#king feels nervous of raising a child again

[blackrocks-king]

*A baby appears*

-🍼

! ? ! ? ! ? ! Who’s— child is this . ? Oh dear .. Where did you come from . ? ?

[targaryenrealnessdarling]

Nūmioītsos

19/12: Future & Face Sitting - Aemond Targaryen Word Count: 1.5k~ | Warnings: mentions of pregnancy, oral (f receiving), prince regent aemond A/N: This is in the Pearl of The Realm Universe!

12 Days of Smuff Masterlist

It's something he'd dreamt of, but never really envisioned. Perhaps he'd never allowed himself to. With Aegon severely wounded by dragonfire, the conqueror's crown would no longer sit atop his head with ease, so now it sat on his.

It was lighter than he imagined it would be. Like it was the most natural thing in the world.

He was not King. But it was the closest he'd ever be to it.

The aura was strange at the Dragonpit, very much akin to Aegon's in that sense. 

He remembered standing beside Helena as she'd pressed her lips together and curtseyed before her brother-husband, who had become her king and made her his queen. Remembered how she had that distant, forlorn look in her pale violet eyes. Like she knew hardships were coming.

And as Aemond turned to his little pearl to see what expression she wore, he felt his heart ache for her like he had done for his sister.

She was visibly nervous. Clasping her hands at her front, and squeezing for dear life. Her eyes were trained on the space before her, away from anyone else's. He could not blame her. She married a second son. Who would inherit nothing but a name.

She never expected this responsibility, and in a way, above the power that the crown gave him, he felt awful that he could not give his wife, who deserved the world, the peaceful, calm life she always expected.

Not a word was spoken between them, until they reached their chambers, and the doors shut with a heavy thud, like he wanted to shut out that feeling.

“I am sorry…” she whispered suddenly, standing in the middle of the room.

He was transported in his memory back to their wedding night, when she'd apologised, for maybe not being as pretty as he wanted her to be.

She had come a long way, but she still always apologised too much.

He saw her throat bob before she continued, “I could not find the right moment to tell you…”

“What is it, my love”, he replied softly, moving a waved strand of hair from her face with all the sincerity of a husband so irrevocably in love.

Her eyes lifted to meet his gaze, leaning slightly into his hand before she took his one hand in her two small ones, leading it flat to her stomach.

And then he understands.

Her nerves. Her silence.

She was terrified.

And with child.

His face softened instantly despite the incessant weight of the conqueror’s crown on his temples, his violet eye searched her nervous face, as if trying to see what she was thinking.

“I am frightened, Aemond…” she uttered quietly, her cheeks pink and lips pressed together, trying outwardly to stop herself from falling apart and becoming hysterical.

His hand almost entirely covered her belly and he sighed as he rubbed it lovingly, his child inside her made him feel all hazy on love.

“Afraid of what, wife?”

She swallowed thickly before she raised her head, “Afraid of…what this all means for us now,” she replied, her eyebrows arched in worry, “for our child.”

He understood entirely what she meant. And he saw her eyes close contently as his palm rested against her cheek, brushing her hair away, “Oh, my little pearl. I will not let anything happen to you, or our babe.”

When their gazes met, she knew she had nothing but her belief in him. She had to believe him. Though her eyes were moist, with tears rimmed in them with fear of their future, she gave him a gentle smile, choosing to put her faith in her husband entirely.

“I will not have you go to sleep crying”, he whispered, softly running the backs of his fingers over her cheek, seeing her nod weakly.

“Unless you are crying my name”.

She gave a watery laugh, a pleasant smile stretching on her delicate features. And when she met eyes with him again, the smile faded into a blush, finding that her husband was in no mood for shallow promises as his hand drifted from her stomach to that sensitive spot between her legs, even above her thick skirts, she felt herself become warm.

“I-I thought…lords did not lay with their wives if they were…”

Aemond smirked, quite forgetting the crown placed atop his head when he leaned down to lay open-mouthed kisses to her neck, making her shiver.

“It is fortunate that I am no lord then, little pearl”.

His words made a warmth sink between her thighs, clutching onto his doublet tightly like he might disappear in a moment.

She sighed, eyes slipping shut as Aemond kissed and marked at her neck, not noticing that Aemond’s deft hands were undoing the laces of her dress and prying each section apart. It was only when his warm hands chased the curves of her hips and back that she lifted her eyes to him again. 

“Aemond-”

“Hush - do you not wish to please your King?”

The words make her mouth go dry, a chill settling on the little baby hairs on her arms as he tugs the heavy dress off her, like he was desperate to see what was underneath. As if he had not seen her bare since the day they were wed.

He tugged her close to him as he sat on their bed, his face level with her breasts which he mouthed over lovingly, taking one of her nipples between his lips and suckling gently, both his hands tight on her hips.

“Aemond…”

He still loved that, the way she said his name so breathily and needy like that. 

He fought the urge to grin, teasing the stiffened bud with his warm tongue before trailing it to the other.

“Hm - Oh, little pearl, I can hardly wait to see you fat with child - and these so full…”

She gasped in pleasure, a warm feeling sinking to the apex of her thighs. 

And Aemond did grin widely when she squeaked with surprise as her husband laid back on the bed, pulling her on top of him, with her legs either side of his waist.

Being on top was not something she'd done before. And being entirely naked on top of her entirely clothed husband, makes her head spin dramatically.

“Aemond, I…I don't know-”

She shivered as his warm hands traced the outline of her body, “I have not seen that lost, blushing expression in so long, dear wife. Are you nervous?”

She nodded softly, her eyes looking away, wanting to cover herself but knowing that if she tried, it would only inspire him to tear her hands away from herself.

“My sweet, innocent wife…I only wish to taste you.”

Her eyes widen, “Aemond, I do not want to hurt y-”

“You will not hurt me. I want your cunt on my lips, now.”

She could feel her stomach flipping with nerves as Aemond guided her higher, her cheeks aflame with the idea that all this was arousing her in the most forbidden way.

“Relax..”

She could do about anything but relax as Aemond tugged her hips down, a high pitched moan slipping out when she felt his warm tongue part her slick folders and dive in, his moan vibrating through her core as he moved his lips with passion.

He hummed into her womanhood, his fingers sinking into her flesh to keep her flush down to his mouth as he feasted on her. He is sure he could spend forever between her plush thighs, almost forgetting the weight of the crown slipping from his moonlit head as he tasted his queen.

The crown almost slipped all the way off as he hand grasped his hair, her hips moving atop his tongue in micro-movements, “Gods - Aemond-”

With his one eye looking up at her body, he squeezed her thighs tighter, increasing his movements and shifting his tongue up to suckle at her bud, enjoying the way she moaned breathily and tipped her head back.

He happily sucked every bit of release that came from her as he felt her trembling atop him, her fingers tightening in his hair almost painfully as she rode out her high by fucking herself against his needy mouth, prolonging her sweet rapture by sliding his wet muscle through her quivering walls.

She jolted when he placed open-mouthed kisses to her sensitive cunt, his hands soothing where he'd been gripping at her.

Equally, she whined when he pulled his lips from her, looking down at him with flushed cheeks and dreamy, misty eyes. Her husband grinned up at her, as if in victory, the conqueror's crown laid upside down on the bed above his head from the effort of his lust.

She briefly worried she'd upset him by nudging the crown from his head.

And her heart thudded with excitement, as did his, when she leaned down, to place it back atop his head.

Aemond was sure, he had never been more hard in his life at that moment.

And he smirked with mischief as he leaned up, making her sit astride him, still trembling from her release, and unlaced his breeches. 

It may take all night, but gods, he'd make her feel like a queen by the end of it.

Like his queen.

General Taglist: @aemondsfavouritebastard @bellstwd @blairfox04 @buckybarnesb-tch @castellomargot @hb8301 @jamespotterismydaddy @mochi-rose @natty2017 @nenelysian @randomdragonfires @risefallrise @thelittleswanao3 @theoneeyedprince @thetrueblackheart @tsujifreya @urmomsgirlfriend1 @valeskafics @virtualsweetsqueen @watercolorskyy @fan-goddess

[lovestruckelf]

Hi, I stumbled upon your post that you wanted to write a one shot and I think I happen to have an idea. It’s Thranduil x reader one shot. Reader asks him for an archery class but the elven king himself didn’t practice for centuries. Thranduil agrees because he has a crush on reader, but is really nervous in the process. And during their one on one class he obviously tries to find out if the feelings are mutual. Please don’t limit yourself on how sweet or dirty it could be. TIA!

Thank you so much for your request and my first one shot! I adored your idea and it was so much fun to write. Gave me all the giddies. I hope I did it justice <3

Please enjoy x

JUST LET GO (ao3 link)

Grabbing your bow and quiver full of freshly made arrows, you venture out into the forest of Mirkwood to practice your skills. Being a warrior of Mirkwood, it is essential for you to stay on top of your game. Although you are a relatively young elf being almost two centuries old, you were still fast becoming one of Mirkwood’s finest even though you had not yet seen war. Your name was known among your peers and mentors for a reason, however, not for your skills with a bow. Your skills lay with the sword but this was not enough for you. Being the young, tenacious elf you are, you sought to be the best in all forms of defence and the Mirkwood elves were known for their skilled archers. Being a proud Woodland warrior, you would not tarnish that reputation. The goal of one day joining the King’s guard was a priority and you knew that being skilled and highly regarded in both the sword and the bow would better your chances.

As you walked through the halls with your weapon, you didn’t notice the King catch a glimpse of you walking by from within a nearby room. He was speaking with one of his advisors but when his eyes caught sight of your determined face with the beautiful shade of your hair that was uniquely yours, his attention was elsewhere. The King had first taken notice of you when he was observing a training lesson from his private balcony which overlooked the kingdom. The way you moved with such poise and elegance, taking down your opponents as if it were child’s play. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from you as you were dancing around with the sword. Being the swordsman he was, Thranduil decided to take it upon himself to conduct a few of your group training sessions. These were rare and no one knew it but it was just an excuse to learn more about you. The first time he had challenged you in front of your peers rendered him speechless. Your swords would clash and the looks you gave him with that cheeky little smirk each time you blocked his attacks made the usually composed and strong ellon weak at the knees.

Thranduil looked back to his adviser and quickly excused himself, intrigued about where you could be heading with such determination in your stride. He decided to follow you from a distance, curious that you carried your bow and quiver. With your eyes forward, you reached the entrance to the palace and walked through the gate towards the dense forest. You found the perfect spot to practice your shooting and set yourself up, removing your quiver from your back and placing it on the ground leaning it up against a boulder. Closing your eyes, you took in the gentle musical tones of the forest around you, tuning yourself into the surroundings. Loading the bow with an arrow, you opened your eyes and marked a dead leaf hanging from the branch of a nearby tree. A perfect target for practice. Raising the bow up and pulling the string back to your cheek, you squinted your eyes to lock onto your target and held your breath as you gently released the arrow.

Missed.

Taking a breath, you tell yourself that you’re warming up as you load another arrow into your bow, and once again take aim at the dead leaf. You squint your eyes again focusing your vision, holding your breath to steady your hand, and fire the arrow across the way towards the leaf.

Another miss.

Being the perfectionist you are, you feel a slight sense of frustration building up inside you. You were an elf! You should be naturally skilled with the bow. The prince makes it look so easy. You take a deep breath, pushing down the frustration and focus on the leaf once more. Analysing how it moves on the gentle breeze. You weren’t aware, however, of a pair of stormy blue and silver eyes watching you from a small distance. They watched your every move; the way your chest stilled when you held your breath, the squint of your eyes just before you released an arrow, how tall and proud you stood with the bow pulled taut. You were a vision of perfection, and you didn’t know it, but you were the beginning of the King’s undoing. Thranduil watched as you loaded a bow for the third time and released an arrow towards the leaf. The projectile just skimmed past the side of it and you released a sigh of defeat. “How does the prince do this?!” you exclaimed, without realising there were ears to hear you.

An involuntary chuckle escaped the King's lips and the sound made you load another arrow and pull it taut as you snapped your body around to search for where the sound came from. Using your acute elven eyesight, you searched in between the trees and through the long grass but could not see any sign of disturbance. That’s when a slow movement caught your eyes from behind a tree and you pulled the bowstring taut against your face one more time. “Whoever you are, I would advise you to reveal yourself.” Your breath is controlled and your hands steady. Movement could be seen as the tall ellon took a step from behind the tree and faced you with his hands up as a sign of peace.

“Forgive me, I did not mean to startle. Although, judging by your aim I do not have much reason to worry about being injured”, Thranduil said with a small smirk. You immediately put the bow down, gently loosening your grip on the string and the arrow fell to the ground. You bow your head low and begin apologising. “My King, please forgive me! I did not realize who it was when I aimed my weapon at you!”

Thranduil lets his hand fall back to his sides as he gently smirks at you. “Worry not, no harm was done and like I said, I’m not sure I was at any real risk to begin with.” You bring your face up to look upon your King’s and see his smirk. You thought to yourself, “Is he… teasing me?”. Surely not, he was the King! He was always strictly business. “My Lord, I fear you would be correct. Still, it can’t hurt to at least look threatening to a potential attacker.”

Thranduil nods his head, eyes never leaving yours. “No, I suppose you’re right. And you did do just that. You looked extremely… powerful.” Your eyes stare at Thranduil’s across the way and you’re a little stunned. Did the King of Mirkwood just give you a compliment? You’re unsure how to respond so you bend down to pick up your arrow from the ground and load your bow again. “Excuse me, my Lord, I must continue practicing my skills. As you have unfortunately witnessed, they are lacking.”

Thranduil did not take his eyes off you as he watched you bend over to retrieve your arrow. He started to feel uncomfortable as his thoughts wandered, imagining you in that position in front of him. He quickly shook his head of the thoughts before you turned back around to face him, not wanting you to see the look in his eyes. “Please, don’t let me interrupt you.” Thranduil gestured for you to continue with a motion of his hand. You got the distinct impression that Thranduil was not going to leave and you turn your head over your shoulder slightly. “Is it your wish to stay and observe, my Lord?” you asked nervously. “In fact it is. Would you mind?” The King responded, a hint of a smirk on his lips. “If it is my King’s wish then I would not deny you but perhaps I should take advantage of this situation a little.” You replied with the confidence to momentarily wind Thranduil in surprise. Thranduil stood tall and froze for a second at your words before speaking. “T… take advantage, you say? What were you thinking?” his mind going to places he could not speak of.

Surely your elvish ears had deceived you but you swore you heard the great King of Mirkwood stutter. “Well, you are a formidable warrior, my Lord. Your experience with weaponry rivals all others within the realm and you have challenged me in training with our abilities of the sword. Will you not now offer your mentorship to assist me with refining my skills with the bow?” Thranduil stood there taking in your innocent request, shaking off the images his mind conjured up when you mentioned taking advantage of the situation. He chuckled to himself at how foolish he could have been to believe you might have suggested a different activity. “Ah, I fear that I would not be able to teach you anything more than what your mentor has shared, my Lady. As you know, my skills lay with the sword, and I have not picked up a bow in many many hundreds of years, so I will be a little… rusty. My son would be a far better teacher.”

Feeling disappointed by his response, you decided to press the request. “Yes, my Lord. Legolas is certainly skilled with the bow, however, he is not here,” You say as you move your head around indicating the lack of the prince’s presence. “And you are. Come, show me the skills of the Elvenking. You cannot perform any worse than myself.”. You hold the bow out in front of you indicating that the King should take it. Thranduil looked from your eyes, to the bow and back up to your eyes while swallowing. It was a challenge, and he could not back down from it. “Very well, just do not expect much,” he said as he took the bow.

As his hand came down to grab the weapon, Thranduil accidentally brushed the top of yours which gripped it tightly. Electricity shot from both your hands and you both looked into each other's eyes for but a moment. Your breath hitched in your chest as did his and you saw his pupils dilate minutely. You looked away as you began to feel a little warm and handed him an arrow. Thranduil swallowed hard and took the arrow from you, loading it into the bow. “Where were you aiming before you caught me?” he asked teasingly. You looked up at him and gave him a small smile in return, “The low-hanging dead leaf just above the river” He looked in the direction you pointed and saw the leaf in question. Raising the bow and taking aim, he took only a second to lock onto the target before releasing the arrow. The leaf was shot from the branch and the arrow landed in a log on the opposite side of the river.

You stand there with your mouth slightly open, “What was that you said about being… rusty, was it?” Thranduil stood tall, a little proud with himself, hoping you would be impressed. “It was an inanimate object, hardly a challenge” he teased. You scoff, “Oh thank you very much!” you reply a little offended by his statement. It was an inanimate object that you had failed to hit. Realising how you may have taken his meaning, Thranduil turned to look at you, “My Lady, no offence was intended. You just lack the practice. Come stand here and I’ll guide your hand.” He suggested as he motioned for you to stand in front of him.

You hesitated for a moment, realising how close you would be standing to your King. The idea both excited you and made you a little uncomfortable. Sensing your unease, Thranduil held out a hand and looked at you, “Come, I do not bite... unless it is your wish”. Your eyes shot up to his and you noticed his mischievous little smirk. Blood began rushing to your face from the forwardness of his words and you weren’t sure how to respond. You began fumbling with words that tried to form, “My L… Lord. I… would never…” but you were quickly cut off by Thranduil chuckling but still holding out his hand. “My Lady, I tease. Please take my hand and let’s refine these skills of yours”.

Taking a deep breath and with your mind reeling, you slowly reach out your hand which was slightly trembling and placed it within his own. When he felt the warmth of your palm in his, Thranduil gently closed his fingers around it as though he was grasping the most delicate flower. The same electricity that was briefly felt before was now ignited and both of your senses came alive. You both looked from your joined hands to the other’s face and took in the moment, the silence being broken by Thranduil’s words, “Shall we?” he asked as his blue-silver eyes bore into yours. “Please” you responded but the word came out as more of a whisper as you were too lost in the moment.

Gently, Thranduil pulled you in front of him and handed you the bow with an arrow for you to load it with. He instructed you to aim it next to his arrow that was still lodged in the log across the river. Bringing the bow string up to your face as you pulled it taut you felt Thranduil’s breath on your ear as he brought his lips down to the side of your face. “May I?” he asked, seeking permission to place his hand on your arms. Too scared to speak for fear of fumbling the words, you just nodded your head while you kept your breathing in check. Suddenly, you felt the warmth of his body behind yours as his arms came around your form, enveloping you within his long limbs as his hands gently grasped your wrists which were on the bow and the string. “Breath” he whispered in your ear as he felt your body tense under his touch. “I believe I see the issue. Do you usually hold your breath before you fire an arrow?”

Again, worried to speak from fear of embarrassment you just nodded your head. “That's what is holding you back, my Lady.” Thranduil’s right hand that was grasping your right wrist, which was in place pulling the bowstring taut, suddenly relaxed its grip as he slowly slid his palm along your forearm trying to relax your body. He was taking in the moment as much as you were and he felt his heart flutter as his hand roamed your skin. You let out a sigh not from becoming relaxed, but from the deep sensations that were building within you from his touch. Thranduil heard your exhale and kept his voice low and soft while he spoke in your ear, “That’s it,” he whispered, “Let go, feel the earth around you. Allow the sensations to pour into your mind” You briefly closed your eyes as the sensations were becoming too much to handle but not the ones of which he spoke. Ever so carefully, he brought his right hand over the top of yours which was controlling the arrow while his left remained holding your left wrist. Gently, he moved the bow slightly as his face was almost resting on the side of yours, intending on seeing exactly what you see. “There. Are you ready?” he whispered again. Nodding your head once more, Thranduil smiled slightly and almost undid you with his next command, “Then let go.”.

You found yourself letting go in more ways than one. Yes, you released the arrow but as it flew across the way, you also felt your self-control letting go and realised that the King had you so worked up that you would do anything he desired. As fast as this realisation hit you, the arrow landed perfectly next to Thranduil’s. The King had yet to release you as he watched the arrow fly, he remained in place as it landed where it was intended. Even when it hit the target, he did not move his face or arms. “There, you see? You just need to breathe and let go”. Still holding the bow and being held by Thranduil, you slowly turned your head over your shoulder to look at him. He noticed your breathing had increased and he swallowed a little, feeling nervous, and looking down at your lips then back up at your eyes. “Yes, like that” he whispered, his lips centimetres away from yours, “Breathe.” He was telling you just as much as he was telling himself. “Just…” he moved closer, “…like…”, he closed the gap further as he looked for any hesitation in your eyes, “…that…” and when he saw none, he closed the space between you and placed his lips tenderly on yours. You felt your entire body react to the feel of his lips on yours and your eyes fluttered shut.

Thranduil was feeling the effects as deeply as you were. This outcome had not been his intent, it was not his goal when he followed you out here but he was savouring each second. How many times had he imagined you this close to him, his arms around you as he caressed your neck with his lips. How many nights had he laid in bed, seeing you next to him in his mind, touching you in ways to show you his true feelings. Here you were, right now with a beating heart allowing him to kiss you. Thranduil’s grips on your wrists loosened you realised that they were they only reason the bow you held was still upright. As soon as the support vanished, your arms fell to your sides, and you involuntarily dropped the bow to the forest floor. You felt one of Thranduil’s hands come to the side of your waist and gently turn your body so you were facing him, the other hand he brought up to your face, holding it as he deepened the kiss.

Without thinking, your body naturally responded to the King’s touch, also bringing your hands up to rest on his with one hand on his hard chest feeling his rapid heartbeat and the other grabbing his forearm that was holding your cheek. As the kiss intensified, Thranduil reluctantly broke away and gazed down into your eyes. “My Lady…” he began while trying to catch his breath, “My… apologies. I do not know what came over me.” Shaking your head in protest, you begin to speak, “My Lord, please. No apology is necessary. It was rather… lovely” you said sheepishly as you felt your face turn red. Thranduil looked upon you intently before continuing, bringing his hand down so both were now resting on your waist, “You are not… upset with me?” You look back at Thranduil with a look of utter confusion on your face. “Upset with you? My Lord, what reason could I be possibly be upset with you over?”. You bring your hands to rest on his forearms which were gently holding you.

Thranduil took a deep breath before responding. “I suppose this whole situation could be looked upon poorly. Me following you out here all alone, having you stand so close to me, moving you within my arms and finally… placing my lips upon yours. I assure you, this was not my intent but the way you looked at me just now, and have looked at me in the past, I could not stay myself any longer.” The honesty of his words made your heart skip a beat and it took you a moment to think of the right words. “My King, please, be at ease. The fault is as much mine as it is yours. I assure you, I do not look poorly upon the moment we find ourselves in”.

The King searched your eyes for any sign of falsehood but found none. All he saw was the same yearning he had been feeling for many many lonely months. “You do not mind then?” he asked quietly, hoping to hear the answer he desperately needed to hear. His heart jumps a little when he sees you begin to smile up at him and he felt you place a hand on the side of his face, “My Lord, to kiss you after seeing it happen in my sleep for so long, it’s my greatest dream to come to reality.” Your words went straight through to Thranduil’s heart and he continued to look at you with his mouth slightly open. “You’ve thought about me?” he asked slightly taken aback. You nod, trying to control your breathing as the confession is realised. “I have”.

Thranduil could control himself no longer and he brought his lips back down onto yours, crushing them with a need that had lived within him for many months. The second kiss took the breath from you but you cared not as you brought one hand up to the side of his face and placed the other around the back of his head bringing him in closer to you. He responded to the urgency of your hands by bringing one of his own to the back of your head, mirroring your actions and placing the other on the middle of your back to bring your bodies as close as possible. A little moan accidentally left your throat, and this fuelled the King’s desire even more but in the same second, he pulled away from the kiss and placed his forehead against yours, panting. “No.”

The word cut through you as you thought you had disappointed him in some way. Bringing your hands down to rest on his chest you whispered the word back to him. “No?”. Thranduil opened his eyes, keeping his forehead on yours and bringing his hands back down to your waist. “No. Not like this.” His meaning still lost on you as you looked into his eyes. “Did I do something wrong, my Lord?” Thranduil moved his face away from yours slightly to get a better look at your features. “Wrong? My Lady, quite the opposite. You have captured my heart and my mind. You’re all I’ve been able to think about during my quiet moments away from the politics. Do you not know the true reason why I lead your training group when I’m able? It’s for you, to be close to you. Y/N, you are the only thing that is right in my mind.”

As you look into Thranduil’s eyes and listen to his confession, you feel overwhelming emotions rip through you as, unbeknownst to the King, you desired him just the same. To have your feelings and emotions validated after all this time was too much for you to comprehend in this moment and you look away from him as you try to sort out all the thoughts racing through your mind. Softly grabbing your chin between his thumb and index finger, Thranduil tilts your head up to look at him. You saw his eyes and there was nothing but love and concern in them. “Y/N, what is it? Is this too much?” You shake your head and smile tenderly. “No, my Lord. This… this is perfect. It’s what I’ve desired for so long. I just never thought my feelings would be reciprocated.”

Thranduil returned the smile and cupped your face before placing a kiss on your forehead. “I had no idea you felt the same as I. All this time. This is a gift from the Valar.” You nod in agreement and take in the sensation of his lips on your forehead. Then you ask you a question that you're hesitant to know the answer to, “Then why, my Lord, did you stop your actions just now? If what you have confessed to me is true and our desires are the same, why stop?” Thranduil smiled down at you and kissed the tip of your nose before answering, “Because, you are worth more than a simple stolen kiss within my forest. Do you have plans this evening?” You shake your head no. “Good, keep your evening open for I wish to invite you to dine with me. I wish to learn more about you and then, if you will allow it, perhaps we could explore each other’s lips further.” Thranduil suggested, his thumb gently caressing your bottom lip as he whispered the words.

The mention of exploring each other's lips was the final straw for you and you swore that if you weren't being held in place by Thranduil's hands on either side of your face then your knees would have given way from under you. You licked your lips at the thought and spoke "Just us?". A wide smile appeared on Thranduil's face as he tilted his head slightly and brought his lips as close as possible to yours without touching. He whispered his response while looking into your eyes, "Just us. Will you join me?" Feeling his warm breath on your lips, hearing his velvety smooth and deep voice while feeling his eyes bore into yours, you breathed out "I will join you, my Lord". You had barely finished the sentence before Thranduil sensually placed his lips on yours once more and lingered there. He didn't intensify the kiss but just merely moulded his mouth to yours and held the position while his thumbs lovingly stroked your cheeks.

Breaking the kiss, Thranduil moved his face away from yours and looked at you intently. "So perfect." You blushed but couldn't look away from him. Was this really happening? "I will send an attendant to accompany you to my quarters this evening when the sun is at it's lowest. I look forward to getting better acquainted, my Lady", and with that, Thranduil brought the top of your hand to his lips and placed soft kiss on it, his eyes never leaving yours. "Until then, my Lord". Thranduil went to turn to walk away but halted. "I do have one request, however" he began. Your nerves instantly rose as he was the King and he could make any request he wished. "Yes, my Lord?" you respond with a shaky breath. He turned to face you fully before making his request, "You are to call me Thranduil from now on". You were stunned by the request. How could you even think about not using his title? He was the King! "Yes, my Lord". Thranduil raised his eyebrows and smirked. Picking up on the facial expression, you quickly corrected yourself, "Yes... Thranduil".

Thranduil didn't respond directly but instead dropped his eyebrows and smirked wider at you. "Until tonight, my Lady" as he turned and made his way back to the palace.

You stood there as you watched him walk away trying to decide if this was reality or just one of your many vivid dreams you had of the Elvenking. Looking down at your quiver and then back at the two arrows still lodged within the log across the river, this was no dream and you felt like an adolescent with a crush again. Noting the position of the sun, you quickly picked up your bow and quiver and made for your chambers. This night was going to be one you'd remember for the rest of your days.

[bloatedandalone04]

Tattooed On His Arm

➪the one where a.j. finally gets the money for your treatment, but at a cost.

Warnings: spoilers, angst, fluff, swearing, mentions of blood, stress, mentions of death, death, hospital themes, illness, heists, all that fun stuff, kissing, a.j. being whipped for you like last time, heavy topics

Word Count: 3.1k | Part 1

Do not repost this anywhere, reblogs are fine ♡

“I want you to stay here for the entire day, okay?” A.J. stated as he packed his duffle bag. 

You cross your arms and lean against the doorway. “I cannot believe you’re asking me to do that,”

“I’m not asking, baby,” he says and zips the bag up, standing to his full height. “I’m telling you.”

You raise a brow and give him a pointed look, making him sigh as he picks the bag up. 

“I need you to be safe, and right here is safe,” 

You huff, moving to push past him. “I thought I was safe with you,” 

A.J. didn’t let you get far after that harsh dig as he grabbed your arm before you could walk away from him. “You know what I mean,” he said sternly. “And you know the exact reason why I’m doing this.” 

You immediately feel guilty and scared and nervous all at once, and you feel like you need to sit down at the sudden wave of nausea that passes through you. A.J. is doing this for you, and that thought terrified every cell in your body. 

Sighing, you uncross your arms and press yourself against his chest, your hands moving to slide up his back. “I’m sorry, Jay,” you murmured. “I’m acting like a child, I know.”

A.J. dropped the bag and wrapped his arms around your shoulders, pulling you tighter against him. “You’re not, baby,” he assured you, kissing the top of your head a few times. “It’s alright. I know I’m asking for a lot from you, and I know I wouldn’t be okay if you asked me to stay here while you went out and did something like this. But I need you far away from it all, okay? Just until it’s over, then we’ll get you back in the hospital for your final few weeks of treatment. It’ll all be over soon.”

You nod and pull away, standing on the tips of your toes to be able to kiss him. “I need you to be careful, okay? I need you to come back to me,” you whisper against his lips. 

“I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he promised. “And I’ll be careful. All of this is for you, so of course I’m going to be careful. I need you, everyday.” 

You nod again, blinking away your tears as you jump up and wrap your legs around his middle. He caught you easily, his hands holding onto your thighs as he carried you over to the king sized bed you and he shared. “I need you, too,” you mumble as he lays you down and hovers over you. “I love you.”

A.J. leans down and kisses you deeply, his hand reaching down to grab hold of yours. “I love you so much,” he says back, bringing your joined hands up and kissing the back of yours. “You’re everything to me.”

You smile at him, using your free hand to run your fingers through his hair. “I’ll be waiting for you,” 

He returns the smile, leaning down to kiss you once more before standing up. His hand falls from yours as he gets off the bed and leans down to grab his bag. “I’ll be back before you know it, then you and I are starting fresh,” he says. “Sound good?”

You nod and nuzzle against his pillow. “Sounds good,” you quietly reply. 

A.J. swings the bag over his shoulder before focusing his gaze on your tired eyes, a small frown forming on his lips at how out of it you looked. “Maybe you should try and get some sleep,” he suggests. “I know you had a hard time falling asleep last night.”

You shrugged, wrapping your arms around his pillow and inhaling the scent that only belonged to him. “It just hurt last night,” 

He nods slowly, softening his stare. “And that is why I’m doing this,” he says. “I can’t stand to see you in any more pain, pretty girl. No more after this.”

-

Despite meaning to be aware and awake when A.J. returned home, your pain meds kicked in quickly today and you ended up falling asleep only a half hour after he left. He was right, you got a terrible sleep last night and ended up passing out for the entire duration of the heist. 

You were still fast asleep when A.J. crept into the room and set his bag down, forgoing his previous task of washing away the dirt and gunpowder from his body to instead lay next to you. 

As soon as he got into bed next to you, your body stirred and almost instantly you were moving towards him. Even asleep you were so responsive to him, and he couldn’t help but grin down at you. 

Not being able to stop himself, he leaned down to press a kiss to your forehead, and even though it was feather-light, you still woke up. He watched you blink a few times before registering the fact that he was next to you, your eyes wide as you wrapped your arms around him. “A.J.,” you gasped, relief evident in your voice as you clung onto him. “You’re back.”

“I’m back,” he confirmed, wrapping his arms around your weak body as gently as he could. 

“I was so worried,” you admit, lazily stroking his tattoo of your name with your thumb.

“I told you I’d be careful,” he grinned. “Have you been asleep the whole time?”

Nodding shyly, you move even closer to him and ignore the ache you felt in your body. “It hurts a bit more today,” you inform him. “I took my meds and they put me to sleep pretty much right away. I wanted to be awake when you got home.”

A.J. furrows his brows, running a hand up and down your back in a barely-there touch. Your body was weakening as the days went on, and your condition was rapidly declining, but now that he finally had the money he needed to make you better, he knew you would bounce back within the next six months or so. 

“Okay, that’s alright,” he assured you, brushing away your hair from your face. “It’s alright. Everything is going to be fine now, baby. I promise.”

You nod up at him, couching quietly and swallowing the small amount of blood that pooled in your mouth. 

A.J. noted the red on your teeth and felt his heart break a bit. You truly didn’t deserve to feel any of the pain you were feeling, and had been suffering from for so long now. “The guys invited me to a hotel to sort through all we got today,” he began, feeling the way your body tensed against his in dread. “But I’m not going. I brought home what I grabbed and I’m using it to pay for your next treatment. Fuck sorting through it.”

You sigh in relief and nuzzle closer to him. “I love you, Jay,” you whispered, bunching up his stained shirt in your fingers. “Thank you…for everything.”

“You’re my whole world, Y/n/n,” he said back, just as quietly, his hand coming up to spin the ring on your finger. “I love you more than anything else. I promised I’d protect you, and that’s exactly what I plan on doing, starting with a call to your doctor.”

You hum, kissing his jaw. “Tomorrow,” you request and he opens his mouth to object but you quickly continue, “Please? I just want to spend the rest of the day with you, right here in our bed. Please, Jay?”

And you knew he could never say no to you. “Okay, pretty girl,” he agreed, kissing your forehead and pulling you close to him. “But I’m booking your appointment first thing tomorrow morning.”

-

A.J.’s leg bounces uncontrollably as he sat on the uncomfortable chair in the waiting room. 

His white shirt he had gone to bed in last night was stained red, as were his hands as he had not been able to think straight enough for him to decide he should probably go wash them. 

His phone was on the small table beside him, all of his calls to Jake having gone unanswered. He didn’t know who else to call or who else to seek comfort in except you, but you couldn’t provide him with any as the image of you being whisked away on a stretcher filled his mind again. 

Just a couple hours ago A.J. had woken up to find your body still on top of his, but you weren’t moving. You were hardly breathing and that was when he saw all the blood that had poured from your mouth and stained both his shirt and the sheets. 

He had you in his arms instantly and carried you to his car, all while being on the phone with your doctor, who told him to bring you to the hospital immediately. A’J.’s head was a fuzzy mess as he practically ran through the emergency doors, his grip on you tight as he felt your breathing begin to slow even more. 

He was helpless as he watched the doctors pry you from his arms and take you into the ER without being given so much as a clue to what happened. 

You were fine when he fell asleep with you. You were okay, but clearly not. 

A.J. wasn’t sure how to function as he pulled his phone out and called his best friend about twenty times, but didn’t ever get an answer. 

It was then, as he was escorted into the waiting room, where he discovered why.

The small TV hung in the corner of the room was set to the news channel, the same one you had called into not even a week earlier, and displayed the names and pictures of his friends, along with the headline ‘Gang of burglars finally caught and killed after shootout with police’. 

Ghost, Jesse and Jake’s pictures were shown and A.J. felt like he no longer knew how to breathe. 

Jake was dead. His best friend is dead. You were dying. 

How did this happen?

When an aerial view was displayed on the screen and showed the very hotel A.J. was supposed to be at last night, he knew they had been set up. Ghost had led them into a trap and had planned their deaths from the second he was put behind bars. 

A.J. was supposed to be smart. He was supposed to be the one with the brains. He should’ve seen this coming, but he was blinded by the chance to get the money and save your life. 

Now Jake was dead, and John and Gordon were nowhere to be found. 

A.J. had been sitting here for far too long, and no one was giving him any updates. He had more than enough of the silence as he stood up and made his way over to the receptionist desk within three strides. “I need you to tell me what’s going on,” he told the lady, who looked to be in her fifties. “Now. Right now.” He reiterated when she just looked up at him.

“I’m going to need you to calm down, sir, and keep your voice down. There are others waiting, too,” she spoke calmly and A.J. wanted to throw her across the room. 

He held back. “I don’t give a fuck,” he seethed, getsuring to his bloody shirt and hands. “I need you to tell me what the fuck happened to my girlfriend.”

The lady opened her mouth to scold him again when your doctor finally entered the room, a mask pulled down to his chin and his gloves halfway off. “A.J.,” he called out. “That’s enough.”

A.J. stepped away from the desk instantly and made his way over to the man. “What happened? What’s wrong with her? Is she okay?”

Doctor Hart sighed and held his gloves in one hand. “She’s stable,” he informed A.J. “We had to perform emergency surgery on her, but her body reacted nicely. She’s in recovery now.”

A.J. nodded and felt the first bit of relief fill his body since waking up. “Is she okay?” He asked quietly, his heartbeat still loud in his ears.

“She’s recovering,” came his vague answer. “I have to ask, did something happen in the last twenty four hours?”

The question had A.J.’s brows furrowing. “What do you mean?”

“Y/n’s body was seriously distressed. Her blood pressure was abnormally high and her fluid levels were low,” Hart says. “Did something occur yesterday that made her become stressed out or anxious?” 

A.J.’s face paled at that and he stepped away. 

Fuck.

Had he really almost stressed you out into an early grave?

Why didn’t you tell him about it?

How did he not see the signs?

“Not that I’m aware of,” he lied and hated how easy it was. “Ken, she needs to go through with that treatment you told us about the last time we were here. I have the money saved up, so that won’t be a problem anymore. I just need her to be okay.”

Doctor Hart nods and mumbles something to the receptionist lady A.J. was yelling at a few seconds ago. “We’ll need to go over it with Miss Y/l/n when she wakes up, but I don’t see why she would refuse to go further in her treatment. We have a few openings at the end of this week,” he says. “We’ll discuss it with Y/n then book the appointment.”

A.J. nods, giving the lady a guilty and forced smile as he reached over and patted Hart on the shoulder. “Okay. Okay, great, thanks,” he says, holding his hands up. They were still covered in your dried blood. “Where can I-”

“Down the hall,” Ken answered. “First door on the left. I’ll inform you when you can see her.”

“Thank you,” he nods at both Ken and the receptionist, “Thanks.”

Then he was off to wipe away the physical proof of what his actions nearly caused. 

-

“Gordon and I are off. We didn’t mention you at all, so two should be fine,” John spoke through the phone. A.J. nodded even though he couldn’t see him, lifting his freehand up and running it through his hair. “Be careful, brother. Stay safe. No more heists. You’ve got more than enough money to get by with for the rest of your life. I’ll be seeing you.”

And then the call disconnected as the two remaining group members left the city, and A.J. was alone. His hand fell back to his side as he stared out the tall window in the living room, his eyes raking over the busy street below him. 

Without the guys around it felt more quiet here. Jake, Jesse, Gordon and John were pretty much the only constants in his life, so to have half of them gone and half of them dead was going to be a tough one to move past. 

“Jay? Is everything alright?” 

At least he still has you. 

A.J. turns and looks over at where you were leaning against the bedroom door frame. He smiles, reaching his arm out to you and beckoning you over to him. “C’mere, pretty girl,” 

You push off the frame and make your way over to him, your body only covered by one of his old t-shirts that reached your midthigh. “What’s wrong?” You ask when you reach him, resting your hand on his chest as he pulls you into his side. 

“Nothing,” he answered, leaning down to press a kiss to your forehead. “Things are going to be really different now. John and Gordon left…Jesse and Jake…it’s just you and I now.”

You bite your lip and press your face against his chest. “I miss Jake, too,” you confess. “I’m sorry about what happened….but that could’ve been you, Jay. It was supposed to be you. Ghost set you all up and he was going to have you killed, too, I… I don’t want to think about that.”

When your face scrunched up in a telltale sign that you were going to cry, A.J. pulled you into his arms and shielded your face in the crook of his neck. “I don’t want to think about it, either,” he says, kissing the side of your head. “Let’s just not talk about it, okay? It’s too much right now. Especially since I almost lost you, too.”

You look up at him with guilty eyes. “I’m sorry,” you say again. “I should’ve told you how bad it had gotten, but I didn’t want to distract you.”

A.J. shook his head, reaching a hand up to caress the side of your face. “I need you to tell me these things, baby,” he begged. “I nearly had a panic attack when I woke up and saw all the blood. I thought I already lost you, then I saw Jake on the news. I thought I lost you both.”

“You won’t lose me, Jay,” you promised. “You won’t. In a few more days I’ll feel better than I have in years, all thanks to you and Jake and the guys. You saved my life, A.J. More than once and I can never repay you for that.”

He kissed you deeply, pulling you closer to him. “It’s my job to protect you, angel,” he said once he pulled away from the kiss. “I always will. You don’t need to thank me for that. Just never scare me like that ever again. I can’t do this without you.”

“I won’t,” you kiss him again. “I promise, I won’t.”

“Tell me if things get bad again. Tell me the second you start to feel like that again,” he begged between kisses, so caught up in the thought of nearly having to live his life without you in it. He still felt fucked up at the image of you and him covered in your blood, and at the the thought of being completely alone for the first time in a long time. He wasn’t kidding when he said he couldn’t live without you, and he hated that he came so close to that reality because he put so much stress on you. “Promise me.”

“I promise,” you say again, wrapping your arms around his shoulders. He lifted you up slightly as you kissed him more deeply than before, his arms locking around your waist. “I promise.”

[lostfirefly]

Now hush little baby, don't you cry, everything's gonna be alright

The idea for the fic came to me completely by accident. A friend who has a child talked about how she spends time with him. And I have no idea how to communicate with children. English is not my native language, errors may occur. As always, feel free to share your thoughts :)

Buggy and F/Reader - Masterlist is here.

Description: You and Buggy have a little daughter. The ship is moored and you go to rest, leaving Buggy with the child.

Warnings: Fun (I have no experience with kids, sorry if there are discrepancies), Buggy is practically hysterical.

Words: 1815

Taglist: @gingernut1314, @operationroots

The title is taken from “Mockingbird” by Eminem.

✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

“Y/N, it’s screaming again!” Buggy growled into his pillow. 

“That's not it, Buggy, it's your daughter.” You muttered into his chest.

“This is your baby, velvet cake.” He buried his face in your hair.

“It’s as much mine as it is yours, Buggy.” You stroked his arm. “We made her together. Remember that night? At the end of sex you yelled that you would become king of the pirates.” 

“It was good!” He reluctantly got out of bed and walked towards the crib that was located not far from your shared bed. 

Inside the crib lay a little girl with Y/E/C and blue hair. Every time Buggy looked at his daughter, he was glad inside himself that she had not inherited his nose. 

“What should I do with her?” He asked loudly. 

“First of all, don't scream. Second of all, rock her first.”

“I'm not very good with children. Can I wait until she turns 18 and then start raising her?” Buggy looked at you as you stretched in bed. “How did I even end up with children?” He scratched his head and took the child into his arms. “So, what is next?” 

“Just rock her. Like this.” You took the pillow in your hands and showed how it should be done. 

“OK.” Buggy swung his daughter one way, then the other, then swung her one way again and the other again. "Seems to work, velvet cake! She cries less.” 

“You see, you're doing great, my love.” You got out of bed, put on your slippers and, shuffling along the floor, approached them both. "You'll learn everything in time, Buggy. Hello, my Lily Gold." You waved to your daughter. 

“It’s easy for you to say - you’ll learn.” Buggy chuckled and rolled his eyes dramatically. “You’re a woman, you know how to do it. It’s in your nature.” 

“Hell, no!” You shook your head. “It just somehow happened that I had to take one under my wing to raise one.” You pecked him on the cheek. “Big.” Smack on his lips. “Capricious.” Smack on his nose. “Child. So, I’ll go wash up and make us breakfast. I also need to go to the store on the island and buy something.” 

“What? Did something happen?” Buggy became noticeably nervous. “Are you feeling unwell? Is there something wrong with the baby?”   

“No, no!” You softened your voice, trying to calm him down. “Don't get me wrong, I love you both, but I want to get some rest. I have a spa appoitnment.” 

While you were making breakfast, Buggy sat next to you, holding your daughter in his arms. He was loudly clattering plates and mugs and yelling at anyone who came into the kitchen and spoke loudly (so it seemed to him, even though everyone was whispering). Buggy and your daughter at breakfast certainly made you smile, but at the same time it was a disaster. They were both constantly dropping things, getting messy in their food, and they both started whining if something didn't go their way. You would just roll your eyes, convincing yourself that he was the love of your life, the love you sometimes wanted to strangle. You got up from your chair, wiped their faces, and continued drinking your morning coffee.

You went to your room, Buggy and Lily followed you. He constantly asked how soon you would return, what he should do and how to get along with children in general. 

“Learn, daddy! You are the culprit of this creature.” You adjusted his bandana and looked into his scared eyes. “For the record, I have no regrets. I love our family. You and our daughter. But since this will be a copy of you, I need to gain strength. That's it, I'm off. Bye, my love. Bye, Lily! I'll be back in three hours.”

“THREE HOURS???” Buggy's eyes widened, but he looked at your slightly tired face, exhaled and kissed your forehead. “Fine.”

“Bye, my captain. I love you!" You pecked him on the lips and left. 

Buggy sat down on the bed, holding Lily in his arms. Fortunately, she was no longer a newborn baby, because that period was a nightmare for you. The baby was screaming all the time, Buggy was screaming all the time. 

“So. What should I do with you?” Buggy took his daughter and turned her over in his hands. She laughed happily and tried to grab his nose. “No, Lily! Not the nose! We don't touch daddy's nose.” He muttered and looked around. “Oh! You're a child. You must love toys, right?”

Buggy grabbed Lily in his arms, walked with her to the toys and put her on the floor. “Who do you want to play, me sweet candy? Pony? Lamb? Pig?" He sorted through the toys and showed them one by one. 

The girl looked at her father with batted eyes and grabbed his nose again. 

“Fuck! Lily Gold! You can't touch daddy's nose!” Buggy leaned back a little. 

“Honk!” Lily said and pointed to her nose. “Dad. Nose. Honk.” 

Buggy looked at his daughter doomedly. “Do you want dad to make a honk with his nose? Maybe you’ll choose the lamb?” 

She shook her head, made a face and crossed her arms.

He rolled his eyes, growled and said a dissatisfied “okay”, squeezing his nose so that it made a sound. “You like your mother, love to do this with me. Well, Lily. What else do you want to do?”

Buggy tilted his head and looked at his daughter. “Thank God you don't have my nose." He took her in his arms and said in a whisper. “But daddy will always protect you. You and your mom. I never let someone hurt you, my biggest treasure." Buggy kissed his daughter on the top of the head. 

Lily got off his feet, took the ball and handed it to him.

“Lily Gold, daddy doesn't know how to make balloon dogs.” Buggy shrugged.  

She immediately made a face again and began to scream, and cry. 

Buggy rolled his eyes and hissed through his teeth . “Mother fuc~. Okay, I'll do it, just stop yelling!" He took the balloon, somehow inflated it and made something that vaguely resembled a dog. He gave it into his daughter's hands, and the balloon immediately burst. And Lily yelled even louder. 

“Fu-u-ck! What does your mother do at such moments?” Buggy grabbed his head. 

At that moment, one of the freaks knocked on the cabin. “Captain?!”

“WHAT?!” Buggy barked and went to the door.

“We are almost replenished, and we know where the Straw Hat's are going.” The freak gave him papers.

“I don't give a fuck about the Straw Hat right now.” He threw the papers back in the man's face. “I'm sitting with the daughter while Y/N is away.” 

“Excuse me, Captian, you're not sitting with your daughter.” The freak shook his head. 

“What? What are you talking about! Here s~.” Buggy pointed his finger at the place where he was sitting a couple of minutes ago. 

“Where? Where's she? Where's the baby?” He grabbed the freak by the clothes and started shaking him. “Where is my daughter?” 

“I don't know, Capta-a-in!!” The freak's head was bobbing like a bobblehead. 

“Oh, fuck!! Oh, fuck!! Y/N will kill me. She will kill me!” Buggy grabbed his head and began to rush around the room. “Get out of the way!” He threw the freak aside and ran out of the cabin. 

Buggy practically ran around the ship, calling his daughter's name in a whisper. He was afraid that you might appear earlier. He turned the corner and saw blue hair flash. 

“Gotcha!” Buggy hugged Lily tighter and picked her up. “How did you manage to escape? For year and a half, you are a very fast girl! Don't scare dad like that again, okay?”

“Richie! Richie!” Lily grabbed Buggy by the hair and began to pull.

“Ouch! No-o-o! We're not going to Richie, Lily! He's probably sleeping.” Buggy carried the girl back to the cabin and sat her on the bed. “I don’t know what to do with you. Do you want to draw? Let’s draw!” He took out pencils and sheets of paper and gave them to her. 

“Richie!” Lily threw everything on the floor. 

“OK.” He scratched his head and looked around, “Do you want to play balll? Let's play ball!” He gave Lily a small yellow ball. “See? Are you happy? Please, my sweet candy, show daddy your happy face!”

“Richie!!” Lily threw the ball in Buggy's face. 

“Damn!” He rubbed his forehead. “What should I do with you?!” Buggy grabbed his head and was ready to scream. “I know! Let daddy show you some chop chop tricks!” He separated his hand and gave it into his daughter's hands. “You see how dad can do it? Cool? Please, say it’s cool!!” Buggy was on the verge of hysterics. 

“RICHIE!!!” Lily stomped her foot and threw her hand at Buggy's face. 

“Fuck!” He attached his hand back. “Okay. Do you want to see Richie? Let's go to see Richie. Maybe he'll finally eat daddy.” Buggy muttered under his breath, took Lily in his arms and walked down the ship. 

They entered the room where the lion was sitting, and Buggy put the girl on the floor. Lily looked at him and smiled. 

“What? Why are you smiling? Finally satisfied, little s~?” He crossed his arms.

“Richie-e-e!” Lily happily ran towards the lion and began to try to climb onto him. 

Buggy smiled and approached his daughter. He helped her climb up the lion and watched carefully to make sure she didn't fall. “That’s my girl! I'm so pr~” 

“What are you doing here?” Buggy heard your voice behind him. “I came to the cabin, and your freaks told me that you were with Richie.” You walked up to Buggy and kissed him on the cheek. “How are you?”

“We’re great. It’s easy to sit with kids. I don't understand why you're complaining.”

“Liar.” You hugged him and placed your head on his shoulder.

“Has it been three hours already?” Buggy wrapped his arm around your waist. 

“No. Just an hour. It turns out that I have a spa appointment for tomorrow. So you’ll have to sit with Lily tomorrow. By the way, I bought you a gift. Whiskey!” You pulled the bottle out from behind your back. “I also thought that maybe we could leave Lily to someone from the crew today and spend some time together? What do you think?” You snuggled closer to him and winked. 

“I like this idea. And you know what I was thinking of, my velvet cake?” Buggy looked at you with the corner of his eye, glancing at Lily.

“About what, my beloved Captain?” You asked softly and ran your fingers along his neck.

“Let’s have another child?!”

[fanfictionstuff]

Amaimon X Student 12

So, i'm mostly done writing the Amaimon x Exorcist chapter 3 but this idea came to me and I couldn't let it go. 🫢

When Shiemi assures you, that yes, Rin deleted the photo, she is sure of it. You open your photo app once again. “Wait, it’s actually cute.” You comment, gazing at the photo. “Okay, it’s really cute.” You grin. 

Izumo scoffs. “It’s gross _____.

Paku leans closer to you to get another look. “It is kind of cute.”

“Right?” You grin. 

Izumo glares at the two of you. “It’s not cute at all, and you would think differently if you saw what we saw on the camping trip.” She tells Paku.

You huff, “I was on the camping trip; it’s cute.”

“And clearly, you’ve got a screw loose.” You pout at her words but don’t argue against it. 

After the four of you finish, you go your separate ways. Shiemi and you head to your apartment while Paku and Izumo head in different directions. The walk to your apartment is quiet, and Shiemi seems really nervous throughout. Once you arrive, you gently nudge her inside, “Okay, tell me what’s wrong.”

“I’m sorry! I shouldn’t have said anything, I just didn’t realize you didn’t know, and I said it in front of other people.” She looks like she’s going to start crying, so you quickly wrap your arms around her. “No, no. Shiemi, it’s okay. Izumo and Paku are some of our closest friends, right? It’s okay. I’m just glad you told me.” She nods against your shoulder as she hugs you back. 

“…._____?” 

“Yeah?” 

“You didn’t really put his…thing…in your mouth, right?” 

“….” 

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

Amaimon cautiously steps into Mephisto’s office. The king of time had sounded odd over the phone when he requested that Amaimon come for a brief chat. 

“Oh, I'm glad you’re here. Please, take a seat and enjoy some tea. We need to have a brief chat about Miss ____.” He gestures to the chair opposite his desk as he speaks to Amaimon. Said demon glances at the chair and then back at Mephisto before calmly sitting down.

“Tell me, what do you know about Miss _____?” 

“…” 

Mephisto nodded. “I suspected as much. She comes from a long line of exorcists, a lineage typically marked by great power. For centuries, they have served the order tirelessly.” He observed Amaimon cautiously, and as expected, there was no sign of reaction. “Unfortunately, many of them were wiped out during the Blue Night, particularly the younger generation. Miss ______ is the last one left to carry on the bloodline unless her parents have another child, though honestly, that seems unlikely.” Still, Amaimon remained unfazed. “Her parents are exceptionally strict; I’m unsure how she managed to convince them to let her stay at True Cross to graduate. Regardless, since she’s the last of her bloodline and her family is so demanding, they are already searching for suitors for her. They want her to marry and start a family soon after graduation. I’ve heard she has developed a bit of a crush on you.” Once more, there was no response from Amaimon. “Stay away from _____; I had thought you were merely trying to provoke Rin. I wasn’t aware you had become intimate with her.” 

Amaimon opens his mouth, looking for a moment like he might argue with Mephisto, but then he nods. “Okay.”

Mephisto raises a brow, surprised Amaimon agreed so quickly. I suppose he’s not as interested in her as he made it seem to Rin; good, it’s less of a headache for me. “You may leave.” 

As Amaimon leaves Mephisto’s office, thoughts of you and another man begin to fester in his mind, fueling his anger with each step. No other man should be able to kiss you, hold you, or be intimate with you. No other man should ever hear the sounds you make; or have the privilege of tasting you, and no other man should know what it feels like to have your mouth around their cock. You belong to Amaimon. You’re his pet.

His anger quickly escalates into rage as he heads to your apartment without hesitation.

You jump when there is a loud knock on your door; confused, you pull away from Shiemi. “Coming.” You’re surprised to see Amaimon standing in the doorway when you open it, but what’s more surprising is the emotions on his face; the normally unbothered demon king is now furious. Almost on the same level as you saw the night he attacked Rin on the camping trip. “Uh, come in?” Despite your common sense telling you otherwise, you step away and welcome the demon into your home. He steps into the house and quickly heads to your bedroom. Where he’s aware you keep documents. “Shiemi, you should leave.” 

“But-“

“It’s okay. Look, if I don’t text you within an hour, feel free to call someone to check on me, alright? I promise I’ll be fine.” It’s not a promise you should be making, but you’re eager to find out what’s bothering Amaimon. You can hear him going through various drawers in your bedroom. “Actually, I’ll call you since someone tends to text from my phone. So, if I call you, you can be sure it’s really me, right?” Gradually, she nods, allowing you to guide the blonde out of your apartment. 

As you enter your bedroom, you find Amaimon sitting on the edge of the bed, casually flipping through a stack of documents. It’s evident he has uncovered what he was looking for. A frown crosses your face as you move closer, slowly realizing what he has discovered. “Did Mephisto tell you? I haven’t even shared it with Shiemi or Rin, and they’re two of my closest friends.” You let out a sigh; it’s a topic you prefer to ignore, preferring to live in a world where this isn’t your reality. It’s easy to pretend until another file arrives in your mail every few weeks. 

“My parents didn’t have a choice; they were matched up and told that if they didn’t like it, too bad – they needed to have a child. Fortunately, they fell in love, which is quite rare in my family. However, having witnessed what their own parents and other family members endured emotionally, they didn’t want to put me through that. They’re offering me a choice among the potential suitors they’re finding. I can even go on dates with them before making my final decision. There are a couple that my grandparents have selected.” You pick up a file from the bed and show him a photo of a gross-looking man twenty years older than you. “Luckily, my parents are trying to find me someone I’ll at least be attracted to; as you can see, my grandparents couldn’t care less if I’m attracted to them or not.” You toss the file in the trash can beside your bed. “Why did Mephisto tell you?” 

“Rin Okumura showed Big Brother the photo I sent him. He told me I need to stop bothering you, and why.”

“Oh.” 

Amaimon carelessly tosses the files from his hands onto the floor. “I don’t like to share,” he declares, stepping on a few of the fallen papers as he exits, slamming the front door behind him.

You sigh, bending down to pick up the strewn documents. “I guess that’s the end of that. I was hoping to live in my fantasy a bit longer.” You had been trying to ignore all the files, but now you realize it’s time you have to accept it. Carefully, you start to scan through the documents and photos. Most of them end up in the trash, as you discard them without bothering to read beyond their names and ages. You had initially set aside a couple of options to discuss with your parents, but now they’ve become mixed up with all the others. Upon revisiting them, you find yourself less interested. How can you be interested after experiencing perfection?   “No. Stop _____. It’s time to grow up. They want me to be at least engaged within a year of graduating.” 

Unlocking your phone, you take a photo of the files you had originally been slightly interested in discussing with your parents. 

Hey, Mom, I’ve been thinking about picking a husband. What do you think of these three?

After sending the text, you give Shiemi a quick call to reassure her that you’re okay and not to worry. You rush to end the call and toss the phone across the room. Your eyes flicker to the files you’ve selected once again. “I hate this.” you groan, hurling them across the room as well.

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

Your mother doesn’t reply until the next day, and it’s a call instead of a text. When you receive the call, you’re sitting with your friends for lunch. 

“Hey, sweetheart, how are you?” 

You lean against Shiemi as you answer. You really don’t want to talk about your potential future husband now, and you haven’t even told your friends yet. “Fine, I’m just having lunch. What’s up?” 

“Oh, I’m calling regarding the message you sent. I’m pleased to hear that you’re finally considering it, but I have some unfortunate news.” Her voice carries a hint of detachment. “It’s about Hano-san.” She pauses, letting out a sigh. “Sadly, he passed away last night.”

You straighten, having trouble processing her words. “Huh?” 

“Yes, it was a demon attack, but there aren’t any details. Nobody knows what demon it was; the only signs it was a demon were that he was found with his weapons drawn.”

Oh fuck. 

[howyouloveyourdragon]

The Prince and His Corpse Bride (part ii)

part i

pronouns: she/her warnings: eventual infidelity? (he and Baela have no romantic connection) summary: The good news is that Jacaerys has found his grandmother’s ring. One problem. He may have accidentally gotten married to the wrong person? As he traipses through a strange new world to get it back, his not-wife isn't what she seems... disclaimers: of course i do not own the original corpse bride nor asoiaf however this is my own work and story, i do not give permission for my work to be transferred onto other platforms or translated dividers by: firefly-graphics wordcount: 3,818 

“Wha-Who are you?” Jacaerys splutters, scrambling his back against the weirwood tree. The dark shadow of nightfall begins to overcast and he can distantly hear Cregan shouting for him. Your lips fold of their own accord as you snicker, you kneel down to his height. “I told you, silly,” You giggle and brush a strand of fallen hair behind his ear in a manner akin to affection. He recoils but you take no notice, smiling just as sweetly at him as if he had gifted you a thousand poetries. You lift your veil to flow down your back rather than over your face. “I’m your wife.” If Jacaerys wasn’t sure this was a dream then he certainly is now. He flinches at the words and slaps a hand to his mouth. “N-No.” He protests, breath stuttering as a nervous chuckle breaks past his dead cold–No!--just cold lips. His palms raise as if in surrender though he intends to do the opposite. “There must be some mistake for I am already betrothed to another.” Your eyes narrow, the flesh of your cheek–the half still present–flows between your teeth. His heart batters hard against his ribs. Your head tilts now, inspecting him and suddenly he feels like a little boy presented to the court again, lacking the snow white hair he is eager to possess. 

You sigh at his frazzled appearance and horrified expression. “Indeed.” Your voice bellows and he sighs himself but in relief. “Send your former betrothed my regards.” You turn your back on him and even though it would be so easy for him to run away; he finds himself chasing after you. For the ring, he assures himself, for the ring. A torturous wind ensues but you don’t seem phased, your hair barely even ruffles. “No, I–” He huffs and outstretches her palm. He raises his head high. You’re a Targaryen. He reminds himself. Remember what Daemon told you. Princes do not need permission. He winces at the phrase but still pierces her eyes with his own. “I need that ring.” He demands. Again, you tilt your head but this time condescendingly. You square your shoulders and attempt to match his height. Both your and the prince’s eyes narrow. “No.” You state coolly. “You don’t.” He opens his mouth but you wag a single index finger in his face. “You don’t.” You repeat like scolding a puppy. “This is a vow of one’s devotion toward one’s wife, correct?” You ask, quick and almost as though you had thrown this out before. He nods stiffly. “And a symbol of cherished love and protection?” Again he nods, brow furrowing. “So it belongs to your wife?” He sighs but before he can speak, you interrupt his impending thoughts by wagging your finger again. He seals his lip tightly. He nods. “Yes.” He finally speaks. You nod and he has the gall to be proud of himself for once. You stop walking and spin around to face him, clapping your hands together shortly. “Then we have no problem.” His eyes widen. “Really?” “Yes. Your wife is wearing it.” Jacaerys shuts his eyes and curses himself. 

“You are not my wife.” He states, trying to stay calm even as you start walking off again. He grimaces and glances behind him at the First Keep. He wrestles with himself a moment before scurrying after you again. Jacaerys Velaryon has run before and he does not like it. He hates it rather. He hates that he left for Dragonstone as a child, he hates that he left his life in King’s Landing, leaving him as a stranger in what is supposed to be his own home. He hates his brown hair but he hates the stares cursed onto him most of all. Because they’re all thinking the same thing. You do not run unless you have something to hide from. And he is done hiding. He will accept his responsibilities, marry Baela and he will get back that ring. The winds of Winterfell become all consuming, pressing against his face as if in an attempt to stop him. The roots of so many Northern trees coil before his foot, curling in attempts to trap him. The mixed messages surge through the prince’s mind. Even the Gods’ nature do not know which youngling they side with. The prince or the corpse. He is not fond of his odds and this does not cast him in the confidence he prays for. 

He follows, pleading with the woman like a beggar which he supposes he is now. A shiver jolts through Jacaerys like a warning. “Whatever it is that pleases you I will consider so long as you return my ring. You will be rewarded handsomely.” “There is no need! I am quite satisfied, lord husband.” You quip, the words slithering from your tongue like a trained snake. Jacaerys calls out, trying to track your figure as you twist through the various trees when suddenly she falls. He gasps, eyes widening as he scrambles to find her, was there a bottomless pit he hadn’t heard of? “Lady?” He calls out, peering over the edge but he frowns at the mere blanket of snow and fallen leaves. A single shaking hand of his reaches out to pad it gently and he gasps when it pushes through into emptiness. He frowns as he investigates, blinking furiously. Jacaerys continues prodding at it, how perfectly it looks encased around his forearm. When he pulls it out again, he finds that it is not wet. It is as though he had never touched the snow at all but instead of further questioning it, he sighs out in relief. It must be a dream. And then he falls, or more accurately; is pulled. 

Jacaerys shrieks as he plummets down below but again the snow hasn’t shifted. It appears like a tightly enclosed tunnel of moths and darkness. His breath quickens madly, A dream, this is a dream, a dream, a dream. The air whips around him, unnatural wind tosses his hair in his eyes and moths flutter to press into his clothing. His hands swat at them to no avail, squinting at the force of the wind. His nose wrinkles at a newfound smell, it is like laying in damp fabric. He hears a squeal and snaps his eyes open, head rising to see your excited form clapping. You rush to help him stand and he begrudgingly accepts it, eyes roaming the strange room. “I knew you would come,” You gush, intertwining your fingers with his reluctant and rigid ones. You take no notice.  “I knew you would come for me and you would follow me down and you were absolutely wonderful! Oh you were perfect, everything that I have ever dreamed of–!”  “You pulled me!” He realises and narrows his eyes. You shrug and smirk mischievously. “Would you not have come, anyway?” You tease which manages to snap his mouth shut because he would have, he knows he would have and you know he would have. He is an honourable prince and while he may not particularly care much for you right now, he was not willing to let you fall to your die over his pettiness. 

He huffs as you hum sweetly and lead him through a long, night-dark passage, taking the time to glance at the various dark blue paintings surrounding you; portraits. All of them and there must be over five thousand at least. You twirl with his hand and sing sweet songs. He softens at the endearing display though disease eats at his stomach. “What are these?” He asks, pointing to one of the oil paintings. You halt and glance before grinning and skipping up to it, tugging Jacaerys as you go and making him stumble. “That,” You beam. “is her grace Princess Alyssa.” His eyes widen like those of a bird and he gapes. “My great-grandmother?” He asks and you freeze. Your brows knit. “You’re a…Targaryen?” You ask slowly, breath hitched and holding. The young prince takes in the potion of anxiety and nerves splashed upon your expression by his words. Still, Jacaerys stands proud of his ancestry and nods sharply. “Yes. I am the blood of Targaryen and Velaryon, a dragonrider and your prince. What is it you know of my line?” He musters all the strength of his blood to wrap around his bones. To firm them. Solidify his confidence and raise his chin high. He doesn’t like how you’re hesitating, how you bite your lip and nibble it like a frightened animal. “I did not realise.” You mutter quietly, almost disappointed. He deflates. Impulsively, your hand reaches out and ruffles through his brown hair and you visibly brighten again. “I thought you had been a Stark with hair so wonderful.” Suddenly, a flush creeps along his face and he almost purrs at the praise. “But no matter, you are my husband all the same.” And like that you’re walking again, leaving him to scamper after you with questions burning at you. “I am not, though I appreciate such niceties.” You ignore him. “Silly,” You chastise, voice reminiscent of scolding a young kitten. He huffs again, on the verge of snapping but then your words soothe him again with curiosity. “She was a kind madame, guided most of us here.” 

“Guided you?” Jacaerys asks with an uneasy tilt, tentative. “Where do you mea–?” He’s interrupted by the resounding music, of harps, vielle, lutes all bashing strangely and out of time. Jacaerys’ orbs skim across the large room, at the intensity and swarming bodies all eager to gasp and greet him. He shivers and bats them away, close to falling. You hold him up and grin, giggling at who he assumes to be your friends, he doesn’t know what to think anymore. “Husband,” You beam. “I would like you to meet my family.” They all squeal and prod at him experimentally. “Don’t scare him!” You warn them but still smile brightly. Jacaerys stares, wild-eyed around him and clings to you like a frightened kitten. Both his arms loop around your waist but he straightens his back, still attempting to appear the regal prince of his name. A significantly older woman approaches and squishes your cheeks. “He’s cute.” She coos and winks at the both of you. Jacaerys bursts red and looks down. A man this time takes it upon himself to bump his hip and rake three fingers through his hair, only three,one on his left and two on his right. Jacaerys shudders and cringes back but the man takes no notice. You squeeze his hand and begin pointing out the various people around him but he can only find it in himself to remember four of them. “A…big family.” He chokes out and glances around. “Where are your mother and father?” Perhaps you will listen to reason if he can convince your parents that this was a mistake, your marriage is unconsummated of course. You only giggle at him. 

“They are not here,” You respond in cadence. “They are still living.” Silence. Shock. Horror. Those are the only things rushing through his ears but you seem unaffected as his jaw drops and his lips stutter and stumble. “Wha-what do you mean?” He asks, moving to grasp your forearms tightly. Your brows rise. “You did not know?” You ask, swallowing around the nerves. It is not bashfulness that consumes his face in crimson this time. “Still living? You are dead?” He repeats, roaring. A few of your ‘family’ members gasp and grumble to themselves. He tenses and shoves himself away from you. You frown. “You came for me, you-you came to save–!” “I did no such thing!” His voice is boisterous. “You have taken me on a wild goose chase to follow my ring which you have stolen from me!” Your mouth opens to protest but he stretches a finger in your face. “No! You will not talk, you are a childish, naive girl who cannot accept her own death and is now dragging me through Seven Hells just to reclaim my own belonging–” “One that is sacred and worth more than some Northern girl that I have met mere minutes ago.” “Husband, are you not pleased?” You ask, suddenly your snark is gone and left in its place is a fragile teenager. He ignores you and keeps rambling. “I have a betrothed, I have a life, I have a throne to claim one day, I have–” He stops, his arms stop waving about and he looks at you again, really looks at you. He stops. He is not the only one frightened. 

Your eyes fill with water, your lip trembles and your arms are wrapped so tightly around yourself. Breath lodges in his throat. He made you cry. Jacaerys waits a moment and then two more before turning gentle and softening his own eyes. He reaches out to you. “Lady, I am sorry, I–” You sniffle and bolt but as he’s about to chase after you, not for the first time, the stout woman from earlier grabs his arm stiffly, upturning her nose. “Leave her. You are lucky her heart is not as hard as her bone.” She glances up and down at him and he can tell what she’s thinking. He sighs and looks down, letting her too slip away. “He may have the bloodline but he doesn’t have the brains does he?” Jacaerys hears distantly and clenches his jaw before turning to find a resting place aways from them. He sighs as he sits at a stool, he thinks the room is very strange indeed with its various skeletal portraits and strangely human furnishing, a bar is even behind him right now. He hears a clink of glass on the said table but ignores as he feels an oncoming presence. “Hello,” A voice grunts beside him before he feels a slap across his shoulders. “A Targaryen, eh?” Jacaerys nods, already prepared to hear scepticism. “Not Rhaenyra’s kid are ye?” He frowns and finally looks up at the man with speckled face and thin hair. Jacaerys thins his own lips and glances over him. “Perhaps.” he settles on, unsure where it will land him to either confirm or deny. The man smiles. “Ah,” He nodded. “I knew I could see her in your eyes.” Jacaerys frowns and looks down, shame wrapping him like an old blanket. Old, worn and damp. You wish it would bring you the same comfort as it did when you were a child but something is wrong now. It isn’t with innocence in your ears, it is with speculation and longing. He swallows. “My eyes are brown, my Lord.” He rebuts with careful grace. The man leans forward to catch his eye. “Yes but the mischief is there,” The man grins like omniscient himself. He reaches a hand out and ruffles the boy’s hair. 

“I do not suppose you remember me.” The man withers with the ghost of a smile and a sigh peeks from his lips. “A shame but not insulting.” he murmurs. Jacaerys softens, he’s disappointed someone again. The young prince looks down and sighs. “I cared for you as a child, when your mother was in council meetings and your fa-Ser Harwin was at his duties.” There’s a knowing glint in his gaze and Jacaerys looks at him again, more carefully this time before gasping and jumping to embrace him. “Ser Lorn!” He exclaims and suddenly he doesn’t feel like a scolded child, he feels like a free one. Ser Lorn chuckles and pats his back, throaty laugh more familiar than the clothes Jace wears. The man tugs away from him and motions to the bartender. He thanks him and grasps a glass full of strange yellow liquid. He slams it on the table with the roughness of a soldier. “Take a drink, dear boy, you’ll need it with these lot.” He glances around at the various peering eyes. “I’m sure this comes as a shock to ye, our Bridey tends to be a bit impulsive.” He nudges him as slushes the drink before handing it to the boy. Jacaerys looks sceptically down on it before hesitantly bringing to his lips and he gags at the strong smell, Lorn bursts into laughs, slapping his back again as Jacaerys takes a reluctant sip. It’s strange, burning and the glass is as hefty as the bar itself. He coughs as he puts it back down on the wood. He wipes his mouth. “Atta boy,” He winces and scrunches his nose at the taste. 

“I want answers.” He blurts and turns, gentle-eyed, at his old friend. The man sighs and swallows, looking away. “What do you want to know?” Lorn asks. Jacaerys sits upright. “Everything!” He splurts. “Who is she? Why am I here? What’s happening, what’s going to happen? What is she?” Lorn squeezes his shoulder. “She’s our corpse bride.” He answers then drives a finger into the boy’s chest. “And how I understand it, you have wed her.” Jacaerys’ brow crinkles and he shakes his head. “That’s not true, I never, I didn’t!” He huffs in frustration. “I never would have said those vows had I known her body were there. Had I known this was even a possibility!” Lorn tightens his lips. Jacaerys looks off to were his ‘bride’ had fled away. “I didn’t mean to.” He looks like a sad puppy left out in the rain. “How did she get like this?” “It’s a long story…” “I have time.” Jacaerys’ eyes harden and suddenly his prince persona has returned full force. “It was many years ago, you yourself must have been but sixteen.” Jacaerys frowns. He had expected her to be a lot older. “A Lady in her own right and a beautiful one, many suitors and even more vying for her attention.” Jacaerys hesitates as he takes in the information. “Is…Is she…?” “Is she what, dear boy?” “Is she the Lady Y/n?” Silence takes over and then slowly Lorn nods. “A mysterious man too well known for his own good came and visited Winterfell. A man said as brutal as the hand of the Gods but as beautiful as she and our poor baby, she fell hard in fast. Her father denied the man her hand but she swore to him that she would elope. Our lovers made a promise but when it came time, when she snuck to the Godswood with only her mother’s wedding gown and as many jewels as would fit in her satchel…” Lorn pauses, sorrow making him wince. Jacaerys waits. “She was ready but she waited and waited for him to show until finally she heard rustling, turned around and–” Jacaerys leans forward, more enthralled than he could ever have imagined. “Then everything went black and when she opened her eyes? She was dead as dust.” Lorn takes a swig of his ale. 

“But…” Jacaerys slowly processes the dreary tale and bites his lip. “But what about the man?” “She never told us. What she did tell us is that she made a vow lying under that tree, she’d wait for her true love to come set her free and vow in the way that was supposed to be and cloak her in his protection for all eternity. Protection.” Jacaerys sags his shoulders. “And now he has come.” Jacaerys rise in alarm with wide eyes and shakes his head, standing. “That’s-that’s not me!” He protests. “I have a betrothed!” “You made a vow, dear boy,” “No! Not to her, to Baela! It was an accident! I was practicing!” “She’s a lovely girl.” Lorn utters softly, softer than anything he’s ever heard. “She is kind and graceful, dutiful, she is–” “She is dead! Her vows shouldn’t matter!” The boy snaps and Lorn hardens. “Watch your tongue. Vows of the dead are a very serious business.” “What?” “There are seven rules,” He states calmly. “One, once a vow is made it must be fulfilled otherwise the participant dies,” Jacaerys’ eyes grow impossibly rounded. “Two, someone living can bring a deceased person back to life if they seal them with fated promise and help them fulfil their vow. Three, If someone undead makes a vow to someone living, it does not take any effect, neither participants must take it. Four, If someone makes a vow before they pass, they must spend their undead existence attempting to fulfil it, they may only pass to the afterlife once it is fulfilled, or forever live undead in the inbetween of realms. Five, the vow must be satisfied once begun within two moons time or the undead will be forced live forever in a state of unrest.” He hesitates now. “Six, the vow does not have to be completed to be satisfied by someone living and seven, it must be completed within seventy-two hours.” Jacaerys sighs in relief. “Then I am free!” “You know that would not be right.” “It was not right that I was tricked into this.” Jacaerys argues. 

“No but it is not her fault.” “Then whose is it?” “Sometimes there is no one,” Lorn answers, shaking his head. “I’m supposed to marry Baela, it is my duty,” Lorn rolls his eyes, tired of the same repeated words. “Well are you in love with her?” Jacaerys tenses at the words and twitches his face. “She is my cousin, I have known her all my life, of course I love her!” “But are you in love with her?” Jacaerys grunts in frustration and stands. “No but that matters not, I swore an oath, I swore to honour her, to-to–!�� “What good is a marriage without being in love?” Lorn asks, warmth threading through his words. “Your mother was miserable.” Jacaerys snaps his sights on him. Lorn waits. “This isn’t the first time that she has seen you, if you were wondering.” Lorn mentions slowly. Jacaerys knits his brows together for the hundredth time that eve. “She used to follow you around like a puppy everytime she visited King’s Landing, she used to hide behind trees and peek as you trained with your brother and uncles.” Lorn chuckles. “I didn’t know…” Jacaerys whispers and looks away. “You used to watch her too.” Silence lingers in the cold, decayed air. “I know.” The prince speaks, looking down. “She was beautiful.” “Is beautiful.” “That does not matter! She is not meant to be mine…What if…” He swallows, an idea shooting through his mind. “What if I find the man? The man she was supposed to marry? Will the vow stay true?” Lorn stays quiet in conflicting thought.  “I suppose but–” “Then I will find him!” Jacaerys splutters with relief. “I will speak with my Lady, apologise and find her true love!” “You must be warned of the time limit. Do not forget, young man.” Jacaerys nods quickly and begins scrambling away again. “I won’t!”

The Prince and His Corpse Bride Taglist: (if your name is in italics and bold, that means i couldn't tag you, you will need to check your settings) @chompchompluke @its-actually-minicika @paranormal-fairy1984 @ntlycnrgl @hopelesswritergall

HOTD Taglist: (if your name is in italics and bold, that means i couldn't tag you, you will need to check your settings) @wrendermedone @hopelesswritergall @blackdreamspeaks @its-actually-minicika @gettheetoanunneryimmediatly @adelusionalwriter

[kusakabesimp]

It's so hard to find Kusakabe simp but then I found you 🥲 Can you give a few headcanons for Dad Kusakabe? ❤

Hi, @perkypeony! Yessssssssss, Kusakabe-Dad is one of my favorite things, especially his dynamic with Miwa! Here's some HC for you. There will definitely be more of these in the future!

*** These all occur in my AU, where Atsuya and Hiromi are married and raising Miwa and Yuji. Several of these have or will appear in my fics/drabbles, so if they look familiar, that's why. ***

Kusakabe-Dad and Miwa HCs

Can you braid my hair?

When Miwa first asked Kusakabe if he could braid her hair, he agreed without hesitation. Panic set in moments later when he realized he had no f**king clue how to handle anyone's hair — not even his own sometimes. His initial attempts resembled more abstract art than a hairstyle, but he had always been a quick study. Determined to master it for Miwa's sake, Kusakabe spent several nights watching tutorials and practicing with the ito cord he usually used for his katana wrap. Now, when Miwa sits at the kitchen table with her back to him, his large hands plait her hair with the same precision and care he applies to everything else in his life. Although Miwa can do it herself, she creates these small opportunities, understanding that it's easier for Kusakabe to express his love through actions in quiet moments like these with the two of them.

Waiting up

It's been nearly a year, and Kusakabe is still a nervous wreck when Miwa goes out on a date. He's made some progress, though: he no longer paces around the kitchen while downing his fifth cup of tea, he's stopped checking his phone every five minutes, and he manages to resist the urge to sweep the entire living room floor, even though he does it every morning. But he still worries. He lies awake in the bed, Hiromi already asleep and snuggled against his chest, and wonders if Miwa's okay. She barely ate anything for breakfast -- would they find something she liked while they were out? The Chūō train line stops running at midnight -- are they close enough to get to the station? Did he leave the porch light on? He checked it three times but considered getting up to check it again. Time seems to crawl as he waits, and finally, he senses the familiar signature of her cursed energy approaching the house. Hiromi stirs and plants a small kiss on Kusakabe's cheek. "She's home, Atsuya. You can go to sleep."

Read With Me

It's no secret that Kusakabe loves to read; there's a bookshelf in every room of their house. The kitchen shelf is home to newspapers and Higuruma's legal briefs, while the living room shelf is a jumble of everyone's books (the one place in the house where Kusakabe doesn't feel the need to meticulously organize). Next to the patio door stands another shelf, and in Kusakabe and Higuruma's bedroom, there's one devoted to Kusakabe's poetry collection. But there's a special bookshelf tucked away in a little corner of the dojo, reserved just for Miwa's books. Some days, instead of guiding Miwa through kata sequences, Kusakabe joins her on the floor to read. Whenever Miwa finishes a novel, Kusakabe reads it next. He always pretends he can't follow the plot or remember the characters' names, just to see her eyes light up as she explains with animated enthusiasm. He listens attentively, a gentle smile forming on his face before he nods and shifts his focus back to the book.

A Name for Love

Even though he'd brought her into his care, Miwa still referred to Kusakabe as sensei. It was her way of honoring his love and guidance while respecting his role as her teacher. However, with her friends and with Yuji, she always called him her dad. They naturally accepted it, never questioning or viewing it differently than any other parent-child relationship. One evening, after a particularly intense sword drawing session, Miwa sat at the kitchen table, quickly eating a dinner that Kusakabe had whipped up for her. As he praised her footwork, Miwa, completely exhausted, unintentionally murmured, "Thanks, Dad." A faint blush spread across her cheeks as she realized what she'd said. Higuruma, also at the table with a cup of tea, hid a small smile behind his mug, stealing a quick glance at his husband's reaction. Kusakabe smiled and affectionately ruffled Miwa's hair, his touch filled with love and reassurance.

I DO NOT authorize use of this headcanon for other writing!

[kiryoutann]

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[Please read while listening to this.]

It's scary to love something death can touch. Hoping for the past and dreading tomorrow, for the future never promises them to stay with you. The realization of the grief that would follow after they are gone frequently keeps one up at night.

The first few hours of the day seem to pass in a blur. You didn't even realize you had been walking down the hall that led you to Childe's room until you arrived at his door. Eyes landed on the knob, your anxiety rises and flows. Your hands frantically try to peel off the skin inside your gloves as you muster up the courage to order the guard standing beside you to open the door.

Before you said anything, the doorknob was turned from the inside. Your heart beats impatiently at the thought of finding Childe. But, instead of him, you were staring at Dmitri's face.

“Your Highness! Good morning!” He bowed awkwardly.

Disappointment rises in your chest. "Is Ajax inside?" you ask.

"His Highness?" The look on Dmitri's face gave you an answer before his words. "Didn't he spend the night in Your Highness' room?" He saw you shook your head.

Was he so angry that he didn't come back to his room since yesterday?

Dmitri noticed the change in your expression. Feeling guilty, he laughed nervously as he scratched the back of his neck and said, “Oh, then he must be in the conference room already. It seems he was so nervous about being late that he left so early.”

Your lips taste bitter. It's as if he doesn't trust a single word you say. The hem of your dress is squeezed tightly.

Regrettably, your visions are true, whether he believes it or not. After yesterday, you no longer get another; which means even after you told him about it, it would most likely still happen. All you can hope for right now is that he stays away from the conference room's refreshments and food.

“Your Highness?” One of your ladies-in-waiting—whom you almost forgot existed behind you—calls you back to reality. Apparently you missed Dmitri's goodbye now that the man is nowhere to be found here. "What do you intend to do next?"

The heel of your high shoe is abruptly turned. You entered another hallway with your step. Because of how fast you walked, your maids cringed in fear that you would trip.

“Your Highness!”

Sasha's call was muffled by the click clack of your high heels hitting the marble floor as you stared ahead on your way to the main palace where the conference room was located.

While in the room in question, the nobles had filled their seats, in front of them was a cup of hot tea with biscuits neatly arranged on a plate. Childe stared at it longer than he should have. Even though he tries to deny it, your voice talking about your ability to see the future and the possibility that someone is planning to poison him has been constantly echoing in his mind since last night.

All of that and also your love confession.

Regrets fly around in his mind like doves. The series of sweet sentences that used to come to his mind every time he saw you ended unsaid and died at the back of his throat. At that moment he should have said it, should have confessed that he loves you just as much as you love him, if not more.

When all of this is over, he vows to come to you and convey how much he wants you too. Not as a chaotic man but, one who can always warm you in his arms.

"Gentlemen, we will continue to discuss the late king's death investigation as well as the succession to the throne, which was delayed yesterday."

As soon as Dmitri spoke, Childe raised his head to sweep a glance at the nobles. Some chose to avoid his gaze, some were too busy sipping their tea to notice.

Blue eyes landed on the cup again. Even though a minute before the meeting he had abruptly ordered the maid to replace all the tea and biscuits with new ones, Childe still hesitated to drink them. As a result, his dry throat was eased by his constant swallowing of saliva. He made a mental note to have Dmitri take it in for a discreet examination later.

While he was in thought, the conversation faded away as background noise until one of the nobles started asking him questions.

“Regarding Prince Shiva, has Your Highness made a decision?”

Before Dmitri—as his spokesperson—answered, Childe had already opened his mouth. "I have." He says. There was a tense silence that filled the room before he continued: “There will be no imprisonments of any kind until investigations prove Prince Shiva guilty.”

Several gasps filled the atmosphere, the tension turning into shock. In between, a noble clicked his tongue in disapproval of the Prince's 'generosity'. They started having their own discussions about his decision.

“Your Highness! Are you sure?! What about the results of the investigation that Duke Maxim spoke of?!”

“The results of the investigation he conducted without my knowledge only proved that the tea contained poison, the rest were baseless assumptions. Even though it happened at my father's meeting with the Prince, that is not yet sufficient evidence to make him a suspect.” Childe took a brief break before continuing,

“Although that poison is said to only be obtained from flowers that grow in Liyue, that does not rule out someone carrying it from there to here. It should be remembered that in order to poison the tea of a Snezhnayan king at Snezhnaya, one needs an accomplice here.”

Hearing his justification, the commotion in the room subsided. There were just hushed whispers being spoken amongst the several groupings of nobles.

"If you're looking for someone to look into, you should have investigated the maids and cooks first." After stating that, Childe gave Duke Maxim an obvious glare that was seen by all. "B You don't need to worry, though, because from now on, no one will be allowed to look into the late king's death without my consent and knowledge."

Duke Maxim froze in his seat while a noble sitting next to him quickly got up from the chair.

“Your Highness, this is madness! Are you saying that there is a traitor among us?! Don't you consider what will become of your people with all this?!” The old man shouted at the top of his throat.

However, rather than being enraged, Childe turned to him. “I am thinking about my people,” He said. "that's why I'm doing this."

The ginger-haired man got up from his seat, allowing the sunlight to stream in through the window and directly hit his blue eyes. His face was filled with certainty. Despite the cold expression on his face, his eyes were magically warm.

"My people don't need to suffer from another war."

Childe finished. His legs moved to leave the conference table, making his way towards the exit.

However, his steps were stopped when the sound of something exploding outside the building was heard—it was so great that the sturdy walls trembled. Dmitri, who was alert right away, hurried to his side. The panic of the aristocrats caused the room to become raucous.

“W-what is that?!”

"That sounded like an explosion!"

"Your Highness, we must quickly get out to a safe place!"

Panic filled Dmitri's voice as he drew his sword from its scabbard. However, it only mixed into the background noise because Childe’s mind was fixated on one.

You.

“(Y/N).”

Childe rushed toward the exit without warning, ignoring Dmitri's shouts behind him. He pulled on the doorknob and opened it, revealing the knights already in formation to lead him out of the room.

“Ajax!”

Instead of rushing towards them, his head is turned to your figure running towards him.

“(Y/N)!!”

Childe rushed to your side, taking you in his arms to keep you safe. Before long, knights began to swarm around him, making sure there were no gaps between their formations as they walked forward to leave the building.

"What happened?!" Dmitri, who came later, questioned.

"An explosion occurred on the north side of the building!" The head of the knights answered.

Dmitri asked a new question, "The cause?"

"Not yet known."

"What about mom, Teucer and Tonia?" Childe asked worriedly.

"They have been led to the safe room." He answered again before trailing off. "However, if I may assume, I believe this was an invasion."

An invasion.

For something that big, you wonder why you didn't get any vision about it. The last one you received still depicts someone plotting to poison Childe. Now that you think about it, you turn to Childe who holds you close, unscratched and with no sign of him having consumed poison.

Your mind freezes in realization.

Was this attack related to the poison? Perhaps the poison was not mixed into the drink served at the meeting. Your fear grows as you make your final assumptions about someone smearing it on a weapon—possibly a sword—and stabbing it at him.

If so, why did they bother to set off a bomb in the main palace's northern section, revealing their presence?

Or..

"This is a distraction!"

From your shout, their heads all turned to you. Your hesitant feet prevent Childe from continuing to walk, causing your group to come to a complete halt.

"What are you saying?" Childe furrowed his brows.

“The explosion is a distraction! They had predicted the members of the royal family would be rushed to the safe room the moment they heard it. And at that time, the attackers will attack us on the way there!”

Dmitri opened his mouth, "But, the safe room has been facilitated with concrete walls and heavy guard, Your Highness!"

"I know! They'll use the time before we arrive to launch an attack!"

The head guard gritted his teeth. “Damn it!” He cursed, forgetting Childe's presence beside him. "We've walked right into their trap!"

“What should we do now?!” one of the knights asked.

"We should split up."

The second it left your lips, Childe immediately opened his mouth to protest. "What do you mean?! It will just worsen the situation!” His words are nothing more than a sound that falls deaf to your ears.

"It's confirmed that His Highness is the target of the attack, so the knights should concentrate on escorting him through another path to reach the safe room."

“(Y/N)!” Childe reacted angrily to your suggestion.

Quickly, you pushed his arms around you. When you made it out of his embrace, Childe tried to come back to grab you.

“(Y/N)!! Don’t you dare!”

Now that you are used to his touch, your fingers feel cold without him. But, you have to endure it for one thing. "This is for the best, Your Highness." Yes, for the best, for Ajax.

On a signal from Dmitri, the knights took Childe away from you. If the circumstances are different, you will find it amusing because he looks like a puppy being dragged away by his master. However, you know the reality is this is a life threatening situation.

You were going to turn your body the other direction when your head screamed in agony. The ringing in your ears muffled Childe's voice screaming out to you.

After receiving the vision, you realized something.

That this is not a destiny that you can change, no matter how hard you try.

As you gather the strength to get back on your feet and run towards Childe, you keep replaying what you see in it—someone slamming a table in rage as his plan did not go as planned.

To reach him, you run and run.

Your mind replays how Duke Maxim's face turned red with intense emotion as he stood in front of the array of more familiar faces saying that the arrow should have been received by Childe, not you.

You continued to run despite the masked man crouching on the palace roof and preparing to shoot Childe with the arrows mentioned.

One of the most important things in your vision of the future, you see yourself running just like you are doing right now. Your arms are outstretched, wrapped around his neck in a hug that will hopefully be enough to protect him from harm.

The arrow is released. You are the one destined to receive it.

This destiny cannot be changed. But, even if it's possible, you have no intention of switching places with Childe. For once, let this be the one you don't want to change.

Blue eyes shifted their gaze away from you, onto something flashing in the sunlight. His heart nearly stopped when he realized what it was. As it directed at him, the arrow flew quickly and precisely.

Before he could feel the pain from it piercing his flesh, he first felt the warmth of your body colliding with his. For the first time, he is in horror from your arms wrapped around his neck. His lips were about to call your name, his feet were about to move him sidestep the arrows.

The arrow, however, pierced your back first.

Red had painted his white clothes.

Your trembling hands gripped his collar to hold back the burning pain in your back. Inadvertently, you bit your lower lip too deep trying to hold back a scream. Your breaths are short and irregular.

“No..no! NO!!” Childe is screaming out inconsolably, clutching your weak, collapsing hands.

In his vision, he cursed an extremely vivid red color. Everything had blurred into the background, and he couldn't hear the knights rushing to capture the archer earlier. Nothing matters, nothing matters but you. Even though the sight of you bleeding causes his knees almost lose their strength to support him, Childe will not let you go even if he has to crawl.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! CALL THE HEALERS!”

Childe looked back at you, seeing that your face had become much paler. His heart is pounding, causing tremors in his hands which are still holding you. How helpless he appears to be in the face of death, that seems to threaten to take you away from him at any time. What might he offer God in exchange for your place? He was prepared to suffer all of your agony if it meant leaving you unscathed.

"Please, please.." Childe begged, his eyes streaming with tears. "Please, don't leave me."

Despite the fact that he prayed more earnestly than even a saint, God did not respond. Blue eyes widened as you coughed up blood. The excruciating pain intensified until your hands fell limp and could no longer reach him.

“(Y/N)!!”

“(Y/N)!! Stay with me, STAY WITH ME!!”

How easy the world appears in the guise of the ginger-haired man with blue eyes like the ocean. The tears running down his cheek remind you of pearls. Although it's beautiful, you really want to say to him: Don't cry. It hurts me to see you cry.

Childe lays you on his lap and kisses your knuckles. "Please, please.. you’re the only one I have." He says.

You squint again, attempting to interpret the movement of his lips, but you wind up focused on how rosy they are. You wonder if you can still touch it, if not with your thumb, then with yours.

The more blurry your vision, the more you feel you are starting to lose touch with reality. Is this the end? The only thing you're grateful for is the widespread numbness that prevents you from feeling how burning your internal organs are.

“(Y/N)!!”

The loud terrible ringing in your ears deafens you from the words escaping his lips as he takes you deeper into his embrace.

“Please.. I love you.”

It's too late now. A confession of love that falls upon the ear of a dying person is more tragic than one that is unrequited. Childe stiffened as soon as he felt your lungs were no longer expanding and contracting. You grow cold even in his arms. For the last time, your name left his lips in a cry of sorrow, despair; like the kind of someone who has lost his true love.

AbbyBianx, ness

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[vad-hander]

MY LOVE, ITS BEEN TOO LONG

pairing: Jeno x reader

genre: medieval!au, angst, fluff, eventual smut, slow-burn, established relationship

warnings: reader!princess, Jeno!knight, forbidden love

words: 4.3k

PART 1 | PART 2

“Milady, the King is arriving back at the castle. He would like to see you after the monks’ bell.”

“In that long? I could come by now.” you jumped up from the bench you sat on while taking a break from the tiring walk in the garden.

“His Excellency would like to rest after the road trip. It was an exhaustingly long road.”

“I understand.” you gave them a nod and as your fathers server bowed, they quickly got lost between the bushes of the garden.

“You must be very fond of your father.” The man next to you spoke.

“It’s not that-“ you cleared your throat “I am very fond of my father but there’s a conversation we need to have. I need courage to speak.” you added in whisper to yourself.

“Nervous? Why would you feel that way?” The man looked at you, making you raise your eyebrow. Even if he was a respected guest, there were boundaries, he had to remember. “I apologise, it’s not any of my business.”

“You’re right, it’s not.” you smiled at the man and looked away. He’s been asking a lot of unnecessary questions as soon as he realised you weren’t on the cold and untouchable side, finding more time in the day to ask away. The man, surprisingly to you, had so much spare time besides all the meetings castles subordinates arranged for him with the merchants of the village. It was for the best, though, his presence helped you to get your fixated brain off the only man you could think of. The one you were not able to see for the past couple of days.

The more time passed since your last interaction the more worry crawled up your spine. You wanted to talk to your father, ask him what did he tell Jeno, what was the conversation about? Was he even fine…? Alive… even? You shivered at the mere thought of him not being with you anymore.

“Your highness, is everything okay?” The man reached out for you, coming back to his senses quickly and pulling back.

“I’m good. Thank you.”

-

“Father! I hope the trip wasn’t too tiring for your Excellence.” you left kisses above his knuckles.

“The trips always get tiring when you get my age.” he chuckled.

“Father!” you exclaimed in an attempt to scold him. “You are still very young. May your life be everlasting.”

“My child, it would be tiring.”

“Right.” you smiled expectedly, you were happy to see your father once again, but talking to your father wasn’t the reason behind that bubbling feeling in your chest. You really wanted to just ask him about Jeno now.

“Did you enjoy the company of our guests?”

“Yes, yes.” you nodded, smoothing down the dress around your waist. “Besides being very busy, Sir Lamet made a lot of effort in keeping me company. I’m very thankful for that. Since my dear sisters’ departure I’ve been lonely in our castle. My only friends are my servant Kirsta and Sir Jeno, who seemed to disappear all of a sudden.” you looked at your fathers emotionless face expression upon mentioning Jeno. “Have you, by any chance, heard of his whereabouts? Usually he would tell me if he had to leave for a campaign.”

“No, I have not heard of him, I was away, may I remind you.” you nodded, your ears not being able to hear anymore as blood rushed to your head. “Sir Lamet will join us for dinner today.” The King looked at his cuticles.

“Okay.” you nodded and stood up from the floor you sat on previously next to your fathers leg. You needed to find Kirsta immediately.

“I have not finished my words.” your father spoke firmly, still with a caring undertone. You turned around to drop back on your knees.

“I apologise.”

“At the dinner Sir Lamet will ask for my blessing and I will give him one.”

“What do you mean?” you blinked dumbfounded. “What sort of blessing?“

“Blessing to marry you. You’re old enough now and there’s no reason for me to keep you sheltered in the castle any longer-.”

“But I thought Sir Lamet was-“ you couldn’t talk as a lump in your throat blocked air, you had to gasp. “You’ve told me Sir Lamet was just a high-rank merchant, how, how the Kings daughter could marry a merchant. Didn’t Sir Jeno come to you for a conversation before you left?”

“He did. I didn’t approve of that.”

“But why…? You-, didn’t you find Jeno a respectable young man? I thought he was a part of our family, you never-.” you gulped and realised you talked too much, bowing apologetically.

“Your sister thought she was tortured when she got married. She never showed it to you, she cared for her little sisters feelings. She didn’t want you to be scared of your own future, but in a private conversation she told me she was scared. I gave her my reassurance that everything will be good, and look at her now? She is happy indeed, her letters are full of love. I knew it wouldn’t be the case for you, not after you and that boy imagined all sort of things about your future. I personally asked Prince Lamet to come here and get to know you and let you to get to know him, for you to get to know each other.”

“P-prince?” you gulped and felt frozen in your limbs.

“This is what I did for you, my dear little girl, because I always had a soft spot for you, my little princess.”

“Sir-, Prince Lamet pretended to be a merchant for three days to get close to me before asking for your blessing?”

“Yes.”

“Please send him away, father.” you lowered your head and begged, with no second thought. “I-“ you saw no point in biting your tongue anymore. “I love Sir Jeno. I would only want to marry him. He would be my perfect husband, he could become the King one day if it’s needed.”

“A nameless boy from a poor family? The King? You must be out of your right mind, child.”

“His family aren’t the richest in our kingdom, but they are well-off, Jeno is a knight, he’s well off on his own, educated, naturally smart. There is not a reason to doubt his abilities.”

“It’s set. The marriage is set and not up for discussion with a stupid girl like you. I’ve let you make up a story in your head and that was a mistake.” The King raised his voice. “Leave, now. You are frustrating me. This is not how I raised you. After all the things I’ve done for you, after everything I’ve allowed you I should’ve expected your behaviour to get out of hands. This is unacceptable. Prince Lamet is the future King in his country, he needs successors, the fact that The Crown Prince himself traveled here and took care of your feelings shows that he’s more than deserving to get my blessing, he is more than deserving to get you as his wife. The conversation is over. See you at the dinner.” You bowed multiple times with a shaking eye, making your way out on trembling legs.

“Kirsta!” you screamed loudly as soon as you were able to find your way to the wing with the servants rooms.

“Milady, I’m so sorry, I went to my brother while you were with the King.” she bowed 90 degrees at you.

“Run me a bath, I’m going to sleep.”

“Milady, I was told to make you look beautiful for today’s dinner.” she asked with her polite voice. “Sir Jeno is coming, right?” she beamed.

“Tell them I’m sick.” you turned around and ran back to your room.

“Milady.” Kirsta caught up with you, coming inside. “The King himself told me to make sure you were attending. Otherwise, he told me, I should report that to him, and he’ll take you there with his own force.” you closed your eyes tired. The girl was definitely uncomfortable in the situation, the threat from the King directed at you was one of the unusual things in the household. “I beg you to let me get you dressed. I would never want to frustrate you, Milady, but under the influence of your father, our King, I don’t have a choice.” she lowered her head, almost dropping to her knees.

“Did you know, that the merchant that stayed with us is a Prince?”

“The-“ The girl raised her head up puzzled. “Sir Lamet is a Prince?”

“You know everything and everyone! Don’t lie, that none of you servants didn’t get the rumour before my fathers return! Don’t lie!” your insides began to boil.

“Milady, I did not know. If I knew, I would’ve told you. I would not keep that from you. I promise.”

“I’m forced to leave with him-“ your voice cracked. “At the dawn, tomorrow.”

“My dear Milady, how-? The King-.” the small girl in front of you chocked on her words, showing way too many pure emotions at once. “Sir Jeno is-.”

“Kirsta.” your heart jumped in your throat at the bare mention of his name. “Find him for me, I know you have siblings, many siblings who don’t live in our castle, cousins and many other. Please, just ask them to find Jeno and pass a note to him.” You dropped on your knees, begging in tears, while your hands gripped hers.

“Milady, you know I can’t. Please get up on your feet, Princess, you will hurt your knees.”

“Why? Why can’t you?”

“I can’t go against the King. Even if I could, I would not put my family under the threat, I’m sorry. I can’t, I really can’t. My family are poor people.” she pulled onto your hands, taking in your stilled figure as she spoke. “You know that your father would not show mercy towards anyone if they’re not you. I cannot-.”

“Is this how you’re paying for everything I’ve done for you?” You jumped up, making the girl startled. You were only hoping no one was sent to listen to you behind the door. “All the times I closed my eyes for the things you’ve done. With how disrespectful you are, with my clothes not being prepared thoroughly? So many things I closed my eyes on for you to not get scolded.”

“Dear Princess, I don’t have enough words to thank you for your utter kindness, but this is beyond my abilities.”

“Leave.” you ripped your hands out of her hold. “Get out of my chamber!” you screamed in pure rage. The coldness of the room was nothing to your burning face. It wasn’t just warm and red from crying. It was on fire with the burst of emotions you’ve never experienced before. You screamed at the top of your lungs in agony.

“Milady, I-.”

“Leave before I tell everyone how many times you messed up! Get out! Go! Leave! Now!” you shrieked at the top of your lungs. “I hate this house! I hate you! I hate everyone!” Kirsta jumped to her feet, forgetting about the manners, running away with her back to you. Your eyes ran over the chamber that you called your own. The place that was meant to be your safe space now only seemed to be filled with coldness, you snorted, as if it was any less cold before. The dark stones radiated coldness, no matter what season it was, what was the weather like outside, the stones were always cold to the touch, dark and dirty to the look. No matter how many hours servants spent on cleaning them - they still were an ugly piece of rock. A narrow aperture that allowed a hint of light into the room attracted your attention - you would spend hours staring out of it, watching your folk live a life you couldn’t, watching how people would come and go into the castle, watch the only person you ever loved approach the stairs. How badly you wished he’d somehow appear in front of the stairs now.

Besides the hole in the wall that allowed you to take a look of the outside world the chambers decoration consisted of an extensive high bed, which was the dominant and the most important interior decoration, a dressing table with a mirror that you barely used, since there was little to no chances for you to get ready by yourself and a screen for changing clothes. In addition there was a vase on a big stand next to the entrance, to which you walked, grabbing the vase and smashing the porcelain before you could think against the floor. It didn’t take much strength in you to smash the fragile decoration thanks to the stone tiles.

“My Princess!” the door opened wide, your eyes drifting to see the person that opened it with your wide eyes. “Did you get hurt?” the man rushed over to you, taking your hands in his to inspect them. But he wasn’t Jeno, he wasn’t allowed to call you his princess because you weren’t his. You pulled your arms back in an instance.

“Sir Lamet. I am not your Princess, don’t call me that.” You bashfully hid your hands behind your back. How did he even get here?

The man inspected your eyes for a second, lowering them back to the porcelain. “Did your father not have a conversation with you yet?” he took a good look at your face once again. There wasn’t a chance he didn’t notice the state you were in, still wet trails of tears on your cheeks, puffed up eyes and overall redness of your appearance, but whatever was the reason, he didn’t mention it.

“He did. Did you come to ask my opinion, too?” you asked coldly, walking away from him. Your feet took you to the dressing table, you sat down busying yourself with the brushes.

“I-.” he swallowed before trailing behind you. “Dear Princess,” The man paused as if in deep thought, but in a moment found your eyes in the reflection of the mirror, staring to speak. “This may come as a shock to you, but I have to let you know, I am mesmerised by your character, your natural graciousness and tact.” you wanted him to stop there. Raise from the stool, give him a thank you and excuse yourself. “All your qualities made me certain I have not made a mistake by coming here after your fathers pleads to meet you first, before pronouncing you my wife.” you sighed silently. “I never expected my family, Me, to make an exception, but now, that the exception has been made, I may have to tell you, my goal for the life is to make our family happy, I’ll let you take full reign of the castle, full reign of my heart.” you paused, staring at the man through the mirror. What was he doing? Is this how things were done in his country? You’ve loved Jeno since you were 5, and despite the fact the love was mutual, you two never even said the words, never even tried to, it was obvious and clear and didn’t need words to be spoken. You felt scandalised, astonished. This man’s words were such a vulgarity blood rushed to your face once again. “Dear princess, my dear princess, I want you to know that the recent days we spent together…” he paused but it didn’t seem like he was done talking, still, you wished for him to shut up. “I pronounce my love for you. I love you.” you opened your mouth wide. He was not-. He, most definitely was, confessing his love to you. Maybe he’s feeble-minded? That’s why you were set to be next to him?

“Wh-what?” you couldn’t hold your composure because one thing was being forced and tricked into a marriage against your will to a man that didn’t care either - it’s not something you were willing to accept, but the foreign prince saying he loves you right after you met each other? You almost chocked shocked. You’d rather hear him say he hated your presence, being forced into living with a man that loved you against your wishes gagged you.

“I will give you as much time as you need to come in terms with your feelings towards me.”

“Sir Lamet.” you intently kept away from saying his title. “I appreciate… I won’t come in any terms with my feelings towards you. I won’t-.” he opened his mouth as you spoke and you closed your mouth immediately, you weren’t about to interrupt a man, no matter how upset or hurt you were.

“I brought this necklace with me from my home. It belonged to my great-great grandmother and now that we’re going to get married, I’m passing it on to you.” The Prince reached out to your neck, drawing a few lines over your nape with his fingertips. Your breath hitched at the touch of those foreign fingers. You almost closed your eyes thinking of Jeno’s gentle touch to your breasts last time he was here. You could only open them when the cold stones hit your chest, you focused on how heavily you breathed, how the dress was caging in your sudden necessity to breathe. You missed out how the Prince touched your bare shoulders, how his lips landed over the skin of it and planted a kiss there.

“Sir Lamet, you should not-.” you jumped up, almost making him trip over the stool that got in the way of his legs, at the same time almost knocking his teeth out with your shoulder. “Please, take this off. Take the necklace back.” you touched the back of your neck to get it off you.

“No, I want you to wear it to our first dinner as engaged couple.”

“I’m not-.” his eyes flickered at your words. They snapped into threat and back in a blink, but it was enough for you to notice, your father did the same thing at times. “I will gladly wear the necklace to our first dinner, Sir Lamet.” you bowed, smiling diligently.

“You can just call me Crown Prince.”

“Of course.” you bowed, expecting him to disappear.

Swallow, blink and smile, you told yourself.

-

“Kirsta.”

“Yes, Milady.” she ran up to you, her head was still low, letting you know the aftertastes of your last conversation still lingered in her heart.

“I-.” you sighed. “I have to give you my apology. Since my sister left, you were nothing but a friend to me.”

“Milady, you should not-, I would never ask for your apologies, it’s me who should really apologise and appreciate your kindness and understanding.”

“It’s fine, it really is.” you watched the only other person in the room finally be done with the porcelain pieces on the floor and leave. “If only you could help me with one thing-.” the girl rose to her actual height, her ears peeking up to listen.

“I would do anything for you, Milady, as long as it doesn’t involve my family.”

“It’s not.”

“I am here for your service.”

“Help me sneak out of the castle.”

“Mil-.”

“No, please, listen.” The girl blinked fast. “I need your help to see Jeno. I have to see him.”

“If the King finds out I helped-.” she whispered in fear.

“He would not!” you whispered back. ”I’ll attend the dinner.” The girls eyes lit up ”I’ll be on my best behaviour and then you’ll help me to run away and see Jeno.” Kirsta lowered her eyes to her feet, clearly lost in thought. ”I have to see him, Kirsta. Before they force me to another country forever. I cannot leave without seeing him for the last time! Please!”

”I understand, milady, but…”

”Whether you’ll help me or not, I will run away to find him. Your help would make my task much easier, but I’ll go through it either way.” you swallowed and straightened your back back. You were a princess at the end of the day, the girl must know her place, you thought.

“I will try my best.” the girl finally said.

“For starters, send someone from the castle to see if Sir Jeno is in town. Incognito, obviously.”

“Yes, Milady. I can easily do that for you.”

“Make sure they are back before the dinner ends!” you threaten for no reason, you didn’t need to doubt the girl, you knew it for sure.

-

“Milady.“ A low-toned whisper made you jump in fear. As the sun was setting castles corridors turned into space with a lot of dark corners.

“Who- who are you?“ did Kirsta manage to bring Jeno to the castle? You were about to burst in tears.

“Milady, Kirsta is waiting for you on the other side of the castle. She asked me to help you get there.“ The man walked out of the dark corner and he didn’t look anything like Jeno, you sighed. It was indeed very naive to assume he’d be here.

“I excused myself from the dinner.“ You explained as the man wasn’t just walking in front of you, with every next step he took he sprinted even faster than before, fully running just a couple minutes into the walk. “There is a great chance I won’t be needed for a long time. We don’t have to hurry up so much.“ You tried to sound more insistently than before. The dress and shoes you were, heaviness of the accessories on your chest and head didn’t help your running abilities you were panting and grunting.

“Milady, I assume you don’t understand much of the real life behind these walls.“

“Yes, and what do I not understand?“ You asked amused, bumping into the man that suddenly stopped on his tracks, turning to face you.

“That if anyone sees you coming out of this castle every one of us is going to be hung with a rope around our neck, even the ones who had nothing to do with you and your little affair.“

“It’s not true.“ You shook your head in disbelief.

“You have never been outside. You don’t even understand that you wouldn’t survive a minute being the way you are on the other side of that wall.“

“This is not true, also.“

“You’d get raped and robed a second some homeless drunk sees you in your pretty dress with those stones on your neck. And he would be right for that.“

“Excuse me?! What is your name?“

“Does that matter? I bet my life you’ll never return once you get your feet out. Kirsta seems to not understand that she can get you out but there’s almost no chance for you to get back, even if you’d ever want it.“

“Why do you help?“

“I don’t want Kirsta to get in trouble because of you.“

“I-,“ you gulped, trying to think of what to say. You weren’t getting her in trouble, she helped volunteerily.

“Milady! Milady!“ Kirsta ran through the corridor, you could see her figure through the dim lighting.

“Yes?“

“I was scared something happened to you, why is it taking you two so long?“

“Is Jeno in the village?“

“He is, my cousin walked past the house.“

“Thank god.“ You sighed relieved, finally.

“Put this on, quickly, we have to hurry, milady.“ She threw over your shoulders a dirty-brown coloured cape. It was perfect length to hide the hem of your dress. Kirsta threw the hood over your head. “Don’t take this off, please keep your head lower, the folk could notice and you’ll get in trouble, let’s go.“ The girl gestured to follow behind and you did, running to the garden. The man that escorted you to Kirsta still followed behind, you wondered what were his motives.“Milady, I won’t go any further with you, I have to go back to the castle and make sure everything is okay while you’re absent.

“How do I find Jeno, where does he live? Where do I have to go?“ The man besides you snorted.

“I have my cousin waiting for you behind that wall of flowers. He’ll get you to Jeno.“ You opened your mouth to thank the girl before you were interrupted.

“Kirsta! Not the family! Didn’t we talk about how dangerous it is to help her?“ The boy hissed. You were working out his features, was he Kirsta’s brother?

“He’s just a kid! No one would suspect.“ She pushed him away, talking to you once again. “Please keep a step behind from him, that way the both of you will be safe.“

“Yes, fine.“ You nodded, it did really feel like needed to go now.

“Milady-,“ the girl grabbed onto your hand “This is the important part… you have to ask Sir Jeno to walk you back. My cousin will not be able to wait for you.“

“It’s fine, Kirsta, I will find my way back. Now, you two, go back, before we’ll attract attention.“

“Yes, yes. I’ll be packing your things for tomorrows departure.“

“Sure.“ You smiled at her kindly.

The way out of the castle was rather disgraceful, you had to admit. Pushing your body through branches and bushes, jumping over a low fence that finally somehow got you out of the place you called your home. You ran your eyes over the wall, raising them more up to see the castle. You just wished you could take a very last glance at your father, to have the chance to get back to your chamber and take with you the things that made that soulless room a tiny bit warmer.

“Are you… the princess?“ You got jump-scared once again. Were you that obvious to get busted in an instance, the moment your feet landed outside? “Do you know Kirsta?“

“Oh- You’re going to help me?“

“Yes, I think I will.“ The boy smiled mischievously. He wasn’t taller than the level of your elbow, making you wonder if your escort was even 10.

[canirove]

Granada | Chapter 12

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Masterlist

"What about small gathering, uh? Just with family."

"I said no, mother."

"But Rúben, it's your birthday!"

"And I've said I don't want to do anything special! Not with all the news we are getting from the border and Rowena still recovering."

"I'm fine" she said.

"The doctor said you must rest."

"And I'm telling you I'm fine" Rowena protested.

"You…"

"My prince? Sorry for interrupting your lunch, my prince" a servant said.

"What is it?"

"It's from the palace. It says it is urgent" he said, giving Rúben a note.

"And? What is it?" Diogo asked.

"I must go back" his brother replied, quickly getting up from his seat.

"Is it the war?" the King asked.

"No, it's something else."

"And you can't tell us?"

"It's personal."

"Rúben, what is happening? You are making us all nervous" his mother said.

"Fine" he sighed. "It's Poppy. She's sick" he said, looking at Rowena.

"Who is Poppy?" the Queen asked.

"Oh, no. Is it serious?" Rowena said.

"I don't know. The note only said that they need me back at the palace."

"Then I'm going with you."

"Rowena, you must rest. Doctor's orders" Rúben said, stopping her from getting up.

"And I already told you I'm fine!"

"Rowena…"

"No! I'm going with you, end of the story!"

"Why are you so stubborn?"

"Why are you so stubborn?"  

"Is anyone going to tell me who Poppy is?" the Queen asked again, raising her voice.

"Poppy is Rowena's horse, the one I gifted her" Rúben explained.

"And the one I'm visiting whether you like it or not" she said as she finally got up from her seat, pushing him to the side and walking away.

"Rowena…" he said again, rolling his eyes and following her. "Rowena, wait."

"All this because of a horse?" the Queen asked as she watched them leave the dining room.

"I thought they were finally getting along" the King sighed.

"And they are, father" Diogo said. 

"Then why are they arguing again?"

"My mother has told me that Rowena's parents were the same before they got married and confessed their feelings for each other. It must run in the family" Anne smiled.

"If you say so…" the King said before going back to his food.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━              

"There is no need to sit as humanly possible away from me as you can, you know?" Rúben said. They had been in the coach on their way to the palace for a while, and they hadn't shared a word. Or a look. Rowena had her eyes focused on the road. "Are you seriously going to do this for the whole journey? Act as if I don't exist?" Again, no answer. "Rowena, what are you, twelve?"

"And a half" she said, finally looking at him and sticking out her tongue.

"What?" he laughed.

"It's what my father tells my mother when they argue and she calls him a child" she shrugged.

"Well, at least I've made you talk and look at me."

"It won't happen… ouch!"

"Rowena, are you alright?" Rúben said, quickly moving to be by her side, holding her so she wouldn't end on the floor of the coach.

"I'm fine. It was just that bloody hole on the road. You need to ask them to get it fixed."

"I will, I promise."

"You can let go of me now."

"Does this bother you?" he smirked.

"It actually does, yes. So if you don't mind going back to your seat…"

"I do mind."

"What?"

"You should be resting, Rowena. Why don't you lay down? It's nap time."

"And where I'm supposed to do that?" she chuckled.

"Here. Just lay down and rest your head on my lap."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Have you never done it with your mother as a child?"

"Yes. But with my mother, not with…"

"Your husband?" Rúben smiled. 

"It isn't appropriate."

"Says who?"

"Decorum!"

"Please, Rowena. As if you cared about that."

"I am a princess now!"

"And I am a prince and your husband. No one will be outraged if they see you resting on my lap. They've definitely seen worse" he said with a mischievous smile.

"Do I want to ask? No, I don't."

"Come on. Rest for a bit. I won't let you fall asleep."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Fine" Rowena sighed after thinking about it for a few seconds.

"Comfortable?" Rúben asked.

"As comfortable as you can be lying down inside a coach."

"I was talking about my lap."

"Whatever" she said, trying to focus on something that wasn't where her head was resting. But it was really hard, especially since Rúben had started to play with her hair, to slowly caress it, making her feel very sleepy.

"Rowena… don't fall asleep."

"Shh."

"Did you just shush me?" he laughed.

"And I'll keep doing it if you keep talking."

"Alright" he laughed again.

"Why did you stop?"

"Uh?"

"My hair. Why did you stop touching it?"

"Were you liking it?"

"Yes. It was relaxing and helping me forget about the knife on my leg and what I could do to you with it if you kept annoying me."

"So violent, my lady" he chuckled.

"Only for you, my prince" she replied, turning her head to look at him, expecting to see that smile he saves just for her.

"Everything alright?"

"Yes" Rowena said, looking down again and trying not to smile. Because as expected, he had done it. He had smiled, and it was her smile.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━              

"And? How is she, Rúben?"

"Bad. This night will decide if she makes it or not."

"But… but…" Rowena said, trying not to cry. "She was healthy! She was eating well and running around!"

"I know. But these things happen."

"What are we going to do?"

"Someone needs to keep an eye on her, so I offered to spend the night here."

"I'll stay with you."

"Rowena…"

"No" she said, sitting down on the straw and caressing Poppy's head. "She is my horse. I'm not going anywhere."

"I don't know why I expected anything else from you" Rúben chuckled, sitting next to her. "You are like the most stubborn person I have ever met."

"Thank you" she smiled.

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━              

"What is all that?" Rowena asked when Rúben walked back into the stables.

"Dinner. You said you weren't going anywhere, so I thought I would bring you something to eat. If Poppy makes it, I don't want you getting sick."

"She will make it. I'm sure of it" she replied, caressing her head like she had been doing for most part of the afternoon. "And the blankets? What are those for?"

"Well, we are planning to spend the night here, and it may get chilly. We need something to cover us."

"Us?"

"If you are not going anywhere, neither am I" Rúben said. "Are you hungry?"

"A bit, yes. What did you bring?"

"Since Aurora is in the summer palace, there was no one to cook for us. But one of the maids that still is here helped me get some bread, meat and fruit. It will be enough for tonight."

"And that bottle?"

"This is something one of the stable boys recommended me. The guards apparently drink it at night to keep them warm."

"Alcohol?"

"Worse" he said, opening the bottle and making Rowena smell it.

"Bloody hell" she coughed. "Are we supposed to drink that?"

"Only if it gets cold and the warmth of our bodies isn't enough."

"The warmth of our… idiot" she said, rolling her eyes when she saw the smirk on his face. 

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━              

"Here" Rúben said, putting one of the blankets around Rowena's shoulders. 

"Thank you" she replied. They had been keeping an eye on Poppy for hours, and so far there were no signs of improvement. But she wasn't getting worse either.

"Why don't you sleep for a bit while I keep an eye on her?"

"I'm fine."

"I saw you trying to hide a yawn."

"I said I'm… the bells."

"Uh?"

"The bells. It's midnight. It's your birthday!"

"Oh, that."

"Happy birthday, Rúben" Rowena said, kissing his cheek and definitely catching him by surprise.

"Thank you" he smiled. That smile. And maybe it was because of the light of the lantern, or maybe because she was too tired and her eyes were starting to play tricks on her, but she could have sworn he had blushed. 

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━              

"Rúben… Rúben, what are you doing?" Rowena said, curling against his chest. "Rúben, stop it!" 

"What?" he mumbled.

"Stop licking my face!"

"I'm not… Poppy!"

"What?"

"She's up! Look!" he said, making Rowena finally open her eyes and move from her very comfortable position next to him.

"Poppy! Poppy, you made it! I knew it! I knew it, Rúben!" she said, throwing herself at him and hugging him. 

"You knew it" he said against her neck, hugging her tighter, none of them letting go of the other until Poppy complained. "I think she also wants a hug" Rúben chuckled.

"She'll get all the hugs she wants" Rowena laughed. "But you should check her first, see if everything is alright."

"Of course" he said as he moved his head, doing it at the same time as her and finding her lips somehow really close to his. What if he…

"Rúben?"

"Uh?"

"Poppy. Check her."

"Yes, yes" he said, finally letting go of Rowena.  

━━━━━━❃━━━━━━              

"Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I like seeing you smile" Rúben shrugged.

"Well, I have reasons to do it. Poppy is recovering and nothing should happen to her now."

"That's just a reason" he pointed out.

"What?"

"You said reasons. What are the others?"

"We are going back to the summer palace."

"Already looking forward to getting rid of me?" he teased her.

"Shut up."

"It is my birthday, Rowena. You should be nicer to me."

"I actually should, yes. Please, my prince. Do not speak" she smiled, making him laugh.

"You know, I think I'm in the mood to have a little gathering tonight like my mother wanted."

"Really?"

"Yes. But I'm afraid you won't be able to come, you must rest and… I was just teasing you, Rowena" he laughed after he saw her move. "Were you about to reach for one of your knives?"

"Maybe."

"Where are you hiding them?"

"Secret places."

"One day you should let me search for them" Rúben said with a mischievous smile.

"In your dreams" she replied, looking through the coach's window and trying to hide that she was blushing.

"I've already done it. And more than once."

"Well, it will be the only place where you'll…" she said before jumping on her seat and falling on top of him. "That bloody hole!"

"You blame the hole, but I think you just want to be close to me. Like last night."

"Don't tease me, Rúben" she hissed, a small knife in her hand.

"You are amazing, Rowena" he said, giving her once again that smile that completely disarmed her. This time, literally. 

"If you keep teasing me, I won't give you your birthday present" she said, sitting back on her seat.

"You got me something?"

"I did. But I may keep it for myself. It depends on your behaviour for the rest of the day."

"I'll behave, I promise."

"We'll see" Rowena replied.

[lilith-little-world]

Ahhhhhhhh, I am so so so sorry! I got into character ai recently and next thing I know 2 weeks has passed. It was all a blur- ugh I feel bad and now I have to slowly transition out that writing style to the writing style of this. So enjoy this, cause fuck I lost track of time so hard... I'll try to finish the 2nd chapter soon since I usually write fast. I just need time to resist the urge to go back to that site. Also it was super fun got a husband, lover, and son. Went through hell to get there but it was worth it.

I Saw You Once In a Dream, Maybe|| Pt. 8

You immediately chase down Monkey King and your mother. Hoping that he doesn’t spout out any more nonsense to your mother.

“Oh- stop telling her lies! Mom please don’t listen to him!”

Monkey King just smirks at you as lean onto the kitchen counter. While your mother looks at you confused.

“What do you mean? Don’t pretend, I saw you kissing him outside the house~” She said with a smile.

You felt your face turn red, quickly cover it with your hand. This was getting too much.

“That was- ugh, mom please, he was just messing around, we are NOT getting married.” You state trying to keep your cool.

“Oh~ weren’t you the one dreaming about our wedding day?” He said, giving you the most shit-eating grin. Your mother’s eyes went wide and looked at you with such excitement, you couldn’t help but feel nervous.

“You? I never thought I would see the day my sweet child would- when’s the wedding day?”

“You two are unbelievable.” You pinch the bridge of your nose and sigh with frustration. “Mom, you said you wanted me to pick up something, what was it?”

She let out a laugh.

“That can wait, I want to know about my child’s special someone. This is the first time you brought them home. He must be very special to you.”

Monkey King raises an eyebrow.

“Really? Well, it makes sense we are getting married soon.”

You feel your face get redder as this goes on. You're an adult, not some middle schooler dealing with some crush. You sigh shakily and calm your blushing face.

“You know what? Fine! Sure, I'm too tired for this. Mom, please what was the thing you wanted to give me?”

“Sweetheart, you know I was just teasing you a bit. Let me go get it- I was cleaning the attic and found some of your old things.” She went to the living room and brought out a small box. “I thought you wanted these back.”

You open the box to see what was inside. Just some old things, old journals, books, pictures, and hard drives.

“Oh I remember these! I've been looking for these books too! So it was in the attic, I must have put them there and forgot about it. Thanks, mom.”

Monkey King looks over your shoulder to see. You just push his head back and laugh.

“What I just wanted to see?” He said laughing along.

“This is my old stuff, I’m not going to let you see. Anyways you were really pushing it with that joke.”

He just laughs before giving you space again.

“Sorry, I just couldn’t help it.”

“You two are so sweet, oh also, I made pie earlier today. Here let me hand you a plate to take.”

She grabs a container and cuts a large slice. Before handing it to you.

“Thank you, mom. Take care alright?”

She nods and leads the two of you back to the front door.

“That goes for you too! Also-” She turns to Monkey King with a smirk. “Take care of my child, they matter to me a lot.”

“MOM!”

“Don't worry, I will.” He said laughing.

Your face turned red as you both left. Monkey King walks beside you with a smug expression on his face, while you look forward with a stern face.

“I should have left you at Pigsy’s.”

“Yet you didn't! I'm enjoying our little date.”

“Date?! This is not a date! We barely met just a few hours ago!”

“-And now, apparently getting married.” His grin widens as he glances at you. A hit of mischief in his eyes.

“We are NOT getting married.” You mutter out.

“I mean, you were the one who has been dreaming of our wedding day.”

“Now I'm thinking, those dreams were a warning. Maybe I should listen and-” You pause as you glance at him, finally smirking. “-Stay away from you.”

You pick up your pace and laugh. His smug face falls as he looks worried and nervous.

“Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I was just joking around.” He immediately picks up his pace and apologizes.

“I'll stop! Please, I just thought it was cute and wanted to joke around.” He quickly explains.

“It's just, I wanted to talk and hang out with you but whenever I do, I get so nervous and chicken out.”

His face was getting red and looked away from you.

“Actually, now that you mention it. When did you meet me?”

“W-well, it's just…okay so I usually shapeshift into a bird whenever I want to see the city and during those times… I ran into you…” He clears his throat and turns his head to the side, embarrassed. “You were taking pictures and snapped a shot at me.”

“Wait, the little brown bird that always follows me around! That was you?!”

His face turned red and couldn’t look you in the eyes.

“Y-yes, that was me. I wanted to talk to you, but I was afraid you'd freak out so I thought, I'll get the kid to help me out and- well here we are.” He finally turns his head to you. His cheeks slightly red, as he smiles at you.

“Look, I really didn’t mean to joke around that far and made you uncomfortable. I just got too excited and got carried away.”

You stayed silent for a while, as you two walked down the street.

“Today was…something but it wasn’t bad. As much as you made me frustrated earlier, today was fun. So don’t worry too much about it, anyways it’s been a while since I saw my mom that excited.”

Monkey King's gaze softens at you. He lets out a small laugh, his posture relaxing.

“Still, I shouldn’t have told your mom that. After we first met…even though technically this is our first time talking to one another.”

You bump into his arm, to nudge him, and roll your eyes.

“It had been a long while since I hung out with anybody this long. Usually I keep to myself, but this was nice. Thank you for tagging along.”

“You don't have to thank me, I just wanted to actually talk with you for once. I should be thanking you for giving me a chance!”

You smile at him softly. Feeling touched by his words. For once, you didn't feel lonely. As the two of you went on chatting, you realized that the feeling hadn't plagued you since meeting him and it felt nice. Instead, all you felt was a soft warmth in your heart that seemed to grow the longer he stayed by your side.

It wasn't long until you both made it to your house. You turned on the lights, as you lead him to the living room.

“Make yourself at home. Let me put these down somewhere and we can head out to get some groceries.”

Monkey King sits on the couch and sighs. As you went to the kitchen and placed the small container on the counter and put the small box away in your room.

“You got a nice place here.”

“Why, thank you. If you like it so much, you can stay here and rest while I get groceries.” You said while walking up to the couch.

“Hmm, tough choice. I mean, it would be nice to tag along but your couch feels nice, I can definitely take a small nap here.” He said laying on the couch. “You know what? I'll tag along if you ask me~”

You felt your face flush from the request. Will you actually ask him to accompany you or will you leave him here on the couch? Is there even a bad choice to make in this situation? Who knows~

[evelyn-carnahan]

Motherhood in House of the Dragon: Alicent vs. Rhaenyra

How Rhaenyra is as a mother compared to Alicent as a mother really shows you the power of a woman having control over her life and how it ripples down to happier children.

It's clear that Rhaenyra marrying later, choosing how to be married, who to love, and having more control over when she will have children bothers Alicent. This is because Alicent did not (or at least was not told she did) have those choices.

Alicent visited Viserys to comfort him because her father bade her; it's clear she didn't want to as they show her picking at her nail beds. She comforted him and took on the emotional labor of a man she had no real interest nor relation with because she simply felt it was her womanly duty to comfort him and to show obeisance to her father.

We learn of Alicent's engagement to Viserys through the king announcing it. Her expression in that scene says: he has chosen me, and I will obey.

We are shown Alicent in bed with Viserys, and she is shown doing her nervous tick of digging at her nail beds again. Clearly she does not enjoy it.

All of these things Alicent does because she feels it is her duty and not because she wants to. She was not ready to be a wife or a mother, but her father never told her she had a choice in the matter.

Meanwhile, Rhaenyra was told she had a choice, to a certain extent, in who and when she would marry. She ultimately did not choose who to marry, but she accepted and talked the details of the arrangement so that it was to both her and Laenor's liking. She later chose who she would love.

And when Rhaenyra had children, she was more emotionally mature. If we are to believe the two ladies are very close to the same age (which seems very likely as they are childhood friends), she had around three more years than Alicent to grow and learn about herself before she became a wife and mother. This gave her time to think about what she wanted in a marriage.

This resulted in Rhaenyra's scenes with her children to be more warm and loving. This is because Rhaenyra wanted her children. She was ready to have them. The ease of this shines through in her scenes with her sons.

Meanwhile, Alicent holds herself at a distance from her children. Her conversations with them that we are shown are about duty. It seems this pattern is what she learned from her father. (The one time Alicent made herself emotionally vulnerable to her father, saying "I have sinned," he shut her down. Emotional vulnerability is inappropriate between parent and child, she has been raised to believe.)

Alicent's sons don't like each other. And the only time we have seen Helaena smile was to a servant who agreed with her when she made her speech that we always want what we don't have. Not to her mother or brothers--a servant!

However, Rhaenyra's children are shown to be somewhat better adjusted. They are not overly-self-indulgent like Aegon or spiteful like Aemond. As well, I think they feel more listened to than Helaena. When Luke says he is nervous about his duties, Rhaenyra comforts him and says she will help him. Rhaenyra's sons are shown embracing from time to time. They support each other.

This shows how incredibly important it is for a woman to have freedom of choice. I think Rhaenyra has lived with very few regrets in her life--while Alicent's life has been rife with them. It's hard to be a loving mother when you are bitter and scarcely know yourself. I think that will be Alicent's greatest tragedy. She wasn't ready to be a mother, wasn't ready to be a wife, wasn't ready to be queen.

[gabriel-xander]

Don't Forget

[Sans x Female!Reader]

6: Whaaat? Nooo! Things are Definitely NOT Getting Suspicious!

A/N: So, Sans is a skeleton monster. Yes, he doesn’t have “muscles or skin”, but he’s still a monster. So it’s less that he’s a skeleton, and more so that he’s a monster that looks like a skeleton. That being said, every time I want to write “he raised an eyebrow,” or “his muscles twitched,” I REALLY don’t want to have to clarify “not actual muscles because he’s a skeleton, but he’s still a monster so the same logic still applies to him” EVERY TIME 😭 So please hold those comments and let me make my life a little easier 😭 thank you and Gesundheit!!

Anyway, thank you for reading, and please enjoy this chapter!

♪───✿⁠(⁠✧◕⁠ᴗ⁠◕✧⁠)✿⁠────♪

THIS SHIT IS HARD!!!

Tears pool in your eyes, agony reflects in pools of [e/c] and frustration colors your expression.

“TORIELLL!!”

“Yes, my child?”

“THIS SHIT HARD!!”

She smiles in amusement, holding in a chuckle, “It’s not so bad. It’s your second attempt and it already looks like a Froggit…. If… If you squint…”

You sigh with a defeated smile, “You’re right, you’re right. It’s just… One of my toxic traits is thinking I can do anything without any prior practice or skill.”

“That must be difficult to cope with.”

“Oh, dude. Like you wouldn’t believe.”

So, crocheting isn’t going as well as you’d hoped. You would think that your desire to become a Surgeon would mean that your hands are pretty steady. They’re… steady enough, you suppose. It could just be a major case of Skill Issue™ that is holding you back. Your spirits are beginning to be affected by this, though.

This is the third time Toriel has tried introducing you to a new hobby just for you to fail miserably. Six days ago, you two were trying out knitting. Then three days ago, you two tried clay sculpting. And today? It’s crocheting.

You’re not actually complaining though, you’re having a lot of fun despite your failed attempts! More accurately, you’re having fun hanging out with the goat mom so it doesn’t matter if you were bad at this stuff. You understand that the reason why she’s doing this is because she wants you to have fun and not be bored having to stay inside all the time. You really appreciate the effort she’s putting in, so the most you can do is try to give each of these activities a genuine shot.

You shake your head to get back in the game, “Okay, okay. Let me try again, I think I can do it right this time.”

────

You flip to the next page of a random history book you’ve been reading. “Trapped behind the barrier and fearful of further human attacks, we retreated. Far, far into the earth we walked, until we reached the cavern's end. This was our new home, which we named… “Home.” As great as our king is, he is pretty lousy at names.”

“Oh shit, it’s this book!” You perk up with a smile, “I’ve been looking for this damn book. It only took me two and a half weeks of being here and going through the whole shelf. Why is it all the way down here?”

With Toriel out of the house yet again, you decided to take up reading once more. Toriel leaves the house for a few hours every day, she always goes to the very beginning of the Ruins (where you fell in) to check if another human has fallen down. You wonder if one of these days Toriel will come home with that child. Would Frisk be thrown off by your presence? Or will they, for some reason, find you as a threat and try to Reset in the hopes of getting rid of you?

Nah, Frisk isn’t that type of person. They have jerk dialogue options in the Pacifist route, but you never consider them to be true to Frisk. The possibility still makes you nervous.

The history book isn’t very long, and before long you reached the last page. You’re about to put it back but decide to move it to the middle of the shelf instead. You can’t explain it, but it feels better in that spot instead.

Hm…

You put your hands on your hips. Well, you guess you can try painting before Toriel gets back for lunch.

────

It’s been three and a half weeks, and Toriel is running out of options for you. She’s considering getting you a job in the small city in the Ruins so you have something to do. In your boredom, you’ve read most of the books in her home, you cook for her now all of the time, and you clean all the time, too. You only seem to like doing the other hobbies if Toriel is there to do it with you.

She knows, though, that you really need to get out of the house. You’re young, energetic, and adventurous; despite your resolve to understand that if you’re not careful, you could be killed, she knows that you can’t stay inside all the time.

So, she goes to a friend for help.

“Actually, before I must go,” Toriel says a little hesitantly, “There is something I’d like to ask of you. I-I’d like a favor.”

Sans’ smile becomes a little strained, though he supposes it doesn’t matter if he keeps up that facade since there isn’t anyone around. But it takes more muscles to frown than it does to smile. And yeah, he’s a skeleton and thus does not have any muscles, but he’s still a monster, so there’s a possibility for anything.

“a favor? well, i can’t say i’m all powerful and knowing, but if you tell me what it is, i might be able to help out,” The comic replies.

“You’ve mentioned going to the Waterfalls and Hotlands a few times, correct? Do you perhaps know a handful of people?”

“uh, i guess i do. why?”

“Would you happen to know any ghost monsters? Particularly, a sad-looking ghost who pretends to sleep a lot. He was here a few weeks ago, but has not returned,” Toriel thinks back to you expressing wanting to be friends with that ghost, “There is no way for me to reach out to him, so I was wondering if it would be at all possible for you to find him somehow, and send him my way.”

…

…

HUH?

Toriel is talking about Napstablook, Sans knows him the same way he knows almost everyone in the Underground (after so many Resets, he took it upon himself to know the different people, especially those who have a connection with Frisk). He lives in Waterfall, alone and generally keeps to himself. He sometimes goes to the Ruins just to hang out by himself as well.

Why… Why does Toriel want to know about him all of a sudden?

“uh, i think i know who you’re talking about. did he do something wrong?”

“Oh, heavens no! There’s just… something I’m curious about, that’s all. I see him often, but I never go out of my way to say hello.”

“oh… kay?” This is so weird, “yeah, i can find him and let him know you’re looking for him.”

Toriel smiles in relief, “Thank you so much, friend. I should really get going now. Until next time.”

“yeah, ‘till next time.”

Sans hears Toriel walk away in a hurry, scratching his skull in confusion as he also begins his walk to Snowdin. What the fuck was that? Even before the kid came and ruined everything, Toriel had not once expressed being curious about other monsters. She’s under the assumption that monsters still fight humans out of malice, and not because they just feel like they have to at this point.

Why is this suddenly different? It can’t really be because this is the natural development Toriel goes through, right? Nothing in Sans’ past experience hints at this kind of development in Toriel, or that it could be capable on her own-

…

‘it can’t be possible on her own.’

Sans stops walking.

No… Could it really be…?

Frisk is back in the Underground, and is staying in the Ruins?

────

The sussy skeleton knocks his knuckles against a door (albeit he had to knock harder than anyone usually has since he’s wearing pink gloves at the moment), huffing slightly while waiting for an answer. He’s tapping his foot impatiently on the ground, looking around aimlessly at nothing in particular. To Napstablook’s credit, he doesn’t make the other wait for too long. Instead of opening the door, the ghost just phases through it.

Napstablook is looking at the other in confusion, which is completely understandable.

“oh… hi, sans…”

“hey, buddy. how are ya?”

Napstablook’s headphones slowly fade away into nothingness. Wow, impressive skill. Sans has no idea how he did that.

“i’m doing alright, i guess… i was just working on a new remix…” Napstablook avoids eye contact, “um, sans…”

“yeah?”

“not that i don’t mind that you’re here, but… you never come here and we never really talk… did you need something…?”

Sans sighs a short laugh, “heh. you’re straightforward, huh? yeah, there is something i need to tell you.”

“oh. wh-what is it?”

“you were in the ruins a few weeks ago, right?”

“how-how did you know…?”

Sans shrugs, “heard it from that monster lady who takes care of the ruins. she was wondering why you stopped showing up, and wants to see you as soon as it’s convenient for you.”

“oh…” Napstablook doesn’t have eyebrows, but his big ‘ol eyes are expressive enough to show some confusion, “that lady…? i thought she didn’t want me there anymore because of that human…”

Shit, so Frisk is in the Ruins! Sans forces himself to stay calm. Sans raises a brow and leans forward a bit.

“a human, huh? now, that’s somethin’. you remember how they look like?”

At this, the ghost smiles softly and meekly, “yeah… i didn’t get a good look ‘caues i was laying down, but she was wearing a striped brown dress, and had kind, [e/c] eyes. must be a kid that the lady is looking after…”

…So it’s not Frisk. As far as Sans is aware, Frisk has always been androgynous, and he knows the ghost monster isn’t an asshole to misgender them purposely. (Ignore that Sans at that moment forgot Napstablook wouldn’t have any memory of Frisk.) Not only that but a striped, brown dress? Unless Frisk decided to get a new look, then Napstablook was describing someone else.

“really now? you don’t think this could be an evil human, do you?”

“oh, no way… she was really nice to me and had a lot of faith in my fake sleep… no one has ever given me that much encouragement in my fake sleep before.”

…That’s nice, Blooky.

“if only i could remember her name… the big monster lady said it once…”

Sans widens his eye sockets slightly, “come on now, bud. i know you can remember it.”

Napstablook squeezes his eyes, “mmnn… it was… it was… s… sa… mm… de… ehhh…”

The skeleton tenses up, his fists being held in front of himself like a child overfilled with anticipation.

“i think it was… uh…”

“…?”

“...i got nothing. sorry…”

Sans sighs heavily in disappointment, “it’s fine, buddy. it was a long shot, anyway.”

“well, i can tell you when i find out… if you want…”

“hey, not a bad idea,” Sans holds his gloved hand to his chin in thought, “try to be discrete though, yeah? we don’t wanna scare the human thinking that a lot of monsters are after her.”

“…actually, why do you wanna know about the human?” Napstablook shrinks back slightly, “you don’t wanna take her soul, do you…?”

Hey! Sans may not like humans (and Frisk certainly didn’t help with that), but he’s not a heartless monster (hah). Granted, if this new human that’s with Toriel is a jerk, and Toriel doesn’t make him also promise to keep her safe, then he might do something drastic and violent. He knows that it’s rash and rather harsh, but can the blame really be on him after all he’s had to endure?

“nah, i’m not interested in capturing any human,” Sans said, you know, like a liar, “you can’t blame a skeleton for being worried though, right? it’s been so long since the last human was down here, ya know?”

“yeah, i guess that’s true…” Napstablook resummons his headphones with, presumably, magic, “i should get going then… i’ll see you later, sans…”

“see ya later, bud.”

Napstablook at least has the manners to not pass through Sans, and instead takes the time to float around him to make his way to the Ruins.

Sans watches him leave for a moment before taking a shortcut home. More specifically, he takes a shortcut to his bedroom. He sighs in relief, ditching his pink slippers by the door to drag his feet to his bed.

On the way, he nabs a notebook from his self-sustaining tornado made of trash. By his command, the bunched up, weird, creasy ball of his covers unravels itself to lay out on his worn mattress.

With a sigh, the skeleton flops down face first on his bed.

Clink.

Ouch.

Sans lifts his head with a wince, not appreciating the sans-ation of his forgotten pen falling out of his eye socket. Huh. He’s been looking for this pen, guess it’s been lost in his covers all this time. He takes it and rolls over to his back, opening up his notebook and flipping through the pages until he reaches a blank one. The monster clicks his pen and scribbles on the top corner until the ink starts to flow out of the ball point.

——

thursday, january 17th, 20XX

RESET #43: Post-Flowey (207 days since the last reset)

there’s a new human in the underground. napstablook was describing a girl, presumably a child. what’s with all the children falling to the underground? anyway, he swears up and down that she’s not evil or harmful, but i doubt it. how long as she been in the ruins? why did toriel hide this information from me?

it might have to do with the fact we’ve been drifting apart lately. about two months ago i noticed she’s been more reclusive and less willing to talk for long. i think she can pick up that i haven’t been putting in my all lately. i can’t bring myself to really care that much anymore, which is probably why she doesn’t enjoy talking to me anymore. i don’t blame her.

it’s been worse recently though. about a month ago, she’s been really different. she’s a lot more energetic, but i can tell when she talks to me that she would rather be somewhere else. maybe that’s when the human girl showed up. she has to be a pro at manipulating if toriel is enjoying this human’s company.

or maybe all these resets are getting to me, and the human isn’t that bad after all.

only time will tell.

…

luckily (or maybe not) napstablook is going to the ruins and will check out the human. hopefully he remembers to ask for the girl’s name, and tell me anything else that can be relevant. maybe the human has something to do with toriel asking for him. i can’t think of another reason why.

it makes me wonder… if frisk never had shown up at all, would this be the natural order of what was to happen? that another human would eventually fall in anyway?

whatever. i’ll learn more once napstablook comes back from the ruins.

i hope he comes back from the ruins…

——

Whelp, that’s enough thinking for today. Sans has no idea when that ghost will come back, so he might as well take a nap. It’s been a long 40 minutes, he’s earned it.

────────────

Tag List (There's only one person lmao)

@lemonboy011 I don't know if I did this right whoops

[rockyroadsmith]

Could you do a retelling of Rapunzel with Hare as Rapunzel, Tiger of the wind as Flynn Rider, Lilim as Mother Gothel, Mocchi as Pascal, Suezo as Maximus, Genki as the royal guard captain etc?

I've only seen this movie once, so I apologize in advance! XD

Once upon a time, a drop of sunlight fell to Earth and somehow blossomed into a Natsumi Berry bush that was all magical and stuff. Lilim, who's an old bag, finds the Natsumi Berries and when she uses them, she suddenly becomes young and sexy again. Just look at those tits! Like anyone who found something so awesome, Lilim uses it to live for hundreds of years and decides not to share it with anyone else, because she's a selfish hoe.

Many years later, King Golem and Queen Holly are expecting a child, but Holly becomes deathly ill. Golem sends out his army to find the magical Natsumi Berries from legend and since Lilim sucks ass at hiding something so important to her even though she's used them for hundreds of years, Golem succeeds in finding the Natsumi Berries. Holly is given the magical berries and survives her illness, which leads her to giving birth to her newborn son, Hare, who is born with ridiculously golden colored hair from the Natsumi Berries. In celebration, the happy parents release a lantern into the sky, and they all live in peace... until Lilim breaks into the castle to get some of that damn hair. When she cuts a lock of Hare's hair, it turns to a normal brown color and loses its magical properties, so the Pixie hybrid does what any sane person would do; steal the baby, of course! With their child stolen, Golem and Holly mourn and every year on Hare's birthday, they release lanterns into the sky in hopes maybe he'll see them and come home someday, without caring about the amount of trash and potential fires they're creating by just releasing so many lanterns out into the world.

Eighteen years later, Lilim has been raising Hare as her own child and has Hare be her personal spa treatment by keeping her from aging. She keeps Hare from leaving the tower by telling him that if he goes out into the world, he'll be violated by fetish fanart and furries, so he's nervous to leave. His only friend is Mocchi, a dopey monster who doesn't add anything to the plot and is just used for movie merchandise marketing, so Hare gets bored. Hare's hair is now super long and durable, so he's able to use it for a bunch of things, and he spends his time painting NSFW artwork around his room. Oh, and he painted a picture of himself with lanterns in the sky, but that's not as interesting as all the hentai. Hare wants to go see the lantern display for his birthday, but Lilim tells him to suck a dick and that the world it too dangerous for him, so Hare feels defeated.

Elsewhere, Tiger of the Wind steals the crown of the lost prince from the castle with his two partners, Daton and Datonare, but they're spotted by the royal guards, and they begin to chase them down. In a savage display of ruthlessness, Tiger betrays the other two thieves to escape the guards, and he continues to retreat with the crown. Genki, the captain of the royal guards, just likes having a sword to swing around and is pretty much useless. His trusty companion, an eyeball monster named Suezo, is determined to kick Tiger's ass and proceeds to hunt the wolf monster down until the duo end up in a scuffle, resulting in them dropping the crown and for the duo to fall off a cliff like an old Loony Toons cartoon.

After grabbing the crown, Tiger takes off to get away from Suezo and ends up hiding in a cave before he stumbles upon an old tower. The wolf monster decides to hide in the tower and as soon as he scales the whole freaking thing, he's immediately smashed in the head with a frying pan, which knocks him out. Hare, who's never seen anyone besides Lilim and Mocchi, is very curious about the newcomer and even though he fears it might be one of the people Lilim warned him about, he decides to stuff him into his closet. He then finds the stolen crown and hides it before Lilim can see it. Hare decides he'll show Tiger to Lilim to prove he can handle himself, but Lilim tells him off before he can, and this pisses Hare off. Hare deviously lies about wanting new paints for his latest erotic painting and to get him off her back, Lilim agrees to make the three-day trip to get them.

When Tiger wakes up, he's bound by Hare's massive hair rope and after learning Tiger isn't there to steal his hair, the rabbit monster decides to make a deal. If Tiger brings him to see the lanterns and then brings him back to the tower before Lilim finds out, he'll give the wolf monster the stolen crown. Tiger agrees, and immediately regrets it the moment they leave the tower and Hare begins to happily run around like an idiot. He then feels guilty for betraying Lilim, but Tiger encourages Hare and then decides to take him to lunch.

Down the road, Lilim runs into Suezo, who immediately tries to grab her ass so she bunts him into the nearest tree, before she runs back to the tower to check on Hare to make sure no royal guards found him. Sure enough, the tower is empty, and Lilim loses her shit at finding the crown and a wanted poster of Tiger. Assuming Tiger kidnapped Hare, the Pixie hybrid grabs her favorite kitchen knife and sets off to make sure Tiger can never procreate.

Tiger takes Hare to a crappy diner full of Baddies who want to turn Tiger in for the reward money, but Hare's happy go lucky demeaner and exclamation about following his dream makes everyone in the dumpy restaurant become hopeful. Lilim sees this through the diner window like a creeper, and she's angry Hare doesn't want to return to the tower. The royal guards show up, but the Baddies help Hare and Tiger escape through a secret tunnel, which Suezo follows after them soon after. At the end of the tunnel, the duo fends off the guards waiting for them, and Tiger is surprised Hare can use his long hair as a weapon, and he's quickly saved from Suezo killing him by Hare lassoing the eyeball monster. Suezo flails around like a dumbass and causes the dam to break, so a rush of water overtakes the group. The water rises and it seems all hope is lost, but this is a Disney movie so it can't end like this. Hare suddenly remembers his hair can glow, because somehow he forgot such an important detail about himself, and they use his hair to light the way out of the cave.

Once they escape, both Hare and Tiger share their backstories with one another, and once Tiger goes to get firewood, Lilim appears. Hare admits that he wants to stay with Tiger because just listen to that voice, goddamn. Lilim is upset and gives Hare the crown to test if Tiger would stay for Hare or if he's really just a greedy dirtbag, but when given the chance to give the crown to him, Hare gets too nervous.

In the morning, Suezo shows up to kick Tiger's ass, but Hare convinces him to let Tiger get him to the lanterns, so they agree to a truce. At the castle, Hare has the time of his life at the celebration and even Tiger and Suezo enjoy themselves. Mocchi just sits on Hare's back like a drooling vegetable. When night falls, Tiger takes Hare out on a boat to get the best view of the lanterns, and suddenly everyone in the city releases lanterns into the sky. Hare and Tiger both release one of their own, too, before Hare gives Tiger the crown. The wolf monster is hoping to release something besides a lantern tonight, hint hint, and says he doesn't care about the crown anymore.

Near the shore, Tiger spots Daton and Datonare, and he decides to investigate without telling Hare what was going on. Tiger freely gives them the crown and apologizes about betraying them earlier, but the two other Tigers know about Hare's magic hair and want him instead. They set it up so it looks like Tiger has run off with the crown, abandoning Hare, and before Daton and Datonare can catch Hare, Lilim knocks them both out and looks like the hero. Hare is devastated at what he thinks is Tiger's betrayal and goes back to the tower with Lilim. Meanwhile, a bound Tiger with the crown near him, floats in a boat to the castle where he's promptly arrested and sentenced to death.

At the tower, Hare listens to My Chemical Romance while wallowing in self pity, until he pieces together that behind all the tits and dicks, all the smut he painted formed a silhouette of the royal crest. Suddenly, fuzzy pieces of memories enter his mind, those of his parents who somehow gave birth to a rabbit, and he realizes he's the missing prince. Hare angrily confronts Lilim about this and, in standard villain fashion, she refuses to let Hare leave the tower. Oh, and she breaks an expensive mirror.

In the city, Tiger is in a prison cell awaiting to be hanged and just as he's pulled away to meet his end, the Baddies from the diner show up and release him just in time. Huzzah! Tiger is catapulted over the stone wall and lands painfully on Suezo's back, and the eyeball monster is pretty sure he just got about six herniated disks from that maneuver. Even though Tiger is much faster than Suezo, the wolf monster digs his claws into the back of Suezo's head and gives him a quick kick to his side, forcing the eyeball monster to slowly hop down the road while mumbling swears under his breath the whole time.

When the duo gets to the tower, Tiger leaps off Suezo, leaving the eyeball monster to flop dizzily onto the ground, and he calls out to Hare to let down his hair. When Hare's hair is thrown down to him, Tiger uses it to climb up the tower, but it's a trap! Hare is bound and Lilim stabs Tiger in his side with her trusty knife, leaving the wolf monster to call her a crazy old fossil, which makes the Pixie hybrid sulk. Hare tells Lilim that if she allows him to heal Tiger, that he promises to go freely with her without a fight. Lilim agrees and unties Hare, allowing the rabbit monster to run to the wounded monster's side. Before Hare can heal Tiger, the wolf monster slashes at Hare's hair and cuts it completely off, leaving just a brown puff on the top of his head. He then turns to Lilim and grins smugly while shouting "gotcha, bitch!".

Lilim becomes frantic as her only means of staying young is taken from her, and she pulls up her hood over her head so no one will see her wrinkled ass face. After not doing anything this entire time, Mocchi suddenly turns into a savage and uses Hare's cut hair to trip Lilim out of the window and even though she has wings, she plummets out the window and turns to dust. Mocchi then goes back to being a derpy mouth breather.

Hare tries to heal Tiger, but it fails since his hair was cut. He's completely devastated, even more so as Tiger shows an uncharacteristically sappy side of himself, and he's crushed as Tiger dies. Luckily he doesn't have time to turn into a Lost Disc and when Hare's tears fall onto Tiger's face, they're able to heal him since the magic is still inside him. Once Tiger is revived, Hare flings himself at the wolf monster, but he immediately covers Tiger’s eyes as he realizes he can see all of his dirty paintings in his room.

At the castle, King Golem and Queen Holly are alerted that the lost prince has been found and as soon as they see Hare, Golem brings Holly and Hare into a rib crushingly tight hug. At seeing Tiger standing awkwardly in the back, Golem grabs him and brings him in for it, too, and Tiger can't help but wonder how the hell Golem and Holly even made Hare. He decides not to think too much about it. In the end, Hare is able to live out a happy life in the kingdom where he belongs with the family who had been searching for him for so many years. Tiger also asked Hare to marry him, which he happily accepted, and they finally got to live out some of Hare's erotic fantasies. The end!

Sorry this was so long! XP

[browniesarethebest]

I’m just absolutely in love w ur reverse batfam au! I’d love to see the first time one of the rogues meets Robin. Like, who is this brightly colored child that just did a crazy flip and laughed while kicking my goon in the head???

Aw thank you! Here you go!

Note: This has been in my drafts forever and I am so sorry for that. It's been a very hectic time.

"All right, are you ready?" Spoiler asked as she put her hood up.

"Yes!" Robin replied, bouncing from foot to foot impatiently. He had been out as Robin before, but only to take out a couple of two-bit thugs. With the recent Arkham breakout, however, it was all hands on deck, and Dick thought there wasn't a better time for him to finally fight a Rogue. Of course, they wouldn't be sending him to one like the Joker, but Dick didn't really care who he got to fight as long as he did get to finally fight a Rogue.

...Okay, so maybe he didn't want someone like Condiment King, but Dick was pretty sure they were sending him after the Riddler.

Dick was decked out in his Robin costume, which was a fight to get made the way he wanted. He had on his red, short-sleeved tunic, but had to compromise with shorts rather than the actual leotard. He refused to wear pants, and the Bats refused to send him out in what Jason called "scaly, green panties." His outfit was completed with green boots and a bright yellow cape.

It was much brighter than any of the other Bats' costumes, but Dick didn't care. These were the Graysons' colors, and he was going to make his parents proud.

Stephanie came up and clapped him on the shoulder. "You're with me tonight." She leaned down and whispered loudly into his ear. "Damian and I had to rock, paper, scissors for it."

Robin giggled. "And he lost?" He looked over to Shadowbat, who was glowering at the distress signals that lit up the map of Gotham.

"I'm never letting him live it down," she replied, grinning.

Once everyone was suited up and had their assignments, Robin hopped on the back of Steph's motorcycle, whooping with delight as they sped out of the Cave. The Riddler had been last seen by the docks—how cliche—and it took all of Dick's restraint to not bounce right off the seat before they got there. As soon as Spoiler parked, Dick was flipping off the bike and once again bouncing from foot to foot with impatience. Steph put a hand on his shoulder to still the boy.

"I know you're excited," she said softly. "But this is serious. I need you to bring your A-game. Think you can do that for me?"

Robin nodded eagerly before trying to school his face into a more serious expression. Spoiler suppressed a smile as the boy clearly failed.

"All right, let's go."

They snuck into the warehouse Riddler was last seen in carefully. It was pitch black, so Spoiler and Robin switched to night vision. They were quickly blinded as the lights switched on.

"Riddle me this! I open up to let you through. I can be a clever trick or the means to your doom."

"A trapdoor!" Spoiler grabbed Robin and shot her grapple towards the ceiling just as a trapdoor opened beneath them. She swung them to safety and set Robin down as the Riddler's cackle filled the room.

"I am always around but unseen. I am often avoided but never outrun. I could find you at the end of the road or even the next corner. What am I?"

Robin bounced up and down with his hand raised. "Oh! Oh! I know this one! It's Death!" He turned to Spoiler with a grin. "I read that in my book of riddles I got at the Scholastic book fair."

The Riddler had gone silent as Stephanie attempted to hold in her snort.

"...Is that a fucking five-year-old?"

"Hey!"

"Never mind that! The kindergartner is correct! Prepare to die!"

Goons flooded into the room and surrounded the duo. Spoiler's heart skipped a beat, feeling nervous for the first time in a while. She knew Dick was prepared, but she couldn't help but worry for him. The Riddler was right—Dick was just a child. Though he wasn't quite as young as Riddler thought, his youth still jumped out at Stephanie.

She took a deep breath and clenched her fists. She could feel Robin tensing behind her.

He could do this.

And he did.

The fight wasn't easy—it never was with disproportionate numbers, but Spoiler and Robin prevailed. Her heart bloomed with pride as they worked together to take down Riddler's goons, just as they had practiced. She could sense the henchmen's confusion as Dick flipped, kicked, and cackled. It wasn't exactly the first time they had fought one of Batman's children, but none of them had been quite like Robin.

Damian had been like a shadow in the night (no pun intended)—silent, quick, and almost deadly. The criminals of Gotham had referred to him as a demon. Tim had been wise-cracking but efficient. Jason had probably been the closest in similarity to Dick, but he still hadn't quite had the grace and flexibility that the younger boy possessed.

Not to mention that they had all been older than Dick when they started.

She could see a few men hesitate to hit Robin when he was in range—not that the boy would have let them. Spoiler could tell that Dick was aware of his surroundings. She could also see how Robin's cackles unnerved others and the glee Dick took in causing that.

Soon enough, the last goon was knocked out, and Spoiler and Robin moved further into the warehouse. There were many more riddles and traps for them to get through, but Stephanie was always the best one at solving riddles (besides Batman), and that riddle book Dick had bought seemed to come in handy as well. It wasn't long before Spoiler was breaking down the door to the Riddler's control room. The man scrambled out of his chair and bolted for the hidden exit, but he was stopped as Robin launched towards him from Spoiler's shoulders.

"Riddle me this! What's black, blue, and green all over?" the boy called out before delivering a swift kick to the Riddler's face and knocking the man to the floor. "You after I kick your butt!"

The Riddler stared up at Robin incredulously as he held his bruised jaw. "Seriously?!"

Robin smirked as he put his hands on his hips. "Looks like you got your ass kicked by a third-grader!"

The Riddler stared at Spoiler, who grinned in response. "You heard the kid."

Spoiler cuffed the Riddler and led him out just in time for a couple of squad cars to pull up. The officers paused briefly at the sight of the boy in traffic light colors but were able to shrug it off. The Bats were psycho but they knew what they were doing. For all the officers knew, this kid was probably a demon in disguise.

Spoiler and Robin were perched on a warehouse rooftop as they watched as the Riddler was loaded in and driven back to Arkham. Robin was vibrating with excitement as he turned to face her.

"So did I do good tonight? I did, right? Wasn't I so cool? I was like 'Bam! Pow! Riddle me this, Riddler!'" He punched and kicked the air as he spoke but stilled at Spoiler's hand on his shoulder.

"You did great tonight. I'm so proud of you."

Robin beamed before grinning sheepishly. "Just don't tell Agent A I said 'ass,' okay?"

"Cross my heart and hope to die," Stephanie replied, holding out her fist. "Sibling honor, little dude."

Dick bumped her fist. "Sibling honor!"

"Now what do you say we get some post-fight milkshakes before we join up with the others?"

"Yeah!"