#obviously she just hit him and gave him another order

[heirofnight]

five more sets

pairing: azriel x reader

word count: 1.3k

based on this request: Can I request something? Could it be Azriel x reader and either you are Illyrian and want to learn to fight or someone who joins the Valkyries and you get to know each other through training ?? Does that make sense?

warnings: talks of alcohol consumption, feeling sick, sexual tension

a/n: this is probably going to end up being a mini-series because i'm loving the dynamic & i'd love to see where i can take this as it progresses! let me know what you think, and thank you for the request <3

you were about three seconds away from throwing a right hook into this male's jaw.

your chest was heaving with ragged breaths, and you were fairly certain that you could fill a bucket with the sweat that was accumulating underneath your training leathers. it was a viciously hot summer day in velaris, and you were really not in the mood to train - especially considering your indulgent night out at rita's that only found you returning home ... four hours ago.

you flickered your eyes up towards him, his wings were flared - your gaze was narrowed, your cheeks were flushed, and you were pissed.

you were hunched over, hands resting on your thighs as you fought to catch your breath.

azriel watched you carefully. he was so composed, as though he could perform this training regime in his sleep. his eyes flashed with amusement at your disheveled and agitated state, and that alone almost actually made you punch him.

"up," he ordered, voice firm, "another five sets of ladder drills," he nodded his chin towards the rope ladder that was spread on the ground in the middle of the training ring. you were meant to sprint across the ladder as quickly as possible, pulling your knees towards your chest as you did so.

you scoffed, standing up straight to place your hands on your hips indignantly.

"listen," you started, unfazed by his stoic demeanor, "i'm hot, i'm exhausted, and i'm still partially drunk," you finished, hoping he'd allow you to just call this entire session off early.

it'd been three weeks since nesta had convinced you to join the valkyries. you'd met her at a bookstore in the rainbow about six months ago, and had become fast friends - bonding over a similar taste in novels, and a very similar no-bullshit attitude. this facet of your personality was coming out to play today, especially as this male continued to push you to your limits when you obviously were not in the best shape.

she'd divulged information about the female clan of warriors that she'd been a part of, and you couldn't help but be interested - but she'd warned that the training regiment would be intense.

"you'll be training with azriel," she'd mentioned before your first session two weeks ago, "good luck," was the only warning she gave before you'd stepped foot into the ring to stand before the largest male you'd ever seen. he was swathed in shadows that rippled from him like smoke, and he assessed you as though he was committing your body to memory.

he then proceeded to put your ass through the wringer, and it seemed like he was having fun doing it.

you continued to watch azriel with a leveled gaze this morning, hoping to the gods that your list of reasons to cut this session short would hit home.

azriel just blinked once, shrugging his broad shoulders, "and?," he grumbled, as though he didn't understand why you'd divulged that information.

you rolled your eyes, dropping your hands to your sides, "and, i'd like to leave now," you sneered, pushing sweaty strands of hair from your face.

he smirked at your words, but there was minimal humor behind the action.

"no," he stated simply, "we still have another half hour," he continued, nodding back towards the rope ladder once more.

you bristled, annoyed by azriel's utter obsession with pushing your buttons - he'd been thoroughly enjoying riling you up since you became his training partner. he reveled in the reactions you'd give him each time he pushed you to your snapping point.

you turned on your heels and stalked towards the center of the wing, preparing to take on another five sets of this hellish exercise.

you assumed your stance on one end of the ladder, taking a deep breath, and then -

"perhaps you should learn to break the habit of drinking the night before an early training session," he mused, arms crossed across his chest. that stupid smirk had found its way to his full lips again, and if he weren't so annoying, you'd probably find his current stance sexy.

you glowered in his direction, and his smirk only grew. was that a dimple? gods alive.

"perhaps you should mind your own business," you spat, beginning the first set of ladder drills. you huffed, puffed, and your legs felt like they were going to give out beneath you.

azriel watched intently the entire time, and he'd deny it if he were ever asked, but he thought your ass looked delectable in your training leathers.

he cleared his throat, forcing himself to break his less than innocent train of thought.

"knees higher," he commanded, voice steady.

your temper flared but you complied, straightening your form and lifting your knees.

"there you go," he praised, "very good," his voice had lowered marginally, and you felt your cheeks grow even hotter at the sound.

you struggled your way through the last three sets, dizzy and stomach roiling. i'm never drinking again, you cursed to yourself.

you were adamant about ending training now, you didn't care what qualms azriel may have about it. you hobbled towards the black stretching mat, not giving the male even a fraction of a chance to add some other hell-sent workout to this morning's agenda.

az followed, stopping near the edge of the mat to peer down at your exhausted frame.

"that's it then?," he rumbled, huffing out an amused breath through his nose as he observed you.

you covered your eyes with the back of your arm, inhaling deep breaths through your nose. you didn't deign to give him an answer, choosing instead to focus on not spilling the contents of your stomach all over his feet.

he sighed, lowering on his knees before you to assist you with your stretching. he wrapped a firm, scarred hand around your left ankle, pulling your leg straight in order to begin working on your hamstrings.

you groaned, wincing through the pain that was shooting through your legs and lower back. azriel watched intently, trying his best to ignore the fact that he was knelt between your leather-clad legs.

this part was always the hardest for him - the part where he had to divert his attention literally anywhere else to avoid imagining what else he could do to you in positions very similar to this.

your eyes met his form, watching him carefully. the beaming sunlight allowed you to admire the glistening sheen against his golden skin, the freckles smattered across his cheeks and nose. his boyish curls that fell against his forehead and tucked around the nape of his neck.

the light was caressing his skin, almost as if it couldn't help but touch him. you couldn't blame it. azriel was the prettiest male you had ever seen.

he lifted your leg straight, scooting closer to rest your calve against his hard chest. his hips were pressed into your thighs now, and you had to clear your throat to distract yourself from the feeling.

he sensed the tension, and it almost made a smug smile creep across his features, but he refrained.

this was such a common theme between the both of you: he'd annoy you on purpose, you'd react, he'd revel in it. so much tension, and you both knew it. as soon as the both of you were close enough to share the same space, you'd falter, and he'd try his damndest to not do the same.

his hips accidentally jutted against yours as he switched to your right leg, and you'd had to close your eyes to avoid scooting down in order to prolong the contact.

gods, you'd thought to yourself, i'm so fucked.

"you're so tight," he'd mumbled mostly to himself, working his hands against a knot in your leg. your eyes snapped open immediately - you'd pay hefty amounts of gold to hear him utter that phrase again.

and of course, smug-ass azriel knew exactly what he was doing.

a/n: will this end up being a series? probably. i can't help myself. let me know what you think!

[yikesmary]

hi! i saw u were asking for some svt oneshots ideas so ... strangers to dating (?) w mingyu where u walk ur golden retriever and while in the park mingyu bumps into ur puppy and asks if they can play together for a while <3

PUPPY PARENTS — kim mingyu x reader

summary: where your golden retriever has the tendency to bring you things she has an interest in— sticks, frisbees that obviously don’t belong to you, and even the occasional bird. but this time, your dog brings… a man? and not just any man, only the most beautiful man you’ve ever met. maybe your dog is onto something…

notes: WOO first request! i don’t have a dog but this request is cute. also i have no knowledge on how having a dog at the park works so i’m just guessing. it’s a non-idol!au but it doesn’t really matter since it’s not really mentioned. i kinda got carried away and the plot ended up a bit different than what the request was so i’m sorry anon 🧍‍♀️

“Now, I know I’ve let you bring in whatever interesting thing you see. But this time it should stop. I mean, come on, the old lady’s chihuahua? You weren’t the one getting hit by her purse,” you told your golden retriever Winnie, who looked as if she wasn’t understanding a thing you were saying.

Which made sense, considering she was a dog and you were, you know, not a dog.

You sighed, and kneeled down to the level of Winnie and decided to give her a tiny head rub before standing up and proceeding your walk to the park.

Thankfully, the park wasn’t busy. The last thing you wanted Winnie to do was pick up another kid again by their collar and proceed to kidnap them (the first and last time it happened, the mom was understanding but also really concerned).

Once you entered the park, you looked for a bench to sit on with Winnie not too far away, her tail wagging as she walked. When you finally chose a bench and sat down, Winnie looked at you as if she was expecting you to let her roam free.

“You can’t go too far away and play nice with the other dogs,” you reminded her, and she barked in response. It was times like these where you thought she understood you. But no matter how much you reassured her that you knew how to keep secrets, the only thing she did was stare at you blankly.

You gave her one last ruffle on her head before she took off running, watching her as she zoomed past the many people in excitement.

After making sure that she didn’t immediately run away from the park, you went on your phone to watch TikTok and respond to the texts you got that you told yourself you were going to respond and never ended up doing.

However, this didn’t last long because a confused, “Miss, is this your dog?” which made you look at the person that belonged to the voice.

You froze at the sight of the beautiful man. And it wasn’t just a quick stop; you physically froze at the sight of him. But you stopped once you realized that your dog was forcibly keeping him there in front of you by biting his pant leg and not letting go.

“Winnie! I told you that you can’t kidnap people,” you whisper yelled at your dog, but it was futile, as your dog just kept on wagging her tail, no doubt drooling on the handsome stranger’s pants.

You took ahold of the dog and pried her mouth open in order to release the pant leg. “I’m so sorry, I should’ve known she would do something like this,” you apologized, putting Winnie’s leash back on.

The man had smiled at you, not bothered at all at the fact his pants were now covered in dog spit. “No worries, she was nothing but sweet when she approached me. We even did a game of catch before she decided to kidnap me,” he said, grabbing a tennis ball from his pocket and showing it to you.

“You just happen to have a tennis ball in your pocket?” You asked, raising your eyebrow.

The beautiful mystery man only grinned at you, “I like visiting the park because I like asking dog owners if I can play with their dogs,”

“That’s… adorable,” you blurted out, since the thought of the man just having the ball for the sole purpose of having something to play with dogs was adorable.

“Thanks, but Winnie here is adorable, too. I’m guessing she’s named after Winnie the Pooh?”

“Unintentionally named Winnie. My niece had a Winnie the Pooh phase when she was younger and constantly kept calling her Winnie and it was the only name she ever answered to after that,” you explained.

“So if I know the dog’s name, can I know yours?” he asked.

You told him your name feeling a little embarrassed, since you went on to call him adorable and explained your dog’s name origin without either of you knowing each other’s names. If he didn’t stop you, you would’ve probably ended up over sharing and telling him all your life problems.

“Pretty name for someone who’s just as pretty,” he complimented, which made you smile.

“Does that line work?” You questioned.

“Depends. Did it work on you?”

“How about I know your name first before I say anything?” you asked.

“Oh, right! I can’t believe I asked you for your name before even saying mine. My name’s Mingyu,” he said, finally putting a name to his face.

“Well, Mingyu, the line worked. Just a tiny bit,” you replied, putting your pointer finger and thumb close together in a pinch.

“That’s disappointing. I thought it would’ve been the perfect line to lead to asking you out for coffee. My treat,” Mingyu said.

“Well. the coffee does sound good. And you did get ambushed by my dog, so I’d feel bad rejecting you…” you jokingly trailed off.

“And I might be injured! You might have to stay with me until I feel all better,” Mingyu played along, causing you to laugh.

“You’re such a dork,”

“A dork who just so happens to know of a cafe that allows dogs and even has their very own menu of drinks and food curated just for dogs,”

Winnie interrupted your banter at that moment in order to nudge you, giving her own seal of approval at the mention of the cafe. “I guess Winnie chose for the both of us,” you said, gesturing to your dog’s sudden movement.

“Just as a warning, don’t taste the dog’s food. I tried it and I should’ve never done so in the first place,” Mingyu said, the both of you walking with Winnie beside you, trotting along.

“What made you even eat the dog treats anyways?”

“They looked like human food! So, as a result my friend, Jeonghan, dared me to try one…”

[justenjoythegossip]

THE ONE WHERE HE SAID HER NAME

For people who aren’t aware, Chris was just interviewed on Access Hollywood where he is promoting his dog food brand and talking about his wife’s connection and relationship with “their” beloved dog. Go Portugal! 

First remark, she will no longer be known as Voldemort as it’s the first time since the start of this shitshow that he has ever said her name. Good for her and shame on him. 

Second remark, his background has been blurred for more… privacy (sarcastic coughs).

Apart from those 2 new elements, it’s pretty much the same old stuff. Let’s dig. 

THE TIMING OF THE INTERVIEW

This interview takes place at a time where Chris is gaining a lot of momentum. He just made a very talked about cameo in a huge Marvel hit. As a positive sign, he is gaining followers again, which at least looks organic whether they are real or bots or a combination of both. He is working hard, doing stunts with ASP, in order to look deserving of the Spirit of Service award he is going to receive on September 11th which, by the way, coincides with the one-year anniversary of his wedding. 

This interview is about promoting his dog food brand and their partnership with a giant retail store. Because obviously why not ride this wave of publicity, make more bucks and get more attention? Especially after that planned story on his Insta about his Deadpool cameo and the variety article that suspiciously followed so quickly after it. 

Not coincidentally, this date was supposed to be the one when a BUA was to be announced, as Team PR blogs were insisting. (By the way, that fact alone should enrage Chris’ fans as his team clearly looks in cahoots with them, as many suspected.) 

TEAM PR AND THEIR LASTEST DECEPTION

Team PR blogs have been claiming the contract expired on July 26th, that the BUA was imminent and was to happen before the end of July.

They were clearly lying like they have been lying since the start of this shitshow. Particularly about the ending which was supposed to happen after the Ghosted premiere, after the Peter Holmes interview, after he came back to Insta, after theForbes article, after the papwalk in December… …during the shooting of the Materialists… 

The fact people actually gave credence to their most recent claims is not a testament to their “cunning” manipulation techniques or people’s gullibility but to how much this fandom wants this shitshow to be over. 

As you noticed, one key and vicious member of Team PR was explaining yesterday that Chris’ wearing the ring meant nothing and “was insignificant”. How hypocritical, isn’t it?  When Team PR, Team Real & Team Middle have all been talking & trolling about the precious for months. 

Notice how those Team PR blogs are now deflecting once more with silly diversions such as dog behavior or how allegedly his family will suffer for it (oh please), or play the victim card as they are allegedly receiving threats and hate messages. All of this is meant to distract from the fact that they lied once more. And they did it for several reasons, the most important being... 

ANOTHER CLASSIC BAIT & SWITCH FOR ADDED SHOCK VALUE

We have seen this movie before and repeatedly, haven’t we? The pattern is so similar to what we have witnessed in February with the ski trip. 

And even recently, with all the time she was seen spending in her home country without him (the concert, the birthday), her furnishing an apartment in Portugal, his wearing and hiding the ring every chance he got, and more importantly the stunt at the walk of fame of Kevin Feige where she was seen to be a no show so ostentatiously… Look at how staged that was, and you will realize what the purpose for it was. 

So, what they did was to try to breadcrumb a separation once again, to build up the fans’ anticipation before pulling the rug out from under them in order to add shock value. 

Well done! But FYI the aftereffect might prove very counterproductive for Chris, as his complicity looks more and more obvious and his playing the victim card looks more and more infuriating. 

CHRIS’ COMPLICITY

Chris claimed in his SMA interview how much he hates any forms of manipulation. He should have added that he was fine with it as long as he was the one doing the manipulating.  Indeed, his complicity is absolutely undeniable. 

I have written a post about this topic, if you want to check it out. 

Let’s add to this his recent shenanigans and more precisely what he did with the precious ring. I won’t go too far back and will just use 2 recent examples. 

Do people remember the Jinx commercial where he uses his pinkie to “hide” the ring as he gives food to Dodger? What he is actually doing here is to draw more attention to the ring and promote his relationship with Alba, he also looks ashamed to gain sympathy from his fans and manages to feed the discourse (real or not?) in the process. 

Isn’t it exactly what he did again for that walk of fame ceremony where he allegedly arrived without the ring (like he would forget to wear it) and then get photographed with it from every angle while his wife was a no-show?

Now let’s move on to the most interesting aspects of it all: the brand deal.

THE BRAND DEALS CONNECTED TO THIS SHITWHOW

First observation. You can see the similarity to the interview he did on The View sponsored by Jinx when he came back to Insta just in time for the Black Friday. 

I am not privy to any private information and haven’t seen the contracts but it’s safe to assume that certain businesses of his are directly connected to this shitshow for the simple reason that they have been getting an incommensurable amount of “free” publicity from many prestigious publications & media outlets. 

And by the way, it started before Alba even entered the scene. We can safely deduce Chris had already cashed in on those checks (“free” publicity) and this shitshow was also used as a payment for it. 

Because clearly, dog food and a civil engagement platform are not the “sexiest” businesses. And, the amount of media coverage those companies have been getting seems totally disproportionate compared to Chris’ status and the marketability of those businesses.

Compare this to the media coverage his fellow Avengers have been getting, like Jeremy Renner’s cigar and alcohol businesses, or Scarlett’s The Outset. 

Obviously, Chris gets to promote his businesses Jinx or ASP when he talks or breadcrumbs his relationship to Alba because this is far more selling and salacious for the media and the public. 

Sidenote, now observe the media coverage his commercial for a much “sexier” brand like Audi got, a commercial where he did not have to wear the ring by the way. 

So if you guys are enraged by this shitshow and how it is conducted, not looking at this train wreck won’t change a thing or the timeline but what might have an impact is to boycott the protagonists and the brands that are playing and manipulating you. 

THE ENDING OF THE SHITSHOW

Clearly this shitshow is long-term and won’t be ending anytime soon. And the reason for that is simple. The optics of this relationship aren’t great as he looks like her old uncle and the power imbalance is all over the place. He HAS to stay married to her for a while to give value to this relationship. 

Because clearly, he looks like another Hollywood cliché going through a midlife crisis. The only thing that could salvage a part of his public persona is to make this marriage last so that he doesn’t look like a “one-dollar Leo but without the talent”. 

In fact, it will likely last for much longer and might even escalate (DM is breadcrumbing baby rumors) because one thing appears crystal clear at this point: this marriage seems to be much more than a rebrand and a publicity stunt.

WHAT MIGHT BE COMING NEXT?

There is a rumor that Chris might be selling his LA home after he just sold his Concord house. Not so long ago it was the one in Vermont.

Like some Team PR blogs rightfully said, it was purposefully leaked to the fandom after the house had already been sold. It was a great and very smart PR move. Suddenly, Chris seemed like he was at a crossroads, like it was a new start where anything is possible. 

But as you guys noticed, the background was purposefully blurry for this interview, which gives the illusion he is private when he is really not, also puts emphasis on the crazy fan narrative (Chris has to hide to protect his family from his crazy fans) and more importantly helps to present any fabricated life he wants to the general public. It is a white canvas so to speak. 

[hearts4golbach]

The Night Shift.

Johnnie Guilbert x Fem!Reader.

chapter 13.

it was another night in the cafe, the same routine seemed to be never ending. as i scrubbed the counter down after spilling my own drink, i thought about Johnnie. i didn't want to have my hopes up that he'd continue to come and see me every night, so i had myself convinced i'd only see him a couple times this week, if even at all. i scrubbed the counter until it sparkled, wanting to keep myself busy with anything i could. if Johnnie was up, he would've texted me. and if he is up and didn't, then that's fine. i kept telling myself the same thing to try and quiet my mind, but i gave in and just put in one of my headphones.

it was around 11 pm when a trio of girls stumbled into the cafe. 2 of them were very obviously under the influence while the other must've been the designated driver because she had a miserable look on her face. the sober girl shooed them off, telling them to go sit somewhere. she walked up to me with an exasperated smile. "you seem like you're having a great night." i say sarcastically, trying to lighten the mood.

she sighed, "yeah. so sorry if they cause any trouble." she says shyly.

"all good, what can i get for you?" the bell on the door rings as someone else walks in. i didn't glance over while i was listening to her order. whenever she was finished ordering snacks for her friends, she thanked me and went to sit with them.

johnnie walked up after her with a tired smile. "hey."

i tilted my head and smiled softly. "why don't you take melatonin or something? your sleep schedule must be shit if you come and see me every night." i tease

"i mean, it's worth it. in the day you're usually asleep." i looked at him, confused, "so i can't see you." he explained further, lightly laughing.

"well, i'm so glad you come see me so often," i smile, but my mood immediately flipped as someone else walked in. a sweet looking old lady stood behind johnnie in the line. "you ordering anything?"

"probably not tonight. i just planned on seeing if i could talk to you for a bit." he moved out of the way and went to sit at his usual table. after i served this customer, i planned on going to sit with him.

"hello, ma'am. what can i get for you?" i repeated the words i had at least a hundred times in the past month. as she went through her order, i took a couple glances around the cafe. johnnie sat on his phone, leaving back in the chair lazily. meanwhile, one of the intoxicated girls was really eyeing him. it looked as if she was undressing him with her eyes, and i hated it. i watched as she turned to her friend and whispered before smiling and blushing and looking back at him. i think i visibly rolled my eyes.

"that'll be all!" her bottom lip slightly quivered as she smiled.

"i'll have that right out for you." i walked over to our case of pastries, occasionally taking glances back at the girl. she seemed to be scheming something. i collected her two cheese danishes before going off to make her vanilla latte. i set her things on the counter in front of where she was standing before telling her the total. she paid and went on her merry way.

i exited from behind the counter and sat across from johnnie. whenever he realized i was done, he shut off his and fixed his posture to face me correctly. "seems like a busy ass night."

"yeah, i mean, luckily i get off at, like, 3." which was about 3 hours before the day shift started. johnnie nodded. i watched as the same girl walked up behind johnnie. she had long, red, pin straight hair and the cutest freckles i had ever seen, which almost made me mad. she was beautiful, and if she was about to hit on johnnie, i didn't stand a chance compared.

she tapped on his shoulder while staring me dead in the eyes. " hi, i'm amelia." she smiled sweetly, sticking out her hand to johnnie.

"hi," johnnie replied, sounding confused but not taking her hand. him not taking her hand made me want to smile, but it was such a small gesture, i convinced myself it was nothing.

she cleared her throat as she put her hand down. "well, i think you're really cute," she blushed, "can i get your number?" her hand grazed his shoulder.

he slightly furrowed his eyebrows, glancing towards me before turning back to her. "i'm not looking for a relationship right now, no thanks." he said nonchalantly before turning back to me. she opened her mouth to say something but ultimately walked back to her seat without saying a word. "did i ever get your tiktok? i wanna send you shit." he immediately changed the subject.

"no, one sec." i pulled up tiktok and showed him my username. as he was looking me up, o began to spam text jake.

me: jake

me: jakeee

me: jake!!!

and so on for at least 30 seconds before he texted me back.

jake: whaaat why can't i sleep D:

me: because this girl was tryna get his number but he said he's not looking for a relationship is that true???

jake: i can't say much but that is not the case for that inbred

me: well damn good but what 😭

jake: is that it

jake: can i sleep now 🙃

me: yes get your beauty sleep cause you need it lol

jake: girl have you seen me?? gn

me: lol night

i turned off my phone and looked at johnnie, feeling much better. "you find it?"

"damn, sorry, i'm slow." he smiled awkwardly, a blush growing on his face. i smiled back.

[not-so-lost-after-all]

Final veil

Chapter Word Count: 6k

Fic Summary: The world can be a cruel, especially to children. But maybe, just maybe, the gods smiled at her for once. Buckle up because this isn't exactly a fix it fic but Jaehaera Targaryen gets a shot at happiness. Or, how I wanted to give the little queen a voice.

Taglist: Jaehaera Targaryen x Aegon III Targaryen, alternate universe - canon divergence, angst

Warnings: canon typical violence, character death, pregnancy, blood, incest, you know the drill

*** 

It happened so fast that, in the darkness, she almost failed to notice that the man had some stripe tattoo on his face. She only caught a glimpse of him for a fraction of a heartbeat when he jerked her out of bed, fully waking her up. He pulled her back against his chest and covered her mouth with his hand to keep her from screaming. She kept biting his palm persistently as he pulled her to the open window. It was no use, because she was only a girl, and she'd always been small even for her age.

At that moment the old fear began to paralyze her but it was mercifully brief. When the man was thowing her from the window of Maegor's Holdfast into the cold rain, fear was replaced by a sense of disbelief. It's just another nightmare, this time about her mother Helaena and she'll wake up before she hits the surface. She only had time to scream once.

When she hit the spikes down there in the ditch, she couldn't scream anymore. She could hardly breathe and her mouth was immediately filled with blood. She saw several bloody spikes sticking out of her stomach and chest, one more piercing her left thigh. Her whole body seemed to throb with pain, not just the individual wounds, and she began to jerk in spasms. She was fleetingly aware that she peed herself but didn't care. She wished it would end right here, that she can already be with her mother and father and brothers.

Several people were running around and she could hear their voices, but she couldn't focus on them. After an interminable amount of time, many hands removed her body from the spikes and placed her on the ground. Then Grand Maester Munkun bent over her, turning her head to the left, ordering her to spit out blood. He gave her poppy milk to drink, she could tell... and she gulped it down greedily, though with effort, until Munkun pulled the bowl with the red lip imprint away from her mouth. Then at last came the nothingness. Until the last moment Jaehaera had no idea if it was death or unconsciousness, but at that moment she didn't even care.

*** 

She survived the night. And the following day. Was later told that whenever she was conscious she screamed. She screamed even more whenever anyone as much as touched her. Munkun opened her body several times to fix what he could. During one such procedure, she regained consciousness and saw a piece of something shiny, dark, and bloody on the table next to her, something he had taken out of her. It was then that she first heard the Grand Maester curse. She never told him that she remembered the gruesome image.

By the middle of the second week, she was able to remain conscious for several hours each day and able to tell what had happened. She described it to the Hand, Lord Peake. Described the man who had tried to kill her, his strange tattoos and the smell of unwashed sweat. The Hand told her that Tessario the Tiger had been found in his room the morning after her accident, with his throat slit. Apparently he killed himself to avoid torture. Peake nodded at the words, obviously pleased with himself. She felt nothing.

Her husband did not visit her, but resented the dereliction of duty committed by Ser Mervyn, who was to watch her bedroom door. Despite the Hand's protests, he ordered Mervyn to be flogged with thirty lashes, from which the knight never recovered and died two days later. Perhaps someone helped him to his grave, and perhaps the Seven themselves were just angry with him.

So Jaehaera Targaryen survived. Some others... did not.

*** 

When she was able to get back on her feet after five weeks, she was finally able to return to her room. This time she was accompanied by two members of the Royal Guard who would remain at her door until further notice. Waiting for her in her bedroom was her companion, Lady Cassandra, who immediately rose from her bed and bowed.

"My lady, I'm so sorry..."

"Yes, yes. If you were so sorry, you should have come and see me."

Cassandra Baratheon pressed her lips into a tight line. "Whatever anyone was telling you about why I didn't come, it was simply because they wouldn't let me see you."

Jaehaera didn't know the truth and didn't care. Instead of answering, she walked over to the wall where her collection of dolls was propped up with their tiny backs. Taking an armful of them, she walked over to the window and one by one, she tossed the dolls down into the gutter where their heads shattered. They offered her no comfort any more.

"If there's anything I can do for you..."

"Hmmm? No, I don't want anyone's company. I just wish you'd leave and never come back."

"As you wish, my lady."

A sigh of relief escaped Jaehaera's lips as Cassandra disappeared, leaving her all alone.

*** 

She hadn't seen her husband for two months before he invited her to dinner with him. She didn't want to leave the room but knew it was an order and after all, she should leave her only room after so long. The maids put on the red dress Aegon had sent her and the knights escorted her to the table.

Aegon was already waiting for her, a tall boy with white hair and dark eyes. He wasn't looking at her though, he was rummaging through a pork roast with apples, his face serious. She knew that, just like her, he found little pleasure in eating.

He gestured with his hand to the seat across from him, but still didn't look at her. When she sat down and her food was brought to her, Aegon started eating for real. After a while, he noticed that Jaehaera was just sitting there over her full plate.

"You don't have to worry, all our food is given to the tasters in advance. Just like the ones they bring to your room."

Simple "Oh," escaped her throat. There was no warmth in his words, nothing comforting except the truth behind them. For too long, she didn't know what to say. "Thank you," she finally blurted out.

They ate in silence for some time before Aegon surprised her with a question. "What are you doing alone in that room all day?"

She looked up in surprise to find that this time her cousin and husband was actually looking right at her. At first she stared at him with her lips parted and blinked, but then she organized her thoughts and told him the simple truth. "I'm not alone, I have kittens. And I think I've just borrowed maybe a third of the books from Grandmaster Muncun's library. He's teaching me how to read and write. Mostly I read about our ancestors, sometimes stories about knights, but sometimes Munkun makes me learn numbers in vain."

A fleeting smile crossed Aegon's lips.

"But why do you ask?"

"Because I'm often alone too, and nothing I can do will keep me busy for long. I've been wondering if you knew any secrets."

This time she lifted the corners of her lips. He was obviously expecting a witty answer now, but she didn't know any secrets, so she just shook her head. Neither of them spoke again and only the clinking of cutlery echoed in the room. Once, when she unconsciously touched his arm fleetingly, she noticed that his fingers twitched and he withdrew it.

Oh, they could talk about a lot of things. About how her father had his dragon kill and eat his mother. Or how his father had her brother murdered in front of her. But neither of them ever talked about those things. Their dinners were a pain even without such burdens.

*** 

When Aegon's lost brother Viserys returned, his queen was of course to be among the first people to greet her brother-in-law. She understood that this was one of the few occasions when she was actually expected to show himself to the subjects, and she didn't want to fail.

A few days before, she had tried to walk down from her bedroom to the courtyard and back once again, accompanied by Munkun, with the Grand Maester patiently walking two steps behind her. Jaehaera eot gasping for air the entire time, her hand pressed against the right side of her chest. It was as if a red-hot needle pierced her lung.

Below, the Grand Maester stood silently beside her. "You are doing fine, my lady."

She didn't move a muscle in her face. "Will it ever get better, Munkun? It's been so long and I still nearly faint at the slightest exertion," she asked bluntly.

A sigh escaped the Grand Master. "No. I don't think it will ever get better. If you were stronger, it would help a little, yes. I understand you don't want to hear it, but I'm not going to lie to my queen."

But how could I get stronger if I can't swallow more than three spoonfuls of food at a time? She couldn't tell him that, she just continued to stare vaguely at something in front of her. But inside she felt a bitter frustration.

"They can carry you to the harbour in a litter if you like," the Grand Maester suggested in a kind voice.

She turned her head sharply towards him, and he finally remembered how her father had died.

"I won't walk, I won't be carried there, and riding a horse would probably kill me."

So when the day came, she just watched from the window as Aegon walked across the courtyard surrounded by courtiers dressed like birds hungry for admiration. He glanced once in her direction and his tense face tightened even more. Was that disappointment?

But then she took another look at his flamboyant company. No, it would still be safer if these snakes and their subjects did not see their skinny, pale queen, who could hardly stand on her two feet. They remembered the pretty little girl from the royal wedding, but they did not know that what they thought was a sign of bravery was only a dazed mind.

 ***

One, two, three, four years have passed. Aegon spent most of his time with his brother. Her only company was usually Grand Maester Munkun when he taught her. He was patient with her, and she slowly moved forward. Sometimes he seemed to be amused by her conclusions and would quickly correct her, and Jaehaera always gave him a confused look before he moved the conversation elsewhere. When she turned fifteen, he had to admit to himself that her mind has its limitations. Jaehaera would never be able to enter the Citadel, but if nothing else, he had raised her to be a decently educated young lady, despite everything going against her - he acknowledged that proudly.

As with everything else that concerned her, she blossomed into a woman late in life, at the age of fifteen. And it was Munkun again who suggested to Aegon that he might take her to bed, it was their duty, in fact. Those were his exact words. The icy shell around her lungs only tightened at how formal it sounded, at what the words mean.

She had to admit that Aegon's answer didn't surprise her much. "Let us be clear on that matter, Grand Maester," he said almost ceremonially. "She's just a thin, quiet little girl. I don't like her from the front or from the back. There's nothing tempting about her. This is no wife of mine, not really. Maybe we should stop fooling ourselves."

Jaehaera and the Grand Maester kept staring after him as he immediately left.  "You meant well," she finally said. Munkun knew that she and her husband had lost parents and siblings in the war, and had been forced to undergo a hasty escape as well as watch someone close to them die. He had no illusions about either of them, but he probably thought that, as two broken people, Jaehaera and Aegon could help each other grow. But she and her husband had long ago come to some unspoken understanding. Aegon is like a piece from a different puzzle - he was broken just like her, but in a completely different way.

The memory of grandmother Alicent was now forcing itself back into her mind. How her grandmother had begged her with wild eyes to slit Aegon's throat one night. She squeezed her eyelids tightly against the rush of tears and forcibly pushed the memory away.

And so she accepted this as the best solution. If their rare times together during the day were a misery, their nights would be a disaster.

Later, much later, Aegon did find a mistress. Daenaera Velaryon occasionally kept her company on walks to the Godswood when Jaehaera was having one of her good days. On one such occasion, the younger girl told her what was happening. It was, of course, the idea of the king's sister Baela, who had taken Daenera in since she was an orphan.

"Does that bother you, my lady?" the girl asked cautiously.

Jaehaera just shrugged. Why should she care? It wasn't going to threaten her.

In the end, Munkun warned her that she might actually be in danger, but it was too late to defy the king's wishes. Since then, Aegon was seen accompanied by Daenera much often than his wife at social events. Sometimes she saw them together, Aegon all in black and Daenaera in the blue-green of her house. The cheerful girl brought him more happiness than she ever could, but Jaehaera was only aware of that as if she was looking at her own distorted reflection in a mirror, a reminder of her own inadequacy.

Next to him, Daenaera Velaryon was charming and articulate, while the best people would say about the queen was that she was... kind (useless). Round where Jaehaera was bony, with quick feet and a quick smile. And she was half a head taller. She had porcelain skin and silver hair streaked with gold, while Jaehaera's skin was pale in an unhealthy way and her hair was more grey than silver. Daenaera liked to touch people, and Aegon tolerated her touch where he would have pushed the hand of his wife away.

It should probably fill her with bitterness but she mostly felt relieved. Once, when Jaehaera wanted to hold her husband and the other woman's newborn son, the child in her arms immediately began to cry, so she hastily handed him over to the nurse and fled in dismay.

 ***

The king received Arwyll, the castellan of Dragonstone, in modest company, just as he had requested. There was only the king, his brother, the members of the small council, and Jaehaera herself, whom Arwyll, for who knows why, wanted in the throne room as well. The castellan bowed to Aegon and Jaehaera and had a huge metal crate brought in. A surprise, he said. That was the only thing he had let them know beforehand, nothing more. An angry scratching sound came from the inside of the crate.

"I'm not sure His Grace will be pleased with this find but he should be among the first to know, whatever he decides."

When Jaehaera looked at Aegon at that moment, she realized that he has the same idea concerning what just might be in there, because he drew in air sharply several times. He nodded. The men from Dragonstone hastily removed the lid of the crate and a drawn out hiss echoed through the hall. Aegon tensed all over again but eventually made his way to the precious find with slow steps, with the others in tow. He showed interest in just a few things but dragons, oh just the mention of them he did not take well at all.

"Arwyll," he said sharply as he stopped moving, still a safe distance from the crate, "I think you know my answer. You needn't have bothered, and you might as well have put the dragonling down."

"The spawn may be useful," prince Viserys countered. "His Grace may not see it at all if he doesn't want to."

"You should probably know one thing about this dragon before His Grace makes up his mind. That's why I wanted you to see it with your own eyes." That was the castellan of Dragonstone.

Jaehaera who was ignored the whole time had reached the crate in the meantime. A low chuckle escaped her. "It's no whelp."

"What?" Aegon turned to her.

"I say it's not a whelp," she raised her voice this time so that the others would finally notice her. A light green dragon was spinning around in the box in annoyance, sparking fire furiously. It was too small, no bigger than a full-grown dog, strangely crooked and with stubby wings. Undoubtedly, though, it was an adult dragon. Jaehaera laughed in delight, the first time she had since childhood.

"Well, in that case, there's no reason to keep the creature at all, because it won't be very useful at this size, if I'm not mistaken," Aegon said through his teeth.

"It's the last dragon," Viserys reminded him. That was true, the dragon called Morning who bonded with the king's sister Rhaena had died three years ago.

Jaehaera reached out and gently touched the head of the little dragon. The creature sputtered, but eventually closed its eyes and buried its head in her palm. Something akin to a contented purr escaped its throat.

"I want it. If it doesn't grow anymore, I can take care of it."

It took the breath away from the men present. Aegon finally waved his hand. "That creature will die. Surely my lady can find another toy."

"I insist," she gave him a hard look. "I've never asked you anything and I never will again, but I want that dragon."

Aegon tilted his head to the side and let her demand run through his head for a moment. "I have no idea what you're trying to accomplish but have it your way. Keep the bastard dragon before he perishes in a dark corner somewhere."

Jaehaera clapped her hands and the little dragon leapt out of the crate. By the time Jaehaera headed for the door, he was following her faithfully.

 ***

The last dragon was still at her heels, really like a big dog. He clearly enjoyed her presence, even if he had gradually learned to accept the presence of other people.

As for herself, the dragon gave her courage. Taking care of it brought her her first real joy, as if it were her life goal. Mostly she still spoke only to Munkun, sometimes to Aegon or his brother but she had gotten used to walking around the Red Keep on her own, and for the first time she gave orders without hesitation. She thought long and hard about what name to give him. The dragon she had lost as a child was named Morghul but she had not chosen that name for him. So she began to call her last dragon Aenar.

When Aegon once asked her at dinner why she was so attached to that creature, she didn't hesitate.

"He's like my child. My first and my last."

Was it her imagination, or did he really flinch as if he was uncomfortable? Jaehaera, on the other hand, smiled to herself. He watched her warily, as if seeing her for the first time, and it took so long that she blushed all over. But they both knew she had just played him. He would never take that dragon from her. He already had four children he had legitimized without her, as his wife, raising a word of protest. Munkun had once claimed Aegon was dead inside but Jaehaera knew that wasn't true and her husband did not have the habit of being unnecessarily cruel.

 ***

Her dragon was not a dragon but a dragoness. So Aeanara...

Once the dragoness had laid a clutch of eggs, the queen had Aenara moved from her chamber to the largest room on the second level of the dungeons under the Red Keep, which was a safer place. However, she couldn't bring herself to keep the dragoness locked in that cell, so the door was always left open. Aenara slept patiently curled around her clutch, but she herself seemed increasingly agitated. Her beautiful eggs, however, were still as hard as stone after several months.

In fact, here in the underground Jaehaera was losing track of time and often forgot to eat. She was kneeling next to the dragoness, carefully placing her palm on one egg after another, when Aegon appeared.

"You missed our dinner. One would think it is such a rare occasion that you'd remember," he snapped. She heard the annoyance in his voice and didn't care.

"One would think you wouldn't mind, my lord," she replied without raising her head.

"That's not what I said."

"You came all the way here. Don't you have anything better to do?" After all, this was one of the last places he should be going.

She heard him take a few reluctant steps closer behind her back.

"Don't tell me you're afraid of this poor girl. It's a twisted animal with stunted wings that has never hurt anyone before. Is that what you're afraid of? You should feel sorry for her."

"It still has teeth and claws and spits fire. She's definitely not defenseless," Aegon grumbled, but knelt down beside her anyway to examine the eggs.

Jaehaera finally looked at him. He watched the scene in front of him with his eyebrows drawn together. "I'm going to have the eggs destroyed anyway but you already know that. I don't want any more... freaks around."

"They won't hatch," she said with conviction. "She's beginning to suspect it, too." At this, her husband just nodded in satisfaction.

"But don't you at least want to touch her while you're here?" There was a certain playfulness in her voice now.  For a few moments he even glanced at her lips.

"I'd rather touch a corpse," he started to get up.

Jaehaera grabbed his forearm tentatively and didn't let go when he jerked it. Before he could realize what was happening, he had his palm pressed against the warm scales on the dragon's neck. Aenara opened her eyes at that moment and lazily sniffed the stranger's hand.

"See, it wasn't that bad."

She put her palm on his own and this time he didn't flinch.

 ***

When the visit of Magister Nevius of Pentos was imminent, everyone expected the king to meet him alone or to be accompanied by his mistress. But this time, Jaehaera wanted to play the queen for once. To prove that she is the blood of the dragon after all.

She came to the feast accompanied by a bevy of noble ladies, as expected. She had chosen a velvet dress in Targaryen colors, and her hair had been combed and arranged in a hair net decorated with rubies by these ladies, most of whom she did not even know by name. She was immediately the target of surprised glances, and her throat tightened in horror. But almost everyone immediately turned their attention back to their respective companions, and the music again drowned out the conversation. As she sat down beside the throne where Aegon was already seated, she thought it foolish to ever be afraid of something so mundane and lightly chuckled.

She rarely spoke to anyone but twice she danced briefly with Nevius himself, who considerately interrupted the dance when she ran out of breath. Once she was asked for a dance by her brother-in-law, who accidentally stepped on her foot. But Aegon never danced, and today he seemed particularly silent and withdrawn. When he looked at her, she had no idea whether she had pleased or offended him with her actions. As the evening progressed, she noticed that they were both drinking too much wine although neither was usually too fond of it. With every passing hour, she drank to endure the buzzing of the maddening swarm.

When she left the hall with Aegon, it seemed like the most natural thing in the world. With a strangely light head, she realized that she'd never actually seen his bedroom before. She even slipped out of her dress with ease, though she was usually embarrassed by her scar-filled body. She desperately wanted to say something, anything, but it was as if even her tongue had gone soft. Aegon kissed her gingerly at first, as if she were made of glass, but she stood on her tiptoes and deepened the kiss with her inexperienced lips to the best if her abilities, which wasn't much of anything.

Her body was cold andv her cheeks hot when she moaned during that unfimiliar wave of searing bliss, pressing him to her as he began to pull away. "I didn't mean to cry out," she giggled. She turned away, more out of pride than shame. "If I weren't your wife, I'd be embarassed." Instantly, her face turned into silent shock. The fact that she had even said those words...

He laughed at her remark and expression, and she blinked in surprise. "You have a nice laugh, though you're certainly not using it often," she ran her smooth fingers over his right cheek.

He removed the arm that hung around his neck, smelling faintly of sweat and bitter like almonds, and pressed a kiss into her palm.

When she awoke from her light sleep a little later, she still remembered apologizing to grandma Alicent in her dream. She found out that Aegon had not yet closed his eyes. This dark room, decorated with gold, reminded her of a story her grandfather had once told her about some greedy gnomes and so she took Aegon in her arms, and for perhaps whole hours she babbled similar nonsense. Her voice finally lulled him to sleep, and he never learned what happened to the gnomes.

 ***

The Red Keep was attacked by ropes of rain from the blackened sky. It rained through the night until noon, so the water stood on the streets of King's Landing, not draining away, and children sent paper boats down the muddy torrents.

"I don't need bodyguards all the time, Gyles. Shouldn't you be sharpening swords or something?" Jaehaera spoke gruffly but she wasn't actually angry. Seven knew she was used to Gyles and his comrades. That didn't mean they didn't drive her crazy at times, though.

"It is my duty, my lady. And our swords are being sharpened by a blacksmith." Gyles kept pace behind her. There was no other way. The courtyard looked like one big muddy puddle, and narrow planks were laid in every direction for walking on. Here and there a huge wet snowflake drifted through the air, a harbinger of winter to come. One of them just landed on Gyles' eye and he cursed.

Her own heartbeat rumbled in her ears like the sea. For a single moment of fleeting time, she caught a glimpse of a fair-haired boy with features she knew from the mirror, just standing there in the kitchen doorway. His eyes were cloudy and blind, but he was smiling right at her. She quickly closed her eyes and breathed the cold air in. The world was spinning. Cold sweat broke out on her hands and her breathing was surprisingly shallow. The pressure in her head intensified for a moment until it was almost unbearable. It was like falling down from a tower...

The impact didn't come, darkness came instead. Not the dark grey interspersed with streaks of light and the darkest shade in the corners of the room but pitch black darkness. She was standing in something sticky and wet and felt cold surface underfoot.

Growl. And close. The first sound here sans her own breath. She heard no movement in the water, no taping on the surface. She cried out as a sharp stabbing pain shot through her left arm, and stumbled a few steps away. She could have sworn something had torn the skin down the length of her arm. But the touch of her other hand said no such thing had happened.

The beast drew breath into its lungs and snorted loudly. As she tried to move away, Jaehaera tripped over something bony and fell down into the cold liquid. She skinned her left palm and only now realized what the rancid smell she had been smelling all this time. Up close now, she could clearly tell that it was decomposing blood - a mixture of damp underground, fish and rotten flesh. She jerked the hand she was using to support herself as a couple of small, slippery creatures scurried underneath it.

It was quiet around again. When she remained completely still, strange ideas flooded her mind. What she saw was a little frightening at first, but it was as if she had experienced it herself... the fire, the screaming and the smell of burning flesh... the flesh she tore with her teeth from the human torso, the heart that looked like a bloody fist... her own saliva dripping into the open skull that still throbbed with life inside. All of this was gradually replaced by a quiet sound that she couldn't relate to anything she knew at first. Only after some time, She recognized the kind of strange babbling that children who can't yet speak make.

The moment she realized it, a light appeared. Lots of outlines of animals lit up around her, just strokes a child would draw. Several times she had to dodge a flying butterfly or a cat brushing against her legs.

She backed up, tripping again. She heard a child's laughter, but by then she had already hit the wall and the wall parted and she fell onto a layer of muddy snow.

She was awakened by a palm falling on her cheek. She jerked and opened her eyes.

"You have fainted, my lady. A few hours ago," Munkun smiled apologetically.

"I'm with child," the slightly irritated words came out like a shot. It was actually too soon to be sure, but... she was sure of it.

"Congratulations," Munkun summed up, bowing his head slightly.

"No. The child is not well." She knew it, she felt it. How could a woman like her have a child other than some little deformed creature?

"If I may give you any advice," the Grand Maester rose to his feet, "you must trust the child a bit more. If you get rid of it and never have another, you'll spend the rest of your life wondering what might have been. And believe me, it's not a life worth living."

She said nothing and just watched him with a blank stare as he turned back at the door. "But if you do decide to get rid of it anyway, don't tell the King. Ever."

"He still hasn't quite come to terms with the idea of cheating on his mistress with his own wife."

"I'm certainly not going to tell him." He gave her a strained smile. Jaehaera preferred not to inquire further as to how many of the ladies at curt he had helped in that particular way had been given a gold necklace by their husbands to ease their supposed grief.

 ***

She had a strange feeling that day, her instincts warning her of something, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was. It was like a word that kept itching on her tongue. She decided to visit Aenara, and at the upper entrance to the dungeons she ordered Gyles to stay there. The dungeons were empty, after all.

She'd never gotten used to the stuffy atmosphere underground, and the faint smell of smoke from the torches made her stomach churn. Aenara hissed weakly when she saw her and slowly approached Jaehaera. Ever since the clutch had been taken from her, she had shown remarkable indifference to everything going on around her. It was for the best though, because after so long it was clear that her eggs were nothing more than strange precious stones.

Jaehaera put one hand on her protruding belly and the other on the dragoness's snout. "You'll accompany me again, what you say?" At that, Aenara let out something akin to a satisfied huff. Seven knew the two needed each other. "The little one will adore you too, I'm sure."

At that, Aenara stiffened and hissed at something behind the woman's back. Jaehaera seemed petrified and her thoughts immediately froze. So her hunch came true after all...

"Hello, little queen," she heard a slightly amused voice behind her, with a faint accent she couldn't recognize. Somewhere in the distance, there was this muffled sound of dripping water and she wondered whether or or not Gyles could hear her screams from down here but he'd probably never get to her in time anyway.

She slowly turned around.

A tall man leaned against the door frame, a confident smile on his lips. Actually, he didn't look all that dangerous. His hair was grayish and his face tired like he's someone slapped by fate repeatedly, even though he still won't be forty for a long time. Then she noticed the giant butcher knife at his side.

To her own surprise, she was able to control the weakness that began to stir in her muscles. This wasn't Tessario the Tiger and she wasn't a child anymore. The dragoness at her side growled angrily but Jaehaera held her back with a gesture of her hand, far from certain of the outcome of that battle.

"How did you get here..." she fired the question at him in a desperate attempt not to feel like a victim.

He raised one eyebrow. Of course. It was a pointless question. Either he'd been locked in one of the cells for some time and someone had opened the door for him at the best moment, or he'd gotten in through one of the secret passages under the Red Keep.

"Alright, better question. Why? Don't I deserve to know?"

The grey man just shrugged. "They didn't tell me you were with child," he gestured to her belly. "Though I suppose that's the reason why."

They. She couldn't even be sure if Aegon's mistress even knew about this, or if someone was just using her children to their benefit. After all, Daenaera's children were healthy and the child Jaehaera was expecting could lead to another bloody war in the future. Like everything else about her, her child had come too late... She tried to stop the bitter, violent rush that tore at her throat. If she gave in to it, she would start wailing like a child and all the despair, fear and pain that boiled darkly inside her would come out. And she knew the torrent would consume her.

The man looked at her belly for some reason and the child inside her turned like it was scared.

"It's a boy, I think. It's a crooked little thing. I think his legs are fused together and he's only got one arm. Trust me, it'll be better for him this way. But I'll give you a choice." He folded his hands on his chest and she only now noticed that his nails are long And sharp like claws. He smiled eagerly again, and this time she noticed even his teeth Are pointy. "I can make it so you stay awake the whole time and still see him. So what would it be?" He looked at her with hope in his eyes and Jaehaera knew that no matter her answer, the man would not spare her that delight.

"How much gold did they promise you?  I'll pay you three times as much. The king will pay," she corrected herself. Her voice rustled like burnt paper. But would he pay for her if he knew what kind of monster she probably carries under her heart?

"Oh, I can tell you that. They offered to let me take something you would never give me," he glared at Aenara. "She may be small, but she's still a precious creature. I might even keep her. You have to understand, she's the one who's supposed to kill you and then run away. But make no mistake, I'll do it myself if I have to."

She almost fired another question at him - why would the dragoness attack her - when his whole body seemed to relax and his eyes fixed on the dragoness took on an absent gaze. Ready to attack, Aenara turned to her.

So a warg.Jaehaera wasted no time in lunging forward to grab his giant knife. Too late...

The grey man drew his blade almost immediately. Before she could run past him, he pulled her back to him. With one hand, she managed to hold back the knife that was aimed for her throat, and it cut into her fingers down to the bone. At the same time, she clawed at him persistently where she assumed his face was. For the next few seconds she still struggled with his fist pounding into her head, choking on the pain. His other arm crushed her chest as if he knew what her weak spot was. She felt several ribs crack under the pressure, even thought she heard two hollow pops.

Then Aenara finally jumped on him and bit into his shoulder, hanging onto him and clawing his left side and leg with all four limbs. The man had to make a decision and finally released his grip on Jaehaera and swung the knife at the dragoness. There was a grinding sound and Aenara screamed. A shower of hot dragon blood fell on Jaehaera as she sank to the floor.

She knelt on the ground and breathed a sigh of relief, momentarily weakening her focus. The next she knew, she was on her back on the floor, human teeth as sharp as a freshly sharpened blade biting into the soft spot just above her shoulder. A wave of pain paralyzed her. She could only wait for the other clawed hand to be placed on her chest, pushing until it breaks through her ribs and penetrates inward and ever lower to her heart.

The grey man lifted his head and licked the fresh blood running down his chin. He didn't see the dragoness who jumped on him again until the last moment, but by then he couldn't defend himself from her teeth sinking into his throat.

Aenara bit into his neck a few more times until the life was drained out of him. Then she began to crawl towards Jaehaera, leaving a trail of blood from the wound on her stomach.

Jaehaera turned on her side and spat out the blood from her punctured lung. She was rapidly losing consciousness and knew it wouldn't be long now. "It's alright, maybe it was always meant to be like this," she stroked the dragon's snout as she whimpered.

She only survived her chilhood by some miracle, maybe it should never have happened. After all, even back then she knew far more dead people than the living ones. But those were bad thoughts, wrong and cruel, and the black tide inside her only grew wilder because of them. And so her last thought was of thé seagulls flying over the stormy sea...

[padfootagain]

The Trouble with Tequila

Hello lovelies ! Today, we’re answering an anonymous request for some adorable Ben Barnes: “Hellooo! I know you probably have tons of requests on queue but this idea have been in my mind the whole day and I think it’s so cute and I have to share it with you. Since we all are thirsting over Mr. Ben Barnes and imagining lovely scenarios what about one where he and reader are engaged and they are out in a club (maybe his brother is there too) and reader is at the bar waiting for drinks or something, Ben is at table with his brother and he’s a bit drunk at this point of the night y’know, and he sees reader over there and he’s like “omg that woman is so beautiful i have to go and talk to her” and Jack is about to stop him but then he realizes is you who caught his brother’s eye in his drunken state and he finds it funny and cute and he encourages Ben to go to talk to you. And he’s all shy and cute and reader is a bit caught of guard at first and then she realizes what’s going on, and then Ben asks her out but his eyes catches your engagement ring and he’s all sad and be like “oh of course you’re engaged” and reader be “yes i’m engaged to a wonderful man . . . “ and she finish saying “i’m engaged to YOU” and Benny B be like “you engaged to me?“ jkyjkjykjy I just think he would be so freaking adorable and I can’t stop thinking about this”

Thank you so much for your request, anon! I hope you enjoy this cute little piece I’ve written for you!

I hope you all like this! Tell me what you think!

****

Pairing: Ben Barnes x reader

Warnings: Adorable cuteness. Alcohol, obviously… so much fluff…

Summary: You spend an evening in a club with Ben and his brother, but Ben gets a little too drunk and is very confused when he realizes that the pretty woman at the bar is actually engaged to him… how lucky he is!

Word Count: 2430

Ben Barnes’ Masterlist – Main Masterlist

It was a nice evening. You had spent some time dancing with Jack – as Ben obviously remained safely by the table. The club was pretty busy but you didn’t feel too overwhelmed by the crowd. The music was perfect for jumping around, and your group of friends was joyful and full of laughter tonight. Under the blinking lights, in the dimly lit room, you reckoned that this evening was going brilliantly.

You were enjoying yourself, and so was Ben. Or well, Ben seemed to be enjoying himself a little too much, actually. You looked at him with confusion painted all over your features when he downed yet another tequila shot…

“You’re okay, baby?” you asked, speaking loudly to cover the music. But Ben gave you a toothy grin, his eyelids falling a little more than usual over his dark eyes because of the liquor.

“I’m good,” he nodded, words slurred. “Brilliant, actually.”

“I think you should slow down, you’re getting pretty drunk…”

But Ben merely rolled his eyes.

“I’m perfectly fine, darling. I know what I’m doing.”

“Really?”

“Of course! I know my limits.”

As if to prove a point, he downed yet another shot and grinned, his cheeks flushed with alcohol, the red spreading down his neck and over his upper chest, visible as he had left the first buttons of his black shirt undone.

It was your turn to roll your eyes.

“I’m going to the toilets, and then I’ll get myself another drink. I’ll be right back, love.”

He nodded, not letting you leave before he got a peck on the lips, a dreamy smile lingering across his features as you pulled away.

You were gone for a while, taking a break on your own for a few minutes before joining back the party that was going on outside the safety of the bathroom, and then waiting by the bar to order a new drink. Meanwhile, Ben was getting more drunk. He had stopped drinking, but the effects of the successive shots he had downed in a matter of minutes were finally hitting him fully.

His head was spinning, he felt giddy and excited but his mind was blurred, as if surrounded by fog.

“You’re alright, Ben?” his brother asked him, noticing that he wasn’t sitting straight anymore and that his eyelids seemed even heavier than before.

“Yeah… I’m great,” Ben smiled, but his words were too slurred now. “Just… a little tired.”

“You’re drunk.”

“Nah! I’m fine…”

“You’re not fine! Come on, that’s enough!” Jack admonished, grabbing Ben’s next drink before he could raise it to his lips.

“Hey! I’m the older brother!” Ben protested. “I’m the one to look after you and be a pain in your arse! Give me that!”

But as he leaned further, the room span faster, and Ben blinked a few times.

“Why is the room moving? Are we on a boat?”

“No, Ben. We’re in a club.”

“Ha… yes… Hmmm… I think I’m gonna throw up.”

Jack rolled his eyes, cursing under his breath, but he couldn’t simply abandon his brother like this.

“You’ll hear about this. I’ll give you hell for this, you asshole.”

“Mind your language, you jerk!”

“Dimwit!”

“Fucker!”

But as Jack was helping him to his feet, Ben seemed to spot something beyond his brother’s shoulder, and his eyes grew a little round. His pupils were already dilated because of the liquor, but they grew even more at the sight…

There was this woman at the bar. God, she was so beautiful. Out-of-this-world kind of gorgeous…

Jack frowned as Ben suddenly refused to budge.

“Come on, asshole!”

“Jack… I think I’ve just fallen in love…”

Ben’s brother frowned hard.

“What?”

“I need to go talk to this girl and get her number…”

“What girl? What are you talking about, you moron!?”

Jack didn’t get it. He knew his brother like the back of his hand, he wasn’t the kind to cheat on you. He would never look at another woman. He loved you way too much for that, and he was too loyal, too kind-hearted to even consider it for a second…

But then Jack turned around to follow his brother’s gaze and his eyes landed on… you.

You were the woman Ben had spotted and fallen head-over-heels for in the span of a second. You were waiting for your drink, standing by the bar, looking around to pass the time.

Jack exploded with laughter.

“This girl? Over there?” he asked Ben.

“Yeah… she’s so pretty…”

Ben hiccupped, blinking a couple of times.

“I’m gonna go and talk to her!” he decided.

And Jack found this absolutely hilarious. He would never let Ben live down to this moment. He would remind him every chance he got how stupid alcohol made him.

“Well, go ahead then, before she leaves.”

Ben nodded, shuffling out of his brother’s hold, and with clumsy steps, he made his way through the crowd.

When he finally reached you, you welcomed him with a bright smile. And he was absolutely blinded by the sight.

“Hi,” he breathed, blushing profusely, growing a little shy now that he had to talk to you.

“Hi, handsome,” you answered, your smile growing amused, and his heart skipped a beat at the pet name.

“I just… I wondered if I could buy you a drink. Because I think you’re absolutely gorgeous. And I… Can I have your number?”

You frowned at that, puzzled.

“My number? What are you talking about, Ben?”

He gasped, eyes growing round.

“How can you know my name?��

Your frown deepened.

“Is it a joke?”

“No, I… I love you. I just saw you over there and… puff! In love! At first sight… crazy...”

You were about to answer when you saw Jack laughing his arse off behind Ben, a few steps away, and he gestured to you that Ben was losing his mind and you needed to play along.

You grew more amused, shaking your head, still a little puzzled.

Ben tried to lean against the bar but stumbled, and you caught him before he would fall.

“I reckon you had a little too much to drink, baby,” you said in a gentle voice.

Ben gave you the brightest grin.

“I love it when you call me that.”

“Do you?”

“Yeah… and when you said my name too, I love it. It sounds so good when you say it.”

He frowned as he looked down at his forearm, where your hand still rested and held onto his shirt.

He blinked.

“You’re… you’re engaged? You’re married?”

“Engaged,” you answered, struggling not to laugh.

“Oh… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come over, then. But of course… the perfect woman has to be engaged to another guy…”

He kept on apologizing profusely, before you would laugh, and he fell silent, struck by the sound.

“I’m engaged to a wonderful man. He makes me very happy.”

Ben nodded slowly, looking quite sad by now, and you decided to put him out of his misery, at long last.

“I’m engaged to you, silly!” you explained, but Ben frowned hard.

He blinked again. Once, twice, thrice.

“You… you’re engaged… to me?”

“Yes, Ben. I’m engaged to you.”

“You’re engaged to ME?!” he asked again, aghast. “But… how could I get so lucky?”

Your heart fluttered at the earnest question, and you shrugged.

“I’m asking myself the same question. I often wonder how I got lucky enough to be with you.”

He grinned at that.

“So… I’m getting married.”

“You are. To me.”

He threw his arms up in celebration, and you couldn’t refrain your mocking laughter.

“Ben, what are you doing?”

“I’m getting married! Oh… but of course, I’m silly. I’m getting married to Y/N!”

He heaved a dreamy smile, closing his eyes and letting his arms fall back to his sides.

“Y/N… she’s amazing. She’s so smart, and so funny, and so kind, and so pretty. Do you have any idea how gorgeous she is? She’s… perfect…”

Your heart radiated warmth and love at his words.

But then, he blinked his eyes open again, and he looked at you with a frown and a tilt of his head.

“But… if we’re engaged. And I’m with Y/N… You’re Y/N!” he realized, and before you could react, he had wrapped his arms around you and was holding you so tight you could barely breathe at all. “Y/N! I love you so much!”

You laughed, patting his back.

“I love you too, baby. But you’re crushing me a little now.”

“I don’t care. I’ll crush you into a marshmallow.”

“A marshmallow?”

“Yes… or… I don’t know what you can crush. What can you crush?”

You laughed at his silly thoughts, when the waiter reappeared, at long last, with your drink.

When Ben finally pulled away, you looked at Jack, shaking your head at him.

“Come on, help me get him in a cab,” you ordered, and Jack complied without much of a protest.

“What about your drink?” he asked, but he was interrupting by Ben’s voice.

“Jack! Have I ever told you how much I love Y/N? Did you know that she had the softest skin… and the most beautiful eyes… and she can even remember stuff like grocery lists! Isn’t that amazing?!”

You and Jack laughed so much at Ben, your stomachs hurt.

“Wow, crazy! You’re a lucky bastard for landing this one!” Jack played along, half-carrying his brother out of the club and into the street.

“Yeah, I’m so lucky… the luckiest…”

You thanked Jack as he offered to pay for the drinks for the night so you could take Ben home.

“Don’t get your mind twisted!” he replied. “I’m not doing this out of charity. I’d just rather pay for all the drinks than having to deal with him tonight!”

You laughed at that, kissing his cheek and bidding him a good night before you would climb in the taxi with Ben.

You struggled a little to get him home, but you thought the worst was behind you as you locked the door.

How mistaken you were…

Ben started to fuss around when he struggled to untie his shoes. He was taking off his shirt when he grew paler, and looked up at you with a frown.

“I think I’m going to throw up…”

You barely had enough time to push him into the bathroom and make him kneel before the toilets before he was throwing up.

You cursed at his stupidity for drinking so much and making himself so sick, and rubbed his back until he was done. You helped him back to his feet and let him brush his teeth.

“Thank you,” he mumbled when you brushed a few strands of his hair out of his face.

“I’ll get you some clean clothes, you get undressed, okay, my love?”

He obediently nodded, and you thought you could leave him alone for a minute.

Again… how mistaken you were…

When you walked back into the bathroom with some pyjamas, Ben was under the shower… fully dressed.

He had opened the buttons of his shirt, it hung open, the thin, black material clanging to his skin because of the cold water. His hair was flattened across his face, and his dark pants were drenched as well already…

You gasped, hurrying to turn off the water.

“What on earth are you doing?!” you admonished.

“I’m showering.”

“Yes, I can see that. But in your clothes?”

“It would save time to do both at once. You wash yourself and the clothes! Wow… that’s genius. Why haven’t I thought of that before?”

“Because it’s a stupid idea.”

He pouted, looking genuinely sad.

“You think I’m stupid?”

You heaved an annoyed sigh, and yet you couldn’t refrain the fondness in your tone as you answered.

“Of course, I don’t think you’re stupid. But you’re drunk right now. It’s late, and we need to put you to bed so you can sleep. Come on, you need to drink some water before going to bed.”

But he shook his head, beginning to strip.

“I don’t want to go to bed. I want to stay in the shower, it feels nice. You could join me! I could see you naked…”

He was interrupted by a hiccup, and you laughed at him, you couldn’t help it.

“Come on, love. Please, I’m very tired, I want to go to sleep too. Come on, get out.”

He complied, let you stop the water and help him get dry before he would put on some clothes again. You were surprised when he squished your cheeks.

“You are adorable,” he mumbled, then yawned. “You are as adorable as a pancake. A little mush mush muffin.”

“You’re making no sense, love.”

“I am making the most sense. Your skin is very soft too. And I want to squish!”

You broke free with a giggle, shaking your head at his silliness.

“Now, off to bed! Come on, I’m tired.”

“Anything you want, darling.”

He let you guide him to the bedroom, and you tucked him in before lying down by his side and turning off the light.

He shuffled closer, held you tight, cuddled you and you were happy to comply when he moved to be the little spoon.

“I love you, Y/N,” he whispered in the bedroom filled with darkness and the steady sounds of your two breaths. “I love you so much, it’s crazy. I want to spend my whole life with you. And… perhaps now isn’t the right time for me to ask this but… would you marry me? Cause I’d really like to be your husband. And I’d really like for you to be my wife too.”

You grinned, kissing his hair.

“Yes, Ben. I want to marry you. Actually, I’ve already said yes. Don’t you remember? I have a ring already.”

But when you looked down at him, he was already fast asleep.

The next morning, Ben woke to the worst headache of his life, and when you told him about your crazy adventures of the previous night – from his attempt to get your number to him throwing up and taking a shower with his clothes still on – Ben’s cheeks turned the deepest shade of red you had ever seen on him.

He buried his face in his hands in embarrassment, and apologized profusely, but you didn’t mind. At the end of the day, all of his actions showed how much he loved you. There was no harm done. You would tease him endlessly for that night though.

And Ben swore to never drink tequila ever again…

*************************

Taglist : @reg-arcturus-black @sergeantbuckybarnes @wolfmoonmusic

[meowmeowmeowmeow4x]

Dark Blue Moon and the Suffering Sun Chapter 36

Hey guys! Been super busy with other stuff. Check out my Ao3 if u wanna see more dpxdc siren content!

also masterpost!

INTERNATIONAL OUTCRY AS AMERICAN AGENTS TEAR THROUGH PANAMA

GIW agents harass civilians and destroy property in pursuit of supposed siren supervillain Phantom, only for no trace of said villain to be found. Is this yet another sordid chapter in American interference on South American soil? Lois Lane reports.

That was a welcome sight to see in the morning. Jazz Fenton placed her phone face down, and rolled back into bed; it was a bad idea to look at screens for too long while concussed, as much as she wanted to dig into the article lambasting Amity’s least favourite government workers. A small weight lifted off her shoulders. For the moment, her brother and Damian were scot free. Her parents were still hard at work on repairs. They’d spent the whole night in despair along with Bruce Wayne after Skulker had escaped without telling them any info on the missing boys, then the next morning, boom! Back to work. Never let it be said that the Fentons gave up easily. The GIW seemed less likely to bounce back, if the backlash against them was any indication. And Skulker’s ship was at the bottom of the sea.

As for what Danny and Damian would do next, Jazz had no idea. They could be trekking through Brazil on foot, or planning to swim back up north to Amity for all she knew. All she could do was hope Danny got himself a phone soon to call her, and let her know they were alright. Speaking of which…

Jazz got up and moved to the side of her door, where the spare mattress was propped up. She dragged it over the door, sealing it shut. With her room once again soundproofed and secure, she went back to her bed, and tapped a group call contact on her phone. She had texted them the brief details last night, but was too busy comforting her parents to give them the full report.

It answered in two rings. Tucker spoke immediately. “What’s your status?”

Sam picked up right after. “Where are the boys?”

“Everything is fine, for now. They managed to escape Panama before the GIW could catch them. But Skulker got them soon after.”

“Shit. I never even knew! I wasn’t there to hack him. What happened?” Tucker asked in panic.

“Mom and Dad came back last night, told me and Bruce that ‘Phantom’ made off with his little green friend. So at least they’re safe.”

“So that means they’re safe, right?”

Jazz squeezed her hairband. “For the most part. There’s one issue, though. Mom and Bruce saw Danny running at the beach in Panama. They didn’t see him go into the water or anything.” She was always careful not to say anything that would connect Danny with Phantom, just in case there was still somehow someone listening. It was never ‘transform’, it was always ‘go in the water.’ It was never Danny and Damian swimming in the ocean, it was Phantom and his friend, or just ‘they.’ “They don’t suspect anything catastrophic yet, but the situation is sensitive.”

“Well fuck.” The sound of a fist on wood came through Sam’s end.

“Sam, are you training?” Tucker asked. Jazz internally questioned if there was a reason to his surprise.

“Just a bit. Need to be in tip top shape.” Another series of punches. “You got a problem with that, Tuck?”

“Nope. Not at all.”

Jazz pursed her lips. “How are you guys feeling, outside of paranoid anxiety and crushing fear?”

“Like I want to cave someone’s face in right now.”

“I’ve got some good news!” Keyboard clacking followed his announcement, and a text from him appeared on their group chat. It was an internal order obviously gained via Tucker’s illicit means, directing operatives to pack up and hit the seas for Phantom. “The Gankers in Wetwipes are screwing off in the next couple weeks. That means less property damage. Woo!”

“But more people chasing Phantom, Tuck.” Sam let out a guttural growl as she kicked something, by the sound of it. “They’ll be licking their wounds for a while with his GTA stunt in Panama, but for how long?”

For how long indeed. If they were as determined as they ever were, probably not long at all. “What’s the status at Fentonworks?”

“All clear for now. I already gained access to the system aaages ago, back when we needed to disable the detection systems for Danny.” A few keys clicked in the background. “Still nothing. I have a program to alert me and Sam when a certain someone shows up.”

“And then what?”

“Hopefully, blast him to fucking bits with the house defenses.”

“There’s also plan B, Jazz, but we’ll save that for later,” Sam added. “How are you feeling?”

Jazz sighed. The last few days have been nothing but anxiety, uncertainty and stress. Slowly, she breathed in again, and her sigh became a calming exhale. “Honestly? Relieved. The future is uncertain, and people are naturally inclined to dislike uncertainty, but I have faith in Danny. He’s one of the strongest little brothers a woman could hope for.”

She just needed to have faith.

Damian chewed a piece of Sargassum. The stars coated the night sky once more in a mesmerising dome, while Danny laid beside him, fins flicking lazily, as he retold myths. Currently Danny was going over Herakles, who was brought to the teet of Hera to suckle, only for the baby Herakles to nibble too hard, causing the goddess’ milk to spill out into the stars, forming the Milky Way.

“Incidentally, galaxias literally means milky! Can you believe it?” Danny concluded.

The whale pod was fast asleep at this moment, floating near the surface of the ocean. Danny’s body was already mostly dried out, scales replaced by pink skin. The older boy tipped his foot into the water, which morphed it into a fin, before splashing the water onto Damian’s body.

As much as Damian wished to be able to continue swimming, he was still in recovery, and he and Danny had not finished gathering supplies yet. Instead, he laid his head on the mother whale’s body and on Danny’s, and listened to another story.

“This isn’t about any constellations, but here’s the hillaarrious misunderstanding for why some Greeks thought the god Pan was dead…”

Damian fell asleep to the rhythm in Danny’s chest.

He woke up feeling better than ever, and the whale calves seemed to feel the same. As soon as he rose, a group of them with Dorothea at the helm ambushed him. Dorothea bumped her nose onto him, and Damian instinctively grasped her fins to hold on, while she dashed away from her friends. Three calves followed Dorothea’s tail, while another two flanked her left side.

The two from the side dove for Damian, aiming to knock him off Dorothea’s back, but she swerved upward and dodged their advance. So the game was to claim Damian as their rider. He could get behind this. Dorothea’s friends approached from the rear. Damian secured his position atop her back, and scanned his surroundings, which were mostly featureless sands and dozens of whales. He clicked a command, then nudged her in the downwards direction. Almost by telepathy, Dorothea angled downwards underneath the belly of one of the adult pod members. The three chasers followed closely.

“Giddy up, Dorothy! We can still outswim them!” He called out to his friend. However, his glee was cut short by the reappearance of the two flankers. One seemed like a young male, with three spots on his head. Damian dubbed him Cerberus. The other had a white patch on its fin. Damian called it Todd.

Cerberus went low, while Todd went high, brushing against the underbelly of the adult they were swimming under. With Damian holding on tight, Dorothy dashed forward. She and Damian aimed to swim up the side of the adult and lose their tails (curse you Richard and your infectious disease). However, the three chasers from the back had returned. A smaller runt rammed Damian by the side. It was not painful, just startling. Damian yelped at his new captor and the current winner. “Be careful, you dolt! And start swimming!”

Runt clicked an answer back, and the chase was on. Damian took the helm at Runt’s back, and chirped a challenge back to the other calves, who crooned back with renewed vigour. Runt wasn’t as big or strong as her friends, but she was small, and that made her a more difficult target, as well as granting her greater nimbleness in the water. Try as her pod mates might, they were unable to catch her. Runt twisted and zig-zagged through the water, and around the bodies of the adults. Dorothea managed to glance by Damian’s sail, but she had aimed too high and left Damian firmly seated on his current noble steed.

As enemy forces closed in on them, he had to wonder what the victory condition had to be for this game, and if there weren’t, how he could make one decisively. His gaze turned upward.

“We need altitude, Runt. On the double!” He commanded. Damian ducked under another capture attempt by Cerberus, then jerked Runt to the side as Todd dove for another attempt. Runt sped toward the surface with accelerating pace amidst the growing resistance. In a rush of motion, the pair broke the surface and launched into the air, almost six whole feet up. Runt sang a triumphant tune. She blasted water out of her blowhole, which happened to be right underneath Damian’s face, but Damian couldn’t help but laugh even as he was pelted by high-pressure water. His stomach lurched and his heart jittered with the thrill of free-fall, celebrated with a pump of the fist.

He and Runt plummeted back to the deep blue sea with a magnificent splash, right before the whale calves surrounded them with playful nuzzles.

A click interrupted their celebration. Behind the shifting bodies of the whale calves, a grinning Danny floated, camera in hand. “Shouldn’t you be resting?”

Damian glared with dignity. He did not pout. “I was getting in my recommended hours of physical therapy. You’re welcome.”

“Yeah yeah yeah. And it wasn’t just because you wanted to play with the whales again?”

“It was training.” Damian put his hands to his hips. “I am learning how to be a whale whisperer and trainer, for any future encounters where that skillset might be useful.”

“Well…” Danny rolled his shoulders back and grinned. “Is the budding whale trainer ready for a lunch break?” The older boy offered a helping of brown kelp. “Today our chef has prepared a special three-course dinner comprising of kelp, kelp, and a mystery desert for later!”

“It is kelp, is it not?”

“You betcha!”

Within the clean white walls of a private jet, a man picks up a glass of champagne. Poor Jasmine, all alone in Fentonworks, her parents having gone off gallivanting across the waves once more. Poor Jasmine indeed. Well, having set affairs in order back at home, Vlad Masters was finally coming to check in on his dear, dear goddaughter.

“How long until we reach Amity, pilot?”

“Just another hour, sir. Hang in tight.”

“Excellent.”

And if he completed a few errands around Amity Park in the meantime, who could blame him?

[kiddbegins]

You okay? - Will Halstead

requested: yes

word count: 1,352

warnings: mention of doctory stuff, nothing bad

a/n: i wouldn't mind him yelling at me tbh

Masterlist

"Are you here to make fun of me?" "No, I'm actually just here to make sure you're okay." 

You wish you could say that you got off on the right foot with Dr. Will Halstead. ‘Wish’ being the key word there. But no, your first day as at the hospital consisted of three, three different interactions with the taller doctor. 

All of which were horrid. First you spill coffee all over him, then you notice something wrong with a patient that he didn't, which of course hit the strong wall of ego he had in his ability as a doctor. And to add to that you mixed your paperwork up twice, so it really soured whatever friendship could have formed between the two of you.

Even now months later, the two of you refused to talk to or acknowledge one another outside of work. Part of it intrigued you, made you want to try and get closer to him. Considering he was the one always avoiding you.

Your avoidance was only in retaliation, not wanting to be on the receiving end of him yelling which you had seen him do to other doctors when they disagreed too harshly against him. Except, luckily for them, the argument usually smoothed over by the end of the day.

Not your luck. Currently Will was ignoring you worse than before, having slept horribly, gotten the wrong coffee order at the cafe outside. Not to mention the stress of the patient he had. Part of you wanted to step in and see if he wanted a second pair of eyes but the more rational side of you knew he would rather literally anybody else help him.

Even Connor.

So you pretended he didn’t exist, tucked the feud into the back of your mind as you took care of your own patients. A little girl with a broken arm. Construction worker that needed a tetanus shot and stitches. Not much heavy lifting.

Yelling caught your attention, pulling you from the treatment room to peer across the pen, seeing a woman up in Will’s face. “What the hell did you do? What did you do? I want another doctor.” She snapped, shoving Will back which pulled Ethan from behind the counter, stepping in between the two.

You watched as Will’s face fell, his usual arrogance and defensiveness nowhere to be seen as Dr. Choi ushered the patient back into the room, effectively taking over at his discretion. Will sucked in a deep breath, going into the doctor’s lounge, the door swinging shut behind him.

“I uh, I’ll be right back. April, could you stitch him up?” You gestured back to the room, moving towards the same door that had just closed. As soon as she nodded, you pulled the gloves off of your hands.

Hesitantly, you pushed the break room door open, looking over at Will who was sat with his elbows to his knees, hands clasped together under his chin. His eyes stayed dead set on the emptiness of the room ahead of him as you stepped slightly closer. “Will?”

“What? Are you here to make fun of me?” His words were cold, finally looking over at you. You shook your head, heart slightly skipping when he kept eye contact as you took a seat at the table on the other side of the room.

“I was actually going to see if you were okay.” You gave him a faint smile, giving out some sort of peace offering. Even if you didn’t get along, seeing the look on his face just made your stomach twist. Like something major had happened.

No matter the doctor, you honestly would have checked in with them. “I’m fine,” Will sighed, leaning back against the couch, running his hands down his face. He was obviously lying. And normally you would have dropped it. 

But it felt wrong to. “Doesn’t seem it. C’mon, hatred or not you shouldn’t hold,” You gestured vaguely in his direction, “whatever that is to yourself the whole rest of your shift.” You spoke, leaning your head on your hand over the table.

Will turned his head slightly to you, eyebrows scrunched together, “I don’t hate you.” He completely ignored the reason you were even in the room, surprised by your choice of words. Has he really been treating you that horribly?

Your eyebrows raised instantly, a dry scoff coming from you, “Sorry but uh, you could have fooled me.” You shook your head slightly, “That’s also not the point of why I came to check on you.” Trying to bring the conversation back around you eyed him, once again gesturing to him.

He sighed deeply, sitting back up, his eyes focusing on the speckled ceiling. “I brought this guy back, restarted his heart cause you know, the wife wanted me to. She brought him back here to save him. But now,” Will dropped his hands to cross over his stomach. “Now he’s probably not gonna be fully functional when he wakes up. And that’s on me, for not just letting him go.”

You shook your head slightly, fighting the urge to move to be able to put a gentle hand on his back. “That’s not on you. We’re doctors. It’s what we do. Save people. You did what you thought was right.” In an attempt to comfort him at least a little bit you scooted the chair closer to the couch, bringing his eyes back to you.

“Still. He was down for 20 minutes, y/n. I should have just called it.”

“Maybe, but there’s no point in thinking about what you should have done. You did what you did, and that man is gonna live. Whether you should have done it or not.” You leaned onto your knees, smiling softly. “And hey, going the extra mile to keep a patient alive is kinda your thing.”

Will cocked an eyebrow up, head still resting against the back of the couch, “What do you mean by that?” He questioned, feeling a warmth spread across his face at the possible and probable compliment.

You shrugged faintly, “I just mean you always have your patients best wishes in mind. Which yes, can sometimes be incredibly stupid.”

“Wow, thank you.” He muttered, laughing dryly.

“But, it just means you really love your job. And love people. I wouldn’t change that about you at all.” You added, smile growing when he laughed. It was odd, being in the same room as him and it not being filled with awkward silence or annoyed tension. Instead it felt like you should be hugging him or something.

Though you weren’t sure going from never talking to fully embracing was a suitable step to take. “Thank you.” He muttered, your eyebrows raising once again. “For checking on me and what you said. I appreciate it.” Will sat up again, looking over at you properly.

You waved your hand at him in dismissal. “Hey, I’d want someone to do the same for me. I could tell whatever she had said got to you so,” You shrugged, letting the room fall into silence. And for once it wasn’t tense.

Slowly you stood, ready to head back out to the group of people in need in the other room. You stopped, turning to face Will again, “You mean it when you said you didn’t hate me?” You asked quickly, forehead knit together as you waited for his response.

“Yeah. I don’t hate you. You get on my nerves sometimes but,”

“Woow, alright. I’ll take it.” You laughed quietly, pulling a wave of laughter from the male doctor. It filled the room, replacing whatever bad energy the two of you held. 

Will stood, double checking he didn’t look like a mess in the mirror before walking towards you, “No but seriously, no hatred or bad feelings here,” He patted your shoulder before pulling the door open, letting you go through it first.

You smiled softly, leaving ahead of him, thankful he couldn’t see the way your cheeks tinted pink as you returned to your duties, your heart fluttering the rest of the day.

Join Will's taglist here!

tags: @winchesterszvonecek, @everything-fandom, @thebejeweledwatercat, @mrspeacem1nusone, @wnbweasley, @alexxavicry, @halsteadbrasil

[plan-3-tmars]

Goodbye, My Danish Sweetheart.

Hey I think the framing of this scene is really fucking cool and I wanna talk about it because I haven't seen anybody do that. yet so. yahooo!! let's get into it

BUT FIRST. Symbolism:

an empty chair can symbolise the absence or memory of someone dear who has passed away. This is very obviously meant to represent Hinako in this scenario

In my interpretation, this scene is Kazui saying goodbye to Hinako and apologising for the circumstances of her death.

The lyrics that play are:

"I’m sure nothing will change and we’ll laugh together and call each other stupid names, so many things I wish i hadn't known, I'm just a coward."

The first part of this verse sounds like he's wishfully thinking about what could've happened after he told her the truth - if anything a bit naively.

Kazui wanted (and still wants) to get the weight of his lies off his chest, but he wasn't ready to face the consequences of that confession, most likely making Hinako's death hit even harder.

Here, he bows to the chair before turning around leaving, a silent goodbye.

~

But what about what's going on in the background of this scene? Well!

As Kazui leaves, these two scenes flash in the background. On the table in the first shot is our good friend the green apple, and Background Kazui picks it up, analyses it, before biting it.

So let's go for another symbolism refresher!!

Green apples can sometimes represent platonic relationships, like friendship, but in Kazui's case this takes the form of a sin - as not loving Hinako romantically is what he's lying about - making it a reference to the Garden of Eden story.

Going from that, biting into an apple can represent feeding into temptation.

My interpretation of this scene is Pre-Marriage Kazui indulging in his 'sin', which in my opinion is the fact he's gay.

Let's go back to that lyric shall we:

"I’m sure nothing will change and we’ll laugh together and call each other stupid names, so many things I wish i hadn't known, I'm just a coward."

So many things you wish you hadn't known huh.. Not knowing you were gay would sure make lying to your wife a whole lot easier wouldn't it?

"What I gave up a long time ago, why is it questioning me now? So many things that I should now have known, I'm just a coward"

Woohoo evidence for Background Kazui being Pre-Marriage Kazui!!!

I think this scene is the last time Kazui let himself be free before marrying Hinako. This could possibly have been when he noticed she had a crush on him at their work.

He's indulging one last time. Embracing his sin instead of hiding it away one. last. time. before giving it up for good, almost like a. goodbye.

~

So. I think this scene is framed this way in order to show the parallel of Kazui giving up his sin, and Kazui mourning Hinako's death.

As established, they both have a "goodbye, I'm sorry things turned out this way" atmosphere to them. Kazui is apologetic, in a way, that he has to give up on being his true self and he is apologetic of his lies murdering Hinako, so Milgram conveys this by showing the two scenes posed the same way in front of one another.

This framing also gives the scene a Beginning Vs End feeling that I think is really cool, and the use of Dark Vs Light colours only heightens that! (Though that's slightly off topic rip)

Conclusion? I love this scene it's awesome and amazing and super cool

[angelasscribbles]

Savage Love Chapter 38: Here Comes the Bride?

Series: Savage Love

Fandom: The Royal Romance

Pairings: Riley x Liam, Riley x Drake

Rating: R         

Warnings: Mature themes

Word Count: 2,169

My other stuff: Master List.

The moment we were back on Cordonian soil, and I was free of Madeleine, I texted Liam, asking for an immediate meeting.

He responded instantly. Come to my quarters. Leo is here now.

I made my way to Liam’s private suite. He was alone with his brother. He swept me into his arms, pressing me close to his body as he whispered, “I was worried about you. I’m so glad you’re back.”

I melted into his embrace for a moment before remembering that I was there to give my official report about what I’d learned in Hidar. Noting that no one else was present, I asked, “Should we wait until the entire team is assembled?”

Liam shook his head. “We can brief them later on the parts they need to know. Tell us what happened in Hidar. Was Lena there?”

“No. She wasn’t. Was she in Rivala?”

Leo looked at Liam, who nodded, then turned to me and said, “She wasn’t home, but her mother was. Her mother turns out to be my mother. My biological one, I mean.”

“Oh wow! Oh, Leo.” I crossed the room and sat on the couch next to him so that I could throw my arms around him. “That must have been so hard for you! Are you okay?”

He returned the hug quickly, then released me as he answered. “Yeah…I mean, no, not really, but yes. Liv was with me. I’ll be fine. It’s a lot to process, but the short version is that when Eleanor was alive, she let my mom see me secretly. The plan was for her to take me and Liam with her when she went back to Auvernall for Lena. Obviously, that never happened and Helena ended up adopting an alias and raising the baby herself.”

“That is a lot!” I sympathized.

“That’s not the biggest bombshell,” Liam interjected. “Turns out Constantine wasn’t the baby’s father and that’s why she ran away.”

Oh, boy. The hits just kept coming. I stood and turned to Liam, my eyes tracking across his face, looking for signs of distress. “And how are you handling that news?”

“I’m not judging her if that’s what you mean, and I don’t blame her either. Our father isn’t an easy man to love and I’m sure he wasn’t a great husband. The bigger twist is who she was having an affair with.”

My head swiveled between the two men. “Who was it?”

Leo answered. “Jackson Walker.”

“Drake’s father?”

“Yes.”

My heart dropped. “Does he know?”

Liam gave me an understanding smile as he reached out and took my hand in his. “You’re worried about him.”

“Yes, Liam. I’m worried about all of you! This is a huge shock for everyone, I’m sure, and it’s not even the biggest issue in your life at the moment.”

The biggest issue was the threat to life and limb that the Via Imperii posed. Not to mention Liam having to get up to speed on becoming king since he’d had the crown unexpectedly thrust upon him just days before.

I filled them in on everything that had happened in Hidar.

“Wow.” Leo grasped a handful of his own hair as he took in the information. “First, we find out we have a sister, then I find out she’s not my sister, and now we have a brother.”

“One that’s been weaponized against us,” Liam added.

“We can try to extract him when take them down. Give orders that he isn’t to be killed,” I offered. “Maybe he can be deprogrammed.”

“Maybe,” He replied doubtfully.

“It’s worth a try,” Leo argued. “We don’t know what he’s been told or how he feels about any of it.”

“Great.” I nodded, “I’ll make sure the team that breeches has his photograph and understands he’s to be taken alive.”

Leo raised an eyebrow. “Are we ready to breech?”

“Hopefully soon.” Getting their brother safely out of Via Imperii control added yet another layer to my resolve to take down the entire thing, not just the local branch.

“Did you learn anything else that we need to know?” Liam asked.

I shook my head.

“Well, I have news. While you were gone, I received the same invitation to join the Via Imperii that Leo received.”

“I don’t suppose you’d be open to playing along by accepting the invitation and pretending to—”

“Absolutely not.”

I suppressed a sigh of frustration. “You are expected to pick a bride at the end of the week!”

My time was running out.

“That seems unreasonable given that I just took over the role of crown prince less than a week ago.”

“About that.” Leo interrupted. “I’ve met with father and we agreed to a course of action. I’ll be officially announcing my pick and my abdication at the same time. So technically, the goal of me finding a wife will be satisfied, so hopefully the suitors won’t feel they have wasted their time.”

“Oh, that’s brilliant!” I nodded my approval. “Announce your choice first, so that the suitors and their families don’t feel tricked, and then announce that you’re stepping down so that the Via Imperii don’t see your choice as a threat.”

“That’s great!” Liam’s face brightened. “Then I can just wait until next year to pick a wife!”

“Yeah…. sorry, but I pitched that idea to dear old Dad, and he insisted that you choose someone now.”

“But—”

Sympathy passed across Leo’s face. “I get it. But I also agree that it needs to happen now.”

“Why?”

“Because you have to be engaged to ascend the throne and let’s face it…. Our father is getting worse by the day. He needs to retire. This morning he was sharp as a tack, but by lunchtime he thought I was Uncle Fabian.”

Liam uttered a string of swear words that I would have sworn he didn’t know.

“I know. And I’m sorry. If I hadn’t dropped this in your lap—”

“What? No!” Liam shook his head adamantly. “Your hand was forced, Leo. It’s fine. I don’t mind picking up the crown. It’s just the marriage part…” he trailed off as his eyes found mine.

The desperation in his eyes killed me a little. He had to marry, there was no choice about that. The only choice was who. He didn’t want to marry someone he wasn’t in love with.

He was in love with me.

That thought sent warmth cascading through me. It wasn’t the time to think about that, though. “What about just pretending to pick Madeleine? You can always break the engagement after we take down the—”

“That won’t work.” Liam shook his head. “A marriage contract must be signed at the conclusion of the selection ceremony. I would need cause to break it.”

“Proof that she’s a member of an organization trying to take over the government ought to do it, right?”

“The wedding is two weeks after the engagement,” Leo broke in. “If you don’t take them down quickly enough, then she will be queen, with access to classified information and places inside the palace. We can’t risk it.”

Liam stepped closer to me and took my hand in his as his eyes searched my face. “Does the idea of me marrying someone else do nothing to you, Riley?”

“I….” I had no easy answer for him, or for myself. I had no issue with him getting fake engaged to Madeleine for the purpose of taking down the bad guys. Hell, I’d accepted a proposal or two in the course of my career. But the idea of him actually marrying someone…. anyone…. bothered me far more than I was willing to admit.

My personal feelings aside, choosing any of the other suitors was going to get him killed. I stared into his eyes as all the available options fell through my mind. The thought of him being hurt…. Or worse... sent all my professionalism flying out the window.

“Of course I don’t want to see you marry someone else,” I said softly before snapping back into work mode and stepping away from him. “And there’s the added wrinkle that if you choose anyone that the Via Imperii doesn’t approve of, her life will be in danger. Not to mention yours.”

“I’m open to ideas.” His voice was suspiciously devoid of emotion.

There was only one answer, and we both knew it.

“Choose me.”

A storm of emotions chased each other across his face. “I want to, Riley but I can’t ask you to—”

“You’re not asking. It was my idea.”

“Yes. However, I know that you don’t actually want to get married.”

Leo stood from the couch. “I should go. Let you two sort this out.” He stopped on his way to the door to lean in and whisper to me, “Don’t let your intractable stubbornness get in the way of your happiness, double oh seven. Tell him how you feel.”

Once we were alone, we turned to each other, the air around us laden with emotion. “I can’t choose you, Riley.”

“Yes, Liam, you can!”

A sad smile flittered across his face. “I’ve made no secret of my feelings nor my intentions. I would marry you tomorrow if that’s what you wanted.”

“It is what I want.”

He shook his head. “As I said, you would be expected to sign an iron clad marriage contract upon acceptance of the engagement. One you would not be able to break later. Agreeing to marry to take down the Via Imperii will not constitute adequate cause to terminate the contract, as you will have entered into it knowingly and willingly, no matter your motives.”

I stepped closer to him as my heart began to thud in my chest. My eyes locked on his, drinking in all the longing and desperation that I found there. “I understand that.”

Hope flashed through his eyes. “You’d have to actually marry me.”

“I know.”

He stepped into my personal space, his eyes searching mine. “You’re prepared to spend the rest of your life with me?”

I shrugged, trying for a nonchalance that I did not feel. “Unless we can take them down in the next six days.”

“Is there any chance of that happening?”

“To be honest, we could take down the Cordonian branch right now.”

“But?”

I traced my fingers down his face and across his lips, my eyes taking in his hopeful expression.

His hand reached out to grasp mine. Bringing my fingers to his lips, he kissed each one individually.

My voice was thick as I whispered, “They’ll just come back. New people will take their place and you’ll never be safe.” I cleared my throat and forced a smidge of professionalism into my voice. “We have to cut off the head.”

It was the only way to keep him safe long term. It might take the Via Imperii months to years to regroup and set up a new branch in Cordonia, but regroup they would and Liam would be their first target.

His eyes lit up with delight. “You’re worried about me.”

“Of course I am.” Pulling my hand out of his grasp, I scoffed. “I’d be an idiot not to recognize the danger. Not only will they want to realize their original ends, but they’ll be out for vengeance on the monarch that helped take them down.”

“Do you always worry about the long term repercussions of your missions? Or do you usually just complete the assignment and get out?”

I stared at him in consternation. I didn’t want to answer that because the truth was that I never worried about what happened after I left. I took down my target. Cleaning up the aftermath was someone else’s job. Leo’s words echoed through my head, and I suppressed the smile that fought to bloom across my face. With a shake of my head, I lost the fight. “You’re incorrigible, you know that? I see what you’re doing.”

“What?” He grinned as he reached for me and pulled me back into his embrace. “Tell me you’re not acting illogically because you love me.”

“Shut up,” I breathed as my head fell back, giving him access to my neck and anything else he wanted.

He was right, but I wasn’t ready to say it out loud. I couldn’t.

Maybe it was a toxic trait. Maybe it was a self protection mechanism. Maybe I was just bad at relationships. Or maybe it was my equally strong feelings for his best friend that kept those three little words off the tip of my tongue.

Spoken out loud or not, my feelings…. And yes, it was time to admit that I had them…. My feelings for him were driving my decisions, not my professional ambition or my years of experience as a field agent. Leaving him vulnerable to assassination was simply not an option for me.

I would do whatever I had to do to ensure his safety, and I didn’t care about the cost.

[adrian-sinnz]

I can her my wife getting pounded in the quest room

I've been procrastinating on cleaning out our spare room for some time, but Wednesday I finally got to it.

  Took me all day, but it came out great, even was able to put clean bedding, and mounted a TV.

We hadn't had a usable guest room since we got the house.

Wednesday evening I showed it to Steph, and immediately asked if her fuck buddy Mark could spend the night.

I expected 'looks good, great job babe', but I wasn't disappointed, quite the opposite actually.

I quickly felt my heart race and my dick hardened.

"Hell yeah" I replied.

They made arrangements for Sunday (yesterday).

My wife Stephanie gave the reason for the sleep over that Mark and I could get to know each other better.

I was very pleased with that, because my biggest dream and fantasy is for her to have a live in boyfriend.

I have many reasons for this that I won't go into now, but also it was merely a sleep over and I didn't want to get ahead of myself.

But, one could dream, right?

Anyways, yesterday evening Mark arrived.

He arrived still in his police uniform and a black duffle bag with the word SWAT in white letters.

"Hey bro!" I said and shook his hand.

It felt a bit awkward, but we pressed on .

Steph walked up to him and greated him with a kiss.

We showed him to the guestroom and we told him to make himself comfortable.

"If you don't mind, I could really use a shower", Mark said.

"Good idea, let's all get comfy" tiff replied.

"I'll help you get settled in" Stephanie added.

Stephanie and Mark ended up in the guest shower together, as I ended up showering alone in our shower.

I came out wearing my usual pajama bottoms and a t-shirt, while Mark came out wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt.

Stephanie on the other hand came out wearing what was obviously one of his shirts and nothing else.

They got comfortable on the full size couch under a blanket as I put on a movie and then took the smaller loveseat.

I put on the new wolverine and deadpool movie, which neither of us had seen yet.

The lights where off so I couldn't see Mark and my wife clearly, but i could definitely see motion under the blanket.

I'm pretty sure she was stroking his dick, and he was fingering her.

I got so fucking hard I just had to pull my dick out and start stroking it.

Upon seeing my dick out, Steph went beneath the blanket and started blowing our guest.

Mark leaned his head back and closed his eyes as I watched my wife’s head bob up and down beneath the blanket.

I did all I could to hold back my load and saver the sight, while Mark busted a nut in my wife's mouth.

Afterwards, Steph walked over to me and kissed me passionately.

She managed to save a bit of his cum for me, and it was delicious.

She then bent over giving Mark a full look of her sexy fucking ass and pussy, while she wrapped her hot mouth around my throbbing cock.

Feeling her hot, wet mouth and the slight slickness of Marks cum residue, I only took a minute to erupt.

It was my first cum of the day, but I'm pretty sure it was Mark's second time since his shower with my wife.

Either way , Mark and I where feeling much more relaxed and we talked and ordered pizza.

Afterwards, since we didn't really pay attention to the movie the first time, we ended up putting it back on. 

After the movie I went to our bedroom, and my wife and Mark headed to the guestroom.

Almost immediately I hear my wife getting fucked.

I listened closely as she's getting railed in the next room. The bed squeaked and hit the wall, she moaned loud, and he grunted when he came inside her.

She returned to me in our bed, sat on my face and fed me his cum.

Eating another man's cum from my wife's pussy is better than viagra so I was rock hard for the second time. 

I plowed into my wife's pussy injecting her with powerful streams of sperm as she climaxed over and over.

After, we decided to get some sleep, because she had work the next day (today).

Last night I woke up at 2am to find the bed empty.

I heard some show playing through the walls, and it was clearly covering up the sounds of sex. I put my ear to the door and heard it clearly.

My wife moaning. The slap of skin on skin. The bed squeaking. It made me hard all over again, and I started stroking myself to the sound. I could picture it in my mind.

My wife on her knees, face in a pillow,  while Mark fucked her hard. She was trying to keep it down to not wake me up.

Instead, I was up and listening. I listened as she begged him to fuck her. I listened as he slapped her ass. I listened as he grunted and came inside her.

I went back to bed and finished myself off. Cleaned up, and pretended to fall asleep. And eventually did before she came back to bed.

When I woke this morning,  the both of them had already left to work, and i got busy cleaning up, and washed all the bedding on both beds.

Mark did leave his stuff, so I'm hoping there will be another sleep over tonight.

Ps. I did get a few calles from concerned neighbors, asking if everything was okay, because they saw a cop car parked infront of the house all night. 

(Hopefully they will see it there more)

I like Mark, and my wife obviously likes Mark. Hopefully my fantasy will eventually come true.  If not , i can still pretend.

[livinggeekchic]

I’ve been thinking a lot more about Harvey on my most recent reread of Purple Hyacinth. He is set up as this kind of bumbling but good-natured kid, whose death hits us hard—only for us to later find out that he was a spy for the Phantom Scythe all along. And we, like Lauren, feel betrayed.

But we are given clues that everything is not as it seems. To start, Bella tells Kieran that Harvey was eliminated because he wasn’t useful.

That got me thinking about this set of panels. March and Hermann are having a conversation about Lune. This is surely information that the leader would be interested in hearing about. Harvey is in the perfect position to listen in, walking by with a stack of papers. But instead, he hightails it out of there. If you zoom in, you can see the “spinning” of his feet, he’s booking it so fast out of there.

So while he was a spy, he either wasn’t a very good one, or he didn’t really want to be one. We also see Harvey mentioning that he has to do his best for his grandpa--is it possible that his grandfather needs money, and that's why he's doing it? This is just one possibility of many. Kieran says as much to Lauren, after she tells him that Harvey was a mole. Kieran knows there are many reasons someone might join the Phantom Scythe, but Lauren is still thinking in black and white--right and wrong. While it makes sense that Lauren feels betrayed, she's failing to grasp the nuance of the situation.

Nothing showcases this better than Harvey’s funeral. We see Harvey’s grandfather violently sobbing, obviously devastated. He says “you didn’t need to try so hard.” (Another indicator that Harvey was likely making choices for his grandfather’s benefit.)

And how does Lauren react? Her expression here doesn’t look like one of sympathy, or even pity. She looks shocked and almost affronted. She’s so consumed by her hatred of the Phantom Scythe, for what happened at Allendale, that she can’t even see Harvey as a person. She can stand by and watch his close family member grieve, and all she thinks is, “they don’t know what I know.” But regardless of what misdeeds Harvey committed, he was still loved. He still deserves to be mourned.

She calls him a traitor. She’s almost disgusted by the fact that everyone is mourning him. But was he really a traitor? How much information did he actually give the Scythe? He was "useless" after all. Even if he did help the Scythe stall the APD's investigations, we know he wasn't this inherently evil character. He was genuinely concerned for his coworkers' safety. Lauren tells us that he never lied or showed any signs of being part of the PS. She sees this as evidence that she was blind to the truth, but I think she's actually blind to the fact that not everyone in the PS is "the enemy." Their motivations can be complicated.

In S1, Lauren views Kieran similarly. He’s an assassin, and therefore, he is reprehensible. She can’t understand why it's so important to him that he kills only when ordered or when it's the only solution. She doesn't really attempt to unearth his reasoning for wanting to take down the leader, beyond asking about it just once. She is inflexible, and rigid in her thinking: good people don't work for the Phantom Scythe. But of course, we come to see that it's more complicated than that.

A lot happens in S2 that helps open her eyes to this, which I won’t go into now. But I will leave you with a quote from Kieran in episode 93: “all these years within this wretched organization have taught me…it’s not a monolith. Not everyone agrees nor is aware of what is truly going on.”

Perhaps Harvey truly didn’t know the half of it. Maybe he was given a chance to provide for his grandfather and took it. Maybe he was told that the Scythe was helping the poor, and he related to that struggle. Maybe he was told they would only use the info he gave them to protect themselves from the APD, and wouldn't ever go on the offense. Ultimately, we don’t know. But what I do know is that if Harvey was outed as a spy in S3, I think Lauren would try harder to understand.

[hanniology]

Did you Hit Me with the Confundus Charm | Choi Seungcheol

Synopsis: in which Choi Seungcheol is confused about three things; how the hell to pass his seventh year of potions, why Professor Malfoy hates him so much (it might be because of how terribly he’s doing in his class) and where your feeling for him stands. Genre: fluff, angst(ish), Gryffindor!seungcheol x slytherin!reader. Note: Hint of them being enemies ish. Another repost that was deleted sorry school is actually making me lose it atm. Warning: Reader does smth not that great at one point but they have their reasons. Word count: 2689.

Tagging: @fanfic24

CHOI SEUNGCHEOL WAS CONFUSED.

His friends would agree that he is always confused, but this time he was really confused.

Just for clarifcation, he’s just confused, not stupid. You shouldn’t consider the gryffindor head boy, quidditch captain that always has a plan to beat the opposing team in game stupid. Why? Because Professor McGonagall was the one who assigned him as head boy and saying that he is stupid, is indirectly calling her stupid and she is not.

You would call him stupid for his shit performacne in potions class, that you would have to end up tutoring him.

He wouldn’t call himself stupid, just unmotivated about the subject because to him, it isn’t real magic. (Also because he’s pretty sure professor malfoy is biased)

Him saying that led to you going on for fifteen minutes about how wrong he was.

But due to the lack of motivation, he doesn’t care too much for the class, that’s why he is always so confused in class.

Even though he was confused, you were there to help him become less confused. Sure it took a while through all the back and forth bickering at each other. After a week when the bickering calmed down, you realized he was an idiot.

An idiot, with only one thing bouncing around his head at all times; quidditch.

So that led to the next session taking place at the quidditch where you came up with a game involving quidditch and potions in order to gain his interest. But you had to switch it up every few sessions because he’d get bored when he starts getting the game. (typical gryffindor) but gave you the chance to ask more difficult questions revolving potions and what gryffindor doesn’t like a challenge.

It goes on for a couple of months and you two eventually get closer, start hanging out more than just during the tutoring sessions. Seungcheol would always try to walk you to astronomy class, the one all across the school from his class because you would always carry one too many books in your bag. He would always get confused when you tried to disagree every time. It’s because he doesn't see the insane amount of stares the two of you would get when near each other.

Why doesn’t he see all the stares and whispers when the two of you walk the halls? Because he’s too busy trying to impress you, he pays no attention to his surroundings.

Choi Seungcheol liked you, it was kinda inevitable, with all the time the two have you spend time with each other even outside of tutoring him.

And he’s not that confused on potions thanks to you, but he is still confused on something, do you like him back?

That’s the question he’s been constantly going back and forth about, because you have the same look in your eyes as him when he looks into the mirror thinking of you.

But everytime he tries to ask you out whether to go to hogsmeade together, or visit the astronomy tower after hours, you would always decline.

His friends would always tell him how they would catch you staring at him in class, in the halls whenever you guys cross paths and in the great hall. Even Jeonghan, your housemate and best friend, thinks and is sure that you reciprocate his feelings. They were obviously the first people to know about his little (big) crush on you. They figured it out before he even did, sure it was kind of a weird sight to see a gryffindor and slytherin liking each other, especially with the whole history of them being rivals, but that is so two decades ago.

He still hasn’t given up because technically you never denied going out with him because you didn’t like him back, you always just had excuses. Homework, projects you needed to fix last minute, tutoring session with Mingyu, he almost strangled Mingyu when he learned about that. Maybe… you were confused?

That might be the case, Seungcheol never confessed his feelings towards you, just asked you out on dates. Maybe you didn’t even know they were date dates and just friendly hang outs.

Wait, if you didn't think they were date dates and you declined them all those times does it mean you don’t want to hang out with him anymore?

Did he do something wrong to make you not want to hang out with him anymore?

Did he do something to make you-

“Choi Seungcheol!!”

The sound of your voice breaks him out of his internal thoughts.

God the way you screamed at him was kinda hot with your somewhat annoyed tone and face expression because he probably didn't hear you the first couple of times.

But your expression quickly turned into a scared one when Seungcheol jumped at your voice, well because you guys are literally miles off from the ground and his broom wobbled a little when you called for him the third time.

You didn't need to tutor him anymore, but since the NEWTs were coming soon (in three months, but Seungcheol said there’s enough time, but that’s wrong because there’s never enough time) you wanted to keep him on his toes to make sure he was prepared.

And to mabe spend time with him… because you guys are friends… that’s it… Yes. Friends.

“Huh, sorry I zoned out.” The gryffindor in front of you apologized knowingly pouting, with his stupid kissabe lips… Wait kissable, no, what? That’s disgusting and… stupid…

Anyways you convinced him into these (friendly) date sessions with more quidditch trivia games and you promised him they would be more challenging.

“Tsk, what could your stupid little brain be thinking about?” You raise an eyebrow, moving your broom closer to him.

Flustered by the closeness between the two of you, he avoids eyecontact so he can think that you’re not looking at his red heated face and to not see that stupid smirk on your face.

“I- um…”

While he tries to think of a response, he sees behind you that the sun is setting, making the view behind you a bright orange with two Slytherin and Gryfindor quidditch stands flags waving because of the light wind passing by in the spring season.

He doesn’t know what possessed him to say the next thing that came out of his mouth, maybe it was the gaze you were giving him, or his brain shutting down from all the potion questions you asked today. Or maybe it was his natural Gryffindor instinct for completely losing all of his sense of conscience when he’s with you, not that he had much of a conscience to begin with in the first place.

“I was thinking about how I think you’re the prettiest and smartest person I know. And how I’d like to go on a date with you, if you want? Because I really like you.”

Oh how Seuncheol just wanted to be swallowed by a hole from the ground and disappear forever, (BUT HE CAN’T BECAUSE HE’S MILES OFF FROM THE GROUND) when you didn’t respond.

You however were so glad he had his face looking downwards (he was totally not fantasizing his death) because he would see how your face has been a bit frozen in a shocked expression for a good minute. Completely not expecting that kind of response from him, you expected the usual “ur mom” joke from him, not a heartfelt confession. Speaking of hearts, you can hear yours loud and clear and just hoping he doesn’t hear it as well. Or that would be embarrassing as hell.

Just as Seungcheol was about to apologize for the outburst confession, he heard you cough to clear your throat to reply.

“Well I don’t think jeonghan would appreciate you calling me the smartest person you know.” you let out a nervous chuckle trying to ease the awkward tension.

“Yeah he wouldn’t mind that, but he probably wouldn’t be able to handle the truth that I think it’s you and not him.” he replies while rubbing the back of his neck with one hand.

“I did mean it though,” he says quickly, “everything I said. I really do like you yn, and I’m sorry for just randomly saying it during our study session. You don’t have to like me or anything just-” whatever was going to come out of his mouth, he completely forgot when your lips were suddenly on his.

It wasn't that long of a kiss but long enough for it to be more of a peck. When you backed away from it and realized what you’ve done, you started to panic.

“Oh merlin, I-i didn’t mean to- I mean i did, but i shouldn't have done it. It was a mistake- sorry. Please forget whatever just happened-”

And then you took off, flying down to the ground faster than he’s ever seen, you could’ve been a seeker with that type of speed you probably went faster than his team’s seeker.

You left him so fast, just as confused.

—-

Ever since the kiss Seungcheol has been looking for you wanting to talk because he feels like he deserves some sort of explanation.

You kissed him right after he just confessed to you and you just ran off like that.

But the problem is he had a hard time finding you.

You didn’t see you in any of the classes he had with you, so he thought maybe go check your other classes you had. He missed five of his lessons just to find that you haven’t been into any of your classes.

Which he finds so weird since even though you’re a slytherin you were a bit of a stuck up when it came to school.

He once told you during a tutor session that you should have been in Ravenclaw instead once.

Big mistake

That tutor session for potions turned into a lesson of not to listen to stupid hogwarts house stereotypes. He thought it was kinda weird since you were a slytherin.

But then he understood why you were so like that about this kind of stuff.

You were a muggleborn.

Which means both of your parents were just regular people with no sort of magical blood.

So it makes sense you were so against all the stereotypes, especially the ones at your house.

Because it was really rare for a muggleborn to enter the slytherins house, due to their house founder Salazar slytherin not liking muggle-borns in the slightest.

—

It's been two weeks and he still hasn't been able to find you anywhere.

But he doesn’t have any time to worry about that now since the final match for the quidditch cup is about to start.

The quidditch cup, the thing he’s been trying to win as captain of the Gryffindor team all year long. It’s finally here.

So that would definitely be the reason why he’s so nervous. Because it’s his final year here at Hogwarts and everyone in his house is relying on him in order to win.

Finally he was in the air with his teammates on one side and the Slytherin side on the other, while Mme Hooch was explaining the basic “don’t kill anyone” protocols. His eyes couldn't help but wander to the stadium where everyone was watching.

Everyone except what he prossumes to be you. He remembers you saying you don’t like quidditch very much even though you were excellent on the broom from what he has seen. But he was able to force you to watch his games when you guys started getting closer as friends. And whenever he went to go watch other quidditch games when his house wasn’t playing, you’d always refuse even for your own house.

Did you only ever come to watch whenever he played? Then why aren't you here now?

Seungcheol still thinks it might be because his breath probably smelled and you didn’t want to face him again.

“Hey Cheol,” said the boy next to him, Lee Chan, the team's seeker. “The game is about to start, pay attention captain.”

He nodded at him, maybe the game will help him forget about his confusion.

“You know that the Slytherin team’s Keeper is out sick, so they got a replacement.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I heard they aren’t all great compared to their main one so let's hope they do miserably.”

–

Turns out the rumour of the replacement keeper was true Gryffindor was in the lead by 40 points with a 120 while slytherin had an 80. But that wouldn’t do them any good if the Slytherin seeker caught the snitch before Chan did because it would end the game and they would’ve gotten 150 points.

Thinking about that does make quidditch sound kind of weird, all that effort into scoring points but it wouldn’t matter unless you catch a small golden ball.

Maybe you were right, quidditch was a bit of a ridiculous game, but it did give him some of his best memories.

Playing Quidditch with his siblings, winning his first Quidditch cup with Gryffindor in his fifth year, becoming quidditch captain last year, his first kiss with you in the stands-

Well even if you constantly avoided him, it still was a nice memory for him.

After another 15 minutes of just wacking a speeding flying bludger across the sky and witnessing the slytherin team taking an offence approach when they realized that their keeper is no use to them. And then taking the lead

The sound for the end of the match was heard, ringing in his ears.

Watching as all the stadium's colours turn into red and gold, the colour of gryffindor, checking the scoreboard board to see that they have won with 270 points and slytherin with 140.

Without a thought he and the rest of his team go speeding towards their seeker who was already down.

—-

After the big gryffindor celebration held in the house’s common room, seungcheol decided to head downstairs to the trophy room and put the quidditch cup into its rightful place up in display.

Closing the glass of the box filled with trophies, he couldn’t help but notice a familiar figure in the reflection of the glass.

“(Name)?”

“Hi,”

“What are you doing here? It’s late, you’re suppose to be at your house you could get in trouble.”

“Yes, I am aware of me possibly getting in trouble if caught, even though you technically caught me.” You step forward, towards a desk in front of you, placing your hands on it.

“I just felt like I owed you a bit of an explanation about everything.”

“You think?” His tone of voice came out more aggressive than even seungcheol was expecting.

He didn’t think he felt as upset as he sounded, maybe he was bottling up everything he felt. And you couldn’t blame him for doing so.

“Yeah, I’m sorry for avoiding you and everything. I-it’s just, I was scared. And I didn’t know what to do.”

“Yn”

“Don’t get me wrong, I like you too, it’s just.”

“Yn”

“You’re a gryffindor and I’m a slytherin and sure the stereotypes are stupid and all but- there’s still stupid predejuice against slytherins.

“Yn”

“You would be praised for breaking the stereotypes while people would think that I would only hang out withheld you to gained something from yo-”

“LN YN!” Seungcheol says a lot louder and finally gets your attention.

Grabs your hands that were on the desk with his,

“So you like me?” He smirks.

Rolling your eyes, “is that all you got from that?”

Squeezing your hand. “No no, I assure you I was listening to everything you said, but the most important thing is that you like me and I like you. So who cares whatever anybody else thinks.”

You blinked. “Wait, you like me?”

“I thought you were smart? Isn’t it obvious?” he chuckles, leaning his forehead on yours.

“YES IT VERY MUCH IS.” A voice from the hall screamed.

“CHAN BE QUIET!” Jeonghan’s familiar voice screams afterwards.

“Don’t worry about them, I’ll give them detention, just like anybody else who says anything about us.” Kissing your forehead before chasing after the two guys in the hall.

[blacckdiamondposts]

Some things never change

Paring: Keishin Ukai x f!Reader

Summary: (Y/N) is visiting her parents. Upon hearing a rumor about her childhood friend becoming Karasuno‘s VBC Coach she had to check for herself. Having dinner and some drinks together led them to have some spicy fun - just like they did when they were younger.

Warnings: smut obviously

You let out a chuckle as you stepped into the sports hall, "so, the rumors about you being a coach are true,"

Ukai turned around, having a surprised expression, „(Y/N), it‘s been a while,“

"I know, "you sighed, "I'm visiting family, and I heard that you started to coach Karasuno's VBC,"

He chuckled as he walked closer to you," so you had to see for yourself?"

"Obviously," you laughed before you gave him a hug.

"How about a beer and some food," he asked as you parted.

"Sounds good," you replied as you left with him.

You were catching up with one another on your way to your usual food spot.

"I see you're back in town (Y/N)," the owner exclaimed as you entered.

"I see you're still working," you retorted with a big smile.

"Gotta keep busy," he joked.

You and Ukai sat down by the counter, ordering your usual go-to before you continued to chat. It was getting late, and the beer cans were bottled up in front of you.

"How are things going with that boyfriend of yours?"

"Ah, we broke up," you replied as you took another sip, "wasn't quite a match,"

"I see," he mumbled.

"What about you, "you asked, "are you seeing anyone?"

"No," he stated, which somehow was his usual reply regarding dating.

You giggle, rolling your eyes at him, "Some things never change, eh?"

"No, they don't," he chuckled, having that specific look in his eyes.

"I'm afraid, but I have to kick you guys out," the owner said.

"What, already," you exclaimed.

"It's closing time," he laughed, "you're still behaving like the brat you used to be,"

"Now, don't get mean," you chuckled as you got up.

You said your goodbyes and were now walking side by side with Ukai. You watched him get a cigarette out, shaking your head, "you still got that bad habit?"

"Afraid so," he shrugged, "you've got a place to sleep at?"

"Yeah, I'm staying with my parents," you replied, "but I guess I'll have to sneak in,"

Ukai laughed, "feels like we're sixteen again,"

"I know, right," you chuckled, "I'm sure I'll get lectured,"

"You can stay at my place," he suggested, "no need to sneak in,"

"Alright," you nodded.

With that, you were headed to his apartment, which was pretty close.

"Here," he handed you a shirt to sleep in before he fixed the couch for you.

"Thanks," you smiled at him before you turned around to put the shirt on.

"Come on, no need to be shy," he joked as his eyes lingered on you, "I have seen you plenty of times like that,"

"Shut up," you giggled, "we're grown-ups."

"And," he raised a brow at you, "what's that supposed to mean,"

You turned around, watching him close the distance between you.

"It was so easy when we were younger," you started, "we didn't care about anything other than having fun,"

"We can't do that anymore, or what," he was close enough to feel his hot breath hit against your skin.

It smelled like a mix of beer and cigarettes, which surely brought up some memories.

"We can't continue like that," you replied.

"You sure about that," he brought his hand up to cup your cheek, letting his thumb run over your lower lip, "we can still do whatever we want to,"

You felt a shiver run down your spine, and you felt like you were putty in his hands.

His lips softly pressed against yours before he deepened the kiss. You brought your hands up to his chest, grabbing the fabric of his shirt.

He parted from you, looking down at you as his lips tugged into a smirk, "you wanna stop? "

You knew that you couldn't because you needed this - needed him. You simply shook your head no.

You wrapped your arms around his shoulders, clashing your lips against his as you needed more. Ukai brought his hands to your thighs, lifting you up before he walked over to the couch.

He sat down, having you straddle his lap without breaking the kiss. He moved his hands under your shirt, letting them roam over your body before reaching your breasts.

You moaned against his lips as he rolled your nips, squeezing your breasts while his bulge was starting to press against your heat.

His head moved lower, placing soft butterfly kisses on your neck. Your hand found its way to the back of his neck, resting one on his shoulder while the other traveled up to his hair. You were grinding your hips against his bulge, which bopped in response.

"Shit, (Y/N)," he cursed against your neck, "you're still making me feel some type of way,"

"Oh, really," you moaned, knowing you had the same effect on him.

He parted from you to remove his hoodie, letting it fall to the ground where your clothes were slowly piling up. You dragged your nails over his abs, moving south while kissing him passionately.

You struggled to open his jeans since his bulge stretched the fabric, making it hard to unzip them. Once you succeeded, you pulled his throbbing cock out of its tight confines, stroking him lightly and watching him squirm beneath you.

"(Y/N)," he let out a shaky breath as his hands wandered down to your thighs, caressing them before moving one of them closer to your heat.

He simply pushed your panties aside, tracing your slit.

"All this just from anticipation, "he smirked at you as he felt your arousal on his finger.

"Don't tease," you pouted, grinding against his hand.

He pushed two of his digits into you, pumping them in and out of your cunt while you were stroking his hard cock. Both of you needed more, but Ukai didn't want to rush things.

That's why he thanked every god he knew for your following words.

"Kei, fuck me," you purred, tightening your grip around his cock.

He placed a soft kiss on your lips as he removed his digits, using your slick on his fingers as lube before aligning his cock with your entrance and letting you sink onto his hard length.

You placed your hands on his shoulders, nails digging into his skin as you started to ride his cock at a slow but steady pace.

Soft moans spilled over your lips, letting your head fall back as pleasure took over.

"Fuck, you feel so good," he groaned as he thrust his hips against yours, hitting your sweet spot every time.

Ukai's hand moved higher to your chest, cupping and kneading them before he leaned closer. He flicked his tongue over one of your buds before he started to suck on it while he was rolling and pinching the other between his fingers.

You felt a familiar knot tighten within yourself as the heat got to your head, dusting your cheeks a dark shade of pink. One of your hands traveled up to the back of his head, tangling in his hair.

"K-Kei, "you rasped, pulling at his hair and making him look up at you.

His eyes were darkened with lust, looking at you as if you were his prey. You clashed your lips against him, and your movements became sloppy.

"C-close, "you breathed against his lips.

Ukai let out an amused hum before his hands settled on your waist, taking control as he started to fuck into your cunt. Your legs began to tremble, toes curling as you felt the tight knot inside you snap. Your head fell against his shoulder as lewd sounds echoed off the walls.

A shaky groan slipped over Ukai's lips as he felt your walls tighten around his cock, which was enough to push him over the edge. He wrapped his arms around your waist, jerking his hips as he emptied himself into you.

You stayed like that for a while, and his fingers lazily ran up and down your back. You closed your eyes, engulfing yourself in his scent as you felt yourself slowly doze off.

[narrycherries]

🌼like it’s the only thing I’ll ever do🌼 part 4 (dadrry)

the moment Harry has been waiting for.. finally comes

masterlist

word count: 3.5k

warnings/tags: harry x reader, dadrry, fluff,

The baby was just a few days past turning eleven months old. It’s been a handful of weeks since her emergency room visit, and things haven’t really eased up any. Harry’s been trying to take it easy and keep himself calm, but it was a constant worry in the back of his head. You’ve been going with the flow, doing whatever you need to in order to make her feel safe and comfortable. Harry’s recently been put on anxiety medication, due to the horrible stress he keeps getting trapped in. It was hard for you to be strong when you know your two favorite people were going through tremendous changes and facing struggles you couldn’t fix. As long as the baby was content and Harry was okay, you were okay, too.

Your parents were in town visiting for a couple of days, and your mom wanted to eat at a small restaurant in the area. You go to it frequently, and have taken them there before. The employees there respected your privacy and treated you like every other customer. It was a nice, family friendly place to go.

Harry was holding the baby in his lap, her eyes glued to the flowers planted in a tall garden box outside of the window. She loved colorful things, and flowers were her favorite thing to grab outside. She was in awe.

The waiter had asked if you wanted a high chair, but you declined - knowing she’s being clingy right now. Your mom was sitting across from Harry, mainly so she can snap as many pictures of the baby as she possibly could. They didn’t get to see her often, so it’ll be a while until they get to visit again. Your dad was talking to you about the baby’s hospital visit, which made Harry tense up. He didn’t like bringing it up, only because it worried him so much.

“Everything was alright, though?”

You nodded. “Yeah.. pain wise, nothing was going on. She’s just a bit.. anxious.”

“You never got that way when you were a baby.. but once you hit about seven, you got pretty anxious.” Your mom chimed in.

Harry swallowed harshly. Hearing that you didn’t have that experience made him wonder if the baby wasn’t having a normal experience. Maybe it wasn’t so common? He sucked on his cheek, trying to ignore the conversation. He knew the baby was fine and that it was normal, but he was struggling to shake it off. He opted to focus on the baby, who had decided she wanted to stand on his thigh, her hand pressed against the glass, trying to grab the flowers. Harry had a tight grip on her waist, watching closely as she stared and softly babbled to the flowers.

“Do you like the flowers, bunny?” He said in a whisper, grabbing her attention.

“Ah ah.” She pointed on the glass, then gently splayed her hand out.

He smiled as her head turned, her pretty eyes met his. He loved seeing the color she shared with you.

“Yeah? They’re almost as pretty as you, hm?” He gave her a kiss to her cheek, making her squeal and grab onto his face. He grunted, her nails were slightly too long. “I love you, baby.”

She giggled at the word, turning in his hold to face him. “Ma ma.” She mumbled to him.

You glanced over, thinking she was trying to get your attention but she was definitely focused on him. You smiled sweetly, admiring their cute interactions. She loved him so much.

“Da da.” He whispered back, hoping maybe she’d copy him.

She grinned, then pushed her face against his cheek to give him her version of a kiss. He chuckled and returned another peck to her temple. The baby leaned back and moved towards the window, wanting to look at the flowers again. Harry adjusted her, sitting her down on his thigh with his arm around her. She was facing the window so she was happy.

“I told Mom this morning about our pregnancy scare.” You nudged Harry’s thigh to get his attention.

You were obviously aware that he was avoiding giving any input in the previous conversation. It was upsetting for you that he had to sit there and suffer. He looked over and gave you a laugh.

“It was a scare alright.” He said with a shake of his head.

“What’s wrong, Harry? Don’t want another one?” Your dad teased.

“Not while this one’s still making me change her diaper.”

“I love you two, but please don’t have another one right now.” Your mom shook her head.

“Trust me.. we are not.” You made it clear.

A few weeks back, you thought you were pregnant because you were feeling nauseous and you thought your period was late. It wasn’t actually, you just had your dates mixed up. You went to the doctor to make sure, and thankfully you weren’t. You wouldn’t mind having another baby, but no time soon.

“One cute little human is enough for us for a while.” Harry said.

Your Mom perked up. “Speaking of that cutie pie, has she started saying anything new?”

You felt your stomach drop - this was another sensitive topic for Harry. He struggles a lot with the fact the baby hasn’t said “da da” yet. It made him believe he was doing a bad job at communicating with her, like he wasn’t doing enough to help her learn. From the corner of your eye, you could see he had turned his eyes back to the baby. He didn’t want to contribute.

“No, not really.” You sighed. “She’s saying some new little sounds but no words, really.”

-

Having your parents visit was nice, but you were relieved to finally have your home to yourself. They left this afternoon, so you’ve had a few hours already to return to normal around the house. You were nervous about the possibility that the change in routine and the additional people being around may set off the baby’s anxiety. If not that, then the sudden return to routine. It was a confusing and unsure time. She didn’t really know your parents and she wasn’t entirely comfortable around them, but she was okay this week. She behaved for the most part, of course Harry never left her side so maybe that was why.

You smiled as you walked in the bedroom. The sight you saw was so precious. Harry was laying on his back, holding the baby high in the air, making her shriek happily. You were so glad to see he was in a good mood. He’s been a bit jealous since your parents wanted to spend time with the baby.

“There’s your Mommy.” Harry gasped, giving the baby a playful grin.

He brought her down onto his stomach as you sat on the bed. She grabbed the toy she had left on his chest and started pressing the buttons to activate the lights.

“Ma ma ma.” She said as you scooted over to be next to them.

“Hi, my sweet girl.” You tickled her belly while pressing a kiss to her forehead, making her squeal and reach for you. “Give me some loves.”

When you took her from Harry’s stomach, her little arms wrapped around your neck and she rested her head on your shoulder for a moment. Harry chuckled softly as he turned onto his side. He put his arm around your back, his hand resting on the side of your hip.

“Can’t believe our little love bug will be a year old soon.” Harry sighed as he watched the baby occupy her attention with the necklace you were wearing. The thin chain caught the light and let off a sparkly gleam. “Growing up too fast.”

“Definitely too fast.” You laughed softly as you put a kiss against her temple. She mumbled a few incoherent sounds, acknowledging your kiss. “But we can.. go through the little baby phase again if you want to.”

He chuckled, the idea was interesting at the least. “Whenever you want to, darling.”

“Don’t get any ideas, honeybun.”

He smirked when you looked down at him. “Like I said.. whenever you’re ready.”

“Ma ma ma ma.” The baby interrupted by quickly and demandingly calling for you.

You furrowed your brows slightly as she plopped herself down on your lap, tired of standing on your legs.

“What is it, baby doll?” You asked curiously as she started gently slapping your knee. It was more of a pat, though.

“Even though I love having a little baby around, I’m ready for her to start talking.” Harry said as he reached over to rub his index finger against her cheek. She let out a squeak and grabbed his hand with both of hers, pulling his finger closer to his mouth. He bent it, allowing her to take his knuckle into her mouth. “Got us a new tooth coming, hm?”

“Once she starts, she’ll be talking up a storm, Dada.” You said while gently combing your fingers through her hair, sweeping it from her face.

She giggled, Harry’s finger still between her gums. You thought about grabbing a teething ring from the freeze for her, those were her favorites out of the options you had, but you knew she’d get bored of chewing on his finger and find something else to distract herself with.

“Why don’t you ever wanna bite Mommy’s finger, hm?”

“Because.. Mommy would just get her a ring, yeah? She knows Dada would let her do whatever she wanted.” You said with a grin.

Harry playfully rolled his eyes, he knew that was true. “It’s a rule.. I have to let her have her way.”

You laughed, shaking your head at him. “I’ll ask you how you feel about that in… hm, fifteen years.”

“We are not even going to think about her being sixteen.” Harry huffed. “God only knows what I’d do.”

The baby let Harry’s finger fall from her mouth, but she kept a hold of his hand. You sighed as you saw drool all over her chin. Harry didn’t enjoy the feeling of saliva all over his finger, but he tolerated it for her.

“Making a mess, baby girl.” You said as you attempted to wipe her chin off, but she tried to bite down on your finger. “Hey missy, I’m not your Daddy.”

Harry laughed as he sat up next to you. “I’ll grab a towel.”

“Thank you.”

You noticed that the baby was perfectly okay with Harry leaving the bed and even the room. You had hope that things were going well and getting better. You couldn’t blame her if sometimes she had a bit of anxiety, it’s a scary world and she knows she’s the safest with you and Harry.

He didn’t take long to come back from the bathroom with a damp hand towel. He sat down on the bed where he was before and gently wiped the cloth against her skin. She babbled to him as he tried to keep her head still with his thumb and index finger on her chin. She pulled a chuckle from him as she playfully stuck her tongue out and tried to lick the towel.

“Cutie pie.” He whispered as he leaned down to plant a few kisses on her head.

“All clean now, princess?” You asked as she looked up at you with a smile. “Dada is the sweetest, isn’t he?”

Harry wiped his finger off on the towel, smiling as the baby reached for his forearm. “Hold on, baby.”

He chucked the towel onto the floor and stretched his legs out on the bed. He grabbed the baby from your lap and laid her down, planning to tickle her. She said a few meaningless words as she looked up at the ceiling lights, reaching out to grab them. Harry laughed softly as her eyes went wide, so amazed by the lights.

“Y’know.. you’re the best daddy in the world.” You said as your arm went around his lower back and your head leaned onto his arm. “And the best daddy would give his baby a quick bath before bed.”

He smirked, nudging you with his elbow. “Make me feel so guilty.. can’t say no to you, hm?”

You leaned up to kiss his jaw. “Thank you.”

“I love you.”

You pinched his waist. “I love you.”

“Does my little princess want a bath?” He asked as he gently touched her sides, catching her attention. She grinned back at him. “Yeah? But before a bath.. we have to get some giggles.”

Harry unsnapped her onesie and gently pulled it off her. She wasn’t bothered by it. He knew she’d be so happy soon during her bath. She loved bath time. And afterwards, you’ll nurse her for a little bit and let Harry rock her to sleep. She’ll go down easy.

She squealed as Harry started tickling her sides. You couldn’t resist laughing along with him as she kicked her feet up and tried grabbing onto his hands. He moved one hand to her tummy and gently rubbed his fingertips against her soft skin - that always made her squirm and shriek.

“Daddy’s going to tire you out, baby girl.” You grinned as she tried again to wiggle free from his hands.

“That’s the plan, isn’t it, cuddle bug?” Harry said through a laugh as the baby’s toes started to curl. “Guess I’ll give you a break, sweet thing.”

When he finally stopped, she gave him a big grin and took hold of his index finger. He let her do whatever she wanted, which was squeeze her hand around his digit while her other tiny hand was resting against his other fingers.

“Do you want me to grab a bottle?” He asked as you stretched your arms high above you, a yawn following.

“No, baby. S’okay. I’ll nurse her.”

“Have you thought about how long you’ll breastfeed her? I know you wanna keep going after she’s one.” He asked while helping the baby sit up between his knees.

“I’ll probably go til she’s like.. eighteen months.. but I’m considering pumping and not letting her nurse directly.”

“I know with the more teeth she gets, the more it hurts you.”

You sighed. “Yeah.. it’s bearable now.”

“Ma ma ma.”

Harry smiled. “She’s saying she doesn’t mean to hurt you, Mama.”

“I know, sweet girl.” You laughed back, her pretty eyes met yours.

“Ma ma ma ma.”

“That’s the sweetest apology ever, darling.” Harry rubbed his thumb against her cheek.

“Mama could never be mad at you, angel.” You were about to get up when Harry grunted and quickly slipped his hand between your legs to grab your thigh. “Eager, are we?”

He chuckled and leaned into you, his lips heading straight for yours. “Just wanna kiss you real quick.”

“So sweet, hm?” You smirked before he pushed his lips onto yours.

It didn’t take but a moment to get synced with his movements. His hand was giving you a hard squeeze, but you didn’t mind. He started laughing against your mouth as the baby scooted the short distance to his chest and tried to pull herself up. You broke the kiss as you felt her moving on the bed. When you looked at her, she gave you a smile and started babbling.

“Someone’s missing out.” Harry said with a smile as he kept his hand against her waist just in case. Even though she was on the bed, he didn’t want her to fall back and hurt herself.

“She wants cuddles, too, Daddy.”

“Cuddles after bathtime.” Harry told her as she sat back down, her eyes curiously looking up at him. “Dada’s going to clean you up, get you all warm and cozy.. and put you to bed, yeah?”

She grinned, but you could tell she was getting a bit less bubbly. She was definitely going to be tired after her bath. You gave Harry’s back a gentle rub before pressing a kiss to his cheek. He turned his head to look at you.

“I’m going to put the clothes in the dryer.. I’ll come check in on the bath when I’m done.”

“Alright, love you.”

“Love you.” You smiled back, then reached for the baby’s hand. She squealed as you grabbed it and gave her a gentle shake. “I love you, too, darling.”

You let out a yawn as you threw your legs off the side of the bed and stretched your arms up. You were tired, but you were hoping to hold out for Harry. You wanted your kiss to pick up and lead to other things, so perhaps that was a possibility if you’d stay awake for a while longer. Harry got off the bed and scooped the baby up into his arms, holding her like a newborn.

The baby was rather calm and relaxed during her bath. Harry expected a few wild splashes or squeals, but she stayed quiet and just watched his face as he bathed her. She was always so fascinated by him, and you swore she knew exactly when she had him in the palm of her hand. Harry sped up the process as he realized she was growing more tired by the minute.

“Oh, that’s a big yawn, princess.” He said with a chuckle. “We’re almost done.”

You were occupied with the laundry, so once you were finished you made your way to them. The bath was over by now, since Harry rushed through the end, so you found them in her nursery. He was rubbing lotion onto her legs when you appeared next to him.

“Someone looks sleepy.”

He glanced at you with a smile. “She’s been yawning like crazy.”

“Poor thing. Daddy wore you out, hm?”

“Too many giggles, Mama.” He gently patted her tummy before grabbing her onesie.

You pulled out one of the drawers he wasn’t blocking and laid down the small stack of clean clothes you had brought up from the laundry. Harry shifted over a few steps, not sure if you needed to get to the other drawers. Your arm slipped around his back to grab his waist and bring him back to where he had been. He laughed under his breath and quickly pecked a kiss to your temple. He felt a spark in his heart as you moved behind him, both arms wrapped around his body.

“Are we snuggling before bedtime or do you think she’ll go down right away?” You asked in a soft voice as you leaned your head against his shoulder blade.

“She might be asleep before I pick her up.” The smile on his face was evident in his voice. “I’ll just rock her for a bit.”

In the least expected time, the baby let out a sound in her sleepiest voice, a soft whine laced in to the sounds. “Da da.”

Harry’s eyes went wide and he gasped. You let go of him and quickly returned to his side, your hand bracing the edge of the changing table. He laughed in disbelief as the baby closed her hand around his thumb.

“Baby girl.” He said in a cheerful tone, making her eyes lock with his. “What did you say, darling?”

You stayed quiet, allowing him to soak up in the feelings - he had been waiting ages for this. Ever since she first said your name, he had been waiting for his turn. Your other hand gently curled around his elbow. You could feel the chill bumps on his skin.

“Da da da.” She said it again, this time with a little more whine.

He sat her up, his big hands keeping her in place in front of him. “My sweet girl! I’m so proud of you!”

“Good job, honeybun!” You gave her tummy a tickle and she squealed, despite being tired.

She lifted her arms, squeezing and opening her fists as she gave Harry a whine. He picked her up, placing a kiss to her cheek.

“Giving Dada cuddles, hm?” You said with a laugh as she laid her head on his shoulder, one hand against his arm and the other on his neck.

“Da da da.” She muttered out, her eyes closing as she got comfortable.

“Dada’s girl, yeah? Love you so much, my peach.” Harry whispered, not wanting to excite her too much - she needed to sleep.

You were extremely glad she decided to say this to him and not on her own while he wasn’t around. You had a slight fear of him missing out and that has finally been dissolved.

“Time for a lullaby, Mama.” Harry said to you as he turned around and walked to the rocking chair.

“I’ll get ready for bed.” You replied as he sat down.

He frowned slightly. “Don’t wanna stay?”

Your hands gently grabbed his face so you could plop a kiss to his lips. “This is your special moment, babe. Enjoy it. I love you.”

“I love you.”

(a/n: i thought I’d include a lot of cute fluff for this one! hope you like it :) I have a Google form posted on my page with a few things you can vote on regarding this series! It will be up for a few more days so check it out!)

taglist:

@cherrymelonx @mydearestsunflower6 @oh-austin @coralsweetsharmony @eiffelmezarry @eddieisdadddy y @cupcakemachete @s0phlabrunette @fangirl125reader @luvonstyles @theroosterswife24 @victoriasigaard @ariiscringe @harrystylesrealwifeong @harlowsgirl @lomllover @haniaaa04

[tongue-like-a-razor]

I was thinking about a fic where Vincent falls in love with a target? He was supposed to kill her, but he fell in love. He starts a relationship with her, but she doesn't know about the murder order. Maybe she became a threat to a powerful person for whatever reason, so they decided they wanted to put an end to her. Vincent obviously doesn't kill her, he becomes her protector and abandons the life of an assassin to be with her, what happens is that he has to constantly look over his shoulder and be alert, not only because her life is in danger, but ultimately he's afraid his past will catch up with him and he doesn't want her to find out anything. Furthermore, he made them move to another place in order to lose sight of those who wanted her dead, but obviously he marked this as something else. And the past really catches up, because whoever ordered her death sent other assassins to kill her, but they didn't expect Vincent - who wants revenge against anyone who dares to try to harm the woman he loves so desperately. He has decided he wants the head of the snake (the person who ordered the hit) and everyone in his path. Something he simply hadn't done before to try and protect her. At the same time, he has to deal with the fact that after she found out, she "lost" trust in him. She felt betrayed, scared (not of him, of the situation) and felt like everything was a lie between them. Basically, seeing a lovesick Vincent doing everything in his power to prove how desperately in love he is and how she has changed his entire being while also destroying everyone who ever thought of hurting her. Obviously, an extremely happy, intoxicating and love-filled ending. With them so in love and happy it hurts. You can add love making if you wish. Love making. The kind of I'm desperately in love with you, type of love making. I also imagine him falling in love with her at first sight. I feel like anything else in this situation would be cheap. Him just being completely mesmerized and starting pursuing (stalking) her in every way possible, not only to get into her life but also to take care of her. Maybe she leaves him for a little after she finds the truth, to organize her thoughts, but he goes after her because he will always find her and prove his love and devotion. He cannot live without her. I imagine one of those amazing chase scenes you write for his characters. I imagine it as a very vulnerable but very romantic chase. He comes clean about everything and tells her the whole truth, and they fall even more in love, trusting and submitting completely to each other and their love, without restrictions.

It's Vincent. He will have psychotic tendencies. Especially since he's in love. But it's the kind of psychotic tendency that makes you fall in love with him even more, because he doesn't do it in a way that harms you. It's those delicious types of tendencies that you crave and love. That makes it a desperate love. That protection.

Characters like Vincent are the ones who, if they fell in love, it would be the fiercest, most powerful love you could ever witness. The kind of love story that happens once in a lifetime, the kind that stays with you, you know? Toe curling, chest collapsing, you almost pass out - kind of love. At least, that's what I imagine.

I hope this is understandable and not all over the place, I wrote this in one sitting, as it all came to my mind. I really hope you can write this, I'm dying for a Vincent fic written by you ❤

BABE. The way this gave me BUTTERFLIES. Like wowww I’m obsessed 🤯 I will try my best to hit your main points and do this masterpiece of a request justice! Thank you so much for sending this in, it’s spectacular 👏👏👏