#it just will be soon with the next expansion! I've seen the new one on the Beta server and it looks great

[a-lonely-dunedain]

excited for the new Last Homely House update! went ahead and took screenshots of its old version for nostalgia's sake

I love the way the update looks but I feel like I might end up missing this old outdated version, just for the memories

[neptuneiris]

sparks (03/04)

Did i drive you away?

pairing: business-boyfriend!aemond x fem!reader

summary: at the beginning your relationship with aemond is perfect and there were no worries. until he becomes the Heir of his father's company, the most important in the whole country and certain events and certain people start to interfere in the relationship.

word count: 8.8k

previous part • next part • series masterlist

there will be an epilogue coming soon!

here it is finally! thank God!

I'm so sorry for the delay beautiful people, it's been heavy weeks where I was writing parts but I couldn't finish them, so my writing time was extended more because I didn't finish, plus I moved, my cat is lost and I've felt very sad about that, besides college, presentations and more, but seriously I love writing, it's my way to escape, so I didn't feel any pressure, don't worry about it :)

I hope you like this new chapter a lot, I'll be waiting for your comments, so enjoy and thank you so much for your patience and support!

In the midst of your relationship with Aemond, things between the two of you are charged with tension.

After the conversation with his grandsire, Aemond's suspicions could not have been more accurate because of the way he behaved. Despite everything he told him and left him thinking about the future of the company, he still tried to talk to you about it.

But you, again, did not let him.

Aemond had to go back to work, just as you also went back to taking care of your own responsibilities such as college.

Aemond's life was still immersed in a whirlwind of responsibilities and commitments. From the moment he woke up, got ready and set foot inside the company, he was already doomed to a busy day.

He had to attend meetings with his key executives, discuss financial analysis, take online conferences, answer emails, calls with partners and clients.

Every moment his desk was filled with reports, financial projections, documents and more that he had to review in detail. Not to mention that the partnership with Alys Rivers is still ongoing.

Still he would make the effort to get home early and spend time with you, every night making an attempt to talk to you about what happened that night, but you wouldn't let him, as you had things to do as well.

If not college, then work, besides having to clean the apartment, do laundry and make food, which Aemond offered to help you with, but the two of you feel completely distant from each other.

Because both he and you know that things between the two of you just aren't right.

They are not since that one night nor does it help you to read every moment in the magazines how Alys Rivers has been seen entering the Targaryen building, where Aemond is always mentioned as well and he assures you that they only had meetings even though you don't even question him about it anymore.

Each of you is immersed in your own thoughts, Aemond feeling helpless, frustrated and sad, his gaze reflected by a deep regret in his heart at not being right with you.

And although he wants to find a way to fix things, you don't want to create any more problems, more than anything else you don't want to interfere between his grandsire and him.

And as the days turn into weeks, communication is no longer paramount, the whole relationship feeling like emotional paralysis, with no clear path of how to reconnect where you hide in your to-do's and Aemond barely has time to spend time with you.

So you find it easier to forget about it and wait for him to do it too. But inside you are still just as hurt, humiliated and sad.

And that little free time he has left for you is simply not enough to try to talk to you, besides you won't let him.

Until that time of the year when Aemond has to travel to attend social events or board meetings, also to meet with his partners around the country to oversee the expansion of the company.

Until he tells you that the first trip will be to Storm's End with his brother Aegon, then to Highgarden and Winterfell with Helaena and at the end to Casterly Rock… with Alys Rivers.

And that you definitely don't like to hear.

"I'm not traveling with her, we're just meeting there for the event."

He lets you know as he starts packing his bags for this two-week trip and you help him out, because even though you're both going through a silent fight, you still care about him and have always helped him with this kind of thing.

But you do feel that discomfort all over you knowing that she is also going on a trip to the same place as him. And Aemond knows it as he watches you out of the corner of his eye, knowing your mannerisms very well.

"Eleanor and Cole will be with me the whole time," he tells you softly, "And I'm already preparing everything with my publicity team for when the press starts publishing pictures of her and me, I don't—

"It's okay," you tell him softly, placing his ties perfectly in the suitcase, "I understand."

He watches you for a few seconds without saying anything, as you continue to put his clothes away the right way, feeling his gaze on you but not watching him back, to which he lets out a long breath.

"I just want to make sure you'll be okay," he tells you just as softly as before, getting up to stand next to you, "I don't want you to be worried all the time. You know I would never do anything to hurt you."

You press your lips together, watching him for a few moments to refocus on the suitcase.

"Yes, I know," you tell him to cut the subject short, saying nothing more.

At this Aemond watches you with some sadness, concern and anguish, but at the same time with love and tenderness, desperately longing for you to share more of your thoughts and emotions with him without pressuring you.

But since he knows you won't, he chooses to hug you.

And he does it carefully, tactfully, knowing that at any moment you may push him away, but to his surprise, you feel your high barriers of defense crumble at that moment, his gesture catching you off guard.

And you with a little hesitation, in the end decide to hug him back, since of course you missed him just as much as he missed you, both of you sinking into a soft and comforting embrace, where finally just for that moment, everything feels right.

There is hope.

Aemond feels his whole body stop tensing the moment he feels your arms wrap around him to hug him back, he lets out a long breath and pulls you tighter against him, hiding his face in your neck.

And you hide your face in his chest too, inhaling his comforting scent, feeling at home again.

"You know you can come with me, right?"

He murmurs in your ear, making you smile softly against his chest.

"I'd love to but I can't. I have to work and attend my classes."

He lets out a resigned sigh.

"Then on your vacation we'll arrange a trip, I promise," he tells you then leaves a soft, tender kiss on your forehead.

You raise your gaze to him as he lowers his so he can watch you.

"Like when you took me to Winterfell?"

"Yes," he smiles softly, "Now where would you like to go?"

"I don't know," you shrug, "Maybe to the Iron Islands?"

"Perfect."

He tells you then leaves a soft kiss on your lips which you reciprocate, both of you pulling each other back into a tight embrace where neither of you want to let go.

And even though Aemond doesn't want to ruin the moment and the fact that possibly this invisible barrier between the two of you will no longer be there, he feels it's the perfect time for you both to talk about the topic you've been putting off that needs to be talked about.

"Y/N, about that ni—

"We need to keep packing."

You interrupt him instantly, gently pulling away from him and turning your gaze back to his suitcases, causing him to look at you sadly for a few moments.

"But—

"I'll go get your shoes."

You cut him off again, to start to move away from him and head towards the huge closet, leaving him with no choice since you definitely don't want to talk about it.

After that moment you both went through, that comforting moment, fortunately you don't feel that emotional distance anymore, since now you both sleep hugging each other, share breakfast and dinner together, also share about how the day went, like before.

Even on some nights there are movie nights, where finally Aemond finds that comfort in your arms, hugging and kissing you at almost every moment.

And you too after a stressful day at work or you are going through a lot of stress because of your classes, you hide from the world in his arms, feeling good and being that exactly what you need.

Until the day comes.

Aemond has to leave.

You drive him to the airport, where his private jet will be waiting for him along with Cole, Eleonor, you understand, his agent as well, and other security people.

The goodbye is hard, even though he's had to leave for business trips before, so neither of you know why. And by the time Aemond's jet flies, that discomfort returns throughout your body and so does that uneasiness.

At all times he lets you know of what he's doing, or at least the important things, like that he's already landed and also that he's already arrived at Aegon and Cassandra's penthouse where he'll be staying.

Before when he went on a trip he also did the same, letting you know where he is and what he will do, mostly to keep you informed, even now he sends you pictures of his breakfasts and also some views from Aegon's house.

You are more concerned that he is well and of course being miles away, it makes you feel safe that he talks to you about what he is doing and what he will do next, like attending those social events which is what he travels mainly for.

Until the day of the important event arrives.

Being at work, about to finish your shift, obviously you are not allowed to have your phone at hand, but when the time comes and now you have to go to class, when you look at your phone, you see severe messages from Aemond and also the notification of a link to a magazine.

This immediately tells you bad news.

And it definitely is when you read the title of what the magazine link is about.

Alys Rivers, co-owner of Riverlands Group seen at Storm's End… click for more.

You click on the link, curious, attentive and with a frown on your face.

The very famous businesswoman, soon to be partner of the important company Targaryen Inc, Alys Rivers has been spotted at Storm's End to attend an event attended by the most important businessmen from all over the country, among them, Aemond Targaryen. She has been spotted an early partnership between them but rumor has it that there may be more than just a partner relationship. We have also been informed that Rivers will be attending the same events as Targaryen in some parts of Westeros where Targaryen Incorporation has distributions of his company, so it is no coincidence.

After reading this, you read Aemond's messages, getting an idea of what they are about.

And you… you don't even know what to think anymore, let alone feel.

It makes sense that he didn't know anything, since at this point after what happened with his grandsire, it doesn't surprise you that he didn't tell him anything because he knew Aemond would do something to prevent it.

And how convenient that also Alys didn't report anything about her presence at all the other events since it was only known that she would travel to Casterly Rock.

Later that day you see how Alys does indeed show up at the Storm's End event and Aemond quickly sends you a picture of everything, of him with Aegon, Cole and Eleonor, wanting to make you feel at peace and safe.

Then later he sends you picture of him arriving to his hotel room, he even sends you a voice message telling you about everything that happened at the event, he tells you that Alys talked to him, that again she tried to cross physical boundaries but he wouldn't let her.

Also that they both had to take pictures together, but nothing else.

And the next morning there are a lot of videos and photos of the event where he is with his brother, his partner Borros Baratheon and more businessmen.

There are also the photos of him with Alys, even videos where the two of them talk and she again touches him on the shoulder and arm like that, smiling flirtatiously at him all the time, but Aemond turns away from her to go to some men.

It's as if she knows that at that moment there are many cameras around and they are recording, so you get the impression that she is doing it on purpose.

But all you can do is really nothing since Aemond is the one telling you everything to make you feel calm, so you just continue with your daily routine, focusing on work and your classes.

Although of course unconsciously your mind is on Aemond and his trip, also on her.

Fortunately what comes next is more… relaxing.

The next event is in Highgarden, where once Aemond lands, he sends you a picture of him with Helaena, where he tells you that she sends you greetings, both smiling at the camera, making you feel a comforting warmth all over your chest as you see the picture, smiling softly.

During the whole trip in Highgarden there is nowhere where Aemond is not with Hel, even in the event when he is around Rivers, Hel is always with them.

The same happens in Winterfell, as Hel must also attend as she is the one who made the partnership with the Starks possible.

Aemond sends you picture of her very comfortable on one of the jet couches, also of the two of them having dinner and watching a movie, even at the hotel they both ask for a room for the two of them with two beds.

At the event also the two of them are together, there is even a very professional photo of the two of them with their partner, Cregan Stark, where he with Hel give a welcome speech to all the guests and then Aemond with him make known the innovations in their companies thanks to the partnership.

It's simply all work, as it should be. You even see Rivers in some photos and videos, but compared to Storm's End, she doesn't look very pleased lately.

Until the moment comes when Hel will no longer be in Aemond's company. And from then on, you can't help but feel uneasy.

And apparently Aemond also feels the same restlessness as you do despite the miles of distance that separate you.

He sends you pictures of absolutely everything, from the moment he starts his day until it ends. He also tells you what he's going to do, even if it's taking a shower, yet he tells you to let you know that's why he won't write you back quickly.

He even sends you video of what he will eat, mostly to let you know that there is no one with him in the room if that is your concern, also at night, telling you that he will go to sleep.

Honestly, Aemond has never done this before on a trip and even though you didn't ask him to, as if wanting to see where he is and what exactly he is doing, wanting to check on him at all times, Aemond does it for your peace of mind.

And without wanting to, you already find yourself waiting for him to send you picture or video of what he will do next, feeling paranoid and to some extent a controller.

You know that this is wrong, that it is not necessary, that neither of you have ever acted this way before and that it is as if you want to know Aemond's movements every second in an unnecessary and… toxic way.

And it's not right, you know it's not.

But Aemond feels that need and so do you, even if you don't want it, you feel that need to know that Rivers is not taking advantage of your absence and worse…. That he is giving in to it by making the partnership possible.

But Aemond would never hurt you, he has told you that and you know that, but you also know as well as he does that he has the eyes of almost everyone on him and will have problems with his grandsire by the time he returns because of Rivers' disconformity.

So even in the event, Aemond feels more that need to let you know that she's not around Rivers, that he's not doing anything wrong or giving her and him anything to talk about.

And the worst part is that you are there, attentive, waiting and watching it all.

Even after the event is over, Aemond tells you that he's going back to his hotel room, telling you that he's going to take a shower. Then he sends you a picture of him brushing his teeth and then another one of him in bed and at an angle so that you can see that he is all alone.

And only at that moment, for two full weeks, just this very night you feel completely calm and at peace, knowing that he is coming back tomorrow and will be by your side again.

And you don't understand.

You just don't understand what happened to both of you.

You don't understand how you went from having the most beautiful and healthy relationship ever, to this, where both you and he acted in a toxic and completely unnecessary way.

And when you least expect it, tears begin to flow from your eyes as you stare at the dark ceiling of the room, alone in the huge bed, with frustration and sadness completely invading you and loneliness settling in your heart.

You are honestly afraid.

In the midst of your storm of emotions, you fear that the beautiful and healthy connection with your boyfriend will soon be gone. You're afraid that the relationship will become toxic.

You just don't want to lose the intimacy and complicity you both have to be replaced to this, the insecurities and these needs to look good and want to prove that neither of you, especially him, is failing in the relationship.

And with everything that's going on, the company, his grandsire, Rivers, you have no idea how to fix it.

Aemond's arms wrap around your body tightly, clinging completely to your figure, holding you tight against him as he hides his face in the curve of your neck, inhaling of your soft scent that drives him absolutely crazy.

And you reciprocate his embrace in kind by slipping your arms around his neck, hiding your face between his chest and neck, leaving a soft kiss on his cheek to cling to him again.

"I missed you," he murmurs lovingly and almost melancholy in your ear.

You hug him tighter, lovingly, as you place a small smile on your lips.

"Me too, babe."

He too leaves replete kisses on your cheek, tucking you back into his body, not wanting to let you go, while to you all his scent and the feeling of being in his arms is more than gratifying, being just what you needed.

He strokes your hair as he inhales deeply, not being able to get enough of it. And neither of you say anything else, as actions speak for themselves and what two need, is the touch of each other.

It was two weeks but for both you and him it felt like months.

You both look at each other and he leaves a soft kiss on your lips which you reciprocate as you both have a small smile on your lips. Then you both separate and start to head towards the car once Cole and the other men help Aemond to put his suitcases in the trunk.

All the way he keeps holding your hand, while you drive to the apartment and he talks to you about everything that happened on the trip.

"Our trip to the Iron Islands will now be easier," he tells you proudly and visibly excited.

You are glad to hear that the companies are doing well and that he has had friendly meetings with his partners, in fact you tell him so, as he smiles softly throughout and thanks you.

He also gives you the news that he will have a meeting with Rodrik Greyjoy very soon that involves talking about plans for an early partnership between Pike and Targaryen Inc.

You hum in agreement, smiling softly.

"I could tell," you look at him for a second to refocus on the road, "I'm sure your conversation with him will go well. But you want to go on a trip there too?"

"Sure," he tells you willingly, holding your hand against his lips, "They say it's a beautiful place. I've seen pictures too," he says then leaves a soft kiss on the back of your hand.

Once you both get home, you help him with his suitcases and unpacking, while now you tell him about your days at work, college and also here.

Fortunately for him and you, it's Friday, so you both stay home and rest. He tells you that he won't be going to work Saturday and Sunday, so you have the whole weekend for the two of you.

You still have to work Sunday afternoon but you don't mind, it still won't be long, so you enjoy and take advantage of these free moments with your boyfriend.

Later that same night you both resume your nights of intimacy, which is something Aemond had longed for since you both had that fight after the event, leaving after traveling not too soon after that was just awful for him.

First you both take a little nap where nothing feels better than sleeping in each other's arms again, both of you without being an inch apart from each other in the huge bed.

Then when you wake up you go together to the supermarket to do the week's shopping and at the end you stay in the living room watching movies.

And it was also something you craved.

Obviously you're not as insatiable as he is, as Aemond really can't get enough of you when it comes to sex and really takes all his time with you. This time is no exception.

But once that glorious weekend ends and a new week begins, you both resume your routines from before and in which he simply has no time for you.

Again Aemond tries to do everything in his power to come home early and spend more time with you, which is something you consider and are grateful for his effort, as you knew that sooner or later he would have to go back to his old busy routine.

Not being on good terms with his grandsire, having to attend meetings and phone calls from his partners, making and reviewing reports, delaying as much as he can the partnership with Rivers just so he doesn't have to see her, it's too much.

And little by little, although he doesn't want to, he returns to his exhaustive routine of before and in which unfortunately also affects you for seeing him only at night at a very late hour.

Although he still does everything he can to make sure that work doesn't take up more of his time than it should.

You continue as normal, going to work and attending your classes, but you find it again sad and annoying that you are again having less time with Aemond.

As well as what you didn't want to happen.

And of course Aemond would have to explain himself, having that need like on the trip so you wouldn't think other things, telling you all the time, either by message or in person, that nothing happened, they just talked about work and nothing else.

Sooner or later Alys Rivers would reach her breaking point, so if Aemond wasn't looking for her, then she would be looking for him.

So you had to go back to reading magazine articles online where they talk about how they've seen her in the Targaryen building and so on.

That's how things were going on for a few weeks, almost for a month, until again and unexpectedly, Aemond has to travel again.

Aemond is technically not yet the head of Targaryen Inc, his father is, but due to his health, he must attend for him.

Again to Casterly Rock to an important event and also to a conference where Aemond will meet with the board of directors and his partner Jason Lannister.

Other businessmen will also attend as it is a general event and heads of major companies all over the country are in attendance.

The news of having to travel again catches Aemond and you off guard, explaining that the board meetings normally take place in November, but that they are earlier this year.

So as soon as he gets the news, he starts preparing everything for his trip, even preparing work papers and other preparations for his presentation at the conference, while you again help him and make sure he misses nothing.

He can't miss his meeting with the board of directors, it is paramount and a really big commitment, so you understand but you are disappointed all the same.

Honestly you are disappointed that you have to be separated from your boyfriend again, as you were not expecting to have to stay home alone for a week again.

The event lasts two days and Aemond will have to travel there from before to ensure his presence and avoid any unforeseen events as it is an important event.

Until again when you least expect it, the day comes for Aemond to leave.

He paces back and forth, making sure nothing is missing, while you help him finish packing one of his two suitcases, while he talks on the phone to Criston and then to Eleonor to continue making sure he has the right information about what time he has to board his private jet.

You then head to the kitchen and make a quick breakfast for him and yourself, you also make him a cup of coffee and ask him to stop for a few moments to get some food in his stomach, to which he does while still busy on his phone.

"Which hotel?"

You hear him ask Eleonor as he takes a sip of his coffee.

"Ah, yes, that's fine. But… about the documents, did I bring the folder with me?"

You at all times stand still, eating your breakfast and listening to what he says to Eleonor back.

"Okay, I'll go check," he says and quickly heads back to his office, still holding his phone to his ear.

You continue to stand still, as you watch him disappear down the hallway and let out a breath, not really being able to do anything since you know him too well and he always gets paranoid when he has to travel, making sure to get everything ready one last time.

A few minutes pass and finally Aemond stands still in the kitchen to finish his breakfast, though when he's done he heads to the bedroom to check his suitcases one last time and start placing them in the hallway for when Cole arrives and he has to take them down to put them in the car.

He paces back and forth, wasting no time, watching his wristwatch every second, counting down the time for when Cole arrives and he has to leave.

You meanwhile take his briefcase and place it on the island with you, waiting for the moment when he has to leave.

When they start calling him.

You look at the screen and see that it's about his grandsire, causing an unpleasant feeling all over your body as you remember the way he treated you last time, but you quickly let Aemond know.

"Your grandsire is calling you!"

Aemond comes out into the hallway with one of his suitcases.

"Please pick up, love."

You nod and accept the call, put it out loud and resume your breakfast.

"Aemond?"

"Yeah? What's wrong?" he exclaims from where he stands.

"How's it going, son? Are you ready?"

"Yes," he replies with a little force in his voice, securing his suitcase one last time, "Cole should be here any minute."

"You got all the conference details?"

"Yes, Eleonor mailed me everything," he says as he walks over to the island and pulls the phone towards him to take a sip of what's left of his coffee cup.

"Very well. Then you'll meet Alys and her uncle at the airport, I've offered them to travel with you, after all the three of you are going to the same place."

You immediately stop chewing, as well as your whole body stops moving, standing completely still and with tension all over your shoulders.

Aemond also immediately watches you, instantly realizing your reaction, but you look away from him trying to appear indifferent and with the lump in your throat you go back to chewing, bringing your cup to your lips.

You feel your heart start to beat wildly, feeling instantly how your tranquility disappears and suddenly you feel overwhelmed by all the mixture of emotions that invade you.

Meanwhile Aemond frowns and with a bewildered and also annoyed look, quickly turns back to his grandfather.

"What?" he snaps at him.

Otto Hightower lets out a long breath on the other end of the line.

"Aemond—

"I didn't even know she was going to the event too and why are you telling me this now?" he inquires her completely serious, in an annoyed and deadly tone.

"Because I knew you would do anything to avoid it and I wasn't going to allow it. We're so close to signing the contracts and I knew this was going to please Alys, so she'll see you at the airport and I expect… that you'll give her a good treat and please her for the entire trip."

A shiver of jealousy, insecurity and sadness runs through you, as you bite the inside of your cheek and try to act nonchalant about it all, but you know you're not good at hiding your true emotions and Aemond sees that, not liking his grandfather's words at all.

"Have you lost your fucking mind?"

He inquires him just as serious and annoyed as before and Otto sighs.

"I'm not having this conversation with you again, Aemond. Grow up and do what you're told if you want your company to survive."

"Maturity doesn't mean I have to do everything you say!" he exclaims angrily and exasperatedly at him.

"For the love of the Seven, it's only a flight, stop acting like a fucking little child!"

Aemond sighs and runs a hand over his face, wearily.

"I can't believe you're doing this to me."

"Everything is already decided. You're going to have to deal with it, whether you like it or not, I honestly don't care. And I hope..." he begins to say in a threatening tone, "That by the time you get back, Rivers doesn't cause a scene for me again because of your lack of commitment and interest."

"That's your problem and hers, not mine. When I get back I want to have a serious conversation with you."

And finally Aemond hangs up annoyed with his visibly frustrated face, where in comparison to him, you hide your emotions, not wanting to frustrate him more with your behavior upon hearing this new travel plan, acting disinterested.

So you try to make yourself really look carefree by taking your dirty plate and cup to the dishwasher, starting to wash them, not observing Aemond at any moment, fearing that he will notice your true state.

While you at all times bite the inside of your cheek, resist the urge to cry and insecurity as well as a host of other frustrating emotions completely invade your body.

And Aemond immediately notices, because he knows you too well.

So feeling the weight of the situation, he stands up with an almost tired face and walks towards you, instantly slipping an arm around your waist to turn you towards him and leave a soft kiss on your forehead.

Something inside you snaps as you hear this.

"I know what you must be thinking, but you have nothing to worry about."

He says softly, hugging you tightly and lovingly, holding you close against his body.

"The only one I care about is you and I promise I will stay in touch with you for as long as I can."

And a realization comes over you, holding you completely still against him.

"No matter how busy I am, I will always find time to call or text you, just like last time," he promises you, wanting to comfort you, "I will do everything I can to keep you calm while I'm away."

You feel that realization hit you all at once again and with your gaze gone and your lips parted you just blink, because suddenly you don't have the strength anymore, for anything.

And because of your lack of response and movements, Aemond separates his head from your shoulder to watch you, still hugging you tightly and not wanting to let you go until he is sure you will be okay, watching you with concern.

"Hey, did you hear me? You will always be my priority, no matter where I am."

"Tell me you understand, please love," he pleads with slight anguish, completely attentive to you, holding your face with both hands gently in a desperate action.

He assures you firmly, wanting to make you understand and wanting you to say something back, anything. But you just watch him for a second, then stare at a spot in the kitchen and say nothing, your face without much expression.

With a lump in your throat, because you really can't speak, you feel like a fool even though it's part of all the emotions you're feeling at the moment, unable to help it.

"Good," he murmurs confidently, feeling a little calmer and leaves a soft kiss on your cheek, to pull away and continue to prepare everything for when he has to leave.

So the only thing you can do, is that nod in his direction, without uttering a word. And apparently, that's good enough for him.

Aemond continues to make sure he has everything ready in his suitcases and that nothing is missing, leaving them by the doorway.

While you watch him silently, still with all that overwhelming mix of emotions invading your mind. Again you feel your strength drain away and anxiety takes over, with an ache beginning to spread throughout your chest.

While he in comparison to you is calm, unconcerned, having no idea of everything that is going through your mind at that moment, making you feel bad to be thinking this now.

How cruel am I going to be?

You wonder with sadness, as you bite the inside of your cheek and try to hold back the tears that want to come out of your eyes. You don't want him to notice your agitation, at least not yet, but it's getting harder and harder to control it.

You love him.

You love him deeply.

You know that perfectly well. There is no doubt about it. And you know he loves you too.

But it all comes to your mind hitting you like a violent wave, drowning you, the magazines, his work, the association with Riverlands, the event, his grandfather, the press, his travels and Alys Rivers.

You watch as he ready waits for Cole with his phone in hand at the entrance, typing quickly, assuming he must be texting him, with the suitcases at his side and his face of concentration.

"Love, could you hand me a folder I left on my desk, please? It's black."

He asks you while at the kitchen island he hurriedly checks his briefcase, as you bite your lips and swallow hard.

"Sure," you say without much emotion and head for his office.

When you return you hand him the folder and he thanks you to arrange everything perfectly back into his briefcase.

"Cole won't be long, we're already late," he speaks to you also in a hurry, "If you need anything you know you can call me. But you can also call my mom if you need someone to come over, she's going to Oldtown for another two months," he lets you know, "Okay?" he watches you for a moment and you force a small smile, nodding in his direction, "Okay," he mumbles.

And he disappears back into the room, mumbling that he hasn't taken his jacket, while you watch him, standing still again with your hard face, wondering:

How cruel am I going to be?

Then Aemond stands still again at the entrance to the apartment, answering a call from Cole.

"Have you arrived yet?" he pauses slightly, "Fifteenth floor, C100. All right," he ends the call and looks a little more paranoid, turning to his suitcases, "Almost leaving, love."

You don't say anything back, you just watch him and feel that lump in your throat again, wanting to talk to him but the words get stuck, feeling more of your anxiety, agitation, sadness and anguish, with tears in the corners of your eyes, not being able to control it anymore.

How cruel am I going to be?

It repeats constantly in your mind until the tears fall down your cheeks and that pain in your chest gets stronger, watching it without being able to contain your emotions anymore.

"I can't do this anymore," you say in a shaky voice, getting his attention.

Aemond looks away from his phone and watches you, where your state slowly takes him by surprise and he watches you completely attentively, a little confused, not understanding, starting to worry.

"Love—

"I know it's not your fault," you make it clear to him, starting to cry loudly, shaking your head, "But I can't anymore."

Aemond surprised, quickly turns to you, trying to speak.

"Y/N—

"The first time you went to Casterly Rock with her, I wasn't at peace. I was scared and not for you, but for her," you confess to him, sad, "And you sending me pictures and videos of where you were and what you were doing, made me feel like we didn't trust each other."

"Y/N, I only did it so you would be calm and safe while I was away," he tells you in a soft, confused voice.

"You don't understand," you insist, "That made me feel like a controller, like you think I need to be constantly watching everything you do, and when had that ever happened on your previous trips?" you inquire, "It hadn't been like that since she—

You stop, not wanting to say more, as you sniffle and wipe your tears with your fingers, lowering your gaze, sorrowful, sad and disconsolate.

Instantly Aemond stops in front of you, trying again to hold your face in his hands, completely worried.

But before you can say anything, the doorbell rings at that moment and you both know who it is, Cole. But despite this, he continues to be attentive to you.

"My love, I understand," he says softly, wanting to comfort you, "I understand that you don't trust her, I understand your reasons, but—

"It's not just her, it's also what happened at that event, the press wanting you and her together, the magazines, your grandfather, and I-I…" you sniffle your nose, "I don't want our relationship to become a toxic one."

At that moment Aemond looks at you completely unsure, his heart beginning to pound, his gaze completely intent and anxious.

"What? Y/N, what are you saying?"

How cruel am I going to be?

"I can't anymore, Aemond," you tell him in your completely broken voice.

He watches you silently, his lips parted, fully inspecting your expression, beginning to feel his pulse quicken a little too much, understanding perfectly what you are implying.

When again you ring the doorbell, which catches your attention amidst your trail of tears but not him, he remains attentive to you, not caring, beginning to feel a huge void in his chest, incredulous, advancing towards you in a needy manner.

"Y/N, don't do this."

"I don't have a choice," you tell him in pain and he again tries to take you in his arms.

"But—

There's a knock on the door, interrupting him, as he feels a painful lump form in his throat and he looks at you in complete shock, disbelief and hurt.

"Listen, can we talk about this when I get back, please?" he asks pleadingly, holding you by the waist firmly, not wanting to let you go, "Just…" he shakes his head anguish, "Wait for me, okay? And when I get back, we'll talk about it."

You shake your head, pointing your gaze at the door for a second.

"You must leave now."

And Aemond becomes more concerned about this, seeing the determination and defeat in your whole look of sadness, giving this up now and not intending to wait for him, beginning to feel his eye begin to burn and despair along with anguish invade him more.

"Sir? Are you there?"

You hear Cole ask from the other side of the door, but Aemond pays him no attention, wanting to fix this, desperately.

"Yell at me," he implores you, "Get angry, reproach me, anything you want, anything but this, please, I beg you."

You close your eyes, swallowing hard.

"Sir? I'm sorry but we must leave now," Cole again speaks from the other side of the door, "Your flight departs in less than an hour."

And al Cole again knocks on the door in desperation, clearly because he has to do his job and you're taking advantage of it.

You open your eyes and both of you stare at each other without saying anything, where you just wait until he has to leave, your face completely devastated.

But he barely processes what's happening, his eye reddening and his heart rate racing, waiting for you to understand and say something back to him.

"Go now," you mutter sadly to him.

"No, I'm not leaving until I fix this," he tells you desperately, on the verge of losing patience, "Just…please don't do this, not now. I-I don't… I don't want to lose you."

"Your grandfather will be upset with you."

"I don't fucking care about my grandfather, Y/N! Right now I don't care about anything, just this, us!"

Cole again knocks on the door, insistent.

"Just fucking wait!"

He yells at Cole desperate, upset, distressed, his emotions running high, not being able to control himself anymore and you decide that enough is enough, because Aemond won't leave, then it's best that you leave.

"I'll be leaving too."

You know that this trip is very important to him and you still love him too much not to worry about his work.

And the last thing you want is for you to be the reason for not being on time, which could lead to him not doing well at his event and conference with the board and his partner.

You murmur to him with a broken heart and turn around, walking towards the room, instantly being followed by him.

"No, Y/N, please, just wait," he tells you more pleadingly than before, "I promise you this whole thing with Rivers will be over soon, I promise!" he insists, "Or not, I just won't make any association with her, I can find another way for the company, I don't care what my grandfather says or—

"You can't do that and you know it. The company depends on hers."

"But you can't do this! Not now, please!" he exclaims in frustration, starting to cry.

And just as you're about to go into the closet to grab your clothes, he stops you, turning you to him to hold you and make you look at him, make you see how devastated he is, definitely not expecting any of this at all, feeling completely helpless and powerless in the face of the situation.

"Please Y/N, please," he says to you with a broken voice, as he puts his forehead together with yours for a moment, starting to tremble and feel an unpleasant sensation all over his stomach.

And seeing him like this completely destroys you.

You've never seen him like this before, you know you're breaking his heart and more by breaking up with him now, like this, like you're taking advantage of the fact that he has to leave to get on a plane.

How cruel am I being?

And even though you didn't want to do it, at least not now as he is asking you to, you know this is necessary.

Because you know that if he gets on his jet with her and you and he are still together, you will not be calm at all, you will over think things, things that are not.

If the partnership with Rivers passes and you and Aemond are still together, you will feel the same insecurity as always because the two of them will be partners and will have to keep seeing each other for the report of both companies coming together.

You will feel controlling, he will have this need to want to be good to you in an unnecessary way and you will just feel bad about yourself. And it won't end there.

And you'll have to keep putting up with the press, the boundaries Rivers oversteps, what Otto asks Aemond to do with her and the necessary justifications from him to you.

"I'm so sorry," you tell him with tears streaming down your cheeks and your face completely broken.

And Aemond shakes his head in frustration, in hopelessness, closing his eyes tightly, not believing it, not accepting it.

"Wait until I come back so we can talk about it and work it out. Don't end things like this, please," he tells you in a broken voice, starting to cry, "I-I love you."

"I love you too," you tell him the same way he does.

"And if you love me then why are you leaving me?" he asks you in a painful voice, not understanding.

Your whole face transforms into anguish.

"Aemond—

"Please don't leave me," he begs you once more.

Silence envelops you, where you both cry, you completely broken and he in complete despair, in the room where you both have shared so many special moments throughout your relationship, in the apartment where you began to form a little life together.

The air is charged with so much tension and nostalgia, where you both suffer from an intense mix of emotions, where you both suffer equally, as everything feels unreal, so suddenly and without time to react.

And Aemond tries to find any hope of being able to hold on, to get you back. But in the depths of his broken heart, he feels and knows that he has lost the battle.

And you also feel and know that this has been necessary, as broken as it has made you feel and in which you know, you are probably not going to fully recover by doing this.

The last thing you see of Aemond is how with his completely devastated look he watches silently as you pack some of your clothes in a bag to leave, still not accepting it, completely broken inside and imploring you with his gaze not to do this.

But you knew that if you didn't leave, he wouldn't leave and it's important that he catch his flight to Casterly Rock.

So without even saying hello or giving Cole a glance, you leave the apartment quickly with tears streaming down your cheeks, walking away from there and him.

You arrive at Floris' house in search of temporary lodging where she opens the door and you burst into tears in her arms, without even being able to talk to her about what happened when you cried uncontrollably.

And after a few hours, the next thing you know from Eleonor, simply because you needed to know for the last time, is that Aemond managed to get on his jet at the estimated time to land promptly at Casterly Rock.

She tells you that it was difficult but that they managed to convince him. And that's the last you hear from him.

Despite your determination to move on, every day at all times you can't help but feel a deep sadness and a sense of loss that won't leave you alone.

Letting go of your relationship with Aemond is difficult, you just can't. And rightly so if it's only been weeks, because leaving him behind, feels like giving up a very important part of your life.

You tried to find comfort in your daily routine, classes and work, but everything reminded you of him, all the time you were thinking about him and when you least expected it, you were already crying again, without being able to help it.

At night it is more difficult, you feel completely alone, you cry until you fall asleep, you questioned what you had done and in the middle of everything, you miss him deeply.

Days after Floris accepts you in his house, you immediately request a room in your university's residence halls and fortunately there is one available near your Marketing department.

You asked Floris to please accompany you to the apartment to get the rest of your things, which she did not hesitate to do in order to support you and also help you, taking advantage of the fact that Aemond was still away.

You did everything as fast as possible, not wanting to remember and think too much, you just wanted to get out of there with your things, avoiding to feel and let all the memories consume you, because you couldn't stand it.

A few tears escaped you, but as soon as it happened, the two of you left the apartment, locking it and slipping the key under the door, so as not to return it to him in person.

After a while, exactly after the week in which Aemond would already be back in King's Landing, he started looking for you through messages and calls, begging you to please see each other and talk.

Feeling even more broken, you decided to block him from everywhere, which caused him to come looking for you at work, hoping to talk to you.

But as soon as you recognized his car parking on the street, you quickly hid in the small back rooms, begging Sophie to cover for you.

You later found out that Aemond had been texting your mutual friends, asking how he could find you, where you lived now, wanting to sort things out, unwilling to let the two of you end up like you did.

Hel messaged you, so did Daeron, even Baela, but you decided it was best not to respond, because if you did, you would agree to talk to Aemond. And it broke your heart not to reply to any of them, especially Hel, but you know yourself too well and you did it for your own good.

But you never let him find you, because you knew you'd go back to him the minute you both sat down to talk and that's not what you want.

Not with his grandfather and Rivers still behind him.

Until one day Aemond stopped.

He stopped trying to find you and stopped asking your friends where you might be, you also stopped reading about him in magazines and social media. You read about his family, but nothing about him.

And so it went for a while, for about two months, where you to this day do not heal and you keep thinking about him, finding it strange this new life without him.

When one morning, a magazine article and almost all the social media announce a news that makes you understand now a little more the disappearance of Aemond not only from your life, but also from the world, surprising you.

You read the news in complete disbelief, thinking of Alicent, Hel, Daeron, Rhaenyra, everyone, but most of all him.

You know what this means, the note itself says so, but even though you knew it was only a matter of time, as Aemond told you, you are still surprised to see this, surprised that it has already happened.

Suddenly you feel a need and urge to text or call him, but you know it's not a good idea, yet the urge is there, thinking about how he must be feeling and all that he and his family must be going through.

Fortunately you don't do anything, but this leaves you thinking.

After almost everyone reads this news, the whole Targaryen family is kept in hiding, there is no sighting of them, no statements and absolutely nothing, which is what the press wants.

That's what happens for a month, until finally sightings of Otto and Alicent Hightower are reported. Also of Aegon with Rhaenyra and Daemon.

Until you simply decide not to be aware of it anymore, having to continue your life without him, since these are matters that don't concern you, at least not anymore.

So a few weeks later, Floris' birthday arrives, who invites his closest friends to a pub to celebrate in a small group, wanting to have a good time, relax and nothing more, to which you agree to go.

What you definitely didn't expect, was to meet your ex, Aemond Targaryen after all that happened and after almost five months.

general taglist:

@melsunshine @n4forlife @iamavailablesstuff @ttkttt @elliaze @trshngyn @tsujifreya @imsoshygirl @watercolorskyy @kckt88 @zenka69 @yentroucnagol @crispmarshmallow @bellastwd @queenofshinigamis @strangersunghoon @happinessinthebeing @iloveallmyboys

taglist part 3:

@hoziersfairy @bananaminion678 @targaryenmoony @skzenhalove

[watermelonlovershigh]

The Next Morning {part. 8} (housemate!harry series) (SMUT)

Spontaneous Pleasures {part 7.} (housemate!harry series) (SMUT)

AN: this is the part most of you have been waiting for. it's here. sorry that this part took so long to get posted. i've been trying to post every sunday, monday, or tuesday. but with my aunt passing and other stresses, this one took me a bit longer. anyways, hope you enjoy and get ready for more to come. xoxo

This story contains: lots of kissing, sex (p in v), dirty talk, mentions of birth control, relationship status updating

{ housemate!harry - softrry - friend!harry - au!harry }

word count- 1,860

It's the morning after your spontaneous pleasures and you wake up naked in Harry's bed, leading to lots of kisses that turn into your first time having sex with one another.

As the morning sun illuminates his bedroom room, Harry begins to rouse from his slumber, the clock indicating its half past seven. Contemplating on whether or not to return to sleep, he recollects the events of the previous night, which stir his senses awake. The spontaneous pleasures he gave you with his fingers on the couch, the pleasurable act of oral sex you gave him, and the exploration of new boundaries from you leave him feeling all giddy inside.

Upon awakening, Harry's eyes slowly open, and the initial image that meets his gaze is you lying on your back. Your head is tilted to the side, and the subtle outline of your breasts can be seen, barely emerging from the covers, due to his request that you both sleep naked. Though Harry is already fairly close to you, he slides over just an inch more until his bare body touches yours. Then without thinking, his lips slowly meet your soft skin and he places gentle kisses from your collar bone to your neck.

When Harry's lips reach your warm neck, they linger, planting gentle kisses along its expanse. Gradually, he opens his mouth and lightly sucks on your skin, leaving a subtle hickey in the crease of your neck. Rather than being startled or pulling away, you find yourself melting into the comfort of the bedding, a soft moan escaping your lips as you welcome his affectionate display at this early hour.

Fully alert now, you tilt your head downwards, causing Harry's lips to separate from your skin. It takes approximately two seconds of gazing into each other's lust filled eyes before you bring your faces together and share a fervent kiss. In the intimate moment, all your typical worries such as morning breath, fade away as Harry slips his tongue between your lips and you accept by opening your mouth, allowing entrance.

The very passionate kissing continues until you pull away for a breath and say, "I need you, Harry."

"Need me how?" Harry pants out, wanting to make sure his suspicions are correct. He doesn't want to assume what you want and make you uncomfortable in anyway.

You reply urgently, "Inside me. I need it so bad. I've waited long enough and can't wait anymore. Just wanna feel close to you." How can Harry say no to that? He eagerly climbs on top of you, with his arms bent on each side of your head, and leans down to continue kissing you. Not so subtly, you raise your hips to try and get any ounce of friction you can on your throbbing clit.

"Condoms?" Harry questions between kisses, "I know m' clean. Haven't slept with anyone for several weeks. But um, you know, for pregnancy reasons we could if you want?"

You shake your head with disagreeance. "No, I'm on birth control now. Since my last bad period. Went to doctors and they gave me birth control to help with my period symptoms."

"Fantastic!" Harry declares before leaning in to initiate another passionate kiss. He always wore condoms when he had random hookups for safety reasons such as STI and pregnancy prevention, so he had plenty in his bed side table drawer. And he had no problem wearing one now in order to prevent a pregnancy, as pregnancy isn't wrote in your future plans anytime soon. Maybe one day, though you haven't discussed that part of your future yet. But hearing you confirm you're okay with going bare makes Harry excited.

His right hand skillfully maneuvers between your pressed bodies, first confirming your wetness, which is very present, and then firmly grasping his erect cock to position it at your entrance. Slowly, he eases his way in making both your breaths catch in the backs of your throats.

"Oh, fuck!" you moan aloud at the feeling of your pussy being stretched by his large cock. "No wonder I heard all your partners moan so loud in here. You're massive."

Harry giggles at your words, his face now smushed between your ear and shoulder. "You've had m' dick in your mouth on several occasions and you're just now realizin' it's big?"

Responding with a chuckle of your own, you answer, "Nah, I've always known you were packing, but this feeling is on another level." The fact that you can share a laugh during an intimate moment such as sex without any awkwardness, brings you immense joy. When you first entered into the more romantic aspects of your relationship with your housemate and friend, you were worried about things becoming too uncomfortable and strange at times. However, so far, everything has gone exceptionally well, with only a few instances of hesitation. You have to admit that you and Harry are incredibly compatible sexually.

Once he's fully inside, Harry pauses for a moment, allowing you to adjust to his impressive size without any discomfort. Sensing your shifting movements, he then begins to withdraw his hips and thrusts forward, resulting in a shared moan of pleasure. To enhance his stability, Harry firmly plants his knees beside your hips on the bed and supports himself up by resting his forearms around your head.

You lift your legs off the bed below and hike them over Harry's hips, locking your feet behind his back. Your hands are placed on his back, clawing at his smooth skin unintentionally. The sounds of skin slapping echos off the walls. Harry isn't fucking you hard and fast due to the time of morning but he isn't going too slow either. Just a comfortable pace for the both of you to enjoy.

After a couple of minutes, your moans get progressively louder, leading Harry to ask, "Are you close f' me, baby? Want you to come all over m' cock. Get it drippin' f' me."

With a hint of shyness, you reply, "Yes..... mhm, very close. Would you mind, you know, giving me a little rub?" It puzzles you as to why asking for such a favor feels embarrassing. Typically, during your past one-night stands, you would either use a vibrator or your own hands to satisfy your clit, beings you usually have trouble coming from penatration alone. However, in Harry's bedroom, you lack a vibrator and you feel comfortable enough with him to ask for his assistance.

Harry could answer with a quick, "Yes, of course.", but because he's a sucker for dirty talk and slight teasing, actually replies with, "Yeah, want me to rub your little clit, baby? Is it beggin' f' my attention?"

You nod your head vigorously against your pillow and your breath becomes more rapid, signaling your impending orgasm, yet yearning for that final touch to propel you forward. Sensing your impatience, Harry maintains his position above you, using his left arm for support, while his right hand ventures down your body.

Skillfully, his fingers slip between where you're bodies are connected and effortlessly finds your clitoris. He then begins to rub the small nerve in circular motions with his slippery fingers in hopes to push you over the edge. Because he knows he himself isn't going to last much longer and would really like for you to come first.

He completes approximately eight circular motions around your clit when your climax starts to engulf you. Your breathing hitches in your throat, your back arches off the bed, your toes curl from their place around Harry's waist, and your thoughts fade as bliss consumes your mind. Glancing down and seeing you release results in Harry experiencing his own orgasm.

"Mhm, fuck!" Harry mutters under his breath as he reaches his peak. He withdraws his hand from your overly sensitive clit and places it back beside your head to steady himself over you. His hips move forward in uncoordinated motions as he releases his semen deep inside you. As you're still catching your breath, you open your eyes and observe him in awe as he climaxes.

Harry's facial expressions scrunch up, resembling pain, although it's evident that he's in anything but pain. His trembling arms struggle to uphold his weight, while his stomach muscles contract with each orgasmic spasm that surges through his body. Gradually, his body becomes motionless as he slowly descends from the peak of his pleasure.

His weight collapses on top of you with a thud, and you hold him close. You notice Harry's cock slowly losing its hardness inside of you and can't help but find the feeling strange. Most men you've been with would withdraw immediately after climaxing, so this post-sex closeness is new to you. It feels incredibly intimate and you savor every moment of it. You enjoy the sensation of Harry's body pressing against yours, and the warm breath on your neck from him resting his head on your shoulder.

A minute passes before Harry slowly begins to sit up, still inside you, might I add. "Can I ask you somethin'? And you don't have to have an answer right away or anythin'. Just want to see where we stand."

You glance up, nodding, "Yeah, of course. What is it?" You honestly have no idea what Harry's going to ask you and it's got you a bit nervous.

Taking a deep breath, he questions nervously, "Um, would you maybe like to be m' girlfriend? And look, I know it may be too soon. I know we said we were gonna take our relationship slow but, I mean we did just have sex and I know for me at least I want to be exclusive and I just, yeah."

The biggest smile spreads across your face, and then you burst out laughing, which in turn makes you accidently clench around his softened cock that remains inside you.

Harry nearly doubles over in pain when you clench his very sensitive dick. "What's so funny, huh? And stop clenchin', baby, it hurts."

Panting for breath, you express, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's just that you asked me to be your girlfriend while you're still inside me. I find it kinda funny. It's like in the future when someone asks how you asked me out, I can't simply say, 'yeah, Harry asked me to be his girlfriend after sex while he was still deep inside me.' But anyways, to answer your question, yes, I would love to be your girlfriend."

Without uttering a word, Harry leans down to convey his appreciation for your answer by kissing you. The sheer intensity of the kiss takes your breath away, causing you to inhale deeply. Amidst the kiss, you manage to whisper, "Okay, you need to pull out or else you'll get me going again, and I'm too exhausted for another round right now."

"Alright, but just know now that I've had a taste, there's no stoppin' me. M' gonna fuck you in the shower, on the couch, in the kitchen, on the floor, in the car, on a plane......"

"Harry," *playful giggles*, "enough. I get it. But right now, I should use the bathroom and we should shower. Then maybe have a bite to eat for breakfast before getting back into bed for a nap. Like I said, I'm exhausted."

"Whatever you say, girlfriend."

(PLEASE REBLOG BECAUSE WRITING IS NOT EASY AND IT'S FREE SO JUST DO IT)

(no more tags are allowed because i've hit my number limit. sorry : ( )

tag list: @one-sweet-gubler // @harryscherrysugar // @hsfanficsrecss // @lollypopsx // @harrycanyonmoonn // @allthelovehes // @damnasstyles  // @mrsstylesharry // @softmullet  // @meetmyblondemuffins  // @thegirlnextdoorssister // @stanleystyles  // @haarrrys // @michellekstyles  // @skyangel57   // @the-gardener-31 // @lhharrylilpumpkin // @yousunshine-youtemptress // @clairestylessss  // @kissmyaxe140  // @goldenmelonsugar-hi // @kaitieskidmore97 // @florencepughily  // @alienorknight //@dancearoundthelivingroom  // @swiftmendeshoran

 // @luv-flor7777  // @alohastyles-x // @tenaciousperfectionunknown  // @sleutherclaw // @siredtohybrid // @whoscamila // @a-strange-familiar  // @golden-elodie // @mrspeacem1nusone //  @goldenkhae // @lntwithhrry  // @shadowygladiatorlight  // @manifestrry  //@mendesblurb // @sunshinemoonsposts  // @depersonalizationsucks // @academiaghost // @zendayassimp // @reveriehs // @vsnnstuff // @dancinsunflowerkiwi // @quinnsgrapejuice // @walkingintheheartbreaksatellite // @justlemmeholdyou // @hsonlyangelxo // @luvonstyles // @howdey

______________

My Masterlist Masterpost

In Sickness and in Health {part. 9}

[lotus-slumbers]

Interactive Yandere! Fae Story [INTRODUCTION/START]

Yandere! King Fae Husbands x Darling! GN Reader

Content Warnings: yandere, kidnapping, death.

Author note: Trying something new! What wins the poll will be the next part posted. 💜

Arathorn was lovestruck. If he was any less of the man he was, he would've been down on his hands and knees, begging for you. He stood in earnest, the cold expanse of this unnatural world dividing you both. His stance was strong, even here; the gateway between the human world and the Feywild. Unkind and unloving, nothing could grow here and survive but they had crossed the threshold before and it hadn't shaken them. Perhaps they couldn't feel the crushing weight of this plane the same way that you could, smothering beneath it.

This was your only chance back to the moral, human world. All you had to do was throw yourself back into the starry waves that covered the wall and hope you didn't drown underneath them, that it was the portal you had sought after in this labyrinth. Your life relied on the riddles of creatures you could have never imagined to exist before— and the hope that you had solved their riddles right.

"We have reordered nature, we've turned the world upside down and we have done it all for you. Just fear us, love us, do as we say," Arathorn crooned, eyes beseeching, tearing through any barriers you could have put between you both to protect from them. You, he saw you completely, in absolute undress. How much closer to the gaze of God could you be? 

Iliphar spoke then, finishing his counterpart's sentence. His hand outstretched to your own, becking you to cross the distance to them. "And we will be your slave. Anything you want."

The promise of their world is in your hands. It was an authentic promise, they would let you have it all, anything, as long as you stayed near and kept close underneath them. Obeyed them and never strayed. A life of prosperity, of more of anything than you could have imagined, in a place more rich in wonder than your world. Once, it had seemed a small cost for such a thing. Daydreams of it in your struggling, mundane life, far before you had been snatched away in the night by them like a helpless maiden in an old fairytale. Had they replaced you with another as well, so that nobody would come looking for you? A wild changeling, leaving nothing but madness behind for your loved ones. 

Even if you returned, could you live with the maddening knowledge of their world? With nobody who would believe you except the outcaste and the crazy, who you couldn't be brought to believe a single word from yourself? Once, you'd heard a story from your grandmother about the same thing. A young woman went missing, only to reappear years later, in the same clothes she'd been wearing the day of her disappearance and not seeming to be aged a day. Gone mad, her death hadn't been long after her return. Would that be you, if you even survived the trip back?

Besides, you've seen the extent of their power. You're seeing it now, as they stand in this place right in front of you without so much as a shiver or sweat. They wouldn't let you go, they would go back in after you again and again if they had to. They already called you their spouse and to the end of all ends was their vow to you.

Their pleading was nothing more than a courtesy.

A/n: The poll is up for three days. I hope you enjoyed this little drabble and look forward to more, as well as some requests that I've had in my inbox being finished up soon. Sorry for the wait, life is a rollercoaster. 💜

Production guide (from an illiterate woman, god be with ye)

Arathorn - Uh-ruh-a-thorn OR AARRah-TH-RN

Iliphar - L-uh-far OR ill-uh-far

Or whatever you make up in your head while reading. That's valid too.

[return-of-a-space-cowboy]

The Maystone mangler prolouge

(Yandere slasher blackmore x gender neutral reader)

It had only been two days since you had moved to this small town called Maystone in Nebraska. It seemed like a quaint town with various old buildings and friendly townsfolk around. You hoped you would settle comfortably into this town.

Your move had been on a whim, you'd broken up with your previous partner and the bank chain you'd been employed at for a couple of years was looking for people who could transfer to the new bank in Maystone. You didn't really have much attachment to where you lived and worked, so you decided to start fresh in a new, more communal town.

The town itself had a confusing layout. New infrastructure was being developed around the town. Some places just weren't on the map.

Today you were in town struggling to find the grocery store and walked into a building in hopes of finding someone that could point you in the right direction.

There you stood in an old butchery. The buzz of fluorescent lights is almost deafening. Walls colored in a yellowing paint that used to be white. Tiles a shade of viridian green and old curtains that were maroon.

"Hello… are you alright?" a soft, coy voice asked. You looked to the counter to see a scrawny, blonde-haired male at the counter. He didn't strike you as the kind of person who'd do such a grim and labor-intensive job.

"Yes actually" you replied as you made your way to the counter and pulled out a map from your bag.

"I've been looking for the grocery store, the map says there should be one on this strip, I just moved here so I'm still trying to get my bearings" you explained. The blonde grabbed a pen and circled a blank spot on the map.

"A new supermarket opened up there recently, there used to be the local grocery a few buildings down but the previous owner died a couple of months ago" he replied.

"If I remember correctly… the updated map will be available next week, so maybe check in with town hall to get a copy" he suggested.

"Thank you so much, I'll definitely get a new one as soon as it's out" you thanked him and were about to turn your head before stopping to look at the display. It'd be rude if you left after he helped you, besides the meat here would be a lot fresher than what the supermarket.

You looked intently, there were whole chickens already plucked and the thickest pork knuckles you'd ever seen. However, you were in the mood for something you didn't have to put a lot of effort into. That's when your eyes landed on gravy beef, your parents used to make casserole all the time during winter when you were little. All you'd need to do is cut up a couple of vegetables and throw it all in the casserole dish.

"Could I get a pound of the gravy beef please?" you asked the male that you now got a decent look at. He had the bluest eyes you'd ever seen, they were like the deep, expansive sea. He was very fair-skinned, almost sickly pale.

"Ah- sure thing" he stuttered, seemingly shocked that you were ordering something. He quickly grabbed a bag and put it over his hand and grabbed what he assumed was the right amount before putting it on the scale.

"Is that alright?" He asked you. It was only a few ounces extra.

"Yes, thank you," you told the young man as you grabbed out your purse.

"That'll be 12 dollars," he told you.

You looked back up at the scale to see the displayed price as $13.60

"Are you sure?" You asked.

"Yes, I know it's not much but consider it my way of saying welcome to Maystone," he told you.

"Thank you so much, My Name Is (Y/n)" you said.

"My name is Blackmore" he responded with a smile, his cheek the slightest shade of pink.

You returned a smile and made your way to the door and opened it.

"I hope to see you again," he said.

"Same" you replied before leaving.

That night you ate the casserole you made. The meat was unbelievably tender. It was the best you'd ever eaten. It made you feel a little more comfortable in this strange little town and ready to seize whatever your first day at work would bring.

[shining-latios]

Aether gene pool

I really thought long and hard about if I was going to post this on FR itself or not but I figured it would be entirely too ranty to want to clog the site with it so I'm gonna post it here to kind of yell into the void of big social media

it's been really really sad to see the state of gene distribution on ancients and especially in regards to a breed I actually really like and want to collect compared to basically every single ancient that released afterwards and a frustrating trend that I've noticed alongside it. and that is it just doesn't feel like aethers were really given a lot of acknowledgment or... anything really. they just released and that was that, onto the next shiny new breed. and the shiny new breed after that. etc.

buckle up because this is gonna be a long one

following the release of aethers in march, skip forward to the release of sandsurges. a new fest cycle has just begun and alongside it, there's the promise of a bunch of new linebreaking terts just for ancients. sandies saw payoff to this basically immediately because they were released in july right before thundercrack (their element's festival) last year. this makes total sense and is something I have zero complaints about. however, with sandsurges being a very new and very popular breed, this kicked off a trend I've noticed of the newest ancients from that point onward usually getting first dibs of the newest festival genes. again this wasn't a very big issue AT FIRST but after a short span of less than half a year after their release, surges very quickly racked up THREE of these festival genes almost exclusively to themselves in a very short span of time, and this was ON TOP of them gaining exclusive access among ancients to the new archaeology genes chrysocolla and malachite. again for what I can only imagine are reasons of "give the new breed some attention". so you have this new breed getting FIVE new limited genes in just 4 months

and then this brings us to the next ancient in this trend. auraboas released in november of that same year shortly before rockbreaker's ceremony. of which they, alongside sandsurges, were the first 2 ancients to get this gene since earth flight wouldn't get its own until months later. december passes without a fest, but as soon as january and crystalline gala roll around, auraboas are given the crystalline gene alongside the flight's native gaoler breed. which, okay, in a vacuum this is also okay and not noteworthy at all, but what makes this head-turning is that they are the first ancient to get access to 2 back-to-back fest genes. something that didn't even happen with sandsurges. and then valentine's rolls around almost immediately after and auraboas are then given EXCLUSIVE ACCESS to another pair of limited genes specifically for the event. so now we have an ancient that's received FOUR limited genes almost exclusively to itself since it's release, which mind you, was DIRECTLY on the heels of what happened with sandsurges. we saw two breeds in a row that were immediately given a LOT of cool new toys to play with in terms of new genes

skip forward to april, we see the release of dusthides which, mixed reception and popularity aside, are now seeing a similar thing where even as we've entered a new fest cycle they've been given THREE fest tertiary genes in a row. a trait held by no other ancient breed on the site.

do you want to know how many exclusive genes aethers have seen in this time period? y'know, an ancient that released not even 4 months before a breed that felt like it was being given everything right out the gate? starfall and trickmurk. one of these genes it shares with sandsurges. that's IT. and they had to wait almost half a YEAR between these 2 piddly genes. every single other gene that aethers have been given since their release was part of an expansion that affected EVERY breed (boa/saddle, orb/weaver, firebreather, them losing exclusive access to cinder/blaze, etc) while multiple of their exclusive genes have now made their way to other breeds. they've gotten almost nothing that makes them unique to make up for this loss of exclusivity and what they DID get that was a bit more exclusive to themselves was still hardly anything to write home about, as awesome of a gene as I think trickmurk is I really don't want to have to rely on it when thinking of cool terts past the genes that literally released with the breed.

fathoms aren't even a part of the problem because the thing about modern breeds is that they DON'T have single-breed-exclusive genes. they share their whole gene pool with EVERY OTHER MODERN in a way that ancients don't unless we see one gene be ported to all of them or every single breed

I know that aethers are due for their gene expansion next, I'm absolutely floored by how much new life and potential expansions for undertides, gaolers, and aberrations breathed into these breeds, but while we're waiting for this nebulous endpoint I can't be the only one that's frustrated seeing every subsequent ancient get handed shiny new toy after shiny new toy while a different breed is given scraps at best and NOTHING at worst. it's the same exact thing that's happening with veilspuns and they've HAD their expansion!! for how much some breeds are actively being denied in favor of others that are more new or popular, I hope the aether gene expansion absolutely blows me away with how massive and full of variety it is. I don't wanna see a veilspun expansion 2.0 that's so absolutely empty and boring it does absolutely nothing to make the wait feel worth it

I am on my knees begging to the devs, please, PLEASE make it feel worth it

(also just wanna make it clear that I like all three of these breeds and have absolutely nothing against them or the people that do like them better than I do, it's more just the volume of attention they get from the site itself that's making me frustrated)

[aurorangen]

sims get to know me tag!

@akitasimblr @oasivy @duusheen @druidberries thank you so much for tagging me ❤️

1. What’s your favourite sims death? getting eaten by a cowplant!!

2. Alpha CC or Maxis Match? maxis mix! and i have a lot of alpha hair too. i can't help it, they all look so pretty...

3. Do you cheat when your sims gain weight? not for weight but for the muscle. idk but it seems funny that they go buff so fast even if you've not made your sims exercise for long

4. Do you use move objects? it's on as soon as i enter build mode

5. Favorite mod? mccc and ui cheats. but for gameplay wonderfulwhims.

6. First expansion/game/stuff pack you got? get to work! and then i got that bundle with parenthood and vintage glamour/bowling night.

7. Do you pronounce “live mode” like aLIVE or LIVing? now that i think about it i've called them both ways.

8. Who’s your favorite sim that you’ve made? so i made this gorgeous sim in cas and he just became my favourite right there. he will eventually make an appearance in tjol posts, but my favourite sim you've seen it's bryce of course!!

9. Have you made a simself? yep! once i saw that simstrouble hair i had to make myself! but i've only shared it to my good friend @oasivy!! maybe i'll show you all in the future.

10. What sim traits do you give yourself? lazy, foodie and hot-headed. nooo those are awful traits but it's true....ok if i had 5 traits then it's also clumsy and perfectionist!!

11. Which is your favorite EA hair color? i love all the blond hair swatches!!

12. Favorite EA hair? when i saw that outdoor retreat hair, the one wavy hair parted in the middle i used it on all my females! it was my favourite at the time, but now i only use cc hairs.

13. Favorite life stage? has to be YA. i always have lots of plans with them and get the most gameplay at that stage (as you can tell).

14. Are you a builder or are you in it for the gameplay? definitely gameplay, but my building is slowly improving! i rarely go into cas unless it's to create a new sim for my legacy

15. Are you a CC creator? nope! no skills or patience lol

16. Do you have any simblr friends/a sim squad? yes! i have talked to a lot of wonderful people here, simblr would not be the same without you guys!!

17. What’s your favorite game? sims 4!! but sims 3 for the nostalgia.

18. Do you have any sims merch? no.

19. Do you have a YouTube for sims? no.

20. How has your “sim style” changed throughout your years of playing? i was an on/off sims 4 player since 2015 and back then i was completely vanilla, then i found out about cc in 2018! only in 2022 i started using more skin details and gshade. but one thing's for sure, i have always been a legacy player!!

21. What’s your Origin ID? same as my simblr, but there's nothing on my gallery. i changed it bc it used my real first name and i upload sims for ppl to download on simblr, but ive not done that for a very long time.

22. Who’s your favorite CC creator? there are too many creators that i have downloaded everything of. i love everything from pralinesims!!

23. How long have you had a simblr? this simblr is almost a year old! i started posting on the 13th July 2022!

24. How do you edit your pictures? i completely rely on my personal gshade/lighting mods and don't really edit, i just sharpen on photopea or add the moodlet stuff when needed.

25. What expansion/game/stuff pack is your favorite so far? when cottage living came out it was my absolute favourite!! i made all my families live there including nsb pink gen, gen 4 of another legacy and my 100 baby challenge! by the time i started my postcard legacy i played with too much cottage living so i decided to start on freegan.

26. What expansion/game/stuff pack do you want next? honestly it would be great if the sims team improves the older packs, i feel mostly everything from previous games have been included. but it was family gameplay i wanted before growing together was released.

i'll tag: @weindenburg @raiiny-bay @bloomingkyras @glowbloom @igotsnothing but feel free to ignore ❤️

[kazroze]

i haven't seen much yelling on the dashboard but i've been playing the horse ranch ep for more than 4 sim weeks (and 3 different saves) and BOY OH BOY do i have some complaining to do

(here's your long post warning let's goooooooo)

so, thing i've encountered so far:

anything completely fenced in counts as a room in ts4 even though it doesn't have floors or a roof so your horsies will complain about being stuck inside for too long even though they are very clearly outside. at first i thought it was just the free spirit trait but other horses started getting uncomfortable soon after... to fix this, delete a part of the fencing, rebuild it elsewhere and then move it back in the empty spot, so the game doesn't register it as a completed room

horses will play with their ball... untill they don't. the ball has been placed with moveobjects off and they have plenty of space but... no ball. buying a new ball or changing the balls colour helps so i dunno... maybe the horse just wants a change of ball every now and then

after placing a tiny home lot and moving in my household, going into buy mode doesn't let me buy anything because it shows 'business funds' instead of the household funds... the household does not own a business. changing the lot type to tiny home before placing from the gallery seems to fix this

doors won't stay locked after loading a save if you click the "lock door for all..." (chicken, goats, horses etc) option. i don't know if it's a bug or a 'realistic' feature but chicken WILL NOT stay contained whatever you do. horses can be kept to their pen by 'lock for individual sim' option because they are sims and not objects, i guess

every time your sims cleans the chicken coop they will throw out all the hatchable eggs you've placed in there - be wary of your sim cleaning up because they might autonomously throw out all your baby eggs too

sim gets stuck brushing a cat for hours and won't stop until i make them stop

sims keep coming over and making de-stressing decoctions on the grill

at some point every time i made my sim mount their horse, both would just glitch next to each other. reloading the save helped. they still sometimes mount & instantly demount their horse though and you have to do a little dance to make your sim stay on the damn horse

minor visual glitches like outlines staying after deleting rooms, rooflines becoming invisible, glitched water appearing when using terrain tools and, of course, countless animations not matching up with sims/objects

as stated above, i tested 3 different saves (including starting a new save twice) and could replicate these even in a 100% vanilla game with an empty mod folder and mods disabled in settings

this may not seem like much in the grander scale of the sims 4 (honestly, that statement alone is yikes) but it did considerably sour my enjoyment of the expansion. i play a lot of video games in general and this is literally the only one that gives me so much headache...

[sudriantraveler]

can we see your Mid Sodor Heritage Railway wip?

That's a concept I've been working on for a little bit now. Unfortunately There really isn't much written story-wise for it yet, but I can explain some of the main information I've laid out for it.

After Duke's rediscovery, interest quickly grew regarding the long abandoned Mid Sodor Railway, and soon a group was organized to try to rebuilt a section of the old line from King Orry's Bridge in Peel Godred to Ulfstead Road.

I have a few ideas for the engines I plan to have run this line:

I'm using the magazine characters of Little Barford and Sidney as new-builds similar to numbers 7 and 10 on the preserved Corris Railway. Not many specific details planned out at the moment for them, but they are by far the newest engines on the railway.

Also part of the preserved MSR is the old Cas-ny-Hawin mine engine, who I have named Casny. I'm still working on her character, but I actually plan to maybe reuse/rework some ideas I mentioned in an older post here.

As for how Casny survived, currently the story is she was sold off by the old MSR and was passed around a few mines and industries before being acquired by a private owner who had planned to restore her themselves, but when they were unable to complete this project they donated her to the new MSR heritage railway. She is the only engine owned by the heritage railway who actually worked on the old MSR previously.

Next up are the lines two diesel engines, and they're who I have the most planned out for at the moment. They were the first two engines for the new heritage railway, and were the main engines who helped to rebuild the old line.

First of the two diesels is Cecil, based on the planet type narrow gauge diesel shunters like the one seen below.

Cecil is actually who I have the most written for, so brace yourself for a long backstory:

They were built at some point during WW2 for the Peel Godred Aluminium Works, where a few years later they meet Stuart and Falcon after the MSR closes and they were bought by the aluminium company.

Cecil is kinda reserved, keeps to themselves, doesn't actually have a name at this point, and so more just works in the background.

Stuart and Falcon are aware of them, but don't really know them other than that they help out with moving wagons around.

And then the Aluminium work's expansion project (which is what Stuart and Falcon were purchased to help out with) is completed... 

And while Cecil is to be kept on, Stuart and Falcon are actually at risk of being scrapped. 

Now, Cecil doesn't really know them all that well, but they don't want them to be killed... So they, their driver, and a few of the friendlier workers conspire to hide Stuart and Falcon out of view in a back corner of the works.

They then hear word that the Skarloey Railway might be looking for some more engines... So they send out a letter saying they know where to find some.

So anyway, after a bit of confusion for the aluminum work's higher-ups, who after a brief period had kinda forgotten they even had two steam engines somewhere on the property, Stuart and Falcon are bought by the Skarloey, get renamed Sir Handel and Peter Sam, and we know their story from there.

Cecil meanwhile, stays working for the aluminium company for several more years

Having done their good deed, they continues to work alone at the aluminium works... but over time they begin to wear out...

and now they're probably going to be replaced sometime soon...

Around this time the MSR heritage railway project begins building up momentum.

Good news for the diesel, the new railway needs engines...

Bad news, no one knows there is one right under their noses at the aluminium works.

So the new company asks around to see if there is anywhere they might be able to buy an engine from... and eventually they ask the Skarloey Railway if they know of anywhere they could look.

Duke, Peter Sam, and Sir Handel are all keen to help this movement to restore part of their old railway. Duke has however been buried in a shed for a lot of the last several years and so is not really able to come up with anything...

But Peter Sam and Sir Handel think long and hard, and remember that "wait a minute... wasn't there a diesel who used to work with us at the aluminium works?" 

They don't remember much about them, and they don't know if they're still there, but they make the suggestion to the preservationists that they might want to ask the aluminium works about the engine.

They were actually just in time, because they ask the aluminium works about Cecil just a few days before they were due to be scrapped.

So Cecil is bought by the preservation group, is restored and set to work helping to rebuild part of the old MSR. This is also when they get their name.

As the first engine for the new heritage railway, everyone else kinda looks up to them, which is a bit uncomfortable for an engine who has spent the majority of their life blending into the background, but that's another story.

Finally, there is Cricket the rail tractor. She is based on the Talyllyn Railway's original number 7, seen below.

Cricket was built by the Skarloey Railway sometime after Duncan arrived on the railway in order to have another engine to help Rusty with maintenance work.

She got her name after an incident described below: One particularly hot summers day her crew left her engine cowling open to help keep her engine cool. The crew forgot to close the cowlings at the end of the day. When they returned to start work the next day they found a mass of crickets had made their way into the engine housing during the night.

Unfortunately, Cricket turned out to be Somewhat of a poor performer despite her best efforts.

As the Skarloey Railway becomes busier over time she begin to be overshadowed by the other engines and becomes discontent with her position on the Railway.

It wasn't that she was being neglected, the railway and the other engines tried to help her out and give her stuff to do, but the Skarloey Railway was really just to big for her to be of much practical help.

About a year after Duke’s arrival on the railway, Cricket heard that the then ongoing project to restore part of the Mid Sodor Railway was in need of another engine to assist their diesel Cecil.

Seeing this as an opportunity for an adventure and a chance to maybe stand out and be happier on a smaller railway, Cricket volunteers to be donated to the preservation society rebuilding part of the MSR.

She helped to rebuilt the line alongside Cecil and is indeed much happier finally having found her place in the world on a railway which is just the right size for her. She even got her own special job when the railway reintroduced on a smaller scale the MSR's old horse and cart goods service for some of the farms and other local businesses along the line.

And that's pretty much all I have at the moment. I started working on this because I think it would be neat to look at a railway preservation movement from the perspective of the engines involved.

I think it will also be interesting to explore how these engines interact with the former MSR engines now on the Skarloey railway. I'm sure Duke, Peter Sam, and Sir Handel have a lot to say about this project to restore part of their old home.

That's all for now.

[tanadrin]

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. And the Earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God hovered over the waters.

And the Spirit of God looked around and said, "It's a bit muggy, isn't it?"

And the Spirit of God, who was also one of the angels whose job it was to do the actual grunt work, was not in a terrific mood. Because the Spirit of God--whose name was Raguel, and whose official title was Angel of Justice--would really have preferred at that moment to be up in Heaven, in the spheres of eternity beyond time, space, and reality, enjoying a nice, cold glass of something with bubbles. Instead, however, he was hovering over the waters, which were murky and dim, and trying to see if anything interesting was happening like it was supposed to. But the atmospehre was choked by volcanic ash and meteoric dust, and the Sun was still pretty dim--ergo all that darkness--and Raguel was pretty sure he was wasting his time. In his right hand he held a great rod of iron, which he was using to poke at the shallow bits in kind of a desultory way.

And as Raguel was poking, there was a loud crack and a burst of lightning, and Azazel, the Angel of Death, appeared in the air beside Raguel.

"Sorry I'm late!" he said. "Gosh, I completely lost track of time. Been out whacking neutron stars together for fun, you know. Lovely watching all those heavy elements go whoosh! all over the place."

"You're not late," Raguel said with some displeasure. "Nothing's happened yet."

"What, nothing?" Azazel looked down at the surface of the deep. "How can you tell?"

"You just can," Raguel said. "It's still all just amino acids and nucleobases. Not so much as an enzyme yet."

Azazel looked at his watch. "Huh. The All-Subtle isn't usually late."

"Pah," Raguel said. "The Ever-Adept's got nothing to do with it. This is all down to Adriel's boys in the astronomy department. They were five hundred million years late delivering the first Population I stars, and it's all been chaos since. This whole place is a rush job. Look!"

He waved one shimmering arm out over the endless expanse of sea.

"They forgot the continents! Not so much as a granite boulder peeking above the waves!"

Azazel looked around. He did seem to remember something about how Earth was going to have dry land, divided from the sea.

"Maybe the mortals will be… aquatic?" Azazel suggested.

Raguel shook his head. "They have their excuses. 'Oh, we'll fix it with plate tectonics, we'll build the cratons up over time. We'll have the first super-continent ready in just a few hundred million years!' I've seen the drawings. Their 'super-continent' is barely the size of Australia."

"Oh dear," Azazel said. Then, "What's an Australia?"

"Doesn't matter," Raguel said. "If the biology department fucked this up, there won't be an Australia, or much of anything else for that matter. It'll be HD 49674 all over again. Did you know this is the fifty-third planet in this galaxy that's supposed to have had life on it that's failed? At this rate if intelligent life ever does evolve, it's going to wonder why the universe is so damn empty."

"I imagine that the Giver of Life is, er… displeased?"

"He's not thrilled," Raguel said. "But you know how it is with Him. Soon enough he's off on his next idea. I think this might really upset him, though. He's been talking about these damn monkeys nonstop. He's got big plans for them. Language. Religion. Art. Science. Something called 'pickleball.' I'm not looking forward to breaking the news to Him."

"Oh, yes," Azazel said. "I suppose it gives me more time for supernova billiards. But… I don't know. I was kind of looking forward to the whole Angel of Death gig."

"Were you?" Raguel said. "Seems like a pretty grim task."

"Oh, I don't know," Azazel said. "There should be lots of travel. Lots of meeting new people."

"Briefly," Raguel said.

"Your problem," Azazel said, drawing himself up, "is that you don't appreciate the grand scope of things. The Plan as a whole. The elegance of a really good Divine Mystery."

"That's because I've seen how the sausage gets made," Raguel said. "You don't spend ten billion years trying to wrangle Powers and Dominions and subcontractors without developing a certain cynicism about all that. Without noticing that the Plan, such as it is, seems rather improvisational."

"I'm pretty sure that's blasphemy," Azazel said.

"Go report it to a priest," Raguel said. "Oh, wait, you can't, because they're never going to evolve in the first place."

"Someone's got a case of the Mondays," Azazel muttered. And Raguel was annoyed by this bit of snark, not least because Mondays had not been invented yet. So he poked Azazel with his iron rod.

Now Azazel became wrathful; and he yanked Raguel's iron rod from his hands. And Raguel said, "Hey! Give that back!" And Azazel held it away from him at arm's length and said, "Bite me." And the two angels scuffled for a bit, and Raguel tripped, and fell into the waters.

Azazel was embarrassed by his behavior, which did not befit the Left Hand of the Creator, and helped Raguel up. And they apologized to one another. And then Raguel looked down to wring some of the waters out of his shining white robes, and saw something stirring in the shallow end of the deep.

"Look!" he said.

Azazel gasped. Raguel's tumble had caused a ripple, which had perturbed a small clump of organic goo clinging to a rock. There, in a small pore in the rock, the first primitive cell was forming. The first life on Earth.

"Finally!" Azazel said. He raised his hands, and there was a thunderclap, and there appeared in them a scythe of black steel, whose blade was dark as night, whose edge was ruin.

"Not yet!" Raguel hissed. "It's just getting started!" For an agonizing few minutes, they watched this primitive proto-cell congeal, tremble, absorb some interesting molecules that were floating by in the primordial seas, and then--hestiantly, as if it was an actor not quite sure of its lines--begin to divide. Just as it pinched itself off in the middle, Azazel let the scythe fall. There was a whisper in the air that spoke of extinction, of grief, of the long silence at the end of time. Then two cells were sitting where once one had stood. And Azazel was holding something in his hand that sparkled with a faint blue light.

"Is that…?" Raguel began.

"A soul!" Azazel said. "They told me about these. I had no idea they would be so beautiful."

Raguel looked over Azazel's shoulder at it.

"Hello, soul!" Azazel said. "What is your name?"

The soul, whose earthly existence had been somewhat less than a quick cigarette break, sat in Azazel's palm and quivered. It said nothing.

"What do you do with them, anyway?" Raguel asked.

"Um. You know, I'm not sure," Azazel said. "Maybe I'll start a collection. We've got all that unused space up where we were going to put the true forms of reality, before we dropped the whole Platonism angle. Could probably fit a couple TREE(3) of souls up there."

"Shouldn't you check with somebody? Maybe these soul things are important."

"I'm sure it's fine," Azazel said. He manifested a small jar, and tipped the soul into it. He held it out to Raguel. "Souvenir?" he asked.

Raguel shook his head. "No," he said. "You're the Angel of Death, I think souls should be your department. But thanks. I guess this wasn't a total waste of an afternoon."

He was about to unmanifest, to return to the endless empyrean beyond, when he paused, and looked down at Azazel's scythe.

"Did you just have that ready to go?" he asked.

And God said, "Behold! I have created the fourth primordial force: the weak interaction!"

And the angels all clapped and nodded politely, and there was a long silence; and finally Verchiel, the Angel of Grace, spoke up and asked, "Er, what exactly does it do, O Fashioner?"

And God said, "What do you mean, 'what does it do?' It's the fourth fundamental force of the universe."

And Verchiel said, "You mentioned that. Um. But it's just that the other three sort of have a brand, you know? Gravity helps build large-scale structures, acts over vast cosmic distances, shapes time and space. The strong force is secret, hidden, binding together quarks and all that. Electromagnetism, very cool stuff, somewhere in between. We're all big fans of the whole magnetic monopole double bluff, very clever. But, er. What does this 'weak interaction' do?"

And God said, "It mediates radioactive decay. Sort of."

And Verchiel said, "Radioactive decay? All radioactive decay?"

And God said, "No. Just some kinds."

And Zephaniel, the Chief of the Ishim spoke, and he said, "A whole independent force just to mediate some kinds of radioactive decay?"

And God said, "Well. Not totally independent. Technically it's related to electromagnetism."

And Zephaniel said, "Wait, it's not even a real force?"

And God said, "It's totally a real force. It's just that it's one aspect of a combined electromagnetic and weak force. An electro-weak force, if you will."

And Metatron, the Celestial Scribe, scratched his head at this, but said nothing.

And Cambiel, the Angel of Transformation, said, "Maybe you can walk us through it from the top."

And God Sighed an immense Sigh, and said, "All right, fine.

"So the way it works is that all of space and time is permeated by a field that has imaginary mass."

And Cambiel said, "Imaginary mass, O Generous Provider?"

And God said, "Yes, imaginary mass. It's tachyonic, d'you see?"

And Sarathiel, the Angel of Discipline, said, "Wait a minute, I thought we agreed nothing was going to travel faster than light? All that 'c' business and the whole Lorentz transformation thing. What's happening with that?"

And God said, "Let me finish. The field is tachyonic. The particles in the field all move slower than light."

And Sarathiel had to think about this for a second.

And God said, "The point is, a field with imaginary mass has a non-zero vacuum expectation value."

And this really gave Sarathiel trouble, since he had never been very good at math.

And God, seeing this, went back to explain. "Most fields, like the electromagnetic field, have no effect when they are at their lowest energy state. It's like they're not there at all. If you give a field imaginary mass, then it vanishes only when it's at a very high energy state, and at a low energy state, it has a nonzero value everywhere."

And Sarathiel nodded, but he was confused, because he didn't understand why God would create such a thing.

But Verchiel thought he saw where God was going with this, and he was amazed.

"Truly, you are cunning beyond measure, O Only One Certainly Sound and Genuine in Truth! Only now do I understand your design! For in order to make the universe homogenous and isotropic, it is necessary that all large-scale fluctuations in temperature and mass must be evened out early in the history of the cosmos; and therefore, you have designed a field which will rapidly expand space after the Big Bang, many orders of magnitude in brief moments, and then swiftly and spontaneously decay as it gives up the energy it began with, giving rise to radiation and particles of all kinds as it does, which will condense into the material universe! It is a wonder to behold."

And God said, "What? No. I mean I did, but this isn't the inflaton field I'm talking about. This is something else."

And Verchiel said, "Wait, it's not?"

And God said, "No, I'm going to use a different field to drive cosmic inflation. The properties of this field are totally different."

And now Verchiel was also confused, and lapsed into silence.

And God said, "Like I was saying, this field is a scalar field with imaginary mass, and it does spontaneously decay to a ground state with a non-zero value. But it's not the inflaton field. Instead it combines with the W1, W2, W3, and B bosons."

And Metatron began to flip back through the pages of the Heavenly Record trying to figure out where he'd lost the thread.

And Zephaniel said, "The what bosons?"

And God said, "The W1, W2, W3, and B bosons. I'm sure I mentioned them. You know, the massless bosons?"

And Zephaniel said, "I'm pretty sure we only talked about the W+, W-, and Z0 bosons. All of which you said were going to have mass, O Owner of All Sovereignty."

And God said, "Yes, but this is how they get them, you see. Once this field acquires a nonzero value everywhere, the massless bosons interact with it and get mass. Well, some of them do. They turn into the W+, W-, and Z0 boson. And the photon."

And Zephaniel said, "…and the photon, O Accepter of Invocation?"

And God said, "Well, I did say I was going to unify the electromagnetic force and the weak interaction, didn't I? This is how. Above the critical temperature--right now I'm thinking 10^15 K, but I'm open to feedback on that one--electromagnetism and the weak force act as a single unifying force. Below that temperature, the field gets a nonzero value, you get three massive bosons to mediate the weak interaction, and the photon pops out seperately."

And Zephaniel said, "That seems… a bit overly complicated, doesn't it, O Reinstater Who Brings Back All?"

And God said, "No, it's exactly what we need. Look, that way the W and Z bosons have something to do, but the weak interaction still only travels short distances. Gravity is still the star of the show on cosmic scales, as it were. But now quarks and leptons can swap their flavor!"

And Zephaniel said, rather weakly, "Their… flavor, O Source of Good?"

And God said, "It's this new quantum number I'm trying out, to give the three generations of matter more unique identities."

And Cambiel said, "Three generations of matter? Now I'm really confused."

And God said, "I'm sure I mentioned this. You've got the lightest quarks and leptons, and then two heavier versions of each that can decay into the lighter versions."

And Cambiel said, "What do they do? New kinds of chemistry, is it?"

And God said, "Well, no. Mostly they just decay in a couple microseconds. Or even faster."

And Zephaniel began to rub his temples, and Cambiel sniffed.

And Cambiel said, "This all seems a bit ad hoc to me. Not really the stuff of an elegant and obviously ordered Creation. Why not have four generations of matter? Why not a trillion?"

And God began to grow irritable, and said, "Well, that's not really up to you, now is it? We're going to have three generations of matter, and the electroweak force, and that's that!"

And Zephaniel said, "As long as we are unifying fundamental forces, perhaps we could somehow also unify the electroweak interaction with the strong interaction, or even gravity."

And God hesitated saying, "Well, I haven't decided about that yet. I'm not sure I want gravity to be quantized, you know? Seems to take some of the geometric elegance out of general relativity."

And now it was Zephaniel's turn to sigh, and he bowed his head. "As you wish, O Possessor of Authority of Decisions and Judgement."

[writingonjorvik]

Riders of Jorvik

So I realize I've not been terribly active on here lately, but as I was tagged in the recent SSOblr D&D post and I noticed in the tags someone mentioning ROJ, I figured I'd make a post real quick filling in about ROJ. There will be a reblog very shortly of this post with a list of relevant links to ROJ so it doesn't die in the tags.

For those of you who don't know, I've been working on a project called Riders of Jorvik. You may have seen some of the Circle sigils and faction symbols I've made for this project on here already. Riders of Jorvik (ROJ) is a TTRPG inspired by SSO. The shorthand is to say that it's D&D for SSO, though more technical in TTRPGs ROJ is its own system. It would be like saying that D&D and ROJ are both board games, but they both have their own rules, one isn't an expansion for the other. That said, my aim is also to make ROJ easier to pick up than D&D, and I'm getting very close to rereleasing the guidebook with its 1.1 update with a lot of feedback from the community, which will likely coincide with some limited physical editions in giveaways.

I've been mostly active on Insta as I've been working on ROJ for almost two years now, and while I appreciate all the support the SSOblr community has shown WOJ and my projects in the past, my work with JC proved something I already knew, that the Insta community is the largest of SSO's communities at the moment that doesn't require recording, and I wanted to get ROJ in front of as many people as I could to find playtesters. That said, I have promoted the ROJ Discord in the past here and would recommend it again if you have any interest in playing ROJ, news about ROJ, or TTRPGs in general.

I have, before ROJ, run SSO in D&D before on an old podcast that is now deleted. That said, I still have all the resources for it and if there is anyone with an interest in the supplements I built to get that setting to work, they're available on the Discord, or you can DM me for the link. All of the ROJ files are available for public download on the ROJ website as well if you want to pick it up, but don't want to join the Discord. Even though it's not done, I would recommend the 1.1 beta file for the added TTRPG glossary and resources, particularly for new players picking up the hobby. I'm also happy to help beginners pick up their first games on the server and learn the ropes, of ROJ or D&D.

If you're interested in playing ROJ but don't have a current table, I run open games on the ROJ Discord. You don't need any play experience with any TTRPG to join, please just bring a completed character sheet. And if you don't know how to do that, on alternating weeks to my one shots, I hold open character creation workshops on call and am always available on the server to answer questions. The next one of these workshops is this Sunday actually (Sept 11 at 4pm EST)! These one shots will be going on hiatus soon so I can finish 1.1 for release, so please come join while I'm running them.

If y'all have any other questions, my asks are open, anon should be on, and y'all can poke me on that Discord. Like I said, I'll be reblogging this shortly with links.

[snailsdraw]

[Start ID:

Continuation of the post-Season 5 fan comic of The Magnus Archives, pages 12 to 16, featuring Jon, Martin, Sasha, and Tim.

Jon is a short, skinny Indian man with a bearded face, long dark, but greying hair, and scars littered across his body. He wears spectacles, a sweater, long pants and boots. He also has a black ace ring on his right middle finger. Martin is a taller, fat white man with an unshaven face, light-coloured mullet hair, and sparse pock-mark scars on his face and arms. He also has spectacles, is wearing a jacket pulled over a t-shirt, long pants, and sneakers. Sasha is a tall, slim black woman who has round spectacles. She is wearing a baggy shirt tucked into drawstring shorts, high sneakers and a swimming cap. Tim is a shorter, stocky South-East Asian (singaporean chinese) man with a goatee, a dark-haired mullet, and scars littered across his body. He has a slit in his left eyebrow, and he is wearing a collared shirt with swiss cheese plant patterns cuffed at the elbows and cuffed long pants.

First Image: We see a kayak paddle plunged into water along the side of what looks like a quickly soaking mattress lined skimpily on the bottom with bubble-wrap. A voice comes from off-screen, "Tim? A little help would be appreciated?". In the next panel, the scene is zoomed out to reveal Sasha and Tim afloat on the mattress in the lake. The mattress is, as we can now confirm, lined along the bottom with bubble-wrap, but they're falling off and floating away. In other words, the mattress is losing buoyancy, Sasha is kneeling, holding onto the kayak paddle, and casting a worried glance over her shoulder at a laid-back Tim, lying across the width of the mattress with arms folded behind his head. There is a carefree grin on his face. "Naahhh...", he says, "I've looong accepted our watery fate.". In the last panel, we see Sasha from Tim's point-of-view. He has stuck his barefoot in the air, comparing it to Sasha's covered feet. "After all, "A vessel doomed, will soak the shoon.".". Sasha looks down behind her, frowning, at her soon doomed-to-be-wet footwear AND at Tim's odd phrase.

Second Image: The panel continues to be from Tim's perspective looking at Sasha, but now Sasha's expression has gone from upset to teasing. "Hey, you're just making stuff up now.". The next panel has us now looking at the both of them from the front, Sasha cut off at the shoulders and Tim, who has since shot up into a semi-sitting position, in full-view. Tim has an open palm to his chest, eyes wide in mock offense as he gasps dramatically. "Sasha. James. Did you just accuse me of dishonesty?? Your bestest buddy pal, Tim??". Sasha's eyes are closed in satisfaction at this reaction. The last panel views both of them from the left side. Tim still has his left hand flat to his chest, chin tilted up and eyes closed in a defiant look. "James, for false allegations against one Timothy Stoker, I sentence you to going down with this boat.". Sasha mimics him, nose in the air, as she retorts playfully, "Objection, your honour! The defendant has said nothing but the truth.", to which Tim replies, "Overruled."

Third Image: The angle has shifted, and we now see Tim settling back down on his elbow onto the mattress from under Sasha's lifted elbow as she brings the paddle back into the water. Sasha is cut off from the shoulders up. "Why DID you bring your shoes onboard? YOU planned this," Tim asks, an eyebrow raised in enquiry. "We'd have to walk back barefoot! Some people would rather not have muddy feet in shoes, y'know?" Sasha replies. Tim turns away, looking forward with a grin, but one more of defeat. "Liar," he utters under his breath. Sasha pauses her rowing, seeming to have spot something ahead of them. The last panel is at Sasha's eye level, cutting them off at chest level. Her left hand has come to shield over her eyes as she squints at what she spots ahead. "Tim, do you see that canoe?". At that, Tim's head pops up from his place behind her, alert and looking.

Fourth Image: We see the expanse before Tim and Sasha, the mountains, the trees and the lake. And on the lake is a small canoe in the distance, gradually approaching. "Hey, Sash?", Tim asks. The dialogue flows into the next panel, featuring them both from the chest and up. "Which one...out of the two of us had that "Greek phase" again?". Sasha doesn't respond immediately, still studying the canoe off-screen. The next panel focuses on Sasha, her thumb pressed to her lower-lip in scrutiny of the approaching canoe. When Tim asks, "...y' got any obolus on you?", she replies in response to his earlier question, "Yeahh, YOUR phase, most likely.". Obolus was a form of Ancient Greek currency, and Tim is referencing the Greek ferryman of the dead, Charon, when he was looking at the canoe. In the last panel, we see the approaching canoe a little closer, the silhouettes of Martin, who is rowing the canoe, and Jon more apparent atop it. "Something's...familiar about those silhouettes...", notes Sasha. "Is that-"

Fifth Image: "MARTIN??", she exclaims, leaned far forward in her side profile. Next to her panel is Martin's half of the panel, a diagonal space separating the two panels. Martin looks confused. "Wait, is that Tim?". The next three panels are in one continuous line, featuring Jon seen from behind Martin's back. He's not paying attention at first, thoughts lingering elsewhere and eyes directed at the floor, but then he registers what Martin has just said. "Wh- Tim? Tim Stoker?" he asks, suddenly attentive and incredulous. "Yeah, over there," Martin responds, pointing to the small figures on the still far away adrift mattress in this new panel, at the shorter one on the left with his arm stretched in front of the other figure in particular.

End ID.]

Links to page 1 to 4 here (tw blood and knife), and pages 5 to 11 here.

[Sasha and Tim have joined the party.]

[onekisstotakewithme]

2022 Masterlist

Hi everyone, and happy new year! I hope your 2023 will be better in every conceivable way 💜✨

I've decided to do another yearly masterlist, to be able to share what I've written this year with my friends and mutuals. New fandoms and old, long fics and short... it was a fun year, and I'm delighted to share the year's work with you! This list will be organized by fandom & length, with ships marked, and there are exactly two WIPs I'm carrying into next year with me (there is also one story not listed here, because I did Yuletide this year!)

M*A*S*H

Finest Kind: The 4077 MASH (WIP) - The 50th anniversary story I wrote for M*A*S*H, about a couple of journalists who want to make a documentary about the 4077. 3 chapters exist thus far, more to come in 2023!

make of our hearts, one heart (WIP) - BJ and Peg renew their vows for their tenth anniversary... and are planning a private wedding for themselves and Hawkeye. Part 5 of the Home series. 2 chapters are up so far, but the whole story is written, it just needs to be edited!

no love less perfect than a life with thee (98k) - In April of 1957, Charles Emerson Winchester III marries Donna Marie Parker (with background BJ/Hawkeye/Peg, Max/Soon-Lee and Sherm/Mildred); 12 chapters long, Part 4 of the Home series.

Not On Your Life (19k) - The missing days between when Donna arrives at the 4077 and her and Charles's unwedding. Charles/Donna, 3 chapters long.

younger in October (than in all the months of spring) (14k) - Charles visits Hawkeye in Maine over Canadian Thanksgiving, in October of 1953. Charles/Hawkeye, 3 chapters long.

etymology (9.4k) - The evolution of language as it pertains to BJ, Hawkeye & Peg. BJ/Hawkeye/Peg, one-shot.

Many a Weary Mile (6k) - BJ's journey home from Korea is marked with reunions and partings. BJ & Hawkeye (romantic if you squint), BJ/Peg, 2 chapters long.

katabasis (5.5k) - What if Hawkeye didn't get off the bus in "The Late Captain Pierce?" (aka Hawkeye journeys to the Underworld). Gen, one-shot.

night and day, you are the one (5.4k) - Hawkeye tries to plan a date night for himself and the Hunnicutts. BJ/Hawkeye/Peg, one-shot.

What Unites Us (4.4k) - Epistolary fic; letters from the attendees of the stateside reunion to their family members in Korea. Tag to "The Party", Gen, one-shot.

Take My Hand (3.8k) - BJ's first day in Korea. Tag to "Welcome to Korea", BJ & Hawkeye, one-shot.

the love that you've looked for (2.9k) - The 1980s personal ads AU, aka "what if the Pina Colada song was poly instead of about infidelity". BJ/Hawkeye/Peg, one-shot.

Well-Oiled Machine (2.8k) - Sheer pornography, aka what if Peg was a mechanic and BJ a sexy man on a motorcycle. Inspired by Tom of Finland, Peg/BJ, one-shot.

Last Requests (2.2k) - Hawkeye, if he's facing the gallows, has one dying wish - and it involves BJ. Tag to "The Novocaine Mutiny", BJ/Hawkeye, one-shot (this fic was four years in the making from idea to execution).

One Small Step (2.1k) - Hawkeye watches the moon landing with his family in 1969 and marvels on the progress he's seen in his lifetime. Post-canon, BJ/Peg/Hawkeye, one-shot.

If Only In My Dreams (1.8k) - Hawkeye and BJ reflect on Christmas Eve. Expansion of the mess tent scene in "Death Takes a Holiday." BJ/Hawkeye, one-shot.

Superman (1.4k) - Tag to Fallen Idol, missing scene between BJ and Hawkeye. BJ/Hawkeye, one-shot.

Star Trek: The Original Series

a wild call and a clear call (that may not be denied) (10k) - Two and a half years on from "Amok Time", Spock's pon farr returns without warning... leaving Jim with no choice but to help. Smut & Feelings, Spirk, 4 chapters long.

a lover's tourniquet (1.5k) - Hurt/comfort where Spock helps Jim clean up after an altercation with the Klingons. Tag to "The Trouble with Tribbles", Spirk, one-shot.

Stranger Things

you spin me right round (1.3k) - Hurt/comfort, Nancy helps Steve with his bandages while they're in the Upside Down. Tag to "The Massacre at Hawkins Lab", Stancy, one-shot.

perfectly paired (like a pb&j) (1.2k) - Robin and Vickie bond over peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Tag to "The Piggyback", Robin/Vickie, one-shot.

The West Wing

The Fall's Gonna Kill Ya (1.4k) - There's only one person CJ wants to call with the news about her new job offer. Tag to "Third-Day Story", CJ/Danny, one-shot.

[commander-gloryforge]

alright to collect some ideas you've given me:

levelling by fishing only

levelling without HUD (i might go for this one next actually!)

trying to survive in expansion/HoT maps (another one I'll try for sure)

Pacifist run, doing as much map comp as possible without killing any mobs

no mounts

using builds/skills that have to fit your characters lore

switching up the routes while exploring

exploring a starter zone you don't usually level in a lot/a zone your character isn't native in (doesn't work for me personally since I usually go for all starter zones while levelling)

no character creation, just skip to the end and deal with what the game has given you (honestly might also be a lot of fun to try make an oc out of that!)

"nuzlocke" like challenge with permadeath, no deposit material or trading post, only regular vendors

use a watchwork portal device as soon as you get out of the tutorial and see where it takes you

and then some more ideas i was thinking about

naked run

only use gear that you crafted yourself

new maps only unlock once you've a) completed one map or b) the story takes you into or through this map

no waypoints

similar to turning off the HUD but less extreme, turn off either your map or your skill bar

also something I've seen on tumblr before somewhere but only do hearts/events that align with your characters interests/morals

have a little log/diary for THE IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE, after every big event/day/map comp/whatever write things down in character (fun writing/oc building exercise included! yippie!)

only access bank/tp when you meet an actual npc for that somewhere)

find a friend. to do it with you. thats a crazy one

listen to really long videos or podcasts while doing map comp so everytime you enter that one map in the future you'll be trained to think about the 3 hour rant review of a series you've never watched in your life

mix and match any of these

i might write up a little "ruleset" for a challenge run for myself to do, maybe others would like to join in too?

COMMUNITY! WE SHALL TALK!

so i've levelled a character or two in my decade of playing the game and by now ive gotten sick of always doing the same stuff over and over again and i keep burning myself out. SO fellow game enjoyers

do you have any ideas how to make levelling a little more fun and interesting? like challenges, rules you set yourself, restrictions etc, only levelling by doing x, not using y, anything to make it a little less monotone than exploring the same maps again and again

[writer-ish]

makai

Pairing: Dr. Ethan Ramsey x f!MC (Dr. Brooke Spiers) Word Count: 3.4k Rating: 18+ (NSFW - minors dni) Author's Note: makai (mah-kigh) - one of the four key directions on Oahu, but used on all Hawaiian Islands; makai means "toward the ocean".

Premise: A follow-up fic to this text exchange. Ethan and Brooke meet for a little pre-planned Hawaiian rendezvous.

Hey, I’m here. Where you at?

Brooke taps out the message on her cell phone, keeping one eye on the almost-empty lobby.

It's late now - late for check-in, late for milling around, late, it seems, for Hawaii itself - and she'd be lying to herself if she said she wasn't feeling a bit sleepy—a bit like, maybe, she should be getting up for a six AM shift in Boston after having gotten a good seven hours of sleep the night before?

Rather than waiting for her elderly boyfriend to meet her for a late-night swim - and a little more, hopefully - after sleeping a total of five half-lucid hours on an airplane in the last twenty-four hour period.

She's about to text him again, when she hears a voice from behind her.

"Christ, enough with the texting already."

Whirling around, she can't help the grin that splits her cheeks at the sight of him. Without responding, she throws her arms around his neck, squeezing him in an impromptu hug. His hair is a little damp and appears freshly washed and there's the sharp, pleasant, and familiar smell of his cologne that she inhales when she presses her body to his.

He seems almost nonplussed at her public and spontaneous affection, his arms staying at his sides for a beat longer than they should, before he returns her embrace. She giggles as he even takes her for a half spin, kissing her neck before setting her down, hands lingering at her hips.

"Well, aren't you in a good mood," he comments, a smile playing at the corners of his lips.

She shrugs, giving him a cheeky grin. "It's nice to see you. Plus," she adds, taking his hand and interlocking her fingers with his as she starts to walk, "I'm in vacation mode, so you're going to a get a much better version of me for the next few days."

He allows her to lead him out of the lobby and to the stone pathway that will eventually take them down to the beach.

"I like the version I get at home," he remarks once they're in the open air, which smells like hibiscus and coconut and the reminiscent warmth of the sun still emanating from the stones.

As they walk, he tugs her closer and puts his arm over her shoulders. She smiles up at him as she wraps her arm around his waist. He returns it, staring down at her with an inscrutable look, but one that causes a bloom of warmth to start in her chest and work its way outwards.

"It's nice to be somewhere different, though." Resting her head on his shoulder, they continue to amble down the path. "I like us at home, too, but…" She trails off with a shrug. "We work a lot. And don't see each other outside of work enough. I mean, I thought with you suspended I'd at least get a date night, then you had to go and get your freaking job back!"

He throws his head back and laughs, a loud, head-shaking, self-deprecating thing.

"Oh god, I've really done you wrong, haven't I?"

"Yes!" she insists, though she can't stop her own giggles. "Not even a dinner out. Our first movie in months was on the private jet that Vik got me."

Ethan rubs his chin thoughtfully. "I haven't gotten you a private jet yet?"

"Nope." Her hair tosses against her cheeks as she shakes her head, unable to keep the smile off her face. She loves teasing him, she loves being away with him, she loves—she cuts her thoughts short and focuses on their banter. "For shame, sir."

He glances at her and she sees the heat in his gaze as she calls him "sir". She bites her lip and looks up at him innocently. His eyes go from hers down to her lip in an instant and she laughs again.

"You're like one of Pavlov's dogs, I swear." Breaking free from him, she jogs lightly ahead of him down the path, her sandals slapping the pavement with her movements. "Anyway, your old bones are slowing me down. Keep up!" She takes off towards the beach, her sundress whipping around her legs, even as she can hear his bit off curse from behind her.

"I'm not running!" he calls, his voice growing distant as she puts more space between them.

"Your loss!" she yells over her shoulder, before turning around and jogging backwards to tease him even more. She screams as she sees him gaining speed quickly and her shrieks turn into hysterical giggles as he ducks down and lifts her effortlessly over his shoulder, continuing on without breaking his stride.

She buries her face in the thin cotton of his shirt so that she doesn’t wake up all the other sleepy inhabitants of their resort with her giddy snorts, especially when he playfully smacks her butt as he carries her steadily to the beach. Soon, she feels his steps change as his feet sink into the soft sand.

"Wow." His voice is soft and, even though it's coming from somewhere near her rump, it still carries over to where she is, hanging securely off his shoulder.

"I want to see!" She squirms and he grips her bottom, holding her still as he reaches up with his other hand. She feels him wriggle his finger under the heel strap of her sandals and she stills, waiting as he removes first one and then the other. Leaning forward, he places her down gently and she immediately wiggles her toes in the warm, fine sand before whirling around to take in the view.

"Oh, wow," she breathes as well, because truly there isn't another word for it.

The moonlight reflects off the dark surface of the waves, illuminating the gentle ebb and flow of the tide. Dark shadows on the horizon appear to be mountains or something in the distance - she hadn't had a chance to check out the beach in the daytime upon their arrival, so she's just seeing it now for the first time, perhaps not in all its colourful splendour, but still, majestic and beautiful in its own right.

And the stars - Brooke can't remember the last time she'd seen so many of them. They sparkle in the inky blue firmament like someone had tossed an infinity of tiny diamonds on a velvet tray. She breathes in the salty sweet air deeply as her and Ethan take in the view together, silently, for a moment.

"Thank you for asking me to come here with you," Ethan says quietly, eyes still on the sea and the sky. "I didn't realize how much I needed this… this quiet beauty. This moment of serenity."

She quirks a smile at him, taking his hand in hers. He looks down at their intertwined fingers and then back up at her face, his eyes warm and soft, the pale blue glistening in the moonlight.

"I did," she tells him simply with a little shrug, still smiling up at him.

He looks at her for another beat, his eyes conveying a message that only her heart understands, then he turns to her, stroking her cheek softly with his knuckles, before leaning in to place a soft kiss on her lips.

She cups his cheeks in her hands and returns it, keeping it soft, sweet, open-mouthed and warm. After a moment, she pulls back and looks up at him, the smile back on her face. It’s silly, but it almost feels like a permanent fixture tonight; one she can't get rid of even if she tries.

He’s watching her again, eyes heavy and heated, even in the glowing light of the moon. He slides his thumbs over her cheekbones in a light caress. "Brooke, I—"

Even though they’ve gone down this road many times before - the incomplete sentences, the longing looks, the words that are felt but not said - Brooke still feels her breath catch and her heart rate increase as she waits.

They stay suspended like that for a moment, the waves and the moon their only companions, when suddenly the call of a night bird, tropical and unfamiliar, breaks them from their reverie.

Ethan looks up and Brooke looks away, disappointed - though not surprised - that the moment got away from them again without any new revelations.

“Looks like we have company,” Ethan remarks, his voice carefully composed, even as he pulls her closer, rubbing her bare arms with his hands.

“Well,” Brooke replies, still determined to make this a good night, “as long as our only company is avian...” She pulls away from him, reaching up and teasing at the straps of her sundress. “What do you say we go for a swim?”

Biting back a smirk, he looks back and forth across the long expanse of beach. Her gaze follows his, ensuring along with him that they truly are alone. As much as she thrives on the spontaneity of a moment like this, she'd rather not have any of their colleagues - or any guest for that matter - see her naked. Which is exactly what she plans on being in due course.

“Looks pretty quiet.” His gaze locks in on hers again. “No?”

She nods, teeth catching at her bottom lip as she slowly backs up towards the water, pulling the straps of her dress down to fall on her upper arms. “Indeed it does, Dr Ramsey.” She pulls one arm out and then the other, leaving the dress clinging to the tops of her breasts. She continues to step backwards until her feet hit the shoreline, warm, frothy waves caressing her ankles. She laughs in delight and looks down, sliding around in the wet sand.

Ethan is closing in on her, his shirt already off. She sees he’s holding her sandals and his shoes in one hand, shirt slung over his arm.

“How’s the water?” he asks, though his eyes are still on the beach, as though he’s looking for something.

When she realizes his apparent destination, she can't help but shake her head fondly - he's walked over to one of the resort chairs, stacked up neatly for the evening, and is placing their shoes and his shirt on the pile.

Heaven forbid they get sand on them, she thinks, unable to stop the swell of affection she feels for her fastidious man.

Making her way over to him, she shimmies the dress up and over her head.

“Space for one more thing?” she asks innocently waiting for him to turn to look at her.

When he does, she gets immediate gratification at his dumbstruck look.

She had foregone a bra completely, so she watches as he takes her in from head to toe, nipples already stiffening in the exposed night air and under his gaze. She'd also pulled out the "special occasion" underwear, a lacy, boy-cut confection that she knew he'd appreciate.

And by the look in his eyes, he seems very appreciative.

Smiling cheekily, she shimmies down the underwear as well, tossing it to him before wading further into the water.

For all her bravado, standing stark naked on a public beach for longer than thirty seconds stretches the limits of her comfort, so it feels nice to seek both warmth and privacy in the languid tropical waves.

She had almost been worried that the water would be cold, but instead it's the perfect temperature - just nice enough to submerge herself in without feeling like she's entering a frigid bath. She wades out a bit deeper until the water just skims the top of her breasts and she turns in time to see Ethan entering the water.

Her heart picks up speed as she admires him, his naked, muscular body limned by the moonlight, walking into the ocean like some sort of reverse Poseidon, his eyes fixated on her and her alone.

Brooke shivers in a way that has nothing to do with water temperature, goosebumps lifting the fine hairs on her arms as she waits for him to get to her. The anticipation is sweet, but not as sweet as seeing him up close, smiling down at her as he collects her in his arms.

Their naked bodies slide together and she instinctively wraps her legs around his waist, feeling his arousal at the crux of her body. She kisses his neck, his jaw, his cheek, as his hands glide down to her bottom to lift her higher.

"This is nice," she murmurs, twining her arms tighter around his neck.

He hums in agreement, stroking her back up and down with one hand as they quietly watch the moon ripple on the horizon.

"I love touching you like this." He presses a kisses to her shoulder, squeezes her tighter. "If I could keep you this way, naked, pressed up against me, your skin on mine—if I could hold you like this forever, I would do it."

"Might be difficult to get work done." Her response is flippant, but his words have struck a chord deep inside her and her heart twangs painfully at the implications.

He snorts. "I don't care. Who needs work."

She pulls back to look at him, affecting a look of shock. "I'm sorry, who are you, and what have you done with Dr. Ethan Ramsey?"

He shakes his head, burying his face in her neck. When he speaks again, his words are muffled against her skin. "Dr. Ramsey has learned more in the past three years than in any of the previous years combined." He pulls back to look at her, one hand still holding her against him securely, the other pushing her damp waves back from her face. "Learned and grown and just—" He shakes his head before continuing. "Just tried to be better. To do better. Thanks to you." He kisses her and she can taste the salt on his lips.

"I can't take all the credit," she whispers against his mouth as they pull apart after a beat.

"Why not?" he whispers back, pressing another salty kiss to her lips. "You do it all the time at work anyway."

"Hey—!" She pulls away indignantly. "It's not my fault I’m the only one who can actually solve our cases—"

He laughs loudly and spins her around, making her lose track of her indignation as she dissolves into helpless giggles.

The warm water swirls over their bodies and she tightens her arms and legs around him. Her giggles inadvertently turn into a soft moan as she feels him, hard against her centre, settled right between her spread legs.

He tucks a kiss below her ear, nipping lightly at her pulse. "I want you so bad," he murmurs, sucking gently on the spot where he bit.

"So what are you waiting for," she breathes, her head lolling back as her hips move restlessly, her body stroking wetly against his length.

"Not in here," he groans, "the bacteria—not good for your—" He grunts as she presses more tightly against him, continuing to rub intimately in a way that has them both moaning.

"Have I ever told you—" She gasps, her breath coming out in short pants. "—how hot it is when you say the word 'bacteria' during sex?"

His response is a muffled groan into her shoulder as her jerky movements become more frantic, chasing the climax that has been inevitable since the first touch of salt water on her bare skin.

It's an odd sensation, the languid warmth of the ocean surrounding them while a different, more intimate, kind of wetness grows between. She misses the feel of him inside her during a moment like this, but there is something strangely, captivatingly erotic about making love this way. Their bodies sliding together in a new sort of intimacy, his rigid heat captured between her velvety folds.

“Ethan, I—” Her voice catches and his fingers tighten on her bottom, holding her to him in a way that hits that exact spot she needs it to. "Ah—ah!" She feels her muscles clench as a wave of pleasure crests…then crashes down over her. She lets out a moan, throwing her head back, the movement lifting her half out the water. Her nipples hit the cooler night air as her breasts emerge from the sea, and the feel of it in contrast to her climax sends prickles of sensation across her skin.

Ethan ducks down, kissing between her breasts as his hips jerk and finally still. He lets out a long groan through clenched teeth and she feels a bloom of warmth between them as she holds his head tightly against her chest. She can feel her heart pounding and his heartbeats echo hers from where his chest is pressed, closer to her stomach.

They hold each other for a protracted beat, the only sounds the crashing waves and their ragged breaths.

"Would you consider that," she finally says, still slightly breathless, "acceptable for my pH balance?"

He snickers deeply into her skin as he wraps his arms around her tighter before releasing her slowly. She allows her body to dip back and float leisurely on the bobbing waves. Letting out a contented sigh, she looks up at the stars, her eyes catching on a streak of light separate from the rest.

"Look!" She sits up quickly and grabs Ethan's arm, pointing at the sky.

He looks up as well and they watch as two, three stars make a quick descent from their position, a trail of sparkles in their wake.

"I've never seen a shooting star," she breathes, mesmerized.

He doesn't reply, so after a minute she glances over at him. He's staring at her, a soft smile tilting the corners of his lips. She can't see his face that well, even in the bright glow of an almost-full moon, but she recognizes the gentleness in his expression, the curve of his cheek as the shadow of a dimple barely appears.

She loves him so much.

She loves him so much that her heart aches with it, like a balloon that's about to pop or a cup that's overflowing.

She loves him for all his flaws, for all his hubris, for the ways he tries to be so good, and for all the ways he fails.

Her eyes well up as she looks at him, the words yearning to tumble from her lips. To tell him that she's always on his side. That he's hers, no matter what. There's no one else and there never will be.

That this is it, for her.

Instead she smiles back at him, albeit a little tremulously, and she leans forward, pushing off with her feet as she wades back to the shore.

He follows her quietly and they dress quickly, clothes awkward and difficult to tug onto their still-wet bodies.

As she grabs her sandals and goes to walk, he grabs her hand to stop her and pulls her into his arms.

They stand there for a bit, quiet and still, and Brooke feels all the little moments that have brought them here swirling around them in a hopeful nostalgia; the promise of things to come, built on a foundation of what they've surpassed.

"Time to sleep?" She looks up at the rumbling sound of his voice, blinking her eyes tiredly without even having realized just how tired she was.

"Mmm," she agrees, pulling away. "Your room or mine?"

He looks askance at her and she groans good-naturedly. "Fine, we'll be good. But see if you last more than one night without me. Just see!" She pokes his shoulder and grins at him and he catches her hand and holds it tightly against his chest, over his heart.

"Meet me for coffee tomorrow morning?" He brings her hand up to his lips and presses a kiss to the palm. "Hawaii has the best—"

"Yes, yes, I know, you talked my ear off about it on the plane, I remember." She shakes her head. "You're so boring I literally don't know how I stand you."

He grins at her and shrugs good-naturedly as they begin the slow walk back to the resort. "I try not to tempt fate too often by asking that very same question."

"Probably for the best." She tilts her head onto him and he drapes his arm around her shoulders. They meander down the path, away from the ocean, in comfortable silence.

She knows, deep down, how he feels about her. And if the final show of her loyalty to him is for her to wait until he's ready to tell her, well, then—

She'll wait.

[yostresswritinggirl]

The One The Bard Once Loved

NEW Vibe check (appropriate song to cry to while reading)

"The bard, the sprite, the archer. The trio of young dreamers that wish to witness the blue skies past the raging winds that lock their freedom. But those are more than mere dreams, for it requires the sacrifice of those you love, to grace the courage to fight a God. And Barbatos, poor Barbatos, sacrificed more than he wanted."

Pairings -> Venti x Fem!Reader x Bard (Gale)

Word Count -> 4,337

Theme -> Angst, Backstory, Long Fic

Series -> #Bonafide specials (100 followers event)

Warnings -> Spoilers to Venti's story, character death

"Oh little sprite, from whence beyond

Does thou reminiscent of a vagabond?

Curious to which it whisks upon

Trapped now in desolate, forlorn"

Venti the wind sprite had always been curious, the single whisk of air that always goes the opposite way, hanging behind from his fellow currents to be distracted by a curious thing. So it was no surprise to anyone that he had gone lost once more in their rounds swaying but when he'd not return, long ago has his current passed the nation of Mond. Yet there was no way he can fly by his family of winds, for he finds himself trapped within the walls of a grazing storm that cages the stone walls of the city, of winds that he could not control nor agitate.

No matter how hard he tries the wind does not part, and so little Venti was stuck inside brooding skies and angry blasts. No mere sprite can go against the mighty strength of an archon.

So he resigns to his fate and wanders in this new place. Of a city wide and barren, why dare the Decarabian hide such dwelling? And even with the raging howls of the walls of wind, Venti couldn't help but wonder the silence it traps within.

A tiny ball of white in an expanse of gray. The thought scares the little sprite enough to make him scurry for the smallest bit of sound he can decipher. The loneliness creeps into his core—

And his little body bumps into that of a soft material. "Oh! Goodness, one should not run off without looking like that-" the figure turns and finds itself face to face with a floating blob, deep blue eyes wide and mouth hangs with wonder. Venti recognizes this creature in one of his endeavors as the wind, a human being, the true wanderers of Teyvat. Yet what is one doing trapped? "Such a peculiar being! What could you be?"

Yet it is not frightened by Venti's rarity, well, given he is not the most frightening wonder in this continent this was no surprise.

The sprite did not mind being found out. No, no, quite the opposite honestly, as he flies closer to the young boy and hides in his upturned hood. Nuzzling against the junction in his neck as he expresses gratitude in the company and presence of another in this desolate world.

The young boy chuckles and it reminds him of a song. "Perhaps you do not understand what I spoke?" The sprite shakes its head and the ticklish spot is tickled again. "Or do you not know how to speak?" A nod. And another giggle.

Without another word, the human slips back into the alleys of winding yet thin roads before making his way inside what looks to be a cathedral of tall composition. Glass windows of the same length tinted in kaleidoscopic patterns of color. There is a light in them you would usually bask in during the 'outside world', but in here it replicates that of an oasies in the deserts of Sumeru.

Underneath the artificial haze it beams a seeming spotlight at a figure clad in a dark ebony cloak. Venti felt the vibrations of an elated gasp as the human rushed over with a smile and frantic waving.

"My fair muse, how you've brighten my day, bestowing your presence tonight!"

The cloak tenses before immediately relaxing, the 'muse' he speaks of turns with its loose hood falling as it bundled around the shoulders, and Venti the sprite couldn't help but gasp too at the sight!

Fair is lacking, no words can describe the essence of bloom and beauty at the beholder as you stood there almost sparkling, hair catching the twinkle of light. Your plum lips caught itself smiling yet your eyes twinkled double the amusement at the sight of the human before you, "Gale." You murmured with an undertone of annoyance as you trudged over, flicking the boy's forehead so suddenly he'd voiced his hurt loudly. "Where have you been?! You've never been late to our daily rendezvous, you had me worried-!"

"Oh, such a cutie when you worry!" The young boy, Gale, cupped your cheeks in the middle of your spiel as he softly pats it with his fingers. Venti had never seen such creature change colors as fast as you, not even a chameleon, or an octopus in hiding. "I've simply found a new companion while I was out and about!"

As if a spotlight was caught unto him this time, your blown eyes wandered to the sprite floating by your company's neck. And oddly he'd found the attention appreciated.

"Who is this? An elf?"

"Venti!" There was a distant jingle of imaginary bells in his squeak of a voice.

"It/You can talk?!"

(Y/N) Lawrence.

Gale the Bard.

Venti the El- Wind Sprite.

Gale was a bard that resides in the cathedral of Mondstadt, homeless and without blood and kin, the nuns had took him in and lead their choir in turn for their hospitality.

You, on the other hand, lived with a clan of hunters that once ruled the mountains and forests. But with the emergence of the inescapable walls of wind, your family had been on the forefront of the protection of the citizens.

There were a lot of struggles in communication between you two and the lil sprite. He only knows his name and how to copy words (not so fluently) so questions had to be foregone, teaching the little one took priority. And Gale being the weaver of words took it upon himself to teach him frequently as you had your duties and family to go to.

Venti would sometimes disappear for a majority of the time and you'd figured he finally found a way to pass through the winds without shredding himself among the blades of current. And then he'd pop back in to listen to the merry tunes Gale had come up with, both of them waiting for your return.

"Ah Venti, is she not a beauty? The youngest daughter of Lawrence, as divine as that of incense. Oh tell me those dotted eyes could see it too!" The little sprite eagerly nods as he follows the bard's stride across the aisles in the holy cathedral, once again barren of other souls except for them. Whenever his human friend finds time to muse, it would be most about the maiden he fancies, the muse of most of his songs. Venti had been captured by his delicate tunes and savory lines to the point that he too had been overly enticed by your grace when your presence shines.

Your strength, your smile, your laugh, your hair. Your gait, your poise, your eyes, your glare. You had caught their stares dozens of times in silence before and it was always up to you to put them back to present time.

Venti simply basked in your warming aura and indulges himself outwardly, often you'd find him dozing off on the crown of your head. And often times you'd find a little pout on Gale at such a sight that you had no choice but to tease. In those moments, the wind sprite knew he had come out triumphant.

The cathedral doors open as quickly as they had closed, your windswept and frantic form appearing from the storm outside. The two boys in your life immediately lit up on your appearance but you'd know most of it was directed at the numerous scrolls and books you currently cradle in your shivering arms.

You offered them a grin, one of victory, and you'd all cheered at your success.

Soon, your merry trio made its way to the second floor of the cathedral in front of a faraway hallway that looks over the vast floor of the first yet still had the glow from the looming illuminated glass windows. Beholden in front of you are illustrations of a world beyond, filled with colors and shine, a world you had only imagined from stories now pictured perfectly.

Venti would hover over the illustrations at random intervals and giddily point at some of those he recognized, squeaking incoherent noises yet reflecting happiness and familiarity. While you fancied with indulging the sprite in his incomprehensible stories, Gale sat beside you with adoring yet distant eyes upon the images laid before him. Looking through them, and projecting himself in such a world. The books of the outside world you'd stolen from your clan's sacred libraries will be the start of a spark of desire to be free. And with it the start of a new era.

"The true sky, and songs that cageless soar...

Were they not wishes worth fighting for?"

Long had you gone and abandoned your stolen goods for them to admire more, at least until the day your clan finally realized the missing materials in the vast expanse of the bookshelves they own. There was more to marvel at yet you feared if you linger longer, your sister would look for you and find your little crime all too soon.

Venti quietly watches the familiar illustration of a beach littered with creatures of the sea on its glittering sand before he'd lift his tiny head up, witnessing the intense stare his bard friend had on the scroll where lies an overgrown tree and a stone structure. The sprite noted he had not seen this one.

"How marvelous it would be, to celebrate the most joyous moments under this tree," Gale mumbled in a quiet lilt of longing in his voice, "Imagine (Y/N) and I, with you by my side, as I finally pluck the courage to get down on one knee." Venti bumbled in slight jealousy, buzzing in front of the bard that could only cast a laugh. "Oh hush, dear friend, is it not appropriate to take an arrow to the knee for an archer such as she?"

Yet even with his desire to be by your side, the little sprite knew that he would be there to support his friend for the happiness you two deserved. In a land where you are free. Still, Venti hopes his cuteness would be enough to prolong you just a little bit more.

Drunk in passion and dreams, the next day the bard was scheming. And when you'd come to his cathedral of a home, he finally poured out his plans to you with a Venti quipping with cheers on the side.

The Mondstadtian had predicted your hesitance, even your disapproval on the notion, and were ready to chip in to persuade you once more— yet you gave in. Immediately. The same fire burned in your eyes at the thought of being unshackled and caged from the world begging to be explored. Your sentiments together with the bard fueled the desire between you three, and through the brainpower of a trio of young minds, you had drawn your plans.

Gale aided by Venti would try and coerce with the Ragnvindr clan's leader, and you would work on convincing your eldest sister Amos for the help needed to coerce the whole Lawrence bloodline into the battle. You knew there was an undeniable hatred within her against Decarabian and you wanted her to fuel that fire once and for all, for one great cause.

And soon enough, the strings of fate had come into play, and the one who shall record this momentous history has taken its seat by the balcony of war. Only the last piece of the puzzle is left in this grandoise play—

"Gale, Venti, are you sure this is the right direction to the hideout? We're taking a route longer than usual, surely you're not making last minute pranks..."

Your bow smacks at your back as you made your way inside the dark closet. It was two cycles before the fated ambush would come and in your nerves you had not realized how amiss things had been for the others. You were more than ready even if your fingers were to tremble everytime it holds your bow and arrow, predictions of the war that shall come floats within the expanse of your mind.

In your limited vision, your bard friend and sprite shared a look that did not pass by you. The tension had only caused you to gulp in your nervousness, were you found out? Did the participants of the revolt suddenly back down? "There has been a change of plans, but worry not for history still pans. My Muse, it is best you stay to assure you will not be caught in the storm's disarray-"

A hand flew across the bard's pristine white skin and his dark ocean hues could not help but widen. Is he... telling you to not participate in the war?! What kind of— a sob left through your gritted teeth despite your best efforts, and you're not sure who was more broken between your friends upon the sight. "How could you, even think- Gale, you carry no arms but a lyre! And Venti still has no means to go against the Archon that controls the winds! What kind of absurd idea is this?!" In the middle of your rage, your friends had already wrapped you in their sentimental hug, expressing their own misery with free-flowing tears." I'm supposed to protect you... t-the three of us were supposed to lead the path of freedom..."

"You've always protected us, (Y/N). Now would be the best time... to return the favor," and as your friend stepped back to give a parting smile, your whole world suddenly engulfed in black as the door shut with a slam and a final lock.

"Gale! Venti! No, please no! Let me out! Don't do this, PLEASE!"

"Please hear us out, our dear (Y/N)," Gale leaned his forehead against the thick door that separates you two, shedding the last bit of tears he could muster before the end of an era. The desperation in your every bang against it, breaks apart a hole in his own heart, "For your own good, and your own future."

When Gale described love to the little Venti, the latter was certain that he felt the same way for you. Yet the human ever so jokingly laughed at how he was still too young to fully understand the implications of such words. But he desired just as much to protect you, to be by your side, and to see your smile. But the human was right for he did not truly understand the reasons WHY he felt like so...

So he asked instead, dear friend Gale of Tales, why have you come to cherish this human in devotion? And quite so the other was happy to indulge!

"It starts with young Mondstadt when the walls were young and the people still knew the tales and what they sang. I was a poor little bard with a broken lyre, when living alone was nothing but dire.

Without a home, without a bed, I was ready to starve to death. But an angel clad in white suddenly lead me to bright light. My muse had brought to me a cathedral, yes the one we are in now! And since then I've lived a proper choir life, always wondering how...

just how things would be without (Y/N), my angel? Continuing to live in the dark alleys, would I have been able? Even now I have yet to repay her act of kindness. But one day, for sure... " Perhaps, this act the young boy now follows, was the payment he had been waiting for.

How long you had stayed there, you had no clue but by the sounds of war cries and clashing steel had told you enough. You'd been there for too long.

Blessed with some luck that a crowbar had found its way in this janitor closet in a cathedral no less, you had immediately set out to join the battle: beyond the holy doors flames had lit up from the torches the revolt has carried, many bodies lay by the stone grounds of the city, some moving and struggling while some... you spare them not a second thought as you rushed past the stone pillars to where the heat of the war should be. If the battle plan had gone as it should then—

A hand gripped your arm with such force it had you cry out before you even registered you were being slammed to the floor. A shadow of a knight that serves the God of Storm looms over you with a glare blazing past his helmet. "You're one of them, I recognize that face! You're not winning today-" yet another blade suddenly pierced through his chest, and your shirt had been splattered when it was pulled. The now lifeless body falls past you and another replaces him.

"Sir Ragnvindr!" The knight shared the same shock and relief you wore before it steeled, immediately pulling you up and away from the on-going exchanges of blows. "Everyone- how's the war looking?"

"Men had fallen from the green-tipped arrows, but we are making progress," the redhead gestured to the tower where the greatest enemy lies, taking note of the cracks and crumbling structure, a sign of his coming doom. A very good sign. "Amos took it upon herself to climb the tower-"

"What?! That's beyond the plan, she- she could get herself killed!" You brought your own bow from your back at the mention of your sister archer, bringing the strings back with an arrow at the ready, your intention clear. The redhead had shown a glint of worry but his gaze had been resolved once again at the hope of freedom, and he leaves you to your chase as he fends off the guards that dare go after you.

You expertly evaded blows and parried kicks with your bow and arrow, yet no sign of the heads of the resistance had caught your sight. The longer you climbed, the more you feared for the worst. By 2/3 of the tower you had scaled you managed to poke your head out to see the scale of war. Of red and orange floated below as the razor winds felt more violent than it had been ever since you had been born within its impenetrable walls, even from this distance high up you could still hear the clash, the warmongers held up in the central square where all battles now takes place.

And within that chaos you managed to single out a lump of black and a dot of floating white. Miraculously, your scream had reached their faraway ears and looked up, just in time to see your aerial shots of support.

"(Y/N)?! What is she-!" His words had been cut with an arrow wheezed past his head to bring down a foe that had sneaked behind him. Right, battle. Many of the immediate threats had been neutralized and the resistance had found the upper ground thanks to the archer's barrage. "How-how is she up there!"

Another body had fallen next to him with a cut on its back, a certain knight rushing past him to hit another. "Watch your back, bard! Now's not the time to monologue, she's going to backup Amos."

You were too far to hear the horrified gasp and the fearful expression your two faithful friends adorned. But the ground you were on began to shake, and you know you had to go on. "Venti! Gale! Focus, I'll be there with you two soon!" You screamed at the top of your lungs in hopes that it will reach them before continuing your ascent to the most treacherous area you had to be in—

You barelled towards the woman with silver hair with a pace you've never seen and a strength you'd never thought you carried, exchanging the shot you felt lodge into your left side as you sent one right through the guard's neck. You fell on your bottom and clutched the wounded area, but kept it there, if not to make sure the blood does not pour if you were to take it out.

"Sister!" The familiar voice cradled you as gently as she could with a fear-stricken face. But you assured her that it had not hit anything major, the way her worry didn't dissipate seem to hide a kind of anguish she couldn't name. "We must get you to safety, the clerics- the clerics could-"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," you grunted as you pried yourself out of her grasp to prove your point, still able to keep your stance. You see Amos struggle from fatigue yet about to bite back, "We're so close, sister, any moment we linger is another body on the list of deaths." Painfully she'd bitten on her own tongue, finally relenting as you ascended the last few steps.

Normal arrows are nothing but toothpicks against the mighty God of Storms, the Anemo Archon, who easily flicked your futile attempts to graze him. And yet Decarabian was losing power just from fighting off not only your barrages but those even from below. His walls were thinning and his heart crumbles, from the thought of his once devoted followers turning back on him.

With one last strength the Lawrences gathered every piece of energy and power they could into their shot, and Decarabian looked at them with tired eyes and a raised hand. "Finally, I shall hold his gaze." The voice next to you spoke before your charged shot, swirling with beaming light flew past the sharp gale of wind and pierced through the God's core. Your ears had picked up on a violent crack before you were hit by the razor breeze upon the dying breath of the archon, sending you and Amos off the crumbling tower to free fall to your deaths.

In the edge of your peripherals the bleak gray walls of storms dissolved into rays of natural light, giving way to a hue of blue you had never seen before. As the wind wheezed past your ears, you smiled at the face of death—

When a jingle of little bells suddenly slowed your descension, and you were softly met with the hard floor on your back. With tired eyes you'd found yourself next to the pioneers of freedom, conscious and unconscious. You had felt Venti nudge your hand to those of another's limp ones, soft palms yet calloused fingers, you intertwined your hands with that of the bard's.

"We did it, we finally... did it..." A pulling force drains the consciousness from your mind and body in laboured breaths, and despite your protests to keep staring at the beautiful sight of the true sky, your eyelids were pulled shut by an unknown exhaustion.

Past their closed state, a flash of light was the last thing you had thought. Bruised and beaten, your warm hand did not register how the ones you clung to... did not squeeze back.

...

The next time (e/c) orbs flew open their eyes the world felt that of a lucid dream, with silk of the cleanest white donned their body, and the softest breeze of a sweet flower you had not smelt passes by you. Teal orbs looked down at you with a gentleness you've felt from the artificial light from the cathedral. Speaking of- your eyes unfocused shifted its gaze to the light blue skies.

"You're... awake." Your bard friend breathed out in disbelief and another emotion your brain can't quite place. The cotton of clouds float above in painted beauty, and you had pried your sight away from it almost painfully just to spare your companion a look.

"It's..." your throat grated and ached at the attempt, coming out so weak and breathless, "It's very beautiful... out here, free... Have- have you gone to explore?" Your face twisted in numbing pain from talking, and the bard started to quiver yet stood strong with a smile.

"I had, it's - it's just like how we imagined, even better than we've taken for granted," wet spots adorned your cheeks in short successions, you couldn't help but smile. "I only wish you were there to see it first hand, the flowers, the sunsets, the land-"

"Yet I fell asleep," you laughed in mirth yet there was no sound that escaped. The grip around you tightens as you loll your head to the side; there lays a new city kissed by the huge orb of light in the blue veil of a sky, lush green grass of health you've never seen before shone with a moistness on it, and around its glory lays a beauty of a moat that mirrors the one above. Beautiful, you whispered under your long-awaited breathe.

"The people of Mond had done their best to rebuild, for the promise of freedom they had not wilt," a hand on your cheek, flawless, urged your gaze once more to lay upon the bard. "We've devised a festival to celebrate named Ludi Harpastum. Tell me... my muse, will you accompany me in this new custom?"

A new breeze had lulled you in your ears once again to sleep, and a flash of fear had passed over your companion's features before it dissipated when you opened your eyes once more. A festival, you haven't heard that in years, "I would love to. But maybe... tomorrow..."

"Tomorrow."

"Mhm, I feel tired... the sun invites me to sleep, will you wait for me tomorrow?"

"T-Tomorrow."

"Good." Your eyes were covered by darkness again as you felt a pressure against your forehead. "It's... a date..." And your tired heart finally found peace, after battling for 15 days restlessly, desperately.

Venti picked you up from where you laid on his lap, setting you down on the grass bed besides the giant roots of the Windrise tree. Nearest your left, a stone plate carved with words you never dare see lies next to you. And for the first time in fifteen days, a God cries again.

¹The green-tipped arrows were coated with poison.

²Reader's bow is designed after the Raven's Bow.

³Gale is not the bard's official name but was used to avoid too many confusion.

⁴This had a different, more painful and hatred alternate ending where you hated Venti for taking Gale's form, but I changed it so I could rest my own heart.

*in honor of your contribution to Mondstadt's freedom, the maiden who throws the Harpastum is made for your grace.

@boxofteenageideas @creation-magician @your-local-venti-simp @indigodreamtime47