#loves the feeling of just tearing someone apart

[sourprada]

୨ৎ─ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗿.

Prompt:⤷ Wanda comes home to find something, or someone, more appealing than the meal she had planned.

Warnings: ⤷ (18+), dom wanda x sub reader, established relationship, fingering, spanking, wanda being a simp, strap on, dirty talk, praise, detailed description of sex.

Word count:⤷ 1.4k

Wanda had just gotten home a from stressful day at work, eyes heavy and head full. As she entered the apartment, she smiled at the sight of her wife cooking in the kitchen. The fragrance of spices and cocked meat filled the air, making Wanda’s mouth water.

You glanced over at the sound of keys jiggling and greeted her with a smile “just in time, baby. Dinner will be ready in a few” — Wanda stepped closer chuckling softly, her arm tightened around he wife’s waist. “Dinner can wait, my love” she murmured, nuzzling her nose into your hair. The older woman pulled you closer, hand coming up to stroke through your soft locks. “You should help your wife relax, sweetheart” Wanda whispered, pressing a kiss to your temple. “And let her take care of you”

Wanda simply held you close, drinking in the warmth of your body, the sweet scent of your shampoo as she listened to the steady rhythm of your breathing. — In moments like these, the rest of the world falls away. The chaos, the danger the ever present threat of discovery… none of it mattered. All that existed is Wanda and you wrapped up in each other, lost in a cocoon of love. — “already craving the desert before the dinner, wands?” You murmured, voice turning sweet. Wanda laughed, low and breathy, her fingers dancing along your spine. She tilted you chin up capturing your lips in a searing kiss. It’s slow and deep, a thorough exploration of her spouse’s mouth. Her tongue delved past your teeth, stroking along the roof of your mouth and trancing the seam of your lips.

When they finally broke apart, both of them were panting, their faces flushed with desire. Wanda’s hand slid down your back, cupping the curve of your ass. She squeezed gently, pulling you flush against her — “This little housewife look suits you so well, my love” Wanda murmured, nipping at your earlobe “is it wrong to keep you all to myself just so I can fill you up whenever I feel like it?” Wanda breathed, her lips brushing against your jaw punctuating her words by rocking her hips forward, grinding the strap on she had packed all day against your ass. The friction sending sparks of pleasure racing through you. — Her hand slipped beneath the hem of your shirt, skimming over the soft skin of your stomach. Long fingers trailing lower, teasing along the waistband of your shorts. “Because I swear, if you keep like this… I won’t be able to stop myself from bending you over on every surface of this house and fuck you till you scream” she bit down your pulse point, sucking hard enough to leave marks

Wanda's eyes flashed with hunger, her pupils blown wide with desire. She surged forward, capturing your lips in a bruising kiss. It's all teeth and tongue, a clash of passion and need. “Fuck, sweetheart," Wanda rasps, tearing her mouth away from you. "The things you do to me..." Her hands were everywhere, skimming over your curves, mapping the dips and planes of your body. Wanda's touch is electric, igniting sparks of pleasure wherever she goes. — She hooked her fingers in the waistband of your shorts, yanking them down along with your panties. Ass bared to her, plush and perfect, just begging to be touched. “Look at you," Wanda growled, palming the globes of your ass. "So fucking gorgeous. I can't believe you're mine.” “I’m gonna wreck you, my love.” She promised, her voice low and rough with desire tickling your ear. The older woman pushed you forward, bending your body over the counter, standing between your thighs. — “why don’t you tell me how bad do you want me to fill you up, huh?” Her other hand snaked around, fingers delving between your folds. Wanda groaned at the slick heat she finds there, at the way your body welcomes her touch.

“Want to feel you inside me, Wanda. Please!” You looked back over your shoulder, eyes dark with desire. You bit your lip, a coy smile playing on your lips. Wanda’s gaze roamed you hungrily as you arched your back, presenting yourself to your wife like a cat in heat. Hips wiggling invitingly, silently begging for more. The sight of her lover presented so wantonly, so eagerly, is almost too much to bear. She reached out, palming your ass, kneading the soft globes. Wanda's fingers dip between your cheeks, teasing the entrance. — "So wet for me already," Wanda marvels, circling your clit with the pad of her thumb. "Such a good girl, so desperate for my touch." The woman leans down, pressing a trail of open-mouthed kisses along your spine. Her tongue darting out, laving at the dimples at the base of your back. She reached for the button of her jeans, popping it open and shoving them down her thighs, kicking them off, leaving her in nothing but a girthy strap on. She stepped forward, nestling the thick length of the faux cock against your slick folds. The older woman rolled her hips, grinding against your ass. The head catching on your entrance with every pass.

“Please, Wanda. Don’t tease.” Wanda's heart raced, her breath coming in ragged pants. The plea falling from your lips is her undoing, the final push she needed to give in to the all-consuming desire burning through her veins. “Gonna give you exactly what you want, sweetheart.” Wanda groans, her hips snapping forward. She sinked into your heat, inch by thick inch, until she's buried to the hilt. Your head falling forward, eyes rolling back, mouth falling open in a silent scream as Wanda’s cock stretched your cunt wider. The burn is exquisite, bordering on painful but you crave it. Crave the fullness, the way she’s splitting you open and calming you as hers. Wanda quickly started to move, setting a brutal pace. Her thrusts were hard and deep, hitting that spot inside you that made you see stars. — "Take it, sweetheart." Wanda growled, punctuating each word with a sharp snap of her hips. Your keening cries filled the room, music to Wanda's ears. The sounds of skin slapping against skin, of Wanda's grunts of pleasure, of the wet squelch of her cock plunging into your dripping cunt. — your nails scrabbled at the counter, desperate for purchase as Wanda pounded into you with abandon. Each thrust rocked you forward, forcing the air from your lungs in harsh pants. Toes curling and back arching as you tried to take her deeper, to feel her everywhere. “So fucking big.” You gasp, voice breaking on a sob. You could feel every ridge and vein of her fake cock dragging along your walls and stroking places you didn't even know existed. It was too much, too intense, but stopping wasn’t an option.

Wanda's hand came down on your ass, a sharp smack that echoed in the kitchen. The sting bloomed into pleasure, sending shockwaves through your body. The sight of her wife coming undone beneath her, lost to the pleasure only Wanda can give her, was intoxicating. Wanda's hips pistoling faster, harder, driven by the desperate need to claim you. — “Fuck, look at you," Wanda panted, her voice strained with exertion. "Taking my cock so well, like you were made for it." She leaned over you, blanketing your form with her own. One hand finding your clit. Wanda rubbed tight circles over the sensitive nub, matching the rhythm of her thrusts. Her thrusts grew erratic, your climax approaching rapidly. The coil of tension in your lower belly winding tighter and tighter, threatening to snap at any moment. “Come for me, my love," Wanda demanded, her fingers pinching your clit. "Come on my cock like a good little housewife." With a final, brutal thrust, Wanda buried herself to the hilt as the intense waves of pleasure crashed over you, your juices dripping down your thighs. Your walls clenched around her, coming undone beneath her touch. You can't help but whimper and moan, voice echoing off the walls as Wanda pounds into you relentlessly, drawing out every last drop of release. The scent of sex permeates the room, mixing with the sounds of your heavy breathing and the slick slide of skin against skin.

“That's it, sweetheart," Wanda murmured, pressing soft kisses to your sweat-slicked skin. With a coy smile, Wanda tugged your panties back up, the fabric still damp with your release. “Now that’s better. Spending the rest of the meal with your cum soaked panties.” Wanda demanded with her lips curling into a wicked grin. — “Shall we eat?.”

[unknownogre]

"So, you’re after my roommate. Sorry, my EX-assassin roommate, as you so graciously let slip. And you think tying me to a chair and pointing a gun at my head will magically make me know exactly where he is?”

I have no idea who this guy is. He hit me in the back of the head out of nowhere and then demanded I tell him where Allen, my roommate, was. I have no fucking clue where he is. We aren’t dating. We live in the same apartment because RENT IS EXPENSIVE! Gods now this moron thinks that my roommate is an ex-assassin?

…though…

I mean he has all these cool skills. We got locked out of our place the other day and he just happened to have the right tools in his pocket to pick the lock. I took him out for a drink on his birthday once and he fought three men to a stand still till I jumped in and then still did the heavy lifting in beating the hell out of them. Assholes too, the girls they were bothering bought us drinks as thanks.

Hmmm…I mean there are weirder things in the world right? So you know what? I’ll believe him. And I’d have another reason not to betray my roommate.

“YES! Tell me where he is! I can make the next two hours stretch on for an eternity. Your pain will echo off the walls…they’ll have to tear down this building after I’m finished with you.”

The dude was bigger than me…but I don’t know he wasn’t scary. I could tell he had his demons. Don’t we all right? But you don’t rat out a homie. Plain and simple. And really, he needs to work on his promises of pain speech. Kinda weak, like chat GPT wrote it or something.

“WHY ARE YOU SMIRKING!?”

He shouted and I looked him in the face. I just sighed and shifted in my chair a little bit, playing with the bindings around my wrist. No use to panic. But then you only panic when you feel in danger and I certainly don’t feel threatened right now. I never seemed to panic when someone really should.

“I just think you haven’t thought this through. So you torture me and my roommate finds out…well he is going to be pissed. I do all the cooking you see, and then he’ll kill you. Plain as that. You are dead if you torture me for his information. BUT…BUT if you kill me. Well, he called my ham balls a gift from the dark gods. So he’ll then torture you. And I bet…this is some John Wick shit and he is WAY better than you.”

He growled at me and back handed me. Ouch…that didn’t feel that great. Could have been worse though, I can taste a little blood though. I spit out some and just sigh. This was all…underwhelming.

“Since you are going to kill me can I tell you a joke?”

He looked at me side ways but then just pulled up a chair.

“Sure…tell me a joke as your lasts words.”

I had to chuckle, this joke was always really funny to me and I liked to tell it any chance I got.

“Okay So there was a guy…he was driving his car down the highway. While driving he saw another man standing on the side of the road so he pulled over to pick him up. The man was sweaty and dirty and honestly this was his life line. ‘OH MAN THANKS!’ the hitchhiker said as he got in. The man in the car just smile and winked. They drove for a little bit and the hitchhiker smiled and looked to the man driving the car. ‘I’m so glad you picked me up, most people won’t do it…they think I’m a traveling serial killer or something.’ The man driving smirked and said. ‘Oh I’m not worried about that at all…’ The hitchhiker canted his head and asked. ‘Why is that? I could be one ya know..’ and the man driving the car smiled and said. ‘What is the likely hood of two serial killers being in the same car.’”

I chuckled a bit, yeah I always loved that joke. The intruder wasn’t amused, and I could see the gears turning in his head. Good, let him think on that.

“Are you saying you’re an assassin?”

He asked after a bit and I just started to laugh in earnest. How simple could he be, really. REALLY was he that stupid. That is okay, maybe I’ll walk him through this. Ya know knowing Allen is an assassin, it makes a lot more sense now about how we vibed right off the bat. Both of us had trouble getting roommates before we found each other. No romance or nothing, we just understand each other. There was always space. Never too many probing questions, but still deep conversations.

“No…no my dear man. As the joke states, what is the likely hood of there being two serial killers in the same car?”

Come on there scooter, you can get this now can’t you. I’m almost tired of waiting. Then he looked at me with the most confused expression.

“Are…are you a serial killer?”

There was another chuckle, he hardly had time to react as my untied hands wrapped the rope he used to bind me around his throat. I was no trained assassin, but I had my skills. He fought for a while. Surprised…I just held him until he stopped moving…always takes a couple of minutes. Not like I haven’t done this before. I REALLY wanted to cut his throat open but man, you don’t spill blood where you live. Once I was sure he died I just let him fall to the floor. It was then Allen came out of the shadows.

“I knew I didn’t need to save you. You were far too calm the whole time.”

I just smirked at him, he was already moving the body and pulled out a phone to make a quick call. I couldn’t hear what he said but I knew he gave our address. Man, having professional cleaners at your beck and call must be wonderful. That is a LOT less work that I have to do.

“Well, ya know. So are you going to have to move out?”

I wasn’t happy with that idea, I really did like him as a roommate. People like him didn’t come along very often and well, searching is a pain in the ass.

“Na, I don’t think so. I’ll stay right here. By how skilled you are, how strong you are…and now I notice a few things you’re the Rapist Reaper? Or am I wrong?”

I grinned brightly and dipped my head a bit. He got me, but of course he did. NO more secrets though, which will be nice. I knew Allen was a good guy too, never had the aura that a lot of the other men do. I’ve killed my last three roommates, and I really didn’t want to have to do that to him too, not that I ever felt the need to be honest. There are few good men in this world and Allen he certainly one of them.

“You got me, I mean I don’t really like the name too much…but you don’t get to pick what the media calls you. Judging by how well you move and how long you’ve been my roommate, you’re Death’s Whisper.”

Allen bowed a bit and just sat down on the couch. I cleaned up my split lip and got both of us a beer and sat next to him.

“Okay, this is a long shot…BUT if you want to stay roommates…wanna go kill a crime lord and his lackies. I don’t really hate them or anything but this one REALLY wants me back in the game and I have NO interest in that anymore. I’m retired, I like the boring life. No wife, no kids, no one to protect or answer to. It is very nice. I want to enjoy this for a while. Want to help?”

I was already grinning and all I had to do was clink my bottle with his. He smiled at me and we waited for the cleaners to arrive. I’m going to have so much fun with this. They won’t be expecting two of us…I mean I’m not like Allen…he is a MUCH better fighter than me. Still, I can fight very well. More of a brawler though, gotta get them into the van somehow and some of those guys are WAY bigger than me, so I got good.

“Ham balls for dinner?”

Allen chuckled…oh this was going to be a wonderful friendship.

Today you just found out your roommate with strange hobbies, like knowing how to pick a lock, knows how every puzzle and cipher by heart, or how to commit tax fraud, and so many other things, wasn't a guy with ADHD, he was an ex-assassin and now you have a gun pointed at your face

[moosesarecute]

December 1st

December masterlist

General masterlist

Feyre and Rhysand had a calm evening at the River House.

The fire was lit, and they were snuggled together on the couch. Nyx had already fallen asleep, and the couple took the opportunity to have some alone time.

“I have a painting from their mating ceremony to Nesta and Cassian, a new cookbook to Elain and a perfume to Mor,” Feyre listed up Winter Solstice gifts she had planned for her family. However, she was missing one. “But I don’t know what to get Az.”

Feyre looked up at her mate and saw how he was deep in thoughts. She lifted her hand and carefully cupped his face. He leaned into her hand. His eyes met hers and she felt his strong emotions. He was filled with both gratitude and love, but also grief.

“You know Az won’t celebrate Winter Solstice with us,” Rhys told his mate.

“Yes, but that doesn’t mean I can’t get him a present.”

“Yes, it does,” Rhys started. “Az hates Winter Solstice. I’m afraid giving him a gift will only bring back bad memories.”

Feyre sat up on the couch and watch her mate with a careful gaze.

“What happened?” she asked.

She saw how the grief covered Rhys’ face, and she felt how powerful the feeling was. She almost started crying just from that alone. She reached over, held Rhys’ hand and gave it a small squeeze.

Rhysand answered with taking a deep breath and started to explain.

“Y/N was the daughter of my mother’s best friend. She was about two years older than me, but we became friends quickly. She grew up at Windhaven too, but we didn’t see each other often. She was my mother’s apprentice, and therefore also a seamstress. We started to become better and better friends and then Cassian came along, and she became good friends with him too. She ended up moving in with us when she was nineteen, after her mother passed away.

“Y/N was like an older sister. She took care of our injuries after training and did her best to help us with our hangovers, unless her hangover was worse than ours. She was the steady stone that helped all of us through everything. When we lost my mother, or when any of us was scared for whatever reason, she was there. She had the best hugs and made the best stew. Neither Cass or I had ever had a big sister before and neither one of us have ever loved someone that dearly.”

Rhys’ eyes were glistening with tears, but he forced himself to hold it together.

“What about Az? Wasn’t she an older sister to Azriel?” Feyre couldn’t hold back her questions. She had heard a little about Y/N, but never this many details.

“No, she was definitely not a sister to Azriel,” Rhys said with a loving laugh. “They were mates.”

Feyre felt her eyes grow wide. How had nobody told her that Azriel had a mate? However, she soon realized that something must have gone very wrong for her not to know about this before now.

“They spent centuries crushing on each other, but neither one of them dared to admit it. Y/N was in multiple different relationships and Azriel crushed on Mor, but both eventually realized that they were suppressing their real feelings. Their mating bond snapped only weeks before I got stuck Under the Mountain. They were going to have their mating ceremony only days after Amarantha’s party.”

Dread filled Feyre. Amarantha had destroyed so much for so many years and for so many people. She couldn’t imagine spending fifty years under her reign. Feyre had, after all, not even survived three months.

“They decided to be stupid and waited for me to get back before they accepted the bond. They waited for fifty years, just so that the entire family would be there.”

Rhys swallowed in dread and his voice was shaking as he spoke.

“They had their mating ceremony only two days after I returned and then spent a week in their shared apartment. After they returned, I needed Y/N to go on a mission. She needed to use her charm to get some people on our side again after Amarantha. Azriel initially refused to let her go, but eventually Y/N convinced him that it would be okay if they went together. However, they never got to where they were going. They were ambushed and when Azriel woke again after, Y/N was gone. Nobody knows what happened.”

Both Feyre and Rhys had to dry tears at the end.

Feyre hated to be away from Rhys, sometimes even seconds apart was too much. She couldn’t imagine not knowing if he was okay, or if he was alive. Even the thought made her nauseous.

“Y/N loved Winter Solstice. She would decorate the entire Town House and there was always cookies or hot chocolate in the kitchen. Without her, Azriel haven’t been able to enjoy the holiday. Azriel haven’t been the same.”

Dividers by @issysh3ll

[with-my-calamitous-love]

pieces of us both under every city light

katsuki bakugou x reader

katsuki follows all-might’s footsteps and studies abroad in america, leaving you in the winter night alone. long distance angst/comfort, for the yail series 🫧

have a warm winter 5sos nation ❄️ inspired by beside you

within a minute, he was all packed up, his ticket to another world tucked in his pockets, your scarf around his neck.

he doesn't wanna go.

but lord knows how much this trip has costed him. 8 months ago, he would have left without question. he'd have trusted his apartment to eijirou, taken a taxi to the airport and left. but now, things are different. someone is different.

"do you have everything?" your voice cuts through the silence. katsuki turns around, committing all your details to memory as if its the last time. it'll be the last time for a few months, after all.

"yeah, yeah, mom." he huffs, showing you all his suitcases. he's being a dick because he's sad- you know him well enough to read between his lines.

he walks up to you, hands on your waist and forehead against yours. his cologne wafts to your face, while his eyes land on the black fabric of your t-shirt. well, its his t-shirt, but what's his is yours, too.

"text me as soon as you land." you say, hands on his chest. "and don't be such an asshole. people there have your attitude, as well."

he laughs, a small smile curving on his lips while his arms rub your sides up and down. "yeah? everyone's like me? maybe i'll like it then."

"i highly doubt that." you smile.

theres a moment of silence that washes over both of you. silent words are hard to speak, especially when you're all he sees. you make him weak. you're the one thing that can shut him up. and he loves you for it.

"you gonna be okay here?" he asks for maybe the 30th time. your name hasn't been added to the lease, but in his mind, you've moved in. your laundry mixes with his. your beg him for cats that can share the bed with you, even when he religiously says no. he cooks and you wash the dishes. all the things that count are there.

"i'll be fine, kats." you say. i'll miss you. i'll wear your hoodies every night.

you hold back.

"i know, i know you'll be" he says. i miss you more than i want to admit. i don't ever wanna leave you, not even for some trip.

words he doesn't say.

"don't burn my apartment down." he adds. "and don't order in every night just cause i'm not here to cook."

"my cooking isn't that bad, katsuki." you say. "i burned your coffee like, once."

"how the hell do you burn coffee?" he scoffs. "only you could manage that, dumbass."

"yeah yeah, i love you."

"i love you, too."

you're both delaying the inevitable. the banter keeps up, even on the drive to the airport. for a moment, things seem normal, like just some trip to the groceries or to pick up your medication. normal, mundane things that katsuki made feel like 5-star dates. anything can be romantic if its with the right person.

finally, its time to say goodbye. you help him with his luggage, taking in the ambience of the airport. love is felt most when its leaving. even if its for a moment.

"its 2 months." you sigh, more for you than for him.

"i'll miss you, smartass." he says, with zero traces of anything superficial. he prays you don't see his red eyes. he's holding back tears.

you don't notice the tears, because you're too focused on holding back your own. "i'll miss you more."

so with one final kiss and hug, he leaves. so close, yet so far away.

✧.* ⋆.˚ ☾ .⭒˚ ✧.* ✧.* ⋆.˚ ☾ .⭒˚ ✧.* ✧.* ⋆.˚ ☾ .⭒˚ ✧.* ✧.* ⋆.˚

1 month in.

winter hits hard, snow blazing down, blanketing the streets in cold, ivory petals. winter takes everything down with it, frosting over and obscuring any traces of fall, spring, or autumn. but for all its coldness, there's an undeniable tenderness. everyone stayed in during winter, so you wouldn't look out of place for staying in your bed, wrapped up in clothes that smell like katsuki.

the apartment just didn't feel right without him. there's the obvious things- hanging only your clothes to dry, cooking dinner for one and washing one plate, letting the apartment fall silent. katsuki never liked silence. and though you never minded it before him, you keep the radio on- its what he would want.

you sleep alone. and more than anything, you want your heart to come home. but that can't happen so long as he's miles away from you.

you've told yourself not to call. at first, you two spent everyday on the phone. then maybe once or twice a week. now, katsuki's missed just one of your calls, and now you can't bring yourself to answer his. you don't want to hear his voice and know he's somewhere you can't see him.

the cold seeps in from your fingertips and into your bones. all your stimulus, dreams, and love, frosted over by the winter chill. maybe it froze your tears- you were tired of crying, anyway.

your homesick for arms that won't be home for another month. he never leaves your mind, not even when theres a million things to be done. you have to take out the trash. theres dishes in the sink you haven't touched in a few days. you need to shovel, but thats something katsuki would usually do.

either the heater's broken or katsuki's presence decided to really, really make itself known tonight. either way, you curl up in bed, debating on whether or not to call him. texts work, too. though its hard to type with your fingertips shaking.

you miss him dearly. you wish the winter wind would finally give in, bringing him back to you. you're underneath the same sky, finding solace underneath the same sun. this isn't forever. he will be home. yet, you still wish you could rewind. you wonder if he can hear you, hear your longing.

shaky, cold fingers type out a single message, first. then another. then another.

y/n: i miss you

y/n: ik i've said it like a million times i sound like a broken record

y/n: and i've told u im doing okay but i'm not

y/n: i really fucking miss you kats

y/n: im so tired of sleeping alone, i just wish u could come home right now. and i feel bad for saying that cuz ik you're having fun and i love that for you. i just miss you and i can't help it.

y/n: i'm tryna find the words to say but i dont know

y/n: i just wish i was beside you.

that familiar, blurry feeling takes over your eyes. a few minutes pass before he sees your messages. he doesn't respond as the tears finally fill your eyes.

you turn off your phone, place it on the bedside, and close your eyes.

exactly 5 seconds later, your phone rings.

its almost pathetic how fast you pick up, pressing it to your ear, not caring how cold it feels due to the air around you.

you don't say anything at first. you can't.

"...you don't think i miss you too?"

you almost scoff. "yes, i mean, no, i mean.. sorry." you stutter.

you hear him sigh, that shake in his throat you know all too well. even when you can't see him, he's trying not to cry.

like your hearts beat at the same time, he knows how you feel. because he's feeling the same, sinking down onto the couch of his air-bnb. he's had a shitty day, running into american fans whose obsession with japan is almost a little funny. he's worked hard, training and being better, but its not the same when you're not waiting for him at home.

his heart wants to come home.

"i wish i was beside you." his voice cracks. "god, more than anything, y/n. its like i see you everywhere, but you aren't actually here. its pissing me off."

"oh yeah?" you laugh. god, what he would give to hear that in person.

"yeah, idiot. i saw some stray cats chasing around a damn rat and thought of you." he recalls.

"yeah, i don't know if i miss you as much if you think i'm comparable to stray cats." you disagree, shaking your head. he may say stupid things, but you're just happy its his voice.

"not what i meant, smartass." he scoffs. "i meant... it made me think how you always wanted cats. we should get some, when i get back."

its that promise you linger on. when he gets back.

"yeah... we should." you smile, sniffling back some tears.

the fact that you're crying doesn't go unnoticed by him, mostly 'cause he's crying, too.

theres pieces of you both, under every city light, whether thats in the states or in japan. either way, he feels you, and you feel him. for now, he can survive on the wishing- on the photos of you on his phone, on your scarf around his neck, on the fingerprints left on his heart. all until he can be beside you again.

"its late there." he says, though he can't bring himself to end the call. you bite your lip, hoping he doesn't.

he sighs, closing his eyes after looking at the photo of you in his wallet. "do you want me to stay on the li-"

"yes." you cut him off. you can hear him smile.

it'll work until he can hold you again, until he's beside you again.

[wildflowerhuggy]

Bleed // LN4

| pairing: lando norris x reader

| summary: based on the song Bleed by The Kid Laroi, i suggest listening to it while reading

| warnings: angst, followed by comfort

| authors note: was listening to this song today and kept imaging Lando for some reason

The rain outside seemed to be a mirror of the storm occurring in both your mind and chest. You were sat, curled up into a little ball, at the edge of the bed, the room in complete silence other than your soft sobs and the rain hitting your window.

Lando had never meant to hurt you, he didn't and you knew that, but that didn't mean it wasn't happening. Lately, it felt as though you were slipping through the cracks of his chaotic life like sand slipping through your fingers at the beach. Missed texts, cancelled plans, hurried goodbyes—it was all building up and you had reached the point where you could no longer hold it in.

Yesterday you had a fight, well, more like you had just finally broken down in front of him. Showing him all of the emotions you had been bottling up for weeks.

"I can't keep doing this, Lando! You're always so far away, not just physically but emotionally too! I know you're career is demanding, I understand but..." you paused trying to catch your breath, "am I even a priority anymore?"

He had tried to explain, reassure you that you were a priority, that he loved you more than anything in life, but the words fell flat. And now he wasn't here, leaving, saying he needed to get some space and clear his head.

Now here you were, staring at your phone, waiting for some sign of life. The bed you shared feeling unbearably large and empty without him in it. You turned around, staring at where your pillows lay and where you and Lando would typically be found cuddling and whispering sweet nothings to each other, only to be met with a haunting feeling that he may never return. His absence is what hurt you the most, his scent lingering in the room, a cruel reminder of the love you were desperate to hold on to and the ghost of his presence surrounding your senses.

A choked sob worked its way up your throat, and you buried your head into your hands, the weight of it all sitting heavy on your chest. You loved Lando with everything you had, but it began feeling like you were fighting a losing battle—one where you were the only one fighting.

It had been over 24 hours since he left at this point, and you couldn't stop your brain from imagining the worst. Was he somewhere else? Talking to someone who made him feel more than you ever could? Had his heart mended easily, going back to who he was before you, while you were sat in your shared bed, bleeding for his love? The poisonous thoughts were consuming your entire being.

You sniffled, pulling your legs tighter to your chest. You wanted to hate him for leaving, for making you feel this way, you really did, but you simply couldn't. The love you had for him was too strong, and all you wanted was for him to come back and hold you in his arms.

Just as you were about to give up on him coming back tonight, you heard the sound of the front door unlocking, the sharp click of the deadbolt disturbing the otherwise silent apartment. You felt your heart leap into your throat as you heard the soft sound of Lando's footsteps approaching your bedroom.

"Baby?" Lando's voice broke through the darkness, soft and cautious.

You didn't respond, too afraid your voice would betray you and give way to your inner turmoil. But as the bedroom door was slowly pushed open, his figure silhouetted by the hallway light, you felt a whole new wave of tears begin.

He looked wrecked, his hair damp and hoodie clinging to his frame from the rain. There was a defeated slump in his shoulders and his eyes were rimmed red and bloodshot. He stepped further into the room, eyes frantically finding yours.

"I'm sorry—fuck I'm so sorry," his voice cracked with unshed tears, "I shouldn't have left like that. I—oh God, I’ve been such an idiot."

You shook your head, wiping at your cheeks with the sleeve of your sweater, "You don't get to just walk away like that Lando. I needed you and I was worried sick."

"I know," he said quickly, words tumbling out. "I know I let you down. I've been thinking about it the whole time I was gone. I've been letting you down for weeks, months, even. And you're right, I haven't been here for you the way I should've been."

He ran a hand through his curls, a nervous tick of his, exhaling shakily, "I love you. More than anything. And I know I've been absolute shit at showing it, but I need you to know that. I can't lose you, I never want to lose you."

You stared at him, emotions at war inside of you. His words were what you needed to hear, but they couldn't erase the hurt that he caused.

"Do you mean it?" you asked quietly, your voice trembling, "Because I don't know if I can keep doing this if things don't change. So you better mean it, Lando."

His expression softened, and he stepped closer to kneel in front of you, "I mean it," he reached for you hands to hold in his, "I'll do whatever it takes to make this right and prove that you are a priority. No more missed calls or texts, no more cancelled plans or rushed goodbyes. I'm here. With you. Always."

You searched his face, looking to see if you could spot any insincerity in his words, but all you could see was raw, heartfelt emotion. His much larger hands squeezed yours in comfort, grounding you.

"Okay," you whispered, voice cracking with the emotion you still held, "But if you ever leave me like that again Lando Norris..."

"I won't," he interrupts firmly, as if the mere idea pains him, "Never again, I swear."

For the first time in days, you felt hope. Lando quickly pulled you into his arms, holding you tightly against him, as if he was afraid that if he didn't squeeze you tight enough you would slip away. You clung to him just as tightly though, the storm that was brewing inside of you beginning to quiet.

Lando's hold on you remained steady as the rain continued to fall, whispering more apologies and promises to be better into your hair as you snuggled in bed. He vowed to be the partner you deserved, someone worthy of you, and you believed him for the first time in a long time.

[n0vazsq]

Wildflower | FC43 x Reader

pairing . . . franco colapinto x reader

summary . . . You confront Franco about your past heartbreaks, and together, you two choose to move forward, healing in each other's love

request . . . kind of!

word count . . . 1.3k+

warnings . . . none!

faceclaim . . . N/A

alexavia yaps . . . well this took me some time!! hope you guys like it <3

taglist . . . @barcapix ,, @f1lover55 ,, @ilovebarcaaa (lmk if you want to join the taglist!)

. . . The night was unusually quiet, the kind of stillness that made the world feel smaller, as if everything beyond the dimly lit streets had faded into a forgotten dream. You walked side by side with Franco, the cool air catching on your skin, your steps syncing without either of you trying.

The tension between you had grown like an unspoken shadow, a presence you both felt but never named.

Franco’s hand brushed yours, but it wasn’t the touch that lingered, it was the weight of everything unsaid. His eyes, usually bright with mischief, were distant tonight, clouded with memories that didn’t belong to you.

You couldn’t help but ask, softly, "Do you still think about her?"

He paused mid step, his breath catching. The silence stretched out, but you refused to look away. Franco always had a way of hiding in plain sight, his heart buried beneath layers of charm and laughter. But tonight, the walls felt thinner.

"I don’t want to," he finally whispered, his voice almost lost to the wind. "But… she’s still there. In the back of my mind."

The confession hung between you, heavy with the weight of things left behind. You should’ve known better than to ask. Should’ve known that the past had a way of clinging to the present, like rain that never quite dried.

But you couldn’t help it. You had to know where you stood in the echo of someone else’s love story.

"I see her sometimes," he admitted, his gaze fixed on the ground. "Not in a way that I want to. It’s just… reminders. Songs. Places."

You swallowed the lump in your throat, the words of a song swirling in your mind. Did I cross the line?

"She was crying on my shoulder once," you whispered, the memory surfacing like a ghost. "That night in July. Before… before you and I."

Franco looked up, his eyes searching yours. "That wasn’t… it wasn’t what it seemed."

But you knew it had been. That moment had bridged the gap between you two, had drawn you closer in a way neither of you had planned. But it also left you wondering, wondering if you were a replacement, a chapter written to cover up the last.

"I don’t need to be reminded that you love me," you said, your voice trembling. "But I need to know if I’m the one you see now. Or if it’s still her."

He stepped closer, the space between you dissolving. "You’re not a replacement," he murmured, his voice raw. "You’re… you’re different. She and I let go. We fell apart. You know that."

"But it doesn’t feel like it’s gone," you whispered. "Not completely."

The streetlights cast long shadows as he reached out, his hand gently cradling your face. "I don’t see her when I look at you. I see everything I want. But I can’t erase the past. I wish I could."

His words were honest, too honest, and they broke something in you. Not because he didn’t love you, but because love wasn’t always enough to clear away old ghosts.

You wanted to be the wildflower that grew in the ruins, not a reminder of what once was.

"Valentine’s day," you muttered, tears welling. "I was crying in that hotel. I didn’t tell you why."

Franco’s eyes softened. "Why?"

"Because I could feel it," you said, the words spilling out like a confession. "I could feel that part of you was still with her."

He closed his eyes, as if the weight of it all was too much to bear. "I didn’t mean to hurt you."

"I know," you whispered. "But it still did."

The silence stretched between you again, but this time, it was different. The weight was shared, the pain no longer hidden. Franco’s thumb brushed your cheek, wiping away a tear you hadn’t realized had fallen.

"I want to put it behind me," he said, his voice low, almost pleading. "I want us to be enough."

You searched his eyes, looking for something you couldn’t name. "Do you see her in my eyes? When you touch me, when you kiss me, when you hug me… do you think of her?"

He shook his head, his voice breaking. "No. It’s you. It’s always been you. Even when I didn’t know it."

The wind rustled through the trees, carrying the scent of rain. For a moment, the world felt suspended, as if the past and present had collided and left you both standing in the wreckage. But there was something beautiful in the brokenness.

A wildflower blooming through the cracks.

Franco leaned in, his forehead resting against yours. "I don’t want to lose you."

You closed your eyes, the ache in your chest softening. "Then don’t."

He kissed you, and for the first time, it felt like a promise, not of forgetting, but of moving forward. The past might linger in the shadows, but it didn’t have to define you. Not anymore.

As the rain began to fall, you stood there, wrapped in each other’s arms, letting the storm wash away the remains of what once was. Maybe good things didn’t always last, but sometimes, the best things grew from the ruins.

The rain fell harder, each drop a reminder of how fragile everything was. How love, like a wildflower, could be crushed under the weight of a storm or bloom defiantly through it.

Franco’s arms tightened around you, his heartbeat steady against your ear. You held onto that rhythm, grounding yourself in the present moment, in the warmth of his embrace, in the silent promise that neither of you dared to say aloud.

"We can’t change what happened," he murmured, his voice barely audible over the rain. "But I can choose what happens next. And I choose you."

You pulled back just enough to look into his eyes, searching for the truth in his words. The storm had stripped away the masks you both wore, leaving only raw, honest vulnerability between you. It was terrifying, and beautiful.

"I’m scared," you admitted, your voice trembling. "Scared that one day, I won’t be enough. That the past will always be there, like a shadow."

He reached up, tucking a rain soaked strand of hair behind your ear. "The past will always be a part of me. Of us. But it doesn’t have to define us." His gaze softened, a small, almost broken smile playing on his lips. "You’re not a shadow. You’re the light that’s pulling me out of it."

The words settled into your heart, planting seeds of hope you hadn’t realized you needed. Maybe love wasn’t about erasing the past but learning to grow around it, like vines that twist through ruins, turning something broken into something beautiful.

"I don’t want to keep looking back," you whispered, your voice steadier now. "I want to build something new. With you."

Franco’s eyes lit up, the storm in them clearing just a little. "Then let’s start now."

He leaned in again, this time the kiss was slower, deeper, an unspoken promise. As the rain soaked through your clothes, you felt the weight of the past finally begin to lift. It would always be there, lingering in the corners of your story, but it didn’t have to be the ending. It didn’t have to be the thing that broke you.

You pulled back, breathless, and smiled. "Wildflowers grow after the storm, you know."

Franco laughed softly, his forehead pressing against yours. "Then let’s see what we can grow."

Together, hand in hand, you walked through the rain, leaving the past behind, step by step, heartbeat by heartbeat. Maybe it wouldn’t be easy. Maybe the ghosts would never completely vanish.

But you had each other. And sometimes, that was enough to turn ruins into wildflowers.

And maybe, just maybe, you were finally ready to bloom.

[thot-writes]

solas needs to be bred btw (and also punished for being such a bad boy)

sub!solas headcanons because he deserves it (18+ NSFW);

Solas is the truest definition of a switch imo, since he reflects the energy people give him, so i think if he were to encounter a dom…. baby girl would fold so fast

he’d be (pleasantly) surprised for sure, but he’d quickly follow the rhythm you’re setting

while i believe Solas piped back in Arlathan, ancient elf sex and modern day sex are a whole different ballgame. where the ancient elves incorporated magic far more frequently, mortals in current times are all about the exploration of the body — and how to push it to the limits

it makes for an entirely different experience, one that Solas hasn’t had yet. In some ways, you’re taking his virginity

he’s touch-starved. he might not even realise it until that first kiss. but in a relationship, he’s all about touching, cuddling, sneaking in little kisses, hand holding — you make having a body feel so much more enjoyable, in more ways than one

definitely a private guy, but if someone were to walk in on a cuddle sesh with you he wouldn’t move away. he’d simply stare, coldly, at the person who interrupted, and speak in a polite but clipped manner

he’s the little spoon obviously. cmon. that man screams “come hold me”

during sex, solas whimpers. a lot.

he’s not one for loud pornstar-esque cries of pleasure (although one might escape here and there), he’s more about quiet whimpers and moans and heavy breathing

he’ll bite his lip if he feels he’s getting too loud

But when he does, you bring your hand to his face and gently pry his lips apart with your thumb.

“You’re being naughty,” you say. “I want to hear your voice.”

Solas swallows, a bead of sweat trickling down his flushed face, and he nods obediently. “Yes, vhenan.”

after that, he’ll deign to not restrain himself so much, but restraint is so heavily entrenched in his being that you’ll need to remind him when he slips back into lip-biting

he. loves. being. at. your. mercy.

bondage, spanking, orgasm denial— all things he’d heavily fuck with. it’s a form of repentance, it’s pleasure, it’s pain, and it’s a release all in one. and you’re the only person he trusts enough to dole it out

LOOOOVES eating pussy (or sucking dick. yes he’s bi i decree it). he’ll happily go down until his jaw is sore, and probably beyond that

he loves to know that he’s doing a good job, that he’s pleasuring you right, and he is rock. fucking. hard. the whole time he’s doing it, even without stimulating himself

loves the aftercare just as much as he loves the act itself. just being safe, seen, and content with you chases away all the regret that he’s bound to feel later

secretly loves if you leave any visible hickeys on him, it’s a tangible sign of your love.

would never admit it, though. probably not even to you

if one of his particularly ballsy agents decide to point it out, he’ll glare silently until their resolve crumbles (which isn’t long when they remember solas is a dreamer who can kill them in their sleep) and they apologise

his agents quickly learn to never speak of solas’ hickeys ever again

probably cries during or after sex. just because it’s such a vulnerable experience.

you never judge him though, you simply hold him and kiss his tears away, which serves as both a balm to his aching soul and yet another knife to his conscience

slips into elven when he’s feeling particularly good. you have no idea what he’s saying, since much of it is obscure, but rest assured it’s the nastiest shit imaginable

which is probably why he’s saying it in elven and not in trade, where you would definitely understand him (he’s far too shy for that)

his ears!!! they’re insanely sensitive, even just a gentle touch on them can make him moan

when solas blushes, his ears get redder than his face does

anyway solas is a hoe and deserves what’s coming to him (love and affection)

[coichii]

Last Christmas - BANG CHAN

pairing - bf!bangchan ♥︎ fem!reader

genre: comfort/fluff est relationship

word count: 1.7k��� (I got carried away)

warnings: seasonal depression kind of? It is in a way.

summary : ever since last year, you’ve dreaded the holiday season. the feeling always brought you back to when he broke your heart. but can this relationship with chan fix that idea?

series note : hello !! welcome to part one of my winter series, “winter records of love” where there will be 8 individual short stories for each member :) these stories are based off of songs I deem “winter” feeling ! this story is based off of “last christmas” by Wham!. enjoy !!

This year, to save me from tears, I'll give it to someone special

You were getting sick of the Christmas carols and songs already.

The holiday times haven't been very…cheery recently. Last year, you had a not so positive break up with your ex, and as much as you hate to admit it, it tainted the holiday season for you.

It was more than just ending things, it was messy and came with lots of heated and disgusting words directed towards you. The moment he walked out without ever looking back is the moment the chilly wind and gingerbread smell was ruined, tainted with the feeling of abandonment he had given you, and you weren’t sure if that would ever be fixed.

You started dating your best friend, Christopher, not too long after that, falling in love with the way he comforted and cared for you afterwards, looking at him with a new profound love. He fixed the deep cracks in your heart, but fixing the deep hatred for Christmas? You weren’t sure if even he could do that.

◂—♥︎—▸

“Damn I hate the cold.” You shivered, looking back at your boyfriend who was stifling back a giggle. “My nose burns.”

The couch is drowned in fuzzy blankets, but it’s not working. Home alone plays on the screen infront of you, but you’re not paying to much attention. His dorm room even smells of evergreen and peppermint, totally “winterified” to his liking. It has you feeling like the grinch.

“I guess I just have to hold you to make you warm, huh?” He winks, opening his arms and laughing at your playful eye roll. Nevertheless, you find yourself in his arms in less than two seconds, cozying up in his strong arms and warm sweater. “Better, baby?”

“Very much so.” You exhale, nuzzling up into his neck like a cat does its owner. He knows you hate this time, and he knows why. He remembers the night you came to his apartment, tears staining your beautiful face.

He stayed with you all night that day, keeping you from falling down the spiral that could have been a very nasty panic attack, but he’s comforting like that, and you love every moment of it.

“You know I hate this time, so thank you for being with me during it. Im sorry if I’m ruining the time for you.” You whispered, and he can hear the quiver in your voice and see the unshed tears in your eyes when you do.

“Don’t apologize, y/n, you know I don’t mind. Just want to make my baby feel better, hmm?” He consoled, rubbing your back and looking and you with fond eyes. You wanted to belive him, you really did; but it’s hard to when you’ve been told you’re a burden by some of the closest people in your life.

He can tell you’re not buying it, opting to just rub the small of your back in a silent consolement. He wants to find a way to make you feel better, a way to put a new life into Christmas for you, but he’s struggling.

That’s until he thinks of the perfect thing.

“Baby? Are you free Friday?” He asks, looking at you as confusion takes over your features. “Yeah, why?”

“I’m going to take you out for a date.” He responds, snaking his arm around your waist. You frown at this, but you feel guilty. “Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure.” He whispers, eyes burrowing into yours. “Please trust me.” And you believe him. You believe every word.

◂—♥︎—▸

You have only yourself to blame when you find your self shivering in the passenger seat of Chris’s car, but you’re not really complaining.

You guys stopped for some hot cocoa on your way there, so it was helping you warm up as guys drove to a more rural part of the city.

Where were you guys going? You had no idea; he wouldn’t tell you. It had your heart beating with excitement and anticipation, but also nerves. You were sure you would love anything he could do for you, but the feeling was still there.

“We’re here, baby.” He says, grabbing your hand in yours. You look outside the window, surprised when you’re met with an abundance of people, but a practically empty field. “Uhm..where are we, channie?

“Cmon, you’ll see in a second.” He ushers, getting out of the car just to walk to your side and open the door for you, being ever the loving gentleman. You can see the nervousness stirring in his eyes as he helps you out, worrying if his plan will work the way he wants it to. But still, he was to move on.

“Okay, I want you to just trust me and close your eyes okay? I won’t let you trip.” He smiles in satisfaction as you do as asked, grabbing ahold of your hand as he slowly and carefully guides you along the rough, rocky path.

It’s a long, unsteady walk, but you can hear the sounds of crowds getting louder as he walks you to who knows where. “Oohs” and “Ahs” radiate through your senses as he suddenly comes to a stop, letting go of your hands and placing them infront of your eyes instead.

“You ready, baby?” He asks, heart racing with anticipation. Your heart mirrors his, the cold normally bothers you, but with him standing right near you, it’s not as chilly as it normally would be. “Yup! I’m ready.” And he slowly lifts his hands as you open your eyes.

Your eyes are immediately met with bright lights, different colors reflecting their illumination across the pond they were sat next too.

The lights spelled out different words and pictures, some even being animated into various silly motion pictures.

To say you were stunned would be an understatement, it was beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. As your mind processes the view infront of you, you slowly start to process what his plan must’ve been. Then it clicks.

He took you here, a place he was sure you’d love to give you a new perspective. He wanted to get rid of the sorrow and grey cloud that hung over this season and fill it with the beauty and cheer he knew you once had. Man, did his plan work.

You can tell it did when the lights start to get wavy and blurry, eyes filling to the brim with tears as one tips over the eyelid, coating your cheeks in the salty moisture.

Your silence had been worrying him the entire time, but he knowingly relaxes when he sees your reaction, engulfing you in a tight, comforting hug.

He holds you as you crave his warmth, rocking you slowly back and forth as a say to console you. He feels the wandering stares of others as they walk by, but he doesn’t care. You’re the only person he cares about in this moment.

“I-I don’t know what to say.” You finally stutter out, burying your face into the crook of his neck where his warm, fuzzy scarf lays, giving you warmth on where the brisk, cool breeze hits your face.

“You don’t have to say anything to me. Just let me show you around, okay? It’s the least I can do for you.” You hear the sincerity in his tone as he speaks to you, so your not surprised when you find your self grasping his hand and he walks with you slowly.

Step after step after step shows a new inch of the land you haven’t seen before, childishly pointing out every new light fixture you see, looking up at Chris with the stars in your eyes as he just smiles at you.

The amount of photos he took is ridiculous in your words, but he knows you’ll never understand how absolutely breathtaking you always look to him.

The lights reflecting onto your perfect hair and glowy skin, the sparkling lights only brightening the ones in your eyes, the way you look with such excitement and purity every time you find a new light fixture? It has him utterly speechless to where he’s surprised with himself.

All he can do is grab onto your hand as you guide him through the crowds, running around like a little kid on a sugar high. Funny how the tables turned; first it was him cowardly leading you, now it’s him being dragged along and begged to stay for a little longer by you.

It has his heart filled with such joy, but your heart? Oh it’s expended tenfold.

The fact he would take time out of his busy schedule, take you out during a season you’re not that happy during, and show you to the most beautiful place you had ever seen before had you swooning.

The thought of your ex never popped in your mind not once, pushed out by the time you spent here with chris. It might be the best you’ve felt in a while, and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

Not ever.

◂—♥︎—▸

“That was seriously the best time of my life, baby. Thank you so much. I seriously can’t believe you did that for me even after I’ve been a literal grinch recently. It means the world to me.” You confess, snuggling further into the gingerbread decorated blanket that was splayed across his torso.

He chuckles at your grinch comment, cute dimples poking out for just a second. “I’m telling you, baby. You better stop apologizing to me or I’m going to turn into the grinch.” You chuckle, eyes lighting back up again.

“Don’t you worry about that. I know it’s a hard time for you, so I just wanted to give you a new perspective. Don’t ever apologize for feeling how you feel and expressing those feelings. I love you the way you are, grinch or not.”

“Well thanks to you, there wont be a grinch me coming out ever again. I love you, Chris.” And you’re kissing.

Slow and sweet, taking in all the actions of this week to relish in each other. It’s been a whirlwind, but with him by your side, warming you up during it, you’re sure you’ll be okay.

Everything will be okay.

back to masterlist

[starogeorgina]

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐢𝐧

Warnings: Incest, smut, swearing, violence, masterbating

Pairing: Cregan Stark × reader, Aemond Targaryen × reader

1.06

“It’s time to sleep, my sweet.”

Maitland switches from side to side on your large bed. “Why are we sleeping in here?”

“This is my new bedchamber, and I’ve missed you so much that I want you with me for the next few nights.” While you were in Winterfell, Aegon had your belongings moved to a larger room; the gesture was kind, but you liked your old one better. These chambers felt empty and somehow colder. And it was odd seeing your house banner hanging on the walls in the colours of Sunfyre rather than the traditional red and black.

Exhausted, you kick off your shoes and flop backwards onto the bed. Maitland was becoming more restless than normal, but that was to be expected; he was a child, not a fool. He could see how different everyone was around his father; he just didn’t understand why.

You returned to the Red Keep just over a day ago, and it felt foreign. Like you were an unwanted guest in someone else’s home. Aemond hadn’t even glanced in your direction, and you couldn’t stop thinking how different things could have been if you had never gone north. Would Lucerys still be dead? So many questions repeating themselves.

Should you have gone straight to Dragonstone and begged Rhaenyra for mercy?

Should you have taken Maitland and flown north on your dragon?

Should you have left the moment Rhaenyra was usurped?

Should you write to Jacaerys? You had grown rather fond of your nephew; however, nothing you could say could make up for what Aemond has done.

In the back of your mind, you knew there would be repercussions for Lucerys's death. You're pulled from your thoughts when Maitland yawns and starts to close his eyes. You take the opportunity to tuck the sheets in around him so he doesn’t get cold.

“Mother?”

“Yes, my love?”

He opens his heavy eyes and stares up at you, “Can we go and say goodnight to Father?”

—

As the door leading into Aemond’s royal apartment comes into view, you feel a coldness creeping up behind you, sending a chill down your spine.

“Father?” Maitland tries to run ahead, but you take his hand and keep him by your side.

“Aemond?” You turn to your sworn shield and, in a low voice, ask. “He did return just after sundown?”

“Yes, princess, I saw him returning to keep on horseback myself.”

You begin to tremble, the cold finally setting in and catching up with you. A chill so cold you even feel it in your bones. Hearing what sounds like a curtain moving, you step forward. “Aemond?”

He doesn’t answer, but something clatters nearby. Ser Arryk grips hold of the handle of his sword. “Go to the prince's bedchamber, princess. I shall return shortly.”

There were no words to explain the sinking feeling in your stomach; you felt a pull… something telling you to run. You pick Maitland up and rush towards the bedchamber. You almost jump back startled when you’re greeted with an enormous tapestry of Balerion burning Harren and his sons. It was beautifully made, but very disturbing.

You feel the coldness creeping up on you again.

“Maitland,” you whisper. “Get under your father's bed and do not come out unless I or Ser Arryk tell you so. Do not make a sound.”

When you let him down, he does as you told him.

Dragonriders and knights had done just about everything they could to ensure that the castle was safe, but it still didn't feel like enough. The room is dark aside from the burning fire; it’s only when you focus on it that you realise it’s been newly lit. Eyes fixated on the flames in the fireplace, you walk towards it but nearly trip forward when your foot catches on something.

“Ser Arryk!”

Tears of terror roll down your cheeks as you look down at the body of one of the servants. A hand suddenly covers your mouth, muffling your screams.

“Do not make a sound.”

Feeling the pinch of his blade pressing against your neck, you sob, “Who are you?”

“A debt collector. An eye for an eye, a son for a son.”

“Please, I don’t know where Aemond is.”

“I’m here for the kinslayer's boy!” The man turns you so you’re facing him; he is much taller and heavier than you expected. “His son’s life for the life of Prince Lucerys.”

“No, no! Take me, kill me! I am Prince Aemond’s sister-wife.”

“A wife’s not a son,” he says, gripping hold of your arm tightly. “It has to be the boy. Take me to him.”

“No.”

He throws you against the wall so hard you’re stunned for a second, pain radiating from your elbow hitting against the stone wall. You scream when the man swings his arm down, and his blade comes into contact with your palm.

“Take me to the boy!”

“He’s in his nursery,” you cry. “Whatever you want is yours; just spare my boy!”

“Lying bitch,” he slaps you hard across the face.

The door to the room bursts open, and several knights burst through the door. Ser Arryk points his sword underneath the man’s chin. “Keep him alive, brothers. Take him to the cells for questioning.”

—

You slam your unharmed hand against the table in the council room. An emergency meeting had been held. Before saving you and Maitland, Ser Arryk followed a trail of blood and found a bag with the head of your nephew Jaehaerys inside it. The brute’s not only tried to kill your son but had already put Helaena and her children through absolute misery.

“Aemond, where the fuck have you been?”

“I had another matter that needed attending.”

“Another matter?” You leap from your chair and storm towards him; Ser Criston puts himself between the two of you. “Jaehaerys is dead. Our son was almost killed, and that’s all you have to say?”

“Princess,” Criston starts to gently guide you backwards. “The trauma of what you’ve just—“

“This is all your fault, Aemond!”

“What would you have me do?” He snarls. “I could not have foreseen what was going to happen in my absence.”

Lord Jasper Wylde chimes in, “It seems some of the fault may lay with Ser Arryk, as he was the knight tasked with protecting Prince Aemond’s wife and son.”

“And without Ser Arryk we would both be dead.” You brush by Ser Criston and smack your hand against Aemond’s chest, not hard enough to hurt him but enough to gain his full attention. “You killed a child over something that happened years ago, yet you do nothing while one of the men who tried to take your son's head breathes. Do you only act when your ego is wounded?”

—

The view from the staircase overlooking King's Landing, located on the balcony of your husband's royal apartments, was quite spectacular. He now had the second largest room in the keep, after the king's.

“Where is he?” You knew from the heaviness of the footsteps that Aemond came back alone.

“Maitland is with the dowager queen; he is safe. Ser Arryk told me you were waiting in my apartment when we returned.”

Aemond had taken your son to the dragonpit to see Silverwing after the council meeting. You didn’t doubt for a second that the Kingsguard who had gone with them would do everything they could to keep Prince Aemond's son, his only heir, safe. Or the last thing they would see is Vhagar. In truth, you went to Aemond's apartment because the loneliness felt too consuming. Helaena wasn't talking to anyone, Aegon was drowning his sorrows away, and your mother could barely look at you. Her eyes would start to glisten with tears whenever she did.

“Are you afraid of me?” For the first time in years, you hear genuine emotion in his voice.

“I fear… that our story will end soon.”

He steps closer to you, so close that his breath is warm on the back of your neck. Aemond leans down slightly so he can whisper in your ear, “We have the most dangerous dragons on our side. We will use them to protect what is ours.”

“I don’t care about the keep or who sits on the throne. Helaena is suffering.”

“As are you, but you are strong—“

“Am I?” You spin fast to face him. “If our Visenya had lived, I do not think I’d be able to make such a decision as she did; no mother should ever be made to decide which child to save.”

“We will get revenge for our sister.”

Tears glisten in your eyes. Both Helaena and Aegon were beyond distraught, and Rhaenyra would be dealing with the same heartbreak over Luke. You were the luckiest out of all of them because you still had your son.

“Otto wanted you to join Helaena and the queen dowager for the funeral, but I told him no.”

“Thank you. Playing the role grandsire has assigned for the women in this family is the furthest from my mind, especially when we have enemies everywhere. I doubt the assassins needed much convincing.”

“It sounds like you're frightened, my love.”

“I am afraid; I don’t want any part in a war in which so many innocents are killed.”

“But we must. We will do things to protect our son.” Aemond says, placing a slow, deep kiss on your neck. “To protect each other…”

He was right, and that’s what scares you the most.

“We should not be at odds with each other,” Aemond kisses your neck again. “You are my wife; we should be one.”

It felt strange being so close to him; for years you had only performed a duty together, but now you needed Aemond; you needed him to make you feel safe.

Closing your eyes, you make a choice and meet his lips with your own. Although Aemond has kissed your neck, he does seem surprised. The kiss becomes more heated when your back is pressed against the stone wall. Aemond pries your legs open with his and presses his knee against your core, causing a moan to slip from your mouth.

“Won’t someone see?”

He smirks, “From where? Only the gods can see us so high up.”

Aemond moves his knee back far enough to slip his hand beneath your skirts. You bury your face in the crook of his neck to muffle your moans.

Your head was spinning; everything was confusing. Aemond was with his whore when you were attacked, yet you desperately plead for his touch like when you first married, and you were somehow convinced he truly loved you, and you him. Perhaps what you had was a twisted love only Targaryens could share, but at least the pain of it reminds you you’re still alive.

“Oh gods!” Your legs start to squeeze shut around Aemond’s hand as your orgasm grows near. He tilts your head back and goes to kiss you again but suddenly stops; his eye lingers on something. “What?”

Using his free hand, he brushes hair behind your ear, his intense glare burning into you. “Come, wife, we shall continue this inside.”

He withdraws his hand from your skirts and goes back inside, leaving you feeling confused and exposed.

—

Your eyebrows knit together in confusion; it takes you a moment to remember you are in Aemond’s apartments, wrapped up in his bedsheets. The sun has disappeared, meaning you’ve been asleep for some time. Nothing continued when you followed Aemond inside; instead, you just lay beside him on the bed in silence until the lack of sleep caught up with you, and your dream was… well, a dream. One that would probably reveal more than you like if you dug a little deeper.

Hearing hushed voices, you get out of the bed quietly and slip on your shoes, straightening out your dress.

“We will burn the stone—” Aemond stops talking when he notices you are awake. He and Ser Criston are sitting at a table with a map of the seven kingdoms on it; they are placing markers on the different houses to show who supports Rhaenyra and Aegon.

“Stone doesn’t burn, but men do.”

Aemond swallows thickly and looks back down at the map.

“I will see you at the King’s Counsel meeting in the morrow. Goodnight.”

Ser Criston looks between the two of you, as if he’s waiting for the prince to say something as well. Sighing, he gets up from his seat and points at your bandaged hand. “Princess, may I?”

You hold your hand up, and he inspects the bandages and frowns, seeing there’s damp blood on it. “One of the king's guards standing outside the prince's apartment will accompany you back to your room. I shall send for the maester to come and clean your wound.”

“Oh, thanks.”

See Criston stares at you for a moment; he looks as if he wants to say something else but holds back.

—

𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳. 𝘏𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘺𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘺, 𝘭𝘪𝘱𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘺𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴. 𝘐𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴𝘯’𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘪𝘮, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘧𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘞𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘭.

𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘮 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘧𝘦𝘭𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘬, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴, 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘩𝘦𝘳— 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘤𝘬 𝘧𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘱𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘱. 𝘏𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘬𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘴 ��𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧 𝘶𝘱.

𝘐𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥, 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘵, “𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘦.”

𝘈 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮; 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘦𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘥. 𝘚𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘴. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘰𝘳 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘵. “𝘍𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘣𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘮𝘺 𝘭𝘰𝘳𝘥. 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩.”

“𝘞𝘩𝘰𝘮 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮?”

“𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘑𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘴 𝘝𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘢𝘪𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺.”

𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯’𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩 𝘨𝘰𝘦𝘴 𝘥𝘳𝘺. “𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰 𝘶𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘵?”

“𝘐 𝘥𝘰 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵, 𝘮𝘺 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘥.”

—

𝘞𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘭 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘶𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘬 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘰. 𝘏𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘺𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘙𝘩𝘢𝘦𝘯𝘺𝘳𝘢; 𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘳𝘶𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘨'𝘴 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘯𝘰 𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧. 𝘐𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘛𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘺𝘦𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘬𝘪𝘯'𝘴 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯, 𝘩𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘦𝘴. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘥𝘰 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘙𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘧𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩.

“𝘐𝘧 𝘈𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘯 𝘛𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘺𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘳, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘦𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘶𝘴𝘦 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘦𝘦𝘯!”

𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘳𝘶𝘣𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘶𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢����𝘮. 𝘑𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘴 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘥 𝘩𝘪𝘮 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘈𝘦𝘨𝘰𝘯’𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘛𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘢𝘳𝘺𝘦𝘯; 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘮𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺. “𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥 𝘍𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩.”

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮.

“𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴, 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵'𝘴 𝘞𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘥𝘳𝘢𝘨𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘭. 𝘞𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘶𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨.”

𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘰𝘮 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘷𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴 𝘷𝘰𝘪𝘤𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧. ��𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳'𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧, 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘗𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘑𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘏𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘬 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺, 𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥.

—

Sheaf after sheaf of parchments was scattered across the desk as Aegon quickly read them for himself and then tossed them away. The council meeting was tense as both Aegon and Aemond seemed to struggle with the concept that not everyone was on your family’s side of this war. They had been so certain that after the events of the past week, it would have been enough to persuade the houses backing Rhaenyra’s claim to change their allegiance.

“Grand Maester,” your mother stands when he enters the room. “Have any ravens arrived from OldTown?”

“No, your grace.”

Your mother sits back down looking disappointed. Daeron, your younger brother hadn’t replied to any of her letters since Aegon had become king, yet he has replied to any you sent. Discreetly you squeeze her hand under the table, and she gives you a small smile.

Looking at you, Maester Orwyl clears his throat and holds up a scroll. “A letter just arrived from Winterfell; it’s addressed to you, princess.”

He leans over and hands it to you. All eyes are on you as you nervously start to unroll it; the thought of opening a letter from Cregan makes your stomach twist.

You missed him.

“Perhaps the north has decided to back the rightful king,” your grandsire says.

Frowning, your eyes scan over the parchment multiple times; it was blank. Strangely, it makes you think of the dream you had when you fell asleep in Aemond’s bed. A wolf stalking a bird in a forest, but each time it’s about to pounce on the bird, it flies away.

“What does it say?” Aemond asks, snatching it from your grasp.

“Nothing, it says nothing.”

[lostbookmark]

MDNI 🔞

MAIN MASTERLIST here

FINDING A HOME MASTERLIST here

Summary: After a failed engagement, you move back home and reconnect with your friends. Maybe, just maybe you can find love with someone you never expected.

Pairing: Yoongi x F. Reader

Warnings: Explicit Sex, Swearing, Cheating (Not Yoongi), Physical Fighting, Arguments, Protected/Unprotected Sex, Toxic Past Relationship,

Genre: Enemies(?) to Lovers, Neighbors to Lovers, Small Town Romance, They own a farm, Hurt-Comfort, Slight Angst, Romance, 

A/N: Here is chapter one. The rest of the story will have regular updates once Wispered Vows is over.

You’ve been staring at the small, hairline crack in Hobi's ceiling for hours now. This has been a routine thing for you to do since you showed up at his small apartment back in your hometown a little over three weeks ago, crying with your suitcases by your feet. You probably looked pathetic. It's been years since you actually saw him in person. You only knew his address from the Christmas cards he sent you that you hid away in your dresser. You never gave him your address, so he must have gotten it from your mom. You're kind of surprised he took you in. You're happy he did. You didn’t want to stay with your mom. If you stayed with her, you would have to hear all about your failed engagement and the last-minute cancellation of your wedding that you had to eat the cost of.  Your bank account is not happy with you at the moment. 

Fuck, Changkyun.  You think to yourself.  He ruined it all with one little sentence. “I don't love you anymore.” Five words  and just like that the two of you were done. The three years you were together seem like a lie. It seemed like it never actually happened. Now, you're wallowing in your bestfriends spare bedroom and staring at a crack in the ceiling. You wonder if he knows it's there.  

“Get up,” Hobi said, barging into the room and jumping on you. Your normally peppy best friend seemed serious without his signature smile. “I'm not letting you do this anymore. I can't watch you lay in here all day feeling sorry for yourself. It’s not healthy. You can help out at the farmers market today.” 

“Farmers market?” You question him with a ‘what the hell’ look on your face. “Are you a farmer? Since when did you become a farmer?” 

“No, silly, I'm not a farmer, but I do own part of one. Come on,” he insists and pulls the covers off of you. You fight with him for a minute, trying to grab onto the blankets to pull them back over you. You wanted to wallow, why won't he leave you be. “We are short-handed today and could use a pretty face. Kookie will be there, and I know he misses you. He hasn't stopped asking about you when I told everyone you were back home.”

You grumble something unintelligible under your breath. You finally let him win as you let go of the blanket and head for the shower. You take your time letting the hot water run over your tired body as it steams up the bathroom. Your eyes close, and  you think back to those five words. I don't love you anymore. How can someone just stop loving you? Was it that easy to break away from someone and act like they were never there in the first place? How was it so easy for him to disregard your feelings? How could he not feel guilty for using your shared bed with others? You silently let the tears fall, and they mingle in with the droplets of water from the shower. 

“Hurry up,” Hobis' muffled voice called out. “We leave in 20 minutes, and you're going no matter what you look like.”

You sighed and turned off the shower. Grabbing your towel, you quickly towel dried your hair the best you could and threw it on the top of your head in a hurry. You honestly don't care what it looked like. It's not like you have to impress anyone.

Leaving the bathroom, you see that  Hobi had gone through your clothes and laid out a sundress for you. It makes you want to cry some more. You've been a bad friend since even before you left town after graduation. Ignoring all of them for what you thought was a better life. A life in the city with a new fancy apartment, fancy friends, fancy food. Yet, when it all fell apart here, he was still willing to help you. Hobi was still there. His friendship was always unwavering. You guys bickered and argued, sure, but he always stuck by you.  You couldn't say the same about yourself after you dropped him and everyone else like a hot potato. Sighing, you grab the yellow dress with pretty red and pink flowers, off the bed, and put it on. It wouldn't hurt to do something for him. It was the least you could do. 

The late August heat made the early summer mornings warm and muggy. The sun was full and bright in the blue sky, its rays heating your skin already causing you to feel sticky with sweat on your bare shoulders. There wasn't a cloud in sight to offer any shade and there was no breeze to be found. Hobi gave you a crash course of what you missed while you were gone as you headed into the farmers market in the center of town. After college, Taehyung went into the corporate world, had an epiphany of sorts, quit his well paying job and bought a farm in your hometown after visiting Jin's cafe in a spur of the moment trip. 

Tannie Farms had started out as just your standard fruit farm but has since expanded with vegetables, and now he is figuring out how to grow nuts. Something that is very much experimental at the moment. He suckered everyone to get involved by investing money that they barely had and becoming part owners. Now it's pretty successful in the few years that they have been up and running, so you guess the risk was worth it in the end. You learned that they donate food to the local schools, the food pantry at the senior center, and they sell to the grocery stores in the surrounding area. It seemed impressive. It was impressive. You felt proud by how far they have come. 

“Everyone has other jobs, though, right? How do you guys find the time to help him?” You had asked him.

“Because, we all love him. You don't give up on people you love,” he told you quietly. “Yoongi is the only one there full time. He actually runs the business and marketing end. Everyone else is just manpower and ideas.”

Min Yoongi, oh how you two always hated each other. You ran in completely different groups in middle school and high school. Him with the jocks and popular kids and you….with Jin and Hobi. You don't even think he knew your name back then, and you definitely never talked. It wasn’t until sophomore year in college that he and Hobi became almost inseparable while rooming together in the dorms. He brought along Jimin, Kook, and Tae into your little group. They were sweethearts, and you took to them instantly. Joon rounded out the group when you met him during your child development class. Yoongi got along well with everyone except you and his girlfriend Chae absolutely despised you right from the start. You always tried to stay as far away from them as you could when you were forced into group activities. It only got worse when Changkyun came along.

You met Changkyun when you both worked on the school's newspaper. You had fallen for his flirty personality and sharp jawline fast. He, unfortunately, had written a horrible article about Yoongi losing the college basketball team's Final Four game and supposedly bringing “shame” to the school's name. You, being the editor on the team, let the article go through. To be honest, you didn't even read it, and  you didn't know that it was going to cause such an uproar. You just wanted to impress Changkyun in hopes that he would like you and officially make you his girlfriend. Yoongi started to act like you didn't exist more than he normally did, and Chae openly hated you after the article was published. She threw such a fit about you and started a smear campaign against the newspaper, which ended with you getting fired. You felt like you were the number one enemy in their eyes. After that, you slowly stopped hanging out with them. You tried to fit yourself into Changkyun’s group of friends instead. They were pretty nice, but it just wasn't the same. 

“Y/N!” You look up and see Jungkook waving at you excitedly from under a large Tannie Farms sign. “You're here!” Jungkook comes around to the front of several white tables that stand under a large tent from where the sign dangles and hugs you tightly. Your eyes widened in surprise at the act of affection. You bring your hands up and tentatively pat his back in return. “Are you back for good? Joon said that you're going to work at his school. Are you going to help us every weekend?”

“Kookie, let her talk,” Hobi scolded him.

“Sorry, I just really missed you,” he whispered to you. Guilt. You feel so fucking guilty.

“I missed you too, Kook. Don't worry, there is plenty of time to catch up. Okay, show me what you want me to do,” you tell him, a fake smile plastered to your face. You link your arms together as you make your way to their spot. 

Hobi and Jungkook showed you how to stack all the produce in wooden crates that they were going to sell and how to keep them looking presentable. The more uniformed they were, the more appealing they supposedly were. They chatted away telling you all of their ideas to expand their products at their spot here and in the local stores as you stacked and fixed the wooden crates like they showed you. They told you how they wanted to start selling baked goods using the fruits and eventual nuts that they grew, but none of them could bake that well. Jin was the closest to making something edible, but it just wasn't good enough. 

“You could help with that!” Kook said excitedly. “Your  breads were always so good when you made them in school. OH! Your birthday cakes were amazing. We always looked forward to everyone's birthday because of your cakes.”

“I never got one,” a deep voice soon joined the conversation. Yoongi walked by you carrying a crate of tomatoes.  

His dark hair that you always remembered him having was now a darker blonde. He looked the same, though. He looked good. He was still handsome with an arrogant aura around him that he always had. You were actually surprised that he was carrying something. You figured business and marketing meant a cushy office, not manual labor. Someone who would never give up his weekend to help work the crowd on a hot summer's day. You thought it was more suit and tie than flannel and ripped jeans. 

“We were never friends,” you shot back at him. 

Yoongi turned and pinned you down with a glare. You swear you can feel your cheeks heat up, and you don't know if it's from anger or attraction. Your small, very, very small, almost microscopic crush from high school might still linger….maybe. 

“Okay,” Hobi says, clapping his hands, drawing your attention back to him. “Our price list is here on the sheet for your reference. Just entice people to come with that pretty face, and Kook will ring them up.” Yoongi scoffs. You quickly pick up an ear of corn to chuck it at him, but Hobi takes it away from you just as fast. “Listen, I know you two have had your differences in the past, but we are actually adults now. Just be cordial, at least.” 

“Fine,” you say, feeling ashamed that you let Yoongi get to you. 

“Okay,” Yoongi agress and shrugs nonchalantly. “I have no issues on my end.” 

“Great,” Hobi says happily with a clap of his hands. “Let's get this party started.”

You and Yoongi pretty much just stayed away from each other, and that was fine with you. He mainly just stayed in the background sitting on an empty wooden crate and typed away on his phone, avoiding having to talk to the customers as much as possible.  Occasionally, he would leave only to come back with another crate of something. It was pretty much smooth sailing until it wasn't.

The farmers market got busy pretty fast. People poured in to get their produce and sweets and peruse the crafts at the various tables. The work was pretty easy. You made small talk with customers and talked them into buying more produce than they probably needed. You saw and talked with a lot of your old teachers, neighbors, and some classmates that you haven't seen since graduating high school. You also met a lot of new people who had moved to town after you left, taking over businesses that you haven't been to in years. It was sad how the town had changed. You're sad that you missed it and you didn't get change along with it like the rest of your friends had. You're sad that you've become bitter and angry. It wasn't the town's fault or your friend's fault. That was all on you.

“Y/N dear, oh, I'm sorry to hear about what happened. Your mother told me everything,” Mrs. Kang said dramatically with her hands on her chest. She was your mothers neighbor and the number one gossiper in your little town. If something happens, she always knows about it. Did someone get divorced? Quit their job? Get arrested? She would be able to tell you everything. Your mother also has a big mouth, so you know that she does probably indeed know everything. 

“Thank you, Mrs. Kang,” you say stiffly. 

“Word of advice. If you didn't make yourself….easily….available before your wedding.  He probably wouldn't have gone looking for someone with more class,” she tells you rather loudly. She did it to embarrass you, and it worked. You could see some of the customers that were lingering by listening to the conversation as your face heated.  “He cheated, right? That's such a shame. I heard your wedding dress was absolutely stunning.”  You can feel the tears well in your eyes, and you try to quickly blink them away. You feel stupid that she was able to call you out so easily on it.  You felt stupid for reacting like this. 

“Are you going to buy anything, Mrs. Kang or just harass my employees?” Yoongi speaks up, coming to stand behind you. His arms were crossed against his chest, and a hard glare set on his face. “If you're not going to buy anything….have a good day.”  Mrs. Kang gives the two of you the sourest of looks and surries away. Great, she'll tell your mom all about this. You turn to look back at him, but he had already removed himself from the area and went back to his phone.  You hurriedly leave the front of the tables and hide around back to try and get yourself together. Too many unknown eyes were on you, and you couldn't stand it. 

“You okay,” Kook asks softly, and you nod your head. 

You sniffle and start shaking your head no instead. He hugs you, and the dam breaks. You start crying, and the tears that you keep trying to blink away won't stop. His hands are gentle as they rub your back, comforting you. You wrap your arms around him and let yourself sink into his hug.  

“She's right,” you tell him as you pull away. “He cheated on me…a lot.”  Jungkook wipes your tears with his thumbs. “I think that I always knew, and I just ignored it. It's pathetic, right? I was so desperate to try and make it work.” 

“Changkyun was always a dick,” he says. “He was always horrible to us when you weren't around. You were always too good for him, and you are better off without him. Come on, don't waste your tears on him. We need to head back out there.”

You take a deep breath and wipe at our face one final time before following him back out.  People like Mrs. Kang was always going to be miserable, and you can't let her affect you. That's what makes them thrive. You saw it in the city with your so-called fancy friends, most of whom you would find out, slept with your then fiancé and you see it in small town people like Mrs. Kang. Who has nothing better to do but make everyone as miserable as they are. You busy your hands and rearrange the bell peppers by color. Green, Red, and Yellow. Perfectly stacked and all uniformed. Hobi comes up to you and kisses your head.

“You're home now. Everything will get better,” he promises, and you smile sadly at him as he rubs your shoulders softly. As he walks away, you notice Yoongi staring at you before quickly looking away when you catch him. You can do this. You can start over and be fine….you are not alone. 

“Hey, what's the deal with Yoongi?” You ask Hobi as you two watched a movie huddled on your temporary bed.

“What do you mean?”he asks back, pausing the movie on the television. 

“Instead of enjoying Mrs. Kang calling me a whore he pretty much ran her off,” you tell him. “He hates me. I've known him since middle school, he's never said one word to me until college. He absolutely hated me there.”

“Yoongi is not the bad guy that you want him to be,” Hobi informs you. “I get what happened in school sucked but I don't think Yoongi was behind any of it.” 

“You're defending him because he's your friend, “ you accuse.

“Do you really think I would stay friends with Yoongi if he had some secret agenda against you? His girlfriend was awful to you. Changkyun was awful to him. They were the problem. Listen,I'm going to head to bed. Just think about what I said,” Hobi kisses your cheek quickly. 

Maybe Hobi was right. You honestly can't really remember Yoongi ever being the one to cause the problems between you two. Sure, he made snarky comments, but he did that to everyone. Chae was the absolute worst nightmare that you ever met. She was the one who got you fired from the paper and bragged about it to your face. It got worse after you and Changkyun officially got together. She was able to befriend your roommate  and got her to turn against you. They had locked you out of the dorm one night. You didn't have your keycard or your phone on you. You had to stay in the lounge until your R.A. made them let you back in. 

It had gone on for months and it got so daunting dealing with her that you had begged Changkyun to write a retraction. He had gotten so mad at you that you would take Yoongi’s side instead of your own boyfriend's.  He told you about how he was falling in love with you and how it hurt that you wouldn't stick by him. You were so blindsided by his confession that you let the issue go. You had made him your life after that. You slowly stopped seeing your friends to be with him. By the time you had graduated, they were almost strangers.  You had thrown away so many years over broken promises and lies. It felt like he had manipulated you.  You hated him for that. You hate him, you hate him, you hate him. 

You felt like a complete idiot because maybe Hobi was right, and Yoongi wasn't the cause of all the drama. You were going to have to come up with some way of apologizing to Yoongi. Not only to Yoongi but to everyone. You don’t expect them to forgive you either.  You just don't know how exactly you're going to do that. Like Hobi said earlier, you were home now, and everything was going to be okay.  

[soft-beams]

hiii! i read your fic about reader x vi where the reader passes and omg it broke my heart so…for the sake of my sanity! can we have a pt 2 where it expands on the days afterwards and how vi grieves ! alsooo if you could maybe a time skip where vi either moves on (that girl would NEVER) or she stays single until she herself eventually passes :(( anyway thank u sm!

hello! first off, thank you for reading my fic, and i'm sorry to have broken your heart 🥺 i just had that idea rolling around in my head, and i couldn't help myself. ;-; but i'd be more than happy to do a pt 2 where we look into how vi copes (she Does Not Cope).

tw//mention of character death (reader), vi x f!reader

part 1

--------

Life instantly becomes meaningless after you die. It's as if the world is void of colour, leaving everything in shades of grey.

It's horribly depressing, but it makes sense. You were what gave her world meaning, you were what give her world beauty and now...you weren't there anymore.

So what was the point of anything?

She slips into drinking again, heavy liquors that numb the pain and made the grey world go away. She's angry, she's fury as she punches anyone who dares look at her for even a second too long. She's tired, exhausted and all she wants to do is sleep. But sleep isn't kind, it eludes her and when she's able to catch it, all she sees behind her eyes is you.

You laughing.

You smiling.

You holding her close and telling her everything is going to be alright.

You.

"You can't continue on like this," Caitlyn says, having appeared at Vi's door five minutes ago. She's a concerned friend, her brow furrowed with worry. "You...this isn't what she would want." She struggles for a second to find the right words. "She'd want you to heal and find some sort of peace and—"

"You think I don't know that, Cait?" Vi interrupts and she sounds exhausted. Her voice is hoarse, dry from thirst and sucking in too deep breaths when she cries. "You don't think I know she wouldn't want this for me?" She gestures around herself, at the mess of her small apartment and the mess that is herself. "I...try so hard to even get up in the morning but it feels so fucking pointless because she isn't here when I open my eyes."

Something akin to pity flickers through Caitlyn's eyes as she watches Vi slump down onto her bed, her head in her hands.

"I loved her for so long," Vi murmurs. "Since I was thirteen and didn't even know what love was." She lifts her head to stare at the ceiling. "And when I finally gathered up the courage to confess to her at sixteen, I was so happy when she returned my feelings." A weak smile curves her lips as she lowers her head, looking right at Caitlyn. "We had plans. We talked about how we were going to leave this place and explore the world. See what we could bring back to Zaun to make it better. We were going to take Powder so she could finally fly on one to those airships and..." Vi trails off, going quiet.

Caitlyn finds herself at a loss for words, unable to compile what she feels for Vi into speech. She knows how grief feels. She's more than aware of how it crushes and consumes you. When her mother died, she didn't know what she was going to do. How she was going to cope when someone so important to her was gone.

She can relate to Vi to some extent but to lose someone you loved with your entire heart, soul and mind...

Caitlyn very slowly makes her way over to Vi and sits beside her. Then she places a careful hand on her shoulder and says, "I'll never be able to fully grasp how you're feeling, and I won't pretend to even try. But...think of her and ask yourself if this is how she'd want you to waste your days."

Vi thinks about it, lets Caitlyn's words dance around in her head before you appear in her mind's eye.

"I'd be real pissed if you just laying about doing nothing," you say, frowning with your arms crossed. "I mean, I'm glad you love me enough to wallow so hard but fuck, Vi."

Vi laughs wetly, tears already forming in her eyes as she stares at you, wistful.

"Shut up," she mumbles before her chest is shuddering with heavy breaths, a thick sob leaving her throat. "I just...I just miss you so much. You weren't, fuck, you weren't supposed to leave."

Your frown turns into a sad smile, and you look away, as if trying to hide your own tears.

"I know, honey, I know," you reply, words thick on your tongue. "And I'm so sorry for leaving you, you know that, right?"

Vi nods, wiping away still falling tears.

"But I don't want you to live this way, sweetheart," you tell her. "Fighting every day and getting shitfaced. I thought we were past this after your pitfigher phase."

That pulls a genuine laugh from Vi, with a snort and all, as she cackles. That has you laughing too, your grin wide and toothy, and God, you're so beautiful.

Even in death.

"I'm losing my mind, aren't I?" Vi says as she looks up at you, and you move your head to the left and right before shrugging.

"Maybe a little bit, but that's fine," you reply before leaning in close, and Vi sighs desperately as your foreheads touch. "But you've never been truly sane."

Vi reaches for you and swears she can feel the warmth of your skin beneath her fingertips.

"I love you," Vi rasps, eyes closed tight as she holds you close.

"I love you too," you mumur, and Vi feels your hands smooth over her cheeks. "So do me a favour and try and be happy, okay? Go outside and do something that isn't reckless drinking and violence. And take a damn shower, you're gross."

Vi snorts, smiling. "No promises."

"Idiot." Your voice is loving and fond as it slowly disappears in an echo.

"...Vi?" Caitlyn's voice replaces yours and it's here that Vi smiles, albeit sad but a little bit happier.

"Yeah, this isn't how she'd want me to waste my days," Vi replies before slapping her knees and standing up from the bed. "I'm gonna take a shower and...maybe we can do something?"

Caitlyn stares at her for a second before smiling.

"Yeah, of course we can."

That's my girl, Vi hears in your voice as she goes to the bathroom, and that gives her the extra push she needs.

[purpleqilinwrites]

you.

a/n: i fell in love with homicipher and i couldn't help writing a little something for the most off-putting of all the potential love interests (affectionate)!!! i just had some thoughts about mr. scarletella's origin story and wrote a little something for him.

fandom: homicipher

character: mr. scarletella

genre: general (can be read as romantic)

info: reader can be read as mc

warnings: -

synopsis: mr. scarletella recognises the human who fell into the ghost apartments.

word count: 0.7k

Mr. Scarletella

There was someone new in the apartments.

It wasn't something that happened very frequently. As the self-proclaimed watcher of the apartments, Mr. Scarletella sped through the shadows to the place where the stranger's presence could be felt most keenly.

Irritation prickled across his skin when he noticed the crawling man had found the human first. He scratched his nails against the handle of the umbrella in his hand uselessly, thinking of how best to separate them from the other man. However—

YOU..?

(He looked up at you, peering down at him with a curious look on your face.

Scrubbing at his tear-dampened eyes, he quickly masked his sniffle with an unnecessarily loud series of coughs. Your expression never wavered, and he wondered if you were dumb. Couldn't you tell that he had been crying and was trying to cover it up? Dummy. Dummy, dummy.

You pressed something cool against his forearm. The carton of strawberry milk had begun to sweat in the late afternoon heat, a trio of droplets veering off-course and trailing down his skin instead. The dampness made him feel yucky. It reminded him again that while you were dumb, he was a crybaby. Weak. He was weak. Weak, weak, weak!

He was worse than you.

"Don't cry anymore, okay? They're gone!" You gave him a wide smile, your lips stretched as thinly across as your face as it could go and he could see most of your teeth. He was counting them, including the few gaps between where your new adult teeth hadn't yet sprung up, before he could stop himself.

"—'m already done!"

He snatched the strawberry milk you were offering him, remembering his manners and thanking you only after he had taken a large gulp of the sweet beverage. You didn't seem to care whether he would show appreciation or not, sipping noisily on your own carton of milk.

"Why did you give me strawberry?" he asked. He made sure that he had finished his milk before speaking. That way he wouldn't have anything to share, even if you wanted to try some.

You blinked slowly, keeping your eyes on the playground sand beneath your shoes and the patterns formed in them by the soles. "No reason!"

He snapped his head in the direction opposite of you. There was another yucky feeling in his chest. He knew it was because you'd be smiling at him again. If he looked, he would offer to buy you a new carton of strawberry milk from the vending machine, even if the last of his allowance was for his bus fare home.)

Not a lot of time had passed since you arrived at the apartments, but you managed to make a constant travelling companion of the crawling man. The other man was not a social creature. None of them in the apartments were.

YOU.

I KNOW YOU.

Something about your arrangement with the crawling man rubbed Mr. Scarletella the wrong way. At every instance when he spotted the two of you together, there was that prickle of irritation again, getting hotter each time.

It was almost funny, really. When was the last time he felt like this?

WHY HIM?

He intentionally announced his presence from down the seemingly endless hallway, dimming the already murky lights and artificially painting the whole place red. As far as his eyes could see, he made sure his presence could be seen and felt. If the human was who he thought they were, they would recognise him too.

They liked red. He liked red too.

I LIKE YOU.

The panic in the crawling man's voice was palpable as he approached. Mr. Scarletella swiped his tongue across his lips with much gusto. This was fun. He liked that the other man was afraid. If the human was really you, he would hope someone was keeping you safe in this savage place full of creatures that were worse.

He rounded the corner to where he knew the two of you were and peeked.

It was a mistake.

His blood boiled at the sight. You were cowering at the far edge of the hall, and the crawling man was kneeling to shield you from him.

NO. BAD!!!

WHY HIM?

WHY NOT ME?

[venusswhite]

A Thousand Years | Arcane Vi x Fem Leitora (Part. 3)

After losing everything, [Name] tries to rebuild her life. But what happens when a ghost with pink hair returns? notes: English is not my first language, and I initially wrote this fanfic in Portuguese. With the help of online resources, I rewrote it in English

Part. 2

“But if you call for me, you know I’ll run, I’ll run to you.” - Lana Del Rey

“[Name]! Get under this shower,” Sevika says, pushing my head under the freezing water.

“No! Let go of me!” I yell, sluggish and still drunk from all the alcohol I consumed.

I struggle to escape the icy water, but Sevika holds me firmly in place. After a while, I grow tired and stop resisting.

I just sit on the floor, letting the water cascade over me.

That cold water was actually calming me down. It cooled my once hot, sweaty skin.

My thoughts began to wander. Why was I like this?

I was at the bar drinking because of… Vi.

“Damn it!” I yell, pulling at my hair. “Why the hell can’t I forget her?”

I feel the water stop and a towel land on my wet hair.

“Dry yourself off. I’ll grab you some water,” Sevika says, leaving me sitting on the floor.

I stand up, remove my soaked clothes, wrap the towel around myself, and head to my room.

“Sevika told me what happened,” Jinx says, sitting on my bed with her knees to her chest.

I sigh, thinking about how hard this must be for her.

“I thought I saw her…” I whisper, embarrassed.

“[Name], Vi is dead!” she says, visibly agitated.

I feel tears welling up in my eyes.

“I know,” I mutter, heading toward the chest where I keep my clothes.

“You’re more insane than I am,” she sighs, lying back on the bed. “I don’t imagine anyone who’s dead… well, only sometimes. But I can separate reality from imagination.”

“Of course you can, Jinx,” I say sarcastically.

I get dressed and lie down beside her.

“We don’t need her,” she says angrily, sitting up. “We have each other.”

“Maybe you’re right,” I say, sitting up as well. “It’s just that…”

“You loved her,” she interrupts.

“Yeah. I did…”

“Once, I talked to Vander about you two…”

“About us?”

“I was afraid that if you two got together, you’d abandon me,” she says, lowering her head.

“We would never do that, Jinx. I would never do that. That’s why I’m here.”

“I know… I know I never said it, but thank you… for not leaving me,” she says, her eyes brimming with tears.

“You’ll always be my little sister,” I say, throwing myself on top of her, hugging her tightly. Slowly, she hugs me back.

“Here’s your water,” Sevika suddenly appears, startling us.

“Get off me!” Jinx shoves me, trying to hide her vulnerability from Sevika.

I laugh at Jinx and stand up.

“Thanks!” I say, grabbing the water and placing it on a nearby table.

“You’re losing your mind, [Name],” Silco’s voice is full of disapproval.

I sigh, spinning around in his chair.

“It won’t happen again,” I stop, facing away from the desk.

“I hope not. You can’t fall apart every time you see someone who reminds you of her,” he says, moving closer.

“I know. It’s just… it felt so real,” I say, closing my eyes. “I think because I never saw her body, my mind clings to the hope that she’s alive.”

“You need to accept that she’s gone,” he says, appearing in my line of sight. “This isn’t good for you, and it’s certainly not good for Jinx. You know she feels guilty about their deaths.”

“I know,” I whisper.

“Her sister is back!” Sevika bursts into the room, excited, her robotic arm leaking purple liquid. I turn the chair to face her, and she freezes when she sees me.

“Whose sister?” I ask hesitantly.

“No one’s,” Silco quickly dismisses, stepping away from the chair and giving Sevika a stern look.

Sevika’s breathing quickens, her gaze fixed on me.

“Sevika…” I plead.

“You don’t know her,” she finally looks away.

“Of course not,” I say, getting up from the chair and storming toward the door.

Just as I reach for the handle, I feel a sharp sting in my neck.

“What the hell…” I manage to say before my legs give out and my vision goes dark. My body collapses against Sevika before everything fades to black.

I wake up startled in my room, drenched in sweat, my throat dry. I drag myself to the bedside table where Sevika had left the water and drink it all in one gulp.

Setting the glass down, I notice a photo. The same one I found in Vander’s bar on the day of the accident.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath, feeling my head throb. With effort, I get up and head to Silco’s office.

“Silco!” I burst through the door.

But I only find Sevika tied up on the floor, her body and clothes marked with symbols and the word “LIAR” written in pink and blue.

Jinx…

I run through the streets of Zaun, trying to find her.

She knew something. She found out something. I had an idea of what it was, but I didn’t want to give myself false hope.

Could there be a chance she’s alive? I never saw the body, but Jinx swore she did. She guaranteed her sister was dead.

What the hell are they hiding from me?

Out of breath, I stop in an alley. Then I hear a child speaking to the woman holding her hand.

“Mommy, what’s that?” I see the child pointing to the top of a building where a large blue cloud hovers.

What the hell are you doing, Jinx?

I run toward the building as if my life depends on it.

Reaching the top, I see her holding a flare aloft.

“Jinx, what are you doing?” I whisper, sobbing as I approach.

“Liar!” she yells, throwing the flare to the ground.

“Please, Jinx,” I say, moving closer. “Tell me the truth!” She then turns to me, running into my arms and burying her face in my neck.

“We don’t need her,” I hear her muffled voice say.

My mind is in chaos.

“Her who?” I ask, terrified of the answer.

“Powder?” My body freezes. Jinx lifts her head, her body trembling. She stares at the person behind us for a moment before pulling away.

I stay where I am, my back to the voice.

“I swear I tried to come back to you, but they kept me locked up,” I hear that same voice from my delusions.

This isn’t real. It can’t be real.

She’s dead.

I close my eyes, waiting for Vi’s voice to fade away.

“Marcus?” Jinx asks.

“It doesn’t matter. What matters is that I’m back. I thought I’d never see you again.”

“Vi…” I hear Jinx say, then footsteps approaching.

Jinx steps in front of me.

“[Name]…” I look into her tear-filled eyes.

In that moment, a flood of emotions washes over me: fear, insecurity, anger.

I felt betrayed. Betrayed by everyone I trusted.

“[Name]?” the voice calls.

No. Please, no. This isn’t real.

Then she steps in front of me, beside Jinx.

The face that has haunted me for years, but now it’s different. Her once youthful face is now longer and more mature. Her eyes are still grayish-blue, with faint freckles beneath them. A scar crosses her lips, and “VI” is tattooed on her cheek.

Despite all the changes, she’s still Vi.

My Vi.

I dreamed of this moment every day.

So why don’t I feel happy? The burning sting of betrayal consumes me.

I trusted them. I trusted her.

I look at Jinx, whose expression is filled with regret and sorrow.

“You lied…” I say to Jinx. “You lied to me. After everything!”

I take steps back, distancing myself from the sisters.

“I just wanted to protect you,” Jinx says, moving closer.

“Protect me? By lying to me?”

“I thought she had abandoned us,” she cries. “So I thought hiding it would keep you from suffering, thinking she left us. Forgive me, [Name], please,” she begs.

“[Name],” Vi speaks now. “Powder did what she thought was best. I’m glad you two looked out for each other.”

But I couldn’t hear anything over my own pain.

“I need to be alone,” I say, turning around only to face another woman. Her clean clothes and hair screamed that she wasn’t from here.

“Is Jinx your sister?” she asks.

“Who is she?” Jinx and I say simultaneously.

“This is Caitlyn, a friend. She got me out of prison,” Vi explains, standing beside Caitlyn.

“So it’s true,” I turn to Jinx in confusion as she aims her weapon at the woman. “Sevika didn’t lie? You’re working with an enforcer?”

“What?” I look at the pink-haired girl in disbelief, joining Jinx and pointing my own weapon at the enforcer.

“It’s not what you think…” Vi tries to keep things calm.

“This is an ambush. They came to kill us,” Jinx says, agitated, her eyes burning with paranoia.“Shut up!”

“We didn’t say anything,” the enforcer replies.

“I’m not talking to you!” Jinx retorts.

“Powpow, it’s okay,” Vi tries to calm her sister.

Bad idea.

“Don’t call me that. My name is Jinx now.”

“No. You’re not a Jinx.”

“I’ve changed, sister. We’ve changed,” her gaze shifts to me.

“I know. We’ve all changed,” she moves closer. “But it’s okay now. I’m back for both of you. Let’s start over… together. Just the three of us.”

“Shut up! I need to think,” Jinx pulls away, her eyes closed.

“Jinx…” I try to get her attention before she does something reckless.

“Did you hear that?” she suddenly points her weapon upwards.

Then I see the Firelights approaching, flying around us.

“Wait! Don’t shoot!” I shout, stepping forward.

But it’s too late.

Jinx fires wildly, while Vi fights them off.

I crouch down and notice the enforcer looking at something on the ground. Following her gaze, I see a blue sphere Jinx uses in her bombs and weapons.

I rush forward, grabbing the sphere before she can and shoving it into my pocket.

“Not today, enforcer,” I smirk defiantly.

I didn’t like her.

“You don’t understand!” she yells.

“I don’t understand? You’re the one who doesn’t understand,” I kick her backward.

Then I run, jumping off the building and being caught by one of the Firelights.

“It’s Vi. She’s not dead,” I shout amidst the chaos.

“What?” he speaks, his voice distorted by some device.

But I didn’t have time to explain. I grab a bomb from his belt and jump back onto the building.

I see one of the Firelights pointing a stake at Vi, who’s lying on the ground. I rush to stop him:

“I’ll take care of her.”

Then I throw the smoke bomb to the ground, shrouding everything in black mist.

“Don’t worry, Vi,” I whisper in her ear and inject a syringe into her neck. She looks at me, surprised, before her body goes limp. I hold her and signal to the Firelight. “Take her to safety.”

He takes her, and as the mist begins to clear, it’s just me and Jinx left in the building.

[bullet-prooflove]

Snow, hot chocolate, blankets

Tagging: @kmc1989 @kcloveswrestling

Learn more about John & Lou's affair here

See Kayce meet Joe here:

The Fifth Man - After reading through Lee’s journals Kayce realises he has another brother.

It’s snowing outside, huge white flakes drift past the glass as Jamie sits by the window, staring out across the land. He doesn’t want to be there right now, on his father’s ranch, planning his funeral. He wants to be at home with you and Opal, tucked under a blanket, sipping a hot chocolate.

In the background he can hear Beth’s voice carrying through from the lounge as she argues with someone on the phone about the service. He tilts his head up when Kayce approaches him. There’s a mug of coffee in his hand which he sets on the table alongside Jamie before he takes a seat.

“Do you believe that he died from a broken heart?” Jamie finds himself asking his brother as he wraps his hand around the mug, warming it.

Kayce takes off his hat and sets it down on the table before he runs his hand through his hair.

“Yea.” He says quietly. “From what I read in Lee’s journals… he’d been in love with Lou for a long time before she passed.”

This whole thing about Lou Reeves and his father, it’s a complete revelation to Jamie. When Kayce had turned up on his doorstep to give him the news of the death and the circumstances surrounding it, it had been a lot to unpack.

They’d found John Dutton dead in his bed, alongside Lou Reeves. Both of them had died in their sleep. According to her son Joseph, Lou had been diagnosed with an inoperable brain aneurysm a few months before, it had prompted her to make some changes. Kayce guesses she must have told his father and the two of them decided to make up for lost time.

Lou’s cause of death had been the ruptured aneurysm and John had passed away alongside her peacefully, something that both Beth and Jamie are struggling to wrap their heads because they had no idea of the decades long love affair which is why Beth is losing her shit in the other room.

“I had no idea…” Jamie says shaking his head. “I didn’t even know we had another brother.”

“Yea… He’s…” Kayce trails off recalling his last interaction with Joe back at the bar where he was playing fiddle. “I’m gonna check in on him after this. He’s just lost his mom and he’s alone...”

“Should I come with you?” Jamie asks, his gaze straying back to the lounge where Beth is wrapping up her call.

“No.” Kayce says softly because he understands how Joe must be feeling right now, he thinks the presence of both of them, especially Jamie with his clean cut demeanour and Harvard law degree would just overwhelm him. He also knows he can’t leave Jamie in this house alone. Beth would tear him apart with her bare hands. “You should go home, spend some time with Dani and Opal. I’ll give you a call when I’m finished up with Joe.”

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[natokkiz]

OUR PATHS | 13. OHMYGOsh he's crazy (wc: 0.8k)

THE APARTMENT was quiet when you got back, the usual chatter from yeji and ryujin in the living room had been relocated to their bedroom. you rolled your suitcase in, trying not to draw any attention to yourself. you could tell that you failed that task once you heard their door open and saw ryujin slowly emerging from their room.

ryujin paused at the sight of you, her own shoulders tightening. “hey,” she started tentatively, her voice softer than usual.

you didn’t look up at first, awkwardly avoiding her gaze. “hey,” you replied flatly.

ryujin moved slowly towards you in the hallway, “let me help you with your stuff.”

“okay,” you spoke, finally meeting her eyes. “i’m just going to change, and then we can talk,” you said before walking off to your room.

you came back to find ryujin on the couch in the living room, slightly rubbing her stomach—a habit of hers when she’s feeling flustered. you two made eye contact again and she took a deep breath before speaking again, “i know you’re mad at me and i get it. i don’t really know where to start—”

“i know exactly where to start,” you took charge of the conversation. though your tone wasn’t sharp, the hurt was evident. “let’s talk about how you decided it was okay to withhold something so important from me.”

ryujin raised her eyebrows in distress. “i... i didn’t mean for it to feel like that. at the time, i thought i was protecting you.”

“protecting me?” you repeated. “ryu, i spent months—actually, a year—thinking i wasn’t worth fighting for. thinking he didn’t care enough to try to explain himself.”

her head dropped slightly. “at the time, i thought hearing him out would just make it worse. he hurt you before, y/n. how was i supposed to trust that he wouldn’t do it again?”

“but that wasn’t your decision to make!” your voice cracked, and she quickly wiped at her eyes. “it wasn’t your breakup to deal with. it wasn’t your relationship to fix or ruin. you knew how much i went through because of that, and still… that was what you decided to do?”

ryujin’s voice raised slightly. “because i was scared, okay?” her voice trembled. “i was scared that if he came back into your life, he’d destroy you all over again. and i wanted to look out for you. you’re one of my best friends, y/n. i couldn’t stand seeing you like that.” she reached out for your hand.

you fell silent, but took her hand into yours. you understood where she was coming from, but it didn’t erase the hurt. “you should’ve told me,” you said quietly. “you should’ve let me decide if i wanted to hear him out. instead, you took that choice away from me.”

ryujin’s eyes filled with tears. “you’re right. i should have. and i’m sorry. i really am. i never wanted to hurt you, y/n. i thought i was doing what was best, but... i see now that i overstepped. by trying to stop him from hurting you, i hurt you instead. if i could do it differently, i would.”

there was a heavy pause, the two of you taking turns with the tissue box. “i get why you did it,” you admitted, your voice softer now. “i do. but it still hurt. it made me feel like you didn’t trust me to handle my own life.”

ryujin nodded, attentively listening to you. “i was wrong. i promise i’ll never do something like that again. i’ll support you, whatever you decide—whether it’s jaemin, someone else, or no one at all.”

you felt a sense of relief wash over you. “thank you for saying that. i forgive you. just know that i’m still dragging you to the exhibition on opening night. are you sure you’ll be okay seeing him?”

ryujin gave a small chuckle at you. “i told you, i support you no matter what. even with your avoidant attachment style and roster issue. and the fact that it’s so obvious you are choosing jaemin again.”

you jokingly hit her arm, “hey! why is everyone coming for me today…”

“because we love you and we care about you! and that means coming for you when you’re being a little stupid. please tell me you’re breaking it off with yangyang soon.”

“i am, don’t worry. and, thank you. for caring about me. even if you got it wrong the first time.”

ryujin pulled you into a hug, her voice tinged with relief. “always.” the two of you heard yeji’s footsteps in the hallway and looked around to see her put her hands on her heart, “finally. i couldn’t stand the two of you not being okay!”

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NOTES | i kept my promise <3 just one more serious talk for y/n... also sorry for the crumbs in this 😭 this is mainly a friendship driven chapter but it propels the plot dw... TAGLIST (open!) | @polarisjisung @tommina @luvv4bby @222low @luluvhs @spideykeyring @dudekiss3r @sunghoonsgfreal @jeonghansshitester @injunnie-lemon @eternallyhyucks @njmluvr @n0hyuck @junviadinho @hyunnies-world @hahaechans @p4tyaraujo @baeseungcheolie @untilthesunrises @lotties-readings @mango-bear @angelicaleex @jungaji @luvvhaechan @lionzyon @y4wnjunz @luvandletter @applejaem @pikibell @keeryverse @botchedbrat @mystverse @t-102 @skzfairies @andyprkmyluv @gomdoleemyson @slayhaechan @channnaa @lovekm @sungsgirl

bold = couldn't tag

[refigiowen]

All I Need - A Celebration For A Nascent Butterfly

First 30%

I know not when it started, that agonizing pain within my heart. When i started to feel it, i felt like a butterfly that was soon to be.

Let me tell you about it, about me.

This city is an endless inferno, one even those at the top cannot fully escape. People are desensitized to everything, emotions as a whole, may they be love or fear - death as well has become a daily sight for everyone. The gods of this city, sitting atop their corporate thrones have taught us that the more you dare to feel, the less value you have. After all, emotions dictate the mind to think logically. Such is the biggest thorn in the eye of the corporations. And so many of us have stopped feeling alltogether, without any of us even realizing.

And i too was one of them, until i met her. She, who lit a flame within me that consumed all the grey and burned colors into the darkness that was my soul. But who she was, i cannot tell you. I don't know who she was myself.

It all started on just another, monotonous day at work. I walked into the office of Diveroli Workshop, my workplace, and was immediately approached by my co worker and dear friend Gabriel. I will not lie, i first saw him as a strange man, someone whom i should stay away from. But for some unknown reason i simply couldn't. Perhaps it was his openess to me, the fact that he would ask me about my day and my hobbies that locked away all feelings of negativity towards him and, instead, replaced them with feelings of friendship. Him and i would chat during work about all kinds of things.

And one day he would mention his wife and his son to me. It's not the fact that he had a wife and a son that surprised me, it was the entire concept of a family. A family, in most cases, is built on love between individuals. Love. Love is what stood out to me. What even is that? I did not know. "Say, you love your wife dearly yes?" I said to him, not looking away from my work. "Yes, of course, she's all i could ever wish for." He would answer. That wasn't the answer i was looking for.

"What makes you love her so much, then?"

"Her simply being her true self around me, i guess? We don't need to be doing anything and i would feel at peace as long as she is next to me."

"Just that?"

"Well, i suppose that her showing me a side of her that no one else knows is also something worth mentioning? I fell in love with her because of her true self, good and bad points, and because she felt like my other half. She was like a ray of light in a sea of fog, that fog being my own heart."

What he said sounded like nonsense to me. I could not understand his words, they sounded like gibberish in my ears. I nodded and we dropped the topic. But little did i know, i would soon come to understand them more than anyone else.

But his words kept echoing in my mind. Is that all this thing we call love is? I could not wrap my head around it.

Either way i finished my work and went home, before that i remembered to say goodbye to Gabriel. He told me that people do that.

I often times find myself questioning who i am as a person. I hardly even know what brought me here, to the Diveroli Workshop, and where i am now. I am a woman with a single friend, i make swords and all kinds of meele weapons for a living, and i live in a small apartment on the bottom floor. Truly, this life of mine is almost one which i don't lead myself. And yet i find a strange comfort in this loneliness. After all, this loneliness allows me to focus. But then again, focus on what? I hardly know myself, i hardly am aware of who i wanted to be, who i want to be now. Am i really [BUTTERFLY]? I felt a single tear run down my left cheek as i sat on my bed.

This post will be updated in the coming days. This is only the first 30ish percent of the chapter as this will cover A LOT of backstory for the Butterfly. Thank you.