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allbark-no-bite · 2 months

Text

call it brotherhood (not love).

jake seresin x reader (wc: 6.2k)

summary: jake meets his match in a soldier rather than a sailor. you’re a bit more war torn than he expected, but it’s okay because maybe he is too

warnings: 18+ smut, * graphic descriptions of injuries and death ⚠️

* if you are uncomfortable with this, please don’t read

author’s note: spoiler alert, i know this isn’t the Jake fic that you’ve all been wanting but i swear that one is in the works. i’m about to go back to school and wanted to get this out there for y’all :) (ps i apologize for the lazy ending)

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"At ease, gentlemen —And woman," Admiral Simpson adds after a moment, shooting an uncharacteristically apprehensive look in Phoenix's direction. Payback snorts at his hasty correction, and Jake is surprised when the admiral doesn't fix him with a nasty look.

If the man's cursory show of inclusion perturbs the female pilot, she doesn't show it, and instead she takes a seat with all the rest of them. Jake turns back towards the front of the ready room, sinking down into his chair just a bit, toothpick clenched between his teeth as he waits for the admiral to address them.

However routine, this training meeting was a bit out of left field, especially for a Sunday afternoon. The Dagger squad typically had one weekly, but it was usually led by Maverick and much more informal. That wasn't to say that seeing Beau was surprising, but the man usually steered clear of the wayward captain and left him to his own devices when it came to training the Daggers.

Today the captain sits in the ready room beside the rest of the pilots. Jake watches as Bradley sends his godfather an inquisitive brow from across the room, to which the older man just shrugs. Interesting.

Cyclone clears his throat. "Good afternoon. I apologize for keeping you all, but I promise this will only take a minute of your time. As I'm sure you are all aware, the United States Department of Defense takes immense pride in maintaining one of the most well integrated military forces in the world. It's our job to work closely with other service members to ensure their safety and the safety of our nation." He pauses. "As experienced as you all are, your time here at Topgun has not reflected that."

Jake's brow furrows, his tongue worrying at the toothpick clenched between his teeth as he listens to the admiral go on. Javy shoots him a look but Jake stares ahead, waiting for Beau to continue.

"The permanent installment of your squad here at Miramar was to create a tightly knit group of elite fighter pilots who would be available at a moment's notice, and however successful that may have been, I cannot neglect the fact that comfort builds complacency. Later today, a squad of U.S. Army soldiers will be arriving to aide in your training for the next six weeks. The integration of mixed branch training units has been widely effective around the country, and it's about time we do the same here at Miramar."

With that, the screen positioned on the wall behind him lights up, displaying enlarged headshots of about eight soldiers. The first seven are males of varying ages, but none older than probably thirty. Jake quickly skims over their names and credentials, but when he gets to the last profile, his eyes stop.

The last solider is the only female projected on the screen, but even so she stands out as compared to all the other members of her squad. He can't quite put his finger on why though.

She's uncharacteristically pretty. And by that he means that to most, her appearance would be inherently off putting— even without the straight-mouthed scowl on her face. She's got a square, almost masculine like jawline that hardens her features considerably. Her hair is light, worn from spending too much time in the sun regardless of however dark it may have been naturally. The same goes for her skin, which is comparably bronze in contrast to the tan line on her forehead, he would assume from wearing a patrol cap out in the field.

Her eyes are wild.

And that's when it hits him.

She'd been all over the news just a few months ago. Something about a patrol gone wrong out in the Middle East, which ultimately turned into a high stakes rescue mission to extract the surviving soldiers. They went in hoping to bring back nine men and came out with one. Apparently they didn't even get to recover the bodies.

Jake can't imagine what that'll do to a person.

Before he can stare at her profile any longer, Cyclone quickly clicks off the projection and the image disappears. This time he appears almost nervous as he stares back at them. "These soldiers are recently returning from a deployment in the Middle East, so I trust that you all will do your best to make them feel welcome. If none of you have any questions, that is all. You're dismissed."

---

The following morning, the Jake receives word from Maverick that the Admiral wants to see him in his office. It's not a strange request but certainly raises Jake's attention as to why specifically he was needed.

Upon entering the room, Jake finds not only the Admiral but Maverick and another female that he's yet to have seen before. All heads turn towards him when he enters, as if he were interrupting something. Immediately, Jake snaps to attention, his heels clicking together and his fingers brushing his brow with a sharpness that would make the academy proud.

Cyclone nods in his direction, acknowledging Jake's customary greeting and dismissing him with the notion. "Lt. Seresin," he begins, gesturing to the female standing across the room. "This is Lt. (L/n). She's uh—a member of the squad that I briefed you on yesterday."

He hadn't noticed that she was wearing Army OCPs but he connects the dots as soon as the admiral mentions her name. He remembers reading it on the projector during the meeting.

Rather than introducing herself, the soldier stands rigidly across from him, her arms folded in front of her chest with a look on her face that Jake can only describe as fucking pissed. Unsure of what to do but aware from personal experience with Phoenix that he shouldn't try to cross any unknown boundaries, Jake settles for offering her a respectful nod. She glares back at him.

"You're two of our only service members with active combat experience," Cyclone continues, obviously ignoring the girl's crossed disposition. "I'm hoping that you and Lt. (L/n) can find some common ground. Perhaps it would do you both some good to—"

"Respectfully, sir, if I wanted to vent to someone about my feelings, I'd go see a shrink," the woman growls. "I recommend you do the same, Lt. Seresin." Her tone makes Jake's brow raise slightly in surprise. No one talks to an admiral like that, not even Pete Mitchell.

"Lt. (L/n)," Cyclone snaps. "That's quite enough."

This time, she rolls her eyes with a scoff. "You can't just—"

"Get out."

She clamps her jaw shut but doesn't budge from where her feet are planted in the ground.

"I said, Get. Out," Cyclone reiterates.

The eyes that had caught Jake's attention in the first place fix the admiral with a chilling stare. To Jake, there's something familiar in those eyes. Some sort of unmistakably justifiable rage that runs deeper than just being dismissed from the conversation. Jake watches, his breath stalled as she sets her jaw, unwilling to move, when it hits him. Identical jawlines and untwitching scowls mirror each other.

The illegitimate child of Admiral Beau Simpson stands before him.

He doesn't know how he didn't see it before, granted they don't share a last name, but Jake was aware that the Admiral was divorced, had been for a while. Allegedly he wasn't the marrying type. Jake isn't surprised by the statement. Beau Simpson is a hard man to deal with.

Jake watches in silence as the girl ultimately releases an irritated huff and storms out of the office, slamming the door behind her. He can hear the loud, petulant stomp of her boots as she retreats down the hall. Evidently her looks weren't the only thing that she got from her dad. She had a temper that rivaled even Bradshaw's.

The clearing of the Admiral's throat removes Jake's eyes from the door. "I hope you can forgive my daughter's behavior. Her return to the states has been...difficult."

"I'm sure difficult is the way she would describe you too sir," Maverick jokes.

Cyclone fixes him with a perturbed glare but decidedly ignores his comment in favor of addressing Jake. "Lt. (L/n)'s squadron was ambushed six months ago. Just about everything that could have gone wrong went wrong and she was the only survivor. As her father, I wanted her to accept the Purple Heart and retire." He gestures flippantly towards the door. "Obviously that's not what she did."

Jake speaks for the first time since he entered the room. "Respectfully, sir, I don't blame her. I'm taking this career to the grave. I'm sure both your daughter and Captain Mitchell can agree," he adds glancing over at his instructor.

Before Maverick can voice his agreement, the admiral cuts him off.

"As I'm sure Captain Mitchell can attest to, as her father, I'm just trying to look out for her."

With his preexisting connection to Rooster, the godson that he would risk his career to protect, Maverick has no room to disagree with the admiral. For once, the captain, who usually always has something to say, stands with his palms folded behind his back and keeps his mouth shut.

"As I was saying," Cyclone continues, taking a seat behind his desk and kicking back as if to signal that he's won the conversation. "It is my hope that given your own—" the admiral hesitates for just a moment too long for Jake's liking "—personal experience, you'll be able to get through to her."

Jake swallows and hopes that he doesn't look as uneasy as the insinuation makes him feel. He has to take a moment to reassure himself that the psych unit has repeatedly cleared him for duty and that no one's threatening to take his wings away.

The nights that he wakes up, drenched in sweat, with his fingers wrapped around imaginary joysticks hard enough to make his palms bleed are few and far in between these days. And even those he's gotten good enough at faking like they don't bother him because he hasn't failed a psych evaluation in months.

It doesn't mean he likes to talk about it or that he won't hear the fear in Rooster's voice if he does.

But he's more scared of not flying than anything, so all Jake does is nod and offer a dry, "I'll do my best, sir."

———

PTSD or modern day shell-shock is what they like to call it. You call it waiting on the other shoe to drop.

Because there is always another shoe.

The slam of a beer bottle down on the bar top lights your nerves up like nothing else. It sends your heart straight to your stomach and makes your palms sweat like when you miss a step on the stairs and for a split second, you think you're going to die. You never do of course, but your body is hard wired that way to keep you alive.

There's a flaw in your system that hasn't been right since the east.

You knew that a popular naval bar on a Friday night wasn't the best place for you these days but your nerves had been yearning for an ice cold beer and fuck all if you weren't going to get one. The alcohol would soothe your nerves anyhow.

But after thirty minutes of waiting on said beer, you were beginning to lose your patience. Normally you weren't bothered by that kind of thing. The place was obviously busy and the lone woman behind the bar was doing her best to satisfy the flock of servicemen that only seemed to accumulate with every beer that she handed out.

Just when you're about to give up and leave, a large hand covers your lower back, pressing you forwards through the crowd and toward the bar top.

"Two more on me, please, Penny."

The voice belongs to the tall man standing behind you. He's removed his firm, but respectfully placed palm from your back and is now leaning over you to accept the two dripping bottles of beer. It doesn't take you long to recognize the green of his eyes from a few days prior.

"My dad didn't put you up to this did he?" you ask, somewhat reluctantly taking the bottle that he offers you. It's finger numbing cold, just how you like it.

He kind of just slowly smiles and shakes his head.

Immediately you feel like a jerk. You sigh, dropping your shoulders and smile softly back. "Sorry. That was rude."

"No, ma'am, he didn't. Just had to find out if you smiled like that all the time."

The part of you that's a little bit of a bitch makes you clench your teeth together, tightening the smile that was once spread across your lips. "I'm not looking for that kind of thing right now," is all you say.

You want to tell him that you used to not be so mean.

At the realization that his words had the exact opposite effect of what he was going for, the guy graciously extends his hand. "Look I don't mean to bother you, I just wanted to say hi."

Despite not being keen on his advances, you aren't going to be rude so you accept his outstretched hand. You're surprised by his gentleness. It's not the rough, over-masculine shake you are expecting.

"Lieutenant (Y/n) (L/n)."

"I know your name," he admits with a light, almost embarrassed laugh. "I think everybody in here knows your name."

Your skin prickles. You stare at him stoney faced, bracing yourself for what's going to come out of his mouth. "Why's that?"

The guy—Lt. Seresin—you're remembering, shrugs. "I mean, you're quite the story back here in the states. A bit of a ghost story, I must say."

Ghost story is right. Because who survives that? How the fuck does a twenty-two year old girl survive an outnumbered ambush and not eight men with years of experience? Not someone who deserves to be called a hero, that's for sure.

You're trying your best to keep your cool with him. You know that you're in a public space and he's just being friendly. You used to be so good at this kind of thing, the flirting and small talk.

The thought occurs to you that maybe this is what you need. Maybe this will make you feel normal again. You need to feel normal again.

Maybe that is why you let him lean in closer, buy you another drink when yours runs dry, and another one after that. Maybe that is why you make an effort to laugh when he does, and you close your eyes when he reaches out to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear.

You let out the breath that's been tightening your ribcage and do your best to smile. "Thank you for the beer. You didn't have to do that." You hope the words sound as genuine as they're intended to.

He smiles back like he's supposed to, all polite and inherently forgiving of your original attitude. You catch onto the way it doesn't quite reach his eyes. You're not sure why but it makes you think maybe he's just a bit sad too.

Maybe that is why he lets you wordlessly take his hand and lead him to the back of the bar. Maybe that is why he lets you sink to your knees on the cold, sticky tiles of the men's bathroom floor, his hands already fumbling to unbuckle his belt.

It smells like beer and piss, and you don't even wait for him to get fully hard before you take him in your mouth, your nose buried into his pelvis, where it smells like sweat. It's all wrong and right at the same time, and he won't ask you to stop. He just curls his fingers into a fistful of your hair, pinpricks stinging at your scalp the same way tears sting at your eyes.

He—Jake—he'd told you a while ago, has a pretty cock. At least as pretty as cocks go. Pink and ruddy at the tip, where it mushroomed beautifully. Almost dauntingly long but not grossly so with a throbbing vein on the underside. You run your tongue along it and he muffles a whimper, his fingers wrapping harder around your hair in an effort not to buck up into your mouth. At least he's a gentleman about it.

He's heavy and twitching in your mouth. You feel heavy. He is standing above you, a harsh line of a man against the buzzing bathroom light. You remind yourself to breathe through your nose and he punches himself further, the head of his cock skimming the back of your throat.

You swallow around him, trying to hold together what little is left of your remaining sense of self. It's been a while since you've been so careless as to place yourself in someone else's hands, rolled over and showed your belly to someone who could easily take advantage of you.

Your jaw aches, uncomfortable and familiar, like something you don't want to remember. Tears well up behind your eyes, the threat of an unwanted but unknown feeling looming just out of reach. Jake's hand in your hair hold your head firmly against his pelvis, hips rocking up into your mouth. He sighs like he can finally breathe.

You can't breathe.

You try to and something rasps inside of you, choking. The feeling that had been looming threateningly sparkles through you. Panic.

You know that he tries to settle you, does his best to wipe the tears leaking from your eyes with his thumbs and murmurs softly to you. "Breathe. It's okay, breathe for me."

You can't. You can't breathe.

Your head is pounding and suddenly you aren't kneeling on the bathroom floor of the bar. You're on the ground, crying, screaming like a wounded animal and no one is coming to help. You can almost feel the dirt under your knees, taste the blood in your mouth.

"Y/N, you have to breathe."

Someone's grabbing you, hauling your useless feet across the floor. Your chest hurts like you've been punched with a bowling ball.

"C'mon, let's get some air."

How you end up outside the bathroom is beside you. All you know is one minute you're dying on your knees back in the desert and the next you're being sat down on the back steps of the bar.

The cool air of the San Diego evening brings you back. That and the press of a cup of ice water to your lips, the condensation dripping from the glass and rolling down your throat. You swallow, letting the cool liquid soothe your burning throat.

You're aware of Jake sitting down beside you, close enough to touch if he wanted to but still keeping his distance. You can feel his eyes on you, watching carefully for a moment before he turns to stare out at the not so distance shoreline.

Your stomach feels odd, like you might be sick.

He probably thinks you're insane. You would think the same. But if he's dying to ask what the hell that was, he's doing a good job of hiding it.

How do you tell him that sometimes you think that you should have died, that sometimes the memories almost kill you?

"I hid."

He looks up from peeling off the label around the neck of his bottle. "What?"

You swallow, trying to collect yourself before your words fail you.

"I hid. A—After I was shot, I didn't get back up. I crawled under the humvee and... and I just laid there. I laid there and I closed my eyes and I prayed. I prayed that they wouldn't notice me lying under there or that they if they did, they would think I was already dead."

A mixture of sweat and dust burns your eyes. When you blink, you can feel the sandy grit trapped between them. You squeeze them shut while trying to swallow back the dryness of your throat in an attempt to alleviate the discomfort, but it doesn't do much. An unwarranted tear escapes and runs down the track of your nose.

With your rifle held closely to your chest, you let it slide down and collect on the bow of your lip. It joins the puddle of sweat that has already accumulated there. Out here, the sun cooks you alive. You swear it's a constant one thousand degrees. The twenty pounds of kevlar doesn't help.

Dirt kicks up beside you and gravel showers your helmet as a round of bullets buries themselves into the ground a mere six inches from your face. You hardly flinch.

Somebody is screaming. The sound of machine gun fire is ringing in your ears. Somebody is screaming.

"(L/N), C'MON. LET'S MOVE."

It's Cain. He's grabbing the strap of your kevlar vest and yanking you to your feet. You scramble after him, desperate not to be left behind. Bullets explode at your feet the moment the two of you emerge from the concealment of the dirt mound. Fear makes you run faster.

You spot Manny crouched behind the tire of the SUV to your right. He's firing rounds into the brush. You can tell that he's bleeding from a wound to his arm and you're about to veer off to help him when his head jerks backwards, the scattered remains of his brain plastered onto the white side of the truck.

You stop running, the words caught in your throat.

"RUN," Cain screams. He'd backtracked a few paces and grabs hold of your vest once again to drag you behind a second SUV. You stumble over him, falling haphazardly onto your rear once he lets go of you. He immediately turns to fire over the hood of the truck, and the bullets hitting the truck stop momentarily.

Clawing at the gravel on the ground, you hurry to scramble to your feet. Your head is pounding, your mouth dry and gritty. Huffing, you glance between Cain, who is fumbling to reload his magazine, and the crumpled figure of Manny a few yards away. You can only hope Ronny is still out there somewhere.

Before you can even try to locate him or any other members of the squad, movement to your left springs your muscles into action. You slam your back into the side door of the SUV just as a round of bullets pelt the spot where you were standing just moments before. Automatically, you raise your gun, returning the fire. There are a few more shots fired in retaliation, but they stop a second later.

Once you're sure they're subdued, you lower your gun, breathing hard. There's so much smoke and debris in the air that you can hardly even see Cain ten feet away. He's shuffling towards you in a low crouch.

"Let's move, (L/n). They know where we are. We've got to find different cover."

You nod, your finger still pressed tightly to the trigger of your weapon. You drop into a crouch and follow behind him as he creeps towards the back of the truck. He pauses a moment, scanning the landscape before looking back at you. His blue eyes are a startling contrast to the dirt and sweat covering his tanned face. He lifts his gun in the direction of a flipped humvee about fifty yards away. His mouth moves in a silent command.

One.

Two.

Three.

The gunfire starts up as soon as the two of you spring from behind the vehicle. You can hear the whizzing of bullets as they just barely miss your head. All you can do is pray you don't trip as you struggle to keep up with Cain. Your lungs burn and your boots feel impossibly heavy.

The terrain is barren but the ground loose, and rocks threaten to upend your footing, slipping out from beneath your feet as the two of you flee towards the vehicle.

30 yards from the humvee, Cain tumbles to the ground with a broken cry. The bullet catches him in the thigh, stopping him mid stride. He hits the ground hard.

Without even thinking, you skid to a stop. Bullets spray the ground around you. Somehow you're more afraid of leaving him than being shot.

"Go!" he yells at you, already trying to shove you away. "Go, I'm coming!"

Already, there's a lake of blood beneath him. You step in it and the ground squelches under your boot. Crimson gushes from his left thigh, effectively saturating the fabric of his pants. His face is terrifyingly pale. The bullet must have hit his femoral artery.

Fuck.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

"Like hell," you snap at him, your pervious fear suddenly boiling into the purest form of anger you've ever felt. Angry for being in this situation in the first place. Angry that of all people, Cain is going to die.

It's terrifying how quickly the realization comes to you, how easily you accept it as the truth. There's already too much blood. Without a tourniquet, he'll bleed out in minutes and there's not quite time for that.

"Leaving him behind wasn't an option. It never even occurred to me that it was," you confess, as if saying it aloud will somehow explain away this title of heroism that everyone wants to pin on you. "Dead or alive, he was coming with me."

You shoulder your rifle and use both hands to grab onto the straps of his vest, hefting him backwards towards the truck.

He must clamp onto his bottom lip to stop the scream that threatens to escape because the noise that comes from his mouth is garbled.

You drag Cain about ten feet before you realize how just heavy he is. There's sweat leaking into your eyes and all you can see is the bloody lake that's left behind as you drag him through the dust. Cain's gone quiet, his head lulled to the side, eyes almost shut.

"C'mon, Cain. We're almost there."

His boot snags on a rock, and when you tug him free, he doesn't utter a word.

Something inside of you knows he's gone, was gone long before you started dragging him. You're still ten yards from the SUV.

POP. POP. POP.

You pause, your eyes fixed ahead of you. "Have you ever been shot before?"

Beside you, Jake shakes his head.

"It feels like someone has shot a bowling ball into your chest. Knocks the breath right out of you."

Pain explodes straight through your ribcage. Your vision clouds and you're vaguely aware of your knees buckling beneath you.

When you come to, all of the wind has been knocked out of you from hitting the ground so hard and your immediate reflex is to suck in a reviving breath. Instead all that comes out is a gurgle, the tell tale sign that your chest cavity is filling with blood.

You swallow, looking off at the dark shoreline of the beach, watching as the waves crash against the sand. "I knew that I wasn't dead yet—I did— I just—" Your throat constricts and when you speak again your voice is quieter. "He was already gone so maybe a part of me had already gone with him."

Jake nods slowly, as if putting together the pieces that you're laying down bit by bit. Somehow his green eyes have remained soft this entire time and maybe that's where you find the courage to continue.

Lifting your head, you crane your neck to see the damage, but the thick layer of kevlar strapped to your chest obstructs your view of the lower half of your body. Grunting in frustration, you reach blindly in the direction that the pain is radiating from. Numbly, your fingers find the gushing hole in your side. The bullet had buried itself in the exposed inch of your stomach between your belt and your vest.

There mustn't be an exit wound because there isn't a ton of blood surrounding you. If the wet cough you emit is anything to go by, it's probably pooling in your abdominal cavity instead.

You're going to die.

"I don't know how long I laid there," you admit. "I knew that the clock was ticking, had been since the moment I hit the ground. It was only a matter of time before I blacked out or bled out... I guess I was just waiting to see which one came first."

The scattered rounds hitting the ground around you become muffled background noise as the lull of unconsciousness begins to sweep over you, dulling the world as you know it. Through the haze of your fading senses, your eyes fall on Cain's motionless figure a few feet beside you.

He's lying face up, his desert tan uniform seeped a muddy crimson. You'd known he was dead a while ago. Still, you carried him. He'd have done the same for you. He was your brother, dead or alive.

Blood bubbles from your nose as you struggle to keep yourself breathing. The fact that you have to remind yourself to do that isn't a promising sign. Your body is shutting down, doing anything it can to keep your heart pumping, even if it means shutting down everything else.

Somewhere through the dullness, you hear Cain's voice. MOVE, (L/N).

You close your eyes, trying to picture his face from what had been just a few minutes ago. You remember the urgency in his blue eyes, the intensity of his fear overridden by adrenaline. How had that been only moments ago?

MOVE, (L/N).

"I—I heard his voice," you state, your tone not open for discussion. "Not the gun fire, not God, not anyone else's. I heard his voice."

So many people had tried to convince you otherwise, tried to tell you that it was because of the shock and your brain was shutting down, that you were hearing things. But you know what you heard.

"He saved my life, Jake."

You can see the gears turning in his head, the question carefully forming on his lips. "Were you two— I mean was he—"

It's the first time you have to suck back tears, your chest rattling with a longing emptiness as you fight the urge to cry. Memories of his wild blue eyes and wide smile that could only ever mean he was misbehaving flash through your mind.

You met Sergeant Anthony Cain not long after you commissioned as a Lieutenant. You were still a green officer when you were charged with your first platoon and given orders to deploy out East. You were scared as hell and Cain was your saving grace. He came in as if he'd always known you needed him and the rest was history.

There was never any question about intentions or commitment to each other. Cain was as honest as they came and you left it at that. You never imagined that's where your story would begin and end.

"I don't know, Jake. We didn't get that far."

Forcing your eyes open, you access the area around you. The sound of enemy fire has slowed but that doesn't mean movement won't trigger a return of bullets your way. Still, you know they'll be looking for survivors once the dust settles, and you don't want to be around when they do.

The humvee is only a little over ten yards away. You might would say it was crawling distance if it weren't for the fact that you were actively bleeding out. Even so, you don't really have any other option.

You take as deep of a breath as you can, your chest rasping as you do so, before lifting your right leg and using the weight of it to swing yourself over onto your stomach. Immediately, searing hot pain radiates through your chest and legs. You cry out, curling in on yourself, writhing on the ground like a wounded animal.

Sputtering, trying to breathe through the pain long enough so that you can move, you feel hot tears track down your face. They're tears of insurmountable pain and hopeless desperation.

"All I kept thinking was 'how does anyone survive this?' It was unimaginable, the pain. Looking back now, I don't know how I did it. I don't think I could do it again if I had to," you admit.

Softly, as not to scare you, you feel the gentle weight of Jake's palm on your knee. "You won't have to," he promises. "But you did it. You survived."

You stare down at his hand on your knee.

With a trembling, blood stained hand, you reach out in front of you and dig your fingers into the ground. Heaving, you draw yourself forward, your legs dragging limply through the dust. It takes an unimaginable amount of strength to pull yourself even six inches.

Sniffling back tears and out of breath, you curl your fingers into the ground and drag yourself forward again. This time, you probably only move half as far. You have to fight the urge to just lay your cheek against the ground and cry.

You do this again and again, keeping one hand pressed into the gushing wound at your side while the other drags you forward. Your lower half has become increasingly heavier with each passing minute, your legs nothing but dead weight to pull along. You don't think you could move them if you tried.

It takes you forty minutes to drag yourself to the humvee. By the time you get yourself fully under the abandoned vehicle, your fingers are torn and bleeding, the tips ripped open and embedded with bits of gravel.

Your muscles collapse the very second you give them the chance. Your forehead drops down to rest against the ground, and you finally have a moment to shudder out a sob. Your throat is dry and cracked, and dust coats the inside of your mouth. You're dimly aware that your breaths are dangerously shallow. You just know that you're miserably nauseous and each passing moment is more unbearable than the next.

You turn your own palm over, staring at the scars of your ruined finger tips, scars that tell a story of how you survived. They're ugly, and you wish you didn't have to look at the all of the time. At least your torso is mostly hidden. You've moved to a beach town and will never be able to put on a swimsuit.

Jake’s eyes follow yours and after a moment he flips his palm over, his fingers spread and inviting. His hands are large and calloused from years of flying. There are fingernail divots in his palm.

Almost shyly, his green eyes meet yours. You see a bit of that sadness you saw earlier. “I know it’s not my job to be your shrink or whatever,” he adds with a laugh and you can’t help but laugh with him. “But you’re not alone. We’re all a bit fucked up if you haven’t noticed.” He shrugs. “It comes with the job.”

You can’t help yourself. You trace a finger over the scarred palm of his hand. “My dad would disagree.”

Jake is fighting the urge to close his palm around yours, not wanting to overstep, and so he’s pleased when you intertwine your fingers with his.

“Family dinner must be interesting.”

Jake came from a military family himself and so he knows how deep the ties run. His old man was a sailor and so he knew better than to come home sporting anything other than his dress whites.

You laugh out loud because he’s not wrong at all. Jake squeezes your fingers in response. His hand feels good in yours. Safe and heavy in the way a padlock feels. Like he’s not going anywhere.

“It’s not all ‘Go Army, Beat Navy’ believe it or not. Don’t get me wrong, I was raised a Navy brat and I have a hell of a lot of respect for my old man, but at the end of the day, I had to choose myself. I couldn’t do that with him watching over my shoulder. The Army’s been both the greatest and the worst thing that could have happened to me,” you confess.

Jake hums, dare you say almost disbelievingly.

“What?”

“A few weeks here and you’ll change your mind. No one does it like the Navy does.”

It’s your turn to make a noise of disbelief.

“I guess you’ll just have to impress me, Flyboy.”

Jake squeezes your hand again. “Oh I plan to.”

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goddessofvalyria · 1 month

Text

BODYGUARD | Modern!Aemond Targaryen x fem!oc

Summary: Aemond Targaryen is the bodyguard of Miranda, the daughter of an important politician.

TW: 18+, MINORS DNI, She/Her pronouns, the fem!oc is named Miranda with long dark brown hair and eyes, kissing, sexual themes, dirty talking, oral (f receiving), fingering, masturbation (m and f) tits sucking/play, SMUT, sexual tension, sex, violence, guns, alcohol. Age gap (Aemond is in his early 30s, she in her early 20s) This is a modern Aemond in modern AU. Yes, Aemond's role is inspired by Rhys Larsen from "Twisted Games" book.

English is not my first language, be kind and enjoy it <3

Words: 8348

This is my Masterlist and you can read more about Aemond and all the Ewan's characters.

Read the one-shot under the cut!

Aemond Targaryen is a formidable presence, a man shaped by the trials of his past. Standing tall with a defined, muscular build, his long silver straight hair flows down his back, contrasting sharply with the dark patch covering his left eye—a constant reminder of the battle that took it. Once a member of the King's Land Army and a Navy Seal, Aemond’s bravery and strength are legendary. His remaining purple eye, intense and vigilant, surveys his surroundings with unwavering focus, always on guard.

Aemond now serves as the bodyguard to Miranda, the daughter of a prominent politician. She is a striking young woman in her early 20s, with curly dark brown hair that frames her face and dark, intelligent eyes that miss nothing. Studying law with aspirations of becoming an advocate, Miranda combines beauty with brains, knowing how to navigate the complexities of her world with both charm and cunning. She carries herself with a provocative confidence, aware of the power she holds and not afraid to use it to her advantage.

The grand hall is buzz with anticipation as the evening's political convention is underway. It is one of the most significant events of the year, a gathering of influential figures, powerful politicians, and their families. Miranda, dressed in an elegant black Versace gown, stand at the front of the room, listening intently as her father give an impassioned speech about the future of their nation. Her dark brown curls cascaded over her shoulders and her jewelry sparkles in the light.

Behind her, Aemond Targaryen stand like a shadow, his tall, imposing figure alert and unwavering. He is never far from her side, always vigilant, always ready. Despite his often grumpy demeanor, Aemond is a man of duty, and he take his role as her protector very seriously. But as he watch her, there is something more in his gaze—a quiet admiration that he kept locked away, hidden beneath the stern exterior of a bodyguard. His eye follow the line of her neck, the curve of her shoulders, the way she hold herself with grace and confidence. It is a dangerous line he walks, for he know he could never act on the feelings that simmer beneath his stern facade.

Miranda, on the other hand, is aware of Aemond's presence but often found him overbearing. She don't appreciate the way he loom over her, always close, always watching. His gruff personality and harsh tone often grate on her nerves, and she make no secret of her irritation. But she can't deny that he is exceptionally good at his job.

As her father continue to speak, Miranda shift her weight slightly, feeling the tension in the room. It os then that Aemond's keen instincts kick in. Something is off. His eye dart around the room, scanning faces, movements—anything out of the ordinary. And then he see it: a group of men, too focus, too deliberate in their movements, pushing through the crowd, their eyes locks on her father.

"Miranda," Aemond's voice is a low growl as he step closer to her. "We need to move. Now."

She turn to look at him, irritation flashing in her eyes. "What are you talking about? I'm listening to my dad—"

"Now" he repeat, more forcefully this time, his hand already reaching for her arm. There is no time to explain. No time to argue.

Before she can protest further, chaos erupt. Shouts fills the air, follow by the unmistakable sound of gunfire. The men drown weapons, aiming directly at her father on the stage. Aemond react instantly, pulling Miranda close and shielding her with his body as he begin to move them through the panicking crowd.

"Stay down!" he barks, his voice cutting through the screams as he push her toward the exit. Miranda's heart race, her breath coming in short gasps as the realization of what is happening hit her. Her father's life is in danger, and so is hers.

Aemond's grip on her is firm but not painful as he guide her through the chaos, his eye constantly scanning for threats. They reach the car outside, and with a forceful shove, he push her into the back seat, slamming the door behind her.

He jumps into the driver’s seat and start the engine in one smooth motion, the car roaring to life as he sped away from the convention center. Miranda glance back through the window, fear and worry etched on her face. She want to go back, to see if her father is safe, but Aemond's stern voice broke through her thoughts.

"He's got security. They’ll take care of him," Aemond says, his tone leaving no room for argument. His hands grip the steering wheel tightly as he maneuver through the streets, driving fast but controlled. His focus is entirely on getting her to safety.

“Why didn’t you tell me before?” Miranda blurts out, her fear quickly turning to anger as adrenaline surges through her. “If you knew something was wrong, why didn’t you—”

"Because I don't have time to explain every damn thing to you," Aemond says, his voice harsh. "My job is to keep you alive, not to chat about it."

Miranda glares him, but the reality of what had just happened began to sink in. She looks down at her trembling hands, the gravity of the situation crashing over her.

After a few tense moments, she speaks again, softer this time. "Thank you... for saving me."

Aemond’s gaze softens slightly as he watches her in the rearview mirror. He gives a small nod, his voice hoarse but less harsh. “It’s my job.”

But as he returns his focus to the road, his thoughts betrayed him. It isn’t just duty that had drive him to act so fiercely. It is something deeper, something he can't allow himself to acknowledge.

Not now. Not ever.

Miranda leans back in the seat, closing her eyes and trying to steady her breathing. She don’t like him—didn’t like his attitude, his arrogance. But in that moment, she realize just how much she dependes on him, whether she want to or not. And that realization is almost as unsettling as the attack itself.

The car pull up to the large country house that Miranda and her family call home, the grand estate nestle away from the bustling city, surround by tall trees and high walls. As soon as they arrive, Aemond is out of the car, his sharp gaze scanning the perimeter before he opens the door for Miranda. She steps out, her heels clicking on the stone driveway as she walks briskly toward the entrance. Aemond is close behind, his presence like a shadow that refused to leave her side.

Inside, the country house is quiet, the usual staff absent at this late hour. Aemond quickly moves to activate the security systems, locking down the property. The tension in the air is palpable, a storm brewing just beneath the surface. As soon as the last panel is secured, Miranda spans around to face him, her eyes blazing.

"Do you always have to be so damn controlling?" she snaps, her voice echoing through the spacious foyer. "I get that you have a job to do, but you treat me like I'm some kind of prisoner!"

Aemond’s jaw tightens, his frustration boiling over. "I'm doing what I have to do to keep you safe, Miranda. If you can't see that, then you're more naive than I thought."

"Naive?" she hisses, stepping closer, her finger jabbing at his chest. "You're the one who thinks he can just bark orders and expect everyone to fall in line! You don't get to control every aspect of my life!"

"I'm not trying to control your life, I'm trying to save it!" Aemond's voice is sharp, his patience wearing thin. "You think this is easy for me? Watching you waltz into dangerous situations, acting like nothing can touch you? You could’ve been killed tonight, Miranda! Do you even understand that?"

Miranda’s eyes flares with defiance, but beneath it, there is a flicker of fear. She hate feeling vulnerable, hate that Aemond had see that side of her. "You don’t get to talk to me like that. You work for my father, not for me. And I don’t need you treating me like a child who doesn’t know any better!"

Aemond steps closer, his tall frame towering over her, but he keep his voice on control, though the intensity in his eye is undeniable. "Maybe you do need someone to remind you what’s at stake. I’m not here to be your friend, Miranda. I’m here to keep you alive. If that means being harsh, then so be it."

Miranda clenches her fists, her nails digging into her palms as she glared up at him. "You’re impossible," she mutt, her voice lace with frustration. "You think you know everything, but you don’t. You don’t know what it’s like to live under this constant pressure, to always have someone watching your every move."

Aemond’s expression softens for a brief moment, a flash of something almost vulnerable passing through his eye. "You’re right," he says quietly, his voice losing some of its edge. "I don’t know what that’s like. But I do know what it’s like to care about someone and not be able to protect them. I’m not going to let that happen again."

Miranda opens her mouth to retort, but the words caught in her throat. She see the pain flicker in his eye, and for a moment, she is caught off guard. But the anger and frustration are still too raw, too overwhelming.

"Maybe if you weren’t so busy trying to control everything, you’d realize that I don’t need saving," she says back, her voice cold. "I can take care of myself."

Aemond’s face hardens again, the vulnerability gone as quickly as it appears. "Fine" he said, his tone clips. "But until your father tells me otherwise, I’m not going anywhere."

Miranda turns on her heel, her heart pounding with a mix of anger and confusion. She doesn’t know why this discussion bothers her so much, but she needs space. Without another word, she storms up the grand staircase, her footsteps echoing in the empty hallway.

Aemond watches her go, his fists clenched at his sides. The discussion is having an impact on him, too, stirring up emotions he’s tried so hard to keep buried. But as much as he wants to follow her, to say something, anything, to make things right, he knows he can’t. Not now. Maybe never.

Miranda reach her room and slam the door behind her, leaning against it as she try to steady her breathing. Her mind is racing, the events of the evening replaying over and over. The attack, the fear, the way Aemond had protected her so fiercely. And then the argument, which had somehow seemed even more intense than the chaos of the convention.

She pushes off the door and walks into her bathroom, needing to do something��anything—to calm herself down. Turning on the shower, she strips off her dress and steps under the hot water, letting it wash away the tension that built up in her body. But even as the water cascade over her, she can’t stop thinking about Aemond.

Why did he have to be so infuriating? And why did she feels so…conflicted? She hate the way he treat her, hate his controlling nature. But there is something else there too—something she can’t quite put into words. The way he looks at her, the way he thrown himself into danger without hesitation, all to keep her safe.

Miranda closes her eyes, leaning her forehead against the cool tile. She can’t afford to think about Aemond like that. Not when everything is so complicated, not when her father’s world is so dangerous. And certainly not when Aemond is just doing his job, no matter how much she wishes it was more than that.

Aemond sits on the edge of the couch downstairs, restless. His mind races despite the quiet of the country house, the events of the evening still fresh. He can’t shake the nagging feeling that something could go wrong, that danger might still be lurking. He exhales sharply and stands, deciding to check on the situation outside through the security system.

His eye scans the camera feeds, revealing the guard dogs patrolling the perimeter and a police patrol car stationed outside the gates. Everything appears secure. But his concern for Miranda persists. The argument had left him unsettled, the tension between them simmering beneath the surface. He knows she’s safe in her room, but something compels him to stay closer, just in case.

Aemond ascends the stairs, moving quietly toward Miranda's room. The light from the bathroom spills into the hallway, and he hears the steady flow of water from the shower. For a moment, he hesitates, listening, confirming to himself that she's okay. The anxiety that had been gnawing at him begins to ease, and he decides to head to the room that’s been set aside for him.

Inside, Aemond strips off his work clothes, feeling the weight of the evening settle into his bones. He pulls on a black t-shirt and a pair of sweatpants, his movements automatic, the routine familiar. But his mind is still on Miranda, replaying the look in her eyes during their argument, the fire and frustration that had blazed between them. He places his gun on the nightstand within easy reach, a habit born of years of training, before lying down on the bed. The country house is quiet, secure, and he convinces himself that she’ll go to sleep soon, and he should try to do the same.

Aemond is on the verge of sleep when he hears something. A faint noise, coming from downstairs. His body tenses instantly, and he’s out of bed in a heartbeat, grabbing his gun. The country house is supposed to be secure, but his instincts are honed from years in the field, and he knows better than to dismiss even the smallest sound.

“Miranda?” he calls out, his voice low but urgent as he steps into the hallway. There’s no answer. He repeats her name, louder this time, but the silence that follows only heightens his concern. His grip on the gun tightens as he moves down the stairs, the noise growing clearer as he approaches the kitchen.

When he rounds the corner, Aemond spots her. Miranda is standing by the fridge, her back to him, completely unaware of his presence. His relief is fleeting as his adrenaline-fueled mind still races with the possibilities.

“Miranda!” he barks, his voice sharp, laced with the tension he’s feeling.

She jumps, spinning around, and her eyes go wide when she sees the gun in his hands. “What the fuck, Aemond?” she yells, anger and shock mixing in her voice. “Are you seriously pointing a gun at me in my own house?”

Aemond lowers the gun immediately, the intensity in his eye still burning as he tries to rein in his panic. “I heard something. You didn’t answer when I called,” he snaps back, frustration and relief colliding. “I thought—”

“You thought what? That I can’t even get a glass of water without you storming in here like it’s a war zone?” she interrupts, her voice rising with each word. “This is my house, Aemond! I shouldn’t have to explain every little thing I do to you!”

“You don’t understand the risks!” Aemond retorts, his voice as sharp as hers. “I’m here to protect you, and that means I take everything seriously. If you’re moving around, I need to know!”

Miranda glares at him, her hands clenched at her sides. “You think you’re protecting me, but all you’re doing is suffocating me! I can’t even breathe without you looming over me, telling me what to do!”

“I’m trying to keep you alive!” Aemond fires back, stepping closer, the space between them charged with the intensity of their argument. “You think I like having to be this way? You think I don’t know how it looks? But I’d rather you hate me than see you get hurt because I wasn’t careful enough!”

Miranda’s eyes flash with a mixture of anger and something else, something that makes Aemond’s heart pound in his chest. “You don’t get to make that choice for me, Aemond. I’m not a child, and I’m not your possession. You might be my bodyguard, but you don’t own me.”

The words hang between them, heavy and charged. Aemond’s breath comes faster, his mind a whirl of conflicting emotions. He knows she’s right, knows he’s crossed a line, but the fear of losing her, of failing in his duty—of failing her—makes it impossible to back down.

And then, in the heat of the moment, something snaps. Aemond steps forward, closing the distance between them, and before he can think better of it, he grabs her by the arm and pulls her toward him, pressing his lips to hers in a fierce, desperate kiss.

Miranda stiffens, shocked, her hands pushing against his chest. But then, for just a heartbeat, she hesitates, caught off guard by the intensity of the kiss, by the raw emotion behind it.

But reality crashes back in, and she shoves him away, her breath coming in sharp, angry bursts.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Aemond pulls back as if burned, the realization of what he’s done slamming into him like a freight train. He stares at her, his expression torn between regret and something deeper, something he’s fought to keep buried for so long. “I—” He starts to speak, but the words die in his throat. He knows there’s nothing he can say to justify what just happened.

Without another word, Aemond turns and walks away, the gun still in his hand as he heads back up the stairs, leaving Miranda standing alone in the kitchen, her lips tingling from the kiss, her mind reeling.

Back in his room, Aemond closes the door behind him and leans against it, his heart pounding in his chest. He’s crossed a line, a line he never should have even approached. But the taste of her still lingers, and he knows that no matter how hard he tries, he can’t forget it.

He places the gun back on the nightstand and collapses onto the bed, burying his face in his hands. He’s made a mistake—a mistake that could cost him everything. And as much as he wants to convince himself it was just a moment of weakness, deep down, he knows it was more than that.

Miranda stands in the middle of her room, her mind racing as she tries to process what just happened. The kitchen is quiet again, but her thoughts are anything but. She can still feel the pressure of Aemond’s lips against hers, the raw intensity of the kiss that had taken her completely by surprise. Her hand unconsciously drifts to her lips, tracing the spot where his mouth had been, still tingling from the contact.

She paces back and forth, trying to shake off the confusion and the strange mix of anger and longing swirling inside her. Aemond had no right to kiss her like that, she tells herself. But the truth is, she can’t deny the way her heart had raced, the way she had almost—almost—given in. She stops by the window, looking out at the darkened estate, her reflection faintly visible in the glass. Miranda bites her lip, trying to push the memory of his kiss out of her mind, but it lingers, stubborn and insistent.

Miranda slips under the covers, she still thinks about that kiss, those lips, those hands. She closes her eyes and takes off her shirt, remaining with her breasts bare, she slowly begins to touch herself with the thought of Aemond's lips on hers in her mind, pretending that it is he who is touching her.

She lowers her hands, teases her already hard nipples, leans against the pillows and arches her back, raises her hips and slips off her soaking thong. She slides two fingers inside her, she is hot, soaking wet, she begins to move her fingers, she moans, licking her lip. With the other hand she squeezes one of her breasts, she moans Aemond's name while she rides her own fingers, with her thumb she gives herself pleasure on her clit. It is not the first time she has done it, she is terribly ashamed of wanting it.

"Aemond" moans as she feels her pussy tighten around his wet fingers, she fingers herself and repeats his name over and over until she comes. God, how she wants to have him between her legs, how she wants to see his body on top of hers, see him subduing her and fucking her, opening her up on his hard cock. She is so excited that she finds herself fingering herself again, this time moaning louder, almost as if in defiance. She fingers fuck herself, her thumb ravages her clit and she comes a second time.

Exhausted, she falls asleep naked and frustrated, god she wants to fuck her bodyguard so much.

Aemond lies on his bed, staring up at the ceiling, his thoughts a tangled mess. He’s furious with himself, ashamed of the way he lost control. The kiss was a mistake, he knows that, but it doesn’t stop him from reliving the moment over and over again. The softness of her lips, the brief but undeniable connection, the heat of the moment that had obliterated all rational thought.

Aemond finds himself in the same situation as Miranda.

He slides a hand into his boxers, then pulls them down, takes hold of his long erection and begins to slide the hand he spat on up and down. He wishes she were kneeling in front of him, he wishes he had her hands around his cock, he wishes he had her mouth. He closes his eyes, imagines her face, her lips, imagines her naked body: her full breasts, her narrow waist, her tight, hot, wet pussy. He wants to fuck her so bad, God.

"Miranda" Aemond moans her name, he feels close and comes into her hand, Miranda's name dying on his lips.

He runs a hand through his silver hair, letting out a frustrated sigh. He should have kept his distance, should have maintained his professionalism. But something about Miranda—the fire in her eyes, the way she challenged him—had gotten under his skin in a way he hadn’t expected. And now, all he can think about is how badly he wants to taste her again, how he’d give anything to feel her pressed against him, to lose himself in another kiss. But he knows it’s wrong, that he can’t let it happen again.

The following morning, Miranda and Aemond move around the country house as if on autopilot, careful to avoid each other. Breakfast is a tense, silent affair.

"My dad is safe, he texted me today in early morning. His bodyguard kept him safe, he is still at police central to talks about his aggression" are the only words she say before remain in silence again.

During the day they both focus on their own thoughts, neither willing to acknowledge what had happened the night before. Aemond busies himself with his duties, checking the security systems, communicating with the guards, all while keeping a deliberate distance from Miranda. She, in turn, throws herself into her work, studying for her law exams, trying to ignore the lingering tension between them.

But despite their best efforts, the memory of the kiss hangs between them like a shadow, coloring every interaction with an unspoken tension that neither of them can shake.

By the time night falls, the tension between them reaches again a boiling point. It starts with something small—Aemond insisting that Miranda stay in for the night, and Miranda pushing back, refusing to be told what to do in her own home.

“You’re not my warden, Aemond” she snaps, her voice laced with irritation as they stand in the hallway outside her room. “Stop trying to control everything I do.”

“I’m not trying to control you,” Aemond growls, his frustration spilling over. “I’m trying to keep you safe, but you’re too stubborn to see that!”

“Maybe if you weren’t so damn overbearing, I wouldn’t feel like a prisoner in my own home!” she retorts, stepping closer, her eyes blazing with anger.

Aemond clenches his fists, struggling to keep his temper in check. But her defiance, her refusal to listen—it’s driving him crazy. “You think I like this? You think I want to be here, arguing with you every night? You make everything harder than it has to be!”

"Your father is too loose with you!" she screams. "A girl like you should be treated a certain way and certainly not like a spoiled princess, damn it!"

Miranda scoffs, rolling her eyes. “Oh, so now it’s my fault? Now I am a fucking spoiled princess?! You’re unbelievable, Aemond. You are—”

But before she can finish, Aemond closes the distance between them in two quick strides, his hands grabbing her by the shoulders as he pulls her into a kiss that is anything but gentle. It’s rough, intense, a clash of tongues and teeth, all their pent-up frustration and desire spilling over in one explosive moment. Miranda resists for a heartbeat, her hands pushing against his chest, but then something inside her snaps, and she’s kissing him back just as fiercely, her fingers curling into his hair, pulling him closer.

The kiss is messy, desperate, filled with all the things they’ve been trying to deny. Aemond’s hands roam her back, pulling her flush against him as his mouth devours hers, the taste of her like a drug he can’t get enough of. Miranda gasps into the kiss, her body arching against his, her own desire igniting in a way she hadn’t expected. It’s a battle for dominance, neither willing to give an inch, both needing to prove something to the other, to themselves.

Miranda moans into the kiss, gripping his shirt and feeling his hard erection press against her hips. When they finally break apart, they are both breathing hard, their foreheads pressed together, their bodies still tangled. Miranda’s lips are puffed out, her chest heaving as she stares at him, her dark eyes filled with a mix of anger, confusion, and something dangerously close to desire.

Aemond’s grip on her tightens, his mind a whirl of conflicting emotions. He wants her—God, he wants her more than he’s ever wanted anything. But he knows he’s crossing a line, a line that could cost him everything. “Miranda, I—” he starts, but the words fail him, the reality of what they’ve just done crashing down on him.

Miranda’s expression hardens, and she pushes him away, taking a step back. “Don’t” she says, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and something else, something she’s not ready to confront. “Just… don’t.”

Without another word, she turns and storms into her room, slamming the door behind her. Aemond stands there for a long moment, staring at the closed door, his mind a jumble of regret, frustration, and an undeniable need that he can’t seem to shake. He knows this can’t continue, that he needs to find a way to regain control—of himself, of the situation.

With a heavy sigh, he finally retreats to his own room, the taste of her still lingering on his lips, his thoughts consumed by the memory of her kiss. He lies down on the bed, but sleep is elusive, his mind replaying the night’s events over and over. He knows things have changed between them, and he has no idea how to fix it—or if he even wants to.

Miranda lies in bed, staring at the ceiling, her mind too restless to let her sleep. The memory of Aemond’s kiss is like a wildfire in her thoughts, impossible to extinguish no matter how hard she tries. The anger, the frustration, and the undeniable heat between them replay in her mind, over and over again. Her body still hums with the energy of their earlier encounter, and the unresolved tension makes it impossible to settle down.

She throws off the covers, her body too warm, too wired to stay still. Wearing only a tight tank top and a black thong, she gets out of bed, her bare feet silent on the cool wooden floor. Without thinking, she finds herself walking down the hallway, the country house quiet around her, the only sound the soft rustle of her clothes as she moves. Her heart pounds in her chest, her thoughts drawn to Aemond, to the way he had kissed her—rough, desperate, like he couldn’t help himself.

Before she can second-guess herself, she’s standing in front of his door. The house is still, her breath loud in her ears as she raises her hand to knock. The sound echoes in the quiet hallway, and she holds her breath, waiting. It takes a moment, but then she hears movement on the other side, and the door swings open.

Aemond stands there, his expression a mix of surprise and something darker, more intense, as he takes in the sight of her. His eye roams over her body, lingering on the way the tight top clings to her curves, the strip of fabric at her hips leaving little to the imagination. He’s shirtless, wearing only a pair of sweatpants that hang low on his hips, and the tension between them crackles in the air like electricity.

Miranda’s eyes meet his, her breath catching in her throat. She’s not sure what she’s doing, what she’s expecting, but the words tumble out before she can stop them, her voice low and almost challenging.

“Tell me how a girl like me should be treated.”

For a moment, Aemond just stares at her, his eye darkening with a mix of desire and restraint. His jaw clenches as he wrestles with his emotions, the question she’s asked pulling at something deep inside him. He’s silent, his breath coming in controlled, steady breaths, trying to maintain a grip on his resolve. But her presence, the challenge in her eyes, the way she’s looking at him—it’s unraveling him.

He steps back, his hand on the door, as if he’s about to close it, but he can’t bring himself to do it. Instead, he motions for her to come in, his voice low and rough.

“Miranda… you don’t know what you’re asking.”

She steps inside, the door closing softly behind her as she faces him, her eyes locked on his. “I know exactly what I’m asking,” she says, her voice firmer now, a mix of defiance and need. “Show me.”

Aemond’s control snaps. In one fluid motion, he steps forward, his hand sliding around the back of her neck as he pulls her close, his lips crashing into hers. The kiss is intense, fierce, even more so than before. It’s as if all the emotions they’ve been holding back—anger, desire, frustration—pour into this moment. His other hand finds her waist, fingers pressing into her skin, pulling her against him as if he can’t get her close enough.

Miranda responds with equal fervor, her hands fisting in his hair, pulling him down to her level as she meets his kiss with a hunger that surprises even her. His lips move against hers, demanding, tasting, devouring, and she gives in to the fire that’s been burning between them for far too long.

Aemond’s hand slides from her waist to her hip, fingers brushing against the bare skin just above the waistband of her thong. He pulls back just enough to look into her eyes, his breathing ragged, his voice a rough whisper. “A girl like you deserves more than this… but damn it, I can’t stop.”

“Then don’t” Miranda breathes out, her lips brushing against his as she speaks. She knows she’s pushing him, pushing them both to the edge of something they might not come back from, but she doesn’t care. All she knows is that she needs this, needs him.

He groans low in his throat, a sound of surrender, before he captures her lips again in another bruising kiss. His hands roam over her body, feeling the softness of her curves, the warmth of her skin. He’s rough, his touches possessive, but she responds to it, her own need mirroring his.

The kiss deepens, becomes messier, more desperate, tongues tangling, breaths mingling. Aemond lifts her, her legs wrapping around his waist as he presses her back against the door. The cold wood contrasts with the heat of their bodies, a reminder of how out of control this is, but neither of them care.

Their movements become frantic, hands exploring, pulling, teasing. Aemond’s lips move to her neck, leaving a trail of hot kisses down to her collarbone as Miranda gasps, her nails digging into his shoulders. The tension between them is like a live wire, snapping and sparking with every touch, every kiss, until it feels like they might both combust.

But then, as quickly as it started, Aemond pulls back, his breathing heavy, his eye dark with desire but also conflicted. “Miranda…” he murmurs, his forehead resting against hers as he struggles to regain control. “This isn’t… we shouldn’t…”

She looks up at him, her eyes wide, her lips swollen from the kiss, her body still thrumming with need. “I don’t care” she whispers, her hands still clutching at him, afraid that if she lets go, he’ll slip away. “I want this… I want you.”

The tension that had been simmering between them for so long finally erupts, consuming them both in a whirlwind of passion and need. There’s no hesitation now, no holding back—just the raw, unfiltered desire that has been building up for far too long.

Aemond takes her in his arms, holds her to the door, grazing her lips with two fingers. Miranda opens her lips and shamelessly sucks his fingers. He looks at her, slowly lowers his hand, moves her panties to the side and enters her with his fingers. She is so hot, tight, soaking wet. "You are so wet, princess" he whispers, kissing her while with his fingers he makes one of those little fingerings that make her melt on his own fingers. "You're so needy."

Miranda moans, clings to him with her strength and clings to his body. "I don't want to come, I don't want to yet" she whispers soaked in pleasure. "This is just the beginning, princess" he whispers.

Aemond grabs her in his arms and carries her to the bed. He makes her lie down on top, Miranda takes off her top and Aemond takes off her thong. Naked, trembling and aroused in front of him. She is reduced to a mess. She grabs him by the waistband of her pants, Aemond is on top of her.

"I heard you last night" he whispers kissing her under the ear. "You were touching yourself thinking about me, huh?" Aemond opens her legs, swelling between them. "Yes" she moans feeling his fingers teasing her clit again. "I was touching myself and thinking about you" she whispers feeling Aemond's thumb encircling her pearl.

"I imagined you were between my legs" her hand slides over Aemond's. "I wanted you to be there licking me, touching me" she slowly runs her fingers over her wet opening and enters herself. "Aemond" she whispers arching her back. "So, I kept going like this until I came on my fingers" she moans, Aemond feels hard and sore, in one move he takes off his tracksuit pants and boxers.

His erection is long, veiny, calm, its pink tip is beaded with pre-cum. "Let me show you how to treat a girl like you."

Aemond takes hold of himself, his cock slides over her opening, Miranda moans, he teases her clit and then turns her on more and more. His cock slides over and over between her wet folds. "Aemond..." she moans, shaking, until he brutally thrusts inside her. It's heavenly. Forbidden. Her pussy is tight, hot and wet, made for him.

"You're so tight" Aemond whispers, grabbing her in his arms. "You're so... wet, so... fuck" he begins to thrust into her, his thrusts are strong, hard, they take her breath away. Miranda moans, pushing her hips towards him. She's dreamed of this for so long, she just wants it to never end.

"My good girl" Aemond whispers fucking her. "What would your father say if he saw you like this" a devilish smile forms on his face. "His little princess getting opened by his bodyguard's cock" he gives her a hard push, she moans holding on to his shoulders. She buries her face in his neck, inhales his scent. Her bodyguard's cock inside her is so hard, long, she can feel it almost all the way to her stomach.

"I touched myself to thinking of you" he whispers twisting her nipples. "Aemond, fuck, Aemond, Aemond, Aemond" she whispers, her scent invades his senses. He feels her tighten, her legs tremble. Aemond brings his fingers to her pussy, surrounds her clit with his fingers and moves them in circular movements. "Cum for me all over my cock" he whispers.

"Cum for your bodyguard, princess" he touches her, she is excited, his cock pushes into her and she is held tight to him, panting. Aemond continues to fuck her while she comes, he feels her orgasm approaching and while she comes he pulls out coming between her thighs. Their skin is sweaty, Aemond kisses her breasts, collapses in her arms.

Later, as they lie together in the aftermath, the room is quiet, the only sound the soft, steady rhythm of their breathing. Miranda rests her head on Aemond’s chest, her fingers tracing idle patterns across his skin. The warmth of his body against hers is comforting, and for a moment, everything feels perfect—like nothing else in the world matters except for this moment.

As her fingers glide over his chest, she feels the raised, uneven texture of a scar. Her touch stills, and she lifts her head slightly to look at him, her gaze questioning but gentle. “What happened here?” she asks softly, her fingers tracing the line of the scar.

Aemond’s body tenses beneath her, his eye darkening with the weight of the memories that come flooding back. For a moment, he’s silent, the only sound his breathing as he grapples with whether or not to open up to her. But something about the way she’s looking at him—concerned, caring, vulnerable—makes him want to share the truth.

“When I was in the King’s Land Navy Seals,” he begins, his voice low, almost a whisper, “We were on a mission… deep in enemy territory. It was supposed to be a routine operation, but everything went wrong. We were ambushed. The enemy… they knew we were coming. My best friend—he was right there beside me. We’d been through everything together, always had each other’s backs. But that day…” His voice falters, and he takes a deep breath, the pain of the memory evident in his tone. “I failed him, Miranda. I couldn’t protect him. I tried, but… he didn’t make it.”

Miranda feels her heart ache at the pain in his voice, at the weight he’s been carrying alone for so long. She shifts slightly, pressing a gentle kiss to his chest, right over the scar, as if her touch could somehow soothe the hurt he’s been holding onto. “Aemond…” she murmurs, her voice soft and full of understanding. “I’m so sorry.”

He closes his eye, trying to push down the guilt that has haunted him for years. “That’s why I’m so… overprotective with you” he admits. “I can’t let anything happen to you. I can’t fail again.”

Miranda lifts her head to look at him, her eyes searching his. She can see the torment in his expression, the way he’s been carrying this burden alone, and it breaks her heart. “You won’t” she assures him, her voice firm but tender. “You haven’t failed me, Aemond. You’ve done everything you can to keep me safe. But you don’t have to do it alone. We’re in this together.”

Aemond opens his eye to meet hers, the vulnerability in her gaze cutting through the walls he’s built around himself. For a moment, they just look at each other, the silence between them filled with unspoken understanding. Then, Miranda leans up and presses her lips to his, a soft, lingering kiss that’s more about comfort than passion. It’s her way of telling him that she’s here, that she sees him, scars and all, and that she’s not going anywhere.

When she pulls back, there’s a moment of quiet between them, the weight of their shared confessions settling into the space. Then Miranda speaks again, her voice a soft whisper. “No one must know about this—especially not my father.”

Aemond hesitates, his sense of duty warring with the desire to protect her secret, to keep this moment between them. He knows the risks, knows that if anyone found out, it could mean the end of everything—for both of them. But when he looks into her eyes, sees the trust she’s placing in him, he can’t bring himself to say no.

“Alright” he finally agrees, his voice steady but laced with a hint of reluctance. “I won’t tell anyone. This stays between us.”

Miranda nods, relief flooding her expression. She leans in to kiss him again, this time slower, more deliberate, as if sealing their pact with the touch of her lips. When they part, she settles back against his chest, her body molding to his as they find comfort in each other’s presence.

For a long time, they lie there in silence, wrapped up in the warmth of their shared connection. There’s still so much left unsaid, so many things they’ll need to face, but for now, in the quiet of the night, they find solace in each other’s arms, knowing that, no matter what happens next, they’ll face it together.

Miranda lies against Aemond’s chest, her fingers tracing the line of his jaw as she looks up at him. The intimacy of the moment has dissolved some of the barriers between them, and her gaze softens as she meets his eye.

“Take off your eyepatch” she whispers, her voice gentle but insistent.

Aemond tenses for a moment, the request catching him off guard. His instinct is to refuse, to keep that part of himself hidden. But when he looks into her eyes, sees the genuine curiosity and care there, something in him shifts. Slowly, almost hesitantly, he reaches up and pulls the patch away, revealing the scarred, empty socket beneath. Inside there is a blue sapphire.

Miranda doesn’t flinch or look away. Instead, she reaches up to touch the scar, her fingers light and tender against his skin. “You don’t have to hide from me” she says softly, her voice filled with understanding. "The scar on your handsome face is... kinda hot, sexy to me."

Aemond swallows hard, the vulnerability of the moment washing over him. For so long, he’s kept this part of himself hidden, afraid of what it represents, afraid of how others would react. But with Miranda, there’s no fear, no judgment—only acceptance.

The tenderness in her gaze pulls him in, and before he knows it, their lips meet again. This time, the kiss is slow, deep, filled with a sense of connection that goes beyond physical desire. It’s as if, in that moment, they’re baring their souls to each other, revealing the parts of themselves they’ve kept hidden from the world.

As their kisses grow more heated, the desire between them reignites, but now it’s mixed with something deeper—a need to be close, to hold on to each other in this shared vulnerability. They move together with a newfound sense of trust and passion, their bodies entwining as they lose themselves in each other once more.

"I need you inside me again, please" Miranda whispers, Aemond begins to kiss her with soft, tender, wet kisses. Slowly he traces the profile of her body, reaches her pussy and opens her legs, positioning himself between them.

"I want you, princess. You're so breathtaking"

His naked body is pure art: a toned and lean body, veiny arms as well as her hands and her v-line closes to his long, thick and erect dick for her. Her long silver hair is loose and he, as well as she, smells of sex.

Aemond touches her, she is still so sensitive, but slowly he pushes his fingers inside her, so tight and wet. Miranda moans and soon he buries his head between her thighs and devours her as if it were his last meal of her moans, her hands in Aemond's long silver hair. "Aemond...Aemond, Oh my fucking god!" she moans, arching her back, Aemond licks her clit, fills her with two fingers and then when he is about to come he gets up, lifts himself on the bed, kneeling in front of her, takes his manhood stroking himself a couple of times, bends over her, who feels his erection pressing between her thighs.

Aemond rubs himself against her, shortly after he opens her again on his cock and she, invaded again, moans, bringing a leg to his side. "I need..." she whispers. "Of you, of all this... God Aemond, don't stop" Aemond holds her in his arms, buries himself inside her again. "It's dangerous" he whispers on her lips. "But fuck, how much I want you" he caresses her lower lip, bites it, kisses it.

He brings his hands to her waist, continues to push into her until he feels her break in his hands. Aemond kisses her breast, takes a sensitive nipple between his lips, licks it and Miranda, feels close to orgasm again. "Cum for me princess" Aemond orders her. "Cum inside me, I want to feel you" she replies.

Aemond looks at her, Miranda is lost in the most dissolute pleasure. He continues to fuck her until he feels her come around his shaft and he lets himself go inside her, filling her. "Princess, my little princess treated like she deserve" he moans, he lets himself fall on her body again, Miranda hugs him breathing in his scent.

"God, what a man you are Aemond Targaryen."

Miranda clings to Aemond, hugs him and places small, sweet kisses on the scar on his face. "When…" she whispers, moving her hand to his silver hair. "When did you start looking at me differently?" she asks.

Aemond sighs, looks at their reflection in the mirror in front of the bed. They are a tangle, skin against skin, the sheets at their feet. Their naked bodies touching, God, she is so beautiful.

"A year ago" Aemond admits. Miranda bites her lower lip. "When I carried you away from that event, where the crowd had started to become oppressive and they broke through the security barriers when they saw you. I took you in my arms, you were so scared. I carried you away and in the car, when you were crying and you held me… something in me snapped" her voice is calm, gentle and different from his usual arrogance.

"It started a year ago for me too" she whispers. "Soon after that, I… I don't know, but the way you made me feel protected… it made me want more" she rises a little, brushes their lips and settles on his chest, on top of him, their legs entwined.

Miranda rests her face on Aemond's chest, listens to the beat of his heart. "I tried to provoke you, Aemond Targaryen" she admits with a hint of amusement in her voice. "Splashing in the pool, teasing you, wearing shorts and circling you, little jokes… but nothing has managed to dent you until… today" she smiles, gives him a kiss on the chest.

"I don't want to give you up" Aemond admits. "But I know my place" her sense of duty is infinite. "We'll keep it a secret and… when the time comes I'll tell my father. I'm his only daughter and since my mother passed away he just wants to see me happy. How could he not accept our relationship? You're the person who protects me and loves me the most in the world after him, Aemond."

Miranda's words are sincere, she knows her father well and knows how to trick him in her favor. "Please, trust me" Miranda takes his face in her hands and kisses him with a burning intensity.

"Aemond" she whisper. "I'm horny again" she kisses his skin, he shivers at the touch of her lips

"And now let's make love" she sits on him, her naked body is simply wonderful. Aemond moves her on his hips, Miranda closes her eyes and lets himself be penetrated by his cock, hard again. She moans, Aemond sits on the bed with her in his arms, riding him. "You're mine" Miranda whispers. "You're mine Aemond Targaryen" he holds her, Miranda kisses his neck.

The world outside fades away as they make love again, this time with an intimacy that’s as much about their hearts as it is about their bodies. Every touch, every kiss, is charged with emotion, a silent promise that they’re in this together, scars and all.

When they finally come back to themselves, they’re both breathless, spent, but there’s a new sense of peace between them.

Miranda rests her head on Aemond’s chest again, feeling the steady beat of his heart beneath her. He holds her close, his hand gently stroking her hair, and for the first time in a long while, they both feel a sense of completeness, as if they’ve finally found what they’ve been searching for in each other.

She was his and he was hers, her bodyguard.

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y-rhywbeth2 · 6 months

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Something I love about BG1+2 is how it simultaneously plays and subverts the demigod/chosen one narrative (which continues in BG3, except with only the subversion. (And Halsin is not joking when Durge tells him what they are: Do NOT advertise that you're a Bhaalspawn.))

I've always been fond of the set up in Saradush in ToB, where the surviving children of Bhaal are being corralled into the besieged city under promise of protection against the entire world - because basically literally the entire world is trying to kill the Bhaalspawn: Your more powerful siblings want you dead; your mortal neighbours, and likely your nation itself either thinks you're inherently evil and are ready to kill you, or you represent such a threat that they're ready to drive you out and/or kill you just in case. Case in point: the aforementioned siege outside the city walls with the army that wants you dead currently raining giant flaming rocks of death over your head.

Some of these guys have no idea what they are, or what's happening, until attempted murder happens.

Like this discussion with one of your random brothers, a guy called Alexander:

Alexander: "You don't look like one of the locals. Are you a child of Bhaal as well, lured here like the rest of us to face our inevitable end?" Charname: "As well? What do you mean?" Alexander: "I myself am one of Bhaal's progeny - or so I've been told. I guess Bhaal's blood runs thicker in some of his children than in others." Sarevok: "By your snivelling manners, I would say Bhaal's blood runs very thin indeed in your veins. Bah-why do I even waste my breath tormenting this cowering cur?" Alexander: "Uh... is there anything else I can help you with?" Charname: "How did you get here exactly?" Alexander: "I wasn't brought here by Melissan, like some of the others. My home village was burned to the ground by a dragon who claimed to be hunting me. My friends... my family... they threatened to give me to the dragon if I didn't leave. So I did. And I heard a lot of other Bhaalspawn were coming here. *sigh* Now I almost wish I hadn't come."

Spoiler alert: He dies. Every single Bhaalspawn in that city dies*, along with everybody except a handful of commoners (*except maybe Viekang, who was not particularly inclined to murder me, so Murder in Baldur's Gate is weird.)

You, a simple peasant from a farming village one day come of age and learn that your absent father was a god, and you are forced to flee forces that are trying to kill you (in this case, your much more powerful half-brother)... it sounds like the start to some kind of fantasy epic, but instead of any fancy destiny you end up in a war torn city surrounded by castoff divine bastards just like you, terrified and unwanted, and then you die, and are forgotten.

And that's what being a Bhaalspawn is!

Whatever grand lies Bhaal tells you in your dreams about how you're special and great power awaits you (if you behave and do his will), your job is: sow death, faith, fear and chaos wherever you roam, strengthen Bhaal's power, and then be a good child and die for Father. No exceptions, save perhaps one, who is explicitly a special prophecy child, and even then is supposed to be doomed by future FR canon because they're still Bhaal's "pawn". There's also Imoen, who might be spared simply by proximity to said prophecy child keeping her alive. Non-game "canon" screwed her over hard. (FR canon and I have a complicated relationship, it must be said. All copies of those books are to be ritualistically burned.)

idk where I'm going with this, I just love how bleak the situation in the city is. No grand destinies, only a discardable pawn to be used, abused and consumed.

...And also that part where Tethyr sends an army to kill you because obviously you are guilty of "crimes against [Tethyr] and, indeed, all of humanity!" by supposedly killing a whole city: They admit they can't prove it, but you're a child of murder, you were born guilty even if you didn't actively do anything.

No, really:

General Jamis Tombelthen: "You are guilty, [Charname]. Of this there is no doubt. And we will not risk your further endangerment of us all. You are a spawn of Bhaal and responsible for the destruction of the city of Saradush*. Your execution has been ordered, [Charname]. May the gods have mercy on your soul."

* I implore you to move with great urgency to intercept the Bhaalspawn before they can do any more damage. Whether or not they are responsible for what occurred in Saradush, we cannot allow them to continue and cannot afford the time for trial... - Tombelthen's orders, courtesy of the Queen of Tethyr

#No I am not done obsessing over the Children of Bhaal: I just love these poor fucks ok #(I have an hour or two's spare time will I use it on anything important? No I'll babble about a decades old game and then get back to work)#This has been Original Baldurs Gate Propaganda Hours #Also don't hire any sex workers in Saradush: they only want to eat your blood #bg2 spoilers #babbling #long post #/durge #/charname

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sissylittlefeather · 11 months

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In honor of Halloween...

"Devil in Disguise"

I wrote a vampire fic but PLOT TWIST Elvis isn't the vampire.

YOU ARE!

Warnings: 18+ SMUT MDNI!!!! Kissing, cussing, fingering, oral sex (f receiving), a little girl on girl action, threesome (MFF), p in v sex, unprotected sex, creampie, also vampire bites and blood drinking

A/N: this was a fun stretch for me. Please let me know what you think!

Inspired by these pics:

You've honestly forgotten how many years you've been a vampire. You know you were turned at the end of the American Civil War as a means of survival for your children, who are all dead now anyway. After your youngest passed, you moved to France. You followed the American soldiers here in 1944, since they had literally been your bread and butter since you were turned. Now, the war was over, but your job as a dancer at the Moulin Rouge was too good to leave and there was still a steady stream of young men, and even soldiers at times, to keep you well-fed and young(ish)-looking. You had been 33 when you were turned, so that was your permanent age, but when you were well-fed the men assumed you were younger and never bothered to ask if you weren't.

None of the other dancers knew what you were except for Anya, who was also like you and had been a refugee after the Russian revolution. While she was younger, she had become your closest friend in the years since you'd come to Paris.

She was the one who alerted you to the presence of one Elvis Presley in the spring of 1959. You'd seen him on television and knew he was in Germany with the Army, but you hadn't expected him to show up here.

"He's on furlough. The girls are fighting over who will get to be with him first." Anya whispers to you as you get dressed. Luckily you've learned to understand her thick accent. She knew you were always looking for a new challenge and she preferred rich, older gentlemen, so she wasn't interested in this boy, as she thought of him.

"Oh, Anya, I don't know. I'm exhausted and he's sure to be surrounded by photographers and fans. It'll be hard to get him alone."

"You're tired because..." she leans in and speaks softly, "you need to feed. And how fun would he be?"

"Maybe. I don't want to compel him, though. That's too easy."

"Then don't. Go out there and show these little girls how a woman works." She slaps your ass and gives you a wink before walking to line up for the opening dance.

******

After your dances are finished, you're sent to mingle with the men in the club and see if you can't score a few extra tips. You see the throng of people and assume that must be where he is. Swinging your hips as you walk, you move to a spot in his eye line, but far enough away to not draw the attention of the crowd. He's got dancers all around him and he must've kissed a half dozen of them already, but you recognize the look in his eye. It's the same look you have on most nights. He's hungry for a challenge, something new and exciting and not the same girls falling at his feet.

That's when his eyes meet yours. They lock for a good thirty second before his gaze moves down your body. He takes in your black and red bodice and fishnet hose, all the way down to the black heels on your feet and back up again to the feathers stuck in your hair. But you know what he wants, so you pull your eyes away from his magnetic stare and start to walk away, a look of disinterest on your face.

You move slowly across the room, talking and flirting with patrons as you do. Still, you can feel his eyes on you, tracking you like a predator with prey. Little does he know, he's the prey in this scenario and he's falling perfectly into your snare.

Out of the corner of your eye, you catch him dismissing the girls around him and trying to shake the crowd that follows him, assuring them he'll be right back. But you know better. Once he's yours, he'll be yours for the night.

You keep making your way around the room until you feel a soft hand on your shoulder and a voice in your ear.

"You runnin' away from me, mama?" You turn to face him with a bored smile.

"Should I be?" The hunger in his eyes intensifies with your apathy towards him.

"I'm told I'm a pretty good time. You might not want to run away just yet." He's laying it on thick for you, smiling devilishly, with his lip curled just so. You have to admit, he is very good looking, and you smile in spite of yourself. He leans his head back a little, confident he's got you now.

"Come on, mama. Let's go somewhere we can talk."

That didn't take long. He's less of a challenge than you thought he'd be. Turns out his hunger is your best weapon.

"Follow me." You smile up at him through your lashes and make your way to the door that leads backstage. Once you're back there with a little privacy, you push him up against the wall and kiss him deeply, running your hands down his front to the top of his pants and then back up. At first, he's caught off guard, but it doesn't take him long to wrap his arms around you and pull your body in close to his. He has some skill with his tongue and you realize that you're hungrier than you thought you were. You feel your fangs start to extend, so you pull away quickly and grab his hand, practically dragging him to one of the rooms you use for this sort of thing. He doesn't complain about your speed, though.

When you get inside, you turn and lock the door behind you.

"Damn, baby. Somebody knows what she wants."

"You have no idea." You round on him, trying to keep your fangs hidden until the right moment. You don't want to scare him away too quickly. It takes everything inside you not to just pounce on him, but you take a deep breath and feel your fangs retract.

You push him backwards to the edge of the couch.

"Sit down."

"Yes ma'am." His eyes sparkle with the excitement of being told what to do. You can tell he's used to being in charge, but he's not opposed to letting you take control. You walk over to the record player and put on something jazzy and sensual. The more aroused he is, the more vitality you can derive from his blood. When you get back in front of him he reaches out and puts both hands on your hips.

"Nuh uh." You move his hands back to his lap. "Just look. Don't touch."

"Mmm." He grunts and bites his bottom lip as you begin to move in front of him. You sway your hips seductively and touch your body as you dance. Slowly, you reach behind you and unzip your bodice, letting it fall to the floor. The only thing you have on underneath is your fishnet hose and his mouth drops at the sight in front of him. He adjusts his pants and you know he's well on his way to where you need him. You slide the hose down and kick off your shoes until you're standing in front of him completely naked. He still hasn't closed his mouth or been able to make a sound. You straddle him on the couch and reach for his tie. His hands go to your breasts and again you stop him.

"Did I say you could touch?" He whimpers.

"Honey, please..."

"I will tell you when you can touch me." He whines and flexes his hands before he puts them back at his sides. You begin to undress him slowly, first his tie, then his jacket, and finally his shirt, running your fingers across his chest lightly. He barely even has hair there.

"I need to touch you. Please." He looks at you with puppy dog eyes and bucks his hips up into you. You feel his hardness pushing against his pants. Then, you stand up again and he moans.

"No, honey, I'm sorry..."

"Take off your pants." He does as he's told and frantically removes his pants and shoes and then sits back down on the couch. His cock bounces in his lap and you can't help but be a little impressed by the size of it.

"You want to touch me?"

"Yes, please, mama." He looks at you with his eyes wide, dick twitching. You walk toward him and he reaches out, first cautiously and then hungrily, his hands exploring your body feverishly. He pulls you down into his lap and kisses you passionately. He lays you on your back on the couch and kisses down your neck. You put your hand on the top of his head and gently push him down toward your center.

He smiles. He can do this part well and he knows it. When his mouth makes contact with your clit, you yelp a little because it feels so good. He really is talented with his tongue and it's obvious as he licks and laps at you. Then, he slides two of his long fingers inside you and starts to move them in and out. The sensation is almost overwhelming and you feel your orgasm building deep in your core. He knows he's almost got you there too, so he picks up the pace of his hand and tightens his tongue to a point as he licks over and around your clit. Finally, the waves crash over you, sending heat and electricity to your fingertips and back again. You shudder and pulse around his hand and he does that boyish grin again.

"How badly do you want to fuck me?" You ask as he makes his way back up your body.

"Honey, I don't think I've ever wanted anything more in my life." You push him up into a sitting position and straddle him again, slowly sinking onto his cock until you're stuffed to the hilt with him. He groans and leans his head back on the couch. You feel your fangs extend again with the pleasure and do your best to keep your mouth closed, but his neck is exposed and you're so hungry...

"Honey? You okay?" You realize that you've stopped moving and snap back to reality.

"Mhmm!" You go back to grinding on his lap, pushing him deeper and deeper. That was too close. You have to keep yourself under control better until he's lost in a post-sex drunken haze. Why is he getting to you like this? You need to not let yourself get this hungry.

"Fuck, mama. This feels so good. I'm getting close." You stop and stand up off of him. "What? Why?"

"Not yet." He breathes deeply and leans his head back on the couch again. You grab a robe off the back of the door.

"I'll be right back."

You step out into the hallway and almost run smack into Anya.

"Oh thank God. I need your help. I'm having a hard time controlling myself. Help me finish him off." Anya looks at you concerned.

"Okay. I will help you." This isn't the first time this has happened. You've helped her and she's helped you before. Balancing the desires and hunger as a vampire is a delicate business. Sometimes it takes two of you to keep each other in line.

You open the door again and step in with Anya. He sits up and attempts to cover himself with his hand.

You unzip Anya's bodice and let it fall to the floor, pulling her into a deep kiss, your breasts pressed up against each other. Elvis sits on the couch with his mouth open again, unsure of what to do next. When you both turn to him, he sits up straight and swallows hard. His cock bounces in his hand as he looks at you both there naked in front of him. You sit on either side of him on the couch. Anya's hand goes to his dick and you pull him into a kiss. You add your hand to hers and he groans, watching you both work with his eyes wide.

"Holy fuck." He whispers as you lean in and kiss each other again over him as you touch him. Together, you lay him down on the couch. Anya climbs onto his face and he goes to work. But when you slide his cock into you, you hear him moan audibly. You begin to bounce up and down on him quickly and he grabs your hips. He has a hard time deciding what to do with his hands as Anya sits on his face and you sit on his dick. He gets her to an orgasm pretty quickly, being as skilled as he is and she stands up off of him. He's surprised when you lean in and kiss him, even with Anya's desire on his lips. He thrusts into you from underneath and you feel another orgasm forming, your fangs starting to descend. She can tell you're struggling, so Anya leans in and kisses you hard.

"I think he's almost ready." She whispers with her thick accent. She grabs his hands and holds them above his head while you fuck him.

"'M gonna come, mama." He groans. You don't stop. Instead, you move faster, your own orgasm just a couple of thrusts away. You slam into each other faster and faster, harder and harder, all while Anya holds his hands. Finally, you scream and he cusses loudly.

"Yes, fuck, oh my god!" He pumps into you weakly as he shudders and fills you with warmth. You come too, hard, and your fangs come out one last time. You can no longer hide them and you lean forward to the soft supple skin of his neck.

"What?!" He begs, but doesn't fight back. You gently pierce him with your teeth and suck as the blood comes quickly. It's sweetened with the energy of his desire and his release and it fills you in a way you didn't think was possible.

As you finish, Anya releases his arms and you lick the tiny marks on his neck, knowing your saliva will heal it quickly.

"Did you just bite me?" He asks drunkenly.

"I did."

"I liked it."

"Most of you do, you just don't know it until it happens."

Anya kisses your forehead and grabs her things, wrapping the robe around herself and disappearing through the door.

He sits up and wraps his arms around you.

"Did you get younger?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes."

"Make me like you."

"Oh, no, honey, I would never."

"Why not? Please?" He looks at you with his round blue eyes and you see the pain there. You kiss his hair and hold him close to your chest.

"You don't really want this. I promise."

"What if I really do?"

"I'm not turning Elvis Presley into a vampire."

"Then I'll find someone who will." You look deeply into his sex-drunk eyes.

"We'll talk about this in the morning." You curl up next to him on the couch as sleep approaches both of you.

"I'm not changing my mind."

You drift off in his arms, thinking about what it would mean to release him into the world as a new vampire. Is that a responsibility you're willing to accept? Is it really what he wants? Can you be the vampire that makes the most famous man on the planet immortal?

You don't know. But tonight, you were the vampire that fucked and drank Elvis Presley. And who else can say that?

******

Hope that was a fun treat!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Taglist:

@ccab @elvisfatass @elvisalltheway101 @aliypop @18lkpeters @dkayfixates @ashtag6887 @your-nanas-house @joshuntildawn13 @lookingforrainbows

Sorry if you didn't want a tag in this one! Either way, I hope some of you enjoy this little Halloween treat!

#elvis presley fanfiction #elvis presley #elvis fanfic #elvis smut #elvis presley x reader #elvis x reader #elvis presley fic #elvis presley x y/n #elvis fic #elvis fanfiction #elvis presley smut #elvis presley x you #elvis presley fanfic #elvis x y/n #elvis x you #halloween #halloween smut

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cinebration · 2 years

Text

The Darkling’s Shadow (The Darkling x Reader) [Part 2]

You deliver a head to the Darkling.

Tagged: @don-daygamerz, @weallhaveadestiny, @kaqua, @sinful-wxrld, @ashdab2611, @ultarviolence, @chodingcreature, @demonenotturno, @crowssixof, @mxacegrey, @dreamlandcreations, @s-r-reads, @byulsrecs, @peleksstuff, @seraferna, @imtherain, @vexedvalerie

Warnings: blood, gore

Gif Source: ethanhunt

The report of your success at the Fjerdan border reached the Darkling before you arrived at Kribirsk. Perusing the contents of the dispatch, he felt the distinctive stirring of excitement prickling beneath his skin. Your words from days before still echoed in his ears, fanning long-dormant flames.

“I can be your shadow, the boogeyman with blood on its hands and maw waiting in anticipation of its master’s next command.”

The Grisha in the Second Army followed him, as was their duty to their commander. They would do anything he asked…up to a point. Few were in it for the fight, the thirst for battle and blood. They were there because they had to be, because nationalism united them.

His attempts to create an army centuries before had created boogeymen that had behaved unexpectedly and in undesirable ways, creatures he still desired to draw into his power. That, as yet, was still unattainable.

To have someone offer to be his bloodied anything…

The thrill that coursed through him made his hands tremble. Clenching them into fists, he mastered the emotion, stuffing it down deep within himself. Years of experience cautioned him that you were a beautiful creature designed to ensnare him, right down to the power roiling within you.

No matter. If you were, then learning the secrets of how you were created would be useful. If you weren’t, then you were a prize he couldn’t afford to lose.

What would it be like if he amplified your abilities? What brutal carnage could you wreak?

Consumed with these thoughts, he didn’t hear you glide into his tent. Only a shift in the shadows alerted him to your presence.

It took all of his effort not to snap his head around. With as much composure as he could muster, he turned to face you.

Dried blood marred your kefta, your hands, your face, slivers of bone bristling out of your hair and cloak. Bits of viscera crusted your boots, thick enough not to flake off as you stopped in the center of the space.

From your right hand hung the severed head of a Fjerdan Grisha hunter. His eyes, glazed over in death, were wide from terror.

“Where do you want it?” you asked, your voice low.

The Darkling marveled at your audacity—from the gore on your body to the dangerous edge in your tone. It seemed you were deliberately trying to provoke him, bring him down into a contest of wills.

Leaning against the table behind him, he gripped its edge in both hands, trying to control the twitches in his fingers, and gave the head a cursory glance.

“Outside,” he finally answered.

“On a pole or just…wherever?”

He fought the laugh pulling at his lips. “You traveled for three days like this?”

You didn’t bother glancing down at your ruined kefta. “It sends a message, General.”

“Does it? To whom?”

“Fear is necessary on both sides of a war. I can only do the job I am made for if others, even allies, are in terror of me.”

“The job you are made for.”

“Do you believe in fate?”

The Darkling frowned, mildly nonplussed by the sudden change in conversation.

“I believe in fate,” you continued, twisting your wrist to watch the head spin first one direction, then another. “We are all set on paths whose end we do not know. But I also believe fate is something that we make happen, not merely something that happens to us. I was not born this way. I became this with my own two hands.”

You met the Darkling’s gaze, your expression blank but your eyes blazing. “I made myself for this. I have planned and dreamed and fought my way to here, because I know what my fate is.”

He struggled to speak. “And what is your fate?”

“I will be here at the end.”

A soft stab of fear pricked his chest, startling him. “I have no patience for riddles.”

“In my lifetime, the status quo will change irrevocably. A battle that determines the course of Ravka will mark the end of an era.”

“I don’t need a prophet,” he snarled. “If you’ve come to spout nonsense I have no use for you.”

Your snort enraged him. Shoving away from the table, he stalked across the room to you, shadows following in his wake, the muscle in his jaw vibrating with his anger.

You remained still as he glowered. The lack of fear in your face sent an unpleasant stab through the Darkling’s stomach.

“The truth is,” you said, interrupting the threat rising to his lips, “my fate is inextricably tied to power. I am the right hand of Power.”

Something in your tone smothered the mounting rage within him. You spoke with the words of fanaticism, but the conviction in the depths of your pupils was more than fanatical fervor. For a heartbeat, the Darkling witnessed something he couldn’t name. A chill lodged itself deep in his bones.

You blinked, and it was gone.

“Outside, you said.” Taking a step back, you gestured needlessly to the severed head. “A pole or someplace else? You never said.”

The Darkling stared at you. Power thrummed through you, suddenly muted by your abrupt nonchalance. Covered in gore, the head hanging almost forgotten in your hand, you were the picture of madness, but your eyes were clear and steady.

He couldn’t afford to make you an enemy, he realized with sharp clarity. Not until he truly understood you.

Swiveling crisply on his heel, he returned to the table. “Place it with the corpses. I’m sure you made enough of an impression walking through the camp with it.”

“As you command.”

“You should have left it on a pole back where you took it,” he added, driven by a need to wound you. Displeasure infused his voice.

“You asked for his head, and I brought it,” you answered.

The Darkling glanced over his shoulder at you as your pause swelled to fill the tent.

“The rest,” you finished, “are on stakes to greet the next Fjerdan who dares cross the border.”

The Darkling tore his gaze away from yours, fixing it on the papers before him in a gesture of dismissal. The shadows in the room shifted as you departed, leaving him alone.

He pressed his palms flat against the table, hiding the tremors shaking his arms. He couldn’t determine what emotion caused it. Common sense told him to dispatch you speedily, to sacrifice a tool before it could become a weapon against him.

But he wanted your power.

Indecision warred within him.

The entrance to the tent darkened. “General,” Ivan intoned.

The Darkling straightened, hands clenched into fists. “Ivan, the Bonecrusher will stay in camp. Assign her quarters.”

“The Bonecrusher?” Ivan swallowed thickly, brow furrowing. “Is that wise, sir? No one trusts her, and we—they fear her.”

As the Darkling scrutinized the man’s guarded expression, his indecision faded, crisp clarity returning. “Good.”

#The Darkling x Reader #The Darkling #The Darkling imagine #Aleksander Morozova x Reader #Aleksander Morozova #Aleksander Morozova imagine #General Kirigan x Reader #General Kirigan #General Kirigan imagine #Ben Barnes x Reader #Ben Barnes #Ben Barnes imagine #Shadow and Bone

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girlactionfigure · 8 months

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The Holocaust Whistle-Blower: Jan Karski

He tried to save the Jews of Europe.

Jan Karski was a Polish resistance fighter and diplomat who warned world leaders about the Nazi extermination of European Jews. Tragically, none of the leaders of Allied countries did anything to stop the atrocity – including U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt.

Jan was born in 1914 in Lodz, Poland to a devout Catholic family. His father died when he was a small child, and his mother struggled to provide for her eight children. They lived in a neighborhood of overcrowded tenements where most of the residents were Jewish. Jan attended military school where he trained to be a mounted artillery officer and graduated first in his class.

He then trained to be a diplomat, and between 1935 and 1938 he worked at Polish consulates in Romania, Germany, Switzerland and the UK. At the beginning of 1939 Jan returned to Poland to work at the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In the fall of that year, World War II started when Germany invaded Poland. Jan – Officer Karski – was called up to lead a unit of the Krakow Cavalry Brigade. On September 10 the Krakow Army was defeated by the Germans in the Battle of Tomaszow Lubelski and Jan was captured as a prisoner of war. He managed to escape and went to Warsaw, where he joined the SZP, the first resistance movement in occupied Europe.

At that time, the Polish Government in Exile, overthrown by the Germans, was based in Paris. Jan organized secret courier missions to transport important information to the exiled Polish leaders. He traveled frequently between France, Great Britain and Poland, at great risk to himself. In July 1940 his luck ran out and he was arrested by the Gestapo while traveling through Czechoslovakia on his way to France. He was imprisoned and tortured so badly that he was transferred to a hospital. Fortunately Polish resistance leaders found out where he was and managed to smuggle him out of the hospital.

Returning to Warsaw, Jan served in the information bureau of the Polish Home Army, the main resistance movement in Poland. He and other Polish resistance leaders were horrified by the Nazi persecution of Polish Jews, and increasingly aware that the Germans planned to exterminate millions of them. Desperate to alert the rest of the world about the destruction of Polish Jewry, they chose Jan to gather evidence and then travel to Paris to report to prime minister Wladyslaw Sikorski, leader of the Polish government in exile.

Jan worked with Jewish resistance leader Leon Feiner, who smuggled him into the Warsaw Ghetto to observe conditions there. Jan later described the experience: “My job was just to walk. And observe. And remember. The odour. The children. Dirty. I saw a man standing with blank eyes. I asked the guide, what is he doing? The guide whispered, ‘He’s just dying.’ I remember degradation, starvation and dead bodies lying on the street. We were walking the streets and my guide kept repeating, ‘Look at it, remember, remember.’ And I did remember. The dirty streets. The stench. Everywhere. Suffocating. Nervousness.”

Jan also visited a transit camp for Jews on their way to death camps. He took photographs of what he saw there and in the ghetto, and carried them out of the country on microfilm. His testimony and pictures formed the first accurate account of the genocide of European Jews. Polish Foreign Minister Edward Raczynski published Jan’s reports in a pamphlet which was widely distributed. Jan traveled to several countries and met with high-level government officials including British Foreign Secretary Anthony Eden, but they either didn’t believe him, or they feared the political consequences of helping Jewish refugees.

In July 1943 Jan traveled to the United States, where he personally met with President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the Oval Office. Jan vividly described the Warsaw Ghetto and the concentration camps where Jews were being murdered en masse. After telling his grim tale, Jan expected Roosevelt to be emotionally affected and want to learn more. Instead, Roosevelt displayed no reaction and didn’t ask a single question. The president heard first-hand about the murder of millions of Jews – and saw the evidence – but he refused to help in any way and showed Jan the door. Ironically, the majority of American Jews voted for Roosevelt, and many Jews still revere him.

While in the States, Jan met with other important personages including Jewish Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter. Jan told his story, answered a few questions, and then the great jurist said, “I am unable to believe what you have told me.” Like Roosevelt, he chose to ignore the inconvenient truth of what was happening to the Jews of Europe. A Polish diplomat later confronted Justice Frankfurter and asked if he thought Karski was lying. “I did not say that this young man was lying. I said that I was unable to believe what he told me. There is a difference.” The difference was likely not clear to the millions of European Jews being tortured and murdered while a Jewish Supreme Court justice chose ignorance over a difficult reality.

Jan Karski’s identity was discovered by the Nazi occupiers in Poland, and he was unable to return home. He stayed in Washington DC, and earned his PhD at Georgetown University. After graduating, he began teaching at the Georgetown School of Foreign Service. Jan remained at Georgetown for forty years, teaching generations of American political leaders about East European and international affairs and comparative government. Jan’s students included Bill Clinton and Madeleine Albright. Jan wrote several books about the Holocaust, and gave lectures around the world about the horrors he witnessed, and the tragic inaction of world leaders. He was determined to make sure the Jews of Poland were not forgotten.

Jan said that he had two missions in life. The first was to bear witness to the genocide of the Jews of Europe. The second was to reveal the tragic indifference of Allied leaders.

In 1965, Jan married Pola Nirenska, a Polish Jew who was an acclaimed dancer and choreographer. He adored her, but Pola was scarred by losing 75 (!) members of her extended family in the Holocaust, and suffered from mental health issues. Pola tragically killed herself in 1992.

Jan Karski was honored as Righteous Among the Nations by Israeli Holocaust Memorial Yad Vashem. He was made an honorary citizen of Israel and received many other awards and honors in Poland, the United States, and Israel. He was nominated for a Nobel Prize. In 2000, Jan Karski was formally recognized as a human rights hero by the UN General Assembly. Soon after, Jan died in Georgetown at age 86. Jan continued to be honored posthumously, and in 2012 President Obama awarded him the country’s highest civilian honor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. He has been the subject of multiple books, plays and movies. There is a statue of Jan sitting on a bench on Madison Avenue in New York City.

For bearing witness to genocide and speaking truth to power, we honor Jan Karski as this week’s Thursday Hero.

#Thursday Hero

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lyxurious · 1 year

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So you like Luo Yunxi: A drama recommendation list

So you watched "Till the End of the Moon", and all you got is heartbreak, brainworms, and a shiny new lowkey or highkey obsession with Luo Yunxi (perhaps other people from the amazing cast too, but we're focusing on him here)? You want to see more of him, but you don't know where to start? Fear not, for this list is here to hopefully help you out with that.

Here be some (non-spoilery, but might mention if it generally ends well or not) spark notes on all his past dramas with him in the first male lead role, that are currently available with English subs (+ 2 very important supporting roles + 1 bonus). In chronological order, from most to least recent!

Light Chaser Rescue

Type: Modern, rescue missions, human drama, romance

Episodes: 40

Available at: WeTv, YouTube, viki

What's the deal? Jaded and cynical lawyer meets cute and icy doctor lady who is not here for his bs, and discovers the joys of love and most importantly, volunteer rescue work.

On the one hand: Detailed and extremely realistic scenes of all sorts of natural disasters happening. The production team collaborated with a real life team where anyone can volunteer and get training as a rescuer. They built a wholeass glacier for the final episodes and you could never tell it's fake looking at it even on HD. The side characters are mostly likeable (which is something you can't say for every drama), although flawed and human. FL is a cool-headed independent grownup woman who bottles up her feelings like a fine vintage.

On the other: The pacing is rather choppy and makes it feel like they planned out the disaster scenes/rescue missions first and everything else was added later to link said missions together and give the characters stuff to do in between. Since this is a drama and they have a limited cast, the team's abilities are a bit exaggerated at times (they turn up for everything that happens anywhere, doctor FL is a swiss army knife of specialties). Ending feels a bit abrupt.

Watch it if: You enjoy seeing Luo Yunxi suffer physically, you like stories with ordinary people being heroes while also remaining very much ordinary people.

Lie to Love

Type: Modern, romance, office, suspense

Episodes: 32

Available at: WeTV, YouTube

What's the deal? Local woman is convinced her one night stand during a mountain hike killed her father, so she returns after 2 years to go undercover in male nerdy Paris Hilton protagonist's glitzy hotel business and cancel his entire existence. Spoiler alert (but not really because this is actually not even the first 6 eps): he is a good guy and didn't do it and they fall in love and together they set out to uncover the truth and take down his shady uncle.

On the one hand: Objectively speaking, the plot for this is on the better side for a drama of its type. It's got suspense, it's got plot twists, it's got fluff, it's got drama, it's got more communication between the main CP than one would expect on a regular day, misunderstandings don't last long, the nice side characters are likeable, and 2nd ML is doing an incredible job at being a 2-faced creep. LYX is serving many a great business wear look in the 2nd half especially.

On the other: The FL is Cheng Xiao. A severely miscast Cheng Xiao in a role that is core in the plot and on paper, challenging. For fans, winner winner chicken dinner. For the rest of us, it's up to each viewer to decide if overall as a drama, the points in the above section are strong enough to balance this casting out.

Watch it if: You have a thing for men in suits and glasses (that makes two of us), you prefer ignoring the FL in dramas so you can make elaborate headcanons shipping the ML with the psycho stalker 2nd ML or the goofy rockstar 3rd ML instead.

Broker

Type: Modern, office, medical research, suspense, romance

Episodes: 42

Available at: YouTube, viki

What's the deal? Spy is ordered to infiltrate a lab and lowkey honey trap his way into stealing female scientist's multi-million research, is uno reverse carded when she fixes his broken heart and trust in humanity.

On the one hand: The rare case where he is a morally grey character in a modern setting. The other rare case where he gets to do action sequences in a modern setting. There's a shower sex scene (sit down, implied and partially dressed of course, this is still a cdrama), and one where he gets whipped on a table. There is a very badass sidekick girl who is just as broken as him if not worse, and very shippable with the FL's perky and spoiled little sister.

On the other: The premise is cool but sadly, there's way more filler office drama (in the lab) and 2nd CP being a frustrating snoozefest than spy activities. It's a drama that was held up for a long while in censorship limbo, and a considerable chunk of the ML's backstory and scenes were left in the editing room, which unfortunately throws the show off balance by a lot.

Watch it if: You are a diehard Luo Yunxi, Victoria Song or Xu Kaicheng completionist (in which case you have permission to come cry on my shoulder), you find yourself trapped in a cave, the rescue team is 48 hours away, and the only thing in there with you is a device that has no other data on it but all 42 episodes of Broker.

Love is Sweet

Type: Modern, romance, office

Episodes: 36

Available at: iQiyi, YouTube, amazon prime

What's the deal? Local woman applies for a job in huge investment banking company where she runs into her childhood friend -slash- nemesis after 10 years, they both gradually discover time makes people grow and occasionally fall deeply, ridiculously in love.

On the one hand: Sugar and fun and shoujo manga tropes aplenty! God tier CP chemistry! Some of the most epic makeouts to ever slip under the nose of the review committees. Characters that have actual profound growth under the "every romcom ever" cheeky banter. 2nd ML also offers shirtlessness and angsty backstory if you cannot live without those. There's even an adorable and very plot-relevant corgi!

On the other: The tremendous main CP chemistry has made this drama the exception for many who otherwise avoid both modern dramas and romcoms, but if that doesn't carry the show for you, I'm afraid there's not much else to see here. The 2nd CP is fuel for the "2nd CPs are annoying and waste screentime" complaint fire. (although, protip: even on the first watch you can probably skip their scenes without missing anything of value). The tear allergy is a bit of a ridiculous premise, but it's a real thing (who knew!), and it's not addressed much after a point.

Watch it if: You need something sweet and cute to fill the gaping hole Till The End of the Moon left in your chest, you love the tsundere overbearing CEO archetype but you also prefer it when he is more than a dry irredeemable asshole, you love romcoms because you enjoy both the "will they won't they" and the cute "we're an item now" domesticity.

And The Winner is Love

Type: Costume, wuxia, romance

Episodes: 48

Available at: iQiyi, YouTube

What's the deal? Dashing, elegant, fan-wielding dreamboat young master falls in love with girlie burdened with the heavy responsibility of leading a sect with bad rep and protecting a very powerful and thus dangerous cultivation manual. Supposedly.

On the one hand: Luo Yunxi looks like this:

for the whole drama. Every novel writer who ever wrote about a flirty and sophisticated young master whose beauty made flowers bloom along his path and women as well as men fell in love with him at first sight and all that purple prose-y stuff, has actually written about Luo Yunxi as Shangguan Tou whether they were aware of it or not. He is The Archetype and his popularity among bilibili fmv editors is proof. There's some great wire work in the first half. The soundtrack is pretty solid.

On the other: If you're looking for plot, run away and don't look back. I've watched the whole thing and I could not tell you how the story goes. I went in with a "idc about plot, i just want to look at Luo Yunxi in costume for 40 hours" mentality and I still struggled, make of that what you will. Chen Yuqi is the FL, saddled with a poorly written role and a choice of VA who arguably wasn't the best fit for her or the role. Chemistry is passable depending on your standards, but for most of the 2nd half of the drama it takes a nosedive together with the plot. Luo Yunxi got injured while filming this so they had to cut action scenes by a lot, so in the last 3rd or so it's wuxia without the wuxia. It's the only recent case where he also had to be dubbed (covid didn't allow him to get in the studio and do it himself, as he usually does).

Watch it if: You are a yumejoshi and need material to self-insert into a costume drama FL's position, you are more determined to watch lyx look pretty in costume, all else be damned, than Samwise Gamgee was determined to make sure Frodo throws the One Ring in the flames of Mount Doom.

Princess Silver

Type: Costume, court drama, romance, some wuxia elements

Episodes: 58

Available at: YouTube, viki

What's the deal? Princess RongLe wakes up one day with amnesia (no, hear me out) to the news that she is to be sent to another kingdom and marry a prince she's never met for political alliance reasons (no, hear me out!). There, she is faced with unexpected revelations and finds herself looking for the truth while she gets embroiled with the aforementioned haughty prince, a shady general, and her (sometimes a bit too?) caring and overprotective brother.

On the one hand: (mild spoiler alert?) His character ends up stealing the show. FL can act and has good relationships with other female characters (arguably better than with any man in this, even in the chemistry department). Story and plot are quite decent. It's one of those rare cdramas that builds up as it goes instead of deflating in the last stretch.

On the other: LYX is 3rd ML in this, so if he's your main motivation to watch, be prepared for limited screentime, especially in the 2nd half of the drama (until the final 8-10 episodes where it's all about). If you're not into the FL with either 1st or 2nd ML, the first half can be a drag, like, personally I started appreciating this drama for real after episode 25-30.

Watch it if: You are patient, you like getting emotionally sucker-punched, you love a good, earthshaking final plot twist.

Ashes of Love

Type: Costume, xianxia

Episodes: 63 (or 60, depending on the version, content is the same either way though)

Available at: Netflix, YouTube, viki, WeTV, amazon prime

What's the deal? Bottom of the food chain grape fairy who was deprived of the ability to feel romantic love and her life was honestly better and carefree like that, trips and falls into a love triangle with overconfident golden boy Heavenly Prince Phoenix, and his older brother, abused wallflower Heavenly Prince Dragon. Things go very great and not complicated at all from there. :))

On the one hand: Xianxia 101, it hits all the items on the checklist. The lavish costumes, the sprawling sets and world building, the entanglement over multiple lives, mortal arc, immortal arc, demon realm arc. CG that still holds up well for the genre 5 years later. The epic and emotional OST (someone has yet to surpass Sa Ding Ding's 左手指月 for the title of "best cdrama ED song", i don't make the rules). Arguably, The most iconic 2nd ML in a cdrama, responsible for a significant chunk of its long-lasting chokehold on the audience. Even if you've never seen the drama, if you're in the asian media adjacent internet, you've most likely seen this:

On the other: Xianxia 101, a double-sided coin. All the clichés are here, and if you're not here for them you get aboard the struggle bus. The show's views on romantic feelings can be a bit, let's say, old fashioned, even for the genre's standards. If you're not into the main CP, you're in for an uphill battle of frustration. If you're Team Runyu prepare to hate almost everyone for there is no justice in this land. (In AoL one is either Team Runyu or Team Xu Feng, no middle ground, and if you're reading this, especially because you liked lyx as Tantai Jin, I don't see how you could end up Team Xu Feng, so I'm gonna run with this assumption). (in theory you can also be Team No One, but in practice if you're that, sitting through this entire drama must have been as fun as having a tooth pulled out with no anesthesia)

Watch it if: if you're any degree of a lyx fan, period. Runyu is a mandatory class.

Children's Hospital Pediatrician

Type: Modern, medical, romance

Episodes: 42

Available at: YouTube

What's the deal? Aspiring surgeon -slash- frustrating disaster girl makes a huge blunder on her first day of her hospital residency, and can only stay as a pediatrician. She hates it and makes her literal saint of a secret husband's life miserable. We watch as she gets to grow as a person to the detriment of everyone else's mental health. Secondary cast has subplots of various dating entanglements.

On the one hand: Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, hmmm..... well... there's a scene where lyx takes off his shirt for a physical exam, if that's a bonus (ep40, 27:13-28:05, you're welcome)? Queen Zheng Li is in it? I am scraping the bottom of the barrel here.

On the other: It's way too long for absolutely no reason, the FL is the most frustrating and irrational baby I've ever seen (which is by no means a low bar), 90% of characters who are not the FL get their development butchered to make her look better, 2/3rds of the cast are incompetent at acting and the other 1/3rd is being wasted in this mess. I am trying to be as objective I can in these, but I've got nothing for this one.

Watch it if: You have chronically low blood pressure that no medication can fix, you have watched literally everything else on the list and having a manic episode where you will chew on the walls if you don't look at Luo Yunxi's face in something you have never seen before, you want to watch some other mid drama, so you want to watch something worse first in order to appreciate the other drama more.

Fox in the Screen

Type: Costume, xianxia

Episodes: 22

Available at: YouTube, viki, amazon prime (as The Screen Foxes)

What's the deal? Orphan girl wins by drunken mistake a magical screen that houses 3 fox demon guys, they help her with her screen shop and also with crossdressing to pass the exam for the position of palace screen painter. She earns a grumpy boyfriend with a tragic past in the meanwhile.

On the one hand: It's short and goes fast, and in all honesty, considering it was made on a budget of 3 paperclips and a piece of gum, the story is much more concise and watchable than I, at least, personally expected. You get to witness the caterpillar stage of lyx on this path to guzhuang drama godhood. If you're one for tragic love stories there is one hiding under the DIY production. White Fox and the prince are a solid ship.

On the other: It is very much made on the aforementioned budget of 3 paperclips and a piece of gum, and it very much shows. Everything is rough, the costumes, the makeup, the editing, the acting for the most part. Having even half an expectation is the wrong way to approach this drama.

Watch it if: you have the heart of a mother watching her kids at the school play and admiring what a great job they are doing or if you are like Marie Kondo and love mess in an affectionate way.

Bonus: PhantaCity

youtube

PhantaCity was a tv show back in 2018, whose concept was making short plays and having actors perform them live in a single, do or die take for a studio audience. Luo Yunxi and Wu Jinyan, both with a background in ballet, are paired up in a short musical, acting as the hands of a newly repaired clock. If you ever wanted to see him dance, sing and act all in one thing, don't sleep on this. It's short and beautiful, and the official upload embedded above is subbed in English!

#luo yunxi #drama recs #till the end of the moon #(only tangentially related but i will have to use the tag)#light chaser rescue #lie to love #broker #love is sweet #and the winner is love #princess silver #ashes of love #children's hospital pediatrician #fox in the screen #Youtube #i tried to be as objective as possible to not color impressions #i think i deserve a cookie for how civil i was with one of these #iykyk

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pianokantzart · 8 months

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Movie Verse Super Paper Mario AU

Given how long my SPM comic has gotten, and the fact that it's about to become more obvious how much the story deviates from the original (particularly with DK filling the role of Bowser as a hero), I figured now would be a good time to put together a rough outline of the plot points in my AU.

This isn't required reading for my comic, this is just for everyone who wants some extra context and info about how my version of events differ from the original Super Paper Mario.

The story starts out with Mario and Luigi at home. Luigi is talking about how peaceful things have been lately, but unlike in SPM he has absolutely no desire to see this change.

Meanwhile, Mario is trying to pretend he isn't a little bored, and is quietly dropping suggestions that the two of them go off and explore some faraway kingdom to break up the monotony.

Suddenly, Toad bursts in in a panic, and The Mario Brothers are ushered to the castle as Toad hurriedly explains that Princess Peach has disappeared.

The three enter the crime scene: her bedroom shows signs of a brief struggle, but otherwise there is no clue to what might have happened except a letter that reads "If you wish to see the princess again, meet me within Bowser's castle" written in unfamiliar handwriting.

Despite this disappearance not matching Bowser's style at all, Toad and The Mario Brothers have little choice but to believe he has something to do with this. They decide to take the bait.

They enlist the help of Donkey Kong in the rescue mission, figuring it'd be best to have the extra muscle given how likely it is this is a trap (plus the karts are a more reliable form of transportation compared to the warp pipes.)

Despite the addition of a giant gorilla to the team, Mario & co. successfully sneak into Bowser's Castle undetected. The guards don't seem to be on particularly high alert. Stranger still, they can't find the princess anywhere.

When Bowser eventually discovers and confronts them, Mario explains the situation and presents the mysterious letter they found. Bowser is dumbfounded, but insists that whatever happened to Peach can wait until after he kills them.

Before things escalate any further, Count Bleck appears from a portal in sort of a rough recreation of this scene:

Bleck is pleased to see everyone gathered together, and presents the captive Princess "as promised."

Seeing this, Mario immediately leaps to attack the count despite Luigi's desperate plea for him to wait. Like in the game, this causes Mario to get knocked out. Soon after, everyone is sucked away into the dimensional portal except the unconscious Mario.

Mario awoken by Tippi, who– after brief introductions– teleports him away to meet Merlon so they can work together to stop Count Bleck with the help of The Light Prognosticus.

Mario isn't sure how he feels about the idea of prophecies... he doesn't really buy into the idea, despite how much he matches the physical description in the book... but if playing along means Tippi will help him stop Count Bleck and save everyone, he'll do it.

Meanwhile, everyone else awakens to find themselves at Peach and Bowser's wedding. Toad, Donkey Kong, and Luigi do their best to interfere as Nastasia hypnotizes Peach into saying "I Do." Ultimately, Mario's allies fail, and the marriage unleashes the chaos heart.

From there, things continue much like in the game, albeit with a few changes:

As described before, Bowser's role is filled by Donkey Kong. Bowser, in the meantime, aligns himself with Count Bleck to spare his own army from being brainwashed, biding his time until he can usurp the count and gain control of the chaos heart.

Toad is part of Mario’s group too. He isn't mentioned in the light or dark prognosticus, but he is determined to help out nonetheless (and actually does a pretty good job.)

Unlike in SPM, Luigi stays brainwashed the entire time. The first time Mr. L is defeated, Mario and his allies try to grapple him and drag him back to Flipside so Merlon can take a look at him, but Dimentio interfered and "rescued" Mr. L before they could manage it.

O'Chunks, Mimi, Dimentio, and Mr. L work together as a unit after failing their respective attempts to stop the heroes, leading to a couple of instances of all-out battle royale between Bleck's minions and Team Mario. Bleck's Minions, as dysfunctional as they are, don't succeed in stopping the heroes from obtaining any pure hearts despite their combined efforts.

The ending is where things really get switched up:

The main four, having gathered all the pure hearts, start heading to Castle Bleck to destroy the chaos heart.

In the frenzy of everyone preparing for the confrontation, Bowser... knowing that The Dark Prognosticus prophesied that The Man In Green would be the one to bring darkness to all... draws Mr. L away from the group and tries to kill him.

Dimentio, however, saves Mr. L, and working together they successfully incapacitate Bowser enough for Dimentio to send him back to his own dimension.

This rescue– plus the earlier rescue from the clutches of Mario– causes Mr. L to place misplaced faith in Dimentio.

Seeing this, Dimentio comes clean and asks Mr. L to join him in usurping The Count. He lies that Count Bleck has no intention of creating new worlds after destroying the old ones, and offers Mr. L a portion of his own power if he agrees to assist in making sure the universe goes on.

In my version of things, you have to agree to a partnership in order to get implanted with a floro sprout. It's sort of a contractual thing... one can't just plant something in your brain while you're unconscious.

At this point, Mr. L trusts him enough to tentatively agree to his terms and let him in. This is how Dimentio manages to get the sprout seed inside Mr. L's head.

Sure enough, after Mario, DK, Peach, and Toad defeat Count Bleck and his Minions... and just as Tippi begins to get through to the disheartened Blumiere... Dimentio and Mr. L swoop in to swipe the chaos heart and teleport away.

Mario, while rushing to grab his brother, is the only one who manages to get a glimpse of where they teleported to before both Mr. L and Dimentio disappear completely.

He keeps this information to himself as he and Count Bleck's forces hold a truce, tending to the wounded Nastasia and discussing what to do next.

During this meeting, Count Bleck finally answers the question that had been the minds of everyone on Team Mario: why brainwash Luigi? Count Bleck admits the prophecy in The Dark Prognosticus, explaining that he planned on using Luigi to destroy all worlds. What's more, he insists that if they really want to put an end to the chaos heart and the threat it poses, they will have to kill Luigi as well.

This sparks a heated debate. While everyone's shouting Mario says nothing, but silently slinks away from the group to catch up with Luigi and Dimentio on his own.

He knows that the two have merely gone into a chamber deeper within the castle. He knows where to look. If he can just get through to his brother, maybe he can be saved...

Which leads us right up to where my comic begins.

#long post #super paper mario #spm AU #mario movie #Super Mario Bros

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i-smoke-chapstick · 7 months

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'COME ON EILEEN!, [PART TWO]

-GOTHAM!VICTOR ZSASZ X READER-

⋆ 𝐒𝐘𝐍𝐎𝐏𝐒𝐈𝐒 ; Victor and reader have an...interesting day out.

⋆ tags/warnings. GOTHAM!victor x female reader. This is a 4 part fic. AGE GAP ROMANCE! (reader is still in highschool). Victor and reader bantering. Victor falling in love too fast (subtly). Slowburn. Victor is confused. Soft Victor. Like, you're his world. You just don't know it. Set during season 1. Reader becoming more villainous by the minute.

⋆ 'PART ONE, - 'PART TWO, - 'PART THREE, - 'PART FOUR,

♫ “Oh I swear, at this moment, you mean everything.” Come On Eileen by Dexys Midnight Runners

When all your restraints were undone, you made it a point to refocus your breathing. Falcone had walked out the room ages ago after shaking your hand. The rest of your ropes were undone by Victor himself, who looked at you. He analyzed your every move. It almost reminded you of how Jim did that day.

Victor wasn't rough undoing them, which you were thankful for. He seemed aloof, like his mind was elsewhere. Careless. You didn't speak a word while he undid them.

You're still terrified. The man is pointing a gun at you, though he's not very alert. It seems to be some sort of precaution.

His eyes were unblinking as he took a mental note of every single detail on your facial appearance. The wrinkles, the scars, the birth-marks, everything he could see was analyzed.

Once he finished his short routine of observing you, he looked thoughtful. A few moments went by as his eyes were glued to your face. Then with a quick glance up, he finally spoke,

"Hi."

You blink at him. "...Hi."

It's awkwardly silent, and you finally stand up, stretching your legs. You feel your pockets for your phone.

You begin to panic when you can't find it.

You look toward Victor, and to your vague intrigue, he has your phone in his gloved hand that wasn't occupied with a pistol.

He's lazily scrolling. How the hell did he unlock it?

"Mr. Zsasz, um. Hi. Uh, can I have my phone?" You manage to squeak out. He pays you no mind. "...Victor."

He is still scrolling, and the invasion of privacy is a bit much for you.

"What's that? I wasn't listening." He mumbles, seemingly preoccupied. You attempt to hover your way behind him to get a glimpse at what he's doing on your phone, but each way you move, he turns effortlessly with the gun.

You sigh. "Give me the phone and I'll tell you were Maroni's men are." You try, but you sound small.

"Uh-huh." He nods, absentmindedly. "You're gonna tell me anyways." He just waves you off.

...He's right. You are gonna tell him anyways, unless you want to die a gruesome death.

Your stomach crunches when you realize you are going to go on a job with him. What, a stake-out? Your gonna first hand witness him murder a whole group of men with his little assassin army of hot women. Okay, cool. You huff. You don't even realize why you're presence is needed for this operation.

He seems to be waiting for you to tell him the information. He's in no hurry, lounging around the living room and sitting himself on the armrest of a couch. Can't he at least sit normally?!?!?!

You sit in silence for a few minutes, but your antsy. Your fighting with yourself, stalling for time. You hope a miracle happens and Jim Gordan magically crashes through the door to save you, but you know he won't.

Him continuing to browse through your phone makes you antsy. You have your parents numbers and addresses on there. He could be looking at photos of you and your friends- making mental notes of who to torture! You finally cave.

"The guy who works for Maroni is named Ricardo Ricci," You speak, and he perks his head up. "They all get together at this warehouse by the docks. It's on other biker gang territories, so they meet after hours. They never leave a trace of there presence. Perfect cover up."

He stares at you, before slowly nodding his head. He lowers the gun, and sloppily throws you the phone. You catch it, seeing Candy Crush opened. So that's what he was doing. You let out a soft, frustrated scoff.

He moves to stand up, and you furrow your brows. In a second, he's grabbing your hand. "Where are you-" You ask, but he cuts you off.

"We have a job to do. That's where we are going."

"Yeah, well, no shit. But they don't get together until night time-"

"...So?" He looks at you like your stupid. "Let's get a milkshake."

For a moment, you think this cannot be the same man Jim Gordon described as a sadistic homicidal maniac. Before you know it, you're getting pulled by your arm.

He was true to his word, he got a milkshake for himself. He offered to get you one too, but you refused.

You two sit on a rooftop above the docks. His legs dangle over the edge while he drinks. He set up a sniper rifle next to him.

The whole time, he's kept a gun pointed in your direction. You have your phone, but just your luck, it's on 1%. You think about texting someone, but by now you've realized it's futile. You assume that was his plan.

It's still daylight outside. You two have spoken not a single word to one another. Your still utterly confused as to why Falcone required you to come with him, instead of just making some other goons watch over you until the job was done.

The awkward silence simmers and the two of you watch the city. You find it in yourself to sit next to him, letting your legs dangle.

"Falcone's right, y'know." He finally drawls. "You don't know how special you are."

You look at him, and the gun pointed casually at you. You shrug.

"I'm just a highschooler."

"A highschooler who somehow knows everyone's secrets." He hums. You pause.

"Yeah. I guess. Everything everyone tells me is mostly bullshit, though."

"So...it's on a whim you're getting killers caught left and right?" He remarks, turning to meet your eye. It's the first time he's done so since your first conversation.

You stay silent at this.

"I didn't plan for any of this to happen." Whispering, you find yourself being oddly vulnerable. The gun pointed at you reminds you this could be the day you die. He watches you pout.

He stares at you for a long moment, as he slowly nods to himself. His look softens a little bit, before he breaks the brief moment of silence that just passed between the two of you.

"You're pretty damn lucky then."

He says, with an amused tone. You stare at him incredulously.

"Lucky? I've probably snitched on like, half of Gotham's underworld to Jim Gordon. I've got a gun pointed at me. It's a miracle I haven't been killed yet." You say, fidgeting.

"Exactly," he purses his lips. "...Nobodies managed to get you. That's what I like to call being damn lucky."

"Falcone got me." You remind him.

"...True." Victor states with a slight grin as he shrugs in agreement. Almost as if he's prideful in his boss. "But Falcone has been careful not to harm you, hasn't he?"

"There's a gun in your hand pointed at me. I'm sitting on top of a building with THE Victor Zsasz, about to dive head first alone into a shoot out. Which- by the way, is insane. I thought you'd bring some of your girlfriends with you." You sneer, referencing the zsaszettes.

This illicits a snicker out of him.

"Uh, first things first, those are called hench-women. Get it right," He jokes dryly, looking at you with a feigned duh expression. He raises the drink up to his mouth and takes a long sip of it. You roll your eyes.

"And second, I couldn't possibly bring any of my ladies. Not on a job like this. This is a two-person job at most. Easy peasy." He seems confident- you let out a humorless laugh.

"You do know I don't know how to shoot, right?" You stare at him bewildered.

He waves you off.

"It's really easy." He assures you, with a calm smirk and a hint of slow sarcasm in his voice. "You take this here-" He stands up, setting the gun pointed at you down. He makes his way to the sniper rifle set up next to the two of you, and he raises the gun up for you see.

"You aim it at what you wanna shoot..." He demonstrates by pointing the scope at a stop sign from afar. "And then you pull this little sucker here." He says, as he pulls the trigger. His accuracy is remarkable as he hits the stop-sign dead center, and a you hear the pang of the bullet hitting the metal surface.

You watch him, slack-jawed.

"You expect me to do that?"

"Nah...but I expect you to learn." He states, simply.

I look up at the sky, it's still daylight. "What, in a few hours? Are you crazy?"

"Oh come on, it's not that hard." He says, as he gestures to the gun he left next to you. "We'll start small. You can learn everything about this gun in under an hour. That's a .45 caliber pistol. It packs a punch and if I were you, I'd get a feel for it as soon as possible."

You look down at the gun. He's right. Oh, this is your last chance at survival. You're probably gonna die. "…Show me." I whisper, picking up the gun in your hand. It feels incredibly foreign, heavier than you thought it would be.

Victor looks at you with a slight raise of his eyebrows. He seems surprised at your sudden decision.

"Well...Ok." He replies, before deciding to put on the instructor hat.

"Here, first rule; Always keep your finger off the trigger unless you intend to shoot. The first thing you wanna do is make sure the chamber is clear, which means its got nothing loaded in it, kay?"

He demonstrates by pulling a pistol from his suit jacket you didn't even realize he had, then ejecting the magazine, racking the slide to throw out the bullet that had been chambered. He catches it in his fingers. He does it with such ease you scrunch your eyebrows.

"Yeah- okay, that's not happening." You mumble. "Just teach me how to shoot."

Victor looks at you, with a feigned look of disappointment. But he decides it's easier to agree.

"Alright, so, first thing you wanna do is stand with both feet on the ground and have this arm here extended out like this." He demonstrates the position, coming up behind you. You poorly imitate it.

"...Then you wanna bring your other arm here-" He shows you how to position your arm holding the gun. You feel the warmth of his gloved hands on your arms, and struggle to focus.

He's talking down to you like a child.

You breathe a shaky breath as he instructs you, you can smell him. Expensive cologne and gun powder.

"There." He says, and snaps back off of you instantly, as to not mess with your perfet position. "Go."

You press the trigger, and a bullet comes out. It's not smooth- the kickback nearly sends you flying, and Victor doesn't see you damn near fall on your ass. He's too busy paying attention to where the bullet manages to land.

Not dead center, but certainly close enough to where his sniper bullet was left on the stop sign.

He let's out a low and long wolf whistle, and a crooked smile blooms on his face. Before you know it, you're getting picked up from the ground by him. You assume even the sound of a gun being fired gets him pumped.

And...strangely enough, you feel it too. The adrenaline. It courses through you like a drug, and you give a loud giggle of excitement.

You jump up and down, closing your eyes like a kid in a candy store.

"Oh, hell yes!!!" You cheer for yourself, proud. You're fist pumping the air, hands thrown up as you jump.

When you look back at him with a thrilled smile, you finally notice.

He's looking at you like you're the only girl in the world.

You let your breathing settle down.

"Again?" You ask, hopeful. You can't explain it; but your grateful to be a good something. Something other than an informant.

He doesn't respond, but the smirk on his face is enough. He twirls his index finger in an "again," motion, agreeing with you, before the two of you reposition yourselves.

You two do this routine for what seems like hours, losing track of time. Eventually, you get the hang of it, absorbing the kickback with ease.

And somewhere along the way, you stop picturing a stop sign, and start picturing Jim Gordon.

The darkness of Gotham clouds over the two of you, and you vaguely remember how it looked that night, running from school.

Your arms are tired from holding the pistol. He even let you have a go at the sniper rifle, to which you failed miserably. Neither of you seemed to mind though, laughing it off.

You two now sit together in the hovering darkness, back to your original position, legs dangling over the edge of the building. He goes to sip his milkshake, realizing it's empty. Okay, so you maybe had a few sips when he wasn't paying attention. Is that an indirect kiss? You brush the thoughts out of your head.

You break the silence, that has now transformed into something more comfortable.

"...You think I could become an assassin?" You ask, under your breath. Your eyes have drifted to the city lights below.

Unbeknownst to you, Victor hasn't been able to take his eyes off you for hours. And now is no exception. He stares at you softly.

His silence is long. Long enough that you're certain your question struck a nerve. It's disconcerting.

"...You're young." Finally, he answers. The gun that was previously held to you is now long forgotten, stuffed into his holster. His voice is quiet, almost as if he's speaking to himself. "Maybe, maybe you could be. It's a good job."

Your eyes light up. It's the first time you feel seen. The first time someone has agreed with you, that you could do more. Jim never did that.

"Yeah?" You speak with a child-like wonder, thoughts racing.

He glances at you; you can't help but feel watched under his gaze. He nods, his face suddenly looking uncannily vulnerable and confused.

"Yeah." He responds quietly, before taking time to digest what he said.

#x reader #gotham #gotham x reader #batman #batman rogues #batman x reader #gotham villains x reader #batman rouges gallery #dc comics #victor zsasz x reader #gotham victor zsasz #victor zsasz headcanons #victor zsasz gotham #victor zsasz

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thebluemoonjune · 5 months

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New Beginnings (Richonne One-shot)

A pregnant Michonne is ready to welcome the new year with her family, Rick, Carl and Judith. She is thankful to where they have reached and hopeful for better days ahead. A New Year's Richonne oneshot. No saviour arc, no Negan.

A joyful new year always began with the sharing of meals and desserts that spoke to people's spirits. Additionally, we shared them with family and friends, demonstrating that our blessings were also theirs.

They called for a home to belong to a community, comfort, food, and safe water. They both required a secure haven for their well-being and for their existence to have meaning: a utopia rather than hell on earth. They owed it to each other and their precious children to fight back against an entity that could devastate everything, that turned friend against friend and separated them in innumerable ways. They were a family and a team that were prepared for the future and now that they had it, they'd protect it. A new year.

A new life does not begin with a gift wrapped in colourful bows and the promise of security, but rather as a path through the unknown with a degree of fog and frost. As a result, it requires a determined heart to seize it, daring feet to traverse it, and a brave sight to remain alert to its curves along with its peaks and valleys. If there were any other way, people would not live such lacking lives from birth to death. To achieve more, one must accept the feeling of danger and risk as one strives for the far distance. The world at large had been devastated and transformed. It had fewer people in it. So many people perished, yet it didn't stop life from going on. As she watched Judith play with Gracey, Michonne stroked her full-term stomach. One day at a time—that's how they took it.

“Did you get the black eye bean?”

“Yep. Now you ain’t gotta rip my head off for it.”

“I’m not that bad!” Michonne watched her husband tilt his head to the side, eyebrows raised to the sky. “Okay, maybe a little, but just a little… My mom used to cook on New Year's for good luck… I want us to start our new year right.”

“Carl always hated beans—beans of any kind.”

“Well, he eating it today. Judith too. No one and I mean no one, is getting off.”

“Yes, ma'am!” He chuckled at her. “You know, you never talked about your mom much, or both your folks for that matter.”

“I never realised…”

“Is it painful?” The couple stared at each other till Michonne broke the silence.

"No, not anymore… My mother was upbeat, opinionated, and the ultimate decider of everyone's life journey... Like any good army drill sergeant, she planned what to do, the schooling, and the fun that followed. Did I ever mention that I was homeschooled?"

"No."

“I was… till I was eleven years old.”

"I could see that. She was a drill sergeant?"

"No, but she acted like one." Michonne laughed, stoking her stomach, before cracking a weary smile. "She was actually a writer; children's books... Strange, huh?"

"Nah... makes perfect sense..." His eyes softened. "She made you."

“I can’t tell if that’s a compliment, Rick…”

“It’s a compliment.” He couldn't take his sight off her.

"I hear you… My father did nothing but work: work at his job, work on the house and work on getting enough sleep so he didn't fall asleep on the way to his firm. He inspired me to become a lawyer. He would sometimes grin or laugh, and when he did, the world brightened for those brief minutes. Then he'd fall back into his whirlpool of worry."

“He sounded a lot like my old man.”

“He probably was… They were good parents—not perfect but good enough. That’s all they can hope—that we can hope.”

“We’re doin' fine and we’re gonna do a whole lot better.”

“Alright, whatever you say, old man. Don’t you have to help, Daryl? Don’t keep him waiting.”

“I can cancel, stay with you… Ain’t no big deal.” Pulling her closer, he planted a longing kiss on her lips, causing her to giggle when he finally broke away.

“No, you go. I just have the peas left. By that time, you should be all done and you can fetch Carl from Edith and Judy from terrorising Hershel and Gracey.”

“Soon she’ll have someone else to nag… You sure you’re right? You been out of it since yesterday.”

“I’m fine, Rick you worry too much… They’ll be here soon, any day now. It’s normal.”

“I never thought this would happen again, for us.”

“We deserve it, Rick... A new beginning, as you said… Now go.” Rick planted a kiss on her forehead, then her belly, before she turned from him to continue the preparation of their celebration meal.

“If anything happens, send for me. I’ll come to you as soon as possible, Okay?”

“Go! I send for you.”

Regardless of his wife's words, he couldn’t help but stall and linger at the kitchen exit. She was late in her pregnancy and he wanted to treasure every second till the baby arrived. He was thirsting to be by her side. They never expected to ever have this. He never thought she’d allow herself the chance after all that had happened in the past. However, she gave him one and gave their family one as well. After being hit with a side eye, he managed to make his way to Daryl. When they completed their duty at hand, he fetched Carl and Judith to go home.

…

The family of four placed themselves in their seats for lunch after Michonne snatched Carl to help her set the dining table. Rick took Judith into his lap, knowing that he’d have to feed her since she was even more picky than Carl.

“Since we're here, I think we should say what we’re thankful for… and our hope for the future.” Michonne’s eyes never left her boys for one second. “ Carl?”

“I just want things to be the same as always and I’m thankful we’re all here.”

“Me too, Son.” Grinning at Carl’s answer, Rick leaned over to rub his head.

“Did you say ‘me too’ to not come up with something different, Grimes?”

"Maybe, but I mean it. You know that.”

“Well, I know that… I’m thankful that I found you. I’m thankful for getting me out that day, even if you were an asshole afterwards.”

“In my defence, I didn’t know you well yet, and I still kept you around when I sent the others away. That’s gotta count for somethin', right? After all, we were the same.”

“You didn’t know or trust me, but that didn’t stop you from checking me out, did it?”

“You noticed that?”

“Judith and I are still here, you know?” They both crackled at their son’s embarrassed distaste for the current topic but kept going.

“You not kicking me out is part of the reason I put up with your behaviour.” Rick sighed at her pettiness. “Us being the same and me longing to stay with you guys is another part as well, though I didn’t realise that last part just yet... Carl?”

“Yeah?”

“You and Judybug saved me. You don’t know how much you two did. Thank you for making me one of you and thank you for being my best friend and not letting me chicken out… You gave me a second chance, all three of you and I love you so much for it… What I want is all of you safe and sound and happy, and by my side. The baby included, of course. Thank you for giving me back my family.”

Her eyes welled up with tears of unfathomable affection. The happiness dripped from her eyes and they were soon all overcome with shared emotion. It was such a warm, heart-gripping moment, only disrupted by Michonne's booming grunt of pain. At that moment, she came to face the fact that she’d been having contractions all day. Part of her was in denial, only being focused on celebrating New Year's the right way with her family. She stood up, grabbing the tablecloth, and Rick understood immediately. He knew she was acting weird.

"Carl, go grab Siddiq!”

“It’s happening now?”

“Yeah! Go!”

…

Childbirth has always been risky. It makes little difference that it is natural. It is also quite natural for a mother or baby to die. That is why they had made so much progress in medicine for safe childbirth. Michonne and the infant were in far more danger now that the world had changed. Rick became aware of a massive natural birth occurring at his feet. It had struck him, just now. Panicked and fearful, he still stayed by her side. It was his job as a father and a husband. No matter how hard it was on him mentally, she was having it a thousand times worse. She was the one in pain; she was the one in danger. He sat behind her and supported her back with every push, encouraging her whenever she began to falter.

“Rick!” She cried out in search of unconscious comfort for her partner-in-crime.

“I’m here, darlin'; I’m right here! You’re doing great!”

“Why did I think this would be easier the second time around?”

“Because you’re amazing; that’s why! You’re doin’ great!”

They traverse till the drawing of beautiful angel breath, serenaded by freedom. A sign of their baby's existence.

…

A happy new year was partly about starting again and partly about being grateful for all the blessings that had been granted the previous year. It was a warm welcome to new fortunes and the courage to confront problems gracefully and compassionately. Rick stared at his family as their attention fell to the newest member; his son from his departed first wife and his adopted daughter. They had fought so hard and lost so much to ensure they made it. reminding him of the bad, his mind ran to his dear, long gone friend Hershel, and his words to him,

'Things break, but they can still grow. These little bristles, they'll take root,'.

His wife was spent but she still held a peaceful smile on her face, gawking at their son swaddled in her arms, the first biological child between the two of them. Judith slipped her finger into his outstretched palm and watched as the tiny body curled around it. His gentle breath touched the back of her hand. Her playful day already slipping away as she observed her new brother.

Rick was going to speak again when Carl spoke first.

“We can’t use fireworks to celebrate but we do have the sparklers! It’ll be nice just to have something, right, Judy?”

“Yeahhh!”

“Alright, you two go now. I’ll keep Michonne and the baby company.”

Carl took Judith after she planted a kiss on her new baby brother and off they went. Michonne, feeling her husband’s eyes on her, allows their gazes to meet. They both knew this was what they struggled and fought so hard for. It wouldn’t be easy but year after year, he would make sure his children—all three of them—lived the best life, a full life. Michonne stretched out her hand.

“Rick…” Her words were weary and had a dream-like quality to them, as she seemed to crave the solace of rest, the enticement of the nice bed beckoned to her tired body.

“Darlin, what's wrong? Uncomfortable? Tell me, I’ll get it…” She shook her head, confusing him.

“His name; I have it.”

“Yeah?” His tone was gentle as he lowered his body next to her and she placed their newborn in his arms. “What is it?"

“RJ. Richard Daniel Grimes Junior... Do you like it?”

“I grateful…” Rick's eyes grew damp. He didn’t expect her to name their little boy after him. “You sure?”

“I’m sure… He’ll be as smart, sweet and determined just like his namesake… Just like his dad.”

“Thank you.” Bending over, as he kissed her forehead and whispered into her ear.

“No, thank you.”

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