#i need to know how they made up who apologized did they even apologize or did they ignore it and move on

[ventique18]

~ Unwilting Flower~ 🐉🌸

It's Valentine's Day. Your friends are giving each other flowers just for the heck of it, because if they're not going to celebrate it, who else would? You yourself are already committed, but real friends don't exclude anyone. So that means you're part of their celebration too.

And you could only guess what the exact thought process is going on in his head when your darling-- your Valentine Malleus Draconia's delightful smile turns into a deep scowl the moment he sees you carrying a bundle of assorted flora in your arms.

"Hmph. Wait for a moment."

He disappears without your confirmation. Why, is he jealous? You shrug and thought you'd just let him simmer down on his own-- you have nothing to feel guilty about. He knows your bonds with your friends are strictly platonic. If he feels jealous in any way, he could just join your merry band of flower giving, present something to everyone, and receive some himself.

... And then you arrive at your classroom for that hour... to a blossom of multicolored roses decorating your desk; as gaudy as a flower cake, with only a few inches of blank space left in the middle. As if the decorator only realized at the last second that you're supposed to be studying and not gardening.

You can't help but feel everyone's gaze on you throughout the entire lecture, naturally.

But that's not even the end of it. Random bursts of flower petals would shower on you when you enter a room. A student you don't know the name of would present you a bouquet of various knickknacks for seemingly no reason. (You note that they're all suspiciously wearing Diasomnia uniform.) And flowers start blooming at your feet when you accompany Grim to the field for his Spelldrive practice.

But the straw on the camel's back is when you go back home. Right there, in the dead center of your lounge, sitting pretty and sipping tea-- is the main culprit. Surrounded by what you would guess are thousands, and thousands, of roses.

Ever the pleasant look on his face, he smiles slowly at you with a clink of his teacup. "Did you like my little surprise for you?"

"Little--"

You have to remind yourself that this man has no common sense.

You refuse to sit next to him even as he discreetly pats the empty space on the couch. "Well, I appreciate it. It really made me feel the depth of your love for me--"

"The depth of my love? If you believe it so, then I must offer you more posthaste--"

"That's, that's exactly my reservation... I think you don't need to be this excessive. I mean," You gesture helplessly to the roses around you, "It'll make me sad when all of this wilts."

You see him surprised for a second. Does he finally understand? Did he get that the cleanup will be a huge pain? You live alone, and you're sure as hell Grim wouldn't be willing to help play janitor for an entire day.

"Then," he grins at you amusedly, as if you just asked if he knew how to spell his name, "If you wish to be reminded of my devotion to you every waking day, then it'll be child's play for me to ensure than not a single petal wilts for as long as you live."

No! Absolutely not!

"Hornton. I thought you'd have understood who I am at this point." You look away from him, a bit nervous to be rejecting his efforts when he looks so earnest in trying to win your approval. "You know I'd rather spend time with you. A little bit of wine and dine, maybe? Maybe watch a cheesy movie or two."

He pauses. Looks at you seriously. He seems to have caught on.

He stands up, and every blossom in the room-- every rose petal on the carpet and every vine that carefully lined the curtains, disappears with a sparkle. Devoid of the sudden fancy, only the bare homeliness of your dorm remains.

He doesn't walk to you, but he attracts your gaze anyway. "My apologies. I seemed to have focused on satisfying myself, rather than think of what would satisfy you."

You smile reassuringly. "It's alright. I know how hard you try."

It's you who finally approaches. You stop in front of him, then take his hands in yours. He returns the gesture by affectionately rubbing the tips of your fingers, and there you're reminded of how much heavier he can show love through little actions like this, compared with the pomp of public exhibitions.

You entwine your fingers together.

"But why the sudden display? Were you jealous?" You ask.

He urges you to sit down with him. "Jealous?"

"That our friends gave me flowers."

Our friends. The corners of his lips quirks up at that; in his eyes, it's the little considerate messages that you weave in your words that makes you stand out from everyone else.

"No. In fact I'm delighted that they appreciate you. It's just..."

"Just..?"

"... That I saw Schoenheit behind you, carrying a much larger bouquet than you were. I thought he did not deserve to be the most appreciated person in this place."

"... And so you... tried to one-up him by doing all that for me?"

He nods.

And you laugh.

"What's so amusing?"

He really doesn't realize how funny he is sometimes. You cover a hand to your mouth to try and slow down the giggles. "You're so unpredictable. I just can't correctly guess what goes on in your head."

"It's you who's unpredictable."

"Then that's good, isn't it? We have an eternity to try and decipher what each other's thinking." Your gaze roams; settling on his tea gone cold, "Then at the end of the world... we can reveal our answers and decide who got each other most accurately."

The crinkles on his brows slowly smoothen when he takes in your words. His hands unconsciously trail to the inside of his coat; toying with something as he wonders idly.

"... I have something for you." He says solemnly.

You stop giggling, but the smile remains on your face. "Don't tell me it's another Valentine's token. Maybe chocolate?"

He grins, but doesn't answer you. Instead, his hands wander to your jacket; fingers expertly pinning something on the lapel. Just above your left breast.

"A gift for you, but a promise to myself as well."

It's a brooch. Perhaps a bit more simple in design-- a tasteful black with a muted sheen of alexandrite-- definitely not themed around the gaudy red of Valentine's, but very distinctively him.

"May I always be the one closest to your heart, and though our bodies may decay before the end of time..."

You press his hands closer to your chest; determined not to let go as you finish his promise for him. For yourself.

"May this unwilting flower bear witness to the many promises we will make, and how we stayed true to all of them."

[pedrosyouknowwhat]

Apocalyptic winter

Trilogy masterlist

Pairings: Dark! Joel Miller x Fem! Reader

Chapter warnings: Dead dove do not eat, dubcon borders noncon, coercion, manipulation, pregnancy (not very detailed), pregnancy nausea, age gap (reader is 19-20 and Joel is 56), unprotected p in v, grooming, mentions of Sarah & Sarah's mom, victim blaming, angst, depression

"Baby, who did this to you?"

Blood came rushing into your brain, a dull thumping at your temples as you looked up from your seat in Maria and Tommy's couch. Your body begun to shake, because you had silently prayed they wouldn't ask you that. That they'd be too disappointed to do it. But no, Tommy's worried eyes set on you as Maria couldn't do more than blankly stare at the coffee table before you.

Almost as instinct you shook your head, tears kissing your eyelids in a stinging pace.

"It's our fault," You had heard them mutter in the kitchen as you came to them that morning after pouring your soul out on your toilet; you had felt like shit for almost a month now, and Joel did little to calm you down. His priority after the "date" had shifted, and you felt as if every moment with him revolved around bending you over or getting his hands up your skirt. "We never taught her about it-for fuck's sake she's almost twenty-"

After Maria asked about your period and you had lightly commented that you hadn't got it yet, her eyes glazed over with fear as her dark lips parted.

Pregnant.

That was your diagnostic, and it doomed on you. You could barely understand it as it was, perhaps because you have never had to worry about it, or perhaps because you didn't knew better.

"Babygirl," He called again softly, and it irked you. The nickname both brothers used on you, Tommy in his fatherly concern and Joel in his wild savagery. "You are fine, it's fine, jus' need to know who."

How could you tell him that the man that had done that to you was the man whose pictures hang behind him, on top of the fireplace? The man who had just come for dinner the night before and you had called him an "Ol' grumpy man" as you giggled? the very man that had taken you home afterwards and fucked you until you apologized?

Would you have to tell him, then, all the things you had allowed him to do? How he made you come in his fingers? how he had shoved his cock up your throat? How he had fucked you on the bed Tommy himself had built for you?

"No," You panted, feeling your hands clammy from how tight you had them fisted. "Please Tommy, don't make me-"

"Sweatheart," Maria cooed. "Was it-" She stammered with her words, and you felt her breathe getting ragged, as if she was going to say something unspeakable "against your will?"

You felt something clawing at you, a desire to say yes that was strong as the desire to say no when Joel slammed you against your couch, hiking your knees up and wide. But the same way you would plead for more then, you shook your head stubbornly.

"N-no, no," You chanted, seeing their expressions shift slightly. Oh god, they were so disappointed. "I-I wanted it."

Filth pooled from your lips, filth that Joel had set onto you.

"Baby, we need a name." Tommy spoke again, voice harder now despite his softened eyes.

Any name, you thought, the possibility of lying your way out scaring you by even appearing in your head.

"I can't." You croaked, feeling the tears fall down your warm cheeks as you once again failed them.

"Tommy," Maria called, and you felt grateful the attention wasn't on you anymore, until she mumbled the next words. "I think I know."

You wanted to jump on the couch and scream she doesn't, but that level of disrespect was too much for you.

"Then tell me." He demanded, hands on his hips twitching. Maria gave you one look, as if it was your last chance to repent, before opening her lips.

"I-I didn't want to believe it," she started, and it doomed on you that she knew, every little sight she left out building anticipation on you. You barely noticed how wild your hands were shaking. "but I heard whispers about Joel going into her house at night."

A sob broke the silence, face slamming into your hands; because it was never supposed to go this far, because you thought that if they ever knew it would be because of you. Because once Joel had whispered to hush you, that perhaps were you were old enough, it could be.

You heard thundering steps and you flinched, face still cradled in your hands, but as they dissipated, you managed the courage to look up. Only Maria was in the room, and you were to scared to ask were Tommy was, perhaps you knew better.

But any trace of anger wasn't present in her face, and as she casted one look at you, she stood up from her seat and came crashing down at the couch besides you. She hugged you silently.

You realized how much you missed it when you heard raw, bickering voices nearing the house; you felt yourself shaking once again as the door opened, seeing him so fervently.

You whimpered at his glare, deep dark eyes and dark brows, and at the swelling bruise by his jaw; his lip looked busted too. You remembered what Tommy had once told you when you were fifteen, if any guy tries to be smart with ya I'll be his worst nightmare. But of course you had never imagined the guy to be his own brother.

He escorted him in, glaring holes into the back of his head. Joel stopped, as if waiting for someone to tell him to sit down. His way of acting was uncharacteristic, but you knew he wouldn't pick a fight with Tommy, and it was possibly why Tommy only sported bruised, bleeding knuckles.

He looked at you, and then at him, all in a scowl as Tommy nudged him to sit down. He did, spreading and laying his hand over the back rest on the chair, as if he wanted this over with.

You saw the man that had practically raise you hesitate with his words, anger still coursing through his flushed skin as he held one pointer finger at him.

"Tell me what did you do to her." He barked, deep beneath knowing he didn't want to know, just wanted him to recognize him. Joel stayed silent, eyes jumping from you to him to Maria as he rubbed the scruff on his beard. "Tell me!"

You jolted, catching everyone's attention, shaking so violently tears jumped from your eyes to your lap. You felt yourself becoming sweaty from how profusely you were crying.

"You know what I did-"

His voice was dark, bitter, and it brought shivers down your spine.

"Tell. Me." Tommy repeated. Joel grew irritated.

"Yeah we fucked, is that what you wanna hear?" Joel bit. "What's the big deal? not like I fucking raped her-"

"Do you even know how old she is?"

"Yeah, nineteen." Joel gruffed, but he stared at you as if you could had been lying. "Legal now and legal before."

Tommy laughed dryly, ironically. "Older than what Sarah would be."

The name seemed to perk up you and Joel; you knew who she was, and what happened to her, but never from Joel.

"Keep her out of this shit." Joel growled, thought melancholy strained his voice.

"The shit now is what you have gotten yourself into." Tommy spat, and Joel groaned, the seriousness of the situation escaping him. "You got her pregnant."

As if a bomb had burst, silence spread through in a deafening pace. You felt your chest begin to close as you wanted to claw at him, throw yourself at his feet and beg for him to stay besides you.

He remained stoic, hard as he evaded your pleading eyes.

"Ain't got stuff to take it out like the old days?" He asked Maria, so calmly it made you go cold.

"No, Joel," Maria answered shortly, a tangy bitter drawl. "the world had gone to shit, and once again you are getting the wrong girl pregnant."

The wrong girl. It rung in your ears, because you had been Joel's good girl for too long, his baby girl, his sweet little thing and his perfect little whore.

"Then what do you want me to do?" He questioned, and the way not one of his words were directed to you hurt. Tommy nibbled his lips, unsure too. "We don't precisely have child support here, don't we?"

His words came out cynically, as if searching for a escape goat.

Please look at me, please, let me show you how sorry I am, please, Joel.

"You are-You are going to get everything she needs and makes sure she doesn't have to lift one finger." Tommy decided, making his brother howl in frustration. It felt awry, uneasy, how they were discussing this in front of you, without you having one word to say.

You dueled on what you would say if you had the word, perhaps beg Joel to form a family, perhaps tell Tommy that you can take the burden yourself, but the tension in the living room and the way he looked at you, disgusted, sent you mute.

"Gonna act like she wasn't the one spreading her legs?" Joel irked, making Tommy narrow his eyes at him, dangerously. He looked at you, directly for the first time, and spoke to you in his bittersweet drawl. "Why don't you tell them, honey? how you told me you were ready for it-"

"Enough!" Maria bellowed, raising to her feet. But Joel wouldn't seize it, standing as his thick boots thundered the floorboards.

"Yeah because it's easier to come crying to mommy and daddy about it-"

"Joel!" Tommy barked, cutting him off. "I think it is better for you to leave now, you have done enough."

He spared you one look before turning in his heel, his shoulder bumping against Tommy as he left the Miller's house. No, no, NO, begun thundering in your head as you jump to your feet, ignoring Maria as you followed him out into the open door.

"Joel!" You screamed, and he ignored you, shoulder blades tensing. You ran up to him, clinging to his arm. He stopped, possibly not to trample you as he kept his gaze ahead, onto the slowly-filling streets. "I-I swear I didn't tell them- please, Joel-"

He shook you off, not with enough force to send you stumbling down, but so enough to staggered in your feet.

"This was a fucking mistake," He growled at you, and you shook your head, pounding from how much you were crying. "and you are a fucking idiot, stupid whore-"

He cut himself off, seeing how you begged at him, and continued walking away. You heard your name being called, but you just felt onto the cobblestone, chest heaving as you cried your little heart out for him.

The rumor spread, until it was no longer a rumor; it was a fact. Joel Miller had gotten you pregnant. You hid in your house for so long your friends stopped dropping by, knowing they will only see you laying in your couch, red faced and hoarse throat.

Joel wouldn't even deliver things himself, Tommy did it. He and Maria dropped by at least once every day, to see how you were going. They saw you cracking, falling deeper and deeper into hysteria each time. You cried, you laughed, you barely ate and then you binged. All as your tummy swelled.

For some moments you felt as if you didn't know what was growing inside of you, something draining your energy that Joel had thrust upon you. You hadn't seen him in months, and it tore at you.

You had changed the scenario millions of times; sometimes mad at him, sometimes mad at yourself, and sometimes even mad at Tommy and Maria for not teaching you better; but those times were only when the pregnancy took the worst out of you, when you found yourself hurling over the toilet seat and dealing with unbearable pain in your body.

He wasn't there either when you had your baby, just Maria by your side. The overwhelming pain left once she handed you the baby, a gorgeous little girl. In Jackson's small, ran down hospital you stared once again into the eyes of Joel Miller; two dark, chocolaty puppy dog eyes that needed you. It was enough for you at the moment.

But the pleasure was short-lived, as you recovered from birth in the small living room of your house, Tommy cradling the baby in his arm as he cooed and giggled at her and Maria massaged your feet, gently.

"Now I have to go get all that pink stuff," Tommy told the baby between giggles. "and I risked my ass for that firefighter truck huh?"

You laughed, recalling the box Tommy had brought a few weeks before, a box with baby clothes and the firey red toy on the top; he hoped for a boy, but he would never tell you.

"What do you mean, risked your ass?" You laughed, picking up on the last sentences, you had taken a good load of pain medications to ease the aftermath. Probably overkill, but it was easier like that. Your giggles dissipated as you saw his expression souring, Maria ceasing her ministration on your soles. "Tommy?"

Confusion nagged at you, and Maria sighed, a tinge of annoyance in her voice. "Well, Joel hasn't brought anything since um, September I think-" she then added quickly, seeing your horrified expression, "But don't worry yourself about it-"

You gasped in awe, a bit of pain shooting into your chest. Mostly for becoming such a burden to Maria and Tommy, but Joel was... unbelievable.

You had allowed him not coming to see you, you had taken his absence and disinterest, but this hurt worse than that. This was disrespect.

And the thing was, that you had grown tougher. You felt obliged to, for your sake, and your baby's sake, you had left behind your girly fantasies of love and sneaking drinks in the Tipsy Bison. Somehow, Joel Miller had made you a women in more than one way.

And he was about to see it for himself.

[igorluvr]

hi hi!! I saw that ur requests r open and I'd like a reader x platonic!thanos group

What if reader is the oldest child from a giant family so when they enter squid game they basically befriend the Thanos group and starts taking care of them!! like giving food and water or stopping fights

thankiuu!!

'THE GREATEST

PAIRING: platonic!thanosgroup x reader

SYNOPSIS: "made it all look painless, man am i the greatest?"; being from a particularly big family, you grew to love taking care of others. luckily for you, your group needed lots of guidance.

CONTENT: anxiety, gyeong-su erasure sorryy, petty ass arguments

AUTHORS NOTE: i hope u like this !!! once again its kinda short sorryyyy

word count: [1.4k]

YOUR team was nothing short of a disaster. Of course, you loved them, but their immaturity was exhausting. Half the group lacked common sense, while the other half seemed too lost in their own worlds to care. Fortunately, you had experience managing chaos and knew just how to handle the situation.

Growing up as the oldest in a large family, you practically took on the role of a third parent. When your mom was sick or dad was at work, it was your responsibility to step in and keep everything together. Even though you often complained about it, you wouldn't change those experiences for the world.

Taking care of your siblings shaped you into who you are today. You matured quickly, learning when to speak up and how to look after those around you. A deep-rooted instinct to protect and support others became part of your identity.

Meeting this group felt perfect for you. Without your guidance, they’d be lost. You loved looking out for them, even if there were many times that made you long for a little more maturity. Unfortunately, you knew those moments of calm and composure were nothing but hopeless dreams.

"Shut up, bitch." came a sharp voice, snatching you away from your thoughts.

You turned to see Nam-gyu, who had a notorious habit of throwing around insults without thinking. Thankfully, he hadn’t directed any at you personally. Sensing that the exchange could escalate, you quickly stepped in.

"Hey, no. We're not doing this. What happened?" you asked, surveying the group. They just stared blankly, not a thought in their mind. Se-mi chuckled softly and looked away, giving away that she was the one he’d yelled at.

Nam-gyu was the first to speak up. "This whore got smart with me. I was just telling Min-su to count the players, then she had to get in the way of our conversation.”

“Y’know it wasn’t much of a conversation to begin with. You were ordering him around like a puppy” Se-mi interrupted, annoyance creeping into her voice. The two of them had a thing for starting arguments, given their short tempers and quick tongues. Still, you felt it was necessary to listen to both sides, no matter how petty the situation was.

"You're the one who started it by calling me stupid!" Nam-gyu shot back, his voice rising as he sat up straighter. You shot him a warning glare, urging him to diffuse the situation.

"I didn’t say you were stupid, I asked if you were. But now I think you might actually be…" Se-mi added, infuriating him further. Nam-gyu sprang to his feet, ready to lash out, but you swiftly stepped between them, pushing him back down.

You swallowed your frustration and forced a smile, determined to maintain some kind of peace. "You both just misunderstood each other, simple as that. I would say to put this behind you, but we both know that's not happening... so apologize, both of you."

Se-mi scrunched her face in disbelief. "Why do I have to apologize? He’s just a whiny tweaker I swear" she muttered, the last part barely audible. You knew her words rang true, but he would never apologize unless she did first.

"Fine, I’m sorry, okay? I wasn’t trying to call you stupid." Se-mi admitted, tone forced. Turning to Nam-gyu, you waited expectantly for his response.

"Sorry too, I guess," he shrugged, a hint of annoyance in his voice. Neither apology sounded genuine, but it was better than nothing.

You smiled sweetly at both of them and returned to your spot, relieved that the argument had been defused—at least for now. It was always a hassle to keep them from fighting, but it was a small price to pay that came with being associated to them.

After an uneventful hour filled with silly conversations and occasional naps, it was finally time to eat. It seemed that each passing day, the meals grew lower in quality. You considered bringing it up, but you knew that everyone had enough to deal with already.

Instead, you made sure the group lined up closely together to receive their food, one by one. You could barely call it a meal, but it was enough to get by.

"This isn’t even enough food for a baby, what do they expect us to do with this?" Nam-gyu complained, his relentless negativity shining.

“It’s enough to make it through the night. Better than nothing, right?” you countered with an encouraging smile. He lazily shrugged in response, groaning as he took a bite of the pastry.

Averting your gaze, you noticed Thanos hadn’t touched his food at all. He sat there, staring blankly into the distance. His pupils were dilated, and his mouth hung open in a daze. Rolling your eyes at his ignorance, you knew he still needed to eat, regardless of the drugs clouding his mind.

“Hey, Thanos. You should hurry and eat," you said gently, tapping him on the shoulder. Slowly, his attention turned to you, his eyes still glazed over.

“Nah. Not hungry,” he replied, his voice heavy with drowsiness. Your heart ached. You knew the substances were a coping mechanism for everything going on. You wanted to steer him away from them, but that was well out of your control.

You regarded him with sympathetic eyes, genuinely worried for his health. "Okay, but at least try to eat a little. You might not feel hungry now, but you definitely will in the middle of the night."

He squinted at you, the weight of your words seeming to register slowly. The silence hung heavily between you until he finally spoke.

"Alright, can I get your milk?" he asked nonchalantly. Surprised of the sudden change of mind, you handed over your carton without hesitation, being grateful he was putting effort into looking after himself.

The others continued to eat at their own pace, and a sense of relief washed over you at the sight of them all managing to stay healthy. Gathering all the empty containers and dirty utensils, you returned to your bunks to find a heartwarming scene unfolding before you.

Thanos and Nam-gyu were huddled together in one bunk, gossiping about someone; a pregnant girl and her boyfriend. Meanwhile, Min-su and Se-mi huddled in the bunk below, laughing about something you couldn’t quite make out.

Watching them bond brought a smile to your face. Sure, there were bad days, but moments like these made it all worth it. Suddenly, you heard someone call your name from above.

Looking up, your eyes met with Thanos’. “C’mere, need your opinion on something,” he said. You knew it would likely be stupid, but you had nothing else to do. Climbing up to their bunk, you sat criss-crossed and paid full attention to them.

“See them?” Thanos said, pointing to a couple nearby. One with bangs and a baby bump, the other taller with a slight bruise on his face. You nodded, urging them to continue.

“You think they’re a thing? They’re arguing, maybe he knocked up another girl too,” Nam-gyu inspected. Looking at them in confusion, you were unsure why they told you to come up just to ask that.

“You’re good at reading people, can you tell?” Thanos leaned in closer, his curiosity obvious. Observing the couple, you came to a quick conclusion.

“They’re probably arguing because he wants to spend his money on bitcoin instead of her baby. I mean, isn’t that the dude that made you go in debt?” They both stared harder, eyes blowing wide in realization.

Their faces twisted into frowns of anger, and you quickly recognized that they had been unaware of who that was. “I’m gonna kill that son of a bitch” Thanos snarled, jumping out of the bed and darting toward the couple.

Before you could process what was happening, you chased after him, attempting to stop him before he made a grave mistake. Placing your hands on his shoulders, you searched his eyes, pleading him to calm down. His expression softened slightly as he muttered a curse under his breath and slumped back to his bunk.

Eventually, everything died down and it was time to go to sleep. You always stayed up longer than everyone else, just to be sure nothing irregular occurred during the night. Usually you were the only one up, but that wasn’t the case this time.

Behind you, a small voice called your name. You turned to see Min-su staring up at you, his eyes glossy and low with fear. Instantly, your mood shifted from agitation to concern. He looked so scared.

“What’s wrong?” you asked softly, the worry evident in your tone. You quickly observed that Min-su suffered from severe anxiety throughout your days of knowing him, often staring into space rather than drifting off to sleep. The fact that he spoke up made your heart race.

“I can’t sleep. I’m scared,” he mumbled, barely loud enough for you to hear. You rubbed his shoulder gently in an attempt to comfort him. “Scared of what?” you asked softly.

He hesitated before answering, “I- I don’t want to keep playing these games. But I don’t want Thanos or Nam-gyu to be mad at me.” His confession hit hard. You knew how much they pressured him to play ‘one more game’

Your heart softened at his vulnerability, searching for the right words. “You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. They’re both blown out of this world with drugs, so anything they say is probably bad advice.”

Min-su gave a tentative smile at your encouragement. “Don’t think about it too much, get some sleep so you can have energy for tomorrow, okay?” you added, hoping to give him a sense of security. After thanking you, he climbed back into his bed with a shy grin.

As you settled into your own bunk, you felt the familiar quietness swallow you. You were used to these moments of stillness, you found comfort in it rather than uncertainty. The quietness rocked you to sleep, preparing you for the days to come.

[incendiobrock]

russian roulette {chris sturniolo}

———————————————————————————

pairing(s): mafia!chris x fem!reader

warnings: language, drinking, mentions of sex, angst, chris is lowkey toxic

summary: chris doesn’t know how to take accountability for his actions. (loosely based on the song above)

not proofread bc i’m lazy oopsies

———————————————————————————

the air was brisk as my heels clicked along the pebbled road. begrudgingly, i wrapped my arms tightly around my body, trying to pull my black fur coat closer to my freezing skin. the doorman gave me a curt nod as i approached the entrance to the grand hotel, not needing my name as he already knew who i was. i brushed past him, entering into the lobby and making my way over to the event i was being forced to attend.

with soft whispers of ‘pardon me’, ‘excuse me’ i was able to snake through the crowd. everybody was wearing formal attire, the room mainly filled with men in suits and ties. in a large circle, the most important men stood talking amongst themselves. without a sound, i slipped into my spot, not drawing any attention to my late arrival. an arm immediately snaked around my waist, the hand squeezing my hip as a hot breath tickled against my ear, “finally.” i swallowed the small lump in my throat, looking up and to the side to send him a tight lipped smile, silently apologizing for my tardiness. he didn’t look back, his face firm as he listened intently to one of the other men speaking, a glass of whiskey held tightly in his free hand.

the lack of his gaze caused my attention to shift to the rest of the circle. only men. “well, this is a huge business opportunity for us and i know that you will get it done.” one of the men spoke, wrapping up the conversation just as i had begun to listen. the man stepped forward, breaking the circle and holding his hand out, “pleasure, mr. sturniolo.” the man’s voice husked out, chris’ arm immediately leaving my waist as he gave the man a firm handshake. chris smirked, thanking the man and patting his shoulder a couple times, promising to not let him down. as the crowd dissipated i could feel my heartbeat began to rise at the obvious tension between me and chris.

“care to explain? or did you think you were just going to stay quiet all night?” his voice dripped with venom as he finally turned to look at me, gazing down and taking a quick scan of my figure wearing the fur coat and tight dress he had specifically purchased for me to wear. the room began to feel hot under his gaze, the fur of my coat beginning to suffocate me. “i’m sorry chris-“ i began, my voice barely a whisper. “-sorry doesn’t cut it.” his words taking over mine. “you knew that tonight was the most important night for me.. for the business.” all i could do was nod in response, fidgeting with the expensive bracelet that laid on my wrist (another request that i had to wear). chris huffed as he continued on, swirling the whiskey glass in his hand, “you made me look like a fucking idiot you know that?” the question cutting through me like a knife.

“they chose me, the youngest out of all the men, to do this for them… organized this whole event so we could talk business and so they could present me with this opportunity, and my girlfriend doesn’t even show up until the fucking end.” he rambled on, his frustration showing as he took a swig of his drink out of the glass. i knew there was no point in arguing back, there never was, but for some reason i couldn’t help but try to defend myself. “i’m only thirty minutes late chris..” my voice was still soft, a slight tremble evident in my tone. chris huffed again, his free hand coming up to pinch the bridge of his nose in annoyance. he let his eyes flutter shut as he tried his best to contain himself, to not make a scene in front of all of these important business partners. quickly, he dropped his hand back to his side, his face filled with anger as he looked at me once more, “if you were going to be late, you should’ve just stayed home.” i stumbled slightly on my feet as he pushed past me, leaving me alone in the corner.

a shaky sigh fell past my lips, my clammy hands rubbing down the front of my fur coat as i continued to grow warmer and warmer. after i spent a few moments collecting myself, i walked carefully over to the bar, making sure to hold my head high and confident. despite the pain i felt about the argument we had, everybody here knew who i was, who i belonged to. if i broke, or even cracked, it would be bad for his image. the image he cared so much about, the ego of being the youngest and only twenty four year old in the business. so as i made it to the bar, pulling out the chair, i kept my expression clear of any imperfections. the bartender quickly noted my presence and made his way over. “a glass of cabernet, please,” i ordered quickly, my eyes scanning the room for chris before returning to the bar where the bartender poured my glass of red wine.

“here you are.” the bartender said, sliding the glass towards me carefully. i grabbed the stem of the glass, pulling it closer to me as i began to fiddle around in my clutch for my wallet. “no- please.. it’s on the house.” the bartender quickly stated, nodding his head before he left to go attend to the other side of the bar. my mouth hung open slightly in shock, stuffing my wallet back into my clutch. i sipped on the wine, observing the room once more with no sign of chris. a soft scoff fell from my mouth as my eyes were trained on the dark red lipstick stain on the wine glass, lost in my thoughts. the music drowned out everybody’s voices besides the one in my head. ‘it’s not like i tried to be late’ i thought.

after a few more glasses of wine i decided to freshen up in the bathroom, the event still in full swing. my sight tunnel vision as i headed through the opulent hotel lobby, the bathroom hallway in the distance. a hand caught my wrist, pulling me backwards before i could make it into the hall. my head whipped around to see chris dragging me into another circle of people, his other hand on my hip, guiding me to face the crowd. “-i couldn’t do it without her.” chris stated with a confident smile, continuing his conversation with some men who looked important. before i could process what was happening, he pulled me closer into his side and grabbing my chin with his hand before connecting our lips together in a kiss. shocked, i halfheartedly kissed him back, his lips tasting of whiskey and spearmint gum. as he pulled back from my lips his hand traveled from my waist down to squeeze my ass, “you can go now baby, didn’t mean to hold you up.” he said, nodding his head back towards the hallway were he originally pulled me from. my eyebrows furrowed as i shot him a look only he could see. i stumbled backwards slightly as i went to step away from the group, his hand squeezing my ass once more as i turned over my shoulder.

pushing open the bathroom door, i quickly walked to the mirror looking at my own reflection. teary eyes stared back at me, finally able to feel my emotions now that i was out of shot from prying eyes. mascara ran down my cheeks, splotching the makeup i had spent hours perfecting. i felt pathetic as i watched myself cry in front of the mirror, my face turning red from embarrassment. the bathroom door swung open as somebody else walked in to use a stall, my head immediately dropping to my chest as i quickly snatched a tissue to pat my tears. suddenly, the sound of my phone ringing broke the silence of the bathroom nearly making me drop my clutch in surprise. “fuck-“ i muttered as i fumbled through the bag in search of my phone. shoving my wallet, lipsticks and liners, a pack of gum, and some tampons around i finally fished my phone out.

“h-hello?” my voice broke slightly as i picked up the call. i could feel my hand trembling as i held it to my ear, my heartbeat and breathing probably loud enough to be heard through the speaker. “where are you?” chris asked harshly. “i was… just freshening up in the bathroom.” i responded, quickly drying the rest of my tears and throwing my clutch over my shoulder. “we’re leaving.” chris demanded. “o-okay i’m coming-“ “i’m in the car. you better hurry or else you’re walking back.” his voice cut me off. my heart strained at his words, “yeah… i’ll be right out.” i muttered into the phone. without another word, chris hung up the phone, the sound of the disconnected call beeping in my ear.

my feet ached from my heels as i walked out of the hotel, searching the parking lot for the black rolls royce. a slight drizzle fell from the dark night sky casting a haze over the city. my skin prickled with goosebumps as i pulled the fur coat tighter around me, walking quickly down the sidewalk towards the car. i fumbled with the door handle, the drizzle picking up to a light rain. the door was locked, my knuckles wrapping lightly on the tinted window wishing to be out of the cold rain. as soon as the door unlocked i quickly pulled the door open, throwing my bag to the floor as i hurried into the passenger seat. before i could barely shut the door, chris was slamming down on the gas, steering the car recklessly around the other parked cars in the hotel’s roundabout. my eyes glanced over at him, his knuckles white as he gripped the wheel tightly, not uttering a word to me. i sunk back into the leather seat, swallowing the lump reforming in my throat. the car was completely silent besides the squealing of the tires as he sped down the road.

as the highway flew past us, rain pelting the windshield, i finally decided to speak up. “can we talk about this please?” my voice coming out weaker than i had intended it to. all chris did was scoff as his grip seemed to tighten even more on the steering wheel, his gaze dead set on the road ahead. “i said i was sorry chris… please, forgive me?” i pleaded, knowing he was capable of holding this grudge for days. my hand reached out, resting on his bicep slightly before he shrugged me off. “chris-“

“i don’t wanna fucking talk to you.” he finally snapped. my body trembled as his words echoed in my ears. “what can i do? how can i make it up to you?” i whispered. chris rolled his eyes, refusing to look my direction. slowly, i rested my hand on his thigh, trying to break down his walls and get him to talk it out. he gripped my hand tightly, removing it from his thigh before dropping it back down onto my leg, “i said fuck off y/n, yeah?” a brief silence falling over the car once more. defeated, i nodded my head before turning to look out the passenger window for the remainder of the drive. chris pulled into the garage, throwing the car into park and quickly stepping out of the car. i jumped as the car door slammed behind him, still looking out the passenger window. my eyes fluttered shut as i tried to steady my breathing but before i got the chance my own door was ripped open, chris standing to the side. “come on.” i opened my eyes, seeing his hand outstretched for me.

timidly, i placed my hand into his, swinging my legs out of the car before standing up, his hand supporting mine. his fingers laced between mine as he led the way into the house, opening the door for me and allowing me in first. i nodded my head in thanks as i stepped into the foyer, immediately shrugging off my fur coat so i could hang it on the coat rack. “i got it.” chris said softly, taking the coat from me and hanging it up, running his hand down the back to smooth out the fur. silently, we both walked to the bedroom where chris once again opened the door. i slipped inside and immediately sat on the edge of the bed, grimacing as i shifted my feet inside the heels. chris kneeled in front of me, propped up on one knee. his rough hand ran over my shin, squeezing it before lifting it to rest on his raised knee. he tenderly slipped off my heel, massaging my foot before switching to do the other.

my eyes watched him carefully, a soft hum of satisfaction falling from my lips as i was relieved from the discomfort of my shoes. gently, he placed both my feet back down on the hardwood floors. his hand ran up my leg again before stopping at my thigh, patting it before standing up off the floor. his body towered over mine as i stayed slumped at the edge of the bed, my eyes drooping as my vision blurred. he leaned down, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of my head. “want some comfier clothes?” he asked softly. i lazily nodded my head and he immediately went to find me something to wear other than my dress. i fiddled with the jewelry i was wearing, carefully taking it off and placing it delicately on the side table. chris walked back over with a big, soft t-shirt, one of my favorites of his to wear. my fingers brushed his as i took it from his hands. i reached awkwardly behind my back, struggling to find the zipper on my dress. chris placed his hands on my shoulders, turning me around so that my back was facing him, “here, let me.”

slowly, chris pulled the zipper down, revealing the bare skin of my back. he slipped the sleeves over my shoulder, letting the dress fall down to my ankles in a puddle. a firm kiss pressed against my shoulder blade, followed by a few more quick pecks up the back of my neck. “i know i was a dick tonight…” chris mumbled into my hair, planting another kiss to the side of my neck. i let out a soft hum in reply, his words only half registering in my sleepy mind. he pressed some more deliberate kisses along my neck and shoulder blade, his hands wrapping around my stomach and pulling my back against his chest. “s’pretty baby…” he whispered, the ghost of his lips hovering over my bare skin. i leaned my head back against his chest, my eyes shutting as i finally felt my emotions evening out for the first time the whole night. chris pulled me impossibly closer, “shower with me?” he asked softly. i shook my head softly, “m’ tired chris…” i whispered reluctantly. his hands now rested on my hips, slotting my ass perfectly on his lap. he frowned slightly, leaning back down to kiss my neck, beginning to gently suck on it.

“please baby? need you so bad…” he almost whimpered. i shook my head again, taking a slow step out of his grip and climbing onto the bed. “you go ahead, i’ll be here when you get back.” i assured him, pulling the t-shirt he had brought over my head. surprisingly he didn’t protest any further, quietly turning on his heel and going to take a shower. i pulled the covers over my body, the emptiness of the bed making me shiver slightly. hopefully chris wouldn’t take too long…

my eyes began to flutter shut as i lost my battle against my drowsiness, only awakening to the feeling of the bed dipping. through lidded eyes i saw chris with curly damp hair, some pieces sticking to his forehead. he quickly snuck under the covers, pulling them up over his bare torso. “sleepy baby?” he whispered, scooting closer to me and resting his arm over my waist as he laid on his side facing me. i hummed softly, nodding my head as i struggled to keep my eyes open. his hand moved to gently tuck some hair behind my ear, leaning forward to connect his lips gingerly against my forehead. “i was such an asshole to you tonight… i know you hate going to all my events and stuff that i have to attend..” he started. i shifted slightly on the bed, moving closer into the warmth of his body. “s’okay chris… don’t worry about it.” i murmured, still halfway asleep. his thumb brushed over my cheek, “you were crying?” he whispered. my eyes opened slowly, beginning to feel slightly more alert. i furrowed my eyebrows, unsure of why he was asking me that question. without another word he began to pepper my cheek with kisses making my heart flutter.

“i know i hurt you… let me make it up to you, please?” he murmured, his lips moving down to my jaw. his hand slipped beneath my t-shirt, running over the skin on my stomach and side. this is what he always did. it was never an apology, it was a negotiation. he would make me feel good, never own up to his hurtful behavior, and then do it all over again the next time. and for some reason i would always fall for it, maybe because i was foolishly in love… his fingers began to toy with the waistband of my panties, teasingly slipping under ever so slightly. a quiet, muffled whine left my lips before i could stop myself. “s’pretty… all for me yeah?” his voice was low and seductive. “chris…” i said, my tone slightly warning, my body wriggling beneath his taunting touches. he hummed into my skin, kissing lower down my neck. “tell me what you want babygirl..” he nipped at the soft skin on my neck, skillfully swiping his tongue on it after to soothe the pain.

“you can’t just… fuck the feelings away,” i mumbled, halfheartedly pushing at his chest to try and put some distance between us. he leaned back, propped up on his elbow as he searched my face with confusion. “what do you mean?” he questioned, his fingers now tracing up and down my arm. i sighed, unsure of why i had chosen tonight of all nights to confront his inability to accept his wrongdoings. “you really hurt me tonight chris.” i stated, looking deep into his eyes as he continued to study my face. his fingers stilled on my arm as my words filled his ears, “i know… that’s why im trying to make it up to you.” his reply lacking any notion that he was understanding my hesitation. my body shifted on the mattress, trying to escape his touch. “that’s my point chris… you can’t just kiss it better.” his eyebrows furrowed as a toothy smirk took over his face.

“that’s why i’m trying to fuck it better,” he clarified, playfully poking at my sides as he grinned. i gasped as i struggled to not laugh, slapping his hands away in protest of being tickled. “s-stop,” i choked out between soft, short giggles, still swatting at his hands. he smiled, pulling his hands away and holding them up in surrender, allowing me to catch my breath. as i sucked in some air, calming my heat rate, i thought of my next words. “you do this every time we fight… you think we can just have sex and then you never have to actually apologize… it’s like you don’t know how to take any sort of accountability.” i said, laying my cards fully out on the table. he scoffed, rolling his eyes dramatically. “oh come on… i apologize.” he countered, his eyes narrowing slightly as he looked at me. i shook my head side to side, “you don’t chris… you never have.” my voice barely above a whisper.

he moved closer to me again, his arm wrapping around my waist as his face hovered inches above mine. “well, that’s what the sex is for… i make you feel good and then you forget about when i made you upset…” he whispered back, his thumb returning to my cheek. i shut my eyes, squeezing them slightly as his words dug at my heart. “i don’t want the sex, chris.” he stroked my cheek gently, watching my face as i scrunched my nose. for once, he stayed quiet, silently urging me to keep speaking. “sometimes… i just want to hear you say you’re sorry for hurting my feelings.” i admitted, opening my eyes again to look at him as he processed my words. something changed in his eyes, the dark lust washing away as it was replaced with a slight twinge of sadness. my breath caught in my throat as i waited for a reply, expecting him to come up with some sort of excuse. “i’m sorry…” he finally whispered after a moment of silence. i felt my heart nearly stop beating at his words, my stomach dropping. more silence fell over the bedroom as he looked deeply into my eyes, noting the pain behind my words. “i’m so sorry. you don’t deserve to be treated the way i treated you tonight.”

the sincerity in his words was foreign. the concept of accountability long lost on his end, yet here he was finally putting in an effort. it meant more to me than he probably ever could imagine. “if i weren’t so in love with you i would’ve left you a long time ago…” my words came out as my voice cracked. he quickly shifted on the bed, laying back on the black, silk pillowcase. “come ‘ere…” he whispered, slipping his arm under my neck and pulling me into his side. i curled into him, tucking my head into his chest as he rested his chin on my head. a firm hand rubbed up and down my back soothingly. the cool metal of his silver bracelet brushing over my skin as he slipped his hand under my shirt. i didn’t dare move as i stayed glued to his side. the scent of his cologne lingered in my nostril, filling me with a warm sense of familiarity and comfort. the warmth of his body luring me to sleep. chris stared up at the ceiling, watching as the fan spun while i drifted off to sleep in his arms. he pulled me closer, a heavy sigh leaving his lips as he mulled over my last words.

‘if i weren’t so in love with you i would’ve left you a long time ago.’

[ribbonsfallaway]

I keep making post after post venting about how this show, especially this last part of the show was handled, and I want to make one from maybe a more rationally explained side.

Look I get the argument, "the show started with Johnny and Miguel, so it should end with them." As much as it makes me roll my eyes into the back of my head I do understand. However that doesn't mean Robby isn't important. Despite what some fans and the writers want us to believe.

I'd get if they had Miguel win at the end cause he's this gen's "Karate Kid", that's fine. My issue lies in the fact that Robby isn't allowed one win. Not just in a tournament sense, but in a personal sense. The show starts off with Johnny being a deadbeat loser father and Robby being the victim of him being a drunken deadbeat loser father. I'm sorry if that sounds harsh, but it's the truth. And the thing is to me Johnny didn't really try with Robby to be a better father. Sure you can spin he "tried", and Robby was "stubborn" but every time he did try and Robby fought him on it, Johnny fought back, and didn't actually allow his son to be angry. At least not to him. Sure he'd cry to Carmen, Miguel, etc., about how much of a screw up he was. Still somehow painting himself as a victim in all of this. But he never stated how much he messed up really with the one person who deserved it the most, and needed it the most. Robby. His son. Because I feel as much as Robby gave Johnny shit, the moments he had the door open for him… He just fucked up. Like I do feel like there was a doorway after the s1 tournament in early-s2. Robby very much expressed how you know he is trying, but it's going to take time. Instead of respecting this and instead of Johnny saying he'd try and gets it, he fights back that "he gets he screwed up" but he doesn't have to hang with Daniel. Daniel by the way being the one at this time to actually try and be there for Robby, and be a father figure to him. So Robby snaps back. That for some reason is the only thing people can focus on, and "poor Johnny!" for how "Robby speaks to him." Which… Whatever.

In season 3, there are a couple doors open for Johnny. That once more he messes up. When he's supposed to visit Robby at juvie after the school fight, and once more chooses Miguel over him. Just as he had been the first 2 seasons. Even after that when Johnny does go visit him Robby once more actually has some leeway with him here, he's upset at first but when he sees a somewhat efford on Johnny's end he relents and is accepting. It isn't until Robby finds out Johnny once more ditched him for Miguel that things blow up. And Johnny doesn't try to apologize on this end, he just pretty much places all blame on Robby for that, and yeah Robby fucked up badly during the school fight but really isn't rewarded the nuance of it I feel? And all the elements that went into that day, and fight. Except from Kreese really, and that's a whole other thing. That will just make this post longer.

And Johnny sure as shit didn't try in season 4 after Robby joined Cobra Kai. The scene at his apartment does not count at all because it was Robby who went there, and Johnny just tried to lecture him instead of inviting him in to talk things out. But whatever, and somehow at the end of the season somehow Johnny is miraculously forgiven despite doing not a thing to earn it. And see this is what bugged me here that it was Robby the child who had to let go of the anger, and not Johnny the 50-something year old adult man who had to earn it. And after that their relationship is all healed and after this Robby is never allowed to complain again because when he was justifiably angry the show punished him for it, and made it his problem. Not Johnny's.

So we have this aspect of it all of Robby not being chosen first ever by Johnny or anyone in his life frankly, because yeah Shannon went to rehab for him, and got better but we're not allowed to really see that. Hell maybe that would have made things a bit better. That we saw Robby had Shannon on his side, and would start choosing him.

We didn't get his relationship with Daniel really repaired. Yes they're on good terms but God I would have really loved to see them make up. The show loves to harp on how important Johnny and Miguel are, but frankly IMHO I feel Johnny and Daniel are just as important, and while I never truly was able to be on board with Johnny and Miguel I loved Daniel and Robby because Daniel for a time gave Robby what he needed until that blew to hell and the writers just brushed over them as if they weren't important.

We have this personal part of Robby's life to where he's never chosen once by anyone, and some I get, but others I can not accept. But it's Miguel who Johnny always picks over him. And in part 2 of this season a scene that also should have happened with Johnny and Robby only was reserved for Johnny and Miguel. Hell what I find worse is we never once see Johnny apologize to Robby and explain it was never him that was the problem, it was Johnny and he regrets how much he hurt him. What we do get is somehow Robby in this part of the season happy karate came into his life cause it gave him Johnny. Despite you know Johnny not doing a thing to earn it. Sorry I will die on this hill.

And I think this is what makes Robby fans upset about him losing at the end. Because maybe if in the past he was allowed one win, or if the writers spent half as much time on Johnny and Robby as they did Johnny and Miguel and validated Robby's feelings it would be OK. If the show showed us how important Robby was to the people in his iife and valued for that it would be OK. But we don't even get that. Not really.

And sure Robby gets a "good ending" but it felt shoehorned in to appease fans so Cobra Kai could come out on top.

And listen I get the show is called "Cobra Kai" but I could get into another rant about why just because the show is called Cobra Kai doesn't mean they always need to be the winners.

So really it's not in just a physical sense Robby never gets to win, it's in a personal sense, and on all that he's never allowed to be upset about it without the narrative framing him as in the wrong, or punishing him for it. Robby is truly never validated in any sense in this series, and as a fan it's frustrating to watch.

[enemiestolovershoe]

Hiiii i love your writting so much and i would love if you could write a noah X reader inspired by the song 7 minutes in hell by chrissy costanza

Seven Minutes In Hell

Noah Sebastian x Reader

Warnings: Toxic relationship, Intense emotional manipulation, Arguments and fighting, Emotional whiplash, Dark themes of obsession and unhealthy attachment, sexual content (no smut)

Words: 1.2k

A/N: Thank you so much anon! 💕

Disclaimer: While the characters in this story are inspired by real people, the events and interactions are purely fictional and not reflective of reality.

"Oh my god, do angels ever fall this hard?"

Your hands were shaking. Not from fear—no, not that. From frustration, from rage, from the overwhelming need to scream until your lungs burned.

But you didn’t.

Because you were too busy staring at him, at the mess of a man standing in front of you, his brown eyes burning with the same anger you felt twisting inside you.

Noah fucking Sebastian.

Your greatest mistake.

Your greatest obsession.

Your greatest sin.

And yet, even now, after everything, you couldn’t stop. Couldn’t walk away. Couldn’t breathe without him even if being with him felt like suffocating.

You slammed your phone onto the counter, jaw clenched so tightly it hurt. “Why the fuck do I always have to find out from someone else?”

Noah scoffed, running a hand through his hair. “Here we go again.”

“No, seriously,” you snapped, stepping forward. “Why do I always have to hear about your bullshit secondhand?”

“I don’t owe you a fucking explanation,” he shot back, voice dripping with irritation. “You wanna know something? Maybe stop listening to everyone else and ask me first.”

You let out a humorless laugh, shaking your head. “Right. Because you’re such an honest guy, huh?”

He clenched his jaw, muscles tensing. “Don’t do that.”

“Do what?” you sneered. “Call you out on your bullshit?”

His hand slammed against the wall, inches from your head, his body caging yours in. “You wanna act like I’m the only one who’s fucked up?” His breath was hot against your skin, his tone low, dangerous. “Like you’re not just as bad?”

The worst part was that he was right.

"The devil dancing in the dark, I kinda like it in his arms."

And maybe that was the problem.

Because even now, even after all the screaming, the accusations, the nights spent wondering why the fuck you stayed. Hispresence still set your skin on fire. His anger still made your pulse race.

You should’ve shoved him away. Should’ve left him standing there in his stupid black hoodie, with his stupid, messy hair and his stupid, intoxicating gaze.

But you didn’t.

Because you never did.

"Come my way."

His lips were on yours before you could stop him, his hands gripping your waist with bruising force. You gasped against his mouth, but it wasn’t in protest.

It never was.

His teeth dragged against your lower lip, and you whimpered—pathetic and needy. His grip tightened, and you let him have you. Because that was what you did. You gave and he took and you never once thought to stop him.

Because you didn’t want him to.

"When you kiss me, I can feel fire within me. Heaven’s got me burning. Yeah, you got me playing seven minutes in hell."

His mouth left a scorching trail down your neck, his breath heavy, ragged. “You drive me fucking insane.”

You dug your nails into his shoulders, letting him press you harder against the wall. “Good.”

"Touch me, bringing me down to my knees."

And you did. Over and over again. Because this was the only way you two knew how to communicate—through touches that burned, through gasps that replaced apologies, through passion that should’ve never been mistaken for love. 

But it always was.

"Love the taste of sinning."

You hated yourself for this. For craving him even when you swore you never would again. For wanting him even when his voice still rang in your head, sharp and cruel from the last fight.

But you weren’t the only one.

Because Noah was just as fucked.

Noah’s POV

"Close your eyes. I’m gonna be your favorite vice. Forbidden from your paradise. You wanna take a little bite."

She looked like a fucking angel—eyes dark with anger, lips swollen from his kisses, skin burning under his touch.

And he wanted to ruin her.

No, he already had.

“You think you’re so fucking innocent?” he muttered against her lips, hands gripping her thighs. “Like you’re not just as twisted as me?”

She exhaled sharply, her nails dragging against his scalp, a mix of anger and need in her eyes. “Shut up, Noah.”

A smirk pulled at his lips. “Make me.”

And she did.

"Close the door. Oh, drop your halo to the floor. No, you don’t need it anymore. I’ll never leave you needing it anymore."

Her hands were trembling, but not with fear. No, it was something else entirely. Something dangerous. Something that matched the fire in his own veins.

And he wanted to ruin her with it.

“You always come back,” he whispered, brushing a strand of hair from her face.

She exhaled sharply. “And you never let me go.”

Noah smirked, tilting her chin up. “You don’t want me to.”

And maybe she didn’t. Maybe that was the problem. She was his. Even if she hated it, even if she hated him. Shebelonged to him. Just like he fucking belonged to her.

It was a curse.

A disease.

And neither of them wanted the cure.

"When you kiss me, I can feel fire within me. Heaven’s got me burning. Yeah, you got me playing seven minutes in hell."

She gasped into his mouth and he groaned, his hands fisting in her hair. The way she tasted—like whiskey and bad decisions, like something he couldn’t quit. He was drowning in her, lost in the way she gasped against his lips, in the way her body curved against his like she was made to fit him.

He was supposed to be the devil in this story, but God, she felt like heaven.

And that terrified him.

Didn’t want to quit.

Would never quit.

"Touch me, bringing me down to my knees."

His mouth ghosted over her jaw, down her neck, lower, lower. Her fingers twisting in his hair as he dropped to his knees in between her legs.

Because that was how it always ended. With them tangled in sheets, out of breath, drenched in sin and sweat, pretending the world outside didn’t exist.

Until it did.

Until the cycle started all over again.

Until the fire consumed them both.

Readers POV

The sheets were tangled around your legs, your body still humming from the aftermath. But the peace didn’t last. It never did.

Because the second you opened your mouth, the spell shattered.

“Noah,” you whispered.

He didn’t move.

You hesitated, then reached for him, fingers grazing his back. “What the fuck are we doing?”

Noah let out a sharp exhale, running a hand through his hair. “Burning.”

You swallowed hard. “And when there’s nothing left?”

Silence.

Then, finally, he turned to you, eyes darker than you’d ever seen them.

"Why do I feel heaven on your skin? When I wanna be your eighth deadly sin?"

He leaned in, lips hovering over yours, voice so quiet you almost didn’t hear it.

“There’s always something left.”

And maybe that was the worst part.

Because no matter how much it burned, no matter how much it hurt—You’d both keep coming back for more.

Taglist: @alwaysfightforwhoyouare @courta13 @Lacy1986 @chey-h

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[s4svnn]

Out of bounds . JJK

↳ 𝐬𝐲𝐧𝐨𝐩𝐬𝐢𝐬; his love subjected you to the true extent of deception, a merciless lie wrapped in the illusion of paradise, until the truth tore it apart - he was always out of bounds.

↳ Jungkook x reader

↳ 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐬: ongoing

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Chapter Forty Two

I lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, my thoughts racing far too fast for rest to find me. The blankets were warm, cocooning me in comfort, yet my mind refused to settle. Because today—everything about today—lingered in my chest like a soft ache pressing against my ribs, refusing to fade.

If someone had told me a few weeks ago that Jungkook would be the one putting in this much effort for me, I would have laughed. Matter of a fact I would have laughed and called them insane. The Jungkook I had come to know wasn’t the kind of man who apologized. He wasn’t the kind of man who went out of his way to fix things or to prove that he cared. And yet, here he was. Doing exactly that over and over again.

I turned onto my side, hugging the pillow close as I let myself really think about it. He had taken me to see his mother today. His mother. That wasn’t something to take lightly. That wasn’t something you shared unless you truly wanted someone to see the parts of you that weren’t so easy to show. I could still see the way his hands had trembled, the way his shoulders had stiffened as he tried to hold himself together, only to crumble when we finally stood before her grave.

But he hadn’t been alone. Because I had been there. And for once, he had let me be there.

And then—God, then he had gone to my mum. Had looked her in the eye and asked for her approval, not because he had to, not because anyone had told him to, but because he wanted to. Because he wanted her to know that he wasn’t playing games. That he was serious about making things right, about making her daughter his.

I swallowed, gripping the fabric of my blanket tighter. He had helped me face my past. He had walked beside me through the very memories I had spent years running from, not forcing me, not rushing me, just being there. And I hadn’t realized just how much I had needed that—needed him.

The thought sent a warmth spreading through my chest, soft and terrifying all at once. Because this was real. This wasn’t some fleeting moment of kindness or an act to make himself feel better. Jungkook was really trying. He was putting in the effort, showing up for me in ways I had never expected. And for the first time in a long time, I felt like I wasn’t facing everything alone. I bit my lip, pressing my face into the pillow, as a small, completely involuntary smile tugged at the corners of my lips.

And then there was tomorrow. I had no idea what he had planned. But the fact that I was actually excited to find out made my stomach twist with something I wasn’t ready to accept. Because if there was one thing I was beginning to learn about Jungkook, it was that he never did anything halfway. And whatever tomorrow held, I had a feeling it would only bring me closer to seeing the truth.

That maybe just maybe he was someone worth falling for.

Saturday:

Jungkook’s POV

The morning air carried the lingering chill of dawn as I stepped out of the hotel lobby and into the quiet city streets. The sun had only just begun to rise, casting long golden streaks across the pavement, the world still moving at a sluggish pace as the day stretched itself awake.

But my mind was already wide awake—racing, buzzing, filled with nothing but her.

Even after everything that had happened yesterday—standing beside Aylah at my mother’s grave, watching her face her own past, feeling the warmth of her mother’s acceptance as she pulled me into an embrace—I still couldn’t fully process how much had changed between us. Just a few weeks ago, she barely wanted to look at me, let alone trust me. And now?

Now, she was letting me in. The thought made my chest tighten in the best way possible, an unfamiliar but welcome warmth settling beneath my ribs. I never expected to feel like this, to want something so badly that I’d be willing to prove myself over and over again just for the chance to earn it. But for her? For Aylah? I would do anything.

I reached my car, keys in hand, a small smirk pulling at my lips as I imagined her reaction to what I had planned for today. She had no idea what was coming, and that made it even better. 

But just as I reached for the door handle, a strange feeling crawled up my spine.

A sharp prickle.

The kind of sensation that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up, my muscles instinctively tensing as an uncomfortable awareness settled over me.

I wasn’t alone. Someone was watching me.

My grip tightened around my keys as I glanced over my shoulder, eyes scanning the dimly lit parking lot. There were a few cars scattered around, their windshields glinting in the sunlight, but other than that—nothing. The street beyond was just as empty. No one was there.

Yet, that feeling remained.

I exhaled slowly, shaking my head as I tried to push away the unease. Maybe I was just being paranoid. Maybe I was just on edge from everything that had been happening lately. With a quiet sigh, I unlocked the car, sliding into the driver’s seat and shutting the door behind me.

But even as I started the engine, the discomfort lingered.

It settled deep into my bones, an unwelcome presence that I couldn’t shake. I pulled out of the parking space, merging onto the main road. The city had woken up now, cars beginning to fill the streets, pedestrians rushing across sidewalks, coffee cups in hand. It was a normal morning—nothing unusual, nothing out of the ordinary.

But then I glanced at my rearview mirror.

A black car.

At first, I didn’t think much of it. It wasn’t uncommon to see the same car for a few blocks, especially during the morning rush. But something about this one made me look twice.

It had been behind me for a while.

I switched lanes.

So did they.

I made a turn onto a different street.

So did they.

A slow, creeping unease wrapped around my chest, squeezing. My hands flexed against the steering wheel as I tested them again, taking another unexpected turn.

They followed.

Shit.

My pulse kicked up, heart beginning to pound against my ribs. I wasn’t imagining this. Someone was following me.

I pressed my foot down on the accelerator, picking up speed as I merged onto the highway. Maybe I was just overthinking it. Maybe I was being dramatic. But the moment I sped up, the black car did too, matching my pace with an almost deliberate precision.

Adrenaline burned through my veins.

I wove through the morning traffic, darting between cars with sharp movements. My tires screeched slightly against the asphalt as I pushed the speedometer higher, my focus razor-sharp as I tried to lose them.

But they weren’t backing off.

No hesitation. No delay. Whoever was behind the wheel wasn’t just tailing me—they were keeping up with me too well. A cold realization settled over me. This wasn’t just some random driver going the same way. This was intentional.

I clenched my jaw, pushing the speed even further as I cut across lanes, weaving in and out of cars with pinpoint precision. The city blurred past me, buildings and streetlights flashing in streaks of color as I maneuvered through the chaos.

The black car was still there.

Still keeping pace.

A spike of frustration flared in my chest. My fingers curled tightly around the wheel as I made a hard right, swerving off the highway onto a smaller, nearly empty road. The sharp turn jolted my car, but I kept control, adjusting my grip as I floored the gas.

My heart thundered in my ears as I flicked my gaze to the rearview mirror.

The black car was gone.

I exhaled sharply, the tension in my shoulders beginning to ease as I finally allowed myself to breathe. My grip on the wheel loosened just a fraction as I scanned the road behind me again.

Did I lose them?

I forced out a quiet, bitter chuckle, running a hand through my hair as I shook my head. Maybe I had just been overreacting. Maybe I was—

My whole world shattered.

Out of nowhere, the same black car came barreling in from the right, slamming into my vehicle with a force so violent, so brutal, that my body was jerked forward, my seatbelt digging into my chest as the impact tore through me like a shockwave.

The air was filled with the screech of twisting metal, the shatter of glass exploding around me as my car lurched sideways. The tires skidded against the asphalt, struggling for control, but it was too late.

The force was too strong.

My car flipped.

The world spun into a chaotic blur, my vision flickering with flashes of color—gray, black, silver, red. My body whipped against the seatbelt as I was thrown upside down, the violent impact of each roll rattling my bones.

Glass rained down, cutting into my skin, burning against my face as the sheer force of the crash made my head snap back.

Then—

Silence.

I was upside down, stuck in the car with blood streaming down my face. Everything hurt.

The faint sound of tires screeching away rang in the distance, fading as the black car sped off, leaving me wrecked and bleeding in the middle of the empty road. 

Who ever this was. One thing was certain. They wanted me dead.

Aylah���s POV

The rhythmic motion of my hand against the countertop slowed as my eyes flickered back to my phone for what had to be the hundredth time. The screen remained dark—no new messages, no missed calls.

Still nothing.

Jungkook hadn’t texted me. Not even once.

I sighed, gripping the cloth in my hand tighter as I absentmindedly wiped the already spotless counter, my thoughts restless and uneasy. He had promised to text me in the morning, said he had something planned for today. And yet, here I was, staring at a silent phone, fighting the ridiculous feeling of disappointment settling in my chest.

It was stupid to feel this anxious, wasn’t it? He was probably just busy. Maybe something came up, or he overslept. Yeah, that had to be it.

And yet… that didn’t explain the gnawing sensation in the pit of my stomach, the way my heart felt heavier with every passing minute of silence.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I barely registered the sudden weight of an arm draping over my shoulder until Kayla’s voice rang out beside me.

"Okay, what’s with the face?" she teased, peering at me with curiosity. "Boyfriend not texted yet?"

I rolled my eyes, attempting to school my features into something neutral, though I could tell by the smug look on her face that I wasn’t doing a very good job. "He’s not my boyfriend."

Kayla hummed in amusement, pulling back just enough to study me. "Uh-huh. So why do you keep checking your phone every five seconds?"

I hesitated, but there was no point in lying—she knew me too well. I exhaled, finally setting the cloth down and crossing my arms over my chest. "He told me yesterday that he had something planned for today. Said he’d text me in the morning to let me know when to get ready." I glanced at my phone again, as if it would magically light up. "But he still hasn’t said anything."

"Maybe he’s still putting the final touches on your little date."

I shot her a glare. "It’s not a date."

She smirked. "Tomato, tomahto."

I huffed in frustration, turning back toward the counter in an attempt to hide the warmth creeping up my neck. I didn’t know why I was getting so flustered—it wasn’t like I was waiting on a text from a crush or something.

"Didn’t you have somewhere to be today?"

"I did," she admitted, eating a slice of apple. "But the person took a rain check on me."

I narrowed my eyes at her, sensing that she was being deliberately vague. "So you’re still not going to tell me who this mysterious man is?"

She winked. "Now, where’s the fun in that?"

I let out a laugh, shaking my head at her antics, and for a moment, the lightheartedness of the conversation was enough to push away the nagging worry in the back of my mind.

But then my phone started ringing.

The sudden sound sliced through our laughter, and my stomach twisted as I quickly reached for it, my brows furrowing when I saw the name flashing across the screen.

Damian.

My lips parted slightly in confusion. Damian never called me this early.

A strange feeling settled in my gut as I swiped to answer. "Hello—"

"Is Jungkook with you?"

His voice was urgent—sharp, cutting me off before I could even finish my greeting.

My grip on the phone tightened, my entire body stilling. "No… isn’t he still at the hotel?"

There was a brief silence on the other end, then a slow, measured inhale.

"He’s not there."

The uneasy feeling in my stomach hardened into something colder. "What do you mean he’s not there?"

Damian exhaled. "AJ… a Bugatti Chiron was reported to have been in an accident on the highway."

Everything inside me went still.

I felt my breath hitch, my heart missing a beat. "A—A Bugatti Chiron?"

"Yeah." His voice was quieter now, more cautious. "Apparently, it was a really bad accident… and the driver’s in a coma."

A sharp chill shot down my spine. I swallowed, my throat suddenly dry, the words barely making it past my lips.

"A-and you think it’s…?"

"I’m not sure yet," Damian admitted, his voice tight with uncertainty. "I’ve been calling his phone non-stop, but he hasn’t picked up. And his Bugatti’s gone from the hotel parking lot."

My chest tightened, panic clawing at my ribs. No. No, it couldn’t be.

"Maybe it’s just a coincidence," I whispered, though even as I said it, the words felt hollow.

Damian let out a shaky exhale, as if he was trying to convince himself of the same thing. "Let’s hope so." He paused, his hesitation making my pulse race even faster. "I’ll let you know if I find out anything."

"O-okay," I murmured.

The call ended, but my hand remained clenched around the phone, my knuckles turning white. The world around me felt distant, muffled, like I was underwater.

"AJ?"

I turned slowly, my gaze meeting Kayla’s. Her teasing demeanor was gone now, replaced with concern as she studied my face.

"Is everything okay?" she asked carefully.

I tried to speak, but my throat felt tight, the words refusing to come out. I swallowed hard, shaking my head slightly as I forced myself to answer. "I… I don’t know."

Kayla’s brows knitted together. "What do you mean?"

I took a shaky breath, my fingers trembling slightly as I lowered my phone. "Damian just called. He—he said there was a Bugatti Chiron in a really bad accident this morning. The driver’s in a coma."

Her face paled instantly.

"A Bugatti Chiron?" she repeated, her voice laced with growing alarm. "But isn’t that—"

"Yeah," I cut in, my voice barely above a whisper. "That’s Jungkook’s car."

Kayla’s lips parted as if she wanted to say something—something reassuring, something logical—but nothing came out. The tension between us grew heavier, like a thick fog pressing down on my chest.

"Maybe it’s not him," she said after a long pause, though her tone lacked conviction. "I mean, a lot of people have fancy cars like that, right?"

I wanted to believe her. God, I wanted to believe her so badly.

But I couldn’t. Because even if there were other people in this city who owned the same car, the fact that Jungkook’s was suddenly missing, and he wasn’t answering his phone, made it impossible to ignore the sinking dread clawing at me.

Kayla reached out, her fingers grazing my arm. "Babe, look at me."

I forced my eyes up to meet hers, my vision slightly blurred from the panic rising inside me.

"We don’t know for sure yet," she said firmly. "Damian’s checking. You can’t jump to conclusions."

I exhaled shakily, nodding even though my gut told me otherwise. "Yeah… yeah, you’re right."

Still, my fingers itched to call him, to hear his voice, to have him pick up and tell me I was being ridiculous.

Without thinking, I dialed his number.

It rang.

And rang.

And rang.

"The number you have dialed is currently unavailable—"

I ended the call before the automated voice could finish, my chest tightening. Something was wrong. I turned away from Kayla, gripping the edge of the counter as I tried to steady my breathing. Everything felt off—like the ground beneath me was shifting, and I couldn’t find my balance.

Seconds felt like hours. Minutes stretched endlessly. I stood frozen in the kitchen, my hands gripping the counter so tightly that my knuckles turned white. The sickening weight in my chest refused to budge, and no matter how much I tried to tell myself that everything was fine, that there was no way the driver in that accident was Jungkook—I just knew.

Kayla lingered beside me, shifting her weight nervously from foot to foot. She kept glancing at me like she wanted to say something, but she didn’t. Probably because she knew that nothing she said would make a difference right now.

Then my phone rang again.

I practically lunged for it, my heart hammering as I saw Damian’s name flash across the screen. My fingers fumbled to accept the call.

“H-Hello?” My voice was barely steady.

There was a pause on the other end. A pause that made my stomach churn violently. 

“AJ.” Damian’s voice was different this time. Lower. Heavier. Like he didn’t want to say what he was about to say.

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Did you find out?”

Another pause.

“The driver…” He hesitated for a split second, but that was all it took. My entire body locked up, my breath catching in my throat as dread crawled up my spine.

“… It was Jungkook.”

The world tilted. A sharp ringing filled my ears as my vision blurred, my grip on my phone going slack.

“No,” I whispered, my voice barely audible.

“AJ—”

“No, no, that’s not—” I squeezed my eyes shut, shaking my head violently as if that would somehow make this all go away. “It’s not him. It’s not—”

“I’m at the hospital right now,” Damian cut in, his voice still steady, but I could hear the strain beneath it. “They brought him in a few hours ago. He’s in surgery.”

I swayed slightly, my legs suddenly feeling too weak to hold me up.

Surgery.

Jungkook was in surgery.

“Hey,” Kayla’s voice broke through the haze, her hands suddenly gripping my arms, steadying me. “What’s wrong? What did he say?”

I couldn’t answer. Because if I said it out loud, it would make it real.

“AJ, you need to get down here,” Damian continued, his voice quieter now. “They won’t tell me much because I’m not family, but… it’s bad.”

I forced myself to breathe, even as my lungs felt like they were caving in.

“I-I’m coming,” I managed to say, my voice shaking uncontrollably.

“Okay,” Damian said softly. “I’ll wait outside for you.”

The call ended, and for a moment, I just stood there, staring blankly at my phone as the weight of his words settled over me like a crushing force.

Jungkook.

Surgery.

It’s bad.

“AJ breathe,” Kayla pressed, her hands still firm on my arms, her eyes wide with concern. “What happened?”

I sucked in a breath, barely able to get the words out.

“It was him,” I whispered. “Jungkook… he—” My voice cracked, my throat burning. “He was in the accident. He’s in surgery.”

Kayla inhaled sharply, her grip tightening. “Oh my God.”

“I—I have to go,” I said quickly, stepping back and moving toward the door, my body running on autopilot. I couldn’t think, couldn’t process anything except the overwhelming need to get to him.

“I’m coming with you,” Kayla said immediately.

I didn’t argue. I couldn’t.

Because all I could think about was Jungkook.

Lying in a hospital bed.

Fighting for his life.

The moment Kayla pulled up to the hospital entrance, I was already unbuckling my seatbelt.

“AJ, wait—”

I didn’t. I threw the car door open and rushed inside, my breath coming in short, panicked bursts as I scanned the waiting room.

Damian stood near the reception desk, his head bowed, fingers running through his hair in a way that told me he was just as on edge as I was. The second his eyes met mine, I knew. There was no good news.

“Damian,” I breathed, my legs carrying me toward him before I had even fully processed what I was doing. “What—”

“He’s still in surgery,” Damian cut in, his voice low. “They won’t tell me anything else.”

My stomach twisted painfully. Still in surgery.

I swallowed hard, trying to steady myself, but it felt impossible. I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. “Did they say how bad it is?”

Damian hesitated. “I overheard a nurse talking to the doctors. He—he lost a lot of blood.”

I felt like I had been punched in the gut.

“They said… the crash was bad. The car flipped multiple times. By the time they got to him, he was unconscious.” Damian exhaled shakily. “His face… his arms… there was so much glass.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, my chest rising and falling rapidly. I didn’t want to hear this. I didn’t want to picture him like that.

“I need a moment,” I whispered, barely recognizing my own voice. It was hoarse, shaky—on the verge of breaking completely.

I didn’t wait for a response. I pushed myself up and turned on my heel, walking briskly toward the exit. I could feel Damian and Kayla’s eyes on me, but neither of them tried to stop me. Maybe they understood that if they did, I would shatter right there in front of them.

The cold night air hit me the second I stepped outside. It was sharp against my skin, biting at my exposed arms, but I barely noticed. My legs carried me forward, past the main entrance, past the streetlights that buzzed faintly above me, and toward the back of the hospital where the car park was nearly empty.

And then, finally, I collapsed.

My back hit the cold wall as I slid down, my legs folding beneath me. My head fell into my hands, my fingers digging into my scalp as I squeezed my eyes shut.

Breathe, Aylah.

But I couldn’t.

Every breath felt heavier than the last. Every inhale was laced with panic, every exhale filled with the unbearable weight of what if.

What if he doesn’t wake up?

What if I never get to hear his stupid teasing again? 

What if I never get the chance to tell him—

I gasped for air, my chest tightening painfully.

This wasn’t supposed to happen.

Jungkook was supposed to pick me up today. He was supposed to show up with that annoying, cocky grin and whatever ridiculous surprise he had planned. He was supposed to drag me along on another adventure, doing whatever he could to win me over.

But instead… instead, he was fighting for his life in a hospital bed, and there was nothing I could do.

A strangled sound escaped my lips as I clutched my head tighter.

I hated this.

I hated feeling so helpless.

I hated that, after everything, I had finally let him back in—finally started to believe that maybe, just maybe, he was different now—only for this to happen.

Tears slipped down my cheeks, hot against my cold skin, and I couldn’t stop them.

I didn’t even try.

I just let myself break.

But then a voice cut through my sobs.

“Wow, what a sight.”

Slowly—almost fearfully—I lifted my head, my pulse thudding in my ears. My vision was still blurred from the tears, but as I blinked rapidly, trying to make sense of the shadowed figure standing just a few feet away, my stomach twisted.

There she was.

Jade.

[maretinelli]

MY EMERGENCY CONTACT

Ollie Bearman X fem!reader

Summary: When Ollie is his girlfriend's emergency contact, but it seems like he's the one who needs an emergency contact.

Words: 4.0K+

Warnings: Funny, awkward couple (Ollie), mentions of lizards hahaha mention of explicit kissing, mention of Y/n's siblings, and injury. But the overall context is funny

Author: English is not my first language, so apologies for any spelling, grammar and slang mistakes that may be in the story. Based on that Tik Tok trend "my emergency contact" and the person appears doing the silliest thing in the world hahaha So I put some together and made several situations for the story.

MASTERLIST

The snow fell softly around them, creating a perfect backdrop for the disastrous adventure they were about to have. Ollie and Y/n walked hand in hand up the mountain, wearing thick winter clothes, goggles, and gloves to protect themselves from the cold. In their hands, they held their ski equipment, even though they had no idea how to actually use it.

"I don't see the need for any classes for this." Ollie said, with a tone of exaggerated confidence. "Just slide it down and you're done!"

Y/n let out an amused laugh, squeezing his hand. "Oh, sure, because it's that simple. I can already see you going down this mountain like a runaway doll."

"Exactly!" He smiled, clearly not getting the irony.

When they reached the top, Y/n headed towards the smaller track, but when she noticed that Ollie had stopped on the main one, she turned to him.

"Ollie, come on!" She called, adjusting her glasses.

"But this one looks more exciting!" He pointed to the larger track.

"Yeah, exciting for the audience who's going to see you go down that thing face first into the snow." She laughed a little. "Let's start on the smallest one, because in case you forgot, we don't know how to ski."

Ollie sighed, but relented, following behind her. "Okay, okay... But if I find out I'm a natural and wasted my time here, it's your fault!"

The smaller slope had a gentle slope and several children skiing with the help of their parents. Ollie watched the scene and smiled.

"Cool, let's learn to ski with five-year-olds." He joked.

"Yes, because at least they are humble enough to accept help." Y/n laughed, placing the equipment on the floor and starting to put it on.

Ollie did the same, trying to look confident but clearly still not understanding how it all worked. They were talking excitedly about the 'technique' they would use, but as soon as he put the skis on his feet, he began to slide slightly backwards.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Ollie exclaimed, waving his arms as if he were trying to fly.

Y/n caught his coat before he fell, laughing. "Relax, pilot, we're not in a race."

He rolled his eyes, but laughed along. With her help, he managed to balance himself and took the first step. It lasted two seconds. Enough to fall on your ass in the snow. Y/n, who almost lost her balance because of this, laughed out loud.

"So... skiing is just gliding, right?"

Still sitting in the snow, Ollie sighed.

"I think my theory was flawed." He stood up as if nothing had happened, trying to regain his dignity. "You have to bend your knees a little and lean forward."

"And where did you learn that?" Y/n arched an eyebrow.

"Instinct, love."

She laughed. "The same instinct that made you fall over like a rag doll?"

Ollie rolled his eyes, but smiled. "Trust me, I'll take care of you. Plus, I'm your emergency contact for anything."

"Wow, now I realize the real danger of this trip." Y/n laughed and raised her eyebrows below her glasses.

After a few tries, Y/n managed to move slowly across the track, reaching the other side. Ollie, determined to imitate her, pushed himself forward. At first, it worked. But soon he began to pick up too much speed.

"Y/n! How do you brake?!" He yelled.

"I don't know! You're the one who said you knew how to ski!"

Desperately, Ollie tried to throw himself to the ground to stop, but ended up sliding even faster. Out of control, he crashed directly into a snowman at the end of the track. When the snow settled, he was buried up to his neck, only his face sticking out, looking at Y/n with a defeated smile.

Y/n put her hands on her knees, laughing so hard she could barely breathe. Little by little, she approached him to help.

"Are you okay? Or did your brain freeze along with all that snow?"

Ollie spat out some snow and smiled. "It's just my ego that's hurt."

Before Y/n could respond, a child came down the ski slope and stopped next to them, looking at Ollie curiously.

"The guy fell like a penguin!"

Y/n laughed even more, looking at the child. "Yeah, and that penguin is my emergency contact!"

Ollie laughed along, finally being pulled out of the snowdrift by his girlfriend. He looked at the destroyed snowman behind him and sighed.

"Okay, maybe I need some lessons."

••••••••••••••••••••••

The day had not been the best for Y/n at work, and the cherry on the cake was seeing the car start to lose power until it stopped completely. With a frustrated sigh, she looked at the dashboard and saw the reason: Out of gas.

"Oh, wonderful..." He mumbled, rolling his eyes as he pulled the car over to the side of the road. Mentally cursing himself for not having seen this before.

She turned on the car's alarm and grabbed her cell phone from her purse and, without thinking twice, called Ollie. He answered quickly.

"Hey love."

"Hey, Ollie... so, I need a rescue."

"What kind of rescue? Because if it's something like an action movie, I don't think I'm qualified."

"My car ran out of gas." She sighed. "I'm on the shoulder of the main road, near the harbor."

"Are you kidding?" On the other end of the line, Ollie laughed.

"I'm not in the mood for jokes, Oliver." She said a little harshly, making her boyfriend raise his eyebrows on the other end of the line, realizing that she had a bad day at work just by the tone of her voice.

"Okay, okay. Apologies! I'm leaving the apartment now. Don't move, peasant in distress, your gentleman is on his way!"

Y/n rolled her eyes but laughed a little before hanging up.

It was cold in the city, and after making sure the car's hazard lights were still on, he went outside, crossing his arms and blowing on his hands to warm himself. While he waited, he tried calling the tow truck and stayed on the phone until he received an estimated arrival time.

Huddling in her own coat, she felt the tiredness of the day weighing her down. All he wanted was to be in Ollie's apartment, in the warmth and comfort of a place that, in some ways, already felt like home.

Minutes later, he saw a familiar car turn the corner and stop right behind his. Ollie rolled down the vehicle's window with an amused smile.

"Here's your private ride."

Y/n quickly got into his car and let out a sigh of relief as she felt the warmth of the heater. Ollie leaned over and gave her a quick kiss in greeting.

"Thank you for coming."

"Always, my love!" He smiled. "And now, shall we wait for the tow truck for your car?"

"Yes, the tow truck is on its way, just wait."

They stood there for a few minutes talking about their day, until the tow truck finally arrived. As soon as she saw the truck stop, Y/n got out of the car and went to talk to the driver, explaining the situation. Ollie, from the driver's seat, just watched his girlfriend deal with everything, a small smile on his face.

Shortly after, Y/n came back and got into Ollie's car.

"They'll take it to the nearest gas station, so just follow the tow truck." She put on her seatbelt, settled into the seat, and looked straight ahead. "You can go."

Ollie turned the key to start it and nothing happened. He frowned, tried again, but the car didn't respond.

"What's wrong?" Y/n asked, turning to him.

Ollie held back a laugh as he glanced at the dashboard. "Oh... so... small detail..." He scratched the back of his neck. "The car's out of gas too."

"You live 15 minutes away!" Y/n blinked a few times before processing the information.

"I know! But I forgot to fill up yesterday!"

She let out a disbelieving laugh and leaned forward, placing her hands on her face. Ollie, with a mischievous smile, just waited for the reaction.

"That's ridiculous." Y/n laughed.

"At least now I'm not alone in my humiliation." He laughed too.

"You came to save me and ended up needing saving too."

They looked at each other for a few seconds and, unable to contain themselves, burst out laughing. The situation was so absurd that it was impossible to even get angry.

"Okay, what now?" Y/n asked, trying to catch her breath.

"I think we need to call another tow truck... to get my car now."

"Great." She picked up her phone. "I'll put that on the list of stupid stories to tell our kids in the future."

"And I'm going to pretend it never happened."

••••••••••••••••••••••••

Y/n's day off started productively, with a good cleaning of the apartment while she listened to music. Singing along to the lively rhythm, she went to the kitchen, grabbed a chair to clean under the table and, when she lifted it, her heart almost jumped out of her mouth.

Two lizards were there, motionless.

The scream she let out could have been heard across town. Without thinking, she threw the cloth over the animals and climbed onto the other chair, holding the mop like a sword. With a shudder, she saw the lizards moving under the cloth and grabbed her cell phone from the table, quickly dialing Ollie's number.

"Hey love."

"Ollie, HELP!"

"What?! What happened?! Is everything okay?!"

"No, it's not okay! THERE ARE LIZARDS IN MY KITCHEN!"

On the other end of the line, silence. And then, a laugh. "Did you call me in despair about the lizards?"

"Ollie, I'M STUCK ON TOP OF A CHAIR! IF YOU DON'T COME HELP ME, I'M GONNA HAVE TO LIVE UP HERE!"

Still laughing, he sighed. "Okay, I'm going. Hang in there, you peasant in distress."

Ollie lived just a few streets away from her apartment, so it didn't take him ten minutes to arrive. As soon as he walked in, he started talking.

"Okay, where are the beasts?"

"Here in the kitchen!" Y/n spoke loudly, still on the chair.

When Ollie got there, the scene was so ridiculous that he had to hold back his laughter. Y/n was holding the squeegee with both hands, staring at the cloth as if it were a war.

"Look, you don't pay rent. So please leave because my boyfriend is here!" She said, as if the lizards could understand.

"Was that a warning or an attempt at negotiation?" Ollie laughed.

"I'm serious, Ollie. This isn't funny." She glared at him.

"No, no... of course not." He smiled, trying to hold back his laughter. "Where are they?"

"I only managed to trap them like this." Y/n pointed to the cloth.

Ollie walked over, slowly bending down to remove the cloth. Y/n flinched, turning her face away and squeezing her eyes shut.

"You're shaking!" He laughed.

"OBVIOUSLY I'm shaking, they're evil!"

Ollie slowly pulled the cloth away, but the moment he tried to grab one of them by the tail, they both ran towards him.

"Oh, no, no, no-!" He jumped back and walked over to the counter, noticing that the lizards seemed to be following him.

"GET IT! GET IT! GET IT!!" Y/n screamed from her chair.

"I'm trying!" Ollie dodged, lifting his feet. "These things are fast!"

"OF COURSE THEY ARE! THEY'RE STALKING YOU!"

Ollie picked up a pot lid that was on the counter and threw it towards the lizards, without success. But it made a loud noise.

"OLIVER, don't break my stuff!"

The lizards changed direction and went to the other corner. Ollie followed behind, trying to catch one of them, but then he felt something crawling up his foot.

"NO! NO, NO, NO!" He ran towards Y/n.

"OLIVER!! DON'T LET THEM GO UNDER THE REFRIGERATOR!! GET THEM!" She pushed her boyfriend a little, encouraging him to get closer to the lizards.

"I'M TRYING!" The pilot picked up the cloth again and tried to throw it over both of them at once.

"See?! They're evil! THEY'RE EVIL!"

Running after the animals, Ollie threw things on the floor trying to block their path, while Y/n shouted orders and cheered from the top of the chair.

"COME ON LOVE, GET THEM OUT OF HERE!!"

In the midst of the confusion, the lizards finally found the balcony door and climbed down the outside wall, leaving Y/n's apartment. Ollie stopped, taking a deep breath and throwing his head back.

"And they left." He walked back to Y/n, who was still shaking in her chair.

"Are you sure?" She asked suspiciously.

"Yes. But just in case, I suggest you enter the kitchen in armor next time." Ollie held out his hand to help her down.

Y/n rolled her eyes laughing, holding his hand. "Funny you should say that when you were running away from them too."

"I wasn't running away." Ollie stifled a laugh.

"YES, you were scared!" Y/n pointed at him. "I almost had to get off my chair to help you!"

"It wasn't fear, it was a survival strategy." He rolled his eyes, placing his hands on her waist.

"Oh, sure." Y/n laughed. "And here I thought you were my emergency contact... turns out, it looks like I'm yours."

The two looked at each other and started laughing.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Y/n's weekend at Ollie's apartment was going perfectly until it was time to choose a movie to watch that night.

"Are you sure about that?" Ollie asked, looking at the TV screen as Y/n selected a horror thriller movie. "Wouldn't you prefer a romantic comedy? Something... less traumatizing?"

"No, I want to watch this one. Everyone is saying great things about it!"

"But you hate horror movies."

"Yeah, but I'm curious to see this one!" She shrugged.

"Curious about not sleeping?"

She laughed and ignored the comment, pressing play.

The two were snuggled up on the couch, under the blanket, with a bucket of popcorn between them. Ollie's arm was behind Y/n's back, and she leaned against him, grabbing a popcorn or two as the movie started.

The atmosphere of the movie was dark, and the soundtrack heightened the tension. Suddenly, in the middle of a scene of pure suspense, Y/n stuck her hand into the popcorn bucket, making a loud noise.

"OH MY GOD!" Ollie jumped up from the couch.

"Ollie?! What's wrong?!" Y/n widened her eyes, startled by his reaction.

"What was that noise?" The pilot looked at his girlfriend with his heart racing.

She blinked a few times and pointed to the bucket. "I just got some popcorn..."

Ollie sighed, placing his hand on his chest. "Do you want to kill me before the monster in the movie can?"

"Calm down, brave one." Y/n laughed, pulling him into a hug.

He snorted and turned his eyes back to the TV, but inside, he already wanted to give up on that movie and use his phone to distract himself. However, he had promised her that he would watch until the end whatever movie Y/n chose.

As the movie progressed, the scares only got worse. Ollie would jump suddenly, scaring Y/n, which made him even more scared. It was a never-ending cycle of terror.

Until, in a tense moment, Y/n accidentally moved her foot and touched Ollie's leg.

"HELP!" He jumped on the couch, nearly knocking over the popcorn bucket. "SOMETHING TOUCHED ME!"

"WHAT WAS IT?" Y/n's eyes widened and she pulled her legs towards her. "IT WAS A LIZARD?! OLIVER! IT WAS A LIZARD?"

Ollie stared around the room, terrified. But then he looked at Y/n's legs and realized something. "Wait... it was your own foot, love..."

"Ah...!" She blinked, realizing what had happened.

At the end of the film, both were scared and tense. It was then that a loud thunderclap echoed outside, followed by a flash of lightning that illuminated the curtains in the living room of the pilot's apartment.

"AAAAH!" The two screamed together, hugging each other on the couch. With Yin hiding her face in her boyfriend's neck.

Y/n blinked a few times and then realized it was just the thunder. He started laughing out loud, pulling back a little to look at Ollie.

"You're supposed to protect me, not be scared of the same silly things I am!"

Ollie's eyes widened. "That movie traumatized me, Y/n! I deserve to be protected too!"

Y/n laughed even harder and laid her head on his chest, muffling her laughter in Ollie's hoodie. "I love you, even if you're a wimp."

He smiled, kissing her hair and wrapping her in a tight hug. "And I love you, even though you put me in these absurd situations."

Another bolt of lightning lit up the room and the two shuddered together. Y/n suddenly stood up, holding Ollie's hand with a mischievous look.

"Run to the room, they've come to get us!" She pulled him down the hallway.

"Y/N, STOP JOKING!! THIS IS SERIOUS!"

She laughed out loud, while he tried to keep up, torn between fear and the urge to laugh.

•••••••••••••••••••••••••

The sky was blue, with few clouds and a cool breeze, making it the perfect weather for playing tennis. As they did at least twice a month, Yin and his brothers would meet on the court for a friendly game.

Taylor, the oldest of them, walked next to Y/n, talking about the week, while Bailey was on the phone with Ethan, the brother two years older than the youngest Y/n.

"So you really can't come?" Bailey asked, sighing. "Okay, okay. See you later." He hung up the call and looked at his sisters. "Ethan's stuck in the office and doesn't know what time he gets out."

"Oh, crap!" Taylor lamented. "We won't be able to play then, without him we'll be left with an odd number."

Y/n suddenly lifted her head, an idea popping into her mind. "What if I call Ollie?" She looked at her brothers. "He's finishing a workout and is nearby, if you want, I'll call him!"

"Brother-in-law playing with us? I like that idea." Bailey smiled.

"That's a great solution! Call him." Taylor smiled too.

"Okay, you guys go pick a court then. I'll call him." Y/n said, handing the rackets to Bailey before walking away a little to call her boyfriend.

Ollie answered quickly. "Hi, my love."

Y/n smiled automatically, even though she knew he couldn't see it. "Hi, honey. Want to be my emergency?"

"What exactly does that mean?" He laughed on the other end of the line.

"My brother Ethan couldn't make it to our tennis game, and we need another player. Do you want to join?"

She heard a smile in his voice as he replied, "Does that mean I can spend more time with you? Then of course! Send me the address, I'm close by."

"Thank you, my love. See you soon."

After hanging up, she sent the location and returned to where the brothers were, already warming up.

Minutes later, Ollie arrived on the court with a smile on his face, his hair still a little messy from training and wearing gym clothes. As soon as he saw Y/n, he opened his arms.

Y/n smiled silly and walked towards him, throwing herself into the hug and feeling the familiar scent of her boyfriend. He held her face affectionately before placing his lips on hers, starting a slow and passionate kiss. His sweet taste, mixed with the light sweat from training, made the moment even more captivating. He deepened the kiss for a moment, his hands squeezing her waist before pulling away only to brush his lips against hers once more.

"Hey, hey, calm down!" Bailey interrupted, making a disgusted sound. "Enough of this mussing around with my sister!"

Bailey was the second oldest of the brothers, but he could still be quite childish when it came to teasing his brothers or trying to embarrass his younger brother-in-law. And it always worked.

Y/n rolled her eyes, stepping away from Ollie as he laughed. Then the pilot greeted Taylor with a gentle hug and Bailey with a handshake.

"The court is ready, do you want to start?" Taylor asked excitedly.

"Let's go!" Y/n agreed.

The pairings were set: Y/n and Ollie against Taylor and Bailey. While Y/n's brothers warmed up on their side of the court, Ollie approached his girlfriend and whispered.

"I will defeat your brothers."

"You're very confident..." Y/n laughed. "Just like that time we went skiing and you ran into a snowman."

"He was in my way!" Ollie grimaced and rolled his eyes.

"It was a snowman!! He was standing still."

"Details."

She laughed and shook her head and rotated her arm to quickly warm herself up.

The game began and it soon became clear that Ollie and Y/n made an excellent pair in that sport. They were ahead on the scoreboard, and with each point, they celebrated by kissing and exchanging funny comments.

"See? We are unbeatable." Ollie said after scoring a point.

"Or we're just lucky." Y/n smiled and pulled him by the collar of his shirt, giving him a little kiss.

"You're my luck." He replied, making Y/n's sister roll her eyes in amusement from across the court.

"Can you guys focus on the game instead of making out?" Bailey mumbled and the couple's laughter was synchronized.

But in the next moment, Ollie hit a ball that Taylor threw and which eventually hit the net and came back full on the Haas driver's face.

"AH!" He leaned forward a little, bringing both hands to his nose and the racket falling.

Y/n's brothers widened their eyes from across the court.

"Oliver?" Bailey asks worried about his brother-in-law.

"Ollie?! Is everything okay? What happened?" Y/n ran to her boyfriend, worried.

He nodded, but when he took his hands off his face, Y/n saw blood running from his nose and her eyes widened.

"Ow, Ollie... he's bleeding!"

"It hurts a little, but it's nothing serious." He grimaced.

Y/n analyzed quickly, carefully touching her boyfriend's nose and sighed in relief. "It doesn't look broken, but the blow was hard. Let's sit down for a bit to let the blood stop."

They walked to the bench next to the court, where Ollie sat. Y/n took her coat and handed it to him to press against his nose.

"I don't want to stain your coat." He protested.

"I don't care, I just want you to be okay." Y/n smiles lovingly.

Bailey then volunteered to go get some paper and went after it, while Taylor handed her younger sister a bottle of water.

"Lean forward a little, love. You need to wash that blood off." Y/n asked, opening the bottle and pouring some water on his nose, cleaning the blood with care and attention. "Do you want to go to the hospital?" She asked.

"No, it's not broken, is it? It's just sore." He replied, lightly touching his nose.

Y/n smiled, relieved, and placed a hand on his back, caressing him. Soon, Bailey came back with the papers and handed them to her, who quickly placed them on her boyfriend's nose.

"I'd kiss you right now if you weren't bleeding." Ollie grabbed it and pressed it against his nose.

"I hope so, but only because you're an adorable tennis player." Y/n chuckles softly, still with one hand on her boyfriend's back.

Y/n's brothers laughed.

"Well, game over then." Taylor decreed.

"But me and Y/n won! That's only fair after that accident." Ollie joked, and they laughed.

As Taylor and Bailey walked away to pick up their rackets that were lying on the court, Ollie looked at Yin and smiled.

"I came to be your emergency to continue the game, but apparently I needed an emergency because of my nose."

Y/n laughed and shook her head. "Yeah, I guess our emergencies never go as planned."

"Good thing my favorite emergency room always takes care of me." He laced his fingers through hers, a piece of paper still pressed to his nose.

"Always. Even if you keep getting yourself into disasters like this." Y/n smiled and leaned in to kiss his cheek.

[jean-optimal]

I'm here with some prompt. So, let Renesmee and Lucanis speak for you. they can do it best)

What first attracted your Rook to their LI? What attracted their LI to your Rook?

Renesmee: "I was attracted by his his kindness. He was like a knight in shining armor in front of me at the library of the villa where me and Viago lived. I was 14 when Catherina and her grandsons paid a visit there for the audience of the new Fifth Talon. She tried to unite the Houses much earlier before the storm approaching. So, it was a first time I and Lucanis met.

He was 20. Very nice. Very handsome. I was just staring at him and Illario with the adoration. Oh, Maker, they both were beautiful... Before Illario opened his mouth in my direction. I had my chest already growing since I was a teenager so... If translate his phrase from Antivan, it meant something like "Hey, gal, your brain grown to your tits, isn't it?" Actually, it was pretty rude, according to the point he was talking to the little Crow of House de Riva. Lucanis interrupted him and apologized... It all was because I accidentally overheard them briefing about their future contract. I was embarrassed so much for the interrupting! Of course, my alchemy studies dropped out of my head. But... I even didn't know how fateful will be this meeting for me in future.

We started to meet more, to talk between our studies and contracts. And once...

We started our relationship officially when I was 22. Before all happened, not so long before he became called 'The Demon of Vyranthium'. We accidentally took the contacts on the targets nearby each other. Two brothers here, at Treviso. And he saved me. And standing on the rooftop... I said the words I had in mind. "Te amo, mi corazon..." I still remember his surprise. He didn't expect such words from the other Crow. But... He accepted them. He relied on me. But we both didn't know what will spoil our relationship.

We broke up because of rumors. He believed them and doubted in me. In us. We argued, and once... He left me alone. I was broken. Then Illario found me... I don't remember what happened but I remember myself waking up next morning in the cold bed. Lucanis already left and... I even didn't manage to find him, to say 'I'm sorry'...

My life gave me a chance to fix it when Varric found me. And I had in mind only one thing. I needed to find Lucanis. But I didn't know, will he agree to join the Veilguard or not. But maybe my charm still worked, maybe Neve's presence did, he agreed. It was our chance to fix everything, to show how we appreciated everything.

I... Still loved him. And he did too. Two broken people united again to help each other. I couldn't fail. Not again. So we did everything to rebuild our love. I'm grateful to my fate and to Lucanis that we made it."

Lucanis: "I never thought of the relationship. I was alvays concentrated on my work and targets to kill. Even when I met her first time... She was a beautiful and insufferable one in her 14 and it didn't change with the years passing by. Her pragmatism was infecting. Her charm... Undeniable. Did I know that she's in love with me? Of course, I noticed. But I didn't want to trust the first woman in love I met. The love, the trust... Is a weakness in our line of work, you know. But once I decided to let her in.

Maybe, it was a mistake I made but... The beautiful mistake. She's as stubborn as I am, I knew she will go to the final. I felt the same attraction she had to me. But this love... Its final left me torn apart. She broke my heart and I wished to never see her again, afraid of falling back in this deep blue eyes of the master of the lies and forgery she was.

But... I couldn't deny her own suffering. And we... I... I decided to start again when she proved her words. Love and trust are the weaknesses in our world but we both became too attached to each other to deny it. I let her in back again to never let go."

---

Is their relationship a secret? Who knows about it?

Renesmee and Lucanis: "Well, we tried to keep it secret. But Viago got to know before we even started. Of couse, he was suspicious but then he started to trust too, concidering it as a good chance to unite the Houses de Riva and Dellanorte. Just Catherina was cautious. But... All changed after the events with the evanuris and the Dread Wolf.

Neve was the first one in the Veilguard who got to know about us. She just saw our reactions to each other, it wasn't hard to guess that things were deeper than it seemed. And then... Everyone in the Veilguard. But we didn't let them into our private life. It was ours."

---

If your Rook took their LI on a romantic date, what would it be like?

Renesmee: "Hm... Maybe, I'd took him onto that roof where I confessed him in love again. And then we'd go to Cafe Petra to taste the new blend of coffee. Knowing Lucanis' preferences, it could be the perfect time to do it.

---

What does life look like for your Rook and LI after the game?

Renesmee: "You already know, Lucanis made me a proposal at Satinalia festival. Our marriage was two months later. So, I became the lady of House Dellamorte. And then, about a year later, I got to know I was pregnant with our first child. Our daughter, Catherina Vithelia, was born at the beginning of the next year. And two years later our son Vincenzo was born. And... If my first birth giving went well, the second... Was hard. Lucanis was wounded on the mission, I was worried about him and than went ill and laid down. The birth giving of Vincenzo almost killed me. But... I can't hate my own child. Even if he's a mage. I'm just happy that Lucanis is surrounded by the family, the people he loves and can rely. Even in the Crows."

[starrysan]

trivia 承: love

masterlist

pairing: boyfriend! seungkwan x girlfriend! reader

prerequisites/warnings: seungkwan crashing out, crazy pre valentines day, jeonghan, dokyeom, minghao cameo, jeonghan to the rescue!!, not proofread

a/n: my valentines day fic :) lowkey switched the title/idol/concept at least 3 times but.. shh its okay enjoy!!! <33

[1.3k words]

third person pov:

seungkwan sat in his apartment in peace. one day till valentines day and he had everything set. restaurant reservation secured, gifts bought, roses to be delivered the morning of, chocolates in the fridge, it was all perfect... till he heard the phone ring. it was the restaurant he made reservations for. "hello?" he says as he picks it up.

"hi" the hostess says in the sing song customer service voice she had when he first called to make the reservation. "I just wanted to call to apologize.. we overbooked and double booked our reservations and yours was one of them. we can have you guys at 9pm? or on another day" she says apologetically.

seungkwan started to panic but tried to keep his composure. "well we were hoping to have dinner at 7 so we could do other things after" he replies. "I'm so sorry on behalf of the restaurant we didn't realize how busy we'd get" she says. "I mean.. 9 is pretty late. put us down for now but we most likely won't be going to you guys at 9. ill call to cancel later if I need" he says before getting a confirmation from the hostess and hanging up.

"shit" he mutters scrolling through his google maps to find another restaurant. "what's wrong?" his roommate jeonghan asks, walking into the living room, snacking on some chocolate. "the restaurant called and pushed back our reservation" he sighs, he keeps scrolling before looking up slowly and realizing what jeonghan was eating. "jeonghan.. what're you eating?" he asks nervously.

"chocolate" he says not realizing what he was doing even offering seungkwan one. "jeonghan.. did it never occur to you that they were in a heart shaped box with y/n's name on it?" he says to which jeonghan's eyebrows shoot up. "shit seungkwan i'm so sorry I was so hungry I didn't even realize"

seungkwan holds his face in his hands trying not to freak out. "can you please go out and get more chocolate?" he sighs as jeonghan nods, grabbing his jacket and heading out. seungkwan calls maybe 8 restaurants trying to get a reservation. of course no place had spots this late in the day and so close to valentines day.

he sighs taking a break not wanting to give up but being absolutely exhausted. he gets a call from the flower company telling him that they ran out of roses. "how?!" he asks genuinely utterly confused. they apologize and he sighs before hanging up.

jeonghan texts him saying he wasn't able to find chocolate and seungkwan texts to keep looking. he starts to panic already running out of restaurants to call. he sighs and is about to call the restaurant telling them to give them the 9pm reservation when jeonghan comes back home empty handed to seungkwan's dismay. seungkwan fills him in on what else had happened.

jeonghan saw how frustrated seungkwan was and got an idea, leaving the house quickly phone in his hand. unknowingly to seungkwan, jeonghan was out calling in favors. seungkwan always had jeonghan's back no matter what the situation was. forgot his lunch? seungkwan venmoed him money, car broke down? seungkwan raced there. it was time for jeonghan to pay back the favor. thank god he knew so many people.

he first went to dokyeom who was luckily a chocolatier. dokyeom worked fast and had already finished his valentines day order when jeonghan had come running in. "hi jeonghan" dokyeom says with a smile. "hi dokyeom I need a box of chocolates, asap. as fast as humanely possible. its for a friend"

dokyeom looks around before agreeing. one thing you should know about dokyeom? he works fast, especially under pressure. "if its for a friend then sure. come back in an hour." he says. "perfect. thank you dokyeom you're a life saver" jeonghan says before running out. he runs to his friend minghao who owned a flower shop.

"minghao?" jeonghan says, completely out of breath from running to his store. "hey jeonghan what's up?" minghao asks, flowers surrounding him as he watered his tulips and succulents. "can I get a bouquet of roses delivered to xxxx street tomorrow morning?" he asks. "yeah I got you" minghao says. "red?" he asks to which jeonghan nods.

while in his panic, seungkwan realized jeonghan had left again but he paid no mind knowing jeonghan wandered. he thinks for a bit and goes to his absolute last resort. he knew y/n didn't love eating out all that much anyway and decides to try to make you dinner at home. he finds a place to do delivery tomorrow night and things start to look up a little.

jeonghan swings dokyeom's place, picking up the chocolates. they looked even better than the ones from the stores. "you're a godsend." jeonghan says before thanking him and running back to his apartment. jeonghan finally gets back to the house, absolutely out of breath but with a box of chocolates in hand. "seung..kwan- I got you your chocolates" seungkwan looks in confusion. "what happened?" he asks.

"don't worry about it. did you figure out dinner?" jeonghan asks, putting the chocolates in the fridge. "I just decided to do dinner at home. y/n dosent love eating out anyway. im deciding between cooking or ordering out. I'll probably order out for her sake." he says to which jeonghan chuckles. "perfect I'll go to seungcheol's place then and you can have the apartment to yourself" jeonghan nods.

"oh you dont have to-" seungkwan starts but jeonghan stops him. "don't worry about it. the apartments all yours." he smiles. "thanks jeonghan you're the best." seungkwan replies. "I just wish the roses would deliver" to which jeonghan giggles a bit. "what?" seungkwan asks his head tilted. "oh dont worry about it just wait till tomorrow" jeonghan says before leaving the room to go to bed leaving seungkwan even more confused, but he nevertheless goes to bed.

the next morning seungkwan wakes up to a call from y/n. "kwannie!! thank you for the roses they're so pretty" she says, her smile being heard through the phone. "oh im so glad" he says looking at jeonghan in confusion. jeonghan just smiles, walking to the living room. "I'll see you tonight right?" seungkwan asks to which y/n hums.

jeonghan reminds seungkwan of the chocolates in the fridge, seungkwan nods taking them out. "holy shit? jeonghan these are gorgeous where'd you get them?" he asks in surprise. "dont worry about it. have fun on your date!" jeonghan ruffles seungkwan's hair before retreating to seungcheols apartment. seungkwan was left in silence for no more than 5 minutes before he hears the doorbell.

he opens it to see y/n standing there in the prettiest pink dress he had every seen. "hi" he says. "hi" she giggles. "you look so pretty" he says, making y/n blush. he quickly pulls out the chocolates. "wow! they're shaped like flowers!" y/n exclaims, seungkwan nods. "I hope you like them" he says. "like them? I love them!" she says hugging seungkwan and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

seungkwan pulls out the last thing, a little box. "sorry its not much but.." y/n opens it pulling out the prettiest pink heart necklace. "its perfect" she smiles as seungkwan helps her put it on. they come to the table as if on cue, the takeout arrives. as they eat y/n just had to ask. "seungkwan this is perfect thank you so much" she smiles. seungkwan smiles back before sighing.

"to be honest.." he starts. "this day was supposed to be so different I- booked a restaurant you liked but they cancelled our reservations and- the chocolates were in a better box but- jeonghan ate them by accident and the roses shouldve been better-" he rambles, y/n quickly stops him. "seungkwan it was all perfect" she giggles. "dont worry about a thing it was all absolutely perfect" she continues. "thank god" seungkwan sighs in relief. y/n brings him in for a kiss. "thank you kwannie" she says with a smile.

"happy valentines day" she says.

"happy valentines day" he replies.

tysm for reading! if you have any requests pls send them my way!!

if you enjoy my writing and would like to be tagged for future things please fill out this taglist form!

permanent written fics taglist: @coffeewwithdrawlheadaches @xh01bri @cosmicrecs @kwonhs96 @phenomenalgirl9

[radioactivepeasant]

Snippets: Jak and Daxter

Loosely based on the song "God Games" from Epic: the Musical

It would have been so easy to leave. The subrails were right there. They could just step in, find out how far onto the mainland it went. It should have been so easy.

So why couldn't Jak do it?

"Uh...Jak?"

Daxter waved a hand in front of his face.

"Earth to Jak! What's the holdup, buddy?"

Just step down. That's all you have to do. It's so simple, Jak, why can't you do this one simple thing?

Jak stared at the tunnels for the space of three breaths.

And then he took a step

Backwards.

"Jak?" Concerned, Daxter leaned around to examine his expression. "What's the matter? C'mon, don't you want to get out of here?"

Shame slithered up his throat, but it couldn't stop the confession from slipping out.

"...no."

Dumbfounded, Daxter scurried to Jak’s other shoulder.

"No?! After how long it took to get down here, you wanna go back? We ain't gettin' a warm welcome, you know that, right?"

"I...can't leave. Not like this." Jak took another step back, then another.

"They'll think we're just, just weaklings who ran back to Haven because they couldn't cut it."

"They don't gotta know we went to Haven!"

"Dax, we barely escaped getting kicked out as it is! I- I can't go AWOL right now, what would Damas think of us?"

That was the wrong thing to ask. The ottsel's fur puffed up, and he bared surprisingly sharp teeth.

"He didn't think we could cut it anyway!" Daxter snarled, "Who cares what he thinks?"

But he knew the answer before he'd even finished the question. It was that sickening guilt in Jak’s eyes that drove it home.

I do.

Even after the man turned on them, called Jak "newcomer" like he didn't belong, Jak still wanted his approval? Daxter didn't understand.

But then, he'd never understood why Jak couldn't see right through Samos, either.

"I...I want to talk to him. Before anything else."

Jak prayed for some kind of perfect sentence or phrase to explain to Daxter why he needed to go back, but none were forthcoming.

Jak swallowed and added, "Sig should know about these tunnels anyway."

Daxter grimaced, but relented. "Fine. Fine. But I am not talking to Sandspurs unless he has one heck of an apology waiting."

No one was waiting in the vehicle pit. In fact, no one seemed to notice them come in at all. Jak told himself that was better, that he didn't have to explain himself if there were no witnesses. It didn't keep the whisper out of the back of his mind.

They wouldn't miss you if you left. They'd barely notice.

They were almost all the way past the forges when someone called out to them. Jak almost ignored them. But-

"Hey kid, you okay?"

But that wasn't a question he was usually asked.

Jak turned with a questioning expression to the gunsmith. He looked oddly concerned.

"You didn't show up yesterday. We were startin' to wonder a little. You didn't breathe in any of that gas, did you?"

Jak looked away.

"No."

"Good." The smith shook his head. "Poison gas-! They've never done that before. Sorry kid. Damas wouldn't have sent you out there if he knew."

"What would he have done?"

Jak didn't mean for it to come off aggressive. But he was just...tired. Tired of everything always happening to him. Tired of everyone else always having excuses.

If he heard the anger under the words, the gunsmith didn't let on. He picked up his tongs and shrugged as he got back to work.

"First offense, and you're a cadet- no, wait, two amulets, you're a scout. So scouts on punishment detail get either the 'pede larva cleanup or manual fishing net repair. Cadets have to clean the stables for three days."

Punishments that actually made sense?

Jak needed to talk to Damas. And at the same time, he did not want to talk to Damas.

At the elevator, Jak paused awkwardly.

"Da- Daxter? Can I- um. Can I do this...myself? If- if it goes south, I don't want you in the crossfire."

"If it goes south, you'll need me watching your six," Daxter retorted. But he reluctantly agreed.

Damas wasn't there, and that was somehow worse than finding him on that throne, glaring down at the intrusion. The water wheels creaked and groaned in an otherwise unnaturally silent chamber. Jak almost lost his nerve. What if Damas really didn't believe he belonged in Spargus? What was he going to have to do to prove him wrong?

Jak paced the lowest stair for several minutes, trying to rehearse his question. Trying to plan for every worst case scenario. If Damas got angry and threw him out, did they have a place to go? If Damas just shut him down, did he want to defy him again?

He didn't hear the elevator lowering down the shaft again. He didn't even notice it coming back up until it locked into place loudly.

Jak paused mid-step. His eyes flicked over to the elevator, but he didn't turn.

Damas was staring at him.

He didn't look angry, he looked surprised.

"I...did not expect to see you this soon," said the king in lieu of a greeting.

Jak couldn't quite make himself turn to face him.

"Why?"

"Ah." Damas sounded chagrined. Almost pained. "Because I...did not handle the debacle two days ago very well. I wouldn't have blamed you for wanting to put some distance between us. I put you and Sig in harm's way because I failed to fully read the artifact runners' brief."

Sounded like what the smith had said. Like Damas hadn't known about the poison gas.

"So you...weren't trying to kill me."

Damas’s ears stood almost straight up, and his shoulders stiffened.

"What? No! No, I wasn't trying to kill you!"

Jak nodded, but kept his eyes on the stairs and resumed pacing.

"Had to make sure."

Damas took the long way to the throne, along the outer edges of the pools. He didn't speak, letting the oppressive thickness of the air settle over them again. When he'd almost disappeared behind date palms in ceramic planter pots, Damas stopped to look out the windows, down to the sea.

"Is that why you came?"

"No."

"I see."

Jak thought he imagined a hint of hope in Damas’s voice.

"I don't have any work for you."

Damas glanced back down at him.

"It's not because of the...incident, you understand. You've just come after work has already been assigned for the day."

Jak glanced up. "I know."

courage. You can do this. And even if you can't, you have to.

"Well," the king sighed, "if you're here to lambast me with Sig for taking things too far, you just missed him."

Taking things too far. That was certainly...simplifying things. Jak clenched his fists and forced down acid in his throat. Don't get angry. Don't let him get under your skin. Remember why you're here.

Jak folded his arms across his chest and watched Damas’s face carefully.

"I...needed to- to ask...you. For something."

It was like pulling teeth to get even that out.

Damas turned immediately, eyebrows raised.

"It's not like you to ask for favors. Or help. What happened?"

He couldn't outright say that he'd met with Ashelin Praxis. Damas would probably shoot him on the spot.

"Got a call out there from-" Jak paused. "From a friend still stuck in Haven. It's- there's barely any city left. People I still care about are in danger."

"And?" Damas asked coolly.

Clenched fists and gritted teeth. Jak had to fight to force out the words.

"And I'm a- asking. You. For- for permission to go back."

Any pretense of calm fled Damas in an instant. His eyes darkened, and there was a promise of danger in his stride as he came to the edge of the dais.

"You're what."

"Just until they're safe. Just until I can destroy the new metalhead nest."

Damas flung out an arm as if gesturing to the offending city.

"You're asking me to allow you to leave Spargus, to give aid to our enemies. You want me to deal with Haven again. You want to go back to the people who betrayed you, again."

"If Haven falls, Spargus is next!" Jak argued.

"Spargus is not weak like Haven!" Damas snapped. "I had thought you had been among us long enough to know that by now."

"Apparently not, since I'm just the newcomer who doesn't deserve mercy!" Jak shot back.

He felt a tiny twing of guilt for throwing the words back in Damas’s face when the king lurched back like he'd been struck. But Jak couldn't stop now.

"The metalheads will raze Haven to the ground. Everything Mar built, they'll have access to. Even the subrails to the temple."

"The what?" Damas asked softly, almost threateningly.

"There are catacombs under the temple." Jak gestured sharply. "Daxter and I found them last night. Oracle says they have a subrail that goes right to Haven. How long do you think that's going to stay hidden if the city goes down?"

"We will fortify the temple." Damas turned away to march to his throne.

"You will remain in the city."

As he sat, he leveled a harsh glare at the boy.

"I strongly recommend that you heed instructions this time. I prefer not to revoke your gate pass."

Keira's life was on the line. Tess's life was on the line. And Damas was going to confine him to the city out of spite. Fury rattled in Jak’s lungs and loosened his tongue.

"I almost left," he growled at the king, "I almost went anyway without telling you."

Be grateful I told you anything at all ran unspoken under the statement.

"Then why didn't you?" Damas challenged him.

"You already think I haven't earned a place here yet. Well I'm not going to prove you right."

Jak's anger didn't burn hot enough to evaporate the lump in his throat. He should have known it would be useless.

"Jak-"

"This was a mistake." Jak turned his back on the dais and throne and stormed down the pathway.

"Shouldn't have asked."

He heard Damas stand in a rush, but ignored him. Why did he think this would go in his favor? Stupid. Stupid to hope.

"Stop."

He didn't.

Damas’s voice rose, bouncing off stone and water.

"Put one foot in that elevator and I put this tower on lock down."

He probably thought Jak was going to go to Haven to spite him. Jak weighed his options before pivoting on his heel to glare at Damas.

"What."

Damas was pretty fast for a man in armor. He had one arm outstretched like he'd been about to grab Jak by the collar. He settled a hand on Jak’s channeling ring -- not pulling, not yet. Just keeping him from leaving.

"You. Belong. Here," Damas said sharply.

"Not in Haven. Do you not know a trap when you hear one?"

You belong here.

Don't crack.

Jak cursed the catch in his voice. "You dropped everything to send rescue missions after just four scouts. You can't ask me to leave my friends behind enemy lines after that. Either you're a hypocrite, or I'm just doing what you taught me to do."

If Damas wasn't angry before, he probably would be now. Jak knew he shouldn't have called him a hypocrite point blank. Damas’s face went still, expressionless. His fingers tightened around the channeling ring, but his face was blank.

Jak closed his eyes.

"Sorry," he grunted.

"Convince me."

"What?"

Damas leaned closer.

"If this is that important to you, you'll have to convince me. You find five Wastelanders willing to go with you or support your mission, and I will consider letting you go."

Five?! Jak wasn't sure he could fine one!

"And if I don't?" he asked warily.

"Then you don't leave home, simple as that." Damas released him and stepped back.

"You have one day."

[nogoodsheepstealing-greatgrandma]

Fixing Laena Velaryon

First off, my preference with HOTD would have been to have a book-accurate adaption of Fire & Blood, and of Laena's role within the story. The typical response to that sentiment is of course "why can't you just accept the show on its own merits?" (those merits being increasingly dubious as of S2). In the spirit of doing so, I'd like to demonstrate how the bare minimum of effort could have been made to keep Laena an actual character in this high-budget fanfiction. And in doing so, hammer in how the failure to do even the bare minimum demonstrates the show's misogynoir.

For the sake of this post I am accepting the age changes, and I am accepting Alicent taking Laena's place as Rhaenyra's friend. I'll even accept the structure of the season, keeping events broadly the same even though this unfortunately continues to place Laena in the margins (again, we are talking about the bare minimum here). But within this limited framework there was still plenty of space to focus on Laena - and a narrative need to do so. For one, how the audience feels about Laena carries into how we feel about her daughters (assuming an alternate reality of course where the intention was to make Baela and Rhaena actual main characters - I will eventually do a follow up post for them).

For another, her story impacts how we feel about the succession of both Driftmark and the Iron Throne. She is the daughter of The Queen Who Never Was; by all the laws of Westeros, her mother is the rightful Queen (a daughter comes before a male cousin). Laena herself is a would-be queen consort, and her daughters are technically the rightful heirs to both Driftmark and the Iron Throne as Rhaenys' only biological grandchildren (so suck it Vaemond). When Vaemond put himself forward as heir over Laena's daughters, he was actually using the same precedent that was used to pass over Laena's mother.

Laena therefore plays a vital role beyond just being Rhaenyra's friend and Daemon's wife. Her wishes and agency with regards to the succession matters. She is the spurned queen consort and mother of two rightful heirs - who rides the largest dragon in the world. She is the one who solidifies the Targaryen-Velaryon alliance with Rhaenyra. Her loss really should have felt like a dramatic turning of the tides. And her legacy should have been felt after her death.

Episode 1

First off, I would like to make a point about how Laena is introduced (speaking as someone who knows fuck all about cinematography so... apologies in advance!). To preface, not every main character needs to have a big introduction in a pilot episode - the pilot has enough on its plate without having to introduce every single member of its large ensemble cast. It is fair enough to simply have a character appear and then get to know them later. But for the purposes of this post I want to explore where there was space for Laena, and how it could have been used.

In the show we first see Laena sitting next to her brother at the tourney. The camera doesn’t single them out or give us any reason to identify them as crucial characters yet. They are to the side and in the background of the shot. The audience can guess that these kids must be Rhaenys and Corlys’ children based on where they are sitting, but their focus is primarily drawn to Viserys addressing the crowd, and Alicent waiting for Rhaenyra in the front.

Later on in the tourney, we finally get brief cuts to close up shots of Laena and Laenor reacting to the violence, and of Laena grabbing her brother’s arm for support. This is a nice quick way to establish their sibling dynamic (little sister seeking comfort). But that’s all for this episode, and considering how the audience's attention is directed in their first appearance this brief cut is probably the first time many viewers noticed them. While watching this episode with my sister - who is a show-only viewer - she did ask me "wait who are these kids?" (she also missed that Rhaenys and Boremund Baratheon were cousins - a reason it would have been helpful for show-only viewers if Eve Best had her book-canon Baratheon hair).

Since we don't see Laena and Laenor again in this episode, it's fair to ask whether their first appearance could have been a bit more notable, signalling to the audience - especially show-only viewers - to remember them for later.

Compare to how we are introduced to other characters in this series opener - both key characters and minor.

As a main character, we get a clear view of Alicent coming down from the carriage to greet Rhaenyra, and the camera stays on and keeps Alicent in centre frame as we are introduced to her properly.

Harrold Westerling is a minor character - who we get to know more in this episode than we do Rhaenyra's cousins. We get a clear view of him waiting for Rhaenyra on his horse, and it doesn't take long for him to get a close up. We take the time to efficiently meet him and establish his dynamic with Rhaenyra as a protective kingsguard. From his prominence here I actually expected him to be a bigger character going forward.

We even get a fair bit of time to meet this anxious dragonkeeper, as he nervously takes his cue from his older, more experienced colleague. A good example about how a mere couple of seconds can be efficiently used to communicate a character and a relationship when the show chooses to take the time.

Again we don't need to establish every key character in this opening episode - it can be enough to quickly identify them and then meet them again properly in the next episode, as we do with Laena. There are a lot of characters who need introducing after all.

But considering the way we are introduced to other minor characters - from characters who will come back like Harrold Westerling, to characters we probably won't watch out for again like the anxious dragonkeeper - and again its fair to consider whether Laena and Laenor's introduction could have been a little more notable. Especially since Rhaenyra's relationship with the Velaryon family is important to establish. As the dragonkeeper demonstrates, a few seconds here and there is even enough - if you can devote that time to an extra, you can devote it to Laena.

At the very least, the episode could have found the spare seconds (if not whole ass minutes please - this is the barest of bare minimums) to establish a more frequent presence for Laena and Laenor. To signal to the audience that we should remember who these characters are, that they will be important going forward.

One opportunity to provide a more notable introduction is the scene where Rhaenyra and Alicent walk arm in arm through the castle. The atmosphere of this scene sets a 'happier more innocent times' tone ahead of the upcoming loss and tragedy. To add to this tone, the show could have had Rhaenyra and Alicent pass Laena and Laenor along the way, running and playing through the castle.

Maybe Rhaenyra could quickly sidestep her cousins to stop them running into her on her way up the stairs, maybe lift up her and Alicent's arms to let them run through while she and Alicent continue to be engrossed in their conversation. This would establish both a familiar and playful dynamic between Rhaenyra and her cousins, while not interrupting her moment with Alicent.

Alternatively, if we wanted to introduce Laena as a character in the pilot, we could add another scene of Rhaenyra and Alicent walking down the hallway before they arrive at Aemma's rooms. Laena and Laenor could be again running and playing in the hallway, only this time they could stop to quickly interact with their cousin, maybe pass on that her mother's looking for her. Laena could even stop to excitedly ask after Syrax before her brother pulls her away to keep playing.

Not only would this give us a clearer and endearing introduction to the characters - both characterising the siblings and establishing their dynamic - but it would more directly let the audience know 'remember these two, they are important'. Of course this new scene would add more to the episode runtime - so a more efficient option is to just have them playing in the existing scene without stopping for a hello.

Another efficient option is to have Rhaenyra quickly interact with her cousins as she hurries in late to the tourney.

It can be as quick as a grin between the cousins as Rhaenyra ducks her way to her seat, or Laena could giggle as her older cousin pulls an 'oops, I'm late' face. A deleted line from episode 5 informs us that Laena used to follow Rhaenyra around like a shadow, so showing Laena light up to see Rhaenyra here could be a sweet way to depict this side of their relationship.

Above all, it would be a chance to give a clearer and longer shot of the two siblings rather than just a brief cut to them, letting them be in the centre of the frame and bringing them more firmly to our attention. Then by the time we cut to them reacting to the violence of the tourney, we already know who they are.

The interaction could meanwhile take advantage of the staging to visually emphasise Alicent's isolation among the Valyrians, with Alicent waiting in her seat on her side of the stage while Rhaenyra is on the other side with her family. Again I would rather a book-accurate telling of the Dance, and as such I have little regard for Rhaenycent or the Saga of Alicent the Eternal Victim. But in the spirit of this post, I will pepper in examples of how expanding Laena's role could have mutually benefitted the story this fanfiction wanted to tell... while slipping in a core trait of Book Alicent - jealousy towards children ;)

Finally, we could simply have the cousins be present at Aemma's funeral - we get a clear shot of their parents among the mourners after all.

To go further, there is an opportunity to add in another moment between Rhaenyra and her cousins.

On the one hand, I do like how the funeral scene ends, with this shot here of Rhaenyra turning away from her mother's cremation as the smoke fills the screen. It's a shot that makes Rhaenyra feel very alone, which emotionally is important to prioritise for this episode. The scene is after all partly about Rhaenyra's relationship with her father, specifically her grief at not being the son he wanted, and so ending the scene on Rhaenyra alone arguably makes it more impactful later in the episode when her father makes her his heir.

However it could have also been impactful to set up a parallel with the funeral in episode 7, where Rhaenyra nudges Jacaerys to offer his condolences to Baela and Rhaena. Rhaenys could likewise nudge her children to go and offer comfort to Rhaenyra, and Laena could comfortingly take her hand. Then when Baela and Jace take hands, we'd have a sense of a bond getting passed down through the generations.

Taking time to depict this bond would make the viewer less inclined to ask for receipts when Rhaenys claims in episode 5 that Rhaenyra and her cousins grew up together. Meanwhile Laena's death is of course sadder the more we see of her, and the more we see her relationships with the characters we spend more time getting to know (like Rhaenyra).

It would also provide a foundation for Rhaenyra's relationship with her stepdaughters - the more we see that their mother was important to Rhaenyra the more layers are automatically added to her interactions with them.

I think at least some of these moments could have been easily slotted into existing scenes, and that any added screentime would have been worth it. The legwork provided by these moments importantly give the writers an easier task writing these characters in later episodes. You don't need potentially clunky exposition like 'they grew up together' or 'Laena used to follow you around like a shadow'.

Besides, as a viewer we are always going to be more emotionally moved and invested in what we see, rather than what we hear exposited to us.

Episode 2

A running theme throughout the first half of the season is the systemic sexual abuse of girls within the feudal patriarchy that is Childbrideros, and this episode sees both Laena and Alicent served up as child brides by their parents. First off, I already really like the scene of Laena and Viserys walking through the gardens. It does a good job first establishing her obsession with Vhagar, and above all emphasising how young Laena is. It's extremely disturbing, and props to the actress here because you can see actual terror in Laena's eyes as she repeats what she's been taught to say.

Honestly I think Nova Foueillis-Mosé was criminally underused.

Again, this scene is already incredibly effective on its own. But consider how the additions to the previous episode could have done some extra legwork for this scene. How much more disturbing is this already disturbing scene if we’d just watched Laena running innocently around the Red Keep, playing with her brother? If we'd just seen her being a sweet little sister with Rhaenyra? It’s the difference between getting to know a character from a disturbing scene, and witnessing a disturbing scene with a character we’ve already gotten to know.

Now this is a bit of a tangent, but relevant to setting up Laena's role in the story while adding to the themes of the episode. I would have made some changes to Rhaenyra’s interaction with Rhaenys*, as they watch Laena and Viserys from above. When Rhaenyra asks Rhaenys if she is ok with this, Rhaenys could inform the audience that Rhaenyra’s own mother Aemma was the same age as Laena when the Old King arranged her marriage to Viserys. And before her Rhaenyra’s grandmother Daella was such a delicate young girl when she was married to Lord Rodrik Arryn - seven-and-ten yet, by all accounts, barely out of childhood.

*again, for the sake of this post I am broadly accepting the show's depiction of Rhaenys and her hostile relationship with Rhaenrya.

This would emphasize the systemic generational abuse and trauma of Targaryen girls that Rhaenyra fears, and give the audience a clearer idea of Old King Jaehaerys. I hated the little joke Lyonel makes about the trouble Jaehaerys had with his daughters – not because this isn’t the kind of joke people would have made, but because this is all the audience gets to learn about Jaehaerys and his daughters.

I would also take this opportunity to make clear to the audience what exactly happened in the Great Council at Harrenhall. As the show depicts it, the audience would think Rhaenys had put her name forward against tradition. As I said above, tradition actually dictated that a daughter comes before an uncle, and certainly before a male cousin. The Lords weren’t voting in favour of tradition – they were given the chance by Jaehaerys (who sought to retroactively legitimise his own claim to the throne - his older brother's daughters rightfully came before him) to ignore tradition and let their misogyny pick.

Some of this information could have been delivered during the opening prologue at the Great Council. But there is also space to inform the audience here, by having Rhaenys bitterly recount how she was passed over. Her father was the Old King’s firstborn, by all laws and customs of the Andals and the First Men she was the heir. A daughter comes before an uncle, and certainly before a cousin.

This addition would achieve three things.

Clarify the injustice done to Rhaenys, and the hypocrisy of the Greens’ appeals to custom and tradition.

Emphasise the stakes against Rhaenyra – all law and precedent was on Rhaenys’ side and it still wasn’t enough. Meanwhile her own situation is an entirely radical one.

Make it clear that Vaemond is absolutely not the heir to Driftmark when Laena's daughters come before him, therefore laying the groundwork for later episodes.

In terms of adding screentime to Laena (and Laenor), there is in opportunity in the scene where Rhaenyra picks out the new Kingsguard

Since Rhaenys is watching from the gallery anyway (she sure does like lurking in galleries), her children can also be present. They could be watching excitedly at the knights assorted below, perhaps even interact with Rhaenyra as she playfully asks for their advice. There could be a horrible moment of dramatic irony in which Laenor voices his approval of Rhaenyra picking Ser Criston Cole on the basis of combat experience.

I would end the scene with a moment of Laena lingering on the balcony, and noticing Otto Hightower watching her. This little girl is his daughter’s competition. The uneasy moment passes and she runs off to join her brother.

This would also be fitting as the following scene is of Alicent visiting Viserys and pretending to be interested in his models (directly followed by a scene of her listening to Rhaenyra's fears of getting displaced as heir and telling her not to worry... but sure Rhaenyra owed Alicent her sexual history! 😂). It would add a disturbing thematic throughline in the scene transition - from one potential child bride to another.

Episode 3

We meet teenage Laenor in this episode, so let us also meet teenage Laena and include the cut scene of her claiming Vhagar to end the episode. There is an opportunity to visually parallel Laena and Aemond’s claiming of Vhagar – but for the purposes of this post I’m going to assume budget is an issue.

With this in mind, there are ways around the budget. We could have a scene of Laena walking uphill, and looking down to see Vhagar asleep on the beach below. The camera closes in on a look of determination on her face as the scene cuts to black and the credits roll. Alternatively, assuming an even tighter budget, Laena could be hiking and searching for Vhagar and simply hear a roar in the distance. Maybe she could smile as a shadow flies overhead.

One impact of including this moment would be to make the audience partially associate Vhagar with Laena, therefore making them more sympathetic to Rhaena’s emotional claim. I don’t have patience for the whole “this entitled little black girl thinks she’s entitled to a dragon – dragons aren’t inherited they choose their rider – someone tell this idiot little black girl that a dragon ain’t no slave”. I don’t give a shit who is correct about the fictional science of dragon-taming – I care about a little girl feeling an emotional connection to her dead mother’s dragon.

Moreover, in cutting the scene of Laena claiming Vhagar I think the writers have misunderstood the importance of both this moment and the character. I think they assumed that since Laena dies early we don’t need to spend time with her (even though, again, how we feel about Laena carries into how we feel about her daughters and the succession of Driftmark).

But remember that before Laena claims Vhagar in the show, the ancient dragon is living wild and unclaimed. Rather than leaving Vhagar in the wild, in claiming her Laena brings her into the dance. In the context of the show, Laena's connection to Vhagar is what makes the act of Aemond then claiming her become a cause for conflict between the kids (the conflict between the kids in the book meanwhile was not about Vhagar, but Aemond just being a bully).

There is also another consequence of Laena claiming Vhagar…

Episode 4

Unfortunately there are no Velaryons in episode 4 and few chances to insert them, but there is a way to make their offscreen presence felt and felt hard. Namely, have the Small Council react to the fact that Laena has just claimed fucking Vhagar. Set up just how terrifying it is to not have Vhagar on your side (especially for the benefit of show-only fans). The largest dragon alive, the last of the conqueror’s dragons...

...Claimed by Laena, who just got passed over as Queen Consort. Laena, whose children have a claim to the Iron Throne. The Velaryons, who have been insulted twice over, now have Vhagar.

That is a political headache indeed. All the more important now that Rhaenyra marries Laenor. House Velaryon needs to be brought into the fold. If you're struggling for space in Episode 3 then Laena claiming Vhagar could even be the opening of Episode 4 - the event that sets into motion Viserys' political headache and Rhaenyra's marriage.

I mean, we already have the scene of the small council reacting to Corlys replacing the Crabfeeder as the power in the Stepstones, and Otto delivering the news that Corlys is in negotiations with the sealord of Braavos to marry Laena to the sealords' son. Since we're discussing the implications of House Velaryon entering an alliance with the Free Cities, is it just possibly a teensy weensy bit relevant to mention that Laena rides Vhagar?

Episode 5

First change to this episode isn’t strictly about Laena, but it is about Daemon as a husband, which informs our understanding of his relationship with both Laena and Rhaenyra.

Basically - divorce rock is fucking dumb. Book purism aside (sorry Conman, but Book Daemon had a solid alibi), it demonises an already dark character, who already has plenty of flaws without adding bashing his wife’s head in with a rock. The show doesn’t even fully commit to it, since it doesn’t tell us what exactly Daemon was planning to do before the horse threw Rhea off its back – ask for an annulment? Kill her a different way? Yes it gives us the chance to meet Rhea Royce – and she is iconic – but the cost is stupid and avoidable and damaging to Daemon’s character.

This isn’t to whitewash Daemon – but to stress that just because he is a dark character it doesn’t mean that every possible evil act is on the writer’s table. Yes, I know, this is the guy who sent two assassins to kill a child (unless you subscribe to the theory that Book Mysaria - bitter at losing her own child - had her own interpretation of 'son for a son') – however, he's not the guy who killed the child himself.

Is there a moral difference? I ultimately don't think so, but there is a fascinating psychological difference. Compare to Aemond, who personally beheads the children of House Strong, who murders a fleeing Lucerys in cold blood. Assuming an interpretation of Daemon in which it is him and not Mysaria who orders Blood and Cheese - how much is this Daemon actually willing to get his hands dirty with cowardly tasks? To whom is he willing to commit what evil acts, and how? Does he reconcile his self-image this way, “I’m not the one who killed the kid, it was an assassin”? “I’m not the one who killed Laenor, it was an assassin?”

Because that’s Daemon’s MO*, from Qarl Correy to Blood and Cheese. If he had anything to do with Rhea’s death in the book, it was through an assassin (and again, I think Daemon was a bit preoccupied with, you know, fighting in the stepstones - sometimes people just fall off their horse).

*again, for the sake of argument, assuming it was him

But that wouldn’t have given us the opportunity to see him and Rhea Royce interacting. So between that, and in the spirit of keeping the events of the episode broadly intact, I would have Daemon simply walk away after Rhea hits her head on the ground, the word ‘coward’ ringing in his ears. We don’t know what he planned to do, if he would have gone through with it – what we do know is that in this moment he wants the outcome but doesn’t want to actually be the one to do it. Rhea Royce isn’t a worthy opponent. Jaehaerys isn’t a worthy opponent.

This sets us up better for his relationship with his next wives. Daemon is capable of dark and violent acts, but he isn't the sort of person to bash his wife's head in with a rock. We can see his tenderness and genuine love for Laena without thinking 'does he merely see her as an obstacle between him and Rhaenyra?'

Getting past the Daemon tangent

In this episode we have a nice scene of Rhaenyra and Laenor negotiating the terms of their marriage. But when it comes to Laena we only get a brief snatch of her friendship with Rhaenyra. And there were plenty of opportunities to see more of that friendship, and of Laena.

Upon their arrival at Driftmark, we could firstly establish more of a presence for teenage Laena as she greets them. Let the camera give her a close up, making eye contact first with Viserys, then with Rhaenyra. In that close up, let the audience see that Laena knows her claiming Vhagar is part of the reason they are here, and she is enjoying it a bit. Aside from giving Laena the respect she deserves, this would establish to the audience just how powerful it is politically to be the rider of Vhagar - adding to the stakes when Aemond later claims her.

Next, I found the bit where both girls are unceremoniously barred from the throne room... very odd and thematically on the nose. We get it, women are barred from making decisions about their own lives etc etc... but we are talking about the crown princess and the rider of Vhagar... and Rhaenys is going to be in the room anyway. Also it's a tad insulting on Viserys' part to order his Kingsguard to bar Corlys' Velaryon's daughter from a room in her own home. Kind of a diplomatic whoopsie.

It would have made more sense if the crown princess and the rider of Vhagar were at least initially both in the room, then perhaps sent away while the adults talk business. We could have even had a little power play by the Velaryons - Laena can offer to escort them to meet her father and take the lead, positioning herself to be walking by the King's side instead of Lyonel. A subtle dig by the Velaryons, to remind Viserys that he passed over Laena as his consort and now he owes them. Bonus points if Laena smiles back at Rhaenyra and Rhaenyra looks amused by the situation (and slowly realising that she might be a little bit attracted to Laena...).

Next up... Rhaenyra and Laenor having an unsupervised walk on the beach? In a world obsessed with premarital virginity? After last episode? It just makes sense to have Laena and Ser Joffrey walking a bit behind them as chaperones. Then while Laenor has his moment with Joffrey in the dunes, Laena and Rhaenyra can continue walking along the beach together. Again, in showing their bond we build a foundation for their alliance over Driftmark and for Rhaenyra’s relationship with her stepdaughters.

The two of them can talk about how they’ll be good-sisters soon, and how now they can finally go flying together, something Laena wanted to do since she was a dragon-obsessed little girl following her older cousin around like a shadow. Before they moved back to Driftmark she used to hope that once Syrax was big enough Rhaenyra would take her for a ride.

We can use this moment to explore the more positive side of the Targaryen’s relationship to the dragons. Yes they can be death and destruction and hubris and arrogance and untameable nature. But they are also a wonder, they are liberty, they are seeing the world as no one else can see. To women in particular, they can be a means of power and agency that they otherwise wouldn't have.

Laena could even note this - she could make a reference to how her claiming of Vhagar has brought about Rhaenyra's betrothal to her brother. Laena has made it so she and her family can't be ignored.

Showing this political awareness by Laena, and at least some kinship between her and Rhaenyra, is important. Because Laena sees the influence she currently holds, and she recognises the implications of how she uses it. They could discuss the sudden flood of suitors flocking Laena's way, and Rhaenyra can admit that Laena's marriage is a source of anxiety to the royal council. They could even joke that Otto must be scratching his head in Oldtown, trying to calculate whether he could successfully offer Gwayne as a suitor, get himself another grandchild with a claim to the Iron Throne.

The implications are clear - you want Laena (and her future children) on your side. And Laena, recognising the impact of the Great Council for female succession, both feels a kinship with Rhaenyra and recognises the long game in supporting her sister-in-law. This will nicely contrast her with Alicent's actions in this episode - where she makes a bold stand in favour of the patriarchy to lash out at Rhaenyra for having premarital sex.

Now, I have mixed feelings about stopping short of having Laena and Rhaenyra discuss (or hint at) betrothals between their future children.

On the one hand, it is critical that this was Laena's wish. Her agency in solidifying the Targaryen-Velaryon alliance, in choosing to help her brother and her friend, in finding a way to one-up her greedy uncle Vaemond and secure Driftmark and the Iron Throne for her daughters - this is non-negotiable to me.

But the purpose of this exercise was to outline how the show's version of events could have still made space for Laena. And the show's version of events places the betrothal of Rhaenyra and Laena's children as the resolution to the conflict of Episode 8 - after Laena is dead. Plus for these versions of the characters, it is important that Rhaenyra offers a betrothal to Alicent. At this point, where they are, to Rhaenyra's knowledge, still friends, she is likely thinking about doing so already. Plus it's not as though Rhaenyra planned from the outset to not have Laenor's children, which increases the strategic necessity of a betrothal with Laena's children.

As a compromise, it is therefore important to at least make clear that Laena would have backed the betrothal. That aside from loving and accepting her brother and the fact that he loved his adopted kids, Laena did support Rhaenyra as queen, and was politically-minded enough to calculate that this alliance was both in their mutual interests and a great big Fuck You to the Grand Council.

Her 'girlbossery' is in politics, not self-immolation.

Now onto the Wedding

First off, give Laena some damn close-ups - remind the audience again of her influence in the marriage. Put her in pride of place even, another subtle dig by the Velaryons. Why stick her in the corner when her brother could be escorting her on his arm? Here is the dragon-riding woman who would have been Queen... look how stunningly gorgeous she is.

On that note, Laena Velaryon Rider of Vhagar certainly should have suitors flocking to dance with her, there's no need for her to be stuck at the table with uncle Vaemond for as long as she is in the episode. Yes she makes eyes at Daemon across the table... but she can just as easily do that from the dance floor. Again, surrounded by suitors, maybe a certain Braavosi guest could try his luck... before Daemon swoops in.

There are also plenty of moments for Laena and Rhaenyra to interact. The camera could show them smiling in greeting at each other, maybe passing each other during the dancing, maybe throw in a bit of sapphic subtext ;)

The camera could also cut to Alicent watching them from the table – she is replaced by the girl who escaped her fate, and who shares dragonriding with Rhaenyra. There are part of a world that Alicent can never join (or rather would never, Rhaenyra did offer her the chance to fly together), and have a means of freedom within the patriarchy that she will never know (that she turned down – her friend was right there, she could have asked her for help...)

Finally, in the episode we get a brief shot of Laena looking anxiously for her brother in the crowd during the chaos. It would take a mere couple of seconds to add Laena rushing to her brother’s side as he sobs over Joffrey’s mutilated body, to show her holding her brother close. This will build on the bond we saw in episode 1 – where Laena seeks her brother’s comfort during the tourney – and make Laenor's grief at losing his sister hit harder later.

Like, here we have Laena trying to push through a crowd to get to her brother... followed by a dispersed crowd with no Laena in sight. What gives?

We could also, you know, have Laena present during the actual wedding ceremony perhaps? Where is she??? That's her grieving brother getting married. Even Alicent is there (presumably just before running off to recruit Crispy and get him off for murder).

Episode 6

Unfortunately, in order to stick to the confines of the way this season is structured, we have to stay in Pentos on Daemon and Laena's inexplicably long honeymoon. Episode 6 needs to have Rhaenyra without the support of having Daemon and Laena nearby, so they can't be back at Driftmark as they are in the book.

In the book, this is the pre-Red Spring period where Rhaenyra has come into her own and is relatively thriving - Otto is in Oldtown, Lyonel is Hand, she has Harwin, she has Laenor happily claiming their children as his heirs, she has Laena (and with her, Vhagar), and yes she has Daemon. Until the Red Spring kicks into gear and she starts losing everything but Daemon - she loses Laenor, Laena, Harwin, she is ordered away from court, and Otto is back as Hand.

Since we've lost Rhaenyra's childhood of being bullied by her stepmother, this episode can no longer be the high-point before the Red Spring - it has to compensate by reversing things to make adult Rhaenyra isolated and humiliated in her own home (again, as book Rhaenyra was in childhood). Episode 7 then concerns Rhaenyra's reunion with Daemon, which necessitates placing him on a different continent in Episode 6 (butterfly effects include Laenor having to 'die' after his own funeral, while Harwin now dies before the funeral - Daemon can't be a suspect in Laenor's murder if he's on a separate continent, so the deaths must be swapped around).

Which is a bit of a mess, because Episode 5 implies Daemon starts courting Laena at least partly out of ambition - she rides Vhagar, their children have a claim to both Driftmark and the Iron Throne etc. The show goes as far as to open Episode 5 with Daemon murdering his first wife with a rock- why is he now wasting a powerful marriage by hiding in Pentos? Where did this come from? The episode does admittedly have Laena say this isn't the Daemon she married... but it doesn't properly explain how or why this came to be.

One suggestion is that he is moping over not being married to Rhaenyra and dissatisfied with Laena as a replacement. And er... he was literally courting Laena at the wedding? Yes I know he and Rhaenyra were flirting with each other, but they were both fully aware it was not happening. Again, he was literally courting Laena - signalling he wasn't about to petition Viserys to cancel Rhaenyra's wedding having now freed himself from his first wife.

Even if you want to insult Laena like this, how is it in character for him to mope on Pentos when they can do that from Driftmark? Is he trying to go cold turkey from Rhaenyra? Does that really override his ambition, his love for his brother, his hatred of the greens etc? Book purism aside, is it really consistent with his actions in episode 5 - which include murdering his first wife and courting Laena the Rider of Vhagar.

The other suggestion is that he is upset that his brother doesn't want him around. Which again isn't really consistent with his actions in episode 5 - which include him immediately ignoring the fact that Viserys had banished him, swaggering into the wedding, and easily getting away with it, even flirting with Rhaenyra in front of his brother.

So we have to reconcile the Doylist need to separate Daemon and Laena from Rhaenyra, while maintaining character consistency.

If we have to keep them in Pentos, we could tie it in with the Triarchy somehow? Have Daemon and Laena securing diplomatic relations with Pentos, to ensure an alliance against the Three Daughters possibly rising again, perhaps even at Viserys' behest? And maybe Daemon read this as getting banished by his brother one time too many, so he's prolonging their trip because he's upset his brother doesn't want him around? After all the last time Daemon was dealing with his brother's rejection he threw himself into fighting the Triarchy - so it would be consistent.

It would also be a further mention of the Triarchy in this episode, connecting to Rhaenyra's suggestion of military installations in the stepstones, and better set up their return during the Battle of the Gullet. Then instead of performing for the Prince of Pentos, Laena and Daemon could be intimidating a representative from Tyrosh, Lys or Myr.

Daemon aside, we could at least have Laena explicitly bristle at being taken away from the political action at home.

I mean, couldn't the writers have had Laena talk about literally anything other than wanting to die a dragonrider’s death? The entire self-immolation shtick is such a gross and stupid attempt at girlbossifying her death, and puts Laena into the position of selfishly traumatizing her daughters (not that the show does much with this trauma).

The biggest and most obvious change is of course to stick to Laena’s death in the books, as it is so much more tender and emotionally moving. After half a season of establishing her love of dragons and flying, Laena tries to fly Vhagar one last time but collapses. Daemon gently carries a sobbing Laena back to bed.

Her last moments can therefore be spent with her daughters. Maybe she passes on a legacy to them, some final words that they take with them into the dance. Or maybe her final moments are a lot less comforting, maybe she continues to cry for Daemon to carry her back to Vhagar. Maybe her daughters get to say goodbye, maybe one of them runs away, unable to face her mother’s final moments. Anything to say goodbye to the character, and to begin Rhaena and Baela’s journey, that isn’t just the shock value of a ‘girlboss’ burning herself alive.

Back to Laena talking about literally anything else.

In her conversations with Daemon, I would again establish Laena’s position on the succession of Driftmark, and her support of Rhaenyra. As she’s telling Daemon that she wants to go home, she could perhaps say that Laenor’s letters worry her. He doesn't say it outright, but she can tell he is scared for his sons. Maybe she can say that she knows her uncle Vaemond. His eye is on Driftmark*. Which puts those boys in danger. She can then tell Daemon that her brother needs them, that Rhaenyra needs them. That they need to go home. That she wants to go home. That she doesn't want to be hiding away in Pentos while the future of female succession in Westeros is being decided. She is the rider of Vhagar with a claim to the throne - she has power and she wants to use it.

She could even give Daemon an ultimatum: once the baby is born I'm hopping on Vhagar and bringing my children back to Westeros with or without you. Give us a sense of what could have been if she had only lived.

*if we could only have the action take place on Driftmark, we could replace the scenes of the Prince of Pentos or Laena's dreams of self-immolation with... Laena interacting with Vaemond. He could be making snarky comments about her brother and his children, with Laena coolly daring him to tell her what he's implying. He could even try to hint at a betrothal with Baela, seeking a way to claim Driftmark through her. Laena, seeing through his bullshit and reminded of her own near brush with child marriage, tries to conceal her anger as she smoothly refuses his proposal. She could even hint she already has someone in mind for Baela. (I actually want this so badly I would contrive to have an unwelcome Vaemond turn up in Pentos for this exact purpose).

Unfortunately if we accept the changes to the show then, again, Laena can’t be the one to actually arrange the betrothal between her daughters and Rhaenyra's sons like she does in the book. The show has structured things so the betrothal does not happen until the end of episode 8, long after Laena is dead. The tension of episode 8 revolves around the question of salvaging the Targaryen-Velaryon alliance.

But, again, to compensate we can make Laena’s wishes clear. We can establish beyond a doubt that she would have approved of the betrothal. We can, you know, not erase the voice of a black woman while whitewashing the man who tried to usurp her daughters. We can do the bare minimum to not sideline one of the few black women in fantasy we have.

We can say goodbye to Laena not as a self-immolating girlboss, but as a politically-astute woman who loved the freedom of flying, who fought for her family, who left a legacy for her daughters. A woman who would have changed the entire history of Westeros if childbirth hadn't taken her away.

[sherryfortheoldlady]

...so how exactly am I supposed to wait 4 years?

[sincerecinnamon]

My mom doesn't understand why I'm so cold to me, but I just immediately react colder and less open to people who won't let me express my emotions. If you want me to be open and all puppies and rainbows to you, then don't crush every bit of hope I have because you don't see a point in having it. Don't insult my taste constantly. Don't yell at me for feeling emotions. Don't blatantly disrespect my boundaries to the point where I'm literally in tears just because you think you should be able to poke me! Don't make me feel like although you haven't physically abused me, any day may be the day you just decide to because the emotional abuse hit me as about hard as backhanding me!

Just treat me like a human. Then I'll be open.

Don't treat me like an ai like my classmates. Then I'll be open.

Just treat me like my feelings are valid, unlike pretty much everyone but two people irl and my tumblr mutuals. Then, surprise surprise, I might not hate myself as much as I do.

consider: teenagers aren’t apathetic about everything they’re just used to you shitting all over whatever they show excitement about

[weezerlvr228]

It's giving the...main character syndrome. like who tf does she think she is??? Y/N???

NO OH MY GOSH ANON. LET ME TELL YOU. LET ME FRIGGIN TELL YOU.

[cinnamorollcrybaby]

Doting

Tags: jjk men as dads, tooth-rotting fluff, comfort drabbles

Synopsis: How the JJK men treat you while pregnant (spoiler warning- they dote on you.)

An: This is my formal apology for writing Nanami angst on the “Baby’s first words” post 😔 it will never happen again (can we stop with the death threats now?)

SATORU • SUGURU • TOJI • SUKUNA • NANAMI

SATORU

Oh, your loving husband is all over you while you’re pregnant. He genuinely has such a cute fascination with all the changes your body is going through. He seriously thinks you’re so strong for carrying his heir.

He loves rubbing your bump. In fact, he will always be touching it in some form or fashion while you two are together. When he’s away on missions, he has you send him pictures and updates on your pregnancy as if anything major has changed in a couple of days.

You best believe he is ready to indulge you on your every craving, no matter how strange. It’s three a.m and you’re crying because you need that specific brand of chicken wings and a can of whip cream? He’s heading to the store immediately to fetch whatever you tell him to.

He genuinely worries about being a good dad. Many nights he lays his head on your bump and talks to you about how teaching didn’t come naturally to him. He wasn’t born knowing how to meet people where they’re at. He use to expect people to be able to meet him on his level. He worries that he may inadvertently put a lot of pressure on his kid, and that’s the last thing he wants due to how he was raised. He just wants his kid to be a kid.

He’s the best, most loving and compassionate dad to your baby, more than you could ever hope for. Even if teaching didn’t come to him naturally, being a father did.

SUGURU

He’s such a “sit down and let me do it for you” while you’re pregnant. He cooks, cleans, works, and tends to you completely throughout your pregnancy.

Suguru gets hyper fixated on your health during pregnancy. He only feeds you the yummiest and healthiest foods while you’re pregnant. He encourages for you to sit on the yoga ball and do (very) light exercises. He just wants the best for you and his baby.

Whenever I said he tends to you, I genuinely mean he tends to you. He’ll gently brush your hair at night time, rub your back when your belly is becoming heavy to carry around, serve your breakfast, lunch, and dinner in bed, carries around emesis bags and breath mints for if you get morning sickness while you two are out.

This man is the king of enforcing your boundaries to people when they don’t listen. That really annoying family member that insists on being there for the birth even though you’ve already explained to them that you want this to be an experience for just you and Geto? Yeah, he’s made it very clear to them that they will not be at the birth if they want to be in your kid’s life.

He is absolutely not afraid to hurt feelings if it means his wife and future child are safe and cared for. He really don’t give a fuck who anyone else is. You and his child are first priority.

TOJI

Toji is definitely the type to express his love and devotion for you in other ways than the most conventional methods.

He is so incredibly gentle while you’re pregnant. He doesn’t rile you up as much or play fight with you anymore. He constantly reminds himself that you’re carrying another life inside you and that you have enough on your plate.

This man… whew does he love seeing you pregnant. Toji’s the type of man to feel so feral when he looks at you heavily pregnant with his kid.

He adores your body. He’ll rub lotion all over you and oils to help your skin accommodate to the stretch of carrying a kid. He massages your body and absolutely worships it while he’s rubbing the lotion and oil on you.

Your breasts are sore? He’ll gently massage them until they feel better. Your back hurts? He’d be the type to lift your bump up and take the weight off you for as long as you ask him to so you can feel relaxed for a few minutes.

And look this is probably TMI but like, if you got a clogged milk duct due to breastfeeding, Toji would unfortunately be the type of man to fix that issue with his mouth. i’m sorry but he would.

Final thing is, you better believe that he doesn’t allow anyone to get too close to you. He is so unbelievably protective over you while you’re pregnant. If he could, he’d lock you up at home to prevent anyone from getting close to you.

SUKUNA

On the outside, he acts very nonchalant and unbothered by your pregnancy. On the inside, he is constantly plagued by the thought that your body may not be able to carry his heir. The thought of losing you or his child haunts him.

He will secretly observe and take notes on your body and how it is changing. If he catches you expressing any sort of short windedness, he will immediately send you off to bed rest. Though, you’re usually able to convince him to take you off of it by the next day.

The only servant he trusts to tend to you is Uraume. No one else in his court is allowed to be anywhere near you unless he gives specific instructions. Still, he hates leaving you in the care of Uraume. He trusts them, but he wants to be the one to take care of you.

He loves holding your body close to him at night. All four arms are wrapped around you and holding you closely. Since he doesn’t need much sleep, he will stay awake rubbing on your tummy all night long. One time, he felt the baby moving in your stomach while you were asleep. He was so intrigued that he woke you up and told you to “make them do it again”.

Now, he will randomly approach you at any given time while you’re heavily pregnant and hold his hand out so he can feel his baby moving around inside of you. It soothes his worry.

During birth, Sukuna was a complete mess. The amount of blood lost during birth fucking terrified him. He was panicking and yelling at anyone to do something to save you, even while everyone was assuring him that you’re okay and this was natural.

After 9 long excruciating months of extreme worry and constant fear, he finally feels peace when he’s cradling a newborn in his arm and a sleeping wife in the other arm. All of his hard work to protect you paid off he thinks.

NANAMI

Oh, to be pregnant by the king of domestic love himself.

Nanami is the type of man to immediately start working on a nursery for you as soon as you reveal to him that you’re pregnant. He immediately changes the guest bedroom into a nursery that you design for your little baby.

He reads up on all the parenting books and articles. He’s constantly compiling things to either do or to not do during pregnancy and even while raising a kid.

Like Geto, he tends to your every need. He is a total house husband all while working 40 hours a week. When he’s at work, he is constantly calling and texting you to make sure that you’re okay and taking care of yourself, but let’s be fr he literally did everything for you before he even left for work (meal prepped for you, set out your clothes for you, put out all your self care items in case you want to bathe).

When you express concerns of your body getting bigger to him, he does everything in his power to show you that he loves and respects your body for creating life. He literally cherishes and worships your body for hours if you let him.

Like Toji, Nanami is protective over you. He constantly has an arm around you if you two are in public, and he watches everyone who dares to get close to you like a hawk. If he gets a bad vibe about anyone, he’s immediately stepping in front of you and taking over the conversation.

Nanami is the best partner to have during birth. His reading of articles during your pregnancy really paid off. He is supportive without being overbearing. He listens to your needs and tends to you without question. Constant praise and encouragement while you’re giving birth. The moment he gets to snuggle with you and the baby is the moment he realizes that he cultivated the life of his dreams. He has the family he always wanted.