#but I did enjoy Union X from what little I played

[swordgrace]

❝ 𝐭𝐨 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐰𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐬. ❞

┊ 𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬: betrothed to cregan stark, you seek respite in his chambers, unaccustomed to the blistering chill of the north. feelings become reality.

𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: cregan stark x jace’s sister reader.

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 6.2K.

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: smut (mdni), inexperienced reader, there was only one bed, getting warm gone sexual, heavy kissing, groping, mild hand kink, cregan calls the reader “princess” a lot, body worship, breast play/sucking, biting/light marking, thigh riding, dry humping/grinding, fingering (fem!rec), spooning.

𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫’𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞: this was a random idea I cooked up but I actually got so wound up when writing this no joke 🧍 I love cregan so much, he’s husband !! as always, I hope you all enjoy reading, thank you sm! ❤️

TALES OF THE UNRELENTING NORTH OFTEN SPILLED FROM THE LIPS OF SOUTHERN NURSEMAIDS — WHISPERS OF SNOWFALLS PILED AS HIGH AS TOWERS, HOWLING GALES THAT CARRIED THE STING OF ICE WITH IT, TEMPERATURES THAT WOULD FREEZE MEN ALIVE.

If only you knew the truth of the matter, you might’ve recalled such stories and used them to your benefit.

Dragonstone was oftentimes tepid, a rocky island surrounded by saltwater tides and the kiss of summertime, where heat was a common commodity. Coming here, to Winterfell, you had experienced a rather dramatic shift in atmosphere.

From the moonlit gloom of your bedchambers, you watched a blizzard rage on, wisps of white whipping past your window. Gooseflesh clung to your skin like that of a plague, and you felt yourself being tormented by an incessant cold.

Glacial are the wreaths of snow-furled gales that blanket Winterfell in their pale callousness — it even seeps into your bones, bones forged of fire and blood. It makes you yearn for the South, for the kiss of heat, the lapping of the waves.

Unaccustomed to the biting weather of the North, you had come ill-prepared, thin shift doing little to shield you from the gnaw of ice. It was the hour of the ghost, too late to summon servants and too late to disturb the castle with your whims.

Cregan Stark, your betrothed, was the only one that you could think of who might still be awake at this ungodly hour.

This union formed between Starks and Targaryens was an arrangement of convenience, unlikely allies on the precipice of a tumultuous civil conflict. It was your willingness that had made this all possible — a scion of Rhaenyra, sent away to the blistering North.

Much to your own bewilderment, you did not dislike your current arrangement. Cregan’s stoicism and stalwart demeanor did not chafe at you as it did with others, and his alliance in this matter was of grave importance.

He was a grizzled man, his exterior rough, but you were no stranger to such behavior.

From what you had gleaned of him thus far, he was resolute and rugged, with a penchant for justice and honor — similar to most of the Starks. In the spirit of transparency, he was aesthetically pleasing to gaze upon, and you did plenty of it when time permitted.

A shiver ran down your spine as you tightened a furred robe around your body, and even that did not serve you well. Seizing a candlestick from atop the dead hearth’s mantle, you made your way from your quarters, greeted by a swell of silence.

The ghastly howl of the wintertime squall surged outside, like the shrill cry of a spectre. It did little to ease your nerves, body rattling like a leaf from the ceaseless chill.

The candle’s lick of warmth danced across your wrist, and it made you yearn for more, breath emerging in warm wisps as you made your way to Cregan’s chambers. It was inappropriate of you to disrupt him like this, but sleep evaded you — between missing home and the cold, you doubted that rest would find you.

Standing before the imposing doors of the Lord of Winterfell, your knuckles rapped timidly against the rough wood, drawing your robe around you once more. Waiting with bated breath, your shoulders straightened at the sound of movement from the other side of the door.

As ancient wood groaned in protest, Cregan’s massive form encapsulated much of the doorway, dark brows furrowed together. “My Lady,” His rumbling timbre often filled you with pangs of excitement. “Are you well?”

Concern laced itself into his cadence, fearing that something might’ve happened to you, or you’d received some sort of news. Storm-laden hues picked you apart in observance, noticing the way your body constantly trembled.

The desire for warmth had clouded everything else; you did not register his lack of clothing upon first glance. Cregan’s musculature was openly displayed, save for the trousers that clung to his hips.

“I am,” Your grip tightened around the base of the candlestick. “Forgive me, my Lord, I — the hearth has died in my chambers and it is much too late to rouse any of the servants. I am unaccustomed to this sort of climate.”

Cregan did not protest to your presence, stepping aside to invite you into his chambers. “You are welcome to warm yourself, my Lady.” Gesturing for you to enter, you were greeted by a roaring fire, gripped by an immediate relief.

A sigh of subdued joy slipped past your lips as you moved towards the crackling flames, feeling heat lick across your flesh. Cregan noticed how poorly dressed you were for such weather — a thin shift and one layer of fur would not do.

Admittedly, it might’ve been untoward for you to be here, not yet wed, in the chambers of your intended. You did not want to besmirch Cregan’s honor, nor lead anyone to believe that you’d gone to him with malicious intent.

“I apologize if this is a disturbance, I … I did not know where else to go,” A pang of realization rippled through you, then. “I do not want you to think that I’ve come here with any foul notions.”

A brief huff spread throughout his chest as the Northern lord moved to sit atop the fur-laden footlocker at the end of his bed. “I do not believe your plight of warmth to be dishonorable,” A hint of amusement lingered within his tone. “This is not the South.”

Allowing yourself to relax, you seemed to abandon your coiled posture, placing the candlestick along the mantle above the hearth. “It is not.” Something forlorn saturated your voice, a wistful longing to return to Dragonstone, to your mother.

Cregan could discern the twinge of melancholy within your tone, enough to garner some concern. He knew that this was all unfamiliar to you — and he did not want you to feel unwelcome.

“What troubles you?” His inquiry was born of sympathy, a desire to understand you better. This betrothal was an unexpected thing, but he had no intention of making either of you miserable.

As firelight danced across your features, Cregan fought against baser instincts, crass thoughts of lesser men; and he was not above them. Your beauty was renowned, taking after the features of your Highborn mother, some remnants of your father still present.

An amalgamation of true adoration, no less.

Captivating was a mere understatement, not worthy enough of your appearance, bathed in an orange glow. As grey hues subtly admired your countenance, he realized that your gaze seemed to do the very same, a mutual exchange.

Lips parted, words turning to ash upon your tongue as you clamored for an appropriate response, not wanting to burden him with your lamenting of home. A soft stirring resonated from your throat. “I miss home — my Mother, most of all.”

The softness of your confession was not lost upon him, a sentiment that Cregan could certainly understand. “You are not a prisoner here, my Lady,” He murmured, brows gathering together. “You are permitted to return to Dragonstone and visit, if it pleases you.”

“Duty is sacrifice,” You lamented, a threadbare smile tugging at the corners of your mouth. “With conflict on the horizon, it is best if I stay here — it doesn’t lessen the sting, but I know what is expected of me.”

Cregan found it admirable, your acknowledgment of your pledge here, the very root of your betrothal; even then, he would not begrudge you for returning to your family. He was half a stranger, someone that you were growing accustomed to.

“I admire you for it,” Gray hues like that of a swirling snowstorm hadn’t left you, drinking in your features as if you were some magnificent piece of artwork. He grew quiet, noticing the occasional shudder that coursed throughout your body. “Here.”

Lifting a bundle of thick bearskin, Cregan invited you to sit beside him, if you chose. Lacking your typical shrewdness, you stepped forward, joining him atop the footlocker as he shrouded you in the furry hide.

Sinking into the furs, you exhaled, feeling warmth return to your bones as you basked within the dancing firelight. Nestled beside your betrothed, you exuded plentiful restraint, tearing your gaze away from the bare muscle that brushed against you.

There was some grizzled perfection about him — rough, like uneven leather; as mountainous as the Wall itself. Yet, beneath this hardened exterior, he was endlessly soft, a notion that enticed you. He never made you feel an ounce of discomfort.

“Thank you for this,” A sigh floated from your lips, stare trained upon the hearth’s soothing glow as you warmed yourself at his side. “I have felt so alone in coming here, but you have made me feel as if I do have someone.”

Admittedly, he had his doubts about your betrothal — House Targaryen was as infamous and mystical as they claimed, the blood of dragons. Within your graciousness and tender heart, Cregan found himself wanting you, beyond all bounds of propriety, of decency.

Gray hues flickered over your visage, his appreciation of you not entirely subtle, as if he were screaming his praise through gaze alone. Firelight encapsulated your flesh, the glow surrounding you picturesque.

“I shall not waver in my duty as your husband, Princess — you can be sure of that,” Cregan uttered, able to feel the brief brush of your body against his own, a tantalizing thing. It was swift, fleeting; yet it incited the deepest of yearning. “I will remain here, by your side.”

Princess; as the simple title spilled from his lips, warped with his Northern timbre, you felt a peculiar heat wash over your insides. It was untoward of you to feel the tendrils of desire, especially before being wed. You felt like some craven, thinking this way.

It was his moral compass and staunch sense of duty that had enticed you, the way in which he carried himself with an effortless strength. For a man as young as he, one-and-twenty, his wisdom seemed to stretch on for several moons his senior.

The heaviness of sleep had not yet found you, still rather alert as you remained by his side, hues occasionally stealing glances at his musculature. Absentmindedly, your fingers kneaded into the bearskin, something idle to relieve the spark of tension.

“I should hope that I grow accustomed to this chill, with time,” A flicker of amusement danced within your tone, a shiver gripping your body as you shrank into the furs. “I fear that I am not as resilient to this insufferable snow as I thought.”

A short chuckle escaped Cregan, the sound brief; yet it warmed you more than any simmering flame. An unassuming smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth, dissipating as soon as it had appeared. “You will become tolerant with time, princess. I shall see about getting you warmer hides.”

Unable to suppress your smile, a burst of ebullient laughter peeled from your lips, like the chime of bells to the Northern lord’s ears. “You have my gratitude, my Lord. Thank you.”

“Cregan,” His insistence was disarmingly gentle, brows knitting together for only a moment. “We do not have to continue to uphold such formalities.” It seemed to dissolve whatever awkward barrier had rested between you; betrothals were never easy.

“Cregan,” As you repeated his name, he savored the way it rolled from your tongue, wrapped in inklings of a growing fondness. He was practical, a man of the present, but he could imagine himself enjoying his union with you. “It is only right if you do the same.”

The bulk of his musculature softly rattled with a brief huff. “Of course, princess.” He mused, tone betraying the hint of amusement that flickered across his features. The hour had grown exceedingly late, and yet, he did not feel the sting of exhaustion.

Such an innocuous remark had effectively stoked a fire within you, tendrils of a starving flame coiling around your insides. Gooseflesh cascaded along your spine, bringing with it a dull ache. A sliver of your being wanted to stay with Cregan, but it was entirely untoward.

In the spirit of transparency, Cregan shared your unspoken sentiment. To lay with one’s betrothed was not inherently a sin; the gnaw of desire grew within, and he feared what it might twist into.

“I wish to stay here this eve, if you are agreeable,” The suddenness of your inquiry had ensnared his attention, bewildering him to no end. He hadn’t expected you to want to stay — let alone share his bed. “I understand how it might seem …”

“I would not condemn you to further suffer in the cold, my Lady.” Cregan’s reply had made your bones lurch, heart fluttering within your breast like the beating of dragon’s wings.

A gale of fire churned ceaselessly within the pit of your stomach, a sensation not often quelled. You had let it burn, as a stark reminder of the sensations he brought to you. As you mulled over his response, the wolfish lord quietly gestured toward the sprawling bed behind you.

Layered in an endless ocean of hides, from bearskin to that of stags, your feet fell atop the cold stone, feather-light as you made your way into the sanctuary of his mattress. It was fit for a man of his bulk, you’d realized, with plenty of room to spare.

Even the mere presence of a companion had brought a sense of ease to your startled nerves, basking beneath the furs and blankets. As warmth settled into your bones, Cregan joined you, keeping a comfortable distance within his own space.

Sprawled upon your back, you cast your restless gaze to the ceiling — an unremarkable labyrinth of ancient stone. To your right, his musculature lay wedged beneath the furs, an arm tucked beneath his head, a gap of silence present.

“You will be an excellent husband,” The genuine conviction within your tone was enough to cause his head to turn, storm-laden hues finding your pleasant profile. “I no longer fear this union as I once had, and I have you to thank for it.”

Cregan steeled himself, honor hanging by a mere thread; you, curled up within his bed, speaking of him in ways that he had not dreamed of. “Your words are both honorable and humbling, princess. I should hope to protect you, and keep you happy.”

Gods, his voice; a timbre akin to the rolling of thunder, harboring a thinly-veiled gentleness that you so desperately craved. No man compared to him, and it made you want him more, and such a notion was strong already.

Despite the berth of distance residing between bodies, he felt closer than ever, within arm’s reach of touching you. A smile found its way onto your face, as warm as a midsummer’s eve, gaze glittering with a peculiar tenderness.

Whatever ghastly chill had once assailed your bones had been quelled by Cregan’s warmth, a fondness displayed through stare alone. Gray hues traced the contours of your visage, toward the plane of your collarbone, slipping beneath fabric.

Huddling beneath the furs, you rolled over, curled up on your side as your gaze found Cregan’s own with a wordless gratitude. A tension began to brew, the first inklings of a pleasant storm that you had no desire to flee from.

A shiver gripped your spine, claws of a gnawing ice momentarily raking themselves across your flesh. With time, you hoped that you would become accustomed to the Northern climate — it was brutal and unforgiving enough as it stood.

“Still cold, princess?” Cregan felt a twinge of sympathy for you, this hotblooded maiden, brought to heel by the wrath of a snowstorm. He felt the desire to safeguard you, shield you from harm, a deluge included.

A fib nearly tumbled from your lips, and you silenced yourself before it could blossom to fruition. Fingers flexed into the furs, seeking relief; you longed to find your relief in him. “Terribly,” Sinking further into the mattress, you happened to smile. “You might not have a wife when this is over.”

In a futile attempt at lightheartedness, Cregan did not see it that way, growing concerned at the incessant chattering of your teeth, the rise of gooseflesh permeating your skin.

Wordlessly, the young wolf gestured to the space at his side, inviting you to take refuge against the biting chill, if you so desired. He did not seem perturbed, but the doe-like glint within your gaze screamed otherwise.

“You do not …” The shrewd cadence of your tone seemed to ooze with embarrassment, a peculiar heat clinging to your visage. Smitten, you watched as Cregan grunted, head bobbing in a brief shake as he coaxed you closer.

“I would prefer it if you did not wither away.” Such a gentle baritone had struck a match within you, turning your insides to molten liquid. With bated breath, you sluggishly crawled towards him, fingers sheepishly hovering above his abdomen.

Cregan’s thick arm encircled you, as innocuous as he could possibly be, ensuring that he did not cause you any discomfort. Nevertheless, he reveled in the sensation of your body pressing against him, kissed by winter’s chill.

Heat bled from his flesh as if he were his own flame, radiating with bodily warmth as he let you seek such respite. The cold plane of your cheek nestled atop his collarbone, the saccharine scent of you wafting from your downy crown.

Many might’ve considered such behavior scandalous, improper, considering that the two of you had not yet wed. For Cregan, he cared little for labels of impropriety or deviance, preferring to put your own wellbeing above any damning accusations.

The erratic beating of your heart nearly leapt into your throat, fingertips absentmindedly dancing across the impressive bulk of his chest. His stature was immense when placed beside you, and yet you remained captivated by it, soaking in any droplet of warmth that he provided.

It was agonizing, being so close; you wanted to curse restraint, damn dignity, beseech your future husband for a kiss. His jaw tensed when you began to stir, writhing against him in an involuntary attempt to become comfortable.

A sharp inhale punctured his lungs, restraint so threadbare that it nearly ripped into two, hand accidentally brushing across your backside. It wasn’t intentional, but your incessant squirming had made this increasingly difficult.

A familiar stirring roused within his trousers, cock twitching as the curve of your breasts happened to ghost beside his ribcage. Cregan wanted to grab you, force you to remain still, if such a thing were even possible.

“You must stop moving.” Through gritted teeth, his warning was sternly spoken, but not one of anger. As his words assailed your senses, you immediately ceased, breath hitching as his hand firmly pressed against your hips.

Before you could sputter some bewildered apology, your gaze sheepishly flickered toward him, his countenance one of thinly-veiled frustration. This frustration was of a different sort, as if he were holding some unseen weight upon his shoulders.

Realization hit with a sudden force as you swallowed the growing lump within your throat. Cregan’s stare met yours, and you seemed to reach some unspoken understanding as to why your constant moving had vexed him.

Impulsivity gripped you then, prompting you to careen forward, soft lips pressing themselves to his. A ripple of startlement consumed Cregan, who did not act until your palm had settled atop his muscled abdomen. He reciprocated your kiss, pulling away with perplexity.

“I am sorry,” Through a hasty, rushed apology, you felt shameful, cursing yourself for behaving in such an uncouth manner. However, to your surprise, Cregan did not appear offended in the slightest. “I … We are not yet wed.”

Wedlock had little to do with this brewing desire, one that he was aching to act upon. Arbitrary rules often dictated that pleasure without the bonds of marriage was some unsightly sin — it couldn’t have been further from the truth.

Cregan wanted you; he did not desire your titles, position, or your dragon — it was your heart he sought, something worth coveting, worth cherishing. Whatever pact was struck to ensure your marriage, he became grateful for it.

“I would not dare discomfort you, princess,” A shudder rolled throughout your body, able to feel his palm knead into your waist. “You have my word.” A ripple of understanding found you, then. A sliver of your being knew that it might’ve been wrong, but you found yourself dismissing the notion.

With a nod, you happened to shift closer, noticing the way in which he’d begun to angle himself towards you. “I wish for your warmth.” The lingering, lascivious implication hung heavy within your words, enough for Cregan to urge you closer.

Flush against him, he quieted, steely glower piercing through you like the tip of an arrow, hand continuing to caress along your spine. Somewhat shy, you elected to sever your tangle of nerves, lips seeking his once more.

Cregan’s mouth crawled against yours, disarmingly gentle, intended to savor you instead of rushing headfirst into the fire. He smelled of leather and the woodlands, carrying a rustic scent upon his flesh, brow creased in concentration.

Sluggishly, your body shifted against him once more, feeling the muscle of his thigh press between your thighs. The sudden intrusion made you gasp, lips torn asunder as he broke your kiss, caging you against the hot expanse of his chest.

“Is that what you wish for?” Cregan’s low utterance made your stomach erupt with butterflies, able to feel the tantalizing shift of his thigh, allowing you to rock yourself into him.

Inexperience was scrawled into your features, confidence effectively extinguished then and there. It was your brazenness that had catapulted all of this into motion, and now, you were strangled by your own lack of knowledge.

“Yes, I — I’ve never …” As you attempted to vocalize your lack of physicality, Cregan soothed you with a kiss to your brow. “I do not wish to fully consummate — not yet.” With a strong sense of understanding, your betrothed nodded, digits idly caressing along your side.

“Then we are in agreement.” A sense of comfort flooded through you then, knowing that Cregan did not wish to cross such a boundary on this night. However, he had a plethora of fantasies to supplement your shared desires.

Bridging the gap between you once more, lips sealed themselves together, his palm moving to cup your jaw. It was inherently tender, the purpose of it ensuring your comfort with such acts, thigh continuing to teasingly brush against your core.

A gnawing ache continues to eat away at you, manifesting as arousal that begins to coalesce between your legs. As if acting upon instinct, you continue to grind yourself into his thigh, a soft moan catching within your throat.

Cregan’s palm begins to drift lower, from the plush curve of your waist to your backside, gingerly kneading into the pliant flesh. He is cautious, painstakingly gentle as he lavishes kiss after kiss to your wanting lips.

There is little space between you, replaced with a heated friction that seeps into your bones. No longer tormented by the plague of the Northern chill, your betrothed is eager to take the cold away. His chest bumps into yours, peaks of your breasts snug against the plane of muscle.

Crackling firelight paints the room in a feverish glow, embers beginning to wane like that of a fading sun. It is in your kiss that he finds a semblance of peace, hunger continuing to grow until it becomes some ravenous bite.

A soft gasp inhabits your lungs, sharp like the prick of a knife as you grind against his thigh once more, feeling it brush over a particular spot. Pleasure rippled through you, a foreign sensation that leaves you raw, yearning for more.

The ruffled collar of your shift begins to slip, sagging above your bosom, soft flesh unraveled to the ogling gaze of your betrothed. Mouths ceaselessly collide, wet and fervent, prompting you to reach for his bicep in order to anchor yourself.

Entangled beneath the furs, whatever bitter chill that once grasped your bones had dissipated entirely. Wandering fingers found their way to the nape of his neck, tangling around the chestnut tresses there. Each kiss made you feel delirious, dizzy with a wanton desire.

It was then that Cregan’s large hand smoothed across your body, from the dainty curve of your jaw to your stomach, and then up once more. The sluggish drag of his caress made you shiver, hips continuing to rock against his muscled thigh.

Calloused digits find the ties of your evening shift, his grip like that of hardened steel, not daring to unravel you, not yet. With another bruising kiss, you feel him withdraw, gray hues roving across your visage, drinking you in; enamored.

Wisps of hot, labored sighs drift between the both of you, wrought with exhilaration. Slowly, Cregan’s hand wanders, gathering against your thigh, bunched into the silk. “I wish to see more of you, princess.” He rumbled, brows furrowing together.

Fingertips trace along the nape of his neck, caressing along sinewy muscle. His throat bobs momentarily, a fleeting gesture; a needy hum tears past your lips as you nod. “Please.” It is all you can manage, words turning to ash upon your tongue.

Admittedly, he cared little for himself, staunchly devoted to your own pleasure and exploration, storm-laden gaze tinged with tenderness. The hand that had so fiercely grasped at the ties of your shift gives the silk a brief pull, loosening the fabrics altogether.

Beneath his incendiary stare, your heart begins to race, slamming beneath your breast as he gingerly tugs the collar downward. There is an indiscernible devotion within his eyes, a certain protectiveness that puts you at-ease.

Warm, roughened digits gingerly pry at your garment, easing the ruffled silks along your chest, unveiling the soft peaks of your breasts to him. A low grunt of approval stirred within his throat, reveling in the sensation of your lips against his jaw.

Everything about him exuded strength, an honorable stoicism that oozed from every pore. Without pause, you continued to plant kisses against his throat, body seizing with a punctuated gasp as he cupped your breast.

Flicking the pad of his thumb over your nipple, Cregan watched as your countenance contorted into an expression of bliss, lips beginning to part. He was disarmingly tender, kneading at the soft, pliant flesh of your chest, lips pressing against your cheek.

Any sliver of distance that had existed before had been squashed, forms molded to one another, hips begging for a scrap of friction. As you urged yourself against him, you felt the growing tent within Cregan’s trousers, feeling a tendril of warmth slither across your body.

Rough lips pressed a passionate trail of kisses along your neck, nose inhaling lungfuls of your saccharine scent. A pleading moan slipped past your lips, careening into the embrace of his hand.

“Cregan,” With a breathy sigh, your back arched slightly, as if strings tethered you to him, pulling you forward. His mouth hungrily explored your throat, traveling toward the silky plane of your collarbone. “Do not stop.” You whined.

It was all the encouragement he truly needed, bolstered by the tranquil hum of your voice. Lower, and lower still; until his mouth sank between your breasts, still kneading at one, thumb circling your nipple. Your body responded with a visceral glee, continuing to grind against him.

Beyond the archaic stone of Winterfell, the blizzard raged on with its howling gales — and yet, you had never been warmer.

Continuing to palm at your breast, Cregan’s mouth began to lavish the unattended peak in a myriad of kisses, worshiping you in the way that you rightfully deserved. A string of whines left you, gown-clad core brushing over his pelvis once more.

Taking one nipple into his maw, he kissed and sucked at the sensitive bud, a low grunt reverberating throughout his chest. His hips softly collided with yours, the friction driving him to the brink of madness.

Each kiss sent dizzying waves of bliss throughout your body, wisps of air stolen from your lungs as you clung to him, legs parted by the bulk of his thigh. Your shift had hitched higher, gathered towards your knees.

Gently rolling your hardened peak betwixt his fingers, Cregan did not relent, lavishing your breasts in kisses. In the midst of his alternation, his unoccupied hand graced your haunch, caressing into your backside, toying with the hem of your nightgown.

His burly musculature nearly swallowed you whole, wafting with a warmth that you had grown addicted to, longing for his heat as you would gusts of crisp air. Delicate fingertips idly traced along his broad shoulders, hips brushing against his own.

Calloused pads began to drift beneath your shift, crawling along your leg, akin to leather ghosting against velvet. Cregan suckled at your breast, assailing your sweet flesh in a barrage of kisses. Throaty moans signaled your approval of his actions.

Caressing along your inner thigh, his thumb drew circles into the supple skin there, lingering dangerously close to your aching core. Looming above you, his mouth pressed a gentle trail toward your throat, leaving a searing fire in his wake.

Seeking the coalescing warmth between your legs, you nearly choked upon a strangled gasp as Cregan’s digits ghosted along your petals. Arousal had gathered there, akin to the sticky sweetness of honey, prompting you to shiver beneath him.

Gray hues sought yours, boring into you with a burning intensity, enough to elicit a wave of gooseflesh, one that crawled along your spine. He exuded immeasurable restraint, fixated upon your own pleasure, upon your comfort. Wordlessly, he pushed deeper still, fingers pressing into your core.

A sharp exhale pierced your lungs, ripping through your diaphragm as you gripped his bicep, nails leaving behind crimson crescents. Cregan remained unperturbed, concentrating on his new charge, digits dragging in a sluggish rhythm.

Bliss unfurled from your features, a pleasure that blossomed throughout as your hips jolted forward of their own accord. “Cregan.” A breathy whine escaped you, lips clamoring for him once more. The kiss was intimate, a flurry of devotion and desire, now entangled.

“Easy, princess,” Cregan’s husky cadence had lulled you into subservience, able to feel his hot breath fan out across your skin. “Slowly.” He uttered, mouth returning to yours with a thinly-veiled rapture.

It became difficult to stifle your movements, kiss-swollen lips delighted to find him again. Each kiss was accompanied by a swipe of his digits, exploring your nethers with an obvious gentleness.

Between fervent exchanges, his gaze never once strayed from you, steely hues drinking in the weight of pleasure that permeated your visage. Beginning to increase his pace, he stroked along your aching cunt, thumb finding your pearl.

Tracing around the sensitive bud in slow, tantalizing circles, you could do little to smother your moans, hips occasionally lurching forward. The friction that festered between you was intoxicating, something that Cregan found himself savoring.

His lips returned to the hollow of your shoulder, the velvety dip between that and your throat. A string of kisses manifested there, digits continuing to caress over your slit. This rhythm was agonizing, your body screaming with ecstasy.

Chestnut tresses brushed against your neck as he began to suck at your supple flesh, enough to create a mark that would flourish with time. “Lay with your back to me.” Cregan rumbled, watching the flicker of excitement crawl across your features.

In silent subservience, you obeyed, slowly rolling over until your back was nestled snugly against the hot expanse of his chest. He was all indomitable muscle and oozing with strength, the swell of his cock grinding into your backside.

Thick digits returned to you, burly arm looped over your front, taut with impressive muscle. They became fervent in their ministrations, a finger beginning to trace over your entrance.

Caged against him, you used his bicep as leverage, digging into his rugged flesh as he kissed across your shoulder. “Gods, you are perfect.” As the husked roll of his voice echoed within your ear, you moaned, feeling his thumb continue to play with your clit.

Cregan’s other arm had looped beneath you, caressing your collarbone as he gently eased one digit inside of you, the sensation foreign yet exhilarating. It was unexpected, and yet you craved all of it, as much as he was willing to provide.

You squirmed, cunt aching for him in every way imaginable, hips jolting into the sensation of his practiced digits. As his thumb toyed with your pearl, he eased a finger in and out of you at a rhythmic pace, allowing you to grow accustomed to it.

Kisses lavished your soft flesh, seemingly endless, and you felt your bones scream for release. He touched you with such fervent passion, mouth clamoring for yours, lips unable to tear themselves away.

Despite the awkward angle of your head, you reciprocated his kiss as best as you could, needy moans swallowed by his maw. It was then that a second finger accompanied the first, sluggishly stretching you in a way that you didn’t think possible.

He was gentle yet vigorous, digits deliberately rocking themselves in and out of your tight cunt, thumb providing a burst of stimulation against your clit. Your warm, sweet breath fanned over him, mouth agape as a series of excitable pants escaped you.

Arousal clung to your flesh, the intensity of it only magnified, body assailed by sensations on all sides. As Cregan’s fingers pumped themselves in and out of your nethers, you felt your cunt clench pathetically around him.

“Cregan, I — I’m close,” A wanton huff tumbled from your lips, emerging as a moan against his mouth. He kissed you fervently, mouth wandering in the column of your throat, lavishing you in another barrage of kisses. “There.”

A furnace raged within you, a chasm of yearning soon to be quelled, tempered. Heat lapped at your flesh, burning with a smoldering temperature as desire washed over you. His dexterous fingers continued to circle around your pearl, causing you to stifle a moan.

Between the constant assault of lips, teeth, and fingers, you are barely able to register the white-hot rush of your pinnacle, writhing into Cregan’s hand. Thick digits stretch you still, rocking in and out of your snug cunt at a rhythmic pace.

It nearly blinds you, choking upon the cry that turns to ash within your throat. The visceral response of your body is one that Cregan longs to become intimately acquainted with, feeling you pulse around him as you reach your peak.

“That’s it, princess. I have you.” Soothing utterances slip beside your ear, bridge of his nose nuzzling your cheek, heat oozing from him like that of an open hearth. Caressing your stomach with one hand, the other works you through your release.

Through the tepid haze of your release, you begin to find your composure, sinking into his grasp as his hand begins to slow. Thighs tremble in the wake of such ecstasy, and you begin to turn back into Cregan, lips seizing his own in a soft kiss.

Unable to refuse you, the wolf indulges, reciprocating your kiss with such blistering passion that it nearly elicits a moan from you.

As you withdraw, flesh still stinging with an intense heat, you move enough to adjust your shift back into place, peering at him through your lashes. Before your palm can tend to the growing tent within his trousers, he stops you.

“Another night,” Cregan rumbled, moving to lay upon his back, allowing you to curl next to him, his arm finding its purchase around your hips. The other sprawls outward, allowing you to soak everything in. “Are you well?”

“I am,” Sitting up enough to perch your chin atop his chest, your palms draw delicate circles against his abdomen. He nearly smiles, grabbing one of them with a furrowed brow — your flesh is still cold. “Thank you, Cregan.”

A brief huff escaped him, warm palm caressing your own, attempting to provide some relief. “If you are agreeable, I would prefer it if you stay.” Cregan thoroughly enjoyed your presence, more than he ever thought he would.

A tender smile spread across your visage, a soft expression that beguiled him so, roused feelings of devotion from within. Even he seemed to blush, countenance muddied with a scarlet pallor as he caressed along your spine.

“I wish to stay, but what if something is said …” The last thing that you wanted was to besmirch the honor of an already honorable man. A twinge of amusement swirled within his gray hues, and he seemed dismissive of your worries.

“Let them gossip, princess,” Cregan reassured you, one brow quirking just enough to ensnare your attention. “After all, you are here to warm yourself.” His jest made you unbelievably flustered, and yet, he only coaxed you closer, tugging the furs around your bodies.

Heat persists where the chill does not, gone entirely; he is your warmth, and you willingly chase after him.

[bluebeary-jay]

Face to face

Din Djarin x f!Mandalorian!Reader

Summary: as riduurs, you and Din can finally show your faces to each other without suffering any consequences. but when the time finally comes, your insecurities and fears of rejection come into play, threatening to ruin this important moment

Tags: just pure tooth-rotting fluff, Din and Reader being insecure, they're sweethearts though and so in love, Din being a supporting husband <3, mandalorian customs are probably half-accurate but i did my best in research 😌

Word count: 3K

A/N: haiii guys!! long time no see 🤗 i had this idea ever since i watched s2 of the mandalorian almost a month ago and i'm finally done! thank you to all who stick around and i really hope you'll enjoy my first attempt at writing din (feel free to let me know what you think 🤭)! i love all of you darlings 🥰 and as always, happy reading!! 💕

Din Djarin wouldn’t ever admit it to anyone, but he always wanted a family. The memories of his parents were hazy, but he remembered how much they loved each other and in the depths of his soul longed for a connection like this someday. Being the bounty hunter didn’t give many opportunities to look for a relationship, however, and with time he abandoned the hope for a place and people he could call home. He convinced himself that he was content being on his own.

But then the Child came along, and with it everything has changed. This little wrinkly womp rat became the most precious being in his life and Din was ready to die to protect Grogu – but he never expected that he’d also meet his future riduur because of the kid.

He did. You, a fellow Mandalorian Din spoke to only a couple of times in the hideout on Nevarro, decided to help him on his quest, and from this moment on he didn’t stand a chance. You were everything Djarin admired – brave, compassionate, skillful and kind – and though you both respected the Way of the Mandalore and never removed your helmets in each other’s presence, he knew in his soul that you were beautiful as well.

It was a long road to come to terms with what he felt for you and gather the courage to actually let you know it. But it was all worth it just for this moment when you exchanged your vows and he officially became yours, and you his. Now you were his riduur and he finally had every right to admire and cherish you like you deserved.

And most importantly, he could finally see you. The pair of you talked about this moment a lot during the nights spent on the Crest, tangling your fingers together when the ship was flooded with pitch-black darkness. Din used to whisper to you of his dreams, how he longed to run his eyes over your uncovered body, taking his time to commit to memory every little detail of your physique and expressions. You, with a giddy and wistful tone, told him how impatient you were to at last find out how his lips would feel on yours and what color his eyes were. Even when you both knew you were going to marry, you didn’t rush things and never removed your helmets until your union became official.

But you did see each other’s faces, once, though not in a conventional way. Din remembered it clearly as a day, though his eyes – as well as yours – were covered by a piece of a material the entire time. Both of you were desperate for each other that night, the tension hanging above your heads straining the resolve about waiting. And then came the moment when you didn’t fight it anymore. Instead, you both sat down on Din’s cot and without your sense of sight spent the next hour talking and trailing fingertips down each other’s faces.

Din reminisced about this moment a lot of times. He tried to remember the shape of your features to create a full picture of you in his mind while he laid alone in his bed, longing for your vicinity. Even if your bodies were separated only by the layers of beskar, it was still too far for him.

He didn’t have to wait any longer now.

It was the day of your wedding and Din Djarin never felt happier than in that moment when you recited Mandalorian vows and he got to touch your bare hand again, not covered by a glove, to put a custom-made ring on your finger. It wasn’t a necessary but he wanted to make this day memorable and meaningful for you. A few tears of joy were shed, but his face was still concealed by the helmet, allowing his emotions to take hold of him.

He hadn’t let go of your hand since the small ceremony (if one could even call it that) ended, and you squeezed his palm every few steps as you walked toward a house that was going to be your home for the next couple of days. The Child was being taken care of by other Mandalorians so that you could be completely alone for this special moment.

You were buzzing with excited energy for the whole week prior to your wedding, but now Din could sense his partner’s nervousness. He wasn’t exactly surprised – after all, it has been years for both of you since anyone saw you without your helmet on. But with every moment that you neared the bedroom, you seemed more insular, more withdrawn and hesitant, and Din started to really worry.

“Are you okay, cyar’ika (darling)?”

You slowed down, not answering right away, which caused Din to furrow his brows with confusion. Maybe you didn’t want to do it after all? Maybe it was too sudden for you? Or maybe he came off as too eager?

“Cyar’ika,” he repeated softly, wanting to put you at ease – but it didn’t seem to meet the target. “If you’re not ready…”

“No. No, I’m ready. I just…”

You trailed off. Din wordlessly guided you to the edge of the bed, cradling your hands in his – one gloved one and one not. The light of the setting sun flowed in through the small window and reflected off the hard beskar you both wore, bathing your figure in a beautiful golden light.

He was already so in love with you. What could possibly be the cause of your hesitation?

“I’m just nervous,” you murmured at last with your head bowed, looking at your joined hands. “I don’t want you to be disappointed.”

“Disappointed?” the Mandalorian repeated before he could think, and shook his head slightly. “What are you… What are you talking about? Why would I ever be?”

You lifted your gaze, and though Din couldn’t see your eyes, he could almost feel the weight of your fears on his own shoulders. The modulator in your helmet was hiding any trace of it, but he knew you long enough to recognize the tiniest shift in your body language.

“Ner kar’ta (my heart). I could never be disappointed with you.” He laced his fingers with yours, once again admiring how perfectly they fit together, and lifted them to his chest. “You own my heart and soul now, and nothing will change that.”

He hoped to soothe your nerves, but you were still silent. It wasn’t at all what Mando was expecting from this evening and he was at a loss for what to do to fix it.

“Would it help if I showed you my face first?” he asked after some time, and your head snapped up.

“No.” Even with the modulator, your voice clearly sounded broken and regretful, and it was wounding Din more than anything else could. “We were supposed to do it together.”

“We can,” he assured quietly, swiping his thumb over your knuckles. “But the most important thing to me… is for you to feel comfortable during it. If you want to wait–”

“I don’t.” You untangled your hands from his hold and instead brought them to his chest, placing them on the beskar breastplate. He couldn’t wait to take it off and feel your touch on his skin. “If I wasn’t sure, I wouldn’t marry you and make you my riduur.”

You leaned forward and lightly bonked your helmets together, a sweet gesture Din loved since the first time you did it.

“Ni kar’tayl gar darasuum or’atu an mayen. (I love you more than anything.) More than life itself.”

“I know,” he answered simply and delicately brought your hands to the edges of his helmet. It was obvious what he was offering you. “That’s why I’m willing to do it for you.”

You were still, not daring to move, and Din nodded slightly to show you that he’s certain of his decision. His heart was beating heavily in his chest, though, and he could feel sweat forming on the back of his neck.

Showing your face to others was one of the worst crimes in Mandalorian culture, but doing it with your riduur was the highest honor that not everyone was fortunate enough to experience. But Din Djarin was among the lucky ones. Even though it was not in a way he always imagined, he didn’t care as long as you were happy.

You gripped the edges of his helmet tighter and a high hiss sounded, a telltale sign that the metal piece was ready to be removed. And slowly – so very slowly – you did. Din felt a flow of cooler air on his hot skin: first his chin, then his cheeks, finally his forehead…

And lastly, he inhaled shakily before lifting his head to look into the void of your visor.

A second passed by. Then two. Then ten, though Din felt like it must’ve been a full minute now. And still you didn’t move, just watched him silently, motionless as a statue.

The Mandalorian swallowed with difficulty, starting to feel very self-conscious. The crisp air cooled the sweat gathering on the nape of his neck and he had to use all his self-control not to fiddle his fingers nervously. He felt so naked and exposed under your gaze, though he absolutely shouldn’t – you were his riduur and there was no reason to feel ashamed or insecure with you. But he couldn’t help worrying: what if he wasn’t what you expected? What if you didn’t find him attractive at all?

Then a movement of your hands drew his attention and he watched, transfixed, as you slowly started to take off your glove, tugging one finger off at a time. Once your hand was freed from the confines of the protective material, you flexed your fingers before lifting both of your palms to his face.

Even though Din was acutely aware of your every move, he still somehow flinched in surprise at your touch, causing you to freeze and search his eyes with the air of concern around you. He quickly gave you a small nod, silently begging you to proceed, and, thankfully, you did. Your fingertips traced his cheeks, so delicately it almost tickled, brushing down the path to his stubble, and then back up to the arch of his nose and eyebrows. Djarin’s eyelids fluttered closed and he let out a shaky breath, giving in to the most amazing sensation that your touch was.

“I knew you had to be the most beautiful being in the galaxy,” you whispered from under your helmet with a voice filled with a plethora of raw emotions. Din regretted not being able to see your face at that moment, but if it would help you feel more comfortable in such a memorable and important situation, he was ready to do anything for you.

“I’m sure you’re a million times more radiant, cyar’ika,” he said back. His voice was weirdly weak and raspy, sounding strangely to him – probably because he knew there was another person hearing him without his helmet on. “Even if I don’t see your face, mesh’la (beautiful), today or ever… The love I have for you will never change or waver. That I promise.”

“It won’t exactly be fair to the Creed if I don’t remove my helmet in front of my husband,” you answered, half-teasing, but Din knew there was a real worry behind your words.

“You know very well there’s nothing said about it in the Creed.” He opened his eyes, offering you a small smile. “And I don’t remember our vows mentioning it, either.”

You clicked your tongue with exasperation, but Din also saw your shoulders relaxing, a sign that some of your nerves ebbed away.

“Gev bic (stop it),” you laughed, letting your hand fall down – but before it could happen, Din caught your wrist and lifted it back to his face. He slowly kissed the inside of your palm, down to the veins disappearing under your sleeve, his eyes fixated on your visor the entire time. His smile grew slightly when he felt a shiver run through you.

“I love you, ner kar’ta,” he whispered. “Even if you’re a half-Hutt under your armor.”

“Don’t push it.”

You let go of his hand and Din’s face fell, fearing that he really went too far. He reached for you but stopped when you straightened up and took a deep breath, your hands going to the last thing that separated you from him – your helmet.

He held his breath and his heart beat erratically as he watched you. He tried not to blink, not wanting to miss the moment when he finally got to see your face. Just the fact that you were willing to do this meant so much to him, but…

Slowly, you took your helmet off and placed it down on the mattress right next to his. Then, a pair of irises gazed into the depths of Din Djarin’s heart.

…you were wrong.

Oh, how wrong you were.

There was no mistaking it that you were by far the most breathtaking sight the Mandalorian had ever laid his eyes on.

The Maker must’ve been overly generous, or maybe favored you, for looking at you… it felt like coming home.

You stared at him with gentle, tentative eyes of the most beautiful color in the world, and Din would’ve gladly lost himself in them. Your lips, so tempting and soft-looking, were parted slightly as you awaited his reaction, but he couldn’t move. He just watched, spellbound, and wondered if this truly is reality and not some cruel, elusive dream.

He hadn’t felt such awe even when he saw Grogu doing his magic for the first time. Hadn’t felt such elation even when a new skin made of beskar was forged just for him. Had never before felt such love in his life.

You were a wonder. A miracle.

“Cyare?”

Your voice sounded almost fearful to your ears, but you couldn’t help it – Din seemed unable to utter even a word, and panic started to flood your veins when you noticed tears gathering in his dark, beautiful eyes. “Din–”

But before you could move away, he slipped off the bed and knelt by your feet. You were so taken aback by this action that you didn’t even react when he cradled both of your hands in his and pressed lingering kisses to your fingers, one after another.

“If I could, I’d marry you all over again,” he rasped, meeting your gaze with so much love and adoration in his brown eyes that it took your breath away. “How did I get so lucky…?”

“I think I’m the lucky one,” you let out a breathless laugh of relief, your pupils darting across the lines and grooves of his face. “You… you’re not just saying that, right?”

“Cyar’ika, look at me.” He gently tilted your chin up, making your eyes meet his. For a second he faltered, parting his lips in wonder at the feeling of your skin under his fingertips, before he swallowed and gazed at you again. “Do you doubt my words?”

No. There was really no questioning his motives. You knew Din was as honest as one could be and there were only your own insecurities at play here. But the longer you looked at him, his expression so full of love and devotion, the less relevant your own doubts were becoming.

You couldn’t think of anything else but him.

“I really want to kiss you,” you whispered instead of answering, and his face broke into a wide, joyous grin. “Can I–?”

The Mandalorian didn’t even wait for you to finish – the second those words left your mouth, he surged forward and pressed his lips to yours forcefully, eliciting a surprised sound out of you, which soon turned into a needy whimper. You didn’t give him a chance to back away and instantly tangled your fingers into his hair, moving clumsily to be closer to him.

But when you attempted to climb onto his lap, your breast plates collided with a metallic clank, forcing the pair of you to put some space between you. Din huffed with frustration, while you laughed and cupped his face in your hands.

“You’re quite impatient for a bounty hunter,” you accused him playfully, nudging your nose with his. You took a deep, calming breath, wanting to surround yourself with the smell of him completely, but your riduur didn’t let you indulge for long.

He moved quickly and, without a warning, kissed you briefly again – and then one more time. It was more like a light peck, and you longed to feel his tongue inside your mouth once more, but at the same time relished in every sensation that his lips brought. Every touch he gave you was something infinitely precious.

“I’ve waited longer than you,” he murmured. His hands were already moving, taking off the beskar on his forearms and shoulders, reaching where he could without removing you from his lap just yet. “You have no idea what you’re doing to me, cyar’ika.”

You smiled widely and looked up from his deft fingers to throw another teasing comment, but in one second you lost your train of thoughts.

Because Din was blushing.

The feared Mandalorian’s face – a face you were finally allowed to see whenever you desired – was sprinkled with redness across his cheeks and ears. And you were the cause of that.

The thought of it almost caused your eyes to water.

“What are you looking at, mesh’la?”

Your eyes found him again and you smiled brightly, causing Din’s heart to skip a couple of beats.

You took his stubbly chin in-between your fingers and brought his lips closer, planting a soft kiss there that had the Mandalorian melting. He covered your hand with his, feeling the band on your finger under his own.

A miracle.

“I’m looking at you.”

[gingerteawrites]

BY THE HEARTH: JOLT

A/N: Hello again guys, here I come over a month later. I have been writing and re-writing this chapter for weeks on end, and had to force myself to just post this because you all don't deserve to wait so long. I sorry :(

While many things have been extremely hectic and difficult for me, I have some amazing news. I recently got admitted into medical school and will start in the fall of this year, and I am so very excited about that! I hope you enjoy this installment of BTH. Thank you to all the new readers for enjoying the story and for all those who have been here for a while for keeping up! Much love <3

Read previous part here

Content: Royalty!AU, Nanami x female reader, king Nanami, Princess Y/N, Widower Nanami, Toddler Yuuji, hurt, angst. Not beta read

Word count: ~6K words

Banner by: @cafekitsune

ACT XIII

Departing from the castle in the morning had been a surprisingly emotional experience. That place, once shrouded in darkness and fear had opened up to bear witness to unpredictable wonder and love. A home, found in the people who coloured your world.

Walking out of the main courtyard, the crisp autumn air ruffled the hem of your dress, carrying leaves tinted in profound reds and oranges across your view. You took in a deep breath, filling your lungs to the brim before turning to bid your goodbyes to the menagerie that had lined up outside for the occassion.

A humble entourage was to accompany you for the trip; only a senior maid you had often seen at Alma’s side, Riko, and a handful of knights led by Sir Haibara. Though it saddened you, Alma could not afford to leave the castle without her sharp eye for too long. The melancholy in her eyes as she waved goodbye to your departing coach more than tugged at your heartstrings.

“This is supposed to be a peaceful visit,” your husband’s voice drew your attention away from the window and back to his face. He sat across from you, back straight and shoulders wide, posture refined by years of royal education. “Taking a small group is a way of showing trust,” he explained, tone relaxed.

Yuuji clung to your side, listening to the words so very intently, ever attentive to his father’s teaching. He would grow up to be an observing and dutiful king himself.

“Diplomacy at its finest,” you nodded, resting your arm over Yuuji’s shoulder.

“What were the terms of this alliance with the Zenins? I have spent the past week researching more of the history of the kingdown, but the books went into surprisngly little detail about the conflict." All that did was feed your curiousity about the relationship between the Northern duchy and the royal family. And you had grown out of your fear of asking the king questions.

“My family is not without blame in the affair,” a sigh escaped his lips as he looked outside the window. “The Zenins have been the guardians of the Northern border since our ancestors first inhabited this land. No matter how callous they can be, they play a critical role in protecting the entire continent, and have been the guardians of a great responsibility and power.” he folded his hands over his chest, leaning his head against the coach wall. “Generations ago, my family sought out that power and rallied the houses of this region to attack the Northern lands. With the conflict stretched out over years and countless lives lost, they were forced into a treaty.” His eyes returned to yours, boring into them with a quiet intensity. “In sum, they are tied to a kingdom they most likely despise but still have to protect. Miserable, is it not?”

You frowned, nodding in agreement. Being forced into an unwilling union was not a foreign concept to you at all. But still, it had been so long. Had time truly done nothing to mend this tear?

The coach rocked gently, travelling on the smooth beaten path and lulling the child fast asleep in your lap. You had been at it for a couple days now, riding through the day and then stopping in small towns along the way to sleep.

And to be frank, the pace was hard on you. There was just so much entertainment that could found in admiring the new horizons. But you being bored and your back hurting was no excuse to cause delays, so you kept your grievances to yourself.

Two more days and we’ll be there. Two little days.

The king, on the other hand, appeared unendingly entertained by his reading. His deep eyes behind a pair of square lenses, fleeting through the words of the dense manuscripts he seemed to fly through.

You found yourself watching him rather than the passing scenery. How his long fingers traced some of the words. How sunlight streaming in from the window caught in his golden hair. How his lips parted slightly when he absently mumbled some of the words on his scripts.

He looked up for a second, catching your gaze.

“Bored, Y/N?” He folded the manuscript in his lap, taking his glasses off. Your heart couldn’t help but stutter at the sight.

“No, not at all,” you shook your head. “I was just watching you. You look very… in your element… I mean- focused like that,” You cringed internally at your slight stutter. You were nervous, giddy, shy and a whole lot of other mushy feelings directed towards the man sitting across from you.

He looked at you in stunned silence for a few moments, maybe realizing that the same torrent of emotions brewed in his heart. Understanding that you were as enamored with him as he was with you. He closed the papers in his lap.

“I…” Clearing his throat, Kento brought a hand to rub against his face, clearly flustered. “Thank you?” the words were low, muffled by his hand over his face.

The boyish innocence and shyness reared its head again. You couldn’t decide if you liked this side of him more than the strong, self-assured leader whom everyone knew and loved.

Soon the sun started to dip into the sky, and Yuuji awoke, spending the rest of the trip glued to the window. Asking his father about the different trees and passing animals, tugging at your dress to explain an interesting thought.

Through all the towns that you passed on your journey, the people of kingdom gathered along the roads to catch a glimpse of the royal family. In joy and in awe they greeted you, their warmth soothing your tired bones. You watched the scenery change gradually, towns becoming more sparse as you kept going up and up North. Closer to your destination.

By the time you had arrived in the Northern capital, it had been 5 days of travel. You were thoroughly exhausted and partially convinced that you had pulled something in your back. The roads during the last day of travel were especially bumpy, tossing you around in the coach to the point that you had to sit with Kento’s arm securely wrapped around your wait.

That was not half bad…

The Northern lands looked decidedly more rugged than the rest of the warm country. Maybeindicative of the cold welcome you would receive.

Unlike the previous towns, people did not celebrate your arrival with flower ornaments and ribbons. They simply milled about the city cobblestone paths, too concerned with their own lives and merely throwing a glance at your small entourage.

Your convoy pulled to a stop in front of the Zenin castle, a large estate secluded to the edge of the city with high walls that stood as an impenetrable barrier.

The drawbridge was slowly let down after a tense exchange between the royal knights and those standing guard at the wall, revealing a yard even more vast than what the outside let on.

Taking in your surroundings colored you equal parts impressed and wary about how millitarized the old gothic estate looked. Guards stood on the castle wall, and at every corner your eye could see, swords at their hip and spears in hand. Expression tense, hostile. Ready to attack.

“A fortress,” Nanami echoed your thoughts before the words could leave your mouth. He turned his head to you. “That was the first thing I thought when I first stepped here a decade ago.”

The Zenins were a proud family, not taking well to being forced into a subservient position to the king. In fact they abhorred their condition, and their most recent heir, Naoya Zenin, never missed a chance to display.

Kento had not seen the duke since he himself had last been required to attend the commemoration, not long before his ascension to the throne 10 years ago. Barely a tween, Naoya had already been an insufferable arse, irking the king in all the wrong ways. And reports of his uruly behavior always circled back to Kento, always making him second-guess his stance regarding how much freedom he afforded the Northern duchy.

“Duke Zenin is an interesting character,” Nanami began as the coach slowed, approaching the castle’s main entrance. “It’s best to avoid interactions with him. Please.” He despised the thought of Naoya setting his sights on you. In his eyes, you saw the traces of words left unsaid.

Please stay close. Please steer clear of danger.

The coach rolled to a stop, and the king stepped out first, followed by an unusually timid Yuuji—and you. As you turned, you faced the Zenin congregation, whose faces displayed as much enthusiasm as that of a sheet of bleached parchment.

Among them, one man stood out unmistakably as their leader—a dark-haired figure draped in a heavy emerald cape.

“Your Majesty,” he greeted Nanami, his tone so nonchalant it immediately irked you. Haughty.

“Duke Naoya,” Kento replied just as plainly, dipping his head in polite acknowledgment.

Yuuji stood by your side, back straight, posture practiced—but his fists clenched tightly at his sides. And not without reason. You and the child were being scrutinized with an intensity that made your skin crawl. Their curiosity was evident—this was the Northeners' first time laying eyes on the queen and the young prince. But instead of innocent looks, their eyes held something you couldn't quite place, yet still made you incredibly uncomfortable.

“And you…” Naoya’s gaze settled on you, and you forced a polite smile. He extended a hand, silently coaxing you to offer yours for a kiss. As his fingers lingered around yours, his eyes dragged slowly down the length of your body. A shiver of discomfort crept up your spine, and at your sides, both father and son frowned deeply.

“It is a pleasure to finally meet the queen,” he murmured. “We hope you have a pleasant stay here.”

His grip still hadn’t loosened when Nanami cleared his throat sharply, a concealed glare shadowing his expression.

“I would appreciate it if you could show us to our quarters. The journey has been especially exhausting for my wife and son,” he stated, his voice clipped, his gaze razor-sharp.

Naoya smirked, almost smug at having struck a nerve.

“Of course, of course,” he drawled, turning slightly to nod at a tall guard. “He will escort you and remain at your service for the duration of your stay.” He waved them off with a dismissive flick of his fingers. “Again, please enjoy your time with us.”

At last, you reached for Yuuji’s hand, and he latched onto yours immediately, fingers curling tight. His shoulders eased, if only slightly.

Haibara walked ahead alongside the assigned knight, his presence reassuring.

“Please stay close, Your Majesties,” the knight murmured, offering a kind smile.

But beneath his composed facade, you could see it. Just like you, the usually jovial knight was on edge.

The walk proceeded in tense silence. You had plenty to say, but you held your thoughts, waiting for a place with more privacy.

Yet, the feeling of being watched clung to you. As if the very walls of the castle had eyes.

Maybe it was the gargoyles perched atop the towering columns, their stone eyes seeming to follow you as you moved. Or maybe it was something else—something unseen but undeniably present. An eerie sense settled in your chest, creeping up your spine.

Cold halls. Dark stone. The interior was far more imposing than its exterior had let on. Guards stood at rigid attention in front of every door you passed, their expressions unreadable. The servants moved in ghostly silence, their steps soundless as they drifted through the corridors, never once sparing your small group a glance.

It was clear—they had been trained to be blind. See nothing. Hear nothing.

At last, the guard led you to the entrance of a smaller annex, bowing politely before introducing you to the servant assigned to assist you during your stay. Haibara, the senior maid (Misato, as you had come to know her) and Riko exchanged brief words with them before leading you inside.

Finally, surrounded by familiar company, the tension eased, just enough for you to notice the moment Yuuji let out a deep yawn. You ran your thumb gently across his knuckles.

“Let’s get you to bed now, Yuuji,” Kento announced, his gaze fixed on the two of you.

Had he looked this tired before?

Nanami had always had a great memory. He was one of those gifted people who could perfectly remember the way to a place after taking it just once, and memorize a passage just from a single read.

This talent was one of the only things that had earned praise from his late father. But excellent recollection aside, the annex looked uncanningly familiar. None of the decor had changed from a decade ago when he had first visited with his parents. He could almost hear his mother’s voice at the sight of the gothic painting that hung above the fireplace.

“How tacky,” she had scoffed under her breath, lips curled as she appraised her surroundings. “Not at all fitting for royalty.”

Soon after thoughts of his father flooded his mind, the pressure, the control. “You are 18 Kento,” he always said his name with such harshness. “No longer a child,” he scoffed. “When are you going to live up to this responsibility?You will perform your duty and marry, and that is not up to discussion!”

You rounded the corner into the small room, a warm smile on your face when you spotted him.

Nanami spotted you, allowing the tension that had been building in his shoulders to dissipate, reciprocating with a smile of his own.

“Hi,” he whispered into the air and you stepped more fully into the room, letting the warm hearth illuminate your face. It was pitch black outside, the nights in the north always seemed so. But you had changed into a white chemise nightgown, his eyes glued to the way the silky fabric rested softly against your skin, like a caress. He wanted to be the one to caress you.

“Hello Kento,” you replied, your smile turning timid. The way you said his name was so wonderful. Like your lips embraced the very letters before letting them out, so tender. So foreign.

He tried to turn to face you fully, but something tensed in his neck, causing him to close his eyes and grunt in pain.

“Are you okay?” you approached immediately, resting a hand on his shoulder, concern evident on your face. You were so close. He could smell your lilac perfume.

So close that your husband almost forgot what words to say next.

“Yeah… I am- just fine-” he replied dumbly, wanting to smack himself in the face. He was used to traveling on horseback for long distances, but being in carriage made him feel stiff all over.

In fact, Haibara had suggested the former, but there was no doubt in his mind that he wanted to sit in the coach. Seeing the wonder in you and Yuuji’s face as you admired the scenery and the conversations being had made it all worth it.

Your light giggle broke through his thoughts, sliding your hand down his shoulder. “Would you like a massage?” You suggested, smiling up at him. “Yuuji loved the one I gave him before he fell asleep.”

He watched you for a moment, wanting to retort. He should have thought of that and offered the massage first, but the lingering warmth of your fingers on his body shortcircuited his brain.

How was he supposed to reject such an offer? He calmed his racing heart and nodded his agreement. “Thank you.”

Your fingers intwined with his and you pulled him gently to sit on the loveseat that directly faced the fire, providing enough warmth to keep the both of your from shivering in the frigid night air. You could hear the wind, or maybe something else howling from outside the window.

But the harshness had no place in here. Both of your hands found purchase at the junction of his neck and shoulders, pressing down softly and earning yourself a groan from the man.

“Did I hurt you?” you paused, slight concern in your voice.

“No,” he shook his head. “It’s wonderful,”

You kept at it for a few more moments, slowly working your way from his shoulders to his upper back, the king leaning forward to give you more space to work.

“I should be the one offering you the massage,” his voice was gruff, another groan escaping him when you pressed on a particularly sore spot of his back. “Carriage travel is dreadful,” he added.

“I definitely agree with the latter part,” you chuckled. “Yuuji seemed to take it really well though,” you commented, grateful for the conversation.

You were enjoying this a little too much. The way your hands perfectly molded against his taut muscles, his back feeling just so sturdy, his shoulders so broad.

You couldn’t help the warmth that bloomed within you as you spent a few more moments than were necessary touching every part of him. If Nanami had noticed, he did not complain, turning to putty under your touch.

“Children have this extraordinary ability to adapt to everything at the speed of light,” he added, looking back at you. “But my offer still stands. Let me help you after you are done with me,” The tone of his voice. It was not a question. But you did not dislike it. Instead, your heartbeat picked up.

You pulled your hands away and he turned towards you, offering his hand for you to take. When you did he circled you around the chair, and there you stood in front of him.

Kento sat you gently into his lap, making you almost taller than him in that position. He was trying so hard to keep his hands in chaste places, looking up at you with a feeling so raw it shook you. Like quiet worship, his gaze held an appreciation that only the most appraised pieces of art elicit.

He brought his right hand to the junction of your neck and shoulder like you had done for him, pression deft strong fingers in your skin.

You sighed, closing your eyes at the sensation. You had definitily undersestimated how stiff your body felt. Something melted in his heart, knowing he was bringing you that relief.

He continued his motions, softly massaging the muscles of your shoulder and then slipping down to your shoulder panes. Your body softened under his touch, leaning closer, resting your head on his shoulder.

“Let me take care of you, yeah?” you heard and felt the rumble of his voice, pressing closer to him. Chest to chest, arms resting against his abdomen. In the safety of the moment, you drifted into sleep. By the hearth, safe in his arms.

In the morning you awoke in a foreing bed, unsure of how and when you got there.

Soon after your eyes were open enough to register the faint sunlight rays in your room, Riko knocked on the door and let herself in, eager to help you get ready for the day.

You noted the girl’s diligence, a sharp contrast to the usual chattiness and slight ditziness. She helped you slip into a emerald wool houppelande, its long sleeves and thick material meant to protect you against the chill. While she placed ornaments around your head, you tried to brighten the mood.

“You are doing an amazing job with all of this by yourself, Riko,” you offered a soothing smile, “thank you.”

The girl looked at you wide-eyed, returning to adjusting the rouge on your cheeks with a blush tinting her own. “You need not thank me, your majesty,” her youthful voice was low with shyness “Alma entrusted this assignment to me, I will not falter.”

The words stuck with you. How did a girl so young have such determination? You turned to look at the mirror, looking into your own eyes.

I am here for a reason. I will not falter.

A week in the North had sounded like a serious diplomatic ordeal to you, but as you stood in the middle of your third garden party of the week, you came to realize that the nobles treated it more like a holiday; unwelcome for many, yes, but a break nonetheless. You couldn’t help but wonder though, who did they entrust their estates to with everyone here?

A whirlwind of children stole away your thoughts, laughing loudly as they ran across the grass. Noble parties were usually an affair of those who had already been initiated into society, but it looked like many had decided to being their children along for this assembly.

Your eye caught Yuuji timidly watching the group from his father’s side, the king conversing with the Shoko family. You beckoned him over with a wave when his eyes fell on you, and the child made quick work of finding your side. He rested a hand on your lap and you put your teacup down, smiling sweetly at him.

“How are you doing, Yuuji?” you ask, noting Shoko’s smile across from you. The scene was just tooth-rottingly sweet.

“I am alright, mama.” The boy replied, a bit confused by your question.

“Would you like to play?”

“With you?” his eyes sparkled immediately.

You had noticed he always did this: carried himself so properly in front of others, but melting when close by. He must have felt the weight of the crown already from his young age, but you wanted him to enjoy the little joys. And you knew Kento wanted nothing but for him to experience a real childhood.

“No, with them,” you pointed to the group of children now playing a game of hopscotch. The child's eyes brightened again before you saw him visibly hold himsself back, fiddling with his thumbs.

“But it’s not proper…” he mumbled, pouting softly.

Immediately your heart hurt. You titled his chin up to look into your eyes, mustering the most reassuring expression you could.

“It does not matter in this moment,” you looked over at Nanami, who you knew kept and eye on your exchange. “Your papa and I both want you to have fun, okay?” Your expression turned a bit mischievous. “Unless you do not want to join them?”

His lips parted with a protest, jumping in place. “Okay, okay, I’m going,” and just like that the boy dashed away, soon joining the little group and bantering with a chestnut-haired girl.

While the children played, you returned to watching the high-born crowd, noting how unsociable the Zenin women were. They almost appeared like dolls; perfectly groomed but so quiet, empty. As well as the repeated absence of Naoya and the other men from the Duchy. How rude were they to not bother entertaining their guests...

Regardless, you kept your mind focused on one thing. Figuring out the treason issue. And in your experience, the best way to do so was merely to keep an ear open. Unfortunately, all you heard at the events were nothing but scalding gossip and complaints about the long trip.

Ieiri and you were laughing over a particularly ridiculous story when your time was interrupted by someone clearing their throat. You looked up, your eyes meeting a crystal blue pair.

“Your majesty,” he knelt before you, offering a hand for a greeting. You gave yours politely, and the man kissed the back of it with his eyes never leaving yours. “It is such a pleasure to see each other again so soon,”

“Duke Gojo,” you nodded, pulling your hand away and securing it around the handle of your teacup.

“Oh none of that,” he stood, undeterred by your terse reply. “You can call me Satoru,” his eyes fleeted over to Shoko, offering a mischievous smile when the woman openly rolled her eyes, “Care for some more company?” he leaned down, already pulling a chair on the lawn to sit.

“I think the ladies find quite enough company in each other,” A hand rested on your shoulder, and a pleasant shiver went down your spine.

“Your majesty,” Gojo bowed his head, his smile only growing. “I must say, it is quite unusual to see you so…” he rubbed his chin in an exaggerated show of thinking. “Protective.” He soon erupted in a laugh. “I jest, of course. Who would I be to even dare criticize the king?”

Nanami was clearly annoyed, but just sighed deeply, leaning down to whisper close to your ear.

“May I talk to you for a minute?” Another shiver down your spine. You stood with a nod, excusing yourself from the table. But not missing the looks that you garnered as you walked away, Nanami’s hand secured around yours.

Much to your disappointment, your husband was simply offering a break from the conversation with Gojo. You looked down at your joint hands, hoping for perhaps more. But that would have to wait, because soon enough, he was whisked away by another responsibility.

On the fifth night of your sojourn there was a massive banquet thrown, the commemorative event that topped up your stay in the Zenin castle. You noticed all of the castle staff work frantically, finally breaking their eerie quiet to whisper rushed instructions and speed walk rather than float across the castle paths.

Riko grabbed a chest you had somehow not noticed among your belongings and pulled out a gorgeous burnt orange dress with golden leaf appliques that snaked across the sleeves and then over the chest. You were done up to the nines, taking Kento’s breath away as soon as you stepped out of your living quarters.

He stretched out an arm, and you walked towards him with a smile,

“Hi,” you smiled up at him, arm around his strong one.

“You look beautiful,” his eyes bore into yours, reciprocating your smile. You giggled, feeling that giddy rush again.

“You look beatiful,” Yuuji repeated at your feet, mirroring his father’s somber tone and making you laugh harder.

“You look regal as well, my little prince,” you offered your other hand for him to take, and he wrapped his fingers around yours.

Entering the ballroom was enough to gave you whiplash. The castle had been dark, gothic. And even throughout the events and parties organized during the week, things stayed muted with barely any frivolities.

But you guessed maybe they wanted to show out with the biggest event of all. The large reception hall was bursting with color. Wisteria bushes hanging from high ceilings, tables draped with opulent white fabric, gold embelishments spread out that sparkled in the chandelier light.

The rest of the assembly seemed as impressed with the assortments. Guests started to fill the room, walking around the hors-d’oeuvres tables in animated conversation.

The king, prince and you were directed to sit on thrones mounted on the tall dais that oversaw the room, next to the duke and his bethroted, a shy girl whom you had seen at one garden party and had talked to no one.

“Did you pick out the decorations?” You leaned close to her, asking the question with the kindest smile you could muster.

Her eyes widened, as if not expecting to be spoken to. She nodded slightly, still averting her gaze.

“It’s beautiful,” you offered, looking ahead in hopes of relieveing her discomfort. “You have an amazing eye for this. Could you show me how you pick them out some time?”

“O-Of course your majesty,” she spoke a little louder, and you offered her a last smile before turning to look at the assembly.

Though from the corner of your eye, you caught Naoya whisper harshly at her, unable to help the frown in your features when the poor girl folded more into herself.

The rest of the people continued to file in and the orchestral troupe stationed on a small platform to the right of the room began drawing out a slow tune.

Your eyes caught Mei Mei wearing a black dress with a feathered collar, her white hair styled in intricate braids. Haibara stationed near the entrance in his knight uniform. Ieiri wrapped in a midnight blue shawl who offered you a smile. And oh- this man again.

Tall, well-built, dark and brooding. His piercing green eyes held an unsettling quiet. You had seen him at every event, catching him watching, assessing. You turned to Kento.

“Who is that man? On the left, scarred lip?” You did not look at him again, somehow fearing that being caught watching the watcher would result in negative consequences.

“Toji Zenin,” Nanami breathed, bringing the back of your hand to your lips. “He’s somewhat of an outcast in his family. You need not be afraid of him,” the words were meant to be reassuring but you could not shake the feeling, the sensation of a pair of eyes on the back of you neck.

Finally the Duke stood to announce the beginning of the festivities, making a generic speech about unity, whose words you knew carried no sincerity. You all left your seats to go mingle with the rest of the crowd as the orchestra picked up and started playing a more festive tune.

Your little group was forced into a split, having to engage in the chore of entertaining guests even as guests yourselves.

Having a conversation with royalty was a priviledge whose luster did not seem to wane in a different land. The line for you was even longer now, given how open the king had been recently with his affections towards you.

As the conversations went by, it became apparent that you were being perceived as a political player. The aristocracy sure was quick to notice the ebbs and flow of power, and even quicker to position themselves as friend or foe.

Nanami sighed.

Soon after you started mingling, Naoya had retired to his quarters, leaving the assembly under the watch of the royal family.

How discorteous.

After a particularly tedious conversation with the old earl Yoshinobu whose insistence on tradition could tire even the most attentive of ears, Nanami closed his eyes for a second. He was tired, and itched to be in the company of his wife and child. His tolerance for formalities had somehow decreased even more in the span of the last few months. The longing for his family was now at the forefront of all his thoughts.

Almost naturally, his eyes drifted across the room in a sweeping searching for you.

He landed on your figure, still cordial as you engaged a lady whose name he could not bother remembering. Your shoulders and back were straight, but he could tell from the small falter in your smile that you were tired. Social battery exhausted but you pushed on.

He made a mental note to sweep you away and offer you another massage, something that had become part of your evening routines in the small quarters.

Now all left to do was to find his son.

But his eyes scanned and scanned the room to no avail. Suddenly he grew agitated, turning around with his full body. Yuuji never strayed too far. He understood how anxious it made his dad to be out of sight for too long.

His heart dropped.

Oh no

This trip had been the experience of a liteftime for the young prince Yuuji. Beyond being an amazing journey to a land he had never encountered before, he had had the chance to mesh with children his age.

In the child’s eyes, he had lived a very full life. Surrounded by his father’s great love, and more recently by your warmth. But jumping into the pool of adventures with other children brought along for the trip ignited a different sense of excitement in his heart.

He had especially taken to Nobara, the first daughter from a highly respected knight family, and child whose spunk far surpassed anyone he knew.

Mama and papa were so busy tonight, and as always the rest of the adults ignored him when he was not at their side.

His shoulders sagged slightly, walking towards the corner of the room where Haibara was stationed, knowing that his beloved uncle would at least entertain him while he waited for his parents to be done.

However, not even halfway there, a particularly energetic girl jumped into his path.

“Hi!” She beamed, hands resting on her waist.

“Hi!” Yuuji responded, waving rapidly though she stood but a couple feet away.

She hopped even closer, brown eyes wide and sparkling with mischief.

“Want to go outside? It’s sooooooooo boring in here,” she offered. Yuuji’s heart leaped at the prospect, but he refrained from showing his excitement, looking back in the direction of his father.

“Papa will get upset if I get away,” he shook his head.

“Ughh, he will be okay!” She spread her arms in an exaggerated motion. “Are you not bored?” She tilted her head. “I can sneak out really easily. I do it all the time at home!” She insisted, nodding along her words.

Yuuji chewed on the inside of his cheek, knowing in his heart that he should not, but feeling the pull of the temptation so strong.

“I will bring you back before they can notice,” she winked at him, and he immediately conceded.

“Okay!” His parents would be fine without him, right? Did you not encourage him to play earlier?

Nobara sure knew what she was talking about. Having grown up under constant supervision, she had learned how to evade the gaurds’ watch with astounding ease. Yuuji was already taking notes when they slipped out of the large banquet hall and into the quieter hallways, where flickering candlelight cast dancing shadows along the walls.

Before long, a game of tag broke out. The children darted through the halls, with stifled giggles until they heard the sound of maids heading their direction. Nobara yanked open the first door they found, and they ducked inside, holding their breath as footsteps passed.

When silence returned, they erupted into quiet laughter, high-fiving over their successful escape.

Just then, someone cleared their throat behind them, causing the two children to jump and turn sharply.

“You should not be here,” a boy’s voice announced.

He sat in the corner of the dimly lit office-like space with a book in his lap, dark spiked hair framing a deep frown. He could not have been much older than them, yet he regarded them with the same sternness as a disapproving adult.

“And who are you to say that?” Nobara boldly pointed at him, lips puckered in defiance.

“It does not matter who I am. You should go back to your adults,” he re-emphasized, standing up to face them.

“Where are your adults?” Yuuji inquired, tilting his head.

The boy frowned in return and Nobara grinned triumphantly.

“Aha! So you are hiding too. You can’t kick us out then!” She stuck her tongue out, chuckling to herself.

The boy grumbled under his breath, returning to his book with an even deeper frown.

Cautiously, Yuuji stepped forward, curious about what he was reading. But before he could ask, the sound of hurried footsteps echoed beyond the door—fast and deliberate, followed by hushed whispers. People were headed their direction.

All three children instinctively understood.

It was time to hide.

This was a hefty one, and in all honesty, I feel kind of iffy about the pacing towards the middle, but I felt the need to put it out regardless. Please let me know your thoughts!

Comments and reblogs are much appreciated (❁´◡`❁)

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[yan-lorkai]

Hello , i hope your doing great . Would you please do a scenario for yandere undertaker and yandere sebastian (separately) x fem reader. Reader doesn't want to marry them so she tries to run away away at the wedding day but fails and gets captured ? Thank you ❤

.⁠｡⁠*⁠♡ Warnings: Yandere content, fem reader, kidnapping, implied murder, threats.

Marriage is nothing more than a union between two people before God, so for Sebastian this does not carry the same meaning. For him, marriage only symbolizes what in his conception is already true: that you are his in every way and now the marriage certificate proves it. Even if you oppose to this marriage, Sebastian doesn't care.

Although he would love for you to give your opinion on the decorations or the type of cake you would like have at the wedding, he knows you are still in denial so he plans everything himself. From the hanging chandelier, to the flowers in the bouquet, to the dress you're wearing that he sewed himself, every little detail meticulously planned to be perfect.

He knows that humans like to be surrounded by their parents, relatives and friends on a special day like these, and if you had behaved they would all really be here. But it's better this way, just you, him and the priest who officiated the ceremony. That way he doesn't have to kill your parents and friends in front of you when you shout and scream about everything you've been through with him. Even though part of him wished this had happened, with no one else out there waiting for you, looking for you, praying, you would have only him. Only him.

Maybe he would kill them and return to your side, blood dripping from his hands and face as he kisses and touches you. Maybe he would even tell you what he did and how he did it to observe your reactions. If you like to act like he's the biggest evil in the world, maybe he'll give you a reason to hate and fear him. Maybe, but he won't act on those thoughts if you don't force his hand. The same hand with which he fixes your hair and makes your makeup, circling you to get a view of you from all sides.

"I will wait for you at the altar, my dear," His tone was soft, but there was an implicit promise of death in his eyes, a bloodthirsty glint that you had been able to witness many times before. Just for a second longer Sebastian stands there, looking at you through the mirror and then he smiles and leaves.

Your heart beats quickly inside your chest, it beats like it has never beat before. Your nerves are on edge, but you have to calm down and take a deep breath. You know what Sebastian is, you know how strong he is, but you know that an opportunity like that is unique and you must take advantage of it. You must escape now.

Running away isn't hard, well, actually it is a little, because you're wearing a dress and high heels but you kick them all and hold them hem of your dress up. And you run. You run as you never ran on your life. You know Sebastian is busy with tons of things, plus you are supposed to come a little late, as you are the bride. But you clearly underestimate him.

He may not be with you physically but as a demon he has his ways of knowing where you are and how you are, he can feel your heart beating, he can taste your fear and apprehension. And he loves it, he loves knowing your fear him, to know you are opposed to this marriage, given time he knows you come around.

But for now he enjoys the chase. He excuse himself for a moment to go meet you halfway through your attempting escape. You can hear his beautiful little laugh, can see his shadows but when you look behind your shoulder there's nothing there. He is playing with you, getting you even more frightened before trapping you in his arms so tight not even air can arrive at your lungs. His hand closes on your throat as he look at you, eyes red with animalistic excitement. "Dear me, look what we have here." He muses, watching you breathe hard, beads of sweat running down your forehead.

"Sebastian... What a pleasure to see here." Your reply is sarcastic, weak. But it makes him smile as he caress your face lovingly, as lovingly as a demon can, though you feel dirty at every touch, at every moment you're trapped under his creepy stare.

"You run away like a little lost mouse so I've came to get you back right where you belong. Don't make things harder than necessary, darling." It's his final warning. You know, you can feel in your bones that if you are to try anything again he would retaliate.

He has been doing a great job at keeping his demonic tendencies in check even when you snarled and yelled at him those past few weeks. But there truly nothing you could do? There was nothing you could try? His hand held yours, guiding you, the oppressive silence making you even more uncomfortable.

And when the priest asked "do you accept this man as your lawful and only husband?" All you could do was stare at him, tongue numb, members tired before answering. "I do."

And like a mouse, you were caught in Sebastian's trap. One you could never escape.

⠀⠀

Marriage. What a strange concept. Why people get married, that's what Undertaker thought when checking humans' memories. They all got married, they all had children, they all had their ups and downs together, yet they loved each other. Is love really that essential for humans? He didn't know, but he had a lot of questions to ask. And many of them answered themselves when you appeared in his life.

You had recently lost someone and like a wounded bird, you walked into his funeral home. It was like destiny. It was like a lever had been pulled in his brain, like he could finally see colors and feel the warmth of the sun on his skin after so long without those things. He was drawn to you, enchanted by your words. And everything else was history.

Undertaker knew that humans are fragile and fearful, and he tried to woo you the right, human way. Giving you flowers, walking with you, hearing you talk. And everything would have worked out if you hadn't discovered that he wasn't human, that he was a Shinigami and desperately tried to get away from him. He didn't want to kidnap nor threaten you but he grown desperate. He didn't want to lose the feelings you gave him, he didn't want to let you go. So he did what was necessary, he gave you a new home, he gave you books and lines for you to sew and weave if you wanted. He gave you everything you wanted but your freedom.

A marriage was bound to happen because he wanted you to experience this little enjoy. But also because he wanted to tie you to him even more, to make you his wife and be able to truly calls his wife. The ceremony is not as beautiful and organized as Sebastian's, but he supposes is the thought that counts. He buys you a really cute white dress and make-up, and he lets you get ready alone. As the bride and the groom can't see each other till they're both on the altar or something like this, honestly he doesn't understand this saying. Why can't he see you? He wants to see you!

But he controls himself, he has to. He stands on the altar with the priest at his side. He hums and waits impatient. Meanwhile you is running away so hard that everything else turns into a blur, people, voices, sounds, smells, everything is a blur as you run and pray for someone to save you. Anyone. Tears flow from your eyes when in the distance you see his silvery long hair and dangerous green eyes staring at you. You tremble, biting your lip so hard not to scream that you can taste blood on your tongue, you force your legs to work more than they can handle, you're sure later on your feet would be filled with blisters but you don't care about it now.

Though it's not enough. It's not enough and you hated it. You hear him mumbling while he catches up with you, a part of you is surprised he isn't actually going to pull his scythe from wherever he keep it and reap your soul right here and now. The part of you who is still in love with him wavers for a second, you think only for a second if it's worth to try, if you actually can win against him, if can actually escape and your hesitation is all he needs for him to close his arms around your body tightly. He breathes hard, warm air hitting your neck as you feel him still against you, afraid of losing you. Afraid of losing everything.

"Why did you run, sugar? Wasn't I good enough for you? Didn't I treat you right?" He was whispering right at your ear. And that was much more scarier than having him screaming or having him threatening to hit you. "Don't you love me anymore? That can't be, right? You must be a little scared, oh sweetheart I know marriage is a big step but everything's going to be fine. I can take care of everything, leave all the work to me."

As if to made you pity him even more, you could little tears streaming down his face and onto your back, timidly, slowly. A sour taste lingers on your mouth. You can't escape now. You can't escape now that he is so on alert, every little move you make would be under his eyes. You can't escape now but you certainly can play your card right. And the right thing to do now was surrender yourself. Surrender and wait for an opportune moment.

For now you let him fix your dress and hair carefully, and then drag you to that damned altar. It's suffocating, insufferable. And there's nothing you can do about it. He holds your hand as he slips the ring into your finger and look at you like you hung the stars in the sky.

"I do." You say as you stare at him. In the future your attempt would be successful but for now you may entertain him.

[just-a-ghost00]

Do you stand a chance with this person?

If you're feeling a bit lost about a connection and where this is going, we'll try to see if this is worth your time and energy. Pick one of the following emojis : 1🕷️  2🎃 3🦇

Group 1 - Pink Spider ~

9 of cups, Justice, The Sun, Hierophant, The Star

Well, this looks pretty good for you group 1. Not only do you stand a chance but the outcome could be even better than what you ever dreamed of. This person thinks and feels positively towards you. Their intentions are genuine and serious. They want to do right by you. This connection has potential for a succesful committed relationship. With the Star card, I get the feeling that it may take a while before you come into union with this person, especially if there is an important physical distance between you. Little TMI : the song linked to your group is from Japanese artist Hide (X-Japan). This song is a metaphorical one. It talks about a pink spider whose perception of the world is narrowed down to its web, the web representing the lies it tells itself or told by others. Looking at the sky from the web, it wishes for wings that it doesn't have. It is afraid to take risks and get hurt, but by looking at the butterflies and birds soaring high, the spider still envies them. One day a bird flying by, seeing the sad spider, advises it to take a butterfly's wings and come fly with them. Though this is going to hurt the butterfly, the spider desperately wanting to fly takes the wings, appologizing for its deeds. "It's not that I want to hurt you, but I don't have wings and that sky is just so high..." says the spider. To which the butterfly answers "you can take my wings, but you'll find out soon enough that flying isn't as easy as you'd think". As expected, though having the butterfly wings, the spider still can't fly. Still looking at the sky, the spider sees the birds immigrating to the South flying by its web. The end of the song is a bit confusing. The lyrics are "ano kumo ga toori sugita" and the word kumo can both be translated as cloud or spider. So the meaning of the lyrics could either be "I wanna go over to those clouds" and in this case this would be the spider's thoughts. But it could also be translated as "I wanna go over that spider" which in this case would be from the bird's POV. For some reason I felt like talking about the lyrics translation of that song would be relevant.

Confirmation signs : ladybugs, flowers, doves, books, trees, distance, social media, Leo, Taurus, Aquarius, Libra, starry skies, goats, letter S

Group 2 - This is Halloween...

6 of cups , knight of pentacles, 6 of swords, king of wands, 9 of wands

You could stand a chance with this person however this would take a lot of effort and patience from both sides. There's a lot to heal for this connection to be fruitful. There would definitely be chemistry and passion but there would also be a lot of challenges and tensions if you were to pursue this connection right now. It would be best to work on yourselves prior to being together. But what you do is up to you. This connection would potentially require you to leave a connection or situation. If you pay attention to the song related to your group, there's an underlying energy of fear and tricky energies. It's like a lot of frightening things are lurking in the shadows and to be able to fully enjoy the journey, you have to be able to overcome your fears and tame the demons hiding under the bed, the ghosts of the past trying to haunt you and so on. Also, this song happens at a kind of masquerade / parade where all spooky creatures are playing games and hiding behind masks, especially Jack Skellington who pretends that he enjoys his role in the community when he is thriving for something different and new. So this could be relevent to your situation with this person.

Confirmation signs : repeating 6s, earth signs, fire signs, books, religious people, clouds,

Group 3 - For Gotham !

7 of swords, King of swords, Hierophant, Tower, Ace of cups

To be honest, your chances are thin. I can't say no. But I can't say yes either. I feel like this person would love to be in a romantic relationship with you. But they are so scared about the idea that it seems impossible for them to welcome you in their life. With the 7 of swords and the King of swords, I get the impression of someone doing everything in their power to hide their true thoughts. Someone deliberately lying and acting unkind to somehow protect the other from their shadows. Maybe they struggle with mental health issues and they don't want you to witness the mess they're in. They don't want to let you in. I feel like losing you because of who they are would shatter them. So they put up a wall between you. The Batman reference was no coincidence. I intuitively picked up on it before I proceeded with the reading. This person really gives me Bruce Wayne vibes. They pretend like all is fine when they're falling and their world is in ruins. They love you but they would rather die than let you know. They would rather you believed you were insignificant to them so you could move on in your life and be happy without them because they don't think they have what it takes to make you happy, no matter how successful they can be in life.

Confirmation signs : flowers, nightingales, churches, wings, air signs, Taurus, dragons, sea shells, lotus flower

[the-owl-tree]

reading the star excerpt (link here)

i quite like the prologue. i like curlfeather taunting splashtail, i like his insecurity being exacerbated. i think it actually hammers in how young and out of his depth he is

which....sucks the rest of the books portray him as this manipulative mastermind. he's much more fun of a villain when you can see him scrambling for power (and losing it)

which makes the whole riverclan as poor victims kind of suck. icewing rightfully calls out her clanmates for being cowards for uh- *checks notes* using mothwing as target practice?? sorry we're going over the top evil i see. anyways, my point is....yeah, riverclan IS complicit in this, they DO have a choice to say no. splashtail doesn't even have enforcers like brokenstar and tigerstar did, it's literally just one guy - heck the warriors themselves are the enforcers.

fear becomes a limp excuse at this point. you guys gotta unionize or something.

i think the book is really struggling to make splashtail's NO MISS OHKO X9999 ULTRAKILL ATTACK an actual credible attack. look i get it they think he has nine lives, but the three of them could take on a teen i believe it.

i think because this arc won't acknowledge that riverclan is complicit in letting this fester, that they wanted this kind of leadership, it makes him fall flat. how much scarier would it be, more gray it would be, difficult, and so and so on if the clan rallied behind their leader because of the prior events? i get it, they're playing into the fear angle, but there NEEDS to be some more willing participants or this doesn't work.

the closest we get is this exchange but like. guys. the gathering exchange was stupid as hell.

also, you'd think every brit was the worst dog owner in the world LMAO these boys are screaming and straining on their leash while the owners chatting away. every dog in brit is some cat mauling beast i guess.

i was so ready for repetitive "why should we do X??" let's fight about it for the next few pages that it was a fucking relief that cloverfoot was just "yep bring them in!". fucking uh flashbacks from bramblestar's leadership lmao

the phrasing on this made me snick. "behaved so badly" makes it sound like she was kind of unruly, not plotted to overthrow her leader lmao

i dont wanna nitpick, i am actually enjoying that the plot is moving and that things are happening but like....minor waste of a shadowclan pov. you'd think with how often they like to make references to past events, sunbeam being a shadowclan cat could absolutely come in handy in this situation (considering they once had nightheart explain shadowclan history to a shadowclan cat) but when she wonders if riverclan can ever repair itself, it really doesn't come up. idk, i guess i think she could've had a more optimistic perspective but ultimately it really isn't the biggest of deals.

uh oh guys something ELSE happened?? wanna know what happens??? well go buy IVYPOOL'S HEART ONLY FOR 25.99 AVAILABLE NOW AT RETAIL OUTLETS CLOSEST TO YOU. BUY NOW BUY NOW BUY NOW BUY NOW. DON'T YOU WANNA KNOW WHERE ICEWING IS GOING???? OOOH BUY OUR BOOKS!

Oooh the Gathering trap is actually good, ignoring how a lot of them get thrown the idiot ball a little bit to make it work. I figured it out quickly (even though this arc loves having shit happen offscreen), it's nice to see some trickery for once! only real drawback is the books once again going "what did splashstar do to riverclan??" as if he's mind controlling them. I'm gonna actually hold out on hope that this is a set up to Frostpaw realizing her Clanmates haven't been mind controlled or whatever, they're doing this because they want to, because splashstar's ideals appeal to them after everything.

it probably won't happen but i wanna hold out hope.

tentatively interested! preparing for status quo disappointment!

[sxdapopcurtis]

hi friends!! i wanted to share some writing i did tonight! i don’t consider myself a writer but im really proud of this!

a little while back @too-damn-good-for-growing-old and i chatted about a bandstand x the outsiders / vet soda au! in this au, soda and bob become friends across the pond through their shared love for music. this scene is based on the song “right this way”!! most lines in italics are lyrics from the song! i hope you enjoy!!

“and on the top — a rooftop garden

with a bandstand in the sky”

there is a train, it leaves the station at a quarter after five

and it's direct from union terminal

right there in public square

a quarter after five

and where does it arrive?

at grand central station

sodapop curtis stared with empty eyes down at the letter in his hands. he heard the chaos of his closest friends behind him, yelling, crying, and interrogating the poor man who broke the news to them. they won the state preliminary; they were supposed to be off to new york. they were supposed to make it directly to finals; they were supposed to get everything they wanted. soda stared at the teardrops on the paper he was given. they would need to front the money themselves. they would need to go through yet another round of eliminations. they would need to fight tooth and nail again just to secure their spot in the broadcast. this wasn’t what he was promised. this wasn’t what he promised them. this wasn’t what he promised bob.

he was pulled out of his daze when he heard the crashing of johnny’s drums. he turned around to a sight he wished he could forget, sometimes more than the destruction overseas. johnny was desperately trying to hold in tears as he picked up his set. ponyboy scrambled to help his best friend, though not a member of the band, still feeling the loss as strongly as they did. he spent countless hours awake with soda till god knows when listening to him write the song they just performed. the song each of them poured their heart into, and still, it wasn’t enough to get them to new york city. though pony wasn’t a veteran, he could only imagine this stinging as much as some of the stories of their battle scars. steve, in his rage, had not only knocked down his music stand, but johnny’s snare as well. two-bit paced the stage like a madman, chewing on his nails as he muttered to himself about how worthless it all was. he needed a drink, soda could tell that, and he could only estimate how large his tab would accumulate that night. darrel walked back and forth between the group, trying to logistically explain what the letter meant and how they could do that. he went over the original documentation the band signed over and over again, trying to see if there was a loophole in their contract to warn them of this bad news. dallas was cursing out the preliminary official, swearing that he should put himself in their shoes. there was no way the band wouldn’t get a demerit for the way dally spoke to him. that’s if they even got to compete in the first place.

it was cherry that grounded soda’s mind back to reality. he wasn’t in the trenches. he wasn’t in the camp playing the piano next to bob. he was standing shellshocked center stage. soda was supposed to be their fearless leader, guiding them through everything. but now the dog tags around his neck clung to his skin too tightly, his ears rung like the day that grenade dropped, and their army general couldn’t get out a single command. what would bob do? bob wouldn’t have allowed them to get in this circumstance in the first place. they would’ve had all the money they needed if bob was still here. he promised bob, he needed to keep his promise to bob.

they'll say, right this way

we've reserved this just for you

you've been waiting for this day

it's the least that we can do

who was this man in his fancy suit and perfect hair to tell them what they deserved and what they didn’t? the suffering each of them experienced, the loss they weathered, the physical and emotional wounds they wore on their skin every single day. soda slowly circled, taking a good look at his closest companions. they never knew bob the way he did. they never sang around a fire together or hummed quietly to keep the other calm during an attack. they didn’t swear a vow that they would make it out together and finally do something with their lives. but soda had, and somehow, all the people he loved most in the world worked together to make that dream a reality. he couldn’t let them down. he couldn’t let himself down. he couldn’t let bob down.

after bunks on cargo ships

after trenches in the rain

after running for cover

while dodging the flack

and three years and eight months

to fight my way back

the competition official left, muttering a quick apology, though soda knew that he didn’t mean it. he had done what he was supposed to do here. he listened to countless bands sing their passion out, he judged the best, broke the bad news, and he said he felt bad. yet at the end of the day, he would go back to new york, first class at that, while the rest of them scrambled to bear with the tragedy they faced.

and losing my faith

while busting my ass

sodapop took a deep inhale, gulping the air down and shutting his eyes tight. it was too much, it was all too much. they fought so damn hard to get where they were, just to have it ripped from their hands. he started absentmindedly crumbling the letter in his hands, throwing it to the ground. all of his thoughts came rushing up his throat, stinging like bile, until he could finally shout loud enough to hush the chaos.

“i think,” he cleared his throat,”we’re entitled to travel first class.”

quickly, every eye in the room darted onto him. soda couldn’t stand their looks. the pain, the anger, the distraught, the confusion, the pity. everyone before him suffered in their own way, and yet they looked upon sodapop with pity. pity because this was his idea. pity because, though they loved music, they didn’t need to use it as an outlet like soda needed to. pity because at the root of “curtis and company featuring cherry sheldon”, there was a dream that soda had to make it out of tulsa. and he would be damned if he didn’t keep trying.

“don’t you?” he added when no one else had the courage to speak up. soda watched as his friends looked at one another rather than him. he could see the gears in their head-turning, all asking the same question. they didn’t have the money. they didn’t have the time either. how were they expected to pull this one out of their asses? they used all their miracles to get back home.

“how?” steve deadpanned. he wasn’t trying to be harsh; everyone knew that steve loved soda more than anything and wouldn’t purposely shut his dreams down. but half of them couldn’t see how this dream could continue to be a reality. the cards were too highly stacked.

soda didn’t expect a kickback. he stood there, almost in a state of tranquility, as his brain tried to rattle around any idea to get them off the ground. the speaking issues from the injury silenced him completely when he needed it the most. when they needed him to speak up and guide them through the dark. he closed his eyes shut again, opening his mouth for something to come out, but nothing did. the lump in his throat contradicted every ounce of confidence he had built up, straining both his mind and his ego. the singer, without a voice, he thought.

he was shaken from his thoughts when he felt a hand interlace with him and squeeze it tightly. soda opened his eyes, and standing at his hip was cherry with her reassuring smile. she looked out to the rest of the guys, reading soda’s mind. he didn’t always need to have a voice. he had a duet partner for a reason, always willing to speak when he was silent.

“whatever gigs we can get. we’re playing every single one of them. and we’re making our way to new york city. you all fought your asses off across the water, and there’s no way we’re letting this go without a fight either. johnny, you know a few liquor dives we can get into. dallas, i know you have connections to pull in towns over. steve, here’s your time to pick up an extra lesson or two. darry, whatever extra scraps you can loan out instead of school-”

“they’ll go to the band, i swear.” darrel cut her off, placing a hand on his cousin’s shoulder,”we’re going to make this happen.”

“and i can pick up some extra shifts!” pony chimed in, wanting to be a part of their fundraising rally,”and when i’m not busy, soda, i can help you write a whole new set of songs so that we can bring in new audiences.”

“we aren’t done here yet,” cherry said, picking up the letter soda had tossed and shoved it into her pocket,”i’ll talk to marcia, see if she knows any extra way we can get in with the higher clubs in town. better audiences, better tip.”

we'll fight for ourselves now

soda felt like he could finally breathe again. they weren’t giving up on their dream. his friends weren’t giving up on him. he took another inhale, letting the darkness off his chest, as he squeezed cherry’s hand back. he nodded at her affirmingly, stepping away from her to help their band gather their instruments. they couldn’t stay in this dive any longer; they had places to go and money to raise. soda began throwing out orders, watching as his friends fell into place and gained the confidence cherry clearly had in them. they weren’t going down without a fight. as he watched his loved ones gain momentum by packing up their belongings and counting their cash, soda couldn’t help but take a moment to appreciate all that they had done for him and his vision. all that they continued to do for it too, and all they would do for bob. all of this—every gig, every song, every dollar earned—was for bob. they had the opportunity to do what he couldn’t do any longer. they had the privilege to create. the privilege to live.

and all of the wrongs

will be made right this way

sodapop was the last of the band to leave for the night. he stayed around after steve had left for his home, two-bit went to meet with marcia, dallas had slunk off to buck’s with johnny, and darrel took ponyboy home, despite arguing that he could have given soda a ride too. instead, he asked to be alone for a moment. it wasn’t often that soda wanted to be by himself. when he spent too much time in his head, he was rattled with nightmares and dark thoughts. but he felt grounded with his shoes scuffed in the wood of the stage. he was at home, at last, but he finally felt it when he performed with the band. and hopefully, all of new york city would feel that way too.

he was picking up his music binder when he felt a gentle hand on the back of his shoulder. due to the grenades and the nature of their loud music, soda’s hearing wasn’t as it used to be. he hated reminiscing on what he lost, knowing that without one sense, he didn’t feel in control. but cherry always knew how to make her presence known without scaring him. soda stood up straight and looked down at her big eyes, filled with compassion and honesty. he let out the deepest sigh before dropping the binder and falling into her arms. cherry didn’t hesitate to wrap him into a hug, knowing the weight he carried not only today but every day since he made it home. words couldn’t even begin to describe how thankful sodapop was for cherry. she had a talent beyond measure, not only for singing and writing but for understanding exactly what was going on inside his messed up head. he was thankful that he had her by his side and that though both of them lost him, soda got to relish in the good bob spoke about cherry, almost every day.

“let’s get you home soldier.” cherry hummed, breaking the hug to pick up soda’s binder.

she took his arm in hers, guiding him out of the dive bar and out onto the dimly lit streets. since getting back, every day had been a challenge to pick up and keep moving. but nights like these, with cherry by his side, made them feel ever so easier.

“you got to get some rest. you lead us to new york starting tomorrow.”

troubled times are at an end

and they're waiting to hear our song

you can bet we intend to stay

right this way

[inktog]

Came for the Yuri, Stayed for the UBI

(assorted thoughts)

When I Win the World Ends is a delightful enough read for the dynamic between its protagonists: valley girl empath X repressed misanthropic hermit. And they were rivals—oh my god they were rivals.

—

If you root around in my brain long enough you will find a thin file labeled "Ideas for a slightly grittier, more realistic Pokemon world." I suspect many fans have their own version of this file. I particularly enjoyed Bavitz's because Bavitz runs with the prompt in exactly the opposite direction you'd expect from a video game adaptation—leaning into the numbers and crunch. It reminds me of glowfic, the way it doesn't just take seriously, but also rationalizes and extrapolates from a system not designed for such scrutiny.

To give a concrete example:

The thirty-second pause between turns in this fun little game called Pokémon battling wasn't just to give trainers time to think and announcers time to announce. The regimented structure mandated discipline from the Pokémon, which in turn ensured they didn't go, like, feral from bloodlust. If Scizor had its way, it wouldn't stop after one attack, but Dad did train these guys well.

I dunno, I just think it's neat! I similarly appreciated the in-universe explanations for the retroactive Fairy typing and for every generation introducing a new gimmick™.

—

I want to be careful here, because WIW leaves open the specifics of its economic and geopolitical worldbuilding. We don't know how far the peace and plenty experienced by our characters actually extends—clearly not everywhere.

And yet I am drawn to the most charitable interpretation of Bavitz's Pokemon world: that despite its fits and starts, its broken promises and secret wars, it is actually, meaningfully better in some ways than the real world. The emergent pseudo-utopian themes—

How do you spend your life when the world is basically pretty okay? When humanity's worst instincts have been sublimated into sport? When it feels like history has come to a standstill?

—are hands-down my favorite aspect of this fic, and the reason I expect to keep coming back to it. It's an inspired union of setting and theme: the bright, smiling, play-violence Pokemon universe as a glimpse into restless abundance.

—

When I Win, The World Ends. For RISE it's literal. For her competitors it's the death of meaning—what a sham if Aracely Sosa sweeps it with her daddy's Pokemon. But for Cely herself it's a promise:

Become the most special person in history

Quit while you're ahead.

When I Lose, The World Keeps Turning.

[myeagleexpert]

【ＨＥ　ＳＡＩＤ　ＴＨＡＴ　ＡＮＤ　Ｉ　ＷＯＮ＇Ｔ　ＦＯＲＧＥＴ　ＩＴ】

You know those important parts where you use the highlighter to highlight something important? So, my dear player, that's what we have here. Some interactions between the characters x yuu and the interactions between them that make me think a lot about the character they are!

Pt1: Heartslabul - Savanaclaw - Octavielle ( You're here!)

Pt2: Scarabia - Igynia - Pomefiore - Diasonia ( Loading...)

Wₕₐₜ ₐᵣₑ yₒᵤ dₒᵢₙg ₕₑᵣₑ? ₜₕₑ Qᵤₑₑₙ wᵢₗₗ cᵤₜ ₒff yₒᵤᵣ ₕₑₐd!

"Trey enthusiastically said he’s going to bake a strawberry tart for my birthday party. Make sure you come to eat some too. …Well, it not like it’s a Rule of the Queen of Hearts or anything"- Birtday Union

"Thank you for coming to celebrate my birthday. …Eh? You’ve hidden my present somewhere in the Heartslabyul dormitory? I see now. The answer to the riddle on this card must reveal the location of the present. Heh, you’ve sure come up with something rather interesting. Well, since you’ve gone through the trouble of planning this for me, I suppose I’ll just have to play along."- Birtday Union

"You are as energetic as ever today, I see. No, this isn’t any sort of rebuke. I truly do hope to see you enjoying my birthday party to the fullest."- Birthday Union

((he deserves to have more light and fun moments, and eat lots of strawberry pies))

"Don't worry, if you get lost, I'll come searching for you. I'm pretty used to looking after my siblings, so I'm sure I'll find you quickly."- Playfull Dress

"Thanks for celebrating my birthday. But I have to say, I wasn't expecting you to have my gift delivered to my dorm like that. You should have just handed it to me directly, since we were meeting up, anyway. Was I shocked? Well, yes... Ah, so it was supposed to be a surprise present! Haha, oh man. You're always finding ways to startle me."- Platinum Jacket

"Riddle’s got a pretty tight handle on everything, there’s not much for me to do as his Vice Dorm Leader. I’m basically just here as decoration." - Cerimonial Robes

"You want to take a picture of me? You’re the record keeper, so just do as you like. …It’s more nerve-wracking if you know you’re being watched, you know?"- Outdoor wear

"Oh, good timing. Help me carry these dishes. Of course, there’s some for you and grim too."- Outdoor Wear

"Hm, you want a scarf? Well... Oh, maybe if I ask Sam, he can lend you a spare one. Just wait a sec."- New Year Attire

"Do you have any plans for the winter this year? If not, what if you got a temp job at a cake shop...? Haha, I'm just kidding."- New Year Attire

((he's so big brother material, I love these little moments of him being so attentive))

"Amusement parks are so rad～! Why don't we take a selfie together right here at the gate? Think of it as the first of many to remember today!"- Playfull Dress

"Oh hey, think you'd want any popcorn? If so, tell me your favorite flavor. Your boy Cay-kun'll get it for you."- Playfull Dress

"Thanks for coming to celebrate my birthday! I’m super stoked! You’re gonna give me whatever I want for my birthday? Well, if you say that… it might make me want to ask for something huge. I’m kidding, don’t worry! How about we go skateboarding together? We can do some sweet tricks and post some pictures online!"- Birthday Union

" “#Birthday #NRCUnionJacket #SpecialMadeForCay-kun” …You know I totally gotta brag about today’s special outfit!"- Birthday Union

" Why are you looking at me like that while petting the tsum? You’re making Cay-kun feel so conflicted～"- Tsum Event

"Pfft, your hair is all over the place from all the wind. Sooo laaame… Eh, mine, too!?"- Playfull Dress

"The whole point of birthdays is definitely the presents. So what did you get your dearest friend Ace-kun, then?"- Birthday Bloom

"I’m good with not dating anyone yet. 'Sides, I’m already busy looking after you lot."-Suitor Suit

"A word of warning. Until I say it’s safe to, deeefinately don’t look up at the ceiling… Juuuust kidding! Haha, did that scare you?"- Halloween

"The basketball club's most promising rookie has arrived! You better not take your eyes off my fresh plays, 'kay?"- Club Wear ((He's a little shit, but I'd root for him in the front row))

"Practicing passes with Floyd is basically a matter of life and death. But that's 'cause he's always throwing them at breakneck speeds!"-Club Wear

"Hey, we should all play basketball together sometime soon. If we invite Deuce or whoever, we can probably get a 3-on-3 game goin'.-" Club Wear

"Are you going to come cheer for me at my next track meet? Then, I definitely can't do anything uncool. Just you wait and see how I do!"- Club wear

"You want me to show you the awards I've gotten from my track meets? You bet! I was hoping I'd get to show you."- Club Wear

"I bet if you, me, and Grim just go ham talking about all that happened today when we get back to school… Ace’ll get crazy jealous."- Rabbit wear

"I think I was able to help my mom feel a bit of relief. And that’s because you all came with me, so, thanks."- Rabbit wear

"I can’t believe you’re here to wish me a happy birthday… Today’s such an amazing day. …Oh, shoot. I definitely have some kind of weird look on my face right now, don’t I? Sorry, I just got so happy I couldn’t help this wide grin. Anyway, thanks so much, Prefect! I’ll make sure to keep doing my best to be someone deserving of your celebrations!"-Birthday Union

((he is my good little boy, I love him, Deuce you live in my heart))

​🇹​​🇴​​🇳​​🇮​​🇬​​🇭​​🇹​, ​🇮​​🇳​ ​🇹​​🇭​​🇪​ ​🇬​​🇷​​🇪​​🇦​​🇹​ ​🇯​​🇺​​🇳​​🇬​​🇱​​🇪​, ​🇹​​🇭​​🇪​ ​🇱​​🇮​​🇴​​🇳​ ​🇸​​🇱​​🇪​​🇪​​🇵​​🇸

"They got bone-in meat to eat right there, and you still order the salad. And that's why you're a herbivore."- Playfull Dress

"You don't have to call my name over and over again, I hear you. I'm just staying silent so I don't ruin all your amusement park excitement."- Playfull Dress ((Are we going to delude ourselves and dream that he was admiring us the whole time? Yes))

"A horror attraction? Sure, I'll tag along with you for that, 'cause I bet I'll get to hear some good screams from you herbivores."- Playfull Dress

"You have my utmost gratitude for such a splendid celebration. …There, I thanked you. I’m not saying it again."- Birtday Boy

"You want to make me happy? Hahah! What fine intentions coming from a herbivore. I’m looking forward to it."- Birthday Boy

"Sneaking up behind me like that, were you attempting to surprise me? Aah, my bad. I’ll pretend I didn’t notice, so go on, continue."- Birthday Boy

"You’re just going to carry drinks around and not even toast with me? Hey, bring a glass for yourself too."- Birtday Boy

"Did this sword catch your eye? The motif of the hilt seems to be a jellyfish. I can let you borrow it, but don’t swing it around."- Halloween ((Would you also have a jar of dirt too? Asking a friend))

"You can’t trust someone who smiles all the time, like Jade. Usually guys like me end up being the more trustworthy ones, you know?"- Halloween

"Doesn’t matter who the opponent is. The only one deserving a win is me"- Beastly Garb

"Magic is strictly forbidden in Catch the Tail. Maybe I’ll train you up for the next one… I kid, this ain’t ever happening again."- Beastly Garb

"Back home, there were a ton of people who took issue with my sense of fashion. You wouldn’t do that to me, hmm?"- Gala Couture

"The rich folks from the Scalding Sands are much richer than royal families in other countries. If you want to butter someone up, you’d have better luck with Kalim"- Gala Couture

"Well, aren’t you super meticulous on something as simple as a cake cutting. I don’t really care how you do it, but just get it done before tomorrow comes."- Blooming Birthday

" I had Cater delete all the pictures he took. Obviously, I asked him nicely. Yeah, that’s right, I’m such a shy boy."- Blooming Birthday

"If you’re going to act all high and mighty, I’m going to expect something grand from you, y'know? So hurry up and bring out my present, already."- Blooming Birthday

"Wouldn’t ya believe it, Vil gave me a sewing kit. Something this special deserves to be shoved in the far back of a drawer for posterity."- Blooming Birthday

"If it’s survival, leave it to me! My experience is different from all the other guys."- Outdoor Wear

" You wanna know the trick to fishing? Hmmー …How ‘bout I trade you for those nuts you’ve got in your hand?"- Outdoor Wear ((What nuts? THESENUT--))

"Grim-kun stole your food? Guess it can’t be helped, here, I’ll share my grilled fish with you. Now you owe me one! Shishishi〜"- Outdoor Wear

"Shishishi, you totally remembered my birthday, right?"- Union Birthday ((It's marked on my calendar, my hyena))

"Thanks for celebratin’ my birthday with me! Since it’s my big day, we should go grab some grub and… Ah! Oh noooooo, this is sooooo terrible, I forgot my wallet… I guess I can’t buy… Eh, you’ll treat me? Really? Maan, it’s really great having such a generous junior like you! C'mon, let’s go, let’s go. Shishishi～" - Union Birthday

"Can’t believe a talkin’ portrait wished me a happy birthday… ’S not something I woulda ever been able to imagine happenin’ to me while I lived in the slums."- Union Birthday

"The guys in the magical shift club gave me some powdered sports drinks. I love gettin’ practical gifts like that!"- Union Birthday

" If you’re gonna come check out our practice, make sure you bring us refreshments! Like sports drinks, nutritional jelly drinks, or even doughnuts!"- Club Wear

"My nickname “Disc Thief” is pretty well-known, so maybe I might get scouted by some pro team with their eye on me… Nah, that’d be too good to be true."- - Club Wear

"We can hear Leona’s voice pretty good even when we got noisy spectators durin’ a game. Guess lions just got a healthier roar to ‘em." - Club Wear

"Even if you can’t use magic, you can still join our club. We got a ton of stuff for a manager to get done!" - Club Wear

(Leona simps… do you think his snores are loud too? And during… NO I DIDN'T THINK ABOUT THAT)

"Hey, are you here to celebrate my birthday? Thanks for coming all this... Wait, you just wanted me to show you my homework? Do you own homework! Geez, don't mislead me like that... ...What is this box? Is it a present? O-Oh. Then, I'll gladly take it... Hey, you didn't do all this just to get a kick out of how I'd react, right?" -Platinum Jacket

"Ah, you wasted no time in coming. …You’re not scheming to horseplay around on my birthday, are you?" - Union Bithday

"You want me to take a picture of in this outfit and send it to my family? …Well, I guess that’s fine. Th-Then… please take one for me." - Union Bithday

"Thanks for the birthday wishes. …Something I hope for in the coming year? I want to grow some more. Eh? I’m already big enough? …I’m not talking about my height! I mean I want to mature more. Whenever you’re around I end up feeling so dazed. It must mean I’m relaxed around you. Thanks." - Union Bithday

((i mean… he's already our big boy… I hope the wolf form grows bigger and bigger too, my cute puppy))

((I feel like Yuu feels lighter and more playful around Jack, to the point of making pranks and having fun together <3))

ɐɐǝs ǝɥʇ ɹǝpu∩ ɐɐǝs ǝɥʇ ɹǝpu∩

"Oh my, I see how your eye shines so... If you've taken a liking to that painting, I shall order a reproduction for you. At a discounted price, of course." - Platinum Jacket

"Young love is wonderful. There is no end to the troubles that come from it, so it's quite a favorable emotion for those of us who impart counsel." - Platinum Jacket

"Laying out on the beach to watch the sunset is actually rather lovely, isn't it?"- Beach Wear

" The water around this island is unbelievably delightful. The water is warm and there are no predators. It is a far cry from my hometow."-Beach Wear

"If I were to describe the Coral Sea in one word, it would be "vast." If you ever decide to visit for a vacation, you may come to regret it. "- Beach Wear

"What could you possibly... ...Oh, it's you. I thought it may have been Stitch-san coming to pester me once again."- Beach Wear

"You may leave it to me to lead us in this dance. Allow me to show you just how much effort I've put forth."-Masquerade Dress

"You wish me to take your picture? Of course, I don't mind whatsoever. Now, what should I ask for in return?"- Masquerade Dress

"Oh, my, are you sharing your pastries with me? I would be elated to take some off your hands. It is rather nice that I can try so many in smaller portions."-Masquerade Dress

" What is it? Eh, oh, I look good in this outfit? ...Fufufu, whatever are you scheming? Please, do tell."-Masquerade Dress

"Jade poured this tea as his gift to me. Only... He had this strangely good-natured smile on his face as he did so. ...Would you care to drink it?"- Bloom Birthday ( you littl-)

"I don't understand why candles are inserted into the cake... Sure, it's lovely to see the flames dance in the dark, but it ruins the cake's presentation when it comes time to eat it." -Bloom Birthday

"Something I would like? ...Then, please sing a birthday song for me. Come, you'll sing for me, won't you?"-Bloom Birthday

"Azul can grant any wish," they say. ...Would you like to see if the rumors are true?- Ceremonial Wear

and this duo dialogue? BOYYY

Azul: I am so honored to be paired with you, Jamil-san.

Jamil: Get moving instead of just flapping your lips, Azul.

(suck this up octoponk)

"Down in the ocean depths, the Sea Witch's favorite lipstick is very popular. The container is even shaped like a seashell... I recall gifting it to my mother once, as well."- New Year ((I have a wish for my birthday present, and I think you do too))

 "Do go on, Tsum-san, do whatever you please. It's alright, I shall be watching over you."- Tsumsitter ((Go ahead little creature, spread chaos, I'll be admiring your work))

"Allow me to show you how wonderous the mountains truly are. I do so hope that you will want to join the Mountain Lovers Club afterwards."- Outdoor Wear

"I brought along a very large backpack, but it is mostly empty. That is so that I will be able to bring home some of the nature's bounty as souvenirs."- Outdoor Wear

"It is more crucial to use your intellect when it comes to potionology, rather than magic. Since you have no magical abilities, don't you think this would be the perfect subject for you?"- Lab Wear

"Could you tell me your favorite dish? It may be a good addition for the Mostro Lounge menu."- Lab Wear

"Have you ever heard the phrase "haste makes waste"? ...Never mind, how foolish of me to ask."- Lab Wear

"In the Mountain Lovers Club I founded, we study the flora that we've collected. ...Oh, does this pique your interest?""- Lab Wear

"May I help you? ...I'm afraid it is somewhat difficult to continue exercising when you're staring at me so intensely."- Pe Education

"You are quite... No, nevermind. You do realize that courage and recklessness are two different things entirely, yes?"- Pe Education

"You wish to climb Moln Mountain? I understand how you must feel, but... Snowy mountains are quite dangerous. It may be better for you to build up your climbing experience little by little first."- Apple Boa

((I don't know about you, but Jade's sentences wander from a nice person to someone suspicious)) ((Do you want to know something? Everything that comes out of his mouth is a trap, suspicious as hell))

"Here, Shrimpy-chan, you can have my fries. Nah, you don't gotta thank me. I just couldn't finish 'em 'cause I just slathered something spicy all over it." - Playfull Dress

" Y'know, I really like big and hefty shoes like these～ I love the way they make big, strong stompy sounds when I walk～" - Playfull Dress

"My shoes and jacket sparkles just like scales! Humans have it so good～ They can just swap up their scales whenever they want just by changing clothes." - Platinum Jacket

Beach Wear Vignette - Dialogue

Floyd: 'Cause, I mean, if someone tells you not to do something, doesn't it just make you want to do it more?

Stitch: Yahahahaha!

Floyd: My pops and mama always told us that it was dangerous for us kids to go by ourselves, so we shouldn't go near it.

Stitch: Grrr, rargh!

Floyd: Hmm? Oh, it's nothing like that. That whole thing where the humans and merfolk were afraid of each other is stuff from a long, long time ago.

Floyd: Folks've been comin' and goin' between the land and sea for a while now, ever since the mermaid princess married that human prince.

"Aha. I'm all ready to go, but is the party ready for me?"- Bloom Birthday ((Chaotic child detected))

"Ah, hey, it's Koebi-chan. So you're gonna give me whatever I want as a present? Then, tell me a fun story you know from up here on the surface. ...What, you weren't expecting me to ask for somethin' intangible? I mean, this is waaay better than getting somethin' I don't need. But I ain't gonna let it slide if you tell me a boring story. Mmkay, you can go ahead and start now～"-Bloom Birthday

"Maaan, passing practice is so boring 'cause it's too easy. Koebi-chan, wanna play 1 on 1 with me? I'll go a little bit easy on you"- Club Wear

"Hm, I don't see your mouth watering. You saying my food tastes bad?"- Apprentice Chef

"I make a ton of grilled sandwiches. I ain't got a recipe or anything. Just toss in some leftovers and grill 'em and you're done."- Apprentice Chef

"Jade'll put shiitake mushrooms in pretty much anything, so I got to the point that just lookin' at 'em pisses me off."- Apprentice Chef

" You make real great-lookin' faces when you're eating, Shrimpy. Didja like my cooking? 'Kay, then next time, I'll make you something even better."- Apprentice Chef (( PLEASE DO ))

" Next time, you should go up on stage, Koebi-chan. I'll be expectin' a fun show."- Port Wear

" Ehhh, my ribbon's crooked? I don't have a mirror, so I can't see it... Shrimpy-chan, why don'tcha fix it nicely for me?"- Platinum Jacket

(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ Every like, repost and comment is very welcome and appreciated. ♥

[hamsternella]

Unrequited ━ V (V for Vendetta) x Reader

tw: v being obsessed, unrequited love, obsession, murder, non-con kissing, non-con touching, angst, this is something I wrote in -like- a really short time, plus english is not my first language- sorry

Terrifying. If I had to use one word to describe V, it would be 'terrifying'. He was tall, always dressed in black; with the mask of an icy smile, drawn like a deep cut on the white surface. He was the image of an idea, not even of a human, and yet I had come to like him even a little. It wasn't impossible to love him; it was just complicated. We would coincide in mundane situations as one who shares a special moment with a friend, we would look into each other's eyes -or where I thought he would have them- and we would extend the same hand to seal a pact. An implicit agreement that implied union, loyalty and affection. I considered V as part of my family; even if for him that term was alien to his principles, and therefore incompatible with his nature.

Betrayal, unfortunately, never comes from the enemy.

The Gallery of Shadows was awash with a soft melody. I had to maneuver the jukebox to reduce the words to a murmur, until I hit the echo of footsteps that were alien to the song. A new melody; a particular rhythm. When I turned around, V was standing in front of me.

''What brings you here, dear friend?'' he asked with strange tension in his voice, ''I thought you'd be busy tonight?''

I hid my hands in my pants pockets. I hid the trembling to my fingertips, the fear.

''No, not tonight,'' I replied. ''I find greater joy in sharing a moment with you, as usual.''

''But we have not shared such moments, I'm afraid. You have found so-called joy elsewhere, have you?''

''I live my life, V. Although I understand that for you such a thing is impossible, considering the events.'' I let out a sigh. The taste of a coffee candy I had eaten hours ago was still occupying my throat. ''May I know what you've been doing two days ago?''

''I don't like your tone; I don't understand what you mean by this.'' V stretched out both arms for a moment, admiring the gallery like someone presenting a play on stage. ''I have swum among books, enjoyed good movies, and even indulged in lonely nights, in the moonlight and the murmur of hidden maces… as is usual for me.''

He shrugged one of his hands into a fist, delicately superimposed on his chest. A barely noticeable bow shook a couple of hairs above his mask. I gritted my teeth.

''Why? What is the reason for this question? What's more, do you seem a bit upset?''

''Not at all,'' I replied dryly. I held back the fury, intermingled with fear; confusion eating at my insides. ''It's just that yesterday… let's say, a somewhat interesting story came to me. Well; a rumor, more like.''

''A rumor. What kind of rumor?''

''I don't want to play theater anymore,'' I whispered. ''Tell me, V. Please tell me you didn't do it.''

''I can't deny something I don't know, my dear. What kind of rumor?'' he repeated approaching me.

Not a scent, not even the remnant of a perfumed essence like that which comes from the flesh. It was like a shadow, he moved, felt and expressed like a concept. He was an idea, not a person; he didn't have the qualities of a human related to his nature. I had to remind myself of this every day to prevent something like this from happening-but it did. It was happening. And as he came closer to me; as one of his hands ran gloved fingers along the contours of my face, following the path of the tears, wiping them away, I found myself once again surrendered to fear. To doubt, and terror, and sadness.

V was a reminder of the faces of a sleeping society that I refused to face all the time. He was molded for it; I had to get used to it, give up pieces of myself, renew myself; belong to a section of that darkness that so characterized him.

I humanized the beast, and another paid the consequences of his hunger.

I couldn't pull away from his hand, and I could only keep my head fixed in one direction: the hollow of his eyes.

''I don't have to acknowledge your crimes,'' I continued in a whisper. ''I may know of them, but it is not in my judgment to determine their validity. I am not God; I do not come from a divine court. But V, this… this thing you have done is not right.''

''You're feeling terrified, dear,'' his voice darkened, losing itself in a hoarse sound. Danger. The truth was scary. ''What are you afraid of, if it's you and me in this room? It's been us against a system, and I don't think that's what you're afraid of right now.''

"Don't ignore me… Don't fucking ignore me, V.''

My body reacted on its own, but his hands rushed to my arms, clinging to them, bringing my body to an even greater state of alertness than before. His fingers caressed my skin over the fabric of my shirt, bristling my flesh. We were almost glued together, body against body; our breaths gently altered, increasing in rhythm little by little.

''Yes,'' he whispered, ''it was me. I killed him.''

''Oh, God!'' I burst into tears. Had I been on my own I would have fallen to the ground, but V kept me standing. ''Why… why, V. I can't… I don't want to believe it, I- God…''

His arms went around my body, forcing me to arch my back. My hands fell on his chest, where I hid my face flooded with tears. His hands tangled in my hair, tracing a back-and-forth motion down my back; they sought to shelter my pain in a false sense of protection.

''But I was good,'' he continued, his voice descending to an almost desperate pitch. ''He felt no pain, though I wanted, God, how I wanted him to realize it; to look me in the eye, to feel the same despair I felt…''

''You are a sadist!'' I pounded his chest with my hands made into fists. I pushed him, I screamed at him, I drowned in hot tears. ''What kind of desperation? You've killed an innocent man in cold blood! You've killed him, you've left a family without their father! V, for God's sake!''

There was a struggle. V tried to keep me glued to him; he struggled to hang onto my neck, my waist, my arms; he gasped in desperation, brutally shaking what was left of me in his arms before I managed to wiggle out of his grip.

''I was merciful. I could have been a monster, but I was good, and I let him sleep.''

''You killed him,'' I spat angrily, ''but you come and dare to stage a pitiful theater where you consider yourself the victim. What did he do to you?''

''Oh, no,'' he laughed; ''not to me. It was to you.'' He took his time to catch his breath. He had to brush away the locks that had fallen over his mask. ''It's embarrassing, I have to admit, but true that I've come to notice how much you've been isolating yourself from our cause. You've disappointed me a little; but I still like you.''

''Do you still like me?'' I repeated with a choked laugh. ''Still? Fuck you, asshole. What do you mean by that, me, away from the cause?''

''It's not that I question your loyalty, don't think that, please. But this little whim had to come to fruition. You could have risked everything.''

''Whim?'' I took a step back, took a breath of air, and when I least expected it I let out a laugh. A hysterical outburst. I had to cover my face for a moment to calm down.

A silence settled between us. It was V who broke it, slightly hesitant.

''Did you love him? Did you love that man?''

''Of course I loved him!'' I let out a cry, shedding a torrent of tears, silent this time. ''V, I haven't committed any crime. I… I just wanted to try, and live, and feel whole and... I don't know, all of this all of a sudden… I don't understand,'' I looked straight at him at the mask. He had his fists clenched on either side of his body. ''I don't understand what I did to deserve your mistreatment; this way of punishing an innocent, even.''

''I couldn't stand it. Every man has a limit.''

''You are no man, V; you are a monster,'' I said. ''You have robbed a father of his family, a noble man of his own life. You have robbed him…''

''He stole you from me!'' he interrupted me. His voice bounced like an echo in the distance, barely audible. ''I saw you first; I gave you a reason- a reason to live. We were supposed to be companions, something beyond such a banality as… that.''

''A banality, like what? Huh?'' I walked up to him, hitting his chest with my fist. ''What a banality you say! Is it love, is that it? Is it your envy? What is it, V? What's the bullshit reason for you to ruin people's lives, thinking you're an out-of-touch hero.''

His hand flew to my face, cupping it by the cheeks. He had taken me by surprise and the force was so great, the pain stabbing into my flesh, that I was left only to hang on to his arm.

''You're not mine,'' he whispered, the voice raspy, ''but I like to imagine that you are. And it's hard when you're fluttered with petty reasons. Yes, what I did wasn't right; but having you by my side feels like something that's right, and that's enough.''

''You're making me hate you, V,'' I said haltingly.

''I'm glad to know that I can still awaken in you the feelings that really matter.'' He fell silent. He seemed to be thinking deeply about something, still holding my cheeks. ''I love you.''

I closed my eyes, completely surrendered. My arms fell limp and my heart stopped. What I suspected with a terror crackling in the corner of my mind was suddenly a painfully palpable reality. In front of me, V; with his feelings and the mask of a smile suspended in the icy material. V and the words embedded in my ears like his fingers to the flesh of my face.

''I love you,'' he said again. ''I love you, my dear.''

''Stop,'' I begged. My voice sounded like a sigh. "Shut your mouth. Don't say it anymore.''

The pain eased as his fingers released my cheeks, both of his hands cupping my face gently; his body clinging to me, his hips pushing against mine. My back hit a wall when we had no room to spare, but he didn't stop. The coldness of his mask brushed my lips, and all I had left to do was close my eyes. The impact was soft; and the kiss, almost nonexistent. The simulation of a creature trying to imitate something human; unbecoming, then, of himself.

My first kiss in years lasted as long as a sigh. I didn't remember the flesh being so hard and lacking that particular flavor. I felt miserable just looking back and finding nothing but empty, hollow eyes. The same smile. I hated it.

''You don't love me,'' I whispered.

''I really think I do.''

''This is not love. You're taking over something you think is yours, V.'' I held back a shudder as one of his hands brushed my neck. ''I don't love you.''

Silence. Suddenly a murmur, very faint, and it was our feet. My body fell over his; the cold of his mask against the side of my face, his arms around me. A half-hearted embrace. I felt his heart, but I couldn't find my own.

I closed my eyes when I felt the tremor. It was him.

''I know,'' he replied.

[cowgurrrl]

Okay this is very random but I recently discovered a song called “Dangerous Hands” by Austin Giorgio and for some reason I imagine rockstar!Joel having actress!reader be featured in the song and the music video like soon after they get back together and the music video is like the big announcement that they’re back together and idk I just love that so much! If you enjoy the song I think that would be a super fun story, can’t wait for the proposal/wedding content for OFTM though!!

Sorry this took literally so long but the wedding content for OFTM is coming soon!! I’m writing it now but I hope you enjoy how this came out 🥸

Thank God I Found You

Pairing: rockstar!joel miller x actress!reader

Summary: this ask

Warnings: none! Just fluff :-)

"Do you know how many other actresses there are in Los Angeles?" You ask, and Joel groans from his place on the couch. Daisy runs toward him, thinking he's in trouble, and you laugh when she lands on his chest. 

"But why would I hire someone else when I could hire you?" He asks, his voice a little strained with the forty-pound pitbull on his chest, as you perch on the back of the couch to look down at him. 

"Because nobody except for our families knows we're back together." You say, petting Daisy. She leans into your hand and slumps against the cushion with an overdramatic harumph, making both of you laugh. 

It's been almost six months since you and Joel got back together, and somehow, nobody knows. You've managed to keep it under wraps with strategic NDAs, at-home date nights, and keeping each other off social media. It's been peaceful getting to reconnect without public eyes on you, and you want to keep it that way for as long as possible. However, it's been getting harder and harder to keep it a secret. It's exhausting always waiting for someone to talk to a news outlet or for one of you to slip up on social media or in an interview.

Joel planning a music video for "The Yellow Subway" has brought all those feelings to the forefront. He wants you to star in it, playing yourself, considering how the entire album is about you. He's even talked about paying you, ensuring it's union work, basically giving you any and every incentive possible to get you to do this. Still, you're hesitant. Ever since your last Shakespeare in the Park in New York, you've vowed never to work with another partner again. It's been seven years, and you know Joel would never do anything close to what your last boyfriend did, but there's still that fear.

"This could be how we tell everyone," he suggests. "Could be kinda cool." You take a deep breath and slide your hand from under Daisy's head to play with Joel's hair. He puts a hand on your hip, and his thumb kneads circles into the muscle. 

"I read the script." You admit quietly, and he raises his eyebrows.

"You did?" He asks, and you nod. "What'd ya think?"

"I thought it was familiar," you say, and he laughs. It's true. It's basically a visual retelling of your time in New York, and it wouldn't be hard to trace the timeline, lyrics, and story to you. The song is also named after the yellow Q Train you took from Hell's Kitchen back to the Upper East Side. "But I also thought it was really, really beautiful." 

"Yeah?" 

"Yeah." 

"So, what can I do to get you to do this?" He asks softly, adding a little more pressure to your hip, and you sigh. "A million dollars? A trip to Bora Bora? Sex every day for a year?" He lists, making you laugh. You occupy your mind by tucking a curl behind his ear and focusing on his touch.

"You really don't think going public will change anything between us?" You ask, and he sits up, agitating Daisy enough to make her get up and walk over to her bed. 

"Do you think it'll change anythin'?" 

"I don't know. We were public before, but that was different. It wasn't on our terms. We were literally forced to be seen out together," you shrug. "And I kinda like our little bubble. It's quiet. It's just for us. We've never had that before." You say, and he nods. You swing your legs over the edge of the couch and slide into his lap, your mind still whirring with thoughts as you straddle him. It's not that you don't want to share your love with the world. It's that the world got pieces of you before he did, and vice versa. But you also don't want to always be looking over your shoulder for sneaky paparazzi and nosy fans. If you're going to go public, you want it to be on your terms. 

"If you don't wanna do this, you don't have to. We can… keep our bubble for a little bit longer." Joel says as he kisses your cheek.

"But then you won't have an actor for your video."

"A little birdie told me there are a lot of actresses in Los Angeles lookin' for work," he teases. "I want you to feel safe and comfortable for as long as possible. If that means keepin' things quiet for a little while longer, that's fine. I just care about makin' sure you're happy." 

"How are you so perfect?" You ask, and he laughs.

"Could ask you the same thing," he deflects, locking his arms around your waist and pulling you to his chest. Daisy snores lightly from the corner of the room, but other than that, the only thing you can hear is his breathing and the ticking of his watch. Everything you see, feel, and smell is Joel. "I love you." He whispers.

"I love you, too." You whisper back as you push his too-long curls out of his face. Then, like time slowed down just for you, Joel brushes his lips against yours and kisses you. You think this is your favorite way to kiss him. So much of your early relationship was about how fast you could get through dates and obligations, and everything went by so quickly that you barely had a chance to catch your breath. Since you've been back, everything's been intentional and slow, like if things pick up too fast, too soon, this will disappear. Slow kisses, movie nights with the girls, pool days with Daisy, holding each other just because you can— all gone in the blink of an eye. You wish you could freeze those moments and replay them forever so you never forget what they looked and felt like. 

"Wait," you say, suddenly pulling away from Joel's lips. He furrows his eyebrows and pouts but doesn't say anything, so your thought doesn't run away. "I have an idea."

For the next three months, you and Joel spend time capturing those quiet, intentional moments of intimacy. He gets clips of you and the girls dancing in the kitchen to an ABBA song while cookies bake in the oven. You get clips of him strumming guitar by the fire pit in his backyard with your legs laid across his lap. At one point, Ellie even picked up the camera and got clips of you two working together to set up your Christmas tree, playing with Daisy in the backyard, and even watching the New Year's Eve fireworks from the balcony. It's a messy, complex, blurry snapshot of your lives, and it's perfect. 

A year to the day since you and Joel got back together, the music video for "The Yellow Subway" premieres as an anniversary present. It opens with Sarah's beautiful cursive handwriting announcing, "A year in the making." Then, as pieces of your shared life play, Joel sings the song he wrote when he thought he would never see you again, let alone get to hold you the way he does in many of the clips. You each post it to your Instagram with pride and only a little bit of (healthy) fear. You caption yours, "To the love of my life, thank you for being patient with me. I will always get coffee with you." Joel captions his, "You're my favorite secret. I love you, pretty girl."

Your posts blow up with comments, reposts, and likes, and the music video surpasses one million views overnight. Neither of you really cares about that. The only thing you care about is the fact that the entire world knows you're back together, and nothing has changed. You still fall asleep in his arms that night and make breakfast together in the morning. 

You're unsure what the next year of your lives will look like, but if it's anything close to you sliding Joel a cup of coffee while he cooks eggs for you and the girls, you think that's pretty damn good.

[nicomundthered]

To Be Hunted

pairing: Arthur Morgan x fem!reader

warnings: angst with happy ending, animal death briefly mentioned.

summary: from the prompt- Arthur teaching the reader (his girlfriend) to hunt.

word count: 5,217

a/n: repost from ao3.

Masterlist

It was late July, and hot as the fire Uncle just crudely pissed beside. Everyone sat miserably waiting for the scouting party to return. Dutch decided it was best to move camps, needing to be closer to some sort of wealth, so the ‘men of the camp’ were out searching for greener pastures. Or really just some place the gang had yet to tap dry.

You had been riding with said gang for the past eight months. 

After your life didn’t quite end up as you planned, you kinda stuck with the mindset of: this world is rough so you gotta be tough. 

Which really had already built you up too much. In truth you were found walking aimlessly in the Heartlands, after your horse had collapsed, dead. 

If it hadn't been for Arthur being kind enough to take you to the gang, who knows where you’d be by now. 

The fact was nobody gave damn about you, until he found you.

And you’ve enjoyed your stay for the most part. You had food, a place to sleep, and probably the most beneficial you had constant protection. However, you didn’t want to sound ungrateful or spoiled or anything, but Dutch was very protective of the ladies, and did not want them involved with much of anything. A little pickpocketing here, a little playing a damsel in distress there. But that was really it. 

As a general rule he wanted all of you doing the domestic work, while the men got their hands dirty.

He meant it nobly you supposed, but for a woman like yourself, it didn’t sit right. You missed doing things, and going places. Even if it were risky or out of your comfort zone. You just felt like you could do, and perhaps be more. 

That was all until you started going steady with Arthur. Then little, by little, you had picked up more responsibilities. Small, unimportant things if you looked at the big picture, but better than cleaning Bill’s soiled union suit.

You mainly helped steal livestock. Always late into the night, and always with Arthur by your side. And on the very rarest of occasions you’ve helped with some homestead robberies. They were a little more intense, and you could tell that they made Arthur a nervous wreck. 

He had given you one of his revolvers and had shown you all the basics, but you still weren't great. If practice makes perfect, then how the hell were supposed to learn?

Your thoughts were interrupted as you heard horses and laid your eyes on Arthur leading the group. His freshly cleaned blue shirt was brown with mud and his coat was missing. 

They hitched their horses, all looking very irritated, and seemed to be avoiding Arthur’s gaze.

“What the hell happened?” You called out while making your way to them, eyes worriedly searching Arthur for injuries. 

“Damn O’driscoll’s.” Arthur stormed past you infuriated. He made his way to his tent and threw his hat onto his bed. Then he kicked the side of his trunk while muttering all kinds of things, then sat down with his hands in his hair, and his elbows resting on his legs.

You were frozen to the spot, not sure what you should or shouldn't do. This was, for sure, uncharted territory. Arthur didn't lose his cool. 

Hosea walked up and stood beside you. “We were ambushed. Those damn Irish bastards somehow knew...If it hadn’t been for his quick thinkin’ I reckon we’d all be dead right about now.” He gently patted your shoulder and left you alone.

Your relationship was still pretty new. You’ve known that you’ve liked him since meeting him but it didn’t get serious until a few weeks ago. 

And boy did it get serious, fast.

At first he seemed reluctant. He liked you, but you had to keep convincing him that you wanted the relationship. And then, after some questioning, and maybe even an ultimatum, he had told you about Mary and the damage that she’d done...and then, then he told you about Isaac. 

You're not saying that you fully understood. You couldn’t, you had never had nor lost a child. But it helped you recognize and understand certain behaviors and tendencies of his. When he’d pull away from you, or why it took him so long to kiss you. Or, sometimes why he needed space. He was, at times, the most self loathing person that you'd ever met. It didn't necessarily hurt your relationship but it did make it, at times very challenging.

It happened the first time, a couple of days after he told you about his son. In a way, the confession freed him. He touched you more, albeit in private, but that was fine by you. 

Then he asked if you wanted to take a trip to Strawberry. 

You were excited, not having left camp in what felt like months. He bought you dinner, and offered to buy you a new outfit, but you declined. You hoped to soon earn your own money and buy your own clothes. He worked too hard for the gang to waste his money on a dress, when people in the camp were hungry.

He was anxious about something, and you weren't sure what it was until he nervously rubbed the back of his neck and stated that it was getting late, and that he could buy a room if you wanted.

You blushed and nodded ‘yes’ that you wanted to stay. He moved so quickly to pay that he almost tripped over his chair.

He grabbed your hand, his palm was uncharacteristically sweaty, and the other couldn’t stop fidgeting with his collar. As he led you up the stairs into the small yet cozy room. 

It was your first time sharing a bed and you were worried it would be awkward. Especially because of how different he was acting.

You both stripped down to your underclothes. He complimented you and told you how beautiful you were. You both got under the covers, you were too worried that you were somehow pressuring him into this. 

But in reality he was just waiting for you to make the next move. 

The room was cold and Arthur was warm, and before either of you knew it you were snuggled closely, drifting off to sleep.

You woke to the sun creeping in from around the dark drapes. Disoriented at first until you felt his strong arms holding you firm against his body. You turned slightly, just enough to look at his face.

He looked so peaceful, something you weren't used to seeing. Dutch was gonna work him to death. And that was the thought that urged you forward. You softly kissed his brow, and then placed one on either side of his slightly parted mouth.

His eyes opened slowly and when they locked with yours, he could no longer hold himself back. His mouth explored, and his full concentration was solely on you. 

The only way to describe that morning was, you, for the first time in your life felt complete. 

Ever since your trip to Strawberry your relationship was different. He had developed an appetite that only you could satisfy. He still wasn't keen on public affection, he just wasn't comfortable with all the wondering eyes. 

So you were the one that insisted on letting the camp know he was yours. It made you proud, and you knew that deep down Arthur was thankful for your boldness. So you’d grab his hand or reach up to kiss him anytime you felt that he needed it, or whenever you did, it didn't matter who it was in front of.

Though, you were still not sharing a tent. You wanted to, but didn’t want to push him into anything he wasn’t ready for. 

That was the imbalance of your relationship. He sometimes wouldn’t talk, and sometimes neither would you.

As you watched him sitting on his cot, you realized that for as long as you've known him, you couldn’t recall ever seeing him like this. You didn’t know what he needed, and you didn’t want to make the wrong move. He truly was fragile. More so than anyone knew, anyone but you.

You slowly walked over to him, his head still hung low. “Arthur, you ok?”

He looked up hesitantly, the untrained eye wouldn't have noticed, but you saw the extra moisture in his eyes.

He plastered on a fake half smile and said “Would you want to go hunting with me tomorrow?”

You were taken aback and felt your eyebrows pinch together. “Arthur?...”

You gasped as he suddenly reached forward and grabbed both of your hands. “I just really think we should go hunting.”

“O..ok. Whatever you want to do tomorrow sounds good to me.” You tried to smile, but you felt it fall flat. Something wasn't right, and you were more than worried about him.

He stood abruptly “Good, we’ll leave first thing in the morning.” He kissed you on the top of your head and pulled you into a fierce hug that almost winded you. Then as quick as it happened, he let go, and walked across the camp to Charles.

You couldn’t sleep. Anxiety found its place in your chest, your breath was short, and your heartbeat felt a few beats quicker. 

The hours ticked by slowly until the moon disappeared and the sun lit the sky a soft pink. 

You sensed his presence and heard his footsteps, before you heard him gently calling your name. You turned over slowly pretending you had just had a good night's sleep.

He looked fully prepared for the day. Hat and coat were already on, and you looked over to your horses only to see that they both were saddled and ready.

“You about ready to go?” 

You stood slowly, feeling probably how you looked, tired. When you studied his features from under the brim of his hat, you noticed that he didn’t look much better.

“Let me change and eat something.”

“Here.” He passed you a can of biscuits. 

You looked at him a little angry at his impatience.

“Stew ain’t done yet, and I want to get out of here before Miss Grimshaw gets mad at me for takin’ ya.”

You nodded accepting both the biscuits and the explanation. 

You wore your favorite outfit. It was a black buttoned up top with dark jeans that you liked to tuck into your black boots. It matched perfectly with your black hat that had a green ribbon around the base. You liked to call it your ‘outlaw’ uniform, because you always wore it when you were ‘outlawing’ (plus it made you feel badass), but Arthur hated that. 

He hated what he felt that he made you into one. He hadn’t though, you would have become one, one way or another, either that or died. It was truly inevitable. 

When you met him at your horses, he looked you up and down, a not so subtle frown on his face. He had grown to hate the outfit. It wasn’t that you didn't look great, it was the implications of it.

“I don’t want to hear it. I didn’t want to ruin any of my other clothes.”

He exhaled out of his nose and moved his horse forward, not even waiting for you to mount.

You stroked your horse lovingly, stuck one foot into the stirrups and then swung the other leg over until you were sitting high on his back.

You didn’t rush to catch up to Arthur. If he wanted to ride with you he’d have to slow down to your pace. You were gonna savor every second away from those annoying people you called your family. You weren't going to let his strange mood ruin your fun.

After a few minutes he seemed annoyed that you weren't beside him, so he turned around making a big circle and until you were riding alongside him.

It was then you noticed that he had two bows and what seemed like an excessive amount of arrows. You felt a thrill, more than a little excited to learn something new.

He led you to a spot not too far away from camp, maybe forty five minutes. And if you considered your slow pace, not far at all.

He offered to help you off of your horse, the first sign of your Arthur that you've seen in what felt like a long time. You accepted his hand as he helped you down. 

He smiled at you as his hands naturally found your hips. He looked like he wanted to say something but instead he reached behind him and handed you the bow. “Charles made this for ya.”

“For me?” You looked at the dark wood with little vine-like carvings. “Wow, it's so beautiful.” 

He swallowed thickly, and his eyes wandered not being able to look at you for too long. “You can thank him when we get back”.

“Oh I definitely will. I’ve always wanted my own bow.”

He looked back to you, the same strange expression on his handsome face.

“We’ll follow the sun a bit.” He pulled out his binoculars and looked ahead. “There’s always deer around these parts.”

“Should I be taking notes?” You were trying to poke fun to lighten the dark mood, but either he didn’t hear the humor in your voice, or maybe he didn't think it was funny.

“Nah, you've got a good memory.”

He then taught you how to hide your horses, but to never hitch them. That way they'd be able to come when you whistled. Which was very important when you had a large animal carcass. 

Then he led you, on foot, through some trees, until you came upon an area of dense brush. He crouched and you copied him. 

“Alright. Now I’m gonna teach you about tracking.”

You nodded like the diligent student you were. You liked ‘instructor’ Arthur. He was demanding and intense. It turned you on…

“You even listenin’ to me?”

You blushed and ducked your head. “Of course I am.”

“Then what did I just finish sayin’?” He stood, cocked his hips to the side, and then placed both hands on his gun belt.

You stood and tilted your head in an attempt of defiance.. “You were talkin’ about tracking.”

“What about it?”

After your long pause, he grew slightly frustrated. He took off his hat and pulled out his handkerchief to wipe his face and back of his neck. Then he messed with the fold of his hat before placing it back on his head.

He did the action to calm himself down. You suspected that it stopped him from fussing at you.

“Look, if you ain’t gonna take this seriously…”

“I want to learn.” 

“Ok then.” He went on to explain how to track, and all the things you could find that animals left behind. Fur, droppings, and all kinds of fun stuff like that.

After tracking for a few minutes, he found a trail. He expertly followed it, speaking lowly, but still giving you plenty of pointers along the way.

Then he looked back at you and brought one finger to his lips. You quietly caught up. There were five deer, spread far enough apart to see individually, peacefully grazing on grass.

He whispered so softly you could barely hear him. He explained how to pick the right one to kill. You wanted to make sure it wasn’t sick, or had a fawn nearby. 

He grabbed his bow, briefly showing you how to hold it, grabbed an arrow, and stood. Then he pulled the arrow back with his strong arm, gave a quick whistle, and when the deer looked up he let go. Killing the animal instantly.

The whole process was a bit sad to you. But the way that Arthur handled it, was the most humane way to do it. You needed to eat, the deer was food, and Arthur didn’t let it suffer.

You had never killed anything so seeing the animal laying there was a different experience. You ate animal every time you ate stew, and to eat stew someone had to do the exact thing you had just witnessed. 

It was something that you’d get better at, you’d already felt less squeamish the more you looked at the dead animal. 

“If we come across some more before it gets too late, I’ll teach you how to skin it, and the cleanest way to get its meat.”

Before you could protest the morbid idea, not quite trusting your adjusting stomach to go that far, he whistled loudly and after a few seconds you heard his horse galloping.

He took the arrow out, wiped the blood off, and placed the deer on the back of his horse. You went ahead and whistled for your horse as well, for some reason you wanted them to stay together. Then you both lead them to a secluded area, so you could continue your hunt.

“Ok, this next one is all you.” He gestured for you to take the lead.

You gulped. You had paid attention, you truly did. But having to remember things on the spot made you slightly nervous. That and the fact that Arthur wasn't himself. He was more intimidating and serious and that made you more than a little anxious. You didn't want to disappoint him.

At first you were doing great. After a few minutes of looking for droppings, you had found some, and that made the trail pretty clear. So you followed and followed, until you lost it completely.

He was positive and encouraged you. Afterall, this was your first time doing so. Frankly, he just seemed happy that you’d remembered some of his lessons. 

Then a couple of hours later, you had lost count on how many animal turds you had inspected, you had finally found a small herd.

You smiled back at him, and as he caught up looking at what you'd found, he briefly let a smile escape through whatever was going through his head.

“Now what?” You stood close to him and whispered.

He nodded to your bow, which you pulled out, and went a step ahead and retrieved an arrow as well.

He stood behind you, so close that you could feel his breath on the back of your neck. He gently placed your arms where they needed to go pressed his body firmly against yours, pulling the bow back. 

You held your breath as you felt his strong arms guide you, and when you felt his warm-calloused hands grip your hand and then your hip, you couldn’t help it, a little moan escaped as you looked up at him.

Unfortunately for you, this was at the same time he chose to release your arrow. It flew and fell a good ways away from the deer, causing the herd to disperse.

“Goddamnit!” He yelled.

You jumped at the unexpected outburst. 

“Why can’t you just pay attention!?” He threw your bow down and started walking the opposite way, back towards the horses.

You stood frozen for a moment, and tried to understand what had just happened. Then when you were over the initial shock you picked up your bow and followed.

When you caught up you walked backwards so that you were facing him. “What the hell was that Arthur?” You were angry and your voice let it show.

His brows were pinched tightly and the brim of his hat was pushed down lower than usual.

He ignored you, and continued walking with long strides.

“Hey.” He didn’t stop. 

“Hey!” You stopped in front of him, causing him to run into you before he looked up and stopped.

“What?” He had the nerve to grumble at you.

You took a deep breath and calmed down before speaking. “Look, I don’t know what's going on with you…”

“It’s nothin’.” He cut you off sharply.

“Well it's obviously something.” You took off your hat so he could see your expressions more clearly. “I know that I ain’t a natural or nothin’ but you don’t have to treat me like an idiot. This was my first time, and you know that.” 

“You were distracted. You weren’t even paying any attention.” His voice was harsh and absolute. His eyes avoided yours.

“Yeah that's cause this guy who i've been courting had his big strong arms on me.” You said in a southerbell voice, while fanning yourself with your hat dramatically. You regretted it immediately when he didn't even smirk.

“Look I’m not going to apologize that I'm attracted to you.” You took a step forward getting just in his space. “And when you put your hands on me, I think of all the things those hands have done and can do.”

“A lot of killing.” He murmured

“Yeah...that’s true. But that ain’t quite what I was thinkin’.” You stood on your toes and kissed him. 

It was the first time he hadn’t eagerly responded to one of your kisses, and an icey fear shot through your veins. 

You took a giant step back. It all made sense now. “Are you trying to break up with me?” Your voice sounded dead to your own ears.

That got his attention. His whole face crumbled, and your Arthur came back. He took off his hat so that you could see him as he could you. “God no. How could you even ask that?”

“Well you seemed to be pretty annoyed with me.”

“I...I ain’t annoyed.” He sighed and shook his head.

You placed your hands on your hips, and raised an eyebrow.

“I’m really not.”

“You could have fooled me.”

“It’s not an easy thing for me to explain.”

Your face cooled down and your hands dropped by your side. “It’s ok we got time.” You looked up at him pleadingly. “Talk to me, please.”

He took a deep breath and nodded his head. He knew that he had to come clean, but he wasn’t sure he could do it. He looked around for a comfortable spot. “Fine. Let's go sit under that tree.” 

He walked you over to a smooth boulder, under a big tree. You sat down side by side, thighs barely touching. 

He placed his hands in his lap, as his fingers played with a tear in his pants. 

You wanted him to speak first, no you needed him to speak first. Even though he said he wasn't ending things with you, it still felt like it. So you waited and waited, until he finally cleared his throat a few times and started to speak.

“Yesterday, when we was out lookin’ for a new camp.” He paused and worked his jaw a few times. “Everything was fine one minute. Bill was saying all these ignorant things and Hosea was schoolin’ him…” His eyes squinted at the memory. “And then out of nowhere, we were surrounded by O’driscoll’s.”

You laid your hand on his thigh, and without a second thought he grabbed a hold of it tightly. You felt a little less scared at the reassurance. His hand in your hand made the world feel right again.

“Dutch froze. He looked so shocked and angry. Like he couldn’t believe this was happenin’ to him.” His gaze was on the horizon, it looked as though he was reliving every detail.

“And then what happened?” You asked as your thumb rubbed circles on the back of his hand.

“He, he pulled out his guns and just started shootin’ em’.” 

Your eyes widened. “Without trying to talk to them first?”

He shook his head. “He didn’t even try.”

“That doesn't sound like Dutch.”

“No it doesn't.” He sighed heavily. “Everyone but Dutch ran for cover. He just stood there in the middle of the field. Guns blazing. He looked insane, I don’t think he even blinked. I told everyone to cover him, while Charles and I went around them and flanked the bastards.” 

“I’m glad at least you had a plan.” You said proudly. You knew that it wasn't important to him, but you always felt that he would make a good leader. He had something most leaders didn't, he actually cared about people.

He gave a humorless chuckle. “I suppose.”

“Why did you show up so dirty?”

“I came up on a group of them. I started shooting and then this sonofabitch tackled me from behind. We fell off of a small cliff and landed in mud.”

You panicked slightly. “You said you were ok.”

He turned, his piercing eyes stared straight into yours. “I’m fine...I know that we only fell for a few seconds but, but for the first time in my life...I was scared I was gonna die.”

“Cause he…”

“Cause I was afraid I couldn’t get back to you.” His eyes welled with tears and he quickly looked away in frustration. “Damnit, I’ve just never felt this way before, and I don't really know what i'm saying or how to say it.”

You sat quietly trying to take the confession in. Did you make him weak?

“...and if all of us would have died. What would have happened to y'all back at camp?”

“We would have figured something out.”

“None of you can even hunt.”

Then all the pieces fell into place, and the picture was clear. “Arthur I’m a grown woman..”

“And you're mine to look out for.” He squinted like he didn’t like how that sounded. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

“No you are right. I am yours. Always. But you don't have to always look out for me.” 

“I do though.” He turned fully towards you taking both your hands, reminding you of yesterday. “Look if I die out there, doing god knows what.”

You violently shook your head as tears welled up in your eyes.

“It, it could happen. And we both need to face them facts. If I were to not come back...I, I can’t die thinkin’ that you was left alone, not knowing how to defend yourself, or how to find food.” He leaned into your palm as you wiped a tear. “I ain’t strong enough for that. It scares the living shit out of me.”

He returned the favor and wiped some of your falling tears. “Don’t worry about me like that. I’d figure it out, you know I would.”

“I can’t help it. Leaving you would be the most difficult thing I’ve ever done, and knowing that I made you an outlaw. Knowin’ that you couldn’t find honest work, or an honest husband because of me...”

“It ain’t your fault. You saved me.”

He pulled you to him. Unable to continue. He just wanted to forget everything. 

The hug was fierce and you held on for dear life, and you heard him whisper, mostly to himself “and you saved me.” He was anchoring you at this very moment, without it you don’t think you would have been strong enough to stay upright.

“And I couldn’t help but think that I never would have gotten the chance.”

“What chance?” 

He pulled back so he could look at you. “To tell ya how much you mean to me.”

You smiled. “I would have known.”

“I love you.”

You smiled wide. Your whole body felt warm and your heartbeat quickened. “I love you too Arthur. So very much.”

He kissed you. It wasn’t gentle but it also wasn’t rough. A perfect balance. 

He kissed you until you felt his ridgid shoulders soften, and all the stress of yesterday disappear. 

He looked in your eyes and spoke softly. “I’m so lucky.”

“Make me a promise then, please.”

“Anything.” He responded resolutely.

“If you ever have something like that going on in your mind you talk to me. Ok?”

His eyes hardened a little.

“I’ve spent the last twenty four hours worried about you. I couldn’t sleep, I couldn't eat. I even left the biscuits you gave me back at camp. And if you would have just told me how serious this was to you I would have been a better student.”

He smiled. “You were a fine student. I was just a little impatient is all.”

“No I most certainly wasn't. I was far too distracted by the teacher. Even if he was a little impatient.” You winked playfully. 

He smirked.

You turned serious again. “Promise me. Please?”

“Alright I promise. But you have to know by now I ain’t an easy man to live with. Sometimes I bottle up and I’m not exactly sure why. And I'm definitely not used to being loved...It feels amazin’ don't get me wrong, I just ain’t used to.”

“Then I guess I got to work on you then.” 

Grinning at your playful tone, he started kissing you again.

It was much, much later before you both returned to camp. The sky was purple and stars were becoming visible. The campfire was blazing, and, thankfully, the night air was much cooler.

You brought back two deer carcasses. Mr. Pearson was very happy and began prepping them right away.

After dropping off the deer, Arthur grabbed a beer, while you walked over to your bedroll. You packed all of your stuff and just as you stood, Karen walked up with a knowing look about her. 

“And where do you think you're going?”

You stood proudly. “Arthur and I are sharing a cot.”

“About damn time.” She laughed while sashaying away, looking for trouble. 

On your way to his wagon you passed by Charles, who was carrying a load of firewood.

“Oh Charles, thank you so much for the bow. It is the most beautiful one i've ever seen.”

He smiled. “I’m glad you liked it. Arthur made me build it so fast I was worried I wouldn’t have time to add the details.”

“It’s perfect, honest. Thank you.”

“You are very welcome. Anytime you need something like that let me know. All I ask is to give me some time in advance.”

You chuckled. “Ok no problem.”

You made your way over to his wagon and paused while looking at all of his stuff. It wasn’t the first time you studied his pictures, but it was the first time you noticed Mary's was missing. 

At the start of a vulgar campfire song you looked over to your strange family. Arthur was probably on his second beer by now, and judging by the way he was enjoying himself it would be far from his last. 

You sat a few of your beloved trinkets down on the table next to his flower in a jar. Set a picture of your parents next to the one of his mother, and placed your bow next to his in the corner. Then you shoved the rest of your things, and your clothes under his cot. You’d have to get some storage of your own soon.

You stood back admiring your work. Everything of yours looked somehow better mingled with his.

Satisfied with how everything looked, you made your way over to the campfire. He saved you a seat, greeted you with a big slightly drunken smile, and offered you a fresh beer.

After a few bars and a few beers, you found yourself happily singing along.

----------

[neon-pink-skies]

Bakugou x Reader (Fluff) Quality time

It's fluff time folks with your favorite Boom boy, Bakugou! Basically, the reader and Bakugou decide to stay at the dorms and spend some quality time together as the evening goes by. This will be pure fluff and gender-neutral so I hope you guys enjoy it! Word count: 1,072

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It was a nice, warm Sunday with you and bakugou sitting on the couch of the common room in the UA dorms, watching a random show on one of the channels out of boredom. You were leaning on the armrest with a bigger cushion supporting you as bakugou was laying with his back on you, giving you the perfect opportunity to play with his soft blond hair mindlessly as you watched the show.

Both of you soon got slightly invested in the show the longer you guys watched it, when a longer ad was now playing, you both began to speak in union at the same time. ''Can you believe what that guy did?!'' You both looked at each other quietly for a second before bursting out in laughter.

His laughter was loud yet contagious as you both came to the brink of tears. Your laughter died down as you wiped the tears that had formed at your eye away and so did bakugou while setting his head back down carefully on your stomach looking up at you with a smug smile. ''Already crying out of laughter (Y/N)? weak.'' He chuckled as you hit him playfully on his arm earning another, louder chuckle from him and you smiled with the sun hitting your face just right.

Bakugou smiled to himself, admiring the pretty view of your glowing face and sparkling eyes as you looked down on him.

''Oh, come on you are no better!'' You corrected him as you looked at him with a slightly disapproving smile. He chuckled with a smug look on his face as he acted dumb, ''I don't know what you're talking about.'' The both of you continued to playfully bicker at each other while waiting for the show to continue but bakugou got different plans as the bickering turned into a little fight, with him provocating you by poking your sides or arms until you would do the same back to him. You got a little annoyed at him and started to wrestle him, causing you both to try to pin each other to the couch as your fighting got a little rough.

When you had him pinned you smiled in a proud and triumphing way. ''Ha, I got you now!''. But that smile got quickly replaced with one of surprise as he rolled both of you over and he pinned you now, admiring the view he had now. It was his turn now to have a proud look on his face, ''Don't talk too soon when you hadn't pinned me properly.'' You rolled your eyes at him pointing out your mistake and huffed. Bakugous face relaxed with a soft smile, ''You look really stunning right now, you know?'' You definitely weren't expecting that from him right now but smiled back at him, returning the compliment, ''Thank you, you do too'', as you both were just looking at each other in silence before he spoke up again.

''I know I am because I'm the most good-looking one in the whole school!'' He stated confidently with a smug look on his face as you laughed making him scoff with a smile.

''Are you gonna lay down now or what?''. You asked him and held your arms slightly out and up to him, wanting to continue to watch TV as the ads had stopped and the show continued.

He smirked and laid down on you without another word, wrapping his arms around your torso. You continued to play with his hair as you watched the show, a gentle smile appearing on his face when he felt the warm and soft touch.

You both soon stopped watching Tv and settled for just cuddling with you lying on him this time. He was already sleeping with a hand behind his head and the other placed gently on your back with a relaxed face. The sky turned into a beautiful orange tint as the sun set on the horizon, filling the room with an almost magical glow and making the simple moment more special to you.

His gold-like hair and flawless face were highlighted perfectly with a soft glow as he was asleep, making you admire how calm he looked now in contrast to when he was grimacing all the time with anger. You continued to admire him quietly before you also fell asleep him his arms. When some of your classmates came back later that evening, they couldn't believe what they saw in the living room and took a few pictures after they awwed at the both of you sleeping comfortably in each other's embrace. They quickly made their way to their rooms together as they knew bakugou would explode if he would find out they took pictures of the both of you. When it was morning you and bakugou had prepared breakfast for everyone as you guys were the first to wake up in the living room. You were sitting at the table with the others, next to bakugou as it was unusually quiet for everyone. Normally at least one would ask what lessons we had, that someone being kaminari as he has poor memory but even he didn't say anything. ''Okay, why is it so quiet? Everyone would be talking loudly by now.'' you pointed out as you drank (Fav/Drink) while looking suspiciously at everyone at the table as they avoided your gaze. Mina was the first to speak up out of everyone with a small smirk. ''We came home yesterday night and we found you and bakubae cuddling on the couch, wanna explain (Y/N)?''

You and bakugou froze for a second and your face turned red from the slight embarrassment of getting caught, while bakugou was on the brink of yelling and setting the whole table flying with his explosion.

When you noticed him getting that angry from Mina's sudden and bold question you simply put your hand on his shoulder so he wouldn't at least blow up the table. You cleared your throat before you answered her, ''I don't think there's anything to explain Mina.''

She and a few others were laughing or chuckling at your vague response before everyone slowly started to talk with each other, filling the room with a comfortable atmosphere instead of the awkward silence of earlier, glancing at Bakugou who was also looking at you with a smirk, making you smile in response and take another sip from your (Fav/Drink).

✦•······················•✦•······················•✦

Heyyy it's me again, just wanted to say thank you for reading and I hope you all like this fluff I wrote! I had a bit of trouble trying to write pure fluff but I think I did really well for my first time :D

[profeyandere]

𝐖𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐀𝐌 𝐂. ─── ☾ 𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐂 ²

ʟɪɴᴋꜱ ↪ ᴍᴀꜱᴛᴇʀʟɪꜱᴛ ↪ ᴘʀɪᴅᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴘʀᴇᴊᴜᴅɪᴄᴇ ᴍᴀꜱᴛᴇʀʟɪꜱᴛ ↪ ᴡᴀᴛᴛᴘᴀᴅ

ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏꜱ ↪ ᴡᴏʀᴅ ᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ: 3.4ᴋ ↪ ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ: ᴡɪʟʟɪᴀᴍ ᴄᴏʟʟɪɴꜱ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ

English is not my native language, so I apologize for any mistake and if you can help me improve it, I will greatly appreciate it. I hope you enjoy it :D

A small and lopsided smile delicately and angelically decorated your jovial face, showing something more in you than your usual seriousness or disgust for the company of others at social gatherings or parties of the people closest to you. Your heart, finally feeling happy and euphoric about the scene that was presented before you, did not stop beating against your fragile and warm chest, making you think at times that it was very likely that in a matter of minutes, you could faint due to lack of air or a heart attack. That last assumption was too extreme and exaggerated, and it almost made you laugh because of how imaginative you were and how melodramatic you could be, but it was inevitable to show that side of you that you had so hidden when you saw your dear brother wrapped in the arms of the woman he loved, finally enjoying the first dance they shared as husband and wife. The couple looked at each other with affection, which was obvious from the moment Fitzwilliam asked to woo Elizabeth, but now it was different. You could see with perfect clarity the love that one transmitted to the other with the elegant movements of their joined bodies, whether it was through their joined hands or the clash of their bodies when Darcy wanted to spin his current wife, and you could not stop to see those smiles. Your brother's pale, glued lips showed the happiness that was palpable in his person, perfectly completing his being with a touch that made him look more attractive and special than he already was, while your sister-in-law's bright and teasing smile shamelessly showed how happy and lucky she felt to finally be with the man she had worked so hard not to fall in love with. Watching them both, you knew that it was impossible to control the feelings that developed in those around you because the two of them were a clear sign that no one was capable of fighting what was in their hearts.

You weren't aware of it, and very few would be sure of it, but your eyes sparkled with emotion when you saw the small bubble that had engulfed the newlyweds, even if that detail seemed to be something quite minuscule compared to the perfect scene taking place in the center of the large ballroom, there was a person, a little man in a simple suit who kept his gaze fixed on your person. Before his eyes there was only something more beautiful than the union of the people who were enjoying the dance piece that formally made them a perfect couple, and that 'something' was you. Your face, your brilliant eyes that seemed clearer in the light of the candles and the lamps that decorated the room, and the beautiful light-colored dress that you were wearing at that moment made you look like a queen, a goddess, or an angel fallen from heaven to bless the whole world with your radiant beauty, as natural and graceful as that of a swan finally showing its wings as it takes off for its first flight. Mr. Collins had the happiness of being able to get to know you correctly, going to the house where you lived with your brothers to be able to share several afternoons with you, whether it was playing countless games of chess or the happy checkers with which he always beat you and giving long and leisurely walks in the great gardens of Pemberley, Derbyshire, as you searched for a way to establish a moment of peace and quiet to talk to each other without your younger sister's cheeky smile or your older brother's sharp, cold stare at Mr. Collins.

Those two relatives of yours were looking for a way to torment you once they found you alone in some room of the house. Ever since that conversation so far back in time that you had with Mr. Collins about his possible marriage, or future proposal for a hand, towards one of his cousins, he had given in to your wishes and had taken your advice as if they were orders that he really should follow as if he was a faithful servant of yours; Georgiana often teased you about it because, in her view, no man would have agreed to a woman talking to him that way and most likely would not have paid any attention to you, he was too likely to ignore your advice, but he took it and promptly denied his wish to marry one of his cousins because of the disgust you seemed to have shown at such an idea. You never mentioned or questioned him about why he had listened to you, what it was that had pushed him to ignore society's expectations and listen to you, specifically you of all the people in this world. On the one hand, he had had Lady Catherine, your aunt, behind his back, scandalously encouraging him to marry as soon as possible, and, on the other hand, he had found Mrs. Bennet, his cousin's wife and mother of the newlywed, who was constantly after him insisting that he marry one of her younger daughters, but it wasn't until he found you that he realized that his life did not have to be as two women wanted, no matter how much one wanted. One of them would have offered him so much help and was someone he truly appreciated and admired.

Your sincerity was what he needed to get out of that little hell, and it was what saved his cousin Elizabeth and the other girls from marrying him.

A wave of applause brought the clergyman out of his thoughts, who promptly joined the ovation as he joyfully congratulated the newly married couple who shared a little kiss as a sign of his deepest love and affection. Collins couldn't help but feel a slight pressure on his chest as he watched his cousin enjoy her husband's company, hoping deep inside that he might be as lucky as Elizabeth to woo Darcy and thus, try to show his affection towards you and charm you with his attentions.

"I thought that at some point you would be the one to take the step, Mr. Collins, but I see that you are still proud enough not to go over to talk to the person you are burning with your eyes."

Your voice, remarkably serious that contrasted perfectly with your mocking tone and the mischievous smile that you shamelessly showed, caused his body to begin to tense and become more and more rigid until he was completely stretched out in his position, almost becoming a little taller than you by a couple of centimeters. The cleric's mind began to race a mile a minute, trying to find an ingenious response to your simple words that, being as true as his affection for you, could show you how aware he was of your presence with him and that there was no been surprised.

"My apologies. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."

His tone of voice, slightly muffled, caused a soft laugh to escape from you, which quickly dissipated into the air and was barely heard thanks to the festive atmosphere around you, which was made even happier when some relatives and friends from both sides of the couple gathered on the large dance floor to enjoy the music.

"I accept your apology," you murmured, nodding gently in his direction. That statement made the man understand that his assumptions about your discomfort were correct. His face quickly showed a sad face at the thought that he had made you feel bad by looking at you, but you made sure of it in a few seconds and continued speaking to try to calm his afflicted heart. "If you wanted to talk to me, all you had to do was come over. I thought we were close enough that formalities were out of the question."

"Although that's true, I'm afraid to remember that we were in the company of your family and mine," he indicated, briefly lowering his gaze to his hands before placing them behind his back without realizing that your gaze full of surprise was fixed on him. "Furthermore, as a higher-ranking member of society, you should be the one to make me feel blissful in your presence."

You couldn't help it, your eyes moved by themselves, and you rolled them for a moment when you heard him.

"I hope you'll forgive my expression. What nonsense," you said while you shook your head softly, turning your gaze to him quickly with a slightly raised eyebrow. "Since when do you care so much about decency and society when we have shared afternoons in solitude, with no one else us? You have come to my house, as I have to yours, and we have enjoyed the solitude and the company of the other. Why is now different for you, if I may ask?"

Mr. Collins remained silent for several seconds, not knowing exactly what to answer because you were right. Ever since that surprise meeting at the party where he finally met you, he couldn't help but feel attracted to your ingenuity in knowing how to escape from situations in which you didn't feel comfortable, your rebellious attitude towards what society dictated, and the maturity that society had given him allowed him to see the fact that marrying just any woman would not bring him the happiness that every human being deserved. When he saw you, he could only think how lucky he was to be able to enjoy your company in the large garden of your brother's house while you talked about his progress with Lady Catherine and what he was getting with his work within the church, while that you only listened attentively. If you were similar to your brother in anything, apart from the serious face you used to show everyone around you, it was in your ability to listen attentively and carefully to others, soaking up their achievements and feeling proud of them, even advising them if possible.

When the man was ready to answer you, having finally managed to compose himself from your sudden question, he felt a strong pull on his wrist that led him to move towards the small dance floor where a large part of the bride's family was enjoying a party calm music, as well as lively, with the other wedding companions. Your little sister, your adored Georgiana, had arranged for your courageous and agreeable conversation partner to share a little piece with each of his cousins, dancing among them like a dizzy duck that doesn't quite know where to move; You couldn't help but feel bad for William, but the little laugh that escaped your lips wasn't something that went unnoticed by him. Just hearing from you more than your small voice in a clipped, authoritative tone was music to his ears.

"Dear sister, you are too mean," you spoke mockingly, losing sight of your partner.

"What's wrong with wanting your loving and shy boyfriend to share a room with his cousins?" She questioned in the same sarcastic tone, making you roll your eyes when you heard the title that Collins had acquired in your relative's mind. True, you two were pretty close, it was almost scary how well you knew each other, but he never seemed to take that kind of interest in you because if he did, why hadn't he already asked your permission to woo you?

"Georgina, it would be better for everyone if you stopped making such absurd ideas about my relationship with Mr. Collins."

The young little woman Darcy glanced at your perfect profile and how your eyes almost seemed to sparkle. Georgina was not a silly girl with the idea of getting married as soon as she got the chance, being the complete opposite of her sister-in-law's young sisters, but she was observant and quite like you in the more serious aspects of her current life and want to wait long enough to find, in his brother's case, his Elizabeth or, in your case, your Mr. Collins, but her assumptions couldn't be wrong, she refused. For her, in addition to Lizzie and her brother, the unique couple that you and the cleric made was quite pleasant since the male's submission together with your dominance caused the relationship to be quite balanced, in addition to your respective knowledge on various topics that interested the other made your conversations enjoyable and quite fluid, but what most managed to distinguish that possible affection that you had towards the man was in the brightness that your eyes had. Fitzwilliam and you had always been more serious than her because you were older since he had to be the perfect man and you the most educated damsel in the entire region, so you had learned to show only one side of yourselves, a little shell that seemed to crack little by little when Elizabeth and William respectively arrived, and the crack caused your eyes to shine like the brightest stars in the firmament and your hearts to open wide to the new experiences that the sun could bring you. love.

"Like I'm lying," she murmured gracefully, being subtly scolded by you with a little touch of your shoe against hers. "You can't say I'm lying, everyone knows it."

“It's not that simple, Georgina, and I don't think it's very appropriate for you to press the issue any further."

That blunt statement of yours went unnoticed by the young woman, who simply shook her head when she saw how stubborn you were. Many times she did not know who was worse, your brother or you.

Spotting Collins again among the great mess of people on the dance floor, you quickly made your way through several of the guests to reach him and move him away from the crowd, seeing his face completely flushed and slightly sweaty from his obligation not to decline any dance offer that he found with each step he took. You could almost laugh again when you saw how he was breathing but, as you had seen in him, it was not easy for him to have to have several conversations at the same time while having to try not to step on women's feet.

"Let's go outside, you need to give yourself some air," you murmured once you had managed to reach him, gesturing with your hand towards the nearest exit that would take you to the small garden outside the building where the party was taking place, allowing him to then to be able to breathe some fresh air and be able to calm their nerves while it was just the two of you.

Seeing Collins nod in agreement gave you the break you needed because you, like him, needed to get rid of the accumulation of emotions that you had felt throughout the day, even if you had not been the protagonist of that evening; Nor would it surprise you to see your brother looking for an outlet to relax before returning to attend to all the guests who demanded his attention. Your heart began to beat more strongly as the minutes passed, while you were alone again in a comfortable silence, going out to the aforementioned garden, allowing you to observe with intensity some of the small flowers that had been taken care of for the very special occasion that was happening that day and enjoy the warm and soft breeze that enveloped you that summer night. Your breathing was not agitated, but you felt on the verge of a mental collapse as you stopped by Mr. Collins's side when he felt far enough from the building and comfortable enough that he could breathe easy and regain his relaxed, placid countenance.

Somehow you couldn't help but think about your sister's words and, therefore, your relationship with the cleric to your right. As one of the women belonging to the Darcy family, London, and the whole world hoped that tomorrow you would be engaged to a man of equal or greater social status to your own, not to a mere clergyman who depended on your aunt to take whatever decision regarding his life; Of course, he was faithful to it, you just had to remember how he used to talk about you the first times you shared a snack at her house, but you made him understand that only he could and should decide who he should marry or when to do it. The only thing you were trying to show him was that he shouldn't be after a woman who told him how to make his life, which you achieved after much persistence and after showing him other pleasures that were deprived of him because of your aunt. You could not aspire to marry Collins, but rather a friend of your brother's or some other bourgeois or marquis your aunt approved of, but your heart seemed complete only when your eyes turned to that man who had seemed so strange to you when you met him. You met your mind only thought of a man when the subject of marriage was mentioned by your aunt and only a name escaped from your lips while you dreamed of the day you would get married. There was only one man in your life who could make you happy, and he was in front of you, as clear as it had been to your sister from the beginning.

"Looks like you needed a moment too," Collins mentioned, drawing your attention. "Don't get me wrong, I just want to point out that you seemed a little out of sorts."

"There's something that bothers me, but it's not important," you commented without giving too much information, seeing the question look that Collins had, making you sigh and knowing that at some point you would have to mention it. "Would you risk everything you have if you believe you truly love a person? Just like my brother did for your cousin."

Mr. Collins seemed to think about it for a couple of seconds, at least that's what you supposed when you saw his frown.

"Well, I suppose so," the cleric replied, making you nod gently at his words. "It's complicated, I guess. Is it good to take a risk? It's possible. Up to what point? Don't know."

"I could lose everything for him," you said quickly, surprising him with that sincere statement. "He is not what my aunt would want for me. He is very different from what she would expect, and all she would do is give him a heart attack as she knew, and that fact came true."

Mr. Collins couldn't help but look at you curiously, wanting to know more about that stranger who was your lover, but also afraid of what he had wanted so much to never come true.

"Your brother did it, you can always lean on him."

Your gaze strayed back to him before turning your gaze forward, being able to make out on the horizon the large whitish ball that had appeared a few minutes ago. Everything seemed to be going in your favor, even if your respective doubts and fear were afloat and in some way had shown themselves over the months when you met, but one of the two had to take the step and, as happened before and in several times, it had to be you.

Your delicate hand, which was then intertwined with the other, slowly slid and touched one of his fingers, surprising him with the sudden touch, but which he did not reject. Your hand managed to wrap around his with an elegant movement and, as soon as you knew it, he had wrapped yours with his; With a simple handshake, you both felt how your hearts became one that full moon night, and it was when all your fears seemed to vanish with the breeze of that summer night.

[tharkflark1]

Now that I’ve completely caught up on KH (and even played most of em), I think I can finally give my reviews on each game in the series! Then I’ll rank em at the end!

I only got into the series about a year ago and I love it to bits! So this will be from the perspective of someone who never rlly played it as a kid nor had heard of it until recently. ^^ however it should be known that knew the the entire KH plot line before playing them outright.

KH1 - The only KH game I’d played before I truly knew what it was. I remember seeing it and playing a bit of it in elementary school cuz some friends had it, but I never knew what was going on so I never finished any of the worlds ^^’.

It’s definitely the hardest game out of the bunch. Not because of anything it does but simply it’s just so barebones in terms of battling compared to future games in the series. That’s not to say it’s not fun tho: probs my favorite time grinding for synthesis items. I’d say this game is my fav grinding experience. Plus Cure not taking up ur entire health bar helps KSNDKSNSKS

As for story: A great way to start off the series. You get introduced to your main guy, your little meow wow: Sora. And then there’s his jealous gay best friend, Riku. And probably my fav version of so far and pretty snarky girl best friend, Kairi. This game is pretty good on its own in terms of story but it really shines in how it influences all the other games in the series. I’d say playing through all the other games made me appreciate it so much more as well as create a baseline of “innocence” for the Destiny Trio to fall back on and acknowledge. And DI is just a beautiful place in general, rlly want to explore it freely someday.

My only real gripe is that Ansem SOD, tho mentioned throughout the game, is not overly built upon as a final antagonist. Maleficent, I feel, is much more satisfying to finally fight and defeat because she’s been messing with Riku’s head and planting Heartless everywhere with her other bad guy friends. Ansem SOD’s final fight is on Destiny Islands tho so he gets some bonus points.

KH Re:CoM - Truthfully, I haven’t finished it but I’m at Marluxia’s final fight, and I feel like I can talk about the gameplay in general.

The card system is a huge obstacle to get around at first, but once you get the hang of it it’s actually quite enjoyable! Finding out new ways to defeat ur enemies almost instantaneously plus needing to solve ur way out of bosses is so much fun! I could probably spend my days just grinding in that game

Story wise, the push off for this wild story as a whole. It’s this eye opening “oh shit this was going on the background of KH1 the whole time???” Kind of feel. Naminé and Repliku are great. You get introduced to Axel, Larxene, Marluxia, Vexen, Zexion, and Lexaeus… only for all except for Axel to parish, and Sora to forget he ever did that in the first place skdbdjdbs

Riku’s character arc also starts here, and his and Mickey’s friendship is rlly sweet. And it rlly shows that Sora’s opinion of Riku is rlly important to Riku. It’s just all rlly insightful to what exactly started KH1 and everything else.

I probably sound like everyone else when I say that the only thing holding this game back is the vastly different gameplay. I think I’d love to see someone recreate CoM but as a normal KH game

KH2 - The longest one. Only because like, you have to go through each and every world twice (sometimes 3 times) over, and it has the largest amount of any worlds in any KH game. Grinded to level 99 and have barely attempted the super bosses ;0; Also, Lingering Will’s Portal never showed up so I have to beat the game again >:/

Gameplay’s pretty fun! It’s your normal KH almost button-mash style. The gummiship is a lot of fun too, but still more tedious than anything. The infamous Drive forms make their appearance, and they’re pretty swell. My fav probs ended up being Limit and Anti form, but Anti form is random so ;-;. He hang by him foot I don’t know how you couldn’t not love him. Easiest time getting ultima weapon here.

A great villain cast. All of them have such interesting personalities (especially once I got to Days) and designs. They make you wonder who and what they are. Why they’re doing all of this. Honestly, I can’t pick a favorite. This game does a surprisingly good job at letting you kinda get to know each Org person ur fighting before you defeat them. It’s wild.

Holy shit Roxas. Nomura just hands you this wonderful lad before he kills him 2 hours later. It’s same with Axel (if you hadn’t experienced CoM before this). Dude is just trying to get his adopted son back, but he eventually realizes there’s no point and sacrifices himself to save Sora. It’s pretty touching (especially, again, after Days). The game is rlly the one that gets you feeling. Riku’s being a dumb-dumb through out this game, but he’s still a wise ass and it’s pretty great. Kairi, uh, Kairi’s pretty cool in the manga. I feel like neither explain when and how Naminè merged back with Kairi before they shake hands at the end of the game.

My gripes. I was told by a lot of people that this was the best KH game, but I’ll have to disagree. The way I would explain this game is just, tedious. There’s practically nothing happening inbetween Sora waking up and major plot point areas. You’re forced to got through almost every world twice. Leveling up drive forms gets specific and almost annoying (unless you know a glitch to get around the form level part. Which I had to look up). Even with this story, I’m just supposed to accept that Roxas and Naminè can never be their own people again? Like, I get that it’s supposed to be bittersweet but it’s played so oddly. I dunno, I can’t rlly explain it.

I know some peeps have said that the games stopped being good after KH2/Days and should have stopped, but I’ll have to wholeheartedly disagree. Though it has its satisfying moments, I don’t think I would have enjoyed the series as much as I did if it just, stopped there. This is probably my least favorite entry.

348/2 Days - I didn’t play it but I watched someone play it AND I watched the cutscenes.

The Tetris system seems fun! I do have a DS so I hope to play it some day. I will say, when Nomura and friends have to make the gameplay different to work on a different console, they rlly make it work. I’ll be more in-depth on this when we get to BBS. Also I love that each character has joke weapons. Amazing.

The story alone makes me wonder why CoM was remade but not Days. I would have KILLED to see Lexaeus back hand Roxas or the “Roxas, that’s a stick” line fully animated. It’s a playable tragedy where no-one wins in the end. Xion is forgotten. Roxas loses his memories of the past year. And Axel loses both of the kids he cared about sm. The lights of his life while in the Org. It rlly makes Axel’s actions all that more heartbreaking in KH2. But, I do not recommend doing Days before KH2 as Days spoils some plot points in KH2.

Again, I would love to actually play it someday. So I don’t have much gripes. Maybe I’ll update this more when I finally do.

KH: BBS - My favorite. Also the first one I actually saw someone play. You play as 3 different characters with 3 different play styles and it forces you to compensate. And it has the melding system. I will get to the melding system.

Story is one of my favs and introduces a whole new trio: Some parents and their adopted son LMAO. Plus you have old man Xehanort and Eraqus and the Unversed (I want a flood plush so BAD), and a new addition to the Heart Hotel: Vanitas. He’s such a little gremlin but also a blast to fight. Especially as Aqua. His attitude kinda reminds me of Larxene, and he’s a breath of fresh air in terms of personality. He bounces off the optimism of the protags rlly well. Love him <3

This is probably my fav trio? They are, the best. We have girlboss Aqua and her himbo husband Terra. And the saddest boy to ever live, Ventus. I’d kill for all of them. And like, it has baby Destiny Trio and young Saixel like, how much more could u want???

The gameplay is the best out of the bunch. I love the melding system. I love having the command deck. Shotlocks??? Stupendous. I played this one on Critical first, so I’m not sure how much I can talk about in terms of difficulty, but it was challenging enough to let me rlly enjoy the gameplay itself. And with playing through it practically 3 times over: it rlly helps u nail down the specifics.

My gripes are few but common amongst other peeps. I do wish we could have seen more of the trio’s friendship. Like Ventus and Aqua being friends more often would have been cool. Honestly just, more Aqua hanging out with them. And there’s no, recipe for melding stuff so you have to either guess or look up online how to get the best commands.

Other than that: ( Shakes this game in front of ur face like a pack of saltines) play ittttt

KH:ReCoded - Same as Days: watched the cutscenes and someone play it. It’s about this little dude who doesn’t know what the FUCK is going on but he’s there to help I guess?

Again, I can’t say much of the gameplay but it looks fun! Similar to Days but it’s more circuit board-esque. Love to play it someday for real!

Story: tbh it’s kinda lack luster but it REALLY gets you used to the concept of data worlds and how they work. Plus it introduces the Book of Prophecies and what the hell Maleficent is doin.

Data Soriku my beloveds <3 They are like, if Riku realized he was gay rlly early on and everything didnt get swallowed up by darkness. Wonderful. I hope to see them again :( Also what was up with Sora’s heartless evolving into a Darkside. Is that foreshadowing??? Should I be scared for my son o-o’’

Don’t skip it! Plz it’s actually quite good and both Data Sora and Data Riku are wonderful characters.

DDD - The gay one. Holy shit. Riku you poetic gay I’m going to put you back into the closet myself

Story: A really great way to focus on two different characters in different way — Sora’s being about his Heart Hotel and Riku’s being about his internal struggles. The concept of dream worlds are introduced here and while I’m still very 🤔 about it, theyre very interesting. This game rlly shines in how it writes Riku and is more focused on him as a whole. He’s pretty much the main protag of this game and his goal to find himself and Sora.

Gameplay: they got rid of the melding system :( but the Dream Eaters are super cool! It plays very similar to BBS but no shotlocks but it also has ✨Flowmotion✨. I love just launching myself into space with it. I also love naming my dream eaters and hanging out with them.

Gripes: Commantis. That’s it. That’s my gripe. It makes me wanna never play the game again. It’s such an insanely hard boss and for no reason!

0.2 - Short but does a brief character study on Aqua while she’s stuck in the realm of Darkness. Also the official KH dress up game.

Story: More a character study and a demo for KH3 than a whole game. Aqua’s thoughts and feelings on what she’s done, and she’s clearly got depression or something. I need her to be hugged and loved STAT. Also I’ll beat Yen Sid and Rickey Rat with my bare hands ☺️

Gameplay: You can complete it in a couple hours depending on how slow u are or if you wanna get all the outfits. Rlly wish they could have kept even a little of the dress up options going into KH3 but oh well. It’s weirdly laggy at points but I do LOVE the mirror puzzles. Again, more things I wish were in KH3.

Gripes: I don’t rlly, have any? It’s a good warm up going into KH3 with situation commands and everything. Some of the outfit challenges are fuckin WILD tho. Like you gotta defeat a certain boss with a finisher or not take damage during boss fights. Fuckin WILD

Great warm up game! Wish it was longer tho :(

KH3 - the big boye. The largest lad. The first game I ever actually paid attention to and actually caught my interest.

Story: It has KH2's problem i feel with everything at the start and end being important and then dying down in the middle. But I feel it does WAY better than Kh2. Nothing feels overly tedious and all the worlds and characters are a delight. One of my fav versions of Sora where he's still the happy-go-lucky son boy but theres some underlying sadness to him that accumulates until he breaks towards the end. It's great characterization for Sora, and I can't wait to see what Nomura has in store for him.

Also we get to save everyone and every time we watch Terra burst into tears I start crying. And the the Sea Salt Trio hugging ;0; Honestly? The end of this phase of KH is such a breath of fresh air. I’ve seen some peeps say that Roxas and Xion coming back demeans their sacrifices, and while I get that, I feel like the story of KH pushed so hard that Sora wanted them to be real again that them not coming back would have felt empty. Also KH as a whole puts this “everyone deserves a chance at life” thing out there and it makes me cry.

Gameplay: there is,,, so much. And all of it rocks. But keyblade transformations have to be my fav. Oh and Rage form; my little scrunkly <3. The game makes each keyblade viable and fun and it’s just so good. And they even made the Gummiship fun!! Say what you want about the story but holy shit this game is just a delight to play. I have yet to test Critical mode but I’m so ready. I’m gonna get Oblivion so badddd.

As for the Superbosses: fun. I can’t just keep saying that word over and over again but there’s rlly no other word to describe it! I’ve only done 3 so far (funniest defeat being Vanitas who got crushed by Meow Wow ass) and can’t wait to do the rest (I fear Yozora tho >_>’)

But I’m the best at cooking! That egg breaking mini game is my fav <3

Gripes: The DLC paywall probs. Kinda annoying but not the worst thing in the world. And like I said before, pacing’s rlly odd. But def a solid 9/10.

Melody of Memory: the rhythm game

Another one of those “if you don’t like the gameplay it’s rlly not worth buying” but I’m a HUGE fan of rhythm games. So I love it.

Rlly recommend getting headphones to play it. Also if ur having trouble hitting the notes you can adjust the timing in config!

Love that we got a 7 sec update this year for it and it was just Ienzo, Even, and Ansem freaking out over static KSJDKSNSK

Gripes: none rlly. Everything is enjoyably challenging. Not a whole lot of plot stuff tho. Very bare bones in terms of lore

Final ranking (from least to most fav)

KH2 -> CoM -> Days = Re:Coded -> 0.2 = DDD -> KH1 -> MoM -> KH3 = KH: BBS

[thebadboyfanclub]

You Bled For Them, You Decide Pt.2 (Daemon x Reader)

So a lot of people requested a part two of this and had some requests on what should it be about, the stakes were high so I hope I did not disappoint you. Enjoy!

Part one

(Y/n) was not a fool, she was sure that the second she steps foot in Targaryen ground all eyes would be on her, the mystery woman that managed to tame the rogue prince. She despised that nickname, (y/n)s opinion was that her dear husband had simply leaned towards violence to make up for the pain he had felt, Daemon was a passionate man which meant he loved as deeply as he hated, she knew Daemon would burn the seven kingdoms to ensure that their family is safe, he was a man of honour.

“Do you truly believe a character like prince Daemon has settled?”

“It certainly looks like it, he hasn’t stepped away from her and the children for longer than a minute”

“The children… well at least with this union no one can question their true parentage”

Otto whispered the last part only for his daughter queen Alicent to hear. Everyone was at awe how none of the kids had inherited their mothers features except small details,(y/n) adored the fact that they looked like the father, she was unaware what a big role on their safety that played.

“I believe we must introduce ourselves, would be interesting”

Alicent suggested while her father hummed in agreement, in almost complete unison they began to walk towards the couple that was pre occupied with the king.

“Alicent and Otto, to what do we owe the pleasure?”

Daemon questioned ironically, (y/n)s eyebrow was raised in confusion as she looked up at him for clues about the sudden change on his demeanour.

“Prince Daemon, it’s been so long since we last saw you, you were newly widowed at the time”

“Widowed?”

(Y/n) never pressured Daemon to speak of his past, he revealed what he wished while he laid on her chest and let her to brush his silver hair with her fingers. Daemons eyes squinted at the smart remark Lord Otto had thrown at him, he was looking for a way to cause a problems in his marriage.

“Your lady wife seems oblivious to the fact that you were wed prior”

Alicent noticed, (y/n) tried to keep her composure and patiently wait until they are alone to question her husband. Daemon was ready for war, they were pushing the boundaries in order to get what they want, to destroy what he worked so hard for and he wasn’t going to stand for it.

“I was forced into a marriage for alliance that is correct, (y/n) is my first true match, I thank the Gods for sending her to me every morrow”

Daemon was being genuine, his lady wife had been a miracle, the Gods took pity on him and showed him what it is like to have a reason to come back from battle alive. Daemon took his (y/n)s hand in his to place a kiss on her knuckles, (y/n) smiled even though her mind had stored the new information for another time, it wouldn’t be wise to pick a fight while attending a funeral.

“Such tender words, I am glad you have left your infatuation with princess Rhaenyra behind you”

The sentence that was spoken from the Queens lips made (y/n)s blood ran cold, the woman that she had just been introduced to had an affair with Daemon? It could not be, she was a married woman, the daughter of his own brother, “no that wouldn’t stop him, he is a Targaryen” she thought as her hands started to shake from anger. Thankfully her eldest daughter cut the conversation short before push came to shove and (y/n) showed her temper, the girl was panting while her cheeks were severely blushed from running around, she hadn’t been this blissful in weeks.

“Mother, can me and Aemond go play in the shore?”

“Aemond?!”

Daemon exclaimed, earning a side eye from everyone, if he had it his way his children would never play along side Alicents children, maybe little Heleana would be an exception but that would be it, especially when it came to his precious daughters he hated when they would be boys around them, even worst if they were hightowers.

(Y/n) did not spare a look at her lord husband, she simply tucked away a few strands of hair that seemed to stick on the young girls sweaty forehead and smiled lovingly, Alyssa was in much need of a companion, she loved her siblings but she would always have to take care of them.

“Of course my little deer, better yet I’ll come with you. I would love to meet your new friend Aemond”

-

(Y/n) had managed to discreetly slip away from everyone, she found joy at watching her daughter play carelessly with her new friend, the timid Aemond that barely raised his gaze to (y/n) when introduced, still he ran with Alyssa around the shore as they had both taken their shoes off and splashed in the water.

(y/n) could stay like this together, away from everyone with her family while they enjoyed the simple things life had to offer, it’s what her and Daemon had in common, although she could identify that Daemon had missed his brother, perhaps he missed princess Rhaenyra as well.

“Come along sweetlings, it’s getting dark”

“Mother please just a few more minutes”

“Fine, I will make sure your siblings are sleeping and then I will come back to escort you”

“Thank you lady (y/n)”

Aemond replied with the utmost respect. (Y/n) simply smiled as she turned her back on the children, with the assistance of a kind knight she was guided to the room (y/n), Daemon and little Johanna would occupy for the night, she had already peeked inside the other rooms for her children to find the sleeping peacefully.

To her misfortune she never had great memory when it came to directions, getting lost by turning left instead of right or was it right instead of left? She cursed under her breath for not looking around for clues when she had the chance.

“I need you uncle, I cannot fight them alone”

“You know I would support you if war occurred Rhaenyra”

The voices that reached her ears made her come to a halt, her back found the cold wall to rest so she can listen to her husbands conversation with the princess, she had put on such a brave fight to forget what was said about their affair before (y/n) came to his life, excusing it as a spur of a moment and feelings long forgotten, now there she was hiding in the dark to catch them whispering.

“I do not need you as a soldier Daemon, i want us to bind our blood”

“Rhaenyra”

“Do you love her?”

Tears welled up in (y/n)s eyes, this could not be. He brought to his homeland just to embarrass her? To parade his children and leave (y/n) in the dust? Did she marry such a cruel man? She felt like her heart was going to come out her throat at the sound of those words.

“More than life itself”

“So my love for you meant nothing?”

“You were a child Rhaenyra, we both made mistakes”

“You did not love me?”

“Of course I did”

“My love?”

(Y/n) came out of her hiding spot, she wasn’t going to let the princess sway her husbands words, Daemon had declared his love and the princess did not want to give up, she was toying with (y/n)s wedlock like the life of her and her children including the pain this will cause meant nothing.

Daemon focused on his wife, smiling at the sight of her, Rhaenyra turned to face her as well, Daemon could see that (y/n) heard everything, he identified the fire of fury in her eyes, she appeared with reason.

“Where are the children my dear?”

“Alyssa is playing with Aemond, I will go to collect them now but I have seem to get lost within the castle”

“I shall escort you then, excuse me princess Rhaenyra”

Daemon took (y/n)s hand in his as they left Rhaenyra in shambles, he left her for (y/n), his morals did not buckle at the slightest, not even for Rhaenyra.

As they turned the corner (y/n) took off her polite mask, her hand gripped on to his as she held him back from walking even further, Daemon felt his heart skip a beat at the fact that (y/n) was clearly upset. He did not prepare her correctly for this visit, he should have known that the greens would try to tear them apart.

“A wife? An affair? With your own niece at that”

“All before I met you my love”

“That’s not my point, I looked like a fool in front of everyone. Here I am, your wife that did knew nothing of these acts of yours, we are a union and we appeared weak against the hawks eye”

Daemon had guessed she would be frustrated about the acts, he couldn’t be more wrong. (Y/n) had heard of tales about her husband, his thirst over women, she only cared about how she appeared like their union was fickle, that they were secrets between them.

Daemon let out a breath before he took (y/n) for a hug, she did not respond immediately but gave in to wrapping her arms around him after a moment.

“I apologise my love, I will fix it”

“You better or you will have to start looking for a third wife”

Haste heavy steps pulled them apart from one another, curiosity taking over them as they waited for the person to appear. A knight stood before them, clearly stressed, (y/n)s heart clenched tight.

“The kids”

“Your children are alright however you must follow me”

The couple ran to wherever the knight guided them, (y/n) was the first to burst in the room, Alyssa stood next to her friend Aemond who was getting stitched up in the eye. (Y/n) skipped over to her and instantly started looking for wounds, Daemon took in the room as everyone gathered, Baela and Rhaena crying in their grandmothers arms and Lucerys had a nose bleed as he was also crying.

“I am unharmed mother”

“What happened? I told you to be careful with Aemond”

“It wasn’t my fault, Aemond claimed a dragon so we went for a flight when we got ambushed by the others that claimed Vhagar was meant for Rhaena and I… mother I swear I tried to defend Aemond, it was four against two”

“It’s alright my dear, you did your best”

Alyssa spoke honestly, Jacaerys had restrained her when the others attacked Aemond, everything happened so fast she did not have time to process what to do, she did everything she could to defend Aemond, now he had lost his eye.

(Y/n) hugged her daughter tightly, thanking the Gods for sparing her daughter from harm. Everyone was occupied with blaming one another to notice (y/n) wince from pain, her labour had started, she had been through this multiple times she had knowledge of the pains starting early, it was not the time to focus on that as of yet.

“It was my sons that were attacked and forced to defend themselves, vile accusations were spoke from prince Aemond”

“No he did not”

“Alyssa”

“No mother they attacked him”

“He held a rock”

“After you started beating him and then you took a knife out you meant to kill him”

Alyssa was furious, she had seen everything and was appalled by such hostile behaviour especially within family members. Alyssa had grown into an environment that love and respect was shown to everyone, to be met with such hatred was a new found grown for the young girl, Daemon smirked at her daughter fighting against princess Rhaenyra and cutting her off before she could finish, Alyssa had a backbone stronger than any child her age.

“My king this is the highest of treachery and since the girl wants to take prince Aemonds side I ask both of them to be questioned for their treason”

“my child nor any will be questioned like they are criminals, I would have hoped for a woman of such high rank to have some respect for a child that has been permanently scarred from your own kin”

“Are you accusing me of something lady (y/n)?”

“I am defending what’s right which is what my daughter did as well, you are protecting your own and so will I”

“Enough!”

The king intervened. Daemon tried to bring (y/n) back from her anger by placing a hand on her shoulder, truly he did not want to do it still he worried over how heavily pregnant wife, she should not feel any type of uneasiness at such delicate state.

He was certain (y/n) could stand her ground and defend their family better than anyone, a side of him relished it when (y/n) pushed back at others and protected their children, her fire and quick tongue was his favourite things about her.

“Lady (y/n) is right, princess Alyssa has done nothing wrong”

“She stood against the heir”

“She defended her friend, titles don’t mean shit to our family pri- ow”

She could not hold back any longer, she felt liquid ran against her leg as the pain similar to knife cutting her belly made her lose her cool. Daemon was quick on his feet as (y/n) put her hands on her knees to hold herself up against the pain, daemon wrapped his hands around his wife to help her up, worry written all over his face.

“What is it my love?”

“My labours started”

“Maester-“

“No maesters, take me to my room now”

She interrupted the queen, everyone stood still not knowing what to do next. Alyssa stood next to her mother so she can rub her belly to soothe the pain, she had been present at the birth of her siblings for as long as she remembered, it was almost muscle memory now.

“Lady (y/n) I promise you i am very experienced with delivering babes for the royal-”

“Oh Fuck off will you? I said no fucking maesters, Daemon please hurry or I will push this babe out for your entire family to see”

“As you wish my love”

In one swift motion Daemon swooped (y/n) from her feet to rush her to the privacy of their own room, Alyssa followed quickly with queen Alicent, the Maester and princess Rhaenyra hot on their trail, as they were all amazed by (y/n)s resilience they wanted to witness the woman giving birth on her own, as (y/n) breathed heavy she leaned her head on her husbands shoulder.

“This is going to be a quick one”

(Y/n) could time her pains growing stronger at such short period of time, her babe was rushing to come out to the point (y/n) did not think she would make it to her room.

Fortunately she was wrong, as Daemon kicked the door open to quickly lay (y/n) in the bed Alyssa sat behind her mother to help her sit up while the mothers back laid against her daughters chest. Alyssa admired her mothers strength more than anything, she viewed (y/n) as the strongest person alive and loved that she was allowed to be included to the birth of her siblings, secretly scheming to follow the tradition of a private birth.

“Everyone out”

“The maester should stay in case of any assistance-“

“Daemon I can feel the head”

(Y/n) screamed from the pain, roaring her babe out that did not wait for anyone or anything. The family quickly forgot the presence of outsiders as they supported (y/n) for her birth, (y/n) held her daughter with one hand as Daemon lifted his wives dress to help her with any way he can.

“Almost there (y/n), give it one strong push and you will hold our babe in your arms”

He encouraged her while Alyssa stroked her mothers hair with her free hand. The trio that stood a few meters away were like statues, the queen was deeply moved by the love that lingered in the room and Alicent clenched the charm of the seven that hang from her neck, her children’s birth so strongly connected with the people in the room, the family had a bond that was rare in this world.

Soon enough cries of the babe echoed in the room as everyone in unison let out a breath of relief, (y/n)s lips curved to a triumph smiled as she saw her babe for the first time, Alyssa kissed her mothers forehead as encouragement for a job well done, amazed at the view of another sibling brought to life.

“Praise the mother”

Alicent spoke as she was the first to approach (y/n) who stretched her arms to hold the baby, tears appeared on everyone’s cheeks except the maesters and the only thing you could hear was the cries of a newborn babe, what a magical sound that was to a mothers ears.

“A princess is born to driftmark, Maester let everyone know (y/n) delivered her babe”

Rhaenyra instructed, she internally admitted defeat since there was nothing she could do anymore, watching Daemon so involved in the birth and cry tears of joy as he held the bloody babe in his arms was enough proof of there romance having no chance of reconciliation. Daemon sat next to (y/n)s bed as he observed his wife holding their babe in her arms and their eldest holding her mother in her arms with her eyes full of love.

“Well done my moon, what a gift you blessed me with, another beautiful and heathy daughter”

“Welcome to our family Maegora”

(Y/n) whispered as she held her baby, Alyssa gasped at the choice of the name, Alyssa had suggested it a while back and her father had laughed at the choice and the fear it would install to everyone’s hearts.

Daemon was actually fond of the name, still he had a habit of teasing his children so he just leaned to kiss (y/n)s lips, she was so beautiful after she delivered their children, a glow unlike any other as the light of candles was the only source of light, his devotion to her was as deep as any religious person, his heart only beat because hers did.

“You are radiating my love”

Requests are open!

@slutmeoutsworld @ayamenimthiriel @the-phantom-of-arda @babystudentroadthing @pearlstiare @bxdbxtxh15 @lazypinkpig