#also just discovered last night that I snore

[im-no-jedi]

I’ve been using the Pokemon Sleep app since it first launched and have been enjoying it immensely

it’s actually helped me start a regular bedtime routine every night, which I’ve sorely needed

however I don’t appreciate it calling me out for having inconsistent sleep times, like yes, thank you, I’m well aware I have insomnia thanks lfkgjhgfldkjs

[hesperisms]

Sylus and reader just started their relationship and she can’t keep up with sylus’s high sex drive

// Relentless Conqueror

"As for what's been keeping you up at night, well, I'm more than enough..."

// summary: you finally admitted to Sylus that you had feelings for him, but you had no idea that getting to see his softer side would also show you how much he deserves his title as a Relentless Conqueror...

// content warnings: 18+ (mdni), dominance, established history, pet names, oral sex, vaginal sex, creampie

// a/n: anon, anon, anon, what have you done to me with this ask! Sylus has been rattling around in my brain since this one came in, begging to be unleashed! hope you're pleased <3

likes, reblogs, comments are always appreciated!

Sylus' large hands wrapped around your body possessively as you stood at the bathroom counter, his left hand snaking upwards under your oversized shirt to cup your breast, rolling, kneading, squeezing tenderly while his right hand splayed out over your stomach, holding you firmly against him, the pads of his long fingers pressing into your soft skin. "I woke up and you weren't there, kitten...I didn't like it." Sylus purred in a husky, newly awake gravel tone that dripped down your neck as he nuzzled his lips against your ear.

You blushed and reached down to rub your hand over the back of his hand on your stomach, melting into his firm chest pressed against your back. Slipping out of bed about twenty minutes beforehand while Sylus softly snored on his stomach, face down in the pillows, white hair a fluffy tumble was the first peace you'd had to yourself in almost two days. You knew that Sylus was an incredibly driven man, you'd seen his file in Hunter HQ that referred to him as The Relentless Conqueror but you had no idea that would also apply to his sex life. In hindsight, coming to know Sylus and falling for him as you had, you were naïve to think it wouldn't.

Sylus was a man of quiet confidence; you knew anything he committed himself to, he committed himself fully and this newly blossoming relationship with you was something he was giving his all. His passion for you was insatiable, an almost otherworldly hunger had roared to life within him once you'd told him that you wanted to be his. Every deep passionate kiss felt like he wanted to suck the air from your lungs and breathe you in, every possessive shield of his broad chest against you felt like he wanted to meld yourself with him.

Sylus had his other half back.

Sylus was whole again.

The rush that came with knowing that you were his again, that missing piece of his existence slotted back into place had surged his libido and he couldn't get enough of you. He already had a higher than normal sex drive, but the rush of that sweet honeymoon phase that had him so very love-drunk on you had turned his dial into overdrive and your body was struggling to keep up with his appetites.

Sylus had spent a lot of time watching you, studying every little expression and your body language intimately in his time re-discovering you, so he picked up on it in the vanity mirror when you winced slightly as he squeezed your breast. He switched things up and stroked the underside gently instead, kissing your neck and murmuring softly to you as he side-eyed your shared reflection. "I'm sorry sweetie, I know you have a sensitive body," he begins. "Have I been too much for you these last couple of days?"

You blushed, cheeks flushing and you smiled, reaching up to cradle his head against your neck, stroking his hair and he closed his eyes contentedly at the touch. "I know you're making the most of our time together before I have to head back to Linkon tomorrow, but I'm already dreading the suspicious looks I'm going to get from my teammates if I have difficulty sitting down comfortably at the conference table on Monday." You admitted to him with a gentle sigh.

"It's a very large conference table..." Sylus murmurs with a serious tone. "Should I schedule a meeting with your boss so that I have a reason to come ravage you on top of it in front of all of them? You won't have to think up an excuse, that way?" He chuckles wickedly, his warm hot breath fanning over your ear as he teases the idea of outing your relationship publicly. You give his cheek a gentle tap in a mock slap and he huffs, turning you around to face him.

Those hawkish crimson eyes of his glitter with a mixture of mischief, adoration and unbridled lust as he stares down at you, brushing the backs of his knuckles over the side of your cheek tenderly. He slides his hands down under your ass and you instinctively wrap your arms up around his neck, pulling his large frame down into a hug and he melts easily under your touch pecking kisses on the crown of your head, sniffing your hair. "Your scent...I want it to belong to me." he growls as he squeezes your backside and you feel a shiver of anticipation run down your spine.

You bite your lip, tilting your chin up to look up at Sylus, matching that hungry gaze of his with curious eyes. "If I promise I'll be gentle, can I have you again, kitten? I can't smell myself on you strong enough yet, I haven't finished marking you as mine." Sylus whispers, fingertips dimpled into the flesh of your ass cheeks possessively. Your breath catches in your throat at his words and despite the worn-in ache between your thighs from a long weekend of his significant girth stretching you out, you feel your heat start to build, desire stirring in your hips.

Sylus notices your bright eyes darken and your breath adjust. He knows he could carry you off to the bedroom right now and you wouldn't stop him, but he needs to hear your consent; his ego needs you to voice your desire for him, to hear that sweet voice of yours give him authority to lose himself in you. You smile at him seductively and look up through your lashes at him, nodding.

"Take me."

A predatory wolfish grin hits his lips at hearing you voice his claim on you and he scoops you up into his arms, striding confidently back into the bedroom with you and laying you down on the silk sheets of his large bed. You slide the oversized shirt off over your head and toss it at him, aiming for his face. With a cocky grin he flicks the tip of his index finger and a tendril of his evol swirls angry black and red, knocking the shirt away from him.

Sylus slides his silk robe off his shoulders, letting it pool at his feet and he stalks towards you on the bed like a big cat striding down its next meal, eyes locked on yours as he climbs between your thighs, brushing the tip of his nose against yours as he holds his weight above you. "Tell me that I'm the only one you want, Sweetie..." he purrs at you with a seductive, needy tone, fingers brushing your hair away from your neck so he can lean down to sink his mouth on your delicate skin, licking and sucking at your rapidly racing pulse, teeth lightly grazing before his tongue laps the pain away. "Tell me that this beautiful body of yours is mine to worship."

You tilt your head back, closing your eyes and letting your lips part slightly, a soft moan escaping you. He doesn't stop his ministrations on your neck, tongue swirling tantalizing patterns across your throat, but you feel the vibration of an impatient moan he lets out in response to yours.

"Do I need to tell you Sylus?" You laugh with a breathy whisper. "Or is my entire body singing it to you every time you touch me enough?"

His lips burn a trail down your throat, over your collarbones and down onto your chest, your nipples already firm and aching to be touched. Sylus wraps his lips around the sensitive bud, tongue lavishing slow wet curls across it, lovingly kissing it. You gasp in pleasure and close your eyes and as you do, he tilts his face up to watch you while he suckles at you. After a couple of minutes his warm wet mouth swaps sides, making sure he's dedicated attention to both your breasts.

"I'm not quite convinced," he hums, vibrations through your nipple on his tongue making you whimper. "I definitely think I need to hear it if I'm going to stay in control of my urges."

Feeling bold, you reach down and snake your fingers through his thick hair, smiling sweetly and scratching his scalp with your nails. "Do all Crows talk this much, or just mine? I believe I was promised worshipping." You say cheekily, crying out in shock and pleasure as his teeth find your nipple and press down gently in response.

Pulling back from your breasts, he releases your nipple with a wet suck and grins up at you, his devilishly handsome features all angles in the soft glow of the bedroom lamps. He lifts himself up on his knees and makes a show of bowing to you, hand pressed to his heart like he's making a solemn vow. "Let me put my lips to better service of My Lady then" he smirks, dropping himself backwards off the edge of the bed to comfortably rest his head on your inner thigh.

His thumbs rub gently down your delicate folds, your juices quickly slicking them and making their movements sound slick and sinful. Sylus' hot breath tickles your wet heat and he murmurs quietly "so wet for me already Kitten and I've barely touched you...maybe your body is trying to tell me something."

"I think the signs might be there if you squint hard enough." You nod in agreement with him, biting your lip with a soft genuine laugh.

Your laughter stokes his fires of passion for you and it takes all his self restraint not to bury his face in your heat intensely. He had promised you he'd be gentle, that he'd take his time with you, ease the aches he had rut into your body over this past few days and while Sylus is always a man of his word, it took everything he had to keep that promise when you looked so perfect beneath him. He could smell the sweet tang of you and it called to him, made him feel like he was home.

Sylus' tongue explored your soaked heat teasingly, gently, featherlight flickers across your aching bud in a cursive language you didn't comprehend. Jolts of raw desire and need coursed through your walls and deep into your abdomen with his deliberate attentions. You moan his name and arch your back and he presses his large hand flat on your belly, encouraging your coiling orgasm to build more intensely. He's setting such a slow and intense pace that time feels like it has slowed down for you both, you feel like he's been lapping at your folds for what must be an hour when he finally introduces his fingers to explore your needy pussy.

Dripping wet under his tongue, your swollen walls offer his long fingers no resistance, drawing him in with needy clenches as his skilled tongue coaxes sighs and moans from your lips and his fingers slide in and out of you. He feels the subtle tremors, the way your walls begin to firm around his fingers and he knows you're so close to unravelling on his tongue, if he just pushes you a little further...

Sylus' deep rumbling moan against your clit makes your nerves explode in pleasure and you buck against his mouth, crying out his name in shuddering shaky breaths as your orgasm cascades in rhythmic clenches of intense pleasure through your body, leaving your thighs trembling with aftershocks and your heart rate pounding like a war drum in your chest.

He pulls away from you and looks up at you, smug satisfaction written across his face as your orgasm drips from his lips and down his chin, glistening. He wipes his mouth on the back of his hand and sucks on it, savoring the taste of you and offers you his slicked fingers to suck on. You take them greedily, tongue lewdly slurping up your own juices and he watches with an intense stare of love for you, cheeks flushed red, eyes glistening and pupils blown out, feeling so accomplished that he caused you to come undone this way.

"I'm so lucky I'm the only one that gets to see you like this, Sweetie."

It comes out huskily, his emotions getting caught in his throat for a moment, manifesting your pleasure so important to him.

He withdraws his fingers from your mouth and leans over to kiss you passionately, lining his aching erection up against your sopping folds. "I'll take it slow, okay?" he promises again, sliding his tip through your slit to coat himself with your juices before easing the head in gently. Your whole body shivers underneath him and you shift your hips, lifting your legs up and wrapping them around his ribcage to grant his girth more access.

Just as he promised, Sylus takes his time, inch by inch slowly slipping into you until you're so full of him that you feel the ache of your tired walls starting to settle and get used to his significant size. You've never been more full, he's so big and his tip presses insistently up against your cervix in a way that's almost painful if he thrusts too hard. He begins to roll his hips down into you, building a soft but intense rhythm, hitting all your most sensitive spots so very deep inside.

He grinds into you, holding his weight just off you so that he's not suffocating you and you moan deeply as you look down between you to see his length plunging in and out of you, his hips keeping a steady pace. His eyes are closed and his mouth hangs open ever so slightly as he chases your shared pleasure. You cup his cheek and brush the pad of your thumb across his lip and he opens his eyes to gaze down at you, shimmering ruby eyes overwhelmed by blown out pupils.

Sylus moans against your lips as he feels you tensing "if you're close just let go, I'm right here with you my dove" and it's enough to send you keening into your second orgasm, your walls rippling and clenching down, meeting the resistance of his hard flesh. His pace doesn't relent as he strokes you through your pleasure, feeling yourself gushing onto the sheets as the lewd sounds of him slapping into your wetness echo in the room.

As his eyes lose focus and his hips start to hitch, you wrap your legs tighter around him, trapping him deep into you and you slide your arms up around his neck, pulling him down so his head is buried in the curve of your jaw. Your ear is full of his hot ragged breaths and his moans and you lean in, purring back in his ear.

"Gooooood boy....you're everything I want Sylus".

His head snaps backwards with a loud, gutteral moan and his eyes widen in shock for at your unexpected praise as he starts to seize inside you, orgasm flooding your walls in scalding bursts as he tries in vain to keep thrusting. Panting heavily, Sylus lowers his weight down onto your hips a little and props himself on his forearms, staring into your eyes, searching you for any discomfort, kissing your lips gently when he doesn't find it.

"That was a dirty trick Y/N," he laughs, kissing you again. "It was a dirty trick and I loved every second of it."

[death---dealer]

Thinking about something very trivial: do you think Caesar and Noa would snore when they are asleep ? 🫣

I feel Caesar would, but a soft snore and when you mention it to him, he would be in complete denial 😂

For Noa, I think he’s very silent while sleeping (maybe just when he dreams, some quiet hoots would escape his mouth 🥹) and maybe you’re actually the one who snore very softly but he would not hear it because I believe he’s an heavy sleeper (remember when he falls asleep against a tree while there was a wind storm, around the beginning of the movie?) so he discovered about your light snore when someday you’d fell asleep before he did.

What do you think? 🤔

Also: hello 👋🏻 😁

Hi hi! Happy Monday! I'm gagged with how cute of an idea this all is and leaves me reeling. I'm a romantic bitch at heart thank yOU.

Caesar.

Definitely snores, but the occasion happens very rarely. Caesar, I would imagine started to sleep rather shallowly at the consistent idea that he may be woken up in the middle of the night in case something happened with the Colony; I.e, being under attack. Sleeps even more shallowly when you're with him, almost like he's afraid to miss a moment of movement from you, an opportunity to have you close to him without the prying eyes of other Apes.

The instances that you have heard him snoring have been when he's in an intensely deep state of REM. The sound itself doesn't wake you up, much rather, you naturally do when your mind buzzes with lucidity at the feeling of Caesar breathing next to you. He's usually on his back when he snores; letting the sound escape him without embarrassment.

Occasionally makes noises, but only when it's an intensely deep sleep and he's in the throes of dreaming. Never loud enough to wake you up. You've seen him dream, almost in a dream-like trance yourself and he tends to move more than verbalize. The tiny grunts that fall from his mouth in adjacent to the twitching of his arms, his feet do give you pause but at the end of the day, you'll pull yourself closer to him in an eager bid to calm him down if you think he's having a nightmare.

"Did you know you snore?" You peeped over your bowl of berries that were so teasing in their vibrant color. It was breakfast time, and instead of communally taking your meal with the rest of the Apes, Caesar sought some intimacy from you with the knowledge that he was going to be with his council for the remaining of the day and you would go with Lake to take care of the young. He took what he could get. Tentatively, he chewed a mouthful of blackberries, his green eyes trying to read your expression. If you were joking, you were surely hiding it from your face. Snoring was such a mundane topic of conversation, he figured you were making light small talk over your meal so you weren't in deafening silence the entire morning. "Do... not." Was his simple response. "How would you know?" Great question. "I know." He responded gruffly, letting his eyes fall into yours as you shrugged your shoulder in some form of mild defeat. If he said so, that's what your body language told him. Caesar squinted his eyes questioningly at you. "Why think...that I do?" "You were doing it last night." Pensively, Caesar nodded at that and placed his bowl down next to yours. He was done, knowing that you would take the bowls and clean them yourself once he was gone; one of those pesky items you enjoyed doing and Caesar silently enjoyed the human element of it. He supposed he was tired last night, only enough strength after the hunting trip he went on with Koba, Rocket, Blue Eyes and Ash to get himself up to the nest. He didn't even make efforts to lay with you, knowing you had made a small advancement and offered it, but Caesar opted to fall asleep instead. He shook his head mentally. No way. He swept himself closer to you, pressing his face to your hair before dropping and melding his forehead against your own. Your eyes shut as a response to the affection, his hand coming to grasp the back of your head to keep you in place. "I do not." Was the sparring argument he gave you, and in the blink of an eye, he was whisking towards the door.

Noa.

Considered a very tangly sleeper. If in the comforts of his own nest, he'll find a bit of a solace in tangling himself into his animal pelts, or if you're with him, he definitely likes to tangle himself into you. Your legs, your arms. Anything that he can touch, nestle himself inside, he is there. In your times sleeping with him, you note that he is not a snorer, but he is an extremely heavy sleeper and has occasionally rolled on top of you in the dead of sleep.

With heavy sleeping comes dreaming. Those nights that you are wracked with the inability to sleep, you find yourself watching him. Maybe even petting his head softly as his body reacts subversively to your touch and to what was happening in his subconscious. If he's having a nightmare, his tone comes out surprisingly aggressive, desperate around the edges and you find yourself drawn to comfort him. If he's having a good dream, he's more prone to letting out hums of what can be described as content.

He knows for a fact that you snore softly, especially if you're on your side or on your stomach, face pressing into either the surrounded pelts or Noa himself. There's not been many instances of him catching you in the act, in fact, it's usually in Noa's sleepy slumber, maybe needing to roll over and get more comfortable, does he hear the soft sound coming from you. He finds it rather endearing to know that you're so remarkably comfortable with him that you can allow yourself to lull into a deeper sleep.

First time he notices it was by complete accident. And, at that point, he wondered if he'd have figured it out completely had he not been late coming back to you one night. A council meeting gone longer than anticipated, Noa's eyes watching the sun fall, and hours seemed to have passed before he finally dismissed everyone and he allowed himself to utmost pleasure of knowing he got to see you. The idea did linger in his mind that you might be asleep, but he didn't rest too much on that as he trailed his way back to your shared nest. Well, to his non-surprise, you were definitely asleep. The tiny bit of fired flames from the pit in the corner were encapsulating your entire body, nestled so deeply in a bear pelt, that Noa had a hard time finding the curvatures of your body before his green eyes finally found your face. You were on your side; facing him. He moved softly to not wake you, eager to have himself pressed against you so he could follow suit and get some sleep. The noise from you startled him for a second, his head piqued in interest as he pulled his much larger frame into the tangle of branches, waiting for the almost involuntary nature of your movements as you respond to him being next to you. You made it again, eyes still shut as you rolled onto your back, onto Noa's arm, now using it as a pillow. It wasn't until the next morning and he was asking about it did your face turn red for mild embarrassment, adamantly denying that you were snoring. He must have heard the sounds wrong. Noa knew better, but didn't argue against it. He'd wait until you were asleep again tonight just to get another taste at the vulnerability.

[takotakigum]

someone to spend time with — itoshi sae.

characters: itoshi sae x gn!reader

warnings: tooth-rotting fluff, established relationships, sae and his softer side, reader is kind of shy/easily embarrassed but is easily excited, and idiots (it’s really just sae who’s an idiot) in love.

word count: 1.6k

synopsis: sae discovers that there’s something more to soccer—as long as it’s with you.

note: the nicknames/callsigns “mi amor” and “amor” mean “my love” and “love”.

aged up characters | please read at your own risk!

“sae,” you once called out in the dead of night with a whisper. well, you would think; because sae was actually awake, listening in to your soft snores of slumber. “…will you?” you said, shifting in your sleep. “will i what?” he mumbled back, aware that he was only talking back to a fragment of your dreaming state.

“soccer…wanna play with you…” you managed to say after the long silence you left sae hanging with. “so play soccer with me, sae.” sae had you continue on with your mindless sputtering, only humming after every pause you did.

that night continued on as if nothing ever happened, your breathing once more became even, breaths of air hitting sae’s neck. as your boyfriend paid no mind to your sleep talking agenda.

well, not until a week later—that is. because the memory of it vividly plays back for sae.

“all done for the night?” you see sae walking closer to your figure sitting down on the bench of the private field you both are stationed at. typically, he’s out for practice by the morning; although unfortunately, even the slightest rainfall can hinder such an athlete’s routine. which now leads to this event: sae asking you to come along since when it’s late at night, you aren’t busy at all. sae wouldn’t mind your company for when he practices, after all.

as sae stands in front of you with a nod, the visible sweat that lightly clings onto his face makes you stand up and usher him to sit down and rest. gently, you fetch a towel from sae’s gym bag and use it to wipe his face somewhat dry.

“were you practicing a new move? it looks different from what you usually do in your routine. well, at least from the last time i watched you.” you ask with a smile, making sae scoot over the bench for you to sit down, too. “you noticed it? although it’s nowhere near polished.” sae shouldn’t wonder, really. with each practiced movement he’s done on the field, he’s also secretly spared a glance at you. and each time, his heart beats a little bit faster—because he sees you looking at him so attentively, observantly, and tenderly. it’s plastered all over your face and especially into the twinkling depths of your eyes. sae has no doubt about it.

“of course i did! it looks really cool!” without thinking, you lean yourself closer to sae; hands propped on his thighs as your face is inches away from him filled with excitement. however, it easily dissipates when sae raises an eyebrow at you, his teal eyes blankly staring. “i-i mean, you know, i just think it looks cool since you’re the one doing it…” you avert eye contact with sae, a rush of blood heating up your face.

you hear a sigh, and curiously so, you take a peak at sae. the corners of his lips are tugging upwards, something close to a smile as he still looks at you. sae’s hand comes up near your face, then rests on your head. his hand goes back and forth gently, making you loosen up to him once more.

then, it all waves down upon sae.

sae suddenly stands up, abruptly grabbing your wrists to pull you into the wide field with him. “amor- sae, what’re you doing?” although you say it with the voice of contradiction, your body allows sae to continue dragging you.

“you want to play soccer with me?”

your eyes go wide, and a gush of anticipation hugs you from the back of your heart. “h-huh? you know i don’t know anything about-” once more, sae notices how your eyes aren’t looking at him, he sees how you’re only looking anywhere but him.

dead in the middle of the field, sae stops, then goes closer to you. “i’m not asking you if you’re good at football or not. i’m asking you if you want to play with me. here, right now.” in some aspect, sae doesn’t know why he’s doing this, although at the same time, he doesn’t care if it’s what you desire. “is that fine? aren’t you already tired?” in a way, sae’s breath is still a bit ragged, although he doesn’t seem like he’s hiding it.

“it doesn’t matter.” sae mutters after some time, when he’s picked up a disregarded soccer ball on the ground nearby. he takes your hand with ease and makes you hold it; his hands helping yours. “it does, actually. you shouldn’t be wasting your energy on someone—who is probably in your dictionary—lukewarm.” you laugh, rather more than a giggle, too, as you tease sae for his vocabulary. however, sae doesn’t find that quite humorous. “don’t say that, you’re not lukewarm.” sae pushes his knuckle on your cheek to squish it rather harshly, making you wince.

“you never answered my question. do you want to play?” hesitantly, you nod. “i guess so? but i don’t see how you’ll benefit from-” now, you’re not quite sure how many times sae has stopped you mid explanation with him words, however, now he’s halting you with his lips. “you worry too much; you speak a lot of nonsense, too.” he murmurs on your mouth, his arm wrapping around your shoulder to pull you closer. his fingertips and palms far away from your face as he dares not stain your porcelain skin with dirt from the soccer ball.

when sae departures from your face, a tender look is met with your gaze before sae pulls your hands away from the ball you once held, making it fall to the ground. “put the ball under your foot, and try to move it without losing your balance.” suddenly, sae sounds like a strict teacher. even so, a smile stretches your lips, doing exactly as he said. while holding sae’s arms, you move the ball around, getting used to the shape, weight, and size of it.

and after some time, you happen to believe that you’re getting the hang of it…when you really aren’t.

“you can’t keep holding onto my arm, mi amor. that’s not how football works.” sae watches you move him alongside you as you kick the ball with—although barely—precision. “shush! it’s not like we’re playing real soccer!” you retort, to which sae only sighs loudly in exaggeration. “i know, but still.” you shake your head almost immediately. “no, i can’t reach the ball when it rolls too far. but you have longer legs, so you can reach for me.” the gears are visibly turning in sae’s head, yet he still doesn’t understand the logic. he truly does not.

sae effortlessly reaches to the loose ball with his foot, bringing it closer to you both. however, he manages to slip his arms away from your grip and distance himself farther from you. “sae!” you call out, mouth caught up between a grin of excitement and a slacked jaw of disbelief. “come on,” even sae lets out a laugh, especially when he glances at your body running towards him at a decent throttle in dedication to steal the ball from him.

throughout the whole empty field, only the echos of your occasional yells and sae’s occasional response are heard. a sneak of laughter here and there brings everything together, like a silk ribbon wrapping around a box of a present so special.

as the cold night’s air flows through and hits every exposed skin of sae’s body, he feels so light. he thinks—unrealistically—that the spotlights of the field enhances everything: from how your face has a toothy grin that doesn’t seem to falter; how your clothes start to get disoriented by the way you run to catch up with him; and how your eyes are so fixed on him, and only him—the same eyes that look at him so enthusiastically on the field.

sae is becoming hyperaware of how his cheeks seems to be hurting because of his own smile, plus of a blush too—but other than that, sae is becoming too hyperaware of how he wants to bask in the moment and hug you.

for the first time as he’s playing soccer, itoshi sae falters. all because he’s subconsciously slowing his body down; wanting to have any way for you to be near him as quickly as possible.

“hey, look- i think i got-” as you are able to steal the ball from sae with an exhausted body, your foot slips on a portion of the muddy grass and yelp. your hands recklessly take hold of sae, pulling him down the damp field along with you, dirtying both of your attires.

“not quite. you lost your balance, mi amor.” sae couldn’t bring it in him to scold you, at least not at the moment. because his stomach feels like it’s going to burst—he’s laughing too much, he can’t deny that he hears it himself. and you giggling with him encourages his system to let loose a little more. “it’s not my fault! i didn’t know it would be that slippery!” you pant big breaths of air, letting your body rest on the muddy ground. “right. i should’ve told you to be more careful.” even though your limbs are intertwined with sae’s, he finds a way to hover over you, cushioning his palm under your head for your comfort. sae tenderly touches your foreheads together, his lips achingly desperate to kiss you as his other hand finds your free one to hold.

each emotion he feels is heightened, and all he can do is hold you close to him as he allows it to flow through his whole body and soul—all because it’s so foreign.

then, another surge washes over sae, and it nearly drowns him this time. because only now does sae notice—the whole time he’s not looking at anywhere else but you in the field—he never did, never was; he’s not paying mind where the goal should be at, nor is he taking notice of which side of the field he’s at—no. his eyes only care about you. not the field, not the ball, and not soccer itself.

the whole time, it’s you.

you: one of the only people capable of making such a enclosed, gloomy environment be like something beyond sae’s dreams—something even better.

“soccer’s fun, isn’t it?”

© takotakigum | do not repost, translate, or plagiarize my works.

[chlorinecake]

ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 Restless Nights w Enhypen ! ⩇⩇:⩇⩇

༯ pairing: bf!enha x snoring s/o ☁️

༯ warnings: cavity inducing fluff, language, a lil crack

༯ wc: less than 200 words for each member

니키 | Niki - Once you and Niki started sleeping in the same bed together, it was game over for you about three nights in when he ~discovered~ your snoring habit. The menace in him couldn’t help but record your noisy fits, just in case he ever ran out of things to tease you for 🤭 He even nicknamed you “piglet” the next day 😭 You’d feel a lil insecure about it (at first) until asking him what he meant by it, and he’d simply show you the video, holding back his laugh… He’d use his height advantage against you as you desperately tried reaching for his phone to delete the video 🤧🤧 “NIKI IF YOU DON’T DELETE THAT SHIT, I’M NEVER SLEEPING WITH YOU AGAIN!!” He’d drop his arm immediately, handing you the phone. “I’m sorry,” he’d whisper, pulling you in for a hug.

정원 | Jungwon - Usually, Jungwon is a VERY LATE sleeper, so there are nights when he doesn’t mind your snoring as much. However, if he’s really tired and in need of some quality rest 😪, your snoring can be somewhat of a hinderance to him. So, he researched methods that might aid your noisy habit. Meditating or simply listening to calming music with you before bed soon developed into more than just an anti-snore scheme, but a part of your nightly routines 🥰🥰

“I’m so tired, Wonie, can we please just go to bed?”

“Right after we meditate first.”

“But why,” you pouted.

“It’ll help you sleep better, ____. Just give me 10 minutes, and afterwards, we can cuddle.” After that offer, you’d happily oblige, and sometimes, end up meditating in each others presence for even longer than planned.

선우 | Sunoo - Some nights, Sunoo finds your snoring cute, while other nights he finds it ANNOYING AS HELL 😩, so it really depends on his mood. One night, he was so fed up with it that he plugged your nose while you were sleeping, just to laugh his ass off when you wake up wheezing 💀 until you look at him like “😤” and he makes up every excuse 🪦

“Go back to sleep, honey, you probably just had a bad dream.”

“Sunoo.”

“Fine, the truth is, your snoring was annoying the hell out of me, so I tried to cheer myself up by letting the intrusive thoughts win. My apologies.”

“Sunoo.”

“Look, I promise I’ll never do it again, baby 🥺.”

“SUNOO!”

“What?” Those were his final words before you’d initiate a revenge tickle fight, tiring him out before you both fell back to sleep, snoring together this time 😴

성훈 | Sunghoon - Honestly, Sunghoon isn’t bothered by your snoring habit at all. He GETS his beauty sleep 💅✨💋, regardless of the earthquake occurring on your side of the bed 🥴 The only time he’ll tease you about it is if you snore ~excessively~ right after intimacy 🙈 He’d wake up the next morning and trace lazy shapes on the small of your back, admiring your EVERYTHING in the moment of silence before saying some cheeky shit like:

“Was it that good, baby?”

You’d wake up at the sound of his voice, groggy and confused.

“What’re you talking about, Sunghoon?”

“Last night, silly. You were snoring like a beast, so it must’ve been fabulous.” You could feel heat rush to your face, both out of embarrassment and affection ☺️☺️

제이크 | Jake - As you came to learn while dating him, Jake is a softie at heart 🥹🫀🍬 He finds your snoring habit SOOO endearing. Sometimes, he likes to think of the different animals your snores remind him of 😑, but his all time favorite snores are the kitten purrs you make while nuzzled against his chest, making his heart thud like a whole ass drum!!! He can’t wait to update you the next morning, telling you how cute you sounded/looked in your sleep ���� He also DEFINITELY took a picture or two 👀

“Baby, guess what! It’s really important,” he’d say in his adorable Aussie accent, shaking you from your slumber…. at 5am 🫠

“Yeah, what is it Jakey?”

“You looked really pretty while you slept, and your snores sounded saur freaking cute, and I love you, and I also can’t wait to sleep next to you again TONIGHT, and-”

“HOW IS THAT IMPORTANT, JAKE?”

제이 | Jay - Jay absolutely can’t STAND your snoring! He’s pretty big on physical touch in a relationship, viewing cuddle sessions as a form of ~life support~ in most cases. Though, he simply has a very low tolerance for the noise you make, especially when he’s tired 🥱 The poor guy ends up sleeping on the couch during most of your snoring fits so he doesn’t wake up cranky or disturb you with his tossing and turning 😭😭 It’s honestly for the best 💝

“Jayyyy,” you call from your shared bedroom.

By now, he knew exactly what you wanted whenever you called his name like that.

He picked up his pillow and blanket from the couch, meeting you on the mattress.

“Cuddles?” You’d ask, tugging at the hem of his shirt.

“Always 😏”

희승 | Heeseung - Knowing Heeseung, he’d probably be snoring right on with ya. He’s a ~vocal~ man in his waking life and it’s not very different when he’s asleep either. His snores aren’t as loud as yours, but he sleeps like a baby through your noise anyways 😌 Heeseung believes snoring is an indicator that one is catching up on some well-needed and deserved rest, so he’ll likely NEVER complain about it 🫶🤗

Hugging you from behind, he’d pull you closer the second you tried to escape his hold.

“Heeseung, I need to pee,” you’d whine, squirming in his arms.

“What if I miss you while you’re gone?” He’d ask you, pouting.

“I’ll come back as soon as I finish, okay?”

“Ugh, okay,” he’d answer, only for you to come back two minutes later and find him smiling into your pillow, drifting back to sleep.

  zᶻ

૮˶- ﻌ -˶ა⌒) thanks for stopping by! make sure to check out my bookshelf for more fun reads! 🎂

[kristallioness]

It's like a little heartbeat

Summary: Aang and Katara are reconciled after a heated argument during the day.

Word count: 1,356

Author's note: I was going through a very rough week (mentally), so one night as I lay in bed trying to get my biological clock to adjust to my irregular sleeping patterns, I felt like I needed to think of something comforting. I pictured some of these images in my head. Of course, the pictures had to have some backstory, so I began to imagine the dialogue behind it and I quickly had to write them down before I forgot the exact wording, sooo.. here it is. Tears were shed while writing this. I really needed to get this out of my system. The story takes place during the events of "The Boiling Rock", shortly after the comic "Love Is a Battlefield". Also, it's my very first fanfic that's been completely typed out on my smartphone (proofread it and made some small corrections on my laptop though). *throws confetti*

----------x----------

The dim campfire cracked every now and again, burning up the last bits and pieces of charcoal and wooden sticks that were still left in the pile in an attempt to stay alive for as long as possible. The summer nights in the Western Air Temple were rather warm, so the fire merely provided a source of light for the kids who were seeking refuge from the war.

Toph had tucked herself in inside her makeshift rock tent a while ago. With Sokka and Zuko away on a supposed fishing trip, the rest of the boys were taking shifts to keep watch over the others.

The Duke had passed out long ago, snoring on his blanket nearest to the remainders of their campfire. Haru was toying with some small pieces of earth to practice his bending in silence and Teo, who was still awake, was keeping him company.

Aang could hear their quiet chatter from further away. He was leaning on the edge of the bridge that connected their campsite to the backward rooftop of the neighbouring tower. His source of light was generated by the palm of his left hand.

The flame flickered in the soft breeze that blew past him. He knew to bend it further away from himself to avoid singeing his sash by accident. What once caused him horror and fear now brought him warmth and comfort on the inside, and out.

Aang occasionally played around with the small flame. He tried to give it more oxygen to make it grow bigger, then breathed out to relax and let it shrink back to its original size. He was discovering new aspects of firebending that were more connected to airbending than he ever could've imagined. Guess that's why air comes right after the element of fire, just like water comes after air. The bending discipline that follows the Avatar's natural element in the cycle seems to be the easiest to learn since it bears more similarities than the others.

Speaking of water and air - he heard light footsteps approaching as they climbed the steps leading up the stone bridge. A moment later, Aang could spot Katara making her way up the stairs and walking towards him.

"Hey," she said once she was closer to him.

"Hey," he replied and greeted her with a small smile. She dusted some of the pebbles and debris off the railing next to his side.

"Do you mind if I sit here?"

"Uh, no! Of course not," Aang stuttered, beckoning her to take a seat with his free hand. Katara obliged happily, letting out a puff of air once she'd settled down.

She was hoping that Aang would strike up a conversation, but he seemed to be focused on his firebending instead. She stared towards their friends back at the campsite together with him for a few minutes. When the airbender remained silent, she dropped her gaze down at her warrior boots in shame as she bumped her feet together.

It wasn't any easier for him. He was hoping that she'd be the one to start talking about something, anything to break the silence.

When neither one dared to speak up, obviously the most awkward thing happened again.

"Aang, I-"

"Katara, I.."

How in the world did this keep happening? Maybe it was a good thing since they both ended up laughing over the funny exchange of words.

"You go first," the airbender insisted after the ice between them had started to melt. Katara took a deep breath to gather herself.

"Listen.. I'm really sorry about earlier today. I didn't mean to upset you like that."

Now Aang felt bad. Neither one of them had exactly handled the situation well.

"No, no.. don't be. I'm sorry for pushing you like that. If you're not ready to talk about what happened, then.. it's okay," he sighed in defeat, but stared into her blue eyes and did his best to force a smile. He felt a huge relief when she met his gaze and returned it. He did not want to bring back the tension between them. He just wished that everything would be the same again, like it was before the invasion.

"How's your firebending going?" she asked to change the subject.

"Eh, it's coming along great, I guess.." Aang replied with a shrug. He brought his right hand to the side of the flame to feel it live and breathe. To Katara, it seemed like he was caressing the fire with such care and tenderness. He noticed her watching his every move in awe and admiration, her head slightly tilted so she'd see it better from that angle.

"Do you know what it feels like?" he asked. She shook her head, but remained curious.

"It's like a little heartbeat. Do you wanna feel it?"

"Mhmm," the waterbender hummed in agreement, carefully reaching out her hand to hold her palm close to one side of the flickering flame, just like he had a moment ago.

"Don't worry, I won't let it burn you," he assured her, this time feeling confident enough to be able to keep the tiny spark under control.

Katara did feel how the heat sort of bounced off from her hand in a certain rhythm of its own, getting hotter for a few seconds and then cooler again for a while.

Aang lifted his gaze up at the paintings facing them on the opposite walls. Intricate masterpieces depicting flying sky bison and the nuns tending to their daily chores or rituals, most of them separated by cracks in the stone or bigger chunks that had fallen off to the ground due to the dilapidated conditions they were in. His brows furrowed with sadness.

"How could someone.. anyone wielding such delicate power be able to use it for such great evil?" Aang wondered out loud. Katara frowned similarly to him as she eyed the paintings. She didn't have the answer to his question. But she did come up with an idea to cheer him up.

"Close your eyes."

The airbender quirked an eyebrow at her sudden suggestion.

"Just trust me. And don't get scared."

He gave her a soft smile at that and closed his eyes, still firebending the small flame in the palm of his hand. Through seismic sense, he "saw" how Katara turned towards him and gently grabbed his other hand from its wrist, the one he'd been supporting against the stone edge they were both sitting on.

"Does it feel something similar..", she murmured, the words from her lips drifted off as she lifted his hand in the air and slowly brought it closer to her body, tenderly resting it right above…

"..like this?"

Her heart. Aang opened his eyes in disbelief, completely forgetting about the flame as he let it extinguish in a split second. His free hand clasped his mouth as if to hold back a gasp. Tears formed in the corners of his grey eyes as he wasn't sure whether this was real or another daydream.

He could literally feel Katara's heartbeat drumming away right beneath the palm of his hand, which she held steady with her own hovering above it. Tears spilled over his cheeks as Aang felt a wave of love coursing through him. She didn't know just how much he treasured her at the moment.

He hastily tried to wipe them away with the back of his other hand, slightly embarrassed at how he'd reacted. Katara didn't seem to mind though, given how much that smile of hers grew the moment she saw him tear up. Before the light went out, Aang could've sworn that she was blushing, too.

She gazed at him lovingly and gave him a minute to compose himself.

"Yes.. yes, it does," Aang sniffed, holding back a sob whilst rubbing an eye.

Her free hand cupped his cheek to help dry off the wet streaks. Katara leaned forward for a sec to give him a kiss there. Not on the lips, but a peck on the cheek. Perhaps that was a sign that he hadn't burnt all the bridges between them after all.

[zealofchronos]

Hiii!! Today marks the eventful return of Bones Anon. The last thing you wrote for me was absolutely fucking fantastic I still keep going back to read it!!

I see you've been writing a lot of genshin lately but I've never played that game so I am going back to Pokemon.

I want to steal Raihan's big hoodie so fucking bad. I just think it would be so comfy. I know I can buy one irl but I'm a broke bitch™ and it's usually too hot to justify wearing a sweater where I live.

So, if you're willing to write it, perhaps a nice little fic of Raihan discovering his bf enjoys snatching his hoodie? And deciding that he is very willing to go without his signature hoodie just to let him wear it.

Bonus points for fluffy shenanigans w/ Raihan teasing the reader and the reader snarking right back?? Just two smug bastards being smug to eachother (affectionately)

Bonus bonus points if reader is also tall as fuck and the hoodie actually fits them, because I see a whole lot of short reader and I want more rep for my lanky ass!! /j

Anyways thank u in advance I think ur cool as fuck

- 🦴

wahoo !! hello hello, bones anon ! ♡♡

truth be told, i already wrote this a long time ago, a while after i first saw it, but my uploading motivation went down the drain >< i've mostly been lurking on tumblr a lot and reading loads of things, but today i am here to do this ask justice by sifting in my docs and pouring out what you've asked for!

never steal from a dragon, but i'll do it anyway! ;; raihan x male reader

contents ;- fluff , sfw , established romantic relationship , tall reader ! , playful banter , please do not leave the stove unattended while cooking ^^;

proofread by @elvenxwarrior , who made sure the fic was "sufficiently british" ! ♡

Galar was peaceful these days to say the least, with Eternatus being captured and a new champion rising to the throne, there’s a lot that has changed. But it was still all the same, with beautiful days to be lived out, and a multitude of things to do. Be it befriend the Pokemon that were in the wild, or find incredible treasures on a long lasting journey. Or, perhaps, run a gym in a big city.

Morning sun rose over the streets of Hammerlocke, a beautiful city with a brilliant feel. All visitors would marvel at the architecture, from the middle aged stone walls to the historical lineage behind it. But in every city, there are homes- and today, we zoom in on a cosy little den- yours!

After much contemplation, you’ve decided to make a home in this city, for one very obvious reason.

Golden rays peeked through the blinds, day barely beginning but you’re already begging for a few more minutes in. It seems someone could agree, soft snores coming from none other than the city’s gym leader himself- Raihan, who laid next to you. His arms loosely wrapped around your body, holding you close as you could only suffer in silence, succumbing to his comforting grip paired with his almost ridiculous sleeping habits.

Perhaps it was because he dealt with dragons, or because he was always busy with something- be it training, or working out. Maybe he’s tired himself out to the point of dropping dead asleep the moment his head hits the pillow every night, or he’s swallowed too much sand in those sandstorms he conjured up in the stadium ( his mouth was always open, never shut even during those moments- it’s a wonder how he hasn’t gotten any in his lungs by now )… Or perhaps it’s only around you that he finds a moment of peace to just let go of all of his worries and simply enjoy the moment.

You weren’t exactly doing anything- you were merely just another trainer, but you were lucky enough to snatch away the heart of this untamed dragon. Perhaps, you could say that was the first thing you ever stole from him. Because you weren’t about to stop now!

Thanks to Raihan being such a deep sleeper, you easily slipped out of his hold. It was a lazy day today- the gym didn’t have to be open, but it probably wouldn’t stop your energetic boyfriend from rushing over there as soon as he got the chance. So, you decided to take it slow for now, because if it came down to it, you could definitely convince him to just relax for the day.

First matter of the day was simply getting ready, heading straight to the bathroom to take care of yourself. Morning bed hair? Fixed with a quick combing through. Smelly breath? Gone with a simple brush. Clothes?

…Clothes always proved to be the most difficult thing of the morning. What exactly would you wear today? The Hammerlocke City Gym Leader seemed to rub off on you, now taking into account what you’d wear for the day more often than not. Right now, you just stood there in your pyjamas- and that should change really quickly. But what would you wear after?

Returning to your currently shared bedroom, you glanced around as though a new sight might help jog up those brain cells to work a bit better. Well, there was the bare back of your boyfriend, a blanket barely covering him up as he found a pillow to replace your missing warmth. He had such defined muscles, yet you weren’t here to gawk. But the sight alone gave you what you thought was a brilliant idea. Your eyes scanned the room a little further, catching sight of the familiar piece of clothing on the floor of your room.

Raihan’s hoodie.

Oh, this was perhaps his own treasure that nobody has ever seen him without. Well, nobody but you of course. But now it was time for it to be stolen away- It feels just like that one series you saw before, where a group of thieves steal away one’s treasure to change their hearts! But you’re not here to change his heart of course, you’d prefer if his heart stayed yours, as yours remained his.

You spared the sleeping Raihan one last glance before smirking, immediately putting on the nice hoodie after tossing your pyjama shirt off. It fit quite nicely around you, but that was merely because you were just shy of the gym leader’s height. It was a blessing, really, because it meant you didn’t have to get on your tiptoes just to kiss him, or he didn’t have to bend down to an atrociously low level just to meet your eyes. Then again, it’s not like he isn’t used to crouching down- I mean, you’ve seen his battle stance, whenever he gets a little heated in the middle of a match. It’s a little hot, you could say, but since when is he not?

Now, it was time to carry on with your day, singing praises for your beloved boyfriend could come later!

Next came breakfast, and what better breakfast than… well, a big one? It was common for you and your boyfriend to eat your fill. After all, he needed all the energy to get through his day, and to start it all with a nice boost was great! Thankfully, your fridge was stocked with all sorts of things that you both liked, but it seemed today, the flour in your cabinets and eggs in your fridge called for you- the decision was made in your head, it’s time to make waffles! And as if that wasn’t enough, you pulled out the sausages from the freezer, and a few other things to make a not-so-lazy-but-still-kinda-lazy breakfast. At this point, could you even call it that? Oh, who gives a damn.

“ ‘tuuun…” The low rumble of a certain Pokemon sounded from below you, a beloved Appletun- your beloved Appletun, actually. It seems that she finally woke up from her own slumber, coming to check out what you were doing. Fortunately, you had just placed the kettle to brew, or else you might’ve tripped over the poor thing. Having a moment to spare, you decided to give her a little treat, and of course some much deserved pets before continuing to cook away some good breakfast.

It wasn’t until much later when a bunch of delightful smells filled your house did you hear a loud yawn from your room. It was quite obvious who it was, and you could only roll your eyes at how late he woke up. But it’s no matter, you would much prefer it this way, after all. Not long after, you finally heard his footsteps, and it was nice that he decided to actually get up and see you. You could only laugh to yourself over that, looking after a few things in the pan to make sure they didn’t burn.

“Hey, babe, have you seen my hood… ie,” that familiar voice slowly died down as he stepped right into the open space, eyes widening the best they can whilst still somewhat groggy and in much need of some more time with you. “...Stealin’ from me, ay?” A shirtless Raihan questioned, snorting a little as his eyes scanned you up and down. This was quite the unusual sight for him, but it… wasn’t unwelcome at all.

“Yer’ callin’ me a thief? I think you should check who left it lyin’ on my floor,” Your soft laughter filled the air, leaving the stove for a moment to get the hot water into a mug with a tea bag. “Tell ya’ what, I’ll trade you a cup of tea for it, eh, ehhh?” Doing your best to sound convincing, you held out the nice mug of tea to him. It was your favourite mug at that, actually, and you would never use it to serve anyone else. By your right mind, this was a mighty fine trade!

“I dunno… You still took it from me, y’know,” Raihan’s gaze sharpened momentarily, deciding that if anything, he might as well try. I mean, he’s done that a lot, trying despite many fruitless attempts. By many, you could say exactly ten.

“And I’m offerin’ something to you in return! Fair’s fair.”

“No ‘s not.”

“Yes it is.”

It was now a somewhat endless back and forth, both of you repeating the same thing as neither of you wanted to give up. Was it tiring? Not at all. You could do this all day with him. Actually, you probably did this everyday with him, but you wouldn’t have it any other way. After a moment of contemplation, you finally decided to up the deal to something he can’t refuse…

“Fine, a nice cuppa’ aaand… a kiss from yours truly..~” You hummed, wiggling your eyebrows as though that was the best deal you could ever possibly give him. And truth be told, it was. You don’t think there was ever a day that his lips didn’t touch yours, except for the days before you started dating. It was the perfect pick up for him, maybe even better than a cup of tea alone.

“Hmm, you have yourself a convincing trade offer, babe,” Raihan crossed his arms as you slowly approached with your favourite mug in hand. That sweet smile on your face was something he wanted to wipe off, but only in one specific way.

“So? Made up yer’ mind or am I keeping my lips to myself?” You questioned almost impatiently, a hand on your hip as you set the mug down on the countertop nearby. Before you knew it, he had his arms around your waist, coming up oh so close to you.

With his eyes slowly fluttering shut, Raihan leaned in. He’s memorised everything, from how long it takes to get his lips to yours, to how to fit his arms around you.

“Takin’ my kiss first,” He proclaimed right before dipping his head down a little, his lips meeting yours. It was sweet and tender, just like any other time. Sure, he was wild and maybe a little reckless at times, but when you were in his arms, he found a way to let himself soften up a bit. He loved you to bits, after all.

Your arms wound around him in return, savouring the lovely morning you were having. It was a great day already, especially with the delicious view you were having. Soon your hands wandered a little, and you could feel him chuckle against your lips.

“Hands off the merchandise,” his eyes fluttered open with a soft laugh, followed by a mischievous snicker of your own when he swatted away your hands. “Greedy lil’ bugger,” He added, but you both knew that you were his greedy lil’ bugger.

“Oh, you know you love it,” You rolled your eyes, laughter definitely a bit too loud for the morning, but you couldn’t care less.

Raihan grabbed his tea, pretty much gulping it down despite the lack of sugar in it. It was already a bit cold, so there’d be no use in putting in any anyway. “I love it just as much as I like you in that, y’know,” the gym leader commented, eyes sweeping up and down your figure once again in the most obvious manner. He just really wanted you to know that he was checking you out, because goddamn, he’s wondering why he didn’t lend you any of his spare hoodies before this. “Guess I can go without the hoodie for the day.”

“Oh, for real?” Almost amused, you had to just make sure. Raihan simply nodded again, coming up to sneak an arm around your waist once more as he pressed his lips to your head and–

Click!

“Oi–?!” The sound of the shutter going off meant only one thing. Your head turned, whipping around to see Raihan’s Rotom phone flying behind you as it just took a picture. That sneaky lil-

“Aaand posted!” The gym leader chuckled as he dove in once more, pressing another quick kiss to your cheek. “And that’s another two kisses I stole from you, heh,” He snickered away, quietly shutting off any notifications from the post he just uploaded. He’ll deal with people questioning that he’s not single later, when he’s done messing with his lovable boyfriend.

“What the ‘ell!?” You weren’t mad at all, really, but you were really bewildered by the fact that he just did that. You expected many things, but that was not one of them.

“Ha! Look at yer’ face right now..!” He laughed a little more, before pulling out something that his silly brain could come up with. “Don’t be mad now, darling,” he paused, the nickname that he calls you when he likes to tease slipping past his lips. “Just wanted to show the world that I’m not on the market, y’know. Because someone stole my hoodie and… my heart.”

Oh, well, there was another thing you didn’t expect. Sure, you two had your playful little fights every now and then, but Raihan never failed to be smooth when he needed to be, and it always left you a little speechless.

“I… you… wh–”

But before you could actually get any words out, an annoying beep resounded from over the stove. You turned over to check and…

Shit.

Well, there goes breakfast.

Now you had to scramble over and salvage what you can, and being a wee bit of a useless bugger himself, Raihan simply stood there and laughed it off. Oh, he’ll see who’s laughing when you decide to ‘‘steal’’ from him again.

[the-mandawhor1an]

The present

Chapter 7 – Guided by the stars, connected by the force

Masterlist

⇐ Previous chapter | Next chapter ⇒

Pairing: Din Djarin x original female character

Chapter summary: Having to deal with a Dragon is hard as is. Dealing with feelings at the same time makes things more complicated for Maia and Din. Who is the real monster? 

Warnings: 18+ content, MDNI! Steamy thoughts; a little awkward talk about relationships; touch-starved Din; violence (more graphic than canon, sowwy); new character introduction; A little heartbreak;  

Words: 7k 

A/N: Switching the Mando'a translations to be in text rather than by the end of the whole chapter.

Due to last night’s occurrences, their night had been cut short, especially so as they were to get up at sunrise. Luckily, Maia fell asleep fairly fast after she had listened to her companion’s even breathing and Grogu’s sleep-babbles for a while. It was peaceful despite the situation they had found themselves in, out in the open and dangerously close to a giant creature. Mando must have groaned or made some kind of noise while sleeping, possibly due to having to sleep in his full set of armor. It couldn't be comfortable to sleep while having metal poke you constantly.

How she came to the conclusion that he made some kind of noise? Well, her brain, fueled by all kinds of chemicals after that kiss, registered his whines and blessed her with some very pleasant dreams, perhaps even visions, about them taking things further. 

She felt his rough hands discover every part of her body, gently caressing her skin. His lips would ghost over her neck, her shoulders, her chest, to land on her lips. They’d kiss greedily, his groans guttural and primal. She couldn’t see him, but stars, it felt so real, especially when he’d whisper sweet nothings into her ear, that she felt so soft and warm underneath him, caged by his body – submissive but safe, protected. His fingers were buried in her hips, hard enough to probably leave bruises, holding onto her while taking her like it was the last thing he’d ever do. When she woke up she swore she could feel him everywhere. 

Maia’s head slowly rose from the tented blanket, blushing and hoping she didn’t make any noise in her sleep that would tell Mando what they had done in her dreams. She glanced over to find both him and Grogu still soundly asleep, gently snoring in unison. Part of her wished she could just cuddle up against that wide frame of his and pretend she was cold, but she needed some fresh air and distance. The memories of him clouded her mind and the last thing she now needed was him asking questions. She stood up, making as little noise as possible, and left the tent some time before sunrise. She felt surprisingly fine for getting so little sleep, but she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep much longer anyway. They had to leave soon and all of her thoughts raced around him. 

Some of the camp was also awake already. As Maia didn’t have any means of communication, she opted to spend some time with the children. Just outside of the camp, they waited with her. Waited for? While the shadows of the tents were still over the red sand, small creatures scooted around on the lookout for water or small insects. The Tusken children showed Maia how to hunt womp rats. While the first attempt to catch one was futile and caused a fit of laughter with the young ones, the second rat met its unfortunate fate when Maia subtly waved her hand at it, causing some confusion so she could grab the rodent. Now with the small creature on her arm, calm and allowing the kids to pet it, one of the kids tried to tell her something. »I’m sorry I don’t understand,« she said. They kept making one sign over and over, growing more frustrated with every time. Finally, one grabbed her free hand and led her back inside the camp. To Mando. 

When faced with the Beskar clad bounty hunter again, it felt a little awkward at first. »I guess we have a pet now,« she said with a smile and pet the womp rat on her arm. Grogu, who had seemed a little sleepdrunk upon her arrival, locked eyes with the animal and was suddenly very wide awake. Insatiable little booger. »Be careful,« Mando said. His voice was a little deeper and raspier than usual, surely from just waking up. A pain surged through her body as she was reminded of her dream, where his voice sounded just like that. »They have sharp teeth and claws.« The animal was calm, almost asleep on her arm. It wouldn’t hurt her. »The children taught me some hunting. I can take on the dragon now,« she joked a little awkwardly, hoping he didn’t register her change in behavior, or the fact that she shifted her weight from one leg to the other nervously. 

Maia, why do you have to make things so awkward? she asked herself. But he didn’t pick up on the awkwardness, it seemed. »In that case I’ll kick my feet up, relax and watch you.« His helmet dipped just a tiny bit. That familiar sting appeared in her neck and she cleared her throat. »The children kept making this sign,« and as best as she could, she imitated the movements with one hand, all while the rat rested on her other arm. 

»Yeah, well, um,« he stammered and shifted his weight to one foot, bending one knee slightly. »They think I’m your husband because they saw us sleep in the same tent.« Maia instantly regretted asking him, as she was certain she started blushing again. 

MY HUSBAND? 

One of the children approached them again and signed something to him. All he signed back was his index, pointed upwards as he moved it in front of his visor. It looked to her like it could mean ‘that’s my secret’ or something in that sense. She wondered what the kid asked, as it chuckled and left them to join the other children. She let her eyes follow the child in hopes this distraction would make her blush disappear. »That explains their laughter, at least.« It was awkward, more so because he was clearly embarrassed as well. It sounded like a perfect opportunity for a corny joke. 

»I must’ve missed something yesterday,« she said with a smirk. »I don’t remember being proposed to.« And as much as she wanted the joke to land, his response choked her for just a second. »Mandalorian proposals aren’t super romantic,« he stated with a shrug. Wait. That just came out wrong, right? They didn’t… what? 

»How did you sleep?« he asked her when he picked up on the return of the awkwardness. Needing a second to take a breather, Maia sat down the small rat and bit her lips when her face was out of sight. »It was okay,« she replied while she slowly rose to her feet, watching the little rat regain its senses and running to hide behind the next small dune. »I’m just … plan M anyway. You won’t want me to interfere and in the end I will do it anyway.« She turned back to face him. 

»I don’t like the sound of that,« he said and leaned his helmet to the side, as she would sometimes do. He wanted to protect her, of course he didn’t like the thought of her stepping in and possibly getting hurt. She felt the dragon after all, it was massive. »I can take care of myself. I’ll be careful, don’t worry,« she reassured him. Slowly, she bent over to stretch out her back, her spine cracking in the process. »And how did you sleep?« 

»Fine. But I’m not the one with the cracking bones,« Mando’s gaze practically burned into her skin as she bent down. When she straightened out her back again, Vanth stood beside them. »I never thought I’d sleep in a Tusken camp, to be honest. Wasn’t as bad as I thought.« A sudden bout of nausea rolled over her when she thought about what Vanth could see when he approached them: Her bent over. 

She exhaled and closed her eyes for a second. This was not the right time to freak out. »We should get moving,« Mando insisted after Vanth shot him a grin. Men… 

»I’m curious what you’ve planned,« Maia explained while they were walking towards the speeders. »The Tusken children are quite the hunters… when it comes to womp rats.« The same, broken down, rusty speeder greeted them and she was hit with the realization, that she’d have to cuddle up to Din again. 

She sat behind him and exchanged a look with Grogu back in his carrier bag. The little one was excited for the new day ahead. With a soft smile on her lips she turned around and held on to her companion. 

»They are great hunters, but the dragon is a different story. It’s big and hard to hunt due to it being under the sand,« Mando explained when they dashed across the dunes. While one hand held onto him by his waist, Maia’s other hand snaked up to the shoulder that was hidden from Vanth’s view. With every time Vanth would shoot her looks, she’d squeeze Din’s shoulder softly. Deep down she wondered, and she was a bit embarrassed by her own thoughts, what it would feel like to touch him without all the fabric separating them. If his skin felt as warm and soft as she imagined. 

Maia was unsure of how she would call whatever she shared with Din. She obviously liked him, but his point of view was completely unclear. He kissed her, but did that mean something to him? Seeing the two like this made it easy for the Tuskens to mistake them for husband and wife. They shared a tent, she was practically glued to his back, and the Mandalorian seemed extremely comfortable with the closeness. And at least from what they could tell by the little sparkle in her eyes when she looked at him, there must’ve been something. 

She wasn’t opposed to the thought of being with him. As a partner, not necessarily as his wife. 

They reached the den after a short trip. A large tunnel led deep into a mountain, pitch black on the inside. Din, Vanth, a few Tuskens and Maia sat behind a rock, watching the tunnel entrance with binoculars. Vanth scanned the tunnel and scoffed. »This is where it’s supposed to be?« and without thinking, Maia practically blurted out, »It’s sleeping.« A low rumble echoed from the tunnel if one paid attention to it. The dragon’s breath. 

»The Tusken said it lives in an abandoned sarlacc pit,« Mando explained. Vanth lowered the binoculars and handed them over to him. »Ridiculous, there are no abandoned sarlacc pits on Tatooine.« Mando shrugged. »They’re empty when you eat the sarlacc.«

A Tusken approached the cave with a bantha in tow. They shouted into the cave, the scream echoed for quite a while until the low hum of the dragon’s breath stopped and a low growl emerged. The beast made its way forward and instead of eating the bantha as intended, it went for the Tusken and ate them in one bite. »They usually sacrifice banthas to make the dragon sleep for longer. They’ve studied it for generations,« Mando explained after the failed attempt. Vanth scoffed »Well, that worked just as planned, huh?« He crossed his arms in front of his chest. 

Mando straightened his back and sighed. »Maybe they’re open to new ideas.«

They assembled around a replica of the scene before them, bones representing the dragon and pebbles to symbolize the men that they had to work this out. Maia watched from a distance, Grogu on her arm. She didn’t want to interfere with the actual plotting, so she stepped back. 

Vanth tilted his head and seemed to calculate something in his mind. »The scaling is off,« he commented. Maia wasn’t sure she agreed, the dragon was gigantic. Din exchanged a few signs and grunts with a Tusken before speaking to the marshal. »The scaling is right. What we’ve seen is just the head.« While they debated whether or not the dragon was in fact this big, Grogu extended one of his hands, maybe to force-pull one of the bones towards him. Maia shielded the small green hand with hers and softly whispered to the child »not now.« He sighed and turned to look her into the eyes, pleading with her to allow him to nibble on the sun-bleached bones. 

»Maybe we should retreat, then,« Vanth proposed. Maia looked down at the hand full of pebbles and commented »Maybe we should, we’re not enough, especially if bantha is off the dragon’s menu.« After a short exchange between Mando and the Tusken, more pebbles fell from the hunter’s hand and plop into the sand. Vanth appeared delighted. »That looks a lot better. What did you say?« »I told them your people will help us.« Maia looked over to Vanth, then back to Mando. She was certain the marshal would not agree with that plan at all. And as expected, he was far from delighted. 

»They attacked us less than a year ago. Killed half a dozen of us by the mining camp. I'd say I took down about twice as many Tuskens,« Vanth spoke with a clear irritation in his voice. As expected, kind of. But Mando wouldn’t give up so fast. »All of you want the dragon gone. You killed some of their people, they killed some of your people. This can put an end to the fighting, once and for all. Talk to the settlers. They listen to you.« 

Vanth wrinkled his forehead, but ultimately saw that was the only way. If he could actually convince his people, that is. »Guess that means: back to Mos Pelgo.«

The next few hours were a blur to Maia. The men handled the convincing, the plotting, and ultimately managed the travel back to the cave. The young brunette could not put her finger on it, but something felt uneasy to her. Maybe she was just anxious because of the sheer size of the beast. Maybe she held onto Din a little tighter when they returned to the cave. 

Maybe she was overthinking the feelings that emerged when she felt Din’s lips on hers. Maybe she warmed up to the realization that Raymond might have been right about ‘the stranger’ after all. This connection she felt meant something. She couldn’t quite put a name to it yet, but the suspicion she had made her heart jump whenever she thought about it. 

Din overlooked the Tuskens and Settlers as they dug out trenches in the sand to hide the explosives they had collected in Mos Pelgo. The plan sounded easy enough, although not foolproof. Lure the dragon out and then blow it up. 

Maia busied herself with Grogu, hiding from the glaring suns beside the speeder bike. Every now and then, though, she caught herself staring at the Mandalorian, thinking back to what she had said about plan M. There was some mutual sympathy no one could deny, but with that the fear grew. The fear he'd do something stupid to save her. 

Grogu could sense her inner turmoil and made a questioning noise. That snapped Maia back into reality and she gently pat his head. »Let's hope their plan is good enough for a 200 ton dragon.« Grogu agreed with a coo. She smiled at the child. The little troublemaker had really grown on her, she liked spending time with the child. From her peripheral, Maia could see Din approach them and her eyes rested on the black visor. 

»Maia. If anything happens to me,« he sighed and extended his hand to rest it on her shoulder, thumb caressing over the fabric of her cloak. Din was worried about this dragon and while he hoped to come out of this unscathed, he had to make sure some matters were taken care of. »Will you take care of Grogu for me and help him find a Jedi? I trust you.« Maia turned her head to watch his hand, until she gently laid a hand of hers on his glove, turned back to face him and nodded.

»I promise to look after Grogu until he’s in safe hands.« A smile formed on her lips as she felt his fingers squeeze her shoulder gently. »Please don’t risk your life to kill the dragon, though. No one wants you to play hero just because you know that someone can take care of Grogu. I know I don’t.« 

��I won’t play hero if you don’t implement plan M,« Din retorted, a smile audible in his voice. »It’s – just in case. Ret’lini.« »Ret’lini,« she repeated, the word rolling off of her tongue surprisingly easy. She glanced over to both of their hands, her thumb smoothing over the worn leather of his glove. Despite being out in the open, this little gesture felt so intimate – so significant. Touching him felt good. It felt natural, despite this being the first time they touched like that. 

The urgency he suggested with his approach just now made her worry. Was is in the realm of possibility that he would meet his fate today? There was a chance, and if he wanted to make sure his matters were addressed, maybe she had to talk about something as well. Ret’lini. 

»Let’s hope it all turns out alright. It’s obvious that I don’t want you to die and I doubt you want to die, either. But there is a slim chance it happens and I …« I won’t let you die. »Something has changed. I’m not sure what it is yet, but what I do know is that I like you, Din. I like you and I would like to repeat what happened yesterday. and maybe more. Some day.« 

It was like he was frozen. His hand twitched ever so slightly under her fingers, but it took a moment for him to gather his thoughts. »That… would be nice,« was all he could muster up at first. She felt his eyes burn on her skin as he found the right words. »You’re right. Something has changed. I like you too, mesh’la.« 

Mesh’la? What did it mean? She knew it was something in Mando’a and not a name-slip, and she felt heat rush to her cheeks. He liked her. Din’s hand slowly let go off her, something both seemed to dread. »We’re almost ready,« he announced. 

Positioned behind the speeders, Vanth, Mando and the two non-jedi watched as the dragon did not run into the trap they had set up. While the head came out of the cave and the detonations hit something, presumably its throat, it was not enough to fatally wound the beast. Instead, they angered it. It didn’t hesitate to let its anger known, spitting acid over the settlers and Tuskens that were unfortunate enough to stand too close. They screamed as their bodies dissolved into the sand, all while the dragon retreated back into the cave and vanished. While the first attack had been short, the casualties were high and they knew: it wasn’t over. 

Maia felt the giant creature burrow underneath the sand and working its way through the mountain before them. If it managed to break out somewhere at the top and spit acid again, they would lose more people, too many to make it worth all of this. One thing was certain: she was only person that could save them right then and there. If she didn’t interfere, they would die. Despite her agreement with Din to not make haste decisions, she had to act: That calls for plan M. She jumped over the speeder and sprinted forward, faster than Din could even register what was going on. Fast enough so he couldn’t stop her. 

She felt his gaze burn into her as she stumbled across the sand, more jumping than actually running. Surely enough, the dragon emerged from the rock and rained more acid over the people in the valley, without any chance of evading their certain end. Maia raised her hands to shield the others from the acid with a force barrier, which Vanth and Mando took as an opportunity to attack the creature from the air. It got annoyed enough by the shots that it burrowed in the mountain once more, allowing her to catch her breath. Using the force was exhausting, causing her to sink into the sand beneath her. 

Child of the force, I can feel you

a voice echoed in her mind. She looked around, no one was around that this voice could have belonged to. What was going on? Both Vanth and Din landed back in the sand a little away from her, but the dragon was still under them, still alive, still very angry. She couldn’t make out what the men said, but suddenly Vanth flew a few meters away from Din, plopped down into the sand. All the marshal and Maia could do was watch the Mandalorian grab the Bantha with the remaining explosives and get swallowed whole by the dragon. 

She stared into the pit in the sand with utter disbelief. That was it? »Din, please don’t do this to me,« she whispered as tears formed in her eyes. She felt a pain form in her heart, when suddenly the dragon re-emerged from the sand, blue flickers of light shining through its skin. A scream disrupted the grieving silence as Din flew out the opened mouth of the beast. The remote for the explosives still in his hand, he activated them and the dragon blew up into pieces. the shockwave knocked all over who were too close, including Maia and Vanth. A cloud of sand got kicked up and obstructed their view for a moment. Mando landed a few seconds after the detonation, covered in saliva and other gunk from the creature’s mouth. 

He landed close to Vanth and helped him back to his feet. They exchanged a few words, Vanth nodding her way, until the helmet turned to her and the sting returned. »Maia…« his voice was soft when he saw the dark trails the tears had left on her sand-stained face. His right arm flexed and she saw his fingers bend. He wanted to touch her, she could tell. »It’s okay. The dragon is dead, we can leave.« The green goop on his armor could have been more of the acid, but the urge to embrace her was palpable. He was so tense, frozen in place unsure what to do. She felt the same way, and when she stood up onto unstable legs, before he could approach her to steady her, sand got thrown his way. A lot of sand, hitting him with enough of an impact to almost push him over. The sand stuck to every last bit of moisture on his suit, practically drying him in an instant and rendering any bit of acid not dangerous to the fabric on his or her frame. 

As mad as she was about his actions, the relief she felt when she saw he was unscathed made her forget that she almost lost him so fast after finding him. With wobbly steps, she ran towards him and crashed into his chest and hugged him tight enough that it hurt her. For a moment she feared he’d push her away, until one of his arms carefully wrapped around her. A display of mutual feelings, of what they had talked about before this went down. Maia felt conflicted: She liked him, it was obvious. And he liked her. But as quickly as they found each other, they could lose another just as fast. 

The voice still lingered in the back of her mind. 

I can feel the dichotomy in your heart. Let me help you. 

She lifted her face to look into that visor. A small glare lingered in her eyes when she warned him »don’t you ever do that again.« She wiped her face with her sleeve, not cleaning it but drying the tears. He just stared at her. At least that what it felt like when the helmet didn’t move, he just breathed, his chest armor pushing into her. Maybe she crossed a line when she hugged him. Maybe he didn’t want her to display her feelings so publicly. 

Reluctantly, she let go off him, sighed and walked over to the speeder to check on Grogu. The child looked at her with confusion. He felt her conflicted emotions, and also the feelings that plagued his bodyguard. As a child not much made sense to him yet, the adults behaved weird in his opinion. 

It didn’t take long for Din to follow and Vanth also approached the speeder to hand over the armor. Din had taken a part of the dragon’s flesh as payment. »Thank you for your help, Mando,« the marshal addressed him first, before turning his head to the brunette. »Thank you for protecting my people. I’m sure they’re glad you risked your life for them.« Not one word fell about her powers. Perhaps he knew it was better not to mention it. 

»Let’s go back to Mos Eisley,« Mando said to his companion with a nod. He and Vanth shook hands, as men did. The silver-haired only winked at the young woman, earning a warm smile in return. This time Maia sat down in front of the speeder. She didn’t want to be close to the other armor nor to the chunk of still warm meat. 

Din sat behind her, holding onto her waist with one arm when she revved the engine. As soon as they were out of sight, she felt his arm tighten around her body. It’s as if he wanted to hug her, again, for longer this time, now that no one could see them. She relaxed and practically melted against his chest. His thumb stroked along the curve of her waist. Part of her wished he could take that helmet off to kiss her neck. She couldn’t see him, neither could Grogu. 

She lowered the speed of their vehicle to release one of her hands from the handlebar. Her fingers grazed over his biceps, feeling the muscles flex under her touch. »You really scared me,« she complained, but softly. She squeezed him gently, earning a grunt from underneath the helmet. »I’m sorry,« he replied. »I had no time to explain.« 

The speeder was now slow enough that no one had to fear falling off, gliding over the sand like it was an undisturbed water surface. Soft, almost like a caress. She leaned the side of her head against his helmet and closed her eyes just for a moment. »I thought we agreed that you wouldn’t utilize plan M either. I know, you rescued a lot of people but now they know.« She opened her eyes but looked straight ahead. Her hand wandered upwards into the back of his neck. Her fingers dipped underneath his helmet to run through his hair. »Can’t say I’m not impressed but both of us risked a lot today,« he whispered. The sudden sensation of her finger in his hair made him whimper softly. He scooted closer to her, his body molding to hers to be as close as possible. 

»I couldn’t let them die. There was only one person that was capable to save them: Me. They won’t tell anyone.« His second arm moved so he could place a hand on her thigh. He squeezed her gently and rested his helmet against her head and shoulder. »Where are we going next?« she asked. »I don’t know yet. We have to find another clue.« Din most definitely was distracted by her touch, so she pulled back. They needed to be back in Mos Eisley by dawn.  

Maia accelerated, the dunes flying past them and a cloud of sand following them. Slowly, the terrain changed, more and more rocks surfaced through the sand like islands in an endless ocean of red sand. The suns were slowly setting, their shadows turned longer and longer. As much as she would’ve enjoyed watching another sunset with Din, they needed to be in Mos Eisley by night. 

While they looked similar, the canyons they transversed were not the same ones when they encountered the Tuskens first. Smaller lizards hid in the crevices as they zoomed past, disturbed in their basking ritual. 

But lizards were far from the only living beings they would encounter on their way back. In a particular rock formation, bandits had set up a trap and Maia was running right into it. When the speeder was close, they lifted a steel wire to trip the bike, sending all passengers and the cargo flying through the air. 

While Din could catch his fall with the jetpack, Grogu and Maia were less fortunate. The child landed somewhere off to the side and the brunette hit the sand and tumbled, at least one of her bones making a cracking noise in the process. There was no time to be in pain, they were under attack and Maia’s first instinct said that these were bounty hunters. Either tasked to grab Grogu – or her. Whatever the case, the child couldn’t protect himself, as opposed to the two adults. She unhooked one of her lightsabers from her belt and activated the lavender-colored blade. 

Her eyes scanned the area to look for the foundling and when she saw one of the bandits draw close, she pushed forward. All regards for Din were forgotten in this moment, as he was capable to fight alone.  

You’re treading on a fine line. A dance on a tightrope above an endless abyss.

With one effortless swipe of her blade she felled the first bandit while sprinting over to Grogu, a second bandit approaching. With a force-push, she threw the attacker against a rock, not caring if she had knocked him unconscious or killed him in an instant. There must’ve been at least 4, maybe 5 of them, as Din was fighting with one as well. When Maia had almost reached Grogu, a shock went through her body. »Jedi!« one of them barked. She had been tased once again, the shock making her muscles spasm and forcing her to the ground. Her saber deactivated as she let go, but the hilt now laid in the sand next to her, up to grab by anyone. 

She curled up into a ball, crying out in pain as the memories of her capture resurfaced. It drove her mad.

Don’t let the darkness enter your heart.

The bandit that had shot her with the taser picked up Grogu and retreated, allowing the one she had previously thrown to get up and approach her. His eyes darted to the metal hilt in the sand right next to her. It would be easy to kill her with that, one swipe and her pretty head would lay in the sand.

As right as the unfamiliar voice in her head was, she saw no other way in this moment but to let go. Even if it was just for a moment, she needed to keep them safe. For that she had to be alive.

So she let go.

If you lose yourself, you’ll lose him too.

She flexed the muscles in her lower arm as best she could, curling her fingers in an attempt to form a fist. Neither her ears nor her brain registered she was screaming in agony, as was the bandit, as his ribs gave in to the pressure, one after another. Maias eyes were closed, welling up with tears as she gave into the pull. 

You have to learn to control yourself.

The bandit collapsed next to her and in his fall hit the cables of the taser, pulling the electrodes from her shoulder. Disoriented and on the verge of throwing up, Maia toppled over on all fours and took a few breaths, heaving once, but nothing came out. Everything around her was like a blur, but the noises of fighting had stopped. In fact, it was dead silent. 

I will help you. Wait for me. 

Maia sat back onto her knees and grabbed her saber, taking in a few deeper breaths as her vision cleared up. She was now so aware of the voice and she should have been concerned, but all that she felt was an undeniable aura of good. It radiated empathy, for her situation, for her inner conflict. The brunette looked up to see Grogu back on Din’s arm, safe and visibly unharmed. Still, her heart felt heavy as Din didn’t dare to take a step closer to her. 

You will hurt them sooner or later. 

»Are you alright?« she asked Din as she carefully got back to her feet. She knew she messed up, showing Din a glimpse of what she would’ve preferred to keep from him forever. For a second time today, she felt the urge to run over to him and hug him, but the stiffness in his body suggested he would not accept it this time. Running wasn’t possible anyway, as the leg that had been affected more by the shocks felt numb, similar to the numbness she felt on Nevarro. The dull thumping in her chest didn’t mean anything good, either. »We’re fine,« Din replied. Finally he came closer, but he approached her carefully. 

Maia gathered the last bit of strength she had to not start crying. His trust was gone, it was clear with the way he approached her like she was a wild animal. »You’re hurt,« he continued. »Can you walk? We have to walk the rest, the speeder is broken and come nightfall things will get ugly out here.« As if things weren’t ugly already. 

»It’s not as bad as it looks,« she lied, unconvincingly as she let out a whine when hooking her saber back onto her belt sent a sharp pain through her ribcage. One of her ribs must have broken when she landed in the sand earlier. But she was very much alive and not on the brink of death like last time. Who knows what consequences her outburst would lead up to. 

Taking as much of the cargo as possible, they made their way back to Mos Eisley on foot. Din carried most of the heavy stuff, the armor, the meat, the second jet pack; while Maia carried Grogu and some of the smaller items. It wasn’t much and she felt bad for having him carry so much, but she didn’t dare to say anything. Neither said anything. The emotion that radiated off of the Mandalorian was hard to decipher for the young woman. She knew a bit of disappointment was in there, but the exhaustion after the fight and her injuries made reading him all the more difficult. It hurt her deeply, knowing she had let him down after he had lowered his guard around her. It hurt worse than her physical wounds. Grogu was mostly asleep while they walked, lulled to slumber from the exhaustion and the rhythmic, gentle sway of his carrier bag around Maia’s body. 

I’m so sorry for disappointing you, Din. I hope you can forgive me until we meet again. 

Back in the city, it didn’t take long to find Peli. Basically, all they had to do was follow the noise. The mechanic ushered them back to the hangar, where she could prepare the dragon meat and maybe help Mando with some intel. Grogu watched as the meat was slowly roasted by the droids, the two self-declared bodyguards stood close to each other, but not as close as Maia had wished. »Don’t get too close,« Mando warned Grogu as the small green paws dared to reach out to the flames. The helmet turned towards his brunette companion, and suddenly the air got heavy. 

»Maia, we have to talk,« he announced and they both retreated further away from the droids, Grogu and Peli. His tone was firm and pained, like he forced himself to do this now despite feeling resentful that it had to be done. Peli complained about her speeder bike in the background, but the noise was easy to blur out when one’s heart was racing. 

»You lost control,« he stated. Instantly, Maia wanted to say something, defend her actions, but he lifted his glove. Din wasn’t done and sighed heavily. The tears that welled in the beautiful green eyes opposite of him didn’t make this any easier. »Don’t think that I’m scared of you. Because I’m not. It’s … I …« he stammered and sighed again, rested his hands against his hips in frustration. »I’ve considered taking the helmet off. The kiss occupies my mind ever since it happened and I want to kiss you again.« 

It was hard. Hard not to show much his words hurt. Yes, she was on the verge of crying, but hearing that made it so much realer. This was a farewell, she knew it. »You make me consider bending rules I never thought about breaking before. Maybe we should go our separate ways.«

There it was, the truth. His codex was important to him, she understood; more important than some feelings he had for a woman he’d known for barely three days. But the words he spoke sounded familiar. She had heard these before, but where? 

»I understand,« she replied and bit her lower lip. Her voice was quivering and she felt pathetic for being so weak in this moment, but maybe he had to witness what he did to her, what pain he caused. Crying only made it worse for the both of them. »I don’t want to hurt you or Grogu just because I can’t control myself. We’re … not good for each other. As much as I want to promise you that I can better myself, this is nothing I can do while being with you. It’s for the better if our journey ends here.« She blinked a few times, hoping it would make the tears disappear without pushing them down her face. 

»Someone or something calls for me. I’m not sure it’s not a trap, but it feels like it’s someone that genuinely wants to help me. I will answer that call and see where it leads. Whatever happens to me, I don’t want to be responsible for you losing your ways.«

As soon as these words left her lips, she remembered why his sounded so familiar. The vision they had shared when she healed her wound, in the cargo hold of his ship. Did that also mean, the last vision she had seen, that couple embraced in a kiss, was also them? Some time in the future? 

Din nodded. Again she wished she could see his face, only to see if this affected him as much as it did her. But that was the main issue. She made him want to take the helmet off. She wanted him to take it off. »I’m forever grateful for your help,« he said, his voice slowly warming up again, getting softer. »Our paths might separate here, but maybe we’ll meet again.« 

Part of her wanted to tell him. Maybe he knew, deep down, even if he couldn’t remember the visions. She smiled softly, as best as she could with still fairly tear-filled eyes. »I hope our paths lead us to a better place. I hope there are some valuable lessons waiting for me, to make me a better person. Perhaps there will be revelations in your future as well. If you realize that you need me, I won’t be far away, I promise. As long as my heart beats,« she laid her hand on her chest, right on top of her heart. »You and Grogu won’t be alone in this galaxy. It’s your choice if you want to call me or not.« 

It was hard to beat the Jedi allegations when she spoke like that. But maybe she was sick of trying so vehemently to not be something that was… her. 

»Be careful, mesh’la,« he spoke with a heavy heart. Again, he called her mesh’la. She could’ve asked him what it meant. She should have asked him what it meant, but maybe she liked to be in emotional limbo, not sure if she should feel flustered or insulted. Her instinct told her it was positive, in fact, it made her feel warm and fuzzy inside. »Try not to ‘Plan M’ your way around the galaxy.« 

»I’ll try. I’ll tell you about it when our paths cross again. I’m sure they will, when we’re ready.« She was certain they would meet again, but when and under which circumstances hadn’t yet revealed itself to her. »Take good care of Grogu and yourself, Din.« This might have been the last time that she spoke his name for a while. She looked into that visor, resisting the urge to touch the helmet, to pull him into a hug, to get any kind of last contact, because she knew, it would hurt more to let go. She turned on her heel, and every fiber of her being screamed at her to not do it. Please don’t let me leave like that, she begged him in her mind. 

As if he had heard her silent plea, he grabbed her hand. »Wait.« He pulled her back, turned her in the same movement and gently leaned his helmet forward. She knew the gesture and inched closer, until her forehead felt the cold metal of his helmet. It wasn’t the kiss she had wished for, but it was a display of affection nonetheless. »Ret’urcye mhi,« Din mumbled. There was no need for a translation. The way he said it told her enough. A single sob escaped her as she closed her eyes. »May the force be with you.«

They could have hugged, let the touch linger for longer than necessary, but Maia pulled back fairly quickly. It was inevitable and waiting it out helped no one. She left the hangar, telling Peli goodbye in passing. 

The last she heard from the hangar was the mechanic’s shrill voice, asking Mando what he had done to chase the girl off.

[whisplow]

An Overdue Nap

Heisenwinters domestic fluff au, featuring a very sleepy Karl with a power inhibitor and no sense of personal space. Please enjoy!

-

“Mia.”

Ethan’s voice was small, hushed. From the kitchen, Mia could barely hear him, so she stayed put at first, watching her insta-oats slowly rotate in the microwave. It was the late afternoon in the safe house they were relocated to after what happened in the village, but circumstances hopefully meant this was the last one for a long time. Would be nice if Rose got to start school here in a couple years.

“Mia. Mia!”

Now she could hear it, and that somewhat urgent tone, too. Following Ethan’s voice to the living room, she discovered the reason behind him calling for her.

Karl’s adjustment to house arrest was…a very mixed experience, but his options after Miranda’s death were to be locked in a concrete box, alone, and be tested on, or to stay with the Winters’. When factoring in things like being able to see sunlight and keeping his organs untouched, it was an obvious choice.

Unfortunately the obvious choice also meant wearing a tracker and power inhibitor at all times. The whole situation left him angry, pouty, tired—

—And now angry, pouty, tired Karl, always claiming to be touch averse, had passed out hard and had himself draped over Ethan’s form on the couch. Ethan’s eyes were alight, matching the ear-to-ear grin plastered on his face. Mia’s own expression twisted as she tried not to immediately burst out laughing.

“How…how did he even—“

“—Don’t ask how! Just get your phone and take a picture already! I think he’s waking up.”

“Right, right…” Her volume dimmed to match his. She dashed to get her phone from where she left it in Rose’s room while putting her down for her nap. By the time she returned, Ethan was cupping his hand over his mouth. His shoulders twitched with his own efforts not to laugh and wake Karl up.

*Click*

The dimmed lighting automatically put her camera settings to flash mode. Mia and Ethan froze, and Karl began to stir—briefly. He shifted into a slightly different position and dropped back on top of his brand new bed.

“He sleeps harder than Rose,” Ethan whispered with a barely hidden snicker. “God, I think he’s drooling on me.”

“I mean, all those nights he spends moping around. This had to happen eventually, right?” She took a few deep breaths to ease the threat of cracking up. “I guess…I’ll leave you to it? We can show him the picture once he’s—“

SNOOOOORE

Ethan wheezed as he tried to muffle himself with his sleeve, tears pricking the corners of his eyes. Mia snorted loudly. Trying to stifle the sound left it sounding like air rushing out of a garbage disposal. She wished she took a video instead of just a picture!

That noise, that snoring only continued. It practically shook the whole couch, which didn’t help Ethan’s case. “I can’t breathe,” he complained with that smile he had no chance of getting rid of. He rubbed up and down Karl’s back, not quite sure what else to do.

With the flash pointedly turned off, Mia made sure to snap a few more pictures. She intended them as blackmail. Maybe threatening to show them to Chris would finally convince him to learn how to do a load of dishes.

“You’re not gonna leave me like this, are you?” Karl was getting especially comfortable. “Mia, I gotta pee…”

“What do you expect me to do? Roll a grown man off of you? It’s Karl, he’s so dense I swear he’s made of rocks. I’m sure you’re learning that very well right now. Besides, you’re the one who wanted a grumpy old dog.” Right then, the microwave blipped from the other room. “And! I gotta take care of that.”

“Oh, I see how it is.”

“I guess you do.”

“Even though I saved you twice—“

“Yup.”

“—and rescued our beautiful daughter—“

“Uh-huh.”

“—and wound up with some pretty terrible scars—“

“I can’t hear you anymore, I’m in the kitchen getting my food.”

Ethan chuckled. He moved his hand from Karl’s back to his head, petting him like the grumpy old dog he definitely was. “You’re both the worst…I really am going to have to kick you off here in a few minutes. Mia’s right. You were overdue for a good rest. Wonder if I can convince you to just. Sleep normally. In a bed.”

If Rose can manage, why can’t he?

“I’m glad you’re warming up to us, though. At least, I hope this is you warming up.”

[averie-flickersnap]

Continuation of the story I've posted a few days ago.

I'm on a different site, where I've posted grumpus art before. There I kinda told the story backwards. I think, why not telling the story more forward?

Like the last post, the story for the picture is underneath the cut. Will also link the previous part to find it more easily.

Also yes, Clumby is the daughter of Alren and Liadne in this universe. I might explain more in time. But for now, storytime!

PREVIOUS

It was only the beginning point...but it was also a huge step for Dextur to improve his current situation. It was decided that the twins still stay with their grandparents for now, but he would come over more frequently to spend time with Averie and Morrigen. It was to ensure that slowly, but surely a bond can be formed and until Dextur cleaned up his house.

One night he decided to spend the night in his in-law's house, as he brought sleeping bags with him. Averie and Morrigen insisted to sleep in one too, thus a blue and green sleeping bag was brought. Morrigen snored soundly, Averie was on their back, and Dextur...couldn't close his eye at all. Voices in the garden woke him up. The brown grumpus rubbed over his scar, then snuck closer to the spot where he heard the voices.

Alren and Liadne sat outside on the porch and looked up to the stars. Dextur leaned against a wall when he listened to the conversation of the couple.

"I'm just so glad Dextur and the twins get along." Liadne sounded relieved and cheery, which warmed Dextur's heart. However, this soon faltered when her body shivered.

"It's great Dextur, Averie and Morrigen are bonding." the orange-brown grumpus responded to his wife and paused a short moment. "You have been a wonderful grandmother to the twins, and I'm sure they will appreciate it..."

"They...they needed a...mother figure...now that Willa..." Liadne put a paw over her mouth. Alren understood by his wife's reaction of what she was thinking, and he placed both paws on her shoulders. "It's...okay, sweetie." he kissed the dark red grumpus on her cheek. "You've been strong for four years straight. You kept in your grief." Another pause, before he offered her to lean into him. "You don't have to hide it anymore. It's...it's your turn to cry."

Not a second later and Liadne bursted into tears. She allowed herself to be vulnerable, leaning into Alren's comforting hug as she allowed herself to mourn for the loss of her daughter.

Behind the middle-aged couple was the frame of a photo. By a closer look there are two grumplings playing together.

Dextur, now standing near the door and discovering the photography, recognized the grumplings in this picture.

His wife Willa as a grumpling...and Cicillia, her older sister.

The same sister who disappeared years before the birth of the twins.

[emeraldbroam]

6.5 cats

So I feel like this is a tale tumblr would like and not just my various discord servers. Ie the tale of why when someone asks me how many cats live in our house I say 6 and a half

Roughly a month ago (1/8 to be exact) I exit my bedroom to discover a random fucking cat in the hallways of my house. Okay, not the first time not the last time, whatever. I trap my cats in their bedroom and open the cat door, no sign of the cat by morning so it's whatever, that's that, right?

Wrong

Also by this point I've already grown attached to my little scrunkly feral man, and nicknamed him Lucifer bc he looks like if you took my cat Lucy, made her into a stuffed animal, and then put her through the washing machine

Next night, guess who comes back through the cat door but Lucifer himself. So I decide fuck it and set out a live trap for him. However he has access to our cats food, so he just eats that instead and leaves the house

He fights with our orange cat during the next night, then no one in the family sees him for a week (but it's possible he's still coming and going)

The next confirmed Lucifer sighting is 1/28, and he allows me to come within 5 feet of him and doesn't kill me for sneaking up on him and poking his very cute butt while he's asleep (he was snoring....)

Then I once again have to leave for a week, during which time I hear no news of Lucifer bc I'm the only one regularly in and out of the cellar where he appears.

I arrive home today to learn that 1. it's very likely Lucifer hasn't left the house in the last 7 days, 2. my aunt and mom are now fully on board with trapping him, and 3. apparently there is cat shit all over the cellar.

I need to remind yall that this is a fully feral cat. 100% belongs to a feral cat colony and has never been a pet. Very likely he's in some way related to my cat Lucy who was adopted as a kitten from that same feral cat colony

Anyways there's a live trap laid and tomorrow I'm gonna go find an empty cardboard box to see if he'll use a litter box and some wet cat food to trap him and take him to the vet, cause he's my good feral boy and I'd say we own 7 cats but my mom insists thats "too many" and "over the top" so until I convince him to sit in her lap and purr, we own 6.5

[grand-theft-carbohydrates]

-if you died, i'd stand at your grave and weep-

[extract: Cao Cao thinks about his best friend, Yuan Shao. this takes place during Dong Zhuo's reign ]

Just thinking about his childhood friend was enough to give Cao Cao heartburn. Like eating too much honey. Cheerful, garrulous Yuan Benchu. Generous with his smiles and coin. Always the head and never the tail, just like his namesake. Benchu expected to be liked by everyone, and so he liked everyone in return. Unlike most children born to wealthy and prestigious families, he was never bossy or whiny, a far cry from his unfortunate half-brother, Gonglu. Benchu wore his privilege comfortably, like a well-tailored coat. It accentuated his best features and attenuated the flaws. 

Cao Cao could still clearly picture him as a little boy, leading his entourage of ox-horns who were just grateful to be in his presence. Benchu would ask them, “What shall we do today, lads?” and then pick the most popular activity. If there were a tie, he’d say, “Well, we have time to do both!” and so everyone was kept happy. 

When that reckless fool fled to Ji Province, Cao Cao had alternated between being worried sick and stewing in resentment at being left alone in Luoyang, toiling under the thumb of a usurper and struggling to keep what was left of the gutted administration running. And don’t even get him started on the night He Jin lost his head! One minute, they were shoulder-to-shoulder inside the burning palace. The next minute, Yuan Benchu vanished into the smoke, and no one could tell Cao Cao where he had gone. He only discovered afterwards that Benchu had been gallivanting through the woods, searching for the lost Emperor and hunting down eunuchs. It was a damn miracle his horse hadn’t thrown him and broken his neck in the pitch black. On the other hand, Cao Cao had spent the entire night running around Luoyang, pacifying the hysterical populace and putting out fires—the same fire Yuan Benchu started, he might add, because that man was just so good at planning under duress... 

When Benchu returned the next morning, accompanied by Dong Zhongying and the boy Emperor, Cao Cao--who was still in his bloodstained armour, reeking of smoke and death—cheered for him as loudly as everyone else. After that, he went home and collapsed face-down on the bed for six hours.

That might have been the end of it, but he awoke to long shadows on the wall and Benchu lounging at his desk, snooping through his diary.

"You do snore a lot," said his best friend with a grin.

Cao Cao, who had not felt this terrible since his thirtieth birthday where he discovered he could not, in fact, keep drinking like he was still nineteen, managed some sort of garbled reply.

Yuan Benchu wrinkled his handsome nose at him. "You look like absolute shit. Go back to sleep."

"No, I have...we...we're late for court!"

"Palace's burned." Benchu answered. "Also, today is the fourth day of the month."

"B-burned?"

"No court!" Yuan Benchu said emphatically, pushing Cao Cao back down onto the bed. "Sleep!"

"What do you mean burned--" And then the events of last night came rushing back to him. "Oh, fuck." "Yes, that about sums it up..." "The warlord! How many--?"

"Look, am I going to have to sit on you?"

"How many soldiers did he bring? Tell me!"

Yuan Benchu, always the compromiser, finally allowed him to sit up, but he remained standing firmly in front of the bed to stop him from leaving. "I assume you're talking about General Dong Zhongying. He brought six thousand men."

"Six thousand." Cao Cao breathed. His head was pounding and his gut was twisting into sick knots. "He Jin, what have you done?" The two of them sat there in silence for a moment, listening to the birds twittering their evening song.

"Well, I can see you're not going back to sleep now." Benchu said at length. He stuck his head outside the bedroom door and bellowed "fetch Lord Cao his dinner and a bath! Quickly now!"

And then he was back at his side, prodding at Cao Cao until he shuffled over to let him sit on the bed.

"Cao Mengde, the palace is still standing, thanks to you. His Royal Highness is alive and well. Luoyang is right where it should be. The Han is not going to fall tomorrow, or even next week, so you can stop making that face at me."

Cao Cao scowled at him half-heartedly. Yuan Benchu took his arm in an iron grip, and leaned in so close Cao Cao could feel his breath on his cheek.

"I'm not a liar, Mengde. I'll tell you this, and I mean every word. Things are going to get a lot worse before they get better, but this is not the end. The dynasty will not fall. Not while Yuan Shao and Cao Cao still walk this earth. Do you hear me?"

And then his best friend smiled, and Cao Cao, who still had a best friend at this point, smiled back and believed him. God, did he wish to believe him. To stand by his side forever. But there would always be another fire, and Cao Cao would be the one to put it out, and Yuan Benchu would simply disappear again.

======= notes

Cao Cao and Yuan Shao were childhood friends. Thinking about this gave me a lot of Thoughts. Feelings, even.

Yuan Shao is portrayed pretty negatively basically everywhere (totally deserved it) but I wanted to explore his positive leadership qualities as well.

Heads and tails— this is a double-pun. “Benchu” is Yuan Shao’s courtesy name and both words can be translated as “first”. This is also a subtle dig at his character. It’s based on the idiom “better to be the phoenix’s tail than the chicken’s head” i.e. it's better to be the worst of the talented, than the best of mediocrities. pretty self explanatory.  

 ox-horn—children’s hairstyle consisting of two buns on either side of the head.

court dates--its 2 am and i don't know when courts were held. will correct this later.

Dong Zhuo only brought 3000 soldiers to the capital, but he secretly marched them out at night and brought them back in the morning to make it look like he had more men. He was a really smart guy irl.

the ending is just FULL of irony. the palace will be razed, the emperor killed, the capital luoyang moved to chang'an, and after Cao Cao dies, his son will overthrow the han dynasty.

[a-crumb-of-whump]

can you write something on ryker having a nightmare as a cild and carlos comforting him

[Masterlist]

Content: Nightmares, vampire whumpee, whumpee-turned-caretaker, pet whump.

Takes place when Ryker is about nine?? sorry it's very rushed...

-

It wasn’t often that Ryker experienced nightmares. He was a strong child - far stronger than Carlos ever could be, but he’d come to realise that even the toughest of people couldn’t escape the demons that came for them after they fell asleep and the lights were out.

For Ryker, those monsters seemed to be winning tonight. He could hear him from his spot in the living room, where he’d been ordered to stay for the night. Perhaps if he was quiet, he could get to Ryker’s room without waking the adults up. 

Luckily for Carlos, they had gone to sleep long ago. He could also hear their quiet snores from across the hallway, and as he crawled past the open door with the inside of his cheek between his teeth, he noticed the woman’s hand dangling off the side of the bed. This was good. At least he knew where they were now. 

The carpet in Ryker’s room felt nice on his bruised hands and knees. He couldn’t help but savor the feeling for a moment, running his hands along the carpet just to feel it in comparison to the hard wooden floors he usually spent his days on. 

By the time he got to Ryker’s bedside, the child was already awake. Even in the dark, Carlos could see the tears glistening in them and the rapid rising and falling of his chest as he held his blanket close to him and bit into it to muffle whatever noises happened to escape. They’d both be punished if Maria and David discovered that they were awake, and he knew that. 

“Are you okay?” Carlos asked quietly as he sat down on the floor with his knees crossed beneath him. He wasn’t really sure how to help, but something told him Ryker would tell him what he needed. “Did you have a nightmare? I get them sometimes, too.” 

Ryker nodded with a sniffle, and after a moment, he sat up as well; his ruffled hair falling messily around his face as he rubbed childishly at his eyes. “It was scary… Mom and Dad were gonna send you away.”

“Oh.” The vampire blinked a few times. That was possibly the last thing he’d been expecting. “Uhm… I’m sorry.” 

Reaching out, he tentatively took the boy’s small hand into his own and held onto it; shuffling a little closer to rest his elbows on the mattress. He wasn’t sure how else to comfort him. Really, there wasn’t much he could do. Nonetheless, Ryker took the comfort as it was given and held onto the vampire’s hand; shuffling a little closer. 

It was hard to imagine that someone would be affected by him leaving. He wasn’t someone who usually left an impression on someone’s life, but he supposed children were different. This one certainly was.

Resting his chin on the mattress, Carlos let the child fiddle absentmindedly with his fingers and tiredly watched him, facing his bruised palm upwards. 

 “I’m not going anywhere,” he murmured after a moment. Ryker immediately glanced down at him, a small smile coming to his face as he listened to the vampire speak. He didn’t do that very often. “I would never intentionally leave you. This is my home… for as long as you and my masters will have me.” 

With a small noise, the child reached out to pet Carlos on the head. “I know. You are my friend! Friends don’t leave each other, right?” 

Carlos had never had a friend before. He honestly had no idea. It puzzled him to know that someone considered him to be their friend in the first place. 

“Yeah,” he eventually decided, forcing a small smile to show that he meant it. “You… you won’t leave me, then?”

“Of course not!” The child shook his head vigorously, squeezing Carlos’ hand tighter as he climbed down off the bed with his blanket and sat down on the vampire’s lap. Carlos tentatively wrapped his arms around him and pressed his lips to the boy’s head, a light tint to his cheeks. 

“Stupid nightmare,” he grumbled beneath his breath after a few minutes, resting his head on the vampire’s chest as exhaustion began to make an appearance once more. 

Carlos shut his eyes, his smile no longer so forced. 

“Stupid nightmare,” he quietly agreed.

-

[krispyprincekid]

The lady and the bear

Hiii, this is my first time posting something I write. I want to apologize first for all the typos and incorrect grammar you will definetly find... other tha that I hope you all can enjoy this little fic i write on Loefric from The Last Kingdom because THIS MAN DESERVE MORE APPRECIATION! I will probably base a series on this, just for the fun of it, we'll see--

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

They were finally approaching the tavern where they’ll spend the last night of traveling before arriving at y/n’s father estate in Devon.

It had been a long time since she’d been home, having been sent to her mother’s relatives when she only had been 10 she didn’t get to see her parents and brother much, only when her father wasn’t busy serving the king and had some times to travel with the rest of the family to visit her, which wasn’t often.

In the meantime, almost 10 years had passed, her mother family had try to find her a suitor to marry but no one had fulfilled the only condition she had set: that her future husband had to be as an honourable man as her father was known to be. Therefore, her relatives had sent her back to her parents hoping they’ll have a better luck at finding an appropriate match.

Y/n was exited to be back home, she missed her family and she knew that the problem of her suitors would be put off since she had always been most cherished by her father, thereby she hoped he would not be so eager to send her away again any time soon. Arriving at the tavern for the night her only thought was to enjoy the last night away before she would have been stuck in her family’s estate away from most form of entertainment.

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

Uhtred had left his house with Mildrith because word had reached them that the younger daughter of Lord Odda was coming back home. Since she and Mildrith used to be very close as kids, his wife wanted to go greet her childhood friend and Lord Odda had sent Leofric to escort them and help along the way. Given that Mildrith was at the begging of her pregnancy and felt often sick and tired, even if lord Odda’s estate was less than a one-day travel away from Uhtred house, they decided to give her some rest and spend the night at a tavern along the way.

They arrived at the tavern as it was getting dark and as soon as they got off the horses Mildrith excused herself and retired to rest, leaving the two men with all the evening to fool around and drink. With some luck Leofric would have even found some company for the night when Uhtred would return to his wife.

Y/n had travelled with two maids one of which was an old, and really strict, lady. In hence Y/n and the other maid, Eloise, had conceived a plan to escape her supervision at night if they wanted to stay up after supper, which was not rare… they would pretend to go to sleep when the old lady suggested to and wait for her to start snoring to sneak out. During supper they’ve seen some men playing instrument in the country yard of the tavern and the girls where hopping to enjoy some music and perhaps get to know some interesting people, having discovered during their journey that alehouses were often flooded with such people.

When they were finally able to escape the old maid the country yard was already quite lively, musicians were playing their instruments and some people were dancing, some were laughing, it was a warming sight, given all the recent bad news of the Danes raiding everywhere.

At first the girls danced a bit and then decided to order something to drink and enjoy the rest of the evening peacefully. Y/n had noticed a couple of men at a table, one looked like a dane but was quite handsome the other looked more like a bear, for his size and also because he was frowning most of the time, they looked an unusual pair but seemed good friends nonetheless. She caught the tall one staring at her more than once however she as well found herself looking for him, there was something that made her feel drawn to him, like she was supposed to know him… After Eloise came back with their ale, they started looking for a place to sit but it appeared to be none except for a bench at the table where the tow men were. Y/n felt a bit hesitant at the realisation but proposed Eloise to approach them anyway.

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

“If that’s how Saxons approach women there’s no wonder you’re still on yourself” Uhtred teased Loefric, he’d been staring at a girl for as long as they’ve been at the tavern, “’s not that, I feel like I’ve already met her but can’t remember when…” the other grunted “well you could just approach her and ask if you tow already met, before you scare her for staring all night, it could also be a good way for you to find company for the night” Uhtred teased and Leofric glared at him “are you drunk already? Thought danes could bare more than jus a couple of pints” “what? Like you haven’t thought about it”

Leofric didn’t replied hoping the arseling would eventually stop. He wasn’t wrong though, the young lady was quite fair, with long blonde locks that shined in the torch light and a bright smile that often enlightened her face; she was wearing a simple dark red robe, like a maid, that enhanced her figure nonetheless. She looked like she was the same age as Mildrith so she must have been younger than the warrior. It seemed that she was in the company of only another maid, a girl with brown hair that seemed a bit shyer than her. There was something very familiar in her expression and her ways that kept him from stop staring at her, but he really couldn’t pin point what was it… “Looks like she decided to face the bear and ask you to stop creeping at her”, said Uhtred.

While they were talking the two girls were making their way towards them. “May we sit with you lords?” the brunette girl asked as they reached their table “if you are brave enough, is not every day to see two young ladies alone on the road” Uhtred answered as they sat in front of them, Loefric didn’t say anything and just hold into his cup “is not every day to find a saxon warrior and a dane drinking like friends in an alehouse neither” the blonde girl replied “friends 's a strong word, may we ask how come you ladies are here all alone?” Leofric questioned “it wouldn’t be very wise to reveal our business to stranger men. You should at least present yourself” the girl replyed “fair enough: I’m Uhtred of Bebbanburg, ealdorman of king Alfred and he is Leofric, we are escorting my wife to see a childhood friend, but she’s resting at the moment, now you know who we are” “very well… I’m Catlyn and she’s Eloise, we are accompanying our lady to see her family” “and where is she now?” asked Loefric, the tow girl exchanged an amused look “she’s resting, she’s a bit old and wouldn’t really be pleased to see us like this” said Eloise “oh really?” “yeah she’s cranky old lady who’s never happy about anything” y/n huffed.

It was true, her other maid, Catlyn, was always complaining, especially about how y/n’s behaviour was not very lady-like. “She must not be so please by your behaviour then girl, talking to random men and drinking beer like a farmer” Leofric pointed out making y/n laugh “no, but when she’s asleep we like to get to know the people in the taverns we’re staying. So: tell us something interesting” “have you take us for your entertainment of the night? That’s very bold for a simple maid” Leofric teased and y/n flushed making Eloise grin “is just that the life of a warrior must be way more interesting than the one of a simple maid” y/n replied leaning forward to Leofric who sat across her and making him laugh amusedly “as you wish then lady”.

The rest of the night was spent with Uhtred and Leofric sharing stories of their adventures, even if after a while it was just Loefric trying to impress y/n with the wierder stories as Uhtred watched him make a fool of himself while he sipped his ale and said little. Eloise had left them a short while ago to go to sleep. Leofric seemed very pleased by the attention he was receiving and pretty much ignored everything around him except for the young lady in front of him. It has been a while since he had any kind of interaction with a woman and he felt intrigued by her; not only because he still couldn’t figure out the familiarity she inspired him but also because he’d found her really charming other than beautiful. He was entranced by her and, if he hadn’t been so caught in his own mind, he would have noticed how she was as equally captivated by the soldier, playfully swooning at tales of his feats and flirting with witty remarks. This whole situation left Uhtred very amused and so he decided to not interfere in his friend doing and left them on their own.

Loefric noticed that by then almost no one was left in the country yard, it was getting chilly and he could see her shivering little, maybe after all he will have company for the night… “we should head inside, it’s getting late” he proposed and they got up. She felt a bit tipsy as she wasn’t really used to ale. As she stood up she realised that the man was much taller than she imagined, she barely reached his shoulder and felt to lean onto him as they approached the tavern’s chambers. He subtly led her to the room he was staying in hoping to size his chance. As they were getting closer to his door, she stumbled on something and he caught her by the waist, now they were facing each other and she looked so delicate in the dim light of the hallway.

She looked up at him and noticed the permanent scowl on his face had left his features. With that gone y/n had to admit he indeed looked handsome, even with all the scars on his face. She had found herself considering that multiple times during the night while he shared his stories, having to admit he was growing on her and that now that they were so close y/n felt even more drawn to him. She knew she wasn’t behaving like she was supposed to, but he thrilled her and she couldn’t find the strength in herself to stop it. He was towering over her and reached to put some hair behind her ear but he didn’t remove his hand, caressing her cheek lightly. She felt her heart thumping loudly and her face turned red once more. He was looking at her intently and, even if his eyes were unreadable to her, she found tenderness in his gaze.

Unconsciously they got closer “you ‘aright girl?” “yes…I-...” she was unable to finish her sentence because before she realised Leofric had cupped her cheek and lean in to kiss her. At first they both remained still, either not unsure of what to do, without even realizing what was happening, they both reacted and started to grab at each other. Y/n reached to wrap her arms around his neck while his other arm embrace her waist and pull her closer to him. It was rough kiss, filed with want and enthusiasm. Y/n felt she should have stop it, a lady wasn’t supposed to act like this, but she couldn’t care less. She wanted him and she felt intoxicated kissing him. It was her first time doing something so reckless and the feeling was exhilarating. Now her back was against the wall and his hand were roaming on her body. They were heavy and rough gripping her hip and pressing her into him. He lightly bit her lower lip causing her to part her lips, he slip his tongue between them and heard her release a shaky moan and tighten her arms around him. She felt a tingle in her stomach and like her skin was burning.

They both knew next thing to happen was entering his room but just as they were reaching his door someone stepped in the hallway stumbling on something. At the sudden noise they broke away. Y/n felt it was the right time to slip away before she could do something foolish and while Loefric was turned to see who it was she quietly entered her own chamber.

Leofric turned to check who it was and saw Uhtred bumping in to a wall. Leofric glared at his friend “what? Did I interrupted something? I had to piss!” the dane asked. Leofric noticed then that the girl had left him and he felt he really could have killed Uhtred. “I swear arseling I will kill you”

[blueberry-beanie]

Bastille at Stadtpark Open Air in Hamburg | 01.08.2023

A little story about my trip to see Bastille and a very rainy time in Hamburg and my former home city. The text is divided into sections to make skipping to the concert easier.

The Journey

The last time I was at a concert at the Stadtpark Open Air in Hamburg it was really hot and sunny. We were baking in the queue for hours and I was lucky not to come home completely sunburned. This time, however, it was pouring. Buckets. Almost the entire time.

I have to admit that my enthusiasm to pack my bags and board the 8:30am train to Hamburg was kept within reasonable limits. The journey was actually pleasant though. I passed time by listening to Max Uthoff's CD Gegendarstellung as well as some interviews with him and Claus. The one hour break in Berlin due to a delayed train was actually good because I could buy a much needed rain cape and had lunch at the Vapiano there.

When I finally reached Hamburg it felt like I've come home. Everything is so familiar. The U3 I had to take to the hostel is also the line I used to take twice a week to get to Hamburg Media School for classes. I discovered that the hostel was nearby Knust and Uebel & Gefährlich (that huge grey concrete bunker) where I've seen Inhaler and White Lies last year in spring.

The hostel itself was small and nice enough, except for having sockets only on top of the wardrobe and next to the trash bin and no hooks on the wall at all. Happens when you're broke and get the cheapest accommodations, I guess. My roommates were a permanently absent party guy (who would come in at night saying "oh fuck" and then fall into bed and snore) and two Danish friends from Copenhagen. They were nice enough, although a bit loud and messy.

I gathered my stuff and made my way back to the U3 to get to the venue. As I discovered, that was my mistake because I accidentally got out at the station on the opposite side of the park. While walking I met two local girls who didn't seem too keen to make another concert acquaintance, so we eventually parted ways and I went through the rose garden to the left side entrance.

Queueing and Support Act

It was shortly before 5pm and there were already more than 100 people. Bastille started sound checking and we heard Overjoyed and Good Grief. Then they separated the lines and I got sorted into the "cloak room" queue because of my umbrella. That was my luck because this line was much shorter.

However it started pouring shortly before 6pm just when we had to hand over our umbrellas. I ran - no, carefully walked - through the muddy field to the left side of the stage and got to the front row, although on the very edge of it. No time to ponder though, I frantically put on my rain cape to not get entirely soaked and offered my spare to the girl to my right who only had a jeans jacket.

I was really far from the center and the stage this time and honestly didn't expect to have a great view. The stage in this venue is very odd. It has a small catwalk in the center and the front row is a double-curved line with a weird grassy breaker in the middle. An envelope was passed around, containing many little fanmade booklets with the lyrics to These Streets. It is very cute and sadly it has a few spots from the rain now. The support act, anaïs, was quite awkward and I honestly did not like her that much. She had a whispery voice and tried hard to engage the crowd, although most people did not seem to feel it. She premiered a new song for us and that was the best of the bunch. I was happy when it was over though. Then it was already time for the roadies to come back and get the stage ready for Bastille. The sun came out and it actually stayed dry from now on, which was a blessing given the rainy weather.

The Concert

Then shortly before 8pm it was finally time for Bastille. They started an intro with something on the screen I couldn't really see. These were snippets from their tours and funny stories. They would be played regularly as interludes, but I can't really comment on them because I couldn't see the screen. And then the band walked onstage, with Dan being the last one to appear. He actually wore funny sun glasses and as it appears he had an endless stash of jackets to change into as well.

They proceeded to play the entirety of Bad Blood in full, divided by these video interludes and Dan talking to us a little bit. At some point he commented on the extraordinary location. "I feel like I'm kind of in Hobbiton. Or in someone's garden. This is the first time we've ever played a tea party. It feels like a tea party, apart from you guys. We've never had a hedge in the crowd before," he said, referring to the high hedge fencing off the venue from the rest of the park.

I really enjoyed hearing all these songs I knew since I was 15 and remembered how half of our class went crazy for bastille and the girls gathered to go to their concert together. I didn't go, my parents wouldn't have allowed it. But I did borrow my friend's Bad Blood CD and have kept these songs ever since. The band sounded amazing live and I was surprised how good Dan's live vocals are! Very close to the recording, he is a great singer.

They had a huge platform onstage that was made to look rusty. It didn't only have space for the drum kit but also for the two background vocalists, two Black women whose names I sadly didn't quite catch. But they were amazing as hell and sometimes came to the front to engage with us. One of them sang together with Dan on the catwalk. Truly awesome singers. Dan sometimes disappeared on top of that platform to sing or to walk on some sort of treadmill that was installed there.

Their drummer Woody on the first glance reminded me a bit of EE's Pete, but that is probably because of the long hair. He came to us later during a song called "The Draw" to get us all to show our hands and make the Bastille triangle shape. He also threw some drumsticks to fans and everyone seems to really love that guy! Their guitarist sometimes went absolutely wild with it to the crowd's delight. I did not see quite as much of Will, the bassist, but he also did a great job and for one song came to the catwalk to show off and be overall awesome.

Dan was crazy enough to go straight into the crowd at two occasions, apologising to us because it was so slippery. He did not come close to us though and explained he didn't want to be directly in front of the speakers to avoid possible feedback. At some point he took a fans phone and they had a sign explaining something about a friend who couldn't be there. So Dan recorded a short video with greetings for him.

They actually did play a lot of songs I don't know after finishing with the album, but that didn't mean I did not enjoy them. They were cool and just made for jumping and dancing. The two girls behind me, Jacky and Corinna, were jumping together with me and we had an overall great time singing and dancing.

Overall just an amazing band it seems, I would definitely want to see them again and at a venue with a better view so I can see more of what is going on! Looking at the photos my camera with its super zoom surely saw more than me! Once again I was the crazy person with a handbag full of prisms. I was trying to take good shots from an angle no photographer would ever go to because it is so shitty. At this point a big shoutout to @flamingplay for providing me with a new wonderful triangular prism after I broke the last one at the Foals concert in Amsterdam. It is wonderful for the daytime and I could use it to reflect the famed hedge right onto the stage to Dan.

The concert ended somewhat abruptly with them just waving and leaving. We stood confused for a minute until the roadies arrived and started disassembling everything. Jacky, Corinna and me took a few photos and then decided to head to the overcrowded merch stand on the opposite entrance. I thought they might have a few CDs or posters but there were only t-shirts which were too expensive for me. We parted outside with them going to the S-Bahn and me going to get my umbrella.

On my way I realised there was a small crowd waiting at the tour bus and decided to join them later. The park was pitch dark and I called N to tell her about the concert. I waited a little while at the bus, watching the roadies loading in the trucks, but we only saw Woody once and nobody came to say hi to the fans. Some fans were clever enough to manage to order food right to where they were waiting? The marvels of modern day food delivery... It was getting late by now, so I decided to join two girls, Luisa and Christina, who were also catching the U3 in the Direction of St. Pauli. We had some nice conversations about concerts and about the crazy Coldplay ticket sale. Then we parted and I went back to my hostel.

A Visit to My Home Town

After a rather short night I got my aching grandma self out of the hostel at 10am, just early enough to catch the train to my old home tome I used to live in for five years.. Although I've been in my new town for almost an entire year now, it still feels like coming home every time. Everything in me relaxes and it seems like I could just get my keys out and go back to my old flat to eat some warm bread from my favourite bakery and fresh cucumbers from the market. Everything sounds, looks and smells familiar. Maybe one day I can come back. I love this town very much.

I met up shortly after 12 with Vamsi, my former flat mate. We went to the market to get some cucumbers and a tray of raspberries and then walked to his new flat (he was made to leave our previous one because they wanted to renovate it, presumably to rent it out for the double price after). His new flat is gorgeous, with a beautiful kitchen and a large balcony looking over the town and with the church tower in view. Once we arrived it started raining ceaselessly. We made an Indian dish, drank some lemonade and played a game.

In the evening we decided it is time to go out despite of the rain. Afterall I wanted to see some of my beloved town. We ended up finding a present for my now-flatmate and friend Maja's birthday: A little travel journal for her upcoming semester abroad in Manchester. Then we kept wandering around until it was time for me to catch a train back to Hamburg. Deutsche Bahn decided it is not necessary to announce that a train is 10 minutes late and to tell us to which platform it would arrive... Vamsi and I hugged and parted ways. Back in Hamburg I got out my old grandma personality again and stayed at the hostel on a call with N while the others were out partying. Honestly, how do they do it... after two days I was already so so tired.

Last Day in Hamburg and Travelling Home

On the last day Hamburg decided to show me some mercy and it rained a little less. I packed my heavy bags and headed to the Speicherstadt, which I somehow have never been to before. It is right where the famous Elbphilharmonie is situated, but I did not go there. Instead I visited the tiny little Speicherstadtmuseum which deals with the history of the ware house district, how and why it was built, the people that worked there and the goods that were stored in here. It was very interesting and kept me dry from one of the frequent rain showers.

After that I briefly thought about visiting the nearby Zollmuseum, but then I came by the entrance of a spice museum with a spice shop. I didn't want to pay the entrance fee to the museum so I wandered through the extensive spice shop. Vamsi inspired me to get some (mild) curry powder and I got a vegetable roast mixture as well as some greek herbs.

Then it was already time to walk into the direction of the Hauptbahnhof as my train would depart half past two already. A quick stop at a shop and some cheap Asian noodles later I was already in the train home. This time the journey went as planned and I arrived back half past eight in the evening to a surprisingly warm and dry weather, thank the lord...

Dear Hamburg, it has been a wonderful time back home. Just a tiny suggestion: Don't pour a month worth of rain on me in the matter of three days please. Anyways... would definitely do it again.

[dragonnwriter]

Inviolable Bindings

AemondxAegonxFemOC

All Chapters Here!

Chapter 20

The sound of wood clunking into the fireplace jolted Viserra from her restless slumber. One of the servants had taken it upon himself to feed the slowly dwindling fire, and it was then she noticed there was no daylight yet coming from the windows.

Trying to shift her body, she soon discovered that the arm she had been resting on had gone numb due to the prolonged pressure. Her neck also ached and felt a bit stiff. Adjusting her position, she cast her gaze upward along the familiar leg beside her. Aemond's eye remained closed, his head tilted back in the chair just slightly. It was the most peaceful she had ever seen him look, she thought, his sharp features were relaxed and could almost be considered delicate.

Moving carefully not to wake him, she navigated through the uncomfortable tingling in her arm, a sign that sensation would soon return. The servant responsible for tending the fire appeared to hastily retreat as she rose to her feet. Puzzled by the peculiar behavior, she had to remind herself that these were not the chambermaids that were familiar with her.

Her instincts quickly brought her attention back to Aemond. While his body had not moved a muscle, his eye was now open and looking right to her. The furtiveness of his conduct was almost inhuman, something akin to a predator that was always watching the behaviors of other living things around them.

Aemond straightened his posture and quietly cleared his throat while she watched. From the way he was moving, she guessed he had felt just as stiff and sore as she did upon her waking. Breaking her eyes away from the prince, she looked to where she had last seen his brother. Aegon was snoring lightly, hair tousled and leg draping off of the side of the sofa. He certainly did not seem like he would be waking anytime soon.

What piqued her interest was finding the bedchamber doors were now open, having previously closed them herself when leaving the sleeping children earlier that night. Viserra stood still, quietly debating whether or not she wanted to peek inside the room and instigate an interaction with another. It was as if Aemond had read her mind because he was suddenly standing behind her looking in the direction of the bedchamber as well.

"We should see if my mother and sister are awake; someone clearly is," he whispered close to her ear. Shivers traveled down her spine upon hearing his drowsy voice; he had been closer than she had initially realized.

Looking back over her shoulder, she gave him a nod as he brought himself around her. Viserra followed close behind, careful to keep her feet light and not disturb anyone else that still slumbered. They had only entered a few steps into the room before Alicent appeared out of the darkness and into their path. She quietly shushed them and guided Aemond back out.

“Do not wake your sister,” she whispered, taking care to close the doors behind her ever so gently, “You do not know the lengths it took to coax her into sleep. The Mother has granted mercy upon her to allow just a few hours of rest before waking again to this nightmare.”

The unsightly hands of the dowager queen gripped Aemond’s upper arms and it seemed like she might collapse at any moment. He brought his large hands under her forearms, supporting her at the elbow. Viserra noted that her face looked especially worn there in the candlelight, the dark bags under her eyes aging her at least ten years. It was the face of a woman that had grown up too soon and held all of the family’s responsibilities on her shoulders.

“Your Grace, might I fetch you something to drink or eat. You have been caring for your daughter but has anyone helped you?” Viserra asked while taking a step closer to them. Part of her wanted to reach out with a gentle touch, something the woman most likely did not experience enough.

“No, no.” Alicent refused, shaking her head, her face scrunching with the thought of eating. “I cannot fathom the thought of anything in my stomach at this moment. Your kindness is appreciated. I have just…” She paused and opened her large doe eyes to look right into Viserra’s, “…seen too much tonight.”

Aemond cocked his head to the side, attempting to pull his mother’s gaze back up to his, “Mother, you looked the Stranger in the face  and still prioritized caring for  your child. Come, sit and rest.”

Alicent had looked back up to her son, almost as a child would to their own parent. Viserra watched as he guided her over to a chair and she seemed to ghost alongside him until she sat. Her round eyes settled on her eldest son in front of her, still sleeping and emitting just the faintest of snores.

“Aemond, it is imperative that we do not let tonight be the start of your brother’s downfall.” Alicent almost begged, looking again to her dutiful son.

Aemond nodded and placed a hand on her shoulder, “While I think he is capable of that even without losing a child, he might now see the seriousness of this all with more clarity.”

Viserra winced hearing Aemond’s cold words. But they were not untrue, no matter how harsh it sounded coming out of his mouth. By the expression on his mother’s face, it was apparent she did not disagree with him either.

“I will help him also. The King does seem receptive when I approach him on more…difficult topics.” Viserra chimed in, taking a step towards them both.

At first Alicent did not respond, but turned her head and worried expression in Viserra’s direction. However, when she looked back to Aemond, he simply nodded as if to approve of her declaration.

“Aegon seems to take direction from Viserra well, Mother,” he paused, briefly unsure of how he would address this topic without giving his mother too much information on what had been happening behind closed doors. “She and I will both do our best to keep him on track and headed on the right path.”

Alicent breathed in slowly and looked back to Viserra who stood waiting for her response. “I must trust that you and Aemond will succeed, the peace of the Realm and our family’s survival depend on Aegon’s ability to rule.”

“I understand. You have my word,” she promised, trying to reassure her that her intentions were indeed honest.

Hardly any more words had been shared between them until the sun began to fill the window with the morning’s light. It did not take long before the doors to the royal chambers were thrown open. Otto Hightower and two of the Kingsguard walked briskly into the room. The sudden busyness seemed to jolt Aegon awake as well as draw the others’ attention towards them as they arrived.

“The Keep has been secured but we have not yet located those responsible for the attack.” Otto announced, looking at his weary daughter who responded by catching her head in her hands and letting out an audible sigh.

It was a disheveled Aegon who responded next, a different fire lit within his tired eyes, “Fucking hell, then you are not looking hard enough! Double your search efforts.”

For a brief moment, all of those in the room looked to the King, surprised at the tone of his voice and sudden interest in the matters at hand. Aegon then stood to face his grandsire, his posture relayed his irritation while waiting for a response.

“Your Grace, we are looking diligently. The efforts have not been abandoned.” Otto spoke surely, though he seemed surprised at the confrontation. “The exits to the city have all been barred and guarded as well. No one is to leave.”

“Good. Now round the council. I would like to discuss plans for getting Rhaenyra’s head on a spike.” Aegon’s voice was dripping with the desire for vengeance.

Otto nodded and bowed at his king, doing his best to accommodate his sudden interest and involvement in the current matter. “As you wish.”

As the Hand turned to leave the room, Aegon spoke once more, “Aemond and Viserra will join us at the table. Do make sure there is a seat for them both.”

The way Otto’s body suddenly tensed up was obvious to anyone who was watching. He slowly turned back and bowed once more, making sure to look at the other dragonriders standing in solidarity behind their king.

As the chamber doors sealed shut, Aegon directed his gaze toward both Aemond and Viserra, his eyes serious with determination. It was a side of him that Viserra hadn't witnessed before and it gave her hope that he might not falter and retreat from his responsibilities.

“I will snap each of her sons’ necks then take her head myself.” Aegon breathed the threat as he ignored his mother's arrival at his side. She placed her hands on one of his arms.

“Aegon, we must think each action through with great care. No rash decisions can be made when we are still securing all of our allies.” The words that the dowager queen spoke were wise and sensible, but it was something Aegon did not want to hear in the moment.

Pulling his arm from his mother, he did not acknowledge her words. While he knew she always meant best, the anger he had felt within did not allow for any feelings of compassion or careful consideration. Instead, he took a step towards Viserra and offered her his own hand.

From the corner of her eye, Viserra could see Aemond’s posture stiffen at the gesture. Looking up to meet Aegon’s gaze, she took his hand with a small curtsey. “It would be an honor to sit in with your council, my King.” She had hoped the words would satisfy him  and he would not so openly show his affection for her.

Viserra noticed that Alicent’s breathing had quickened while watching the interaction, trying to decipher the meaning behind it. Though exhaustion was apparent by just looking at her face, the dowager queen was intelligent and always observing…especially when it involved her children.

“The Prince’s death will not be in vain.” Aemond promised, seeming to cut the building tension between the four of them standing there.

“Thank you, brother.” Aegon spoke, letting go of Viserra’s hand and coming to stand in front of him. The two seemed to share an unspoken understanding before Aegon walked away to go sit by the fire. He quickly brought his head to his hands while the warmth of the flames licked around him.

Viserra then turned to look at Aemond to see if he shared the same curiosity as she did for the King’s new determination. Though he did not reveal much in his expression, he took a step towards her, his warm body only inches away. She felt just the slightest bit of uncertainty in her gut, but his presence there seemed to wash it all away.

The moment when they would fly and fight in war drew near, and the anticipation stirred both a bloodthirsty excitement and nervous butterflies in her chest. Exercising a measure of self-control, she refrained from leaning back into Aemond's warmth as he stood behind her. Surely she did not want to send their mother into a fit while observing yet another unseemly interaction between Viserra and one of her sons.

After some time, Otto returned to the room announcing that the council had been summoned. The three dragonriders accompanied the Hand to the council chamber while Alicent stayed behind to watch over Helaena. No conversation took place on the walk there, but the energy was tense. To her surprise, the anger that radiated from Aegon did not seem to waver the entire way.

As promised, there had been two extra seats at the table when they arrived. The other council members rose to bow as the King walked through the doors. Aemond and Viserra took to the chairs directly to Aegon’s right while Otto stood in the spot where Alicent usually sat.

The meeting promptly began and Aegon had been determined to dive right into planning their next move. It was apparent that the others on the council were not used to the level of involvement from their king. His inexperience and desire to seek revenge had to be talked down more than a few times. It was only wise that their next move needed to be carefully calculated. The pretender queen and her husband would surely expect some sort of attack and they would be ready for them.

Otto had spoken of the attempts to secure a few more allies before bringing their dragons to the warfront. He brought the unfortunate news that the Prince of Dorne had recently refused their offer and they still were waiting on the response of a few others. This information displeased Aegon, who interpreted it as inaction on their part. He snapped quite a few times at his grandsire, pushing for him to focus on a plan to attack the Blacks instead of writing more letters.

“We might be matched in dragons, but we have Vhagar. Not to mention Aemond and Viserra as riders and fighters.” Aegon argued, irritated that they couldn’t just show up to Dragonstone and eliminate their enemy. 

“In due time, Your Grace. But we must be sure our odds will lead us to victory, not failure.” Otto reasoned, earning a scoff and rolling of eyes from Aegon.

Viserra paid close attention to the discussions happening at the table. Intuitively she did not place trust in a single council member there. But distrust aside, she was in agreement with the majority’s opinion that an attack at this time would be foolish and leave King’s Landing vulnerable.

There were still a few ravens that had not been returned from southern cities, allegiances that would best be confirmed before making a move as large as the one Aegon wanted to see executed.

It was obvious that his drive for vengeance needed to be channeled into something more productive while the city strengthened its banners. This was something she thought best to be handled behind closed doors. Thinking that either training with the sword or dragon riding to fill his time would suffice.

“Have you sent word to my father?” Viserra asked, this being the first time she had voiced anything in the meeting. The room went quiet, and Otto looked to her, pausing for just a moment.

“Indeed. We are eagerly waiting on word from Volantis. With Dornes’ declination to involve itself in this war, it would be of great usefulness to have another wealthy ally available to call upon.” Otto explained. This was somewhat surprising news, though she did not put it past him to reach out to her family without speaking to her first.

“I will also write to him, it might make your case stronger to have his daughter state her words as well. The Free Cities do not typically dabble in Westerosi politics.” Viserra explained, knowing the support would most likely come in coin only, “My father would indeed financially aid in support, but Volantis will not spare its own men if you have requested them to fight. The best you will get is funding of sellswords.”

Otto nodded, seeming to accept her words with only a little consideration. “Your opinion is appreciated, I will keep that in mind.”

It was a mistake to think he knew the city better than she did herself, she thought. She was a daughter of a high born man involved directly with the city’s dealings. Having been privy to much of her father’s knowledge, she might have followed in his footsteps if it weren’t for the fact that her love and skill for the blade secured her fate on the battlefield. It was the utter disregard that Westerosi men had for their women that had them assuming she could not bring anything valuable to the table. In time, she would prove them wrong.

The rest of the council meeting did not take much more of their time. It was obvious that Aegon felt unsatisfied with the lack of plan in place to avenge the death of his son. He had left with a fuss after finishing off the drink in his cup, leaving most of the council members sitting in an awkward silence, only communicating with their exchanged looks.

Otto had pulled Aemond aside for a moment before they took their leave, something Viserra reminded herself to ask him about later. They left shortly after to look for Aegon, the two of them were quickly informed that the King had left with haste for his dragon. Aemond had initially wanted to follow his brother but Viserra had convinced him otherwise.

“Let him work out his troubles atop his dragon,” she suggested while bringing herself in front of him, both to physically stop him from following but also to draw his attention to her. “You and I both know dragonback to be a place of solace.”

He wouldn’t deny this, but the thought of his emotionally distraught brother unsupervised on dragonback caused him some concern. “I do hope he doesn’t fly to Dragonstone to try and burn it to the ground.” The annoyance in his voice was obvious.

“Your brother is reckless, but not a complete idiot.” Viserra replied, though she was not completely convinced of her own words. Part of her had some reservations, but the alternative was to chase him down and she felt it would not end well for any of them.

Aemond’s mouth twitched as if he had wanted to say something in response. She suspected he did not quite agree but chose not to argue at that moment. “It would be wise for us to check in with my mother and Helaena, I fear that she may struggle to recover from last evening’s attack.”

While the change of subject was purposeful on his part, addressing his sister’s well-being was of no less importance. Viserra nodded in agreement and let Aemond lead the way back in the direction of the royal chambers.

There had not been much conversation between them on their way back. A certain eeriness was felt in the castle walls as well. The reassurance that the keep had been cleared and secured did little to ease the strange and uncertain energy that filled the air there.

First reaching the King’s chambers where they had left the women and children earlier on, they were found to be empty. Hoping they had moved the Queen back to her own rooms, both Viserra and Aemond shared an unspoken nervousness while climbing the stairs to find them.

The guards posted out front of Helaena’s chambers were the first sign that they did not need to worry about any more foul play. Letting out a breath neither one realized they had been holding, they waited as the guards opened the chamber doors.

Alicent was sitting on the sofa watching over Jaehaera as she quietly played with a toy on the ground. A sleeping Maelor was held in her arms and the same worried expression danced across her face. The worry seemed to soften as soon as she laid eyes on Aemond and a small smile was forced to her lips.

“How is Helaena?” Aemond asked as soon as he was a few feet from his mother. The concern over his sister was endearing, each interaction Viserra had observed between the two showed the younger brother seemed to take looking after her quite seriously.

Alicent shook her head and replied in a whisper, “She is not well. I cannot get her to speak to me. She only mumbles in riddles and will not leave the seat in the window sill.”

Viserra looked at the exhausted worry on the dowager queen’s face and for the first time, felt the stirring of fear within her own heart. Helaena was sensitive and gifted. What if the girl could not be pulled from her tortured mind after witnessing such a horrific thing? She tried to shake the thought from her own conscience, knowing that Helaena’s gift would be an instrumental piece keeping them all alive.

“Would it be alright if I took myself to see her?” Viserra asked, watching as Alicent’s attention shifted over to her. The hesitant pause and pursing of her lips gave way to her disapproval, but it was Aemond who spoke up in her favor.

“I do believe Helaena connects with Viserra in a way that we cannot, Mother. I will go with her,” he pushed, trying to wipe the worry and fear from his mother’s face.

“Please do not say anything that will upset her further.” Alicent begged, looking again towards her son with pleading eyes.

Aemond nodded then came back to stand next to Viserra. “You heard my mother, let us be quick.” He brought his arm out as if to usher her onward towards the bedchambers. Not needing to be told twice, Viserra quickly walked past them and entered through the doors.

The sight before her was exactly as Alicent had described it. Helaena was sitting in the window seat, her empty eyes looking to the wall she was facing. There was no indication that she had even acknowledged their presence as they came in. Walking slowly and carefully, Viserra approached her cousin, watching for any sign that her company was unwanted.

“Helaena,” she said softly, lowering herself down so her presence was not perceived as intimidating. “I know this is all so much.”

With caution and just the slightest bit of hesitation, Viserra brought her hand to Helaena’s that were resting in her lap. The moment their skin made contact, she turned to meet her eyes. Her previously empty gaze seemed to light up just a little and for a moment, Viserra thought she would say something. Though the words seemed on the tip of her tongue, Helaena did not make an effort to speak. She studied her eyes, trying to see if she could read through her silence and anything that was shown through her pupils.

“My dear girl, I am listening. If you have something to say, anything at all, my ears are open,” she encouraged, letting her fingers wrap around Helaena’s hand to hold it in a comforting.

“We will all fall down,” she mumbled, her cold stare and ominous words sending chills down Viserra’s spine, “One by one.”

Trying to decipher another meaning out of the words besides the obvious, she looked back to Aemond who didn’t seem quite concerned as she did. Swallowing nervously, she brought her eyes back to Helaena and gave her hand another squeeze.

“Tell me what we need to do.” Viserra asked, though her request was not answered. A moment of silence was the only response she would receive on that matter.

“Where is Aegon?” Helaena finally spoke, her own hand coming to rest upon Viserra’s.

“He left to ride Sunfyre.” Viserra replied, feeling somewhat encouraged that she was beginning to engage them in conversation, “Aegon is quite upset as well. I believe him to be handling this in the best way he knows how.”

Once again, Helaena did not hurry to give her a response, she did however, hold tightly to her hand. When she finally spoke, the words were said quietly. “If you leave him, he will burn.”

“What? Aegon?” She asked.

The words were not what Viserra had expected, though she was not sure that she could even predict what would come out of her mouth at this point. Helaena seemed to know much more than she ever let on and she had to just assume there would be no secrets between the two of them. It bewildered her that, over the years, not even one person had tried to decipher her riddles.

“Do not fail them.” Helaena breathed, looking to Aemond briefly before meeting Viserra’s eyes again.

“I do not intend to fail them,” she replied, bringing her free hand up to join the others.

Not entirely following the conversation, Aemond approached them both, joining Viserra in crouching down in front of his sister. His expression was one mixed with concern and confusion.

“I do not understand,” he admitted, looking to her and hoping she would further clarify the words she had just spoken.

“Do not get in her way.” Helaena’s tone was sharp yet her face bore no indication of frustration or anger.

“What?” Aemond furrowed his brows.

“Do not get in her way,” she repeated, but this time her voice had softened and it seemed almost like an afterthought.

Aemond looked to Viserra, hoping she might also clarify what the words meant, but they did not push her any further. Without warning, Helaena’s demeanor seemed to change, suddenly withdrawing her hands from Viserra’s and bringing her eyes down.

Viserra watched as she put an invisible wall up around herself, knowing now that they would not get any more insight from the dreamer. The brief moment of clarity had passed and she withdrew back into her own mind. Standing slowly, Viserra watched as Aemond hesitated for a brief moment before following in suit.

“Thank you Helaena,” she said honestly. Though something in her worried that Helaena knew of a darker fate than they had all hoped for. She was able to push the thought away for now, but could not shake the feeling of uneasiness that came over her.

Helaena did not speak again, giving them no indication that she had even heard them in their departure. Once exiting the queen’s bedchambers, Viserra found herself deep in thought. She paid no attention to Alicent and the children before taking her leave. Aemond had stopped to talk with his mother for a moment, letting Viserra depart without him.

Quietly, she waited in the hallway. Helaena’s words seemed to confirm that there was something extraordinary about the pull she had felt towards both Aemond and Aegon. Though if their fate was dark, why would they both depend on her so much that a dreamer would almost demand her not to fail them?

Aemond eventually joined her in the hall and she had half expected him to question her about his sister’s words. Though once he reached her side, he did not make any mention of such. Still reeling on the words herself, she quietly walked by his side while they made their way back into the main area of the keep.

It almost felt as if it were the beginning of the end, something that both frightened and excited her. Viserra had always felt her purpose would be important in this life, utilizing her training in a war for the Iron Throne seemed to satisfy that thought. While it seemed as if chaos continually danced around them there, she finally could sink into the feeling that she was somewhere she belonged.