#i rue the day we ever let it in our house

[deadmomjokes]

i know i should probably just wishfully think my way into believing that that little girl who gets triggered by the word 'no' is ok now, but...

... do you have an update on her? is it good news? if not, do you have any good news for me?

I do, actually, and it is good news! She's basically my bonus child, and we (husband and I) had several good discussions with her parents (now good friends) about spanking and discipline.

Side note: We didn't go into it as a lecture of "we're right you're wrong, here's how to parent your child". It came up naturally one day when said little girl hit her mom, and mom 'swatted her butt' about it and told her "no hitting," and my husband who was right there automatically went, "But remember, when grown ups hit it's okay." And that made the mom stop and think. We're lucky she's a blunt person to begin with and openly appreciates others also being straightforward. Cue a long discussion about the research behind spanking, especially for kids of a young age, and alternative discipline methods.

Not just because of that, but the overall result is that they actually spank way, way less now, if ever. (For which I'm very grateful!!) She's still rather... averse to confrontation or situations where she thinks she's in trouble, but she doesn't have the panic response anymore. She also doesn't default to thinking she's going to get spanked, and she can handle a simple no in a normal way now. There are some times when she gets a bit tense about us correcting her or asking her not to do something, but it's not as frequent or as visceral now, and I can confidently say that when this change started was directly correlated to when her parents started spanking less (and going to family therapy for unrelated reasons, but it helped communication in all aspects, so here's my obligatory plug for therapy even if you're not mentally ill).

In fact, she's come such a long way that once a few months ago, she pushed our soap dispenser off the counter and it shattered. Instead of hiding, bursting into tears, or otherwise having an "Oh crap it's my fault and I'm so scared" moment, she openly admitted to us that she had pushed it on purpose because it was in her way. She was sorry it broke, but she didn't panic thinking we were going to be mad at her. (And we weren't; we explained that we don't knock things over on purpose even if they're in the way, that's when we ask for help, and she apologized and that was that.)

So yes, good news! She's a fun, happy little girl, my daughter's best friend, and in most ways your average preschooler.

And a fun, unrelated anecdote from her: She can't say the "k" sound yet and replaces it with a "t." This is fine, and quite normal for a lot of kids. But her favorite show, which she talks about and reenacts all the time, is called Super Kitties. It's deeply hilarious, and I have to work hard to keep a straight face when she's telling me all about those there Super Titties, which are, of course Titties, but they're Titties that are superheroes. Her favorite Titty is the pink Titty. She sure loves those Titties.

Kids are a never ending source of entertainment, y'all.

[renren-006]

Hi could you do something with fezco where he has a big fight with reader(girlfriend) with a happy ending

You Did a Bad Thing Twice| Fezco x Reader

Word Count: 1468 Warnings: Angst, drugs, language, fluff A/N: hey!! so i decided to have a little fun and have a little twist with this one hope you like it!!

You were the most curious person ever, just like that cat that couldn't keep to herself, you couldn't either. "Curiosity killed the cat"

As it was you were a curious person and Fezco knew that, and he knew that it would also mean one day it would blow up in his face. So when there were situations where you were too curious for your good, Fezco finally blew.

You were the most curious person ever, just like that cat that couldn't keep to herself, you couldn't either. "Curiosity killed the cat"

As it was you were a curious person and Fezco knew that, and he knew that it would also mean one day it would blow up in his face. So when there were situations where you were too curious for your good, Fezco finally blew. 

Time Number One:

This one had not been all your fault, only partially. You and Rue had decided to tag along with the boys to a deal and chill out in the car. It was only the two of you that night and it was surprisingly terrifying being trapped in a car with Rue, high off her ass. Fez didn't know she had taken something and you didn't want to be the one to rat her out but that happened anyways when someone came and put guns to your heads in front of Fez. You stood there in the dim light of the shipping containers and boats with Fezco’s eyes burning holes in your head. The man behind you had your hair in his hands and a gun to your spine, you thought you were going to piss yourself because of how scared you were. Then there was Rue, talking shit as normal and wouldn't shut up, so the man behind her jostled her a few times before she hit the mute button.

"Hey man, you let er' go" Fez spoke calmly to the man behind you. "They dont know nothin"

"Yea? Then why the hell you bring them here?" he asked, pulling my hair back, yanking my neck, and the gun dug deeper into my skin.

"Please, please" you begged, "I don't even do drugs, sir"

"Sir? Is this your girl Fezco?" the man asked, and Fez stepped closer.

"Yea," he said sternly, "You let her and her friend go and I'll forget about this shit ever happening, or else you can go find someone else to deal for you"

"Oh, I see how it is," he said. The man then threw you off of him, making you stumble and tip into Fez’s arms while the other guy calmly let Rue go, who stumbled behind Ashtray and was mumbling something to herself to calm down.

"Aight'' the man said, "You deal our shit properly or next time we won't leave your curious girl as clean as we left her today" and that was the end of the meeting. You clung to Fez who in turn picked you up and brought you back to the car. He sat you down next to him, one of your legs over his as he drove home, Ashtray watched from the backseat with a freaked-out Rue. That night you got scolded and got fucked senselessly till you swore promises to him as you fell asleep calmly. 

Time Number 2:

The second time was all your fault. Fezco knew you well enough to know that having a drug dealer show up at your shared house unannounced was a bad idea. So he shoved you into your shared room, and told you to be quiet. What seemed like an hour ticked by and you had not heard a peep from outside. You cautiously stepped into the hallway, and down to the kitchen and living room, only to come across a room full of tatted up guys with the main one sitting across from Fez. When you tried to step back down the hallway and out of the eyes of the gang members one of them spotted you.

"Hey! Fez you didn't say there were others in the house" the man said, grabbing your arm and pulling you into the living room. You were only in your sleep shorts and one of Fez shirts, you nervously put your arms around yourself to hide. 

"You have a pretty one, Fezco. Why didn't you have this little....slut join us?" the man asked Fez.

"She ain't no slut. She's my girl" Fez said seriously, "And she aint got no business here, let her go back to our room" 

"No, you hid this little thing away when I said no other listeners, she'll stay until we're finished here" he said as you were thrown next to Fez on the couch whose hand found yours. You wanted to whisper to him but the grip he had told you that he was pissed and I shouldn't talk if I wanted this deal to continue going smoothly. You knew you should not have snuck out the room to see what was going on.

"Now where were we...right. Molly? Are you selling my shit or do I have to teach you a lesson by playing with your girl?"

"Don't you touch her," Fez Said. You knew Fez hated selling molly, after what happened with Rue. It wasn't a secret that you knew about Fez's worries and his do's and don'ts in this business. You had talked to Ashtrey enough about this line of work to know that you could have fucked up this deal majorly by having Fez take on the selling of Molly.

"Look man I had a bad run in with Molly okay. I don't want to mess with that no more"Fez insisted.

"Well then, I think we have some persuading to do, '' he said and before he could even reach over to touch you, Ash had his gun aimed right at the dude's head.

"Don't you touch my ma you hear" Ash spoke, gun ready to shoot if the man even thought twice. The other guys had their arms now ready to whip their guns out but one had one trained on me and Fez was about to lose it. 

"Ash, put it down" a command spoken by Fez had the boy putting his firearm down. "Fine, small number, I already have your other products to sell" 

"I like a negotiation, '' the man said, waving his arm to have the man drop the gun and hand Fez a small bag. "One ounce, since your so cautious, and I won't try to touch your girl again if the bag is all sold"

"Deal" Fez spoke so fast he hoped the men would leave soon, and he did. When they were gone and you were calming down, Fez exploded. 

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" he asked Ash, straightened his back at Fez's loud words. 

"I...was curious. I was there for an hour…” you said, your voice quest as you spoke back to him. 

"What? you thought you would come walking in to see what was happening and leave not harmed" Fezco asked you angrily. 

"Yea.." 

"You cannot be serious! What the hell Y/N! The last time this happened you had a gun to your back and a man who looked like he wanted to take you, and this time.....I thought you were going to die" Fez said loudly. He was scared, this voice wasn't anger, ir was cautious. You threw that away when you went down the hallway and Fez almost lost his mind at the thought of you being hurt. 

"I think that about you, that you'll die one day when I'm not there or when Ash can't spring a gun..." You told him softly, you knew the worries because you had them. 

"Y/N," he said softly, his tone changing.

"I'm curious, because I want...No I need to know how much danger you're in"

"I'm safe hunny I swear" Fez spoke. He slowly sat back down next to you on the couch. 

"Are you? Because I know I fucked that up but what if I had not come out here and what if you still refused and he pulled a gun on you or Ash and all I could do is cry over one of your bodies...?" you screamed back. Now it was you that was scared "I can't live if you're not there, and I can not be kept in the shadows about this shit"

"I'm sorry, honey. I know now how much terror you must feel" Fez said, scooting closer to you on the couch. Ash slid down onto the chair in front of you two.

"I'll always protect him. And you" Ash spoke, "Your my ma, you care and you worry just like a mom would"

"I do, oh Ash hun I do, I worry about both my boys, and this line of work scares me because I don't know what shape you'll come home in"

"We know '' Fez spoke. "Why don't we watch that Disney movie you love?" He asked you. A smile rose to your face. 

"You'll watch that with me?" You asked.

"Anything to make you feel better," he told you. "Anything for you hunny"

[ch3rrywond3rland]

Here for you

Fezco had know Y/N since the first grade. They never used to talk, unless they sat next to each other in class, and then they would only talk about school and assignments. Eventually, they grew up and Fez stopped attending school. She thought about reaching out to see if he was okay, but decided against it when she realized that: 1- she did not had any way of contacting him; and 2- it was, quite frankly, none of her business. So that was that, for a while. Until she became best friends with Lexi, who sometimes hanged out with Cassie and her friends. And they knew Fez, so, consequently, her and Lex also did. He recognized Y/N immediately and even went up to hug her. They started hanging out a lot and eventually started dating, which was a surprise to all of us. They were complete fucking opposites who somehow complimented each other. I had seen her around his house sometimes and she was one of the nicest people I'd ever met, and treated me like we'd known each other for ages despite not having had an actual conversation.

Fez and I lay resting on his bed after a long morning of doing absolutely nothing. A blunt hangs from his lips, the smoke creating a bubble around us. My arms are wrapped around his torso and our legs intertwine, yearning for proximity.

As I'm about to kiss him, loud knocks coming from downstairs startle us both. We look at each other worryingly, and I grow afraid that Mouse is popping by for a surprise visit.

He seems to notice my fear, because he sprints out the room before I can even get up. I do so, reluctantly, and follow his path downstairs.

"C'mon man, don't be a dick." I hear a familiar voice coming from outside.

"Rue?" They both turn to look at me standing at the bottom of the stairs. Fez offers me his hand and pulls me closer to him.

"Nah, I'm serious...you can't come in."

"Look man, all I- all I need is just like, a few OC's"

"Sorry, I can't help-"

"Fez, I've had a fucked up day. This is all I'm asking, okay? I just need you to open the door for me, okay?"

"Nah, man..." He nervously runs his hands through his buzz, trying not to glance at her.

"Just open the door, man." Her palms push the metal door, making the sound echo all throughout the house. "Just open the fucking door. C'mon, tell him, Y/N."

She hopefully looks at me, and I look down, gulping.

"I'm sorry, Rue."

"Nah, you both gon' do me like that? Fuck you, man."

"I'm not gon' help you kill yourself, man. I'm sorry, but you can't be comin' here no more."

He starts closing the door and Rue pushes herself against it, in a worthless attempt to break it down.

"Fez, I'm begging you just to open the door." Her fist meets the metal, again. "You're full of shit, man."

Fez's forehead rests on my shoulder, my hand soothingly rubs against his back, trying to comfort him somehow.

"You know you make your living off of selling drugs to teenagers. And know, all of the sudden you wanna have a fucking moral high ground? You're a fucking dropped out drug dealer, you know that?"

I stand on my tip toes and wrap my arms around his neck. His' hug me by the waist, pulling me closer.

"You're a fucking dropped out drug dealer with seven functioning fucking brain cells. Open the door!"

Her scream makes me jump and I feel Fez's breath hitching against my neck.

"Open the door!"

"I can't do it, I-"

"Open the door! Open the door! Open the door!" Rue's voice breaks and my heart clenches.

I hear sobbing before she speaks again. "You did this to me, Fez. You fucking ruined my life so the least you could do is open the goddamn door and fiz it!"

"C'mon, let's go." I tug his hand, leading him back upstairs.

"If you don't open this door right now, I swear to- I swear to God, I will fucking hate you 'till the day I die."

"I'm sorry." He says from halfway up the stairs and she seems to hear because she high-pitchedly screams.

I make him lay on top of me once we reach the bed. His head lays on my chest and my fingers run through his head.

"It's okay, she didn't mean it."

"I know." He says, but I hear him breathe out in relief anyways.

"I love you."

"I love you, too. Thank you for everything."

I smile and kiss his forehead, drifting into relaxation.

———————————

A few days have gone by since the encounter with Rue and Fez dragged me to a Halloween party he wanted to try and sell stuff in.

I had been invited, but didn't plan on coming. However, Lexi had also insisted she wanted someone to be with. Which was a total lie because we'd arrived less than half an hour ago and she'd already disappeared from my side.

Fez and I are sitting on a couch outside, and he is just finishing a deal when I see Rue walking towards us.

"Hey, babe." I motion my head to her direction and Fez's eyes follow.

We watch as she sits down on the other side of the sofa. I start getting up from Fezco's lap but Rue is quick to talk.

"You can stay." She offers me nod and I smile at her.

"It's fine, I think you two should talk." I turn towards Fez.

"I'm going to go find Lex, look for me when you're done." I give him a wink and he sweetly smiles, eyes twinkling.

I start walking away, but decide to stop in front of Rue.

"You look amazing, Rue Rue." She looks up at me and smiles, seemingly still embarrassed after our interaction. Still, I reassure her by gently grabbing her head and placing a kiss against her temple.

As I make my way back to the house, I hear Rue's voice talking to Fezco.

"She's an angel."

"Yeah...she is."

[theladyofdeath]

Lady Death's Lover {10}

Lady Death's Lover Masterlist & Summary

19th Century Period AU Nesta x Cassian Secret Affair / Enemies to Lovers / Forbidden Romance Fanfiction / Characters from Sarah J Maas / ACOTAR Based on a prompt sent in by anonymous

A/N: NSFW (actually, just make the same note for the next few chapters)... Thank you for reading, reblogging, liking, and commenting. I love to see it all! x

TW: marital abuse, sexual content, language, depression, alcohol abuse

This story is for readers 18+. Mature readers only. Content should not be read by anyone under 18.

<.>.<.> Nesta <.>.<.>

His kiss was like nothing I have ever experienced.

I lie alone in my bed, wishing he was here with me. I long for his mouth on mine, long for that mouth of his to explore every inch of the bare skin that is rolling beneath my sheets, lonely with need. 

He confessed his love for me. All of my being wanted to reciprocate the feeling, but I just couldn’t. Yet I couldn’t stop myself from kissing him. I know it was wrong but I have no regrets. If I am to be bound to Tomas for the rest of my life, I am glad that I felt what it was like to be completely in love, completely enveloped in a kiss if only for a second.

It is a second I will never forget, a second I will never take for granted. 

His lips were softer than I had imagined they would be. It was a pleasant surprise, the gentleness of this man that did not radiate gentleness whatsoever. He held me as if our lives depended on it, and for a moment, I swore they did. 

The house is quiet; there’s nothing but the cackling of the fire to distract me. Even the cackling cannot distract me enough from imagining his roaming hands. 

Unable to fall asleep, I let my mind wander. 

I imagine him in bed right next to me, his body bare and intertwined with mine. I imagine his lips dancing across my skin, imagine his hands wandering, exploring, desperate with need.

I imagine his cock, long and thick, thrusting into me again and again and again. I’ve seen its outline, although I have pretended I haven’t, but I know that it does not compare to the real thing, released and wielded. 

I can only imagine the pleasure he could endow with such a weapon. 

Pretending my fingers are that weapon, I plunge them inside of myself again and again. I go deep, quickly, imagining the hardness of his body sliding against every inch of my soft curves. Finding that sensitive bundle of nerves, I cry out, not caring that the help could possibly hear. 

I hate that we stopped after a measly kiss. A kiss that I started, a kiss that should have never been, a kiss that I cannot help but fixate on, obsess over. 

For the first time, I’ve felt wanted. I felt loved, cared for, cherished. I can only imagine what it would feel like if things had escalated, if the help was not right outside, wandering through my husband's house. If we were alone, I would have let him take me. I would have let him have all of me. 

Unsure of what that says about me, I continue to live out my fantasy. With every fictitious thrust that Cassian grants me, I come alive. Tears fill my eyes and even I pity myself for the pathetic nature of my situation, but I push that feeling aside and continue to find pleasure, dwelling in the sensation rising up inside of me. 

It’s his name I cry out when I find release. 

When my body stops shaking, when my chest stops heaving, I close my eyes and it is his smiling face that I see.

This is absurd.

I cry, shamelessly, surrounded by flickering candles that are slowly dwindling to their deaths. Sorrow and longing and an odd sense of jealousy flood my body. I am jealous of every woman who has married for love, who had the opportunity to avoid being in a marriage of convenience. After the jealousy comes the loathing.

I hate Tomas.

I hate him as a husband and as a man. I rue the day that I must give him an heir, a child that makes us a family, that shackles me to him further. I hate how he treats me, how he orders me around like I am one of the servants, how he takes out his anger and bitterness on every inch of my skin. I hate how he touches me in bed, how he makes me feel dirty after every time I am forced to carry out my marital duties. 

Cassian is twice the man that Tomas will ever be. I am jealous of the woman who will take his hand in marriage, who will become the mother of his children, who will run his household alongside him in love and dignity.

I am envious that it will not be me.

It cannot be.

I have already been spoken for, claimed by the devil himself. 

Opening my eyes, I stare at the ceiling as my sobs have grown to silent tears streaming down the sides of my face, absorbing into my feathery pillow. Candlelight dances along the ceiling, grounding me. 

I should be his.

And he should be mine.

The truth that is so painfully obvious occurs to me and I do not deny it any longer. I stopped denying it the moment that I kissed him. I love him. 

I am in love with him.

A gentleman, a man who is not my husband, a man who looks at me as if I am the only woman in all of existence.

Rising out of bed, I wipe my eyes and dress quickly in a pair of slacks and a shirt I keep for riding when Tomas is out of town. After donning my boots and cloak, I pin up my hair and sneak quietly into the hallway and out of the manor, toward the stables. 

I, Lady Nesta Mandray, deserve to be loved, too. 

________________________________

<.>.<.> Cassian <.>.<.>

The whiskey isn’t cutting it tonight. 

I’m on my second glass at the gentleman’s club, but I cannot feel a thing. Nothing that’s real, anyway. I can still feel every touch of her hands on my chest, of her lips on mine, and it is torturous. The image, the feeling, the utter sensation is branded in my memory. I’m convinced that nothing will ever compare to that fleeting moment. 

Fuck.

The things I would have done to her if we were anywhere else but in the home of her husband. Husband. She’s married. It’s a fact that I’ve always known but have never fully accepted, and now that’s coming back to bite me in the ass. 

I took it too far. She was the one that kissed me but I sure as hell didn’t deny her. I would never. I’m incapable. She could ask anything of me and I would do it with no hesitation. I’m in too deep and I simply don’t give a damn. 

It was a perfect moment. I have no regrets. The only regret that I have is that there simply was not enough time. There was not enough time for me to truly show her what she means to me. There was not enough time to lay her down, strip her bare, and worship every inch of her beautiful skin. I meant what I had said, what I had confessed. I am in love with this woman.

I drain what’s left in my glass. 

The empty glass haunts me as I slide it across the bartop and hop off my stool. I hear the echoes of goodbyes behind me but I ignore them all, unable to fully hear their farewells. My mind is occupied. 

I return home the same way I came: meandering beneath the famous starlight. The stars seem dimmer tonight as if they’re mourning alongside me. 

I’m selfish. There is no reason for me to mourn. You cannot mourn for something you never had. 

I have no idea how much time has passed when I make it to my townhouse. The lantern by the door is still burning as I open it up and slump inside only to be greeted by the silence of an empty house. At this hour, I have no doubt that my butler and the handful of maids that keep my house in a state of perfection are sleeping soundly in their beds. At least, I hope they are. They work hard enough as it is. 

After locking the door and tiptoeing across the foyer, I find a lamp to light and carry it up the stairs. 

The space has never felt so big. 

After walking past the sitting room and the study, I find my bedroom at the end of the corridor and kick off my boots as I walk inside.

The shadow of a figure sitting on my bed shifts, and I nearly drop the candle in my hand and wake up every servant in this household when I curse.

Loudly. 

“I’m sorry,” the figure breathes, and the tone of her voice instantly calms me.

I hold up the candle and see her watching me, eyes wide, cheeks flushed. “Nesta.” “I’m sorry,” she says, and it looks like she’s about to panic. “I…I don’t know what I’m doing here.” She jumps off my mattress and starts pacing. “I was just…I was in bed, thinking about you and before I knew what I was doing, I was here.”

In bed.

Thinking about me.

I don’t give a damn what else she says. That’s enough.

“I should go.”

I close my bedroom door. “How did you get in here?”

Nesta opens her mouth, then closes it, then she huffs a laugh. “I…am no saint. I learned how to scale a wall pretty young.”

The image of her scaling a wall makes me laugh. Then I realize that she’s wearing a shirt and trousers beneath her cloak, the fabric hugging her curves. I swallow as her words settle in. “No one knows you’re here?”

She shakes her head. “No.”

“And you’re here because…?”

She shrugs, shamelessly. “I had to see you.”

I take a moment to reply, careful to be certain that I heard her correctly. “Earlier, you said—”

“I love you,” she says, and her words are so quiet that I have to halt my breathing to hear each word clearly. Her eyes shine in the dim light. “I had to let you know. I couldn’t live without you knowing. And I am sorry that I am here, being selfish, but I love you, Cassian. Even if this can never be.” 

The words rush out of her and I cannot stop myself from moving towards her. I set the candle down on my dresser as I pass it and before I can collect my thoughts, I’m standing in front of her, looking down into her eyes. The room falls into silence and I have to convince myself that she’s really here, in front of me. 

When it’s clear that she is, I kiss her.

Our bodies press up against one another as I grab her by the waist and draw her close to me. She doesn’t hesitate, her tongue brushing along mine.  

“You taste like whiskey,” she says, breath warm against my lips. “Are you drunk?”

“Do I seem drunk?” I tease, cradling her face in my hands.

“No,” she says, suppressing a smile. 

“I tried to be and failed,” I confess, brushing my thumbs along her smooth ivory skin. My own seem so dark in comparison. It’s a welcome contrast. 

“I am glad you are not,” she says, leaning into my touch.

She kisses me slowly, savoring every passing second. I am the one to pull back this time.

“This is inappropriate.”

“Wholly,” she agrees, sliding her hands up my chest. “To say the least.”

I swallow, stilling her hands. “There is no going back.”

As much as it pains me, I feel the need to warn her. If we continue, I will not be able to stop, and if we go through with this, things will never be the way they once were. Our words will be more than words. They will become something greater. 

Her eyes do not waver. “I do not want to go back. I want to know what it is like to make love to you. Even if it is only once.”

The thought of doing it once and never again is agonizing.

The thought of not having her at all is so much worse. 

When I kiss her this time, there is no going back.

I lift her up, gripping her backside as her legs quickly and comfortably wrap around my body. Our mouths are a battle of teeth and tongue, clashing together, unable to get close enough. Forgetting about every reason that we shouldn’t, every obstacle we are about to face, I carry Lady Nesta Mandray to my bed and lay her down. 

[istumpysk]

Operation Stumpy Re-Read

ADWD: Tyrion XII (Chapter 66)

For most men, there was no cost to joining a company, but he was not most men. He dipped the quill into the inkpot, leaned over the first parchment, paused, looked up. "Would you prefer me to sign Yollo or Hugor Hill?"

Tyrion's such a loser he has to pay to join a sellsword company.

I have a prediction! Cersei, Jaime, and Tyrion will always have their proper names as the chapter header.

+.+.+

The dwarf laughed and signed the parchment, Tyrion of House Lannister. As he passed it left to Inkpots, he riffled through the pile underneath. "There are … what, fifty? Sixty? I'd thought there were five hundred Second Sons."

"Five hundred thirteen at present," Inkpots said. "When you sign our book, we will be five hundred fourteen."

"So only one in ten receives a note? That hardly seems fair. I thought you were all share-and-share-alike in the free companies." He signed another sheet.

Brown Ben chuckled. "Oh, all share. But not alike. The Second Sons are not unlike a family …"

"… and every family has its drooling cousins." Tyrion signed another note. The parchment crinkled crisply as he slid it toward the paymaster. "There are cells down in the bowels of Casterly Rock where my lord father kept the worst of ours." He dipped his quill in the inkpot. Tyrion of House Lannister, he scratched out, promising to pay the bearer of the note one hundred golden dragons. Every stroke of the quill leaves me a little poorer … or would, if I were not a beggar to begin with. One day he might rue these signatures. But not this day.

Bowels! I was going to make an Orson Lannister beetle joke, but that's show-only.

I'm going to keep track of this. He's signing 25-30 contracts worth 100 golden dragons each. (💰2500-3000)

+.+.+

"Debts written on the wind tend to be … forgotten, shall we say?"

"Not by us." Tyrion signed another sheet. And another. He had found a rhythm now. "A Lannister always pays his debts."

Seven books of wasted buildup if you don't make them broke by the end.

+.+.+

He wanted to laugh, but that would have ruined the game. Plumm was enjoying this, and Tyrion had no intention of spoiling his fun. Let him go on thinking that he's bent me over and fucked me up the arse, and I'll go on buying steel swords with parchment dragons. If ever he went back to Westeros to claim his birthright, he would have all the gold of Casterly Rock to make good on his promises. If not, well, he'd be dead, and his new brothers could wipe their arses with these parchments. Perhaps some might turn up in King's Landing with their scraps in hand, hoping to convince his sweet sister to make good on them. And would that I could be a roach in the rushes to witness that.

More than enough evidence Team Daenerys will take Casterly Rock.

We'll have to wait and see if Tyrion screwed himself, and those mines are as empty as the show indicated. (I think they are.)

+.+.+

The writing on the parchments changed about halfway down the pile. The hundred-dragon notes were all for serjeants. Below them the amounts suddenly grew larger. Now Tyrion was promising to pay the bearer one thousand golden dragons. He shook his head, laughed, signed. 

25-30 contracts are worth 1000 golden dragons each. (💰2500-3000 + 💰25,000-30,000)

+.+.+

"You will work for Inkpots," said Inkpots. "Keeping books, counting coin, writing contracts and letters."

"Gladly," said Tyrion. "I love books."

Tyrion Lannister keeps landing the same job.

+.+.+

"I once had charge of all the drains in Casterly Rock," Tyrion said mildly. "Some of them had been stopped up for years, but I soon had them draining merrily away."

Speaking of evidence they'll take Casterly Rock, that would be the second time the drains have been referenced.

So to mark his manhood, Tyrion was given charge of all the drains and cisterns within Casterly Rock. Perhaps he hoped I'd fall into one. But Tywin had been disappointed in that. The drains never drained half so well as when he had charge of them. - Tyrion III, ADWD

Twice is never a coincidence, the show got it right.

If Team Daenerys takes the Rock with a stealth mission (as opposed to dragons) and holds the castle, that makes it far more likely it's the Red Keep falling on Jaime and Cersei.

+.+.+

I won't have you parading about where you might be seen. Stay inside as much as you can, and shit into your bucket. Too many eyes at the latrines. And never go beyond our camp without my leave. We can dress you up in squire's steel, pretend you're Jorah's butt boy, but there's some will see right through that. Once Meereen is taken and we're away to Westeros, you can prance about all you like in gold and crimson. 

What is Ben Plumm's plan here?

The Second Sons defeat Daenerys in Meereen, then go to Westeros and do what exactly? Conquer the land with 514 men? It's not like he knows about Aegon.

+.+.+

Till then, though …"

"… I shall live beneath a rock and never make a sound. You have my word on that." 

Like your brother and sister! ❤️

+.+.+

Three notes remained, different from the rest. Two were written on fine vellum and made out by name. For Kasporio the Cunning, ten thousand dragons. The same for Inkpots, whose true name appeared to be Tybero Istarion. "Tybero?" said Tyrion. "That sounds almost Lannister. Are you some long-lost cousin?"

"Perhaps. I always pay my debts as well. It is expected of a paymaster. Sign."

2 contracts are worth 10,000 golden dragons each. (💰2500-3000 + 💰25,000-30,000 + 💰20,000)

Not sure what to make of the Tybero stuff.

+.+.+

Brown Ben's note was the last. That one had been inscribed upon a sheepskin scroll. One hundred thousand golden dragons, fifty hides of fertile land, a castle, and a lordship. Well and well. This Plumm does not come cheaply.

The final contract is 100,000 golden dragons, fifty hides of fertile land, a castle, and a lordship. Final tally:

💰147,500-153,000 golden dragons, fifty hides of land, a castle, and a lordship.

Pray those mines haven't run dry, Tyrion Lannister.

+.+.+

"The Second Sons are amongst the oldest of the free companies," Inkpots said as he was turning pages. "This is the fourth book. The names of every man to serve with us are written here. When they joined, where they fought, how long they served, the manner of their deaths—all in the book. You will find famous names in here, some from your Seven Kingdoms. Aegor Rivers served a year with us, before he left to found the Golden Company. Bittersteel, you call him. The Bright Prince, Aerion Targaryen, he was a Second Son. And Rodrik Stark, the Wandering Wolf, him as well. No, not that ink. Here, use this." He unstoppered a new pot and set it down.

That's the dumb shit Targ who drank wildfire. Also, the Wandering Wolf! Arya's husband. ❤️ Other notable members include Oberyn Martell, and the Tattered Prince.

I glanced over their wiki, only noteworthy history I can see is the Second Sons fleeing when a Dothraki khalasar attacked Qohor.

+.+.+

"For most of us, the signature suffices, but I would hate to disappoint a new brother-in-arms. Welcome to the Second Sons, Lord Tyrion."

Lord Tyrion. The dwarf liked the sound of that. The Second Sons might not enjoy the shining reputation of the Golden Company, but they had won some famous victories over the centuries. "Have other lords served with the company?"

"Landless lords," said Brown Ben. "Like you, Imp."

Tyrion hopped down from the stool. "My previous brother was entirely unsatisfactory. I hope for more from my new ones. Now how do I go about securing arms and armor?"

Sister. Sansa had once dreamt of having a sister like Margaery; beautiful and gentle, with all the world's graces at her command. Arya had been entirely unsatisfactory as sisters went. - Sansa II, ASOS

And they both don't mean it.

+.+.+

Stumpy note:

I need everyone to know we're one-third of the way through this chapter when Tyrion goes to the armory.

I point this out because absolutely nothing happens the back two-thirds of this chapter. The chapter is fourteen pages long and two-thirds of it is nothing.

+.+.+

"Talking again, are we?" It was better than her usual sullen silence. All over an abandoned dog and pig. I saved the two of us from slavery, you would think some gratitude might be in order. "If you sleep any longer, you're like to miss the war."

"I'm sad." She yawned again. "And tired. So tired."

Tired or sick? Tyrion knelt beside her pallet. "You look pale." He felt her brow. Is it hot in here, or does she have a touch of fever? He dared not ask that question aloud. Even hard men like the Second Sons were terrified of mounting the pale mare. If they thought Penny was sick, they would drive her off without a moment's hesitation.

I don't know if Penny continues to show symptoms of the pale mare in Tyrion's first few TWOW chapters, and I'm not about to read ahead to find out.

If I had to guess, I'd say we're being reminded of these early signs and symptoms because of another character (who is currently wandering the Dothraki Sea).

#JusticeForPenny'sDog&Pig

+.+.+

"We," she said. "If you're one of them, you should say we, not they. Has anyone seen Pretty Pig? Inkpots said he'd ask after her. Or Crunch, has there been word of Crunch?"

Only if you trust Kasporio. Plumm's not-so-cunning second-in-command claimed that three Yunkish slave-catchers were prowling through the camps, asking after a pair of escaped dwarfs. One of them was carrying a tall spear with a dog's head impaled upon its point, the way that Kaspo told it.

The peacock calls himself Kasporio the Cunning, though Kasporio the Cunt would be more apt. - Tyrion XI, ADWD

x

Kasporio the Cunning touched his sword hilt. - tyrion XII, ADWD

I have a prediction!

Kasporio will do something stupid.

+.+.+

Snatch was waiting by the cook tent chewing sourleaf when the two dwarfs turned up, cloaked and hooded. 

[...]

Snatch snorted and spat out a mouthful of red slime. 

[...]

The serjeant's fingers were stained a mottled red from the juice of the sourleaf he chewed.

Snatch, the Bronn clone, is still deader than dead.

A serjeant, Tyrion knew, from the way the other two deferred to him. He had a hook where his right hand should have been. Bronn's meaner bastard shadow, or I'm Baelor the Beloved. - Tyrion XI, ADWD

x

Snatch chewed his sourleaf, making japes and scratching at his balls with his hook hand. Something about his manner reminded Tyrion of Bronn. - Tyrion I, TWOW

+.+.+

"My father was wont to say it. Did you know Lord Tywin, Kem?"

"The Hand. Once I saw him riding up the hill. His men had red cloaks and little lions on their helms. I liked those helms." His mouth tightened. "I never liked the Hand, though. He sacked the city. And then he smashed us on the Blackwater."

"You were there?"

"With Stannis. Lord Tywin come up with Renly's ghost and took us in the flank. I dropped my spear and ran, but at the ships this bloody knight said, 'Where's your spear, boy? We got no room for cravens,' and they buggered off and left me, and thousands more besides. Later I heard how your father was sending them as fought with Stannis to the Wall, so I made my way across the narrow sea and joined up with the Second Sons."

"Do you miss King's Landing?"

"Some. I miss this boy, he … he was a friend of mine. And my brother, Kennet, but he died on the bridge of ships."

The more character development we get from the Seconds Sons the longer they'll stick around.

Snatch is the Bronn one, and Kem is ... the gay one. Can you tell I have nothing to talk about?

+.+.+

"Rats wouldn't eat my mother's cooking. There was this pot shop, though. No one ever made a bowl o' brown like them. So thick you could stand your spoon up in the bowl, with chunks of this and that. You ever have yourself a bowl o' brown, Halfman?"

"A time or two. Singer's stew, I call it."

Daily reminder Tyrion Lannister does not deserve to survive this story.

+.+.+

Kem liked that. "Singer's stew. I'll ask for that next time I get back to Flea Bottom. What do you miss, Halfman?"

Jaime, thought Tyrion. Shae. Tysha. My wife, I miss my wife, the wife I hardly knew. 

Second time Tyrion is referencing Tysha, but the author leaves a little room for doubt.

"If m'lord would prefer a boy, I can have one waiting in his bed."

M'lord would prefer his wife. M'lord would prefer a girl named Tysha. - Tyrion I, ADWD

+.+.+

His greathelm sported a ram's horns, one of which was broken.

When he took it off, he revealed the battered face of Jorah Mormont.

Ram's horns and a demon's mask tattoo.

Jorah's looking like Satan.

+.+.+

The demon's mask the slavers had burned into his right cheek to mark him for a dangerous and disobedient slave would never leave him. Ser Jorah had never been what one might call a comely man. The brand had transformed his face into something frightening.

Tyrion grinned. "As long as I look prettier than you, I will be happy."

Sometimes she would close her eyes and dream of him, but it was never Jorah Mormont she dreamed of; her lover was always younger and more comely, though his face remained a shifting shadow. - Daenerys II, ASOS

↓

"The girl finally poked her nose abovedecks," Tyrion told him. "One look at me and she scurried right back down below."

"You're not a pretty sight."

"Not all of us can be as comely as you. - Tyrion VIII, ADWD

↓

A few more beatings and you'll be uglier than I am, Mormont. - Tyrion XI, ADWD

↓

Ser Jorah had never been what one might call a comely man. The brand had transformed his face into something frightening.

Tyrion grinned. "As long as I look prettier than you, I will be happy." - Tyrion XII, ADWD

Yay!!

+.+.+

Her eyes got big. "You like my nose?"

Oh, Seven save me. Tyrion turned away and began rooting amongst some piles of old armor toward the back of the wagon.

"Are there any other parts of me you like?" Penny asked.

Perhaps she meant that to sound playful. It sounded sad instead. 

Now he knows how Sansa felt.

+.+.+

He passed over a warhammer (too long), a studded mace (also too heavy), and half a dozen longswords before he found a dirk he liked, a nasty piece of steel with a triangular blade. "This might serve," he said. 

Dagger!

+.+.+

"I don't want to hack off heads."

"Nor should you. Keep your cuts below the knee. Calf, hamstring, ankle … even giants fall if you slice their feet off. Once they're down, they're no bigger than you."

So many giants to consider here. Robert Strong? Littlefinger? An actual giant? Tyrion?

+.+.+

Penny looked as though she was about to cry. "Last night I dreamed my brother was alive again. We were jousting before some great lord, riding Crunch and Pretty Pig, and men were throwing roses at us. We were so happy …"

Tyrion slapped her.

How do we get Penny away from Tyrion without her dying? I need that.

+.+.+

Penny touched the cheek he'd slapped. "We should never have run. We're not sellswords. We're not any kind of swords. It wasn't so bad with Yezzan. It wasn't. Nurse was cruel sometimes but Yezzan never was. We were his favorites, his … his …"

"Slaves. The word you want is slaves."

"Slaves," she said, flushing. "We were his special slaves, though. Just like Sweets. His treasures."

Every master has their favourites, Penny.

No older than ten, she had the round flat face, dusky skin, and golden eyes of Naath. The Peaceful People, her folk were called. All agreed that they made the best slaves. - Daenerys II, ASOS

x

Dany stroked the girl's hair. "Say the word, my sweet, and I will send you from this awful place. I will find a ship somehow and send you home. To Naath." - Daenerys II, ADWD

x

Two of Dany's favorite hostages served the food and kept the cups filled—a doe-eyed little girl called Qezza and a skinny boy named Grazhar. - Daenerys IV, ADWD

x

Jhiqui and Irri would be waiting atop her pyramid back in Meereen, she told herself. Her sweet scribe Missandei as well, and all her little pages. They would bring her food, and she could bathe in the pool beneath the persimmon tree. - Daenerys X, ADWD

+.+.+

She was not all wrong. Yezzan's slaves ate better than many peasants back in the Seven Kingdoms and were less like to starve to death come winter. Slaves were chattels, aye. They could be bought and sold, whipped and branded, used for the carnal pleasure of their owners, bred to make more slaves. In that sense they were no more than dogs or horses. But most lords treated their dogs and horses well enough. Proud men might shout that they would sooner die free than live as slaves, but pride was cheap. When the steel struck the flint, such men were rare as dragon's teeth; elsewise the world would not have been so full of slaves. There has never been a slave who did not choose to be a slave, the dwarf reflected. Their choice may be between bondage and death, but the choice is always there.

Tyrion Lannister did not except himself. His tongue had earned him some stripes on the back in the beginning, but soon enough he had learned the tricks of pleasing Nurse and the noble Yezzan. Jorah Mormont had fought longer and harder, but he would have come to the same place in the end.

And Penny, well …

Penny had been searching for a new master since the day her brother Groat had lost his head. She wants someone to take care of her, someone to tell her what to do.

Settle down, Kanye.

This is not subtle. The author is practically begging the reader to recall her freedmen, Unsullied, Dothraki slaves, and Missandei.

"[...] Man has the right master, that's better."

Tyrion did not dispute him. The most insidious thing about bondage was how easy it was to grow accustomed to it. - Tyrion XI, ADWD

If Tyrion doesn't call out her mhysa nonsense (to himself) after they meet, I call bullshit.

+.+.+

"Or dead dwarfs," said Jorah Mormont. "We are all like to be feeding worms by the time this battle is done. The Yunkai'i have lost this war, though it may take them some time to know it. Meereen has an army of Unsullied infantry, the finest in the world. And Meereen has dragons. Three of them, once the queen returns. She will. She must. Our side consists of two score Yunkish lordlings, each with his own half-trained monkey men. Slaves on stilts, slaves in chains … they may have troops of blind men and palsied children too, I would not put it past them."

"Oh, I know," said Tyrion. "The Second Sons are on the losing side. They need to turn their cloaks again and do it now." He grinned. "Leave that to me."

George gave up, and decided to tell us how this is going to play out.

Monkey!

Final thoughts:

That was the most anticlimactic end to his chapters possible.

47 down, 2 to go. :(

I realize only one Tyrion chapter has been released, but we can't move ahead to Tyrion II TWOW without covering the short summary of Tyrion I TWOW.

-> return to menu <-

[supersabbatical2024]

4/25/24: Come ON…word from the home front is that we are now missing one chicken, “Poppy,” the grey one. The Maplewood Fox was seen chasing “Agent 99” (another chicken) inside the coop area, but my BRAVE sister chased the fox 🦊 out of the henhouse �� What is going on with our animals in Maplewood? Take good care of your creatures, people. 🐴 🐕 🐱 🐒 🐠 🦛

A few days ago it was time for the Spa portion of our vacation. We had a recommendation for spa treatments from our VRBO host ( whose house we are staying in). So rather than go to one of the 10,000 salons nearby, we took the challenge and drove out of town to seek out our host Carole Boulet’s personal salon…quite the adventure! I was impressed with our tenacity and Claude’s ability to do numerous K-turns in THE tiniest parking lots EVER. The spa ladies wore little uniforms and everything, and they were very nice about my French. The facial was lovely. Then, for Part Two of the pampering, Claude sent me out on my own for my manicure…I guess he had had it with hauling me around to my various beauty appointments. SO for the first time, I ventured out on my OWN, with specific instructions from Claude AND Google maps, and ended up at a little shop on Rue Gambetta, called Sunny Nails! They spoke no English, but I met a French gal who was also getting a mani, and she helped me tell them what I wanted. Mon amie Sophie The French Gal, my new BFF, has an uncle who is “very rich,” and lives in Massachusetts. We chatted, Sophie taught me some French, and I taught her how to pronounce the word “pittoresque” in English—picturesque—which is a tough one, when you think about it: PIK-CHER-ESK. I feel like there are not a lot of CH’s in french, am I right? C’est vrai? Feel free to tell me I’m wrong in the comments (I don’t know how to comment on a tumblr blog but I think you can). My brave sister I’m sure will not hesitate to let me know if my grammar/pronunciation/tense is wrong…That reminds me of when my sister and I were traveling together a couple years ago, and we were chatting with a gal and we asked if she had a sister. The gal said “no…” so my sis, Pammy, said, “if you don’t have a sister, how do you know what’s wrong with you??”

That was sort of a random story, and I guess you kind of have to have a sister to understand. Or a really close friend who’s not afraid to tell you what’s what, or that you have your shirt on inside out. But there ya go 👩‍❤️‍👩. I’m thinking about ya sis! She’s probably not reading this blog, as she is actually back at my house in NJ, taking care of our mom, Normie, for two weeks. David took the first shift, and now Pammy has taken over. Don’t forget to keep the fox out of the henhouse Pammy, and THANKS 🙏

Yesterday, we did basically nothing except shop and eat 🥐🥐 🥐 🥐🥐 🥐 🥐🥐 🥐 🥐🥐 🥐 🥐🥐 🥐 and I’m having trouble even remembering right now, so I will set that aside and post some photos of two days ago, when we had a travel day and drove to Cassis…more later. We have received more bad news from NJ about Oreo…he is really struggling. He’s a good dog, and he has had a really amazing run. I’m grateful to my friends who are helping him and us to figure out the right thing to do, and get through this…

[dragonoftheunderground]

Guys (gn), if KOSA passes I'll probably be gone from Tumblr. If you see me online, I'll likely be PurpleDragon, dragonoftheunderground, or Firethorn. Just ask the shoelace thing. If I pass, confirm it's my blog and not another user.

But I don't want to leave, so if it's not too late when you see this (or even if it is), send KOSA back to whatever hell it came from.

If you want advice for this crisis, here's some: Get Tor browser. It's slow because it's proxied, but it'll give you freedom. Also try ham radio or meshtastic. Break away from Big Tech. Don't give them power too. And don't give up.

Protest. A lot. Imposing restrictions like these are part of the road to genocide. They're trying to destroy the pride community, and there should be nobody who lets that stand.

Never forget Nex Benedict. Ever. Remember what's at stake. Remember why we're fighting this bill. These atrocities.

Recognize the threat to the first amendment, derived from censorship (which is both against freedom of speech and of the press) and restricting access to the viewing of people's free expression (is it really free speech if nobody can see it?).

And in the wise words of Cave Johnson, "When life gives you lemons, don’t make lemonade. Make life take the lemons back! Get mad! I don’t want your damn lemons, what the hell am I supposed to do with these? Demand to see life’s manager! Make life rue the day it thought it could give [the pride community] lemons! Do you know who I am? I’m the [group] who’s gonna burn your house down! With the lemons! I’m gonna get my [members] to invent a combustible lemon that burns your house down!"

For the pride community (LGBA+ (orientations), trans people, enbies and queers, and allies): No matter what happens, I support you and respect you. Some of you have done braver things than I ever will. Others have sustained abuse that I can't even imagine.

But at the end of the day, we're all people. All of us. I don't know why some people can't see that. So please, don't you dare give up. We've come so far. The last part of the climb is the hardest, but if we can make it through we can succeed.

They say we have an agenda, a plan, a mission, a plot. They're not completely wrong. We do have a goal. To get everyone, regardless of gender, politics, sex, orientation, or anything else, to be recognized as a human. Not a demon. Not a monster. A human.

So stand together. Fight back. Never. Give. Up. We are the change this world needs. Some may not see it yet, but we are. No matter what. Even if we fail at first, true failure only comes when we stop trying. There will always be more of us. People will be born for as long as our species lives. And as long as our species lives, the pride community will carry on.

And I have proof, because we have lived though harder times. Through history. In the wreckage of Pompeii, a volcanic eruption hundreds of years ago, two men were found in the same bed. They were likely gay. In Shakespeare's Macbeth, from back in the Renaissance, Macbeth literally experiences disphoria. Even Romeo and Juliet has an unintentional reference to bigender people (I think that's the right term).

We are so close to checkmate. Don't. stop. now.

And tag everyone you know. Spread the word.

@bettinalevyisdetermined@itsapmseymour@pmseymourva@badjokesbyjeff@the-one-and-only-duckduckgo@firefox-official@one-time-i-dreamt@pointless-achievements@writing-prompt-s@singular-ghost-sound@your-local-non-binary-friend

[arpov-blog-blog]

The Ohio senator, who is Republican Donald Trump’s vice presidential running mate, attacked the media for actually investigating to disprove the claims and later complained that too few in the media investigate the truth.

Vance spewed the contradictory thoughts in the battleground state of North Carolina.

“I wish the American media was half as interested in the stress on the local schools, the stress on the hospitals and unaffordable housing as they are in debunking a story that comes from the residents of Springfield,” Vance told a rally.

He said constituents from Springfield who say “this thing’s going on” were afraid to give their names because the media will “descend” on them.

Then directly addressing reporters, he said: “Did you ever think about listening to people instead of harassing them? ... Did you ever think about listening to people speak their truth instead of listening to some bureaucrat and assuming that everything that they tell you is true?”

Vance, of course, conveniently failed to mention the townsperson who spoke her “truth” in a police report that apparently fueled many of the racist lies but admitted later that she found her cat in the basement.

“It’s about investigating the truth, and unfortunately far too few reporters do that today,” Vance said.

Again, reporters actually reached out to people in the know to squash the harmful conspiracy theories that Trump and Vance continue to resuscitate.

“There’s no reason for us other than to tell you the truth. We care about our community,” Springfield Mayor Rob Rue told CNN on Monday. “We don’t want lies spread around like has happened for the last 12 to 13 days.”

Vance also danced around a question about North Carolina’s embattled GOP gubernatorial candidate Mark Robinson, who allegedly called himself a “Black Nazi” who gets off on secretly watching women shower.

“Will you continue to support Mark Robinson in this campaign?” a reporter asked.

“I’ll continue to support the people of North Carolina,” Vance said. “That’s what my job is as their next vice president.”

The subject came up again, and Vance attempted to deflect the issue.

[lythea-creation]

Broken Toys - Johanna Mason x fem reader (Chapter 29)

Chapter 1

Previous Chapter

word count: 2.236

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

Saying that Katniss was surprised to see me would have been a great understatement. Her mouth was still open due to the shock when she hugged me.

I had forgotten how comforting Katniss' presence was. In the whole country she was probably the person who could understand me best.

The last years must have been torture, all alone with Haymitch and Peeta, having nothing to do but to go hunting and to think, while living in a house full of memories of a time that would never return. Having time to concentrate on my thoughts was one of the things I was most afraid of in the moment.

“Thank you”, Katniss whispered.

I smiled at her. “I only did what should've gone without saying. By the way I met your mom in district 4. She requested me to tell you to visit her as soon as possible.”

Katniss nodded.

I almost jumped when something grazed my leg, but calmed down as I identified Buttercup, Prim's cat. Surprising that he was still alive.

I leaned down to pet him. Unlike Katniss he liked me.

“He just refuses to die and remembers me of her every day. It's like a warning not to forget her”, Katniss proclaimed sending the cat a sad glare.

It was ironic. Actually without Prim and Rue the revolution might not have taken place. They had been the trigger.

Rue probably would not have been reaped if she had not been my sister. Katniss would not have participated in the 74th Hunger Games if Prim had not been reaped.

Rue and Katniss would have never met. The riots would not have started and Katniss and I would not have met either.

We would have lived our separate lives with our families in a country that would still be oppressed.

Katniss and I had achieved so much, but in the end we had failed to achieve our main goal, protecting our little sister. At least they had not died in vain.

“It might seem random, but do you want to go hunting together? I'm sure we can let Peeta and Johanna here for the time being”, Katniss suggested.

This request took me back to the time when Katniss and Johanna had hated each other and tried to stay away from each other. But I knew that Johanna was not the issue in this case.

Peeta was too loud to go hunting. I had been able to detect his steps from a good distance inside the arena.

Somehow it honored me that Katniss asked me to join her because she only asked people she thought were skilled enough. Though I did not know anyone more silent inside a forest than me either.

“Sure”, I agreed smiling.

Actually we were a great team. I wondered when Katniss had last talked to Gale. Usually they had been the ones hunting together.

After hunting down two rabbits, a squirrel and an unfamiliar bird, we sat down at a small brook.

“Katniss?”

“Hm?”

“Did anything happen between you and Gale?”

“Do you remember the explosion that killed Prim?”

I nodded. How could I ever forget that?

“I'm not sure if you noticed it. After all our time in district 13 has been unsettling, but Gale invented this trap. I can't help myself but connect her death with Gale.”

“I see. You two have always been so close. The war really destroyed a lot.”

“Yeah, it did. Especially us ...”

We grinned at each other.

It was freeing to talk to Katniss again. The fate of our sisters would always connect us and the time in 13 and the Hunger Games had led us to grow even closer. Katniss was like a sister to me.

“I'm going to return to district 11 tomorrow for the first time since I left it for the Quarter Quell”, I enlightened Katniss.

“I needed months to slowly start living here again. Grant yourself some time”, she advised me.

How much time would I need? How much time could I take? All I knew was that time did not wait for me to adjust, to process, to cope, to grieve.

District 11 had changed a lot in a few years. District 11 had always looked dilapidated. Due to the riots it had even been worse than usual when I had left.

Now everything had been rebuilt. The houses looked solid and habitable. The barbed wire fences had disappeared and the workers seemed content.

The only things that had changed not were the huge vegetable patches, orchards and the high temperature.

Johanna looked concerned as well. Maybe I should have returned sooner after all. When my home had still been my home.

Where was my home now anyway? Did I even have a real home? I felt torn.

Johanna placed her arm around my waist and pulled me closer to her. I was not alone. A lot had changed, but not just for the worse. It would be alright.

We only managed to take a few steps before we were surrounded by a crowd. No one would be punished for a short break anymore.

“(f/n)!”

“You're finally back!”

“How are you?”

“Are you visiting your family?”

“What do you say about the new district 11?”

“This is all thanks to you!”

I could not even reply due to all the people talking at once.

“Shut the fuck up!”, Johanna shouted and I could not help but laugh at the shocked expressions of the people around me.

They were not used to Johanna's rough attitude at all. In 11 everyone was acting kind and cooperative.

“Thanks for welcoming me so heartily. I'm sure we will all find some time to talk in peace, but right now my family is waiting for me”, I excused myself politely with a smile.

I waved a last time before setting off with Johanna again.

“I don't get how you can stay so calm”, Johanna ranted.

“They were just being kind”, I resonated.

“Kind seems to be the same as annoying”, she shot back.

At the gate of victor's village I came to a halt. It was odd to be here, especially after my strange dream after the explosion.

My eyes wandered to Seeder's old house and suddenly it felt like something was choking me. This entire time I had denied her death, refused to think about it. But obviously someone else had moved into the house making it impossible for me to ignore Seeder's death anymore.

A choked sob escaped my throat and Johanna immediately pulled me into her arms. She had improved at comforting me during the last years, although I had still suppressed most of my pain.

I pulled away and approached my old house. Theoretically it still belonged to me, but that did not matter.

When I stood in front of the door, I did not know what to do. Should I knock and wait? Should I just go inside? What should I even say after not showing up for almost five years?

Before I could make a decision, the door already opened.

“(f/n)”, Mary whispered in disbelief.

Tears immediately welled up in her eyes as she pulled me into an invincible embrace.

After a few seconds Mary waved Johanna toward us.

The latter was overwhelmed by the request. Usually Johanna was not one for hugs at all. I was an exception.

Before she could protest, I took her hand and pulled her close.

At first she tensed up, but soon gave in. I could have sworn that I had even seen tears in her eyes.

“(f/n)!”, I heard the excited voices of my siblings.

They had all grown so much. Even the youngest, Livia, was already eleven and Lilie, the oldest, was seventeen now.

Without hesitation they joined the hug leading Johanna to tense up again.

“You should have told us that you were coming”, Seth scolded me.

His voice had turned pretty low as he was sixteen now.

“I wanted to surprise you”, I enlightened them.

When they let go of me again, I scanned the room. Actually nothing had really changed.

I walked through the house and it looked exactly like it had five years ago. But what seriously shocked me was the look of Rue's and my old room.

“We always hoped you would come back someday. We wanted you to always have a place to return to”, Mary explained as I was standing in the door frame.

Nothing had been touched. Mary had just kept it clean, but the room looked like eight years ago.

Even though everyone had grown so much and would have most likely loved to have more space, they had not used this room.

Tears were streaming down my face as I entered this room full of memories.

“I can't imagine that Rue and I used to share such a small bed”, I thought aloud.

Nobody replied anything. They knew that they had vanished from my perception right now. I was lost. The pain was so immense that it felt like I was dying.

Suddenly it happened again. Rue appeared, sitting on her bed. But she was not smiling at me like she usually did. She was crying.

I remember you couldn't stop crying

You found me when I thought I was dying

“I'm sorry, (f/n). I forced you to carry such a huge burden. I never wanted you to suffer”, she cried.

I shook my head. “It wasn't your fault, Rue. You always helped me. I didn't want to burden you. I wanted to get over everything, also for you.”

Believe me when I say

I tried so hard to change

“You've always been by my side, no matter what”, I added.

All the crazy shit I made you do

The long nights you held me through

“But I know that I can't rely on you anymore. You deserve to rest in peace.”

Believe me when I say

I could never be saved

Be saved

“Since my first Hunger Games I've been doomed. No matter how hard you tried, you couldn't have saved me anyway. I'll never be able to return to my old self. I know that, though I didn't want to admit it.”

Yeah, I tried

To get it off my mind

To leave it all behind

Don't wanna make it worse

I'm gonna make it work

“I always thought I could ignore it. That the pain would just vanish someday. That it would be enough to fulfill our promise. That it would be enough to free the country. I desperately clung onto this hope.”

I remember you stayed up all night

To make sure I was alright

Believe me when I say

I would have done the same

“I wished for you to be alive so many times. I know how hard it is to be a victor, but I would have definitely preferred helping you through that like you helped me. Though I know it's selfish.”

I hate the way my brain is wired

Can't trust my mind, it's such a liar

“Even now you're still appearing in front of me like you never died. My mind is doing anything to keep me sane, but the truth is that it won't become real, no matter how hard I try to believe it.”

Believe me when I say

I can't carry the weight

The weight

“I can't take it anymore, Rue! It's too much! How much am I supposed to endure before it finally stops? The pain never leaves me! No matter how hard I try, I can't get over your death! I can't get over everything that happened! I'm broken! There's no way to fix me!”

Oh, I'm so disturbed, can't fix the hurt

Can't fix the hurt

I broke down completely and started sobbing. It was like all the grieve I had suppressed for years was coming to the surface now.

I sat there for several minutes and just cried while Rue hugged me.

When I had calmed down enough to listen to her, she started talking again: “(f/n). You did so great. Thanks to you no one else will have to through the things we experienced anymore.

I know you just fulfilled your promise to me, but there is something I want you to promise yourself. Stop shutting yourself off.

Even if you can't see me, I will always be with you. Be happy when you think about me, because I am. I'm truly happy thanks to you.

And there are so many people who care for you. Let them give you the support you need.

Things won't go back how they used to be, but that doesn't mean it has to be bad. You have won so many other people. They will help you to recover.”

She let go of me with a smile. “I will stop appearing now. You have to trust yourself and the people around you. You can let me go now. It's alright”, she promised.

“But what if I don't want to?”

“I'm sorry, but you have to. After all you want me to rest in peace, don't you?”, she reminded me.

“I love you.”

The End

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

Thank you for reading the whole story. It really means a lot to me if you enjoyed it. I'd love to talk with you about it.

[indefiniteimagines]

You Need to be Fucked || Elliot Smut (Euphoria)

Warnings: SMUT, slight degradation, drug use, bomb ass music, language, Dom!Elliot

I met Elliot for the first time at Rue’s house. I surprised her with a bestie day and found them snorting something off a history book. In all fairness, I’ve always been easily persuaded.

We all started bonding before heading back to school. I was talking with Jules before I close my locker and we walk the halls to Rue. She’s talking to Lexi who exists before we approach. Jules kisses Rue and asks how her day has been and I can’t help but smile at their cute interaction before bringing a party the upcoming weekend.

“I don’t know. I got really wasted at Joey’s last weekend, I kinda just wanna chill. Plus I know Rue has NA, right Rue?” 

“Mmmhm,” Rue said while we kind of eyed each other. She’s as sober as a Priest is straight and sadly I’m helping my best friend lie to my other best friend. 

Elliot approached with a “Hey Ladies” before taking a slight bow. The bell rings and Jules pulls Rue to class while Elliot and I rail lines behind the school.

That night I went to Elliot’s and it was an experience. We got high together, listened to music and talked about how we would want to be discovered if we were ever murdered. Nothing too bloody, but definitely something to make them say, “Oh yeah, that bitch is dead”.

That weekend we both went to Joey’s without the girls and unbeknownst to me, the host and I hit it off. In the coming weeks, he was hanging out more with Rue and Jules and I was hanging out with Joey. I could see he was getting closer to them and it made me a little jealous. To get back at him, I would leave him on read in the middle of our conversation. Then he started to that shit to me. It kind of turned me on, but I hated it at the same time. Joey just gets insecure and asks if I still want to be with him if I leave him on read.

When we finally did get together, we had a lot to catch up on. We were listening to Vedo and he was speaking truth. I do need to be fucked because Joey just isn’t giving it like I need it. I cum, but I’m bored after. There’s no excitement, no taming, no pushing boundaries. To be honest, when Jules told me about her Elly, I wanted that.

You just need some head in the shower, or maybe back shots in the shower. I love it when you open it up. Have that pussy lookin' like a flower

“Are you getting horny?”

“What? No. Why?”

“Because you’re moving around a lot and I know what that means for girls.”

“You don’t know anything, Elliot. Just listen to the song,” I said blowing out smoke.

“I know this song represents you,” he said looking up to the ceiling. I damn near choke on my hit with that ridiculous announcement.

“I’m sorry, what? How?”

“Oh come on. You do fuck with lame niggas. From the stories you tell me, you’re not getting what you need.”

“And how do you know what I need?” I started to get a little defensive.

“It’s obvious,” he shrugs.

“Fuck you, it’s obvious. You don’t know me, Elliot.”

“Whoa. Why you being such a bitch right now?”

With that I was leaping off the floor and charging him.

“What the fuck did you just call me? WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU JUST CALL ME!?” I got in a few licks to his chest before he caught my wrists in his hands. He roughly pulled me flush to him,

“A bitch. Why are you being one? Or did those Oxys make you go stupid. Huh?” He poked me in the forehead and I was shocked. His condescending tone made me red with blush and anger.

“Get your hands off me.” He lets go and puts his hands up while walking backwards. His fucking smirk made what I’m about to say so much easier,

“And that’s why Jules doesn’t trust you,” I turn my back and bend over to collect my things, “you fucking sit there and you judge people like you’re fuckin God.”

I turn back to face him and he’s now stalking over to me while putting his joint out on the desk. I continue talking my shit while growing more and more alert. He removes my backpack off my shoulder and then slowly wraps his hands around the front and back of my neck.

I go silent.

He slowly licks my lips and looks deep into my eyes before whispering, “I don’t know how Joey let’s you talk to him, but you don’t get to be a bitch to me and get away with it.” He kisses me deeply and my breath hitches in my throat.

“So instead of acting out, be a big girl and tell me what you need.”

You've got a mouth witcho mean ass. Ohh, sometimes you can act like a bitch, but I know you don’t mean it. I know you don't mean it. You just need some TLC, THC, long dick and Hennessy, yeah that's me. Don't be afraid to speak your mind. Let me know, let me know.

I just stare at him and then he guides me to the bed and lays me down. Once there, we’re all over each other. Kissing and biting and fighting for dominance, which he wins.

I struggle against his grip and he just laughs at me. He leans down and bites my lip, “You’re so hot like this,” he grunted as soon as he released my lips. His mouth moving lower down my jaw and neck, “Fighting me.” He sits up and back on his heels to remove his shirt.

I reach up and dig my nails into his bare chest as a protest in losing dominance. He winces and then rips the front of my t-shirt before giving me a light tap to the cheek. I couldn’t help but moan.

“Shut the fuck up. You lost that privilege when you couldn’t even tell me what you’re thinking. What disgusting and degrading thoughts run through that beautiful brain.”

He takes of our bottoms and finishes tearing my shirt. In a last ditch effort to make him be at my mercy, I try to flip us over when he’s distracted. He wrestles me back into position, “Do you think I’m stupid?”

He rolls me on my stomach and bends to my ear, “Do you think I’m Joey?”

I try to head butt him, but he dodges it and his left hand finds the back of my neck again. His right goes to my throbbing pussy.

“Since you won’t tell me what you’ve been thinking about, I’ll tell you what I’ve been thinking about.” He inserts a finger only half way in,

“Touching you.” His finger goes all the way in before pulling out and adding another. He thrusts them in and out a few times before pulling them back out. He leaned back over my shoulder and took my hair in his hand to raise my head and look at him.

“Mmmm, tasting you.” He sucks his fingers clean before disappearing. I feel his tongue enter my soaking pussy and I almost cum right there, but I would never let him know that.

He removes his mouth and bites my shoulder, “Taking you.” He pushes his hard cock into my wet pussy and my eyes roll back into my head.

“Owning you.” He thrusts roughly a couple times before I’m practically screaming.

“Ohhh god, Elliot!”

He pulls out before sitting back on his heels and running his hand through his blonde curls.

I whined at the loss of contact and looked back at him,

“Please…” the word fell from my lips in a broken cry as his hot breath caressed my cheek.

“Please what?”

I know girls can never say they want it. Girls can never say now. Shawty just tell me you want it. Baby just let that shit out.

“Fuck me,” I whimpered, trying to raise my ass back against his hardness, but he held me down.

“Do better.”

“Sir…” I sighed, too desperate to care if I sounded pathetic or not. “Please fuck me.”

He hummed and bottomed out. I let out a moan and a smile appeared on my face but disappeared when he didn’t move.

“Tell me.”

“Ellyyyy.”

He starts to pull back out when I start begging, “I’ve thought about you inside me,” I whimpered and this time he rewarded me with three strong pumps inside my cunt. “I’ve thought about you to pinning me down and ramming your big cock so hard I see stars and I can’t sit for a week without feeling you.”

He lets out a growl and pulls me to my knees. He starts to pull me back into him, “was that so fucking hard? You put yourself through all this and for what?”

He shoves three fingers in my mouth while mercilessly thrusting into me until I’m soaking the sheets beneath him. I try to pull myself off of him, but he held me there.

“Pull yourself off my dick again and see what happens.”

He makes me cum again before emptying himself on the small of my back. He pushes back in to ride out his high. He finally stills his movements before pulling out and grabbing the towel. He joins me on the bed and pulls me in his arms,

“Are you alright?” he asked, raising his flushed and sweaty face, eyes full of concern. “I was pretty rough with you.”

“Nothing I couldn’t handle.” You smiled up at him. “Thank you, Elly. That was perfect. My legs are fucking numb.”

“We’ll I’m down for round two whenever you are…”

You need some love. You need to be fucked

[sublimecatgalaxy]

Ok so I have an idea about a fez smut lol, like it’s fez and the readers wedding day and they’re really happy to start this new chapter in their lives together but everyone keeping pulling them aside and they don’t really get to see each other as much as they want and idk maybe ash or rue notices this and creates some kind of distraction and fez takes advantage of that and pulls the reader into a bathroom stall and they can’t keep their hands off of each other and basically christen their marriage in a bathroom stall at their reception lol, my imagination is just firing ideas at me and I don’t wanna write them myself lol 💕🧿

So cute.

This was supposed to be our day to share together, have it be all about us and our relationship. But our relationship has been pushed to the back burner for everyone else around us, letting our friends and family pull us every which way. I get that people were excited, especially those on my side who have not met Fez until today. Most of them lived states away and there was never an opportunity to get to know the love of my life but that means that today's the day that they want to know everything and anything about him.

The amount of questions from relatives that have kept me away from my new husband was ridiculous. Questions about babies and the honeymoon, our future, the house that we're moving into; every question was just time away from my man.

Somewhere along the way, Rue and Ashtray both picked up on the fact that Fez and I were only managing to share fleeting glances and quick kisses throughout the reception as drinks get passed around. Thank god they did realize because I was dying to get my hands on my husband, his hooded eyes following me throughout the room.

His hands pull at the zipper that runs along my spine, his lips passionate and needy against my own. He reaches over to the door, clicking the lock shut as I giggle, moaning quietly as his lips trail down the column of my throat.

Bunching up my dress, I quickly help him to slide my panties aside, my heart racing as it hits me that we're really sneaking away from our own wedding to fuck in a country club bathroom. Flipping me around, my hands settle on the cool counter as he bends me over, my back arching as I watch him through the mirror in front of me. This has got to be the naughtiest thing we've ever done together, the pure filth making both of us moan out loud as he slips inside of me.

This was beyond needed after the day we've had, allowing us to get both of our jitters and nerves out on each other while falling apart, along with giving us time together, time that we wouldn't be able to share again until later tonight when everyone goes home and leaves us alone.

His hands grip my hips as my head falls forward against the tile, the feeling of him filling me up makes my head spin as aimless moans slip from my lips. He mutters quiet praises under his breath as I grin, knowing my makeup will definitely need some retouching after this adventure, tears pricking at my eyes as I shutter.

I'll have to thank Ash and Rue later on.

[theinvisiblecapricorn]

Won't Even Know It. Pt. 2

Warning: Fluff, angst, adult language.

By the time I arrived at home, the clock had struck 12, meaning it was the new year.

I tried to put my bike away as quietly as possible. I texted Fez, like I promised.

To: Fezzy

From: Y/N

I made it home safely and well. Happy new years, again.

From: Fezzy

To: Y/N

Glad to hear so, Y/N Y/L. Party sucks w/o you tho. Kinda miss u.

I smiled at the last sentence. He missed me and wasn’t trying to hide it.

To: Fezzy

From: Y/N

Oh stop it. I’ll come thru tomorrow, so you won’t be missing me for too long.

He read my message, but never replied. It didn’t make me doubt for a minute tho. Fez is a busy man. Everyone, except my parents, would say businessman even.

I made my way inside. Closing the door very slow, so it wouldn’t make a lot of noise once I closed it. I tiptoed my way up the stairs and reached my bedroom. Once I opened my door, I heard someone cough behind me. It was my sister. Y/S/N always held a type of jealousy against me. She did her best to grant my parents’ wishes as possible as she could.

‘’ Where were you? ‘’

‘’ Just, chilling with Rue. ‘’

‘’ Were you taking drugs with her? ‘’ I laughed at the comment. Just like Fez, my family couldn’t stand Rue because of her choice of living.

‘’ No, I wasn’t taking drugs, and neither was Rue. We were simply watching a movie. ‘’

‘’ Whatever. ‘’ and with that, I disappeared into my room.

I quickly changed into my pajama’s before slipping under my blanket. I checked my phone one more time, nothing. I put my phone on my nightstand before closing my eyes. It didn’t take long before I fell asleep.

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of shouting downstairs. I got up and went downstairs. I saw my entire family sitting at the kitchen table. The moment I walked in, they looked at me.

‘’ Where were you last night? ‘’ My mom asked me. I looked at my sister, who had a smirk on her face.

‘’ I was with.. ‘’ My dad interrupted me.

‘’ Oh, stop it, we know you were at the party with all the junkies and girls who dress like hookers! ‘’ His comment surprised me.

‘’ Yes Y/N, we know. Why would you lie to us? ‘’

‘’ Because I know this would be the way you guys would react. I feel like a fucking prisoner in this house. ‘’ My mom gasped.

‘’ Y/N Y/L, watch your tone. We didn’t raise you like this. ‘’ I laughed.

‘’ No, you raised me like I am an adult. I could never make a tiny little mistake or enjoy being a teenager. I always have to think about my future, about being a loving housewife and taking care of my three children and my prick of a husband. And for what? So I could die and go to heaven? ‘’ I could feel myself become angry. Everything I always held in, kept my mouth shut about, was coming out and there was no way of stopping it.

‘’ We don’t want you to be around Rue anymore. ‘’ I felt like the floor disappeared underneath my feet.

‘’ What? No, you can’t decide that for me. ‘’ ‘’ Yes, we can. You still live in this house, under our roof. So yes, we actually can. ‘’

My mom had tears in her eyes. ‘’ She’s a bad influence, I don’t even recognize you anymore. ‘’ This family is becoming more and more delusional every day.

I was done with this conversation and made my way out of the kitchen, until I heard my sister say ‘’ What about her boyfriend, Fezco? The one who sells drugs and made Rue overdose? ‘’ I felt my blood pump through my veins and before I knew it, I run up to my sister and let my fist hit her cheek. My mother screamed at me, while my father pulled me of off my sister. My father put me down and pushed me into the hallway.

‘’ You, leave this house right now and don’t bother ever coming back. ‘’ I ran up the stairs, grabbed as much clothing as I could before going outside and getting on my bike. With tears in my eyes, I drove towards the only person I needed the most right now.

Happy fucking New Year to me.

As I arrived at Fez’s store, I saw myself in the reflection of the window. I looked like a fucking mess. I sure felt like one.

I walked into the store and saw Fez sit behind the counter. As soon as he saw me, his smile turned into a worried look.

‘’ Y/N Y/L, you okay? What happened? ‘’ I quickly wiped away my tears as I flashed Fez a weak smile. ‘’ Nothing, nothing to worry about. ‘’

Fez left his spot behind the counter and walked towards me. ‘’ What are you doing here? ‘’ ‘’ Didn’t I say I would come by to see you, so you wouldn’t have to miss me too much? ‘’

Fez chuckled. ‘’ You sure did. ‘’

Fez walked over to the cooler and took out two cans of sprite. He handed me one and he told me to take place on the stool behind the counter. We talked for a bit, nothing too serious. I’m kind of glad that he didn’t ask anything about my state earlier. But even if I didn’t want to admit it, I needed a place to stay. Even if it was just for tonight.

‘’ Fez, could I ask you something? ‘’ He looked at me, with his beautiful eyes and long lashes.

‘’ Yea, sure. ‘’ He climbed up on the counter to sit on it and waited for my question. I opened my mouth but was interrupted by a figure walking up into the store. I saw Fez’s eyes lit up as he started smiling. The moment those next words left Fez’s mouth, I felt my heart shatter in my chest right there and then.

‘’ Lexi Howard, how ‘y doing? ‘’ It was as if my entire world fell apart.

To be continued..

Click here for the previous part:

https://theinvisiblecapricorn.tumblr.com/post/675370334071996416/wont-even-know-it

[little-diva-gurl]

You are the best drug I consume

Elliot x Reader

Warnings: drug addiction, sexual thoughts

Word Count: 1.4K

Have you ever felt like every time something went wrong you could just wrap yourself up in a blanket like a burrito and ignore everything that goes on in the world? Better yet, I could’ve asked if you ever felt like a plastic bag drifting through the wind wanting to start again?”, but those are just lyrics from Firework by Katy Perry. Well my drug of choice and ONLY drug is weed, Mary J, marijuana, cannabis, etc. it calms all anxiety, depression, anger, majority of the negative feelings I get on a daily basis.

It’s my sense of Euphoria, and no one will be taking it away from me. My parents knew I smoked but they never voiced their concerns, because that would make them hypocrites when they smoked too. I made sure to tell them when I’d go out to smoke with friends or hang out with Rue the ex-drug addict (when everyone knows she’s not clean she just denies it when we ask).

New years Eve and parties are something that definitely mix well with weed, other drugs, and alcohol. I already smoked a blunt of strawberry kush that smelled amazing with my champagne toast perfume from bath & body works. My dark red tight dress hugged my tits, and ass perfectly with my blood red stiletto nails. Rue texted me the address letting me know where she would be when I got there, which was with Fez (our lord and savior).

Walking through the crowded house consisted of one gigantic fuckwad named Nate Fucking Jacobs. Maddy’s (hopefully stays that way) ex-boyfriend who’s dad likes to fuck minors (Rue told me about Jules), that kid has many anger issues with bigger daddy issues than every kinky girl with daddy issues have. But what caught my eyes was that Cassie Howard was with him hopping out the truck making my eyes widen.

“Oh fuck, that’s fucked up. Maddy will fucking kill Cassie if she finds out.” I whisper to myself walking slightly quicker into the house before either one could make eye contact with me.

Pushing through people who I might’ve known and just didn’t give a single fuck to know their names, because there’s reason to care since they’re mindless zombies. I head to the living room seeing Fez and Rue talking making a smile appear on my face finally seeing faces that I recognize and care about.

“Hey guys, how’s it going? Excited for a new year of bullshit and school?” I asked while approaching them making their attention turn to me

“Y/N! What the fuck is up, girl? Need more weed from me? I got a new shipment today.” Fez asked making me smile and shake my head declining his offer since I was already stocked up.

Fez was a drug dealer but he was like a brother to me making sure I take care of myself as well as keeping me well stocked on weed since I pay him up front instead of Rue. usually when I need someone to smoke with since Rue hasn’t smoked a lot of weed, because she’d rather take stronger pills.

We talk about personal things like the future, or how our days went, or how we feel deep down. He’s someone I trust as well as Rue, since he’s someone that will listen and give an opinion even when he has a lot going on especially with his grandma and Ash.

“Y/N, you wanna go to the bathroom with me? I just don’t want something to happen while I’m sobering up.” Rue asked me while getting up with a squinty smile.

“Alright, I’m coming especially with Nate Jacobs being here who knows what will happen later.” I said making Fez glance around since he’s the one that snitched him out to the cops

Saying a quick see you later to Fez as he lit up a joint, Rue and I walked towards the hallway where the bathroom might be. Lexi passed us but not without asking if we knew where Cassie was, making us reply with a no. She sighed telling us to let her know if we see her as we walked further into the hall seeing Maddy knocking on a door which might be the bathroom.

“Hey Maddy, are you waiting on the bathroom too?” I asked her making her turn around with an irritated sigh making me giggle slightly while Rue turned around walking to another hallway to find somewhere to get high. I’ll just follow her after talking to Maddy.

“Yes, but Nate decided he wanted to take a fucking shit at a party! Can you believe that?” Maddy told me making my smile drop instantly remembering seeing Nate with Cassie when I arrived

“Huh, what a dick. Who takes a shit at a party? Hold that in until you get home.” I answered making her laugh while groaning knowing she has to pee causing me to laugh even more with this weed in my system

The door opened up with Nate Jacobs glaring down at Maddy and I as he pushed her out the way, probably heading towards the alcohol to drink. In my head I’m hoping Fez or Ash beat the shit out of him for ratting them out, especially when I had to wait a whole month without my supply since I wouldn’t buy from anyone else. Maddy walked into the bathroom after saying a bye to me as I turned away to find where Rue had gone.

Heading towards the hallway that she went to, my eyes then found a familiar blonde girl with Kat. Jules. She was back and that made me frown slightly knowing that Rue went to a dark place, especially when she almost OD’d in front of me. I walk faster down the hall opening some doors Rue nowhere to be found. I checked the last one and opened it to find a guy with bleached blonde tips in the laundry room sitting on the floor with 2 fingers on Rue’s pulse.

Fuck.

Author's Note: Hi guys! this is my first time actually writing something and really posting it, please I would love feedback as well

[mesillusionssousecstasy]

HOTD 1x06: Quotes

- “Do keep trying, Ser Laenor. Soon or late, you may get one who looks like you.” (Alicent to Laenor)

- “You will have a dragon one day.  - He’ll have to close an eye. - I know it.” (Alicent and Haelena to Aemond)

- “I have raised this matter before and you forbade me to speak of it, so I held my tongue. To have one child like that is a mistake, to have three is an insult, to the throne, to you, to House Velaryon and the match you battled so hard to make for her. Not to mention decency itself.  - The consequences of an allegation like the one you toy at would be dire.” (Alicent and Visery)

- “Have I lost my sanity, Ser Criston? Do my senses lead me astray? Or is everyone else asleep, dreaming the same woolly dream? She flaunts the privilege of her inheritance without shame. She expects everyone in the Red Keep to deny the truth our eyes can all plainly see.  - The Princess Rhaenyra is brazen and relentless. A spider who stings and sucks her prey dry. A spoiled cunt. - I have to believe, that in the end, honor and decency will prevail. We need to hew to that and to each other.” (Alicent and Ser Criston)

- “If Rhaenyra comes into power... your very life could be forfeit. Aemond’s as well. She could move to cut off any challenge to her succession. You are the challenge, Aegon!” (Alicent to Aegon)

- “It’s hardly a fair match. - I know you’ve never seen true battle, ser, but when steel is drawn, a fair match isn’t something anyone should expect. Most men would only have that kind of devotion toward a cousin... or a brother... or a son.” (Ser Harwin and Ser Criston)

- “Yet his Grace the King. It seems, will not accept what his eyes see. This flimsy shield alone stands between you and the headsman. The willful blindness of a father towards his child. I wish my father affected a similar blindness.” (Ser Lyonel Strong to Ser Harwin)

- “You do not desert your post when the storm lashes. The wise sailor flees the storm as it gathers.” (Laenor to Rhaenyra)

- “How sweetly the fox speaks when it’s been cornered by the hounds. - She is sincere. - She is desperate. She feels the earth washing away beneath her feet and now she expects us to ignore her transgressions and for me to marry my only daughter to one of her...plain-featured sons. - The proposal is a good one, my Queen. We’re a family. Let us put aside these childish quarrels. Join hands and be stronger for it.  - You may do as you wish, husband...when I am cold in my grave. - Alicent.” (Viserys and Alicent)

- “You have served me faithfully for many years, 10 as Hand. Your advice has been sage, unmarked by self-interest...which stands in contrast to all others.  - You speak king words...but there is a shadow over my house and it grows ever darker. I can no longer serve you with integrity.  - What is this shadow? - Name it, if it casts such a gloom.  - Yes, we must have your reasoning in plain language.” (Viserys, Ser Lyonel and Alicent)

- “I thought as much. His honor’s always been a millstone about his esteemed neck. But the Hand is compromised by the acts of his son. My father cannot give unbiased counsel to the King. - It is now that I most rue the absence of my own father. He wouldn’t hesitate to speak the truth to the King. If Otto Hightower were still Hand.. - You cannot say, my Queen, that your father would be impartial in this matter.  - No, but he would be partial to me!” (Alicent and Larys)

- “What of your position? You’ve always said if you were absent from court, she would pour her honey in your father’s ear.  - The wise sailor flees the storm as it gathers. Laenor...bring him. We’ll need every sword we can muster.” (Rhaenyra and Laenor). 

[abbatoirablaze]

SDAU, Red Light Baby, House Mom

Word Count:  1.1k

“Baby, we’re fine,” Mike laughed as he watched Kitten cleaning up the kitchen.  He couldn’t stop the smile from coming on his face as he watched her nesting, “you don’t need to do-“

“Let me do this,” she laughed, only walking up to him to press a sweet kiss to his lips, “I need to do this.”

“You need to take it easy,” he pointed out, gently rubbing her stomach, where her ever growing baby bump rubbed against his abs, “remember what happened last month?”

“I was bleeding because of a reaction with the drugs coming out of my system…even Sammy said the hatchlings are fine!” she reminded him.  He swept her up into his arms and sat her on the counter, and then he placed his hands on her belly after moving himself between her legs, “tell daddy that you two are fine.”

When neither hatchling shifted Mike felt himself worry, but she leaned against his chest and nuzzled her nose against his throat, inhaling his scent.  Both of the hatchlings began to kick wildly, thumping around in her stomach.  Mike smiled. 

“They’re saying hi, daddy…aren’t you going to acknowledge them?”

Mike began to rumble, which only caused Kitten to giggle as she pushed away from him and hopped off the counter.  She walked back to the island and went to work on continuing to make breakfast for not only himself, but his brothers.  Mike’s smile got even larger as she came back over with a stack of food for him.  Pancakes.  Bacon.  Eggs.  Even a glass of orange juice.

“You still didn’t have to do all of this for us,” he pointed out, looking at the plate hungrily.  She laughed and went back to the pans, filling the platters of food that she’d cooked off for his frat brothers who were coming downstairs and loading up their plates, “I mean-“

“Shut up man,” Ari laughed, “some of us can’t cook, and our mates are finishing up their midterms before they allow themselves time with us.”

“I can’t cook either, so I’m extremely grateful for this,” Mini added in, “Steve has been in a mood lately because Bucky found out that I’m with him and is now hounding him to get back together…so sweet cooking dates have been cut out because he’s lost in alpha dream land!”

“Am not!” Steve said quickly, “Bucky only wants me because he wants ownership of a theta and an omega and he knows that you’re with me first and foremost.”

“Stevie, no one could own you or mini,” Kitten offered as she stroked the junior’s cheek, “you two are both much too bratty to allow a silly alpha to contain you.”

Steve smiled happily as he looked at Kitten, “you think so?”

“If you two want Bucky in your little menage, you make him work for it,” she smiled, booping him on the nose, “and you make him rue the day he ever let your cute little self go.”

Steve beamed, looking around the room, “yeah!  You’re right.”

“You’re gonna be such a good mom, kitten,” Mini smiled, “can you adopt me and Steve?”

“What do you say, Weiss?” Kitten teased, “Want a whole little hodge-podge mix of shifter babies?  We got two dragons in the oven, but what about a lion and a wolf?”

“I’m not adopting anyone that’s older than me.”

“Oh come on!” Steve whined, nearly jumping out of his chair to rush Mike, “you’re going to school to be a lawyer.  The paperwork would be a snap.  Alpine likes Kitten…you could even have us do the chores around the house when you get a little white picket fencer.”

Ari couldn’t help but laugh at the situation unfolding, “if you guys are adopting Mini and Steve, you’re adopting me and Arianna too…and I’m filing straight for missed allowance and breakfast every Sunday morning where mom is cooking.  So fire up the buffet mom, because we’re all coming in for breakfast!”

“I do actually really like this,” Kitten admitted softly, “d-do you guys think that even after the babies we’ll still be able to get together and do stuff like this?”

“Maybe not every week,” Ari frowned, backtracking on his former statement, “I-uh…I’m going to go to DC during the Christmas break for an interview to be an intern after I graduate up on Capitol Hill!”

“Oh my god,” Kitten squealed, running over to the large bear to wrap her arms around him, “that’s amazing!  Congratulations, Ari!”

“I didn’t get the job or anything ye-“

“What about Arianna?”

“She knows about the interview,” he admitted sadly, “a-and we talked about doing a long distance thing for a while so she can conti-“

“You aren’t taking her with you?” Kitten asked with a frown, “but she’s your mate, right?  I thought that mates went everywhere with their partners.”

“I want to take her with me…but coming here is her dream,” he frowned, “I-I can’t pull her away from that.  Not only that, but Pepper hasn’t graduated either, and the two of them are working on stuff for Tony’s dad’s company.”

“Well…I want to be mad because you aren’t taking Arianna, but I understand,” Kitten frowned, “you know she’d go with you if you asked her, Ari…”

“I’ve been toying with the idea of asking her around Spring Break,” Ari admitted, “I don’t want to do the long-distance thing…and I’m hoping a few months for her to think about it will let us both see that we’re better together and she’ll come with me…maybe she’ll be open to transferring by then.”

“Take it from someone who’s spent way too long ignoring what they wanted,” Mike commented as he stepped away from his chair and wrapped his arms around Kitten, “don’t let anything step in your way. If you don’t want to go to DC without her, Ari, you need to tell her.”

“I don’t want her resenting me though…”

“Trust me…she’s your mate,” Kitten smiled, looking back over her shoulder to see Mike, “she won’t resent you, Ari.”

“Gee…maybe you guys should adopt us,” Ari chuckled, looking between Kitten and Mike, “younger or not, you’re definitely giving me parental advice right now…and I kind of feel like I should take it.”

“See…we got this parenting thing on lock, and they aren’t even here yet!” Kitten smiled, leaning back to kiss Mike’s cheek.

“I’m still not adopting any of you!” Mike laughed as he kissed his mate’s cheek, “I’ve got two hatchlings and a mate to focus on.  I don’t need a bear, a lion, and a wolf to go with it.”

[p-artsypants]

Crushed

Stuck under a collapsed building together, Chat Noir and Marinette have a heart to heart.

Ao3 | FF.net

I originally wrote this as a secret santa gift, but it strayed too far from what the giftee wanted, so I did something else. I decided to finish this anyway, and I hope you like it!

—

This akuma attack was not going great. He called himself ‘Bomb Voyage’ (“Like in the Incredibles?” “Yes, Chat. I do believe Hawkmoth ripped that name.”) And he was blowing things up right and left. 

When the Lucky Charm bullhorn fell into her hands, she had some sort of plan in the works, but it all fell short at Chat’s shout. 

“My Lady! Look out!” 

The building right in front of her, mere feet away, exploded suddenly, the only clue being Bomb Voyage’s finger point. 

There was no time to run. No time for Chat to scoop her up. Only impending destruction and carnage. 

So Chat leapt, his arms wrapping around her head, and tackled her to the ground as the rubble rained down. 

It felt like ages of pain before things settled. They both coughed out lungfuls of plaster dust that still hung in the air. It was mostly dark, with a scant bit of light from above. 

Chat was squished, but he pushed up on his arms and felt Ladybug move slightly. 

“My Lady?” He asked. “Are you alright?”

“My leg hurts. I may have sprained my ankle. How are you?” 

“I took a brunt force to the back when the building collapsed. It hurts, but...I can’t really feel my legs.” 

“Chat...” 

“Though, that could just be bad circulation. I’m in an awkward position.” 

Ladybug’s earrings chirped. 

“Crap,” she muttered. “I used my lucky charm. Do you think you can cataclysm your way out of here?” 

He twisted his neck in an effort to look around, though the dust of the rubble was still thick. He looked towards the light source above them, able to see where it was coming from, but it looked several feet away. “Negative, my lady. I think we might need some outside help for this one.” 

She bit her lip nervously. “I don’t hear anymore explosions.” 

“That’s good. Right? Maybe Hawkmoth thinks we got crushed and stopped his akuma.” 

“Yeah, that’s great…unless he’s got someone waiting to take our Miraculous’ off our corpses when we’re dug out of here.” 

“Ever the optimist, hmm?” 

“It’s my talent,” she smirked. Her earrings beeped again and she turned her ear toward Chat. “How much time do I have left?”

“Looks like two minutes.” 

“Great…”

“I can close my eyes.” He offered. They were basically nose to nose, and her hands where trapped below his arms, so she couldn’t reach up at all. 

“I…I don’t know…”

He raised his eyebrows. “You don’t know?”

“We need to find a way out of here,” she switched topics. “Or find a way to contact emergency services to get us out.” 

“My baton is still on my back, if you can reach it.” 

Ladybug groped around blindly, feeling for the staff. 

“That’s my butt.” 

“Oh, sorry.” She blushed, and then moved her hand up. Once she found it, she held it out to her side as she could see the screen. “I’m about to detransform, but I have a cookie for Tikki in my purse. As long as it’s still there, she should be able to recharge before they bust us out of here.” 

“I didn’t even think about that,” Chat winced. 

Ladybug dialed the number. 

“112, what’s your emergency?” 

“Hello, this is Ladybug and Chat Noir. We’re in a bit of a pickle.” 

“How can we help, Ladybug?” 

“A building collapsed on us, and we’re pinned and can’t get out. We’re on Rue de Lappe, not far from Bastille.” 

“I’ve got your location on my map. I’m sending the fire department your way.” 

“Is there any sign of the Akuma?” 

“We’ve gotten similar calls about being trapped, but they stopped coming in a few minutes ago.” 

“Thank you. I’m going to extend Chat’s Baton out through the rubble so they can find us.” 

“Alright, I will pass that information along. Good luck, Ladybug!” 

“Thank you!” Carefully, Ladybug aimed the Baton towards the little hole to the surface, and extended the staff, the top breaking through the topside. 

“And now...we wait.” Her earrings beeped again. 

“So...you don’t want me to close my eyes?” Chat asked for clarification.

“I’ve been thinking...if I’m the guardian, and something happens to Plagg, like he gets sick or something, you need to be able to find me out of the suit, you know? It’s just you and me...” 

“Does that mean you want to know my identity?” 

She grimaced. “I should but—“ 

In a flash of pink, Marinette remained, looking sheepishly at him. “...I need a little time to come to terms with this.” 

His eyes were impossibly wide, staring at her, drinking her in in the scant light. “Marinette? Marinette Dupain-Cheng?” 

“Howdy?” She squeaked. 

He squeezed his eyes shut.

“Chat?” She asked, fearfully. 

“Sorry,” he whispered. He opened his eyes again, and his lip wobbled. “I just—I’m trying really hard not to cry.” Despite this, a tear fell from his eye and landed on her cheek. 

She tried not to cry herself. “Are you that upset?” She whispered. 

“Upset?! No! How could I ever—Marinette, I’m thrilled beyond belief! If it was anyone else—“ he clenched his eyes shut again, as more tears started to fall. “I admire you, and trust you, and respect you more than anyone else.”

“Chat...”

He smiled tenderly. “You know, I had hunches. I was almost completely certain until Kwamibuster, too!” 

That made her wince again. “Oh Chat, you know I didn’t mean to lie to you...” 

“I know, I know, at the time, it was too risky.” He continued to smile, his tears subsiding. “I know this isn’t ideal, but I’m glad I get to see you now.” 

“Kinda makes Evillustrator funny, huh?” 

He laughed. “You’re right! I forgot about that! Hey! You called yourself cute!” 

“I am cute!” She pouted. 

“You are cute,” he agreed, taking her in. “I’ve stared at your face a lot, but you look so so different without the mask.” 

“It’s the glamour,” she elaborated. “That extra bit of magic that makes it hard to connect the dots.”

“I know how it works,” he smirked. 

“Right...sorry, this is just...weird.” 

“Good weird?” 

“I feel naked.” 

“You just say the word, and I’ll get naked with you.” 

She threw him an unamused look. “Don’t be gross.” 

“Sorry, I can’t help cracking jokes around you. Although, I’m sure you were wishing I was secret mystery boy right now instead, right?” He waggled his eyebrows in an attempt to hide his heartache. “So who is it? It’s Luka, right?” 

It was like she had her mask on again, cheeks red as a tomato. “No...it’s not Luka.” 

“Oh...aren’t you guys dating?” 

“Not anymore. We did, for like a week. If you could even call it dating. He just came over to my house during my downtime, and played his guitar while I worked on commissions and stuff. It was nice and all...but I prefer the piano.” She looked away. 

“Piano, hmm?” He smirked. “You know, I’m an excellent piano player...and the real mystery guy is too?” 

“You can’t laugh.” 

“I would never.” 

“I doubt that,” she said flatly. 

“I promise, I know you don’t like people shallowly. So whoever it is, I know it’s genuine.” He smiled softly, encouragingly. 

Marinette screwed up her lips and admitted, begrudgingly. “Fine. It’s Adrien. Adrien Agreste.” 

The sound that Chat let out was not a laugh. But it wasn’t a great sign. It was like a wheeze, but a gurgle. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“I just...” he blinked several times, trying to convince himself this wasn’t a dream. Ladybug was Marinette! And she had a crush on him! “I...am surprised, is all. I didn’t know you were...close?” 

“I sit behind him in class. He’s one of my best friends. Our best friends are dating, so sometimes we end up being third wheels together?” 

“Oh. And this is the same guy as before?” 

“It’s always been Adrien.” 

Chat hoped she couldn’t hear the pounding in his chest. “Oh...even when Glaciator hit? When I found you sad on your balcony?” 

“Yep. He was supposed to meet us for ice cream, and he didn’t show...I kind of told Andre that love was bogus, and that’s why he got akumatized.” 

Chat laughed at that. “Aww, it’s okay, Marinette. I’m sure he had a good reason for not showing up...” 

“I’m used to it,” she said dully. “His father is a huge pain in the ass. I used to respect him, but now...he’s a jerk. He constantly holds Adrien’s freedom ransom to make him do stuff. It kills me! You know when I was in New York?” 

“Yeah?” 

“I had to beg his father to let him go. It was a class trip, and he was the only one not allowed to go! Just because his father is so concerned with his safety.” 

“Can you blame the man? We’re currently trapped under a pile of rumble.” 

“But as soon as I’m out, I’ll lucky charm and cure everything! Poof! Sprained ankle gone! Whatever’s wrong with you, gone!” 

“What do you think your parents would do if they found out you were Ladybug?” 

Marinette thought for a moment, and answered honestly. “Probably be sort of angry, and worried. But I think they would understand. They respect us a lot, even after my dad got akumatized.” 

“Don’t remind me.” He groaned.

“What about your parents?” She asked. 

“My mom would have been excited. I think. Worried too, but excited for me. But my father...well, he’d rip off my miraculous and make sure I never saw the light of day again.” 

“That bad, hm?” 

“I’m not exaggerating. I’m in the same boat as Adrien, extremely sheltered.” 

“I’m sorry,” she smiled softly. “I didn’t know.” 

“I didn’t really want you to know. Chat Noir is supposed to be my safe place, my wild and crazy side. I’m afraid if I start talking about home, I’ll admit things that civilian me doesn’t want to.” He exhaled, his chest bumping with hers. “God, it is just so easy to talk to you. Now more than ever.” 

“Really? You know me that well?”

“I know enough. And maybe it’s just because I’ve got you pinned and you can’t go anywhere.” 

She laughed at that. “Well, we’ll probably be here for a while. And...I still want you to hide your identity for a while, but if you want to talk about your life a little more, that’s fine.”

“You sure?” 

“Yes. It really is time for us to know who each other are, I’m just...not ready.” She huffed, and his bangs fluttered. “This was unavoidable, but let’s plan for your reveal, so I can be emotionally prepared.” 

“You won’t be. You will cry.”

“You say that with an awful lot of certainty.” 

“Trust me, when you behold me in all of my unmasked glory, you’ll cry.” 

“Alright. Can’t wait to prove you wrong.” 

He smirked. 

“Chat? Are you shivering?”

“Uh…yeah, kinda.” 

“Are you cold?”

“Not…not exactly. I’m holding up a lot of rumble so it doesn’t crush you…and I’m pretty claustrophobic.”

“Why didn’t you say anything earlier!?”

He laughed, but it lacked any mirth and was filled with quiet panic. “Uh, just…you know…trying to stay calm.”

“What can I do to help?”

He exhaled shakily. “I don’t know, but talking about it isn’t helping.” 

“Okay, well, why don’t you keep eye contact with me, and…let’s just talk.”

“About what?”

“I know you’ve got a whole list of questions you’ve been dying to ask me. Now’s your chance.”

“Damn it!” He nearly shouted. “I had a whole notebook full of questions I wanted to ask you, but it’s at my house!”

“Well, you know where I live, so you can ask me some other time if you want.”

“Deal!” He screwed up his lips. “But first, since you mentioned it, Weredad.” 

“Oh god…”

“Why did you say you were in love with me?” 

She winced. “To be quite honest, I thought you were going to find out who I was…and the poor excuse just flew out of me before I could think through the consequences. I didn’t think my dad would overhear anything, and I didn’t think you’d show up for brunch.” 

“You didn’t think I’d show up? Me? The biggest gentleman in Paris?”

“Okay fine, I hoped you wouldn’t show up.” She rolled her eyes. 

“Now that I’m thinking about it, there’s a lot of shenanigans that could have been prevented if—hold the phone, how did you do Multimouse?!” 

“Fox miraculous,” she shrugged. 

“The Fox! Of course!” 

She laughed, his reaction calming her nerves. “I understand what you mean now, it’s easy to talk to you. It’s always easy, but I didn’t notice until you said it.” 

He wouldn’t meet her eyes. “You don’t always feel that way.”

“I mean, I get frustrated with your jokes when I’m trying to be serious, but that doesn’t mean—“ 

“That’s not what I meant.” 

“Oh?”

He swallowed thickly. “Civilian me…you…you have a hard time…” He trailed off, not looking at her face. 

“Chat?”

“Did you ever tell Adrien? That you…you know?”

She tilted her head at the sudden topic change. “Uh…no. I tried, but it was never meant to be. Every time I did, something would go catastrophically wrong.” 

“Like what?” 

“Like...I gave him this scarf, right? For his birthday. And I forgot to sign it initially, so I snuck into his house and left a sticky note on it. Somehow, it still managed to go wrong, and he thought it was from his dad.” 

Chat stared at her, wide eyed. “And you never told him?” 

“No, he was happy believing that it was from his dad. His happiness is all I want.” 

It was hard to describe the look on Chat’s face. Almost pained, but still full of love. Like seeing something so precious it brings you to tears. “You did that for him? You really love him that much?”

She looked away, “Unfortunately.” 

“Why unfortunately? Is he a jerk?”

“No, not at all. I just…I know he doesn’t love me back. ‘Oh Marinette, you’re such a great friend.’ ‘I’m so glad I have a friend like you.’ ‘Please stay my friend forever!’” She shook her head. “That boy has me firmly friend-zoned.” 

He winced, “I’m sure he didn’t mean it like that. He probably really really likes you, and just wants you to know how much he appreciates your friendship.” 

“And that’s another reason I can’t confess. He doesn’t have a lot of friends, and I don’t want to ruin our friendship.” She groaned. “I sound so pathetic! It’s so stupid.” She shook her head. “I wish I had your bravery.” 

“My bravery isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. It’s gotten me hurt pretty badly, after all.” 

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” he smiled at her softly. “You feel how you feel, and I just hurt myself.” He gnawed at his lip. “Actually…can I ask a really dumb question?”

“I don’t see why not.” 

“You don’t have to answer it…actually, no. I shouldn’t ask at all. Nevermind.”

“Well now you have to ask,” she chuckled. “I’m curious.” 

He rolled his eyes. “Okay, but don’t hate me.” 

She nodded him on.

“Why…why did you go out with Luka if you knew I loved you? Do you also like Luka? Or…are you just that…repulsed by me?”

Marinette’s mouth fell open in quiet shock, and she inhaled some dust. She turned so she wouldn’t cough in his face at least. 

“Sorry,” he tried to sooth. “I told you it was stupid. You can date whoever you want…” 

She cleared her throat, and then wheezed out. “You just wanted it to be you.”

“…yeah…”

“Chat,” she leaned up to tap her nose against his. “To say I have absolutely no feelings for you would be a lie.” 

He looked hopeful. “Really?”

“They’re still developing. But I noticed thoughts I have about you sometimes. Missing you, thinking you’re cute…but Luka was the safer option at the time. I was trying desperately to get over Adrien. Luka and I weren’t really friends first, so if it didn’t work out, it wasn’t a big loss. But with you…” She looked into his eyes, an insurmountable amount of pain and unsaid words just beyond his reach. “I could lose everything.” 

“You won’t lose me, My Lady.” He said softly. 

“Oh kitty,” she moaned. “I…I never want to lie to you…but there’s something that I haven’t told you. Something I should have a long time ago. I just…don’t like thinking about it.” 

“What is it?”

“Chat Blanc.” 

At her hesitation, he prodded her on. “What’s a Chat Blanc?”

Her whole face tightened, lips curling into a thin line, eyes squinted hard, and brow furrowed. “It’s…he’s your akumatized self.” 

“What?” He breathed. “But I’ve never been akumatized.”

“No, not anymore. You see…Bunnyx helped with it. Somehow, the event of me signing a gift to Adrien triggered a series of events that got you akumatized. I don’t know what the correlation was, but…you knew my name, and you said our love destroyed the world.” 

“The world?”

“I hate thinking about it,” she winced again. “The whole of Paris flooded, the Eiffel tower knocked on it’s side, the moon exploded. Everyone, including me and Hawkmoth, turned to dust. You cried when you saw me. You asked me to save you, but you also wanted my earrings, wanting to fix everything yourself. So we fought.” 

“I assume you won, if you’re here.” 

“Yeah...the Akuma was in your bell. Your all white bell, on your white suit, with your white hair and blue eyes...” she shuttered. “I still see you like that in my nightmares.” 

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” 

“I didn’t want to mention it. I didn’t want to worry you, and I didn’t want to remember. I knew I should have told you sooner, though. I’m sorry.” 

“...I understand.” He swallowed and exhaled in a whoosh, all the debris above them shifting. He moaned, ending with a hiss. 

“Chat?”

“Sorry, I moved and realized that I’m a little more hurt than I thought.” 

“What’s ‘a little more hurt’?” 

“Uh…I think I’m…I’ve been impaled?”

“What!?”

“It’s not that bad, the suit took most of the pain. I just…am having a little hard time breathing, and I thought it was from my claustrophobia, but I think something is lodged in me.” 

Very carefully, Marinette reached up and felt along his back. A lot of debris was laying flush to his suit, but as she moved her hand around, she noticed he felt wet and sticky. 

“Yeah, I think you’re bleeding, kitty.” She said so sadly. She touched where the wound was and he cried out in pain. It was his lower back, by his spine. 

“I’m sorry!” She pulled her hand away. 

“S’kay,” he hissed out. “God damn, that hurt.” 

“I promise, as soon as we get out of here, I’ll magic you right as rain. Just...just hold on, kitty.” 

He opened an eye to look at her, still fond through his pain. “Are you panicking?” 

“Yes! I was worried when the building collapsed, but now I’m on the verge of pure panic!” 

“I must admit, this is not how I expected today to go.” He breathed slowly, the pain subsiding when he held still. “Actually, I didn’t imagine this happening when I found out who you are. You being Marinette is like…the cherry on top of a diarrhea sundae.” 

“Do you like cherries?” 

“I love cherries.” He whispered. “I got grounded today.” 

“Oh.” 

“I was having lunch with my father, a rare treat. My friend texted me and I answered without thinking. My father became upset that I would do something so ‘rude’. He said if my friends were more important than him, then he shouldn’t bother eating with me. Then he took my phone.” 

“That’s the kind of assholery that I’ve come to expect from Adrien’s dad. You’re in that boat too?” 

“Unfortunately, yes. Come to think of it…he’s probably the reason I got akumatized in that other timeline.” 

“You think so?” 

“It’s a hunch. I don’t often get upset about things, but when I do, it’s usually because of him.” He sighed, ending with a wince. “That’s something I haven’t admitted to myself until now.” 

“Kitty...” 

“I didn’t mean to bring that up...” 

“It’s okay. I’m glad you did. I want to be able to support you where you need it.” She could see that he was spiraling into depression, and quickly sought to remedy that. “What was your daydream like? When you would find out who I was?” 

A twitch of a smile took his face. “I knew I would spend a long time staring at you, memorizing what you look like without the mask.” He took a shaky breath. “And I thought, when we decided to share our identities, it would be because you finally fell for me. So there was a kiss. And a lot of roses. It was sappy...but it made me happy to think about it.” 

“Can I ask...what it is that you love so much about me? In case you don’t know, there’s a lot of differences between Marinette and Ladybug.” 

“I know,” he smiled. “But there’s plenty of similarities. Your strength, for example.” 

She laughed. “Chat, Ladybug can throw you across the city. But Marinette couldn’t even lift you.” 

“I bet you could! We should test it later! But I meant your strength of heart.”

“You sound like an anime character.” 

“Well, it’s important to me.” He blushed. “You aren’t wishy-washy. You don’t cater to the voices around you. You do what’s right. You want justice. Even when akumas and civilians tell us to go or step down, you get up and fight.”

“I do that?”

“Yes. The day you stood up to Hawkmoth, and you promised Paris that you would fight for them until the end? That moment, I said, ‘no matter who that girl is, I love her.’ And even now, it hasn’t stopped. I may even love you more.” 

“Chat…” She sniffed. “I…I care about you so much. And I know that if Adrien wasn’t in view, I’d fall for you hard and fast. But I can’t.” 

“I know, Marinette. Just knowing…that maybe someday…”

“All the more reason to get rid of Hawkmoth, right?” 

He nodded, a tear slipping from his eye and landing on her cheek. “Today sucks.” 

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s really not your fault. And I’d much prefer that you were here, under me, than being alone. I’m handling my claustrophobia a lot better because of it.”

“I’d much rather be under you too.” 

He gave her a smile, and then snorted with a little blush. “Oh my lady…”

“I thought we were being mature.”

“Me? Mature? Come on.”

“Yeah, I should have known better.” 

“You’re beautiful too,” he added. “I’ve always thought so. As Ladybug and Marinette. I saw you with your hair down once, and it’s haunted me ever since.” 

“You saw me with my hair down?” She questioned, trying to ignore the hot blush on her cheeks. 

“Yeah, it looked really nice on you. I know it’s not practical for crime fighting, but…” 

“Maybe for a patrol,” she offered. “When things are calm.”

A smile graced his face as he sighed deeply. 

The pile above them shifted, and Chat let out a cry of pain. 

“Kitty?”

“This sucks!” He moaned, leaning his forehead down to her face. “Sorry, whatever is in me moved, and I really felt it.”

“Please don’t apologize, Chat. If anything, I should apologize, you took the hit for me!” 

“My Lady…you didn’t do anything wrong. If I can help it, I will never let you get hurt.” 

She closed her eyes, trying not to cry. “It breaks my heart that you would do that. I don’t want you to be a meat shield, I want you to be my partner.” 

“You said it yourself. Once we’re out of here, you’ll do Miraculous Cure and set me right. So I’ll take the hits if I have to.” He sucked in a harsh breath. “Even if it hurts like a bitch.” 

With her hands trapped at her sides, she couldn’t reach up and wipe his tears away. So she opted for the next best thing. She leaned up and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you for protecting me. I know you’re going to say it’s your job, but I really do appreciate how much you look out for me.”

“I love you, Marinette. Of course I’m going to protect you.” 

She shook her head slightly. “How can you just say that so casually?” 

“Why bother hiding it? You know already. I’m not going to bottle it up.” 

“I just…wish I could do that. With Adrien. I wish I could walk right up to him and say, ‘I love you, you magnificent human being’ and crush my lips to his perfect face.” 

Chat hid his blushing face in her shoulder. “You should. I bet you’d make his day.” 

“Yeah, or he’d freak out, and sue me for sexual harassment, and then I’ll be the laughing stock of the school, no, all of Paris! The whole world, maybe!”

“Do you often catastrophize?” He chuckled. “I’ve heard you do it before.” 

“Usually only with Adrien. I just…don’t want to mess things up.” 

“I don’t think you will. I know Adrien. He’s a nice boy. He won’t turn you down.” 

“You can’t possibly know that.” 

“Call me a psychic.” 

She scoffed. “Whatever.” Then she shook her head. “Whether or not you’re confident he won’t reject me…I don’t think I’ll ever tell him. I’ve tried to get over him, but I just look at him and melt all over again. I’m sorry Chat.”

He was quiet, his face resting next to her head, cheek against her ear. After a moment of contemplation, he asked, “hey, you like pink, right?”

“Oh? Uh, yeah.”

“I’ll do it tomorrow. A dozen pink roses, maybe some red and white in there too for flavor.” 

“You’re doing what tomorrow?”

“I’m going to reveal my identity tomorrow.”

“After all that? What about Adrien?”

“Don’t worry about him right now. I’ve been thinking. If you and I know who each other are, in a crisis, we’d be able to communicate better.” 

“What do you mean? What kind of crisis?”

“I’m just trying to imagine what happened with my akuma. If there was a problem with my father or miscommunication, we could better solve it without identities in the way.” 

“Okay, yes…” she considered. “But please don’t get your hopes up, okay? I would love to spend time with you out of the suit, but I won’t fall for you instantly.” 

“I suppose you’re right. After all, how can I compare to the amazingly handsome Adrien Agreste? Well, he won’t be a problem for much longer.” 

She frowned. “You say that like you’re going to kill him.”

He laughed. “No no, Bugaboo,” he said fondly. “Look, everything will make sense tomorrow, I promise…as long as I don’t bleed out down here first.” 

“You’re acting really jovial for someone with a mortal flesh wound.” 

“Tis a scratch.” He breathed a shuddering breath. “Or so I hope.” 

“Ladybug! Chat Noir!” A male voice called from up above. 

“Ugh, finally,” Marinette muttered to herself. “We’re down here!” She called. 

“We’ll get you out as soon as we can! Any injuries?” 

“Chat has a…bit of a scrape.” 

“An ambulance is on the way!” 

Marinette didn’t want to tell him it didn’t matter. Once she did the cure, he’d be right as rain. 

Right?

“Marinette,” Tikki piped up. “I’m all set, whenever you are.” 

“Alright. Tikki, Spots on!”

The pink flash only helped the first responders locate them quicker. 

“There’s the baton!” His voice sounded closer. The light above was distorted by a rain of plaster, before it was replaced by flashlight light. “Hello?”

“We’re down here!” Ladybug called, moving her arm under Chat. 

“Can either of you move?”

“Chat’s pinned, but I might be able to wiggle out, with some help.”

“We’ll get a sling. We might be able to pull you up and out.”

“Once I get my arms free, I should be able to cast the cure and set everything right.” 

“Great plan, Ladybug! We’ll have you out in a minute.”

Ladybug nudged Chat’s nose with her own. “I’ll cast it as soon as I’m free. Can you hold out that long?”

“I’ll have a dozen pink roses. And I’ll wear something nice, like a sweater. Or maybe a dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up. I heard the ladies love that.” 

“Chat?”

“I’m trying to focus on something else instead of being trapped.” He explained. “Sorry, I might not be very useful for the next few minutes.”

“Okay,” she kissed his cheek. “You do what you have to.” 

The fire department lowered a strap attached to a chain into the hole. “If you can maneuver that under your arms, we can pull you out.”

Using Chat’s Baton, Ladybug was able to pull the strap closer. Very slowly and carefully, she wriggled it under her armpits, careful not to jostle Chat in the process. 

“Jewelry could be fun. I know she doesn’t like it when I’m extravagant, but surely she would cherish it if I gave her a ring.” He had his eyes shut tight, his brow furrowed. 

Ladybug gave Chat a pitiful look. 

“Alright, I’m ready!” Ladybug called to the rescue crew. 

She was pulled out from under Chat. Though, she had been supporting his lower half, and he sank to the ground as she slid away from him. This jostled the debris violently, and he cried out in horrible, agonizing pain. It was the worst sound she had ever heard. 

“Chat!” 

He kept howling, sounding like he was being ripped apart from the inside out. 

Ladybug pushed on the piles around her, hurrying to get free. 

The moment she broke the surface, she called for her Lucky Charm. 

It was a rose, and she teary-eyed through it up into the air, and called for the cure. 

The explosion of Ladybug’s surrounded her, mending her ankle and silencing Chat’s cries. 

She touched down on solid, undisturbed concrete, and turned to find Chat face down on the ground. 

“Kitty!” She cried, voice cracking as she rushed to him. 

He pushed up on one arm. “I’m okay, My Lady. Just a little winded.” 

“Are you sure?” 

He stood slowly and stretched. “Yeah. All cured.” 

She hugged him. Tight and sure, maybe squeezing a little harder than she should. 

“Bug, I can’t breathe.” He chuckled. 

“Sorry, I just...”

He hugged her back. “I’m never going to turn down a hug though.” 

Her earrings beeped. 

“Are you both alright?” Asked the EMT on the scene. 

“We’re all better,” Chat assured. “Thank you for your help!” He gathered Ladybug close to him and put an arm around her waist. “We gotta go though!” 

Ladybug only had a second to realize what he was doing, before she was lifted off her feet and into the air. 

“I can travel myself, you know. I still have time.” 

“Sure,” he shrugged. 

He carried her all the way to her balcony, before setting her down. Her transformation ran out just as they landed. 

“Thanks for the lift, Kitty.” She scratched under his chin. But as she looked in his eyes, she saw tears. “Chat?” 

He sniffled and hugged her again. “Just...a sucky day. I wanted to hug you in privacy. I know how you get when people assume things about us.”

“Well, it’s different when you’re getting handsy and when you need comfort from a traumatic experience.” 

“I never get handsy,” he argued. “I just like to be close. I’m touch starved.” 

“Well, from what you told me today, I believe you.”

He laughed mirthlessly, and pulled away. “I really do feel better now.” He reached up and cupped her face, letting his thumb trail across the apple of her cheek. “No matter how bad this day was, it will never taint the absolute elation of finally seeing you.” 

“Chat...” she blushed. 

“I must be the luckiest man on Earth. Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Ladybug, all rolled into one. I can’t believe it.” 

“Two transformations and you still don’t believe me?” 

He smiled. “My brain believes, but my heart never gets so optimistic.” He cast his gaze away. “Even if you...change your mind...” he mused. 

“About what?” 

“Nothing. Never mind. I’ll just...see you tomorrow. With a dozen pink roses.” 

“I’ll get a vase ready.” 

He reluctantly pulled away, like tearing himself from her was physically painful. He hopped up on the railing of her balcony, and with a little salute, he hopped into the night. 

“I’m proud of you, Marinette.” Said Tikki. “It had to be hard being that honest with him. 

“I didn’t really have a choice. I can’t imagine how much worse that experience would have been for him with his eyes closed the whole time.” 

“It’s over now. And tomorrow, you’ll know who he is too!” 

Marinette whined. “I don’t know if I’m ready for that...” 

“It’s a little late for that. What? Are you going to run at the first sight of flowers?” 

“I might.” 

“It’ll be fine. Marinette, I know who Chat is. And I promise, it’ll all work out fine. Great even. Just, take a shower, and go to bed. Then you can wake up early and mentally prepare yourself.” 

Marinette chuckled as she dropped back down into her room. “What would I do without you as a life coach?”

“Sleep through most classes.” 

“It was a rhetorical question.” 

—

In the morning, with the extra sleep Tikki had urged her to get, Marinette rose and dressed. 

Then the nerves turned on. 

“What if I just fake sick?” 

“Don’t you dare! You’d hurt his feelings!” 

“You’re right...but I really do feel like I might throw up.” 

“Just relax. You’re going to love this.” 

“If you say so...” 

After breakfast, Marinette wandered over to school leisurely. Tikki would say she was stalling, but Marinette would disagree and state she was simply taking advantage of being early. 

At the front steps, students were gathered. No roses. In the courtyard, teens milled about. No roses. In the locker room, her locker was devoid of anything that wasn’t supposed to be in there. 

“Well well well,” said Alya, with too much bravado. “Lookie who’s early!” 

“Yuck it up. I was tired and went to bed early last night.” 

“You sure you aren’t eager to see Adrien today? He looks pretty cute in that button up.” 

In all the confusion surrounding Chat, Marinette had honestly forgotten about Adrien. Her. Forget about Adrien. Perish the thought. 

“I mean...it would be a bonus.” She muttered. 

“Well, he’s up in the classroom. If you were wondering.” 

She wasn’t. Or hadn’t been, until now. But it seemed that Chat wasn’t ready to reveal himself yet, and Marinette still had time to prepare. 

She ascended the steps and headed to the classroom. 

What she wasn’t expecting, was seeing Adrien standing there, sunlight filtering through the window to make a halo in his hair. He wore a black button up shirt, sleeves rolled up, and had a dozen pink roses in his hands as he talked to Nino. 

Dare she hope? Dare she dream?

She just stood in the doorway, staring, before he noticed her. 

“Good morning, Marinette.” He smiled at her, looking warm and inviting and…nervous?

“Goo-goo-good morning, Adrien.” She stumbled. She glanced down to the flowers, then up to his face. “Um…those don’t happen to be for me, do they?”

With a twinkle in his eye, he smirked. “Why? Just because something is pink, you think it’s for you?”

She deflated. “Haha, right…that was really forward of me.”

With a pleasant hum, he leaned in and whispered in her ear. “I’m just messing with you, My Lady. These are for you.” He placed the bouquet in her shell-shocked hands. 

“My...?” She breathed. The word was just a whisper, barely heard by even him. 

His smile was broad and gleeful, squinting his eyes and coloring his cheeks. “Mmm-hmm!!” He hummed eagerly as he nodded. 

Marinette had to shut her eyes as a sound like a laugh and a sob burst from her lips. Tears started immediately, and there was no way to stop it. 

“I told you you would cry,” he teased. 

“You jerk!” She blubbered. Then she tossed the flowers at a confused Nino before throwing her arms around Adrien, and sobbing into his shoulder. “I love you, Kitty.” 

He squeezed her back. “Do you really? Because I’m getting mixed signals.” 

“You’re awful. You’re wonderful. I’m a mixed bag of emotions. Just hold me.” 

“Can do!”

As other students came in, seeing the couple embraced, they gave them thumbs up and congratulatory back pats. 

And then Lila entered. 

She halted, hid her sneer, and said, “oh no! Marinette! What’s wrong? Why are you crying on Adrien like that?” 

He patted Marinette’s hair. “Happy tears, no worries.” 

Marinette refused to let Lila ruin this moment. It was far too perfect. Adrien was far too perfect, the flowers, her kitty...

Mustering all her strength, she hooked her arms under his, turned and spun his into a dip. 

“My lady?” He breathed, in awe. 

“You’re the love of my life. I should have kissed you yesterday. I definitely wanted to.” 

“You did?” He smiled drunkenly. 

“Yes, like this.” And she slammed her lips to his, kissing him just like she had in her dreams. 

Adrien let out a contented little mewl as he tangled his fingers in her hair. 

The class went wild with roars and cheers. 

Before she could drop him, Marinette righted Adrien. “Sorry, I just...wanted to do that for a while now.”

Adrien nuzzled her cheek with his nose. “Oh don’t worry, Bugaboo. You can smooch me whenever.” 

Nino made a gagging sound. 

“Oh, well I’m very happy for you guys,” Lila feigned a smile. “But Adrien, are you sure your father will be okay with this?” 

Chloe, who had known this was coming since she saw the roses, stood and stalked over. “Okay, you’re done. Bye!” 

“Chloe, I’m just trying to be rational...” 

“And Adrien is the most deserving person for a happy ending...even if it’s with Dupain-Cheng.” She cast Marinette a glance and rolled her eyes. Then she looked back at Lila. “Though, he could do worse.” 

This made Marinette and Adrien giggle. 

Lila scoffed. “Fine! Make me the bad guy! But don’t come crying to me when Gabriel tells you to break it off!” 

Adrien whispered in his new girlfriend’s ear. “Even if my father makes Adrien and Marinette break up, Ladybug and Chat Noir follow their own rules. It might not be the most fun, but we’ll make it. Then, once I’m 18, I’ll propose.” 

Marinette laughed, kissing him swiftly. “Oh my sweet kitty. Let’s take it slow for a little while. We have the rest of our lives to be that insufferable couple.” 

Alya, who had come in not that long after Marinette but stood quietly in the door, finally spoke up. “Adrien, I couldn’t bear to tear you away from your Princess. So I’ll take your seat.” 

Adrien just grinned in gratitude and hugged Marinette. “This makes that building collapse yesterday totally worth it.” 

“Does that mean...you had a crush on me?” She teased.

“No, my Lady, I fell for you.”