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#and what i mean by that is that this is the chapter he finds out about the relationship and he got so caught up in being an ally to the one
sonnyaavce · 3 days
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CHAPTER # 0
"Is it still following us?" whispered Wally over to Artemis as they amble deeper into the dark and ominous facility.
"Yeah, it's still behind us trying to be sneaky" snorted playfully Artemis as she glanced behind her to see the small mirage of a kid following them, said kid was actually just floating slightly off the floor and walls, peering at them with curiosity and caution. But to Artemis, she knew that usually spirits weren't as scared towards people like it was; she had met Secret before and hadn’t been scared at all towards them, but she feels this one is different... he’s way different from Secret...
'Do you think he's a stuck spirit like Secret?' she pondered into the telepathy link to the rest to the team; Zatanna who was near the front nodded, not looking back at them 'he does feels different from Secret tho, but he feels more like an astral projection to me'
'What does that word mean, the astral projection thing?' Megan inquired curiously at the same time she looked over Robin who was near front, checking some blueprints into his hologram wristband not looking where he was walking but still leading the group without tripping on anything, 'Isn't it the same for all ghosts?'  
Zatanna shook her head as she walks closer to the martian 'not all ghosts are form the same way; some are form after resentments, some form after experiencing strong emotions' she lectures them as she automatically lights up a spell to brighten the hallway a bit better ‘astral are humans with the ability to move his soul out of his body at will’
‘That means there’s still an unknown child’s body lying around here?’ Kaldur said bitterly as he lighted his marks unknowingly, infuriated at the prospect of an innocent still trapped in here ‘Megan can you pinpoint his location or maybe connect to his body indirectly?’  
‘I can give a try-’ A sudden screeching sound cut out the mind link abruptly, making the team stagger in place, Connor grunted annoyed as he grabbed his head in pain  ‘who caused this interference just now?!’ 
"not that way" whispered the small sprite, who was now in the front of the group, his voice sounded as if was glitched “follow” fading sigly in front of them, the team looked at each other before nodding and following the astral as it reappeared a couple of meters down one of the hallways down a flight of stairs “down there”
“Is your body still down there?” Kaldur said softly to the mirage, the child nodded “Robin what do you read, is something down there?” 
“there are some empty rooms already the league checked-” “is down there” interrupted the child “hidden… find the room”
-TBC-
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jymwahuwu · 2 days
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Interactive Story:
If you transformed into a bird and were discovered by Sunday
cw: birdcage description, yandere not mentioned in this chapter but possible in the future. please read with caution.
reader setting: You and Sunday have always been political enemies and rivals. You argue with each other in The Family meetings.
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previous part
→ "try to become human again"
Like a rising thermometer, anger, anger, anger- the red liquid inside you is boiling, occupying, desperately searching for clues and ways to become human again, but finding none. As soon as you open your eyes, you turn into a little bird, after all. The world becomes wider in the bird's eyes. Perhaps awareness is the point? You are preoccupied with the idea of ​​"becoming human"…
But in Sunday's eyes, you are just a motionless bird, as if you are concentrating on something. There is an inexplicable cuteness. "Aren't you going to resist?" The leader of the Oak family wrapped his fingers around your wings, avoiding your wounds, and rubbed your round belly through the wings. If a bird's cheeks could heat up with shyness, you'd be hot right now. What a bastard! He can even harass a small bird! You pecked his fingers in retaliation, but your legs were off the ground the next second.
Sunday held you in his hands as he walked, observing you. You struggled to flap your wings all the way and chirped like he was committing a crime robbing birds. You'd think people would stop Sunday's "criminal" behavior, but other members of The Family were just watching quietly, smiling mysteriously, whispering to each other.
What a moral decline!
You huffed and fell silent. As if the young leader understood the meaning of your actions, a burst of laughter rose from his throat, and he rubbed your little head again. He… is he laughing at you? Lord Xipe, do you see this? He is truly insufferable!
This is not the first time you have entered Sunday's office, but every time before you ran in and quarreled with him before running out. This is the first time you notice the layout of his office. The smell of juniper berries. The cabinets are filled with heavy, thick books. And the light from the sun shining through the colored windows. He opened one of the lockers. You stared at him with your little eyes like a hawk, and you were relieved to find that the bottle of strange blue liquid was a potion.
"Be good, don't move."
Sunday skillfully stopped the bleeding on your wound and then applied the medicine. You bit your mouth, the wings of your wings swaying. Chirping in anguish. He took a new potion and sprayed it on the injured area to finish.
"…There, there. It's okay now…"
You hummed softly inwardly and looked away.
Knock- knock.
"Come in." Sunday responded with his usual elegant smile. You absentmindedly looked to see who it was, but you were so frightened that your pupils trembled.
That's your subordinate, your assistant.
"Mr. Sunday." He gasped with some embarrassment and anxiety. "They- they're missing. It's been over 20 system hours without any trace."
"No response even to private contacts?" The representative of The Family raised his eyelids at this moment, with a hint of disappointment and gloom in his tone. "I thought you were the person they trusted most."
"No - no, Mr. Sunday, you know that my allegiance is always only to you." He put his hand on his chest and bent towards him. It’s like the world has turned into an obscure suspense novel. You are stunned.
He glanced at him twice more, with unknown emotions rolling in his eyes, before giving the order. "Go search immediately and inform the Bloodhound Family that a senior member of the family is missing. We cannot let them encounter any danger."
"Yes." Silence returned to the room. You were still in shock at being betrayed by your subordinates, and you didn't even notice that Sunday had opened the cage.
You are locked up, in a birdcage.
He observes you from outside the cage. He asked. It's like asking for your opinion-
"You stay here now, okay?"
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f1goat · 15 hours
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roommates ; lando norris + part two
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In which you have to live with your brothers best friend who you really don't like, Lando Norris, and his many 'girlfriends' for a while, but there's always a thin line between love and hate.
masterlist - playlist
lando norris x fem!verstappen reader tw: nothing much yet expect that Lando is a player + i don't proofread + smut will come next chapters!
That night you find out why Lando was dressed this nicely. Al though, Lando texted you before hand so maybe you could have guessed it before. He texted you to let you know that he was heading out to a club, not wanting you to startle you when he came back late in the night. At first you thought you would sleep right through it, but when he unlocked the door you are wide awake. And if that didn’t awake you, it would be the stupid giggles of some girl that would wake you up. You’re going to kill Lando. 
When you hear the girl moan, you’re pretty sure that you want to kill Lando. He annoys you so much right now. You hear the girl moan again, it almost makes you sick. They stumble and you hear the door of Lando his room opening. He really didn’t lie about the walls being thin. Are you suppose to listen to everything now? You don’t want to, that’s for sure.
You let out a soft annoyed groan. What do you do now? You already turned around in the bed multiple times. You’re not going to fall asleep again when Lando is fucking a girl right next to you and you can hear everything. Frustrated you grab your phone from the nightstand and open your messages to send Lando a text. 
Then you notice the fresh flowers again. You think about earlier, Lando told you that there is in fact a cleaner and that she’s coming tomorrow. Once a week and always on the same day. That means she didn’t brought the fresh flowers. Could that mean that Lando put them here? 
You discard those thoughts when you hear the girl moaning again. It surprises you that you don’t hear Lando. For a few seconds you wonder what he sounds like during those moments, but you try to forget about those thoughts quickly. You can’t think about him like that. Quickly you focus on the text you’re about to send. 
Y/N: I really don’t want to hear some random girl moaning the whole night 
It’s not like you expect a response from Lando. He’s probably balls deep in the random girl right now, so the it’s not like he will look at his phone. You do hear his ringtone on the other side of the wall. 
Lando does however read your text. He even has a special notification for you programmed in his phone. So when he hears it, he directly grabs his phone. It earns him a nasty look from the girl underneath him. Oops? When he reads your text, he doesn’t know what to do at first. He thinks about texting you back and teasing you if you’re jealous. But eventually he just puts his hand on the girls mouth. 
“Be quiet,” he tells the girl. 
She shows him an annoyed look, but he doesn’t pay attention to it. Harshly he fucks her. In the mean time he only thinks about you. It’s going exactly as every other time. Some random girl is laying underneath him. He’s fucking with a fast pace and wants to be done soon, not taking his time for the girl. Every time it seems like a good idea to bring someone home, but when his dick is inside of them he can only think about you. This time his mind is focused on the way you looked in only that damned towel. It helps him to orgasm rather quickly, to the disliking of the girl. 
When he’s done, Lando is quick to tell the girl to fuck off. He never lets them sleep over. There has never slept a girl in his bed before. Normally he gives them a bit more time to calm down or to talk, but he feels ashamed about himself and wants nothing more then this girl to leave. 
You’re more then surprised when you hear Lando telling the girl to be quiet and to walk her out only minutes later. Is this the way he’s treating those girls? You think about giving Lando a piece of your mind, but you’re not in the mood for an argument. He can do whatever he wants. 
“Do you want a midnight snack?” Lando asks you while softly knocking on your door. “I know you’re still awake babygirl,” he adds when he feels himself getting impatiently. 
You let out a soft sigh and get out of the bed. When you open your bedroom door, Lando is almost in shock when he looks at you. You’re dressed in only his shirt and a pair of panties. He can almost see them. The shirt is just long enough to cover your ass. He reminds himself to give you a smaller shirt next time. 
“So, midnight snack?” You ask Lando when he doesn’t say anything after you appeared in front of him. He is quick to nod and to take you to the kitchen with him. 
A couple minutes later you’re eating ice cream. Lando is joking about how his trainer is going to get mad at him for having a cheat day like this. You can’t focus. You keep thinking about how Lando treated that poor girl. He literally used her to orgasm and send her home afterwards. It makes even less sense that he’s eating ice cream with you now. He could have done that with her and then send her home. Right? 
“Do you always treat girls like that?” You ask Lando suddenly. You can’t withhold the question anymore. 
Lando lets out a soft sigh. “I don’t expect you to get it,” he tells you, “but those girls use me as well.” 
“They use you as well?” You ask confused. In your eyes Lando is the one who uses them. 
“Yeah,” Lando agrees, “Every girl that I bring home comes up to me and asks me if I’m the Lando Norris. After that they will flirt with me, try to take pictures for their Instagram story for more followers, keep asking me to buy them and their friends drinks.. and more like that.”
“So you take them home for a quick fuck and tell them to fuck off?” You ask.
Lando doesn’t know what to say. He knows you’re right, but he doesn’t want to say it like that. He watches you take a spoon full of ice cream inside your mouth. It almost feels like you’re looking at him with disgust. He realizes that he’s a massive player and doesn’t treat those girls right, but he doesn’t know how to change. And what will distract him then. He can’t keep thinking about you the whole day. 
“Maybe,” he eventually confesses, “I know it’s bad.” 
“Really bad,” you agree.
“I know,” Lando sighs. 
“You know, if you would have eaten some ice cream with her and then made her leave, it would be better,” you tell Lando, “I don’t even know why you just didn’t do that. Like why call me over for a midnight snack if there was someone around?” 
“It’s more fun with you babygirl,” Lando says without thinking about his words. 
“Liar,” you laugh. 
+++
The following night, the exact same happens. Lando texted you beforehand that he was heading out again, a small three hours later you hear him stumble back into the apartment. You hear something fall and how Lando is stumbling to walk around. The noises are followed by a high pitched giggle. Great, another girl. When you hear the room door next to you open and close, you’re already annoyed. 
“I can’t believe you’re the real Lando Norris,” you hear the girl say. Is this what Lando meant yesterday night? “I’m going to have sex with the Lando Norris,” she continues. You wonder if anyone knows him at all, instead of knowing him like ‘the Lando Norris formula one driver’. Slowly you start to understand what Lando actually meant last night. You start to feel sorry for him. 
When you hear the girl moaning loudly, your earlier feelings are quick to dissolve. Why do they have to be so fucking loud? It surprises you when you hear Lando softly moan as well this time. This girl must be better then the one from yesterday. 
Lando can’t focus on anything else then you. He knows it isn’t you who’s moaning underneath him, but still. His mind if full with images of you. He can’t stop thinking about the way you looked yesterday night, dressed in only his shirt and a string. Fuck. If he keeps thinking about you like this, he won’t even last a minute anymore. 
In the mean time you’re sending annoyed texts to your brother. Complaining about Lando of course. Not that Max can do anything about it, but you want him to know how annoyed you are with this whole situation. When you hear Lando moan again, your attention stays focused on the sound in the room next to you. 
You almost don’t hear what happens next. The unknown girl is moaning loudly, but suddenly stops. 
He can’t stop thinking about you. When Lando remembers how you looked in only that fucking towel, he almost loses it. He thinks about fucking you. Would you feel nice around his cock? He is pretty sure that you would be the perfect fit. He tries to imagine how it would be to have sex with you. He knows for sure that it would be a lot more pleasurable. He suspects that you’re a bit bratty, but he wants nothing more then to fuck that out of you. 
“Fuck, y/n,” Lando whimpers when he feels his orgasm getting close. 
Fuck. The girl underneath him is quick to move away from him. Lando almost slaps himself for being this stupid. It isn’t the first time that he says your name, but now you’re sleeping in the room next to him. What if you heard? 
You doubt if you heard it correct, did Lando really moan out your name? Your doubts are quick to disappear when you hear the girl yelling at him. Now you’re pretty sure you heard it right. Lando moaned out your name. What the fuck. 
Within a couple seconds you hear how Lando his door is opened, only to be closed again with a loud sound. Is this girl slamming doors? You want to get out of bed and to look at everything that is going on, but it can’t be smart to do so. In the mean time, there are multiple questions spooking through your head. Why did Lando moan out your name? Could it be that he was thinking about you while fucking that girl? Curious you get out of bed.
Lando sighs when he follows the girl. He needs to do some damage control. You can’t find out what just happened. Although Lando is afraid that it’s already too late for that. “Who’s she?” The girl asks him angrily. 
“No one,” he is quick to react. 
“So you’re just moaning out a strangers name?” She asks him even more annoyed then before, “I’m not fucking stupid Lando.”
“I’m sorry,” Lando eventually says, he doesn’t know what else to do. It’s always a mess when this happens. 
“Do you even know my name?”
Lando almost laughs when he realizes that he doesn’t even know the name of the girl. God, he’s such an idiot. Before he can apologize again or make up a lie, the girl is already walking out of his apartment. He sighs. What a fucking mess, he can only think. Another reason to stop fucking with all sorts of random girls. 
When he walks back towards his room, he is quick to notice you. This is making things only worse. You’re dressed in Lando his shirt again, this time paired with a short bottom. Lando can’t stop looking at you. He notices that you want to say something, but he’s quick to interrupt your tries. 
“Not now babygirl,” he says tiredly. 
“Why not?” You ask him with a soft tone of annoyance in your voice. Who does he think he is? He can awake you in the middle of the night with some random girl for two nights in a row? And you can’t even say anything now?
“I’m not in the mood,” Lando reacts. 
“I was’t in the mood to hear that girl,” you throw back annoyed, “but it still happened.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Lando sighs, “I’m sorry for her loud moans.”
“I’m not talking about her moans,” you state. 
Lando knows exactly what you are talking about right now, but he really doesn’t want to hear it. He walks towards his own bedroom and quickly opens the door. 
“I heard you as well.”
Your words follow him in his bedroom. Fuck, of course you heard him. Lando sighs and starts to feel ashamed for himself. 
+++
The following day, Lando takes every chance to avoid you. His morning consisted of doing a lot more training then normal, then he went out for groceries and now he’s meeting with your brother, Max, for lunch. 
“So, is your plan already working?” Max asks him jokingly. 
Lando sighs annoyed and shakes his head as a no. Max softly chuckles. Lando still doesn’t know why Max is this okay with him crushing on his little sister. Max even encourages it and tries to help Lando the best he can. Something he really doesn’t understand either.
“Come on mate,” he tries to uplift his friend, “you knew it wouldn’t change that fast.”
“I know,” Lando confesses, “but I think I fucked things up a bit more instead of making things better.” 
“You’ll find a way to fix it,” Max continues, “Maybe you can impress her with dinner or something as an apology?” 
Lando softly nods. It’s not like he can cook, but maybe he can try. He thinks about the groceries he bought earlier and tries to think of a nice home cooked meal with them. Maybe he should head back to the store later. 
“I don’t get it,” Lando sighs, “Normally I can take home every girl and fuck them without any effort, but with Y/N I can’t even think straight while talking. Can’t I just fuck her instead of trying to flirt with her?” 
Max laughs. “You’re an idiot,” he tells Lando, “If you’re going to fuck with her, you’ll probably only fall harder for her.”
a/n ; a bit short, but things will get better & longer later on :) thanks for the positive comments on the first one everyone!!
taglist: @booksandflowrs @hiireadstuff @likedbygaslyy @dreamsarebig @f1fantasys @samantha-chicago @sweatrevenge5436-blog @queenofmanydreams @fionamiller123 @chezmardybum @f-1-lover-16 @formulaal @shellybee456 @sltwins @mouchii @emyladia @v3rnom @customsbyjcg-blog @cthgee @moonclaine @scarletwidow3000 @bokutos-babyowl @loloekie @lyannesworld @silentreader128 @oreosareara @gabotomo @princesspristins @leclercsluv @lina505 @sideboobrry11 @zucchinimalfoy @danielshoe @alana4610 @viannasthings @toriiez @randomnessis-mine-me @cmleitora
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Guilty as Sin? — Chapter Five
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pairing: professor!javier peña x f!reader
rating: series is 18+ only, minors DNI, professor/student dynamic, oral (fem!rec), mutual masturbation, lots of ogling, romantic Javi will be the death of me, dirty talk, little bit of angst thrown in, reader's never experienced oral, think that's it for now
word count: 4k
series masterlist
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You didn’t attend Dr. Peña’s office hours that day, too exhausted by your crumbling social life to deal with whatever it was he wanted to talk about with you in private. Instead, you spent the night grocery shopping, decorating your new place, and getting a jump start on Dr. Arman’s research paper due in a few weeks. 
By the time you were in bed and began to mindlessly scroll on your phone, it was nearing midnight. As you scrolled through pinterest finding sad quote after sad quote to make your sadness feel a little less isolating, an email notification lit up your screen. You clicked on it, finding a message from Dr. Peña.
Please set up an appointment with me to discuss your grade. 
Dr. Javier Peña
555-268-8521
You narrowed your brows at the message—what was he talking about? You quickly opened the online portal to check your grade, finding it in near-perfect standing. Flipping back to the email, you read it over again before locking eyes on his phone number, bolded in bright red. Chuckling at his use of coded messaging, you copied the number and added it to your contacts as Javier just in case someone decided to snoop around. 
Biting your lip, you let your fingers hover over your keyboard, unsure of what to say, or if he even wanted you to message him. But he had to, right? No one highlighted shit in red if they didn’t mean to draw attention. 
You settled on something simple, something that couldn’t possibly be misconstrued if an outside party were to see it. 
You: Hey, it’s…
You: You emailed about setting up an appointment?
You waited what felt like a lifetime, choosing to spend those torturous minutes anxiously scrolling through your feed until your phone buzzed with an alert. 
Javier: So formal. 
You rolled your eyes. 
Javier: Why didn’t you show up today?
You: Too tired.
Javier: You still tired? 
You bit your lip as his words sent a thrilling ache between your thighs. 
You: Depends.  
Javier responded only with an address, one that looked to be attached to an apartment complex in the nice part of town. With your heart racing with excitement and head screaming with caution, you decided that you’d earned a bit of recklessness. You’d done everything you needed to do today, so why not do something you wanted to do?
You thanked the skies for convincing you to pamper yourself earlier with an everything shower as you slipped into a much less comfy pair of underwear, choosing to keep your hoodie and leggings on rather than dressing to impress. After all, there was a good chance your hopes would come crashing down if he truly only meant to talk. 
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The drive to his place was spent singing along to your favorite album, hoping to drown out the alarm sounds in your head that seemed to scream, idiot!
You pulled into the gated complex, punching in the code he’d sent to you before making your way through the gates. You parked your beat up car in a visitor spot, headlights illuminating a man smoking a cigarette in that black leather jacket you could still feel wrapped around your shoulders. Javier. 
He watched you as you climbed out of the car, hands trembling with nerves. 
“Hey,” you breathed, giving him a nervous smile. Javier’s smile was a lot more confident, causing a dimple to form in his left cheek. 
“Hey,” he replied, ashing out the cigarette on the trash can beside him before approaching you. “You look cozy. Hope I didn’t wake you.”
“Should I take that as an insult?” you joked. 
“No,” he assured, his smile softening to something so affectionate it made your heart race. “I like you like this.”
You flushed, dropping your eyes to the pavement beneath your feet. Javier surprised you by lifting his hand to your chin, gently guiding your eyes back to his. “This isn’t a good idea,” he husked, eyes bouncing back and forth between yours. “But fuck me, I can’t stop thinking about you.” 
Your lips parted as he stepped closer, his hand shifting to cradle your cheek, his thumb stroking across your skin. 
“But first, I wanted to introduce you to someone,” he said, letting his hand fall to his side. Tipping his head in the direction of the lobby, he urged you to follow him. 
Who the fuck did he possibly want to introduce you to? His secret family?
Javier opened the door with a smug look, furthering your confusion until the old woman—who looked around the age of seventy—behind the front desk popped up with a smile. 
“I didn’t see you sneak out, Javi,” she smiled, batting her eyes at him. “You got a secret exit I don’t know about, honey?”
“It wouldn’t be a secret if I told you, Jeannie, now would it be?” he crooned, turning to you. “This was the friend of mine I wanted to introduce you to. She’s run the complex for how long now, Jeannie?”
“Thirty years,” she replied, both pride and exhaustion in her tone. “Thirty years and no goddamn retirement in sight.”
You gaped at Javier, his brow raising and smirk spreading into a full on dimpled-grin. Quickly turning to Jeannie, you chuckled and shook your head at yourself. 
“It’s nice to meet you, Jeannie,” you smiled, giving her your name. 
“You too, sweetie,” she said. “Y’all have a good night. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“That’s not saying much, Jeannie,” Javier teased, resting his hand on your back as he guided you to the elevator. 
You kept quiet until you were inside the privacy of those four walls. “So you finally figured it out.”
“Well, I figured it out when you slammed my car door on me,” he chuckled, standing close enough for you to smell his cologne. You stepped closer to that scent of warmth and comfort, brushing your arm against his. “Thought I’d clear the air this way since you stood me up earlier.”
“I didn’t stand you up,” you laughed. “I just…I don’t know. Needed some time away from everything.”
He hummed his response, waiting for the bell to chime, signaling your arrival to the third floor, before leading you out and down the hall to his apartment. As he put his key in the lock, he turned to you with a half-smile. “You sure you want this?”
“Depends on what this is,” you replied. Javier smiled, shaking his head before opening the door to his place. He let you walk in ahead of him, the door shutting and locking behind him. 
“This is…I don’t know,” he sighed, though it sounded less like frustration but more along the lines of hesitant acceptance. “Me throwing caution to the wind, I guess.”
“Just you?” you asked, turning away from the black and brown abstract painting on the wall of his living room to look at him over your shoulder. He looked at you with such unabashed desire as he carefully stepped into your space until his chest was nearly pressed against your back. 
“Us, then,” he whispered, slowly dragging his fingertips up the length of your arm, causing goosebumps to form on your skin. Your breath hitched as he leaned in to brush his lips against the shell of your ear. “Do you know how much space in my mind you’ve taken up? Without doing anything more than existing.” 
You turned to face him, your hands settling on his chest before sliding up to the nape of his neck. Javier’s brow furrowed as he watched you study his features, committing each one to memory in case tonight was all you’d ever have with him. “Only seems fair that I’m on your mind as much as you’re on mine.”
Javier groaned softly, his hands finding your hips as he walked you backwards, sandwiching you between his body and the back of his sectional. 
“Can I kiss you?” he asked, licking his lips as his eyes fell to yours. “These fucking lips that’ve been calling my name since the first time I saw you.”
You let out a soft breath, nodding your head quickly, as if he’d change his mind if you didn’t reply quick enough. Javier smiled, something fleeting and rooted in affection before crashing his lips against yours. You moaned at the taste of cinnamon blended with a hint of the cigarette he’d been smoking when you pulled into the parking lot. 
What started out as cautious quickly turned into something needy, his hands gripping your hips to pull you closer to his frame. You gasped into his mouth as he pressed his generous arousal against you, your center aching to feel him without the layers between you. 
“Javi,” you panted out the nickname, relishing in the groan it elicited. Javier was quick to pull away, his dark eyes lust blown and wild as he lifted a hand to your face. 
“What do you want, cariño?” he rasped, smoothing his thumb over your bottom lip as though to worship it. “Hm?”
It took you a few seconds to register what he’d said, your mind preoccupied with fantasy after fantasy that finally felt possible. 
“You,” you replied, soft and breathy. “Your lips, your tongue, your fingers, your…”
“My what?” he coaxed, a smirk tugging at his lips. 
Lowering your hand down his chest and stomach, you let your palm rest against his arousal, giving him a gentle squeeze that made him curse. “This. This is what I want.” 
“Fuck me,” he swore, taking a step away from you before entering a pace. He raked his hand across his face as he seemed to mull things over, meanwhile you were left standing there, panting like an idiot while replaying the interaction in your head. 
Was it your touch that spooked him? Oh god, did he not want to be touched? Perhaps you were no better than Derrick, so blinded by desire and longing that you acted before asking. 
“Javi, I—“
“If we do this,” he started, stilling his pacing to give you a stern look. “It’s a one time thing. You and I will go about our lives as normal. You can continue to TA for me if you want, or I can try to transfer you to another professor.”
“I don’t want that,” you blurted, too lost in lust to think clearly. “One time. Get it out of our systems.”
Javier chuckled, as if he had foresight into how this all played out. He could’ve seen a happy ending, the two of you reminiscing on this very moment, laughing at the idiots you once were to ever think for a minute it would only be a one time thing. Or, more realistically, he imagined the two of you awkwardly dealing with the existence of the other with forced greetings and a hidden longing that felt more like a haunting. 
Whatever scene he saw, it didn’t prevent him from sauntering back to you, from kissing you like a sailor greeting his wife after being away at sea for years, from guiding you into his bedroom, and you didn’t dare break the magic of the moment by asking.
Javier backed you against the wall, his thigh slotting between yours. His lips traveled the line of your neck, teeth grazing across your racing pulse only to soothe over the tender flesh with his tongue. 
“If you knew the things I’ve imagined…” His words trailed off into a dark chuckle as his hands slid up your side to cup your breast through your shirt. He groaned at the lack of a bra, his hips pressing into yours as he swiped his thumb across your peaked nipple. “You proud that you’ve broken a good, honorable man? That the sight of you in those fucking skirts made me insane enough to consider fucking you right on my desk?”
“Sort of,” you admitted, earning a genuine laugh. You smiled at him as he pulled back, lifting his hand to hold your face. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
The way he looked at you almost made your heart stop. You’d never been looked at like that before, with respect, affection, and genuine interest. It had only been lust before this, or worse, pity. The girl who stayed loyal, who allowed a man to walk all over her for years on end. 
“Just admiring,” he shrugged, giving you a casual purse of his lips. “Clever, brave, resilient, and so fucking beautiful it hurts.”
You couldn’t take hearing anything that sincere from him, not when it was all you ever wanted to hear, not when you knew it would all be over tomorrow. You tugged him back in for a kiss, hastily shedding his jacket in the process. Javier moaned into your mouth, pressing you against the wall with one arm wrapped around your waist and the other hoisting your thigh over his hip. 
You moved on to the buttons of his shirt as he mouthed his way down your neck to your chest, his greedy hands palming every soft bit of flesh he could find. 
“Take this off,” you demanded, your fingers too shaky to unfasten the buttons. Javier pulled away from you to do just that, his chin nudging at you as if to say, you too. You peeled off your hoodie, earning a groan from Javier as he unbuckled his belt, his eyes eating up the sight of your bare breasts. “Fuck me, you’d turn Christ himself into a sinner.”
You ignored the butterflies his praises stirred in your belly as you peeled off your leggings and underwear in one fluid motion, leaving you completely bare—and for once in your life, confident—in front of him. Javier abandoned undoing the button of his jeans in favor for coming back to you, both hands cradling your face as he backed you against the wall again. 
“One night,” he muttered, seemingly to himself. “We’ll fucking see.”
You slid your hand down his stomach to the button of his jeans, undoing it with only a little bit of trouble. Javier’s lips never left yours as you tugged the zipper down before slipping your hand inside. You both moaned at the feeling of your hand meeting his bare flesh, swallowing down the sounds of mutual pleasure. 
God, he was big. Bigger than anyone you’d ever been with before. 
“You’re going to ruin me for all men,” you purred into the air as he focused his lips, teeth, and tongue on your pulse again, your hand slowly pumping his shaft as best as you could given the way his body was pressing you into the wall. 
“I’ve always been an overachiever,” he replied, his smirk growing against your skin as he placed one last soft kiss against your pulse before kneeling down in front of you. You kept your eyes locked on his as he guided your calf to rest over his shoulder, his lips pressing their way up the inside of your leg. 
This was better than your favorite fantasy. It hadn’t managed to get the brown of his eyes, the rough warmth of his hands, the sinful scrape of his mustache across your soft skin right. In fact, now that you were witness to the real thing, the fantasy seemed like nothing more than a cheap knock-off.
“Javi,” you cautioned, remembering one critical detail about the fantasy. The fact that you’d never actually had this done to you before. All the sex and sin you’d gotten up to in your life, but never this. Selfish fucking men. 
“What,” he hummed lazily against your skin, now kissing your inner thigh. 
“You don’t have to,” you replied, nothing more than a whisper. Javier shook his head at you, gently nipping at your sensitive flesh. 
“Don’t have to, but fuck me, I want to,” he rasped, lathing his tongue over where he’d just given you a lovebite. You gently raked your hand through his hair, bringing his eyes away from your aching center and back to yours. 
“I’ve had this exact fantasy since the first day of class,” you admitted, biting your lip. “It’s been my favorite thing to think about when I touch myself.”
Javier groaned, desperate and wrecked. 
“Can you make it as good as my fantasy?” you asked, your voice a seductive purr. 
There was something about this—Javier on his knees, practically begging to taste you—that felt so much more empowering than you’d ever felt before with a sexual partner. How you’d ever go back to more age appropriate men, you weren’t sure. 
“You’re…” He cut himself off, shaking his head before leaning closer to where you practically dripped with need. “I’ll give you something real to fantasize about when you touch yourself, cariño.”
You smiled at the promise, only for it to fall as your jaw went slack at the feeling of Javier’s tongue licking a broad stripe up your seam. You furrowed your brows as you looked down to watch him, his eyes closed as he tugged you closer to his mouth. His tongue swirled around your bud, over and over, making you pulse with each passing swirl. You gripped onto his hair to keep him there, guiding him as his tongue dipped lower to your entrance to drink up your arousal with a sinful groan. 
“So fucking sweet,” he praised, pulling back to marvel at your swollen pussy with a look of awe. “I need you on the bed.” 
You nodded, springing into action and practically leaping into his king-sized mattress. You crawled back on your elbows until you reached the pillows, watching as Javier finally kicked off his jeans, finally taking in the full sight of his cock. You actually began to salivate at the sight of him, long and thick and angry with need. 
He stood at the edge of the bed, eyes locked on you as he stroked himself with his fist. You slipped your hand down to your clit, rubbing it in time with his lazy strokes, and quickly realized you could get off from this alone. 
“That’s it,” he husked. “Show me how you touch yourself when you think of me.”
You moaned, slipping your fingers lower to curl inside yourself. There was something so holy about this sinful act. The way he watched you, the worship and reverence in his stare as you got off to the sight of him getting off to the sight of you. All of it was holy, and all of it was forbidden. 
“Good fucking girl,” he praised, the words causing you to pulse around your fingers. 
Javier seemed to have gotten his fill of watching as he climbed onto the bed, making himself at home between your thighs. You slipped your fingers out and moved to law them to the side, but he stopped you, bringing them to his lips to suck them clean while you watched him with a slack jaw. 
“Fuck,” you moaned, brows pinching together. Javier kissed the inside of your palm before setting it down against his cool sheets. 
“Is this how you imagined it?” he asked, kissing your inner thigh. 
“Mmhm,” you hummed, combing back the waves that had fallen across his forehead. Javier keened under your touch as he inched his way back to your center. Locking his eyes with yours, you watched him turn your fantasies into reality—those brown eyes finally meeting yours just as you’d imagined. 
“You taste so good,” he praised, bringing two fingers up to stroke up and down your seam before dipping into your entrance. He met your eyes in a silent confirmation of consent. You nodded eagerly, biting your lip as you tried to steady your breathing. 
Javier let out a soft sigh as he slipped his fingers inside of you, curling them up to press against the spot no man had ever been able to locate before. You moaned, your head falling back against his pillows as he paired his tongue with the perfectly timed thrust of his fingers. 
“Fuck,” you whined, holding him close as he started to suck on your swollen bud, his fingers curling in and out with almost embarrassing ease as you neared your end—the first one you’d ever shared with a sexual partner. “Javi, fuck. You’re gonna make me come.”
He moaned, the sound vibrating against you as he doubled down in his efforts. Your thighs shook, your face crumpled in ecstasy as the thread of tension inside you finally snapped. Javier kept your thighs spread as they threatened to close around his head, his tongue turning gentle as he coaxed you back to earth. 
“That’s the first time someone’s ever made me come,” you panted, guiding him up for a dizzying kiss that tasted of your arousal. Javier’s hands gripped at your hip, guiding your leg to wrap around his waist. 
“Fucking idiots,” he sighed, pressing a kiss over your racing heartbeat. “Their loss.”
You nodded in agreement, your hand cradling the sharp line of his jaw as he focused his mouth on your breast. “I’d…be down for another.”
He laughed, resting his head on your chest. 
“As much as I want to, I think maybe it would be best if we just…didn’t,” he said, lifting his head to look into your eyes. You tried not to pout, to demand that he take as much as he just gave, but all you could do was give him a soft nod. “I want to, believe me. But it would just—“
“Make things more complicated,” you guessed, unable to look him in the eye. “I know.”
He tutted at you, turning your chin so that you were forced to face him. “I loved tonight, loved doing this with you. Under any other circumstance, I’d be happy to keep you in this bed for days, but—“
“It’s okay,” you managed, giving him a sad smile. “I’m glad we had this, at least.”
He nodded, resting his head against your chest again.
“I should go,” you said, the lump in your throat roughening the sound of your voice. 
“You don’t have to,” he replied, placing a tender kiss to your chest. 
“I know, but…it’s torture staying,” you confessed, trying your best not to cry. “Like flaunting food in front of someone starving.”
Javier sat back on his knees, smoothing his palms up and down your still-spread thighs. “I’m not…trying to torture you.”
“I know,” you whispered. “Still, it’s…”
“Yeah,” he agreed on the unspoken. “It is.”
You let out a huff of a chuckle, hoping it would mask the ache in your chest threatening to consume you. “Guess I’ll see you in class, then?”
“Front and center, I hope,” he smiled, backing off the bed to give you space to get up and get dressed. “And no skirts, for Christ’s sake.”
“Mm, suddenly skirts are all I own,” you joked, shooting him a more genuine smile from over your shoulder as you slipped into your leggings. 
“Cruel woman,” he chided playfully, watching you from his seat at the foot of the bed. “Cruel, beautiful woman.”
After Javier led you out of the building through the back exit to avoid Jeannie, you bid him an awkward farewell, holding in your tears until you were in your car. You spent the commute from his place to yours sobbing over a man you could never have, one that was everything you ever wanted. You made a pit stop at a gas station to buy some comfort snacks and an ice-ee in hopes of soothing the ache in your chest, but the truth was there was no escaping the impact of Javier Peña on your soft, longing heart. 
You only hoped the recovery would be quick, the wound of losing him before you ever had him fading into an almost unnoticeable scar on your heart. 
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nayziiz · 13 hours
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Stay | LN4
Summary: A new romantic prospect puts things into perspective in the best and worst ways possible.
Pairing: Lando Norris x OC (Cara)
Warnings: Angst
Masterlist
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CHAPTER 6
The music was louder than Cara expected when they entered the club. Maya immediately dragged Lando over to the bar to get drinks, and Max and Pietra went on a mission to find the private booth Maya had apparently arranged. Cara hung back for a minute and surveyed the scene. It wasn't her go-to place regardless of the country she found herself in. She sighed, defeated, knowing she would be spending most of her night being miserable.
Trying to make the best of it, Cara wandered over to the bar, deciding to get herself a drink. She squeezed through the crowd and managed to catch the bartender's attention, ordering a simple gin and tonic. As she waited for her drink, she couldn't help but notice Lando and Maya at the other end of the bar, Maya clinging onto Lando's arm as they laughed together.
Cara felt a pang of something she couldn't quite place—jealousy, maybe? She quickly dismissed the thought, reminding herself that she and Lando were just friends. Still, it was hard to ignore the growing discomfort she felt every time she saw them together.
“Here's your drink,” the bartender said, breaking her train of thought. She thanked him and took a sip, letting the cool liquid calm her nerves. She turned away from the bar and tried to spot Max and Pietra, hoping to find some solace in their company.
After a few minutes of searching, she finally saw Max waving her over from a corner booth. She weaved through the throng of people, grateful to finally sit down and escape the chaos for a bit. When she reached the booth, Pietra scooted over to make room for her.
“Never really been your scene, huh?” Max observed, a knowing smirk on his face.
“Not at all. But hey, at least I've got you guys to keep me company,” Cara shook her head, managing a small smile.
“Don't worry, we'll make sure you have a good time,” Pietra assured her with a pat on the shoulder.
“See, she looks so out of place,” Maya whined when she looked back at Cara. Lando followed her eyes and found Cara slowly moving towards Max and Pietra.
“Cut her some slack, she's trying,” Lando countered, a hint of frustration in his voice.
“Why do you defend her so much?” Maya asked, her tone a mix of curiosity and annoyance.
“Because she's one of my best friends, Maya.” Lando sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he tried to find the right words.
“It just feels like she's always around, and I don't get why you prioritise her so much.” Maya pouted, clearly unsatisfied with his answer. Lando took a deep breath, trying to stay calm.
“Cara is important to me, just like Max, just like Pietra. We've been through a lot together. It's not about prioritising; it's about recognizing the people who genuinely care about you. You should give her a chance, get to know her better.” Lando continued. Maya rolled her eyes as she shifted closer to Lando, linking her arm through his.
“Baby, she's not like us, she doesn't fit in,”  Maya retorted, her tone dismissive.
“Like us? What does that even mean?” Lando asked, baffled by Maya's comment. “Alright, if you want to see me defensive, keep saying stuff like that.”
“Calm down, Lan. I'm just sharing my opinion,” Maya shrugged, trying to downplay the situation.
“No, you're being mean towards her, and that's not cool, Maya. She's only been nice to you,” Lando continued, his voice firm.
“Whatever, Lan. I just think you should focus more on us.” Maya rolled her eyes at him once more. Lando shook his head, feeling a growing frustration.
“It's not a competition, Maya. If you can't accept my friends, then this won't work.” Lando informed her. Maya stared at him, a mixture of anger and hurt in her eyes. “Give her a chance. You might actually like her if you got to know her.”
Maya didn't respond, instead turning her attention back to the bar. Lando sighed, knowing that this was far from over, but determined to stand by his friend.
Cara spotted Lando and Maya in an intense conversation from their reserved booth where she sat with Pietra and Max, who were also chatting away. She nudged Pietra, drawing her attention to the scene unfolding at the bar. Pietra turned to look at what Cara was indicating.
"Trouble in paradise?" Pietra asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Who knows?" Cara sighed again, feeling a pang of discomfort at the sight.
Max, picking up on the shift in conversation, turned his attention to the bar as well. "Looks like things are getting heated over there."
Cara nodded, taking a sip of her drink. "Yeah, it does."
Pietra leaned in closer to Cara. "You okay?"
Cara forced a small smile. "Yeah, just...it's been a weird night."
Max gave her a sympathetic look. "Weird how?"
Cara hesitated, glancing at Lando and Maya again. "Just...Maya's been making things a bit uncomfortable. I feel like I'm in the way."
Pietra put a reassuring hand on Cara's arm. "You know you're not in the way, right? You're part of this group, and we all want you here."
Throughout the night as the drinks flowed, Cara loosened up and even ended up on the dancefloor. She danced with some girls for a while, and then the men started approaching her. Lando ground his teeth, his jaw locked, as he watched her dance against a new man every few minutes, a goofy smile plastered on her face as she did so.
He could feel the frustration bubbling inside him, his protective instincts flaring up with each passing moment. He knew Cara was just trying to have a good time and shake off the evening's earlier discomfort, but it didn't stop the surge of jealousy and concern he felt seeing her surrounded by strangers.
Maya noticed Lando's attention was securely on Cara and nothing else the second she went on the dancefloor, so in a huff, she left the club without saying goodbye to Lando. She felt a sting of betrayal and disappointment as she pushed through the throng of people, heading for the exit. Her dramatic departure went unnoticed by Lando, who was too engrossed in his moment with Cara to see anything else.
Lando was able to contain himself until he saw another new man approach Cara. The man slid in behind her, grabbing her hips as they swayed, and pressed himself right against her. She didn't move away from him, not even when his hands travelled around to her waist and later to her butt and thighs. Lando's blood was boiling as he stood and watched.
Max, noticing Lando's agitation, nudged him. "You okay, mate?"
Lando forced a tight smile. "Yeah, just... keeping an eye on things."
Max followed his gaze to where Cara was dancing, understanding dawning on his face. "She's just having fun, man. Let her enjoy herself."
Lando sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I know, I know. It's just hard to watch."
Pietra, joining the conversation, leaned in. "Maybe you should go dance with her?"
Lando hesitated. "I don't know if that's a good idea."
Pietra gave him an encouraging smile. "It might be exactly what she needs. Besides, it's clear you're not happy just standing here."
He walked through the crowd to where she was. The man dancing with her had disappeared, and Lando took the opportunity to wrap his arms around her waist from behind to see what her reaction would be. Instead of pushing his hands away, she rested her hands on his and intertwined her fingers with his. She pressed her body against his and swayed to the beat of the music. She rested the back of her head against his chest and turned her head slightly so she could just, ever so slightly, brush the tip of her icy nose against the skin of his neck.
“You know it's me, right?” Lando asked, his voice soft yet tinged with a hint of amusement.
“Uh-huh,” she hummed, warm from both the alcohol and by Lando’s sudden presence behind her.
“I thought I'd join you,” he replied, trying to keep his tone light. “Looks like you're having fun.”
"I am. But I wouldn't mind a familiar face to dance with,” she admitted, a slight flush to her cheeks. 
“Well, here I am.” He grinned, relieved.
Lando and Cara continued to dance, their laughter and movements synchronised. The energy between them was palpable, drawing a few curious glances from onlookers but mostly just blending into the vibrant, carefree atmosphere of the dancefloor. Max and Pietra, seated in the booth, observed the scene with satisfaction.
“Looks like they’re finally letting their feelings take control,” Max commented, leaning back with a contented smile. Pietra nodded.
“It's about time. They both needed this.” Pietra agreed, hinting at all of the months and trips they spent watching Lando and Cara dance around each other and their feelings.
After their night at the club, the unexpected intimacy they shared on the dance floor lingering in their minds, Cara and Lando found themselves back at the apartment. The atmosphere was filled with a mixture of awkwardness and anticipation, as both of them tried to process the shift in their relationship. They had reversed roles for the evening: Lando took the couch, and Cara took his bed.
Cara lay in Lando's bed, surrounded by the scent of him that clung to the sheets and pillows. She turned over and buried her face into his pillow, breathing in deeply. His scent was comforting, but without him being close, it felt suffocating and incomplete. The bed felt enormous and empty without his presence. It was cold. Too cold. She pulled the blankets tighter around herself, trying to find some semblance of warmth, but it was no use. The events of the night replayed in her mind, especially the moment on the dance floor when she had felt so safe and connected in his arms.
In the living room, Lando tossed and turned on the couch. The cushions felt foreign and uncomfortable, a far cry from the familiarity of his bed. The eerie loneliness of the room gnawed at him, amplified by the silence of the early morning hours. He stared up at the ceiling, his thoughts consumed by the feel of touch and the way she had fit so perfectly in his arms. He couldn't shake the feeling of emptiness that filled the room without her presence nearby.
Both of them were restless, struggling to find comfort in their new sleeping arrangements. The distance between them felt greater than the physical space that separated the couch from the bedroom. They were both acutely aware of each other's absence, and it weighed heavily on their hearts.
His bedroom door creaked open, and Cara stood leaning against the doorframe, watching Lando toss from one side of the couch to the other. The sight of him struggling to find comfort tugged at her heart. She could see the unease etched on his face, and it mirrored her own feelings of restlessness.
“Not comfortable?” she whispered as she approached him, halting his movements.
“Something like that,” he admitted, sitting back with a sigh. He looked despondent, the weight of the night’s events clearly still on his mind. Cara took a seat beside him, their shoulders brushing. “Why are you still up?”
“I’m not entirely sure,” she confessed, pulling her sweatshirt’s sleeves over her hands. The fabric provided a small comfort against the cold, but it did nothing to quell the chill she felt inside.
Lando sat there, his heart pounding against his ribcage like a caged bird desperate for freedom. His mind raced, a flurry of doubts and uncertainties clouding his judgement. Was this the right moment? Would she think he was being too forward? A myriad of questions bombarded his thoughts, threatening to drown out the faint whisper of courage that urged him forward.
Yet, amidst the chaos of his mind, there was a flicker of something different—an ember of spontaneity and daring that dared to defy his apprehensions. It was that tiny spark that propelled him forward, urging him to take a leap of faith into the unknown. For a brief moment, he hesitated, his lips parting as if to speak, only to falter at the brink of uncertainty.
But then, with a surge of determination, he silenced his doubts and let his words spill forth into the space between them.
"Fancy a cuddle?" he suggested, the words hanging in the air like a delicate promise waiting to be fulfilled.
In that instant, time seemed to stand still, the world holding its breath as they stood on the precipice of possibility. Would she laugh it off, dismissing his offer with a gentle smile? Or would she embrace the spontaneity of the moment, taking his hand and diving headfirst into the unknown?
As the blush bloomed across her cheeks, Lando felt a surge of anticipation mingled with a hint of vulnerability. He watched her, his heart pounding in his chest, wondering what her response would be. For a moment, she seemed to retreat within herself, her gaze flickering away from his as if grappling with an inner turmoil.
Then, just as he began to fear that his suggestion had been too bold, she surprised him. With a deep breath, she rose from her seat, her hand extended towards him in a silent invitation. It was a gesture filled with a quiet determination, a silent affirmation of trust and curiosity.
Lando felt a rush of relief flood through him as he accepted her hand, letting her lead him back to his room. The air between them crackled with anticipation, the weight of their unspoken feelings hanging heavy in the space around them.
Once inside, he closed the door behind them, the sound echoing softly in the silence. He watched as she made herself comfortable under the covers, her movements graceful yet tinged with a hint of uncertainty. It was a simple act, yet it spoke volumes—a silent agreement to embrace the intimacy of the moment, to explore the connection that pulsed between them.
As Lando slipped out of his shirt, the fabric falling away to reveal the contours of his frame, it felt like shedding a layer of inhibition, a symbolic gesture of vulnerability and intimacy. It was a routine he had grown accustomed to, a small act of comfort and familiarity in the quiet moments before sleep claimed him.
With a silent grace, he joined her beneath the covers, the warmth of the blankets cocooning them in a world of their own making. And as he settled beside her, he felt a sense of rightness wash over him—a feeling of belonging that transcended words or explanations.
She welcomed him into her embrace with a natural ease, her body fitting against his like two pieces of a puzzle finally finding their perfect match. He could feel the gentle rise and fall of her breath against his neck, a soothing rhythm that lulled him into a state of contentment.
Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he pulled her close, relishing the sensation of her skin against his own. It was a simple gesture, yet it spoke volumes—an unspoken promise of protection and comfort, a silent declaration of love and devotion.
With her hand resting on her exposed stomach, he felt a surge of tenderness well up within him.
“Tell me something nobody else knows about you,” Lando quipped in an attempt to distract himself from the feeling of her body against his.
“I am absolutely terrible at skiing,” she whispered with a small chuckle.
“Is that why you didn’t come to Finland with us?” he realised.
“Partly, yeah,” she chuckled. “I did have to work, too.”
“I can teach you, you know, how to ski,” he offered.
“You’d be teaching a wall how to walk, not going to happen,” she countered.
“Then it’s a good thing I’m a great teacher. Just look at how great you are now at karting,” Lando teased with a knowingly smile.
“Alright, fair enough,” she conceded, chuckling slightly at his cockiness.
The excitement of their banter dissipated into the tranquil embrace of the night as she nestled her head into the curve of his neck once more. Her breath, warm yet tinged with a hint of chill, ghosted across his skin, sending shivers down his spine.
Lando's fingers traced gentle patterns over her arm, the warmth of her touch a soothing balm against the tumultuous currents of his thoughts. He tried to coax himself into a state of sleep, to let the gentle rhythm of their breaths lull him into oblivion. But amidst the quiet darkness, the desire that simmered beneath the surface refused to be ignored.
With each passing moment, the urge to lean in and capture her lips in a tender kiss grew stronger, a silent plea that echoed in the depths of his soul. He turned his head slightly, his gaze meeting hers in the soft glow of moonlight filtering through the window.
Their eyes locked in a silent exchange, a wordless conversation that spoke volumes of unspoken desires and hidden truths. In that fleeting moment, the world fell away, leaving only the two of them suspended in the timeless embrace of the night.
“I really want to kiss you,” he confessed, his voice so soft it was barely a whisper.
“Okay,” she mimicked his tone and volume, her breath warm against his skin.
With a tender reverence, Lando cupped her cheek, his thumb brushing lightly across her skin. He leaned in, closing the small distance between them, and gently pressed his lips against hers. The kiss was soft and delicate, a gentle caress that spoke of all the unspoken words and feelings they had shared.
For the first time in a very long time, Lando felt butterflies fluttering in his stomach—the good kind that signalled something special, something real. It wasn’t a hungry or desperate kiss, but one filled with sweetness and tenderness, a reflection of how he felt about her.
When he finally pulled away, he watched her eyes remain closed, her face serene as she absorbed every moment of the lingering sensation. A smile curved her lips, and in that moment, Lando knew that this simple kiss had sealed something profound between them.
They spent the rest of the night wrapped in a cocoon of warmth and intimacy, gazing at each other with a mixture of wonder and contentment. The world outside their little bubble seemed to fade away, leaving only the soft glow of the moonlight and the quiet whispers of their shared breaths.
With tender curiosity, they traced invisible shapes into each other’s skin, their fingertips leaving trails of warmth and affection. Each touch was a silent declaration, a wordless conversation that spoke of their growing closeness and the trust they had built.
Her fingers played gently with his hair, twirling soft strands between her fingertips, while he marvelled at the delicate way she moved. In return, his hand found its way to her hair, smoothing it back from her face with a tenderness that made her heart flutter.
As the night wore on, their words grew softer, their touches slower, each moment drawing them deeper into the embrace of sleep. The rhythm of their breaths synchronised, creating a soothing lullaby that carried them towards slumber.
Finally, with their bodies entwined and hearts beating in unison, they drifted off to sleep, each wrapped in the comfort of the other’s presence. And as they slipped into dreams, the night held them close, a silent witness to the beginning of something beautiful and enduring.
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cosmerelists · 15 hours
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If Stormlight Characters Read The Stormlight Archive
As requested by @imtheseventh :)
Let's say Stormlight Characters got their hands on The Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson--you know, the book written about all of their lives. What would they think of Sanderson's depiction of them?
[SPOILERS FOR STORMLIGHT ARCHIVE THROUGH RHYTHM OF WAR!]
1. Navani
Navani: Say, Dalinar... Navani: Why is Evi's name replaced by Shshsh in all of your POV chapters? Dalinar: ... Dalinar: Ah, so here's the thing...
2. Adolin
Adolin: Shallan, wait! Adolin: This is feeling like a flashback chapter about your life. Adolin: Don't read it to me. It feels weird to find out this way. Adolin: I'd rather wait until you're ready to tell me. Shallan: Ah, so you want to stop listening whenever my past comes up? Shallan: That's exactly what I used to do! High five! Adolin: I don't Adolin: I don't know that this is a high-five moment.
3. Shallan
Shallan: L-Listen, Jasnah... Shallan: I SWEAR I was neither thinking about nor looking at your boobs quite as much as the book makes it sound.. Shallan: I think this Sanderson guy was just projecting! Jasnah: I believe you, Shallan. Shallan: Y-You do? Jasnah: I have to assume he wanted to establish my beauty but felt that it would be less salacious to have it filtered through another woman's perspective. Shallan: Y-Yeah, that makes sense... Jasnah: After all, if you loved my boobs that much, I don't know why you sat there and doodled Captain Kaladin instead of them... Shallan: WHELP TIME TO CHANGE THE SUBJECT
4. Syl
Syl: ... Kaladin: Hey, are you okay? You seem...down. Kaladin: And are you wearing trousers?? Syl: Was...was there something wrong in how I dressed? Kaladin: No? What do you mean? Syl: Like, was it immature? Kaladin: No? Syl: Then why does this Brandon guy call my dress "girlish" like 19 billion times?!? Hoid: Oh, don't worry about that! Writers get weirdly fixated on words! At least you weren't always doing things maladroitly, ha! Syl: ...What? Hoid: Whoops wrong series!
5. Gaz
Gaz: Look...I know I wasn't the Almighty's most perfect guy, but.. Gaz: Could he maybe have written me as slightly LESS of the embodiment of a sniveling cremling?? Gaz: Like, give a guy a break! Vathah: What, too much realism for a fantasy? Gaz: You shut up!
6. Sadeas
Sadeas: I was so upset...so flabbergasted...when Dalinar outmaneuvered me in that disadvantaged duel... Sadeas: But it was all just LUCK?! Sadeas: He didn't maneuver for SHIT! Sadeas: He just happened to have EVERY SINGLE PERSON WITH SUPERPOWERS on his side and they were ALL stupid enough to get INVOLVED Sadeas: It's so much worse now!!! Ialai: At least their dark-eyed captain ruined it at the end. Sadeas: Ugh, yeah, thank the stars for THAT.
7. Kaladin
Kaladin: I actually hate this. Lyn: Why? Kaladin: Hearing about all my friends dying...again...having my actions framed as some type of "heroism"... Kaladin: T-That guy writes me like I'm the hero! Lyn: ...I am fairly certain that you are. Kaladin: Ughhhh...
8. Lirin & Hesina
The Way of Kings sits before them Hesina: ... Lirin: ... Hesina: ... Lirin: ... Hesina: Do you want to go & cry forever over our boys? Lirin: Yes please.
9. Moash
Moash: Wow. Moash: After hearing all about King Elhokar from the perspective of the people who actually like him... Moash: I gotta say... Moash: I was totally right! Moash: That guy is SUCH an asshole!
10. Dalinar
Dalinar: ... Dalinar: ... Dalinar: ... Dalinar: I just can't believe that he STOLE Nohadon’s TITLE.
11. (!) Bonus Vin
Vin: KELSIER WHAT THE HELL
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btsmosphere · 3 days
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Supercharged | JJK
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Chapter 6: Burn Out
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🗲summary: It starts with a blow to the chest that changes your life. When your city’s most celebrated hero pays a visit, it turns out the noble Bolt has no trouble tossing lives aside. Lives that won't be missed. Lives like yours. Seven mysterious and powerful men give you another chance – one that starts to feel more like a curse the moment you meet golden boy Jungkook. The boy who wants you as far from his brothers as he can get you. Is it you he hates, or the blue lightning that now runs through your veins? And could it be his golden light that illuminates your heart when darkness threatens? 🗲this chapter: When things get ahead of you, your powers aren’t the only things to spill over; some truth is ready to breach the surface.
🗲pairing: jungkook x female reader 🗲word count: 7k 🗲genre: angst, action, eventual fluff, enemies to lovers, slow burn, superheroes/villains au, found family 🗲rating: pg15 🗲warnings: violence with superpowers, swearing, minor injuries, self-doubt, over-training, loss of control and... awkwardness
a/n: this could have been two chapters, and I did think about it, but fuck it, you guys deserve a nice hefty update! this just means there's a fair bit of development ahead...
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“At least Namjoon didn’t blow out any of the lightbulbs. Those are a nightmare to replace.”
Jimin smiled weakly when you didn’t respond to his joke. His worried gaze travelled to V, who stood behind you. He shrugged.
With a sigh, Jimin sat back. You hadn’t looked him in the eye as he checked your wounds, too caught up thinking. About the ways Jungkook was stronger than you. The ways you messed up. If only you had more stamina, if only you could shoot quicker, use more power.
The fight replayed in your head, displaying all the moments you could have responded better.
Was Jungkook right? Were you anywhere near ready to go out there?
“All done.”
You blinked, finding Jimin staring back at you. How long had he been waiting?
“Oh. Thanks,” you tried your best to muster a smile.
Sending you a smile in return, he stood up, placing the first aid box into the cupboard.
“It’s alright. At least you got out relatively unscathed,” he said, “just some bruises, a couple of singes here and there.”
He winced again at the sight of the faint bruising on your neck. Though he wished he could say this wasn’t like the Jungkook he knew, he would be lying.
Jungkook hurt people all the time: all of them did. But here, at home, he was usually at ease with their little family. After everything he had been through, however, Jimin knew very well how short his youngest brother’s fuse could be.
A quiet click announced the newcomer as Hobi poked his head round the bathroom door.
“Everything alright?” he asked.
It fell a little awkwardly in the space. Nothing was alright after tensions had boiled over so violently just half an hour ago, and you all knew it. Still, you gave him a nod.
Slipping into the room, Hope leaned against the counter, dodging out of the way as Jimin threw a few band-aid wrappers in the bin.
“Sorry about Jungkook,” Hope began, “he… he’s a bit protective. But we thought it would get better. It should never have got this far.
“You can do whatever you want today, get food and watch movies. I should think Kook will be training for quite a while.”
The way he said that left no doubt as to what the younger was actually doing. Images from his rage workout the other day invaded your head. Good, as long as he was away from you.
Tugging your hoodie back on to cover the bruises you had acquired, you agreed and followed the others to the living room. Soon taking up residency on the couch, you didn’t intend on moving anywhere soon.
Thankfully, the others didn’t expect you to either. Nor did they push you for conversation when you were so evidently staying quiet, and instead they put a film on and chatted around you.
You didn’t see Jungkook that whole day.
That didn’t mean he wasn’t lingering in your mind, though. At the very least, the slight discomfort from the bruises he had given you served as a reminder of everything that had transpired. But your frustration fluctuated between him and yourself.
If Jungkook’s behaviour could be excused as protective, you were going to need a lot more explanation than that. What reason had you given him to hate you so much?
He hadn’t given you the chance to do anything but fail since you got there, so how could you be expected to trust him?
But while you wanted him to see that you could be trusted, you started to doubt that yourself. Maybe you were trying to help the boys by joining them, but as much as you wanted to deny it, Jungkook had proved that you were weak.
For now, you didn’t want to go near him, so you used that as your excuse for staying put all day, letting the household go about its day around you. But steadily, your mind filled with all the things you needed to work on. You had to patch up the gaps where your powers lacked, and you weren’t going to rely on Jungkook to do it anymore.
Maybe if you proved yourself, they would want you after all? Besides showing your lack of bond with Jungkook, today had surely showed Namjoon that you weren’t up to the task.
That was why he had stood you down.
Which was why you found yourself alone in a training room a few days later.
Since that day, you hadn’t trained. For one thing, your trainer had cemented his place as your mortal enemy, so you had no one to practise your powers with, since the others were all preparing for other things.
As for physical training, you thought they would at least let you do that. But they insisted you needed to rest for a couple more days.
You didn’t protest too much, but you knew this was how it would begin. This was their excuse to stop you training. They had given up on you, thinking you weren’t good enough to join them.
You were going to show them, Jungkook above all.
Now they were away on a mission, Jungkook nowhere to be found, leaving you the opportunity at last.
With the way the last outing had gone, they had switched plans. Now, instead of waiting around for Bolt to strike, they were beginning to relocate their allies, moving important weapons and things to more secure locations, while feeding Bolt’s informants the impression that the vacated premises were still operational. They hoped it would buy some time so they could formulate more of a plan to combat Bolt, without him gaining more power in the meantime.
Of course, Jungkook was still seething. He had made himself scarce the moment the others left, no doubt wanting to avoid spending any time with you.
You weren’t complaining.
Breathing deeply, you assessed the targets you had set up. A smile graced your face. The last time you had trained alone, you had accomplished a lot. Maybe you would try lifting objects again.
But first, you had to work on your speed. That was the main weaknesses Jungkook had highlighted. You weren’t able to keep up with him, and you had to change that.
Rolling out your stiff shoulders, wincing for a moment when it twinged the last remnants of your bruises, you raised an arm.
Your power felt a little rusty as it burst from your palm. Gritting your teeth against the slight tingle of pain, you cut it off and fired again. After a few tries, it felt pretty much normal. You weren’t going to wait any longer.
Lifting both arms now, you alternated your fire, turning in the space as you tried to hit each target. You hit them all, bolstering your confidence as you took a breather and went again. You may have hit them all, but you wanted to be faster.
This time, you didn’t even wait for one bolt to die away before you fired the next one. Focussing on short, sharp bursts, you let your powers pulse through the air.
The rattle and clash of metal filled the space as you shook each target in turn.
You made it around the room again, finding a rhythm, but this time you didn’t stop. Bolt wouldn’t stop if he was attacking you; Jungkook hadn’t. You had to push through.
So when you approached the familiar feeling of your powers slipping, you simply pushed through. You maintained your speed, barely able to keep up with the pace you had set. It was like running while the ground was slipping from under you, but you stayed standing and on your toes, enjoying the exhilaration of the electricity flowing through you.
You felt its power, hot and fierce in your chest, revelling in your ability to control it.
Then, one bolt sputtered and died. You picked it up again in a split second as you fired the next lightning into the space, but it scared you. Picturing the onslaught of gold from the other day, you knew that could cost you dearly in a fight.
So while your powers protested, you pressed on. Now, you had to force out each beam of light, but you weren’t about to stop. You had to improve. You had to succeed.
You didn’t notice when the heat of your powers became unpleasant. That burning sensation hadn’t invaded you for so long, but suddenly it was overwhelming, crashing down on you.
Gasping at the sharp pain, you staggered for a moment, not wanting to stop.
You raised your arm again. This would not defeat you. You had to push through.
Nothing came.
You searched for the familiar feeling to unleash your power, but instead you felt a tangle in your chest, a sparking ball of electricity that hissed at you like a wild animal.
Not now…
A stabbing pain lanced through your chest, blue suddenly erupting into the air. But this time it wasn’t you. Your power clawed its way down your arm, leaving a burning trail in its wake.
Biting down on a pained cry, you looked around in fear at the empty training room.
Though panicked, you knew you had to control it. You had pushed just a little too far, you only needed to reign it in again.
But as you closed your eyes, trying to find the centre of your power, shut it off like you were used to, more blasts leapt from that chasm in your chest. You battled to close it down, but it had power over you now.
Blue filled the space, colliding with the walls, clattering against targets.
Your knees buckled, sending you crashing to the floor. Now, you were unable to control it as you cried out, each release of your power coming with its own wave of pain. You thought you had left this unbearable heat behind, but now it seared through your body with a vengeance as your powers ran rampant.
Control it, control it-
But you couldn’t find space to breathe, let alone to calm your powers. Your arms shook, a tear breaking free from your eye as you gasped.
What had you done?
In your vision, blurry with pained tears and cut up by streaks of luminescent blue, something moved.
Though you lay panting on the floor, you squinted towards it. It was a person.
Were the others back? Your frazzled mind barely had time to wonder this, before the most pressing issue asserted itself again.
Wincing and curling in on yourself as another shot of electricity forced its way from you, you called out. Your voice was raw and shaking, but you had to protect them.
“Don’t come near! I’ll- I might hurt you!”
You knew your voice was thick with tears, but surely they could understand you? Why were they coming closer?
At the same time, both a yelp of pain and a lightning bolt escaped you. Your eyes widened; the figure was directly in its path.
A flash of gold.
The figure ran closer.
Despite your state, you had enough presence of mind to feel your cheeks burning as Jungkook came to a stop in front of you, looking down at you with wide, panicked eyes. For a few seconds, his mouth opened and closed uselessly.
Then, another bolt. And another.
As they cut through the room, leaving behind their signature of burning pain, the world tilted. Your eyes squeezed shut, Jungkook forgotten as the sizzling sting of your powers took up your thoughts.
You wanted it to stop.
“Control it.”
The instruction was muttered in your ear, closer than you expected. The next moment, a weight shifted against your back, pulling you to sit upright and against something. Someone.
Still heaving for air, you shook your head.
“I- I c-can’t!”
Another flash of blue, another flash of pain.
The arm that was looped around you squeezed tighter.
“You have to. Control it.”
And then a hand was placed against your back, steady and firm compared to your own body. It nestled between your shoulder blades.
The next thing you knew, a warm sensation bloomed there. But not uncomfortable, like your own rebelling powers. It bled through you, enveloping the mess that your powers had become. Your eyes slid closed, basking in the relief from the searing pain.
You could feel your powers, a blue weight sitting in your chest. You couldn’t see them, of course, but you had always felt them to be blue – not that you had realised. Not until now, at least, because the calming light that surrounded your power felt startlingly gold in comparison.
After a moment, you were collected enough to take control. With the aid of soothing gold containing your power, you were able to breathe deeply, closing off the electricity as you had done that first time in Namjoon’s office.
The gold faded.
Still, the hand on your back lingered, remaining steady.
“Okay?”
It was only now that the weight of this situation hit you. Jungkook had had to rescue you. From your own powers, no less.
You simply nodded, not trusting words to form.
At your confirmation, his hand finally left you. He had been sitting behind you, supporting you, but now he moved away. You would deny that you missed it.
But he only shifted around to your side, sliding an arm under your own.
“Are you crazy?” he asked, but there wasn’t much bite behind it.
Shaking his head, he muttered a curse as he helped lift you from the ground.
“What were you thinking?”
Again, the usual venom was missing from his voice. You kept your eyes down, not responding.
Huffing a little, he turned towards to the door. And paused.
“Can you get upstairs?”
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Chewing on your lip, you kept your eyes fixed on your mug. You found the blanket you were wrapped in very interesting all of a sudden, fiddling and tugging at it with your free hand.
It was quiet.
It had been quiet for a while now, but neither of you were particularly inclined to change that.
Jungkook sat across from you, stiff and upright in his seat while you were huddled inside a blanket. He had sort of thrown it at you earlier. He hadn’t given you a second glance, instructing you rather coldly to sit, but it had to be the closest thing to affection he had ever shown you.
He was also holding a mug of tea. Perhaps it was just for show; he hadn’t lifted it once.
In a moment of weakness, your eyes darted up. You instantly regretted it, as you found his gaze already trained on you, and you both hurriedly averted your eyes again.
Just for something to do, you took a sip of tea, the slurp painfully audible in the silence. Your hand still shook a little when you lifted the mug.
Lowering it slowly, you chewed on your cheek.
“Thanks.”
You blurted it out without much consideration, the silence finally becoming too much for you.
Unfortunately, the quiet hung around a bit longer. Warily raising your eyes again, you watched Jungkook for a reaction.
His eyes were avoiding you, looking instead at a blank spot on the wall.
Then he sucked in a breath, leaning forwards to deposit his still-full mug on the coffee table.
“So do you want to tell me what you were doing?”
Finally his eyes turned to you, leaving you breathless. Your shame over what happened made words stick in your throat, but you knew you would have to explain.
Tearing your gaze from his to glare at your mug again, you felt your cheeks heating up. But you forced yourself to talk.
“You… you were right the other day. I’m not strong enough, or fast enough. I was trying to work on that – on my speed. I thought if I pushed myself, it might help. But I… I just lost control.”
Letting out a breath when you finished speaking, you looked up hesitantly. A light frown was on Jungkook’s face as he assessed you. He was thinking a little too hard for your liking.
He sat back.
“You remind me of Bolt.”
If you were still drinking, you would have choked. Your eyes widened, not knowing how to respond to that. In your search for words, all you could manage was an indignant but half-hearted excuse me?
A smirk quirked the corner of Jungkook’s mouth.
“You’re so pig-headed,” he began, “you treat your powers like some sort of game and pretend you’re good at everything…”
You simply stared, disbelieving. Was he seriously saying this to your face?
“And when you want something, you decide you’re getting it–” he eyed you before adding “–not to mention all the blue shit.”
He gestured in the general direction of all of you. You gaped.
But then he dropped his gaze, sighing.
“I… wanted to knock you down. You’re way too good at everything. You remind me of Bolt because he’s indestructible. Or it seems that way.”
Finally managing to scoff at his words, you shook your head incredulously.
“So now you think I’m good enough?”
“I didn’t want you going out there, okay?” he snapped, “I don’t trust you.”
“Just because my powers look like Bolt’s? Is that it? I never asked for this-”
“I know.”
Jungkook’s voice was softer now, startling your rant to a halt. His hands were clasped, elbows resting on his knees. And he wouldn’t quite look you in the eye.
“You’re not like Bolt. He’s the one that hurt you. I just couldn’t separate the image of you from him, what with you being so… obnoxious, and determined.”
He paused. Sighed.
“And I lied, okay?” his voice was quiet, “you’re fine. Your speed is good, you could pretty much keep up with me, and that’s saying something. I thought you’d know better.”
A frown creased your brows together. Now you were confused.
Looking up once again, he met your eyes.
“You shouldn’t push your powers, surely the others told you that? They can reach their limit, and I’m fairly sure yours did when we fought. Today was too soon, you shouldn’t have worn them out like that. You won’t be able to use them for a while. Not like that, anyway.”
“Like what?”
“Fast. You overwhelmed them, it might take a bit to build up your speed again.”
You swallowed, not wanting to believe his words.
“Or, you just want me out of training-” you bit back, but he cut you off.
“Oh, I couldn’t care less,” he sniggered, “go ahead and burn out your powers for all I care. I’m just telling you.”
You didn’t really know what to say to that. You simply tugged your blanket a little tighter around your shoulders.
“Turns out you’re human just like the rest of us.”
Was that supposed to be a compliment? Or an insult? You couldn’t really tell.
After a moment holding his gaze, you went back to your tea. The two of you seemed to agree on one thing at least, and that was avoiding each other’s eyes as the silence stretched on.
Even once your mug was emptied, you fidgeted with it, letting your fingers slide around the handle for something to do. Jungkook’s words turned over in your head. It was probably the closest he had ever come to giving you actual advice. Perhaps you should take it, give your powers a rest for a short while.
It surprised you that Jungkook hadn’t yet left. He looked remarkably awkward on the other couch, refusing to relax into the seat but sitting ramrod straight on the edge instead, insisting for some reason on staying there.
Never before had he voluntarily endured your presence for this long.
He seemed to notice you sizing him up. He turned his gaze to find you watching him with your head tilted. And somehow, he too looked hesitant, far from the confidence you usually saw in him.
You swallowed, but didn’t look away.
“Don’t tell the others?”
Your voice was quiet but clear in the space. Jungkook quirked an eyebrow.
“You’re really determined to join us, aren’t you?”
With a sigh, your expression softened. You finally looked away, picking absently at your blanket while you replied.
“I agree with what you guys are doing. Bolt tried to kill me, all because I was just… there, at the wrong time. I didn’t matter to him. That doesn’t seem like someone who cares about protecting people. So I don’t want him to get whatever he wants with those weapons he’s collecting.”
Expecting the usual argument about you being of no use, you kept your eyes stubbornly down. But Jungkook was quiet.
If you looked up, you would have seen him blinking at you. Curious, almost.
But you never did, not until his expression clouded over again and he made to speak.
“And if the others knew you did something this stupid, they’d keep you away from the action even longer.”
You rolled your eyes, but had to admit that Jungkook wasn’t wrong.
“Pretty much,” you conceded, “and I do want this. It finally feels like I have a purpose.”
You had never expected to be so blisteringly honest with Jungkook, but when you laid beseeching eyes on him, you knew you had got through somehow.
Seemingly displeased with his own decision, his mouth straightened into a line.
“Fine. I won’t tell them. But you better not do it again, you know I’ll get the blame as well.”
You weren’t sure if that was entirely true, but if Jungkook wanted to make that his reason for helping you out, then so be it.
At last, it seemed he had reached his limit with you. He stood abruptly, casting one more glance at you, and strode away. Watching his retreating form, you sunk further into the sofa. A subtle smile took up residence on your face.
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You hadn’t even put the tv on. Silence filled the apartment and you stared up at the ceiling from your position on the sofa.
Since you and Jungkook talked a few days ago, he had, surprisingly, kept his word. Around the others he stoically ignored you as normal, but also diligently kept his mouth shut about your little accident.
You suspected he also didn’t want to admit to helping you. But whatever kept him quiet worked for you.
It was true that he glanced over at you more often despite his continued frosty attitude towards you. Or perhaps you were imagining that? He was just glaring at you like always – only, you began to read into it too much. Now you two shared a secret, in a sense, it meant that every time his eyes locked with yours they seemed to hold more significance.
However, you had to remind yourself nothing had changed. The two of you were still only here because you were stuck together on Namjoon’s orders. Which was the same reason Jungkook had been the one to help you before.
No, nothing had changed.
Turning your head, you let your cheek fall against the cushion as you hesitantly gazed at the tv. Maybe you should put it on, just to fill the silence?
The lack of noise in the house served as proof that Jungkook wanted as little to do with you as ever. The moment the boys were out, he made himself scarce.
At least you had been permitted to learn more about what exactly they were doing when they went out. They were leaving the house more and more frequently, and for longer stretches of time. Given Bolt’s movements, and his startling power at their last encounter (due to the weapons he had stolen from Kuyang), the boys were launching a counter-operation.
If they couldn’t defend their allies from a direct attack, they had to bide their time until they could build an attack strategy.
So for now, they were relocating important developers to throw Bolt off. Stop him before he could gain even more power; before he became too much of a match for them.
Jin seemed fairly confident that they had tracked Bolt’s sources well enough to feed him misinformation to keep him unaware of their movements. The only risk now lay in the transportation of what you could only assume were deadly weapons through the city.
Standing on the kitchen counter was a small black receiver. You could turn it on if you wanted, hear what was happening.
You were contemplating it when something pulled at your thoughts. Your focus frayed, distracted by that incomprehensible feeling that there was someone behind you.
Flipping over on the sofa, you found Jungkook leaning against the wall. His arms were folded, but there was no glare entrenched on his face. Startled, you eyed his damp hair, the oversized black shirt hanging from his shoulders.
Clearly he had just come from a shower, so why wasn’t he going to train?
The absence of a scowl was really throwing you off. He didn’t look totally comfortable, expression tight and slightly expectant, but what did he want with you?
You raised your eyebrows in question.
He blinked at you, then his eyes slid away from your face, looking somewhere over your head and through to the kitchen.
“Training,” he said.
You continued to stare, but he just as stubbornly avoided your eyes.
After another moment, you huffed and sat up.
“Training?” you echoed.
“We’re going to training.”
“…we?”
“You heard me.”
His response was dry. Already, he was pushing away from the wall and turning his back on you, leaving you little choice but to follow.
Leaving the couch and hurrying after him, you made it to his side on the stairs.
“I thought I wasn’t supposed to use my powers? After…”
“Not for speed,” he corrected you, eyes fixed ahead.
A frown furrowed your brow as you reached the training space. Today, you remained in the main, largest room. There was no one around and clearly Jungkook didn’t have want of the targets you normally used, as he stopped right in the middle and turned to you.
His brows were pinched, clearly a little hesitant about this. You noticed the way his teeth pulled slightly at his lower lip.
“Power,” he said.
You stared. With a subtle roll of his eyes, he elaborated.
“Apart from speed, that’s what you need to work on. You need to connect with your powers, feel like the light is an extension of you. Since you can’t work on your agility, it’s time to think about force.”
Nodding, you felt your confidence raise a little. When you had trained by yourself before, you had hit upon that exact feeling he described, an almost physical connection that let you lift the target.
Plus, using a little force would be more than welcome, with the pent up tension you had felt since your last disastrous practice.
Jungkook took your confirmation and stepped forwards into line with you, holding your gaze. He held his arms slightly away from his body, palms facing you.
“Summon your powers and push against me,” he instructed.
It took you a moment to get your bearings and prepare to use your powers. It had been a while. You tried to hide your slight wince when you searched for the powers only to find a scorching, tangled mess where they usually flowed from, like someone had knotted barbed wire there.
Swallowing, you let your eyes slide shut for a moment. It was as if your power was hissing at you, an animal you had to coax from hiding.
But coax it you did, the first slight tug leading them to easily unravel until the electricity flowed through your veins again. Beside a slight tremor in the flow of blue light you released, it seemed fairly normal.
Surely Jungkook wouldn’t approve of the clumsiness with which you handled your powers, though? But when you looked up, he only appeared focussed.
With a small nod as your powers shot through the air, his eyes clouded with gold and his own luminous lightning welled in his hands.
He didn’t fire a strong bolt to match yours. It appeared that he held a small golden fountain in each hand, bubbling gently, just enough to dispel your blue electricity before it could strike his palms.
Your eyes connected.
It was curious, how Jungkook’s eyes looked so much less deadly when they were literally glowing with power. As you held his gaze, you felt no urge to look away. Instead, his focus, gentle and firm at the same time, affirmed you.
Taking a breath, you continued to let your powers flow freely.
“Concentrate on your powers,” he spoke in a low voice, “feel them moving through you. Then follow that feeling outwards, feel where they connect with me.”
Taking in his words with a determined nod, you searched within you for the feeling he spoke of.
This time, you didn’t close your eyes. You were already familiar with the taste of your power in your veins, and found it with little effort.
But you stared into those gold eyes as you searched for him, the sight of them making it easier to find the corresponding sensation. Colliding with your power, you were surprised to stumble across a warmth pulsing against them. You hadn’t even realised you had followed the flow of your powers outside your fingertips; the feeling hadn’t altered as far as you could tell.
Sure enough, however, there was Jungkook – it was undeniable. Inexplicably, the intensity of his eyes felt the exact same as the fiery power rushing to meet your own lightning.
Before you could say anything, Jungkook’s lips twitched into a smirk.
“You can feel it, right?”
Now you had found it, it was easy to hold onto the sensation of his powers as they met your own.
Elated, you exhaled with a smile. His grew too.
“I’m going to push back now,” he said, “keep the connection. It’ll be like arm wrestling, only with our powers.”
You knew you should have felt a little sceptical about that. If it was anything like arm wrestling, Jungkook would be able to topple you in a second. He had been training much longer than you, and was undeniably stronger.
In fact, all you felt was an ignition in your chest, competitiveness flaring up inside you.
Jungkook’s expression shifted into focus. His smirk slipped into a concentrated line.
Where the gold in his eyes had been rippling lazily, it now grew in ferocity, blazing harshly in contrast to the abysses of his dark pupils.
The instant his powers switched, you felt it. No longer a soft warmth, they sent a jolt through you as they connected in earnest, the threads of your electricity fusing together like wires and throwing out a ball of sparks.
The molten light warred in the air between you, your eyes no doubt as vivid as Jungkook’s as you allowed more power through your palms to match his force.
To your surprise, they complied instantly. It seemed your powers were enjoying being let out like this, having lashed out the last time when you had stubbornly forced them to stop and start. With the growing power flowing from you, their connection with Jungkook strengthened as well. You could sense a distinctly gold force clashing with your powers.
Even though you could see the point where your powers converged, the feeling allowed you to notice every minute crackle of electricity, every pulse of Jungkook’s lightning.
Just like before, when you had lifted the target, your powers felt much more than just a fleeting rush of sparks. They formed a bridge outwards from your body, reaching beyond.
You felt strong.
And if Jungkook wanted to wrestle, you weren’t going to go down easily.
Channelling yet more power outwards, you pushed hard against his gold powers where they met your own.
For a moment, you succeeded in subduing the opposing force. Sparks flew again, Jungkook staggering back a step as the gold light retreated from your advance, blue dominating the bolt of energy that connected you two.
Jungkook smiled.
The next moment, it became clear he had been waiting for you to get used to the feeling and make a move. But you had no time to be touched by his newfound patience as you found yourself battling against a renewed burst of pressure from his end.
Raising your arms to be level with your shoulders, aiming at him, you gritted your teeth and stubbornly weathered the temptation to step back as his powers shoved against yours.
Now both of you were using all your energy, the connection was more vivid than before. You could sense every vein of the electricity, his as well as yours. Finding strength from somewhere, you resisted his onslaught and managed to take a step forwards.
Your tussle continued, fire against fire, both of you matching the other’s power but advancing until you were practically toe to toe.
Outstretched, slightly above your head, your hands were level, vibrant light still connecting them although his palm was just inches from yours. A waterfall of blue and gold sparks fell between your faces while you stared at each other with blazing eyes. Your breathing was heavy, trying to keep up with his relentless power, but Jungkook was also panting, damp hair falling over his eyes.
You were out of breath, but the warm air brushing over your face from Jungkook’s lips assured you that you weren’t the only one.
A sharp, exhilarated smile lit up his mouth. A brow quirked, his words breathless as he spoke.
“Not bad. Hold it…”
Sucking in a breath, you prepared for one last effort. Avoiding Jungkook’s eyes had long left your priority list, and now you were drawn in by the burning gold within them. It was like you were staring at the sun, but you couldn’t look away, not even when their light grew, yet more of his power flowing through you.
His gaze burned just as intently back, eyes trained on your own which were surely lit up blue. A slight crease formed in his brow, perhaps from concentration…
Again, you matched his power even as he overloaded the connection, more and more energy sparking in the air-
His gaze flitted away, the connection cutting abruptly.
For a moment, the brightness of the sparks, and Jungkook’s eyes, left dazzling prints on your vision even as they sputtered from existence. Air rushed in and out of your lungs, the exertion not hitting you until now.
Without the channel to focus your energy, you staggered back from Jungkook, blinking in the relative dimness.
Sensing the strength that had drained from you, you let yourself take another step to sink against the wall behind you. Breathing still heavy, you looked up at Jungkook. Though his chest heaved too, cheeks slightly flushed under his dripping hair, he hadn’t moved an inch.
Only when you met his eyes, which had returned to their regular darkness, did he start, quickly marching away to grab water bottles from the corner of the room.
One flew in your direction. Just about managing to snatch it from the air, you took an eager sip. Now you had had time to catch your breath, a strange silence settled.
“How did it feel?”
Jungkook wasn’t even looking at you. He had made his way to the bottom of the staircase, and now leaned against them, apparently finding the floor very interesting.
Hesitantly, you made your way closer, following a step behind as he started climbing back to the main house.
“Yeah, my powers, they feel… it wasn’t painful,” you replied, “they’re like normal again.”
Jungkook nodded.
“You did good. Still, don’t push it.”
By then, you had reached the top of the stairs. After pausing for a moment, Jungkook awkwardly moved away to the kitchen, while you hung back to have a shower.
The odd tension that had clung to the space between you since training occupied your mind as the water flowed over you, reinvigorating your tired body. In a way, it was just like usual. You and Jungkook had never been comfortable around each other.
But then why did it feel odd now?
The training session had given you a taste of something different. For once, Jungkook hadn’t spent the time trying to antagonise you. Instead, you had a real chance to push yourself.
It was probably the fact that, after so long without using your powers, you simply missed feeling the rush of electricity. No matter if it was also because connecting with Jungkook's powers had felt so thrilling too.
That thought was gone as quickly as the water running over you. Outside the training room at least, you knew where you stood. And that was very, very far from Jungkook.
Which is why you were so perplexed when you reached the kitchen, and didn’t find it empty.
Pausing in the hallway, you honestly considered turning back around and leaving. Trust Jungkook to try and claim the kitchen since you were absent.
But you weren’t going to be deterred. You were hungry.
It was his fault anyway, for training you so hard, so you took a breath and pushed your damp hair behind your shoulder before striding into the space.
At first, you made your best attempt at keeping your chin up, confident while also acting as if you magically couldn’t see Jungkook at all. It was how you usually approached each other. Unfortunately, you couldn’t stop yourself from noticing that whatever he was making wasn’t going well.
Halfway through throwing your own ingredients onto the counter, you stopped to cast a sceptical eye over the mess he was making. He was making an equally good show of not noticing your presence, and continued throwing in random sauces, not before eyeing them all fairly hesitantly first.
Biting your lip, you shrugged it off and turned your eyes back to your own dinner.
But you could no longer ignore it when he took a taste from his spoon and quite literally recoiled.
Loudly putting your knife down, you sighed in frustration.
“Do you want some help?”
Quickly straightening out his face from the way it had been screwed up from the taste, he blinked around at you. He really did look surprised at your presence.
You rolled your eyes, marching over to him and peering into his pan.
“What are you making?”
Folding his arms across his chest, you could hear the pout in his voice as he replied.
“Tteokbokki.”
You stared. At the food, which certainly did not resemble tteokbokki, and then at Jungkook.
“No you’re not.”
“I am! Jin always makes it like this!”
“Maybe when he’s making something for his science experiments,” you scoffed.
Defiant, Jungkook reached for his packet of soft rice cakes, totally ignoring you. You had to lunge across the counter to save them from a grizzly fate in that pan of definitely not tteokbokki.
Deep down, he clearly agreed with you, because he didn’t protest all that much as you forcibly removed the pan from the stove, depositing the whole mess in the bin.
“This is how you’ve been eating?”
Jungkook looked a little startled, his eyes wide for a moment before he managed to resurrect his scowl.
“We ran out of ramen,” he muttered.
You stared at him in disbelief. Had no one taught him to cook?
“What would Jin say?” you huffed, returning to the stove and elbowing him out the way.
Before long, you had your own meal cooking, now with some extra added. After a few moments, Jungkook had skulked away, watching you silently from the table. Once again, you pretended not to pay him any mind.
Two steaming bowls of (actually edible) food eventually made it to the table.
Sitting down opposite him, neither of you began for a moment. Each of you was waiting for the other to do something.
When at last you reached for your chopsticks, the sound was deafening against the strained silence between you.
Perhaps Jungkook was encouraged to see you didn’t drop dead after taking a bite, because he finally started to eat as well. Not that you let yourself look at him beyond the odd brief glance. You kept your attention firmly on the meal, which was actually quite tasty if you did say so yourself.
“Thanks.”
You nearly jumped out of your skin, eyes shooting up to stare at Jungkook. He stopped mid-bite, big eyes returning your bewildered gaze as if he had no idea who had spoken.
You blinked. Clearing your throat, you averted your gaze again, picking at your food.
“No problem.”
“It’s nearly as good as Jin’s,” he drawled next.
Disbelieving, you swallowed your next bite and raised your eyebrows.
“Are you seriously trying to come for me after I gave you food?”
“That’s a compliment!” he defended.
“Sure.”
“Fine,” he huffed, attacking his food a bit more aggressively.
Taking a breath, you chewed your lip. Jungkook took a bite with more force than strictly necessary, brows furrowed. Maybe he had really meant it in a nice way?
You had trouble believing that, somehow.
“It’s a hell of a lot better than yours would have been,” you grumbled, then paused. “but… I suppose Jin is a very good chef.”
For a moment, Jungkook didn’t reply. But he finished chewing and set his chopsticks down a bit more gently.
“Why would I have to practise cooking when he’s always here to do it?” he murmured.
Deciding for once to take the opportunity to ease the situation, you smiled.
“I don’t blame you.”
Both of you allowed a temporary ceasefire to settle as you cleared your plates. You didn’t miss Jungkook’s glance towards the little black receiver standing on the table.
With the frequency of operations at the moment, it was clear Namjoon classed the whole situation with Bolt as an emergency. Jungkook hadn’t been wrong – Jin was usually there, or one of the others, to cook. As much as it still surprised you that he was so clueless, you saw that prying was going to get you nowhere.
He wasn’t the only one that missed the others, though. Or hoped they were okay.
You leaned over and turned the receiver on.
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Thank you for reading! I really mean it, it's wonderful now I'm finally sharing this story to hear what you guys think as we go through it!! I appreciate every last one of you who comments💜💜
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gracejh08 · 3 days
Text
Breaking the media
Chapter 4- moving on in
Your alarm rang at the ungodly hour of 7.30 you quickly shut it off and forced yourself out of bed training didnt start till 9.30 but knowing you its going to take atleast 2hrs to get ready. You wandered into the small kitchen and realised that you needed to go shopping you had been so caught up in being ready for training that you hadn't had the chance to get shopping. Your first thought was to just find the nearest shop and buy what you needed however you thought going to a local cafe was a smarter choice and would be better than your terrible cooking skills.
It didnt take long for you to find a cafe with the help of Google maps and being placed in a busy small town. The cafe you had found was very reserved and ran by an old spanish women which was happy to greet you as you stood with your Barcelona sweats on and a giant backpack filled with your training kit. "Thank you so much, how much is it" you asked after having the best avocado on toast you had ever tasted and a mocha that was brew to perfection "its on the house dear, you're welcome back anytime" she said clearling you plates away "no no please let me pay" you practically begged the older women to let you pay but she refused.
After excepting your fate and enjoying your time in the cafe you forgot to check the time and saw it was 9.10 am you'd spent an 1hr in the cafe "shit" you mumbled to yourself and waved the old women goodbye. Now if miracles exists this was one you were 25 minutes away from the training ground and somehow you had made it there for 9.25. With 5 minutes to spare you walked into the changing room to find that you were the last one in and everyone was waiting for you. You knew that wasn't the best impression but atleast you weren't late "captain im so sorry, i didn't mean to show up so far behind i wont do it again" you pleaded to your new captain as you had a feeling she was ready to snap at you from the gaze she gave you "dont apologise its okay just next time be earlier, its your first day dont stress" she said and put a hand on your shoulder in reassurance.
Training had gone well for you, you had very quickly proved yourself to fit to the rumors of being a promising young talent. If football was a language you were fluent everything made sense to you the way the ball moved at your feet it was natural. Everyone was fairly impressed with your skill "you worried luce" mapi joked digging her elbow into lucys side "don't even" she said deadpanning her face of course lucy was the starter over you but you were definitely a threat you were half of lucys age and developing quicker than ever. You walked back to the changing room and got changed quickly sending everyone a goodbye before heading off the walk home as you needed to shop.
This is when lucy needed to bring up your living suitation but she had no power to get this changed she needed to tell alexia "ale, can i talk to you" she said dragging the spainard to the side of the room "sure whats up" she said back "its about y/n" lucy said trying to figure out whats the best way to word this "whats wrong?" Alexia responded her eyebrows knitted together she cared for you and she didnt understand why she was so protective over you even though the two of you rarely spoke, you rarely spoke to anyone unless it was for a drill. "Ermm so basically she's living by herself the team have bought her an apartment and shes been walking to the training ground.. and like yes i know she probably can take care of herself. But shes 16.. and" lucy was rambling "what? She's living by herself she knows no spanish and probably doesn't know how to wash her clothes... we've got to sort this" alexia said almost shocked in the stupidity of the management team what were they thinking a 16 year old by herself.
Alexia had went to talk to jona after she told lucy she would sort out the issue, "jona were abouts does y/n live?" She questioned him "its in de la tres torres apartment 4b" he said "why?" "Im going to check up on her and tell her she is moving in with me, im not having a 16yr old live by herself in a foreign country" she said back firmly grabbing her car keys out of her bag and storming off to the car park before jona could protest against the captain l, you were living with her she didn't care she had a spare room and was quite happy to share it as she wouldn't mind the company on her days off. She drove to your apartment parking her car outside she was preparing for your stubborn attitude to not be willing to leave as she knows how teenagers can be.
It was 5.30pm when the knock came at your door you were about to head off shopping so you had no idea who it could be. You opened your door to find alexia stood outside "am i in trouble?" You questioned it would be the only reason she was at your door "no course not how about we have a seat" she said as you brought her to your sofa "nice place" she commented glazing around the room it was nicely decorated but it wasnt a home "yeah its alright, just a bit lonely sometimes" you said sitting down next to her. "So i was wondering if instead of living here by yourself, you come and live with me in my apartment i have a spare room and it would be much nicer and you would have less responsibility" she began "ermm i dont know captain i dont wanna crash your place.. honestly im fine here" you said almost believing your own words. You weren't fine in that apartment you had no idea how to live by yourself but you didnt want to burden alexia with your problems or with your presence. "No no pequeña, please come live with me honestly it would put me at peace of mind that you are well fed and rest" she said back "really?" You questioned you almost couldn't believe she cared that much for you "of course but please stop calling me captain and call me alexia or ale whatever one" she said almost jokingly.
You had agreed to stay with her and you began to pack but it was getting late and you hadn't eaten yet "umm ale.. alexia can we just go now im really hungry and have no energy to finish packing" you said walking into the living room where she was lay on your couch "of course pequeña how about tomorrow you come back after training then call me when you're finished packing" she said looking up to you. You just nodded you were so tired and it was only 6.30. She brought you to her car and you slipped into the passenger seat the drive was longer than you had expected it was a 30 minutes away yet thats all it took for you to drift of asleep in her car your head resting against the window. Alexia looked over to you her heart almost melting at the sight she knew how hard this must be for you and yet you still hadn't spoke to anyone. The car had pulled into alexias driveway and just as she turned the car off you had stirred awake from your sleep "we're here amor how about you get your bags from the boot" she said getting out the car and made her way to open the door to her house. Her house was beautifully furnished it was so her stylish yet not over the top you couldn't believe you were going to be staying in her home. "How about you start putting your stuff in the bedroom while i cook us some food" she said as she showed you to your new room.
The dish was simple it was just some pasta but it was so tasty you had been craving a home cooked meal. "Thank you so much" you said as you moved to wash your plate in the sink, "no worries amor just wash your dish then you can head off to sleep and i will wake you up" she said giving you a smile. You had climbed into bed this time the sheets felt a lot more comforting and your bed felt so much warmer you had fell asleep with ease. Alexia had came up to check on you but as she peeked her head through the door she found you passed out asleep and she decided to let you sleep.
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mari-lair · 2 days
Text
Let's talk about Teru and Aoi and how interesting Teru behavior with Aoi is.
Teru is on a mission to see what has changed from the original timeline to this one, he said so himself.
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But he makes a strange move and completely ignores the very big change he was presented with: His engagement with Aoi. The plan was to abandon his 'brand new fiance' and go look for other changes.
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Aoi holding his armband, asking for his attention in a very Aoi way and showing a willingness to go on a date with him shocked Teru less than the engagement news but it stuck to him in a way the engagement did not.
Just compare how Teru go 'welp it is what it is, what a strange timeline,' with a level of dismissal that makes him talk to Akane instead of Aoi about the situation.
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To how he takes this Aoi at least seriously enough to question her request for them to go out.
So the idea Aoi wants to date him is more confusing to him than being engaged. So much so he does what he does with the original Aoi and starts asking her questions, even picturing the old Aoi as he ask for her hand, adding a lot of '...' in it.
It feels like a test.
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A test Aoi failed by accepting his hand, doing something the Aoi he knew never would.
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Teru is closed up during his date with Aoi.
He goes with the flow because he needs answers to go back home, he needs to figure out why she is so different but he is tense about this date. His sword bag is a tight fist, pulling at the strap when she clings to his arm.
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During their entire date, he keeps this fake little smile on. Avoiding to touch her as much as he can, and not having much to say despite usually not only being good at acting like a flirty prince when people want him to, but having fun in the role.
So Teru isn't indifferent in his date he is tense as fuck.
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When he decides he'll send the picture to Akane and Aoi breaks character from lovey dovey fiance and he shows a hint of interest again, he goes "ohh? is there a problem?"
It's another test.
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She fails but her panics about hurting Akane must either remind him of og aoi or entertain his more sadistic side, so he goes 'hmmm', which is unimpressed for sure, but still a far more positive reaction than the "unease" that poped up when aoi had held his hand.
By the end of their date i'm pretty sure Teru comes to the conclusion Aoi likes him. I believe this for two reasons.
First, he start playing along with his fiance role instead of being guarded and silent, asking her to feed him with a smile that doesn't feel fake or tense, it's his usual :D expression instead of the :) he has been wearing the intire chapter.
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And second thing of note is that this is the first time he actually touches Aoi.
During the entire manga, even in the old timeline, Teru never even poked her shoulder, but this time he lightly holds her hand to stabilize the snack.
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He seems bothered by people crowding them and he actually perks up when Aoi asks him to go to a more isolated place, his smile feels somewhat casual at the invite too, not like his tense ones from before.
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When Aoi slaps him he is surprised.
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And this part only further suggests that when he had asked Aoi to fed him, he was under the impression she genuinely likes him in this timeline.
So he doesn't have a problem doing couple things like being fed by Aoi as long as he believes Aoi enjoys it too.
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But she doesn't like him.
Just like the Aoi he knows doesn't. It feels right.
Teru is happy.
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Immediately after learning this Teru tries to find more similarities with the old Aoi, asking about her crush on akane and going back to his mission of determining why changes happened.
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Aoi mentions they are both unhappy in this arranged marriage and that they only play along to appease their families. Teru is surprised that he is unhappy too.
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I am not entirely sure what this means but it is noteworthy that he seems genuinely surprised the 'him' of this timeline is opposed to the marriage too.
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This little Teru is a brat, but his smile and blush contrast with his word. Either he is displeased greatly by this but refuses to 'play victim' like Aoi, or he cares more than he lets on.
He was the one who found her when Aoi admitted her intention was to hide. So he went out of his way to find this "annoying victim blaming girl"
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Maybe this means his parents ordered Teru to go find her fiance, make a good first impression, and put on appearances, maybe he went to find her himself for some reason?
As of now, it's hard to say, we don't have enough info about this new timeline to guess very well, but it is food for thought.
Now back to the old timeline, with the Teru we are familiar with: Aoi asks about his family, about expectations and performance, and that isn't a topic he is very comfortable with, just look at his face.
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But he does answer her.
He is very awkward, but he doesn't lie, it feels genuine.
He even mentions his mom, which he hasn't mentioned to anyone before, not even Akane.
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missvelvetsstuff · 2 days
Text
No Benefits
Bucky Barnes x Reader
Summary: Reader and Bucky are best friends until a drunken hook up. Bucky wants a friends with benefits situation because he doesn't feel ready for a relationship but reader knows that will lead to a broken heart.
Then Sharon Carter comes to work with them.
Notes: Steve and Tony are around but retired, everything else is mostly canon
Chapter 7
Warnings: swearing, angst
Sam returned from dropping Cookie at her new home hoping he could get to his room and changed into workout gear without running into anyone. Unfortunately, luck wasn't with him and he heard someone in the kitchen. He decided to speed walk past and hope that whoever it was, was too busy to notice him. That didn't work out either and as he heard Bucky calling his name, Sam cursed softly before stopping.
"Hey Bucky, what's up?"
Bucky looked at him, confused "Why are you coming from the hangar? I didn't hear about any mission."
Sam shook his head "Just a quick errand, not a mission."
Bucky's brow furrowed "On a quinjet? What's the story?"
Sam smirked "Sorry, Terminator. It's classified, I could tell you but then I'd have to kill you." He laughed out loud as he walked away.
They met in the gym a short while later and Bucky kept needling Sam to find out what he was up to but Sam held his tongue, even after Bucky gave him a black eye.
In the wee hours of the next morning, Tony Stark was fighting off sleep when he received an email notification *Transfer of Personnel*. Curious, because he hadn't approved any changes, he read through the email growing more and more angry as he realized what it said. He turned up his music and cursed for 5 minutes straight. Once he calmed down, he composed and sent an urgent email.
The Avengers, their ancillary staff and the new head of intel for the compound all received emails accompanied by an alarm, meaning that whatever it was, was urgent, forcing all of them up and out of bed.
Bucky looked at his phone which said 4am, cursing and threw on a shirt and sweats before heading to the conference room. As he grew closer he saw other Avengers and some staff that he knew but others he wasn't familiar with, all trudging the same way he was. He looked at his phone and saw it was 4:15 and swore again. Some poor intern was standing at the conference room door, in her bathrobe and slippers, handing out coffees to anyone who wanted one. Bucky took one and nodded in thanks before sitting at the table by Steve and across from Nat, Sharon and Yelena.
"Why are you here punk? Doesn't being retired mean you don't have to deal with this bullshit?"
Steve shrugged "Ask Tony, we were up late working so I slept in my old room and he included me in his email."
When the room was almost full Tony came in hands shaking, from anger or caffeine was hard to tell but he'd obviously had too much of both. Sam followed behind him.
Tony cleared his throat.
"Alright. Everyone sit down and shut the Hell up."
He paused for a moment to let everyone settle down before he spoke with an edge to his voice
"I want all of you to know how absolutely fucking furious I am right now so you can appreciate how hard I'm working to control myself."
Everyone looked at him with tired eyes before he continued
"First, I want you all to meet our liaison with the intel office here, this is Dylan, supervisor for the Compound intelligence office."
Dylan stood and waved nervously before quickly sitting down.
Steve looked confused "Why won't Cookie be our contact anymore?"
Bucky straightened up and looked at Steve when he heard him mention Cookie. He noticed Sam hadn't said anything and knew he was closest to Cookie lately. Sam looked suspiciously calm, considering what Tony just told them.
Bucky jumped when Tony slapped the table and shouted
"I want to know which one of you assholes made Cookie leave without even saying goodbye? I woke up this morning to an email from Fury letting me know she moved to a different office." Tony paused, panting "I wanna know who is going to make my cookies now? One of you fuckers better step up and find a way to get her to come back or there will be Hell to pay."
Bucky sat back in his chair in shock. He had planned to talk to Cookie soon, he just felt so guilty over hurting her again and again. He knew she deserved better than a broken man like him and when he had finally convinced himself that he deserved to be happy and finally showed her how he felt and spent the night with her, Nat had pulled him into Antonia's web. All he had done since then was hurt her, repeatedly.
Tony hadn't stopped ranting until he looked at Bucky "It was you, Manchurian, wasn't it?" He looked over at Nat, then Sharon and Yelena "and you three. You were all controlled by Antonia, and that's fucked up no question but Cookie got a pretty bad deal in all this too and she considered all of you her friends. So what did you do?"
All four of them looked down at their hands and mumbled incoherently.
Sam cleared his throat
"They didn't do anything, not a god damned thing."
He looked pointedly at each of them "You all acted like acknowledging her would prove that you hurt her and Cookie was so worried that you all seeing her around was making your healing more difficult so she left to make your lives easier while not one of you could be bothered to even try talking to her or spare a thought for her feelings or healing."
Bucky looked at Sam "So where is she?" Something occurred to him "That's your secret mission yesterday, wasn't it? You took her away from me." he accused.
Sam shook his head "No Barnes, you pushed her away. Even after you've been cleared by medical, you didn't even try to talk to her. Just kept skulking around, making her feel guilty."
"But she didn't do anything wrong why would she feel guilty?" Bucky argued
Sam rolled his eyes. "Just take a minute to think about it, you'll get there."
Bucky slowly figured out what Sam was talking about and his head fell. He knew he needed to talk to her, even Dr Raynor who he had been seeing 3 times a week had pushed him to tell her but he hadn't felt ready for Cookie to confirm what he already knew. Even though it wasn't really his fault it was still him and their chances for any kind of relationship were dead.
Bucky felt his eyes fill with tears "It's my fault Cookie is gone but I need to find a way to talk to her and convince her to come home." He looked at Sam "Where is she?"
Sam shook his head "Not a chance. Not until Cookie gives me the ok. Sorry, tin man."
Bucky growled and hit the table, making Tony shout until Bucky glared at him before stalking out of the room.
When Tony was done ranting, Steve left to find Bucky. He went to Bucky's room but he wasn't there. Or in the kitchen or common room. Steve was ready to give up when Friday's alarm blared and announced that the sprinklers had come on in the Avengers private gym which was limited to the team and a select few agents. It was rarely used since the team was usually training with recruits, except for Bucky.
By the time Steve made it to the gym, Bucky was kneeling in the middle of the destroyed room, breathing heavily, sprinklers raining down on him.
"It's my fault, Steve. I fucked everything up and now she's gone." He shook his head "I can't do this without her, I don't know how to deal with all of this every day without her by my side like she has been for the last 2 years." He looked at Steve sadly "What do I do now? How can I get her back?"
Steve shrugged and shook his head "I don't know Buck, I just don't know."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In her new city, Cookie woke up in her new townhouse and got ready for her first day in a new office. Considering how the compound had felt recently she enjoyed having her own kitchen and living area. No one avoiding or ignoring her, making her feel bad for just existing in their space.
Different office but the same job and she already knew all of the analysts here, had hired most of them, but people behaved differently when the boss was around.
It was a beautiful spring day so Cookie decided to walk the short distance to her office. Like the compound her department only took up a floor but instead of Avengers they were surrounded by CIA agents, definitely not as friendly but that was fine with her. Cookie was more interested in work than any personal entanglements with her co-workers.
Cookie entered the building and went directly to S.W.O.R.D. Director Tyler Hayward. He was an ambitious man who wasn't thrilled to have someone in 'his office' who reported to someone else and wasn't in his control but he wasn't going to risk going against Fury so affixed a fake smile to his face and welcomed Cookie to the office.
They spoke for a few minutes before he led her to a conference room to meet with all of the analysts that report to Cookie. Annie was the senior analyst and had known Cookie for a few years so showed her to her new office.
Annie and Cookie had become good long distance friends, bonding over their shared love of mystery books.
When they arrived in Cookies office, Annie told her about a new book release by an author they both loved. The party was this coming Saturday and the publishing company had their offices a few buildings over. Annie had been able to get her name on the guest list and wanted Cookie to be her plus one since Annie's girlfriend didn't care for mysteries.
Cookie responded enthusiastically and they planned to have a late dinner after the party. Cookie was excited to have the opportunity to look around Boston and maybe meet Harland Thrombey.
She thought to herself. Maybe the move wouldn't be so bad after all.
Cookie had a busy week getting settled into her new office and butting heads with Tyler over some tips she had offered to streamline some of their processes. She went to work for a few hours on Saturday before meeting Annie for a mani-pedi after lunch. She went home to get dressed in a purple, silk, cocktail dress with a deep v-neck that fell just above her knees. Adding black stilettos and clutch to complete the look.
She met Annie at the entrance to the building, they checked each other out appreciatively and linked arms as they walked into the party.
A tall, well built, dark blonde haired man noticed Cookie's entrance and his bright blue eyes followed her around the room, after deciding the tall woman he had never seen before would be the evenings prey.
He approached them as she was getting a drink "You're new in town."
Cookie looked at him curiously, feeling her face heat up as he so obviously checked her out. She nodded "I am. Are you the welcoming committee?"
The man nodded "For a lady as pretty as you, I will endeavour to be welcoming." He took her hand and kissed the back "Ransom Drysdale, pleased to meet you."
"I'm Y/N Y/L/N but my friends call me Cookie, this is my friend Annie. Your name is familiar but I can't- oh my gosh you're Harland Thrombey's grandson. One of the VP's here."
Ransom smiled and made a small bow "That's me. Would you like to meet him?"
Annie and Cookie nodded enthusiastically and took the arms Ransom offered to lead her over to meet his grandfather who was as kind and gracious as she hoped he would be. Unfortunately the party was crowded and there were many others waiting to meet the author, so they only chatted for a few minutes.
Shortly after they met Harland, Annie's girlfriend called, asking her to pick up some infants pain killer as their daughter had woken up from teething pain. She tried to apologize but Cookie shooed her away and promised she would find her own way home.
As soon as Annie was out of sight, Ransom smiled at Cookie and licked his lips. "So, Cookie, do you want to get out of here? My club has a great late supper menu if you're hungry or I'm sure we can find something to do."
@erelierraceala @capswife @ozwriterchick @cjand10 @wintrsoldrluvr @mrsbuckybarnes1917 @browneyedgrli @greatenthusiasttidalwave @hhiggs @dontworryboutitsweetheart-blog @behindmygreyeyes @pattiemac1 @mrsbuckybarnes1917 @calwitch @mrs-bucky-barnes-73 @ordelixx @blackhawkfanatic @casey1-2007 @scott-loki-barnes @selella
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But Daddy, I Love Him (chapter one)
Daemon Targaryen x f!reader
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synopsis : the reader is a daughter of the Lord of House Arwen - ever so dutiful and mild-mannered. Slated to be the lady wife of some highborn Lord, someone who is noble and decent. Not the volatile Rogue Prince. Not Daemon Targaryen.
in this chapter : The Rogue Prince and the reader meet. Their fates entwine. A fool is made out of a Lady.
themes/warnings : Daemon being Daemon is a warning in itself, Daemon has a superiority complex, highborn!reader, House Arwen is my own creation (name inspired by lotr!)
series list : chapter one - chapter two - chapter three
word count : 2k ▪︎ masterlist
a/n : the title and the series concept inspired by the TS song ofc <3
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Dutiful daughter, all my plans were laid. Tendrils tucked into a woven braid...
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Your chambers. The Godswood. The library.
Every day is the same. The mornings start with your ladies in waiting helping you prepare for the day. Running your bath, carefully pressing your frocks, lacing you up in your bodice. Making sure each lock of hair is in place, the right amount of rouge dabbed against the apples of your cheeks.
You were once a perfect little girl, now a perfect little lady.
Soon a perfect little lady wife.
This is your story, already woven, already told time and time again. The same story for all ladies of your standing.
All you have to do is to be good. And so you are.
Thank the gods for the stories you read, enabling you jump into different lives. Adventures and romances you know you will never have, not truly. But you are happy to play the fool with every page turned.
The library has become your safe haven, your home within your home. Nestled high in the sprawling castle of House Arwen. Nothing can disturb you here. No one.
Or so you thought.
The very first words you hear Daemon Targaryen say to you come across as rather rude. You will find in time that he does not mean to be rude. Not all the time, that is. This is just how he is.
"I have always found that story rather dull. Amusing how you seem to be so engrossed in it, my lady."
"Excuse me, but I will you have you know - " you raise your head, taking in the visitor. Or intruder.
"Prince Daemon," you rise from your seat, offering a well-practiced curtsy. An instinctive move of obeisance for a lady like you.
He barely acknowledges your gesture, his face flat and impassive. "That book. I was forced to read it in my youth. Our Maester all but shoved it down my throat."
You immediately do not take to his aporoach. That book is one of the most famous tales from Old Valyria. He should know, being of Valyrian blood and all.
"I believe there is much to like about this book, my Prince."
"Such as?"
"Well, it depicts a warrior knight of Old - "
"Some warrior knight," Daemon scoffs, not even letting you finish your statement. "He gave up his powers for the love of a wench he knew for just a fortnight. He had every chance at glory but he squandered all of it away. For what?"
"For... for love?" comes your response, though you know he did not really want one.
For someone who claims to dislike this story so much, he sure knows it well.
He mindlessly taps his fingers on a nearby shelf, eyes lazily reading the titles. Drifting through the room with the unmistakeable disdain of someone who is used to having so much, the world practically by his feet, but is disinterested with it all.
You think that you could fall dead right then and Daemon wouldn't care. Wouldn't even bat an eyelash. He rolls his eyes at your mention of love, and it does not help your impression of him.
"There are only two things worthy of love in my eyes, my lady, and that is power and blood."
"Blood? Well, my prince, family is one of the most important - "
"Blood is not the same for me as it is for you. My blood carries a legacy of fire and magic, being of Old Valyria. You would not possibly understand how I hold my blood in high regard."
Oh may the gods strike him down now.
Your hands clench into fists, pressing against your skirts, but you don't have it in you to notice the unladylike gesture. All you can think of is letting him have a piece of your mind. "A family can have a flock of sheep or a horde of dragons, my prince, and it makes no difference to me. Your family is your family, your blood is your blood. But whether you choose to love them does not solely depend on blood."
It is as if he sees for you for the first time then, the moment you show that you have your own voice, and that you will not simply cater to his whims.
He turns eager to press you further, make you break, make you cave in. "What of you, my lady? What is it that you find worthy of love? Family, I presume, from your poorly formed argument? What about a lord husband?"
"I do love my family," you nod. "And when I do wed, I am sure I will love my lord husband just as dearly."
He walks closer, but does not stop in front of you as is the polite thing to do in conversation. He circles you, and you feel exposed by the way he openly takes you in. "Oh, but how will you know? You do not have a choice, do you? How can that be love?"
You do not answer right away, for the prince has just voiced one of your biggest fears. What if you do not find love in your lord husband? What sort of life would that entail? One which you have been preparing for since you entered womanhood, one you always thought you would be willing to accept. It is your duty, after all.
So you say just that. "It is my duty, and if I am able to fulfil my duty, then I am certain that will bring me happiness."
Daemon scoffs, his lips forming a self-righteous sneer. "In the story, do you then think that the warrior knight would have been better off fulfilling his duty and abandoning his love?"
"It is not the same."
"It is exactly the same."
"No," you emphasize, "because he had a choice. I do not."
He had stopped right in front of you, a bit too close for comfort, almost as if he needs to lean in to scrutinize you fully. "Love is the death of duty, my lady. Take my word for it, you would be far better off playing your role. If you truly wish to honour your family, you would not fall in love at all."
He's so close that you can feel his breath fanning your face. If you didn't know any better, you would believe that simply being so near Daemon Targaryen is the reason why your body feels like it is on fire. He gives off heat like a furnace, like a dragon.
Maybe he is a dragon. Is that not what they all say about Targaryens?
You open your mouth to take a breath, lest your throat also burns from the dry warmth, your stomach curling adding to your nerves. It prompts you to ask, "What about you, my prince? Has duty stolen every chance you have at love?"
His eyes draw downward to your lips, and his faint blonde lashes catch the light. The Rogue Prince does look otherwordly. Everything you have heard about him has been inadequate.
His violet eyes meet yours once more. "I would not bother with such frivolity. As I said, my lady, power and blood are all there is."
"Perhaps so. Perhaps true love only exists in the stories that I read."
"You are learning," he nods, and offers what might be his first genuine smile to you.
"Nevertheless," you step away from him, and carry your book back to the shelf. "I do not fault the warrior knight for choosing love over glory. I would choose as he had done, if that were a possibility."
His response is glib, but not meant to offend. "Then you are a fool, my lady."
"I wish I were a fool, my prince," you smile, lowering your gaze. "Aren't all fools happy?"
"You wish nothing more than to be mere mummer who has found happiness in love."
"If only," you say. It's surprising how easy you're finding it to engage in conversation with him. It feels like you have known him for many moons and not only for this moment.
The Rogue Prince, of all people. Which begs the question, what is he doing in the library of House Arwen?
"Pardon me, my prince, but why have you graced us with your presence this morning?"
He turns serious, almost bored, that he has to acknowledge the reason for his visit. "My brother, the King, has sent me to relay an official decree to your Lord father. He is to accept the position of Master of Coin for the small council."
"He... he is?" you swallow. This would mean that you have to go with him and live in the Red Keep. This also signals that your betrothal to Tyland Lannister is afoot. Your father had recently paid a visit to Casterly Rock to arrange for your marriage to Tyland or Jason Lannister. If it is to be with Jason, you would be sent to Casterly Rock. If Tyland, your father would take the offer to be part of the small council. You are to accompany him and begin courtship with the Master of Ships.
At least it will be Tyland and not Jason.
"Yes, I am supposed to meet your Maester here in the library to deliver the royal decree," Daemon replies, the task so insignificant to him, unaware that he has just delivered news that determines the course of your life.
Not that it makes any difference. Your father has always wanted to join houses with either the Lannisters or the Baratheons. Forge a true Westerosi alliance. It seems that he will finally get his wish.
Your thinking gets the better of you, and you stand unmoving, the weight of duty suddenly feeling too much to bear.
Daemon's face scrunches in what can misconstrued be concern. But surely he isn't. He must only be uncomfortable at your sudden silence and blank expression.
"Is something the matter? Are you not pleased that your father is graced with an opportunity such as this?"
"Of course. I am sure that he would be delighted."
"You do not seem to be."
No, you aren't. While you have met Tyland Lannister before, there was never any attraction there. From your side and his. Yours would be a marriage of convenience, for the benefit of both Houses.
How I wish I was the warrior knight.
"It matters not how I feel, my prince."
There is movement by the doors, and the old Maester rushes in all out of breath.
"My prince!" He calls out immediately. "My deepest apologies that I have kept you waiting."
Daemon pays him no mind. His attention is solely on you. Conscious that the Maester observes the exchange, you clear your throat. "I shall take my leave, my prince. The Maester will see to you now."
You tilt your head and curtsy in farewell. As you pass by Daemon, your hand brushes against his, the pads of his knuckes rough against your own. The first and likely the only time your skin will come into contact with his, you strangely think with regret. Still, it catches you off guard and you feel a sensation like needles pricking all the way up your arm.
"My lady," he greets, and under his breath, making sure the Maester cannot hear, he adds, "my lady fool."
Another smile is shared between the two of you.
Love is the death of duty, he had said. Sooner rather than late, you will find out just how it rings true.
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Supper with your Lord father is but another constant. You have always been grateful for it, especially since the passing of your late mother.
He is the only family you have around, with your elder sister already married off to some Lord in the Riverlands. She has already done what was expected of her, securing an alliance for House Arwen and bearing children for her Lord Husband.
The mantle has been passed on to you. It was never something to ponder over, as it is not something in your control.
Do your duty. Play your role. Pray that you never fall in love at all, Daemon said.
But might I fall in love with Tyland? Should that not be what I aim for?
"I heard that you encountered Prince Daemon this morning," your father says. "I trust that you acted accordingly as befits his station."
"Of course, father."
"Though it matters little to me how that rogue prince fares." The derision in his tone cannot be contained. Your father has never held Prince Daemon in any regard, viewing him as a waste of his titles.
"The Prince was gracious enough to exchange pleasantries with me."
Pleasantries. Never mind how he mocked your story, your family, and by extension, you.
"Careful, daughter. Prince Daemon is never loathe to chase after the nearest skirt that catches his fancy. I feel for his newly betrothed, the Lady Laena Velaryon. Far too good for him, that one."
"Daemon is betrothed?" you ask, unable to hide your surprise. Last you heard, his wife Rhea Royce passed in a tragic hunting accident. You also heard the whispers that she perished by her husband's hand.
After finally meeting him, you would not count it as an impossibility. But some part of you does not want to believe that he could be capable of something so vile.
"Yes, Prince Daemon has been betrothed once more. No doubt the most fruitful union for their Houses," your father confirms. With all this talk of betrothals, you already know what is coming, but your stomach sinks all the same when he adds, "as will be the union of House Arwen and House Lannister, dear daughter. You should consider yourself highly fortunate. I have toiled considerably to bring about your betrothal to Tyland Lannister."
"Of course, father." The words are empty, worn through, forever echoing in your ears.
Of course. I will do my duty. What is love after all, but a passing fancy, mere fiction entombed in between pages?
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The red scales of the infamous Blood Wyrm glisten under the bright sunlight.
Caraxes lets off an ear-splitting screech as Daemon guides him across the skies.
"Daor tolmiot sir." The Valyrian smoothly comes from Daemon like a song. Not far now.
Not far from the seat of House Arwen in the Westerlands. His destination, for some unknown reason.
Just the seventh day after he was sent to deliver the decree, he finds himself returning once more. It is the day that your Lord father, yourself, and the rest of your envoy are set to ride for King's Landing.
And Daemon has decided to extend an offer to you, the Lady Arwen, one that might infinitely expedite your travels.
There were a myriad of justifications floating around in his head. He found out that you are betrothed to Tyland Lannister and his actions on this day would no doubt ruffle the preening lion's mane.
Anything to needlessly anger a Lannister, Daemon would enjoy.
He would revel in the pleasure of bespoiling such a prim and strait-laced Lady such as yourself. It would be like sport to him.
It must also not be forgotten that this would rouse the ire of your Lord father, who has never held any love for Daemon and vice versa.
All these reasons make complete sense to Daemon. All but one which he does not allow himself to entertain.
That he wishes to see you.
Who are you, if not just another proper wench with your honour and your faith for the Seven Gods up your arse? Daemon has much more discerning tastes, from dragonrider to tavern whore, but never one with your disposition.
You are nothing to Daemon. No one.
But that does not mean he will refrain from indulging in the pleasure of causing chaos.
The clouds part as Caraxes dips lower, revealing the outline of your meagre castle.
"Sepār ilagon konīr." Daemon refers to the inner courtyard where a line of carriages await, precious possessions being lugged onto them by footsoldiers.
Caraxes dives down with precision, his wings casting a shadow over the courtyard as he suddenly descends, leaving everyone startled.
Daemon's boots heavily crunch against the gravel as he jumps down, and he scans the wary crowd for his prize.
Soldiers rising to attention, bowing their heads to their prince. Ladies-in-waiting openly ogling him as he draws nearer. The Maester and his apprentices approaching him with rushed greetings springing from their mouths.
And then, there you are.
Standing just behind the small crowd, whispering hurriedly to your companion. You shush when you spy Daemon heading right for you.
"My prince." You perform the usual curtsy. Daemon thinks the movement does not suit you. He much preferred it when you were getting riled up at his remarks back at your library.
"My lady," he greets. "Lovely weather we are having, is it not?"
You appear confused, your eyes narrowing and nose scrunching for but a brief moment, and Daemon relishes in prompting such an unguarded expression. But it reverts back into your polished smile.
"Yes, it... it is, my prince. Forgive me, but I was not aware that we were expecting you."
No. Of course not. "Let me rephrase that. It is lovely weather for dragonriding, and I am inclined to think that you would enjoy the journey to the Red Keep."
"I am afraid I do not follow."
Daemon gets right to the point and his next words ring true, leaving no room for doubt as to his intentions. "My lady, I would like for you to ride with me."
Your posture becomes slack, and you gape at him like he has grown a second head.
"That would be inappropriate, my prince."
"No," he sneers. "It would be inappropriate if I take you for myself right there on the dragonsaddle, my lady, but I merely wish to offer a ride."
Your companion blushes profusely at his words. Apparently the image affects her so much all she can do is stare at her feet.
You, on the other hand, are unyielding. Your eyes blazing right through his own violet. A nagging voice in Daemon's mind insists that this is what he came for. Nothing else.
You finally say, "It is unbecoming of me to even entertain that notion, Prince Daemon. My Lord father and my betrothed would surely not approve."
Daemon takes a step closer, and the two of you stand nearly toe to toe. "But do you not wish it? Do you not wish to fly on dragonback? Much like the heroes in your stories I would wager."
"Those are just stories. It would be foolish of me."
Daemon laughs dryly, "My lady, is that not what you are? A lady fool who dreams of adventure and love?"
You frown when he has you cornered, your thoughts whirring in that foolish head of yours. Daemon feels the need to run his thumb over your pursed lips.
Perhaps I am the foolish one.
The Maester interrupts, breaking the impasse, nervously looking between the two of you.
"My prince," he says, "if you came to speak to the Lord Arwen, he is still in his chambers. He should be on his way down shortly."
You glance at the Maester then back to Daemon, awaiting his response, but he has none to offer.
You tilt your head disapprovingly at his outright discourtesy until he extends his hand to you. "My lady," he says with sincerity, "you shall be made a good lady wife soon enough, but today I invite you to be foolish with your prince."
It is the Maester who speaks, "My prince, the Lady Arwen must not - "
But you rudely interrupt, a newfound fire blazing in your eyes. "Is it as exhilarating as the stories say?"
"Enough to please a fool," Daemon replies.
With a smile, you fit your hand right into his, consequences be damned.
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I may not write for him as often, but Daemon just might be my favourite to characterize and the most fun to weave stories with 🖤
This is a fixed miniseries, with a more or less fixed story, so it will only a three-parter.
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emilykaldwen · 1 day
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The Maiden and the Drowning Boy | Aegon x OC | Chapter Seventeen
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Rating: Explicit
Ships: Aegon II Targaryen x Abrogail Strong (Lyonel Strong's Daughter), Jacaerys Velaryon x Helaena Targaryen
Summary: As the kingdom teeters on the edge of chaos, Alicent Hightower swaps the pieces on the board: Aegon will marry Abrogail Strong, Larys’ younger sister and heir to Harrenhal. Caught in the web of intrigue and political machinations, the pair must figure out where their loyalties lie, and what they mean to one another.
Tropes: Childhood Sweethearts/Friends to Lovers, Generational Trauma and Cycles of Abuse, It's All About the Character Development, Unreliable Narrators, Multi-POV, Canon Divergent, Bisexual Aegon II Targaryen, Book/Show Mash Up, Fix-It Of Sorts, Stopping the Cycle of Abuse before it gets us all killed, Team Neutral, fairy tale vibes meets victorian medievalism meets grrm
No tag list. please follow @emkald-fic and turn on post notifications for updates or subscribe on AO3
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Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven | Chapter Eight | Chapter Nine | Chapter Ten | Chapter Eleven | Chapter Twelve | Chapter Thirteen | Chapter Fourteen | Chapter Fifteen | Chapter Sixteen
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Author's Note: We've got Rhaenyra POV! We've got Aemond POV! We've got a surprise in the end! Thank you for all the support and patience. You're all getting this chapter early since I'm out of town for the weekend! Enjoy!
PLEASE PLEASE subscribe to the series page or my author page so you get updates when we start the next story! You're not going to want to miss it. (And follow @emkald-fic on tumblr if you read here!)
All my love to @vampire-exgirlfriend for her love and support and holding my hand through this chapter that just kept kicking my fucking ass. If you need more Aemond content, you must read, They Say I killed You (Haunt Me Then)! Now complete! (epilogue going up soon!)
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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN - Parrying the Daggers Thrown At Us
Rhaenyra receives a letter. Aemond cannot find peace until he gets a taste of it.
Grandfather is still ill, much like we saw him last but he prefers his wheel chaired more oft than not…
Things have been tense, understandably so, but Queen Alicent has been cordial and has made sure we are comfortable and have what we need… 
Aegon and Aemond keep their distance, perhaps so they can glare all the better…
I do not know how to make amends for what happened… 
…and they say Aemond is taken by his pains at times, darkening his room as his head aches from his wound… 
I should make amends, it is right… 
What do you think I should do?...
Heleana has been the warmest… 
…we danced together at the feast and she was quite happy to do so. It is nice spending time with her…
Aegon is happy around Lady Abrogail and she laughs freely with him. He is not like how he used to be as much with her… 
I think Lord Lyonel and Ser Harwin would be pleased to see how well she is treated…
Many houses were represented at Aegon’s nameday… 
Most seemed to wonder if Aegon would have been named heir and displace you but none came to pass… 
…they will inherit Harrenhal. I can see the wisdom in it as Luke will have Driftmark one day, but I think of Joffrey and Aegitsos and my uncles who do not have lands and holds to occupy them…
I love you much, Muñus, I hope you are well and that I will see you soon…
Rhaenyra ran her fingers over her son’s careful script, her mouth twitching in fondness amidst her worry of her zēapos. His letter was long, too much for a raven’s wings and she started from the beginning once she had read it through once. Twice. Her ribs ached as if Jace had been carved out of her to go on this journey and she shook her head, trying to let the feeling flit away on the breeze. Her eldest had a temper, much as she did in her youth, much as his father had, in the ways that drew her in. Time stole away much, and her own bouts of temper had cooled with each broken toy, each yelling fight, each ‘he pulled my hair!’ and ‘He pushed me and won’t share!’
The sounds of swords clanged in the yard and her gaze flitted from her son’s letter - pages crinkled in her grasp - to the courtyard below where Daemon was testing the new recruits to the Dragonstone guard. His silver hair was twisted back from his face in braids as he preferred, something about war and mindset and always be prepared.
He called something towards Joff and Aegitsos as the knight before him panted, having been bested against her husband.
Baela had not written, that much she knew, though Jace had said that she had found a friend in Helaena after a tense standoff. Rhaenyra had found the mention of it surprising, for her little sister, in the times she’d been around her, had been a quiet thing, eyes large in her face, gaze flitting to everyone and no one.
Helaena has been the warmest…
Helaena was not yet married. The match with Aegon had never come to pass.
The invitation lay on the table before her next to the plate of lemon cake she liked for her morning meal on days such as this.
The wedding of Prince Aegon of House Targaryen and Lady Abrogail Strong of Harrenhal…
In five moons, the spectacle would be held in the Riverlands. In five moons, the realm would look upon her brother once more, peacocked and pulled out, as Daemon sneered, by Otto Hightower to show him off as a contender, to put pressure on her father to change his mind. Her father had nearly twenty years to change his mind and still, he had not. Not even in her absence, cowardly as it sometimes felt to retreat and lick her wounds, had her father’s support of the claim and her family seemed to waver. Try as the Hightowers might to scream and spread slanders that would call for bloodshed, her father still would not be swayed. It was the sense of satisfaction that she had felt when he came to her defense in that shadowed hall those years ago, the heated of curl in it that no matter what, there could be no question as to his choice.
He had chosen her.
Even as the feeling waned over time to give over to those moments where she doubted, all the times he had failed to reign his wife in with her abuses and vitriol, the words her son had sent her bolstered her.
I think Lord Lyonel and Ser Harwin would be pleased…
Harwin’s little sister, big blue eyes and red curls bound in braids, peeking curiously over the edge of Lucerys’ cradle next to Jace because ‘She asked if she could see the baby and give him this,’ Harwin had said, as the little girl presented her attempts at embroidering a little dragon on a pillow. Little Abrogail, half Harwin’s, half Alicent’s. She had tried to bring the girl to Dragonstone with them. Would she not be happier away from the court politics with her brother and the quiet? Lord Lyonel had given her a surprised, then hard look, and Rhaenyra had felt chastened in a way her own father had never been able to evoke within her.
“I will keep my daughter with me, and should I send her away, it will be back to her home, at Harrenhal, with her brother.”
Grief washed through her like the crashing of the waves on the rocky shore below and she felt her own jagged edges inside of her. Lyonel Strong had been the best of them, putting the realm first, always by her side at every council meeting she attended, encouraging her, even as his face grew graver with each brunette curled boy she bore.
Violet eyes swept across the parchment again. A servant in the camp had tried to attack the girl, Jace said. Crept into her tent, assuming she would have been alone. Inquiries were being made, but as far as anyone could see, the man had just been a baseborn servant - blending in like no other. Rhaenyra pursed her lips and looked down at the training yard once more, fingers drumming along the stone ledge of the terrace.
She wondered how wrapped around Lady Abrogail’s finger her half-brother might be… and how opportune this moment was.
Alicent’s eldest was marrying and taking a seat in the Riverlands. It was not the bold choice that Rhaenyra had thought would happen. Surely one of the many Lannister girls, or one of the Baratheons - a great house who would be invested in their own daughter becoming queen would have made more sense.
Harrenhal, for the wealth and lands that it had, did not command armies the way the Stormlands did. It did not have endless coffers the way Casterly Rock boasted of. It was a moody fortress on the edge of the God’s Eye, surrounded by lush farmland and woods that were dark and deep and felt that you were somewhere fanciful, somewhere that didn’t hold dragons nor thrones, nothing except for a warm hand wrapped around her own.
The clashing and screaming of steel in the yard below pulled Rhaenyra from her thoughts, and away from the path of her sorrows and regrets. Turning her back to the sight below, she reached for her own parchment and quill, pushing aside the letter from Lord Celtigar.
Lady Abrogail… Good tidings on news of your approaching nuptials…
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Aemond pursed his lips, his gaze rising from the book before him, a study on the Conqueror’s approach to the first Dornish war,to squint across the barrel room near the top of the tower that held the library in the Holdfast. He drummed his fingers upon the scarred wooden table, a fingertip running along the crescent burn from the time Abby had accidentally knocked over a candle while they were reading about Harren the Black.
He exhaled slowly, the way the Braavosi manuals advised and looked back at his book.
It had been weeks since his brother’s festivities, and the chill of the end of the growing season had crept in. It was not cold by northern standards, but the air cooled, the rains rolled in for the next several months, and angry storms fell over them  from the Narrow Sea, their winds piercing and frightening, as if they were dragons themselves in the winds that the Storm God rode, threatening to tear apart the Red Keep brick by brick.
Helaena’s nameday had passed with quiet fanfare, the lingering lords of the realm who had not left parading their sons in front of his maiden sister. As if any of them were worthy of a dragonrider, someone as clever and kind as Helaena.
It had been complicated over the past weeks since the talk in the garden, and Aemond still wasn’t entirely sure how he felt. What had been most surprising had been the strange sense of release when his sister let him go, leaving him to sit in the rain before Visenya’s statue, her words ringing in his ears. 
‘I would burn Dorne for you… but I do not want to leave behind a world of ash and bone.’
How desperate Helaena had looked, angry and frightened and full of hope as she begged not to have a husband, but a brother back. ‘How else am I supposed to protect her?' he had wondered. How else could he offer his sister protection and security if it wasn’t to marry her, to tie her to him so that she would never have to fear, never have to doubt her acceptance and those who loved her?
Aegon had not wanted to marry her. She was weird, he’d sneered. How miserable Helaena would be, how miserable they both would have been. Aemond had done the right thing. He’d stepped up, he had gotten Mother and The Tower to break the betrothal. Even if they had not promised him and Helaena to one another, that was alright, it would simply be a matter of time.
He had Vhagar. There could be no further doubt that he was truly a Valyrian. There could be no more doubt as to his place in the world. All that was left was his sister.
Guilt gnawed deep in his stomach, shame twisting around his throat when the thought filtered through. Helaena was not a bauble he needed to collect to prove something. Collecting her was not protecting her. Collecting her was not about her, but for him, and it was this knowledge that he had thought about constantly.
His sister deserved more than being a broodmare, to be a pawn in the games. The forced distance the last few weeks had given him, after Helaena pushed him from the proverbial nest, had left him unsettled and snappish.
The loud thud of a book hitting the stone floor reverberated through the room. A heavy tome, judging from the heft of the sound, followed by a soft giggling, a deeper snickering sound chasing after it before they muffled and fell quiet.
He knew, with the utmost certainty, why it had fallen quiet.
Ever since the betrothal, the grip on his best friend had been slipping. Oh, him and Abrogail were an unlikely pair, but few appreciated books and history as his cousin did. While digging in the dirt and helping Helaena catalog her collection had been fulfilling, there was something joyous in being able to have someone who understood the quiet and sanctity of the library, and who loved books and reading and learning as he did. Lyonel Strong had always indulged his questions when was young - far more enthralling than Mellos and Orwyle were, and he had fostered that curiosity in his daughter.
‘All she’s going to care about is making babies with Aegon!’ Helaena had cried, frustrated and angry when they’d been alone after the fight in the brothel. 
There was a soft cry, and Aemond scowled at his book before his chair scraped across the stone floor and he strode purposefully towards the source of the sound. The histories of the Riverlands were there - not just observational books, but the census, the trade information, things used by the small council’s not-quite-so-small army of clerks and counters and lawmakers. The section of the library that Abby had frequented since the announcement and that he had helped her with.
“Not here,” came the whispered whine, laced with laughter. Aemond rolled his eye as he turned the corner of the aisle. It was shadowed somewhat this far down, The strategically polished silver angled to bounce the light around so as not to pose a fire risk among the precious books, although the day was gray and cloudy and the light reflected was that of a lamp. Abby was pressed against the bookshelves, the blue and silver brocade of her skirts rucked up with her stockings on display, her legs at present, wrapped around his stupid brother’s waist. One arm was stretched out to grab onto the bookshelf behind her, and the fallen book that had been in its place was still on the ground. Aegon’s face was buried into her chest, or maybe her throat? 
He was half-blind, after all, sometimes details could be mercifully missed. Or ignored.
“This,” Aemond said, his voice even and dripping with every ounce of annoyance and betrayal he felt, “is the library, not a brothel.”
Aemond’s fists clenched at the disrespect both of them displayed to a place they knew  was important to him. At the announcement of his presence, Abby squeaked, Aegon’s arms tightening around her as she scrambled to lower herself without sending them both toppling. He held his arms folded behind his back, his hand scraping along his elbow as the pair of them got themselves in order and he shook his head when Aegon looked at him, dragging the back of his hand across his mouth. Abby had turned to straighten her gown.
“Are you really going to act like this?” Aegon said, for it was barely a question. “We weren’t in front of you and your book. You were the one seeking us out.”
“Because you both weren’t as quiet as you thought you were,” Aemond snapped. “It was distracting.”
A lazy smirk crossed across his brother’s flushed face and he wanted to punch him square in his stupid nose. Let him kiss his future wife with his face bashed in. “Well, my lady is distracting-.” There was a soft sound as Abby smacked Aegon’s shoulder, cutting him off with an exaggerated ow, the flinch was nowhere near the violent response that inhabited his brother when it was their mother doing the hitting. She peered around Aegon’s shoulder, her mouth just as swollen, her cheeks just as flushed and her features apologetic.
“We’re sorry, Aemond. Things just got out of hand. I shouldn’t have-”
“Don’t you apologize,” Aegon interrupted her this time, a fierce look on his face. 
“No, actually,” Aemond cut in, taking a step forward, using the few inches he now had on his brother to straighten his shoulders. “She’s right. Thank you, Abby, for apologizing. Are you upset that she has to apologize for you, since your self-awareness is worse than a billy goat ramming his head into things?”
Aegon’s mouth gaped in offense, his flush deepening. There was a bruise along his neck that was going to be difficult to hide. The glib nature of his eldest brother was a trial at the best of times, but this? “You know this isn’t your place to run about as you please. Shall I just unlock my doors, let you roll around in my sheets and over my personal things while you’re at it?”
“It’s the fucking library, Aemond. It doesn’t belong to you-”
Abby let out a startled cry as Aemond’s fist shot out, but as much as he would love to punch his brother, he shoved him instead, feeling the crackling of frustration, the rumble of Vhagar in his chest.  “Because it’s all yours, is that it? You mewling fucking kitten. This isn’t just my library, it’s hers too, but you don’t fucking care about anything that means something to anyone else if it gets in the way of what your limp cock wants.”
“Aemond, truly, we’re sorry - Aegon, no!” Abby’s voice was lost in Aegon’s growl as his brother came back with another shove, sending him back a few steps. Aemond laughed, a hint of a sound like the thin scrape of wind whistling through a crack. Yes, yes let the idiot push him around. Let him continue to pull his friend away from him, from him and Helaena both. His gaze darted briefly to the redhead, blue eyes wide as she pressed herself back against the shelves, before meeting his brother’s lighter gaze.
“You are a glib fucking fool, Aegon,” Aemond said lowly, his mouth curling as he readied for a fight, needing to expend the burn of flame inside of him. “I don’t care what the pair of you do, I’ll say nothing should Mother hear of it, but-” he stepped forward and shoved Aegon hard into the bookstack. The ancient wood creaked and groaned, but the stacks were bolted to the floor to prevent them from topping. A few books fell from the force of Aegon’s frame smacking into it. “Stay the hell out of my library.”
He did not look over his shoulder, even as Abby called his name, apology rife in her tone. He strode through the halls, calling for his horse to be saddled while he went to angrily pull on his riding leathers. The left side of his temple ached as it was wont to do when his face was full of tension. Helaena would make him tea, protect him in the quiet, but that was not meant to be today. The last he saw, his sister was in the gardens with Jacaerys. 
How he ached to wring the stupid bastard’s neck.
How bright he seemed to make Helaena laugh.
How betrayed Aemond felt by it all.
Why hadn’t Helaena said anything? Why hadn’t she told him that she didn’t want to be married? Why had she just let him wander around like a puppy and now left the fool?
‘But hadn’t she told you?’ a little voice drifted through Aemond’s mind and he paused in the lacing of his leathers. Had she not told him by pursuing that fool Warren Fossoway, and the time that he had spied her kissing him - for he had seen Helaena push the squire behind the carved dragon pillar by the gardens. 
‘But she would let me kiss her, she would kiss me, and she’d touch me and I her and-’ The flurry of thoughts ached as he pulled on his boots.
It would not hurt as much if it was anyone but Jacaerys.
The ride to the beach beneath the shadow of the Red Keep was a blur. The rock outcropping of Aegon’s High Hill was a craggy, sheer thing, but the beach below was one that Vhagar enjoyed sunning herself, a guard dog laying at the foot of the bed in a way. Her head lifted as Aemond approached, lowing in greeting and shaking sand from her scales. The tension in Aemond’s chest began to ease at the sight of her, and he approached, patting a gloved hand along her scarred neck, scratching along a vicious scar she must have received in Dorne. There were no words exchanged, not the way Aegon chattered with Sunfyre. Aemond’s bond with Vhagar was one of feeling, of such deep understanding that no words needed to spill from him. In no time, he scaled her great bulk and yelled out the command to fly, which his dragon responded with her own, what he assumed was excited, call in return.
Vhagar landed on the cliffs on the western side of Massey’s Hook, the bay below dotted with smaller fishing boats this far out from King’s Landing and away from the bustle of the capital. Rage and grief, anger and fear were a tempest in his gut and he rankled at the call of Moondancer as his cousin circled above them.
If Baela wanted this fight, then he would meet her, unflinching. Let her see what dragons were made of. They did not all reside on Dragonstone.
“Laodijes peldios!” Baela howled at him, her voice a sharp shout on the breeze, her face twisted and ugly with fury, fists at her side as she readied herself to hit him should he get within reach.
Aemond glared at her, the distance between them shrunk now to an arm length. Vhagar was a great shadow behind him and he could feel the sulfuric heat of her breath as she exhaled buffeting at his back. Moondancer was a little ways away, shrieking fearfully and Aemond could not tell if the dragon reflected her rider’s mood, or her fear of Vhagar.
“You’re a fucking fool. Daemon Targaryen is your father, your mother a Velaryon, and you still don’t realize that a dragon cannot be stolen.”
“You had no fucking right!” Baela snarled. “Vhagar was for Rhaena to claim-”
“If Vhagar had not wanted me, she would have eaten me and you damn well know it.” Aemond cut her off, watching her jaw click shut with a curl of satisfaction. “Vhagar chose me, not your sister. What? You want to kill me to give her another chance at claiming her? Is that what you’re here? To finish the job that you all started?”
“Why would my mother’s dragon choose you?” Balea cried, and this time, there was a choked quality to her rage. Aemond’s eye widened slightly and he leaned back from her, a curl of uncertainty that he despised. His words had been harsh, full of the anger that he had felt simmering these past years. Aemond shrugged it off. He had earned his harshness in this. He’d been the one attacked, the band of them setting upon him simply because he chose to claim his right as a Valyrian prince.
‘Why would my mother’s dragon choose you?’
Aemond ran his tongue over his teeth and leaned back on his foot, watching Baela gasp for air amidst her choking sobs, and turn from him to look out to the bay, towards Driftmark and High Tide.
He remembered his mother’s cries, her rage, her such careful and elegant control snapping as her voice cracked in the silence of the Hall of Nine.
“He’s your son, Viserys.”
“Why did Moondancer choose you?” Aemond asked. “Why did Moondancer choose you, and my egg never hatched?” Baela did not look at him but he could see the way her shoulders tensed. “Why didn’t you go find the guards? Why did you come, thinking a thief had stolen a dragon and Jacaerys brought his blade? Why did they give me a pig, pretending they had found me a dragon as they both had their own? Why did they do nothing but terrorize me with that fact for our childhoods?” 
Aegon had done it too, gone in on the fun, drunk on being the eldest. It had lessened considerably in the wake of Rhaenyra leaving the capital, even if his brother sought other ways to tease him - he’d never again mentioned his lack of dragon.
Aegon had come to him in his sick bed, his curls shorn, red eyed and puffy faced, tears on his cheeks, had knelt at his bedside and vowed to him. 
“We protect our own and I did not protect you. I do not care if you’ve claimed Vhagar, for I was not there for you when you needed me. It will never happen again. I will protect you. I will be by your side.”
Aemond had sometimes wondered how much of the words were his brother’s own, but he had known, with certainty, that the feelings were genuine. His brother was an idiot, and they butted heads, but his brother loved him in his own way, and for as angry as Aegon could make him, he loved him too. In his own way. 
He might admit that on his deathbed, unlike Aegon, who would only need to be in the depths of his cups and into the sad and tearful mourning edge.
“What do you know, Baela?” Aemond said, his voice even, coldness creeping along the edges. “Of fighting and scraping for everything that is owed to you?” He forcefully bit his tongue, copper exploding in his mouth as he broke skin, to keep from pressing further at the loss of her birth right to Driftmark for Rhaenyra’s folly.
“A prince has to scrape for all that is owed to him.” It was rhetorical, biting, and Aemond snorted, taking a step forward, his own gaze looking out at the water.
“You may have been an idiot child, but don’t play me for a fool.” It was impossible not to see how little Viserys thought of his second family, and he had seen it plainly on Jacaerys’ face, the surprise in witnessing it. “I’m sure your father relishes every word you send to him. His little spy.”
Baela’s lip curled in a snarl and she stalked closer. Aemond stayed where he was, watching her with a narrowed eye as Vhagar let out a low growl behind him. She did not move, did not lift her head, but her nostrils flared and Aemond felt the heat of her breath swirl around him. Baela’s eyes widened, and she paused, the indigo of them shining with tears. 
He turned his head slightly to look at Vhagar. “Ȳgha iksi,” he reassured her, feeling Vhagar’s displeasure seeping through him, her warning and the remembered rage from those years ago when she could not protect him or take away his pain. He reached for her snout, pressing his hand to the scar above her left nostril, rubbing against it. He turned his back to his cousin and brought his other hand up, feeling the anger hot as coals, hot as dragonfire in his chest. Vhagar was full of tension. He could feel it. Would she feel that way if it wasn’t him? If she was not so worried for him, would she recognize the girl behind him as the child that Laena Velaryon surely brought to her, as Aemond would have brought his own child? Had his grandfather, Baelon, brought his sons to this dragon before them?
The silence filled the air around them, the wind thick with tension. Aemond pressed his forehead to Vhagar, took strength from her, squeezed his eye shut and ignored the pain that lanced through his head and pulsed behind his scar.
The sob behind him was soft, and Moondancer’s cry was mournful.
“He’s your son, Viserys.”
“I did not mean to tarnish your mother’s memory,” Aemond finally spoke, his voice carrying as he looked, blind side towards Baela. “It was not done to hurt you, or to take something from you. It was… It was my only chance. And it’s something I don’t think you’ll ever be able to understand. I am… I am sorry about the loss of your mother. I did not have the opportunity to give you my condolences then, but I can give them to you now.”
The sound Baela made was strangled. Aemond turned to look at her. Baela was stiff beneath her red and black riding leathers, the metal rings in her hair tinkling as the wind tugged at her braids. He recalled the mourning child she had been sitting by her twin and Jace, the vicious yell she’d let out when she punched him in the nose that night, the howls and scream of pain. He felt Vhagar twitch and groan beneath his touch, another warning and he hushed her again, stroking her snout. He watched her gaze go towards Moondancer, who was crying fitfully, grounded still, her aquamarine wings more green against the lush grass of the clifftop.
“Do you want to pet her?”
Baela stared at him, the hostile lines to her face instantly slacking in surprise. “Skoro syt?” Her voice was small and wary, even as her eyes were wide with grief.
“My condolences,” Aemond repeated, and he found the words genuine. It was not Baela, nor her sister, or even his bastard nephews that rankled him. Oh, he wanted his revenge, He wanted what was due, but more of the blame lay with his eldest sister and their father. Of that, Aemond was secure in. He would gladly feed them both to Vhagar, to take an eye as payment for his mother.
His cousin shifted on her booted feet before whatever compelled her brought her forward. Aemond shifted, beckoning her to take her place by his side as he murmured words to Vhagar. Baela had taken her glove off, her slim, tanned hand reaching tentatively up before resting along the scar on Vhagar’s nostril.
They stood there for how long, Aemond was not sure, quietly beside one another as Baela grieved for the mother at the bottom of the Narrow Sea, and his own grief at what was taken from him.
“Do not mourn me, mother…”
‘But mourn the boy dead on Driftmark.’
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It was not lightness or peace that settled over Aemond when he and his cousin parted later. He was not certain how much time had passed, only that after she had sobbed, they sat there in a strange, companionable silence eating hunks of bread and cheese and apple that Baela cut with a wicked blade. She did not give him thanks, she did not say anything, but Aemond took the offering of shared food as her own gesture of whatever truce was settled between them. The exchanged curt nods before parting, Baela northeast and away from the city to what Aemond assumed was High Tide and her grandmother and twin, while he circled back towards the city.
Aemond was not certain of the feeling he held except that it felt like he had scratched something out on a list, or deposited a burden that he was trying to carry with all his other, more cumbersome burdens. It was a closed door. That was enough for Aemond, and there was a part of him that wanted to march to his sisters and tell them that he had made nice, to have Abby’s warm smile proud with him, and Helaena’s little clap and promptly being the receiver of her latest mountain spider that Uncle Rodrik had brought her.
Instead, after entering the inner courtyard of the Red Keep and handing off his horse to one of the stablehands, he made his way to the gardens and to his own preferred solitude when the library - so recently desecrated - was not an option. No, Aemond needed air, he needed the statue of Visenya to look down upon him. There, where Helaena had snipped the strings and released him from the vow he had made, the goal that held him that was more about him than it truly was about her. 
Where his sister had set him free, and he loved her all the more for it.
The problem, he found, upon striding down the paved path and through the dripping ivy, was that his garden was not, in fact, as empty as he hoped. Wylla Karstark was kneeled in front of a bush of hyacinths, carefully cutting the purple blooms and placing them in a basket beside her. She was clad in a dove gray dress, the black fabric of her kirtle beneath poking out through slashes along her shoulders and puffed at her elbows. Her fox features were pinched in concentration and Aemond watched her for a moment, silent as she had clearly not heard his approach.
Wylla Karstark was an unknown. She was pretty enough, with a long nose and sharp jaw, gray eyes that flashed when she was annoyed, which was the majority of the time. She had a rather frustrating talent of being able to look down at him even as she had to arch her neck, for she was as petite as Abby was. Their joint misfortune, just like Aegon’s. She was also well read, their conversation at the feast turning from a mutual annoyance to discussing the book of poetry that he had seen her reading, which itself had turned into a rather long and in depth conversation on the Valyrian poet, Praxilla, whose work had survived by the grace of her living the life of leisure in Lys when the Doom happened. Wylla and his elder brother unknowingly shared a fondness for drinking songs penned by the scribe, although Aemond was smart enough to know he shouldn’t bring that up.
Not until he needed to.
“It is polite to speak when coming upon someone, Your Grace,” Wylla’s northern burr was arch as she focused on her task. “I would curtsy, but you can see I’m already on my knees.”
Aemond’s cheeks flushed at the turn of her words, and he was not certain if she understood how they could be taken. He decided that she didn’t, for she did not turn to look at him, seemingly unbothered. All for the best, he supposed, for Aemond did not think he could meet her gaze should she be facing him.
“Why are you cutting my flowers?”
“Your flowers, Your Grace?” Wylla laughed, a sharp, lilting sort of sound and he wondered if that’s what she sounded like when she sang. Did she sing? He had not asked her. “These flowers belong to Queen Visenya, for it is her garden, is it not?”
“It is my garden,” he pushed back, frowning at the back of her head, the mass of thick, twisted black braids kept in place with a woven, pearl hair net with wicked looking, pearl tipped hair pins to keep the heaviness of it in place. He flexed his hands, wiping them on his riding leathers as he approached. There were other flowers in her basket, like wisteria and some of the roses from the main garden. He sat, bending his one leg to rest an arm on while the other reached in.
Up close, he could see the red flush to her pale cheeks. He did not recall them looking so red when he saw her the day before, outside of the bit of sun all the girls had gotten during the sun.
Her smack was quick, the sound of flesh stinging flesh loud and he immediately pulled back with a hiss and a glare. “How dare-”
“Those aren’t for you,” Wylla said forcefully, the gray eyes of her bright in her face as she finally looked at him. “They’re for Lady Abrogail.”
Aemond had killed a man for the fox-faced woman before him without hesitation, and the knowledge of it settled in him still, generally buried over the past few weeks because he had no idea what to do about it. They’d been attacked in the night, and Wylla Karstark had shoved a knife between the man’s ribs without hesitation. So tall, Wylla Karstark seemed, so loud, filling up the spaces she was in without holding herself back, that he had so often forgotten how small she was.
Until she was there, in front of him, those gray eyes like the storm ridden ocean.
Aemond held her gaze, reaching back into the basket to pluck one of the deep purple, nearly blue anemones that she had gathered, twirling it idly between his long fingers before reaching up to tuck it behind her ear. Wylla was still beside him, her red painted mouth parted slightly, so he could see the flash of her white teeth behind it. Her cheeks deepend in their red to match the paint on her lips and Aemon hummed. 
Abby had been understandably shaken. Knowing her as long as he did, even with the smiles affixed to her face, he knew the signs as intimately as he understood Helaena’s or Aegon’s, or his own mother’s. Wylla Karstark was a mystery. She had been quiet, from what he had seen, but the wedding preparations had taken up much time with the girls, as well as her brother finally leaving the capital earlier that week.
He clenched his jaw, a muscle ticking, before he met her gaze. “Are you alright?”
Her inhale was loud. It trembled and she pressed her red lips together, her throat bobbing with a swallow and looked back at the flowers but did not move to cut anymore. Aemond did not push her, but only waited.
“Yes? No? Strangely yes,” she finally whispered. “I think that’s what bothers me more.”
“That bastard came in with intent to harm,” Aemond said. “If you didn’t kill him, someone else would have. You were incredibly brave.” None knew  where he’d come from. The assailant had been clad in the same red garb as the rest of the servants. A baseborn man. Waters or Storm, Aemond couldn’t remember, much like he had no memory of the man’s face before he stared down at it, red and wheezing before he killed him.
“At least it wasn’t Aegon,” Wylla whispered, her eyes wide, drawing his attention back to her. “What would have that turned into - him sneaking in for them to slobber all over each other. Me thinking he was an attacker and-”
The snort of laughter that escaped Aemond at the idea of it all could not be held back. He bent his head, gasping for air as his shoulders shook and it was only a moment before Wylla’s own peel of laughter joined his. It had been some weeks since he’d laughed, in the wake of what happened at the hunt drying up what little humor he’d indulged in. There was an infectious quality to Wylla Karstark’s amusement that he found comforting. Aemond looked at her, her face flushed from her laughter, and he leaned in, kissing her.
The laughter abruptly stopped, her mouth soft against his, still from her clear surprise. She tasted like oranges. Abby must have indulged in the sweet and sour orange cakes they had at the feast. Wylla did not respond, but she didn’t move away either and Aemond took that as acceptance, and he lifted his hand to cup her cheek, thumb swiping softly against the apple of it. Kisses with Helaena had been different - always expected, always ready, with her initiating many of them. The one time he’d kissed Abby, when they were little and Jace had dared him to, did not count. The both of them had made faces, vowing to never do it again. 
Kissing Wylla, though? He never wanted to stop, especially not when she reached up, the clippers making a soft thump along the grass to wrap around the end of the braid slung over his shoulder. She tugged it gently and Aemond broke away, blinking and gasping. “What?” he asked. “Should I have not done that?”
“Oh, you should have,” she reassured him, breathless and red faced. She licked her lips and looked at her fingers still wound around his braid, toying with the leather tie. “I was just reminded of something someone told me once.”
He cocked his head, mouth pursed. “What was it?”
The smile that cut across Wylla’s face was amused, the scar along the top of her lip giving a mischievous bend to her small, red mouth. “It was about how dragons purr when you pull their hair.”
Whatever thought started to coalesce about her late night conversation with his sisters was pushed right out when her lips found his.
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I would love to hear your thoughts! Even if it's just a keyboard smash! Reblog to spread a story around so others may find it! I would love to hear your theories! What did you love? What are you looking forward to? Happy to have you here as always <3
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ecoamerica · 2 months
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phoebepheebsphibs · 3 days
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Double-Mutated Mikey
Chapter 24: Lost
Continued from the short story written by @boots-with-the-fur-club
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Mikey just runs.
He has no destination.
Leo calls after him desperately, his voice hoarse and strained.
Mikey's vision blurs from the tears and the infrared that reactivates once he's in the dark of the halls.
Mikey just needs somewhere to go... Not his brothers' rooms. Not the lab. Somewhere private, quiet, somewhere they wouldn't look straightaway...
He finds a door he hasn't been through yet. Perfect, a secret place! The entrance is a sliding door, he pushes it aside and dashes in.
There's something emanating heat on a horizontal surface. It is a small thing, round and chubby... Splinter? Is this his room?
Splinter grumbles in his sleep and slowly starts to sit up.
Mikey scurries and shuffles under the bed, whimpering as he hides.
"...Mmff....whaz... who's in here?" Splinter yawns, looking for the intruder and interrupter of his precious sleep.
Be quiet! Stop crying! You're making everything worse, you woke him up!!
He can hear Splinter climb across the bed and lean over the edge. Mikey realizes that his tail is still out.
"Or'nge....? S'that you?" his father mumbles, reaching down and touching the tail.
Mikey's tail slithers under the bed frame, wrapping around him.
"What is wrong, my son?"
Mikey can't talk, his voice is gone, lost like everything else about Mikey.
Lost... lost... lost...
Splinter climbs down and looks under the sheet at his frightened son. He tries to coax him out, but Mikey refuses.
After some time, Mikey hears feet pattering across the floor in the hall outside. Someone rushes into the room.
"Pops, h-have you seen Mikey?" Leo's voice croaks. "He ran o-off, and I don't... is... is he in here?"
Mikey hears Splinter shush him quickly, whispering an explanation. Soft exhales and susurrations like baited breath. Leo lets loose an anxious exhale. Mikey hears him limp quietly towards the bed, lift up the sheet, and sigh with relief.
"Mikey? Buddy? You wanna come out from under there?"
Mikey shakes his head, curling himself as tight as he can, pressing his knees to his chest and wringing his tail in his hands. His back is to Leo. He doesn't want to look at him. He doesn't want Leo to see him. He wants to be gone and disappear forever so he can't hurt anyone ever again...
"You gonna talk to me?" Leo asks.
Mikey shakes his head 'no' again. He scoots further away from the opening. Leo crawls under the bed with him.
"Mikey, it was just an accident. I'm n-not even that hurt -- I'm not mad or anything, you know that, right? I know you didn't meant to do it. You woke up and got scared, I understand."
Mikey whines. The talk isn't helping...
"Mikey?" Leo whispers, reaching out for him.
Mikey doesn't answer, apart from crying. He's been crying the whole time, but the way Leo says his name... it's too gentle and too kind, reacting like Mikey is a fragile piece of glass, rather than whatever tormented amalgamation of twisted flesh he actually is.
Leo touches his shell. Mikey flinches. Leo doesn't take his hand away, but instead calmly rubs his back. Mikey keeps crying. Leo scooches in closer, being cautious of his baby brother's reaction. Leo presses himself against Mikey, and slowly wraps his arms around him, bringing him close. Mikey whines, but doesn't refuse.
As much as Mikey hates himself and doesn’t believe that he deserves this much affection and gentleness, he can't help but long for it.
Mikey sobs in his brother's embrace.
"M-M-Mikey so sorrrrryyyyy...." he hiccups.
"I know, Mikey, I know," Leo shushes lovingly. "I know you didn't mean to. It's okay, it--"
"I-it's n-n-not okay," he whimpers back, tucking his head behind his carapace. "I-I hurt... you... I'm not... I don't d-deserve..."
Mikey curls tighter as he tries to make himself tell Leo. Just tell him. Tell him how he's so lost, so much more than he's been letting on. Tell him how he's so scared of losing them all over again, of being left behind or forgotten. Tell them how he loves them with all his heart... despite not really knowing any of them.
"Mikey..." Leo sighs.
He gently rolls him over so he can actually look at Leo.
His neck is bandaged up, a quick patch-up job. His leg is also wrapped up in gauze, his pajama pant leg shredded and torn to pieces. Mikey winces and sobs even more at the sight of his sins.
"What, this?" Leo chuckles with a cough. "This is nothing. Just a few scratches, skin deep."
"I-I, I h-hurt..." Mikey sobs, tracing his finger over the bandage. "I did this to you... you didn't deserve this, b-but -- and you're being nice, why're you being nice, I don't des-s-er-rv-ve it --"
"No. You didn't deserve to go through the pain you've endured," Leo corrects. "You didn't deserve to get hurt and scared. You didn't deserve to be stuck in a lab for a week. But for every day of the rest of my life, I will make sure you get all the love you deserve, and it will still never be enough. Mikey... I know you're scared and hurting, and I get that. You... might not remember it, but I did this same kind of thing once or twice after the invasion. So did Raph, actually... he went through a lot. We all did. So I get it, I get waking up and being scared and reacting in kind to your fears. I really do."
"B-but... I hurt you... so m-much..."
"But do I look mad?" Leo asks with a kind and forgiving smile. "Do I sound mad?"
"...No?"
"So then, I'm not mad, yeah?"
Mikey doesn't answer.
He wants Leo to be mad. He deserves the anger and the fury and the hate and the fear. It doesn't make sense that he isn't mad now. It's unnerving. The scientists would cause so much pain for something so minute as whining too loudly at night or not finishing his gruel.
But Leo isn't like that...
And Mikey has to trust Leo.
He presses his face into his brother's plastron.
"M'sorry.... m'so sorry..." he wails.
Leo strokes his shell calmly and kisses his head.
"Don't worry, Mikey, I forgive you... it's okay, it's okay... you're safe, I promise... hey, how about we get out from under Dad's bed and go see our brothers, m'kay? Does that sound good to you?"
Mikey nods feebly. Leo helps to pull him out from under the bedframe. Splinter watches them cautiously as Leo carries Mikey out and into the hall.
Mikey holds onto Leo, pretending that they are the same two people from the memory he saw of their childhood. It's hard to believe.... Leo looks the same, acts mostly the same. There's a minute difference, he holds himself and carries himself like some soldier bearing a burden of responsibility that he should not. But Mikey can't be sure if that's it... so it must be Mikey who changed.
Leo makes his way into Raph's room. The door was left partially open, so he can slip in. Raphael is asleep on his oversized bed, starfished and snoring softly. Leo gently sets Mikey down on the freespace of the mattress...
Mikey hopes Raph doesn't wake up. If he disturbs him, Mikey will feel bad. And that will be bad. Or, if he wakes up he'll think something is wrong and that will worry him. And that will be bad. Or worse, he'll wake up, think something is wrong, ask Mikey about it, and Mikey will cry again. He knows he's going to cry again, it's inevitable. Raph could breath on Mikey and he'd start crying again. It's just one of those nights. And that will be bad.
Mikey lays besides Raph as gently as he can. Raph stirs, he looks up and sees his baby brother whimpering by him.
"Oh, hey buddy," he says, rubbing Mikey's cheek. "Wha'z wrong?"
Of course.
Mikey starts crying again, hiding his face in the space between Raph's shell and the soft mattress. Raph doesn't say much after, just strokes Mikey's head and whispers loving shushes and soothing words of comfort.
Leo -- who had apparently stepped out without Mikey realizing -- comes back in, dragging Donnie by the wrist.
"....Nardo, please, I'm not having a very good night --"
"This is important!" Leo whispers back loudly.
Donnie pauses when he sees Mikey.
"Oh. I hadn't realised that we scheduled a turtle pile for tonight..."
"It's a bit impromptu," Leo says quietly as he gets extra blankets and pillows ready for them.
Mikey crawls on top of Raph to let Donnie scoot in the space he previously occupied. The softshell lays himself down, straight as a rail and limbs rigid. Mikey rests his head atop of Dee's stomach. Donatello reaches down and pets him.
Mikey wishes he could stop crying, that the tears would just stop flowing. But they keep leaking out.
Leo clambers onto the bed, laying right on top of Donnie's arm.
"Ow! Leo--!"
"Well, move your big butt over, then!"
Raph chuckles as the two twins argue over who is taking up more space. Mikey smiles softly at the strange sense of normalcy he gets from the scene.
Which is so weird... considering he can't remember ever doing something like this.
The guilt he has over enjoying something that his brothers think he deserves, when in fact.... Mikey has no idea how they are his brothers. The truth, the painful truth, is that Mikey can barely remember their names. He never even actually recalled them, he heard them refer to each other as Leo and Raph and Donnie and he started doing the same. Mikey is slowly recalling moments from his life, piece by piece, but... the hurtful reality is Mikey has no idea who he is. Who he was. How would he remember them, if he can't remember himself? And how is he supposed to know who he is if he can't remember who he was?! Mikey... Mikey is just so... so lost. He's been lost for so long, he can't remember not feeling this way. Not feeling like there's something missing inside of him, not feeling like he is a mismatched puzzle piece in an unfamiliar set, feeling jumbled and mixed up and confused constantly.
They promise he is safe, he is loved, he fits in here. But he can tell that he doesn't. He's not sure who they are waiting for, but he isn't sure if that person is still around... or ever coming back. He desperately wishes he would, he wishes whatever they're waiting for would happen and break the tension. Mikey wishes he was what they wanted. He wishes he wasn't what he is now. He wishes he was better, he wishes he wasn't a monster, he wishes he wasn't scary, he wishes he didn't have so many issues that bother them and bother himself... he wishes so many things. He wishes he could remember who he's supposed to be. Until then, he's only a monster his family re-adopted. And he wonders how much longer he can keep up the charade, the game of make-believe and pretend where he acts like a real member of the family. He wonders how much longer he has until they realise he has no idea who they are and he isn't their brother anymore and doesn't know anything about any of them, especially himself.
Mikey curls up on his brothers as they talk amongst themselves before each one eventually falls asleep. Mikey isn't sure when he falls asleep, but at some point he realises that it's quiet.
Mikey wishes he could tell them about it. He wishes he could have told Leo...
He's lost.
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harkonnin · 2 days
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* The heart is not meant to rule *
Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen x Atreides!Reader
Tag list: @wo-ming-bai
Slow burn, knife kink, blood kink, strangers to lovers, softer!Feyd-Rautha, CONSENT, 18+, arranged marriage, assassination, poison, murder, etc
Previous Chapter - Travel south Current Chapter - You Fought Well ***
After a good night sleep, you awaken softly to the beating of Feyd’s heart on your ear. You’re snug against his chest and his arms softly hold you in place. Nothing about his actions at the moment scream ‘psychotic’, he seems like the most normal a person could be. His lack in softness towards others is missing when he is near you. You shift a little in his arms as you look up. His facial features soft as ever, no predator to be seen.
You’re staring at this point, at how handsome he really is. His soft lips, the swoop of his nose, the cheekbones. You lose yourself in thought until you get snapped back to reality.
“You’re staring,” he softly says.
He opens his eyes, and you find yourself stuck, a deer in headlights. His eyes on you almost suffocatingly intense, even though he’s not trying to. His stare deepens as he shifts his body a little bit so he can cup your face in his large hand. You only just notice his eyes are a soft icy blue and your eyes keep darting back and forth between his. He frowns at your reaction.
“Are you scared of me my lady Na-Baroness?” he asks as his hand makes its way down your shoulders.
You swallow at his soft touch, unable to form a proper sentence at this point. You just shake your head ‘no’, and feel his hand go behind you, as it settles on your lower back. He pulls you closer, forcing both of your bodies to be flush together. His eyes go down to your lips for a split second and you understand his meaning.
You kiss him, ever so softly, your hands on his chest, feeling his strong heartbeat as he lets you take the lead for once. His hand softly hovering over your back, ever so slightly pressing you closer to him as the kiss deepens. It’s far too pure for the both of you and it almost feels unnatural to your nature, but it also feels exactly right. In that moment everything just feels as if this is all it has to be.  
As the kiss deepens, he starts to kiss your chin and jawline, working his way to your ears and throat, nipping at it like a kitten demanding milk from its mother. He feels incredibly strong, even in these softer moments. He could easily overpower you in an instant, but he wants to make you feel safe. He reaches your collarbone and looks down at your body. You’re completely naked and vulnerable, as he takes it all in.
You feel his growing erection hitting your hip and legs, wanting attention. The last thing he’ll do is beg however, as he moves his head to be alight with yours once again. He kisses you a little bit more demanding than before, heating the both of you up in the moment. Your hands have a mind of their own as they travel over his chest, rock solid. You feel his inhales and exhales as you coast over his abdomen and down his hips.
As you grab his cock softly, he lets out a breathy moan as he continues to kiss you. It only stirs you on, arousing yourself in the moment. His cock is huge, thick and throbbing at this point. You decide to tease him further, giving him the bare minimum of friction that he so craves. He’s submissive to your touch, letting you decide what would happen here. This man that was a weapon to all who met him, both in the arena and outside, made you feel protected and safe in his embrace. His patience spread thin quickly, however.
“Stop teasing me woman,” his grip on your hip stronger and more demanding.
You let out a chuckle and he will have none of it. He grabs your leg and pulls it upward a bit, draping it over his hip. Your own arousal now more prominent to you, as your folds are wet with need for him. You let out a soft moan as his grip intensifies.
“I could get used to waking up like this every morning,” you speak softly against his lips before kissing him.
He kisses you back and lowers his hand to grab his cock out of your pathetic grasp. He angles it so it rubs against your heat. The touch eliciting another breathy gasp out of you.
“Anything for my lovely wife,” he purrs over your lips as he positions his cock perfectly, as it enters you softly.
As he sinks himself deeper inside of you, you lose all thought for a moment, forgetting everything around you and just staying in this moment. It feels different from last night, much more soft and less rushed. Your heart skips several beats and Feyd seems to know, the expression on your face obviously infatuated.
His hand comes back up cupping your face in it, the action not mimicking the intense stare he held on you. It almost felt a bit too much for you, if someone had told you that there would be a Harkonnen in your future, you would have never imagined someone so sweet to you. It seemed as if everything was in your favour, it all seemed too good to be true. Feyd started to frown at you and stopped moving altogether at this point.
You didn’t notice you were crying as a tear hit his hand. His face looked worried, obviously oblivious to your thoughts. You were so overwhelmed with emotions that you had no idea how to even start to explain yourself.
“Am I hurting you?” Feyd inquired, genuinely.
You almost laughed at his question, because it seemed so trivial. You shook your head and took his hand in yours.
“I’m wondering what I did to deserve someone like you Feyd. I’m… a bit overwhelmed with happiness, sorry.” You softly spoke back.
Feyd’s eyes didn’t seem so intense anymore, as a smile crept on his features. He seemed to understand what you meant and took your hand in his again, kissing the inside of your palm repeatedly. He was so incredibly sweet, only for you.
“These are the only tears I want to give you from now on,” he spoke with determination.
A promise, a rule, that he laid upon himself. His pace starts again, this time a bit quicker than before. It takes you by surprised and you left out a pathetic moan. His hand grips your leg a bit harder than before and as he pulls it upwards, he starts to hit the spot perfectly, your moans becoming louder than before.
It only seems to spur him on however, causing him to thrust a bit harder. You were seeing white lightning at this point, the ecstasy of the feeling overtaking your mind. Feyd was panting like a dog in heat, attacking your neck, biting down as his movements mimicked the urgency of his feelings.
You grab his neck as you feel your body responding to the wonderful feeling Feyd is giving you so willingly. Your orgasm reaches you faster than you thought, making you moan loudly. Feyd pulls his head back to watch you reach your climax as he thrusts faster into you, reaching his simultaneously. He kisses you as he cums inside of you, softly slowing down his thrusts as he spends all his seed inside. You have a hard time catching your breath whilst your body tries to calm down.
Feyd keeps his cock inside of you for as long as he can, softly letting it slip out when it’s soft again. As he reaches down, he sticks two fingers inside of you and presses inwards. As he takes them back out, he puts his fingers in his mouth, sucking his seed and your wetness in one go. It’s vulgar and erotic at the same time, making your face twitch a little bit.
“You taste so sweet wife,” he purrs as he starts kissing you again.
You taste the both of you on his tongue and find yourself agreeing that it tastes rather sweet. Like sweet liquorice almost. Eventually he stops kissing you and lets you go from his grip. He gets up and makes his way to the bathing area, preparing for the day. As you lay in bed you relish in the fact that this arranged marriage could have turned out way worse.
*
The day after the wedding was important as ever as you were required to sit in on a meeting between both families. You had imagined the day to be a bit different than your family and new family discussing your sexual prowess and activity with your recent husband, but tradition is tradition for a reason.
The Baron and your father were already talking with each other when you and Feyd entered the hall together. He kept you close to him, even moving your chair closer so he’d be able to touch you whenever he wanted.  As you sat down, he waited for you to be seated before he did. The Baron took note of this and frowned slightly. You didn’t understand why, but let it slide for now, you’d be able to ask Feyd later.
“How does married life fare, Feyd? I assume you have already exerted your duties towards house Harkonnen?”, it was more a statement than a question when the Baron questioned Feyd.
From where you were sitting you could see Feyd’s jaw clench slightly. He was seething. You wonder why the Baron was the only one who could get so under his skin, wondering what trauma he was put through when he was still a child.
“My wife is none of your concern, Baron,” he spat out.
His hand made its way to your knee under the table, almost as if he sought for something to ground him and his emotions. Your hand brushed his softly under the table, and he visibly calmed down. You looked at your father to help steer this conversation to something more friendly, and he took the hint as he coughed and started to speak.
“Maybe we should discuss our allegiance, Baron, since that’s why we’re all here for,” he sounded strong and determined.
The Baron kept watching Feyd, almost challenging his stare, before lifting his eyebrows and making eye contact with your father. Feyd let out a breath he wasn’t aware he was holding, and you clenched his hand in yours, his eyes darting towards you before squeezing your knee. He was thankful you were there even if he couldn’t tell you.
The rest of the conversation were mostly about politics between the two houses, the economics and sharing of resources, albeit way too boring at this point. They disagreed on certain topics, your father often sounding like the more mature one in the conversation. Feyd even let out an amused breath of air at one of his statements, causing the Baron to focus his attention on him again.
“Do you mock me in my own house, Na-Baron? Should I remind you that you’re not the Baron yet?”, he sounded offended and bitter.
You wonder if Feyd knew the implications of inducing the wrath of the Baron by openly laughing at him. Yet you knew nothing of their past together. Being left in the dark could make you a weakness to Feyd, you knew that.
The Baron had noticed a change in Feyd’s demeanour. An unspoken softness he witnessed yesterday in him. As Feyd looked at you he noticed something else as well. The markings you had left him the night before, the sweet love bites that blushed his white skin, embellishing the side of his neck and throat, making it clear he had allowed you to do so.
“Now I see, you’re infatuated by the witch!”, he spoke out, shooting you an accusatory glance.
Feyd shot his head back to the Baron, eyes piercing him, challenging him to offend you ever further.
“What did you call my wife?”
His voice was back, gravely and harsh, almost sounding like a snake’s hissing. He let go of your hand and slowly stood up keeping his eyes glued on the Baron. Leto spoke up.
“Keep her out if this, she has nothing to do with it,” he tried to defend you, but it seemed to divert even more so attention to you. “She’s a witch! She made her mark on you, and you let her. No Harkonnen will bow for a woman, yet you did! You showed weakness Feyd, you’ll lose the throne that way!” He barked out, making Feyd more aggressive by the second.
No one was allowed to talk about you like that, certainly not him, after what he put Feyd through his entire life. You felt his seething anger, it was like he was boiling from the inside out. You looked over to your mother, in fear of what might happen, but she reassured you.
‘He won’t attack. Keep calm.’ She signed at you.
Feyd slammed the table as you were monitoring your breathing, and you flinched.
“We are leaving,” he spits out as he turns to you and picks your hand up, a little too hard.
Your brows frown a bit at his strength but your mother nods at you to go along.
‘As planned’, she speaks to you through telepathy.
It reassures you in a way that it tells you it is safe. You don’t know what the plan is which she speaks of, but you know she would never out you in a situation where you would be harmed.
Feyd takes long strides as he pulls you along with him, passing by several guards and servants, unaware of his own strength as he’s practically crushing your hand. He just wants to be rid of the Baron and his comments, but you fear his insecurity will get the better of him. What if he thinks that you truly have bewitched him in a way?
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gracie-rosee · 3 days
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Early morning 5AM thoughts and (a LOT of) questions about Azriel’s powers. Longer post, I’m just having fun with theories.
First of all, I was inspired by @violetasteracademic and @nikachansstuff. Not by any particular post, but because they are just so cool and have very smart thoughts that got the gears turning in my head.
So I often wonder about Azriel’s shadows. We learn that his powers started to show when he was locked up by his father as a child. But did they come to him, or are they a real part of him that he was born with?
It’s just something that I’ve never been able to fully wrap my mind around. If he was born with this immense power—enough for seven siphons—why did they suddenly show up after what, 11 years?
The thing is, the power he was born with, the one that requires seven siphons, that’s the Illyrian power he got from his father. Right? That power requires seven siphons. So… his shadows have to be separate, and had to have come to him afterwards. (For now I won’t be talking about the possibility that he inherited shadowsinging powers from some long ago ancestor. This post will not be going in that direction, and instead focuses more on the powers themselves.)
So it begs the question(s) then: if they came to him, are they like, their own entity? Or are they literally just shadows and nothing more? Though the idea that they CAME to him implies that they are more than just shadow. Do they speak to him? If they came to him, could they potentially leave? Does Azriel even control them at all or do they just like… work alongside him? Do they have… thoughts? Do they have a personality? Why did they choose him?
But there’s also the elephant in the room: Elain.
Did she wield his shadows? Did Azriel send them to her? Or did the shadows find her and help her on their own?? SJM told us Elain stepped out of a shadow, when winnowing is described as a literal blink to/from a place. So she 100% came from his shadows. (Side note: this whole stepping out of shadows, and not to mention her being the only one to use TT thing, just solidifies that Elain is, and always will be intertwined with Azriel, regardless of who they end up with.)
So either 1. Elain can wield them, 2. Azriel sent them to teleport her, or 3. His shadows left him and sought Elain out, meaning she would also have to communicate with them so she knows where they’re going.
But ALSO!!!!! OF ALL PEOPLE WHY ELAIN? IF HIS SHADOWS LEFT HIM OR AZ SENT THEM TO FIND SOMEONE TO GO UP TO HYBERN AND KILL HIM? WHY ELAIN?????!!!!!!! WHY NOT AN ACTUAL SOLDIER??!
Okay but I NEEEEED an Elain POV of this more than anything. More than I want the next book. I need to know how it went down, because it would answer a lot of questions I have.
Here’s how I’ve envisioned it happening:
Option 1: Elain anxiously pacing with Truth Teller when suddenly a familiar shadow flies toward her, tells her that her sisters are in danger and whisks her away to help after she doesn’t even hesitate.
Option 2: Elain receiving a vision of Nesta and Cassian dying, then calling out to Azriel’s shadows to take her to them.
Option 3: Azriel seeing Nesta and Cassian dying, so he sends his shadows to fetch Elain so she can help.
I find option 3 VERY hard to believe, because why on earth would Azriel send Elain, with no combat experience whatsoever, to walk right into the middle of a literal killing field. He would never voluntarily put her in that danger. So it had to have been a variation of options 1 or 2. Meaning Elain and the shadows communicated in some way.
His shadows sought her out on their own. To which I ask, WHY?!
Or Elain sought the shadows out herself, to which I ask HOW?!
I’m so mad everyone just glosses over this. Do you know how many fucking times the death of Hybern was brought up? Like every damn chapter. And yet no one talks about Elain and how she suddenly wielded shadows.
Like hello? How did Nesta not even question it at all? I guess maybe she didn’t see how Elain arrived in shadows, but she still didn’t question how she arrived period. Nor did Feyre. Feyre who was narrating. And I’m assuming she showed Rhys as well as everyone else how the Hybern died afterwards. And yet. No. One. Freaking. Cared. HELOOOO??!!! I smell an intentional diversion.
Ugh. So many thoughts. So many questions. I have more questions that I’d like to pose to anyone reading this far about Azriel’s shadows themselves, but this is pretty long already. If anyone wants to know my thoughts on shadowsingers and shadow magic itself, let me know.
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blue-thief · 13 hours
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Ok so. I really like seeing your takes on Kaiser and Isagi, so I wanted to pick your brains about this, if it's ok?? What do you think about Kaiser's current idea of redefining himself and his proof of existence, and his rivalry with Isagi?
Hope you have a good day!
I'M GLAD YOU LIKE MY TAKES 🫡🫡
but ooohhh boy, yeah. i have a lot of thoughts about kaiser and this new chapter :3
the big question right now is, will kaiser actually make a comeback in this match? it's hard to tell. if this were a regular sports animanga, i would say, "without a doubt, yes." but we have to remember that this is blue lock. this is the same manga that eliminated kira ryosuke, and it's the same one that gave us this beautiful sequence of panels
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a character hitting rock bottom and unlocking a flow state is not a guarantee that they will score as we saw with rin at the end of the jpn u20 vs blue lock 11 game. the same can be said about a similar awakening bachira went through at the end of the second selection. both times, isagi picked up on their evolution and used that to his advantage.
isagi is aiming to do the exact same thing with kaiser in this current match.
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in the case of both bachira and rin, their awakenings were brought about by the realization that they needed to stop being so dependent on others. bachira had to free himself from isagi and the monster while rin had to free himself from the support of the blue lock 11.
the formula for these past few chapters has followed the same beats as what bachira and rin went through (rock bottom, backstory, flow state, interruption by isagi), but kaiser's current state is more similar to another character.
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kaiser and barou are both positioned as monarchs who (at least initially) viewed themselves as the protagonist until they were challenged by isagi. unlike bachira and rin, barou was able to claw back up and score a goal by redefining what it means to be a king.
it seems kaiser is trying to do the same thing. however, he isn't necessarily trying to redefine the title of "emperor". instead, he is taking the title his father gave him, "piece of shit", and reclaiming it.
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the best way i can explain what's going on here is that クソ物, "piece of shit", is written to be pronounced as "michael". kaiser's father calling him a "piece of shit" and refusing him to call him "michael" was his way of refusing kaiser's humanity. with how kaiser doesn't go by his first name, "michael" is the human he was never allowed to become.
as a child, kaiser equated himself with an object - his ball.
"when you throw a ball, it flies away. and when it hits a wall, it comes back. even if i got angry and hit it, or kicked it with all i had, it wouldn't get angry or cry. always, it would be there without saying anything. it's a piece of shit like me."
this was from a time in kaiser's life when he considered himself to be "mentally weak". however, the moment he discovered his identity was when he fought against his father and the police in order to protect said ball. this moment led to him discovering his identity. however, he misinterpreted this event as him finding his identity through hurting others like his father rather him defending himself.
now, we are at a point where kaiser isn't trying to destroy others. instead, he is doing the best he can to defend his position on a team he had no intentions of sticking with in the first place. earlier on in the series, when ego explained turning zero into one, he also said that being a striker is equivalent to being a destroyer. i'm not sure if this is actually what's going to happen but imagine how crazy it would be if KAISER was one of the characters who abandoned being a striker in favour of another position. even if that turns out to not be the case, there is no doubt that kaiser is going through a major shift in identity. he is discovering a way to feel human, to feel like the boy "michael", in a way that does not involve tearing other people down.
he is returning to a point in his life when he was at one with his ball, but now, he may realize that "not getting angry" is not necessarily a sign of weakness, but instead, resilience. he has hit a wall, but he still has a chance to bounce back from it.
however, i would like to point out that while kaiser has Been Going Through It, he is not at a point i would call rock bottom just yet. kaiser initially grew attached to his ball in the first place because he identified with its "weakness", and like how many people pointed out before, this is what drew kaiser to ness as well. he still hasn't lost ness yet. at this point, he easily could with how he dismissed ness's help in the most recent chapter. the question now is, will the final step in kaiser's evolution come before or after ness deserts him? or, will kaiser's evolution lead to ness developing on his own?
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ecoamerica · 1 month
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