#minor romance spoilers under here be warned

[katsigian]

A heem heem

[ Very minor Karlach romance path spoilers below ]

OUGHHH my heart. Callistus melts into a ranger sized puddle and not because she's currently 1000°f. She called him baby 🌚 Cal is going to just simply pass away now he ascends into a higher state only to fall right back down to earth because that's where Karlach is

They're driving me insane. I am gods most insane person because of them. Mind gone whenever they meet. And it's not like they're even doing anything that spicy!! They're literally just flirting and being sweet and that's enough!!

Like are you joking me. She's just a tiny bit taller than him just enough that he has to tilt a little to reach her theyre so facking adorable

[trappolia]

── NO GRAVE CAN HOLD MY BODY DOWN

(minor spoilers for season 2!) sevika. near what feels like death, sevika has a revelation and a confession.

Sevika thinks two things when the Hexcore's static passes through her scar and seizes her bloodstream.

One: she can't believe that she's writhing on the floor in agony, beaten by Vi's little Piltie girlfriend in her ridiculous beret.

Two: she might actually die today.

It's ridiculous, she thinks, how everyone has gone to absolute shit. There's a new sort of madness glinting in Jinx's no-longer-baby-blues (the odd magenta shimmer of her eyes sends a shiver down her spine) and not to mention that little shit that has tagged along in this operation, with Jinx doing little to dissuade the runt besides some sarcastic melodramatic warning and a few finger guns. And now they're here, beaten and clawing at each other's faces wildly like fucking children (she can see Jinx in her peripheral, has never seen her fight so sloppily with her little hands; she understands now why Silco had insisted her skills laid in engineering and inventions, rather than the fists that her sister wielded so boldly) and Sevika doesn't know where the fuck Isha is nor does she know what the fuck is going on with their weapons. Her new arm is fine, albeit heavy with extra weight and throbbing with phantom pain— but something had gone wrong

She's going to die. She's going to fucking die, and because of some fucking magic trick gone wrong.

Sevika doesn't fear death. Hell, she's lasted a lot longer than what her own mother thought. Life down here in the Undercity is nothing like the wealth and opulence and light of Piltover's Topside. To some, death may have been a blessing. Some days, Sevika thinks that it's better than cleaning up after Jinx's messes and running Silco's errands.

But Silco is dead, and the one thing he loved more than their city is off the fucking rails. Sevika can't die now. Not with these fucking blue bellies gassing her home with the fucking Grey again, not when there's so much left to be done.

And maybe there's a third thing in the mix too. Caught between rage and pure, genuine terror, Sevika twitches and grunts and claws at her skin, thinking: Fuck. Fuck. She's going to die like a wimp whimpering on the cold stone, and she's never going to see you again.

Sevika is not the romantic sort. Before you, she'd found simple pleasures in the smoky rooms of Margo's brothels, or pretty doe-eyed lasses she met at the bar. But now she finally finds it in herself to admit that for fucking once, she might have wanted to take you to a candlelit dinner. Seen you giggle and shit about her poor attempts at romance— not the malicious sort of giggle, no, but fond. Endlessly fond, in the way Sevika never deserved.

The thing — magic, engineering, Hextech or whatever the fuck it's called — crackles across her veins and bones, setting fire to her blood and the viscera that sits contained under her skin. Her body gives another involuntary jerk. It's certainly not her first time having the misfortune of being caught at the wrong place at the wrong time— hell, that blue explosion all those years ago is the reason she has to rely on a metal arm now. But this is different, wrong. It sinks deep into her bones, claws at the essence of her being with its arcane

Sevika tries to scream, but she can't.

In the ringing between her ears, Sevika can only think of where she could be— anywhere but here, either dying or something far, far worse. She wants to sit by your bar after a long day's work while listening to you re-tell the odd and frankly ridiculous narratives your patrons tell you when they're neck deep in drink and tab. She wants to wake up in the middle of the night when you roll over and instinctively press yourself to her side for warmth in your sleep. And maybe, more than anything, she wants to go back in time and cradle your face when you beg her not to leave, kiss you and tell you that she'll be home in time for dinner.

(She'd dismissed you then, told you that a spoiled Piltie couldn't beat her ass hard enough to keep her down.

She was wrong. So fucking wrong.)

Sevika thinks of you now, waiting at home. Anxious; oh, so anxious, because Silco is dead and Jinx has been haywire and who is level-headed enough to at least attempt to clean everything up, but she's only one woman and the Chembarons are fucking deranged and she's just— just—

"Just come home safe, Vika."

Fuck. Fuck.

From her periphery, she registers Cait — Vi's little girlfriend, that prestigious bitch — stumbling to her feet, fumbling for her glitching (why the fuck is it glitching?) rifle. Sevika moans in pain, trying to will some strength into her muscles to get up, fucking get up! Cait can't be a better shot than Jinx. No one is. But Jinx is out of weapons, having been clawing at Vi with her bare hands and pink-blue nails for what might have been just a minute or hours, Sevika's brain is too muddled to tell. But she knows Jinx, knows that she's nearly damn useless when it comes to rationality without her sanity and her trinkets, and when she's squabbling with Vi so blindly, so violently, Sevika knows Cait will have a clear shot.

And she does.

Sevika hears a cry. Pained, almost child-like. She thinks its Jinx, at first— and for a split moment, it is. Jinx, blue-haired, glossy-eyed, a finger shot straight off its knuckle. Electricity crackles over the palm of her gloved hands, her shoulders rising and falling rapidly with each breath she takes.

But then the pain overtakes Sevika again, and she clutches at her rib, her leg— everything. She wants it out, but she doesn't know where it even is.

When her eyes clear again and she can breathe semi-properly, it's Isha now. That little runt with her mop of messy brown hair and that stupid helmet that's toppled to the floor. Vi is straddling her sister-- or was, before that stupid kid ran from where she was hiding in the rafters (when had she gotten down, and how did she do it so quickly?), shoved herself between the pink-haired turncoat and Jinx.

There's two holding a gun now.

Words being spoken. Isha wails, clinging onto Jinx fiercely even when Jinx tries to shove her off, equal parts frustrated and confused by the younger girl's behaviour. Sevika thinks of you, just as quick to shove yourself between Sevika and danger when the two of you had been barely strangers.

"Come back to me."

A groan rips itself from her throat, silent but pained. Sevika pulls herself to her feet, the goddamned Devil's lightning still crackling around her limbs like some fancy magic trick gone horribly wrong (She hopes it doesn't ruin her new arm. She literally just got it this week, goddammit.) Cait's back is turned to her, the Enforcer's hands gripping her rifle like a lifeline— but too stupid, too caught up in playing hero for her fucked little kingdom to notice the heavy footfalls behind her.

She stumbles to the wall, wracks her brain for somethng. She's missing it. Sevika blames it on that damn Jinx, the way she yaps like an overexcited puppy when she's explaining her plans; and the way she never actually elaborates on them, because "Sevika is too dumb, Sevika won't get it." Stupid kid. Sevika needs to get her out of here.

"Sevika. Please, don't do this," your pretty face, your teary little eyes. You're a tough little cookie, Sevika knows, like a stubborn weed growing in their nasty streets, but you're always so quick to tears when you think Sevika's staking her bets too high.

Maybe she did. But she can't lose the game. Not now.

One more bet.

Her human arm fumbles clumsily over the flat stone wall— not one of those pillars that Jinx and Vi had so recklessly ruined in their squabble. She feels along the ridges, remembers the flares and bombs that Jinx had planted all around Topside.

There's a click.

"Don't go."

Oh, she's not going. She's got another day yet.

[mcuamerica]

The Shadowsinger: Three

Warnings: 18+. Minors DNI. mentions of parental abuse, mentions of violence, implied torture, ACOTAR series spoilers. If I forgot anything, please let me know!

Pairings: Azriel x Fem!Reader

Summary: Rhys asks you to be an emissary for the Night Court and Azriel volunteers to train you.

Disclaimer: I do not own SJM’s characters or plot lines, only the ones I create for the purpose of this story. This is a work of fiction. I do not give permission to repost my work on any other platform or medium. Please be respectful.

My graphics are my own. If you wish to use them, please give credit!

Series Masterlist

Prologue - One - Two

The next month was spent with you learning about Velaris and the rest of Prythian. Even though you were 20 when you ended up in the northern village, you knew a lot had changed in the 100… and 50… years since then. You couldn’t count on anything you learned from being a spy because so much was different under Amarantha.

You spent days in the Library under the house, reading books about High Lords and Illyrians. You also found some good romance novels you brought up to your room.

This city, one that was full of hopes and dreams and happiness… It hadn’t been touched in hundreds of years. Not even the people in the Court of Nightmares knew about it anymore, thanks to Rhys’s protection.

You got to know Cassian, Mor, and Amren pretty well. Azriel had been off doing his own spying, so you only got to know him from what the Inner Circle told you.

You felt like you were starting to belong here. Like you could find a place in the city. Maybe even in the circle. 

“I have an offer for you.” Rhys said at dinner one day. You took a sip of your wine and rose your eyebrows, telling him to go on. “We are trying to get the Illyrians to train the females. Those who want to be trained, or aren’t being threatened by their partners, of course. And I think you’d be a good emissary to the war bands.” He said, glancing at Cassian as if to say keep your mouth shut.

“Me? I- I don’t know if they would listen to a female… especially if their High Lord is having trouble with it.” You said, glancing over to Cassian. You knew the male would probably support what you chose, but if the High Lord and Lord Commander were struggling… 

“Well, then you’ll have to make them listen. And not to bring your abilities into it… but you are a Shadowsinger. They can’t deny that, and they’ll tolerate you more because of it.” He said. How lovely…

“Like they did for Azriel?” You asked, hearing the stories of the brothers from Mor and Rhys. They barely allowed him to train, being a bastard. The only reason they did was because he was a Shadowsinger, and Rhys’s friend… “I don’t know, Rhys… it’s one thing to visit those camps. But to try and convince them that they have to train females..” you trailed off. “I don’t even know how to fight. I can’t very well take on an Illyrian.”

“You know how to hunt, right?” Cassian asked and you shrugged. You hunted for Sirona and your family when you first arrived at the northern village, but you hadn’t done a lot in the past 50 years. The most you ever did was with your Shadows, and that was more described as sneaking. “Then I’ll teach you to fight. Show the Illyrians that females can fly in their ranks just as good, if not better, than any male.” He said.

“You can think about it-“ Rhys started but you shook your head.

“I’ll do it.” You said firmly. “I’m tired of being useless when it comes to protecting myself and the people I love. I’m not going to let it happen again.” You said, your shadows settling on your shoulders as if they were backing you up. You let your family down before. You let your blood family harm you and the only thing you could do was flee. 

“Okay, then it’s settled. I’ll train you-“

“How about I do it?” You heard Azriel’s voice, turning to him where he leaned against the wall. A few of your shadows bolted to him like the first day you met, this time wrapping around him before coming back to you. You could’ve sworn they brought some of his scent with them. They didn’t say anything, but they seemed to like him more than anyone else you met. 

“Az, when did you get back?” Cassian asked.

As smirked, “Just now.” He said

“You want to train (Y/N)?” Cassian asked, resulting in Azriel nodding.

“I can teach you how to fight with and without your shadows. And when I’ve gotta go out on missions, Cass can train you on the former.” He said and you looked at Rhys.

“Whatever you want.” Rhys said and smiled. “It’s your choice.”

You glanced between the two. You didn’t know Azriel as well as you did Cassian… but you knew he was a Shadowsinger like you. And you know he could help you hone your abilities. You also knew that he was just as much a deadly warrior as the other two males sitting beside you.

“Okay, it’s a good idea.” I said and gave him a small smile. You could’ve sworn you saw his face flush, but only for a moment before he was back to showing his unreadable mask. “Maybe you can teach me how to spy… and this time actually keep secrets when I want to.” You joked. You knew how to spy. Knew how to get information out of people. When Rhys didn’t have time to interrogate spies under the mountain, she had you do it. You still felt blood on your hands from all the lesser faeries and High Fae you harmed on her behalf. 

Az only gave you a small nod before joining the rest of you at the table. “I do have one request,” you said to all of them. “I don’t go to Valorworth until I’m done training.” You said. Before any of them could ask, you continued. “I can’t see my family… My blood family… yet. What they did to me.. I was weak and a coward. I couldn’t stand up for myself so the only thing I did was run. So the next time I do see them, I want to be able to show them I’m not weak. And I won’t run from them.”

There was something of understanding on all of their faces as you looked around the table. “If you want to kill them, we’ll gladly allow it.” Cassian said with a small smirk on his face. “Hell, I’ll even do it.” Rhys said and you smiled, letting out a small laugh.

“I don’t need to go that far… yet.” You said and leaned back in the chair, happy to be able to help the Court.

“You’ll get a salary as well,” Rhys said. “You’re welcome to stay here at the House. Or the townhouse. But you can also find an apartment.” He said and you smiled.

“I’ll think about it. Right now, it’s better to stay close to where I can train.” You settled. “If staying here is okay with all of you, that is.” You said.

“Are you kidding? It’ll be so much better having you here and not just the boys.” Mor said and you laughed gently, finally feeling like you could really fit in here.

The next day you went up to the training ring, seeing Azriel already warming up. You stood quietly by the stairs, watching as his shadows moved with him as he did movements you’d seen thousands of times in Valorworth.

His shadows didn’t warn him of your presence. A couple of them snuck out from behind his legs and went over to you, circling around your hair. Your own shadows moved to join him in the center of the ring. You still barely understood the concept of Shadowsinging, even after all these years. But maybe now, with him as your teacher, you could understand it more. And learn to understand yourself.

You finally cleared your throat as you stepped forward. As much as you wanted to, you knew you couldn’t stand and watch him all day. “You certainly know what you’re doing.” You commented as you walked closer to him.

Rhys had gotten Illyrian training leathers for you, tailored to your wings and your sizes. So when you walked up to Azriel, he had to pause just to take you in. You didn’t wear dresses much, but you also didn’t wear anything as tight fitting as this. Not that he’s seen you within the past month.

You shifted under his gaze, looking up to the sky. After breakfast and before you came here, you decided to take a flight. You knew it would be getting colder, and the frigid fall air only proved you right. This would be one of the last nice days before it started to snow. And flying would be a hassle.

“I am teaching you for a reason.” He finally said and you nodded. “Come here, let’s get started.” He motioned you over to where he stood.

You walked over and set your hands to your side. You were glad he decided to train you here and not in Windhaven. You didn’t know if you could handle being seen by the males, critiqued. Cassian told you that wasn’t the only reason he wanted to train you here. Apparently, Azriel hated the Illyrians. You completely understood, too, from what you’d learn about Azriel. The things that happened to him while at the war camps. Especially before Rhysand’s mother had come along to take him in. Still, you didn’t want to start training as an Illyrian when you didn’t know anything. 

You weren’t sure how or why Azriel still adapted to the training, but it was probably so ingrained into him (and useful) that he couldn’t let it go. And so you had your trainer.

“I’m assuming you never trained at the camp?” He asked and you simply shook your head, scoffing at the idea. Your father would have killed you if he saw you anywhere near the training rings. “Do you know the exercises at all? Anything?” He asked and you shook your head.

“I was 20 when I left, and I was never allowed near the ring. I’ve only ever saw my brothers train once, and I remember the beating I got for it more than anything else.” You said. “All I know is that my father had a killer left hook that would leave my face bruised for a week. Even with my healing.” You said and saw something like anger flash through Azriel’s eyes before returning to his soft stare.

“Then let’s teach you an even worse one, and maybe he’ll learn never to hit a female again.” He said and you gave him a small smirk.

“Let’s.” You agreed and started the warm up with him.

Series Masterlist

Join the taglist here

A/N: Well we see the reader finally interact with Azriel! Not much but just a little taste of it... I hope y'all like slow burns cause this one is very much that...

Tagging:

@cherry-cin @cleverzonkwombatsludge @nickisshadowsinger139

@atomolvnar @complete-randomness-2 @lilah-asteria @tele86

[fuckyeahgoodomensfanfic]

Good Omens Fic Rec: in the house we remain

Aziraphale buys a quiet cottage in the middle of the English countryside. It is perfect in every way: old-style, quaint, surrounded by wilderness, with a small water feature in the back and a price to rival that of any other property he's seen. He is in love from the moment he sees it. But when a mysterious set of books, all written by unknown author A.J. Crowley, appears on his book shelf, Aziraphale begins to wonder if there is perhaps more to this house than he'd originally believed. The truth can be buried, but it cannot stay hidden forever.

Length: 48,334 words

AO3 Rating: Mature / Spice Level 🔥

Best for: Mostly Safe in Public, At Home, Angst, Human AU

Triggers: Major Character Death

Read it here, fic by commodorecliche

*Minor Spoilers* It's almost frustrating that this story of Aziraphale falling in love with a ghost is one of the most gripping and beautiful stories I've read. It shouldn't work this well, it should be a crack idea. But this is such a powerful piece of fiction. It seamlessly blends romance with mystery and horror. Get your tissues, settle in, this one will haunt you.

Aziraphale has just moved to a cozy cottage in the countryside. If he's hearing things, feeling weird drafts, and noticing things out of place, well, that's just him settling in. Soon, there will be no denying the strange events, and it starts with a set of unpublished books written by an AJ Crowley. The previous, deceased, owner of the house.

This is heartbreaking. It's grief pools over everything. As Aziraphale learns more about the entity who haunts his cottage you will start to grieve as well. The way they begin to communicate was so thrilling and the softest romance. On one hand, we know they're soulmates and belong together despite any obstacle. On the other, it's a tragedy and horrifying. It's gorgeous and grotesque.

It's mostly safe in public, but an at home read for me. If you were destroyed by All of Us Strangers, I think you'll want to check this out. But mind the tags and warnings, there is graphic descriptions of death and major character death. Technically a happy ending? But that's a grey area in itself. I'd love to know how you guys feel about this ending actually

Read it here, fic by commodorecliche

P.S Spoilers under the cut because I want to scream about this story so come back once you've read this

I literally started crying when Aziraphale discovers what was tucked into the attic, the way Crowley was never appreciated as an author was so painful!! Crowley's death destroyed me!! The scene of the water splashing and Aziraphale trying to save him??? Only to come inside and see him?? THE ART???? This one has got me UNWELL.

But also what a horror! Aziraphale never experiencing a full life with Crowley, never knowing the physical touch of a person for what was it 40 years?? That's both romantic and devastating.

UGH I will never get over the scene of Aziraphale watching Adam discover his body. It made my blood run cold. And how Crowley had to watch over his decaying body as well. FUCK this one is so insanely good and how can I explain that to a normie? Hm? Yeah this human au of my blorbos falling in love even though one of them is a ghost literally had me crying screaming and throwing up and this is a normal thing for me

My views on the ending? I think I lean on the horror end of the scale. Yes they are together, but stuck watching over every new owner of the house, still never getting to experience a real life together

[ambrosialdesire]

cacoëthes

[ PART ONE ] [ PART TWO ] [ PART THREE ]

18+ DARK CONTENT BELOW, MINORS + BLANK BLOGS DNI

pairing: s4 reiner x fem!reader word count: 14.3k warnings + tags: general yandere and obsessive themes, unhealthy relationships, kidnapping mention, gore/violence, minor character death, drugging mention (sleeping pills), slight misogyny, slight stockholm syndrome, vomit mention (nonsexual), noncon/dubcon, sexual implications, mention of male masturbation, a dash of porco x reader, somnophilia (but the reader is awake and pretending to be asleep), dry-humping kinda, virginity mention, kinda aot spoilers if you haven't watched it before, all characters are 18+ synopsis: it's been three years since reiner had taken you away to marley and you've been getting used to the brand new world since then. you have a good husband, his family tolerates you, and his fellow warriors are somewhat decent people. what he doesn't know is that everything was coming to an end, three years of planning an escape won't go to waste of course. a/n: this shit took me forever idk why i decided to make it this long lol this is fr a passion project at this point (i want reiner so bad) but anyways i hope y'all enjoy this, there's one more part after this and it's gonna contain ALL the dirty bits >:) note: please keep in mind of the tags above and do not proceed if triggering or uncomfortable, especially if you are a minor!! do not read my or any other writers' dark content if you are underaged. this is a fictional work and does not reflect irl morals, do not believe this is how a real romance works or functions.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ.───

Drowning was certainly an odd feeling. You were on the teetering edge of consciousness and unconsciousness, but it was definite that you were unable to completely open your eyes. It was disgustingly warm and humid, but a sudden spike of cold hit your moistened skin as you were getting pulled out of something.

Someone was pushing on your chest rapidly, muffled begging echoing in your eardrums. A few more sturdy pumps on your chest and you turned your head suddenly, throwing up any liquid that remained in your lungs and shooting up roughly coughing. You... you weren't dead? But you swore that you were just eaten by Bertolt.

You continued to cough to clear out the remnants of whatever you were in but began to observe your surroundings at the same time. Your blurred eyes first latched on the one who cleared your lungs, the person having a relieved but worried smile on his face. Your vision suddenly cleared in a furious rage.

"You fucker!"

Throwing yourself on the black haired man, your hands wrapped around his throat angrily and squeezed down as hard as you possibly could. The deep slice that Mikasa had once made was long gone and you wished that she had managed to slice his head clean off. He gagged under your hands, weakly trying to pull them off. You were only stopped as another man harshly told you to knock it off and pulled at the back of your shirt away from Bertolt, seeing him gasp for air and hold his neck.

"Don't fucking touch me Braun." You hissed, slapping the newly replaced hand off of you. You didn't want him to ever touch you ever again, the mere thought disgusting you.

"Y/N-"

"I don't want to hear it, not from two rats like you and you."

You took more observations with the environment, seeing that they ended up at the forest that the Female Titan had taken many lives in. Eren and Ymir were here too, passed out on another branch of the large tree. Eren's arms were cut off from the elbow, and Ymir's arm and leg were still regenerating slowly. Cruel pieces of shit.

"Be grateful that Bertolt managed to not dissolve you in his mouth, otherwise you'd be digesting in his stomach by now." He was talking to you peacefully as if this was all normal and nothing happened, but all you wanted to do was stab his goddamn heart out.

"Grateful? Grateful?!" You scornfully laughed aloud, an angry expression still worn. "I'd rather be a meal by now than talking to you."

Your hand reached over where your sword should've been but there was nothing there, being swallowed whole by Bertolt must've crushed up your gear or maybe the stomach acid destroyed them. Weird that it didn't kill you but it was most definitely frustrating that you had nothing to defend yourself. You reared him in the stomach with your elbow, turning around to face him as you attempted to punch his face. But he grabbed your hand before you could throw one, pushing you down onto the branch and pinning you back down.

"I told you Reiner, she'd be too much trouble to take back home." Bertolt fretted as he ran a hand through his short hair. You stopped struggling under the man, looking at the other with confusion.

"...What did you say?"

"I'm taking you back to our homeland, you and those two." Was he delusional, he had to be delusional.

"This is the only place that humanity remains, are you telling me you're taking me to a land where Titans live?!" You screeched and Reiner covered your mouth with his free hand, shutting you up. You bit down on his hand but he didn't move away, only pressing down harder until you stopped. Dull teeth were never going to be able to tear through a monster's skin.

"You're being unreasonable, it's a continent across the sea called Marley. Bertolt, Annie, and I came from there, our mission was to retrieve the Founding Titan from Paradis Island. It's been years since we left our home and now we can finally leave. Shame we weren't able to retrieve what we actually came for." He grumbled the last part but you were horrified with what he had just revealed. He and Bertolt lied about their backstory, they never lived in Wall Maria; they decimated it. They destroyed your life. Destroyed other peoples' lives.

But you were even more confused, you weren't a Titan shifter like them so why did he want to bring you along?

You tried to speak under his hand, only for it to be muffled, so he released his hold from your mouth.

"Why... Why bring me? I don't have any Titan form like the lot of you."

Reiner smiled down at you, the kind where it held such excitement that you wanted to puke.

"I decided that we were going to get married in Marley. You'll be my wife, but it's going to be a difficult process trying to have a Paradisian Eldian apply for citizenship."

"You're insane!" You shrieked, gaping with dread. No way in hell were you going to marry this crazy Titan guy, not after you found out that he was in cahoots with the other that fucked up your life.

"You're fucking insane if you think I'll marry you!"

You started to struggle underneath him, panic setting in again. This was your home, your only home in the world. No matter where Reiner would take you, it would never be a home of yours. Was that why he asked that question way back then?

"Hoover, you can't let him do this! Why are you enabling him when I have no use to you?!" You cried out to the man in vain, his gaze avoiding yours completely. Reiner shot a glare at his friend as he struggled to keep you apprehended under him. Cowardly fuck.

Through the haze of your alarmed anger, Bertolt mentioned to his partner-in-crime that he should knock you out again so you'd stop screaming so much.

Oh, so now he wants to talk. You were about to reply with a snarky response but deft fingers pinched a part of your neck, and you fell silent, falling asleep once more.

"Why'd you have to choose the one who's giving us too much of a fight Reiner?" Bertolt sighed and the man promptly ignored him, lifting you up gently to tie your hands together and to wrap your mouth with a cloth.

"Once we reach the Shiganshina District and meet up with Zeke, that's where we'll drop off Y/N so she won't be a part of the fight anymore."

"Will we be able to reach there on time? The Corps must be after us already and we still have to get Annie." Reiner set you down gently and patted his friend on the back.

"Don't worry, once we reach him and discuss what we can do to get her back, you can finally confess to her."

"Reiner!"

'•.¸♡ ♡¸.•''•.¸♡ ♡¸.•''•.¸♡ ♡¸.•'

You didn't know how long you were out for, fading in and out of consciousness yet again. Whatever they did to you, it kept you well asleep for a while. You do remember faint glimpses, from being hoisted on this four-legged Titan's back to being medically treated by strangers. You faintly felt their fingers poke and prod at you, like you were some kind of unknown specimen, a new species. Yet the one thing you couldn't remember was that you never saw Reiner or Bertolt, no they weren't there for as long as you slept.

Maybe it was a dream, all of this. You were sleeping in the Corps dorms, the girls had forgotten to wake you up for today's duties, and you'd soon get scolded by the short captain and being told to mop the floor till it's squeaky clean. Everything was fine. As fine as it could get in this world.

Drowsiness was the first thing that hit you. You noticed that it was nighttime, dim lantern light being the only source that lit up the room... a metal room?

In confusion, you sat up. There was a circular window on one of the sides of the wall and you walked up to it, wobbling from unsteadiness and exhaustion. When you looked out, there was nothing but a dark and unwelcoming emptiness.

A large iron door with its own window was on the other side of the room and you took a few steps towards it, pulling the knob down and opening it. It groaned open and you examined the outside, checking both sides of the hallway. More cold metal encased everything that you saw, where in the world were you right now?

Heavy footsteps clanged towards you and you panicked, closing the door quickly and jumping back in bed, pretending that you were still asleep. The familiar groaning was heard, the steps quieter and slower as they approached you. You had half the mind to jump and attack the person that entered, but a reasonable part of you told you not to do it.

"Y/N?" Well look who arrived, your new worst enemy.

As much as you didn't want to see him, you turned your body towards him anyway. Relief flooded in his expression and he reached over to caress your face. You avoid it completely, pushing him away with your hand. You asked softly with a firm tone, "Where are we?"

"You probably don't know this kind of advanced machinery, but we're on a boat back to Marley." Ah, so the scouts weren't able to retrieve you. What unfortunate and devastating information you've learned. Tears began to well up but you brushed those sad thoughts aside, they probably thought you were already dead from when Bertolt grabbed you on top of the wall.

"Eren and Ymir?"

"Eren was taken back, we weren't able to retrieve him unfortunately. Ymir's here though, she went with us with no complaints." Was he just saying that or was she also forced on board? And how lucky Eren was to be saved once again by the scouts and his friends. So. Damn. Lucky.

"...Hoover?"

"Dead." Goosebumps rose up on your skin, wasn't he the Colossal Titan? They... they finally managed to kill that fifty meter fucker?

"How?"

"Eren and Armin are quite the clever ones, Armin now has the Colossal's power because of their plan." What did that mean? You wanted to ask but his face was twisted in a vague, hidden pain.

You decided to stop asking questions for his sake and the two of you were silent, the only movements he made were him sitting down on the edge of the bed. Remembering back to what he said in the forest, you stupidly decided to bring it up.

"I don't want to be your wife." You whispered in a shaky tone, clenching the blanket in a tight fist.

"You'll learn to accept it for what it is. You'll like it there, no over-the-top walls and you'll be able to meet my mother. She'll disagree with our relationship at first, but she'll learn to like you, I prom-"

You shook your head, frustrated that he wasn't listening to you again. Trying to deescalate the situation, you attempted to talk him out of it.

"Braun, you're not in the right state of mind. You were my friend, a brother. I never wanted to date or marry you, especially now that I know who you really are. I'm sorry."

Reiner was quiet, deathly still kind of quiet. If he wasn't mentally unhinged before, he could definitely now be.

"Don't test me Y/N. I have all the patience in the world for you, but right now, there's not a single soul here that will save you for what I could do to you. And there are many things I want to do to you."

He reached over to you and you flinched, terrified that he was about to strike you after knowing what kind of strength he possessed. Yet no sharp pain came nor a broken jaw, just gentle rubs against your cheek were administered instead. You peeked through your closed eyes, only seeing a twisted, infatuated look directed towards you. An idea popped in your head, you'd use him in order to escape.

You'll be able to find your way back home one way or another eventually, but for now, you'd play the part Reiner wants from you. His loving and doting wife.

You tilted your face closer to his touch, even pressing his hand closer to your cheek with your own. You watched him smile happily and lean close to you, warmth spreading across your skin. The two of you shared a stare, your heart beating wildly in your ribcage.

Reiner pulled you close to him and gave you a soft kiss on your forehead. You wanted to cringe away from him, wanted to uppercut him right in the jaw. But you had to hide your hate, it's the only way you'll manage to get out.

"See? That wasn't so bad, was it?" He asked, voice completely over the moon.

"We'll take our time, I'll wait until you're ready."

"Yeah okay... that sounds like a plan."

'•.¸♡ ♡¸.•''•.¸♡ ♡¸.•''•.¸♡ ♡¸.•'

You stayed in a prison room for weeks. To be completely honest, you stopped counting once you reached around the sixteenth day. When the boat boarded Marley, you and Reiner were surrounded by Marleyan militia that moved the both of you into a containment area.

Those hate-filled looks from these foreign people, you couldn't understand what you did to make them look at you like that.

You were just like them... right?

You saw a glimpse of Ymir being shoved out with her hands and mouth wrapped, and you were happy to see another familiar face. But that happiness did not last long as she was moved into a different building from yours, giving you a pitiful and sorrowful look. In your heart, you knew it would be the last time you'd see the girl. Poor, poor Historia...

Reiner told you that you'd be staying in the cell until your citizenship and marriage certification were approved, but he'd visit you everyday and teach you the language and history between Marley and Eldia. You somewhat appreciated that he was willing to take the time to actually help you learn. His naiveness only made it easier for you to escape this place faster.

Along with him teaching you, he began telling you his real life. The real story of Reiner Braun, the Marley warrior and not the Paradis soldier. He was a product of a Marleyan-blooded father and an Eldian-blooded mother, dedicating himself as a child to become a warrior so his father would come back and his family would finally be whole again. But he rejected him, never seeing him as his son due to his Eldian lineage. You felt just a smidge of sympathy for him as he spoke about it, even if your own family was long gone because of him, everyone was still loved equally.

After he was chosen to become the Armored Titan, four out of six warriors were told to go to Paradis in order to retrieve the Founding Titan. Marcel, the user that had the Jaw Titan, was unfortunately eaten by Ymir; you were shocked to find out that is how one became a Titan Shifter, hearing the morbid truth behind the shifting. Despite losing one of their members, they still continued with their operation.

That was the start of everything, from the death of your family to you joining the training corps years later to you sparring him to now. He rambled on and on about you, telling you things that made your gut negatively twist. How he has been watching you after the training spar to how he collected your flower rings as memorabilia, all these things before you truly befriended this monster.

Reiner says he has been deeply in love with you since then but the way you saw it, he was just a mad man that was using you as an anchor for his own sanity.

He didn't love you.

You were just a toy, the closest person he could attach to after losing everyone in Paradis. You were unknowingly keeping him level through the years. Fear was slowly seeping in as you would not know how he would react if he knew your plans for escaping.

He mustn't know a single peep of your escape, not a single word.

'•.¸♡ ♡¸.•''•.¸♡ ♡¸.•''•.¸♡ ♡¸.•'

It's been roughly three years since you've been taken from Paradis Island.

You have become well-acquainted to what Marley has to offer, despite living in the internment zone of Liberio and wearing an armband that symbolizes your supposed "devil" lineage. It was a decently peaceful life, you were able to do things that you didn't normally do in Paradis like go shopping for groceries and clothing; you were able to walk down streets without worrying if a Titan was nearby or about to bust through the wall.

It was similar to life back home, just more advanced technologically. You were shocked to learn what planes and cars were, accidentally clinging on Reiner's arm when a few flew overhead and some drove by. But the biggest glaring difference for you though was that a nearly fifty meter wall never blocked your sight as you stared into the skies.

Reiner had you meet the other warriors and his family over the years, they were the ones you were mostly allowed to speak to. They were a struggle to win over, it always hurt being called names and being threatened at. Eventually they had no choice but accept you as his wife, seeing how kind you treated him and how despite them constantly berating you, you never gave up nor frowned at their cruel treatment.

Truth be told, you could care less if they liked you but it was important to him to have you get along with them. He cared a lot about family, which you can understand well.

With the warriors, you preferred chatting with Pieck out of the lot of them. Zeke was too intimidating to speak to and it always felt that he was scheming something, and Porco didn't really like talking to you in general, most likely because you came from enemy lines. So Pieck was pretty much a neutral option as she didn't really look at you all that differently like many people do in this nation. You found out that she was the four-legged Titan — Cart Titan, as they liked to call it — that transported you to the boat, a small kindness but also a duty she was set to fulfill for the other warrior.

"You're one of us now." She once mentioned in a hushed tone.

"Are you saying that to make me feel better about my situation?" You questioned as you folded a sheet over your legs, glancing at the woman standing next to you.

"Hm... perhaps I am but we're all people simply trying to survive in the end, right?" Pieck ruffled your hair gently, soon walking away to find Porco. That made you think more than you should have, so you tried to avoid conversations about being Eldian or being from Paradis.

To the more serious issues, your marriage with Reiner has been... upsettingly decent. The act of trying to be a perfect wife had slipped unfortunately, there were many impatient attempts of trying to kill him but you knew all too well afterwards that those were for naught. So you put your murderous intentions on pause temporarily, waiting and waiting for the right moment.

To your luck, he never really put any pressure or punishment on you, mostly because he was gone most of the time fighting small wars in various parts of Marley. You were happy that he was gone so often for so long and trusted you enough to give you the freedom of going out, it gave you time to continue planning. You were able to take and hide money right under his nose and you bought a diary, writing your scheme down so you wouldn't forget; you decided to vent your thoughts as well since no one in Liberio was able to understand what you were going through.

You hid these items in a shoebox in the closet, pushing it to the back to ensure that he wouldn't catch it at a first glance. He never really dug in there anyways, you've noted.

On most occasions, you find yourself praying to some God for him to die in one of those fights but every time, he comes back completely fine. It's always a punch in the gut when you open the door and see him beaming down towards you. You force yourself to grin and greet him with a kiss, just as he taught you to. The few days he was here, he'd be extremely affectionate, demanding that you'd be next to his side at all times before he goes again. You learned not to flinch or cringe away from his kisses, even now that they're more directed to your lips.

Sometimes the kisses would grow into something more. He'd pull you into his lap or push you against the wall, his kisses becoming more needier as he planted one after another on your lips. Reiner's hips would meet yours, bodies too hot under the fabric. You'd catch yourself trying to remove his beige uniform coat and white button-up while his hands roamed around your body, desperately attempting to remove yours.

Realizing what was about to happen, you'd push him or yourself off, darting towards the bathroom in a dazed shock. Reiner never stopped you once from leaving — maybe held onto your hand for too long once — but this had to stop.

You shouldn't let yourself get too attached, you didn't need it to hurt when you were going to leave Marley. Why were you even trying to delude yourself into being romantically involved with him in the first place? Sure, it would be a more convincing façade but that fact was that it simply disgusted you to imagine him touching more than what you're used to.

You used to fight him so much, from not wanting to sleep in the same bed to him having to catch the kitchen knife with his hand to prevent you from stabbing him while you were making dinner. But that fight you had was almost completely eradicated, it just took some harsh threats and a near transformation for you to comply. Even though you were a perfect complacent wife, Reiner wanted a family, a complete one that he had always dreamed of coming home to.

He knew you were avoiding the topic of children, he had always known for the three years he's been married to you. He wanted to respect you and your boundaries, but he just keeps getting more riled up the more you avoid him. The intense make-out sessions with nothing afterwards hurt and he could definitely tell that you keep stopping yourself from just letting loose with him.

But fuck, it's becoming an increasingly difficult task containing himself from just taking you right then and there. On the days he was away from you, Reiner had constant thoughts about you. Thoughts containing where he imagined you sucking his cock, images of you spreading your pussy lips open for him so he could pleasure the hell out of you, or vivid ideations where you'd let him pound and cum so deeply in you that you'd be leaking out for days.

They were especially embarrassing for him when they came late at night when they're traveling on the blimps to the next destination. Reiner would have to shuffle awkwardly to the back or 'roam' into a hidden room where no one saw him go into, completely hard from a simple conception. He'd unzip and pull his white pants all the way down so his cum wouldn't stain the material, and jerk his cock off until he felt satiated enough. You were killing him from keeping him away from what he wants the most out of you.

When he comes back to Liberio to see you, he has to force himself from not trying to rip off your clothes the moment you open the door. You'd always give him a small peck as a greeting but he wants more, he has always wanted more.

You'd swat him away after, telling him that he should freshen up before dinner as you walked back to the kitchen, hips swaying side to side. Were you doing that on purpose or was he that deprived from not having sex with you? You goddamn tease.

Thus on the receiving end, Reiner has been struggling sexually since his marriage to you.

He'd bring it up on occasion, small mentions of having little ones run around or how happy he'd be seeing miniature versions of the two of you. Yet, you'd always avert the conversation to something else, asking about when he'd be going away again and if he'd visit the family soon because Gabi has been asking to see him. You've always focused on him so in return, he wanted to treat you out to somewhere nice before asking the big question about children.

'•.¸♡ ♡¸.•''•.¸♡ ♡¸.•''•.¸♡ ♡¸.•'

Knock, knock.

You looked up from the stew you were making, lowering the heat and wiping off your hands before opening the door. Low and behold, your dear husband had returned from the latest mission, leaning down for you to press a quick kiss on his lips.

"Reiner. You're back early."

"Finished up pretty quickly, Zeke was able to take out the opposing side with Pure Titans with no further issues." Reiner pushed the hair away from your eyes and smiled, planting another kiss on your forehead. He pulled away and took a glance into the kitchen, sniffing the air before squinting.

"Cooking something?"

"Your mom taught me a recipe yesterday, she said that it's something that you used to like eating when you were young. She told me to make it before you came home so I was trying it out." You shrugged as you closed the door, striding back over to the stove. He followed after you, watching you closely. Reiner had to keep an eye on you just in case you didn't poison the food, which you weren't able to because his body rejected it, throwing it up before it was completely in his system.

You didn't know how he was able to do it, maybe it had something to do with his stupid Titan shifting, but you never did it again. Not after he almost transformed in front of you, the angry and electrifying glint in his eyes was indubitably unforgettable.

"Go clean yourself up, it's almost ready."

"I didn't transform this week though Y/N. I shouldn't be smelling like blood." He frowned, his arms slithering around your waist and pulling you close to his body. Here he was being touchy again. 

"You still smell gross, you were around your sweaty comrades for a week. And you know how I know what that smells like." Grumbling that he was going to get you dirty, you pulled his arms off of you, continuing to stir the stew. Reiner simply laughed at you, kissing the side of your head and mumbling a soft love you before walking upstairs to bathe. You were about to yell at him to use the scented soap that you recently bought in the shop but paused, hand over your mouth.

You sounded like a loving wife, an actual loving wife.

The two of you shared this kind of banter rather than you constantly trying to find ways to kill him before you left. It was becoming too... normal for your liking. It wasn't supposed to be like this, he was your kidnapper and a mass murderer, but it didn't seem that way anymore. No, the two of you were seen as the couple that are constantly at odds with each other, but still loved each other regardless.

A Marleyan who fell in love with a Paradisian. A Paradisian who fell in love with a Marleyan. The perfect forbidden romance.

The next time Reiner would leave for war, you had to go back to Paradis. No more hesitating and scheming. You stole and saved up enough money to pay off the man who promised to take you to the island with no questions asked, you'd finally be able to go home. If Eren was still there and still alive, he must've figured out how to patch the holes by now. You'd prefer living in the walls hiding away from Titans than living this kind of life, this life of faulty freedom.

You poured a couple of spoonfuls of stew in a bowl, trying to even out the meat and vegetables. Heavy footsteps creaked the wood above you, the sound following down the stairs. Reiner was dressed in a dark green long-sleeve, the color similar to way back in the cadet training days. You looked away, shutting your eyes tight; to you, those days were long gone. Placing the bowl down in front of him and settling down in the seat opposite, you began to eat.

"I want to take you into the city later this month." You paused before putting the spoon in your mouth and looked up, your head tilting to the side.

"Outside of the internment zone?" Reiner nodded, blowing on a piece of meat. You rarely went there without him, even if you were considered a Marleyan with your armband. The people stared too intensely at you for your own liking, sometimes spitting vile things loudly or under their breaths, so you only went with your husband or Pieck if she was available.

"What are we going to do there? Is there something important that is needed of me?" You questioned and he laughed softly, nodding his head.

"Of course it has something to do with you. We're going on a date." Dates were rare between the two of you as he never stayed long and you were left alone to your own devices. It was a request of Reiner to be able to see you for short periods of time, you didn't know if it was because he was making sure you haven't run off or that he genuinely wanted to check on you. He mentioned that he would be off until he would be called in for the next fight, so he wanted to devote all his time with you.

"You don't have anything to do with the militia or your family?"

"Not really, no orders for now. And we have all the time in the world to visit them, don't you worry." He wiped his mouth before standing up, picking up your empty bowl and kissing your head once more.

Tolerate it, you can tolerate it.

"It's a nice restaurant that I heard the higher ups talk about, they accept Marley-approved Eldians as well so we won't get stared at. I know how much you don't like the stares."

You just hummed in reply. You sat watching him clean the bowls, leaning on the table with your arm. Reiner definitely changed physically the past few years, his body becoming noticeably bulkier under his clothes and stubble had grown in; though you hated him with every inch of your skin, you had to admit that the more mature look on him was fitting.

You haven't changed much, your hair may have grown longer since there was no need to cut it short anymore and you must've gained a little bit more weight due to the constant cooking. But your feelings have still stayed the same, complete and utter resentment for the man you were forced to wed to.

"I'm going to bed."

"I'll be joining you soon."

You had to check if the box and diary was still there, making sure that the money was the exact amount as well. You picked up your pencil and started quickly jotting down your thoughts for today.

Reiner has come home early today, I was caught off guard. This might be the last time I write in this as I finally reached my goal to pay off that man. I'll be able to go home when he leaves for war again.

Would they remember me? I would be considered a ghost because of Bertolt. I'll tell them everything that happened here if they haven't figured it out yet, that there's humanity beyond the walls and they're the reason why we suffered for so long behind them.

If I leave this behind and if you, Reiner, find this when I'm long gone, know that I've always hated you. I've always been sickened by your touch and your kisses, I never meant any of those I love yous, and I've always wished you died horribly during the times you went off to those battles. I wanted to receive a letter or be told personally that you were killed in action, shot down by the cannons that were able to pierce through your armor. I'd weep, not of sadness but of joy because I would be finally be free from your clutches. Whatever you thought you taught me in order to be your perfect spouse, I was playing a role in order to survive this insanity of yours.

The creaks of the floorboards were starting to grow closer and you panicked, writing down your last words.

I never loved you and I never will. Don't try to go back to Paradis to find me. You would have to bring back my dead body in order to bring me back to Marley.

Hastily closing the diary, you stashed it back in the box and shoved it back in. As you stood up, you started to pretend to change your clothes, trying to unbutton your shirt. The door soon opened, back towards him as he stepped closer. He reached over and tugged at your hand, pulling it until you faced him and wrapped his arms around your waist securely, hoisting you up. You steadied yourself as you placed your hands on his chest, your heart ached dully as he tenderly gazed upon you.

"I love you."

You bit down on your tongue before putting on the kindest smile possible.

"I love you too."

'•.¸♡ ♡¸.•''•.¸♡ ♡¸.•''•.¸♡ ♡¸.•'

"Good afternoon Ms. Braun." You bowed your head respectively towards the woman, arm linked with Reiner's. Usually after he comes home, the two of you would visit his family and celebrate the success of the Marleyan forces. It wasn't really a choice in the matter, they were happy that he was alive and you weren't.

"Oh Y/N, you know you can call me Karina now. We're both Brauns, aren't we?" She grabbed your hand and patted it gently, a small smile on her face.

"Right. My apologies." The two of you walked in the home, a small body suddenly colliding into his.

His cousin, Gabi, was hugging him tightly with a beaming grin. She was a fireball of a child, her fiery personality reminding you of a particular someone back home. She was the only member in the Braun family that still didn't really like you, even stating it aloud a few times, but you didn't mind. Though her words cut deep, it proved that someone in this family knew that you didn't belong here.

The two were talking to each other, something about the warrior campaign, but you didn't care and excused yourself into the kitchen. When you came to celebrate, you usually helped Reiner's mother with the food while he spoke with his other family. She welcomed you in, explaining what dishes to help prepare and what to set up in the dining room. This was like clockwork, it has been ever since you've been here.

"My son has been speaking to me about something important," Karina spoke as the two of you cut vegetables together, placing them into a bowl. "He says that the two of you are planning to have children soon."

Your blood ran cold, pausing your chopping. No way in hell were you keen on bearing his children, not now and not ever. But you simply laughed, as if it was a funny little joke.

"Reiner said that? I told him that we weren't ready, especially with his work right now."

"Oh, but it's been over 3 years now. I'd expected to have a few grandchildren by now, especially with how he coddles you."

There were one too many occurrences where the two of you were awfully close to laying in bed with one another, your face suddenly burning up as you reminisced on those moments. You would never give him yourself like that though, you'd never give him what he wants.

"I'm just worried that our children would be raised without their loving father."

Karina's face softened as she put down the knife, wiping her hands.

"You're a good woman Y/N. I would like to apologize for treating you differently because you came from the island devils. After all, they are the reason why we Eldians here are treated like this." There goes that Paradis Island Eldian talk again, but you did somewhat appreciate the half-assed apology.

"Thank you... Karina. I know it must have been difficult trying to accept me into your family because of my origins, I apologize for the trouble I gave you." No, you didn't feel sorry at all but it was better to suck it up than to start a scene where you could end up possibly dead. The two of you continued to cook for the others, making light conversation with one another about recipes and how each other's weeks were.

Reiner leaned on the doorway, watching you hard at work with his mother. You've always looked so pretty when you were focused, pulling your hair back with a cloth before you began to knead the dough. You were going to wash your flour-covered hands before you bumped into his chest, his hand resting on the small of your back before you could pull away.

"Working hard, aren't you my lovely wife?" You've always hated when he called you affectionate names because of the way it made your stomach flip.

"You're going to get your shirt dirty Reiner, flour is hard to clean once it gets on your clothes." Ignoring him, you tried pulling away from him but his hand would not budge, the grip only tightening. You mumbled to let go so you could wash up but no dice.

"I've been dirtied with worse. Maybe if you give me a kiss, I'll let you go." It was always awkward kissing in front of his family, you've never had gotten used to that part and you never will. You tip-toed and quickly gave a peck on his lips, but he made no moves, only wearing a small smirk. Fucker.

You tip-toed once more and pulled his face with your dirtied hands, pressing your lips much more deeply into his. As you pulled away with an irritated expression, you asked him one question.

"Happy?"

Reiner licked his lips, smugly grinning as he wiped the flour off his cheeks.

"One more and I'll consider."

"Go fuck yourself." You hissed quietly, finally giving one large shove and he finally released you. He laughed, murmuring a small apology as he pressed his lips on your forehead. His mother reprimanded him, telling him he shouldn't disturb a lady while she is cooking. As she continued to scold him, you were scrubbing the muck off your hands.

Happy couple on the outside, kidnapper and kidnappee on the inside.

Dinner was fine as it usually was, the men got drunk and the women were left to clean up after them. Gabi asked him to tell the family stories of his time on the island and he made up a tall tale about Sasha and the first orientation of the 104th Training Corps. The infamous event of the uneven split potato between her and Commander Shadis, getting reminded of the story made you even more homesick than ever. Even more reason to see your friends again.

You waved a goodbye to the family as you held Reiner's body up, trying to prevent him from falling from his drunken stupor. It would be quite nice if you could just let him fall flat on the ground and leave him there until morning came, but you didn't want to face his wrath about it.

He was luckily a quiet drunk, mumbling incoherently as you walked through the streets with him, exhaling angrily as you stumbled around. You were so close to just letting him sleep on the street until your name was called, your head turning and seeing a familiar face.

"Galliard?"

"Jeez, I've been calling for you. You turning deaf or what?" The brashness of his words made you huff in response and he helped you hold up the taller man, shaking his head disapprovingly. Out of everyone in the nation that you knew, Porco was the one you least wanted to bump into for assistance. He and Reiner didn't get along that well, he mentioned once to you that they had some tension in their childhood.

"An easy win and the idiot gets this drunk, can't imagine what he's like when we win harder battles."

"On those days, we have to sleep over at his mother's and those mornings are the absolute worst." Porco snorted, adjusting his arm as the two of you walked together.

"Tell me about it, he's barely keeping himself upright. What's he thinking making you carry him home?"

You shrugged, lightly chuckling. "I've carried heavier, it's just been a while."

"You were an island devil soldier right?" There's that name again but you nodded in response.

"You're so frail-looking for a soldier, it's a miracle you passed as one."

You shot a glare at him, stopping in your stride. "What? Me? Frail?"

"You sure are. You're only a housewife for Vice Captain Reiner Braun, you only serve to warm his bed and cook his food. You? A soldier? What a joke." Your nails dug into the skin of your palm, hard enough that you were sure it drew blood.

That was the cruel reality of your situation, you were no longer a soldier. Just a war wife. He was right, you were a complete and utter joke of the person that you once were.

"Spar me then."

"What?" It felt like Reiner was no longer in the vicinity, all you wanted was to prove Porco wrong. You weren't frail, you were a goddamn Survey Corps soldier.

"Spar me goddammit, I won't repeat it. And don't bother holding back."

You pulled Reiner to a bench, almost shoving his body in the seat before facing the other man. There was an unsure look on his face but all the frustration and anger that was built up over the years was about to blow up out of you, and you put your fists up in your familiar defensive position.

Three whole years you haven't touched up nor sharpened your skills but at this moment, it didn’t matter. You were tired, exhausted from being looked down upon constantly. You were sick of Marleyan and Eldian talk and you were sick of Porco's ego right now.

"What? Don't tell me you're scared of getting defeated by an island devil? Or are you scared of losing to a woman?" You taunted, his face going from shock to an angry scowl.

A burst of energy flowed through your body as he ran at you, a jab targeted towards your face. You couldn't let your timing be off, you needed the advantage as much as possible. Quickly, you intertwined his arm with yours and swiped at his legs, effectively making him fall away from you. He landed on his back, sputtering out the remnants of air in his lungs.

You could give your blessings to Annie and Commander Shadis another time. Adrenaline rushed through your veins as you slammed him down on the ground, teeth bared as you straddled onto his stomach.

"I do not give a damn if you continue to think I'm the devil of your people. I'm fed up with being thought of as weak by assholes like you." Porco tried pulling his arm away but you gripped onto him harder, eyes lit ablaze. You socked him right in the nose, knuckles white from gripping your fist so tightly. It hurt — fuck — everything hurt right now.

He used his free hand to hold your wrist and you struggled to break the hold, pulling and tugging in every direction wildly. His nose was bleeding, red trails slipping down the side of his face. Slight steam began to arise from the site, just barely blurring your vision.

"I'm tired, I'm so fucking tired. You have absolutely no clue what it's like to have everything stolen away from you! To be taken away from everything and everyone that you know!" You lamented in frustration, continuing to try and shake out of his hold.

The wild anger you once had faltered into sadness, tears welling up as your grip loosened, fist falling at your side. Your moment of weakness caused him to immediately flip you over, your positions both switched as he pinned your wrist down while the other was raised up, ready to strike down. Before he swung down, you closed your eyes, clenching your jaw as you awaited for the contact.

Yet nothing came.

As you opened your tear-blurred eyes, his knuckles were mere centimeters away from your face before he pulled it away. The two of you breathed heavily on the dirty cobble road, intensely gazing at each other. The blood from his bruised and probably broken nose was smeared above his upper lip and the side of his cheek. His usually combed back hair was all messy, light brown strands falling on his forehead. To be honest, it looked nicer that way...

You blinked and felt tears drop down the side of your face, an exasperated laugh coming out.

"I'm sorry Galliard, I must be going insane..." Porco's hands released you, letting you wipe the tears off your face as he lifted his weight off of you.

"What's the truth behind you two? Three years ago, Reiner says that you couldn't bear parting from him so you willingly went with him here. Obviously that's not the case for your side of the story." He grumbled, helping you up from the ground before slicking back his hair. He placed his hands on his nose and snapped it back into place, the sound making you cringe.

Solemnly, you took a glance at your husband's sleeping form. "In Paradis, Reiner was my friend, the older brother I thought I had back. I loved him, but not in the way that he loves me. You wouldn't fall in love with your kidnapper, right?"

Porco was silent but you knew what his answer would be, rather you hoped you knew what his answer was. You sighed as you dusted off your dress all around.

"Why haven't you left Liberio if you're so unhappy? Can't believe a Marley certified Eldian wouldn't even think twice about moving back to the island devils." Could you trust Porco with your plan? No, you couldn't. It was too risky, especially with him being his supposed childhood rival. And he was obviously loyal to his country, no way would he let the knowledge of you going back home slide.

"No no, it's nice here. I never said that I wanted to go back to Paradis, I'm simply not used to the advancement that Marley has over my homeland. Sure, it’s frustrating to start fresh but I like it here. It's just being forcibly wed to Reiner I can't deal with."

"Divorce is an option y'know, I don't know how it works in your home but it's not frowned upon here." Was it not clicking for him?

If you weren't in severe risk of getting killed by your so-called husband, you would've preferred that option. Reiner had given you no other choice but to escape back home, even if there was a risk of you dying at sea. You'd prefer that than dying from his own hands.

"I'll think about it. For now, let's try getting him home." Porco snorted as he watched you attempt to lift him up by yourself.

"Nah, I think we should just leave him here. I'll take the blame for you, I’ll say that he thought he went with you to go home but really he left without you while he was drunk and I found him here. Doubt he remembers anything from when he left his mom's."

Your eyes lit up and widened, looking at the man in shock. "You'd do that for me?"

He tensed up, his body turning in another direction. "Yeah whatever. Think of it as an apology for earlier."

A smile grew on your face as you thanked him again, almost skipping back to your home. However before you did, you turned to ask him one last question.

"Why didn't you hit me? I told you not to hold back."

He didn't look at you, preferring to keep his attention to the road as he kicked at a pebble.

"I was tempted to after you said all of that shit and pulled what you did. But I didn't want to leave something that Reiner would ask about. You don't got the healing properties that we shifters have so this," He pointed at his nose. "Would be fixed in a few minutes or so. Reiner would kill me if he found out I pummeled your face in, but he wouldn't be able to beat me of course."

You knew that he couldn't —well maybe he could, you weren't too knowledgeable about the different Titan powers — but you laughed at his confidence. He scowled at you and kicked the pebble in your direction, telling you to go home already. Maybe Porco wasn't as bad as you originally thought, even if he had a sharp-tongue and never thought about what he said until after it came out.

'•.¸♡ ♡¸.•''•.¸♡ ♡¸.•''•.¸♡ ♡¸.•'

Days seemed to fly by after that night, your determination to finally go home being ignited even more than before. Reiner came home in a frantic manner the morning after the fiasco with Porco, apologizing profusely for his behavior and how he left without you, making it up by cooking every meal for a week straight. He never questioned the bruising on your knuckles, only focusing on making it up to you.

For a kidnapper, he sure was thoughtful.

Beyond that, you began to hang around Porco more alongside Pieck. There were days where it was just the two of you, making snide comments towards each other before bursting out laughing at the end of it. You were always filled with pure, unadulterated joy when you were around him and he made you feel quite comfortable to be yourself, even if you've been here for years now.

Porco has always been honest with you, never has he sugarcoated anything he said to you. What once was something you hated from him, you began to view it in a new light and appreciate it much more, it kept you more grounded. There was a line however, he never mentioned you being a housewife nor about being "delicate" after that night and you wondered if you actually proven yourself worthy towards him. You would appreciate this relationship more if not for the conditions.

It didn't go unnoticed that Reiner had been more attentive towards your sudden keenness towards Porco when you began to hang around him more than usual. He became grabbier, pulling you against him by your waist whenever the two of you were around the warriors. When your attention was focused on Porco, he'd shoot daggers at him while scowling but he'd promptly ignore it. Reiner would do anything for you and here you were, being an absolute fucking slut to his comrade. His tipping point was beginning to spill over, so he finally decided to take on a heavier precaution in order to send a message to that damned Jaw Titan inheritor.

It had occurred where you were simply enjoying a short lunch with the warrior. He was originally supposed to quickly drop off a letter to Reiner but you practically pulled him inside regardless of his protests. He could've left but he didn't, sarcastically making a comment on how ridiculous it was that you liked him this much as he took a bite of the sandwich you made. You simply responded that he likes you enough to stay and that shut him up immediately.

Reiner came in from the backyard, ready to ask you something before his eyes captured the familiar slick-backed hair of his fellow warrior, who was in the midst of kindly smiling at you as you spoke. Porco never smiled like that, not to you, not to an island devil.

"Reiner." His name was called by him and he simply tipped his head at him in acknowledgement, leaning against the wall. You turned your head towards him, eyes wide before you got up and set your cup down.

"Oh Reiner! I was about to let you know that Galliard decided to join us for lunch, must've slipped my mind." You sheepishly smiled and he scoffed, taking a sip out of his cup.

"Yeah okay, decided. I was actually supposed to give you a letter Reiner, but she," He pointed at you as you stuck your tongue at him. "Pulled me inside and asked me to join you two. What can I say, can't resist free food."

Why did you act like that to him? When did you start acting like this towards him? Why was Porco hanging around his wife? Reiner suddenly felt uneasy but at the same time, the scorching flames of his obsession began to fire up.

"Very funny Galliard. Go sit down, I'll get your food ready Reiner." You were about to usher him to his seat, grabbing his hand and tugging before he pulled you close to him by the waist instead.

The words died in your mouth as you were about to ask him what was wrong, eyes meeting each other before he kissed you. He tilted your chin up with his free hand before promptly shoving his tongue through your lips.

A light gasp escaped your mouth as his tongue faintly brushed against yours, the sound muffled. You were about to retreat, thinking he was satiated with what he wanted, but he simply jerked you closer. Your hands fell on his body and his thigh slipped in between your legs, the action hidden with the dress you wore. The smallest twinge of pleasure shuddered down your back and you briefly closed your eyes, letting him continue to ravage you.

Unbeknownst to you, he was glaring holes into your companion, who was awkwardly staring before focusing his attention to his lukewarm tea.

Unconsciously you started to return his kiss, nearly matching the intensity. Reiner's hand began to grip the cloth of your back and it took all his willpower not to take you right in front of him, his cock twitching at the prospect of it.

It would prove his point even more, that everything of yours belonged to him and him only.

You finally found the strength to pull away, a strand of saliva breaking as you rushed to grab his lunch in the kitchen. That was... new. Things got like this, but never in front of someone else and never this badly. Your body lurched over the counter, the burning heat of your skin contrasting against the cool wood.

What have you just done?

Reiner took a seat next to him, as if what he had done was nothing but a normal fleeting moment. He poured himself a cup and sipped, asking Porco what he thought about the tea that you had just boiled up. He stayed silent, not even making an effort to look at him.

"I asked you a question Porco."

"For fuck's sake Reiner, what do you even want me to say? Nice kiss Vice Captain Braun, you sure shoved your tongue down your wife's throat." The man quietly mocked through bared teeth, his cheeks obviously tinged pink.

"I asked about the tea but thank you." Smiling smugly, he took another sip.

You soon recovered from the event, bringing in another sandwich for him and soundlessly taking your place in between. Not a peep was heard out of you, too embarrassed to say anything to Porco. Reiner spoke normally, opening the letter that was the whole purpose of his visit. What the hell was wrong with him?

Porco didn't stay long after — which was completely understandable but unfortunate — and you politely led him out, quietly apologizing for your husband's sudden behavior.

"Don't sweat too much about it, he's your husband so it's normal to do things like that. Wish it wasn't in front of me though." Porco grumbled as he turned away, letting you close the door.

It was a quiet night between the two of you in bed, your back facing away from the man. Of course you were fuming, Reiner just had to make-out with you in front of one of the only people that you liked on this damn continent. He shuffled in bed before wrapping his arms around you, his head nestling in the crook of your neck. He pressed his lips against your skin, his stubble grazing along with it.

"Don't get mad at me, you know I don't like it when you talk to others without my permission." When did you ever need permission in the first place to talk to one of the warriors? He was the one who introduced you to them in the first place and now that you had a decent friend, he wants to take you away from him.

You didn't answer, pretending to be asleep in order for him to leave you alone for the night. Reiner was then quiet for a moment and you were sure that he had fallen asleep in this position, until something solid pressed against the crook of your ass. Your heart sank to your stomach suddenly as the arm wrapped around you pulled you even closer.

"That kiss earlier... Did you like it when Porco watched you whore yourself out to me?" Hot breath aired over your neck, a cold shiver going down your spine. He shuffled around for a few minutes, pulling up your nightgown ever so slightly until you felt something heavy and warm rest in-between your thighs, ever so close to your clothed pussy. Your breath quietly hitched and the inside of your mouth felt dry.

No. No. He wouldn't.

"I don't mind that proposition. I would be able to show him who you really belong to, Mrs. Braun." Teeth sank into your lower neck, not enough to hurt but enough to leave a mark. You bit down on your tongue, wanting to turn around and push him off the bed. You had almost made the motion in an attempt to do so until he started rocking into you, his shaft brushing up against your covered clit with every slow pump as he gripped the side of your hip.

You slightly jolted at the feeling, his movements pausing. Quickly and quietly as possible, you slipped your hand over your mouth inconspicuously and tried to breathe slowly as if you were still asleep. Reiner's hand dragged itself up from your hip to your chest, lightly squeezing before pinching your nipple. You bit the inside of your cheek, eyes clenching at the sensation.

He groaned against the crook in between your neck and shoulder, the sound vibrating as he resumed his thrusts. His mouth enveloped the area and he bit down again, harder. You twitched at the pain, your teeth clenching.

You knew about reproduction and small bits of other things about it like the genitals of the opposite gender, you learned about it back then in both training and the Survey Corps. There would be whispers among the older soldiers, the boys usually bragging about their conquests while the girls would be bashfully denying that anything occurred. But you were never interested in the romantic aspects that life is supposed to normally hand out, not in the world you once lived in. Having to survive against Titans was the utmost priority that occupied your mind back in Paradis. Crushes and partners couldn’t coexist with the horrors humanity had to defend against.

A small whimper nearly slipped out of your lips as your husband's tip caught itself against a particular spot on your clit as he simultaneously squeezed your pebbled nipple, your teeth digging into your palm. Reiner's breath burned hot against your skin as his pace began to accelerate, thrusts still wary as if he even cared if you were still asleep.

"God," Reiner sharply inhaled, shaky exhales coming out in short bursts. "If I knew how good this felt, I would've done it every single night."

He let out stifled grunts as he continuously grinded, the soft breathy sounds sending down even more pleasurable pulses in your lower half. It shouldn't be doing that in the first place.

You never touched yourself once in your entire adult life, only feeling the pangs of arousal from time to time but never doing anything about it. This kind of pleasure was a particular kind of torture, overwhelming shivers slowly clouding your mind with needless want. Every unknown sensation was new to you, from the way he played with your chest to the way he managed to rub himself precisely against the same spot over and over and over.

For a man that has never once touched his wife, it felt like he knew what he was doing. Reiner was one of the popular ones in the training corps; some of the girls quietly fawned over him in the dorms, begging you for some kind of info about him. You told them that the two of you were strictly platonic and had boundaries, back then at least.

Besides Historia, you were the only one that had caught and held his attention so he couldn't have practiced on someone else. There was also the fact that you've been married to him since you've arrived on Marley. Was there the possibility that he... cheated? There was no way, right? He was too obsessively enamored with you to begin with. Why were you even getting upset at the thought anyways?

He stopped thrusting against you, repositioning until you felt his heavy cock rest in the middle of your thighs. It throbbed and ached for more, an odd stickiness started to pool on top of your skin, and your own sex was left pulsing with uncomfortable want. His hand had also finally stopped fiddling around with your chest, disappearing from your body for a few seconds before finding itself resting on top of your mound.

"Gonna make you feel good." Reiner mumbled, words slurred as if he was intoxicated off of his lust.

Tentatively, he slipped inside of your underwear, warm fingers pushing down and in between the folds, as if he was searching for something. At first you were mildly confused about the intent, until a soft whine slipped through your lips.

Dread was the first thing that you felt, your stomach sinking down even lower. Embarrassment was second, how it was now that you realized how wet you were.

Reiner completely froze up and you quickly shut your eyes, trying to relax the hand on your mouth to remove any suspicions that you've been conscious the entire time. You waited for anything, if he was going to pull down your panties and take you right there or finally stop this torment. It was the latter to your surprise.

The warmth of his body suddenly left yours, hands and dick pulling away from you. You felt his weight lift off the bed and a door open and close as if he was in a rush. Was he going to the bathroom to take care of himself?

You slipped a hand down to your nether region, face burning up. Your panties were completely soaked, all because of a little bump and grind and some sensual touching. Your body had betrayed you immensely, continuing to pound with a desire to finish what he had started.

What if he was going to do this again and not stop there? You felt nauseous, there was no way in hell you were going to be able to fall asleep in peace anymore. You pulled the blanket completely on top of you, bundling yourself as if you were a caterpillar making its cocoon, ready to turn into a butterfly.

Reiner finally came back when you were starting to doze off, alertness running through your veins once more. There was hesitancy once more as he settled into the space next to you, pulling some of that precious blanket cocoon off of you. You froze up again as his hand rested on your shoulder but he didn't touch you like before, he simply tugged the strap back up in its proper spot. He pulled down your nightgown as well, kissing the side of your head and muttering a nearly silent half-assed apology.

You stopped tensing up when you knew his breaths began to slow, relief warming your heart.

Deep down, you knew it was finally time to go. The more you hesitated, the more trouble you'd get yourself into. It shouldn't be this complicated, your feelings towards Reiner shouldn't even be complicated. You fell asleep in a restless manner, thoughts swarming around your head.

'•.¸♡ ♡¸.•''•.¸♡ ♡¸.•''•.¸♡ ♡¸.•'

In the letter that Porco had left behind, it had said that Reiner was needed for another battle the day after the date he had planned but you couldn't wait that long anymore. When the night comes, you were going to escape from this hellhole. No more control from him, no more pressure from people who thought you were the very bane of their existence, no more of this horrid life.

You managed to slip a note to the man who would be taking you home a few days ago in preparation. It was during a market run and even if your closely guarding husband was there with you, you snuck it to him while buying fish.

Yes, your big break was a kind and somewhat elderly Eldian fisherman; he had mentioned that his son went to war for Marley and never came back, thus causing him to harbor hate towards the Marleyans. He knew that you came from Paradis Island — for quite some time, you were the talk of the internment zone — and briefly brought up a mention of a way back to your home when you were buying fish from him. The two of you went on his boat under the guise that he was giving you fresher and better quality catches and from there, he explained the plan to you and you've never felt more grateful.

The money was for his retirement in the fishing business, he had almost reached his goal and you were giving the last remaining bits to him. He'd give you a compass, supplies, and rations in order to survive in the ocean as he can only navigate the boat so far. The man had a spare boat in case of emergency but in your case, you would be using it the rest of the way.

The only setbacks in the plan were that you could possibly get stranded in the ocean and run out of food or drinkable water, or Titans could still be on the shores of Paradis, immediately killing you the second you step foot on the territory. However, anything would be better than staying one more minute with your husband. The other main flaw would be that if Reiner found out before you could execute the plan.

But he won't be able to find out, you already have something that would make sure he'll never find out until you were truly gone.

You've gotten them in a medical shop back then when you were still planning to kill him instead of living the role of a sweet little housewife. Rat poison didn't work as his body rejected it immediately but something that was basically a natural instinct, no way it could fail.

You've tested it too, in minute doses so he wouldn't notice. It was usually dinnertime when you put the crushed pills in his tea or soup, something liquid so it dissolved quicker. Because the dosage was so small, he'd get sleepy or doze off a little before waking up once more. He'd always excuse it for having a rough day in a meeting with the warriors and higher-ups or he didn't get a good night's sleep last night, never once he suspected it was you.

A part of you was exhilaratingly excited but another part of you was so doubtful and afraid. In your heart, you knew that the rewards outweighed the fear. You missed everyone, you missed the walled off lands you were born in, and you definitely missed your true name.

You made brownies and his favorite tea as a surprise after the date, both were stuffed to the brim with crushed up pills. You've estimated that he'd fall asleep as soon as he finished up the little dessert and you'd soon make your escape afterwards. You couldn't pack anything personal, he'd get too suspicious so you only were going to be able to take a jacket and the date clothes unfortunately. A part of you wanted to leave a goodbye note to both Porco and Pieck as they've treated you at least as a decent person, but it was too risky. Plus you didn't want Reiner to harass them when you went "missing".

As Reiner waited below for you to finish up your make-up, you shoved the money deeply down in your purse and took in a shaky breath. 'Don't break the act now, Y/N. You've done so much to get this far. It's time to finish this.'

Pulling the strap over your shoulder, you began your descent, heels clicking against the wooden floor. Reiner's eyes brightly lit up as you made your appearance, your heart beating wildly in your ribcage. His eyes lingered on your formal attire, trailing down the curvatures of your body.

"You look stunning Y/N, glad that you're using the dress I got you." He gazed at you with complete adoration, your face slightly flushing. He was so deeply appreciative of you, it was almost sickening. Like he was shoving bitter cough syrup down your throat over and over again, never once had you gotten used to the taste.

He got you a dark red dress that ended at the knees, beautiful jewels lining the curvature of your breasts. You matched it with a fluffy white fur coat, something he had gotten you a year ago on the anniversary of when you were taken to Marley.

You mumbled a shy 'thanks' as he put his arm out for you to take and you accepted it, interlocking with him as he began to pull you close. He pressed his face into your styled hair, kissing the top of your head.

"You used perfume too? You spoil me too much, tonight will be amazing I promise." You smiled, internally dreading that you knew what he meant. His mother gave you a hint about what he wanted to do to you from the recent celebration of him returning home, and he had always tried to coerce you about children ever since the two of you had gotten married. He'd never get the chance of course. So yeah, Reiner's right for once.

Tonight will certainly be amazing indeed, for one of you at least.

'•.¸♡ ♡¸.•''•.¸♡ ♡¸.•''•.¸♡ ♡¸.•'

"You know I love you right?"

The two of you finished dinner at that fancy Marleyan restaurant, ignoring the stares and murmurs about devil blood dining next to them, as if they weren't the demons themselves. The weight of their stares was an exhausting burden that you wanted to never have in the first place. Why be blamed for some shit that ancestors you can't even recall did? Ridiculous.

You were walking back home with him after a decent meal, his hand wrapped tightly around yours. As he asked that question, you nodded in cooperation.

"Of course I do, you've told me that you loved me ever since you've brought me here."

"I know I said that I'd wait until you'd be ready but Y/N," The two of you stopped walking and he took both your hands in his, facing you. God, you knew what he was about to ask but you still felt awfully nervous about it. "I want to start a family."

Your hands trembled in his grip as you let out an awkward, breathy sigh out. Looking up at him, it felt like your heart was ready to burst out of the confines of your ribcage. His hooded, hazel gaze was achingly tender, awaiting for the answer he wanted to hear.

The terrible part of you, the one who lived as a Marleyan housewife, the one that continuously gnawed on your insides, desperately wanted to agree just to get everything over with. This was the life you've been living for three years now, suck it up. Why ruin it? Why ruin any of the good moments you've been having with him?

Of course you wouldn't accept it, the sane part of you knew better. The part of you that was still a Survey Corps soldier clawed for freedom, for something better than this rotten relationship. He ruined everything for you in the first place, from your own family to the friends that laid at rest at Trost to your whole young adult life. You owed him nothing, nothing at all.

Finally, you gave him an answer. "Can we talk about this at home?"

Reiner's smile faltered lightly as you avoided the topic yet again. You felt his grip tighten, your shoulders tensing. "We can if it'll make you more comfortable. But I want an answer, a solid answer."

He wouldn't take a 'no' from you, not when it's been three years and last night was evidence that he was done waiting. You released one hand from his and placed it on the side of his face, stroking his cheek gently.

"I will answer it my love, don't worry. Let's get home now." To sweeten the deal even more, you tiptoed and gave him a light peck on the side of his lips. You could tell that it worked from the way his eyes softened, what a pushover. He went back to your side as the both of you began to walk once more home, crossing over the gate that separated the "real" Marleyans from the Eldians. This would be the last time you'd be passing through like this, you swore to yourself.

No matter what, you have to get home. No matter what.

Home wasn't that far, maybe it went by quicker in your mind due to you thinking that you were running out of time to meet up with the old fisherman. Reiner opened the door for you and you shuffled in, almost bee-lining to the kitchen. You were stopped however, his hand around your wrist.

"Hey. We still need to talk."

"I know, I just have something—" You tugged but he held on firmly, interrupting you.

"Y/N, you can't keep doing this. This is the last time that I'm asking politely." Take, take, take. That's all Reiner did. But he can't take this chance away from you, not this time.

"Please, it's important." He stood in silence, most likely weighing the choices in his head. Slowly, he released his hold and you thanked him quietly, thanked him for being such a fool. You pulled out the brownies from the pantry and quickly heated up the tea on the stove, getting out the nice plates and cups from the cabinets. This was going swimmingly! Maybe you really do have a chance at escaping, your body almost shivering from the adrenaline coursing through your veins.

Placing the brownies in a meticulous manner on the plate and pouring the now warm tea in a teacup, you walked over to your husband, who settled in at the dining table while he was awaiting for you. "Surprise! Your favorites."

Needless to say, he was astonished that you actually had something for him. You placed the dishes in front of him, smiling brightly. "I wanted to make you something to thank you for the night out, what more than a little dessert."

"You shouldn't have, you've done so much for me already sweetheart." You leaned down and let him kiss your cheek, internally impatient that he hadn't eaten it yet.

"It's really nothing much, but I hope it's to your liking." He smiled at you and picked up the laced dessert, your hands flexing up in eagerness. Watching him chew and swallow the whole thing was probably the best thing you've ever watched him do, and he drank up all the tea that was in the cup. It was a waiting game from here on out.

"Now then," He got up from the chair and stood in front of you, grabbing your shoulders. There was a slight wobble as he got up and held onto you, wow this shit was working faster than expected. "Can we finally start our family?"

You beamed as you watched his eyelids flutter, trying to stay awake and focus on what your answer could be. Reiner began to struggle to stay upright, almost leaning into you as drowsiness took over his body. Placing a hand on his forearm, you pushed it off.

"No."

Confusion muddled his tired expression, as if he was expecting an actual yes. "W-what?"

"No, I don't want to start a family with you Reiner. Want me to spell it out for you? N. O." The smile you had wore down into an infuriated grimace as you took one step back away from him. He started stumbling backwards and you let him, watching him hit the chair and fall to the ground with it. The clattering sound of the chair reverbed loudly in your ears, but nothing sounded more beautiful than his body hitting the floor. He tried to get up but his body was betraying him, just as you intended.

When he realized that he was unable to stand after a few attempts, he began to yell out your name like a child, sounding angry and disorientated. Ignoring him, you quickly went upstairs to grab a suitable coat, kicking off the tall heels. You couldn't turn on the lights, in fear that it would waste too much time so you kept bumping into different objects, frustration bubbling in your throat.

The room had to be a mess from your brisk rummaging but no more time can be wasted. You had to go now.

As you went back down, Reiner's screaming had settled down into incomprehensible slurring and his head continued to bob up and down to try and stay conscious. Your eyes met and he made another attempt to get up, panic arising in the depths of his eyes. Maybe now he was realizing that you were about to disappear forever.

"Go fuck yourself."

Reiner screamed out your name as you opened the front door — or what you assumed to be your name — before losing consciousness and hitting his head to the wooden floor. Clutching onto the money-filled purse, you began to dash over to the docks, not looking back. You winced at the small pebbles that dug into the skin of your bare feet but you couldn't take the chance of trying to find the best shoes to run in.

This pain is temporary, anything that hurt you now would never compare to the prison that he had put you in. The wind started to pick up, biting at your face and legs, and as you glanced up at the sky, dark clouds began to roll in. You hope that it wouldn't be too bad at sea and if you died there, you would have died happy.

"Mr. Kraus? Are you there?" You called out to the ships, trying to search for his boat. You said his name a few more times before you caught a lantern that was being lifted up and down. Rushing over and ducking into the boat, you began to pull out the money to give to him.

"Woah! Slow your roll there outsider."

"I can't!" You put your hand over your mouth, not realizing that you were starting to lose your nerves. "My apologies for yelling. But I can't, he could wake up at any time. Please, can we hurry this up?"

Mr. Kraus waved his hand to let you continue and adjusted the hat on his head, pulling it back to watch you place the money on the small table. "That's all of it, your retirement goal is done. Now, can you now start up the boat please?"

He nodded, patting your shoulder. "Thank you for your assistance with this, really couldn't have done it without you. Help me get the ropes off and I'll send you on your way."

"Thank you." An exasperated sigh escaped you and for the first time in forever, you felt like you could finally relax.

You exited out of the boat after the old man, clutching onto the jacket. There was rain pelting down, the sounds of a muffled thunder rumbling through the night sky. Flickers of lightning lit up the dark, vaguely letting you see where you were going.

You followed after him, pulling at the ropes that connected the boat to the dock. It was coarse against the palms of your hands and the rain wasn't adding in with the pleasantness of the feeling. It took a few tugs but they finally gave in, letting you pull them into the boat and onto the deck. A few more to go and then you'd never see Liberio ever again. Your time here in Marley would be nothing but an extremely unpleasant memory.

Continuing to remove the ropes, you finally pulled in the last on your side. You giddily let out an excited yell, letting the rain trickle down your face. "Hey Mr. Kraus! It's finished!"

You stumbled over to him, eyes wide with happiness. There was a smile on his face too, he was sharing the same enthusiasm as you but for a different reason of course. He told you to get into the cabin before you caught something and you did as you were told. Barely turning away from him to get into the cabin, your thoughts ran wild.

What were you going to see in Paradis? Were you really going to see your friends again? Has the technology there advanced as much as here? Was the Survey Corps still fighting to explore the outside? Was Captain Levi still shorter than you? These kinds of questions would eventually all be answered.

This was it, you were finally going to be—

The deafening sound of a rifle going off before the clap of thunder chilled you to the core. You stopped trying to get into the cabin. How could you ever forget that kind of sound? You were in the elevator back in Trost, the resonating boom and click of the guns went off in all directions, the shells tinkling onto the ground. A warm liquid splashed onto the side of your face, pieces of an unknown substance landing along with it, and the sound of a mutilating crack came afterwards. Unease began to bubble in your stomach.

As you turned to look at Mr. Kraus, your eyes began to widen and it felt as if the world went into slow motion.

He was facing the docks, away from you, his head ricocheting backwards from the force of the shot. His body fell back and almost into you, hitting the deck with a heavy thump. A hand went over your mouth, the bitterness of bile beginning to leave a taste.

It was a sickening sight. Sure, you've seen people die before but not like this. For some reason, this felt more inhumane than the Titans. The entry hole was in the middle of his forehead, his eyes glassy and wide. It was the perfect shot really. His mouth was largely agape, as if he was about to yell something before getting his brains blown off and strewn across his boat. Crimson began to pool around him, the substance dribbling down the steps and into the crevices of the wood.

Turning away from the freshly made corpse, you shakily turned your attention to the docks. As if on cue, bolts of lightning struck down in uneven intervals and lit up the world around you. The feelings of dread and anguish sank down into your stomach, settling heavily. It couldn't be but there was nothing that was able to deny it.

There he was.

Reiner Braun.

In his hands... was a freshly fired rifle.

[xxvalkyriesxx]

A Court of Smoke and Scales - Masterpost

Hi Everyone!

Here is the masterpost for my ongoing fic, A Court of Smoke and Scales. Everything connected to the fic will be found here.

Before anyone could inject with salted opinions or promises of death, Albess landed on the balcony where they all stood. The ground and palace shook as all four of his legs perched on the old castle stone. His dark gray scaled body stood out in the beauty of the daylight. Her dragon. Albess' wings spread in full as he roared. Giant rows of teeth layered his mouth. Scents of fear and awe catered around her. Screams and cries echoed below the tower of the citizens.

Ren approached Albess, quickly mounting his back. She smiled in triumph witnessing all seven high lords at her mercy. However it wasn’t Ren’s intention to harvest control over anyone in this room nor anyone in all of Prythian. She wanted to to rebuild the home that was promised to her. To ruin her mother's plans who was screaming from the depths of hell.

"I am the Queen of Hybern."

Or an Eris/OC story following Ren, the daughter of Amarantha, determined to rebuild her kingdom and bring forth a new era to Hybern. However Ren has a powerful secret that could throw the whole world into jeopardy if she's not careful. By side her is her dragon, Albess.

Legend has it the very first rulers of their world were not old gods or daglan but eight dragons and their riders back when the lands were merged as one but eventually the dragons were all cursed into hiding by a powerful witch. The legend goes on to say in order to find the remaining seven dragons, it takes a one dragon to awaken them all.

Set five years after ACOSF and the events of HOFAS.

Snippet | Prologue | Chapter One | Chapter Two

Deleted Scenes

IT IS HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU DO NOT READ THE DELETED SCENES UNTIL YOU HAVE READ THE ACOSAS CHAPTERS THAT CORRELATES TO THEM. THERE WILL BE SPOILERS MENTIONED.

Content warnings and additional tags under the cut

If anyone would like to be added to a tag list to receive updates, let me know!

Content Warnings: (subject to change) Graphic content (v*olence, g*re), minor mentions of miscarriages (not FMC or any leading female), pregnancy, labor/delivery, mentions of SA, ab*se, mentions of ab*se, consensual s*xual explicit scenes

**censoring certain words as I'm not sure Tumblr will flag my post.

Tags: (subject to change) DRAGONS, DRAGON RIDERS, DID I MENTION DRAGONS?, dragons can shift, dragons have strong magic, slow burn romance, eventual smut, Eris is a prick but we love him anyway, Night Court for Dummies: How to get away with something without starting a war, Ren is the morally grey FFM we need, Ren and Eris bicker, sapphics, TWO MAIN SAPPHICS SHIPS, We will finally learn what happened between Eris and Mor, Bargains will be made (insert cool night court tattoo), original content, Koshei is the main villain, Fuck Beron, character death? yes, major character death? perchance, will feature several POVs (will try not to give readers mental whiplash like in HOFAS however nothing can be promised).

*Main Ships: Eris/OC, Elain/Lucien, Emerie/Morrigan, Cressida/Viviane's Sister (Liliane), Nuan/OC, OC / OC

*Minor Ships: Nesta/Cassian, Feyre/Rhysand, Gwyn/Azriel, Helion/LOA (Aster), Viviane/Kallias

*Additional ships may be added/removed as the story progresses

** I don’t own any of the characters or elements of ACOTAR as they are owned by SJM. The original content including Ren and Albess are mine.

** Graphic made from Canva. I don’t own any of the images used.

[kirbykonka]

Vento Aureo Everybody Lives Fic HELP

Hey does anyone have recommendations for vento aureo headcanons? I'm writing an everybody lives (except Diavolo) fic and i already have BruAbba and GioMis, La Squadra living together and Buccigang living together, and although I'm making a new adventure for them to go on I feel like it's lacking a bit of character flair. Any recommendations would help!

here's a list of everything i have thus far ***SPOILERS OF DEATH***:

--Bruno and Abbacchio have been dating for a while, it's established in the story and not a secret from the rest of the Buccigang

--Bruno became Don and leads the Buccigang directly under him, so none of them got chosen as a capo. sees the gang as his kids and Abbacchio as their father

--Buccigang spared Risotto's life when they found him which led to him giving them a warning about Doppio, Abbacchio's life was saved

--Giorno kept Gold Experience ready to heal during King Crimson's attack (in that hallway where Narancia died) in case time was skipped and someone got injured, Narancia was saved

--Doppio didn't die by Mista because as soon as he woke up he called out for Diavolo, letting the Buccigang know that it wasn't the boss in Bruno's body

--Bruno survived because Mista destroyed the Rolling Stone stand, i do not care about the canon that should have saved our mommy

--When Diavolo got put in the infinite death loop by G.E.R, King Crimson shattered and Epitaph separated from it, letting Doppio have his own body, soul and stand apart from Diavolo

--Giorno and Mista romance will develop over the course of the story, looking for lots of recommendations involving them because I'm not quite sure how to go about it

--Trish is lesbian and sticks to the personality she showed when she was first introduced (so she's kinda sassy but a great friend. SHE WILL HAVE MORE STAND BATTLES. SPICE GIRL WILL BE THERE.)

--Narancia is ADHD and autistic, based him after my own minor autism. I also let him be asexual because I might be projecting...

--Fugo does return to the gang but he was in Venezia for a while after the canon ending of Vento Aureo, and contacts the team to let them know he wants to come back. I'm not including anything from Purple Haze Feedback because not everyone has read it (and he wouldn't be so guilty since all of them survived)

--there's a capo in Rome trying to kill Bruno because he was Diavolo's rival for the title of Don, Diavolo couldn't get rid of him because both of their stands were too powerful

--that capo is the main enemy and he has a group of 6 executioners that all have stands i made up and Buccigang is gonna beat their asses

--la squadra all survived too because Melone's death was uncalled for and i want my little manwhore back

comment anything you want to go in the story and ill put it in there! ill also give the name once i have more than a few chapters out, but its on ao3 lol

EDIT: Bruno can pole dance bc of the Vs Secco fight for those 3 seconds and Risotto is afraid of dogs bc i said so

[deepspacedukat]

The Defector (And His Doctor) - Part Two

MOAR SOUP FOR THE POINTY SOUL. I was a lil too verbose in this chapter (it's WAY longer than the first one), so there will be an epilogue, and FEAR YE NOT A LONG WAIT, FOR I HAVE ALREADY WRITTEN IT AND IT SHALL BE POSTED MERE MOMENTS (probably less than an hour) AFTER THIS. *ahem* Enjoy! 😇

Cross-posted to AO3 here.

Part 1 here.

~*~

Beverly Crusher (ST:TNG) x Alidar Jarok (ST:TNG)

[A/N: This chapter has smut/is smut adjacent, so 18+ ONLY, MINORS DNI!!!]

Warnings: Spoilers for ST:TNG S3E10 "The Defector", interspecies sex, Human/Romulan sex, implied Human/Romulan sex, non-explicit interspecies sex, innuendo, flirting, romance, angst, guilt, mentions of poison, if you've seen the episode then you know the ending gets a little dark, suicidal ideation, but there's a happy ending, Jarok needs therapy, and Bev is gonna make sure he gets it, confused/well-intentioned/trying-his-best Data, smug Tomalak.

~*~

**Day Two**

A day in the Reman mines would be less infuriating than this. Admiral Jarok, under the alias of Sub-lieutenant Setal, had battled back and forth with Commander Riker and Counselor Troi all morning with neither side making any headway.

"You're forcing yourself to hold back," the Betazoid counselor had stated with near-maddening calmness, and she hadn't been wrong.

"I have told you everything relevant about Nelvana Three," he'd fired back, but neither of the Starfleet officers had been convinced. The two had teamed up and pressed him on and on, until finally he'd snapped at them, shouting about how irrelevant their inquiries were to their current situation. "What a fool I've been to come looking for courage in a den of cowards..."

The interrogation had ended shortly after his biting remark. Jarok shouldn't have been surprised, but he really had thought that Starfleet would show a modicum of bravery in the face of impending war. Thus far, the only true fortitude he'd seen had come from the beautiful Doctor Crusher.

Ah, the doctor. Her smiles coupled with that fiery red mane made him wish that he'd had a reason to remain in the medical bay for much longer.

Just thinking of her as he strode back inside his quarters made the scowl melt off his features. Since he had effectively exiled himself from Romulus, he would have to make a new life. Maybe, if she was willing...?

No. No, he needed to temper his thoughts, at least until the dust had settled from this situation. But...he supposed it wouldn't hurt if he made his interest known. Nobody ever complained about a few extra compliments, so he could allow himself to flirt harmlessly with her.

He didn't even know if she had a mate. He really ought to check, first. If she had a partner, he would keep his flirtations to a minimum. After all, Jarok was here to stop a war, not disturb a family's peace. His own sham of an arranged marriage was not an excuse for him to cause unnecessary problems for others.

Pulling up the limited biographical profile that the computer allowed him access to, the Admiral sipped his replicated water and skimmed the information before him. Her age, rank, qualifications, and commendations were included, as well as a note that she had a son who was an acting officer onboard the Enterprise. When he reached her marital status, guilt wound its way through Alidar's heart.

She had been married, but her husband had died when her son was very young. She'd been forced to raise her child alone while also maintaining her career? He could tell from the moment he met her that she was a strong woman, but that particular revelation was one he hadn't expected.

Had he crossed a line when he flirted with her before? Jarok was aware that some people never pursued relationships after losing a spouse, either out of guilt or a preference not to risk their hearts again. Perhaps he should take a slightly more cautious approach to this...

Walking to the control panel that Riker had showed him how to use the day before, he opened a communication channel with the ship's first officer.

"What can I do for you, Setal?" He sounded purely professional. After the questioning session earlier, he was surprised that the Human sounded that unaffected. Reluctantly, Jarok admitted to himself that he was impressed.

"Commander, that medical officer who examined me yesterday - Doctor Crusher, I believe her name was - I need to see her, if you don't mind," he said trying to sound as casual as possible. "I feel as though I might be coming down with something."

"I'll ask her to come by your quarters at her earliest convenience." When the channel closed, the Admiral smiled to himself. Now, he would find out whether there was a chance of experiencing some small amount of joy in his exile.

--

After her discussion with the Captain the previous night, the request from Commander Riker to visit Setal's quarters made Beverly wish that she'd stayed in bed. The Romulan had seemed so charming when he was in sickbay, but as Jean-Luc had correctly pointed out, it was entirely possible that he could've given himself those burns and lied about everything.

Grabbing a medkit from their storage shelf, the Doctor straightened her blue lab coat and made her way down the corridors.

What could she say to him after yesterday's conversation that wouldn't make her feel conflicted? She knew it was her duty as a Starfleet officer to question his motives, but...after all, he had asked for their help. Would he really give up his home for a mere ruse?

Unfortunately, she didn't know enough about Setal or his people to answer that question with any sort of confidence.

Within moments she found herself outside his door, staring at the panel beside it as if it might bite her.

"Don't be ridiculous. He's just another patient," she murmured under her breath. Before she could second-guess the action, she activated the door chime and stood a little straighter.

When the door slid open at his behest, she stepped inside and found her one and only Romulan patient staring out at the stars with a glass of water in his hand. He turned to face her, and when their eyes met, a swarm of butterflies seemed to alight in her abdomen.

No. She couldn't do this now. He asked for a medical officer, not a schoolgirl with a crush.

"Commander Riker said you needed a house call," Beverly stated as she looked Sub-lieutenant Setal up and down. Whatever was wrong with him wasn't immediately evident, but maybe his injuries from earlier ached more than she'd anticipated. The Federation still knew so little about Romulan physiology that sight-only diagnosis was nearly impossible. "What are your symptoms, Sub-lieutenant?"

A smile filled with mischief stretched his lips.

"Loneliness, Doctor. One of the most painful afflictions known to sentient species across the universe," the Romulan answered as he took a few slow steps toward her. "I had hoped that the most charming Terran I've ever had the fortune to meet would give me the honor of a few moments' conversation."

Beverly's cheeks burned. She'd found Setal attractive from the moment he walked into her Sickbay, but she really couldn't afford such a distraction, especially with the threat of war looming over them.

"My, what kind words for someone whom you barely know. Do you speak to all Human women like that?"

"Truthfully, I have never spoken to a Human woman before you, and if I do in the future, it certainly won't be like this," he said gesturing to the couch.

Beverly hesitated. She really shouldn't allow a patient to speak to her in such a familiar manner, but...there was something about him she just couldn't resist. Eventually, she let out a quiet sigh and took a seat on the sofa, setting her kit and medical tricorder aside. The Sub-lieutenant sat a comfortable margin away, and despite her knowing better, she found herself wondering what it would feel like to run her fingers through his hair. The smattering of gray in his sideburns made him look quite distinguished. Whatever his age was, Setal wore it well.

"Your curiosity is practically tangible, Doctor. May I ask what's on your mind?" Her eyes flicked up to his, and the sparkle she found there drew an involuntary smile to her lips. She certainly couldn't tell him what she was really thinking about, so she settled for the next best thing.

"May I ask why you wanted to talk to me in particular if you wanted appealing company? There are undoubtedly much prettier Ensigns and Lieutenants aboard–"

"That is quite a subjective statement, and frankly, I find it inaccurate," he murmured, and she looked at him curiously. Beverly knew she was a decently attractive woman, but...really, why had he chosen her? "Speaking candidly, Doctor, I found it...refreshing that you were not intimidated by me while you were treating my injuries. You dared to request that I, a Romulan officer with three times the strength of a Human, remain still after making a joke about how I got those burns in the first place. And you did so without flinching."

She raised an eyebrow and tried very hard to ignore the little stab of fear in her gut.

"Are you telling me you got them some other way?" She hoped her probing question had sounded like she was teasing him rather than trying to discover whether Jean-Luc was right. A slow, appreciative smile stretched his lips, and he took a slow sip of his water before setting the glass aside.

"I didn't take a plasma torch to myself, if that's what you are implying, Doctor, though, I do thank you for assuming that I would have the strength of will to intentionally mutilate myself in pursuit of the Empire's interests," Setal said as he turned to face her more fully, draping his arm along the back of the sofa. His knee just barely brushed hers. "I would die for my people, yes, but I must admit that I am rather allergic to pain."

A huff of laughter bubbled up through her relief and slipped past her lips before she could stop it.

"It was an accident," he clarified. "I was attempting to complete multiple tasks at once - fly the ship, dodge phaser fire from the warbird, and repair systems before they could go down... There came a point where I neglected repairs long enough for the conduit next to my station to explode. Regrettable, but I considered that a small price to pay to save my life...and the lives of countless others, assuming that your people believe me in time to avert a war, of course."

She searched his face as he spoke, but he was either a very good actor, or he was telling the truth. Her intuition told her it was the latter.

"For what it's worth, I believe you." Beverly knew she shouldn't be admitting that, but she was inclined to tell him the truth. After all, whether she bought his story or not, it was ultimately up to the Captain to decide whether to pursue his leaked information.

Setal looked at her with a lopsided grin.

"Now, that is a pleasant surprise," the Sub-lieutenant began, "but I wonder, will your honesty still be present when we dine together?"

Beverly's heart beat an alarming rhythm in her chest at the presumptuous question, and she raised her eyebrows inquisitively.

"I don't recall receiving any such invitation, Sub-lieutenant," she murmured, and she was proud of how steady her voice sounded despite the excitement pooling within her. She really shouldn't be excited about dining with a Romulan, defector or not, she supposed, but then...he was extremely charming.

"Ah, my apologies for getting ahead of myself–" he didn't look sorry in the least "–but would you allow me to share a meal with you?"

"I'm on duty," Beverly pointed out, but Setal was not deterred.

"Surely, you are permitted to break for sustenance at some point? Or are all Starfleet Doctors required to starve themselves? How do your Vulcan friends put it, 'the needs of the many,' I believe...?" She contemplated refusing - surely there was a conflict on interest somewhere in accepting? The Sub-lieutenant's expression was hopeful and a bit playful, and mentally, Beverly acknowledged that she really shouldn't want to know him as much as she did. "If it makes you feel better, you may of course choose where we eat. I'm quite comfortable to bend to your whims. We can remain here if you are ashamed to be seen with a Romulan, if you are wary of being alone with one of my kind we can eat in your ship's mess hall, or if there is another place you'd prefer...?"

"The brig it is, then," she teased, but realizing how that might've come across, she winced. Damn her sharp tongue–

A low, rich laugh shook her out of her thoughts.

"If that is what you desire, I swear to be the most willing prisoner that you have ever had, Doctor." His good humor was infectious, and Beverly found herself smiling even as her combadge chirped.

"Crusher here."

"Sorry to disturb your appointment, Doctor, but I wanted to let you know that the patient requiring shoulder surgery is being prepped and should be ready for you in a few minutes." Nurse Ogawa was professional as always, and Beverly acknowledged the message before turning back to Setal. To her surprise, he was watching her with undisguised interest.

"Forgive me for keeping you here for so long, Doctor," he murmured in a softer voice than she'd heard from him before. "I am truly grateful for the company."

She knew it was wrong, but she smiled as she picked up her medkit.

"It's alright. You can make it up to me at lunch. Twelve-hundred hours," she said as she got to her feet. A look of delighted surprise crossed his features, and as she turned to leave his quarters, she smirked. "Come to Ten-Forward, though. Not the brig."

"I will, Doctor," he called, and without looking back, she made her way back to Sickbay.

--

Jarok couldn't wipe the smile off his lips after the Doctor's visit that morning. He was in a better mood when he strode off to Ten-Forward than he had been since he made the decision to leave Romulus.

Upon entering the recreational area, the Admiral was struck first and foremost by the view. Across the entirety of the far wall were viewports. Stars whizzed by as the Enterprise traveled through space, and he had to admit that he understood why this spot was apparently so popular.

"Hi. Sub-lieutenant Setal, right?" A cheerful voice sounded at his side, and Jarok turned to find a young man looking at him with typical Human curiosity. There was something familiar about him, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what.

"I am. And you are?"

"Acting Ensign Wesley Crusher," the boy answered, and Jarok's eyes went wide.

"You're the Doctor's son."

"Yes, sir." No wonder the young man wasn't looking at him with suspicion like the rest of the crew - he had his mother's courage.

"And what is your specialty? Are you going to command a starship one day, or perhaps become a medical officer like your mother?"

"Oh, neither. Wes is bound to be an engineer," another voice called out, and striding over was an officer wearing a metallic visor. He clapped Wesley genially on the shoulder and offered the Admiral his hand in greeting. "Lieutenant Commander Geordi La Forge. Pleasure to meet you Sub-lieutenant."

Jarok shook the hand that La Forge offered him.

"Well, this future engineer obviously has a dash of bravery in him if he's not afraid to approach a terrifying Romulan," Jarok snarked, and the boy just laughed.

"Would you like to join us for lunch, sir?" Wesley asked, but before he could answer, a hand grasped Jarok's arm.

"Sorry, Wes. This gentleman already has an appointment." The Admiral's heart thudded in his side at the sound of his Doctor's lovely voice.

"Thank you for the offer, but perhaps another time," Jarok said before turning his attention to the woman at his side. "I'm all yours, Doctor."

The smile she gave him filled him with enough joy that he could have powered a thousand warp cores with energy to spare. A willing victim to the currents of her whims, Alidar followed her to a table for two near one of the viewports, ignoring the looks they were receiving. If the crew wished to witness their Doctor - the most beautiful of their number - choosing to spend time with him of all people, then they could do so. He just puffed up his chest slightly and basked in the warmth of her gaze as they took their seats.

Someone called Guinan came over and took their orders, tossing Beverly a wink. Jarok hoped that was a good sign.

The rest of Ten-Forward seemed to fall away as the pair talked. Even their food lay untouched for large chunks of their conversation. At one point, they both were so caught up in each others' company that they didn't even notice the removal of their empty trays.

This was so easy, so natural, that the Admiral knew she had worked her way permanently into his heart. Perhaps it was too soon to call this feeling 'love' but he knew it would end up that way eventually.

When the time came for Doctor Crusher to return to duty, Jarok managed to convince her that dinner together was just as good of an idea as lunch had been. She even went so far as to suggest that they eat in her quarters. She stood to take her leave, and the Admiral gave her a respectful bow and a flirtatious wink that drew a pretty pink blush to her cheeks.

Resuming his seat once she'd gone, Alidar looked up and found a golden-eyed man staring at him.

"I take it you have never seen a Romulan before?" He asked with a smirk.

"That would be an incorrect assumption," the oddly-pale officer replied.

"Then why do you invade my privacy?" A hint of irritation leaked into his tone, but Jarok didn't particularly care. The only Human's opinion he cared about was the Doctor's and she wasn't here. All he wanted to do was sink into the afterglow of the time he'd just spent with Beverly, but this person insisted on interfering.

"I was attempting to ascertain what my guts tell me about you," the officer said, and the wording was so strange that the man's identity struck the Admiral all at once.

"You're the android," he murmured. "I know some Romulan cyberneticists who would love to be this close to you."

After a second's consideration, the android tilted his head slightly and replied.

"I do not find that concept particularly appealing."

"Nor should you," Jarok muttered ominously. The android made some inane remark about this viewport being a favorite amongst various members of the crew, but all he could muster was a non-committal hum. He missed his own stars - he hadn't meant to actually say that out loud, but all of a sudden he found himself trailing after the android officer who'd said something about bringing Romulus to him.

After typing specifications into a computer panel against a wall, Data ordered the computer to run a program and gestured for him to enter a pair of doors first. Skeptical, Jarok forced his expression to remain neutral as he did so.

For all his mental preparation, nothing could have dulled the shock of the landscape laid before him.

"The Valley of Chula. I know it well!" He marveled, but something about being in such a familiar place, even if it was just a simulation, felt sour after what he'd done.

"You may stay here as long as you wish," Data offered, rather magnanimously for an android, but after allowing himself one last look at the world he'd left behind, Alidar shook his head.

"I no longer live here," he rasped. "Turn it off."

Once the harsh, cold lines of the hologrid were visible, Jarok forced himself to look hard at his surroundings.

"This. This is my home now. My future. I have sacrificed everything. It must not be in vain." Taking a deep, fortifying breath of recycled air, he turned to Lieutenant Commander Data. "Arrange a meeting between myself and Captain Picard. Tell him Admiral Jarok wants to see him."

--

"Ensign, will you wait outside?" Picard asked, and once the officer was gone, his eyes fell upon Alidar once more. He'd been delivered to the Captain's ready room with more haste than he'd anticipated. He assumed he was only delayed long enough for the Captain to confirm his identity. "Have a seat Admiral Jarok."

"Captain, there is no more time," he protested.

"Admiral, have a seat," Picard said a bit more forcefully, and because Jarok knew the man wouldn't get down to business until he'd complied, he finally sat in the chair across from him. The Captain seemed more stoic than he had before, more serious...harsher somehow. Jarok knew he would be. This was precisely the reaction he'd wanted to avoid. "You see, I'm just not convinced that you are telling the truth."

Oh, Elements! This again?

"What must I do?" The Admiral was beyond frustration, now. Could this Terran not see that their very worlds hung in the balance?

"You must convince me," Picard answered, and that unshakable calm was almost worse than harsh words and shouting. Was the man half-Vulcan? "If I had irrefutable evidence...but you did not bring irrefutable evidence. You brought no evidence at all. Now, here, you are not the man you claimed to be. Admiral, your credibility is stretched beyond belief. A Romulan defector is almost a contradiction in terms, but Admiral Jarok crossing the lines?"

"I explained my motivations to your interrogators," he rebutted, but the Captain brushed that aside.

"Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. 'Peace in our galaxy.' Except, Admiral, you are not a man of peace. Your military record - what we know of it - is clear."

"Which is precisely why I chose an alternate identity here." Jarok would've thought that particular point would've been obvious, but...

"The massacres in the Norkan outposts, for example." Anger was finally edging into Picard's tone at that, but this was one argument for which Alidar was prepared. He explained briefly about semantics - massacres versus campaigns, butchers versus heroes - something the Federation should understand well given their own history with warfare.

Picard got to his feet, asked him some half-baked question about how he was to believe him when no evidence was available. He prodded him about classified information on Romulan tactical positions, fortifications, cloaking technology. The Captain rambled on about unbelievable circumstances and the difficulty of accepting his word on faith, and when the Admiral had the gall to tell him that he would not betray his people, that was when Picard chose to raise his voice.

"You've already betrayed your people, Admiral! You've made your choices, sir! You're a traitor! Now, if the bitter taste of that is unpalatable to you, I am truly sorry. But I will not risk the lives of my crew, because you think you can dance on the edge of the Neutral Zone." The Captain gradually lowered his voice to something calm again - something somber that felt like a vice closing around Jarok's throat. "You've crossed over, Admiral. You make yourself comfortable with that."

That little tirade cut deeper than Jarok had anticipated. The cold, harsh reality of the sacrifices he'd made were being forced before him yet again in startling clarity, yet...he knew that despite his own pain, he had begun the necessary tasks. Now all he must do was follow through on them.

Admiral Jarok took a brief moment, a steadying breath and played his last remaining card, his one vulnerability.

"Do you have any children, Captain Picard? A family?" The man in question looked exasperated and a bit uncomfortable as he answered negatively - so he'd struck a nerve, then. "Then you have sacrificed too much for your career."

"Yes, this is all very interesting–" The Romulan held up a hand to stop him, and to his relief, the Captain listened.

Impatient though he was, he did at least listen as Jarok explained about how his daughter, her future, and the futures of all children, were his motivation. He told Picard everything - how he attempted to persuade those in command that another war would destroy the Empire, his censure when they grew tired of his arguments, his reassignment to a distant sector, and how this was his final recourse.

By the time he finished, he was on the verge of pleading, because surely the Captain would see that acting on his information was necessary to save both their peoples. Just as he thought he'd succeeded, Picard's gaze hardened once more.

"I will not act. Not unless I have unequivocal cooperation."

Damn the man. One appraising look later, Jarok sat with a data PADD in his hand, inputting all the information he believed was relevant to their mission. When he was finished, Picard nodded his head and thanked him for the assistance. Taking that as the dismissal it was, Admiral Jarok strode from the Captain's ready room and found himself instantly flanked by two security officers.

"How kind of you to escort me back to my quarters, gentlemen," he teased as the three of them stepped into the turbolift. He was finally free to turn his attention to the much more pleasant task of preparing for his evening with the beautiful Doctor.

--

Beverly didn't believe it at first when the rumors began flying through the corridors and into Sickbay. Setal, a Romulan Admiral? She scoffed the first few times she heard it, but when Will Riker popped into Sickbay to retrieve a copy of the medical scans they'd taken of Setal and called him Jarok instead, a lump formed in her throat.

What a fool she'd been! As she handed over the records with a fake smile plastered on her face, she berated herself for falling for Seta– Jarok's charms. She really felt something for him, but obviously he'd been using her.

Practically falling into the chair in her office, she covered her face with her hands and took a steadying breath. She'd made it all too easy for him to get under her skin. A few sweet words, a few mischievous smiles, and she'd become putty in his hands. Maybe so many years without Jack had made her more gullible.

"Doctor? Are you alright?" Nurse Ogawa lingered in the doorway, catching the expression on Beverly's face before she had a chance to hide it.

"I'm fine, Alyssa."

"Respectfully, ma'am, you're not a very good liar," her friend said with a sympathetic smile. "If you want or need to talk, I'm here, okay?"

An announcement rang out over the Comm System for all Senior officers to report to the briefing room, and before she walked out, Beverly drew her friend into a tight hug. She'd take the support, but for now, she had duties to attend to.

The journey across decks was almost automatic for her, at that point, so she allowed herself to become lost in thought while the turbolift hummed along. Was it his real identity that she hated, or did she simply hate that he'd deceived her?

She didn't particularly care who he really was, and she wasn't exactly thrilled that he'd lied to her, but he'd done that to the whole crew, so...what was it that was really bothering her?

She walked into the briefing room and took her seat. As she settled in, a few of the assembled officers, Will, Deanna, and Geordi, looked at her with concern before the Captain strode in.

Oh. That's what it was. This felt like school. Beverly was always the last to find things out because she was always teased as a child. She was the last to find out about Alidar, despite the fact that he'd had lunch with her, complimented her, flirted with her... He'd treated her as though she was special - as though she actually meant something to him - but she was still the last to know the truth.

That was why she was so hurt.

But, what did it say about her that she didn't care whether he was a Sub-lieutenant trying to avert a war or an Admiral trying to trick them into starting one?

She sat up straighter in her chair, listened intently to Jean-Luc's briefing, and contemplated how she'd handle seeing him tonight. She had a few hours to think of what she could possibly say to him that wouldn't sound as though she was just some whiny, lovelorn teenager. 'I thought you cared about me' sounded far and away too desperate for a person she'd known for less than two full days.

When the briefing ended and the room began to empty out, Deanna moved to walk alongside the Doctor.

"Will and Geordi mentioned what happened. Are you–?"

"I'm fine." Her clipped tone betrayed exactly how not fine she was, but at that moment she didn't care.

"You know where my office is."

She did indeed, and when she was ready she'd talk to the Counselor about all of this. But, at that moment, all she wanted to do was prepare herself for what could be an extremely unpleasant evening.

--

The Captain had seen fit to lower the number of guards following the Admiral from two to one - much more tolerable than before, even if the one currently beside him was constantly scowling. He hadn't been stopped when he visited the Arboretum to obtain flowers for his lady, nor had he been deterred when the officer in question had chosen to stand uncomfortably close to him as he activated Beverly's door chime.

"Come in," she called, and as the door slid open, he was greeted with the sight of his Doctor out of uniform. A soft, green, knit sweater draped artfully off one shoulder to reveal a tantalizing bit of skin. She couldn't possibly know that Romulans used to mark their mates and be teasing him about that...could she?

He honestly wouldn't put it past her. She was clever and utterly devious, he was convinced of it.

A pair of dark lounge pants made her look elegant in her comfort - more formal than such an outfit had any right to be - and the Admiral suddenly felt decidedly underdressed despite the presence of his own uniform.

"Good evening, Admiral." Her voice was quiet and calm, but there was an underlying coolness that nearly stopped his heart. His smile drooped a fraction. He should've known that she'd find out before he had a chance to tell her. Looking over his shoulder, she addressed his guard. "Wait outside, please, Ensign."

The hiss of the door closing behind him sounded more foreboding that he'd expected. Neither spoke for a long moment. She looked at him expectantly, and he dared to take a few tentative steps forward to present the flowers he'd brought her.

"I visited the ship's Arboretum. I had not encountered these flowers before, but their exotic beauty reminded me instantly of you," he said offering the bouquet he'd put together for her. "I believe they are called roses."

She said nothing. She made no move to take them from his hand. The silence stretched long enough to make him wonder if he'd ruined everything.

"Were you even going to tell me?" Beverly's question was so quiet that had he not been Romulan, he would've been in danger of missing it.

"Of course I was. I simply... The moment never felt...correct for such an admission."

"What moment would have been better?" She asked, and for a split second, Alidar wondered whether all Starfleet officers, save Riker, had taken the same course of expressing anger with Vulcan-like calm. "Would it have been more appropriate in your eyes to wait until we were in bed together?"

He sighed. What else could he do?

"What you have to understand is–"

"Jarok? Admiral? What am I to call you now?" She asked, and she began to muse aloud. "'Jarok' conveys the wrong tone altogether, 'Admiral' seems too formal, and I assume 'Alidar' is off the table as it's too casual for a man with your reputation."

He took a deep breath and laid the flowers aside on the side table by her sofa.

"I cannot change what I have done in the past, nor shall I apologize for doing my duty as an Admiral in the Romulan military. This is precisely why I dreaded telling you," he muttered looking away. "Since my past obviously offends you–"

"Your past? I don't give a damn about your past," she exclaimed, stunning the Admiral into silence as he gaped at her. "I'm hurt, Admiral, not because of who you are, but because I was the last person on this entire ship to find out!"

They both looked at each other, quietly assessing the situation.

"The looks of...of pity that were sent my way just because everyone else knew and I didn't... Do you have any idea how that felt? Did you think I was an easy mark? That I was so blinded by my attraction to you that I'd never find out?" Her questions stung, but not because they were accusatory. They kicked him right in the chest because of the underlying assumption: that he would manipulate her in such a cruel manner because of how little he thought of her.

The opposite was true. He thought the world of her, and it was an injustice that he'd behaved in such a manner that the thought had even crossed her mind. Jarok took a single, careful step toward her.

"E'lev...I didn't tell you, because I was afraid that I would lose you if you knew who I was," he explained looking into her eyes. "You are the only bright spot in this entire ordeal, and I was certain that if you knew all the grisly things I've done for my people, all the terrible orders I've given, all the lives I've been forced to take, you would despise me or worse...fear me."

Looking up at him with those big, blue eyes of hers, the Doctor surprised him yet again by closing the distance between them, cupping his cheeks, and gently skimming her thumbs across his skin.

"Admiral, over the past day and a half, you've shown me exactly who you are. I don't hate you for the choices you've made, and I'm not afraid of you," she murmured. "I trust you...or at least, I hope that I can trust you."

Such an admission from a woman who really shouldn't be associating with him at all made him crumble. All he could think to do when he was this vulnerable was to close his eyes and lean into her touch as he nodded his head.

"You can. I will do all that I can to justify that trust." His voice came out as little more than a rough whisper. What had he done to deserve such mercy and understanding from her? What right did he have to even be in the presence of a lady of such mercy?

"Would you stay and talk with me, Admiral?"

"Only if you'll call me Alidar, Doctor," he stipulated as he opened his eyes once more. Truthfully, he'd have stayed even if she only ever wanted to call him 'Setal' from now on. He would gladly be anything that she wanted him to be. "I don't ever want to hear my title from you."

"I think I can do that, but I'll expect you to call me Beverly in return." The way her eyes sparkled up at him was utterly irresistible.

"As you wish...beautiful Beverly," he murmured, savoring the syllables as they flowed over his tongue. Willingly, he allowed her to grasp his hands and lead him over to the couch - he'd have done anything for her. This, of all things, was no trouble.

"Now, I want to know about you - the real you," she said, and Jarok smiled.

The pair talked for several hours. He answered every question she had, even going so far as to explain about Romulan customs regarding officers of his previous position and their marriages being arranged for political gain. At the first whiff of his dissatisfaction with the Romulan government's aggressive policies, his wife had seen no further advantage to remaining with him and filed for an annulment. His daughter and some distant relatives were the only people he'd left behind on Romulus.

"Speaking of children...your son, Wesley," he began, and Beverly's lips stretched into the sort of proud smile only a parent could manage. "He takes after his mother quite a bit, from what I can tell. I believe his father would be proud of the man you have raised him to be."

"Hardly any of that is down to me," she demurred leaning more fully against him. "He's more like Jack than he realizes - all duty and responsibility. You know, Wesley tried so hard to fill the void that I had to remind him he was a kid more than once just so he'd go have a little fun."

"Well, he certainly has your courage, e'lev," he mused, and she let out a quiet laugh, settling her head on his shoulder. The sensation felt wonderful, especially when paired with the knowledge that she was at ease enough to touch him so casually.

After a moment's comfortable silence, he looked down into Beverly's eyes, allowing himself to get lost in her gaze yet again.

"Alright, I'll bite. What's on your mind, handsome?" Jarok preened at her praise.

"The view. Even the heavens are different here on this side of the Neutral Zone. The stars are wrong," he murmured, "but perhaps..."

She tilted her head curiously when he trailed off, raising her eyebrows in askance.

"Perhaps your eyes can be my new stars." Gently, Alidar cupped her cheek, running the tips of his fingers down the softness of her skin. "Only if you're willing, of course."

He noted only a short moment of hesitation as she processed his words before smiling up at him.

"Why, Alidar, I'd be honored," she said just above a whisper, and he felt his heart speed up in his side. Before he could do anything about it, though, gentle lips met his.

This gesture was so open, so intimate, so...Human. Jarok melted against her, following her lead until they were both breathless and clinging desperately to each other. Somewhere in their haze, the Doctor had ended up wrapping her arms around his neck and straddling his lap. His hands had taken up residence on her hips, keeping her steady above him as they explored each other.

He knew that she could tell how hard he was. She wasn't some inexperienced virgin, she was a woman who'd had a child. As her fingertips skimmed through his hair and coaxed him into another kiss, Jarok couldn't help but marvel at her. She as such a force of nature! He couldn't deny her anything, even if he wanted to. He'd crumble after an instant if only to receive more of this wonderful, exquisite intimacy from her.

How had he fallen so far so quickly? He'd defected from the Empire, lost his home, his daughter – all in a single day. Now, less than a day later, he found himself hoping to make love to a Human and cover her in the evidence of his affection. If his people could see the way he hummed hungrily into Beverly's mouth, they'd sneer at him for allowing a mere hevam to affect him so.

They wouldn't understand her magnetism or her beauty, because they'd be too blinded by their prejudice. He'd always been different in that respect. Jarok had never seen Humans as lesser than Romulans. They were different, yes, but he'd always wanted to satiate his curiosity rather than scoff at their existence. He was beginning to believe that it was an impossible task, though, because every time he learned more about Humans from Beverly, he found that instead of being less curious, he was even more so.

Alidar wanted to know everything about her - what made her happy or sad, what made her moan with pleasure, what her beautiful red hair looked like when it was mussed after a good night's sleep... He'd never been so ravenous for answers before in his life!

He managed to pry his lips from hers and began kissing down that lovely long neck of hers. The whimpers she gave him were precious gifts to be treasured and savored on the tip of his tongue for as long as he lived.

And were those her pheromones? Intoxicating woman... Was nothing about her flawed?

She leaned away from him just long enough to tug her sweater over her head and toss it away. His mouth met the dip in her collarbones, and she said his name like a prayer.

But if anyone was the worshiper in that situation, it was Alidar. Every millimeter of her was precious and sacred to him, and he vowed to himself as she tugged at his uniform tunic that he would never treat her as anything but the blessing from the Elements that she was.

And, oh, they had crafted her perfectly. Fire ran though her veins and gave itself away in her beautiful hair...her passion...her devotion. He'd always enjoyed a fire's heat. Even when he got burned, his respect for it only grew.

She was his favorite flame.

Beverly's forehead met his when both their torsos were nude. Their chests pressed against one another as they fought a battle between breath and pleasure. Her arms were wrapped around his neck, her fingers buried in his hair, and her quiet breaths mingling against his lips with his own.

Neither spoke - what could they say that was adequate in the midst of such affection? But, after a long moment, a small gurgling sound filled the air.

They'd completely forgotten about dinner, hadn't they? Their eyes met and both dissolved into a fit of giggles. Lifting her with ease, Alidar kissed Beverly's cheek and laid her on the sofa, taking a moment to admire the sight of her all flushed and vulnerable beneath him before walking to the replicator to get them both something to eat.

He'd save her for dessert.

--

The ship dropped to impulse a few hours later, and the pair of lovers who'd drifted off together after sharing a meal and a few more kisses finally got dressed once more.

Beverly reported to Sickbay, and Jarok was summoned to the Bridge not long after the ship reduced its speed.

It was time. Nelvana Three required his attention. Smoothing his hair in the turbolift and pointedly ignoring the disapproving glare his guard gave him, the Romulan reported as ordered only to find the Bridge crew in a state of agitation.

"Perhaps you'd care to explain why we're here, Admiral," Picard called out almost as soon as the turbolift door opened.

"There doesn't appear to be a base," Riker added sounding more than a little frustrated.

"I don't understand." Jarok said as he looked at the barren planet on their viewscreen.

"Nelvana Three, Admiral! No base, no weapons, no signs of any life at all!" The Captain exclaimed.

"But...I saw the tactical communiques...the records...timetables for completion," he said as he walked closer to the screen. "An entire legion was assigned to this sector."

"Is it possible they could have been feeding you disinformation? You said that you'd been censured, reassigned four months ago," Picard pointed out, and a buzzing began in Jarok's ears. "They knew of your dissatisfaction. Could all this have been to test your loyalty?"

"No. No, it's impossible," he protested, but a small, horror-struck part of his brain recognized that the Captain could be correct. Oh, Elements, if he'd been tricked–

"They let you escape with an arsenal of worthless secrets," Picard bit out. "What other explanation is there?"

The buzzing in his ears grew louder, and he gripped the wooden railing that surrounded the middle section of the Bridge as Picard's First Officer ordered them out of the Neutral Zone. His own people had deceived him.

Before the ship could run, though, two Romulan warbirds decloaked and fired on them. This couldn't be happening! Was Jarok trapped in some sort of nightmare?

The Romulan Commander eventually hailed them, and Picard engaged in a minor battle of wits with him.

Alidar barely heard a word until Tomalak's jab about Enterprise's broken hull being displayed as a warning to all other traitors who would dare defy the Empire. At that, he snapped.

"All the communiques...all the timetables, all the records. They were all fiction written for my benefit," the Admiral raged, but the smug Commander on the viewscreen merely looked smug as he continued. "A test... A test of my loyalty. And you used me to lure the Enterprise into the Neutral Zone."

Ignoring the accusations completely, Tomalak returned his attention to Picard.

"First, Captain, you will return the traitor Jarok, then you will surrender as prisoners of war."

The men went back and forth, trading threats, and with all the confidence of a man with an ace up his sleeve, Picard summoned two Klingon battle cruisers seemingly from nowhere.

But Jarok could not celebrate the fact that they were still alive. He could not find it within himself to be glad that he'd lived after being so thoroughly used and humiliated.

"I did it for nothing," he murmured, "my home, my family... For nothing."

In disgrace, with nothing left of his dignity, Former Admiral Alidar Jarok left the Bridge. Shame surrounded him like a haze. So caught up in his grief was he that he didn't notice the way Captain Picard's eyes followed his path to the turbolift.

--

In the middle of treating a few small injuries from the conflict with the Romulan warbirds, Beverly's combadge chirped.

"Doctor Crusher, I think it would be wise for you to visit Admiral Jarok's quarters, and...my instinct could be wrong, but you may wish to prepare for a medical emergency of some sort."

The Doctor paused as she set aside a dermal regenerator.

"Acknowledged, Captain, thank you," she replied. Picking up a medkit, she turned to Alyssa, but she was already waving her out the door.

"Go, we can handle ourselves. We'll cover for you as long as you need." With a grateful smile, she hurried out of sickbay toward her lover's quarters. 'Her lover'... What an odd sounding phrase after so long as a single woman.

But, what sort of injury could he possibly have that would drive him to his quarters rather than Sickbay? He would've known she'd be on duty, so why not simply come find her so she could help?

Activating his door chime, he shouted for whoever it was to go away. She hadn't expected to hear such anguish in his voice. She activated the chime again and this time she announced herself.

"Alidar? It's me, Beverly," she called. "Please, may I come in?"

A long, charged paused passed before he called for her to enter. When she did, she nearly fainted at the sight that greeted her. Tear tracks stained his cheeks as he stood by the viewport. He looked deflated, somehow...defeated.

"Please, let me see my stars one last time..." An orange felodesine chip was clutched desperately between his fingers. Beverly's heart sank. He wouldn't...he couldn't, not after all they'd been through in the last couple of days.

"Alidar...wait, please," she adopted the most soothing tone she could as she kept her eyes locked with his. Taking slow, small steps toward him, she tried to figure a way out of this. Setting the medkit aside as she walked, she tried her hardest not to spook him into anything rash like ingesting the chip. There was no reversing that. There was no antidote.

"Beverly...e'lev, I can't. It was all for nothing. My own people used me to get to the Enterprise. I nearly caused all of your deaths and started the war I was trying to stop, all because I couldn't tell the difference between fiction and fact." A tear rolled down the Admiral's cheek and his hand shook. "I will never see my baby girl grow up. I will not be there when she welcomes a child of her own into the world. I will never see Romulus again! I cannot face this alone."

"You aren't alone, I promise." She was almost close enough to touch him, now. "Alidar, for as long as you will permit me, I will stay by your side. I will help you through this to the best of my ability, but you have to be willing to give me a chance."

He started to shake his head, but she was close enough to caress his face and look deep into his eyes.

"Try...for me..." she begged feeling tears burning in the corners of her own eyes as she spoke. "Please."

After a long moment, there was a quiet 'clack' as the chip fell from his grip and landed on the floor. Almost before she could process that he'd moved, the Admiral grasped the Doctor's waist and caught her lips in a desperate, damp kiss which she returned just as fervently.

Relief cascaded through her. She wasn't going to lose him today.

Any remaining shreds of the decorum the two had maintained over the course of their two-day journey faded rapidly into nothing, shattered by the overwhelming need for both to hold and be held, to love and be loved.

Their aborted intimacy from before was not to be stopped this time. Clothing fell in crumpled piles, removed by desperate hands and delicate fingers, each on a quest to reassure themselves and each other that they were not alone.

With their uniforms stripped away, their duties cast aside, they were no longer Romulan and Human. They were merely lovers partaking of each other, filling the room with the sounds of their joining.

~*~

Taglist:

@akamitrani @android-boyfriends @attention-bajoranworkers @bigblissandlove1 @darkmattervibes

@emilie786 @groovyqueer @horta-in-charge @live-logs-and-proper @rookietrek

@slutty-slutty-vulcans @starrynightgardens @toebeans-mcgee

[lucky-clover-gazette]

prince's gambit highlights & annotations

chapter 11

indented text is from the book. some quotes have commentary, some do not. some comments are serious, and some are definitely not. most of them will only make sense to people who have read the series. and, like, there are spoilers. so please read the books first if you're interested!

also: part of the reason i'm doing such a close reading is to study cs pacat's style, especially in terms of how she does romance and erotica. there are "craft notes" that might seem weird, like i'm being redundant or restating something rather than analyzing, but those are more things that i want to remember/take away from the writing!

i'm going to tag these longer posts with "sam reads capri" in case anyone wants to read them all at once.

this is a google doc i wrote with overall content warnings for the captive prince series. it's not perfect, but i do think it's important to include.

A prudent ruler would want a seasoned diplomat overseeing this fraught standoff, not Laurent, who had arrived like a wasp at an outdoor feast, annoying everybody.

‘Your Highness. We were expecting you two weeks ago. But we were glad to hear that you enjoyed the inns of Nesson,’ said Lord Touars. ‘Perhaps we can find you something equally entertaining to do here.’

you cannot out-bitch laurent of vere. but good luck trying

The golden prince was at his best when viewed from sixty paces, out of spitting range of his nature.

‘Is my slave making you nervous?’ said Laurent. ‘I can understand that. It takes a man to handle him.’

this is a minor political ploy on laurent’s part—he’s not necessarily defending damen out of the good of his heart. he’s trying to take these people out of their comfort zone, within their own stronghold. also, lmao

‘Councillor Guion,’ said Laurent.

BOOOOOOO TOMATO TOMATO

Laurent had said to him calmly, ‘You knew my uncle wanted to provoke conflict at the border. How else did you think he was going to do it?’ At the end of those exchanges, there had been nothing left to do but get on his horse and ride to Ravenel, spending the ride with his gaze fixed on the back of a yellow head that was infuriatingly not to blame for these attacks, no matter how much he wanted to think so.

damen is gradually easing out of his whole “everything that goes wrong is laurent’s fault” spiral. and he’s not happy about it

‘I don’t blame insects for buzzing when someone kicks their hive over,’ said Laurent. ‘I find myself curious about who it is that wants to see me stung.’

He tried not to think that the future of his country now came down to Laurent, talking.

Damen had been receiving grins and slaps on the back all day. Laurent was the recipient meanwhile of newly appreciative looks. Laurent had risen yet another notch in the esteem of the men, now that they understood that whatever they had previously assumed of his habits in bed, the Prince clearly galloped his barbarian slave under a tight rein. Damen ignored it. It was not the time for trivial matters.

‘Jord sent you?’ said Paschal. ‘He has a sense of irony.’

context: damen, the akielion, has been sent to help victims of the akielion attack

‘The raids are constant. And it was only six years ago that Akielons drove these men out of their homes, out of their fields. They have seen friends, family killed, children taken as slaves.’

HUH??? that doesn’t sound like a fucking pact to me!!

Damen looked at Laurent, and tried to imagine facing him over battle lines. He had been caught up in the energy of—creating something. Laurent’s determination, the ability he had to beat odds had infected him. But this wasn’t a chase through a town, or a game of cards. This was Vere’s most powerful lords unfurling their banners for war.

a kingdom or this? (this. choose this. and then you can have both. but you have to choose this first)

‘Tell him—his coward’s attack on Akielos killed less than we did.’ Proudly. Anger was not useful. It came over him in a wave, and so for a long time he didn’t speak, just stared at the dying man, flatly.

damen’s internal sense of right and wrong making him doubt his own nation…

‘Kastor,’ said Naos, ‘the false king. Damianos—should have been our leader. He was the prince-killer. He understood what Veretians are. Liars. Deceivers. He would never have—climbed into their—beds as Kastor has done.’

just wait until chapter 19

[run2yew]

Dress.

Paring: Lee Minho (w a little hint of Han Jisung ;)) x Fem Reader

Genre: Romance, smut (minors DNI), established relationship

Word count: 1.9k

Writer's note: Happy Easter everyone <3, here's a little treat from me, to you :)

Warnings (contains spoilers): cursing, fingering (fem receiving), exhibitionism, voyeurism, tiny bit of degradation, dirty talk, dom Minho, mentions of unprotected sex (wrap it before you tap it!)

Summary: "Poor baby." He pouts, "Let me take care of you... No one will notice." He whispers again, landing a contradictory and innocent kiss on your cheek.

Maybe he's right.

Maybe no one will notice.

✵

"I really like this dress." Minho says, eyes focused on the road while his hands skillfully handled the steering wheel.

"Thank you bunny," You chuckle, "I like it too." You pull out your phone, propping it in front of you and taking your lip gloss from your purse to add one additional coat.

You were a bit hesitant when Minho asked you to come to dinner with his friends. You didn't want to bother or come in between them but he reassured you there'd be other people, straight up using the fact that Changbin and Seungmin were going to bring their girlfriends as a reason for you to go. He also said he wanted to show you off to everyone, looking at you with those pretty droopy eyes, begging in a way that you couldn't say no to, so you ended up giving in.

It's been a while since you've seen Minho this excited, he even bought the most beautiful red dress for you to wear, one he's been making remarks about all night - and the night has barely started.

You don't blame him though, it was tight, low cut, a bit more revealing than you would usually went for but that didn't stop you from loving it just as much as he did. The fabric hugged you in all the right places and the color complemented you really well, matching your favorite black heels and your wine colored lipstick perfectly.

You looked good. And you felt good too.

But Minho…Minho looked out of this world.

With the dress shirt that enhanced his muscles, some black pants that were a bit tighter than they should be and his hair parted in the middle just how you liked it. The rings that sat on his fingers emphasizing his hands and making one of your favorite parts about him more prominent, and the tie…you could just pull on it and dive into a kiss right now.

"I'm excited to meet your friends." You say, forcing the previous thoughts out of your head.

"Don't be too excited. They're idiots."

"So are you and I love you, chances are I'll love them too." You shrug.

"As long as you don't love them more than you love me, we're fine."

"No promises." You chuckle, going back to the lipgloss in your hand.

•

The dinner's going great. The boys are funny, their girlfriends are also pretty fun to be around and you find yourself more easy going than you thought you'd be. One moment you're nearly hiding behind Minho and the other you're laughing your ass off with Seungmin's countless jokes about Chan's age (you find it funny how he doesn't make any jokes about Minho, that's practically the same age.).

Now you've learned why Minho calls them idiots, they certainly are a little weird, but weird people have a special place in your heart, that's why you're with Minho in the first place. Most of you are done eating by now, so the table is filled with chatter and laughter; things feel comfortable, light and fun, and the atmosphere is also really good.

It's only when you feel Minho's hand on your knee that you freeze, coughing in order to stop the gasp from the coldness of his touch come out of you.

He can't possibly start this here.

"You okay?." Hyujin, that's sitting on your left side, asks.

"Yeah, I just need some water." You lie, bringing the cup on the table to your lips.

Minho mischievously chuckles and you curse under your breath as you feel his hand drift upwards in the most ungodly slow speed you could possibly feel.

You scoot closer to him, "Are you fucking insane?." You whisper, praying that no one is paying too much attention to the two of you and thanking whoever had the idea to put you at the end of the table.

Minho tucks a strand of your hair behind your ear before coming dangerously close and whispering back "I can't control myself when you're looking like this"

"Minho, we're in front of everyone, I'm not doing this." Is what you say, but you're not sure if you actually mean it, because the heat that fills you from the inside out and the uncomfortable feeling inside your panties is definitely saying otherwise.

Minho decides to not take it any further as he softly strokes your thigh, still, every time he notices you take your mind off the action, his hand drifts further.

You have no idea what's gotten into him, he's not the PDA type, let alone this, having you like this, in the middle of a restaurant, sitting on a table with all these people around…these people that he cares about…

Shit.

It turns you on.

Minho lays his head on your shoulder and turns his face to meet yours, to the ones watching from afar it probably seems like a loving gesture from a sweet boyfriend. You, on the other hand, can't believe the words he's saying.

"You look like a fucking dream in this dress, but I still wanna rip it off your body and bend you over this table right now. Fuck you raw for everyone to see."

It's only loud enough for you to hear, but you still slap his leg for such bold words in public, face heating up and panties sticking to your core. If it was just the two of you you'd probably moan at the words, the motherfucker knows how much dirty talk riles you up.

What the fuck has gotten into this man today?.

Your eyes search for anyone that noticed but apparently, no one did, everyone seems too immersed in their own conversation and having their own good time.

You squeeze your legs shut for some friction.

"Poor baby." He pouts. "Let me take care of you... No one will notice." He whispers again, giving a contradictory and innocent kiss on your cheek.

Maybe he's right.

Maybe no one will notice.

So you don't answer him, you take the hand from your thigh and carefully move to your middle. Minho cups it nearly instantly and bites down a smirk when he gives it a few experimental rubs and feels how much you're aching for him already.

"Such a naughty girl, huh? This wet already?."

You don't answer, in fact you can't answer, because Hyujin pulls you into a conversation with him and Felix about some random game they play with Minho at the exact same time. You abruptly turn, nodding to whatever they're saying.

To say you're listening would be an overstatement, the words going into one ear and out the other as Minho tugs on your underwear and pulls it down to your knees, all while answering the two younger boys by your side.

You feel overwhelmed, tense, and scared, but when touches you right where you want him, is like electricity curses through you and you forget everything around you, as if is only you and him and the building pleasure he's gifting you with.

Why is this so fucking good?.

"You there?." Hyujin asks, laughing when you don't answer, probably thinking you spaced out.

"M-mhm…sorry."

"Just spacing out, don't worry, it happens sometimes." Minho answers for you, so serene and composed you'd almost believe he's doing nothing if he didn't choose the exact moment to push not one but two fingers inside of you at the same time.

You face Minho, biting on your lip so hard it feels like I'd draw blood, and you have to actively make an effort to keep your eyes from rolling to the back of your head. He innocently smiles like a dick winking as his fingers slowly pump in and out of you, rubbing your clit with his thumb and then scissoring you open. It's your time to lay your head on his shoulder, fighting the urge to bite on his shirt to keep quiet.

"F-fuck, s-so good, I l-love it." You admit, managing to half whisper half moan in his ear. He groans quietly, possibly just as worked up as you are.

You never thought this could turn you on as much as it is, but the scenery along to Minho's fingers and his - really hot - acting clueless skills seems to be doing wonders to your core, you can feel yourself dripping down own your thigh.

"My dirty little slut, like my fingers inside you in public yeah?."

Yes, yes you do.

Squeezing your eyes shut, you nod.

But you need more.

You can't have more though, you can't because the people around you might listen, you can't because when you move your head from Minho's shoulder, afraid people might see something, you're met with Jisung's big brown eyes staring right back at you.

Holy shit.

He immediately moves his eyes away from yours, his ears quickly turning red and his expression failing on hiding whatever he was trying to hide.

Fuck, fuck.

He definitely saw it

"M-Minho…fuck." You try to warn, but at this point Minho's is finger fucking you furiously - although slower then you'd want, probably scared someone will hear the wet sounds. - his fingers tastily drag against your walls, showering you in bliss, making you pull the acting skills you didn't know you had out of nowhere.

He does it smiling too, chatting along with a very clueless Chan that looks super enthusiastic about a topic you can't quite place. In fact, you can't quite place anything anymore, you feel dizzy, head spinning, licking your lips and curling your toes in pleasure. Minho apparently thinks it's a great time to work you open- probably for him later. - and pushes an extra finger that hurts so good it has you on the edge, you dig your nails on the skin of his forearm so harshly you're surprised with how he shows no signs of pain.

You're close, dangerously close.

So you take a deep breath and look in front of you to maybe ground yourself, to not fully let go.

Except your eyes meet Jisung's again.

But now, they're shining.

Not the usual shine you're used to, the little stars that even Minho admitted he had.

They're glistening, as if they're covered in…

Lust?

Holy fucking shit.

This time he doesn't take his eyes off you, even when they lock with yours he just quietly watches, licking his lips when your mouth falls agape for a split second, right when Minho curls his fingers just right, hitting the perfect spot inside of you, the one that had you coming in seconds.

You don't notice Minho's head falling against yours when you cum, hyperaware of the way Jisung's gaze is piercing through you, giving you shivers on top of the insane wave of pleasure that hits you like a truck.

It's so good, everything just feels too good, and all you want to do is scream, you want to moan Minho's name, you want to cry out the most sinful things that could ever be said.

All while looking into Jisung's eyes.

That's when you notice Jisung's mouth fall slightly agape too, and his head falls on the table for a minute or two.

Was he-

No.

You're imagining it.

"Such a good girl, what are you thinking about?" Minho whispers to you again, giving you another peck on the cheek. But you don't listen.

"I'm going to the bathroom real quick." That you hear Jisung tell Seungmin, before rushing off the table.

Oh my fucking God.

You weren't imagining.

Holy shit, holy shit.

How are you going to tell Minho this?

•

If you enjoyed this, feel free to reblog it with your feedback and/or thoughts or anything you'd like really (just don't forget to be kind :)) I would really appreciate it, any feedback is valid. thank you so much for reading <3

[seigephoenix]

Hello, happy DADWC! For a prompt, for your Aldwir/Bellara, may I submit: Snuggling during a rain storm

Happy DADWC! This one does contain minor spoilers for Bellara's storyline so I'll be putting it under a cut! Proceed with caution if you haven't gotten far in Bellara's personal quests.

Content Warning: spoilers abound, wholesome romance, Finn is a good boyfriend Length: ~500 words

Finn ducked under the archway of the ruin after securing the perimeter of their camp.  He’d intended to take Bellara to Arlathan to help ease her mind after what happened to her brother.  He was no good with comforting words or words in general, but he still wanted to do something to show her that she could rely on him.  He saw her staring into the fire blankly, her mind was already a million miles away.  His heart hurt for her and what she was going through.  He wanted to strangle that bastard, and Finn vowed to hunt Anaris down if it came down to it.  He’d call in a favor from his mother to find the demented elf.

“Hey,” Finn murmured as he knelt next to Bellara.  He felt the moment she came back, the way her body tensed slightly before relaxing.  “I checked for enemies; we should be good.”  He eased down beside her, staring into the fire as well.  The sound of the rain was comforting in way Finn hadn’t expected.  Of all the weird shit happening in the world and everything they were facing, some things never changed.

“Oh, you didn’t have to do that.  I would have helped.  I mean, I’d do my best.” Bellara started when Finn covered her hand with his.  She felt the burning in her eyes at the gentle squeeze but she vowed not to cry anymore.  Not until they found Cyrian again.  “Rook.”

“Bellara.”  Finn tilted his head when she turned to him with an exasperated look on her face.  “Come on.  Dwelling on it isn’t doing you any favors.  And I know it sounds trite when I say it, but let’s try to get your mind away from it all.”

“You’re right.  It’s just hard,” she admitted linking their fingers together.  She was shocked when Finn tugged hard and she landed on top of him.  “Rook!”

“Relax.” Finn wrapped his arms around her, locking her into place as he settled back against the bedroll.  He grinned when she tried to pull away.  “Nope.  Not going to escape this time, Miss Lutare.”  He kissed her temple, grinning as she muttered at him in their shared language.  “I know what that means too.”

“Good.” Bellara huffed and struggled to relax.  She rested the side of her face against his chest, startling herself when she heard his heart.  It was racing the same way hers was.  For some reason, that comforted her more than anything else.  He was as nervous as she was.  She relaxed into his chest, letting her worries fall away from her mind as she focused on the moment.  It was difficult as her mind wanted to throw itself in a million different directions, but she forced herself to live in the moment.  The sound of the rain hitting the stone above their heads, the sound of Finn’s heart under her ear, and the way his breathing remained steady.  His body heat warmed her and his arms kept her safe.  She never felt that kind of security before, not with anyone else.  She closed her eyes and laid her hand on Finn’s arm.  “I’m glad I’m here with you Finn.”

[wrathshe]

     #𝐖𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐇𝐒𝐇𝐄 :     𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙆𝙍𝘼𝙀𝙃𝙀.     an independent / private     &.     heavily headcanon / rule!63     𝗠𝗢𝗫𝗫𝗜𝗘 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗨𝗩𝗔 𝗕𝗢𝗦𝗦.    blog is dash only, mid amount of formatting, no-icons     &.     low maintenance. 𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗕𝗟𝗜𝗦𝗛𝗘𝗗 :       NOVEMBER 3rd  2023.

     i do not care if you ship Loona / Blitzo, Blitzo / with women, dislike Blitzo / Stolas, write Alastor as anything else other than asexual, ship Vaggie with men etc.     let people do whatever the fuck they want.     under no circumstances, however, will bestiality or paedophilia be roleplayed in this space.     if this type of content is present in your muses' history, that's fine, just please tag it, but i won't ever roleplay / wish to see it roleplayed.   𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙎 𝘽𝙇𝙊𝙂 𝙄𝙎 𝙍𝘼𝙏𝙀𝘿 𝙈 / 𝘿𝘿;𝘿𝙉𝙀     &.     may contain the following content :     non-parental incest, dub con, sexism, marital / verbal abuse, violence / gore, classism / racism, slavery, age gaps, homophobia / transphobia     &.     child neglect.     𝐦𝐨𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞      all of these are to be tagged such as 'cw insert topic here'     —     under no circumstances will bestiality or sexual content of minors be tolerated.

     𝙙𝙤 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙞𝙛 :     pro callout, smut-only blogs, shota / loli blogs, muns under 21 years of age, shame others for their sexual preferences, non-RP blogs, antis of any sort, if you have an extensive DNI persons list... this is not a safe-space for puritanical antis !

     i do not use catch-all tags, such as x don’t look or x don’t see nor do i require one for myself.     i will tag trigger warnings     &.     i will tag URLS :     do not pressure me or try to control who i write with. do not ask me my financial situation, sexual orientation / experience / preferences / kinks or fetishes, relationship status, mental disorders / medical history, etc. quite frankly, that’s nobody’s business but my own.

     if agreeable to these terms, please continue to the blog rules under the cut...

𝐈)     mod is over 25+ years of age.     i will not be providing my discord unless you’re a close friend.     timezone is PST.     goes by any pronouns.     i understand genderbends    &.     heavy AUs are not everyone's cup of tea though, so i have no problem if folk don't follow back.     art for my icons are either heavily edited caps from the source material or they are from @missfabius on twitter / X.

𝐈𝐈)     this is a problematic character from series that takes place in literal hell.     𝙞 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙚     —     𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙤𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨.    AUs are my jam.     𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙪𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩.    spoilers will not be tagged. leaks, should i ever come across them, will be tagged accordingly.

     i can’t write NSFW worth a damn, it’ll be rare if i actually write it out in full here     —     i prefer to write that in discord.     please don’t automatically assume romance unless prior discussion / interactions take place.

     𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙜...     animal abuse, animal cruelty, necrophilia    &.     trypophobia.

𝐈𝐈𝐈)     my Moxxie, besides being 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘅 𝗳𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗲-𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴, has male-horns    &.     white hair.     aside from that, she is 𝙉𝙊𝙏 𝙈𝘼𝙍𝙍𝙄𝙀𝘿 𝙏𝙊 𝙈𝙄𝙇𝘿𝙍𝙀𝘿.     aside from these two changes, not much about the character itself has strayed away from the source material.     Moxxie was still raised by her father, Crimson, mother died, most likely had Chaz as an ex, works for IMP etc.     my canon voice for her is 𝙉𝙞𝙠𝙖 𝙁𝙪𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙢𝙖𝙣.

     𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙎 𝙄𝙎 𝙉𝙊𝙏 𝘼 𝙍𝙀𝙌𝙐𝙄𝙍𝙀𝙈𝙀𝙉𝙏 but it would be 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐋𝐘 𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃 if you could give this post a like or send me an ask stating you've read my rules !

[estrla-a]

                    ♔     ——— — -  𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐘'𝐋𝐋 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐋 𝐈𝐍 𝐓𝐇𝐄 ��𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐎𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐘 :   but a person so mentally unstable cannot change.     your words freeze me up like your mouth is Antartica,     &.     your brain is scolding due to your visit to your throne in Hell.     i've suffered many tragedies inside my own mind.     𝑳𝑬𝑻 𝑰𝑻 𝑨𝑳𝑳 𝑼𝑵𝑭𝑶𝑳𝑫, 𝑪𝑶𝑴𝑬 𝑻𝑶 𝑴𝑬 &. 𝑭𝑬𝑬𝑫 𝒀𝑶𝑼𝑹 𝑰𝑵𝑻𝑼𝑰𝑻𝑰𝑶𝑵     a mother's love is all that is good     &.     holy, but what is it worth to Satan ?     you would know, since he is in fact, your creator...     𝗬𝗢𝗨 𝗪𝗜𝗖𝗞𝗘𝗗 𝗪𝗜𝗧𝗖𝗛 !

                    𝐒𝐎 𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓’𝐒 𝐓𝐇𝐘 𝐆𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐘,     &.     𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐄 𝐄𝐗𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 ; 𝘐 𝘙𝘌𝘚𝘖𝘜𝘕𝘋 𝘛𝘏𝘠 𝘎𝘙𝘌𝘈𝘛𝘕𝘌𝘚𝘚 '𝘔𝘖𝘕𝘎𝘚𝘛 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘛𝘏𝘙𝘖𝘕𝘎.     #𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐋𝐀 :     𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙆𝙍𝘼𝙀𝙃𝙀.     an independent / private     &.     heavily headcanon / pilot based     𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗔 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗛𝗘𝗟𝗟𝗨𝗩𝗔 𝗕𝗢𝗦𝗦.    blog is dash only, mid amount of formatting     &.     low maintenance.

𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙎 𝘽𝙇𝙊𝙂 𝙄𝙎 𝙍𝘼𝙏𝙀𝘿 𝙈 / 𝘿𝘿;𝘿𝙉𝙀     &.     may contain the following content :     non-parental incest, dub con, sexism, marital / verbal abuse, violence / gore, classism / racism, slavery, age gaps, homophobia / transphobia     &.     child neglect.     𝐦𝐨𝐝 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞      all of these are to be tagged such as 'cw insert topic here'  — under no circumstances will bestiality or sexual content of minors be tolerated. i do not use catch-all tags, such as x don’t look or x don’t see nor do i require one for myself.     i will tag trigger warnings     &.     i will tag URLS :     do not pressure me or try to control who i write with. do not ask me my financial situation, sexual orientation / experience / preferences / kinks or fetishes, relationship status, mental disorders / medical history, etc. quite frankly, that’s nobody’s business but my own. 𝙙𝙤 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙞𝙛 :     pro callout, smut-only blogs, shota / loli blogs, muns under 21 years of age, shame others for their sexual preferences, non-RP blogs, antis of any sort, if you have an extensive DNI persons list... this is not a safe-space for puritanical antis ! if agreeable to these terms, please continue to the blog rules under the cut...

𝐈)     mod is over 25+ years of age.     i will not be providing my discord unless you’re a close friend.     timezone is PST.     goes by any pronouns.

𝐈𝐈)     this is a problematic character from series that takes place in literal hell.     Stella is, for the most part, a rude, privileged     &.     entitled individual who grew up extremely wealthy &. has very little to no ounce of kindness in her.     she is as condescending, homophobic, racist, sexist     &.     probably transphobic as they come.     𝙞 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙨𝙤𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙢𝙮 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙚 — 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙤𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨.    AUs are my jam.     𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙪𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩.    spoilers will not be tagged. leaks, should i ever come across them, will be tagged accordingly.

     i can’t write NSFW worth a damn, it’ll be rare if i actually write it out in full here — i prefer to write that in discord.     Stella is hard to ship with, so please don’t automatically assume romance unless prior discussion / interactions take place.     i currently don’t really ship her with anyone.

     𝙥𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙜...     animal abuse, animal cruelty    &.     trypophobia.

𝐈𝐈𝐈)     my Stella is not only heavily physically based on her pilot design but also how i 𝙖𝙨𝙨𝙪𝙢𝙚𝙙 she would be like 𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙞𝙡𝙤𝙩.     Stella is a lot more calm than her canon counterpart — it doesn’t mean she isn’t explosive when she reaches her boiling point, just that she has a bit more patience, poise     &.     grace before getting there.     she is married to a prince, after all, she’s been trained her entire life for this.

     my canon voice for her is 𝙀𝙢𝙢𝙖 𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙥𝙨𝙤𝙣 with mannerisms akin to the character she plays in the 2021 film Cruella, Miranda from The Devil Wears Prada     &.     even a bit of Rarity from MLP.     𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙢𝙮 𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙮𝙖𝙡 𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙘𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙣 𝙗𝙖𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝘿𝙊𝙀𝙎 𝙉𝙊𝙏 𝙈𝙀𝘼𝙉 𝙞 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚.     i aim for my Stella to not disrupt the flow of canon — though i write her slightly different, none of it would affect the actual events from the show, if that makes sense.     Stella still gets pissed when she’s cheated on, she still hires Striker to off Stolas, etc.     also, i adore duplicates — lets have a Stella party !

     𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙎 𝙄𝙎 𝙉𝙊𝙏 𝘼 𝙍𝙀𝙌𝙐𝙄𝙍𝙀𝙈𝙀𝙉𝙏 but it would be  𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐋𝐘 𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐃 if you could give this post a like or send me an ask stating you've read my rules !

𝑳𝑰𝑵𝑲𝑺 !     bio.     grx.     metas.     asks.     promo. cws. sc. blogroll.

[piratemousey]

Hymn on the Wind

Tav x Gale

Asmodius Tiefling Bard

Warning: minor gale romance spoilers

Arcane Artisty

Part Two

Tav laid with her head on Gale's chest under the blanket on the soft mattress Gale made for them. She twirled Gale's chest hair while he had his mouth resting against her forehead.

The spell Gale cast to clear the sky had begun to fade. But it didn't matter to Tav. Last night was the night Gale told her he loved her. He'd showed her his world. He wove magic in ways she'd never experienced.

As they stood beneath the canopy of stars, Tav told him Gale wanted to be with the man he was. She loved his magical experience idea, but she'd wanted to touch the person so close to her for so long. She ached to kiss him.

"I wish we didn't have to go back," Gale said against her forehead. " I could just lay here forever."

"Me too," Tav said. She lifted her head to look him in the eyes. "Thank you."

"I just hope I, at least, met expectations?" Gale asked self-consciously.

"It was amazing, I felt so connected to you." Tav said. She kissed his mouth softly. She savored the sensation. "I don't know if you understand the effect you have on me."

"You stir something in me, my love," Gale said, rubbing Tav's cheek softly with his thumb. "Something that I thought was crushed within me. You're like a breath of new life."

Tav leaned close, kissing Gale's lips again.

"You're trying to trap me here," Gale said,against her mouth. "Perhaps you are a faerie." Gale laughed at their inside joke.

"We don't have to go yet," Tav said. She made her eyes big like the owl bear. But she hoped maybe in a sexy way.

"A few more moments," Gale rolled towards Tav. He kissed her sweetly, caressing her shoulder. When he pulled away he shifted so his head rested against her chest. Tav cradled Gale's head against her. She stroked his hair, and kissed his forehead for a time.

As they dressed, Tav heard the song she was writing for Gale. Gale was humming it while he was pulling on his boots.

He rose and pushed his hair back in the mirror. He'd traded his purple tunic for a dark purple shirt with an open collar tied loosely with spring. Gale told Tav that being around people who were so open to expressing themselves through their fashion and their bodies, made him decide he wanted to do the same. But, since he didn't know how, he'd matched himself to her. He'd dyed his hat the blue and gold colors she liked and wore often. He started wearing his hair half-way up on Sixth Day.

"The only problem I could devine for us extending our morning is that Lae'zel and Shadowheart will have absolutely wrecked the bathing area. Why are they always covered in mud?!" Gale's voice was strained in an exaggerated way, which he did to be funny.

Tav hurried up to him pressing her body against him and hanging around his neck. "I don't know, love."

"Love?" Gale asked with a raised eyebrow. "You love me?"

"I do," Tav said. Gale raised an eyebrow at her phrasing.

"Do you have a song about love?" Tav laughed.

"Love," Tav said in a sing-song. Gale put his hand on her lower back and cradled the other out beside them. He spun Tav in a waltz to the rhythm of her saying the word "love" in different styles, tones, and octaves. She felt ridiculous but they laughed together as he moved her easily toward the edge of the clearing, years of all manor of society parties put to good use.

By the time they returned to camp, Gale walked a few feet behind Tav. While his hands were folded behind his back, and he tri3d to appear calm, he was doing a terrible job of hiding his smile.

Tav understood that Gale didn't want to draw attention to himself. He was shy and delicate about their love. Tav didn't think the group would be too embarrassing about Tav and Gale hugging and kissing around them. But she respected his needs.

Tav skipped to a rhythm playing through her head. Her tadpole wiggled as she drew close to the others.

Once Tav was in sight of the tents, she hurried to move ahead of Gale. She glanced at Astarion's tent as she passed. As she saw Astarion, Tav slowed to a stop.

Astarion laid half in and out of his tent. A jar of red blood leaned against his pale bare stomach. Astarion held Tav's gaze. His gaze was knowing, disappointed.

Astarion was waiting for them to pass.

Gale passed behind Tav. He gave Astarion a roguish smile. "Morning, Astarion."

The vampire spawn sipped the blood from the bottle from a glass straw.

"I'm sorry," Tav said.

Astarion's feet kicked several beats of irritation. "You're not sorry it happened, you're sorry I'm sad. It makes you feel bad when I'm sad, though I don't see why. But good, feel bad."

"We both care for you," Tav said. "Maybe tell him. Gale is capable of a lot of different kinds of love."

"I won't steal him from you if that's what you're afraid of," Astarion said. "I don't want your wizard."

"It was chance who followed who into what clearing," Tav said. "I spoke with Gale before I knew how you felt. He and I both fell. I really do love him. I won't hurt him. I won't let him hurt himself either."

"Well, good for you both then, I suppose."

"I'm okay with you being mad at me," Tav said. "As long as you're "mad Astarion" who stays close enough where we can help each other."

"I won't let me processing my emotions hinder moral or our shared goals." Astarion said it like a boring pledge. "Now get out of the sun, bard. This isn't about you."

Tav didn't bother to bring up the fact that the shadow curse was blocking the sun. Instead, Tav walked up to Karlach tent and entered after asking. After a second, the sounds of Karlach and Tav shouting and yelling ecstaticly could be heard from the tent.

Gale ducked into his tent to hide his reddened face.

Astarion pulled more blood through the straw.

[kris-mage-fics]

5 Songs

**Share 5 songs related to your current WIPs (art or writing related)

**If you don't have a wip, you can share what you like about your top 5!

Tagged by @hellhoundmaggie. Thanks for tagging me! Though I feel bad it took so long to see the notification, then even longer to actually write this!

The wip I've been slowly chipping away at is for Shepherds of Haven. It's between Red and my MC, Kyrahlise (said Kira-lease), or as Red calls her, Kyrah. They went to a secret Mage school together during their teens – magic is outlawed, hence why the school is hidden. Kyrahlise and Red were friends for years then dated for several months before they graduated and went their separate ways. When they meet again years later in the game, those feelings start to get rekindled. It's based on the prompt: five times MC broke Red's heart, and one time they didn't. Please note: There are significant spoilers for the romance route between Red and an MC who’s his ex. As well as some minor spoilers for the Patreon Alpha build of the game. I put my answers under the cut in case you don’t want to get any spoilers. Fair warning, this is fucking long! Tagging: @kingdom-dance, @yuuugay, and @georgiedoesntfloat - please don't feel like you have to, there's no pressure or expectations here!

1. Hideaway by Kiesza Taking me higher than I've ever been before I'm holding it back, just want to shout out, give me more You're just a hideaway, you're just a feeling * * * * * * Baby, I love the way that there's nothing So baby, don't stop me Hideaway with me some more Hideaway with me some more

Kyrahlise knew Red was a player – they’d been really good friends for five years before they dated. She knew exactly what he was like, and how his ‘relationships’ never lasted more than a few weeks. So she was aware of what she was signing up for when she responded positively to him when he ‘suddenly’ started flirting with her. It wasn’t that she didn’t want more than a casual/physical relationship with him. She knew Red didn’t want anything else, so it didn’t even occur to her to hope for something deeper with him. Did she ever question why their relationship lasted months instead of weeks or why he never ended things with her before they graduated? Nope, girl was just enjoying the ride for as long as it lasted. (This is a very condensed version of the word-of-god canon way the MC felt about their teenage relationship with Red. For context with heavy spoilers, see this ask.)

2. Can’t Help Falling in Love by Elvis Presley (Or any cover you prefer. Tbh I didn’t even know it was an Elvis song until recently – I thought the UB40 version was the original, lol.) Like a river flows Surely to the sea Darling, so it goes Some things are meant to be * * * * * * Take my hand Take my whole life too For I can't help falling in love with you

When Red finally pieced together that he’d had a low-key crush on Kyrah since they first met at 14, and started flirting with her to see if she was interested in him that way – well, it was so easy for him to fall in love. Factor in all of the qualities that made them such great friends, and the level of emotional intimacy between them that he didn’t have with anyone else he’d dated before – he couldn’t help falling in love with her. (Did he tell her this? No, because he was a dumbass who thought it was obvious he was in love with her.) Fast forward almost a decade with no contact between them. She shows up out of the blue, and she’s still the same Kyrah he was in love with all those years ago. Older, wiser, a little calmer, more confident, and somehow even hotter than when she was 20. So of course he can’t help but fall in love with her again when she treats him the same as before, and even flirts a little. (For more spoiler heavy context on how Red felt about his relationship with the MC, see this ask.)

3. Fragile by Laufey

It's been a year and 40 days Since you picked me up and swept me away I wanted to run with you into the midnight sun with you * * * * * * I’m missing you I shouldn't be I've lost all sensibility (ooooo) I've never been so fragile

When Kyrah left, Red was heartbroken. He thought their relationship could weather anything, but she ended things so casually and took off after graduation. Red was definitely fragile during that time where it still felt so raw. Not that he let anyone see how torn up he was about it for those first few months. Thankfully he got over the heartbreak, so it’s not like he carried around pain or resentment towards her for years. 4. The Loneliest Time by Carly Rae Jepsen ft. Rufus Wainwright

I'm comin' over tonight Knock on your door just like before I need that look in your eyes (Look in your eyes) 'Cause we've had the loneliest time (Loneliest time) I'm thinkin' all through the night (All through the night) I could be yours just like before Rewrite another try 'Cause we've had the loneliest time

Shortly after being reunited Red said to Kyrah: "It– almost feels as if a piece of me was missing all that time, and I didn't even realize it. And now it– you– are back again. And all feels right with the world." He may not be thinking about rekindling things right away, but it doesn't take him long for those feelings to start creeping back in. Though in my mind, it’s a lot more than missing their romantic relationship. They were really close friends for years before they dated. Despite how friendly Red is, he never had a lot of close friends. Losing one of the few friends he cherished was hard, and he missed Kyrah a lot. 5. Sweet Nothing by Taylor Swift They said the end is comin' Everyone’s up to somethin' I find myself runnin' home to your sweet nothings Outside, they’re push and shovin' You're in the kitchen hummin' All that you ever wanted from me was sweet nothin' * * * * * * Industry disruptors and soul deconstructors And smooth-talking hucksters out glad-handing each other And the voices that implore, "You should be doing more" To you, I can admit that I’m just too soft for all of it

Kyrahlise hates being seen as The Hero of Haven. She doesn’t regret the actions that earned her that title, because she wants to use her powers and skills to make the world a better and safer place. It doesn’t matter if people expect more from her than she can give because of her reputation. Or if they think the stories about her are exaggerated so they underestimate her. Either way she feels like a legend, a tool, or an idea when around people who don’t know her. But Red sees her. He was there for her when she was a traumatized 14 year old trying to heal from what happened on her 13th birthday. He was there when she was dealing with the culture shock of being raised by isolationist Elves, then spending a year trying to get by in a scary Norm city on her own, then thrust into a Mage school where she didn’t know anyone or the customs. And he was there for her after what happened in Heth Macoll and in Wallmire. Red knows who she is and doesn’t expect her to be some legend. He just wants to be with Kyrah, the woman. To her, Red feels like a safe haven.* *Pun unintentional, but it’s too good to change, lol!

[ao3feed-dadzawa]

And in the Forest, I Can be Free

And in the forest, I can be free by FallingNarwhals

His prosthetic leg was covered in stickers. Her hands were stained with marker ink in wonderful multicolor.

She could color outside the lines. She could color inside the lines. She could color the skin pink or the hair black or whatever color she wished. She could ignore the lines entirely and just draw whatever she wanted.

Chiasaki would have never allowed any of this. She doesn't freeze or feel that horrible feeling in her chest at the thought of him anymore. Instead she only felt... Something else. It was a warmer feeling, one that settled in her gut.

It took a few days of this new feeling to be recognized and named- anger. She wasn't as afraid anymore, that had grown into anger.

How could anything in this so-called “sick” place ever be bad? She admires her color-stained hands, the shoes that were allowed to remain dirty, the softness of fresh mud during a rainstorm under her hands. Sand between her fingers, dust wiped away from glass to reveal a view of the forest.

Eri doesn't care if she's cursed. She doesn't care if this entire world is covered in little germs that would make her sick. Eri loves it so much. - A look at Eri and her relationship with cleanliness

Words: 11776, Chapters: 1/1, Language: English

Fandoms: 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: Gen

Characters: Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Eri, Midoriya Izuku, Asui Tsuyu, Todoroki Shouto, Uraraka Ochako, Izumi Kouta

Relationships: Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead & Eri

Additional Tags: Slice of Life, Post-Paranormal Liberation War Arc, Characters Are Pro Heroes, Class 1-A as Family, Amputee Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Parental Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Mentioned Chisaki Kai | Overhaul, Childhood Trauma, and healing from it, Coming of Age, Eri and Kouta friendship, Eri learning how to be a child, Libraries, Catching Crawfish, Playing in mud and making a mess, Cat Owner Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Childhood Nostalgia, i wrote a majority of this fic based off of my own childhood lol, No Romance, Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia Manga Spoilers, VERY MINOR manga spoilers tho, if you haven't read the manga you wouldn't really know bc i purposely wrote it vague, Mentioned Sasaki Mirai | Sir Nighteye, addressing medical trauma, Hurt and comfort, But Mostly Comfort, Kotatsu, hot pot, New Years, Implied/Referenced Character Death

Read Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/43525330