#c-clem 🍊

[patorucho]

ok ayup fuckers its me clementine circus, you have never met me before until right This Very Moment. all you have to know is Clear from these poll Choices.

do you guys wanna help my headmate pick her blog url

[persephonerinyes]

I'm so glad they took some time and now they're ready to fully be together!!!

I was so mad about the letter Alys left Aemond 😤 She basically blamed him for all the problems in their relationship and said she stayed with him for the perks.

Aemond questioning if he's hard to love because of his face was heartbreaking and I'm glad Clem was quick to reassure him.

I can totally picture their wedding in the future, Aemond being so relieved that she showed up and it being such a time of happiness for them. I hope Alys reads about it and feels a little bitter about him being able to move on and find the love he deserves so quickly after her. I also hope Rhaenyra's side of the family is banned from attending...Otto, too, if he doesn't change his attitude.

What a sweet summer series! I'll come back to this in the dead of winter when I need a good dose of Vitamin C 🍊🥰

[ TANGERINE DREAMS ]

Summary: being stood up on his wedding day, Aemond’s life takes a turn for the worse. Heartbroken and humiliated, he finds unexpected help in Helaena’s childhood friend, who helps him move back into his family mansion. Summer cocktail parties and a long stay at the Targaryen residency, Aemond might let the girl who’s always been in his life make a home in his heart.

Tangerines, in general, symbolize prosperity, good luck and happiness. So if these delicious fruits appear in your dreams - whole or in the form of juice - it is usually very positive. A dream with tangerines expresses the desire and the possibility of progress and prosperity

Warnings: Angst, fluff, English isn’t my first language<3

Word count: 3.7k+

A/n: this chapter is pretty short because it’s their closure!!!! Check the end of the chapter for my last notes on this series🥹 COMMENTS AND REBLOGS ARE SO APPRECIATED!!

-> series masterlist <-

Chapter 10, the finale: falling forever

He is warm, his body is on fire. He feels as though his skin is burning from the inside. He can not see, his vision is black, but he can hear. There are screams from somewhere far away from him, and it is getting closer, and closer.

He is trying to escape from the voice; it is ear-wrenching, and it makes him nauseous, yet he can not see. He tries to move his body, to open his eye, somehow to get away from whatever is coming in his direction.

There is a light at the end of the path. A path? Where did that come from? He does not care, he needs to get away. The sound grows louder with each second that it passes, getting closer to him with every step he takes.

As soon as he reaches the light, a loud bang comes out of nowhere…

Aemond sits up on the bed, gasping as he is startled by whatever that dream was, but he is interrupted by the loud bass of the music playing through the mansion, making his head throb terribly. 

That probably lasts around half a second before he notices you are not here, your side of the bed is empty. 

Are you gone? He knows you have been taking a few more weeks off from your work to stay here longer, but why are you not here? You slept in his bed, hugging him, talking to him until he fell asleep. Did you have to go? Were you on your way to Beesbury? 

Anxiety hits him like a truck, his limbs tingle with nervousness as he looks around the room, not finding one trace of your belongings — you always leave something behind in his room, whether is a pair of socks or bras, there is always a lingering feeling of your presence in his room.

He pushes the covers off of him, grabs his glasses from the nightstand before he puts them on, and rushes out of his room only in his shorts to find you. 

He darts out of the room, practically running through the hallway, passing Daeron on his way on the staircase while he is walking upstairs. Aemond’s shoulder knocks his brother, stumbling him back to the wall while himself holds a hand up in apology.

“Damn, bro, no one’s getting murdered, slow down,” Daeron yells, shaking his head as he walks his way up the stairs.

Aemond on the other hand groans and follows the noises of giggles and laughter, jogging towards the kitchen with his hair unruly and tangled, glasses on the bridge of his nose while he pants and enters the kitchen.

There you are; smiling and chuckling while you talk with his mother and Helaena cooks breakfast for everyone. You look positively radiant and glowing this morning and it seems you were dragged out of bed by his sister, spending the entirety of your morning with the girls.

“Brother?” Helaena asks, making you and Alicent turn around, finding Aemond trying to catch his breath while he looks at you with wide eyes.

“Aemond?” You stand up, stepping to watch him slowly before reaching to cup his face as soon as you stand in front of him, smiling softly when he visibly relaxes under your touch, “Hey you.”

He does not say anything, he just looks at you, his bare chest moving up and down with each quick breath he takes. He looks at you with a tired eye, the cold sweat on his forehead making him uncomfortable.

“Are you okay, Little nerd?” You caress his cheek, waiting for him to answer, “Do you need anything?”

“I…” he whispers, closing his eye as he relishes the warmth of your embrace, embarrassed by his sudden outburst, “I thought you left…”

“Oh, come here,” you gently pull his face to your neck, kissing the side of his head as he gently wraps his arms around your waist, holding you close and breathing in your scent, “I’m not gonna leave without saying goodbye, okay? Besides, we still have one week left!”

“But I’ll be all alone when you leave,” he replies, dropping his forehead on your shoulder, and sighing in defeat. He probably regrets moving back to this place, but he had no choice back in the time. Now? Now he has a reason to go back to Beesbury, he has hope in there, someone he loves.

“You won’t be alone, sweet boy,” Alicent says, sipping on her tea while she grabs her book from the table and starts reading, “Daeron and I are still here, Cole is too! We try our best to be as interesting as her.”

“Mother,“ he sighs, raising his head to take a good look at her. You do too, dropping your hand from his neck to wrap around his middle, looking at Alicent with a shy expression, “I didn’t say you’re not interesting, don’t twist my words, please.”

“I’m not twisting them,” she replies softly, closing her book to give him her full attention, “I know you will feel alone when your girlfriend leaves, but we’ll do our best to keep you satisfied until you see her again.”

“I’m not a child, I can keep myself entertained, but I appreciate the gesture,” he gives her a small smile, squeezing your waist before he drops a kiss on your forehead, “Maybe I’ll move back to Beesbury, who knows.”

“You said you wanted to sell the house first, am I wrong?” Helaena asks, handing him a cup of coffee, as she places a plate of omelet in front of her mother, crossing her arms as she looks at him, “Maybe you can stay with Aeg in the city if you don’t wanna get bored in this peaceful place?”

“I am more than happy to stay away from that bag of dirt, thank you,” Aemond rolls his eye, scoffing at Helaena who snickers and laughs when Aegon steps inside the kitchen, just as topless as his brother with a disheveled look.

“Damn, dude,” Aegon grimaces at Aemond, looking at his brother’s body before faking a gag, “Why are you naked?”

“Why are you naked?” Aemond shoots back, raising an eyebrow at his brother, taking a sip from his coffee but cringing at the awfully bitter taste, “Who made this thing?”

“I did!” Helaena replies, crossing the kitchen to bring out another plate to fill for Aegon, “Your girl was tired this morning, so I took it upon myself to make coffee for you. Be grateful.”

“Sorry, baby,” you kiss his jaw, resting your head on his chest as you look at Aegon and Alicent’s pursed lips as they look at you with a deep scowl, clearly not used to someone being so openly affectionate in front of them.

“I’m naked because it’s Naked Sunday!” Aegon says, sitting next to his mother, resting his chin on his hands, “Also, this kitchen can only handle one naked Targaryen, and you, baby brother, are nowhere near as hot as you think you are.”

“Every day is a Naked Sunday,” Helaena groans, dropping Aegon’s plate of pancakes in front of him, leaning on the kitchen island while she looks at you with a mischievous glint in her eyes, “Disgusting how cute you look together.”

“Don’t be jealous, maybe you’ll find a way to get your big bad wolf to—“ Helaena jumps towards you and presses the palm of her hand to your lips, keeping your mouth shut as she glares at you.

“If you don’t shut the fuck, I’ll kick your ass and murder you in cold blood!” 

“Who is this big bad wolf—“

“You have a boyfriend, sis?”

“Helaena—“

“Everyone, please, I’m just teasing her! She’s single, don’t worry,” you slowly lower her hand, winking at her before you press a quick kiss to her cheek, muttering a halfhearted apology, “Anyways, you told me there was some stuff you wanted to get rid of.”

“Yeah, let’s go,” Aemond nods, tugging at your hand before he heads out of the kitchen, you following him upstairs. The silence is much welcomed, you know he is still thinking about his nightmare even if he does not show it. 

Your relationship evolved throughout the past few weeks, but you can feel and see how he is still battling with the idea of you leaving him, and summer ending is not help either; you will move back to your place, and he has to stay here and for the first time, you fear the same. However in love, you might be, the distance can and will somehow damage your relationship, with Aemond being left alone with his mother and you working back at your city. You do not know whether you should tell him sweet white lies that you will be fine and you can easily manage this to help him overcome his fear of abandonment or tell him the truth about how this distance might make things bumpy.

“Um, there are several unopened boxes in my closet and I don’t wanna look at them, so can you please take them back with you?” He asks, rubbing the back of his neck as he shuts the door behind you, “I know it’s a lot to ask for but… I don’t really wanna get into them anymore.”

“Sure thing, love,” you say, cupping his cheeks in your hands, pressing a gentle kiss on his lips before you move to pull the boxes out, sitting on the edge of the bed as you bring one to your lap and open it.

“Oh! This is…” you pull a wooden pallet, observing the curved edges on the top of the pallet, slowly dragging the tip of your finger over the surface, “This is beautiful, Aemond! Did you make it?”

“Hmm,” he hums, flushing slightly as you keep marveling at the wooden portrait, “I did…I think she liked it too.”

“Oh, I bet she did!” You say, raising the wood to take a better look at it, smiling softly at Aemond, “Alys for whatever she is, I’m sure she appreciated the effort.”

“Yeah, but she sent it back,” he sighs, reaching to pull out a set of fresh clothes before he goes to the attached bathroom, “I’m gonna take a shower, I can’t sit all sweaty.”

“Okay, love, I’ll be waiting,” you giggle when he bends down to give you a quick breathtaking kiss on your lips, then moves up to kiss your forehead, before he leaves for the bathroom, “I am so tempted to join you in your shower now.”

“Not a chance, I’ll get even more sweaty,” Aemond chuckles and locks the door from the other side, leaving you smiling to yourself, looking down at the portrait with mixed feelings. 

You put the wood down, reaching inside the box to pull out a letter, examining the opened envelope before pulling the paper out.

Alys Rivers Targaryen

“Oh?” You read the name on top of the paper, frowning as you look at the bathroom door, thinking if you should really be reading this, finally deciding to do since the envelope is already opened by Aemond, “Fuck it, let’s see.”

Aemond, my dearest love.

There are many things I would love to say to you, but I’m afraid things will not go as you have hoped for, as I have dreamed of. Our faiths are written this way, perhaps.

I became the woman I am because of you and your kindness, there is no reason to hide the truth from you anymore. You helped me more than I could ever dream of, you were the backbone to my life and made me reach places in my career I couldn’t do it alone; for that, I am forever grateful.

I don’t wish to do this, but our relationship grew more suffocating as we grew closer, as the talks of mindless sex turned into marriage. It was my idea, yes, but it scared me how much you were willing to be a part of it.

That is when I realized I needed to get away, perhaps for a few months before the wedding and come back, but this feeling of being special, bonded to the most special family in the continent kept me satisfied until it wasn’t enough.

You, Aemond, were enough, maybe too much because of how your fear of not being loved properly forced you to become someone who pushed my boundaries left and right. I couldn’t breathe when you spoiled me with lavish gifts and career opportunities — it felt good, so good to be able to get my hands on the job I always dreamed of — so I kept quiet and let you do whatever you could do for me in hopes of getting some relief from the negative thoughts I harbored for you.

I love you, even though I’m writing this on the day of our marriage and I want to flee from this place. I love you because you made me happy whether it was your name giving me more opportunities, or your love for me that led to my improvement in my studies.

I hope you find someone who can channel your pure love to their heart, and cherish it forever, something I wish I could do but I am not capable of.

I tried, Aemond, I tried to show my love, but the more I tried the less enjoyable it became.

From Alys.

“Wow,” you whisper, dropping back on the bed as you look at the ceiling, trying to figure out what you just read. It is a lot of information to process, a letter of confession that Aemond was aware of.

“Darling, could you please help me with my hair— fuck, did you read that?” Aemond stands in front of you, a towel wrapped around his waist while water droplets drip from his hair on his chest.

“I did,” you sigh, sitting up while rubbing your hand over your face, thinking about what to say to him without making him nervous, “It’s…I don’t know what to say. This is an explanation for everything.”

“Yeah,” he sighs, sitting down on the bed next to you, “Is it weird that I got mad when I read it?”

“What?” You ask softly, turning around to face him fully before grabbing the brush from him, gently combing through his wife, “No, love, you had every right to be mad. I mean… I understand her battle, she wasn’t ready even though it was her idea but again, you didn’t deserve that—“

“Why am I so hard to love? Is it because…because of my face?” He looks down, kissing his teeth before he talks again, “I don’t think I can do more than what I’ve done for her, that was… I gave her everything.”

“Hey, look at me,” you turn his face towards you, rubbing your thumb over his wet hair, “Being in love is hard because it requires effort and patience, but loving you isn’t! I feel free when I’m with you, I feel at ease and safe! Loving you is something I wish to do for the rest of my life because I know how it feels to have you as a friend and a lover.”

“She didn’t even apologize…” he sighs, closing his eye while you push his hair out of his face, “I don’t need an apology but that is the bare minimum to ask of her.”

“I know, and I’m sorry about it,” you smile sadly, “But she is in the past, and we don’t know what the future will bring us. So let’s enjoy our moment together, okay?”

“So, what is your plan for the rest of the year?” Gwayne asks, sipping on the glass of wine while he looks between you and his nephew, “With the long-distance thing?”

“Well, we have decided to keep things going a bit slower and give ourselves some time to get back into our daily lives,” Aemond explains, his hand rubbing circles on your thighs as he looks at his uncle, the soft hues of sunset creating an angelic halo around his face.

“Oh, that’s very thoughtful,” Gwayne nods and looks at Alicent who has been pretty quiet since everyone gathered around the table for one last dinner before you go back to Beesbury, “So, sister, care to share your thoughts?”

“Hmm,” she hums, swirling the wine around in her glass, “I’m gonna miss my kids a lot, that is all I can say. I’m glad Aemond will be with me and Daeron, but I’m going to miss my girls so much.”

“We’ll miss you even more, Mum,” Helaena glances at you and you nod in agreement, giving Alicent a sympathetic smile as she chuckles and takes a large gulp from her wine.

“Hey! What about me?” Aegon yells, pouting while he frowns at Alicent, waiting for her to say something about him too, “I’m your oldest! They say you will never love anyone like you love your oldest, ey?”

“Yeah, I suppose I’ll miss you too,” she gives him a cheeky smile, making him pout even more and you all laugh, nudging Aegon until he lets go of the act and joins everyone in the conversation.

“Can I ask something?” Daeron says suddenly, looking at Aemond with a skeptical look, “Why don’t you move in with her? You said you wanted to sell your previous house and go house hunting in Beesbury! That way you can spend more time with her and you won’t be apart for long.”

“I think… I think we are not ready yet to take such a big step, Daeron,” he replies a bit hesitant but he means it, or at least he means it on his behalf because when he sees how your smile falters a little, his heart drops, “Maybe, maybe we can but… I don’t think it is possible now.”

“Oh, okay, I just thought—“

“Aemond is right,” you smile, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze, “We need some time apart to weigh our relationship and what we need to do in order to maintain the healthy boundaries we have set up. Rushing Aemond into such a huge decision is not something I would like to force upon him.”

“Great then,” Gwayne says, raising his cup, “To you and the second chance this girl gave our boy!”

“To Clementine! Ooo!”

Your house is so quiet. Ever since you have gotten back from the summer break, you notice the odd silence that you hear daily. You have never felt it before, or at least not mind it, but now, after spending months with Aegon and his antics, Helaena and her chats, and Aemond’s constant conversation about his books, you can notice the silence.

You sigh, stirring your pasta with a dull expression while you think about Aemond. You have texted him of course, more than once — to be honest, it is much more than once, you have been bombarding his text messages with sweet love texts, long paragraphs about how much you miss him and how unnerving and miserable you are without his hugs and kisses.

Aemond on the other hand seems to be handling this distance pretty well. He had been spending much-needed time by the pool before the air got chilly and enjoyed his time with his mother and Daeron in the mansion while he kept you updated, sending pictures of him and Vhagar, of the Tangerines Cole bought for him, the new collection of books he purchased.

All in all, he has been handling it pretty fucking well and it has started to piss you off.

You sigh again, bringing the spoon to your lip to taste the sauce, humming as you turn off the stove and move to grab yourself a plate to fill.

Suddenly a knock comes, filling the unbearable silence for a second. You think for a second about any possible guests you might have; Helaena is at work, your parents are not in town, and your other friends are too busy working and chilling.

You put the plate down before wiping your hand and moving towards the door, holding your breath as you open it, gasping when you find Aemond waiting for you, with a suitcase by his side nonetheless.

“Little nerd!”

“Hey you.”

You throw yourself in his arms, wrapping yours around his shoulders as you breathe in his scent, relaxing in his embrace immediately.

“What are you doing here?” You ask him, holding his face in your hands while you grin at him, looking at him with unshed tears of joy, “How are you?”

“Well, I have a girlfriend in this town and I thought maybe I should check up on her,” he says, his grin matching yours as he leans down to bump his nose against yours, enjoying the little sigh you let out.

“Oh, you little cheater,” you bite the tip of his nose gently, fingers playing with the hair on the nape of his neck, “Then what are you doing here, hugging me? Won’t she be mad?”

“Why are you so worried about her?” He asks, playing along while he pushes you both inside the house, pulling his suitcase behind him inside.

“Because my boyfriend is a bit… let’s say protective of me. I thought maybe your girl would be the same,” you gasp when he presses you against the door, nudging your cheek with his nose.

“Trust me, young lady, she is much more protective than your boyfriend,” he chuckles, reaching to pull out something from his backpack, and handing it to you without breaking eye contact, “Don’t tell my girl, but I got a gift for you.”

“Now I’m interested,” you say, grabbing the wrapped gift before you start tearing on the paper wrap, gasping when you find a wooden portrait of yourself carved on the pallet so delicately. The details are absolutely phenomenal, the highs and lows, the curve of your lips, everything about this gift is perfect.

“I also have another gift,” you look up at him with tears running down your face, but the look of happiness and your smile ease his worries, “I thought maybe I could stay here while we both go and search for a new house—‘mmf!”

You cut him off by kissing him, pressing your lips to his passionately while he wraps his arms around your waist to tug you closer, his body moving against yours in sync.

“Is that a yes?” He breaths against your swollen lips, grinning until the dimples on his cheeks are evident.

“Yes, yes,” you say between kisses, laughing as you hold him close, “A thousand times yes!”

Notes: I am so grateful for anyone who has come this far with this story, has read and commented on the chapters! You guys mean the world to me! I am forever honored to have you as my readers and having this series as my first ever completed multi chapter story🥹😭 thank you, my loves, and thank you Clem & Aemond for being my roman empire💕