#gs fanfic

[noritheidiot]

Shoutout to my two favorite GS fics that make G a badass

[flame-nova]

Chapter 7: Tender Feelings

"Berwick! Come here!" A voice called out to me. I put down the book I was reading and followed the source of the voice. It was a child with a tattered blue garb. To my annoyance, his face was blacked out. I looked at what he was pointing at and saw what seemed to be a doll made in my image. He handed it to me. I couldn't see the expression on his face, but I could tell that he was smiling.

This doll seemed so familiar..... But how?

Then it struck me. In my room, I had a doll sitting on my bookshelf that looked exactly like this one I'm holding. I never bothered to figure out how I got it. I just knew that it was always there as long as I could remember.

When I looked up, the child was gone. I had so many questions. Why did he gave me a doll that looked like me? How does he know my name? Have we met?

The familiar headache was returning. I hissed in pain as darkness once again consumed me.

".....Wick, Berwick!"

"Hmm...?" I groaned and opened my eyes. A blur of blue was calling out to me.

Blue? Wait, the child in my dream wore blue too.

Or rather, was it a forgotten memory?

I blinked away the blurriness and sat up. I was not in my room and Vox was next to me with a worried expression.

"You really scared me for a second there Berwick." He sighed. "Does this happen often? You were tossing around a lot."

I stared at him in confusion. That's when it struck me. Vox confessed to me and asked if I still remember him. I passed out before I had the chance to say anything.

I looked down at the blanket covering me as I wrinkled my eyebrows. "No, it's never happened before. I don't know why I passed out but I do remember that I had a really bad headache when you asked if I still remember you. What do you mean? Had we met before?"

I looked at him curiously. I had questions.

Vox avoided my gaze, he looked crestfallen. "Nevermind, it's nothing. Sorry if I acted strange. You looked like you could use some rest, so just sleep in my bed and I'll be resting on the couch. Call me if you need me."

He stood up, ready to leave. But I grabbed his sleeve.

"Vox. Don't avoid me. Tell me, why don't I have memories of you when we were kids? Did something happen? Talk to me."

He bit his lips. He was awfully quiet.

"Vox."

"You and I used to be playmates." He began. "We were inseparable."

"And then what happened?"

He sat next to me, but he still refused to look at me in the eyes. "When we were 8, we were playing under an oak tree. Your magic went out of hand and had burned a huge branch. It was going to fall on me, but you pushed me out of the way and it struck you on the head instead. I was scared. I screamed for your parents. Thankfully, your mom was a botanic and she was able to save your life. But then, when you came to, you had no memories of me. To make matters worse, your family became extremely angry at me and moved away. From then on, I lost touch with you."

His hands were clenched in fists and they were shaking.

"When I got older, I thought of you often and after I found you, I was overjoyed. But the guilt still returned, haunted me in my sleep as I remembered how you were barely breathing when I was crying. You held my hand and tried to reassure me, but you were slipping away. Thankfully your mom came in time.... Or I would lose you forever."

By this time, he was sobbing.

Vox, the captain of the Juno Templars, the Stealth Patriot, was crying helplessly like an infant.

I wrapped my arms around his torso and hugged him from behind.

"I may have no memories of you, but it doesn't mean we can't start over. Let me get to know you better, alright?"

I buried my head in his back. He smelled like fresh water on a spring day. I don't know if the description makes sense, but his scent calmed me down.

"About that confession..... I have similar feelings for you. I was too scared to confess. I was afraid that my family would disown me for falling in love with someone the same gender as me. Sorry if I kept you wait. I love you."

I felt Vox turned around and wrapped his arms securely around me. I laid my head on his chest and listened to his steady heartbeat. He planted a gentle kiss on my head.

"I won't let you be hurt again. That's why I became stronger, so I won't be so incompetent to protect you." Vox's voice was tender. He kissed my head again. I hugged him tighter as my own insecurity begin to take over.

"Don't leave me."

"Never again."

We stayed in each other's arms till morning. At last, I pulled away.

"Now, will we tell this to the others?" I asked, resting my forehead on Vox's. He gently brushed away a strand of my hair. "Yeah. Probably going to shock them a lot but we can't keep it hidden forever."

I nodded. He does have a point. Smiling, I held his hand. He locked fingers with me and brought our linked hands to his lips. He seemed so gentle and careful that for a moment, I thought that I was in a dream. However, the temperature of his lips felt real.

"I love you Vox."

"I have loved you since."

Later that day, news of me and Vox being together dropped on the others like a bomb. Duke was rather calm and looked like as if he knew that we'd end up together. Knowing him and Vox being close friends, I had expected as much.

However, Riviera and Thetis' reaction was quite precious.

"This whole time I had thought that Vox liked Queen Juno since he was always by her side, but man, I didn't know you guys were childhood friends." Riviera commented with hands on her waist. Thetis was rather speechless. Understandable since he was still new and haven't interacted with us much to know us personally.

"So when's the wedding?" Duke joked. My face flushed red, but Vox only held my hand and gave me a reassuring squeeze. I relaxed and smiled at him. I still couldn't believe that I was with Vox as his boyfriend. It was like a dream come true.

Suddenly, the door to the headquarter opened and in came the Queen. She had a mischievous smile on her face as she approached me and Vox. "Finally, it's about time."

Now it was my turn to be surprised. How did she know that I had liked Vox and most importantly, who told her?

I saw a proud grin on Vox's face and immediately I knew who the culprit was. But I was happy.

"Yeah, Vox confessed last night." I scratched the back of my head with my free hand. Thetis and Riviera bombarded me and Vox with questions. He however, held our linked hands and ran out of the door with me behind him. He had a silly grin on his face and so was I. The two of course won't leave us alone and had chased us down the hall. Vox pulled me to a corner.

Vox's breath was ragged. His face was very close to mine and I felt like my heart was going to beat out of my chest. He was attractive even with the beads of sweat on his forehead. I reached a hand out to wipe it away for him, but he caught my hand in his and locked our other fingers together before capturing my lips in a kiss. I returned the kiss and we stayed like that for a while before he broke away unwillingly because I was gasping for air.

He smiled and stroked my cheek. I closed my eyes and leaned into his touch.

"You're the brightest star in my sky, Berwick."

"And you're the calm waters of my heart, Vox."

His eyes were tender, he pulled me close and rested his forehead on mine.

"What was our childhood like?"

He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around my waist. "When we first met, you were under an oak tree reading a book that's always way too big for your size. I remember you always sit by yourself and you were always so quiet. I felt bad that you had no one you could play with so I approached you. I think I was your very first friend."

"You still are." I said. "But this time, you're the love of my life."

The arms around me only tightened itself more.

"You were always so sickly. We would always chat over the window of your bedroom since your parents didn't want me to be around you too much. But we managed." He chuckled. I smiled and snuggled into his chest. He was so warm.

"If I'm the star, you're the sun. No, not just any sun. You're my sunshine. You even smell like one." I giggled. His calm chuckle rumbled in his chest as I listened with my eyes closed.

His hand went to stroke my hair as he planted a kiss on my head. I felt secure and safe in his arms.

"There you two are! You can't run now!" A voice interrupted our tender moment. Uh oh. We were caught.

This time, Vox didn't run. He let go of me and let out a lighthearted laugh. "Alright alright. What do you want to know? Let's go talk in the headquarter shall we? Berwick and I had been standing here for a while and I know my sore legs need a break."

Thetis crossed his arms in front of his chest. "You better spill the tea and no more funny business because I know I'm interested with the story between you and Berwick."

Riviera nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I've been fighting alongside of you for so long and I've never heard of you talk about Berwick. You had a lot to explain, Captain."

I felt Vox's hand reaching for mine as I linked our fingers together. I stayed quiet as Vox ranted away on his way back with Riviera and Thetis by our sides. I may not remember much about him, but the feelings stayed true. I may have forgotten those precious moments, but we can make more now that we're together. And this time, I don't plan on forgetting anything.

----------------------------------------------

Author's Note

Done! Hope y'all liked the cute chapter :3

I have no idea why but I realized that I had written the relationship between Berwick and Vox similar to that of my long distance relationship with my boyfriend. He likes to give me little kisses here and there and is a very clingy guy. I guess I really wrote myself as Berwick here as somehow, I can relate to him more often than not.

Relationships are bittersweet and of course, lovey dovey moments like this will not always happen. But one thing you can keep in mind is that no matter what, whether it be a romantic relationship or any kind of relationship, the other person love you. So if you're currently fighting with that special someone or a loved one, please take the time to apologize to each other and get better. After all, you don't treasure what you have until you lose it.

Don't mean to give a life lesson here but I know from experience that it's the best thing you can do to mend a broken relationship. Hope I don't sound like your mom lol

Next chapter is on the way!

[astralcat]

luffy: law i'm craving pineapple pizza

law: it is 4 in the morning go back to sleep

luffy: you STARVE luffy? you DENY luffy of sustenance? oh! oh! jail for traffy! jail for traffy for One Thousand Years!

[ridiculously-over-obsessed]

“Just let me go. Please, I want to leave.” unless it's too close to your Dirty Tissues ideas!!

I'm sure I can come up with a new variation just for you anon lfdkjdg angst abound!!!

Pick an angst prompt, any angst prompt!!!

"Just let me go. Please, I want to leave."

Chloe twisted as she pursed her lips, eyes full of tears as she looked up at the camera pointed at her, wrists bruising as she pulled against the metal cuffs keeping them pinned above her head.

“Just let me go.” Chloe whimpered, knowing that she was being watched by the person on the other side of that camera, “Please, I want to leave.”

She pulled at the metal again, hot tears starting to run down her cheeks, desperation and fear coursing through her, “Please, please, I’ll do whatever you want, just let me go.”

Chloe’s head turned as she looked around her, biting her lip as she tried to figure out where she was and how to get out of here. It was a small room, tiny really, only just enough room to stretch out her legs, the metal walls around her plain and non-descript, unable to figure out how she’d gotten in here in the first place, there was no door. It wasn’t a particularly well lit room, a camping lamp near her feet not enough to illuminate more than a few inches over her head so she couldn’t see the ceiling, but she had a feeling it wasn’t that high. The floor under where she had been forced to sit was cold, her ankles had been tied together too, and her head hurt, probably from being hit.

She’d been getting ready to go and see Beca perform solo, her big break with DJ Khaled so she could go off and be the most amazing producer and artist that the world had ever seen. Chloe had been so excited for her, even after being held hostage by Amy’s dad and almost blown up on a boat, Chloe had been so excited that she had hugged Beca perhaps a little too tightly before rushing to change. 

And then... then she’d woken up here, feeling groggy and confused, and then frightened and panicked as she found herself tied up with a camera pointing at her. 

What the hell was going on?!

-----

“Beca!” Beca’s head turned to find Amy rushing towards her, grumbling softly albeit good naturedly as she was pulled into a bone-crushing hug, “You aca-rocked it!”

“Thanks Ames.” Beca hugged her back, trying to ignore the pit in her stomach.

Tonight had been good. Amazing even. She’d been signed by DJ Khaled, still gotten to perform with her family, given the best performance of her life, it had been objectively amazing... so why was she feeling so sad?

“We’re so proud of you.” Aubrey pulled Beca into a hug as Amy released her, “You were amazing Beca, really.”

“Thanks.” Beca mumbled against her shoulder, “Um... did you check on Chloe?”

“I did...” Aubrey frowned a little as she pulled back, swallowing thickly as she pulled a piece of paper out of her back pocket, “This was on her bed. Her stuff is gone.”

Beca’s hands were shaking a little as she took it from Aubrey, hating the way her stomach knotted as she did. She opened the note, feeling tears well in her eyes as she read it.

“Right...” She mumbled, clearing her throat a little as she crumpled it, shoving it into her pocket, “Chloe... she went back to New York. So, who wants to take me out and get me absolutely wasted to celebrate my big break?”

“Come on.” Aubrey wound her arm around Beca’s shoulders, “Let’s get some tequila in you.”

Beca nodded, throat feeling thick as she swallowed the lump in it, head down to keep the tears burning in her eyes hidden from her friends. Chloe had just... left? It was okay, if Chloe didn’t love her back, if she regretted that kiss, then it would’ve been okay. They were still friends, they could still be best friends even if Chloe didn’t love her like that. They could’ve talked about it, but Chloe had just left instead?

“It’s okay.” Aubrey whispered, the other Bellas having ran ahead, laughing and joking as they went in search of a bar, “I’ll talk to her, get her to come find you. But it’s okay for you to be sad about it.”

“I don’t want to be.” Beca’s voice was tight as she lent in Aubrey a little, hastily wiping at her cheeks, “Not tonight. I don’t want to be feeling any kind of way about this tonight, it- it was my big break Bree, why couldn’t she have just been there for that?”

“I don’t know.” Aubrey sighed, shaking her head. She was the only one who knew what had transpired between Chloe and Beca before the show, “It’s not like her to just run away. I’ll get the bottom of it Becs, you just try and enjoy tonight, okay?”

-----

Chloe pulled her knees close to her chest, shivering at the cold temperature in the tiny room she was in, throat raw from crying and pleading with the camera pointed at her to let her go. She’d probably missed Beca’s performance, she’d be so mad at her... Chloe wanted to be there for it, wanted to tell Beca how proud she was of her, how amazing she was, how much she loved her. Because one brief, interrupted kiss wasn’t enough, Chloe had to tell Beca that it wasn’t enough that she wanted so much more, that she’d been so stupid to keep it to herself for so long...

How had she had ended up being kidnapped twice in one day? The first time, she’d had her family, it had been scary but also comforting to have the people that loved her, that she knew would protect her and vice versa around her. Now though, now she was alone and cold and scared... who had done this to her?

“Please...” Chloe croaked, head resting on the wall behind her, bottom lip trembling, “What do you want from me?! I just want to go home...”

Chloe started to sob as she pulled herself into the smallest ball she could manage, head resting on her knees as her shoulders ached from the uncomfortable position she was in. The Bellas would know she was missing right? Beca would. Beca would know she would never miss her debut performance, not for anything in the whole world. But would they even know where to look for her? God, she didn’t even know where they’d look for her, the longer she was trapped here, the more she was convinced that this wasn’t a room. It was small and cramped and made of metal, what if it was a box? Someone had put her in a box, she could be anywhere, she could be on another boat in the middle of the ocean for all she knew, how were they going to find her?

“Beca...” Chloe mumbled through her tears, “Please, just let me go back to Beca, or tell her I’m sorry for missing her performance, something, anything, please just let me talk to her...”

-----

Beca sighed heavily as she leant against the bar, rubbing at her forehead as she ordered another beer. She’d tried to enjoy her night, her big break, but there was something missing without Chloe here. How could she enjoy this without having her here, without Chloe drunkly clinging to her and telling her she was so proud, and so happy, getting all up in her personal space and hugging her so tight that Beca lost circulation in half her body.

“Hey, you look more than a little glum Beca, what’s the matter?” 

Beca turned her head to find the turtle guy that had been following her around since the start of the USO tour leant on the bar next to her, frowning softly as she tried to remember what he was called. She probably should remember his name, he did technically work for her now...

“Nothing.” Beca shrugged, sipping the beer that had been set in front of her, “It’s a great night, I’m so happy this happened, it’s my big break.”

“I know sarcasm when I hear it.” Theo laughed softly, “C’mon, what’s eating at you?”

“Chloe left before my performance...” Beca mumbled, looking down at the bar, vulnerable thanks to the amount of alcohol she had, “She... she would never have missed it, at least I didn’t think she would’ve but... she’s gone.”

“I’m sorry.” Theo frowned a little, “That sucks Beca, she can’t be much of a friend if she left before the biggest night of your life.”

“I guess not...” Beca huffed, “Gee you think you know a girl after five years, countless acapella tournaments and sharing a sofa bed.”

“You’ll forget all about her once we get on tour.” Theo smiled softly at her, “Trust me, we’ll be so busy you won’t have time to think about anything else.”

“Great.” Beca nodded, “I can do avoiding the issue, I’m practically an expert at it.”

Theo chuckled as he signaled the bartender, ordering a shot for the two of them, sliding one over to Beca, “A toast, to your brand new, highly successful career.”

“And to apparently weeding out toxic friends.” Beca forced a smile as she clinked her shot glass with his.

-----

“And to apparently weeding out toxic friends.”

Chloe’s heart was breaking as she tugged furiously at the restraints holding her, weeping as she tried to free herself. There was a speaker somewhere in this tiny box she had been left in, and Chloe could hear Beca talking to that creep that had been following her throughout the tour, the one that gave her a bad feeling... Theo. It was Theo. Was he the one who had done this to her?

She’d heard the whole conversation, heard that Beca thought she’d left, why would she think that? Beca thought she was gone, someone had made it look like she’d chosen to leave and now... now she’d never come looking for her, none of them would, not until it was way too late and she was...

“I didn’t leave.” Chloe sobbed, shaking her head furiously, “I didn’t leave Beca, I wouldn’t... I wanted to be there so bad...”

“You look like you’ve had a few too many of those... how about I get you out of here, let’s get you back to your hotel room.”

Chloe bit her lip, hating the idea that Beca was going to be alone with Theo. After all, it had to have been him that had done this to her, he had to have been the one that stopped her going tonight. Why else would she be able to hear him talking to Beca?

“I swear to god, if you touch her, I will kill you.” Chloe spat, writhing against the cuffs holding her, “They’ll find me Theo, you’ll be so dead when they do, they’re going to find me!”

Chloe could hear him chuckling, knowing that he was, in part at least, laughing at her.

“Whoa, steady there Beca. Are you okay?”

“M’fine. Just... a little tired. Can you take me back to the hotel?”

“Of course I can, c’mon.”

“Wait... I need to tell my friends...”

Chloe could hear the slur in Beca’s voice, her heart pounding in fear as she tugged furiously at her restraints, determined to get the hell out of here so that she could get Beca away from him. Theo was going to do something to her, Chloe could feel it in her bones. Beca was drunk, and vulnerable, and it was her fault for not being there tonight... 

No. This wasn’t her fault, it was Theo’s fault. He was the one that had hit her, and kidnapped her, and was now making her listen as he took advantage of Beca when she couldn’t do a damn thing to stop him.

“I’ll come back and tell them once I’ve gotten you back safely, I promise.”

Like hell he would. Theo was isolating her, dammit Chloe had to get out of here, wherever here was she had to get out and go and help Beca. It didn’t matter if her wrists were throbbing, or that she could be god knows where, Beca was in danger and she had to help her.

“Leave her alone!” Chloe screamed, fighting harder than she ever had in her life, tears pouring down her face again, “Leave her alone Theo!”

“It’s okay Beca... you just sleep if you need to. I’ll get you back to your hotel room, and then we can have all the fun we couldn’t have because of that ginger pitbull.”

Chloe’s heart was threatening to leap out of her chest as she realised that Beca must be barely conscious if Theo was practically confessing to her. Beca was in so much trouble, she had to stop this.

“Chloe...” 

Her heart broke as Beca slurred her name, breathing erratic and panicked as she felt something in her right wrist snap, but still she kept struggling.

“Did... did you do something to her?”

“I did it for us Beca. Don’t worry, I put her somewhere that she could never bother us again. She’ll be in the Middle East before anyone realises she’s missing, and by then she’ll be the play thing of some oligarch.”

Chloe could feel panic taking hold of her, the Middle East? Just where the hell was she?

“Thanks.”

Chloe gasped softly as she heard Beca’s voice again, all hints of a slur gone. Wait... what was happening?

“Did you really think I wouldn’t notice you putting something in my drink asshole?”

There was a grunt of pain and the sound of someone being dragged as Chloe bit down on her lip so hard she drew blood. Was that Beca? Or was it Theo, had he hurt her?!

“Chicago, did you get that?”

Chloe’s head thunked softly back against the metal behind her, whimpering in relief. Beca was okay, more than that, she had been playing him the whole time. She was so smart, Beca knew exactly what she was doing, she knew that something was wrong when Chloe hadn’t shown up. All she had to do now was find her.

“Yeah... yeah I have his phone, he’s got some kind of camera on her I... I don’t know if she can hear me, but I see her.”

Chloe’s eyes snapped open again from where they had fluttered open, looking right into the camera as she nodded furiously.

“I can hear you Becs. I can hear you, are you okay?!”

“Wait... I think she can. Hang on, let me... let me turn the volume up on this thing.”

Beca’s voice was thick with tears, Chloe forcing a soft smile onto her face as she tried to adjust the pressure of her throbbing right wrist.

“Becs?”

“Chloe... oh my god, are you okay?”

Chloe’s eyes closed slowly as she nodded a little, “I’m okay. I’m okay, did he hurt you? I could hear everything, he-”

“No, I’m fine, I promise. Fuck Chlo, I... I’m sorry, I had no idea he’d do something like this... just hold on okay? Me, the Bellas, and the army, we’re on our way, we... we’re going to find you Chloe, I swear.”

“I know.” Chloe whispered, sniffing softly, “I know you will... will you keep talking to me? I- I’m kind of claustrophobic, I don’t want to be alone in here anymore.”

“Of course I will. You are about the only person I know that could get herself kidnapped twice in the space of twenty four hours, you know that Beale?”

Chloe giggled softly, nodding, “Yeah... just my luck huh?”

-----

Beca was watching tearfully as Chloe shifted in the metal box she was in, jaw clenched as the Humvee she was in rumbled quickly for the docks. Given all the information that Theo had blabbed when he was feeling cocky, plus the little they could see from the camera he’d set up (seriously what kind of sick freak was he?), they’d figured out that Chloe was most likely somewhere at the shipping docks. No boats had left since Beca had last seen Chloe, but there were several large shipping boats scheduled to leave in the next hour, so they had to get there quickly.

She had been talking to her the whole way there, feeling so much guilt that Chloe was in this position. It was her fault, she was the reason that Theo had put her in a metal box and chained her up, that she was so scared even though she was trying so hard to hide it, that she was in danger of being shipped off to god only knew where. Beca had to find her.

“Dammit...” She mumbled as Theo’s phone beeped in her hands, “No, no...”

“Becs? What’s wrong? Can you not find me?”

Beca bit her lip, “No it’s not that, Theo’s phone is dying... Chloe I’m going to end up cutting in a minute, but I’m still coming, okay? We’re so close, I swear, I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”

“I don’t want you to go...”

“I know.” Beca swallowed thickly as Chloe whimpered, “I don’t either, but it won’t be for long Chlo, we’re pulling up now.”

“Becs, I-”

The phone died in her hands, Beca swearing under her breath as it did. Dammit...

“Beca we’re here.” Chicago turned to look at her, “Did it die?”

“Yeah.” Beca nodded, “C’mon, let’s go find her.”

“Beca, you can’t-”

“If you think you’re going to stop me coming and looking for her, you’re out of your damn mind.” Beca snarled, Chicago holding up his hands.

“Alright. But you stick with me.” He conceded, climbing out of the car.

“I will if you can keep up with me.” Beca mumbled darkly, running forward into the shipping yard with Chicago on her tail.

“We narrowed it down to these containers on the left.” He easily kept pace with her, “But there’s thirty five of them and we only have forty minutes to search them all.”

“Fuck.” Beca shook her head, “Chloe! CHLOE!”

She knew it was a long shot, but if Chloe could just hear then maybe...

“CHLOE!”

Beca shot a grateful look over her shoulder as Chicago seemed to cotton on to her idea, the group of soldiers with them and the Bellas spreading out and doing the same thing.

“CHLOE!”

She had to find her.

-----

Chloe sniffed softly as the light at her feet started to flicker and fail. Beca was gone now, she’d tried to talk to her a couple of times but had gotten no response. She’d said they were close, they were going to find her right? 

Chloe lifted her head as she heard the loud honk of a boat horn, letting out a soft sob. Oh no... were they too late? She was going to be shipped out of here wasn’t she? Beca wasn’t going to find her, she was going to end up lost forever and-

“CHLOE!”

She gasped softly, head whipping around her. That was Beca... she was close, she was here.

“Beca?” She whimpered softly. Dammit, there was no way she’d hear that, c’mon Chloe...

“BECA!”

“Sh, shut up, did you hear that?”

Beca was so close... Chloe just had to shout a little louder.

“BECA!”

“This way. C’mon soldier boy, move your ass!”

Chloe giggled softly, tearfully as she heard the sound of scuffing, as if Beca was moving something heavy. God, she had to be careful, she’d hurt herself if she wasn’t...

“Chloe? Chloe are you in here?”

“Becs...” Chloe wept softly, “Beca I’m over here.”

“There, that metal box, jesus... Chlo I’m right here okay? There’s a padlock, Chicago’s gone to get some bolt cutters, but I’m here.”

Beca’s voice was right next to her head, Chloe whimpering as she pulled a little at her handcuffs again.

“I’m right here, I’m not going anywhere, if they want to ship you off before he gets back then I’m coming with you, okay?”

Chloe giggled a little, sniffing as she leant back into where Beca’s voice was coming from, “Okay Becs. I’m glad you’re here. I don’t think you’ll like the Middle East though, you know how easily you burn.”

Chloe could hear Beca laughing, “Yeah that’s a good point... they’ll sell sunscreen there though right? That or I’ll just go outside at night, I’ll become nocturnal.”

There was more noise outside of the box, Chloe unable to help the scared sob that left her mouth, hearing Beca shush her softly.

“Chlo it’s okay, it’s Chicago with the bolt cutters. We’re getting you out now, just a few more seconds.”

There was a thud against the box, Chloe wincing as light assaulted her eyes, feeling someone leap into the box with her, cupping her face in her hands.

“Chloe, it’s me, you’re okay, I got you.”

Chloe’s eyes fluttered open again, sobbing again as her eyes met Beca’s, pulling at the cuffs around her wrists and letting out a soft yelp as it made her right throb even sharper.

“Sh...” Beca shook her head a little, brushing away the tears on Chloe’s cheeks while barely holding back her own, “Chicago’s just about to get them off for you, just hold still Chlo.”

“I knew you’d know I didn’t mean to miss it.” Chloe pressed her face into Beca’s hands, “I’m sorry I didn’t make it...”

“It’s okay.” Beca grinned a little as she shook her head again, watching as Chicago quickly cut through the metal around her wrists, “They’ll be plenty more for you to see Chloe. Let’s get you out of here huh?”

Now her wrists were free, Chloe threw her arms around Beca’s neck, sobbing heavily as she buried her face in her neck, Beca hugging her back tightly as Chicago cut the zip tie around Chloe’s ankles.

“I’ve got you.” Beca mumbled into her hair, letting a few of her own tears slip down her cheeks, “I’ve got you Chlo, you’re okay now. I’m not going to let anyone hurt you ever again, I promise.”

Chloe didn’t say anything, just sobbed as Beca gently rocked her in her arms, stroking her hair. It was okay. Beca had found her like she knew she would. It was all going to be okay now.

“Chlo...” Beca sniffed softly, “Let’s get you out of here so the paramedics can check you out, can you stand?”

“Um...” Chloe lifted her head a little, “Maybe? I think so?”

Beca gently helped Chloe get to her feet, letting her lean against her as they climbed out of the box, gently brushing her hair from her face and frowning at the cut on her head.

“Did he do that?” 

“Yeah.” Chloe nodded a little as they walked slowly out of the shipping container, one of Beca’s arms tight around her waist as she rested her head in the crook of her neck, “But it’s okay. It doesn’t hurt that much anymore.”

“I’m sorry.” Beca sighed, shaking her head a little, “This is my fault, I didn’t know-”

“Hey.” Chloe stopped in her tracks, frowning as she turned to Beca, “No it’s not. This is Theo’s fault, not yours.”

“I should’ve known.” Beca’s jaw was tight as another tear slid down her cheek, “His face when he caught us kissing, I should’ve...”

“It’s not your fault.” Chloe shook her head, her left hand cupping Beca’s cheek, “It’s really not your fault Becs.”

Chloe gently pressed her lips into Beca’s, not caring that it made her bottom one throb from where she’d bitten it too hard. She just wanted to kiss her, to make sure that Beca knew that it was okay, that it wasn’t her fault, that she didn’t blame her, that...

“I love you.” Chloe whispered as she pulled away, “I meant to say that earlier, before we got interrupted, I love you Beca.”

“I love you too.” Beca nodded a little, forehead pressed against Chloe’s, “Let’s get you checked out Chlo, I want to know you’re okay.”

Chloe smiled softly as she lent into Beca again, walking with her in the direction of the waiting ambulance, able to see the Bellas waiting eagerly to see her nearby. 

“How did you know it was Theo?”

“That was all Posen.” Beca smirked a little, “She got a bad vibe off him, and she pointed out that the timing of it was weird from the time that he caught us to you vanishing. Plus, the note that you ‘wrote’? Please. I’ve been trying to decode your hastily written notes for me for years, I knew it wasn’t your handwriting.”

“He left a note?” Chloe frowned, “What did it say?”

“I’m sorry. I don’t like you like that. Gone home to NYC.” Beca shrugged, feeling a swell of anger inside her again, “Once I’d gotten over myself enough, I realised it didn’t sound anything like you.”

Chloe just shook her head a little, a sick feeling in her stomach as she realised just how lucky she was that her friends had figured everything out. If they hadn’t...

“We were never going to let anything happen to you Chlo.” Beca seemed to read her mind as she kissed the top of her head, “No way. I’d have never stopped looking for you.”

“I know.” Chloe nodded, her sore wrist held against her chest as she sniffed, “And that’s why I love you.”

[namyoo]

Summary: Louis goes radio silence on everyone after a series of hardships and drops his first album out of nowhere.

Harry worries about him and wants to reach out and fix who once was his other half, but they broke up 5 years ago and definitely not on good terms.

Now, they have to meet themselves as strangers who once shared a passionate and out-of-a-movie love story, and learn how to love the new ''them''.

A story about coming out and accepting yourself, learning from mistakes and flying home.

Word count (thus far): 11,1k

Chapters uploaded: 4/7

Warnings: References to dr*g abuse, references to depression/anxiety, Canonical character deaths (sorry)

Link

[lovelytayforce]

The musician in the background can take me on a ride

Back on my bs lads.

Chapter 4 of ✰ Starry Invader ✰ is out on ao3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54317167/chapters/152335750 Preview below the kick. “ヽ(´▽｀)ノ”

Okay, it's time to introduce our DJ~

~ “Hmmm~ ♫ ”   “ A lone hum rolls across the quiet unutilized path below the large trees surrounding them. They teemed with overgrowth and unswept leaves. He kicked a stray rock around as he walked with his hands in his pockets, his eye caught dimmed windows above, and only a select few lights were still ablaze at this late hour. Yellow eyes watched him from the houses built around those trees. The melody continued to travel as he made his way to the very edge of the village, where everything cleared away, feeling more akin to any other city or town he had visited. The feeling of a stone path was comforting. The wind picked up its pace, causing his red scarf to flutter in the wind, he breathed in the fresh air catching the crisp scent of water and pine nearby. He threw a couple of golden coins toward an offertory box with only a slight glance at an old owl, watching him not from above but at his eye level. The stranger smirked as that old man took in his visage with a mix of wonder and concern, it wasn’t every day you saw such a dapper fellow as himself, draped in gold and red from head to toe but not in a tacky way as the Emperor’s of old he once knew. ‘I have much more style than that.’ He thought with a laugh he could not contain. Why should he? Life was meant to be enjoyed in the moment. The wind howled louder as he approached the main shrine, wooden fixtures clattering loudly with the tree’s branches shifting as he bowed toward the main shrine with a toothy smile. “Ah, I see you are awake, good.” The stranger spoke up with a delighted tone. “I have given your shrine the proper offering and people say I never learned my lesson ehe! Now,” Blazing gold eyes met another pair of yellow within the dark shadows of this decaying shrine. “ Show yourself, ” It was connected to a large tree, one towering above the rest he had seen on his trip here. Even after many decades, this lone tree stood the tallest among this land, hiding away the lights in the distance across the lake. His tail twitched at heavy footfalls and claws scraping against aged wood. Seems as if his friend was not fully awake as he had expected, and by the wind’s course. ‘He seems annoyed uh oh…’ Despite this clear indication for him to leave, the being within the shrine thought this would be enough to make him leave. It made him laugh again. Ding.His laughter stopped and his body stood at a standstill as he noted that the metal bells had not yet ringed. The sound of creaking wood grew closer and in the subtle light of the moon, did he see their shadow. “Fei Lian…” The stranger lifted his head, marveling at how even his old friend seemed enamored with his growing collection of gold trinkets and jewelry across his body. “Your control over the wind never ceases to amaze me, tell me how long has it been now? Two hundred or maybe it was four-”

[goatsorcery]

some of my favorite excerpts from my fic:

Merit the Lyre and the Absolute Crisis (read on AO3)

Except for the fact that it wasn't sleep; Astarion killed me! Sucked me to death, and not even in the fun way.

Maybe I serve them well enough as a sacrificial lamb of a leader, that they'd rather I walk first into all the danger. Let me be their canary of the troubled paths.

Who does he see me as? What am I to him? Is this all still just a game? I feel like I'm still playing, but the board is gone, the rules have disappeared. Just pawns left alone to move about as they please. We could leave, the game is over and we don't have to play anymore. Why do we keep moving our pieces towards each other instead?

Glowing fungi covers the ground, hangs from the walls, and walks on two legs. Myconids, beautiful, graceful beings, with psychic song as a language. My skills as a bard are nothing compared to the sound of them speaking.

I'm used to quick duels in alley ways, hardly enough time for more than a dodge and a stab.

Though I didn't dedicate myself to a goddess, I did to the troupe, to Dainith, who certainly sees herself as a god most days.

Learned is maybe not the right word. I would say absorbed, but it was nothing like 'consuming' the tadpoles. It was though my head was made into an open cup and the knowledge was poured in, filling my mind to the brim.

It was a short ride across the lake, but the darkness was the deepest it's been. It made the lake feel endless, hardly able to see the passing cave walls. Only the sound of the water parting to the boat's motion let us know we were, in fact, moving forward.

With the duergar dead, the gnomes were free, and I freed Nere's head from his body.

(read more on AO3)

[theoriginalcrossjumper]

here's my 4am definitely-well-thought-out new years resolution for 2024: one of these days i'm going to actually start posting things about my actual writing.

like my kind-of-multiverse-cubed-but-not-really interconnected original story that i've been on and off working on since i was like 8, or my transcendence-au-like original story that i actually came up with a solid year before ever hearing about tau, or the massive worldbuilding naruto au fanfic that has been chiseling its way into canon's place in my brain for the last several years, or one of the other various anime fics that i've outlined over the course of my fanfic consumption.

and maybe one of these days the like two (2) ppl who ever look at my non-tau posts will be able to peer pressure me into actually writing the damn thing.

or maybe not.

but one of these days i'm actually gonna do it.

best wishes and luck to all of your (and my) writing endeavors in 2024. happy new year, everyone.

[getscaredhellyeah]

Aye let's go it's #1 on Get Scared and not some questionable fanfic 😎

that’s iconic

[bleach-your-panties]

Keep writing it to make them mad, and give Eren a black Hellcat with a purple racing stripe and some 26's.

these bitches be like “im just expressing my opinions, not everyone wants to read plug eren!!!” and don’t write, can’t construct a coherent sentence and then tagging the opinion like “tehee😝😝 #x black reader!! #plug!eren” on it for views. if it’s an opinion then be the change you want to see…keep scrolling, block the tag, and idk write your own shit… so tired of this conversation but just ignore these weirdos because you way above this bae

and they got upset because i said the conversation was repetitive? like HELLO? yall do it for a follower grab in the eren smut tag every month stfu and focus on bigger problems

[queen-of-elves]

Spilled wine

Summary: These events were all the same, the same names, the same faces, at least that's what Aemond had always thought.

A/N: this is more of a crack fic but not really? Basically everyone is friends and happy haha but not really. Aemond still has the scar but it happened during some summer vacation and it was a complete accident + Aemond getting his walls knocked down by reader and being absolutely whipped for her

Btw this is probably the most ambitious fanfic I ever attempted to write when it comes to the word count, so I am sort of proud of myself

Fanarts for this fanfic: The snap screenshot, some sketches of outfits, kiss

Masterlist

Words: 8,7K

Warnings: english is not my first language, drinking, mention of dr*gs, alcohol consumption, minimum use of Y/N, male oc present at the table, swearing, +18 themes but not smut

Dividers by: @cafekitsune

Red and white

Aemond did not appreciate his mother pushing him into attending these kinds of events. Opulent and full of rich fellow friends of his sickly father. This was nothing more than a powertrip for their egos. Socialize, make connections and exploit them in the foreseeable future.

And this event was a definition of what he hated. Noone was there to actually enjoy themself, it was all an illusion. This was a competition: who can get more information while sipping on their drinks, who could manipulate another investor after doing lines in the dim bathrooms, who could win another connection to centuries old wealth. Aemond felt sick to his stomach over these thoughts even though he was born into this world. However, the worst part of this whole farce was that he needed none of that, except his grandfather did. His scheming got even more out of control since Aegon moved into Aemond's apartment, destroying his plans of him being the heir to their father’s company by being a reckless drunk out in the open.

And now he was standing next to him in a freshly pressed suit, dark green fabric turning black in the evening darkness. He once found suits and formal clothing as a second skin, armor he could hide underneath but they were now constricting him. Aemond’s younger self was always obsessed with this image of the perfect son. Well educated, polite, manners of the perfect gentlemen, perfect son, perfect in everything. PERFECT. The older he grew the more he started to resent the word, the more he started to fear it in some way. No matter how much he tried, it was never enough. While his brother was failing in everything he touched, Aemond was succeeding and it was all for nothing. 

His mother was giddy to introduce him to people, ready to make a match of him and some rich lady, probably at the instigation of his grandfather. Another face, another introduction. Aemond did not remember the new rich people introduced to him by his mother. And why should he, he did not expect to see them again. 

He already knew the proper aces in the field since he was 9 years old, he remembered well Lannisters who did business with his father through their banks or the Royce family, giants in the food industry and of course Hightowers, his grandfather’s and his mother’s name, his uncle Gwayne being one of the best lawyers. Aemond was meant to soon join him, after he finishes his studies.

When I finish college.

There were many more of these names, sewed into his brain since a young age but these names did not change, they were all playing the same game with the same moves with the same chess pieces since he was born. Generational wealth hiding from the new kind, gatekeeping their society from the rest, while they enjoyed parties with the best of the best.

“Oh, Aemond, do you remember Margaret Baeltigar?” Soft touch of his mother’s hand, almost as if burning him, woke him up from his thoughts. He had no recollection of such a lady, maybe she was one of Alicent’s so-called friends or maybe some wife of an investor in the family’s company.

The lady was slightly older than his mother, clad in a light blue gown, her boney hand clutching her glass of champagne. She was the kind of skinny only obtainable by starvation, unhealthy diet. The smile she gave him was forced, too much white pearly teeth showing for his liking and for it to be sincere. Her posture was rigid as if she was posing and maybe she was, to him, to his mother, to everyone.

“Of course.” The polite small smile fell unappreciated since her gaze had already turned away, wide eyes searching for something specific, someone specific in the crowd of empty faces.

“Here she is…” Those words seemed forced, like an unwanted gift you still have anticipated, so you keep smiling to please the donor. “Finally.” Her mouth was once again outstretched in that horrendous toothy smile, lips almost cracking under the strain of holding it all together. Boney arms holding out for a hug.

“Hello.” There was a polite voice behind him but he did not turn. Aemond already knew what this was about, this was not the first time he would get ambushed by his mother’s scheming mind into the web of being introduced to some bratty heiress. He did not even notice when his brother ran off, probably searching for another drink or a white powder to misuse, leaving Aemond to fend for himself. 

The young lady moved in a nonchalant manner, her attention solely on her mother and her outstretched arms. The hug was awkward, he could feel the deja vu pulsing through him. Image of Aemond and his mother enveloped in such a hug. A constant reminder of the chasm between them over unsaid things.

The stark contrast between the mother and her daughter was apparent. Boney corpse parading around the mirage of a living body dressed in light blue dress and young lady in red, bow tying it all around her neck, accompanying her.

“This is my daughter.” 

“It’s so lovely to meet you, dear.” The smile on his mother’s face was sincere, in some manner she was always excited to meet new young ladies, if it was ‘cause of her single sons or lonely daughter he did not know.

“Oh, thank you.” There was untypical shiness to her, voice not trembling but slightly fighting to be heard in the overabundance of loud talking. She seemed confident enough next to her own mother just like he was next to his. Her bright eyes had moved from Alicent to him and Aemond recognized the uneasiness in them. Used to the parties but not used to the contact with people at them.

“I am Y/N-” Her words just like her unstretched hand toward him were interrupted by her mother abruptly moving to the side. Attention of everyone in the conversation then shifted to the new face entering in. Another young woman, this time more similar to the mother in her face, same structure but much younger was now staring at him, grinning widely. The white dress shining in the light.

“Oh, you have to meet my oldest! She is such a delight!” This time Mrs. Baeltigar’s voice was high pitched, excitement radiating from the statement.  This was the second time Aemond felt deja vu struck him on this particular night. Oldest and delight, that’s how his mother used to talk about Aegon in front of everyone. Her most prized son, a son who did not care for his education and ended up on his younger brother’s coach, hiding from the rest of the family. 

The Baeltigar’s oldest daughter was marching right to them the moment she realized her mothers presence. Almost bumping into one of the waitresses' sides, overjoyed by the possible introduction, she clung to her mother’s thin left arm. 

“Margo Baeltigar, pleasure to meet you,” Margo’s voice was similar to her mother’s high pitch and sugary, leaving a sour taste in Aemond. The oldest was almost hyper focused on him and before he could even react to her introduction, she opened her mouth again but no words got to him. Because while this conversation took place the other sister carefully navigated her way around her sister’s body, moving into the background. Her figure slowly and unnoticed disappearing behind the two M named ladies, fighting for his and Alicent's attention.

There was a heavy stone set in his throat, his stomach fluttering at the same time and Aemond did not know what it meant, not yet. 

Aemond was thankful for not being seated at the same table as his mother or anyone from his family and while the company next to him was quite boring he knew it could have always been worse. Five seats out of six already occupied, he was not expecting any miracles from the last person yet to arrive. 

On his right was one of his father’s long term investors with his wife, a quiet old man with an already full belly even before the food had yet to arrive, his wife still yapping in her husband’s ear since they were seated, while on his left were two other men, one of them younger than the other. The younger one seemed like a total newcomer to this kind of event, to this kind of society too, his eyes constantly darted from one table to another, trying to identify everyone present. However, the man next to him was the opposite, comfortably sprawled in his seat, his hand leaning on the young man’s chair, black eyes observing his behavior, finding amusement in it. His smooth hair was graying just like his beard but there was pleasant handsomeness in his face. 

“I was almost afraid you would run off,” The silver fox at their table spoke up, gaze heading to someone behind his shoulder, the last person finally arrived at their table.  Aemond was only slightly interested in the person, another short distraction in a long night, he knew them all and quite frankly, they were all boring. 

The figure moved, he could feel the movement behind him, wind picking up, fabric rustling, heels clicking. A woman. Or a very short man, he had noticed several guys trying to hide their shortage, pun intended, by clapping heels hidden beneath longer suit pants. 

His hand gripped the champagne flute, glass slick with condensation, almost causing shivers down his spine. The liquid was bitter, bubbles fizzing on his tongue, and for a second it was an uncomfortable feeling before the drink slid down. In moments like these Aemond understood why his brother was always drinking, in the end there was nothing else to do. 

The new addiction to the table was finally at her seat, still chatting with the man. And just like the bubbles his boredom fizzled off. The bow was gone and she was no longer wearing the pretty red dress. Her current dress was snow white, like fresh cotton sheets, and on one shoulder. The fabric was dangling off her in an awkward manner, almost as if it was not meant for her. Her shoulders were hidden by black suit jacket, a decent and modest combo, however, it was apparent the outfit was not meant to be this way.

But white suits her.

“Don’t worry, I just went to save my sister.” The almost silver haired man moved the empty chair for her to sit in more comfortably, too eager for a new distraction at the table just like Aemond was. And once again Aemond felt something within him move, how did they know each other, were they close, he might be years older than her but even his mother was significantly younger than his father. 

“Oh, what has she done this time?” Laughter erupted from the man, cheeks blooming red. For a moment, Aemond thought she would take offense to such a statement, he probably would but only in the sense of feeling embarrassment for himself stemming from his brother’s failures. In some sense he loved his brother but on most days he was exploding in anger over Aegon’s public mistakes.

 However, she only sheepishly grinned before motioning to her side. “Spilled some wine on herself.” And truly there it was, ugly red stain on her hip, the jacket covering it just enough to not be prominent in the evening dim lighting, saving her from judging glares.

“Of course you did.” This time the man was the one with a sheepish smile hiding behind his glass, twinkle in his eyes indicating some kind of hidden joke. 

The Targaryen felt like he was the only one witnessing the conversation even though the full table’s attention was turned to two. His eyes were scanning her face, then the dress and then her face again. She acted as if she was so used to it and there was silent understanding on his part for such action. It wasn’t long before the two noticed his unmoving gaze, while the other occupants of the table turned to their own matters.

“I suppose our introduction was cut short. I am Y/-,” He did like her smile, it was soft, not quite reaching her eyes, not in a malicious kind of way. To an untrained eye it would only seem like a sincere reaction, to Aemond’s it was apparent her smile was the result of years of practice. 

“I know.” His voice cut through her sentence like a hot knife, stopping her completely. Aemond knew of his talent to be awfully cold to people but this time he had truly overdone himself. The smile he rewarded her with, trying to improve his reputation, only received by a puzzled look from her and her companion. 

This night can’t get worse.

Rough grimace struck his face, muscles twitching under the pressure of his failing. He was good at this, he was good at these events. So why was he fucking it all up today? Bitter feeling bit his throat and he wished he could swallow all the shame in the world, devour every mistake he ever made so no one could gaze upon them and he would be perfect again. Was it because she felt familiar to him? Because she had the same watchful eyes behind her every step, watching her to complain about her wrong doings? Or maybe he was completely wrong and playing himself entirely.

After the food arrived, most of the over the table conversation had died down, except for a few whispers here and there between some of them. He did not register any kind of taste, all was now in a fog to him, the illusion of a perfect man shattering with each glance turned to her. Only consolation prize to him were the few and far inbetween looks she rewarded him with. The plates with food were gone just as fast as they appeared, all in a flash moving forward. It was time to go out, social torture once again in progress. 

And at the end of the night, when most of the guests had already left and the rest were getting ready to leave, he saw a glimpse of her saying goodbye to the older man from their table. Aemond realized he never got to know his name but he knew he could turn the tables, he could make this right again. 

There was not much left of the courage in him on this grim night, but what was left had to be sufficient for now. His movement was rigid, he weaved between the people, tables and chairs, mind almost blank except for the command to move forward, to go to her.

“Hi.” Was his voice always so rough? He tried to swallow with no success, the lump in his throat winning.

“Hi.” Her eyes were wide, caught by surprise, she moved to fully face him. The light softly illuminated her face, giving her a certain glow he knew he would never forget. There just was something so familiar about her. Like a picture he has seen before but now had no recollection of. Have they already met? He couldn’t remember even though he really wanted to.

“Sorry about the…” His head moved to their table, indicating what he meant without having to say that. Aemond was sure he would spontaneously combust if he had to talk about his own rudeness caused by the unfamiliar uneasiness in his stomach more than this.

“Oh, don’t worry about it.” Her answer was so casual, as if his rude behavior was long gone from her mind, while he wanted the opposite even if it were her remembering only the worst stuff about him. He needed her to remember him.

He could hear someone call her name, the shadow of her mother frantically waving her hand at them, signaling something to her. There was a drunk mess of a person even further behind her mother, hair everywhere, red dress tripping her on uneasy legs.

It was an image he was so used to by now, but this time, it was not his responsibility. It was someone else’s. And somehow it changed nothing, there was a bile rising up inside him, hands sweaty and heart beating too fast, such a familiar situation he saw her in. It was like looking in the mirror.

She was biting her lip anxiously, some part of her evidently annoyed at her sister and he wanted to tell her to never ever do that again. He wanted to take all her worries away, he wanted to do that for her.

“Sorry…” Her shoulders visibly slumped, one of her shoulders escaping from under the black jacket. “Have to go.” Her manicured thumb pointing behind her, at the mess she was meant to deal with. Her older sister was drunk off her mind, stumbling in the crowd, the man with her unable to hold her straight up, part of him found relief in the fact Aegon was not with her. One of her heels dangled off the man’s hand while the other wrestled to keep her on her feet.

“Have a great night!” Aemond thought these words might haunt him for the rest of his life, the rest of the night squished into few fragments of him saying bye to people and getting back to his apartment, while some part of him was still stuck in the moment with her.

Teal blue

This time she was wearing teal blue gown, satin complementing her skin like nothing he has ever seen. Her smile was wide and even though Aemond saw her only in passing, a warm feeling spread through his insides. Since their first encounter he had chastised himself for his behavior, praying for a chance to redeem himself to her.

However, they were not seated at the same table and for once he found himself disappointed for the lack of his mother's interference. And so after losing Aegon, in the crowd, even though he was meant to babysit him after his last drunk tirade at some club went public, he began mapping the whole place in hope to find the teal gown in the crowd. 

It was after the obnoxious dinner that he found her standing next to the bar, the silverfox by her side once again. Aemond could not hear them but it seemed as an interesting conversation by the way her arms flailed while explaining something. Wide grins spreaded over both of their faces before a round of giggles overcame them. Faced near each other in secretive closeness, they held on the other’s arms strongly while their bodies shook in held down laughter.

He wanted to know what they were to each other, how back they went and why they held each other so familiarly and he wanted to do the same with her. It was like a new emotion, jealousy he had never experienced. 

His pleading stares must have awoken some mercy in her. The young lady bid goodbye to her friend and gracefully walked over to him, still holding his gaze. And even though Aemond’s attention the whole night was fixated on the image of her, now that she was there, he was lost for words. 

“Evening.” The cheeky smile was back and if it was to disarm him it worked perfectly. Lost in his nervous thoughts, he chewed on his cheek, an anxiety filled bad habit he picked up as a kid. It took him a moment to realize she was patiently waiting for his reply. He completely forgot he was meant to give her his greeting too.

“Evening.” He could only mutter his reply. Needles of uneasiness prickling along his spine, giddy feeling spread through him now that he was once again near her. He needed to set it right, courage boiling his throat but no words came out, he was overwhelmed by all of it. His solace was found in a similar scene in front of him. 

She, like himself, was in a frozen state, mouth open, ready to speak and eyes moving all around the room, searching for something to say. Both of them desperately need to say something to the other, not only to fill the silence but for the simple reason to converse with the other one. 

The voices and music completely overwhelmed them and while they hoped it would soothe some of the anxiety over their failed meetings it only fueled their nerves more. Their eyes met again, corners of their mouths simultaneously lifted, smiling like idiots. And there was a silent understanding between them. The ballroom is too loud, let’s move it to the balcony.

The balcony itself was absolutely quiet, there was no one who would disturb them. Night cold breeze was slowly picking up but the heat from the inside was enough to keep them satisfied. He could not see the outside properly, lights blinding his vision of their surroundings and he liked it this way. 

Maybe this time he would not come off as a rude idiot to her, maybe this time it could all end well. Both of them stood with their backs to the lights of the ballroom, only darkness before them and cold railing underneath their hands. The silence between them was comfortable, for now at least.

Aemond was aware of the intense stare she was giving him, precisely his fake eye and the scar dividing the bad eye socket into two. It had been years since he gained the injury, the scar no longer dark reddish color but more of a white pink, it faded slowly, plus his mother begged his father to pay for laser treatment to help it fade out quicker. He also got gifted the new fake eye, his mother was absolutely ecstatic over it, her sweet son’s face finally appeared more normal. 

He knew she did not mean it that way but it still hurt, and the eye itself hurt or maybe it was the injury itself. If only he could wear his eyepatch to these kinds of events but according to his mother it was too eye-catching (pun not intended) compared to the fake eye even though if someone looked at him for too long they would probably notice not only the scar but the fact he could not fully open the eye or the lack of movement in it. And so fake eye it was.

“How did it happen?” Her eyes softly cascaded over his face before settling on his bad eye again.

“It was…,” Aemond felt like he couldn’t breathe, not this conversation again ,” an unfortunate accident.” Over the years he had dozens upon dozens of people asking him the same question and not stopping snooping even with his short answers cutting them off.

“Oh, sorry to hear that.” Her attention turned to the crowd behind them, they might have moved to one of the balconies but the noise of people was still present.

“It’s okay.” He hummed, never knowing what to say to those who pitied him over the injury. “It happened years ago.” Aemond hardly ever thought about it now, it worked as a bitter reminder of his own carelessness in the end. And while some responsibility laid with his cousins and brother he knew it was his decision, he couldn’t blame them for it even if he did at the start.

“It’s more purple.” Her attention was back on him, staring right at  the fake eye once again.

“What?”

“The other eye.” Her delicate hand pointed to his left side of face. “It’s more purple.” Aemond knew the prosthetic he got was not identical in the color to his other eye and while others claimed he was only imagining it, he knew. He knew it was not the exact shade of purple like his other eye.

People always saw the younger son of Alicent Hightower and Viserys Targaryen, second born son, the Targaryen boy, not Aemond. Not the young Baeltigar, she looked at him, not through him, not at his family, not at his very possibly, almost surely, shiny future thanks to his name.

He had never felt so seen in his life and being known by her became a carnal need to him.

This time it was his mother who called for a saving of an older sibling, in the middle of the night Aegon had sneaked away from Cole’s watchful eyes and ended up drunk as the dirty pig he was. They must have found him half asleep on some naked lady’s back in one of the private rooms of the manor the event was at, his hair was a complete mess, his earring already gone and tie let loose. Aemond expected him in a worse state than this, most of the time he was called to him half dead, this was nothing compared to those times. But his mother was red faced, completely embarrassed by his brother’s antics.

Light pink

It was weird, feeling this nauseating feeling within him. Aemond felt like a little boy again, excited for another gala where he could show how perfect of a son he is. When he was still a child he would parade himself around, maybe because his mother and father did not, while Aegon got all the attention. 

However, this time it was different, this time it was only because of one person, one person’s perception of him. He was excited to see her and for her to see him. Their last talk left him hopeful for more.

This time it was her who found him, dressed in light pink fabric that was easily floating around her in the soft breeze, she found him right after dinner. He was just thinking about the appetizer, perfectly composed plate with balanced flavors but he could not figure out what the sauce was made out of. It was a little game he liked to play with himself, so he wouldn’t lose his mind over the boredom. 

“Are our meetings destined to be cut short every single time?” With a champagne flute in hand, another occupied by a whole bottle of it, casually staring him down with a light smile gracing her face, she talked comfortably to him.

“Hope not.” He could feel corners of his mouth twitching and soon a similar smile appeared on his face. It warmed his heart that she was the one to find him, that he was not the only one searching for her and she herself was on a mission to find him. 

Just like the white dress, or any other actually, the light pink shade suited her. The thin fabric of the short sleeves hid her shoulders away from him but he was still fascinated by the soft skin of the inside of her arm.  He could feel the twitch of his fingertips over the thought of touching her there. 

Once again soft silence creeped on them while the both of them observed his older brother, balancing one glass of whiskey in his hand while trying to stay upright, his attention far away from the liquor spilling over the brim but on the young lady in front of him. If it was anyone else Aemond might have felt embarrassment bubbling up to the surface but since he had seen her own older sister in similar state, her presence left him unmoved by it. 

“I think some part of me hates him.” The words left him before he could fully comprehend what he was saying.

She hummed at that, it was a comforting sound he did not deserve, at least in his head. No proper brother could say something like this about his sibling. Regret was a bitter friend to his heart and to his mind. He should not have said that, not to her, she should not know how angry he was inside. 

“He is my brother.” He tried to convince her of his sins against his family, his kin. Part of him did not want to acknowledge fully what he said, he prayed to stay in her good grace, in everyone’s good grace by being the good son, the good Targaryen boy, polite, smart, sophisticated.

.

“I know.” She laughed with ease and Aemond knew the bitter feeling was not going to fade away, as always. He could not escape the regret of speaking out, he did not deserve any pity.

“It’s so hard to explain to anyone.” The words fell off his tongue so freely, Aemond thought someone else was using his mouth to voice out their concern. 

“Right?” Another comforting sound came out of her and maybe the bitterness could fade away from him, from both of them. He could feel it radiating from her skin, they were so similar and unaware of it until now.  “Everyone always tells me to just let it go-, you don’t own them anything and yadayada-, but I can’t-”

“Because she is your sister.” Before she could finish, he knew what she was going to say, he knew those words too well. Everyone said them to him, let it go, let your brother go, he will fuck up and he will have to solve it. However, he could not because in the end he was the one getting voicemails of his drunk brother’s voice, panicked calls from his mother, there was no escaping it, his blood, his family tree tied him to this whole mess. Just like her.

“Yeah…” she nodded, tired from the whole situation. “Exactly.” He did not like the line between her brows, frown caused by his voice, his words. He wished to never see that expression on her face ever again.

“We can’t save them.” The wind pushed the words away from the pair and neither of them knew who uttered them first or who regretted them before the other one.

Another sip of champagne turned into two and then a long gulp, they shared the alcohol so freely, Aemond felt like he could fly in the sky, happy butterflies flapping their wings on the inside of him. She soon downed her flute and instead of filling it back up her hand set the glass down with a clink. 

The light from the ballroom framed her perfectly, creating a vibrant halo around her silhouette. And again Aemond was lost at the vision of her. She was so comfortable in her skin, in her own struggles, in this situation. She felt comfortable even to him and he wanted her to remain comfortable for the rest of her life.

And so he nudged her shoulder with the champagne bottle, creating a moist trace below her armlet. For a moment he was hypnotized by the droplet and its slick path trailing down her arm. He envied it for even a longer moment, to trace her skin to him is to die of the fire inside him. 

Her hand gripped the bottle, tilting it slightly, another sip of the still cold liquor ended in her mouth. And with that he realized she drank alcohol like Aegon did, with no struggle, with no twitch in her face over the bitter taste, like she liked the feeling of it hitting her tongue. He missed the weight of the bottle in his hand and the empty feeling started to itch on his skin, before he realized.

It felt almost intimate, his cheeks aflame and the little boy in him was kicking his feet. An indirect kiss. He drank from the bottle himself before her, their lips touched the same surface.

He did not even notice how the evening turned into a night, only darkness now facing them on the balcony high above ground. Voices behind them have yet to tune down but he could feel the event slowly ending.

And the familiar man was back, simply nodding to her not daring to step even a bit to them, only glancing at them from the inside of the big hall. The smile on his face might have been in a friendly manner but his round glasses hide the glint in his black eyes.

“What are you two?” Throughout their conversations Aemond realized he liked how she enjoyed his forwardness, just like he did with her. There was no shame between them.

“Me and…” there was a slight twitch in her face and she tried to contain it, unsuccessfully in the end “Kim?” 

Kim. 

He did not mind the name, it went over his tongue and he swallowed it slowly. It was not a name he hated, it just felt unfamiliar. However, he was not afraid of it, not with her by his side. The fox be damned.

The laughter was soft, almost scaring him for a moment. Whispered giggles as if she tried to hold it in, turned into a full blown cackling. Her body bending forward with hand set on her stomach, she looked at him, shining once again. 

“He is my friend. Like an uncle… some sort of, I guess.” She giggled at these words. Quick glance and he saw Kim looking their way again, smirking in a conspicuous manner. 

“Oh.” Embarrassment reddened his cheeks, shattering any kind of thoughts left in his stupid thick skull, except for the two voices.

Of course.

They are just friends.

Calm down.

Thank god.

Tucking on his sleeve, he turned his full attention back to her. His body was so close to hers, he could almost distinguish the shape of the lights reflecting in her eyes. And her wide eyes only stared at him. Aemond could get used to this kind of attention, he loved it too much for his liking. It was intoxicating.

Her arms enveloped him, she folded him into her embrace like it was nothing, it was an instinct to her. Even Aemond could feel she needed him close, a secret message embedded into the touch but the meaning was evading him. Both of them knew though, this meant something to both of them and it calmed them.

She was holding him so close and so gently, he never ever experienced something like this. No one ever treated him this way, he almost thought he did not deserve it. It was foreign but not unpleasant but he still felt undeserving of this. To receive kindness was a different kind of punishment for him. Warm touch burning him to the bones, scarring him, it was an awful feeling like nothing else. However, this felt holy, as if gods decided to bless his horrible mind. His horrible mind that only thought of her, how he could keep himself in her presence. She was warm and kind, dark as a shadow and present in everything. No, there might be a holiness in her touch, that kind he might become slave to, but to her, there was nothing saint. She was rotten, broken and mend on the inside like him and still she decided to look at him as if complete, as if she accepted it. And Aemond knew he could never get enough of it.

At that moment it was apparent to him. Hell existed and for them it was their sacrifices for their families, expected of them and without reward. Hell for them was sewed into their blood and they couldn’t do anything about it just obey the law set upon them by the iron chain in their veins. 

Her movement unsettled him, afraid of losing her warmth, calmness now in disarray in his heart. She moved away, just slightly but enough that they could see into each other's eyes and there was uncommon indecision in her stare, and then she moved again.

The first touch of her lips was hesitant, almost shy and maybe it was all the alcohol playing with his brain, Aegon oftentimes blabbered with his drunk mouth about beautiful dreams of even more beautiful ladies before Aemond woke him up to get him home. But if it was a dream, he hoped it would last a lifetime before he himself had to be awoken.

It was soft, almost innocent. Her lips just gently touched his before courage overtook her and something hungry awoke in him. What was once a gentle embrace soon turned into a violent clash, their mouths fighting against each other, devouring more and more of the other person. There was no stopping now, any kind of will of holding themselves back was gone forever. They stepped over the line, now open for crossing.

Her hand gripped his forearm urging him closer, each kiss more hungry, igniting something within him. Soon a soft skin met his neck, gripping the hair at the base and tugging. In that moment his legs almost gave up on him, the overwhelming feeling consuming him completely, his mind, his body and his soul. 

That's how life should be, he thought, being drunk and kissing a pretty girl, kissing her.

Her warmth suddenly left him and the young Targaryen had no desire to open his eyes, too afraid of the dream ending. Maybe if he kept his eyes closed he would never wake up, she would never leave and her touch on his skin would be still present.

Another soft kiss tore him up from that fantasy, this time on his cheek and what he saw was a vision he never wished to forget. Her cheeks were red, hair a complete mess, absolutely breathless, trying to calm down but still the most beautiful person he has ever met. Pupils blown wide moving across his face, her smile reached her eyes and her whole face was bright.

“I have to go.” He did not like those words. No, there was no ending to it now, they were meant to kiss forever until both of them suffocated, unable to leave the presence of the other.

“No.” His voice was hoarse but the implication of his words seemed too stern for his fogged brain. 

“My taxi is here.” Her hand moved, pointing to the yellow car parked and waiting for the next passenger. The smile she gave him was reassuring, lulling him back to the foggy fantasy of kissing her again. 

“Oh.” 

He watched her wave goodbye to a few people, leaving in their own cars or by other taxis, he himself should get moving, find his brother and leave too. However, he could not move, his body rigidly straightened, neck craning to catch a few last more glimpses of the car she left in. 

And even with her once again gone, Aemond’s mind was dizzy and belly full of butterflies.

“Awww, you smooched the girl.” His brother giggled from the coach, his form morphing into the soft cushions, with one of his sweaty hands grasping for the bottle set on the coffee table. While his brother was occupying the coach, his oldest cousin took the armchair next to it, spreaded out just like Aegon. Luke, the younger cousin of his, was meanwhile seated next to his brother but on the ground with his back to the armchair, with one cushion stuffed under him, functioning like a seat.

All of them were in some state of disarray, of course his brother the most. Aegon’s tie was missing, just like his suit jacket and one of his shoes. If he knew one of his feet was bare, not counting the dirty sock still stuck on it, he did not let it be known by anyone. The white shirt he wore was sticking to his skin and some of the buttons were undone throughout the night, Aemond could see the tiny stain on his right wrist. White wine or whiskey, he wasn't sure. Compared to him both of Jace’s shoes were present, his hair a complete mess just like Aemond’s, and while he took off his own suit jacket it was apparent that tomorrow won’t be pleasant for his head. The most kept of them was young Luke presumably because Jace did not let him drink more than a flute of champagne through the dinner and a few sips of the wine served at the event.  

“You didn’t have to call them here.” Aemond waved his hand to their cousins. His older brother decided to end his night with a big sweet treat as a finale, Aemond’s humiliation. It took him one text, snap exactly, to their cousin Jace and they were all here, in Aemond’s apartment. At least Baela and her sister went out for more drinks and were not present, plus Heleana already left because she felt too tired, bless her heart.

“Oh, come on.” Aegon was enjoying it all, the panicked expression of his brother, the utter confusion of their cousins and most of all, the drink he was finishing. “Take this as a…,” his arms motioned into the open living room, searching for the correct words,“family bonding experience, eh?” His brother’s face was once again graced by a cheeky smirk. Once more Aemond felt like a joke, as a tired, drunk joke but he knew if he decided to go to bed, sleep would not overcome him, only panic would.

“So… How did it happen?” Young Luke piped up, his ears turning a light shade of pink. At least Aemond was not the only one embarrassed by the conversation.

“Well-, I-I kissed her?” Shrugging his shoulders, Aemond tried to act as if talking about it was not bothering him at all, as if it was another normal conversation.

“That sounded more like a question, mate.” This time it was Jace who spoke up, not giving Aemond even a glance, occupied by his phone, possibly texting Baela, while still part of the conversation.

“We… kissed…” He was at a loss of words, how does he describe it…. It wasn’t like this was Aemond’s first kiss, far from that. There were some girls in school when he was younger, few relationships, notably with Alys, that one had a nasty end. “And… so- like…,” The whole conversation was not only irritating his nerves and his brain but his eye, the old scar pulsing under the pressure of the talk and even the fake eye.

Fuck. I need to get it out.

Aemond was still uncomfortable with taking his fake eye out in front of… well basically anyone and while he could go search for the eyepatch he wore instead of the artificially created prosthetic, his nerves did not allow him to move.

His silence was not taken lightly by the men in his living room, each of them racking their brains as to why someone like him was unable to describe what happened.

“But it was like…” Jace nodded his head, trying to indicate the words without saying them,” y’know… consensual?” At this Aemond’s pacing stopped, it all happened too fast. Did HE kiss her first? He definitely didn’t have enough courage to kiss her first, did he? Maybe the alcohol, maybe she… 

“I… think so?” Memories in Aemond’s head started to swim, prompted by an anxious feeling setting in his chest, messing up his perception of the events or maybe it was the alcohol…

“Okay…” He did not like this reaction from his brother one bit, nerves one level higher and he might definitely explode. The whole room was slowly but surely getting influenced by his own nerves in the end not helping him ease his mind at all, more like provoking him to descend to madness more and more.

“So that kiss was like… alright, eh?” Aegon’s unsure face was also not helping his nervous mind.

“Eh…” He did not like this sound, he himself did not know where it came from but the tone prompted everyone to silently pounder for a few seconds before they arrived at their separate conclusions.

All eyes turned to his tall frame, mouths slowly opening. “Don’t.” He tried to shut them down promptly, hand raised at them once again, especially if their conclusion was that he was a bad kisser.

“But what if she actually doesn’t like you?” Aegon’s words cause them to think again while Aemond pointed his finger at him, fuming and ready to slap his brother over the head.

“Wait a second…” He tried to gain footing in the conversation but it was a losing battle. “I am just saying that-” This time Aemond was sure to swat his hand toward his brother, meters away, meant to not cause any harm but to at least scare him a bit.

“Hold on,-” Luke was unsuccessfully trying to defuse the situation, getting this conversation might have been going the wrong route.

“He did not mean it like that!” Jace too tried to intercede the whole ordeal but just like his younger brother completely unsuccessful.

“Yeah and how the FUCK did he mean it then!?” Aemond’s nerves finally gave up, letting out his fury. 

“Calm DOWN!” The armchair under Jace screeched after he pushed it in an attempt to stand up, ending up back in it after losing his balance.

“He WAS JUST SAYIN-” It was Luke’s turn to get up or it was simply prompted by his brother moving his back support. 

“I DON’T CARE!” His throat felt tight, scratched from the volume of his voice. He knew he was losing it but he could not stop.

The words took everyone by surprise. They were used to some mean and angry words from Aemond, he was antisocial on his better days and if pushed far enough he would get cruel in some fucked up way to hide himself from the world. However, to see him bubble over, to let himself scream so unapologetically… this was the first time for any of them to witness, even Aegon got quiet.

“What if she doesn’t like me?” It came out more like a whisper, an involuntary sound escaped him and Aemond was finally ready to collapse, to throw it all out of the window, lose it completely and most embarrassingly ready to cry in front of them.

“I mean, maybe she likes y-” Aegon’s voice piped from his right, still on the coach he was subtly hiding behind his now empty beer bottle.

“YOU said that MAYBE SHE DOESN’T LIKE ME!” 

“I am sure she likes you.”

“HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THAT?”

“WELL, I WAS NOT THERE!” 

But this time Aegon was down to yelling it out along with his brother, the alcohol or just his rude nature supporting him in the decision. The screaming match went on for quite some time, Luke and Jace slowly joining, the living room becoming louder and louder, Aemond’s downstairs neighbors were sure to call the police any minute now. At the end none of them knew how the screaming match started, who argued with what or what they were arguing about, the alcohol dulling their sense of reason.

“Why are you all yelling?!” Baela’s agitated voice sounded from the front door, she was still in her coat while Rhaena had her shoes already off.

And then inferno began once more, voices shouting over each other in a chaotic symphony.

“RHEANA!”

“BAELA! YOU WON’T BEL-!”

“WHAT IF SHE DOESN’T LIKE M-!”

“YO AEMOND KISSED -!”

For a moment they all quieted down, catching their breath, bodies heaving and faces reddened, fingers still pointed at each other. “What?” Rheana asked, turning her gaze to her sister in a confused manner. Baela instead looked unamused partly because she got used to such banter from the younger two men.

“DRINKS!”

All heads turned to Aegon whose attention was now preoccupied by the plastic bag dangling from Baela’s hand. She lifted her hand, dangling it in front of his face as some sort of bait. And while the girls lured Aegon into the kitchen with the bad set down on the kitchen counter, Aemond felt like crying. Crying like when he was a little kid, unable to escape his doom.

Bottles clicked against each other aggravating Aemond even more. His anxiety was spiking up, dizziness almost overcoming him. This could only result in another screaming match between all of them until he would give up and tell them to fuck out of his apartment, Aegon included, even if he had been sleeping on his coach for the last 2 months.

Speaking of which, his brother was once again attempting to open a new bottle of beer while the girls finally sat on the coach previously occupied solely by him. “Thanks for the keys.” Rheana’s outstretched arm was handing him his keys but Aemond felt drained of all energy. Instead of taking them he motioned for her to throw them, catching them with ease. The iron keys to his apartment comfortably cold from the outside night air, grounding him in his own body. He was fine, in his living room, in his apartment… and he was fine.

“So…,” Rheana could feel his uneasiness prompting her to tune down the volume of her voice to a soft mumble, almost whispering, “what was all of this about?” 

“He kissed the girl,” Aegon shared on the behalf of his brother. Aemond was not sure if it was for his own sakes or if he simply wanted to be the one to break the news once again.

“The girl?” Her eyebrows raised, Baela motioned with a light smirk to Jace to continue, to indulge her curiosity. And he would of course indulge her as always. “Yeah.” 

“Wait… what girl?” Her sister spoke up, this time louder while another cheeky smile played on Baela’s face, giggling like a schoolgirl ready to receive another juicy rumor.

So Aemond recounted the story one more time, this time properly with some actual details. They talked, shared some personal stuff, and when it came to saying goodbye she kissed him before leaving in a taxi. He made sure to leave out the details of his knees buckling every time she had touched him or the fact he could still smell her shampoo and was still thinking about her eyes, lips, everything.

“Well, she is the girl.” Baela whispered mischievously, her elbow assaulting her sister’s side before the mischief in her face turned into another loud laughter. Rheana giggles had continued to sound throughout the room, waking him up again.

“Yeah?” Confused grimace overtook Luke’s face, his whole face scrunched in confusion. “So?” With a nod Aemond tried to urge the girls to continue, almost not breathing over what might come out of their mouths. There was hope for his doing and where was hope was also disappointment.

“I can guarantee you she knows that she is THE girl” Rhaena laughed even more. “I mean SHE kissed him!” Aegon gave Aemond a pointed look which turned into a cheeky grin before a hysterical laughter overcame him, realizing they truly might have been overthinking the whole situation. The bottle of beer he was holding up to his mouth for a not sip shaking violently, spilling some of its content out on his shirt, adding to the mess of him.

 “Honestly, guys… I don’t know what you are all debating over” The sisters bumped their shoulders, giggling like little girls, excited over the information. “She obviously likes him.” And even more loud giggles followed, Aegon gradually joining in with his screeching laugh, not holding back.

“Shit.” Faint murmur left his lips. Realization setting in, he might have kissed her but she was definitely the first one to make a move.

This was one of the worst and best nights in his life.

[flame-nova]

Chapter 6: Emitted Memories

It was early afternoon when I was summoned by the other Templars for a meeting. I was sitting in my room reading a spellbook when a servant came to knock on the door.

"Yes?" I looked up. The door opened to reveal the head of a maid. "Captain Vox wishes to see you in the headquarter sir Berwick."

"I'll be there soon."

"What is it?" I asked as I shut the door from behind me. I turned around to see everyone in the room. Even Thetis, the new member.

"I heard about everything." Thetis said. "And I want to pitch in and help. Not sure how I could but I'm going to try the best I can."

I nodded and thanked him. "So, are we going to go now and ask for the crest?" I asked Vox.

"Yeah. But we don't have a plan. What if she says no?"

The room was dead silent.

"Then we're going to convince her." I said. "Somehow."

Thetis sighed. "You're way too impulsive Berwick. It's not a matter of 'I'll see if she'll say yes' type of thing. It's more like whether she will allow us to help her."

"To be honest, how would we know if we don't even try asking?" Riviera objected. "We haven't even tried yet. You're overthinking Thetis."

"I can't believe that I'm agreeing with Riviera on this, but I do have to say, if we don't try, we don't know." I rubbed my temple.

Vox had been quiet the whole time. So was Duke. Thetis, Rivera and I were at it for quite a while before things got a little heated.

"Alright alright, that's enough." Vox stood up from his place from where he was sitting. "Let's try asking. If her majesty says no, we will think about something else. How about that?"

It was not exactly what Thetis wanted to hear, but since the captain made up his mind, he could only remain silent.

We left the headquarter and went down the hall leading to the throne room. But the possibilities of her being there was slim as she was never someone that could stay in the same room for too long. She was always bustling around.

Finally, we found her in Princess Leone's room looking at a bouquet of dying flowers. I frowned. This phenomenon had been going on ever since last year. I remembered noticing a large amount of flowers dying by the riverbank where I used to gather magic stones for class. When we approached, her majesty turned around and smiled.

"Oh hello, what brought all of you here?"

Everyone's gaze fell on me. I sighed. It was my idea to ask in the first place after all. "We have something we must discuss with you, perhaps in private." I explained, eyeing the young Princess occasionally, who was at the moment standing next to her elder sister with a curious and worried expression. The idea of her sister dying would be too much for her to bear and I didn't want to be the one breaking her heart. Even though I may not like her, I'm not cold-blooded.

"Oh sure, where would you like to go?"

We ended up in one of the private meeting rooms in the castle. I told her about that day I saw her curse taking effect and how we wanted to help her. I showed her the book I found in the library and explained to her that we wanted to look for a way to cure her. And to do that, we needed the crests.

"No, I'm sorry." She rejected, her expression solemn. "Do you have any ideas of how much destruction this one single crest can do if it was to fall to the wrong hand? Besides, I can't believe that you allowed Berwick to talk you into this Vox. I thought you knew better than that."

"Your highness," Vox begin. "This has nothing to do with Berwick and whether he convinced me to agreeing with him. You gave me a second life, and I'm forever indebted. This is just one of the small ways where I can return the favor back to you. Will you accept my proposal and for this once listen to our advice?"

"Queen Juno," Riviera looked at her majesty, eyes filled with sadness. "You had given me a purpose in life. I used to wander aimlessly in bars getting drunk and gamble my life away on a daily basis, wasting my money and not knowing what I wanted to do. You took me in and look where it got me now. I'm a Juno Templar. I work as a knight to protect this kingdom and you. If you're gone, what will be our purpose then?"

"I've already decided to pass the throne down to Leone." Queen Juno said calmly. "I think she'll make a wonderful queen in my stead."

I was indignant. "While we have no doubt of Princess Leone being a good queen, she is still but a child. You're her sister for crying out loud. If you're gone, she's going to be the most heartbroken of us all. Besides, do you really wish to see your sister being weighed down by all those duties she had to attend to without ever being trained to do so? Please, you don't have to listen to us if you don't want to. But do this for your sister's sake. She needs you."

She sighed. "I do have the Dagger of Testament."

Duke smiled. "That's good news."

"Yes, but I had passed it down to Leone. The Blood was breaking out in her, and I knew what I had to. As much as I didn't want to leave her, there can only be one person carrying the dagger....."

Everyone fell silent.

"But..... That's why we could make it..... Right?" I asked. I looked to her majesty trying to see if there was more we could do. She only shook her head sadly.

"I'm afraid not..... As talented as our weapon forgers are, the process of making the dagger is long and tedious. Not to mention that it required heat hotter than the sun.... "

"But my flame is hotter than the sun right? You've seen it yourself!" I cried. "It's not impossible. It may take time, but it's not impossible!"

"Beriwick, calm down." Thetis placed a hand on my shoulder. "There's gotta be something we can do."

I bit my lips. My hands clenched to fists as I looked at the ground. Is it really hopeless at this point? How much longer do we have with the Queen before she will die?

No, I mustn't. I can't give up. There have to be another way out.

I felt a gentle hand holding mine. I looked up and was immediately met with a pair of calm amber eyes.

"Let's go guys. Our discussion here is over." Duke said, shooting everyone out.

"But we're not done talking here!" Riviera objected angrily. "What happened to talk until we convince her?"

"We never agreed on that." Thetis said as he held the door open for everyone. "Vox said to ask. And if it doesn't work, then we'll think of something else."

Riviera's head hung. My heart sunk as the door shut with a dull sound, drowning our hopes. We went back to the headquarter, nobody said anything. The walk was silent.

Riviera said something about going on for a walk. Thetis offered to accompany her. Duke said that he was having a small headache and needed to go rest. They departed and left me alone with Vox.

"You seemed awfully determined about this."

I looked at him, his cerulean hair bounced along as he walked.

"Yeah. She's done a lot for this kingdom. And..... She gave me Fomalhaut. She went as far as finding out my hobby of astronomy and had the staff made specifically for me and was stylized so it resembled the stars. How could I not repay her for her kindness? Isn't there something we can do?"

"I have a spot to take you to."

I was stumped. "Are you listening to me? We have to find a way to help her majesty-"

"Are you free tonight?" He turned his head, his amber eyes gentle with emotions.

"Yeah, why?"

"I have a place to take you tonight. I was wondering if you're free. I know you're worried about her majesty, but I'm sure the place can clear your head and help you think better."

I smiled a little. "Sure. What time?"

--------------------------------------------------

Night slowly crept up on the small kingdom of Granadia. The evening wind was quite chilling. I was thankful that I remembered to grab a coat on my way out. The night was clear, a perfect one for stargazing.

I waited behind the castle as Vox instructed. Soon after, I saw a tall figure running toward me.

"You're late." I commented.

"Sorry, sorry. I was caught up in something. How long have you been waiting?" He panted, out of breath. He looked like he had been running.

"Not too long. Maybe 2 or 3 minutes before you." I said, wrapping the coat around me tighter.

"Let's get going, shall we?" He asked, steam smoke came out of his mouth.

"Sure."

Vox let me to a clearing with a small hill. He sat on the grass and patted the spot next to him. I got down nervously. We were too close.

"This is the spot I usually sneak off to whenever something's bothering me."

He looked at the night sky, the moonlight casted a soft glow around him, making him seemed almost divine.

"But.... Why me?" I asked curiously. "I mean, this is your special place isn't it?"

He smiled, his eyes still on the sky. "That's because those stars reminded me of you. It'll be mean of me to keep this place a secret from you."

I blushed and turned my attention to the skies. The stars were bright, but my mind was on the blue-haired demon next to me.

"Do you..... "

He looked at me.

"Do you see Queen Juno as more than a friend? I mean..... Never mind." A painful feeling pulled on my heart. What am I saying? I should be thankful that I even got this close to him by luck. I shouldn't dream anything beyond that.

He was silent. His eyes finally torn away from the skies and they were now focused on me.

"I only have respect for her. My heart belongs to someone else."

My heart sank. I knew it. I can never be with him.

I refused to look at him. I was afraid that if I did, my eyes will betray me and my feeling would be made known to him. I was happy, I told myself. Just being his friend that he can confide in is enough. I'm not asking for more. It's not possible between us. My family would probably even disown me for falling in love with someone the same gender as me. It is a forbidden sin.

I felt a hand on mine. It's the second time Vox had touched my hand today. I looked at him to see his eyes tender.

"Berwick, is my heart not enough for you? When will you realize that the person I truly love is you? Do you still remember me?"

My pupils dilated, my heart beat rapidly at his words. Was this..... A confession? What does he mean if I still remember him? Had we met before?

Suddenly, my head began to hurt. I rubbed my temple and let out a hiss. Vox seemed concerned. I tried to tell him that I was fine, but the throbbing continued and pretty soon, I felt my body gave out as darkness began to take over me. The last thing I remembered was his voice calling out to me.

---------------------------------------------------

Author's Note

Welp. The mission for crest failed. Everyone was disappointed. Not to mention that this sudden confession from Vox had quite overwhelmed our poor Berwick. Man, things sure got stressful.

I decided to add a little plot twist here since GS do own the copyright of the KoB arc. Wanna know what happened to Berwick? Well, wait for the next chapter and you'll find out UwU

I know, I suck for keeping you wait XD

[astralcat]

is it...?

yes, it's a new chapter of golden sun & silver moon!

[ivys-garden]

It's been a day now, here's my thoughts/predictions on the Wild Life teams

The Sub One Club (Grian, Skizz, Mumbo) - these idiots were easily the most fun team this session with their antics. Skizz is saying he wants to be mean again, which, considering how that went in last life probably won't end well for him. I'm excited to see where this goes.

The Drama Club (Impulse, Cleo, Scott, Pearl) - oh, the fanfic writers bloody love this one, don't they? Three Gs was one of my favourite teams, and I'm an Impulse fan, so this is fun for me. Expect Impulse to at least get top three this season. Pearl and Scott are definitely killing themselves in the final session.

The Fast And The Furious (Gem, Joel) - like Scott said, either a really scary team or a shakesperian comedy in waiting. If Gem can stop Joel from charging into a mess he made headfirst, then both of them have a pretty good chance at winning. Hopefully, Joel's tradition of hating Scott for no reason prevents an alliance from forming, or else the server is doomed.

The Blind Trio (Bdubbs, Etho, Tango) - it's bet minus skizz! Expect a joke about that next session. Either this team will be a soap opera or skit show. Who knows. One of these fools will die to their own stupidity.

Swol Patrol (Ren, Martyn) - Ren is back and has already teamed up with Martyn because, of course, he has. Expect most of the angsty moments to come from these fools. Most of the shippy ones, too. Martyn will kill Ren at least once, for old times' sake.

The Bam Gang (Jimmy, Lizzie, Scar) - these idiots are so dead! Maybe, I do have some faith in Jimmy not being first out... maybe like third. Scar was also pretty scary last season so maybe they do have a shot. Murder theme park is a pretty fun goal.

Will say tho, the last time Scar started making reputation boards with his bird themed ally who made enemy's with Ren and Martyn, it didn't end well. Am I saying that we will see another 3rd life style two faction war? Im not not saying that.

Oh there's also bigb. He's probably gonna join Swol Patrol or Plus 1 Club. Probably eont move in but will pull a secret life and alternate between their and his bases. Also love that he is still committing to being an erie freak for no reason.

[demonslayedher]

A smattering of fanfic writer feels:

--Today is the day I post the chapter which makes the GS Low-Key Married AU no longer open-ended. It's a little bittersweet for me because the story will no longer get to ride the open-endedness tension, and I'll be fully committed to the ending I'll set it on course for. The open-ended tension writes itself to some extent, but the tone is bound to change so much now. It's like watching your AU grow up and leave the nest.

--I love it when people have read multiple fics of mine and pick up on references to other fics or ask if the events of one fic are relevant in another. Not always, but very often, yes!

--My style of fic writing is that I generally do not begin publishing until I fully completed first draft, so that way I can commit to somewhat consistent updates and a fic that eventually gets completed. This means that between posting chapter updates, I do a lot of editing to future chapters as I let the story brew more in my head, especially when I already know what ending I'm building up to. I find this a lot easier and more fun than writing chapters from scratch on a regular basis, since my style is to write the first full draft all at once in a monster-like state of focus (hence, "Fanfic Monster").

I've mentioned that about my writing process before, but this year I've been especially happy with it. Earlier in the year I tried to work more on an original story, but I struggled, so I turned back to finishing a bunch of WIP fics instead so that at least I could feel some writing accomplishment. I finished all those drafts in time for my mega-hellishly-busy-months-of-the-work-year, so this means I still get the joy of being a fanfic author in a way that works flexibly around the time and mental capacity demands of work. It's been such a treat for me too to have semi-regular updates to look forward to and tinker with only as much as inspiration calls me to.

...but now the last of these finished WIPs is reaching the climax of its story and is bound to end soon. And that makes me sad.

--yeah, I wrote this instead of preparing to post the aforementioned chapter that takes away the fun of open-ended tension

EDIT: Ok I posted it

[eldritchamy]

omg i completely forgot about the grand folia hotel. i read it when it came out, it rewired my whole dang brain, and then i moved on. aaaa im gonna go reread it right now even though I've been up all night and need to sleep (there aren't any plants around to stop me from making self-destructive sleep cycle decisions muahaha). thank you for your post about it! also if it's alright to offer a recommendation, Hospitable Takeover on Readonlymind.com was the second ever HDG fanfic and in my opinion greatly informed the tone of the setting in 2021 and 2022. It's also just super cozy and comfy and a perennial favorite of mine ^w^

You're welcome for the brainworms!

I understand completely, I'm not sure WHAT chapter 10 did to me but I think my brain is a torus now. I didn't THINK I had a free use kink (I PROBABLY still don't, at least as a participant), but I didn't think I had a PETPLAY kink either until this fucking universe started turning me inside out a few days ago.

I'm already rereading The Grand Folia Hotel myself because I feel like given the plot there's a lot more to get out of it by reading it through a second time (somehow I didn't realize that Phoebe was basically in a perpetual lesbian bluescreen from the moment she stepped into the garden in chapter 1).

Plus it was just EXTRAORDINARILY HOT and I can't wait to watch Phoebe/Amaranth get broken all over again.

It's a shame the story didn't keep going into the ongoing corruption and implantation past her initial surrender, the characters had such good chemistry with each other that I'm really craving more of them. Would have LOVED a chapter or two (or six) of newly implanted pinnates, especially with how amused Celosia was by the fact that they fucking tricked her into taking them at all. Celosia and Phoebe are fucking perfect for each other.

Her revenge must have been DELICIOUS.

And GOD Becca must have been so fucking smug about it once Phoebe was ACTUALLY a floret. I need to know the teasing that happened once she got her real implant.

This is what I meant in a previous post when I said I was "frothing at the cerebellum" to read it again. I'm going actually insane.

Which, as many new people are I'm sure rapidly learning about me, means it is Once Again Infodump Time, because I suffer from a terminal case of Someone Needs To Shut Me Up With A Kiss disease. (I am also a long sufferer of Capitalizes Letters For Emphasis syndrome.)

I'm like the free use kink of infodumping, a bunch of people seem to have figured out how to make me do it almost on queue, and they do it, because they think it's cute. I don't DENY that it's cute, but god does it seem to cost me a lot of the time that I meant to spend reading about the good little florets.

I CAN'T keep taking an hour to write every goddamn post I make about HDG. WHEN WILL I SLEEP? More importantly, WHEN WILL I FINISH REREADING CHAPTER TWO? It took me four extraneous paragraphs to even mention that the read more continues exactly from the train of thought I left off on an aforementioned four paragraphs ago! God, I need help.

AND Phoebe never even saw herself in a mirror ONCE in the story! I want to know what happened the first time she saw what the Class Gs were doing to her! (Do you think Celosia put her in Doll Mode and made Amaranth pose in front of a mirror and be perfectly still, watching her own blank expression obediently while Celosia and Jazz just relentlessly caressed her with every imaginable affection? Do you think Phoebe's wake up trigger was Amaranth saying "Good dolls know they are deserving of love. I'm a good doll and I am worthy of love"? Do you think, beyond the moment when she accepted she was meant to be broken by Celosia's will, that that was the moment she understood what it meant to be put back together, and it was the moment she truly felt, and for the first time could not deny or run away from, that she was the happiest she'd ever been? Because I DO think that happened. And I need it.)

It even would have been nice to see INDRA further along in her own corruption later on. Altiss seemed like a good influence on her, it was really sweet that she had that nice moment with Phoebe at the end of the Matinee.

I'm STARVING for more of that specific story, it was SO good. (Keysmasht, if you ever see this somehow, how much of my soul do you want for a few more chapters? I'll beg.)

Hell, I might beg for permission to write those chapters MYSELF someday. That story is too good for there to not be more of it.

Anyway.

Thanks for the recommendation! I can't BELIEVE I've never heard of this setting before now, it's extremely my shit (apparently) and I'm loving the discovery of new, interesting content that I can not fucking put down. Judging by the tags on my posts, and a friend on discord, flinging myself headfirst into all of this has inspired a few other little seedlings to follow me into florethood.

Recommendations from people more familiar with the setting and stories are definitely welcome, though I can't promise I'll get to any one particular story soon.

Abscission and Divaricated come up in a lot of recommendations for lore reasons? But I've been putting off some of the longer stories like those and Dog of War because they're HUGE commitments and it's so hard not to consume as many stories as possible.

Except, of course, for the fact that I keep rereading the ones I've already gone through because I like what they did to my brain.

I'm struggling not to make TWO other ones I've already read (the original and Inosculate) the next ones on the list after rereading Grand Folia.

Hospital Takeover sounds like an EXCELLENT recommendation, I LOVE cozy and comfy stuff within a primarily kink setting. I'm SO glad the second one I ever read was A Normal Grocery Run During Which No Domestication Occurs. I adore the way SapphicSounds writes dorkier more nervous Affini, and I'm glad I got to see THAT QUICKLY how much of a tonal range there was in HDG stories.

Sleepy Bitch also sounds cute, so I wanna do that one soon.

Also the reading of any particular one is slow going because unfortunately my brain is absolutely churning with ideas of my own. I'm VERY tempted to do a pinnates one because I'm absolutely HOOKED on that concept in particular. I already know one of their names and I just came up with a great title for the story while ...rather vividly imaging a very intense domming scene.

I do want to read a fair bit more before I try my hand at writing one, though. While I've got enough domme in me to feel like I could do some of the Affini taunting justice (seeing Akash in the first story use almost the exact domming style I go for was... enlightening, to say the least; now I know why I get such good keymashes out of my teasing victims), I want to have a bit more confidence in the world itself first to make sure I get it right.

But it's far from the first time I've considered writing erotica. I definitely have the brainworms for it at the moment.