#his mother used to make them and he would sometimes join her
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last ooc post of the night, but cole also used to carry a ojo de dios, or tsikuri, in his early years of travel. despite his dispossession to religion at this pt in time, it was a gift from another kid at the orphan homes before he leaves for good. he adds to the woven yarn over time after stealing his first horse, maintaining it now and then in the quiet hours. I think he still posseses it during his years in Deadlo.ck, yarn by then softened by wear and age.
#hc: youth#hc: head up in the clouds;;#it's a small trinket - and cole is nothing but weak to some subjects of sentimentality#his mother used to make them and he would sometimes join her#they were made by the huich.ol - or wixĂĄrika - an indigenous group of mexico in the 15 century#were meant to be a source of protection as one prayed#tsikuri also means the power to see and understand things unknown-#cole's father did partake in weaving one for when cole was first born for the benefit of cole's protection#cbkdhf smthin bout sight being prominent within his family - to see n to watch n to always be aware#there is some lvl of superstition to his upkeep of it - trying for good luck when he seems to be perpetually battered w bad tides#but the movement is also familiar; calming. there's only so much gun oil a boy can afford on a poor man's dime#instead of using properly bought yarn - he uses loose threads from cloth that's well on its way dangling off of its fabric of origin#snaps them off and just integrates it like a bird collecting fibers for a nest#in a way it becomes a little roadmap of some of the places he's been; some of the things he's seen#reds and yellows and oranges were the most prominent colors on it#he loses it earlier in his modern verse; bout the time he loses his arm and gets himself jailed for one incident or another#which tbh - fair - he'd have difficulty working with it w only one arm n no prosthetic-#for the bullriding verse he has it set up in his home actually;#carried it with him on his first pbr circuit and retired it to a mantel when he finally had the cash to purchase himself a home
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Mother, im sitting here at 4am, eating mini easter eggs and ive had tge most brilliant idea!! (Inspired by @inkdrinkerworld 's fic)
Okay so, poly!moonwater and readers been having trouble sleeping due to tensions/problems with her pureblood family. As a result shes been taking more naps, but they arent restful. So reader were napping in Rems bed (the dungeons were too cold) but after a fitful 30 minutes she gets up groggy, sleep deprived and beyond frustrated. She stumbles her way down to the common room, pin point Sirius lounging across the couch and promptly throws herself down to cuddle with him and continue her nap. Everyone (minus Siri) is shook. Jamie even asks if she got the wrong person because Reggie was sitting over there (in which he got a one eyed death glare before she burrowed into Siris chest and passed out).
Now, what everybody else didnt know was that Siri had more or less adopted reader as his own (she remined him so much of Reggie, being her big brother was 2nd nature). And while Barty was her person, he was a little too crazy to be comforting in this situation ("y/n, i'll get rid of them for you. Its not hard to do so" "Barty, no."). And of course Siri nows how bad their kind of familys are so he'd been taking care of reader on the down low as an older brother would.
Bonus if Reggie then decides that looks warm and fuzzy and wants Siri cuddles too so he joins ( it took him so long to get to a point where he could let himself be vunerable enough to openly allow Siri to take care of him đ)
aweeee poor reader. this ended up being way more serious than I thought it would be? like it's not funny at all, there's no humour (which feels odd to me, usually I can throw some jokes or banter in there) but plenty of hurt comfort???.......idk, I can't tell if this is any good, it feels very different from my usual pieces
poly!moonwater x fem!reader whose family sucks (but it's very Sirius-centric)
CW: mentions of insomnia, mentions of abusive families, making fun of only children (sorry), hurt/comfort
You were miserable to say the least; you couldnât remember when the last time you had a restful sleep was, and nothing you did seemed to help.
The closer it got to the Winter Holidays, the more your mind seemed to spiral. Every time you began to relax, your heart pounded as if youâd accidentally leaned too far back in your chair, reminding you of your upcoming visit home. Every time you closed your eyes, you were bombarded with images of angry faces and violent curses being shot at you.
The Slytherin dungeons were too cold, and every time you found your way into Regulusâ dorm, Barty insisted on butting in, and though you appreciated his support, you couldnât handle his threats promises to burn down your home with your parents in it.Â
Remus and Regulus both suggested you perhaps talk to Madame Pomfrey about getting some dreamless sleep or sleeping draught, but you were too embarrassed to admit to your two overprotective boyfriends that youâve used them so frequently during your life for this very reason that they had lost all efficacy.Â
It had gotten to the point that you managed to get the most sleep in the library bent over the table with your face on your book whilst Remus and Regulus did their work (and sometimes yours), and that honestly left you feeling more painfully tired than you had been before your nap.
So, you were nearly falling asleep at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall over your chicken and roast potatoes when Remus gently nudged you and suggested you go lie down for a bit and you wanted to weep into your potatoes which was only slightly less embarrassing than sleeping in them, causing him and Regulus to bring you up to Gryffindor tower.
Youâd kicked them both out of the Maraudersâ dorm room after some time â Remus for snoring and Regulus because the sound of him turning the pages of his book was distracting you. He promised to stop reading, but then he breathed too loudly and you started crying.
You were overtired, emotional, and running on fumes.
Youâd counted puffskeins, youâd had a warm glass of milk, youâd taken off articles of clothing and reconfigured your outfit numerous times (which was currently Remusâ jumper and no pants), and youâd tried every position imaginable to no avail.Â
You think you might have perhaps gotten five minutes of sleep before you woke up with a start, a barely repressed scream grating through your teeth.
Feeling disturbingly weepy and no less groggy from your horrid sleep, you pulled on a pair of your sweatpants and grabbed the throw blanket from the end Remusâ bed before trudging down the stairs to the common room.
âYou should have seen the look on Filchâs face- oh! Hi Y/N!â James called as you made your way over to the three-seater and stood over the black-haired boy currently occupying it.
âOh, Trouble.â He cooed sympathetically at you before kicking his feet out, laying back, and opening his arms for you to join him. You quickly climbed on top of him, and he tucked you in between the back of the sofa and his side, bending your knee so that your thigh rested on top of his, and pulled the blanket over the two of you.
You let out a shaky sigh and felt the first few tears fall from your eyes and onto Siriusâ chest.
âUhm...â James said loudly, looking over to both Regulus and Remus cuddled in a large plush chair from his place on the loveseat with Lily like âare you seeing this right now?â. âI think youâve got the wrong wizard there, L/N.â He said with a nervous laugh.
âNo, sheâs quite alright.â Sirius gritted back at him, looking far more severe than James thought the situation called for as he rubbed his hand consolingly up and down your arm.Â
James looked to your boyfriends, his face clearly asking all the questions that his mouth wasnât.
âHe helps, sometimes.â Regulus admitted, not looking particularly happy that you chose his brother over him, but not nearly as murderous as James figured he might look if heâd found Lily snuggled up like that with some other bloke. And it appeared as though the look of heartbreak on Remusâ face was caused more by your current sorry state and less about your current cuddle partner.
âBut...your brother?â James asked, still befuddled over this development. âDoesnât she usually go to Junior for things like this?â
Sirius scoffed. âJuniorâs solution to almost anything is fire or murder.â
âOr both.â You whimpered quietly, causing Sirius to tighten his arm around you and bring his other hand up to continue stroking your arm.
âBesides, Bartyâs an only child.â Regulus said flippantly.
âWhatâs that got to do with it?â James asked, slightly offended at the insinuation that anything may be wrong with him on account of his only child-ness.Â
Regulusâ irritable demeanor over Sirius usurping you was quickly replaced by a cocky smirk at getting under Jamesâ skin.
âLet me ask you this, Potter: last summer when Lily returned your letters unopened and called you an arrogant toerag after saying sheâd rather date the giant squid, whose arms did you cry into?â
âHe didnât cry.â Lily laughed at the same time as James answered âSiriusââ without any hesitation.
âWhat?â Lily asked, looking slightly horrified that she may have actually hurt Jamesâ feelings.
âOh, all the time, every time, actually.â James said readily.Â
âHe got snot on so many of my favourite band-teeâs, Red. As a matter of fact, I expect retribution.â Sirius commented.
âAnd why do you think you cried into Siriusâ arms?â Regulus continued.
âWell...because heâs my best mate.â James said simply.
âYou may think thatâs the reason, but youâre wrong. Itâs because Sirius is an older brother.â
James scoffed at that. âPlease, that has nothing to do with it!â
âHave you ever cried in Remusâ arms?â
âNo, but-â
âPettigrewâs?â
James grimaced but answered honestly. âNo.â
âNo. Because theyâre not older brothers.â Regulus said definitively.
âThat actually makes sense...â Lily mused aloud.Â
âYou say that like youâre surprised, Evans. I know youâre not used to good ideaâs coming out of menâs mouths, but I do assure you it happens more frequently than you might imagine.â Regulus taunted, earning him a pillow being hurled at his head.Â
Much to Jamesâ chagrin, his seeker reflexes caught the pillow before it made impact with his face.Â
âTosser.â James grumbled.Â
âWould you guys shut up.â Sirius whispered, causing everyone to look over at you.Â
Regulus couldnât even find it in him to be miffed when he saw you sleeping what looked to be quite peacefully in Siriusâ arms. Your eyes were slightly swollen from your tears, and he could see the tracks they had left on your cheeks and over the bridge of your nose, but you looked so content.Â
âSo... all big brothers know how to do that?â James asked incredulously.
âI doubt it.â Sirius commented quietly.
âOnly ones who know what itâs like to live in a Pureblood hellscape and needed to share his bed with his younger brother who was too scared to sleep on his own for years.â Regulus added quietly, staring unseeingly towards you and Sirius. Remus pulled Regulus tighter into his side and began rubbing his arm consolingly.
Suddenly, things started to make a little more sense to James.Â
âIâll write to mum.â James stated, causing both brothers, Lily, and Remus to look at him bemusedly.
âAbout what?â Remus asked finally.
âY/N staying with us.â James said simply.
Regulus opened his mouth ready to argue; to argue that James didnât have to and that he already took in both Sirius and Regulus. James didnât owe Regulus anything.Â
But Sirius spoke first.
âShe should be with her big brother, Reggie.â Sirius said, shooting him an encouraging smile and wink.
And seeing how your breathing had fallen even with your mouth slightly ajar as you clutched to the fabric of Siriusâ jumper like it was a lifeline, who was Regulus to argue?
#ask elle#marauders era#marauders au#marauders fanfiction#reader insert#self insert#sirius black#regulus black#sirius and regulus#regulus deserved better#poly!moonwater#poly!moonwater x reader#poly!moonwater x you#poly!moonseeker#poly!moonseeker x reader#poly!moonseeker x you#remus lupin#remus lupin x reader#remus lupin x you#regulus black x reader#regulus black x you#remus lupin x regulus black#Sirius Black being everyone's big brother#ellecdc fics
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Blood Son's Girlfriend ~Batmom Imagine~
Summary: Damian takes his new girlfriend Raven to meet you.
Authorâs Note: I ship Damian and Raven in Teen Titans vs the Justice League. Also, Damian and Raven are 18 and 20 in this. I think Raven is older than Damian by like two years? Martha is five in this.
BatFamily Masterlist
Readerâs Pronouns: She/Her
Warnings: fluff
Do not repost this anywhere!
There was one person that Damian valued for their opinion. And that person was you.
So when he began to date Raven, he wanted you to meet her after the first month of dating.
âIâm nervous to meet your mom,â Raven tells him as they walked over to the backyard.
âSheâll love you,â Damian reassured her.
Raven knew about you and Bruce. She also knew that you werenât Damianâs biological mother but he loved you like you were. You had changed Damian in a good way. So when he told Raven that he wanted her to meet you, of course it was natural to feel nervous. Raven had met Bruce on multiple occasions so she wasn't too nervous.
They found you under the gazebo in the backyard with Martha, Alfred, and Bruce sitting with you. It looked like a tea party as Martha was in a dress and a tiara.
âDamie!â Martha yelled excitedly before running over to hug her older brother. Damian picked her up before hugging her back.
âHey Martha.â
âDo you and your friend want to join my tea party?â Martha asked.
âSure. Are there seats for us?â Damian asked.
âYes!â
âOkay then. You up for a tea party?â Damian asked Raven.
âIt sounds fun,â she smiled softly. The three of them got closer to the gazebo where you were sitting and smiling with Bruce, waiting to be introduced to Damianâs girlfriend.
âUmmi. Father. I want you two to meet Raven. My girlfriend,â Damian introduced.
âItâs so nice to meet you,â you say as you got up. You have her a hug before looking at her outfit. âI love your outfit!â
âThank you. Itâs nice to meet you, Mrs. Wayne. Damian talks about you.â
âYou can call me Y/n.â
âItâs nice to see you again, Raven,â Bruce smiles as he shook hands with Raven.
âItâs nice to meet you too, sir.â
âDamian and Raven are having tea with us!â Martha said excitedly.
âDo you drink tea Raven?â You asked her.
âYes ma'am."
âWe have some good tea right now. And Alfred has made some sandwiches and little snacks for us,â you tell her.
Raven sat next to you and Damian as Martha carefully poured tea into a cup for her.
âMake sure you raise your pinky,â Martha tells Raven.
âOkay,â Raven nodded.
Damian watched as you and Martha got along with Raven. After the tea party, Damian and Raven had to head back.
âIt was so nice to meet you Raven! I hope to see you again soon,â you tell her after giving her a hug.
âIt was nice to meet you too. Thank you for the tea party.â
âNow that Martha is the only child in the mansion, we basically have to listen to her,â you joked.
âWeâll visit again soon,â Damian tells you.
âOh! Maybe we can have a dinner sometime with everyone! I miss you kids. You hardly visit anymore,â you pouted.
âSorry. Iâll talk to the others and plan something for you,â Damian said.
âYou two have a safe drive back,â Bruce tells them.
âThanks. Weâll see you again soon,â Damian said before walking off with Raven.
âI canât believe Damian has a girlfriend now,â you say out loud as you began to clean up the tea party.
âI canât believe someone is willing to date him. Remember how anti social he was?â Bruce asked.
âDonât remind me. But he looks like he's getting better," you tell him.
"She's a powerful being with powers including manipulation and telepathy," Bruce said.
"If someone is using powers on our children I would notice. But she seems like a nice young girl who is dealing with Damian now so if you're worried, I'd be more worried about her," you tell Bruce. Bruce felt Martha tap on him to get his attention, making Bruce pick her up.
"Mommy? Can we go visit Jason tomorrow?" Martha asked you.
"Let's see if he's busy before we go visit him," you tell her.
"Okay!"
"Let's help mommy put the tea set away before she calls him okay?" Bruce tells Martha.
"Okay," Martha nodded.
#bruce wayne#bruce wayne x reader#bruce wayne imagine#batfamily#batfam x reader#batfam imagine#batmom#batmom imagine#dc#dc imagine#alisonwritesimagines
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Your Power (1)
Pairing: Azriel x reader
Summary: Meeting Azriel and the inner circle was not in your plans by any means. But it happened and it was not your brightest moment.
Word count: 3.4k
Warnings: mentions of death
A/N: Had this idea for a while and wanted to get it out! I havenât read Silver Flames soo anything that might seem out of place is totally on purpose. I apologize for any (all) grammatical error :)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
ââYOU!ââ
Azriel saw you the second you started walking their way. Your wide-eyed friend behind you trying to keep up with your drunk self. As always, he was on high alert even when his family told him to relax and enjoy the night. So, when he saw where you were headed, he quickly analyzed the situation and realized you werenât a threat, even more as your friend tried to get you to stop.
He looked at Rhys, who in return raised an eyebrow at you and gave you his charming smile, and then back at you and decided to entertain the scene before him.
ââYouâve forgotten about us, you know that right?! How can you continue to act all high and mighty while the rest of us are breaking down more and more each day!ââ
You had one finger pointing at Rhys, your other hand bunched up in a fist on your side. They (Azriel, Rhys, Cassian, Feyre and Mor. The rest of the inner circle didnât bother to go out that night and join them at Ritaâs) all knew you were drunk but you were looking at them so fiercely, your voice never quivered, you definitely had all of their attention.
ââYes, you saved us but for what? To cast us aside when youâre done?ââ You looked to Feyre then. ââAnd you! I had such high hopes for you! A high lady yes, go females! But youâve done the same!ââ
Azriel saw how Rhys stopped smiling the second you turned to his mate, still recognizing that you were all bark and no bite but knowing how Feyre was going to save every single word you were saying in her brain and was going to overthink it later. Clearly, the amount of drinks youâve had didnât make you forget you were currently yelling at the High Lord and High Lady.
ââVelaris needs you, the people need you! So do something about it!ââ With this, you finally dropped your hand, looked at them one last time before storming away. Your friend, once again, running after you not wanting to look at them after what you had done. She knew you were going to regret this outburst the next day.
And you did.
The second you woke up the next day, everything came rushing back and you wished you had a hangover so you wouldnât have to think about it. A hangover sounded a thousand times better than thinking about how foolish and stupid you looked the night before.
Like, really? To go to the inner circleâs table, drunk, and yell at the high lord and lady? Surely, they were either going to forget about it or kill you. Or maybe theyâd kill you and THEN forget about the incident. Sure, thatâs what was going to happen.
But you quickly dismissed the idea when two days passed and nothing happened. Your life went back to normal and that was it. As if, the encounter you had with Velarisâ (and probably all of Prythianâs) most powerful fae was nothing. It probably was, you were just another common fae.
So, two days passed and you put it on the back of your mind focusing on your duties. Today, first thing you must do is drop off your nephew at school.
On Tuesday mornings, your sister-in-law wakes up before the sunrise to get ingredients for the shop meaning she couldnât take your nephew to school. Therefore, you volunteered to do it. You loved your nephew and would do anything for him and his mother. Anything to make their lives easier. Sometimes your mom would join you but most times, it was just you and you were more than okay with that, savoring all the time you can with your nephew.
ââExcellent! Youâre gonna ace that test, kidââ. You sent him a big smile, squeezing the hand you were holding as you made your way to the school.
ââI hope so. Mom said sheâd let join her to the meadows if I did.ââ Of course he was interested in joining his mother. Like her, he loved nature and everything it provided them. He said he wanted to follow her footsteps and he was unknowingly also following his father's.
Your brother.
ââThen you better get your boots ready, kid. Iâm positive youâre gonna do great.ââ
He gave you a big smile. He had your brotherâs smile and you loved that about him. It made you feel like he was always there with you. It made missing him hurt less, even if years had already passed.
Both of you continue the walk to school. Talking about anything and everything. Like you, he was a yapper. But not everyone got to see that side of you. Many said you were quiet but thatâs only because you donât trust easily. Once you trust someone then they couldnât get you to shut up. It was one of the many things that made you, you.
As you were nearing the school, your nephew stopped. ââWhat was that?ââ
You looked at him confused ââWhat was what?ââ
He looked around as if trying to locate whatever thing he saw. ââ I donât know. It looked like a shadowââ. You looked at him even more confused. A shadow?
ââMaybe it was a dragonââ He looked at you unamused. ââDragons donât exist, Aunt Y/Nââ.
ââMaybe they shouldââ you murmured under your breath. You shook your head and forgot about it as you looked at the school. You sighed. ââAll right, kid. Go in there and do everything I wouldnât do.ââ
He gave you a look. ââYouâre not supposed to encourage thatââ. He was so mature for being so young.
You giggled and gave him a push towards school. ââGive âem hell! Iâll see you later!ââ You waved and sent him a kiss goodbye.
Once he was inside, you made your way to work.
Before you were even born, your family owned an apothecary shop. Your mother made sure you and your brother knew all about the family business as you were growing up. Your father passed away when you were a babe, having no recollection of him. Therefore, your mother ran the business until you or your brother were old enough to take care of it.
Growing up, you knew quickly that you wanted to do nothing with it. Nature was not your thing, you had great respect for it but it didnât come naturally to you the way it did for your brother. He loved it and he loved spending time in the shop with your mother learning about it.
They had decided then that he was to stay with the shop once he was of age and finished his studies. You, on the other hand, gravitated to another side: music and arts. You loved anything that had to do with music: listening, playing, creating it; you name it. If there was music, youâd be there. A trait youâd inherited from your father, thatâs what mother always said.
You had a job at a music shop and you loved it. It was everything you ever wanted and you were SO SURE that the man that owned it was going to promote you and one day maybe even give it to you. You wanted to take care of it, of the instruments, of the stories behind them. The shop had nights where the people would come and play together creating beautiful music. You wanted to play in all of them. Music was one of the things that made you extremely happy.
But then the war happened and your brother died.
And all of your plans to stay at the music shop died with him. You couldnât stay there and let your family business die with him too. Your mother, nephew and sister-in-law were heart broken (as were you, of course. Heart broken doesnât even come close) and you knew they were in no shape to run the shop.
So, there you went and stepped up to the plate. It was very hard at first to get the hang of it. You werenât your brother, you didnât have the same patience or love for it but eventually, you made it through. A year later, your sister-in-law decided to work there as well, saying that it made her feel closer to her husband.
You understand her completely, because sometimes you feel like he was there. It made you somewhat happy that you didnât give up on the shop, on his dream even if you had to give up yours. Also, you have so much respect for her, not imagining how it must feel to love someone (romantically) so deeply, someone you swore was going to be with you for eternity and then having them gone so unexpectedly. Never to see them again.
You had your flings sure, but in all your centuries of being alive, you had never fallen in love the way your brother and sister-in-law were. Their love story was one of the most beautiful stories youâve ever experienced and you hope to have one yourself one day. But until then, your day must go on.
ââGood morning!ââ You said to Sabrina, one of the faes that also worked in the shop. She looked at you and smiled back.
ââMorning, boss!ââ She was younger than you by a few centuries and you enjoyed having her in the shop. Somehow, she was always up to date with the townâs gossip so it was great to yap with her.
ââHow was your night, huh? That male still thinks youâre his mate?ââ
She gave you a mischievous smile and a wink. ââOh yeah, you shouldâve see him. I got him to fix my bathroom sink. For free of courseââ. Oh yeah, she scared you as well. She was a beautiful fae (and she knew it). With eyes and body that resembled sirenâs, she could have any male she wanted and somehow tricked them into believing they were mates. Like a siren would indeed.
You thought it was both hilarious and dumb. Youâve heard tales of mating bonds, of how precious, powerful and extremely rare they were. And yet, somehow the males believed Sabrina when she would tell them that she was their mate.
ââMales are dumb and will believe anything you say to them so long you give them attentionââ She would always say. She was right in one thing for sure, males are dumb.
ââYouâre evilââ. You said with a laugh and went inside the office of the shop.
Ugh, this work was so boring and tedious, you thought. How did your brother enjoy this? Shaking your head to clear your thoughts, you sighed and started working.
Until about 20 minutes later, Sabrina stormed inside the office. You looked up at her confused, she wasnât one to barge in like that.
ââYes? Whatâs wrong?ââ She was wide eyed, mouth opening as if sheâd seen a ghost. So, you told her just that. ââYou look like youâve seen a ghostââ.
ââShadows actuallyââ She whispered. You looked at her even more confused. Shadows? Like the ones your nephew saw this morning?
ââShadows?ââ
ââShadowsingerââ
ââShadowsinger? Sabrina, youâre not making any senseââ. Truly, she was scaring you. Shadowsinger, what the heck did she mean?
ââHeâs here!ââ She whispered yelled. ââThe high lordâs Shadowsinger. Heâs here and heâs looking for youââ. Her frightened eyes never steering from yours.
The high lordâs-what? But then, it all clicked in. Your eyes and mouth opened wide.
ââShit shit shitââ you whispered yelled as well. Standing up from the chair and pacing in front of Sabrina.
ââWhat did you do?!ââ the whisper-yells continued.
But you werenât listening to her, you were replaying that Motherâs awful night in your mind. ââIâm gonna die, heâs gonna kill meââ. You whispered and Sabrina let out a squeak, hands quickly going to her mouth.
ââNo! You canât! I canât lose this job, Y/N! Iâm still so young. Oh my Mother. Whoâs gonna tell your mother? I canât tell her! She scares me.ââ Sabrina continued her rambling, you listening to bits and pieces and further feeling fear run through your body.
ââMy sister-in-law is ready to take over okay? Just, make sure you hide my body and everything will be okay. Youâll make sure of that right?ââ In another scenario, this would be downright funny to you but right now, you actually believed that the male behind the door (who was probably listening to all of this) was actually going to murder you.
Sabrina shook her head repeatedly, motioning with her hands as well. ââAbsolutely not. That is a lot of responsibility here. Iâm technically a witness here! What if he kills me too?ââ After saying that, she froze, and you saw how pale her face was getting at the thought of dying at the hands of the Shadowsinger.
So once again, you had to step up and be the strong one. With that thought, you stilled.
Okay so you were drunk and decided to go to the most powerful high lord (and high lady) and told them off. Not your brightest decision, clearly, but everything you said that night was true. It was what all of the citizens of Velaris were thinking but no one had dared to say out loud, specially directly to the rulers of the city.
After the first attack the city suffered, Velaris was a slowly sinking ship and it seemed like the inner circle wasnât paying attention to it or its citizens. But you were. Because you were also one of them, another citizen. But you were very observant and most importantly, you listened. You listened to their troubles, fears and never ending grief. You and your family were all testament to that. So when it seemed like time kept passing and no one was stepping up, you said something.
Drunk, mind you, but it was said. So, if one of the most powerful faes of all time was there to kill you, then youâd find a sense of pride amidst all of the fear inside you, and then die knowing you tried to help the people of Velaris.
Even if they would never know.
ââLet him inââ You stated after clearing your throat.
Sabrinaâs eyes stayed wide open. ââAre you sure?ââ
ââHeâs not going to want to kill me in front of you okay? I- justââ You sighed, none of this was making sense. ââJust let him in, pleaseââ.
But both of you knew that there was no other choice but to let him in. So with that, Sabrina nodded, looked at you as if it was the last time she ever would, and walked out to get the male.
You struggled to stay still, hands fidgeting, looking straight at the door and swallowing down fear. Any moment now, he was going to walk in and death-
Holy Cauldron, he was the most gorgeous male youâve ever seen.
You quickly replayed that night in your mind, trying to remember if he looked as good as he looks now but truthfully, your vision was hazy and focused only on Rhysand and Feyre. You were honestly glad of that, that you were so focused on your goal and not exactly looking at him because if you did, youâd cower and retreat at the sight of his beauty.
He was one beautiful intimidating male, thatâs for sure. And one who was here on a mission.
ââHelloââ You squeaked out. Quickly clearing your throat and recovering (trying to at least). ââIs there anything I can help you with?ââ
The fact that this female, the same one who had the balls to go up to his high lord and tell him off without a second thought, is the very same female who is now standing before him and looking at him like she wanted to run away, had him fighting a smile.
Heâs a male who takes his job very seriously, known for being closed off and stoic. So when Rhys sent him to find the female who had left an impression on all of them and whose words stroke a nerve, he did it without a second thought. It wasnât that hard to find you, he was really good at his job and also, your family business was well known in Velaris. People knew who you were and even though not all of them knew the real you, they knew you were a kind, caring and hard-working fae.
After finding everything he could about you, he reported back to Rhysand and Feyre. You were born and raised in Velaris, good grades, even better behavior, worked at a music shop, were now the owner of the apothecary, mother stayed at home, no father, has a sister-in-law who works at the shop, has a nephew, brother dead, no husband (that he could find at least). You were just another common fae. A really pretty one, one of his shadows had whispered to him.
He agreed.
He could see you getting antsier the longer it took him to reply. So with an raised eyebrow, he extended his hand toward you that held a parchment you had failed to see when you were too busy ogling at him and wondering if the death was going to be a painful one.
You saw it now. You also saw his hands. The rumors were true then. They were filled with scars, you wondered for a second how they must feel to touch.
Shaking those thoughts out of your head, you cleared your throat and stepped closer to take the parchment. ââUm-okay, thank youââ.
Really? Your thanking him for what exactly? You grabbed it and looked at it for a second before staring back at him. Not wanting to lose the opportunity to stare at his eyes up close.
Those rumors were also true. His hazel eyes were absolutely beautiful. For Motherâs sake, did he have an ugly bone in his body?!, you thought.
ââOpen itââ How can someone so beautiful and intimidating make you feel things with just their voice? Is this what his prisoners feel before they die?
You could listen to him talk all day, but his reputation tells you that heâs not one to talk much, not like you. Which is exactly what youâre going to start doing if you continue to stand in his presence.
You werenât sure if he was going to stand for your yapping. ââOh! Sure-okay.ââ Clearing your throat once again, you looked away from his eyes and finally focused on the piece of parchment.
Opening and reading it, you gasped and your eyes widened.
ââDear Y/N Y/L/N,
We are inviting you to a formal meeting that will be held in two days, morning time at The Library. Please confirm with Azriel of your attendance.
We eagerly await your presence.
Rhysand and Feyre
High Lord and High Lady of the Nightâs Court. ââ
A meeting? With you? For what? Do they all want to have a part in your death?
You really need to stop thinking that theyâre going to kill you, they would have done it by nowâŚright?
Your ongoing thoughts were definitely not helping with the nerves. Why the heck did they want to meet with you?
Reading it a third time, you saw the name Azriel and assumed this was the Shadowsinger standing right before you and patiently waiting for your response.
Right, response. Youâre supposed to confirm your attendance. But, were you going to go? Were you really going to say no to your high lord and lady? You mightâve been brave when you were under the influence but any other day you werenât exactly courageous or anything. But what was at stake here? Maybe this was your chance to apologize for that night. You werenât going to apologize for saying the truth but perhaps how it was delivered. Okay sure, you can do that..right?
ââRight-ummââ. You looked at the male before you, noticing the brightness of his hazel eyes and was that amusement? Was he..amused by all of this?
ââIâll be thereââ. You decided. Fuck, you werenât sure about this. But it was out there, Azriel heard it and was sure going to report it back.
Azriel nodded and took a step back from you.
You were glad of the extra breathing space. It was still early, how the heck were you supposed to focus during the rest of the day?
ââI wouldnât leave your body here, Iâd hide it. Canât leave evidence behindââ
Did he just make a joke? Of your death? He obviously heard you and Sabrina then. And the male had the audacity to find it funny!
So, the cold and ruthless Shadowsinger had humor thenâŚa dark one it seems. Interesting.
Too shock to reply to that, you saw a hint of a smile on his face before he quickly hid it and left. Leaving you with a memory of his eyes and smile engraved in your brain.
What the fuck did you agree to?
#azriel x reader#azriel#azriel x y/n#azriel x you#azriel fanfic#azriel fanfiction#azriel one shot#acotar#azriel angst#azriel fluff#acotar fanfiction
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a growing family pt. 2
a/n: yay for part 2!! read part one here
word count: 1.8k
warnings: pregnancy, pretty canon-level violence and stuff i think. also i'm sorry in advance about this part <3
-----
"Now, Mr. Snow, you and your wife leave tomorrow for your District Tour." Lucky Flickerman spoke into microphone, eyes bouncing between Coriolanus and you.
Coriolanus nodded, not quite sure where this was going. He was briefed on the. main topics that Flickerman would go over during the interview and this was not one of them.
"Is there any worry about the twins? Congratulations, by the way! Twins! How lucky are you!"
You smiled, patting your husband's hand to signal that you would answer this question.
"Thank you, Lucky," you started, sweet smile on your face. "I've been in conversation with my medical team, and we've all come to an agreement that it's quite safe for me to travel with Coriolanus and the rest of his cabinet. I'm not due for another couple of months, anyway."
Coriolanus smiled at you, voicing his answer, as well. "We've also spoken to the OB/GYN, and she will be joining us on the latter half of the tour. We hope she can just enjoy the travel, not needed for any medical emergencies."
Lucky nodded, satisfied with that answer. "Now, Coriolanus, you've mentioned in some changes to the Hunger Games in the coming years. We've had questions coming in from watchers, but first, a few words from our generous sponsors."
The red light went off on top of the cameras, and you let the superficial smile fall from your face, hand going to rub your lower back.
"Your back still hurt, love?" Coriolanus asked, noticing your discomfort.
"I think our kids are going to be soccer professional, Coryo." You grumbled, one of the twins had been kicking mercilessly for a few weeks.
Coriolanus chuckled, removing your hand, using his palm to massage the area. "Well, you can tell them off when they're out here."
Lucky, who had been observing the couple from his spot on the seat across from them, wore a smile. "One thing that my wife asked I do when she was pregnant with Caesar was massage her back every night. Sometimes she still makes me do it."
You smiled at the TV host, humming. "Not a bad idea. Coryo, I think I know what your next job will be."
Coriolanus snorted, hand still massaging your back. "Anything for the mother of my children."
-----
The train car you were currently seated in was more luxurious than you remembered, seats having been upholstered from your last trip out of the Capitol.
You looked away from the mountain ranges decorating the horizon when the door opened, Coriolanus entering.
"How are you feeling?" He asked, coming to sit in the seat across from you, moving your feet from the seat to his lap.
Humming, you leant your head back as he began massaging them. "Better now. What was that meeting for? I thought you had travel days free."
Coriolanus pondered over how to answer, not wanting to tell you he had just had some rebels executed for a potential threat in Six. "Nothing you need to concern yourself with."
Opening an eye to look at him, you could read the man like an open book. "How many were there?"
There was a beat of silence before Coriolanus spoke up.
"Four. Would have been three but some things you can't avoid."
You didn't reply, simply wiggling your foot when Coriolanus' hands stopped massaging the arch of your foot.
He laughed, resuming the action as you two watched the mountain ranges and nature outside of the train.
-----
You yawned, staring at the ceiling of the Crane's hotel in District Three. It was nearing one in the morning, and you had gotten a sum total of about two and a half hours since you and Coriolanus crawled into the bed.
Moving as quietly as you could, you rose from the bed, waiting a beat to see if Coriolanus woke up.
His rather loud snore told you he was still off dreaming, something you were thankful for. He had a lot on his shoulders, and you didn't want to add onto the never-ending pile of worry and stress with the upcoming election.
Moving to the bathroom, you softly closed the door and looked at yourself in the mirror. The twins had been keeping you up at night more frequently, and your OB/GYN said it was just because while they were starting to get a regular sleep pattern, they couldn't tell day from night and often slept during the day.
When you opened the door, you frowned when you saw your husband sitting up in the bed, cheek still indented from the creases in the pillow.
"What are you doing up?" He asked, voice hoarse from sleep.
Rubbing one hand across your ever-growing bump, sleepily blinking at the man across from you. "Your children are wide awake, it seems."
Coriolanus smiled, patting the spot you had previously occupied. "Come here, I'll rub your back."
With the promise of that, you made your way back into the bed, stuffing one of the many pillows on the bed between your knees.
"Oh, well hello, little one."
You looked at where Coriolanus was staring at your bump, tiny foot barely visible. "Oh that's the most disturbing thing I think I've ever seen."
"Don't say that!" Coriolanus chided, though there was a smile on his face. "That's your child in there!"
"Coryo, you shouldn't be able to see their hands from outside!" You laughed, even though your OB/GYN said it was very possible to start to see little hands and feet as there became less and less free space.
Coriolanus pressed a kiss to your hairline, rubbing the place where the foot was. "Hi, babies. Please let your mother sleep, she needs to help me win over the hearts of Panem."
Rolling your eyes, you moved Coriolanus' hand to your back, letting your head fall back against a pillow. "Rub my back."
"Yes dear."
-----
Hand clasped tightly in Coriolanus' you two followed the Peacekeepers to the barracks to meet with the district's mayor and Commanding Peacekeeper.
You two had won the hearts over a majority of each District you've visited, but as you two traveled farther from the Capitol, you knew it would be more difficult and the chance of threats and rebels increased.
The number of Peacekeepers surrounding you two had grown within each stop, Coriolanus wanting to make sure nothing happened to his wife and mother of his children, his heirs.
"Mr. and Mrs. Snow, we're very pleased you two could be here!" The mayor smiled, shaking both of your hands.
You returned the sentiment, eyes locked on the plush-looking chair behind him. "Is it alright if I sit? My feet are killing me."
The mayor, who seemed to have just realized how large your bump had grown, nodded quickly, gesturing to the chair you had pointed to.
Coriolanus stood behind you, one hand smoothing your hair as he and the mayor discussed the afternoon's speeches and tour around the main hub.
"Will you be joining us, Mrs. Snow?"
"No, she's been feeling a little more tired." Coriolanus replied before you could speak up.
The mayor frowned, seemingly disappointed.
"Is there a problem?" You asked, feeling Coriolanus' hand still at the nape of your neck.
"Well, the children here have been so excited to meet you, but I'm sure seeing Mr. Snow will be just as fine."
Coriolanus knew you had a soft spot for children, how they still saw the best in everything. "Love, you barely slept last night. It's safer if you rest."
"Coryo, it won't be too long. And besides, we have a couple travel days I can catch up on sleep."
You ignored your husband's deep frown, instead smiling at the mayor. "We can't possibly let the kids down, can we?"
The mayor clapped happily, rising from his seat. "Well then, shall we go?"
You stood from the chair with some help from your husband, who placed a hand on your lower back, unable to keep his hands off of you.
"You're a spoiled brat, you know that?" He whispered, lips brushing the shell of your ear.
"And you love me for it." You replied, sharp smile on your face.
-----
Coriolanus watched as you followed a few of the schoolchildren around the classroom, letting them explain the backgrounds of their various posters and projects.
"She's going to be a wonderful mother." The mayor spoke, standing next to Coriolanus.
He nodded, watching you kneel down to listen more to a rather small girl, your eyes focused on her entirely. "She already is."
"Mr. Snow, Mayor, we're going to be late if we don't head for the town square now."
Nodding, Coriolanus walked over to your side, kneeling down next to you and the young girl. "Hi, love. Mind introducing me to your friend?"
You looked at your husband, and then at the young girl. "Coryo, meet Clementine. Her friends call her Clemmie."
Coriolanus saw the twinkle in your eye as you looked back at the girl. "It's lovely to meet you, Clemmie. You know, Mrs. Snow and I have a friend named Clemmie."
"Really?" Little Clementine asked, eyes wide.
Nodding, Coriolanus helped you stand up straight. "We do, but don't worry, we can have two Clemmies. Now, I do have to steal Mrs. Snow now, we have to go to town square."
Clementine pouted, but nodded. "It was nice to meet you!"
"You, too, Clemmie! Good luck with your new brother!" You smiled, squeezing Coriolanus' hand as the two of you followed some Peacekeepers out of the school and down to the town square and stage.
You've only seen the stage on television for the Reaping Ceremonies, it looked larger on screen. "She was so sweet, Coryo. She was telling me how her mother looked like me and now she has a little brother."
Coriolanus smiled, thumb rubbing your hand. "That's very sweet. I'm sure you made her ent-"
A loud explosion cut Coriolanus off, Peacekeepers immediately springing into action, separating the two of you to get you both to safety.
There were a few more explosions around the stage, sending debris and dirt in the air.
"Coryo!" You called, trying to wriggle out of the Peacekeepers' grip and find your husband.
You coughed as you inhaled smoke, eyes wide to spot Coriolanus. "Let me go! I need to find Coriolanus!"
"Ma'am, you need to come with us! We have orders to bring both you and Mr. Snow to a safe room, please cooperate."
You had a disdain for the Peacekeeper who spoke to you rather harshly, feeling his hands tighten their grip on your bicep.
Stumbling a few times, you had finally made it to the small bunker, heart hammering when you saw Coriolanus and the mayor already in there, dirt on both of their faces and clothing.
"Love," Coriolanus sighed in relief, though it was short-lived as he ran his eyes over your body. "Love, you're bleeding."
-----
a/n: oh how i love a good cliff-hanger
#coriolanus snow x reader#coriolanus snow imagine#coriolanus x reader#hunger games imagine#coriolanus x you#hunger games x reader#hunger games tbosas#coriolanus snow
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The Lost Haven (1/16)
[ modern mafia ⢠Aemond x niece ⢠female ]
[ warnings: incest but they were unaware children, kissing, the angst, stalking, woman on the rape pill, drug trade ]
[ description: The vacation from eight years ago still haunts his memories and doesn't let him forget what happened between him and his niece, the daughter of his sister and Harwin Strong. Their paths separate and he immerses himself in his father's mafia world until the day she calls him for the first time since those events. Sexual tension, dark, dangerous, withdrawn, thirsty Aemond. ]
Authorâs note:Â As promised, this is another, this time official modern version of The Fall from the Heavens. In this version, Daemon is not related to the family, but is simply Rhaenyra's husband and the leader of the second gang, Alys and Larys are also not related to each other, but Larys is Harwin's brother. I will partly refer to the original series, hiding some easter eggs, and some will be a completely new, fresh plot. As in every universe, only Aemond calls her Rhaenys and this is not her real name (she is unnamed character and the others also do not know that he calls her that). There will be a lot more brutality and angst in this version, so watch out. You can read this as a standalone story.
Series & Characters Moodboard Aemond & Rhaenys Moodboard
* English is not my first language. Please, do not repost. Enjoy! *
Next chapters:Â Masterlist
_____
When he needed to calm down before a meeting with clients or a brutal explanation of certain matters, he would lock himself in some room or his car, close his eyes and return with his thoughts to that summer holiday.
First he would always hear the sound of the sea, and then he would see the beach and the setting sun all around him, somewhere in the distance hearing her laughter.
It was their first and last trip together, which had obviously been his father's idea. He thought it would be a good way to cool a bit of tension in the family and invited his daughter from his first marriage to join them at their summer residence along with her partner, Harwin Strong, her former bodyguard, and their children.
The locals called their house âKing's Landingâ, because in fact the building looked like some kind of modern palace, with a huge garden, a private beach access and a small harbour with their sailboats and scooters.
He had never wondered where his father got money to buy such a great mansion: he thought that he had earned it all and the others had not and that was why they were poor.
Neither he nor his brother were thrilled with the idea: they did not want to share their toys or rooms with the Strongs, which, although they usually stood empty, were sometimes used for playing. Despite their verbal expressions of displeasure, Rhaenyra arrived with her partner and children in a large black Mercedes, disturbing, in his mind, their peace and order.
For the first few days, he simply tried to pretend he hadn't seen them: he would go for solitary hikes along the beach, looking for treasures in the sand, thinking he envied Helaena, who instead of joining them decided to spend her holiday with her friend and could do whatever she wanted.
Their mother allowed them to swim in the sea as long as they didn't swim too far away from the shore, and the smallest children, namely Luke and his sister, wore plastic shoulder pads filled with air to make them float.
Every little thing that made him better than his brother or nephews made him feel superior, so when he noticed that he swam the best out of all five of them, he showed it off by diving underwater once in a while only to emerge somewhere much further away. Their sister was most impressed by this, asking him to teach her how to do it, but he paid no attention to her.
The little squealing girls did not interest him, but Jace's face full of displeasure did.
He grinned in a way that made the eldest Strong's lips pressed together into a thin line and saw him swimming towards him.
He was sure that Jace would just want to hit him or sub him, so he prepared to put up aggressive resistance if necessary, he surprised him completely, however, by pulling his shorts off his legs.
He laughed out loud as he threw himself after him, trying to snatch it from him, fruitlessly, Aegon seeing this, shouted:
"â c'mon, hand it to me! â" He called out and indeed, Jace did so, making his opportunity to retrieve his stolen clothes move away from him towards the shore with them and Luke who also laughed thinking, apparently, that it was a very funny joke.
"â stop it! â" Their sister squealed, being the only one to stay in the water with him.
It was the first time he had felt so humiliated, frightened and lonely â although Aegon often teased him, this time it was something completely different.
His older brother came ashore, waving his shorts.
"Come and get them!" He laughed, throwing them somewhere far out on the sand so that he would have to run naked many metres before he could even reach them. His niece looked up at him, her cheeks red with embarrassment.
"â wait â wait, I'll get them for you in a minute â" She called out, moving towards the shore, getting out of the water at last and running across the sand â Aegon, Jace and Luke watched her efforts from afar, laughing loudly.
As much as he didn't want to, as much as he tried to stop himself, he burst out into a loud sob, ashamed, sad and bitter, standing in water up to his waist and not moving from his place, wanting to just drown and die.
He finally heard a splash â his niece was swimming towards him with his clothes in her hand, reaching out to him. He snatched his shorts from her in an aggressive, furious motion, whooping with his tears.
"â if you tell anyone about this â" He hissed.
"â no â no, please don't cry â"
"â fuck off â" He growled, pushing her away for some reason, furious that she had seen his outburst of despair, the fact that he was crying like a little girl.
He put his shorts back on and stepped out of the water, heading immediately towards home, paying no attention to Aegon's screams for him to come back, for them to go riding their bikes together, that it was just a joke.
He spent the rest of the day in his room reading history books. He liked to imagine that he was someone else: a great scientist, explorer, king, prince or knight. As he read stories about the great, terrifying dragon Vhagar, he thought he would like to have such a creature for himself, so that he could burn his brother and his nephews.
He answered his mother's questions about what had happened in a perfunctory manner â he knew his brother would take revenge on him if he said too much and he didn't feel like causing any more trouble.
He shuddered at night, roused from a deep sleep when he heard someone's steps in the corridor.
He feared it was them, that they were once again trying to make a mockery of him.
He rose up on his arms, terrified, when the door to his room opened with a loud creak.
"â Aemond? â" He heard her quiet mumble, even barely able to see her silhouette in the darkness he could tell she was crying.
"â can I sleep with you? â"
"â you must be crazy â" He hissed.
His reply made her draw in air loudly, whooping apparently with her own tears.
"â they took away my little lamp â Jace said I'm already big and I can't sleep with the light on â but I'm so scared â" She babbled in despair, as if this was the worst day of her life and there were big monsters lurking in the shadows of the room she slept in ready to devour her.
For some reason, what she said made him feel a sting in his heart and sympathy, through which he shifted to the side, sighing heavily, making room beside him.
"â okay, just be quiet already â come here â" He muttered, and she breathed a loud sigh of relief, closing the door behind her.
She surprised him by climbing onto his bed and immediately covering herself with his duvet, breathing loudly as if she was really scared.
"â thank you â"
"â sleep â" He commanded, turning his back to her. "â you are to disappear tomorrow morning â if anyone sees you, I will kill you with my own hands â do you understand? â"
"â yes â" She mumbled out with difficulty.
He heard her turn on her other side, but he could still feel the warmth of her body â his bed designed for one person for two proved a tad too cramped and there was no way their shoulders wouldn't touch.
Although he felt ashamed that he had slept with a girl, on the other hand her presence had a calming effect on him â the conviction that someone was beside him, her warmth and her scent, reminding him of vanilla pudding or cake, made him fall into a deep, peaceful sleep.
When he woke up, to his relief, she was gone, nor had she told anyone that she had come to him.
What surprised him was that she came to him the next night and jumped into his bed as if it was hers.
"â what are you doing? â" He muttered, looking at her in shock, his favourite book about dragons in his hands.
"â I'm going to bed â"
"â you've got to be joking â go to your place â"
"â I don't have a lamp â"
"â I'll give you mine â"
"â no â this one is too big â for me to sleep it has to be small or someone has to sleep next to me â I swear I'll disappear tomorrow morning â" She mumbled, seeing him tilt his head back, closing his eyes in impatience.
"â I don't want you in my room â" He said finally. "â neither you nor your brothers â I'd rather you never came here â"
It was only when he heard how the words sounded that he thought he had exaggerated, however, he could no longer take it back â he heard her draw in a breath, her cheeks red with sadness, her eyes glazed with tears. She burst out crying, pulled herself up from her seat and ran out of his room.
He thought, returning to his reading, trying to drown out the discomfort in his stomach and the tightness in his throat with the thought that at least she and everyone else would give him a break.
He tried to focus on what he was reading, but then his thoughts returned again to her, alone, in the darkness that had so frightened her.
He remembered Aegon scaring him that there was a great one-eyed monster living in his wardrobe that would come out of there and eat him if he closed his eyes even for a moment.
He cried from exhaustion and didn't sleep for several nights until his mother, when she found out he had fallen asleep in class at school, explained to him that it had been a simple lie.
He thought with shame that she was just a child who was being bullied by them as much as he was, and although he was angry, he decided he would go and see if she had fallen asleep.
Perhaps she was being too dramatic?
He got up quietly from his bed and went out into the corridor, walking slowly to her room, which was next to his. He opened the door and looked inside, noticing to his surprise that her bed was empty; he could, however, hear her raspy, heavy breath.
He stepped inside, looking around the moonlit room, approaching her bed hearing her breathing more and more clearly. He knelt down, bending over and only then did he see, horrified, her silhouette lying on the floor under the wooden frame, her eyes clenched shut, her plump cheeks red from tears.
"â please, don't eat me â" She squealed out.
"â it's me â hey â" He whispered, touching her hand, and she screamed and slammed her head on the bed above her. She cried out loudly in pain, clutching at the spot, and he hushed her by stroking her back.
"â come here â I'm afraid of monsters too â" He whispered, and she, at his words, crawled to him and cuddled into him as if he were a teddy bear, clenching her hands into fists on his back, crying miserably.
He took her into his arms, letting her throw her arms around his neck â when he stood up with her he thought she was unusually light. He laid her down on the bed and slipped under the duvet right beside her, letting her small hands embrace his waist, her face snuggled against his chest.
Only then did he feel her whole body shake.
His hand stroked her hair until she calmed down and they both finally fell asleep in a tender, close embrace.
For the next few days when she came to him, he let her lay her head on his shoulder and read a book with him, which he kept resting on his stomach. They didn't talk then, focused on reading, his cheek resting against the top of her head.
"â can I turn the page? â" He asked, wanting to know if she had managed to read everything.
"â yes â"
She really liked the character of one of the princesses. It was another volume of the story of The Mighty Vhagar and she was the beloved of the Prince who had managed to tame this terrible dragoness. Rhaenys, for that was the heroine's name, also had her own dragon, but a much smaller one, and together with the Prince she flew in the skies.
"I wish I had a dragon like Rhaenys." She confessed to him at last, and he grunted, agreeing with her deep down, not wanting to admit it, however.
The more he got to know her, the more her presence ceased to irritate him: what he liked about her was that she respected his barrier rules. She knew that he liked silence and also that he hated it when someone rearranged or took his things. They sometimes discussed books while sitting on the terrace or walking on the beach pretending to be treasure hunters.
"Kiss your girlfriend!" Laughed Aegon, looking at them from afar, making them both turn scarlet with shame.
His words, however, made him experience a daze.
She was, in fact, a girl, on top of which, in his eyes, she was extremely pretty â her large, bright eyes were framed by beautiful dark eyelashes and eyebrows, her wide smile sweet and comforting. Her voice and touch were also pleasant, tender, her body warm as she snuggled into him at night, seeking refuge in his arms.
He thought he'd never met a girl he liked and fancied, and envied Aegon that he'd already kissed a few of his female friends at school.
"Have you ever had a boyfriend?" He asked her one day, walking along the beach with her, kicking various stones along the way. His niece lifted her surprised gaze to him, distracted from browsing through the white seashells she had found and wanted to take home with her.
"No. And you?" She asked curiously.
It was easier for him to tell the truth knowing that she had never had anyone either.
"No." He muttered.
They were silent for a long time, walking side by side, thoughtful.
He wondered where he was actually going with this question, his heart pounding like mad.
"And would you like to have one? A boyfriend, I mean." He asked quickly, feeling himself turn red with embarrassment â he was unable to look at her, afraid of her reaction, so he just looked around pretending to be intrigued by something.
"Well. It depends if I would like him." She replied softly.
He swallowed hard at her words.
"Do you like me?" He asked. He heard her quiet giggle beside him.
"Yes."
"So?" He continued, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye, meeting her curious, bright gaze.
"What are you asking?" She asked, cocking her head, a wide smile on her face.
He was unable to get the words out.
"I can be your girlfriend, but that will mean I get to hold your hand sometimes or give you a kiss." She said finally making his heart stop in his throat.
"âŚbut only when we're alone." He said.
"Alright." She replied lightly, undaunted, returning to looking through her shells.
He struggled to hold back a smile, feeling hot in his stomach, thinking with relief that it was simple enough and he felt satisfied.
He had a girlfriend.
For the rest of the day they pretended nothing had happened, talking to each other in passing.
What he was looking forward to was the night and the warmth of her body against his.
Indeed, she came to his room as usual as soon as she made sure everyone was already asleep and jumped into his bed making his heart beat harder. He turned off the lamp even though they were usually still both reading together, laying his head next to her on the pillow, startling her.
"â are we going to sleep already? â" She asked quietly and he nodded.
She blinked when his hand rose slowly and tentatively touched her cheek. He swallowed hard, feeling how pleasant, soft and warm her skin felt under his fingers, even in the darkness he knew she was blushing.
He pressed his forehead against hers feeling their breaths quicken, not knowing how to express what he wanted so as not to frighten her at the same time. He leaned in slightly, stroking her face with his thumb, his fingers running over her neck making her breathless.
"â may I? â" He mumbled and she nodded quickly, her fingers running over his jaw making him feel the heat rippling through his stomach, his heart pounding like crazy in his chest.
He enclosed her cheek in his palm when his lips finally pressed against hers â he was surprised by how soft, fleshy and moist they were. He pulled away from her immediately with a quiet click and grunted, twisting in his place, closing his eyes, feeling like he was about to have a heart attack from excitement.
"â sleep â" He commanded, feeling that it was too much emotions for one time. His niece answered nothing, snuggling up to him as she did every night, and he put his arms around her.
It was his first kiss with his first girlfriend.
He felt grown up, fulfilled and happy.
They spent the next few days on various expeditions, pretending that they were great explorers of scary temples looking for treasures or great tombs of old kings. They did nothing out of the ordinary apart from the occasional quick, embarrassing kiss on the lips or cheek, however, to his surprise his affection towards her grew each day.
He realised that he genuinely liked her.
She shared his passion, she was excited with him about their finds, which were most often old coins, she helped him come up with their new missions and, above all, she didn't laugh at him, but with him.
Her words, though child-like, were full of understanding and empathy, her commitment and fearless nature made her his indispensable companion, and part of him thought with relief that it would stay that way forever.
That he found his haven.
However, their closeness began to frustrate Aegon, who finally pushed him to the wall.
"Why do you keep running after her? Are you kissing her or something?" His brother asked mockingly, and he felt satisfaction at the thought of how he could answer him.
"Maybe." He replied.
Aegon looked at him in disbelief and furrowed his brows in consternation.
"WHAT? Have you gone mad? It's your niece! That's disgusting and on top of that, illegal! You can't kiss your own family!" He said making his heart stop, cold sweat running down his back.
"â after all, she is not my sister â"
"â but you are her uncle! â do you know what our mother would do to you if she found out? â you're a complete moron â"
"â I was only joking â I wanted to annoy you â" He lied quickly, feeling a wave of shame, sadness and horror run down his spine.
That day he turned on his computer quickly and, although the internet was still running very slowly at the time, he managed to read in the Online Encyclopedia that what he had done was called incest and was considered a socially unacceptable perversion, although some countries allowed marriage between an uncle and a niece or cousin.
It didn't change the fact that he burst into loud sobs, feeling like a fool, regretting everything he had done to her, that he had ever met her, that he had ridiculed himself again because of her.
"â I'm breaking up with you â" He told her the same day, making her eyes widen in disbelief and fear.
"â but â"
"â you're my niece â you can't be my girlfriend â sleep with your brother or your mum tonight â"
It seemed to him that what he said had completely broken her, because instead of saying anything, tear after tear began to run down her cheeks. She wiped them away with her hands, trying to calm herself, but they continued to flow.
He felt some natural urge to embrace her, his heart squeezed at the sight of her suffering, but there was nothing he could do about it.
They were not meant for each other.
Wanting to somehow soften his words and what he had done to her, he wrote her his phone number on a piece of paper and slipped it under her door that very evening, so that she could contact him if something bad happened, but she could call only in a life-threatening emergency.
He didn't want anyone to catch him talking to her, much less Aegon.
He thought their brief relationship and break-up would be the worst and most heartbreaking thing to happen to him on this holiday, but it wasn't.
Fueled by rage and aggression that he had no way to deal with, he threw himself at Jace as he started laughing at him, pounding him with his fists, and Luke, wanting to defend his older brother, hit his head with a glass bottle lying on the sand, which smashed into his face.
It turned out that one of the shards damaged his eye, while the other cut the left part of his face.
They all started screaming, which their parents heard â Alicent, panicked, called an ambulance, while Rhaenyra packed up, took her children and left.
The doctors, to his mother's despair, said that an operation had to be performed immediately and that the eye would have to be removed: he remembered very little of this period, not speaking or looking at anyone at the time, as if something in his mind had switched off and he had lost touch with reality.
He thought only about her.
About his Rheanys.
He opened his eyes, returning with his mind to his car â he glanced at the blue-lit display and saw that it was approaching two o'clock in the morning.
They'll be here soon, he thought.
He stepped outside, closing the car door behind him, pulling a packet of cigarettes and a lighter from the pocket of his leather jacket. He took one out and slipped it into his mouth, leaning over the bright, warm flame, the tip of it turning red. He took a drag, closing his eyes and tilted his head back, letting the smoke out through his nose.
Indeed, it wasn't even a few minutes before he heard the screech of tyres â several black cars drove into the square, blinding him with their long lights.
Turn it the fuck off, he thought, covering his face with his hand, taking another drag.
He heard men start to come out of the cars â most of them were tipsy dudes just doing security, however Jason Lannister, who was supposed to hand him part of the money for the contract, was their opposite.
He looked like a hipster in his jumper, with his blonde hair pulled back and beard, a suitcase in his hand.
"As much as I agreed with your grandfather. Next part in two weeks." He said.
"Open it." He ordered, blowing out smoke through his mouth, looking at him with a grin, from which Jason swallowed loudly.
Lannister pulled a key from his trouser pocket and opened the suitcase, presenting him with elegantly stacked, sorted thick files of money.
He nodded and hummed under his breath, satisfied, going around his car, opening his boot. He pulled out a fake bottom made especially for the police, underneath which was a bag containing several kilos of white powder that Jason sold through his club.
They exchanged bags and shook hands, parting without a word, not wanting to tempt fate.
He smoked his cigarette to the end and trampled the butt with his shoe, climbed into his car and started the engine, eager to get back to his flat and sleep for at least a few hours. He set off ahead with a squeal of tyres, driving out of the harbour onto one of the main streets, a complete blank in his mind.
He felt nothing.
Or at least he thought he did, until her name showed up on his dashboard display remotely connected to his phone, the sound around him indicating that she was calling him made him freeze.
Over the years she had texted him, describing her days, asking how he was doing, wishing him a happy birthday, but he had never written her back, thinking it was pointless.
He only associated her with what he could not have and what happened next.
However, the fact that she called was exceptional.
Call only in a life-threatening emergency.
FUCK.
He wanted to pretend he hadn't seen it, but he wasn't sure he'd be able to live with what he'd done if it turned out the next day that her dead body had been found somewhere in the woods.
His trembling hand rose to the button on the screen with the handset symbol on it â he swallowed hard when his finger touched it and there was silence.
"â Aemond? â" He heard her trembling, breaking voice, his heart pounding like mad â he thought in disbelief that she sounded familiar and foreign at the same time.
"â what is it? â" He asked dryly, feeling the cold sweat run down his back as he tried to focus on the road.
She was probably just drunk and desperate, he consoled himself.
"â G-God â they must have â they must have put something into my drink â" She mumbled with difficulty between sobs, her breath heavy and ragged â he felt his heart stop, his hands involuntarily tightening on his steering wheel.
"â what? â fuck â where are you? â"
All he heard for a moment was her shallow breathing and crying, saw with his eyes her face then when he told her they couldn't be together.
"â Rhaenys â focus â fucking speak to me â"
"â I â mmm â I don't know â I think... â ...I think I'm in the toilet â" She muttered, apparently losing touch with reality.
"â in what toilet? â in the club? â" He asked desperately, running his hand over his mouth and jaw, thinking with horror that someone might be about to rape her.
"â yes â in the... â ...club â like... â ...one... â ...with palm trees â" She mumbled, and he drew in the air loudly, knowing what she was talking about.
"â Heavenly Beach? â" He asked, turning on his indicator, making a U-turn even though he should have done it at the next crossroads, several cars started honking at him, braking with a screech to avoid hitting him.
"â Rhaenys? â FUCK! â" He shouted, no longer hearing her voice, slapping his hands on the steering wheel, feeling tears burning under his eyelids for the first time in years.
He felt like he was in a panic, only realising after a moment that he was breathing loudly through his mouth.
He had broken many traffic regulations to get to this place as quickly as possible.
The security guards knew him and let him in outside the huge queue, to the fury of the others waiting â he ran quickly down the stairs, hitting several guests on the way who shouted after him to be careful, the loud electric music completely deafening him.
He wondered, what was she doing here?
Walking through the flickering lights and darkness, he headed straight for the toilets, going inside with a loud slam of the door. Several of the girls inside squealed, horrified by the presence of a man in the women's washroom.
"Get the fuck out!" Shouted one of them, stepping in his way, but he pushed her away. The girl fell over and whimpered, her friend, as drunk as she was, began calling him names, threatening to call security.
"RHAENYS!" He called out, opening one cubicle after another until he came across a closed door from behind which no sound came. When hit it with his foot it opened with a loud clatter and then he saw her: she was lying on the tiles sunken in deep sleep, unconscious, her phone by her face.
Looking at her, he remembered with shame that he knew perfectly well what she looked like, because he stalked her Instagram and Facebook accounts almost every evening: at first he just wanted to mock her and her life, then, however, it helped him control which boys she was seeing.
He destroyed his first phone by throwing it against a wall when he saw a picture of her in the arms of some guy when she was in high school, his rage caused by the fact that she was able to move on and he was stuck, still with his mind in that summer.
He knew she had studied archaeology because she sometimes posted photos from excavations, showing unusual finds. He couldn't bear it when he saw a picture of her sitting next to a boy who was putting his arm around her waist, surely going to university with her.
Robb, because it turned out that was his name when he traced his profile through her friends, liked to have a good time: he'd gone a few times to clubs he'd visited, wanting to look at him from afar.
He watched him chat up strange women and, although nothing happened between them, he came to a certain conclusion.
He didn't trust him.
He didn't like him.
That's why he took a picture of him with a woman, who he put his arm around exactly as it was then, in their picture, and then asked the owner of the club, who was buying drugs from them, to post the picture on their official Facebook.
They often uploaded photos from parties, so this was nothing unusual, and the feeling of satisfaction he experienced when he saw that after a few days she had deleted all their photos together was indescribable.
He consoled himself with the thought that it wasn't because he was jealous, but because he wanted to protect her, like the good, caring uncle he had never been.
And now she, the girl he saw every day on his phone screen lay unconscious in the stinky toilet where others came to fuck and snort cocaine, vulnerable and helpless.
"â hey â hey, wake up, kid â" He muttered, trying to lift her up, tapping his palm against her cheek to revive her, with no effect.
She didn't even flinch.
He grabbed her under her hips and lifted her up, rising from his knees with her, walking out of the toilet, the two drunk girls led them away with eyes full of disbelief.
As he walked with her through the club he noticed two men standing at the bar watching him closely â they turned away, pretending to talk to each other when they met his gaze.
Were they the ones lurking for her?
Were they the ones hoping to have fun with her that night?
He felt disgust and rage at the thought, for although he didn't get into any deeper relationships, he only took from women as much as they were willing to give him.
Sex allowed him to vent and not go crazy, but no relationship was an option.
He didn't want any new girlfriends.
With one hand holding her under her buttocks, he slipped the other into the pocket of his trousers, pulling out the keys to his car, opening it remotely. He opened the passenger side door and settled her into the seat, fastening her seatbelt. She mumbled something that sounded like no, clearly thinking he was the one who had done this to her.
"â easy â I'll take you home â"
He hated Rhaenyra's new husband wholeheartedly, as he was their biggest rival when it came to drug deals, however, he had no choice: after Harwin was shot, his older sister quickly found comfort in the arms of another man who was far more dangerous.
Perhaps that was what attracted him to her.
He glanced out of the corner of his eye at his niece's silhouette plunged into sleep, tense, her body completely numb, her bowed head leaning against the window.
He placed his hand on her palm, clamping his fingers on her skin, his throat squeezed at the thought that he felt exactly like then, when he had found her curled up under the bed.
"â you were right to be afraid of sleeping in the dark â you don't even know how many real monsters lurk in its shadows â" He whispered â her body shuddered, but she didn't wake, her fingers tightening on his.
"â uncle â" She mumbled.
He pressed his lips together feeling a single, heavy, warm tear of sorrow run down his cheek at the thought that she was able to recognise his voice after so many years.
He parked in front of Daemon's house and lowered his window, pressing the button to wake up whichever bodyguard was there. He heard a moment later that someone had in fact appeared under the other side.
"â do you know what fucking time it is, man? â"
"â someone gave Daemon's daughter, and my niece, a rape pill â I brought her â" He said dispassionately, his free hand still clenched on hers.
"â oh fuck â" The man mumbled, and the gate in front of him immediately opened.
He pulled into the driveway and parked at the very entrance, Rhaenyra in only a bathrobe, apparently awakened from a deep sleep, walked out of the house with Daemon running up to his car. He turned off the engine and stepped outside, closing the door.
"â what happened? â how did you find her? â" She asked terrified and pale, looking at him in disbelief.
"â Heavenly Beach â she called me â she barely spoke â" He replied coldly, opening the passenger side door. Her mother immediately leaned over her, gently patting her cheeks.
"â my love? â good God â" She mumbled, stroking her hair and shoulders as if she were a small child.
"â what was she doing there? â" He asked Daemon. Rhaenyra's husband threw him a long, frustrated look.
"â she said she would be staying the night with a friend â I am as surprised as you are â" He replied impatiently, taking his niece in his arms exactly as he had before, heading home with her, her face sunken into a deep sleep lying on his shoulder.
He shuddered when Rhaenyra touched his arm, looking at him uncertainly.
"â would you like a cup of tea? â you can stay the night with us â"
After you ran away without a word of apology when your son ruined my life, you stupid whore?
"â no â" He said immediately, turning around and heading for the driver's side door, getting inside his car without bestowing another glance on her. He started the engine and began to back up, turning around, driving out through the gate back onto the dirt road.
By the time he returned to his flat it was morning, but he did not feel tired or sleepy. He was attacked immediately by the paws of a large brown dog â Vhagar, his gift of comfort after losing his eye, looked at him with big eyes and barked with rage that he had left her alone for so long.
"I know. I know. I've had a rough night." He hummed, stroking her head. His dog grumbled for another moment, whining and howling, until she gave up, returning to her sleeping place.
He pulled off his jacket and boots, lay down on his bed and unlocked his phone, going into his messages, clicking on the icon that said Rhaenys.
He scrolled through her messages, imagining as he did so that she was lying right next to him, that everything he had read she had just whispered in his ear, embracing him tenderly as she had then, that summer.
He didn't write her back because he didn't know what he should say.
He was ashamed to admit that if it hadn't been for Aegon, this would probably have gone on for a while until their parents found out and they would be completely humiliated.
He was ashamed to admit that his most beautiful childhood memory was both something disgusting and shameful, something that some part of him wanted to forget.
He was ashamed to admit that his grandfather had told him that he could forget about the University, because once you enter this world, you stay there forever.
He was ashamed to admit that he felt that it had always been too late for him, that there was no moment in his life when he could change something.
He fell asleep in the end and didn't wake up for several hours, tired and shaken; he shuddered when he heard his phone ring and reached for it quickly, thinking it might have been her again.
He swallowed hard, disappointed when he saw it was his grandfather and answered reluctantly, closing his eyes.
"Did everything go according to plan?" He asked.
"Yes."
"What were you doing in Heavenly Beach?"
He opened his eyes, staring at the ceiling, feeling his heart begin to pound like mad.
Lie or tell the truth?
"Rhaenyra's daughter called me. Someone put a rape pill into her drink."
Silence answered him for a moment, from which he felt a discomfort in his stomach.
"Aemond â" His grandfather began. "â this is the last time you interfere in their affairs. Do you understand?"
He looked ahead, biting his lower lip so hard that he felt the taste of his own blood on his tongue, his throat squeezed so tightly that he felt like he had stopped breathing.
"Do you understand?"
"Yes."
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EAST OF THE SUN | PART II
You were a disgrace to House Targaryen, the product of an impulsive wedding between a lost prince and some Essosi whore. You had little social capital within the Red Keep and few prospects for marriage, but that was alright. You were perfectly happy to stay out of the game of thrones, wed some politically relevant lord of Alicent Hightowerâs choosing, and die in peaceful obscurity. Unfortunately for you, Prince Aemond had other designs for your future.
11.1k words, aemond x fem!reader x jacaerys. childhood friends to lovers (except it's cousins), political drama. chapter warnings for targaryen incest and themes of xenophobia/racism and misogyny. see part I for full story details. dividers from @/cafekitsune.
V. STRENGTH
Jacaerys was a child when he found out that he was a bastard and his mother was a whore.
Bastard. Whore. Even before he understood those words, he knew that he was different, somehow. That he was not enough. The lords and the ladies in the Red Keep always stared at him and Luke when they walked by, clinging to their motherâs skirts. They whispered whenever Ser Harwin Strong spent his afternoons with them in the training yard, putting wooden swords into their tiny little hands and teaching them how to swing. They covered their mouths to hide their laughter whenever his father, Ser Laenor Velaryon, took Jace out riding, steadying him on his pony. Pay them no mind, Jace, his father always said. They're only staring at you because you will someday be king.
So Jace closed his ears and focused only on Mother, Father, Ser Harwin, and Luke.
But the older he got, the harder it was to ignore the whispers. Bastard. Mongrel. Son of a whore. A wonder that his dragon egg even hatched. I've never seen any Velaryon who looked like that. He don't look like no Targaryen prince, methinks. Look at that hair. Look at those eyes. He can only be a bastard.
He can only be a Strong.
It wasn't all bad in his family, at least. Queen Alicent always looked at him with contempt, but his grandsire kept her from saying anything. Sometimes his uncle Aegon would bully him about it, but then he would leave Jace alone whenever he was teasing Aemond instead, so all Jace had to do was join him in making fun of the scrawny boy. And whenever Aegon and Aemond teamed up to point out Jaceâs bastardy, you would stop both of them. You would gently scold Aemond and that would make him quiet, but with Aegon you would throw things instead. (Oops, you said once, after dropping the Seven-Pointed Star on Aegonâs foot. Sorry, my hand slipped. I'm afraid that book burns my heathen fingers.)
You always defended Jace like that.
Jaceâs mother was a whore, and he later learned that yours was too. Maybe that's why you were so nice to Jace, even though the lords and ladies of the Red Keep scorned you worse than they ever did him. To Jaceâs wonder though, you never seemed bothered by it.
It doesn't matter who our parents are, Jacaerys, you told him once. Weâve got dragons. Weâre Targaryens. So long as we play our cards right, no one can ever touch us.
But what if my blood isn't enough? he would mumble. What if Vermax doesn't let me claim him? What if I cannot fly? He did not have silver hair and pale eyes, the features of a Valyrian king. Perhaps his bastardy and Andal blood made him less of a Targaryen. Could a mongrel tame a dragon? Could a bastard sit the throne?
Could a Strong ever take to the skies?
You smiled at him whenever he asked. You can do all of those things, Jace. I promise. I can't help you with most of themâbut at the very least, I can help you learn to fly.
So he found himself on your dragon, seated behind you, his hands tight around your waist. I've never seen Wildfyre so happy to have someone ride him, you laughed. Not even me!
The dragon clicked and grumbled and turned his head to look at Jace, golden eyes approving. Then Wildfyreâs great wings started flapping, his roar thundering through the skies, and suddenly Jace found himself rising higher and higher, the muscles of the great creature rippling beneath him. Kingâs Landing was getting further away, shrinking; the clouds were getting closer, and Jace felt a chill as the cold damp of them soaked into his clothes. A freezing wind whipped through his hair, felt like ice to his bones, but he screamed and screamed with laughter, heart dancing as he clung to you.
Once you'd steered Wildfyre through the clouds, drifting into the warm twilight, you turned back and threw him a smile.
See? you yelled. Only a Targaryen could be so fearless on dragonback!
Fearless, you called him. He clung to this word: Fearless. I must be fearless. I must not fear my duty. I must not fear the succession. I must not fear the court.
In truth, though, Jace was afraid. He was afraid of being a bastard and he was afraid of losing the Throne, of ruining his motherâs claim. But you were so good at dispelling it all. You were so good at making him brave.
So when his family was sent to Dragonstone indefinitely, he nearly wanted to throw upâbecause it meant he could no longer see you. He sought you out soon after the decision was made, nearly running through all of Driftmarkâs grounds before going to the Queenâs rooms, where he knew you would be.
He found you by Aemondâs bedside, talking to the injured child as he slept. Your fingers threaded through his silver hair; you whispered Valyrian into his ears, soothing and pretty and soft. Jace wished he could understand it, but his mother never spoke it around them. Ser Harwin, being an Andal, only knew the Common Tongue, and so that was the language that Jacaerys had inherited instead the language spoken by kings.
Jace begged to you in his lowly, mongrel tongue, ugly and stiff unlike the melody of Valyrian: âCome with us, please. I know you'll like Dragonstone. No one will stare at us there, no one will whisper. You'll be happier for it.â
He was not surprised when you said no. There was no way you would ever leave Aemond, but he asked anyway, again and again.
âI can't do this alone,â he kept saying. âI need your help. I don't know how to be strong like you. How to be fire and blood.â
You smiled at him. Stepped away from Aemondâs bedside, then took his hands in yours.
âYou need not worry, Jace. Your mother will guide you.â Your fingers were so gentle on his. âYou will grow into a fine prince, an heir befitting the Iron Throne. And when you do, you can come back to the Red Keepâand you can take me to Dragonstone then.â
Jace tried very hard not to cry. Ser Harwin had made a promise like this before he left his motherâthat he would reunite with Jace someday, that he would stay by his side then. But he had never come back, had been taken by the fire at Harrenhal, and then Jace found himself mourning a man whom he was not allowed to grieveâbecause Jace was not allowed to be a bastard, and so Ser Harwin was not allowed to be his true father.
But he did grieve. He hated losing Ser Harwin, and he could not bear the thought of losing you too.
âYouâre not lying?â Jace asked. âYou're telling truth?â
He knew it was a childish thing to ask, but you seemed not to mind. You only threw your head back, laughed. âYes, I'm telling truth! It is my dream to get away from the Red Keep someday, Jace.â You looked at him, almost amused. âIâm counting on you to save me from the Hightowers, my prince.â
And Jace could not help but think, as you departed for Kingâs Landing and he for Dragonstone, how much he longed to do that. How badly he wanted to take you away from the place that called you both the children of sin, from the people that called him a bastard and you a whore. He wished he could have sworn it as an oath, for then you would know how seriously he would take it.
I will become a fine prince someday, he vowed privately, watching your ship grow smaller and smaller, then finally as it was swallowed by the mist. I will become an heir befitting the throne. I am a Targaryen, made of fire and blood. I am a Targaryen, no matter who my father was.
He woke up everyday and repeated those words like a mantra. Tried not to think about the possibility of failureâtried not to wonder if the lords and ladies of the Realm would revolt should he ever sit upon the throne. If the throne itself would reject a bastard, its edges cutting into his mongrel flesh. It was a solace that he heard you every time he questioned himself: It doesn't matter who our parents are, Jace. Only a Targaryen could be so fearless in the sky. You have a dragon. You have a dragon. You have a dragon.
He had a dragon.
âI have you, Vermax,â he would murmur to the creature in his clumsy Valyrian, and Vermax would rumble at him, reassuring.
The years passed. You exchanged letters with Jace, kept in touch, but the distance felt like a yawning cavern between you still. The older he got, the less certain he became that you ever thought about him the way he thought about you. After all, he was a child when you left; you were nearly a woman grown. Thinking back on it, you had obviously treated him like a child too, holding his hands and trying to soothe his fears with empty words.
Grow up, Jace, he told himself, every time he received a raven and found your letter shorter than the last. Forget about it.
And he did, for a while. He focused on his studies, his swordplay, his duty to the Realm. Several name days passed, and suddenly he was a man grown. His mother was speaking to him of potential betrothals, of Starks and Tyrells and the noble daughters of other great houses. His stepfather was telling him to see the whores in Spicetown since he refused to disgrace any of the servants, and their silks and perfumes were dizzyingly fragrant as he bedded them. The serving maids of Dragonstone and all the distinguished ladies who visited laughed and smiled pretty around him, fawning over his statusâfor even if he was a mongrel bastard, he was still a Crown Prince.
Jace found himself utterly disinterested in all of it.
Curiously, in some of those moments, he would suddenly think about your lettersâshorter and shorter, fewer and far between, but coming still. Hello, cousin. How fare your studies? I find myself the object of whispers once more; what an exciting life people think I must lead. Last month I was leading Ser Criston astray and making him break his oath of celibacy; this month I am carrying Prince Aemondâs child. I wonder whom I will seduce with my temptress ways next month. Perhaps it will be Septa Falyse, or the High Septon himself!
Jace could hear your laughter in your words: carefree, lighthearted, just as you always were when it came to your reputation. But it left a bitter taste in his mouth, thinking of all those rumours, of all those people speaking ill of you. Of knowing he could not return the favour of defending you as you once did him, now that the sea separated the two of you.
The whispers, though, were not something a Crown Prince should be worrying about, and you were not someone an Heir should be thinking about.
Grow up, Jace, he kept telling himself. Forget about it. Forget about it. Forget about it.
But when the day came that he finally had to return to the Red Keepâhe could no longer forget.
As he boarded a ship to Kingâs Landing for the first time in years, he found himself remembering the words you once spoke to him when he was a childâthe ones he clung to for years. They felt so fitting now that heâd learned of the Hightowersâ designs for you, of what the Hand intended to do.
You will be a fine prince someday, you'd said. Take me to Dragonstone then. Save me from the Hightowers, my prince.Â
He would see you again, Jace thought. And if you so much as breathed the word, he would do everything that you asked of him all those years ago: steal you away from the Red Keep, protect you from the petty court that so often mistreated you, give you immunity from the family that spurned you both. Because now that he was a proper princeâa Targaryen, black hair be damnedâthat was something he could do.
He could save you from the Hightowers.
VI. JUDGEMENT, REVERSED
The coming of Princess Rhaenyra and her party was met without announcement, nor fanfare.
Were it not for Jacaerysâ letter to you, you would not have even known that they were going to be in Kingâs Landing. The tourney was coming up soonâless than a fortnight nowâbut their presence had nothing to do with it. Supposedly, Prince Daemon had some urgent business to discuss with the King and the rest of House Targaryen. Even Princess Rhaenys had joined them. What would be important enough for the Lady of Driftmark to leave her home was a mystery to you.
Until such matters made themselves clear, however, you would not worry over them. You were only thinking of meeting Jacaerys again. Although you'd received many messages from your first cousin over the years (his preferred raven now knew you well enough to squawk your name), letters were simply not the same as seeing one in person.
And of course it was impossible to see Jace in person. Queen Alicent became oddly bitter every time you requested leave to visit Dragonstone, and Wildfyre was always mysteriously chained up after such conversations. Aemond, as well, despised his half-siblings too much to meet with them during any of your visits to Spicetown, and he never let you go there yourself either.
You are a young woman, and it would be unsafe for you to venture out alone, Aemond always said. If you must go to Spicetown, I will accompany you and guard you from any⌠unsavoury characters that you may meet.
You had the sense that he was referring more to his nephews than any bandits or rapers, for it seemed not enough to him for guards from Dragonstone to be sent to accompany you.
You looked forward to seeing Jace again, unfettered by neither Aemond nor the Queen. You wondered what the awkward and insecure little prince was like nowadays, what sort of person he'd become. But as you had not heard any word of Rhaenyraâs arrival, you did not go to receive him at the gatesâso you spent the day like you would any other. You broke your fast alone, neglected your needlework, neglected your prayers, and resentfully studied household stewardship. You loitered in the throne room, watching the Hand and the Queen settle various petitions. Today, it was mostly smallfolk worried about the price of food, a couple of petty land disputes between minor houses, and an interesting request from House Tyrell to legitimise a bastardâsome knight who had served in the Dornish Marches. For some reason, Ser Criston kept looking at him with disdain.
Then, as a reward to yourself for your hard labour, you went down to the training yard in the late afternoon.
Your favourite pastime was watching Aemond practise his swordplay in the afternoons. You used to go for moral support, to encourage him whenever he was beatenâwhich he always was, because of his previously short and scrawny statureâbut now it was always to encourage him whenever he clobbered his opponents, for he always did.
Ser Criston used to scold you for your attendance, saying that a young lady should busy herself with other activities. âYou should be studying the Seven-Pointed Star right now, my lady,â he once said, probably at the behest of the Queen. âThe violence of the training ground is not something that a woman should be witnessing so often in any case. Bloodshed is usually upsetting for the fairer sex.â
âI know not what you are talking about, Ser Criston,â you replied. You clapped Aemondâs shoulder thenâdrawing murmurs from onlookers, because hand-to-shoulder contact between cousins was scandalous if you were the one initiating itâand added, âthere is nothing more important to me than witnessing Prince Aemondâs improvement on the battleground.â
Ser Criston gave you both questioning looks. âAnd why would it be so important to you, my lady?â
âWell,â you replied cheerfully, âAemond and I have an agreement that if ever I am charged with murder, I will prove my innocence via trial by combat and he would be my champion.â
Ser Cole gave you an incredulous look. âDo you plan to commit murder, my lady?â
âNo, Ser. It is merely a contingency in case someone should frame me for it. You never know what might happen with all the plotting and scheming in this Realm.â
You were actually speaking truth here: you and Aemond did come to this agreement soon after Prince Daemon Targaryen was taken to trial for the murder of his first wife, which he won by combat. You then went into an anxious spiral about what you should do if you hated your future husband and he was stupid enough to fall off a horse and die like Rhea Royce. Who would save you from a similar accusation?
Aemond immediately volunteered himself, perhaps too eagerly.
âYou need not worry about me, Ser Cole,â you said upon seeing his perturbed face. âI wouldn't actually ever commit murder myself. You would know, since Aemond would prove my innocence.â
Aemondâs lip curled. âShe would never be found guilty of any crime in the Realm with me as her champion,â he affirmed. âI think it is fair that the lady should be allowed to watch the sword representing her, is it not?â
Ser Criston could hardly deny a royal prince, so he merely sighed and picked up his morning star. âWhatever my prince wishes,â he relented. âComeâletâs give your lady a show.â
The knight had not since protested your presence on the training grounds. Ser Criston hardly even glanced at you today as you approached, weaving through the sparse crowd of knights, squires, and spectators while he and Aemond began their warmups. You were searching for a spot that would serve as the best view of their match, and it was pure accident that your gaze happened to land on an unfamiliar form among the hustle and bustle.
It was not the clothes that struck youâfor they were plain, a nondescript black cloak over an equally dark tunicâbut his face. Dark curls framing finely carved, fair features. An aquiline nose, a pair of delicate lips curled into an interested smile as he spoke to some companion you could not see. He looked like a Northman, possibly a Stark or an exceptionally beautiful Blackwood. You wondered if he was one of your potential suitors.
Naturally, you had to go introduce yourself. Purely to show your hospitality as a lady of House Targaryen, of course.
âExcuse me,â you said, in the clearest and prettiest voice you could manage. âPardon me for the interruption, Ser, but I don't believe weâve ever met.â
The stranger turned to you, his expression quizzical, but reflecting pleasant surprise. As soon as he laid eyes on you, his brows liftedâand a brief silence passed as you took in each otherâs appearances.
You were only certain once you saw the three-headed dragon brooch on his cloak.
âCousin?â the two of you asked simultaneously.
âSeven hells, Jace, I didn't recognise you at all!â you blurted out. You then glanced at his companion for the first time. Sure enough, it was his little brotherâstill young, but certainly not the small child you remember. âLuke! Gods, you've grown up too! I had no idea youâd arrived!â
Jacaerys made an irritated expression that was comically familiar despite his comically unfamiliar face. âThe reception to our arrival was⌠subdued. Not etiquette to the standard that I would have expected of the Red Keep.â
âAh. A folly of the Queen, I'm sure.â You smiled at them both. âForget about her. I'll give you a proper welcome after this matchâtake you around the old haunts and whatnot. Wildfyre will want to say hi, too.â
âMatch?â Jacaerys asked, but he was quickly answered by the violent clang of steel against steel.
Jaceâs noble countenance dissipated as he moved into the crowd, beckoning Luke to follow. An excited grin spread across his face as he watched the two figures sparring furiouslyâas if he were again a child, spectating as Ser Harwin or the other knights of the Kingsguard fought with one another. Ser Criston and Prince Aemond were in another league altogether, of courseâperhaps not in skill, but in savagery. They moved viciously and lethally, not bothering to hold back. The swing of Criston's morning star carried brutal weight, but Aemond was himself a lithe weapon, his body honed for the sole purpose of killing. You were unsurprised when his blade ended up pressed against Ser Cristonâs throat.
âYou'll be sure to win the tourney next week, my Prince,â said Ser Criston, but Aemond did not smile.
âI don't give a shit about tourneys,â he said, and you had to hold back a snort. Perhaps not when he was younger, but he absolutely did give a shit about tourneys nowadays. Not the pageantry or the petty social trappings, of courseâbut the reputation. Prince Aemond would be loath to seem craven or weak before the knights of the realm, and so he had no choice but to sign up for every tourney in King's Landing and crush every opponent he met.
Your amusement wore off when you noticed Jace and Luke beside youâhow tense they'd gotten, how Luke was inching behind Jace. You could not blame them. Aemond had never forgiven Luke for taking his eye, no matter how many times you counselled him to lay it aside lest his rage drive him to madness. It chilled you how he spoke of Lucerys when reminded of it.
Even now, you discerned a subtle anger in Aemondâs bodyâtightly controlled, but there neverthelessâas he approached.
âNephews,â he said, âhave you come to train?â
Not even a greeting, you thought. Well, he does take after his mother in some ways.
âI'm afraid weâre only here to visit today,â Jace said, and you were surprised at the clean but sharp edge to his words. You did not know he could sound so much like a prince. âWe must first attend to urgent matters before weâll have any time for leisure.â
âI wasn't aware that the Crown Prince would consider swordplay a leisurely activity,â Aemond remarked. âThose princes who are truly of fire and blood, at the very least, do not.â
Fucking hell. Not even two minutes and the bastardy talk had already started. There was fury in Jacaerysâ eyes, and you stepped in before Aemond could fuel it.
âJacaerys must be one of the few men of fire and blood who are also capable of diplomacy,â you said dryly, âas I know you are, Aemond, when you wish it.â
Aemond gave you a careful look, seeming more amused than anything else. âI wish it when my lady does.â
You smiled, placated. âI always like diplomacy. Hospitality, too. I'll be showing Jacaerys and Lucerys around before our family meets tonightâyou are free to join if you wish.â
From the way the two brothers tensed, it was obvious that Aemond was absolutely not free to join. Your cousin had the grace to decline: âThank you for the invitation, my lady, but I will give you the space to host them. You are better suited for it than me.â He glanced at Jacaerys, and said, âDo make sure you return her to me before it gets too late. I would worry about my cousin if she were out after curfew.â
Jace gave him a look that was as curious as yours.
âYou need not worry. You know I would not let any harm come to our cousin.â
Aemond hummed, giving you a meaningful glance that you completely did not understand. âIâll look for you at dinner.â
âIâll be⌠sure to find you?â you replied with uncertainty, still reeling from his words. Return her to me. Aemond left before you could ask him his intent behind the phraseâbecause he always spoke with intent.
Jacaerys, himself, also seemed confused. âI didn't know my uncle was courting you,â he said, and you gave him a startled, bug-eyed look.
âHe isn't,â you said quickly. âQueen Alicent would sooner die than let me besmirch the reputation and honour of her son.â
The elder prince frowned. âHe was certainly acting like it, getting all possessive.â
âI suppose Aemond never liked it whenever we spent time with you,â Lucerys observed, looking somewhat anxious.
âHe didnât,â you now remembered. âDon't feel too bad, Luke. He was always like that even before he lost his eye to you.â Aemond loved to monopolise your time as a child and grew sullen whenever someone else had your attentionâas if you were being wrongfully taken away from him and would never be returned. Sometimes you felt like a toy being fought over, tearing at the seams. âI guess he never grew out of it.â
âChildish of him,â Jace observed, watching his uncleâs back as he readied himself for another match. âMakes me inclined to take up all of your time tonight.â
You snorted. âThatâs childish of you, too. Come on, let's goâat least catch up with me before you and your uncle maim each other.â
âI wouldn't do that to him,â Jace protested.
âI know. It was only a jest,â you reassured him. But an uneasy pit grew in your stomach as you thought of the way Aemond carried himself just nowâhow none of that lethal violence left his body as he approached his nephews.
It struck you then that you weren't so sure if the reverse was true.
VI. THE SUN
When you were alone with Jacaerys, his presence felt oddly familiar.
It was unusual, given that the prince was so different now. He had grown, and you had expected things to be strange and stiff between the two of you, but the conversation came easily once Luke departed. Jaceâs laugh was the same as you remembered. His smile was the same. He rode on dragonback with you, his arms firm around your waist and his front pressed tightly against your back, andâ
âthat didn't feel the same, actually. You tried not to think about how he felt against you, how he had obviously grown lean and hard with muscle. It made your stomach flutter in a way that felt suspiciously similar to your reaction to first seeing Cregan Stark at court. You concentrated on the memory of the awkward, insecure boy with whom you had grown up, whom you could have never fathomed attraction to. Jace was the heir to the throneâyou absolutely could not consider him desirable.
Also, if your stomach kept twisting like that, you would surely steer your dragon wrong and make all three of you crash.
Wildfyre, at least, did not see him any differently; he allowed Jace to ride him without complaint, and once you all landed outside the Kingswood, he kept clicking and prodding at your cousin with his massive snout, making the prince chuckle.
âI think he missed me,â he said.
âIâm not surprised. You were his favourite.â You glared at your dragon. âTraitor,â you groused in Valyrian, and Wildfyre snorted in response. You sighed. âLook at that attitude!â
âI think he's quite lovely,â Jacaerys said, voice smug. Wildfire crooned, as if in agreement, and snaked his long neck around Jaceâs back, rubbing against him like a cat. You gave them both a dirty look.
âSometimes I think you claimed him behind my back,â you complained, even though you could feel the bond between yourself and Wildfyre, warm and alive like a shared heartbeat. It had been present since the day you were born, as if it had formed while you were still in the womb. Still, there was a period of time before your official claim where Wildfyre adored Jace so much that you were convinced he would abandon you.
âYou know that's not true. He's like a puppy around you.â Jace patted Wildfyreâs snout fondly, and the great old lizard chuffed like a dog. You saw the resemblance. âVermax hatched in my cradle and heâs not nearly so affectionate with me.â
âVermax is a sweetheart.â
âTo you.â The corner of Jacaerysâ mouth lifted. âRemember how he nearly roasted Aegon the one time? And he never let Aemond near him, either.â
âDragons are influenced by the feelings of their riders,â you pointed out dryly. âVermax only detested them because you did.â
âPerhaps.â Jace scratched Wildfyre, fingers scraping against glimmering, emerald scales. The spoiled creature rumbled in a way that nearly sounded like a purr. âAre you saying that youâre as fond of me as Wildfyre is, then?â
Your mouth opened, then closed. You were glad that the two of you were alone and outside of the city. If anyone overheard you, or glimpsed your reaction, your reputation would have just been shattered forever. Worse yet, Jacaerysâ amused smile looked terribly handsome to you at that moment. You could not help but think, Well, I wouldnât mind being pet by you either.
âI suppose your company is tolerable,â you said lamely.
Jace, of course, was not at all fooled. He turned to Wildfyre and said, in what you guessed was meant to be the Valyrian language, âWe both know better, don't we?â
Wildfyre clicked in agreement, but your own reaction was not nearly so kind.
âMy god, Jace,â you said, wincing. âWas that supposed to be Valyrian?â
He grimaced. âWas it that bad?â
âTerrible. What on earth is your mother teaching you? She's so fluent.â
âShe never spoke Valyrian around us when we were children,â he explained, âso I never picked it up. Mostly, I learn from the maesters.â
âThe maesters?â you repeated, appalled. You slipped into your native tongue, the timbre indignant: âNo wonder you speak so poorly. You can't learn properly from maesters. You need to learn from someone who lives and breathes in the language!â
âThere aren't many people in Westeros who do,â Jace replied in the Common Tongue. The two of you began to volley: Jacaerys in the language of Westeros, and you in the language of the old Freehold.
âMove back to the Red Keep. I'll teach you.â
âYouâve tried already. You were a poor tutor, remember?â
âYou were a poor student.â
âThat doesnât change your own abilities. Could you even explain any basic grammar to me right now?â
â...you don't need to know grammar to talk.â
âNo, but you need it to learn.â
âIf I talk at you enough, youâll pick it up eventually.â You gave him a mournful look, then tested his ear for your mother tongue: âHowever you do it, you should make more of an effort, Jace. You are a Targaryen, and a dragonlord besides. Valyrian is the language of your forefathers. How can you not know it?â
Jacaerys went quiet. âYou know I have always tried,â he said, âto live up to my heritage as best as I can. I have neither Targaryen nor Velaryon features. People look at me and they see an AndalâŚââhe hesitatedââthat is, they see a Strong. I have to show them I am more than that.â
Guilt gnawed at you. âThen I'll help you,â you said gently, in the Common Tongue this time. âThough truthfully, neither the language you speak nor the colour of your hair changes your blood.â
âOnly you and Mother have ever thought so.â He looked away. âApparently people used to think that my dragon egg wouldn't even hatch.â
You put a hand on his shoulder. âYet it did, and every unbonded dragon responds to you. Vermax and Wildfyre can both attest to your claim and heritage.â You gave him a reassuring look. âAnyway, cheer up. You have more talent at the language than Aegon, silver hair be damned. His Valyrian is shit awful.â
Jace laughed. âIs it really so bad?â
âYouâll see during the meeting tonight. Aemond and I will force some Valyrian out of himâlook forward to it.â
His smile faded. âI need to talk to you about that. The meeting, I mean.â
You made a face. âYou know I don't want to speak of politics right now, Jacaerys. I'd rather talk about literally anything else, in fact.â
âIt would be unwise to do so.â
âI live every day trying to be wise in matters of the court. Please let me be unrepentantly a fool for once.â
Jace gave you a sorry look. âCould I spend the rest of the day in leisure with you, I would. But it would be a disservice to you not to tell you, cousin. It is why I asked for time alone with you in the first place.â
âYou wound me, Jace. I thought you asked it for you missed me.â
âCousin.â
âAlright, alright. Letâs hear it.â
He breathed deeply. âThere will be an announcement, one that involves you. In truth, the Hand said to keep the matter quiet until we could meet as a group, but I didn't think it was right, and neither did my mother. The Hightowers are trying to hide from you what Prince Daemon discovered.â
You gave him a curious look.
âWhat did he discover, then?â
VII. DEATH
The world felt so distant.
The Targaryens were seated around the Small Council table. King Viserys was absent, his mind addled with milk of poppy, so the Hand sat in his seat while his daughter stood at his side. As if in interrogation, you were at the other end of the tableâthe object of everyoneâs scrutinyâclad in a neutral blue.
It was a powerplay. Jacaerys had predicted that the Hightowers would do it, and he tried to help you prepare. You had planned together what you should say, but the Stranger had stolen your words, your focus, your wits. Otto Hightower spoke and his voice sounded far away, as if your ears were stuffed with cotton. Your heavy breath and pounding heartbeat drowned out all other noise, thrumming alongside your bond with Wildfyre. It was singing with a pain to match your own, for the feelings of a dragon are always influenced by their riderâand he, too, had loved your father.
Otto kept speaking. You did not know why he was even here, really, nor Queen Alicent. Princess Rhaenys sat to your left without Lord Corlys, because this was a Targaryen matterâa grief shared only by those of fire and blood. The Hightowers were outsiders.
â...we must allow ourselves time to grieve your father,â the Hand said, âbut the matter of his inheritance should be quickly settled.â
âWhat?â you asked, voice faint. This is what Jace said would happen, you thought. I should not be surprised.
But here you wereâspeechless, stupid.
The Princesses Rhaenys and Rhaenyra bristled. Prince Daemon, who sat on your right, openly scoffed. Helaena looked down, and even Aegon had the grace to keep his eyes on the table. He was feckless, a lecher, and he always quarrelled with youâbut he was not cruel. He was not cut from the same cloth as his grandsire.
Even he disapproved.
Jacaerys was next to you, standing tall like a sentinel. Aemond watched from across the room, near his mother, in a shade of green so dull that it was nearly blackâbut green nevertheless.
Why was he not beside you instead?
âPlease,â you managed to say, voice quiet. âI would like to hear the news from Prince Daemon himself.â
âAs you should. This was not news that should have been delivered by a Hightower.â The Rogue Prince did not bother to hide his derision. âI was treating with the lords in Pentos, and they brought to my attention news of your fatherâs shipâthe one that disappeared when he sailed for Lys. It came to light recently that pirates and sellswords accosted it. They sacked the ship, sank it. Then they took your father for ransom, but apparently he died not too long after from his wounds. Here is the proof.â
And sure enough, he laid before you what was unmistakably your fatherâs sword. It had been presented to him by the Lyseni while he was being hosted by the First Magister: a weapon from the former Valyrian colonies of Essos. Your mother had been by his side when he received it. In Westeros, she had been considered a common whore, but in Lys, she had been his beloved concubineâyes, a former bed slave, but respected nevertheless. She had thrived in the Lysene court.
You took the blade into your hands, unsheathed it halfway. It was pure Valyrian steel: ancient ore folded many times over, otherworldly hues rippling in daylight. Unlike the Valyrian swords kept by the Westerosi houses, this one had a name carved into it by a Qohori smith: Siglitanor. A word borrowed from Lysene Valyrian, a name chosen by your mother. The letters were as red as the Qartheen jewels encrusted into the guard, which was fashioned with Volantene elegance.
It was, through and through, a sword of Essosi antiquity.
For nearly ten years, you imagined that your father was somewhere in Lys, carrying this sword and speaking its language every morning, every night. Avy jorrÄelan. Avy raqan. Ăuha ÄbrazČłrys. He would whisper these words into your motherâs ear in a courtyard somewhere, their plates filled with persimmons and mangoes and peace. He went to Lys and loved her too much to return. Yes, he abandoned you, but it was to take care of your mother, who deserved nothing less.
And nowânow, this sunlit vision was turning to dust before you.
âYour Pentoshi friendsâwho told them this news?â
âMyrish sellswords who drank too much and bragged of their exploits. The Pentoshi thought I would like to know of their crimes against the Iron Throne and brought them before me. They're being held on Dragonstone now.â Daemon, for a moment, seemed reflective, and the sharp edge of his words softened slightly. âYour father was a skilled diplomat. It was his work that kept the Triarchy in line for so long. He died, and they soon after turned on usâand everyone else in the Narrow Sea. Pentos felt the loss of him as much as we did.â
âYes, your father was quite the man,â the Hand agreed. âHe was also skilled with his coin. He amassed great wealth in the Iron Bank, all profit from the Narrow Sea and the Free Cities. The Iron Bank was never forthcoming with information until nowâthey thought him alive and kept this from usââ
The coin is mine, Jacaerys coached you to say. It is my inheritance. I will go to Braavos myself and oversee the wealth. By the laws of the Realm, a daughter should inherit her fatherâs lands and wealth in the absence of a son.
âWhat happened to my mother?â you whispered instead, still staring at the sword. It shared its name with the mythical blade forged by Azor Ahai, tempered by the blood of his lover. Your mother had been a fervent follower of the Red Temple; when your father asked her to name the sword, she chose to honour her faith.
Would Râhllor really have let her die?
âYes, your mother,â Lord Hightower said. âYour mother is gone, of courseâthe Iron Bank was willing to make the assumption after seeing the sword and the prisoners. And as such, yours is the only name that they have listed in ownership of your fatherâs coinââ
âWe may speak of the Iron Bank in a moment,â you said bluntly, interrupting him. âWhat happened to my mother?â
Queen Alicent breathed in deeply. She clearly meant to chide you for your tone, but Prince Daemon answered before she could, himself unbothered.
âThe sellswords mentioned that a woman was present,â Prince Daemon relayed. âShe was saved by one of the guards, and the two of them were never caught. The sellswords did not chase them for ransomâthey thought her a common whore.â
Then a whore is not such a bad thing to be, you wanted to laugh. Though you had never thought so anyway, because if your mother was a whore, then surely a whore was something to be cherished and pampered. You had always imagined her in a beautiful manse across the sea, hanging on your fatherâs arm. The two of them were supposed to be laughing in the sun as they drank Myrish wine and wondered how you were doing. They were supposed to be making plans to return to Kingâs Landing someday, to see you when they received news of your betrothal. You wrote to them everyday when you were a child, asking them what sort of man who they'd like to see you marry. You sealed the letters and asked the sailors passing through Blackwater Bay to take them to your parents in Lys. I donât know where they are, you admitted to the seamen, but it can't be hard to find a Targaryen prince. The sailors would agree, pat your head, and give you a persimmon or a mango or an orange. You did this day after day after dayâbecause surely your mother would reply to your letters eventually.
Surely, your mother would never forget you.
âIs she alive?â you asked.
âPerhaps. Likely not. The Narrow Sea was a brutal place before I conquered it.â
âBut if she survived, where would she have gone?â
âThe ship was overtaken at Bloodstone, so likely Tyrosh.â
âNot Kingâs Landing?â
Daemon gave you a long look. âI will warn you against any wishful thinking, girl.â
It wasn't a wish, you wanted to say. It was a promise. Your mother loved you. She wept when she was forced to leave. Someday I'll come back, she said in Lysene Valyrian, kissing you on the brow. When your grandsire is long dead, I will return and see you againâRâhllor will assure it. And until then, He will protect you.
Your father was supposed to love your mother enough to stay with her. Your mother was supposed to love you enough to someday return. But now your father was a skeleton on Bloodstone, and your mother was lost at sea.
And youâyou were all alone.
âI grieve for your loss, my lady,â the Hand said. âBut we must turn to the matter of the Iron Bank. That coin was grown from the wealth of the Crown, and as such, it belongs to the Crown.â
âYou really have no shame,â Daemon sneered, but the Hand did not flinch.
âThe animals of the Reach are plagued with sickness this year. Food has risen in price, and the smallfolk are suffering. Time is of the essence. If the Crown could find the coin to alleviate their burdenâŚâ
âThe Crown has its own coffers,â you said quietly. The Hand paused, as if surprised by your resistance.
âThe coffers are not limitless.â
âThe coffers should be managed well enough for hard years.â Your eyes burned hot, but they still met Otto Hightower with hard steel. âIf the Master of Coin has misstepped in his stewardship of the Crownâs wealth, I see no reason why I should pay for it.â
âIt would not be your wealth being paid. It is wealth belonging to the Iron Throne. Everything from the coin in Braavos to the sword in your handsââ
You could not help it: a laugh escaped you. âYou mean to take even my fatherâs sword from me?â
âIt is an heirloom belonging to House Targaryen, so it should be inherited by a man of House Targaryen. Dark Sister was passed to Prince Daemon and not to Princess Rhaenys, was it not? A lady has no use for a sword.â
âAn heirloom?â You could not help itâyou rose to your feet and held up the blade, and it shone true in the light of the sun. Helaena and Luke visibly recoiled at the bare steel, while Jace watched you carefully. âYou think this is one of the swords brought over before the Doom? You think a Mormont or a Stokeworth would have a sword like this? Tell me, Lord Handâcan you read the name engraved here?â
âThere is no need, my lady, for you to lose your temperââ
âIt says Siglitanor. Do you know what it means? Can you even pronounce it?â
âThe name has no bearing on its owner. You are fixating on irrelevant matters, my lady. I caution you not to be so irrational. The issue at hand is the inheritance of the sword, not its name.â
âThe name bears relevance to the inheritance, Lord Hand,â you ground out. âIt means Lightbringer, named after the sword wielded by the Lord of Light, Râhllor.â Alicent shifted visibly at the mention of your heathen god, her brow knotting, and pressure mounted in your throat, your heart. âNo Westerosi heirloom bears the name of this sword, nor its craftsmanshipâyou may check with the maesters yourself. The sword was a gift bestowed upon my father by the Gonfalioniere of Lys. In his absence, it belongs to my mother, and in her absence, it belongs to me.â You laughed. âYou wish to gut me of everything my father left to us, with no respect to our history or our rights.â
âYour father misunderstood your rights, as do you. He represented the Iron Throne in every excursion to the Free Cities, so all wealth and treasures he acquired should be returned to the Iron Throne. And let me remind you, young ladyâwhen the law is misunderstood or transgressed, there are consequences for the criminal.â
You stared at him, incredulousâfor while the Hightowers have never loved you, they have never openly threatened you.
The words hung heavy in the air, oppressive to all. Aegon was practically withering; Jace, tenser than you'd ever seen. Aemond appeared unbothered, his expression precise in its neutrality, and this cut deeper than any words from Otto Hightower ever could.
No one dared speak until the Queen cleared her throat.
âFather,â Alicent interjected, watching you carefully. âI do not think it wise to act rashly. The lady is our kin, and we should allow her some grace. Perhaps this is best solved through a formal petition. Let us give the girl a chance to grieve, then present her case to the Throneâif she will even want to make one afterward.â
âAnd who will oversee the petition?â you asked carefully, trying to control your voice.
Alicent delicately replied, âI will see to it that you are given a fair trial.â
âA difficult task,â you parried, âgiven that the Hand has overseen most petitions in the past half year while the King has been abed with illness.â
The Hand finally showed his displeasure, his tone severe when he said, âThe Queen, in her grace, is offering you a means to avoid punishment for the theft of Crown wealth. It would do you well to show some gratitude.â
You tried desperately to suppress the strangled noise in your throat. Someone touched your shoulder. You glanced to your side; Jacaerys was looking at you, his dark eyes as calm as stone and earth, and you breathed deeply, the knot in your chest untangling some.
âOf course,â you finally replied. âThank you, my Queen, for giving me the chance to defend myself from these accusations. I shall accept your proposal.â
Alicent nodded. âWe find ourselves right now in grief and high passions as we mourn the loss of your father, but we will need time and prudence as we settle this dilemma he left.â
You nearly laughed. Grief is your excuse? you wanted to spit, for it was clear to youâand likely most people in the roomâwhat was going on.
Only Prince Daemon had the nerve to voice it.
âDo you need time to settle this dilemma,â he asked, âor time to regroup? Clearly, you thought the girl would yield to your demands today while you blindsided her with grief. It appears you now need a new strategy.â
The Queenâs jaw ticked. âGood-brother, you misunderstand me. Inheritance law is complex and often at odds with compassion. It would be cruel to wrest away her fatherâs belongings from herââAlicent glanced at your swordââbut at the same time, the laws of the Realm must be respected.â
âFuck the law,â Prince Daemon snapped. âMy idiot cousin got himself killed at sea and his sword was acquired by force. It belonged to the sellswords for years before I acquired it by way of gift. It now belongs to meââyou gave him a watery, furious look, but it soon dissipated, replaced by surpriseââand it is now my decision that it should belong to my cousinâs daughter.â
You stared at him, uncomprehending. Mollified. Daemon spoke then in Pentoshi Valyrianânot so different from Lysene Valyrian, but inscrutable to speakers of the Dead Valyrian taught in Westeros: âViserys and I grew up alongside your father. We knew him well. He would have wanted Lightbringer to go to youânot these vultures.â
Daemon switched back into the Common Tongue as he took his leave, pale eyes cold on Otto Hightower.
âI will see you again during my nieceâs petition, Lord Hand.â
VIII. KING OF CUPS, REVERSED
You did not go to dinner that night.
After the meeting in the Small Council room, you could not wait to get away from your familyâTargaryens, Velaryons, Hightowers, and all. You kept yourself poised as you excused yourself, but you broke into a run as soon as you were out of sight, your fatherâs sword grasped tightly in your hand.
You knew it was a childish thing to do, to run away to Blackwater Bay and cry your eyes out. It was nearly as childish as the way you had just spiralled and crashed and burned in front of the Hightowers in that room, living up to every judgement placed upon you. A heathen who worshipped the wrong kind of god. A perpetual foreigner. The pathetic daughter of a lost whore and a dead princeâsomeone of such little social consequence that the Hand saw you as easy prey for your coin.
In the back of your mind, there was a growing list of things you meant to do to fix it all. You needed to ask Prince Daemon what rhetoric Otto Hightower was likely to bring up during the petition, for no one had politically jousted with that man more than he. You needed to steal all the ledgers of your fatherâs ventures in the Free Cities before Tyland Lannister could think of having them confiscated. Perhaps you should even appeal to Princess Rhaenyra for her aid, since her husband was going to be supporting your petition.
Most importantly, you had to think of how to maintain your standing with Queen Alicent while fighting for your inheritance. It would not do to win your petition now only to be met later with harm.
It was a long, intimidating list. You knew you should go back to the Red Keep and attend to it. But now the sun was getting low, a violent blood orange in a dimming sky, and you were still weeping bitterly on the rocky shore. You thought of all the passing ships you'd watched from this spot, all the persimmons and mangoes you cradled in your hands as you hoped your letters would reach your parents. Telling yourself that one day your father would return, and your mother not too long after.
You didn't even know why you were still in this fucking castle if your parents would never come back.
Prince Aegon found you like this: wailing into your arms, cussing out the Seven, cussing out the Iron Throne, cussing out Otto Hightower, shivering because the light was low and now you were getting cold.
âHello, dear cousin,â he greeted, slurring. He made his way toward you, stumbling through the rising tide before stepping onto the rock you were seated upon. He reeked so badly of Arbor wine that you stopped crying just to wrinkle your nose.
âGods,â you said, revolted, as he sat down beside you and threw an arm around your shoulders. The last thing you needed was his grimy hands on your ass, which seemed to be their favourite spot to rest. âGet away from me, Aegon. I'm in no mood to humour you today.â
Aegon was so drunk that he yielded instantly when you pushed him: he yelped and tumbled onto his side, landing in a puddle of seawater and weeds. You would feel bad for him if you, too, weren't covered in the stuffâthe tide had grown high and now your feet were soaked in it.
âI came to comfort you, and this is how you thank me?â Aegon whined.
âSince when have I ever wanted your comfort?â
âSince you are now in need of it,â Aegon said. He pointed at you. âYou are in a miserable state.â
âThank you for your astute observation, my prince.â
âDon't be so cold. Let me console you. Or if you won't let me console you, at least join me in my cupsââhe held out a wineskin, which you suspected was nearly empty anywayââand we can toast your father.â
âKeep my fatherâs name out of your fucking mouth,â you spat. âIs this your way of taunting me, Aegon? Rubbing salt in the wound that your grandsire and mother just left?â
âGods, no. You think I wanted any of that to happen? You were not the only person who ran away as soon as that meeting ended, cousin.â Aegon uprighted himself, his knees knocking against yours. You did not push him away this time. âMy grandsireâheâs not a very kind man, is he? And as for Mother⌠well, you know how she is. You are not the first person to be on the receiving end of either of their⌠machinations.â
âAre you trying to console me? Because it feels more like Iâm meant to be consoling you.â
âI would not be opposed if you did,â he wheedled.
âWell, I'm not going to. Go away, Aegon.â You squinted at him. âHow did you even know where to find me?â
âMy dear brother was worried about your absence at dinner, and only grew more fretful when the Strong bastards said they had not seen you either. He was nearly in tears, sniffling pretty like the Maiden, when he begged me to help him find you.â
Despite yourself, you guffawed at the image that Aegon had just conjured up.
âHe said you'd either be feeling sorry for yourself in the dragonpit or you'd be feeling sorry for yourself by Blackwater Bay. I did not feel like wading through dragon dung, so I chose to look here while Aemond combs the tunnels.â
âWell, you've found me. Now you may go.â
âHow am I to leave such a sorrowful, beautiful maiden alone?â
âQuite easily, actually. I may throw you into the sea if you don't.â
âNo matterâI will swim back to you.â
âWith the state you're in? Ser, you will drown, and I will be accused of murder.â
Aegon shrugged, opening his wineskin and taking a deep draught. âThat's all well and fine. I'll be free then of the Red Keep, and you would walk away scot-free. You would not be found guiltyâsimply request a trial by combat, and my brother would be your champion. He will surely slay any foe who challenges you.â
You gave him a curious look. âAemond told you of our private joke?â
âErr, no? I just think itâs quite obvious the man would kill for you.â Aegon gave you a confused look. âMy brother makes jokes?â
âYes,â you replied, but then you thought more about it. âNo. Itâs more like I make japes, and he smiles stiffly, and at times he humours me.â
âAh, that sounds more like him.â Aegon took another swig of wine. âHeâs always been a mirthless lad. I've no doubt you will be solely responsible for any joy in your union when it is formalised. Speaking of which, why has my mother not yet announced a wedding feast for the two of you? Surely she cannot mean to let you give birth to a bastard. She may not love you, but she would not disgrace you either.â
You put your face into your hands. âI cannot do this today, Aegon. Leave me. You may report back to your brother and let him know that I'm feeling sorry for myself out here.â
âNo, my lady, I told youâI cannot simply leave.â
You gritted your teeth. âWhy not?â
Aegon flailed wildly, wine swishing in his hand. âWhat if you walk into the sea while I'm gone? I would never recover from it. No, cousin, I will keep you safe until my brother emerges from the dung pit.â
âHow chivalrous of you. I will not be drowning myself any time soon, thoughâI must first face your grandsire in that petition.â You quieted at the thought. Aegonâs buffoonery had distracted you for a fleeting moment, but now you were thinking once more of all the dread and the grief and the fury. âSeven hells. Give me that.â
Aegon smiled at you as you snatched the wineskin from him.
âSee, my lady? There is nothing that a drink cannot fix.â
You snorted. âWill it fix this inheritance business for me?â
âI mean for it to fix mine.â Aegon began to pick the seaweed out from his breeches. âPerhaps if I drink myself blind often enough, my mother will disinherit me. Then Rhaenyra and her bastards can sit themselves on that blasted chair and I'll be able to live in peace.â
You were so wrung out that, for once, you could not find it in yourself to dance around the topic of high treason. âThe Hightowers will never let you get away from the Iron Throne,â you said plainly. âTheyâll never be secure unless you are suffering in that chair. Or your brother, if I should first drown you.â
âPlease, cousin. Don't make me beg.â
A laugh escaped you despite yourself. Aegon did not bother to hold back his own amusement, giggling openly.
âYou know,â Aegon said, after his chuckles died down, âit may not be an option for me, but you could do it.â
You raised a brow. âWhat? Throw myself into the sea?â
âNo, no! No drowning on my watch!â Aegon threw a piece of seaweed at you in reprimand, which you dodged. âI mean to sayâyou can run. Fly away on dragonback. Go to Braavos and get all your coin. Exile yourself in Lys and spend the rest of your life in decadence. God knowsââhe groaned, sounding wistfulââit is what I would do.â
You considered his words. You had always stayed here for your father, and for your lack of coin and supporters. But your father was now dead, and you had so much coin that you had no need for supporters. âI suppose I could.â
âYou'd need to go now,â Aegon said. âI would not tell a soul. Not even my brother.â
âWhy help me?â you asked him, suspicious. The two of you had never been all that friendly. Close, perhaps, in the way that non-stop quarrelling would make two siblings closeâbut not friendly.
Aegon shrugged, as if unsure himself.
âPerhaps the day will come when I will wish to go to Lys and enjoy all the beautiful women there, far from the throne,â he slurred, âand when I do, I shall call on my dearest cousin to host me.â
âSurely, brother, you would not disgrace your sister-wife like that,â a third voice interjected. You and Aegon nearly jumped, seawater splashing around your feet. When you turned around, you saw Aemondâsmelling strongly of brimstone and smoke, but not dung, you were glad to notice. He did not seem nearly so happy, giving you a long, severe look. âYou were not at dinner.â
It all came back, thenâthe green tunic, the place next to his mother, his unreadable expression as he watched your humiliation in that council room. The memory robbed you of all your mirth.
âMy apologies, Prince Aemond,â you said bitterly. âI lost my appetite when I learned of my fatherâs death and your grandsireâs machinations to steal his wealth.â
Aemond did not reply immediately. Aegon loudly cleared his throat, then somehow got onto his feet. He swayed from the wine and stumbled in the darkness of nightfall, but managed to walk away nevertheless.
âWell, now that you have each otherâs company,â he announced, âI shall take my leave. Take care not to let our cousin walk into the sea, brother. It would break my heart.â
âYou tried to walk into the sea?â Aemond asked sharply, and you sighed, tired.
âNo, Aemond. It was only a jape. A bad one.â
âHm. My brother does have a poor sense of humour.â
Aemond offered you a hand, and you studied it warily. When you did not take it, he finally said, âI did not know what my mother and grandsire planned to do in that meeting. The news of your fatherâs death was as much of a surprise to me as it was to you.â A pause. âThough I would wager you had warning and counsel from the blacks.â
âJace warned me because he cares about me. I did not receive help from Rhaenyra's factionâdo you really think I would care to involve myself in petty spats over the throne?â
Aemond hummed. âI know my nephew has great love for you, but it was not him to whom I was referring.â
A blinding, hot flash of anger rendered you speechless for a momentâhow dare Aemond drag succession politics into this? But the rage quickly passed, giving way to clarity. For it must have been a great sum that your father had in the Iron Bank, if Otto Hightower desired it. And if it was great enough for him to seek, then it was also great enough for Princess Rhaenyra to do the same.
Aemond watched as you pondered this, your eyes dropping to your soaking, seaweed-ridden feet.
âFine. You're right. But why didn't you come to my side once you realised what was happening?â you asked quietly. âDuring that meeting, I mean.â
âIt would not have helped you.â
Yes, it would have, you wanted to cry, I'd have felt better for it. But Aemond was too smart and too serious to entertain such childish notions: you knew he was speaking in purely strategic terms.
âNo,â you admitted, âbut it would not have hurt, either.â
âAlicent cares greatly about the appearance of unity among our family. Were I to break it, she would cease to trust me, and it would be that much harder for me to help you.â
âAnd how would you help me?â
âWhat would you want to be helped with?â
You looked up at him balefully. The money, the inheritance laws, the petitionâthere was no way that Aemond could do anything about any of it, not without alienating his mother. You had half a mind to ask him to throw you into the sea after all, but based on his earlier reaction, he would likely lock you up in your room if you made such a jape.
With nothing else in mind, you simply said, âI don't want to give up this sword.â
He arched his brow. âIs that all?â
âYes. Wellâno.â You brought a hand to your temple. âItâs more complicated than that. I do want to give up this sword, eventually. But to someone worthy of it.â
You stared at Lightbringer, trying to imagine it in someone elseâs hands. Hands that did not belong to your father, but someone who loved you as much as he.
Laughable, as the Hightowers would never let you marry for love.
âHere is what I think, Aemond,â you started. âIf this petition works out in my favour, all of my suitors will suddenly be from houses allied with your motherâs faction. I will be made to marry a lord who is in Otto Hightowerâs pocket, and he will inherit my fatherâs swordâand all of that coin in Braavos, too.â
Aemond considered it. âIt is fair speculation. You do know how my grandsire thinks.â
âWell, I was raised by his daughter.â When Aemond did not argue with you, you bleakly asked him, âWhat should I do, then? When I am married to a man who intends only to steal from me, on behalf of the Hand?â
âYou could always pray for your lord husband to fall off his horse. I would make sure to prove your innocence after the tragedy.â
You stared at him, as gobsmacked as Aegon was earlier. âAemond, did you just tell a joke?â
âWould it bring you any comfort if I said no?â
You made a noise that was something between a laugh and a sob. When Aemond offered you his hand again, you took itâstanding with his help, shivering as your body was exposed to the night wind. A cloak smelling of smoke and ash was placed on your shoulders, and you gratefully accepted it.
âYou no longer wish to marry,â he guessed, watching you fumble with his mantle.
âI wish to marry someone of my choosing.â You found that no words in the Common Tongue could quite capture your anguish, so you relied on your Valyrian: âI did not mind the idea of being used by your family, so long as I could live safely. But I cannot bear the thought of anyone using what once belonged to my father. It isââyour voice broke, but you did not cryââall I have left of him and my mother.â
âI understand,â Aemond replied, his Valyrian soft, lacking its usual cunning edge. âFocus on your petition for now. Worry not about your betrothal. I will handle it.â
You closed your eyes. You had no idea what he could do, but you trusted him. Aemond was brutally efficient in matters of court and power; you could rely on him.
âAlright,â you said. âI shall count on you.â
The nighttime breeze swept your body again; you shivered, still wrestling with the cloak. Aemond evidently tired of watching you struggle; he brought up his hands and straightened the mantle out for you.
âAre you really thinking of leaving?â he murmured. You blinked, not understanding. âYou and my brotherâyou spoke of leaving for the Free Cities.â
You gave Aemond a long look. His expression was inscrutable, but certainly not happy. There are few people in this world who would worry about me, he had said not long ago. And you had told him, not long after: Just know that you can always write to me, no matter how far away I am.
If you left for Lys, that would no longer be true. You imagined Aemond alone at court, dealing with whatever designs his mother and grandsire had, with only his drunk brother and strange sister for alliesâand you, an entire sea away, missing every letter the sailors were meant to give you.
âI could not,â you confessed. âEven if I tried, I think I would eventually have no choice but to return to you.â
He hummed. âGood. I fear I would not have been as kind as my brother in conspiring for your escape. You might have found yourself in trouble with me.â
âAnother jest from you?â you remarked. âWhat a strange day this has been.â
Aemondâs mouth curled, but he did not reply. He merely fastened his cloak of ash around you until it was tight around your neck. And for a moment, in the strange and unreliable light of the moon, his smile looked almost unsettling.
END PART II
notes: oh god this chapter was so long now that I'm looking at it posted as one piece (versus ao3 where I split it up). you are truly my ride or die if you read all that. but anyway, below are some notes to help clarify parts of this chapter in case you are confused-
clarifying ages:
There's 2-3 year gap between the reader and Aemond/Jace
Jace in the first scene is initially 10, and you are 13 (text refers to you as ânearly a womanâ since it was ye olde times, but you were really both kids)
In the present day, the characters are all in their late teens/early 20s.
timeline and other notes:
This chapter (and story overall) diverged slightly from show canon; Corlys Velaryon has not yet gotten injured so the Driftmark succession petition has not happened. This is still the blacksâ return to court for the first time in years though, hence why some of the events played out similarly to that episode.
Jace feels a little more mature in this chapter than he did in the end of S1 (he is closer to how he behaves in S2), and that is because of two things: (1) he is aged up slightly so he is naturally more mature; (2) I thought he was hotter in S2 and wanted to write about that version of him instead lol
#jacaerys velaryon x reader#aemond targaryen x reader#hotd x reader#house of the dragon x reader#jacaerys x reader#aemond x reader#i really need to make a masterlist rip#edit: i cannot BELIEVE this chapter is 11.1k words when posted as one piece JESUS đ
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Can you write about toxic policule of andrew x reader x ashley. Reader is Ashley childhood friend, who genuinely befriended her not trying to get to Andrew. The type that will try to throw them food during quarantine.
The polycule is in shambles â¤ď¸
Andrew and Ashley x ChildhoodFriend!Reader
Befriending Ashley Graves was no easy task
She made you work for it to say the least
Giving you her homework to do because a good friend wouldnât let their friend fail.
Some girl was saying stuff about her, so a good friend would go punch her square in her ugly face!
A good friend wouldnât stare at other people, or make other plans
Ashley was exhausting, yes- and a lot of the time you wonder why youâre even her friend.
You catch yourself wondering that sometimes tooâŚ
âYeah! Fuck off to your whore mothers!â
Your vision was still hazy- only being able to crack it open ever so slightly as to not mess with your black eye. You flinched as a small hand placed itself on her bruised cheek.
âHold still!â The shrill voice snapped, âLemme get a look at cha..â
LeyLey hummed, her lips pursing as she inspected your beaten up face. She retracted her hand and reached into the pocket of her overalls, and pulled out a crumbled up bandaid still in the package. She fumbled with the wrapper and placed the bandaid overtop the cut on your chin. It did nothing, but she smiled proudly.
âThere! Now if those assholes do that again, just let me know! Iâll make Andy join me!â She grinned. You couldnât help but smile back.
No one ever stood up for you as a child, and Ashley always made the bullies go away.
Albeit, out of fear- but fear was better than anything
So you stayed by Ashleyâs side, because without herâŚ.youâd just be a target again. She told you herself.
Being so close with Ashley only mean being close with her brother as well
To an extent
Ashley pitched fits whenever you two hung out without her, claiming you were scheming against her to leave her.
Neither of you would do that
There was a silent agreement between you and Andrew to shower Ashley with as much affection as you both could when you three were together
This is probably how you became so used to their closeness
You and Andrew somehow managed to find common interests outside of Ashley, something she made fun of you two for on a regular basis
You donât know how, and you donât know why, but you slowly fell for both of them
It just hit you like a bag of rocks
To say you were subtle would be a blatant lie, so it didnât take long for the siblings to catch on.
And make note to tease you about itâŚ
âHere, let me help you with that Y/N..â
Sirens went off in your head as Andrew pressed himself against your back, trapping you between him and the counter. He reached over you, grabbing the bowl you had been reaching for. The few seconds he did that felt like an eternity, and you feared your face boiling from the heat that had risen to it. Your brain buffered, not registering that he had left to sit with Ashley on the couch.
Mr and Mrs Graves were out, and normally this led to a movie night the pair would invite you along. It was just a movie, you told yourself, you could handle it.
Oh you could not have been more wrong.
The pair felt far moreâŚ.touchy than usual- and it was slowly killing you. As you sat, sandwiched between the pair, Ashley clung tightly to your arm. Her nails dug into your skin possessively as she rested her chin on your shoulder. Andrew had his arm over the both of you, claiming to just be resting it. He was also awfully close.
You slowly blocked the movie, and any other sounds out, the only thing being audible to you was the rapid beating of your heart.
You couldâve sworn you died for a second when both of them placed a hand on your thigh.
Both of them had a bet to see how long it would take you to tell them
Neither had anticipated it would be over the phoneâŚ
The quarantine hit and you werenât allowed to see them
The entire thing made you anxious
Parasites in the water supplyâŚ
As dramatic as it was, you were worried you wouldnât see them again
So you called them, confessed everything
And like any good siblings wouldâŚ.they decided to share you <3
They took turns staring down at you fondly from the balcony when you came by to throw them food
They called you late into the night to pester you, Andrew especially when he couldnât sleep
Eventually security became so tight you couldnât even go near the apartment without risk of being shot.
And the calls had stopped
You were worried they were mad at youâŚthat they hated youâŚ
Until they showed up on your doorstep one nightâŚ.
#the coffin of andy and leyley#ashley graves#andrew graves#andrew graves x reader#ashley graves x reader#I have a lot of these to get throughâ#sorry yall Iâve been working on things!
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where you belong [3/10]
Summary: As Luffy's big sister, you've viewed it to be your job to see him become King of the Pirates in place of your absent parents, even as you try to find where it is you belong in the world. You never really expected to draw the attention of Trafalgar Law in the process.
Pairing: Trafalgar Law x Fem!reader
Warnings: Discussion of feelings of abandonment, age gap relationship (four years), brief secret relationship, mentions and heavy refences to sex, mentions of alcohol, typical One Piece stuff. Other warnings to be added if needed.
Note: Hahaha almost 7.3k words, I'm so sorry. I almost completely removed this chapter, but I wanted to do a little bit more showing Law and Reader's relationship. :) If you'd like a song to listen to as you read, Clock Strikes by One OK Rock is what I was listening to as I wrote parts of this. đ
Taglist:
@pinksaiyans | @sukunas-play-thing | @spiderlily-w1tch-blog | @mineymak | @valen-yamyam16 | @shimmerxc | @luffy0s | @fluffybunnyu | @laws-wife-things | @crmnic | @eyes-ofhell | @hopelesslover06 | @nyfwyeonjun | @extremely-ashtridic | @idk67876 | @mysweetmagicworld | @lorelexi-main | @pandabiene5115 | @shakysif | @bern87
[Ch. 1] â [Ch. 2]
Law takes his time telling you about his childhood and time with Corazon. He doesnât want to overwhelm you, especially knowing how you react when Ace is brought up, heâs not sure he can deal with you crying over the things that have happened to him. He also needs the time to work out his own feelings, trying to keep from choking up himself when he remembers everything, even though when it happens you quietly take his hand to try and provide some comfort, like he's done for you.
He never shakes your hand off his, just pushes down the pain and tears and keeps talking to you.
He starts by telling you about his family and life in Flevance. His mother and father, how wonderful and brilliant they were, how much they loved him. His little sister Lami, who adored him more than anything in the world, she always wanted him to join her during the festivals in Flevance. He loved his family more than anything, they meant the world to him back then. You smile when he tells you about the first time his parents let him take Lami to get ice cream, by themselves, and how she dropped hers, so he had to share with her.
While he doesnât remember too much, he does tell you about his friends from the church nearby. Theyâd all been classmates too, spending their days going through normal classes and sometimes the boys, Law included, would catch frogs to dissect and gross out the girls. He remembers all the festivals, the neighbors heâd pass by every day, the old lady next door that always tried to get him to eat bread for some reason.
Law tries to make it easy for you, the first day is only about his family and friends. Nothing about the destruction of Flevance yet, he takes a bit to get there, and it affects him just like it does you, it still does to this day.
He really does try to keep his emotions in check, but once he begins to remember how it felt to see Lami sick with the white lead disease, he starts to struggle with keeping his voice steady.
âIâŚI was horrified when we realized she was sick,â Law has to stop and take a breath, swallowing down the tears he feels trying to slip out, âI didnât want to watch her die.â
Nodding, you donât say anything, you donât want to interrupt his thoughts as he works them out and how to voice them. You just grip his hand a little tighter, which Law returns before he continues, reliving when his home was destroyed by the World Government.
âI left the hospital after I found my parents were dead, I was going to find the nun who had told me some Marines were going to sneak us kids out, so we could get Lami and go,â you can already tell where this is going, while Law grits his teeth remembering everything as vividly as he does, âShe had been killed too, all my friends from the churchâŚthe hospital was burned down withâŚwith Lami still insideâŚâ
âLawâŚIâm so sorryâŚâ
âI escaped in a mass of corpses, I had to get out somehow. That was the only way. I, eventually, I found Doflamino and his crew, and worked to join them when I was ten.â
Both of you quiet, youâre trying to take everything in, and Law is trying to get past his feelings again, he hates talking about all of this. Every time someone new joins his crew, he waits a while to make sure theyâre trustworthy before he tells them anything.
But he believed you should know, even though you arenât staying forever, and now youâre slowly learning everything.
You know when heâs done talking for the time being once he becomes quiet, youâve noticed that about him over the last several months, allowing you to hug him though he doesnât return it. He does appreciate it though, you donât ask him to tell you more than what heâs ready to, taking it all at the pace Law sets for this.
âItâs getting late,â you hadnât even notice until Law brings it up, but it is starting to look dark outside, âEveryone will be back for dinner soon.â
Law canât help the slight smile that comes to his face when you sniffle a bit and nod, rubbing at your eyes with your sleeve. He didnât fully expect you to start crying but heâs also not surprised, he figures it must bring out your own feelings of protectiveness and sibling love towards Luffy. Once he stands, Law holds his hand out to help you up which you gladly take, but you pull him into another hug that, this time, he gently returns.
âThank you, again, for trusting meâŚâ
âI hope you wonât betray that.â
âI would never!â
Law laughs a bit at your shocked expression, while you smile and kiss his cheek, something youâd started doing more recently. Heâs gotten more used to it; it doesnât affect him the same way it did the first time. He likes it, but tries to make sure none of his crew are around to see it, to avoid any kind of teasing that may come from it.
âSee you at dinner, Law!â
âMm-hm.â
Watching you leave before going back to his desk, Law thinks that went better than he could have expected. He expected more tears from you than he got, but heâs glad he didnât have to spend several minutes calming you down before you left. He has to take some time to relax himself after dredging up those memories, but maybe next time heâll tell you some happier ones he remembers, not just about his family but about Cora-san too.
~~
Before he even has the chance to tell you about his time with Corazon, Law is hit with several nightmares, all flashbacks to that night, something he never expected to happen. He believed heâd gotten past it all, but it seems the thought of telling you everything was causing it all to resurface and disturb his sleep (not like he gets much anyway).
He's good at hiding it though, you donât question the dark circles under his eyes, even if they look darker to you lately. He tells you itâs nothing when you ask, convinced thatâs enough for you even though you give him a skeptical look before going on your way. Law thinks youâre going to let it go, he can take care of himself. Heâs handled this before on his own, before his crew came to be and he had friends to help him.
He can handle it again, he swears he can.
But it gets worse, especially after Law does tell you about Corazon, everything they went through to save him, and how his savior died to protect him. It keeps you up some nights afterwards, thinking about it all more than you should, and you know that wasnât Lawâs intention. He wasnât trying to upset you or garner sympathy, it was simply his life story, and he felt like you needed to know. Like he wants you to understand why heâs started the plans he has, with stealing the hearts of other pirates to become a Warlord, the rest of his plans he wonât tell you about for whatever reason.
It probably would be strange to outsiders, but youâre surprisingly okay with it all. You arenât a permanent member of the Heart Pirates, you donât need to know all the details.
Still though, you feel like something is off, not with you but with Law and how you two are now. Youâve noticed how tired he is lately, he almost seems to doze off during the crew meetings he lets you in on, at least until someone says his name and it wakes him enough. He still seems to yawn more than normal, itâs what led you to be standing in front of his office door so late tonight, you want to make sure heâs doing okay or see if he needs anything. You feel nervous and youâre not sure why, while you quietly knock on the door and wait to hear if Law calls you in.
When he doesnât, you open the door and call for him.
âLaw? I was going to make some tea and was wondering if you want anyâŚâ
You donât get a response since heâs asleep at his desk, your first thought being that at least heâs sleeping. Youâre glad to know that until you realize it is not a peaceful sleep and he seems to be having a nightmare from the distressed look on his face.
Oh that makes so much sense.
You had hoped it was just the stress of everything going on that was keeping Law from sleeping, not that he was having his sleep disturbed by nightmares. Of what, you donât know yet, but you feel the need to wake him.
âLaw? Hey,â youâre quiet as you set your hand on his shoulder, hoping that wakes him, âLaw, wake up. Youâre having a nightmare.â
It does work to wake him, but also startles Law to the point he nearly knocks himself out of his chair when he wakes and sits up, eyes wide when he looks at you but not really, you know heâs still waking up.
You mostly know that when he barely whispers âCora-sanâ and it makes you realize what heâs been suffering from in his sleep. The memories have come back fiercely and it makes your heart ache for him knowing everything heâs gone through.
Youâve suffered worse than you let on.
Once his eyes focus and Law sees itâs you with him, he worries heâs let things slip about the nightmare, especially when he sees how concerned you look.
âWhatâŚ[Y/N]-ya, whatâŚwhat timeââ
âItâs after midnight. I was checking to see if you wanted tea but,â he doesnât say anything but you watch him as he rubs at his eyes with his sleeve, you wonder briefly if itâs sleep or tears he's trying to get rid of, âI noticed you werenât sleeping wellâŚare you okay?â
No Iâm not.
âIâm fine, donât worry about it.â
âAre you sure?â
Law nods, waving your hand off his shoulder before turning back to his desk.
âI am.â
Heâs certain you donât believe him, based on the face you make as you nod, before shaking your head.
âYou donât really expect me to just accept that answer, do you?â
I wish you would.
Before he even responds, you take his hand and pull him up out of his chair, which also surprises him though he is still waking up fully
He doesnât even fight when you start to drag him towards his bedroom, or when you get him in there and tell him to change for bed, youâre going to go make some tea for the two of you real quick.
While he does get ready for bed, he doesnât expect you to stay long after you return with the drinks. He fully expects you to hand his over and leave, going back to your room to sleep, not for you to climb into his bed beside him and give him a smile like youâre wanting to talk before going to sleep. Law just stares at you for a moment, before he speaks.
âDo you want to talk about somethingâŚ?â
âHmm? Oh, um! Well, IâŚwas going to stay with you tonight.â
ââŚwhy?â
You become quiet, Law halfway expects you to decide to leave, telling him goodnight before doing so. You donât need to stay, heâs fine on his own. Heâll get over the nightmares again soon, heâs sure of that.
âI have nightmares tooâŚabout AceâŚâ
He really shouldnât be as surprised as he is, but he never thought youâd be struggling like this too. With the fears that come from having witnessed such tragedy and the resulting pain, perhaps he shouldâve expected that though. After all the times heâs held you through your breakdowns over Aceâs death, he shouldâve known youâd be having nightmares too. But youâve hid it so well, youâve handled things all on your own once again, just like he has.
Maybe itâs time we both accept some help.
âSometimes IâŚ,â you bite your lip before shaking your head, âThe nightmares, are about if you hadnât saved Luffy. SoâŚlet me help you tonight, LawâŚjust for a bit?â
ââŚokayâŚâ
Law isnât sure how long you two stay awake that night talking, all he knows is that, eventually, he wakes up to someone knocking heavily on his door but heâs not able to move at first. Youâve got his head held against your chest, still fast asleep yourself, no signs of waking but heâs nearly frozen in place when he realizes whatâs going on. It takes a moment or two for Law to decide what to do, internally yelling at himself about how on earth this happened and how does he get out of this without someone thinking something scandalous is going on.
He's lucky enough that you release him and roll over in your sleep, he doesnât have to figure out how to get out of your arms on his own. Now itâs a matter of getting out of his bed without waking you, he doesnât want to interrupt your own sleep. The knocking stops eventually, Law hears someone mumble to themselves, theyâll probably come back later but heâs got to get out of bed now. He has a chance to get out before you wake or someone catches you in his bed. He quickly slips out, grabs some clothes and goes to his bathroom to change, taking a deep breath and letting out a sigh.
ThisâŚisnât going to be good in the long run is it?
Law isnât looking forward to having to wake you when he goes back to his room, but heâs lucky enough that youâre gone by the time he gets back. You definitely woke up and had the same thought he did, sneaking yourself out quickly without making any noise. When you see him again at breakfast, you donât say anything but give Law a smile that he returns with a nod.
No one else knows or finds out, much to the relief of you both, and Ikkaku doesnât question where youâd been the night before.
While he hates to admit that he did need someone that night, Law canât deny the fact heâd slept better with you there than he had in months.
+!+
A few weeks later, the Heart Pirates are throwing a party for their captain. Lawâs birthday has come around and while heâd tried to tell him no party they still threw one together, even dragging you into the planning though you didnât need to be asked to help really. When you heard it was his birthday, you were happy to help, having a couple of gifts put away for him as a thank you for all the help heâs given you the last year and a half or so. It's not a lot, just two small things you think heâll appreciate, even with Ikkaku and Uni telling you he's going to love both gifts, it's hard to think that much about them.
Law, although he said no parties, is not one to deny his crew a night of rest and relaxation. He does try to stay in his office most of the evening, but Penguin and Shachi are able to drag him out long enough to have a drink and let everyone wish him a happy birthday. Heâs truly grateful for all of them, thanking his crew with a slight smile. He ends up settling beside you for a bit after Shachi hands him a drink, not pushing you off when you lean against his arm and give him a smile.
âHappy birthday, Law.â
âMm, thanks.â
While you take a sip of your own drink, Ikkaku catches your eye and gives you a wink, which makes you roll your eyes before Law sets his hand on your shoulder, nodding for you to follow him out of the common area up on deck. Ikkaku makes sure to pass you the wrapped gifts you have for Law when you walk by her, it makes you nervous to keep them behind your back when you both sit on the deck to relax away from everyone. You can still hear them shouting and laughing, a few already a little wasted but it makes you and Law smile.
âYou crew loves you a lot.â
âYeah,â Nodding, Law takes a sip from his drink before setting it down, âI love them a lot tooâŚwhatâd Ikkaku hand to you?â
ââŚhow theââ
âIâm not blind, you know,â his smirk only makes you pout, as you take the items out from behind you, âNeither of you are good at hiding things.â
âFine,â you sigh heavily as a joke, but still smile as you hold the wrapped items out to him, âA gift for you.â
Law quiets as he stares at the gifts you have in your hands, before he finally takes them from you. The happy yet nervous smile you have tells him you werenât really ready to give these to him, but Ikkaku seems to have forced your hand. You donât seem mad about it though.
ââŚyou really didnât have to get me anything, I wouldnât have been offended.â
You shrug a little, knowing itâs really not much, but it still makes you smile to see Law just a bit flustered by it. He obviously wasnât expecting anything from you, but of course you surprise him once again. It seems like almost everything you do lately endears you to him even more than before.
What a mess weâre creating.
âI know but, I wanted to. As a birthday gift and to thank you for everything,â you watch while he starts to open the smaller gift, heart rate picking up out of anxiety, youâve never felt so anxious giving someone a gift before, âItâs really not a lot, I justâŚI thought youâd like theseâŚâ
Law isnât at all surprised to find a coin in the small box, he figured that mustâve been it, heâs so familiar with that size of box and the small sound it made when he picked it up. Itâs nothing fancy, but itâs from Foosha Village, your hometown, it has to be one youâd brought with you as a keepsake. The port engraved on one side and the Goa Kingdom on the other, he can pick out the tiniest manufacturing errors and possible imprints on the small coin. Itâs special though, he didnât have one from there in his collection yet and youâve added to it, how kind of you. He knows if you wanted to, Luffy would take your whole crew back to your home for a visit and youâd pick up another coin or two, you likely arenât worried about giving one up.
Seeing his face light up a bit at it as he thanks you makes you smile softly, at least until he goes to open the other wrapped gift. You bite your lip out of worry and fidget a bit, not a single thing going unnoticed by Law who almost asks whatâs wrong but realizes youâre just nervous for whatever reason. Thereâs nothing to be nervous about in his mind, until he sees what else youâve given him, and it causes him to freeze up, which leads to you defending your gift to him.
âIâŚI found it in a bookstore on the last islandâŚthe shopkeeper didnât want to sell it to me, but I was able to sneak it into my bag and get it out of there. I remembered everything you told me andâŚI justâŚâ
It's a book about Flevance, the countryâs history and culture, everything about the white lead export, the festivals they held, the little bit that was assumed about white lead disease itself. All of it there in his hands now, he didnât know such a book existed. He wouldâve thought any and all traces of Flevance had been destroyed by the World Government, including books detailing the country itself. But they missed one, the one youâd been lucky enough to find and steal from the bookstore, that you thought you should give to him so he had a piece of his home again.
When he doesnât say anything for several minutes, you start to bite your lip, wondering if youâve made a mistake. He flips through the book quietly, not making known what he thinks at all.
âIââ
âThatâs my sister and I.â
Law finally speaks up again, having stopped on a page for longer than you noticed, pointing out one of the pictures printed on it. You lean in just enough to look, smiling at the picture heâs showing you. The boy is obviously Law, he has the same grin youâve rarely seen, and the girl has her brown hair tied into small pigtails, smiling just as widely next to him. You hadnât really read too much of it, just getting an idea of what Lawâs hometown was like, but that picture makes you realize how happy he was back then.
âSheâs cute.â
âI think,â he interrupts your thoughts and makes you look at him again, âthat was during a summer festival. Lami wouldâve been four, I remember buying her ice cream and playing a game to win her a stuffed rabbitâŚshe didnât let go of it for months.â
âShe looks like you.â
âNo, she doesnât,â Law scoffs, but chuckles a bit, flipping to another page, âI forgot a reporter had taken our picture thenâŚthese are my parentsâŚ.â
It's another picture from the festival, but this time just his parents are shown, probably having been nearby to make sure their children didnât wander off. Now you see why he said Lami didnât look like him, she was a carbon copy of their mom. You never would have guessed those pictures were in that book, or that Law remembered when they were taken.
ââŚyou look just like your dad.â
Nodding, Law closes the book and sets it to the side. Heâll read it fully later, those pictures and the small flip through heâs done are enough for tonight. He has to push those emotions down for now and doesnât push you away when you give him a hug that he quietly returns, thanking you.
Neither of you moves or says anything for a while, before you look up at Law and speak.
âHey, Law?â
âHmm?â
ââŚtell me that I havenât misread all of this.â
Law is stunned into complete silence, more frozen than he was earlier, when you lean up just enough to press the softest kiss to his lips, itâs almost like it doesnât happen but he knows it does. Youâve actually kissed him, his feelings arenât unrequited after all! The fact you think youâve misread everything he's said and done the last few months, he just wants to sit and tell you everything now. How heâs been stressed about telling you, he wasnât sure you really felt the same.
But now he is! The confirmation heâs been looking for despite the fact he was already certain you felt the same. With the way youâve spent so much of your free time together he shouldâve realized it sooner, how everything just led you both to each other every time. Its unreal that this is happening, that youâve taken that first step to change your relationship with him. He really did think it would never happen, youâd both be forever pining, or the feelings would fade.
Honestly Lawâs relieved you decided to take the chance, he wasnât sure how or when to do it himself. Heâs not used to this, what should he even be doing now?
Maybe he should be kissing you back, Law realizes a moment later, when you pull away just enough for him to see the disappointed almost sad look on your face. Heâd gotten so caught in his thoughts that you must think he doesnât feel the same, all because he was so distracted he didnât think to return your kiss.
âSorry,â Oh you sound so sad, it nearly breaks his heart to hear your voice, to see you looking away from him, âIâŚI shouldnât haââ
âDonât,â Law nearly whispers it, moving both hands to hold your face and makes you look at him, âDonât apologize.â
A barely audible âokayâ is your response before Law properly returns your first kiss, letting you slip your arms around his neck while he moves one hand to your waist to bring you a little closer to him. He knows this could be a misstep, that you may come to him in the morning and say youâd drank too much, that it shouldnât have happened. But for now, heâs going to ignore the thoughts that tell him to stop. That he canât be doing this, youâre a rival captainâs older sister, itâs not going to work out no matter how much he hopes it does. It doesnât matter to him, not right now.
All that matters is you.
You and him, right now, with your hands in his hair, his arm around your waist, and his other hand stroking your cheek. Itâs almost too much to believe itâs real but it is, he doesnât know how he got so lucky. To be able to receive your affections and return them. Part of Law wonders if this was your plan all along, to get him away from everyone just to kiss him, even though heâs the one who led you away, but he thinks you didnât plan this part at all, it just happened.
But itâs okay, he doesnât mind. Not everything has to be planned down to the letter. You certainly werenât in his plans.
This really might become a mess down the line, but does that matter? Just for a bit, heâll ignore everything going on around you, Law will briefly ignore his plans just for a few moments tonight. For the several minutes you two spend in a silent confession of feelings that had built up over the last few weeks, heâs going to ignore reality.
Until you softly push him away, Law wonders if he did something wrong, only to see you give him a shy smile.
âHappy birthday, Law.â
He laughs slightly, shaking his head before kissing you again.
âThank you, [Y/N]-ya.â
You really canât wait to tell Ikkaku about this.
+!+
Eventually Law walks you to your room, your gift to him in one hand while you hold onto his other one, fingers laced together and stroking the back of his hand with your thumb. You two havenât fully decided what you are yet, youâll discuss it later, heâs promised you that. Even if Law would like to sit and talk things through with you tonight, itâs late and there are things to do the next day. The rest of the crew might be hungover and sick in the morning, but theyâve got to get a move on to the next island, there are more hearts to be collected.
Once youâre back to your room, Law kisses you once more for the night, thanking you again for the gifts, before he heads off to his office. He tries to hurry so you donât see the pink blush on his face, but you already have, you just donât tell him. You simply say goodnight in return, going into your room and leaning against the door with a dreamy sigh and smile on your face, which Ikkaku picks up immediately when she sees you from her bed.
âSoâŚhowâd it go?â
âI kissed him.â
âWhat?!â
âAnd he kissed me backâŚfor a few minutes.â
âHoly shit, you got Law to make out with you?!â
Before you can say anything else, Ikkaku tells you to wait, jumping out of bed to grab your arm after she locks the door and drags you to her bed, making you sit down. She quickly goes to her dresser and pulls out a small wine bottle sheâd hidden from the boys and joins you back on her bed with it.
âHow long have you been hiding that?â
âDoesnât matter! Tell me everything!â
The alcohol burns but Ikkakuâs giggling at your retelling of what happened with Law makes you smile and giggle in return. She looks like sheâs reading a slow burn romance novel while you tell her everything thatâs happened, giving Law his gift and kissing him, how he returned it and said youâll talk about things later. She rolls her eyes a bit at that but the few yawns you give tell her that was probably the reason why he said that.
Once you finish telling the story, you sigh again and fall back on her bed, still smiling while Ikkaku watches you.
âThat was my first kissâŚâ
âReally??â
âMm,â you nod a little, thinking back and knowing thatâs true, âI wonder if it was his too.â
âProbably. Captain hasnât shown interest in anyone before, Iâd be surprised if heâs ever kissed anyone that wasnât on a dare.â
You look like youâre thinking, but Ikkaku smiles before she takes a drink of the wine and lays beside you.
âThis is so cool, you and Law. I knew there was something there when I saw you two working together.â
âOh please, I doubt heâs liked me that long.â
âYou never know! Imagine heâs liked you since Amazon Lily!â
âNow thatâs way too far back!â
The two of you stay up laughing and talking, the few worries you have about whatâs next dissipating as Ikkaku tells you everything sheâs noticed that led her to believing Law liked you, it makes you so much happier to know your feelings are reciprocated.
After he makes it back to his office, Law nearly collapses on the ground, his energy spent and his emotions going haywire.
The gifts youâve given him, the kiss you shared, he doesnât know how to fully process all of it. Itâs so foreign to him, he doesnât think heâs felt so happy since the time he spent with Cora, heâs sure he hasnât felt this loved since then either, even though heâs sure youâre not in love with him yet.
Law sets your gifts on his desk, heâll put them away in the morning, placing his face in his hands to try and stop the blush he knows is there and the smile that he canât seem to wipe off no matter how much he tries to. He tries to calm himself down, tell himself this isnât a big deal, maybe you will come by in the morning and tell him it was a mistake, but he hopes and prays you donât.
I canât believe she kissed me. I didnât expect thatâŚ
âHeeey, Law, Iâm heading up for night watch,â Penguin knocks on the doorway a bit, stepping into Lawâs office as his captain just nods, making him raise an eyebrow, âSomething good happen, Cap?â
âYeahâŚyeah, something good happened.â
+!+
It takes a few weeks still for Law to ask to take you on a date, but you waste no time in accepting the offer. He tells you not to let it out to anyone, but you may have slipped up and told Ikkaku when you asked for her opinion on what to wear. The two of you sounded like schoolgirls with how you were giggling and chatting over the fact Law actually wanted to take you out for a date, your feelings arenât one-sided, he really does like you back! It only feels so strange to know that because of how Luffy and Ace would chase off boys that liked you way back when, even if you liked the boy back, your brothers couldnât stand the thought of one of them taking you away. None of them were good enough for you.
You think Ace wouldâve liked and approved of Law. Even though heâs older than you, if theyâd been able to meet, youâre sure Ace would have liked Law, liked the fact heâs also a doctor, and that he makes you happy so far.
The night of your date doesnât really go as planned though. Everyone except Ikkaku, Bepo, Law, and you are off the ship, exploring the town youâre docked near, Law had sent them all out with a day off and stayed on board along with you to get ready for your date and make sure no one was going to find out about it. Heâs not ready for the teasing thatâs to come and wants this to stay as secret as possible.
Once youâre dressed and ready, you expect Law to come get you from your room like he said he would at the time heâd told you, but heâs late and you start to worry when it gets later and later.
Had he changed his mind and decided to stand you up? No, no Law would never do that, if he didnât want to go out with you he wouldâve said so, he probably never would have asked in the first place.
Right? Right. Law wouldnât leave me without an answer.
Again youâre at his office door, knocking to see if he answers and once again, you receive no response. He hasnât left the ship you know that, Ikkaku said she saw him in his office just a few minutes before he was supposed to come get you, so what happened?
âLaw? Are you ready to go?â Still no response, so you decide to again let yourself in, you arenât prepared to see Law is still in his office, but appears to be passed out on the floor, it actually scares you.
âLaw!! What happened?!â You hurry over and make sure heâs still breathing, relieved to find he is, before checking him for a fever. âWhat the hell, Law, are you all right?!â
What a way for your first date to start.
~~
Law never wanted you to know just how nervous he really was about your first date, he kept it all to himself. He only let Penguin know about it by accident, to get some advice that he thought might be helpful, but his friend only ended up telling things not to do. He rolled his eyes and gave up on that, only asking if it was normal to feel like he was going to be sick at the thought of taking you to dinner
âYeah for a first date, that sounds normal, Cap.â
âHow do I get rid of it?â
âIâŚwellâŚgo on the date and see?â
Yes, very helpful advice. It didnât help with the constant dizzy feeling he had, though Law thinks that may have been slight dehydration from his nerves causing him to forgo all water and food that day. He really didnât want to risk actually throwing up before or during your date and grossing you out.
Unfortunately, all of it hit him at once when he was leaving his office to go get you, causing Law to realize how badly heâd neglected himself that day, and the day before, as he passed out without the chance to call for someoneâs help.
But when he opens his eyes a while later and sees you giving him a worried smile, he knows heâs screwed up. He blinks a few times, barely registering that heâs laying down on the couch in his office, he knows he hit the floor. He can feel the pain in his head from it, yet he doesnât mind too much feeling your hand in his hair or his head in your lap.
âHey, you.â
â[Y/N]-yaâŚ?â
âIn the flesh.â
âWhatâŚwhat happenedâŚ?â
âYou tell me,â giving him a concerned smile, you gently run your fingers through Lawâs hair while he looks up at you like heâs thinking, âYou were late coming to get me, I was worried youâd changed your mindâŚwhen I came to see what was up, you were passed out on the floor. Bepo helped me get you here.â
âIâŚI donât remember,â he shakes his head a bit before sitting up, finally remembering what it was and groaning, âWait, yes I do. I was about to come to your room, when I started to feel dizzy. IâŚguess I passed outâŚâ
âDo you have a fever? Are you feeling okay? We donât have to go out if youâre sick, Law! We can do it another day.â
Law really doesnât want to admit the reason for his dizziness and sudden fainting, once he realizes what caused it all, he doesnât want you to feel bad about something you couldnât control. Itâs all on him for stressing out so much about the date, he just wants to impress you. He's never done this before, dating isnât in his skill set.
ââŚLaw?â
âDonât worry about it, Iâm fine.â
He gets up so quickly you donât have time to stop him, but still follow and grab his arm.
âHey, talk to me,â you make him turn to face you, smiling softly even though he doesnât look at you, heâs keeping his eyes on the ground, âWhatever it is, I wonât be upset. If you want to postpone, thatâs fiââ
âWhy do you even like me?â
âWhatââ
âThereâs nothing good about me,â Law moves to pull away from you, but you keep your grip on his sleeve, not letting him get away, âIâm not a good person, you deserve someone who is. You deserve someone who can make you happy, notâŚnot meâŚI canât do thatâŚâ
The silence feels deafening, when you donât respond right away. Heâs sure youâre rethinking all of this now. His birthday when you kissed him, the few times in between then and now where youâd stop him to kiss his cheek and heâd return it with one to your forehead, how heâs walked you to your room each night, and the few times heâs let you share his bed for the night. When he finally decided to ask you on a date the other day, even though you gave him the brightest smile heâs ever seen from you, he doesnât believe you could be happy with him.
Who could ever be happy with him, with someone whoâs seen so much death in his life, at only twenty-five, when heâs bent on avenging Cora and stopping Kaido?
Why would you want anything to do with that?
âIâŚam happy, though,â you move to hold Lawâs hand, placing your other on his face to make him look at you, âI like you, Law. I really do and I feel happy when Iâm around you, you can ask Ikkaku. I tell her all the time how much I like you, how much I want to be with you.â
âYou donâtââ
âIâm not lying. I donât know what youâre thinking about us, and thatâs okay right now, but IâŚI can see myself with you now and in the future. I promise, Law, you make me happy, just by being you.â
Law doesnât have a chance to say anything before you kiss him, trying to convince him of your feelings being real. Heâs hesitant to return it but does so after a moment, before you pull away with a smile.
ââŚyou look nice.â
âThank youâŚyou do too.â
âIâŚI was going to take you to dinner.â
âOh yeah?â
Law nods, wanting to explain better, before you start to sit down, still holding his hand to bring him to the floor with you. When he tries to speak, you just shake your head.
âItâs my turn to ask a question.â
âWhat aboutâ"
âWill you tell me about your tattoos?â
Law doesnât pull his hand away from you, while you continue hold it and gently run your finger over the cross on the back of his hand, he has to fight not to just intertwine his fingers with yours.
This isnât how he thought your first date would go. Not you finding him passed out from stress and turning it into simply talking. He knows already heâs going to make it up to you with a proper date at the next island.
âFor my family, and for Cora-sanâŚâ he points first to the ones on his hands and forearms, placing his free hand on his chest to point out the one for Corazon though you couldâve guessed that.
Humming, you nod, Law brings his other hand up to softly tuck a piece of hair behind your ear before cupping your cheek and watching you lean into his hand.
He really is very sweet.
âFor your crew?â
âMy jolly Roger on my back.â
ââŚwhat about for you?â
Law takes a deep breath but doesnât say anything for a bit. He keeps holding your hand, staring at his own, wondering if he should admit it or not. What will you think? Will you decide you donât want to bother with him?
You probably read the book you gave him, the one about Flevance, he could tell the book had been read. It didnât go into detail about his homeâs destruction, chalking it up to the white lead disease and scarcity of resources, but he wasnât surprised when he got there himself. The government would never admit wrongdoing, theyâd never allow their involvement to be published.
But he thinks you should know. You havenât walked away after hearing his story, his past, youâre still here with him. You look like you already know what heâs going to say, a sad smile now on your face as you look at his hand in yours.
ââDeathââŚfor whatâs marked my life since I was ten.â
Heâs quiet, like heâs worried heâs going to scare you off, like heâs marked you for death just by developing feelings for you, allowing himself to entertain the thought of being with you. Everyone heâs ever loved has died, it could be the same for you if trends are anything to go by. It wouldnât be fair to you, to Luffy, if anything happened simply because youâve chosen to be with him, Law doesnât want anything to happen to you. Youâve both been through things, of varying degrees, what could you want with someone like him?
Law tries to pull away from you, youâve been quiet for so long now, he thinks heâs effectively squashed your feelings for him, you donât want to be with him now, he's sure of it.
But you donât let him get too far away, wrapping your arms around him and laying your head on his chest. Law isnât really sure what to make of this. Itâs not like before, when youâve hugged him other times, youâre still quiet yourself though you nod.
âI donât think thatâs true anymoreâŚnot with this crew, this family youâve built.â
â[Y/N]-yaââ
âIâd like to stay by your side and prove you wrong,â you tighten your arms around him as Law finally returns your hug, tighter than you even expected, âif youâll let me.â
ââŚas long as youâll have me.â
You both stay quiet for a bit, eventually you look up at Law and give him a soft smile before leaning up to kiss him again, which he returns without any hesitation this time.
It'll take some time for him to be fully comfortable and accepting of this, of the love and attention youâre ready to so freely give him, but youâre willing to give him that time.
Anything to make sure Law knows you arenât going anywhere, even when you have to return to your crew. Youâre not going to let him go very easily.
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the summer i turned pretty - charles leclerc & arthur leclerc
a reader x charles leclerc/arthur leclerc love triangle
warnings: intoxicated (but consensual) kissing
a/n: trying out a written piece/smau/texts weird hybrid but it was all i could come up with to get this idea across! i hope you all like it <3 (there will be a part 2)
also this was requested!! i'm so sorry anon i lost the ask but i hope u see it and like it anyways
Day 1
France is a place that isnât easy to forget, but having lived there your whole life made it seem ordinary. The country that saw me grow up, and that I was glad to call home, failed to impress me every day because I was used to it. The beautiful architecture, history, and tourist attractions werenât as beautiful to me anymore; it was my day-to-day life.
That wasnât true for the beach house in Nice. It wasnât mine, or my familyâs, but that place never failed to impress me, even if it was my day-to-day life every summer. The Leclerc summer home was my favorite place on Earth. From its blue and white facade, the soft beige interiors, the pool and beach view, the big dining room, and the incredible company, thereâs no place Iâd rather be in right now.
âY/N L/N, you have arrived!â Charles Leclerc, the ultimate reason for this placeâs beauty, yelled out to me.
âCharles Leclerc, I have arrived!â I replied blushing, and opening my arms into an embrace. As every time I hugged him, my body relaxed and tensed somehow at the same time, safe and nervous, loved and not loved back. But arenât all childhood crushes like that?
âIâve also arrived, pote. If you even care,â my wonderfully annoying older brother, Alexandre, interjected. Charles let me go to greet my brother, and I turned to find the youngest Leclerc, Arthur, on his way to hug me hello.
âHi, chĂŠrie,â he said with a smile on his face, ruffling my hair affectionately.
âHi, Arthur. Up to no good once again?â
âIâm always up to all good!â
Pascale Leclerc, the boysâ mother, greeted me with cheeks kisses and pinches. Everyone then swarmed my mom, Alice. Sometimes I think my friends love her more than they love me, but that was deserved.
As every year before, everyone finally felt at home. And as every year before, the inaugural pool party started.
âY/N L/N, will you do me the honor of joining me at the pool?â Charles exaggeratedly held out his hand, as if we were Royals in a ball. Antics that I was happy to oblige with. Too happy for my dignity to recover.Â
As we made our way inside, and swam a couple laps playing around on who is faster, we wound up floating peacefully on a corner with the sun beginning to set.Â
âI missed you,â Charles said out of nowhere, making my heart do a somersault.Â
âI miss you too,â I managed to reply, feeling the blush on my cheeks.Â
âI want to hear from you more often. I know Iâm busy with racing, but I always can make time for you Y/N.â
The thing about unrequited love is any show of affection feels like a marriage proposal. But of course I could not deny his request. He was, above all else, one of my best friends and one that I needed to be there for.Â
HervĂŠ Leclerc passed away the year before, a couple months after the summer vacation. We didnât know it would be the last time we spent with him, and I was worried about what this yearâs vacation would be like with the boysâ father missing.Â
âIâm always here for you,â I vowed and he gave me a quick, chaste kiss on my forehead. To make sure I wouldnât forget my promise.Â
As I looked at Charlesâ glistening face against the darkening sun, I realized we would be okay.Â
y/ninstagram added to her stories
charles_leclerc added to his stories
Day 2
âChĂŠrie,â was the first voice I heard as I woke up, with Arthur knocking on my door for show and letting himself in.
âToo early,â I whined back and hid under the covers, to have them ripped from me by the guy in my room.
âItâs time for the sunrise beach walk,â he replied and I knew he was right, so I let myself be dragged outside the house. I couldnât say no, since the sunrise walk at least once during the vacation is also a tradition between Arthur and I.
It was also worth it; we silently agreed for that to be time to catch up, be honest, and be vulnerable ever since we began taking the walks. This one would be particularly hard too.
âI really, really miss my dad,â he said, putting his arm around my shoulders to walk side by side.
I didnât know how to handle HervĂŠâs death with the boys.Â
Enzo was older than me, even beyond his years, and there was nothing I could say that would be wiser, or better than what he had to say.
Arthur was quiet and reasonable, way more accepting of inevitables than me, more useful to himself than me.
Charles was passionate but closed, a master at compartmentalization, never letting me in even if Iâd like to.
But Arthur, ever my closest friend, still needed my support.
âI know you do,â I replied softly and squeezed his hand. âItâs only normal, and Iâm sorry youâve been dealt these cards.â
Grief is a strange thing, but on the beach I hoped I let Arthur know that I would always be by his side, and that the sun will always rise again for him. With his steady breathing while leaning on me as we sat on the sand, I knew he understood.
arthur_leclerc added to his stories
y/ninstagram added to her stories
Day 3
y/ninstagram added to her stories
ameliedeveraux20 added to her stories
This was the third year Arthur and I were invited to parties that Alexandre and Charles went to. The promotion from little siblings to cool siblings opened up a new world in Nice. Especially one where I could ignore my schoolgirl crush on Charles through alcohol.
So I happily got ready, into a pink summer dress and into the car that would drive us all to an even bigger house filled with a bunch of privileged European kids ready to drink the night away.
The first drink came from Antoine, who sadly had a beautiful girl around his arms that indicated he wouldnât be a good distraction. The second one came from Amelie, my Nice girlfriend, who was happy as ever to see me and catch up with me before she also found an arm candy and promptly left. The third one was on me, as I was forced to stare at Charles making out with a girl I learned was named Charlotte.
After that, I stopped counting and kept drinking, joining the dance floor to enjoy the numb feeling in my face, the new found careless attitude, and the music blasting in my ears.
Before I could process it, Arthur was in front of me, the blush on his face indicating he was also intoxicated. What started as a normal jumping around like one does at a party, progressed to a point where his hands were on my waist and my hands were on his neck.
I couldnât even recognize the song anymore, too entranced on the way his eyes were on mine. There were no words, as was usual between him and I. We just knew.
I wouldnât take the first step, but he would. Arthurâs lips met mine in a strong, messy kiss. I didnât pull away. I did want it. And it wasnât scary.
When we stopped to take a breath, I realized I wanted to kiss him again. As I was leaning in, taking the initiative myself now, another force pulled me away.
I walked by inertia, trying not to fall down in following who was leading me away from the crowd. When I looked up, I recognized it to be Charles.
I couldnât breathe from the adrenaline of the kiss I just shared, but also from the touch of Charlesâ hand on mine, even if it was to take me out of the party.
My reaction was all too slow, finally starting to protest.
âWhat are you doing? Let me go,â I defensively said, snatching my hand away from his. The butterflies didnât leave anyways.
âYouâre drunk, letâs go home,â Charles coldly replied and held my hand again on his way to the car.
âWhy would I want to go home? Iâm having fun,â I continued to protest and he continued to pay me no mind.
As he put me inside the vehicle, despite my clumsy attempts to fight it, and slammed the door, I continued to think about what this could possibly be about. Where was Charlotte? Where was Arthur? What was happening?
My head spun and he got in the driverâs seat, turning the ignition on.
âWhat the hell are you doing?â
âYouâre drunk. You donât kiss people when youâre drunk.â
âThat makes no sense.â
âYou donât kiss people you havenât kissed sober.â
âIts Arthur!â
âExactly!â
The back and forth continued all the way to the house, my thoughts sobering up with every passing moment.
âIf you donât want me to be with your brother because you donât think Iâm good enough, thatâs really not your choice,â I told him decisively, crossing my arms and pouting like a child throwing a tantrum.
That was the only explanation for what Charles just did. He didnât think a Leclerc should be with someone like me, and was doing everything he could to prevent it.
When he started laughing, I wasnât so convinced anymore.
âWhatâs so funny?â
âYou have no idea what youâre talking about. I just made the biggest scene out of jealousy, and youâre saying I donât think youâre good enough.â
Time froze and my mouth went dry. The confession made its way through my entire bloodstream, replacing the alcohol effects with pure shock. My head was spinning for entirely different reasons, and my brain couldnât bring the words out. What would I even say?
I opened my mouth but nothing came out, and Charles put his face on his hands in frustration, before leaving the car. I still could only think what is happening?
#f1#f1 au#f1 fanfic#f1 x reader#formula 1#f1 smau#f1 social media au#f1 fake texts#charles leclerc texts#charles leclerc smau#charles leclerc au#charles leclerc x reader#charles leclerc fanfic#arthur leclerc#arthur leclerc x reader#arthur leclerc fanfic#arthur leclerc au#arthur leclerc smau
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Mother and Father moments.
Aka more mommy reader x Arlecchino! This time with comfort!
Perhaps you sometimes forget your husband is a harbinger. Sheâs just so kind to the chikdren at times. Your presence has helped her become more patient and gentle with them. You had been with her for awhile now. Lynette and Lyney had grown up into full on adults, going on missions leaving you to worry. But they came back each time. As your original set of kids grew so did the dangers. You knew they were raised for this yet your heart still hurts at the thought. Unfortunately some didnât make it. Some may think its hard to care for so many children emotionally but it didnât matter to you, you felt hurt when they were. Each and every one of them you raised and cared for became your child in their eyes. Lucky your husband despite not being the most emotional vulnerable still let you cry over each. Her gentle whispers reassuring that it was not your fault.
She knows your heart, she knows its that empathy and vulnerability that strengthens your bond with the children, sometimes she envies that. But she still tries to make up for it to the best she can.
So when The twins and Freminet were imprisoned you became worrisome. She with held that it was for a mission because she knew you would demand to join them. Still she held you.
âCould I send tea bags to Lynette? Letters? Oh god poor Freminet he always loves diving! He canât dive anywhere!â You paced as you were planning a gift to be sent. She watched you with a smile.
âI assure you they will be fine. Theyâre barely serving a few months for a petty crime that likely wonât end up on their record. They have each other afterall. You know Lyney, he will not let any of them get hurt.â She said calmly,
âStill heâs my boy and I worry about him!â You say panicked.
âAnd the prophecy! Oh god theyâre so far down underwater they wouldnât have a way out!â You paced even more as her smile faded.
âMy love,â she held you in her arms making you still, âI assure you, everything will be okay. Theyâll be back when their sentence is over, and theyâll have all sorts of stories to tell. Freminet can handle himself, and Lyney is a good protector of the two. They will be fine. As for the prophecy, I have my own methods ready.â She said kissing the back of your neck. You sighed as you finally calmed down.
âYouâre right. I need to relax..â you say melting into her touch. âI just⌠oh I canât help it. Lyney was the first to call me mom.â Arlecchino smiled as you looked at one of the baby pictures of the twins.
âYouâre always their mother. With you waiting here Iâm sure theyâll strive to make it back.â She says calmly.
âThey better.â You huff. âThat Wriothesley better be kind to my kids otherwise-â
âRelax dear. Donât think anymore about the impossible. Besides, Iâm sure theyâll be treated as any other prisoner is. Afterall, Fontaine is currently under alot of pressure, Iâm sure he wouldnât be confident enough to pull a stunt like that.â She says. âAnd if he did, then Iâll handle it.â You sigh in relief as she holds you closer to herself.
âYouâre right I know I know.â
âIf you would like you can send them a letter. Of course you canât send any gifts but youâre more than welcome to wri-â Arlecchino stopped as she watched you pick up a pen and looked for a piece of paper. âHere.â She handed you a piece. Quickly you started to write down your thoughts as she smiled behind you. âYou should slow down. They might not be able to read your writing otherwise.â
âYouâre sure i canât send gifts? Not even a blanket? Oh Lynette hates being cold! That place must be so cold too, so far down under the sea.. oh my poor baby.â You moped.
âIâm certain thereâs accomdations for such. I doubt theyâd let their staff down their freeze. Besides I hear it can actually get too hot down there.â
âBut what about Freminet then! He isnât good handling intense heat. He burnt his hand on the kettle once and heâs never trusted them since. He always uses a oven mitt or glove even when its not necessary.â Your fingers tapped worriedly.
âDarling please try to not assume the worst. Our children are not hostages right now. They simply are being disciplined for a small amount of time. Their sentences are only two or so months.â She repeated trying to soothe you. You pouted even more.
âStill Iâll miss them. I even bought a new dessert book to try and make some for Lynette. She always comes by to visit when I even imply thereâs new desserts. Sheâs become my little taste tester.â You smile. âShe doesnât smile but her tail wags impatiently when she sees me preparing a new sweet.â
âYou know them so well.â She smiles and brushes your hair, helping to alleviate some tension held within your shoulders. âIâm sure they miss you too. You know they wouldnât want you to worry so much about them.â
âIâm aware. Still I love them all so much.. it hurts that I cannot protect them all from everything in life.â You lift your head to look at her as her arm rests on your waist.
âI know my dear. Its why youâre the finest choice for me.â She kisses you. âNow just relax and Iâll write the letter for you.â
#genshin imagines#genshin x y/n#domestic fluff#comfort#slight death but not of named characters#arlecchino is so hot please step on me#arlecchino x y/n#alrecchino#arlecchino x you#arlecchino x reader#pls come home now arlecchino#arlechinno genshin#wlw x reader
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idk if this it's a good request but I've always loved Sandor/handmaid readers fics!
It could be that reader has a crush on him, so she leaves him little gifts or do favors for him in secret, like a secret admirer type of thing<3 or you can write the other way around too! The hound having a crush on reader, it all depends on you
Love your writing btwđ so excited for Fox and the Hound next chaptersđ
OF course that is sooo cute! Im so happy you like the book so far there will a ton more of exciting and sad events to happen!!
Cw- reader has hair that can be moved out of the way, fluff, Cersei is abusive when drunk, Sandor being adorable. Sandor x hand maid reader.
Little Gift
The first time you laid eyes on the big brute of a man you fell in love. All the other handmaids were terrified of him, they hid when he walked down the halls, talked about how scary he was, and purposefully avoided him when doing daily duties, oftentimes leaving them up to you for more work. But you never minded, seeing sandor was the highlight of your day and little did you know it was his as well.Â
You grew up in the palace, not as the grand princess type but as a maiden to said princesses, your mother was handmaiden to queen cersi and she taught you her ways to excel at it. Which you did. You learned how to clean a certain way on certain fabrics, you learned to cook and most importantly obey. All that time you spend learning about and admiring one person in particular. Ser Sandor Clegane. The king's guard dog, the hound, no matter what frugal name they called him he would always be sandor to you.Â
Because all the other women were terrified their jobs for him were left to you. Sorting out his linens mostly as you weren't allowed in the light quarters but you made due. When you went to collect or bring them back you began leaving extras. Coin, treats from the kitchen, sometimes flowers. You've seen him throw them away sometimes but at least he noticed them. You knew that there could never be any chance with the rugged man due to his past and forceful nature but a girl can dream after all.Â
You follow in the courtyard over seeing the princess Marcella talking with a sutor. You walk a hefty pace behind however not far enough to lose sight or mishear if false intentions on his part became at hand and you needed to step in. They stop their walk so you do as well making sure to give a settled amount of privacy, a group of knights in training most likely by the uniform pass you by one of them subjecting them to speak with you.Â
âExcuse me ser.â you reply as you try to form a way around the larger man to continue to chaperone the princess and her caller.Â
âCome on love, take the day off the little princess will be fine eh. Come and drink with us. Training is almost over.â he chuckles. Two of his friends then join into the new found joke. One of them takes a hold of the necklace you wear.Â
âThis is a fine thing for a maid to be wearing isn't it? Little Jewels and all. You steal it?â he huffs.Â
âN-no it was my mothers! Now excuse me.â you say harshly before trying to break away. The men begin to banter, grabbing at you.Â
âOI!â you hear a deep grumbly voice the men let go of you dispersing back as sandor comes into view.Â
âDidnt you fucking hear her. Fuck off or iâll use your guts as a jump rope.â he barks out at them. They hurriedly run off with the others disappearing around the corner. You look up at him about to say thank you but he simply leans down, taking a knee before standing back up, your necklace in his hand, broken from all the tussle.Â
âNoâŚâ you say your heart clenching, you take it in your hands seeing the snapped chain and now misaligned holder for the jewel.Â
âY/n!â you hear marcella call to you as she takes your arm in her hand, a worried look on her face you look at her showing her your necklace.Â
âAre you alright?â she asks from the commotion happening a bit ago. You nod yet still sad about the jewelry. She nods in thanks to sandor before you both head off now done for the day with her line up of men. You want to turn back and say thank you to the larger knight but before you can even open your mouth heâs farther off walking away.Â
Your work continues as normal, cleaning, taking care of marcella and leaving small things for sandor. You walk to the side of the knight's quarters catching a glimpse of something that makes you double take a small vase that holds the flower you placed for him. A smile forms on your lips before you turn to walk off only to be met with the front of the very man you were smitten about.Â
âMy apologies, my lord, I didn't see you there.â you say gasping. He hums before walking around you but before he disappears you speak.Â
âI wanted to thank you!â you exclaim. He stops his back to you briefly before turning around.Â
âFor?â he asks confused as to why.Â
âFor protecting me from the other knights, you were very brave.â you speak. He chuckles in a way that slightly puts you down.Â
âBrave? A dog doesn't need courage to chase off rats. Those measly cunts aren't even knights let alone are ever gonna be.â he speaks.Â
âYou shouldn't do that, call yourself a dog.â you say softly looking up to him as he walks closer to you.Â
âYou're not a dog, you're a man.â you say. He huffs.Â
âI don't scare you, do i?â he asks, kind of annoyed. You shake your head no before answering.Â
âWhy would you?â you ask to look up to him.Â
âHmm.â he grumbles before looking to his waist where he keeps his sword belt and others. He flips open the small saddle bag reaching into it and pulling out a necklace, your necklace, but it's fixed.Â
A small happy gasp leaves your lips and a smile is placed on your face as you see the piece of jewelry.Â
âTurn âround.â he says, seeing your arms are full with cloth. You do so at his command you feel his hand pulling your hair away before the cool metal is placed against your skin sliding up ever so to clip the back together. You smile looking down at it before turning back to him.Â
âThank you!â you happily exclaim. You're not going to question how he got it from your room or who fixed it but he did it for you. He just looks at you, his eyes scanning your features before he turns around and walks off again.Â
The next few days there's been a gift at your side. Decorated clothes, little bits of jewelry, and the biggest gesture a dress which you wear to marcellas send off. You were supposed to go with her, wanting to make sure sheâd be safe marrying the prince of dorne but Tyrion wouldn't let you. Stuck in the castle you remained to do things for the queen. Oftentimes she confided in you or when she was drunk hit you. You began to walk around the hall quieter, smaller, bruised even, but worst of all your gifts to sandor had ceased and he hated it.Â
Cersi had cast you out after the worst treatment, even throwing scrolls and glasses at you before hitting you and throwing you out into the open battlefield during black water while she continued to drink herself silly.Â
Before you knew what to do to hide you were hit by the blunt end of a sword and knocked unconscious. Found on the ground a few seconds later you were picked up onto a horse riding off.Â
You came too in bed, your headache slightly as you sat up. You looked down at yourself no longer in the dress you were wearing but wrapped in a black fur, your small clothes not doing you justice to keep you modest as you moved the blanket to the side holding the fur closer to you.Â
As soon as you stood your legs gave out sending you to the ground accidentally knocking over the side table you use to try and catch yourself for support. The large oak door of the room opens revealing sandor who rushes to you helping you up making sure you're not hurt any further.Â
âS-sandor?â you ask as he picks you up easily and places you back onto the bed.Â
âStay.â he says before kneeling back down picking up the dropped table. You look around seeing everything about the room, the fireplace farther from the bed where it's supposed to be unlit, leaving the candles of the room to give dim light.Â
âWhat happened where am I?â you ask.Â
âAre you cold?â he asks, not answering the question.Â
âNo..â You say.Â
âYou're shaking.â he replies back before pulling the blanket back up over you.Â
âStay here.â he says before getting back up and walking out of the room. Ofcourse you dont listen and get up nonetheless this time your legs become stronger as you walk out of the room following where he was to go. As you walk through you admire the house looking around seeing a yellow and black banner with dogs on.Â
You watch as Sandor walks back into the house, the door closing behind him.Â
âSandor.â you say he puts down the large animal he carries on his shoulder.Â
âWhere am i?â you ask.Â
âHome. My home is just beside white harbor. You've been out for two days.â he says you look around once more looking at the fireplace in the main room once again not lit.Â
âAren't you cold? The fires are not lit.â you ask, seeing the sheen of frost beginning to appear on the windows.Â
âI'm not going to light it, I'm fine.â he huffs. You walk over to it, grabbing the logs from the side, placing them in and beginning to strike it, creating the fire that lights the home and gives you warmth.Â
He watches you the entire time fearing for both your safety and his own. âWhat happened?â you ask looking back at him as you sit on the furs by the fire.Â
âI don't know. I saw a man with you in his arms. You were unconscious. I killed him. Took you, I assumed you didn't know him. Saw too many women being raped didnt want you too be one of them.â he saysÂ
âRightâŚcersi she pushed me out i don't remember much after that.â you speak.Â
âFuck cersi, fuck jeoffry.â he huffs pickign up the animal and walking out of the room only to come back a bit later. You stand up and walk to him.
âYou're welcome to stay as long as you want, it's just me and winter is coming.â he says as you nod.Â
âYour dress is at the end of the bed.â he says pointing down the way. You nod but before walking over to the room you take his arm in yours pulling him down a bit and kiss his cheek. He won't admit it but the blush condoning his face was hotter than the fire.Â
For the next few weeks he came more comfortable with your presence even leading to things being said and feelings being shared including a night together which neither of you are led to forget any time soon or later. He continued to give you little gifts one of which being a dog to keep you company while he was gone hunting or just out. And you of course gave him the best little gift of all after the next months, his own son. But you are by far the best gift he's received
#sandor x reader#sandor clegane#sandor clegane x reader#sandorclegane#sandor clegane x you#sandor the hound clegane
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Batmom with Batfamily Headcanons
Author's Note: Because why not? Also, pic not mine.
All the kids introduce their significant others to her after a month of dating
They go based on her judgement because they love her that much
98% of the time you like their significant others
Has many times beat Bruce at Uno
Is originally not from Gotham but moved to Gotham for college cause of cheap rent and good programs
Has thought about divorcing Bruce after finding out about Damien
Knows how to fight and is very scary with any weapon in her hand after Jokerâs attack
Harley, Ivy, and Batmom have tea parties just for funsies in her garden
Continued after Batmom had Martha
Alfred joins the tea parties sometimes
Helps victims in Gotham after villain attacks
Alfred and her have a Fran and Niles type of friendship like in The Nanny
She is younger than Bruce by about 4 years
Has girls days out with Harley, Ivy, Barbara, Cassandra, and Stephanie
Gets whatever she wants for Motherâs Day and her birthday from Bruce and the kids
Her and Bruce came up with a back up plan in case Bruceâs identity as Batman get out
Has another back up plan with Bruce in case something worse happens
Loves watching outdoor survival tips
Loves to take care of Bruce when heâs hurt
Has to motivate him to stay in bed when heâs badly injured
Bruce takes her out on a vacation with just them two at least once a year to make up for his late nights as Batman
Has thought about becoming a vigilante herself but went against it since she knew that the family needed someone at home when things get rough
Has at least one thing in common with each kid
âI do not give two shits that you are vigilantes, I will ground every single one of you and let Gotham criminals take the streets for one night!â
Ride or die mom
âMom, I need your help but you canât tell Bruce.â
âWhat did you do this time?â
âThis time wonât be as bad as last time. I promise.â
"That's what you said last time! But tell me what's going on."
Jason and Damien encourages her to be more chaotic
Damien has told Talia to stay away from you and for Ra al Ghul to stay away from you
Is head of the PTA at the kid's school
Has fought the school once
Sometimes agree with Jason's old method of killing criminals
But would never tell Bruce
Does not wait for Bruce when watching shows
Uses spoilers as threats
"It's quality time tonight."
"I know but the kids need me."
"I will spoil what happened at the end of the Umbrella Academy."
"You wouldn't dare."
"I dare!"
Hates how she thinks she can't do much for her family while they're all out being vigilantes
#batman#batman imagine#batman x reader#batmom#batmom imagine#batfamily#batfam x reader#batfam imagine#wayne family adventures#alisonwritesimagines
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Every little thing you do- Part 9
Tommy Shelby x reader
Series master list
Hello again! Thank you so much for the love to this series đđť Iâm enjoying so much the process for each part, and trust me, your feedback is super valuable (I sometimes take inspiration from your POV, like this partâŚ) letâs give an amazing character the best welcome đĽ°â¨
Also special thanks to @blondie-22 for the gif!!!! (Always portraying what I have in mind âĽď¸)
Word count: 3,350
âAre you sure you donât want my company?â Tommy asked for the third time as he pulled in front of the market.
âNo, because youâll start complaining as I go through the stands, but I appreciate the offer.â
âAnd what about the basket? Youâll have to carry it by yourself on your way back.â He tried again, feeling a bit uneasy for leaving Y/N alone.
âTom, Iâll only buy cherries, apples and sugar, grandma has the rest.â Y/N gave him a deep frown in response by his overprotective attitude.
Giving up, Tommy raised his hands from the steering wheel. âFine, but Iâll send someone to join you anyways.â
Y/N wanted to ask if something was wrong, but deep down she knew Tommy wouldnât tell her much, so she decided to just thank him for the ride and step down of his vehicle.
âIâll meet grandma at the Garrison and then weâll go over your house.â She announced leaning down.
âLooking forward for that pie.â Tommy smiled right before driving away towards Watery Lane.
The market wasnât too crowded as she expected, people trying to sell a bit of everything invaded her personal space, Y/N tried to keep the basket in front of her tummy, in an attempt to protect her baby. She just kept walking to the fruit stands since they were in the middleâŚ
Passing by the stand with the rugs, another one offered jewelry, the sellers were shouting, inviting everyone in, making special offers to get the customers attention.
Reaching the fruits and vegetables stands, she closed her eyes relishing in the smell for several seconds, it was hard to hide she was mouthwatering so Y/N decided to hurry up to get the items she needed and go back to start baking as soon as possible.
âDo you need anything else?â The kind woman offered, making the count in her head.
âThat would be all, thank you.â Y/N noticed as more and more people started gathering at the market.
She was now aware of her surroundings, especially after Tommy explained that he didnât trust Father Hughes. That she needed to be more careful
âActually⌠do youâve any sugar?â
The woman shook her head. âA few stands down they might have though.â
âWonderful, thank you so much.â With a smile, Y/N paid for her items and as she was about to move forward, she almost bumped into someone. âLee-Anne!â
âY/N!â Her sister squealed in delight, arms wrapping around each other immediately. âWhat are you doing here?â
âI needed some ingredients for a pie.â
âHowâs the baby? How are you feeling? Grandma just keeps me updated with bits.â
Y/N couldnât help but look down, she should have been a role model for her sister.
âWeâre both doing okay, Tommy and the Shelbyâs had been nothing but kind to us⌠Although, I wish we could be together and Iâm sorry for the way this happened.â
âMum and Dad shouldnât have kicked you out.â Lee-Anne stated.
âDonât blame them, I embarrassed themâŚâ
But before her sister could protest again, their motherâs voice resonated.
âMum itâs fine, I was just happy to see Y/N.â Lee-Anne explained.
âHappy? How could you be happy? She doesnât even care to keep a low profile, sheâs showing her sin proudly.â Her motherâs words cut like a knife.
âLook, I know this isnât ideal or what you wanted for me, but this is my reality now.â Y/N tried to keep her voice down. âAnd Iâm trying to do my best.â
âIs it the speech that gĂĄnster prepared you to repeat?â Her mother shook her head slightly. âBeing so close to him only confused you, to see right what is wrong by all means.â
âWhy are you even blaming him now? Tommy has been nothing but a real friend to me.â
âYou donât even care that people have been talking about you hmm? Your honor rolling from mouth to mouth, having everybody in Birmingham whispering about you and him, I thought your reputation would be over as the word would spread about Scott not marrying you, but now people are wondering if the baby is a Shelby.â
Y/N gasped too shocked by what her mother just said.
âWhat are you talking about?â
âPlease donât even try to hide it anymore, all of that secrecy between the two of you, going out for a ride in his horse since you were younger⌠he acting so protective the day he took you from YOUR house without your fatherâs permission.â
âHe was defending me!â Y/N exploded.
âThatâs what they call it now?â With a scoff her mother looked away. âI overheard one of the women that washes clothes, she was talking to someone else who works for I donât know who and basically they were gossiping about you⌠and him.â
Y/N was trying to process her motherâs words, taking her time to let it sink in.
Where the hell did that rumor came from? She had been so engrossed in the foundation project and her baby that barely had time to have tea and gossip about anyone.
âI never thought youâd be someoneâs mistress.â
The disappointment in her motherâs statement was like a punch in Y/Nâs gut, she felt anger raising inside of her.
âWho said that? Thatâs not true!â
Y/N felt so upset, but at the same time she tried to remain respectful of her mother, wherever she was in the wrong.
âI made a mistake, but my father shouldnât have hit me like that, I was bleeding, had marks all over my back for days.â
âThe way you behaved, what did you expect?â She found tears in her motherâs eyes. âCan you imagine how your father felt for a second?â
âAnd what about me? What about how I felt?â
âDonât talk to me like that!â
Y/N let out a shaky breath slowly, trying to regain control of her emotions.
âThink whatever you want Mother.â Y/N adjusted the basket in her hands, while a tear slipped down her cheek. âTommy saved me and my baby that day⌠what people think or say about me isnât my business.â
Walking past her sister, Y/N gave her a half smile, wishing they could get the chance to spend more time together, but she understood Lee-Anne still had to obey their parents and live under their rules.
So now people just assumed she was Tommyâs mistress? How easy it is to talk about someone else behind their back and destroy the good things they had done in a few minutes. Just because Tommy decided to support her and her baby.
As if Tommy would see her differentlyâŚ
Leaning against the wall after walking for a couple of minutes, Y/N finally allowed herself to crumble, the facade of strong, independent woman was slowly overshadowed by the truth, her mother was right. She wasnât able to push away the tears any longer.
âAre you alright? Can I help you?â A soft voice called after her worryingly.
âYes, just getting emotional over something silly. Thank you.â Y/N lied at the stranger wiping the tears with the sleeve of her dress.
The woman looked at her not buying her answer, but decided to change the subject. âI might just take a break, do you mind if I wait here?â
âNot at all.â Y/N replied absently, her mind replaying her motherâs words over and over.
She was right though, as much as she wanted to pretend that everything was alright, that she could take anything life decided to throw at her, not having her parents by her side was a consequence she never imagined, she had failed them terribly and their distance was understandable.
âIs someone you know around? You look pale.â The woman studied Y/Nâs features.
Y/N shook her head. âI just feel a bit dizzy, it should pass in a minute.â
The woman looked around not really knowing what to do, what if she got sick? What if something happened to the baby?
âIâm Frances, whatâs your name dear?â The woman asked trying to think of something in case she needed help. If she knew her name, at least she could look for her family.
âY/N!â Scudboat shouted from a few feet away. âThere youâre.â
âShe isnât feeling alright.â Frances explained.
The blinder took off his peak cap and started rolling it in his hands nervously.
âWhatâs the matter?â Polly intervened as she joined them.
âSheâs dizzy, I was just keeping her company maâam, in case she needed help.â
Polly stared at the woman for a second, before fishing inside her handbag and retrieving a small flask. âHere, smell this.â
The strong alcohol aroma hit her immediately, Y/N was fighting a silent battle within her heart. The truth that slipped from her motherâs lips, her own reality she couldnât deny, everything came at her suddenly.
Polly wrapped her arm around Y/N, poor thing looked so lost.
âI think you need to lay down.â Polly suggested in a motherly tone, but she regretted her words, Watery Lane was full of cops searching every corner for evidence, they took Tommy and John as a warning, scared the hell out of Esme, the place was now a mess and with Tommy out of the picture, she knew Y/N couldnât deal with that right now.
A worried look crossed both Scudboat and Pollyâs eyes.
âMy place isnât far away.â The kind Frances offered shyly. âIt isnât much, but she can rest for a while.â
âYes, wonderful idea.â Polly exclaimed relieved.
âYouâre an angel.â Y/N added knowing she really needed to calm down.
âThis way, please.â Frances smoothed her skirt, before offering her hand to Y/N. The blinder following their steps carrying the basket.
And it was indeed very close, the kind woman immediately offered Y/N to lean against the cushions and lift her feet up.
âCan I offer you water or some tea?â Frances asked walking towards the window to let some air in. âMy home is modest, but thereâs always food and tea for anyone.â
Polly thanked her for her thoughtful gesture but had to turn down the tea offer.
âSorry for the inconvenience, but I really need to go out right now.â Polly apologized, thinking she needed to sort out everything at the betting shop.
âOh, she can stay here, I live by myself.â
âPolly I donât want to give Frances any troubles, Iâm fine.â
Polly shot Y/N a knowing look. âYou need to rest.â
And with that, Y/N knew she wouldnât win that argument. Polly was the boss and she had to obey.
âWhat were you buying if you donât mind me asking?â Frances asked Y/N with interest once that Polly and Scudboat left, she brought the girl a biscuit, the last one she had for the week.
âSome cherries and apples, my grandma and I would bake a pie but I forgot the sugar.â
âI could give you some.â
Y/N lost it in that moment, she started crying inconsolably.
Without asking anything else, or pushing her to talk, tentatively Frances rubbed Y/Nâs back in a comforting motion.
âSorry.â Y/N sobbed, embarrassed by the sudden outburst. âIâve just been holding it for so long.â
âWhat is it?â
âMoments before we met at the market, I had an unpleasant encounter with my Mother, she doesnât approve nor support my pregnancy. I hadnât seen her for several weeks and I know, I know this is far from the ideal happy family but thereâs nothing I can do to turn things around, we had a disagreement and I guess that made me feel sick.â
Y/N took a deep breath and looked at Frances through her wet lashes. âIâm just touched by your generosity, a complete stranger offering me a hand when my own blood doesnât care about me nor my baby.â
Frances studied her for an instant, then covered her hand in hers.
âIâm sure your mother loves you and this baby, but sheâs tied to strict society rules.â
âI wouldnât bet on that, she does just as my Fatherâs says, she breaths if he says so.â
âWhy donât you tell me about this woman, Polly?â
Y/Nâs eyes sparkled. Polly had always been like an aunt to her, she always had a comforting hug to offer and a word to say when things were wrong.
âSheâs Tommyâs aunt, theyâre my chosen family now.â
Taking a bite of the biscuit that Frances offered, Y/N adjusted herself to face her. âMay I ask about you Frances?â
âWeâll Iâm just a newly widow, I went to the market get the ingredients to make jam and tomorrow Iâll go from house to house to sell it.â
Y/N swallowed hard, she was only noticing her completely black attire. How hard it mustâve been to lose her partner and finding a way to make money.
âIâm really sorry to hear that.â
âThank you. There are good and bad days, but I need to do something to have an income.â Frances let out. A heavy sigh. âIâm running out of my husbandâs savings.â
Y/N gave Frances a smile full of sympathy, thinking of a way to help her.
âCan I help you to make the jam?â She offered.
âOnly if youâre feeling better.â
âWell if youâve the courage to make and sell jam, the least I can do is try to help you.â
She always wanted to learn to make jam actually and this was exactly what she needed right now to clear her mind and focus on something to find some peace.
âDo you mind if I ask you who is Tommy?â Frances asked with interest as she started cutting the fruits sheâd use for the jam.
A genuine smile spread rapidly among Y/Nâs lips. âHeâs the best man I know⌠picked me of the ground and provided me with more than I deserve.â
Frances noticed how the young girlâs eyes lit up as she talked about this man, she assumed he wasnât the father but a very close person to her heart, but decided to not cross the line and ask anything too personal.
Hitting the steering wheel with his fists, Tommy cursed under his breath. For being so weak, for not anticipating his enemies moves.
The moment that Hughes mentioned Y/N and her baby before Tommy was released from the cell, he felt his blood raising, tensed, alarmed and scared for the first time. He didnât like the fact that Hughes knew about Y/N, the threaten he slipped didnât go unnoticed by Tommy.
âIt would be a shame that poor Y/N goes through the same that happened to your auntâŚâ- he had been so close to punch him in the face and smash his head against the brick wall, but Tommy knew he was trying to provoke him.
Parking outside Arrow House, he stormed inside the property, terrified to learn by Hughes that they delivered the babyâs furniture that afternoon.
Aware of this failure to protect her, Tommy rushed upstairs, heart pumping against his ribs, worry installed on his shoulders.
Finding Y/N stepping outside her bedroom, she was telling him about the furniture delivered and that her grandma had been visiting earlier, but he went straight to the crib, frantically looking for something.
âWhatâs wrong Tommy?â Y/N asked not understanding his actions.
âHas someone been here?â He demanded out of breath.
âJust the delivery men.â
As he lifted the mattress, he stopped abruptly at the sight of a card.
There it was, the direct threat towards an unborn child. Tommy decided to hide it inside his suit jacket. Defeated, he walked backwards until his body found the opposite wall.
âTommy?â Y/Nâs voice trembled. âYou promised to leave the illegal stuff behind.â
âAnd Iâm trying, I swear Iâm trying.â
Y/N saw his recklessness fade away, he was just a man trying to do the right thing, but it was just him against the world.
Eliminating the space between them, Y/N caressed his face.
âI know youâll keep us safe.â She assured him. âHmm?â
Fixing his eyes on her, he knew heâd get a bullet for her in a heartbeat.
But now he could only think of her baby, Y/N couldnât even come close to imagine the risk she was facing.
âListen to meâŚâ Tommy stated breaking their embrace, taking her face between his hands. âI wonât let anything happen to you, do you understand?â
Not waiting for an answer, he kissed the top of her head softly and pulled her back into his arms. Looking around the nursery, it was slowly coming together, it now had the furniture, Y/N talked about knitting a blanket and her grandmother was making a piece for the baby.
He needed to find out who the hell leaked Y/Nâs information to Father Hughes and how did they manage to walk into his house to place that note in the crib.
And he needed to do it before they could hurt Y/N and her baby.
Two days later, she was back to thank Frances for her kindness.
âI wonât take long.â Y/N announced at Tommyâs driver. He had been adamant about her not being alone for a second so now she had a chaperone watching her every move.
It had been a busy day at the institution, Y/N had lots of work to do, unfortunately she had been feeling sick most of the morning, so she gave up and decided to get some air. Heading to the market, she bought a sack of flour, vegetables, eggs, milk, a couple of fresh baguettes and headed towards Francesâ house.
It wasnât her intention, but since the window was open, she overheard the conversation unfolding inside.
âIf you know whatâs best for you, youâll accept my proposal.â A man said before walking outside.
Y/N tried to pretend she was knocking on the house next door and waited until the man was out of her eyesight to call out for Frances.
âFrances, are you alright?â
Y/N rushed without waiting to be invited inside, leaving the basket next to her feet.
âNo⌠that man says my husband, my Bert gave him the papers of our house in exchange for some money he needed, but he didnât get the chance to pay for the loan.â Frances cried.
A gasp escaped Y/Nâs lips, this was a mess.
âTake a deep breath.â Y/N proposed not knowing what to do. âDo youâve someone who can help you?â
âNo⌠Iâm on my own.â
With a sigh, Y/N took a look around the small unit, Frances came from a harder background than her, her whole house was the size of her living room, and she had everything there; kitchen, bathroom, bed and the living room. Pondering in the options, decided to do what Tommy had done for her; help without asking questions.
âWhy donât you prepare a bag with your essentials and weâll figure out the rest later.â Y/N proposed straightening her back.
âBut Iâve nowhere to go.â Frances explained.
âYou do, Iâm taking you somewhere.â
Eventually, they arrived at the Institution, Y/N explained Frances she could stay there while it started operations, it wasnât properly a house, but there was a sofa to sleep on, and a kitchen with the utensils she might need.
âHow can I thank you for this?â Frances needed answers, feeling overwhelmed.
âNo need, you helped me the other day⌠Iâm just returning the favor.â
She would see later if there was an open position that Frances could take either at the Institution or the betting shop with Tommy, but for now, she had the day covered.
Next part
𼰠I hope you enjoyed reading this part! Let me know in the comments what you think? â¨
Tag list: @lyarr24 @runnning-outof-time @cillmequick @datewithgianni @cloudofdisney
@gretelshelby @garrison-girl-08 @lespendy @onlydeadcells @fastfan
@stevie75 @prettylittlehoneyeyesxoxo @esposadomd @forbidden-forest-witch @ange-thoughts
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#thatâs what Cill said#tommy shelby x reader#thomas shelby x reader#tommy shelby x y/n#tommy shelby x fem!reader#tommy shelby fan fic#peaky blinders imagine#peaky blinders fics#cillian murphy fiction
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Hellooo!
I would love for headcannons of the LADS boys with a Latin reader (Mexican, Colombian, Salvadoran, etc) who loooves to dance and always goes to gatherings (quinceĂąeras, family bbqâs/ parties, etc). Theyâre very good at dancing and love to just be on the floor feeling the music. Would love to see their reactions to you having a big family or trying out the food or how you dance and maaaybe convince them to do so too?
hiii, thanks for the lovely request! i must admit i possess limited knowledge about latin cultures but i do hope that you like these..âĄ
LADS men with a Latin Reader
RAFAYEL
đ Remember he told you that he's fluent in many languages? Yeah, he probably already knows and speaks your language well. And even if he doesn't, he knows the commonly used phrases. He'll also ask you to help and correct his pronunciations and grammar.
đ He is just like waterâ easily blends with your family members, entertaining everyone with his lively attitude and forms an instant connection with each one. He's always surrounded by at least 4-5 of your family members.
đ He's enthusiastic about your culture. He questions you on why certain rituals are performed in what ways and he loves to learn, and try things for himself. He plans to incorporate it all in his next piece that he's gonna dedicate to you.
đ He won't hesitate from the variety of food and drinks offered by your family elders, and will definitely try some of the local alcoholic beverages. He's complimented your mother for her cooking, and by the time you both go back, he's gained a few pounds of weight.
đ When Rafayel sees you dancing at a family gathering, he matches your energy on the dance floor. He may not know all the moves but he'll watch you and learn, moving his body in tandem with yours. He might goof around and make you laugh alot. Your family loves him even more for it.
XAVIER
â Heâs learnt a few terms here and there from you but he can't speak your language. Though he LOVES hearing you speak it. And even more when you call him nicknames in your native tongue. Definitely gets a lil horny and asks you to use them in bed.
â At first he comes off as quiet and aloof to your family but they slowly take a liking to him. You realize how good of a narrator Xavier is when you see your family members sitting around him in circles at night as he weaves magical tales about princes from distant planets.
â He's a curious kitty. He buys himself flyers about the local specialties of your hometown, and even books tickets to all the historical sites he'd like to visit with you. He enjoys hearing myths about the deities of your lands.
â He loves the food! Every time he experiences a new flavour or spice, you see his eyes light up in delight. He asks help from your mother and other family ladies to help him with some recipes because he wants to cook you some of your hometown food. And all the ladies are swooning. He also enjoys the occasional gossip with them.
â His eyes seem to follow your every move when he sees you dancing. He's recorded a bunch of videos but if asked to join, he's quite hesitant. Though the moment you drag him on the dance floor, he complies. Might step on your foot once or twice, and feel embarrassed about it but overall, he's a fast learner.
ZAYNE
âď¸ He doesn't speak your language but he's very keen on learning from you. You deliberately make him say the cheesiest stuff in your language, sometimes even a little naughty things. And when he sees you giggling, he chuckles and calls you childish for pulling such pranks on him.
âď¸ Your family immediately takes a liking to him. He's responsible and dependable, and they are happy that you have someone so reliable by your side. They also come to take his advice on every little health related thing when they learn he's a doctor. But they also make a lot of health jokes with him because he's easy to tease.
âď¸ He loves hearing about your culture. He complies when you make him try on some of the traditional outfits for men, and is quite pleased to know that you find him even more handsome in them. And he's left awestruck when he sees you in your traditional clothes.
âď¸ Zayne does enjoy the variety of flavors in your cultureâs food. Though he's even more eager to try out the local sweet dishes. He loves how the recipe varies from hand to hand, and in every household. And he likes the differing tastes of the same sweets.
âď¸ He loves watching you dance. He tries to deny you when you ask him to join because he isn't very confident. But after a little convincing, he will comply because it's impossible for him to say no to you. He's awkward on the dance floor but gets loads of encouragement not just from you but all your family members. In the end, you place his arms around your waist and guide his movements, your laughter making him forget his hesitance.
SYLUS
đŚâ⏠You assume he doesn't know your language and try to prank him by using some bad and naughty words for him but he smirks and responds in the same language, leaving you shocked. He's not fluent but he knows enough to engage in conversations.
đŚâ⏠Your family is suspicious about his overall persona but soon realize he's quite alright. They are thrilled by the fact that he can sing, and he is definitely pushed by the elders into singing at the family gathering. At least 4 of your cousins have a crush on him.
đŚâ⏠Just like his grasp on the language, he's quite knowledgeable in your culture. He especially loves the music, some of his favourite musicians being latin. And he most likely knows some of the old songs by heart.
đŚâ⏠Since he's quite good at cooking, he's given free access to the house kitchen. Your mother and the other family ladies find it charming. They like to discuss seasonings and spices with him, and want him to assist in the arrangements of food. They compliment him for every new dish he learns.
đŚâ⏠He's not just a good singer but a dancer too. It's surprising when he follows you on the dance floor and begins to match you beat for beat. You don't realize when but you end up having a little dance off between the two of you until he gets bored of competing and pulls you to him so you two can dance together.
Âť MASTERLIST ÂŤ
#xavier x reader#zayne x reader#rafayel x reader#sylus x reader#love and deepspace#xavier love and deepspace#zayne love and deepspace#rafayel love and deepspace#sylus love and deepspace#xavier x you#zayne x you#rafayel x you#sylus x you#love and deepspace xavier#love and deepspace zayne#love and deepspace rafayel#love and deepspace sylus#love & deepspace#lads xavier#lads zayne#lads rafayel#lads sylus#love and deepspace headcanons#love and deepspace imagines#l&ds#l&ds xavier#l&ds zayne#l&ds rafayel#l&ds sylus#love and deepspace x reader
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everyâlesser knownâcanon fact about Levi Ackerman.
infamously over the years, there have been countless false rumors about Levi in particular out of the cast. many of them have become popular, even ubiquitous, and it's annoying!
and also disheartening when you find out it's not true....
and hurtful when you realize it was - sometimes - made up by trolls.
so i'm making this post<3
credit to @levisfavoriteacup for the idea!!
*disclaimer: i'm not perfect, so this may not be Everythingâ˘ď¸ but I am confident that it's the majority of information available, and that it's trustworthy. :)
First the most populars. There is no evidence across interviews nor other content over the years that:
Levi is ugly, and is considered ugly in AOT.
Nope. See here: (tumblr link), or:
Isayama finished his first sketch of Levi mostly on a whim, but the moment he drew his face, he had a sense it would work well / he knew he had something good. Something told him: "the yaoi fangirls are going to like this one".
As time passed and his popularity grew, Isayama caught onto this and wanted to portray him more attractively (in multiple ways) to the viewer/reader.
But from the beginning, this was something of the goal. He is short because Isayama had in mind what young women/fangirls in Japan consider attractive: a man with a higher-pitch voice; has a small face; and who is "short but strong".
In the world of AOT, he (in a nutshell) is mostly considered plain or awkward, but combined with his reputation and style, he's very charming. "He cleans up nice." Overall, it is positive :) But more importantly, realistic I think.
He's also something of a celebrity. People who advertise their product as being used by him are more successful; when he's seen in a shop, this by itself is considered "advertising" and more people come in. Quote: ""the tea that the hero boughtâ".
He's definitely not a 2/10 at any rateđ.
âthe 24th episode of Naoki Yoshida's Anime Plan, 2013 / Interview with Frau Magazine, 2013 | Hajime Isayama x Hikaru Suruga (2014) | AU Smartpass - Erwin & Levi Close Up Interview Part 1 | Taking shelter from the rain reprise: Levi and Peaure
Leviâs type would be someone whoâs "tough, feminine and sensual".
Levi's type "might" be tall people. But context matters, because in multiple translations "don't you think?" and "might be" are thrown around a lot. Isayama isn't known for his clarity. When asked, he practically said the question right back. âfan Q&A from a festival in Betsumaga, Aug.2014
What this quote might have come from is a statement by the author of an article Isayama was likely involved in. I can't say this is 100% canon, but in my opinion it's a little less canon than the Smartpass AUs; if those are sub-canon, then this is sub-sub-canon:
Levi's romantic type is someone who walks three steps behind him, and likes cleaning.
In the past, in Japanese culture, for a wife to walk three steps behind her husband implied highly traditional gender roles. What this is much more likely to mean is that Levi's romantic type is someone who will let him protect them, or will run away and survive even if it costs his life. (And they have to like cleaning.)
âthe article is from 2013, and no longer exists. but the link was used as recently as 2021 as a source in this post by a reliable translator. I've found this quote also in varying qualities of translation across Japanese and English forums, so to the best of my knowledge, it's reliable.
Levi's cravat is a piece of his mother's dress + he was wearing her dress when Kenny found him.
This is a popular rumor that Isayama has never confirmed (i think it is true, tho.)
December 25th was chosen by his comrades because he doesn't know his actual birthday.
The guidebook only states that it is his birthday. I can't find any more context on this. âAOT Guidebook; p.256
His character profile:
âAOT Guidebook; p.78â79
His name is Hebrew, and means "attached" or to be "joined".
Isayama came up with Levi's name after watching American documentary "Jesus Camp". (It's about a summer camp-type program where evangelical Christian children are taught extreme beliefs. One of the children was named Levi.) Isayama heard it and thought it sounded cool. âHajime Isayama x Hikaru Suruga (2014) | 2010 blogpost by Isayama
Levi is in his early 30s (in s3/RtS/volume 19). âInterview, Universal Studios Japanâs SNK THE REAL exhibition, 2016 | confirmation
If Kuchel was still alive, Levi would want to make sure she had an easy life. This means specifically filial piety, a concept exclusive to the East: he would fulfill his duties as a son for her. (tldr he's a mama's boy :3) âBessatsu Magazine, 2019
Levi would have thin facial hair, but he prefers not to, so he shaves frequently. âJanuary 2020 issue of Bessatsu Magazine (chapter 124)
He doesn't like coffee milk or coffee jelly. They're out of the question even.đ¤ âJuly 2018 issue of Bessatsu Magazine (chapter 106)
He just gets depressed when he drinks coffee. Maybe he loves tea that much? He stopped calling Hange names like 'shitty glasses' since they became commander because he "seems" to respect their position that much. However, a Smartpass story delves deeper into this (and states as I suspected): [After Hange makes a joke] "Since becoming the commander succeeding Erwin, theyâd toned down on their past speech and behaviour that had a touch of tomfoolery; Levi understanding that they were nevertheless trying to maintain the self âthat was the case thenâ, also loses the will to curse at them." + "In the past, Hange had a Hange-type dream, and should have been progressing to that purpose. That lately, was it the weight of the office of commander, or was it due to the reality that is âall the world was our enemyâ, their manner had changed considerably." âMay 2017 issue of Bessatsu Magazine (chapter 92) | Goodnight. Sweet dreams, dear. Act II: Levi
If he and Kenny had fought one-on-one, Levi would've won. âDecember 2016 issue of Bessatsu Magazine (chapter 87)
intermission: all about tea
His favorite "food" is black tea. No actual food.
He doesn't add sugar or milk to his tea because he considers it too expensiveâwhich it is canonically. Despite this, he will share his tea with his comrades (his original squad as far as is seen).
Even though he's Captain, he'd rather drink it straight (the implications of which are he's a hardworking man, like that of a farmer. aka, this makes him seem humble).
If a time of peace ever came, Levi wants to open a black tea shop (he said in a dreamlike way, not so much based in reality).
He also knows a good amount of facts and history about it. He's a tea enthusiast!!
Levi receives pilfered tea in shipments monthly, thanks to Erwin.
âAU Smartpass - Erwin & Levi Close Up Interview Part 2 | Part 1 | Taking shelter from the rain reprise: Levi and Peaure | Bessatsu Magazine, Jan.2014 | September 2016 issue of Bessatsu Magazine (chapter 84) | AU Smartpass My First Time Around: Levi Ackerman | The Case of the Corps Tea Party - File No. 09 Levi's Side (3/3) | sugar and milk in tea from the Japanese perspective
Levi, out of his original squad, found Petra cute/sweet in the general sense of the word "kawaii". Like Levi's romantic type however, this was sort of a non-answer to the question (of whether Levi thought she was cute). â2014 interview
After RtS, Levi seems to consider Hange and the 104th his family. âAU Smartpass My First Time Around: Levi Ackerman
He wears a cravat because Isayama based part of his design off Rorschach from the movie 'Watchmen'. He looks "delicate" because of his size and weight, but he's so powerful because [in issues before the reveal of the Ackerman bloodline] of "invisible power" at work. âJanuary 2016 issue of Bessatsu Magazine (chapter 76)
The best way to describe the way he thinks is to compare him to the main character from the movie The Hurt Locker (2008). His character was born from Hiei from the manga 'Yuyu Hakusho', and Rorschach from the movie 'Watchmen'. The former was the basis for his appearance (especially his eyes), and the latter was the basis for his personality. Firstly though, Isayama had an image of a small man being the strongest.
âHajime Isayama x Hikaru Suruga (2014) / Brutus Magazine (2014)
He is something of a protagonist (especially in s3p1). â Animedia, June 2018
His favorite tool (in general...?) is microfiber cloths (for dust I guess. Levi has no need for weapons :3) âJuly 2015 issue of Bessatsu Magazine
He will usually laugh/smile when he sees convenient cleaning goods (i.e., vacuum cleaners? feather dusters? ((cuz he's a shorty?â¤ď¸)) âBessatsu Magazine, Dec. 2013
He does want to be taller sometimes. He gets eager to clean up after meals rather than cook at all. He can cook, though. âBessatsu Magazine, Aug.2014 | fan Q&A in Oyama, Oita, Mar.2018
Levi mostly couldn't adapt to the changes that came about after the truth was discovered. Only he wears mostly the same uniform, cape, and blades.
After RtS, Levi personally retrieved Erwin's remains himself, for whom there was a special memorial service. After Eren (inadvertently) called him a "tiny old man" in season 3, Levi didn't care, but when he thought of it by himself later, he was hurt (unclear exactly why). Levi's father, most likely one of Kuchel's customers, is an insignificant man who's short. That's where Levi's height comes from. His face comes from his mother. At the start of season 4, Levi didn't change much compared to the 104th because he's turning into an "old man" who'd rather stick with his flip phone so to speak. He "doesn't break out into cold sweats". AKA he's always calm under pressure. He considers prostitution to be an ordinary job because of his childhood. Levi's vision is very sharp, way above average. He thought Eren's new look beginning season 4 was unclean/dirty (in more ways than one perhaps). âfan Q&A in Oyama, Oita, Mar.2018
He has slight bouts of insomnia. He never snaps/explodes when he's angry. But he does get angry or grumpy a lot, in general. He doesn't sing. It's more likely he would dance. If he was a fan of Momoiro Clover Z (jpop girl group), his favorite would be Momoka. When/if he drinks, he has a high tolerance, but he can get a little drunk :) One thing he highly hates and fears is mold. He is the one who ordered Armin to dress as Historia during the uprising. His blood type is A. Blood types are much like horoscopes in Japanese culture, and Levi's is as such: kichĹmen, or well-organized; he likes keeping things neat, but can be stubborn and stressed out easily.
Whether he eats enough or has a good diet? He is "a bit lax". Maybe he forgets to eat sometimes, or has a low appetite. When Levi bathes, he goes for a quick shower then soak in hot water, which takes about ten minutes. Like a bird :')) He on any given night gets about 2-3 hours of sleep. He thought Eren was the best at cleaning (in season 3 / uprising arc). Because of his childhood in the Underground, Levi has a preoccupation/obsession with cleaning (specifically to ward off disease). He also doesn't have any pajamas, mostly keeping day clothes on when he goes to sleep - which is in "his" chair. Levi cuts his own hair using clippers. (Something like:)
He's aware Oluo imitated him, and found it annoying. Levi's horoscope (in general) as a Capricorn: Humanityâs Strongest Soldier - Levi. He possesses warmth in the midst of a dispassionate nature, and he is capable of leadership without verbal expression â both of which are special qualities of a Capricorn. Capricorns tend to hold certain levels of authority, even if they must carry out somewhat unreasonable tactics while in such positions. But when such authority is backed up with actual abilities, a Capricorn can gain Leviâs type of confidence and also be put on a pedestal by those around them. However, Capricorns wonât be dependent on others, much less trust them easily. They donât hold high expectations and thus never feel a sense of failure. Leviâs faults include the inability to express himself clearly. Â Even though he wants to encourage his companions, he always speaks in a roundabout way, and without Hanjiâs translation itâs nearly impossible to understand Leviâs intended meaning. Even though he is dependable in most situations, when it comes to love/romance, he expresses himself clumsily/awkwardly. âFRaU Magazine, Aug.2014. | fan Q&A in Oyama, Oita, Mar.2018 | Levi: Close-up Report (Part One) | Translator *the horoscope wasn't written by Isayama, but was published alongside canon information, and it's also not factually wrong, so I'm including it.
The dark circles under Leviâs eyes are to convey the âself-destructionâ he takes on to reach the âstandardâ of Humanityâs Strongest. âInterview on the topic of Levi, May 2015
His 'liege'âas Eren is to Mikasa, and Uri is to Kennyâis Erwin. He is afraid of making deep relationships because of the cruel world he lives in; he can't know when someone he cares for will die or how soon. That 'gap' left in Levi's heart by Kenny's death was filled by his squad (the 104th). If Levi hadn't joined the Survey Corps, he would've been a "very irresponsible person". Risky with his life perhaps? As a kid, Levi used to make himself stronger in order to receive praise from Kenny. When he abandoned him, he wondered what his strength was even for. He was able to find peace with Kenny after his death. In CH72, the reason Levi kicked the shit out of Eren and Jean is because of his argument with Erwin earlier.
He knows he's a slave to his own strength, aka the idea of being a hero. He realizes it when Kenny asked what he's a slave to in s3/ch69. âAnswers Guidebook, Aug.2016
If he ever changed his appearance, the one thing Levi couldn't be able to give up is his undercut :') He would grow out the top and tie it up :3 âOyama homecoming event Q&A in 2014 | 2 | 3
Levi knows how to use a gun, but he "places more trust" in knives. âBessatsu Magazine, 2019
Levi tolerates saunas. But instead of enjoying himself he seems to see it as a test of endurance. (LOL) âBessatsu Magazine, 2020
Levi has newspaper-level handwriting that he practices often. He's very conscious of it and being connected back to the Underground. âAU Smartpass TEXT: Leviâs Signature
Isayama had considered killing Levi around the time of the thunderspear explosion. (As always) Isayama deliberated with his editors whether or not it'd be meaningful if he died, and they decided it wouldn't be. âKawakubo interview, 2021
Specially, Levi holds his swords in a reverse grip "his own way" since he wasn't officially trained. âIllustrate Note Magazine, 2017
Levi forcefully bathes Hange by knocking them unconscious. âAU Smartpass - Erwin & Levi Close Up Interview Part 1
Levi is 4 at the time that Kuchel dies. âWhat the director informed Kamiya Hiroshi of on set
His character song is called "Dark Side of the Moon", found on YouTube here. Translated lyrics here.
how to draw Levi:
âAOT Guidebook; p.229 | +Illustrate Note Magazine, 2017
#please share... this took days of time and effort#levi aot#snk levi#snk levi ackerman#levi ackerman#levi attack on titan#captain levi#rivaille heichou#levi heichou#captain levi ackerman#levi rivaille#rivaille ackerman#aot manga#snk#levi art#levi shingeki no kyojin#attack on titan#levi.thoughts
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