your face, and you turn to see Player 072's lifeless body falling to the ground.

You drop the floor and crawl over to Hyun-ju, both of you taking positions in a green square area of the stairs. You nod to each other and duck out of cover, firing at the guards. You can hear the men speaking to each other at the other end of the line, but you focus on taking out as many guards as possible.

You and Hyun-ju alternate firing and taking cover, both of you shooting with deadly precision, doing your best to not waste any of the already low supply of ammo you have.

A player next to you screams and is shot. You turn, shooting at the guard approaching from your rear, taking out a few that are behind that one as well.

"Everyone! Check your magazines!" Hyun-ju calls out.

You take the mag out of the gun, seeing that you have about half of a clip left. Everyone announces that they're around the same.

"Young-il, Dae-ho, can you hear me?" The voice of Jung-bae erupts from your radio.

"Go ahead!" Young-il says.

"I think we're right below the control room." Shots can be heard in the background. "But we need backup and more ammo."

"We're running out of ammo, too!"

"There should be spare magazines in the soldiers' pockets in our quarters. Go get them!" Gi-hun yells through the radio.

"Did you hear that?" Young-il turns to the group. "They need backup! Three of us will go, and the rest will stay! Join us once you get the magazines! Who wants to go with me?"

Players 047 and ... volunteer and they run off towards the end of the hall.

"I'll go get the magazines!" Hyun-ju yells. "I'll come back as soon as I can, so just hold on until then!"

"Hyun-ju!" A voice yells. You turn to see Dae-ho raising his hand. "I'll go!" He hurries over to where you and Hyun-ju are taking cover. "I- I'm out of ammo."

"Do you know the way?" Gyeong-seok asks. Dae-ho nods.

"We destroyed the cameras on the way, follow them," Hyun-ju says.

"I'll go with him," you say. "I still have some ammo, so I'll cover him."

Hyun-ju nods. "I'll cover you. Go!"

You and Dae-ho take off down the stairs. He stops a few times, but you pull him along, keeping your eyes up to watch for the broken cameras. As you're running down the stairs, Dae-ho stops, and you turn to see him staring at a dead guard hanging over the ledge of a window.

"Dae-ho!" Jung-bae yells. "Can you hear me? Where are those magazines?"

You lift your own radio to your mouth. "We're getting them now."

"Alright! We're counting on you!"

You put your radio back in your pocket, grabbing Dae-ho's hand and pulling him along behind you.

You burst into the quarters, letting go of Dae-ho's hand as you sprint to a guard, taking the spare mags out of their pockets. You hear someone say your name and look up to see Yong-sik.

"What happened? Why are you back by yourselves?"

"We're low on ammo," you say, not looking up from the guard you're looting. "We need to get the magazines from their pockets. Help us!"

You look up to the boy to see him nod and run over to a nearby guard. Geum-ja and Jun-hee come over to the help, as well.

Once you've looted all the ammo from the guards, you place them into a jacket you found on one of the dead players. You tie it up and give it to Dae-ho, thanking the others as you lead him out of the room.

Gunshots can be heard as soon as you step outside. You keep moving but when you check behind you, you see that Dae-ho has stopped where he is.

"Dae-ho, we need to go," you urge.

He looks at you silently, but the fear in his eyes sends the message. You've seen soldiers like this before you joined the Special Forces.

Dae-ho stands in his spot, paralyzed other than the shake of his body in fear.

You hear your name and Dae-ho's through the radio. "Where are you? Can you hear me?"

You watch as Dae-ho lifts his radio, staring at it as Hyun-ju's voice comes through.

"Did you find the magazines? Are you on your way?"

Dae-ho looks at you. "I'm sorry," he whispers, dropping the radio on the ground and running back into the quarters with the magazines.

"Shit," you say under your breath. You follow Dae-ho into the room, looking around to find where he went. Yong-sik points toward a bunk and you find Dae-ho curled up there, rocking back and forth. Running over to him, you take the jacket with the mags, ready to run out of there. You take a look at Dae-ho, the pure fear coursing through him as he whispers apologies over and over.

You sigh, remembering one of the lessons Hyun-ju taught you as your sergeant.

Never leave a man behind.

Taking out your radio, you bring it to your lips and press the button. "Charlie Foxtrot."

You put your radio down, knowing that Hyun-ju will know what to do. You had picked up the phrase from your U.S. counterparts, saying it to each other when something goes wrong.

Moving to sit on the bed, you take Dae-ho's hands into yours. "Dae-ho, I need you to breathe with me, alright."

He slowly looks at your face before launching himself into your arms, sobbing into your shoulder. You rub his back comfortingly, knowing you can't leave him alone like this.

After a few minutes, Hyun-ju runs into the room shouting you and Dae-ho's names. She comes running over to you, stopping when she sees Dae-ho in your arms.

"What happened?"

Dae-ho jumps a bit at the new voice, burying his face farther into your jacket.

You look up a Hyun-ju, shaking your head at her. She nods, understanding. You point at the magazines and she scoops them into her arms, ready to take them to the others when the buzzer for the door goes off and more pink guards enter the room, firing in the air and making everyone scream.

Hyun-ju reloads her SMG, ready to take on the entire group on guards by herself. You watch as Geum-ja puts a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.

"You can't die like this."

You sigh in relief as Hyun-ju puts the gun down. From your hidden area, you try to get the guns and mags away from you, making it seem as though the three of you have been here the whole time.

As the guards come further into the room, you use your body to shield Dae-ho from them as he whimpers. You make eye contact with Hyun-ju. Whatever happens next, you'll face it as a team.

~

Dae-ho tags: @whatthefuckeryfuckityfuck @ally1uvsu @thebiggestigurosimp @come-as-you-are-111 @hiphip-horray @k1michii @tpwkcaryslizb @louissst28 @sshwaa @jennwonwoo @sunnysurvives @lalalaa2210 @tayshs @sunshinethatlooksalive @plntmxrss @lxnnrobin @mariaxman @alexx-iia @batty-barty-crouchjr @kxsm3t @takuma-talkz @peacemakersbeloved @skywalker0809 @soobinbunnie5

[astraeus-tree]

Disparities Between Our Souls

Batfam x Neglected!Reader

Pairing: Reader x Miguel O'hara

Neglected!Reader who is transported into the ASTV universe and becomes a spider before being trasnported back to Gotham with their beloved

You were the oldest child of Bruce Wayne but came to the manor after Dick and Jason

You grew up with your aunt who took you in after your mother died soon your their birth

As time passed, your aunt's health worsened and she wasn't able to sustain both of you anymore

Searching through things to sell for money, she comes across a letter addressed to her from your mum, and in the letter she finds out that you are a child of Bruce Wayne

You get a blood test, it's positive and auntie decides to take her chances and send you off to live a better life as the child of a billionaire

At first it seems alright, not exactly the best but at least you had money and some company

You find out about the vigilantism a few months into their stay at the manor

Unfortunately, it's also a few nights before Jason's death and you are left to deal with overwhelming emotions alone after his death, especially when Barbara is soon found with her legs ruined by the same person who murdered your dear brother

When Tim comes you're pushed to the side even more as Bruce focuses on training him and Dick stays mostly at Bludhaven

Steph comes soon after him, but she wasn't really apart of the family and she always focused on proving herself to your father

Cassandra was introduced not long after, you wanted so badly to bond with her but with her inability to speak first few months, a language barrier was set between you two, and when that was eventually fixed, there simply weren't any opportunities to connect

Jason's return is unexpected and you want so badly to greet him with a hug, but you are pushed away

Damian is introduced and you can see the hate in his eyes as he explains that you're a liability to the family, unable to defend yourself should (when) a threat arise

You want to move out of this manor, clearly you were not welcome here anymore, but even though you were the child of Bruce Wayne, you yourself was not rich and finding a safe apartment or house in Gotham would cost you a fortune

Most of their funds also went to support their auntie as wellInstead, they opt to stay in their room at all times, moving with the shadows within the mansion, anything to stay away from their family's sights

During all this, your auntie is left with an illusion of you living a happy life

On a normal night, you wake up to excruciating pain in your arm and your body as heavy as lead

You can do nothing as heat overtakes your body, yoir vision is blurry and your breaths are short and quick

You think you see a colourful circle that looked oddly like a portal in the corner of their eye, but you couldn't tell if that was your mind was deceiving you

You didn't have time to decide as you passed out soon after

5 years later

You swing around the spider HQ to your darling’s office, food in hand

“Miguel, I have food for us”

You two were enjoying you food when an unknown and strange portal opened near them, you thought it looked familiar but you couldn't place your finger on it

Miguel put his hand in front of you, shielding you from whatever could come out of the portal

But instead of something or someone coming out, you two were sucked into it instead and dropped off into another world, presumably

The place you were dropped was dark, gloomy, rainy and oh-so familiar

You turned to your partner, pulling your mask over your head and urging him to do the same

“We have to get home. We cant stay here.”

Relationships and Ages (Pre-time skip)

Bruce (TBD)

His neglect for you was not intentional, but when he has a city to save at night, and basically run at day, there isn't much time to spare

Especially when he has to focus on training the other children so they don't harm themselves in the field of vigilantism

He loves you, he does, but he has to focus on what is more important

Dick (23)

Perhaps if you were introduced earlier, you two would've been closer, but unfortunately, you didn't, you came when he moved to Bludhaven, when he was focused on making a name for himself other than "Batman's Robin"

He has no major feelings for you, you are his older sibling and that's it

Jason (20)

You two were close when he was Robin, to him, you were the perfect older sibling, someone he could rely on

The only qualm he had was that he had to keep the vigilantism a secret from you, there were so many times he had almost spilled the secret out when he was talking to you

After his death, he still loved you, but he was afraid to see your reaction when you finally saw him

To him, you were innocent, a civilian needed to be far away from the crime lord, Red Hood, as far as possible to keep you safe

If only he knew how much damage he had done by doing that

Tim (18)

You didn't really get to bond

With Tim busy training as Robin then it turning to solving cases, he was spread thin

His free time was mostly spent napping anywhere he could, and that often meant you had no time to spend together

You two had no strong relations to each other, but you did admire Tim for his wits sometimes

Damian (10)

He was excited at first, to have somebody also be the blood-child of Bruce Wayne, but when he saw you, he was utterly disappointed

To him, his harsh words to you was him preparing you for the real world

Perhaps he still had hope for you, but for now he couldn't understand anything but hatred

Duke (16)

At the time of your disappearance, he wasn't introduced to the family yet

However, he knows of your existence due to the news

Babs (24)

You two were friends before, being the same age and all

But she soon became too busy with business of Oracle to focus on your friendship

Perhaps you two could rekindle that friendship, but for now there's barely any feelings held towards each other

Steph (19)

You two never really had time to bond, as said before she was just too busy with other stuff like her father and proving herself

If given the opportunities, you two could probably be close friends, but sadly you two weren't

Cass (20)

Your only sister in the family, you had hope that you two would be close, but with the language barrier it was hard to do so

When you were taken away, you two were forming a friendship, although it was definitely in the early stages, it was there and it was blooming

Alfred (Idek)

He was there sometimes and he wasn't there other times

He was busy working behind the scenes and keeping the manor clean

But when he was cooking, you would sometimes join him and it'd be a quiet, almost silent, bonding time

Wow this ended up being way longer than I thought

Ironically enough, as I was editing this, the fanfic/ao3 curse hit me and I almost got into a car crash. We are all good tho, no one got hurt and the cars are mostly fine!

Please let me know your thoughts! I'm not sure if I'll actually write this since my motivation comes and goes but if there's someone out there who really wants me to, I might continue it

Btw Bruce is older than canon, so pls don't think he had reader as a teen 😭, I swear he was at least 18. Speaking of ages, they aren't really important, they are just mostly there as my guidance in writing should I ever need them

Most of my DC/Batfam knowledge comes from fanon stuff so if they're ooc or they aren't that well written, my apologies. You're welcome to point any mistakes out and I'll try to fix it <3

If you can tell that I don't know the batgirls that well, I apologise again

This is my first time posting an actual story on tumblr so pls go easy in me

Have a great day/night <3

This was inspired by all the Neglected!Wayne fics, specifically Undoing Fate by Rizzanon, Ghosts of the Past by Nebulousmoon3990 and Not Your Classic Vigilante by Detectivemervelingcomics

[allthesethingswillendsoon]

Long, long time

CHAPTER THREE: Just before everything changes

SUMMARY: Elementary school is over, forever, and the girls are both excited and terrified at what the future looks like. They’re both coming to terms with growing up and what they have to give up in order to move forward.

NOTE: I wrote this one in a much more timely manner than the last one. I also think this one is infinitely better than the other two, and it's almost double the length, kind of. This one is definitely dialogue heavy, specifically in the last bit, so if you don't like that then sorry. I think the next one will be more internal monologue stuff as opposed to real life events. Also I think I might have messed up the dates a bit because I'm not from America so I don't fully understand the school system and how old everyone is, so I'll probably go back later and amend any issues. But I'm really not sure how I managed to mess it up because I made a timeline and everything, but whatever, what can you do? Once again thanks for the support :)

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Warnings: Mentions of parent leaving, angst, periods (?) 5.3k words Pairing: Paige Bueckers x Azzi Fudd

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27th of MAY, 2014

OAKRIDGE VIRGINIA

Elementary school, it had come to an end almost as quickly as it had begun.The years had passed mostly without incident, Paige and Azzi growing impossibly closer with each day that passed.

So, to celebrate the end of the school year, the Fudds and the Bueckers had decided to spend the night in their local diner. 

It was a small little place, tucked away next to the more industrial area of town. Bob always brought his own homemade food to work, but the young men that he employed were frequent customers of the little spot, being fans of the cheap, filling meals, or the pretty, young waitresses, or both in some cases. 

Tying with Applebees, the diner was pretty much the nicest place to eat in town. So, everytime anything happened that was worth celebrating, the Bueckers-Fudd clan would find themselves shoved into their favourite circular booth in the back corner. Though they would never admit it, the booth was much too small for the seven occupants, four of which were growing at an alarmingly fast rate. But nonetheless, they squashed themselves in, bodies pressed tightly together, yet not tight enough to be uncomfortable.

Tim called over their favourite waitress, Cathy, a no-nonsense southern lady,  who miraculously appeared to be both twenty and sixty at the same time. Her painted red lips twisted into a smile at the sight of her favourite customers, “Well hello, what can I get y’all?” Every time it was the same thing, her southern drawl filled with nothing but warmth.

The second the words left her mouth a chorus of young voices sounded out across the table, all fighting for their voice to be the loudest.

“Ummm can I get the pancakes!”

“I’ll have the nuggets, and a strawberry soda please.”

“Ooh! Ooh! I’ll have the fried eggs and bacon!”

“Cherry pie for me please, lots of ice cream on the side too.”

Perhaps an amateur waitress would’ve been overwhelmed by the barrage of requests, but this certainly was not Cathy’s first rodeo, and she wrote them all down with ease. The taking of their order was more of a formality than anything, the two families had slid into that booth more times than any of them could count, and ordered the exact same thing every time. The day Tim Fudd ordered anything other than the beef burger with a side of pickles would be the same day that pigs flew.

“Alrighty folks, that’ll be out in a few!” She said with a smile as she walked off to put the order through.

It only took seconds after she left before the complaining had already started, “I’m hungryyyyy!” Jose groaned.

“That’s why we just ordered, you stupid poop face.” Jon had retorted, punctuating his statement with a knock to Jose’s head.

“Watch it boys.” Tim had warned, purposefully ignoring the smug smile Jose gave to his brother next to him as he elbowed him in the ribs.

The conversation flowed easily, the adults fell into easy conversation, Paige and Azzi talking about whatever was piquing their interest at the moment, and the two brothers roughhousing just subtly enough that they wouldn’t get in trouble for it.  

When the food came out the table fell into a comfortable silence as the kids in particular scoffed their meals down like they had been starved of all food for the past five centuries. Once their appetites had been satiated, and they had entered a mild food coma, Katie spoke to the girls, “So, our big elementary school graduates, do you guys know what you want to do after high school?”

“Yeah, same as always, I’m gonna work with dad.” Paige responded, it was a given at that point, the dream she had had since childhood was not changing anytime soon.

Azzi, however, was a different story, she had always been indecisive, bouncing from one career aspiration to the next, consistently changing her favourite song. There were a lot of things she was unsure on, but there were also some things she was dead set on. She knew her favourite colour was pink, and that a close second was rainbow (Which was a real colour if you asked her). She knew Olaf was the best character of all time, and that unicorns were the best animal, even if there was no ‘proof’ that they were real. But most importantly, she knew her best friend was Paige Bueckers - a fact that Paige took great pride in, considering Azzi’s indecisive nature.

That very trait was what made her statement so outlandish, “You guys know what I wanna do, it’s been the same for like forever.” She had said it with such confidence, that for a moment the table went silent, guilt washing over them at not remembering her apparent, long time aspiration.

That was until Jon burst out with laughter, the rest of the table following suit as the absurdity of the young girl’s comment settled over the table.

“What?” Azzi pouted, eyes darting from person to person as they laughed hysterically at her. Even Bob, who was never one to poke fun at someone, was chuckling lightly.

“You change your mind, like, every week hon.” Katie explained, still slightly breathless from her laughing fit.

“No I don’t!” She tried to defend herself, crossing her arms over her chest and tilting her chin up indignantly.

“You do.” Jon stated matter-of-factly.

The young girl was growing frantic, confused as to why no one was refuting the absolutely insane claim. But surely her best friend of many years would defend her, right?, “Paige? back me up!” She begged, eyes boring into Paige, trying to gain her attention.

Paige avoided her pleading gaze, trying to keep a neutral expression, but no one missed the little smirk that appeared on her face, “Sorry Az, they’re right.”

Feeling as if she had been stripped of her dignity, she continued with a huff, “Well I want to be a teacher, like I said on Heroes day.”

“Like Miss Honey.” Jose chuckled.

“Yes. Like Miss Honey.” She hissed back.

“Literally the week after that you went on and on about how you wished you would’ve been an astronaut instead.” Tim reminded her, putting a sour expression on her face as she realised she had been proved to be quite the undecided personality.

“Whatever!” Azzi snipped. Her annoyed facade only lasted a few moments before her conversation with Paige started up again.

Once again they settled into their usual chatter, laughter bouncing off the walls of the slowly-emptying diner. Sat there in the squishy booth, a feeling of familiar contentment washed over the group, a warm glow erupting in each person’s chest. From the outside eye they may not have looked like a traditional family, but they knew in their hearts that they were the truest family out there, and that was what really mattered.

It was time for close, Cathy always let them stay right up till the end of the night. She’d start the closing clean and that was their sign that it was time to wrap it up. As she wiped down the tables and mopped the floors with a practiced ease, the group cleared their table and brought their plates and scraps up to the kitchen window where they passed it off to the dishboy with a cheery “Have a good night!”. 

When it came to the bill, there was always bickering between Bob and the Fudds. They had been so many times it was impossible to keep track of who paid last, yet no matter who won the squabble and got to put their card down, Cathy was sure to get a generous tip.

They spilled out onto the street, both dads slightly fumbled as they searched for their car keys under the dim light of the street lamps that lined the neighborhood.

As they sat on the curb outside the diner Paige and Azzi made a promise.

“This is gonna be our best summer yet.” Paige assured Azzi.

“Promise?” The curly-haired girl questioned, bringing her pinky finger out to the space between them.

Intertwining her pinky with Azzi’s, the blonde spoke again, “Promise.”

—------------------------

SUMMER, 2014

OAKRIDGE VIRGINIA

True to their promises, the summer before sixth grade had been the best of Paige and Azzi’s life.

Their parents had let them ride around on their bikes from sun up to just after sun down, and the girls were sure to make every minute of glorious, sweaty summer freedom count. They spent days upon days riding around aimlessly, going from street to street, ignoring the burning in their legs and the summer heat on their faces.

It was a kind of freedom they’d never felt before. A glorious, glowing kind that Azzi was sure to dangle in front of her brothers mockingly. But it was also the kind that felt like giving up their childhood at the same time. They had more responsibilities, both girls had their own set of house keys, a trust bestowed onto them by their parents that sent shivers down their spine at the thought of the sheer importance the keys held.

Change felt imminent. A deep-rooted anxiety that everything would be changing soon settled into the back of each girl’s mind. Perhaps they knew the other felt the same fears, perhaps they didn’t know. There truly was no way of knowing if the worries plaguing the two were shared, as both refused to speak them aloud, not wanting to waste breath on their concerns, in case doing so actually did bring them to life.

Yet at that same time, it was summer, and if there really was some ‘big-bad’ lurking around the corner, then the least they could do is enjoy the good times while they lasted, right?

One particularly boiling day, the pair rode to the lake on the outskirts of town and spent all day skipping rocks and swimming in the blue water to escape the temperature. Time was a thing of the past on that day, any thoughts of returning home before dark absent from the girl’s minds, fully focussing on savouring every minute of fun together. Only when the sun began to set, bright blue skies giving way to softer, orange-pink hues, did they realise they were a thirty minute bike ride away from home, and minutes away from being past curfew.

Scrambling onto their bikes like madwomen, they cycled faster than anyone had ever cycled before, turning the thirty minute bike ride into a twenty minute one. That feat, however, did not matter to either girl’s parents as they returned to their respective houses after their curfews. 

For the longest week of their life, they had both been banned from riding their bikes, stuck in their houses, or in the very few places they could be bothered to walk to. Despite the punishment they were still able to do whatever they wanted, opting to watch disney movies all day under ceiling fans with ice blocks galore waiting for them in the freezer.

Days rolled into nights which rolled into an endless slew of days and nights, practically each minute spent together, living inside each other’s skin. It was a dream. Getting to spend every waking second of the day just a walk across the street away.

It hadn’t all been fun though, Bob had insisted on going ‘home’ to visit their family in Minnesota. Paige thought it was silly, a sentiment she shared with Azzi, who mainly just wished that her best friend could stay with her the whole summer.

“It’s just stupid really. I mean I don’t even know them! The most I talk to them is when we call on Christmas and on birthdays!” The older girl had complained as she had stomped around her bedroom, chucking as many clothes as she thought were suitable for a five day trip to Minnesota.

“Yeah, I agree, your dad should just let you stay with me… Or let me come with you!” Azzi had replied from her spot splayed out on Paige’s single bed.

“That’s such a good idea, I’ll ask dad about both!” Paige had grinned back, sure that their plans would be approved by her dad.

Unfortunately for the girls, Bob had said no to both options with a disbelieving laugh that Paige had taken great offense to. So, for the first time ever the two were away from one another for more than three days, it was the longest they had ever been apart. Azzi complained to her family day after day in her best friend’s absence, and Paige spent the whole car ride to Minnesota groaning in pain, stating that she was “fading away” the further she got from Azzi.

Miraculously, both girls somehow managed to survive the five torturous days spent states apart, but due to the holes in their hearts that had formed in each other’s absences, they simply had to have a five day long sleepover to make up for the lost time, alternating houses each night.

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3rd of SEPTEMBER, 2014

OAKRIDGE VIRGINIA

It was the night before, the night before the first day of middle school. The girls had begged their parents to let them have a sleepover the actual night before, but they had been quick to shut the idea down, knowing that either the pre-school nerves, or each other, or both would keep them up into the early morning hours, leading to two sleep-deprived pre-teens.

So. begrudgingly, they had settled on the night before, the night before.

Paige had spent all day school shopping with her dad, and was feeling like her head might fall off if she had to spend another minute in the uncomfortably bright changing rooms of a JC Penny or Old Navy shoving herself into a sweater near-identical to the past twenty she’d tried on. 

Yet somehow, the worst part of all was the stationary shopping. Being a single dad meant Bob had obviously taken on the role of both parents. So, that meant that school supply shopping was all on him, and he had taken it upon himself to make sure that Paige had the exact brand and make of each item listed on the school list. A lesson he had learnt when he had sent her to the first grade with an arsenal of black and blue pens, and not a single coloured pencil in sight, having neglected to look at the school issued list. It had ended in a phone call home and a red-faced Bob scrambling to find lead pencil in the ruins of the post-back-to-school-sale Walmart.

Although Paige appreciated her dad’s commitment to the quality and uniformity of her educational utensils, it did turn him into quite the Karen. Every single time he couldn’t find the exact item they were looking for he would call over a (likely underpaid) teenage worker, who really couldn’t care less, and near-force them to scour every inch of the store in search of the desired item. They’d always been able to find whatever it was, and Paige lived in fear for what would happen the day an item was out of stock, but that was a problem for future Paige.

For some reason, God decided Paige hadn’t suffered enough in one day, and sent every school parent and every colleague and every person Bob or Paige had ever met was at the mall on that very day. It felt impossible to move more than twenty feet without running into a chatty, well-intentioned acquaintance, who just happened to feel like spending, at minimum, five minutes saying things like, “Wow! How tall are you now Paige! I remember when you could fit in my arms” or another classic “Middle school, really? You’ll be picking a college before you know it!”. They were nothing but nice to her, so she was nothing but nice in return, which really just made the whole situation worse because it made them think she really did want to talk to them about their cousin’s neighbour’s son who’s “Just around your age!”

Despite the trials and tribulations of her day, the light at the end of the tunnel remained, Azzi (also her dad let her get a hot pretzel before they left which was really nice).

On the other hand, Azzi was lucky enough to have gone school shopping in the five gruelling days that Paige was away. Stocking up on pens and books and shirts and socks was a pain to do for one kid, but to do it for three? Safe to say, Bob was sure to always commend Tim and Katie on their valiant efforts of rounding up the kids for school shopping.

So instead of being soft-tortured in the mall, she had been run ragged by her brothers. They had so cruelly forced her to run around under the blaring summer sun through the sprinklers for hours and hours. They had played a variety of games, everything from flag football to soccer to basketball. Even games you’d think you couldn’t play with only three people they were able to do.

She was nearing the age where she would start to feign annoyance at her brother’s constant attempts to gain her attention, but she wasn’t quite there yet. Though her parents knew her well, and predicted that even when she went through her phase of faux-annoyance she would likely fail to avoid spending time with her family, after all she was definitely a homebody at heart.

Azzi’s only refuge from the summer heat had come in the form of lunchtime, when she was able to go inside and chow down on hot dogs and homemade lemonade. She reapplied her sunscreen diligently, trying her hardest not to miss a spot, wanting to avoid the sting that came along with a sunburn.

Unfortunately, despite her best efforts, by the end of the day her skin was pinking, feeling just raw enough to make her clothes feel like fire on her skin.

All of Azzi’s sunburnt discomfort, and Paige’s shopping-induced weariness faded when Paige and Bob knocked on the Fudd family door.

The two girls ran into each other’s arms as if they had been reunited after years, not after the actual, mere twenty-four hours they had spent away from one another.

After a bit of adult chatter, Bob took his exit, wrapping Paige in a bear hug before he headed home for the night.

Following a classic Fudd Saturday night meal of spag-bowl and garlic bread, the girls had changed into their pajamas and were readying themselves for bed.

Paige had gone to the bathroom, double checking her bladder really was empty, that way she wouldn’t be woken up needing to pee, definitely not because she was scared to make the walk across the hall to the bathroom in the darkness.

Azzi was sitting at her desk, fixing up her hair when she heard her name being called softly yet urgently from the bathroom.

“Az! Azzi! Azzi!” Paige’s frantic whispers were growing more and more desperate. The older girl diverting from her relatively chill demeanour sent alarm bells to Azzi’s mind.

She nearly sprinted to the bathroom door where Paige’s head was sticking out.

“What’s wrong Paige? Tell me? What happened?” From all that Azzi could see of Paige, the only thing concerning was the troubled look on her face.

“Can you get your mom Az, please?” Paige pleaded, her voice wobbled almost inconceivably, but Azzi caught it.

“C’mon Paige, I can’t see anything wrong. It can’t be that bad, seriously, just show me.”, bringing her hand up to the door to push through.

“NO!” Paige yelled, swatting Azzi’s hand away. She seemed to shock herself more than Azzi with her sudden outburst.

She took a deep breath and started over, “Sorry Az.” She paused again, as if trying to hype herself up before continuing, “I think I got… I think… I think I got my y’know…”

Azzi thinks, her brows furrowing as she tried to think of what Paige was talking about.

“You got your what?” She questioned, after a moment of contemplation.

“My period.” The words that had left Paige’s mouth stunned Azzi, she had suddenly lost her ability to speak, which only distressed Paige further.

“Earth to Azzi?” Paige said, waving her hands in front of Azzi’s face.

Snapped back to reality, but still in a bit of a daze, she responded, “Yeah?”

“So can you get your mom now please?” Paige half-begged, the conversation having been drawn out far longer than she had anticipated. 

“Yeah, yeah, sure, one second.” Azzi mumbled as she walked off to her parent’s room.

A moment passed before she came back with her mom, the bathroom door now shut, Paige having bunkered herself down inside.

Katie motioned for Azzi to go, who protested, really thinking she could be of help, but her mom shut that down, staring her down till she stomped back to her room.

Knocking softly on the door, she whispered, “Paige honey, it’s Katie, can you let me in please hon?”

A minute of silence passed, punctuated by the light sound of sniffling and shuffling before the door creaked open, a red-rimmed-eyed Paige standing before Katie.

“Oh honey.” Katie soothed before wrapping Paige into a tight, bear hug.

Azzi listened from behind her door, and despite how her heart ached hearing her best friend in distress, it also made her heart beam to know that she was like family not only to herself, but to her mom, and her dad, and her brothers.

Katie was a great woman, and Paige knew she saw her as an almost second daughter. Yet, as she sat on the toilet lid, watching in half-confusion, half-horror as the older woman explained periods and uteruses and pads to her, she couldn’t help the overwhelming wave of sadness that washed over her.

Paige didn’t have much experience with having a mom, but she knew that getting your period was obviously something that you were meant to tell your mom, and not your best friend’s mom. She couldn’t help but feel like a core, mother-daughter bonding moment had been stolen from her, because it had. 

Was it the kind of thing where you ate chocolates together and cried? Or did you watch some old rom-com together? Paige’s nan, or rather her mom’s mom, loved ‘Sixteen Candles’ and said she and Amy used to watch it at least once every year. If her mom was there would they have eaten chocolate and ice cream and watched ‘Sixteen Candles’ and cried together?

It wasn’t fair that she didn’t have a mom that cared enough to stick around. But as Katie walked her into Azzi’s room, the younger girl rushed up to them and pulled them into a tight group hug. 

She didn’t know what it was like to have a mom, but in that moment she remembered that she did know what it was like to have people choose to unconditionally love her, and suddenly the things she didn’t have mattered a little less.

—------------------------

 They had decided to hop into bed early, considering the eventful night Paige had had, and the tiring days both girls had experienced.

From her bed Azzi broke the comfortable silence with a question that had been playing on her mind since she had been sent to wait in her room for Paige, “Soooo, how does it feel to be a woman now?”

There was a pause as Paige took a moment to think, before her voice sounded out from her place on the mattress on the floor, “Uh… I don’t know… it feels the same to be honest.”

Paige’s response slightly shocked Azzi, who had been convinced that getting your period turned you into a fully new person, “Really? I’m kinda scared to get my period.”

“It’s fine Az, I was just being a baby, you don’t have to worry.  Besides, your mom will be there to help.” Paige explained. Though she couldn’t see her face, Azzi was sure that her best friend had her signature light pink dusting of blush across her face as she thought back to her little outburst in the bathroom earlier.

“Yeah, she will be,” Azzi nodded, before she thought out loud, “I wonder how many girls in our grade have gotten theirs over the summer, probably lots.”

“Mmm, maybe, no way to know really.”

“I guess. It’s weird though, don’t you think? Just like growing up, the whole idea of it.”

Paige hummed in agreement, “I think it’s just a part of life. You can’t stop time. If I could, I'd probably just stay here forever.”

Azzi thought of Paige's statement, before she realised a fatal flaw to the plan, “But then you’d have to be on your period forever.”

“I wouldn’t mind though, cause I’d get to be with you forever”

The earnest words brought a soft smile to the young girl’s face. It could be easy to forget how sentimental Paige could be. She was really similar to her dad, in the way she had a seemingly tough exterior, when in reality she was one of the most emotionally intelligent, down-to-Earth people Azzi knew.

Instead of saying something of equal sentimentality, she opted for something a little more light-hearted, “Such a sap for me P.”

Paige rolled her eyes with such intensity it was almost audible, if that were even possible, “Nevermind I change my mind.” 

Azzi laughed lightly at Paige’s response, “Noooooo, stop. I’d stay here forever too.”

Instead of responding, they giggled a little, before they fell into a comfortable silence, both girls staring up at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to overtake them when Azzi spoke quietly, “Do you think we’re ever gonna look back on this moment when we’re older and wish we could go back?”

“Maybe, everything is pretty good right now.” Paige whispered back after a moment of contemplation.

The younger girl hums in agreement, “Yeah, everything is great.” She went silent for a moment, before she added, “I hope things are always this good between us.”

Azzi’s words shocked Paige, taking her aback, “What do you mean? Why wouldn’t they be?”

Frowning, she explained, “I don’t know… just… sometimes people grow up and they just don’t like each other that much anymore. And like spending time together feels like a chore and stuff. And then they either stay and make each other miserable, or just leave and be miserable separately.”

Paige’s silence consumed the room for such a long time that Azzi had to turn to look down at her and check if she was awake. Her breath was soft, and Azzi could see the glow in the dark stars reflecting in Paige’s eyes as she contemplated her statement.

She took a deep, shaky breath before she asked, “Do you think that’s how my mom felt about my dad? Do… Do you think that’s how my mom felt about me?”

The silence returned after Paige’s statement, the weight of her words hanging heavy in the air as Azzi struggled to find a way to explain to her best friend that she couldn’t understand why anyone would ever leave her.

“What? No, of course not,  why would you say that?” When Azzi had said what she did, she hadn’t realised Paige would think about it like that, but then again, how else would she think about it? 

The realisation that she had caused Paige to think her mom had grown tired of her made Azzi feel like she was going to throw up, like her world had come crashing down around her. 

“Well, why else do people leave? If we’re hanging out and we’re having a good time together, I’m not just gonna pack up my stuff when you turn away and leave without saying anything. People don’t leave when they’re having a good time.” Her breath catching on the last few words, “When they love the people they’re with.”

Paige wasn’t sure how long she had been holding her tears in, all she knew was that they had started to trickle down her face and she hated it and wished they would stop.

Azzi felt severely out of her depth, unsure how to soothe the older girl into understanding that for whatever reason her mom left, it was no fault of her own. “I don’t know… I think it’s more complicated than that when you grow up. Like all the issues that we think matter now aren’t gonna matter anymore, and we’ll be thinking about things like taxes and, like jury duty I guess. Like adults are just weird, big kids… And I have no idea why your mom left, but what I do know is that it’s not your dad’s fault or your fault. It’s her fault because she’s missing out on being around you, because you’re awesome, you’re the best person I know. And for what it’s worth you’ll always have me, I’m not going anywhere anytime soon, you’re stuck with me for a long time Paigey.”

Sometime during Azzi’s little speech, Paige had begun to hyperventilate, full-body sobs wracking her skinny frame as she tried to catch her breath.

“I’m sorry Az, I don’t know why I’m so upset.” Paige managed to push the words out, gulping big gasps of air between each word.

“It’s okay Paigey, there’s nothing to apologise for.” Azzi breathed out into the fresh night air.

For what seemed like the millionth time that evening, the room fell silent, bar Paige’s steady stream of sniffling and sobbing. In the darkness Azzi shuffled off her bed and into Paige’s mattress, slipping herself under the doona.

The older girl kept her back turned to Azzi, who dragged her fingertips soothingly along Paige’s arms. They stayed like that for a moment, before Paige turned over, tucking her head into the crook of Azzi’s neck.

Chest to chest, they were so close Azzi could feel the heaving breaths that Paige was taking as she cried into the neckline of her shirt.

“I love you Paige, You’ll always have me, no matter what.”

She didn’t hear her best friend’s response, only felt the muffled vibration of words against her shoulder and Paige’s hand grabbing onto her own, interlocking their fingers. 

Azzi drew stars and hearts and “I love you”s onto Paige’s back, not stopping till the blonde’s staggered breathing gave way to the soft snoring of her sleep. Only then did she let herself drift off into the comfort of sleep.

—------------------------

5th of SEPTEMBER, 2014

OAKRIDGE VIRGINIA

The moment had finally arrived. There it was right before their very eyes, Middle school. 

The wide brick building stood tall and imposing in front of them. Both girls couldn’t help the wild thrashing of their hearts as anxiety began to flood their systems at the prospect of middle school.

Their parents had left them only a minute prior, and they had been firmly planted in the same spot they had been before they left.

As the pre-warning bell went off, Paige glanced down at her purple, digital wristwatch, before she looked back up at Azzi.

“I think we need to go in now.” She spoke quietly, her worries evident in both her face and her voice.

“Okay, yeah. We’ve got this.” Azzi responded, unsure as to whether her words were intended to soothe herself, or Paige, or both.

“Yeah, we’ve got this, together.” Paige assured, pulling Azzi’s equally sweaty palm into her own.

“Together.” Azzi said with a squeeze.

With that they were off.

As they walked through the doors of Oakridge Middle School, it felt as if the world shifted right beneath their feet. From then on everything would be different, friendships would bloom and wither, personalities would change for the better and the worse. Yet as they stepped into their future, hand and hand, it seemed just a little less scary.

—------------------------

NOTE: Hope everyone likes this one, I definitely like it way more than the first two. Next one will be out probably in a bit over a week I think, if all goes according to plan.

Thanks again for reading :)

[heart-eyed-love]

Winston

Summary | A stray that wonders the trailer park, that you’ve claimed as yours, as gone missing

Contains | Fem!Reader, Friends-to-Lovers (eventually), Cursing, Cute kitty, Mentions of Dealer Eddie, Psycho kids attempt to hurt the kitty :(

Pairing | BestFriend!Eddie x BestFriend!Reader

Word count | 2.1k

An | Another cat story cause I love them and I’m cat sitting rn!!! Also sorry this is kinda bad

The boys had decided that their favorite hang out place was Eddie’s trailer. Much to your dismay, cause sometimes they apparently wanted boy time and you had to sit in your own trailer like it didn’t affect you.

It had taken you awhile to find a friend outside of Eddie, excluding the rest of the boys, but as of this year Nancy and her friend Barb had become some nice acquaintances of yours. Nice enough you’ve even recently been invited to a slumber party with the two at Nancy’s house.

But that didn’t mean you didn’t still want to hang out with the boys when they came around, but you let them have their time. And from the sound of it, it has something to do with the band they had recently established. You could hear eddie’s guitar from out on your porch where you sat next to a can of cat food you had bought for the special cat you had come quite close with.

Eddie had informed you he was a stray that had been abandoned by one of the previous owners of one of the trailers. You teared up at the thought of someone leaving him behind, which Eddie had teased you about being so sensitive when it came to animals.

That earned him a glare and quick snap from you, “since when isn’t it sad to be abandoned?” He shut up after that.

You had begged your mother to let you keep him, promising to take care of him, and that you’d pay for all the things he needed with your own money. But she didn’t hesitate to say no, and after begging for a full week after coming across the cat you’d accept your fate, and settled for making a small bedding area around the side of your trailer and feeding him as often as you could.

You had informed Eddie that he’d now be called Winston.

Which is what you were currently trying to do, even with a small pout on your face as you stared at Eddie’s trailer across from yours.

You’re a bit preoccupied by boredom to realize that it has taken Winston quite a bit longer to arrive at his food than he normally did. You had a system that you both seemed to know pretty well, once you came home you’d come back outside with something to eat for the sweet old guy, he seemed to surprisingly be pretty aware of the time frame too.

But as the time went on you began very aware of the lack of cuddly creature you came to love so much.

You stand from your spot on the porch, “Winston?” You called you looking around in front of you. He didn’t come though. You hop down and venture to the padded box that was tucked a bit under your trailer but it was empty, you furrowed your brows slightly.

You felt silly for already being worried but you couldn’t help it, he wasn't some young, nimble cat that enjoyed running around and playing. He liked sleeping, scratches, and food. He never passed up on food.

You wandered towards Eddie trailer, sneakily, the last thing you needed was then think you were spying. You peaked under his trailer, whisper yelling his name out and not hearing or seeing a thing.

You popped back up and rushed quickly back over to your trailer, feeling more and more panicked when you couldn’t find him, you rushed into your trailer grabbing a flashlight, ready to search under every other trailer to find him. But knowing he couldn’t have gone too far, you were worried he may have gotten hurt somewhere.

After searching under and around the nearest trailers and having no sign of Winston, you got teary eyed when you saw it was getting darker.

You decided you didn’t care for Eddie’s boy time, you really needed his help. You ran up the steps to his trailer, knocking a bit frantically as a tear fell down your check and you anxiously chewed at your lip as you waited for him to answer.

And soon enough he does, “Hey, what’s up?” He asks with a smirk, but it quickly drops as he sees the sadness on your face, “Y/n? What’s wrong?”

“I can’t find Winston… I had his food out ready to feed him and he didn’t show up so I went and looked around for him and I still can’t find, and I’m scared he might’ve gotten hurt and-“

“Hey, Hey, calm down. We’ll find him, wait out here I’m gonna got get the guys, okay?”

You nod and he’s quickly rushing inside. “Hey, so change of plans… We got a missing cat so, we’re gonna have to go look for him, Kay?” He says as he as he rummages through a drawer in his kitchen, grabbing a flashing, ready to look under trailers for a second time just to ensure you have your cat back by the end of the night.

He remembers when you met Winston, He was a skittish cat not appreciating the presence of just about anyone until he met you. Eddie slightly felt like he related to the cat in that way, but Winston had warmed up to him after he discovered he was a friend of yours. He smiled when you had revealed the name you had picked for the old guy, it was fitting.

And when Eddie found out that your mother had told you ‘There’s no way I’m taking in a gross old stray. It’s not gonna end well, Y/n.’ He wanted to offer to take the cat in at his trailer, telling you that the cat could be both of yours and you could come over as often as you wanted to see him, but that idea was stomped out by the fact that Wayne’s was allergic.

So he tried to play his part by helping anyways, he occasionally brings home a bag of cat food for you to give to Winston. And one he had gone as far to get some catnip.

You laughed and joked, claiming he was doing a great job solidifying his place as a dealer.

“What? Why?” Gareth asked, he had now stopped aimlessly twirling his drumsticks.

“Because Y/n can’t find him on her own so where gonna go help her.” Eddie said matter a factly.

“Maybe the cat just need a break from her.” He’s smirking, as if this is a laughing matter to you. Jeff tries to nudge the boy with his elbow before he can get the sentence out, but Eddie already has that glare on his face, the one they know all too well, the one he uses when he needs to shut them up real quick. And it works.

Eddie tosses one of the flashlights harshly at the boy, “We’re gonna get our asses out there and we’re gonna look for that cat until it’s found. Got it?” His tone has all the boys nodding. Eddie makes his way towards the door, grabbing a hoodie on the hanger by the door, and throwing it over his shoulder as they make their way outside.

You stand from your spot on the bottom step, quickly wiping your tears so the other boys don’t see, “Thanks for this guys…”

“Don’t worry about it…” Eddie says as he makes his way down the steps to where you’re now standing, “Here…” He adds, handing you the hoodie he brought out.

“Thank you…” You say as you slip the hoodie over your head.

“Jeff, Grant.“ Eddie nods his head off to the side, “Gareth you stay with her, help her look under the trailer again in case he comes back…” Eddie says.

“What? Why do-“ Gareth freezes yet again as Eddie send another glare his way and Gareth nods his head, “Yeah, okay… well look over here…” He points his flashlight in the opposite direction and begins trailing off, you’re quick to follow behind him.

You and Gareth begin checking under the trailers that you had already looked under, it felt useless, which made you feel even worse for interrupting their night.

“Hey, uhm… I’m sorry… really I didn’t want to have to come and ask for help… I’m just really worried…” You’re voice was sad, and he felt bad for making you feel worse about it. He turned around the flashlight hitting your eyes as you squinted, and he lowered it quickly.

“No it’s okay… I get it. I’ve you that cat with you, seems like he really loves you…” He says softer than before, he turns back around shining his light in more spots, you come stand next to him.

“You think…?” You duck down where he’s shining the flashlight to check under this trailer.

“Yeah, totally… I have a cat, you know?” Causing you to pop up from where you were crouched, looking at him with a small smile. He thinks it the first time he’s seen you smile since you’ve come over to Eddie’s.

“Really?”

“Yeah, her names Coco. She’s a little diva…” He says as he look over at you, and now there’s a genuine smile on your face, “We’ll find him, okay?”

You nod softly, “Okay…”

On the other side of the trailer park Eddie can hear the chatter of what sounds like some younger kids, maybe a couple years younger than his own group.

He has been acquainted with these boys before, they were fucking nuisances in his eyes. Constantly being a pain in the asses of people within the trailer park, but they stayed away from Eddie, which in turn meant they stayed clear of you as well.

As Eddie approached the kids ready to ask whether or not they had seen an older cat, he caught sound of a distressed meowing sound.

He looked over at Jeff and Grant whose eyes widened at the sight and Eddie rushed over to the boys. They were circled around Winston. Eddie approaches fast, “the fuck are you doing?!” He yells, crushing the boys to jump, startled by the voice that appeared behind them. One of the boys accidentally dropped another one of the fire crackers letting it pop onto the ground.

Winston seemed to recognize the voice and quickly ran away from the boys in the gap of their moment of weakness, “nothing we’re… just playing…” one of the boys says, Jeff and Grant could tell that Eddie had an affect on these boys as well, and they’d hardly ever heard him yell the way he just did.

“Playing?! In what fucking world is torturing a cat fun? Don't be psychopaths.” Eddie sounded so pissed. Which is valid, those boys were being insane, “I know where you guys live, so it’s probably best you don’t fuck with the cat again. Got it?” They nod quickly, walking away, throwing more of their crackers onto the ground as they did.

He looked down to where Winston was standing by his feet, the cat didn’t usually get this close to him if you weren’t around, but Eddie guesses given the circumstances this was different. Eddie picked the old cat up and began walking back to his trailer, and on the way back he spotted you and Gareth poking your head under The Smiths trailer.

“Hey, look.” Gareth says as he taps your shoulder, causing you to pop up and follow where his finger is pointed at Eddie holding Winston.

“You found him!” You say approaching him quickly, Winston seems to recognize the voice as he squirms in Eddie’s arm and jumps down, running up to you. You kneel down picking the cat, “thank you…” You say, looking at Eddie as tearing up again, “thank you all, honestly… I really appreciate…”

“It’s no problem…” Eddie shrugs, trying to play off how happy he feels for helping you.

You turn to Gareth, “And thanks for making me feel better… sorry to interrupt your… band practice?”

“Not really a practice, more so us having to sit around and listen to Eddie play guitar…” Gareth says with a smirk, and he catches Eddie raised brow look.

“You’re lucky we found the cat and I’m in a good mood.” Eddie shoves the boy's head as he makes his way back to the trailer, everyone follows behind him and you follow as well, making your way to your own.

“Thanks again, guys!” You wave from your porch, Winston still in your arm. They wave and you go inside.

You’d sneak Winston into your room that night, feeding him treats and scratching his neck until he’s fast asleep.

[venusbyline]

Jacaerys Velaryon — Nine Moons.

chapter three (previous chapter)

— summary: After Lucerys' death and the arrival of the dragonseeds, Jacaerys no longer wants to be betrothed with Baela. He wants to marry his twin sister, even if it means going against Rhaenyra's decisions and sealing suffering in your life and his.

— pairing: Jacaerys Velaryon x twin sister!reader

— type: dark, smut, sequel to Sleep (but can also be read as a standalone series)

— chapter's warnings: female!reader, dark!Jacaerys, DEAD DOVE: DO NOT EAT, Targcest (twin brother/twin sister), forced pregnancy, dubcon, pregnancy sex, underage sex, breastfeeding kink, lactation kink, breast worship, nipple licking, nipple play, vaginal fingering, fingerfucking, pregnancy kink, dry humping, hair-pulling, abusive and toxic relationship, manipulation, possessive behaviour, obsessive behaviour, gaslighting, past rape/non-con, dubcon somnophilia mentioned, drugged sex mentioned, non-consensual drug use (herbal tea) mentioned, sexism, childbirth mentioned, argument, verbal abuse, curse words, Lucerys Velaryon mentioned, implied Jacaerys Velaryon/Baela Targaryen, forced marriage mentioned, implied toxic!Rhaenyra Targaryen, dark content, sub!reader, dom!Jacaerys, soft!Jacaerys BUT NOT REALLY, Pre-Battle of the Gullet, canon divergence, porn with plot. no use of y/n. english is not my first language.

— author's notes¹: Nine Moons is a shortfic, sequel to the one shot Sleep, written for Kinktober. Both Nine Moons and Sleep can be read as standalone.

— author's notes²: Each chapter will have its own trigger warnings.

— author's notes³: Guys I'm SO EXCITED to write the next chapters and this specific part of the divergence canon <3 <3 Please tell me your opinions and theories. Comments, likes and reblogs are always appreciated.

— high valyrian words used: Rytsas (good morning), Hāedar (younger sister), Ñuha jorrāeliarzy (my beloved), Idaña (twin), Kostilus (please)

❥ Nine Moons masterlist • Jacaerys masterlist • HOTD masterlist

❥ about me • main masterlist

The morning started off lazy at Dragonstone and the sky was gray due to the clouds around. The weather felt colder than normal, even though it was not actually a raining or very windy day. Also, you had not woken up well, no night's sleep that week seemed enough to get better the uncomfortable feelings meaning the approach of the beginning of your pregnancy's last trimester.

Your body moved restlessly on the bed, turning to the opposite side when someone opened the doors of your chambers and closed it afterwards.

A cheerful mood was not being your greatest quality during that week, but you forced yourself to face the person who entered there, sighing with some frustration when you saw Jacaerys coming towards you with a cup that you knew so well what it was for.

"Rytsas, hāedar." Jacaerys scoffed in High Valyrian, making you snort and try to turn your face away again, hearing him give you a chuckle. Almost too soft for his typical behavior "Do not look at me like that, ñuha jorrāeliarzy. I am trying to be a good brother and a good lover, bringing you some tea with the herbs that the Maester prepared for you this morning."

That only made you sigh loudly, one arm under your head as you looked at the opposite side where Jacaerys was standing next to. "I know. But this tea is disgusting and tastes like some kind of unclean water, like the ones on Street of Silk must have too."

The random parallel made Jacaerys crack an amused smile, but he bit his lip to hide it, forcing himself to maintain a straight and imposing facade. "Perhaps yes." He admitted and it was your turn to frown, turning yourself to stare at him. "I am joking. I have never drank any water at any establishment on Street of Silk. Actually, I have never visited those places."

You were still suspicious and looking at him, not knowing whether or not you should believe what your twin was saying. Almost all Targaryen men visited a brothel a least once, especially those on that stupid street. However, you ignored the doubt and sat down carefully on your bed, the hand on your own belly, which was already so big that it always made you whining in pain always when you were walking around the castle or even when you just moved on the mattresses.

As you swallowed a sip of tea, you grimaced, brow furrowed, nose wrinkled and lips down. "At least it will help with the pain in your pelvis." Jacaerys murmured comfortingly, remembering the Maester's words about the drink tasting really bad. "It is what is been helping you since last week."

You hummed, focusing on drinking the liquid and finally handing the cup back to Jace, who stared at the bottom of the object before placing it on top of the dresser closer to your bed. He watched you for a few seconds, eyes attentive to how your belly seemed more swollen than it had been the last week. Even though both of you had closely followed the pregnancies of your other siblings, especially of the little Visenya who was stillborn, something about your pregnancy seemed... Different.

He could not say exactly what it was, since most of the times the Maester came to visit you to check on your and the baby's health, Rhaenyra kept him busy with something nonsense so he never had much time to pay attention to what the older man had to tell his mother. And Jace also doubted that Rhaenyra would tell you about everything.

"What did the Maester tell you on his last checking?" Jacaerys asked with a more serious expression compared to the one he had on his face when he entered the chambers.

"Not much, because he always kept the most important informations to tell just to Mother. But he said the child is developing very well, and that my belly is the right size and—"

Jacaerys snorted, running a hand over his own face. "No, it is not."

His abrupt interruption widened your eyes, both because of hie slightly worried tone and also because of his words. How the hells could anything be wrong?

"Your belly is very big for someone who is only six moons pregnant." He sat on the free part of your bed, interrupting you for the second time when you opened the lips to defend yourself, thinking he was insulting your body. "Stop this shit. You know that is not what I meant. I fucking love your body, I love your pregnant belly. If it were not for this damn war, I would fuck you for hours. Everyday. I would always caress your belly while I had my cock inside your cunt..." A sigh escaped your lips at his words, your cheeks flushing at the idea. "Anyway, what I meant is that your belly is too big for a six month pregnancy. Unless you are not just carrying one baby inside your womb."

Your brother's hypothesis echoed through the walls and you almost choked. Both of you stood there, staring at the ceiling while your brains raced to better understand the possibility of something like that happening. There were many cases of twin children in your family, such as the twins Jaehaera and Jaehaerys, children of your aunt Helaena and your uncle Aegon, and also Baela and Rhaena, daughters of Laena and Daemon.

However, the thought about raising twins in the middle of a war terrified you even more than before. Being forcefully pregnant by your own brother who was already betrothed with another woman was terrible, but now the possibility of being carrying at the same time...

All of that increased the torment in your mind, and you let out a gasp of pain when you felt the baby — or one of the babies — kicking you inside. It was a sensation that happened more often than you would like.

"Our Mother is not telling you everything, is she?"

When you shook your head, Jacaerys ran both hands over his face again, muttering some curse in High Valyrian that you could not identify the meaning of. Lucerys had always been the sibling most easily able to speak the ancient language, but Jacaerys was putting even more effort into learning it since his younger brother's death. How could he be the King one day without even knowing the language of his ancestors? It would be a humiliation, a dishonor. It would prove to Westeros' people that he was nothing more than a legitimized bastard.

"I will talk to her." Jacaerys muttered, getting up from the bed. You grabbed his wrist and he frowned in a mix of confusion and irritation.

“I do not want them…” You swallowed hard, eyes filling with tears, not knowing how to continue saying the cruel things you were saying. "I do not want these children. I do not want twins, Jace. Please, this is too much. Probably I will not be able to go through their childbed or—"

The boy scoffed, pulling his arm away from your hands. There was a flicker of concern in Jacaerys' irises that he was determined to hide at any cost. "Not be able to go through their children?" He repeated your words indignantly. "Seven Hells, sister. You will not be the first woman nor the last one in Westeros to have twins. Laena did it. Your aunt Helaena did it too, and she was younger than you when Aegon fucked her cunt only out of duty."

It was your turn to widen your eyes in anger, your body shaking and your pelvis hurting one more time as you screamed. "BUT I DID NOT EVEN WANT TO BE PREGNANT! YOU WERE THE ONE WHO FORCED ME! YOU FUCKED ME WHEN I WAS SLEEPY AND VULNERABLE!"

Jacaerys' jaw clenched, your bitter but true sentences burning him inside. "Stop yelling." He growled slowly.

"Why? Is not it true, brother? You took advantage of me, got me pregnant against my will. You put those herbs in my dinner drink so you could try to carry out your plan by breeding me. But your plan failed and now you will need to marry Baela anyway."

"Do not be so dramatic."

"Dramatic? Jacaerys, cannot you understand? I could still be a maiden, I could… I could marry a good lord when our mother wins the war.”

"And do you really think I would let some other man marry my dear sister? Do you really think I would let some other man fuck you and breed you?" Your twin got a little closer and pointed his finger in front of your face, so close that you flinched, swearing for a few seconds that his large hand would hit your cheek. "You were always mine. You are my twin sister. We share the same blood. We shared our mother's womb at the same time. We came into the world together and we will die together. I would rather both of us die in the most painful way during this war than see you living a happy life without me."

After finishing his speech, Jacaerys caressed your cheeks, the touch so possessive and tender, many emotions passing between you. You wanted to cry out, tell him he was crazy, that Lucerys' death had turned him into an emotionally sick man. You wanted to push his hands away from your skin.

However, you also wanted Jacaerys to continue caressing your face. You wanted him to reassure you that you would not die in the childbirth. You wanted him to reassure you that everything would be fine even if you were actually pregnant with twins.

"Idaña..." You whimpered when Jacaerys lowered his fingers to your neck, applying a light pressure there, not enough to hurt you, but enough to make your crave air. He took the opportunity to bend down himself, close to you, desperate lips meeting each other while his other hand went straight to one of your breasts covered by the silk nightgown, squeezing it.

Breathing heavily, Jacaerys distanced himself from your lips and admired how the fabric of your nightwear became damp with the breast milk that flowed due to his aggressive caresses. "Fuck..." He groaned at the sight, pushing you to lay down on the bed, hovering over your body, carefully so as not to hurt your stomach. With both hands, Jacaerys tore your clothes, letting the two pieces scattered across the bed

As soon as Jacaerys took off your underwear too, he sat on the mattress and switched positions, leaning against the headboard and keeping you on top of him, your heavy and milk-filled breasts now almost in his face. "You get hotter every day, little sister." He purred, licking your collarbone and then finally sucking on your nipple, closing his eyes so he could capture as much breast milk as he wanted.

"Oh, Jace..." You looked down to see how your brother breastfeeding from you like a hungry baby. Despite the shame pounding inside your mind, your skin crawled with the overwhelming feeling of your breast being sucked and lightly nibbled. "Kostilus, idaña..." You begged with loud moans, not knowing what you were actually begging for.

For he just keeping sucking on you? For he to let you go forever and allow you to be free? For he to fuck your cunt with his fingers and with his cock afterwards?

"Kostilus?" Jace teased, repeating your plea with a mockery tone, his full lips wet with your milk, lifting his head so he could look directly at you, his fingers now playing with both of your nipples. "Do you want more, sister? But I thought you were angry that I took advantage of you, that I forced myself into you and forced you to carry my babies..."

The plural word made you wince on your twin's lap, your cunt dripping and wetting the fabric of his pants. "I... I know what I said. And it is true."

Jacaerys scoffed at your stubbornness, rolling his pretty eyes and holding your waist with his hands, causing you to whimper when he rubbed you back and forth, so slowly that you had to grab his hair and pull it back, getting a needy whining from the boy, his eyes closed with the pleasure.

You had never been a religious person, but in that moment you wished the Gods would forgive you for the way your core was so wet due the whole situation, even though the rational part of your brain knew you should be disgusted by it all. Actually, a part of you was always repudiating Jacaerys and all his acts, repudiating yourself for enjoying it too.

Perhaps you were just as disgusting and sick as Jacaerys. Perhaps deep down he was a good person who became after Lucerys' death. Perhaps trying to like it was the only way you could deal with everything. Or perhaps both of you were dirty souls, always destined for such perversities since you shared your mother's womb.

"You will not die during the childbirth. I promise you, my love." Jacaerys murmured, moving to caress your belly and enjoying the sight of the stretched skin, reddish marks appearing as the pregnancy progressed. "If you are carrying my two babies inside you indeed, then I will make sure the three of you stay alive and healthy. I will not live even a minute of my existence without my twin sister."

You swallowed hard, about to look for arguments to refute the intense assurance Jacaerys was giving you. Trying to rely on promises that demanded the graces of the Gods was a crushing feeling in your heart, an uncertainty that was filling your eyes with tears, mentally begging the universe to allow Jacaerys to be right in the end. You needed Jacaerys' promises to come true, you needed to stay alive.

When Jacaerys fingered your warm cunt and rubbed his palm over your bud, the chamber's doors swung open with a thud, your face turned pale while your naked body turned around, noticing a random guard who was not caring about the heir fingerfucking his own pregnant twin.

"Your Graces, Queen Rhaenyra orders the presence of both of you at the Small Council immediately. The Pentoshi cog carrying your younger brothers Aegon III and Viserys II was captured. Prince Aegon has just landed here In Dragonstone with his young dragon, but the Prince Viserys was left behind."

[chanranghaeys]

🐸 “come here, hold my hand.”

request from my og @tusswrites! "come here, hold my hand.” “you’re washing the dishes.” “…i can do both…” with minghao? please i love this man and I’ll crumble if he says this to me 😭

pairing: minghao x gn!reader word count: 1k+ genre: fluff, slice of life (HELLO IT'S ME) rating: pg tags: pure fluff, physical touch as the love language, mundane stuff, household chores, request prompted washing the dishes so you will have washing the dishes, i try to make up a song warnings: none

a/n: finally found the random inspiration for this drabble that ended up with more than 1k words. purely self-indulgent. bear with me. as someone who always washes the dishes, i want this. bow.

. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁ masterlist . ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

Minghao is a strong believer in physical touch as a love language.

Popular media doesn’t showcase this all too well because of the image and concept that has been formed around him. Still, physical touch is the love language that remains superior in his opinion. This means being able to reach out to the other person and hold them in any manner, being in proximity to them to express how you feel, and being in the same room with each other regardless of what you are doing.

He says it’s about having something tangible to hold—tactile in his hand and palpable on his body—and how he appreciates having the people around him to physically ground his thoughts and dreams that can soar as high as the heavens allow. It reminds him that he doesn’t just have his rational mind anchoring him down but also something and someone to help make sense of things.

Minghao, contrary to popular belief then, is actually a very clingy person.

Words are not and will never be his strong suit. Yes, he can write. Yes, his words are like poetry, like water flowing through the rough in cascades of emotion, but they only come out when the cup is full. On a day-to-day basis, Minghao expresses his love which can be felt even through the slightest brush of hands.

This is a fact that you learned almost immediately.

He comes home, wordless, whether to his place or your place, and the first thing he does is go in for a hug. No matter where you are or what you are doing, he forces you to stop so he can hug you for who knows how long, deeply, fully, and wholeheartedly—not that half-assed wraparound from the side that people excuse for a hug.

It’s a habit he started during a particularly trying time in his life. He would pull you closer and engulf you in his arms, burying you in his scent as he buries himself in the crook of your neck or the crown of your head.

Naturally, during a particularly trying time in your life this time, you picked up his habit easily and did the same to him.

Scientific studies show that a 20-second hug is enough to release oxytocin that can lower stress levels and improve quality of life. Whatever the research says, you and Minghao do agree that this little practice has made your lives easier and more bearable than they used to be.

Recently though, you always end up missing each other at home. He would come home late nights and early mornings after schedules to find you sound asleep in your bed, while you would wake up a few hours later to his sleeping form recovering from the previous day’s demands. You’d come home one too many days to a space devoid of his comforting presence, and the same could be said for him.

It happens, you think. It’s absolutely normal. Being this busy just means that both your lives are taking a turn for the better, right?

But still, you miss him, despite coming home to each other every day. You miss the simple act of sharing your silence together and you miss the way his touches would simultaneously calm you down but also keep you on your toes.

Today, you couldn’t help but feel lonelier than usual as you set your jacket and bag down to be greeted by a dark apartment room. Based on his last message a few hours ago, Minghao was still in the studio practicing. He sent a selca with the other performance unit boys and you don’t deny how you stared at his sweaty hair and bare smiling face for a minute longer than you thought you did.

But you had a good day at work, where everything just worked out the way you wish every day would, and you absolutely will not let anything rain on your small moment of happiness. No, not even the mess of a room you left this morning and not the pile of dishes you didn't realize remained unwashed this morning.

So you turn on the speakers and press play on a song that has Minghao’s voice fill the empty space. It was one of his unreleased demos for his recent solo EP. It was a shame because this was your favorite from his endless roster of songs—a song where the lyrics talked about how the most mundane of moments could be the most special if you had your love’s hand to hold.

You started on the dishes and got lost in the process almost meditatively in the menial task. It was enough to startle you when you heard your name from behind you. You see him in fresh clothes and slightly damp hair, a clean scent emanating from his presence.

“When did you get home?” You asked in reply to your most favorite voice in the world.

“Just now,” Minghao instinctively reached out to latch onto your waist, easily letting your gravity pull him to you in your natural ritual of finding purchase in each other's nooks and crannies. As if you were two puzzle pieces fitting perfectly, he molds his body against yours with his chest flush to your back and his hands folding on the flat of your stomach.

He breathed in your scent and you felt his smile against your temple. Instantaneously, you relax against his touch as he says against your ear, “I missed you.”

You turn to find his lips, softly pressing yours against them and repeating his words to him. With a smile, you continue your reply with a melody to your voice. “Come here, hold my hand.”

You feel his chuckles with his cheek pressed on yours when he says, “But you’re washing the dishes.”

“I can do both.”

So he does, intertwining one of his hands with yours—albeit awkwardly—and helping you finish the chore in front of you. His soft giggles mingle with yours as you two find a rhythm to washing the dishes among four working hands.

You two stay in this position for a while with the song still playing in the background, the lyrics resounding as you sway in time with the rhythm.

“Come here, hold my hand, pull me in, and let me orbit around your gravity…”

✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

post a/n: still from my little drabble request game and still accepting requests! all you gotta do is shoot an ask <3

[mutantceri]

Research Note 125: 5 Therians Progress

Today was supposed to be a day of work on equipment, but somehow 5 of my friends had appointments today! So I stopped in on all of them. These notes may be important one day, but I also just love being able to write everyone's progress down.

[Artwork done amazingly and perfectly by https://www.furaffinity.net/view/59179875/ . Go. Check. Them. Out!]

Blue: Filling In I mention her a lot, but Dr. Blue has been one of the leading people on the biomedical side. She also has been instrumental in my transition, not only helping as I realized who...what I was, but helping facilitate. Sometimes, a little offputting, but always means well. (I wouldn't have anyone else, she is the leading mind in her field across the pond.) She had decided to transition a year prior to myself. Part of her always wanted to be a dragon, but most of her decided to be an otter. Once she moved over to this side of the Earth, she started transition. Our first few times working together, her skin had already turned color in patches. As her body changed, the fur patching continued. She's often explained it in her medical terminology, but it might as well be an alien language to me. The gist, her skin is having a hard time changing even though the rest of her body is rapidly accepting. It's been quite amazing seeing her come out of the lab each week a bit different anatomically, yet still patchy human skin. Likely, that's why we stay close, both have remnants of human we don't exactly want sticking around. We try to stay social outside of work. Outside, she's a playful sociable squeaky otter. Yet at work, she's laser-focused and stoic as all hell. Today, she wasn't supposed to be at work, but she had to fill in for one of the techs whose treatment has left them too sore to come in. Surprised me when her blue-haired head turned the corner to throw me all of the data to load into the machines. And as usual, her seemingly grumpy ass stoically just, delivered them. In return, I smiled back and excitedly took them with a "Thaaaank youuuu, have a good day!" One day, her otterness will show at work too.

Tracy: Closer (KoboldHRT) There has been an... unfortunate situation created by other players in the animal/species HRT space. Some patients haven't actually been given proper treatment, and effectively have been turned to adjacent species. As far as I understand, our lab may be unethical for military practices, but experimentation without consent is next level. So, a team led by Dr. Blue and I have been working on effectively species transition, transition. Taking someone and trying to steer their body back to their preferred path. It doesn't take someone to 100% where they belong, but helps. We figured it's also a good way to help the hybrid species take form better.

My friend Tracy was one of a pair of sisters who chose to be dragons. Unfortunately, their doctors gave them treatment to become a kobold... If you know anything about the difference, you can see the problems. Tracy has been in treatment for 4 years, and now a year of adjacent transition. It's been hard, and long but she is progressing and growing better than expected. Hopefully, soon we will see dragon features start to come out. Then maybe, if we can find her sister, we can treat her too. But that's a story better told by her.

Pigeon: Next Steps (Pigeon HRT) It might shock you, but my friend named Pigeon, is a pigeon. She's near the end of the first phase of her transition, and looks the part of a rainbow birb. We've grown close over writing, and her's about her transition is phenomenal. But, she didn't just want to be a Pigeon, but a plush pigeon. Yes, you read that right. Plump, soft, full of stuffing. But science can't turn you inanimate. But, thanks to the mutation in my skin that left me fuzzy instead of scaly, we can get close. Quite a bit of editing and a bit of science I don't understand, make it possible. I had to have multiple sessions where they removed grafts to try and figure out the right combinations to create a similar mutation for a bird. But they got it down to this: First, her feathers will shorten, but fuzz up to be a bit floofy. Second, we will turn her body's fat production into cells that have large air pockets, simulating stuffing. She will have to gain so much, girth. Weight won't really change. This will also help immobilize her so she matches being more plush. To break the news, we found an adorable mini pigeon plushie, and at what was supposed to be her last appointment, we gave it to her. "Oh my god! She's adorable!" Pigeon coo'd at me. "She's you in a few years girl!" Her face froze, and then it hit her hard. It's so worth all the work to hear all the happy chirps!

T&R: Therapy Together (Hydra HRT) If you've been reading anything about species HRT you'll know there are plenty of dragons and adjacent chosen species. But rare few decide to not only change species; but to use the opportunity to work their split personality out, literally. I met T&R when I was shadowing an anesthesiologist for a plastic surgeon at another clinic. Their heads had split but not... separated, so invasive action was taken by their doctor. It was mutually nice knowing someone who not only was the same species, but had another voice in the head, so we stayed in touch as they recovered. After they recovery, they're doctor recommended more gene editing, and they just so happened to know someone in the field. So today they visited for a session, and afterward, we met up. For being split for awhile, they were still a bit out of sync. When I toured them through the backrooms of the lab, one head ducked under a pipe but didn't warn the other and smacked straight into their side. But of all the things they were learning, it was their size changes we all talked about the most of. Their necks have gotten to where they are more of the snake type, and they are very disoriented by it. I can relate, I've stretched about 4 inches everywhere in the last 2 months and it's very noticeable. I'm excited to see them next, they're progressing so fast compared to most, and have so many odd features that are coming out due to their complex genealogy and the decision to split. Essentially, I'm excited for my friend. Tasha: Fuzz I have a friend who's an artist, who we often use to help concept species. It took a while, lots of doing works for others, before long, she was the subject of her work. One day, she walked into my office looking for a way into the labs queue. Of course, we snuck her in. Tasha associated with cats the most, but not like a tiger, just a domestic long hair meow meow. What we didn't expect, was how well her body would take to that species. A bit too well. Everything seems to come in *fast* with her transition. I hadn't seen her in about three months due to our schedules not meeting up. When we did, I could barely recognize her. She had fully developed ears, paw pads, and a long, flowy, flippy tail. But one thing was missing, and REALLY missing. Not a single hair of her fur has come in yet. The skin has dyed and changed, clearly, melanin underneath is doing something. No fur though. Just her normal hair on her head. (It seems most of us don't lose it, more on that another note someday.) We hugged, had the usual pleasantries, and then the big question almost instantly. I've assured friends in their treatments time and time again, but this one is literally just a waiting game. And that's exactly what I told her. She's clearly nervous, but doing so well. I can't wait to see her face when it all comes, because, with her luck, it'll all come at once.

[ceoofglytchell]

Butterfly II

| Prequel | Part 1 | Part 2 |

Summary: After getting caught by your mother and an argument that you will still remember in years to come, Rhaenyra chooses to leave the Red Keep again to ensure the safety of her sons, leaving her daughter behind, believing you to be the only one safe for the time being. However, in the night tragedy strikes and years of plotting come to a fulfilling conclusion in the middle of the Dragonpit and your love is once again put to the test.
Pairing: Aegon II Targaryen x Strong!Niece!Reader 
Word count: 6118 words (bear with me pls)
Warnings: incest, Reader is described of having Strong features, Reader is Rhaenyra’s and Harwin’s second child, minor character deaths, brief hurt/comfort, a lot of Hightower plotting and scheming, canon divergence, mentions of intimacy, no mention of Y/N 
Notes: Alright now, I think I am going to make this into a series. Please, let me know if you would be interested in reading more of this pairing. Enjoy 💛

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"How could this happen?!" cried Princess Rhaenyra in horror as she paced the entrance to her only daughter's chambers.

You were still sitting in bed, the sheets wrapped around your body to hide your bare skin from the eyes of your mother and the queen, who had also rushed through the door a few seconds ago. Aegon sat next to you, his arm wrapped protectively around your waist while the sheets hid the lower half of his body.

You had both been sleeping peacefully, snuggled up together, when a maid had apparently entered the chambers and found the princess in the arms of the eldest prince - a scandal in her eyes and in those of the gods.

Since then, your chambers have become the scene of a heated argument in which the two older women shouted at each other and your lover and uncle held you close to him because he would not let you out of his sight for even a second. Never again. Not after everything that had happened yesterday. You had been separated for six years and now you had made sure that you could never be separated again.

You had taken your fate into your own hands for once.

"Oh, I don't know. Perhaps because your daughter couldn't stop fluttering her eyelashes at my son!" argued Queen Alicent, pointing an accusing finger at you, whereupon you turned your head slightly to the side, hiding your face in your lover's silver hair.

"Pardon me? It is more likely that your son couldn't stop pining after my daughter! Seducing her and corrupting her!" countered Rhaenyra, getting louder and louder with every word she spoke.

"Corrupting her? We both know she always was."

A cold shiver ran down your spine and Aegon immediately held you tighter when that one topic suddenly came up. That one topic that no one in the family talked about, even though everyone knew about it. It was an unspoken truth, something that everyone knew, even the people of the small folk.

"Careful. One more word, Alicent. One word," the princess threatened, taking a small step toward her former friend, but instead of affection, there was nothing but loathing in her own violet eyes.

"Rhaenyra..." The queen walked a few steps across the room, her gaze fixed on the floor beneath her feet. She shook her head as if she were waging war in her own mind, and she was. You were a bastard, unworthy of her son, and yet he seemed to love you as if you were made for each other. "They will have to marry."

A brief glimmer of hope appeared within Aegon and he looked at his mother with wide, pleading eyes, but his gaze - vulnerable and weak - only made her angrier.

His half-sister immediately shook her head as if she had made this decision years ago, and indeed she had. Since the birth of her daughter, she had sworn that she would protect you and do everything she could to make you happy, but she certainly had not expected you to choose him.

Just as Viserys had once been unhappy with her and Daemon, she was now angry with you and Aegon. It was the same situation, only years later, but even though she should have understood it better than anyone, she did not want to understand it. She did not want her daughter to find happiness with Alicent's son. Not when she was sure that the Hightowers were secretly planning to usurp the throne and put the boy on it. She could not and would not allow this to happen.

"No, they won't. I will betroth her, today, and we will pretend that none of this ever happened."

"Mother!" you protested immediately, your uncle having to hold you back from jumping up, as you were both still bare beneath the sheets.

"Mother, please, I beg you. He did not force himself on me or seduce me in any way. I wanted it. I wanted it because- because I love him."

For a moment, your chambers were enveloped in silence, an uncomfortable and long silence that felt like half an eternity, although it was only a few seconds, a minute at most.

"Oh, the gods punish me!" the queen said, wiping her face with a hand while your mother stared at the ground. Both women realized that this was not something they could hide or sweep under the carpet. It would become an open secret, as would the fact that you and your brothers were not Laenor's children.

“You are going to get married. As soon as possible and preferably by the end of this moon," Rhaneyra said firmly instead, whereupon she turned around and rushed out the door without hesitation, as if she could no longer bear to look at you, the spitting image of now two obvious disgraces.

The Green Queen, however, stayed.

For a moment the room was shrouded in silence and none of you three said a word, only your steady breathing could be heard. But then Aegon spoke up again: "I told you, we will survive somehow."

In less than a second, Alicent was standing in front of the bed and grabbing her son's face with one hand, pressing her fingers into his pale cheeks and an expression of pure anger and incomprehension in her eyes.

Your lover flinched and you too let out a slight gasp of shock, but otherwise you remained silent because you were too afraid that another word from you would make the older woman even angrier than she already was and you did not want her to hurt him under any circumstances. Never.

"I already told you then to stay away from her. Why, Aegon? Why do you always defy me? Tell me, why can you not be more like Aemond, have his sense of duty and his virtue? Of all my children you are the biggest disappointment."

Tears formed in Aegon's eyes and you could feel him starting to tremble. His cheeks were red and you could see him trying hard not to cry. What you did not know, however, was that he was holding back because of you. He had already sworn back then that he would always be strong for you and he would be now too.

"Answer me!" the queen demanded and pressed her fingers deeper into his soft cheeks, her sharp nails leaving small crescent-shaped marks in his flesh.

You saw the first tear fall and you could not bear it any longer. Instinctively, your delicate hand turned around the woman's wrist and you looked at her with a fire in your eyes that she knew all too well from your own mother. The dragon's blood was in your veins and for a moment the innocent butterfly turned into a bloodthirsty predator.

"Let him go, Your Grace," you said in a voice that Aegon did not recognize from you. Your tone was calm and measured, but your undertone dripped with anger and a silent threat that if she did not leave him now, she would awaken something that could never be put to sleep again.

Reminded of a time long gone, a time when she was carefree and unmarried, happy, Alicent Hightower released her grip from her son's face and took a step back from the bed. You were still a bastard, but you were definitely Rhaenyra's daughter too. You had the same fire, the same wildness that she had when she was younger. For some reason, she hated you even more now. She was so bound by her duty that she would never have broken a rule to prove her love for a man. Aegon and you were different, you knew no duty, no sense of honor, and you deserved no mercy under the gods' eyes. But mayhaps you deserved each other.

The prince breathed a sigh of relief, but you could feel him still shaking like a branch in the wind.

The queen breathed angrily, turned and hurried out of the chambers, the door slamming loudly behind her. The room was wrapped in an uncomfortable silence for a moment, as both of your minds were racing with the words spoken. You would marry.

"Thank you," Aegon whispered softly, looking to the side where you were sitting, but your eyes had already been on him, on the small red marks his mother's nails had left on his skin. You could not help but wonder how many times that had happened in the years when you could not be there for him. What else she had done. She may not have hit him today, but you knew she had. Otto as well, perhaps even worse.

"You are welcome, my love. I don't know what I would have done if she had not left. I would have... I would have-"

"Shh, butterfly. Don't worry about me. I am used to my mother's anger, but you should not have seen that." He tried to calm you and put his arm around your shoulders again, whereupon you buried your face in his curls.

His scent filled your senses and for a moment you could forget everything that had happened so far and you were reminded of a time many years ago when you were both young and believed in foolish dreams. These dreams would now come true, finally true. It took so long, but now no one would ever be able to tear you apart again. Never again.

"We will marry."

Your uncle pressed a kiss to your head and breathed in the sweet scent of your brown hair, which had always been a sign of your beauty. You did not need silver hair or violet eyes to be a Targaryen. You simply were, and he loved you more than anything else.

"Yes, we will. We will."

You did not get a chance to say farewell to your mother or your brothers as they mounted their dragons to fly back to Dragonstone. It was not that you did not want to, but you had other things to do. Better things.

Aegon and you were far too busy inaugurating your chambers and his. In bed, he had you lying on your back beneath him once more, his hips moving rapidly and desperately against yours, your fingers entwined with his as your loud moans and his deep grunts filled the chambers. Then, after you had eaten breakfast, he had pressed you against the hard wooden top of the table and disappeared beneath the soft fabric of your nightgown, taking up space between your warm thighs as he showed you how talented his tongue was.

At sunset, you sat on his lap with his face buried between your breasts, and he taught you to ride him like you ride your dragon. The evening ended with you lying on the soft fur next to the lit fire, his hand buried in your long hair while you slowly and intimately satisfied him with your mouth, which elicited noises from him that made you press your thighs together again, searching for that delicious friction that would take her to bliss eventually.

You had never been happier in your entire life than with him by your side and when he held you close to him that night, he knew that he would do everything in his power to never lose you again. Never again.

You had never slept as peacefully and comfortably as that night. Your future husband held you in his arms while your head rested on his chest and you listened to his steady heartbeat and felt safe and protected in his warmth.

What none of you knew, however, was that not far from your bedchamber, Alicent and Otto Hightower were already plotting new intrigues, because the queen had been awakened in the middle of the night by her chambermaid with news that had shaken her to the core - the king is dead.

King Viserys closed his eyes for the last time and only his wife knew his last words, his wish that Aegon should now follow him on the Iron Throne instead of Rhaenyra.

And who was she to contradict his last wish?

The council meeting took place in the early hours of the morning behind closed doors. The future king was unaware of the whole thing, as was half of the castle. Only the Small Council knew of the death of their ruler and of the seriousness of the situation they now had to learn to deal with.

Ser Criston Cole murdered Lord Beesbury in the name of his queen, the woman he was devoted to, and the leader of the Kingsguard resigned from his post. When the sun crossed Visenya's hill, all servants and maids were taken to the dungeons and the king's chambers were sealed.

You woke up alone in the bed in your lover's chambers. Sleepy and still tired, you sat up on the soft mattress and let your gaze wander around the rooms. It was quiet. Too quiet.

Where was Aegon?

Your hand slid to the side and you ran your palm over the fabric only to notice that it was cold, which meant that you had been sleeping alone for some time. You did not understand. He had promised you that you would have breakfast in the garden in the morning and that he might take you to see Sunfyre. After all, you had not seen the golden beast for six years and you and Silverwing missed the dragon. You might have flown together for a few hours.

Yawning, you rubbed the sleep from your eyes before slowly getting out of bed. A soft gasp escaped you as your thighs still ached a little from yesterday's activities, but it was a sweet pain that you were willing to endure.

You reached for your thin white nightgown that still rested on the floor, and as you pulled it on and wrapped your naked body in cloth again, you noticed that Aegon's clothes were missing.

His breeches, his tunic and doublet, his rings and chains, everything was gone. Perhaps he had already left for breakfast?

However, the man usually slept like a stone and nothing but you could wake him. Where could he be?

A bad feeling spread in the pit of your stomach and you got the feeling that something was very wrong.

"Aegon? My love, are you there?" you asked just to make sure, because it could be that he was on the balcony or sitting in front of the fireplace, but you got no answer.

You slowly limped towards the door, not thinking about the fact that you were only wearing your thin nightgown or that your long brown hair was flowing wild and disheveled down your back. None of that mattered to you, because all you wanted was to have your beloved prince by your side again.

Your delicate hand closed around the golden doorknob, but when you tried to open the door you noticed that it would not move. It was locked. You leaned against the door with all your weight and began to shake the knob wildly, your breathing becoming more and more panicked.

You were locked in. Why in the Seven Hells were you locked in?

"Hello? Hello! Is someone there?! As princess, I command this door to be opened now!"

You were met with nothing but silence and a feeling of hopelessness slowly formed in the pit of your stomach. Suddenly the chambers felt cold and empty, when only the evening before they had been filled with passion and love.

"Oh, Aegon... where are you?" you whispered quietly and leaned your pale forehead against the wood the door was made of.

Suddenly you heard a loud crash and many screams in the distance. As fast as your feet could carry you, you ran to the nearest window and what you saw made your breath catch and your eyes widen.

Meleys, the Red Queen, flew out of the dragon pit and towards the sea as fast as her wings could carry her. Her destination was probably Dragonstone - where your mother and brothers were.

Smoke rose from the dragon pit and people ran panicked through the streets back to their homes. Something was going on there, something important.

You slowly sat down on the windowsill and buried your face in your hands. Yesterday had been such a wonderful day, such a wonderful evening, and now there was nothing but confusion inside you. Your lover was gone, your doors were locked, no one responded to your cries for help and Rhaenys seemed to have fled as fast as she could.

An hour later, when the sun was at its highest in the sky, you suddenly heard the sound of your doors being unlocked.

You immediately jumped up from your seat by the window and ran to the door, but you had not expected what would happened next.

Aegon came running through the door, the Conqueror's crown on his head, his sword at his hip, and she had never seen him wear such elaborately embroidered clothes before. Dried tears still glistened on his cheeks and his eyes were cast to the floor as if he could not bear looking at you.

Shame was eating him alive.

His name escaped you in a soft whisper and you watched as he began to tremble and new tears formed in his violet eyes.

"They made me king," he explained quietly, and if he had spoken just a little louder, his voice would have broken.

"What? No... no, you are jesting." Your words were a desperate attempt to avoid facing the truth, but you knew it was true. He wore all the symbols of the Conqueror on his body. The symbols of a man he could not care less about. It could not be a jest.

"I-I just wanted to get you some grapes this morning and-and then," the tears were now flowing freely down his cheeks and he doubled over as sobs escaped him as if they were being forced out of him, "Cole found me and mother… mother said the time had come."

Before you could react, he suddenly wrapped his arms around you and buried his head in your hair, feeling the cold surface of the crown press against his neck.

"Father is dead."

A cold shiver ran down your spine because you knew it was true. It explained why your doors were locked, why no one answered you, and why Rhaenys had fled on Meleys. King Viserys the Peaceful was dead and now his firstborn son, your Aegon, was the next in line to sit on the Iron Throne.

“But what about my mother?” you voiced your thoughts out loud, and he found himself flinching.

"My mother said father had changed his mind. His last words... he said I should follow him on the throne."

Slowly you leaned back so you could look him in the eyes to see if he was telling the truth. His purple eyes were red from all the tears he had already shed, but you could also see that he was being honest.

There was a possibility Alicent may have lied, but he was telling her what he believed to be true. He was being honest.

"Do you think she was telling the truth?" you asked him quietly, cupping his face with your hands so that he had to look you in the eyes and couldn't look away.

Your lover shrugged and you could see his lower lip start to tremble as more pearly tears flowed down his pale cheeks like water of a waterfall.

"She and my Grandsire have always wanted to see me on the throne. I cannot tell you, my love.”

His chambers were silent for a moment before he cleared his throat again. “Am I a usurper?”

It was a difficult question. In some eyes he would surely be seen as a usurper, a brother who stole the throne from his sister without even consulting her or seeking the opinion of a greater council. On the other hand, there will be just as many voices saying that Aegon was the true heir, since he was Viserys' first male son and thus continued the tradition of House Targaryen.

You could not and would not answer that question.

All you knew was that you loved this man and that you knew that everything would change now. Nothing would be the same as it had been the day before.

Suddenly the door to the chambers opened and you looked up to see Ser Criston crossing the threshold. A serious expression darkened his features as he saw Aegon's face buried in your shoulder and how he held himself as if you were the last anchor that bound him to this world.

"You are expected in the throne room, Your Grace," said the White Cloak, bowing slightly.

The bow, the title, it made you understand that this was not just a terrible nightmare, but the truth. Your beloved was king. And you? The bastard he loved.

"Must I?" the young king murmured into the fabric of your dress, but the knight seemed to have heard him.

"There are some oaths that must be renewed, my king," the older man explained, motioning for him to follow him.

The silver-haired man sniffed and wiped his tear-stained face on his sleeve once, so as not to show any weakness to the lords of the court. He could not be weak. Not anymore. Never again.

Aegon followed Ser Criston out of the chambers, but you were not alone for long.

Maybe two or three minutes later, some maids ran in, curtsied, and quickly began to move you toward your dressing table, which made you look at them confused. You did not know what was going on, nor why they wanted to help you dress now and not two hours ago.

The women began to undo the strings on the back of your nightgown, and you just wished you had not looked to the side at that moment. Another maid had come in, but this one was holding a richly embroidered, beautiful green dress in her arms. Not red, not purple, not pink, but green. The color of the Hightowers. His color.

The fabric fell to the floor and you could hear the women's surprised gasps when they saw the red marks on your neck and hips. Heat rose in your cheeks because you knew that they knew what you and your lover had done last night. And during the day as well.

"By the Seven. That is not appropriate, young lady," said an older woman, whereupon you shook your head slightly. However, you could not think of anything other than Aegon and that green dress that you were going to get dressed in. But why? Why now?

The maids got you ready with a speed that surprised you. In no time at all they had brushed your hair and woven small pearls and gold threads into the brown curls. They also dabbed the juice of a strawberry on your lips so that your mouth appeared even redder than it already was naturally. There was something strange about this situation.

The whole day was surreal.

"What is the meaning of this?" you asked one of them as they helped you tie the green fabric- much tighter than you were used to.

"We are forbidden to tell you that, Princess," replied one of the younger ones, who was just pushing one of the long, transparent sleeves over your arm.

You furrowed your eyebrows together as your gaze slid over your reflection in the mirror. Admittedly, you looked beautiful. The green dress clung tightly to your form and accentuated your feminine curves. It was not quite scandalous, but you knew that you would feel a few more pairs of eyes on you than usual. You may be petite and delicate, but you were certainly not without allure.

"I don't understand."

"Neither do we, Your Grace."

"Your Grace?" you repeated, astonished, and you no longer understood anything. Your head was empty. Nothing made sense anymore.

"Is she ready?" A biting voice suddenly interrupted the still quite calm atmosphere of the room. Alicent Hightower, dressed in a long dark green gown, a veil and a large silver necklace in the shape of the seven-pointed star of the Faith of the Seven hanging around her neck, stood not far from you and looked at you with a look of pure scruples and resentment in her eyes.

"Yes, my queen," the servants answered in unison and looked down at the floor, but you didn't know whether it was with respect, awe or fear.

The Dowager Queen grabbed your arm roughly and began to pull you along with quick steps. The long corridors of the Red Keep seemed even colder and gloomy that day and you could swear your heart almost jumped out of your chest.

"Where are you taking me?" you asked her, your voice trembling with uncertainty.

"The throne room," she replied, curtly and coldly.

"Why?"

"Stop questioning me, girl," she said, gripping your arm even tighter, which made you whimper quietly. Even through the fabric of the dress you could feel her fingers pressing into your skin.

The large doors of the throne room opened in front of you and in that very moment you could feel all eyes turning to you, the daughter of Rhaenyra Targaryen, and the Dowager Queen of House Hightower. A murmur went through the crowd as the lords and ladies realized that you were dressed in an emerald green dress and that you were here, unfettered and uninjured, unconstrained and untouched.

The crowd parted and your eyes widened when you saw Aegon sitting on the Iron Throne, imposing and proud. The golden midday light fell through the windows behind the throne and enveloped the king in an almost angelic glow. He looked like he was made for this very place. A king as he would be honored in the history books.

In a way, it was even true that he was born for the throne. After all, he was the firstborn son of the king.

Otto Hightower's voice brought you out of your thoughts again: "And at the very end: The only daughter of Rhaenyra has come to swear eternal loyalty to our king under the eyes of the old gods and the new!"

Your lips parted and shock was written on your face as you finally understood what was happening here. Aegon looked down in shame because he could see that you knew. What they would ask of you could ruin everything. Your love, your bond, everything.

Your feet moved of their own accord as you approached the throne, whose shadow enveloped you. You could almost feel the executioner's sword hovering over your head, ready to strike.

At the steps of the throne, the queen pressed your shoulder, indicating that it was now time to kneel and swear your oath. The oath for your one, true king.

You had no choice. Hundreds of pairs of eyes were on you, Aegon was staring at you and you feared what would happen if you refused and swore allegiance to your mother instead. You couldn't do it. You were weak and your heart belonged entirely to Aegon. You were not blinded by love, but chained by it.

Your knees hit the hard stone floor of the hall and you mourned the pristine fabric of the dress that would now be soiled.

The silence in the throne room was oppressive and only the deep, pleading look of your lover saved you from bursting into tears of despair.

"In the name of House Velaryon and my mother the Princess, I swear to you, King Aegon, second of your name, eternal loyalty and faithfulness. I wish to live and remain by your side, to fight and die for you. You are the true heir to the Iron Throne and I am a loyal servant of the crown, of you."

Your sweet voice was music to Aegon's ears and his heart pounded strongly in his chest with every word that left your lips. He was aware of the fact that your oath of loyalty was a lie and that you only recited it because circumstances forced you to, but a small part of him wished you would truly see him as the true king.

You would. At some point.

"I, King Aegon of House Targaryen, accept your oath and dare to go one step further. Every king needs a wife who supports him and stands by him loyally, just as my mother had been with my father for years. Now I need someone similar at my side."

He rose from his throne and looked down at you kneeling before him and looking at him with large, uncertain eyes. A small part of him could get used to this image.

"In our childhood, dear niece, you always stood by me, gave me your trust and your heart, and now I ask for your hand."

A loud murmur went around the crowd and it was obvious that some of the lords thought this was a hasty, unwise decision.

None of them knew that you had already given yourself to him entirely and that your souls and bodies had already become one. You were already his and after today, no one could take you away from him. He just wished the circumstances had been better. He wanted you, he loved you, but - impulsive as he usually was - he had not expected your marriage to turn out like this.

Certainly not on the same day that he was forced to become something he never wanted. How bittersweet it was. He got something he never wanted, but he also got what he always wanted - you.

"Be my wife, my queen. Butterfly, I-"

"What is your decision?" his grandfather, the Hand, interrupted him quickly before he could say something wrong that would betray his insecurity as a ruler.

For a moment, the throne room was enveloped in a deafening silence. All eyes were on you and you could feel half of the room thinking this was a good idea, one that could save the realm from being split, and the others immediately regretting their renewed oaths.

Like him, you had never wanted the throne. It had never interested you and you had known from a young age that it would not be yours. But now your lover was sitting on it and you knew you could not leave him alone.

Oh, just what would you not do for love?

"Yes," your voice was quiet, but because of the silence that had spread in the throne room, everyone heard you immediately.

A wide smile spread across Aegon's lips and you could see that he was genuinely happy with your decision. To Otto and Alicent, this seemed a cleverly devised move, but to the young king, it was so much more than that. To him, you were not just a tool in a war that was slowly brewing on the horizon, you were his everything. You were the sun that brightened his days, that gave him warmth and strength, you were his moon that breathed light into the darkness of his soul, but most importantly, you were the sole owner of the key to his heart.

His beloved little butterfly.

Aegon looked to the side where an older man in a finely embroidered white robe held a velvet pillow in his hands, on which lay a delicate, fine crown. It was golden and jagged at the ends, as if it were rays of sunlight reaching out into the sky, and in the middle were a pearl on either side and an emerald in the middle. It was a crown fit for a queen.

The man, a High Septon, handed him the crown with a nod of approval, which in the same sense meant that this union had the blessing of the gods. It was an unconventional wedding, yes, but special circumstances called for special measures. Nonetheless, he had always imagined your wedding to be different. More peaceful and actually far away from King's Landing and the crown.

Now it was just another shattered dream that he could mourn.

He took the crown as if it were as fragile as glass. Just as you were a contrast to him, your crown was a contrast to the Conqueror's that now rested on his head.

Carefully and with a gentleness that no one else knew from him except you, he placed the crown on your hair, watching you try not to cry. He could understand that. Perhaps he understood it better than anyone else.

The walk to his own coronation that morning had been filled with the same feeling as if the executioner was already sharpening his axe or a rope that was already being tied. The crown was a death sentence.

"I am yours and you are mine, my queen," he said so that the lords and ladies present in the hall could hear, but at the same time there was a warmth in his eyes that was meant only for you.

He held out his hand to you. You took it.

"I am yours and and you are mine, my king."

Polite applause echoed through the throne room and even the Dowager Queen could not help but smile when she saw her firstborn lean towards you and gently press a kiss to your cheek. In her eyes, you might not deserve this title and she did not have any sympathy towards you, but this wedding was a long-planned move by Alicent and Otto Hightower after they had realized that you two could not be separated. You always found each other like a moth a light.

The advantage of a wedding was that you could no longer escape. You belonged to him now. A prisoner, rather than a queen, and the Blacks would know this. They would not be able to simply attack without risking harm to their most precious treasure.

Because the marriage and coronation were quite sudden, the festivities were non existent. The nobles who had renewed their oaths of loyalty had left and you and Aegon had returned to his chambers together - well, your chambers.

The silence after the door closed behind you was deafening and for a moment neither he nor you spoke a single word.

The crowns lay heavy on both of your heads and all you wanted to do was cry bitterly. He felt very much the same.

Aegon took the crown and laid it roughly on a wooden dresser. The black iron already had so many nicks that he didn't care if it had one more. He wanted to throw it off the balcony and hope it broke on impact on the ground.

"I'm sorry, butterfly. I'm so sorry," he whispered, bracing himself with his hands on the wooden edges of the dresser, his head facing the floor as shame flooded through him.

Your heart broke at the sight and you could feel a dam breaking inside you and the first tears streaming down your pale, ivory cheeks. As quickly as you could, you wrapped your arms around his middle and leaned your head against his back.

You were now trapped in a cage, trapped with him, and despite all of that, despite the hatred that was woven deep into your family bond, you loved him dearly and more than anything else.

This realization was the last straw for him and a jolt ran through him as he too began to cry bitterly and tremble like a leaf on a branch during a storm.

Without hesitation, he turned around, wrapped his arms around you and buried his head in your hair, inhaling your familiar scent and wetting the strands with salty tears.

Your delicate crown fell from your head and landed with a dull thud on the stone floor of the Red Keep. Neither you nor he cared.

All you cared about right now was giving each other comfort and showing love.

Over and over he mumbled apologies into your hair and you whispered back that it was alright, that he hadn't made the decision and that you were grateful to be his wife.

You spent the night of your wedding holding each other and offering comfort, hoping that everything would turn out well and that Rhaenyra would somehow accept these new developments and come to terms with the fact that her only daughter was now queen.

You would never know the 'what if', because it was in this very night that the first act of the war was being carried out.

Prince Aemond had flown to Storm's End to secure a marriage alliance with one of the Baratheon girls, but he came back not as a betrothed, but as a kinslayer.

War, the Dance of Dragons, was now inevitable.

And you and Aegon found yourself in the middle of it.

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅∙∘☽༓☾∘∙•⋅⋅⋅•⋅⋅⊰⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⋅•⋅

[bitingdrivers]

new bones au fic time!! - maxiel, 1.7k -> read on ao3

Daniel knocks on the door three times and waits. 

It's early, 6:30 am, but he had gotten up even earlier – a call that Daniel had been contemplating letting ring through to  voicemail, but had ultimately decided to pick up. 

Now Daniel thinks he should have ignored it – a body was found in a sinkhole during construction work and now he has to go to the crime scene at the crack of dawn. Because it's his job or something. 

There's one positive though – he gets to pick up Max from his apartment. There's something exciting about seeing Max like this, in comfortable cozy clothes, early in the morning. It’s like getting a new piece of the puzzle that is Max Verstappen. 

During the  handful of times Daniel has gotten to do this, Max had been wearing different, new, clothes that he’d never seen before – a nice soft baby blue sweater, a pair of pajama pants with little race cars on it, warm fluffy socks, a big black hoodie, old and loved, from the looks of it. 

And now, as Daniel hears footsteps on the other side of the door, he wonders what Max will wear today. 

The lock clicks and the door opens. Max looks through the crack, his brows furrowed and hair ruffled from sleep. 

“Daniel?” Max croaks. He cracks the door a little more and Daniel uses the moment to slip past him into the flat. 

“Good morning, Bones!” Daniel grins and looks at Max.

As soon as his eyes land on Max, Daniel's brain short-circuits. 

Max is naked. Almost.

He is dressed in only a pair of boxers and a t-shirt. Daniel has never seen him this undressed. He can't tear his eyes away from the way Max's black boxers contrast with his pale thighs. Daniel feels his hands itch as he looks at the light fuzzy hair covering Max’s thighs. 

He has to carefully shift his eyes upwards, looking at Max’s t-shirt now. It's white, one of the basic ones he wears to work, but this one is crinkled, like Max left it on the floor and put it on in a rush. 

“What are you doing here so early?” Max asks and Daniel remembers that he's in Max's flat at six in the morning. 

“Uh-Didn't you get a call?” He asks, trying to keep looking into Max’s eyes. 

Max raises a brow.

“A body was found in a sinkhole in Dupont Circle. I'm here to drive you to the crime scene,” Daniel elaborates. 

Max is about to reply when an unfamiliar voice interrupts him. 

“Hey, what's going on?” 

Daniel’s hand jerks to his gun as he looks to the source of the sound. 

There's a guy standing in the doorframe of Max’s bedroom. 

He's also mostly naked, except for the navy boxers on his hips. He's tall, taller than Max, with dark hair and slightly tanned skin. 

Daniel doesn't like him – the guy is too smug and proprietary, he looks at both of them with a smirk, and it makes Daniel want to punch him. 

“Colin,” Max says, turning around. “This is my partner, Daniel. We are needed at a crime scene.”

Daniel tries really hard to stop looking at Colin, instead looking around him at Max’s flat. It’s spacious, with high ceilings and big windows. You can clearly see a touch of Max here – anthropology journals scattered around, more weird sculptures and trinkets covering shelves and counters. The floor is covered in a plush ornamental rug, a big comfortable couch sits in the middle of the living room. 

Daniel decides that Colin looks wildly out of place here, like his whole being clashes with the gentle softness of Max’s flat.

Then Daniel’s brain catches up with what's going on – the way both Max and Colin are mostly naked, how Max was reluctant to let Daniel in. The realization violently clicks into place and he immediately feels the need to leave. 

“Y-yeah. I-We need to go,” Daniel stammers, moving towards the door. “Bones, how about I wait in the car?”

Max tracks his movement. “Sure, I will be ready in…10-15 minutes?” he asks. 

“Yeah, yeah. No problem,” Daniel splutters, already half out the door. He is about to leave when he remembers his manners, even though he doesn't want to be nice to Colin. 

“And uh. It was nice meeting you, Colin.” Daniel tries to smile. He hopes it doesn't look like a snarl. 

“Sure man, you too,” Collin replies, the same smirk playing on his lips. Daniel  still wants to punch him. 

“Okay, 15 minutes, Bones,” Daniel throws behind his shoulder and closes the door after himself. 

***

“You are being weird,” Max says, looking at Daniel's side profile. 

“I'm not being weird,” Daniel tenses and grips the wheel even tighter. 

He is definitely being weird. As soon as Max got into the car, Daniel handed him a can of Redbull without saying anything and started driving. 

Max is not the best at “reading the room”, but even he can tell the atmosphere in the car is awkward – they usually talk on their way to the crime scene, but this time they sat in silence, even the radio is off, only the sounds of the road around them keeping the silence from being unbearable. 

“You are. Is it because of me being gay?” Max asks, trying to keep his voice as flat as possible. 

That's the only explanation to Daniel's behavior, albeit not a reasonable one. Max knows Daniel is not homophobic, they've had cases that involved talking to gay people and Daniel never showed any kind of sigh of disgust or protest. 

But maybe, it was because Daniel didn't know any of those people personally. Maybe he has a problem with Max being gay. Maybe Daniel has no problem with gay people as long as he doesn’t have to work with one. 

Max tries to not feel hurt. This wouldn't be the first time he met a homophobe of course, but years of being in a field full of scientists made him forget not all people are normal about homosexuality. And Daniel really didn’t seem like he would have a problem with this.

“What?” Daniel splutters, glancing at Max with his eyebrows raised. “No, it's not because of you… of that!” He suddenly looks angry, shoulders tense.

“Well, what's wrong then? Why are you being weird and silent?” Max feels annoyance rising in himself. He hates feeling this – like he's done something wrong. Even though he knows he didn't. 

“Bones, stop. I'm not being weird!” Daniel exclaims and takes a breath. “I just didn't expect…seeing a guy in your flat.”

“And what do you want me to do?” Max snaps. He hits his hand on the window as he throws his arms into the air. It makes him even more annoyed. 

“Maybe I should warn you everytime I'm planning on having sex with a man inside my own house?” Max snarks. 

“I'm not trying to pick a fight, Max!” Daniel explodes, slicing his hand through the air. Then he returns to gripping the wheel. His knuckles are white. 

“Let's just get to the crime scene and do our jobs, okay?” Daniel says through his teeth, glaring at Max. 

“Fine!” Max throws, crossing his arms and looking out the window. 

They have to drive for another 20 minutes.

***

Max knocks on Daniel’s door and waits. 

This whole day was stupid – their argument in the car ruined the mood and they had kept arguing and jabbing at each other all day. 

At one point Daniel brought up Colin, said something about him being a jerk. It made Max even more mad – it's not like Daniel has any say in his personal life. 

And he wasn't planning on meeting with Colin again anyway, the man wasn't intellectually satisfying, despite being good in bed. Max tried explaining this to Daniel, but that spurred even more arguments about love and other stupid irrational things.

They've never argued this much. Small arguments and spats here and there, but not like this. At the end of the day the others had to do an intervention. 

Charles gathered all of them in the lounge and told them to make up or he would ask Oscar to play their therapist. 

The possibility of having to talk with  Oscar about their argument sounded horrifying to all three of them so Daniel immediately invited Max to his place after work so they could talk it out.

The door swings open and Max is brought back out of his thoughts by Daniel, who's dressed in a big FBI branded t-shirt and a pair of joggers. 

“Hey, come in,” Daniel says and moves to let Max in. 

Max sits at the small kitchen table as Daniel brings them both a bottle of beer. When they've taken a few sips, Daniel speaks up. 

“Listen…Max, I'm sorry for acting like a dick today,” he says, not looking up, scraping off the label from the bottle. 

“It's oka–” Max starts, but Daniel interrupts him. 

“Let me just say what I want to say, yeah?” Daniel says, keeping his eyes trained on the bottle. He takes a breath. 

“I wasn't mad at you, okay? And I don't have anything against gay people either,” he finally looks up at Max. “I-Uh. Been with men myself.”

Max feels relief washing over him. He won’t admit it, but he was really worried. He doesn’t want to imagine what would’ve happened if Daniel didn’t want to work with him anymore.

“You're gay too?” Max asks, raising his brows.

Daniel chuckles. “Uh-No. At least I don't call myself one.”

Max nods. 

“I guess I just got surprised today, when I saw Colin at your house. I really didn't expect it,” Daniel admits, rubbing his neck. 

“The recent study showed that up to 10% of the world's population doesn't identify as heterosexual, you shouldn't have been so surprised, Daniel,” Max explains, shaking his head a little. 

Daniel chuckles again, but this time it feels real. 

“So, we're good?” he asks, raising his bottle. 

“Yes, of course,” Max raises his own bottle and clinks it with Daniel’s. 

“And… thank you, Daniel,” Max says before taking a sip. “For telling me.”

Daniel smiles. Max smiles back.

[damnfandomproblems]

Fandom Problem #7065:

One thing I noticed in the fandom I'm primarly in that the people who are the loudest about how their ship supposedly makes the most sense usually are indentify with one of the characters from their pairing and simping for the other, and they put them together for their own wishfullfilment.

Same with the (I don't know if that is approapriate for this blog, so if not, sorry for sending it in) Top/Bottom discourse. The ones who insist the character in question is a top usually wants to be fcked by that person, the ones who are attached to the bottom are either want to fck that character or projecting into their own preferences to the character they relate to.

These things are fine on their own, people should allow to have fun, my problem comes from when they insist it's canon because of that, and the other interpretation is bull, and only theirs makes sense for the character, even though none of those ships become canon/the character is in a show for kids, they were not planning to show stuff like that, so we will never know. People insist they are doing this for the character accuracy, but this argument is just the "this is what I am into, but I am too insecure to admit that this is the main reason I write the characters like that, so I make up stuff or back up my argument". Guys, just admit this is your preference and move on!

(It also bothers me that both sides with the second discourse think that top is always is dominant and bottom is always submissive)

[goddessofroyalty]

I can't even pretend, but I really wanna see the kids walk-in on Silco and Vander. Can I prompt that please?

Pairing: Vander/Silco

Further context to this 2 year old prompt is that it was after some back and forth about the kids accidently walking into Vanco having sex.  

General warning of this involves underage children walking in on their parents having sex but it is treated very much as that (nobody is having a fun time but also the trauma of it is very fleeting).  

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

“Fuck Vander – that's it. Don’t you dare fucking stop!” 

Vander has no plans of stopping. Not with Silco writhing under him like he is. His husband’s legs locked around to prevent him from doing much more than thrusting deep into him. Nails digging into his shoulders in demand as he kisses and bites along the full length of Silco’s neck. A rare moment where they can forget about their responsibilities and just enjoy a good fuck.  

“Janna Sil – what you do to me,” Vander groans as he thrusts. Grabbing hold of Silco’s thighs and hips to get a bit more leverage as Silco clenches gith around him. “That’s it love – so good for me.”  

“Harder- Vander I need-”  

“I know.” Vander digs his knees into the bed for any more leverage he can get to thrust that bit harder. Silco’s grip tightening with each one.  

They both freeze when the door creaks open. Powder’s small frame filling the doorway.  

“Forgot bunny,” she says as she shuffles into the room.  

Silco meets Vander’s eyes with an equal level of panic in them. Oh, sure, the night had been cool enough and them caught up enough in their haste when they had realized they had the time and energy for something more than a quick handjob before sleep that the quilt was still over them. But there wasn’t really any way they can move without risking it sliding off.  

Vander goes to pull out carefully only for Silco’s legs to tighten around him and a sharp expression pointed his way.  

Powder doesn’t seem to notice or care that her parents are currently on top of each other. Walking around the bed to the stuffed toy on the bedside time. With it in hand she heads back out to leave.  

“Oh!” she says, pausing at the door to look at them – and oh Janna is this the night they’re gonna’ be explaining sex to their youngest. “Night!”  

“G’night Powder,” Vander manages.  

“Goodnight,” Silco adds.  

Powder gives a small nod at it before slipping out of the room, shutting the door behind her.  

Vander collapses once she’s gone. Sliding out of Silco and rolling to the side out of a well-trained habit after years of listening to how he’s crushing his mate if he doesn’t.  

“Shit.” That was definitively one way to kill the mood.  

He glances over at Silco who looks equally shocked where he stares up at the ceiling. Who runs his hand through his hair and takes a purposeful breath. Vander reaching over to grab hold of his leg in sympathy.  

Silco pushes it off and surges from the bed. Grabbing one of Vander’s shirts to put on first and then a pair of boxers despite the shirt covering past his knees.  

“I’m going to the bathroom. I trust you can finish yourself off,” he says as if it’s Vander’s fault Powder forgot her stuffed toy in the room and walked in on them. Vander knows there’s no point arguing it though.  

“Yeah, ‘course.” Not like he’s all that hard anymore anyway.  

------------- 

Silco really shouldn’t give in this easily it will only encourage the behavior.  

But when he glanced at the clock after he finished reviewing the latest report it had been five minutes before the time Vander had told him he would be in the storeroom to review the stock levels. And it is not like Silco can leave him unsupervised for such a task.  

Anyway, the report had been a particularly dry read and what better way for him to forget that his life now seemed to be a never-ending series of paperwork to read or complete than to be pinned between a storeroom’s walls and his husband’s strong sturdy frame. Pants and boxers hanging off one leg as broad calloused-covered fingers bury deep inside him. A taste of what is to come.  

“Fuck I needed this,” Vander grunts against his neck as the fingers crook in just the way that makes Silco’s toes curl. “All night been thinking about it.”  

“Then stop thinking and start doing!” He’s meant to be the man of action of the two of them.  

“Impatient tonight,” Vander jokes as he shoves his pants down with plenty impatience of his own. And Silco would point it out if he wasn’t preoccupied with enjoying the feeling of his husband pushing into him. The satisfying familiar stretch.  

Whatever sounds they made in the moment are drowned out by the horrified yell of a child.  

“My eyes!” Mylo yells with enough distress in his tone that Silco feels compelled to look over at the doorway to the storeroom to make sure the boy hasn’t actually hurt himself.  

But no. The dramatic gagging sound as Mylo covered his eyes with one hand, the other blindly gripping along the way was all an act. He was actually fine.  

“I thought I told you to watch the bar,” Vander says pulling himself out of Silco and tucking himself back into his pants even as he leans his head into Silco’s shoulder. There no way they were going to continue after the teenager’s reaction.  

“I was but then we ran out of vodka so I came to get more only to find you two doing-” Mylo makes more dramatic gagging noises instead of finishing the sentence.  

Silco takes the opportunity to put his pants back on. 

“Seriously though – tell me there’s some bleach in there. I can pour it into my eyes to get that image off them,” Mylo says, his hand still covering his eyes as he sways around pretending to be dazed.  

“’fraid not,” Vander says, grabbing a bottle off the shelves and going over to knock his shoulder against the boy’s. “But I do have the vodka you came for, so it’s back to work for the both of us.”  

That gets Mylo to move his hand from his eyes.  

“What? I need time to recover from my shock first!”  

“And what better way than to keep yourself busy with customers,” Vander says, grabbing hold of Mylo to drag him out towards the bar despite the boy’s continued protests.  

Silco leans against the wall to regather himself before heading back to his office. Might as well get started on the next report on the pile.  

------------------------- 

Vander still isn’t sure what got Silco so excited to drag him into his office and pushing him into the chair of it but fuck he isn’t complaining. Not when it has Silco sliding up and down on his cock with smooth steady motions, bracing himself with a hand against the backrest of the chair and the other resting on his study table. Vander’s hand holding onto his hips more to keep himself grounded than doing anything to help.  

It’s a rare occurrence these days for the two of them to do something like this and Silco fucking stunning when he’s riding Vander’s dick. His normally slicked-back hair sticking to his forehead from his sweat and good eye closed in focus and pleasure, the other glossy and unfocused.  

Vander bucks his hips because he knows it’ll make Silco gasp.  

“Fuck you’re stunning Sil,” Vander tells him because he is.  

“Ah, Vander!” Silco moans. “Shit! I’m close!”  

“Yeah?” Vander gives another roll of his hips because honestly, he’s pretty damn close himself and seeing Silco cum from his cock alone gonna’ be more than enough to get him over too.  

The door to the office swings open moments before either of them go over the edge.  

“I just wanted to check something about those people we wanted me to- oh you’re busy.”  

Vander can see Claggor standing in the doorway from around Silco’s shoulder. Their son’s face bright red where clearly he’s frozen in place.  

Silco’s head hits Vander’s shoulder with a similar shade and Vander’s sure his ain’t far off it either.  

“Do you want me to leave and come back later?” Claggor asks. HIs eyes looking everywhere in the room apart from them.  

“Yes,” Silco hisses. His entire body tensing, including the bit still surrounding Vander’s cock.  

“I- okay. I’ll be in the bar. Or I might go to my room actually,” Claggor stutters in his shock. “I’m actually just gonna’ leave.”  

“Please do.” Silco doesn’t move as Claggor quickly backs out of the room, closing the door behind him.  

“Sil?” Vander asks when Silco remains in his lap unmoving. He’s gone a bit soft from it but buried inside Silco still it won’t be long until he’s hard again whether he’d want to be or not.  

Silco leans forward to press his head into Vander’s chest and screams in frustration.  

----------------------- 

It’s well past closing when Silco makes it back to the Last Drop but that doesn’t matter. The shipment had gone off smoothly, it’s lucrative buyer happy and already talking about the next round of business. More money in their pockets to raise Zaun into the status it deserves.  

“You look happy,” Vander says, drying up the last of the glasses from the night. Silco slips into the bar with him, wrapping his arms around his husband’s neck and backing him up until Vander’s back is against the bar.  

“Drink to celebrate?” Vander asks and Silco hums in agreement, letting his hand trace down Vander’s chest and rest against the front of his pants.  

“The one I have in mind is a little off the menu.”  

“See I happen to be close with the owner and I don’t see that being a problem,” Vander says as Silco flicks open the button and undoes the fly with well-practiced ease.  

“That’s good,” Silco says, with a kiss against Vander’s jaw. “I would hate to make the working situation hard for you.”  

He drops to his knees. Nuzzling against the hard-on straining against Vander’s boxers.  

“Shit- Sil-” Vander pants, his hands braced against the bar behind him as Silco frees his erection from its clothe confines. Letting his breathe warm the already heated skin before running his tongue along the underside and taking it in his mouth right down to the root.  

Silco nearly chokes at the bang of the bar door being slammed shut, followed by the sound of knocking and yelling of children from the other side of it.  

“Shit!” Vi yells, sounding more startled than scared. “I swear I didn’t start it!”  

“What? Didn’t start what?” Vander asks, recovering from his own shock at the intrusion. “And why were you out late?”  

Silco helpfully slides Vander’s cock back into his boxers and redoes his pants before standing up. Their night now not going to be one of celebration, but rather parenting.  

“I-” Vi starts, before noticing Silco. “Why were you under the bar?”  

A look at Vander then back to Silco and realization settles on her features. Her nose curling in her disgust.  

“Gross!”  

Silco rolls his eyes at her.  

“Answer your father’s question.”  

“I was out,” Vi says, suddenly sheepish, her head rolling back so she is looking up at the ceiling rather than them, “with someone.” 

“And I suppose the children currently banging on our door didn’t want you out with this someone?” Silco asks. The pieces coming together into a very specific picture.  

“They’re her brothers,” Vi says hurriedly but they both still heard it. “I wasn’t doing anything she didn’t want.”  

Ah, the joys of teenaged dating. To think this is only the start of what is in store for them over the next decade between the lot.  

“Go to bed Vi,” Vander says massaging the bridge of his nose. “I’ll get rid of our guests.”  

Vi nods at it before slinking off to her room leaving them alone in the bar apart from the aggressive knocking at the door.  

“Daughters,” is all Silco can offer when Vander looks at him for support.  

[detectivestucks]

Kakashi as Your Brother's Best Friend

18+ content, Minors do NOT interact

Pairing: Modern AU Kakashi x F!Reader

Summary: Kakashi is your brother's best friend. He's spent his entire life focused on his goals, always ignoring you, but thanks to tragedy, you became his focus.

Warnings: NSFW, car accident, fingering, rough sex, overstimulation

Word Count: 3.2 k

A/N: this started as a headcanon then I turned it into a oneshot. But it's fine...it'sfine, it'sfine.

Your brother’s best friend, Kakashi, didn’t notice you much growing up. He was focused on himself and his studies, always aiming to reach the same greatness as his father, Sakumo.

He was so cool compared to your goofy older brother. His nonchalant attitude, a cloud of mystery only piquing your interest all the more. 

You’re little heart yearned for him, quickly developing feelings and becoming your first crush. He was so amazing and your eyes turned to saucers each time you looked at him. It wasn't long after that your heart fell once you realized you were one of a long list of girls who also had the same feelings as you.

What was worse is that the other girls were at least in his grade while you are a year younger, sitting at only 14 months behind your brother, Obito.

Kakashi, with his well-earned arrogance, called you silly for rooting for your brother when he was obviously going to lose in all their games. He just couldn’t understand why you wouldn’t root for the winning competitor? He was kind of a jerk most of his childhood but that didn’t put a stop to the admiration blossoming in your chest.

Then one day, after years of disregard, he started talking to you. He came to your house after school and you answered the door. By this time you were teenagers. Kakashi and Obito had become seniors in high school and puberty had done right by him, making your feelings even more intense. His signature hair lifted and swooped to one side, his frame tall and slender, but still the bulk of his muscles showed through his clothing. In the quiet between you, he softly asked how you were, accepting your one-word answer before he went to find your brother.

You were stunned into silence with the simple question. It wasn’t like him to focus on others unless it was to help improve his life goals. A trait that made your brother the bane of Kakashi’s existence since Obito was always running behind and holding him back. What had changed for him to suddenly acknowledge your presence? 

The moment shouldn’t have had the impact it did but those lifelong feelings for him magnified everything.

Then the night of Obito’s car accident, Kakashi came rushing to the hospital. Obito laid there, his body crushed on one side and his mind in a coma. The sight of his best friend in this mangled state humbled him. It reminded him of how fragile life is. It caused him to face feelings he had shoved aside after Sakumo’s death. Feelings he wasn’t ready to face again.

He found you already at your brother’s bedside. Obito and you had lost your parents years ago; it was just the two of you. He can’t just leave you behind, not when you’re both so young. 

Your heart twists in your chest and your throat squeezes shut. You couldn’t greet Kakashi even if you wanted to. Your entire focus was on your brother; your body trembling with stress as your mind reels with uncertainty.

When Kakashi went to comfort you, it was the first time you tore your eyes off of your brother, only for the silver haired man to discover that the red had awoken in your irises. Your family’s unique trait was brought to life from the strain of possibly losing the last member of your family.

Kakashi pulled you into a life-giving hug. His strong arms encircling you in a way that said he will stay by your side as long as you need him. He wasn’t going to abandon you, not for a second. Though you had longed for some kind of physical touch from Kakashi most of your life, this wasn’t the way you had imagined it. Not like this. Why did it have to be like this?

He came to your house every day to help you cook and clean. He walked with you to the hospital and then home again, always making sure you were well fed and wanted for nothing.

The two of you became close during Obito’s hospitalization. Your feelings for him only intensified. You kept finding yourself looking at him, dying to tell him the truth. The confession on the tip of your tongue, but the strength to admit it could never be found.

Then when Obito awoke, it all came to an end. He stopped visiting as much, he stopped walking with you, and he nearly vanished from your life. It hurt so bad and you wondered what you did wrong. Amidst the relief you felt, there was also a gaping hole left in your life. Was Kakashi only there for you cause he missed your brother? Was he only by your side cause he needed comfort? What did you do for him to discard you? It ate away at you and once more you were left behind and shoved to the side.

What you didn’t know was that he had realized his feelings for you and became fearful of them. He had grown to love you in an overwhelming way and he knew you’d never view him as more than a brother so to protect himself he cast you aside. Despite how much he wanted to reach out and hold you, he wouldn’t allow it. The best thing for you both was to pretend it all never happened. You were just his best friend’s sister.

It wasn’t so easy for you though; you felt a soul crushing desire for him. He came over on weekends to see your brother but no longer acknowledged you. It was as if you were a mere apparition to him. Your lips would part as if to say something but only silence existed between you.

The silence continued through most of college, his mind focused on his studies. He was not going to allow you to distract him, no matter how adorable you were or sad and dejected you appeared when he trained his eyes forward on your brother instead of acknowledging your existence.

He focused on himself, which took more and more practice as your presence continued to haunt him. In desperation to distract him from you, he picked up a smut book one day and couldn’t put it down. The moving story line compelled him to turn page after page. Yet with each passing word the female protagonist morphed into your face. Soon he was unable to get you out of his head. Your image, tormenting him, occupying his mind, especially in the most intimate of moments. 

He began to lose his sanity, picturing you doing the depraved things described in his book. He wanted to reenact them so badly but he knew he never could. His feelings for you grew out of control and it crushed him. You’d never accept him, not after ghosting you for all these years. 

Then he came to your house to visit your brother one weekend. You answered the door, cheeks immediately blooming with a red tint and eyes suddenly downcast. For a moment he had hope. Hope that you were possibly blushing for him. But surely he was imagining things. There was no way you were displaying signs of interest when it came to him. He can’t allow himself to think like that and ignored you again, stepping inside and searching for Obito.

Part way through the visit he felt the need for a glass of water. He left his friend’s room to come to the kitchen only to bump into you. Your body went flying off of his muscular frame, ricocheting into the wall and bumping the back of your head. Before he knew what he was doing he was holding you, his hand cradling the back of your head. Your eyes flicked up to his and he could see your irises swirled with scarlet as you held eye contact with him. It has to be for him, right? It couldn’t be for anyone else, just him. Please let it be for him.

Feeling reckless, he lunged for the kiss. As your lips collided his body pulled you in close and stumbled against the very wall that just left you with a bruise on your disoriented head. Your mind played fireworks behind your closed eyes, the embers of which radiated down your limbs. The spark that had been lit so long ago, fanned into an all-out fire that consumed you both. Your soft lips moved against his as you kissed him back, returning the affection that swirled within you all those years.

He couldn’t stop his hands from wandering all over. A dam had broke and the flood waters crashed over him, moving his body on autopilot. There was no controlling himself. The way he pushed up against you, the way he grabbed your hips, the way his chest heaved. Your sweet taste and little sounds, it was ecstasy. He’d never get enough of this. 

In your spinning mind, clarity suddenly came to you and you pushed him off of you, afraid that he was only using you. Was he exploiting your childhood crush for a good time? The look in your eyes, was a blend of need and hurt. “I can’t do this” you whispered, crushing your own dreams to protect your heart.

“Please,” he begged, “I need you. I’m not whole without you.” Now that he’d gotten a taste of you he couldn’t let this go. His heart felt ready to explode and he couldn’t go back to how it was before. 

He had you dumbfounded. He needs you? Since when? You were utterly confused and as a result, were at a loss for words. “I-I don’t know what to say, Kakashi. How do I know this is real?” Just as he’s about to answer, your brother came looking for him, calling his name down the hallway. Kakahsi kissed the back of your hand before holding your palm against his cheek. “I’ll prove it to you. And when you’re ready, let me know.”

The man walked away, heart set on winning you over. He wasn’t afraid anymore, he would win your affection. You belonged together and he’d prove it to you.

Kakashi was persistent. He sent you ‘good morning’ texts every day, and wished you ‘goodnight’ every evening. He never missed a day over the next two months, even bringing you flowers to your job each Friday. He wasn’t going to be the guy he was in the past. He wanted to do this right but feared that he had done too much damage. However, those fears wouldn’t stop him. He’d prove his affection because the two of you were meant to be. Every fiber of his being told him so.

He came to your job to walk you home one evening when he found your coworker tracing your arm, the action making you nervous by the way your eyes kept darting down to his finger. The slime had a wide smile on his face while yours was serious. Anger and a sliver of jealousy propelled him forward as he invited himself into the office of your part-time employment. His hand heroically slid over the top of your hip, pulling you into his side where you fit like a glove. “Hey baby!” he gloated while staring daggers into the man who was just touching you.

He made your heart stutter as he touched you. Electricity buzzing from the pressure on your skin as his fingers dug into you, claiming you as his when you hadn’t even decided if you’re ready yet. He scared away your creepy coworker and turned toward you, full of questions. How long had he been bothering you? Had he touched you before? What did he say to you? The worry didn’t mask the jealousy one bit.

You went home with so much on your mind and later the next morning Kakashi received a text, a beacon of light, telling him that you believed him and wanted to give things a try. His heart pounded out of his chest, his body felt full of warmth and excitement. First thing’s first, he needed to ask for your brother’s permission. He finished all of his assignments, submitting them before making the trek to your home, to face his best friend. 

When he entered your home he made a beeline for your room, barging in and pulling you into a searing kiss. If your brother knew about this makeout session he’d flip. Kakashi’s arms wrapped around you and squeezed as he moved his mouth perfectly with yours. You felt yourself melting until you heard Obito in the hall. Kashi reluctantly let you go, ready to face the music.

Voice booming and fists flying, Kakashi was almost murdered when he informed Obito of his intentions. Obito was completely taken by surprise, having no idea that Kakashi even cared for you as a friend, let alone more. He swung on the Hatake, swearing the man is only looking for pussy cause of that damn book.

During the brawl Kakashi admitted he’s been in love with you for the past four years and has never touched another woman. It’s always been you. You were the only one he has ever wanted. He begged Obito to allow him the chance to let him show you how much he loved you and if you rejected him, he'd never bother you again. 

Obito finally released Kakashi from his chokehold, leaving him coughing and fixing his shirt as he composed himself. Anger still lingered in Obito’s red eyes, but he rigidly nodded his head and stepped away. With his hands shoved in his pockets, Obito let Kakashi walk back to your room where you were anxiously waiting by the door, heart pounding out of your chest, needing to know if they were both okay. 

Scratching the back of his head, Kakashi asked if you heard everything he said during their fight. You nodded yes in confirmation. His hand then dragged over his face, nervous about what you were thinking. Finally daring to look up, he saw your eyes water. The tears were an admission that you too have loved him for years. A flame of hope had lit in his chest as he asked “So then, will you do me the honor of joining me for a date this evening?” To which you respond with a resounding yes. 

He went out and created a magical and intimate date night for you. He had set up a tent in his backyard with a projector screen and twinkle lights, sherpa blankets and shag pillows scattered the mattress on the ground, and in the center laid a charcuterie board he’d spent an hour assembling. The two of you snuggled together, watching a movie and drinking mocktails, letting your bodies synchronize in the serenity of the moment. 

Just as the movie was ending you surprised him when you initiated a kiss. Not just any kiss either, one that knocked him off his center. You’re not normally so forward but you couldn’t stop this overwhelming desire that was eating away at your insides. You needed him more than you’ve ever needed anything in your entire existence. You rolled on top of him, swinging your leg over so that you were straddling him as he laid on his back. He could feel how you clenched through the fabric of your pants and you could feel how hard he was for you, the ridge of his manhood sat perfectly below your center. 

Kakashi wanted you with every cell but was afraid to mess it up. His body yearned for you in an unimaginable way. Breath trickled past his lips as he decided what to do. Should he cave and succumb to his carnal desires or should he take things slow? He thinks back to the hallway. How your eyes changed color because of your deep seeded feelings.

He decided he couldn’t restrain himself anymore. His hands explored your back, gliding down to your rear where his fingers sank into the fat. There was something possessive about the action. Something that made your heart stop. He rocked you back and forth, your heat grinding on him as you pulled away from the kiss to catch your breath, eyes locking on his, you memorized the depth that welled there. 

His grip made you feel desperate. Desperate to have him inside of you, so you began to tug up his shirt and trace the outline of his muscles, mapping out every inch of ivory skin. His own need overflowed and he grabbed you by your hair at the base of your skull, and flipped you on your back. The power-move knocked the wind out of you, not due to its roughness but due to the realization that he was as anxious for you as you were for him. His eyes screamed out how broken he’d been while pushing you away. How hard it’d been for him to deny you when you were all he dreamed about. You realized he’d been wanting you as badly as you’d been wanting him.

With nimble hands, he slid your pants off of your body, discarding them to a far corner of the tent before slipping his fingers into your folds. He buried his knuckles deep inside and made a scissoring motion to stretch you. He needed you to be prepped and ready to take him; he wanted this moment to be magical and pleasurable for you, just as it would be for him. He’s waited so long for this but you’ve waited longer. He lined himself up and thanks to the fluids dripping out of you, he had no issues slipping in. 

The silver haired mug left you gasping at the intrusion, your hands sprung to his shoulders and you gripped him with all your strength, as you found your back arching to meet his chest with your own. “That’s it baby, just like that.” he praised as he slowly began to stroke. “You’re doing so good for me.” You started to softly mewl with each glide, your body tightened around him, and milked him as he finally linked your fantasies to reality.

In a mounting pace, he steadily grew in intensity but you could tell he was still restraining himself. He didn’t want to break you even though everything in him was dying to ravage you. And while it’s all so perfect, you wanted know what he was capable of. 

Against your better judgement you whispered in his ear, “Don’t hold back. I can take it.” 

You weren’t sure if that was true but it wasn’t gonna stop you from finding out. What is it that they say about curiosity?

Unsure weather to believe you or not, Kakashi lifted a brow, but all it took was the widening of your orbs and the seductive bite of your lip to send him into overdrive. He started to lose himself inside your walls. Everything he’d felt for you over the past few years drove him forward, his arms encircled you as his hips snapped into your center. The punctuated thrusts shook your entire body and hit a pleasure point that had you grappling at him for support. 

He cooed in your ear, praising you for being such a good girl for him. You took him so well that he was ready to kick things up a notch. His hand found itself back in your hair, his other one grasped at your hip, leveraging you as he spun you onto your knees so fast your hands were already on the blanket before your mind registered your new position. You exclaimed in confusion when he shushed you and leaned his hand on the small of your back, pushing down while the hand in your tresses guided your head into the shag of the pillows.

He had your face buried in the plush surface, your drool soaked the fabric as you were absolutely rocked by how hard he took you. 

Skin slapping smacks resonated as his jewels tantalizingly pummeled against your clit, stimulating you and making you want to close your legs but it was impossible with how his weight pushed you deeper into the position.

Violently, he pulled back on your hair, lifting your face, while forcing a deep arch of your back. You felt your neck strain under the pressure, your moans coming out broken but your cavern’s grip around him tightened as the blood drained from your brain. 

He fucked you dumb on his dick, bending your legs into various positions to see how flexible you could be. He’d been dreaming of this moment and his good girl was going to get orgasm after orgasm for how long she’s waited for him. This beastly behavior was him marking his territory, because after this, just as before with that kiss, there was no turning back. He was absolutely enthralled with you and pleasuring you was his number one priority. 

Looking down, he admired your pretty little body, covered in bruises and drool, hair a wild mess, shaking legs sprawled and eyes glazed over. He wrecked you and though he came already he couldn’t stop. His fingers kept working your nub while his tongue sunk inside your gaping hole. The warmth soothed the abused area making you spasm as his fingers played with your swollen bud. You weren’t sure how much more you could handle, you felt drained from his toying. The mind-numbing pleasure from the man of your dreams was too much to process. “Kashi, please…” you whispered, “can’t take any m-m-more, a-ah-AH!” He pulled a final snap from your core before he let you rest.

Gazing at you as if you were made of gold, he was unsure how he’s going to keep his hands off of you in front of Obito cause now all he wanted to do was fuck you 24/7. Yes, fuck you, turn you into his personal sex doll and see those pouty lips quiver in euphoria at his hands. You were his obsession and he won’t be able to stop himself. “Baby, can we go another round? Please?”

Masterlist

[lurafita]

I have this head canon that Asmodeus’ progeny have a sort of geas on their eyes. Not out of love for his children but more of a possessive/righteous sense of “you will Never collect my mark as a trophy”. Anyway, someone even touches the area around Magnus’ eyes with Ill intent and they are flambéd with hellfire and sent directly to edom. I also think that extreme emotional rage can trigger whatever fucking monster lurks in the parabatai bond (I mean let’s make use of that, that sounds like a fun plot device that was never used) so some ignoramouses kidnap Magnus one tries to go for his eyes and is fried and Alec gets there in time to see the attempt and turns rabidly feral. And moral of the story, it’s the only thing Alec and Asmodeus agree on, even if their reasons are different. Anyway, your John wick au made me remember this.

I know Asmodeus is super trash, but I have such a weakness for him being a good dad to Magnus. Or at least a protective dad, even if he is too selfish to let Magnus follow his own desires and would rather have him by his side in Edom. So even though Asmodeus is super trash, I still like the thought that he does hold genuine love for his son, even if it is twisted. So I definitely stand behind the protection eyes thing. Though they only really help if someone tries to remove his eyes while Magnus is still alive, if they kill him first and then remove the eyes, even if they still get vaporized, that wouldn't help Magnus a whole lot. BUT, it is still a protective measure, and making Magnus completely invincible would get boring quick, so I fully support the headcanon. The parabatai bond thing is interesting. I must admit, and a lot of fans will probably loudly and vehemently disagree with me, - but I'm not a fan of the whole parabatai thing. I have only seen the tv show for shadowhunters -, and I'm honestly not interested in the books after learning about some of the things that the books have that the show doesn't, - but from what I have seen of the parabatai bond in the show, it just doesn't seem worth it at all. We weren't shown how it is an advantage in a fight, only how it is a really bad disadvantage if your parabatai gets hurt and then you feel that pain too and then it's a two for one deal because both are then useless. The bond also didn't seem to inspire great loyalty, as it didn't keep Jace from going behind Alec's back early on, and it didn't keep Valentine from throwing his parabatai (Luke) to the literal wolves, and it just didn't appeal to me at all from the show's perspective. Nevertheless, I could get behind actual useful sideeffects of it like a berserker powerboost kinda thing if strong emotions get channeled through and then kinda wind themselves on repeat and reach ever greater heights and yes, I do absolutely adore the thought of Alec just seeing red and killing whatever he needs to to get Magnus safe, so I give many kudos to the bond beast monster hiding inside parabatai pairs. :-)

Also, how you doing? I hope you remember to drink enough water. Stay hydrated. And try to get enough sleep. It's important to fill your battery back up.

[swordduels]

Circe gently lifted her legs to untangle herself as Regalia began to pull back.Their moment of intimacy was somewhat disrupted when scrubbing skin developed into rinsing out soap and shampoo. She didn’t mind though as Regalia had some sort of dating plan for them. Plans that required them to get dressed and step out of the apartment. It was somewhat more romantic to be spontaneously invited to a date no matter what motivation may lay behind it in this situation. Circe was struck with more fluttering butterflies in her stomach which could have been caused by the spontaneity of Regalia’s suggestion, how she carried herself while looking like Cassandra or the shared bath. After Circe rinsed out every single trace of shampoo from her increasingly unruly curls she began squeezing water out while Regalia stepped out of the bathtub. "Should I feel flattered or concerned?” 

Circe’s preparations for the coming date was to blow dry her hair after unplugging the water and tying a towel around herself. She added a pair of pearl earrings before applying black mascara and blue lipstick. During this process she carefully spread lipstick by rolling both lips together before looking at herself from different angles in the bathroom mirror. “Hm, good enough.” With that she cleaned up before blowing out each candle. As Circe entered the bedroom to find something to wear she partially watched Regalia fishing out clothes to borrow. There was a gentle glow to her skin that momentarily distracted Circe before she promptly looked away to keep searching among dangling clothes pieces on coat hangers and boxes. She had a special vision in mind inspired by Rockabilly fashion and cocktail dresses. Before Circe had time for reflection she ogled Regalia’s toned body as the towel dropped down. Seeing her body being uncovered again was somehow more enticing even though it didn’t reveal anything different. It was probably something about her confident energy that caught Circe’s attention or ways she moved about when getting dressed. Circe had to forcibly look away in order to get dressed herself. 

After getting into her white knitted tights she slipped into a 50’s inspired sleeveless cocktail dress with black torso and skirt covered with blue polka dots. To add more volume to its shape she added a petticoat which created an upside down V-shape. The finishing touches were a white knitted west with iridescent buttons, a blue velour headband and a pearl necklace. Circe hummed while arranging the satin ribbon at her hip to be visible before turning to Regalia. “Oh honey, you look good in that.” Circe admitted while eyeing Regalia’s figure as she borrowed a white shirt together with a pair of form fitting jeans. Seeing Regalia’s forms being hugged tightly into almost being exaggerated tickled something in her stomach. It could also have been the smooth cat-like movements awakening something within Circe. Especially when Regalia bent over for whatever reason.  

Before stepping out to the world with Regalia she put on a pair of Mary Jane plateau shoes with a black loose fitting winter coat. Circe looked at her with wide eyes as their hands gently connected. Her thumb gently moved rubbed circles against Regalia’s knuckle while a rosy color bit down to both cheeks. It was something comforting to walk side by side in public as an official couple through the bustling streets. Their shadows soon grew taller as the sun started to sink deeper and took away what warmth had been. With time the air became crisp and cold enough to bring small puffy clouds whenever Circe took a deep breath. “Where do you want to go first?” @fallesto

For the moment then, she pulled back and finished washing herself up with a gentle smile playing on her lips. She knew she had Circe's interest piqued and that was half the battle. She stepped out of the tub and wrapped herself in a fluffy towel, feeling the warmth envelop her as the steam from the hot water clung to the air around them. "I'll get dressed and then we can go. I'm sure the animals will be just as thrilled to see you as I am." Her voice held a hint of teasing that made that most precious heart flutter slightly. Regalia moved with a grace that was almost feline, her eyes never leaving Circe's even as she stepped into the bedroom to find some clothes.

The sound of the water turning off echoed through the room. Regalia's body was a canvas of water droplets as she stepped out of the bathroom, her skin glowing from the heat of the water. She walked over to the dresser and picked out a simple white shirt and a pair of jeans that hugged her curves just right. Her movements were deliberate, yet there was a softness to them that made that one and only heart she wanted ache with a longing she couldn't quite explain. This was the new way of doing things, break the witch down slowly and make the witch fall for her.

The same methods cannot work, so she would have to change things, a thousand years was no time for immortals like them, but the wounds of the past remain, as she would give the witch a show then and set the sins within her on fire. The way Regalia's towel fell to the floor, revealing her toned figure, made her stomach tighten with anticipation. Regalia had a way of making even the most mundane actions seem like a seduction, the sin of lust, the sin of greed, all coming into play.

Regalia finished with the shirt over her head, her hair cascading down in wet strands. She caught Circe's gaze in the mirror and smirked, making Circe's pulse quicken. The jeans went on next, hugging her hips and revealing just the right amount of skin as she bent over. No doubt the witch couldn't help but feel like she was being toyed with and she was. Finally dressed, they both stepped out of the apartment, the cool evening air a stark contrast to the warmth they'd shared moments before. The hallway lights flickered as they walked down, their footsteps echoing on the old wooden floors. The smell of dinner cooking in a neighboring apartment wafted through the hall, making her stomach rumble slightly. She pushed the thought away, focusing instead on the promise of the night ahead.

Regalia looked absolutely stunning in a simple yet elegant outfit that seemed to be tailored for her. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she took Circe's hand, leading her through the dimly lit corridor and out into the bustling city street. The sounds of cars honking and people chattering filled the air, a stark reminder of the world outside their bubble of intimacy. The evening was a balmy one, the kind that made you want to linger outside, soaking in the last remnants of the day's warmth. They strolled down the sidewalk, their shadows stretching out in front of them like two figures in a romantic painting. Regalia's hand felt warm and reassuring in Circe's, a stark contrast to the coolness of the metal railings they passed. As she would take her out, on a date?

[breezeowci]

Heights as accurate as i’m aware

koala - 160 cm / 5’2.99”

law - 191 cm / 6’3.20”

marco - 203cm/ 6’7.92”

[ratatatastic]

my favourite thing is getting the guy who gets so fiddly and nervous (to the point he flushes up worse than a stop sign) to do pressers in english to do pressers in english

honestly at this point if mikksy isnt raking his hands nervously through his own hair in a self grooming gesture and pointedly going :] so people know hes happy to be here just incredibly nervous is it really a mikksy presser

Training Camp 24 | 10.2.24 (x)