#now that's she’s queen she can't be a little girl hiding from responsibility she has to run a kingdom and worst by herself since no family

[demonkinguwu]

Late night Van doodles

[anna1306]

The Gone Prince

Daemon Targaryen x brother!Targaryen Reader

I know it has been a long, long, looooong time. I am so sorry for keeping you waiting on that. I am going to return to writing, more or less. can't promise to return to posting every single day, as I did before, but I am going to return to writing and posting. It has been a long time of depressed time, disorganised time and simple no strength time. This part I wrote and rewrote two or three times and I hope you will like what I come up with in the end. Love you all)

Part 1 here

Princess' chambers were big and full of light. It reminded you of quarters of your grandmother, always warm and welcoming to her family. You were sitting there on the sofa, speaking with your niece for the last ten minutes or so. You didn't want anyone to eavesdrop on your conversation, so you approached her later, not during the feast. After that same feast Viserys insisted that Rhaenyra and her family stay in the Red Keep for at least a week or maybe even longer, not wishing for his pregnant daughter to endure two big travels in a row. Also... You had to wait for Daemon to leave her alone. He wouldn't let you talk calmly to each other, not after all these years, you just knew it.

"If the King asked for you, I am glad to have you here." Rhaenyra said, as you noticed hint of coldness in her eyes, probably brought by Daemon's opinion, which he, no doubt, generously shared with his wife. You only smiled in response. You could understand why she didn't trust you fully. And it definitely didn't hurt that much. At least not like it did with your brother.

"You sound just like her, it is crazy." You said quietly. She looked at you confusedly, not understanding your words fully. "Like Aemma." Her expression softened at your words, as her hand came to rest on her rounded belly. "I am sure she is proud of you, watching you from the other side."

"I can only hope so... She never mentioned you, now that I think of it." Princess said. You shrugged, trying to stay calm and nonchalant about it.

"Not many people here did." You tried to hide your feelings behind a smile, something you learned to do long time ago. "I remember her mostly from our childhood. How Viserys was madly in love with her. He often made a fool out of himself and was so scared she would reject him. And Aemma only laughed and smiled at him with so much kindness in her eyes... One time he tried to graciously ride in front of her on the horse to show her that he is a good rider. Poor animal got scared of something and sent him flying face flat on the ground. He was so red in the face, but didn't say a word, I thought he would burst with embarrassment." Rhaenyra laughed, imagining her father at the scene, as you watched her attentively with a little smile on your face.

"I can imagine how amusing that was." She agreed. You nodded, looking away from her, knowing that she was still watching you closely. "Did the King say why he called you back after all those years?"

"To help him. Viserys is... Full of many feelings and guilt is one of them. Guilt for a lot of things, which I am finding out only now. That is one of the reasons I wanted to speak with you." You looked back at her, meeting her gaze. "He wants me to mend the rift in his family." Her smile faded a bit, as she lowered her eyes on her belly. Rhaenyra understood perfectly well what were you talking about without you having to pronounce it. "I was told you were friends with the Queen Consort once, weren't you?"

"It was years ago. I feel like it was the other life." She answered with a sad smile. Rhaenyra looked at you again, her expression once again calm and stoic, almost rid of all emotions. "I once knew a girl, my friend, who was kind, honest, supportive and who looked at bright side of things, who was romantic and hopeful. Now Alicent is different, full of..."

"Spite?" You suggested. The woman nodded slowly, almost unsurely. You sighed, having a strong feeling your emotions about losing someone that close to oneself could be similar in some way. "Tell me, do you think there can be a slight possibility of you getting back to being friends? Or at least... Not at each other's throats?"

"I don't think so. There were many things between us, to lead me to Dragonstone and out of any possibility of mending this. You probably heard about what had happened in Driftmark. She... The Queen showed everyone her true colours. Her true thoughts and intentions behind this righteous facade."

"Lucerys severely wounded her son, I can understand her rage and wish for justice to some extent. Not 'eye for the eye', but still." You argued with her.

"Her son is spewing lies. Both of them. She placed traitorous lies in their minds, spreading rumours about me, about my sons! All of them are just..." She hissed suddenly, grasping her belly and closing her eyes, almost wincing in pain. You shot up from your place immediately, ready to go for help, but Rhaenyra stopped you with a motion of a hand. "I'm fine... Just... Daemon's child is really active." She smiled tiredly, as you clutched your goblet with wine in your hand, distracting yourself from your thoughts with a drink. "Nonetheless... I am not sure there is a way to get through to her." Princess said calmer now.

"If there was a way... A possibility of bringing back this peace, if not friendship. Would you be willing to put the bitter past to rest?" You asked, sitting back on the sofa. Rhaenyra didn't say anything for some time, your words hanging in the air. She diverted her attention from you, watching her maids serving breakfast on the table, long silence surrounding both of you.

"In ideal world... I guess I would want that." She admitted quietly. You smiled to her a bit, nursing wine in the goblet. "She was my friend once, the closest person in this Keep. But what she and her father did..."

"Yes, men like Otto, can influence even the dust to hate the wind." You scoffed, agreeing with her. After seeing what was going on in the Keep, you understood that one of the main roots of problems was the King's Hand. Yes, he helped the King to rule the realms, almost ruling them himself from time to time instead of sick Viserys, but he pursued his own goals first and foremost. You could understand ambitions, it was explainable, but your priorities in this matter were different.

"Alicent isn't innocent. She willingly ate those lies and now she is a spitting image of Otto..." Rhaenyra made a pause, sighing, as she looked at you. "Alicent has that thought that my children aren't... Trueborn. She spreads this rumours everywhere, you know it." You nodded, hearing these rumours already. You had your doubts about it too, but didn't care much, they were children of your niece, that was all you needed to know about their parentage. "Every time I gave birth, she demanded I present my child to her immediately after. She isn't such an innocent girl she claims to be." Your gaze hardened at the realisation. You put away your goblet and looked at Rhaenyra seriously.

"If she orders that you should present your child like this again, don't even move from the bed. I will be near and I will deal with it myself." You promised her. "She can come to you herself if she wishes to see the child so much. And if she doesn't understand why her request is wrong, I will explain it to her personally." You answered her with determination. Princess smiled at you slightly and moved to stand. You helped her up and stepped away from her. "I better give you some space. If I can do anything for you, tell me. And just... Think about possibility of it. Just try..."

"I probably will... Thank you. I appreciate the talk." She nodded, looking at her. While you could see that she still didn't trust you completely, at least you two talked calmly and discussed matters at hand. Just as you were about to leave, the door opened. Daemon walked in, and the air left your lungs at the sight of his figure lightened in the sunlight coming from the windows. His eyes met yours and what little softness he had, instantly turned to coldness and distaste in a second.

"You?" He only said in disgust.

"Me.” You nodded with a sigh. “I am leaving already. Have a good day." You smiled softly at your niece before heading out, not wishing for your brother to get angry at your presence near his wife. He could hate you from the distance, you thought. You could handle it… Even though you were too sober for his hate not to hurt.

***

"It was great!" Jacaerys was almost jumping in his steps excitedly, as he walked a little bit ahead of you. You smiled, taking off your gloves still hearing three loud growls of your dragonbehind you both.

"I am glad you like the ride. They liked you too, little prince." How could you say no to those eyes, when he asked if he could fly with you on your dragon. You understood him, as they were rarity, the first three-headed dragon known to Targaryen House, at least according to the known records.

"Is controlling him different? Different from ours, I mean." He turned to you with a curious look. You shrugged, contemplating your answer.

"You tell me, I only flew on them." His excitement about the new dragon was big. So of course he was curious as to whether or not it was similar to the flight on the one-headed dragon. Vermax wasn't big enough yet, but he flew with his mother already. And you flew on Vhagar with your father or on Caraxes with Daemon too long ago to remember it correctly, so you couldn't really draw the comparison.

"You sure they wouldn't drop me?" Daemon was hesitant, standing several steps behind you, as you petted one of the long necks of your dragon. You turned to him, raising your brow.

"Don't tell me you are afraid." You smirked at your brother teasingly, watching his expression hardening.

"I am never afraid. Not of the dragons, I am a dragon myself!" He exclaimed, earning growl from one of the heads in response. "I just don't know how it would be." Daemon said quieter, glancing between them and you. You smiled, offering him your hand.

"Nuhys zaldrīzes(my dragon), do not fret. You said it yourself, you are a dragon, as they are." He smirked more relaxed, giving you his hand. You pulled him closer, placing his palm near yours. "See?"

"I know what dragons are to the touch, dummy." He scoffed, petting your dragon. You glanced around, making sure noone was there to witness it and kissed him on the cheek. "Hey!"

"Let's go, I want to kiss you in the sky." You smiled at him, grabbing his hand and tugging him to the side of your dragon, to the saddle, hearing his chuckle, as he didn't struggle against your grip one bit.

"I will be next!" Baela’s voice distracted you from your memories. You looked at the excited girl with a little smile. She was eager to fly with you too, but let Jace go first. You nodded to her, knowing that your dragon didn't mind flying several times in a row.

"You sure?" She eagerly nodded at your question. You glanced at her sister, standing beside her, her expression more serious though. "And you, Rhaena?"

"No." She snapped back, almost aggressively. You were a bit taken aback, and even if you didn't want to press her into saying anything else, you still looked at her, contemplating your next words. She glanced at you, noticing your stare and seemingly understanding that she was rude. Under your attentive, but soft eyes she shifted on her spot unsurely and pursed her lips in a thin line. "You cursed us." Rhaena finally said quietly.

"Sorry, what? I cursed you?" You chuckled, not expecting this answer at all. You crouched on the ground to be even with her height and look in her eyes. "What makes you say that, ñuhys bykus embōñys dārilaros(my little sea princess)?" You asked her. She wasn't confident anymore, glancing at her sister, who remained silent, as you talked. You patiently waited.

"Father said you cursed us. Your dragon has three heads which you stole from other dragons. That's why I don't have a dragon." She answered finally, as your heart tingled with pain once again. Strange... And you thought this pain was constant and couldn’t be that prominent anymore. You scoffed in disbelief. Daemon said you cursed their family? His silver tongue and sarcastic side definitely grew over the years. He was more like your father than you thought. You sighed, lowering your head, gathering thoughts of what to say to her.

"Maybe I did. But only because I want to strengthen you. They hatched in my cradle. I never tried to tame anyone and work for success." You carefully said, looking at wary Rhaena again. "I never tried hard to find a dragon and bond with him, make him respect me and listen to me. But you are going to be stronger than me. Like your mother and father one day you are going to tame the strong, mighty dragon. You are going to be more powerful than me, the one who cursed you."

"You are only telling me this, so I won't be mad." She mumbled, but you could tell that she was more at ease with you now.

"Maybe yes. Maybe no. Who knows." You shrugged with a smile, standing up. You gave her your hand. "Come on. They can fit us three. Maybe one of them is the one I stole from you, and he would like you more than me." Rhaena hesitated, looking at you with her eyes, so familiar to you. You could almost see shy Daemon in his childhood… She took your hand nonetheless, still wary, but more trusting you now, as Baela took your other hand with a smile, herself, brave like Daemon. For some reason you felt in peace with yourself at this moment.

***

"You got your mother worried, you know?" You sighed, noticing the boy with an eyepatch sitting under the tree in the Godswood with barely any light around, night dark sky looming over the city already. Aemond looked up at you and turned away from you instantly. You sighed, walking closer to him. While you didn't trust his grandsire and mother fully, the children weren't at fault. They were your nephews and niece, no matter the other blood. "What are you doing here? It is dark already."

"And? I am not a little kid, I can defend myself." He snapped at you, glaring angrily with his one eye at something in the dark. You sat near him, not really caring for his discomfort in the matter. From what you had seen, he was just not used to physical affection, but you didn't reach out for him, you just... Were there.

"I know that. But running away from the castle just because your nephews are there, isn't very brave." You answered almost in a thoughtful voice. He grumbled something in return that you couldn't quite understand. You glanced at him with soft smile. "You can't hide forever."

"They weren't punished! That dick... Sorry." He mumbled, losing his fight after one swear word, apparently being scolded for it beforehand. You only shrugged at this.

"Lucerys did a bad thing. I guess you can say he was kind of a dick that day." Aemond scoffed at this, his shoulders relaxing a bit. "But he's just a child. Like you are. And he tried to protect his family."

"I was maimed!" Aemond exclaimed, tones of Alicent's intonation and voice coming through his childish one. "He cut out my eye, and they were entitled enough to not carry any punishment!"

"Let me tell you something, and I want you to listen to me and hear me out, alright?" You asked him, as Aemond nodded gloomily and almost hesitantly, still being very angry. "If you held a stone over my brother's head, threatening to hit him in the head with it, threatening to kill him, calling him names and telling him that he was going to die screaming, I wouldn't cut your eye out. I would cut your throat."

"That..."

"Would you not protect... Helaena? Or your mother?” You continued with your point. “If someone would have tried to hit them with a stone, insulting and threatening them. If you had a weapon, what would you have done?" You looked at him, as the boy lowered his head, seemingly contemplating your words. He wasn't presented with the other point of view, it seemed.

"I... I would kill those who dared to hurt my family." He sighed defeatedly. You smiled sympathetically

"Aemond, I am not glad that Lucerys went unpunished. He should have gotten at least some kind of retaliation for what he did. Like serving some other House for some time as a ward, or I don't know, limitation of his dragon’s lessons, this is a bad punishment enough for his age. But not carving his eye or killing him. That wouldn't return yours." You pretended you didn't notice Aemond moving closer to you. You just let him be comfortable and at peace with himself.

"But that would bring me satisfaction. That would be fair." He still mumbled. You sighed and smiled slightly, looking at your nephew.

"You would become a great warrior one day, Aemond. Yes, even with one eye, believe me. You have one of the greatest dragons, you have dragon blood and very fiery heart. But one thing that a warrior should know – is when and where to stop. Not becoming unhinged monster to scare little children. But to be a good fighter, a hero they will write songs about."

"Like your father? Prince Baelon The Brave?" You shivered and stopped at this question. Looking at a child beside you, you didn't see him. You almost fell into your memory, where violet eyes were enraged. Brave was the prince who exiled his own son, not accepting anything about him. Brave was the prince who threatened to kill innocent people who just helped his son in his attempts to reach out to his own family. Brave was the prince who called his own son a leech and a taint on their reputation.

"Yes. Like him." You forced a smile and a calm tone. Looking away, you tried to calm yourself. Your father was long gone, but your heart and fear of him showing up behind any corner, was very much present. Irrational and illogical, almost childish. But it still lived inside your soul. "What do you say, should we go inside?" You offered.

"They are still there." He scowled at the thought of going back to his nephews.

"Why don't you try and... Befriend them again? I know you were close with Lucerys before." You noticed, as Aemond scoffed and looked to the side, seemingly angry again in mere second.

"He maimed me. I don't want to be his friend!" He said sternly, but you heard more behind child’s anger.

"Do you miss him?" He looked at you angrily, but sighed, his eye more pained than enraged.

"No!" Boy exclaimed, looking away and almost pouting. He sighed heavily, lowering his head and mumbling under his nose. "He was closer to being my friend though. Even if he teased me for being dragonless, he wasn’t like Aegon or Jace. But he cut out my eye! I hate him!" He added louder. You sighed, taking his hand into yours, choosing your words carefully.

"I miss one person too, you know... A lot. I would give anything to return to that person. And I know they are missing me as well to some extent. But they hate me. It is a strange balance." You started. "I hated them too once. I did horrible things because of them. I lied in their name. I even killed some people in their name. I framed people, I broke laws and all just because of their wish. I made everything they wanted of me." You told the boy quietly, holding his hand, but looking into the darkness of the garden thoughtfully. "My life was destroyed because of them. I was gone because of them. I lost everything because of them." You chose your words carefully, remembering everything that was happening so long ago, it felt as another life altogether.

The commotion from the Throne Room was heard well even in the hallways. You carefully stepped to the door, watching at the events inside quietly and silently. The Lord before the Iron Throne pleaded his innocence, but your father, Prince Baelon appointed to lead this trial, wasn’t going to listen. You stepped aside, when guards were dragging the lord out of the Throne Room through the door you were standing at. When they walked out of the Throne Room, you looked at them.

“What is going on here?” You asked them, feigning innocence. Guards bowed their head slightly to you.

“This Lord was accused of stealing a dragon egg. Prince Baelon sentenced the thief to thelife on the Wall.” One of the guards said. You nodded looking at the panicking and horrified lord, who looked down, seemingly not noticing you.

“That is a fair sentence. That would teach him to keep his mouth shut and not jump over his head, trying to take what is not his.” You said coldly. Lord suddenly shivered and looked up at you, as if suddenly realizing something.

“You… It was you… Let me go!” Lord screamed, trying to get out of guards hands and get to you. You just stepped to the side, letting knights drag the screaming lord away. Familiar footsteps coming from behind, you met with a slight smile.

“Was it the Lord, who saw us and tried to…” Daemon started.

“To threaten you, yes.” You nodded and glanced at your brother. “He is going to the Wall. And don’t ask what I did. Because the answer is nothing.” You walked beside him, slightly touching his shoulder. It was hard to convince servants to place a dragon egg in his rooms, but in the end it was all worth it.

"Do you hate them, uncle?" Aemond asked curiously, looking at you. You glanced at him, almost flinching, as if remembering he was still there. You smiled slightly and put a hand on his hair, caressing his white hair.

"I do to some extent. But I would die for them in an instant. I would kill and do everything I had done for them all over again." You answered him with a sad smile. "I hate them, as they hate me. But I love them at the same time. And I would get destroyed and crushed again for that person. It is... A weird balance."

"Can you... Teach me how to find this... Hate and love?" Prince asked quietly. You nodded.

"Yes, but not here. And definitely not in one day. It's getting cold and you can get sick. You wouldn't want to fall sick and miss our flight tomorrow?" You winked at him, as Aemond nodded with a smile.

"Let's go! I want to hear about that person!" He stood up, waited for you to stand as well and only after that he went to the castle with fast pace. Even being close and quiet child, he was still a kid. You looked at his back, missing the fact that a dark shadow from behind the bushes watched and heard your talk.

***

The flames of candles danced around the dark room. Skull of Balerion brought back memories to you, both of pleasant times and not much. Your life had changed, everything changed. And the family you were supposed to change with, wasn't the one you remembered anymore. Yet you still sought out comfort in this place.

You sighed, turning away from the skull as you heard steps behind you. As you assumed, that was Daemon. Over the years his footsteps became quieter, but still he was too familiar for you not to recognize him. His look was wary, he was tensed up as his hand rested on the hilt of the dagger on his belt.

"You chose a good place for a murder, almost poetic." You noted. Daemon scoffed.

"Don't tempt me." You could argue with him that temptation was more of his job in many ways, but you chose to stay silent on the matter.

"If you don't wish to kill me, I am at a loss of why are you here." You said to him, being pretty honest.

"I wanted to talk to you." He said, stepping to you. You smiled, shaking your head and refusing to admit even to yourself how much this single step made your heart shiver.

"Talk to me? It isn't your usual way. I think you better prefer not to speak with me at all or kill me. Or at least avoid me." You admitted, turning to the skull and igniting the candles, just to get yourself busy with something. "What do you want?"

"Where does the lie end and the truth starts?" He asked in response. You hummed in surprise, definitely not expecting such a question first.

"Such deep thoughts. Why so suddenly?" You heard another step, but you only raised your eyes to look at the skull of mighty beast. You wouldn't dare to fight your own death after all this time if it came to this. You wouldn't dare to fight him ever.

"We are surrounded by half-truths, lies and intrigues. You can fully trust noone and nothing. Tell me, nuha lēkia(my elder brother), how much did you lie?" You glanced across the shoulder at your brother. He was serious, his eyes were fixated on you, but there was something deeper inside him. You shrugged, looking at the fire on the end of a splinter with which you lighted the candles.

"Like many people, nuhor valonqar(my younger brother). A lot." You answered, not understanding why he was talking with you like that. He couldn't possibly know the truth, could he? You didn't tell anyone and made sure to be careful about it. And your father was too… Careful to not leave any trace of what had happened that day.

"I know that. You lied that you love me." He accused you, making you glance at him. "You lied that you will never leave me. You lied that you will protect me." His jaw tensed, and you were sure that this would be the end. Him accusing you of everything and you just accepting it. He probably just wanted to accuse you and be done with it. Suddenly, Daemon raised his head, narrowing his eyes, but not taking them away from your figure. "But I'm not here to tell you about those lies. I want to hear another one."

"You want me... To lie to you?" You laughed quietly, looking at Daemon in surprise. He was silent for a moment, before nodding, strangely serious about it.

"Let's play a game. Lie to me.” He repeated firmer, his hard eyes not changing, as he glared at you. “What did you say to my daughters?" Daemon asked. You raised your brows, not understanding what he was doing.

"What?"

"Lie to me about the things you said to Rhaena." He repeated, stepping closer. You sighed, mirroring this step to the side, keeping the same distance between you two, pretending you were just igniting the candles. Daemon was playing some game of which you knew nothing and wanted you to participate in it as well. And yet you let him have this moment.

"Let's see... I told her about how I cursed our family and how I'm going to make sure that she would stay dragonless." You spoke slowly, unsure smile creeping on your face. At the very least you could have some kind of fun.

"What did you say to Rhaenyra, when I interrupted you that morning?" He insisted, his step echoing through the high arches of the ceiling again.

"That she needs to end Alicent and her children once and for all, no matter the consequences." You simply breathed out, not even turning to him.

"What did you do when Rhaenys was promised to Corlys?" You giggled, remembering what happened such a long time ago. Honestly you were surprised that he remembered that.

"Nothing, I stayed at the Red Keep, not going anywhere." You answered, once again lying, remembering how you sneaked upon their ship, to say goodbye to your favourite cousin of all. Baelon scolded you, when you were returned back to the Red Keep, and Daemon didn't let you go for a week, afraid you would disappear from him again.

"What were you talking about with Aemond?" Another step along with the words. You scoffed, igniting another candle, looking at the flames.

"How he should hate Lucerys and wish him nothing but death." The game was weirdly funny, it almost made you forgot about everything that was brewing between you. Lies flew from your tongue before you could even process it.

"Why did you leave for Braavos?"

"Because I wanted to." You blurted out a lie before realising it. For a moment you froze, slowly turning around. There you saw Daemon barely a step away from you. His eyes became tense, dark violet, as he watched your face after you repeated a lie known to everyone in this game, where you should have lied. "I hate you."

"I didn't ask you to lie about your feelings." He retorted coldly, stepping to you, as you stepped away, your throat dry all of a sudden. "Enough lies. What happened?"

"Nothing." You shook your head and sighed. You wanted him know the truth, yet you also knew that it didn't matter anymore. Not with his family, not after all those years. It would only complicate things. "Daemon, you better go. Just continue hating me, this would be… Right."

"I said, enough lies." He crossed what little distance you had between you, backing you to the candles. Daemon grabbed you by the clothes, watching closely your face. Your heart beat like mad at the mere presence of your brother near you. "What happened?"

"Daemon..."

"What had happened that morning you left? Tell me the truth!" He demanded, his eyes boring into your soul. "I won't let you go before you say. I deserve the truth after your betrayal, after your lies and all the harm and pain you caused me..."

"He saw us!" You exclaimed, having had enough. Your feelings were overwhelming you to the point of just not caring about the consequences. "Our father saw us. He saw you on your knees, saw me in your bed, he saw everything."

"What?" His grip on you lessened, his face frozen with shock and still that angry expression. Yet you made no move to free yourself from his grip.

"He saw us. He learned the truth. And he was so mad at me for... How did he say? Right... "Corrupting you". So enraged hat he just threw me out of the Keep." You blurted out in one breath.

"You lie. If he... He would have punished me as well. Why didn't he punish me, why didn't you write anything to explain anything?" His voice was raising as well, mirroring yours.

"You still don't understand? You were his favourite. Not Viserys even if he was the eldest. Not me even if I listened to him always. You. Mother loved you the most, father adored you. He couldn't comprehend that you could lay with a man willingly. If I was some common whore or even a sister of yours, he wouldn't have batted an eye, but I am a man. And I can't want you, as it's a sin. As I am corrupting and tainting you with mere thought of it, let alone a touch. Putting a disgrace on your name. It was easier for him to believe I made you do this. Easier to hate one son and threaten to kill every person that brought my letters to the Keep. Easier to send dead ravens and tell his own son that he would be burned alive if he even dared to show his face again at his home." You couldn't stop words pouring from your mouth, you were silent for far too long and that pain had never left.

"No..." Daemon shook his head, seemingly not wanting to listen to you anymore, but at this point you had little to no care about his wish.

"And I knew he would be furious if I admit that you were the one to come to me. It would have killed him. And if not... He would have destroyed your life as well. And I lied, yes, I lied, I took it upon myself. I destroyed my life for you. I destroyed my life because of you, Daemon!" You raised your voice at him. He looked enraged and shocked, almost feral in the light of candles.

"Shut up!" He pushed you harshly back. You stumbled to the skull, the impact making you fall onto some candles and hitting your head against an old bone in your fall. You cursed quietly, feeling something sticky on your face. For several moments you layed on the floor, not moving, fighting with the headache and shock. Slowly you sat, grunting, warm wax sliding from under your hands. Your lip was split, as you could feel, and according to some stickiness on your temple, there was at least a gash on your forehead.

You looked up at him, his face not cold anymore, but full of many different emotions. Anger, sadness, fear. You groaned, trying to move. Leaning onto the skull, you carefully stood up, giving yourself a second of rest.

"Y/N, listen, I..."

"You are the Rogue Prince, future King or Prince Consort, King of the Narrow Sea, previous commander of the Gold Cloaks, husband to the heir of the throne and father of her future children." You stated in resignated tone, glancing at his frozen form. "I am the Gone Prince, who spent most of his life in Braavos. I am noone and nothing, with no lands or wealth. I am a leech, who taints the house reputation just by thinking of you. I am father's disgrace." You tried to straighten your back, but sudden nausea hit you, and you bent over, leaning onto the skull once again. "And I am here to help Viserys. Don't dwell on the past, as it can't be returned." You forced yourself to smile and look at him. "Go back to hating me. It would be easier... For both of us." You breathed out, slowly walking away from the basement, Daemon not making a move to follow you.

***

The evening was busy. It seemed that every person in the Red Keep decided to visit you. Firstly, there were Rhaenyra, who was alerted that you asked for maesters. Next was Alicent, who decided to visit you, the atmosphere becoming tense between two women for a hot minute, but they kept their temporary peace. Next was the King. Viserys got really nervous about hearing the news of your wound. He demanded to know what happened and who did this. The answer was simple.

"I fell." You lied again, as the maester cleaned your wound and gave you advices on treatment. After all those people visited you, you were exhausted and confined to your chambers. Following maesters' orders, Viserys forbade you to go out at least for two days. You tried to tell him that it was just a scratch, and you just need a good sleep, but he was too worried. Too afraid to lose another family member, as it seemed. So you relented and just read through some of King's journals he gave you to better understand the situation in the court, occasionally writing something in your notes.

You heard the door opening and closing and some quiet steps. Sighing, you turned the page, not wanting to face the person who entered your room.

"I don't need anything, Jenny, you may go for the night." You said, not wishing to see anyone right now after all of the commotion and noise. Not after the conversation down at the skull...

"I must consider adding that name to the list of my titles." That wasn't your servant. You turned to look at the man, who entered your room. Daemon. Of course. Without his weapon, without his dark attire, in white simple shirt, almost looking like he was fresh out of bath. Boy, did it bring back memories.

"What are you doing here?" You asked, obviously confused. Daemon shrugged.

"Can't I visit my brother, who clumsily fell and hit his head?" He said, making you shake your head with a quiet sigh. "Y/N, we need to talk."

"We already talked. I don't have anything else to say to you, so you are wasting your time here." You turned back to the journal again. There was silence and for a second you thought Daemon would leave you alone. You should have known better. Suddenly there were haste steps, after which the journal was ripped from your hands. You looked up at him, his determined look pointed right back at you. "Dae..." He put a hand on your mouth, shutting you up and making you freeze at the sudden physical contact.

"No! You said you don't have anything to say, so I will be the one who does the talking." He stated sternly, looking in your eyes. You slapped away his hand, but said nothing in response. Daemon sighed, still standing in front of you. "If what you have told me is truth, I didn't know it. Let me finish!" He interrupted you, as you tried to say something. "All these years I blamed you for leaving me without a word. Without a letter or explanation. I... I thought you did something for me again, that was noticed and made you guilty. I thought father found out of what you did to protect me. Then I thought you found someone else, some young pretty boy who adored you more than I did. It was easier for me to hate you." He admitted, and your heart broke a bit at his words ad his expression. You wanted to forget about what had happened and just take him into your embrace and not let go of him. But you both were too far gone for that. And revelation of the truth did provoke this conversation, but it couldn't change everything else.

"It is still easier for both of us to stay away from each other." Daemon scoffed in response to those words, leaning on the table, looking down at you.

"You can't be serious, Y/N. I know the truth now, that it wasn't your wish to leave me. And you expect the hate from me?"

"What do you expect? Us going back to where we left things? You aren't ten and six anymore, Daemon. I am not ten and nine. You are a different person, that I know nothing about. Hell, you have a family and duties." You breathed out, trying to stay calm.

"But I don't have you. And I haven't had you all those years. I have changed, yes. You have changed as well, hell, maybe even more than I have. But the fact that I need my elder brother never changed, no matter how much I hated and despised this thought." Prince looked at you stubbornly. You shook your head, looking at the notes on your table, just not to look at him.

"We can't go back to what we had, Daemon. It is impossible. I can't be your lover. And I doubt I can be your friend after all these years. You are a different person, completely unknown to me."

"Then I don't see a problem with anything. We just start anew." He reached out to you, grabbing your chin, making you look at him, his eyes burning with fire and passion. You pursed your lips, trying to calm your heart that was beating out of your chest just from a single touch of his. You had to learn to control yourself near him all over again.

"What we had was a sin. We are brothers. Even if our blood doesn't stop us as our House has queer customs, we are men. It is viewed as a sin. I won't put your reputation under a hit. The ending will be the same, Daemon. Us parting ways. It was hurtful the first time, there is no need to return to that." You tried to sound convincing enough for both him and you, but his grip on your chin only tightened, as your words sparked him with anger.

"There is no sin in this. This is us. We are both dragons, our blood belong together. There is nothing more true in this world than us. And if it is a part of us, if it is the most real part of us, it can't be sin." Daemon said stubbornly, as you put your hand on his, gripping his wrist in attempt either to bring him back to his feelings or pull it away from you.

"It is. We are brothers and we can't do that. If I was a princess or you were one, everything could be different. But we are what we are and this is wrong.” You lowered your head, leaning back into the armchair. “Father might have been right. If the gods punished me and not helped me all this time, then I am a sinner and a leech."

"Where the fuck did you take all of this, you have never been religious!" Daemon spitted out, looking at you, as his brows furrowed. You just tried to push him away, with your words, with your actions, but he never budged, on the contrary becoming more and more persistent. "Or someone is telling you this? Who is this cunt that spread this nonsense to your head?" He demanded of you.

"Noone, Daemon. This is my thoughts." You breathed out, as the prince sat on your lap suddenly. He had become heavier with years for certain, trainings and battles made him stronger, and you couldn't help but feel the stomach-curling feeling of familiarity of his body against yours.

"You were never like this. You loved me. You loved my body. You didn't think of me as of something wrong." He stubbornly said, as you pressed yourself into the chair, trying to distance yourself from him, even if it wasn't physically possible. "And I know you still feel the same, I can see this in your eyes."

"You are not wrong. I am. I made you like this." You breathed out, putting hands on his shoulders, looking at his hard face. Your repeated your father's words just to get him to see the reason and step back. "Daemon, this is wrong. Please, I beg you, go back to your wife, to your family."

"You are my family. You are my blood. I want to be here with you now, not with them." Daemon stood his ground stubbornly. He didn't want to leave you apparently, but you couldn't have him risk it all again because of you, no matter how much you longed to hold him again in your embrace.

"I can't be the reason to hold you back. You loved them this morning more than anything. You hated me this morning. One conversation can't change that. You love Rhaenyra, you bled for her, you suffered for her, you long for her, you love her, not me and I can't..."

"All this time I was suffering for you. I wanted to forget you, believe me. I tried it all… Whores, wine, blood, killing, everything!" He cupped your face with his hands, looking intensely in your eyes. "I tried. Rhaenyra... She is good, she deserves love. And I love her. But she isn't you. It is different with you, and you know it. And if I had to choose, I would choose you every time."

Your heart clenched at the thought that he tried to forget you. His eyes were honest, and even after all those years away from him, you could always tell when he was telling the truth. He was sincere in his words at this moment. But you couldn't let him do that again. You didn't want pain for you, nor for him.

"Daemon, you are talking on emotions. You miss what we had once, but... Fuck, don't make this harder than it is." You pleaded with him, every reason to leave everything as it was fading in the face of his confidence and determination. You were losing this fight and couldn’t come up with any more reasons or words to convince him. To convince yourself.

"You are the one making it harder. Lēkia, you told me yourself once, we were born from one flame and blood. We were supposed to be together. I cried only for you, not one person saw my tears, because you are the only reason for them. I didn't mourn father, grandsire, Aemma, Laena, noone. I cried for noone but you. I need you in a way no word in Westerosi or Valyrian can describe. Now more than ever." He whispered, inching closer to your face, as something inside you was slowly breaking.

"Daemon..."

"Start with me anew. There is no reason for worry, I promise. All the time you stayed away, you protected me. You lied, you..." He scoffed, remembering your words he heard in the garden. "You destroyed your life for me. Let me now rebuild it."

"Daemon..." You touched his cheek, shuddering at the long forgotten feeling of his skin under your touch.

"Let me think for the both of us this time, Y/N." He squeezed your cheeks in his palms, looking in your eyes. "Let us sing dragon's song together again. Like we never stopped."

You breathed out, looking in his eyes. You saw anger, flames of indomitable passion dancing in his eyes, violet irises determined and fiery. He wouldn't step back. Even if he still felt some hate for you, even if he loved his family he had, you were something different for him. You were his centre, around which his world was turning. As he was your centre in return.

And you gravitated to your dragon, like always, leaning into him.

The Gone Prince Taglist: @wai-who @midnightprincess18 @fan-goddess @weird-addiction @rawinia @cannibalcoyote @cherry1a @darlinqvi @caelumwingstar @louventcavaliersx @parca0charos @azrealbanerstark @britany1997

[15-lizards]

thinking really hard ab my clegane daughter ocs again... me nd @sshireens have created such a rich and fucked up life for them...

time to be cringe on main and force y'all to listen to me talk ab them <3 <3

Dagmar (elder daughter from the first wife) vibes tho I don't have a set in stone face claim for her yet these r her general vibes. Obviously she's not as pretty as these models she's kinda unfortunate she takes after her dad. Really deep set eyes and heavy brow bone, square jaw, wide nose, tall and stocky for her age. Kinda like Brienne if she didn't have good vibes.

Anywayssss she's so much like her uncle that Sandor sometimes wonders if he did some sort of asexual reproduction and had her. Really keeps up the tradition of Cleganes being rabid (but loyal) dogs. Super hostile and antisocial, absolutely CANNOT regulate her emotions, borderline personality disorder queen omg. Low tolerance for basically anyone and anything (except her sister) and has really huge emotional outbursts over seemingly small things. Except for when she's around Gregor cause she goes into safety mode and just shuts out all stimuli. Just super tense, constantly on-edge, and really disregulated emotions she has literally never known peace. Her cortisol levels are So High.

Why is she like this u may ask??? excellent question. Answer: nuclear threat to all women Gregor Clegane happens to be her dad. When she was like barely 2 her mother died "mysteriously" so she got to be alone in Clegane Keep with her rapist murder dad, his rapist murder buddies, and some horrified servants and a septa. Yippeeee. Obviously Gregor felt the need to establish dominance over every woman and girl, and this was only increased by her intense personality, so Dagmar is subject to all kinds of abuse as a child. She learns pretty quickly that u can't really fight back against him so she just shuts down anytime he's in her vicinity as to not pose a "threat" to him. It sorta works. Then lets out her emotions on everything else: serving boys, kennel hounds, herself, etc etc. Half of the time she's in a blind rage and the other half she's in a hopeless dissociative state :) Actively suicidal and she's not even fifteen. HOWEVER when she's like six the light of her life and reason to keep living is born...

And cue Iva (younger daughter from the second wife) and if she ever survives to adulthood (unlikely) it is Scripture to me that she looks like a young Carol Kane. Sunken cheeks, pallid skin, wide protruding bug eyes, long nose, dry and frizzy pale hair. Very very sickly because her mom gave birth a month early and then died bc of it. So all she has is her big sister :]

While Dagmar's response to most things is aggression and really reactionary over-emotional outbursts, Iva is the complete opposite. She likes to run and hide in corners every time she senses confrontation or even gets slightly uncomfortable. Very very avoidant and anxious. Gets to live in her own little mind palace most of the time bc Dagmar is there to protect her. However Dagmar protects her a little too hard and now she is overly dependent on her big sis. Pathetically helpless. Selectively mute a good bit of the time bc it all just gets to be overwhelming and she feels safer just not interacting with the outside world. Super passive like an actual human doormat (if she ever let anyone actually talk to her)

And she is the way she is for [see Gregor reasons above]. However since Dagmar was there when she was born, her big sis sees this weak little baby and feels protectiveness for the first time in her life. Iva is HER baby and Dagmar never lets her out of her sight. Not in a cute overprotective sibling way but in a really aggressive "don't do that you stupid idiot I know what's best for you don't ever leave me way" cause that's how she shows her love so Ivas like Ah this is what love must be like. Obviously Dagmar can't protect her from everything so Iva is abused in the same ways, but slightly less often because Gregor sees her as less interesting and less of a challenge because of her passiveness. So Iva's response is to make herself even smaller and ignore all her problems to live inside her own head lalalalalala

And when they're together oh these girls give a new meaning to Codependent. Dagmar sneaking into Iva's room after Gregor leaves it one night and getting so upset to the point of breaking things and grabbing Iva until she bruises her sister even more. But Iva is comforted by it because that rage means Dagmar cares ab her. Dagmar literally beating a stable boy into a vegetable state (or killing him, ur choice) for trying to grab Iva's skirts. Iva is in literal medical shock seeing a (near) dead body on the ground that got put there for HER while Dagmar is smiling with her bloody knuckles bc it felt good to hurt someone protect her sister (She actually feels horrifically guilty about it later but manages to ease the cognitive dissonance by telling herself that she was protecting Iva so it absolves her of everything bc Iva is perfect and fragile and can't be hurt). One time at a feast when the girls are in their pre/mid teens, Gregor makes an offhanded comment about marrying "the prettier one" off soon and Dagmar forgets her dad trauma for a hot second, bc her urge to keep Iva safe is that strong, and literally throws a serving plate at his head. Later when Dagmar is in her room, with three less teeth and five new giant bruises, Iva is cleaning her up and weeping and just wanting to curl up with Dagmar in bed and forget the rest of the world forever. Meanwhile Dagmar is planning out the murder-suicide she will enact if Iva does get married off. She doesn't tell her sister that just yet but Iva would be more than okay with it. Cause how can Dagmar live without her guiding light morality pet only good thing she has and how can Iva live without her only dog her only knight. YAYYYYYY

[hawkinshighdropout]

Please Don't Judas Me.

Pairing: Eddie Munson x (female) Reader

Summary: Chrissy wants what she can't have, Eddie. Your best friend and long-term boyfriend. Things are growing tense in the group as you are slowly being replaced by his new best friend. Only problem was? You were here first, and he is clueless.

Warnings: No warnings, this is kinda angsty/fluff content. Unless you count a couple of curse words as needing a warning? Idk, I haven’t written fanfics in like 8 years so I’m a little rusty…

Note/Request: Requested by @authorlovers. “perhaps eddie & reader are dating and absolutely smitten but chrissy starts flirting with him and eddies confused and doesn't know what to do? but caughts himself because reader has been with him through absolutely everything and chrissy only likes him because he started getting interesting? like the hermione x ron x lavender love triangle?”

Bonus: This doesn't follow canon plot, The Upside Down and Vecna are still about and a threat, but Chrissy doesn't die in Eddie's trailer, some things are taken from the show but I reworked it for fanfic sake, please enjoy.

Word Count: 4.4k

Send me prompts to write about!

“Corroded Coffin?! Of course I remember, with a name like that, how could I forget?!” Chrissy exclaims excitedly from her spot on the bench.

Chrissy and Eddie were currently hanging out in a secluded area of the forest, he was trying to make the nervous cheerleader relax around him so he could complete the deal he was currently working on. She had gotten spooked so Eddie was trying his hardest to work his natural charm to settle her nerves and make her trust him, as much as she could trust someone selling her drugs that is.

“Earth to Lonely Wizard… Come in? Lonely Wizard, are you there? Over.” You mumbled, your voice echoing in the forest from the speaker on Eddie’s walkie talkie.

A little flustered, Eddie reached over to swipe the radio out from the seat of the bench, excusing himself politely from Chrissy and turning to wander away from her to respond to your call.

“Yeah? Uh… Can’t talk right now, I’m in the middle of a deal, is it important or can this wait?” he asked, keeping his voice hushed. It’s only when he heard you clearing your throat that he added “Over…” to the end of your response.

“A deal? Who with? Over.” voice full of intrigue, completely ignoring his question in favour of probing him with your own.

“Look, I can’t talk right now. I’ll swing by once I’m—” he starts, but you can hear Chrissy’s sweet voice in the background as she asks if he is going to be taking much longer as she had somewhere to be.

“Chrissy? The Queen of Hawkins High is buying drugs from you?” you were perplexed, voice conveying your pure shock as you couldn’t believe that this was happening.

Eddie fumbled to switch off the walkie talkie before anything else could be heard from either end, letting out a sigh before he wanders back to the bench to her. Apologising for the interruptions, he’s then sitting back down across from her, noticing how she has once again become tense and on edge.

You repeatedly tried contacting Eddie through the handset, only getting more and more annoyed that he had closed off his communication. He didn’t normally blow you off like that, he normally dropped everything to hangout with you or to let you know beforehand where he’s going. The fact he’s hanging out with a girl AND hiding it? That didn’t’ sit well with you.

“Sorry about that…” Eddie mumbled, “Okay, I can do 25% discount for the ½, $15. You’re robbing me blind here…” he laughed, glancing across at the usually peppy blonde.

“Uh… Do you…. Have anything, maybe… Stronger?” she asked, unsure of herself as she kept her eyes away from Eddie.

He looked at her as if he wasn’t really sure what to say, sure, he had other stuff, but that wasn’t usually for sale. He got by just fine with selling the weed to random people at school and around town, he didn’t just pass out pills or anything else without taking it into serious consideration. Partially for the health and wellbeing of the buyer, but also knowing the punishment and risks of getting caught with or with selling the harder stuff.

“Are you sure?” he asks, looking over her expression, not really convinced that she actually wanted to do this.

She nodded sheepishly, to which he informed her that they’d have to go back to his trailer to get it. They packed up their things and made their way to Eddie’s van, the older guy driving her to his place in almost silence as Chrissy was bubbling with nerves and he was just on edge. For all he knew, this could have been a trap to catch him and get him in trouble with the police, he couldn’t just let down his guard without second guessing it.

Shutting off the engine, they climb out of the car and slam the doors shut, Eddie lets her inside first before following in soon after her. The trailer door slammed shut and they disappeared out of sight, causing you to pull down your binoculars and huff in annoyance from where you sat in Max’s trailer with her.

“Son of a bitch!” you cuss.

Max glancing your way with an amused look on her face. She knew you hadn’t come by just to hangout. She knew you wanted to use her to spy on Eddie, and as long as you told her the details? She was game.

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

You felt arms wrapping around your midsection from behind and a kiss being pressed to your shoulder whilst you’re putting your things away in your locker, it making you jump slightly, but soon relaxed at the smell of your boyfriend lingering on you. Glancing up at him with a weak smile, you say hello before focusing back on what you were doing.

“Hi, sweetheart.” Eddie says fondly, pressing a kiss to the centre of your forehead once you’d finally turned to face him.

“Why was Chrissy at your house last night? Why didn’t you call me back when you got home? Why did I have to find out via Max that you were home and that you brought another girl home?” You snapped, questions being fired off left right and centre from you. Technically the Max part wasn’t true, but he didn’t need to know that.

He looked stunned, overwhelmed at the sudden outburst from you and he struggled to find an answer he could give without someone getting in trouble. He eventually sighed and wrapped his arms around you once again, you tried to push him away, but his voice in your ear made you think twice.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, only loud enough for you to hear, “It got weird… She wanted to buy some weed cause she’s having a hard time, but then she asked for something stronger? You know I don’t keep that shit on me so we had to go back to my place… She bought some and then took it, and she ended up reacting really badly to it so I had to make sure she didn’t die. The town already hates me, I didn’t really want people to find her body in my trailer and assume “The Freak” killed her. I should have told you but it was really late when I finally got her to sober up and take her home, I’m sorry.”

You took a couple moments to process everything he just said before nodding in understanding. He wasn’t forgiven, but you were relieved to hear it was far more innocent than you first thought. Out of context things looked really badly for Eddie, but this put a small spin on things.

“Alright.” Is all you say, the bell ringing as you’re receiving another kiss to your forehead, Eddie shuts your locker and walks you to class.

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

Classes went by slower than usual today, everything felt like a drag. Maybe it was the exhaustion from the adrenaline crash you had from last night? Who knows? All you knew was that you were tired and wanted to get home. You walk back to your locker to put your last class’s stuff away when you see Eddie leaning up against his locker, Chrissy annoyingly close by to him.

They’re laughing and she’s giggling like a school girl with a crush, making you see red as you walk past. An annoyed look on your face as you stuff your things into the locker and slam it shut with a huff. Gather attention from those around you from the sudden bang of noise it caused.

Eddie closed his locker and excused himself from the conversation with Chrissy before making his way over to you, hand sliding into your own as he gives your cheeks a few soft kisses. You relaxed instantly once he was focusing back on you, catching the pouty look on Chrissy’s face as you both exchanged kisses.

“What did Pom Poms want?” You mumble between kisses, causing him to snicker at the childish choice of nickname.

“She tried inviting me to the party this weekend cause her parents are out of town, I told her I’m not much of a party person but she insisted.”

“Oh… Are you gonna go?” you frown a little.

“Hell no, it’s the night of the Hellfire Campaign, I’m not missing that for a couple warm beers shitty music.” He grinned, kissing the side of your head and giving your hand a squeeze as he lead you back to his truck so he could take you home.

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

“I pick Eddie!” Chrissy squealed the next day in class, declaring the metal head as her work partner for the day.

The teacher had just told the class to buddy up as this project would be a collaborative project, so you were surprised when the most popular girl in school picked him. Not because he didn’t deserve the attention, but because he was always your partner. He’s your boyfriend, you always working together on things.

“Wait, huh?” He looked confused, surprised to see the blonde happily making her way over to his desk with her things, plopping herself down beside him.

He shot you an apologetic look as there’s nothing he could do about it, not without causing a scene. You sigh in defeat before turning to Robin who’s already watching the scene play out. She’s gesturing for you to come and work with her as Steve and Nancy already coupled up. Scooping up your things and walking to sit beside her, you thank her for picking you.

“Please, I’m just glad I’m not stuck with Snoozy Suzie, I’m sick of doing all the work and having to put her name on there for credit” she explained, causing you both to snicker before starting to plan the project.

Every now and again chrissy’s obnoxious giggle would fill the room, looking at her to see her touching and flirting with your boyfriend, him being clueless to the whole thing. You’d already snapped one pencil in anger, to which Robin grabbed her pencil case and clutched it to her chest in over dramatic shock as if to defend the rest of her pencils from your evil ways.

“Whoa there, Thor. What did my pencil ever do to you?!” Robin whined, to which you shot her an apologetic look before leaning closer to explain the situation to her.

Once she was caught up, she glanced in their direction and rolled her eyes. She could tell that Chrissy was doing the most and Eddie didn’t have a freaking clue what was going on.

“Boys are clueless, hm?” She asked

“You’re telling me.” You grumbled, sliding over your extra stick of bubblegum as a ways of calling a truce for breaking her Pencil.

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

“You’ve gotta be shitting me…” you curse as you walk into the lunchroom to see Chrissy standing beside your friends as they’re sat at their usual table.

You walk closer with a confused look on your face, greeting the guys with a tone that should read ‘wtf is going on here?’ Eddie beams at the sight of you and tugs you down onto his lap, arms around your middle as he gives you a couple kisses to the cheek whilst Chrissy was talking.

The poor blonde was doing her best to seem quirky and cute, trying to keep the attention of the table on her as she needed it. The other guys one by one lost interest by either their food or something they were reading in their magazines in preparing for this weekend’s campaign. Chrissy resorted in focusing on only Eddie as he was the only one who was polite enough to ensure she didn’t feel left out.

“So, Eddie…? Are you coming to the big game this weekend?” She asks, eyes hopeful.

“I hate sports.” He says bluntly at the exact same time that you manage to mumble ‘he hates sports.’ It made you grin and caused Eddie to laugh a little at how in sync you were, anyone who knew Eddie for more than a second would know that basketball wasn’t his thing. At all.

“Oh… Really? But, it would be so cool to have you there! Plus, I’ll be leading the cheer team at during the match so—“ she continues, to which you cut her off with a tone laced with sarcasm.

“I thought you were having a party this weekend? What happened to that?”

She looked flustered, clearing her throat before scrambling for a response. It was obvious that there was no party, just another attempt at getting Eddie alone.

“Yeah, uh, that’s after! To celebrate!”

“And what if you lose? You gonna “celebrate” getting your ass kicked? Bit weird.” You could tell you were being hostile, you truly didn’t care. The guys surrounding you all looked up from whatever they were doing to pay attention, a free front row seat to the show.

“Uh… i don’t know, maybe?” She shrugs.

“I have Hellfire anyway, so I can’t. Sorry.” Eddie interjects, he could feel you getting tense in his lap so he tried to defuse the situation. He had no intention of going to the game even if he was free, he just needed a valid excuse to end this agonising conversation.

“Oh… That’s okay! Next time?” Hope back in her voice, to which Eddie just gives her an awkward smile and nod, empty promises.

You watch as she waves goodbye to him, only him, causing your eyes to roll back into the pits of hell with how peeved you were.

“Bye, Pom Poms!” You call out in annoyance.

Dustin snickered beside you, clearly everyone could see what was happening here. Everyone except Eddie, who was still as clueless as always. He just assumed you didn’t like Chrissy for whatever reason, and he didn’t want you unhappy with her lingering about.

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

Eddie and Chrissy started spending more and more time together outside of school. He would (attempt) to help her with her homework whenever she feigned being unable to answer a certain question, they’d grab milkshakes at the mall after drug deals (just weed for Chrissy, she’s learnt her lesson), she even went to a couple of his shows at The Hideout.

Eddie? He was just enjoying the company of a good friend, he was polite and respectful and kept her at an arm’s length. Chrissy, though? She was another story. She would be overly flirty, giving him nicknames and complimenting him, trying to get involved in every aspect of his life. She was trying to take your place.

You knew that, she knew that, but no one spoke a word of it. At this point she was one of Eddie’s most valued customers, as much as it killed you, you didn’t want to ruin that for him cause he needed the money. So you swallowed your pride and let them hangout as long as there were boundaries. These boundaries hadn’t been discussed, they were merely in your head. You’d soon make it known if things went too far for your liking…

That day? It came quicker than hoped. You hoped she would get bored and find someone else to spend all her free time with. Chrissy and Jason were always breaking up and getting back together again, you thought it would only be a few days before they were smooching in the hallway against the lockers. Leaving Eddie alone, hopefully.

You were just finishing up reading in the library, studying for your English test that’s coming up next week. Eddie was hosting Hellfire and it was due to end at any moment, so you packed up your things and started walking through the school down towards the club. This was routine for you now, he’d play games with the kids and then you’d wait for him, and he would drive you all home together to make sure everyone got home safe afterwards.

Upon getting to the door to the club, you saw that Chrissy was sat on the floor waiting. You halted, taken aback from the sight of the squeaky clean teenager waiting outside the Dungeons and Dragons room. None of the words of that sentence went together in your head, she shouldn’t be here.

“What are you doing here?” You ask, attempting to seem polite so you don’t cause friction, she was now a good friend of Eddie’s after all.

“Oh, I’m waiting for Eddie! I was hoping he would be okay to give me a ride home once he’s done!” She said, voice far too cheery for your liking.

“He can’t, he’s driving the kids home and then we’re getting burgers together.” You state, knowing that there would technically be enough room in the van, but you didn’t want her to tag along. “Shouldn’t you be at the game anyway? Thought you had to do that tonight? Or was it your fake party? Or some other ruse to get him alone?” Your voice sounding more pissed with each passing minute.

“Oh; uh. It was… postponed?” She questions, spurting out the first thing that came to her mind as to why she wasn’t at the various hangout suggestions she had mentioned.

“All of them? What bad luck…” your tone soaking in sarcasm, you didn’t buy a single letter of her bullshit. “Just go home, Chrissy.”

You were growing tired of her games. It was hard enough dealing with her via proxy as a friend of Eddie’s, you didn’t want to deal with her fully mingling in your circle.

“Do you have a problem with me?” She questioned.

You stayed silent, staring in her direction whilst having an internal debate on whether to give you a piece of your mind or not.

“No, of course I don’t. Of course I don’t have a problem with you hanging off the arm of my boyfriend and trying to get him alone, doing drug deals and taking him for milkshakes, of course I’m totally fine with you trying to worm your way in and get affection, nope.” If looks could kill, Chrissy would be six feet under right now. Your voice made it abundantly clear that you did indeed have a problem.

“We’re just friends!” She defends, to which you scoff.

“Yeah, cause Dustin and his other friends also spend time calling him pretty and twirling his hair, hm? His other friends try and hold his hand when he’s walking beside them, hm?”

She was speechless, red in the face and speechless. She didn’t realise you’d been watching her like a hawk, seeing every little motion and gesture these past couple weeks as she grew closer to YOUR boyfriend.

“I won’t tell you again, Chrissy. Go. Home.” Your voice stern this time, watching as she stood up. You hoped she would have just taken off running and saved you the trouble, you didn’t expect her to get up in your face a little.

“Look, Eddie is my best friend! We’re going to hangout and if you wanna continue to date him, you better deal with it!” Chrissy snapped, your eyes widened and voice darkened.

“Excuse me?”

She rolled her eyes, nothing to say.

“First of all, Princess. Eddie has been my boyfriend far longer than he’s been your friend, okay? So actually, I don’t have to deal with anything. If I tell him how angry and uncomfortable you make me, if I really let him know how I truly feel, you’d be gone. I only keep my mouth shut so I don’t make him choose between us, he’s your friend and im not trying to get in the way of that. But if I told him how much you piss me off, you’d be gone quicker than Jason left you for Tiffany.”

Chrissy gasps in surprise that you’d sink that low to say such a hurtful thing. It was kinda out of line, but right now? You didn’t care.

“Secondly, that boy has a heart of gold but he’s not good at picking up signals. He thinks you’ve just been friendly this whole time, but I see the way you look at him and I know you’re trying to get in his pants. He’s not interested in you, he’s perfectly happy with me. He doesn’t even know you like him like that, so I’d take this as an opportunity to back off and muffle any little crush you have on him, cause it’s never going to happen.”

You step closer to her, which immediately she shrinks in on herself, not quite as tough as she made herself out to be moments ago.

“And thirdly? Get up in my face like that again, or try and tell me what I can and cannot do with MY boyfriend? and I’ll make Vecna look like a god damn puppy, you hear me?” Your voice hushed, it wasn’t just a threat.

Before she could answer or even acknowledge you, the sound of a squeaky door pulled you both from the heat of the moment. Both of your heads snap towards the sound and see Eddie folding his arms and holding them to his chest whilst he glanced between you both.

“Do we have a problem?” he asks. You hadn’t realised how loud both of you had gotten, to the point where it interrupted the game they were playing inside. Eddie had shrugged it off a couple times, but it became too distracting so he had to check it out for himself. Over his shoulder you could see the kids dressed up in various little outfits, wide eyed and clearly focusing on nothing but what the adults were yelling about outside.

“N-No” Chrissy mumbled, shaking her head and looking down to the floor, red faced.

“Jury’s still out on that one.” You grump, eyes soon locked back on the nervous blonde, eyes burning a hole into her head.

“Y/N, go sit with Erica for a second…” glaring at Chrissy whilst you slip into the room, going to sit with the kids as the door shuts behind you. Leaving Chrissy and Eddie face to face to talk, swatting the arms of the kids and hushing them so you could hear what was being said.

Not long after, Eddie returns to the room and thankfully? He was alone. His face holding an expression that says “we’ll talk later.” Sitting back at the head of the table, he clears his throat and resume the campaign, you sit in silence the whole time, glancing between Eddie and the kids.

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

Erica and Lucas were the last stop, watching as the kids disappear safely inside of their home with a small wave befor Eddie pulls out of their driveway and makes his way back home. The ride was silent, awkward. You felt like you were in trouble even though you’d done nothing wrong. Nothing serious, at least.

Pulling up to his trailer, you both get out of the car and walk inside, taking off your shoes and jacket whilst Eddie locks up and grabs himself a beer to unwind with on the couch.

“You’re such a brat, you know?” He starts, catching you off guard, before you’ve got a chance to defend yourself, he continues. “But that’s why I love you… I’m sorry.”

Looking more confused than ever, you didn’t know what’s happening. Why was he apologising? Why was he calling you a name? Huh?

“For Chrissy….” He could see the look on your face and decided to provide context, setting down his beer to run a hand through his own curly hair as he spoke. “Listen… She needed a friend, I became that, you know? She was terrified, to the point of asking for pills because the shit with Vecna freaked her out so bad. She couldn’t go home or tell anyone cause no one believed her, I just wanted to make her feel better, you know? Steve and Dustin were on my ass about her being around cause they said she liked me and said you hated her. I blew them off cause it sounded like bullshit, I’m just an idiot aren’t I?”

You watch as he sighs and puts his face in his hands, shaking your head as you wander closer to him.

“A… cute idiot?” You offer with a half hearted tone, taking his hands and holding them in your own as he looks up at you with a sad smile.

“I just… I don’t know. I’m just so smitten with you that it doesn’t even cross my mind that anyone else could be a person of interest; you know? I saw her as a friend and assumed she did the same for me. So for weeks I’ve been sending her mixed signals and hurting you in the process, I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he sighs.

“It’s okay, I know you didn’t do it on purpose. I get really jealous easily and she was one stop away from throwing herself at you. I just couldn’t take it anymore.” You pout.

Bringing you into his lap, his arms wrap around your middle and he gives you a few soft kisses as you straddle him. Hands resting on his cheeks so your thumbs can glide against his cheekbones. Getting lost in his big brown eyes as your noses bump together, falling into the same heartbeat rhythm as you talk.

“She’s gone, don’t worry. I told her that I’m not going to jeopardise what we have when she makes you so uncomfortable. Plus she clearly doesn’t respect you if she’s been chasing me this whole time, and I don’t respect anyone who disrespects you. Okay?”

Nodding in understanding, he’s then bringing you down and giving you one last kiss against your pouty lips.

“Okay… Thank you.” You mumble.

You fall against his chest and end up in a warm bundle of limbs, tangled together in a protective and comforting manner. The both of you keeping the other soothed, you playing with his hair and him stroking your back fondly. A snort from Eddie snaps you out of your thoughts.

“Hm?” You mumble into his shoulder.

“‘I’ll make Vecna look like a puppy’” he says, doing his best impression of you before he cracks up laughing.

You groan, red cheeked and hiding in the curve of his neck, somewhat embarrassed by how cheesy your line was earlier, “shut uuuuup” you whine, to which he just giggles, squeezes you closer and kisses the top of your head.

“That’s never gonna happen, sweetheart.”

[majesticarlette]

Gang of Secrets

Miraculous Ladybug + Reader | ONE SHOT

"Marinette, are you okay?" You touched Marinette's shoulder and looked at her. She turned to you and gave you a forced smile. "Yeah! I am! Just currently so busy with what I'm working on. Yeah! I'm alright!" She rambles as she finds a way to say her excuses. "Are you sure--" "Yes! I am!" She yelled interrupting you, you were surprised at the sudden outburst which Marinette noticed and drop her apologies.

As you were going to say your response, screams and loud disturbance were heard. "It's an akuma attack! We have to hide!" You yelled taking her hand but she quickly retracts it. "(Y/n), wait, I-I think we should split up, so that the villain won't catch us both." Marinette voiced and sprints her way out of the school building.

'Oh right, superhero duties, how could I forget.'

You hid inside the bathroom and waited for Ladybug and Cat Noir to defeat the villain on your phone screen. You sighed in relief when they finally defeated the villain, you got out of your hiding spot and started looking for Marinette before she gets away.

As Chat Noir's about to trick Ladybug to go with him to watch a movie, your voiced were heard searching for Marinette. The troubled and distracted Ladybug came to her senses, she told Chat Noir her excuses and flee the scene. She transforms back and looked for you as well, pretending she has been looking for you everywhere. Little did she know about your awareness of her secret identity.

"Marinette! There you are I've been looking for you. Are you alright?" You asked concerned about her, your question seemed like you're referring to the akuma attack earlier but the truth is that you're worried about her the entire time. Ever since Queen Wasp was defeated, you witnessed the scene where Ladybug became the new Guardian of the Miraculous. You knew how stressful it was to Marinette to have a double life being Ladybug, despite knowing all of this: you never confessed being aware of who she is. "Yes, I am fine! I'm glad Ladybug and Chat Noir defeated the villain." She puts on a smile and was quickly replaced with a frown as she remembered something. "I have to go! I forgot I have something to do--" As she was going to chant her excuses, you interrupted her. "Marinette, calm down." "I'm sorry! I really need to do something!" She's really stressed and troubled from what was all happening. Being a hero is never easy, now that she's looking after the Miraculouses; many danger lurks from Shadow Moth that made her so paranoid. This made you leave no choice, you have to tell her what you know to let her know that someone understands her.

"Look, I'm going to confess something and it's very important." You looked at her seriously as she was stunned by your statement, she was hesitant at first but she gave in. "Can we go to your house, it's really confidential." You added and she agreed.

You're both at her patio leaning on the railings. "Look, I know why you broke up with Luka." You spoke, Marinette was surprised with what you said as she was about to speak, you interrupted her. "I am serious Marinette, I know who you are." You added, and before you let her freak-out you continued what you were saying. "Don't freak out, it's not your fault. No, I didn't see you detransform nor transform into your other business. If you noticed, I'm always wearing this charm." You held your charm attached to a necklace. "May it be as a necklace, earring or anything. This charm somewhat nullifies miraculous magic." Marinette was speechless with what you said. "H-how? That's impossible." "It isn't, this charm was made centuries ago and was passed down to my family to protect us from dangers when a miraculous is in the wrong hands. It's the only charm, I think." You answered.

"If that charm may nullify miraculous magic, then all this time..." "Yes, I was able to see through what's beneath the mask little by little. It took sometime, but there were hints. I could only see you from afar as LB so I couldn't really distinguish who you are, but when I saw you a couple inches away the charm worked it's way and slowly nullified the magic of the miraculous which hides your identity. A simple mask and a suit won't protect your identity, silly. It's the magic of the miraculous." Marinette was shocked. "Then, you could also see Shadow Moth's real identity." She looked at you with hope. "That's the problem, it's hazy. I can't fully see who he is, I haven't met him yet. The charm can't give us what we want right away, it took more than a month to know who you are you know, and maybe it's because I also knew you personally which made it pretty easier to decipher." You answered.

Marinette was about to utter her reply when she heard voices inside her room. She went down and saw Rose about to see inside her dollhouse. She quickly went down and blocked Rose from seeing it. "Don't touch that, move away!" She pushed Rose, which made the cheery girl drop the roof of the dollhouse and broke it. Everyone gasps which made you peek from the patio, 'It's our girl friends'. You refuse to reveal yourself, it might make the girls sulk. "I'm sorry, Marinette." Rose kneels to pick up the broken roof. "Will you please leave my room?" Marinette declares as she showed annoyance to the group. "Chill out, Marinette. It's just a dollhouse, we'll totally help." Alya responded. "No you won't! Please go!"

As the group tries to help Marinette to voice out her problems, the dark haired girl lashes out on them and told them that she doesn't want to be friends with them and told them out. The saddened group left and you finally went down in her room to accompany Marinette. The kwamis were surprised by your appearance and tries to hide but Marinette assured them you're aware. "I had no choice, I had to do it." Her eyes are swollen, she really tried her best to keep her loved ones safe. "We know, Marinette. Someday, they'll understand why you had to do it, but lashing out on them wasn't the best thing to do." "At least now I won't have to lie anymore--" She voiced out between her cries and you cut her off. "No, Marinette. You mustn't think about that." You hugged her and let her cry.

When talking to Marinette about her issues, the both of you were interrupted by your phone, it was your mother telling you to go home. You bid each other goodbye which leaves Marinette into working on the Miracle Box's safe.

At home, you were browsing through channels when the news came up and reports a strange phenomenon about the Eiffel tower. "What happened?" You looked outside from your window and saw what was happening: it was the girls, they were akumatized by Shadow Moth. "Oh no, they must be after Mari." You closed the curtains and called Marinette but she wasn't picking up, you left a text and continued watching the news to have updates on what was happening.

After some time when the villains were defeated, you received a text from Marinette. She was asking you to visit her in their house. You prepared your things and went on your way. You climbed up, knocked, and opened the door to Marinette's room. You saw Alya and the kwamis which made you smile. "You finally told her, huh? I'm happy for you." "Thank you, (Y/n)." She hugged you. "Wait, (Y/n) knew?" Alya crosses her arms. You explained to Alya how it happened and what happened earlier at the patio which she understood and cleared things up.

"So, that's why you haven't gotten akumatized yet." Alya realizes. "That's cool! Then, you also know Chat Noir." She added. "I-I dont! Yet.." You quickly answered. "Mm-hm. Then it's pretty risky for you, huh? Keeping LB's secret identity to the public." Alya said. "It is, there were times where I had to take off my charm and I'm afraid someone will get akumatized and get me, like Truth or Queen Wasp." Alya hugged you and told you that you are a true friend, the both of you noticed Marinette in deep thought. "Hmm... The charm protects you from being akumatized." "What is it, girl?" Alya asked.

"I think I know what we should do next."

[papipopsicle]

AFTERTASTE PART SEVEN

Pairing: Archie Andrews X Reader

Summary: In which two best friends since childhood test whether sex and friendship can co-exist without causing conflict. Including OC's Flick and Cherry, a bisexual and lesbian in a sapphic relationship who are best friends of Y/N.

Song: Dream Boy by Waterparks

Warnings: swearing

Words: 2.1K

MASTERLIST

feedback is always appreciated

Y/F and Y/M Robins were far from perfect parents. Y/F had the mental age of a toddler at times, and being an estate agent who always has to go the extra mile- he often wasn't home when his wife needed him the most. Y/M, on the other end of things, had been a stay at home mum until Y/N turned 16 last summer, and now she helped with all the administrative work for Mayor McCoy. She was a maternal creature which, coupled with her brilliant sarcasm, made for some explosive conversations. The two met on the first day of university and got married a week after the last.

When Y/M first found out she was pregnant with little Y/S Robins, the two realised they wanted a quiet bubble of a town to raise their children and grow up with them. But it wasn't until their second daughter was about to turn seven until they found their forever home in the quaint town of Riverdale. Ten years passing before their eyes, and the picturesque place didn't seen all that anymore.

Jason Blossom's death had nothing to do with the short gunshot sounding over the waves of Sweetwater River, the noise which woke Y/N from her sweet unmemorable dreams every few nights. The summer days rolled into early August without anyone caring, Y/N spending most of them at Cheryl's side listening intently to her past adventures with her brother. Betty threw herself into an internship at a publication house; Flick and Cherry had volunteered at a summer camp, and Archie was helping his dad out more and more with constructions job.

Although it hadn't been the start to the relationship Y/N had hoped for- the nervous giggles and hand holding, short and sweet kisses on late night walks followed by poetry worthy cuddling. There was a magnificent silver lining as Archie's muscles gained definition, and he suited the sweaty builder look far too well.

[INSTAGRAM]

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y/n Humph!

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Cheryl busy being my own icon

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"Earth to my gorgeous queen? Y/N/N?" Cheryl quizzed her friend, who currently resided at the poolside of Thornehill Manor. Her mind was off on a glorious tangent about her rendezvous in the kitchen at two in the morning. Fixing herself a glass of water, when Archie slips his hand into her pyjama shorts, his other around her mouth muffling her needy moans.

The red headed beauty shoved her y/h/c friend playfully, warm skin sweaty under her pale touch. Y/N blinked innocently and sent her an apologetic smile, "What?"

"I asked if you've thought about dating anyone else since Clayton?" The fiery ginger girl enquired with her usual upbeat tone.

Cheryl knew she had a unique quality about her which made it almost impossible for Y/N to lie to her face. The y/h/c girl scrunched up her nose, hiding the smile the idea of Archie Andrews brought to her face. 'Yes. We started off as fuck buddies but never actually fucked. Then I drunkenly asked him to be my boyfriend, now a month later I think we may genuinely work out.'

"Maybe." Y/N bit her bottom lip, listening to her friend's squeal as she squeezed her sun tanned arm.

"I knew it! You have this euphoric glow you only get when someone else makes you climax." The redhead affirmed confidently, watching the Robins girl's eyes bug out before hitting her arm, "Y/N/N, you know your secret's safe with me."

"Fine." She sighed and took a sip of her fruity cocktail, "It started off as just fooling around, honestly I just needed to let off some steam after everything. I knew he was into the kinds of things I was, I mean he used to tease me about it non stop. And it was good, so good I stopped being a pussy and asked him to be my boyfriend."

"Holy freaking hell!" The Blossom girl grinned with excitement, "Dare I ask, who is it?"

Y/N deadpanned at her friend, "Guess."

"Please don't tell me it's that muscular oaf Reggie, he's pretty but there's not exactly much going on upstairs." Cheryl tapped her temples and rolled her eyes at the thought.

"Nope."

The ginger thought for a moment, consulting her liquid courage and splashing her feet around the waters edge, "It's Archie."

All it took was a side-eyed glance at the y/h/c girl's blooming rosy cheeks to know she definitely wasn't wrong. Y/N severely lacked the ability to lie, even if her tone held conviction, her features were far too expressive and told the truth all on their own. It's not like they were hiding it from anyone, but the past four weeks had gone far too quickly without any moments to spare for the world around them. They slept together each night, the majority of that time not actually spent sleeping, but they hadn't been given the chance yet to explore more romantic avenues.

"It's fucking Archie Andrews- you're fucking Archie Andrews and don't you dare deny it." Cheryl gawked in her gorgeous white and nude bikini, watching as her friend lay back against the hot marble slabs which encased the large pool with the largest grin adorning her plump lips.

"We haven't had sex yet, so technically you aren't completely correct." Y/N winked but carried on before the girl exploded with a hundred questions and could never be turned off, "Trust me, I want to, and I'm sure he does too. But you know, it's his first time, I want it to be perfect for him."

"Y/N/N, you really love him, don't you?" Cheryl gagged to begin with, but she found it sweet in truth. She wanted someone to hold, who would hold her right back just as tight for no other reason than needing to.

Y/N sat back up and paddled her feet, "You have no idea, Cher."

Arch 🧡

That new post should be illegal

Tiger 💛

Ooo

I like this reaction

Maybe I should post more

Like this one

Cheryl pushed me in the pool

And I may have had a drink

Or three

Arch 🧡

Well that's sexy

I swear nobody looks good like that how on earth

You're a goddess

But also

How's she holding up?

Tiger 💛

🥺😇

Broken

But she's strong yk

You coming over for dinner?

Arch 🧡

Yeah Y/D invited my dad too

Need me to pick you up from Cheryl's?

Tiger 💛

Awe cute we love a bromance, and it's all good my mommas coming now anyways :))

Hours had elapsed far too fast and soon the summer heat simmered into cool waves of wind brushing over sun kissed skin. Cheryl's arms were clasped around the blonde's shoulders in a tight embrace.

"Thank you so much, Y/N/N, I don't know what I'd do without you!" The Blossom girl professed with sparkling eyes and a brilliant smile.

Y/N beamed up at her, fingers carding through her damp y/h/c hair as she looked over her shoulder to see her mum pulling into the driveway, "You don't need to thank me, Cher, friends look after each other. Message me if you need me, okay?"

Cheryl promised she would and the two teen girls hugged goodbye, with Y/N soon heading home- listening to her mother gossip about Hal and Alice's screaming match last night, Y/N loved her inability to keep her mouth shut sometimes.

"Mom," The y/h/c stopped her mid sentence and received a side eyed glance in response, "I need to tell you something and you're totally not allowed to freak out while you're driving."

Y/M's eyes widened and her grip tightened around the steering wheel, her daughters very rarely confided in her. While she knew her youngest was safe in her promiscuity, neither of Y/M Robins' girls ever shared their secrets so for the most part she took finding out into her own hands.

"Honey," The forty four year old's calm tone was hardly comforting to the teenager, "if this is about you and Archie fooling around, your father and I figured that out a long time ago, like so long ago. Who do you think does your laundry? When your underwear starting looking like dental floss, we caught on pretty quickly."

Y/N felt like a deer in headlights, "Mum, what the hell?" Her cheeks heated to an inhuman temperature.

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about, as long as you're being safe and he's-"

"For the second time today, and I can't believe I'm saying this to you, but I am not having sex with Archie Andrews!" Y/N's high pitched voice sounded through the car. It truly was a blessing and a curse to have such open minded parents in situations like this. She thought about telling her mother the truth, but Y/M was a blabber mouth as well as a gossip, so Y/N chose to withhold certain pieces of information.

The Robins matriarch dropped the subject but didn't forget about her daughter's tone, and continued to ramble on about how odd she found Penelope Blossom and the whole Blossom family in general. "Like why on Earth is Rose in a wooden wheelchair? They know it's the twenty first century, right?"

As expected, the Robins household was once again filled with warm laughter and copious amounts of food. The topic of Jason was skimmed over, and Y/S found herself away from the dinner table. The eldest Robins sibling was currently pleading with Alice as she began shoving all of Polly's belongings in the boot of Hal's car. She couldn't comprehend life without her best friend, not after losing Jason. They were meant to be going travelling together for a year- working the worst jobs and staying up all night to watch the sun rise in different countries. But instead, Y/S's eyes were blinded by tears as she screamed down the street at the speeding car, with Polly Cooper taken out of her life indefinitely.

Y/N was oblivious to the dark inner workings of the Cooper clan, Betty's knowledge about her and Archie unbeknownst to the loved up teens. She'd spent every second not occupied by her internship trying to justify the romantic act as a fleeting moment of loneliness fuelled by alcohol. She wrote in her diary ideas on how she could win Archie back over, not knowing it was in fact, too late. Betty found herself hopelessly in love with the boy next door, unfortunately for her, the girl across the road was the only one his mind found.

Archie and Y/N washed up while their parents resided to the living room with three glasses and a bottle of white wine. The short girl turned the tap off after placing the last utensil on the draining board, flicking her sudsy hands at the boy's face. "What the-"

She didn't give him a chance to finish that thought, jumping up and wrapping her legs around his torso- planting a kiss onto his lips, then cheeks, then forehead. The two fell entranced by each other, planting pecks across nape of her neck and top of his head.

"Son," Fred's voice called out from the next room and the two immediately pulled apart, hearts beating in their ears, "we're going in a minute."

"Alright." He replied, placing his girlfriend on the floor once more.

"I wish you'd stay." Y/N pouted childishly, she meant the words entirely but hated feeling overbearing. Her life had been turned upside down this summer, it started off with her unable to fall asleep with another person next to her- now Archie's chest was her most comfortable pillow and is arms were the warmest blanket.

"Tomorrow night instead, Princess? I promised my dad I'd spend more time with him before senior year." The boy reasoned, holding her close and unknowingly feeling the exact same way, he adored holding her by her waist and pulling her close under the duvet.

"Monopoly night at yours?" She grinned and he nodded back in reply, the two sharing a final kiss in the kitchen before walking into the hallway.

Y/N felt at ease as she wished the two a goodnight and headed up to bed. She took off her tea dress and replaced it with Archie's bulldog t-shirt, managing to reach the same length on her thighs as her dress did.

Arch 🧡

I can still smell your perfume on my sheets

Tiger 💛

Marking my territory obviously x

Arch 🧡

I love it

Hope you sleep well baby x

Tiger 💛

Call me that tomorrow and we won't be sleeping so you better rest up tonight x

Arch 🧡

Whatever you say, baby x

Tiger 💛

Goodnight x

Arch 🧡

Night princess x

part eight?

wanna be tagged? just send in an ask x

[lovequinn]

ALL YOUR X THOUGHTS NOW PLS

okay kiddos let's talk x!!

many many spoilers under the cut so be warned, but my baseline review is that i had SO much fun and the longer i think about it since leaving the theater, the more i appreciate it.

x mixes classic texas chainsaw massacre-esque horror with really interesting explorations of youth, morality, lost ambitions, and love. i thought it was such an interesting road to take for a movie like this, and there were plenty of moments that really contrasted how it was promoted. it got me thinking for hours after it ended, which i didn't expect! also, brittany snow. so. i was bound to love it.

some scattered thoughts:

horror is one of my favorite genres, and that's gotten super complicated because the last couple of years i've started struggling with blood and gore and hardcore gross material (call it pandemic-induced death anxiety, idk) so i've started leaning more towards suspense horror rather than bloody slashers. happy to say for my own sanity that this was a PERFECT mix! the deaths were definitely brutal and satisfied the horror lover in me, while also leaning into the creepiness factor more and not being so overkill on gore that i wanted to bash my head into a wall (and the one or two that were, were predictable enough that i had time to hide in my shirt lol).

a lot of x's strength comes from its characters. it manages to flesh out the group a surprising amount for its length and genre, so you really do find yourself a little sad each time one of them bites the dust. this also serves to leave you uncomfortably sympathizing with the killer old couple from hell at times, and there's one particularly kind of gross scene that had me going "aww...but ew....but aww." the dinner scene + landslide cover was a really great character/group dynamic moment (i hope they release that on the soundtrack?? @beca-mitchell and i went feral??) right before the action goes batshit

brittany snow QUEEN, this is some of her best work and a great vehicle for her, and yes i did slide uncomfortably down in my seat when she was entirely nude yelling "fuck my pussy" etc etc i'm only human and i will not be blamed. this woman has been star of my heart for going on 15 years now and i'm SO excited to see the response she is getting/will get from x.

circling back to the deaths (major spoiler warning again), brittany honestly had the best one??? pushed into the lake and DEVOURED BY AN ALLIGATOR??? hell yeah. i guessed it about 20 minutes before it happened but it still slapped. my friends also pointed out that in the very beginning of the movie, the strip club they leave from has a giant mural of a blonde woman with a gator and i absolutely live for that kind of foreshadowing

i fully thought jenna ortega was gonna be the final girl and apparently so did everyone else in the theater because there was a collective gasp when she got her face blown off in the final minutes kfdgslsk sorry jenna stans but also she was FANTASTIC in this, her acting chops continue to flourish with every project she does

did not realize until long after it was over that mia goth also played miss old lady killer pearl????? she had scenes with HERSELF, she was giving tatiana maslany, lindsay lohan parent trap, the range!!! cannot wait for her prequel

the cinematography was sick, i expect nothing less from an a24 film at this point. some really awesome wide shots and overheads that i can't wait for people to gif

also some great camp and comedic beats! i laughed!

idk man there's so much more to talk about about re: the deeper meanings of this movie and what it wants to say but i don't wanna dissect the entire thing here before anyone else has even seen it so GO SEE X

[allegra-writes]

“The Devil all the time”

Hunter!Tom x Demon!Reader

Supernatural AU

NSFW

Warnings: Smut

"Break the silence, damn the dark

Damn the light..."

The Chain - Fleetwood Mac

Forget everything you thought you knew, you had every reason to be afraid of the dark when you were a kid. In this world where monsters are real, the Holland brothers hunt them so normal people can continue to live in the bliss of ignorance.

But when something goes terribly wrong, Tom will do anything to save his brother's life, including selling his soul to the devil. Well... Not exactly the devil, but close enough.

You don't need to watch Supernatural to read this AU

MY MASTERLIST

He knew it was you, even before turning. He knew it as soon as he heard your deceptively delicate footsteps break the supernatural silence that had fallen over the forest the moment he had buried the little metal box in the old crossroad. Tom didn't want to think about what it meant, having such an intimate knowledge of you to be able to recognize you by the cadence of your steps, being so in sync with you that he could tell whenever you were in the vicinity. 

So he used his favorite deflection technique whenever it came to you.

"Y/n? What's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this? Sorry, did I say nice girl? I meant evil skank"

The insult didn't phase you. None ever did. It was hard to take them seriously when you knew how many nights he fell asleep with your name on his lips, after pathetically releasing himself into his own hand, or fucking his boring girl-next-door girlfriend, chasing orgasm over unsatisfactory orgasm that would never completely satiate him. Because it wasn't your face the one contorted in pleasure looking up at him from the mattress.

"You called. I came" You batted your lashes, sweetly. "I always come when you call…" 

He gulped, the innuendo not lost to his ears. It threw him off guard, like it always did. 

"I would have thought this would be… beneath you" Tom cleared his throat, looking away, trying to regain his footing, "collecting a deal, like a vulgar crossroad demon"

There was nothing vulgar about the soul of a Holland. But he didn't need to know that, so you just shrugged,

"Queen Rowena has an interest in you boys. She finds you entertaining. I'm just being a good subdit" 

He scoffed,

"Funny. I would have never peg you for a sub"

You took a step closer to him.

"You don't have what it takes to make me submit, Holland" Your hot breath fanned over his skin, setting his skin on fire. Making his blood boil. You had a way of doing that, of bringing out the worst in him. Of making him lose control. And you thoroughly enjoyed it, poking at the bear until the claws came out, laughing at the carnage.

Another step, and you could physically feel it: The hate, radiating from his every pore, his mind screaming with it. He hated you. He hated your kind. He hated your beauty. He hated the pretty white dress you were wearing, so pure and innocent, glowing like a beacon in the dark. A lure, guiding uncountable men before him into perdition. 

But above all else, he hated that, even then, he couldn't help but to want you. Fervently. Desperately. Irreversibly. 

"I came here to make a deal" He croaked, cursing himself internally for showing weakness. 

"Let's negotiate, then," you replied, stepping away, mercifully letting him breath. 

"My brother-"

"I know" You interrupted, sounding bored already, "Reapers everywhere are going berserk. Who, oh who, will get to reap the soul of a Holland?" 

The wind picked up, making your long dress billow around your legs. You twirled a little, admiring the way it moved. Tom's eyes were glued to you, almost hypnotized. Partly because you were too dangerous to be left unsupervised even for a second, partly because you looked beautiful like that. It had never been more obvious to him that you were an unearthly creature, you didn't belong to this world. There, surrounded by greenery, barefoot, swaying softly under the twilight light, he wondered how could anybody ever mistake you for a human.

"Of course" your apathetic voice took him out of his revery, "being reapers, watching them go wild is rather boring. I swear they are the most uninteresting beings of all creation" 

That made him see red.

"Boring? Boring?!" He knew his voice was rising with every word but he just couldn't help it, "They're waiting for my little brother to die!!"

"Which could happen any minute now," You reminded him, all playfulness gone from your demeanor, "so if you wanna strike a deal, I suggest you start making me an offer worth my time"  

He was taken aback by that.

"I- My soul in exchange of a wish, and you collect it in ten years" He tried and failed not to think about what that implied: vicious, invisible hounds of hell tearing apart his body and dragging his soul to hell, "Isn't that the usual deal?"

You scoffed,

"After all the things you did in your life, what makes you think your soul doesn't belong in hell already? And if your brother dies, that is one less Holland on earth to worry about. You and your brothers have managed to become a big pain in the ass for us…"

He pulled out a knife, a strange one, with runes in the blade. You arched a brow in recognition

"The Winchesters' knife. Are you threatening me, little hunter?" 

Your lack of reaction was another blow. He had hoped you'd be more impressed than that. Nonetheless he turned it in his hands, offering you the handle.

"I'm throwing it into the deal" 

To his surprise, you didn't immediately take it from his hands, choosing instead to pace the clearing, deep in thought. 

The truth was you couldn't care less about the knife, it wasn't more dangerous to you than a toothpick. And while it was true it could certainly damage your queen, she had a far better weapon to protect herself: You.

But it did confirm your suspicions about the Hollands having access to the old Winchester arsenal, which meant they had access to something way more dangerous than that rustic weapon made of steel and bone. A book, made of ancient dark magic and human skin, written in blood. A book that was precious to queen Rowena and by extension to you: the Book of the Damned. 

The Hollands were a family of extremely talented, yes, but old fashioned hunters. The stab first, ask questions later kind. They probably had no idea what they had in their hands… but you did. 

"Very well then," you finally declared, "this is my offer: Your soul and that knife in exchange for sweet Harry's life and one year for you to get all your businesses in order" 

Tom felt all the blood drain from his face. One year. Just 365 more days to live, before an eternity of torture in hell. 

"O-one year?" He breathed.

"One year" You confirmed, "More than enough time to go see the Grand Canyon, eat the world's spiciest burger or whatever you have on your bucket list" 

The disdain in your words only made him hate you harder.

"Not nearly enough to live" He replied through clenched teeth. You rolled your eyes, 

"You're a hunter. You lead short, violent existences, charging head first towards what most humans run away from. Things faster, stronger, more powerful than you, surviving each encounter out of sheer luck. Killing one monster after another, until that luck runs out. Because the monsters? Unlike you who rely on it everyday, they just need. One. Single. Lucky. Strike." You punctuated every word with one step in his direction, until you were face to face again. Until, for the first time ever, you could see the fear, the desperating hopelessness he kept hidden inside, reflected on the warm coffee of his eyes. You knew a lesser man would be already crying and begging for Mercy.

Tom wasn't like other men though, that was the whole point. 

"Or…" You soften your tone and your stance, letting your fingers ghost over the back of his hand, his whole skin erupting in goosebumps. That was the very first time you touched him. Ever. 

And it was as if nobody had ever touched him before, the light caress enough to set every nerve ending, every single one of his cells, alight.

He was so distracted by the sensation and his body's response to it, he almost didn't hear your next words over the sound of his own pounding heart. 

"Or you could keep your little pocket knife, and even have your ten years if…"

"If?" He struggled to focus.

"You let me borrow a book"

His brows furrowed in confusion,

"A book? What book?"

"Any book of my liking, for as long as I want" You shrugged it off, "Do we have a deal?"

There was a catch there, it was obvious. He knew he was going to regret it but, what choice did he have? 

"Deal"

Your smile was blinding, luminous. If he didn't know any better, he would have called it angelical. Now, that was one ridiculous thought.

"What now? We seal it with a kiss?" His eyes fell to your lips, so soft looking and inviting. He wasn't eager to put his mouth on a filthy demon and doom himself. He wasn't. 

You chuckled, but there was no humor behind it.

"Oh no, darling. This is big. This is special" You're special, "A simple kiss just won't cut it…"

No. You couldn't mean… could you? Was there no limits to your hatred for him? Did you really want him so defeated, so humiliated? 

"What do you want?" He spat through gritted teeth.

"The same thing you want" You put your hands on his chest, rising to your tiptoes to whisper in his ear, "The same thing you have wanted ever since we first met . The thing that's obsessing you..."

"I don't know what you're talking about"

You smirked,

"You can lie to your family, you can even lie to yourself, little hunter... But you can't lie to me." 

He couldn't hide, you could see every fantasy, hear every single one of his thoughts of you on repeat, like a prayer in your direction. Just like he couldn't hide the way his skin was burning now for you, the way his blood rushed south, the way all logical thought left his brain, his iron grip on his emotions finally breaking as he snapped. 

Lightning fast, in just a blink, he twirled you around, your back hitting the rough bark of a tree, as he towered over you, demon blade to your throat, every inch of his body pressed against yours. His eyes were ablazed with rage, and passion, as he surged forward, striking you with his best hit.

He kissed you. 

Lips vicious against yours, teeth biting and scraping only to soothe the offense seconds later with his tongue, until he was dizzy, light headed with the lack of oxygen and the taste of you. The hand not holding the knife to your neck fell to your breast, squeezing the pliant flesh with enough force to cause pain on a human woman, merely making you moan. He swallowed the sound, letting his fingers trace your waist, your hips, clawing at your dress until he finally, finally, felt skin under his fingertips. 

It was better than anything his mind had conjured in his feverish fantasies in the dead of the night. The skin of your inner thighs velvety soft, as they parted under his touch, the sweetest sounds leaving your lips as his fingers found your naked core. You weren't wearing any underwear, probably never had. The realization that, in all your past encounters and fights you had been standing there, just feet away from him with nothing under that damn dress hit him like a truck, making his head swim. 

He searched between your folds, and suddenly his fingers were inside you. He was inside you, a part of him was buried deep within you, within your silky heat, claiming you as his, if only for the night. 

And you were so wet for him, and only getting wetter as he pumped his fingers in and out of you, scissoring them, opening you up until he was able to slip a third one in, fucking you with his hand in earnest. You were sobbing, clutching at his biceps, head thrown back in pleasure. He took advantage of that to suck bruises on your neck, only to see them fade before his eyes. Your skin tasted clean, smelled like wild flowers and rain. Ozone. Lightning. Like those coursing through his veins with every cry, every delicious gasp you made. 

He found the perfect spot inside you, the one that sent sparks through your nerves with every stroke of his calloused fingers. 

"This what you wanted?" To make him lose it? Lose his mind, himself, in you? "For me to make you come on just my fingers, like the little slut you are?"

The floor disappeared from under his feet as you sent him flying away from you, a searing pain exploding at the back of his head as he landed, sprawled at the feet of an old, dying oak. With blurry eyes, he saw you stalk towards him, all power and cold, controlled fury. 

"Let's get one thing straight, Holland. I'm not one of your sluts" You sneered, "and I'm definitely not your basic bitch of a girlfriend. So you better start showing me a little respect, are we clear?"

He gulped, sitting up. He had to be seriously fucked up in the head, for his cock to be twitching inside his pants at your threatening tone.

"Crystal" 

"Good" You declared, coming to a stop right in front of him, standing between his parted legs, "Now, let's put that mouth of yours to a better use"

He knew that image was going to be forever tattooed on his brain: You standing in front of him, holding the skirt of your dress up, waiting for him to put his mouth on you. Tom took a moment to admire you, before delving in, flattening his tongue over your slit, before drawing tight, precise circles on your clit with the tip. God, you tasted so divine it was messing with his head; something as dark and corrupted and twisted as you, feeling so exquisite, so perfect, so heavenly to his every sense. 

He helped you hook your knee over his shoulder, his other arm snaking around your leg, pulling you even closer. You could feel his smirk against your cunt the moment he realized your legs were shaking, but you couldn't find it in yourself to care, not with his wicked talented mouth devouring you like a last meal, rocking your whole world, making you see stars behind your closed eyelids.

You always knew that man would make the stars fall. 

Tom kept on, penetrating you with his tongue as far as it would go, his whole face moving against you. The slight burn of his scruff felt delicious against your delicate labia, as he used his fingers to open you up like a flower, separating your petals to get to the delectable nectar inside. You were close, he could feel it, the obscene sounds you were making, the waves of sweetness falling on his lips feeding his ego, filling him up with pride. By the time the night was over, you'd be unable to forget him. He would make sure of that. He would make you come, over and over, until the only thoughts left in your brain were of him, the only word your lips knew how to speak was his name. He would mark you, like a bloodstain, like you had done to him. 

Almost there, he almost had you. Your muscles were locking, your walls starting to tremble, when a loud crack resonated over his head, and you stepped away on unstable legs, breathing hard. You didn't even need to breathe, it was just his effect on you. He made you feel human. And it was both exhilarating, and terrifying. 

You took another step back, but he took hold of your ankle, tugging hard enough to make you fall on his lap, white skirt covering the place where his hands were fumbling with his zip, with his boxers, aligning himself with your entrance.

"Fuck!" He cursed, as you sank on his rock hard cock, not giving him any time to get used to the feeling of you around him, before starting to move. 

"How does it feel" You taunted, "fucking a monster? Is it as good as you dreamed of?"

Better. You felt even better. Tom hadn't thought it was possible, but he loathed you even more for it. 

"Shut up" He growled. 

You leaned forwards, breath hot against his ear,

"Cause you feel amazing, Tom. Your cock feels like heaven" 

His hand tangled in your hair, keeping you in place as he crashed his mouth to yours again, the other fumbling for the buttons at the back of your dress, tugging and pulling, tearing at the fabric, in his haste to feel more. More of your skin against his, more of the body that had been his hyper fixation for far too long. 

You sat up, still grinding on his cock, letting the tattered dress fall to your waist, watching in satisfaction as his eyes went wide, zeroing on the way your breasts bounced in sync with your hips. 

Reaching up, for a glorious second Tom could feel one perfect pebbled nipple against his palm, the roundness, the weight of your soft flesh on his fingers; before an invisible force pinned his hands to his sides. 

You tsked.

"Still don't get it, do you little hunter? This?" You let yourself fall all the way down his thick cock, hard, tearing twin moans from his mouth and yours, "This isn't about you. This is about me." 

Leaning back, you braced yourself on his strong thighs, changing the angle, changing your movements to a slower rocking against his pelvis. The friction against your clit was perfect, the feeling of his big, throbbing dick so deep inside you, stretching you like no one before, sending electrical pulses through your spine. It was decadent. It was ecstasy.

It was torture. Underneath you, Tom was sobbing, eyes bright with unshed tears, fighting in vain against his bonds. He needed it faster, harder, anything to help tilt him over the edge you were keeping him on, your sweet cunt too tight, too good around him to allow his cock to soften, your rhythm too leisured to let the tensed, strained coil inside him to snap. You were uncaring, using him remorselessly to get yourself off, your little moans getting higher in pitch the closer you came to your climax. Tom felt himself getting higher just by looking at your beautiful pleasure ridden face. You cried out, and suddenly it was happening, you were coming, pulsating around his cock, falling apart on top of him.

And the ground beneath him quaked. The sky above his head bled, the blue twilight torn open by lightning, and thunder, despite the fact that there wasn't a single cloud marring its diaphaneity. You fell forwards, hand braced on the tree, next to his face, ridding the aftershocks of your orgasm until the end. 

"No!" Tom cried when, after a few seconds of catching your breath, you dismounted him, letting his dick slip out of you. 

You arched a brow,

"Something you want, Tommy?" 

He locked his mouth shut, gritting his teeth. You smiled, amused, knuckles stroking his still iron hard cock.

"Do you need more, little hunter?" You enveloped him in your hand, moving it up and down his member, watching the head disappear under his foreskin, "Do you need to come?"

He banged the back of his head against the bark.

"Yes!" He finally admitted, "So badly…"

"Then beg" You commanded, stilling your hand. He snapped open the eyes he hadn't realized he had closed. Oh, if looks could kill…

"Never" He hissed, livid.

"Very well, then" You picked up your pace, pumping him fast, your grip almost too rough. He gasped for air, feeling the telltale tightening of his balls, the coil inside just about to break under the tension. But you must have felt it too, cause your hand let go of him altogether. Too late, he understood what you were doing.

One beat. And then another, and he was coming all over his t-shirt, orgasm completely ruined. 

He cursed, tears escaping through the corner of his eyes, fingers digging into the moist ground under his hands. You chuckled, cruelly, standing up and stepping out of your shredded dress. He could have ganked you with the demon blade in that moment, he really could have, except his hands were still pinned by an invisible force at his sides. 

"Let me go, you bitch," Tom growled, tossing, fighting against his restraints to no avail, "aren't you done?!"

"Not quite." You smiled, mockingly sweet, "Just one more thing before I leave. Don't worry, it will only hurt for a minute…"

He renewed his efforts to escape, as you bended over, reaching for his chest, white hot pain burning through his ribs. He almost cried out, but what he saw stole the voice from his throat, turned his blood into ice inside his veins, leaving him shaking, jaw slack and mouth open in a soundless scream: 

You, naked and gorgeous and terrible. Transfixed, eyes glowing with a supernatural indigo light, the shadow of two massive, bended, broken wings projected on the trees behind you.

Not a demon, he thought. You're not a demon.

You smiled, and it was terrifying.

"No. I'm the thing demons have nightmares about" You replied out loud to the words he had only said in his mind, "And now, little hunter, you belong to me. Mind, body and soul"

[calumxkisses]

Yellow | c.h.

pairing: calum hood x reader

genre: fluff

warnings: none

summary: prince!calum au - you're his yellow and he's yours.

a/n: hi! 'm not really good with au imagines but i hope you'll like it. let me know what you think of this imagine. love you!

this imagine its inspired by the song: yellow

✰ ✰ ✰

“Yellow.” A sudden voice makes you jump. You close the book you’re reading as you place a hand on your chest, feeling your heart beating quickly.

The library is huge, the storm lights barely illuminate the room, making it almost impossible to find your way around and read without the help of candles. The smell of old books is strong, there is a lot of dust on the shelves and feeling small near these high shelves make the perfect atmosphere to be able to take refuge from the outside world, from a world made of rules and confined to the land surrounding the property. Your little refuge, however, is interrupted by the presence of this man and you turn around quickly, trying to hide the smile that forms on your face at the sight of the stranger.

Despite the size of the room, the prince appears to be in full control of everything around him. He is standing in front of the door, several meters separate your figure from his, yet you can see the smile he gives you, his hands hidden behind his back and the fine lines near his eyes that underline his amused expression.

“What?” You ask before placing your hand in front of your mouth and widening your eyes. In your mind, a vivid image of your mother scolds you for your language and reminds you that you are no longer a child and that you must be careful when addressing a prince or any other high-ranking social figure.

“I'm sorry for talking to you like that, sir. I'm afraid I don't understand what your 'yellow' refers to.”

Prince Calum laughs briefly before slowly approaching you.

"We've known each other since we were children, we don't need certain formalities."

“My mother says-” you try to justify yourself, but he cuts you off right away.

“Nobody’s here.” He whispers before standing in front of you, keeping some distance to avoid misunderstanding in case someone enters. If it were up to him, there would be no such distance between you, but rules are rules and he would never want to compromise your image.

You look around to make sure no one is spying on you and, sure you are alone with him, you relax your shoulders and jaw, releasing the sigh you were holding back.

“So, yellow?” You ask, smiling, placing the book on the table to your left while you look at the boy, waiting for an answer.

His curly hair is carefully pulled back and the dark circles under his eyes lead you to imagine him sitting at his desk, with a lighted candle next to him and his gaze on the window in front of him, instead of the pages he is holding with his hand, pages he should study in order to become the man his father wants him to be, but that he will never be.

“It was a difficult choice, I will not lie to you. There are so many colors that remind me of you, the red of the dress you wore at your first dance when you entered society, the purple of the vase you broke when you discovered that you have been promised in marriage to an old man or the blue of water of the stream next to the tree where we always go to sit under it. And there are a thousand other colors that I associate to you.”

You smile proudly to hear that he paid attention to every detail and remember how as a child he couldn't even memorize the poems the teachers taught him and the thousand fights you had when you tried in vain to help him learn each verse.

“When I think of you, however, I think back to when you collected Ranunculus repens and put them in your hair, to embellish your hair and feel like the princesses who came to visit us. You always did it and you always took a few more so, when it rained and we couldn't go out, you had your little escort and you could wear them even inside these walls. You always have and if I'm not wrong-”

Calum slowly reaches out his arm towards you, his hand brushes your neck causing you to shiver all over your body, before moving a strand of hair and grabbing something from behind your ear.

“You still wear them.” He whispers, bringing his hand in front of your eyes and showing the small yellow flower you were wearing until a few seconds before.

“They still make me feel like a princess from one of those fairy worlds I read books about.” You whisper, you look down as a sense of shame takes hold in your body. Your heart seems to feel pain as you think back to how you still feel as a child, how you still dream of those fairy tales you hoped you could live one day.

“You're a princess with or without those flowers on, you know it too, you just hope that others see you as you do, too special for a life you don't want to be part of.” He says bringing his fingers under your chin and lifting your face up. His gaze no longer conveys joy and his tone is harsh, an angry expression has taken place on his face.

“Calum..” You try to stop him from speaking that truth you don't want to hear, but his words have broken through your heart and the pain you seemed to feel, now you are definitely feeling. You take a step back, trying to get away from a situation you can't escape from.

“You don't have to do it, you don't have to stay and spend the rest of your life between false smiles and sleepless nights. Your sister will be queen and my father thinks I'm a failure since I was born. Let's run away, me and you. My cottage already has everything we need and I'm sure they will never come looking for us. We will live that fairy tale we imagined for us and we will have the life we ​​always wanted.”

His hand grabs yours and his gaze is on you. You know he's not lying, he told you the love he feels towards you in the dungeons of this same castle and you haven't thought twice before confessing your love to him.

But this castle, these people, is all you have always known.

It’s a world that doesn't belong to you but you can't just leave. There are rules, responsibilities, tasks that you cannot escape.

“It's not that easy, Calum.”

“No, it's not, it's not easy and it won't be. We'll probably end up arguing and you'll regret running away with me. But then you'll think back to all these tight corsets you had to wear, all the formalities you had to comply with and the man you would hold if you have stayed and you will understand that country life is so much better than a life spent in sadness and that that terrible man who made you cry actually loves you madly and just wants what he knows it’s better for you.”

He also grabs the other hand and continues.

“And if you really want to go back, I will be ready to be looked at with scandal by everyone and to take you back to the castle, to face your father and see you held by arms that are not mine.”

You know that it will be hard, but you have never wanted to be a queen. It’s a big responsibility for a girl that just wants to live a fairy tale, that wants to be free in her own terms. You never wanted a kingdom, you never wanted to be property of some old man and certainly you never wanted to spend your existence submitted to someone else’s orders.

You just wanted to be happy, to live your life to the fullest, to love a man who respected you, your dreams, your independence and your passion for flowers and books.

And maybe house cleaning, mud and small rooms will never be like having silk sheets, breakfast prepared by someone else and the floor always clean, but they certainly convey a sense of greater happiness and a life spent in misery and in sadness it’s the dream of those who do not want to fight for what they dream of and are satisfied with mediocrity.

And you don't deserve mediocrity and the guy in front of you knows it well, he sees it in the way you feel uncomfortable during the dances, when your father talks to you about matters you can never take care of because you’re a woman and in the look that you give to your mother when she talks about her marriage, that is only political and not based on love.

You turn to your right, a huge gold mirror near the window reflects the library, the place where you grew up and where you have taken refuge millions of times. You look in the mirror, the diamond earrings reflect the gray of the sky and are too heavy for your ears. Your dress is gorgeous, hand-sewn by the best tailors, yet you don't feel as beautiful as when you wear old, unfashionable clothes and run free for the castle hills, without the fear of getting dirty or ruining expensive dresses.

Your eyes, pupils who love to look at the horizon, are sad, aware that by staying they will not be able to see any wonder. You touch your face, slowly run your hands over your cheeks, over your lips and run your finger over the bridge of your nose, remembering when you were just a little girl and were treated like a normal girl, a girl that loved when her father played with her and touched her nose while making funny noises with his mouth.

Then you look outside. The sky is full of dark clouds, the rain falls incessantly and a few lightning illuminate the afternoon sky. You look at that garden you have walked a thousand times, at all the flowers you have collected and at all the plants you have destroyed while playing with Calum.

You close your eyes thinking about all the places you haven't visited, all the trees you haven't leaned on to read and all the rivers you haven't seen flowing. There is a world out there, you think, that has yet to be discovered. And who are you, if not a woman ready for life's adventures?

“You didn't ask me.” You whisper.

“What?” Calum asks, confused.

“You didn't ask me which color reminds me of you.” You repeat as you slowly turn around to look at him.

A huge smile forms on his face.

“What color do you think when you think of me?”

“When I was ten, one night, I decided to explore the dungeons alone. I wanted to prove to myself that I was able to do anything. I almost made it, I almost managed to face the monster we thought lived in the cells, but then it was all too dark and I ended up going back to my room crying.” You slowly approach him.

“The next night, you showed up in my room with a jar full of fireflies, you gave it to me and whispered "You can do it." I ended up walking through the dungeons with this jar in my hand, you were a few meters behind me to make sure nothing happened to me, but I always knew you were there, even if you tried to hide.”

“I was able to face one of my biggest fears that night. Whatever other problem happened, you were always ready to help me if I needed it, you always supported me, with advice or simply by being close to me, a few steps back to let me free. You were essential in making me grow, while remaining away. Like the stars, who guide the sailors from the sky, they let the sailors do what they believe is right, but they are there to help and guide them if they need it.”

You bring your lips to his ear and whisper: “At midnight, in our place. Don't be late and take the blue carriage, it makes less noise on the street.” You turn around and walk to your room to pack a small bag with all the essentials.

“Wait, you didn't answer my question!” He says turning towards the direction you went.

“You are my yellow, Calum.” You say, you are far away but you know he’s smiling and you smile too.

[kkusuka]

Our little corner of the garden. 

based on a request miss Puppy submitted that i was so in love with, i changed it a bit but its mostly of the request lol 

the request:  Imagine y/n is being forced into an arranged married to better her fathers company but obviously she hates the idea but she loves her dad so she agrees. Oikawa on the other hand refuses to let the love of his life go so with the help of Iwa Oikawa got a suit and crash y/n’s wedding. It was right before the bride had to walk. Y/N standing in her bridal suite wearing her beautiful and expensive wedding dress trying not to pass out when Oikawa walked in “wow, don’t you look gorgeous” “Tooru!? What are you doing here!?” Oikawa explains how much he loves her and he can take care of her and she can live her life free of unfair responsibilities. Oikawa asks y/n to run away with him to Argentina to marry him. Y/n ends up agreeing and they run out of the chapel giggling hand in hand while a cheering Iwa is in the drivers seat of the love birds getaway car and yes please I thought that would be so cute 🥺🥺🥺-✨Puppy🤩

relationship: Oikawa Tooru x reader, slight Atsumu x reader, and iwaizumi hajime is mentioned <3

genre: angst with a happy ending 

synopsis: the moment he had lead you into the small corner of the garden your heart was his. 

words: 2.4k 

notes:i turned it into a royal AU because it adds more flare.  i shed more than a few tears while writing this and it has to be my favorite thing I’ve ever published. and that's saying a lot. i hope you enjoy it as much as i do <3

also may or may not be influenced by speak now by taylor swift

Since you could remember there have been two constants in your life.

The first was a bubbly bright-eyed boy Oikawa Tooru.

You had both met on the eve of your seventh birthday, a day you dreaded. Your mother used any and all family events to invite every prominent family in the kingdom for a night of celebration. A night you couldn't participate in due to your age; an answer to a question that you hated to hear.

In your six-year-old mind, the best way to handle your anger was to run to the garden and hide for as long as you could humanly manage. You flung the most desolate corner and squatted right down, head between your knees.

You sat there for what felt like hours until a small pat on your back had you reeling your head to look at who dared to interrupt your pity-party. No one should know where you went and if they did they should know better than to touch you.

But turning and seeing the warmest brown eyes in the world was not what you had expected. The setting sun behind his tufts of chocolate brown hair made him look like he had a halo. Maybe your nights of prayer had worked, god had sent you an angel.

“Now Missy princess, I ain’t a professional but sittin’ like that can't be nice. ‘Cmon up missy girl!”

You aren't sure if you believed his words or if you were so mesmerized by him that you locked hands and let him pull you up revealing the two-inch difference in your height. A difference that he didn't let go of for the rest of the night.

He brought you to a small crevice in the high-leaved walls of your family's garden, settling you down he told you his name: Oikawa Tooru and that he lived in the servants quarters with his mother.

Along with that, you learned of his interest in catching a real-life alien, by the time the sun had fully settled you could hear your name called from the pathway Oikawa had led you down hours before, they had found you, it was time to go.

Oikawa led you back down the track making you promise to come back the next day to form a plan that no alien could avoid. And so every afternoon into the evening at dinner was spent telling stories and making contraptions that you were sure no alien could averse to.

You couldn't count how many times your childhood rebellion had got you in trouble with your more than disappointed parents. Not even their cliche speeches about being of a high standard and not meddling with peasants were able to deter you from seeing him.

One thing was for certain: Oikawa Tooru became your first friend.

The second constant was the fact you would never be able to have your own future.

You learned this at five years old when your mother began to groom you into the perfect bride she expected you to be. Managing to convince you to finally start taking lessons at age 15 by mentioning how late everything already was.

You liked to pretend the etiquette lessons are just because your mother wanted you to act like a lady. But the back of your mind always reminded you it was because she wanted you to be a great wife. She didn't care if you could hold a teacup properly, she cared if anyone else noticed.

You used your speech classes to strengthen your voice for when Oikawa asked you to sing for him when he wanted to sleep. Not because you needed to make speeches when you are crowned queen. It didn't matter that you were a complimented orator, you cared that in his daily letter to you he complimented how soft your voice was as it lulled him to sleep.  

Your favorite was the dance lessons, the same ones where you would run to see Tooru in your secluded corner of the garden and teach him everything you learned. You'd spend hours telling him the ‘proper’ way to place his foot as he laughs at you about how up-tight you sound. Of course, he always listens, continuing to twirl you around with the utmost pristine.

These dances made you think about the ever-growing difference in height the two of you shared, no longer were you two inches taller than the brown-haired boy. Now the small boy you once knew towered over you, and he constantly reminded you of it.

“Aw! y/n you look so tiny from here!” he laughed as he held you from the waist and led you in a waltz that he was making up as the music went on. Emphasizing his point by placing a palm on your head ruffling your hair and once again laughing as your cheeks puffed out.

His voice was no longer high-pitched and no longer cracked when he whined about how annoying your mother was being. His deep voice lingered in your mind as you laid away in your bed after he dropped you off hours before, like a whisper in the night.

Nothing else had changed about him, his eyes were still the warmest and lightest you've ever seen and his hair was still just as soft as it looked. He still smiled like the world was at his feet and he still conspired with you about the aliens that WERE coming.

He was still your Tooru. Your Toru had grown so he could tilt your chin to look him in the eye. Your Tooruthat teased you by whispering improper things during gatherings, the same whispers that send chills down your spine. Your Tooru, whose hands grab your waist and leave ghostly touches on you for weeks, the same hands that envelop you and drag you to the gardens.

Your Tooru that you’ve been in love with since you met in the evening in your garden. The same love you would never indulge.

A love that you have been preparing to lose yet at the same time you would never release.  

At 17 you had received the news you had blocked out of your life: your parents had found you a suitable husband. You were sure he was wonderful, but the idea repulsed you.

And it seemed to repulse Tooru even more. He had gone silent the second you came to him teary-eyed, spouting about how you would never be free again. For hours he held your shaking form telling you he would make sure you were happy no matter what.

Beginning the next day Oikawa tried to spend every waking moment by your side, running through the halls, late-night cooking when neither of you could sleep, and even taking your parent's crowns and pretending you were dancing at both of your coronations.

Weeks upon weeks you spent basking in each other's company doing everything to ignore the impending doom you rapidly approached. And finally, your sphere of bliss with Tooru was broken when your first meeting with your future husband was announced.

Atsumu Miya was wonderful. He was handsome and funny, knew how to converse, and your parents seemed to thoroughly enjoy his presence. And he was extremely nice to you, making you feel as if you’d known him your whole life.

But one thing had you entirely consumed the whole visit: Atsumu Miya was not Oikawa Tooru. Not in the slightest.

How was it possible they had the same brown eyes but Tooru’s were so much brighter and they looked at you like you were the entire world. How is it that Atsumu looked at you like everyone else? he didn't make you feel special.

Atsumu’s hair was not the soft brown you were accustomed to, his hair was colored an ugly yellow that you couldn't tell if your opinion was biased or you were beginning to hate the color.

Atsumu’s smile was not the warm, sweet tilt of Tooru’s lips, instead, it was a tight, flirty smirk that unsettled you to the core. Atsumu didn't have the cute tilt of Tooru’s eyes when he smiled.

He was simply not Tooru. And that would simply not do.

Somewhere in your mind, you knew that no one could replace Tooru. You were all his no matter who you were set to marry.

And that fact didn't help when he volunteered to help choose flowers. It was hard to swallow when he chose napkins and helped with the centerpieces. You wanted to scream when he asked if he could cake taste with you. You wanted to run and never come back when he sat and watched you try on the hand-tailored dress for your big day.  

You held on to the delusion that you and Tooru were planning your own wedding, not you and another man who would never hold a place in your heart. That you and he were baking a cake that you and he would cut the next day, then go to a beautiful island and live in domestic bliss for the rest of your natural lives, maybe to meet in the next.

The hardest to swallow was the visit to the corner of the garden the night before you give up your freedom. How he pulled you into his embrace asking if the two of you could practice your first dance with Atsumu, “just to practice” he reminds.

“I can't believe you're getting married” he mused while rearranging his hands to the middle of your waist. Rocking you back and forth as you hugged your arms around his back. “Do you remember the first time we came to this spot? You were pouting about your birthday, and me, the amazing Oikawa Tooru, was the only one who could help you.”

He kept you tucked into his chest as he continued to list all of the most important memories the two of you shared in your corner of the garden.

“This really is our corner Tooru.”

“Yeah…. It really is, do you mind if I add another memory to our corner?”

He kissed you right there, holding on to whatever he could of your love.

Oikawa Tooru was not a prince.

That fact haunted him since that eve of your seventh birthday. He was the son of a barmaid who gained work doing labor in the castle for food and a place to stay. Not someone whom the crowned princess should associate with.

And the head knight in training thought exactly that, Iwaizumi Hajime was his closest confidant since coming to the country of Aoba, his best friend. And also the grounder of all of Tooru’s ridiculous rambling about spending the rest of his life catching aliens with you.

Oikawa has to give it to him, Iwaizumi did a good job making sure he didn’t do anything too stupid. Unfortunately, he couldn't talk him out of meeting you one last time before he’d probably never see you again.

He held you in his arms one last time, telling you all of his favorite memories he held so dearly, back when you had all the time in the world. Back when the two of you were invincible.

Back to when he wished he just grabbed you and told you everything you made him feel, all the times he just wanted to scream how much he loved you.

He wasn't a prince in the eyes of everyone else, but he didn't need to be when he had you.

Oikawa Tooru was not a prince, but when had that mattered to him anyway?

Before you could fully wake, you were being pulled in a thousand different directions for last-minute dress fittings and checking the venue a final time before being whisked away for someone to do your hair.

You didn't even realize what was happening until you were being once more uprooted and told to wait in a small fitting room. For what felt like hours you waited, thinking about what your new, presumably miserable, life would be like.

The two women helping you in your dress were far more excited than you were, a lump had formed in your throat and if they didn't leave you alone and stop talking about your soon-to-be husband, you were going to be sick.

You looked beautiful, whoever did your hair and makeup did wonderfully. You looked like a bride. Maybe you could get through this if you closed your eyes and pretend it was Tooru and not the blonde who was getting ready across the hall somewhere.

You were given your bouquet and a long veil was placed on your head, it was finally time. No more dancing in the garden or making traps for the pesky aliens. No more Oikawa Tooru.

Somewhere in your thoughts, you missed when the door opened and a hand was placed on your back.

Turning over your shoulder to see the same brown eyes that you have for the past eleven years and the same soft brown hair you've braided and run your hands through. It wasn't the sun but the light in the room as you looked up at him made it look like he had a halo. God really had sent you an angel.

“Now missy, I'm pretty sure you're supposed to be happy on your wedding day.”

You couldn't think of anything but the way he was smiling at you, the same smile he had while leading you down the path all those years ago. The same one who was leading you out of the room to a side exit door,

“And I've been doing some thinking, I can't just let the woman I love go and marry someone else just like that. Especially not to come half-ass wanna be casanova!”

He was lifting the veil off your face, wiping away the flood of tears coming down your cheeks as you brought your hand up to help him with his.

“So, princess y/n l/n, would you follow me to make some more memories?”

“Oh, I'd follow you to the ends of the earth Prince Oikawa Tooru.”

[pretoriafics]

The Princess Diaries

I'm in the princess mood today because I found out that The Princess Diaries are in Disney+. Man, I love this movie SO MUCH!!! Have fun <3

You are the heir of a throne, and you just want to take a break from the monarchy. So, you are in Beacon Hills trying to taste the normal life you always wanted, but in secret! No one knows you are a Princess, but Scott finally finds out. Completely annoyed, you are writing in your diary about how this crap happened. Word count: 1.366 Pairings: Princess!Reader x Enemy!Derek; Princess!Reader x Platonic!Scott; Princess!Reader x Platonic!Stiles; Princess!Reader x Platonic!Erica; A/N: Penny is the way you calls your diary Contain: I think it's pretty fun Warnings: English is not my main language <3; Inappropriate language TEEN WOLF MASTERLIST

Dearest Penny,

I'm freaking out. You have no idea how hard to hide so many secrets from so many people! First of all: I need to be discreet not only because of all that supernatural crap I'd got into now. No one can't ever knows that a real princess is hiding in this city. I want just some peace taking a hiatus from the monarchy, and I'll not have this if everyone found out the truth about me. And, trust me, I'd been passing through a lot through those times.

First of all: Despite being trying to be constantly helpful to Scott and Derek's pack, they are suspicious as hell about me. Everyone in both packs knew I'm hiding something. Derek's bet I'm a hunter. Scott thinks I'm something else. Then, I got Lydia always talking things like 'I'm pretty sure I saw you somewhere else'. Stiles agrees with her because 'yeah, you sound pretty familiar'.

Second: I have Mr. Abbott on my back. He is the man responsible for my security in the USA, which means that, despite being far away from home, it seems like my bodyguards and all people from the royal court still think that I'm porcelain. It means that it has been pretty troublesome to keep them away from all the supernatural bullshit.

I was working as a History Teacher, not just because of my disguise, but I want to know what it's like to have an ordinary life. Contrary to my father's wishes, my car was old, and it sucked. My house? Small and single-story, and the entire security team had to stay in plain clothes, staying in neighboring houses.

But dear Penny, I'm not here to talk about my new and temporary commoner life. I'm here to talk about that, yeah, I was finally exposed.

Well, I was parking my damn old car in the parking lot when I saw something that got me in a bad mood instantly. Not too far away from my car, I saw Derek and Scott talking about something. Judging by Scott's face, they were arguing. I took my books and my notebook from the passenger's seat and walked to them.

"Hey, boys. It seems like you both are in such a friendly talk! What's wrong?"

Derek gives me a deadly glare.

"This is not of your business."

I opened my mouth dramatically, faking a happy surprise.

"You're so sweet. Actually, you're so sweet that sometimes I just want to punch you in the face."

Gosh, I hate him so. Fucking. Much.

He narrowed his green eyes for me, and Scott begins to talk.

"I got some pages of a bestiary, and we need a translation."

Derek looks at Scott.

"You will not give the pages to her."

"She's fluent in greek! And French, and Spanish..."

I smiled at him. Scott forgot about Norwegian. Considering I have cousins in the Norway monarchy, I must be able to talk their language.

"She's not trustworthy." Derek says, looking at me. I rolled my eyes.

"I'm not a fucking hunter, okay? If I was one, I'd already cut your head off."

"Derek" Scott looks at the alpha "She's our only chance."

Derek let out a long and angry sigh.

"Fine! But..." He stares at me. If his gaze would be capable of killing, I'd already fallen dead on the floor. "You'll do the translations at my loft, under my sight. If I found out you shared the translations with someone else, I'll rip your throat."

I blinked my eyes a few times, without any reaction. Okay, I was a little bit scary. He was scary. I faked a smile.

"My fear of you is completely bearable."

Derek gives his back for me and walks to his car. Then, Scott looks at me.

"He's right. It will be better if you do the translations at his loft."

My eyes got wider. It was outrageous!

"Come on, Scott! I never let you down. All this suspicious about me is ridiculous."

Scott was serious. He crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"So, what are you hiding?"

I felt my bones froze. Well, I couldn't simply tell Scott the truth. Yeah, I was taking a temporary break from the monarchy, but it doesn't mean that I can tell Scott whatever I want. I feared it could change things between both of us. I really like Scott, but if he tells someone? The entire city would know who I am, and I would have to come back to my country. Dammit!

"I'm not hiding anything, Scott."

"You can't lie to me, (Y/N). I can listen to your heartbeat."

I let out a long sigh. It was hard to hide things. Then, Scott looks at me. His expression brightened.

"Wait! I know what you're hiding."

My heart failed a beat, and my face gets pale when he took his cell phone out of his pocket. He writes something on it and, then, he looks at me, scared.

"Holy crap, I knew I already saw you! You're a fucking princess!"

Fuck.

"Shhhhh!!!" I gave him a deadly stare "Shut up!! Oh damn, I hate teenagers and their obsession for the royalty!"

As euphoric as he was surprised, Scott spoke lower now but not with less shock.

"What the hell are you doing here?! You're a teacher! And you drive an old car! And your clothes-"

"Watch your words, McCall! Watch your words!"

"It doesn't make any sense! Where your bodyguards?"

"They are in plain clothes around the school, which is ridiculous for me. I have a gun bearing, and I could kick Derek's ass if I want to. I don't need them, but you know, people are neurotic with my safety."

Scott was looking at me in shock.

"This is so crazy. Why are you here?"

"I'm taking a break from the monarchy. My dad wants me to marry a Duke because 'he is an appropriate man'." I faked my dad's voice, and then I rolled my eyes "We are pretty traditional, which sucks. But I don't wanna marry. I took a break from the monarchy and asked to stay here. You know, Beacon Hills is a low-profile city."

"Will you be, like, a queen one day?"

"Yeah buddy, I'm the heir of the throne. But don't worry, I'll invite you to my coronation."

Scott was still looking at me with widening eyes when Stiles and Erica approach us. Stiles arched his eyebrows when he saw Scott's face.

"...What's happening?"

I gave Scott a deadly glare as a silent threat to him to stay quiet. Scott looks at Stiles and Erica. Both of them are pretty suspicious.

"Uh..." Scott cleared his throat "Nothing."

Erica crosses her arms in front of her chest.

"You lie."

I rolled my eyes. On man, come on!

"I'll just translate the pages Scott found, but your alpha is an arse. I'll need to translate it while being watched by that shitbag. So, you will need to see my beautiful eyes more often."

"Well," Erica narrowed her eyes to me "Considering that you definitely are hiding something, this is not a bad idea."

I would reply to her, but I noticed Stiles looking at me. He was trying to recognize me. Dude, it was just a matter of time until Stiles remembers about me. I'm so fucked up! Erica stares at Stiles with arched eyebrows.

"Weirdo..." She said.

"Hey, Stiles" It was my turn to say something "Do you want to make a painting of me?"

"Man... I swear by God that I already saw you before. This is so weird!"

"Maybe it was in a porn."

Stiles looks at me, scared. Erica holds a laugh. Is he really believing this?

"Do you do porn?!"

"Hell, no Stiles! Do you think I look like a porn actress? Jeez!" Completely pissed off, I turn my back for them while Erica laughs. And I didn't stop talking "Stop watching those things, Stilinski. Go talk with some real girls."

I entered the school apparently calm. However, I was freaking out inside of me. I don't even want to think when Stiles finally finds out. Wish me luck, Penny! I'm in need.

[peterrparrkerr]

Royal au - read on ao3

Tagging: @lokitonypeter @just-things-things @thegreenmetblue @someonepostedart @andacheesyoneliner @bluestarker @lilcoffeecup @useless-fanfictions-for-mcu @tnpt @sarcastich

Reign au!!

*-*

Peter was nervous. He hadn't seen prince Steve in years. Not since they were both children.

He hides the shaking of his hands at his back as he walks towards the castle he once spent his summers in.

It seems smaller and more daunting all at once. Before, he hadn't known about the arranged marriage.

Now he does.

And with an attempted assassination at his back, Peter's only slightly overwhelmed at the prospect of calling this place home.

There's a welcoming party for him. Servents and maids, stable hands and kitchen staff all standing on either side of the gravel pathway that leads to the castle doors.

Peter takes a deep, shaky breath as he sees the king and queen step out. The king looks much older. Deeper wrinkles along the sides of his mouth and eyes, the skin of his cheeks not as plump as before. They sag just enough to be noticeable. And his hair is graying at the temples, thinner than Peter remembered.

"Is that what I have to look forward to, when I am king?" Peter murmured quietly, nerves getting the best of him.

"Of course not," Mj spoke at his side. "King Joseph rules with an iron fist and decite. Not to mention he has lived past two quarters of his life."

"I should hope I live that long," Peter huffed, looking from the king, to the queen. "We should have postponed until after the wedding."

The queen -Sarah- was just as Peter remembered her to be. Short, fair skinned and blond, just like Steve.

"Nonsense," Ned said, giving Peter a small nudge. "The festivities will take your mind off of all that comes with being the future king."

Peter huffs again, but begins making his way towards the royal couple. Mj and Ned are both behind him, on either shoulder.

"Where is the prince?" Ned asked quietly.

"I'm not sure," Peter said, grasping his hands more tightly. It had been so long, he wondered if Steve would even recognize him.

"Is that him?" Mj asked. Peter glances from the king and queen to the left, behind the wall of servents.

Peter blinked, a quiet exhale forced from his parted lips.

"No," Peter shook his head, eyes never leaving the man that made his way towards the welcoming party, taking his spot in the crowd.

"No, that's Tony," Peter breathed. He couldn't believe how Tony had grown.

"The king's bastard?" Ned asked, aghast. "He lives in the castle?

He was no longer the gangly kid with dark hair. No, Tony had grown into his limbs. His dark hair was styled artfully, and he even had facial hair now.

Peter almost stumbled from staring.

"Oh."

Peter pulled his attention from Tony to where Mj was looking, and his eyes widened.

Steve was walking towards them. He had grown too, in ways other than his half brother.

His shoulders were broad, hair even more blond than Peter remembered, and he had grown so tall.

Peter couldn't help the giddy smile that pulled at his lips, and he nearly broke out into a run to reach Steve.

It took everything in him not to, and the two met in the middle.

"I can't believe it," Steve spoke first, looking Peter over. "You've grown."

Peter doesn't know why that makes his cheeks burn. He shakes it off though.

"So have you, your grace," he replies. "Obviously. You didn't look like this ten years ago."

He hears Mj snicker behind him and he inwardly curses. But Steve just smiles.

"You can just call me Steve," he hums.

"I'm Peter."

A smile pulls at Steve's lips. "I remember."

*-*

It takes Peter a couple days to really settle into the new routine and scenery. Mj and Ned usually keep him company in his chambers, though they've been put to work helping out around the castle when their services aren't needed.

Peter feels a little misplaced still. He's used to running through the hallways with Steve, laughing and playing and being with each other from the time they woke up to the time they went to bed.

But Steve is the future king, and he has responsibilities. They speak during meals, and sometimes Peter catches him during the day and they talk -reminiscing about their shared summers.

But for most of the day, Peter is alone. He can't help but feel a sad sort of melancholy for the months before. It just reminds Peter that he's no longer a child.

He's the future king as well, and there's been many attempts on his life since he was young and naive.

"What are you doing out here all alone, Prince?"

Peter jumps, dropping the rocks he had been picking up from around the lake.

He turns to see Tony, the reins of a black horse in his hand as he makes his way over.

Peter blushes, noting his current state of undress. His belt, shoes and stockings are all on the grass, leaving Peter in nothing but a tunic.

His feet are covered in mud, shins wet from walking into the water.

"I, uh," Peter started, brushing his hands off on his tunic, transferring the dirt onto the fabric.

"I was just exploring," he winces. Not something a future king should be doing.

Tony smirks, and Peter's heart skips a beat. He had grown into a fine man.

"I see some things don't change," he says. Peter steps away from the lake and into the grass.

"What does that mean?" Peter asked, bending down to collect his things.

Tony gives a small shrug.

"Only that I remember you used to bring in little rocks and frogs when you were younger," he said. "You always gave the prettiest stones to Steve, and the frogs to me."

"If I remember correctly, you liked frogs," Peter countered, unsure why he felt the need to get defensive.

"I did," Tony agreed. "It is good to know you haven't changed."

"You have," Peter can't help but respond. "You've grown into your legs."

That makes Tony huff a laugh. Peter blushes deep red, cursing at himself and his mouth.

"Will I see you at the wedding?" Peter asked when Tony turned to leave.

Tony smiles and gives a small nod. "It is my half sister's wedding," he said. "Of course I'll be there."

Peter can't help but smile at that, and Tony climbs onto his horse. "I would get back to the castle soon, it'll be getting dark soon."

*-*

The wedding is wonderful, and it does exactly what Ned said it would. Peter forgets all about his troubles as he dances.

At first, he dances with Mj and Ned, but Steve sweeps him off, practically pulling Peter off his feet.

Peter can't help but smile all night. He doesn't know the sister very well, seeing as she had a similar arrangement with her own betrothed. She was visiting her future husband's home in the summer months too.

As the night draws near its close, Mj grabs Peter's hand, a wide grin on her lips as she tugs Peter from the dance floor.

Ned is close behind, the three of them running down the dark halls.

Peter doesn't know where they're going, but he can't help but be relieved at the reprieve from the festivities.

The room Mj takes them to is small and cramped. Hidden behind a curtain. Peter has half the mind to ask Mj how she found it, but before he can, Mj pulls the small painting from the wall.

What lays behind it has Peter's eyes widening. Its the groom and bride, standing in a candle lit room with four other men.

There's a bed and a bath, and its easy for Peter to deduce whats happening.

"We're not allowed to see this," Peter whispered, turning to Mj. The girl rolled her eyes and nudged him.

"Dont you want to know what to expect on your own wedding night with Steve?" She asked.

Peter's already shaky resolve crumbles, and he turns his eyes back to the room, swallowing thickly.

"They have to watch?" Ned asks, on Peter's other side. Peter doesn't take his eyes off of the two newly married as they begin to pull at their clothes, soft and gentle.

Peter feels his cock fill at the sight of the man taking the princess -soon to be queen- to bed.

"They have to watch, to consumate their marriage," Mj whispered back, her eyes also transfixed.

Peter's aching in his tunic, and he can't help the flush to his cheeks, watching as the man pushes in gently, pushing out a breathy moan from the woman.

The three of them watch until the man cums, and Peter almost cums himself at the sight.

"Go, go, go," Mj whispered, quickly hanging the painting back up.

Peter does, rushing from their hiding place and taking to the stairs. He doesn't think he can make it back to his chambers. He may burst if he doesn't find a release.

He takes a right, then a left until he's so deep in the castle that the only people who might stumble upon him are the servents, and they're all busy with the festivities.

Peter gasps desperately as he leans into the wall, lifting his tunic up and pulling at the drawstring of his pants.

He closes his eyes and bites his lips as he finally gets his hand around his throbbing cock. It feels so good, Peter's knees nearly buckle.

He's so close to cumming in his pants, so focused on getting himself there, that he doesn't realize someone's walked in on him until a hand joins his own.

Peter's eyes snap open and he removes his hand, gasping as his eyes settle on Tony.

The man is close, his breath smelling like wine, dark eyes glinting and smirk tugging at his lips.

His hand squeezes around Peter's cock and he can't help but mewl, eyes rolling up into his head and hips pressing closer.

"Tony," Peter whimpered, rolling his hips. He can't help it. He's stupid on the need to orgasm, after watching the groom and bride, thinking about himself and Steve in that same position.

Its too much for Peter to handle.

"Shh," Tony murmurs, stroking Peter as he leans forward. "I'll take care of you, Prince."

Peter kisses Tony when the man's lips land on his. Hes worried he'll crumble to the ground if the wall weren't there for him to lean on.

Tony's facial hair scratches at Peter's mouth, sending shivers of pleasure down his spine.

Tony moves in closer, practically supporting Peter's weight as he snakes his free arm around Peter's waist.

Peter tries to warn him, but all he manages to get out is a desperate keening noise that Tony eats up.

Peter cums hard into his pants and Tony's hand, which slicks up his movements further, drawing more pleasure.

"There you go, Prince," Tony praised against his mouth before moving to his jaw, still stroking Peter through his orgasm. "Thats it."

Peter doesn't know what came over him. He leans back against the wall, trying to catch his breath. Trying to collect his thoughts.

Tony removes his hand, now covered in cum, and smirks down at Peter.

Peter can't help but whimper at him, unsure of what exactly he should be feeling.

Tony grabs Peter gently by the chin, tilting his head up ever so slightly to plant the softest of kisses to Peter's kiss bruised lips.

"Good night, Prince."

[nikki-romero]

The Wild Flower (Tomoki Matsuba x OC) Prologue

It was finally the long-awaited moving day. I was moving into an apartment by myself. My dad helped me get the perfect apartment. The negotiations had gone smoothly and it was time to move in. I decided to walk to the new apartment to learn the new neighbourhood better.

My cousin and I had stopped and checked the map we had.

"Hmm, it looks like it's this way." My cousin, Ayame, pointed ahead of us. The pedestrian light turned green. "Come on!" She rushed across the street. With how excited she was getting, you'd think she was the one starting a new chapter of her life, so to speak.

"Wha-! Ayame!" I called after her. I quickly shoved the map into my bag before running after her. She turned around to wait for me, and her eyes widened.

"Hotaru! Watch out!!"

I looked to the side and saw a white limo heading towards me. I gasped but managed to leap out of the way before it could hit me, right into a puddle of ice-cold water.

"Hotaru! Are you alright?!" Ayame came running up to me, panicked.

"Peachy." I looked at my soaked clothing in utter dismay. Just as I was about to get up from the ground, a gentlemanly man dressed in black stepped out of the limo. A butler? I stared dubiously at him as he reached out his hand.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm great," I replied sarcastically. I had the right of way. I should not have had to escape death so narrowly. And I wasn't about to take his hand either. I shot him a nasty glare as I got up by myself.

"Your clothing... This is my fault. Allow me to make it up to you."

"What the hell was that? Don't you know how to read a road sign? Jesus Christ, you could have killed me!" I scolded him.

"You're right, I am so sorry." He bowed to me. "I'll get you a change of clothes," the man said gently.

"I don't need it," I snapped.

"Please, I insist. I can't leave a beautiful young girl looking like this. For one thing, my employer would be angry with me."

"Hotaru," Ayame whispered, "Maybe you should accept his offer. He looks like he feels really bad."

"You're too nice," I whispered back before turning back towards the butler. "Fine, whatever."

He smiled as he opened the door of the spacious limo and ushered us inside.

"My apologies. I should have stated earlier. My name is Aoi Shirafuji. I'm a butler to the Ichijo family," the butler introduced himself.

I stilled. "Ichijo?" I repeated.

"Oh, you know Mr Ichijo?" Aoi asked, looking somewhat concerned.

"No, I've just heard a lot about the Ichijo Group," I managed to force out. "The amusement parks the company has built is really quite impressive." I forced a smile. Somehow I felt like I just stepped on a landmine.

We arrived at a large and impressive mansion and Aoi took me to a room with a large full-length mirror and closets full of a wide range of clothing. "This way. Choose whichever you like."

The clothes were both my style and my size. It sent unpleasant shivers down my spine; I felt sick.

"Does a girl our age live here?" Ayame mused. I didn't answer. "Hotaru? Hey, are you okay? You seem a little tense." She furrowed her brow.

"Mm," I choked out. I didn't feel particularly eager to talk about it. "I'm... going to get dressed. Would you mind waiting outside?"

"Uh, yes, sure." Ayame knew me too well. She knew I wasn't being myself.

I took a shaky breath. Then another. Another. I took several deep breaths until I felt slightly calmer. I really didn't want to be here. Feeling like I wouldn't explode, I grabbed the first dress I saw off its hanger, not bothering to even look at it.

There was a knock on the door as I finished getting dressed.

"Yes?" I replied though I hadn't finished fastening the hook of the dress yet. It wasn't Aoi who entered the room.

"I'm Tomoki Matsuba. I'm one of the butlers here. I'm here to pick up the garments that require cleaning," the butler said. Bow-tied, black-suited and bespectacled, he exuded a rigidness befitting of a butler.

"Right. My cousin; did she...?"

"She went ahead to the garden," Tomoki responded.

"Oh." I bit my lip. Now what? I couldn't reach the clip on the back of my dress. I took yet another deep breath." Would you mind helping me fasten the hook on my dress? I can't quite reach it," I said.

"Please turn around." I did as he said and turned my back to him. He swiftly fastened the hook at the back of the dress before speaking again. "I'm going to do your laundry. Would you like some tea while you wait?"

"That would be lovely, thank you," I answered.

"This way." I followed Tomoki to the garden where Ayame was already waiting for me. She was sitting at a table, drinking from an elegant tea set.

"Kyo Aizawa. I'm a butler. Would you like anything else to drink?" Yet another butler introduced himself to me.

"The tea will be just fine, thank you," I replied formally as I sat down. Kyo promptly poured tea into the beautiful cup. "Thank you," I smiled up at Kyo once he was done.

"It's an original black tea blend using roses from this garden," he informed me.

"It smells wonderful."

"I recommend first tasting it black." A delicate pattern covered the teacup.

"This is Queen Rose, is it not?" I inquired, inspecting the cup. It suited the garden, but I was too on edge to enjoy it. Kyo didn't look the least bit surprised that I knew that.

"That's correct. It was produced in the early 18th century at the Raines factory." I nodded as I delicately held the cup and took a sip.

"How do you even know that stuff?" Ayame asked me. My only response was a small smile. Ayame cocked an eyebrow at me, inspecting my lips, and then my eyes. She gently placed the cup in its saucer and leaned over the table. "Hotaru?" she lowered her voice so only I can hear.

I shook my head. "Don't."

Ayame frowned but left it at that.

"It's delicious," I said after having tasted the tea, but the truth was I could barely taste anything. Silence fell upon the garden. Kyo didn't seem to be the talkative type as he watched over us. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed another butler approaching, a charming smile on his face. This family certainly had a lot of butlers...

"What's the matter? You look so serious," he commented.

"I always look like this," I replied calmly.

"Itsuka Matsuba at your service. You met Tomoki earlier. Last name's the same," he said cheerfully.

"Brothers, I take it?"

"That's right. Now, how would you two like some freshly baked scones?"

"Scones sound nice, don't you think so, Hotaru?" she asked, a little too cheerfully.

"Thank you," I replied. We were stuck here until my clothes got cleaned so we might as well.

"The strawberry jam is made with organic strawberries from our farm, and the clotted cream from milk from our cows." Was that supposed to impress me? Without responding, I cut open the scone and took a small bite.

"It's very delicious," I said before taking another bite. After eating, I elegantly wiped my mouth with a napkin and glanced at my surroundings. The garden was well taken care of. It was filled with gorgeous flowers and the landscape was really quite breathtaking. "You have a lot of pink flowers and roses here," I noted.

"We're growing them for a celebration," Itsuki replied.

"A celebration?"

"It will be our employer's birthday in a month. And his daughter will be introduced to society on the same day," he explained. It took everything I had not to tremble. Not to react in any negative way. I swallowed.

"Is that so? I'm sure she must be wonderful," I said, keeping the bite I was feeling out of my voice.

"She is. A bit of a diamond in the rough. But that'll make training her all the more worth it." I had to keep myself from barking a laugh, and almost faltered.

"Oh? In my experience, I've found that the rough diamonds are far more valuable than refined ones." I flashed him one of my most dazzling smiles. His eyes widened.

"Oh, how do you figure?" he asked.

"I apologise for not being able to put this more delicately, but in this society, I find these 'refined'," I air quoted the word, "diamonds to be little more than sheep." Itsuki didn't hide his shock at my words, and I smirked ever so slightly. "Of course, I don't blame them. They were raised that way. You know, to follow someone else's orders; someone else's plan for their lives. It's been imprinted on them since the moment they were born and it's all they know. Whereas a diamond in the rough, as you put it, is quite rare in high society, but personally, I find it invigorating. It's like a breath of fresh air in an otherwise suffocating world to meet someone who is willing to against the status quo to do what they believe in. You could even say it's like defying gravity, which, in and of itself is already a very impressive feat." I chuckled. "But, what do I know? I'm just a teenager." I didn't fail to notice Ayame's dubious expression directed at me.

Yet another butler walked up to us, holding my freshly cleaned clothes.

"Sorry I kept you waiting," he said. I had to admit, I was taken aback by how attractive he was. But he had a certain vibe that reminded me of my brother, Eisuke, and that usually only spelt bad things. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Yuma Akagi, and I'm the Ichijo family's head butler." Yuma bowed to me.

I smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"I would like to apologize for the actions of one of our butlers today," Yuma said.

The corner of my mouth twitched. "I appreciate it. I'm just glad no one was hurt," I added. Yuma nodded.

"Meeting like this was, I think, fate. I hope... that you and I will meet again somewhere." I forced a chuckle as I looked away. If we did, I'd choke all of them. Yuma smiled significantly as he took my hand, then he gently kissed the back of it. The gesture was familiar, but it never got any easier to bear. "You were in the midst of moving. I'll have the limousine take you," he said.

"Thank you," I replied. I quietly watched Yuma give instructions to the other butlers.

After changing my clothes, Ayame and I got into the limo together with Yuma.

Ayame gave me another worried look as she was dropped off. "Hey, um, call me. Okay?"

"Sure." I nodded.

"Again, I am very sorry about today," Yuma said. It seemed like his attention was focused solely on me.

"It's alright."

"How did you find the house?"

"It was gorgeous. Absolutely breath-taking," I replied.

Yuma smiled, brimming with elegance and grace, but I could tell he wasn't actually buying a word I said.

We weren't far from the new apartment when the limousine came to a sudden stop.

"Are you alright?" Yuma's arms were around me, steadying me after the abrupt braking. I felt myself stiffen; my blood ran cold. In a panic, I pushed away from him. "Miss?"

"Sorry, I just don't handle physical contact very well." I shifted uncomfortably.

"I... apologize," Yuma said as he moved away from me. I shook my head.

"It's fine. But is there a problem?" I asked, looking away from him and out the window in an attempt to get rid of the tension in the atmosphere.

"It appears the road narrows up ahead. The car can't continue. This is as far as we can take you," Yuma explained.

"Here is fine. Thanks for bringing me this far."

"Before you go, might I ask how you found our service?" Yuma asked. An odd thing for a butler to ask.

"Oh, your service was superb." I got a sudden idea. "You're definitely on Geo's level."

"Geo?" Yuma asked. The corner of my lips tugged upwards. I got him. Hook, line, and sinker.

"My dad's butler," I replied innocently.

"Your... Dad?"

"Oh! I just realised I never introduced myself. Apologies. I'm just so used to people knowing I am. I'm Hotaru Ichinomiya."

"A pleasure, Miss Ichinomiya." Yuma smiled, but it was forced.

"I know this is probably common knowledge, but my dad, Akira, adopted both me and my brother, Eisuke. You see, my biological father abandoned me and my mother a long time ago."

Yuma's façade almost faltered, and I saw that. I was right; he knew!

"Abandoned?" Yuma asked, almost hesitantly.

"Yep. He didn't even show up for my mother's funeral after she died."

Yuma looked away. "I'm sorry to hear that. Perhaps there was a reason he couldn't take care of you?"

I leaned back in my seat. "I don't care."

"You... Don't care?" God, how many more times was he going to feel inclined to make me repeat what I said?

"I don't. No excuse he could have would ever be good enough."

"I'm sure he must love you." I could tell Yuma was choosing his words very carefully without divulging too much information.

"You can't love someone you don't know. I've never even met him. Or talked to him. You see, the way I see it, blood doesn't mean anything. Genetic doesn't mean anything. I'll tell you what does mean something though: When I needed a dad, Akira was there. Akira is my dad. And my so-called father was little more than a sperm donor." Yuma almost choked on his words, and I chuckled. "Not the most delicate choice of words, but it's the truth. The thing is, you don't get to be a dad just because you share DNA. He wasn't there when I needed him the most, and he has no right to take up that role now." Yuma was speechless. "But I'm sorry to dump all of that on you like that. That was really silly and unfair of me. Please, forget I said anything." I made a show of giving a nervous laugh.

"Not at all." Yuma knew I was full of it. And I knew he knew that, but he didn't say anything more.

"Well, it's getting dark. I really should be going."

"Of course." He got out of the car before I did and held the door open for me. I bowed politely to him and turned to leave. I was happy to see the moving truck in front of the building when I finally got there.

"Excuse me. I'm sorry I'm so late. I'm Hotaru Ichinomiya."

"We've brought everything inside. Have a great day, Miss." With that, the movers left. I stood still for a moment and frowned. They brought everything inside? I didn't have to guess how they did that. I had a really bad feeling about this. I just hoped to god I was wrong. I inserted my key and unlocked the door.

"Welcome home, Miss Ichinomiya."

I wasn't wrong...

I was unable to hide my disdain as the butlers bowed their heads gracefully. I slammed the door shut behind me. The composure I put so much effort into keeping all day crumbled in an instant. I stared at them, not saying anything.

"We're here to serve you. Starting today." Aoi said. The butlers brought me slippers. I glared at the slippers, then at them, and crossed my arms.

"Well. I wish I could say I'm surprised," I snapped scornfully. I slipped my shoes off, not bothering with the slippers as I walked into the living room and sat down on my sofa. Resting my elbow on the armrest, I pressed my forefinger against my temple and my thumb beneath my chin. "Well go ahead. Give me the whole speech about why you're here."

Itsuki cleared his throat, uncomfortable. "Do you remember when I mentioned our employer's daughter?" he asked.

"Uh-huh."

"That girl..." Itsuki started, only to have his sentence finished by Tomoki.

"... is you." I didn't respond. "But... you already knew that."

"And that surprises you, how? I have the power, money and resources to do just about anything. You really think I'd go through life being oblivious and naïve without looking into who my father is?"

"You're going to be a sophisticated woman by the time of our employer's birthday," Kyo said. Sophisticated. I could socialise quite well in and I knew how to conduct myself, but there were many in high society who would argue that I wasn't quite "sophisticated" or "traditional" enough. Men in high society liked controlling everything, and I had a reputation for going against the tide. But I've never been bothered by that before and I wasn't about to start now.

"Right. Your employer, Kazuma Ichijo. My so-called father."

"Yes." Aoi smiled. I bet women were putty in his hands with that smile. The stupid ones anyway.

I didn't say anything, and the tension in the air grew ever more palpable. I didn't take my eyes off the butlers either.

As the glaring continued, the front door opened and Mr Head Butler walked in.

"Why, hello there, Miss Ichinomiya," Yuma grinned as he unceremoniously locked the door.

"Oh, great. The cavalry's here," I said sarcastically.

"Yuma, she knows," Aoi said.

Yuma grinned. It was a sinister grin; the same one Eisuke got whenever he was plotting something. "I figured as much. Everything you said in the limo... You knew all along who Mr Ichijo is."

"What did she say in the limo?" Itsuki asked, curiously.

I snorted. "Believe me, if I'd known you were Ichijo butlers before I got in that limo, I never would have accepted your half-assed offer. But then again, something tells me whether I accepted it or not, we'd still all be here right now."

"Enough. I cannot allow and Ichijo to utter such vulgar words," Tomoki said with a scowl.

I snorted and rolled my eyes. "Oh yes? Try and stop me, four-eyes."

His scowl turned into an expression of both shock and offence.

"Well as fun as this has been, everybody out. Before I report you for break in and entering."

"I didn't expect you'd treat us like crooks. Not when you're the one violating your lease." Yuma held out a piece of paper.

I snatched the paper from his hand and skimmed through the contract until my eyes stopped at a particular 'special feature'. "Personal butler?" I read out loud. And right at the bottom was Akira's signature. My dad wasn't stupid. No way would he have signed this without checking every detail and have the family lawyer go over it for emphasis. Which could only mean he knew about this and didn't tell me.

"We had you come to the house to make the idea more palatable," Aoi said.

"Yes, yes. You set me up. I figured that out hours ago." I got up. "I don't believe this," I mumbled as I grabbed my phone and went into my room. I slammed the door shut and furiously dialled my dad's number.

"Yes?" He didn't look at the caller ID before answering.

"Hi, Dad. It's me," I said in a voice so sweet it sounded sickening even to me.

"Hotaru! I was going to call you in the morning. Have you settled in?" he asked.

"Yes, about that... Did the lease for my new apartment perhaps come with a tiny detail you forgot to mention?" I spoke through clenched teeth.

"The lease?" Akira remained silent for a few moments as he thought. "Oh! You must be talking about the butler service. It was a special they had just for your apartment. I figured having a butler would make your life a little easier."

My eyebrow twitched as I closed my eyes in exasperation. "So you did know about it."

"Of course. You think I'd sign something like that without thoroughly checking every word on it?"

"And you didn't think to warn me about it?" I breathed.

Akira paused. "You're upset..."

"Damn right I'm upset! Dad, you've been duped!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Those butlers! I wouldn't be surprised if they disguised themselves as real estate agents. They probably played on your worry as my dad, too."

"Hotaru, you're not making any sense."

"They're Ichijo butlers! They orchestrated this whole thing! The apartment, the lease, the butler service. All of it! All so they could, and I quote, 'turn me into a sophisticated woman' for his birthday party."

I heard Akira breathe hard over the receiver in an attempt to maintain his composure. "I'm calling Yuzuru."

"What's he going to do? They're practically untouchable, and not because they work for Ichijo. They planned everything to the finest detail and slipped through all the right loopholes. Everything on the lease is legal and you knew about the butler service when you signed it, so we can't even sue them for not explaining certain details on the contract. There's nothing we can do."

Akira paused. "You're right. But there's nothing on the lease about you following their rules. No conditions about you taking any kind of lessons from them. I doubt I need to tell you this, but you don't dance to the sound of their pipes. You dance to yours."

I smirked, relaxing a bit. "You know it, Daddy."

"Good. I'll call you tomorrow. Love you." I could hear the smile in his voice.

"Love you, too."

I took a deep breath before opening my door. Of course they were still there, and they likely heard every word I said to my dad, too. I took one annoyed look at them and moved to the kitchen.

"All sorted out?" Yuma asked sarcastically as he followed me into the kitchen.

"Why bother asking when you heard my entire conversation," I retorted.

There was a moment of silence before Yuma doubled over with laughter.

"I think this will be very interesting indeed," he said as he looked at me with amusement.

I didn't bother responding as I put the kettle on; nothing good could possibly come from interacting with him. I turned around and leaned against the kitchen counter, crossing my arms over my chest.

Yuma's sinister smile returned. I raised my eyebrows in a motion for him to get to the point.

"All you have to do is accept our training on behalf of our dear employer. It's only a month," Itsuki said.

My eyes flitted to him. "No," I said flatly before turning my back to them.

"You had etiquette lessons, but we need to make doubly sure you didn't miss anything. Not to mention kick that flighty nature of yours. Otherwise, you'd just be an embarrassment," Yuma replied with a broad smile.

I barked a laugh. "Wow. That is just hilarious." I turned back to him. "I already told you how I feel about him. And I know you know I meant every word. But just in case you're still processing, allow me to break it down for you. I can barely stomach the thought of breathing the same air as your oh-so-wonderful employer. He can go fuck himself for all I care. And you would be damn lucky if I decided not to embarrass him and his company on purpose, which, by the way, I'm still undecided on." Tomoki opened his mouth to say something. I pointed my finger at him without looking at him. "You say one word about my language, I swear to god I will punch you."

Yuma sighed, exasperated. "How you feel about him doesn't matter. We made a promise to him and we intend to keep it."

I snorted. "Good luck with that." I turned back to the now boiled kettle and prepared some camomile tea. God knows I needed it.

"Alright, it's time you choose," Yuma said. I could hear the amused smirk in his voice.

"Oh, I get a choice, do I?" I retorted.

"Who would you like to be your butler?" Aoi asked.

Next Chapter

[alexhogh7137]

The Battle Between Love and Fire-

Ivar the Boneless × Reader

Chapter Forty-Two

Chapter Forty-Three: The Midday Vision

Word Count 2.9k

Warnings: angst, mentions of physical harm

A week has gone by and you have been watching Daario's movements like a dragon stalking its prey. Hvitserk laughs at you for it but this is your people's lives at stake here, and you will watch him until you leave Wessex. Until that day, he will be under your radar. Ivar has been sending letters back and forth since the day you got to England, but you have only written him twice. So that is what you will do today, write to your beloved while Hvitserk takes on your responsibilities for an hour or so. 

Hvitserk "He is probably worried sick-"

"I know, I know. It just has slipped my mind. I feel horrible!"

Hvitserk "I am sure that he is fine, kitten. I will watch Daario while you write your letters. Come find me when you are done, yes?"

"Of course."

Hvitserk "Good," he kisses your lips before taking a step back, "I love you." 

"I love you too." And then he shut the door behind him and left you to your thoughts. 

You gathered your writing instruments and sat down at your table. You thought of what to say and how to say it for a good while before you actually put your pen to the parchment. Eventually, you took a deep breath and began to write:

Dear Ivar, 

Please forgive me for not writing back sooner, my priorities have been taking up my time and writing has just left my mind. I have taken your advice and have been watching Daario's every move and as of now, he has been staying true to his word. He has been kind and gentle to my people, he has been teaching the young to fight, and has been guiding people in my village. Hvitserk has changed his opinion on the man, which puts my mind at ease quite a bit. I hope that you have been well, my love. I miss you dearly. I plan to be home by the weeks end, if not sooner. I love you Ivar, see you soon my king.

Yours, Y/n.

You hurried your way down the stairs to reach your letter carrier and he left with great haste. You smile as you look behind you to see your dragon's. You walk your way to Ryuu, Neith and Eldr, and you sit down beside them all.

"I miss your daddy, y'know." Eldr scuffs some heat out of his mouth. "What?! I do. This is the longest I have ever gone without seeing Ivar." Eldr places his head down by your feet, for you to feel some comfort. "We will go home soon, my loves. Just one more day or so, I just need to make absolutely sure-"

Daario "That what..?" You jolt up and look behind you, "that I won't burn this place to the ground."

"I'm sorry-"

Daario "No, don't be. If you weren't watching me like a hawk, then you would not be a good queen. I respect you Y/n."

"Thank you."

Daario "So, you really talk to them do you?"

"Of course I do. They understand me and I understand them."

Daario "Oh yeah? Are they talking now-"

"I know that you must find it absurd but-"

Daario "Not at all. I am just trying to understand this whole dragon thing. Before I met you, I thought that dragon's were a myth."

You giggle, "Well as you can see, they are very much real."

Daario chuckles, "Yes they are."

"So mainly it is all psychological. When I look into their eyes, I can tell what they are saying."

Daario "That is a true gift."

"Mmm," you look up at Neith, "I got to raise them, that is the true gift."

Daario "I swear, you are the most selfless person I have ever met. Especially given the fact that you rule over two kingdoms."

"Thank you, but I only rule over Wessex. My husband rules Kattegat."

Daario "I am confused."

"I only feel that I rule over England, I do not feel like I rule over Kattegat."

Daario "Well in that case, I am more than grateful to lead by your side in England, my queen."

"Well technically-"

Daario "I know, you won't be here.." you nod, "but it's still a nice thought to think about." You pause but you feel a pair of familiar hands grab the small of your back.

Hvitserk "There you are! I've been looking everywhere for the two of you."

"Sorry Hvitserk, Daario was just asking me about my dragon's."

Hvitserk "Oh yeah? They are incredible aren't they?"

Daario "Truly. I guess I should go and check on everyone. It was lovely talking to you."

"You as well Naharis.." you watch him walk away and join your people at one of your homes. 

Hvitserk "He got a little too close there..for my liking."

"Flirting, but he is a man Hvitserk. He can't help himself."

Hvitserk "I warned him not to ever-"

"I believe you. But look at me," he looks away from Daario and down into your eyes, "We are going home soon, and he will be far away from all of us, okay?"

Hvitserk sighs, "Fine."

"I don't wish for your day to be ruined over a little flirt."

Hvitserk "It's not, kit..I just don't like when people look at you like you are a meal. It infuriates me. After all you've been through, I find it my life's duty to protect you." You pull him in for a warm yet hard embrace and hold him close for a while.

"You do protect me Hvitserk. You keep me safe and warm..and loved." He smiles, "Ever since the day we met, you've kept me safe. But once our daughter is here, I need you to protect her more than me."

Hvitserk "I-"

"Promise me Hvitserk." He loses eye contact, "Our daughter's life comes first. No matter what, you keep our daughter safe."

Hvitserk "I swear it, Y/n. But that does not mean that I won't not protect you."

"Of course it doesn't. But if there ever comes a day where it is between me or our daughter to save, save our little girl." Hvitserk looks away to hide his tear that was falling from his eyelid. He quickly wipes it away and clears his throat before looking back at you. 

Hvitserk "I will." You smile and nod, "But let us pray to the gods that there will never come a day where I have to save only one of you.."

"Yes. Now, let us have a good day today."

Hvitserk "With you, it's always a good day."

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Back in Kattegat:

Ivar has been having sleepless nights without you in his arms. He has been worrying nonstop, waiting for you to write back to him. He has gone to Ubbe, asking for his guidance but he has been brushing him off and telling him, "she's with Hvitserk, she is fine." He knows that is a fact, but he also knows that something could have happened to the both of you. So he waits and waits for your letter to arrive. As he waits, he sits on his throne, motionless. When all of a sudden, he hears none other than his own brother scream out his name from outside those double doors. He is in a panic that he crawls his way to the doors instead of walking to them. He looks around and does not see his brother so to save time, he gets into his carriage and commands his horse to ride to the noise. When he finds Ubbe, he is sitting on the ground with tears in his eyes.

Ivar "Ubbe, what is it?!"

Ubbe "It is Y/n. Something is going to happen to her-"

Ivar "What are you talking about?"

Ubbe "A vision Ivar. I had a vision-"

Ivar "A vision..during the day?"

Ubbe "Yes, brother. We both know that that has never happened to us before."

Ivar "Tell me.."

Ubbe "There is this woman. I could see her like I am seeing you right now. She goes into their chambers Ivar.." Ivar's eyes start to water as he anticipates what he is about to say next. "She takes Hvitserk's dagger and.." Torvi's eyes are red from crying, as she looks up at Ivar.

Ivar "And what?"

Ubbe "She kills them both." Ivar's tears overflow now. "She goes to the extent of slitting her belly..Ivar. She kills all of them."

Ivar "I, how..what?" He is in shock and he cannot truly make out what to say.

Ubbe "We need to go Ivar, we are losing the sun!"

Ivar "Did you see her face?"

Ubbe "Wha-yes! Ivar we need to go! If we wait any longer, we won't make it by nightfall!" Ivar does not waste anymore time before he rides out of Kattegat, heading straight to you. Ubbe hurries his men to join him while Torvi takes over Kattegat. 

Torvi "Come on boys..please save them..please save them." She says over and over as she cries, fearing that they will not make it to England in time.

~•~

Ivar looks up at the sky as he forces his horse to run like the wind, seeing the sun fade away and into the horizon. He fears that he will be too late and he would see his family gone, right in front of his eyes. He knew by the sound of his brother's screams that it had to deal with his wife. Why else would he scream? Why else would he be on his knees, crying? You are loved, Hvitserk is loved, and your unborn child is loved so much that the thought of losing you three is bone chilling. 

Ivar "Come on...COME ON!" He continues to hit his horse but the horse is physically incapable of going any faster but he cannot help himself. He is out of breath, even though he is not the one running. His heart is already in pain with the picture in his mind of how horrible it would be to witness such a scene. 

Ubbe "We're not going to make it, brother!" He shouted from his horse that is racing beside his carriage.

Ivar "We are going to make it!" He shouted back at him. His voice cracking from the sadness he is trying to hide. If anyone has to be strong, it is him. And he will be strong, and he will make it. He has too.

~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~•~

Wessex England:

As the sun settled behind your kingdom and below the hills surrounding it, you felt the sense of unease. So as a gut instinct, you stay very close to Hvitserk. Practically joint at his hip. Daario notices your change in behavior and immediately goes on high alert. 

Hvitserk "Y/n, are you alright? You seem frightened."

"I have this unnerving feeling."

Hvitserk "Tell me what you are feeling."

"I have this sickening feeling and almost an electrical pain going across my belly.."

Hvitserk "What?!"

"I already looked, there is nothing there."

Hvitserk "Is sh-"

"She's still kicking..yes."

Hvitserk "Then why are you feeling this?"

"I am not sure. I just feel like something is coming. I just don't know what."

Hvitserk "I don't want you out of my sight, do you hear me?"

"I'm not going anywhere, you asked what was wrong so I was not going to hide what I have been feeling since the sun went down." 

Hvitserk "Well, I believe you Y/n. I'm not going to let anything happen to you-"

"Funny.."

Hvitserk "What?"

"I was just telling you if it ever came down to me or our daughter, save our daughter."

Hvitserk "She is still in your womb, kitten...so right now, I am watching over you."

"What did I ever do to deserve such a protector?"

Hvitserk "Just you being you. Anyone who meets you loves you Y/n. Everyone who meets you wishes to protect you."

"Why? I don't understand that. I am just an normal person-"

Hvitserk "It is because you have been through so much trauma that you did not deserve, everyone is aware and wishes to give you a new and safe life. And you are far from normal Y/n. You are a mother of dragons, how is that normal?" He bursts out laughing and so do you.

"I guess you are right. I love you, you know that."

Hvitserk "Of course I do."

"Good." You rest your head on his shoulder and rest your mind. That is until you hear a woman shout behind you. Hvitserk takes out his sword and so do the guards that are around you at all times. You find Daario holding a woman by her mouth, keeping her silent. 

"Daario! What is the meaning of this!?"

Daario "She was going to kill you!" He holds up the dagger that she had in her hand. You walk up to her, to conform Daario's own words.

"Is this true?" She does not answer at first, but she nods because her mouth is still covered by Daario's large hand. You look up at him, confused. "But why did you wish to harm your queen?" She forces Daario's hand off of her mouth and Hvitserk holds his sword up to her throat.

Hvitserk "Try anything, and you'll meet your precious God in the matter of seconds."

"I am unarmed-" she said.

Daario "Yeah, you are now-"

"What was your reason?!"

"You should not be queen! Any spawn of your fathers will destroy this kingdom and its people. This kingdom needs new blood, new reigns..not you." She said with a straight face. 

"I am sorry that you feel that way. But I am nothing like my father. I love my people and I love my kingdom, I would never do anything to put it in jeopardy."

"Funny, that is what your father used to say-"

"I burned my father alive." She takes a step back. "I am not my father. I got rid of my father. I am aware of what he has done, who he has killed..I am also aware of everything that he has done to me, to which I think that you have no idea about." She does not respond, "So do not kill someone who is trying to save her kingdom. Do not kill someone who loves her people."

"..I..I am sorry." She finally said, but before you could answer, you hear horses coming from behind you and by your gate. 

"Hvitserk.."

Hvitserk "Get behind me." Daario lets go of the girl and gets beside Hvitserk to guard you. Your dragon's fly to the top of your palace to get a clear shot if you demand them to kill. 

"Wh-is that..Ivar!?" Hvitserk puts away his sword and sighs out of relief to see his brother's instead of a whole unexpected army. "What is he doing here?" You walk up to your husbands carriage, confused.

"Ivar, what are you-" he pulls you into his chest, stopping you from talking. He is shaking and he is sobbing. 

Ivar "I made it..oh gods, I made it."

"You knew?..How did you-"

Ubbe "Hey sis." And then it clicked, he must have had a vision. 

"What did you see Ubbe?"

Ubbe "I saw that woman," he points to the woman that is being held back by Daario, "come into your chambers and kill the three of you."

"Our chambers..but it just happened?"

Ubbe nods, "Sometimes visions are not exact, but they show the true fate of the one's that you love."

Ivar "So this is the woman."

"Ivar-" He does not listen to you. He makes his way passing his brother and grabbing the woman by her throat, shoving her up against the wall of your palace.

"..please..don't kill me.." she tries to get out. 

Ivar "If you ever try to kill my wife, my brother..and my unborn child again, I will crucify you..do you understand me?" She cries out, agreeing and pleading for her life. "The only reason why your neck is not broken is because my wife is behind me. And I know that she would not wish to see you die. She has too good of a heart."

"I am so sorry, my queen." You do not respond, only stare. "Please forgive me. I was not thinking, I was only remembering all that your father put my family through!"

"Understood, Ivar..let her go." He lets go over her throat and she runs to you, kneeling her your feet. 

"Please..forgive me. I am truly sorry!" She said, crying and shouting for forgiveness.

"Please stand." She does so and you take her hands in yours, "I forgive you. But I need you to think before you act. If Daario was not here to stop you, me and my child would be dead by your impulse. Think before you act and only act if you have facts and knowledge on the person you wish to kill."

"My queen, I am so-"

"I have already told you that you have been forgiven. I will give you a second chance, please do not fail me."

"Yes, my queen."

"Go to your mother." She runs away and rejoins her mother and siblings. You look in front of you and see Ivar, Hvitserk and Daario shocked but proud. 

"Hello..my beloved." He couldn't help himself from giggling.

Ivar "Hello, my sweetheart."

@hvitserkmarcosource @heavenly1927 @saldelys @youbloodymadgenius @ivarsgoddess @conaionaru @readsalot73 @a-mess-of-fandoms @houseoftoomanyfandoms @dreamycream17 @nevlahhh @krissydclayton93

[xbellaxcarolinax]

Forging A Heart (Ivar the Boneless) 27- The Raven Queen

Pairing: Ivar x Artemis (OFC)

Word Count: 4006

Warnings: Implied fighting.

AN: One more chapter and an epilogue.

26- The Feline King

...

"Do not look so nervous," Ivar's gentle tone breaks into Artemis's thoughts. He reaches over from his throne to grab her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze, "You have nothing to fear."

"I am not afraid," Her eyes shift to his, giving his hand a squeeze in return, "What I feel is guilt."

"You should not be riddled with guilt, you've done nothing wrong."

"I am taking a child away from her family."

"She is my niece," Ivar argues, "She will be among family."

"But she would not yet understand the circumstances that I have put her in."

"Stop your worrying," He tells her, "Besides, we do not even know if my brothers will agree."

"They will agree," Her reply was quick and stern, "They have no other option."

"Then let us think of this as an accomplishment on your part, hmm?" Ivar squeezes her hand again, reaching over to brush his lips over her knuckles in a kiss. Artemis turns to offer her husband a smile to which he returns. They both look towards the doors once Hvitserk and Heamund enter with Bjorn and Ubbe in tow. Torvi was absent.

"It is good to see you again, Artemis," Bjorn comments when he finally reaches them, arms crossed over his front as usual, "Though it is a shame it has to be under such circumstances." The Queen nods in acknowledgement.

"I'm sorry if I have caused you and Torvi any grief." She replies back. Perhaps it was too much for her to handle.

"She is a bit...unwell, I'm afraid." Replies Ubbe, his blue eyes shifting toward a silent Ivar. Artemis turns to look at Ivar, and he only rolls his eyes at Ubbe's statement, but motions for her to continue. He wanted his wife to handle it, and continues to watch them with curious eyes.

"I...am sorry to hear that. Please send her our regards," She says after a moment, "I understand you have come to a decision."

"Yes," Bjorn replies bitterly, "We agree to your terms." Artemis felt her heart hammering in her chest in both excitement and grief. Her plan worked, and she would be taken more seriously as Queen, but she would hurt others in the process, and that was a burden she'd carry with her for quite some time. She was sure that Bjorn and her were both even at this point.

"Excellent," Ivar finally says with a clap of his hands, "Then it's settled."

"You keep your end of the bargain, and I'll keep mine," Bjorn mutters, eyes icy as he watched the pair. Ivar's demeanor immediately changes, like a wolf preparing to attack, but before he could utter any harsh words, Artemis speaks quickly, placing a hand on her husband's knee.

"With all due respect, Bjorn, you came to us for help. I do not think it wise for you to make such statements," Ivar huffs but let's her speak her kinder words, "But of course, if we have your word, then you have ours. Hedeby will be yours come Spring." She finishes, standing up and walking directly in front of Bjorn. She turns her head up to get a better look at the giant man.

"Asa will be safe with me," She says quietly, watching the surprise swim in his eyes, "But do not cross me, Bjorn Ironside. I may have favored your plight, but my loyalty lies with Ivar and Kattegat." Her voice was stern, enough to shock both Bjorn and Ubbe. Her eyes shift to Ubbe as if giving him warning as well.

"You are not the girl I found hiding in a crate quite some time ago." Bjorn mutters, and Artemis could have sworn she saw the beginnings of a smirk curving at the corners of his lips.

"That girl is gone." Was her simple reply, whirling round to walk back to her grinning husband.

...

Yule had reached Kattegat.

Yuletide was the time where the people came together and celebrated the winter solstice for about 12 days. All was arranged by Ivar himself, who so wished to keep the memory of his mother alive through her traditions.

Holly was brought in, along with evergreen, decorating the entryways, windows, around the fire pit, and every other nook and cranny that it could be hung from.

"It is to ward off winter demons," Ivar teases his wife, using a tone one would use on a small child. She snorts, stepping close to an evergreen branch that was neatly wrapped around the armrest of her throne by Geirdis's skilled hands. She touches the thick leaf, enjoying the smooth texture on the pad of her thumb. "They are also for protection." He continues, watching her with keen eyes.

"Protection?"

"Evil spirits," He begins with that childlike tone, "Or evil brothers." Artemis pulls a face and he shrugs, slowly walking over to her. He bends over, placing his chin upon her shoulder and wrapping an arm about her waist.

"Look up," He says against her ear, and she does, her curious eyes landing on the plants hanging above both thrones, and around the perimeter of the ceiling. They were equally green, with little white berries nestled within.

"What are those?"

"Mistletoe." He answers, and Artemis smiles at the odd name.

"And what powers do they possess?"

"Prosperity," She hums in understanding, "And fertility," Ivar moves his large hand to rest flat against her stomach. She turns her head slightly to catch his eyes, shining like jewels as they always did. Where she believed would be disappointment was something else.

Hope.

"You know," He continues, "There is a tradition that comes with the mistletoe," His wife's eyes shift back to look at the foreign plants above them.

"What's that?" His calloused fingertips graze her cheek before placing gentle pressure against her skin to turn her head back to his. She gets a quick glance at his eyes again, now gleaming with mischief, before he places a kiss to her mouth. It was soft and simple, almost innocent, but when he grinned against her lips, she knew it was only a sample of what was to come later.

...

They were to celebrate a rebirth.

They celebrate the return of the sun and longer days. They thank the gods and pray for a successful and plentiful harvest.

They celebrate the rebirth of Ragnar's legacy. A new King, a new Queen, and a new Kingdom.

And for once, everything seemed at peace.

Ivar organized feasts that delighted his people, and much to his pleasure, his Queen. Though Artemis had experienced her first Yule celebrations a year prior, she didn't have much to celebrate at the time. Slaves were to help organize the feasts, not partake in them for obvious reasons, and so, she had no love for such merriment back then.

This all was different now, much different.

She was no longer on the sidelines, waiting to refill Ivar's cup. As Queen, she would be the center of these traditions beside the King, and it was their responsibility to uphold such customs.

Aslaug would be proud, Ivar had no doubt.

For each of the 12 days Artemis was given a new wreath, which were strategically placed into her hair, the bright green leaves of evergreen, holly, and mistletoe a great contrast against the dark strands. She wore dresses of deep red, vibrant green, and shining gold. She was the perfect image of a Norse Queen, and the people loved her and her strong commitment to their ways.

She found herself smiling and laughing, whether it was through Hvitserk's silly stories, or even Heahmund and his stealing glances towards Geirdis, who was given the nights off to enjoy the celebrations. Aria was always lost within the drunken crowd, dancing with Dafi.

Ivar downed cup after cup of ale, as if competing with Hvitserk on which of them could out drink the other. He too was always dressed well, wearing fine tunics to match the colors his wife wore, and his hair styled in intricate braids and beads down to the nape of his neck. No one could deny how handsome the King was, nor how the happiness that radiated off him that hadn't been seen for quite some time.

Ivar's brothers and Torvi did not attend the celebrations. An invitation was extended to them on behalf of the Queen, but they politely refused. Ivar didn't mind, nor did he want them to attend the celebrations anyway. Artemis on the other hand was displeased, but she sent food and gifts for the children to make up for it.

Everything was perfect, and for the first time in a long time, Artemis felt she was among family.

...

The small child was pushed forward, her little hands forming tight fists into her mother's skirts that only became tighter when she was ushered forward.

"Little niece," Ivar begins, "Asa, why do you hide from us?" The little blonde girl hides behind Torvi, poking out her head to glance at her frightening uncle and his metal legs. She doesn’t respond, but tugs at her mother's dress, looking up at her with the blue eyes of Ragnar.

"You scare her," Torvi says with a frown, bending down to grasp her daughter's shoulders, "Asa, my love, do you remember what we spoke about?" The child nods, fiddling with her chubby fingers.

Artemis watches the young girl, a frown forming on her lips. Such sadness filled her heart, a great contrast against the feelings of love and warmth from Yule.

"You must stay with your Uncle Ivar for some time, sweetheart." Torvi’s eyes watered, fighting against her tears that threatened to escape. Bjorn stood behind them, stoic as ever, but he too was frowning, "Hali, your father, Uncle Ubbe and I will be in Hedeby, remember?" The child nods again, her lip pushing out in a sad pout.

"I don't want you to leave."

"I know, my beautiful girl, but Queen Artemis will be with you. You will never be alone, hmm?" Torvi glances up at Artemis, her eyes hard and threatening. Asa turns her little body to look at the Queen who was not as intimidating as her scary uncle. The young girl saw the Queen smile and watched as she stood from her throne, walking over to kneel before her.

"Hello Asa, I do hope you remember me?" Asa nods and Artemis offers her another smile, "I can't wait for us to have fun together, would you like that?" Asa sniffles but nods her head.

"I like your dog." She mutters, pointing at Heracles. The dog sat obediently beside Ivar, his large head under Ivar's caressing hand.

"He's a great companion," Artemis tells her, "And you will be able to play with him whenever you wish." The child's eyes suddenly light up and sparkle, and she whirls around to look up at her mother.

"Can I mama?" Torvi finally let's her tears fall, falling to her knees and pulling her daughter into a tight hug.

"Of course you can, my dear girl." The scene was enough to make Artemis's own eyes water. She was ripping away this child from her mother just as she was ripped away from her father. Her eyes shift to Bjorn, who says nothing still, arms crossed. It seemed he was thinking the same. How funny the fates were.

"We leave for Hedeby in the morning," Ivar announces, catching everyone's attention, "Get some rest, we will gather for departure at dawn."

...

It was a quiet evening. Artemis listens to the crackling fire, along with Ivar's steady heartbeat below his tight chest.

"I will miss you." She mumbles into his neck, nestled comfortably under the furs. She could hear Asa's gentle breathing from the opposite side of the chamber, where a bed was made for her.

"It will only be a few days." He chuckles, placing a kiss atop her head.

"I know," She says sadly, "But I worry for your safety. We've never been apart." Ivar smiles at her words. It was true, they were glued to each other's side since she first arrived in kattegat.

He lets out a sigh, holding her tighter in the best comfort he could give. He too was worried, not for himself, but for his wife, who would be in charge of Kattegat for the time being. His only comfort was that Hvitserk was to remain with her while he was away.

"All will be well, baby bird, I promise."

...

"You're not going to cry, are you?" Hvitserk teases, offering Artemis a small smile that revealed his brotherly nature, one that she herself was robbed of at a young age. He stood beside her on the beach with arms crossed, watching the ships being readied for departure. Men were running about, hauling and loading supplies and other necessities on board the ships.

Artemis smiles back at him, though it doesn't really reach her eyes as she intended. Farewells were already exchanged but still she watched with sad eyes as her husband, his brothers and Heahmund settled in their respective ships.

Aria stood with her Queen, watching Dafi sail off with the King. It was her hope that he might be restored to favor. Geirdis did not attend, though it was noticed that she had been particularly off since the discovery of Heahmund joining the mission.

Little Asa stood in between Artemis's legs, waving enthusiastically at her family. Torvi glances back at them when the boats are being pushed into the sea, her eyes staring intently into the woman who would now be a motherly figure to her daughter. There was a threat behind that look, a silent threat that did not go unnoticed. She gave her the luxury of such looks, as she knew the shieldmaiden was in such pain of being separated from her youngest child.

She sighs, placing her hands on Asa's small shoulders, joining her in waving the warriors off. She catches sight of Ivar again, as if it were the last time she would be seeing him. It certainly felt that way. He chatted away with Heahmund who sat in front of him, his infamous sword on his lap.

Ivar, sensing the gaze of his wife, turns to look at her. He sends her a grin and a wave, a promise of a safe return. He was much more optimistic than she was, but one of them had to be. His confidence was what would help her get through his absence. She could almost read his lips, the ship he was on not far off from the coast.

I will return.

And she finally lets herself smile.

"There it is," Hvitserk says, placing an arm about her shoulders, drawing her close as he begins to wave at the ships that slowly left their line of vision, "I'm sure it will be but a few days. Hedeby is already in a weakening state." He reassures her.

"I hope you are right," She replies quietly, looking down at Asa when she tugs at her skirts. The child raises her arms, and Artemis wastes no time in picking her up and settling her on her hip. Asa was tired, her eyes drooping and her head nestling against the softness of Artemis's cloak.

"Let us head back," The Queen announces, and Hvitserk signals for their small entourage to head back to the Great Hall.

...

It was the middle of the night.

She must have been dreaming of ravens again, the cawing echoing in her mind, persistent, like a mantra. Except she wasn't dreaming at all, and she realizes this when the cawing was followed by Heracles barking. She blinks, slowly sitting up while rubbing her eyes. The cawing continued, and Heracles has not ceased in his barking, an unusual act as he barked only when something was amiss, which meant...

Artemis shoots out of bed, putting on her dressing gown to cover her sleeping shift, and runs over to Asa who stirs in her sleep, but thankfully did not wake. She wondered how the child slept through such commotion.

Finally turning to the Mastiff, she reprimands him, commanding him into silence, and he does, though he stared directly at the fur covered window, his paws bouncing in anticipation.

Walking over to the window she pulls the fur curtains away, revealing a raven flapping its wings vigorously. It cawed a few times, flying off when she opened the window, and the sight behind the glass made her gasp. The few candles lit in the chambers was enough to outline the dead body of a man lying on the ground just below the window.

There was sudden commotion in the hall before she heard Hvitserk's voice.

"Artemis, I'm coming in!" He shouts from behind the leather dividers, bursting in with a hand over his eyes.

"I'm decent," She says to him frantically, her eyes taking over his disheveled form, "What's happened to you? What is going on?"

"We've been attacked," He replies, wiping the back of his hand over his brow. He was heaving, hair loose from its braid and plastered onto his face, his hands dotted in blood. He held his axe in a tight grip, the edge of the blade covered in red.

"Attacked? Ivar has only been gone 3 nights!"

"And they think us vulnerable. I need you to remain here with Asa. Tordis will be with you."

"Are you hurt?" She questions, and he immediately shakes his head in response.

"I'm alright. What I need to be sure of is that you are protected."

"What is happening outside?" Hvitserk sighs, going over to lean against Ivar's desk.

"It was a small rebellion." He mutters, watching Artemis's features change from concerned to fearful in a matter of seconds.

"What? A rebellion?"

"Lagertha's supporters." Artemis wanted to scream, but instead she chose to bite her tongue, mindful of the sleeping child. Instead, she puts her hands to her face, pushing away her hair in frustration.

"Everything is under control, you have no reason to worry."

"I am tired of others telling me not to worry, of course I will worry!" She bites out, and Hvitserk frowns at the outburst, "Has anyone else been hurt?"

"Only the attackers," He replies, his eyes shifting towards Asa who slept soundly, "They have been arrested and rounded up."

"Take me to them." She tells him immediately, already searching her chest for her cloak.

"No, I think it best for you to remain here."

"Hvitserk," Artemis turns to him, mustering all the patience she had in the world as she placed her cloak over her shoulders, "There is a dead man right outside my window." Hvitserk pulls his brows together in confusion, moving over to the window to peek out.

"By the gods." He groans, resting his head against the wooden panel.

"I will have Tordis and Geirdis remain here with Asa. Take me to them, now."

"And what are your intentions, hmm? They wished to harm you, Artemis. You are the Queen, I am to protect you, not bring you closer to the danger!"

"And as Queen, I refuse to appear weak." She says with such authority that it surprised her brother in law. She walks past the dividers with Heracles in tow, already giving orders for Geridis to be fetched.

...

She has never been inside this particular cabin, if that's what you could call it. It was more like a dungeon, a place to house criminals until a verdict against their crimes could be decided.

The roof had an opening where the moonlight was allowed to shine through along with the stars, a hopeful last view for those who would surely die. It had rained the night before, the ground a muddy mess. There were only a few men really, one woman, and a young man, about 5 in total.

Entering with Hvitserk, and another trusted man of Ivar's called Whitehair, they approach the small group of rebels, now covered in mud.

"The Seer had warned me of those who would continue to conspire." She announces to them, stepping closer, but stopped from Hvitserk's hand on her wrist.

"You shouldn't go any further." He warns her but she ignores him, removing herself from his grip and slowly making her way towards the rebels. Their hands were chained, as well as their feet. She then snaps her fingers, and Heracles enters, his big paws stomping deep into the mud, already growling at the small group. They all move away automatically in fear.

"If they wish to cause further harm, then I'm sure my beast won't hesitate to keep them in their place." There was so much venom in her voice, an unfamiliar tone to those who knew her well, and it was quite the shock to see the Queen filled with such fury.

"You decide to attack Kattegat as soon as Bjorn leaves. Such a small group. I do not see how that makes any sense?" She questions, "Why not leave with him if you had such loyalty towards his mother?" Though most remained quiet, one decided to answer.

"Bjorn is weak," He spits out, "Lagertha's son was unable to avenge her properly."

"So my death is the answer to all your problems, hmm?"

"It would be a start." The man mutters, and immediately Whitehair walks over, backhanding the man roughly.

"Respect the Queen." He speaks quietly but menacingly, walking back over to stand beside her.

Her eyes scanned each of them individually, all of them slightly familiar to her, and all of them hailing from Hedeby. Her eyes finally fell on the youngest of them. It was Arne, Master Hagen's young apprentice. His eyes were wide when she bent down to get a better look at him. He was wounded, his side slashed and bleeding, no doubt by Hvitserk's blade. He groans from his quick movements to move away from her.

"I did not think you capable of such things, Arne. You had such great potential," She says sadly before turning towards Hvitserk and Whitehair, "Fetch a healer."

"What for?" Hvitserk demands.

"He needs to be treated."

"You mean to care for the boy?"

"He will die if he bleeds out."

"He will die anyway once Ivar returns. He will not hesitate to order their deaths." Hvitserk says in frustration. Artemis stands, looking down at those who did not have the courage to look back up at her.

"Then at least he'll die the way he deserves." She says quietly.

...

When she returned to her chambers she was surprised to see the raven. Its claws were embedded deep into the wooden frame of the bed. She must have left the window open before she left.

"I tried to get it out, My Queen, but it refuses," Geirdis says tiredly, sitting next to Asa's sleeping form, "I didn't know what else to do, so I left it there."

"It's alright." Artemis replies cautiously, her eyes focused on the black creature, its beady eyes boring into her own. She approaches it slowly, raising a finger to brush over its tiny head, and it let's her.

"It is an omen," The blonde girl says, "The gods are with you, My Queen." Artemis could hear Heracles in the hall with a thrall, whinning to be with his mistress, but she momentarily ignores him, keeping her focus on the raven.

And perhaps Geirdis was right.

The dead man laying right outside the window was inspected by Hvitserk for any injuries as no other warrior recalled cutting him down, but to everyone's surprise, he had none to show for, yet there was no pulse felt. The man was as dead as the one's during the war for Kattegat, the 4 that had attempted to attack her.

The story circulated around the kingdom, how the Queen was protected not only by her guards and warriors, but by the gods themselves. The raven that now made a home in the Great Hall was enough for the people to believe that such talk was true.

No trouble had stirred after that incident. ...

@heavenly1927 @didiintheblog @leilabeaux  @jzr201 @inforapound @a-mess-of-fandoms @rastakami23 @ostra814​ @zumzum96​

[lonely-teddy-bear]

The King’s Mate➳ h.s. au

word count: 2.04k

It’s here and its Harry’s point of view! I promise it’s not boring, you get to know a little of what goes on in his little pretty head. Hope you enjoy!

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Chapter Eight

*Harry's pov*

She doesn't want us. She never wanted us. Why wouldn't she just reject us instead of just leading us on? Why!

I rubbed my temples trying to reduce the headache I was getting from my wolf talking nonstop. He just can't stop talking for a minute so I could at least think, to at least say something.

You think she wanted someone else? Oh how I now want to kill that other boy.

My eyes widened at Rox's thought.

Rox stop. You better calm down before I calm you down. I hated talking to him. He was a control freak and so possessive of Valentina. I don't like it when he takes over part of my body because I know he would say something that will hurt her and the one to deal with the consequences will be me, not him.

Oh what are you going to do? Block me out? You can try but I'll push hard enough till I'm taking over your body and then maybe I will mark her and make her mine like we should have done the first night she slept in our home. I felt my hand turn into a fist and I just wanted to punch someone. He pisses me off. I hate how he just talks about her as if she was a possession, an item to just own. She was more than that, she was my mate, the one I will grow old with, the one I will have a family with. She was going to be queen and rule next to me. Now that I thought about that, I hadn't thought about the ceremony. The ceremony the king has to do to introduce his mate and the soon to be queen. Not only I had to deal with my wolf, Rox, but I had to deal with the ceremony and start planning it. I let out a sigh and leaned my head down on my hands. I was currently in my office, hiding from Valentina. I just didn't want to answer any questions she would have because I know she would have questions and I didn't want to be around her for the moment until my mind was clear and Rox was calm and wouldn't be able to do anything stupid.

Before I went to sleep I finished up some work that was left behind and made sure I had everything I would need to the meeting I had the next day.

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I came out of my bedroom fixing up the sleeves and the ring I had in my hand when I saw Valentina for the first time since last night before I hid in my office.

"Hey," I didn't say anything, I instead just stared at her. She had a wrist brace and when I saw it I looked away quickly knowing I was the reason she was in pain, hurt.

"Where were you last night?" she spoke in a whisper, as if she was scared to speak up. "You didn't have dinner and you weren't in your bedroom, so where were you?" I looked at her taken back.

"You came into my bedroom? For what?" She looked away and I could tell she was embarrassed.

"I wanted to sleep with you in you bed last night but you weren't there so I figured you must have been out or something," she shrugged her shoulders as if shrugging it off. I cocked my head to the side so I could see her face properly, "I slept in the office, I had to finish some work for today. Did you have trouble sleeping last night or something?" I couldn't think of another reason on why she would want to go sleep with me in my bedroom, i'm usually the one to go to her bedroom to sleep with her.

"My arm started hurting but I wanted to have you next to me," she finally looked up at me and looked at me up and down, presuming she was looking at my clothes and not just checking me out. "Going somewhere?" I looked down at my suit I was wearing for today's meeting, it was one of the suits that were meant to make me look like a king and make me look like I had all the power, sort of because the suit had prints on it. The suit was black but with gold prints on them, they seem to be faces, I liked wearing this types of suits but sometimes the servants would give me clothes that were too much but I had to wear them because they know how to style and I wasn't going to argue with them.

"I actually am. I have a meeting with all the alphas, from U.K and from America. I'll probably be out all day today so Christina will come over and take you over to Christian's place so you can spend the day with Kayla since she will also be alone all day." She gave me a nod and kept staring at me and my suit.

"Penny for your thoughts?" I gave her a small smile. She looked like she had a lot in mind and I really wanted to know what was going on in her mind all the time.

"You look good in that suit, but I thing you look better in casual clothes," by the look of her face I could tell she was blushing, she has this color on her face that made her look reddish but because of her skin tone it was hard to tell but her heart was saying she was in fact blushing.

"Well, I'll try to be as casual as I can be but since I am the king and the alpha, I have to wear decent clothing. You will soon be wearing non-casual clothing so don't get too comfortable with your clothes." I threw her a smirk and made my way down to my office to grab the papers I would need. I could hear Valentina following me but pretended as if I couldn't hear her.

"What you mean?"

I went inside my office and went around my desk to collect all the papers I would need for the meeting. Without looking at Valentina I answered her question, "well you will have to dress your part as a queen, you will have dresses bought and made just for you. You will have nice shoes to go with you dresses and," I looked up and gave her a smirk, "you will have different types of crowns for you to wear." She looked me as if I had grown two heads. Why was she not excited about this? Don't girls want to be dressed and be treated like a queen?

"You want me to change my wardrobe and the way I dress?" I places the papers I had in my hand back on the desk and leaned on my desk. "I don't want you to change, you will only wear dresses and your crown when we go out. Like me, I have this suit and many like this that have to be worn so I could be respected and be treated like the king that I am. I don't want you to change who you are, I would never to that. You just have to play the role, that's all and after that you can wear your sweatpants or jeans okay?" She stared at me for a moment, she just looked at me and didn't say anything until she sat down in front of my desk.

"Okay that's fine. Wait and don't you have to like crown me or something like that? You know in order for me to be queen?" And there's the question. I sat down on my chair behind the desk and rested my hands on the desk. I looked at her and cleared my throat before I started explaining to her about what was going to happen in order for her to become queen.

"Yes I do have to crown you. There will be a ceremony where alphas from other packs come and my pack joins as well. You will have a big dress made for you and you will have people helping you get ready. It is tradition so don't bother protesting this." I gave her a pointing look knowing she was about to say something about her being able to do it on her own.

" There's one thing you have to know about this ceremony, this day you become queen," I took a deep breath before speaking. "That day, the queen and king are supposed to sleep together." I stare at Valentina to see what she would say. She didn't say anything but stare.

"We already do that." I took a deep breath knowing I will have to explain.

"What I mean we have to sleep together. As in have sex. I have to mark you and mate with you. It's part of the ceremony, if we don't do it you won't be connected to me and my wolf, and you won't be connected to my pack. You won't be able to have control of the wolves if you aren't marked on that night." She had a shocked face and she looked like she wanted to get out of the room. I knew this would be too much and I didn't want to tell her all this today but she asked about the coronation and I had to be honest with her.

"Okay." I was taken back by her response. "Okay? What do you mean?"

She looked up to look at me in the eyes, " I mean okay as in I'm fine with it. At some point we have to mate right? And when will this ceremony be?" I cleared my throat after her mentioning about us sleeping together intimately.

"The coronation will be on the next full moon, which is in like two or three weeks. I actually have a meeting with alphas from UK and the rest of America in which we will talk about this. I will be discussing the date of the coronation and other things." I looked down at the folder in front of me,  I looked at the watch I had in my wrist and saw I had to leave soon. Grabbing the folder I got up from my seat and looked at Valentina.

"Okay well Christina will come by and take you to spend the day with Kayla since Christian will be going with me. I'll be calling you throughout the day to check up on you okay?" She nodded before furrowing her brows in questioning, "how are you going to check on me when there's no signal here?" Oh right.

"Right, I'll go buy a phone and have people come add some lines in here so I can check up on you. Christina is able to communicate with me so if you need anything from outside of here just let her know and I'll bring it for you okay?"

"Wait your not going to be in here? You are going out as in like to my town?" I nodded at her and waited for her to continue talking. "Do you think you can go over to my dorm and collect my stuff? I have important stuff from back home and I would really want to have them with me." I nodded quickly, not even having to think about it.  

"Anything for you. Would that be all or do you want something else? Anything you need from town?" She shook her head and stood up from her chair. I went around my desk and stood in front of her. I looked at her in her eyes, in her dark brown eyes, I placed my hand in her cheek and moved my thumb to feel her skin. To anyone she wouldn't seem perfect but to me she was all I needed and that's all that mattered to me. I didn't care that she had insecurities, I will love her along with all her flaws. Oh and how much I wanted to kiss her lips but I will wait until the night of the coronation. I just hope that day comes as fast as it can.

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*internally screaming* I don't know but I'm just falling in love with Harry more after I reread this chapter. Chapter 9 is already on the making 😌

*This is the outfit that he used in the chapter okay.

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