#The adventures of Harry and Grace

[smuttyaf]

The Ultimatum

𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰; 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐜𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩.

wc; 14.2k | fifth part to the business

i can’t express how much i appreciate the love i’ve been getting from the series! so because of that, i decided to combine two parts together for this post (teehee) that means extra manipulative!h & extra smut. i hope you all enjoy!

tw: gaslighting, coercion, degradation, tad bit of edging, and bdsm. don’t read if it makes you uncomfy!!

Is it conceited for you to embrace the stares that wander over your appearance?

Men fit in muted suits and twinkling time pieces, letting their adventurous eyes drink in every stride of you entering the lively scenery. Cleavage bouncing with each step held by the floral stitched dress gracing your body in all the right places; slit down one side to reveal your smooth legs and expensive heels.

The warmth of Harry’s hand nestled along your waist has greedy eyes stab jealous daggers with each passing movement in the room. You can’t help the smirk that tugs along your lips. Even if all these men's eyes are set on you, Harry is the one who loves your look the most just as much as you love all his strategic ways.

The familiar scent of his cologne relaxes every nerve from being around his magnetic presence. He moves through the room with grace, head bowing every few moments acknowledging acquaintances and colleagues. Every stretch of skin over Harry drips class and elegance, from his styled curls to Saint Laurent suit, all you can do is admire him.

He clears his throat to draw your attention to him, peeling your chair open with eyes twinkling as you take your seat and let him position you better along the table.

Your gaze surveys the group of men before you, stern faces with loose smirks, it has knots tightening in your stomach. Harry's body rumbles next to you, turning your focus to him with a timid smile, your shy expression has his eye dropping into a wink, hands clasping together looking towards the men.

“Finally! He shows up!”

The circle breaks into laughter, you join in faintly at the sound. There’s a dealer set in the middle of the table continuing to shuffle the deck while distant chatter still fills your ears. Shoulders relax against the cushions of the stool, fingers curving over your pouch as your tongue runs along your bottom lip.

“C’mon, you know this city and it’s shit traffic,” Harry counters, fixing his cuff links while his feet rustle against the chair legs.

“If that’s what you want to call it.” Sneaky grin shining from the man parallel to you who stares at Harry.

The undertone of his comment sends blood to course furiously, cheeks beginning to warm as you sit up straighter in your chair, eyes trailing to the poker chips littering the table in different colours. It distracts the sound of Harry kissing his teeth with his hands drumming against the cushions of the decorative spread.

“Enough, are we playing or what?” He avoids, eyebrows peering up at the ginger employee shuffling the deck of cards.

“I’ll go for another round, how bout’ you Gio?” Bald man with tattoos all over his scalp looks towards the man at the end of the table.

He shrugs in return, his hand raising up for a waitress to trail towards the group. A bouncy brunette appears as Gio looks around the table.

“Marcallan for the men… and you darling, what would you like?” Nervous smile spreads on your lips from being addressed. Finger reaching behind your ear to tuck hair away, sight flicking between Harry and his friend.

“Anything from the Château line, please.” Smiling at him and the waitress, Gio runs his tongue over his teeth as he nods his head.

“And that wine for the lady, thank you dear.” Hand going into his breast pocket, pulling bills out and gracing it to her.

Your eyes turn back towards Harry, he nods his head towards Gio, appreciation caught in their gaze before they’re looking towards cards flying across the table for their own deck.

“I’m feeling lucky tonight,” Harry cracks, arms slinging along the spread with a charming smile looking over his group of friends.

“I wouldn’t speak so soon,” Slim man with long nose twirls his empty glass of ice cubes, cheery grin spread along his features.

“Yeah, so far Johnny is leading this,” Deep voice of the pudgy man next to Harry laughs. It barks in grunting breaths with his face going red. Your view on your boyfriend whose expression reads disdain.

The snicker next to you breaks your attention. Short black hair gelled with hazel eyes dancing in the light, his smirk is sinister being satisfied with his winning streak. Gaze catches with yours, looking over your features with his tongue peeking out and running across his lip. The exchange stirs your sight to Harry, nails curling into the leather of your bag swallowing heavily.

You didn’t know what to expect when Harry invited you to this fundraiser for the evening, but this definitely wasn’t it.

Italian accents and expensive apparel hold your vision when you look around the table. Whether silver and gold shine off their bodies, every peek of their appearance radiates money. All men are groomed and styled with sophistication that adds to the ambiance of the room.

Voluminous jewels hang off the chandelier, waiters walk around holding trays of food or flutes of champagne, guests roaming amongst the floor carrying the flow of the party. The scene is one of glitz and glamor; sparkling liquor, upbeat band, and everyone dressed to the nines.

It’s a beautiful sight of the finer things in life, women flashing their magnificent accessories while men flaunt their luxurious suits and polished dress shoes. A breathless sigh slips past your lips with spine flexing recognizing people from local television.

Despite working at Jasper’s and always encountering famous men, you never got used to them being in your presence. Even if it was dancing for them, the fact you either grew up watching them on the big screen or just reading about them in the weekly news, it still surprises you how you’re able to surround yourself with popular figures.

“Gonna introduce us to your friend here?” Voice beside yourself questions. It rings your ears as your focus remains on the green table.

“Right? Styles, where are your manners?” Teasing tone adding into the space. The attention being on you stirs your heart to pick up in pace, shaky fingers and fluttering lashes look back up at the group.

“This is Y/N, my girlfriend,” Harry's hand finds itself on your naked thigh, sight looking over your timid frame as he smoothes it down the expanse while all the men study your appearance. “So don’t stare too long.”

The night unfolds with drinks flowing and locker room chatter, nasty jokes with suggestive winks leave the poker table a roaring mess. Amused hands clapping at men winning more money or spilling humor. Your once darting eyes and racing heart calms down, acknowledging every word spoken and laughing at every dirty pun. It’s relieving how funny and easy-going the group of his friends are, they carry you into conversations and even get you to join the game.

With the alcohol running through your system it has the hours spent at the party go by in a breeze. Harry’s touch nestles itself by your side, view checking on you enjoying yourself. His reassuring touch and attentive demeanor increases the affection between you, it has you smiling at him genuinely throughout the party appreciating him.

But beside those nurturing moments, you learn in the hours spent over colourful chips and liquor more about the men Harry involves himself with. What you grasp from their innuendos are gruesome jokes about beating someone to the bone or how pleasing it is to see their oppositions dead. Your heart swells with sadness, not only that they find it funny but that Harry was laughing along. It wasn’t amusing to you as it was to him.

That would be the moment you drown out the truth and toss back the rest of your wine, and by the time the glass touches the coaster Harry orders another, pleased you’re compliant with the conversation. Deflecting gaze and clenching heart wanders amongst the mingling people and jazz band. It’s in your tispy state you notice luring eyes of women set on Harry, drinking him in with all his glory that it sends a surge of jealousy through you. Fingers tighten around his as your sight focuses back on him, glossy eyes and straight teeth shine with ignorance about the brutal truth of the relationship.

By the time you’re on your fourth glass, the group settles into calm crackles of past memories; whether it’s about stumbling upon a glory hole or reminiscing about life back in Italy, it subsides your slow pacing heart from the previous conversation.

“So I’m tired right, I got blood gushing from my head and I just busted my ass four blocks to get to Harry’s. I barge into his place, he’s there with Kenzo and Charlie watching sports, you know how this man is always watching sports right!” You giggle in amusement invested with the story.

“And I tell him; I need your help, I can’t tell you what it is, you can never ask me about it later, and we’re gonna hurt some people, and Harry, completely unfazed as ever goes, whose car are we taking?” The group erupts in laughter, as the man you learn to be Mateo, recounts his story.

Harry laughs with nails scratching against your skin, the view of him soothes yourself with warmth adoring him. Curls in waves combine with his amused laughter, skin folding by his eyes completely entertained with the story. The rowdy laughter carries on until there’s someone patting on his shoulder, salt and pepper roots with thick beard catching your sight.

“Styles! Nice to see you!”

Your jaw immediately tenses, nose wrinkles and cheeks blossom under the lights. Teeth clench down on each other as your heart begins to burn, this certainly wasn’t someone you expected to see tonight. Christian Bale in front of you and shaking Harry’s hand as if…

“Christian!” Harry cheers, going to greet him. At the same time his grip tightens around your knee your fingers trail towards your mouth, teeth nibbling on your nail with nerves raking through.

It’s in your movement that your familiar client catches your eyes, flash of surprise crossing his features before a pleased smile spreads.

“Where are you going? Stay for a game,” Harry chimes, hand gesturing to the poker table. The fact he’s even proposing that causes your fingers to curl into his anxiously.

The gesture is noticeable to him with gaze surveying your nervous appearance, before looking back to Christian who shakes his head.

“No, no, I was just on my way out.” Nodding towards the exit doors. Decline of the offer has Harry bow his head in acknowledgment, straightening up in his chair. “It was nice to see you before our meeting.”

“Likewise, get home safe.” Harry concludes the conversation with a genuine smile.

You’re extremely grateful that he passes up on the offer as he leaves towards the exit. Shallow breaths course through, searching eyes watch with teeth tearing away from acrylic, you draw your hand down and share a passive smile.

If you could wipe the sweat that trickles down your temple as if an sitcom, you would. Your heart never stops its thundering beats, discovering your boyfriend and regular client being friends? Colleagues? Whatever it is, it doesn’t sever the ache that grows in your chest.

“I think we should call it a night too,” Harry wonders, head twisting to look at you with a charming smile. “How does that sound?”

With the amount of liquor in your system and having witness that scene before you, the need to feel your blankets and its comforting material is one you pleasantly desire. The ends of your lips twist upwards as you nod.

So, a few minutes after Harry orders the valet  for his Porsche you both bid the group farewells. Each man stands shaking Harry’s hand while they bring you in for a hug, respectable actions that leave you fond of the gesture.

The drive back to his penthouse is small talk about how the night went and if you enjoyed yourself. In the quiet space, your sight is caught on the moving buildings passing by in blurs, mind stuck on Mr. Bale while your voice conceals the uneasiness coursing through.

Christian has been your client for two years now, you see him every other week if he’s not on vacation or filming. Despite him being your regular, there is a cordial connection between you both; times he will confess to you problems in his life after too many drinks, or respecting your decision to not push the boundaries of your work position. Even though there’s a non-disclosure agreement binding the both of you, should you tell Harry your relationship with him?

The thoughts brewing are ones that have your back ruffling against the leather seats. How many of your other clients are connected to Harry? You’re so dizzy from the alcohol in your system, you can’t recall if you glazed over any at the party. But it doesn’t even matter in the end, you’re in distress regardless, the possibility of your clients having connections with him but don’t know who you belong to as they watch you dance. A shiver of guilt courses through.

By the time you get home, Harry and you undress and slip between the arms of each other, and by the time he’s completely wrapped up in you, you forget the man that races your mind. In the morning, Harry is already out the door leaving you to wander around his penthouse all afternoon before heading to your own home, caring for Cleo until it’s time to get ready for work.

Your week goes back to what it regularly is; upkeep of your appearance, different decorative robe, and withering under Harry’s touch. It completely slips your mind about your encounter with Christian, going about your life smiling at the postman from another bouquet or spending your time lodging around Harry’s living room until he gets home.

It’s another one of those days, legs crossed over each other with a magazine in your lap. Eyes drifting over the newest pieces in the Fendi collection while The Real Housewives drags along in the background. The chime of the elevator rings in the space notifying you of Harry’s arrival.

His dress shoes echo heavily amongst the polish floor as they cross the room, the severe sound of his paste has your head trialing up from the glossy booklet.

“Hi baby,” Cheerful voice greeting him, your eyes watch him make his way towards the bar.

Harry decides to ignore you with lips flat and jaw tensing. It’s when seeing the sight of him that you swallow heavily, and when glasses smash against the counter top it makes sweat begin to crease in your palms.

“Is everything okay?” Are your next words, nails curling into the shiny paper as you continue to watch him. He walks across the room, same hash footsteps that halt with his body sitting next to you.

Teeth bite down into your bottom lip as you continue to roam over Harry’s features, it reeks pure anger. Your heart pounding in your chest with toes curling in on themselves trying to control the stress overtaking you.

Maybe it’s another bad day at work? Maybe Johnny pissed him off like he always does? Maybe his anger isn’t directed towards you? So, with that glimmer of thought, your hand stretches out to place the magazine on his lap. Nervous smile peeking through as you look towards him.

“Isn’t this coat beautiful, I wonder if they have it in store?” You suggest, gaze catching between his forest eyes and the brown fur coat embroidered with the Fendi logo.

Harry looks towards the magazine, sight roaming over the image before his hand is closing the book and slapping it onto the center table. The ringing of the glass rattles every vein pulsing through. His actions focus your attention with tears beginning to swell.

He stares at the flowers adorning the surface, hand raising the glass to his lips as he swallows back whisky. The tension in the room is thick and uncomfortable, the expression written over his face is one you’ve never witnessed before. It’s why your nails curl into your pantyhose already leaving faint tears.

Harry clears his throat when pulling the drink away from his lips, tongue peeking out to wet flesh just as his eyes lock with you. Connection holding an eerie exchange that has your mouth run dry.

“You know when you joined me for the party Sunday night, I wondered what made you so flustered when Christrian introduced himself.” The mention of your client has your throat squeeze, tears now stinging your vision.

“Still, I thought nothing of it. He has his fame with his movies, his starlight, whatever… you see I thought that was the reason but no, no, no, that wasn’t why you got flustered, now is it?” Your chest now rises quickly with each breath.

Harry’s mad, screw that, mad is not even the word; he’s vexed, furious, absolutely outraged with eyes wide and each word coming out in an angry spew. The sight is haunting compared to the one you’re so use to.

“Since you don’t know, Christian and I are invested in the same stock, sometimes we have meetings going over bullshit graphs and other stupidness to fund. And when I thought that our usual meetings would go how they normally do, I was surprised when he brought you up.” Your skin is practically radiating more heat than the sun at the moment, you’re caught and sit in front of him in complete shock. “Asking me how I could’ve possibly been able to spend a night with you, how he’s been trying to… well, I don’t even want to say.”

“Harry I’m so sorry—”

“—Oh! So now you’re sorry, not when he smiled in my face and shook my hand?”

You’re the reason why he’s enraged and looking at you with such shame. A storm of tears pounds behind your eyes with nails now ruining your stockings, it was taking everything in you not to cry in front of him.

“Harry, I can’t say anything, I’m under contract.”

Those words have a bitter laugh floating in the air, condescending and threatening that your gaze falls towards the leather cushions. The ice cubes in his glass rattle against each other straining the atmosphere.

“Choose right now, your job or me.” Eyes go wide as they look back up at him. Your mouth wobbles as you swallow nervously.

“What?” Brows push together as your fingers unclench themselves around your knees.

“Right now, choose.” Heart pounds against your chest with thunder, tears begging to fall over your waterline as you look at him in surprise at the ultimatum.

All Harry does is stare back with his intense gaze and clenching hand. The emotions coursing through nearly make you faint, this was all too much, especially right now.

“B —Baby, Harry, I think we should just talk about this,”

“—That’s your answer.” Cutting you off with eyebrows high in question. Once again, your expression wavers with confusion and sadness. Mind still trying to process the events happening.

Your stuttering face has Harry pulling away from your presence with another amused laugh, hand slamming his glass down on the table before he’s leaning forward. The clattering objects make your body shake and tears begin to trickle from your eyes, fingers leave your legs to wipe away the sadness roaming down your cheeks.

You watch Harry begin to loosen his tie, knees raising him off the couch as he moves across the room again. His motions have you immediately following after, heels clicking behind his rushed steps trying to catch up to him.

“Get all your shit and get out!” Harry sneers, stomping up the stairs with yourself following behind in anxious beats.

His words have your heart tearing in half, cry leaving your lips as you try to ignore the water blurring your version and trailing down your skin.

“What? No!” Grabbing at Harry’s hand once reaching the landing, the gesture has his fingers jerk away from yours and continue his venture towards the bedroom.

Marching down the hall until swinging the door open, immediately going to your side of the dresser and beginning to toss your shirts and blouses across the floor, some trailing onto the bed as he empties your things.

“Stop! What are you doing!” You sob, bending to pick up the clothing and trying to shove them back in its place.

“You want to stay at Jasper’s! Fine, go ahead! But I won’t be with you anymore!” His voice booms over you, stinging words cutting deep that has another wave of tears shredding.

“I never said that!” You weep, hands trying to collect his who continues to throw your things. Actions so rushed and furious that he’s not even paying attention to your crying frame.

“It’s clear!” Harry tugs another drawer open tossing all your garments across the room.

“Well I’m not going!” Fingers catching onto the fabric in his hands that leave you both fighting over the piece.

“I don’t want you here! Get out!” Harry's voice roars over the sob that leaves your distraught frame.

You never heard Harry this way, and you’ve never seen him this angry either, and the fact he’s throwing you away as if nothing is leaving you completely broken. Every moment with him has been special since you met, and now the fucked up reveal of your secrets is shattering all that you once were. It’s stomping on your heart and playing in the smashed pieces.

You’re sure the eyeliner and mascara you put on this morning is running all over your cheeks, still your chest heaves heavy breaths as your hands trail up his arms to try and halt his movements. This is not what you want, this is the last thing you expected to happen, and it’s more devastating that it’s unfolding like this.

“H —Harry, please, just stop, you can’t mean this.” Soft voice wavering as you tug on his blazer, nails digging into his skin roughly to get attention.

And it does, his sight cold and jaw clenching from the view of your appearance. The draw down your frame looks as if he’s ashamed, like he doesn’t even want to look at you right now. It’s the sight that makes you want to apologize over and over again.

“How is she in bed? Is she as sweet as I imagine?”

Crack lips part, lashes fluttering with brows drawing together; all your features resemble pure shock at the reiteration of Christian’s words. Now you stand in this room that once held such love and affection be swallowed by heartbreak. Chanel, Prada, Armani, gifts that Harry presented for your own space in his life; they now grace the floor as if a memory long forgotten.

“She always told me she never does those things, kinda’ offended she didn’t reveal to me her added profession.”

Olive eyes shine with distaste looking at your withering appearance. Jaw tensing and fingers still clenching around your shirt. Another shaky breath courses through, examining eyes and twitching mouth not knowing what to say.

“You don’t know how badly I wanted to beat the livin’ shit out of him. The way he describes you, talks about you. I had to bite my tongue hearing everything.” Nails relax against his arms with your lips pressing tightly together. “I’m disgusted.”

His words aim to bruise, leaving sadness to blossom in the hollows of your heart. Everything is falling apart right in front of your eyes and all you can do is let tears continue to run. Why didn’t you tell him? Why didn’t you say something?

“So choose, Jasper’s or me.”

“You.”

Nodding up at him, the ends of your mouth tug into a timid smile with your hands drawing down to cradle his fingers. His nostrils flare still angry, still completely furious.

The answer doesn’t ease the tension in the room, instead it heightens your decision, the one you should’ve said before fumbling over your words. Shining rays of light pass through the window, brightness gracing over the clothes flung across the space amidst the battlefield of sadness and rage.

“I —I choose you, I’ll leave Jasper’s, I —I’m sorry.” Fingers encasing around his as you step deeper into his presence. Harry retreats into the dresser, chest flexing with grip contracting around the shirt in hand.

Cold eyes don’t break sight over your sniffling appearance. Intimidation radiates from his towering posture that cradles your worried frame. Even fully clothed, Harry eyes undress every vulnerable twitch that courses through, lashes batting up at him heartbroken and needy, always so needy.

“You quit tomorrow.” He demands, hands dropping the garment and gripping the underside of your arm. “You’ll move out of your apartment, stay with me and be my good little doll. Is that clear?” Now it’s your turn for your body to tense. Tear stained cheeks and paint smeared eyes bow under Harry’s gaze.

“Now I don’t want this happening again. I shouldn’t have to do this to show you what you really want.”

His grip over your arm has you stumbling backwards towards the bed, knees cushioning your seated position as Harry’s other hand goes towards your neck, holding your gaze as he looks over you.

The room captures two lovers; one manipulative with his calculating actions, while the other is victim to the love prayed over with affection and money. His behavior is overseen by your emotions so easily embraced by him. It’s why you stare at him in virtue despite everything that has transpired in your life already, the one that’s now completely devoted to Harry.

“I hate to make you cry… but you look so pretty.”

Thumb spreads over your skin as his head cranes down, lips gazing over each other as his eyes continue to examine your hesitant frame. He loves the way your breath quivers as he moves closer, body shifting against his grip as he looms over your frame in complete awe of you.

“It’s gonna be okay, baby. You know I’ll take care of you, I always do… and with Jasper’s, that place holds you back, you know that, don’t you?” Fingers shaking your head playfully with his sight still never trailing off your bitten lip and doe eyes. “You’ll love it here, keep my bed nice and warm. Won’t you, darling?”

“Yes.”

Though agreeing with everything Harry says, the feeling of your heart trying to repair itself cracks even more at the obligations being set in place. Restrictions now apply over your life to be with him. It’s scary, and alarming, and you should really catch your breath and think over everything he’s saying but you don’t, not with his hand cradling your skin and eyes drawing you in.

“No more dancing, no more clients, just me.”

Nodding your head again with deep breath releasing, your fingers curl around the material of your velvet dress. Heart paces with sorrow realizing you won’t be wrapped up in your long tulle robe, receive generous tips, or have your girl talk surrounded by vanity lights.

“If I find out about another one I’ll kill them. Swear to god I will.” Chest quivers as his words float along your face. Intense stare watching the way you swallow heavily and bow your head at him.

“I’m sorry.” Soft voice slipping past your lips as the storm behind your eyes calms down. Fingers that once ruffled against your dress rise up and close around his wrist, lashes batting up at him with a shaky smile.

“Only you, it’s only ever been you.”

Harry tightens his grip around your jaw. Sight still surveying your anxious frame, his other hand runs down your face before tucking hair away. The ends of his lips tug up at the same time he’s shaking your head playfully, again.

Just like always, his demeanor radiates satisfaction at your attention. Heart growing fond of you surrendering yourself, complying to every requirement. Harry falls more in love with the way he can control you, how you’re now his entirely. He’s happy knowing that he’ll come home to your pretty self waiting for him and ready for anything he proposes, all because you’re just that dedicated to please him.

It’s why his head lowers, lips connecting against your bitten ones. The grip over your jaw sliding down your neck, rubbing the skin roughly as tongues link together to dance. Ignorance of the heated scene passing over both of your minds while his hand tightens.

The bourbon on his tongue adds to the intoxicating sensation that runs through you whenever you taste him. It’s the type that you want passing through your own veins just loving it that much, loving him that much. Harry cares about you, isn’t it obvious? He wants what’s best for you, that’s why he’s making you leave Jasper’s and have you live with him to spend the rest of your days.

His hand curls around your neck, mouths parting as his sight goes back to examining your face. There’s still pink roaming across the hollows of your eyes, cheeks a mess of black liner, and daze still twinkling up at him.

“Show me how sorry you are.”

Darting sight looks between his smirk and preying self, knees pushing off the bed to fall to the floor with connection never breaking. His hands follow every motion of your head as it nods at him, your fingers going to his belt and immediately beginning to undo it.

Thick bulge pressed tightly against his zipper revealing how turned on he got at the heated exchange. Your hand releases him from his boxers while your other tugs the rest of his slacks down, mouth not waiting to accept him graciously. Shallow taste of salt on your tongue as it twirls around his head, eyes blinking up as you apologize in his favorite way.

Lips bubble with spit as you roam down his length, clear fluid coating him in the rush of your descent, the urgent need to display how sorry you are shows.

Your mouth parts lowering yourself around him, tongue laying flat along the underside craving out every pulsing vein beneath erect skin. The warmth of you wrapping around his cock has a relieving sigh pass through him.

“Be my perfect girl.” Fingers massaging your scalp as you continue to swallow him down. “Show me how sorry you are.”

Harry watches every bob of your head, plump lips sucking him and feeling your throat relax and accept him effortlessly. Connection shimmers with obedience as you prove to him how guilty you feel for thinking you wouldn’t choose him over anything.

Acknowledging his comments your mouth descends down his cock even further, neck contracting around his length as your nose tickles his pelvis, moan stifles against him at the way he stretches your throat. The effect of him between your lips already has your pussy throbbing, wetness beginning to coat your folds falling into his every tactic.

The hand placed on his thigh moves towards his dick, enclosing around it and gliding with every bob of your head, added pleasure being received happily as his fingers curl into your locks.

“Just like that,” Harry coos, hips thrusting into your motions as you continue swallowing him down.

Shivers of delight course through happy you’re pleasing him. It’s reassuring hearing his groan over your movements. Knees shuffling across the floor, strands of hair shifting with every dip and saliva causing his cock to glisten in the light.

It’s beautiful how it shines, mini air bubbles roaming along the nerves pulsating along your tongue. It was a sight to see, a sight you adore. It’s why your body tries to contain yourself from the sparks igniting. You’re happy to apologize to him, happy to show him that he’s the only one for you.

The expressions of pleasure slipping from Harry uplifts your spirit, you’re back on his good side, and you want to remain there. The look of disgust that once crossed his face is one you never want to see again, especially his words. You’re supposed to be his good doll, not one to lie or deceive him. That’s why you’re on your best behavior, doing anything to prove yourself.

“I’ll do anything to show you that you’re the only one I want.” Fingers tightening around his length that has him groaning from the look over your face, eyes caught on your forgiving frame that he can’t help but smirk. Palms now hold your face up in his favorite place. “You always treat me so good, I’m sorry baby.”

Hand continues to roam down his cock in twists, easily sliding with spit as your gaze doesn’t break. Needy eyes and pouty lips, it’s Harry's favorite image of you; and with your makeup all streaked down your cheeks, he wants this moment to be photographed so he can save it in his wallet to show how devoted you are to pleasing him.

His grip over you halts your movements, fingers roughly carrying your face towards him as your knees flex with gasp falling from your lips, his actions have your hands contract and draw away.

“Show me.”

The words guide your movements to reach behind your back. Nails catching on your zipper to draw it down your frame. Fitted dress falling down your body as your heels are next, toes slipping out of your pumps and touching the heated wood, and with each movement of you shredding off your panties and stockings, Harry is there watching your every move while he strokes himself.

The soft skin of your curves sit on display for him to admire. Swelling breasts so perfect and round, thighs so deliciously smooth and begging to be in his hold. God, Harry is in love with you. Every vulnerable inch of yourself is exposed for his greedy eyes. It’s why he begins undressing himself; dress shoes kicking off, slacks joining the mess on the floor, and every button of his dress shirt revealing inked skin under your gaze.

“Turn around.”

Following his command, you do. Eyes staring at all your clothes thrown over the space, nails drawing down your thighs eagerly as you hear ruffling behind you.

“Get on the bed, face down.”

Legs bend, knees ruffling against the sheets while your spine curves in. The side of your face is comforted by your slick blouse as your hands reach out in front of you, fingers curling around loose garments with your pussy set on display.

Harry’s steps shift amongst the floor, palm sliding to your lower back shoving you deeper into the bed as the head of his cock drags down your creamy folds.

“Look so pretty like this baby.” Dick pushing past your lips and spreading you wide. Your mouth hangs open, a satisfied moan trailing into the air of Harry stretching you out with all his length. “I love when you tell me you’re sorry.”

Whimpers spill, head rotating in pleasure as your hips jerk with each pound of his. Harry draws out slowly before thrusting back in roughly, each strike filling your pussy just the way you like. It never mattered what position you found yourselves in, he was always reaching parts of you that had your toes curling, and the fact that he’s pounding away not even allowing you to adjust sends a greedy sensation through you.

Harry is using your pussy just the way you like; fucking you however he pleases like the doll you are to him. It’s exhilarating, it’s mind numbing, leaving you light headed and addicted to every strike opening you wide.

“That’s right… take my dick.” Deafening slap roaming against your ass. It has your teeth biting into the silk and push against his thrusts with adrenaline coursing through.

“Baby,” Nails curling tightly into your shirts, while his grip over your hips controls you to accept every hungry pound.

Harry surveys your jolting frame, flexing back and shoulders craning as your arms roam higher up the sheets. Fingers drag and curl around the piles of mess lying across the sheets, plump lips hanging open in adoration at his urgent thrusts.

You look so beautiful like this, are his immediate thoughts floating in his mind; the way you grant him pleasure within the depths of your body that he loves to sink into, so beautiful.

Every delicious sound of your voice crying out in a whimper or moan just drives his hips even more, hands slipping up your neck and shoving your head into the blouse, hungry growl leaving him as your eyes squeeze shut with your pussy quivering around him. God does he love you so much, don’t you see that? Don’t you feel it? With every rock of his hips don’t you feel the electric pulse of him, how he’s so hungry craving more of your sweetness.

It’s the smirk that carries across his lips with knowledge that you know, you have to. Because with every coat of your nectar sliding down and accepting his cock he can feel your walls tighten and release; skin folding between your brows, knuckles going white from your grip over the sheets, pussy accepting every assault that you admire so much. Yes, he’s sure you know.

“Tell me you’re sorry.” He demands, chest parallel to your shoulders as he mounts you into the bed.

Harry’s hips have your body bouncing into the springs, face squishing and wheezing sighs of air passing through the thin material of your top. He’s so intoxicating the way he fucks you into the bed and shows you were you belong.

“I’m sorry!” Moaning while your fingers drag down the bed in agony at the ticks of your climax crawling through your foot.

“I’m so, so, sorry,” Voice going hoarse as your thighs quiver, eyes fluttering open to see lace and silk engulf your vision.

“Mhm, don’t you want to be my good girl?” Thrusts never halting as he continues to pound away at your cervix.

“Yes, god, yes!” Head straining against his hold as your stomach clenches with nerves.

Harry continues going, erratic thrusts of his cock in your drenched pussy, the sound of his hips plummeting your backside meets with every groan and whimper trailing in the air. The sounds drawing from the room float all the way into the hallway, each other's appetite being fulfilled in the messy foundation of your relationship.

“That’s my perfect girl,” Harry hums, lips pressing into your bobbing head as you completely unravel around him.

Hypnotic pulses sting down your spine as your head twists in his hold, teeth bite into the sheets as your pussy quivers all around him. Chest heaves as your mind goes completely blank, every thought and emotion is wrapped in him, loving everything he does.

“Oh my god, Harry,” Whining while you go sore around him as he continues his torment.

“That’s it baby… I feel you.” He breathes into your ear, hand releasing around your neck, the hold of you around his cock adds to him moaning into your sweating skin. “So good for me, just the way I like.”

Hips slowly dive back in, motions changing from their rough propelling paste to affectionate loving strokes. So exhilarating and passionate as he feels your body go limp around him.

It’s in the way your mouth parts, salvia stringing between your plump lips that Harry groans heavily against you. The mess of your hair mattes against his, the smell of your shampoo filling his nose as your back ruffles against his chest. Ticking sensations coursing through still leaving you feeling drowsy with your climax consuming you.

The dazed expression crossing your face is a captivating site, one that has Harry spilling into you, long moan brushing over your face as he relaxes into your body. Two hearts in the same room trying to regulate their breathing as they come down from the adrenaline that once pierced you into the sheets.

You feel Harry go slack, cock slipping out as he rolls off your body. You still breathe in shaky breaths, waist falling into the mattress as your thighs ruffle against the garments with limbs twitching from the waves of your release still coursing through.

As your mind continues to wander itself through fog you don't realize Harry sitting up in bed and putting himself back together, feet shuffling across the floor as he walks around the bed frame.

The noise catches your attention first before the sight of him entering the bathroom, and even despite him just fucking you brutally into the sheets he still looks upset.

“Clean up this mess and get ready for dinner, reservation is for seven.” Is all he says, the bathroom door slamming shut ending further conversation, only meaning that your apology isn’t accepted.

For thirty minutes you sit across from each other and let silence eat you up. Nails picking the skin around your cuticles, teeth biting into flesh while Harry on the other hand is extremely relaxed. Poised, professional, and avoiding your presence as if you’re not even there.

It’s over dinner that you realize, no matter how many times you try to shine your pearly white teeth or strike up a conversation, if Harry is in a bad mood that means you suffer in the projection of his feelings.

You can’t even be surprised by his anger, it’s really what you expect. You lied for days just for him to find out from Christian himself, and to make it even worse, he talked about you in a way that even made your skin crawl.

Harry avoided you for the rest of the night; no eye contact, no kisses, and no cuddling once in bed. It sinks your soul knowing you’re the reason behind the way he’s treating you at the moment, but it’s only right you endure this. It’s your fault.

That’s why you aren’t surprised when you wake up to the text from him reminding you of what’s needed today. The one thing you never thought would happen so soon. No more decorative feathers, no more giggling and suggestive talks, no more tips and dancing, no more Jasper. Three years gone, the memories you have are ones you hold dear; it’s why it pains you right now.

Looking at yourself in the goblet mirror adoring the dresser, that was previously pulled apart in a furious rage, tears prick your eyes recalling all the fond moments. Girls helping out with makeup, advice on which robe to wear, gossiping about clients, god, you’ll miss it all. But, it’s better this way. It’s better to have Harry take care of you, it’s nice really. You don’t have to worry about other men touching you, or whispering what they would like to do if given the chance. Sure, the money was nice and all but, Harry gives you anything you ask for, so maybe it isn’t that bad. Maybe, it’ll be okay.

“Miss, the car is ready for you.” Knock at the door awakening you from your thoughts. You inhale sharply, fingers running through your hair nervously as you nod at yourself.

“Okay, I’ll be right down!” You call, back turning and grabbing your coat.

The drive to Jasper’s is quiet, the streets outside the truck don’t puncture the memories that you reminisce about. Working your ass off at such a young age from waitressing to odd jobs, Jasper’s was a breath of fresh air despite the downside of dancing and late nights, you began to live a life of luxury, the life you always dreamed about. You did it by yourself, on your own and you’re proud about that. You could’ve given up at any moment but instead you pulled through, and now look, you found someone who’s going to take care of you.

Despite the tension between you and Harry at the moment, it’s obvious he wants to keep you by his side, should you really object to that? You spend the majority of your time with him, he always takes you out to dinner, buys whatever you want, and shows you love whenever needed (disregarding the current circumstance) so it really isn’t like his suggestions aren’t true. You’ll be better off with Harry, you know deep down this slippery slope that it will get better, and once you move in it’ll be easier just to please him. It’ll be okay. Everything will be okay.

Once Harry's team helps you out of the truck and to your familiar destination the surge of anxiety scorches through. Heart beating erratically, fingers fidgeting in your coat, eyes move in every direction as you tug your way to his office. It pains you to be in this situation, and you would do everything to not stand here right now facing the same door that welcomed you with open arms but now it’s too late.

Your palm curls around the golden knob and an uneasy smile tugs at your lips, seeing Jasper’s low eyes and ruffled hair. It only brings back so many memories, ones that you’ll remember forever.

“Y/N! My sweetheart!” Jasper stands, walking around the desk and opening up his arms.

You immediately go towards him. Hands wrapping around his back and ingesting the smell of coffee and cigarettes. Weirdly it calmed you down, settling the uneasiness through you as you lay against his chest.

The first time you ever met Jasper there was always a loving connection between you both, as if father and daughter. Southern accent and tired look never giving off irritation or displeasure whenever around. Always treating everyone with such kindness and respect, he never changed since you first met him, and that’s what you like most about him. Jasper is Jasper.

“My dear girl, it feels like forever since I last saw you,” Pulling away he smiles, crooked teeth and chapped lips shining as you bow your head in acknowledgment.

“I know, I know, I’ve been really busy lately.” You confide, eyes darting between him and the birds that roam outside the window.

Jasper sighs looking over your frame before stepping back. His hand gestures to the chairs seated in front of the desk. You immediately oblige, legs crossing over each other with hands curling together in your lap. Now you wish you could nestle in his chest just like a few seconds ago, burrow yourself into the coffee smell and forget the reason why you’re in this office.

“Yes, I see, you've been taking your vacation days quite often.” The words only elect an anxious draw of breath. Now your palms begin to grow with sweat, and you swear your ears start to ring from your mind racing.

“Yes, sir. I just thought… I —I… um,” Stuttering not knowing what to say or where to direct your attention. Your heart is going crazy in your chest, pounding so hard against its cage that you might pass out. “I found someone.”

You basically whisper those words but Jasper, he hears and he smiles. It’s one that knows the secret without having to hear the reveal. You’re sure it is written all over your face, and with the grin that tugs across his lips, you calm down just a bit.

“Is it Styles?” You blink with mouth parted and pain quaking throughout your bones.

“Y/N…” He sighs, hand brushing through his messy hair as he leans back in his chair. “I looked through your client log, I’ve seen Styles was your regular for about two months or so until he stopped returning; in that same time you begin using your vacation days. It quirked my interest so I decided to go through the security cameras during that time frame and…”

Your whole entire body goes hot, ears burning, and stomach turning, quite frankly you want to throw up. You’re stupid to forget about the hidden cameras in the room. God, of course this happens to you. Of course your boss saw you in every imaginable way within the two months Harry spent still coming here. You want to curl into a ball and forget this even happened.

“Dear…” Jasper breathes again, concerned look written all over his face despite your raging appearance. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Those are in there to protect everyone, and we’re humans, it’s natural, so don’t think too much about it, alright?”

You nod your head timidly as your leg begins to bob, you drop your head and try your best to not let tears run down your cheeks. You already went through a crying fit yesterday and you’re not going through another one again.

“You already know my thoughts on you Y/N. You’ve been my star since you walked into this place. I just want you to be safe.” Chin tilting your version to look back up at the concerned boss who was like a father to you. This couldn’t get any worse. Having to leave everything you know behind, this absolutely sucks.

“I know Styles… I know the life he lives isn’t the best and it’s definitely not the happiest. I just want you to fully understand what you’re getting yourself into.” Jasper leans forward, hand reaching out for yours which you don’t hesitate to give. You don’t hold back anymore, letting the tears trickle down slowly as you breathe in, throat straining from this moment, the one you still can’t believe is happening.

“I’ll be fine, Jasper. I know I will.” You nod with reassurance, free hand swiping away the tears that still spill. His fingers curl around yours, thumb brushing over your knuckles trying to sooth you but, when that isn’t enough he steps around the desk, body engulfing your shaking frame as you try to regain some composure.

“Grace and I are always here, you know that darling. You don’t gotta worry.” Hand patting your hair as you nod into his stomach, nose sniffing through the space.

“I know…” You sigh. Peeling away from his presence, a small smile on your lips as you look up at him. “This isn’t a goodbye, I promise.”

Jasper nods his head softly, tired expression still lingering as he looks over your frame while he continues to run his hands over your locks. The action soothes you. The storm brewing inside calms itself, the current subsiding and the tears that once roam down your cheeks halt. Your heart quiets down, chest relaxing with head drawing away from him as you wipe away any streaks.

You stand to wrap around him once again, breathing in his usual scent just hoping the clock can turn back time and things can go back to how they once were. Jasper rocks you, letting all the pulsing veins in your body rest and ease your shaking body to a halt.

“I’ll miss you.” You breathe into his chest before looking up at him. The smile you adore shines brightly as he pats your lower back.

“This is home darling, you’ll always know where to find me if needed, alright?” Jasper reassures. Nodding up at him once more, you pull away and offer a genuine grin.

Departing from his touch there’s a sense of loneliness spreading through. Giving up your work and home to live with Harry, in hindsight, there’s nothing wrong with having him take care of you, if anything you should be happy that he’s willing to do that. It shows the love he has for you but, why in this moment does it feel like you’re giving up your life; not on your terms but his.

When closing the chestnut door the walk down the familiar hallway is bittersweet. Intricate designs plastered on every inch of the walls, gold fixtures shining against the dim light before you reach the elevator and ring it back to the main floor.

Every chime is one you cherish no matter how stupid it may seem, the sound is sentimental and will forever be ingrained in your memory from the many nights your tall heels would stand in the moving machine. Your eyes dance around the revolving mirrors and lit up numbers, your fingers tracing over the covers and drinking them in as it will be the last time you’ll probably press them again.

The ding of the elevator thrusts you out of your thoughts and through the doors, it’s to your surprise once leaving that ginger hair and beaming smile greet you. The sweet aroma of her perfume wafts your senses as she pulls you into a hug, fur and strands of hair prickle against your skin as you lean into her touch.

“Hey babe! You’re working with me today?” Grace asks while pulling away, happiness written all over her features.

“Uh… no actually, just had to speak to Jasper,” You say, concealing the truth with an exaggerated eye roll.

“Don’t blame him, I barely see you anymore,” She jabs, hand gently shoving you which leaves you shaking your head in response.

“I’m busy, what can I say?” You shrug raising your hands up playfully to surrender.

“Yeah, busy being under Harry any chance you get,” It’s her turn to roll her eyes and nudge you with her hip. “But, hey! Angelo actually got me a booth tonight at his club, why don’t you and Harry come!” Grace suggests. Hazel eyes and white teeth shine with excitement at her offer.

You’ve never been with him in that sort of setting before, and honestly you don’t know how he’ll be either. But, you both are also not on great terms, so maybe a night out with some drinks and dancing will do you both some good.

“Uh, yeah, that actually sounds fun. I’ll ask him.” You beam with fakeness. “I actually should get going now, the car is waiting for me.”

“Okay! Hope to see you tonight!” Grace grins, pulling you into another hug before going to her destination.

Nodding your head timidly, you watch her orange hair bounce down the hall until her body disappears. A shaky breath escapes as you turn towards the entrance, hands fitting into your pockets as you push the doors open. The brisk air sweeps through as you tug your way towards the truck. Sincere smile spreads as Elio helps you into the vehicle before getting behind the wheel.

“Should I inform Mr. Styles that everything went as expected?” He calls from the front. Your hand tears away from their place and swipes away the lingering strands of hair combing over your face.

“Yes, it went well.” You sigh, eyes looking out the window as the car begins to move. The French pillars trail out of your version, leaving your heart splitting down the middle at the conclusion of your life.

“Actually Elio, can you do me a favor and ask Harry something for me?”

Surprise is an understatement with the fact you're walking through the club with music thumping your ear drums. Harry’s hand is secured tightly amongst your hips while the floor shakes from the erratic beat coursing through. With all the bodies shuffling through the room, you’re happy Harry’s team is pushing people through the mess directing you where to go.

You didn’t think he would agree to coming out tonight, but when he did you couldn’t have been anything but ecstatic. You threw on your tightest dress and curled your hair just the way he likes, also opting to wear the perfume he complimented on how irresistible you smell. Tonight you were going to win him back the way you know how.

“Yay! I’m so happy you came!” Grace screams over the song while pulling you into a hug.

“Oh my god!” Lucy joins, wrapping around you both. The feeling of another body being engulfed in the circle only means it’s Clarissa. The grin on your face spreads wider at the moment, head knocking around until they all pull apart.

“Hot lil’ thing aren’t you,” Clarissa remarks once pulling away. Her hand collects yours to twirl you around and display your appearance, the action only leaves you laughing as you smile at your friends.

“Thank you, thank you,” Rolling your eyes playfully as she releases her hold. The fitted black garment hugs your curves deliciously while your heels accentuate the length of your legs.

“But… everyone meet Harry,” You say, sight darting to him as you let your arm wrap around his waist, head leaning onto his chest as he smiles stiffly at your group of friends.

“Hello!” He nods to each, colourful strobes shine over everyone in the reserved area as all your friends introduce themselves.

“This bottle of Don Julio isn’t gonna finish itself!” Grace screams, picking the lengthy bottle off the table and raising in the air. It makes you giggle before turning to Harry with eyebrows raised.

“Let’s have fun tonight, yeah?” You say, hand running up his stomach before turning towards Grace who's already pouring shots for everyone.

After that, the night is in full swing; neon lights flashing over sweaty bodies, alcohol either being passed around in short glasses or poured into mouths messily, confetti shoots in the air every few moments as music blasts through the speakers.

The atmosphere in the booth is an energetic thrill, everyone getting along by singing and dancing, laughter and cheers filling the air as liquor takes over everyones system and leaves them in a good mood.

It’s in the flashing message board bringing another bottle that you realize how intoxicated you really are. The lights blinking at you seem to shift slowly, the music sounding through the space drowns out in a blur of noise as you stumble your way towards Harry, half empty Patron in your hand as you step in front of him.

“Open please!” You giggle up at him, fingers swinging the drink in hand while wiggling eyebrows.

“I’m good love,” Harry smiles down at you, his fingers finding their place on your hip as you pout at him.

“No! Tell him he needs to loosen up,” Turning your attention to Angelo who laughs at the exchange, shaking his head.

“Oh, come on,” You huff, rolling your eyes yet slipping deeper into Harry’s warmth. If he doesn’t want to take anymore shots then you surely will, you raise the clear bottle to your mouth, lips parting and happily willing to accept the liquor till you feel his hands tear it away from your hold.

“Trust me darling, you don’t need anymore,” Harry points out and passes the bottle to Angelo.

It only has you pouting, you wanted to have fun and you wanted Harry to loosen up some more, but you’ll accept his decision with another eye roll and trailing back over to your friends who are even more drunk than you.

“Bottoms up!” Lucy screams as she pours Clase Azul into your mouth, the amount so much you have to clasp your hand around her wrist to tear the bottle away.

“Ew,” You laugh, after swallowing the sickening amount, leaving Clarissa to chuckle at your reaction. Eyeing Grace across the section, you gesture for you to come towards you.

Happily complying she joins between the three as lights flash across your glistening bodies. The white and blue bottle gets exchanged between your friends, all taking shots before placing it on the table. As the neon strobes continue to flash and confetti fills the air, the DJ yells into the mic something inaudible until the song he puts on has the crowd cheering.

“Ah! Catch me slidin’ in a Benz, I ain’t looking for no man,” Clarissa screams her body turning towards you as her hips begin to sway. You can’t help the laugh that leaves as Lucy turns and grins at you.

“Ain’t recruiting no new friends! Louie bag filled with bands!” Grace is next as she dances behind the blonde, her head swinging seductively as she moves to the beat.

The energy is so ecstatic between the group that you find yourself joining in. Hips swiveling into Clarissa’s as your hands find themselves venturing toward her neck, fingers carding through her hair as you match the rhythm of her. The comfort of her palms trails down your sides, teasingly tugging the bottom of your dress up as you grind against each other.

“Get it, Sexy! Get it, Sexy!” Lucy cheers along with the song, her body leaning over and tapping your thigh as you and Clarissa manage to grind yourself lower towards the floor.

Laughter leaves both of your mouths as you continue circling your hips against each other, your head knocks back against her shoulder as you let the alcohol consume every motion while the song continues to thunder in your ears.

From your dazed out state to blurry vision, the rough grip over your hand tangled in Clarissa’s hair rips itself away as you stumble over your feet, nearly falling, as you’re being pulled out the booth and down the stairs. The movements are so fast you barely even catch yourself tripping down the flight and across the floor.

“Ow, stop,” You whine, feeling the pain in your wrist increase as the sight of Harry’s curly hair tug you through the mountain of bodies.

The crowds of people brush past you in a rough breeze, elbows and drinks hitting your moving body as you continue to be pulled away from the rambunctious scene.

“Harry you’re hurting me!” Yelling over the music as you try to twist around in his hold, still that doesn’t halt his motions as he continues pushing through the crowd.

It’s when cold air hits your skin and fills your nose do you breathe in a sigh of relief. Your hand jerks out of his grip as you look at him completely furious. “What the fuck are you doing!”

Yet, Harry ignores you, his body struts down the sidewalk past people throwing up or walking around slouched over their friends. And, instead of watching him continue to move further down the path you immediately follow, heels clicking against the cement as chatter and car horns fill the street.

“Hello! Can you talk to me please,” Drunkenly calling out for him as you trail behind like a dog, his footsteps rushed and harsh as the familiar black truck comes into view.

“Get in. Now.” Every word is a bite of aggression but in your drunken state you barely pay any mind as he holds the door open and watches your sluggish body climb into the vehicle.

“What’s your problem?” You mumble, back fitting into the leather seat as you watch Harry peel his phone out of his pocket, still ignoring you.

His voice rings through the space only leaving you to direct your attention to look outside the parked vehicle, vision shifting in slow twists that has you groaning. Hand rises to your forehead in frustration that it feels as if the car is spinning even though it’s parked.

The jostle of the truck shifts as the door slams close, your head peels up to see Elio in his familiar place as the car roars awake. The vehicle immediately peeling off, leaving the street lights from outside to flutter in.

“Why are we leaving?” You’re back to slurring over your words as you turn towards Harry, confusion evident in your expression while he looks cold as ever.

“The hell was that?” He hisses, eyes burning holes in your appearance but you can’t even tell from the alcohol shifting your vision, which leaves you giggling at his response.

“What was what?” Laughing faintly as your hands pull down the end of your dress.

“You’re a mess.” Harry scoffs, head shaking as he turns to look out the window.

Even drunk those words struck a cord within you, brows pushing together as you sit up in your chair and cock your head to the side.

“No, I’m not, don’t say that!” Your voice raising as your jaw tenses, the alcohol in your system fueling anger as you look at him distraught.

“Don’t say that? Look at you! Dancing and touching your friends like that, are you serious?!” Harry’s voice is booming over yours but in your state you don’t even care, you let your tone rise higher. The both of you look at each other livid.

“I’m having fun Harry, I’m at the club,” You respond, hands tearing away from your dress and crossing over themselves amongst your chest.

“It shows you have no class! No morals!” He snaps, nose flaring and hand slamming against the window of the truck.

“No class? No morals? Do I need to remind you where we met! Fuck you! You’re so insecure!” You’re shouting, chest rising heavily as your face screws up.

The laugh that leaves Harry is menacing, with his head shaking in disbelief, a cheery smile tugging across his lips. “Insecure?”

“Yes, insecure and jealous! What’s so wrong with me dancing with my friends!” You wouldn’t be surprised if your voices were heard outside of the car, and you actually feel bad for Elio having to hear the exchange of words. “Fuck! You’re making me so mad!”

“How do you think I feel?”

“You’re the one who started this!”

As the usual sight of Harry’s building fixes your version you’re immediately sitting up and tugging your dress down. The truck comes to a halt; you don’t wait for Elio to help you out as you peel your door open and begin making your way towards the entrance. Your ears burn with anger as your nose scrunches up, heels smacking against tiles as you press the elevator button erratically.

“Stop acting like a child,” Harry hisses once meeting your body, his key pressing into the sensor to allow access to the elevator for his penthouse.

“Fuck you,” You utter, eyes still staring ahead as your step into the machine.

Harry waves off Elio, his body retreating next to yours as you both stand in complete silence. Your heart thumps loudly in your chest as your head shakes in pure frustration.

The chime of the elevator dings and your body immediately rushes through the open space of the living room, hair swishing against your neck as you practically speed walk through the room.

“Get over here!” Harry demands, voice rough and loud but you don’t listen, you keep your pace and venture up the stairs.

“Leave me alone!” You call back, his heavy footsteps sounding behind you as you walk down the hall.

“You’re not going out with your friends again!” He shouts following your body as you enter the bedroom.

“Like I’m going to listen to you,” You scoff heading towards the closet until Harry is gripping your waist roughly and turning you towards him.

“You’re running thin with me. Watch your fuckin’ mouth.” Each word a whispered hiss as he looks at you darkly. His hair framing his forehead as his lips press together, jaw tensing and hold growing tighter.

“I can’t stand you. You’re so controlling.” Your only response, as your eyes watch his dilate before his touch is turning you around roughly and pushing you into the mattress abruptly.

“Controlling? I’ll show you controlling.”

Your moving arms are caught in his hold as he tugs them behind your back. His other hand reaches down and pulls your dress over your hips to reveal your backside. Body moving against his hold as your head turns around seeing him in your peripheral vision.

“Harry,” You mutter, his palm roaming over your backside before it’s landing a smack amongst your skin.

He only grunts in response, hands smoothing over your ass before placing another slap. The harsh feeling over your backside has you biting into the sheets with pain and pleasure coursing through, the anger that once filled your body subsides as you fight yourself from moaning against his touch.

“You’ve been such a bad girl lately? What’s gotten into you?” Harry states, another harsh smack reddening your skin as the grip holding your hands together tightens.

Teeth graze the material of the sheets, eyes rolling at the adrenaline coursing through at each slap as your head relaxes into the mattress. Your chest breathes in deeply, fingers curling in on each other as your thighs shake against the bed frame.

“What’s your colour?” Harry demands, another furious strike coursing through your body. Your eyes squeeze shut as you whimper into the sheets.

Instead of answering you just bury your head deeper into the bed, mouth releasing the duvet as you bite back moans dying to trail out.

“Don’t hold out on me baby,” Harry chuckles, so deep and sinister that your spine crawls at the sound. “I know you like this.”

Teasing voice so sexy that your toes clench against each other amongst the pad of your heels, breasts caving deeper into the blanket while your hips jerk up at the deafening sound cracking against your cheeks.

“Fuck,” You cry, teeth biting into your bottom lip as a rush of thrill courses through and has your pussy throbbing.

“What’s your colour?” He asks again, his hand sliding between your cheeks and feeling between your legs to touch your heat.

The feeling of him taunting you by rubbing over your clothes or bruising your skin red is an addicting one, it has you rustling against the sheets praying for more even though you should be fighting these feelings.

“G —Green,” You breathe into the sheets so quietly that it only beckons another rough slap to welcome itself across your skin.

“I’m sorry, I can’t hear you love, speak up louder, what did you say?” Luring tone in his voice only has you groaning at his tantalizing ways.

Another smack meets your cheeks so harshly that your spine shoots up and heels chime against the floor. You’re sure your skin is bruised in different colour hues from the amount of strikes that he applies across your skin; and with the alcohol in your system still pumping through your veins, you can’t help the lengthy moan that slips out.

“Green,” You squeak, head shifting amongst the sheets as the feeling of the grip over your hands relaxes. His palm smooths over your backside once again before diving between and feeling over your covered folds.

“Tell me baby, why do you like making me upset?” Harry asks, fingertips dragging down your pussy with aggression that has you shuddering.

“I don’t,” You sigh, thighs quivering against the bed frame as you fall deeper into his touch.

“That’s what you think? Two days in a row you’ve been giving me problems. I don’t like that.” Fingers slipping between your panties to feel your pussy nearly soaking from the exchange of his actions.

“Harry,” You moan, eyes fluttering when you feel the pads of him grace your clit.

“Huh? What was that?” Hand tearing away from between your legs and roaming back up your scorching skin.

“S —Sir, I’m sorry sir,” Body shivering from his touch roaming up and down your exposed flesh.

“Still not good enough.” Harry’s voice deep and gruff as his hands fit under your tight dress, feeling over your heated skin before he’s tugging it over your head. “Come on darling, I know you can do better than that.”

“I —I’m sorry, Mr. Styles.” Words still slurring from the alcohol in your system to his mesmerizing aura.

“That’s my girl. Now, be a good doll and turn around for me.” The sound of your dress falling to the floor is heard as you turn around under his hold, eyes connecting on his dazzling ones that shine with the moonlight pouring through the window.

“You’re so beautiful, baby,” Harry’s body looming over you as his hands dance up your sides, sliding amongst your clammy skin and feeling over your erect nipples. The touch is so slow and daring that you can’t help but whimper. “I hate when you upset me.”

His fingers grip your round flesh while his eyes skim over every curve and dip; your body flexes along with the shadows in the dark room, fingers feeling against the sheets below as you don’t dare break contact, not with the way he’s looking as if he wants to devour you.

“That’s why right now, you’re my toy. My little toy that’s been so nasty and filthy lately.” Hands drawing back down your sides, sinking past your hips and towards your pussy once again. “So dirty dancing like that on your friends.”

Your teeth bite into your bottom lip, thighs spreading wider accepting his touch while your head buries itself deeper into the mattress. His words only fuel the slick coursing through your pussy.

“You want to be a slut… so, I’ll treat you like one.” Fingers now slip into you only causing a moan to trail out. His lengthy digits thrust into you roughly that have your eyes open wider as he stares longingly at your reaction, smirk tugging at the ends of his lips.

“Play with you however I like… use you just the way I want.” Digits driving out just to plunge back in, the ends of his fingers curling deeply into your pussy that your mouth hangs open in surprise. Harry just started penetrating you and already your stomach was tickling with static.

“Teach you how to be my good little doll, hmm?” Harry continues, brow raising in question as his smile is still sinister from the expression crossing over your face.

As one hand is pleasing your throbbing pussy, the other lands one backhanded slap across your cheek completely surprising you but not enough that it doesn’t stop you from moaning softly and runting your hips against his motions.

“You’re pussy is mine to play with, do you understand?”

Your head bows urgently as you suck in a deep breath, lashes fluttering up at him as his tongue peeks out of his mouth to smooth across his bottom lip.

“Yes, Mr. Styles.”

Pearly white teeth shine at your doe expression continuing the rough thrusts of his fingers. Sweet nectar coating him with each curl that leaves you keening high in your throat.

“It’s mine to use and abuse,” Harry states, suited body covering over you as he examines every twitch in your face consumed with pleasure. “Your pussy belongs to me.”

Every comment is tingling your spine and has your lashes batting up at him so in love. Each word is degrading and brutal, words that should have you distraught but they don’t, they have another moan leaving your mouth as you accept the his urgent stroke of his fingers.

“Fuck, yes, Mr. Styles.” Your own hands curling into the sheets, thighs beginning to shake and head lolling back.

Harry surveys every inch of your skin that twitches and squirms from his hold over you. He admires watching your stomach quiver, and the way your pussy pulses in his palm has the erection in his pants press painfully against the zipper.

“Mhmm… I like how things are turning around now.” He smiles, digits leaving you to rub your slick all along your folds, spreading you wide as your thighs contract around him.

A whimper falls from your bitten lips as the warmth of Harry leaves. His hands go to undress himself, and as every piece of expensive clothing trails off and reveals the inked skin that you love so much, you can’t help but reach out and touch the tattoos roaming amongst his love handles.

“Gonna start being my good girl?” Harry demands, his body adjusting around your frame as he begins to tap himself along your folds.

The feeling has you shuddering, blinking up at him between your legs as you raise up on your elbows to get a better look. His cock rubbing against your clit, muscles tightening while he still stares as if wanting to ruin you.

“My personal fuck toy.” Letting himself slip between your walls and stretch you out heavenly. The sensation of him filling you up reveals a pleasant sigh as your thighs spread wider around his hips.

“Yes, Mr. Styles… you fuck me so good,” You whine, fingers trailing down his pelvis as he lets his hips glide in with ease.

Harry hums in acknowledgment, his hands finding themselves around your upper thighs, driving into your pussy tenderly letting you feel him expand your walls and sink right against your cervix before drawing back and repeating.

“Mhm, who makes you feel like this darling,” Head craning down as your vision shifts from between your legs to his face coming into view.

“You, only you.” With the quick response your other hand curls into the sheets as your body jerks against the mattress.

“That’s right… you and that dirty mouth of yours,” Breath fanning over your face as his grip along your skin tighten enough to leave bruises, the feeling has you gasping at the pain. “Gonna show me some respect.”

The pace of his thrusts increase leaving his hips to smack against yours. It causes your mouth to hang open and nails drag against his skin at the rapid speed now driving into you. The intense feeling of his cock spreading you wide has your mind a clutter of thoughts.

How can he stretch you out so heavenly yet look at you purely amused by his actions over you? How can he effortlessly pleasure every crevice of your pussy that craves him? How can he fuck the shit out of you yet still have you craving for more? He’s so addicting, so captivating, so intriguing, you’re in awe; you’re in love.

“I’m not one of those little boys you’re used to playing with. You will learn respect.” Eager hips diving into yours that your head falls into the sheets, eyes locking with the chandelier that shifts with every pound of his hips.

“Y —Yes, sir.” Knuckles going white as your spine curves towards his flexing stomach.

“Shut up,” Harry bellows, his hands leaving your thighs; one covering your mouth while the other wraps around your throat.

His harsh words don’t even bruise your feelings, it only has you moaning into his palm with tears beginning to prick your eyes. The blissful pleasure he was making you feel wasn’t even something you can explain.

“You’re such a fucking slut,” His hand releasing your throat to smack you, leaving your vision to trail away from the diamonds that float above and towards his face. Bottom lip between his teeth as his brows push together.

“And I’ll use you just like the one you are.”

Sweat trickles down every expanse of your limbs, bed sheets sticking and the frame of the bed smacking against the window. The tattering sound of it repeatedly hitting it fills the room as your legs hang in the air, shiny heels glistening in the moonlight as you continue to moan against his hand.

Harry could do anything and you would see no wrong, maybe it’s manipulative, maybe it’s controlling but it feels too good that you can’t resist; and why would you want to anyway, he’s the only one to ever make you feel things you never felt before. Like for example right now, the way your thighs begin to shake and spikes of pain course along your calves, only he can do that.

“You’re mine to use, mine to ruin.” His palm releasing from your mouth to land another slap across your cheek, it has you whimpering in response. “Understand me?”

Your lashes flutter as chest heaves drastically, mouth parting and pelvis quivering as you feel your climax barreling in.

“Y —Yes s —sir,” Stuttering as you look at Harry with complete devotion while he basks in it. “Sir.” You whisper, head bobbing with each rough assault to your pussy.

“What? You’re gonna come?” Harry grins, hands meeting your throat and squeezing tightly as he fucks you into the mattress.

“Please, sir, please, can I?” Voice hoarse as your lungs strain for air.

It’s the greedy smirk and shaking head that has your stomach clenching crazily, waist retreating against his furious ones as your fingers tug against the sheet.

“P —Please, Mr. Styles can—”

“—Shut up!”

Grip grows tighter as he continues to pound away. Every rock of his hips pierce your plush walls, and with each jerk of your body up the bed does it remind you that you’re nothing but his toy at the moment, nothing but his doll that he’ll use to his liking.

That’s why tears now flow down your temples, legs shaking against his hips as he toys with your body however he likes while you restrain yourself from releasing all over him.

“Want to be my good girl, then take it.” Face inches away as he watches the tears continue to stream down.

And you do, you suck in your abdomen as your quivering thighs try to close around his waist and accept every fatal attack. Teeth biting into your bottom lip as your throat wheezes for air.

“Play with you however I please,” He grunts, eyes searching your face that begs for oxygen that turns him on even more.

Harry’s hips continue to plunge inside your pussy and bruise your cervix; and with your tight walls twitching around him pleading for release it has his head sliding to the nape of your neck.

You feel him spill his seed into you, a beautiful moan slipping past his lips and along the sweaty skin of your neck as his grip relaxes.

Just the feeling of his come seeping into you has you moaning out, fingers tugging away from the sheets and drawing down his back as his hips don’t stop their torturing movements.

“Please sir, can I come, please,” Whimper tugging through your ruined throat as your lower half now begins to shake from the fight you put up.

“Yes, darling.” The one word you’ve been dying to hear has your stomach relax as you let go and release yourself all over his cock.

Creamy wave of arousal expelling over the thickness of him as his movements never slow. Wet kisses pepper themselves along your neck, his hands by your head feeling over your messy head of hair, while your body continues to twitch and contract around him.

Your grip around him relaxes, hips flexing against his own until he begins to pace himself, slowly rocking into your pussy that makes your chest settle.

“What’s your colour?” Harry asks, head rising and looking over your face. Dizzy expression overcoming your features that has him tugging his hand away from your locks and run over the heated skin.

“Green, sir,” Blinking up at him while swallowing heavily. The answer has Harry nodding, tongue peeking out of his mouth before he’s leaning back on his knees.

Thrusts come to a halt, his cock slipping out that has your mixtures spilling from your folds to drip along the sheets. It’s in the warm atmosphere that you both manage to catch your breaths, chest shallowly welcoming the air as sticky fingers roam up and down the expanse of sweaty skin.

“You’re so good to me baby,” Harry comments, his hands trailing up your leg to begin undoing the strap of your heels. When hearing them smack to the ground do you sigh in relief of having your feet free of the curved platform.

“Mhmm…” You mindlessly hum as you watch in complete awe of him undoing the next one.

“Always perfect for me.” His head running against your calf as he presses light kisses into the skin there. Your favorite words swelling your heart that it makes you get up on your elbows and gesture for him.

“Are we okay now?” You ask, letting your hands run across the skin of his chest.

“Yes baby… just no more surprises, I don’t know what I’ll do next time. Okay?”

“Okay.”

#pls don’t hate me after this #cause this one is… definitely something #harry styles #harry styles fic #harry styles smut #harry styles one shot #smuttyaf #harry styles x reader #harry styles x you #harry styles x y/n #harry styles imagine #hs #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fluff #harry styles angst #harry styles fandom #harry styles fic rec #mafia au #mafia!harry #harry styles one shots

[daysofyellowroses]

yellow rose

david von erich x afab!reader | 6.2k | 18+ minors dni | tw: language, smoking, mild smut | a reflection on your journey to the altar

so this is a complete and utter work of fiction, based on the very brilliant movie the iron claw. i knew as soon as i watched it i would have stories but i was a little surprised david came to me first. obviously harris dickinson is beautiful but i am down so bad for jaw. i got some kerry ideas too, and i always have a hundred different bear ideas on the go too so more to come | also just to note that because this is totally fictitious, i am choosing to ignore real life events for the most part and live in fanfic delusion. enjoy 🌼

-

It all seemed to happen in a flash.

In theory, you should have been used to it. Ready for it.

One minute you were heading to a local sports center on a work assignment, then in what felt like the blink of an eye, you were walking up the aisle to marry the subject of one of those photos.

But, to get to how exactly you ended up walking down that aisle, you need to go back to how it all started.

Which, like with most things when it came to you,started with a picture.

📷

From an early age, you loved photography. Capturing a moment in time, being able to look at it any time and relive the moment was always a thrill. Your childhood home was full of framed photos and photo albums, a collection of memories surrounding you.

When you turned 13, your parents gave you your own camera. It wasn't anything too technical or fancy, but it was immediately your most treasured possession. You took photos of everything, family occasions, your friends hanging out, nature, snapshots of Dallas.

As you grew older you threw yourself into studying everything about photography, worked an extremely tedious part time job to save up for a real camera, dedicated yourself to honing your skills. It wasn't difficult, your friends and family kept you busy with birthday parties, weddings, christenings, anything worth celebrating and you were there to capture the moments.

When you were in your senior year of high school, you discovered a fondness for a particular subject of your photos. You had been sitting in the bleachers after school one day with your friends, all you of chatting and laughing about something when you'd looked onto the football field and spotted two of the players talking about something animatedly, one of them slapping the other on the back as they laughed. 

You had grabbed your camera, snapping a photo and rolled your eyes playfully as your friends teased you. Sure, the players were cute, but that wasn't why you took their photo. When the shots had developed, you were thrilled that your instinct had been correct. The red of the players jerseys popped, the gold star on their helmets gleaming in the sun. They looked graceful, despite their large frames, natural and charming. 

From that photo, you began to base more of your photos on sport. It wasn't an area you had expected to become interested in, but it inspired your photography. Cheerleaders in perfectly formed pyramids, track stars crossing the line, football players clutching the ball to their chest as they threw themselves across the post.

After graduation, you applied for a journalism course, figuring it didn't hurt to have a backup plan and maybe it would get you a gig as a photographer for a newspaper or magazine. 

Leaving home was tough, especially when a big going away party was thrown for you, your friends and family coming together to celebrate your accomplishments. When the time came to leave you were sure you'd never cried so much, trying to hype yourself up for the adventure ahead.

It was a lot of fun, being at college, as it turned out. Making new friends, learning new things, having new experiences. By the time it was over it felt like you could back and do it all again in a heartbeat.

You decided to move back to Dallas after you graduated. A job opportunity at a big paper came up, and your friend Pam had found an apartment that came with a spare room so it seemed like the right move.

It was about two weeks later you were tasked with going down to the Sportatorium on a Saturday night to document the latest wrestling match. Every time you went to a sporting event for work, you were accompanied by the senior sports writer, Duke. He was older than your father, far too old for his cheap toupee to be even the slightest bit believable. He wore cheap polyester suits, too much cologne and had a fondness for calling you ‘missy’ and placing his hand a little too low on your back.

You had psyched yourself up to ask Pam to come along, preparing a whole speech in your head. If she was with you then you could avoid Duke like the plague, couldn't possibly leave your guest alone. 

Turned out Pam didn't take much convincing at all, in fact she practically jumped at the chance to come along. You tucked her excitement away in your mind, curious to see if the source would reveal itself at the match.

When the day came, you were excited to get some shots of a new sport. From what you'd seen on TV, the Sportatorium was bright and colorful, the wrestlers just as much so. You packed up your camera before getting changed into some jeans and a t-shirt. 

Pam had taken one look at you and marched you back into your room, your protests of “But I'm working!” falling on deaf ears.

A compromise was reached. Your t-shirt stayed but a denim mini skirt replaced your jeans and brown cowboy boots replaced your beat up sneakers. You felt a little ridiculous, your job had you in all kinds of angles and positions to get the best shots, the last thing you wanted was to be unable to get a good picture because you'd end up flashing tomorrow's laundry to thousands of strangers.

When you arrived at the Sportatorium, the sun was dipping below the horizon and what seemed like hundreds of cars and trucks were pulling up. People were grabbing beers out of coolers, blasting music from boomboxes, grilling up hotdogs on portable barbecues. You got a couple of shots before Pam was hustling you inside to get your seats. Well, her seat. You told her you'd meet her outside after the match, not that she seemed to be paying attention, her eyes focused on the empty ring. 

You made your way down to the ring, keeping an eye out for Duke and ready to sprint back to Pam if needed. To your relief, Duke wasn't in attendance. The junior sports reporter, Brian, had been sent in his place. The two of you weren't exactly close friends but he was much more professional. You got some shots of the crowd, feeling excited to see a match live. The atmosphere in the stadium was electric, like something incredible was about to happen. 

When the announcement came for the first tag team, you got some shots of them walking through the tunnel and into the ring, holding their arms in the air and greeting the crowd. Brian walked around the ring slowly, scribbling into a notepad, cigarette perched behind his ear.

Then they announced the next tag team, and you moved to the opposite tunnel to get shots of them. You took a breath as you snapped a shot of the taller one, his wavy blonde hair peeking out from under his back cowboy hat. He was wearing a leather jacket that he promptly tore off before he got into the ring, his back muscles rippling. 

You cleared your throat, taking more photos and trying to concentrate on what you were there for. 

The bell rang, and once the match started you had no shortage of great photo opportunities. The men in the ring moved with perfect proficiency and style, playing up to the crowd and putting on a spectacular show. You found yourself more and more drawn to the tall blonde, David Von Erich, you discovered. 

He was so graceful yet could have these huge men slammed onto their backs, his arms bulging and a cocky grin on his face. Once or twice you could have sworn he caught your eye and winked at you but you were sure it was your imagination. 

The Von Erichs won the match, you snapped a photo of the referee holding up the brother's hands as the crowd roared. Brian checked back in with you, telling you he was going to grab some quotes before heading off. You bid him farewell before going to find Pam, heading outside with the rest of the crowd.

“Hey, over here!”

You quickly spotted Pam, smiling as you waved back at her, weaving your way through the crowd to join her.

“Hey,” You smiled, laughing softly as Pam grabbed your arm, a wide grin on her face. “Are you al-”

“Come on,” Pam immediately started tugging you in the opposite direction. “let me show you something,”

You just about managed to maintain your balance and hold onto your camera as you dodged through the dispersing crowd, wondering what exactly Pam was doing.

Before long you had an answer, as you and Pam joined a large group of women hanging around the back door of the Sportatorium. Her keenness to come to the match made much more sense when Kevin Von Erich walked out the door, towel around his shoulders and bag slung over his shoulder. You had never known Pam to look at any man the way she was looking at Kevin.

“What are you waiting for?” You asked, giving Pam a gentle nudge. “Get on over there, girl.”

“I can't, there's too many girls round him,” Pam sighed. “I am not desperate. I'll wait for my time.”

“Saving the best for last huh?” You grinned, watching Pam roll her eyes playfully. “I don't think he's gonna be able to take his eyes off you.”

“You think?” Pam asked, glancing over to you. She looked genuinely concerned and you gave her a reassuring smile. 

“I know.”

A little while later, when the crowd had dispersed and Kevin was signing the last couple of autographs, you gave Pam a gentle nudge, smiling as she quickly fixed her hair.

“Good luck,” You grinned, gently squeezing her arm. “Not that you need it.”

You gave her some space, walking over to a trash can before fishing a pack of cigarettes from your purse. You lit one up, glancing over to Pam and smiling as you spotted Kevin heading in her direction. Closing your eyes as you looked away, you took a long drag on your cigarette and felt yourself relax.

“You know it's a bad habit to smoke those things.”

You opened your eyes, finding a familiar face standing close to you. He looked better in person than he did in the ring, if that was possible. 

“Well I'm sure you know that it is very rude to keep your hat on in the presence of a lady,” You raised a brow, flicking your ash into the trash can. “I could be deeply insulted.”

“I apologize,” David grinned, taking off his hat and giving you a slight bow as he did. He introduced himself properly, as did you, his hand moving over his heart as he tilted his head. “You know I was just joking, there's worse habits to have than smoking.”

You nodded, smiling a little. “Like creeping up on strangers?”

He laughed and you felt a flutter in your stomach. You willed it away, not wanting to be another simpering fan.

“You want one?” You asked, holding out the box of cigarettes. David looked like he was considering saying yes before he shook his head. 

“No, thank you. I shouldn't.”

“Fair enough,” You nodded, putting the box back in your purse. “It really is a bad habit. I'm trying to quit but I got some time to kill so..”

“Oh yeah?” David raised a brow, glancing around the quiet car park before looking back at you. “What you waiting for?”

“My friend,” You gestured in the direction of Pam, who was deep in conversation with Kevin. “she's a big fan.”

“So I see,” David grinned, looking over to his brother and Pam before focusing his attention back on you. “and uh..what about you? Are you a big fan?”

You thought about it/made him wait for a moment as you took a drag on your cigarette and raised a brow.

“I'm just here for work.”

“Really?” David looked a little surprised, lightly rubbing his jaw. “What kinda work do you do?”

You held up your camera with a smile before flicking your cigarette in the trash can. “I’m a photographer,” You explained. “for a newspaper.”

“Oh right,” David smiled, folding his arms. “I'll have to buy that, see if you got any good ones of me. Which paper is it?”

“It's the uh..huh,” You grinned as you glanced over to Pam, watching her laugh as Kevin said something to her. “Excuse me for one second.” 

You turned slightly, holding your camera up and focusing it on Pam and Kevin. You felt very aware of David's presence behind you, trying to hold your hands steady as you snapped a picture. 

“I have a feeling I may need that one day,” You smiled, settling your camera strap back over your shoulder and turning to David. “They're cute together, don't you think?”

“Yeah, I guess so,” David nodded, his gaze staying on you. “She ain't the cutest one here though.”

You rolled your eyes but couldn't fight the smile on your face and multiple flutters in your stomach. 

“Oh shut up, that's such a line.”

“I'm deadly serious,” David grinned, holding his hat over his heart. “I promise.”

You were about to say something when Pam appeared, linking her arm with yours and giggling as she went to drag you away. 

“Hang on one second,” David called, making you look over your shoulder with a smile.

“You never told me the name of your paper!”

“It's in Dallas,” You called back, walking forward with Pam, the two of you giggling. “If you find it, call me!”

📷

A couple of days later you were in the newspaper office, going over some photos for an upcoming article when one of the secretaries knocked on the door and asked for you.

“Call for you,” She explained, gesturing to the phone as you went to her desk. “They didn't give a name, just asked for you.”

“Okay, thanks Margaret,” You smiled, feeling a slight knot in your stomach. It was extremely rare someone called you at work, and you tried not to think the worst. 

Going to the phone, you picked it up and took a deep breath before holding it to your ear. 

“Hello?”

“Hello yourself.”

You let out a soft sigh of relief as you realized who was on the other end of the line, a small smile on your face.

“How many papers did you have to call before you found me?”

“That's not important.”

You rolled your eyes with a grin.

“More than two?”

“..five.”

“Oh wow,” You grinned, turning more towards the wall. “That's perseverance right there. I'm flattered.”

“Well so am I,” David replied. “I saw those pictures you took. They were great, I wanted to thank you for catching me at such a flattering angle.”

“You're welcome,” You smiled, glancing over your shoulder before looking back and lowering your voice slightly. “That the only reason you called six newspapers? Angles?”

“Not quite,” You could hear a cheeky tone in his voice, your fingers holding the phone cord. “I was hoping you'd come see me again. You don't have to take pictures this time, if you don't want.”

“As it happens I am coming,” You raised a brow with a smile. “Your brother beat you to the invite. He invited Pam, who invited me. So I'll be there.”

“Well damn,” David laughed softly. “I guess I'll just have to come right out with it then..ask you on a real date.”

“Oh?” You grinned, feeling like a teenager as your cheeks grew warm. “How about we make it interesting?”

“I'm all ears.”

You took a breath, trying to calm your heartbeat. You were aware of Margaret behind you, knowing she'd be listening to every word. 

“Alright, if you win..I accept. If you don't, no deal.”

“Hm, sounds fair,” David replied. “I guess I'll have to try a little harder this week. I'll let you get back to work, alright?”

“Alright,” You nodded, trying not too smile too widely. “I'll see you Saturday. Bye.”

You hung up the phone, turning around to Margaret with a polite smile.

“Thank you, I'll be in the office.”

Once you closed the door and found yourself alone, you let out a laugh, shaking your head and wondering what you'd let yourself in for.

📷

Saturday came around quickly, and most of the day was given over to preparing. At first you were just helping Pam, heading into store after store to find the perfect outfit. Then you started looking for yourself, realizing that you wanted to put in just a little more effort since you were going to watch, not work. 

As the evening drew closer, the radio was on full blast in the apartment as you and Pam cracked open a bottle of wine and started the beauty process. You couldn't shake the slight nerves that were settled in your stomach, but they were joined by an excitement. 

“Oh,” Pam turned from the bathroom mirror to look at you. You were sitting on the edge of the bathtub, carefully painting your toenails. “Did he ever get in touch? David? I completely forgot to ask.”

“Yeah, he found me,” You grinned, laughing as Pam gasped. “Asked me to come along tonight. I told him I was already coming.”

“And?” Pam asked, waving her hand at you. “What else? Did he ask you out?”

“I told him he can take me out if he wins,” You smiled, holding the bottle of nail polish up in the air with a laugh as Pam rushed over to hug you.

“This is so exciting! We're gonna be like sisters!”

📷

When you arrived at the Sportatorium, it seemed to be even busier than it had been the previous week. You stepped out of your truck, smoothing out your outfit. It was only a black off the shoulder top and some denim jeans but you hoped it still looked good. 

You linked your arm with Pam's as the two of you headed inside the bustling arena, your heart beating faster as you took your seats. As it turned out, watching the match was totally different to photographing it. You couldn't move about, couldn't pick one thing to focus on. It was all happening, bright and loud and thrilling. You found yourself cheering and whistling with the crowd, you and Pam both jumping up and screaming when the Von Erichs emerged victorious.

When it was all over and you were enjoying the fresh air, you couldn't help but find it adorable when Kevin couldn't keep his eyes off Pam while he signed autographs. Once he was free you gave him and Pam some space, almost immediately bumping into David.

“Hey winner,” You smiled, resting your hands in your back pockets. “Nice angles in there.”

“I hope someone was there to capture them,” David grinned, taking his hat off. “Did you have a good time?”

“Yeah,” You nodded, watching David for a moment, smiling as you realized he almost seemed a little nervous. “I really enjoyed it..though I'm a little curious about something.”

“What might that be?” David asked, moving his hat from one hand to the other. 

“Well,” You smiled, stepping closer and looking up at him. “Are you going to honor our agreement?”

📷

It was only when you were putting on your coat to leave the apartment when it dawned on that you hadn't actually been on a first date for..a while. There were some relationships in high school, a couple in college along with some dates and flings but the last had been before you graduated. 

You tried not to think about it too much, you were just going for dinner and seeing a movie. Worst case scenario, you and David didn't end up hitting it off and the world would go on as it always did. But part of you was hopeful that something would come from the date, that it would develop into something really great.

Grabbing your purse, you left the apartment and went downstairs to hail a cab, excitement starting to outweigh the nerves.

📷

“No way,” You laughed, your eyes going wide as you placed your hand over your chest. “You did not do that.”

“Yes I did,” David nodded, a serious look on his face before he laughed. “I was so sick afterwards. Never got found out though. Mom just went and got Kerry and Mike a new egg each. I couldn't eat chocolate for like three months.”

“I'm not surprised,” You laughed, picking up your drink. “You can't say you didn't deserve it.”

David laughed, nodding as he picked up his own drink. 

“I certainly did deserve it. Moment of weakness I guess.” 

You took a sip of your drink before setting the glass down and glancing around the restaurant. It was a steakhouse, but it felt like a nice one. Elegant lighting, candles on the tables, classy music playing. No sawdust or butcher paper to be found. 

“So do you think your brothers ever found out?” You asked, sitting up a little and resting your hands in your lap. “Or did you tell them?”

“No to both I'm afraid,” David sighed softly, lightly tapping his glass as he set it down. “Though I think Kev knew it was me..” He smiled to himself as he looked down. “Never said anything if he did know, though.”

“Seems like you two are close,” You smiled, your heart picking up a beat as David looked back at you with a warm smile. 

“We are,” He nodded. “We all are. I can't imagine life without them, they're amazing.” 

You felt your heart swell, trying not to get too swept up in your emotions. 

“That's so wonderful,” You smiled. “It's amazing that you're all so close.”

“Yeah,” David grinned, sitting up a little. “I just feel so lucky every day, like..” He stopped himself, lightly rubbing his neck.

“You know what, I feel like all I've done is talk about myself, my brothers, I don't want you to think I'm self absorbed or nothing, I promise I ain't like that.”

You shook your head, reaching your hand across the table and grinning when David held it with his own.

“I know you're not,” You insisted. “You're wonderful. Now tell me more about your family, I want the good stories.”

You ended up missing the movie, but neither of you cared. You talked until the restaurant was closing, David's jacket around your shoulders as you walked out into the night air. He gave you a ride home and kissed your cheek by your door  like a gentleman. 

“I had a great time,” You smiled, carefully taking off David's jacket and giving it back to him. You could tell he wanted to tell you to keep it, and you knew why he couldn't. 

“Maybe you should win another match, take me out again.”

“It's a deal.”

📷

Going to matches became a weekly event. You and Pam would cheer and cling to each other, laughing at how silly you were being. You took pictures for yourself, wanting to remember every moment. Afterwards you would meet David and Kevin, go for burgers and debrief on the match. 

It wasn't always easy for David to visit you, so you called each other when you could, spending an hour or two talking about anything and everything. You drove down to Denton a couple of times, meeting him for something to eat or just for a drive. 

He was always a perfect gentleman, opening doors for you and holding your hand, never pressing for anything more even though you suspected he was just as keen as you were to take things further.

You decided to nudge things in the right direction one night when you had gone down to visit him. Pam had come with you, and David and Kevin had taken you to the lake with their brother Mike, who you instantly adored. 

The afternoon was perfect, gorgeous hot weather and ice cold beers, floating along in the water and feeling like nothing else could possibly matter but being in that moment. 

You were sitting on the edge of the dock while the others drifted along on the huge rubber float, snapping a couple of shots of them before setting the camera aside. David appeared next to you, sitting down and resting his hand on your back. You leaned into the touch, his arm moving around your shoulders. 

“I love this,” You smiled softly, closing your eyes and letting out a breath. “If every day was like this..what a world.”

“It's perfect,” David murmured softly. “I can't think of anything better.”

“Hm, I reckon I can,” You smiled, opening your eyes and looking up at him. His eyes were already on you and you grinned as he took a breath and leaned in, his lips feeling like heaven against yours. 

You could hear the cheers and whistles, smiling into the kiss and feeling satisfied beyond belief. 

📷

“You ready for this?”

“Absolutely not. You?”

“Absolutely not.”

You flicked on the indicator and headed up the long drive to the Von Erich home, glancing over to Pam in the passenger seat.

“At least we're in this together.”

It was incredibly daunting, the thought of meeting David's parents and his brother Kerry, who had recently come home. He had told you countless times that they would love you, but it didn't ease your nerves. 

You were relieved to have Pam with you, that she was in the same boat. Mike met you both at the door, giving you both a hug and chatting away as he led you outside. 

It was a flurry of introductions, handshakes and hugs and the most perfect kiss from David that had you instantly relaxing.

By the time everyone sat down for dinner, it felt as though you had known the Von Erichs forever. The food was delicious, the weather was beautiful, the company was amazing. You felt David reach for your hand under the table when his parents talked about how they met, your heart swelling. 

When Doris forbade Mike from going to a gig that night, you glanced across the table to Pam smiling as she gave you a slight nod.

📷

“Alright, drive, drive!”.

You put your foot down, laughing as you glanced in the mirror and watched your boyfriend and his brothers gradually haul themselves into your truck. You turned the radio up when you left the driveway, rolling down the windows and cheering as you hit the road.

It didn't matter whose house the party was in, it was big and roomy and most importantly, fun. You had a beer in your hand before you knew it, hitting the makeshift dance floor. The brothers spun you and Pam around, laughter filling the air as you moved to the music, not a care in the world.

When Mike took to the stage with his band, you stood with David behind you, his arms wrapped around you. You all cheered as the song started up, swaying along as you held your hands over David's. 

Later in the evening you gently took David's hand and pulled him into a quiet corner, whispering in his ear and enjoying the slightly tipsy smile that crossed his face, a flash of worry passing his eyes.

You led him upstairs, finding an empty bedroom and closing the door.

“We..we don't have to,” David insisted as you slipped off your shoes. “I don't want you to feel pressured.”

“I don't,” You smiled, walking to the end of the bed and unzipping your dress before turning back to David. “But I will think you don't want to if you don't get over here in the next thirty seconds.”

He didn't need to be asked twice.

You laughed as you were picked up bridal style and carried to the top of the bed, letting out a soft moan as David laid you down and gave you a tender kiss.

Despite your suspicions that David was possibly a virgin, you didn't ask when he didn't bring it up. He was a little apprehensive, but once you took the lead he seemed to tap into his ring persona and the confidence in his movements had you struggling not to scream as your nails dug into his back, the sheets, your body crying out for more. 

“Oh god,” You moaned, touching David's cheek and looking up to meet his eyes as your legs hooked around his waist. “Baby..’m so close, please..”

You closed your eyes as he pushed deeper into you, his forehead resting against yours.

“Me too,” He murmured, his hand reaching for yours. “Fuck..fuck..I love you.”

Your eyes went wide at the confession, a deep moan spilling from your lips as you felt a wave crash over you, feeling David fill you moments later. You moved your hands to his neck, meeting his eyes and taking a deep breath. 

“I'm sorry,” He sighed, looking down. “I shouldn't have-this isn't the time..”

“No,” You insisted, a smile spreading on your face. “It's the perfect time. I love you, too.”

📷

“Mind if I get one of those?”

You turned around, letting out a sigh of relief as you spotted Kerry walking towards you. 

“Of course,” You smiled, taking the box of cigarettes from your purse and handing it over. “Thought you were David for a second.”

Kerry laughed as he accepted the box, shaking his head.

“Nah, your secret is safe with me. Just needed one huh?”

“Yeah,” You nodded, flicking away the ash. “I'm so nervous. I don't know why, it's not like I have to walk down the aisle in front of hundreds of people wearing this,” You raised a brow, gesturing to your dress.

As much as you adored Pam, and as thrilled as you were that she was getting married and had asked you to be her maid of honor, you did not exactly love the dress she had chosen. For a start, it was a mix of dusky pink and peach, the skirt was so big you wondered if you fit down the aisle, and the sleeves were almost the size of your head.

“I feel you,” Kerry nodded, looking down at himself as he lit his cigarette. “I think we all feel a little ridiculous. But you know the worst part?”

“Go on,” You smiled, lifting up the puffball that had slipped down your shoulder. “shock me.”

“I gotta do this three more times,” Kerry sighed, lightly prodding the flower attached to his suit. “At least you get to choose your wedding dress. I'm stuck in velvet hell.”

You laughed, shaking your head and taking a drag on your cigarette. 

“Oh come on, it ain't so bad. I think I heard Mike say he would never have velvet.”

“Really?” Kerry raised a brow, looking over to you. 

“Promise,” You grinned, holding your hand over your heart. “He said he'd have velour.”

“Oh fuck off,” Kerry laughed, shaking his head and holding his hand out. “Gimme a mint and get out of here, I'll velour you.”

“I'd like to see you try,” You laughed, getting a mint from your purse and flicking your cigarette away before walking over to Kerry. “See you inside. Don't destroy that flower.”

📷

“Isn't she beautiful?” You smiled, watching Pam and Kevin sway on the dancefloor, smiles etched on their faces as they moved to the music. 

You felt the urge to take a photo, but a professional had been hired for the day. Pam had insisted she wanted you to be in the pictures, not the one behind the camera. You had been a little disappointed, but you gave her the photo you'd taken from when she and Kevin had first met, and her reaction made it all worth it.

“She really is,” Doris nodded, looking over to you and taking your hand with a smile. “And you will be too.”

“Thank you,” You smiled, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “Let me go get us another drink.”

You stood up, making your way over to the bar with a smile. While you and David weren't officially engaged, it was kind of an unspoken truth that when Pam and Kevin had gotten married, David would propose to you next. Kerry wasn’t seeing anyone, and while Mike was dating a girl, they had only been together a few weeks.

So, you knew you were next up.

As you waited for your drinks, you smiled as you felt a familiar presence by your side.

“Have I told you how beautiful you look today?”

“Yes,” You grin, turning to face David and giving him a kiss. “But I don't mind hearing it again.”

As the song ended and a new one started up, more guests took to the floor.

“Should we go for a twirl?” David asked, gently stroking your cheek. “or maybe not quite a twirl, that dress will take out anyone who comes close,” He teased.

“Oh shut up,” You laughed, lightly swatting him. “I'm getting your mom a drink, if I don't take you out first.”

“I'll take it to her,” David smiled, leaning down to give you a soft kiss. “Then you owe me a dance.”

📷

So, here it is. 

The big day. 

You thought at times it would never come, but it's here. 

A lot has happened, of course. Weddings need buildup, after all. The guests can only talk about how beautiful you look and wonder who did the food for so long. You gotta give them something. 

So what's new? It's been a minute, a luxuriously long engagement. 

The Von Erichs have gone from strength to strength, reaching the top of the wrestling game. You still go see matches, when you can. They're global now, you always feel a rush of pride when you watch them on TV at some crazy hour.

Pam is a world class veterinarian, an incredible mother to the most gorgeous baby, and still the best friend in the world. 

Kevin won the WHC belt, is the most devoted husband, father, brother, brother-in-law and son. He and Pam keep saying they're going to buy a ranch in Hawaii for everyone to live in, and you like to think maybe it could be true.

Kerry insists he's your favorite brother-in-law, and you insist that you couldn't possibly choose a favorite but deep down you think he's most likely right. He makes you laugh the most, teases you and makes stupid jokes to cheer you up when you need it. The two of you have sneaky cigarettes and know what the other is thinking when you look at each other. 

Mike has just signed a recording contract with his band, and you tell him all the time he better come to you first with concert tickets. He's going to be the next one engaged, he's so loved up and it's adorable. 

Then there's David. 

The yellow rose who called up six different newspapers just to ask you out, who let you into his life, who loves you unconditionally and makes you so unbelievably happy that you wonder what you ever did without him. You would never have pursued your dreams without him and his family, that's something you know. And let's not forget his proposal, which was the most beautiful moment of your life.

David had taken you on a surprise trip one night, insisting that you were just going for a drive after you'd been out for dinner, but you knew it wasn't true. You found yourself at the lake, David's hand in yours as you walked down to the dock, which..was decorated with candles in jars, rose petals, a bottle of champagne sitting in ice. 

Knowing that you were marrying your soulmate, joining a family you loved deeply, it made you feel so safe, so secure. You quit your job, deciding to pursue your real passion. You bought a gallery in Dallas, and displayed your own work along with other local artists, including your soon to be mother in law. It took time, but it's become a success, and you don't care what any of them say, you couldn't have done it without your family.

Plenty for the guests to talk about, right?

You take a deep breath as you step out of the car, Pam fixes your dress and you take a deep breath. Her dress is beautiful, and most importantly, simple. 

Before you know it you're walking down the aisle, your heart beating faster as hundreds of faces smile at you, but there's only one you need to see, and when you do it makes everything okay. 

You reach the top of the aisle, feeling overwhelmed with love, beaming as you turn to look at your soon to be husband.

“You know it's a bad habit to leave the bride with a veil over her face,” You grinned, watching David gently touch the hem of the silky veil and carefully move it back, a wide smile on his face.

“I do apologize,” He grinned. “Still gonna marry me?”

“Of course,” You smiled. “You look perfect from this angle.”

#the iron claw #the iron claw fic #the iron claw fanfiction #david von erich x reader #david von erich x you #harris dickinson #harris dickinson fanfic #harris dickinson x reader #harris dickinson x you

[jarofstyles]

Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy- Patreon

Hello! We’ve been getting asks about what our series are about, and we wanted to show you guys a little piece of what we have on there 🫶 this is a series about rancher and cowboy h, and Y/N is very happy to be getting a job out on the infamous ranch with her passion for the horses and the beauty of the land.

WC- 1.6k

Here is our sneak peek! You can join us on Patreon for multiple exclusive series (100+ pieces) and early access to our writing.

——-

The place was fucking gorgeous… but that didn’t seem to compare to the cowboy showing her around. Jesus Christ, the man was something of a movie star quality man.

He was polite and charming. Holding his hand out to take hers when they’d have to move over a bit of rougher terrain, his calloused fingers gently caressing hers with a sly smile. The hat on his head shaded his eyes so he could look properly, giving her eye contact the entire time. Chillingly hot eye contact that had her feeling a bit weak in the knees. Soft green, greener than the grass in the fields that sprawled the ranch.

“I think you’d like workin’ here. It’s a family for sure.” He hummed, moving his hat off to brush his longer locks out of his face and adjusting the hat back on. He was bronzed and golden skinned from working outside, a light dusting of freckles just barely visible from her distance. Carved cheekbones and sharp jawline but dimples deeper than the valley, he was a god like being standing in front of her with a sweet disposition he probably hid a bit from others.

“I think so, yes. It’s my dream. You know? It’s a bit cheesy to some at the school… everyone’s always dreaming to run off to the city. But I love the place. The animals. The air.” She murmured, looking around the ranch. Y/N was hyper aware of the warm form of the man next to her, and the fact he was looking at her. Never had she experienced such an attentive man in terms of talking to her. No checking of his phone, no looking away.

She also was unaware of how Harry was genuinely a bit in awe of her. The starry eyed cowboy drinking in her essence and watching carefully as she spoke. Observing the details he hadn’t managed before. Beating himself up over not having known her before. Because, how? A girl in their area who wanted to stay? Who genuinely loved his land? That was a rarity. It wasn’t going to take much to have him be taken with her.

“I think that’s Amazin’.” He smiled, placing his hand on the small of her back and leading her towards the barn where their personal horses were kept. “You’re like me then. Content with home. Everyone says… they want wild adventures. Don’t even bother lookin’ in their own backyard. And that’s a damn shame, cause there’s plenty.” He spoke as they walked. Her eyes trailed his petal pink lips, the slight stubble left on the skin on his face, the radiance in his entire being. Harry was truly one of a kind. Even with dirt smudged on his jeans, clunky cowboy boots and the occasional scratch on his hand he managed to be graceful and smooth.

“Exactly.” She chirped, excited that he got it. “To me… there’s nothing like the festivals downtown. Learning to make new things. Finding a new watering hole or mapping out the land. I love the bonfires and cookouts. I don’t know. I find there’s a beauty in simplicity.” She turned to look at him, eyes squinted for a moment before they adjusted to the sun. It was beautiful outside despite the heat. The blue skies elevated her mood, but she did think that it was mostly attributed to the man guiding her around.

Harry felt his heart swell and a round of hopeful caterpillar‘s making their cocoons inside of his stomach. So many times he’s been hoping to find someone of a similar mindset. Someone he could get close to and not worry about them wanting to run off later down the line. It just felt… nice. Comforting. Knowing someone else felt the same as he did.

“You get me, Sweets.” He lightly flexed his hand on her back as his smile widened. Harry was a skeptic romantic. Meaning he held his cards close before he let them show. He’s flirt and tease but playfully. It wasn’t real unless he felt secure. Something he felt more and more of each time this pretty girl opened her mouth. A dangerous combination for him.

His approval made her giddy, having to stop herself from skipping as he opened the barn door up with a creaky slide. “We’re getting new doors on the barn so it doesn’t cause such a ruckus. But this barn is for our personal horses. I’ve got a few, but my soul partner is right over here.” He led her over to a large black stallion. A white star shaped mark right between his eyes. “His name is Perseus. Or Percy, for short.” He grinned widely at the giggle that left her mouth, his hand stroking over his nose with gentle affection.

“Percy, hm?” She looked at Harry for approval before stroking the side of the horse’s strong neck. “What a beautiful big boy.” A gentle coo had the hose sighing. A sign of relaxation, making her beam. “Yes, you are a strong, Handsome one. I can tell.” Her hands worked over the front of the horse with a cooed affection that had Harry- in simpler terms- about to act up.

He was far closer to his horses than people realized. He loved his animals and had a special connection to them, but especially Percy. His best friend. He’d gotten him for his 21st, and ever since they’d been attached at the hip. “Oh, he likes you.” His deep voice rumbled through her stomach and almost made her jump. “He doesn’t usually take to stranger so fast. Got ‘im begging for attention. He will eat it up when he like ‘ya.”

So would Harry. He felt a little pathetic being jealous for wanting the girl to be stroking at his face like that. She had smooth hands.

“Does he get that from his Daddy?”

The giggled tease had Harry caught of guard but sent him into a laugh, head thrown back at the gall. This woman was something else… and it was calling right to him. A bit of banter was sexy. Especially teasing.

“Maybe so. But it takes a special woman to get men like us to behave like mere pups.” He hummed, leaning his hip against the stall door.

“Mhm. I bet that’s true.” She looked at him from under her lashes with a coy smile before returning her attention to the stallion.

I’ll be damned. He thought. This was the fastest a woman had managed to tangle Harry up in a lasso, but it seemed like he was pulling it tighter than she had even meant to.

“How many personal horses are then?” Her question snapped him out of his fantasy in his mind. Not an appropriate one to be having about a staff member but Harry knew that in his gut, she would be far more than that.

“I have 3. Percy, here.” He nudged his chin towards him. “Then we’ve got Athena. And Cash.” He pointed towards a paint mare and a chestnut… what seemed to be thoroughbred stallion. “Those are mine. Over there are my fathers two, and my mothers one though she doesn’t ride often. Hers is used more for riding lessons and all that. Sister got some too. So… 8. We got room for two more personal. Staff and ranch hands, if they got ‘Em, keep them in the commercial barns. There’s a lot of ‘em here.” Though she knew that. “I’m assuming you’ll like to spend time with all of them.”

“Well… Percy is a favorite so far.” She grinned towards the horse. “But you’d be right. I adore all animals but horses.. they’re a soft spot for me. I want to have a few of my own one day.” She said it shyly. It was stupid to be shy and Y/N knew that. Harry got it more than anymore but there was still that residual shame she felt from peers when she said she was happy where she was and wanted to keep going. She didn’t have the same wanderlust as everyone else.

“Hey.” He took a risk, gently lifting her chin up with his thumb. “Nothin’ wrong with that. Don’t know why you’re embarrassed when m’the one who just gushed over lovin’ my horses.” He teased lightly, keeping those pretty eyes of hers locked with his. “I’m glad… I’ve met someone who’s like me. Everyone in a rush to leave and fail to see how much fun and how beautiful life can be when you enjoy what you’ve got. The horses, the nature, everything. Everyone at school has those big city dreams. That’s fine n’dandy for them, but you n’me? We get it. We like how we were raised and we are comfortable being here. Don’t let ‘em haunt you. You can be open here. In fact… I’d love to see more of you like that. It’s not every day you come across a pretty little thing with a good head on her shoulders. My momma will eat you up and be happy you’re around. Some sense, she’ll say.” He gently stroked her chin before letting his hand drop. It was pathetic for her to miss the rough pad of the finger on her smooth skin, but she did.

“Yeah?” She asked shyly, looking up at him while shifting back and forth from heel to toe. A childlike comfort that Harry found to be fucking adorable.

“Yeah, Darlin’. Don’t worry about any of ‘em here. You’ve got me… and a whole load of other folks who have pride in loving where they’re from. “ he paused, taking in the sparkly flint in her eyes though she was a bit shy. It made him feel all the more eager to protect her, to make her see she was one of them. “I think you’ll fit in here just fine.”

#sneak peek #cowboy!harry #harry styles cowboy #COWBOYRRY #save a horse ride a cowboy #jarofstyles #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles one shot #harry styles fanfic #harry styles smut #harry writing #harry styles imagine #harry drabble #harry styles blurb #harry styles writing #harry styles fluff #harry styles angst #harry smut #harry angst #harry fluff #harry styles au #harry fanfic #harry styles fanfics #harry styles fic

[sitp-recs]

Do you have any fic recommendations where Draco very desperately loves Harry? To the point of wanting to take care of everything for him?

Thank you for all your suggestions i really love reading through them :)

Hi anon! Thank you, I’m happy to know you enjoy the recs 💜 here are some fics with a “hopelessly in love” Draco for you:

And I Know the Spark by firethesound (E, 15k)

All Draco cares about is keeping Potter alive, and he’ll do whatever it takes to make sure that happens.

The Green Vial by eidheann (E, 31k)

After months of seeing Harry Potter walk into his Apothecary disappointed and hopeless, Draco offers to carry the baby that Harry can't. Now he's just got to hide the fact that he's been half in love with Harry for years.

The Boy Who Only Lived Twice by lettered (E, 54k)

Harry Potter is an Unspeakable. Draco Malfoy is the wizard who shagged him. Adventure! Intrigue! Secret identities, celebrities, spies! It's all right here, folks.

Tea and No Sympathy by who_la_hoop (E, 70k)

It's Potter's fault, of course, that Draco finds himself trapped in the same twenty-four-hour period, repeating itself over and over again. It's been nearly a year since the unpleasant business at Hogwarts, and Draco's getting on with his life quite nicely, thank you, until Harry sodding Potter steps in and ruins it all, just like always.

Criminal by The_Sinking_Ship (E, 83k)

Things were going just fine for Draco Malfoy. He successfully conned and counted cards across Europe and America, amassing a small fortune, along with a lengthy rap sheet. That was until he made the grave mistake of returning to England for a high stakes card game and got himself caught – by Harry Potter no less.

I Am Not Who I Became by mab_di (E, 93k)

Draco left England after the trials and has travelled the world meeting wizards and Muggles from different cultures and with vastly different relationships to magic, each other, and the natural world. Now he's a fisherman in Finland on commercial vessels. Harry has been struggling since the war and has become a recluse while trying to write his autobiography.

A Thousand Beautiful Things by geoviki (M, 104k)

Draco Malfoy struggles with changed fortunes, shifted alliances, an ugly war, and an unusual spell, with the help of a concerned professor, an insightful house-elf, and an unexpected Gryffindor friend.

Turning Leaves by Kbrick (E, 112k)

Draco and Harry have a one-night stand that ends in disaster after Harry tells Draco he's unable to move beyond their poisonous past. So when Draco finds an unusual Time-Turner in the Department of Mysteries, he seizes the opportunity to start fresh with Harry. Only instead of fixing things, he keeps making them worse.

Far From The Tree by aideomai (E, 112k)

The arrival of Harry Potter’s children—snapped back in time, the children themselves guessed, twenty or so years—was the most interesting thing to happen at Hogwarts for years.

By the Grace by lettered (E, 140k)

Harry is an Auror instructor. Malfoy wants to be an Auror.

Twist of Fate by Oakstone730 (T, 302k)

Draco asks Harry to help him beat the Imperius curse during 4th year. The lessons turn into more than either expected. A story of redemption and forgiveness.

#asks #Drarry reclist #hopelessly in love Draco

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

Alternate Doctor Who Companion Endings

The Hartnell Years

Barbara: becomes an Aztec queen

Ian: Stabbed by a TARDIS-possessed Susan running with scissors

Susan: Eaten by a normal-sized Earth woodlouse while shrunk

Vicky: Conscripted into a civil war between large-sized non-Earth moths and ants

Steven: arrested for mugging a man for his Rolex in 1066

Katerina: journeys with the Doctor for eight multi-part serials before falling in love with a Samurai and staying in Edo period Japan

Sara Kingdom: becomes a Golden Era Hollywood stunt actor

---

The Troughton Years

Polly: Becomes a fish person

Ben: Conscripted into being a Highlander

Jamie: New face new man

Victoria: Killed by a Cybermat

Zoe: vanishes in Foam

-----

The Pertwee Years

Liz Shaw: falls in love with a Silurian

Jo: accidentally drops the Doctor's tupperware box of anti-matter

------

The Baker Years v1

Sarah-Jane: stays on Peladon to pioneer feminism

Harry Sullivan: accidentally replaced by a Zygon

Leela: steamed

Romana 1: a Mishap with a giant squid on a methane refinery. Regenerates.

Romana 2: becomes a vampire

------

The Davison Years

Nyssa: stays on Earth to become a paleontologist

Tegan: goes home with the wrong Doctor (it was a choice of 5, whoops)

Adric: gets lost in an Escher building. Left behind.

Turlough: succeeds in killing the Doctor. Sent home by the Black Guardian with an extremely silly hat

------

The Baker Years v2

Peri: turned into a bird by a slug

------

The McCoy Years

Mel: stays and joins a rebel punk roller derby team and takes on alien!Thatcherite non-Britain

Ace: becomes a Time Lord (with a baseball bat)

------

The McGann Years

Grace: stays dead

Chang Lee: stays dead

------

The Eccleston Years

Adam: promoted and eaten by a gelatinous ceiling

Captain Jack: is so successful on Trinny and Suzannah that he gets and stars in his own future!TV show, How to Look Good Naked. Becomes a celebrity. Stays.

------

The Tennant Years

Rose: possessed by Cassandra

Martha: blows up Earth with the Oster Haagen key

Donna: refinds her real life husband from Silence in the Library after being downloaded

Mickey: becomes parts in a clockwork spaceship

------

The Smith Years

Amy: becomes an Angel

Rory: finds out his fiance sexually assaulted another man the night before their wedding and leaves to build a better life

------

The Capaldi Years

Clara: genuinely leaves and never comes back after that moon bullshit because she's fed up with his abuse

Bill: stays on the Cyber-infested spaceship to lead the colonists as they start a new society

Nardole: Cyber-converted, but is the quirky comic relief robot. The Doctor leaves him with Bill, in case he's useful.

------

The Whittaker Years

Yaz: joins Zheng Yi Sao, is now starring in Our Flag Means Death s3

Graham: stays in the frog universe with his dead frog wife

Ryan: seduced by King James VI and I, becomes prince consort

Dan: goes to space with his grumpy dog friend on new adventures

#doctor whom

[isa-beenme]

Velar is citizen with azriel?

The requests are ending and I'm DESPERATE

There's only one more someone help me, send something, ANYTHING, doesn't even need to be from the bingo 😭😭😭😭😭

I don't think I have enough creativity to think alone with my own head

This one is small but so cute 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 azzie's shadows 🥺😭😭😭😭 I would date him just to play with his shadows honestly

Golden

Azriel strolled through the vibrant streets of Velaris, his usual calm demeanor slightly disrupted by the bustling energy surrounding him. Everything has been peaceful since the official end of what they called the "Age of Terror" and the defeat of a great part of their enemies. Despite the happiness that overflowed him, Azriel somehow missed all the agitation and the danger. Not that he didn't have anything to do, but the number of missions that requested his presence started to short as time flew.

Without the mess and agitation, he wanted to settle down as his brothers did, find someone to love and to live a quiet and peaceful life with, or the closest a spymaster could get on that topic. This proved itself to be the hardest thing he ever did in his life since his options were scarce. Everyone seemed to fear him or not even interested in anything but his dick.

As he neared his favorite coffee shop he noticed a little commotion on the front door. The shop was a quaint little place tucked away amidst the city, not very known by the population but definitely worth every penny he spent. It didn't take long for him to notice a sign that read "New Barista". Apparently, this new person brings a new wave of interested people to the store. He couldn't help but be happy since he knew the owner was an old lady that didn't want much but to see his clients happy.

Curiosity sparked within him, and he decided to step inside, intrigued by the idea of someone fresh in the city, something that became common since the war stopped and thousands of people from every court went to Velaris searching for a better place to start their lives. The moment he walked through the door, his eyes found you. A young female with captivating eyes and a smile that seemed to light up the room was the best way to describe Azriel's first impression. 

You stood behind the counter, diligently preparing orders for the eager customers at the same time you kept a conversation with each of them, always looking interested in whatever they were saying. Azriel took a moment to observe you, admiring the grace with which you moved around the shop, an effortless charm evident in every gesture. It was in that instant that he knew he had to get to know you, to uncover the stories that lingered behind those enchanting eyes.

Summoning all his courage, Azriel approached the counter, his voice steady but laced with a hint of nervousness. 

-Good afternoon - He greeted, offering a polite smile. 

-Oh, hello there. What can I get you? - You turned around to see him, slightly shocked by him. Everything in his appearance looked so… perfect. It was almost scary.

-Just the usual for me, please - He asked, already taking off the coins to pay. You didn't move an inch, smiling at him as if it was funny. It took him some moments until he realized his mistake - Of course. I'm sorry, you're new here. Uhm, a regular black coffee, that's all.

-Okay then, a regular black coffee it is - You said, already starting to prepare his order.

-I couldn't help but notice you're new here - You stopped what you were doing, looking at him with a confused expression. He looked back at you, before realizing his second mistake of the day - I mean, new in the city. I never saw you around - Your eyes met his for the briefest of moments before you returned to work, a big smile on your face.

-Yes, I am. Just moved to Velaris a few weeks ago. It's been quite an adventure so far - Intrigued, Azriel leaned against the counter, eager to engage in a conversation, watching to stop himself from making another mistake. 

-Velaris is a wonderful city, there are a lot of things to do. Have you had the chance to explore much of it yet? - You paused again, quite shocked by his sudden interest.

-Not as much as I'd like. Any recommendations? - You asked with a playful glint in your eyes, testing his intentions.

-Well, there's a hidden garden not far from here, tucked away from good part of the prying eyes - Azriel's lips curled into a mischievous smile, getting closer to you as if to whisper a secret - With prying eyes I mean my family. They are quite the gossipers - You couldn't help but laugh, the coffee quickly forgotten on the counter.

-I thought you being the spymaster would be the biggest font of the gossips - He almost looked offended if it wasn't for the smile that started to grow on his face.

-I never said I wasn't, it doesn't mean I want them prying on my business - You felt your cheeks reddening as you took in his words, understanding that you would be one of his business - About the garden, it's quite a beauty in this season if you allow me to say. Would you care to accompany me there one evening? - Your eyes widened with surprise, a deep blush painting your cheeks now. 

-That sounds... lovely. I'd be thankful if you showed me - You turned back at your work before your colleague gets the opportunity to get mad at you for not working - Okay, I think that's it. A regular black coffee for the Shadowsinger - He took the cup from your hand and made a little bow, making you chuckle a little. He took a sip of it and started to turn around, but he stopped in the middle of the way and came back to the counter.

-I'm sorry, but I think there is something wrong with my order - He gave the cup back to you and you felt your heart beat faster. If your first mistake was with him your career could be done. And maybe your date too.

-What is wrong? I can fix it - You gestured to the cup, ready to throw it away and make a new one.

-I'm sure you can fix it. It's just that is missing your name in the cup - You stopped middle way, looking at him in disbelief as his smile took over his whole face, making him look even more beautiful than before - It's unfair that you know who I am and I only know that you're the pretty fae that makes a delicious coffee.

-Okay, you got me there - Your cheeks were already hurting from smiling so much, still in disbelief at his attitude - You can't ask your shadows, anyway?

-Well, I can. And they already know. But if I ask you then I have a reason to hear you talk - You wrote it all down in his cup and gave it back. He read it and turned the cup to you, lots of words written down but any was your name. His eyes asked you a silent question.

-My address. So you can pick me up and take me to the garden. You can ask my name there - You smiled brightly at him, calling for the next customer.

You exchanged one last look before Azriel leaves the coffee shop with a newfound happy pace in his step. He couldn't help but feel that this meeting was something special, the start of something he couldn't quite take place yet. His shadows poked him in his cheek, which was still locked in a big smile.

-What? You never saw me flirting? - He asked to the smoke around him. The little beasts surround him as if they were laughing - I just don't do it often. But you can see that it worked.

The shadows once again moved in laughter, making him groan in frustration before taking another sip of his coffee. Yeah, he could definitely get used to this every day.

#spotify #azriel × reader #acotar #azriel #azriel shadowsinger #azriel/reader #azriel x oc #azriel x reader #azriel x female!reader

[liaa--qb]

"WRONG DECISION" (part ll)

[ Dark yan (male) Arya x Daenerys

WARNINGS : DUB con, possessive, Dark, Yandere (male) Arya, obsession, manipulation, fingering, oral, explicit, cheating, angst

Summary : Daenerys arrives at Winterfell to rule with John but things may not go well planned as her strange brother in law takes some special interest in her, extremely special interest.

PART 2

(Would appreciate likes and share ❤️ btw I literally fancast harry gilby too for this😅 what do you think)

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Later Dinner progressed at a leisurely pace, and, thankfully, this time, John was by Dany's side. Laughter filled the air as Tormund shared humorous stories, while John's friends regaled the gathering with tales of their adventures in different places. The atmosphere was convivial, and many of the court's wives approached Dany to engage her in conversation, much to her surprise.

It seemed that things were not as challenging as she had initially feared, and perhaps, in time, they might improve even more. Sansa, however, appeared to be missing someone, evident in her restless gaze as she scanned the room and inquiring about something. Dany took notice of her and inquired, "What's the matter, Sansa? Is there a problem?"

Sansa responded with a brief smile, "No, it's just... Arya isn't present. I know it's not your concern, Your Grace. He rarely misses dinner. As his older sister, I trust you understand..."

Dany had repeatedly asked Sansa to address her by her name or simply as a sister-in-law, without the need for the formal titles, but Sansa had always maintained her overly formal tone. Only John seemed to be comfortable enough to use Dany's regular name, a fact that left her wishing Sansa would drop the formality and greet her as her sister.

"Oh, don't worry, he may be occupied with some matters. If I come across him after dinner, I'll ask him to meet you," Dany reassured Sansa with a sweet tone, her hand resting gently on Sansa's. "And there's no need for formalities with me, as I've mentioned before. I'm going to be a part of your family after my wedding with John, so I have to care for Arya as well as for all of you," she added with a warm smile.

It was true; Arya was conspicuously absent. He rarely missed these gatherings, regardless of how busy he was during the day. In fact, for the past four days, he had always been present. Dany found herself dwelling on their session earlier in the day, and this reflection made her cheeks flush. She quickly dismissed these thoughts. How could she shift her focus from caring about Arya's safety to something... something that was quite inappropriate for her to entertain ?

Unbeknownst to her, Dany's gaze had wandered in the same direction as Jorah's, though she looked down immediately upon realizing this. With dinner drawing to a close, Jorah finally approached her. "Are you well, Khaleesi?" he inquired.

Dany managed a forced smile, making it seem like everything was fine and that she hadn't been lost in thought of her brother in law though Jorah appeared somewhat hesitant, a rare pause in his conversations with her. He continued, "I hope you are getting along with the people of the North. If there is anything or anyone bothering you, you can always confide in me. You know that, right?"

Dany chuckled lightly and replied with a soft tone, assuming Jorah had been alarmed by her earlier demeanor, "No, Ser. Everything is fine here, and I'm genuinely enjoying my time."

Then, Jorah gently requested, "Khaleesi, if you don't mind, I know I'm asking my queen, but may I have a private walk with you? We haven't had the chance to talk since we arrived here." A warm smile adorned his face.

Dany felt a pang of sadness as she realized she had to decline his offer, as she had already made plans with John for some quality time together. She couldn't let this opportunity slip by, considering John's busy schedule. She did, however, feel regretful about declining Jorah's sweet request, knowing how deeply he cared for her.

 "I apologize, Ser Jorah, but not today, as John and I need to discuss some important matters, particularly concerning the family. I really wished to accompany you, but John mentioned this is the only time he's available. I hope you understand, and I had no other choice." A hint of disappointment was evident in Jorah's eyes, so Dany hastened to add, "But we will certainly make time tomorrow. You, Missandei, and I will spend some quality time together. I promise."

"and I thought my queen wanted to spend more time with the Northerners and her new family. That's sad," At this, Arya's cold voice suddenly cut through, taking both of them by surprise. His voice laced with chilly disapproval, his long coat and a dagger at his side, hands neatly folded behind his back, and the customary straight-backed posture giving him a formidable appearance

"Prince Arya!" Dany gasped, taken aback by his sudden appearance. "You nearly gave me a fright."

Arya couldn't help but wear a sly smirk as he strolled closer. "Then I'd recommend getting used to it, my queen."

Dany couldn't help but notice the lack of warmth in Jorah's expression when he looked at Arya, and she couldn't help but wonder if their previous evening activity had something to do with it.

"So where did my queen wish to spend her time?" Arya inquired, standing beside Dany and glancing between her and Jorah. Dany couldn't help but notice how even his formal tone sounded more like a directive or a mere statement.

"Ser Jorah wished to spend some time with me," Dany began, her voice carrying enthusiasm. "You know, we haven't had the chance for a proper conversation since our arrival. The journey was taxing for all of us, and a leisurely stroll around Winterfell just wasn't feasible today. It will have to wait until tomorrow."

"Is that so, Ser Jorah?" Arya quizzically turned his gaze to Jorah with a straight face. "If you desired a private tour of Winterfell, you could have taken anyone. I would have happily provided a servant for your convenience. Shall I?"

Jorah met Arya's gaze unwaveringly replying"I wished to spend some time alone with Dany, like in the old days. We have important matters to discuss, particularly regarding her safety."

Arya paused, considering this. "But I thought she had planned another training session for tomorrow, which might take a considerable amount of time. I had planned to take Sansa, Bran, and her for a family outing, as my brother suggested she desires more family time." His voice held a hint of inquiry.

In that moment, Jorah cast a defeated and resigned look towards Dany, seemingly at a loss for words. Dany, attempting to defuse the tension and find a middle ground, offered a solution, saying, "No problem, Ser Jorah can join us as well." She turned her gleaming eyes toward Arya and continued, "Believe me, Prince Arya, he is like family to me. We share an exceptionally close bond, so why not include him?"

Arya, though he gave a nod, still held a challenging expression. He appeared unhappy with the decision but refrained from voicing any opposition.

"Please forgive my curiosity, but is this related to concerns about your safety, my queen?" Arya asked with a small, bemused smirk. "I mean, if that's the case, Ser Jorah, you can freely enjoy your time. When I'm with her, you don't need to worry, especially about her safety," he asserted with a sharp tone, his gaze fixed directly upon Jorah. "Her safety and well-being are now my responsibilities."

For a moment, they locked eyes, with Jorah appearing to have some unresolved issue with Arya. Dany had grown accustomed to Jorah's behaviour after spending considerable time with him.

Dany couldn't help but feel it was unjust to regard Jorah as merely another random soldier, even though Arya's intentions might not have been harmful. Jorah's loyalty ran deep, and he deserved respect equivalent to his commitment. She believed he shouldn't be discarded repeatedly, especially when his request was so modest. "No, Arya, please pardon me, but I cannot change my decision. I made a promise to Ser Jorah," Dany replied to Arya with sweetness, hoping that he would comprehend her stance.

Just then, John and Sansa joined them, their faces reflecting curiosity. Sansa exclaimed, "Arya, you came late for dinner!"

Arya explained, "Yes, I was just finishing up some work, sister. Oh, John, I need to discuss something with you. I'm glad I found you soon enough." He nodded towards John, whose arm was draped around Dany. John and Arya decided to step aside for a private conversation, with Dany grabbing John's collar for a parting kiss. Both Dany and John exchanged happy, loving glances before parting. John kissed her hand and spoke in a low, gentle voice, "I will come." With a reassuring pat on her cheek, he finally walked away with Arya.

Jorah stood still, wearing an expression of complete boredom. Sansa chimed in, "I hope Arya didn't bother you too much. Sometimes he's quite rough with his ideas and peculiarities, but there are moments when he behaves perfectly normal." She smiled briefly while glancing at both Dany and Jorah.

Dany nodded in agreement. "Of course, I can understand. We are new here, so it's natural for us not to grasp his intentions and words at times. But I can see he's young and quite sensible. How old is he?"

Jorah finally contributed to the conversation, much to Dany's relief. She had been hoping that Arya's words hadn't affected him. "The boy is remarkably well-trained with weapons, especially for his age. I must say he possesses a sharpness in his attacks that I rarely see in warriors, especially someone as young as him."

Dany responded softly, "He's doing incredibly well, considering his age and all he has endured."

Sansa added, "Yes, I know. He was just a child when he went through so much. There were times I was scared, wondering if he was even alive."

Dany looked at Sansa with a sad but reassuring smile and said, "I can understand."

Sansa replied, "Oh 18, he's almost 18, just a few days away."

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THAT NIGHT LATER

After dinner, Dany, Ser Jorah, and Sansa engaged in a lengthy conversation, which proved to be quite enjoyable for Dany. This marked the longest conversation she had ever had with Sansa, and it was a pleasant surprise. As the night grew darker and colder with each passing breeze, the landscape outside was completely blanketed in snow.

Dany couldn't deny that it had been a good day, but she felt the need for a hot bath. Her body was tired from her activities throughout the day, including her sessions with weapons, and the biting cold outside only encouraged people to retreat to their warm chambers.

Later, Missandei accompanied Dany for her hot bath. The two of them engaged in a conversation about their day and shared information about the various members of the court and their surroundings. Missandei playfully teased Dany about John, emphasizing, "I hope you had a good time with him." Dany smiled, her face lighting up, evident even to Missandei.

Missandei remarked, "I'm happy to see you smiling and enjoying yourself after the rather somber mood you've had these past few days, Your Grace." As she scrubbed Dany's arms, she continued, "Yes, you're right. Today, after a long time, I actually felt happy. Everything seemed fine. I'm realizing now that I may have been overreacting. I believe things will certainly get better in any case." Dany responded, her attention drifting as she played with the bubbles in the bathwater.

Missandei cheered her on, saying, "Yes, and there's no need to worry about John, Your Grace. You're quite fortunate; he's a truly good man. I've observed him closely. He loves you dearly and is incredibly caring." She made sure Dany was comfortable, allowing her to relax.

Dany lowered her head a bit further, resting it on the edge of the bath, and mused, "Yes, we do love each other. But I'm definitely going to tease him." She smiled mischievously while glancing at Missandei and continued, "He kept me waiting for far too long."

Missandei giggled, "Don't do that! He might become sad, thinking something like you must be asleep."

Dany nodded, "Yes, initially, he might. But then, I'll surprise him instantly. I love seeing him shocked and a little scared on such occasions, and he deserves this tonight."

Both of them laughed heartily while sharing their gossips, effectively washing away the weariness of the day.

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In the deep, enveloping darkness of the night, everyone had retired to their chambers, leaving the palace shrouded in silence. The only sounds that persisted were the thuds of the cold breezes, the gentle patter of water droplets, and the occasional crackling of the wooden logs in the fires. The palace appeared somewhat eerie in this solitude, but Dany couldn't have cared less. Her mind was elsewhere, immersed in thoughts of John and the anticipation of his arrival.

She wanted to look enchanting this night, especially for him. As she strolled through her chamber, her fingers played with one another in a state of tension.

Her gaze wandered among her finest dresses, but her eyes settled on one in particular. It was a thin, crimson gown with an impossibly deep neckline, its hem stopping just shy of her navel, adorned with delicate rose patterns. A small smile graced her lips as she selected this dress.

Nuzzling her cheek against the dress's exquisitely delicate, silky fabric, she couldn't help but ponder how destiny had never allowed her to wear it of her own accord. It was a beautiful garment, a gift given by Viserys, but she had resolved to wear it when she met her prince—the one who would save her and grant her the happiness of a loving family. Her mind drifted back to the days of her suffering and yearning, a time when she had never found the one.

But now, he is here,he stood before her, ready to take her away from her trials, the one who would love her boundlessly.

Dany positioned herself in front of the mirror, her chosen dress clinging to her body. She wondered if it would do justice to her beauty, but the thought of herself without the dress teased her even more. A devilish grin crept across her lips as she contemplated the night ahead.

Dany prepared herself with meticulous care, adjusting the neckline of her dress while gazing into the mirror. As she combed her hair, she couldn't help but think of John and how he would tenderly run his fingers through those locks, warming her with his affection. While contemplating whether to braid her hair or form it into rose-like buns, she ultimately decided to let it cascade freely.

It looked enchanting on her, yet she longed to recreate the rose bun, a style that John had often praised. Though crafting the intricate bun felt like a heavy and challenging task, she pushed herself to do it, knowing that this night was for both John and herself. She left it a bit loose so that it could be undone easily later.

Beyond the chamber's walls, heavy bricks of snow fell from the eaves to the ground outside, creating a symphony of loud, echoing cracks. To her, each sound was a harbinger of John's arrival, adding to her anticipation. She added a delicate scent from Dorne to complete her preparations.

The room was warm and inviting, a sanctuary against the biting cold outside. Despite the coziness, she found herself drawn to a blanket, wrapped around her as she sat in a chair, her thoughts filled with anticipation.

Sitting there, Dany contemplated whether she should change her cushions to something softer, but she quickly dismissed the whimsical thought with a laugh, knowing John would surely think her mad. With all her preparations nearly complete, she was now only awaiting John's arrival to finalize the evening's plans. She dashed off to lock her door securely, a crucial detail she couldn't overlook, and a part of the night she thoroughly relished.

A gift from Braavos, a bottle of special perfume was in her hand, and as she sprayed it around her room, she marveled at the captivating, almost mysterious scent it exuded. Known to leave people a bit dizzy, this fragrance was said to possess an enchanting quality, making it a favorite choice for newlyweds on their first night. As she visualized John's mockingly frustrated expression when she refused to open the door and imagined how his sweet charm would eventually win her over, she couldn't help but smile.

Seated on her bed, she waited for John, knowing that the castle gates would soon be sealed for the night. It was the hour when all work came to a halt, and if John had been anywhere outside, he would be making his way to her room. Standing beside her small window, she noticed there was no light coming from John's chambers, nor were his guards present.

It was clear he was on his way. With a sense of anticipation and excitement, she let herself lie down on her bed, closing her eyes and relishing these moments.

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Dany awoke abruptly, shaken from her brief slumber by another loud crash of ice bricks. She hadn't realized how long she had dozed off and jolted herself awake, worried that John was taking an unusually long time. Glancing around her chamber, she observed a complete absence of anything unusual, even as she peered outside her door and through the small window.

She sank back onto her bed, nervously awaiting his arrival, silently dreading the thought that he might have forgotten their meeting. She refused to entertain that idea, convinced that everything had been perfect on this day and that nothing could possibly go wrong.

However, as time continued to slip by, he still hadn't appeared. Even the wolves, she thought, would be resting now, but he was nowhere to be found. More time passed, and he still didn't come.

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Now it passed more than hour and yet he wasn’t there.

Dany lost track of time, waiting, and still, he didn't come. She accepted her fate, tears welling up in her eyes, and let herself fall into a deep sleep, seeking solace in the warmth of her blanket and silky cushions. Her weary body couldn't endure the anticipation any longer.

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Later hours a sudden, loud pounding on her door jolted her from her slumber. Dany was unaccustomed to such a clamor in the middle of the night. She wondered if John had finally arrived but soon realized that it couldn't be him. The pounding was relentless, intense, and filled with urgency.

"Who's outside?" Dany asked with a mix of curiosity and alarm. "I demand to know who's out there!"

The banging continued, growing even louder, and Dany's heart raced with each forceful thud. It felt as if the door was on the brink of breaking open. She hurried to her bed, covered herself, and grasped a small knife, ready to defend herself.

The door creaked open, and when Dany turned her eyes toward it, she found Arya standing there. At first, her racing heart slowed as she recognized him, but her shock and curiosity remained. Flustered by his unexpected presence, Dany asked with an alarmed voice, "What are you doing at this hour? You frightened me. Is there an emergency? Is everything all right?"

Arya appeared at a loss for words. "I... I, my queen, I..."

Concerned by his unusual behavior, Dany rose from her bed and approached him in much tension "What's the matter? Why are you here, and why are you acting like this? Please, say something. Your silence is making me even more anxious."

While who Arya continued to appear bewildered, gazing at her as though she were some foreign entity or a White Walker itself. Dany tried to meet his gaze, which lingered from her head to toe, particularly below her neckline, causing her cheeks to flush.

Finally, he continued in his soft, hushed voice, much to Dany's surprise. "I came to check on you. I noticed the lights were on in this room. I tried to open the door quietly, but it was locked tightly, and something seemed to be blocking it i thought," he said while glancing around at the large table Dany had placed in front of the door. "I couldn't make out the sounds clearly. At first, I attempted to knock, but when it seemed like you weren't responding, I feared you might be in danger. That's when I began banging on the door," he explained, his gaze fixed on her with intense eyes. "I apologize, my queen."

Dany finally managed to calm herself as she realized the situation. She nodded and sighed, "oh It's... it's alright. Just please don't behave like this again."

However, she noticed that Arya didn't make any move to leave her room. He stood there, gazing at her with an intense look that she couldn't help but describe as resembling 'lust' Dany followed his gaze and was shocked to see that her dress had become loose, with some threads undone during her restless sleep. It was revealing far more than it should have, and one of its straps had already slipped down her arm.

Dany felt a surge of shame as she took in her disheveled appearance and Arya's penetrating gaze. She knew she shouldn't look this disarrayed, with her hair now flowing loosely in untamed waves, her beautiful dress creased and ruffled in ways it was never intended to be. Her dress, which was already rather sheer and clingy, added to her apprehension.

She began to reach for a long woolen shawl on table, intent on covering herself and regaining some composure. But before she could do so, Arya gripped her arms firmly, preventing her from proceeding.

"Don't," he said, holding her arms gently and guiding her back toward him.

Dany's body still trembled slightly from her recent sleep, and Arya's cold touch sent shivers along her nerves. She attempted to explain, her words almost faltering, "But, Prince, it's not... It's unqueenly of me." Her sentence was cut off swiftly by Arya's response.

"No, you don't need to do that," he said, drawing her closer to him. His tone was soothing and understanding, as if he didn't fully comprehend the meaning behind his own words. "It's just me and you, and you don't need to hide anything, especially from me and I already told you this."

She sensed his fingers grazing her arms, and then she saw him whisk the shawl away, discarding it carelessly. His eyes remained locked onto hers, an unwavering connection that both unsettled and intrigued Dany. While the intensity of his gaze made her slightly uncomfortable, her own expression was something of a paradox.

For a prolonged moment, he merely observed her, his eyes traversing her features. He moved from her eyes to her neck, then down to her lips, and her chest, which rose and fell rapidly with her unsteady breath. The look in his eyes was undeniably charged with desire, and Dany couldn't ignore the fact that this was indeed a lustful stare.

Despite this, she reasoned that he was a young man, and such feelings were perhaps only natural. At least, she hoped so. The gaze wasn't entirely consumed by lust and longing, as if he viewed her as some precious and delectable fruit he wished to consume or a piece of jewelry to be won.

To alleviate the mounting tension, she decided to shift the focus and inquire about John. "Did John return? Is he safe?" She endeavored to conceal her emotions behind her words.

"Why do you always have to bring him into everything? Can't you stand on your own in Winterfell?" Dany was taken aback by the sudden shift in Arya's tone, and she gazed at him, his eyes now hardened and filled with darkness. Arya's response took her aback. His tone had shifted dramatically, and it was almost accusatory. Dany stared at him, her shock palpable. "What do you mean ?" Her voice betrayed her bewilderment.

Arya's demeanor transformed once more, but not to the same extent as before. "I didn't mean it that way," he clarified. "I only wanted to reassure you that you're not tethered to John's side all the time. Winterfell is your home now, too. You can come to me anytime if you ever need assistance. Don't you trust us?"

"No, no, my prince, I trust you completely," she reassured him, her hands gently resting on Arya's arms. "I'm not dependent on John. I was simply anticipating his return, that's all," she concluded the sentence with a tinge of sadness she couldn't conceal, her gaze lowered.

"And he didn't come," Arya replied sternly.

Dany was again taken aback by his sudden intrusion into her personal affairs. "Yes," she responded softly. "I think you should return, it's quite late." She was just about to request that Arya leave, but her words were swiftly interrupted by his startling remark.

"Sometimes I wonder, does he even deserve you? How did he manage to win you?" Arya chuckled, a sardonic grin on his face, which conveyed nothing but irritation.

This behavior was peculiar, even for Arya, and it felt like he had crossed a line that no one had ever dared to approach before.

Dany was utterly shocked by his question. "What..what ?"

"Yes, I shouldn't be saying this, but it's the plain truth," Arya replied, his voice cold and soft, his shoulders subtly shrugging. Dany found herself struggling to grasp the reality of what she was hearing. She couldn't decide whether to scold him, be afraid of him, or wonder if he was in the right state of mind, or if he was genuinely like this.

"You don't need to interfere in our personal matters, especially concerning John. We love each other deeply, and he must be occupied with his duties, as I understand as a queen myself. Besides, he's your brother," she stated, her words firm and direct, although she was trying to maintain an air of confidence.

"Really?" Arya chuckled as he stepped closer, moving in much nearer to her. She could feel his cold breath on her skin. "I didn't mean to frighten you, I promise. I love my brother too, but... he's too foolish to leave you alone like this," he spoke slowly, his tone growing smoother and more sugary.

To Dany, it sounded like a sweet threat more than anything else. His eyes were fixed on her lips, filled with desire which she was unknown to. Dany wanted him to move away, to give her some space to breathe, but he didn't budge an inch from his place.

She couldn't comprehend why his presence was so intimidating, making her hesitate to push him away or say something. If it had been anyone else coming this close to her, she would have slapped them without a second thought. But there was something about Arya that left her momentarily paralyzed.

"Prince Arya... please, it's better if you..." Her voice was barely audible, a mere whisper.

"You are so stunning, Daenerys. I think you're the most beautiful woman I've ever seen," Arya's voice took on the quality of a dark lullaby. Her name sounded exquisite as it left his lips. Daenerys managed to summon her strength and looked directly at Arya, who was studying her face with intense focus. She felt a fluttering sensation inside her, something she shouldn't be feeling.

There was something about his gaze that always stirred something within her. Her breath caught as she realized his fingers were gently running through her hair, loosening her locks. "Keep it open always. Why do you tie them up?" he asked softly, tucking a loose strand behind her ear. His fingers continued their journey from her hair to her cheeks. "So incredibly beautiful, so delicate, so naive..," he whispered, his fingers caressing her skin, his eyes locked onto her face.

This was undeniably wrong, completely and utterly wrong. Dany knew she should be ashamed for allowing her brother-in-law to cross these boundaries and engage in such improper actions, but the strange truth was she wasn't. Her body defied her better judgment, ached to be closer to him. She should have pushed him away, ordered him to leave, but instead, she found herself silently inviting him further, desiring to explore the depths of his cold, restrained touches. The brutal cold of the night outside only intensified her yearning to discover the warmth of his body, to see what he could do more with her.

Daenerys snapped herself out of her irrational thoughts, forcing her mind back to reality. She had become so lost in her contemplation that she hadn't noticed her back was nearly against the wall, and Arya's tall and lean frame encroached upon her, making her feel insignificant. She swallowed hard and attempted to stand straight, but it felt like everything was slipping through her grasp.

Arya gently stroked her cheeks with his hands. "You wanted to spend your special night with him, to give your all, and he just left you waiting. How sad for you," he cooed in a sweet but mocking tone. Daenerys could barely manage to speak under his touch. "No, that..that that's no..not what it was..."

The fire in room crackled tensely, mirroring the tension inside her.

"Don't lie to me," Arya's fingers began to trace the contours of her shoulders, his voice holding a mix of sternness and dark curiosity. "You sleep like this every day, wearing this.., don't you?"

"Don't lie to me," Arya's fingers began to trace the contours of her shoulders, his voice holding a mix of sternness and dark curiosity. "You sleep like this every day wearing this., don't you?"

she could only manage to stammer out, "Ye ye yesss, i..I do." Her body was melting beneath his touch, and she was unsure what kind of sorcery he was wielding over her heart.

He leaned closer, his breath brushing against her ear. "And this scent is used by whores in Braavos. You shouldn't be wearing it unless... you're one of them," he whispered, his fingers lazily wandering through her hair as he took his time. "How do you kn.. no, it's not..." Daenerys' words faltered, her voice trembling and her breathing heavy, unable to complete her defense. What had come over her?

With a challenging glint in his eyes, he remarked, "liar..I know it. I have quite a history with Braavos and you don't need all this. You don't need to dress like this." His fingers ventured further down her neckline, tantalizingly halting just above her navel. "You, alone, are enough. Without the dress,bare.. even more wonderful blessing," he added. In that moment, Danys was pinned against the wall, feeling as if it were the only thing keeping her from surrendering to the intense allure.

Pathetic, helpless, and devastated, she stood there. Her skin was ablaze with desire, every touch of his  fingers against it making her heartbeat race as if preparing for a battle.

Arya continued in a smooth hushed tone, "Don't mind me, but I would never leave such a woman alone, even for a moment, if she were my betrothed... I would devour her every chance,every moment I get," he whispered, his eyes fixed on her face, his fingers tracing the warm contours of her cheeks.

She had completely lost herself under his touch, his intense gaze, and everything else about him. Perhaps, in her denials, she had been denying her own needs as well. Finally, she opened her eyes and realized he was too close, dangerously close, as though he was about to consume her.

Thankfully, after a sliver of light seeping in from a slightly ajar door caught her eye, her gaze landed on the wedding dress she had got from John as gift.. With all her remaining strength, she distanced herself from Arya. Moving toward the door, she swung it open wide, signaling for him to depart with a courteous smile. "I think it's too late, Prince Arya. You should return to your room. I need some rest as well."

Arya moved away slowly, a faint grin clearly visible on his face as his eyes remained fixed on her. Dany struggled to avoid direct eye contact, looking elsewhere. When he approached the threshold, he couldn't resist a parting shot, "Goodnight, my queen. It was a pleasure to see you.. like this," he said with a honeyed tone, his smugness unmistakable.

"Thank you, Prince, for checking on me. Goodnight to you as well," she replied with a forced smile. She immediately closed the door and leaned against it, her breath heavy as if she had been suffocated throughout those moments.

Turning off the lights from candles, she walked over to her bed, cocooned herself in the embrace of the soft cushions and blankets, seeking nothing but peace. She was determined to ensure that whatever had just transpired would never happen again; it had been an ordeal beyond her imagining.

#house of dragons #daenerys x reader #queen daenerys #daenerys targaryen #yandere #yandere male #possessive #obession #manipulation #male manipulator #dark fantasy #game of thrones fanfiction #got fanfiction #got smut #arya stark #hotd fanfic #asioaf #got fandom #Daenerys x arya

[somerandomoutsider]

The Armistice

Summary

After a strange talk with Voldemort in the graveyard Harry begins to question his Headmaster

Chapter 1

In the graveyard, held in place by a statue Harry even though filled with thoughts, wonders why should his life be so difficult, why can't one year be filled with boring classes and life too mundane to be forgotten till he wishes it were simpler when life individually catches up? But he can not have such a thing as his life is meant for as some people would call adventure.

But here and now in this moment of struggling with a statute for freedom as the corpse of a friend, lay out of sight yet not too far away from him. Harry reluctantly watched as Peter performed the ritual that would bring back a man who was after him. If given the chance Harry would be so selfish as to abandon his so-called duty to live in peace. But he can't.

After his blood was taken from him he pondered if death was a viable option for peace, but the thought was swept away like the wind as a figure emerged from the cauldron. As if born like a child healthy without issue this being will wreak havoc on the world simply to watch it burn for its pleasure and curiosity.

The figure in question in all its natural glory is no man yet he is no monstrous beast but a delicate balance of both.

Harry would confess there is beauty in the man's monstrous being. But then again there is beauty in everything.

Voldemort, born anew, was quick to adjust to his new body. With a simple gesture, his servant was all too pleased to give his master his wand. Voldemort, ever the kind master, has rewarded his servant with pain. Peter in his cries thanked his lord.

Harry watched the scene with great attention. Looking at Peter as he rolls and shutters in pain. Moves his gaze to Voldemort, not so surprised when their eyes meet.

With a wide smile, Voldemort is quick to be in front of Harry and watches as the boy begins to struggle more and more to be free. “Oh, how I've waited for this day. At last, I have you” he says all too softly as he runs a hand through the boy's hair.

Leaning away from the touch Harry all but want to yell but there were no words that could come to mind. The man before him was not what he had anticipated. To be fair from Dumbledore’s words he had expected a madman, perhaps he was mad but not in the way he thought. But before he knew it he was met with the damp soil of the graveyard floor, frantically searching for his wand he clawed at the dirt in hopes to find as his life depended on it. The sound of a throat clearing made his head snap up and was met with the sight of Voldemort with a small smile on his inhuman lips, in the man's hand he held the very tool that would be the only saving grace of his life.

“Give that back!” he yelled as he shot to his feet and was able to charge forward but stopped himself when Voldemort raised his hand.

“Tell me what would you do if I gave you back your wand?” he asked with a small smile.

Scoffing “I'll kill you”

“Is that so?” a pause “Is that what Albus wants you to do?”

“Yes! Because if I kill you first you can't kill me!” Harry all but shouted in borderline annoyance.

Voldemort looked at the boy as if he had sprouted a second head for a moment he composed himself. Sighing the man rubbed his temple “We have much to discuss it seems”

“What?” Harry said, struck with confusion.

Sighing with a wave of his wand he conjured two chairs. With a simple gesture, he motioned for Harry to sit which he did with much hesitation. “What exactly has the old fool been telling you? If you tell me what he has said I will answer any questions you have in regards to me.”

Harry had given it thought. That being said he made them sit in silence till he agreed with a sigh “I guess I have no choice in the matter. But I guess it would be beneficial to hear you out. But know I don't trust you”

Humming pleased “It's only natural,” Voldemort said.

Sighing and rubbing his eyes he cursed under his breath “I was told that you are on a mission to kill me to rule all magical Britain. Dumbledore told me that you were insane and that you killed my parents. That you will only bring death in discussion on your path.”

Raising a nonexistent brow Voldemort looked down at the boy before releasing a sigh in frustration “Of course the old fool would lie. To speak the truth I may have killed your parents but I had good reasons to.”

“What good reason was it to make me an orphan!” Harry yelled at the man causing Peter to hide in fear as to what was surely to come.

“It was a matter of production for your well-being,” Voldemort said calmly “You see there is a prophecy that dictates I must protect you”

“Prophecy?” Harry asked

Nodding “Yes. There is a prophecy that states that you are my equal and that we both will change the course of our very world. Dumbledore the fool misunderstood and thought that another war would come and that we must battle. Which is why he tried to hide you away from me.”

“Ok? But why kill my parents”

“In truth, my original plan was to help in raising you alongside your parents but Dumbledore gave them the idea that I was out to kill you so he hid your family away. That night I spoke to make them see reason but they were blinded by Dumbledore. They knew that they couldn't defeat me so they did what I was not expecting. Trying to kill you.”

“How can I trust what you are saying is the truth?” Harry asked as he gave the man a hard look.

“You can't but I believe Dumbledore will show his intentions with your life. But only time will tell”

Harry could hardly believe this. It all seemed so utterly weird. Sitting with his supposed enemy and protector, perhaps he has died, his body lying in the moist dirt at Voldemort's feet. But he isn't dead, it is all very much reality. He could hardly contain the laugh that screeched from his lips as if his sanity were leaving.

“God I can't believe my life is such a fucking mess! Death would be more pleasant” he said between broken chuckles.

Cocking his head to the side “Why do you say that? I would assume since you were given the title of savior you would have been raised akin to nobles. Training and Education”

Laughing more Harry could hardly breathe he took a moment to catch his breath “I didn't even know magic existed till arriving at Hogwarts. I was raised by my muggle relatives, they hated magic, I lived all my childhood in a cupboard under the stairs with little to no food or water and was beaten when I accidentally performed magic. It was like that until I left for Hogwarts.”

“I apologize for the outcome of that night,” Voldemort said softly. It was there that something stirred within Harry. The man's sincerity had touched him deeply.

“I believe it is time you return to school.” Voldemort's voice brought Harry out of his thoughts.

“Really? You're just going to let me go”

Nodding, the man gave the boy back his wand gently with his touch, “I have things I have to do.”

“What?” Harry asked but before he could be given a chance to question the Triwizard Cup soared through the air along with Cedric's corpse he had long forgotten. Before he knew it the sounds of music and cheering were heard it only took a few small moments for the people to acknowledge that something was wrong. That was when the cheerful atmosphere was devoured by the demon of fear and then chaos soon followed as the people scrambled among themselves.

Harry could only stare at the scene before him.

#harry potter #voldemort #harrymort #fanfic #not beta read #going off vibes and vibes alone #The Armistice

[unabashednightmarepizza]

ೃ⁀➷Harry Potter Masterlist

ೃ⁀➷Hogwarts Legacy

Legacy( series, ongoing)

Families don't really define who we are. We create our own path, our own legacy. And when dire times come, one should protect it so that it never dies out.

ೃ⁀➷Ominis Gaunt

Glimpse of Future and Past( Being written...)

ೃ⁀➷ Sebastian Sallow

You're Perfect, You're All I Want

No one in school could deny that Sebastian Sallow was in love with the new student, but also couldn't deny that he was a stupid with his confession plans... Would a birthday change it all?

Part 1, Part 2

ೃ⁀➷ Hogwart's Mystery

ೃ⁀➷Talbott Winger

Dating him would include...

ೃ⁀➷Merula Snyde

There Is No Use In Lying

Summary: A soulmate AU where your soulmate wouldn't be able to lie to you... What a coincidence that Merula never seemed to lie. To you.

ೃ⁀➷Charlie Weasley

I Will Rescue You

Summary: Charlie always promised you one thing: Safet and Protection. He swore that you would always be safe with him, but what would happen if he was late and whoever was threatening the whole school came after you?

Would he be able to save you from all the judging looks, and your own demise?

The Moments That Made Us, Us

Summary: Going back to the Burrow made Charlie's siblings curious about your adventures and also learning how it all started.

First Date Shenanigans

Summary: Firsts are always nerve-wracking... But this one date and everything that came with it seemed like a huge bomb as everyone flied around you to get a whisp of your crush. Too bad it was one of the red-heads of the school who didn't know his feelings were requited.

ೃ⁀➷ Marauders Era

ೃ⁀➷Headcanons

Marauders x Merlin!Reader Headcanons + scenarios

ೃ⁀➷ Regulus Black

Saving Grace, Part2( Fem!Reader)

Summary: Black Family sucked. That's what your friends, your family and boyfriend said. They were obsessed with being "pure" and ready to do anything to achieve that... But none of you would have known exactly what measures they would go.

My Cat In Disguise (GN!Reader)

Summary: Regulus was touch starved but he didn't know how to communicate about this, without revealing all his trauma. Who knew him using his new animagus form would lead to new discoveries?

ೃ⁀➷ Sirius Black

Bitch, You and I Are The Exact Same Person!

Summary: A funny game that showed the Marauders that you and Sirius were more than just lovers: You two were soulmates... That knew what the other was exactly thinking in the most creepy way possible.

Sirius Black! The Loser Who Never Wins

Summary: Sirius Black always felt like a loser all his life, even behind all that cocky attitude. But then... His friends came and changed him a little. His biggest change would be when you came to his life. He no longer felt like a loser, he felt like someone who was understood.

Too bad that good things tended to end for him soon after he had them: His greatest love and "wish" being ripped from him... as everything tumbled down around him.

ೃ⁀➷ Remus Lupin

You Saved Me

Summary: Remus loved Defence Against The Dark Arts, even though every year, he would have to listen to his class and their hateful words about werewolves. What they said was right, and he was getting worse, everyone was worried but they didn't know what to do. Who knew, all it took was a kind spirit reminding him of his homeworks and bringing him chocolate?

First Date Gone Right

#hogwarts legacy imagine #hogwarts legacy fic #hogwarts legacy x mc #hogwarts legacy x reader #hogwarts legacy #ominis gaunt x reader #ominis gaunt x you #ominis gaunt imagine #sebastian sallow x reader #sebastian sallow x mc #ominis x sebastian x mc #hogwarts mystery imagine #hogwarts mystery x reader #talbott winger x mc #talbott winger imagine #talbott winger x reader #regulus black x y/n #regulus x reader #regulus black x reader #harry potter x reader #harry potter imagine #james potter x reader #remus lupin x reader #sirius black imagine #sirius black x reader #merula snyde x reader #merula snyde x mc #sirius black x you #remus lupin x you #remus lupin imagine

[companion-showdown]

Showdown 2k24 Nominations!

alright, redoing this post now that I can give a concrete start date of Monday the 15th of January!

Nominations for the tournament are open up until the start date, and you can submit anyone who could reasonable be considered a companion, either by sending me an ask or by filling out

this form.

If you make your nomination via the form you can also submit some propaganda to go alongside the poll. Anyone who was considered a regular at any point in the last year will automatically be included, as well as anyone who was in the original tournament (+/- a couple I might miss or misremember as being a regular because I don't have old lists anywhere). The exception to this is last years winner, Rose Tyler, she will not be getting a place in the main tournament, however after the final I will run a poll to see if our new winner can beat her. (oh and also maybe I'll leave the TARDIS out but not fully decided yet)

The tournament is going to be run in the same way I did @adventure-showdown, meaning I'll keep companions from different periods of the show and different mediums segregated at first so the nicher ones don't immediately get knocked out, and slowly get mingled together. The exact details are going to depend on just how may characters get included.

Errm yeah, so go wild, nominate whoever you like (as long as they are a companion). If they are from teh TV show they have to be on this list to qualify, and for EU companions I'm going with them needing a TARDIS wiki page, and also I will give them a quick proof read to make sure they pass, the bar is low but it is there

if you want to submit an alternate version of the character sorry but main version only unless you can give a really good reason, eg regenerations of a time lord

also, if they are primarily from another franchise that'll be a no

The full list of contestents is under the cut and will be updated as nominations come in. Its sorted by medium and then to be alphabetical by first name. if an eu companion exists in multiple mediums i just sort of picked one or I put them under the other category, people who exist in real life are also sorted into their own category. There are some characters under Classic Who/NuWho who were not companions on TV but were in the EU. Companions who's names are in green have had propaganda submitted for them, if they're not in green then they don't, and just because someone has propaganda doesn't mean i wont accept more

Classic Who

Ace McShane

Adric

Barbara Wright

Ben Jackson

The Brigadier

Chang Lee

Dodo Chaplet

Grace Holloway

Harry Sullivan

Ian Chesterton

Jamie McCrimmon

Jo Grant

K9

Kamelion

Katarina

Leela

Liz Shaw

Mags

Mel Bush

Mike Yates

Nyssa

Peri Brown

Polly Wright

Romana I

Romana II

Sabalom Glitz

Sara Kingdom

Sarah-Jane Smith

Sergeant Benton

Steven Taylor

Susan Foreman

Tegan Jovanka

Turlough

Vicki Pallister

Victoria Waterfield

Zoe Heriot

NuWho

Adam Mitchell

Amy Pond

Bill Potts

Canton Everett Delaware III

Clara Oswald

Dan Lewis

Donna Noble

Graham O'Brien

Grant Gordon aka the Ghost

Handles

Inston-Vee Vindor

Jack Harkness

Karvanista

Kate Stewart

Martha Jones

Mickey Smith

Missy

Nardole

River Song

Rory Williams

Rose Noble

Ruby Sunday

Ryan Sinclair

Wilfred Mott

Yasmin Khan

Audio

Alex Campbell

Anya Kingdom

Bliss

C'rizz

Cass Fermazzi

Charley Pollard

Cousin Eliza: Christine Summerfield: Horus

Dalek Test Subject 2

Erimem

Evelyn Smythe

Helen Sinclair

Hex Schofield

Iris Wildthyme

Liv Chenka

Lucie Miller

Mark Seven

Molly O'Sullivan

Narvin

Oliver Harper

Sheena (The Starship of Theseus)

Tania Bell

Novels

Anji Kapoor

Anna (Good Companions)

Badger

Barusa

Bernice Summerfield

Business woman (Time on a Vine)

Catherine “Cat” Broome

Chris Cwej - have propaganda but in conjunction with another contestant

Cinder

Claudia Marwood

Compassion

Dorothy (The Wonderful Doctor of Oz)

Fitz Kreiner

Guinevere Winchester

Hector (All Flesh is Grass)

Homunculette

Ikalla

Irving Braxiatel

Jack McSpringheel

Larna

Marie (Alien Bodies)

Milena

Patience

Penelope Gate

Peter Summerfield

Rosie Taylor

Roz Forrester - have propaganda but in conjunction with another contestant

Ruth Leonidas

Sam Jones

Serena

Sibling Different aka Mae

The Mortimer Family (Ida, Alan, Helen, George)

Trix MacMillan

V.M.McCrimmion

Wolsey the Cat

Zeleekhà

Comics

Abslom Daak, Dalek Killer

Angus ‘Gus’ Goodman

ARC

Chantir

Child Master (The Then and the Now)

Cindy Wu

Dave Lester

Destrii

Duh

Flanx

Fey Truscott-Sade

Frobisher

Gabby Gonzalez

Gillian & John Who

Grayla

Hattie Munroe

Izzy Sinclair

Jayne Kadett

John Jones

Josie Day

Kroton

Ly Chee the Wise

Majenta Pryce

Maxwell Edison

Olla

Rose-the-cat

Shayde

Ssard

The Squire

Weeping Angel (Origins)

Real Life

Alan Turing

Claudia Winkleman

John Lennon

Jules Verne

Mary Shelley

Peter Cushing

Other

Alison Cheney

Andy Davidson

Antimony (Death Comes to Time)

Brian the Ood

Dormouse (The Red and the Blue)

Emma (curse of fatal death)

Koschie

Romana (Battle for the Universe)

Splinx

Susan Who

Tom Campbell

#doctor who #showdown 2k24

[anne-chloe]

Darling Girl

Draco Malfoy x F! Reader [With slight x Harry Potter]

Summary : [Name] Darling is the youngest daughter of Aurora and Maximus Darling - two powerful witches and wizards who aided in the downfall of The Dark Lord himself.

When [Name] turns 11, she finally gets the chance to attend Hogwarts. During her 7 years of studying and learning to become the greatest Witch possible, [Name] must overcome a series of challenges, dangerous situations and the possibility of loving the enemy.

{This story has intense slow-burn. There is basically zero love for Draco in the beginning. Some sparks of feelings half way through. And basically full blown romance at the end. There may be drabbles of some Harry x Reader, but for plot purposes.}

01 | Darling

Year One

Stepping onto the London train platform, you listened cautiously to the bustling noise. New and returning students congregated around The Hogwarts Express steam train, sharing goodbyes with their families before hustling their trunks onto the loading train.

Your palms sweated as you gripped the trolley handle with complete nerves. Your heart thumped wildly. This was it, you thought with darting eyes, taking in your surroundings, my witchcraft journey starts today.

Behind you trailed your adoring parents, both of them sharing loving whispers and laughs, unaware of their nervous child in front of them. They spoke of their fond memories at Hogwarts only a decade earlier. While they spoke, they were also oblivious to the excited whispers of the wizard community surrounding them.

"Mummy," you finally said, coming to a halt as you neared the loading bay of the train. You spun around to face your parents, hair billowing over your shoulders in a graceful manner. Your bottom lip wobbled, fear striking your chest and making it almost difficult for you to breathe.

You would be embarking on this journey alone. Without the constant support of your parents. They would be so far away, on the other side of the country. How would you possibly cope?

"Mummy," you repeated, voice trembling, "I don't know if I can do this."

Aurora paused her conversation and shared a worried stare with Maximus. Aurora moved forwards and crouched down, taking your hands into her own and rubbing her thumb in soothing circles on the backs of your hand. You relaxed at the loving touch, trying to focus your mind on the comfort.

"My darling daughter," Aurora cooed, "nobody ever achieved anything without feeling a little fear. Have faith in yourself. Explore this new chapter of freedom and growth." Her hand released yours and reached ho to touch your cheek; you melted into the caress, tears glossing over your eyes. "Write to me about your adventures, about the memories you shall make and the friendships you will form."

You straightened your back, puffing out your chest in an attempt to embody some bravery. You felt a little more eased than a few minutes prior, but your knees still felt like jelly.

Maximus crouched next to Aurora, a bright smile stretched across his face. You were in awe at how beautiful your parents looked together. "Do not fear, little darling, we might not be with you at Hogwarts, but we are always at the other end of paper and quill."

Your mother leaned forwards and placed a gentle kiss upon your forehead. "Be extraordinary," Aurora whispered, her eyes full of love and adoration.

The final whistle sounded from the conductor. Aurora and Maximus shared an excited smile before they stood to their true heights. You bid your parents one final farewell, a restored excitement and confidence urging you to board the train alongside your fellow peers.

You rushed to the nearest window and immediately peered out in search for your parents. They stood where you had left them, fully in view and crowded by many other families. They caught your stare and waved, your mother blowing kisses and your father shooting a supportive thumbs up.

And as the train began departing from the station, you found your anxiety returning. This entire journey would be new and unfamiliar. You would experience new things by yourself, and you were trying to remain positive for the uncertain future.

It was roughly ten minutes later before you finally detached from the safety of the window. The other students had settled down into cosy cabins or train carts full of tables. Everyone had found a place, meanwhile you were struggling to discover somewhere to sit. You didn't recognise anybody; anyone who briefly glanced your way didn't offer much of a friendly smile.

Then, just as you were losing hope, you came upon a slightly empty cabin. Inside sat a lone blond boy, his attention diverted outside the passing scenery through the window. He glanced up as you opened the door, his blank canvas of an expression painting into surprise. He caught his composure, a small smile lifting his mouth upwards.

"Hello," you greeted nervously, stepping into the cabin with fleeing eyes. "My name is [Name]. [Name] Darling. May I sit in here with you? Everywhere else is particularly full."

The boy gestured to the empty seat opposite him. Relieved, you sat down. Your hands fell immediately into your lap, fingers twisting nervously around.

"Draco Malloy. Your surname is familiar, have we met before?" Draco inquired with a raised brow.

You thought for a moment, scouring your memories for any recollection of ever meeting Draco before. But you couldn't think of ever seeing him, or hearing of his name. Despite this, Malloy seemed familiar, so you assumed that perhaps he was part of an upper class wizarding family.

You shrugged nonchalantly. "I don't think so. But your surname also sounds familiar, perhaps our parents are friends?" You suggested.

"Who are your parents?"

"Aurora and Maximus Darling."

At this, Draco seemed to brighten. "We should be friends," he immediately suggested, his eagerness catching you off guard. You knew your parents names would have a large influence on your social life given their status as legendary wizards, mostly due to their incredible input during The Dark Lords reign of fear. Draco stuck out his hand, and while got eyed it suspiciously for a moment, you shook his hand firmly.

"Friends," you repeated softly, enjoying how the word sounded. "Yes, I think we should be rather good friends."

As the train ride continued, you spoke with Draco about many things. Two more individuals of your age entered the cabin, joining in to the conversation. Crabbe and Goyle, as they introduced themselves, and you found them rather interesting as they sucked up to Draco. It became quickly clear that Draco knew them from before joining Hogwarts, and it was also clear that Draco was the 'leader' of their little group.

"I'm going to be in Slytherin," Draco announced into the conversation. You had been discussing almost everything you knew about Hogwarts. "Everybody in my family has been a Slytherin, so I have no doubts that I will too."

Draco then turned to you, his brow raised expectantly. "And what about you, what house do you think you'll be sorted in to?"

You shuffled in your seat. You hadn't given the sorting ceremony much thought. Your mother was a Ravenclaw while your father was a Gryffindor. Their love story was incredibly comical - your father was head over heels in love with your mother, and he chased her down with his love until she eventually caved in. Having said that, your older sister was a Slytherin, too.

"I'd be happy with any house," you finally said, much to the disdain of Draco.

Draco scoffed, rolling his eyes at your answer. "We all know Slytherin is the superior house to be sorted in to!" He smirked, then added: "but I suppose I'd even prefer Gryffindor to being sorted as a Hufflepuff."

You hummed. "What's wrong with being a Hufflepuff?"

"They're utter wimps," Draco sneered without missing a beat. "None of them have a single backbone in their body. They'd all rather run away and hide. Useless."

You fell quiet after that. You were quick to realise that Draco harboured strong opinions that he valued close to his heart. Your sister had warned you that many Hogwarts students had their opinions heavily influenced by their parents, and it seemed as though you'd witnessed one first hand.

But it also made you think about your own opinions and values - were they influenced by your parents? It surely couldn't be a complete bad thing to value your parents thoughts, because didn't they know better? They had experienced events that you hadn't, which shaped their thoughts around serious matters in the world. Your parents weren't particularly bothered about which house any of their children belonged to, and they supported the outcome regardless. They were overjoyed that Bonnie was sorted into Slytherin, expressing emphasis that anyone can achieve anything with the resources and support they are given.

Night had fallen when the train arrived at Hogsmede Station. You clambered off alongside everybody else, watching with anxious eyes as the taller students walked freely down the path that would lead them to Hogwarts. You had already started to follow them before hearing a booming voice shout: "First Years this way!", to which you changed course and followed like a lost sheep.

A giant man stood incredibly taller than you and the other students. Even compared to the older students, he would still tower above them. You admired him with a mixture of awe and fear, but you tried your hardest to not show it, instead whispering "be brave" under your breath to still your unease. Eventually, once the station had cleared out of all students, the giant man lead the awaiting first years down a rocky path, where he encouraged everyone to board the boats that were docked on a river bed.

You sat inside one of the boats alongside Draco, Crabbe and Goyle. They chatted amongst themselves while you kept your eyes glued to the castle that loomed in the closing distance, it's shadow cast large from the moon rising behind it.

Soon, you arrived at the school. Again, you blindly followed the giant towards the front of the school, where an older woman stood patiently waiting. Her eyes scanned the crowd of students carefully, as if searching for a particular face. Whether she spotted them or not, you couldn't say, because she then started to speak:

"Welcome to Hogwarts," she greeted. "I am Professor McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress and Head of Gryffindor House..."

You eyed the witch closely. She wore robes of a stunning dark green with a pointed hat that sat proudly on her head. Her hands were folded in front of her as she spoke firmly and clearly to the group of new students.

"Now," she cleared her throat, "if you'll follow me."

The flock of students walked closely behind Professor McGonagall, most desperate to keep up with her sharp pace. Her robes billowed behind her as she gestured to many hallways and rooms that the group passed through or by, explaining what they were and what they were for. The information shot straight over your head as you scanned the intimidating halls, watching as paintings and knight statues waved, nodded and gave subtle greetings.

Standing outside large double doors, the students watched Professor McGonagall curiously as she turned to face the students once more. "Once inside we will conduct the sorting ceremony to discover which house you will belong to: Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Slytherin or Ravenclaw. Your name will be called out and you will be encouraged to the front of the Hall."

While Professor McGonagall spoke, you realised Draco was suddenly speaking to another boy. His hair messy, glasses slightly too large for his face. You zoned in to their conversation curiously.

"Draco Malfoy. You'd be wise to make friends with the right sort," Draco said with his hand jutted out for the unsuspecting boy to take. "Unlike a Weasley , who would only damage your reputation."

You felt bad for the boy.

"No thanks, I think I can tell the right sorts for myself."

At this, Draco's smile morphed into a deep scowl. Before he could snap back a nasty response, Professor McGonagall clapped her hands to regain the wandering attention of the students, just in time for the doors to swing open. She gestured for the young group to follow.

You felt all eyes fall to the group. Professor Dumbledore stood at the very front of the school, looming over the podium with a sincere smile upon his face.

While walking down the centre of the hall, you discreetly tried to search for Bonnie. You found the Slytherin table with ease; the serpent insignia hanging proudly above the long table with its silver and green colours. However, names were already being summoned to the front of the hall, where students were started to be sorted, giving you less time to search for your awol sister.

"[Name] Darling."

Your attention snapped to the front. A few murmurs and whispers flew about the hall as you found yourself automatically shuffling out of the crowd of students. You blinked owlishly at the hat sitting upon the stool, it's creases morphing into some sort of grin as you came closer.

You swallowed nervously. This is it, you thought as the hat was lifted and you perched yourself onto the stool. You stared straight ahead, finding Draco's eyes staring straight back at you from the crowd. The hat settled upon your head, and you tried not to squirm under its weight.

"Ah," it spoke, it's voice sounding loud in your ears. You fought back a shiver. "Another Darling!"

You couldn't help but wonder what your sisters thoughts were at this very moment. Would she be bothered if you were sorted in to Slytherin or not? Would she care? You couldn't imagine she would seek you out after she abruptly left home midway through the summer holidays.

You desired her support for you, yet with the way she left on such a sour note, you felt as though you would have to be brave for yourself.

Be brave, you chanted, fighting back the urge to cry, be brave.

"Be brave," the sorting hat repeated, basically mocking you as you let out an audible gasp. Was it somehow reading your thoughts? You were in awe at the type of magic. "Youngest daughter of Aurora and Maximus Darling; a brilliant Ravenclaw and a daring Gryffindor... your heritage is certainly one to live up to! You're brimming with ambition, knowing what you want, but you're uncertain of how to get it. Perhaps... Hufflepuff would suit your needs? But, no, you don't entirely play fairly, which you must have inherited from your sister..."

Where was Bonnie? You searched almost desperately for her kind eyes, but found yourself only gazing in to the unreadable stares of the awaiting students, who all listened with a certain intensity to the sorting hat as it spoke of your qualities and what you lacked.

You wished your parents were here to support you. You didn't recognise any of these students. You felt almost like prey to a predator. You felt lost and alone. You needed to be brave, to have confidence in yourself - you'd already made a friend, Draco, and despite him slowly showing his truer colours as the train ride went on, you valued your friendship for him regardless.

"Interesting... very interesting indeed..."

You squirmed upon hearing the hat chuckle to your thoughts.

"Bravery. Yes, indeed you value bravery. Which is why you must be..."

"Gryffindor!"

#harry potter #Harry Potter and the philosopher’s stone #Draco Malfoy x reader #female reader #own characters #fan fiction #angst #magic #fantasy #Harry Potter x reader #pure blood wizards #muggle born wizards #slowburn #book 1 to book 7 #very long story #fluff #enemies to lovers

[dreamofmysoul-tsc]

James and Matthew headcanons because TLH is over (;-;) and I adore them and miss them everyday

Matthew calls James "darling" because he knows it "annoys" James but mostly because he adores Jamie (I mentioned this in a previous list of headcanons but y'all will hear it again because I love it)

Harry Styles' cover of Juice by Lizzo is how I imagine Matthew's voice to sound

Matthew tries to convince James to be more adventurous with his fashion choices,,,it never works tho

James rarely cries; Matthew can probably count on one hand how many times he's seen his parabatai cry, but when he does, it breaks Matthew's heart into a million little pieces and he inevitably will start sobbing as well

If they lived in modern times and had cell phones, Matthew would absolutely send James a million pictures of things he sees and people he meets on his voyage. It wouldn't be cool landmarks tho, or like pretty scenery, no, it'd be like photos of a rat he saw stealing a donut, him almost falling into the canals in Venice because he stood up too fast on the boat, Oscar chasing a flock of swans, etc

James, Matthew, and Tom all gather at the Lightwood family tomb on Kit's birthday and the anniversary of his death. They bring lemon tarts to share, though they rarely ever eat one themselves, and talk to him about how much the world is changing, how Kit would've been so excited to learn that the mundanes invented airplanes and televisions and they'd even share with him the scientific contributions Grace has continued to share with Nephilim society (i refuse to believe she stopped being a woman in STEM after she figured out the fire messages)

Matthew is the only person allowed to cut James' hair

they both suck ass at cooking but sometimes James will attempt baking cookies or muffins for everyone; Matthew "helps," and by help I mean he sits on the counter and critiques James' technique until James inevitably throws flour at Matthew's very expensive and one of a kind waistcoat how dare you James

I will die on this hill because I've imagined James like this since his first introduction in The Bane Chronicles: his eyes glow, ok. Not like, very noticeably, but if it's very dark in the room his eyes will let off this iridescent glow kinda like the scales of a fish when they shift in and out of the light. People who don't know James very well or are seeing it for the first time can find it a little unnerving but Matthew never once felt afraid. He likes to call them his own personal north stars ✨✨

James and Matthew will share books back and forth. One will read and annotate it and then give it to the other who does the same. They love seeing each other's little notes as they read

Where Matthew is bright colors and expensive jewels, James tends to stick to the same four colors (black, white, navy, and gold) Occasionally Matthew will convince him to wear heavy gold rings inlaid with precious gems or a dashing emerald waistcoat embroidered in gold because "it will look absolutely lovely on you, Jamie" (and of course it does, in fact, look lovely on him)

They of course have that bestie telepathy that I think most people have with their best friend; when you witness something ridiculous and just give them The Look and they know exactly what you're thinking? Yeah, that's definitely resulted in plenty of instances of James and Matthew bursting into laughter for seemingly no reason while everyone looks on in confusion

Similar to James rarely crying, James doesn't strike me as someone who laughs often. That isn't to say he's unhappy, I just think he only laughs when he genuinely finds something funny. James doesn't do pity laughs, ok, if you say something ridiculous he'll just look at you like ._. Matthew made it his personal mission since they met at the Academy to make James laugh at least once a day. Like a full, unbidden, genuine laugh. Matthew could probably write a 10 page essay on how much he loves James' laugh, how to make him laugh, what never fails to make him laugh, etc

Matthew's love language is physical touch (we all saw him clutching onto James' wrist for dear life throughout this series right?); James' is acts of service.

Whenever Matthew has bad days, days where he struggles to be kind to himself, days when it's difficult for him to feel present, he tends to ask for James. James takes this as the blessing that it is, seeing as a younger Matthew would've bottled it up until it boiled over, and spends all day with him. Sometimes they sit in silence, Matthew simply needing to feel grounded with James' presence; other times, James will read to him, tidy his flat, fix that wobbly table leg Matthew keeps putting off (James is surprisingly handy) and on the really bad days James will hold him, rests his cheek against Matthew's head and reminds him of all the reasons he loves him, why he chose to become his parabatai, and that nothing Matthew could ever ask of James could ever be a burden

James gets Oscar a new collar with a matching doggy bowtie every year on his adoption day; Matthew obviously keeps every collar and switches them out so Oscar can feel like a dapper little gentleman

Anyways I adore these two and I'm still manifesting a Matthew short story collection because no amount of James and Matthew parabatai content will ever be enough

#tsc #tlh #james herondale #matthew fairchild #heronchild #headcanons #my beloveds

[white-boy-bracket]

Team Lit: Prosper Redding (The Dreadful Tale Of Prosper Redding), Artemis Fowl ii (Artemis Fowl), Firestar (Warrior Cats), Percy Jackson (Percy Jackson), Spencer Reid (Criminal Minds), Jason Grace (Heroes of Olympus), Nico Di Angelo (Percy Jackson), Saul Goodman (Better Call Saul), Keith Goodman (Tiger & Bunny), Bruce Wayne, Edward Nashton, Batman, Xigbar, Garfield, Fred Jones/Shaggy Rogers (Scooby Doo).

LISTEN. Dipper and Finn can run but they cannot run! Team Lit will absorb them either way! BUT! If Team Lit wins legitimately, I'll revive Harry Du Bois and Qifrey!

Fan art courtesy of followers of this blog via the drawing box in the pinned post!

After this round, we'll have elimination rounds to begin kicking people out of team lit!

#white boy bracket #polls #round seven #round 7 #prosper redding #the dreadful tale of prosper redding #artemis fowl ii #artemis fowl #firestar #warrior cats #percy jackson #jason grace #nico di angelo #rrverse #pjo hoo toa #spencer reid #criminal minds #saul goodman #better call saul #keith goodman #tiger & bunny #bruce wayne #batman #edward nashton #garfield #xigbar #fred jones #shaggy rogers #scooby doo #dipper pines

[asoiaf-fancasts]

Sansa Stark - Fancasts

Age: 11 - 13

Appearance: She is traditionally beautiful by Westerosi standards. She has high cheekbones, deep blue eyes and thick soft auburn hair that is lighter than her mother’s. She is described as tall, graceful and ‘womanly’. Her hair is dyed when she becomes Alayne.

Character: Elizabeth Tudor [Younger]

Actress: Claire MacCauley

Show: The Tudors [2007] [Season 3]

[Unknown age, looks to be between 7 - 9 so good for pre-cannon or maybe book 1. She has light auburn hair and high cheekbones but her eyes are the wrong colour. She wears 16th century clothes.Sorry for the bad quality photos, couldn’t find better.]

Character: Elizabeth Tudor [Younger]

Actress: Summer Rose Allison

Movie: Elizabeth I [2017]

[Unknown Age, looks about 8 ish - 11 so around the right age for when she arrives in Kings Landing or when she’s at Winterfell. She is pretty with thick auburn hair but doesn’t have deep blue eyes but she has high cheekbones. She wears 16th century clothes.]

Character[s]: Thyra [Younger] & Elizabeth Tudor

Actress: Madeleine Power

Show[s]: The Last Kingdom [2015] & Six Wives with Lucy Worsley[2016]

[Unknown Age, was playing a 9 year old in both and looks to be around that age maybe a year older in the Six Wives. Her hair is a light auburn but it’s thin and she has brown eyes unfortunately but she does have high cheekbones. She wears Norse ish clothes in the last kingdom and 16th century clothes in the six wives.]

Character[s]: Mary & Lily Evens [Younger]

Actress: Ellie Darcey-Aiden

Show: Robin Hood [2006] [Season 3 & 1 Episode]

Movie: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

[She is 9 in Robin Hood so too young but she interacts with a character who looks like the hound and is in more accurate clothes. She is the right age for her in the first few books in the Harry Potter movie at 11/12. She is pretty with light auburn hair and high cheekbones but has the wrong eyes. She wears relatively modern clothes in Harry Potter so it’s only good for close ups but Robin Hood’s mediaeval ish.]

Character[s]: Maria Merryweather & Lyra Belacqua

Actress:Dakota Blue Richards

Movie[s]: The Secret of Moonacre [2008] & The Golden Compass [2007]

[She was 12/13 during these movies so around the right age for her in later books. She is pretty with light auburn hair and has high cheekbones but the wrong eyes. She wears modern clothes in Golden Compass and fantasy clothes in Moonacre.]

Character: Elizabeth Tudor

Actress: Laoise Murray

Show: The Tudors [2007] [Season 4]

[She is 13 during this season so good for Sansa in later books. She is pretty with auburn hair and high cheekbones.She has light but not blue eyes.She wears 16th century clothes.]

Character: Estella [Younger]

Actress: Helena Barlow

Movie: Great Expectations [2012]

[She was 13 during the making of the movie. She has thick light auburn hair and has blue ish green eyes. She wears Victorian ish clothes.]

Character: Felicity

Actress: Shailene Woodley

Movie: An American Girl Adventure [2005]

[She was 13/14 during filming so the right age for Sansa in later books and the Winds of Winter. She is pretty with auburn hair and high cheekbones but she doesn’t have blue eyes. She wears 18th century ish American clothes.]

Character: Estella [Younger]

Actress: Izzy Meikle-Small

Show: Great Expectations [2011]

[She was 14/15 during the filming of this show so good for Winds of Winter. She is pretty with brown hair that would suit Alayne with hints of auburn in the right light and she has high cheekbones plus she has blue eyes. She is unfortunately average height.She wears early 19th century clothes.]

#please suggest other fancasts #sansa stark #sansa stark fancasts #alayne stone #asoiaf fancast #a song of ice and fire #asoiaf #fancast resource #game of thrones

[sitp-recs]

Hello! I saw that you have a lot of drarry enemies to lovers recs, but I wondered if you had any specifically heavy on the mending and gaining trust aspects. Angst with a happy ending where they have a lot of growth to do. Where it’s not easy for them to come together because they can’t forget what’s happened. Something hard won. I love when it’s easy, but right now I want to read it when it’s hard. I so appreciate you, and the work you put in to put these together and the ask is, as always, utterly optional. ❤️❤️❤️

Thank you for this lovely ask! I do love myself a long and cathartic fic exploring the hardship of becoming friends after everything they’ve been through. There’s so much room to explore that aspect with Drarry, which is probably one of my favourite things about this ship. The one fic - a personal all-time favourite - that immediately jumps to mind is Lettered’s By the Grace. That one represents the ultimate Drarry redemption/forgiveness journey to me. Here are some other recs for you!

Turn and Face the Strange (time may change me) by punk_rock_yuppie (T, 16k)

Draco and Harry and how their relationship—and themselves—change over the course of eleven years.

The Boy Who Only Lived Twice by lettered (E, 54k)

Harry Potter is an Unspeakable. Draco Malfoy is the wizard who shagged him. Adventure! Intrigue! Secret identities, celebrities, spies! It's all right here, folks.

Modern Love by @tackytigerfic (E, 61k)

Harry Potter, of all people, knows that life isn’t always fair. And no one gets to be happy all of the time. But surely there’s something more—something better—than a rubbish Ministry job, and a lonely old house, and that feeling that everyone out there is doing a better job of living than Harry is.

Wild, orphaned (E, 93k)

“No,” Harry said, by way of greeting. Malfoy’s blonde head rose slowly, carelessly. “Get out.” “I feel as though we’ve already established this, Potter,” Malfoy responded. “And I feel that what we established was that you telling me to get out of places really doesn’t make me more likely to vacate them.”

Changing Tides by carpemermaid (E, 109k)

Draco has spent half of his life spouting the things his father has taught him without much thought about how he feels about what he says. When he unexpectedly comes face to face with the Dark Lord, he grapples with the harsh realities of the world and struggles with his changing views on life.

By the Grace by lettered (T, 140k)

Harry is an Auror instructor. Malfoy wants to be an Auror.

Eclipse by Mijan (T, 287k)

Draco swore his revenge on Harry for Lucius's imprisonment, and Harry all but laughed at him. But Draco is planning more than schoolyard pranks this time. The old rivalry turns deadly when Draco abducts Harry for Voldemort. It's the perfect plan, guaranteeing revenge, power, and prestige, all in one blow. But when Draco's world turns upside down, the fight to save himself and Harry begins, and the battle will take them both through hell and back. If they come back.

#asks #Drarry reclist #slow burn #redemption arc

[isshua]

Messianic Aureation

Chapter 11: To Tempt a God's Wrath

Summary: With the help of a new friend, Cara sets off to steal the Holy Lyre der Himmel. It’s time to once again face the Vessels who want her dead.

I finished editing this chapter in an airport lol

Chapter 12 is here

“Look,” Bennett said when they were crossing under a large stone column left over from a civilization now long gone. He pointed to a nearby tree, thin and scraggly with no leaves. Weighing down one of its branches was a purple-and-black raven watching them with glittering green eyes. Without a sound, it spread its large wings and took to the air, circling once over their heads, and then flying north, keeping low below the everpresent mist that seemed to hover over the land bordering Dragonspine permanently.

  “Follow her,” was all Kaeya said. Their journey continued.

  Cara kept her eyes on the bird as often as possible while they left the Dragonspine area. They passed the Frostbearing Tree, with its unnatural warmth seeping invitingly into her chilled bones. The Frostarm Lawlachurl sitting near it gave them no trouble, but seemed to focus its gaze on her specifically as it watched them without uttering a sound. The raven led them down a noticeable road by the Fatui camp set up not far from the Frostbearing Tree, and then over the broken stone bridge that would bring them into the Windwail Highland. They did not go through the adventurer camp, even though it would have been nice to pick up some warm goulash from Harris if they had. It was probably for the best that they avoided it, since none of them had any idea how the people there would react to seeing the face of the imposter walking free among them once again.

  They broke off from the road to cross through tall grass and had to stop at the edge of a small canyon cutting their path in half. The raven flew across it and landed on the roof of an empty Shrine of the Depths to wait for them. Cara peered over the cliff and down at the road below, her stomach turning slightly when she saw how far of a drop she would take if she were to go over.

  “Looks like we’re going to have to glide,” Kaeya said.

  “But I don’t have a glider,” Cara told him.

  “Hm. Well, I guess I could carry you. I’m sure I can hold onto you long enough before I lose my grip and send you plummeting to your doom.” Kaeya studied the distance between their cliff and the one beyond.

  The raven cried out impatiently and flapped its wings.

  “Um, Your Grace, if I may have your ear for a moment?” Sucrose asked timidly. “I could have a way to solve this problem. As you know, I have an Anemo Vision. I can conjure up minor recreations of Anemo-based lifeforms. They are rather unstable, but I think if I can create one that’s small enough, it won’t tear you apart with its wind and can maybe carry you to the other side…now that I say it out loud, it doesn’t sound like such a good idea…but it might be worth a shot at trying.”

  “Are you sure it’ll be safe?” Bennett asked.

  Sucrose shrugged. “Maybe? I’ve tested it before, but only on small animals and monsters.”

  “I think we should trust Sucrose!” Klee said. “She’s very smart, and her wind powers are very strong! The Anemo Archon wouldn’t have given her a Vision if he thought she couldn’t handle it!”

  “That’s…very mature of you to say, Klee. And thank you. Your Grace, may I help you across?”

  Cara drew in a breath and hid her hesitation. “Okay.”

  Sucrose’s Vision started to glow when she stepped back and bunched her hands together in a ball. Anemo rapidly began to swirl around her closed fists. “Enhanced Anemo Module 75!” she yelled. She flung her hands outward and released the built-up energy. Wind hit all of their faces when a large Anemo spirit formed from Sucrose’s elemental burst. Cara gasped when she was picked up by the gusts of air and carried haphazardly over the canyon. The wind spirit dumped her rather unceremoniously on the other side and then dissolved away in a burst of teal light.

  She stood up on shaky legs and watched her friends glide smoothly over the canyon. “Cara alright?” Razor asked when he thumped down beside her and withdrew his wings.

  “Yup, everything’s still in working order. Thanks for the lift, Sucrose. That was actually sort of fun.”

  Sucrose blushed at the praise. “I-oh-I mean-um-you’re welcome, Your Grace.”

  The raven cawed again and took flight. “We’re almost there,” Kaeya said. “Let’s keep going.”

  The afternoon was warm and clear, and Cara found herself readily acclimating to the pleasant weather she had left behind during her month-long stay in Dragonspine. The sun peeked out from behind the occasional cloud, kissing her skin with a warmth so very different from that of a fire. The wind sang through the bushes and the trees, played through the grass, caressed her hair and called out its joyful announcement to the world around it with vigor. “Here she is, our beloved Creator, returning to us from the peaks of the frozen mountain! After so much time, we can see her again, hear her again, and bask in her glorious light! Come now, creatures of Monstadt, witness the return of your god!”

  “Is it just me, or are there more animals than usual out and about?” Bennett asked.

  He was right. Just like her first day in Teyvat, the wildlife around them seemed to be more active than usual. Foxes watched them from beneath the trees, grazing deer lifted their heads to look at them with their gentle gazes, and birds sang a rejoicing melody. All the while the wind continued to fly and dance and sing.

  “The wind,” Cara stated with partial disbelief. “The wind is calling to them. I…I can understand it.”

  Her friends all exchanged intrigued glances, but said nothing when they saw how her expression was alive with wonder as she basked in Teyvat’s embrace. She was so enthralled, she didn’t even notice when her traveler outfit glowed gold and shed its winter version to return to its previous summer look.

  The wind lost its strength when Monstadt City grew near. Its voice weakened to a whisper, urgently breathing its final message into Cara’s ears. “We cannot communicate with you here. He is cutting us off from you and bending us to his will. Once you are behind those walls, we will have no choice but to obey him. You will be on your own.”

  Silence befell her senses. Teyvat’s presence disappeared, and she was alone. Her connection to the world had grown stronger over the course of a month, but she was still in the domain of the Anemo Archon. He would always have the upper hand while she was here…unless she got her hands on his gnosis, which felt more and more like an impossible task by the second. She breathed in through her nose and held it deep within her stomach before slowly letting it out. There would be no panicking. Just because she couldn’t communicate with Teyvat didn’t mean she was alone. Razor, Bennett, Kaeya, Sucrose, and Klee were with her, and from what Kaeya had told her back at Albedo’s camp, more allies would be joining them soon. She was going to be okay, she told herself. She wasn’t alone.

  They climbed down a short cliff and found themselves back on a road again, in a secluded portion not far from Springvale and Monstadt City. The raven landed on a large boulder and cried out once. Its body grew and shifted from the shape of a bird to that of a human girl. Fischl and Oz separated and returned to their own bodies. The Electro user crossed her legs and flipped back her hair. “Behold!” she cried with a flashy smile. “Thou thought what you saw was nothing more than a simple raven! But it was actually I, Fischl, Prinzessin der Verurteilung, in the form of my faithful familiar!”

  Oz landed on his master’s shoulder and bowed his head in greeting. “A fine afternoon it is, Almother Caratrice and friends of the Creator. How do you do? Mein Fräulein and I noticed you all traveling down Dragonspine during one of our usual checkups. We assumed this was a clear sign that the plan Sir Kaeya decided upon in case of emergencies was being put into action. Our other ally has been contacted, and I anticipate her arrival at any moment.”

  “Thank you, Oz,” Kaeya said. “You have my gratitude.”

  “Did you know I could possess Oz and take to the skies so readily?” Fischl asked, completely unaware of the conversation happening. “It is a clear sign of our bond. Oz and I are two pieces of the same whole, and whenever I deem it necessary, I call upon the tethers that bind us and unite our souls! ‘Tis quite an impressive achievement, is it not?”

  “Tis,” both Cara, Razor, and Bennett agreed at the same time.

  Kaeya caught Cara’s attention. “Your Grace, I may be a little late, telling you this now, but Fischl and Oz have been keeping an eye on you for the past month. Fischl can possess Oz and go wherever she pleases in his form, you know, so she was the perfect candidate to make sure you were safe and the hounds were nowhere near your location.”

  “We sincerely hope we were not crossing any boundaries by doing so,” Oz added. “If we did, we did not mean to upset you. We were only worried for your safety, you see?”

  “Oh, it’s okay, I don’t mind,” Cara assured him. “It’s actually nice to know you guys were looking out for me. Thank you for caring so much.”

  “There is no need to thank us, Your Grace!” Fischl crossed her arms and held her head high. “We are thou devoted acolytes, after all! For the God Above All Gods, I would shed my lifeforce, spill my blood, and bring the Immernachtreich crashing down in a glorious eclipse of darkness and light if it meant to shield you from the horrors of this world! To protect you is our purpose!”

  “M-Maybe we don’t have to resort to such violent actions in order to help me?” Cara suggested. “Just being my friend is enough.”

  From behind them, there was the clinking of armor. The first thought that ran through Cara’s head upon hearing it was The knights. They heard us. They found me. Instantly she had her sword drawn and was in a defensive stance. Kaeya, Bennett, and Razor pressed close to her with their own weapons bristling. Sucrose grabbed Klee and retreated further behind the boulder. Fischl and Oz looked on, neither of them worried. “There is no need to attack!” the prinzessin announced. “We are not faced with the presence of an enemy, but a friend! Lower thy weapons!”

  The young woman in front of them flung up her hands and shook with panic. “W-Wait, please! I assure you, I mean no harm!”

  Sucrose timidly emerged out of the boulder’s shadow. “Noelle?”

  “It is Noelle!” Klee exclaimed. “She made it, she made it!”

  “Yes, I did.” The warrior maid lowered her hands. “I’m so sorry for startling you all. I hurried here as quickly as I could after Oz delivered the message to me.”

“Were you followed? Did anyone notice you?” Kaeya asked.

  “No, I made sure to cover my tracks diligently. No one should know I’m here.” Noelle curtseyed to Cara elegantly. “Your Grace, it is my pleasure and honor to be in your holy presence. I am Noelle, maid of the Knights of Favonius. I am here to serve and protect you in any way possible.”

  “Noelle.” Cara smiled when she said her name. “You don’t need to introduce yourself, I know who you are. Please, call me Cara. I’m so happy to finally meet you.”

  “Oh, no!” Noelle shook her head insistingly. “I must address you in the way you deserve to be! I could never speak to a god in such a casual manner, especially the Almother of Teyvat!”

  “I’m-I’m not-” Cara sighed and gave up. There’s no getting through to them.

  “What is the trouble? Do you need healing supplies? Food? Water? Whatever you need, I’ll bring it to you!” Noelle brought out her backpack and started to rummage through it. “I have potions as well, both offensive and defensive. If any stitches or bandage application is needed, I can do that, too! Oh Razor, don’t give me that look. Being a maid includes helping others heal! I assure you, I know what I’m doing.”

  “Much of that may come in handy later, but for now, no, we don’t need any supplies,” Kaeya said. “What we do need is your help.”

  Noelle nodded eagerly. “Yes, help! I can certainly provide that. What do you need help with?”

  Razor pointed at Monstadt City in the distance. “We need to go there.”

  “There?” Noelle followed his indication of direction. “Oh, surely you don’t mean the city. It is far too dangerous for Her Grace to go there. If the Acting Grand Master was to see her, she would kill her on sight.”

  “We know,” Cara said. “Believe me, if I could avoid going back, I would. But there’s something in the city that I need to do. I have to get in without being seen.”

  “Your Grace, I apologize for questioning you, but I don’t believe there is truly anything important enough in there that is worth risking your life over. You don’t understand what it’s been like since you escaped twice. There are wanted posters with your face on them covering every street lamp and bulletin board! And it’s not just the Knights of Favonius who are hunting you anymore either, it’s the citizens, too! I even had a bard ask me if I’ve seen you anywhere. The way he looked at me almost made me think he knew I was secretly one of your followers!”

  “Oh no,” Cara breathed. “A bard?” The phantom pain of Venti’s arrow gutting her stomach made her clutch her middle.

  “Yes, a bard.” Noelle tilted her head quizzically at her reaction. “Is he someone you know? If so, I would suggest avoiding him. He doesn’t seem to be very fond of you.”

  She didn’t comment, far too spooked at the prospect of Venti tracking her every move. Razor noticed her distress and patted her back. Kaeya took over the conversation. “I understand where your concern for Her Grace is coming from, but this is a matter of urgency that cannot be ignored. We need to get into the city. It is the key to Cara gaining mastery over the wind. That is why you and Fischl are here. The two of you, as well as Sucrose and Klee, aren’t suspected by the knights as being traitors to the false Creator. You can clear a path for us and get us safely in without causing unwanted detection.”

  “But that means-oh no.” Noelle gasped. “The hounds, they saw you!”

  “Yes, they did. Jean must know by now that I can no longer be trusted, which means my connections and the advantages I can offer us are lost. It’s up to you now.”

  “Please,” Cara added. “Help us.”

  Noelle sighed. “If this is something you must do…then I will stand by you and help. I’ll get you into the city!”

  “I shall also help you sneak into the lair of thy enemy and acquire the prize that will bend the power of Anemo to thy will!” Fischl announced. “Oz and I shall do all within our power to deliver Her Grace from the claws of fate that would seek to snatch her at every turn, and to ready our minds lest we be required to make the ultimate sacrifice in the performance of this noblest of duties! But first, I must comment on the fact that thou art no longer in possession of the gifts from the Immernachtreich I bestowed upon thee the last time we met.”

  Cara winced guiltily when she recalled the tattered remains of the wig and Fatui mask Fischl gave her. “Yes, I don’t have them anymore. They got destroyed when I teleported to Dragonspine through a waypoint. I’m really sorry. I can find a way to pay you back for them, I promise.”

  “Pay me back?” Fischl looked flabbergasted. “Why wouldst thou wishest to pay me back? Those ‘gifts of the Immernachtreich’ were only pointless baubles, now that I think about it. I have plenty more back in my abode. For such things to be destroyed during your valiant escape via timespace is undoubtedly expected. Oz and I have traveled between the waypoints countless times when possessed by your guiding light. To survive such a mode of travel without the protection your presence supplies is an unbelievable feat.”

  “Indeed, you have no reason to apologize, Your Grace,” Oz agreed. “Everyone here understands how dangerous it is to use teleport waypoints. I myself have lost a few feathers when traveling between them.”

  “We knew such an occurrence might happen. So, your devoted worshiper decided to have another gift of the Immernachtreich crafted so that your face may be hidden from the hunters.” Fischl held out a box elegantly wrapped in red-and-gold paper with a teal bow on top. “For you! Please, open it!”

  “A gift for me?” Cara shook her head. “Oh, Fischl, I couldn’t possibly-”

  “Quell thy humbleness! You are a god. It is completely natural for you to be accepting offerings from followers! Now open!”

  Cara reluctantly accepted the present and carefully tore the wrapping paper away. Inside the box, nestled over teal tissue paper, was a mask of a white dragon with storm blue eyes. Portions of the wood were carved to resemble fur, and a set of three horns, with the longest on top of the head and the second two running down the sides, made it look intimidating and fierce. A single golden diamond star was painted on the center of its forehead.

  “Woah, cool!” Bennett said. “That’s a windtrace mask! Back when the aristocracy ruled Monstadt, the underground rebellion would wear these to hide their identities. Nowadays, people usually wear them during Ludi Harpastum or to masquerade parties.”

  “Mein Fräulein and I commissioned the kind owner of the gift shop in town,” Oz explained. “We were planning on giving it to you regardless of whether you still had the wig and previous mask, but this is a much better circumstance. It is modeled after Caratrice’s true form.”

  Cara ran her hands over the mask, marveling at the craftsmanship. “So, this…is supposed to be me?”

  “Mhm!” Fischl nodded. “I am sure you have already heard about the secret fire that lies within you. There is a poem I know that perfectly describes it. “The Six-Winged Queen rides the wind, with flaming breath and mouth agrin. Atop Her head is a golden star, a sign of power that spreads afar.” Your Grace, please wear this gift with all of the health and goodwill Teyvat may offer, and only cast it aside when your true dragonic body is restored!”

  Cara slid the mask over her face. It fit her perfectly, and though her range of sight was now even more limited than before-having one eye bandaged and the other restricted by the peephole of a mask wasn’t exactly the recipe for perfect vision-she could still see okay. Fischl let out a little squeal. “Perfect! Exquisite! Wonderful! Now thou truly appear as a hidden dragon!”

  “SO COOL!” Klee clapped her hands. “I want a windtrace mask, too! Sucrose, can we go get one from Marjorie? I want mine to look like Jumpty Dumpty!”

  “Maybe later,” Sucrose said. “I don’t think Mr. Albedo would be very happy with us if we were to go shopping instead of helping Her Grace complete her mission.”

  Razor observed the mask warily.  “Look different,” he muttered. “Look fierce, but not fierce like wolf. Dragon fierce. Scarier.”

  Cara chuckled at his comments. “I promise I’m not going to start breathing fire and burning down villages. Even if I were to turn into a dragon, I’d be a good one. One Stormterror incident for Monstadt is enough.” She turned to Kaeya. “What do you think?”

  “It is truly a beautiful piece of art,” he said. “I doubt that anyone will want to mess with you while you are wearing it. You know, the legends of old never spoke of the Creator wearing a special mask. However, now? Now I think that many, many people will be depicting you with this on after you defeat the true imposter and reclaim your throne. It suits you. When I look at it, I still feel like I’m talking to the same person underneath. That, I appreciate.”

  “I’m glad you guys love it as much as I do. Thank you so much, Fischl and Oz. I won’t let this mask get destroyed like the last one. From now on, it goes into my backpack if I ever need to use a teleport waypoint again.”

  “We are glad you like it, Your Grace,” Oz said. “May it bring you eternal protection and good luck. I certainly believe we are ready to infiltrate the city of winds, now.”

  “Yes, I agree,” Noelle said. “Where is it you wish to go, Your Grace? I will be sure to take you there safely.”

  Cara lifted the mask and looked out at Monstadt. She saw the steeples of the church and heard the bell begin to ring. The wind blew, leaving her with an unsettling feeling of eyes boring into the back of her skull. She thought she could smell cecilias.

  “The cathedral,” she answered. “We need to make it there without anyone seeing us.”

  “Oh.” Noelle’s voice lost its optimism. “That…should prove to be a bit of a problem. You see, I’ve memorized the times of day that the church holds mass services in case I must be there to help with anything. And, if I’m correct about this, there should be one going on right now. We would be going in the middle of it.”

  “The cathedral is also pretty far from the city entrances,” Bennett added. “This won’t be like the last time we snuck in. It’s the middle of the afternoon, there’s going to be so many people around.”

  “That is what the mask is for, dear Bennett,” Fischl told him.

  “Exactly! Cara’s the only one with a mask! How’re Razor, Kaeya, and I going to get in without being recognized? We’re wanted criminals!”

  “I have an idea!” Klee piped up. “Your Grace, can I add to the big plan? Please, please, please? I know just what to do!” She whispered excitedly into her ear.

  A grin split Cara’s face. “Oh, Klee, that sounds awesome.”

  Klee’s eyes were sparkling. “You really think so?”

  “What are you two planning over there?” Kaeya asked. “Don’t tell me you're planning on blowing up Monstadt’s walls to get us in.”

  “Well…I wouldn’t say her idea is that extreme,” Cara said. “But it does involve blowing things up. Alright, I think we might have a plan to put in motion.”

  A few minutes later, Cara was crouched in a crowding of bushes with Noelle. They were near Monstadt’s side gate, and she could see multiple knights standing guard. Since her last escape, Jean seemed to have upped the amount of surveillance around the city. But if their plan worked, these knights would be no problem for them to evade.

  She made eye contact with Fischl, who was again possessing Oz’s form and sitting in a tree. The raven dipped her head in a silent nod, then crowed loudly. That was the signal. Immediately, Klee poked her head out from behind the tree, looked cautiously around, and then frolicked over to the edge of Cider Lake. In her arms was a bunch of Jumpty Dumpty bombs, all of them primed and ready for a round of fish-blasting.

  Sucrose followed closely behind Klee and frequently glanced at the guarding knights with fear in her eyes. Thankfully, they hadn’t been noticed yet. Cara held her breath when she watched Klee pass some of the Jumpty Dumpties to Sucrose. Operation ‘Fish-Blast Distraction Time,’ as Klee had dubbed it, commenced.

  The first bomb was thrown into the lake and went off with a deafening noise, sending an explosion of water rocketing into the sky. Klee laughed gleefully. “Wow, look at how big that explosion was! Come on Sucrose, you try!”

  “Ah-um.” Sucrose held the bombs in front of her like she was afraid they might blow up at the slightest hint of movement. “Okay, h-here I go.” She tossed one of them into the lake. Immediately upon hitting the water, it exploded. Sucrose jumped back and squeaked when water rained down on her.

  Klee clapped her hands and danced in the spray. “Woohoo! Oh, fish-blasting is so much fun!” she purposely yelled. “I really hope no knights see us doing this!”

  “Hey, what’s going on over there?” As hoped for, one of the knights standing guard had heard the commotion and ventured off to investigate. “Klee and Sucrose? What are you two doing?”

  Sucrose floundered for words. “Oh, we were just-um-ah…”

  “Fish-blasting!” Klee finished for her.

  The knight sighed sternly. “You guys know the Acting Grand Master doesn’t like it when those bombs are set off too close to the city. I’m going to need to ask you to stop this immediately, or I’ll be forced to bring you both in to solitary confinement.”

  “Oh no!” Klee feigned horror. She displayed a wonderful performance of throwing up her hands…which sent the remaining Jumpty Dumpties flying towards the knights. All of them reacted as Cara wanted; screaming in alarm as the bombs went off in midair, running in various directions, all of them trying to escape the possibility of being blown to bits.

  In the midst of the chaos, Fischl cawed again. She took to the air and flew through the side gate, going unnoticed by the panicked knights. Cara and Noelle followed, and out from another cluster of bushes, so did Kaeya, Bennett, and Razor. As they ran, she made eye contact with Sucrose, who sent a shaky smile her way and a thumbs up. “Good luck,” the alchemist mouthed, and then resumed throwing Klee’s bombs.

  “I can’t believe that worked,” Bennett said when they were within the city’s walls. “Do you think Sucrose and Klee will be okay?”

  “Oh, I have no doubt the two of them will be just fine,” Kaeya answered. “I would be more worried for the safety of those knights. Let’s hope none of them accidentally end up like the fish Klee enjoys blasting so much.” He examined their surroundings cautiously. “It looks like we’re in the clear. Cara and Noelle, you two head for the cathedral and get that lyre. Bennett, Razor, and I will prepare for your way of escape when you’re done there.”

  Noelle nodded. “Understood.”

  “Are you sure you guys will be safe while getting through the city?” Cara asked them anxiously. “I don’t want you three getting seen or caught.”

   “There is no need to worry, Your Grace.” A mixture of Fischl and Oz’s voices emanated from the night raven perched on the stack of wooden crates near them. “I shall be their eyes. No harm will come to them while I am watching.”

  “We run and stay in the shadows like wolf pack,” Razor said. “We fast, silent, sneaky. This I know how to do. I will show Bennett and Kaeya to do also.”

  “Don’t worry about us, Cara, we’ve got this!” Bennett assured her. “We’ll be okay. Will you be okay, too? What you're doing is a million times more dangerous than what we’re going to go through.”

  “I’ll be alright,” Cara told him. “I know how to fight, and I won’t be alone. Noelle is with me.”

  “That’s right,” Noelle said. “If any harm is to come to Her Grace, my shield will activate to protect her. You can count on me!”

  “See?” Cara smiled. “We’ll be fine. Just promise me you’ll be fine, too?”

  Bennett smiled back. “Of course! We promise, right?”

  Razor grunted in agreement. “Yes!”

  “We’ll be as safe as can be,” Kaeya said. “I swear it. You must promise to be safe too, alright? If anything is to go wrong that is too much for you and Noelle to handle, your Creator’s Call will activate, and we’ll teleport to you.”

  “Knowing that’s a thing makes me feel a lot better,” Cara said. She held a fist out to them. Bennett was the first to bump it back, followed by Razor, and then Kaeya. “I promise Noelle and I will get out of there alive. We’ll be back together before you guys know it.”

  “Yeah, that’s the spirit!” Bennett moved with enthusiasm and started for the staircase that would bring them up to the main level of the city. “Come on! Operation Steal the Lyre is a-go!”

  “But I thought Klee named mission Fish-Blast Distraction time,” Razor said when he followed him.

  “No, that was the last mission,” Bennett explained. “This one is different. There are two missions that make up the entire plan, you see?”

  Razor thought it over carefully. “I think…I understand. Yes, this is new mission. Mission where we act, like wolf pack hunting deer!”

  “Uh, yeah, exactly!” Bennett agreed. “But instead of hunting deer, we’re hunting a lyre and a way to make our final escape!”

  “Those two are certainly quite the characters,” Kaeya said to Cara with a fond sigh.

  Cara chuckled. “This wouldn’t be the same without them. Please, watch over them and keep them safe. And don’t forget to keep yourself safe too, alright? Remember what I said at Albedo’s camp. I don’t want you dying on me.”

  Kaeya smiled reassuringly. “Understood. You do the same, as well. Be careful. Stay safe.”

  They parted ways with Kaeya, Bennett, and Razor ducking into the alleys of buildings and disappearing into the shadows. Fischl followed them from the air soundlessly. Cara adjusted her mask to make sure it was covering her entire face. “Ready?” she asked Noelle.

  The other girl nodded. “Ready. Let's go.”

  Cara was on edge as her and Noelle walked calmly, yet quickly, through the streets of Monstadt. Though her mask was secure and no one paid her any sort of mind, she still couldn’t help but feel like she was being watched. Noelle had been right about the wanted posters; they covered what felt like every available surface, from the sides of buildings to even the front doors of stores and restaurants. There also was an incredible influx of knights patrolling the streets. Every time she saw the crest of the shield and double swords, anxiety shot through her.

  “Noelle,” she said. “Are you sure no one is going to stop us?”

  “Hm? Oh, most likely not,” Noelle replied. “I am well known by practically every knight in Monstadt. They trust me completely, and have no reason to think I’m doing something against the law.”

  “What about getting into the cathedral’s basement?” Cara avidly remembered one of the quests back from Genshin Impact’s prologue that was awfully similar to their current situation. “From what I know, getting in there won’t be easy. We need signed papers and permission from both Jean and the Church of Favonius.”

  “No need to worry about that,” Noelle assured her. “I have all three.”

  “Wait. Y-you do?”

  “Yup! I’m sometimes called in to help tidy up the church’s basement every few weeks. Both Jean, Barbara, and Cardinal Calvin signed off on the papers, allowing me to enter and leave at my leisure. They trust me not to steal or break anything…well, they used to, I guess I should say. But that’s not the important thing! What matters is that we won’t be stopped when we go in!”

  “Noelle…” Shame hit Cara’s heart when she thought about her being punished for breaking the trust of both the knights and the church. “You don’t have to do this. I can get in and out of the church on my own. I don’t want you getting caught.”

  “Your Grace, don’t say such nonsense!” Noelle insisted. “I want you to know that I don’t regret choosing to help you, not for a single moment! To stand by your side is a privilege and an honor. You have no idea how happy I am to have been spared from being infected by the Madness plaguing people’s minds. Even if my friends decide to turn against me after they find out I’m helping you, I won’t abandon my duty as one of your Vessels. I know that by doing this, I’m going to give you a chance to save everyone! So please, don’t feel guilty. I am choosing this path. Rest assured no one is forcing me.”

  She sounded so earnest, and her words were so sincere. Cara knew Noelle was not one to lie. So despite still feeling guilty, she smiled beneath her mask and looked forward. “Thank you for staying by my side, Noelle.”

  “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to do so, Your Grace.” Noelle’s tone softened when they entered the courtyard of the cathedral. “Let’s continue this conversation later, though. There are too many sisters and knights around here that could hear us. Just follow my lead, alright? I’ll keep you safe.”

  The courtyard was alive with activity, with far more people than Cara anticipated mingling with each other and going to and fro. At the center of it all stood the statue of Barbatos, which, to her surprise, was much larger than how it looked in Genshin Impact. At its feet, a group of sisters were praying with the people, their hands folded piously. Cara could hear some of what they were saying: “Lord Barbatos, protect us. Lord Barbatos, watch over us.”

  Two young children ran past them, laughing while they played. The scent of flowers was in the air, and when Cara peered up at the top of the Barbatos statue, she saw that its head and arms were decorated with woven cecilias. She paused to simply observe the people around her, heart swelling with a strange sense of proudness and pride. When they weren’t trying to hunt her down and kill her, Monstadt’s people were so good. Teyvat’s people were good. She wished she could join them in their happiness.

  “It must mean a lot to you, to see your creations thriving in this way,” Noelle said. She, too, was smiling.

  “I’m not the Caratrice who created this.” Cara gestured to the liveliness of the courtyard. “I could never create something this wonderful. Whatever I’ve made can’t compare to it.”

  “Hm. You are right about one thing. You aren’t the original Caratrice. But even so, you are still her legacy. That means you are destined for greatness.” The bell of the cathedral started to toll. Noelle looked at the bell tower. “That’s our sign that the mass has reached its halfway point. Let’s go sit in for the rest so we don’t seem overly suspicious.”

  Every head of the gathered congregation turned to look at her and Noelle when they slipped into the cathedral. The large wooden doors echoed shut behind them, temporarily competing with the mighty music of the organ being belted out through the giant chamber. All eyes were on them for only a moment, because everyone’s attention immediately returned to the booming voice of the cardinal saying mass when they saw Noelle there-she really was so well known throughout the city that her presence put people at ease. The young cardinal was not someone who Cara recognized, but with the way he spoke, it was clear to her that he was the one in charge of the prayer service.

  “That’s Cardinal Calvin,” Noelle whispered to her. “He’s taken over the duties of leading the church while the Seneschal is away. We must try not to gain unwanted attention from him. Follow my lead.” She steered Cara to the farthest pew from the altar, which was, thankfully, empty for them. “Act like you are praying and follow along with the mass.”

  Cara silently nodded, too afraid to speak a word. She was such an infamous person throughout Monstadt now that even allowing strangers to hear her voice could be a threat to her safety. She did as Noelle said, facing the front of the church just as everyone else was. The interior was not an exact copy of the one she saw frequently in Genshin Impact: rather, it was much more detailed, with a gigantic stained glass window of Barbatos looking over the congregation right above the altar and organ. The god’s image had his arms outstretched, with various kinds of native Monstadt birds fluttering around him, cecilias and windwheel asters held in their beaks. His wings, open wide, were accented in multiple shades of light blue to beautifully coincide with the white of his feathers. The entire building was lit up with bursts of color brought out by the rays of the sun traveling through the stained glass windows all throughout the church. Cara was moved by the sight; she didn’t consider herself a particularly religious person, but she could see why the people of Monstadt worshiped Barbatos so dutifully, despite him being absent from their nation for years. He wasn’t just the god of the wind or of freedom. He was the god of beauty as well.

  “Let us kneel,” Cardinal Calvin announced. The congregation shuffled to their knees. Cara followed suit, mimicking Noelle when she lowered herself onto the wooden kneelers that stuck out from underneath the pews. The maid dipped her head reverently and closed her eyes, whispering a single quiet prayer. “Kyrie eleison.” Latin. Lord, have mercy.

  Cardinal Calvin’s voice was like a thunderclap. “The lord, the Mighty One, is Barbatos. He knows, and may Monstadt also know.”

  “Kyrie eleison.”

  “The lord, Barbatos, knows the secrets of our hearts. Our guilt is not hidden from him.”

  “Kyrie eleison.”

  Cara’s mask felt heavy against her face. She stared at the great image of Barbatos. Half-lidded eyes, kind. A tender smile, arms and wings beckoning. Come and face me.

  “Kyrie eleison.”

  “He knows your secrets.”

  The air was stuffy and thick with the scent of church. Heart heavy. Guilt starting to weigh her down.

  “Secrets.”

  Those eyes were looking right at her. No longer kind; rather, mocking. Amused. I know. I know. Kyrie eleison. Lord, have mercy. Barbatos, have mercy. Pray. Pray for mercy. Stealing from the divine. Fighting someone you love. He wants to kill you. He will lift his weapon against you and pierce your heart with the power of a thousand winds. Will you retaliate? Will you forgive him? Will he forgive you?

  She pressed her clasped hands over her mask and closed her eyes to silently pray. The kneeler’s wood dug uncomfortably into the skin of her knees. I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to fight him. I’m scared. I’m guilty. I love him. Barbatos, please, if you can hear me, give me a sign that it won’t have to come down to a fight. Show me that there’s still a part of you that remembers who I am.

  She received no answer. Barbatos had abandoned her in her time of need.

  How typical of the divine.

  The rest of the mass went by in a blur. Cara did not pay much attention beyond following Noelle’s actions and trying to make herself look like she belonged there. When the closing song ended and the congregation shuffled out of their pews and through the doors of the church, the two of them stayed behind. Noelle tapped Cara’s elbow, signaling it was time for them to move. She complied without a word, feeling dazed.

  “The cathedral empties out after masses,” Noelle explained. “But there will be knights guarding the lyre. We will have to be extra careful not to get caught.” She paused when Cara didn’t respond. “Your Grace, are you alright?”

  Cara staggered dizzily. “No,” she struggled to say, the single word sticking to her tongue like taffy.

  “Oh dear. Are you feeling ill? Do you need anything? Food? Water?” Noelle fretted over her like a mother hen. “Tell me what you need and I’ll give it to you!”

  She felt like she was in a dream. Her heart felt heavy with guilt and fear. Everything felt stifling, like the air was slowly being sucked out of her lungs.

   Sucked out of my lungs…

  A disturbing prospect popped into Cara’s mind. She realized, to her horror, that the air actually could be leaving her slowly. Barbatos could control the wind, but what was stopping him from controlling air in general? She grabbed Noelle’s hands and pushed her forward slightly, panicked. “I can’t stay here,” she whispered urgently. “Barbatos, he’s watching me, watching us. We need to go.”

  “Barbatos?” Noelle looked confused. “How can you tell? Can you sense him? Your Grace?”

  Beyond the sound of her voice, Cara began to hear something else. It started off quiet, but rapidly grew louder. Her ears focused on it against their will. The plucking of a lyre. The tune of an ominous song.

  She turned around to look back at the cathedral’s front doors. And there, sitting in one of the pews, was Venti. He raised his gaze to meet hers, and smiled that same dangerous smile she had seen him wear at the Cat’s Tail. “Well, then? What are you staring at me for?” he asked. “I’m not done having my fun with you. Don’t be shy. Go.”

   “Your Grace!” She was wrenched out of the trance by Noelle. “Your Grace, what’s wrong? You were staring out into space just now!”

  Cara felt like she had been dreaming. She stared blankly at Noelle, then looked back at the pew Venti had been sitting in. He was gone, as if he had never been there at all. Perhaps he hadn’t. The song the bard was playing on his lyre had disappeared, too. It was just her and Noelle in an empty church again. Even the air had returned to normal.

  “He’s making me see things,” she whispered. Of course, she had known Venti was capable of creating illusions, but she hadn’t thought his abilities would be this influential. Never underestimate a god, I suppose.

  Troubled, Noelle tried bringing her over to the nearest pew. “Your Grace, you are not well. Why don’t you sit down for a moment, and we can take some time to rest? Maybe that would help you feel better?”

  “Did you not see someone sitting over there just now?” Cara asked her, pointing to the back of the church.

  “No, I didn’t. It’s just been us here since the mass ended. You were talking about Barbatos watching you, and then you went silent. I was calling your name, but it was like you couldn’t hear me.”

  Cara breathed in, and out. Don’t panic. No panicking. Venti was obviously here, but he was only trying to intimidate her. As long as he wasn’t trying to actively kill her, she couldn’t stop. “Let’s keep going.”

  Noelle protested. “But-!”

  “I promise I’m fine. The air in here is just a little thin.” Cara forced her legs to move. She took the lead, heading to the front of the altar. The staircase descending into the depths of the building was not hard to find. They were exactly where she remembered them being from when she completed Monstadt’s Archon Quest.

  Noelle was still obviously a bit shaken up, but she didn’t try to stop Cara again. “When we go down there, we will have to be as stealthy as possible. There will be many knights and members of the church staff.”

  “I’m ready. Let’s go.”

  The staircase brought them down, down, down, spiraling deeper and deeper with the stone walls closing in. Just when Cara thought it was never going to end-that maybe this was another one of Venti’s tricks-they arrived at their destination, walking out onto a stone balcony. Noelle ushered her to crouch, and together, the two of them peeked over the ledge to see what they were dealing with. The basement was mainly filled with bookshelves and desks, most likely holding various sorts of religious documents and texts. Far on the other end of the vast room, Cara could see the Holy Lyre der Himmel sitting on a pedestal with a light shining upon it like a homing beacon. Scattered through their way were indeed many knights.

  “They sure do take guarding the lyre seriously,” Cara muttered.

  “They have to in case people try stealing it,” Noelle whispered. “Church protocols. But not to worry, I know the best ways to sneak by them. Just follow me.”

  They slowly made their way towards the lyre. The knights were digilent and attentive. There were moments when Cara thought they were going to be caught for sure. But Noelle was true to her word, and led the way without any hiccups. When they made it to the pedestal, the lyre was before them like the ultimate prize. Its wood was scuffed, and the metal was tarnished, a clear sign of its old age.

  “It doesn’t look very holy,” Cara whispered.

  “No, it doesn’t,” Noelle whispered back. “But this is definitely it. They wouldn’t have this much security for an ordinary lyre. Go and take it, quickly. I’ll stand guard and watch.”

  Cara stepped up to the pedestal and placed her hands on the lyre. Immediately, she felt a faint presence of Anemo lingering on it. This was indeed the Holy Lyre der Himmel. If things went right, taking this would draw Venti to her and give her the chance to take his gnosis.

  “Venti,” she breathed, then paused. No, that isn’t right. She wasn’t trying to talk to Venti right now. “Barbatos.”

  The air around her vibrated. “I know you can hear me,” she continued. “You're here right now, watching me, right? I’m about to take your lyre. You know what I want for it in return.”

  “Your Grace,” Noelle said urgently. “I’d suggest we hurry. If we stay here any longer, they’ll find us.”

  “If you want your lyre back, come and find me. No illusions. No tricks. If you don’t-” She hesitated over her next words, knowing she was playing with fire. “If you don’t, I’ll break it with my bare hands.”

  “Your Grace, it’s time to go!” Noelle hissed.

  Cara grabbed the lyre and stuffed it into her backpack. She followed Noelle back the route they came, evading the knights with rushed urgency. Surely it wouldn’t take long for the knights to realize that the thing they were guarding had mysteriously disappeared, but hopefully by the time they did, she and Noelle would be long gone.

  “This is going far smoother than I thought it would,” she said when they arrived back in the cathedral.

  “If we are being honest with one another, I thought it would be harder to take it, too.” Noelle exhaled. “That was quite nerve-wracking and not at all what I’m used to helping people with. Um…you are planning on returning the lyre, right?”

  “Oh, yeah, of course! All I need to do is play a song on it to summon Barbatos. After that, I’ll find some way to get it back here safely.”

  They were about to push through the church’s doors, and Cara a little lighter. They were home free! Their plan had actually worked! They were-!

  “Stop! Noelle, please wait!”

  A voice rang out through the church. Cara’s hand was inches away from the door, their access to freedom within an arm’s reach. But a hushed “Oh no,” from Noelle made her stop and turn to see who exactly had called out to them.

  It wasn’t one of the knights from the basement. It wasn’t a churchgoer or regular civilian, either. And thank god it wasn’t Venti-though she really wasn’t exactly sure why he wasn’t trying harder to stop her even though he knew she was here. Rushing towards them, heels clicking frantically against the tile of the floor, was Barbara.

  “Oh, Barbara!” Noelle’s voice was overly cheerful. “It’s wonderful to see you! Do you need help with something?”

  “Yes!” Barbara avidly answered. “Yes, I definitely need your help right now! Someone has stolen the Holy Lyre der Himmel!”

  Cara was thankful she was wearing a mask, because she could only imagine how terrified she looked right now. Noelle’s face twisted with horror, which, she could imagine, was definitely not a class expression. “S-Stolen?” she stammered. “How? When?”

  “I don’t know how it happened! There are so many knights guarding it, I would have imagined it to be impossible for any thief to get by all of them without being seen!” Barbara looked like she was about to collapse. “I was cleaning out one of the old record drawers in the basement when it happened. A knight ran to me and told me someone stole it only a few moments ago! Whoever did this must have been studying the patterns of the guard’s routines for weeks!”

  Cara glanced at Noelle. The maid glanced back and looked momentarily panicked. “W-Well, don’t worry, Barbara,” she said. “We’ll find the thief! I know we will!”

  “You-you don’t think Her Grace’s imposter was the one who stole it, do you?” Barbara asked. “Why would she want the holy lyre? Must she also taint Lord Barbatos’ good name, too?”

   Lord Barbatos’ good name my ass, Cara thought bitterly. Noelle glanced at her again, silently begging her to keep quiet. “If it was the imposter, then we must track her down and bring her to justice. I’ll go and report this to Jean. You should stay here, uh, in case the thief comes back to steal anything else.”

  “There’s no need for you to leave.”

  A new voice joined them. From the shadows of the church’s corners, a menacing figure emerged. When Cara saw Rosaria, she felt her blood turn as cold as the Cryo the sister could conjure with her Vision.

  “Sister Rosaria!” Barbara said, surprised. “When did you get here? Were you there the entire time?”

  Rosaria ignored the questions. “You don’t have to go tracking the imposter down, because the imposter hasn’t gone anywhere. You’ve been standing before her the entire time.”

  “What?” Barbara questioned. “You mean Noelle?”

  Rosaria sighed wearily. “No, I’m not talking about her. I’m talking about the girl with the mask on.”

  Barbara looked at Cara like she had just realized she was there. “Huh? This person is the imposter? B-but she’s with Noelle! Why would she…I don’t think I understand…Noelle, you're helping the imposter? But that means you stole the holy lyre!”

  “Barbara, you don’t understand the urgency of the situation,” Noelle tried to plead. “All of this has been a big misunderstanding.”

  “Has it? Or are you just trying to cover your own tracks?” Rosaria’s words cut like ice. “Just admit it, you're on the imposter’s side. No use in hiding it anymore.”

  “I-I’m not afraid to admit it! I am helping the imposter. But she isn’t an imposter at all! This is Her Grace, and I’ve sworn to protect her at all costs!”

  Barbara slammed her heart over her chest and let out a mournful cry. “You're even referring to her by the Creator’s holy title! How could you? Noelle, this goes beyond stealing the holy lyre! This-this is sacrilege!”

  Rosaria rolled her eyes. “Barbara, you should go and tell Jean what’s happening here. I’ll take care of the imposter.”

  “I can’t! They’re in possession of a sacred artifact! It’s my duty to-”

  “This fight has nothing to do with you. I was appointed to be one of the people to hunt the imposter down. I’m fulfilling what was asked of me by doing this. Go, now. The lyre won’t be damaged in any way, so you don’t have to worry about it.”

  Barbara hesitated. She looked at Cara, then at Rosaria, and then ran for the church doors. Her movement snapped Cara out of her fearful stupor. “Wait!” she yelled, running after her. “Barbara, just listen to me for a moment-!”

  Great shards of ice formed in her path. Cara backpedaled away from them to avoid being potentially stabbed. Barbara’s exit was ensured; she could do nothing but watch helplessly as the deaconess fled.

  “If it makes you feel any better, which it probably won’t,” Rosaria said, “this isn’t personal. I’m just doing my job to make sure no one gets hurt. I honestly couldn’t care less if you're an imposter or not.” Her polearm appeared with a flick of her wrist. “Religious crap doesn’t matter to me. But the safety of Monstadt’s people does. By killing you, I’m making sure they stay alive.”

  Cara backed away slowly, looking for a way she and Noelle could escape. Another set of ice shards had formed in front of the church’s side doors, officially sealing them inside. “How does that way of thinking make any sense?” she yelled.

  “I’m sure you’ve heard of the ‘Creator’ that’s sitting on the Crossroads throne right now?” Rosaria replied. “Yeah, she’s not a nice person. Not a great leader, either. The more dedicated Vessels, like Barbara, look to her with love and admiration, and all she gives them in return is pain. We follow her orders because the relationship between us and her is one built by fear.”

  Cara was taken aback. “She…she hurts you?”

  Rosaria nodded. “If we don’t follow her orders, she punishes us. She uses some sort of magic to get into our heads, with her control over some stronger than others. Me, I’ve been lucky. I don’t hear her voice often, and she barely interacts with me. But with others like Jean and Barbara? They’re completely wrapped around her finger. If anyone tries to disobey her, she’ll turn us against each other. I’ve seen her use Eula to nearly break Amber’s arm. I’ve watched her take control of Barbara’s body and nearly drown a man simply because she felt like it. She’s furious you haven’t been killed yet. If you keep getting away, she’s going to start hurting people again. So, I’ll do whatever I can to keep Monstadt safe, even if it means doing the dirty work of a tyrannical god. Like I said, it’s nothing personal. These are just my orders. I promise I’ll at least make it quick.”

  There was no arguing, no pleading, and no further words. Rosaria lunged for Cara with her polearm aimed straight for her throat.

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