#i feel like the worst kind of anchor
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ii-zi · 1 year ago
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Why is apologizing and explaining urself n ur feelings without sounding like a sad, pathetic wet rat so difficult
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relto · 2 months ago
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weird mnemonic time: i have trouble telling 성운 (nebula) and 은하 (galaxy) apart. now whenever i have this issue i think of how the german word for nebula literally means "star mist", and 성운 uses the character for star, so they match,...
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wwooyology · 9 months ago
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How about pirate! Jungwon and mermaid! Reader? You can make it dark and stuff. Up to you 😘
「notes」 : bless you and your thinking anony, this is such a *chefs kiss* idea, I actually had a lot of fun writing it!! also, I would like to dedicate this to two of my lovely moots hehe, @yeonzzzn & @wondipity. I hope this feeds into your jungwon brain rot
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Midnight Lagoon | Y.JW
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「paring」 : pirate!jungwon x mermaid!reader 「word count」 : 1.9k
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「synopsis」 : what you and jungwon had was nothing short of unethical, if you were to ask your people, that is. neither of you cared, though, which is how you find yourself waiting for the said man in the very cavern that had started everything, relishing in each other's company.
「genre」 : smut
「warning」 : unprotected sex (just don't), slight manhandling, teasing, cussing, making out, petnames (baby, princess...), praising, rough sex, mentions of marking, creampie, multiple orgasms, overstimulation, lmk if I missed anything!
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The cavern was silent, save for the waves splashing against the shore. It had to have been late into the night. The only source of light was the bioluminescent algae that littered the cavern walls and ceiling. The algae illuminated the space in a soft blue, and the water almost glowed along with it. You lay out on the rocks, crimson tail dipping into the water, enjoying the feeling of the waves cascading across your scales.
Despite knowing the time, you knew that he would be here at any moment. You knew that as soon as his crew was all asleep, he would sneak away to come see you. It has become a routine since Jungwon first found you.
It’s a funny story, really. You had gotten caught in one of their nets when they were anchored in this very cavern. The string was far too tight for you to just rip away from, so you were stuck, fearing that your life was going to come to an end. You had heard the stories from your parents and the elders of the shoal. Pirates were not to be messed with; they would kill you on sight and take your scales to pawn off for a pretty penny.
So to say you were surprised when Jungwon found you and just cut you free would be an understatement. His hands were steady but careful as he wedged his blade between your tail and the net, slicing the dreadful contraption off of you. Even his voice was soft as to not alert those that were on the ship with him. His kind eyes and gentle hands intrigued you and you knew it was wrong, hell it was probably one of the worst things you could do in your life. But god, if you didn’t enjoy the thrill of it all. 
After those events, you stayed behind a cluster of rocks, watching and studying what they were doing. Your family had been worried sick about you all night long, but that was the least of your concerns right now. No, you wanted to actually talk to this man, even if it was the dumbest thing you’ve done. Curiosity has gotten the best of you.
So you waited… and waited… and waited. Finally, you saw Jungwon climbing off of the boat.
You tried to sneak up behind him, but for some miraculous reason, he sensed you there. His head turned, and his eyes bore into yours, peeking from the top of the water.
“I didn’t think a pretty thing like you would hang out around here.” His once soft voice now held a more sinister tone, but instead of getting scared… you were intrigued. Something pulling you towards him, like an angler fish going after the little light antenna on their heads.
That desire only grew from that night when he lured you out of the waters, watching as your tail morphed into human legs, leaving your bottom half completely bare to him. The complete ecstasy that his fingertips brought you left you gasping and begging for more. His dick reaching the most inner parts of your body that you hadn’t even known existed. By the time he was done with you, you had become addicted, wanting nothing more than to be in his embrace once more.
Thus began the little rendezvous, meeting in the very place where he first made love to you, much like what was happening now.
When Jungwon made it into the cavern, he wasn’t surprised at all to find you lying halfway in the water, your tail swishing softly under the surface. Your head was tilted back, eyes closed, enjoying the tranquility that this space brought you. He stopped once he was close enough to fully see you. Watching the way your damp hair cascaded down your back, small droplets of water still falling from the ends. His eyes trailed the length of your body, taking in your chest that was hardly covered due to the shell top you were wearing. Jungwon could feel his dick chub up at the sight alone.
Jungwon’s footsteps were careful and quiet, but you could still feel the vibrations under your fingertips. Your head turned slightly to look over at him, and the corner of your eyes crinkled slightly as a smirk spread across your lips.
“It took you long enough,” you teased the male as you pulled yourself further from the sparkling water. Your fingers wrapped around the pendant that lay between your collarbones, whispering a few soft words, allowing your tail to morph into human legs. Jungwon’s eyes stayed glued to your body, taking in the new skin that had just been revealed to him.
“I had to wait for everyone to fall asleep.” His voice was soft, unlike the dark look that glazed over his eyes. You carefully stood to your feet, but seeing as it's been a little bit since the last time you had to use your legs, your knees buckled, and you tumbled forward right into Jungwon's arms. “Even the sight of me has your legs weak, huh? I'm flattered.”
“Oh, hush.” You rolled your eyes before fixing your posture to wrap your arms around his neck, fingers playing with the ends of his hair. His face was merely inches away from yours, eyes boring into your own. He could smell the sea salt on your skin as he leaned closer to you, sealing your lips in a gentle kiss. 
“God, I've missed your lips so much.” He groaned against your lips, “... I missed you.” He sighed before letting his lips trail from yours to your cheek, down your jaw and neck, before finding purchase on one particular spot right below your ear. A soft sigh fell from your lips as you pulled his body flush against yours, leaving little to no room between the two of you. He continued to press open-mouth kisses along your jugular until he was sure there would be marks left behind, not caring for the consequences you might face once you were home.
“Won…” You whine when his hands traveled down to the fat of your ass, squeezing harshly. He licked a long stipe up your neck before roughly kissing you. His lips moved fervently against yours as he swiftly picked you up off of your feet. 
Jungwon wasted no time in laying your body flat on the flat rocks that sat next to the lagoon. His body slotted against yours, allowing you to feel his bulge against your bare pussy. Your small whines and whimpers were swallowed by Jungwon’s mouth as his fingers brushed along the inside of your thigh.
Your body felt like it was on fire under his touch, his fingers leaving tingles in their wake. But it wasn’t enough; no, you wanted more, and you didn’t want to wait. Noticing the impatiens in your eyes, Jungwon chuckled, pressing his thumb firmly against your clit, making your hips buck and a broken cry fall from your lips.
“Do you really want my cock that bad baby? You’re dripping on my fingers.” He teased, his fingertips tracing your slit, collecting your slick.
“Wonnie, please, I don’t wanna wait. Just fuck me, please.” You pleaded in a meek voice, and Jungwon smirked against your skin.
Who was he to deny you what you were asking so nicely for? So he pressed one last kiss against your forehead before pulling back to rid himself of his clothing. Your mouth watered at the sight of his cock springing free from his trousers. Catching your gaze, he put on a bit of a show, pumping his cock a few times, hissing through his teeth at the sensation. Impatience grew in your chest as you watched him pleasure himself. A whine fell from your lips when he denied your motion for him to move towards you. 
Eyes rolling, you moved your hand down to your cunt using your fingers to spread your pussy lips, “Just fuck me already, Won, please.”
He chuckled once more before finally giving in and moving closer to your body, grabbing your plush thigh. Leaning over your body, he captured your lips in another heated kiss as he lined his cock with your entrance. In one swift motion, he buried himself in your warm heat, swallowing all of the moans that slipped past your lips.
“Fuck you’re so fucking tight, baby,” He groaned, biting down on your bottom lip. It had been far too long since he was last able to bury himself in your wet cavern, the crew and missions taking up a majority of his time. So he wasn’t going to hold back; no, he had a lot of lost time to make up for.
He gave you a split second to adjust before his hips were snapping into yours in such a rough manner you were sure there would be bruises. The sounds of your skin hitting his and moans bounced off of the cavern walls. Jungwon couldn’t hold back; his hips were pistoned into your, trying to get as deep as he could, throwing your legs over his shoulders, pushing even deeper. Deep enough to have the head of his cock kissing your cervix. 
Wonton moans fell from your lips as you tried your best to stay up with his pace, but as soon as his tip brushed over that sweet spot deep in your pussy you were putty in his hands. Stars clouded your vision, your orgasm already on the tip of your tongue.
“Fuck- Won, I’m- shit, I’m close.” Tears brimmed in your eyes at the sudden overwhelming pleasure. Jungwon leaned down, kissing over the few tears that had fallen from your eyes, whispering sweet praises against your skin while his hip snapped brutally into yours.
“You’re such a good girl, aren’t you?” He groaned when your cunt squeezed around him, “fuck princess, you keep doing that, and I won’t last.” His hands trailed from your thigh to your hands, intertwining your fingers when your high washed over you. His pace slowed just a little to help you ride out your orgasm, but his movements never stopped.
“Won-” “Just a little longer, baby, I’m almost there.” He groaned before picking up the pace once more, letting go of one of your hands to rub his thumb against your clit, relishing in the feeling of your walls fluttering around him.
Your head fell back at the overstimulation, all words but his name leaving your brain. Jungwon loved when he got you like this, so fucked out that his name was the only thing you could remember. Chuckling, he pressed a kiss against your plush thigh before a choked groan tore through his lips when he felt you cum for a second time. The tightness around his sensitive cock was enough to finally push him over the edge, painting your velvet walls white.
“Shit…” He groaned into your neck as he leaned over you, hips rocking softly against yours. Taking in your scent, memorizing it once more for he wasn’t sure when he would be able to see you again. 
“Won,” you breathed out, running your shaky fingers through his hair. "You’re still hard.”
Jungwon couldn’t help but chuckle before rolling his hips deeply into yours, pushing his cum further into your womb, “You drive me insane, baby, and I want to fill you so full of my cum.”
A whine slipped past your swollen lips as his pace picked up a little, but your grip on his body didn’t let up. No, your lips found his, kissing him deeply, telling him that you would love nothing more.
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@wwooyology | Do not steal, plagiarise, translate, or repost any of my work
𝖉𝖎𝖘𝖈𝖑𝖆𝖎𝖒𝖊𝖗 : ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜱ ɴᴏ ᴡᴀʏ ᴀ ᴛʀᴜᴇ ʀᴇᴘʀᴇꜱᴇɴᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴏꜰ ᴀɴʏ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴍᴇᴍʙᴇʀꜱ. ᴛʜɪꜱ ɪꜱ ᴘᴜʀᴇʟʏ ꜰɪᴄᴛɪᴏɴ ᴀɴᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴇɴᴊᴏʏᴍᴇɴᴛ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ ᴀɴᴅ ɴᴏᴛ ᴛᴏ ʙᴇ ᴛᴀᴋᴇɴ ꜱᴇʀɪᴏ���ꜱʟʏ.
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kaitawrites · 5 months ago
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Deadpool & Wolverine w/ Soft but strong Reader Headcanon
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Authors Note: @klerns-birdie A request from this beautiful person. Hope you all enjoy this headcanon as I am gonna pair it with a short fic and possibly another headcanon
You first met Wade when you auditioned for X Force. Wade was shocked and wary to see such a delicate flower like you wanting to be apart of something so dangerous and violent
Even though he ended up recruited you, it was really because he wanted you to fawn over him and have him be your savior.
He was surely mistaken when he saw your skills on the battlefield. Truly shocking Wade who never knew you had all of that in you.
"I see you firecracker. Well, Aren't you just full of surprises?"
When Wade was kidnapped by the TVA you were right there with him. Looking for a replacement Anchor Being together. Many of the different Logans had completely ignored Wade or just abused him while when they saw you, they were really sweet and flirty.
Every time yet another Logan from a different universe gives you a flirty remark you could feel Wade's eyes basically sticking to the back of his head. Too many eye rolls had finally got to him.
When you both finally found the "Worst Wolverine" Logan was quick to put all his anger out on Wade once finding each other in the Void. Logan was persuaded very gently and quickly by you to leave your boss alone.
It was hard for Logan to understand what a sweet thing like you was doing with a person like Wade.
"Why do you hang around this loser?" He asked you once. You tilt your head as if in thought. Trying to find the right answer. "He is technically my boss, so I gotta follow him around." Logan looked over to see Wade maskless with his 2 fingers digging in both of his nose holes. Logan grimaces at the sight. "Your boss is a fucking idiot."
Logan just as Wade once was seen you as just a sweetheart who cared about feelings and being kind and soft. Just your typical sweet soft girl.
When it was you all (You, Wade, Logan, Laura, Elektra, Remy & Blade) side by side, thats when Logan realized how much of a badass you truly was.
A proud grin on Wade's face watching you literally rip a man in half. "Isn't she great?" Logan doesn't even say anything, still trying to comprehend how capable you really are. Whole time he was thinking of having to protect you, if anything these men need to be protected from you.
Even though you are a badass, you really don't like fighting girls cause you're a girls girl
At the end of the battle, you are covered head to toe in blood and a sweet smile on your face. Now Logan had a proud smirk on his face.
Marvel Masterlist
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ennn · 2 months ago
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Things I Liked About the Agatha All Along Finale - Initial Thoughts
Wooooo boy. Hey look I'm a bleeding heart shipper but I'm old and have been in enough fandoms. Let's process shall we?
Alice! Alice echo-ing what so many fans are saying about her lost potential. Rio actually being kind in reminding Alice her death did have purpose. "You're a protection witch, you protected someone."
The development of Billy's extremely complicated relationship with Agatha. Kid's not loyal to Agatha, he's understanding her, or starting to at least. He sees her being a relationship with Death and he's curious about the story there. He cares enough to connect the dots and see Agatha as a full person. And we see that developed as the finale goes.
"That's it? That's all the time that I get?" The show reminds us that death sometimes just happens – "Sometimes boys die" – I wonder if one of these writers is a Sandman fan because I immediately clocked a parallel to Death of the Endless taking a baby's life in her first comic appearance.
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Death of the Endless is of course much kinder than Rio is with her (iconic) reply to that eternal question. "You lived what anyone gets... A lifetime."
That whole convo we got in the preview clip. And then them just sitting down and talking more? Albeit with layers of manipulation but y'know that's them.
Agatha telling Rio that she'll hand over Billy if Rio leaves her alone: essentially making Rio once again choose between her duty and her feelings towards Agatha. The deepest cut Agatha could make – which we see echoed with "If you do this I'll hate you forever." They know each other and the best ways to hurt each other.
I laughed waaaay too much at Agatha ragging on Jen's last vegetable name.
Jen's unbinding ritual was powerful and a fantastic moment for the character. She recognised and embraced her power. Agatha's mask slipping a little at the end as well. Amazing. Sasheer killed it.
The whole scene with Agatha working with Billy to bring Tommy back was beautiful and emotional and well put together and showed the side to Agatha that cements her as a great mentor (when she's not being the biggest murderous asshole).
Agatha using what she learnt from her Alice and Jen – and what Lilia told her – to hold her ground with Rio... okay it lasted like 10 seconds but it was a nice callback! Agatha's such a shameless survivor.
Incredible kissing. We knew Hahn and Plaza would deliver and they did. When it comes to kissing women, these two absolutely go for it.
Rio looking absolutely gutted with having to take Nicky away. Plaza really delivered with Rio's pain in these eps. Agatha calling her "my love", cursing and then begging.
Rio being soft about Nicky despite her job. Nicky willingly going with her with no fear, no hesitation – suggesting that they did bond somehow? Nicky knew she was a friendly face and trusted her. It was really a good death, all things considered. He wasn't sick, he wasn't in pain, he wasn't scared he simply fell asleep and just went.
Rio reminding Nicky to kiss his mom goodbye. She cares so much, as much as a personification of death can. It's funny how some people thought Rio was going to be this manipulative big bad but no, Agatha's the more toxic one in this relationship.
Okay like imagine Agatha finally dying and just straight up BOOKING it before Rio pops up. Rio hates ghosts. The number of times Agatha deliberately pissed her off this finale was amazing.
"I'm sure he'll forgive you for... whatever you did." Aw Billy is a good kid. Just like Nicky was. Agatha needs that reminder, that anchor to not be the Worst.
Chemistry aside, Agatha and Billy being mentor-pupil makes a ton of sense because these Maximoffs do the most fucked up shit (unintentionally) with their magic and Agatha's got the knowledge, charisma, cynicism, and the morals of a spinning compass to support him.
Alright when are they announcing the sequel / spin-off? I know there's a rumour of it happening. Rio's got 2 abominations and one endlessly aggravating ghost of an ex to deal with now.
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0omillo0 · 3 months ago
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Comfort after a fight
a/n: This was such a heartfelt request! I can really imagine Bang Chan being incredibly tender and empathetic in this kind of situation. The idea of him comforting you after a moment of accidental hurt just shows how deeply he cares. He'd do anything to make it right again, and he'd definitely be the kind of person to sit with you through your toughest moments, never letting go.
this is for @hyunjins-orange-slice-too <3 thank you cutie!!
꒰ 🗯️ ꒱
It was a rough day for Bang Chan, and it showed. His shoulders sagged, face etched with exhaustion, and he barely managed a small smile as he stepped into the apartment. You had noticed his demeanor immediately, sensing that something was off, but you gave him space, as he often needed time to unwind before he opened up.
However, tonight was different. Tension hung heavy in the air, thick and palpable. You busied yourself in the kitchen, hoping to make him something to eat, a small gesture of comfort. But as you tried to talk to him, to check in, his responses were short, clipped. His patience was wearing thin, and you could feel the fragile balance between you beginning to fray.
“Hey, Chan… I made some dinner for us,” you said softly, walking over to where he sat slumped on the couch, scrolling aimlessly through his phone.
“Not hungry,” he muttered without looking up.
You bit your lip, trying not to take it personally. You knew he had bad days, that sometimes his own mind was his worst enemy, but the distance between you tonight felt unsettling. You sat down beside him, offering a small, tentative smile.
“Are you okay? You seem… off.”
At that, something snapped.
“Can you not?” His voice was sharp, cutting through the room like a knife. “I just need space, alright? Why do you always have to push? You don’t get it. I don’t want to talk!”
The words stung more than they should have, especially because you knew he didn’t mean them. But the suddenness of his outburst, the harshness in his voice, felt like a punch to the chest.
You recoiled slightly, blinking back the tears that were threatening to spill over. “I—I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to upset you…”
But it was too late. The floodgates inside you had opened. Your chest tightened, and the familiar, suffocating feeling of panic began to creep in. Your breath quickened, becoming shallow and erratic, and the room suddenly felt too small, the air too thick.
Chan, who had turned away in frustration, didn’t notice at first. But as the seconds passed, he heard it—your ragged breaths, the soft, choked sobs that you were desperately trying to hold back. He glanced over, his anger fading as quickly as it had come when he saw the state you were in.
Your hands were trembling, your eyes wide with fear, unfocused, and your breath was coming in short, panicked gasps. He had never seen you like this before, and the realization hit him like a ton of bricks: he had caused this. He had hurt you.
“Y/N,” he whispered, immediately softening, his own heart clenching with guilt. “Oh God, no…”
He moved closer, gently taking your hands in his. You flinched slightly at the touch, still lost in the grip of the panic attack, but he didn’t let go.
“Hey, hey,” his voice was low, soothing, filled with regret. “I’m so sorry… I didn’t mean it. I swear, I didn’t mean it.”
You couldn’t respond. Your mind was racing too fast, your body betraying you as you struggled to catch your breath. But Chan didn’t leave. He stayed there, his hands enveloping yours, grounding you.
“Breathe with me, okay? Just breathe,” he coaxed gently, his own breathing slowing as he demonstrated for you. “In… and out. You’re safe. I’m right here.”
His voice was soft, a constant anchor in the storm swirling inside you. He repeated the words over and over, never rushing you, never leaving your side.
“In and out. You’re doing so good,” he whispered, his thumb gently stroking the back of your hand. “I’m so sorry. Please… I’m so sorry.”
Eventually, the tightness in your chest began to ease, and your breathing, though shaky, started to even out. Your grip on his hand tightened, as if you were afraid to let go, and he responded by pulling you closer, enveloping you in a protective embrace.
“I’m sorry,” you managed to choke out, your voice small and broken. “I didn’t mean to—”
“No,” he interrupted quickly, holding you tighter. “Don’t apologize. This is my fault. I shouldn’t have yelled. I—I just had a bad day, and I took it out on you. That wasn’t fair.”
You buried your face in his chest, letting the last of the tremors fade as you breathed in his familiar scent, the one that always brought you comfort.
“I didn’t mean to push,” you whispered. “I just wanted to help.”
“I know,” he murmured, pressing a soft kiss to the top of your head. “And you didn’t deserve that. I’m so sorry, Y/N. I hate that I made you feel like this.”
You could hear the guilt in his voice, the way it cracked with emotion, and it broke your heart. You knew he never meant to hurt you, and seeing how much it affected him now made it all the more clear.
“It’s okay,” you said softly, though your voice wavered. “I just… I was scared.”
“I know,” he whispered, pulling back just enough to look at you, his eyes filled with regret. “I promise, I’ll never let that happen again. I’ll be better.”
There was silence for a moment as you both took in the gravity of what had just happened. But the weight of it slowly lifted as he continued to hold you, grounding you with his presence, his warmth.
“I love you,” he whispered into your hair. “I’ll do better. I swear.”
You nodded against him, feeling the sincerity in his words. And though the panic had left you drained, there was a sense of relief in knowing that he was there, that he understood.
“I love you too,” you whispered back.
And as you sat there, wrapped in each other’s arms, the storm inside you calmed, replaced by the steady, reassuring beat of his heart.
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hisfavegirl · 13 days ago
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Betrayal And Grief - Aemond Targaryen x Wife!Reader
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summary : The worst thing happened to your marriage with Aemond, you can't see him like before. You keep distancing yourself from Aemond and give yourself enough time to forgive him.
Warning : mention of blood, jaehaerys death, mention of miscarriage.
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You stepped into Alicent’s chambers, the soft glow of the fire casting warm shadows across the room. She sat gracefully by the hearth, her posture poised but visibly tense. The teacup in her hands trembled ever so slightly as she raised it to her lips. Her eyes, sharp and calculating as ever, shifted to meet yours the moment you entered.
“Come in, my dear,” Alicent said softly, setting the teacup down on the small table beside her. She gestured to the chair across from her. “Sit with me. We have much to discuss.”
Her tone was gentle but firm, and you could sense the weight of the conversation that was about to follow. You stepped forward, smoothing the folds of your gown before sitting down. Your heart felt uneasy, unsure of what she could want from you at this hour.
For a moment, there was only the quiet crackle of the fire. Alicent studied you, her eyes searching yours as if she were looking for something — doubt, fear, or perhaps resolve. Then, she spoke.
“You are aware of the events unfolding around us,” she began, her voice low but steady. “With Viserys gone, the realm is more divided than ever. Sides have been chosen, and war… war is inevitable.” Her gaze didn’t waver as she leaned forward, her expression serious but motherly. “You are no longer just my daughter-in-law. You are part of this family, and your role will be crucial in the days to come.”
Her words hung in the air, heavy and inescapable. You could feel the weight of expectation being placed upon your shoulders. You nodded slowly, unsure of how to respond.
Alicent reached for your hand, clasping it firmly in hers. “You have done well, my dear. Supporting Aemond, standing by him — it has not gone unnoticed.” Her eyes softened slightly, but her grip remained strong. “But there is more to be done. You must remain vigilant, for enemies are everywhere. Our family is under threat, and I will do whatever it takes to protect it… to protect you.”
Her words sent a shiver down your spine. You knew she meant every word. Alicent Hightower had always been a protective mother, but tonight, she seemed more determined than ever.
“Do you understand?” she asked, her eyes piercing into yours like daggers.
You nodded slowly, fully understanding the weight of Alicent’s words. She was not merely asking for your loyalty — she was commanding it. Her gaze bore into yours with unwavering resolve, a quiet but undeniable assertion of power.
“Good,” Alicent said firmly, releasing your hand but letting her fingers linger for just a moment longer. Her eyes softened with something akin to affection. “You are wise beyond your years, my dear. Aemond needs someone like you by his side. This family needs you.”
Her words lingered in the air like a silent vow. You knew that from this moment forward, there would be no turning back. To remain by Aemond’s side was to anchor yourself to the cause of the Greens, to Alicent, to Aegon’s claim to the throne.
“You are one of us now,” Alicent continued, her voice quieter but no less firm. “No matter what happens, you must not waver. If he falls, you help him rise. If he falters, you steady him. And if anyone threatens him” — her eyes darkened, sharp as a blade’s edge — “you crush them.”
Her words sent a shiver down your spine, not out of fear, but from the weight of responsibility that had now been placed upon you. This was not just a marriage anymore. It was a bond forged in duty, in politics, and in war.
“I trust you to do this, for him, for our family,” she said, her gaze softening only slightly as she raised her teacup once more. “Now, go. Rest while you can. The days ahead will not be kind to any of us.”
You rose from your seat, your legs feeling heavier than before. As you walked to the door, you glanced back at her. Alicent was already gazing into the fire, her face a mask of quiet contemplation. For a moment, she looked older, wearier, like a queen burdened with too many crowns.
With a deep breath, you left the room, knowing that your place had been set. No matter what lay ahead, you would remain at Aemond’s side. Whatever happened to him, happened to you. And whatever fate befell this family, you would be bound to it — for better or for worse.
You pressed a hand to your temple, feeling the dull throb of pain growing stronger with each step. Your other hand rested on your stomach as a wave of nausea washed over you, sharp and sudden. The weight of the day’s stress, worry, and hunger had finally caught up with you.
Reaching the door to your chambers, you leaned against it for a moment, eyes closed, trying to steady your breath. The world around you tilted slightly, making it harder to focus. You hadn’t eaten since the morning, too consumed with thoughts of Aemond’s journey and the unease lingering in the Red Keep.
Pushing the door open, you stumbled inside, closing it behind you. The familiar warmth of the chamber greeted you, but it felt stifling now. You sat on the edge of the bed, fingers digging lightly into the fabric as you tried to ground yourself. The pounding in your head grew worse, and the nausea refused to subside.
“Foolish,” you muttered to yourself, shaking your head slowly. You knew better than to neglect your health, especially now. With a hand on your stomach, you reminded yourself that it wasn’t just you who needed care — your unborn child depended on you too.
Taking slow, deep breaths, you reached for the small bell on the bedside table, ringing it softly. Moments later, a servant entered, bowing low before you.
“Bring me something to eat,” you said, your voice softer than usual but still firm. “And water. Quickly, please.”
The servant nodded and disappeared without a word. You leaned back against the headboard, closing your eyes. The weight in your chest felt heavier than before. It wasn’t just hunger, exhaustion, or illness. It was the growing dread that had settled there ever since Aemond left for Storm’s End.
You curled your arms around yourself, seeking the comfort you wished he could provide. But he wasn’t here. And until he returned, you would have to be strong — for him, for yourself, and for the life growing within you.
You placed a hand gently over your stomach, your fingers tracing small, absentminded circles. The memory of that night with your grandfather lingered in your mind like a ghost you couldn’t banish. You had sat by his bedside, his breath shallow, his words broken and distant. You had felt the weight of it — the urgency, the finality.
You had wanted to tell him.
The words had been on the tip of your tongue. “I’m with child, Grandsire.” Simple words, but ones that carried so much meaning. You had imagined the way his tired eyes would light up, perhaps with pride, perhaps with hope. He might have smiled, weak as he was, and spoken words of encouragement. Maybe he would have squeezed your hand just a little tighter.
But instead, he had spoken of Aegon, of thrones and crowns, his mind consumed by the weight of kingship. His last breaths had been spent on matters of duty and legacy, not family. Your moment had slipped away like sand through your fingers, and then… he was gone.
You clenched your jaw, eyes stinging with unshed tears. It had been days since then, and still, you hadn’t told anyone. Not Aemond. Not Alicent. Not even Helaena, though you had been close to telling her earlier that day. Every time the words came to you, they felt too fragile to speak aloud, as though saying them would make them too real.
Aemond deserved to know. But you didn’t want to tell him like this — not when he was already burdened with war, duty, and his mission to Storm’s End. You had wanted to tell him when you were both at peace, somewhere quiet, where he could place his hand over your stomach and feel the life growing there.
But peace was nowhere to be found now.
You sighed deeply, tilting your head back against the headboard. Your fingers pressed lightly against your stomach again, seeking reassurance. “It’s just us now,” you whispered softly, barely audible, as though speaking to your unborn child. “But we’ll be all right. We have to be.”
The servant returned soon after, carrying a tray of food and water. You forced yourself to eat, even when every bite felt heavy on your tongue. You ate because you had to. For you. For the child. For the future you still believed in — even if it was slipping further from your grasp.
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Aegon’s arrival was as loud and unceremonious as always. The doors to Helaena’s chambers creaked open, and he strode in without warning, the faint scent of wine following him like an unwanted shadow. His eyes, half-lidded but alert, scanned the room with the impatience of a man looking for something he’d misplaced.
“Where’s Jaehaerys?” he asked abruptly, his gaze flickering over you before settling on Helaena. His tone was sharp, not unkind but certainly not gentle.
Helaena barely glanced up from where she sat, weaving a small thread of silk between her fingers. Her voice was distant, as though she were speaking from a dream. “He’s in the library,” she murmured softly, her eyes focused on her hands. “With the maester.”
Aegon exhaled through his nose, his jaw tightening. He muttered something under his breath that you didn’t quite catch. You watched him carefully, noting the tension in his shoulders, the way his eyes darted around the room as if searching for something to ground him.
“Did something happen?” you asked, tilting your head slightly, your eyes meeting his. It wasn’t often that Aegon looked this unsettled — distracted, yes, but not like this.
He glanced at you, and for a moment, he hesitated. His lips pressed into a thin line. “The council wants him present at court,” he said at last, rubbing the back of his neck. “They say it’s time for him to be seen.” His eyes shifted to Helaena, and something unreadable passed between them. “They’re saying too much, as always.”
Helaena’s hands stilled for a moment. Her gaze finally lifted, her soft lilac eyes meeting Aegon’s with a look of quiet understanding — and perhaps a little sadness. “He’s just a boy,” she whispered, her fingers resuming their weaving. “They’ll put too much on his shoulders.”
Aegon didn’t respond. His eyes flickered to Maelor and Jaehaera, playing together on the floor. You watched as his gaze softened just slightly, a glimpse of the man he tried so hard to bury.
“Then I’ll carry it for him,” he said quietly, almost too quietly for anyone to hear.
His eyes lingered on his children for a moment longer before he turned on his heel and left, the door closing behind him with a soft thud.
Silence lingered in the room, broken only by the playful giggles of Maelor and Jaehaera. You glanced at Helaena, who was once again lost in her weaving, her lips moving faintly as if whispering to herself.
“Blood and cheese,” she said softly, her voice distant, dreamlike. Her fingers moved in delicate, repetitive patterns. “Blood and cheese… a debt paid in blood.”
A chill ran down your spine at her words. You leaned forward, your heart tightening. “Helaena… what do you mean by that?” you asked cautiously, your voice soft but firm.
Her eyes didn’t meet yours. She blinked slowly, her fingers still weaving, as if she hadn’t even realized she’d spoken aloud. “A debt must be paid,” she whispered, almost like a lullaby. “A son for a son.”
Your blood ran cold. You glanced at Maelor, still playing with his wooden dragon, his soft giggles filling the air. Your chest tightened with unease, a sense of dread creeping into the edges of your mind.
What debt? Whose blood?
You glanced toward the door, half-expecting Aegon to return, half-wishing Aemond were here instead. But you were alone with Helaena’s words, and no amount of warmth from the hearth could chase away the sudden chill that settled over you.
The familiar growl of Vhagar outside the Keep had only moments ago alerted you to his return, but now that he was here, the unease in the air was palpable. You stood frozen for a moment, staring at Aemond as he entered the room, his eyes quickly darting away from yours. His usual confidence seemed gone, replaced with something you couldn’t quite place. The air between you seemed thick with unspoken tension, and it made your heart beat faster in your chest.
Aemond stood still just inside the doorway, his long strides slowing as he approached you. His face was slightly bruised, and there was a tense set to his jaw that you had never seen before. His usual assuredness had been replaced by an almost fragile uncertainty. You couldn’t help but wonder—what had happened to him out there?
You took a small step forward, your voice barely above a whisper, the words rushing out before you could stop them. “Aemond… What happened?” You reached out, wanting to close the distance between you, but his eyes flickered nervously to the side, avoiding your gaze.
“I’m fine,” he said quickly, his tone sharp but forced. His hand came up, rubbing the back of his neck in a gesture of discomfort. “There was nothing. Nothing to worry about.”
But you could see it. The way his shoulders were tense, the slight tremor in his hand as he clasped it to his side, and the nervous glance he kept sending toward the door. You knew him well enough by now to sense when something was wrong. This wasn’t the Aemond you knew—the confident, fearless warrior who had always met challenges head-on. This was someone else.
“Don’t lie to me,” you said softly, your voice trembling with the fear you were trying to keep at bay. “You’re not fine. What happened? Please, tell me.”
Aemond’s eyes darted briefly to yours, and you saw a flicker of something deep within them—a quiet, unspoken fear. But before he could respond, he turned his face away again, hiding it from you.
“I… I can’t,” he muttered, his voice low and strained. “Not yet.”
You felt your heart sink. The words hung heavily in the room, and the silence stretched between you both. It was like there was a wall, something invisible, yet so painfully real, keeping him from you. Keeping him from sharing whatever it was that had rattled him.
But then, as if to push away your concern, he took a step forward, his eyes once again not meeting yours. “I need to… take care of something,” he said quickly, his words clipped. “I’ll be back later.”
Before you could stop him, he was already walking toward the door, his gait stiff and uneven. You called out to him, but he didn’t look back. The door clicked shut behind him, and you were left standing alone, your hand still half-raised, unable to reach him.
The dread that had settled over you earlier was now a tight knot in your chest. Something was wrong. Something was deeply wrong, and Aemond was hiding it from you.
You felt helpless, watching him walk away without understanding what had shaken him so. But deep down, you knew you couldn’t just let him go. Not like this. You needed to know what was happening. You needed to understand what had caused the cracks in his armor.
And you would find out, even if you had to break down the walls he was building between you.
You stood frozen in front of the door, the sounds of raised voices drifting through the cracks. Alicent’s and Otto’s voices were loud and sharp, calling Aemond’s name with frustration and anger. The air around you seemed to thicken with tension, and confusion gripped your chest. What had Aemond done? Why were they so upset? You felt your heart race as you listened, your mind trying to piece together the situation.
You had seen Aemond return, but he hadn’t shared anything with you—nothing about what had transpired. His odd behavior, his refusal to meet your eyes, and now this… you couldn’t shake the feeling that something had gone terribly wrong. You stepped closer to the door, your hand trembling as you touched the cool wood. You could hear the sharp tones of Alicent, her voice cracking slightly as she demanded something from Aemond. Otto’s voice was more controlled but laced with authority, as always.
“Aemond, this is madness! You must face the consequences of your actions!” Alicent snapped, her voice filled with tension.
Otto’s voice followed, cold and calculating as always. “You’ve put us all at risk. Explain yourself now, Aemond.”
Your stomach twisted with unease, the vague words you overheard doing nothing to quell the rising sense of dread. What had Aemond done? Why had it caused such a reaction? And why hadn’t he told you? You wanted to barge in, demand answers, but fear and confusion held you back.
From what you could gather, the situation was worse than you thought. Whatever Aemond had done, it had angered not only his mother and grandfather but had shaken the very foundations of your alliance. You had no idea what had happened, but the anger in their voices was undeniable.
Slowly, you stepped back, trying to steady your breath as you mulled over your next move. Should you go in? Should you wait for him to explain? You couldn’t ignore it any longer—you needed answers. The thought of confronting him was terrifying, but you could no longer stand in the dark.
Your mind raced with possibilities. Had Aemond done something reckless? Had he made a decision that jeopardized everything?
You turned around slowly at the sound of Alicent’s voice, her tone softer than the heated words you’d overheard earlier. The weight of her gaze was hard to ignore as she stood there, her expression a mixture of concern and something unreadable. You nodded, still troubled by the fragments of conversation you’d heard in the hall, and followed her as she led you toward her chambers.
As you entered the room, you noticed the atmosphere was heavy with unspoken tension, the air thick with a sense of urgency. Alicent gestured for you to sit, and you did so, your hands trembling slightly as you tried to calm your racing thoughts. The room was quiet, save for the faint crackle of the fire.
Alicent took a deep breath before speaking, her voice calm but firm. “I know you’ve overheard some things just now. Aemond has made a decision… one that has upset many within our family, including your grandfather.” She paused, as if choosing her words carefully. “But I need you to understand, there is more at play than what you may have heard. This is not just about what Aemond has done—it is about the future of this family, and the alliances we need to hold onto.”
You felt your stomach twist in confusion and worry. “What do you mean, mother?” You couldn’t help but ask. “What has he done that has caused so much turmoil?”
Alicent’s eyes softened as she looked at you, her expression laden with concern. “Aemond has taken a drastic step, one that could have severe consequences for us all. I won’t go into the specifics just yet, but you need to be prepared for what comes next. There may be some difficult choices ahead.”
Her words hung in the air, each one more ominous than the last. You couldn’t shake the feeling that whatever Aemond had done, it was far more than a simple mistake or an act of defiance—it was a decision that had shaken the very core of everything.
“Is he… in danger?” you asked quietly, your voice barely above a whisper.
Alicent met your gaze, her expression unwavering. “In a way, yes. But the greater danger is what this could mean for all of us. Aemond’s actions may have set in motion a series of events that we cannot undo, and we all need to be ready for what comes next.”
Your heart raced, your mind struggling to keep up with the weight of her words. You had hoped for something simpler, some explanation to ease your growing unease, but Alicent’s warning only deepened the mystery.
“What should I do?” you finally asked, feeling the weight of the situation press down on you. “How can I help him… or protect him?”
Alicent looked at you for a long moment, her eyes searching yours. “Be there for him, as his wife. Stand by him, even when things become difficult. There will be those who will try to use his actions against us, and we cannot afford to lose any ground. You are more important in this than you may realize.”
You nodded slowly, trying to absorb her words. The future seemed uncertain, and you had no clear path forward, but one thing was certain: you were bound to Aemond, and his choices would shape not just his future, but yours as well. And whatever was coming next, you would face it together.
You stood at the doorway, watching Aemond as he sat by the fire, his back turned to you. His presence was both comforting and distant, a paradox you couldn’t quite understand. The crackling of the flames seemed to echo the tension in the room, and the silence between you both felt like a wall.
You took a step closer, your voice tentative as you called his name, “Aemond.”
For a moment, there was no response. He didn’t even flinch at the sound of your voice. The air in the room grew thick with unsaid words, and you felt an unease settle in your chest.
You took another step, your heart heavy. “Aemond, please, talk to me.”
Still, he remained silent, the only sound being the fire’s soft crackle. It was as if he was lost in his own thoughts, far away from you, yet his presence was undeniable, filling the space around you.
You approached him cautiously, unsure of how to bridge the distance that had grown between you. Reaching out, you gently placed your hand on his shoulder. His body stiffened, but he didn’t pull away. You waited, hoping he would turn to face you, hoping that this silence wasn’t an indication of something deeper.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he shifted slightly, his voice low and rough as he spoke without meeting your eyes. “I didn’t want you to see me like this.”
His words hung in the air, and you could feel the weight of them. “Like what?” you whispered, your heart aching as you crouched down to be closer to him.
Aemond’s gaze remained on the flames, but there was something in his posture that spoke volumes—a vulnerability that he rarely showed. “Weak,” he muttered, almost as if the word tasted bitter on his tongue. “I’ve made choices… choices that have consequences, and now I fear I’ve endangered everything. I fear I’ve failed you.”
You could see the struggle in him, the turmoil that had taken root deep within. You knew Aemond as a man of strength, but in this moment, he seemed unsure, lost even. It broke something in you to see him like this—vulnerable, torn apart by the weight of his own decisions.
You knelt beside him, your fingers gently brushing the back of his hand. “Aemond,” you said softly, “You have never failed me. Whatever it is that’s weighing on you, we’ll face it together. You’re not alone in this. Not now, not ever.”
His eyes finally met yours, and for the first time that night, there was a flicker of something—hope, or perhaps just the smallest bit of relief. He didn’t speak, but his gaze held the words he couldn’t say.
You reached out, cupping his face gently in your hands. “Whatever you’re going through, I’m with you. Always.”
Aemond let out a shaky breath, his hand coming to rest over yours. “I don’t deserve your loyalty,” he murmured, his voice breaking.
You shook your head, pressing your forehead to his. “You do. You always will.”
The room was silent again, but this time, it felt different. There was no more distance between you, no more walls. Whatever came next, you would face it together, united in the quiet strength of your love.
You sat down beside him, your fingers gently wrapping around his hand, offering the warmth and reassurance that you hoped would make him feel safe enough to speak. His hand was cold, tense under your touch, but you refused to pull away, your gaze steady on him as you quietly urged, “Aemond… please, tell me what happened.”
There was a hesitation in his eyes, a flicker of something darker that made his usual confident demeanor seem distant. He pulled his hand back, running it through his hair, clearly torn between saying too much or not enough.
“I’ve made mistakes,” he finally spoke, his voice strained. “Things I’ve done, things I… should have stopped. It’s not just about what happened in the dragonpit or the decisions I made with the others. It’s everything. It’s what I’ve become—what I’m becoming."
You watched him, trying to piece together the pain behind his words, the weight of regret that he carried in silence. His words felt like a riddle, one you were desperately trying to understand.
“Aemond, please,” you urged, squeezing his hand once more. “I need to know. Whatever it is, we can face it together.”
His gaze flickered to the floor, as if the weight of his own secrets was too much for him to bear. He looked so fragile in that moment, not the proud, powerful man you had known. He seemed… lost.
“You know that I’ve always fought for what I believed in,” Aemond started, his voice low, almost a whisper. “For the throne, for my family, for our future. But in the process, I’ve made enemies. I’ve hurt people. I’ve… gone too far.”
Your heart sank as he continued, the unspoken pain bleeding through every word. He was struggling, fighting with himself more than anyone else, and the guilt he carried was a heavy burden.
“I did things that I can’t take back,” Aemond continued, his voice breaking slightly. “And now, I fear I’ve pushed everyone away. Even you.”
His words hit you like a blow, but you quickly pushed the hurt aside, squeezing his hand more firmly. “Aemond, you haven’t pushed me away. No matter what you’ve done, you’re still the man I married. The man I love.”
He shook his head, his frustration mounting as he stared at the fire. “You don’t understand. I hurt people—people who didn’t deserve it. I hurt you, too, by being so caught up in my ambition, in all of this. I never wanted you to feel alone in this.”
His voice softened, and for a moment, you saw the man he used to be—the man who had never wanted to show weakness. But the cracks in his armor were evident now.
You gently cupped his cheek, turning his face toward you, forcing him to meet your gaze. “Aemond, I’m not going anywhere. We’ll fix this together. Whatever you’ve done, it doesn’t change how I feel about you. What matters is now. What matters is that we have each other.”
He closed his eyes for a moment, swallowing hard, as if your words were a lifeline he had been waiting for. When he opened them again, there was something in his gaze—something that hinted at both relief and uncertainty.
“I don’t deserve your forgiveness,” he whispered.
“You do,” you replied, your voice steady and strong. “You always have.”
For a long while, neither of you spoke. But in the silence, there was an understanding—a shared knowledge that whatever storm was coming, you would face it side by side.
Aemond’s words hung heavily in the air, and you felt the weight of them like a crushing blow. Your hand, which had been holding his so tightly, now fell limply to your side as you tried to process the horror he had just revealed.
“I didn’t mean to,” he said, his voice filled with guilt and anguish. “I wanted to scare him, to show him that I was in control, but Vhagar… she… she wasn’t under my command. I didn’t know she would do that. I didn’t know…” His words trailed off, his gaze distant, as if he were still lost in that moment, replaying it over and over again in his mind.
You could feel your heart pounding in your chest as you struggled to breathe, the gravity of his confession almost suffocating. Luke… your brother… dead at his hands. The pain, the anger, and the confusion tangled together inside you, making it hard to think clearly.
“Aemond…” you whispered, your voice shaky, your body trembling as you tried to gather your thoughts. “You… you killed him? You killed Luke?”
He nodded, his eyes filled with an indescribable sorrow, but there was nothing that could undo what had been done. He had taken your brother’s life. The brother you had sworn to protect. The brother you had known and loved.
“I never wanted to kill him,” Aemond continued, his voice breaking as he spoke. “I swear, I never wanted that. But in that moment, I lost control. And when I saw what happened, I couldn’t—couldn’t believe what I had done.”
Tears welled up in his eyes, though he tried to hold them back, clearly struggling with the enormity of his actions. You could see the agony on his face, but it didn’t change the fact that he had taken Luke’s life. No amount of regret could bring him back.
You stood up slowly, distancing yourself from him, the raw emotion flooding through you. Anger, hurt, confusion… It all felt like too much to handle.
“Aemond… I…” You tried to speak, but the words caught in your throat. How could you even begin to process this? How could you look at him the same way again, knowing what he had done?
He stood as well, stepping closer to you, his hands outstretched, pleading for you to understand. “Please… don’t hate me. I know I can never make up for what I’ve done, but I need you to know it was a mistake. It was never meant to happen.”
You took a shaky step back, your chest tight with emotion. “A mistake? You killed my brother, Aemond. My little brother. And you… you’re asking me not to hate you?” Your voice cracked as the anger began to rise, the tears threatening to spill.
Aemond winced at your words, his own pain mirrored in the depths of his eyes. He seemed to realize the gravity of what he had said, how hollow it must sound to you. But no matter what he said now, the damage had been done. The bond between you and him, the love that had once seemed unshakable, now felt fragile, splintered.
“I know,” he whispered, his voice barely audible, “I know. I can’t undo it. I can’t change what happened. But I would do anything to bring him back. I would give my own life if it meant undoing what I’ve done.”
You shook your head, the tears finally starting to spill down your face. “It’s too late for that, Aemond. It’s too late.”
You turned away from him, the room feeling like it was closing in around you. Everything you thought you knew about him, about your marriage, had shattered in an instant. How could you move forward with him now? How could you ever forgive him for taking your brother’s life?
Aemond’s footsteps were slow, hesitant, as he followed you. “Please,” he said again, his voice breaking, “please don’t leave me. I can’t lose you too.”
You stopped, your back still to him, and your voice trembled as you spoke. “I need time, Aemond. I don’t know if I can stay with you after what you’ve done.”
The silence between you two was suffocating, the weight of his confession heavy on your heart.
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Two days had passed since Aemond’s confession, and the weight of his words still lingered in your mind like an unshakable shadow. The anger had started to subside, but the hurt remained—deep and raw. You hadn’t seen him since then, the silence between you both stretching longer than you ever thought possible.
You had taken refuge in Helaena’s room, seeking solace in the presence of someone who understood, even though her own heart carried its own burdens. She had been patient with you, offering quiet comfort and the space you needed. You didn’t blame her. She, too, had suffered in silence, bound by love and loyalty to her family, to her brother, and to you.
Lying beside her now, you stared at the ceiling, the flickering shadows of candlelight casting fleeting shapes on the walls. You didn’t know how to feel—how to move forward. You had spent these two days in a daze, trying to process everything, trying to find some semblance of clarity.
“He will wait for you,” Helaena whispered, her voice soft and gentle, as though sensing the turmoil inside you. She reached out, placing her hand over yours in a comforting gesture.
“I don’t know if I can forgive him, Helaena,” you murmured, your voice trembling as the uncertainty washed over you. “How do I forgive something like this? How do I go back to the way we were?”
Helaena squeezed your hand, her eyes full of empathy. “Forgiveness… it isn’t easy. Especially when it’s someone you love. But you don’t have to make any decisions right now. You don’t have to have all the answers.”
“But… he killed my brother,” you whispered, the weight of those words threatening to crush you all over again. “How can I ever forget that?”
Helaena’s gaze softened, and she gently brushed a lock of hair away from your face. “I don’t think anyone could forget something like that. But you have to decide what’s worth holding onto. Whether your love for him is enough to move past the pain. It will take time, and maybe that’s what you need more than anything right now. Time.”
You let out a shaky breath, the tears threatening to fall again. “I just… I don’t know what to do. I don’t know how to look at him the same way.”
Helaena’s voice was a quiet comfort. “You don’t have to have it all figured out. One step at a time, sister. That’s all anyone can do.”
You nodded, feeling a small measure of relief at her words, though the ache in your chest remained. It was as if a part of you had been torn away, and you weren’t sure how to put it back together. You couldn’t just erase what Aemond had done, but the love you had once shared… could it still be salvaged?
“Take your time,” Helaena said softly, her gaze reassuring. “Whatever you decide, we’ll be here for you.”
And so you lay there, the quiet of the room enveloping you, giving you the space to breathe. You didn’t know what the future held, but for the first time in days, you allowed yourself the freedom to simply be. To let time heal, even if only just a little.
You walked toward the children’s room, your mind still clouded with thoughts of the past few days. The weight of the situation with Aemond and the events that had transpired had left you with a heavy heart, but in that moment, the thought of the children waiting for you brought a small sense of peace.
When you entered the room, you saw them—Jaehaera, Jaeharys, and Maelor—already tucked in their beds, their little eyes bright with anticipation. They had been eagerly waiting for you, hoping you would keep the promise you made to tell them a bedtime story.
You smiled softly at the sight, your heart warmed by their innocence. Despite everything that had been happening, this moment was simple and pure, a welcome distraction from the complexities of the world outside.
“You’re all ready for the story, hm?” you asked gently, your voice carrying a hint of warmth as you approached them.
Jaehaera’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “Yes, please! You promised!”
You nodded, settling into the chair next to their beds, adjusting your gown slightly before opening the book you had brought with you. It was a favorite of yours—a tale of adventure, magic, and distant lands. You began to read softly, the familiar words bringing comfort not only to the children but to you as well.
As you read, you could see their expressions shift between concentration and wonder. Maelor, ever the youngest, lay nestled under his blankets, his small hands clutching his favorite stuffed animal. Jaehaera, sitting up slightly, hung on every word, while Jaeharys was already half asleep, though still content to listen to the story.
The soft rhythm of your voice, the turning of the pages, and the gentle breathing of the children created a calming atmosphere. For a while, everything felt right again. It was a fleeting moment of peace in the chaos, one you didn’t want to let go of.
As you finished the story, you whispered softly, “And the adventurers lived happily ever after, surrounded by love and laughter.”
The children smiled, their eyes drooping as the quiet warmth of the room settled in. You kissed each of their foreheads gently, whispering a goodnight as you rose from your seat. Your heart felt lighter, and for the first time in days, you allowed yourself a moment of solace.
Your heart skipped a beat as you froze in place, the cold touch of fear creeping up your spine. In the dim light of the room, two figures stepped forward—one large, looming, and the other smaller, their features obscured by the darkness. They moved swiftly, silently, and before you could react, a blade was pressed sharply to your throat.
The tension in the air was suffocating. You could feel the cold steel of the dagger against your skin, and you instinctively swallowed, your breath shallow. You didn’t recognize them, but the cold, calculating look in their eyes made it clear they were not here for a friendly chat.
“Who… who are you?” you managed to say, trying to keep your voice steady despite the panic rising within you.
The larger figure stepped closer, the knife digging just enough to make you wince. “Quiet,” he growled, his voice low and menacing. “Make a sound, and we’ll finish what we’ve started.”
The smaller figure, still partially hidden in the shadows, moved toward you, keeping an eye on the larger one. There was something about their posture—something unsettling—that made your instincts scream. It wasn’t just the blade at your throat. It was the coldness in their eyes, the precision of their movements.
You fought the urge to panic, focusing instead on keeping calm. You knew if you could just find a way to stall, maybe you could figure out their intentions.
“What do you want?” you asked, your voice trembling slightly, but you forced yourself to stand tall despite the fear gnawing at you. “Why are you here?”
The smaller figure smirked darkly, and the larger one pressed the blade closer, almost daring you to speak again. “We’re not here for pleasantries,” the man said, his grip tightening on the dagger’s hilt. “Just do as we say, and you’ll live to see another day.”
The uncertainty gnawed at you. Were they after you? Or were they just here to send a message? Either way, you knew your next move was crucial. Every muscle in your body tensed, and your mind raced, trying to calculate how to get out of this alive, to protect yourself and those you loved.
And yet, as you stood there, the weight of the danger pressing in, you couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t just a random attack. Someone had orchestrated this. But who? And why you? why the children?
The silence was deafening as you waited for the next move, your mind working fast, your body still as stone, every sense heightened.
The sharp pain in your abdomen took you by surprise, but it was nothing compared to the horror of the scene unfolding before you. Blood soaked your clothes, your hands trembling as you tried to hold onto consciousness. The blade had pierced deep, and you could feel the life draining from you as you looked at the two men standing in front of you. Their cold eyes were fixed on you, one with a menacing calm, the other with a twisted sense of purpose.
"Blood must be paid with blood. A son for a son," the larger of the two growled, his voice filled with cruel finality as his gaze turned to the children in the corner.
Before you could react, the gruesome reality of their words began to play out. The man swung his blade with a brutal efficiency, and in the blink of an eye, Jaehaerys-Helaena's son— was decapitated. The lifeless body fell to the floor with a sickening thud, the blood pooling around him.
You could hardly comprehend what had just happened. Jaehaerys, your nephew, was gone.
Your vision blurred, and a scream of horror was caught in your throat as you saw Maelor and Jaehaera, Helena's other children, forced to watch the brutal execution of their brother.
Tears filled your eyes as your heart twisted with grief and fear for them. But in that moment, you were helpless. The pain from your wound was overwhelming, but the pain of witnessing this cruelty, of not being able to protect these children, was unbearable.
But before you could do anything, the world around you began to spin. The blood loss, the anguish, the terror-it all became too much.
You tried to call out to Helena's children, to make sure they were safe, but your body refused to cooperate.
Your vision was blurry, the world around you spinning in a haze of pain and grief. The coppery scent of blood was thick in the air. Your breaths came in shallow, uneven gasps, every inhale sharp with pain from the wound in your abdomen.
Faintly, you heard it—her voice. Alicent’s scream echoed through the chamber like a shattering bell. It was filled with so much anguish that, for a moment, you almost believed it wasn’t real. But it was. You blinked slowly, your eyes moving toward the doorway, and there she was. Her face was pale as she froze at the sight before her. Her gaze shifted from you to the small, lifeless form of Jaehaerys on the ground. Her eyes widened with shock, horror twisting her features.
“No… no, no, no!” she gasped, rushing forward, her skirts gathered in her hands as she stumbled toward you. “Guards! Guards!” she screamed, her voice cracking as her panic grew. “Aemond! Aemond, come quickly!” Her voice broke as she cried out, and her footsteps quickened.
You felt her hands on your face—warm, desperate, trembling. She knelt beside you, cradling your face with care as if that alone could keep you from slipping away. Her green eyes darted over your body, taking in the bloodstained fabric, the growing red pool beneath you, and the pallor of your skin. Tears welled in her eyes as her voice softened into something broken.
“Stay with me,” she pleaded, her thumbs brushing over your cheeks, smudging blood across your skin. “Stay with me, child. Help is coming. You’re going to be fine. Just stay with me, please.” Her breath hitched with every word, her voice breaking with every plea.
Your gaze shifted, slow and heavy like your eyelids were weighed down by lead. At the far end of the room, you saw them—Jaehaera and Maelor, curled into each other, trembling in fear. They stared wide-eyed at their brother’s body, unable to look away, their small faces frozen in silent terror. Jaehaera clutched Maelor tightly, her little hands gripping him like he was her only lifeline. Tears streamed down her cheeks, her lips quivering as she tried to stay quiet, but soft whimpers escaped her.
Alicent followed your gaze, her face crumpling further as she saw her grandchildren huddled together in the corner. “Oh, sweet children,” she breathed, her voice shattering with grief. But she didn’t leave you. Her fingers pressed against the wound on your stomach, trying to stop the bleeding, her eyes darting between you and the children.
Footsteps echoed down the hall, fast and urgent. The guards were coming. You barely registered the shouts, barely felt Alicent’s hands on you anymore. The edges of your vision darkened, sounds muffled as though you were underwater. You wanted to say something—to comfort Alicent, to tell Jaehaera and Maelor that it would be alright—but your lips wouldn’t move.
The pain dulled. Everything dulled. All you could hear was Alicent’s voice calling your name over and over again, her voice cracking with desperation. “Stay with me,” she begged. “Please, don’t leave me too.”
But her voice was growing distant. Her words were like echoes down a long corridor. You blinked slowly, and the world around you grew darker, colder, quieter.
The sound of hurried footsteps echoed through the halls, sharp and urgent. Aemond’s figure appeared in the doorway, his sharp gaze immediately landing on you. His breath caught in his throat, and for a moment, he stood frozen—his one good eye wide with disbelief.
He took it all in at once. The blood-stained floor. Your pale, unmoving body cradled in Alicent’s lap. The hilt of the dagger still buried in your stomach. His breath came in shallow, uneven bursts, and for a moment, it seemed like the world around him had ceased to exist.
“No,” he muttered, his voice raw and hollow. “No.”
His feet moved before he realized it. Each step was heavy, each heartbeat louder than the last. His face was twisted in anguish, his jaw tight as he dropped to his knees beside you. Alicent’s tear-streaked face lifted to look at him, her eyes red and filled with grief. “Aemond,” she choked, her voice hoarse. “She—she’s losing too much blood. I—I tried—”
“Move,” he said, his tone sharp but trembling with barely restrained panic. Alicent hesitated for a heartbeat, but she nodded and released you into his arms. Aemond gently, but firmly, pulled you into him, cradling you against his chest. His hands hovered for a moment, unsure where to touch without causing you more pain. His gaze settled on the dagger still lodged in your abdomen, his breath hitching as if it physically hurt him to see it.
“Look at me,” he said, his voice cracking as he leaned close to your face. His silver hair fell forward, brushing against your cheek like a soft caress. “Look at me, my love. Open your eyes.” His voice grew more desperate with every word. “Please. Please, just look at me.”
Your eyes fluttered, but they didn’t open fully. The weight of everything—the pain, the blood loss, the exhaustion—was too much. Your breathing was shallow, and you could barely make out his face through the haze clouding your vision. But you knew it was him. You knew his voice, his warmth, his presence.
“Aemond…” you whispered weakly, barely more than a breath.
“I’m here,” he said quickly, his fingers gently cupping your face, tilting it so you could see him better. His eye was wild with fear, glistening as if tears threatened to fall. “I’m here, I’m not going anywhere. Do you hear me?” He glanced at the wound and clenched his jaw so tightly it seemed it might break. “You’re going to be fine. I’ll fix this. I’ll fix everything.”
A shuddering breath escaped you, your lips parting as if you wanted to say something more, but only silence came. Your eyes slowly, painfully, began to close.
“No,” he growled, his voice breaking as he shook you lightly. “Don’t you dare close your eyes. Don’t you dare leave me.” His breathing grew faster, more erratic. “I can’t lose you. I won’t lose you!” His voice cracked with raw, unfiltered anguish, and he pressed his forehead against yours, closing his eye tightly. “Stay with me. Please, stay with me,” he begged, his voice now barely a whisper.
You felt his tears, warm drops falling onto your cold skin. His grip on you tightened, as if he could somehow tether you to the world with sheer willpower alone. His lips brushed against your forehead, lingering there for a long moment, his breath uneven and shuddering.
“Guards!” he suddenly roared, his voice filled with rage and desperation. “Bring the maester! now!” His shout echoed through the halls, filled with so much fury that it startled the guards who had just entered. They rushed to obey, sprinting away with wide, terrified eyes.
But Aemond didn’t look at them. He only looked at you. His heart thundered in his chest, louder than any sound in the world. He rocked you slowly, his eye never leaving your face, his lips moving as he whispered to you like a prayer.
“You’re mine,” he murmured softly, his voice filled with pain and love in equal measure. “Do you hear me? You’re mine. You stay with me, and I’ll burn the world for you. I’ll burn it all.” His words were a vow, spoken with the conviction of a man who had nothing left to lose.
His fingers pressed against the wound, trying to stop the bleeding, his knuckles stained with crimson. “You’re strong,” he whispered again, his voice low and breaking. “Stronger than anyone I know. You’ll survive this. You have to.”
But even as he said it, he glanced at the blood on his hands, and doubt clawed its way into his heart. For the first time in his life, Aemond Targaryen, the fierce Prince of the Greens, looked truly, utterly afraid.
Aemond’s arms held you tightly, your body limp against his chest. His jaw was set in a hard line, his eye dark with a storm of emotions—fear, anger, desperation. His pace was steady but urgent, each step deliberate as if moving any faster might hurt you. Blood dripped steadily from your wound, staining the front of his tunic and trailing behind him like a path of grief.
“Aemond!” Alicent’s voice echoed behind him, filled with panic and worry. “Be careful! Let the maester come to you!”
But he didn’t stop. He didn’t even look back. Her voice was nothing but noise in his ears. All he could think about was you—the warmth of your body slowly fading, your breath shallow and uneven. His heart pounded in his chest, each thump matching the sound of his boots on the cold stone floor.
“You’ll be fine,” he muttered under his breath, as if saying it aloud would make it true. His gaze was locked forward, sharp and focused, his expression one of grim determination. “I’ll get you to our chambers. The maester will come. You’ll be fine. You have to be fine.”
The halls of the Red Keep blurred around him. Faces of servants and guards turned toward him with wide, horrified eyes as they saw the blood-soaked prince carrying his wounded wife. Whispers followed him, but no one dared approach. They knew better. They had seen the look in his eye—the look of a man on the edge of breaking.
His breath grew heavier as he climbed the stairs to your shared chambers, every step heavier than the last. His muscles ached, not from exhaustion but from fear. He glanced down at you, his heart twisting at the sight of your pale face, your eyes barely open.
“Stay with me,” he whispered again, his voice cracking. “Don’t close your eyes. We’re almost there.” His thumb brushed softly over your cheek, his touch uncharacteristically gentle. “Just a little longer, my love.”
Finally, he reached your chambers. He kicked the door open with more force than necessary, the wood crashing against the wall. The room was quiet, the soft glow of the fire flickering in the hearth. Slowly, he lowered you onto the bed, his hands never leaving you for more than a second. His movements were careful, as if you were made of glass that could shatter at any moment.
His gaze flickered to the dagger still lodged in your stomach, his eye narrowing with barely restrained fury. Blood had pooled around the wound, soaking through your clothes. His breathing grew heavy again, his teeth gritting as he fought the urge to tear the dagger out himself.
“Where is the maester?!” he roared, his voice echoing through the halls like thunder. His eye darted to the doorway, expecting to see someone—anyone—rush in. When no one appeared, he cursed under his breath, his fingers curling into fists at his sides.
But then his gaze shifted back to you, and everything else faded away. He dropped to his knees beside the bed, his hands trembling as he cupped your face. His silver hair hung loosely around him like a veil, his sharp features softened by anguish.
“Don’t leave me,” he whispered, his forehead pressing against yours. “Please, don’t leave me.” His voice was quieter now, no longer the commanding, sharp tone of a prince. It was the voice of a man terrified of losing the one thing that grounded him.
He sat there, his hands on either side of your face, his eye squeezed shut as if he could will your survival into reality. “I’ll find them,” he muttered, his voice low and dangerous. “I’ll hunt them down. I’ll make them pay for this.” His fingers tightened on your face—not painfully, but firmly, as if trying to tether you to him. “But not yet. Not until you’re safe.”
Moments later, hurried footsteps echoed in the hall. The maester arrived with two attendants carrying a box of medical supplies. Alicent followed close behind, her face pale, her eyes red from tears. She moved toward you, her lips quivering as she whispered a prayer under her breath.
Aemond didn’t move from your side. He didn’t let anyone push him away. Even as the maester approached, Aemond stayed close, his hand gripping yours, his eye never leaving your face. His lips moved silently, whispering words meant only for you.
“Stay with me,” he repeated like a mantra, his voice raw and broken. “Stay with me.”
The silence that filled the room was more piercing than any scream. The maester’s words echoed in everyone’s minds, but no one spoke.
Aemond stood frozen by the side of your bed, his gaze fixed on your bandaged stomach. He didn’t move, didn’t breathe, as if his body had turned to stone. Alicent stood behind him, her hand covering her mouth, her eyes wide with shock and overwhelming grief.
“A child…?” Alicent whispered, barely audible. Her eyes darted to you, filled with confusion and guilt. “You… you were pregnant?”
Those words cut through Aemond like a blade. Slowly, he turned to face you. His one violet eye burned with a storm of emotions — shock, anger, sorrow, and pain. He looked as if he’d just been struck by lightning.
“You were pregnant?” he asked, his voice hoarse, barely more than a whisper, but there was a sharp edge to it. He took a step closer to the side of your bed, his intense gaze locked on yours. “Why… why didn’t you tell me?”
Tears gathered in the corners of your eyes. “I was going to tell you,” you murmured weakly, your voice fragile from exhaustion and pain. “That night… I wanted to tell Grandfather, then I planned to tell all of you. But everything… everything fell apart.”
His eyes blinked slowly, and he took a deep, shaky breath, his jaw tightening, the muscles in his neck straining. He lowered himself slowly, squatting by your side with his hands braced on his knees.
“Our child,” he muttered, his voice cracking as if the words themselves hurt to say. He stared at your stomach, his gaze hollow and distant. His fingers twitched, his hands trembling as if he was on the verge of losing control. “I wasn’t there… I should have been there.”
He leaned forward, his head bowed low, his shoulders shaking just slightly. Alicent took a step forward, trying to place a hand on his shoulder, but he raised a hand to stop her, his fingers stiff and firm.
“Leave, Mother,” he said in a low, sharp voice, his gaze still fixed on your stomach.
“Aemond,” Alicent said softly, stepping forward, her eyes pleading with him. “Please, think carefully.”
But he wasn’t listening. His single eye locked on the maester again, his face twisted with barely contained fury. “Get out,” he snarled, his voice low and venomous. “Before I lose what little control I have left.”
Alicent hesitated for a moment, her lips parting as if she wanted to say something, but she knew better than to push him. With a heavy heart, she left the room, glancing at you one last time before the door closed behind her.
Once she was gone, there was only the two of you. Silence. Stillness.
Aemond finally lifted his face to look at you. “I swear,” he said, his voice raw and broken, yet filled with resolve. “Those who did this… they will pay.”
He took your hand in his, gripping it firmly but tenderly. He brought it to his lips and pressed a long, lingering kiss on your knuckles as if it were the only thing grounding him to reality. “I should have been here,” he whispered again, his eye filled with self-loathing. “I should have protected you.”
“You didn’t know,” you said softly, your voice faint but sincere. “You can’t blame yourself, Aemond.”
He closed his eye for a moment, drawing in a deep breath, and slowly shook his head. “It’s not enough,” he said, his voice more resolute now, colder, sharper. “An apology is not enough. Empty promises are not enough.”
His face changed. The tenderness you had seen moments before faded into something colder, harder — a mask of quiet fury. It was the face you had seen him wear when he made a decision that could not be undone.
“They took our child,” he hissed, his voice low and deadly, his eye narrowing with cold fury. “I will make sure they feel the same loss. I will hunt them down, one by one, until they beg me to end them.”
“Aemond, please—” your voice cracked as pain shot through your stomach. You winced, biting down on your lip to stop a groan from escaping. Aemond’s eyes widened, and in an instant, he was by your side, his hand pressing gently on your shoulder to keep you from moving.
“Don’t move,” he ordered, his voice firm but laced with worry. “You need to rest. Nothing is more important than you right now.”
But despite his gentle words, you knew what was going through his mind. You could see it in the way his gaze shifted to the door, as if he were already envisioning the faces of the people he would hunt down.
“Aemond, don’t do this,” you pleaded, forcing yourself to sound as steady as possible. “Don’t let hatred consume you.”
His eyes returned to yours, and for a moment, his face softened. He reached out to touch your cheek, his thumb brushing your skin with a tenderness that made your chest ache.
“It’s not hatred,” he said quietly, his voice filled with unwavering conviction. “It’s justice.”
Then he stood. And in that moment, you knew. You knew, as he released your hand and walked toward the corner of the room where his sword lay. His fingers brushed over the hilt, slow and deliberate, like it was a part of him.
“Aemond, don’t leave me,” you begged, your voice trembling as your tears fell freely now. “Don’t leave me alone.”
He paused at the door, his shoulders rising and falling with the weight of a deep breath. Slowly, he turned his head, just enough to look at you from the corner of his eye. And in that single glance, you saw it — doubt, grief, love.
“I will always come back to you,” he promised, his voice a quiet but unyielding vow. “But I will not come back empty-handed.”
“I will make them regret it. They thought they could take from me without anything in return?”
“They will know what it means to take something from Aemond Targaryen.” his voice was cold as Valyrian steel.
The door closed behind him with a heavy thud that echoed throughout the room.
Tears streamed down your face. You stared at the ceiling, struggling to breathe steadily. Your body felt weak, and your stomach felt hollow — not just from the wound, but from the loss of something precious.
The loss was real. The loss was deep.
Outside, the sound of Aemond’s footsteps echoed down the corridor. Each step was slow, heavy, deliberate. The guards stationed along the hall stood at attention as he passed, saluting him, but he did not see them. His gaze was fixed ahead, unwavering, unyielding.
He would find them.
And he would show no mercy.
You leaned your head against the headboard, your gaze distant, fixed on the window where the sky outside shifted from soft blues to the dull gray of a coming storm. The cold air seeped in through the cracks, chilling your skin, but it was nothing compared to the ache that gnawed at your heart.
The pain in your stomach had dulled, the sharp sting replaced by a hollow, aching throb. But it was the pain in your heart that refused to subside — an unbearable weight that settled deep in your chest. You pressed your hand lightly over your abdomen, your fingers trembling as you felt the warmth of the bandages beneath your palm.
A child.
Your child.
Gone.
Tears gathered at the corners of your eyes, but you blinked them away, refusing to let them fall. If you started crying now, you feared you wouldn’t be able to stop. The silence of the room was suffocating, broken only by the soft crackle of the hearth fire, but its warmth did nothing to ease the coldness within you.
Is this the gods’ punishment? The thought clawed at your mind, sharp and relentless. Is this their justice for my choices?
You thought of your mother, of Luke, and of everything that had happened since the day your grandfather died. Siding with the Greens had been a choice made out of love, duty, and survival. But now, doubt seeped in. Was it all worth it?
A sob threatened to break free from your chest, but you swallowed it down, clenching your fists at your sides. You didn’t want to appear weak — not even here, not even now, when there was no one to see you.
Alone.
That word echoed in your mind, louder than the crackling fire, louder than the silence that hung over the Red Keep like a storm cloud.
Aemond was gone. He had left you with promises of revenge and justice, but he had still left. And though you understood why, it didn’t make the ache any less painful.
Alicent was with Helaena and her children. You could hardly blame her. After what had happened to Jaehaerys, Helaena needed her mother now more than ever. But it left you feeling… forgotten.
Alone.
The weight of it pressed down on you, heavier than any wound. Your eyes drifted back to the window, watching as the clouds darkened, the first raindrops tapping softly against the glass. It felt fitting — the world mourning with you.
You closed your eyes, letting the sounds of the rain fill your mind. Maybe if you focused hard enough, you could drown out everything else. The pain. The loss. The guilt. The feeling of being so, so alone.
But no matter how hard you tried, it was still there. The ache in your heart remained, as if the gods themselves had branded you with it.
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The next morning, you were still leaning against the headboard, your gaze lost in the distance when the door to your chamber creaked open. Alicent entered slowly, carrying a tray of food in her hands. The soft clinking of porcelain and metal echoed in the quiet room.
Her steps were slow, deliberate, as if she feared one wrong move would shatter you completely. Her eyes, filled with sorrow and quiet pain, watched you closely. Seeing you like this — pale, fragile, and hollow-eyed — seemed to break something inside her.
She placed the tray gently on the table beside the bed. The warmth of the food wafted toward you, the scent of bread and broth filling the room, but it did little to stir your appetite.
You glanced at her, your eyes dull and heavy with exhaustion. Her lips pressed into a thin, trembling line, as if she were holding back words or tears. For a moment, neither of you spoke. The only sound was the distant patter of rain on the window.
Your voice was hoarse when you finally broke the silence. “Has Aemond returned?” you asked quietly, your gaze fixed on the bedsheets, too afraid to meet her eyes.
Alicent’s breath hitched, her hands folding tightly in front of her. Her eyes flickered with something you couldn’t quite read — was it guilt, was it pity? She hesitated for a moment too long.
“Not yet,” she replied softly, her voice barely above a whisper. She reached for your hand but stopped herself halfway, as if unsure if you’d allow her to touch you. “But he will. He always returns.”
Her words were meant to reassure you, but they only made your chest tighten with the familiar ache of longing. You nodded slowly, leaning your head back against the headboard, eyes fluttering closed. You didn’t want to think about where Aemond was or what he might be doing. Not now.
Alicent sat at the edge of the bed, silent and watchful. You felt her eyes on you, the weight of her worry pressing down like a heavy blanket. She didn’t tell you to eat. She didn’t tell you to get up. She just stayed, her quiet presence offering a comfort she didn’t know how to put into words.
You stayed like that for a while, the rain tapping softly against the glass, the warmth of the untouched food slowly fading from the air.
You finally broke the silence, your voice trembling with a raw edge of pain. “It was a miracle,” you said quietly, your eyes fixed on nothing in particular. “A miracle that I conceived after only a week of marriage with Aemond.”
A bitter laugh escaped your lips, sharp and hollow. Your hands tightened around the blanket on your lap, fingers twisting the fabric as if it were the only thing grounding you. Alicent turned her head toward you, her brows furrowed in concern, but she stayed silent, letting you speak.
“But the gods…” you continued, your voice cracking with the weight of your grief. “The gods must be punishing me.” Your eyes finally met Alicent’s, filled with unshed tears. “They gave me a gift, only to take it back.” Your voice was strained, raw with emotion. “Why? What did I do to deserve this?”
Your breath hitched, and you pressed a hand against your stomach, feeling the dull ache that lingered there. But it wasn’t the pain from the wound that made you crumble — it was the emptiness. The loss.
“I’m angry, Mother,” you admitted, your voice shaking. “I’m angry at them, at everything. At myself.” Your breaths grew shallow, your heart pounding against your ribs. “I feel… I feel like I’ve failed.”
Alicent’s face crumpled, her eyes shining with tears she struggled to contain. Slowly, she reached out and placed her hand on top of yours, the warmth of her touch grounding you. Her fingers curled around yours with a firm but gentle grip.
“You did nothing wrong,” she said softly but firmly. Her voice had the weight of a woman who had known loss and grief too many times. “The gods are cruel, and their will is beyond our understanding. But you are not to blame.” Her voice cracked on the last word, her grip on your hand tightening.
Her words touched something inside you, but the ache in your heart remained, sharp and unyielding. Tears spilled down your cheeks, silent and unrelenting, as the weight of everything crashed down at once — the loss of your child, the fear for Aemond, the weight of a world that seemed so ready to break you.
Alicent moved closer, wrapping her arms around you. She held you tightly, her hand cradling the back of your head as she whispered words of comfort you could barely hear over the sound of your quiet sobs.
“It’s not your fault,” she repeated like a prayer, her voice steady even as her own tears began to fall. “It’s not your fault.”
You finally broke down in Alicent’s arms, your sobs coming in waves so powerful that they left you gasping for air. All the pain, the anger, the grief, and the loneliness you had kept bottled up inside came pouring out in an uncontrollable flood. Your body shook with every cry, your face buried in her shoulder as if trying to hide from the world that had been so cruel to you.
“I’m so tired,” you choked out between sobs. “I’m so… so tired of all of it.” Your hands gripped the fabric of her dress, holding on as if letting go would make you fall apart completely.
Alicent said nothing at first, letting you release it all. Her arms were steady and firm around you, grounding you in the storm of your own emotions. She held you the way a mother holds a child, one hand gently stroking your hair while the other rested on your back. Every now and then, she pressed a soft, reassuring kiss to the top of your head, her breath warm and steady against you.
“You are not alone,” she whispered softly into your hair. “You have me. You have Aemond. We are your family, and we will not abandon you.” Her words were slow, deliberate, each one carrying the weight of her love and conviction.
Her embrace was unyielding, her presence solid and constant, like an anchor in a sea of chaos. You clung to her, letting yourself feel every ounce of your grief. No one rushed you. No one told you to stop crying.
Time felt like it stretched into eternity, the only sound in the room being your quiet sobs and the gentle hum of Alicent’s soothing whispers. And for the first time in days, you allowed yourself to feel vulnerable. You allowed yourself to feel everything.
And for the first time in days, you didn’t feel entirely alone.
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Tag list : @danytar @hangmanscoming @yazzzmints @julessworldd @giirlinblack
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daistea · 5 months ago
Text
First Burn — Mithrun x F!Reader
“You have a choice, Captain. You don’t have to follow me around if there’s something else you’d rather be doing.”
“There is something else I’d rather be doing,” he admitted with a slow nod.
post-canon, spoilers for Mithrun’s story
7000 words :0
NSFW! pls interact responsibly. No minors.
Disclaimer: I do not know how to write smut :)
°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。
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Recently, the world had stopped on its axis. Dungeons collapsed, entire countries burst up from the sea, and Mithrun of the House of Kerensil decided to try.
And he would spend the rest of his life trying. Sometimes, he succeeded. Sometimes, he did not. The other week, he felt an inkling in his chest that he translated as a new desire— for bread. A desire for fresh bread. You proceeded to fulfill his desire, because that’s what you’d decided.
You tried, too. You tried hard. Sometimes, you succeeded. Sometimes, you did not. And judging by the barely-there expression of annoyance on Mithrun’s face, you had a feeling that today would be the latter.
“You don’t have to stay,” you said. While the street around you was crowded and bustling, the space between you and Mithrun felt private, quiet. He was lost in that secret space until your words yanked him back to reality.
You watched as his brows furrowed and a little line formed between them. His good eye searched your face as if looking for answers, but he had to know what you meant. If he wanted to go, then he could go.
It seemed to be the kind of day where he didn’t want anything. He was a ghost lingering at your back, pulled through the hours by some invisible string that kept him tied to you. On his worst days, he viewed himself as an anchor dragging behind your ship. Yet, you never cut that line. You wouldn’t dare.
Without an ounce of hesitation, you met his face. The line between his brow had disappeared, but Mithrun’s usual apathy was weaker, softer. Again, you said, “You have a choice, Captain. You don’t have to follow me around if there’s something else you’d rather be doing.”
“There is something else I’d rather be doing,” he admitted with a slow nod.
You perked up. You offered him the choice to leave simply because Mithrun deserved to have choices, though you knew that if he wasn’t following you then he’d most likely end up spending the day staring at the ceiling of his home. It was one of those days. When his brain decided to comply, he would keep himself busy with a hobby, or he’d visit the palace, or search for monsters on the outskirts of the city. He didn’t always need your company to keep himself functioning.
Yet, the fact that there was something he wanted to do was enough to make you smile. “That’s great,” you turned to face him fully. You had a basket of vegetables hanging off your arm as you and Mithrun stood in front of a merchant stall. Another customer approached and you placed a hand on Mithrun’s arm to gently guide your bodies out of the way. The streets of Melini had become crowded as of late, with more tourists coming to see the newly risen country.
“I suppose it is,” he agreed. He glanced down at your hand on his arm, following your fingers as you pulled them away and rested them on the handle of the basket. Then, his good eye flickered back up to your face.
“So,” you rocked back and forth on your heels, “what is it? Anything I can help with?”
The apathy instantly disappeared. Mithrun raised his brows and tilted his head, his good eye widening in thought. “Yes, actually. I want to have sex. With you.”
You froze.
Despite his words, the world still spun and time still flowed. It was offensive how nothing came crashing down for you, how the planet’s rotation didn’t stop to allow you a moment to comprehend Mithrun’s words.
Heat curled in your lower abdomen. Your throat went dry and you let out a soft exhale. All you could manage in response was, “Huh?”
Mithrun gave a quick nod and looked at you as if you were a bit stupid. “Now.”
Now. The hair on the back of your arms stood to attention. “Huh?”
“That’s what I want,” he slowly explained, “pay for the food and let's go.”
You had no choice but to close your eyes and block out the street sounds. “Wait. I thought you were having a bad day.”
“Hmm… No. I think you’re mistaking me being contemplative for me struggling.”
Right. Okay. Contemplative, that was the face he made when he was contemplating something. Something like sex. With you. Now.
Mithrun wrapped his fingers around your wrist. His skin was cold but his touch was like fire. He pulled, urging.
You yanked yourself free, “No.”
And he blinked in surprise, “You don’t want to?”
“No,” you corrected, “I mean, yes.”
“What?”
“I mean–” you groaned and ran your fingers through your hair, “I want to, believe me. I want to. But not like this.”
Mithrun’s shoulders slumped ever so slightly. The apathy returned in full-force. He wasn’t hurt, you knew, but he also wasn’t used to having one of his few desires rejected, especially by you. “Alright, I won’t force you.”
A flicker of panic passed through your chest. You grabbed his arm to stop him from wandering off, “I’m not saying no, Mithrun. I’m saying that— Well, that I have standards.”
He glanced at you, “Standards.”
It wasn’t a question. “Yes. Standards. It’s really not arousing to just be told ‘I want to have sex with you’.”
“Oh,” he nodded, the tiniest amount of realization dawning on his face, “I see. You want to be romanced and seduced.”
Truthfully, you wanted to shrivel and die. You would’ve liked to melt into the cracks on the sidewalk and hide in the darkness forever. Romanced. Seduced. Mithrun wasn’t judging you, but you were certainly judging you.
“Not exactly. I just mean that the time has to be right. We can’t plan these things,” you explained. The heat you had initially felt from his offer was replaced by cold, unpleasant dread. Mithrun was the one who so bluntly brought up the subject of sex, yet you were the one panicking and overthinking things.
“Alright,” again, he brushed it off with the least amount of effort. You wanted to smack him for the cavalier attitude, though you knew he couldn’t help it. Mithrun would most likely spend the rest of the day feeling perfectly calm, without a hint of awkwardness, while you slowly drowned in the flood of your own thoughts.
Except—
Except, as Mithrun turned away to continue the task of vegetable shopping, you saw his right hand flex. He curled his long fingers in, and out, then made a fist before stuffing it into the pocket of his coat.
It didn’t have to mean anything.
You weren’t technically a couple. Despite how emotionally intertwined you were with him, you’d never kissed.
Yet, he wanted you. He specified, Mithrun didn’t want sex with just anyone. He wanted it with you. That was his new desire.
Without a second thought, you let the basket on your arm slide off and hit the ground. Then, you grabbed the sleeve of his coat. He glanced at you, stopping mid-step and allowing you to softly yank him closer.
Mithrun knew. He wasn’t as connected to his emotions as some, but he knew what you were doing. He placed his left hand on your hip, the other still in his pocket. And as he leaned in, meeting you halfway, your panic and anxiety melted like ice beneath the sun. He pressed his lips against yours and you tilted your head to deepen the kiss. Whatever your body did from then on was not your decision. Your arms snaked around his neck and you tangled your fingers into the soft hair behind his head.
Both of you knew this moment would come. He was yours, you were his. That had always been the case. Mithrun simply hadn’t had any desire to be physical before. Yet, with the way he pressed against you, now both hands on your hips as he gently walked you backward until your back hit a wall, it was clear. Somehow, in some way, the desire for physical intimacy had returned. Whether you had anything to do with that or not was a mystery, but there was no time to question that. He had needs and wants and there was nothing more important in that moment than fulfilling them.
The rest of the world faded away. Your knees grew weak as you realized that it was finally happening; Mithrun had made such progress. He had a desire, and the fact that the desire concerned you made warmth spread through your body.
Another kiss, then another, while gasps and pants between presses of your lips consumed the space around you. You lowered one hand away from his shoulder and rested it on his chest. Mithrun pushed further until he was the only thing holding you up, keeping you on your feet. His fingers splayed across your back and gripped your clothes. Your chest rose and fell with desperate attempts to get air without breaking contact. If it was possible to melt together, to erase every centimeter of room between your bodies, you and Mithrun would’ve found a way.
His hips brushed against yours. It was barely there, but easily identifiable— a hardness beneath his trousers. Flames within you burst into life and threatened to consume you whole.
“We–” through the fog of sheer want, you managed to grab hold of a sliver of logic, “we can’t do this here.”
Mithrun paused. He still held you, but slowly lifted his face. His lips separated from yours with a soft sound. You already missed the feeling of his mouth. It was cold and empty without him. He glanced out at the street, at the passersby who were pointedly not looking in your general direction.
He shrugged, “I don’t really care,” and returned his attention to you, leaning in again.
You pressed your palm against his face to keep him at bay, “Nope. No way. I care, and we’re not doing this here.”
With an annoyed exhale, he brushed your hand aside, “Fine. Then where?”
The heat in your abdomen was slowly dying down. The realization that most likely a fourth of Melini had seen you and the Captain making out in an alleyway was enough to dampen your fire.
You untangled your arms from his shoulders, trying to pull back. His grip on you resisted until you sent him a half-hearted glare. Only then did he let go and raise his hands to signify that you were free. Yet, as you turned to leave, he instantly grabbed you again.
“Where?” He repeated, his good eye narrowing.
“Nowhere!” You shot back, then paused, “Well, somewhere. But we can’t plan these things, they have to happen naturally, when the time feels correct.”
“Right now certainly feels correct to me.”
“I’ve got things to do,” you complained while you slipped out of his grip once more. You didn’t mean to be so difficult, but the lingering dread of making out in a public alleyway, combined with the fact that your armpits were a bit sweaty, killed every ounce of arousal within. You picked up the basket of veggies and sent Mithrun an apologetic smile, “I promise, we’ll try soon. I want you to be happy and to do these kinds of things, but this is more serious than, like, a food craving or something.”
“Objectively, I’m aware,” he answered, his tone clipped.
“You’re just horny,” you finished for him.
“Unbearably horny.”
What progress! “Good for you,” you patted his arm and smiled, “I’m proud!”
He made a face. You hoped that your imitation of a mother praising her child for a good grade would ease his newfound lust for at least a bit, at least until you could match his energy.
However, Mithrun still clung to you for the next hour. When you stopped to discuss a price with a merchant, Mithrun wrapped his arms around you from behind and nuzzled his face into your neck.
“Is now the right time?” He murmured.
And you brushed him off, because you had no desire to make everybody around you uncomfortable. (Mithrun did not care.)
“No,” was all you said.
He made a small, flat noise of disapproval. Despite your nature, you couldn’t help but smile. Torturing Mithrun made your heart skip a beat, it put you in a good mood.
You separated for the evening. Mithrun had resorted to giving you the silent treatment, which only raised your amusement to new heights. As you watched him turn to walk home without so much as a goodbye, with his barely disguised brooding and glare, a flicker of power passed through you. Admittedly, you were tempted to spend the night in his bed. But you were more tempted by the possibility of teasing him to the brink of his control, of seeing him overcome and ruffled and desperate.
Another curl of heat in your abdomen took your breath away. You forced yourself to turn, to retreat. Good things come to those who wait.
°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。°。
But it was midnight and waiting was no longer an option. Only several hours had passed since you’d last seen Mithrun, but his words refused to leave your mind.
‘I want to have sex. With you.’
There was absolutely nothing romantic about them. He didn’t use a sultry voice. He spoke those two sentences as if he was reading items off a grocery list. And it was so out of the blue.
Yet, the fact that they were from him, from someone who so rarely felt desire, was special. Without trying, Mithrun had branded the words onto your brain with a hot iron. And that heat traveled down your body like a spreading fire until it burned and pulsed between your legs, growing more urgent with every passing contemplation.
You needed to know: how did he come to realize that desire? What changed? Did he simply wake up that morning in the mood for sex? Had he been trying to cultivate that desire?
You laid in bed, your hands spread out over your chest, your eyes on the ceiling. Another throb of pleasant warmth between your legs made your lips part. Mithrun wanted you. Why didn’t you just give him what he wanted earlier?
Something began to build up inside of you. If you just had a little friction, a touch, it could burst forth and envelop you in warmth.
Your hand trailed down your stomach and—
And a loud clang from outside your bedroom window stopped you. You turned your head to look, hand halted mid-air as your flames began to dim.
In the darkness of the night, a shadow passed by the glass. Their features were blurred by the darkness, but they were tall, wide, and slowly stepping past your window. Your little cabin was on the outskirts of the town, and all of your neighbors were a half mile away. Your friends had always told you that it wasn’t safe for a single woman to live alone in such a vacant area.
Your blood ran cold as the shadow moved on towards your backyard. Instantly, you scrambled out of bed and through the house to make sure all your doors were locked. Another peek outside the window in the kitchen revealed that the figure had crossed the yard and was rifling through your garbage. At least they weren’t trying to get inside. Yet.
Breathless, with a racing heart and tears stinging at the corners of your eyes, you hurried back to the bedroom. You flicked a hand and your communication pixie twirled into existence. You didn’t give it any time to stretch and yawn from its slumber, grabbing it from mid-air and squeezing its little body.
Mana channeled through your veins. You attempted to shove aside the fear and imagine Mithrun, then frantically tapped the pixie’s head, “Mithrun!” You hissed.
A moment passed. No answer.
“Mithrun,” you insisted, your voice choking up. Air refused to travel through your lungs, and you started hyperventilating into your free hand.
Four seconds passed before you heard a soft sigh through the pixie’s mouth, “What is it?”
He sounded tired, groggy, but you couldn’t bring yourself to care about waking him up. “I-I think someone’s stalking around my house. They haven’t tried to break in yet but I’m really freaked out—“
“I’ll be there in a minute,” he instantly said, sounding more awake.
And with Mithrun, he meant it. Walking regularly would take around fifteen minutes, since you lived several miles apart. Yet, when he was determined, he could teleport quickly enough to cross those miles within five minutes.
You quietly groaned and collapsed onto the edge of the bed, releasing your fairy— who sent you a worried look before twirling and disappearing into thin air.
There was nothing wrong with calling Mithrun for help, but embarrassment and dread settled into your stomach nonetheless. He’d prefer you call him with these types of situations, you knew. But you were capable too. You had helped save the world from the demon, yet some random shadowy figure in your backyard reduces you to tears? Pathetic.
It was simply an invasion, and you were in your night clothes and your weapon was thrown into the back of your closet somewhere. That was all. And the fact that the figure passed by your window when you were seconds away from pleasuring yourself made you want to throw up.
Another set of footsteps crunching down on the grass tore you from your thoughts. They were accompanied by a light spell which illuminated silver waves of hair and a dark cloak.
Relief flooded your chest, though you hesitated to let your guard drop entirely. You scrambled through the cabin and toward your kitchen window where you saw Mithrun silently crossing your yard towards the shadowy figure.
He paused mid-step. Then, he rested his hands on his hips. As his light spell floated over him, you caught a glimpse of what he looked at; brown feathers and a yellow beak, accompanied by the slithering of a snake.
A basilisk. It was just a basilisk digging through your garbage.
You couldn’t decide whether you wanted to collapse from relief, or scream from frustration.
Nonchalantly, Mithrun reached out a hand and tapped the chicken part on the back. It disappeared, and he wasted no time in turning around and heading for your back door. Despite your shaking hand and sick stomach, you unlocked the door and opened it to let him inside without a word. He dispelled the light spell and pulled off his cloak with a sigh.
“I’m so sorry,” you exhaled heavily, locking the door, “I should’ve just gone to check on my own.”
Mithrun sent you a blank glance, but as if he’d been caught by a hook, he did a subtle double take. His good eye flickered over your body, across your shoulders, down your thighs.. It took several seconds for his brain to catch up, “No… If that happens again, don’t go outside. I know you can take care of yourself, but I’d rather not risk it.”
He didn’t stop staring. The shamelessness of his gaze on your diaphanous nightdress made you heat up. The intruder was just a scavenging basilisk, you weren’t in any real danger, yet Mithrun had been so determined to help you.
As offensive as the whole situation was to your personal sense of feminism, it made your knees weak.
Mithrun finally looked away. He took a breath that made his chest rise and fall, his hands buried in the folds of his cloak. “I’ll go now, then.”
“No,” you argued before you could even think twice. You grabbed his arm to stop him. He was wearing a loose night tunic so different from the long sleeved, high necked outfits he usually chose. You’d seen his scars before, but it was so rare to touch his bare skin like that, to feel the soft texture beneath your fingers.
Mithrun raised a slight brow, “No?”
He wanted you.
You wanted him.
“Could you stay the night?” You asked, trying to keep your voice steady, “I’d feel better with you near.”
Calling Mithrun to investigate potential attackers was one thing, but requiring his presence to help you sleep was beyond uncharacteristic. He knew exactly what you were doing, and he sent you a look that revealed precisely that.
But he also wasn’t one for complaining. He simply nodded and draped his cloak across the back of a chair, then pulled off his boots. With weak knees, you turned around to return to your bedroom. You wanted to be casual, to not be too hyper-aware of his presence following you down the hall.
Any other decent man would’ve politely asked if you’d rather he sleep on the couch. Mithrun was not other men, and he was only decent around 42% of the time.
You pulled back the sheets. The silence was consuming, but only to you, apparently. Mithrun remained cavalier as he slid onto the left side of the bed and pulled the sheets up around him. He sent you a blank look as if to ask why you were hesitating, why this moment was so monumental for you.
He knew exactly why, he was just being a jackass.
You crawled in. Before you could get comfortable, Mithrun snaked an arm around your waist and pulled your back against his chest. Your bodies molded together as he buried his nose in your hair.
Right down to business. He knew precisely what you wanted.
Your heart started to pound and heat flooded the space between your legs. Mithrun hadn’t wanted anything intimate in forty years. It was the least you could do to let him be a little greedy.
His hand slowly ran down the curve of your waist, brushing over the fabric of your night dress. Once he reached the hem, his fingers danced across your bare skin. He had rough callouses, and as he stroked your outer thigh, the scratch created from years of fighting sent tingles through your veins. The room was quiet save for your exhales, your attempts to control your breathing.
“I wonder,” Mithrun murmured, “did you know it was just a basilisk in your yard, and you used it as an excuse to get me to come over?”
You scoffed, “No. I was fully planning on drawing this whole thing out for longer, actually.”
He exhaled in annoyance, but despite the sharp sound, his hand rounded the curve of your thigh and brushed closer to the sensitive inner part. That warm pulsing between your legs returned. The slight twitch of his growing hardness against your ass was enough to send a wave of arousal through you.
His hand drew up, over your underwear, to your stomach. And while he did that, he pressed his lips against your neck.
“You’re-“ you tried to gather the scrambled pieces of your brain, “you’re surprisingly eager for someone who hasn’t wanted this in so long.”
Mithrun ran his lips down your neck, “I’ve been working on it.”
Spectacular. That answered your burning question. You tilted your head to give him more access as you spoke, “So you’ve been trying to regain the desire for intimacy?”
He nodded, “I have.”
“How so?”
“Just putting some thought into the matter,” Mithrun lightly dug his teeth into the crook of your neck, earning a soft gasp. Then, he continued, “Contemplating what it would be like. Focusing on you, looking at you. Physical stimulation.”
He spoke so clinically, yet the implications behind his answer sent a shiver trailing down your spine. “Physical stimulation?”
“It was hard, at first. Nothing much happened.”
“So… It wasn’t actually hard at first?”
Mithrun promptly pinched your side, but that only made you laugh more. When you didn’t stop giggling quickly enough for him, he dug his teeth into your shoulder and hooked a finger into the line of your underwear. That dimmed the amusement. Despite the interruption, you could feel him growing harder against your ass.
“Anyway,” he grumbled, kissing the spot he’d just bit, “it took some determination and focus.”
“Focus on what?”
You knew. You just wanted to hear him say it again.
“On you,” he pressed himself against you. His hand rose to cup your breast, and his thumb brushed over the hardened nipple.
The image of Mithrun trying to revive his sexual desire by thinking of you, by stroking himself as he focused on you, flickered through your mind. You couldn’t help but arch into his hand.
“How long have you been waiting to try it out?” You asked, breathless.
Mithrun’s hand left your chest. He sat up, and you rolled onto your back to look up at him as he pressed his palms into the mattress.
“A bit too long for my taste,” he said. The gravel in his voice was evident despite how calm he looked. Silver curls fell, framing his face.
You couldn’t tear your gaze away, not even for a second, “What do you want me to do?”
Mithrun tilted his head and raised his brows, looking a little thoughtful, “What do you mean?”
“Do you…” you paused and raised a hand to brush a lock of hair away. Then, you trailed your fingers down the jagged edges of his ear, and he closed his eyes, leaning into the touch. “Do you want me to take the lead? Just to ease us into it?”
His good eye flickered open, “Another time. I’ve given this enough thought to understand exactly what I have to do.” He sat up and gripped the outer flesh of both your thighs. His fingers dug into your skin. You wanted more, you wanted him to hold you so tightly he left bruises, evidence.
“And?” You urged.
“I know that with the few things I want…” Mithrun’s hands slid over the tops of your thighs and to the inner curves, then he slowly spread you apart, just for him. “I have to put in the effort and work to get it.”
There was something so beautifully sinful about his hands on your inner thighs. He opened you up, laid you bare, invited himself in with full confidence that you wanted him there. Your core pulsed, aching to be filled. All you knew in that moment was Mithrun as he sat between your legs. His good eye flickered over your body. If he cared about any imperfections you had, he showed no indication. Rather, he looked slightly thoughtful, as if he were mapping out a battle strategy atop the landscape of your hips.
You couldn’t help but shiver beneath his stare. He glanced up at you, then back down, and hooked his fingers in the band of your underwear. His shoulders rose as he slid them down your thighs, the fabric a caress. You moved your legs to help shimmy them off before he tossed them aside and picked up your right thigh. Leaning down, Mithrun positioned your leg over his shoulder.
As realization burst through your warm haze, you sat up, “You don’t have to do that. I should be focusing on you—”
“Quiet,” Mithrun commanded. He dipped down, but paused, and his gaze flickered up to meet yours, “You’re already wet.”
Wonderful. He said it so casually, too, as if he was pointing out the weather.
You scowled despite the incessant pulsing in your core, “Don’t tease me.”
“I’m not teasing,” he commented.
Usually, you could read Mithrun well. You knew his subtle indicators of emotion— the furrow of his brow, the slight widening or narrowing of his good eye, the twitch of his lips. However, whether he meant to or not, Mithrun’s book was shut for the moment. The closest emotion you could attach to him was analytical. Or rather, curious.
Still, you fought. The heat on your cheeks demanded that you go to war. “We don’t need to bother with me. I think that right now we should—”
Mithrun dipped down and flicked his tongue against your clit. Pleasure rippled up from your core and to your throat. You gasped, but he gave you no time, no mercy. He sucked at your clit, pushing and pulling and enveloping and stroking. Mithrun carried out intimacy much in the same way he fought: ruthless, relentless, disregarding what was right or wrong and focused solely on his goal.
It had been a while for you. You’d given yourself to Mithrun for so long that you never glanced at anybody else. You’d resigned yourself to a relationship with a lack of anything physical. You were okay with that. Mithrun wouldn’t care if you used your fingers, and you’d never ask him to do anything for you without his desire present.
Yet, he’d been trying. And he’d given it so much thought. And he increased in intensity as he stroked your clitoris with his tongue. You’d been writhing and gasping without realizing it, bucking your hips up in a desperate attempt to get even closer.
He let go of your thigh and pressed your hips deeper into the mattress. As his fingers dug into your skin, holding you down like leather straps, the pressure and pulsing and throbbing grew stronger. You ached to be filled. It was all you could do to grip the sheets and gasp for air.
“Mithrun,” you said, breathless. It felt right to say his name, as if that might make the moment feel any more real.
His good eye flickered up to you, but he instantly returned to his merciless attack. You watched as his shoulders tensed in his attempt to keep your hips down. He pulled back for half of a second to catch his breath before diving in with far more enthusiasm than you were used to from him.
The very fact that he wanted to pleasure you, that he was putting in the effort, that you could see the outline of his cock growing hard beneath his pants— it all built up like water filling a balloon. If he continued, the walls would burst and you’d be in ruins beneath his fingers and mouth.
Heat rose. Your muscles tensed and you planted your feet into the sheets, hoping to ground yourself before you floated away. Another intense caress of his tongue threatened to push you over the edge. You wanted it so badly. You wanted to fall, to be ruined by him. The fire within your abdomen started crawling through every inch of your body as you desperately tried to catch your breath.
“Mithrun,” you murmured again. It was louder, then. And, again. Again. His fingers dug further into your skin and you writhed helplessly. You were saying something, though you weren’t aware what it was. Another gasp, another flick of his tongue, and you were broken.
Mithrun rode out your orgasm with a surprising amount of patience. He opened his eye and watched from the spot between your legs as you threw your head back. While he had enough mercy to slow down in his ministrations, he licked up every bit of you that you had to offer. Your chest rose and fell. Your nipples were hard and poked through the thin fabric of your nightdress. Once you started to catch your breath, he pushed himself up, but that was where his mercy ended.
Mithrun gripped your arms and pulled you into a sitting position. He had to hold you to keep you from falling backwards onto the pillows. With one hand, he pulled the end of your nightdress up. “Off,” was all he said.
The command barely reached your ears, but you wanted to take it off anyway. You raised your arms and let him pull it over your head to toss it aside. Then, he yanked off his loose shirt. As you floated back down to reality, you took a deep breath— returning to the land of the sober just in time to catch Mithrun picking up the edges of the bed sheets and using them to wipe your slick off his mouth and chin.
You gasped, “Not the sheets!”
He pointedly ignored you as he lifted his hips and pulled down his trousers, though an ink-black eye lingered on your face, refusing to look anyway. His earlier curiosity was gone, replaced with determination you’d only rarely seen— once, when he encountered the demon. Another time when he couldn’t get a noodle recipe right.
Once his trousers were off, he shifted closer, between your legs. Hesitantly, you leaned back and rested your weight on your elbows. It felt wrong to blatantly ogle him, but the slopes of his arms and shoulders and the angle of his torso would surely haunt you all your days. He didn’t seem to mind, focused on his own endeavors. It was only when he held his dick and brushed it against your wet folds that you finally paid attention.
He rubbed the tip on your clitoris. You tensed, still sensitive, and raised a hand to cover your mouth as if that would be enough to stop the desperate sounds. Mithrun was experimenting, then. He was rarely careful, but he was analytical, smart enough to figure out what you liked. Again, he pressed his length against you and you couldn’t help but shudder.
“You’re very sensitive,” he observed.
Again, the asshole sounded like he was simply discussing the weather. You were crumbling and his demeanor sustained not even one crack.
You managed a glare, “I thought I told you not to tease me.” As if Mithrun ever teased anyone.
“Stop complaining,” he murmured as he snaked his hands beneath you and lifted your hips. Your insides throbbed for him, desperate, begging for him to fill you.
First, the tip. It sunk in like a massage on a sore muscle. Mithrun’s gaze dropped and he watched himself go further. You enveloped him. All he knew was you, your warmth, your wetness, clinging to him. He let out a shuddery exhale as he finally pressed himself inside entirely. His lips parted and he lifted your hips to pull you closer, though there was no more room left between your bodies to close.
His cock inside of you was like honey dripping onto your tongue. It was like silk. It was a several years long hunger finally being satiated. Mithrun thrusted experimentally and you couldn’t help but gasp from the sudden pulsing reverberating up your body.
“Move,” you begged, breathless.
“I—” Mithrun took a deep breath and closed his eyes. He still held your hips, but his hands quivered, “I can’t yet. Just give me a minute.”
His answer managed to pull you from the haze. He hadn’t had sex in forty years, of course he was sensitive. It was his first time feeling the warmth and wetness of a pussy in so long.
But, simply because you had a sadistic streak, you tightened your muscles to clench around him.
Mithrun’s head dropped. He tensed. His exhale was a shudder that racked his body, and he couldn’t help but grind against your hips in response. Finally, he was showing some response, some weakness. You bathed in the sight and feeling of pride. It was you who cracked him. It was your tightness that made him gasp and lose his mind.
He didn’t even need to move, and you were already addicted to having him inside of you. The look on his face, the flutter of his eye, the harsh press of his fingers; how could you ever stop?
But he took a deep breath and straightened himself out. Then, holding your hips, he slipped away, leaving you cold and empty. You sat up with the intent to complain, but he slammed back into you. Any words you had were instantly strangled into silence. His tip hit a sensitive spot, sparks ran up your body. With no warning, Mithrun began to relentlessly drive into you. Skin slapped against skin. Every thrust was yet another breath stolen from your lungs. And somehow, he hit the perfect spot each and every time.
You gasped his name. Mithrun’s lips were parted and his cheeks were flushed, but he looked up to meet your face. Without another word, he lifted his right hand and slid it between his hip and your thigh, then pressed two fingers against your clitoris and began to rub.
With just the simplest touch, he had you falling apart once more. You held desperate eye contact for a moment until you could no longer take it, until you had no choice but to shut your eyes. His name was a prayer on your lips. You praised him, reverential, letting him take you, own you, claim you. His touch was religion. Every time he filled you, you sunk deeper, indoctrinated. Mithrun pressed his fingers down harder and faster as you began to writhe once more. Another moan of his name was followed by a string of curses as the thrum within your core rose to unbearable levels.
“There,” Mithrun breathed out, “There you go. That’s my girl.”
You broke. He shattered you. You had no clue how loud you were, what you said. There was a few ‘fucks’ thrown in there, a few words of blasphemy and sin and pleading. The only sound that cut through your fog of pleasure was Mithrun’s hips snapping against yours even harder. He might leave bruises. He might leave you sore. You certainly hoped so.
Mithrun groaned your name. His hair fell into his face as he pressed both arms into the sheets. His right hand, still slick with evidence of your arousal, went to your face and lifted you into a hard kiss. His teeth knocked against yours but you were too lost to care. Another screw, another thrust, another slam against the most sensitive spot in the back of your body. You’d never come from just dick. You’d never orgasmed with so few rubs.
Mithrun repeated your name and his hips stuttered and—
Then, he buried his face against your neck and dug his teeth into your skin. You wrapped your arms around him to hold him close while he spilled inside of you. All you could think about was his seed coating your vagina, covering every inch while your walls milked him dry. He was yours. You wanted every ounce.
His thrusts slowed down and he caught his breath. You’d told yourself for years that it was okay to forego this kind of physical intimacy with him. You could handle that for the sake of being with Mithrun. Yet, now that you’d felt it, you couldn’t imagine ever parting with it. He was inside of you. He was holding you. He was bruising and marking and claiming you.
And he collapsed on top of you like a limp rag doll.
You let out an oof, “Get off. You’re too heavy.”
He only groaned into your shoulder, the sound muffled. Mithrun was absolutely boneless.
His dick slowly softened and slipped out of you naturally, though you already missed it. You would’ve gladly been his cock-warmer if he asked. You would’ve gladly allowed him to use your body beyond what was proper.
Holding him tightly, you buried your face into his hair. “I’ve got to go pee or else I’ll get a UTI,” you grumbled.
“Just… One more minute.”
One more minute. You wanted more than one, but you were also far too pragmatic to let yourself fall asleep with the threat of unbearable bladder pain on the horizon.
He was dead weight on your body, but it was grounding. If Mithrun ever thought of himself as an anchor, he might be right, though he greatly misunderstood the purpose of the role. Without an anchor, you’d drift endlessly. Without him, you’d lose a part of yourself.
Your soul slowly returned to your body as you patted his shoulder, “Come on, we’ve got to change the sheets too.”
“They’re fine,” he grumbled, another muffled sound.
“They’re gross.”
“It’s natural.”
“It smells.”
Mithrun lifted his head to shoot you an unamused stare, “Get used to it.”
You refused. For the moment, though, you would humor him. It was his first time fulfilling a new desire, a lack of complaints might be in order.
Mithrun rolled off your body and collapsed onto the spot next to you. With a contented sigh, you got out of bed and made toward the bathroom with him dripping down your thighs. The very thought made your knees weak.
After peeing and cleaning up— a shame, despite your concern for cleanliness— you returned to the bedroom to find Mithrun lying on his back in the bed. He had one hand on his forehead, his hair pushed away from his face and his good eye wide as it stared at the ceiling.
You tensed, “What’s wrong?”
“Please tell me you–” he sat up to pin you in place with an intense look, “tell me you’re taking some sort of birth control.”
You were. But all you could do was raise a brow, “You’re just now thinking about that?”
Mithrun looked a bit dead inside, more so than usual. “I was caught up in the moment.”
You decided to cut him some slack, “Yes, I’m on birth control herbs. Really, they’re just to control other things, since I haven’t had sex in years. But still.”
Slowly, his eyes closed. He nodded and lowered back to the pillows.
“Water?”
Another nod.
He lasted longer than you thought he would. He didn’t seem exhausted, though the adrenaline from his orgasm would most likely help him sleep. You brought water and he gratefully drank as you pulled the covers up over your body.
Mithrun set the glass down on the nightstand and sent you a glance. No words needed to be said. No grand gestures were required. He caught your cheek with his calloused hand and nudged you closer until your lips met. You tangled your fingers in his hair. Despite the monumental moment in your relationship, the air remained clear. Your comfort, the naturalness of it all, felt as if you’d been intimate for years, as if you were made for touching each other, as if your bodies were molds created specifically to fit together.
Still.
“Get up,” you demanded between kisses, “I’m changing the sheets.”
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sundrop-writes · 5 months ago
Text
Protective
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Isaac Lahey x Fem!Reader
Summary:
During his first full moon, Isaac needs to think of something to ground him - to keep his newfound powers from getting out of control. Derek suggests that he use anger, and he knows that Scott grounds himself with his love for Allison.
Isaac finds something in between - thinking of the anger he feels when you get hurt.
Isaac Lahey x Fem!Reader. Pining Best Friends. Hurt and Comfort. Set during Season 2, Episode 9.
Word Count: 2,300
Teen Wolf Masterlist | AO3 Link
Full list of warnings and author's notes below the cut.
Warnings: canon level violence - mentions of Isaac, Erica, and Boyd having to be chained up on the full moon (to avoid hurting themselves and others), mentions of Isaac's abusive father (somewhat graphic descriptions of the abuse that Isaac experienced); Isaac has a self deprecating inner monologue because of the psychological effects of his father's abuse; mentions of Isaac being injured by his father's abuse; the reader also has an abusive father and it's a point on which they related and bonded (and how they became such close friends); at one point the reader describes her abuse as being 'not as bad' as Isaac's abuse (but that is psychological trauma speaking); mentions of the reader experiencing physical and emotional abuse; reader is described as 'pretty girl' at one point in the fic (again, this is very self indulgent); Isaac has a crush on the reader but has never voiced it (it's implied that the reader feels the same way); Isaac and the reader exchange friendly physical affection; emotional angst - Isaac feels powerless for not being able to stop the reader's abuse; I think that's it for this short fic? The themes are on the darker side, but it comes from a personal place for me.
A/N: If you've been following me for any amount of time, then you know I have a thing for sad, abused characters. If you have read my Ellie fic 'My Heart Is The Worst Kind of Weapon' - then you would know why. Isaac is the kind of character I immediately connect to for deeply personal reasons, so watching the entirety of Teen Wolf through for the first time, I couldn't resist writing a fic about him. There will likely be more to come about him, but for now - here is this deeply self indulgent moment inspired by Season 2, Episode 9. If you don't relate to this, I hope you can enjoy it as a distant whumpy fiction, and if you can relate to it - I hope that Isaac can bring you some comfort like he has for me. Much love, happy reading.
...
While the chains rattled against the abandoned subway car and Isaac tried to ignore Erica’s groans of pain from having several large bolts bored into her head, he couldn’t help the question that was rattling around inside of him. 
“How do you do it?” Isaac asked Derek as he arranged the chains around his limbs. He was trying to push down the sickly familiarity of it - being restrained. He was trying to tell himself that it actually was for his own good this time, not just a sick punishment given to him by a powerless, unhinged old man. “How do you keep it under control?” 
“You have to find an anchor.” Derek told him, firm, determined. 
It was nice to focus on the conversation instead of the anxiety rising in his chest, so Isaac pressed on. 
“An anchor?” He questioned, unsure what Derek meant. “Like what?” 
“Yeah. Something else for you to focus on. For me it's anger.” Derek paused. “But it's not like that for everyone.” 
It was immediately obvious to Isaac who Derek was speaking of. 
“Scott.” 
He had Allison. It was some dreamy romantic bullshit - using his love for his girlfriend to keep from wolfing out. But apparently, it worked well for him. 
Derek gave a subtle nod. 
Isaac didn’t have anything like that. He didn’t have some cheesy romance to fall back onto. He didn’t have someone declaring a love for him so openly - because he wasn’t worth loving. Even with his father gone, the world had made it very clear that he was just a piece of shit stuck to the bottom of someone’s shoe - a problem being passed around that nobody could seem to solve. 
“It just has to be something strong enough to keep your mind present. A strong feeling you can hold onto. Anger, love, resentment, regret, rage. Just find something that works for you.” 
Isaac nodded, and Derek went to check that Erica and Boyd were secure as the moonlight came to its full brightness. 
… 
It got Isaac thinking about you. 
You were probably the one person in his life who didn’t think he was a problem. The one person in his life who loved him, even if you didn’t say it out loud. 
He had felt all of those things - anger, love, resentment, regret, rage - the last time he had been with you. When he had been sitting in your bathroom, perched on the closed toilet seat lid after an argument with his father. Naturally, the argument had ended with Isaac having a black eye, and a large cut on his cheek from his father's ring colliding with his face. 
You were the only person he ever went to. No matter how bad things got, you were the only person he ever told. You were the only person who ever understood. Isaac had found out the hard way that your own father was much the same as his. On the first day of freshman year, he had seen you wearing a sweater when it had been a balmy, sunny day, and he had volunteered to be lab partners with you - partially to get closer to a pretty girl and partially because a gnawing feeling was going off in his stomach. 
Even back then - even when he was scrawny and powerless, his instinct to protect you had still been so strong. Even if all he could offer you was a shoulder to cry on and the chocolate bar out of his lunch, he looked at you and he felt the world turning on the simple hope that he could make your day just a bit better. Because he knew, even without words, by the tiredness in your eyes - that you suffered like he did. And he wanted so badly to make it better. 
When the two of you were doing an introductory experiment of baking soda and vinegar to cause the classic foaming volcanic reaction, the rubber gloves you had been wearing caused your sleeve to ride up, revealing a menacing purple bruise on your wrist. Isaac spotted it instantly, and when you locked eyes with him, he held nothing but deep understanding there - not shock or even pity. Nothing but deep understanding and warmth. 
He held your hand under the table for the rest of class, and you had never wanted to pull away. You felt a unique kind of mourning when the bell rang and you had to part ways. 
At lunch that day, you found him under the bleachers by the lacrosse field. Without so much as a word, only a cursory glance around to make sure that nobody else was watching, he pulled up his shirt, revealing an array of horrifying bruises to you - some purplish, some green, some faded yellow - all collected from different points throughout the summer. The time when he had been trapped at home with his father, having nowhere else to go as the man got more aggravated with his presence. 
You ran a gentle touch along the wounds - the most gentle touch he had been greeted with since his mother's death, something that easily brought him to tears. And from that moment on, the two of you had a silent understanding. You spent the rest of the lunch hour exchanging ‘war stories’ and laughing with a tainted dark humor about your separate twisted patriarchs. And the next time he was bloodied and bruised, he texted you to meet him under the bleachers in that same spot, and you didn’t hesitate to rush out of bed at three in the morning to get to him. 
It became a sacred place for the two of you to escape to when you needed it. 
The two of you became a sacred comfort to each other - knowing that there was little escape in telling the police or a guidance counselor, because you had nowhere else to go. 
Today, when Isaac called you, you found your house luckily empty. Your mother and your father were away visiting relatives in another state, so when Isaac told you that he needed you, you texted him the all clear to come over to your house for a reprieve. He was lucky to be able to spend the night somewhere else - to get to sleep in your bed, cuddled up close to you for comfort, without fear. 
He tried not to wince with pain as you dabbed disinfectant on the large cut across his cheek. He hated seeing you flinch with empathy every time his expression wavered even slightly. He could handle the pain. He could be better than this. 
“Isaac.” You sighed his name pitifully, clearly on the edge of tears. 
Both of you knew the thoughts that were pulsing thickly through your head, even without you having to speak them. 
Isaac didn’t deserve this. You wanted to hurt his father in return. You wished you could take away his pain, you wanted to help him escape from it. 
It was a ‘wishful thinking’ conversation that the two of you had dozens of times before. It always ended with you both more upset than when it started, so you swallowed up those thoughts now. But Isaac knew them too well, written across your face and swollen on your lips like the tears brimming your pretty eyes. 
You put down the cotton ball you had been using and turned your back to him, poorly hiding your crying as you stiffly wiped off your cheeks. 
“What do you want me to say?” He replied, hating that this whole thing had to upset you. “You know how it is.” 
To an extent, you didn't. Your father was a screamer. He yelled loud enough to shake the walls, but he rarely escalated to physical violence. You found that you were lucky if you escaped a fight with death threats and tears rather than having hands laid on you. Isaac came to school with fresh bruises every other week - you had to feel that he was worse off than you were. 
“We should just go.” You said, feeling bold in your suggestion. It felt obvious - escaping. “We should just run away. Get the hell away from all this.” 
You whipped back around, still feeling a terrible twinge of pain and sadness inside you at the bruising across his face, the fact that his cheek was definitely swelling up now. 
Isaac frowned. It was a nice dream, and he hated to be the one to dash right through it. 
“You know we can't do that.” Isaac sighed. Ever the realist. Of course. “Where the hell would we even go? With what money? No offense, but the couple hundred dollars you have saved up from babysitting isn't gonna get us anywhere.” 
“It's over fifteen-hundred.” You told him honestly. 
It was a nest egg that you had been sitting on since middle school, hoping to escape your father and never look back. When you met Isaac, you had another thing anchoring you to Beacon Hills, keeping you from buying the bus ticket you had always wanted. 
“But you're right. That'll get us - what? A couple of nights at a motel?” You let out a harsh, dry laugh. Trying to relieve some of the tension. “Well… we could go on a vacation? Escape for a few days?” You suggested, sounding hopeful. 
The idea of spending time alone with Isaac - a getaway where the two of you could pretend none of it was happening, even for a few days - it sounded like paradise. 
Isaac’s mind went to a dream-like vision - having you alone in a hotel room. A bed just for the two of you. Even just getting the chance to sleep peacefully with you, cuddle you, it sounded like a dream. 
He had to pull himself back before his mind went to places a friend shouldn’t stray. 
“A last hurrah before my dad kills me for running away on him.” Isaac sighed. 
The consequences of it would be inevitable. The two of you would have to come back home eventually. He knew that your father would likely feel much the same. He would never forgive himself if you ended up bruised and battered because of something he had encouraged you to do. 
You let out a sob then - the thought of Isaac dying by his father's hands had been all too real to you at times. A horror you imagined in your mind over and over again, especially after times he had come to you with half his torso nearly bruised black and he had been unable to move properly for days. His father was a monster, and you didn’t doubt that he would be capable of murder. 
Isaac rushed to stand up, and pulled you into a hug. His warmth, his arms surrounding you tightly - it was the only place you ever felt safe. You eagerly gripped him back, missing the wince he let out when you squeezed a bit too hard over one of his bruised ribs. But no - he would never fault you for holding onto him too tightly. 
Holding you like this - he felt like he had the world in his arms. Something tight in his chest, telling him that if anything ever happened to you, he would become the same kind of monster that his father was. But in the same way any threat to you made him boil over with rage - you made him gentle. You made him soft and loving. You were the only person in the world who made him feel okay to weep. 
He kissed the top of your head, not a stranger to comforting you with affection even though the two of you remained strictly as ‘friends’. As much as he yearned for more - you were a life vest while he was drowning and he wouldn't risk fucking that up just to kiss you and call you his girlfriend. He wouldn't throw any messy feelings into the mix. 
“It'll be okay.” He told you. 
Coming from his lips, you had to believe it. 
“Thank you, Isaac.” You sniffled. And then, something hit you. “You came over here for my help, and now you’re comforting me.” You let out another dry chuckle, clearly resisting the urge to scold yourself. 
“This is helping.” He told you, hugging you tighter. “This always helps.” He said the last part quieter, a dropped whisper that you could barely hear. 
It was a truth he was afraid to confront just yet. 
… 
But in the present, it was a truth that was helping him more than anything. 
Isaac hadn't spoken to you since he had gotten the Bite. He had been terrified of hurting you somehow. The last thing he ever wanted was to become the thing that you feared. It would have been his worst nightmare to be the one to make you cower in a corner and cry rather than to be the one giving you comfort from it. 
As the moon came to a full wane overhead, and the mighty rage and power pulsed through his veins, Isaac thought of you. He thought of using that power to tear apart anybody who had ever hurt you - to finally free you from those tears. He thought of giving you the same relief he had felt when his father died. He thought of his love for you, even if it was a silent love that he had never gotten the chance to voice. 
“I see you found your anchor.” Derek remarked to Isaac later, after he had gotten Erica and Boyd back in their chains, tightening Isaac’s binds once again, if only as a precaution. 
“I did.” 
Derek looked at him with intrigue, as if waiting for him to explain. 
“Well, you said that you use anger. And Scott uses love.” Isaac told him. “I guess that mine is… some combination of both.” 
“Protectiveness.” Derek explained. “That's what wolves call it.”
...
A/N: This is a oneshot, and I wrote this to be a closed off story/its own little moment inspired by the show. This is a complete story, however, if there is enough interest, I might turn this concept into a longer oneshot and expand on the idea. It would not be me writing a 'part 2' of this, it would be me using this concept and writing a longer oneshot. I do have a personal vested interest in writing about powerful characters defeating abusers, but currently I don't have the time to turn this into something longer, so this is all I wrote. Please do not harass me about making this longer or posting something more, and if you're going to leave a comment asking for a continuation, please also tell me what you liked about this current story. Though I have something else in mind, I do consider this to be a completed story on its own.
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queenie-ofthe-void · 6 months ago
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Confessions
Steddie || ~2.3k words || rating: T || tags: post vecna, references to stancy, angst and fluff, robin buckley just being herself
~~~
Eddie and Robin were just finishing filling the snack bowls and mixing drinks when they heard a knock at the door. It’s a Friday night– and not what Eddie would consider a late hour–but they weren’t expecting anyone to join their weekly movie night at Steve’s. 
He glances at Robin who shrugs, shaking her head. As he rounds the kitchen counter towards the foyer, Steve’s voice carries down the hallway.
“Nance?” He sounds surprised too.
“Steve, I’m sorry I know it’s late, but I’ve been meaning to talk to you and I can’t wait anymore,” she says. Eddie can’t see her, but she sounds anxious. 
“This can’t be good,” Robin huffs. He agrees, if the sinking pit in his stomach is any indicator.
“Look, Nance, now’s not really–”
“Steve,” she barrels over him, sounding desperate. “I’ve been an idiot trying to convince myself that I haven’t missed you since we broke up– and before you say it, this isn’t because Jonathan left after we closed the last gate. When we were stuck there with Robin and Eddie, the way you looked at me was how I’ve always hoped someone would love me. You looked at me like I was everything to you, like you could look at me forever and never get tired of it. I feel wanted, and loved, and safe when I’m around you.” She takes a deep, steadying breath before pressing on.
“Last time, when we were together, I took all of my grief and anger out on you. I blamed you for  what happened to Barb because I couldn’t face it myself and I knew you loved me enough to hold the weight, and I resented you for it. You wouldn’t stand up to me, and I resented you because you loved me anyway.” Eddie can hear Nancy sniffling, small sobs carrying down the hallway. “You loved me at my worst, and you didn’t deserve that. You’re amazing, and strong, and kind and everything I could ever ask for.
“Steve, what you said in the Winnebago, I just, I can’t stop thinking about you. About us”
The silence that follows is stifling and Eddie feels bile climbing up his throat. Arms wrap around his shoulders as Robin tucks her head into his neck. Only a small comfort while months of gentle moments with Steve flash behind his eyes: soft hands brushing his curls, stolen glances, lingering touches, and warm smiles. Now Eddie’s forced to stand vigil as it’s all washed away by Nancy's whispered pleas.
“Nance, please–”
A spark of hope after a late night confession weeks ago– swiftly blown away.
“Steve Harrington, I lo–”
“Nancy,” Steve interrupts, his tone firm yet soft around the edges, “I’m in love with someone else.”
Robin gasps into his neck. Her arms around his shoulders squeeze tight, anchoring him to reality in the wake of Steve’s confession. His chest is so full he can’t breathe. 
“Oh,” Nancy whispers before another, deeper sob leaves her breathless. He never thought he’d hear Nancy Wheeler cry. Even though they’re apparently both in love with the same man, he’s grown close with her too and can’t help the urge to comfort her. Eddie’s grown to love everyone in his new found family. But Nancy is right. 
“Yeah Nance, I’m sorry. And they’re kind of here right now, so,” he says gently.
Steve Harrington is everything. 
And they’re kind of here right now…
Hope flames in his chest, blooming with warmth. Eddie doesn’t hear the conversation end over the buzzing in his own head and Robin’s frantic giggling until they hear the click of the front door and Steve’s footsteps coming towards them.
“Oh.”
Steve’s standing in front of them, wide-eyed like a deer in headlights. Eddie’s realizing he and Robin maybe should’ve hid before Steve rounded the corner to find them eavesdropping. 
“So,” Steve stammers, a fierce rouge burning his ears, “how much of that did you hear, exactly?”
Robin quickly stands, clearing her throat before Eddie can think of an answer. “Is that the microwave? Did anyone else hear the microwave ding? I think the popcorn is done, so I can go check that right now. Yeah, right now. I’ll just, umm, be in the kitchen checking the popcorn. For the movie.”
She practically sprints down the hall, and although she wasn’t subtle, Eddie’s still thankful for the privacy. Steve’s shaking his head with a small smile on his face.
“Everything,” Eddie answers. “We heard everything.”
“Oh,” Steve says again. He sounds anxious and unsure, something Eddie’s compelled to fix, because all he wants in this world is for Steve Harrington to be happy.
“It’s ok.” He takes Steve’s hands in his own, tracing his thumb lightly over his knuckles. “We won’t say anything to her about it, and we won’t tell anyone what she said. Nancy’s in safe hands with us. Mum’s the word!” And as Eddie mimes zippering up his mouth, he hopes that Steve won’t take the easy way out. That he won’t use the life-raft Eddie’s just thrown in his direction to keep him from drowning. 
“Right,” Steve says. He runs a hand through his hair, biting his lip as he gazes at the floor between them. The silence as Eddie waits for Steve’s next words grows long and tense. He can’t hear any movement in the kitchen, making him more anxious now that he knows Robin’s listening. Which, he’d be a hypocrite to be mad about.
Maybe he has this all wrong. Maybe Steve just needed a way to get her to leave, so he lied about having a date over. Maybe he didn’t know what to say, and just said the first thing to pop into his head. Maybe it’s got nothing to do with Eddie at all. 
Eddie realizes he’s still holding Steve’s hands, his grip tightening the longer he spirals. If it hurts, Steve hasn’t said anything. But when Eddie looks at his face, he seems dazed and lost in thought. As fast as if he’d been burned, Eddie drops Steve’s hands and takes a step backward.
“So,” Eddie stammers, voice shaking, “I’m going to go help Birdie with the popcorn. You want to get another movie started?”
Hands still frozen in the air, Steve finally lets his clenched fists fall to his sides. Eddie can see the whites of his knuckles. He hears Steve sigh, exhausted and frustrated, but Steve’s nodding with furrowed brows and taking a step backward towards the living room– away from Eddie. Too far to reach out to.
Turning away, Eddie’s in the middle of forming an escape attempt when he opens the kitchen door to immediately be swept up in Robin’s arms. Of course she’d been listening. He’s grateful for it, now that he doesn’t have to explain himself. As he buries his face into her neck, he finds a wet patch and wonders what kind of accident she got into while prepping snacks. It’s not until she starts gently shushing him that he realizes he’s crying, tears soaking into her shirt. 
“It’s gonna be ok, teddy bear,” she says, running her hand through his curls, “he’ll get there, I promise. He’s working on it, you know that.”
He nods. He does know that. Steve’s been out to Robin for a few months, but only to Eddie for a few weeks. He deserves the space to figure it out, and the grace of those around him to do so at his own pace. Still, Eddie can’t help his growing impatience alongside the increasing severity of his crush. At least Robin’s here to support the both of them.
The two of them finish gathering the snacks in silence. She was full of awkward jokes to try to lighten the mood, but when it was clear Eddie was stuck in his head, she’d stopped. He feels bad about it. He’ll make it up to her later, plus he knows she’s not upset with him. Eddie suspects they’ll be getting together sometime tomorrow to rehash everything that’s happened– after she’s finished consoling Steve, of course.
When they leave the kitchen, Eddie’s surprised to find Steve exactly where he’d left him. He’s standing frozen in the hallway, lip pulled between his teeth and hands still clenched. But when he lifts his gaze to meet Eddie’s, there’s resolve behind his eyes.
“Eddie,” Steve says, “I think I’m falling in love with you.”
“Oh my god! Finally!”
Eddie jumps violently at Robin’s shouting, almost directly into his ear. She’s flushed red with embarrassment decorated with a manic grin so wide he wonders if it’ll just keep stretching like taffy. There’s popcorn poured out onto the floor from where she clearly threw her hands up in excited exasperation. He watches as her eyes grow wide, her smile morphing into shock, her lips forming a perfect ‘o’, as if to say ‘oh shit, I just interrupted the most important moment in my best friends’ lives because I’m so excited and impatient that these two dinguses finally figured their shit out’.
She kicks the scattered popcorn towards the wall, like that’ll somehow hide the mess, before awkwardly passing them both down the hall towards the living room.
Eddie loves her so much.
“Huh,” Eddie chuckles, “well that was–”
“I’ve known I’ve liked you since last summer when you let me help you into my pool onto Holly’s rubber duck floaty so you could finally go swimming after you finished physical therapy.” Steve sounds out of breath, words running into each other with misplaced breaths in between. Like if he stops, he knows he won’t start again. 
It’s the only time Eddie’s felt the urge to keep quiet– when he’s not fighting for his life.
“You were so nervous,” Steve plows on, “but you said you felt safe with me, that you wanted only me to be there. You said you trusted me to help without laughing or judging you. Fuck, Eddie, you were so goddamn cute once we got you settled in with a Coke with a crazy straw in it. We were listening to ABBA and you didn’t even complain and you were so sunburnt the next day. It was the happiest I’d ever seen you.”
The memory leaves Eddie shocked. He did trust Steve to help, didn’t even consider asking anyone else because Steve just felt like the most obvious answer. He’d been there through the worst of Eddie’s post-PT work to make sure he ‘kept form’ on his exercises. They’d lounged in the sun all day, and it was the first time Eddie watched Steve relax since his final Upside-Down battle. 
Eddie feels his lip quiver, eyes burning, knowing they’d felt the same that day. Judging by Steve’s watery eyes, he guesses they feel the same now, too. 
“But love,” Steve whispers. He swallows as he takes a step closer, reaching out to grasp his hands. “Eddie Munson, I knew I was in love with you yesterday.”
His shoulders tighten as he recalls yesterday, surprised because they hadn’t seen each other at all, one of the rare days where their schedules didn’t line up. It was the first time in months they’d gone longer than thirty-six hours without seeing each other. Sure, they’d talked on the phone while Steve worked, but it’s not the same.
“I know,” Steve laughs, clocking Eddie’s confusion. “I thought about you all day. Couldn’t stop, no matter how hard I tried. Robin had to work with the customers because all I kept thinking about was tonight. If you’d get here before Robin, so we could sit out by the pool and smoke. Where we’d sit for the movie and if we’d get to share the popcorn bucket. If you’d pick a movie I hadn’t seen, so you’d lean in close and tell me a million random facts, even when you know I don’t really get it. But I just like when you’re close, next to me, and–” he hesitates– “I think that’s why you do it.”
Steve lifts their joined hands, wiping a tear from his eye using the back of Eddie’s knuckles. He returns the gesture, wiping what Eddie’s guessing is a mix of tears and snot off of his own face with Steve’s sleeve. 
“I think you lean in because you want to be close to me, too, and you don’t actually care about the movie either. Eddie, I think you ask for my help because you trust me in a way only Robin does. You give me cute nicknames like ‘sweetheart’ and ‘pretty boy’ because you’re teasing me, but I think it’s mostly because you really mean it.” Steve’s stepped closer now, and Eddie can feel the warmth of shared air between their gasping breaths. 
“I think you tease me and lean into me because you want my attention,” Steve whispers, brushing his nose alongside Eddie’s as their foreheads touch. “But Eddie, you’ve always had my attention.”
Eddie surges forward, capturing Steve’s tear-soaked lips between his own in what has to be the snotiest kiss either of them has ever had. But he doesn’t care. How could he? Eddie’s kissing the man he’s been in love with for almost eight months. 
Steve drops Eddie’s hands in favor of running one through his dark curls, while the other grips tightly at his waist. He can’t help but cup Steve’s cheeks, running a gentle thumb along his cheekbones. 
It’s soft and messy and everything he’s ever hoped for, because Steve Harrington is his everything, and he’ll do anything to keep him. Right now, he doesn’t have to worry about what they’ll tell their friends, or how they’ll explain this to Nancy, or even if Robin’s listening behind the door– he’s sure she is. No, right now, he lets himself bask in the glow of Steve’s love and soak in the comfort that Steve feels loved in return.
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levisjinchuriki · 1 month ago
Text
open arms
summary - after finding out your boyfriend cheated on you, you run to nanami for comfort. he welcomes you with open arms, but there's only one problem - you're pregnant.
warning - angst, mentions of cheating, pregnant reader, crying, nanami comforting you, pregnant reader
a/n - this is the first chapter of my new series. i hope you enjoy!!
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you’ve always imagined the day you'd find out you were pregnant would be one of pure joy—a moment filled with excitement and maybe even happy tears. you picture yourself holding the test in disbelief, then planning the perfect way to surprise your boyfriend with the news. it’s supposed to be magical, a moment that changes everything for the better.
but when you see the positive result, your world doesn’t fill with joy. instead, it crumbles.
the bright lines on the test feel like they mock you, a cruel contrast to the reality you’re living in. the excitement you expected never comes, replaced by a heavy knot of dread in your stomach. the moment that should have been filled with happiness turns into a nightmare.
everything falls apart before you can share the news. your boyfriend, someone you thought you’d spend the rest of your life with, cheated on you.
it echoes in your mind, a brutal reminder of the reality you never thought you'd face. the betrayal stings so deeply, it feels like a physical wound—sharp, raw, and relentless. it’s not just the fact that he was unfaithful; it’s that you trusted him with everything, believed in him, and now, in the most vulnerable moment of your life, he’s torn you apart.
shock hits first. it wraps around you, numbing your senses, making it hard to process what’s happened. you feel frozen, suspended in disbelief, as if the truth hasn’t fully settled in yet. this can’t be real. he couldn’t have done this to you— not when you’re carrying his child. the weight of that thought crashes down on you, amplifying the pain until it becomes unbearable.
you never imagined he was capable of hurting you like this. you had always seen him as your partner, someone who would stand by you no matter what. but now, it’s clear that the future you thought you were building together has been ripped away. and the worst part? you didn’t just lose him—you lost the man you believed he was. the man you thought would be excited to hear about your pregnancy, who you thought would want to build a family with you.
now, the idea of facing him, of trying to confront the truth, feels impossible. how do you even begin to talk about the future when everything you trusted has crumbled? how do you tell him about the baby now that he's shattered your heart?
you can’t. the thought of looking him in the eye and seeing the face of the man who betrayed you makes you sick to your stomach. the pain is too fresh, too raw. you feel trapped in the chaos of your emotions, unsure of how to navigate the storm that’s taken over your life.
so, you do the only thing you can think of. you leave.
with trembling hands, you gather your things—clothes, phone, keys… everything you can fit into your bags. your mind races as you move through the apartment, each step heavy with the weight of what you’re leaving behind. the home that once felt warm and safe now feels suffocating, every corner tainted by his lies.
you can’t breathe in this space anymore, not with the weight of betrayal pressing down on your chest. so, with a heavy heart and trembling hands, you pack a bag. you need distance, space to think, to process everything that’s crumbled around you. one person comes to mind as you shove the last of your belongings into your bag—nanami.
he’s always been there for you, a steady anchor in the chaos of your life. reliable, calm, and kind. someone who never judged, never hesitated to offer a listening ear when you needed to vent or cry or simply talk through your feelings. nanami is the one person you can trust completely, the only one who might be able to help you make sense of the whirlwind in your mind.
you don’t know what you’ll say to him, or even if you’ll be able to speak when you see him. but you know you need to go to him. he’s always been a grounding presence, and right now, that’s exactly what you need.
as you step outside your apartment, the night air hits you, cool and crisp against your tear-stained face. you take a deep breath, trying to steady yourself, trying to push down the wave of emotions threatening to overwhelm you. you aren’t sure how nanami will react when he sees you, but there’s a small part of you that knows he’ll understand, that he’ll be there, just like he always has been.
when you arrive at nanami’s place, your heart pounds so hard it feels like it might burst. you hadn’t even told him you were coming—hadn’t thought that far ahead, really. all you knew was that you needed to see him, needed someone to help you breathe through the pain. 
you raise your hand and knock on the door. the sound feels deafening in the silence, and every second you wait feels like an eternity. each passing moment feels like it stretches on forever, amplifying your fear that maybe you’ve made a mistake, that maybe you should’ve prepared something to say or that he might not be there at all.
but after what feels like ages, you hear the lock turn. as the door opens, you catch a glimpse of nanami’s face—he stands in the doorway with that familiar, calm presence. his eyes instantly shift from neutral to concerned as he takes in the sight of you standing there, tear-streaked and fragile.
“y/n” he says softly, voice is gentle. his brow furrows, and without a second thought, he steps forward. “what’s wrong? what happened?”. 
without a word, you collapse into his arms, the floodgates finally breaking as the tears you’d been holding back spill over. the weight of everything—the betrayal, the heartbreak, the overwhelming uncertainty—comes crashing down all at once. nanami’s arms wrap around you, strong and reassuring, pulling you close as you bury your face in his chest. his embrace feels safe, a refuge from the storm inside you.
without a word, he guides you inside, gently closing the door behind you. he doesn’t press for details, just simply holds you, silently offering you the space to release all the pain and frustration that’s been building inside. his hand gently rubs your back in soothing circles, a steady, calming rhythm that lets you know he’s there for you, no matter what.
the tears seem endless, each sob pulling you deeper into the grief of what you’ve lost, what’s been broken beyond repair. but nanami never shifts away. he stays with you through the waves of emotions. 
as the sobs begin to subside, your body feels exhausted from the outpour of emotions. you pull back slightly, your hands trembling as you wipe at your swollen eyes, trying to catch your breath. nanami looks at you with nothing but kindness and concern, his gaze never wavering. 
the familiar warmth of his apartment is comforting, a sharp contrast to the coldness of the world you’ve just left behind. he leads you to the couch, and after a few moments of silence, he speaks softly.
“what did he do?” nanami asks softly, breaking the silence. his voice is filled with quiet concern. you can feel the tension in the question —an unspoken protectiveness that nanami always seems to carry when it comes to you. his gaze remains locked on you, watching your every movement.
you hesitate, the words heavy on your tongue. saying it out loud will make it real, and part of you is still clinging to the hope that maybe it isn’t. but the look in nanami’s eyes is patient and kind, and somehow you know he can handle whatever you’re about to say.
“he… cheated on me” you whisper, the words tasting bitter as they leave your mouth. your voice cracks, and tears well up in your eyes again, but you don’t turn away. nanami’s expression hardens for a moment—his jaw tightens, and his brow furrows in silent anger. he closes his eyes, taking a deep breath as if trying to steady himself before responding.
“i’m sorry” his voice filled with quiet empathy. the simplicity of his words cuts through you. there’s no judgment, no questioning of how or why. just a soft acknowledgment of the pain you’re in.
nanami has never been the biggest fan of your—now ex—boyfriend, but he’s always been respectful and supportive of your choices. you remember the few times he voiced subtle concerns, but he never once forced his opinions onto you. he’s always been like that, putting your feelings first, offering quiet advice but trusting you to navigate your own life. even now, as you sit together, you can sense the flicker of frustration beneath his calm exterior, the way his jaw tightens at the mention of your ex. but nanami’s respect for you remains at the forefront. 
“you’ve always deserved better than him” he finally says, voice low but firm. but there’s no malice, just quiet truth. 
you glance up at him, surprised by the intensity in his gaze. his eyes are filled with quiet conviction, and you can see the anger simmering just beneath the surface—not at you, but at the man who shattered your trust.
“i should have listened to you” you admit, the tears threatening to fall again. “you were always so careful with what you said, but i could tell…”.
nanami sighs softly. “i didn’t want to influence your decisions. i know you cared about him.” he pauses, searching for the right words. “but that doesn’t mean you should blame yourself for his actions. you loved him, and that’s not something to regret”.
the room falls quiet, the weight of his words settling between you. there’s no rush for you to speak, no pressure for you to explain any more than you’re ready to. nanami doesn’t need you to. his presence alone is enough to tell you that whatever comes next, you won’t have to face it alone.
“i don’t know what to do now” you confess, the words barely more than a whisper. it feels like your world has been flipped upside down, and the future you thought you had planned is now a fog of uncertainty.
“you don’t have to figure it all out right now” he says quietly. “take it one step at a time. and if you need someone, i’ll be here”. there’s something in the way he says it, in the quiet promise behind those words, that makes the ache in your chest grow.
you shake your head, fresh tears welling up in your eyes as the enormity of it all crashes down on you again. “no… nanami. i-”.
the words catch in your throat, your mind racing as you hesitate to tell him the truth, unsure of how he’ll react. the weight of the secret presses heavily on your chest. part of you wants to get it out, to confide in him because nanami has always been the one person you could trust, but this feels different. bigger. more complicated.
he watches you closely, sensing your hesitation, his brow furrowing slightly. “you can tell me. whatever it is” he encourages softly. you shake your head.
“i’m pregnant” you blurt out. the moment the words hang in the air, the weight of it seems to multiply. nanami’s expression doesn’t change immediately. your heart hammers in your chest as you search his face, terrified of what he might say, of how he might react. you hadn’t planned on telling him—hadn’t planned on telling anyone so soon—but now it’s out there, and there’s no taking it back.
there’s a beat of silence, and it feels like the air in the room shifts. as you wait for his reaction, a mix of fear and uncertainty tightening your stomach. what if this changes everything? what if he thinks differently of you now?
nanami's brows knit together, concern deepening in his gaze, but it’s not the kind of panic or shock you were dreading. he’s silent for a moment and you can see the wheels turning behind his calm exterior. he takes a deep breath, processing the weight of what you’ve just shared.
nanami nods slowly, his eyes darkening with emotion as he absorbs the full gravity of your situation. you wonder if you’ve just burdened him with too much, if it was fair to drop this on him. 
“does he know?” nanami asks quietly, his voice laced with concern, but not for the man who betrayed you. his focus is entirely on you, on how you’re feeling, on what you need right now.
you shake your head. “i didn’t get a chance to tell him… before i found out about… everything”. the silence that follows feels heavy, but not uncomfortable. nanami doesn’t rush to fill it, or react with shock or panic like you feared. instead, he sits there, absorbing it all, his gaze never leaving yours. he’s processing.
finally, he speaks, his voice soft and measured. 
"you did the right thing by leaving" nanami says firmly, his tone leaving no room for doubt. "you don’t owe him anything, especially not after what he did. your priority now is taking care of yourself and your baby".
your brows furrow. "but how?" you whisper, your voice barely audible. "i can’t do this alone, nanami”. your confession hangs in the air, raw and vulnerable. it’s the first time you’ve said it out loud—how truly terrified you are. the future feels like an impossible mountain to climb, and you don’t even know where to begin.
nanami’s gaze softens as he watches the fear ripple across your face. “you’re not alone” he says, his voice quiet but full of conviction. “we’ll take it one step at a time together… if you want”.
his words hang in the air, and for a moment, you're stunned into silence. you blink, trying to process what he just said. his offer is staggering, something you hadn’t expected. you know nanami is always there for you, always supportive, but this feels like more than you could have ever asked for.
“i can’t ask you to do that” you finally manage to say, your voice barely above a whisper.
nanami’s expression remains steady, his eyes meeting yours with sincerity. “you’re not asking” he says. “i’m offering”. his words are assertive, but true. the fact that he’s willing to stand by you, to support you through this painful time, makes the path ahead seem a bit more manageable.
“you… you’re serious?” you ask, your voice barely above a whisper. your mind races, a mix of disbelief and cautious hope swirling together. nanami’s expression doesn’t waver. his steady gaze meets yours, full of quiet determination. 
“of course i’m serious” he says softly, grounding you in a way you didn’t know you needed. “i wouldn’t offer if i wasn’t”. you search his face for any sign of hesitation, but there’s none. he’s genuine, his offer coming from a place of deep care. the realization makes your chest tighten with emotion.
you look up at him, feeling the tears welling up again, but this time they’re different. there’s something in his words, in the way he looks at you with such steady resolve, that lifts some of the weight off your shoulders. he’s not just saying it—he means it. 
“this is too much, nanami… i don’t even know what’s coming next” you admit, your voice shaky as you try to hold back the fresh wave of tears. “i don’t want to be a burden”.
he frowns. “you’re not a burden” he says, his tone firm but gentle. “you’re important to me. and i want to help you because i care about you”. nanami’s presence, his unshakeable support, is something you hadn’t realized how much you needed until now. the thought of having someone so steadfast and compassionate by your side brings a small, but significant sense of hope. nanami’s offer of help, his willingness to be there for you, makes the future feel a little less daunting. 
“i don’t know what to say” your voice barely above a whisper but full of heartfelt gratitude. 
nanami gives a reassuring smile. “you don’t have to say anything. just know that i’m here for you. whatever you need, however you need it”. 
the promise in his words and the kindness in his eyes offer a fragile yet comforting sense of security. it’s a start, a small but vital lifeline, and for now, it’s enough.
“okay” you reply. a bit of the tension eases from your shoulders, the simple act of accepting his offer giving you a small measure of peace. nanami’s presence is a comforting constant, and knowing that you have someone to lean on makes the uncertainty ahead feel just a little more bearable.
you’re still overwhelmed, still scared, but you’re not alone anymore. with nanami by your side, you have a place to begin navigating the path ahead, one step at a time.
“you’ve had a long day. you should get some rest” nanami says, his voice steady but filled with quiet care.
there’s no judgment in his tone, no impatience—only concern. the enormity of the day’s events is catching up to you, and your body aches with exhaustion. you’ve been running on adrenaline, on heartbreak, but now that you’re here, safe with him, the exhaustion hits you all at once. 
nanami stands and gently guides you toward the guest room, his hand briefly resting on your shoulder—a grounding touch that keeps you tethered to the present. you don’t resist. you trust him, and right now, trusting anyone feels like a monumental feat. he walks beside you, his movements calm and deliberate, as if to assure you that there’s no rush, no urgency anymore. you don’t have to run from the pain here.
when you reach the guest room, it’s quiet, a comforting kind of quiet that lets you breathe.  the room is simple, but the calmness of it wraps around you, offering a small but much-needed relief from the storm in your head.
nanami sets the bag you packed down before making the bed for you. he smooths out the sheets with the same attention to detail he’s shown you all night—precise, thoughtful, gentle. the way he moves through the small space is unhurried, as though he understands that what you need most right now is comfort, not words. his actions speak louder than anything he could say.
once the bed is made, he turns to you, his eyes meeting yours with that same reassurance. "you can stay here as long as you want” he offers quietly, his sincerity evident in every word. the weight of his kindness, his unspoken promise to be there, nearly overwhelms you. you smile at him gratefully and thank him for everything.
nanami lingers for a moment, watching you with a careful gaze, before he steps toward the door. “i’ll be in my room if you need anything” he says, his tone soft but reassuring, like a promise that no matter how broken you feel, he’s not going anywhere.
as the door closes gently behind him, the silence of the room feels different—not empty, but safe. nanami’s presence, even though he’s no longer in the room, lingers like a protective shield. you take a slow breath, your shoulders sagging as the tension in your body begins to release. you allow yourself to collapse onto the bed, the softness of the mattress cradling you. 
the exhaustion tugs at your eyelids, and it’s not long before sleep pulls you under. nanami’s steady presence, his unwavering support, gives you a sense of hope that you’ll be able to face what’s coming. with him by your side, the impossible doesn’t seem so insurmountable anymore.
216 notes · View notes
inkedtae · 11 days ago
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xiv. rotten angelcake ⇾ kth. [M]
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⎡She’s as sweet as angelcake; he likes her honeyed rotten⎤
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chapter fourteen : the edge of us ⤑ ❝ you’re teetering on the edge of something dangerous and taehyung’s words are the only anchor keeping you from falling–or so you hope. ❞
⇽ prev. | masterlist | next ⇾
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⌁ pairing; ceo!taehyung x curvy!reader (f.)
⌁ genre/rating; s2l, ceo au, sugar daddy au, angst, fluff, 18+
⌁ word count; 5.5k
⌁ warnings; dom!taehyung, daddy!taehyung, sub!reader, brat!reader, virgin!reader, daddy kink, corruption kink, aftercare, mentions of sexual activity, mentions of bdsm themes, and lots of angst
⌁ 🎧 now playing... ✩
» prefer ao3? keep reading here
ও huge thanks to jen ( @itaeewon ) for the amazing new banner and a very giant thanks to jen ( @anobodyslove ) for beta-reading this until no matter how late it is and always being there for me. i love you babes 💕
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The gym is quiet–save for the gentle trickling of rain, your panting and his groans. Taehyung’s fingers brush lazily along your back, tracing shapes you’re too dazed to decipher. Eye fluttering shut, you melt against him. You hold onto this feeling of utter contentment, even if you know it is fleeting, and let it engulf your fretful heart.
Taehyung’s deep, indulgent groan cuts through the comfortable silence. “​​Look at you,” he murmurs, his lips brushing against the shell of your ear. “Absolutely ruined. What am I supposed to do with such a messy little thing?”
You breathe a chuckle. Nestling against the crook of his neck, you press yourself further against him and let his sweaty, musky scent overwhelm your overstimulated senses. In this moment, you are his– you are completely wrapped in warmth and comfort. He trails his fingers along your spine, kissing your temple and lulling you out of your post-orgasmic state of exhaustion with quiet shushes. You allow yourself to forget the photos, the lack of labels, all the stuff he said to EDEN or his friends and just be his.
“So desperate, so needy—it's almost cute," he teasingly whispers before trailing kisses down your neck.
Steadying yourself against his shoulders, you lean back to meet his gaze. Playful indignation twinkles in his gaze. He presses his forehead against yours, nudging your nose with his own. You cannot help the soft moan that sounds in response, the gentle shift of your hips against his as you finally catch your breath.
“I can’t help it,” you admit in a whisper, voice still frayed with vulnerability. 
Taehyung’s gaze softens– or rather, sobers. You’re not sure if it was your words, the sound of your voice, or the unbridled sincerity in your tone, but he stiffens beneath you. His grip around your waist doesn’t squeeze you against him either. Whatever warmth you felt moments ago disappears, leaving nothing but the cold to comfort you.
Swallowing thickly, you part your lips to ask if everything is okay, but the words die in your throat, shackled by fear, panic and disappointment. He’s been so responsive the last few times he came with you, been so open and forthcoming about how good it felt– how good you made him feel. Is he pushing you away again? Are you hurting him?
Heart in your throat, you try to stop yourself from thinking the worst whenTaehyung rasps, “Neither can I.”
With a furrow of your brows, you study his gaze. You search for any notions of anger, sadness, or even mischief but can only find hardened sincerity. Is this part of his game? His words only leave you more confused and disheartened. You wonder if he is upset by this revelation. Perhaps he doesn’t like admitting that you have that kind of power over him, or that he is capable of feeling this way for someone. 
Taehyung holds you close as he stands up. Your eyes widen at his strength and you grip tightly onto his shoulders, suppressing a surprised squeal. You knew he was strong from the way he picked up the weighted bar with ease earlier, but that weight was evenly distributed. And while there were several other occasions where he effortlessly lifted you, he usually had a wall or tabletop to press the better part of your weight against. He’s never picked you up without support before this moment. You wait for him to grunt or groan, or for his features to scrunch in concentration against the weight but he never makes a sound or bats an eye. He just stands with you firmly in his grasp, then turns to set you down on the bench with practised ease. 
You squirm in his previous seat. Your eyes follow his brooding frame to the towel rack. His back is wide and strong, flexing as he rolls his shoulders back. However, it’s the faint red, jagged lines that captivate you. Biting your lip, you try not to moan at the sight–at the fact that you just marked him. You can even see the indents of your nails in his shoulders and biceps.
Taehyung turns back, holding a small, damp towel. He raises his brow at you as an amused smile plays on his lips. You know you must look absolutely enamoured, innocently peering up at him.
“Spread your–”
Your legs part before he can even finish his sentence, and Taehyung cannot hold back any longer. He barks a laugh before looking down at you with condescending pity.
“You’re so eager,” he teases. “Is one round not enough for you, Angel?”
You can’t resist playing into his game, slightly leaning back to give him a better look at the mess you made of yourself. “Why don’t you get on your knees and find out?” you ask, sure to keep your voice submissive despite the brattiness of your words. 
Even still, you expected him to bend you over the bench, gag you with the towel, and spank you until you’re raw… or perhaps you hoped he would. To your surprise, he does kneel in front of your spread legs. 
Taehyung leans forward, pushing your skirt even further up to examine your arousal-smeared thighs and swollen folds. A throaty goran escapes him at the sight. He licks his lips when your hips buck ever so slightly in response. For a second, you wonder if he might lean in and clean you up with his mouth instead. He is so still, so focused on the way you clench, you want to ask him why he’s hesitating. But then, he starts to wipe the stickiness from your inner thighs, slowly moving inwards towards your folds. His touch is gentle and soft and you tighten your jaw to keep from moaning under his touch.
“You’re not spanking me?”
“Do you want to get spanked?”
Heat floods your cheeks. You try and fail to fight off a guilty smile as he meets your gaze. Biting your lip, you tuck your chin towards your chest, attempting to use the loose strands of hair framing your face to escape his playfully assertive glare. You wonder if you should confess that being spanked is all you can think about right now. You want him to sit on this bench, bend you over his knees, and land open-hand smacks on your cheeks until you’re in tears and on the brink of another needy orgasm–one he will probably deny you from experiencing if you continue to act out.
That thought alone makes you pout.
“No, sir,” you finally whisper, succumbing to his dominance all over again. “I’m sorry.”
The corner of his lips twitch but Taehyung does not allow his smile to overtake his features at your submission. He doesn’t even praise you for being a good girl like he always does. Instead, he continues to gently clean you up. When he’s done, he sets the towel aside to grab your awkwardly bundled g-string and tights. He untangles them within seconds, making you wonder if he’s just good at everything or if he’s done this before. You’re too scared to ask, instead allowing him to dress you one leg at a time. 
“Apologies for the interruption, Mr Kim,” EDEN sudden voices, drawing your attention to the speakers on the ceiling. 
Taehyung helps you stand, continuing to pull your tights up as she continues, “Jimin would like to know if you and Angel will be joining him for breakfast. Jungkook made some vulgar remarks. Would you like me to relay his message?”
“For fuck’s sake, no,” Taehyung replies, finally pulling your skirt back down.
You try to stifle your laughter with a bite of your lip. Parting your lips, you’re about to ask Taehyung how he met someone as unserious as Jungkook when he adds, “Tell them to go out without us.”
“Jungkook has already made breakfast, Mr Kim. Would you still like me to–”
“Yes.”
“Certainly, Mr Kim.”
Your amusement falters. He didn’t even let her finish the sentence before replying, as if the speed of his reply will erase the fact that the food is already set and waiting for them. You stand motionless, studying his expression to find it unnervingly neutral.
Taehyung avoids your confused gaze, bending down to grab the soiled towel. As he tosses it in the dirty hamper by the sanitation station, you can’t help but wonder if perhaps your presence here is more of an intrusion than the wonderful surprise Taehyung made it out to be earlier. Guilt festers in the pit of your stomach again. 
“I really didn’t mean to–”
“It’s fine,” Taehyung reassures again. “They’re leaving.”
Your brows furrow. Watching him walk back to the bar he removed earlier, you cross your arms over your chest in a poor attempt to soothe your racing heart. You cannot help but wonder why he has been so insistent on them leaving since he realised you were here. At first, you thought he might have just wanted to get you alone to comfort you about all the crazy attention you’ve been getting. However, as you think about how he curved his friends’ questions and how he now has EDEN ushering them out of the building, you wonder if perhaps he does not want you to talk to them.
Maybe you’re overthinking it… Taehyung doesn’t say things he does not mean, especially to you. If he thought that you were intruding, he wouldn’t have told you otherwise when you first arrived. And if he didn’t want you to talk to his friends, he probably wouldn’t have taken you to Jimin’s show or even introduced you to him and Jungkook not even twenty minutes ago. He could just be protective– he did say that to EDEN, right?
There is no need to panic, you tell yourself. 
Taking a deep breath, you try to act natural and put your heels back on. “You know, I don’t mind them,” you carefully say, sneaking a glance at him as you put on your other heel. “They seem fun. I can see why you like them.”
Taehyung retrieves another towel after returning the weighted bar in place. You stand back to your full height and watch his back muscles tense as he wipes his face and neck down from his sweat. His sweat didn’t bother him before, when he was pressing himself against you and talking you through grinding against him.
He’s hesitating, you realise. Why the fuck is he hesitating?
 “Yeah, they’re good guys,” he finally replies. 
You take a step closer, your heels announcing your movement. Taehyung instantly discards his towel and makes his way to his water bottle. You stiffen, watching him avoid your stare– your presence. You wonder again if you should have not come, if you should have called. Did you say the wrong thing? Was the sex not enjoyable? 
Your heart constricts in anxiety and humiliation. You wrap your arms around yourself again, swallowing thickly. If he didn’t like it, why did he cum–lose himself in you the way he did? Why did he help you cum? It can’t just be because you’re friends– he clearly doesn’t treat Jimin and Jungkook like this. You wonder if all this is only for sexual gratification. Maybe he is just using you to get off and he has some sort of weird kink around helping you cum but not cumming himself. But he always says he never pays you for sex so how could both those things be true? 
You can’t do this anymore. The second-guessing, the passive aggressive behaviour, the cryptic responses– you’re done. You don’t want half-hearted replies, handsome smiles or captivating eyes. You just want him. You want his warmth and sincerity. You want everyone to know that you are the cause of it. The whole country is talking about you, looking for you, wanting to catch the briefest glimpse of you because they think you mean something to Taehyung. For a while, you thought you might have. But standing in this empty gym, with him effectively ignoring you as he takes gulps of water, you cannot help but wonder if anyone means anything to him.
Your realisation stirs the echoes of several distant memories on a swaying yacht in the middle of September. Mr Kim doesn’t have friends. He has obsessions and they never last, Marina once told you. You thought she was just jealous and bitter, and perhaps she was. But maybe there was some truth in her declaration. Mrs Gelardson then attempted to comfort you, including you into her generalisation of women Taehyung had bedded. She’s not fond of any of us, she said. Even now those three words, any of us, make your stomach churn with disgust and despair. You didn’t believe you were one of them then. However, the way Taehyung evades the topic of his friends, gives you pause.
Are you really just like the others?
Frustration bubbling over, your fists clench and jaw sets. Tears prick your eyes and you do your best to blink them back, but it’s no use. Soon, a pair of rouge tears fall before others stream down your face. Your stomach knots with misery, chest tightens under the pressure of the emotional storm roaring within you. What makes matters worse is that, in this humiliating moment of passive rejection and fear, you still crave his touch. One embrace against his strong frame and you know everything will be okay.
Taehyung snaps his head up at the sound of your sniffles. His once perfectly neutral features morph into concern. He takes a step towards you only for you to take a step back. 
“Don’t,” you firmly order, despite the impression of a heavy sob in your voice. 
“Did I hurt you?” 
You know what he means. You know he’s referring to the way he thrusted against you, but still nod your head, holding his gaze with conviction. “Yeah, you did,” you confess in the steadiest voice you can muster. “All you ever fucking do is hurt me, Tae.”
Taehyung scoffs. He shakes his head, as if he’s the one exasperated with your behaviour. “This again? Do you even hear yourself? All I ever do is hurt you? I–” he cuts himself off with a groan, clenching his jaw. “Stop twisting–”
“Twisting?” you question, voice trembling with anger. “What is there to twist? You barely say two fucking words to me about your life! You were just avoiding me two seconds ago because I brought up your friends and you wanna stand there and tell me to stop twisting things.”
“Don’t raise your voice at me,” he orders. His voice is tempered, but a soft impression of a growl still softly resonates in the room. 
Any other day, you would have whimpered at the sound and apologised. You might have even pressed yourself against him and buried your face in the crook of his neck, allowing his strong arms to hold you close and sweet scent to soothe all your worries. But the twinge of pain in your chest refuses to be pacified by the mere sound of his deep, dulcet voice any longer. 
“You don’t get to tell me what to do,” you reply, raising your voice even more. “Not when you’re hiding me from your friends like I’m some secret whore.”
“When have I ever said that to you?” He questions, matching your volume. “When the fuck did you hear the words ‘secret whore’ leave my mouth?”
“Oh, are we going to stand here and pretend that your actions don’t speak louder than your stupid words?”
Taehyung does not take kindly to your sarcasm. He straightens, rolling his shoulders back as he glares at you. It’s not the same glare he gives investors or pitiful women who try to get his attention. It is a glare of pure, unbound rage. Eyes dark, jaw tight, he seethes with frustration, clenching his fists at his side.
You return the glare with every bit of conviction, every notion of pain within you. If he thinks he can intimidate you with nasty looks, he’s sorely mistaken. You will not be deterred this time– not until you get the answers you want. 
“All my actions have been selfish, have they, Angel?” he asks, stepping forward. 
You hold your ground, steeling yourself against the way he continues to use your nickname even while he is so obviously annoyed. You firmly plant your feet to keep from moving towards him, refusing to give into his sensual power. Tears continue to pool in your eyes as you watch him draw nearer. You do not waver your stare as your mind rages with profanities and the unforgivable realsation that: this is not fucking fair.
 “Even when I take you out–”
“That’s for work,” you correct. “We have an agreement.”
“Even when I make you cum?”
You stiffen.
“Is that part of our agreement?” he mockingly questions, now only an arm’s length away. “You’re standing here crying and acting like I’m the fucking bad guy. I want you around, Angel. I want you all to myself.”
Your heart skips a beat at his words, momentarily discarding the frustration it once held. His selfishness might be why he pushed his friends away, but it doesn’t not explain why he was avoiding your gaze before. He was being cryptic and distant when you brought them up. That is not the behaviour of someone who just wants to monopolise your attention.
Still, Taehyung must see your resolve wavering in your eyes as he finally towers over you. He doesn’t dare touch you yet, though. And for that you are thankful. You’re not sure you’d be able to completely reject him if he did.
“That’s not good enough,” you whisper. “What the fuck is that even supposed to mean?”
Another heavy exhale escapes him and he averts his gaze to the left for a moment. You tilt your head to force him to maintain eye contact– the same way he often does with you. He can sigh and purse his lips all he wants but he will look at you while he does so. He must–because if he is going to stand before you and act like his avoidant behaviour has not been damaging, then he will do so while maintaining your cold stare.
“I know nothing about you, Taehyung,” you continue, tone sharp but voice wavering. “Before I met your family, I had no idea what I was walking into because you never told me anything about them. I didn’t even know you had a niece and a nephew or two brothers or that your grandparents basically raised you. I’m not even sure if that’s true because you never explained anything to me.” 
Taehyung flinches.
Your lips twitch into a sneer at the sight, momentary satisfaction soothing your frustrated heart. Good, you think. You want him to feel the agony of never knowing, the tormenting thoughts of what this all means– if it even means anything.
Huffing softly, breathing jagged from suppressed sobs, you steady yourself to add,“But, you know all about me. You know about how my mother–” you cut yourself off to swallow a sob.
Taehyung reaches out to rest a hand to cup your face, but you take a step back with a shake of your head. He retreats with a sigh, shoving his hands in his pockets instead.
Finding your voice again as tears freely stream down your face, you continue, “You know my mother’s addicted to painkillers. You know how she hurt me, how she blamed me for it. You know I don’t talk to my family anymore and they don’t care enough to call. You know I don’t have any friends of my own and that I hate work and I feel like burden on Mrs Chu, nearly every fucking day. You know everything about my life and all I know about you is that you build things and have money.” 
“That’s not–”
“Oh right, sorry,” you sarcastically shout, cutting him off, “You have some daddy issues but I barely even understand what they are because you refuse to talk about anything remotely personal.”
“I don’t owe you my past,” he shoots back, voice calm despite that bite in his words. “You don’t get to demand that like you’re entitled to it. You told me about yours willingly.”
You remember that day vividly– about four months ago. While scrolling through social media, you stumbled upon a post from an old high school friend. It was a repost from your older sister’s account accounting her pregnancy. Disbelief twisted in your gut as you clicked on her page. Wiping your tears, you scrolled through all the images of her new house, her trips with her husband, even the progress of the nursery. Each milestone was  a sharp reminder of the moments you were denied.
Your anxious curiosity hadn’t stopped there. You used her account to stalk your mother’s account, then your father’s–even your freeloading brother’s. They have all moved on with you, effectively shunning you from their lives just as your mother promised. No one called, no one asked, and no one cared. You had and will always be their greatest disappointment. You knew that when your mother neglected you, abused you. You knew that when your father pretended not to notice all your bruises and scars she left. You knew that when your lazy brother, who is all but one year younger than you, was rewarded for simply existing in a cis-male body. But looking at their social media accounts at that moment, you felt it deep in your bones too: you do not have a family anymore.
And when Taehyung called that night, you couldn’t stop sniffling or hide the pain in your voice. You told him everything, sobbing into the phone as he shushed and comforted you. 
You were grateful for his support at the time. You remember thinking he was the sweetest, most caring person in the world and all you wanted to do was curl up against his warmth. 
Now, standing before him, his audacity stings like salt in a wound. Suppressing a roll of your eyes, you breathe a humourless laugh. “Are you kidding me? You would not stop pestering me about what’s wrong.”
“You answer the phone upset and you expect me not to ask you what’s wrong?” Taehyung questions, a smile of disbelief playing on his lips. “Right, I forgot– I’m the asshole here. Next time, I won’t give a shit about you.”
“You already don’t!” You scream, voice slightly pitching. Blinking back tears, you ground yourself long enough to get it all off your chest. “What kind of person, let alone a friend– because that’s what we are, right?– would hide someone they care about from their friends? You were laughing with them! They’re obviously your friends, so don’t you dare deny it, Kim Taehyung!” You spit, standing on your toes in a poor attempt to solidify your own dominance.
Taehyung does not take well to your use of his full name. He tilts his head, tonguing his cheek only to tighten his jaw. “You have–”
“I’m not done,” you seethe cutting him off. You almost don’t recognise your own voice, so sharp and full of contempt.
He blinks and you swear you catch him shiver under the icy tone of your words. 
“If I meant anything to you, you’d stop pretending like I don’t exist in front of your friends. You’re not the asshole here but you’re treating me like you’re embarrassed to be with me?” you ask with just as much vehemence in your tone.
“Embarrassed?” He repeats, baffled. His shoulder previously slouched under your steeled gaze, square as he towers over you. “You’re my plus-one, Angel. Why would I drag you around with me if I was embarrassed to be seen with you?”
“You–”
“I’m not done,” he hisses, matching your previous tone. 
You curl inwards, lowering your chin towards your chest and peering up at him with tear-brimmed eyes. Taehyung’s strong resolve momentarily wavers at the sight. He slowly raises his hand as if he’s about to curl a strand of your hair behind your ear, but then lowers it– as if thinking better of it.
A quiet sigh of relief escapes your pouty lips. You’re not sure what you would have done if he touched you so gingerly. 
“I’m not embarrassed by you, Angel– I’m not,” he emphasises when you scoff. “I am not trying to hurt you, eithe– Don’t look at me like that.” He orders, voice gruff with exhaustion and annoyance. “I want you here with me– I want you here all the fucking time!”
“You’re so full of shit!”
The word tumble out of your mouth, laden with hurt and resentment. You don’t stop them, nor do you regret them, puffing your chest out and holding your head high. Tears stream freely down your face and you don’t try to blink them away anymore. Exhausted, you cannot handle another second of his half-truths anymore. 
Taehyung stiffens. His eyes darken in a way that is not greedy nor indulgent but rather sinister. He stands so still, so tall, staring at you with an intensity that makes your stomach twist with desire and fury. His face is a portrait of calculated calm, as though the heat in his gaze sparks with simmering anger. 
“Excuse me?” He quietly questions, voice so deep and tempered. “What did you just say?”
“You heard me.”
“Say it again.”
You shake your head. 
Taehyung raises a brow. 
You press your lips together to hold back a sob. It slightly breaks through a stifled sigh. You shake your head with more certainty, asking in a voice so frayed,“What are we doing?”
A notion of confusion settles on his features. “What do you mean?”
“What is this? What are we?” You finally ask, shakily inhaling.
The flaming wrath that once burned in his gaze slowly diminishes. His jaw slightly slackens, tension softening– upon your questions or the sound of your broken voice, you don’t know and can’t be bothered to care. 
Licking your lips, you swallow the lump in your throat, let out a trembling breath and conclude, “Taehyung, I am not your friend.”
“That’s not–”
“We stopped being just friends a long time ago!” You suddenly shout over him. With a gentle shove against his chest, you exasperatedly add, “You know that, don’t pretend you don’t!”
Taehyung does not budge even an inch from your shove. His chest is a wall of strength, which you regret to realise still makes your toes curl. You push aside your neediness, holding on tightly to your anger.
“Tell me what to do one more time,” he roars, “I dare you!”
Goosebumps prick your skin, despite yourself. You know he doesn’t respond well to being ordered around and that maybe, if you really want him to understand you, you should have approached this with a more level head. You should have calmly expressed your frustrations and not shouted or sworn. However, you’ve tried to be patient before and he always says he will be better only to disappoint you some other way. 
You can’t keep doing this. 
Letting out a loud groan of frustration, you push him again, not caring if he doesn’t move at all. “This isn’t a game, Taehyung. I don’t want this anymore,” you gesture between the two of you. “I want to know where we stand. I want to walk into a room with you and not have to worry about how to introduce myself or which lie to sell,” you grip onto his shoulders, digging your nails into his soft skin, “I want you! I want us!”
“Why would you even want that?" He shakes his head, a bitter edge to his voice.
Your hands drop to your sides in defeat.
"If you think the media’s bad now, it’ll be worse the moment they know we’re anything more than friends,” he continues, “And don’t get me started on my grandparents. They'll expect every little detail about you.” 
The idea of being his grandparents prodding you, doting over you and accepting you as one of their own fills you with a warmth that makes you sick to your stomach. You swallow back the rising bile in your throat at the realisation that this reality of a serious relationship is ridiculous to him. He doesn’t think it’s worth it and you realise that every worry you have ever thought about him leaving, ending this friendship is suddenly materialising before your eyes. 
There is no use in holding back now, you decide. If you are going to walk away from this, from him, you might as well get it all out.   
“I want that!” 
“Why would you want to put yourself through that?” Taehyung asks again, his patience thinning with the sharpness of his baritone voice.
“Because I like you, you idiot!”
“I swear to God, Angel– Insult me one more time.”
An incredulous chuckle escapes your trembling lips. 
Did he just threaten me?
You just bore your heart to him. You told him what you want, hurt and furious and afraid of losing him. You confessed your feelings as best as you could. You told him what you want  and he threatens you because you gave him a well earned insult. 
Shaking your head, you take a step back. “You’re unbelievable,” you whisper, before turning towards the elevator. You don’t bother wiping your tears or fixing your makeup, not sparing him a second glance as you pick up your pace. You want–need to put as much distance as possible between you and him. 
“Don’t walk away from me,” he orders, following after you. 
Whirling back to face him, you summon the last bit of your rage from deep in your chest and demand, “Don’t tell–”
Taehyung closes the distance between you within two strides. He cups your face with a soothing tenderness that ignites shivers down your spine. His lips collide with yours without hesitation– combusting your heart with divine delight. For a moment, the world trickles away like raindrops on a foggy window, slow and then all at once. You cannot remember how you got here or what prompted this grand gesture or what your name is as he sears his own upon your lips instead. 
Soft and sweet, his hands trail down your body to your waist, pulling you closer against him. You melt into his touch, arching your back to mold yourself into him. Running a hand through his hand, you use the other to steady yourself with a grip on his shoulder.
Taehyung breaks the kiss with a quiet moan. His chest heaves heavily against yours, eyes searching. 
You furrow your brows. Licking your lips, you feel the heat his mouth left. “You…You kissed me,” you murmur. “Why–”
“Are you sure you want this?” Taehyung asks again. 
Confusion folds your features. You wrap your arms around his neck, pressing yourself as humanly close as possible to him and fervently nod. “Yes,” you practically beg. “Tae, I want to really be yours. I don’t want to keep second guessing us anymore.”
He sighs, nudging your nose with his. ““I don’t either,” he mutters.
Your eyes widen at his confession. You wonder how long he’s been thinking about this– about you like this. “Why didn’t you say something before?” you can’t stop yourself from asking.
Taehyung swallows thickly. He licks his lips before replying, “I don’t know.”
You raise a brow. That’s not something Kim Taehyung often admits. Searching his eyes for deception, you inhale deeply and shake your head. Your noses brush, coaxing a small smile on his lips. You suppress your own at the sight, intent on waiting for a serious response. 
Sighing, Taehyung tongues his cheek. “I didn’t want to ruin what we have,” he finally confesses. “And I really did want to keep you to myself, Angel. I like the way you look at me when it’s just us.”
You shift against him, legs pressing tightly together. “And how do I look at you?”
A smile tugs on the corners of his lip, and he hovers them over yours again. “You look at me like you don’t know anything but me,” he rasps, voice thick with possession. “Like I’m the one thing you need and nothing else matters.”
You bite back your whimper, not allowing yourself to completely succumb to him just yet. You can feel his hot, minty breath panting against your parted lips and, despite the intense urge to feel his tongue pushing against yours in your mouth, you fight against kissing him again.
You cannot ignore your lingering doubts at the fact that he has yet to define what you are. If he simply calls you his friend again, you might throw your shoe at him in frustration. 
“So where does that leave us then?” you question. 
Taehyung brings a hand up to wipe away the last of your tears. He gently swipes his thumb under your eyes, removing your smudged mascara. “Together,” he whispers, “as a couple.”
Your heart thumps in your chest, struggling to contain its excitement. “So you’d be my boyfriend?”
Taehyung smirks at the label. Nodding, he hums, “That’s right, princess.”
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note; please do not leave hate towards me or any other readers. please do not copy, repost, or translate any of my work without my permission.
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redheadspark · 8 months ago
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can i have benedict bridgerton x reader prompt #24
A/N - This is great for Benedict, thanks for requesting this
Pebble
Summary - After an argument, you think of the worst. Benedict, however, proves you wrong.
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Warnings - Angst with a hint of fluff at the end.
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You hated this, seeing the door shut in front of you.  It was a clear sign that your significant other who was on the otherside of the door was still mad.  At least to you it was a sign.
You and Benedict rarely fought, and when you did it would be something very small and mundane.  Nearly a small spat really and nothing else to worry about, which was clear evidence of your marriage and your love for one another.  You two deeply loved each other, going through your own trials and tribulations as a couple before and after your marriage.  
But this, this scared you.
Benedict rarely fought with you, it was not in his nature.  He had an aloof soul that was a contrast to your own stubbornness.  It was not new, you need to be right from time to time.  A constant struggle on your end since you would get yourself in trouble from time to time as a young lady.  But Benedict never saw that as a bad thing, he saw the true sweetness that you had and the love you had for him.  You would always reel in your emotions and your hard-headedness when it would get too far.  Benedict was always your anchor, making sure you didn’t go overboard or too far.  You found that to be a blessing, a true blessing in your life.  
So now that you and Benedict had a fight, and you felt like the worst wife on the planet. 
You were about to tap on the door with your knuckles, thinking of the worst and that Benedict was still fuming at you for how you were going down his throat and spraying him with your words.  Your heart was pounding, and your head was replaying all the nasty things you said to him that you knew weren’t true and were all lies.  
Yet suddenly, the door was thrown open and Benedict stood in front of you.
His eyes were wide and almost calm, no longer looking angry as he did moments before.  He actually looked rather calm and collected, which threw you off as he scanned your face.  You were suddenly overwhelmed with all that was said, all of the mean things that came out of your mouth, and all of the resentment that was festering inside of you that was unlashed on your kind and loving husband.  
Within a second, you were crying and hiding your face in your hands.  
“Darling,” You heard him say, then wrapping you in his arms and tucking you into his arms.  You breathe him in as you cried, the tears shitting his shirt while his own fingers were rubbing along your shoulders and upper back.  This was not what you expected from your husband, yet again you were expecting him to reprimand you which was not in his nature at all.  But for him to hug you, to make you feel safe as you wept in guilt, it surprised you and scared you at the same time.
“I’m sorry,” you hiccuped in his chest, feeling him kiss the top of your head as you were now clinging onto him and shaking from the tears, “I-I-I didn’t m-m-mean any of it—“
“It’s okay,” he hummed against your head, you freezing in his hold as his voice was sounding so calm and sure.  It shocked you to hear that from him, making you look up from your spot and see him look down at you with fondness in his eyes.  
“I said…all of those things to you!” You tried to explain to him, knowing you were in the wrong in the fight, “None of it was true, and you didn’t deserve any of it,”
“My love,” He cooed, leaning down to frame your face in his hands,  The tears on your cheeks and the wide eyes you were giving him, Benedict could see the pain and sense it.  You were always so strong and confident in who you were and in how you carried yourself.  But that also came at a price with your hardheadedness and need to be right constantly.  It was not what you wanted to inflict on your husband, the one person who showed you true love. 
Yet you did, and it felt beyond terrible.
“It’s in the past now, okay?” He asked you calmly, brushing away the tears with his thumbs and giving you a sweet smile, “I know you never meant any of those words, and I know this fight we had is nothing we cannot put behind us.”
“Even after—“ You were about to question him some more, not understanding how he could let it go and not be angry with you.  But he silenced you with a kiss, a soothing kiss that made your mind go blank.  He had that way with you when he would kiss you, able to let you get out of your head for a brief moment. It was one of the great things you adored about Benedict, his way of making you feel loved with a simple kiss.  And even then, when you were feeling low while wearing a tear-stained dress and having a battered heart, Benedict never walked away from you.
He pulled away and nuzzled your noses together, his eyes still so soft with him and his face along your jawline feeling beyond delicate like he was holding a jewel, “I love you far too much to let an argument stop us,” 
His selfless and caring heart was far too massive, and to hear he was willing to forget about the fight, to let it float away in the wind and no longer fester in it, made you love him all the more. You considered yourself so lucky to have him love you, to feel that love every day when you two would fall asleep in each other’s arms.  There were more positive days than negative, and Benedict only proved it now letting a fight simply evaporate and not fester.
“I think we should turn in for the night,” he explained to you, though you rose a brow to him.
“What about our dinner with your family?” You asked, seeing him shrug as he laced your fingers together lovingly.  
“I’m sure my mother won’t mind us missing one family meal, we can always go next week.  Besides, I would rather be with the love of my life and enjoy my evening with her,” He explained, seeing you finally smiling for the first time that night. Benedict showed you how to not let a single argument or fight to rip your love apart or make you think the worst.  Deep down you knew that he still loved you, that he knew you still loved him.
This was merely a small pebble in a river, not a boulder.
The End 
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May Prompt Session
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tokkiwrites · 1 month ago
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𝚄𝚗𝚋𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚊𝚝𝚑 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚈𝚘𝚞 𝚄𝚗𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝙼𝚢 𝚂𝚔𝚒𝚗. (5)
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mom's fiancé! joel miller x f! reader • series masterlist.
Summary: Your mom's new fiancé, Joel Miller, is the kind of man you could never shake out of your mind—rugged, rough, and embodiment of your long-buried fantasies. He's been your next-door neighbor for years, and the crush you harbored through your teenage years never really faded. Now, he's with your mom, and they're planning to get married. You should want her to be happy, but you can't ignore the tension growing between you and Joel. It's something that was never meant to happen. But as you uncover Joel's true motives for being with your mom, you realize maybe your feelings weren't one-sided after all. And maybe, despite everything, you’re the one he really wants. Tags: stepcest kind of, age gap (reader is in her mid 20s and joel in his mid 40s), forbidden romance, emotional conflict, complicated family dynamics, heartbreak, ANGST, cheating, infidelity, betrayal, talk about divorce, no one owning up to what they really do, main characters get their happy ending... OR DO THEY?! >:) /ᐠ - ˕ -マ⁩ authors note 𑁯 ✿ im baaack !! last part baby!!! kind of. you'll see >:) until then enjoy this mumbled mess of 4.63k words bunnies! thank you for the immense support on this series. excuse any grammatical errors <//3
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Her words hit you like a tidal wave, leaving you gasping for air. You watched as she paced the room, trembling with the weight of her anger and heartbreak. “You don’t know what love is!” she snapped, her voice breaking. “Love isn’t sneaking around, tearing apart the people who trust you the most. Love isn’t ruining your family because you can’t control yourself.”
Your chest tightened, the sting of her words cutting deep. “I didn’t plan for this to happen,” you whispered, your voice trembling. “It wasn’t like I set out to hurt you—”
“But you did,” she interrupted, her voice cracking. “You hurt me in the worst way possible. You betrayed me with the one person who was supposed to be on my side. How am I supposed to live with this? How am I supposed to look at you and not see… this?”
Her words crushed you, the weight of her disappointment pressing down like an anchor. You took a step toward her, desperate to bridge the chasm growing between you. “Mom, please—”
“Don’t,” she said, holding up a hand to stop you. Her tears shimmered in the dim light, her face a portrait of devastation. “I need you to leave. Just… go.”
You froze, your heart shattering at the finality in her tone. “Mom…”
“Go!” she shouted, her voice breaking. “I can’t even look at you right now.”
The silence that followed was deafening. You turned and stumbled toward the door, the walls of the house you’d grown up in suddenly feeling foreign and cold. As you stepped outside, the chill of the night air bit at your skin, but it was nothing compared to the hollow ache inside your chest.
The slam of the door still echoed in your ears as you trudged through the dark streets, clutching your jacket tight against the biting wind. Your mind was spinning, replaying the scene over and over again—the raised voice, the look of disgust on her face, the words that burned like acid.
"You’re a liar. I don’t even know who you are anymore."
Your mother had always been sharp, but you hadn’t expected her to be cruel. Not like that.
She hadn’t even let you explain. Not really. Once she figured it out—once you admitted you were in love with Joel—it was like she couldn’t even look at you. Not forever, maybe. But you knew that in this moment, there was no going back.
You wiped at your face, but it was no use. Tears streaked your cheeks, hot and endless, cutting through the cold. You barely noticed when you reached Joel’s building. Your feet carried you up the stairs, and your fists pounded on his door before you even thought about what you’d say.
It wasn’t long before the door swung open. Joel stood there, his face tight with worry that immediately shifted into something darker when he saw you. “You told her,” he said, his voice low and heavy. You froze, your breath catching. Of course, he already knew. “I had to,” you whispered, stepping inside uninvited. “She—she guessed. She cornered me, Joel, I couldn’t—” You decided to lie. You tried to protect him from all of this. Maybe it wasn't your job or your role to do so, but this was the way to show him that it's real. that you are real, and so are all the feelings you have for him.
“You could’ve,” Joel snapped, cutting you off. He shut the door with more force than necessary. “You could’ve waited. You could’ve called me. But instead, you decided to do this on your own.” His words hit like a punch, and you stumbled over your response. “I didn’t have time—”
“That’s bullshit,” he growled, his voice rising. He took a step closer, his eyes boring into yours. “You didn’t want to wait for me. You wanted to handle it yourself, like you always do.”
“That’s not fair,” you shot back, anger bubbling up to meet his. “I didn’t plan this, Joel! She came at me, and I panicked! What was I supposed to do? Lie to her?”
“Yes!” Joel shouted, throwing his hands up. “You should’ve lied, or stalled, or done anything other than blow this whole thing wide open without me. You think this is just about you? It’s not. This affects both of us.” Your stomach twisted at his words. “You think I don’t know that?” you said, your voice trembling. “Do you think I don’t feel sick about what this means for you? For us? Joel, she kicked me out!"
He froze, his jaw tightening. “She what?”
You swallowed hard, the lump in your throat threatening to choke you. “She told me to leave. Said she doesn’t even recognize me anymore. I—” Your voice broke, and you covered your face with your hands. Joel’s anger seemed to deflate all at once, replaced by something softer, though no less pained. He reached for you hesitantly, his fingers brushing your arm.
“Hey,” he said quietly, his tone rough but gentler now. “C’mere.”
You let him pull you into his arms, and the floodgates opened. You sobbed into his chest, your fists clutching at his shirt like it was the only thing keeping you from falling apart completely. For a while, he just held you, his hand rubbing slow circles on your back. "I got you, babygirl... 'm right here." But the tension in his body hadn’t gone away, and you could feel the weight of everything left unsaid hanging between you. When your sobs finally quieted, Joel pulled back just enough to look at you. His face was etched with exhaustion and something else—something almost like regret.
“This can’t keep happening,” he said softly. “You can’t just… go off and make decisions like this without me. We’re supposed to be in this together.”
“I know,” you whispered, your voice raw. “I’m sorry. I just… I didn’t know what else to do.” Joel sighed, brushing a stray tear from your cheek. “We’ll figure it out,” he said, though he didn’t sound entirely convinced. “We always do.”
But before you could respond, your phone buzzed in your pocket. You hesitated, then pulled it out, your heart sinking when you saw the name on the screen. Marjorie. Of course. Joel noticed your hesitation. “Who is it?”
“Marjorie,” you said quietly. He frowned, but said nothing as you swiped to open the message. "You should’ve thought this through", it read.
•Your mom’s already told half the town about what you’ve done. If you’d just shared a little, you wouldn’t be in this mess now. At least they'll know what a homewrecking whore you are.
The room seemed to spin, and you had to sit down before your legs gave out. Joel knelt beside you, his hand gripping yours tightly. “What is it?” he asked, his voice low and steady. You showed him the message, your hands shaking. His jaw tightened as he read it, a muscle in his cheek jumping.
“Unbelievable,” he muttered. “She’s trying to twist the knife.”
“She’s right, though,” you said, your voice barely audible. “I—I did this to myself. To us.”
“Hey,” Joel said firmly, cupping your face in his hands. “Don’t you dare blame yourself for this. You hear me, sweet girl? This isn’t on you. It’s on them. On her.” You wanted to believe him. But the weight of everything—the fallout with your mom, the shame, the fear of what came next—it was too much.
“I don’t know how to fix this,” you whispered, tears welling up again. "Maybe it don't need fixin'.." Joel’s expression softened, and he pressed a gentle kiss to your forehead. “We’ll figure it out,” he said again. “One step at a time. But you’ve got to let me in. No more shutting me out.”
The road ahead felt impossibly long, the cracks in your relationship with Joel deep and jagged. But as he held you close, his arms steady and sure, you let yourself hope.
the nigh faded as your lids finally closed, the soft whispers of Joel a blanket over your tensed body. Finally, you fall asleep, escaping this day, hoping that when you wake up It'll all turn out to be a bad dream.
But as the night fell upon, you so did the day.
Joel stood on the doorstep, fists clenched at his sides. The brisk wind carried the faint scent of pine from the trees lining the street. He stared at the door in front of him, steeling himself for what he knew was coming. When your mother opened the door, her face immediately twisted into a scowl. “You’ve got some nerve showing up here,” she spat. Joel held her gaze, his jaw tight. “We need to talk.”
“Oh, we do?” she snapped, stepping onto the porch and crossing her arms. “You’ve said enough, Joel. Or maybe not—seems like you were too busy seducing my daughter to give me the full picture.” Joel winced, but he didn’t look away. “I didn’t come here to fight with you.”
“Then what do you want?” she shot back, her voice rising. “To explain yourself? To justify this—this shit?”
“I want to make things right,” Joel said, his tone measured. “For her. She doesn’t deserve this.”
“Don’t you dare pretend this is about her,” she snapped, her eyes narrowing. “This is about you. About your selfishness, your inability to think about anyone but yourself.” Joel’s hands curled into fists at his sides, but he forced himself to stay calm. “I know you’re angry—”
“Angry?” Her voice grew louder, trembling with indignation. “Angry doesn’t even begin to cover it! Do you have any idea what you’ve done, Joel? My daughter—your stepdaughter. Do you even hear yourself?” Joel’s shoulders sagged slightly, but his resolve didn’t falter. “It’s not what you think—”
“Oh, really?” she interrupted, her laugh sharp and bitter. “Then explain it to me, Joel. Enlighten me, because from where I’m standing, it looks like you’ve been fucking her this whole time.” His head snapped up, and his voice took on a dangerous edge. “That’s not what happened.”
“Then what?” she demanded, stepping closer. “You ‘accidentally’ fell for her? And so did your dick inside of her? Was this why you got so close to her? Why you were so ‘supportive’ all of a sudden? Because you wanted her?” Joel’s chest rose and fell heavily. “I didn’t plan this,” he said, his voice low but firm. “It just happened. She’s not a child, and this wasn’t some sick—”
“Don’t you dare try to justify this!” she hissed, cutting him off again. “You’re supposed to be her father. You were supposed to protect her—not—” Her voice cracked, and she had to look away, blinking rapidly. "Oh my god."
Joel stepped forward, his voice softening. “I never meant to hurt anyone.” She glared at him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “You think that makes it better? That it wasn’t ‘on purpose’? My God, Joel—this is why you married me, isn’t it?”
His brow furrowed, and for a moment, he looked genuinely taken aback. “What?” She let out a bitter laugh, shaking her head. “It makes sense now. You didn’t want me. You wanted her. You saw an opportunity, and you—” Her voice broke again, and she turned away, her hand pressed to her mouth. “That’s not true,” Joel said firmly, his voice rising just slightly. “I loved you. I cared about this family. I—”
“You used this family,” she snapped, spinning back around to face him. “And don’t you dare pretend otherwise. You’ve destroyed everything, Joel. Do you understand that? Everything. And for what?”
Joel’s expression hardened, his frustration bubbling to the surface. “For love,” he said, his voice rough. “I love her. And you can hate me for it all you want, but that’s the truth.” Her mouth fell open slightly, disbelief etched across her face. For a moment, the only sound was the wind rustling through the trees.
“You’re disgusting,” she finally said, her voice quiet but laced with venom. “Do you know what people are saying? What they’re going to say? You’ve ruined her, Joel. You’ve ruined her life, and you don't even understand."
Joel’s throat tightened, and his heart sank with every word that came from her mouth. “I never meant to hurt her,” he said again, his voice thick with emotion. He took a step forward, desperate to make her understand. “I never meant for any of this to happen. I love her, but I wasn’t trying to hurt you. I never wanted to destroy this family.” The words seemed to hit her like a slap. She blinked rapidly, as though trying to keep the tears at bay, but they came anyway—one by one, streaming down her face. “You already have, Joel,” she whispered.
There was a heavy silence between them. The weight of everything that had happened hung in the air like an oppressive cloud. Joel wanted to reach out, to comfort her somehow, but he knew he couldn’t. Not now.
Her eyes narrowed, and her voice was cold, almost venomous. “You’re not going to get away with this. I’ll make sure of it. I’m telling everyone. I’ve already told people, Joel. You don’t get to just pretend this didn’t happen, that it’s all okay. I will make sure everyone knows what you’ve done.”
His blood ran cold. “You can’t—”
“I will,” she spat. Joel stood there. He wanted to scream, to argue, but the truth hung there. He had screwed up. And he knew that.
“I didn’t want this to happen. You have to believe me,” he said hoarsely, voice cracking. “I was trying to be there for her. I—I never wanted to hurt her or you. It just—it just happened. And I don’t know what to do, but I swear, I never meant for it to go this far.” She crossed her arms tightly, her eyes flashing with anger and hurt. “You never meant it, Joel? Then why did you let it happen? Why didn’t you stop? You could’ve stopped. You could’ve walked away.
His throat felt tight, constricted with guilt, but he refused to back down. “Because I couldn’t.” Her lip trembled, but she quickly bit it, hiding the emotion that flickered there. She took a deep breath, then looked him square in the eyes. “I want you to leave. Now.”
The command was sharp, final. Joel hesitated, his gaze lingering on her, and then he nodded—slowly. He wasn’t sure what else to say. There were no more words that could fix this, not right now. He turned, heading for the door, the weight of everything pressing down on him with each step.
He felt sick.
With one final glance at the door he’d just walked away from, he turned and walked down the street, away from the house, away from everything. His mind raced with a thousand thoughts, but none of them made sense.
He had destroyed everything.
And now, there was no going back.
Joel had just come back from a supply run, the door clicking shut behind him. You glanced up from the couch, where you’d been sitting in silence, staring blankly at a book you weren’t really reading. He dropped the grocery bag on the counter, pausing before he looked at you.
“You’ve barely eaten,” he said, his voice rough but laced with concern. You shrugged, hugging your knees to your chest. “Not hungry.” He let out a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck. “You can’t keep doing this to yourself, baby. I know it’s hard, but we’re in this together. You know that, don’t you?”
You looked at him then, searching his face for something—reassurance, maybe, or a sense that he really believed what he was saying. “Together,” you echoed, the word feeling hollow. “We might be together, but everything else is ruined, Joel. My mom hates me. She hates you... And everyone else knows now too."
Running away now sounds about right.
Joel crossed the room, sitting on the edge of the couch. “Your mom’s angry. She’s hurt. But she’ll come around. And whatever others say... Fuck 'em.” You shook your head, tears pricking your eyes. “She won’t, Joel. Not after what she said. Not after what we did.”
“She doesn’t get to judge us,” he said firmly, his voice low. “She can be angry all she wants, but we didn’t do this to hurt her. We didn’t plan for any of this.” You flinched at his words. “That doesn’t make it okay. We still—Joel, we still had an affair. We lied to her. I lied to her... and I don’t even know who I am anymore.”
Joel reached out, his hand brushing against yours. “You’re the same person you’ve always been...My sweet 'n smart girl. And you’re not alone in this. I’m here. I’ll always be here.”
You looked at him, his eyes filled with determination and tears. He meant it—every word. But that didn’t erase the reality of what had happened. It didn’t change the fact that you’d hurt someone you both cared about, even if that love had long since soured.
“Do you regret it?” you asked suddenly, the words spilling out before you could stop them. Your voice trembled, barely audible. “Do you regret... us?” Joel froze, his hand tightening around yours. For a moment, you thought he might say yes—that he’d take it all back if he could. But then he shook his head, his voice resolute.
“No,” he said. “I don’t regret loving you. I can’t. But I hate how it happened. I hate what it’s done to you—to us.” Tears slipped down your cheeks, and he pulled you into his arms, holding you tightly. You buried your face in his chest, letting yourself cry for everything you’d lost—for the family you’d broken and the love that had brought you here. “I’m scared, Joel,” you whispered. “What if it’s not enough? What if we’re not enough?” His arms tightened around you, his voice soft but unwavering. “We’ll figure it out. One day at a time, baby.”
You wait for the moon to rise and hug you.
Tonight, as the moonlight filtered through the thin curtains in his bedroom, you realized you couldn’t stay here anymore. Not in this town. Not surrounded by the memories of everything you’d lost.
Joel was beside you, his breathing steady but shallow. He’d fallen asleep sitting against the headboard, a book forgotten in his lap. His brow was furrowed, even in rest. You stared at him for a long moment before gently nudging his shoulder. “Joel,” you whispered. He stirred, his eyes fluttering open. For a second, he looked confused, but then his gaze softened when he saw you. “Hey, sweetheart. You okay?”
You nodded but didn’t answer right away. Instead, you sat up, crossing your legs and pulling the blanket over them. Joel straightened, too, setting the book aside and giving you his full attention.
“There’s something I’ve been thinking about,” you started. Joel tilted his head slightly. “What’s that?”
You took a deep breath, the words tumbling out before you could second-guess yourself. “Why don’t we leave? Just... pack up and go somewhere else. Start over. There’s nothing keeping me here, Joel. Not anymore. We could move, get away from all this, and just... be us. We could have a life, a family of our own. Isn’t that what we’ve always wanted?”
Joel’s eyes widened slightly, and for a moment, he didn’t say anything. You could see the wheels turning in his mind, the way he was trying to process what you’d just said. “You want to leave?” he asked finally, his voice low.
You nodded. “I can’t stay here, Joel. Not after everything. Everyone knows. They’re all talking about us, judging us. I can’t go anywhere without feeling their eyes on me. And my mom... She’s made it clear I’m not welcome. But we don’t have to stay. We could go somewhere no one knows us. Start fresh.”
Joel rubbed a hand over his face, his jaw tightening. “I don’t know, darlin’. Moving... It’s a big decision. And what about you? Your work, your friends?”
“They’re not my friends anymore,” you said bitterly, the sting of betrayal still fresh. “If they ever were, they’re sure not now. And work... I can find something else. None of that matters, Joel. All that matters is us. If we stay here, this will follow us forever. But if we leave, we can leave all this behind.” His shoulders slumped slightly, and he looked at you; sadness and longing. “You really think running away’s the answer?”
“It’s not running away,” you argued gently. “It’s starting over. Joel, you said we’d figure this out together. This is how we do it! We can’t change what happened, but we can choose what happens next. And I choose you.”
The room was silent except for the faint hum of the air conditioner. Joel’s gaze locked on yours, and you could see the battle raging inside him. He wanted what you were offering—a chance to leave this mess behind, to build a life with you. But he was also scared of the unknown and the risks that came with it.
Finally, he reached out, his hand covering yours. “If this is what you want,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper, “then we’ll do it. We’ll leave. Wherever you wanna go, I’ll follow.”
Relief flooded through you, and a tear slipped down your cheek as you threw your arms around him. “Thank you,” you murmured against his shoulder. “Thank you..." He held you tightly, his lips brushing the top of your head. “You’re all I’ve got, darlin’. I’d go anywhere for you.”
That was enough. It had to be.
The hum of the apartment felt suffocating, but there was a strange comfort in it, too. You’d been in the same place for so long, yet now, every little sound—the refrigerator humming, the quiet ticking of the clock on the wall—felt like a reminder of everything that had fallen apart. The town that had been home for so many years now felt like a prison, a place where the whispers never stopped, and the eyes of judgment followed you wherever you went.
But you weren’t staying here. You couldn’t stay here. You were both looking for a way out. Maybe you more than him.
Joel had been working overtime, pushing through his job, despite the whispers about him at work—the rumors that now tainted his every conversation. His job, the stares, the small-town gossip— it all got to him. to both of you.
As for you, you had quit yours. There wasn’t any point in pretending anymore. Your coworkers had given you that look— the one that said they knew but couldn’t talk about it openly. You didn’t need that anymore. You didn’t need to keep hiding in a job that felt more like a cage than an opportunity.
What you needed was space. You needed to leave. To escape. To start somewhere far away from here.
You stood by the counter, stirring a pot of vegetable soup as the familiar sounds of the apartment surrounded you. You were tired. Tired of hiding. Tired of fighting for something that had no resolve. It should’ve been an easy answer. You knew this would happen, how it would end up. And you could see it in Joel’s eyes, too. But every time you thought about leaving, about getting out of this town where everyone knew too much, there was a brief moment of hope. A spark. What if this was the first step toward something real? Toward a life that was just yours? Was it that horrible you wanted to he happy despite what you had done?
You let out a deep breath, your thoughts interrupted as Joel stepped into the kitchen, his tired eyes locking onto yours.
"Hi, baby." he murmured, his voice a little rough from the long day. You turned to him, a smile tugging at your lips despite the exhaustion that had been weighing on you. “Hi,” you said softly, and before you could say anything more, he closed the space between you. Joel’s arms wrapped around your waist, pulling you against him as he pressed a kiss to the top of your head, then your temple. “Missed you,” he said, his lips brushing against your skin. “Every damn minute I was at work, all I could think about was gettin' home to you.”
You laughed quietly, resting your hands on his chest. “You’re such a sap,” you teased, but there was no bite in your words—just warmth, just the comfort of knowing he was here. “Only for you,” Joel replied, a smirk playing on his lips as he tilted your chin up to meet his gaze. His thumb brushed over your cheek, and his expression softened. “You’re my whole world, baby. Don’t you know that by now?”
Your chest tightened, but in the best way. You nodded, leaning into his touch. “I think I do,” you whispered. Joel’s smile grew, and he leaned down to kiss you—slow and sweet, the kind of kiss that made the rest of the world falter away. When he finally pulled back, his forehead rested against yours, and his hands stayed firm on your waist like he couldn’t bear to let go.
“We’re really doing this..?” you said. “We’re leaving. Packing up and going to a whole new place..."
“Damn right we are,” his voice was steady. “We got that apartment a few towns over...with the balcony and all that sunlight you love so much, could maybe get a puppy too, who knows? It’s ours now. We’re making this happen.”
"Or a kitty." you giggle. "Whatever you want, angel. anything you want." You nodded, a smile breaking across your face. Your future home. Yours and Joel's. For how unreal it sounded, it felt like a lifeline. It was small but perfect, tucked away in a quiet area where no one would know your names. It was far enough from here that the whispers, the judgment, and the past couldn’t follow. It was everything you both needed. “I still can’t believe they approved us,” you said, shaking your head with a quiet laugh. “It feels too good to be true.” Joel chuckled, pulling you tighter against him. “Believe it, baby. It’s happening. And I can’t wait to see you in it. Can’t wait to start a real life with you..." he trails off, palm settling on your lower belly and, oh, butterflies bloom into your stomach. His words made your chest ache. He leaned down to kiss you again, his hands moving up to cradle your face. The kiss was longer this time, deeper, like he was trying to pour everything he felt for you into it. When he finally pulled back, his eyes were shining. “We’ll start packing this weekend,” he said, his tone laced with excitement. “I’ve already started thinking about how to load the truck. Gonna make sure all your stuff’s safe, no scratches or anythin'.” You laughed, wrapping your arms around his neck. “You’re so practical.”
“Hey, someone’s gotta be,” he teased, pressing another kiss to your forehead. “But seriously, I want you to feel at home there. I want it to be everything you’ve ever wanted. Hell, I don’t care if we’re in a shoebox as long as it’s with you.” Your throat tightened at his words, and you buried your face in his chest, holding onto him like he was the only thing keeping you grounded. “I love you,” you said softly. Joel’s hand came up to tangle in your hair, and he pressed his lips to the top of your head. “I love you, baby. More than anything.” it seemed real enough for you.
For a while, the two of you just stood there, wrapped in each other’s arms, letting the warmth of the moment settle around you. You weren’t just running from something anymore, or someone. You were running toward something— together. And it was wrong, yes, and maybe karma will eventually make it's way to you, but until then this was your chance to be happy.
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taglist ⭐️ ㅡ @eviispunk @joeldjarin @whimsiwitchy @guelyury @untamedheart81 @dollyxzy @mybvalentine @am-3-thyst @cuteanimalmama @corinnedollete @lovely-vamp-princess
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ninii-winchester · 4 months ago
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Timeless Love
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Pairing : Dean Winchester X Reader
Word count : 3.7k
Warnings : angst, s12 ep 6 (spoilers), canon violence, mentions of demons, slight mention of john winchester, mentions of amara (slight spoiler), taylor swift reference (?), fluff. Not proofread.
Part 2 to Fleeting Love.
A/n: I don’t remember what exactly happened in that episode i just winged it.
I DO NOT GIVE PERMISSION TO COPY MY WORK, TRANSLATE IT OR POST IT TO ANY OTHER PLATFORM. REBLOGS ARE APPRECIATED.
Leaving was the hardest thing Dean had to do other than breaking Y/n's heart. He cried himself to sleep every night after seeing her looking like a shell of herself at school. He missed her smile and he missed being the reason of her smile. How could he let himself fall for someone, when he knew he could never have that kind of life. Loving her was the best and the worst decision of his life. Best because he got to know what love actually feels like and worst because he knows he'd never find anything like that ever again. He wouldn't allow himself to love anyone else in this lifetime. She was his first and last love.
Dean had left town, and Y/n was still picking up the pieces of a shattered heart. Days turned into weeks, but the ache never dulled. Every time she walked by the places they'd shared—her favorite diner, the lakeside road where they'd stargazed—the memories rushed in like a flood. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't outrun the ghost of him.
As much as she wanted to hate him, part of her would always him. He was her first love, her first kiss and her first time. Deep down she knew it had everything to do with his father but his betrayal was still fresh in her mind. She knew her Dean wouldn't do that her but she wished he'd stood against his father. She wished he would've fought for their love. If only she knew the reason he couldn't do it.
Fifteen years had come and gone, and Y/n had built a life—one filled with new memories, a different kind of happiness. But despite the time and distance, her heart remained anchored to a love she never truly let go of. It wasn't that she was stuck in the past; she had moved on in every way that mattered. Yet, in the quiet moments, when the world fell still, it was Dean's face she saw, his voice she heard, as if time had never touched the feelings she carried for him.
Y/n let out a sigh as she waited for her flight to be announced. She was going to Canada for a wake of the man who saved her life. She vividly remembered six years ago, she was coming back from work and a huge dog like creature attacked her. She wouldn't have believed had she not seen it with her own eyes. It was a werewolf.
She dug into the supernatural, surprised by the sheer amount of lore tied to what was already known. Myths, legends, and creatures she once thought were just stories had entire histories woven into the fabric of the world she knew.
Asa Fox was the one that killed the thing and rescued her. Now he was no more. She owed it him to atleast pay her final respects to him.
Hours later she landed in Canada and made her way towards Asa's mother's house. It was late at night when she arrived. She stepped inside and noticed a small crowd gathered in the living room, while others lingered in the kitchen and a few more were out in the backyard. They were all lost in conversation, sharing memories and stories of the brave hunter they had come together to mourn. The air was heavy with both grief and respect as they honored the life he'd lived.
She'd found Asa's mother and paid her condolences to her, recounting how her son had saved her life and how she looked up to him. The older woman nodded and Y/n took it as her cue to leave her alone. She walked the hallway and bumped into someone, she quickly apologised and looked up to them and all the air seemed to leave her lungs.
"You.." she choked on her words and the other person looked at her in mild confusion and threw her an anticipatory glance. "Mary Winchester." Y/n finally spoke. The older woman tried to rack her brain if she knew the woman infront of her but her mind remained blank.
Y/n had seen photos of Dean's mother in his room also in his wallet and she adored how much he loved his mother. Her mind went haywire thinking back to when he told her his mother died in a house fire. Did he lie? Why would he though? Thousands of thoughts ran into her mind as she thought back to her relationship with the Winchester. Even after fifteen years he's still vivid in her head. Did everything he tell her was a lie? Was Dean even his real name.
Y/n could feel herself hyperventilate and she immediately wanted to put space between the supposedly dead woman and herself. She went to the kitchen to grab herself some water. There were only two people in the kitchen, a woman with a pixie cut and a man taller than anyone she had ever seen. She grabbed a water bottle chugging it down and calming her heartbeat. She took a deep breath before speaking,
"Uhm sorry to intrude but, is a Mary Winchester out there?" She questioned the couple gesturing towards the hallway she came from. The man looked at her with a unreadable look in his eyes.
"Yeah." The woman responded.
Y/n sighed, — atleast I'm not going crazy. She thought to herself. But if that's Dean's mom, what on earth is she doing here?
"You're Y/n." The man said. It wasn't a question. He knew her. She craned her neck to look up at his face and she furrowed her brows.
"I'm sorry have we met before?" She questioned taking a step forward. A sad smile appeared on his face. The woman beside him looked at him expectantly waiting for his reply.
"You seriously don't remember me?" He chuckled and she shook her head.
"I'm sorry, but I'd remember if I had met someone as big as you." She replied leaning on the counter behind her.
"I wasn't this big when we met Y/n/n." Sam spoke and the nickname made her eyes flash with recognition but it was quickly overtaken by the hurt that came with those memories.
"Sammy." It just slipped out. She didn't mean to call him by that name, but when he called her y/n/n, it came out subconsciously. Her heart started beating loudly at the thought of his brother being here. She had never thought she'd ever meet Dean Winchester ever again and she was not ready.
Sam knew whatever happened between her and his brother hurt her more than anything and he wouldn't blame her if she up and left without a word, but he'd missed her. And he missed the man his brother was when he was with Y/n. After her, he was just a shell of a man, running on his father's commands like a soldier. Someone who seemed to let go off every emotion and just waiting for his father's next order.
Sam introduced Y/n to the woman beside him as sherrif Jody Mills and she was good friend.
"How're you Y/n?" Sam asked and she looked at him remembering the small kid she used help with homework.
"Been good. How about you?" Sam scoffed at her question. If only she knew how he's been. And how his brother's been. Coming back from the dead, hell, purgatory. She'd probably throw a chair at him for making up all this bullshit.
"Good yeah." Sam nodded. Y/n could hear footsteps approaching and prayed it wasn't who she thought it was. God knew she didn't want to see him. Maybe she hadn't been a good person, and this was her punishment, because Dean Winchester walked into the kitchen, her breath caught in her lungs.
"Sammy where the he-" Dean words got caught in his mouth as his gaze landed on her.
Y/n looked at the man she had loved and hoped that after all these years, she'd have fallen out of love with him. But one look and her heart started thudding against her ribcage. He had aged, but somehow, he was even more handsome. He was muscular now, his arms toned beneath his layers, and she could see it all. She could feel her eyes water and she didn't want to create a scene at someone's wake, she pushed past Sam and left the space with a word.
Dean stood frozen, he couldn't believe he'd run into her here of all places. The sight of her brought back a flood of memories and feelings he thought he had buried long ago. Despite the years and the changes, she was just as beautiful as he remembered. But then he wondered why was she here? Is she a relative? Does she know about the supernatural? Or worse is she a hunter?
He didn't know the answer to his questions but he knew one thing, that them meeting again after fifteen years was fate. And he'd be damned if he let go off her ever again. He'd do anything in his power to win her back because God knows he's been miserable since the minute he broke up with her. Without wasting another second Dean went behind her. He could see her going to the backyard and taking in deep breaths.
"Y/n." He said approaching her.
"Go away Dean.”
“Just hear me out once.” He pleaded.
“I don't want to hear any more of your lies." Her voice cracked as she spoke and Dean knew she was on the verge of crying.
"Lies? What lies?" He asked holding her arm and turning her to look at him. She shrugged her arm out of his grip and pulled away harshly.
"Maybe you have a bad memory Dean, fifteen years isn't that long of a time to forget about it." She snapped glaring at him. "Need I remind you of your lies? My mom died when I was four! She's inside I've seen her with my own eyes." She yelled. "I love you Y/n! And the very next day after breaking up with me I see you making out with some cheerleader. You don't do that to someone you love." She cried pushing at his chest. "You're a goddamn liar so leave me the fuck alone like you did that night at the park."
Each and every word pierced through him like a needle. It was worse than spending forty years in Hell. He knew he'd hurt her and deserved everything she threw his way, but hearing her think that he didn't love her—it just broke his heart. He never lied about his love for her.
"Y/n, baby please let me explain. I swear I'll tell you everything." He said holding her hand and she pushed him again.
"Don't touch me. And I don't need your explanations." She wiped her tears. "I'm not here for you I'm here for Asa." Dean felt a pang of jealousy at the late hunter's name and he wondered if they'd had something before he died. Is that why she's here. He completely forgot it's been fifteen years and there might be a possibility that she'd moved on. 
"How do you even know him?" He couldn't but ask. His jealousy getting the better of him.
"That is none of your concern." She retorted sharply.
"Sweetheart please hear me out." Dean begged and she moved to go back inside but the doors were locked.
"What the hell?" She tried turning the doorknob but it didn't budge. The two of them were locked out. Dean tried pushing the door but to no avail.
"Hello Dean." Dean turned to see Billie standing there and she was smirking almost evilly.
"Billie what are you doing here?" He asked the reaper. And she told him she's here to do what she does. She's here to take everyone who's inside. Dean asked her what's happening inside and she tells him a demon's got them locked inside and something about vengeance. He had to save Sam, his mom and Jody. Dean tells her to open the door for him and let him go inside, she makes him a deal to never interfere in the natural order of things and he agrees as long as she lets him inside.
"Dean what the hell is going on?" Y/n was now scared. Although she was well aware of supernatural theoretically but she was in no way prepared to fight. And demons? She didn't know those were real too.
"I'll explain later." Dean replied as calmly as possible. "Billie, I need you to keep her safe, please." Dean requested and the reaper raised her brow.
"Dean, I can either keep her safe or let you inside. I'm getting one thing out of this deal, and you're getting only one too." His jaw clenched at her words and he was internally cursing her for being a bitch.
"Fine. Get us in." He begrudgingly told the reaper and she created an opening in the door. Dean turned to Y/n and cupped her face in his large hands. "We're going in, but you gotta trust me, sweetheart. Stay by my side and I'll protect you." Y/n thought he was completely out his wits asking her to go inside a place where there's a demon.
"Time's of essence Dean." Billie commented and he glared at her. He held Y/n's hand and before she knew the two of them were inside. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw Sam, Jody and his mom alive, and even the others. Sam filled him in how the demon had cut off the water supply and locked all the doors. Y/n was terrified of being locked in a house with a demon but Dean held her close to him. His hand gripping hers tightly.
They all gathered in the living room to make a devils trap to trap whoever the demon was possesing and to keep themselves safe, being inside it.
"Dean who was that outside?" Y/n questioned her voice a quiet whisper.
"That was Billie she's a reaper." Dean replied moving her into the devils trap. She looked at him wide eyed.
"A reaper? The one that takes souls?" She questioned and he nodded. "You're acquainted with a reaper? What the fuck?" Before either of them could say any further Jody accused Mary of being possessed since her was last one to come into the room.
Sam and Dean tensed at her accusation of their mom being possessed but then Mary stepped into the devil's trap and moved out proving she's not it. Then Jody started cackling evilly, saying that was clever of Mary. With a flick of her hand she wooshed the trap, then she started attacking everyone one by one taunting them. She threw the twins across the wall and then slammed Mary in the door. She moved her hand towards Y/n but Dean pushed her behind him and the demon made him fly in the wall. Y/n was left unguarded and demon closed in on her. Sam neared them but possessed Jody threw him in the cabinet.
Y/n screamed as the demon neared her she inched backwards, her body trembling with fear. Dean watched as Jody wrapped her hand around Y/n's neck, he got up on his feet and pushed Jody away from her, not too harshly to not hurt his friend's body. He wrapped his body over her, shielding her body with his' and Sam started chanting the incantation to exorcise the demon out of Jody. The twins joined them and then Mary finished it off sending the demon back to hell.
The lights flickered back on and everyone was relieved at last. Y/n clutched Dean's shirt in her hands and hid her face in his chest. "You're fine..it's gone." He rubbed her back soothingly. "Hey sweetheart, look at me." Dean made her pull away slightly and placed his fingers underneath her chin making her look at him. "You okay?" She shook her head, no.
An hour later, Y/n was wrapped up in Dean's jacket, his mind drifting off to the first time he'd lend her his jacket and how it was their new beginning. He wondered if it was a sign of their another new beginning together. She sat on the hood of the Impala and the boys stood in front of her.
"What. The. Hell. Was. That?" She looked at Sam and Dean, while Mary and Jody watched their interaction for afar. "I mean I know werewolves and Vampires but demons? Reapers?" Dean grabbed her hand and brushed his thumb over the back of her hand.
"How'd you know about Werewolves and Vampires?" Dean asked softly and she told him how she was attacked by a werewolf and Asa saved her. And she researched a bit about the supernatural and Dean nodded in understanding. He shot Sam a glance and younger understood and left them alone.
"Sweetheart, I'll explain everything and I'll tell you why I left. You see I'm a hunter, my parents were too. I've grown up in this life. My mom did die when I was four. A demon killed her. My dad wanted us to find that demon and kill him. When I met you, I forgot all about it. I wanted to be a normal boy, I did love you with everything I had." She looked up at his eyes and they were sincere, different from when he broke her heart. It wasn't like he was holding back, or hiding something. "My dad, he didn't want you to get involved or me to lose focus. He told me that I should break your heart so you can move on with you life." Dean explained.
"I did move on with my life Dean." He shut his eyes not wanting to see the look on her face when she tells him she found someone else. "But I couldn't love anyone else. You made me question my worth, because, fuck it I was in love. And fuck you Dean for I couldn't have us."
"I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to make you question your worth, hell I wanted to show you how much you mean to me, I just wanted to keep you safe, away from this life. You aren't even back in my life for less two hours and look at this mess. I don't even want to think of what harm I would've caused you if you'd been with me all those years." He looked apologetic. "As for my mom, God's sister brought her back."
"Who THE FUCK?" She looked dumbfounded.
"It's long story." Dean chuckled. "All I'm saying is I've loved you this whole time and I only broke up with you because I didn't want you be in danger and because my dad said it was for the best." He rubbed the back of his head, half ashamed.
"Where's your dad?" She asked after few minutes of silence.
"He died, a few years ago." Dean replied gloomily.
"I'm sorry." Even if the man was the reason for her heartbreak she didn't feel good about him being dead. After all he was Dean's father. Dean nodded. "What now?"
"We could try again, that is if you want to. I'm tired of not being with you. I feel meeting you again after all these years, it's fate." Dean said softly. "And I still love you so fucking much." He rested his forehead against her.
"I still love you too, Dean." She whispered. The tension between them hangs in the air, heavy and charged. Without another word, Dean cups Y/N's face, his thumb gently brushing their cheek. There's a moment of hesitation, a breath, and then he leans in, capturing their lips in a passionate kiss.
The kiss is deep, intense, filled with all the unspoken emotions they've both been holding back. Dean pulls Y/N closer, as if trying to convey everything he couldn't say in words. For that moment, it's just the two of them, lost in the heat of the kiss. When they finally pull back, both breathless, Dean's forehead rests against Y/N's, his eyes still closed.
"Being away from you was worse than going to hell."
"As if you'd know what hell’s like." She replied rolling her eyes. Dean pulled away, his eyes filled with mischief.
"Oh I do, I went to hell, i was there for forty years."
"You're lying." She gave him a look and he shook his head.
"I'm not. I went to hell and then Castiel the angel pulled me out. Who by the way is now my best friend."
"SAMMY? HE'S LYING ISN'T HE??" She yelled to the younger Winchester and Dean barked out a laugh at her reaction. Sam didn't know what she was on about so he laughed too.
"You've got a lot of catching up to do, sweetheart." Dean said while helping her down off the hood. He threw an arm over her shoulder and dragged her towards his mom. "Mom this is Y/n. My highschool sweetheart." He said pecking her temple.
“Nice to meet you Mrs. Winchester.” Y/n said extending her hand for her to shake but Mary pulled her into a hug.
“Call me Mary. And welcome to the family.” She smiled. Dean grinned, watching the exchange with a sense of pride. Mary’s embrace made Y/n feel instantly at ease. Mary pulled back slightly, her eyes twinkling with warmth. “I’ve heard so much about you, it’s wonderful to finally put a face to the name.”
“You have?” She questioned looking at Dean who looked away shyly.
“Yeah, I’m sorry I wasn’t around the first time.” Mary joked and Y/n let out an awkward laugh.
Dean stood by, his arm still around Y/n, feeling a deep sense of contentment as his worlds finally came together. He knew they still had a lot to talk about but he also knew that they were meant to be. It’s destiny. Now that he’s got her, he’s never letting her go matter what life throws at him. He’s finally home.
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lizziesangel · 5 hours ago
Text
RAFE CAMERON - ugly addiction
x FEM!reader - MASTERLIST
SUMMARY: based on this request
WORD COUNT: + 1.1k
GENRE: angstish
CONTENT WARNING: mentions of alcohol and drug abuse!
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rafe was spiraling deeper into his addiction, unable to keep a grip on reality. the drugs and alcohol had become a crutch for him, a way to silence the guilt and pressure he felt from his family and the growing animosity with the pogues. he started drinking earlier in the day, downing shots before noon and then chasing the high with pills or cocaine. his paranoia grew, and so did his temper.
shoupe wasn’t blind to rafe’s antics. the sheriff constantly caught wind of rafe's involvement in shady deals, reckless behavior, and violent altercations. each time, shoupe gave him a warning, but ward’s influence often shielded him from real consequences. that only emboldened rafe to push the limits even further, leading to more run-ins with the law and dangerous situations with the pogues.
the pogues, on the other hand, weren’t about to let rafe off easy. they knew he was behind their misfortunes and tried to expose his crimes, but rafe always seemed one step ahead—or at least covered by his father's wealth and power. his rivalry with them turned increasingly dangerous. the fights weren’t just physical anymore; rafe started threatening them with weapons, and lashing out when cornered.
the drugs only fueled his instability, amplifying his insecurities and anger. he’d disappear for days at a time, emerging with bruises, wild eyes, and more trouble on his heels.
it was a vicious cycle—one that rafe couldn’t seem to break. his addiction and rage consumed him, isolating him from anyone who tried to help.
but despite the chaos and darkness that consumed much of rafe’s life, his relationship with you was the one place where he could find peace. with you, he was a completely different person—a version of himself that he rarely showed anyone else. he was soft, patient and caring in a way that seemed almost unrecognizable compared to the volatile person he was around everyone else.
he never raised his voice at you nor made you cry. even on his worst days, when the weight of his addiction and troubles with the pogues or shoupe bore down on him, he made an effort to keep you shielded from it. you were his anchor, the one thing that reminded him he wasn’t completely lost. whenever you spoke to him, your voice seemed to cut through the haze in his mind, grounding him in a way nothing else could.
but when his addiction began to creep into every corner of his life, and no matter how much he tried to keep it from affecting your relationship, it was inevitable. the drinking became heavier, the nights longer, and the excuses harder to believe. he started disappearing without telling you where he was going, coming home with glassy eyes and the smell of alcohol and drugs lingering on his clothes.
at first, you had tried to be patient. you’d seen the good in him, the version of rafe who was kind and soft, who cared deeply for you in a way that made you feel safe. but as time went on, that version of rafe started to feel further and further away. he became irritable, snapping at little things, and you could see the walls he was building between you, even if he didn’t mean to.
one night, it all came to a head. he stumbled through the door hours after he’d promised to meet you, his pupils blown and his words slurring. you tried to hold back your frustration, but when he brushed off your concern with a half-hearted apology, it was like something inside you broke.
“where were you?” you asked, your voice sharp with concern. “you said you’d be back hours ago, rafe.”
“do you even see what you’re doing to yourself?” you asked him again. “you’re destroying yourself, rafe, and i don’t know how to help you if you won’t even try.”
he froze, his face twisting with guilt and frustration. “i really... don’t need a lecture right now,” he muttered, running a hand through his messy hair. “i’m fine, okay? i can handle it.”
you crossed your arms, trying to hold back the sting of his tone. “this isn’t a lecture! i’m trying to talk to you because i care, because i’m scared for you! do you even see what you’re doing to yourself?”
rafe’s hand ran through his hair, his frustration bubbling over. “i don’t need you to babysit me, alright? i’m fine. i don’t need this right now.”
“no, you’re not fine!” you shot back, your voice rising. “you’re drinking too much, using too much, and pushing away everyone who loves you. including me!”
that seemed to set him off. “you don’t get it, okay? you don’t know what it’s like!” he yelled, his voice echoing through the room. “i’m doing the best i can, but it’s never good enough for anyone. not for my dad, not for you!”
the anger in his voice hit you like a slap, and tears instantly welled up in your eyes. you took a shaky breath, trying to hold it together, but the weight of his words broke something in you. “rafe, just stop,” you whispered, your voice trembling as the tears spilled over. “i’m trying to help you. why can’t you see that?”
as soon as he saw the tears streaming down your face, his expression shifted completely. the anger drained from his face, replaced with wide-eyed panic. “no, no, no, angel,” he stammered, stepping toward you. “i’m sorry, i’m so sorry. i didn’t mean it. i swear i didn’t mean it.”
you turned away, wiping at your tears, but he wouldn’t let you pull back. he reached out, his hands cupping your face gently. “please don’t cry. i didn’t mean to yell at you. i’m so sorry,” he said, his voice breaking. “God, i hate myself for making you cry. please don’t… don’t leave me.”
“i’m not leaving you, rafe,” you managed to choke out, your voice raw. “but i’m scared. i’m scared you’re going to lose yourself completely, and i won’t be able to pull you back.”
his hands shook as he held your face, his own eyes glistening with unshed tears. “i won’t. i swear i won’t. i’ll fix this. i’ll fix myself. just don’t give up on me. i need you, angel. you’re the only good thing i have left.”
his words were raw, filled with fear and sincerity, and for a moment, you saw the rafe you fell in love with, buried beneath all the pain and addiction. You wanted to believe him, to believe that he could fix it, but the cracks in your heart made it hard to be sure.
you wanted to believe him, to trust his promises, but the pain in your chest made it hard to be sure. he pulled you into his arms, holding you tightly, as if he could stop you from slipping away with the sheer force of his desperation.
“i’ll be better,” he whispered, his voice cracking against your hair. “i promise. just don’t leave me. please.”
and even though you wanted to trust his promise, deep down, you knew this was a fight neither of you could win alone.
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