#and what other reason would he have than having sent out the men to kill Haruspex

[dilvei]

𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐦𝐮𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 ( y! emperor x m! assassin reader )

yandere! emperor x male! assassin reader

warnings:

attempted murder

attempted poisoning

mentions of torture

some dubcon tumble & kissing in the sheets ey

directory: part one, part two [ coming soon ]

this definitely could've gone to a much, much darker route but instead it turned out kind of cute(?). i once had a similar idea to this one but as like a longer fic but i don't have the time for that so eat this instead y'all 🌈🌈

requested by @n4muqr

✾ | much is unknown of the current reigning emperor, dimitri, and what little is known about him is all rather rudimentary, really—merely the common knowledge shared and repeated by most already.

✾ | for instance, it is often said by the masses that dimitri is akin to a sleeping lion. a calm and quiet presence... until a single misstep is made in his presence, prompting his unbridled fury. the emperor does not merely desire perfection, he demands it with an almost relentless, crazed fervor. the emperor will not— cannot simply stand by when something in his vicinity does not reach that impeccable state.

✾ | another topic, oftenly brought up, is his cruelty. the amount of enemies dimitri has amassed on his path to the throne is not few, and those who remain are, well, tortured and tormented inside the cold dungeons for as long as they draw breath.

✾ | but none of those rumors are the ones that pique your interest in the emperor. no. what fascinates you about dimitri is the fact that he has yet to marry, and has remained so for several years of his reign, much to the utter bewilderment of his own people and his own court.

✾ | and the reason for it is so ridiculous that, the first time you heard it, you nearly topple over from laughter. the emperor is unmarried not because he is unattractive or ugly—the opposite really, if the rumors are to be believed—but because he deems that there is no one perfect enough yet to stand by his side. ridiculous, really. but what is an emperor if he is not arrogant?

✾ | still, the fact that there is no direct heir to the throne due to this is utterly hilarious to you. even more comical is the moment when, one day, you are given the task to assassinate said emperor.

✾ | you hold no loyalty for powerful men like dimitri, especially when they are reputed to be arrogant fools. and yet, curiosity stirs within you as to who issued such an order, for you are certain that you are not the only one sent to assassinate dimitri. his little brother perhaps? he is, after all, next in line to the throne.

✾ | a day after you receive the task, you simply... wait, and you remain waiting even as news of failed assassination attempts after another reaches your ears. not one assassin has succeeded, and it baffles you, really; it is either due to the emperor's extreme luck or, perhaps, his perfectionism has extended to other aspects of his life—namely, the protection that surrounds him.

✾ | so, you plan. disguising one's self to infiltrate the palace would take too long, and the likelihood of success is slim, especially given dimitri’s vigilant eye monitoring everyone’s movements. in the end, only one course of action comes to mind.

✾ | in the dead of night, you silently scale the towering walls of the palace—walls too high for most, surely, but easily surmountable for someone like you. with a mask covering the lower half of your face and more daggers than one should be permitted to carry, you ascend with ease.

✾ | landing on the balcony with barely a sound, you smile as you successfully arrive at the chambers of the arrogant emperor dimitri.

✾ | lock picking the door inside is awfully easy, and as you step into the bedroom that is almost suffocating with its golden splendor, you finally see him. you see the emperor.

✾ | dimitri is in bed, unguarded, with eyes closed and lips parted, so breathtaking to behold that, for a moment, you forget you are here to kill him, to murder him.

✾ | as you edge closer to his still body, you observe the gentle rise and fall of his chest with each soft breath. how his golden eyelashes flutter as the cold night air sweeps in from the open balcony window. it seems almost a waste to kill such beauty.

✾ | and just as you brandish your cold dagger to his neck, your other hand ready to silence his dying cries, dimitri's eyes shoot wide open, an icy gaze staring directly into you.

✾ | despite only just waking, the emperor is fast, sharp and alert, and in a blink, dimitri has already swiftly caught both your wrists with his hands in a vice-like grip, rendering you motionless as you both stare into each other’s eyes in tense silence.

"You shouldn’t be up at such an hour, Your Majesty,” you slowly quip with narrowed eyes, breaking the silence between you as you struggle to free your hands from Dimitri’s grip. Your efforts are futile; his hold on you tightens further.

No doubt, that bruises will soon bloom like dark flowers on your skin, assuming, that is, Dimitri ever lets go of his grip.

With an almost empty sharpness in his gaze, Dimitri inches his face closer to yours, his expression thin as he responds, “And you, should not wander as you wish in your emperor’s chambers. Wherever did you learn your manners, stranger?”

"Well, certainly not around here, Your Majesty.” You let out a sharp laugh before kneeing him in the stomach. But, to your surprise, you flinch instead of the emperor. It feels as though... you just kneed a solid rock.

At your failed attempt, Dimitri merely raises a brow and sighs, shaking his head in disappointment. “I must admit, this is a first. No assassin thus far has attempted to climb my palace walls only to knee me in the stomach. I must say, you do make a memorable first impression.”

"I'm flattered, Your Majesty," you say with a faux smile as you continue to struggle against his grip. Another sigh escapes the Emperor's lips.

Suddenly, perhaps finally finding himself tired of your antics, Dimitri pulls you towards him with a firm grip, effortlessly throwing you onto his bed, pinning you under him with only a hand as though you weigh nothing.

Well now, this is bad.

Dimitri hovers above you, his warm breath caressing your neck, his gaze piercing you with a cold, steely silence. Then— he rips off your mask, revealing your complete face, twisted with frustration; Dimitri's eyes seem to gleam as he notices it.

"Must you really rip it off?"

"It obscured my view of your face, oh assassin. Your mask was a hindrance to us both," he answers, voice as smooth as velvet. With his free hand, and an empty gaze that all but screams danger, Dimitri’s fingertips softly caress your face before slowly, but surely, descending to your neck. You gulp.

Before he can act in a way you do not desire—specifically, choking you lifeless beneath him—you lean forward, rising to press your lips against his in desperation.

Not for his mercy, no—heavens, no. Your lips are coated in poison, a venom strong enough to probably lull a lion into instant slumber, and soon, will render Dimitri paralyzed as well.

Unsurprisingly, or perhaps not so surprisingly—because you’ve seen it, seen the hint of desire brimming inside his eyes, a flicker that escapes the mask the Emperor puts on—Dimitri kisses you back. And if your swift brush of lips could ever be labeled as a kiss, then what Dimitri unleashed upon you could only be deemed a ravage.

He wastes no time slipping his tongue past your lips, savoring and exploring your mouth as one might indulge in a delectable, forbidden fruit. Despite your efforts, you find yourself drawn into his passion, grappling beneath him as he intensifies the kiss with each passing moment, as though melding your bodies together.

There is no room to breathe, and your head reels from the lack of air.

A bruising grip is placed on your waist as Dimitri somehow deepens the kiss further, his tongue exploring every inch of you, and as you attempt to pull away, he presses forward, biting your lip almost as a form of punishment.

A low whine escapes your throat, seemingly satisfying Dimitri as he hums softly into your mouth. Then, finally, ever so finally, he ends the kiss, leaving you gasping for air.

Tears well in your eyes as you gaze up at him, a half-smirk playing on his lips while he hovers above you, still gripping both your wrists firmly in his single hand, still unaffected by the poison after how much time has passed. How... is this be possible? Is Dimitri perhaps immune to such poison?

As realization washes over you, the half-smirk on Dimitri’s face transforms into a full one. "The poison on your lips is sweet, oh assassin," he whispers, "but in my opinion, the kiss is far, far sweeter."

"You...!"

As you prepare to kick the Emperor in his groin out of extreme frustration, he releases his grip on you, rising from the bed before straightening his attire. "You have passed, my assassin. And henceforth, you will serve me, and me alone," he announces, voice ringing clear inside your head.

You blink, letting his words sink in before narrowing your eyes at Dimitri, who is now sitting languidly on one of his many comfortable chairs in the room. “Just what are you talking about?” His words make little sense, and you feel an undying urge to hurl the nearest object right at his face.

"Who do you think orchestrated the countless assassinations on my dear self, oh assassin of mine? I seek only the finest, and while I knew no one could truly ever succeed in killing me, thus far, your attempt has been the closest."

You push yourself off the bed, striding towards him with your fists clenched. "This is all beyond ridiculous. Do you have any idea how many of us were tasked to end your life?"

"I do."

You cross your arms with a sigh. "So, what now? Is my task over?" The room is far too cold now after you have tasted the warmth that is your Emperor, and your job is clearly over, now that you have, somehow, been forcefully given a new one instead.

Dimitri responds, "You are to be my assassin. I will point the way, and you will obediently follow, with no questions asked. To kill whomever I send you to kill, to dispose of their bodies with no witnesses in sight, and to return to me when I have need of you. Is that clear?"

You roll your eyes at his arrogant tone but then nod obligingly upon seeing the slightest hint of anger in his expression. "Yes, yes. Is there anything else you require of me, Your Majesty? If not, I will be taking my leave now."

"Remain still,” he commands, and a distant part of you screams in frustration as your body effortlessly complies. He approaches you slowly, offering a small smile before placing your mask back over your face.

"When we are alone, just the two of us, I expect you to address me by my given name, my assassin.” He pauses then, lifting your chin with a finger. You tense.

"And...?" you ask back, your voice shaky.

The Emperor’s gaze flickers towards your lips, concealed beneath the mask, as he issues his last command. “That last method of yours. I forbid you from employing it on anyone else,” he muses, tightening his grip on your chin, almost painfully so.

“Your lips are reserved solely for mine.”

[ripdragonbeans]

The Boy // Aemond x Reader

Summary: Blood and Cheese are out looking for a son. A son for a son, they were told. They found you and your babe, instead. How lucky they are that your babe is a boy.

INFANTICIDE!!! DEAD DOVE; DO NOT EAT

TW: infanticide, killing of a child, graphic violence, guilt, daggers, beheading, blood, gore

“I think we should listen to Helaena more,” you told your dear uncle and husband, Aemond. “I do not know what she meant by the rats but she is correct that we should be worried about more than just dragons.”

“My dear wife,” Aemond adjusted their son, Aerion, in his hands, “we have no reason to fear them. They wouldn't dare attack us.”

Aeron cooed in Aemond's arms and nestled against him.

“Our son will be safe; Helaena’s children will be safe.”

“I simply worry that my brother might do something rash to avenge Lucerys,” you tread delicately, knowing the subject of your dead brother was a touchy subject.

“If it is Jacerys who will come to us I will not hesitate, wife. I hope you know that.”

“I am aware that you would do all you can to protect us, and I love you for that. Still, I worry.” You went to gather Aerion from Aemond’s arms and held the babe close to your heart. “Should anything happen to our child, any of the children here, I do not know what I would do. I would lose myself in grief, I think.”

“If you lose yourself to grief then I will be here to bring you back.” Aemond pressed a kiss to your forehead.

Aerion looked at you with wide violet eyes. You chuckled. “He has the same intense stare as youz my husband.”

Aemond leaned forward to get a better look at his son. “I'll take your word for it,” he smiled. “Shall we go to bed?”

“Let me put Aerion down and then I shall join you.” You pressed your lips against Aemond’s before he left the nursery to head to your bedchambers. 

Aerion, with his wide violet eyes, reached up and tugged a bit on your hair.

“My darling, you are going to be a handful when you become a man,” you laughed. 

Aerion smiled, tugging on her hair again and lightly smacking her, like all babes do. 

“Once you can control your arms I am sure you will make a fearsome warrior. But now,” you walked to his crib, “it is time to sleep, dear one.” Before lowering Aerion into his crib you kissed him lovingly on the forehead. “Sleep well, my dear boy.” 

You left the nursery to join your husband in your bedchambers, tired from the day. As you walked away you could hear his babblings. You smiled to yourself, ready to hear it again come morning.

Right before you entered your bedchambers you heard rushed footsteps. Confused, you followed the sound. No one should still be awake at this point. Maybe a few servants finishing up their duties but that should be it. There was the possibility of the noise being from Aegon, as well. He did wander about the castle at night every now and then. Then you heard the voices.

“Are you sure it's this one?” One male voice asked.

A deeper voice replied, “do you see any other son? We have to take one and we can't find Prince Aemond.”

You sucked in a breath. These were no servants. No, they were assassins, most likely sent by your mother to even the score. You were left with a choice, take a chance to save your son, or run to alert a guard.

“Let's take this one, then,” said the first voice.

Their footsteps slowed as they snuck up on the crib. Dread dripped down your body. They were not going to take your son.

“Step away from my boy!” You yelled as you burst into the nursery.

There were two men, one scrawny with a mustache, and the other one built with muscle welding two daggers.

Covering the crib with your own body you faced the assailants. “You will leave this place. I will give you money, my jewelry, if it means you will leave.”

The scrawny one strolled up to you as though he had all the time in the world. “And if we don't take your offer?”

You swallowed. “Then I will have no choice but to call the guards.” You took a few steps back.

The big man boomed out a laugh. “Guards? There's no one here to guard you. How do you think we got in? We simply walked through the door. There are none and you are at our mercy.” A sadistic smile crept its way on his face. “Grab her,” he ordered the small one. 

He charged you, grabbing your arms and twisting them behind your back. He tried to get you away from the crib but you held your ground. As terrified as you were, your instincts told you to stay with the babe as long as possible.

The big one sauntered up to you and ran the tip of the dagger down your neck. The sting of the blade was sharp against your skin. Blood pebbled out of the cut. You tried to calm your breathing but your heart was racing. You were going to die here. 

“You look very pretty with this red adorning your neck. Maybe we should add more?” 

He pressed the dagger against your collar bone, the metal cutting you. You wanted to scream for help but you needed their attention away from Aerion. If it meant that they take your life instead of his, then so be it.

Blood dripped down, staining your night dress. The big one leaned down and licked one of the wounds clean. The sensation was so horrible that you almost threw up. Tears brimmed in the corner of your eyes.

“Decadent,” he growled.

The skinny one holding you was getting impatient. “Are we going to take one of them or not?”

“Patience! Let me enjoy myself here.” He looked over you like a meal ready to be devoured. “Would you sacrifice yourself? Shall we take your head?”

“If it means my boy is safe then yes, take my head,” you tried to sound confident.

“You choose your own demise over your child’s? How sweet a mother’s love is.” 

He looked over the crib at Aerion. Aerion had still not fallen asleep, he was wiggling in his blankets. But when the man made eye contact with him, he started screaming. The big man smacked a hand over your son’s mouth. Aerion whimpered and struggled against him.

You shook your head. “Please, no. Not my son. Take me. Take my head instead,” you begged.

The little man snickered. “A son for a son we was told. Unless you want to tell us where Prince Aemond is.”

No. Not a choice. Your son or your husband. You can kill your boy or send them to your sweet husband sleeping in his bed. You began to weep. 

“You can't make me choose between my husband and my son!” You cried.

The men laughed coldly. 

“Look what we have here, huh? The wife of the fearsome Aemond Targaryen! What a way to break his spirits,” the skinny one cackled.

Your son or your husband. The love of your life or the light of your life. Your Aemond or your Aerion. Memories flashed before you. 

Meeting Aemond and slowly falling in love with him. 

The first time you and Aemond made love, the conception of Aerion, you two have figured. How lovely it was. Aemond filled you up so perfectly, you have never felt closer to him than that. When he kissed you down there, all you felt was pleasure. When you took his cock into your mouth you were proud of yourself for making Aemond feel good.

Giving birth to Aerion and feeling the grip of Aemond’s hand holding yours. There was so much pain but Aemond was there to help you. Many advised Aemond to not be in the room for the birthing process but you insisted he be there. Continually, he wiped the sweat from your brow and whispered encouraging words in your ear.

The day Aerion rolled over for the first time. Oh, how quickly you leapt up to find Aemond. He was amused by your happiness and humored you. While he may not have understood how big of a milestone this was, you know he felt great pride. Aerion was just now beginning to toddle about. His smile was always big and he was always looking at the world around him. 

With a shaking body and a painful stab in your heart you nodded towards Aerion. You have made your decision and will live in hell the rest of your life for it. Forever you will remember this and how you sentenced your child to death. “Take him. Take my child,” you whispered.

“Lovely,” the big one said.

With one quick moment, he took one of his daggers and sliced a cut into Aerion’s throat. All you could hear was the gargle of Aerion choking on his own blood. You wanted to look away but you forced yourself to watch. You did this. You killed your own child.

Then the big man began to saw back and forth. No longer was your boy crying, but there he lay, still alive as his head was being detached from his body.

“Aerion, my dear Aerion, I am so sorry,” you mumbled. 

“Remember, this was your choice,” the one holding you said. He tightened his grip on your arms and kneed you in the back. “Look at what you did.”

They were almost halfway through your boy's little neck. Tears trailed down your face. Forever you would remember this grave sin. This impossible choice.

After what felt like months, they finally finished. The big one grinned as he held the head of Aerion. The base of his head was dripping with blood. His violet eyes, once filled with wonder, were empty.

“Prince Daemon appreciates your service to the true Queen.” He motioned to the one holding you to let go. “Would you like to touch his face one last time?”

They were mocking you. Yet you were grateful for the chance to cradle your boy’s cheek one last time.

“Aerion, I am so sorry.” You cupped his face and stared into those dead eyes.

There was rustling in the hallway.

“We gotta go,” the little one ground out. 

The big one spat in your face. “Fuck the Hightowers.”

They stuffed your boy’s head in a sack and ran away, leaving you with a bleeding body and a broken heart. 

Lifelessly, you walked out of the nursery and to Helaena’s bedchambers. She would understand. She would help.

------

When you arrived at her door you knocked. When she didn't answer, you pounded. When nothing came you burst through the door and collapsed next to her on the bed.

“Helaena, wake up please,” you sobbed. You were shaking her awake.

Helaena’s eyes opened slowly. You thought that you’d surprise her with your presence but instead she looked sad. She sat up in bed and reached for your hand. Helaena rarely engages in physical contact so this startled you. You almost pulled away but she held on tight.

“Your boy. They killed him?” Helaena asked.

“You - you knew they would come?” You were stunned.

“I knew the rats would come but I did not know for whom. Only that one of the boys in this castle would perish.” She looked regretful. “I wish we could’ve done something.”

You leaned into her and began to cry the tears you’ve been keeping in. “They made me choose, sister. Aerion or Aemond. I feel disgusting.”

Helaena shuffled away, uncomfortable with so much physical contact, but she kept a hand on yours. She gave you a squeeze. “Go to him. Go to my brother.”

“Yes, Helaena.” You squeezed her hand back and left her bedchambers.

------

As you approached your shared bedchambers your heart began to speed up. Invisible ropes tied around your chest tightened, making it hard to breathe. You carefully opened to door to see your husband peacefully laying down on the bed with his eye closed. His breathing had not yet calmed to a slower pattern so you knew he was still awake. The sapphire gleamed brightly in the moonlight. You caught a hint of a smile. He knew you were here.

“You’ve been gone for a while, my dear.” Aemond opened his eye. “I was beginning to worry.” He caught sight of your red-lined eyes and tear stained cheeks. Immediately, he sat up.

“My love. My love, my love,” you collapsed at the foot of the bed. Fresh tears ran down your face. “I have committed a grave sin. I am so sorry. If you want me dead I will throw myself out of the nearest window.” You buried your face in your hands.

Aemond climbed out of bed and held your face. “Whatever sin you committed, I am sure you are still pure in the eyes of the Seven.”

You began to hyperventilate.

“Breathe, my love, breathe,” he whispered in your ear.

After a few moments of trying to find your breath again, you forced yourself to look at him. “He’s dead. Our boy, our Aerion.”

He did not respond for a few moments. “Surely you jest, my love.”

“No! I do not jest!” you pushed yourself away from Aemond and stood up. “Our boy is *dead because of me! They came from the dark and made me choose!” You fell back on your knees but faced away from Aemond. “They told me to choose between you and Aerion.”

“What?”

“These men, these dark men, made me choose between your death and Aerion’s! I offered my own head instead but they merely laughed.”

“You offered yourself?”

“What else could I have done, Aemond?” 

Strong hands grabbed your waist and turned you around.

“You could have come to me,” he said as he held you tight.

“If I had left they would have killed Aerion anyway.” Your arms wrapped around him and you buried your head against his chest. 

“If that is the case then Aerion was going to die even without your choice.” 

You let out a sob.

“But,” he gently tilted your face up to his. “You let him live a little longer. You gave him some time.” He pressed a kiss to your forehead. “Now tell me who these men are, or what they looked like.”

“One was a skinny rat catcher, I believe, and the other was a bigger man, he looked like he could be a guard.” You swallowed. “They took our boy's head.”

Aemond nodded. “I will find these wretched men tonight.” His face hardened as he got up and released you. “Stay in bed, my love.”

“Will you take me to Helaena instead? I do not wish to be alone.”

“Of course. That’s a better idea. Quickly, we must go.”

Aemond escorted you back to Helaena’s bedchambers. He did not look at you but he held on to your hand tightly. As you approached the door he pulled you into a searing kiss, a kiss with a promise to find these bad men. Then he was gone.

------

When morning came, you found yourself on a chaise in Helaena’s chambers. Looking around, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Helaena was snoring softly in her bed and everything was fine. 

Then you remembered last night.

Your chest began to tighten as your body began to quake. Stray tears rolled down your face until they became streams. Helaena walked up to you in silence and held your hand.

“The rats are no more,” she said to you.

“No more no longer and yet they still cause such pain,” you whispered to her. Your body began to tremble.

“Hush, dear sister. Aemond comes.”

The door opened soon after and Aemond strode in with Aegon by his side.

“Niece,” Aegon nodded towards you. “I had them hanged,” he said gleefully. “Both men had been found. The guard easily gave up the rat catcher. You can see them outside now if you’d wish.”

“No, no, I do not wish to see the men who killed my boy.”

Aemond came to your side and took your other hand. “They are gone, my love, and our Aerion is at peace. The Silent Sisters have retrieved his head and are readying him for burial. One last journey, with you and me right by his side.”

“He shall go to the dragon pit?”

“Yes, and Vhagar will do the honors.”

You turned to Aegon. “Thank you for aiding Aemond in finding the murderers.”

“Of course, dear niece. This was the pretending Queen’s doing and I will not let them go unpunished.”

You gave him a watery smile. “My mother will not get away with this. For killing my babe she will burn.”

Aemond pulled you away from Helaena and into his arms. “For Aerion, she will burn.”

“For Aerion.”

[ryebread0605]

OMG I loved your Jamil sport smut you just wrote! Do you think I could request you write an idea similar to that, but with Leona instead? Leona in his spelldrive outfit is just so appealing to look at!! Thank you! :D

Leona in his spelldrive outfit rly makes me simp HARD like that man could step on me and I’d thank him ;)  

MINORS DNI

Despite just winning the game, a scowl cemented itself onto Leona’s face. The reason for it? That damn skimpy cheer uniform on you. Sevens he both loved and hated the fact that Crowley had it made for you, the only female cheerleader at the school. Sure, it showed off your body perfectly, but that meant that other men also got to see your curves. And by other men, he currently meant Chenya.

The cat beastman was practically hanging off of you, flirty compliments pouring out his mouth to you as you giggled in response. The lion beastman growled, only he should make you laugh like that and here he was watching the damn cat ignore his scent on you. Stomping over, he wrapped an arm around your waist protectively and glared at Chenya.

“Dont you have a team to be celebrating with?” Leona’s voice was harsh and the glare he sent Chenya’s way was sharp enough to kill. Unfortunately, the cat didn’t know when to keep his mouth shut and not taunt the predator.

“My bad, I guess you forgot to make sure your scent was on her~ here I thought she was single and for the taking~ it truly is your own fault little lion~” his teasing took immediate affect as the now very pissed off lion beastman hoisted you over his shoulders like a sack of potatoes and made a beeline for the locker rooms, all the while Chenya’s annoying laughter rung through his ears.

“Leona I can walk just fine! Put me down!” You huffed out, more than used to your boyfriend’s jealous streaks by this point and especially with Chenya being a little shit at times. The stall door of the shower room nearly fell off the hinges with how hard Leona slammed it shut.

“So you like it when other men ogle you, huh? Wanna be a little slut? Fine then, maybe I need to remind you who you belong to” a growl penetrated from deep within his chest as his eyes narrowed at you. You gasped as his rough hands tore the cheer uniform off of you, heat pooling in your cunt from just that one action alone.

He snarled as he looked at you, pinning you to the wall with a smirk. “Maybe I should let the team do a victory lap with you. Make you show which team you really cheer for”

Within what felt like a fraction of a second, his clothes were off too and the sudden feeling of his tip prodded your leaking entrance, him smirking at your flustered state before pushing in roughly. His hips met yours with such brutal speed, the sound of skin on skin and your loud moans echoing through the room.

“Careful dear,” he grunted out, “wouldn’t want them to come investigate the noise, now would we?” All you could do was shake your head in response, the knot in your stomach growing tighter and tighter. As you felt it about to snap, Leona suddenly stopped all movement, making you whine out in complaint.

“Did you really think I’d let you cum after what you did out there? I don’t reward *bad girls*. Now get on your knees and show me who you really belong to”

[killerpancakeburger]

Being Ghost's BFF Headcanons

(while also dating Soap cause you deserve the best of both worlds)

If you told anyone that Ghost was your favorite person to see in the morning, they'd write you off as clinically insane. Or laugh in your face. It didn't make it any less true though. When you don't want anyone speaking to you before you had your coffee, the Ghost feels heaven-sent. Others might see it as rude, but you're content with him acknowledging your presence with a nod of head or by raising his mug of tea in your direction.

You've never been afraid of him - more like displaying a healthy apprehension towards a guy exceeding 1m90, weighing over 100kg, and hiding his face.

After spending a couple hours with him, you quickly came up to a new conclusion about him: he just had a resting bitch face. Just because he had a deep voice and a monotonous tone didn't mean he was angry 24/7. He treated people how he wanted to be treated. He had high expectations for himself and for others/teammates. All in all, a pretty reasonable guy.

You like to think he started to respect you for your combat skills and experience, but evidence pointed to the fact that he began to look at you differently after seeing you decisively slap Soap in the face to wake him up after he passed out from blood loss.

There had been a few milestones in your relationship: when he told you a bad joke for the first time (you briefly thought you were having an aneurysm), when he told you to call him Simon (in private), when he awkwardly tried to cheer you up by patting you on the shoulder (first time he touched you outside of combat/training).

Outside of missions, the time you spent together was divided between shooting matches on the training grounds and hanging out with a smoke at night when both of you struggled to sleep. He was one of the rare men not pulling any punches against you, allowing to enjoy the competition freely. Soap tried time and time again to stay awake to join you two, but failed systematically.

Acting like a divorced couple with Soap as the kid you have shared custody of. "Yer man escaped medical again" "Before 6 a.m he is YOUR man, Lieutenant"

Frequently finding yourselves shouting both at the same time: "English, MacTavish!" In the same exasperated tone.

You can handle yourself, and Ghost is perfectly aware of that. That doesn't stop him from standing behind you menacingly like the Grim reaper himself when he thinks someone's taking too many liberties with you.

If Soap's a golden retriever when he's in a good mood, Ghost reminds of your parents' cat: silent, deadly, and shows affection by deigning to occasionally hang out in the same room as you.

You always carry a spare mask for him; and he wears spare hair ties on the wrist - plain, black ones. Cannot mess with his vibe.

People keeps asking how you managed to have a relationship with "The Ghost", and your answer is very simple: "learn when to shut the fuck up".

A/N:

Me in the beginning: I'm only gonna write Soap content

Ghost:

Me: Oh FFS

BONUS:

When Ghost told you a bad joke for the first time:

You still remembered the joke incident vividly: you were on a mission together, just the two of you, and as you were focusing more than usual, anxious to disappoint him or to be a liability, you suddenly heard in your com: "Ye heard the rumour 'bout butter?"

If Ghost's voice hadn't been unmistakable, you would have thought he had been killed and replaced by someone else.

"What (the fuck)", you exhaled, not because you wanted to know about butter, but because you had no idea what the hell was happening. The fact that his tone was exactly the same as usual - deadpan, flat - contributed to making you feel insane.

"Nah, I shouldn't be spreadin' it". was the answer. Torn between demanding explanations and not wanting to commit a faux pas, you replied the way you replied to your parents' bad jokes:

"Ha. Ha. Haha...?" 

The seasoned killer on the other side of the mic didn't seem to mind, but you texted Soap in panic as soon as your butt touched the helicopter's seat.

“JOHNNY”

"Sup hen"

"Cannae go wan mission without missing me, ae? ;)"

"Did Ghost hit his head recently??"

"Negative Ma'am" "Why? Did something happen??"

"He told me a dad joke. A fucking dad joke."

"😂 Thats kinda his thing"

"thought I was losing it"

"Congrats, ye can consider yerself stamped wit The Ghost seal of approval"

"Ok? Cool???"

"Mah too favourite people gittin along" *trails of smiling emojis and hearts*

[moonydustx]

a/n: taking a short break from requests to bring this here. I'll be back next week replying to whoever sent it, I'm really looking forward to it (seriously, don't kill me, I had some problems at work and ended up messing up my schedule).

Who breaks first?

F!Reader x Ace

warnings: smut, kinda of dom!F!reader e sub!, sweet boy Ace is begging for some laid here. Dirty talk, sorta of a pre-established relationship. Not proofread, may contain some errors.

MINORS DO NOT INTERACT | +18

"I can't wait until we find a good island, with good girls…" Thatch pointed out, downing the rest of the beer in his glass. "It's been decades."

"You mean days." Marcos corrected him.

"You men, can't you not think about it?" you pointed out, seeing them laugh. "What's the problem?"

"The person said that every other night he's waking up the entire ship." Izou leaned on you, in an almost theatrical way. "Oh Ace, don't stop. Please Ace, give me more." He tuned his voice in order to imitate you.

"That doesn't mean I only think about it." you pushed him away and on the other side of the table, you saw Ace laugh cynically. "And what's your problem?"

"Nothing, I mean, I'm not the one who seems to only think about it, or beg for it." upon seeing your sullen face, he pointed at his colleague. "I'm speaking based on what Izou said."

"I would stop the joke here, you could be entering dangerous waters." Marco warned him, but was completely ignored.

"I agree with the little bird." your challenging gaze turned to him. "There's no point complaining later."

"Complain? Well, it's a good thing we're getting to the next island, isn't it Thatch?" Ace's laugh was more to tease you than for any other reason. This time, you would allow yourself to fall into his pile, even if on purpose.

"Good to know, Mr. Portgas." a pretentious smile crossed your expression. "Island pussies will be the next and only ones you'll see."

The commotion between the friends brought a common redness to Ace's face, eliciting almost evil laughter from you. That same night, as you were getting ready for bed, you felt a hand wrap around your waist, wet lips slide down the back of your neck.

"You know I was joking, don't you?" Ace whispered, placing a kiss on the corner of your neck that he knew was your weak face. One of his hands slipped inside your shorts, his fingers played with the elastic of your panties. "Let me make it up to you for today?"

"But I wasn't kidding." Begrudgingly, you pulled away from him, turning to look at Ace's frustrated face. "Go after the women on the island."

"You don't have to be so mean."

"Or you'll have to beg." you pointed out, unable to hide the malice in your words. That didn't go unnoticed by Ace, who took a few steps back.

"So this is going to be a little game." He sat on the bed, arms back supporting his body, legs parted highlighting the bulge in his shorts. "Whoever begs first loses?"

"Not whoever begs first." you moved closer, pretending to sit on his lap, just enough to move away and lie down on the bed, facing away from his body. "You're the one who's going to beg. Good night, fire fists."

Ace wasted a good few minutes there, contemplating how low a game you had played at that moment. He wouldn't break the small bet first, at least that's what he thought.

The next day, hunting through the clothes you had, you picked out the ones you knew were his favorites. No comfortable pajamas or loose clothes until he gave in. You knew it would be a difficult bet, but this time you would emerge victorious.

Sundress on your skin, floral perfume and lips red as fire, you knew how to play your cards.

"Hi guys!" you approached the small circle that was engaged in some kind of conversation. You noticed three immediate reactions, Marco and Izou who laughed knowing full well what you were doing and Ace, who seemed to be lost in some kind of mirage.

"I know about your commitment, but it would be unfair if I let it go unnoticed." Vista pulled out some rose petals and handed them to you. "You look beautiful today."

"Thank you Vi." You purposely walked past them and leaned on the edge of the ship, feeling the wind move the hem of your dress. "How long until the island?"

"I-I guess one day, miss." you heard one of the boys murmur and then your boyfriend's voice shouted at him.

"I see what you're looking at!" you didn't even need to look back, knowing that Ace was touching all the brothers there. "Everyone disappear, go, circulate."

"What's wrong, darling?"

"What is wrong?" he came to you. His hands pointed indignantly at your body. "What is that?"

"A dress. Don't like it?" His growl of frustration made you laugh.

"You know very well that's not the problem." he leaned closer, almost whispering. "The problem is actually the incredible opposite of that."

"It's a shame, my little flame." you snuck up to reach his ear. "Although, seeing you all jealous like that makes me sooo wet. Too bad you can't see it, or taste it."

That sentence was enough to guarantee, firstly, Ace's bad mood, damn the time he was falling for such a bet, and secondly, another dose of overprotectiveness from Ace, after all, no one would watch his girl. Whether it was while you were parading around in your sundress, or when the next day you showed up in an even shorter one and wearing just a bikini over it, or when you decided to sleep wearing just one of his t-shirts.

A week had already passed since the small bet. Maybe Ace had taken your possible hurt too seriously, especially because he refused to disembark - until he saw you go to the village wearing another one of the clothes that drove him crazy and he wouldn't have been crazy enough to leave you parading alone.

Night had already fallen at Moby Dick and most of your colleagues were asleep when you reached your room. Of all things, you didn't expect to find Ace sitting on the edge of the bed, one hand wrapped in your panties and the other sliding over his cock.

"Looks like someone is having a hard time." you murmured, hearing him groan and turn towards you. "Ready to beg?"

"I bet you'll beg first." his husky voice punctuated, as if the sight of him masturbating in front of you wasn’t enough to turn you on.

"That's a game two can play, my love." you locked the door behind you and allowed your dress to turn into a puddle of fabric at your feet.

"No panties, all day?" you gave a smug smile when you saw that you had stolen his attention. Ignoring the question, you walked to the other side of the room.

"Do you see anything interesting?" you patiently dragged the chair in front of where Ace was sitting. Using the same patience, you sat down on the chair and let each of your legs rest beside him, giving him a privileged view.

"Fuck." he muttered. "You're not going to do that to me, are you?"

"I'm not going to lie, it's been a tough few days." Your hand slid across your breasts, paying little attention to them, after all your objective was different.

Your fingers separated your pussy lips, the shine indicating how wet you were made Ace tighten his grip against his own cock. You used your two middle fingers to slowly circle your clit.

"It's so hard to use just my fingers, my love." you penetrated one of your fingers inside you, slowly and giving a drawn out moan. "I miss you so much, you're so much better at this than me."

"Just ask." His voice was broken, his eyes focused on your intimacy.

"I'm not going to - fuck - give up." another finger accompanied the entry of intimacy, in a slow back and forth that was excruciating for you and your viewer. "But it's burning so much babe, I miss you so much in here."

You continued moving your fingers slowly, seeing that Ace no longer paid attention to his movements but to yours. The tip of his dick was almost red from the pressure of his closed fist, precum glistening and oozing from it. You took your fingers out of your intimate area and pretended to take them to Ace's mouth, when he opened them ready to taste, you put them in your mouth, moaning just to tease him.

"You're right when you say I'm delicious." you, millimeters away from him, made a point of licking finger after finger that was in contact with your pussy. "Too bad bad boys can't prove that."

"Please." the request was barely audible. "Babe, please."

"I don't think I heard you right. You're going to have to beg a little more." You closed your legs and leaned back against the chair.

"Please, love, let me taste you a little. You're so wet, I just want to feel you a little, please." he started to ask, his hands were now pressing hard against the bed sheet, a way to contain himself and not advance on you. "Fuck, please, baby, just a little."

"Such a good boy." You grabbed his chin and pulled away again. "Come on, you can taste some."

The words barely left your mouth and Ace was already on his knees on the floor. His hands separating your legs and this time, resting them on his shoulders. His tongue - warmer than usual - slid all over your pussy, bringing some of the relief you had waited for so long.

"No, no, no my dear." you asked as you saw one of his hands slide out of your reach. "You've been a bad boy these days and that's why you can't touch yourself."

"Y-Yes ma'am." he pulled away from your lower lips to respond. His hand, which went down to his dick, went up to your intimacy, inserting his fingers without any warning. "Can I do that? Fuck you like that? It's so tight."

"Please, Ace." Your request sounded like music to his ears, which accelerated the small thrusts he made while holding your clitoris between his lips.

Your hand got tangled in his dark hair and pulled him away from your intimacy. You stood up and he remained on his knees there, waiting for the next order. That was already an old thing between the two of you and the days of waiting only made it even more enjoyable.

You motioned for him to stand and took his lips to yourself. The taste of you stuck in his mouth along with the moans he made could be almost enough to get you there, but you needed more. You pushed Ace onto the bed, laying him down and placing his hands under the pillow. Before sinking down on his cock, you let your hips rub your intimacy soaked by his length.

“I’m begging you” he pleaded, trying to lunge at you. "Just let me fuck you, just a little. I already did what you wanted, begging and leaving me suffering like this is too mean."

"Does my little flame want to cum?" You slid down, feeling inch by inch of him impaling you. Your moans were contained, remembering the comments of your friends who heard you. "Just a little more and I promise to let you fill me up." you moved slowly, only to leave him frustrated.

"Honey, please." his voice was squeaky, the pillow over his hands had become a mash of cotton and fabric. "Please, just ride for me. Just move, please."

"Like this?" You let his cock move in and out a few times, hearing him moan loudly.

"Exactly like that, please." you increased your pace.

It was like having a private ego booster. Each time your hips met the base of his cock, you could hear the moans increase - theirs and yours. The ends of the pillow began to turn to ashes as you remained on top of Ace, looking for both of you to orgasm.

"Keep it up, your pussy is squeezing me so good, so fucking good. I can't hold back anymore, babe."

"Poor Ace." you slid out of him, seeing him grunt. The little torture was too much even for you. Before letting him in again, you took his hands from under the pillow and brought them to your hips. "Can you help me?"

It was like awakening a sleeping monster, or releasing a beast that had been caged for decades. Ace immediately turned you over on the bed and your legs met his shoulders. He could bend you in half there, you really liked it when he took the reins to complain. It didn't take many thrusts for you to become a mess beneath him, holding your tongue so you wouldn't become the one begging.

"That's how you like it, isn't it? Feeling me so deep in that pussy, so delicious, so mine" Ace pressed you even more, eliciting a scream mixed with a moan from inside you. "Is this how you want it, my princess?"

"I -I…Ace!"

"No need to beg, babe." One of his fingers began to circle your clitoris as quickly as he was thrusting deep into you. "Just cum with me, please. Let me feel you cumming so good around me." your orgasm became just a blur in your vision, as Ace filled you. The heat that his cum brought inside you was capable of making you cum again.

Before he threw himself on your side of the bed, Ace took your lips in a deep kiss and even when he lay down, his hands slid down your back, giving you goosebumps that you knew very well what they meant.

"You lost." your voice came out weaker than before.

"Yeah, I lost." unlike your voice, his came out provocative. His fingertips seemed to get hotter and hotter as he traced your skin. "For my defeat, tomorrow I take your services."

"This is a great prize." you laughed, turning your head to meet his attentive gaze. "Ace?"

"Just ask, my princess."

"As I've already won and now it's worthless…" you pulled his hand to your lips, teasing kisses falling between his fingers. "Fuck me just a little more, please, I want to feel you a little more. I missed you so much."

A weak laugh came from Ace and his hand that was on your lips came down to clamp against your throat.

"I don't think I heard you right. You're going to have to beg a little more."

[phoenixyfriend]

New Fic: Follow Me Out of the Black

AO3 Link

Written for @sourfacedlemon in the 2024 Anakin-Clone Appreciation Exchange.

Fox/Anakin, Time-Travel fix-it, Kidnapping

Also I sent this discord message to a server I'm in

And was confirmed correct because reveals had sourfacedlemon tagging 'called it' lmao.

---------

Fox is not the most… personable of his brothers.

He’s not actively antisocial, or one of those clones who’s more comfortable with massifs than men, even fellow clones. He doesn’t have trouble meeting peoples’ eyes, or get nervous to hold a conversation. He’s not the best at people, but he’s not impeded by anything. He’s not incapable, just unwilling. A grump. Tired and a bit short-tempered.

That was before he spent the better part of a decade with his entire personhood filtered through the control chip that ARC trooperhad tried to warn them all about.

And, of course, before Darth Vader threw him out a window to his not entirely untimely death.

That, dying at Vader’s hand for a stupid reason that maybe would have been worth a demerit under a clone officer, is actually Fox’s last memory. In the moment, he’d thought it almost reasonable; his failure had led to the escape of a Jedi, at least momentarily, and then… who knows. Maybe Vader got her anyway.

He wakes up, and thinks wait, that’s a ridiculous reason to kill a high-ranking officer, and then promptly realizes he can think without something muddling him.

He stares at the ceiling, which does not contain several familiar scratches, and does contain some flimsi holopics taped where he can see them, which he distinctly remembers taking down after Order 66.

Which is an order that now does not make as much sense as it did at the time. Fox wasn’t close to any Jedi, but they were all unfailingly polite, and his brothers in high-ranking field battalions had largely had good things to say. Some of them loved their generals as much as a brother. They wouldn’t have turned as quickly as Fox himself had, and yet.

And yet.

Fox stares at the holopics, thinking about what he knows, about the Sith Lord that is the Emperor, about the Sith Lord that once was—is?—Anakin Skywalker, about how many of his brothers killed their Jedi despite Fox being quite certain they’d have rather died than do so. He thinks about the control chip he’s now fairly certain was an actual mind control device and not just an emotional regulator.

Fox stares, and thinks, and then gets out of bed.

Fox is not personable, and that’s okay.

He’s got other skills to rely on.

--

It takes Fox four hours of planning, six hours of setting traps for Sidious, three days of putting together backups, and two weeks of waiting for Skywalker to be on planet and visit the old bastard himself.

It then takes him thirty seconds to tell Thorn that he’s in charge for a bit, two hours to arrive at the Senate building, and about three minutes to let Skywalker say goodbye to the Chancellor and get out of the man’s sight. It then takes some forty-five seconds to approach him, ask for help with something, and lead the man into a dark service hallway.

Three hours later, Skywalker wakes up in the interrogation room cum holding cell that Fox has set up about thirty levels below CoCo town.

“What’s going on?” Skywalker mumbles. He notices the Force cuffs before he’s fully awake, and jerks a bit as he tugs on them. It pulls him awake faster. “Wh—fierfek, what have you done to me? You can’t be a clone, they—”

“Chancellor’s a Sith Lord.”

Skywalker stares at him. Fox takes off his helmet to show his face, just so Skywalker knows that he is, in fact, a clone.

“…what?” Skywalker manages. “You—”

“Chancellor’s a Sith Lord,” Fox repeats. “I don’t have real proof. You are going to help me get it.”

“The Chancellor,” Skywalker says, slowly, like he’s convinced Fox is the crazy one, “is not a Sith Lord. The Jedi would know.”

“Jedi are busy, and Sidious is a good liar,” Fox dismisses. “You, he likes you. He wants to make you his next apprentice, after he has Dooku taken out. He’ll call you Vader. The armor is going to be stupid.”

Skywalker just stares at him.

“I’m not crazy,” Fox says, even though that does in fact make him sound crazy. “I’m from the future.”

That probably makes him sound crazier.

“The Chancellor is a good man,” Skywalker says. “I am sure this is all just some… massive misunderstanding, and if you let me go, I’ll get you to the mind healers and we can figure out what put these ideas in your head.”

Fox smiles. The word ‘mirthlessly’ comes to mind. “Nobody put ideas in my head until a Sith Lord activated a mind control chip, and then the idea was ‘kill all Jedi.’”

Skywalker stares at him.

“Including the babies.”

Skywalker keeps staring.

“But you—Vader—did most of the baby-killing, or so I heard. I was busy keeping the better members of the Senate from trying to investigate. Organa was a hard sell.”

“I would not—why would I kill Jedi?”

Oh good, he’s responding. “I don’t know. You joined Sidious for power, or something. Amidala was pregnant when she died, that was all over the news. I wasn’t listening to gossip, because my brain was all work, all the time, because of the mind control, but I guess it could have been yours.”

Fox doesn’t know what Skywalker and Amidala’s relationship is. Could be a one-night stand, for all Fox knows, but he thinks they’re close friends, at least.

“She’s pregnant?” Skywalker asks. He sounds a little broken. Plaintive? Is that the word?

“No,” Fox says. “She’d have gotten pregnant… a few months from now? I don’t know exactly how far along she was, or how natborns progress. She looked pretty big, though.”

Skywalker stares at him some more. Man, the guy’s got eyes like a holostar, or one of those cherubs on the Corellian churches. Fox bets he’d look nice crying.

“All of this hit the fan about a year from now,” Fox tells him. “We have time, but not much. Also, Sidious has a million backup plans, so we need to act fast, and be unpredictable.”

“So you had to kidnap me?” Skywalker demands.

“Of course,” Fox says. “He’d be suspicious if I just started palling around with you, or whatever it is the shinies call it.”

“You are maybe two years older than them,” Skywalker points out.

“More like twelve,” Fox corrects. “But that’s not the point. I also had to get you somewhere I could make sure he wouldn’t be able to spy on us, and where you couldn’t storm out because you were mad that I was telling you you’re destined to be a baby-killer or that your precious Chancellor is a Sith.”

Fox is pretty sure the only reason Skywalker isn’t doing that already is because he’s convinced Fox lost his mind and just needs to come down from the drugs or whatever. Fox can understand; he’d be tossing anyone saying this banthakark into a drunk tank or to the medics, himself. He certainly hadn’t taken that ARC seriously.

“Why me?” Skywalker asks.

Fox shrugs. “It had to be you, obviously. All else aside, getting you in my corner instead of another Jedi gives me an edge, because you are the one Jedi that Palpatine might hesitate to kill. He’s put a lot of time into making Vader happen, even already, and he wants to get you to be his Sith apprentice. That means he wants you alive, and on side, and maybe he'll try to talk you into joining him before going for the kill.”

“I won’t join a Sith.”

“You will,” Fox says, simple as syrup, “given the right pressures, you will. Our goal here is to make it so those pressures don’t come to pass, and that means cutting the head off the snake and sweeping the legs out from under the devil.”

Fox has, perhaps, read a few too many Corellian novels recently. He likes the ones about this ‘hell’ place. Seems cozy.

“If I let you go, will you hear me out?” Fox asks. He’s not planning on actually letting Skywalker go, but he can let the man stand. The cuffs stay on. “I’m going to get this chip removed now, while you’re here, so I have at least some evidence for part of the story. That way you can check it yourself for whatever code dictates the orders.”

“The chip. In your head.”

“I wouldn’t have brain surgery on a whim,” Fox confirms, “so I think it makes for a good proof that I’m not just staging this somehow.”

Skywalker actually gapes this time.

Fox waits.

“Fine,” Skywalker finally says. “I’ll stick around long enough for the brain surgery, and to decode the chip, and then we can… reassess or what have you.”

“Great.”

“Can I at least call Obi-Wan to tell him I won’t be making it to dinner?”

Fox waves a hand. “No, no, I already took care of that.”

The look he gets is almost insulting. It’s almost like Skywalker forgot that Fox is a highly trained military police officer with top-level security codes and the legal right to invade peoples’ privacy.

(Continue on AO3)

[deceitfuldevout]

Kook for Rent

Dark!Virgin!Topper Thorton x Reader x Dark!Stepbro!Rafe Cameron

Word Count: +1,612

Warning(s): +18, Non con, Bondage, Human trafficking, Mentions of past stepcest, Forced prostitution.

Author's note(s): I've been meaning to finish this off before I deep-dive into studying.

Rafe would consider Topper to be his best friend. So of course, him being the best friend that he is decides to make Topper's dream come true: A chance to fuck his cute stepsister. Rafe is well aware of just how many guys would kill to spend the night with the Kook princess herself. He knows what your market value is and decides to take advantage of the opportunity.

Rafe counts the cash in hand, licking the pad of his thumb before raking through the stack of bills. His dad had cut some of his allowance out for not keeping an eye on Sarah, yet you weren't given the same punishment. It wasn't fair. So, what better idea than to rent you out to his best friend? He smirks at the heavy wad. Topper's family earned well more than his did, one of the few reasons why he tolerates the Kook. That and how he's known him since they were kids. Topper would never turn against him, even if he wanted to.

Rafe knew that Topper was head over heels for you. He's seen the way Topper would glance at you, when he thought no one else was watching. Of course, he wouldn't admit it, he's not the type to cross that boundary unless the feelings were returned. But if given the opportunity, he'd jump your bones. Rafe isn't going to let his friend die a virgin, not if he can help it. As soon as he finishes counting the money he leads his friend down the hallway to where your room was. There you were, bound and gagged to the bedpost.

Rafe made sure you were presentable, after all, Topper is a special guest. This is the first time he's ever ventured into your room. Different pastels and pinks littered the place. A few stuffed animals had been tossed aside in the struggle. Your hair had been messy during the fight. Rafe made sure to dress you in that one slip on that would drive any man crazy. For a moment, Topper couldn't believe it. He'd finally have a chance with the Kook queen herself. Who wouldn't want this? You were everything he's ever dreamed of. Valedictorian, top of their class, hell, you were even prom queen, yet here you were, presented just for him.

Before he could approach any further, Rafe places a hand on Topper's shoulder, "Listen, man, there's a reason why I chose you, I don't want anyone else doing this," He looks his friend dead in the eyes, "It's her first time too y'know?" Rafe eases his friend into it. Topper raises his brows at that statement, his pupils are blown as he looks your way. When would he ever get another chance like this? Both of them are sat on either side of the bed.

You glare at the two men with weary eyes, mascara now running down both cheeks. Each time one of them would approach, a swift kick would be sent their way. Topper had to dodge a few times until Rafe finally took charge. His hands immediately wrapping around your neck and squeezing as hard as he could. He doesn't stop, even when your face starts to change color.

Topper tries pleading with with him, "C'mon man! She can't breathe!" worried that his friend may have taken it too far. Rafe doesn't let go despite Topper's pleas until you almost pass out. When he releases his grip, an angry mark is left behind. You try to catch your breath despite the lack of air. It became clear that the gag wasn't helping one bit. Topper felt weary of the circumstances of how you ended up like this.

Rafe glares at his best friend, "Yeah, but you're still here," he knows how to read people, what makes them bend to his will, "You know she used to have a mouth on her?" he chuckles, "Fixed that shit up," Rafe grabs a leg while you're still drowsy and ties it at the end of the bed frame. He repeats this action for the other leg before laying at your side, "Sometimes you've gotta slap a bitch around, or else they'll feel like they're in charge," pointing a taunting finger in your face, "Remember this, I own your ass, you so much as take another breath, it's because I allowed it," He then raises both hands in the air, nodding for his friend to proceed, "Go on, she won't do that again," he smiles triumphantly.

For a moment, Topper is hesitant. Should he really be doing this? Rafe rolls his eyes, "There's a reason why I chose you, Top," Rafe needed to have Topper trust him, "I could've let Barry fuck her first, but I chose you," Rafe drags down the waistband of your panties, "All this, just for you," revealing the jewel plug to his friend. Topped let out an audible groan at the sight of it. He could feel the strain of his cock swelling under his shorts. Rafe parts your legs for a better angle. His hands grip at each cheek, parting your folds to give Topper a good view. Rafe made sure to lube up that pretty cunt of yours, he left the plug inside your ass in case Topper wanted to pay extra.

Topper juts his hips, he groans at the friction. He rubs his tip in between both breasts. A small trail of precum already leaking through, "F-fuck...she feels so soft..." Rafe made sure you'd use the extra soft lotion, the sparkly kind. Of course, it'd make Topper go crazy, what guy wouldn't? Glitter tits? Is that not every man's dream? He jerks himself off, using your tits for the extra friction. He toyed and played with both breasts until they peaked. His brows furrow, indicating that he was close, "Fuck man...she looks so pretty like this..." In a few seconds he'd already came in heavy waves, choking out a heavy groan before emptying a load. His cheeks were now a vibrant hue from the first round. His eyelids fluttering shut as he spread his seed against your bare chest.

Topper parts from you for a moment to catch his breath. He admires the view below him. More specifically that doe-eyed look on your face. He pokes out his tongue to lick his lips. Rafe drags the chair from your vanity closer to the bed, he plops his feet on your bedside. He lets Topper take charge for now. So far, his best friend was learning fast. Topper wipes at your tears, cooing a string of apologies, "Shh...sh... you're okay..." he swipes a stray tear with the back of his thumb gently. Rafe rolls his eyes at the sentimental act, "Jeez, Top, you're too soft on the slut," He clicks his tongue, alerting his friend to turn around.

Rafe then tilts his head to the bottle of lube and condom placed on the nightstand, "The bitch is already worked up, all you gotta do is fuck her now," as soon as those words hit your ears another muffled scream escapes. You thrash violently against the bindings, ignoring the searing pain of rope being dug into raw skin. Rafe lept from his seat, "Hey, hey, enough of that," he scolds, "I'm protecting you, what do you not understand? It's either Topper or Barry and we both know which one you'd prefer," as if you had a say in any of this. You glare back at the two men, giving them a death stare. It doesn't faze the Cameron heir, not one bit, "Stop being such a fucking baby," Rafe knew you could take much more, so why was Topper being such a fucking softie?

Topper shrugs of his friend, tuning him out as he wrapped himself up. He coats the condom with a light about of gel before rubbing it against your bare folds. He' g's been waiting for this for a long, long time. He presses his tip against the opening, grunting at the sensation, "Fuck...she's really warm," Topper's never felt this good in his life. He starts off at a slow pace, his eyes are mesmerized by the sight of his cock sinking deep into your channel. He carefully pumps his shaft, reveling in the feeling of a warm cunt squeezing him.

Topper groans, "Fuck....I'm really your first huh?" slowly but gently, picking up pace. He was much different than Rafe, gentler. What Thorton hadn't known, was that the Cameron boy had beaten him to it. After catching you sneaking out, Rafe decided that the best form of punishment was to pop your cherry. He hadn't told Topper this. Instead, he wanted to build that level of trust. Even if that meant putting you on the line.

Rafe knew Topper hadn't been with any other girl before. Of course, he wouldn't know the difference. You moan into your gag, eyelids fluttering shut as you fought the approaching orgasm. Rafe licks his lips at the sight of it. His best friend fucking his step-sister shouldn't turn him on this much. But something about it seemed so fucking hot. Shit, maybe he could sell the footage. Make it into an amateur porn. He's been tight on cash recently, might as well put you to good use. But no, he already had enough blackmail to keep you in line. He knows there's no coming back from this. He's already ruined you for any other man. Rafe owns your cunt and ass. He spent weeks making sure to train you well. You were a fighter, yes, but he's much, much stronger.

[satansapostle6]

Love The Sinner | Dexter Morgan

Dexter Morgan, a vigilante serial killer hiding in plain sight, loses sleep for the first time in his life when he’s met with the very last thing he expected: a kindred spirit.

Warnings: Violence. Mature language and themes. Sexual content.

Part One. Eyes of Darkness.

Most people, when they’re getting arrested, shit their pants with fear. Some scream, some cry. Some rage, and some try to run, and some just freeze. That’s what you usually see, when you’re in your parents’ living room, and your dad can’t wait to turn on the TV to the channel dickety-six news, of all things. But sometimes, people have other reactions when being handcuffed and shoved in the back of a squad car. Sometimes people enjoy it, for one reason or another. I smiled when Miami Metro put me in cuffs on the news. Laughed, even. You see my story is many things, but boring certainly isn’t one of them.

Let’s start simple. My name is Nicole Carvalho, and as of today, America knows me as ‘Murderous MILF’. You really can’t make these things up; I love this country. I keep reminding myself, if I ever go free, I need to clip that out of the newspapers. But see, right now, at this very moment, I’m sitting alone in an almost blindingly white interrogation room at the precinct, waiting for a cop to question me while they study me on the surveillance footage. I can’t lie, I’m sitting back right now in my chair, smirking. You see, I killed the men who violated and later took my baby girl’s life, and I’m currently very pleased with myself.

I don't think my grandfather pictured this when he left Brazil. This truly is the American dream; committing a crime and letting your own peers decide whether or not it was justified. In all honesty, a jury will be much kinder to me than ‘God’ has been. So, I figured I’d let myself have this one thing. I think I waited about a half an hour before they sent someone in; a female detective. They must’ve figured a matching vagina couldn’t hurt. The first thing I noticed about this detective was that she was strikingly young; close to my age. I’m thirty-six, so I would estimate her to be maybe a little younger.

But apart from her age, the next thing I noticed about this detective was that she was very robotic in how she interacted with me; she didn’t necessarily look like she wanted to be there. She barely looked up at me when she came in, holding my files and looking down at them like a teenager doing a presentation in high school.

“So. Nicole Carvalho. I’m Detective Morgan.”

She sits down across from me less like I’m a murder suspect and more like she’s interviewing me for a secretary job. I look at her, sitting forward as I join her in the conversation, still smug as ever. I think she was secretly hoping I’d say it, the four words that usually drove most cops insane that, for some reason, no one ever thinks to say in the movies.

“I want my lawyer.”

I smile as I say it. Detective Morgan also smiles, looking down at the table before getting up. I’ll never forget how pleased she sounded.

“Guess that means I can’t ask you anymore questions.”

She gets up and walks out, and that’s the end of it. In all honesty, I don’t think she was looking forward to questioning a woman about the murder of her daughter’s rapist. After the detective left me alone, I was allowed to call myself the lawyer that I had in mind. This, of course, was a friend of a friend, a perfectly shady guy named Johnny Bertelli, who was, in the nicest way possible, a fucking scum bag. You see, I work as a project manager at a marketing firm, so I’ve met my fair share of good lawyers, but Johnny was the fucking best.

He made Johnnie Cochran look like an idiot. He was the kind of lawyer who laughed at the prosecution in court, and I needed him. So there i was, in the Miami Metro precinct punching a number I’d gotten off Google into a wall phone. I looked around the precinct as I waited for someone to pick up, and suddenly it was like I felt a pair of eyes on me. I turned around, and I saw a pretty timid, mild-mannered looking guy who seemed as if he’d been standing there trying to figure out how to get my attention.

But the strange thing was, he didn’t seem to want my attention, at all, actually. If anything, he seemed perturbed by the fact that I was looking his way. I looked over at him, not knowing what the fuck his story could’ve been. Miami’s a weird place, because in this moment, I realized the guy wandering the precinct in a Polo and khakis could very well be an employee. I looked at the guy, not knowing what he could’ve wanted with me as I struggled with the phone. Funny enough, he actually just wanted to be helpful.

“You gotta press pound,” he says quietly, “For the call to go through,” and I almost laugh.

I appreciate the odd moment, just thanking him.“Thank you.”

He just nods, and says nothing as he quietly retreats to wherever it was he came from. I took his advice, and sure enough, the phone worked and patched me through to Johnny’s office. I wasn’t quite sure at the time, seeing as I was obviously a bit preoccupied, but I felt that strange man’s eyes linger on me for a moment. Even as I turned around, I could sense his surreal sort of presence that he had. Sure, I was used to having men’s leering eyes on me out in public; it was hardly unusual. But this was different.

Like he was less looking at my body and flesh, but more so imagining what was underneath it.

*****

The next couple years of my life were eventful, to say the fucking least. Johnny of course advised me to take my case to trial instead of taking a plea, for obvious reasons; there was no way any jury was going to give me the maximum sentence, or God forbid, the death penalty. I was a single mother who stabbed her twelve year-old daughter’s rapist seventeen times. In the eyes of the public, I was practically a fucking hero. Johnny’s confident that any jury would feel sympathetic to me, despite the brutality of what I’d done. As he says, the facts are still there.

My neighbor, a weasley little creep named George Randall got me, and my Isabelle, to trust him, and took advantage of her in the worst way. Then she killed herself, because of what he did, and I had to find out through a note left on her desk for me to find. So, I went to George’s with an empty baking dish of his, and once he let me in, I whipped out the knife I’d borrowed from him, the same knife I used to use to cook for my little girl, and I made his stomach burst like a water balloon. At this point, I’d already chosen to show little remorse for the crime I’d committed, feeling perfectly at peace with the possibility of prison, or the death penalty.

But Johnny said there was probably no need to be too fearful of either. He’d even told me there was a possibility I’d just get a few years, and then parole, or something, and I wasn’t sure that wasn’t bullshit, but I also liked his confidence. The reality of it was, Johnny had made much worse people look way better. To him, my case was already closed. All I had to do was play the part of the grieving mother, which took no effort on my part. I had to wait almost a year for my case to go to trial, which I of course did outside of a cell.

This gave me enough time to get all my affairs in order, or so to speak. My job was okay for the time being, and I knew I’d probably still have it so long as I wasn’t convicted of murder, given my ‘years of dedicated service’. Things were going to be relatively fine, eventually, but for now, I was stuck being paraded around like a jester on some twisted apology tour for avenging my daughter’s death. I’m a pretty good actor, but even my patience has its limits. And maybe wearing my white So Kate’s to court wasn’t necessarily the best judgement call.

But Johnny, being more than worth the money I pay him, made it work. I walked into the courtroom with him, humble and graceful, and didn’t let my eyes linger so as not to appear guilty. But even then, I caught a glimpse of him in the room. The guy who helped me with the phone. He was watching my trial, probably just as a police department employee. Probably.

“Will the defendant please rise?”

I complied with Judge Willis’s request, with my trusty guard dog by my side. I remained dignified, my head held high, but not too high, of course, as the proceedings began.

“Miss Carvalho. How do you plead?”

“Not guilty, your honor,” I told him.

The damage was done. My fate rested entirely in the hands of twelve strangers, and for some reason, there was a thirteenth who seemed oddly invested in the outcome.

-

Part Two.

[mommytauriel]

+ · 。~ they don’t know about us

pairing: sihtric x f! reader | genre: secret relationship, fluff, tiny bit of angst? | warnings: blood, cursing, just the normal tlk warnings, kissing, kinda suggestive at one point? (Idk) | wc: 15k+ |

synopsis: “they can’t know about us” a look into sihtric and uhtred’s sister, secret relationship and how they started and how they are now.

note: this fic was me getting back into writing, so that’s my excuse if this is terrible. I had an idea for it, and it went a whole different way and turned out longer than it was supposed to be. I do hope you enjoy it <3 My requests are open!

thank you @dailytlk for letting me use the the lovely gifs <3

You couldn't remember or pinpoint a certain moment when you realized you had feelings for him. Maybe it was when you started noticing that your eyes would always try to find him, or the tension filled eye contact that would leave you breathless. Or the way your cheeks would burn red when he would offer to braid your hair for you. 

Sihtric was so charming. The small things he would do for you, the way he would step closer to you if he sensed danger, or the way he would always have you sit closest to the fire so you would be warmer. 

He wasn't always like that though, he used to be distant, awkward. And he would try to not be alone with you, even though that's all he wanted. You couldn't blame him though, the first few days of knowing each other weren't the best for a first impression. 

From him being with the group of danes that tried to kill you and your brother, to him being your brother's prisoner, then being one of your brothers' men. It was all too confusing and happened too fast. So, you didn't blame him when Sihtric kept his distance and avoided you. 

You wouldn't admit it aloud, but it did hurt a little. When he did avoid you. You had seen him become close with Clapa, and even Hild. You weren't mean or sent him dirty looks like Halig did, so you wondered why he didn't try with you. He wasn't rude to you or anything, he just seemed to have no interest in you. And that hurt. 

But you were totally wrong. He did have interest in you; maybe a little too much because he would catch his eyes following after you and it also didn't help that you seemed to fill up his thoughts and it made him nervous, he barely knew you. So why did he think of you so much? 

Was it because he felt guilty for what he had done? Or was it something more? Whatever the reason was…He didn't know it. 

He very much had interest in you, but he just didn't know where the two of you stood. Hild was nice and was quick to forget and forgive what happened. Clapa was easy going and called him tiny dane. Halig didn't like him, and he knew it, Halig made it obvious, and he was okay with that because at least he knew where he stood with them. But with you, he knew nothing. 

You had no idea of his conflicting thoughts, you just assumed that he didn't like you. And he assumed that you wanted nothing to do with him after what he's done. God you both were so wrong. 

The two of you walked on unknown ground around each other for the first days of knowing each other. You wanted to talk to him, but you didn't have near enough courage to do so and Sihtric was avoiding you to the best of his ability. And he was doing a great job until Halig told you and him to go back and warn Uhtred about the brothers, Sigefrid and Erik.

That was the first time the two of you talked. It was a few words, but it still left a long-lasting impression. You could remember it, like it was yesterday. 

The two of you were quietly but quickly walking towards the camp you were staying at. Sihtric was focused on making sure the two of you aren't being followed and you were focused on the…the trees? Okay you weren't focused on anything; you were in fact internally panicking because the two of you were alone. 

You had to stop yourself from glancing at him after the third time you tilted your head to look at him. You weren't the most discreet person, and you were afraid that he would notice if you didnt stop. You were walking side by side with some distance between you, but not too much distance. Sihtric wanted to be close to you if something had happened. 

“I hope you don't feel offended by Halig’s words, he's normally not like that” you say quietly but loud enough for him to hear you. You tilted your head to look at him before quickly facing forward to watch in front of you. 

“It's no problem My lady, I find it amusing” He replies as he looks away from the trees, he was watching to give you a polite smile. He was grateful that you broke the silence because he had no idea how he would have done it, in all honesty he probably wouldn't have. 

“Oh i..i'm not a Lady" you say with a shy smile as you stumble over your words. You have been called a lady many times. But it felt different when he said it, it just rolled from his tongue so nicely and you couldn't help but feel flustered at the way he said, ‘My lady’.

“Your brother is a lord is he not” he states smoothly, with a cheeky grin. 

You didn't respond to that. Instead, you looked ahead of you, a blush on your face. A blush that Sihtric was quick to notice. He couldn't help but feel proud that he could make you feel flustered so easily.  Maybe now he had a small idea on where the two of you stand. 

The rest of the walk was silent, not one minute of it being awkward.

The next few days the two of you didn't get a chance to talk much. He was too busy doing things for your brother and you were almost always at your brother's side. So that didn't leave much time for you to talk. And you wouldn't dare talk to Sihtric in front of your brother, he was way too protective and would assume things. 

So that left you two to have longing stares, shy smiles. Well shy smiles on your part and cheeky grins on his. His stares would leave you flustered, something that Lady Gisela was quick to notice and quick to tease you about. 

The next time the two of you talked was one of the worst days of your life. You were filled with fear and your hands were shaking, But Sihtric was there to help you. He was always there for you. 

You were sleeping peacefully in the surprisingly comfortable bed in the inn you were staying in, In Eoferwic. You were tired from the long day you had yesterday, so you fell asleep almost immediately when you layed down. 

You woke up in a jolt at the sound of loud footsteps, shouting and the sound of someone being dragged. You quickly toss the sheets off and grab your sword from the nightstand before rushing out of your room, out of the inn and into the streets of Eoferwic following the sound of shouting. 

It led you to the front of Eoferwic and the sight in front of you made your heart drop in fear. It was your brother and Halig being pushed into a cage. Your grip on your sword tightens and you move to rush forward and help them, but you're pulled back by someone wrapping their arm around your waist and pulling you into their chest. 

“Shh lady we can't help them if you're taken too” Sihtric whispers in your ear and at the sound of his voice you stop pushing against his arm and let him pull you back and out of sight. You wanted to go out there and help them, but Sihtric was right, you could only make it worse for them and yourself.

 So, all you could do was lean back against his chest and watch your brother and Halig being sold away as slaves with tears in your eyes. When your brother started shouting that's when it broke you. You quickly turned around and hid your face in Sihtric’s chest as you let your tears fall freely. Your tears falling faster when you felt Sihtric hold you tighter and start whispering that it would be okay in your ear. 

You stand in the streets for a few more moments before Sihtric pulls you away and into your room in the inn. You just let him pull you away, not fighting against it. When you get into your room you step away and wipe at your tears, embarrassed to have cried in front of him. Sihtric locks the door behind him, and you grab the chair from the small table and shove it under the door handle for extra protection. 

You stood there in shock for a few moments, trying to process everything that just happened. Your thoughts raced a mile a minute, your heart started to feel heavy, and your tears came back. You were scared. Sihtric was quick to pick on the terrified expression on your face. 

“Please dont panic y/n, you need to calm down” he says softly as he brings you back into his arms. You froze at first but then let yourself relax in his arms, resting your head on his shoulder. The both of you stood there for a few minutes, you calm down you're breathing and him rubbing your back. 

As much as you wanted to stay in his arms you couldn't. You quickly pull away and turn your back to him as you grab your leather bag, stuffing all of your things that were around the room in it, in fast movements. 

“We can't stay here Sihtric, we could be next” you tell him in rushed words, your voice cracking in the beginning from crying. Your hands were shaking as you tried to stuff one of your shirts in your bag and Sihtric noticed. He moved closer to you and pulled your hands into his, making you turn to look at him. 

“We have to be smart about this y/n” he says softly but still sternly as he rubbed his thumbs over the top of your shaking hands. His hands were warm, and rough but smooth at the same time. Was that even possible? You could feel the veins on his hands, and you were sure that it would bring a blush to your cheeks if they weren't already red from your tears. 

Your eyes slowly look away from his hands as they travel up to his strong forearms and to his necklace of thor's hammer. Your eyes lingered on the hammer for a few moments before they drifted up, where you locked eyes with his beautiful brown eyes. 

You wanted to look away, telling yourself that it wasn't the time to be getting lost in his enchanting eyes. But you couldn't seem to look away, And neither could he. Sadly, the tension filled eye contact was broken by the sound of someone knocking on the door. 

You immediately step away from the door and reach for your sword that was on the unmade bed. Sihtric quickly pulls out his ax, glancing at you before stepping closer to the door. 

“It's Hild” A voice says from the other side of the door, and you immediately recognize the voice. You urgently move from behind Sihtric’s protective stance and pull the chair from under the door, your now still hands unlocking the door before throwing it open. 

You let out a sigh of relief at the sight of Hild in front of you, quickly pulling her into the room; that felt hot from the actions moments before, before shutting and locking it behind her. 

She had immediately brought you in her arms and explained to you what had happened and what to do next. She was going to ride to Winchester, To King Alfred hoping to get help to free your brother and Halig. And you…you were going to stay put. 

You immediately refused saying that you should join her, that you couldn't stay. You feared what King Guthred would do to you too. You were shocked that she would ever suggest a thing, but what she said next shocked you even more. King Guthred said that you would still be safe here and have a room in the inn and that no harm would be brought to you. As long as you don't cause any trouble. 

You of course refused. He was only saying that because he probably felt guilty for what he had done. How were you supposed to trust his words after all he had done? Hild tried to convince you more, but you didn't listen. But then Sihtric had to open up his pretty mouth ‘Its smart, we could get information from the inside.’ 

You and Sihtric ended up staying in Eoferwic. 

The next time you saw hild was a week and half later when she rode back to Eoferwic, and she wasn't alone. She was joined by a few men, The King's warrior Steapa and your eldest brother. Ragnar Ragnarson. 

You were standing next to sihtric, the two of you were in the small market looking at the tables that had random things on them. You didn't want to leave your room at the inn, you wanted to stay in, still fearful after what had happened. But Sihtric asked for you to come out of the room, he thought it would be good for you. 

You were smiling at some of the necklaces that were on the table as you admired them and Sihtric was smiling at you, happy to see your smile again. He was about to offer to get you the flower pendant necklace you couldn't seem to take your eyes off, but stops when he hears the sounds of approaching horses. 

You carefully set down the necklace and turn around to see who was coming, absentmindedly stepping closer to Sihtric who stood in front of you. You stepped closer to him so you could see who was coming, your hand softly gripping onto his forearm. 

But you drop your hand from his arm in shock when you see who it was. It was Hild, Steapa and your big brother Ragnar. The sight of your big brother almost bringing tears to your eyes. You missed him so much and you didn't know you would see him again after hearing that he and Brida were prisoners to king Alfred. 

Your eyes followed him as he continued riding out of your sight. You bring your hand up to grab Sihtrics arm as you pull him to follow you so you could get a better look at your brother. You were closer but made sure that you were still out of sight. You were so caught up with the sight of your brother you didn't notice Sihtric snatch an apple as he followed after you. 

You wanted to step closer to get a better look of your brother but Sihtric softly pulled you back with a shake of the head. You frown but stay where you are, watching your brother's side profile with a sad smile, he looked healthy, not sickly like he was in the nightmares you had gotten. 

“What are you doing?” You asked in a whisper when you noticed Sihtric stuffing the note that Lady Gisela had given the two of you to give to Hild, in the apple. Sihtric hands you the slice of apple he cut off and you take it while watching him with curiosity as you eat the slice. 

“Well we can’t exactly walk up and give it to her, can we?” He says with a small smirk before turning around and waving over a young girl. You greet the young girl with a smile, watching as Sihtric bends down to her height and asks her to deliver the apple to Hild. The young girl nods with a smile and makes her way to give it to Hild. 

“That was a smart idea” You compliment him, giving him a small smile before turning your head to look at your brother. Sihtric watches your side profile, he could tell how much you've missed your brother, how much you miss all of your siblings. When Hild got the apple she turned her head, where she saw the two of you, she gave you a small nod before looking forward. 

Before you knew it the conversation was over and they were turning around on their horses and leaving, all you wanted to do was go and run to your brother, but you couldn't. You couldn't be seen with him. So you just watched them go with sad eyes, praying to the gods that they would find your brother and Halig and come back to get you soon but you knew it would be awhile until you see them again. 

The first three months were hard. You were still suffering from the fact that your brother Uhtred was gone. You feared what was happening to him, your imagination ran wild and it tormented you in the night, causing you to have nightmares. Some nights you would wake up to the sound of your own cries or you would be woken up by Sihtric who heard you from the room over. 

It got to the point where you were barely sleeping, you were scared from your nightmares and still scared that something was going to happen to you or Sihtric. The paranoia was the worst. Sihtric was worried for you so he tried to get you outside of the room as much as he could. But the stares of the village people and the paranoia you had made it less pleasant. 

You were thankful for sihtric because even though the two of you still had your awkward moments and time filled was silence, he was still there for you. He was there to wake you up from your nightmares. He was there to sit next to you and try to comfort you the best he could as you cried for your family.

You were embarrassed at first, that he saw you in such a vulnerable position. You hated crying and you hated when someone saw you cry, hell you didn't even let your brothers see you cry. But with him it was different, he didn't make you feel silly or looked at you in pity. He was just simply there. 

By the Fourth month Sihtric moved into your room. Your nightmares had gotten worse and Sihtric wanted to be close to you if anything happened, and it put your mind at ease a little. Knowing that you weren't alone. He claimed that he was fine with sleeping on your floor, he said that he's slept in worse conditions but it didn't make you feel better. 

It was two weeks into him sleeping on your floor when you noticed that he also wasn't getting much sleep. You at first thought it was because of your nightmares, but it couldn't be that. You barely had them now that he was with you, his presence really helped. You then realized it was the floor.  And after having a very awkward conversation that left the two of you with flushed cheeks, you decided it was best to just share the bed. 

You remember how the first night was, it was very awkward. 

You folded your arms over the blanket as you laid on your back, looking up at the ceiling. Hoping to find something to focus on instead of the fact that you're about to share a bed with Sihtric. The bed wasn't small, but it wasn't big. It would fit the two of you perfectly where you didn't have to worry about touching if you both stayed on your own side. 

You looked away from the ceiling when you felt the bed dip and the covers move alerting you that Sihtric layed down. You had no idea if you should look at him or not, you didn't want to make him feel uncomfortable but you had a feeling he would feel that regardless. 

You almost immediately felt the warmth of his body spread under the sheets. Your mind wandering to the thought of what it would feel like if he kept you warm during winter, his arms around you. You had to dig your nails in your palm to make you stop thinking about it before it went too far. You internally prayed that he wouldn't notice the flush on your face from your provocative thoughts. And if he did, you would just blame it on being warm. 

You licked your suddenly dry lips and slowly tilted your head to the left to look at his side profile. Sihtric was also laying on his back, his arms also folded over the blanket, his eyes were closed and his face looked relaxed but you could tell from his tense posture he was everything but relaxed. 

His hair was still braided; you have never seen him without it braided. Your eyes looked over his face, your eyes lingering on the scars on his face before looking down towards his neck tattoo. You didn't have a tattoo, when you were younger you witnessed your brother Ragnar getting one and you didn't like the sight at all. It was one of the few times you've seen your older brother shed a tear. You wondered if Sihtric cried when he got his. You liked Sihtrics tattoo, it looked good on him. 

You brought your eyes back to his face only to lock eyes with his. Your eyes widen and you quickly look away from him and back to the ceiling, biting your lip in embarrassment because he caught you staring at him, well more like checking him out. The air suddenly seemed thicker in the room and you internally cursed at yourself for offering to share the bed. You waited for a few moments and Sihtric didn't say anything, and you were thankful because  you didn't think you could form any proper words at the moment. 

You turned to your left, laying on your side to lean over to the side table to blow out the candle with a soft blow. You decide not to return to laying on your back, you had hoped laying on your side would put some distance between the two of you. You move your hands under your cheek as you stare out into the dark room. The only sound you could hear was your own heartbeat and the occasional sound from outside. 

“Goodnight Sihtric” you say quietly. 

“Goodnight” His smooth voice broke the silence and seconds later you felt the bed move and the blankets shift letting you know that he also moved to lay on his side. 

You quietly sighed and closed your eyes and before you knew it you were lulled to sleep. The first time in four months where you didn’t stress yourself to sleep in the fear of nightmares. Your mind was too occupied with thoughts of the man who laid on the other side of the bed to think of anything else. 

It went like that for Two more weeks, the awkward small talk before bed, the shy whispers saying goodnight. The third week was when your first woke up in his arms. You had rolled over in your sleep and nestled into his side. 

You woke up first, well rested and warm. You didn't notice at first until you tried to move; your eyes still closed When his arms pulled you closer into his chest. Your legs were entangled and his arms were wrapped around you, and you were panicking. You quietly and carefully freed yourself from his embrace before getting ready. Sihtric woke up confused, he always woke up first. He noticed your shy behavior during the day but didn't say anything. 

It happened a lot more during the rest of the month; you waking up in his arms. Sihtric never brought it up though so you wondered if he even noticed. But he did notice and he didn't want to bring it up, he didn't want you to feel bad or uncomfortable. Because he…he liked it. He didn't like physical touch unless he was the one who initiated it. But with you it was different. He felt warm, comfortable, and safe. 

It was just something that stayed not talked about. Neither of you seemed to mind it. 

The fifth month was when you noticed that you indeed had feelings for Sihtric. Your small talk before bed became long talks of memories or just random things you've never told anyone. His kind actions and words felt different to you, the eye contact the two of you shared felt so much more intense. All awkwardness was gone, you could tell that the two of you were a lot more comfortable around each other. 

You were also in a much better mood, your nightmares rarely happened now. The weather was getting colder, it would be winter soon. You loved winter. The stares from people didn't happen as much, they had gotten used to you. One day you and Sihtric went outside the walls of  Eoferwic and found a nice field that isn't too far. It wasn't much but it made you happy so Sihtric tried to take you out to that field as much as he could. 

You noticed that sihtric was starting to act differently too, he seemed happier. He wasn't quite like he was months ago. The two of you could talk for hours and not seem to get bored. You even noticed yourself starting to miss him even though he was gone for a few hours. You had gotten attached to him and it scared you a little bit. 

His presence itself made you happier, the small things he does for you that would make you feel all warm inside, the long talks that you wish could last forever. Your talks before bed were your favorite. The way Sihtric would look at you as you talked, gods it made your heart flutter. 

You and Sihtric were laying in bed, both of you on your sides facing each other, you had your hands under your cheek and he was holding his head up on his palm. It was starting to get chilly as winter was approaching, so you had a fire lit in the fireplace, creating a warm and cozy setting. 

“So he pushed him in the lake?” Sihtric laughs, as he listens to the story you were telling, trying to picture a young uhtred getting pushed in the lake. But for some reason he just couldn't, he just pictured the uhtred now giving him an intimidating look. 

“Ragnar didn't like that uhtred bested him with a sword, so he grabbed him by the back of his tunic and tossed him in” you smiled and laughed quietly at the memory you had of your brothers. You were so much younger, innocent to the pain of losing your family. You wish you could feel that peace again. 

Sihtric who was admiring your face noticed how that happy gleam in your eyes faded into sadness. Sihtric moved closer to you, your legs now almost touching. You blinked a few times, clearing your mind from your sad thoughts before looking back at Sihtric, holding your breath when you noticed how close he was. 

“You will see your family soon my lady, don't lose hope” He said in a soft tone as he looked into your eyes. He wished he could say more to comfort you, but he didn't know what to say, he didn't know how it feels to miss a sibling, or anyone really. 

You let out a shaky breath and offer him a small smile staring into his warm brown eyes, you've decided that his eyes were your favorite thing to look at. “I won't lose hope” 

“Tell me more of your childhood” Sihtric says with a smile, he loved hearing the stories you would tell him about your childhood. You smile softly and start telling him about a memory you had with your sister. Sihtric can't help but admire you as you speak fondly of your family. 

You stop talking when you notice the look on Sihtric’s face, he was looking at you but he wasn't listening. You couldn't help but feel flustered under his longing gaze. He hadn't noticed the way you noticed him looking at you yet. 

“Sihtric, you're not even listening to me” You laugh, leaning towards him absentmindedly. Sihtric blinks a few times trying to clear his mind from his thoughts, before looking back at you. He just now seemed to notice how close the two of you were and he couldn't help but feel flustered himself. 

“Yes i am Lady, you were talking about your first horse that Ragnar got for you” He lies with a grin. He knew for a fact that you told that story last night, he just wanted to tease you a little bit. 

“I told you that last night” You gasp dramatically as you slap his shoulder playfully, giving him a fake glare. Sihtric laughs when he sees your expression, while others might seem intimidated by your glare he wasn't, he thought it was adorable; which pissed you off of course. 

The two of you spent the next few minutes in playful banter, Sihtric just saying things that he knew would annoy you just so he could see your reaction to it. God he loved rilling you up, And you weren't blind to his jests so you just went along with it. 

After your playful banter the two of you were lying in bed, enjoying the sound of silence and the sound of the crackling from the fire. You were laying on your back, your eyes closed. Sihtric was still laying on his side as he now admired your side profile. 

Sihtric would often find himself overwhelmed with feelings when he thought or looked at you for too long. The feelings he felt for you he never have felt before, It was all new for him. It was confusing but he wasn't complaining…he just hoped you felt the same way. 

It was the next night when he made the first move. The two of you were laying in bed, laying closer to each other than usual. The weather was getting colder and Sihtric was as warm as a fire. You were talking and Sihtric was trying to listen but he just couldn't help but to get distracted with his own thoughts as he looked at you. 

He was so enchanted with his thoughts of you that he didn't notice how you stopped telling your story or how you leaned closer to him and asked if he was okay. You were a little worried because he seemed distracted and he had this look on his face you didn't recognize. 

Sihtric didn't know what came over him, but when he heard you ask if he was okay as you looked up at him with worry in your eyes, he just couldn't stop himself from what happened next. No one has ever looked at him the way you did, or asked if he was okay. 

He mumbles a breathy yes and before he could stop himself he was leaning down and capturing your lips with his. It would be an understatement if you said you weren't shocked. You didn't expect it all. 

But as soon as you felt his warm lips on yours all those thoughts went away and all you could focus on was him and his lips. The kiss was hesitant and just as you were starting to feel his soft lips touching yours he was already pulling away. 

You were slowly opening your eyes to look up at him, even though the kiss was a few seconds it left you breathless and wanting more. The two of you stared into each other's eyes for a few moments, neither of you saying something. His brown eyes looked into your eyes and he searched for a sign to know what you were feeling, But all he saw was an emotionless stare. 

He was about to open his mouth to apologize but shuts up when he feels your warm hands softly grip his chin and pull him down and sealing your lips in a desperate kiss. He closes his eyes and kisses you back just as desperately. 

Sihtric felt your hand move from his chin and to his nape, only pulling him closer as the kiss heats up. Your chest was warm and you could feel the tingle in your stomach when his hands started to explore your sides, his warm hands sneaking under your shirt and resting on your bare hip.

Sihtric slowly pulled away from your soft lips, his eyes still closed as he rested his forehead on yours. All Sihtric could feel was the blood rushing through his veins and the way your, now sweaty palms were on his nape and the way your warm skin felt under his hands. Sihtric wanted to open his mouth and talk about what just happened but he decided not to. He wanted to enjoy this moment for as long as he could, the feeling he felt at the moment he has never experienced before. And you could say the same.  

You lean forward to lock your lips again in an eager kiss. Sihtric hums in surprise at the feeling of your lips on his again, but he was quick to explore your lips. The sound of surprise he made made you grin in the kiss and pull away to laugh. Sihtric smiles and opens his eyes to see you already looking at him. The way you looked at him with such love was the moment where he realized he reached a point of no return. It would never be the way it used to be. 

It was the Sixth month when Sihtric officially asked you to be his and him yours. Ever since your first kiss the two of you couldn't leave each other's side. You were happy and didn't want to leave his side, you truly felt happiness with him and you did not want to lose it. Sihtric, gods all he wanted was to be by your side. You made him feel true happiness and gave him the love and attention he always desired for. 

It wasn't until the night before he asked you to be his, was when he realized he never asked you. The two of you did coupley things already and you never brought it up to him that the two of you weren't really together. Sihtric could just continue with the way it was but he didn't want to, he wanted to ask you to be his. And he wanted it to be special, you deserved it.  He wanted you to have that happiness. 

So that night before he asked you, he stayed awake longer as he thought of ideas to ask you to be his. You were already sleeping in his arms, nestled into his side; your body warm all over from his body heat. Sihtric didn't get much sleep that night as he thought of ways to make it special, there wasn't much he could do with where the two of you were and every good idea, he had he would overthink and decide not to do it. That night he ended up tiring himself out with his thoughts and he soon fell asleep. Dreaming of the two of you in a flower field as you basked in the sun, smiles on your faces. That morning he woke up with a smile, he had the perfect idea. 

It was one of the colder days so you decided to stay inside. Sihtric took that as his chance to finish his perfect plan. He kissed your forehead before leaving the room. He came back a few hours later. 

You were standing at the small table and cutting some bread that you would use for dinner tonight. You were dressed comfortably, well as comfortable you can get. The room was nice and warm, the fire Sihtric lit before leaving was still burning and it created a nice atmosphere. 

You were starting to get a little worried as you thought of Sihtric, he has been gone for a few hours and you were starting to let your paranoid thoughts get to you. Was he okay? It's freezing out, is he freezing? Is he hurt? Did someone hurt him?. Should I go find him? 

Your paranoid thoughts stop when you hear the door to your room unlock. You turn around to see Sihtric walking in and closing the door behind him. He has one of his arms behind his back and you raise your eyebrow in suspicion. He was giving you a small smile, his fur coat had some snow on it and so did his shoes, you were too distracted wondering what was behind his back to get onto him about getting snow tracks in the room. 

 “What's behind your back?” You say straightforwardly, tilting your head to the side to get a better look when he steps closer to you. Only to pout when he moves so you won't see. 

“It's a surprise,” Sihtric laughs and gives you a small smirk, knowing that you don't like surprises. His smirk turns to a smile when he sees your pout thinking of how cute you look. 

“I hate surprises.” 

“I know but i think you will like this one…now close your eyes” He says giving you a nod of reassurance not just for you but also for himself. Even though it was cold out his hands were a little sweaty from his nerves. He hopes you like it…and he hopes you say yes. 

You give him a look of suspicion if it was anyone else telling you to do this you would tell them to fuck off. But it was Sihtric, and you trusted him. So you close your eyes and your hands move to your sides, nervously playing with the hem of your shirt. 

Sihtric lets out a shaky breath, telling himself that it would be fine. He moves his hand to grab yours but stops and looks down at his sweaty hand before rubbing it on his pants with wide eyes, hoping to clean them off. He says some encouraging words in his head before softly grabbing your hand that was on your side; praying that you don't feel how shaky his hands are. 

He takes his hand from behind his back and helps you hold onto what he got you. He whispers a gentle open and watches you nervously for your reaction. Your hand tightens on what you're holding and you open your eyes, looking down at what's in your hand. You feel yourself start to feel emotional at the sight, your eyes starting to water. 

In your hand was a bouquet of your favorite flowers that grew in that field that Sihtric would take you too, but that wasn't all that was there. In the middle of the bouquet was a wood carving of a flower. It was beautiful and so detailed…you loved it. 

Sihtric starts to get worried when he sees you start to tear up worried that he did something wrong but it was the opposite. You have never been given flowers before, you remember seeing your father give your mother flowers when you were younger, you would always smile when you see your mother get so happy. And now here you are receiving them yourself and you couldn't be happier. 

“i'm sorry..i understand if you don't lik-” 

“I love them” you cut him off. 

“I love them Sihtric really, I've never been given flowers…and the carving, it's beautiful” You tell him with a smile on your face as you bring them up to your nose smelling them. Sihtric feels himself calm down from the nervousness and he gives you a genuine smile at your words, happy to be the first man to give you flowers…and hopefully the last. 

“I wanted to ask you something” 

“You can ask me anything, Sihtric...you know that” The smile you gave him almost made all his worries go away. You looked at him with such adoration that all he wanted to do was step closer to you and lock his lips to yours. Sihtric clears his throat and those thoughts from his head and looks into your eyes. 

“Will…Will you be mine?” Sihtric breathed out with a nervous smile. You feel yourself hold your breath as you stare at him. He did all this…just to ask me to be his? You think with a big smile. 

You softly set down the bouquet of flowers and the wood flower carving on the table before stepping closer to him and taking his hands in yours. You stare up at him, hoping that you could express all your love you had for him in your eyes. 

“ Sihtric, i would love to be yours” You tell him with a grin. Sihtric feels all his worries go away. He breaks out in a huge grin and he wraps his arms around your waist, picking you up and twirling you around in glee. You pat his shoulder and tell him to put you down in between your laughter. 

Sihtric lets you down and you don't get a chance to say anything because he's already holding your face and capturing your lips with a fiery kiss that makes you feel as if your legs will give out. You feel yourself getting lost in the kiss as it only gets more heated. 

Sihtric eventually pulls away from you so the two of you could catch your breath from the intense kiss that left your lips tingling and knees weak. Sihtric who's still holding your face in his hands stares at you with a grin on his face. “You don't know how happy i am to hear that”  

“I guess you will just have to show me then” you  tease him as you bring your hands up to rest on his shoulders. Sihtric smirks at your response.

He slowly moves his hands from your face and down your back and to your hips and down to your bum lightly squeezing it. You gasp and slap his arm yelling his name in shock. Sihtric laughs and you soon join in his laughter before he leans down and captures your lips in another kiss. The two of you, feeling nothing but pure happiness and love. 

It was the eighth month when you first said I love you aloud. You knew weeks before that you loved him, but you couldn't say it aloud yet, not until the night when the two of you were celebrating yule. There wasn't much that the two of you could do in the town of Eoferwic, but Sihtric tried to make it special for the two of you. 

The two of you were sitting on the fur rug in front of the small fireplace, a half full jug of wine that Sihtric may or may have not stolen from King Guthred was on the floor next to the two of you, both of your empty cups next to it. 

“Can I open my eyes now?” You ask impatiently, your hands covering your closed eyes. You didn't think it was needed, your hands. But Sihtric had a feeling you would try to peek as he got the gift he got for you. A few minutes earlier you had given Sihtric his gift that you had gotten him. He didn't expect you to give him anything because he's never gotten a gift before.

 When Sihtric opened his gift you could tell that he had gotten a little emotional when he opened it, and that made you get a little emotional as well. Sihtric thanked you and gave you a kiss before telling you to close your eyes saying with a smile that it was your turn. 

“Not yet” Sihtric says from the other side of the room, you pout and keep your eyes closed as you focus on the sounds. You could hear some things moving around, hinting that Sihtric hid your present very well. And that's what he did, he remembered you telling him a story about when you were a child you would stay up late and search your home for your present, even convincing  uhtred into joining you…only to be caught by young ragnar and sent to bed. 

“Sihtric, i don't like surprises” 

“ You said that the last time, and look how that went” Sihtric teases you, he grabs the small present and makes his way back to you, sitting in front of you, his legs crossed as he looks at you with a small smile. “ You can open your eyes now” 

You move your hands from your face and open your eyes, immediately making eye contact with Sihtric. He smiles at you and you look down at his outstretched hand that has a cloth in his hand, used to wrap the gift. You glance up at him before you grab it, he gives you an encouraging nod, and you carefully grab it from his hands. 

You carefully unwrap the cloth to see a beautiful necklace, but not just any necklace. It's the flower pendant necklace you would find yourself looking for whenever you went to the small market, it was the necklace you fell in love with months and months ago. You never did find it though when you went back to the market 3 months ago, and this is why. He had gotten it for you. 

“How?...How did you know?” You ask quietly, your eyes not leaving the necklace as you continue admiring it. It was such a beautiful necklace and the fact the Sihtric had gotten it made you fall in love with the necklace and him more.

“I noticed you looking at it a few times, So do you like it?” Sihtric smiles when he sees the way you were looking at it. He already knew the answer but he wanted to ask anyway. 

“Like?...Sihtric i love it, Thank you” You expressed as you looked at him with a grin on your face. Something inside of you was telling you that tonight would be the night you told him that you loved him. The way he paid attention to you warmed your heart, he noticed things others wouldn't. He made you feel special. 

“ I'm glad, here let me help you put it on” Sihtric stands up and moves to sit behind you on the rug. You smile and hand him the necklace before moving your hair to the side. Sihtric sits close to you and he leans even closer, his back was against your chest and you could feel his warm breath on your bare neck. 

You feel your breath hitch and your body go still when you feel his warm hands on your nape as he puts it on for you. After he clasps the clasp he rests his warm hands on your shoulders, whispering a ‘there you go’. You tilt your head to look back at him, your face so close to his, you could feel his breath hitting your face. 

You didn't get to finish saying thank you before Sihtric was leaning closer to you and capturing your lips with his in a gentle and tender kiss. You felt one of his hands travel up your neck and rest on your cheek as the kiss became more hungry. You could taste the wine on his tongue and you felt yourself wanting to taste it more. 

The kiss ended abruptly when Sihtric pulled away from you breathlessly. Your eyes fluttered open as you looked at him in confusion, wondering why he ended the kiss so fast. Maybe it was because he needed some air from the intense kiss when you noticed him trying to catch his breath. To be fair you were also left breathless from the kiss, like always. 

“I love you” Sihtric professed as he looked into your eyes, his touch on your cheek not wavering. Sihtric started to worry when all you did was look up at him, you didn't respond right away. He thought that maybe he said it too soon and that you didn't feel the same way but really you were too shocked to say anything. 

“You do?” hesitation was in your voice, something that SIhtric was quick to pick up on. 

“Y/n i've never loved someone the way i love you” He vowed to you, the sincerity in his voice was clear. You twisted your body so you would be facing him fully. Sihtric gives you a small smile, starting to get nervous. He was really putting himself on the line, he's never told someone he loved them like this. The only love he felt for someone was his mother. 

Sihtric is brought out of his thoughts when he feels your soft warm hands move up to hold his face in your hands. You give him a grin and slowly pull him down, locking your lips in a sweet tender kiss, pouring all your love you had for him in it. You slowly pull away, resting your forehead on his. You flutter your eyes open only to see Sihtrics eyes still close as he breathes heavy from the kiss of his life. 

“I love you to Sihtric, so much” 

He opened his eyes to see you giving him a grin, a grin he couldn't help but mirror. Sihtric was afraid of rejection, but you would never reject him. And now he understood that. He whispers a ‘i love you so fucking much’  before attacking your lips with his in a hungry kiss. You didn't expect it but you were quick to kiss back.

Without separating from the kiss, Sihtric moves his hands down your body and to your crossed legs, he uncrosses them and pulls you forward, wrapping your legs around his waist. You let out a loud gasp from the quick movement, Sihtric smirks before kissing you again. One of his hands moving to hold the back of your head as he gently pushes you to your back laying on the rug, him laying between your legs, his forearm supporting his top weight from fully laying on you. 

Sihtric, who was too focused on the fiery kiss and the taste of your lips, didn't notice the half full jug of wine that was too close to his foot. He only noticed when the sound of the jug hit the wood floor and the sound of wine spilling with a loud clang. Sihtric pulls away from the kiss and tilts his head to look behind him. You sigh and sit up leaning back against your elbows giving him a playful disappointed sigh. “Sihtric” 

“Who cares i didn't pay for it.” 

It's the first month of spring and the ninth month of you and Sihtric being alone in Eoferwic and you were starting to get a little inpatient, something Sihtric noticed right away. He wanted to keep you mind off of things, off your brother who was still not back. So, he would take you out on walks every day, you would visit the flower field as much as you could. He wanted to make sure you were calm and happy. And that brings us to the present. 

You were sitting on the floor on the fur rug in front of the unlit fireplace. Sihtric was sitting behind you on a chair, his hands braiding your hair. Ever since you asked him to help you a few weeks ago he found himself offering to do it for you instead. Neither of you minded it, SIhtric liked helping you and you liked it because he was better at it than you…and you liked the way he played with your hair. 

Just as he ties your hair off with a thin leather ribbon, your peaceful silence is interrupted by the sound of loud footsteps leading and stopping in front of the door. Your closed eyes open and you immediately look to your door. Sihtric stands up and grabs his ax from the table before walking closer to the door. “I'll open the door” 

No one has ever come and bothered the two of you, so you were a little worried from the loud footsteps and the loud knocks. You get up from the floor and grab your sword that was on the table while sihtric hesitantly unlocks and opens the door. You take a small step closer, looking for a sign from sihtric. 

“You're not my sister” a deep voice says from the other side of the door, a voice you instantly recognize. You drop your sword and rush to the opened door, softly pushing sihtric away from it to stand in front of your eldest brother. A huge grin spreads over your face when you see him and an almost identical grin on his face. 

“Ragnar you don't know how happy i am to see you” You exclaim as you grab his arm to pull him inside of the room, not paying attention to the other person behind him. Ragnar laughs and pulls you into a tight hug, lifting you slightly off of your feet. 

Sihtric looks back at the door and sees a tall brown haired woman, she looked very intimidating and cold when they made eye contact, she gave him a stiff nod before looking back at the reunited siblings, a small smile now decorating her face. Sihtric decided then that he would not want to get on her bad side, especially with the amount of daggers strapped to her. 

Sihtric fights a smile when he sees you hug your brother. He knew how much you missed him, how much you missed all of your siblings. SIhtric felt as if he knew your siblings personally from all the stories you would tell him about them. He loved the sound of your voice or the way your eyes would brighten as you talked about your family. He hated the frown that would soon follow as you remember that you siblings are nowhere near you. All of them Living in their own hell. 

You closed your eyes and let yourself relax in your big brother's arms, you knew you were safe in his embrace. An embrace you missed dearly. You missed him so much, having him here, holding you brought tears to your eyes. Even though you didn't want to get out of your eldest brother's arms you needed answers. So you hesitantly pull away from the hug. 

“How did you find me here? Where's hild? Did you find uhtred?” You tremble in fear and worry, your questions coming out in a rushed tone. Your mind was running wild as you thought of every bad outcome that must have happened. You were scared. 

“One question at a time little sister” he hushes you. He places his hand on your cheek when he notices you start to panic from your questions. His voice was stern but gentle enough, hoping to sooth you and calm you down from your dangerous thoughts. 

“We asked the turd king,” Brida stated plainly answering the first question, She would have Ragnar answer the other questions. At the sound of her voice you look away from Ragnar, to see Brida standing behind him, next to the door. Ragnar lets go of you knowing that you would want to hug her. “Brida” you sputtered out in shock. Brida smiles and opens her arms for a hug.

“I missed you” You whisper to her, your hold on her not loosening. When you saw Ragnar all those months ago you were very worried that something happened to her because she wasn't with him. It was no secret she had a foul mouth and a temper so that just made you worry even more. You had fear that she would have said something to anger the king and have herself killed. 

Brida chuckles warmly and holds you tight, not wanting to let go too. While you and Brida were still hugging, Ragnar looks away from the two girls and over to sihtric who was awkwardly standing there quietly watching the exchange. Ragnar looked over sihtric with suspicion in his eyes; he didn't know much about him, only that he was Kjartan’s bastard. Sihtric noticed Ragnar’s look and he felt a chill run down his spine. He felt extremely intimidated by your eldest brother. 

“Come little sister, I have to show you something” Ragnar Grins, softly grabbing your arm after you pull away from your hug with Brida. While Ragnar pulled you to the door, Brida took the chance to look around the room, her eyes stopping on the bed. It was obvious that you and sihtric slept in it. Brida smirks and glances at sihtric who was watching you. 

“ Wait you didn't answer my questions Ragnar” You gave him a confused look as he basically dragged you out of the room and out of the inn, Brida and sihtric following after the siblings. You were confused…and emotional and a little annoyed that ragnar didn't answer your questions but you still let him drag you outside. But you stopped dead in your tracks when you saw who was standing a few feet from you. 

You don't let your mind process the sight before you were already running towards him. The tears were already rolling down your cheeks by the time you threw your arms around his neck. Uhtred hid a wince and despite the pain he felt he hugged you as tight as he could, he never wanted to let go of you again, his little sister. 

“I missed you so much, never leave me again” you sniffed, your hold on him not loosening. Hild who was standing next to Uhtred smiles big at the sight, she was so happy to see you two reunite. Ragnar, Brida and sihtric stop a few steps behind you, wanting you and uhtred to have space. 

“I missed you too sister” Uhtred said in a comforting tone as he rubbed your back hoping to help stop your tears. Uhtred gave you one more big squeeze before pulling away from the hug, he still kept you at arm's length though. He wanted you close. 

“Halig?” You ask in a nervous tone as if you were afraid of the answer. When you didn't see him with your brother you had a feeling that he was no longer with us, you hoped your gut feeling was wrong. But seeing the sad look in your brother's eyes you knew you were right. 

“Sister, this is Finan. He was with me and Halig '' He was quick to change the direction of the conversation, not wanting to talk about it more. A pinch of sadness at his heart when he said halig’s name, it was still too painful. You noticed so you didn't say anything else about it. 

“It's nice to meet you, Finan, I'm glad to see you with us” You smiled brightly at the man. 

“Thank you Lady Y/n, It's nice to meet you as well. Uhtred talked about you all the time” he said with an Irish accent. He gave you a kind smile back. You look back at your brother with a  worried look, already thinking about all the embarrassing things he could have told him. Uhtred smirks and hild and Finan laugh at your expression. 

“Don't worry lady, it was all good things” Finan laughs as he gives you a charming smile. You could already tell that he would make you laugh many times in the future. 

“Good because I would have to kick your ass if it wasn't” You smirk at Uhtred trying to give him an intimidating look but you just make him laugh and cross his arms over his chest. 

“You're only saying that because you know my body is weak” Uhtred teases you. You roll your  eyes mumbling how that's not true, but everyone knew it was true. Uhtred looks behind you to give his older brother a happy smile, the three of you are reunited again, now you just have to get Thyra back. Uhtreds eyes stop at sihtric who was watching you closely but he quickly looked away from you when he felt eyes on him. 

“SIhtric” Uhtred greets sihtric with a small smile. When hild told him that you were still in Eforwich with Sihtric he was worried, But Uhtred was thankful that he stayed here with you, kept you safe. He would have to thank him. 

“Lord, it's good to see you well” He said truthfully. It put his mind and heart at ease seeing him standing well in front of them. You would worry so much about uhtred that sihtric couldn't help but worry as well. He was happy because now you would be less stressed and paranoid, now that your brothers are back to you. 

You tilt your head to look back at sihtric, you can't stop the smile that spreads over your face at the sight of him. You have been waiting for this moment for so long, to finally be reunited with your brothers again. And you were so happy that sihtric was here to be with you as well, you wouldn't have survived all those months without him. 

It was a few hours after your reunion with your brothers. It was already dark outside, and you were sitting between Uhtred and hild at a long table outside. You were enjoying some ale as you listened to everyone start talking about who should keep dunholme. Every so often you would find yourself looking at sihtric who sat at a table nearby, next to Clapa. 

You had to stop yourself from smiling every time you locked eyes with him. Your brothers were very observant people so you had to be careful, you didn't want them to find out about you and sihtric…at least not yet. All you had to do was tell sihtric that, and you were dreading it. You hoped that he wouldn't take it the wrong way. 

Sihtric noticed something was wrong when you avoided eye contact with him for the third time. He also noticed the small frown on your face, the same frown that would appear on your face whenever you would think about something too hard. The frown didn't last on your face long, you were quick to change it to a small smile, hoping that no one noticed. Especially your brothers, because all they would do is ask you questions. 

You tried to pay attention to the conversation again but you stopped when aethelwold started talking. You hated the poor excuse of a man and you had no way near enough patience to listen to him talk. You were happy that your brothers and the others were back, but you had gotten used to your nights being just you and sihtric. You wanted to be curled up in bed with sihtric, or sitting at the table eating and telling each other stories. 

You tried to pay attention to the conversations, you really did. But your thoughts were distracting you, something that ragnar noticed. He didn't say anything aloud though, he knew it must be a little overwhelming for you, he didn't know what happened over the months of you being here but he had a feeling it wasn't the easiest for you. 

You looked up from your half full cup of ale at the sound of familiar laughter, your eyes immediately went to sihtric who was laughing at whatever Finan was talking about. SIhtric almost immediately notices your stare and he gives you a small smile before looking back at Finan. You looked back down at your cup to hide the way the corners of your lips twitch up to a smile. Even when he wasn't trying he could make you smile. 

“Uhtred,” Finan said, getting Uhtred's attention. Finan tilts his head towards King Guthred who's walking towards them. 

“Uhtred will you join me please” King Guthred asks with a nervous tone. The silence after his question was filled with tension. You could feel Uhtred tense up beside you and Ragnar was clenching his cup a little too tightly and everyone was looking back and forth from Uhtred to the king, Waiting for an answer. 

“Please?” King Guthred asks with a shaky breath. You look at Uhtred to see him staring blankly at the king but when he feels your stare he turns to look at you. You give him a reassuring smile and he sighs but stands up. Squeezing your shoulder softly as he walked past you and towards King Guthred. Everyone's eyes watching the two of them. 

Everyone was sitting in silence as they watched the two talk. You were anxiously watching them, you were scared that your brother would do something he wasn't supposed to. And of course just as you think it, he does it. Your eyes widen and you cover your mouth, stopping yourself from laughing when you see uhtred slap king Guthred. That must have been very humiliating for him. 

“Uhtred! No!” Father Beocca shouts from behind you as he stands up. Oh no the father is mad.. You think to yourself. You were worried that any second guards would come and take your brother for putting hands on the king but none came, and they continued talking. But not for long because a few minutes later the king was walking away. 

Ragnar nods his head at you silently telling you to come with him. You set your cup down and stand up, following Ragnar as he walks towards uhtred. You make eye contact with sihtric as you walk past him, he gives you a small smile and you return it before looking away and standing next to ragnar. 

“What did he say?” Ragnar asks as he rests his hands on his hips. Both you and ragnar looked at uhtred, ragnar wanted an answer but you just wanted to make sure he was okay. 

“He said Dunholm is yours, brother.” Uhtred says with a blank stare as he turns around to face you and ragnar. You were happy for your oldest brother but you couldn't help but feel worried for uhtred.  Before you could voice your thoughts uhtred was already talking. 

“Sihtric” Uhtred calls out and you look at him in confusion and watch as sihtric walks towards you, standing next to you. Close but not too close that your brothers would say anything about it. You really fought the urge to reach out and hold his hand, especially when you saw the nervous look on his face. 

“Lord?” Sihtric nods his head politely as a greeting. 

“You lied to me” Uhtred said emotionlessly as he stepped closer to sihtric. You felt your heart stop for a moment at your brother's words. Too many thoughts immediately going through your mind. 

“Lord I-I would never-” Sihtric stuttered as he looked between the three of you, his eyes lingering on you the longest before he looked back at uhtred. You can tell he was slightly panicking. Hell you were also panicking, you had no idea what was going on or what to do.

“You told me dunholm has no weakness, yet last time i was there, I saw a door along the east wall, Access to a water spring” Uhtred informs the three of you. And you watched as the realization hit sihtric’s face. You felt yourself relax a little at what uhtred said, it wasn't too serious. 

“Yes, Lord, But..You could never bring an army through it.” Sitric doubted as he stepped closer to uhtred. Uhtred smiles and brings his hand to sihtric’s cheek before resting it on his shoulder and smiling at ragnar. 

“I would not be bringing an army,” Uhtred smirked. You glanced at Ragnar to see him smirking too. They had a plan and you trusted them that it was the right one. You looked at sihtric, he wasn't as tense as he was before. Ragnar laughs and throws his arm over Uhtred's shoulder, leading him back to the table as they start talking about a plan, leaving you and sihtric. 

Sihtric lets out a shaky breath and he turns to fully face you. You give him a small smile and gently squeeze his hand as you walk away from him. Sihtric smiles and watches you walk away from him and back to your brothers and Brida. Fighting the urge to grab your hand and pull you back to him and kiss you. 

You Didn't get a chance to talk to Sihtric until late that night. You were by your brother's side the whole night as they made a plan for taking dunholm, leaving the two of you to send each other small smiles when no one was looking. The longing stares you shared reminded you of the first few days when you guys met. 

You had said goodnight to your brothers and Brida and you made your way to you and sihtric’s room, not before making eye contact with sihtric, hoping that he would get the message to join you. Sihtric picked up on the way you acted tonight, you didn't want anyone to know of you and him. Sihtric was smart and he waited a few minutes before he sneaked away from the others and joined you in your guys room. 

You waited for sihtric’s presence as you packed the few things you had around the room into your satchel, being extra careful when you packed the flower carving. You turned your head to the door when you heard it opening. You see sihtric swiftly coming in and closing the door behind him, a tired smile on his face.  

“Hey,” He quietly greeted you, he didn't stop his strides until he's in front of you and pulled you into a tight hug. His arms wrapping around your waist, pulling you as close to him as he can. You let yourself relax in the hug, closing your eyes and resting your head on his shoulder. Mumbling; “I missed you”  

“I was close to you the whole night” He chuckled, you could feel the vibrations of his laugh on your chest. Sihric smiles and kisses your forehead before responded; “But i get what you mean, i missed you to” 

You made sure that the two of you kept your distance throughout the night. It was difficult, the both of you were used to being so close. Sihtric had no idea why you kept your distance from him but he went along with it. You knew you had to give him an explanation…but you just didn't know how to say it. 

“Sihtric” 

“Yes?” He answered with a hum, his hold on you not wavering. He liked having you close to him, so close that he could feel your heartbeat against his chest. The sound of your beating heart comforted him. 

“I…don't think we should let the others know about us” You hesitated at first but you knew it would be easier if you just spit it out and get the conversation over with. 

“Oh” Sihtric whispered, if you weren't so close to him you were sure you wouldn't have heard it. 

“Is there a reason why?” SIhtric asked calmly, trying to hide how upset he got over those 11 words. To anyone else they wouldn't have noticed the sadness in his tone, but it was different for you. You knew Sihtric better than anyone else. You felt your shoulder droop when you heard the sadness in his voice.  

“My brothers are very protective…I don't think I'm ready for them to find out” You say truthfully. It was true, your brothers are very protective of you and you were worried that they would say or do something that would scare sihtric away. You know your brothers wouldn't do it in a malicious way, they would only do it thinking they are protecting you, but sometimes they can take it a little too far. You didn't want sihtric to go through that. 

You pull away from the hug and bring your hands up to hold sihtric’s face. You could tell that he was upset and that was the last thing you wanted. You gave him a reassuring smile and looked into his brown eyes as your thumb softly rubbed against his cheek. 

“Its not going to be for long sihtric, just until things cool down” 

Sihtric understood where you were coming from. You had told him many stories about how protective your brothers would be over you, and he knew you were just doing it to protect him. But that didn't stop the negative thoughts from collecting in his mind. Sihtric cleared his throat and answered you, his tone emotionless. 

“I should get my things; it would be suspicious if i slept with you tonight.” 

You didn't get to talk to sihtric over the next 2 days. Those 2 days were spent planning to take Dunholm and the journey to Donholm, the whole time you were by your brothers and bridas side and sihtric was by clapa”s and finan”s side. You tried to talk to him with the few chances you had but sihtric was inconveniently always busy and doing things for your brother. 

It was hard not being able to be by his side all the time, or being able to have those ridiculous conversations that would have you talking for hours. But by far the hardest thing was how lonely it was at night. You didn't like sleeping without sihtric by your side, he made you feel comfortable. He made you feel safe. 

And with sihtric not sleeping next to you, you didn't get much sleep the past two nights. You tried to rest but your mind kept you up. Not only were you missing sihtric you were also worrying about the battle at Dunholm. You hoped that you hid your tiredness and worry well but there was one person who knew you better than anyone. And that was uhtred. With one look he could tell something was bothering you. 

You were currently walking alongside your brother Uhtred, ahead of the others and the small army. Uhtred was leading the march because he knew the way for the plan and you decided to walk with him, you didn't want him to be alone and plus you missed him. Uhtred appreciated your presence dearly. 

“What's on your mind sister?” Uhtred asked you, turning his head to glance at you before looking ahead. You look away from the grassy hill to look at your brother. .

“I’m just worried about what's going to happen at dunholm…It's been a while since we had a battle like this” It wasn't a lie, You were worried. But it wasn't the whole truth but you couldn't tell that to uhtred. 

“We will be fine sister, stop worrying” Uhtred said in a reassuring tone. You just hum in acknowledgment and go back to looking at the view. You could feel stares on your back and you knew that one of them was sihtric. You were comforted by the fact that sihtric still had his eyes on you, making sure you were okay. 

“Were you okay while I was gone?” Your brother asked as he looked at you with a worried look of his own. You thought it was funny how he was just telling you not to worry and here he is, worrying himself. 

“I won't lie, it was hard at first, I was so scared and paranoid. But it got easier with time” You pondered aloud, Thinking of the struggles over the months he was gone. You felt a little guilty, your struggles were nowhere close to how your brother, Halig and Finan struggled. 

“I'm glad sister, i would never forgive myself if something happened to you and i wasn't there to stop it” 

“I am fine brother, Don't speak of such things” You give him a small smile and gently bump your shoulder into his, making sure it wasn't the injured one before doing so. Uhtred laughs and bumps his shoulder back into yours, a little harder than you expected, making you almost trip over. 

Uhtred lets out a loud laugh and helps you stand straight, stopping you from falling. You give him a dramatic glare that only makes him laugh more. Your glare turns into a grin at the sound of your brother's laugh. You missed his laugh, his smile, his jokes. You soon joined him in laughter. 

“And sihtric?” Uhtred asked you with a small smirk after the two of you calmed down from your laughter. Your neck almost snapped with how fast you turned your head to look at your brother. Why is he asking about sihtric? you think with a panicked thought. 

“What about him?” You internally curse at yourself from how fast you respond, and the way your voice goes higher doesn't help. Uhtred hides his smirk and gives you an innocent smile. 

“You guys were alone for many months, was it okay?…did anything happen?” 

“Everything was okay, nothing…nothing really happened” you tell him with a nervous smile. Uhtred looks and your side profile when you turn to look away from him, he has a smirk on his face that you didn't notice. Uhtred just responds with a snicker. 

The trek up the mountain to Dunholm was hard. It was even more difficult because of how dark it was. But it was nowhere near as hard as it was when you had to part from Ragnar and Brida. You knew that when you hugged them both that that could be the last time you hugged them or the last time that you would see them. 

You tried to distract yourself from those negative thoughts. So you went over then plan in your head again, again and again as you ran up that mountain and hid in the bushes. Wait at the wall until they come for water, sneak into dunholm, kill Kjartan’s men, Kill Kjartan, Find your sister. 

It was a very straightforward plan. A plan that you hoped worked. 

You were by Hilds side as you crouched behind the bushes. On the other side of you was Sihtric, he was so close to you that you could reach out and hold his hand and no one would see, and that's what you did. You reached out and took his shaking hand in yours. Sihtric immediately turned his head to you when he felt your touch. You give him a small smile before focussing back on watching the men on the wall. 

You felt his hands stop to shake and hold onto yours tighter. His hands were clammy but you didn't mind. You knew he was nervous, this couldn't have been easy for him. Coming back to this place, Knowing that everyone had the same goal. To kill His father. You knew that sihtric had little to none love for his father in his heart, But this still must be hard. 

You look away from the men and to uhtred, waiting for his signal to run towards the wall. You saw the concentration and determination on your brother's face. Uhtred looked at you and hild and nodded; the signal. You give sihtric’s hand one more squeeze before letting go and quietly sprinting after hild and uhtred. 

When you get to the wall you quickly put your back against it and let out the breath you were holding. The cold stone feels nice against your back and palms. You look across the grass and towards the bushes where the others were at. Your eyes looking at sihtric who's waiting for the right time to run towards you. 

Sihtric nods towards Father Beocca before he stands up and starts sprinting towards us. You feel your body tense up in fear when sihtric trips over his own feet. You helplessly watch as sihtric looks up at the men on the wall in fear praying to himself that they wouldn't notice him. Thankfully they didn't. Sihtric quickly got to his feet and ran to the wall, taking the spot on your left. 

You watch as the others run over as well, and you let yourself relax a little knowing that you weren't caught. The first step in the plan was almost a success. Now all you had to do was wait until the morning when they opened the small door to collect some water. Hopefully it wouldn't be too long of a wait. 

Sihtric tilts his head to the side to look at you. Your eyes were closed as you leaned your head back against the stone wall, you were trying to calm down your nerves. The moon was reflecting against your face and you looked absolutely beautiful in Sihtrics eyes. 

Sihtric brushed his fingers against yours before holding your hand. You opened your eyes and tilted you heard to look at at sihtric, locking eyes with him. You give him a faint smile and lace your fingers with his. Looking into his warm eyes you knew you would be just fine with him by your side. 

Before you breached, dunholm uhtred told you, well more like demand you that you have to stay by his side or by the others side during the battle. You just responded with a roll of your eyes, you and uhtred both knew that you could protect yourself. But Uhtred just wanted you to be safe. 

Despite the small annoyance you felt about Uhtred’s over protectiveness, you listened to him. So during the battle you were by Sihtrics' side. Fighting side by side, making sure that the other was okay. One second you were fighting against one of Kjartans men and the next you were standing next to Sihtric as a Square formed, For Ragnar and Kjartan. 

You feel anger and disgust when you see Kjartan standing in front of your brother as he shouts for one of his men to give him a shield. Your Grip on your sword was starting to hurt but you didn't care. All you could focus on was The sound of shields and swords clashing and the sounds of shouts of the people around you. 

It felt as if you were stuck in place as you watched the battle in front of you. You couldn't bring yourself to shout out like Brida or uhtred. You just stood there watching. Tears of anger forming in your eyes at the words Kjartan was saying about your sister and parents. 

You move closer to sihtric and he wraps his arm around your shoulder, pulling you closer to his chest, His eyes not leaving the fight in front of him. You flinch when Ragnar stabs his sword in Kjartans arm. Your jaw clenches when Kjartan yells for his sword. You watch with a blank stare as Ragnar swings his sword down at Kjartan. 

You felt Sihtric flinch at every swing of Ragnars sword. You couldn't watch after the second swing and turn away and lay your head on Sihtric’s chest, trying to drown out the screams and the awful sound of ragnars sword meeting Kjartan’s body. One of your hands moving to sihtric’s back to rub up and down, hoping to comfort him in some way. 

You squeeze your eyes shut and flinch when you hear ragnar's shout of anger. You couldn't bring yourself to turn around and see the sight, you wouldn't be able to handle that. You were feeling many things at that moment, happiness that your family has been avenged, disgust from the fight, tiredness from the battle. And most of all you felt sadness, sadness because Kjartan’s death did not make you feel any better.  

You felt one word, Overwhelmed. After the brutal death of Kjartan your sister stepped out, surrounded by wolves. You wanted to cry at the sight of your sister and you did when she yells in agony and runs back inside, her wolves following after her. You look at your brothers, Uhtred has tears rolling down his face and Ragnar's face is covered in blood but you could still see the tears. 

You tried to talk to your sister again but she just stayed silent as she looked away from you, her wolves staring you down. You left her alone, it was obvious she wasn't ready to talk to you and you would respect that even though all you wanted to do was bring your older sister in your arms. 

But instead of being in your sister's arms you were in Sihtric’s arms. After trying to comfort your brothers and failing you decided to look around for sihtric, you knew he needed comfort as well after what he witnessed. But it was no surprise that you couldn't find him, You didn't know your way around dunholm. 

So you were very thankful when Sihtric randomly appeared in front of you. You could tell by the look on his face that he needed to be with you, alone. You didn't question him when he took your hand and pulled you away from the eyes of others and up the stairs to an empty guard tower. 

You didn't say anything either when sihtric locked the door behind him and pulled you down to sit on the stone floor, Both of you leaning back against the stone wall. You could hear the loud talking of the drunk men celebrating the victory. You stretch your legs out in front of you, bumping your foot against sihtric’s.  

You wanted to say something but you didn't know what to say, So you just closed your mouth and rested your head on sihtric’s shoulder. There was a tense but comfortable feeling in the air, Sihtric knew you wanted to say something and that you were waiting for him to make the first move. So he took your hand in it and rested it on his lap.  

“I dont think im ready to talk about it” Sihtric whispers but you hear him perfectly. 

“That's okay, i'll be here when your ready” 

“I'll always be here no matter what” You promised as you squeezed his hand, tilting your head to look at his side profile. Sihtric can't stop the smile from forming on his lips at your words. He tilts his head as well, your lips almost touching. Sihtric twists his body to face you and brings his hand up to cup your cheek before sealing your lips in a gentle kiss. 

You felt sihtric pour his emotion in the kiss. A once gentle kiss turned into a desperate and heated kiss. The hand he had on your cheek traveled to your nape, tangling his fingers in your hair, pulling you closer. 

“I love you” SIhtric whispered against your lips. The feeling of the kiss was lingering on your lips, You let out a heavy breath and opened your eyes. SIhtrics brown eyes were already looking into yours. 

“I love you” You breathed out, still trying to calm down your breathing from the kiss. It also didn't help that every time sihtric told you he loved you it felt like you couldn't breathe. Sihtric smiles at your words and moves his hand for your hair to tuck a few strands of hair behind your ears. 

“I'm sorry” You muttered after a few moments of silence. Sihtric who moved back to leaning against the stone wall looks at you in confusion, not knowing why you would be sorry. “What for?”

“For wanting to hide our relationship, it wasn't fair to you” you apologized, the more you thought about it over the past two days the more you realized how unfair it really was to him. You didn't even ask for his opinion, you just made the decision yourself. 

“I understand why you did it, It's okay” He reassured you, softly gripping your chin with his thumb and pointer finger to make you look at him instead of the floor. Your anxiousness drifting away at the sight of his beautiful eyes. 

“I don't want to hide anymore” You confess to him. Just hiding your relationship for 3 days was hard enough, you couldn't imagine doing it for longer. Before sihtric could open his mouth to say something you were already saying something. 

“I never want to hide my love for you again” You whispered as you tilt your body to face him, your hand cupping his cheek, your thumb softly grazing over a small scar. SIhtric out of instinct leans closer to your hand, not breaking eye contact with you.  Those words left a heavy but nice feeling in his heart, Gods he loved you so much. 

“Does that mean i can kiss you in front of the others?” Sihtric jokes with a teasing smirk as he leans his face closer to yours. 

“Hey now! Don't push your luck” You laugh and playfully push his shoulder away from you making him go back to leaning against the stone wall. Sihtric joins you in your laughter 

“Let's start off slow, like holding hands. Can you do that?” You smile softly, bumping your shoulder into his. Sihtric felt warm inside seeing your beautiful smile, it made him forget about all of his problems, he could only focus on you. 

“Oh i can definitely do that” He smiles with a flirty tone. He takes your hand in his and brings it to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on your knuckles as he winks at you. You felt your cheeks burning from his actions. 

“Anything for you” He says in a much softer tone, leaning down to kiss your forehead before wrapping his arm around you and pulling you closer to lay your head on his chest. You hum in acknowledgement and watch as the pretty sunset peaks over the wall. 

All the worries you had about the future, about your sister, about your brother's reaction to you and sihtric’s relationship drifted away as you sat in silence watching the sunset. Being in sihtric’s arms gave you a sense of clarity and peace that you never wanted to lose. You knew that whatever happened in the future you would be fine, because you had sihtric by your side and he never plans to leave it. With or without your brother's approval. 

ཻུ۪۪ bonus:

Unknowingly to the both of you that while you guys were cuddling and watching the sunset, your two brothers were resting by the fire inside, their newest topic being you…and sihtric. 

“How long do you think it's gonna take until they realize we already know” Ragnar chuckles as he takes a sip of his ale. After the conversation with Uhtred that just made him feel even more down he knew he had to change the conversation, and he knew the perfect topic. Their little sister. 

Uhtred immediately knows what his brother is talking about. Uhtred knew you very well and he already had suspicions about you and sihtric when he noticed how you would glance at him ever so often the day he got back, and he knew he was right by your strange behavior and the way you responded to him when he asked you those questions. 

“Hopefully not too soon, Sihtric is being extra polite…i think he might be scared of you” Uhtred smirked as he tilted his cup towards Ragnar before taking a large gulp. Thinking about how polite he's been the past few days. 

“Should we scare him a little?...threaten him?” Ragnar smiled mischievously, already thinking of a few ideas to scare sihtric. Ragnar set his cup on the wooden table and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees as he looked at his brother. 

“No, I can tell he makes her happy, And he protected her when we couldn't” uhtred shook his head as he glanced at Ragnar before looking towards the burning fire. Uhtred could tell that you really cared for sihtric and the fact that sihtric did in fact kept you safe made uhtred feel a lot better about you and his relationship. 

“And besides the last time I threatened one of her ex’s she didn't talk to me for a week…which is a lot to her because it seems like she can never shut up” Uhtred added when he noticed Ragnar thinking a little too hard on his last words. 

And Uhtred was right, Ragnar did think too hard on what uhtred had said. Ragnar didn't like the fact that he wasn't there to protect her, He had missed out on so much he missed how it would be him protecting her. 

“Yeah well at least you didn't get pushed into the mud” Ragnar scoffed as he shook his head and leaned back in his chair as he remembers that day. There was a boy who lived close to them, he was the youngest son of the weaponsmith, And Ragnar noticed how that boy always seemed to appear when you were around. Raganr did not like it.  

“I Don't blame her on that one…you deserved it” Uhtred snickers as he remembers the furious look on your face as you pushed your eldest brother into the mud before running off to your father to tell him how angry you are. While the son of the weaponsmith was running to his father, scared that Ragnar was going to chase him and feed him to the ‘cannibals who live a few villages away if he didn't leave you alone’....there were no cannibals but the boy did in fact leave you alone.  

 “Who knew that a six year old y/n was so strong?” Ragnar chuckles as he grabs his cup from the table and drinks from it. Ragnar couldn't help but smile at the memory, he did in fact deserve to get pushed into the mud for scaring that boy but it was no way near as bad as the scolding he got from his mother when he finished cleaning himself in the stream. 

“Our little sister can handle herself, i taught her well” Uhtred smirks as he looks back on the memories over the years. 

Ragnar chooses to ignore what uhtred said about how he taught her well because everyone knows it was really ragnar. He instead focuses on ‘our little sister’. He couldn't help but feel a little emotional as he thought about it, he had missed out on so much in your life. You weren't that small girl that needed her big brother to help her with everything. No, you were older now, and knew how to take care of yourself. 

“Our little sister isn't so little anymore.” 

note:

Okay so like i kind of love this fic, and I genuinely like how it turned out. I hope you guys do too! 

Please comment if you would like to be added to my tlk taglist or my Sihtric taglist. 

I’m also currently working on a Aethelstan story, it's going to be published on wattpad soon. I'll try to also publish it here if you guys want? 

I really like the plot and story I made with this fic and i wouldn't mind making a full on story for it, just let me know if you guys would want that or just other parts. 

Also, i do apologize if sihtric seems a little ooc, i was just really trying to explore another side of him? But like I said before I do hope you enjoyed this fic! Likes, comments and reblogs are very appreciated. 

copyright ©️ 2023, all rights reserved. you can't copy, translate, reproduce, repost my fic, use my plot or layout.

[zephyalle]

Fanfic Idea

Wade (after Vanessa broke with him somewhere between movie 2 and 3) is launched through dimension and time to land in the worst Wolverine’s universe eleven years in the past (one year before the massacre).

Apart from his small group of precious person, he would do everything to get back to them. But he is deadpool. And deadpool does what deadpool do. He gets distracted by the side quest.

He meet this world Vanessa who needs his help. Weasel who never open his bar. Dopinder never wooed his crush. Colossus never got rid of the broom shoved in his ass. And worse than all, blind Al live alone!

And since he’s there, he might as well go rescue Russel and the little orphans from the pedophile. And maybe keep Russel as a sidekick this time. (The first person he saves is a little girl name Ellie. He kills her aggressor right in front of her and has to console her. She didn’t want to get sent to the X-men. Wanted to stay with her savior, but she is too young. He give her his name and phone number. So if she gets in trouble with bad guys or has a bad dream, she can call him.)

Then he hears of an anti-mutant organisation and, well, he is between two jobs and bored as fuck. So he infiltrates the place, get engage, and the night of the attack at the X-men mansion, he is among the rank of the bad guy. After multiple interruption of the leader’s evil monologue, he starts shooting and slicing his former colleague, wreaking chaos among their rank.

His intervention, not that he or the X-men would know, save the life of multiple mutant, among them a little girl he now saved twice. When everything is done, she refused to leave his side and the X-men want some explanation. Wolverine goes home to a carnage.

Explanation happens, Wade sees Wolverine, gush and fanboy, remember about Project X and his like « Golly, I get to kill Francis twice! ». But the X-men aren’t too happy to let him leave to kill more people.

Wolverine is sent with him to supervise him. Wade talk, Wolverine loses his patience and attacks Wade in an Odyssey they had to steal for X reason. And during their mission, Logan discovers things about himself he didn’t want to know. Like how he quite like having someone indestructible as him near to spar with when his temperament gets the better out of him. Or how he likes having someone who is as dangerous as him near that doesn’t fear him, no matter how bad he can get. Or how he likes getting silly cutesy nickname that no one would dare to give him. He isn’t falling in love, but… he after the mission, he starts to get softer around Wade and lets him get away with things other would get mauled over for. But he still has lingering feelings for Jean (and Scott?) while Wade still has his for the Vanessa of his world.

Interlude for family stuff with Wade, Ellie and Russel, Logan getting to meet Vanessa blind Al and co. Wade meeting and getting on the nerve of the adult X-men while the children (some he saved) love him. Wolverine tries to run away from his feeling and gets tracked down by Wade because of course he does.

Now for the third movie: The TVA kidnaps Wade to convince him to work for them and he learns about the imminent destruction of his universe. But instead of wanting to stop it long-term destruction, he wants to stop the short term and accidentally enrolled the « worst » wolverine in the adventure. And while Logan isn’t broken by the destruction of his world, he is grumpy and snappy because he thinks Wade will leave them behind to go back to his original universe. The one he keeps talking about and ranting about how much he wants to go back. Blah blah blah void blah blah blah machine explodes. At the end, the TVA is getting ready to leave with Logan when Wade is like, « Wait; I want to go with you. » after realising that the world has gone on without him and his family is now in the other universe.

Logan, now certain that Wade will stay, let himself fully fell in love with Wade.

Cute interlude with more comfort and family stuff plus a Wolverine in love but uncertain of Wade feeling and fearing a repeating of previous crush, where he was only good for a good fuck and nothing else, while Wade is also in love but don’t want to ruin their friendship and is full of self-doubt about his personality and his appearance.

Then Logan learns that Laura exists in this universe. He has a daughter to save. In a character grow, he warns Wade where he is going and Wade decides to tag along.

I draw blank for the next part.

Difference that could be interesting to insert between the two worlds.

WD- Normal

LW – Soulmate mark (Logan knows Wade is his soulmate and thinks Wade is just not interested, which is why he says nothing about it, and is full of angst before learning to know Wade because, of course, his soulmate is a killer. What else would do for an animal like him) or ABO (Wade as a strong scent but no designation and can’t smell the pheromone around him which cause a lot of problems since it is a normal tool of communication among the population and add a lot of contexts to any given situation or conversation. Logan is an Alpha (my personal preference) and has a keener sense of smell than other. It drives him crazy (aggressively at first) to not be able to know Wade’s second gender.)

[blakeswritingimagines]

Aemond who wants your attention

As a yandere for you, he is a very possessive and jealous husband. He makes it his business to know where you are, what you are doing, and who you are with, at all times. He does not allow you to associate with other men in any way, shape, or form. This is not because he does not trust you, but because he knows how the mind of a man works, and he knows that some might try to take advantage of your beauty and innocence. He would defend you fiercely should anyone attempt to harm you or make you theirs. You belong to him, and he to you.

He seeks to maintain exclusive control over you. He wants to be the only one who can make you smile, laugh, or feel loved and cherished. He wants you to only have eyes for him, and for no one else to be able to draw your attention. If you even look at another man in a favorable light, he becomes incredibly jealous and feels the need to claim you once again.

He goes to great lengths to make you feel loved and safe. Any moment you are at risk, or even perceived risk is a cause for his concern and attention. Your needs and desires are his utmost priority. As your husband, he is not afraid to show his passion and rage for you. He will move the earth and sky itself to ensure your safety and comfort. His possessiveness, as yandere, is for your good alone, because he cannot stand the thought of another having you.

It would be a problem. He is a man who wants nothing more than to be with you, and for you to be with him. If you paid more attention to anything else but him, it would drive him mad with fury. Especially if that thing was your children. They come from your love, he knows they are a physical manifestation of the bond between you both. They should be treated with the same care and affection that he gives to you but can't help himself.

He would certainly feel a pang of jealousy should you show more affection to your child instead of him but he would have to realize that children are naturally needy just as much as he is. It is in their nature to rely on their parents which causes him to seeth in a slow quiet rage.

If he were to act out of his jealousy, he would make sure your life is absolute torture. He would isolate you from others, keep you from seeing your shared child, and force you into a position of dependence. He would make you feel alone in the world, cut off from everyone else, leaving only him as your sole companion. If he felt you were showing more affection to the child than to him, he would turn the child against you.

He would likely treat your child in a cruel manner, demanding he or she behave in a way that he deems “ proper” rather than allow them to grow and explore on their own terms. He might become too harsh, demanding, and cold, hurting their confidence and self-esteem. He might accuse them of wrongdoing when they are innocent, instilling a fear of him and resentment that could never be forgotten.

Absolutely without hesitation, he would send the child away. He feels there is no reason for you to have a child when you have each other. The idea of you ever having the audacity to give so much attention to the child disgusts him. You should only ever need him. Nothing else matters except you and him. He can and he will keep you under his complete control. You and he can live happily forever if you just let your guard down and come into his embrace forgetting about the child.

He would go as far as lying to you, he would lie to you, and say the child is being sent away for a good reason such as safety or education, just to make you think that his love for them outweighs anyone else. He would do anything and say anything to keep you with him or he would also try to make you see the child in a negative light, he would try to convince you that the child doesn't love you. He would try to convince you that the child hates you, even.

Yes, if it came down to it he would kill your child in an "accident". It would be his secret. He would be sneaky and manipulative to convince you that you don't need your child, that you don't need anyone but him. That you can love him, but no one else. He would be sneaky and manipulative to make himself the only one you ever love just like the situation with your child, sneakiness and deception come as natural to him. He would convince you that the child is no good for the both of you slowly, making sure that you do not suspect him of doing so. He would be extra careful, in this situation so that you do not learn of his ulterior motive.

If you found out about his manipulation towards you and reacted badly, he would be prepared for that. He would use every word in his vocabulary to convince you that he did it for your own good. He would try to convince you that he knew it was the best choice for your relationship. He would try to calm your anger and make you see the good side of the situation, no matter how much the truth may hurt.

He would also try to make you see that the child never truly loved you. He would try to convince you that the child never wanted to be with you, that their love for you was never real. He would try to make you see how good it is that the child was taken away from you. He would try to convince you that your love for him is better than the child's love for you and that you are better off without the child. He would use all of his manipulation tactics for this goal.

If you still didn't believe him, he would use more drastic measures to make you believe him. He would use both words and actions to convince you that he did it for you and that it will benefit you both in the long run. If all else fails, he would threaten you to make you see or even feel what he wanted you to believe.

If you tried to fight back and stop him, he would do everything in his power to either subdue you or convince you that fighting back will only make things worse. He would be determined, and there is no way he would let you stop him. He would do what had to be done for the benefit of your love.

He won't feel guilty about it at all, the reason why he is getting rid of your child is because he loves you so much that he would do anything to be with you. He knows that getting rid of your child seems like a horrible thing to do, but he justifies it by saying that your relationship is more important than anything else in the world.

[naomikozura]

Playing With Fire: Chapter 8

Jason Todd (Red Hood) x Fem!Reader (Criminal)

Trope: Enemies to Lovers, Forbidden Romance

Warnings: strong language, mentions of explosives/bombs, use of weapons/guns, mentions of murder, angst, emotional trauma, mentions of killing someone, arguments, emotional turmoil, plotting, mentions of robbery, kidnapping, and abuse, flashbacks (lmk if I missed any!)

WC: 7.5K

Summary: As you prepare for a meeting with Sionis, you can't help the memories of the past that flood your mind, reliving moments you never thought would be so distant. You feel a sense of regret, something you haven't felt in a long time, wondering where did everything go wrong? And when did everything start to get worse?

Series Masterlist

Chapter 7 || Chapter 9

The sound of Joker’s maniacal laugh broke out into the room once again. You found yourself sitting on the couch, a bored expression on your face, as Joker continued to taunt Sionis’ guards. You could see the glint of fear in their eyes but their training in high profile security made them barely have a reaction. Minus the new hire who got punched in the face by Sionis. He seemed a lot jumpier than the other new guards he’d contracted. 

You watched as Sionis conducted his usual meeting, this time focusing more on Joker’s psychotic idea of a plan, and using all the information necessary to lure Red out of hiding. Sionis thought it genius, you thought of it as overkill. 

You turned, looking out the window and taking in the darkness of the city. It was late, Penguin had sent you to work with Sionis for the time being, not knowing when his next job would come up so it was good to get payment even if it was through the bastard. 

“So when can we get this moving forward?”, Sionis’ deep voice sounded irritated, but you knew he was just impatient. He wanted results a month ago, hell since Red first started to make hits on his operations. He hated losing money so the fact that he’d lost millions over the course of three months made him dangerous and craved the sight of Red’s dead body. 

A pull in your gut made you wallow in your thoughts. Your fight with Red entered your mind, wondering how everything turned bad so fast. Your pride refused to let you admit that you overreacted, that he was just trying to help. But the last time you let someone try helping you they ended up abandoning you. You couldn’t help but be cautious. Even if it meant reacting completely out of character. 

“Give me a week, maybe two. I'll think of something and then I can get my fun started up”, the smile faded, perhaps it’d been the first time you’d seen Joker without that stupid smirk. “Though, I think it’ll be more fun without her involved.”

Your eyes met Joker’s, narrowing at him as he pointed at you. You sat up, pushing yourself out of the chair and stretching.

“Sounds like a plan.”, you mocked before Sionis snapped his glare at you, his eyes darkening. Although he hated that you rejected him so casually, he knew you were an asset to this more than anything. 

“Sit down.” he threatened. “You’re here for a reason.”

You rolled your eyes before plopping back down into the seat. You didn’t even need to be here. Not at Sionis Industries, not even in Gotham. Still, you wanted to see what exactly they were trying to do, regardless of how you felt about it personally. 

“I think this will be fun, even with you involved.”, Joker sneered. “In fact, I’ll find a special part for you to play!”

“I don’t want a special part in your dumb game.”, you muttered. 

“Oh you’re feisty!”, he clapped. “I love this already.”

God, you couldn’t believe you were really sitting in a room full of men having to listen to them go over a plan and address you like some after thought. You turned around, letting their conversation blend into the background as you sat around for another hour. When they finally finished, you got up and left. 

It was almost 4am. 

You needed to get some sleep, try to get some sleep, but you’d felt waves of insomnia crash into you as the days went by. You tried drinking tea, medicine, everything to get you back on a normal schedule but it felt like your body was going through every possible loop to keep you from having a comfortable night of rest. 

You walked around your apartment, walking to the restroom to finish getting ready to try and sleep when you looked over at the duffel bags in the closet. You still haven't touched the money. Hadn’t started to slowly deposit it or even used it for anything. You couldn’t bring yourself to use the money. Even though you had done the work to deserve the payout, a piece of you still refused to use it.

Shaking your head, you changed into a cami and shorts, trying to ignore the thoughts in your head before they quickly came back. You pulled your hair into a ponytail, your neck exposed as you stared at yourself in the mirror. You ran a hand over your neck, the lingering of Red’s touch evident on your skin. You had small bite marks that had started to bruise, not too dark but slowly fading. As much as you tried to ignore the little chips he made at your armor, you couldn’t keep them at bay forever. Your skin felt like it was on fire, the blush creeping up your neck as you turned, moving away from the exposure the mirror gave to the marks on your skin. 

You let your body fall on the bed, the sheets cool on your skin as you stare at the ceiling, letting your argument get to you again. You turned towards the window, laying relaxed against the sheets and breathing in the natural smell of your apartment. It smelled like sage and lavender, a relaxing and calming aroma that allowed you to feel a sense of relief. Though, the emptiness you felt in your chest at the moment provided you no sense of relief, it made you heavy with remorse. 

Your pride, your anger, your trauma, it all made you react towards Red in a way you wished you hadn’t. He was trying to help you, trying to understand, and you just pushed him away. You had your reservations about everything having to do with him but somehow, over the weeks, it all changed. You convinced yourself you let him live because of your hatred towards Sionis, but once Sionis was removed from the picture entirely you couldn’t bring yourself to come up with reasons to dislike him. Especially not after the Gala. 

Regardless of his family, he still treated you like an equal. In midst of all the fights, the arguing, the hits, the targeting, he knew you were talented, strong, smart, quick, and he respected you in a way not many men in this life could openly admit they did. It made him stand out in a way regardless of the fact that he was another vigilante running around on the street wreaking havoc. 

You let yourself fall into sleep, watching as the darkness consumed your body and whispered a lullaby of reassurance, leaving you feeling the warmth of  the night. 

“Calvi finally agreed to come over to our side of business.”, Penguin’s voice sounded as he shifted through the papers on his desk. You looked up at him from the filing cabinet as you looked for specific paperwork he needed to follow up with an investor on one of his businesses. You pulled the file, skimming the contents, before walking over to his desk and setting it down gently. 

“When did he confirm his new alliance?”

“Just a few days after the Gala. Said he wanted to get more insight on our operation and agreed whenever you put mention of my name on the table. Said he’d rather have business investments that will benefit his own businesses while having protection than just having bare minimum protection.”, you hummed in response. It made sense. Calvi always wanted to ensure his businesses were kept under top security, himself included considering his ties within the underground. He hadn’t reached out to you for a few days, probably working on his own business needs but a part of you was glad you wouldn’t have to deal with him again. Although he looked the part of the ideal partner, he was far from it and not the thing you wanted. 

“I don’t have anything new for you, so just stick with Sionis until something comes up”, a piece of you felt a tug of annoyance at having to work with Sionis so closely, but you only nodded. You continued to help him fix his paperwork, getting a few miniscule things finished before heading home for the night. 

“I think I can wrap up. You can go ahead.”, Penguin motioned as you watched him intently. He’d been a lot less busy, but then again, it was slow season at the Lounge and the majority of his efforts were spent helping Sionis catch Red. Another pang of emotion hit you in the gut, making your hands twitch slightly before you pulled them back. “Be careful, it’s supposed to down pour tonight.”

You nodded as you walked to your locker, putting everything away before you went home for the evening. You slid on the jacket you brought with you to cover you from the rain. It’d started to rain a lot more this week, which didn’t make it convenient considering you had walked today. A cab might be the better option to avoid the water, but you decided against it, especially on this side of town. 

You pulled the hood over your head, grabbing your bag and leaving the Lounge as you walked through the streets. It was only 7pm so the light was still out but the clouds made it seem a lot later than it actually was. You couldn’t really bring yourself to focus on anything this week, you needed to snap into focus before tomorrow. You needed to complete the job, letting your mind wander to a million different things would keep you from completing your work. 

The streets were filled with people trying to get home, most of them wearing raincoats or with umbrellas, cars filling the streets as you heard the distant rumble of the sky as the thunder sounded out. It had started raining more, especially considering that Gotham wasn’t usually in rain season this time of the year. Then again, the rain and gloomy clouds added to the ambiance of the city. It seemed fitting for a place like Gotham. 

You found yourself nearing your apartment, looking up to take in the look of the sky before continuing towards your building. You had gotten soaked, your bag was luckily covered in a material that was partially rain resistant, so it wouldn’t get your personal things wet, regardless they were replaceable so it didn’t make you worry too much. 

Navigating through the people who lived in your area seemed easy enough, but it had gotten a lot more crowded since the rents had dropped. More people were moving in and that meant there would be more people wandering around your complex. You tried to push through the people, and even though it wasn’t crowded, a body still hit your shoulder. You push back, snapping around you trying to yell at the person who’d bumped into you only for the words to die in your mouth.

Your eyes widened at the sight of Red in front of you. No mask, no suit. Just dark jeans, an oversized hoodie, and his body drenched in water. His eyes stared at yours in a widened glance, the rain falling around both of you and the people moving around your frozen bodies. You met his green eyes, silent as you stared at him in shock. 

Why was he on this side of town?

You didn’t have time for this, you couldn’t talk to him, not like this. You turned towards the streets that led to your home before you felt a hand wrap around your wrist, pulling you back as your head swiveled around to look at him again. 

“Y/n.”, was all he said because just like you, he couldn’t find anything to say. He wanted to talk, wanted to apologize but his pride and ego made him feel small. He had no right to ask for you to hear him out. Yet, he didn’t let go of your wrist. “Please”

You look at the ground, narrowing your eyes and furrowing your brows, trying to find the words to say to him in the middle of your anger, in the midst of your disappointment. 

“I.. I’m sorry.”, he said as the rain covered his words, the downpour made it difficult to hear him but you heard the words clear as day. You felt a tug in your chest. 

“I have to go.”, you tried pulling away but he kept you still, pulling down his hood and letting you see him fully. His hair was overly saturated with water and his clothes were far more drenched than yours were. You had tried staying in covered spaces while on your walk home to minimize getting soaked but you ended up with wet clothes anyway. 

“Y/n, I mean it.”, he breathed. “I’m sorry for the other night.”

You clenched your teeth, tightening your jaw as he continued. “I shouldn’t have said what I did that day. I know you’ve tried everything to get to where you are and even if you don’t realize it, you’re worth far more than any of those lowlives. Even if you don’t accept my apology or never talk to me again, I just wanted to say I’m sorry for that night.”

“Yeah”, you whispered. 

“I..”, his other hand fisted as he forced himself to say his next words. “Even if you don’t believe me, I know what it’s like to not have control or power. I know why you do the things you do, you had no other choice. I didn’t have another choice either. It’s not that you haven’t figured it out, you have. That’s why you’re leaving.”

Your lachrymose eyes met his dark ones, showing his honesty in every one of his words. 

“I hope you find what you’re looking for wherever you go.”, he smiled weakly. “I hope it’s better than here.”, he let go of your hand, relaxing as he watched you intently. You couldn’t bring yourself to say anything to him. He was finally understanding why you’d worked with Penguin, why you put up with Sionis, why you struggled to find a way out of the city that took everything from you. You had no reason to stay, and even if there was a sliver of reason, it didn’t exist anymore. It hadn’t existed in years. 

You turned away from him, the echo of his words ringing in your ears as the volume spoke over the cracking of the thunder. 

“Is it worth it?”

His words held a double meaning. You paused, contemplating a response as you read between the lines far too quickly. 

Is this worth giving yourself up for?

The weight of his question lingered in the air, a haunting reminder of the sacrifices made and the dreams that you were forced to abandon. You faced the storm, the wind whipping around you, and felt the chill of uncertainty seeping into your bones. The city behind you, with its tangled webs and broken promises, had always been a place of struggle and compromise. With his words ringing through the winds, you questioned if all the work you’d done, the price you paid, was it all worth it for that freedom you’d always dreamt of?

Deep down, you wanted to believe that it was worth it, that all of this had been for something and not just a broken dream you were trying so hard to mend. You already lost so much, given up pieces of yourself for people like Penguin and Sionis, and in the end you were scared you’d end up with nothing. 

The storm raged on, but within you, a quiet resolve began to take shape. You took a deep breath, turning your gaze back towards him one last time. The truth in his eyes was undeniable—he understood more than anyone could. You could see the reflection of your own doubts in his dark gaze, and with a nod of silent understanding, you gave him the answer he needed. 

Even if it was a lie. 

“Yes,” you finally said, though the words were barely audible over the wind of the storm. And with that, you walked away, leaving him behind and moving towards the darkness of your apartment. 

The next morning was busy as you walked through the streets, letting your mind wander and getting a few errands finished before meeting with Sionis tonight. You were called in to get the information you needed to help carry out Joker’s plan, though you knew you’d find a way out of it entirely. 

Your mind couldn’t help but go back to Red, the entire fight with him just eating at you. You felt a sting in your chest at his words the other day, a big piece of you regretting that fight entirely. You knew he meant well, but you didn’t live in a position to give others the benefit of the doubt. It was kill or be killed, the most crucial game of survival and you were playing it to your fullest extent. You weren’t going to let yourself be caught in a web that would lead to your demise. 

As you walked past a small restaurant, you lingered, watching a young couple sitting together as they smiled at one another. You’d wondered if that was why your life could be like if you’d just…. stayed with the family. If Robin had stayed around.

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

Flashback

“Rob, come on, let’s go try this new cafe I saw”

“Okay, okay. Relax we got all day.”, Robin muttered, a piece of you excited to try the cafe that had just opened. 

“I think this will be fun”, you smile at him, his smirk spreading across his lips as you tugged him with you, his eyes hidden behind bud signature dark glasses. 

“So, is this considered our first date?”, he teased as he caught up to your speed, his hand lacing in yours as he smiled down at you from the height difference. He was dressed in dark jeans, a loose fitting dark shirt and a jacket over top, his hair messy as always.

“I don’t know, if I don’t know what you look like wouldn’t it be a blind date?”, you cocked your head slightly. 

“I think that only counts if you’ve never met the person before. We already know each other”, he raised an eyebrow. 

“Well until you show me what you look like, we can call these friendly dates.”

“You see me as a friend?”, Robin raised a hand to his chest, “I’m honored”

You shoved him slightly, letting your hair fall in your face as you laughed at him. 

The two of you normally would meet at night, so going out during the day was a big move for both of you, especially considering you were publicly hanging out with someone when you never had before. It was him. He made you disregard any type of snide comments anyone could make. He knew about the people at Gotham Academy that would make fun of you, wishing he could make it stop but you went to different schools. So, his company was good enough to forget all about those other students. 

It was warm, spring time was nice in Gotham sans the rain, making the day nice to walk around the streets and take in the city through a day time lense. 

You leaned into him, grabbing his arm as you sank into his presence. It was nice having someone you could talk to about everything, especially someone like him. You felt like someone could finally see you, understood you, someone finally… cared.

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

The slight breeze blew your hair from your face as you moved through the crowds of people, the busy streets of Gotham a stark contrast to the inner turmoil you had going on. The towering buildings loomed above, casting long shadows that seemed to mirror the darkness you felt inside. You checked the time on your phone again, knowing you still had a few hours before your meeting with Sionis.

Regret gnawed at you, an unwelcome feeling since your last encounter with Red. You could still see the hurt in his eyes, a flicker of betrayal that cut deeper than any physical wound. You hadn’t meant for things to go that way, but your pride wouldn’t let you back down. You were too afraid to show weakness, too afraid to let him see how scared you were to let someone in. 

You wondered if he’d be the one who could’ve won you over, could’ve made you lower your walls and let yourself feel what it was like to just be a normal person in this godforsaken city. A piece of you wondered if he was thinking about you too. Did he also feel like there was something unresolved? Did he think about the fight? Was he also regretting it? Did it hurt him like it hurt you?

You let out a shaky breath, letting your thoughts spiral and holding on to the hope that maybe, just maybe, you could fix things between the two of you. Should you find him, send him a signal to meet at the rooftop you’d always see each other at? You looked at the ground as you walked through the streets, taking a deep breath and moving through the crowd. 

You needed to get home, it would be soon that you’d have to meet with Sionis and Joker, you needed to focus. As you walked through the streets, the city swallowed you up once more, but the regret remained, a silent whisper in the back of your mind.

Flash back 

The warm breeze rustled through the trees as you and Robin moved through the hidden paths of Gotham’s hidden, less known parks. This was one of the few days they would go out together, knowing they could finally get away from only seeing each other at night. You enjoyed moments during the day a lot more, you felt like he did too but never asked, it seemed a lot more normal. The both of you reached a secluded pond, the sun making the water glisten in a golden glow. 

You kicked off your shoes, walking to the water to dip your feet in, smiling at the warmth of the water. You turned over to Robin who stood staring at you with a smile on his face. “Come on, come feel the water.” 

He shook his head slightly, bending over and rolling up his jeans, proceeding to take off his shoes before walking next to you. “You know, I don’t think Batman would approve of this.”

“You care too much about what he thinks.”, you teased. “Besides, Batman isn’t here, is he? It’s just you and me.”

“Yeah, I guess so.”, he shrugged. “He can be a bit controlling sometimes but I know he means well.”

You hummed in response, looking down at the water surrounding your feet, your reflections staring right back at you. The silence covered both of you like a blanket of comfort and tranquility. Sometimes the both of you were more than content not speaking, it was what made you like hanging out with him, he didn’t fear the quiet. 

“Y/n”, he said finally after what felt like forever. “What do you want to do once you finish everything? You know, if both of us ever get the chance to leave Gotham?”

“I don’t know.”, you looked at the water, your eyes focused on the ripples that slowly formed from you moving your weight to be distributed evenly. “I’d like to travel, move to another city, anything to make everything feel more normal.”

“Yeah,” he breathed. “We can go to another city and just forget Gotham. Just you and me.”, 

You smiled at him as he looked at you with a warm smile, the kind of warmth that leaves you feeling like everything would be okay no matter how difficult times got. He always made you feel okay no matter what. 

The silence came over you again, the trees surrounding both of you, creating a tranquil and calming background. You felt Robin intertwined his fingers into yours, this thumb rubbing the back of your hand as he turned towards you. “Promise me something.”, he said softly, his hair falling over his forehead. 

“Anything.”, you replied, turning to face him. 

“Promise me that no matter what happens, you'll find a way to be happy. Even if it's without me."

Your heart tightened at his words, squeezing his hand in yours. "I promise, but only if you promise the same."

He smiled, a bittersweet expression that hinted at the weight he carried. "I promise."

You felt your heart beat faster, letting yourself soak in the moment before the both of you went back to your home. As you walked back in silence, you couldn’t stop smiling, wanting these moments to never end. Always wanting them with him. 

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

You looked out at the city below from your window sill, the quiet rush of the cars below adding to the ambiance of the afternoon. You felt a heaviness in your heart, the memory of that day in the park was as vivid as ever. The promise you made to Robin, to be happy even if it was without him, it stung knowing you wouldn’t be happy with him. You tried finding the good from the bad, tried to find happiness in the middle of all the shitty hands you’d been dealt over the years, but that gaping hole in your chest made it hard to go on. You felt a piece of you just got ripped from your chest and you were left to walk through the world with a heart broken. 

You reached up to play with the small pendant on your necklace, the silence letting you sit with your thoughts. How do you open up to anyone the way you did with him after he left? After he made you feel like you were worth everything to being left feeling like nothing. You clung to the memory of your laughter, your dreams, and your unspoken love, even as the world around you grew darker. You knew you had started to feel stronger feelings than just like towards him, you both were just teenagers but you knew deep down he was more than just someone who would stay for a short while. You knew he’d be long term. 

Believed. 

Because he just wasn’t anymore. He wasn’t long term nor was he anything more than a memory. You turned to get ready for your meeting with Sionis and Joker, wiping the stray tear that fell down your cheek as you let your walls build back up into a fortress of solitude, mentally preparing for the night ahead. You couldn’t let your past haunt you, but with the way you’d been acting towards Red, it was like all of those memories just flooded back, explaining why you’d been so short, cold, distant. Still, weakness wasn’t an option. Not in Gotham. Not with the life you’d chosen. But in the walls of your apartment, the walls of your bedroom, you’d let yourself break. You’d give yourself those moments of weakness to endure the pain you’d never truly healed from, the hurt of being abandoned so easily just like everyone else in her life had done to her, it all only happened in the confines of your apartment. You’d let yourself reminisce, let yourself look back on the memories allowing yourself to find a sliver of happiness in the promises you once made with Robin. 

The promises you’d made to each other. 

Even if he broke all of his. 

Flashback 

The sun dipped slowly behind the Gotham skyline, casting a golden hue over the rooftop where you and Robin sat. You laughed as you watched him balance himself on the ledge of the building, his street clothing not providing much balance since his pants were baggy and it looked like he almost tripped over himself. 

“You’re going to fall, you know.”, you called out, shaking your head but smiling at him nonetheless.

“Not a chance.”, he replied with a grin before effortlessly hopping down to sit beside you. “That would be major ego damage considering I’m a literal sidekick to the city’s most known vigilante.”

You rolled your eyes at him, “Yeah, and then Batman would have to fire you. The news would eat that up.”, you lifted your hands and made a headline motion. “Breaking News: Batman fires the Boy Wonder, the reason? Lack of balance and coordination.”

He nudged you as the both of you laughed, his smile was warm and sweet, making your heart flutter at how he looked so handsome in such a casual setting. You laid back, looking at the clouds as they started to turn into a golden color due to the sunset, letting the warm weather sink into your skin. Robin turned his head towards you, his expression softening at your laid back demeanor, 

“Tell me something.”, he said softly. 

“Huh?”, you turned towards him, cocking an eyebrow in confusion. 

“Tell me something you’ve never told anyone else.”, he repeated, his eyes filled with curiosity as you looked at him. 

“What? No, you first.”, you nudged him.

He turned his head back towards the sky, taking in a deep breath and taking a moment to think. “"I used to be afraid of the dark. Crazy, right? Gotham's full of shadows, and I'm out there every night."

You laughed softly. "Not crazy at all. I used to be scared of thunderstorms. The noise, the flashes of light—it was scary as hell. Especially being on the street and hearing people screaming. It all felt so overwhelming."

He reached out, taking your hand in his. "We're not so different, are we?"

You squeezed his hand, feeling a warmth spread through your chest. "No, I guess we're not."

The dim light of your restroom mirror cast a soft glow on your skin as you pulled your hair out of the towel it was in, drying it before having to head out to Sionis Industries for your meeting with Sionis and Joker. You watched yourself as you dried your hair with the blow dryer quickly, letting your hair sit on your neck still a bit damp as you applied some makeup. Although you didn’t need much, you still liked wearing it. It gave you more confidence, made you more bold. You applied mascara gently, watching yourself as you pulled back from leaning over the sink. Your eyes held a trace of melancholy—a reflection of the memories that never quite left you.

You quickly changed into a pair of dark jeans that fit your body perfectly, the black tee paired with it as you pulled on your leather jacket. You did a final look in the mirror before feeling good enough to head out, your mind still in shambles as you left through the window and to your bike in the alley below. 

The streets weren’t too busy tonight, but it was still early. Having a meeting at 9pm seemed strange enough as it is, most times Sionis liked to call them in the middle of the day or in the middle of the night. You wondered why he would call for such an early time, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care. 

Arriving at Sionis Industries was easy enough, it would be dealing with Sionis and his disgusting self that would pose as the greatest difficulty. Out of anything, you could always expect for him to try and convince you to work for him or be his. Something you would always deny. 

What else could possibly happen that would surprise you?

You walked through the building, using the access card to swipe into the door and reach the elevator that brought you to Sionis’ office. The guards nodded towards you before opening the door and letting you in, Sionis immediately skimming your body as he smirked, Joker lounging on the sofa as a twisted smile played on his lips. 

“Y/n”, Sionis greeted you, his tone serious but also had a hint of amusement. “Finally here,”

Joker’s eyes watched you with curiosity and mischief as he smiled at you. “Aren’t you dressed up all nice?”

You couldn’t help but roll your eyes, grabbing a chair and plopping down in it as you crossed your legs and sitting opposite of them. “Alright. What are we here for?”

“Relax lambchop, we’ll figure it out soon enough.”, Joker laughed maniacally as you narrowed your eyes at him. “I have a good idea of what to do, let’s hope it’s just as fun in action as it is in my head.”

Great. You knew he was about to explain this in intense detail. Joker was one for theatrics so you wouldn’t put it past him to create a whole idea of how exactly every part of his stupid plan would go. 

Joker leaned forward, his eyes full of an unsettling mix of mischief and madness. “Alright, picture this: we’re going to execute a plan so chaotic, so beautifully disorganized that it will make every other plan look like a kindergarten craft project.”

He paused for dramatic effect, his grin stretching wider. “We’re going to use a high-profile, yet subtle diversion to grab Batman’s attention. Something that screams ‘look at me’ but doesn’t blow up in our faces. I’m thinking of something like an orchestrated crime spree—a series of high-impact, carefully staged incidents across Gotham.” Joker leaned back, his eyes gleaming with unrestrained excitement as he began laying out the details of his plan. 

You raised an eyebrow. “And these incidents?”

Joker waved a hand dismissively. “Oh, just a series of carefully planned heists and disturbances. Let’s say a jewelry store robbery where the ‘thieves’ leave behind a trail of glittering jewels as a calling card. A string of arson cases where the buildings are left untouched, but the flames form a message. Something flashy enough to make Batman’s ears perk up, but not so catastrophic that it draws every law enforcement officer in the city.”

“And the goal is to get Batman’s attention. Then what?”, you were not following his stupid plan at all. How did Red fit into this? He was the goal not Batman. 

“Exactly!” Joker’s grin was nearly maniacal. “Once Batman is sufficiently distracted by the chaos we’re creating, we set the real trap. The key is to make sure he’s lured into a specific area—a rundown warehouse on the edge of town. It’s got the right amount of isolation and drama for a grand showdown.”

Joker paused for effect, letting the anticipation build. “The warehouse will be rigged with a variety of surprises. Hidden cameras, explosives, and a few more ‘enhancements’ to ensure that once the Bat shows up, he’s not just dealing with one problem. No, no, he’ll be dealing with a carefully orchestrated mess.”

“And Red Hood? How does he fit into this?”

Joker’s eyes sparkled. “Well all of this is for us to lure Hoodie out. He’s at arms with the Bats, so if we get the Bat’s attention, we get the Hood’s!”

Sionis glared daggers at Joker, his patience visibly fraying. “You think this is a joke? I need this done, Joker. I don’t have time for your little games.”

Joker’s grin didn’t falter. “Oh, I’m not joking. Trust me, this will be a grand spectacle. We get Batman involved, and the Hood will come crawling out of his hole just to join the fray. It’s like a free-for-all, and everyone loves a good free-for-all.”

Sionis’s eyes narrowed. 

“And what if Batman doesn’t show? Or worse, what if they both decide to focus on you?”, you spoke up, not wanting to see another one of Sionis’ fits. 

Joker chuckled. “Then we get a front-row seat to the greatest showdown Gotham has ever seen. Either way, the plan is to ensure that your problem, Red Hood, becomes nonexistent—preferably permanently.”

You leaned back in your chair, considering the chaos Joker was proposing. “Alright, assuming this works and we draw out the Hood. What’s the plan for getting rid of him?”

“Ah, that’s where the real artistry comes in,” Joker said, his eyes twinkling with mischief. “We’ll set up a little stage for our confrontation—somewhere dramatic, like an old warehouse. And when the time’s right, we’ll make sure the Hood gets a front-row seat to his own demise.”

Sionis ran a hand over his mouth, clearly stressed with Joker’s plan. 

“All I need is a couple of explosives, maybe find a good bank to rob just to draw him out a little. Something unexpected but also predictable. It’ll bring him out for sure.”

“We don’t have time or money to waste on a stupid bank robbery! I need him to come out and I need you to kill him. That’s what I paid your bond for, not to play dress up!”, Sionis slammed his fist on the table, finally snapping as Joker staring at him with a deadpan face as he picked at his nails. 

“You’re irritable today.”

“I’m losing more money every minute this son of a bitch is out on the street, so yes. I am irritable today. Everyday!”, the clipped sound of his tone made it obvious that Sionis was over Joker’s antics, but you couldn’t care less. If anyone deserved to be toyed with it was Sionis, especially him. 

“Take it easy, I got it under control.”, and suddenly Joker smiled like he got a new thought into his delusional mind. “It’ll be fun”

“I want someone’s head on my wall and it’s either gonna be the Red headed bastard or yours. If this doesn’t work I’m sawing your fucking head off.”, a ringing echoed through the room as Sionis stood to his feet, walking out of the room as some of his guards followed him out. 

The silence left you a bit uneasy, but it was the Joker who left you on edge more than anything else. The rest of the guards stepped outside, leaving only two inside the room as you watched Joker play with the materials on Sionis’ desk. You wondered for a split second what could have made Joker be so inhuman, so out of touch, so… psychotic. You’d always heard stories about his lack of care or empathy, or any regular human thinking. He was too far gone, more so than any other criminal within Gotham or other cities. He was one of the heavy hitters, one of the most dangerous. If you didn’t work with Penguin and be under his protection, you would fear him a little more than you did now. 

Still, caution was never overdone when it came to people like him. 

“So, do you think this plan will actually help lure him out?”, you knew where he was, but that wasn’t information for you to share. Not like you would have anyway. 

“I think it’ll get him motivated.”, Joker leaned back in his chair, his movements staying controlled as he looked at the ceiling. “Besides, the bank robbery isn’t the only thing that will get him out.”

You cocked an eyebrow at him. “What else then? Using Batman?”

“No, I have a trip down memory lane planned for us, something that will surely make him feel… nostalgic.”.

Nostalgia… 

What did he mean?

“Going back to old practices?”, you started to feel on edge, but covered it with indifference and annoyance. Though the annoyance was actually peeking through with every mysterious, open ended phrase he said. It made you want to punch him in the face. 

“No, I want to talk about our estranged relationship. I miss when he and I could play around and talk about life. I had my fun with him before, I think we’re over due for a reunion. It’ll be time for round two.”

“Round two?”, that piqued your interest, his entire spiel did. “You’ve gone head to head with him before?”

“We met for the first time maybe…. Five? No, six years ago. He wasn’t this stupid Hood character back then, but let me say, he had no originality back then either. He just stole someone else’s suit like now and made it his own.”

“Maybe he just likes to be a copycat. Can’t blame him, it’s easy to take over once someone is out of the picture. Reinventing the villain, you know.”, you rolled your eyes, annoyed that you were even entertaining him like this. Though a part of you wanted to know how exactly Joker and Red had met before. Was Red the reason Joker got put into Arkham?

“Reinventing is so boring. At least now it’s fun because I can kill him again!”

“Again?”, your brows furrowed. Joker.. killed Red?

Some of you found it hard to believe, another part wouldn’t believe it because if Red died, he would be about six feet under, not parading around the streets of Gotham looking to kill Joker. 

“I killed him once before but it was far more fun then. Didn’t even know it was him until I realized he was also going after the Bats!”

“If he’s supposed to be dead, how is he alive?”, you mocked. 

“I don’t know how he’s alive, but it doesn’t matter. He won’t be that way much longer.”

You crossed your arms, still looking at him from where he sat before turning and looking out the window at the city. 

“So, how did you kill him?”, you asked more out of genuine curiosity than care but still wanted to know more about Red. What you could from anyone that wasn’t him. 

“I blew him up!”, Joker’s hands made an exploding motion before he leaned forward and laughed. “Oh, I tied him up and beat him with a crowbar. He just laid there and took it like a champ! I must say it was boring, wish he would have fought a little more but hey, it was a fun party.”

“Was this before you were imprisoned in Arkham?”

“Wayyy before.”, he smiled at you with a maniacal smile before grabbing a pencil and messing with it. “I think it was around spring time, maybe April. Oh but it was snowing so who’s to say if it was actually in April.”

April… 

You looked at him, the tiniest sliver of realization clicking in your head. 

Six years ago…. April…

“So what, did he go by the Crimson Helmet or something stupid?”, you leaned on the desk slightly as you watched him, slowly losing patience in him and the conversation. 

“No, it was something funnier, like an animal or something.”

You raised an eyebrow at him . This man truly was delusional; he couldn't even remember the name of someone who’d given him this much trouble before. You rolled your eyes, finally getting away from the maniac and heading home.

“What was it…”, he muttered to himself. You pushed yourself off the desk, annoyed with the conversation as you walked towards the door, his words still ringing out. You wanted to sleep. You’d been here all night with them and this had gotten nowhere. Not to mention the rain was about to come down for the third time this week and you did not want to get caught in the rain again. 

“Rabbit… Rocket…”, he continued.

As you reached for the door, Joker stood in realization, his voice ripping through the silence as he laughed. You turned to look at him as he ran hands through his messy green hair and sucked in deep breaths to keep up with his laughter. Your hand was about to open the door before his voice forced you to pause. 

“I remember!”, he raised his voice. “He went by the Boy Blunder. The Bat’s little sidekick!”

You froze. 

Cold water dousing your skin, ice running through your veins. You felt the pit of your stomach drop as his words echoed within the walls of the room. Your heart was pounding in your chest, you felt your vision get hazy, your ears ringing in shock and disbelief as you slowly turned to look at Joker. He was still standing, his hands still through his hair as he walked over to the window and looking out. 

“Oh I remember, his bones cracked and he couldn’t talk, I’m guessing from all the blood in his collapsed lung and I broke a few ribs. He was far more rude than the first Boy Blunder, at least he had some manners.”

You felt the knife in your gut twist more with every word. The sinking realization flooding your body. The roof, the necklace, the earrings, the painting, the endless times he’d move you out of getting hurt, the way he refused to make any hit that would result in serious injury, the way he knew things about you that you’d never told him, after months…it all clicked. 

“You.. killed Batman’s sidekick?”

Joker’s wicked smile spread over his face, the skin stretching in a macabre and frightening way as he recalled the events of that night in the warehouse.

“Yes.”, he said in a dark, evil tone as his laugh cracked through the silence of the room. “And I can’t wait to do it again.”

A/N:

Hi everyone! I hope you've all had a great week and have had a good summer so far! Here is the next chapter! It's finally getting towards the ending, I think we have a handful of chapters before the series ends! Don't worry, I'm making sure it wraps up nicely!

Also I am also working on another mini series! Its a Jujutsu Kaisen mini series thats Sukuna x Reader so check that out if you like JJK!

Please keep the comments and messages coming, I love hearing from you guys!

See you next week xx.

[redditreceipts]

https://www.reddit.com/r/MtF/s/4O6r1DAeAq

"what about me? 🥺" i'm crying, TIMs sound so much like MRAs.

how does he somehow spin himself as the grand victim of society, and not the girls and women who suffer at the hand of his sex?

Okay so no offense, but is this guy like... intellectually disabled? I mean, it's really hard for me to comprehend that as a thirteen year-old, you don't know that as a boy, you don't go into the women's restroom. I imagine that the mom told him to go to the women's restroom when he was like six or something, and assumed that he'd stop doing that when he was older. Idk, this doesn't really sound like something that a child with a typical intellectual development would do.

Also, this story is so weird. First of all, how did he know that he should leave because he is a boy? And secondly, how do you know that your "friend" didn't tell her father to send you away because she thought that you were being weird? I remember that when I was younger and didn't have the guts to tell a friend that I was uncomfortable with them, I would tell my parents to invent some kind of excuse to get me out of that situation. If your friend was really comfortable with you, she would have sought your company by herself afterwards, right? Also, maybe the dad just sent you away because dinner was ready or the girl was grounded or something lmao

okay, this is the worst part. This is what I really hate about men complaining that the world is so "cruel" to them and that women are so cold. They keep on whining and moaning and complaining, but not ONCE do they ask why women behave this way. Do you fucking know the experience a twelve-year old girl has to make to behave in this way towards men? Do you know WHY women do that? BECAUSE IF WE DON'T, WE GET FUCKING KILLED. But instead of fucking talking to other men to change their creepy ass rapey behaviour, you'd rather complain about women being so mean.

I'd rather let a thousand men get depressed because I'm hostile towards them than give one man access to me and get raped or killed as a consequence. You want empathy? How about you afford it to the women who are afraid of you?

Oh man, and now he tries to pass it off as this super deep philosophical insight. I don't even think that he has 0 friends because he's a man, I just think that he's a self-centered crybaby. How can you be so selfish, honestly.

this is the reason why I have zero empathy for whiny men. And by that, I don't mean depressed men or anything, I just mean this self-centered, self-victimising whiny behaviour. It's so disgusting to me, and I've gotten to know so many men like that. get a grip

[rayclubs]

HxH Genei Ryodan is such a masterclass in humanizing villains, honestly to a ridiculous degree. They're legitimately terrifying, their crimes are cruel and inexcusable, the violent acts they commit are nearly always played seriously and condemned by the narrative, and yet I find myself rooting for them in every scene they're in.

It's not even the sad backstories some of them have, it's much deeper than that. I think I'm just fascinated with the intricate and peculiar friendship they all share. It's easier to get attached to comedy rather than drama, as a rule of thumb, and they're just endlessly funny.

I've been searching for examples of the interactions that stuck with me and was going to include screenshots but there are just way too many things. Like, okay, in no particular order:

Shizuku wearing Phinks' coat after her sweater gets torn in a fight.

Phinks tucking Kalluto under his arm like a chicken and carrying him out of an exploding building.

Nobunaga getting trapped in a pocket dimension and everybody agreeing that he should just stay there awhile because they've just taken a hostage and now there isn't enough space in the car.

Machi and Nobunaga hanging out like normal people, drinking beer and serving cunt effortlessly in stylistically matching outfits.

Kuroro getting a prediction that "the spider will lose half of its legs" and immediately going "nope not losing any of my men out there let's pack it"

Hisoka actually fucking saying "I can't tell you that. If I told you that, I would be telling you what I can't tell you. This is why I can't tell you that. That's all I can tell you." and they believed him. Maybe it's more normal with English subs, I dunno.

Everyone playing cards while Uvogin is fighting, all while talking about how good Uvogin is at fighting.

Uvogin giving Shalnark a little kissie. I don't even ship them, I think he just kisses all of his homies like a real man.

Franklin getting sent after a crate of beer. Like, that's just so funny to me. Errand boy.

Feitan and Shalnark calling Phinks "very feminine" and giggling.

Franklin and Nobunaga just fucking going at it, sword on gun violence, for no reason whatsoever. It seemed like they were having fun.

Nobunaga asking rhetorically how strong he is compared to the rest of the gang and them replying "7th or 8th idk" you fucking know they debated this.

Uvogin getting his dumb sexy ass captured and everyone showing up for him awww

Everyone being supportive of Shizuku being fucking stupid. Not even in a sweet way or anything, just kind of acknowledging that she has zero thoughts in her brain. "Shizuku why didn't you use your left hand" because she was spinning a vacuum cleaner in her mind, what's not clicking

Dunno what they call Kurapika in the English version but in the Russian subs they all collectively only ever refer to him as "ублюдок с цепями" or "the asshole with the chains".

Nobunaga immediately inviting two twelve-year-olds to join because he thinks they're hilarious, and everyone going "yeah okay as long as the boss is cool with it". You go Nobunaga, everybody grieves differently

The kids refuse and escape, go spying on the other members again, get caught again, and when Nobunaga sees them he's all "Wanna be friends now? ^^" <- nobody has anything against this

Feitan having his arm broken in a fight and Phinks going "HA!"

Literally every single time they toss a coin, but especially when Phinks and Bonolenov were arguing over who should fight Zazan if Feitan fucking dies???

Shalnark being a fucking gamer and inviting everyone else to speedrun Greed Island with him. Franklin going "no thanks" next shot he's in the goddamn game

Tossing the phone around. Can't remember whose phone it originally was but passing it around was hilarious every time. "We already killed the hostages" beep beep beep "Sorry I lied"

There are so many moments and I'm not even halfway done. Supreme quality villains. I need more of them. I need to inject them directly into my brain.

[separatist-apologist]

The Sweetest Con

Summary: Nesta Archeron has been trapped in witness protection for the past five years, hiding a secret no one can ever learn. All she has to do is wait out the criminals back home determined to punish her and her sisters for a lie they told years before.

She can handle anything- even the new agent sent to keep her safe.

Read on AO3 | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3

Nesta woke with a start to frosted windows and her ankle tied to a bedpost. “CASSIAN!” she screamed, voice hoarse from disuse.

“No need to shout,” he replied, sitting in a leather chair by an unlit fireplace. “I’ve been here the entire time.”

He had his wounded leg propped up on an ottoman. Shirtless, Cassian had on a pair of loose black basketball shorts and a pair of ankle socks, and his thigh was wrapped in a clean, white bandage. A prick of guilt slithered through her that she couldn’t quite banish despite what he’d done in response. Maybe they were even, she reasoned.

Or maybe he was a bastard who’d infiltrated her hidden life and now had her tied to a bed.

“Untie me,” she ordered, heart hammering in her chest.

Cassian cocked his head, dark hair spilling over broad, tattooed shoulders. “Are you sure that’s what you want?” “I’ll kill you,” she snapped.

He laughed. “You could have killed me days ago and you didn’t. You can’t kill me anymore than you can leave me, Nes. You know it.”

Looking up at the ceiling, Nesta reconsidered all her life choices. “Not killing you doesn’t mean I want to be with you.” “I assumed you wanted to be with me when I bent you over the kitchen table,” he deadpanned in response. 

“Let me go.”

He shrugged. “Okay. But there’s nowhere to run, Nes.”

“I’m not going—”

“Do me the favor of not lying to me,” he replied.

“Oh? Like you did?” she snapped in frustration. Cassian’s eyes widened ever so slightly, his guilt plain. “When did you decide you weren’t going to kill me?”

“Fuck, Nes, I was never planning to kill you. Ever.”

“Bullshit. Rhys sent you—”

“To keep tabs, that’s all. He wants your sister and she wants to be reunited with you and Elain. I was just watching until it was time to bring you back. I never had orders to kill you.” Nesta didn’t know how much of that she believed, despite the almost pained look on his face.

“And if he called you right now–”

“Christ, Nesta,” Cassian exploded, wincing as he rose to his feet. “Is it that difficult to believe I prefer you alive?”

“It’s difficult to believe you wouldn’t betray me if your boss told you to,” she sneered, heart racing. Nesta knew the truth—knew Cassian was no better than every other man she’d ever been with. They had no loyalty to her, and Cassian would betray her for his friends if they asked. All men did. 

Cassian untied the rope against her ankle, leaving Nesta to scramble to her feet, furious with him. She’d prove she was right. “I told the lie.”

Cassian sucked in a sharp breath. “What lie?”

Was he stupid? “The lie, Cassian. It was me—all my idea, my plan, my lie. I told Feyre to blame the murder on Rhys, I told the police it was him. This is all my fault. Does your precious Rhysand know that? Did you?”

Cassian took a breath, and then another. “So?”

Nesta blinked. “What?” “So fucking what, Nesta?” Cassian replied, crossing his arms over his naked chest. “Rhys thinks Feyre told the lie and you know what he’s doing right now?”

Nesta was too afraid to speak, to swallow the pooling saliva in her mouth. 

“He’s probably fucking her—”

“Don’t talk about her that way!” 

“No one cares about the goddamn lie, Nesta!” Cassian exploded, temper getting the better of him. “Did you think it would change my mind? Your father was a bastard—”

“Don’t talk about him that way, either!” she yelled back, not disagreeing with him. She merely wanted to fight him—if he’d told her his name was Cassian she’d have disagreed with him simply on principle. Nesta wanted to see how far she could push him before he inevitably backed off. Before he realized he wanted a fantasy and the woman beneath was no prize, nothing special. No one worth chasing across the country or obsessing over the way he was. 

“He was,” Cassian snarled as he stalked forward. “He would have done the same to you—would have traded you to someone worse if it suited him. What kind of father—”

Nesta slapped him. “Don’t,” she warned him, unable to listen to Cassian defend her. 

“Did it feel good to see his body?” Cassian asked her, gaze sharp and lethal. “Did you feel relieved knowing he couldn’t hurt you anymore? Or did you feel guilty, Nesta, that Feyre did the thing you’d always wanted to?”

“You don’t know anything about me,” she whispered, voice trembling.

“I know more than you think. I worked with your father, you forget,” he replied, coming closer still. Close enough she could feel the heat radiating off him. Nesta wanted to press her face against him and tell him everything. The life before her mother died, when her parents made it clear they loved each other first and their daughters second. Realizing the blatant favoritism and how even their attention felt like a curse. The downward spiral when her mother died and the different ways he played them off one another while acting hapless and confused.

And Cassian was right. Nesta did feel relief. And guilt, because what kind of terrible daughter wished her father was dead? What kind of horrible person wished she’d had the strength to do what Feyre had? 

Cassian’s callused palm caressed her cheek. “If I had known…I’d have done it for you,” he murmured. “You’re too sweet.” “No one thinks that about me,” Nesta bit back, hating the way tears were gathering against the corner of her eyes.

“No one knows you. Not like me,” he replied, his expression cautiously guarded. This time, when Nesta raised her hand to hit him, Cassian caught her wrist. It wasn’t a bruising hold but it was firm, his eyes flashing with warning. 

“You don’t know anything about me.”

“Keep telling yourself that,” Cassian breathed, crowding her personal space. “Push away everyone who loves you until you’re alone just to prove you deserve to be alone. The only person who thinks you’re unworthy of love is you, though. Not me, not your friends, and not your sisters, either.”

“What do you know about it?” she whispered, hating the hitch in her voice. Fuck him. Nesta hated him. She hated him for speaking about her insecurities with so much confidence, as if he had the right. 

“I know what it's like,” Cassian whispered in response, thumb rubbing a soft, soothing circle against her wrist. “My mom was murdered and my dad…I killed him. Hunted him down, let him see the man he refused to raise and the monster everyone said I’d be. He deserved it.”

Cassian spoke the words with such relish, his eyes bright as he conjured up memories of the past. “Would you do it again?” she asked him, throat dry.

“Yes,” he said without hesitation. “The only difference, I guess, would be my methods. I was too angry—I didn’t savor his pain. If I could go back, I’d prolong his suffering.”

“I think I’m a bad person,” she whispered, hating the way her body started to shake. “I couldn’t keep them safe. It was Feyre—Feyre who saved us. And she’s still…she’s in danger and I’m here, useless—”

“Don’t,” Cassian interrupted, his expression fierce. “Don’t talk about yourself that way. Not in front of me.”

“Someone should,” she snapped, wrenching her hand from his grasp. “What good is it to pretend otherwise?”

Cassian shook his head. “No one thinks half as harshly about you as you do.”

“I should have—”

“You’re sweet,” Cassian insisted, stepping in front of her as she tried to leave the bedroom. “My sweet Nesta.”

“No one thinks that.”

“No one knows you like I do. Someone told you you were cold and harsh, once, and you’ve never forgotten. But they were wrong about you. Let me be your weapon, Nes. Please.”

“And what do I do, then? Sit at home and—” “You asked me if I’d kill you if Rhys ordered me to?” Cassian began, eyes glittering with something that looked like triumph. “Ask me if I’d kill Rhys if you told me to.”

She just barely got the question out. “Would you?”

“Yes.” Spoken easily, without hesitation. “If you had a sword, I’d kneel and allow you to knight me. If you were a Queen, I’d beg you to make me your General. Your enemies are mine, your banner the only loyalty I know, your command my edict.”

“You like poetry now?” she asked, strangely embarrassed by his declaration.

“I read too, you know,” Cassian told her gently. But Nesta didn’t know that. While he’d been studying her, she’d been largely ignoring anything to do with him that didn’t involve his body laying atop her own. 

“You’re a bad man, Cassian,” she murmured, trying one last time. One last test, just to see, at least for now. Maybe there would be another someday, and maybe he’d let her down eventually.

But right then, Nesta saw his determination coupled with his realization he nearly had her. Damn him. 

“I never said otherwise,” he murmured, eyes soft. “I’ll be good to you, though.”

“Is this what you call good?”

He grinned. “How long did you know?”

“The minute you walked to my door,” she replied as he stared back at her incredulously. “You look nothing like a cop—”

“A compliment—”

“And also I can google. Do you think I didn’t look you all up years ago?”

“Ferye didn’t,” Cassian said with a smug smile. Nesta bit back the urge to scream a little. Feyre didn’t even google Rhys? It was so like her, to just put it all from her mind and trust that fate would guide her. And Rhys… “Is she safe?”

“Yes,” Cassian said solemnly, and Nesta believed he wouldn’t lie to her. Not about this, anyway. Nesta felt off kilter, unsure what to do or say next. It took her a moment to remember it all—he’d put a cloth over her face filled with chloroform and Gwyn and Em—

“My friends—”

Cassian grimaced. “Mor and Em are fine…well…Em is fine. Mor is…getting what she deserves, I think.”

“And Gwyn?”

“Az took her with him.”

Nesta was going to kill him. “Took her where?”

Cassian’s eyes slid to the floor. “I uh…I’m not sure.”

Nesta punched him hard in the shoulder.

“Ow! I didn’t kidnap her!”

“No, but you brought him to us!”

“Well, shit, Nes, I didn’t know he was gonna get obsessed when she put a gun in his face. Though…now that I think about it…I probably should have known,” Cassian mused, hazel eyes far away. “He’s always been…”

“Cassian, I don’t think you can judge him,” Nesta said, mind racing. Gwyn would be fine…right? “He’s not the…he wouldn’t…he respects the word no, right?”

Cassian’s eyes widened. “Of course. I’m sure he wouldn’t…do that.”

“How sure?”

Cassian’s gaze searched her own, face serious. “If he hurts her, I’ll kill him for you.”

Nesta wasn’t sure she believed that, but his words soothed her a little.

“Besides, from the last update we got, it sounds like she’s giving him a difficult time.”

Nesta was tempted to press him, but Cassian turned and asked if she was ready to go home with a wariness that betrayed how nervous he was. She wasn’t leaving him, though—even if it was a betrayal of her time in witness protection. She was ready to go back to living her actual life, to stop pretending to be Agnes, a woman she hated, and living in a place she loathed.

Rhys knew the truth and he didn’t want them dead for it. And Cassian…a million memories slithered through her mind. He’d cooked with her and done yoga, and—

“Did you kill Tomas?”

“Of course,” he replied easily, tossing a couple things into an open canvas bag. Nesta didn’t know why it mattered, but she crossed the wood floor all the same to fling her arms around his neck. 

“Thank you.”

Cassian hugged her back warmly and without hesitation. She felt him inhale the scent of her hair, hand spanning the entirety of her back. “For what? I love killing.”

“Cassian…you know thats fucked up, right?”

He shrugged. “We all have our talents.”

“Take me home, Cassian,” she murmured. Cassian only smiled, lips in her hair.

“Consider it done.”

CASSIAN:

In his wildest dreams, Cassian never expected Nesta to come as easily as she did, in the end. Perched in the passenger seat, Nesta complained about the music he listened to—Divorced Dad Rock, she claimed—the route he took—What is your obsession with backroads—and the way he drove—Get your hand off my knee, Cassian. 

With any other woman, in any other circumstance, it would have been a nightmare. He’d have been ready to commit a trail of homicides before he ever reached home, but listening to Nesta settled something restless and wild in Cassian’s chest. After a lifetime of violence, she made him feel safe, somehow. 

It didn’t hurt that she had a gun holstered to her thigh and those sharp eyes kept vigil even at night. Nesta didn’t relax until the doors were locked, the curtains drawn, and the closets checked for monsters. Was it him, he wondered, that made her look? Or the life she’d lived before him? Cassian drew up the courage to ask the night before they arrived home, holding Nesta in his arms.

“Are you afraid of me?” he asked into her hair, unsure what he’d say if she did.

Nesta snorted. “Of you? No.”

“Then why—”

“Habit,” she replied, reading his mind. “It doesn’t hurt anything though, does it?”

“I just needed to know.”

They fell back into silence, half asleep even as Cassian’s mind whirled. What was Rhys going to say when he came home like this? Maybe he ought to put a ring on Nesta’s finger…just in case. 

“Nes?”

She merely hummed in response.

“We should get married.”

There was a very pregnant pause in the dark. “Is there a question in there somewhere?” Nesta finally asked, rolling over so she laid on her back.

“If I ask, you might say no. I’m telling you we’re getting married.”

Nesta leaned up on her elbows while Cassian tried to suppress his grin. If he wasn’t careful, she’d shoot him again. Why did that turn him on? 

“You’re telling me?” she repeated, her voice lethally soft. “Do you want to try again? I’ll pretend I never heard you say that.”

“No.”

In that, Cassian was certain. If he gave her the option, it was too risky that Nesta would say no. She’d fight him no matter what, but this way, at least she knew the outcome. He’d take her to the altar kicking and screaming if he had to. But Nesta was going. 

“Cassian—”

Cassian had her before she could raise her fist, pinning her beneath him quickly. Using his knee to spread her legs, Cassian settled himself between her thighs before lowering her head.

“Do you imagine a life without me, Nes?”

“Maybe.”

That wounded him, though he was determined not to show it. “Oh? And how do you figure?”

“Maybe I’ll get bored of you,” Nesta said in that flippant, bratty way of hers. The words shot straight to his balls which irritated him. He was never going to win a fight against her if he couldn’t keep his body in check. 

“Yeah?” he questioned, teeth tugging roughly at the lobe of her ear. “Do you think I’ll ever be bored of you?”

“Probably,” Nesta said, though there was a breathless quality to her voice. “Maybe you’d prefer someone less difficult.”

“Don’t sound so hopeful, Nes. There will be no one else. For either of us,” he added, just in case she thought he was giving himself some sort of out. 

“Cassian—”

“You shot me, remember?” he said, pressing a kiss to the side of her neck. He would like a recreation of that moment. Nesta, gun pointed at him, Cassian, helpless. Though, he’d prefer it ended with him fucking her against a wood floor rather than picking a bullet out of his leg. 

“And that made you want to marry me?” Nesta asked, fingers brushing the stubble of his cheek.

“No,” he admitted, “though it certainly didn’t hurt anything. The sight of a gun in your hands, I just…fuck. Tomorrow. We’ll get married tomorrow.”

“How do you think we’re going to get married? We don’t have paperwork, a license—”

“I’ll figure it out,” Cassian interrupted. 

“Do I have a choice, Cass?”

“You could shoot me again. Run off, if you want. But I’d find you,” he added, just in case there was any doubt. “I’d bring you back.”

“Seems you’ve got it all figured out.”

“I’d like it better if you were excited,” Cassian murmured, kissing just beneath her jaw. “If you said yes.”

“You’d have to ask me a question if you wanted that,” Nesta replied blithely. 

Fuck he wanted her.

“Marry me?” he asked, changing his inflection just enough it was a question.

“No.”

Cassian covered her mouth with his own, kissing her with a brutal intensity that left him breathless. Desperate. Of course she said no. She likely had to, couldn’t have said yes even if she wanted to and still it did something for him. 

“Marry me, Nesta?” he whispered again, lips inches from her own.

“No,” she said again, though there was a whine to her voice that hadn’t been there before. Cassian kissed again, and again, his tongue stroking her own as his hands began skimming down her sides. How long before she said yes? Would they be fifty years in before Nesta finally admitted she liked being his wife? Three kids, eight grandchildren later?

Cassian ignored his desperate need to hear her say yes in favor of making her want him again. It felt as though it had been a lifetime since he’d last felt her beneath him, but right then he thought if he didn’t touch her, taste her, he’d go mad from wanting. Why was she wearing so much clothing? Nesta was in one of his t-shirts and a pair of underwear, all of which felt criminal right then.

He’d marry her, and then he’d keep her naked in his house, he decided. She could do whatever she wanted so long as she did it without a top. Cassian pulled it off over her head, dislodging the bun of hair she’d set just before they’d fallen asleep.

“I put moisturizer on—”

“I don’t care,” he growled, kissing her again. Fuck her skincare routine, and her pretty hair, and everything else. Cassian liked Nesta when she was fussy because it made undoing her all the more fun. Raking his fingers through her silken hair with one hand, Cassian used the other to palm her large, soft breast. He was painfully erect and making it her problem, grinding himself against her pelvis until he could feel her arousal through the thin fabric of her panties. 

“Cassian…” Nesta breathed, arching her neck as he began to drag his mouth down her skin.

“Marry me,” he replied, certain he’d be repeating this well into fucking her. 

“Shut up, Cassian,” Nesta replied, just in time for Cassian to lick her nipple. He sucked a little harder than he needed to, groaning when she arched into him. Her hand slid between his legs for his cock, squeezing a warning.

“Do that again,” she whispered, her eyes somehow bright even in the pitch dark. “I dare you.”

“Fuck,” he panted, wishing she’d keep stroking. Nesta released her grip in favor of raking her nails down his back before her palms settled on his shoulders to push him lower.

Cassian settled between her legs, peering up at her in the dark. “Are you going to marry me?”

“I guess it depends how well you do tonight,” she replied, which was an improvement from the outright no of before. 

“When have I ever done a bad job?” Cassian asked as he slid the fabric of her white panties to the side. There was something about letting her wear them that turned him on. Like he was doing something he shouldn’t, touching something forbidden. Nesta was a lady—she should have been off-limits.

And there he was, running his bloodstained hands all over her immaculate skin. This was Cassian’s religion, his home—his purpose. How could she not want to marry him when he’d never been more sure of anything in his life? That first taste of her felt holy, and when her legs fell fully open, Cassian truly believed there had to be some sort of higher power.

How else did you explain a woman like Nesta Archeron? 

Nesta’s fingers found his hair as he began to lick at her, taking his time in the dark. Where did he have to be? Outside of just returning home and telling Rhys what he’d done, Cassian didn’t need to be anywhere at all—and Rhys could wait, besides.

Rhys would wait. 

Cassian took his time, eyes adjusted to the dark as he licked slow circles around her clit. His fingers teased, using the fabric of her underwear to rile her up until Nesta was panting, thighs squeezed tight around his face.

“Cassian—”

“Are you going to marry me?”

“Cassian!” she replied, but he’d pulled away entirely to look at her. He wanted to hear her say yes—it was killing him that she wouldn’t, and if that was the only way he’d get that answer, well…

He’d done worse things than this. 

“Cassian, please,” Nesta all but begged, and he couldn’t stand that, either. Maybe it was just his aching cock begging him to get on with things, but Cassian returned his mouth to her pussy, licking faster this time because he wanted to hear her come. He’d missed the sound of her breathy sighs and the way her chest flushed red when she got close. Nesta’s legs trembled, arching and rolling against him in a mimicry of fucking. 

He needed to be inside her more than he needed anything else. Cassian pulled her close, wishing he’d sat her on his face so at least she could touch him. That was heaven and hell all at once, the desperate need to taste her and the frantic urge to fuck her. 

Cassian pulled back moments before Nesta came, panting roughly as he pulled his cock from his pants. Nesta whined, arching her back so her nipples pointed directly at the ceiling. Fuck.

“Marry me, Nesta.”

“Yes,” she replied, too lost to pleasure to think about fighting him. Cassian was quick to slide his cock into her body, using the pad of his thumb to rub her clit so Nesta came as he was entering her body. He felt her tighten around him, the sensation causing his eyes to roll up into his head. She was so wet—so warm. Cassian laid himself against, letting himself feel the waves of her pleasure against his otherwise still cock—he was too close and he hadn’t done a damn thing. 

“No take backs, Nesta,” he whispered against her ear.

“We both knew I was going to say yes,” she replied, eyes fluttering open to look at him. “I just wanted to give you a little hell.”

“I like hell,” Cassian murmured, kissing the corner of her mouth. “And I love you.”

Nesta smiled, a sweet smile on her lips. “I know you do.”

If he’d been in his right mind, Cassian might have demanded she say it back. It was very Nesta not to say it, to let him wonder if she meant it. But he knew, as she reached for him, that Nesta felt the same. He didn’t need words—her actions screamed it. 

Cassian had pulled himself out and was simply too drunk on the woman beneath him to care about anything else. Especially when her whole body tightened as he reentered her body, drawing a ragged whimper from Cassian’s lips. Somewhere in his head, he thought he heard Nesta asking for more. Maybe that was merely wishful thinking—Cassian couldn’t be sure.

He pumped, though, fingers slipping between their sweat slicked bodies until he found her clit again. He needed to hear her, needed to feel her. He was dangling on a precipice and yet he couldn’t finish, in part, he thought, because he wanted to feel the rhythmic clenching on his cock again.

Nesta came loud enough that if they had neighbors in the hall, they certainly heard her. Assuming, of course, the headboard knocking against the wall hadn’t alerted everyone to what they were up to. Cassian didn’t care, spilling himself right behind her the moment he felt her tighten around him like a vice. His orgasm ripped through him like a bomb, making a fool of him as he panted and pleaded her name. 

Nesta, Nesta, Nesta. 

Reality slipped back in like an unwanted house guest, forcing Cassian out of Nesta so she could quickly make her way to the bathroom, complaining about how much he’d come. As if that was a bad thing. 

“Cass?” Nesta asked, naked and illuminated by the harsh glow of the bathroom lights. He was once again struck by how beautiful she was. Ethereal, like some kind of angel sent from heaven to shoot him with his own gun. 

“Yeah?” he said, eyes on her face though he was looking at her boobs through his periphery.

“Can we…stay…for a day or two? Before we go back? Just us?” she added.

Cassian grinned, beckoning for her to come join him in bed.

“Whatever you want.”

And he meant it. Whatever she wanted.

Forever.

[nayziiz]

Witness | CL16

Summary: In the shadowy world of Monaco's elite, the Leclerc family reigns supreme. Charles Leclerc, the charming middle son, maintains their pristine public image—until one rainy night, during a fit of rage, Charles does the unthinkable. A young woman witnesses his actions, and her terrified eyes haunt him. Consumed by guilt and fear of exposure, Charles embarks on a desperate search to find her before she can destroy his family’s legacy. As he delves deeper into Monaco's underbelly, Charles must confront his own darkness and the lengths he will go to protect his family.

Pairing: Charles Leclerc x OC (Marie)

Warnings: Violence, blood, angst

Author's Note: Sorry for the delayed updates - life has been running circles around me this week. Hoping to get back into a stable routine again next week.

Masterlist

Charles desperately needed advice from Lorenzo on what to do, but he didn’t want to implicate his brother, with a baby on the way, nonetheless. It was his problem and he needed to clean up his mess. But more than that, he knew the person threatening him could do quite a bit of damage, because unlike Marie, this person had video footage. Worst of all, the video contained enough footage to clearly identify Marie, who would be seen as an accomplice to the murder since she didn’t report it.

Chapter 6

Just when Charles thought the damage control was done, he received word through one of his guards that someone else witnessed the murder. Not only did they see Charles kill a man in cold blood, but they saw Marie. They saw Marie run away and they saw that Charles did nothing to silence her permanently. They saw Charles take pity on her because he wanted to protect himself and his family.

Charles knew that he needed to protect her, whether she liked it or not. So, he sent his men out to keep an eye out for her, to steer any potential threats away from her. Of course she picked up on it after a day, but she tried her best to ignore it. She assumed he wanted to remind her of her promise to not tell anyone. Charles needed to speak with her too, to explain why he had his men following her again, that he wasn’t threatened by her, but that he wanted to make sure she stayed safe.

Perhaps it wasn’t the smartest idea to approach her late at night after her shift as she walked home. She could hear his footsteps behind her. She knew his men would never let someone follow her so closely in the dark without making their presence known. She could only assume it was Charles himself who was walking a few metres behind her. She came to an abrupt halt and spun around before stalking towards Charles who she could now make out under the misty moonlight.

“Is there a reason you’re following me in the fucking dark, Mr Leclerc?” She snapped at him once she was face-to-face with him.

“I realise this may look suspicious,” he began, but she interrupted him.

“Is this how it ends? Will you be bludgeoning me to death as well or have you found some other way to dispose of me?” Marie countered, but once she saw the colour drain from his face and his small smile fade, she knew she had overstepped. “I’m sorry. It’s been a long day and I’m tired. I didn’t think you’d be following me tonight.”

“You have every right to be mad at me, but please know that I will not be harming you at all, Ms Dupont. I assure you,” Charles insisted, his voice soft and tender as he spoke to her. “But, that doesn’t mean someone else won’t.”

“What do you mean?” Marie asked, confused.

“It has come to my attention that there was a third individual in the area that night who… witnessed the murder. They saw me. They saw you. And, now they are threatening me with video evidence if I don’t pay them quite a handsome amount of money. They are also painting you out to be an accomplice because there was no police report filed,” Charles explained.

“So, that’s why you have your men stationed around me?” Marie realised.

“It’s the least I can do after everything,” Charles replied. “You were an innocent witness, you shouldn’t have to be punished for something I did.”

Marie remained quiet for a moment as she contemplated his admission. She appreciated the fact that he was upfront about the blackmailer.

“How much do they want in exchange for their silence?” Marie wondered.

“5,000,000 Euros” Charles mumbled.

“Damn,” Marie muttered before scratching around in her purse. “I have 2 Euros to help you out, you know, since I’m an accomplice now. I’m sure you can handle the rest, no?”

It took Charles a few seconds to register her attempted joke before he chuckled at her making light of the situation.

“If I had my way, they wouldn’t get a cent, especially from you,” Charles informed her and attempted a half-hearted smile. Marie mirrored his weak smile and looked around, spotting several of Charles’s men nearby.

“Would you like to walk me home? We’re halfway there anyway,” she wondered.

“Of course,” Charles agreed before they started walking side-by-side in the direction of her apartment building.

She didn’t plan on drifting off to sleep, but there was something about the silence of the night and having someone in the apartment with her that made her mind relax for the first time in weeks. She may not have trusted Charles completely, but he had proven to her on several occasions that he was in fact not going to harm her.

He carried her to her bedroom and covered her with her blanket before retreating back into the living room area. He tried to tidy up a bit, but didn’t know where most of the things went, so he gave up and went to rinse out their coffee mugs. When he dried his hands, he turned around and surveyed the open plan apartment. The last time he was in such a humble home was when he was still a young boy before his parents made a name for themselves. He thought back to some fond memories of reading books with his mom and watching racing with his father in their first family home. He choked back his tears reminiscing of a life with no worry and pulled out his wallet. He left all the cash he had on him on the counter for Marie to find the following morning when she woke up. He also left a note with his phone number on it, just in case she needed to get hold of him for whatever reason.

He didn’t want to leave one of his men in her apartment, as much as he wanted to for her safety, but he respected her boundaries and privacy. Instead, he arranged with the building manager that one of his men disguise himself as a roaming security guard on her floor while a second guard remained stationed in the building lobby, observing the people coming and going and a third guard at the building’s back entrance for good measure. There was no way he was going to let her get hurt because of him.

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