#my family will never see my wedding. my aunts will die thinking i was alone my whole life. with the discipline

[faaun]

whatever runs away they hang on to even harder ! a thread is enough !! the whole time i was insane they let me thrash around and threaten to rip their throat out with my teeth ans they said i want to be your friend anyway. i want to be your friend always !

[aphroditesmoon]

sea, swallow me (part II)

jacaerys velaryon x fem!velaryon!reader

part 3

summary: when jacaerys finally meets the hidden bastard of corlys velaryon, he loses interests in his betrothed Baela and intends to make her aunt his, but are you really what your family has made you up to be?

warnings: this fic is inspired by the movie 'song of the sea', CANON DIVERGENCE, slowburn, aged up jace (18 yrs old), reader has selective mutism (she CAN talk), reader is 5 years older than jace, selkie! reader, reader's race is NOT specified(adopted!reader), cursing, nsfw content in future chapters,typical ASOIAF sexism, typical asoiaf targcest.

a/n: if u can't swim irl its okay, me neither, thats why we have fanfics, to pretend we can.

taglist: @marytargaryen , @cdragons , @libdarkheart , @bellstwd , @dianxiaxiexie

♧♣︎♧

They'd all call you a liar and a child if you'd tell them that from where you're standing right now, inside of your father's study with Rhaena, you could hear the ocean waves vividly. You could feel them splash onto the sand as clear as it sounds in your ears.

But unfortunately, the enchanting sounds of the sea had been cut short once your father started to speak. "No." A short but loud enough answer to send shivers on your skin. "It doesn't have to be long, she could sail back here after a moon-"

"You wish her to leave for a whole moon?" He asks in a storm of a voice, silencing Rhaena. "I've kept her here for her own protection. You have no idea how much we've already compromised with the feast-"

"Then why have it at all?" The younger girl snaps, out of anyone's expectation. "Why go all the way for the damn feast just to lock her up again? Do you ever intended to ever let her see outside of Driftmark?" She challeges him boldly. He is quiet.

"And what of marriage? She is two and twenty. Will you ever wed her to anyone?"

You turn your face down, avoiding looks from either of them. "Never." You hear him whisper, too low for Rhaena's ears. "You don't understand anything, you are a child. "

"I am no child, and you shall not treat me as one! What will happen once you die? Who will she have then?" Corlys slaps his hand loudly againts the desk as he gets up. "That is enough, I'll have you here no more, go pack your things like you should. My answer is final." Rhaena opens her mouth to defy him again but pauses when she feels you pulling her by her arm. You gently lead her out the room and pressed a kiss by her temple before shutting the doors close.

You walk towards Corlys the same time you hear Rhaena walks away from the chamber. Your father eyes your movements, as if scared you'd jump him. "You think me cruel." He says matter of factly. You shook your head once you're in front of him. "I think you're irrational." The man sighs loudly at the sound of your voice and slumps himself on the chair.

"I can take care of myself." He raises a brow at you. "I don't doubt it. But these men, they- what if they started asking the wrong questions? What will you say then?"

You squeezed your eyes shut in frustration. "I'll say nothing. And I'll walk away."

"That's not good enough." The wind was howling so strongly that the curtains was flowing inside from the window. "It's good enough to me! Rhaena is right, I am trapped here, I have nothing, no purpose, no one who needs me." He nears you with a sadness in his gaze. "I need you." "No you don't." You roll your eyes. "In 5 days you'll leave to sail for god knows how many moons, and I'll be left alone again- and don't say I have Rhaenys, I do not."

Your father turns quiet again before turning his back from you. "I love you, and I know more than you do of this world. Leave and never ask me of this again."

You were stunned by his conclusion. A bitter laugh spills from your throat. "You're kidding me?" He says nothing.

"I ask for this one thing. One thing, and you can't even do this for me." You move towardd the door to leave him until he calls for you again. "Wait-"

You twist your neck to look at him, cheeks wet and eyes angry. "You were gone last night. Rhaena said she couldn't find you. At the same time Baela had trouble searching for Jacaerys-" you sigh loudly. "Are you really asking me what I think you are?" Your voice was hostile and mean. "I do not wish to make assumptions-"

"Then don't. I was in my chambers, I wasn't feeling well. And as for the prince, how would I know?" That seemed a good enough answer to satisfy Corlys as he asked nothing more before you slammed his door.

A cage was what these beautiful walls are to you. Once upon a time you had thought it enough. Now, you wanted more.

♧♣︎♧ what happened that night

The night of the feast was better than the eve of it. You weren't lying when you said that you've left to your chambers. You did for a good few minutes. Before you snatched your coat and slipped through the window.

Your feet was fast and strong, a swimmer's feet, Laenor once joked. A sharp pain attacked your chest. How peaceful the night sea was when everyone is inside. You could still hear the distant music and laughing crowds. It was beautiful.

The moon felt like a mirror as you stepped one foot at a time inside the water, walking towards the giant reflective shape. You slipped the coat over yourself, and then ducked into the water, swimming further and further before sinking down.

Jacaerys was slow. His hands were quicker, a knight's strength. His father once told him. He's not sure if it's true anymore.

He had hid behind the walls of the corridor that led to your room, waiting for you to leave. When he heard no sounds, he moved toward the stone railing that gives him direct view to the ocean. He sees something huddled on the sand, something that looked like your dress. So he doesn't think twice like he usually does and makes a quick escape down to the sea.

Once he's finally down to the sands, he jogs towards what he then confirmed are your clothes.

"My lady?" He calls out to nothing. There wasn't any sight of you anywhere. If you were swimming, how far could you have gone? "A pretty bad time to swim." He mutters to himself.

Picking up your dress, he puffes it and shook the sands out before swinging it over his shoulder. I'll wait. He tells himself. No one can swim underwater for that long.

So he does. Sitting down on the sand, he lets his eyes do the roaming, trying to spot you in the clear empty sea. Little waves were all there were for a while. Until soon a minute and two passes, and even the waves are dying down, he starts to worry.

Did you drown yourself? On purpose? Is that why this whole feast was held for? A last goodbye party before you killed yourself? He jumps up and throws your your dress off before taking his thickly sown clothes along.

Jacaerys is running into the water now, he's moving as fast as he can, searching through his left and right for any signs of you. The water was reaching his waist now, he takes a deep breath and dives in. He swims slowly, eyes wide open as he searches all around him. Once his lungs feels as though they've caught fire, he gives in and rises back up, coughing out water.

"My lady?" He yells slightly, still coughing. "My lady?" He tries again louder, walking further into the sea.

His heart was beating so fast he was sure it'd jump out. She's dead at the bottom of the ocean. Because you're too late.

His fingers were clenching at his side, shaking whilst also feeling the urge to punch someone. Once his breath has recovered themselves, he stares straight at the moon, and calls out for you again.

"My lady-" "Why are you yelling?" A voice beside him shouts.

Jacaerys jolts and turns to his left, taking in the view of your head above the water on his further left. "My lady." He gasps out, a relieved sigh leaving him.You watches as his body relaxes and he starts to walk towards you.

"What are you doing? Its half past midnight." He scolds you like a child, the strangeness between you both makes it feel worse, earning him a frown from you. "What's it to you?" You snapped, backing away from him when he's close. Jacaerys almost backs away when he remembers you were naked, but halts when he sees the white material covering you. "What- did you bring a coat? To swim?" Your eyes widen and your mouth opens to defend yourself but nothing came.

"It helps me swim." You decided finally.

He stares at you as if you're crazy. "Oh my god, I was right. You were trying to kill yourself." Your frown deepens and you raise your hand to slap his bicep before swimming further from him. "Why would I do that, you idiot? And what are you doing here? Following me and making accusations, I should tell my father of your behaviour." You yell louder at him.

He's startled by the confidence in your voice, a few minutes ago, he was certain you were mute, now he's been proven wrong. "You- you can talk." He breathes out, the realization hitting him late. "Why wouldn't you talk earlier?"

You shook off strands of your wet hair off your face. "Because I don't like talking to stupid men." Jacaerys bursts out laughing, againts his better judgement. "And such blatantly rude way of talking too!" He's bewildered by his discovery of you. "You think you're so funny? We'll see who's laughing when my father hears of this."

"I thought you tried to kill yourself! And with that heavy arse coat, you probably were. Have you tire of your life so much or did Dalton Greyjoy's annoying voice made you think the only way it could disappear from your memory is by death?"

He thought he'd done it then. Jacaerys was anything but courteous as the moment, but he had to ask, the whole situation was so amusing and bizarre that he had to. But then he notices your eyes squinting together whilst the frown had disappeared, and your lips were no longer pouting, it was grinning widely.

You were laughing. In fact, he's sure you could've woken up a deadly whale by your laugh. Not for how loud it was, but for how beautiful.

He's never heard anyone laugh like a melody. He understood now the songs he heard written of sirens luring sailors to their ends. For he'd drown there and then if you'd ask him to, with the same voice. You laughed again when you saw how stupidly he was smiling at you.

You're both in the deep waters, half naked with the moon at your feets. And you wondered if anyone had even noticed your disappearence or have wines made it's effect on them. "You're shirtless." You spoke then, after you've calmed down. His cheeks pinked as he puts on an annoyed face. "I- I was going to save you." You laughed again, right on his face as you finally swam closer.

"Alright, you can stop laughing now, we need to get back." You laughed louder, receiving a sigh from the young prince who finally gave up and moved toward the dry sands.

He snatched his clothing fast before putting it back on, squintinng at your floating head as you still stayed in the water. "Come on, get dressed." He tried to tell you as strict as he could sound. "I'm not changing in front of you, squid hands." His head jolts back at the insult. Were you calling him touchy or were you insulting his hands?

"Wha- you know, just- here's the dress, alright? I'll turn around."

He did as he said as you dressed yourself quickly and started walking to the castles without saying anything. The prince chases after you once he notices you've walked off, his footsteps making a mark on the sand. "What, no more talking?" You say nothing and shoved him off until he falls onto the sand when he tries to goad you.

Your face turns to your side as you try to hide your laugh when you hear him rolling off the grounds with a loud oof. "I'll get you for that-" he yells, voice sounding distant as you scrambled to the nearest stairs to your room, away from him.

♧♣︎♧

The first time you've been on a ship, was a few moons after you were claimed as Corlys' bastard. He wanted to see how you'd react to the sea. And his heart skipped when he sees how much you adored it and the ship. It was a sail to Kingslanding, you came with guards on your own, the queen's face was one so blurry, you can't recall how she looked like. But she was kind, despite the stern edge in her voice.

You were locked in a given chamber and had not seen or met anyone else besides the servants. Once time was up, you went back home with your father.

You never told him, or anyone. But being on that ship had brought back nightmares of your mother's death. Sailors were going mad that day. You were only 5, your mother and many other sea creatures had been caught by sailors. And not the usual ones.

Royal sailors.

They were more violent than the usual ones, they threw back many dead sea animals into the sea again. You presumed they weren't deemed good enough for the royalties. Your mother had disappeared for two days, she wasn't caught with the others and was instead snatched during her run from them. A singular harsh net pulled her up, and you saw the large but less noisy ship took her away from you.

When she finally came back, it was in the form of a corpse, and a woman. Her selkie coat was gone, and she had a straight line of a wound in between her chest. Dried up blood stained her along with your unseen tears.

If Corlys had known, he'd be much more insistent in seperatimg you fron the Targaryens, as it was their sigil on the ship.

But you were too young to be sure of what you'd seen, and too confused to point fingers towards anyone.

Evening had come, It was time for Rhaena to leave to Dragonstone with her family. You weren't going to send her off with your father as planned. You refuse to. That'll show him.

Dressed in your nightdress already, you groaned lowly when you heard a knock on the doors of your chambers.

You waited 10 seconds before walking up to answer it, counting with your fingers so you wouldn't seem desperate or too quick to accept your father's apology.

You almost flinch when the door opens to reveal Daemon Targaryen. He looks as confused as you are as he takes in your already sleepy appearance. "Why aren't you dressed to go yet?" You tilt your head in confusion.

"Ah." Daemon relaxes and hia knowing smirk returns to his face. "He purposely didn't tell you, that old cow. I've talked to your father, he's allowing you to come."

You continue to stare at him dumbly. Was he trying to kidnap you without your father's knowing. "I speak the truth when I tell you, he said yes. I also speak the truth when I say that the ship is leaving soon and you have barely half an hour to get dressed and packed."

Your eyes widen at the time given and spared him no thanks before you slam the door on his face and rush to your closet.

Was that all it took? A few insults (probably) from the rogue prince to get him to surrender? It didn't matter. You were leaving this box of a life, and you were going to make friends out of these people.

When the sharp memory of Jacaerys' face flashes on your mind. You took a deep breath and forced yourself to forget him. Soon enough after seeing his face on a daily, you'll tire of him. You're sure of it.

[vqrtualheartss]

Hii

Every Sunday, you scanned the church's congregation for a familiar face ― Aunt Rio's son, Miles. It seemed as though she barely managed to drag him every other week given the nonchalant look he always wore. You held him as a classification of a hallway crush, never daring to do much than pretend not to stare from the other side of the alter unless you were ready to meet the god you served. Well, the God your whole family served; yeaa, you're the pastor's daughter. And I think we know how that goes, being expected to keep Sunday school each and every week, not to mention that the simplest things were prohibited like music, talking in a "ghetto" way, blah blah blah yaddi yaddi yadda. And your absolute favorite ― always keeping your appearance up to posh

"I will not have my eldest dressing like a jezebel or some boy in my own home. Go and take that off right this instant"

Were the ever present words spoken by your mother if you made the mere mistake of wearing shorts or sweats' around the house. If anything, life felt like a Greenleaf episode and not in a good way. Ranging from the secrets and scandals behind the chapel's closed doors or the fact that multiple administrators like to front that they had the perfect, picturesque family. You couldn't tell which was worse; that they had nothing like that or the fact that your own family―. Nah, in this house you had no family, not since your sister Asaria left.

With tears in both of your eyes, she barely mouthed the words "I'm sorry" to you. It could be the fact you were just eight years old to register what she was apologizing for or that the tears bound your vision so badly you mistook the statement for something else. That couldn't be it, you could see clearly the disgust-filled scowls on your parents faces and they held you back. And like all the stupid rules enforced, your family forbid you from ever contacting her, brainwashing you that they were only trying their bests at raising you. Therefore, you pushed Asaria's words and underlying warning at the back of your mind, convincing yourself that she was just paranoid.. yea. Let's just say that all the delusion wore off when it was your time to take the mic.

You never thought that they'd do this, it felt unreal, like some book with a fucked up plot. But it was happening, you were being wed off at the mere age of seventeen. You know that like all the previous fights, you'd never win. Then again here you stood, behind the chancel, arguing about the dominant latter of your life. Did it even feel like you had one of your own? You felt like a puppet being induced to what was 'for your own good' as you helplessly bantered with your parents Mr. and Mrs. Larkspur

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

"If both parents agree to it, you may be wed" Some mother you are "I was barely sixteen last week, how am I eligible to get married" "I suggest you fix your tone young woman" "THAT'S THE LEAST IMPORTANT THING RIGHT NOW"

The frilled dress I wore swayed with the movements my hand made justifying why what they're doing is absolutely atrocious. Why isn't stuff like this illegal? Tears swung from my lash line as I flashed my face from my fathers wavering hand meant to do nothing but harm. He wasn't one to put his hands on anyone but when he felt desperate or threatened to show dominance; like right now. My mother held onto her coat tightly with that same disgust she watched Asaria flea with whilst my father balled his fist. The claps of the congregation started to die down. Grunting, he walked out onto the nave, but not before giving me a scorning glare. She stood unmoved, dragging me to our house attached to the church by my arm to give the same lecture she had over a thousand times.

"YOU have full knowledge as to why we're doing this. You're father and I are growing grey and we need someone to take over the legacy of the church and with you as our eldest we cannot let you rule over alone or by yourself"

Because I'm a girl? I managed to keep up a neutral look, not an angry or sad one. I couldn't bear to show any emotions, they stripped me of them. The teachings of her scolding me for frowning or crying stood bold in the forefront of my mind. You'd think that she'd come with something along the lines of "Strong girls don't cry" or some crap like that but nope, her reasoning was that "Smiling and frowning makes frown lines and we need to look perfect" I shook away the thoughts as I listened to my mother spur verbal diarrhea.

"If I could I'd marry off your sister because unlike you, she has sense but you know what the church would thi―" "What is wrong with you― Nyla's been sixteen for only three months― Are you insane―"

She slapped me hard, a reminder that she― "Will not tolerate disrespect from a child". As much as I wanted to retaliate, I held out, rubbing the left side of my face as she continued.

"You WILL listen to you us and meet Mr. & Mrs. Nightingale's son tonight"

Oh great, the Nightingales. Another perfect family, I wonder how'd they feel if they found out that their precious son was really up to. What's his name again? Jevaughn? Jaxon? Do I even care? Mmcht

She did a once over of me before adding "Be in the church in less than 5, you will be leading choir today" Didn't even ask me to

We went separate ways; my mother to my father and I to a powder room. Composing myself once more, I hurried inside the church in front of the choir loft, feeling relief when I spotted not a questioning stare. I've learnt to hide how I felt truly behind a faux smile quite well If I do say so myself, but no matter how much I tried my eyes remained glassy― tears threatening to betray thr façade at any moment.

I gave a tight-lipped smile to the congregation as they welcomed my appearance with cheers. I laughed when Tía Rio moved to the front row in midst of the clapping, she waved to me and I did likewise but a little more erratically. She's an amazing person to know and really a nice woman, a great woman that does her best for her family. It painfully excruciates me how these women could sit on her name and belittle her as if they were someone to look up to. She's definitely a better individual than those in this church that like to claim they are combined. But the day I go off on them, I'll let them know.

After thanking the usher for the microphone I ran back to the choir unsure which song to perform. A few members suggested traditional songs and favorites, one stuck out most to me though: Man in the mirror by Michael Jackson. I bit my lip contemplating the decision, we just started to sing (somewhat) church-related pop songs in church so I was a bit hesitant; but as I said, relating, some of these people need to hear it.

I announced the choice to the band members before returning to my position, clearing my throat as I scanned the audience. No, I wasn't scared, I've done this too many times to be. Receiving a signal from the drummer I allowed the choir to voice the opening, joining when they started the second verse. Eventually, we approached the high note as I begged for my throat to not close up. I looked around the room.

“I'm starting with the man in the mirror I'm asking him to change his ways And no message could've been any clearer If you wanna make the world a better place Take a look at yourself and then make a change”

You're staring

You're still staring

Despite the song being half-finished everyone started to clap, giving a literal standing ovation. Did some of them finally heed the meaning? Coming down from the high, I took focus in my vision. Was I looking at Miles this whole time? Widening my eyes at the realization had him chuckling, he waved before continuing to clap.

First time without a stoic expression and I'm wishing he smiled more. I put a palm in the middle of my face to loosely hide my smile before waving back. A few of the young men waved even though it wasn't directed to them. Looking over to their spots Miles and I shook our heads.

Behind me, my father cleared his throat, the harsh sound reminding me of my earlier troubles. My expression died down quickly. Instead of beside my family I sat in the first row in the choir loft. Miles moved to the front of the church to his mother who began to question him about something. She turned to me and smiled, speaking softly "You did amazing" Although I couldn't hear too well over the preaching, I pieced out her words, thanking her in return.

Usually, I'd be somewhere discreetly using my phone but it was different today. My eyes moved back and forth from my father to Miles who did likewise; giggling each time we made eye contact at same.

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

Even though I didn't want to, I gathered the strength to partake in the seemingly mandatory post-service meet and greet

"'Ah dear, meet one of my good friends. Robert this is (y/n), (y/n), Robert"

The man whom he was introducing looked worn out, wrinkles showing in every crevice in his face despite (from what I've heard) being in his late 30's. He wore gold grills on his bottom canines, which I would hate to say matches well with his black and white suit.

"Hello, I'm (y/n). Pleasured to meet you"

"Likewise"

His voice came off hoarse, sounding as if someone who had smoked for a week straight finally took a breath.

Even though opting for a simple handshake, the man dragged me into an uncomfortable hug. And I mean uncomfortable, his hands trailed all about my back, quickening its pace heading underneath the mid-back vest I wore. I pulled back, crushing the man's toes with my heel as I did.

"I'm so sorry"

I innocently smiled at the grunting man that held onto his loafer tightly. With the hand resting on his left forearm I would've pinched him if my father didn't take him away. I saw my mother introducing Nyla to some boy of her age. Ew.

About 10 footsteps away I felt a warm hand on my shoulder that sent me tumbling. I probably would've fell if I wasn't caught by the hug afterwards.

"Tía Rio" I paused, resting a hand on my chest before continuing

"Hola hija"

She pulled me back into her embrace before stepping backwards.

"You were absolutely amazing out there― as always" "'Thank you tía, that truly means a lot to me" "Oh hush, I know you've heard that about a thousand times now" "Well, it means a lot from you"

We laughed a bit before she started to pat down her bag. "Before I forget" She dipped her hand into its largest compartment before taking out something wrapped in colorful tissue paper. "Here"

Handing it over I could tell by the texture that it was some type of food― cookies probably. At this point they were a symbolic part of our relationship.

------------ Flashback twin

The cold December air on the exposed skin on your knee was doing you no good. Said cold wind was what had you like this. With a snotty-nose you were headed to your mothers purse for a tissue. And when she was nowhere to be found, you frantically ran around in search for her, convinced this was some sick game of hide-and-seek.

Sitting in a random slide with your feet up to your chest, you felt tears rush when a boy with hair slightly longer than the others saw you crying and hurriedly turned back.

"If it's another stray cat we're not keeping it" "No mama"

The same boy came through the other end of the slide, pointing at you. Not knowing what else to do, you hid your head between your legs and chest, bringing it up at sudden speech directed to you.

"My mommy says you should come down. She wants to see you"

Bringing your head up by the slightest, you could see the boy's extending hand in front of your face. "You have to get out because mommy's too fat to fit in" The woman who you figured to be his mother had her mouth agape, her shocked expression turning soft when you two started to laugh.

Holding onto his hand you both slid down, the adrenaline numbing the pain in your knee. Immediately after standing up she noticed your blood stained shorts, rushing you to a nearby bench.

"¿Qué tal? How did this happen?" Even though opening your mouth for words none came out, 6-year-old you unsure how to explain the situation. Understanding your frustration she spoke up. "It's okay, you don't have to tell me" She gave you a comforting smile. Which in return had you smiling, then her son, revealing the front tooth he recently lost.

After she finished bandaging your knee she began to put her belongings back into her bag, leaving out just one thing. A floral pink and white decorative tissue. She handed it to her son who quickly hid it behind his back the moment it touched his hand.

"I wanted the purple paper mama. Pink is for girls" His mother crossed her arms, tilting her head "Do you want me to take them back?" He shook his head no, bringing out the stuffed paper with his free hand. His other was still laced into yours. He placed the tissue beside you, jumping up onto the bench so the pastries sat between you two. He brought one up to your face.

"Want one?" Being thoroughly instructed to never take anything from anyone in public made you decline― or try to. Opening your lips to refuse politely, he pushed quarter of a cookie into your mouth.

"MILES―" "Yes, mama" He smiled innocently, turning towards his mother. She stood shaking her head in disapproval, sighing in relief that you didn't choke.

"Do you like them?" He paused waiting for an answer, receiving a satisfied hum, he gloated "My mom made them" He looked at the cookies still stacked high "Want more?"

Even though saying yes once to the question, Miles seemingly made it a priority to ensure there were always enough cookies in case he ever saw you again. Given the amount of times he woke up to a fresh batch and reminded his mother of his constant request, it became robotic like clockwork to her.

''Mama, did you make enough for-'' ''Yes, I made enough for you and your little girlfriend"

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

"Yeah huh?" The sudden high pitch of her voice brought me back to Earth. The one place I don't want to be right now "This is my son, Miles. I'm sure you remember him"

I hummed in response, turning my back to my family's faces to draw any unwanted press while shaking his hand. Retracting his hands he gave that signature one-dimple smile which I felt shy to return.

"Nice to meet you" He raised a brow

"We're met before, did you forget?" I literally proposed to you with a ring pop

"Ah my bad, we have to leave― Early shifts at the hospital"

"I completely understand, get home safely" She placed her hands over my balled fists, giving me a bright smile before departing. Her son lingering behind her followed in tow, waving as he left.

"What was that (y/n)? I hope you're not talking to those people outside of church matters" My mother stood closely behind my back, so she could freely show her disgusted expression without judgement. I turned to meet her wild looking eyes of age 38.

And I thought ursula didn't exist

"No mother, I would never do such things" She said nothing but a hum, which on her part would be 'not gracing me with an answer'

"Be at the south porch at evening. We have something to discuss"

What the heck did I do.

In the Larkspur mansion there's a total of four sub-buildings: The north porch used for house-warmings, general church meetings and such, pool house to the east, church to the west, and the south porch. The south meant nothing good, being the farthest sectioned from the house it was an analogy for things to be said in the dark and only in the dark, something grave like an affair. Things like that, things that could change a person's life and given by the term 'we', probably meaning my father, mother and I. I know that whatever they had to tell could change my life for the better or worse. But by now we know that anything 'for the better' would be just for them so that's not even an option.

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

Sitting down with his legs spread my father watched as my mother pranced back and forth the hardwood floor, prepping herself to say whatever it was. She looked as if the words she were about to speak pricked her tongue before they came out and whenever they did. I watched with a blank expression, hands crossed on my stomach as the fluffed material radiated heat to every crevice of my body.

"Cecelia" His paitience wore thin as the whiskey from the glass ran low. My mother repeated the same words she had over 100 times since we've been here

"This is ridiculous, certainly there's something else" My father sucked his teeth reverting all the attention to him and he chugged the last of the liquor. Although not meaning to I stared into my his eyes with some hope he'd continued what my mother couldn't start. His stare got intense, hardening every minute the contest went on.

My grandmother always told me that "It come like puss bruk coconut in yuh fada yiy" meaning that he was one with seemingly dry eyes or that he was an ill-mannered person to hold a stare to absolutely no limits or regard to who it be with. She always told me that it was something I inherited from him but unlike my father it looked better on me.

"You're changing schools"

I swear to you my eyes nearly dropped out of their sockets is a sign?

"Recently there's been a spike in teenage pregnancies at CHS and with such a tainted image we cannot have you attending there so, we had arranged a transfer for you to Brooklyn Visions"

Despite the sudden relief radiating from my body I sat still, muttering a compliant response before getting up to the exit. "And you're meeting with-" My father got cut off by my mother placing a hand on his upper thigh. Through my peripheral I could see her smirking as I went off.

I love my parents right, but sometimes (most times really) I swear— I'm going crazy in this house

--------------------------- like 2 days later

If it's one thing I know though— the sexism is gonna get you right. Long nails, lashes makeup and everything was one point but maybe there was one teeny tinyy thing you despised, clothes. You knew that Cinderella princess wardrobe of yours was too much and so you were going to argue for it.

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

As we were leaving I contemplated asking for some new clothes — speak now or forever hold your peace.

"Mother "

"Y/N?"

"Aren't we getting new clothes"

"And why would we do that? You have a plethora of dresses back home"

"That's it, the dresses are a bit.... pricy and might get the attention of the wrong crowd. I mean other than the great neighborhood around Brooklyn Visions there's its opposite too" I sucked in a breath knowing that this could go one of two ways— I could get what I want or they'd put an ankle monitor on me.

"I guess I'd never look at it from that perspective. Atleast that brain of yours works"

Excuse me.

Despite that little backhanded thing I smiled, that's 1 point for Y/N.

--------

So that's it, I'm too lazy to decorate ATM but I will

[readingwiththestars]

₊˚⊹♡ PICKING DAISIES ON SUNDAYS

[i'll buy you flowers every day for the rest of my life if it makes you this happy"]

| ✮ 5 stars |

THOUGHTS ° ᡣ𐭩 . ° . [possible spoilers ahead]

oh my god. i loved this book like yeah it was kinda cringey at points but ahsdghas idc at this point. im gonna die on this hill. the writing was simple but still very pretty and enjoyable. i was going back and forth from 4.5 to 5 but i ended up choosing 5 because i loved this book and im nearly positive i've found a new comfort book.

the cover (we judge covers in this household thank you very much) is so so so pretty i love it. and plus best friends to lovers and fake dating??? fuck yeah sign me up!!

the overall plot was really good, she's a fashion student and he's a TA (i also had ZERO clue what that was until i searched it up) and they had to fake date for his sisters wedding. tho it was kinda strange to me how like none of his family even batted an eyelid that she was there. there was no like hi i haven't seen you for like four years do you mind if i join ur wedding party? anyway what was so cute was how levi would pick dani up and drop her off everywhere and i mean everywhere. i seriously don't think im ever going to find love atp. and the flowers/flower shop ahhhh i love it.

AND THE POEMS. THE MOTHER-FUCKING-POEMS. im never getting over that.

i do feel like liana just picked all her fave tropes and stuffed them all into one book which did end up making some parts a little bit cringe. but i still loved it

CHARACTERS ° ᡣ𐭩 . ° .

daniella - ahhh dani was so cute throughout the book - i did want to just fucking shake her at some points because BABES HOW DENSE ARE YOU?? HE'S CLEARLY IN LOVE WITH YOU. WHO ARE YOU TRYING TO CONVINCE HERE? ME OR YOU? anyway aside from dani not being able to see how very clearly levi was in love with her. she was a decent character into fashion and worked at her aunt's flower shop which was such a vibe ashdgsaj.

levi - ugh new book boyfriend alert. my guy was just asjdhgasjd. he'd pick dani up from everywhere not wanting her to be alone at night. and the way he calls her daisy????? he was such a soft family guy. his sisters were the cutest little girls on the planet omg. i rlly dont remember too much abt him (1 because i was just fangirling over him so my brain was just: ahhhhhh (2 because its been like a week since i put the book down (i blame procrastination) anyway i love him end of story

jia and gabe [featuring josh] - omg omg omg i love them. give me their friendship rn. like seriously the whole stalking each other on dates is hilarious and when jia interrupted gabe's date?? poor old josh over here was just trying to get through a shift. in conclusion i love them and i need friends like this.

QUOTES ° ᡣ𐭩 . ° .[spoilers]

"you intoxicate me, daisy. the scent of flowers lingers on you everywhere you go, and i always want to follow." - levi

"you're spring baby. you're more radiant than the flowers and the sun and no one can take that away from you." - levi

“i want to be noticed in a crowded room. i want to be the only person in a crowded room. i want to be wanted, truly wanted, and desired. i want to laugh and to sing and to dance with someone and not feel self-conscious over it because i love them and i’m confident that they love me. i want to be touched and kissed and held because i’ve forgotten what it feels like…and yet, i think i deserve it.” - dani

when's it my turn for love hmm?

[nice-bright-colors]

Stuck between a rock…

…and a hard place.

Warning: Ranting to follow.

Nothing has been going my way this year. It has taken far too long to get started on things, and I still need to wait another month. It’s been 14 months since this work was first initialized.

I’m tired of waiting.

I’ve also come to the realization that I’m rarely happy, unless I’m working, or alone.

Attempting to plan something for us to do requires: a) food she can eat, b) bathrooms that aren’t “outdoorsy”, c) relative easy conditions, d) more food because god forbid she goes 3-1/2 hours without eating, e) beers that aren’t anywhere near the hoppy side, f) don’t get me started on hard seltzer or cider, g) air conditioning, h) shade, because the sun is bad, i) me to figure out how to get there, j) me to drive, k) me to figure out a place to stay, l) me to get us tickets, m) did I mention the snacks required in between meals, n) more water than is humanly possible to consume, o) must have a scenic view, p) it would help if there are no people, q) must have some shopping to do there, and r) if there’s something therapeutic or whole earth body thing about it that will help.

At least when I travel for work, I’m making money. Plus I’m getting reimbursed for money I’m spending. Most of all, I’m alone.

No. This month has a trip planned for us to go visit my family in Michigan. It will also be our 28th wedding anniversary weekend. Let’s see, shall we…

1) 85 year old Aunt has fallen twice in the last months. Plus she’s had a concussion. Plus they think she might have the start of dementia. 2) 80 year old Father has learned his car frame has a crack, and can’t afford anything new. Plus has forgotten numerous things over the last few months. Plus does nothing but watch MSNBC all day. Plus has imminent kidney failure. Plus doesn’t want to start dialysis. Plus wants me to eat a steak with him to reminisce about something he did for my 19th birthday (over 32 years ago). Plus has verbally told anyone who’ll listen he is ready to die. 3) My BIL has gambled away whatever money he had from his parents dying. Plus the $40K my Father have them. Plus has failed to secure disability for 3 years now (guess what? they’ve probably followed you to the casino). 4) My 53 year old sister will be lucky if she makes it to 60. Her matriarchal lineage would have her on track to die at 65. 5) My 59 year old cousin has graciously invited everyone to her house, when she has gone on record to not allow my BIL or nephew there anymore. 6) My 20 year old nephew doesn’t work, is afraid of everything and everyone, absolutely hates his father, and is threatening to run away to the arms of an older man in Florida.

I’m just so tired of having to manage and do everything for everyone else. Tired of being the rock in this family that is stoic enough for everyone.

I really hope I can coast Oct - Feb on this shit down in San Antonio. Then if nothing else comes my way, my ass will be buying a single, one-way ticket to “who fucking knows, and don’t fucking ask”. Never to be seen or heard from again.

Fín.

[luverofralts]

Arkhelios University

“What the hell was that?”

Abe shook his head violently, trying to clear the overwhelming thoughts in his brain. That was like no tarot card reading that Roman ever tried. Was this ability granted because she was one with the spirits, or was it a common experience for the Bellamy family? Roman had often been curious about Malika’s extended family, but aside from that probably misaddressed message about goat sacrifice and a large jewel of some kind in a safe deposit box, the Bellamys were still a mystery to them.

“That was a warning!” Malika snapped angrily. “A call to change for the sake of your husband. That future may still come to pass. You and my heir may die in the childbirth process or have an unforeseen accident. Anything could happen and Roman will suffer for it.”

“Is that a threat?” Abe asked angrily. “Trust me, I had Theo in a much more dangerous situation, with you and your favourite demon literally trying to kill me. This kid is going to be born perfectly fine.”

Malika looked like she had an angry retort she wanted to scream, but after a quick pause, she collected herself.

“I sacrificed myself for the safety and happiness of my grandson,” she reminded him. If looks could kill, Abe too would be a ghost. “I gave you a chance and you’ve failed every test I’ve given you. How many times has that abomination almost died because of your negligence? I saved his life at the cost of my own and you let him nearly die alone in front of the demon sovereign, possibly killing others in the process. You’re unfit to be a father! You’re unfit to be a husband!”

Malika slapped another card angrily on the table and glowered at Abe as the world once again began melting away.

“Roman fears this loss more than anything, so take a good look at what it means to fail him.”

Abe blinked and in an instant, he was standing outside of the Bellamy house, watching a much older version of himself try to console a weeping Roman. Behind him stood the twins, once again much older than they were now, but just as familiar as before.

“It’s okay,” he heard his older self say. “He’s at peace now; your cards have told you that many times. He’s watching over us, I’m sure of it.”

The twins shared a skeptical look between them, but held their tongue. Clearly they weren’t as fond of Abe as they were in the other vision.

“I think I may have been talking to Theo yesterday on the ouija board,” Luciana offered quietly. “It said it was a demon and that it was missing our family. That has to be him, right?”

Adrienne rolled her eyes at this.

“That, or you’re just talking to one of Aunt Lucy’s ex-boyfriends,” she teased. “You have no idea of how to use one of those things.” She looked guiltily towards her father, reevaluating her mocking tone when she saw the pain in his eyes. “No, actually it was probably him. Theo’s always going to be with us in spirit, Dad.”

“It’s been years,” Roman sighed, tearing up again at the thought of his son. “I can’t even imagine what he’d be like now. He’d be in his twenties, dating and driving a car that I taught him how to drive. We’d have jokes and memories together. I’d have his high school graduation picture next to the girls’. He’d be a man instead of a dead little boy-my little boy.”

Tears once more overwhelmed Roman and the twins glowered intensely at Abe, demanding that he do something to help. Vision Abe reached out to hold Roman, but was pushed away.

“It’s fine, Abe. Don’t touch me.”

Abe flinched at the pain in Roman’s voice and the coldness he showed his husband. He could see a wedding ring on Roman’s finger, but when his double reached out to hold Roman, Abe could see that his hand was bare. There wasn’t a reason on earth that Abe would ever take off his wedding ring...unless their marriage had never happened.

“He was my son too,” Vision Abe said quietly. “You don’t have a monopoly on grieving for him. The six years we had him were the best years of my life. I miss him everyday.”

“It was your fault that he died!” Roman shouted, batting Abe’s outstretched hand away once more. “If you didn’t always push him away from us, he would never have run away! He would never have thought we didn’t want him and would still be safe at home with me! You would have never miscarried our second child if Theo had returned to us, but no! You had to be so hard on him; you had to punish him! Because of you, I’ve lost two children! Because of you, I can only breathe in the few brief moments after I wake up in the morning, before I remember everything I’ve lost because of you!”

“You yelled at him too!” Abe protested angrily. “You made him suppress his powers, just like I did. If we hadn’t, maybe he would have learned to control them better.”

“I did that because of you!” Roman yelled, fury written across his face. “Because you could never accept people who weren’t normal. People you should have loved unconditionally but never could! God forbid your son embarrass you with his true self and feelings! The last thought our son had in his short life was that we were ashamed of him and I don’t know how to live with that. If you somehow can, then you’re more of a demon than I could ever be.”

As Roman stormed away from Vision Abe, the twins turned their backs and followed quickly after him. Both Abes were left alone with a sad piece of marble marking the date that everything good in the Bellamy family had died. The gravestone was looking a little worn from the years, but the name was as clear as ever.

Theodosius Ulysses Bellamy. Age six.

Every year Roman took out Theo’s favourite toys from the shrine he kept in the house and placed them at the grave site, as if the spirit of their lost son might continue to play with them for the day. The older Abe had observed this tradition over the years and had gotten used to it, but the younger Abe was heartbroken at the sight. He had to escape this nightmare, no matter the cost.

“Malika! Get me out of here now!”

[rabbit-reveries]

— 𝑷eace

“All these people think love's for show

But I would die for you in secret

The devil's in the details, but you got a friend in me

Would it be enough if I could never give you peace?”

It seems hard to believe it now, but there were days before the war when you and Aemond were friends. The best of friends. When was it that he became a Green and you became a Black? you wonder. Against your best judgment and your parents' wishes, you are now lovers in secret. 

Day after day, it gets harder and harder to maintain your relationship. You love Aemond, but being with him is betraying your family and yourself. Navigating this conflict and this connection is exhausting. All you've ever wanted was peace. — A story, from how it came to be to how it ended.

Pairing: Aemond x Targaryen!Reader

Tags: Childhood Friends to Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, Angst, Hurt and Comfort, Multichapter Fic.

Warnings: None in this chapter

Word Count: 2.6k

Chapter 1 : Bloom Later

You remember being a young girl in your grandsire's court; eyes seemed to follow you everywhere you went. It felt like you could not afford to ever make a mistake. You could not. As Rhaenyra Targaryen's eldest child - and a girl, no less - there were whispers about your every move. "There goes she, the 'strong' princess," they would say when they thought you couldn't hear. You would wonder what they'd meant by that but would never find anyone willing to explain. You did not consider yourself particularly strong, much more interested in books and playing in the gardens than roughhousing with the boys and their weapons.

You remember Aemond as a young boy, so bright and shy, used to being cast aside for Aegon to the point he went about as a ghost haunting his own home. You remember how alive he was when you would sit with him in the library and listen to his rambles about old Valyria and dragons, though. He'd chase after you in the Red Keep's halls, and when no one else was around, he'd let you braid and weave flowers through his silver-blonde hair. "White carnations," you'd say, incorporating the blossoms to the do, and he'd nod as if he had any idea of what it meant. Once, his mother caught you alone in the garden maze with white camellia crowns, and you remember he never again allowed you to play with his hair. Alicent hated you and your siblings: you could tell, even at a young age.

You remember your brothers taunting Aemond about being dragon-less. You remember being ten years old when your mother tried to make amends with the Queen by offering to wed you to Aegon, then five and ten. Your only option was to accept such a fate, but you were terrified of the boy and ran crying to your best friend. You remember well how he held your hands and promised you he'd become a great man, an even greater dragon rider, and he'd wed you himself. He'd protect you from his brother, he promised. Copying what he'd read in books, you two used the small dagger he kept attached to the hip to cut your bottom lips and perform a makeshift wedding ceremony in the maze. Orange blossoms and white roses, you remember.

Then, not many days later, dark crimson and marigolds. You were a bastard, you learned, and your true father was dead in a fire, as was your aunt Laena. You were only allowed to grieve publicly for one of them, crying in your mother's lap while she made up stories about you and your aunt being close. The same night of the funeral, orange lily, yellow hyacinth, and so many geraniums.

You were there to see Aemond lose his eye by your brother's hand. The hate in his face when he questioned your lineage; when he held up a rock to attack Jace; when he was down bleeding and found you there, paralyzed. The guards you called tried to help him stand while you did nothing but stare. "I promised you I'd protect you from my brother. Why did you not protect me from yours?" he asked. You didn't know how to answer. You remember Aemond so well, but that moment never fit in with the rest of the puzzle pieces that formed his image in your head. You remember Aemond very well, and he was never the same.

-

Back to the Red Keep after six years, you catch yourself looking for silver-blonde hair everywhere. Every time you think you might have seen him, you didn't, and when you do see him, he feels like someone else. Aemond is impossibly taller, sharper, and alien. You are right in front of him; he could be anywhere else. You struggle to meet his eye, and it's like you are the ghost this time, haunting a home you don't belong to. He stares at you in silence.

"Aemond, say hello to princess Y/N." Alicent nudges him, stern as you remember.

"Hello, niece."

His tone is mocking and dry of emotion. You feel stupid for expecting some warm welcome from your former best friend after half a decade gone. Did you... Did you perhaps imagine all of your moments together? The afternoons spent reading to him, all the flowers he brought you without knowing the meaning, only because he knew you'd like them... You remember it all, so why now is he like this...? Are you really dead to him? You force yourself to snap out of it and present him with a smile.

Niceties done, your mother makes up an excuse to retire. You give them a sorry grin as if it is truly unfortunate that you have to take your leave of their presence, and Alicent mirrors you the best she can. Both of you know every second of the exchange was torture, but it is the fortune of women to pretend. You used to wonder why but realized it is easier to accept and bear it than to spend your time moaning and questioning. Before you turn to the door, a hand catches your arm, and you half expect it to be Aemond's. Instead, you find Helaena, who lets go of you as if your skin is poison.

"Sorry." she says and bites her lip like she really is "I wondered if we could take a stroll around the garden together. Would you accompany me?"

You sneak a look at Alicent, who stares at her daughter like she's gone mad. You figure that isn't too foreign to Helaena since she doesn't even react to it.

"Yes, of course."

"Thank you." she all but beams and takes your arm.

Helaena is quite different from what you remember, and at the same time, she hasn't changed a thing. She is a year younger than you, barely five and ten, with twin children of her own, and by her big eyes, you can tell she's still very much a child herself. In the gardens, she tells you about different types of bugs and encourages you to hold the insects in your hand. In fear of insulting her, you nod along and swallow your disgust when she places a centipede in your palm.

"Now that I look at it, it isn't so frightening..." you muse.

Helaena seems thrilled to hear. "It's not frightening at all! It's quite fascinating, actually, but not many are willing to appreciate the little things." she says. "I knew you would, though."

You two were good friends once, weren't you? When you were little, you used to play with dolls together, creating all sorts of stories. Sometimes she would gather a handful of bugs, line them up and pretend you two were their Septas. She'd spend hours telling you about insect trivia, and you'd teach her about flowers. White rosebuds and iris. You grin at her and leave the centipede on the leaf of a nearby bush.

"I missed you, you know." she says "Being alone with my brothers... Aemond pays me company sometimes, but he mostly spends his day training and riding Vhagar. Aegon... I thought maybe he'd be kinder to me once we were married, but that's my fault for being foolish."

Your heart aches. You can't begin to imagine how lonely it must have felt. Helaena sent you a raven when you had just gotten to Dragonstone, but you were mad at Aemond and so hurt that you never replied. You reach to take her hand.

"I missed you too."

Helaena looks up at you, smiling. She'd never been missed before. "You did? I did not think you would."

"I did! Dragonstone was nice, and I love my brothers, but I missed having a girlfriend. And I missed you, specifically." it's true. It's a shame you let your anger towards her brother nip your friendship.

The blonde is surprised by your confession, pleasantly so. "I figured you'd miss Aemond since you were always so close... I thought there was no space for me."

"Nonsense." You pull her into a hug, but she doesn't seem very used to it, so you settle for holding her hands. You two continue walking, arm in arm. You really did miss her.

"He missed you too." she says after a moment of silence. You immediately know who she's talking about, although you pretend not to. You say nothing. "The book you left about the language of the flowers, he took it. He must've read it a thousand times."

"It's good that Aemond tried to learn new things." you say, eyes on the birds in the sky.

"He did it because it reminded him of you."

"And yet it seems that he has forgotten. You were there, you saw how he ignored me." You are hurt but try to appear absentminded out of pride. You expected him to hug you and spin you off the ground - or to acknowledge your presence, at the very least.

"He didn't ignore you. He's just bad with emotions." his sister reassures. You remember him having a hard time expressing himself when he was a boy, but he'd always find a way to overcome his limitations somehow when it came to you. "I'm sure if you went to him..."

You shake your head "Absolutely not. He should come to me."

Helaena tries to convince you some more, but you are stubborn. Not much time passes before a servant calls the two of you to supper with the King.

-

It is your first time seeing your grandsire in a long time. He looks like a feeble whisper of the man you remember. Shaken, you search your mother's hand, but she isn't sitting close to you, and you grab the closet person's instead. With shock, you realize it is Aemond's. He says nothing, and you say nothing. You let go of him, trying to not let it show how his touch burns your skin. Under the table, you flex your hand, trying to get rid of the feeling.

Aegon talks to you briefly, an insulting comment you try hard not to understand. He soon turns his attention to Baela and Rhaena, probably to enrage your brothers. Unfortunately, he's just as you remembered.

Tension is high and rising. Jace gets up from the table causing your heart to speed up, anticipating a fight. Thankfully, the King intervenes and makes a toast, then your mother and the Queen follow. You relax in your chair, thinking you might go to sleep regarding the day to have been peaceful. You only ever wanted peace. Aegon toasts, though you try not to pay attention, and then Helaena.

"To Baela and Rhaena, they will be married soon! It isn't so bad, mostly he just ignores you. Except sometimes when he's drunk. And to Y/N, who will be wed before any of us knows it."

She sits down again, and you send her a quizzical look. What did she mean by that? You were hardly an old maid, and in no hurry to marry.

"Thank you, aunt, for the lovely wishes." you say when it comes to your turn to pay a tribute. "I wish to toast to my grandsire, King Viserys, who kept the realm stable for decades and made his name as The Peaceful. I only wish to be half the ruler you are."

They clap and get back to eating. You notice Jace asking Helaena for a dance, a bit of confusion in your frown. He was never that interested in her, not even when you were children. "Well," you think "as long as it's all in good fun". Turning back to watch them dance, you see they seem to be enjoying themselves. You sigh in relief. All the conflict you were exposed to growing up made your anxiety high in the face of stress. Unfortunately, the same can't be said about other members of your family. Your brothers, for example, seem to have a knack for provoking others.

Half the feast goes by with the cheeriest tone the Targeryans are capable of - meaning you are able to chat with the other ladies, and neither your mother nor your brothers are being threatened or threatening anyone. You look up from your plate to see your grandsire coughing and wailing in pain. In a matter of seconds, the Queen orders the guards to take him to his quarters. She seems worried but not unused to it.

All of a sudden the meal in front of you does not seem so appetizing. You want to excuse yourself, but it'd be rude to leave the table when there is still food being served, and your mother looks like she needs you there more than ever. As the eldest, you feel like you have no place to complain. Sat in front of you, you hear Luke's giggle, and realize a roasted pig has been set on the table, right in front of Aemond. No, not the Pink Dread again. You are so tired. "Fuck." you mutter under your breath.

You think Aemond was only waiting for your cue to get up, his eye set on you as he raises his goblet. He turns to Luke and Jace, a viper ready to strike. "Final tribute. To the health of my niece and nephews: Y/N, Jace, Luke, and Joffrey. Each of them talented, wise... Strong. Let us drain our cups to these four Strong princes and princess."

He drinks, a poisonous grin on his lips. You are insulted, you are betrayed. You expected him to at least keep it civil.

"I dare you to say that again." Jace challenges. From what you know of your brother, he's about ready to throw a punch.

"Why? 'Twas only a compliment."

"You know perfectly well it was not." you accuse, tears of anger in your eyes.

"Do you not think yourself Strong, my lady?" you hear Aemond ask, that grin directed at you. Jace punches him straight in the jaw, and you are sure that if he hadn't, you would. Luke gets up from his seat to help, you think, but Aegon stops him. You, in turn, get up to push him off your brother. A guard grabs you by the waist and lifts you off the ground.

"Get off me!" you squeal, but he only lets you go when you are on the other side of the room, painting and held off from jumping on either of the silver-haired brothers. Aemond says something else, you didn't quite hear it, but it's enough to have you fighting the hold of the guard.

To your surprise, your mother's husband, Daemon, gets involved. "Wait, wait!" he says, and you obey. Your mother then orders you and your siblings to head to your quarters. Alicent's boys are free to do as they please, you see. With the corner of your eye, you catch Helaena crouched in a corner of the dining room.

You go back fuming to your chamber. Gods, all you want is to have peace! Is that so hard? Is it such a sin to be tired of deaths and bloodshed? You begin to tug at the strings holding your dress together, trying to be set free from the heavy fabrics without the help of your handmaiden, when you hear a loud knock on the door. Outside, a vase of forget-me-nots and a note.

You immediately know what it means. Dress half undone and half a mind made to throw the vase out of the window, you bring the items inside. Forget-me-nots, you can't believe it. Does he think he can treat you in whatever way he wants and then send you flowers? You're unsure what to make of the mixed signals. You open the note, if only in hopes of better understanding what is happening. It read:

“Meet me in the maze at the hour of the owl.

- A”

[oddaodd]

· I Don't Go In For Sweets ·

Request: by a lovely anon "set after the events of season 3. Tommy can't handle the company, he's still grieving and he has to be there for Charlie so Polly tells him she knows a girl from a good family to get married He ends up agreeing (aunt Pol can be very persuasive) but even though he's married, this new girl isn't considered as a wife. He doesn't really make any effort but his "wife" understands, he's a widowed father who lost his first wife only a year ago. However since they are...in this, she wants to make her time as enjoyable as possible for the both of them and for Charlie too. But no matter what Tommy makes it a point of honor to not let her in, to not let her replace Grace so he ignores her, he works more, tries to spend as little as possible in the house. Reader stays patient, it will be alright and Charlie is making her quite busy anyway. One night, Tommy comes home completely drunk and maybe a bit high too, he can't even make it to his office. Thankfully Reader is still awake, she takes care of him and Tommy just...melts at how gentle Reader is, he may be able to keep his distant while sober but it's much harder in his state. He admits to her how he's been feeling and all. Ever since that night, something changed, Tommy feels some comfort, some solace being around her, she accepts him wholly, even his flaws, the bad side of his business and she tries to provide some sort of safe place for when it gets too hard." (I edited the request because it was very long, but I kept all essential parts in there)

Author’s note: I loved loved loved writing this and it ended up being SUPER long, but I’m very happy with how it turned out. As always, I hope you like it and have the loveliest of days!

Warnings: season 3 SPOILERS sort of, but not really, still read at your own risk. Arranged marriage, mentions of alcohol and drugs, angst.

·

“Thomas, you may not be able to see it, but you’re breaking apart” Polly spoke with a sigh as she lit a cigarette after everyone was dismissed from a family meeting.

Everyone had left Tommy’s office in arrow house rather gaily after receiving their fair compensations for partaking in the whole Russian ordeal, all except Polly, who remained where she sat, wishing for a word with her nephew

Tommy merely scoffed at her concern before lighting his own cigarette and taking a puff “I’ll be alright”

“And Charlie?” Pol pressed knowing Tommy’s mourning was not only affecting him, but Charlie as well. “What about him?”

“He’s fine” He said before turning around to look through the window, ignoring his Aunt’s heavy stare.

“You take too much after your mother” she sighed half angry half sad “she too loved pretending everything was alright and I don’t need to remind you where that lead her”

Tommy sighed deeply, he knew he could fool anyone. Anyone but Polly. “We’ll manage”

“Consider my offer” Polly said standing up and making her way to the door “Y/n is a good girl from a good family” she persuaded before leaving the room.

Tommy sighed at his Aunt’s words, he wasn’t ready to get married again even when he knew the woman he would be marrying was a nice one. He felt like he was spitting on Grace’s grave and he hated himself for even considering the prospect, but he knew a mother figure would be good for Charlie.

He spent the rest of the day pondering about Polly’s suggestion and remembering his own childhood in the shadow of the absent tortured presence that his mother had been. It didn’t take him long to decide he didn’t want that for Charlie, so that same night he phoned Polly.

“I’ll do it” was all he said before hanging up. There was no need for more words, Polly would know exactly what he meant.

Exactly a week later, Tom was standing in the altar of a church that was significantly smaller than the one from his first wedding. The fact that everything about this wedding was so obscenely different from his first did soothe his guilt a bit. And as he stood there he couldn’t keep his mind from traveling to the days leading up to his wedding to Grace. She had made sure everything was perfect and had made an effort to invite every single relative she could think of. She remembered her rambling on an on about fabrics, insisting that everything ought to be perfect when he in all honestly couldn’t care less, he just wanted to marry her.

All his thoughts vanished away with a poof when Y/n came into sight. And what a sight she was. She had insisted on doing her own makeup and on pinning flowers to her hair to compliment her headpiece and her elegant, yet simple white dress flowed almost mystically as her father gave her away. She had never imagined she would be marrying someone she didn’t know, but she wanted to look her best for getting married is not something people do everyday.

When she stood in the altar, she offered her to be husband a smile which he did not return, instead turning his attention to the priest before them. She mirrored his actions, her heart beating violently under her chest as the priest began speaking.

It all felt like a blur, she could swear it had only been a second since her father had given her away and yet, the priest had already uttered the dreaded “you may now kiss the bride”

Tommy barely brushed his lips against hers and soon the sound of everyone clapping invaded her ears. They had a small party afterwards in Y/n’s former house. Her parents had invited pretty much all of their acquaintances while tommy had only invited his close relatives.

When night fell Tommy was more than ready to leave “Are you ready to go?” was one of the few sentences he uttered to his now wife that night.

She again offered him a smile before saying “yeah just let me say goodbye”

The drive to arrow house was tense, although Y/n didn’t know Thomas very well she would tell he was unhappy. She wondered about what to say to him, but couldn’t come up with anything good enough and soon enough they were pulling over in front of Tommy’s stately home.

“Charlie must already be asleep, but I'll introduce you tomorrow” he said opening Y/n’s door for her.

“It’s alright” she said looking at him, not quite knowing what to do next.

“Your parents sent some of your belongings, I've already asked the maids to take them up to your-our room” he said

“Thank you, Thomas” she smiled as she walked into the big house not yet feeling close enough to him to call him Tommy.

His name falling from her lips caused an echo of bittersweet emotions to stir inside him but he masked it perfectly well as she introduced Y/n to the maids that went to the door to take their coats.

“Frances here will show you the way to the room” he said after having made introductions.

“This way, Mrs” Frances politely said.

Y/n began following her but stopped when she didn’t hear Tommy’s footsteps behind her own.

“Are you not coming?” she asked turning to look at him.

“Maybe in a bit” was all he said before he walked away down one of the many spacious hallways of the house.

After Y/n made herself comfortable in the room and changed into her nightgown she took the time to peek around the room like one always does when one is a strange place. After familiarizing herself with it she laid down in the big bed. She was nervous, she knew what happened on wedding nights. A small chuckle stopped at her lips when she recalled the stories her close already married girlfriends told her. If she hadn’t married a complete stranger she too would be looking forward to it.

Her thoughts ended up luring her to sleep after a while despite her nerves and the night went by in a ridiculously fast flash. The next morning she woke up alone and after getting ready she made her way downstairs. Tommy and Charlie were already in the dining room when she entered it.

“good morning” she said

Charlie immediately turned his attention to her, his eyes widening while his dad merely glanced at her while he muttered a “Good morning “ of his own.

Y/n sat down next to Tommy while he cleared his throat “charles, this is Y/n. We got married yesterday so she’ll be living with us from now on”

Charlie merely nodded in understanding before playing around with his food.

A tense air flooded breakfast until Tommy stood up, having barely touched his food and spoke turning to look at Y/n “I have to go now, if you need anything feel free to ask Frances”

“Alright” Y/n replied feeling a bit disappointed, she would love to get to know him, but she already knew it was going to be difficult.

“I have to go too” Charlie announced in a timid voice, interrupting Y/n’s thoughts. Despite her disappointment she understood, maybe he was just shy and his dad just reticent. They had lost a wife and a mother after all.

The first few days after that, Charlie avoided her nearly as much as his father did and Y/n remained in lonely patience until one night Charlie’s cries interrupted her focus on the book that she had just bought. She rushed to his room and called out his name as she entered not knowing if the boy would be comfortable with her or not.

“What is it?” she asked worried as she knelt by his bed.

“I miss my mum” the boy confessed looking at her with teary eyes as he clutched his blanket.

Y/n felt her heart give a small ache at his confession and in an attempt to comfort him she spoke “She’s not really gone, you know?”

“She’s dead” the boy sobbed.

“but people who die, don’t leave us. Not really anyhow” she said hesitantly rubbing his arm. “just because we cant see them doesn’t mean they are not here”

“I miss seeing her” he continued.

“Oh but you can still see her”

“how”

“before you go to bed just think about her, then she’ll visit you in your dreams” Y/n spoke as if she was telling a fairy tale.

“really?” the boy’s eyes widened.

“really” Y/n confirmed “But you have to think really really hard”

“I’ll try” Charlie said having calmed down a bit.

“very well” Y/n said as she stood up, but Charlie’s voice stopped her.

“can you stay till I fall asleep?”

After that night, Charlie hardly left Y/n’s side and she felt much better with his company for she was sure if he wasn’t there keeping her on her toes all day she would fall into a depressive chasm induced by her husband’s absence.

On the rare moments he was home she tried to strike up conversation with him over breakfast or late at night when he came home and she was burdened by insomnia. But Tommy only humored her with a few short responses before excusing himself or turning to face the other side of the bed.

It wasn’t only the fact that he avoided her as much as he could, but he also made it a priority to exclude her at all times. She was never invited into family meetings or night’s at The Garrison so she thought it was a miracle when tommy didn’t oppose to her planning Charlie’s birthday party.

She invited only Tommy’s family which instantly warmed up to her, noticing what a good influence she was and Polly wanted to slap Thomas for the way he had been acting throughout his marriage to Y/n. Almost feeling guilty for getting her into this mess.

When the party ended Tommy shut himself in his office like he often did when he was at home and though he had never given Y/n a reason to believe she was welcome in there of all places, she found herself allowing herself in after putting Charlie to bed.

Tommy looked up as she entered and let out a sigh before turning his attention back to some papers he had been reading.

“I noticed you didn’t have any” she commented not letting his sigh deflate her as she laid a plate with a slice of homemade chocolate cake on his desk. “it’s really good if I may say so myself” she mused sitting down in a chair opposite to his as she dug in with a fork in her own slice.

“I don’t go in for sweets” he stated.

“Not even chocolate?” Y/n tried, but tommy didn’t answer, instead he just shook his head.

“I still think you should try it, it’s not overly sweet, and…”

“is there anything you need?” he interrupted bluntly a bit harsher than he would’ve liked.

His tone caught her off guard and when she couldn’t come up with an answer tommy again turned his attention back to his papers.

“I wish you could let me in” She softly confessed after a few tense seconds.

“Well I wish we hadn’t married but I guess things don’t always go the way we want them to go”

Tommy knew he had crossed a line by the silence that again settled into the room. He looked up at Y/n with her parted lips and misty eyes. They exchanged glances for a second but instead of allowing him to see her like that any longer, she stood up setting her plate on his desk and walked away, only allowing a few tears to drop by when she was out of the room and his sight.

After that she stopped trying to get closer to him. He still loved his late wife and she understood, people in grief never mean what they say after all, but his words stung nonetheless.

She stopped trying to wait for him at night to see if he had gotten home alright and during breakfast she only uttered polite good mornings.

One night however, Y/n was yanked out of a peaceful sleep by a loud crash. She was on her feet in no time and after checking into Charlie’s room to see if he was alright she cautiously ventured downstairs. A few incoherent mumbles filled her ears before her husband came into sight, fumbling with his coat to get it off.

“need help?” she asked earning his attention.

“I’m fine” he said finally taking it off but as he went to take a step to begin walking the floor under him moved and he lost his balance, his knees crashing loudly against the wooden floor.

Y/n offered him a hand and helped him up. He smelled of whiskey and cigarettes, his hands were shaky, consequence of the snow, no doubt. “let’s get you upstairs”

“I can do it on me own” he slurred letting go of her hand.

“stop being so stubborn” she derided, snaking one of her arms around his waist as she helped him upstairs.

Y/n helped him into bed, tookoff his shoes and went to the bathroom to fetch a small towel and some cold water.

She dampened the towel with the cold water before dabing it gently on Tommy’s forehead. His eyes never leaving her face as she did so, making her grow a bit nervous. She continued, trying her best to ignore it until she felt his hand softly caressing her cheek.

“You are beautiful” he rasped.

“Stop it, Thomas” she said feeling her cheeks grow red when she felt a bit sad that he had to be completely drunk to compliment her.

Even in his drunken state he seemed to notice he was making her uncomfortable so he held his tongue until Y/n laid in bed next to him after turning on the lights.

“I’m sorry” he interrupted the silence “For the way I’ve been acting” the whiskey and cocaine making him more vulnerable and open “I guess I was afraid that if I let you in then she would disappear”

He didn’t expect her to answer, but then her voice came in a soft exhausted tone“ I don’t intend to replace her. You don’t need to act all defensive and secretive. Even if it’s not what you wanted, we are married.”

“I Know” was all he said.

Y/n expected him to withdraw more from her after showing himself that vulnerable to her that night but she was wrong. He began arriving home earlier, sometimes even asking if he could come along on the walks she and Charlie so much adored going on. And Y/n finally felt her marriage was going somewhere maybe it wasn’t based on love yet, but it was something.

One day she was at the stables while Charlie was taking a nap. She had always adored horses.

“I didn’t know you liked horses” came Tommy’s smooth voice causing her to jump.

“You never asked” she smiled petting a black horse as he walked closer to her.

“We could go out for a ride, I’m sure Charlie wouldn’t mind letting you borrow his horse” Tommy offered as he too began to pet the horse, his fingers brushing against Y/n’s for a brief second.

“I’d love to, but I am afraid I don’t know how to ride, Tommy” she said, panicking for a second after having called him that. But she rested assured as soon as he spoke again.

“Well that can be fixed” he said opening the door of the stall and guiding the horse outside.

“You mean now?” Y/n asked with a laugh.

“Got something better to do?” he asked walking out of the stable with the horse. Y/n observed tommy as he prepared the horse. She had never seen him so gentle and calm before and she only realized she had been staring when Tommy directed his attention to her to ask her if she was ready.

“I think so” she said going to stand next to the horse wondering how the hell to climb up. But before she had any more time to think she felt Tommy’s hands on her waist giving her a push that allowed her to pull herself up on the animal. It was a good thing she had chosen to wear slacks that day, she thought.

“Goodness this is high” she said nervously looking down at Tommy when he began guiding the horse to move in a slow walk.

“Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall” he promised repressing a mirthful tone at her nervousness.

He guided the horse with her around the property in the crisp evening air and Y/n allowed herself to relax with every step the horse took. Tommy’s presence made her feel safe and protected and she found it increasingly harder to look away from his figure. She wondered if he could feel her eyes on him.

When the sky began turning soft shades of purple and orange the pair returned to the stables. When the time came from Y/n to come down from the horse, tommy helped her again. Y/n began to love the feeling of him touching her and when her feet touched the ground in front of Thomas, he didn’t remove his hands from her waist right away and instead fixed his blue eyes on her, not wanting to stop looking at her.

She too fixed her eyes on Tommy as she felt a silent gasp in the base of her throat. That was the way she would’ve liked him to look at her on their wedding day. Tommy then leaned in, almost as if he were asking for permission before he tenderly pressed his lips to Y/n’s.

·

@captivatedbycillianmurphy @peakyxtommy @nyotamalfoy @writeroutoftime @babylooneytoonz @slytherinicequeen @lilymurphy03

[hello-nichya-here]

How NOT to write romance - How I Met Your Mother edition

Warning: long-ass post and lots of bitterness over a TV show that ended nearly eight years ago.

Basics for story-telling

If the romance you want to write is dysfunctional, fucking embrace it and have fun with the concept instead of pretending the bad shit the characters do is okay because “it’s true love”

Acknowledgde that your main character has flaws instead of acting like he is a saint who can do no wrong for no reason other than “he is the main character. Definitively don’t make him do, of his own free will, the exact exact same things the supposedly “selfish and cruel” womanizer does and then excuse it as him having “succumbed to/been tricked by a bad influece” like he’s child who doesn’t know any better instead of being a grown ass adult.

Don’t make your characters be annoying, entitled fuckers who think they have the right to judge others for wanting different things out of a relationship/not wanting a relationship at all. Don’t act like monogamy, double dates with other couples, marriage and children are something EVERYONE secretly wants deep down.

Don’t demonize the “evil” character of the group and act like the “heroes” being appalled by the shit he does is anything other than hypocricy. There’s literally nothing forcing them to be friends with him, so they’re obviously not as horrified at bad shit he does as they say they are, otherwise they would have ditched him a long time ago.

Don’t have the “heartless womanizer”,  who we later find out is the ex-husband of the girl the lead wanted for himself, be shown to us exclusively through the eyes of the an unreliable narrator who had motivation to make him see worse than he is likely to be (get his kids to want him to get the girl instead of the “douchebag”). Also, don’t make his schemes to trick women into sleeping with them so completely absurd and ridiculous that the audience is pretty sure that 70% of the women he banged were completely aware he just wanted a quick fuck and went along with it anyway because they wanted some dick (and because the character is played by Neil Patric Harris, who is incapable of not being charismatic)

Fucking let you characters (especially the supposed hero we’re supposed to think is the best boyfriend ever) grow instead of making them constantly repeat the same mistakes

Lily and Marshall

Don’t make one of the characters hide something very important from their partner, and then have the audacity to be mad at them for “just not understanding” as if they were given any reason to understand what the problem even is

Don’t act like someone being heartbroken that their partner lied to them and practically made a plan to “escape” being married to them means they’re not being “supportive” of said partners dream - you should especially not do that after we were shown that they took a job they didn’t like just to make sure they’d have a secure future that would allow said partner to follow their dream.

Don’t have the character who was obviously in the wrong need to be convinced to get their shit together and apologize to their ex.

If a character forgave the ex who wronged them and even got back together with them, don’t have them constantly hold their past mistakes over their head like it that problem has not already been solved - you especially not make them do that on what was supposed to be their wedding day. They can either forgive their partner or not, they can’t keep going back and forth.

Don’t have them constantly hide important shit from each other (having a huge financial debt, getting a job, etc)

DO NOT have the character who fucked up years prior suddenly be willing to do the same shit again for the EXACT same reason (”I think our relationship is in the way of my dreams and I’m now completely isolated because I refuse to talk things out with you”) and then expect the audience to sympathize with them.

Ted and Robin 

Unless you’re writing a Disney/Disney-esque romance, don’t have your lead just look at someone across the room, decide they’re “The one”, imagine their life together and full on say “I’m love with you” AND “I love you” on the first goddamn date.

Don’t have the lead stalk his love interest, and throw three parties in a row just to have an excuse to get close to her now that she made it clear she is not interested in having a relationship with him.

Don’t have the “hero” lie about having broken up with his girlfriend so the girl he wants to be with will sleep with him, and then have him blame his actions on time. “Nothing good happens after 2 a.m.” Grow a pair of balls, Ted!

If one of the characters says “You’re going too fast on the whole ‘love’ thing. Can’t we just go on a few dates and see what happens instead of already starting to plan our lives together?” and the others throws a fit, that is called “being incompatible” and “damn, this dude doesn’t respect boundaries”, not “Wow, she’s so afraid of commitment”

If you want the audience to believe the main character’s feelings are not one-sided, don’t make the fact that said feelings ARE unrequited a running joke, and don’t have the girl only accept giving him a chance after having to deal with the fucker whining “But I love you” for months and/or after going through bad break ups. Also, if you have to retcon half the fucking show to “proove” that “she DOES love him”, that pairing fucking sucks.

Don’t compare the couple you want the audience to root for to the main character’s divorced, dysfunctional parents, and don’t have flashbacks showing that the lead had no clue what his girlfriend actually liked in bed AND that she literally covered up his face so she could pretend she was fucking someone else.

DON’T MAKE HER GET RID OF HER DOGS, YOU FUCKING MONSTER!

If your lead character is still jealous/possessive of his ex, thinks he still has a chance even after she told him to his face that she didn’t love him, and acts like she and her fiance (who he says is his friend) being happy is somehow them being selfish and cruel, your lead character is a loser AND an asshole.

Don’t throw away the entire premise of the show (Ted finding the REAL love of his life) just to force a bad pairing down the audience’s throat

Ted Mosby in general

Don’t have your “romantic, sensitive hero” break up with a girl on her birthday through an answering machine, come back into her life without warning years later because he’s afraid he’ll die alone, and find out that she never heard the message but was actually told about it by her friends and family who were at her apartment preparing a surprise party for her. You should especially not make his first reaction to this new be being mad that he was not invited to the party, and for the love of God, don’t make him break up with her on her birthday AGAIN.

Don’t have the “hero” cheat on his girlfriend and excuse it with bullshit like “Nothing good happens 2 a.m.” and “But I genuinely love Robin so it’s okay that I’m lying to both of them”. Do not, I repeat, do NOT have him blame it on his girlfriend being distant when she didn’t pick up the phone one night and then called back the second she was free to do so, while he was enjoying the gifts she sent him and LIED to her about having sent her some as well.

Don’t fucking make an entire episode with the premise of him turning a no into a yes - and telling that story to his children like it’s romantic.

Don’t have his fiance, who he knows has a rocky relationship with the father of her daughter, tell him she is uncomfortable with him inviting his ex to their wedding and then have him decide “This means I should invite her ex as well”. Also don’t expect me to feel bad for him when she runs off with said ex.

Don’t have him spend YEARS waiting for one of the hundreds of girls he thinks is “the one” to be single and even ask her neighbour to spy on her and let him know when/if she breaks up with her boyfriend - again, for YEARS.

Don’t have the lead say he’s gonna tell their kids about his love story with their DECEASED mother, only for it to secretly be an excuse for him to go “By the way, I’m still in love with aunt Robin despite her having rejected me for 25 years, can I go screw her?”

Don’t act like making the characters reverse back into who they were at the beginning at the story means they’re gonna make things work this time when the whole point of their break up in the beginning on the story was the fact that they’re just not right for each other.

Robin and Kevin

A therapist who was supposed to help their patient move on after a bad break up that messed them up, dating said patient is a major red flag. It is also a bad sign that, when she cheats on him and wants to break up, he realized what she was doing to used his job as “evidence” that he knew better and that she should NOT tell her partner how she felt/what she actually wanted.

Do NOT have said therapist date yet ANOTHER patient that asked him help to move on from a bad break up. Seriously, Kevin was a creep, stop acting like he was some angel who “deserved better than Robin.”

BONUS: How NOT to break up a couple - Barney and Robin edition

Don’t act like their relationship falling appart after their friends kept meddling, and even kept them locked in a room against their will until they labeled their relationship as something they aproved of, is somehow “proof” that they’re not good for each other.

Don’t retcon their relationship to force a break up (seriously, Barney was super supportive of Robin long before he even fell in love with her, but I’m supposed to believe he’d be a bad boyfriend who is never there for her? And he loved advantures and always said “challenge accepted”, but was suddenly miserable travelling the world with her and couldn’t deal with not having wi-fi at the hotel? Fuck off)

Don’t spend an entire season focusing on their wedding, have them get married and then divorce THE NEXT FUCKING EPISODE! Why do you hate your audience? Even people who don’t want them together can see this a terrible idea.

And most important of all, when people question what the fuck were you thinking, don’t have a meltdown on twitter and say that people who think Barney can change are responsible for Donald Trump being elected, you fucking weirdo, go see a therapist (that isn’t like Kevin)

[byrachel]

oh to be seths imprint and attend a wedding and realize how in love we are and dance and have fun and fall in love with life and with each other and sneak away from the wedding and drink champagne and slow dance under the moon at night and look at the sky. I would literally die a happy woman :,(

SETH CLEARWATER THE REST OF OUR LIVES

word count: 1767

summary: when her duties as maid of honor become a little overwhelming, seth takes his girlfriend to a special place to take a break away from her family

warnings: you might experience extreme loneliness because I sure am

note: i already posted about it, but this is such a cute request. this is probably one of the cutest requests i’ve ever gotten. i still want to apologize for taking so long to finish this, because I just wasn’t sure how to approach this. i hope you still enjoy this, anon!

(Y/N) sighed softly, a pained expression replacing the fake smile which had occupied her face the whole day as she finally sat down at her assigned table. She put her hands against her back, softly straightening it to relieve herself from the twisting pain she had from walking around on heels the last few hours. “Should’ve worn flats.” She murmured to herself.

The family members and friends of the bride and groom were surrounding the dance floor of the wedding venue, where they were having their first dance of the night. It was the perfect moment to sneak away, because it was the first moment since the beginning of that stressful wedding day she didn’t have to do anything, but watch her sister and her now husband be happy. 

Even with hurting feet, (Y/N) smiled satisfied as she caught a glimpse of the dancing pair between the figures surrounding them. The soft creme glow of the low hanging lights was reflecting beautifully on her sister’s diamond encrusted dress, just like she had dreamed of. As the maid of honor, (Y/N) made sure she could bring heaven on earth for her sister so she could have her perfect day and seeing her smile, which even gave her butterflies in her stomach, she knew she succeeded. Nothing could ruin her sister’s day.

(Y/N) noticed her almost empty glass of champagne she had left at the edge of the table over three hours ago, showing her how long it had exactly been since she gave her body a rest. It didn’t even look like it had bubbles anymore. She almost wanted to chug the last bit down her throat, too lazy to get herself a new drink. She also wasn’t in the mood to talk to the flirting bartender either. She was slowly going to let her tongue dry out if she had to.

As she finally found a comfortable position to sit in, a pair of familiar hands suddenly found their way to her shoulders, rubbing their thumbs between her shoulder blades. “Hey, pretty lady.” Her boyfriend whispered into her ear, shivers going down her spine as his warm breath gently brushed along her neck. 

“Hey, baby.” Her lips curled up into a soft, relieved smile when she finally felt the one person she was waiting to spend her time with all day. Just like her, he was helping to make sure everything was perfect by being dragged along by her mother. Here and there, she would see him carry things behind the bar or make sure all the equipment was in the right place, secretly craving to be by his side and enjoy this beautiful moment with him. “I missed you today.” 

Although he probably saw her sit down, she felt like Seth didn’t only know when, but also how she needed him. On days she was emotionally drained and just avoided social interaction, he was the only person she could stand being around. He didn’t expect anything from her and just lied silently next to her, rubbing figures into her belly while they cuddled. 

“I would’ve loved to stay with you, but your mom wasn’t letting me out of her sight.” Seth chuckled, letting go of his girlfriend and sitting down on the chair next to her. “She even asked me to dance with her later.” 

(Y/N) cringed, aware of how overbearing her mom could be at times. “I told her to tone it down. I’ll talk--” 

“No, don’t. It’s fine.” Seth laughed, shaking his head. “Let’s just be civil for today, your sister deserves one day without an outburst from her. And it means she likes me, which is a good thing.”

Rolling her eyes at his statement knowing he was right, she quickly nodded in agreement. The last thing they needed was her mom to ruin the last few hours when everything went great so far. 

“But now we’ve both got a few minutes to spare, can I show you something?” Seth held his hand out to his girlfriend which she hesitantly accepted.

With a raised eyebrow, she tilted her head. “Where are you taking me?” 

Instead of telling her, he smiled from ear to ear as he promised her they would be back in time before anyone needed either of them again. Without trying to draw any attention by leaving through a random side door of the venue, (Y/N) looked over her shoulder one last time before they managed to slip away unnoticed. Holding onto her boyfriend’s arm she was able to ignore the pain in the heels of her feet, feeling a slight rush of adrenaline flow through her veins. 

It suddenly felt like they were teenagers again. It brought back a memory of when Seth convinced her to jump out of her window, promising her he would get her back into bed before anyone noticed. Thinking back she asked herself why that was her biggest concern when she was going to risk her limbs by trusting a guy to catch her as she jumped from the second floor. But she did it without a second thought and before she knew two strong arms stopped her from, what could’ve been, a nasty fall and she never doubted him again. 

“Wow.” Was the first thing escaping (Y/N)’s mouth when they ended up at a dock stretched out over a body of water. The full moon shone brightly, hitting the silent streams just right. It looked like tiny diamonds were appearing and disappearing at a rapid pace. She had seen a lot in her years, but she couldn’t have imagined something so simple would take her breath away. 

“I know, right?” Seth agreed calmly, having seen it before as he observed his girlfriend walk to the edge of the dock to get closer to take in the magnificent view. “I found it when I was helping out outside earlier.” 

“It’s beautiful.” She whispered, briefly looking back at him as his arms wrapped around her waist. He rested his chin on top of her shoulder, taking the view in with her as she intertwined her fingers with his on her belly.

Even before they started the day he knew there would be a point her family would start to drive her insane, her mom’s complaining, her sister’s requests, her aunts’ bickering about things not being to their liking. He didn’t know how she kept it together so well, but he could see it was tiring her out. She needed a break and that was exactly what he was trying to give her. He was convinced her family could survive five minutes without her.

But even with that short lived break, he already could tell she wasn’t going to pick up her phone for at least a week once they got home. He already heard himself ask her ‘what’s the excuse this time’ as they came up with something on the spot for when he picked up the phone for her. He didn’t mind though, he would do anything for her. And she knew that. 

As far away as they were, the faded music of her sister’s wedding could be heard. The new melody of the upcoming song caught Seth’s attention and made him pull away from his girlfriend. Left unprepared for the cool summer breeze brushing along her exposed skin, (Y/N) looked back at him to see what he was doing. 

Once again he held his hand out towards her, a soft smile plastered across his face. “Dance with me?” 

Her gaze softened as that same pained smile from before appeared on her face. “I would love to, but my feet feel like they’re going to fall off.” 

Seth rolled his eyes playfully and tilted his head, signaling her to come to him. “C’mere.” 

As much as (Y/N) wanted to reject his offer, she couldn’t say no to those eyes. She did as she was told, approaching her boyfriend who grabbed her hands and gently pressed his smiling lips against her knuckles - earning a giggle from her - before he placed her cold hands around his neck. He pulled her closer to him, their chests touching as he did. 

“Stand on my shoes.” He grinned.

“Okay.” She breathed, finally understanding his plan as she used the balls of your feet to stand on top of his feet. They laughed in unison when it appeared she was even taller than on her heels alone, bringing her face closer to his. 

“Hi.” 

“Hey.” Seth smiled back, lowering his hands down to her lower back. 

Even with his girlfriend standing on top of him he managed to gently sway them to the melody of the music playing in the distance. (Y/N) leaned into his touch, placing her head against his shoulder while she felt Seth’s head resting against hers. Her eyes fluttered closed to take in his warmth and scent of his cologne. She would truly stay in his arms forever if she could. 

“Did I already tell you how beautiful you look today?” Seth broke the comfortable silence between them, his voice much lower than before.

Blood rushed to (Y/N)’s cheeks, the butterflies in her stomach reminding her of their first date. How he managed to make her feel like that every time he was a little too close was still a mystery, but she would never get enough of the feeling. 

“You haven’t actually.” She answered, grinning as her head still rested against his shoulder.

“You, (Y/N) (Y/L/N). . .” His movements were starting to slow down, one of his hands pulling away from her lower back to grab her by the chin. He pushed her face up to meet his gaze and he leaned in slightly leaving a slim space between them. A shaky breath hit his face as he left his girlfriend completely flustered by his actions. “are absolutely gorgeous.” 

Closing the gap between them, Seth gently pressed his lips against hers as both of their eyes closed shut. He did not care about her lipstick rubbing off on him. He was hers after all and he wasn’t afraid to show others that. (Y/N) moved her hand up the back of his head, intertwining her fingers with his long dark locks and pushed him closer to deepen their kiss. 

This wasn’t that kind of love you would have to lose before you realized you had it, it was the kind you felt and realized in the moment. And standing there on that dock with the moon shining down at them, was the moment they realized they would have this love the rest of their lives.

masterlist | not edited

[darklove9314-blog]

Family : A Nessian Fanfic

Day 19 of Nessian month: Prompt: Nessian bonding with the IC.

Nesta gazed upon Cassian, Her hand firmly in his as Cassian knocked on the front doors of the river house, Feyre opened the door, a smile on her face, a hand pressed firmly to her swollen stomach before a five year old Nyx grinned at the sight of his aunt and uncle flinging himself in his aunt’s arms.

“Aunt Nes! You came!” Nyx exclaimed. A happy chuckle escaping her lips.

“Of course I came. I wouldn’t miss this for the world.“ Nesta smiled as Cassian cocked his head to the side staring at Nyx.

“What? No love for your favorite uncle?” He stated as Nyx’s eyes widened with excitement

“Is Uncle Az with you?” He questioned causing Nesta to hold in her laugh. Only five years old and he already mastered the art of a good come back. Even Feyre was reining in her smile.

“Say hi to your other uncle, sweetie.“ Feyre encouraged him as he wiggled himself out of Nesta’s arms and hugged Cassian.

“Hi Uncle Cass.“ He greeted. Nesta had no real idea why Nyx had grown more of an attachment to her than Cassian, but she guessed she would never really know that answer. Kids were always a mystery.

“Come inside, we’re just getting to cutting the cake.“ Feyre explained as Nesta and Cassian entered Nyx holding onto Feyre‘s hand.

Cassian‘s hand slid into hers before they entered the sitting area. Several of Nyx’s friends gathered around a table as he chatted away. He really was a social one.

Cassian pulled out a chair for Nesta, she thanked him as they took a spot beside Mor who greeted Casan with a hug.

“Long time, no see, stranger.” Mor greeted. Her smile dazzling across the whole room.

“That’s what happens when you go to the court of Nightmares for a whole six months.“

Mor shrugged taking a sip of her wine.

“It’s not easy to undo the damage the years have caused there, but perhaps in a few more years The Court of Nightmares will be a thing of the past and it can start anew.”

A fresh start. Something that a lot of the Night Court had needed. progress was slow, but nothing ever happened over night.

Nesta‘s eyes drew to Cassian, the curve of his lips at his friends accomplishment. The determination she had showed to take over the Court of Nightmares after her fathers passing and do what she thought she should have always done. Made more dreamers in the city of Nightmares. Nesta had even offered her assistance if Mor ever became overwhelmed. Which she had appreciated.

“How are things in Illyria?” Mor asked, her eyebrows raised in question at Cassian, who’s own smiled beamed, his arm going around Nesta. Pride shone in them with their accomplishments.

“We finally managed to convince Devlon to combine a two small units made up of both Illyrian and Valkeryie warriors. One of them are the younger generations who wish to become apart of the ranks and the others are the ones who have already went through the rite.”

“That’s amazing, I knew you two could do it.” Mor smiled looking over to Nesta.

“I couldn’t have done it without the steel will determination of my mate,“ Cassian explained pressing a kiss to the side of her temple.

“Don’t forget Emerie and Gwyn.” Nesta added.

“How could I ever?” Cassian smiled pressing a kiss to her hair.

“I thought the mating bond was supposed to die down some after a couple of years?” Amren asked sliding down in a chair, Varian by her side.

Cassian smirked at her. “You know that’s not how that works.“

“I dread the day you procreate boy. Hopefully the babe has its mother’s smarts.“

“I hope so too.“ Cassian told her making Nesta feel warm in her chest.

She had been thinking a lot about having children lately. Been having dreams of Cassian filling her with life. thinking of the one they would create together. Been gazing at the tea she had been using as her birth control for the past five years and been wanting to have a conversation about what his thoughts were if she stopped taking it, if they had started trying.

but they both had been so busy lately getting everything together that it had been a while since the two of them had time to be intimate, Had time to talk about the future that she wanted to have with him. Would they be able to have a baby? She knew getting pregnant as a fae could be difficult, but she was willing to try. She just needed a moment with him where they both weren’t exhausted.

Amren smirked seeming to catch how deep Nesta’s thoughts ran.

“I guess we’ll see when the time is right.“ She simply said leaning into Varian. Her wedding ring flashing in the light.

Before Cassian could say more, the door opened Azriel stepping through it as Nyx hugged him. Azriel placing Nyx on his back and carrying him into the dining room.

“Be careful there, Uncle Az, you may throw your back out.“ Cassian teased earning him an eye roll from Azriel.

“I’m in better shape than you.“ Azriel retorted. “I bet you couldn’t even lift him to your shoulders.”

“Is that so?” Cassian challeneed as Nesta heard a far off voice say.

“I hate to break up your bet with my son, but it’s time for presents.“ Rhys told them taking Nyx for Azriel’s shoulder. A wide grin on the boys face.

“Presents!” Nyx shouted happily running towards them as the other children followed. Feyre smiled rubbing at her abdomen absentmindedly.

“Do you think he’ll have any trouble not being an only child when his sister arrives?” Feyre asked as Rhys beamed.

“Not at all. though there definitely will be an adjustment period.“ Rhys assured her as Nesta looked back to Cassian. His gaze on Rhys and Feyre as Rhysand pressed a kiss to her sister’s cheek.

Nesta had always knew that Cassian had longed for a family of his own. It wasn’t that his close circle of friends wasn’t enough for him or even her, but she knew Cassian had always wanted children. She had been hesitant afraid if she would be a good mother or not.

He had assured her there was no rush for children. That he would wait hundreds of years if he had to so she could be ready for them. Nesta just had to make sure she was doing this as much for herself as she was for Cassian. She would not bring a child into this world unless both her and Cassisn were ready for one.

Nesta joined the others sitting down next to Feyre as Cassian joined Rhys and Azriel having a conversation that Nesta had no clue what it was about.

Elain was beside Mor and Amren, her laughter flooding over to them as she sent both her sisters a slight wave. Nesta waved back before turning back to Feyre, not sure how to start this particular conversation as they watched Nyx open his presents. His eyes growing wide at the mini paint set his mother had gotten him.

“Thanks mom!” Nyx said flinging his arms around Feyre’s neck as she pulled her son closer.

“You’re welcome baby.” Feyre said hugging him as Nesta took in the sight. She knew she wanted that with her own child. But she was still afraid that she would not be any good at motherhood.

Nesta watched as Nyx opened his other gifts, watching as he opened the toy that Nesta and Cassian had gotten for him. Thanking both of them with a hug.

Nesta‘s smile bloomed as she beheld the hug between Nyx and Cassian, Could almost see Cassian with their own son or daughter, How good of a father he would be. She wondered when Cassian saw her with Nyx if he thought the same thing.

“Is something on your mind?” Feyre asked when they both were alone in the kitchen. they were cleaning up while the others were in the living room showing Nyx how to use his toy and helping him set them up. Cassian had always been great at building things. He was putting the others to shame. A smile tugged at Nesta’s lips.

“When did you know?” She asked as Feyre stopped on the dish she was working on.

“Know about what?” She replied scrubbing at a really stubborn stain as Nesta handed her a better sponge.

“Thank you.“ She said as Nesta dried the dishes Feyre handed to her.

”How did you know you were ready to have a baby?” She asked. Feyre stopping mid scrub.

“Are you and Cassian-?” She started but Nesta interrupted her.

“No. At least not yet. I-I haven’t brought up the conversation with him yet.“ Shd told Feyre. Feyre nodded in understanding.

“I can understand that. It’s not a decision to take lightly. There’s a lot of factors to take into account.”

“Like how I feel like I would be a terrible mother?”

Feyre looked at Nesta with the same eyes they both had inherited from their mother.

”What makes you believe you’ll be a terrible mother?” Feyre asked. going back to the dishes.

“Because I couldn’t even take care of us when it mattered most.” She confided to Feyre.

“It wasn’t your job to take care of us. It was our fathers. “

“It wasn’t your job to take care of us either. but you still did it anyway.“

“It still doesnt mean it would have been right no matter which of us took care of the other. perhaps the real mistake was that we didnt take care of each other, but we were young and we’ll learn from those mistakes, God knows I still make them when it comes to my own child.”

“Please. You’re the definition of the perfect mother.” Nesta told her drying the dishes Feyre had worked on.

“I wouldn‘t say that. I still have the deal Rhys and I made which in retrospect wasn’t the brightest idea if you want to have kids.”

“You made a mistake, it happens to all of us.“

“I will admit we didn’t really think it through. the deal I mean. But no one ever said every decision was a rational one, but you’re deflectin. We were talking about you wanting kids.”

“I know it’s been years but I still have those intrusive thoughts that I’ll end up just like our mother.“ Nesta told her.

“We can’t live our life in fear Nesta. and remember you also have a support system in your corner. If you want to have kids than that’s your choice, well yours and Cassian’s. Just make sure that you’re ready to commit to it. To put that child before anything else, because when your baby comes. It’ll be your whole world. only you can determine what mother you’ll be, The past be damned.“

“Thanks Feyre.“

“Don’t mention it.” Feyre smiled as Cassian turned towards them getting up from his spot and heading towards the kitchen until he stopped where they were at.

“I’ve come to relieve you, my high lady.“ Cassian said as Feyre chuckled.

“Thank God you have spared me of the tedious task that is dish washing.” Feyre teased giving him a pat on the shoulder.

“I’ll see you two when you’re finished,“ Feyre told them heading to sit down beside Rhys and Nyx.

“Were you two having fun in here?” Cassian teased grabbing a dish and washing it.

“Aren’t we always?” Nesta smirked grabbing the dish from him and drying it.

“What were you two talking about?” Cassian asked. “It seemed like a pretty intense conversation.“

“It was a sister thing and…there’s something I want to discuss with you when we get home.“ She told him.

“Nothing bad I hope.“

“No. It’s just a conversation that I’ve been wanting to have with you for a while now.“ She confided in him, He nodded, relief filling his features as they worked on the dishes. talking about the party. When things were winding down Feyre pulled Nesta into a hug as Nesta also hugged Nyx,

“Goodbye Aunt Nes.”

“Goodbye buddy, I’ll see you next week when you come spend the night,“

Nyx‘s eyes lit up at the sound of that, the house adored Nyx as it had any other person, Maybe even favored him slightly. Though she didn’t blame the house. it had been a while since a child had been in it.She wondered how the house would feel to have one there permanently.

When Cassian and Nesta went home, She had found her answer in a stack of novels on the house library’s table. Books on motherhood, what to expect when you’re expecting. Nesta felt a warmth in her chest as the house also presented her the herbs for her tea. She hadn’t taken her dosage today.

Footsteps sounded in the door of the library as the books vanished from sight but the tea remained. She had made up her mind. Had known her answer as Cassian approached her.

“What was it you wanted to talk about?” He asked taking a seat beside her noting the tea.

Nesta took a deep breath. “Did you mean it? When you said you wanted kids?”

Casian nodded. “It’s something Ive always wanted. What brought this up?” He asked as Nesta took another breath.

“I was thinking-“ Nesta started. “About the future you’ve talked about for us. How you said you wanted kids?”

“Did you change your mind? Did you not want kids? Is that why you said you wanted to talk?” Cassian asked.

”No, I-I wanted to talk to you because I- I want to try for a baby. I-I want to make a baby with you.”

Cassian eyes snapped to hers, searching her face before he stood up, his calloused and warm hand going to her face.

“You want a baby?” Cassian asked. Nesta nodded. And she did. Gods did she want a baby with her mate. the love of her life.

“Yes.” She whispered to him as he smiled. The smile as bright as the dawn as he lifted trash can up eyes flickering to get tea.

Nesta’s smile curved upwards before she took the tea tossing it in the trash before Cassian‘s lips camd crashing down to hers.

He hoisted her on the desk, her back leaning against it as Cassian pulled away smiling down at her in the most breathtaking gaze she had ever saw and whispered.

“Then by all means mate,let’s get stared.“

[mel-the-fangirl]

The Escort

Walter Marshall x Reader

Words: 2,064

Warnings: none

Happy super late Valentine’s, Cavillry! As usual, this is a very very late upload but in my defense, it does say in my bio that I am a procrastinator soooo... Anyway, I’m really excited about this miniseries because I love the movie (The Wedding Date, 2005) and I really wanted to write Walter, I hope I do him justice!

Feedback (good and bad!) means the world to me as rookie writer, so I hope you’ll like, reblog and leave me some replies!

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You could not believe you were doing this. You just couldn't. But there you were doing it, even though your mind screeched at you to stop and save a little dignity for yourself.

The fact that you even considered doing this was already a serious loss of dignity points, so what the hell. People did this all the time, didn’t they? There wouldn’t be a whole network of people clumped into this app if it wasn’t a normal occurrence.

It just wasn’t a normal occurrence for you.

Once you filled your head with rationalisations to make yourself feel better, you took a deep breath and began browsing through what the great city of New York had to offer.

Z, 6’, loving hands, fit, athletic, good manners, for water sports, caramel complexion.

For water sports? What in the hell did that mean? And that single initial in place of an actual name? Serial killer vibes. No, thank you.

Lenny, 6’2”, pretty fit Italian, excellent dinner companion, all occasions catered.

Alright. Okay. Now we’re talking. Tall, European, excellent dinner companion equals to good conversationalist, accommodating. Lenny goes on the list of possibilities.

Terry, 6’, my soft voice will arouse you, my strong hands will pleasure you,  let me show you how a woman should be treated, hourly/overnight rates.

Oh no no no. Major creep vibes from Terry. That ad alone had you reaching for another long swig of wine.

Joey, 5’8”, are you into champagne?, bodybuilder, will treat you like a queen.

“If you like piña coladas…” you sang in not even remotely the right key, topping off your drink

Josh, 5’9”, I can make you feel sexy and wanted. Fit, sensual, strong.

“Well!” you exclaimed drunkenly, almost spilling wine on your couch, “Tough beans, Josh! I don’t need a man to make me feel sexy and wanted!” you faltered a bit, your drunk mind still seeing the holes in your logic

“I just… Need a man to help me not look like a tragic spinster in front of my family and my ex...”

With that thought fresh in your mind, you reached for some more wine.

The ads went on and on as you scrolled through your phone, it was all a little overwhelming, how were you going to make sure you weren't hiring some psychopathic serial killing pervert to pose as your date to your sister's wedding?

The groan you let out bounced off the walls of your apartment. The reality of your situation was sinking in little by little. 

Yes. You were hiring a male escort for your sister's wedding. It was your baby sister's wedding, by the way. You were a hundred percent aware that what you were doing was completely and utterly pathetic but you’ve already weighed the pros and cons in your head countless times.

Showing up alone: pitying looks, whispering behind your back, having to face ex by yourself, staggering levels of embarrassment.

Showing up with handsome -hired- date: mother can finally get off your back, date is more handsome than ex, ex will want to shrivel up and die, no one will know date is male escort except you and him.

Now, let’s break down some of the guests just for the sake of being thorough. 

There’s your slightly overbearing mother (slightly meaning every call you have with her opens with the question: “how's your love life, dear?” or “I have the most amazing man to set you up with!”), all of her judgy eagle-eyed friends (mostly rich widows whose sons your mom shamelessly shoves your way), your extended family (some terrifyingly old school great aunts and uncles who will definitely ask if you’re married and smile sympathetically when you say you’re not), and last but certainly not the least, Jeffrey, your ex-fiancé (best man, but apparently not the best man for you, his words not yours).

"Lordy fuck." you exhaled hard, chugging your wine straight from the bottle

How on earth did you get here? Sitting alone in your apartment, working your way through your second bottle of wine (or third? Who was keeping count?), clicking on ads that spoke of "hot single males in your area" waiting to meet you.

Would it be fair to pin it all on the end of your engagement?

Picturing that moment, you decided that it was only fair. Those were five years of your life you would never get back, you were prepared to sign on for more but, yeah.

You were blindsided, that's the only way to describe it. All the while, you thought that you and Jeffrey were on the same page, at the same place in life. You were the golden couple, the couple that all the other couples wished they could be, when you two walked past, girlfriends would give their boyfriends a slap on the shoulder that meant, "Why can't we be more like them?"

It was so out of nowhere, one minute you were discussing wedding cake options over dinner, then suddenly you're putting the ring in his palm, completely in shock. 

After that, you threw yourself into your work despite the fact that you were already a budding workaholic to begin with. That's how you ended up earning six figures a year. 

Six figure salary, check. Doing pretty well in life all things considered, check.

But even with all that, there weren't any conversations over casseroles and cobblers about your many achievements. Nope, your mother and her friends would much rather discuss their worries that you would essentially, die alone.

Your little sister, Amy, getting married before you didn't exactly help to put a lid on all the chatter. And with Jeffrey being the best man? And you being maid of honour? 

It was a disaster waiting to happen.

Maybe you could make up an excuse believable enough to get you off the hook so you wouldn’t have to go?

Were you really thinking about bailing on your little sister’s wedding? If she wasn’t taking cues from your mother, it would be the only one she ever had.

Not one of your finest moments as a sibling.

With the complications of your situation fully realised, you took to reading the ads with a little more effort. Luckily, you didn’t have to look for long.

Nick, 6’, male, tall, good looking, strong build. You will not be disappointed.

The ad was considerably less flashy than the others but you supposed that’s what drew you to it in the first place. It was understated, simple, and his ad wasn’t entirely made up of overcompensating flexing pics.

Mostly because he didn’t need them.

Call off the search, send the boys home. You had a winner here!

Staring up at you from your phone screen was the most handsome man you have ever seen in your life. Literally.

A mane of thick, artfully disheveled curly hair, eyes that were a light shade of blue that had a sort of dark intensity and intelligence that you could spend days trying to understand, and a smile. Oh, that smile was absolutely suckerpunching. It was odd though, something in your head was telling you that this man did not smile often.

You couldn’t tell if the warmth blooming in your chest and creeping towards your cheeks was from all the wine or from examining this prime specimen. Jeez Louise!

“Phew!” you fanned yourself upon stumbling on a photo of him crossing his arms in a tank top. Good God, you hoped he had a license for those guns!

You had to set your phone down for a minute to think things through although it seemed absolutely nuts that you had to think twice at all. It’s just that after the initial excitement and hormones wore off, it was becoming more and more evident that this man was too good to be true.

Just look at him! Were there actually men that looked like that? And why didn’t they live closer to you? A quick sweep of his profile placed him in Minneapolis.

What were the crime rates like there? And did they have a high rate of murders relating to escort services?

Before you could even google anything related to that, you stopped yourself. If you kept at this rate, you would never get anything done! Finally, after a methodical deliberation (aka ogling the pictures on his ad), you saved Nick’s contact number to your phone.

Aaand that’s as far as you’d go for the night. You could call him tomorrow when you weren’t a floundering drunk. It was like your mother always said, “Always be sober for a business transaction, but anything else calls for a cocktail.”

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

The following morning, you sat at your little breakfast nook, eggs still piping hot and untouched, and a hangover in full effect. You’ve been staring at the phone number for so long, you could say it in your sleep.

Come on, Y/N, the wedding is five freaking days away.

What if this guy was fully booked? You didn’t want to spend five days surrounded by family with Mr. my-soft-voice-will-arouse-you, did you?

You slammed your finger down on the call icon and stuck the phone to your ear. Your heart beat faster and faster with every ring and your palms became so slick with sweat that you almost dropped your phone a couple of times. 

Maybe you should have taken your mother up on the multiple occasions that she wanted to set you up with someone. Alright, on second thought, you didn’t really want to be with someone who only looked good on paper but was actually an insufferable mama’s boy.

“Hello?” a male voice answered, catching you off-guard

Oh, God. Okay, you’re really doing this.

“Yes, hi! Hi. Uh, I’m looking for Nick!” you chirped, in a startled high pitched squeak you didn’t dare recognise as your own

The silence on the other end was starting to make you sweat behind the knees. It suddenly dawned on you that you didn’t mention any specifics.

“Uh, sorry! I got this number from the, uh, the ad. I’m looking for Nick?”

“Yes! Yes, that’s right, but Nick isn’t in right now. This is his manager.”

Was that a good sign? That a male escort had a manager? Did all male escorts have managers? You clearly didn’t know enough about this stuff.

“It’s a pleasure, Mister..?”

There was another beat of silence before the person on the other line answered, you tried your hardest not to overthink about what that could have meant.

“Foley! I’m Foley, Nick’s manager.” Mr. Foley’s voice returned to your ear, sounding much too bright for your liking. 

Christ, what were you, a cop? To be honest, you were exhausted. Despite all the alcohol in your system last night, you barely got any sleep. You spent the rest of the night reading through some reviews of Nick’s service as an escort.

He had a glittering five star rating.

One woman hired him to pose as her husband at a high school reunion and by the end of the night, she ended up proposing to him. He respectfully declined and even bought her dinner afterwards.

That review alone was enough to convince you that you would be in good hands. So, it was time to buckle down, swallow the nerves, and handle your business like the adult you were.

“Mr. Foley,” you shook your hair out and put on your professional voice. “I’d like to book your client for five days, give or take. I need a plus one for a wedding. Is he available to leave on the-”

“Please hold. I’ll check his schedule.”

“Oh. But I didn’t mention when I-”

“He’s available. Would you prefer to pick him up at JFK or will he meet you at your place of residence?”

“Oh. Uh, I guess I could pick him up. Do I pay for his ticket or..?” you were feeling a teensy bit of whiplash at how fast this was all going

There was some rustling on the other line and the muffled sounds of bickering. You tried not to let that concern you.

“We’ll handle that, Ms. Y/L/N. We have your number, we’ll be in touch for further details. Good bye.”

The line went dead and you were left staring at your phone in confusion. Did you tell him your name?

[jomiddlemarch]

The revery alone will do, if bees are few

“If all the Grisha in Ravka were safe, what would you do?” Alina asked. It was the kind of question she could only ask after they’d left the Little Palace, away from everything Aleksander had built for his Grisha; they were in a copse of birches, sitting on the grass and she’d plucked a long stem to stroke against her cheek. With her kefta unfastened, she could almost pretend she was in the meadow at Keramzin, at least until she glanced over and saw Aleksander and not Mal, his serious dark eyes instead of blue. Their horses were tied to one of the trees and nickered softly from time to time.

“There’s Fjerda and Shu-Han, they would still pose a grave threat,” Aleksander began.

“All right, if all the Grisha in the entire world were safe, what would you do?” she said.

“What would I do?” Had he ever been this puzzled before?

“With your life. If summoning shadows was not a threat anymore, what would you do? Who would you choose to be?” she asked. The Fabrikators would still make things and there would still be ships to sail for the Squallers but Alina had thought there no clear path for either of them, Summoning shadows or light to what purpose?

“That will never happen,” he said flatly. “You’re too young—”

“I didn’t say when,” she snapped. “I’m not too young to imagine another world, even if I don’t expect it to come to pass. You think I never wondered about being Grisha? About being the daughter of living parents, a sister, an aunt?”

“I beg your pardon,” he said and it sounded like he meant it, the begging and the pardon.

“You haven’t ever thought about it?” she said.

“No, I can’t say that I have. I was born into a family of powerful Grisha, there was no possibility that I would be anything but another such. Since I was a small boy, my abilities marked me out,” he said.

“I never thought growing up in Keramzin had any advantages, but maybe I was wrong,” Alina said. “There was no one to make me be anything other than another orphan. I had a chance to live another life.”

“You were malnourished, frail, always ill before you started summoning,” he said. “It would have killed you, to be other than you were born to be.”

“Not all at once,” she said. “And I learned other things, things the Grisha in the Little Palace never learned.”

“What did you learn then?” he asked.

“How to live with loneliness. How to watch when you are invisible. How to play Shatranj, how to win,” she said, ticking off the list with touches of the grass-blade to her cheek. Its cut end was sweet and the unconjured sun was warm on her face, on her hair. Aleksander was quiet and she was struck by how beautiful he was, the shadows collected in his dark eyes, the line of his throat. They had been arguing and now they were not, a shift she had begun to recognize with him. He trusted her as he trusted no one else, hers a debt unique in his experience, her eyes capable of seeing what he missed.

“I would have been a gardener, a botanist,” he said. “I would have kept a hothouse and also an orchard. Peaches, cherries, stone fruit. I would have liked tending to the plants, knowing they would die, feeling the seasons in my hands. I like the sound of the bees and taste of honeycomb, I would have kept my own hives.”

“I would have studied the stars, I think. David has a device, a series of lens, and there are some equations I saw in a Kerch book in the library that have to do with the heavens,” Alina offered. “The sun is only one star, isn’t it? It would be nice to know more, to understand the working of something outside ourselves.”

“You would still be a light in the darkness,” he said. “You wouldn’t escape your nature.”

“I wouldn’t be reduced. A Sun Summoner, a saint,” she said. “Those aren’t people, they are figures.”

“You could be a queen,” he said. “Moya koroleva.”

“I’d rather be the beekeeper’s assistant. I like honey-cake,” she said and he reached over, took hold of the hand holding the blade of grass, his grasp like the Grisha wedding bracelet given to a bride.

“Then I would be a baker and bring you a piece when you forget to leave the observatory,” he said. “When your hands were covered in ink, I’d feed you the first bite.”

“And who’d eat the last?” she said. His gaze dropped to her parted lips and she felt the sun rising within her.

“There would never be a last bite. There would always been more honey in the hives, zvyozdochka,” he said.

“Would we still live forever?” she asked.

“I imagine so. But we’d be content,” he said. Her mare neighed and Alina saw it all, the stables and the stone cottage, the tile stove and herbs hanging in bunches from the rafters, a little glass vase beside the bed with a fresh blossom every day, her armillary sphere in Grisha steel, Aleksander washing his hands free from earth, his kefta worn for warmth instead of protection, the front door painted iris-blue in welcome. The hand-carved cradle, the linen bonnet, the small dusty boots next to his. She blinked and it was all gone.

“We can’t be content, can we?” she said and he heard how she’d realized what he’d known for so long, the burdens of their power, well beyond any danger posed by any otkazat’sya.

“No, but we can be happy, Alina,” he said, pressing his palm against hers, closing his eyes against the brightness of the day. She let her power settle around her and heard him start to hum a melody too old for her to name; he was right. They were happy.

[ofstarsandfireflies]

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen this movie, but how could I not put it on the list?

Addams Family

A creepy and kooky family get a surprise visitor.

Stephen’s family takes after his last name.

Truly, in every sense of the word.

Peter would seem like the only normal one if he wasn’t climbing on the walls half the time to avoid Harley shooting his potato gun at him, which he often swaps out the potatoes for bombs half the time.

The explosions he can deal with, and the mess they make is quickly cleaned up again.

They’re still kids and he wants them to have as much fun as they possibly can.

They’re just energetic and highly spirited, like their father.

Speaking of Tony...Stephen is just as much head over heels for him today as the first time they met and destroyed a planet together almost twenty years ago.

Sparks literally flew that day, and it was a wonder they even survived it with how they couldn’t keep their eyes off one another.

Stephen proposed that very night and they’d been in wedded bliss ever since.

He would die for him.

He would kill for him.

And every morning he lets Tony sleep in because the man deserves it.

Especially since every night leaves him exhausted.

And sometimes during the day too.

Most time’s during the day.

They can’t get enough of one another.

And Tony is more than happy to deal out just as much as he receives, always kissing Stephen’s hands first and working his way up his arms to his mouth so Stephen knows Tony loves those scars just as much as the man who wears them.

But today, after the kids have gone to school, Stephen can’t help but become distracted.

Today is the anniversary of when the Ancient One left the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme, this Sanctum and all its secrets, to Stephen Strange.

He’s guilt ridden at not being able to save her from that portal that swallowed her up, distracted and angry that he knew so little of his magic back then.

Tony misses her too, for without her, he would never have met Stephen in the first place.

Tony knows he is Stephen’s anchor, every year on this day.

And without Tony, Stephen knows he would have drifted a long time ago.

They get regular visits from Shield agents, just checking in to make sure their little family doesn’t want to rejoin the Avengers, but Tony’s made his decision to leave all that behind and he’s not changing his mind.

However, some of these agents actually work for Hydra, and when Sitwell comes knocking one day, he knows they all have to be crossed off the list.

And exactly how to do it.

That night, a woman looking exactly like his old teacher comes to the Sanctum.

While Tony is a little skeptical about her sudden appearance, and his kids seem to be too, Stephen has gotten out of the slump he’d been in for so long, so Tony decides to take this as a win.

But when everyone’s getting ready for bed, Tony lets himself into her room to warn her.

If she isn’t who she claims to be, and Stephen gets hurt because of it, there won’t be any cave, crevice or crack she can squirm her way into that Tony won’t find.

And once he’s found her, he’ll make sure she’s never found again.

Then he wishes her goodnight and closes the door behind him.

It’s a little rocky at the beginning when Stephen keeps asking questions she doesn’t have the answers to, even agent Sitwell doesn’t have anything satisfactory to say about where she’s been all this time.

But Sitwell can’t let them throw this ‘Ancient One’ out.

She’s a Winter Soldier.

One trained to adapt to its surroundings and gather intel on its targets before killing them.

So he tells them to give her some time to adjust. Maybe after a couple of days or so, she’ll fit right in.

But by the very next day, everyone in the Sanctum isn’t so sure this woman is their old friend.

The cloak of Levitation and Wong both seem to be confused as to why her memory is so incomplete.

Surely something would have come back by now?

Even if she can’t remember who they are, she only ever drunk one kind of tea.

Even if she can’t remember all of her training, surely she must remember some of it

But no.

There’s nothing.

Stephen even gives her a sling ring to make a portal with and she doesn’t know what to do with it.

He has half a mind to do what she did to him to make her create one, but he’s too upset to think straight.

He has to come to terms with the knowledge that it might not be his old teacher after all.

Sitwell tries to change his mind, twenty years is a long time to be trapped wherever she was, but Stephen isn’t having it.

That woman is an imposter and he won’t have her in this Sanctum.

Even though she doesn’t feel as welcome as she had been in the beginning, she finds that the kids have really warmed up to her.

They had been brought up on stories about her, and had always refered to her as their aunt.

And she’s never been called aunt before.

But she has a mission.

But she doesn’t want to harm them. Seeing them all, the love that they have for one another (excessive in Stephen and Tony’s case) is unlike anything she’s ever seen before.

And, while she may not remember them completely, she knows their faces, knows they had something to do with her past, and wants to stay to uncover that truth about herself.

She begins drinking the tea she loved.

She begins paying more attention to what she can remember.

And when Stephen hands her a sling ring one last time before he makes his decision, she makes a portal to the very mountain she left him stranded on.

Stephen can’t believe it.

It’s actually her.

So he decides to invite everyone who knew her, everyone who has missed her just as much as he had, to a party at the Sanctum.

But before the big night, Sitwell has had enough of the delay.

He doesn’t know why she hasn’t killed them all yet.

She tells him it’s not time yet, but Sitwell has lost all patience with her.

If she won’t kill them, then he has to move them somewhere where they can be killed easier.

And he knows just how to do it.

This Sanctum would come in very handy training Sorcerers for Hydra, and seeming how he has the Ancient One, the one who rightfully owns this Sanctum, he can move this family of freaks out and deal with them later.

But wrath hath no fury like a Tony scorned, who’s heard everything Sitwell just said.

He’s not going to allow his husband to go through that horrible depression again, and he’s not going to allow his children to live anywhere else but where they’ve called home all their lives.

So he calls Sitwell out on this bs, and Sitwell orders the Ancient One to open a portal.

She doesn’t want to.

She likes living here with this family, but her hands move on their own and they all step through to the Hydra base.

And the cloak sees this and immediately goes to get Stephen.

But the cloak has no idea how to relay this information to him, having no hands to sign and only managing to grab a photo of the family and point erratically to Tony.

Stephen has no clue what it’s trying to say until it takes up his sling ring and begin tapping morse code on the bedside table.

Throwing the cloak over his shoulders, he goes to save his damsel, who is strapped to the very chair where Hydra erase the memories of their Winter Soldiers.

He takes a step to him immediately and freezes when Sitwell emerges from the shadows, pointing a gun at Tony.

He’s going to turn them both into Winter Soldiers to serve Hydra, and then do the same to their kids.

Then he orders the Ancient One to strap Stephen down.

Stephen requests a moment to talk with Tony and Sitwell agrees although he quickly ends it when it becomes disturbingly sexual.

The Ancient One takes Stephen to the next chair, but then notices the cloak.

And takes it from him.

Sitting Stephen down in the chair, she offers him a reassuring smile and sends the cloak at Sitwell, which wraps around him tightly.

Stephen runs to Tony to free him, almost wanting to leave Tony tied up like this, and they get back home safely.

A moment later, the cloak and the Ancient One walk into the Sanctum, quite pleased with how they banished Sitwell to the Dark Dimension.

The day after the party, as Stephen and Tony listen to the explosions almost rocking the Sanctum as if it were classical music, Tony has some good news.

Their adoption papers have finally come through.

They can add a new addition to their family.

Stephen would adopt every single child in the cosmos if it made Tony happy, and Tony expects Stephen to hold that promise.

One child at a time, of course.

Quotes -

“Last night, you were unhinged. You were like some desperate, howling demon. You frightened me...do it again.”

You all know I’m only doing this movie for this quote right here!

“Don’t torture yourself, Gomez. That’s my job.”

Shouldn’t it be They’re kinky and they’re kooky?

“Tish. How long has it been since we’ve waltzed?”

“Hours.”

Tony takes pride in the fact that he and Stephen can waltz anywhere at anytime and they’d both be up for it.

“Morticia. Morticia...what? Slow down! It’s terrible when you stutter! Morticia. In. Danger. Stop. Send. Help. At once. Stop!”

Stephen finally understands what his cloak is trying to tell him.

“Tish. Seeing you like this...my blood boils.”

“As does mine.”

“This wheel of pain...”

“Our wheel.”

“To live without you only that would be torture.”

“A day alone. Only that would be death.”

“Knock it off!”

Your resolved-borderline-obsessed sexual tension is making Sitwell uncomfortable!

“Leather straps...red hot pokers...”

“Later, my dearest.”

Stephen fights against his urges when he sees Tony tied up.

Ancient Lies

Stephen has everything.

A loving husband, two wonderful children, a life where they don’t need to worry about missions and intergalactic threats anymore.

But for as complete as his life, someone is missing from it.

And then she turns up.

Missed a Day? Catch up here!

Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5

Day 6 Day 7 Day 8 Day 9 Day 10

[official-weasley]

The Irreplaceable Charlie Weasley: Alternative Ending

Warnings: Absolutely nothing except Charlie being one happy bean ❤️

Charlie

The spells making sounds around me finally snapped me back to reality. My back was aching but I knew I have to get up and fight. I won't give up that easily! Before I could think twice about it, I was already duelling another Death Eater. It felt good immobilizing him and the adrenaline of fighting slowly came back to me when I heard a voice calling me.

“Charlie.”

I turned around but nobody was there. I shook my head. Perhaps I was still a bit shaken from talking to Nova wherever we were together just moments ago.

“Charlie.”

There it was again. I pressed myself against a nearby wall, trying to empty my head. Was I hearing voices now?

“Charlie.”

The voice was getting louder and it seemed it was coming from inside my head.

“Charlie.”

I opened my eyes and sat up so abruptly that everything went dark for a moment. What is going on? I slowly scanned the room I was in.

I wasn't at Hogwarts, I was in a bed. My bed. I rubbed my eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again. This is my bedroom.

I heard someone walking up the stairs. I looked down at my body. I was shirtless and my back wasn't aching. Was I dreaming? I couldn't be. It felt so real.

“Good morning, sleepyhead.” I turned my head to the door and saw Nova leaning against the doorway. I was in awe at how beautiful she was. She was wearing a burgundy jumper with a golden letter on it. It was my jump... Wait a minute. It didn't have a golden C on it. It had a golden N on it.

I pressed my fingers against my eyes. I have never been more confused. I looked in her direction again. She was still there. Along with her jumper, her favorite khaki-colored jeans, and barefoot.

“I was about to send our little army to wake you.” She giggled. “Did you just wake up?”

“Yeah.” I said with a rusty voice. I was still a bit disoriented and apparently, it showed on my face because Nova's pretty smile turned into a worried expression.

She slowly made her way across the bedroom and sat down on my side of the bed.

“Is this real?” I asked.

“It happened again.” She whispered as if she was reading my mind.

It was strange. I knew exactly what she was referring to, but I couldn't shake the dream away.

“Yes.” I nodded. “But it...it was different this time, Nova.” I shook my head trying to get the images out of my mind.

“How so?” She asked gently, placing her hand on mine, sending shivers down my spine.

“It wasn't Fred or Tonks. It was...you.” I looked into her beautiful blue eyes and I have never wanted to kiss her more, so I did.

She let out a sound of surprise before kissing me back, placing her arms around my neck.

It was all coming back to me now. I had frequent nightmares about the battle that took place at Hogwarts. I kept seeing Fred and Tonks die. It has been happening for years, but I didn't have a vivid dream like this in a very long time.

“What was the dream about this time?” Nova pulled away and cupped my face, locking her eyes on mine.

“I dreamt about that night in the Sanctuary, when we were attacked. But it was different. You only cast the Protection spell on me and not both of us.” I shook my head, my mind creating images of her getting burnt again.

“Then I lived my entire life without you up until the battle. We had a funeral for you and I was alone at Bill's wedding. You weren't Fleur's bridesmaid and I told my mum I was going to spend the rest of my life alone.”

She climbed into my arms, pulling me into a hug. I buried my fingers into her hair and breathed into her shoulder. She smelled like pancakes.

“And then I was fighting at Hogwarts and you were never there to save me from that blast in the back and I fell unconscious and everything turned white and you were there. We were by the Lake and we both cried missing each other and when I got back I was ready to fight again but I kept hearing a voice calling my name and then...I woke up.” I gently pushed her away. I needed to see her eyes again, they always calmed me down.

“You have to see that doctor George was going to.” The concern in her voice matched the one on her face.

“I'm fine.” I said unconvincingly. After so many years of being together, I still didn't learn that she can see straight through my lies.

“Don't give me that, Charles. There is nothing wrong with needing help. We're all messed up about everything that went down that year.” She frowned.

“Okay, I'll write to George tomorrow. I promise.” I bestowed her with a weak smile and kissed her again.

“I'll ask you just in case.” She crossed her legs on the bed in front of me.

“No need to do that, love.” I playfully rolled my eyes.

“Yes, I do, Char. You looked at me, me standing in the doorway, as if I was a ghost. This dream obviously messed with your perception of reality so we are doing this, whether you like it or not.”

She tapped her finger on my nose, making me grin. She asked me a series of questions to make me remember things and make me forget about my nightmares every time I woke up disoriented.

“Okay, I'm ready.” I cleared my throat.

“What year is it?” She started.

“2007.” I replied after thinking about it for a second.

“Where do we live?”

“In Romania. Two kilometers away from the Sanctuary in a small wizarding village. We deemed it perfect for raising our children and it's great because it's close enough that we can both walk to work since neither of us is fond of apparition.”

“Describe our wedding and when and where did we get married?” Nova asked her next question.

“We got married on 7th August 1995 at the Sanctuary. It was a small ceremony as we wanted. Our friends from the Sanctuary, my family, your mum and aunt, your dad's closest friends from Egypt, our friends from school. You couldn't decide which of the girls is going to be your maid of honor so they all were. Ginny was our flower girl and Bill was my best man and he gave you away. We both cried exchanging our vows, so did our mums and Bill shed a tear even though he will never admit it.” Nova laughed. “We ended up having a party in our house and it all ended with Fred and George's beautiful fireworks.”

It was the most beautiful day of my life. We loved how everything turned out. It was small and everybody had so much fun and Bill and my dad got drunk and we laughed at them singing songs. We couldn't have planned it better.

“Full names of our children and when they were born.” She said with a smile on her face. This was her favorite question. “Aoede Io. She was born on 2nd February 1996. My mum freaked out when she found out you got pregnant before we got married.” I giggled.

“That one time we didn't use the Protection spell.” She joined me.

“I'm happy we forgot.” I pressed my forehead to hers and she couldn't stop a smile spreading across her face at my words.

“Then we had Luna Dora and she was born on 1st October 1999 and our beautiful boy Roger William was born on 30th July 2003. We were all hoping he would share his birthday with Harry but he came a day earlier.” We both chuckled.

“What day is it?” Nova's last question interrupted my reminiscing.

“It's 1st September.” I said proudly, feeling like myself again.

“Do you still think this isn't real?” Nova asked softly.

“It is but I am living my dream.” I kissed her again. I can't believe I have everything I ever wanted.

“As you should. You deserve it.” She kissed me so hard that I got dizzy for a second.

“Wait, 1st September, we're supposed to take Aoede...”

“I know. That's why I came to wake you.” Nova giggled. “You get dressed and then come down for breakfast.”

She leaned to kiss my forehead but a sound of glass breaking made us both look towards the door.

“Bloody hell.” I heard Luna say.

“Luna, mum's going to kill you!” Aoede sighed.

“For cussing or for breaking the glass?” Luna sounded worried.

“Both!”

“Dora needs to stop hanging out with uncle Ron so much.” Nova playfully shook her head. Our Luna loved Ron the most and she loved to copy everything he said, including his cursing words.

“I better go down before someone gets hurt.” She stood up and walked to the door. “You going to be okay?”

“I will. I promise.” I smiled reassuringly. I felt better talking to her and answering her questions. I always did.

“Oh, and I almost forgot. Bill dropped by earlier, leaving Victoire here. Luna made an entire plan inviting her for ice cream when we drop Aoede at King's Cross and then she's sleeping over. She sent her a letter with Aoede's new owl and everything.” Nova laughed and went downstairs.

I got up, the biggest smile on my face. This really was real. I have to write to George. I have to get rid of these nightmares. My life was so great, I can't have these dark thoughts about losing Nova anymore. It was enough that I lost my brother, Tonks, and Remus.

I got dressed and slowly made my way downstairs. I loved our little house. We were looking for something similar to our cottage at the Sanctuary and were so happy when we found a perfect little house on the outskirts of a village near the Sanctuary. We fell in love with it immediately. We both saw us raising our children here and it's so cozy and homey and we couldn't have asked for more.

What I loved, even more, was the scene in front of me when I got to the lower floor. A ladle was pouring a pancake into the pan. Nova was leaning on the counter giving Aoede advice on the drawing she was making. I still can't believe how similar they are. Not only did Aoede get Nova's talent for drawing but she looked like her as well. She had long, wavy, dark red hair and Nova's blue eyes.

“Good morning, dad.” Aoede mumbled and Luna followed her lead.

Nova looked up and winked at me, before picking up a pencil and making a correction to Aoede's drawing.

I looked to the sofa where Dora was sitting with Victoire, braiding her hair and them both giggling as usual. Luna Dora was a perfect mixture of us both. She had blue hair and my eyes. Her nose was sprinkled with my freckles and she got the mischief gene from the twins.

I was standing still, watching the two best friends giggle. Dora adored her uncles Bill and George the most. Sometimes she is more at Bill and Fleur's than she is at home because she and Victoire are inseparable.

“Good morning, uncle Charlie.” Victoire turned her head to me and waved.

“Morning, Vicky.” I smiled.

Before I could say another word my four-year-old son ran into my arms. I picked him up and lifted him high into the air.

“I missed you, daddy. You were asleep for so long.” He sighed and I couldn't help but giggle. He was adorable and he was mine. A spitting image of me. A face full of freckles, curly purple hair and...

“Make me fly like a Dragon, daddy.” And he loved Dragons as much as I did.

“Dee-Dee, can you set the table?” Nova asked our eldest as she waved her wand for the ladle to stop and I was twirling our youngest in the air, making roaring noises while doing so.

“I can't.” Aoede replied, frowning as she focused even more on her drawing. “I want to finish this before I leave for Hogwarts today, mum.”

“Alright.” Nova sighed, knowing full well she was the same when she was her age so she couldn't really complain.

We all sat down for breakfast and it was the most beautiful sight. Aoede was trying to find her mouth to feed herself and draw at the same time. Roggie was playing with his Dragon plushie more than eating, so Nova helped him because we both knew what a tantrum he would throw if anyone even tried taking his plushie away. Victoire was eating her pancakes with one hand leaning on the kitchen table as Luna started to describe her plan for today to us.

“And then when we are done with ice cream we are going to go see uncle Harry and aunt Ginny.” Luna finished, her mouth full of pancakes.

“Is Teddy going to be there?” Victoire's eyes shone and I exchanged a look with Nova, who had the biggest smirk painting her face.

She already predicted that Victoire and Teddy are going to end up together and I couldn't argue with her as Dora, Vicky and Teddy were best friends. And so far she has been right about everyone. She was right that Bill will find someone special. She was right about Hermione and Ron and about Ginny and Harry.

“Bill would kill you if he saw your smug expression right now.” I leaned towards Nova and whispered to her.

“Oh, c'mon. They are adorable.” Nova defended herself. “Bill is just an overly protective father.” She giggled.

“Yeah, even more than I am.” I laughed.

“Oh, you'll see when Aoede tells you about her first crush. I will bet my wand right now that you will be the same as Bill.” She bit her lip, trying not to giggle.

“Yeah, yeah.” I playfully rolled my eyes, knowing she was probably right.

“And someone has to make Teddy an official Weasley. Tonks would be proud.” She gave out a gentle smile.

“Tell that to Bill.” I winked at her and made her chuckle.

—

After a lot of effort and bickering and making sure Aoede has everything and we didn't forget anything, we finally arrived at King's Cross. I took Aoede's trunk to the luggage compartment, while Nova was making sure Di-Di had all her art pencils.

“Are you crying, Charles?” Nova nudged me with her elbow as we watched our eldest get on the train, waving at us.

“Says the woman with the handkerchief pressed against her cheek.” I teased her, wiping away a tear. I can't believe how good we have it. After everything we've been through, after losing my brother and some of our friends, after having 3 kids, we were still perfect.

We kept waving at Aoede, Roggie now in my arms as he stated that his legs were hurting, waving his plushie around at his big sister, until the train disappeared around the corner.

The second it did, Luna grabbed Victoire's hand and they started running towards the pillar that will take us back to Diagon Alley, both shouting 'ice cream ice cream'.

“You want to make a bet in which House Aoede will be sorted in?” I chuckled at Nova's question.

“We already went through this, love.” I smirked. “Di-Di will be a Ravenclaw, Dora a Hufflepuff and Roggie...” I turned my head to our son, booping his nose, making him giggle. “...Roggie will be a Gryffindor.”

“I am willing to bet 10 Galleons that Aoede will end up in Gryffindor.” Nova said mockingly. I knew she didn't really believe it. Aoede was a miniature Nova, despite her red hair, and she knew that there is no way she will be sorted in any other House than Ravenclaw but she was having too much fun playing with me like this.

“It's on, Mrs. Weasley.” I smiled and kissed my wife. As long as we were a happy little family, our children healthy, knowing they are safe and Nova looking at me the way she was now, letting me know she is just as in love with me as she was all those years ago when we were at school, I didn't care in which House our children get sorted as I knew we would love them all the same.

A/N: Okay, this really is it now! I can leave this story with a lighter heart and no more shedding tears!

Now I need some time to move on from this story and then I am ready to write more happy endings for our Dragon boy ❤️

Thank you again for reading and being so nice on this site ❤️

[ourloveisforthelovely]

Alive Again Part 1

Harry Potter AU 

Summary:  What if Regulus didn't die? What if Kreacher didn't see "everything" that happened in the cave that night? You have spent three years thinking that your lover was dead. Now you may have a second chance at life.

Pairings: Regulus Black x Reader 

Rating: M 

_______

Regulus lay several inches below the surface of the water as you ran down to him.

“Reggie! No, no, no...Regulus wake up. Reggie, come back.”

You reached into the water enough to wrap your hands around the lapels of his vest and yanked hard. When his eyes snapped open, you screamed. Where your lover’s gorgeous eyes had once been was milky, cloudy, and white.

Inferius...your husband was dead and now replaced with a zombie-like monster. The moment that you tried to pull away his hand reached up and wrapped around your wrist. You thrashed backward trying to pull away.

“Let go! Let go!”

You screamed. No matter how much you tried, Regulus pulled harder. The moment you fell into the lake you inhaled and tried to kick hard. You had to keep your head above water. With each kick, Regulus’ grip increased until his arms were around you fully. He pulled you further and further down into the murky water of the lake. You wanted to scream at the blank ghostly expression on his face.

“Regulus, stop! You’ll kill me!”

You screamed internally as your lungs began to ache with the need to breathe. Reaching out, you tugged hard on Regulus’ curls as they floated around his head.

“Reggie.”

You whined again as the world began to fade to black…

You snapped awake the moment that there was a knock on your door. Sitting up, you were drenched with sweat and panting. That dream again! That blasted dream that haunted your sleep every night since Regulus died.

“Mistress are you awake?”

Kreacher’s voice came from the other side of the door before he popped in. The elf was holding a tray with a silver teacup on it.

“Good morning, Kreacher.”

You said, trying to calm down. The elf snapped his finger making some nice hot tea appear in the up.

“Kreacher thinks Mistress needs some tea. You sounded dreadful this morning. Were you having your dream again?”

You only nodded as the elf stroked your hand.

“Master Regulus died a hero, mistress. He loved you very much. Now, why don’t you get up and have some fresh air? Mistress has breakfast waiting. She wanted me to let you know that she has little mistress Astaria awake and ready.”

Kreacher mentioning Regulus’ name made your heart.

“That will do, Kreacher. Tell Walburga that I will be down in a moment.”

Once Kreacher was gone, you put your hand in your hands before focusing on your engagement ring. It had been almost three years since Regulus went away on a mission and didn’t return. It wasn’t until Kreacher told you what happened did you actually know what happened.

To say that you were devastated was an understatement! You were a new wife and about to be a mother. You were not supposed to be a widow...not this quickly. Had it not been for Walburga, you weren't sure what you would have done. She swooped in and picked you right up off of your feet. Maybe you helped her as much as she helped you. Walburga was getting over her husband’s death now her favorite son was dead. You were the last tangible family member that she had. Knowing that both her daughter in law and granddaughter needed her was enough to keep her hobbling along.

You quickly dressed before setting your eyes on your wedding photo. You couldn’t help but smile. Everything was so perfect that day! Regulus had his arms wrapped around you smiling happily. It was one of the few times that he smiled. You were so used to his serious calculating nature that the genuine smile warmed your heart whenever you saw the photo.

Beside Regulus stood your brother Evan. Evan was a difficult subject for you. He had fallen apart since Regulus died. Losing his best friend was a gut punch that your older brother never recovered from. He was still a death eater but was becoming more and more reckless with each passing day. You were, unfortunately, waiting to get notice of Evan Rosier’s death.

Walking down the stairs, your thoughts were still on Regulus’ death. After he died, you could have returned to the Rosier family home but you didn’t. You didn’t want to leave Walburga alone in the cold dark home that she inhabited.

“Good morning, my dear.”

Walburga’s voice pulled you from your thoughts. The older woman sat in front of Astaria as she happily nibbled on bite-sized pieces of toast.

“Good morning. Did she wake you?”

Walburga smiled and stroked her granddaughter’s messy curls. Everything about Astaria reminded Walburga of her son. She had Regulus’ curly hair, serious expression, and pouty lips.

“Not at all. I was awake when she started making her adorable little noises.”

Never in a million years did you ever think that Walburga Black would say anything was adorable. In the beginning, you were petrified of your mother in law. You had known Walburga since you were a child. As your aunt Druella had married Walbruga’s brother had had three girls; you were very well known with the Black family.

You grew up with Regulus. Maybe that’s what made his death even more painful. The two of you were the same age and were always playing with Evan, Andromeda, Bella, and Narcissa. Sirius never seemed interested in anything that the lot of you had going on.

“We are having a party.”

Walburga’s casual comment pulled you from the memories of your privileged childhood.

“Excuse me?”

Walburga smiled.

“I decided that it's time for a party. It's been a long time since there has been some life around here. I only wish everyone could be here.”

You closed your eyes envisioning the Black Family Tapestry. Regulus was gone. Bella was in prison and Andromeda was blown off never to be spoken of again.

At least the promise of seeing Narcissa was promising. Narcissa took extra steps to baby Astaria. She and Lucius would periodically swoop in and take the two of you on pricey vacations with their little boy Draco.

“Me too. It will be nice, mum. You’re right. We do need some life around here.”

Walburga stood with a smile and lovingly fluffed your hair.

“I would like you to wear the green dress that you wore for your engagement party. That dress was lovely. I even got a lovely little dress for Astoria. It will be good fun.”

(The next night) Walburga’s party turned out to be a bigger success than you had expected. A ton of people, that you didn’t know, showed up. You found yourself wondering how in the world Walurga knew half of these people also.

“Y/n, darling!”

Your attention went from the faces of strangers to Narcissa who had eagerly pulled you into a hug.

‘Cissy, it's so good to see you. Lucius, hello.

Lucius stepped forward and gently kissed your hand.

“Narcissa is right. You do look extremely lovely. It appears that Astaria is growing. She’s lovely.”

You smiled at your daughter who was busy playing with Draco.

“Draco too. He’s a charming little boy.”

Lucius smiled, proudly.

“I’ll let you ladies have at it. I’m going to visit some other associates.”

Narcissa nodded as her husband left. The two of you sat down and sipped on champagne Narcissa was the first to speak.

“There are some good looking men here.”

You nodded, casually. The truth was, you hadn’t really looked at any of the men in the room. You had felt any kind of drive to move on.

“I guess there is.”

Narcissa’s smile faded.

“Darling, it's been nearly three years.”

As you considered what your comment was going to be, your attention landed on someone standing in the doorway. You felt your mouth drop. That face...it was the fact that you had been missing for so long.

“Regulus!”

You nearly choked on your drink. Narcissa looked as stunned as you were as you tossed your cocktail on the floor. You nearly jumped over a couple of old people. Had your evening gown not gotten in the way, there was an old witch that would have been a small hurdle in your path.

Stopping a few inches away from him. Your mouth was hanging open as you tried to decide if this was a dream. Everything looked the same; the same hair, the same mouth, and the same eyes. Your heart ached to look at his eyes. Regulus’ eyes...they were right not like the inferi.

“Hi, darling.”

His voice...it was the same. This had to be one of the cruelest dreams ever! Regulus stepped forward and wrapped his arms around your waist.

“Touch me.”

Regulus said, hoarsely. It didn’t take him being in love with you since childhood to know that you were scared out of your mind. Regulus didn’t want to admit it but you were always a bit delicate. Maybe that's why he was so excited about the betrothal that his parents offered.

You raised a shaky hand and stroked his cheek. Regulus was so warm! In dreams, he was never warm. His skin was always cold and corpse-like.

“Reggie!”

You squealed his name before jumping in his arms. This was the moment that you had in good dreams. Holding Regulus again was the one thing that you wanted more than anyone in the world!

Regulus, meanwhile, was as happy as you were. He kept his hold on you for a long time before slowly letting you down.

“Come with me.”

Regulus wasn’t ready to face his mother yet. His sights were only on you at the moment.

You followed Regulus into the small sitting room. He closed the door before turning to face you.

“I’ve missed you.”

“How are you alive? Kreacher told me...that you were pulled into that lake. How are you alive? Evan said that you would be part of the inferi now.”

Regulus’ smile fell.

“Can’t it be enough that I’m alive?”

“I deserve to know. I’ve been mourning you for almost three years.”

Regulus glanced over his shoulder before quickly walking to you and leaning down. He didn’t want anyone to overhear.

“Kreacher didn’t see it all. He saw me be pulled into the lake. I was able to get loose but I was trapped as a prisoner in that cave. You can thank Voldemort for that. He probably got my sassy note and wanted to see me suffer. I’m sorry, Y/n, but there are some things that you don’t need to know.”

You didn’t like that response. Somehow, you would get the information out of Regulus but for now, you would be thankful that your husband was alive.

______

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