#as soon as i say i never see brown eyes legend there he is

[officialstrawhat]

The Rose Of Dressrosa- Chapter 5

Chapter List

Hello! Wow, it's been forever. But on the bright side, I am completely caught up with One Piece! :D Please enjoy this Chapter!

Trafalgar D. Law x Fem!Reader

Summary:

After King Riku is dethroned, Doflamingo takes you under his wing and asks you to follow only one strict rule, "do not leave the palace alone". However, your sense of adventure is too great.

Law had only one thing in mind... Revenge. And you seemed like the best way to do that.

Trigger Warnings!: Please be advised there will be some allusions to grooming, non-con touching, and manipulation.

Word Count: 1.7k

Note: Gif is not mine. Not Edited.

Chapter 5

You hummed happily as you sat in the courtyard of the palace. You sat back against the trunk of the large tree rereading your favorite parts of your adventure book. This was a great chapter:

In the South Blue, there are descendants of wayward giants from Elbath. According to legend, centuries ago, these seafaring giants were shipwrecked on a tiny island in the South Blue. In an attempt to return to Elbath without a ship, they tried to build a stone bridge to reach their homeland. Eventually, the island ran out of stones, and the giants soon realized they would never see their homeland again. Now, every year, their descendants walk across the stone bridge to honor their ancestors...

“You're chipper,” Dellinger came up from behind you.

“So? Am I not allowed that as well?” You bite back at his comment, rolling your eyes.

So what if you were happy? Was that so bad? Whenever you left the palace you felt a euphoric bliss that only satiated until the next time you could sneak out again. Anytime you would go out it was all very secretive. At least you hoped so, you tried not to ever talk to anyone unless it was necessary. Which only made it all so lonely. 

That was until you met him. Law. He was new and told you all about his adventures sailing from island to island. It captivated you. 

He captivated you…

You began to blush furiously at the thought. He was attractive, that was easy to admit. But to act like this it was a feeling you had never felt like this.

“Hellooo?!” Dellinger began to snap his fingers in front of your face. 

Oh shit. Was he talking to you? “Hmmm…”

“I said, Doffy wants to see you.”

Your heart sank, “Did he say why?”

“Oh yes we had a great big chat all about it over tea,” the Sharkboy said mockingly.

Rolling your eyes again, you rise from your grassy spot.

“Have fun,” he laughed as he sank to lay down on his back the brim of his cap hiding his eyes. “Hopefully he doesn’t kill you” 

“Asshole.” you tossed out as you walked off. 

Shit. Shit. Shit. you curse.

Did he know? Did someone see you while you were out? With some strange man no less. You weren't stupid this could be bad. You had heard rumors of how Doffy would kill if he felt like his family was put in jeopardy. Maybe if you explained…

Taking a deep breath you knocked on his massive office doors.

“Young Master?” You say as you enter cautiously.

When you fully entered his office it was empty. It had been a long time since you had stepped into his room. You looked over to his desk and there were the flowers that were browned and dead in an expensive crystal vase. You waved your hand over the petals, reviving them back to life. The act caused a memory to revive as well.

Seven years ago…

Doflamingo sits in his desk chair reading a newspaper

“Doffy!” 

He looks up, “Aww there's my Rose.” 

“I made you something!” You tell him excitedly

“Did you?”

You nod and reveal a wildflower from behind your back lifting it up to him. 

“Watch what I can do!” You turn the one into several different colors.

“My that is something,” he smiled and  placed an invisible string to the flowers and tied it together before placing the bouquet in a crystal vase, “I think it works well there.”

“Mhmm.” You agree as he places you on top of his lap. “Doffy? How many strings can you make?”

He chuckled, “How many stars are in the sky?”

“You hung all those stars,” you gaped.

“Let me tell you a secret,” The Young Master leaned in close to your ear, “Only for you”

“Y/N,” you heard causing you to spin towards the entryway. 

“I was told you wanted to see me,” you said hesitantly as you watched Doffy walk over to his large chair next to the window. 

“Yes. Come sit,” he said once he placed himself in his large chair, you moved to the opposite chair in front of him.  Before you could sit he stopped you by grabbing hold of your wrist.

 “No, right here.” he patted his lap. You felt your stomach turn. Gulping you moved and sat on top of him, causing the grin on his face to widen at your obedience. 

“I am proud of you, you know,” he says pulling you closer to him, “for keeping up with your training. In no time you will be able to unleash the full potential of your power.” He ran a hand through your hair brushing a strand behind your ear.

“Will it always be Monet training me?” you ask trying to focus on your breathing as your heart beats faster against the cage of your chest.

“Yes. As difficult as it may be,” he spoke, his words trailing off before speaking again this time his voice dangerously low and slow, rubbing your thigh. “Unless you want me to step in and teach you. I am a very good teacher.”

You watched his hand inch closer and closer to the most intimate part of yourself. Immediately you jumped out of his lap, “Was that all you wanted to speak with me about?”

“No,” He chuckled, seemingly amused at your jumpiness, “I wanted to speak with you before I leave for The Reverie.”

He’s leaving? This was news to you. You had heard of the meeting before. He had gone before, four years ago. 

“I also wanted to warn you that while I’m away-” 

“Don’t leave, I know.” You finish. 

He stared at you with a grin on his face, “I know my rules may seem rigid but I do so because I care.” He rose from his seat and walked toward you. “You are naive my dear and I would hate to see you taken advantage of. I've only ever wanted to take care of you. Let me take care of you.”

He towered behind you, “Perhaps the next reverie I’ll let you attend with me” he spoke lowly again but this time he snaked his large hand down the length of your back eventually resting and firmly grasping the curve of your backside causing you to take a sharp intake of breath, “On the condition you continue to be a good girl of course.” 

He moved too quickly for you to even understand what was going on. His hand wrapped your loose hair pulling your hair roughly, exposing your neck to him. Frozen in place you watched him smirk and lean down to the crook of your neck. He inhaled your scent deeply before rapidly running his tongue from the base to the top of your neck to the point where you could feel the tip of his wet tongue lash against your ear.

Before you could push back he let you go. Dismissing you back to your room. Quickly you scurried out the door as Doffys laughter echoed in the room.

Four hours later you met Law just like you had planned and tried to block out the events earlier today. As you walked through the alleyways you were at war with yourself.  You kept thinking about Doffy and how he held you. How he touched you. It felt- not good. But Doffy had looked out for you your whole life. 

He wouldn’t hurt you. 

But he just did…

Maybe this was always meant to happen? 

What was it that Doffy said? “Let me take care of you..” 

Maybe it wasn't a big deal. He was very clear. All you had to do was play by his rules and in four years possibly get a taste of freedom. Do what he says, stay on his good side? Allow him to touch you and-

“Are you hungry?” Law asks as they walk down the dark street pulling you out of your head. 

“No,” You say flatly arms crossed against your chest.

“Ya sure? I found this great little booth down this way” Law replied. He could sense something was off you weren’t your normal cheerful self. 

“It's nothing.” You push back suddenly changing your mood into one of fake enthusiasm. “Food sounds great. Let's go.”

You two walked in silence for a considerable amount of time before he brought you to a small cart parked on the sidewalk of a market street. There were so many people and Toy people that it brought a certain warmth you always loved about the city.

You knew this place although it looked different in some aspects. Your attention immediately went to the two-story building the stucco roof was a different color and bicycles as well as their seller could be seen from the new glass windows but you could only imagine a woman who looked a lot like you did now helping customers in the quaint shop.

Law passed you the food and drink he purchased and led you away from the area until he found an empty alleyway.

You both slid down the building and remained quiet until Law finally spoke. “We don't have to talk about it.”

“Hmm?”

“Whatever it is that's wrong,” he told you, “We don't have to talk about it. Frankly, I’d rather just eat my empanada.”

“I used to live there,” you aren’t sure what made you say it,  “Above the bike shop. Well It used to be my mother's flower shop”

He remained silent. Allowing you to continue if you wish.

So you did.  “She died. I was ten.” You felt the tears but managed to push them back. “It sucked.”

Law nodded. “To your mom” You raised your glass of bottle letting it clink to his.

You both continued to eat in silence. Law wished he could say he was pretending to care about your sad story. But he did. It made him think of his mother. He was ten too. Or maybe it was because he knew something was up the moment he saw her walking over to him. He wondered what could have- No. he shook the thoughts from his head. He had to stay focused. He couldn't afford to start caring about some spoiled girl's sob story. She was just a key to his plot and it was high time to start putting it in motion. 

@rebeccawinters @mj-airlines @awkwardspontaneity @cresent-z

[the-whispers-of-death]

This is an 18+ Only Blog! Minors & ageless blogs will be blocked!! Do not interact if you're a minor or don't have an age in your bio/pinned post!!

A/N: Reader is written as male reader considering it later describes you as a "wanted man", but this can be read as gender neutral because there's no other indication of your gender. (This might change later on, if I decide to continue with adding onto this drabble, in which case Reader's gender will be more clear in the potential next parts.)

Imagine living in a dystopian world and the 141 is a known rebellion, looking to topple the tyrannical government once and for all. And imagine you do something to piss off said government.

So now you're running through the crowded streets, weaving in and out of people, trying to lose the city guards that are gaining on you. You did something so simple, yet here you are, being hunted down like a high-level criminal.

You near the edge of the city, knowing that if you just make it to the woods, the city guards won't follow you. And while the woods are scary and you've never been in them, they must be better than seeing the inside of an unregulated prison.

Safety is so close, you can just taste it. See it.

And then you stumble on a loose cobblestone, falling hard onto the ground.

No, no, no, you think as panic overtakes you as you try your best to get up as quickly as possibly only to fail and still be on the ground. You can hear the city guards run faster, knowing that this is their chance to take hold of you.

It'd be so easy, no one else is going to help you. They're all just staring at the commotion, this would be the highlight of their boring day.

Just when your panic hits its peak, a large figure pushes through the crowd and takes you by the hand. He lugs you up onto your feet and barely lets you gain your footing before pulling you along, both of you running towards the woods.

As you two pass the border of the city and into the woods, you don't stop running despite hearing the city guards stop short at the border. You two just keep running and running.

Until you get to a riverbed, the sound of the water rushing beside you joining the sounds of your heavy breaths. As soon as you two arrive, the man lets go of your hand and you take the time to get a better look at him.

And what you see shocks you.

You see the man wearing a white skull and black balaclava that you know so well from seeing on wanted posts. You take in the massive muscles he has, muscles you've heard he uses in battle so often, if the stories are to believe. You know this man and what they call him, because he's a legend.

"You're Ghost," you murmur in awe, looking at him with wide eyes. You watch him turn to you, short puffs of air coming from him as his brown eyes drill holes into your face.

Ghost nods, grunting gruffly. "I am he. And I am also your savior," he says, his voice dry as always.

You raise an eyebrow at that wording, but he did save you, so you don't comment on it. "Thank you, I really thought I'd end up in prison. I'll just be out of your hair then." You move to turn away, content to part ways with your knight in shining armor.

"Ah, no. You don't get to leave," Ghost replies, his booming voice making you stop in your tracks. His eyes twinkle when you turn back to face him. "I saved you and the least you can do to repay me is to join the rebellion. You already must've done something out of the norm to cause the city guards to chase you, you might as well embrace your life as a wanted man."

You can't deny that it would be better if you stuck with Ghost and the 141, simply because you don't know life outside of the ordered world you were living in before. It'd be nice to learn how to take care of yourself.

"Alright, fine. But I'm only doing this to repay you for saving me. I don't really believe in your cause," you say, still a little hesitant to trust the rebellion you've been told was absolutely horrible.

Ghost's eyes crinkle underneath his mask, clearly smiling under there. "Oh don't you worry, you'll see the truth. Eventually."

Separator made by @une-femme-de-lettres

I had a dream for a book about a dystopian world and then when eating breakfast I thought, what if I placed Reader and the 141 in a dystopian world? So here is what was going through my mind during breakfast.

Reblogs are welcomed & appreciated! Asks are open, feel free to pop in and request something! (Check the rules in "Rules for Requesting NSFW" before requesting.)

[creedslove]

There is an edit of Whiskey with the song "Viva las vegas" in my Tiktok likes. A while ago I read a headcanon that says our favorite cowboy likes to sing. Well, I am a faithful believer that not only singing, Jack could be a perfect clumsy sassy fool imitating Elvis and making his girl laugh with all his antics and bad jokes, even if he's not a really fan of him, he could perfectly sing his sweethearth a cover of "Unchained melody" also by Elvis.

A perfect balance between acting funny and also sweet and fucking, painfully in love with his "sugar". ✨

I also thank you for writing of my pretty hot cowboy, he deserves a lot.

I love your fanfics so much and I love you too ✨✨ take your time babe, I hope you're fine and you had been a beautiful christmas and new year! ❣️

Agent Whiskey (Jack Daniels) x f!reader

A/N: I love this very much! Unfortunately I have never seen this edit but if it crosses your fyp you can send me the link ❤️ I'm sure our cowboy is very handy and talented when it comes to his guitar and he is an Elvis fan, no doubt about it, so I wrote this short headcanon because it's a sweet idea and also because I need to get back to writing, I'm becoming way too lazy on my vacation, lol! Happy New Year's honey, I wish you all the best ❤️

alright so our beloved Senior Agent Jack ‘Whiskey’ Daniels grew up on a ranch, during a time where social media wasn't really existent and instead of gathering in front of the TV, the families gathered in the front porch, chatting, watching the stars and mostly playing the guitar and singing old tunes

seeing grandpa Daniels, papa Daniels and uncle Daniels doing so, little Jack felt the desire of playing the guitar spike within and soon enough he was grabbing an old guitar and practicing some notes

it got to the point it became Jack's favorite part of the day, just sitting around the porch, listening and playing the guitar

he also had so many nightmares when he first learned the legend of Robert Johnson and how he had supposedly sold his soul to the devil in order to become a master at guitar playing, but he wasn't going to tell anyone that

the fact was Jack was improving each time more caused his family to gift him a brand new guitar when he became a teen, it's his current guitar and he loves it until this day

and at that same age, he also found out that playing the guitar is something that can attract a lot of girls, being the flirty little gent he was back then and growing into the flirty man he is, he can definitely pick up girls just by playing the guitar

yeah it can sound cliche and corny, but wouldn't you melt if that handsome cowboy looked into your eyes with his beautiful brown ones and played a tune for you?

of course you would, we all would

Jack is a country man, he listens to country, flirts with blues and also rock’n’roll, you can definitely find Elvis, Chuck Berry, Robert Johnson, Aretha Franklin and many others in his playlists and of course he plays some of these himself

something he won't ever reveal is that he's a great Elvis impersonator, and he has even done an Elvis cover show to keep his disguise on a mission and Champ paid a large amount for the security camera footage so he could watch his performance whenever he wanted and have a good laugh

Whiskey likes sitting in the front porch with you, he likes spending time, stealing a few kisses as the lights make his ranch even cozier and he can play love songs for you

he declares all his love through them and even if he doesn't consider himself a good singer, he will sing for you, because he knows how much you love it and that's enough for him to do it, anything to earn a beautiful smile from his sugar

and sure, it can be a little cliche, but you can be sure your cowboy will take you for a dance to ‘Can’t Help Falling in Love’ by Elvis on your wedding party ❤️

____

[bringingtherain]

Hello everybody, I wanted to share a little (modern) Linked Universe AU that have been living rent free in my head for months. It’s based on a reddit story (that I don’t know if it’s true or not, but it still very interesting anyway).  If you have some time, please give it a little read <3

Also, I’m sorry for my English :’)

Legend and Ravio met at college. It was now the end of finals week, so of course they wanted to celebrate. Not only that, Legend was going to – finally-  ask Ravio out. Like, c’mon, he was not a coward, why had he hesitated so much?!

They are walking together on campus, passing by Twilight and Wild who were playing a game, Twilight waved but Legend was way to nervous to notice. Finally, he looks at Ravio and thinks “this is it”. He opens his mouth, feels a sudden intense pain in his head, and falls like a sack of potatoes.

He wakes up maybe 10 seconds later, with Ravio desperately calling his name. To his left, he sees Wild looking worried, and Twilight looking mortified. Before he can even think of saying anything, Twilight starts apologizing profusely. Turns out he and Wild were playing football, and he accidentally hit Legend right in the head with the ball. Legend sits, shakes his head, and comes to the conclusion that besides a strong headache, he is okay, despite Ravio’s protests that he should go to the campus nurse.  

He didn’t asked Ravio out that night. Legend is paranoiac at best, and that ball in the head felt maybe like a –literal- sign from above that confessing to Ravio wasn’t the best idea. Not only that, Hilda, Ravio’s sister, always looked at him like she was silently but strongly judging  if Legend deserved to be so close to her dear brother; and Shadow, Ravio’s best friend, looked like he had already left the judgment phase behind, and the sentence was that he hated Legend guts. Maybe they were right.

So Legend tried to move on. After another year and a half he finally finished college, and in a bout of luck, he won first prize at his favorite music store: a one month vacation to a isolated and beautiful paradisiacal island; Koholint. What better way to celebrate the conclusion of his college life? Ravio accompanied him to the ship, and looked sad to see him go. Legend calmed him, it’s only a month. He will be back soon. Ravio hugged him, and that hug lingered for perhaps more than it should, but no one really wanted to let it go. But then, way too soon for Legend’s tastes, it was time to board the ship. It’s okay, Legend thought.

It’s just a month.  

As he left the ship and looked around, Legend felt like he was walking right into a dream. Koholint island was way too perfect to be true. Even though he wasn’t the biggest fan of summer, the heat in his skin felt gentle, and he felt all the tension leave his shoulders.

And there, he met her. A beautiful singing voice called for him, and he couldn’t stop himself from talking to her.

Marin was beautiful. A long red hair that moved like sea waves around her shoulders, shiny brown eyes and a happy, gentle smile. Her voice was so surreal and sweet that Legend would often think that Marin was actually a mermaid who just got tired of living on the ocean. He called her attention by using his trusted ocarina to play the song she was singing, and she was overjoyed to have his company.

And just like that, one month passed. The ship was there, waiting for him. He didn’t want to go.

So he didn’t.

It didn’t take long for them to start officially dating. Also didn’t take long for Legend to ask for her hand. It was everything so perfect, why would he waste his time?  

As he kissed his now wife on their wedding day, he got himself thinking that if this was a dream then he never wanted to wake up.

Three years later, the world welcomed a little baby boy. His little baby boy. As Legend took his son in his arms for the first time, he asked himself in wonder how could he feel such intense love so quickly. He would die for this boy’s happiness if needed. The touch of Marin’s hand on his brought him back from his dazed state. He looked at her, his eyes full of tears. He never felt so complete in his whole life.

The years passed quickly, but the days extended for what seemed like years. Each precious memory burned forever in his brain. His little boy first steps. Marin’s delicious food after a long day of work. The days spent playing at the beach. The cold nights cuddling by the fireplace. The day his little baby boy –now a 19 year old man- left the island to pursue his college dreams. Every night falling to sleep to her smiling face, and everyday waking up to her gentle voice.

He was walking home, slow but steady. His walking cane on one hand and flowers for his wife on the other. Today was their 50 year anniversary , and his son was going to visit.  As he was walking, a seagull passed dangerously close to him, and he accompanied it with his eyes. When his eyes guided him to the top of Koholint’s tallest mountain, Legend stopped.

And he looked.

There was something wrong. He couldn’t for the life of him tell what, but there was something deeply wrong. He kept looking, hoping that this would somehow make the gears in his brains start to move, but it didn’t. He felt the answer at the tip of his tongue, but he couldn’t translate it into words. So he looked.

When he felt a hand on his, he finally moved his eyes from the top of the mountain, and looked at his wife, worry visible in her eyes. She asked him what was wrong. Why was he taking so long to go back home. That’s when Legend discovered that apparently he stayed at the same place, looking at the top of the mountain for hours. 3 hours to be exact. It haven’t felt like more than five minutes to him. It must be his age, he thought after some time, so he went home with his beloved. The mountain stand taller behind him.

That night, after a long celebration and the news that he was going to be a grandad, Legend stayed lying down on his bed, unable to sleep. It was that damned mountain fault. He couldn’t stop thinking about it. Before Legend could notice, he was already up and out of the house. And soon he was at the same place of that afternoon, looking at the top of the mountain.

Time got a little blurry after that. His family came to see him, increasingly more worried about his well being. But he couldn’t leave. He needed to find out what was wrong.

One day, as he felt Marin desperately beg for him to go home, to just look at her, to please, please stop giving it attention, it finally hit him. He couldn’t understand how it took him so long to see something so surreal.

There, at the top of Koholint’s tallest mountain, sit a gigantic egg.

He turn his eyes to Marin, ready to ask if she was seeing the same thing he is. That couldn’t have been there this whole time, right? As he looks in Marin’s direction, he sees nothing.

Marin is gone.

Did she leave? He was sure he had listened to her voice right now, like white noise. He went home. There was no sign of his wife or his son. Worried, he decided to look around.

It wasn’t just his family, he found no one. The island was empty.

That’s when he heard a distant voice. Hope bloomed in his heart that maybe it was Marin, but as soon as he listened close, he realized it wasn’t. However, it was familiar. A voice he thought he had long forgotten.

“Ravio?”

And he woke up.

He had his head nested between Ravio’s tights, who desperately called his name. To his left, he sees Wild looking worried, and Twilight looking mortified. Panic arises at the sudden sensation of dejavu, but before he can even think of saying anything, Twilight starts apologizing profusely. Turns out he and Wild were playing football, and he accidentally hit Legend right in the head with the ball. No, he thinks. Nonononono. This already happened, this is already long in the past.

Where’s Marin?

He tries to get up, but is hit by a wave of nausea and falls back into Ravio’s arms. Legend looks at him, despair thick in his voice.

“Where’s Marin?”

Ravio looks at him, worried, and asks “Who?”  Ravio then asks Twilight for help getting Legend up. He needs a doctor. It’s possible he have a concussion and might be delirious. Legend tries to stop them, but he is feeling way too sick and way too scared to do much. Twilight is too strong for him to be able to escape, so he just go limp, crying.

“Where’s Marin?” He asks again, but no one answers him.

“Where’s Marin?”

-----------

So yeah, Legend suffered a concussion that made he vividly fee like he lived his whole life in a place that doesn’t exist with people that aren’t real. I mean, the idea of living your whole life and then suddenly waking up in the past, in a body way to young for you, feels terrifying. Like, if this happened to you, could you just let it go? Would you be able to have a relationship without thinking that you’re cheating somehow? Are your feelings real if the person you have feelings for isn’t? Idk, I think it’s pretty fucked up. If you have any questions, ask away, because I really don’t know how this would end lol  

[nixylubouv]

Love Potion (3)

Part 1 here and Part 2 here

Ahem. Have some info dumping with a side of world building and dash of mystery.

******************************************************

Witch was in over her head. She had enchanted her hair and eyes the same shade of light brown, and then further tucked the mass of her curls into a cap. She peered at Villain and his companion, using the shadow of a nearby stall for cover. 

She had been trailing them through the busy afternoon market for just a little while now. She didn’t know how to make sense of what she was seeing. Villain’s companion was Hero. 

Long before she gained the moniker of the witch, she had been a child with no name and no home. The kingdom’s court was a complicated one with five ruling families, all too busy bickering their own drama to care for the orphans roaming the streets of the poorer districts. 

Expect Hero. Kind, funny, unyielding Hero. An illegitimate son of the Ronai queen, somewhere long down the line of inheritance, Hero was a legend in this area. 

Witch still remembered when she had first seen him. She had been so small then, curled up against the back wall of a bakery. A layer of snow had settled on her head and she hadn’t even had the energy to shiver anymore. 

Witch had left a warm weight around her shoulders and looked up through blurry eyes. There was Hero, wrapping his own fur clock around her tiny form. He couldn’t have been much older than she was now, but that scrawny little boy had lifted her up and taken her inside his carriage. Given her freshly baked pastries dusted with sugar and warm milk. 

She had stuffed it all down in a rush, excepting him at any moment to ask for something in return. He hadn’t. He had taken her to an Inn and paid for a year’s stay. She had heard other stories about Hero in passing too. Small and big acts of kindness. The noble Hero, not afraid to mix in with commoners. 

Each of the five ruling families were required to send a quota of their children to enlist, and being illegitimate as he was, Hero was sent off to war soon as he was of age. Witch hadn’t seen him for years, but she still recalled the taste of sugared pastries on snowy days. 

Yet here he was, talking and laughing with the owner of a stall of colorful trinkets laid across a table. His pale, shoulder-length hair was unevenly sun-bleached. He was tanner too, with enough freckles to fill the night sky. But his smile was still the same big and bright. 

Even if not in conversation, Villain’s eyes never shifted from Hero’s face. His gaze was soft, as if looking at Hero was like looking at all the beautiful things in the entire world. If Witch hadn’t known any better, she would have thought that Villain was the one who had drunk the love potion. 

“Where’s your mother?”

Witch startled, nearly stumbling back into the person who had asked the question. She craned her head back to see a woman with deep laugh lines and hair gathered in a simple updo. 

“Are you lost?” The woman turned Witch around and gave her a concerned once over. Shoot. Perhaps the glamour she had used made her appear a tad too young. 

“N-no. Thank you. I was just, I saw Hero-” Witch stopped herself before she blurted out any more information. 

The women’s worry melted away into delight. “So you know of Hero! You must be here to welcome him back!” 

She didn’t bother to correct her. Witch was already starting to feel guilty at not knowing he had returned from the front. She let the woman go on about the different stories of people coming up to thank Hero. 

“And it was a bit of a surprise, to see Hero with the Khalan commander. A Ronai and Khalan, can you imagine?”

“The Khalan commander?” Witch asked absentmindedly. Clearly she was more out of date with the town gossip that she had thought. Shocking, she knew, with how much the townsfolk liked to gossip. She just never had a reason to pay attention.

“Oh, dear, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with it. It’s just that they had quite the rivalry going. We didn't expect it, you know.” 

Witch twirled the stolen ribbon that had led her here between her fingers. They both had turned back to look at the two in question. Her gaze dropped to Villain’s wrist, catching sight of the glittering cuff. So he had gotten a replacement. It seemed rather flashy for a lover’s token. 

She shifted her line of sight to Hero’s wrist, where a matching green bracelet shimmered. No, not a mere lover’s token anymore. Green signified promise. Witch felt something akin to panic lash through her chest. 

The woman continued her happy chatter, oblivious of Witch’s inner turmoil, “Isn’t it so sweet? They’ll be getting married tomorrow! It'll be a royal wedding for the history books.”

[mediocres-writing-blog]

MK Legends: Blood Bound

Chapter 15: Aggressive Interrogation

After a few hours of work, Amara would sit to take a break as the sun would start to settle down behind the hills and night would soon follow. The musicians of the Sun Do streets would start playing a more relaxed tune, to fit in with the setting of the scene. However, as Shao Kahn’s daughter is taking in the moment, she noticed a man in a brown colored outfit walking down the street, but then she saw the hat and it hit her. It was Erron Black, and she was not happy to see him. As he noticed her get up and approach him, he ran off, and she ran after him, pulling out her sword.

ERRON: Oh, screw this.

He said, pulling out his guns, shooting her thrice, which she blocks with ease. He tried to get on a steed, but is distracted by a sword being thrown right next to his leg, allowing Muchacha to give him a proper roundhouse to the skull, knocking him down to the ground. She pulls her sword out of the sand, sheathing it and then petting the animal.

MUCHACHA: Promise not to tell anyone?

She says to the creature, giving it an apple. The steed eats it and nuzzles off the general. 

MUCHACHA: Thank you. Now…

She picks up Erron and carries him on her shoulder (great upper body strength, picks up after pops) and carries him away. After a quick montage, she takes him to a hidden room, somewhere in the palace where he wakes up.

ERRON: Ugh… my head…

MUCHACHA: Save your complaints for later.

Said the general, walking out of the darkness and in front of the cowboy. He tries to move, quickly realizing he can’t due to being tied to a chair.

MUCHACHA: Right now…

She says, turning a mirror above her, shining moonlight in Erron’s face.

MUCHACHA: I want some God forsaken answers. Where’s the boy, Black?

She looked at him with a neutral expression, which got less cheerful by the second.

ERRON: I don’t know what you’re talking about. Now can I go home?

MUCHACHA: You know damn well what the fuck I’m talking about!

The gunslinger would lean back, his eyes grew wider by hearing her profane outburst.

ERRON: Sorry, did you just say fuck?

MUCHACHA: Don’t change the subject, gunslinger. I had a long couple of weeks, and your next few weeks are about to get much, much worse than mine have, unless you tell me what you did with the blood bender. So what’s it going to be? Quick and painless truth or slow and painful torture and/or death? The choice is yours.

She said, with one leg on the table, practically in pissing distance before the cowboy.

ERRON: You won’t get anything out of me...

As Amara heard the insult, her eye-whites turned black, and her orange eyes began to glow. She slammed the gunslingers head on the table three times, after which she pulled him up by his hair, looking him in the eye.

MUCHACHA: I’m not here for your bullshit, Black. Where is he?

He looked at her, with a chuckle.

ERRON: You know, with that tone and that expression, you’re just like your old man. Towering, threatening, and willing to kill on sight.

Progressively getting more and more angry, she pushes the table away and kicks him to the ground, pulling out her sword and pointing it at the gunslinger.

MUCHACHA: Tell me where he is, otherwise I’ll make sure you can’t say anything.

ERRON: Ah, you ain’t got the balls. And if you did, you’d never learn about the kiddo.

Grinning her teeth, she swings her sword, leaving a large scar across his chest and turning him on the side.

MUCHACHA: I’m not playing with you anymore, Black!

Erron would cough.

ERRON: Oh I know, it’s just.. I love the kind of woman that will just kill me. Notice how I didn’t say “would” or “could”, will.

She would stab his hand, cutting one of his fingers clean off, leaving Erron screeching in pain.

MUCHACHA: Save it, I’m taken.

She then takes a bit of fabric, wrapping it around the cowboys hand.

MUCHACHA: Now, the truth.

ERRON: Fine… I left the boy with Kano and the Black Dragon. You happy now??

MUCHACHA: Yes.

She said, kicking him twice in the stomach, making him cough up blood.

ERRON: Why…?

MUCHACHA: That was out of pure spite.

She would then pull him up and look at him dead in the eye, pointing to a wall with all his guns. 

MUCHACHA: Unless you want those back, you have to promise that you won’t lie to me again, are we clear, asshat?

The cowboy would look at her with a face that says “I am so done with your shit”.

ERRON: Crystal.

MUCHACHA: Good.

She says, walking away with her sword in hand, and turning with a slash and untying him. He’d get up, and slowly walking to grab his guns, and about to ask her to get out.

MUCHACHA: Right down that hallway and then jump up, you’ll be right behind the palace.

As she says that, he aims and fires at her head, which she blocks with the reflexes of a panther, chasing after him. As he climbs out, she jumps out after him, and dodges and blocks as many bullets as she can, but she takes a few with zero reaction. He runs off to his left, reloading his two six shooters. As he turns around. He noticed her running after him with a sword in one hand, and a spear from a wall in the other. He fires a flurry of bullets at her, which she blocks by spinning her. He then took out his lever-action rifle, firing at her head and she slices the bullet in half like she’s fucking Kenshi in Snowblind.

MUCHACHA: Is that all you have, Erron Black?

Erron would look at her side, exactly where he shot her.

ERRON: Looks like you’re losing a lot of blood.

MUCHACHA: Less talk, more fighting!

She yelled out while running up a staircase, blocking bullets as much as possible. Erron didn’t understand what she was doing until She stabbed the spear into a brick, pole-vaulting off of it and jumping all the way down to give the gunslinger the biggest cartwheel kick of all time, knocking him unconscious and knocking him face down. She turned him face up and pointed her sword at his neck, ready to deliver the killing blow. But then she remembers something that Nico told her back in chapter 9.

“And it's called "forgive and forget", Watson. You should try it sometimes. It'll improve the way people look at you and your overall mood.”

Tempted to stain the sands with the gunslinger’s blood, she sighs, letting go of the gunslinger, dragging him on a bit of hay and leaving a note on his chest.

MUCHACHA: I hope you don’t burn my house for this.

And she walks off. Later in the asscrack of dawn, Erron wakes up with a dizzy head and a note on his hat. It falls right into his hand and he squints to read it.

ERRON: Kick him around, if he’s not waking up, bury the evidence for me, 

ERRON: - thanks, from Mucha–

He scrunches up the sheet and throws it away, while some guards walk by.

GUARD #3: You know, the Kahn isn’t paying you to sleep around.

Erron got up and got to work, confused but glad he’s still in one piece. He turned, looking at the note again, he would pick it up and store it in his pocket. He would walk away with it sticking out of his pants walking away.

[writteninlunarlight-years]

Uh hello!!! I found your blog and I absolutely adore it!! If it's not too much trouble, may I please have a match up from either Baldurs Gate 3 and/or Hazbin hotel? (If I missed that match ups are closed, just tell me to bug off lol)

Gender: Femme AFAB nonbinary

Age: 25 (26 at the end of this month!)

Pronouns: she/her and they/them

Sexuality: Bisexual, panromantic

Appearance: 5’4” femme-presenting with chest-length light brown hair. I’ve got hazel eyes with hella eyebags, but I wear glasses with frames thick enough to hide them. I’m white but you can tell I go outside a lot lol. I’m pretty small, most people could pick me up like a sack of potatoes tbh

MBTI: INFP as far as I understand??

Personality: Oh man this part is kinda hard… I’m pretty energetic and quiet all at the same time. I consider myself fairly optimistic and friendly. I’m defs naïve as hell though, and it doesn’t help that I’m autistic so a lot of things go over my head. I’m a really bad people pleaser and have a hard time sharing my true thoughts and feelings. I’m ride or die for my loved ones though, almost to a fault I think. I’m a pretty hard worker once I get past the executive dysfunction lmao.

Likes: Space/astronomy, horror/urban legends, snakes, avians (particularly corvids and vultures!), exploring, flowers (I’m a sucker for colorful ones), seeing other people do things I don’t know how to do.

Dislikes: sudden loud noises, feeling/being trapped, being yelled at (I WILL cry lol), passive aggressiveness, being patronized or talked down to.

Extra fun fact: I’m a teacher and I’ve been told I’m good with kids? I don’t have a lot of patience for very young kids though, unfortunately.

For Baldurs:

Race: I’m pretty boring irl, so I think I’d just be a happy ol’ human!

Class: Rogues are fun, but I might also be a Cleric.

D&D alignment: Neutral good (I’m a very by the book person, but don’t mind bending the rules if I think they’re stupid ones)

I hope I got everything?? Thank you so so much!!!!

~~~~~ MATCHUPS ~~~~~

Bauldrs Gate 3

Gale Dekarios

~~~~~ HEADCANONS ~~~~~

He loved how bubbly and kind you were to everyone when you met that fateful day after the crash.

He appreciated your intelligence and willingness to learn more about things very dear to the Wizard's heart.

When he opened up to you about Mystra, and you showed him genuine compassion about his circumstances, he was overwhelmed with a sincere sense of loyalty.

Soon, though, as you traversed through the goblin camp and shadow fell, that loyalty turned to love.

When he was tasked with dying, he was so afraid you would be willing to sacrifice him for the greater good; however, when you stopped him, he was so happy.

He shares the astral plane with you whenever you ask from that day forth.

He eventually teaches you how to project as well.

When the dangers of the illithids are gone, he happily takes you back to Waterdeep.

He was worried about how Tara would handle you, but you two became fast friends, sharing stories and knowledge.

It was a random day walking through Waterdeep when he realized he had never actually asked you to be his partner; it was just assumed.

When he finally does ask you, he makes a big grand show of it in the privacy of the tower

Once officially together, he will not stop telling everyone how much he loves you and is lucky to have you.

~~~~~ BLURB ~~~~~

You had just entered the Underdark with your group. The terrain was challenging to maneuver, and there was a threat almost everywhere with the mushrooms. However, once you found a safe place to camp, you all agreed it would be much needed. It was your night for watch duty, so as everyone went to bed, you began looking around the camp's perimeter. It was dark, cold, and damp here but not unbearable, to say the least. The fire nearby kept you warm enough, and you loved an opportunity to learn more.

As you looked at all the flora around you, you came into contact with a fascinating flower. A light blue glow surrounded the petals, and it smelled sweet. Smiling, you picked the three closest flowers and brought them to the camp to be examined. You had never seen anything like them, and they were beautiful. As the night progressed and you noted these attractive flowers, a groggy Gale woke for his turn on guard duty.

You heard him from his tent as he cursed because he couldn't conjure his cup of tea. You laughed at his antic and continued your writings. However, his cursing and voice grew more irritated by the minute. Standing, you walked over to him to ask what was wrong with the flowers in hand. As soon as you crossed the threshold of his tent, you could see the man's disarray. When his eyes met yours, the flowers in your hand seemed to fall into place. Gently, he took the flowers and began explaining how these flowers would, in fact, prohibit any magical use for anyone in its radius.

You laughed sheepishly and took the flower back from him. You left quickly and disposed of the new flower, sad to see something so pretty be detrimental to your friends. As you came back, Gale was observing your drawings. When you sat next to him, he smiled and began to tell you everything he knew about the flower, hoping to make up for it having to be sent away. With a smile on your face and a spring in your step, you wrote all you could leaning against Gales's shoulder the whole time.

Hazbin Hotel

Vaggie

~~~~~ HEADCANONS ~~~~~

At first, she is overwhelmed by your energy. Where you are bubbly and kind, she is loud and in charge.

She grew used to it over time and found your caring nature very refreshing.

She is fiercely loyal to all your ideas and passions, even going as far as to research them with you so she can make sure you have everything you need

She loves listening to you read or gush about topics that interest you the most.

Hell doesn't have stars, but she does her best to replicate the stars you tell her about from your mortal life.

She loves to be cuddly with you in the privacy of your rooms.

Out in the open, though, she is a big guard dog, making sure no one makes you uncomfortable.

She teaches you primary self-defense, so if she isn't around, you can protect yourself until she arrives.

When you learn of her past and accept her for who she is, she is overwhelmed with intense emotions.

It takes her a couple days to figure out how to properly thank you for being the best to her.

Your happiness is more significant than all to her, so expect her to never be too far away if you need something.

~~~~~ BLURB ~~~~~

After a particularly long day helping around the hotel, you were exhausted, to say the least. From Angel's antics to Alastor's creepiness, you didn't have much more steam in you. Even though you were the resident chipper person, only being surpassed by Charlie, you felt your patience grow thin, especially today. Changing into a comfortable set of PJs, you made your way to the lounge.

Curling up on the sofa, you flipped the TV on in hopes of finding something interesting. After minutes of flipping, you finally find a horror channel. It is interesting for hell that they only have one horror channel, but you would take it. After getting repositioned, you began watching the show and enjoying all the details. As engrossed as you were, you didn't notice your partner, Vaggie, joining you on the couch. Her thigh brushed your leg as she sat down, causing you to yelp.

Vaggie laughed gently at your reaction, holding her hands up in defense. As soon as you realized who it was, you calmed down and smiled at her. Now, this was a far better way to end the day. Your beautiful partner and a good horror flick. Repositioning on the sofa where your head lay in Vaggie's lap, you retrain your eyes on the TV. As you both grew more engrossed in the horrors on the screen, you didn't happen to notice the smiling demon standing in the dark corner, ready to pounce for his own amusement.

[desires-of-chain]

🐍 here))

Mentioning leggings or tights on the chain

Hyrule if he wear leggings I feel would have flowers designs and color I'll say be his skin tone, tights.....God help me. I imagine tights on him would hug everything so you can always see everything...

Legend if he feels like teasing would wear leggings in pink or gray tone with few rip spots so s/o can still see his legs.

Time I agree with you but he's never going to move the next day

Twilight I feel would probably wear tights and s/o will see his bugle in private and tights be brown or black tone twilight seal his fate with that choice

Warrior is a full on tease on both to their s/o til their jump him

Sky is leggings since tights will have more rips and he'll feel embarrassed but s/o have to cover their mouth in other to to drool to see sky like that

Four tights in four colors but only in private but in public is normal so no one will notice but his s/o will always notice and will hold in the need to jump him til their alone

Wild wears tights all the time, tights are brown color and if he use leggings it'll match his skin color or black just to have his s/o eyes on him and only him

Y E S

THE HOLY GRAIL HERE

I WILL CONSUME THOSE BOYS. They're all gon be crying in pleasure and for relief as soon as I am done with them.

[smokeys-house]

So you've seen her around, and maybe you're wondering... What's the deal with Puukko? Who is this mysterious moomin flooding the tags? Or maybe you're just a curious sort. Either way, this post will serve as an updated introduction!

Art by @pink-nubes ❤️

The long story short

She's my moomin oc. I've been writing about her a long while now and if you're reading this you've probably seen some art of her floating around, too!

The longer version

Along the French Riviera, a young moomin girl is raised by two parents of meager status. Her fur is brown and bristly, and she doesn't say much. They call her Pinecone on account of her shape and fur, just until she's old enough to choose a name.

As she got older, she took to working at the docks to help support her mother, who has fallen ill. Sometime after, her father makes his leave, claiming that he'd be back after he struck it rich. He had a plan, but Puukko was never quite sure if he was telling the truth or just couldn't bear to see his wife like this and support a child. He was never seen again, and soon after, her mother passed as well. She took up the name Puukko after apprenticing with a blacksmith at port around this time. She's not sure what drove her to piracy, but she spent the next many years as a pirate during piracy's golden age.

During her adventures, she encounters a young fillyjonk woman named Marion. I won't spoil too much since it's still in the works, but after duelling Marion's father in Marseille for his daughter's freedom from an arranged marriage, she received her classic scar, and earned a name as a pirate figure of legend. Edit: you can now read The Cane King's Daughter & TCKD: A Story for Another Time on my blog and on my ao3!

Marion joined up with the pirate, now known as Captain Whetstone, and spent many years adventuring with her crew. They shared a deep bond, though they never admitted to one another their feelings. Eventually, their reputation would catch up with them, and the king would no longer turn a blind eye to pirates. He issued a proclamation declaring that any and all pirates who surrendered themselves before a certain date were to be given a royal pardon for any crimes committed during their time as pirates, else they be hunted and bounties set upon them. Captain Whetstone, being a particular thorn in the side of the crown, was extended one mercy beyond the pardon that she did not initially accept. Her crew was captured, and Marion along with them, She was to turn herself in or they would all be tried and likely executed. She struck a deal, albeit by force, claiming that any illegal acts committed during the course of "negotiations" would be pardoned alongside her crimes as a pirate.

They sentenced her to punishment by transportation, and had her swear an oath to never board a ship again. She was sent away, and her crew was given their freedom. She found herself in the west, wild as at was at the time, and attempted to make a new life for herself. This was short-lived, and eventually she found herself where she is today.

These days, she's back to calling herself Puukko, and lives in a moominhouse of her own high in the lonely mountains. She plies her trade as a blacksmith, telling stories of the old days and occasionally stopping by down in the valley and elsewhere. She's an old woman now, and rather delights in that fact. She's a little odd and eccentric, but who isn't in moominvalley?

Okay, but why is she brown? Moomin fur is white!

Quite clever, dear reader, and I'm glad you asked! You see, Puukko is a winter creature. A winter moomin, to be specific. What does this mean? Well, you remember this fellow here:

The Ancestor. To my knowledge, they appear in every adaptation of The Moomins (this one's from the 2019 Moominvalley), and I believe every time it's mentioned that they slept in stovepipes. Here's where I diverge from canon and into speculation.

I headcanon that moomins as a species, upon becoming too big to sleep in stovepipes, began sleeping in large huddles to disguise themselves as snow mounds in winter and keep warm. Instead of joining the moominpile as it were, some of them stayed awake during the winter and retained their fluffy brown Ancestor-like fur, but otherwise similarly developed more moomin features. Winter moomins have thick brown fur, are taller and wider than your average moomin, and are ill suited to summer and hot climates. Even though Puukko as a character pre-dates my watching of the 2019 series, I also really like too-tikki's description and characterization of winter creatures during the ancestor episode.

Why does her name mean "knife?"

The knife part is simple. Most folks in the valley are named after what they are, or are known for what they do. A "puukko" is a kind of Finnish general purpose knife, and I thought it well suited her character as well as fit the theme for her pirate name, Captain Whetstone. Which also has a reason, but you should read my stories to find that one out!

When I was first designing her and thinking up stories, I was watching through the 90s Moomin series again, and I had begun collecting screencaps of all the knives. Lots of folks in the valley have them in the 90s series, and they all look well made but handcrafted.

And so I figured my OC would be a blacksmith. She's the one responsible for making all the pretty little knives in Moominvalley! From there on I tried my best to suit her to canon, but at the time I had only seen the 90s series and the Riviera movie. She's grown and changed over time, and I've written lots of things about her!

That's all, folks!

Thanks for reading! If you're curious about her, or have any other questions, or just have something to say, please feel free to reach out! My ask box is always open, and anonymous asks are always on. I love talking about Puukko, and I love talking about moomins in general. It's one of my biggest passions! There's a tag directory in my pinned post (which is probably how you got here if you're not seeing this in the tag or in your dashboard feed) which should lead you to art of her (simply tagged "puukko"), stories of her (tagged "whetstone's whispers), and other information (tagged "capitan's cabin").

❤️❤️❤️

[dhampiravidi]

here's my favorite HCs for Jason Todd

6'2" = 1.8796 m (apparently). in other words, he IS just the teeniest bit TALLER than Bruce Wayne, his dad. & it's even better when they're both in costume, because his boots add a teeny bit MORE (ofc it's offset by Bruce's Batman boots, but stfu). he's a big boy who Alfred insists is "still growing" & therefore he deserves lots of food. specifically, bread, which he's always had a fondness for. that, hot dogs & spicy noodles (pad thai, Nona's* spaghetti, Alfred's secret recipe chicken noodle soup)!!

he's half Latino & half Italian. yes, I know that "Todd" & "Haywood" are names of English origin. I am aware. & I don't care. he speaks Spanish as a second language & Italian as a speaking-only third (since some of the families in the neighborhood know some Italian). yeah, he was born with auburn (reddish-brown) hair, but he dyes it black. no one knows why & no one asks. and ofc there's the white streak, which almost magically pops back up every time he tries to dye it.

his eyes were more blue, maybe a glassy hazel when he was Robin. after the Pit, dark green leaked into his irises, even more so when he gets incredibly angry/upset.

his butt is toned, duh, but his thighs and pecs are the stuff of legend. he just naturally has a broader chest and thicc thighs (that can crush watermelons--and they will, if you're close with him and you ask nicely, promising a gift of cookies or cuddles in return). he's actually kind of self-conscious about his thighs, because they're so big.

he's always had a soft spot for innocent creatures, to the point where he's unfazed that they're attracted to his presence. strays try to follow him home when he patrols, to the point where he keeps a bag of cat food in each of his hideouts. one, out of the many reasons why he has a motorcycle is to outrun the strays. when he visits Selina, he plans to stay for at least two hours because they're all gonna lie on him, and who is he to move?? also, babies calm down as soon as he makes noise (speaking normally, singing a lullaby, goo-go-gah lingo, etc.).

he's pansexual, but demisexual and demiromantic. I mean, the guy had a rough childhood home, he was ratted out by his biological mom, and he still has issues with most of his family. ironically, he tends to put his heart into everything he sees as worth doing, even when that comes to people he doesn't know. that's why he takes being a vigilante so seriously. he wants other Gothamites to have a better city than he had growing up, even if it'll never be free of crime.

you bet your ass he likes the classics, namely The Prince, Hamlet, some Jane Austen, and The Catcher in the Rye. do not ask him if he has read Moby Dick or Ulysses. he has (at least, partially) and he hates them both.

he respects women, and with the exception of Alfred, he tends to prefer them to men when it comes to working and doing platonic activities. is being a BIG Wonder Woman fan related to this? no. but he is one.

he saw Barbie. he read about Oppenheimer before the movie came out, and he wasn't amused.

Jason can't do horror movies, especially ones like Saw, or anything that has to do with psychological scares or torturing characters. considering how he died, plus the times he's been hit with fear gas...yeah, he'd much rather watch some action-suspense, a good book adaptation (he gets so fucking unhinged when they don't follow the books), or a witty historical romance.

he actually respects all of his siblings for the most part, and he'll help them with whatever if it's serious. he just feels uncomfortable regularly associating with them because they still have some kind of allegiance to Bruce, who he refuses to treat as a superior/leader of his. he and Bruce do talk one-on-one when Alfred guilts him into coming home for a meal, or when the world's almost ended (for the 59,211,948th time) and they want to say "I'm glad you're not dead" without really saying it. he loves Bruce but he doesn't fully trust him with his heart, if that makes sense.

he mentally separates the Gotham Rogues into those he'll let off with a warning, and those who are scum. the first kind only gets confronted and fought if they're actually hurting people (physically or socioemotionally).

yes, he still uses guns and knives.

[studiomkm]

Divine Modernity: Hercules

Hercules, son of Zeus and one of the few Greek legends who had sided with humanity during the God Wars, hesitated in front of the simple wooden door. He had wrestled the Nemean lion, battled the Hydra, confronted the Amazons and survived the wrath of Hera herself. Opening an office door should not have felt like another labor and yet as he turned the knob, he felt his legendary courage and strength bleed away.

“Ah, Mister Heracles. Welcome. I was worried you weren’t going to make this appointment.” said the beautiful woman he had come to see.

She had long, brown hair with sublime natural curl, eyes that sparkled with the color of healthy soil behind a thin pair of spectacles and the lightest bit of red lipstick that was the only makeup on her face. The sight of her made him both nervous and soothed all at the same time, though he’d never tell her that. She sat on a plush armchair as she silently gestured to the chaise longue set up against the wall.

“It’s Hercules actually, doctor.” he gently corrected her as he laid back on the offered furniture, “I had it legally changed almost as soon as legal name changes for gods were invented.”

“I see. Well I apologize if I offended and I’ll make sure that all the paperwork is under your correct name from now on.” the therapist said softly as she scribbled something down on her notepad.

Hercules stared up at the ceiling as his therapist performed whatever paperwork she had to deal with before they began the session. His dreams had been growing worse lately and Morpheus was far too imprisoned these days to be able to help him sleep an entire night through. Mortal medicines didn’t work and he hadn’t been able to get drunk since he turned 300. He was desperate to find a little peace outside of a battlefield after all these years.

“Now you wrote that the reason you sought out therapy with me was because of a lack of sleep. Is there a reason you chose therapy specifically to deal with this issue?” she began.

“My lack of sleep is caused by nightmares. I cannot kill the monsters of my mind doctor, even with my strength. I used to seek the aid of the god Morpheus but he’s been imprisoned indefinitely for his actions during the God Wars. I… cannot overcome this myself so I have come to you.” he explained.

“There is no shame or weakness in seeking help when you need it, even for a god.” she told him sternly, “I can and will do everything in my power to aid you, so that you can overcome those things in your mind which hold so much power over you.”

“You speak as though my mind is a battlefield, doctor.”

“In a way, it is. Like you said, you cannot kill the monsters of your mind but that doesn’t mean that you can’t battle them. These kinds of monsters exist in everybody, though they’re very rarely the same kind of monsters. Does that make sense?” she asked.

“The different monsters part but how do you battle something you cannot kill? How can you defeat something that does not die?” Hercules wondered.

“You don’t need to kill an opponent to defeat them, Hercules. Many opponents can be defeated many different ways. Enemies can become allies, opponents can be rendered unconscious and armies can be starved until they vacate an area, can’t they?” Megara pointed out and Hercules had to admit that she was correct, so he nodded.

“Am I to understand that you wish me to starve the enemies of my mind?” he asked her.

“Maybe but first, we need to identify the enemy. If you don’t mind me saying, I’ve actually used the examples of your mythological battles with other patients to help them understand that knowledge is the first key to victory. If the enemy of your mind is like the Hydra, growing back stronger no matter how many times you cut it down, then yes. You need to starve that enemy instead of feeding it your aggression.” she said as she maintained unbroken eye contact.

“I crushed the Hydra with a lot of very large boulders. I did not starve it to death.” he corrected her.

“Not the point.” she said with a very quiet groan.

Hercules couldn’t help but laugh at her frustration, just as he couldn’t help correcting her. So many people had gotten so many details of his life wrong that he simply couldn’t take it anymore. Speaking up had become a reflex.

“My apologies, Doctor. I do get your point though. First, we identify the enemy, then we form a strategy, and finally we defeat the enemy.” he said with a tired smile.

“Yes, that’s very much it.” she acknowledged, “So why don’t we start with something simple? Tell me a little about yourself.”

“Haven’t you ever read Greek Mythology? I’m pretty famous.” Hercules said cheekily.

“I want to hear it from you. Get your personal experience with it and not just what somebody else wrote after the fact.” Megara explained softly.

“Very well,” he agreed with a heavy sigh, “I am technically the product of a sexual assault. My mother was tricked into laying with Zeus when he shape shifted into her husband using divine power. His wife, Hera, was furious that he had once again cheated on her with another woman and did everything in her power to prevent my birth. Thanks to a clever maid, who got turned into a weasel for her trouble, my birth was successful after a very long and agonizing labor. Hera then spent the rest of my mortal life making me miserable and trying to get me killed.”

“I get the sense you aren’t really comfortable talking about your life with me yet.” Megara said as she jotted a few things down on her notepad.

“Which one?” Hercules replied with a scoff.

“Considering you only spoke to me about your mortal life, I can’t really say but please know that this is a safe place to speak your mind.” she told him gently as she regained eye contact with the reluctant god, “Though if I may ask something?”

“Yes, Doctor?”

“I asked you to tell me about yourself. You could have started with anything. Your hobbies, your recent troubles sleeping, your relationships... yet you told me first about the circumstances of your birth. Could you tell me why?” she asked.

Hercules blinked, unable to really answer her. He hadn’t even thought to talk about himself as he was now. He had gone straight to the beginning of a literal eternity of misery and had thought nothing of it. It had been automatic.

“I… I have no idea.” he admittedly slowly.

“Would it be alright if I offered an educated guess as to why I think you did so?” she asked.

“I did come here for aid and insight.” he said with the cocky grin he had become famous for back in ancient Greece.

“Hercules, I feel that you may define yourself by your pain. That while others remember the tales passed down through myth, your memory of those events focus on the pain that surrounded them. Do you feel that I may be wrong?” Megara offered.

Hercules thought slowly and methodically about her words. He recalled every single one of the major events of his life, up to the end of the God Wars and tried to focus on his feelings in every one of them. Megara was correct, but thankfully not entirely. The pain, whether physical or emotional, always crept to the forefront of his mind but it was rarely the only thing there. His heart still shattered whenever he recalled the fate of his first wife and their children but it didn’t completely destroy the joy he had when he first realized he truly loved her or when he had held each of his children for the first time.

“Mister Hercules, are you alright?” Megara asked him back in the present.

His thoughts snapped back and as the modern world came back into focus, he realized that he felt wetness on his cheeks. He wiped his face and realized that he had begun to cry without even realizing it. He took a moment to try and compose himself as he searched for the words he wanted to say.

“I am as alright as I can be, I suppose. I was mulling over your words and realized you are at least partially correct. My pain… is a large part of me. More so than it probably should be, but it is not the only thing inside of me. I can still recall…” he choked up, unable to continue as memories of happiness that had been cruelly ripped away assaulted him.

“It’s okay.” she assured him softly, “there’s no need to try and rush anything. We may only be scheduled for a half hour at a time, but we can have as many sessions as you need until you finally feel like you don’t need me anymore.”

“And if that never comes, Doctor? Am I to be broken forever?” he asked as he wiped away yet more tears.

“You may live forever, Hercules, but that also gives you infinite time to heal. You will not be broken forever unless you choose to be. Especially since you’ve finally decided to confront your problems.” Megara answered confidently.

“So then what precisely is my problem, Doctor?” he wondered.

“What I’m seeing in your body language and what we’ve talked about so far has led me to believe that you might be under the effects of what we call Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Now I can’t guarantee that’s what the issue is but it does fit everything I’ve learned so far. I can help, if you’ll let me.” Megara explained, her voice calm despite the fire in her eyes.

He remembered that fire all too well. He had seen it countless times after all, in each and every single one of her lives. He saw it that first night all those centuries ago where she refused to give herself to him until he treated her with respect. She was a gentle soul with the heart of a warrior, just as she was back when she was his first wife.

He smiled softly as he looked at her, at her determination. He had sought her out and looked after her for every single one of her reincarnations once Shiva had explained the concept to him. He would never again make the mistake of openly loving her but he would never allow her to suffer as she had at his hands again. It warmed his heart that she seemed to regard him much the same way, even if she had no idea who she had once been.

“I think I would like that very much, Doctor.”

[misguidedasgardian]

What if Series II.

What if Reader married Cregan Stark?

MASTERLIST

You met Cregan when you were sixteen at your sister's wedding, and the bond between you two became so strong there was no other choice but to betrothed you two.

Pairing: Cregan Stark x Targaryen!Fem!Reader

Warnings: minors kissing heavily, and being really sneaky and horny 😂😂. Reader and Cregan are so horny for one another JAJAJA well they are a couple of sixteen year olds, cursing, medieval customs, incest and whatnot 

+18, MINORS DNI

Notes: this is it people! Haha! I decided to give it a turn, more drastic 

Year: Year 115 AC, Rhaenyra is 18, Princess (Y/N) 16

Only one thing changed the course of History…

When Rhanyra was ready to join the jousting, and begin the celebrations for her wedding, excited to see his uncle in the lists again, she went looking for her sister to join her… She got into the Godswood, where his father and the princess were with the Starks.

And what she saw made her smile, she refrained from grabbing her sister and taking her away from the place. 

Her sister was walking in the Godswood, so close with the wolf boy, she didn’t dare to intervene, in fact, she let them, only walking towards his father and Lord Rickon

“They make a handsome couple”, she would say, with a shy smile.

And that did it for King Viserys.

The very next day in the feast, the King announced the betrothal of her youngest daughter to the the heir to Winterfell, Cregan Stark, of the North 

For you, Rhaenyra’s week of wedding celebrations turned into some sort of blurr, a haze of love, and tingles in your belly.

Once your betrothal was announced you and Cregan never again parted ways from one another. stealing glances, holding hands under the table, taking long walks in the gardens, in the city, in the Red Keep, you took so many walks because there was the only way you could truly be together with him. Walking… holding hands, always being followed, under the watchful eyes of Steffon or another unlucky King’s guard 

But you realized soon it wasn’t enough.

No matter how many knights crushed each other with their spears, or many many swings of their swords they would take to defeat the other… or how many fools would hit each other with wooden sticks or how many jokes they pulled, or how many times you would dance, or ride horses throughout the fields outside the walls of King’s Landing

It wasn’t enough 

Soon your gazes turned more heated, your hands squeezed together more often and more tightly, and sometimes you took one too many cups of Dragonfire wine, expecting to quench your thirst…

But you weren’t thirsty for wine, nor even water

Soon you started stealing kisses when your Kingsguard wasn’t looking, the first time your lips collided with Cregan’s it was like a warm milky bath with your favorite essences in it, certainly felt better than that. And you both soon turned addicted to each other's pouty lips

And from hands you were seen holding each other, his hand on your waist, and your arm coiled with his 

Rickon and Viserys didn’t know what to do with the both of you always sneaking around, and people were beginning to talk.

But it wasn’t only the touches that made your skin burn with desire… it was also… him

All of him

He was tall and beautiful, wide, broad and so handsome, he dwarfed you in size and that made you want him even more.

HIs hair was dark brown, his eyes a piercing gray, he was so adult but he still held reminisces of his childhood, his jaw hairless and his eyes still held a playful twinkle. 

He would talk to you about his home, about the things he had read, about the houses that followed house Stark.

You would speak to him about the things you had read, and the places you would like to see. 

You were both young, and hungry for the world, and for the correct leadership of your people.

He would also tell you about legends and horror stories about the far north, about monsters beyond the wall, and how he would take you to gaze upon the neverending winter above the tallest and most magical wall the world had ever seen. 

It would make your skin prickle when he hugged you at your back, and whisper in your ear provoking goosebumps in your arms and the little hairs in the back of your neck prickle.

Cregan Stark made your skin tingle, made you this warmth in the lowest part of your belly

And you made him so insane for you as well.

You were two teenagers in love, and in lust.

Soon you felt the need to get away from prying eyes, and you both went as far as sneaking out of the safety of the Red Keep and into the dark streets of King’s landing during the fire festival, over the last days of Rhaenyra’s and Laenor’s wedding celebrations

YOu hid your silver hair under a hood, and Cregan didn’t have the need too, and you walked hand in hand enjoying the festivities.

Until you were busted.

“Princess”, you heard a gruff voice call for you, you turned around to meet Harwin Strong. you squeezed Cregan’s hand even tighter, this man had proclaimed you the Queen of Love and Duty the first day of jousting, and you couldn’t be more nervous to be around him

“Ser Harwin”, you gulped, he then looked at Cregan, and then back at you, and then back at him and nodded at the young wolf, like giving his approval of him protecting you. 

“Be careful out here”, he warned, his voice barely a whisper, and a twinkle of sadness in his eyes, and then he turned around and let you be.

Cregan only smiled reassuringly, and pulled you over to continue watching and enjoying the celebrations. 

That night you came back to the castle, and you felt so ecstatic you didn’t care when you pulled Cregan towards the dark hallways leading to your bedroom.

“Wait”, he called, and you looked at him, “We can’t, we are not married”

“Please”

“I can’t”, he said, “I can’t go into your rooms”, his voice sounded so choked that you knew his resolve was weakening. You pulled him towards you and he embraced you in his arms while your mouths collided, hungry for each other.

Your kisses and touches started to feel so heated, so needy, and you touched over your clothes everything you could over the other. 

“Princess!”. oh shit, busted again.

You could only hear what they were screaming about in the next room

“We should marry them now, only the gods now how long until the princess’ belly starts to swell

“How dare you Strong? my son was raised properly, he wouldn’t dare take the maidenhead of the princess!”, that was Rickon Stark

“They were caught doing everything but…”, he mocked, but everything stopped when they heard the King go inside the room

“Your grace”

“What happened?”

“The princess and young Cregan were caught in the Red Keep hallways…. copulating”, explained ser Lyonel Strong

“They were not copulating! They were kissing!”, said Ser Harrold Westerling, the snitch that caught you, intervened

“kissing?”, said Viserys, feeling a headache similar to the one he felt when he had been told by Otto that Rhaenyra had been spotted in a pleasure house when she herself was only sixteen, with her uncle, at least his daughter was betrothed to the young man in question. 

“Leave us, Lord Stark and I will speak to them, nothing spoken here leaves this room”, he said firmly, and the rest of the council left.

they made you go inside, and you and Cregan seated right by each other's side, and across from his father RIckon, and your own father Viserys

“Ah young love”, Viserys said looking at them both, “we know what that is like, don’t we Rickon”

“We do your grace”, he said with a content smile

“So powerful, it could burn you whole, and at least, that is what it feels like, a need for the other person so strong…”, you searched for Cregan’s fingers under the table and you intertwined them 

“They say my mother’s screams of pleasure could be heard all over the Keep the night of her wedding”, Viserys said with a creepy smile on his face, “she was only fifteen when she married my father, and they were the most happy couple the court has ever seen, so hungry for each other, all the time, they would talk about it plainly, of how happy they made one another, specially in the bedroom…”, you looked at Cregan with cheeks heated with embarrassment. “BUT THEY WERE MARRIED!”, he finished, slapping his hand on the table, making you both jump. “they were already married!”, he clarified. 

Even though you wanted to feel bad because of your poor behavior, you couldn’t once you noticed the amusement in Viserys' voice. He was amused, by you, and by your betrothed, and by your behavior. Rickon was too, but he would soon die rather than admit it.

“You are laying yourself over to dark accusations, the court is whispering about you two sneaking off in the night…”

“But father…”, you whispered

“It has to end”, he said firmly, “at least until you are married, and you won’t be until you are eighteen years old”

“But if grandmother married when they were fifteen, then we could…”

“Eighteen”, Rickon said, “the day after tomorrow we will leave for the North and wait until the princess comes of age”, he said firmly, and you felt your chest tightening.

The conversation was over and Rickon took Cregan front he room, to chide him in his own way

Your father leaned in and whispered only for you to hear

“Are you going to need moon tea?”, and then he looked into your eyes, and you shook your head.

“No father, we… I won’t need it”, you whispered looking at the table in front of you

“Good”, he leaned back and left the room, leaving you there alone and cold.

“I’ll send you ravens everyday”, he whispered against your lips, as you said your goodbyes outside the keep in the courtyard. They had the decency to look away as you embrace one another 

“you can’t send your touch or kisses by raven”, you whispered back, he smiled, and leaned in and kissed you deeply.

“I’ll miss you my summer princess”

“And I’ll miss you my Winter Lord”, you murmured

“Alright, enough you two”, said Rickon, pulling away his son from you

And you exchanged many letters that would make the maesters that intercepted them blush and look away. 

When you turned eighteen they sent you ahead on dragonback to the North to finally marry Cregan.

The King, the Queen, and everyone else went into a long Caravan that would take two long months in getting there. 

Mushroom and the maester would write afterwards that by the time they arrived at Winterfell to celebrate your wedding, you would already be with child, because the babe was born only seven moons after your wedding ceremony.

It was a healthy boy that Cregan named Robb

And you give him six more children, five boys and one girl after that.

Even if the reader had a hard time adjusting to the North and the cold, she lived a happy life with Cregan.

Rickon passed the very same year they married, turning Cregan into a young Lord of Winterfell and warden of the north

Lords tried to challenge him, but they didn’t dare once they looked upon your huge dragon Vhaelar. 

You had a hard time adjusting to the North, Cregan being the only one you knew, but then Sara Snow came close to you, befriended you, and other girls from houses of the North followed. 

Mean tongues would say that the first times you tried to sleep, was with a fur cape on that Cregan had made for you, they also said he ripped it off of you and warmed you himself on those cold winter nights. 

He soon turned to be everything you could ever need, the North was hard and gruff, but you learned to live in it, and with its people, warming their hearts towards you, “the southerner princess”

When the dance came, you escorted the winter wolves with your dragon, and the northern army. You couldn’t stop the murder of your family, but you accompanied your husband in bringing justice to them, and guided young Aegon.

You came back to the North to live a long and happy life. Cregan survived you, at seventy years old.

Edit: you died peacefully in your sleep, Cregan followed a couple of months after, not being able to live without you ❤️

More notes: for more, Cregan x Tragaryen!reader you will have tow ait for "Winter sun", a whole ass fic I'm writing

taglist! @tearsarcane @integra1127 @aestmilky @thanyatargaryen @tythaitie @lostinworldofdarkness @voodoogoul @wildmindedbeauty32 @lil-pudd @alicattx @electric-bloo @astaaan-lol @stargaryenx @kaitieskidmore1 @bregarc @lilpnd @jcpenneyyy @janelei @fexibau @ladyoakenshield157 @danielle-leah1997 @lady-ragnvindr @cecilyjmorgenstern @omgsuperstarg @bugheadskid @batprincess1013 @her-fandom-sanctum @holb32 @blue1006 @stargaryenx @grippleback-galaxy @mikariell95 @genesisliveson @mendes-bae @caspianobsessed@notmundane3000 @kamisunshine @just-someone11 @ietss @joliettes @flaneurpastel

[austinrrylover]

hey!! here’s a one-shot i wrote about austin butler bc im obsessed lol

I didn’t expect this. Sure I knew this movie was going to be a hit, but a ‘twelve minutes standing ovation at Cannes’ hit? Never in a million years.

I looked around, everybody smiling and clapping while the big screen was focusing on the cast of the best film of the night, Elvis. I couldn’t wait to get home, write down everything I thought, felt and saw in the previous two and a half hours.

Baz Luhrmann is possibly a genius. It was great to see all of the cast getting emotional and proudly accepting the loud applauds that filled the room. There were big cinema legends here and all of them were clapping for this one boy, man, I couldn’t take my eyes off.

How could I though? His performance was captivating, beautiful, sexy, accurate and overall award-worthy. Now he is standing two seat rows in front of me and I catch a little glimpse of his rosy cheeks when he looks at someone next to him. He is so different from here then he looks on the screen.

As I get more and more mesmerized by his beauty and talent the crowd starts to quiet down. Some people sit back to their seats and some take the exits, just as the star of the movie does. So I follow.

It’s fine I just want to ask him some questions, how cool would it be to have some exclusive interview with him next to my review of the movie. It most likely won’t happen but it’s worth a try.

It was worth a try, but it’s impossible. As soon as he is out the door he is surrended by interviewers, big actors congratulating him and some people most likely from his family. So I take some steps back and give up on this idea of mine, and walk back to the theatre, to watch the next movie coming up.

Hours pass, the movie ends. Cannes really knows how to get together a perfect selection of movies, because I’m actually really impressed by everything they are doing here.

Oh no.

I look to my right and notice a pair of familiar brown eyes.

It’s Jeffrey. Jeffrey Anderson. A really wealthy and famous producer who may or may not have a crush on me and doesn’t ever leave me alone. But he is coming up to me right now so, I gotta do what I gotta a do.

‘Hey Jeff.’ I say with a fake smile. Honestly, Jeff is a nice guy, knows how to do his job, but sometimes he’s a little much. And often doesn’t get the hint.

‘Stacy! Good to see you here, babe.’ He smiles and pulls me into a hug, which I don’t return, I just need to get out of this conversation, fast.

‘Yeah, same…’ I say. We small talk and somehow I’m able to get out of there with a little lie, even if this means I cannot watch the next movie coming up.

I take out my phone and open my notes app. I start writing words down, things I really, really have to use in my review, because suddenly I’m back to thinking about Elvis, the brilliance of this art that this movie is, it is hard to describe it with words. I make my way to the bar with my phone in my hand, fingers typing furiously, it’s like motivation suddenly corrupted my brain. I write phrases like ‘mesmerizing, magical, never been done before, beautiful—‘ and before I know it someone is bumping into me, spilling their drink all over my dress.

‘Oh my god, I’m so sorry!’ Says the gentle voice, and I look down on my dress. It’s completly drenched. Fuck. ‘Let me get some paper towels for you!’ Says the person who just spilled their champagne over me, and as I look up you recognize it is Olivia, the actress who played Priscilla in the movie.

And suddenly I’m not even mad about the dress anymore.

‘It’s okay.’ I smile. She smiles gently and goes over to the bartender, getting a couple of napkins.

‘Still, do you have anything you can change into? I have a blazer over there at my seat if you want to wear it.’ She apologizes while trying to soak up some champagne.

‘No, it really is fine! I have a jumper in my car.’ I lied. ‘I loved you in the movie by the way!’ I take my chance, now or never.

‘Thank you so much, I promise I’m not always this clumsy in real life.’ She chuckles.

‘I’m Anastasia,’ I reach for her hand. ‘But everyone calls me Stacy.’

‘Olivia, nice to meet you.’ She says. ‘Can I buy you a drink? I feel so terrible about this whole situation.’

A drink? And maybe talk? That would be perfect.

‘Only if you have time, it’s fine, really.’ I try to be polite but my heart is beating out of my chest.

‘No, I insist.’ She smiles and the two of us make our way to a bartender. We talk a little and I reveal myself to be a journalist, and Olivia offers me some of her insights on the film and how she got into the role while still talking about basic stuff and about the whole Cannes event. She is really good to talk to.

‘Hey, would you like to come and say hi to the rest of the crew? I think they are done with the big interviews.’ She smiles and I take a deep breath.

This would be such a big opportunity, and Olivia is so nice, she wouldn’t let me get uncomfortable.

‘Okay.’ I smile. This is the perfect opportunity. ‘Get yourself together,’ if I ask the right questions and talk to the right people I could get into circles I have always wanted to.

As I follow Olivia through the giant crowd I look down on myself. My dress looks so bad and I’m going to meet the big names of Hollywood in this. Great.

Olivia holds my hand and leads me into a room which was divided by a purple curtain, and as we walk through I see we are in a private room. Some bar-chairs all over the place and some gentle music is playing in the background, suddenly, I am nervous.

‘Baz!’ Olivia calls out. ‘This is Stacy,’ She tugs on my arm and I’m in front of the brilliant director of the movie.

‘Nice to meet you, Stacy. Did you like the film?’ Baz asks.

‘I loved it, you did a super great job!’ I smile and he chuckles, being proud of himself, as he should be.

‘It was Austin who did most of it, but thank you.’ He smiles and I suddenly feel a presence behind me.

‘That is not true.’ The voice says and I look behind me, and it is him.

Elvis— Austin.

‘Yeah it is, all that clapping was for you, darling.’ Baz says but I can’t even pay attention because I am so blinded by his aura and energy.

Suddenly Austin’s gaze leaves Baz, and he is looking in my eyes.

‘I don’t believe we met.’ He says in a really soothing, calm voice.

‘I don’t believe we have.’ I say, trying my hardest not to blush.

‘Austin Butler.’ He says and reaches for my hand.

‘Anastasia Dane.’ I say and I give him my hand, which is clearly shaking.

‘Nice to meet you, Anastasia.’ He smiles.

‘Stacy’s fine.’ I say.

‘Anastasia is beautiful.’ He says in a quiet voice.

Olivia suddenly appears with a glass of wine in her hand, giving it to me.

‘I spilled my drink all over her.’ She says to Austin who looks at me, his eyes going all the way up and down. ‘I can see that.’ He says and I blush, God this is embarrassing.

‘You didn’t even offer her something to cover up with?’ He turns to Olivia.

‘She did, but I’m fine.’ I smile reassuringly and he tilts his head slightly. He takes two steps forward before taking off his tux, leaving him only in a white shirt, the first button unbuttoned and the sleeves of it are rolled up to his elbows.

He is so close, draping the tux over my shoulders. ‘I don’t doubt that,’ Austin whispers.

Is he flirting with me?

‘So I hear you liked the film,’ he says, stepping away from me.

‘I did yes, it was amazing, can’t wait to rewatch it.’ I smile and he keeps eyeing me up and down.

‘I’m glad you liked it.’ He says and looks away, noticing a few people coming in from behind the curtain that we just walked across. ‘Be right back.’ He says with a smirk and leaves me there.

I take the opportunity to talk to Baz, and honestly he’s so intellectual but at the same time casual to talk to, he makes sure everybody in the conversation feels included. I get some stuff for my review and then I just stand there and listen to his captivating stories.

We talk for what seems like hours, and suddenly just like earlier I feel presence behind me, this time it’s closer, followed by a hand on the small of my back.

I turn my head, even though I knew fully well whose hand I have gently laying on me, and I see Austin locking eyes with Baz and listening to him talking with the same amazment as me.

‘No, I didn’t think that!’ He suddenly joins in on the conversation, making everybody chuckle. His hand never leaving my back and the way he is closer every second I can’t even focus on what everyone’s saying.

‘Stacy, did you notice that in that scene?’ Olivia smiles and I have no idea what they are talking about.

My face goes red and I keep avoiding eye contact, ‘Uhm… No, I-I guess I should’ve paid attention more.’ I stutter and Olivia smiles, continuing her story and I feel the hand leaving the small of my back to grip into my waist, and pull me just a little closer.

‘Guess you should’ve.’ Austin whispers, smirking a little and I blush once again.

He is flirting with me.

More and more people keep coming in from behind the curtain, and this family-type feeling is gone, suddenly everyone’s talking to different people and I’m left alone on a barchair.

‘Stacy!’ I hear from behind me.

Jeff.

‘Stacy! Hey!’ He says, and I can recongnize the alcohol in his voice.

‘Hi Jeff.’ I say with a little smile.

‘How’s my favourite girl?’ He says and stands right next to me. I feel uncomfortable with how he is standing so close and I just want this to be over.

‘I’m okay. Just finishing this.’ I smile and take a hold of my drink.

‘What happened to your dress?’ He asks, looking down on the huge stain.

‘It’s fine, someone spilled champagne over me.’ I tell him while trying to think of something that will save me from this misery.

‘You know,’ He leans closer. ‘I could take it off of you.’ He says and I lean away.

God this is embarrassing.

‘I—‘ I say when I suddenly feel somebody from the other side of me.

‘Hey, beautiful.’ I know that voice. ‘Everything alright?’ Austin.

‘Yeah uhm… Everything alright.’ I say, still leaning away from Jeff and leaning closer to Austin.

‘Hey, I’m Jeff, and old friend of Stacy here.’ Jeff says and extends his hand, while the other one squeezes my shoulder for a second. Austin catches the movement and extends his hand back.

‘Austin. Now if you will excuse us, I need to talk to Anastasia.’ Austin says and the hand on my back is back, him leading me away from Jeff.

We go to a small hallway and he lets go of me.

‘Thank you so much.’ I say with a sigh of relief.

‘For what?’ He asks with a smirk.

‘For saving me from this awkward situation.’ I say and he walks a little closer.

‘It’s nothing.’ He says and we stand there in silence. The hallway is dark and I can barely see his face with how close he is standing and how nothing’s lighting up his face, his handsome, pretty face.

He lifts his hand and gently puts his thumb on my forearm, carassing a little skin there.

‘I didn’t like him being so close to you.’ He says and woah. Woah.

What is happening?

‘Me neither.’ I manage to get words out.

‘I didn’t,’ He backs me up into the wall. ‘I didn’t like him touching you.’ He says and takes both of his hands to cage me into the wall, both of those hands on each side of my head.

‘Me neither.’ I say with a little smile, trying to play along, trying not to sound completly gone, trying to hide that I’m already so aroused by just this, and he didn’t even touch me yet.

‘Do you like, me touching you?’ He whispers and one of his hand leaves the wall, gently guiding his fingertips over my jawline.

His hands are so soft.

‘Yes.’ I say breathlessly, thank god he can’t see my red face in the dark.

‘Hm.’ He hums and softly moves his hand, touching my cheek, then my jawline once again, my neck, my collarbone and everything’s too much, I feel too hot, I raise my hands and get out of his tux that I’m wearing.

He smirks and leans closer and suddenly his lips are on my neck. My breathing quickens as soon as I feel his soft lips on my skin, I’m sure he can feel how my heart paced up.

He plants gentle kisses on my neck, then my jawline. I don’t know what to do with my hands and a sudden rush of bravery washes over me, grabbing his face in my hand and kissing him with force.

He takes one hand and puts it on my neck, while the other takes a hold of my hip, and with that we move into each other. While the kiss evolves into something more passionate Austin grabs me the side of my thigh, holding it up so our groins directly touch. His hand is under my dress, and I feel him moving his bulge into me. I moan at the contact, louder than I intended.

‘Fuck, should we get out of here?’ He says, pulling away from me.

‘Yes, please.’ I say and he takes a hold of my hand.

He leads me out of the hallway, and drops my hand when we get into the room. He places his hand on the small of my back and leads me out of the crowded place, waving to Olivia and disappearing through the purple curtain.

He takes a left and we are suddenly at some kind of a backdoor, where there are cars waiting for people, Austin looks at one, then looks at me and goes to open the door to let me get in.

He tells the address of his hotel to the driver and throughout the journey his hand never leaves my thigh.

‘Can’t wait to get you alone.’ He leans closer and whispers in my ear.

I sigh breathlessly, trying to keep it together but it’s so hard to do so, so hard when he is so close, his breath on my neck, his shoulder touching mine while his hand creeps up my thigh.

‘Baby…’ He whispers and bites my earlobe and I quietly moan which makes him smirk.

The driver slows down and I know we are at the hotel. Austin gets out and extends his hand for me to take.

His hand is on the small of my back, this becomes like a routine for us, while he guides me to the elevator. Some other people get in, making us step back and standing directly in front of the back of the elevator.

I feel Austin’s hand going lower just a little, settling on my ass, not squeezing or groping, he just leaves it there.

The elevator stops on every level, and now I’m getting impatient, I need to get my hands on him, and I need him to get his hands on me. So out of desperation I lean closer to him, my head barely touching his chest. I feel his hand leaving my ass as he thightly grabs me by my waist.

And suddenly we are on our level. We excuse ourselves and get out before Austin is basically running towards the door. He gets out his keycard and looks at me, motioning me to come in.

He locks the door behind us and I look through the beautiful room, with the most beautiful view. As I look at the direction of the window Austin comes up from behind me, wrapping his strong arms around me.

‘You like?’ He asks, breath hitting my neck, chuckling.

‘I do.’ I smile and turn, finding myself pressed against his chest. I grab his shoulders and I press a gentle kiss on his inviting lips. He kisses back and I feel butterflies in my stomach because of how tender and sensual he is, it makes me want to never stop touching him.

The gentleness in long gone now, he holds me by my hip, backs me up into the kitchen counter, and starts to unbutton his shirt. I try to help him but I’m too preoccupied with the kisses and how when I open my eyes I see more and more of his skin on his chest so I pull away and start kissing him as more of his skin is revealed.

He chuckles and I unbutton the last two buttons on the shirt before kissing and licking his chest and stomach all over. He puts his hand into my hair to guide my head and I gently pull away from the counter I was pressed into so I can lower myself and get on my knees.

‘Fuck, Ana…’ He says and looking up at him, totally out of breath, shirtless, his hair messed up. It was definitely a sight to see.

I guide my finger on the line of his V-line and I reach the waistband of his pants and start to unbuckle his belt.

‘Fuck, you are so- so pretty, baby.’ Austin says as I struggle to open his belt, he reaches for my hair and holds it up for me.

Finally I successfully remove his pants and he steps out of them, standing there in only underwear. I put my lips on his bulge and I can feel him slightly moving his hips, he is eager. So I don’t waste any time, I need him so bad, I free his hardness.

I audibly swallow when I see it, right in front of my face, and I once again waste no time spitting in my hand and guide it up and down on him.

He groans and I take this as a sign to finally get my mouth on him. I kiss the tip and lick it from the base to the top all the way. He pulls on my hair at the sudden contact and I take him in my mouth as deep as I can, while he tugs on my hair a little harder. Not that I mind. I look up to him and I see him struggling to keep looking at me, his eyes rolling back, even throwing his head back. I continue to bob my head up and down before I feel him pulling my hair slightly upwards, making me pull off of him.

‘Stand up.’ He says and I feel heat all over mg body hearing him order me like that, so I do as he says. As soon as I’m up on my feet, he gently bends down and reaches for the bottom of my dress to pull it over my head. I’m now left in my dark red bra and panties, while Austin throws the stained dress aside. He picks me up and puts his hands firmly on my asscheeks and carries me to a room which, I suppose, is his bedroom.

He basically throws me onto the bed and I smile when he is crawling over me.

‘You are so beautiful.’ He says and looks at me up and down.

‘You too.’ I say and he smirks before lowering himself and coming in direct contact with my breasts which are still covered by the red lace. He kisses one gently.

‘So pretty. I wanna get my mouth on them so badly, can I, baby?’ He says and wouldn’t I be the biggest fool on Earth to say no to that.

‘Yes, please.’ He smirks and reaches under me to unhook my bra, freeing my boobs, my nipples already hard because of him.

‘I like it when you say that, darling.’ He says and I moan loudly when he attaches his lips, those perfect lips, on my goosebumps filled skin there.

‘You like that?’ He asks and sucks on my skin. I nod with my mouth gaping open, not being able to think because of the intense pleasure I’m receiving.

‘Answer me, sweetheart.’ He asks and looks up at me, stopping everything he was doing, I arch my back because of the lack of touch.

‘Yes, yes. Please.’ I say and I can tell by his smirk this is turning him on so much, but still fights the urge to keep kissing me.

‘Please, what? What do you want, tell me baby.’ He asks and his eyes are burning a hole into my forehead, his gaze is so strong and powerful and full of undivided attention, his gaze is something everyone who wants to feel loved and wanted should experience in their life.

‘I want you, Austin. I want you to fuck me.’ I say and his smirk falls before kissing me passionately on the lips.

‘Bold choice baby.’ He says and I smile as he kisses down my body, his hands wandering everywhere he can reach, squeezing my boobs then coming back up to put his hand around my throat.

‘I’m gonna fuck you so well, princess. Nobody has ever fucked you like this and nobody ever will.’ He stares into my soul and I can’t help but moan just at his words. Everything he does is arousing to me. ‘I love it when you are loud like that. Makes me want to never hear anything else again.’ I know I boosted his ego with the moans and the eagerness so I smile at his cocky behaviour change. He winks at me and I chuckle when he reaches down to slightly rub me through my red lace panties.

‘You are so wet, can’t wait to be inside you baby.’ He says and lowers himself on my body to tug down my panties. He does so and throws them away.

I take a sharp breath as he starts to kiss down my abdomen and uses one finger to rub the side of my thigh, to slightly hold me down. His kisses slow down the lower he gets and he is finally planting a kiss directly on my pussy. He takes his other hand and guides one finger down my folds before diving into me, his head between my thighs, licking up everything he can get. Pure ecstasy takes me over and as soon as he inserts even the tip of his finger into my hole, I grab a hold of his hair and I feel heat in my lower stomach.

‘Fuck, Austin.. I- I’m close.’ I say, which comes out as a whisper because my moans are too loud in comparison.

Austin doesn’t stop, he keeps lapping his tongue on my heat, his finger now fully in me, his other hand leaving my thigh and just gently rubbing my clit a little.

And that does the job for me. I grab his hair forcefully and I feel myself reaching my release while he still eats me throughout the course of my orgasm.

He comes up from in between my thighs. ‘What a sight to see, baby, all flushed and wet, just for me. For me.’ He says and comes up to kiss me, giving me just a little taste of what he has been devouring for the last few minutes.

‘Please fuck me.’ I say and I don’t have to ask him twice.

‘Who got you this turned on?’ He asks with a smile while reaching for the bedside table to get out a condom.

‘You, you Austin.’ I say as he slides the condom on himself and crawls back on top of me.

‘So pretty.’ He says and suddenly pushes into me and I scream. He throws his head back and starts to move in and out of me as I moan. He paces up and takes me by my knees to get a better angle, which feels so good, I’m not even sure that I’m thinking clearly anymore.

‘Fuck.’ He groans and I take his face in my hands to kiss him, which is so messy because of our rapid and rhythmless breathing and moans but it doesn’t matter.

I can feel him getting closer and closer and as he keeps hitting that spot in me, I feel closer too.

He suddenly grabs me by the waist and flips us over, pulling out in the process but settling me on his lap.

‘Sit on it baby.’ He says and just like that I do so, because he is back to his ordering self.

He moans and I start to move, the same pace he was fucking me just a minute ago. I bounce up and down and stop just a few times to grind into him. His hand stays on my thighs, sometimes goes behind to grope my ass, or slap it a little.

I feel his grab on my ass getting harder and harder and I know he is close.

‘You close, darling?’ He says and I nod as he takes one hand to grab one of my breasts before sitting up and once again being so close to each other. I put my head in the crook of his neck and he thrusts his hips up once and that is enough to send me over the edge.

‘Come for me, Ana.’ He whispers and I scream when I do so. He looks at me with his sexiest bedroom eyes and just like that he is throwing his head back and coming with me, joining me in this ecstasy.

He pulls out of me and sets me down on the bed. He wraps the condom and goes to which I assume is the bathroom, appearing with a shirt and a towel in his hand. He cleans me up and gives me a kiss on my lips.

‘I’m gonna go pee.’ I murmur with the shirt clutched in my hand and he nods while he searches for pants himself.

When I’m back, the curtains are down, just a little night lamp is brightening the room with mostly just dark brown furnitures. Austin is already half asleep in the bed and I’m not sure if he wants me to stay or not. Should I just go? I don’t have a pair of pants.

‘Stop staring.’ He murmurs in a really low voice and I chuckle.

‘Are you going to stand there or— did I not tire you out enough?’ He says and props himself up on his elbow while patting the blanket next to him.

I start to walk towards the bed and I sit down on it before laying down next to him.

‘You okay?’ He asks.

‘Of course. More than okay.’ I smile and turn towards him. He extends his hand and just touches my cheek lightly.

‘Good night, Ana.’ He says, reaching for the bedside lamp to turn it off.

‘Good night, Austin.’ I smile and he pulls me closer. I can’t help myself but to kiss him gently again.

‘Sleep baby, we will continue this in the morning.’ He whispers.

Well, I didn’t expect this.

[miksterrr]

YES I HAVE SO MANY THAT PUTTING THEM ALL IN TAGS WOULD BE TOO ANNOYING SO:

I like to think that Kai and Nya had the same exact eye colour, before their elements appeared/they got more connected with them. So like prolly like a deep amber colour? Def on the brown spectrum somewhere.

I think that Kai's left eye (or whatever side the scar is on) that eye is actually lighter due to the scar. He can still see out of that eye but it's not the best. He gets migraines trying to focus sometimes. I think that that eye would be a lighter kind of amber.

When Kai was a kid, his eyes would gain the smallest of red hues when he was upset. Even before his parents disapeared, this happened. When Ray and Maya noticed, they were overjoyed that Kai had gotten Ray's element, but also slightly scared? To their knowledge, nobody had really been that connected to their element before, for it to show up as a kid. It didn't happen to either of them, at least. Nor any of their friends. They wanted to ask their friends about it, but Libber had gone missing a few months ago and they lost contact with Lilly years ago. Same with every other elemental master.

Right when they were about to seek out Wu, Krux showed up. Ray and Maya never really found out if Kai was really deeply connected to his element or if it was something else.

Growing up, Kai never noticed his eyes changing colours when he was really upset, and Nya didn't really say anything about it either. She just thought it was normal. After the whole Chen's staff thing, whenever Kai gets really pissed off, like steam coming out of his ears pissed, his eyes turn back to that fiery, angry red. They loose that glow as soon as he calms down, though.

But whenever Kai overexerts himself or uses his powers really frequently in one go, his eyes gain that red hue again. It takes over his eyes, but slowly. From the inside out, until they're glowing a soft camp fire kind of red. Eventually, his non-scarred eye turns to a soft kind of red, one that might look like a reddish-brown when he's not constantly using his powers. His scarred eye keeps that light amber colour unless he's using his powers too much.

Out of all the ninja though, Nya was the one who kept her original eye colour for the longest. They stayed that deep amber colour even after she unlocked her element. The first time they changed colours was during her true potential, where the glowed a whiteish-blue. After that, nothing. They stayed that deep amber colour. It didn't matter if she was angry or sad or anything.

It wasn't until after Seabound, when Nya was turned back to human that her eyes completely changed. They turned into the same colour as the ocean. A constant reminder of her sacirifice, that she was once a living legend. From that point on, her eyes constantly changed with her mood. Sometimes they would glow depending on how angry she was, or they would turn a different kind of blue depending on how sad she was.

When Nya uses her powers, her eyes gain a soft glow. Nothing quite as harsh as Lloyd's or Cole's, but they do glow. When she overexerts herself, they stay glowing. It sometimes takes weeks for them to fall back to a non-glowing blue. Also, with her new eyes, she's actually able to keep her eyes open in the water (in any water, even chlorinated pool water) without them stingy. Like at all. Also, she's able to see in water perfectly. Like everything will look absolutely clear, like if she wasn't under water at all.

For Cole, I like to think he had these really pretty hazel eyes growing up. They were the same colour as his mom's so he always prided himself on that. When he became a ghost, the colour was the same, but whenever he looked at himself in the mirror, his eyes never felt like his. After Day of the Departed, his left(?) eye turned green. Like that sickly kind of green too. It kinda made Cole a little nauseous when he first saw it, but that's okay because his other eye was still that pretty hazel.

Until March of the Oni.

His other eye turned a deep mauve kind of colour. He doesn't really know why. Like sure, he survived the fall (somehow), and he didn't get turned to stone by the smog but it still turned to that deep kind of mauve. He's pretty sure he doesn't have any Oni DNA anywhere in his bloodline, but hey his eye is still mauve and the other is green and he lost all physical traces of his mother that he remembers.

With Cole's powers, his eyes glow orange. They don't really know why, other than them glowing orange. It doesn't really matter how much he uses his powers (unlike the others) they just glow. Every single time he uses them. Though, sometimes the glowing level is dependent on how much he uses his powers, like if it's just him shooting some rocks at some people it's a very minimal, dim, glow. Is lava punch is abt a median glow, while the spinjitsu burst it like those really harsh fluorescent lights (except more comforting?) Sometimes they'll stay that orange glow for a few days, other times just minutes.

Jay, on the other hand, was born with heterochromia. Brown and blue, to be specific. Like a good toffee brown and a deep blue, there was a circle of yellow around his pupil with the deep blue. Growing up he thought it was one of the coolest things ever. It's not until he started going to school did he actually felt like hiding them, bc kids are mean. But Ed and Edna always tried their best to keep Jay feeling confident, but yk, shit happens.

They stayed this heterochromatic colour for the longest time, but sometime during s6 and s7, his right eye (the blue one) started turning white. He... doesn't really know why, besides yk the whole Nadakhan situation, but he wiped that timeline away so he's still not really sure what's going on abt that. Eventually though, Jay found a Lichtenberg figure running across that eye. It's one of his lighter ones, but it's obvious once you realize what it is.

It took a while for Jay to be comfortable with his element after that. It caused him to go blind in one eye, after all. But it also turned into a way for him and Kai to bond? Obviously, Kai still has some sight in his scarred eye but it still gives him harsh migraines after trying to focus for too long, and the same happened to Jay. So, when they got migraines they began to just hang out/care for each other during those times.

Also, Jay, when he over-exerts his powers, both his eyes glow a yellowish-white colour. Sometimes, if he over-exerts them too much, like completely and fully wiping out his energy, nearly passing out, he goes completely and fully blind. It... really freaked everyone out the first time it happened. But, he regained his vision (well, the half he did have) within a few days. It happened another two times, before anyone realized why it was happening. (With the help of Maya and Ray. Because well, let's just say the same thing happened to the former master of lightening.)

Zane, before he got rebuilt, had light blue eyes. Like, very light blue. If anyone stared at them for too long they'd get freaked out. But, they felt real. I dunno how to explain besides that cheesy "eyes are the window to the soul" saying. Before he was rebuilt, you could tell what Zane was thinking or feeling by just looking at his eyes.

It all changed when he was rebuilt. His eyes changed to a slightly darker blue colour, and they glowed, almost always. It made Zane feel less human, that he was all but a machine. With these new eyes, nobody could tell what he was thinking or feeling, they were simply just there. No 'window to the soul,' shit or anything like it.

For the longest time, his eyes stayed like that. Not even using or overexerting his powers would change them. (Before he was rebuilt, Zane's eyes glowed every time he used his powers, and it was a soft white kind of glow, not a sickeningly blue glow). It wasn't until the Ice Emporer when his eyes changed again.

His eyes never lost that mechanical glow, but they did change. They felt somehow colder, but also there was a snowflake design imprinted on them. Like, the best example I could give is Jack Frost from 'Rise of The Guardians' after Jack Frost turned into well, Jack Frost, his eyes changed from brown to blue, and his blue eyes seem to have a snowflake imprinted into them.

That's what happened to Zane. If you focus on his eyes, you can see that snowflake design inhabiting them. Now, whenever Zane uses his powers to the extreme they glow white. It's sometimes hard to decipher between the blue glow sometimes, as well Zane doesn't over-exert his powers nearly as much as the others, but it happens on occasion.

Then finally, Lloyd, when he was a kid he had glowing red eyes. It really freaked the ninja out the first time he was onboard. Like Lloyd would be chilling in the kitchen at like midnight sneaking a snack or someshit, and someone would come in bc they heard something only to be met with glowing red eyes. ...If anyone of them had access to their powers at that point Lloyd defiently would get a face full of whatever element he scared.

His eyes stayed read until he unlocked the golden ninja form, where they turned gold. And like that godly kind of gold too. They stayed gold until the overlord took his powers. When that happened, his eyes faded back to red.

Eventually though, his red eyes began to slowly shift to green. The more time he came into contact with his powers and practiced them and got better they would gain a greener hue. It was a very slow shift, one that took everyone a while to notice. Lloyd noticed first of course, and he didn't like it. His red eyes were the last connection he had with Garmadon, and with Garmadon sacirficing himself... it took Lloyd a long time to be comfortble with his green eyes.

Other than Lloyd. Do you guys think that the Ninja would also get affected by their Elements?

Like, I’m talking about the eyes.

Like What if they followed Lloyd and trained more to be in tune with their element that their eyes changed color.

Like imagine Kai’s eyes used to be Hazel but after being in tune with his Element he gained a sorta fiery colored eyes or red eyes.

Or Jay who used to have brown eyes and somehow gained blue eyes.

Just a neat little headcanon.

[pandoras-princess]

Turn Back In Time (Ronnie Kray x fem!reader)

*gif not mine//credit to the owner

A/N: Hellooo my lovelies! 🌸 Long time no speak I know. I’ve had a rough few months and stepped back from writing for a while. Buuut I’m back. I started writing this months ago and it somehow turned into 5k long and no where near the end so I’ve decided to split it into two parts. It’s an AU world in which Ronnie never went to prison and has instead been married to you for 5 years. I’ve been watching both Legend and The Krays (kemp brothers version) and the depiction/story of Frances really struck me, so I’ve decided to centre this fic around her and the impact the Kray’s had on her. I’ve kept some parts of the original plot from the movies, although following a different timeline, as I feel they’re key to Frances’ story but I’ve put a little twist on them. Happy Reading People’s! 🥳🥳 As always I appreciate every like, comment, reblog and follow so thank you so much for the love shown already on this blog 🥰🥰 feedback is always welcome 😌

Summary: Everyone has something to say about the Kray’s, but only you know the full story...

Pairing: Ronnie Kray x fem!reader

Warnings: swearing, violence, blood

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“Serving as keeper of the Kray’s was an impossible feat. An impossible feat that always came as second nature to me. It wasn’t until Frances came along that I realised just how hard it really was.

She was a kind soul. As delicate as a dandelion swaying in the wind. A kind soul, but a troubled one nonetheless.

So often would the darkness take her. Wrapping her up in conflicted thoughts and shattered dreams. Reg didn’t make it any easier, dressing her up like a doll and parading her around for all the world to see. As soon as he slid that ring on her finger, she stopped being Frances Shea and became Reggie Kray’s wife...”

“Is that so?”

“Course it’s so. Sure as the day is long, that girl couldn’t handle being part of the Kray’s. It weren’t her fault mind, you had to be bloody barmy to put up with those two.”

“Are you calling yourself barmy, Mrs Kray?”

“Course I am. We’re all barmy really, till some man in a white coat says different. My dear Ronnie, God rest his soul, never suffered a dull moment that’s for sure. Another part of the Kray life Frances couldn’t handle. If you married Reg, you married Ron right along with him. Drove her mad it did, not that Reggie ever noticed. That’s what did it in the end, I think. Reggie never noticed...”

[Many years before]

“That’s it dear sit down, sit down. Ron get her that little stool- that’s the one. There you go, now you put your feet up and we’ll sort out the tea.”

You do as you’re told and rest your aching feet on the footstool provided, sinking back into the cushiony chair as everyone fusses over you. You’re now into your 20th week of pregnancy and every opportunity to put your feet up and relax is shamelessly exploited. It hasn’t exactly been plain sailing so far, but the time spent at home surrounded by the ones you love make up for it all.

Ron stands behind the chair, on guard for anyone that dare to touch you. Given the complications with the pregnancy Ronnie’s protectiveness had reached it’s peak or rather what you hoped was it’s peak. Despite your wilful protests it was now akin to signing a death warrant for anyone to get within a foot of you.

“Ronnie sit down! You’re putting me on edge!” you hiss.

Reluctantly he perches himself on the edge of the sofa, sticking his bottom lip out like a sulking child.

Rolling your eyes you turn your attention to Violet carrying in the tea and for the first time you notice the petite young woman standing in the doorway of the kitchen. Her hair is pruned to perfection and her clothes are as dainty as a dress up doll. With her big brown eyes and high cheek bones she is undeniably beautiful... but she is definitely new.

“Who’s this then?” You ask no one in particular. You’re quite surprised the two of you hadn’t been introduced yet.

“Oh, I’m Frances-”

“She’s with me.” Reggie cuts in and snakes an arm around her waist, pulling her flush against his side. She smiles sheepishly in response and tucks a non existent strand of hair behind her ear. You don’t miss the look of disapproval from Violet.

“Well then... nice to meet you.” You offer her a polite smile and decide to stop asking questions.

After an hour or so you’re feeling much more tired than you would’ve liked. One look at your face tells Ron the same thing and he is soon helping you into your coat and saying his goodbyes. It’s a short ride back to the flat but you can barely keep your eyes open, settling for resting your head on the cool windowpane as Ronnie’s hand finds your thigh.

The next thing you know he’s waking you up and helping you out. Once inside you waste no time and head straight to bed, clambering in as Ronnie makes you both tea. By the time he brings it up you’re snoring softly into the pillows. So, with a shrug of his shoulders, he strips down to his boxers and climbs in next to you. His arm settles around your ever-growing bump as your sleeping form curls into his side. Stroking it absentmindedly, a smile spreads across his lips. Images of your daughter-to-be dance through his mind, whirling and dipping perfectly in sync.

Would she have your hair? Wild curls the colour of burnt oranges and fallen leaves of autumn. Or would she have his? Smooth and silky... but boring old chocolate brown. Would hazel eyes come through? Or would she defy all odds with irises the colour of the deep blue sea? The excitement is intoxicating and the possibilities endless as they go bouncing about his head.

You were carrying a girl, he was sure of it. Everyone else says as much and he’d be lying if he said that isn’t exactly what he’s hoping for.

The comfort of your embrace wraps itself around him like a warm fluffy blanket and he is quickly lulled off to sleep.

You spend most of the next few weeks like that. You in bed, Ron joining you in between meetings and nights at the club. Soon enough though there are more good days than bad and you often find yourself strong enough to relax at Violet’s while the boys go about their business.

Today Ronnie had vowed to stay firmly by your side, supposedly irked by the ‘funny look in your eye and pale skin’ as he so elegantly put it. You sit nestled between him and Violet at the kitchen table while Frances busies herself with making the tea.

“This is so kind of you” Violet gushes. “A real treat, isn’t it?”

“Mm lovely yeah.”

You notice the complexion of the hot liquid as soon as she starts pouring it and wince for what’s surely coming next.

“Oh. No, no, Frances no, that won’t do. That won’t do at all. You go and sit with Mr Kray and I’ll sort it out.” Violet’s tone is dripping in disappointment and her face says it all...

Frances would never be good enough for her little Reggie.

She rushes off into the front room and hides herself away on the chair, oblivious to Mr Kray’s presence. Your heart went out to her; it’s not easy making your way into the Kray family. 

“She can’t even make a decent cup of tea!”

“Yeah, poor Reggie, ay? It was a good effort.” Ronnie snipes, quite obviously loud enough for Frances to hear.

“Ron!” Your palm connects with his bicep and his lips part in protest but the murderous glare overtaking your features stops him dead in his tracks. “Don’t be so rude!”

“Go easy on him Y/N, he’s only stating the obvious...”

“She looks like a budgie in that dress, don’t she?” Ronnie chooses to ignore the daggers you’re shooting at him, clearly egged on by his mother’s reassurance.

“The rag-and-bone man wouldn’t pick her up if she was laying in the gutter!” Violet chuckles.

“No... oh well, Poor Reggie. I shall, um, I shall flush that.”

The mockery proves too much and Frances leaves without saying another word, the slam of the front door casting a stunned silence over the room. Staring at the now empty seat, you can’t say you blame her. Ron’s tongue was razor sharp to the untrained ear and could slice open the toughest of souls in no time at all. Violet’s could be far worse, the apple having fallen none too far from that particular tree. 

Rumour has it she ran all the way home that day, rushing down the roads and stopping for no one on her way. You can’t say how true that rumour is, but more often than not the feet take on what the heart finds too much to bear.

The weeks roll by and before you know it you’ve passed 7 months. With only a couple of months left until the baby arrives, it should be a joyous time for you all. But disaster had struck, as it so often did in the chaotic gangland of the East End. Reggie’d been collared for an old warrant, the judge denied his appeal and he was to spend the last 6 months of it behind bars. He was ordered to surrender the next morning.

What should’ve been happy days quickly became solemn and with Reggie gone it was clear Frances was never going to be accepted into the family.

Spending so much time lounging in the cushiony chair you’ve laid claim to and walking the streets aimlessly for a scrap of relief as the baby makes a boxing ring out of your womb means you pick up on the things that go unmentioned by everyone else.

Frances is not happy. In fact, she’s miserable and in no way enthusiastic for the life she’d unknowingly signed up for. Reggie’s constant absence is taking its toll on the fragile woman and you aren’t sure how much more her shoulders can carry. In the months that have passed since your introduction she’s like a whole new person, in the worst way possible.

One evening you’re nestled beneath a number of blankets, engrossed in the copy of Moby Dick you’ve read a thousand times before when Ronnie comes home. He pours himself a whiskey and settles into the seat beside you bringing your legs to rest on his lap.

“Guess who I bumped into today?” He asks, completely disregarding the item already occupying your attention.

“Who?” 

“Good old Frances.” 

“Oh! How is she...?” 

“I don’t actually know. I shouldn’t think too well though. You see I told her- and before you say anything it’s fucking true -I told her that she’s turned into a ghost, right before our eyes. Now don’t give me that look love because with the right kind of lighting I’d be able to see through her clearer than a butchers window.” 

“You did not say that to her?!”

“I absolutely fucking did. Somebody had to tell her and it wasn’t very well going to be you or Reggie now was it.” 

“You can’t go around saying things like that to people, they don’t tend to like it very much.”

“Princess, I don’t give a fuck what other people like. Not a single fuck in the world.”

“Don’t you think she’s sad enough already Ron? She doesn’t need you rubbing salt into the wound.”

“What I think about that right, is that Frances is so sad she doesn’t actually know what sad feels like anymore.”

While you’re not a fan of Ronnie’s way of going about things, you find it hard to disagree with him on that one.

That night laying awake in bed it isn’t the baby keeping you from sleep. Images of Frances flash through your mind and as you nibble away at your bottom lip they show no signs of stopping. With an exasperated sigh you roll yourself out of bed, the shift in weight proving more than enough to wake your sleeping husband.

“Are you okay? Is it the baby?” He asks, voice laced with concern.

“I’m fine, the baby’s fine. I just can’t sleep. Help me with this please.”

Moving behind you he takes hold of the dressing gown you’re battling with and untangles it. Within seconds he’s holding it out for you.

Mumbling a quick ‘bastard’ you slide your arms into it and secure the belt around you. Ronnie chuckles, amused by your childlike frustration and draws you into his arms. His large hands settle over yours on your bump and he begins swaying the two of you from side to side.

“What’s up love? What is bothering you?”

“Frances.”

The swaying stops and he spins you around to face him, confusion etched onto his features.

“Frances? Has she done something? Or said something? I won’t be having that. It’s not on. Not on at all. You are a pregnant woman- my pregnant woman -I won’t be having her do anything untoward-”

“Ron stop. Stop- stop it’s okay.” Spluttering through your giggles you attempt to shut him up long enough to explain. “She hasn’t done anything to me. I’m just worried about her.”

“Worried about her? We’re all worried about her. It’s not any of our business.”

“Reggie loves her and that makes it our business. You said yourself she’s turning into a ghost. How can I sit back and watch? Just watch her fade away into the background without doing anything at all?”

“That’s easy love, you don’t watch her.”

“Ron!” You groan. “Be serious.”

“Look Y/N, you’re weeks away from giving birth, Reggie’s inside and I’m losing my fucking mind. You’ve got enough on your plate without worrying about her worries n’all. Focus on you and the baby and let Reggie worry about the sanity of his woman, yeah?”

“Reggie isn’t here to worry about her and I can’t very well ignore it and do nothing Ron. It’s not right!”

“What do you suppose we do about it then love? Invite her to move in? Tell you what she can share the cot with the baby how about that.”

“Oh stop it. I don’t know what, I haven’t gotten that far yet. I do know that I’m going to do something, before it’s too late to do anything at all...”

Your plans to save the day are very quickly derailed when it becomes apparent Frances isn’t the only one lost without Reggie around. Ron is completely distraught without his twin by his side and his grip on reality loosens that bit more with every day that passes. You’re sure he’s stopped taking his medication. Heavily pregnant, you don’t have the energy to run around after him so you manage his moods as best you can when you’re with him and pray to the high heaven’s for anyone unlucky enough to cross his path when you aren’t.

Those prayers weren’t to be answered.

A few days later you’re dozing in bed when three sharp knocks shake you from your sleep. As you slowly make your way to the door the three sharp knocks sound again.

“Alright alright keep your hair on I’m coming!”

Cranky and half asleep, you fail to hide how much of an unpleasant surprise it is to find Lesley Payne on the doorstep.

“Ronnie’s not here.” You quip, hoping to end the conversation before it had even started.

“I know Ronnie’s not here. I’ve come to speak to you.” His voice is a mixture of anger and panic, his suit entirely disheveled. Tufts of hair stick up on his head suggesting he’d spent quite a lot of time pulling at it.

“What could you possibly have to say to me?”

His eyes dart around the surrounding houses and scattered neighbours along the street. “Let me in and I’ll tell you.”

Growing increasingly agitated by his elusive behaviour you grit your teeth and fold your arms over your chest.

“I don’t think so. What do you want? Ronnie would have your head on a stick if he knew you were here. I’m half tempted to tell him.” 

“I’m here to tell you your husband has lost the fucking plot love. He wants me to take money out of the casino to fund some fucking pipe dream in Africa. I had him in my office today shouting the odds and throwing his weight around. Not only that he’s scaring away every customer half worth serving at the barn. I came here to warn you. He is dangerous. Put him on a tight leash and sharpish before he does damage that can’t be undone.”

Not giving you the chance to reply Payne mutters a quick goodbye and scurries off down the street. His body is hunched over his briefcase, which is held tight against his chest.

‘He’s obviously scared of something.’

You have no doubt that something is indeed Ronnie...

[sukirichi]

dutifully yours. [01]

Attached to the could’ve been’s of a promised happily ever after with the Crown Prince disguised under a scheme for power and greed, you are torn between choosing your happiness — or abandoning it to fulfill your duty as the future Queen.

→ unedited bcos i’m brave lazy. implied patriarchy. angst in future chapters. pure romance and fluff for now. royalty au. eventual smut. prince naoya !! i love him sm i could cry. this fic will break me, okay. naoya is close to canon but with my twist if that makes sense. drama in future chapters. oh and listen to this while reading <3

→ massive shoutout to my besties for always hyping me and helping me uwu, i present this token of prince naoya being an ideal husband okay cry cry i love him sm im crying. anyways pls enjoy bcos i poured my heart out to this and bcos i want more people in the naoya fucker club :>

one | next (to be posted)

Ever since the day your mother taught you how to read, you’ve had your nose buried in a book. Losing yourself in different worlds, swooning over fictional princes, and fantasizing for a love story ripped out of fairytale itself with such burning, passionate romance – you’d been through it all, dreamt of it all. And yet, you struggled to stop yourself from tugging at your dress.

The tight corset hadn’t even been the main focus of your worries, and neither was the heavy rivière resting on your collarbones.

“Would you stop fidgeting?” Beside you, your mother pursed her lips, fingers decorated with jewels stopping in their movements of fanning herself. The temperature hadn’t been particularly high inside the limousine that evening. You supposed it was the mere sight of you tugging and gulping audibly every now and then, gloved hands running over the hems of your collar.

You ducked your head down. “Sorry, Mother. I can’t help it.”

“Dear, your anxiety is written all over your face,” she sighed, turning your face to her as she cupped your cheeks. Smiling tenderly like a mother always did, your heart felt soothed even by the slightest bit. You wished she could keep holding you like this – like you were a fragile flower she was afraid of breaking; a fragile flower that needed more care handled than most. Tonight, however, you felt a hundred years older. Like you’d accidentally clicked on fast forward and got launched to the future. A future that seemed so unclear yet so...perfect. So right.

“How would the Prince fancy you if you’re sweating bullets like that? It’s not a good look for a marquess’ daughter.”

At the mention of the Crown Prince, your heart sank again. “My apologies, Mother. I’m just rather nervous. It’s the Crown Prince we’re talking about here.”

“He is quite the looker, isn’t he?” she giggled behind her fan, “Strong and handsome, as well.”

“My ladies. You are not fantasizing over the Crown Prince in my presence, are you?”

Crossing her leg over the other, your mother leaned forwards, elbows on her knees as she winked at your father. The marquess had his torso half twisted from the passenger seat, glaring playfully at your mother’s unabashed features. “It is of no seriousness, My Lord. I’m simply easing your daughter’s nerves.”

Your father sighed in worry. “What’s got you so worked up, child? You are beautiful. The Prince would be blind to not notice you.”

Each fibre in your body screamed in desperation for your father to be right. Tonight was not just any other night – the entire Kingdom, including noblewomen, foreign royals, and unwed daughters from honourable families had been invited to the Zen’in Castle for one purpose only: to find his Crown Prince a suitable wife, one that would be fit to be the next Queen as well. As the daughter of the marquess, you’d naturally received the invitation. It felt just like yesterday when the mail arrived and you’d cheered so much in joy the chickens went flying out of their coops, your horses galloping and whinnying at surprise, and now you here – minutes away from the palace where you were soon to be deemed worthy or unworthy to be beside His Highness.

With a shaky smile, you dug your nails into your thighs. “Well, we’ve only met once, Father. I doubt the Prince would remember me.”

“Just smile, darling. You will do great.”

To no one’s surprise, the Zen’in Castle brimmed with people and esteemed guests. Men and women danced with one another as muted chatters and chuckles blended in with the grand royal orchestra, everyone dressed to the nines and making you feel completely out of place.

The moment you’d been welcomed by the knights and led to the palace doors, your dress began to feel tighter than usual, your ribs clenching uncomfortably from the pressure. Your hands had not stopped trembling either, not even when you hid it behind your back and nodded at the people passing by. There were governor-generals, dukes, earls, professors and royal advisors and even families of the royal family’s inner circle of knights. Everyone looked like they belonged here. Chatting amongst one another over the finest of wines or discussing conspiracies on where the Kingdom of Zen’in would be in the next sixty years of the future King’s reign, no one here seemed to be out of place.

Everyone except you.

A warm hand was suddenly placed on the small of your back, making you gasp. Your mother’s smile was nothing short of warm as she held you close to her one last time, leaving a kiss on your forehead. You didn’t even realize how much you shook until she clasped her hands with yours. “Calm down, dear,” she reminded, “You’ll be on your own now. This is where we leave you since we’re not supposed to mingle with potential princesses.”

“Mother!” Your eyes widened in embarrassment. Looking around frantically, you bit your lip in fear someone must’ve heard.

Of course, while it would be no surprise most guests – if not all – hoped that their daughter would be the Crown Prince’s chosen fiancée, it still felt wrong to boldly assume such when you could barely keep up with the events of tonight.

However, your mother merely laughed. “I am proud of you, dear. Never forget that. It doesn’t matter whether you are chosen or not. We’re only here for formality and respect to the King and Queen’s demands.”

“You say that as if the Crown Prince really would not bother with me.”

“We didn’t mean that,” your father cut in, a flute of champagne already nested between his calloused fingers. Ever since you arrived, he’d been snatched away by fellow earls and barons, disappearing into the crowd for a ‘hearty conversation over one’s lands.’ You knew better than that, though. That statement always translated to which leader got to have more chances to wine and dine with the King, to which your family was ridiculously reminded of that you’d been stationed to the most faraway land where even hearing news from the royal papers was but a privilege.

“Just be yourself, alright? And enjoy the party. It’s about time you met with girls your own age and made some friends.”

“I – Father, wait!”

A slender young woman slithered to your side out of nowhere, her golden brown eyes following the silhouettes of your parents. It wasn’t long before they completely disappeared. Left alone with the stunning woman that was – for some reason – dressed in a plain black curve hugging dress too modest for tonight’s appropriateness, you took three steps away in caution. “You must be from way up North,” she noted, her head to the tipped to the side. “I don’t think I’ve seen you here before.”

God, was she beautiful. Long, thick eyelashes and short hair chopped in messy yet elegant curves, you struggled to hold her gaze. “Oh, yes, I come from the Terratian Borders. My family is stationed there under His Majesty’s orders.”

She hummed to herself. “The Terratian Borders are mostly forests and fields, no? The last time my family and I visited there, I came across the loveliest dandelions I’ve ever laid eyes on. Shame they died on the way back,” offering her hand – again, bare and empty with decorations yet still littered with faint scars and cuts – she beamed at you. “I’m Mai, by the way. Mai Zen’in.”

Zen’in?

Hands cupping your mouth, you bowed deep until your back ached. “Lady Mai!” you shut your eyes closed, unable to live with the shame. Mai Zen’in; one of the iconic twin pair from the extended Zen’in royal family, both a fashion icon and a legend for being a rumoured female knight. To have her in your presence was an honour. “My apologies for not recognizing you any sooner, Lady Mai!”

“Stand up, I’m not a royal,” she sniggered, “We’re just relatives of the actual monarch, but don’t let the family name fool you. The Crown Prince barely even acknowledges us being of the same blood.”

Albeit hesitant, you followed her gestures of making you stand up. You straightened your back and cleared your throat, fighting the urge to go haywire the moment his name was brought into the conversation. Not only would you be seeing Prince Naoya again in real life for the first time in years, but you’d also made acquaintances with his distant niece. However, his name was spoken with malice.

Frowning, you faced Lady Mai in all seriousness. “Prince Naoya? Why so?” Lady Mai looked at you like you’d grown two heads.

“He’s an ass, that’s why.”

“I-I don’t think he is,” you defended, “The Prince has been nothing but kind to me.”

“I didn’t know he was capable of kindness,” she muttered more so under her breath, low enough you were unsure whether you were supposed to hear it in the first place. Lady Mai then shook her head to herself before stealing a flute from a waiter passing by. Chucking it your way, her face turned dark and grim. “Take it as free advice: stay as far away from his as possible. The Crown Prince is nothing but good news.”

“Is it because he has lots of lovers?” you inquired with a small voice, “Uhm – well – It was an assumption. With a title and handsomeness like that, it would make sense everyone would want to be the Crown Prince’s lover.”

Lady Mai’s lip curled upwards. “Prince Naoya won’t bother with lovers. He is too occupied for that.”

“So I’ve heard.”

“Heard from whom?”

“The Royal Declaration from His Majesty himself,” you said, “Was it not the purpose of this ball? To find worthy candidates to be the Crown Prince’s betrothed? His coronation is coming soon.”

“Right. I forgot today was technically a bridal market,” she scratched the edge of her brow, falling silent for a moment. Her eyes scanned the lively crowd for a brief moment – watching with you as everyone laughed and danced to their heart’s content – the grand final event of the routine personal dance with the Crown Prince himself slowly approaching to reality. “You are joining in the festivities, are you not? Later, when he arrives, he shall meet you.”

“I am obligated to as a noble bachelorette, though I doubt His Highness would even look my way. There are far richer noblewomen here and even daughters of duke that would be perfect as his wife. ”

“You may have a point for that,” she hummed to herself, unaware that her agreement to the Crown Prince not paying attention to you left a sting both in your ego and heart. Not that it lasted long, for Lady Mai was already tugged on the arm by another equally fiercely beautiful woman – her older twin, Maki Zen’in. Soon to be governon-general of the Kingdom.

Lady Mai smiled in apology. “I need to go now since I’m not a part of this event. But hey, if ever I come around to visit the Borders again, perhaps you could entertain me?”

“I would be honoured to, Lady Mai.”

“You are sweet and innocent,” it was her sister who spoke this time, glasses perched high on her nose that concealed the wariness of her gaze. “I hope the Crown Prince never gets to your routine.”

“I’m sorry?”

“It’s nothing; she was talking to herself. Maki does that a lot,” Lady Mai’s forced chuckles were barely heard from the music. “You enjoy the party now. Don’t drink too much lest you want to embarrass yourself in everyone’s eyes and be talk of the Kingdom. Prince Naoya would hate it if you took the attention away from him.”

“Oh, uhm...”

“It’s a joke, Lady Y/N. Relax.”

You bowed once more. “My apologies.”

“The dance is about to begin,” Maki tapped on your shoulder, making you look up right where her eyes zeroed in. And exactly in the middle of the grandiose hall, under the sparkling golden chandeliers where he made all the gold in the world look incomparable next to him, the Crown Prince stood in his fully glory. Blond hair with the ends stained of midnight gelled back to reveal his forehead, the Crown Prince’s beauty never failed to shine. Whether it be in the papers, in the tabloids, in the billboards that you passed on the way to the city, or from way back when you met him for the first time as a naive, innocent teen – Crown Prince Naoya came straight out of a magazine cover.

In the back of your head, you could hear either of the twins murmuring good luck. Maybe both of them had said it – you had no idea. All of your attention, all the sensibility and coherence of your state had been switched the next instant, as if your heart and soul was born for the sole purpose of being bewitched by your Crown Prince.

And as if feeling someone’s gaze on him, the Crown Prince’s eyes trailed over the crowd. Almost boredly, his sharp eyes bounced from one giggling woman to another, the ends of his lips smirking upwards for just the tiniest bit. It must’ve stroked his ego. Until his eyes connected with yours. The Crown Prince’s eyebrows knitted together. You had no idea how you looked in that moment, and quite frankly, you didn’t care. Because the Crown Prince was looking at you, and you were looking at him with hearts in your eyes along with your heart pulsing at the tip of your tongue.

“Let us begin,” his lips moved from the distance, “Play the music. I shall dance with my bride.”

The air shifted in a split second. Murmurs were thrown over the room, women and men alike turning pale. Even the orchestra was stunned from the Crown Prince’s entrance – and it hadn’t even been dramatic to his standards – yet the whole castle fell mum from just a few of his words. A few seconds later, the crowd recomposed itself, and the strings began to dance along with its bows.

You are pushed into the crowd. Nearly colliding into the arms of another, you quietly thank the masked man who was to be your first partner of the night.

All the men joining the dance floor dressed with the intention of making the Crown Prince shine. Prince Naoya stood out from the throng of white as per the colour code, his blood red uniform as both Prince with the  golden crest of the military leader pinned to his right breast. The other men meant to be filler partners until all the potential brides got to their designated three minutes with the Prince were all dressed in black, faces covered behind a plain black mask. None were allowed to talk. None were allowed to utter even a word, and so your partner pursed his lips in displeasure at your apology.

Whatever. You just had to wait a few more rounds before the song finished and transitioned into a new one; the song where you’d been informed would be your time alone with the Prince.

You’d been so lost in your head you barely breathed the entire dance. From partner to partner, you blanked. Your heart drummed so wildly in its cage it begged to come out, and strings of apologies were let out each time your masked partners grimaced for a brief second when their hands came in contact with your sweaty ones. Around you, all the lovely women smiled and danced graciously, mouths moving in unreadable conversations shared with the Crown Prince. Not once did you look at the six partners you’ve danced with. Not once did you worry about tripping on your own feet. Not once did you care that some of the masked men held you a little too roughly for your comfort. Your entire reason for existing in that moment was to witness the Crown Prince himself, mirroring his frown that got deeper and deeper with each woman retreating to the sea of people he’d rejected.

Not once did you even think about being one of them – the girls who’ve ducked their heads down as their parents comforted them over not being the chosen one, of bringing ‘dishonour’ to their families that the mighty Crown Prince had deemed them unworthy. Tears streamed down their faces until black ink followed afterwards, lips trembling from silent sobs.

Despite their broken prides – although there was that minority who simply sighed in relief after returning to their own families – no one would dare interrupt the Crown Prince’s dances.

All of these thoughts crossed your mind too late and at the exact time your masked partner pulled away from you, body half bent in a bow with his arm outstretched to the side. Following where he was gesturing at, your eyes met the Crown Prince’s tall and lean stature, a few blond fringes now fallen from his movements.

Even though a thin layer of sweat shone from his face, Prince Naoya remained ethereal.

And like a snake charmed by the musician’s seductive tone, your feet moved on its own. Fingers stretching until it met with the Crown Prince’s large and warm ones, you were now in front of him. With him. Holding him, touching him, meeting him eye for eye and realizing – gold. His eyes burned a deep shade of gold, elegantly rich and heartbreakingly stunning your heart ached.

Before you knew it, your hands began to tremble, feeling as if your body had been corded into a corset three sizes smaller. You could not breathe, and the Crown Prince took notice.

“You are stiff. Do I make you uncomfortable?” Good Saint. If only possible, you would’ve closed your eyes and basked in the deep warmth of his voice. It reverberated from deep within, breathed out with an air of natural authority and profound confidence it made your knees weak. As if sensing his effect on you (though for the wrong reasons, it seemed), Prince Naoya hummed to himself. “This routine shall last for a few minutes before I can let you go, I’m afraid.”

You instantly realized the implications of your silence. “N-not at all, Your Highness! I am honoured to be dancing with you.”

“There is no honour in a choreographed dance. Everyone will dance with me. It’s nothing special.”

Your heart fell. Prince Naoya not only sounded dejected, but detached as well. As if he found no pleasure or specialty in this event, at a time where he had every opportunity to meet his lover, and that this ball was merely a task to be checked off in his already long list of responsibilities. It wasn’t disappointment, per se, but rather melancholy that left a bitter taste in your mouth. Not because Prince Naoya held little to no regards for something you treasured, but because he sounded terribly alone. Like he was simply waiting for it to end out of discomfort.

“It’s special to me, Your Highness,” you blurted out faster than you could stop yourself. For a moment, you feared you may have offended him, but the Crown Prince only laughs.

And when he did – saint, when he laughed – his eyes crinkled into half moons, pearly whites flashing against the bright lights and his whole chest shook with amusement.

You’d never seen him smile this way before.

Prince Naoya’s laughter didn’t cease. Around you, your gut instincts told that people were now beginning to look; the Crown Prince’s deep rumbles of laughter sounded exquisitely like music as well, after all. “ Is it special to you because you are now dancing and within the Crown Prince’s proximity? As much as I presume how exhilarating it might be for those who mostly see me in the papers and in the tabloids, I assure you, dancing with your Prince is not an honour. Especially when you are all sent the invitations based on your status and not your worthy traits.”

“It’s special to me,” you mumbled, growing shy all of a sudden when the Crown Prince nodded at you to continue. “Because...because it reminds me of the first time we met.”

The Crown Prince hummed in amusement.

“We have met before?”

“Yes, Your Highness. I’m from the Terratian Borders – my father is a loyal servant of His Majesty. You visited the borders when you were eighteen and I was sixteen. Do you remember it, Your Highness? You stormed in my private library.”

Indeed, the young barely-out-of-his-teens Crown Prince barged into your home’s library years ago. You were not previously informed he and his parents would be visiting since they arrived wordlessly, so you were stuck in your chambers as usual, killing time if not for sleeping and tending to the animals. Perched on a ladder, you attempted to reach for a book on the upper shelf when your foot slipped beneath you. At the age of sixteen, you were dramatic enough to say your life flashed before your eyes. You would’ve screamed then had strong arms not appeared out of nowhere, the Crown Prince staring at you with wide, golden eyes as they were now, his breathy rasped as he asked, are you okay, my lady?

The mere recollection of that fateful memory had your cheeks warming in delight. “You were so charming and heroic back then. Even when I had no idea you were a royal, I would have still believed you to be princely,” you said rather absentmindedly, blinking once then twice at your words. “Of course, it’s understandable if you do not remember, Your Highness!”

“My apologies. I do not remember, though Terratia is a wonderful place. Such a shame I was not informed beforehand they had a lovely daughter.”

“Thank you, Your Highness,” you cheered back, cheeks and jaw beginning to ache from how wide you were smiling. But could anyone blame you? You felt absolutely silly that you were a breath away from passing out minutes ago, and now here you were, dancing with the Crown Prince and sharing memories with him like it was a daily occurrence. The words it’s true love when you feel at peace with them suddenly rang back at your head from that latest romance novel you read, and you turned away, hoping the Crown Prince would not read your thoughts to your face. However, Prince Naoya’s lips pursed into a thin line, all traces of humour now disappeared. “I’m sorry – should I not have laughed?”

“No, I don’t mind,” he mused with his jaw locked tight, “I just haven’t seen anyone react that way before.”

“Like what?”

“Like my words meant the entire universe to them. I may dare even say you look terribly in love, though I cannot blame you on that one, can I?”

Prince Naoya shook his head the minute the words left his mouth. Forcing himself to believe it couldn’t be real, perhaps, you truly did not know anymore. Your only plan for tonight was to see the Crown Prince and get to live out your dream of seeing him once more even for just a brief moment before you travelled back home while he married another, and yet – “Your Highness, I’m in love with you. I have always been since the day we met.”

You could no longer stop the words. The voice at the back of your head begged you to shut up and not cause a scene, that your time had passed up and people were staring, yet you remained in his arms no matter how much you wanted nothing more than for the ground to swallow you whole.

“Please do not misunderstand me, Your Highness. I did not come here to attempt to steal your heart and be your wife, though I will admit I have dreamt of meeting you again for so many moons. I...I only want to tell you this. That I love you and even though it was a brief moment, I think the love I’ve always read about felt real and possible for the first time in my life,” chuckling nervously, you gather to courage to face him, adoration shining for the Crown Prince stood shock still before you, however stunned he may be. “I love you, Your Highness. I love you. And to whoever lucky woman you choose to be your betrothed, I hope she takes care of you and showers you with all the affection you are deserving of. You would make a great King. So God help his Crown Prince, and may you lead us all into a better world.”

Prince Naoya did not budge a muscle. His eyes remained hard on yours, breath warm as his nostrils fumed. With each passing second that he did not speak, you grew restless and tugged your arm away from his hold with a disgraceful smile.

You’d truly crossed your line. The repercussions to be faced for this impoliteness would destroy your family’s honour. You had to leave. “Your Highness? The song has changed. It’s time to let go—”

The Crown Prince inched close enough until his hair tickled your cheeks, his deep voice sending shivers down your spine as he pulled you close, close enough that your lower bodies touched. Skin ablaze with heat, you dared not move an inch. “Do you mean it?” he demanded lowly, his fingers ghosting over your wrist to hold you in place. “Do you truly love me? Not for what I have, not for who I was born to be, but me as a person itself?”

Closing your eyes to shudder in a deep breath, you exhaled. “Of course, Your Highness. Even if you were not born as a Prince, I’m sure I would’ve still loved you in a different universe.”

“But I do not know you.”

“We don’t have to know each other, Your Highness, and we never will. Once you let me go, I’ll return to the shadows where I belong, and I will continue supporting you until the day of your coronation.”

“And if I refuse to let you go?” he clicked his tongue, “What will you do then?”

The Crown Prince’s spicy perfume must be an aphrodisiac or hypnotizer of sorts. Everything he did messed with your mind that it was too late – the music had stopped and people were no longer drinking or chatting. Everyone’s eyes were on you and the Crown Prince. You could only imagine how controversial this position must be; with his lips trailing dangerously close to that sensitive spot in your neck where you nearly moaned. You really needed to leave.

“P-people are looking, Your Highness. You do not want this affair with someone you won’t choose—”

“Who said I won’t choose you?” Finally, he pulled away. But Prince Naoya never once tore his gaze away from yours, nor did he allow you to look at anyone but him as he caresses your jaw so light and feathery you wondered if he was truly there.“Who said I haven’t laid my eyes on you the moment you walked in here? This ball is for naught because of you, Lady Y/N. I’ve already made my choice, and you helped me confirm it as soon as you danced with me.”

“Your Highness...”

“Look at me,” he ordered, your eyes flitting from his pinkish lips to his sharp nose and then to his fox-like gaze. Only this time, Prince Naoya was no longer harsh. “Don’t be scared.”

“But they’re looking.”

“You are with me, of course they’ll look,” he teased, “They wish to be you right now. But ignore them and dance one more time with me.”

It wasn’t like you had a choice, but did it matter? One nod from him was all it took before the orchestra fumbled back to their spots and a new song played, Ode of Moonlight Lovers, and the Crown Prince was guiding you back to where he had originally danced with you.

From the corners of your eyes, you caught a glimpse of your parents with their mouths gaped open; your father looking like he was on the verge of passing out. However, you felt nothing but joy, nothing but the adrenaline pumping through your veins as he danced and twirled you in his arms. When the music stopped and you were both panting for air with silly smiles on your face, it dawned on you that you were with the Prince. No, rather, it was only you and the Prince alone. Even in the sea of people whose faces began to blur, he prevailed crystal clear.

You could recognize him anywhere, find him everywhere.

Prince Naoya stepped impossibly closer until your chests touched, hearts beating as one. Cupping your jaw, he was near enough that he swallowed all your shaky breaths with a small, teasing smile like you both shared a secret the entire world could not know.

“Do I still make you nervous?”

Laughing, you nodded. “Yes, Your Highness. I feel like I’m going to explode.”

“It’s beloved now,” he corrected, face inching closer and closer to a point you could count the number of his lower lashes. “And what do lovers do to seal their union?”

“M-Marriage?”

“Close, but this is much better.”

If anyone were to tell you that you would have a love story ripped out straight from a fairytale, you would’ve laughed at their faces. You were no Cinderella, nor were you a goddess of beauty that could’ve possibly caught the Crown Prince’s eye. Yet, his soft lips were on yours, kissing you with as much passion you could only dream of that you cried.

Strong hands guiding the back of your waist, Prince Naoya dipped you lower to the ground – the grand of finish of his dance. He had chosen his bride.

The crowd cheered and rejoiced all around you, making you smile into the kiss. Fisting his collar to bring him closer to yours, your mouth burst into metaphorical fireworks as soon as his tongue mingled with yours for an experimental taste. He was bitter yet sweet; expensive wine resting on his tongue, yet a delicate vanilla sat heavily on his soft lips that molded with yours. It was a taste you could spend forever being addicted on. And you were crying, crying so much your chest ached and the Prince’s cheeks grew damp from yours. You’d dreamt of this for so long, too long now.

Prince Naoya slowly pulled you away, his thumb wiping the tears away from the pads of your cheeks with tenderness in his touch. However, the Prince was not satisfied. The crowd whooped as he leant down to kiss your forehead. “You are mine now, my princess.”

Looping his hands with yours, the Crown Prince led you out of the castle. The crowd parted naturally to make way for the new couple, and you were left staring at his broad back and the tuft of blond hair where you’d soon find out how soft it would be. Sending one last glance to your crying parents, you waved goodbye. You had no idea where the Crown Prince would take you but you were already bunching your dress up, heart completely filled with trust you did not question it. What mattered tonight and for the rest of your life was that it felt right. That it was him – your beloved Prince Naoya Zen’in and soon to be husband – that you’d follow through the moon and back.