#but let me know if I misunderstood and I'll take it down

[aledmorningstar]

╰┈➤Misunderstood

Summary: How the gang finds out about Sukuna's girlfriend in a misunderstanding.

Relationship: Ryomen Sukuna/Reader

Word count: 3.0k

Note: I'm a liar, I know I said this would go up yesterday, in my defense we set very optimistic goals. Please comment and feel free to send me anything to my inbox

-‘๑’-: No curses au, uni au, sfw, humor, fluff, bad english

The house of the twins Yuji and Ryomen seemed more lively than normal, as every weekend they had planned a movie afternoon, the meetings began early after leaving school, buying snacks, preparing comfortable clothes and choosing some games of table.

Yuji's face wrinkled into a displeased grimace at seeing his twin dressing casually to go out for a walk down the street, while he and his friends were already prepared wearing their comical pajamas, it wasn't fair. This time it was Yuji's turn to choose the movie so as not to let his brother get away with it.

“What are you doing?”

Sukuna turned to look for a second indifferently at his brother while he finished fastening the buttons of his dark shirt. How could he take seriously his brother who maintained an irritated pout while wearing those ridiculous tiger-themed full-body pajamas?

"I'm going out, tell mom I'll be late"

Yuji's moan of annoyance echoed throughout the house, drawing the attention of Nobara and Megumi who were stealthily trying to spy on the conversation by hiding behind a wall.

"You said you would watch Human Worm 4 with us today!"

The one with the caramel eyes began to complain about the injustice that was occurring, a perfect time for his faithful friends to take action.

“We already prepared everything, you can't leave us stranded for an afternoon of movies!”

Nobara grumbled as she tried to fix the sleeves of her raccoon pajamas.

"We made a pact, you must suffer with us"

Megumi was supposed to be the most mature of the group, perhaps Sukuna had overestimated him because he never imagined seeing him share the same neuron as his friends while also wearing ridiculous beige dog pajamas.

“It's a shame brats, it'll have to be another day.”

The older twin's hands didn't stop moving trying to find the car keys; he had somehow managed to look appropriately with a hint of elegance, but without losing that menacing aura, a pair of black pants held up by an expensive belt that he had stolen from his father, a dark gray shirt with the first few buttons open showing his collarbones and the sleeves perfectly arranged at his elbows showing his tattooed arms.

"You look like a criminal"

“Who said I'm not?”

Itadori's intentions to plant some blame on his brother for abandoning them on a seemingly important night were noticeable for miles.

"At least have the decency to tell me where the hell you're going."

Sukuna took a while to respond, his eyes straying suspiciously and the trio could see a slight nervousness on his face. Wait, nerves? Sukuna? Those words were naturally contrary, it even seemed strange to put them together in one sentence. Here was definitely another shoe that was taking a while to drop.

"Mind your own business, don't be nosy"

Itadori instantly stood between his brother and the front door, blocking his way, he would get to the bottom of this matter at any cost.

"Are you planning something bad? Mom will be angry if you get into trouble again"

"Yes, yes, yes. I plan to do many bad and illegal things, in fact in this mood I plan to strangle the first person in front of me"

Itadori, Nobara, and Megumi looked at each other before leaving the hallway clear, letting Sukuna walk.

"Behave badly, take good care of yourself and if they discover you, deny everything"

“See you”

Once the so-called evil twin left the house, the hallway was completely silent for a few seconds.

“Don't you feel...? Curiosity?"

An excited Nobara looked at her friends with bright, gossip-hungry eyes.

"No not really"

Megumi's voice was ignored as Itadori pushed the Fushiguro boy's face away with his hand.

"I was hoping you'd ask, Nobara! In fact, my brother has been acting strange lately."

Itadori put on a thoughtful expression as he remembered his brother's unusual behavior in recent weeks.

"What do you mean he's been acting strange?"

At that moment Nobara had taken on a detective attitude, while the previously disinterested Megumi began to listen attentively to his friends.

“He's been coming home late, more than usual.”

“That doesn't seem strange for someone like him.”

An exalted Itadori raises his hands dramatically as he defends his argument.

“But when he is usually late it is always because he is causing problems in the streets and he is not at all careful with his arrival, now it is different!”

Sharing a room with Itadori, Sukuna didn't care how scandalous he could be when he showed up at home after curfew. He didn't pay attention to the fact that the noise of his shoes being thrown to any side of the room or that the sound of his swear words every time he tripped over something could disturb his brother's sleep.

Lately, however, the nights that Sukuna had spent late away from home had become more frequent, and Itadori couldn't help but notice even in the dead of night how messy his twin's clothes were every time he returned with silent footsteps and he also did not overlook the large number of marks that stood out on Sukuna's neck.

“Also, he has been trying hard in all his school subjects, he has turned in all his homework and sometimes he goes out to the library to study. Did you hear what I said? He goes to the library to study!”

“That's definitely not the Sukuna we know, something is happening to him.”

The three teenagers headed to the living room to sit down to discuss more calmly and solve that mystery.

“Do you think someone is bullying him?”

Itadori looked worried for a split second at Nobara's statement until Megumi gave him a strange, brief sarcastic smile.

“Are you serious right now? Do you think Sukuna, the most feared man on campus, could be bothered by someone? Jesus Christ even earned the nickname “The King of Curses”

They didn't need much time to agree with Megumi, it was impossible to imagine Sukuna being submissive to anyone.

“True, it would make more sense for him to be the one who bothered someone… It can't be possible”

“I told him clearly not to get into trouble, but he never listens to me!”

“Wait, Yuji, calm down. Don't you think that if that's the case, he's spending too much time on that person?”

Itadori seemed to think about it for a second and his face transformed into one of much more dramatic horror than before.

"So he really hates that person! Maybe he's planning a murder? Your brother isn't exactly known for being patient"

Nobara's words were the little push Itadori needed to panic.

"Sukuna definitely can't go to the correctional facility again!... Mom was very sad back then..."

Nobara and Megumi looked into each other's eyes, unable to abandon their friend in such a situation.

"Fine! Our mission today is to prevent your brother from becoming a criminal.”

"Are we allowed to use force? I still have to get revenge for the books I lent him."

The brown-haired girl, Kugisaki, was the first to stand up and was followed by Fushiguro. It seemed like a scene worthy of a movie, this was the motivational part because both friends extended their hands to the boy in tiger pajamas.

“Wait, wait, wait… What happened to your books?”

“I'll ask your brother when I see him.”

It had been approximately 30 minutes since the trio of friends had located and followed Sukuna, a difficult mission that had begun with the friends running after the older twin's car. The fatigue was overcome by surprise when seeing the target enter a flower shop.

“We're late, he's already planning the funeral!”

“Wait, give him the benefit of the doubt, maybe… Maybe he's going to visit a friend?”

“Impossible, my brother has no friends”

Nobara and Yuji's brief talk was interrupted when they saw Sukuna leaving that flower shop with a huge and pretty bouquet of yellow carnations.

"You see it? Maybe your brother is not as bad as he seems” Nobara's voice tried to be optimistic, and it also seemed strange to her that a man would buy flowers for no apparent reason.

“Now I'm quite confused” Itadori, for his part, narrowed his eyes, staring at Sukuna, trying to read his brother's mind.

Megumi spoke with a stiff voice drawing the attention of his friends.

"Don't be so surprised, in the language of flowers, carnations of that color mean contempt"

"Is he turning his assassination attempt into a performance? He's getting creative"

"Hey, he's leaving. Hurry up"

The gang quickly got into a taxi and like every chase scene, Itadori and Nobara yelled at the driver to follow the car in front of them, Megumi had to apologize to the driver at the end of the ride.

Sukuna drove his car until he reached the darkest and most dangerous neighborhood that anyone could imagine, clearly that place had an invisible sign indicating that it was better not to be there, there were few passers-by and the streets were cold with graffiti everywhere.

The older twin got out of his car after having entered the area a little, he walked as if that place was his territory, as if he felt at home, he adjusted the sleeves of his shirt, raising them to his elbows, with a bored look he observed the time on his watch and then leaned his back against the wall waiting patiently. Meanwhile, the trio had remained hidden behind a pile of boxes and seemingly useless objects, thinking about Ryomen's intentions.

"There isn't a soul in this place, what is he planning to do?"

Itadori's question was answered when Megumi held his jaw making him look to his right, his eyes widened as he saw a girl with a small frame, transmitting an aura of delicacy and fragility, she was the complete stereotype of a little princess wearing a pink dress and white sneakers, light makeup and a flower crown adorning her hair, she looked out of context walking with a smile and humming a song in that horrible alley.

"It can't be her... There's no way Sukuna..."

Nobara's words were cut off when the red-eyed man put out his cigarette and walked over to where the girl was with a proud smile on his face.

The fear that this small, fragile woman could be hurt by his violent brother made Itadori quickly get up from his hiding place and stand in front of his brother.

"Sukuna! Stop right there, don't do it!"

The sudden entrance of his nosy brother surprised Sukuna who maintained a displeased scowl at his twin's actions.

"What the fuck? Get out of the way brat, I'm on something important right now"

"Don't you dare take another step, don't do something you'll regret!"

Itadori's voice took a drastic change, sounding too threatening compared to his usual cheerful tone.

"What the hell are you talking about? Leave me alone, I don't have time for this."

Sukuna looked at the horrified girl who was just a few meters away from him, he pushed his brother away with one hand with the intention of walking towards where she was, however he was stopped and subdued on the ground by Megumi.

“Don't even try it, you disgusting scoundrel.”

“Leave me alone, you fucking bastards!”

While the three men argued and fought among themselves, Nobara also came out of her hiding place and walked towards the frightened woman, being careful not to exalt her even more, Kugisaki placed his hands on her shoulders trying to calm her down.

"Are you okay? “Did he do something to you?”

The girl's hands remained covering her mouth, completely surprised by the situation. She instantly left Nobara and ran quickly to where Sukuna was lying on the ground.

"What are you doing?! Get your hands off him!"

Megumi and Itadori's movements stopped, still holding Sukuna on the ground, they turned to look completely surprised at the owner of that little voice, their minds went blank as they watched her approach, she put her hands on Fushiguro's chest. making an attempt to push him away from the red-eyed twin.

"What are you doing to my boyfriend?! Leave him alone!"

Still bewildered, Itadori was the first to move away and placed a hand on his friend's shoulder for him to do the same, allowing Sukuna to stand up a little dazed.

"I don't know what 'Kuna did to you, but what you are doing is not right, it is not right to intimidate others, problems are solved by talking"

You stood in front of your boyfriend trying to be the one to defend him this time, you used to be a little shy when talking to strangers, but you weren't going to let your lover be the victim of such an unfair situation.

"Honey, calm down. They are—"

"No, love! They were very mean to you, no matter who they are!"

You knew that Sukuna had a special weakness for you that made him want to protect you from any danger, everyone told you that, obviously he would also want to take control of this situation in his hands. No, this time it was your turn to protect him, to be his knight in shining armor.

On the other hand, there were also the three idiots who had tried to play detective, watching the situation in astonishment.

"She... just called him love"

“Yes, she really did”

"I can't believe it"

Ryomen had tried to calm his girlfriend's little anger by taking her hands and caressing them, it worked for a few seconds until that trio spoke again.

Upon hearing the incredulous voices of those strangers, you let go of Sukuna's hands and walked a few steps close to those you thought were criminals.

"Listen, my parents are very important people, I will make sure you are punished appropriately"

Your acute and sweet angry voice was silenced by Sukuna's lips, one of his large hands finding a place on your waist while the other caressed your soft cheek.

"It's okay, princess"

"No, it's not okay-"

You tried to reply to his deep voice, you would be lying if you said it didn't make you shiver, his voice was only directed at you, only for you to hear, that made you calm down and also lowered the tone of your voice.

"Pretty, this is my stupid brother and his friends."

"...Impossible, it can't be…, they were subduing you"

"Don't worry, I'm sure they have a good explanation for doing all this, right?"

The affectionate look that Sukuna had given his supposed girlfriend had changed drastically when he turned to look at his friends, removed his touch from his beloved and walked towards the frightened trio, cracking the fingers of his fists.

"Last words?"

Approximately 10 minutes had passed after that disastrous encounter, Sukuna had considered himself generous that day so he decided to take his brother and his friends to the house where they should have stayed from the beginning, very kind, it had nothing to do with his girlfriend will look at those three idiots like abandoned puppies.

"How were we supposed to know you were visiting your girlfriend?"

"What kind of dates are you taking her on?"

"Yeah, you looked like you were about to commit a crime!"

Of course Itadori, Megumi and Nobara tested their patience throughout the car ride, complaining from the back seats and trying to alleviate the pain caused by the car owner's blows. Your curious little eyes turned to look at the trio with intrigue.

"Why do you say that?"

None of them knew how to answer your question, the answer was so obvious that they thought you were stupid or blind, of course none of them said that thought out loud, not when they felt Sukuna's psychopathic gaze in the rearview mirror. However, that didn't stop Yuji from continuing the conversation either.

"You were alone in that horrible and dangerous place, it is the perfect opportunity for a madman"

"Oh, that..."

Your calm reaction to that comment only confused them more, you were too sweet to be in those places and even worse to be there with Sukuna for no good reason.

"Her parents are renowned people and they do not agree with our relationship, that is why we must meet in the most discreet places possible"

"Sometimes dad hires people to watch me, so our meeting point for dates is that place."

The older twin's words left the dynamic trio thinking, especially Itadori and Nobara, Megumi didn't really care much, your complementation made them imagine a current version of Romeo and Juliet. The explanations of your strange relationship had clarified most of his doubts regarding the strange day.

"Wait, what about the flowers?"

Nobara's comment made all the attention focus on Ryomen who wrinkled his face in confusion until he remembered the detail that his friend was talking about at the same time that he stopped the car in front of his house.

"What flowers?"

"Oh right, I brought you something"

Sukuna got out of the car and went to the back taking something out of the trunk, a nice big bouquet of flowers appeared in front of you held by your handsome boyfriend.

"Oh, honey, you shouldn't have bothered."

"It's no bother when I can make you happy"

You received the beautiful flowers in your small hands, allowing yourself to smell them, such a fresh smell while you lovingly observed your loved one and he returned the same look, absorbed in that cloying atmosphere.

Of course that beautiful moment was not the most comfortable for everyone present, much less for Yuji Itadori imitating his twin with a shrill and annoying voice, since he had never seen his brother in that silly state.

"It's no bother when I can make you happy"

“I'm going to kick your ass”

Megumi couldn't stay silent for long either, because something kept echoing in her mind.

"But the meaning of flowers..."

"Excuse me?"

You looked at him with a smile so sweet and innocent that he hesitated for a second on his next words.

“Those flowers have a negative meaning…”

"It's funny you think my 'Kuna knows the meaning of flowers"

"We should have assumed that"

⋆·˚ ༘ *🔭 master list is here

#aledthinks #jjk x reader #jjk drabbles #jujustsu kaisen x reader #ryomen sukuna #drabble #sukuna x reader #sukuna x you #jjk sukuna #sukuna #jjk fluff #jjk x you #jujutsu kaisen #fluff #ryoumen sukuna

[norrisleclercf1]

i heard someone was in need of poly requests and i was summoned. anyway, this idea has been stuck in my head for days so i'll gift it to u😘

basically its pre-established polyship with lestappen and each of u are CONVINCED that the other two are dating (angst and pining ensues) sisksnsiekmwhswej but do with this what u will

oki bye bye love u nat🫶🫶

A/N: I don't normally write misunderstood trope, but honestly I'm loving this but I'm going to take a little spin on Max and Reader dating and flirt and tease Charles all the time, couple times you teased, and the one time he took you up on your offer

"You have a very small waist," Max comments one day, Charles jumping out of his skin, Max's voice brushing his ear, which has Charles stumbling forward and blushing. "I'm sorry what?" Max smirks, leaning over the railing as you giggle from your seat.

"You're waist, it's so small and perfect, really tiny when my hands are on it." Max lips turn upwards and Charles forgets how to breath as he'd get strike down with lighting with the image that just popped into his head. "Oh, I um....oh," Is all Charles can say in return which has you giggling. He can't help but let his eyes trail down noticing the small red between your legs and his eyes immediately snap back up to yours.

"I have to go!" He blurts and rushes off leaving you and Max, as you two watch him like he was prey.

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

"Charles?" Your voice floats to him with so much ease he hates that you could whisper in a club and still know where you are. "Yes, chaton?" He quickly turns to you, forgetting his drink at the bar as you two stood in some fancy party. "Max left, I was wondering, would you be okay with driving me home?" You ask, fingers trailing up his arm which has him shivering.

"Why did Max leave?" He blurts, mind rushing so fast as he tries not to go weak in the knees from your perfume. "I don't know," You shrug your shoulders and lean into Charles, your breasts being pushed against him, he has to look away quickly to stop himself from getting hard. "Look, can you give me a ride home or not? Because he has to fly out soon, and I can't get out of this dress myself." Charles groans in the back of his throat and bites his bottom lip.

"Oh saint doux putain." He groans as he feels your hips push more into his. "Fuck, sorry I can't." He moves and bolts away, choosing to ignore the way Max was standing at the exit and watched as Charles ran.

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

"Cold!" Charles yells, as Max screams and sprays the champagne all of Charles. This was the only time Max wasn't angry about being second, seeing Charles squirm and be sprayed with champagne was a glorious thing. "Oh fuck off, you love being sprayed in the face, don't you?" Max whispers in Charles's ear which has the Monegasque groaning, picturing himself on his knees and between Max's legs.

"You're right, I do. But only for you," Charles whispers, which has Max stumbling as they take the picture and Charles chuckles and gives a pat to Max on his ass. "See you later, nice race." Charles winks and walks off leaving Max reeling and a very noticeable bulge in his race suits.

The fans go wild.

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

He couldn't take it anymore, he couldn't hold himself together anymore and he was going crazy. You "accidentally" sent him a picture of you riding Max and he knew exactly where you two were.

Storming up to the hotel room door he knocks loudly, breathing hard, only in his boxers and t-shirt as he was woken from sleep. "Charles?" You're shocked to see him there, but he doesn't care and tugs you into his arms and kisses you hard. A clash of teeth, tongue, and moaning.

Shoving you into the room he kicks the door and picks you up dropping you on the bed. Max smirking as Charles tugs off his shirt, glaring at the two of you. "This is what's going to happen, I'm going to fuck you hard and deep that just looking at me your pussy can still feel me inside you. And you," Charles glares which has Max smirking, all in his naked glory.

"You're going to let my suck your cock and then fuck me because I can't handle this. And then in the morning I'm taking you both to breakfast and then we're done with this little dance, deal?" He asks and you whimper seeing him this way.

"Deal," You both say.

You got a really big noise complaint about your room.

#f1 #formula 1 #f1 fandom #formula one #f1 x reader #f1 imagine #f1 x y/n #f1 scenario #f1 smut #f1 one shot #f1 oneshot #f1 fics #f1 fanfic #f1 fic #f1 x you #f1 x female reader #poly!f1 #lestappen x reader #lestappen x you #max verstappen smut #max verstappen x reader #max verstappen imagine #max verstappen x you #max verstappen fanfic #charles leclerc x reader #charles leclerc imagine #charles leclerc fanfic #charles leclerc x you #charles leclerc x female reader #charles leclerc x max verstappen

[celluloidbroomcloset]

To talk a bit more about submission and especially Ed's trust in Stede and the erosion of that trust...

There's a fairly clear implication that Ed has never felt safe in his life - not as a child with an abusive father, not as a boy or young man on Hornigold's ship, and not as Blackbeard. He's very much the impossible bird, increasingly exhausted and sick of flying until eventually he'll just drop out of the sky. But when he meets Stede, he thinks he's found a safe place to land.

His desire to relinquish control is right there from the very beginning, though he may not even know it. He's tired, he's bored, he's not having fun being a pirate or even being a person.

He tries to show some vulnerability with Izzy, only to be first misunderstood, then bullied back into Blackbeard. But it’s revealing so much of himself to Stede, and then being hurt, that drives his heartbreak and eventually his depression. Ed trusted Stede with his darkest secrets, but also with his softest feelings - the murder of his father and his mother's silk.

What’s harsh in Stede not showing up on the dock is that he said he was Ed’s friend, and then Ed kisses him and their relationship shifts. The kiss is a declaration of desire; it's moving from the relationship they can still treat as friendship and into the space of romance and sexuality. Stede not showing up on the dock seems to say, “I was your friend but I can’t be your lover.”

Ed starts seeing those moments of tenderness and kindness throughout the first season in a different light. He felt how tenderly his vulnerability and his fears were treated, and now he wonders if he never understood the meaning behind that tenderness - that Stede really did fear him, or was just being kind, because Stede is kind.

That rejection isn't what makes Ed spiral, but it is what he dwells on throughout those first three episode of Season 2. Stede broke something open inside him, and he thinks that what he felt was never really reciprocated, that Stede was frightened of him and that Stede saw him fully and what he saw was a monster. So when Stede comes back and offers that gentleness again, Ed's naturally wary of it. He wants, badly, to give in and let himself be vulnerable again, but he's scared that he will be hurt if he does.

I've said it before and I'll say it again - the fact that Stede stops saying "I love you" when Ed asks him to, and that he slows down when Ed asks him to, and that he asks to hold Ed's hand is important. Stede is nothing if not emotionally attuned to Ed. He's saying "you're safe with me." He's not going to do or try to do anything that Ed doesn't want, and he's not going to get pissy about it.

A lot has been said about Calypso's birthday, because it is certainly the most vulnerable Ed has ever been, likely with anyone. When he's sitting on the bed and looking at Stede, you can see that in him - it's a moment where he's finally willing to trust Stede again, and let him take control, and trust that Stede won't hurt him.

That look is of such exceptional vulnerability, not just because they’re going to have sex but because of what that means as an expression of the love and trust that Ed is willing to give. He’s really letting Stede see all the softest parts of him, even allowing Stede to have control over them, and he’s got to be certain that this very gentle man isn’t going to use that to break him.

#ofmd #ofmd season 2 #ofmd season 1 #stede bonnet #edward teach #ed teach #blackbonnet #gentlebeard #gif #ofmd meta #my wee thoughts

[mochinomnoms]

I love your idea for Hanahaki! Like you said, it's always so tragic and dramatic and angsty (and who am I kidding, I'll keep reading it), but your take on it is so refreshing!

For the event, can I request Ruggie with 15, Trey with 1, and Jade with 18? Romantic; fluff and/or suggestive, please?

And if I completely misunderstood how to request properly, I'm terribly sorry. 😬

So excited to see more of your work!

part 2: jade leech x gn!reader ruggie bucchi (15); trey clover (1) [separate] x gn!reader [tags] – fluff, suggestive [wc} – 2,500+ each prompt 15: “Sooo, are you gonna apologize for puking dahlias all over my breakfast?” prompt 1: “Why is your trash can full of flower petals? Are you secretly a botanist, or is there something you're not telling me?” note - both ruggie and trey got real long, so i will post jade's snippet separately later! a floral inconvenience

Dahlias – In pre-Colombian Mexico and Guatemala, wild-growing dahlias and their tubers were seen as a food source. 

Ruggie has been absolutely miserable for the past week, as one would be when they have mysterious large, red flowers sprouting out from their mouth and head. It also didn’t help that all the other second-years, especially the twins, were giving him a hard time. 

“Hey, hey Jade! You know plants.” Floyd was currently picking at the flower that Ruggie just spit out, undeterred by the spit on it. 

“I bet we can figure out who Sharksucker likes if we figure out what flower he’s spittin’ out. What kind is it? 

Jade leaned down to study the intense red, ray-like petals, poking at the central disk of yellow florets in the middle. Ruggie was NOT a fan of how interested Jade was, attempting to lean out of the twins’ grasp. 

“Hmm, I’m not sure. I certainly haven’t seen it on any of my hiking expeditions or in the botanical gardens.”

Ruggie yelped as Jade plucked a flower from a particularly sensitive spot behind his right ear. 

“Ow! Watch it man!” 

Rubbing his ear, Ruggie glared at Jade, who was still looking curiously at the flower bringing his arm down for Azul who also seemed eager to identify the flower. 

“I certainly don’t recognize it either, looking up similar flora, there aren’t any that are quite the same as this one.”

Ruggie could just make out under Azul’s breath, “Imagine all the money we could make if we say we discovered a new flower!”

He scoffed at Azul, rubbing his eyes from mental exhaustion. The twins and Azul weren’t the only ones interested in his hanahaki. 

“It’s a really pretty flower, Jamil! Do you think we have any like it in the gardens back home?” Kalim eagerly asked, trying his best to lean in without disturbing Silver, who’d fallen asleep on his shoulder. 

“Hmm, no I don’t think so.” Jamil looked mildly interested, holding a hand to his chin. “The Asim gardens have a variety of exotic and rare flora, so the fact that we don’t recognize this one is certainly interesting.”

Jade chuckled, “So, it would be easy to narrow down the person of Ruggie’s affections, yes.”

“Why are you all suddenly so interested in my love life?” 

“Why, we’re being benevolent, of course!” Azul replied, a cheeky grin on his face.

“Yea Sharksucker, it must be reeeeal annoying to puke up flowers all the time. Besides—” Floyd gave a nasally laugh as Jade continued his sentence.

“—wouldn’t it be nice to have some assistance getting rid of his annoying sickness? After all, with your background, you’re not the most eligible bachelor around.”

“Okay, first of all fuck you—” Ruggie jabbed a fork in his direction. 

“Not interested, but thank you.”

“Second of all—ew no, gross—second of all, you guys aren’t exactly the most pinned for guys, even with your family money.”

Riddle let out a laugh, nodding in agreement. “Certainly, no price in the world could make up for your personalities.”

“Aww, come on Goldfishie.” Floyd pouted. “You don’ wanna go out with me? Why? I don’t meet your mama’s standard?”

“Why you—”

“Hey guys!”

A chipper voice interrupted a reddening Riddle, who looked like he was ready to launch himself over the table to strangle Floyd. Ruggie perked up to look at you and Grim perched on your shoulder, carrying a lunch tray with some coffee, a bowl of oatmeal, and a singular powdered donut. 

Adjusting the tray in your hands, you let Grim jump off onto the table as you sat. You grabbed the donut with your freed hand and reached your arm out to Ruggie.

“Hey, I got you a donut, powdered’s your favorite right?”

Oh. Oooooh powdered was indeed his favorite. So were you. By the Seven, he thinks that you’d be his favorite snack. You were so cute. Your lips looked soft, plush. He wondered if you took a bite out of the donut if the first thing he’d taste was you or the sugar. 

Opening his mouth to reply, Ruggie found himself instead choking, a tickling sensation developing in the pit of his stomach and growing up his throat to his mouth. He gagged as various shades of bright red blooms fell out of his mouth and onto the table. Specifically, onto your tray as you sat directly across from him. 

Ruggie could make out the stifling laughter of his peers . He internally groaned, looking at your tray, now covered in red flowers. Riddle tapped his shoulder, offering him a cup of warm tea. 

“Here, it should help soothe your throat.” 

Taking the cup, he started drinking what he thought was honey lemon tea, soothing his throat. 

Across the table from him, you let out a soft cough, drawing his and the other’s attention. 

“Sooo, are you gonna apologize for puking dahlias all over my breakfast?”

The tea went down the wrong pipe. Ruggie started choking, Kalim frantically reaching over to pat his back. 

“Oh? Does the Little Shrimpy know this flower?” Floyd asked, he and his brother slithering over to sit on either side of you. Their eyes met briefly, then at Ruggie, both giving him a knowing grin.

“Dahlias? Yeah! They’re my favorite!” you answered, blissfully unaware of the predicament they’d just put him in. 

Ruggie wished he could be just as carefree.  

The other five slowly turned their heads to stare at Ruggie, each looking especially gleeful and teasing. 

“You don’t say?” Jamil drawled, smirking at Ruggie, whose state of mind was rapidly deteriorating. “We’ve never heard of it.”

You looked at Jamil in surprise. “Wait really?”

“Yes, these, dahlias you called them? They’re not from Twisted Wonderland.” Riddle had a mischievous smile, tipping the end of Ruggie’s cup before he could interject, making him choke on the tea again. 

“Aw really? That kinda sucks.” you pouted, twirling one of the loose flowers in your hand. “I love them, fun fact, did you know you can eat both the flower and the tuber?”

Ruggie would never admit it out loud, but your cute, excitable grin makes him feel all warm and giddy inside. He’d even give you his grandma’s homemade donuts if he got to see more of it. 

By the Seven, he’d give you his donuts. He really had it bad.

“Really? How fascinating! Isn't it Ruggie?” Jade asked, giving a closed mouth smile. The tone of his voice made it clear though, he and the others figured out you were the root cause of his hanahaki. 

Ruggle got up abruptly, snatching the donut from your hand (why miss out on free food?) and the breakfast sandwich he’d gotten for Leona. 

“I gotta go take Leona’s breakfast to him, I’ll see you guys later—”

“Wait, Ruggie!” Kalim cries out, startling Silver awake. “But the Prefect knows the flowers—”

“WOW I GOTTA GO! BYE GUYS SEE YOU LATER!”

Ruggie rushed out of the cafeteria, red petals flying behind him as he ran. The remaining 8 at the table stared after him, you in particular looking confused. 

“Is he okay?” You asked, looking confused and disappointed. “Did I say something wrong?”

“Ah, perhaps we went a bit too far…” Jamil muttered. 

Riddle sighed as he nodded in agreement, “Yes. Don’t worry yourself about it Prefect, we were discussing something else, you didn’t say anything wrong.”

You hummed as you cleared off your tray of dahlias, taking small bites of your oatmeal. 

“Why’s he puking flowers?”

The group stayed silent, sharing knowing looks with each other. The twins and Azul in particular were smirking, while Kalim perked up. 

“Oh he has hanahaki, it’s like a love sickness.” Kalim blissfully replied, Jamil pinching his nose and sighing heavily. 

“Love…sickness?”

Riddle placed a hand on Kalim’s shoulder, giving him a stern look. “We had our fun earlier, but it’s not our business to share his medical information with anyone.”

He turned his gaze to you, making you shrink in on yourself. “It would be best to ask him yourself, Prefect.”

Floyd tsked. “Aww, that’s no fun! Don’t you wanna help Sharksucker? You do, dontcha Shrimpy?”

The twins leaned into your ears, like an angel and devil on your shoulder if the angel was just a devil with a halo and wings taped on. 

“Why, you care for Ruggie, don’t you dear Prefect?” Jade cooed, chucking at your pink cheeks. 

“Hehehe, of course they too, look at their blush!” Floyd giggled, poking at your right cheek. “Little Shrimpy isn’t a shrimp for nothin’!”

“And after all, only you can help him!” Azul came up behind you, startling you as he placed his hands on your shoulder. 

The trio chuckled, coercing you to listen to their honeyed words, feeding on your soft spot for the hyena beastman. 

Riddle shared a look with Jamil before sighing and walking off. Jamil followed suit, grabbing Kalim by the arm to drag him away before he too, inevitably, got involved in their scheme. Silver, now that he was bright and alert, similarly left, nodding at you. 

Here you were, alone amongst the “benevolent” Octavinelle trio, now regretting waking up early to get breakfast instead of just sleeping in.

Ruggie had been leaving trails of dahlias behind him all day, getting on the ghost janitors’ ire and lectured by Crewel specifically. 

“Loose flowers in a lab is the perfect example of a hazard to lab safety! Have you not gone to the nurse to get this taken care of?!”

He hadn’t had a fit since seeing you this morning, luckily. He had noticed you in the hallways in between classes though. Everytime your eyes met his own, you’d flush and rush away. 

“Ugh, one of the guys must’ve told them.” Ruggie groaned, slumped over as he walked over to the kitchens, feet aching from running around his shift at Sam’s and now Mostro Lounge. 

Azul had asked him to collect some perishable items that he’d purchased from a supplier, having it delivered to the school’s walk-in fridge until he could have someone pick it up. 

Jade and Floyd were supposed to be there, ready to help, but they were nowhere to be found. Ruggie shrugged, walking into the kitchen and heading to the fridge before he felt himself get yanked by his collar. 

“Hahahehehe! Be sure to thank us later, Sharksucker!”

“Fuhuhu~ Indeed Ruggie, I’m sure you’ll appreciate it later.”

“Oof! Hey!” Ruggie stumbled into the pantry, landing on something soft. “What the-Jade, Floyd this isn’t funny—”

“Mmph!” The floor beneath him started wiggling and groaning, startling Ruggie. His eyes were slowly adjusting to the dark, his hyena genes serving him well as he yelped, looking down.

A white cloth was tied around your mouth while your hands and feet were bound by what looked like Floyd’s scarf. Ruggie’s ears and dahlias drooped down as he saw that your cheeks were covered in tear tracks. 

"Mmmphie! Mmmphie! Mmmph mmph mmph!" came out from behind the tightly-bound cloth.

“W-what? FLOYD! JADE! WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU TWO?!” He could hear the twins’ laughter from outside the door. Ruggie started pounding on the door with his fist, growling before freezing, hearing your muffled crying.

The hyena scrambled to turn on the light switch before returning back to your curled up form, gingerly untying the bound on your mouth. 

“R-r-ruggie!!” You bawled out, fresh new tears spilling out of your eyes as he undid the knot on your hands, then feet. 

“Hey, hey it’s alright Prefect, Y/N? I’m here—AH!” He yelped as you launched yourself in his arms, landing on his back, red petals flying . He stiffened as you shoved your head into the nook of his neck, hiccuping as you began babbling. 

“I’m sorry Ruggie!!!” Softly glowing dahlias started popping up from between his ears and vines growing down his arms as he spat out petals. 

“What’re you talking about? This isn’t your fault—”

“But it is! Azul and them said you were sick and that it was my faaaaault!” He froze, pulling you away to look at your teary eyes and snotty face. 

Gods you looked terrible. Red-faced, puffy eyes, and pout made you look like an ugly crier, not doing you any justice. Ruggie couldn’t help the squeeze in his heart as you reached back out to clutch onto him again. You were the cutest ugly crier he’d ever seen. 

“What? What do you mean—”

“They said that my crush on you’s been making you puke the flowers!” Ruggie’s ears perked up, and despite the growing blush and the resembling dahlias, he let you continue.

“Your crush?”

“My crush!!! It’s making you sick, a-and that I needed to confess to make it go away but-but-but-” You wailed, Ruggie allowing you to shove your head into his chest. 

“I was embarrassed! Then Floyd got mad a-at me and he and Jade tied me up and threw me in here.”

Ruggie hummed in response. It made sense now why Azul specifically asked him to collect the produce from the kitchen, instead of letting him manage the floor like usual. 

“They said I was ’ppose to be a present. I’m sorry Ruggie, I didn’t mean to drag you into this.”

He let out a heavy sigh, rubbing the back of your head affectionately.  

“Nah, it’s not your fault entirely.” He tilted your chin to look up at him. “You are the reason I got the flowers, but not cause of your crush though.”

You made a questioning noise, blinking curiously at him. You looked like one of the kids back home after throwing a tantrum. 

“Shyehehehe! They didn’t say what the flowers ‘re from?” Ruggie laughed as you pouted, pinching his cheek.”

“What do you mean? Is it still my fault? And I basically just confessed! I’m crying in a closet, just confessed and you’re laughing at me!”

Ruggie’s laughter died down as he grabbed your hand, moving it to cradle his cheek instead. His ears perked up as he heard your soft gasp, his eyes meeting yours, blown wide. 

His tail wagged, despite himself. “It’s cause I like ya, Prefect. I like ya so much that it makes my stomach ache and flowers sprout from all over. I gotta hand it to ya, for a cute little herbivore, you sure got your teeth dug right into my heart.”

You scoffed, using your other arm to wipe your face clean. 

“The dahlias make sense now…did you at least try eating them?”

He let out a barking laugh, followed by your giggling. “I thought about it! I spat out enough of them that I got sick of the taste, besides…”

Ruggie could hear the rustling of his tail under his clothes as he wrapped an arm around your waist, grinning wider at the gasp that left your mouth as he yanked you onto his lap. 

He pressed you against him until your bodies were flushed against one another. Heat pooled in the pit of his stomach as he gazed up to your flustered face. Ruggie nuzzled his head into your chest, feeling your rapidly speeding heartbeat. 

“Ruggie…” You tangled your hands through his hair, making him groan as you gently pulled his head back and rubbed the backs of his ears. 

You leaned down to graze your lips over his, giving Ruggie a heady whine as he nibbled on your lower lip.

“Shyehehe~ You’re awfully clingy for a poor little hyena like me, you sure I meet your standards?”

Despite his attempt at humor, Ruggie was sure that you could hear the apprehensive tone in his voice, your eyes softening. 

Instead of pointing his insecurity out, you answered his question with a deep, open-mouth kiss. He groaned into your mouth, returning your kiss with desperation, as if you’d disappear in his grasp. 

Ruggie’s hands wandered along your sides, slipping underneath your shirt and tracing your spine, causing you to shiver in delight. You pulled away from his lips, causing him to let out a displeased growl before shifting into something closer to a purr as you left wet kisses along his neck. 

Feeling your teeth softly dig themselves into the crook of his neck and chest, Ruggie rolled his hips into yours, delighting in the moan that left you. 

Just as you started suckling, no doubt leaving a mark, his world turned upside down as he suddenly fell backwards onto the ground of the college kitchen. 

“Ow, shit!” Ruggie winced as the back of his head smacked into the hard tile flooring, you splayed over his body. 

“What is wrong with you two? When I said get them into a room together, I didn’t mean—oh my!” Azul squeaked, glasses skewed as he saw the two of you. Ruggie developing a dark red hickey and you with your shirt nearly half off. 

“Aw, see it worked out!” Floyd chirped, delighted at the turn of events. 

Jade chuckled, taking his phone out to quickly snap a photo. 

“W-what, hey! Don’t go taking pictures!” Ruggie cried out as the both of you scrambled to get up and tidy yourselves.

Jade smiled innocently. “Oh? Don’t worry, I’ll only share it with the other second years, just to win a bet.”

Ruggie narrowed his eyes at Jade. “Alright but how much did ya bet? You’re gonna split it with me right—”

The four men winced at your shrill shriek. 

“RUGGIE?! NO!” 

Zinnia – A purple zinnia flower symbolizes spiritual exaltation and honoring the divine. It also symbolizes love on a soul mate level.

Pink cosmos – In the Victorian era, cosmos flowers symbolized joy in love and in life. Dark pinks ones should be given to a romantic interest.

The latest unbirthday planning was going well. Since spring had just arrived, it was tradition for the first spring unbirthday party to have the desserts be made with the seasonal harvest. Riddle was especially happy to hear that Trey would be making strawberry and apricot tarts for this party. 

Trey was especially excited to try his hand at his mother’s sugared lavender cupcakes, a family recipe that she insisted on keeping out of his hands until he guaranteed her an in-law. 

Luckily he’d managed to convince her by telling her that the cupcakes might help him dazzle a certain someone. She was quick to mail him the original copy with the promise of a visitor during the next break. 

Now if only he could find the recipe card. 

“Hmm, I thought I brought it down from my room…hey Cater?”

“Yeah Trey?” Cater answered in a sing-song voice. 

“I can’t find my mom’s recipe card.” Trey groaned as he rubbed his face. “She’ll kill me if I lose it, can you go to my room to check if I left it on my desk?” 

Cater winked and gave him a finger gun. “Sure thing Trey! Cay-Cay in on the case! Brb!”

Trey nodded as Cater left the kitchen, now focusing on preparing the jam and frosting for the strawberry-lemon cake, which was cooling on the counter. He was so focused on making the jam and whisking the cream cheese frosting, he failed to notice a certain someone sneaking up behind him. 

“Boo!” 

Trey hummed, looking over his shoulder to look down at you with your arms out and teeth bared. “Oh, hey Y/N, you’re here early.”

“Aw booooooo! You were supposed to get scared!” You pouted at the taller man, pulling at his arm as he laughed at your little tantrum. 

“Haha, scared? Of you? Hardly.” Trey winced and held his arms up in defense, still laughing as you started to pound on his arms and back. 

“Ow, ow! Okay I concede!” He grabbed your hands, holding them over your head as he leaned down towards your face, smirking. 

Trey hovered his face over yours, enjoying your pouty blush. With a teasing lilt, he cooed, “Don’t be a brat, Y/N. Or else you won’t get a treat later~”

“Hmph, maybe I’ll just steal some later. What are you gonna do? Punish me?” You replied in an equally teasing tone, stepping on your tiptoes, making yourself just talk enough to brush your nose against his. 

“Mmm, don’t tempt me, I just might—”

“Hey Trey I found your—whoa! What did I just walk into?”

The two of you rapidly distanced yourselves from each other, Trey nearly knocking over the bowl of jam and you tripping into the table chair. 

Both of you answered Cater with a louder than needed, “Nothing!” as your faces turned the same shade as the strawberries he was baking with. 

“Riiiiight, uh, Trey I got your mom’s recipe card!” The ginger looked between you two with an absolute ecstatic grin, making eye contact with Trey and wiggling his eyebrows. 

“I can come back though, if you two need a moment—”

You interrupted, “No, it’s fine. I promised Ace and Deuce I’d help paint the roses.” 

Trey looked at you wistfully as you tidied yourself, pulling out a bouquet of dark-pink cosmos from your bag. 

“Here, you like these right? I thought you could use them to decorate the cake ‘n stuff.”

Trey smiled and accepted the bouquet of admittedly stunning cosmos, ignoring Cater’s open mouth smile and silent squealing. 

“Thanks, I’m sure they’ll go great with the cake, I’ll see you later.”

His eyes wandered up and down your body as you left the kitchen, waving your fingers as you gave a playful “Bye~”

Trey replied with his own enamored “bye” as he waved after you, a lovesick grin on his face as he watched you leave. 

Eyes still on the doorway you left through, it took a few moments and Cater waving his hand in front of his face to get his attention back. 

“Helloooo? Wonderland to Trey~” Cater sang, snapping his fingers in Trey’s face. “You’re a lil out of it, got something juicy you wanna share with me? Come on! Give Cay-Cay the deets!”

Trey rolled his eyes, swiping the recipe card from his friend’s hands. 

“There’s no ‘deets’ for Cay-Cay to know, not if he wants me to make him a spicy fruit cocktail for today.”

Cater hummed as he watched Trey resume building the strawberry-lemon cake, gesturing for him to grab stuff from the pantry. 

“Now, help me grab the lavender from the pantry, and get some more flour, I’ll need it for the cupcakes.”

“Sure! Speaking of flowers…” Cater leaned over to whisper into Trey’s ear, “why’s your trash can full of flower petals? Are you secretly a botanist, or is there something you're not telling me?”

Cater let out an uncharacteristically giddy cackle as he watched Trey drop the clean bowl he’d grabbed, whipping around to stare at him with wide eyes. 

“You saw those?” 

“Yeah, zinnias right?” Cater called out as he collected the items Trey requested. “Little Y/N’s favorite~ You want to tell me where you got so many?”

“Uh, the botanical gardens, where else?”

“Yeah, yeah. Sure, the gardens.” sneaking up from behind him, Cater plucked a light purple colored flower from the back of Trey’s neck, who hissed at the sudden prick. 

“Not from hanahaki popping up on your body, tooootallyyy!”

Trey groaned out loud, attempting to look behind him for any other blooms. “Damn it, I thought I got rid of them. Are there more I can’t see?” 

“Nah, you’re fine.” Cater waved him off, looking around the hard-to-reach places for his friend. “It was just the one.”

Trey sighed in relief, thanking Cater as he placed the bag of lavender petals in his hand, “Good, it was a pain to get them out of my hair, let alone my mouth. They’re really bitter you know?”

“O-M-G, Treeeeey!” Cater gasped, throwing himself against his friend. “That’s, like, a supes easy fix! Just confess, you already have the flowers to give!”

“Ha, I know, I plan to later.”

“Plus, with the way you two were allover each other earlier, there’s no way they won’t say yes—OMGWAITWHAT!”

Cater shook Trey by his shoulders, while the latter attempted to steady the bowl of dry ingredients in his hand, guarding it with a vigor akin to a knight and their liege. 

“OMGNOWAYWHENHOWAREYOUGONNADOITINFRONTOFEVERYONEAREYOUGONNADOITINPRIVATECANIRECORDCANIPOSTITTREYTREYTREYTREYTREY—”

Trey smacked his free hand on Cater’s mouth, effectively silencing him minus a few muffled sounds. He breathed out a heavy and deep sigh before slowly replying to Cater. 

“If I take my hand off your mouth, will you quiet down?”

Cater gave an enthusiastic nod, eyes twinkling. Trey could feel the grin against his hand, and reluctantly and slowly removed his hand. 

“...So when did you find out? When did you decide to confess?!” The ginger asked giddily, watching as Trey resumed his task at hand, preparing the ingredients for the lavender cupcakes. 

“A week ago, I overheard Ace and Deuce talking about the Prefect coughing up a bunch of pink cosmos, they were arguing over what tea would help with their symptoms.”

Cater made an ‘O’ shape with his mouth, pointing at the cosmos you’d given to Trey earlier, placed carefully on the counter. 

“You mean—”

“Mm-hm, those are probably their hanahaki, grew up with those in my mom’s garden, she used them as garnishes on cakes, especially wedding ones.”

Trey smiled fondly as he reached to grab one of the small flowers, rubbing the soft petals between his fingers. “A bit after that I started to find zinnias in my bed, coughing them up and everything. I think the nurse probably put two and two together after I went to see her.”

He shrugged as he grabbed his mother’s recipe card, twirling it in his fingers. 

“I figured, why wait? Mom always said that it was these cupcakes that snatched Dad up, I’ve always wanted to try my hand at them plus she wouldn’t pass down this recipe without a partner in the picture.”

“Oh, Trey!” Cater clasped his hands together as he squealed, “You want help? I get some of the froshies to finish up the tarts and cake, so you can focus on those! Like, don’t even worry about it boo!”

Cater winked gave Trey a half-arm hug. “I’ll make sure they follow instructions to a T! All I ask for in exchange is the exclusive right to snap the first pic of the brand-new school couple, capiche?”

True to his word, Cater was quick to round up a handful of freshmen who he’d found goofing off instead of painting roses. They were more than happy to take over Trey’s baking, after he gave them strict rules and a talking too on what to do, in order to not be snitched off to Riddle. 

Thankfully, the cupcakes weren’t difficult to make, what with his experience in the kitchen. He’d cut the recipe down by half so that he’d only make four, medium sized cupcakes. In fact, the most difficult part was making sure that he ground up enough lavender to turn the glaze a soft purple, which complemented the zinnias he’d placed in the small basket. Using the plush flowers as a cushion, he placed the blooms of your cosmos in between the gaps, creating a beautiful, pink and purple presentation. 

He was sure you’d love it, carefully hiding the wicker basket, covered by a white tablecloth, underneath the table. 

Later, Trey smiled as he looked around at the dorm members enjoying the party. His cake was a big hit, and Riddle in particular was enjoying the flower themed desserts, specially the daisy-shaped fruit tarts. 

“You’ve outdone yourself this time Trey!” Riddle praised him, “It seems that everyone has particularly enjoyed the sweets this time around. Well done, I’d expect nothing less!

Trey chuckled bashfully, rubbing the back of his head. “Thanks Riddle, be sure to praise the freshmen too, that group over there helped out a lot as well.”

Riddle nodded, his mood in high-spirits as he walked over to the group Trey gestured to. Trey raised his head to look over the crowd of red, white, and black for Cater, who was currently adjusting his slice of cake for the perfect angle. 

Grim was also with him, hungrily waiting for Cater to give him the okay to make the sacrifice of scarfing down the sweet dessert. Perfect.

Trey briskly walked over to him, basket in hand, leaning down to whisper in his ear. Cater perked up and nodded before calling out. 

“Hey Acey, Deucey! Com ‘ere real quick, Cay-Cay needs ya for a super-duper important task!”

The pair perked up mid-conversation with you, nodding at you and rushing over to Cater per his request. Trey walked over to you, though he could make out Cater asking the duo for assistance with a Magicam post. 

“Hey, Y/N.” You smiled up at him as he approached, wiping the tart crumbs from the corner of your mouth. Trey had the impulsive to lean down and lick the mess off of you himself, though he shook it away. 

“Hey, what’s up Trey!” You clasped your hands behind you, rocking back and forth on your heels, unaware of the petals. “You did great with the desserts, I noticed you didn’t use the flowers I gave you on the cake though…are they not edible?”

“About that…I actually wanted to show you something else I did with the flowers,” Trey held his hand out to you soft smile growing bigger as you laced your fingers through his. 

Trey led you to an isolated corner of the rose maze, stiffening slightly as you wrapped your arm around his, relaxing as you leaned in. The small basket was being carefully guarded against his right side, being carefully cradled like a precious stone in a gold necklace. 

The two of you remained in a comfortable silence, basking in each other’s presence like an old, aging married couple on a stroll. The image made him smile. 

I wasn’t but a few minutes later that you’d arrived at a secluded white gazebo, roses and vines crawling up the sides. It was just far enough away that the sound of laughter and chatter from the party was but a faint white noise, giving Trey the perfect ambiance needed for his plan. 

“Take a seat right there, I got something for you.” Trey gestured to the stone bench, a fitting heart-shaped backrest further setting the mood. 

“Oh? Alright.” You took a seat, still looking up at him with a curious expression. “Is it something in the basket?”

He let out a soft chuckle, “Why don’t you close your eyes and let me surprise you?” 

You squint your eyes in suspicion, scoffing as you obey.

“Fine, if I get another spoonful of vanilla extract though—”

Trey barked out a laugh. “I told you it was bitter! Now keep those eyes closed.”

“It smells sweet! It’s made of vanilla!” You huffed, flinching and then relaxing as you felt him place the basket on your lap. “That’s not the worst thing even, I’m still angry about the oyster sauce donuts!”

“Okay that one was your own fault, you saw me do the same thing with Ace and the chestnut tarts, remember? When we first met?”

You smiled fondly, as did Trey though you couldn’t see it. What Trey could see though were the cosmos blooming along your exposed nape. He let out a soft cough, spitting out a lilac zinnia. 

“Hmm, yeah, I do.” He wiped his hands clean, gingerly placing the zinnia on the bench next to you, uncovering the basket and grabbing one of the still pristine cupcakes. 

“Okay, here—” Trey took the sugared lavender stem and held it up to you mouth. “—open up and say ‘aah’~”

“Pfft—okay, aaaah~” Grinning, Trey placed the stem on your tongue and watched as you slowly chewed. 

“Well? How’s that taste?”

You hummed. “It’s sweet, flowery…it tastes like the evening tea Riddle has before bed…soooo lavender?”

Trey hummed in affirmation. “That’s right, now take a bite of this.” He unfolded the wrapper off of the cupcake, holding it up as you took a small bite. 

“Mmmh! Trey!” Your moan of delight caused a pleasurable shiver down his spine, less than pure thoughts filling his head. “It’s so good, it’s lavender too? Is it a cookie…no wait, a cupcake!”

“Heh, good guess, I have one last thing for you to taste, ‘kay?”

He watched as you eagerly nodded, mouth open for the next treat. Trey leaned down, hovering his lips over you own, noticing the light purple glaze still on your bottom lip.

Feeling his breath over your own, you stuttered out, “T-trey? What are you—mmph!”

Trey gently, but firmly pressed his lips to yours, licking the glaze and swiping his tongue along your lip as you opened up to let him in. Your hands reached to tug him by the lapel, returning his kiss with eagerness and tugging him closer and closer, gasps leaving both of your lips. 

Still hands were now wandering, gliding up your thighs and along the curve of your back, deciding to settle on the backrest. Trey found himself leaning down to match your height, knee settled in between your thighs. 

A beguiling groan rang from between your mouths, from who you didn’t know, then another as Trey’s tongue met your own. Then a gasp as you felt his hand hook underneath you as he lifted you to curl against his body, left hand still cradling and rubbing soothing circles at the small of your back. 

Your back was so far arched, chest meeting chest, that you moved your hands from their steel grip on his lapels to instead wrap around his shoulder and neck as he dipped you further to feel your body press into his. 

Trey licked your lower lip again, positive he could still taste the sweet lavender on your lip, causing you to whine as he instead took your lower lip between his teeth and tug. Breaking the kiss to observe your red face, gasping breaths, and half lidded eyes. 

He has to say, of all the cakes, cookies, and pastries he’s made and tried over the years, you were by far the sweetest, and most divine treat he’s tasted. Trey decided that he needed another taste to confirm as he lips met yours for another passionate kiss.

#twst #twisted wonderland #ruggie bucchi #trey clover #ruggie bucci x reader #trey clover x reader #twst ruggie #mochi requests #a floral inconvenience #twst trey #twst x reader #twst ruggie x reader #twst trey x reader #twisted wonderland x reader

[sethsclearwater]

just read the ask about knotting with the twilight wolves, and I would love to read something like that with Paul. Could you write us something?

totally! i've never written anything like this before so definitely let me know your thoughts and if there's anything i got wrong or misunderstood about this!

...

"paul-" you whimpered, sitting up as you were pulled out of your post-orgasmic haze a little sooner than you would've liked due to the stretching sensation inside you.

paul already knew what was up with you, just quietly shushing you, "relax princess," he murmured, sliding his hands onto your hips and gently pulling you back down to his chest, "take some deep breaths for me," he encouraged, taking in a deep inhale with you and held it for a moment before releasing.

"'s uncomfy-" you whimpered, moving to tug your hips up from his but paul was quick to hold you in place before you could cause any pain for either of you.

"i know princess," paul murmured, "jus' gotta give it some time so you can get used to it, okay? gotta sit still for a little bit," he cooed, pressing a soft kiss to the crown of your head as you let out a disgruntled huff but settled in his arms nonetheless.

"such a good girl for me," paul praised, pressing a few more soft kisses to your hair as you closed your eyes, doing your best to relax in his arms, "you wanna tell me what felt good tonight?" he asked softly, hoping that by talking about your rendezvous that got you into this situation in the first place, it would help you take your mind off the stretching.

you hummed, thinking about it for a moment before responding, "i like it best when you're on top," you murmured, peeking up at him and giggling when he pressed a soft kiss to your lips.

"do you want more help from me while you're on top then? i know you don't like doing that much work," he teased, though his question was genuine.

you rolled your eyes, huffing, "yes paul," you grumbled, "it'd be nice if you could guide me a little more," you added, voice much less irritated as you explained what you wanted more of from him.

despite your playful relationship with paul, both of you had gotten quite good at communicating with each other, especially after a session like tonight where he had accidentally knotted you while finishing in you.

"i think i can do that," he smiled, leaning down to press a soft kiss to your lips, "'m sorry about this," he murmured after a moment and you offered him a small smile.

paul would never admit it to anyone, but he had gotten much better with having some humility when it came to you. he was always quick to apologize when he was in the wrong and it had become something that made you realize just how much you loved him.

"'s not really your fault," you murmured, pressing a soft kiss to his chest, "not like you're trying to knock me up," you added teasingly, giggling when paul let out a heavy sigh, shaking his head.

"do we have any plan b in the bathroom?" he asked, suddenly a bit more concerned at the possibility of getting you pregnant.

you giggled and nodded, "i'll take one after you get us out of this situation," you teased and he rolled his eyes but you saw the corner of his lips pull into a smile, revealing that he wasn't actually annoyed with your teasing.

"jus' lay down for a bit, yea? should go down soon enough," he encouraged, pressing a soft kiss to your hair and wrapping his arms around you to hold you close to him.

you nodded, letting out a soft sigh as you got settled in his arms, both of you happy to be in each other's arms despite the situation paul had gotten both of you into.

#paul lahote #paul lahote x reader #paul lahote imagine #paul lahote blurb #paul lahote fluff #paul lahote smut #paul lahote angst #twilight #tts #the twilight saga #twilight imagine #twilight blurb #twilight wolves #twilight wolfpack #twilight wolves imagine #twilight wolfpack imagine #imagine #fluff #smut

[queenofthearchipelago]

Hey! I just saw your post about some meta doing good but then misunderstanding the characters at some point. If you do not mind sharing, what are certain misconceptions that you usually see and don’t agree with?

Hi! I don't mind sharing but before I answer this I wanna say that I do love that this fandom has so many interpretations of Aziraphale and Crowley's actions and thoughts and motivations. I think some of those interpretations don't always line up with everything we see of them in the show and I feel that both of them have areas where they can be misunderstood. But if anyone reading this finds themselves disagreeing with me, that you do see some of what I'm about to say in their characters, I'm not trying to take your version of Crowley and Aziraphale away from you and like, ruin that fun by saying people are wrong, or something. Fandom becomes really stiff when the culture only has one idea of who the characters are.

That said, I'll start with Crowley because I've always found him most relatable, and so I think about his character more than Aziraphale's.

The first thing is Crowley's temper. I've read quite a few metas talking about how Crowley needs to better manage his anger because it shuts Aziraphale down and makes it harder for him to talk. I don't see this. I mean, yes, Crowley has a temper. Crowley has been shown to be angry. But I've not seen it shut Aziraphale down. When Aziraphale gets nervous around an angered Crowley, it's always because Crowley has said something blasphemous. Such as at the bandstand when Crowley is cursing the Great Plan. Aziraphale becomes scared FOR Crowley and Crowley is never angry AT Aziraphale. I can't think of a scene off the top of my head where anything Crowley does makes Aziraphale feel like he can't say something he clearly wants to say.

But also, I feel that this take of Crowley's character, that he struggles with his temper around Aziraphale, somehow erases how gentle he really is with Aziraphale. He's always so patient with him, even when it would make sense for him to be off the rails angry. And also also, the two main times we see Crowley lose his temper around Aziraphale (the bandstand and then the fight in episode 1 of this season) are both times of great desperation. The world was ENDING. He was SCARED (He's really good at hiding how scared he is). And then Gabriel shows up and Crowley doesn't know how but he feels this will disrupt every single good thing in his life. And so he explodes in the street, something we don't have reason to think Aziraphale saw. Crowley literally left to go cool down. I think he did his best.

I also see a lot of metas speak to Crowley's apparent lack of self-worth. I've spoken about this before, I think Crowley is very confident in who he is. I think he knows himself better than Aziraphale knows himself. Crowley has ALWAYS known who he is, his arc is not one of self-discovery. It's actually Crowley's dedication to being himself despite what Hell would have him be that causes him conflict and intrigues Aziraphale so much.

That also leads into this idea that Crowley can't see himself clearly and therefore can't accept Aziraphale's love. As if he can't comprehend why Aziraphale might love him. But, we literally watch as Crowley graciously accepts every advance that Aziraphale makes. Crowley is the one who "goes too fast" and he probably has a lot of joy every time Aziraphale makes another step forward. It's Aziraphale who said, "Let's go out for lunch" the first time. It's Aziraphale who invited a demon into the bookshop meant to be an embassy for Heaven. It's Aziraphale who said "our car", and then Crowley gave him the keys. Crowley even blatantly says, "We've spent our entire existence pretending that we're not." This implies that he KNOWS. He knows Aziraphale has been pretending too, for 6,000 years, and before that too. Crowley knows he's loved, the problem was that he wasn't allowed to be loved by an angel, and neither of them ever got to say it out loud.

And then there are other, smaller things I see in metas that I don't generally agree with (though I completely understand how people got there). Which is this idea that Crowley feels rejected by Aziraphale. I mean, yes, but also no. I don't think Crowley got in the car at the end and drove away thinking that Aziraphale loves Heaven more than him. I think he's more angry that every single time Aziraphale falls to Earth, Heaven tugs on this rope around his waist and pulls him back up. I think Crowley understands Aziraphale's dilemma a lot better than we think he does.

And also, more recently I've seen some speculation about how Crowley wanting to run away is somehow a character flaw? Like, I agree with the point that both of them were wrong. Fixing Heaven won't work, so Crowley was right. But also, running away isn't a long term solution for them because they both love Earth too much. But I don't exactly see this as a character flaw? In season 1 when he mentions running away, let me remind you that THE WORLD WAS ENDING. He was desperate and he was scared. And in season 2, it wasn't so much a plea to literally run away into the stars and escape as it was an immortal being saying, "Look, Gabriel and Beelzelbub did it. Wherever they are, they're together, and they're dedicated to being happy together. Can we do that? Can we do that forever? In this bookshop or in the stars (in a cottage in the south downs?) Because I love you and I don't wanna think about belonging to anyone else anymore. WE don't need to belong to anyone else anymore. What do you say?"

And as for Aziraphale, I've said before that I don't think he wants Crowley to be an angel so that he can love him more. Aziraphale loves him as he is. And I think there are more articulate posts out there outlining why. The ask for Crowley to be an angel again has nothing to do with Crowley himself except that Aziraphale thinks Crowley would be safer that way. Aziraphale can fix Heaven FOR Crowley. Crowley's fall was wrong and he can now right that wrong. This happened, tragically, because Aziraphale loves him exactly as he is. And as much as Crowley's heart is broken right now, I don't think he doesn't know that. He knows the love he's had from Aziraphale these millennia was real. He knows it.

This became an essay, maybe one day I'll figure out how to get my points across quickly lol. But yeah, these are just my thoughts about who I understand these characters to be in canon. And I know that even though it's been nearly a month since the season dropped, people are still working through all the details that led up to our favorite angel stepping into an elevator and the demon who loves him more than life driving away alone in silence. I'm honestly still working through it too, there's still so much to think about.

#thanks for the ask! #good omens #crowley #aziraphale #good omens meta #crowley analysis #aziraphale analysis #thoughtsfromthequeen #asks

[vee-crytraps]

Kiss Me More {Themes/TW's Masterlist}

Pairings: Dick Grayson/Reader, Jason Todd/Reader, Tim Drake/Reader, Damian Wayne/Reader Trigger Warnings: 18+, light yandere, graphic descriptions of sex, Fan-non personalities, reverse harem, unhealthy relationships, unhealthy pining, teenage hormones, (legal) age differences, fem!reader, violence, drug use, polyandry. General Themes: Sex positivity, sexual curiosity, sexual promiscuity, sexy sex sex sex, struggling with growing up, struggling with Naughty Feelings, trying to become a person, general feeling of being misunderstood, possibility of light angst in future, family death (mentioned).

Chapters: 1 | GROAN (Jason/Reader 🔞) 2 | BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE 3 | EAU D'BEDROOM DANCING (Dick/Reader 🔞) 4 | ORNAMENT 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 5 | KRIMSON (Tim/Reader 🔞) 6 | TO YOU (Damian/Reader 🔞)

Reference:

Ages: Dick 29 | Jason 23 | Tim 20 | Damian 18 | Reader 18 DICK is the ‘no man will compare to your charming big brother’ type. He is your knight in shining armor, always eager to put you first. He believes no one will be able to take care of you the way that he can, but doesn't view other men as competition- preferring to show you that he’s better. He's your childhood friend, your 'boy-(in-the-room-) next-door'. Dick's love language is...kind of all of them? But he loves spending time with you, lounging about your room while you choose outfits and recount high school drama. JASON is one of your more estranged siblings. He gets off knowing that Bruce views you as an innocent, and that your involvement with him in particular is taboo in all sorts of ways. Part of him is getting over the fact that you really aren’t as delicate as you used to be, far from the annoying brat he believed too weak for their nightly family adventures. He wants to protect you but also feels like he’s missed too many formative years to really boss you around like an older brother. Whenever he tries, it always comes out a little awkward. He’s the care-free fun sibling, letting you get away with whatever you want while simultaneously encouraging it. He is a pleasure seeker and an enabler, but will also recite some poetry after he finishes boning you on his couch. TIM is like a best friend. This relationship is more casual than truly lusty or romantic, at least at the start. Even your intimacy is playful and spontaneous. There's no pressure to be anything but yourself, in and out of the bedroom. Tim mostly adores your curiosity, a trait which you both share. You often go down wikipedia rabbit holes together, or people watch at the park outside of WayneTech during his lunch breaks. You've also started a snapchat series of him falling asleep in strange places. DAMIAN is a total dominant personality, if somewhat socially awkward. In some ways, he believes you belong to him. He views you as a pet or a toy sometimes, wishing to take care of you in his own way. His role in your life is essentially a sexual and romantic version of how Bruce sees you. Damian dresses you, enjoys bathing you and would rather watch you get off than be able to get himself off. Like Bruce, it's as much of a control thing as it is a 'I don't know how to interact with people in a genuine way' thing. He doesn’t always know what to do with reciprocation as he’s never had it, but he doesn’t need it with you. Much like the relationship between a pet and it’s human, it’s one sided care. This is important because Damian cherishes pets over humans, so the fact that he cares for you like a dog means that you’re highly valued in his mind.

Lil Notes: Feel free to suggest/request little scenarios! If they don't inspire anything for Kiss Me More, they might make a nice little one shot! No guarantee that I can get around to them, but I will try my best! I'll be re-posting my work from Ao3 onto Tumblr slowly so I don't flood the tags.

#Kiss Me More #v.fic #v.masterlist

[sugawhaaa]

Bath time!

Soul fanfic <3

Warnings: Cute Cringe

Synopsis:Soul begs you to accompany him while he's in the bath and you share some interesting conversations.

Word count:1,055

Not proof read

A/N: yup I'm into P1harmony now…surprise! I've scanned them for a little over a week now but I didn't want to write any fanfics for them before had a good grip on their personalities

We all know Soul can still be a little childish sometimes. A little weird, a little loud, a little misunderstood. All those terms suit both Soul and a kid. Throughout the two years you've been dating him you've gotten used to his weirdness so you're not surprised this scenario happened today.

You were using the bathroom while Soul was getting a bath, as any normal human would do. But Soul isn't normal now is he. You two were just chatting a bit when you were heading for the door when he called out your name.

"Y/N," he said. You came back over to the curtain and said,

"Yes?"

"Can you stay here with me?" He asked in his sweet little voice. You chuckled.

"Why?" You said sitting back down on the closed toilet seat.

"Because I love you," despite dating for two years everytime those three words come out of his mouth you can't help but blush and kick your feet.

"Alright," you said "I'll stay,"

He then cheered and you heard the water from his bath splash around at his sudden movement. He then started opening the curtain, "Shota what are you doing?" You said grabbing the white cloth.

"I wanna see you," he whined.

"But you're in the bath! That's weird…" you cried out.

"Your my girlfriend, it's okay you've seen me naked before," he said as if it were nothing, while your cheeks got red.

"Fine," you said, letting go of the curtain allowing him to swing it open. He let out another little cheer before opening it, and there he was. The tips of his sandy hair clumped together, dripping wet, all over his shirtless chest. His childish smile beaming at you accompanied by his dreamy eyes looking up at you. After taking a moment to look at you, he sunk back down into the bubbles in his bath. His phone was on the edge of the bathtub, it seemed as though he was playing cookie run before you came in.

"What scent is your bubble bath? Satsuma?" You asked striking up a conversation.

"Yep!" He smiled innocently, he looked so cute and you were so tempted to comment on it but it just wasn't the right time."you've always had a keen for smelling things," you laughed at his attempted compliment.

"What is that supposed to mean?" You chuckled.

"Your good at knowing what something is just by its scent," he said simply. You thought about his words for a moment.

"I suppose your right," you said kinda shocked. "I think I get it from my childhood," you said leaning a little closer to the side of the tub.

"How so?" He asked.

"Well when I was younger I used to smell everything, especially things that were new to me. Then later on I'd smell that same thing and know what it was instantly!"

"Oh my God, that reminds me of one time when I was like eight there was a fire in my school and I thought I was gonna die!"

•You two somehow got lost in conversation about school stories and people you knew when you were younger•

"And I remember the whole class laughing while the janitor cleaned it up," you laughed as you told a story from your elementary days when you noticed Soul staring at you from the side of the tub. "Why're you looking at me like that?"

"You remind me of a character from a show I watched…" Soul said while his expression made it seem like he was looking around his brain for some more information. "Claire…from the tales of Arcadia series," He said, still looking up at you with the whole world in his eyes.

"Oh I remember that show, you've talked about it a lot," After you told him how you remembered it his face lit up. It was clear he loved this show and he was dying to rant about it to you again. As he was doing so he was talking about the main love interests.

"That's when he drove Claire up to this little hill after the dance and all the lights from the city could be seen. Then he put on some music and started dancing with her! It was so sweet," he said leaning against the side of the tub, staring off into space thinking about it.

"Sounds kinda like us," you said looking up at the ceiling. You were now on the floor with your back facing the inside of the tub. One of your knees was up with your arm resting on top of it. Soul's expression turned a little surprised as he looked at you. "I mean we haven't really done anything like that, for many reasons, but it just sounds like something you'd do for me," you smiled up at him as you tucked your knees up and hugged them with your arms. He looked at you shocked.

"Yeah, you're right. I've thought about doing things like that for you," he admitted.

"Really!? Why didn't you?"

"Just too busy, chaotic, I couldn't find a good place. Just not a good time you know?" Shota said, setting his chin on the side of the tub with his right arm under it and his left next to his jawline.

"Yeah, that makes sense," you said, tucking some of the stray hairs away from Soul's face. His cheeks got a little pink from your soft action. If that wasn't enough you kissed him on the head, which caused him to show you his squishy smile. You went to back away from the kiss but he just pulled you back in for another kiss. You squirmed around during the kiss and when he let you go you whined "Soul your hands were wet! Now my face and shirts all wet," he just laughed and you ended up joining in. "Anyways you should get out because your fingers are as wrinkled as a prune and the water's freezing," You laughed getting up off the wet floor.

"Awe okay," he said, scooting over to the tap.

"Cuddles in bed after?" You smiled back at him with the door handle in your hand.

"Yes!"

<discamler> this is a complete work of fiction and is not intended for anything other than p1eces imagination and daydream fuel.

#p1h soul #p1h jiung #p1h theo #p1harmony #piwon #p1h fanart #p1h x reader #p1h imagines #p1h smut #p1h fluff

[sparda-ly]

hi sweetie, how r u?? i see u are new here, so welcome to tumblr!! 💕

btw i did see too that you are accepting request for god of war and i wanted to make a request for whatever is easier to u (headcannon or a drable). i just wanted to see how would kratos treat a reader with dad issues (platonic!!!!).

oh, and if u don't fell like writing it, fell free to ignore! :)

(and im sorry if u can't understand well what im saying, english isn't my first language)

kratos × reader w dad issues (platonic)

warnings: daddy issues?

note: hi honey, i understood you perfectly, no judgment, english isn't my first language either! this is my first request, so i'm very thankful and excited. hope you enjoy, and i hope i met your expectations. if i misunderstood your request, let me know, and i'll change it ♡♡

let's start of with saying that kratos totally understands your issues, having a complicated relationship with his father himself, he isn't one to judge

kratos first met you in the woods behind his house, you were just a scared girl feeling alone, atreus begged him to take you in and he hesitantly agreed

and let's just say, since then, he had another kid to take care of

you never really made his journey harder or caused him any trouble, so he not once regretted his decision

at first he was cold, kept you at a distance and didn't give you any attention, however you guys grew really close in very little time

he never really noticed your daddy issues, sure, you always waited for his opinion after doing something, and clinged to him like crazy, but he just thought that's your personality

he noticed how you copy him, and look up to him

he caught you a few times, holding his axe and imitating his attacks, it felt nice, that you want to be like him so much

there was a time that for a week straight you only responded with small grunts and short sentences, you also tried copying his angry face however instead of looking mad you just looked cute

you really looked up to him, seeing him as your father figure and protector

always looking out for you in a fight, taking care of you when you're sick, making you feel really safe

you also absolutely loved any praise or affection that you recieved from him

sometimes doing more than necessary just to see him nod and say some kind words to you, making you instantly light up

one night when he took you training, you managed to shoot all three aims perfectly, causing him to mutter just four words "well done, i'm proud"

and you started crying

kratos confused, turned around quickly to see you with tears falling down your eyes, clinging to his leg (since that's where you can only reach) and thanking him a million times

he just gently patted your back and stood there akwardly, not knowing what to do

not moving for a few minutes, you managed to let out a quick sorry and started explaining that's the first time you felt so appreciated

telling him about your father, who never gave you really affection or attention, no matter how hard you tried

you also explained, how he was the one that left you in the woods, for apparently missbehaving by losing his knife

kratos listened to you let it all out, and slowly hugged you, noting to himself to give you more attention and praise

he wanted to give you everything your father couldn't, even though he can't be really considered a perfect one

kratos proved his caring for you using actions, however mimir was the one with words

whenever you had a problem that man did anything to solve it, and honestly you really were thankful for having such amazing two fathers

#kratos x reader #gow x reader #god of war x reader #god of war #god of war fanfiction #gow mimir #gow atreus #atreus x reader #.kratos #🌙 anon

[neoarchipelago]

Madripoor High (part 2)

A/N: I still don't know if you guys like this... I keep writing it in my corner cuz my mind is just running around with ideas so... if you guys want i'll get a part 3 out. Also there's a whole moodboard of this en Pinterest it's on the masterlist.

Warning: Cursing, Swear words, bad writing in general

Walking through the hallways, hands behind your back, the big man next to you, you used your time to look around. He had eased his grip on you, noticing you weren't trying to go anywhere. What was the point anyway? This is where you had to be. Seeing a vending machine at the end of the hallway you jumped, gaining the man's attention. 

"Oh, oh! Can you get me something from the vending machine? I'm hungry. I got my phone to pay." You said. 

He looked at you emotionlessly. It was almost comical, both of you staring at each other without a sound for several seconds. 

"Please?" You added. 

His shoulders lowered with a sigh. He nodded, making you smile as you both walked to the vending machine. Stopping in front of it, you browsed through the different snacks and drinks. He stood next to you, arms crossed. 

"Humm… can you get me… the bag of chips? And… those chocolate bars?" 

"No." 

You frowned, staring at him. 

"Why not?" You asked. 

"Did you even have lunch?" He asked in a disapproving tone. 

"No. Someone decided to handcuff me before I could get lunch!" You complained. 

He kept staring at you. 

"Listen, I'm really hungry! Please…" you debated, stepping forwards. 

With the movement, one of your thigh socks slipped to your knee. You cursed, looking down at it. You looked around looking for anything to help you. You noticed chairs not too far and you started moving towards them. A strong hand grabbed your arm, making you sigh. 

"I'm just going to sit down!" You answered loudly. 

He walked you to the chair where you sat down. Honestly nothing changed. Your hands were still tied up behind your back. You were annoyed. You were hungry, unable to move and you couldn't place back your sock where it should be. You looked up at the man, expectedly. He tilted his head to the side in confusion. You leaned back, slowly moving your leg up, the tip of your shoe now touching his abs. He frowned. 

"What the fuck are you-?" 

"Pull it back up please. I can't do it." You answered monotonously. 

Another staring match,  but he didn't remove your foot. You almost felt him growl as his hands rose to pick your foot and drop it back to the ground slowly. You were ready to complain when he knelt down, putting your foot now on his thigh. His hands inched closer to the hem of the sock, just above your knee, gripping it before pulling it up. He let his fingers circle around the hem to make sure it was in place and secure. You wanted to scream. It had been a very long while since anyone touched you even remotely. 

His fingers made you shiver, your tights were clearly not a barrier that could keep away the feeling of his skin touching your tender flesh. He seemed to look at something on your thigh. 

"What..?" You asked. 

His head snapped up.

"What's wrong?" You asked again, looking at your thigh. 

It didn't take long to notice what he was looking at. The little chubbiness of your thigh because of the tightness of the hem. You looked at him, he looked at you. An awkward silence settled in between the two of you. Did he… like it? The only thing that broke the silence was the sound of footsteps, a man showing up in the corner of your eye. You both looked at the young man who simply stared. He stared. He stared at you, sitting, hands handcuffed behind your back, with this masked man in front of you, kneeling, hands on your thigh. 

You blushed. The situation could be misunderstood and right now you felt like this was too much. None of this was part of the contract. You opened your mouth but you didn't know what to say. 

"Keep walking." 

You looked back at the masked man. It had been an order. Menacing. But his voice had remained at a normal level, and a normal tone. Something else seemed to come from him that made people obey. A silent threat. He had turned his attention back to your sock like it didn't matter. To your dismay, the young man scurried off. You frowned. 

"What… what was that?" You asked. 

He stood up. 

"Let's go lunch. I'll call Price so he joins us." He said. 

You were still completely confused. What the hell was going on. Who was this man. 

"What's your name?" You asked. 

His head tilted again. He thought for a second. 

"Lieutenant Simon Ghost Riley." He introduced himself. 

You smiled. 

"Simon…" you repeated. 

"No. Lieutenant. Or ghost." 

You smirked. 

"Can you help me up please?" You asked. 

He did, spinning you around to take out the handcuffs. 

"So… you trust me?" You asked. 

"We're going to have to work together. I don't trust you. But I can be civil." 

You pouted, nodding your head. He was right. Didn't matter if he trusted you. You didn't trust him after all. 

"Alright. Fair enough. I'll follow you. I'm here for work anyway" you finally said. 

He turned around, walking away. You sighed, following him. 

They had a cafeteria. Huh. Well you didn't really think of how these people ate. It didn't matter anyway. Ghost, or Simon as you had decided to call him, just to annoy him, had made you sit down at a table telling you not to move. You decided to behave for now. You were on your phone, testing the security system of the base, trying to find useful information for the contract. Eventually you stumbled upon the file you will be working on. You started reading through it as a platter was set in front of you. A plate of mashed potatoes and meat, some bread, and a donut. A cup of water was placed next to it. 

You happily jumped in your chair, feeling your stomach grumble.

"Thank you Simon!" You said. 

"Lieutenant." He corrected, annoyed. 

You took a bite of your plate humming happily. He looked away, watching the room around him. It was late evening, not exactly time for dinner yet but soon soldiers would start rushing in. You choose to resume your reading. The file wasn't very interesting. Above all, you already knew what was in there. You felt slightly tricked. What evidence did they have that could be helpful? Noise made its way towards your table as you looked up. A group of men and… 

"Valeria" you called. 

She smiled brightly rushing to you with arms wide open. You rolled your eyes, standing to meet her embrace. 

"Muñeca, god you're beautiful as always!" She said with a big kiss to your cheek. 

"So.. this is tracker." 

You recognized the voice. You looked over at the man, beard and mustache, a hat that looked like a fishermen's. He had a warm smile. Silly warm smile. 

"Captain, right?" You asked. 

He nodded. 

"When did you get here?" The soft British accent from the phone. 

You looked over at the boy, cap over his head. 

"Hum… few hours ago." 

The group looked shocked, the captain frowned. 

"She stole my knife." Simon grumpily said. 

"I told you. Sharing is caring. You should be more aware of your surroundings anyway, or did the mohawk bore you with his rant about his explosives?" You threw back, eyes narrowing. 

"You were listening?! How?!  Where?!" The Scot rang loudly. 

You smirked. 

"I see you've already made yourself comfortable." The captain answered, slightly more weary now. 

"Well… not everyone takes contracts as seriously as I do. Would you walk into the lion's den without a plan or Intel?" You questioned. 

He seemed to think for a second. 

"Probably not. Found anything interesting?" He questioned. 

"A pretty knife! And grumpy Simon right here." You answered playfully. 

"Lieutenant ! And it's my knife" He corrected again. 

The team laughed a bit. 

"I see you've made friends already." Valeria teased. "How did you find him?" She asked. 

"Well… he found me." You answered with a little frown staring right into Simon's eyes. 

"Oh… that's unusual…" she said with a tone that sounded like she was trying to unravel an enigma. 

She tilted her head, looking at Simon before turning to you. 

"Is it your mask kink? Stared too long?" 

Your face fell. You remembered how much of a bitch she could be. 

"Go fuck yourself Valéria." You answered by pushing her away. 

"Oh come on, you were always down bad for mean bad guys." She kept teasing. 

You've had enough, two can Play that game. You turned to Alejandro, because of course that was Alejandro, she had said so much about him that you couldn't not recognize him. 

"Alejandro right? I've heard so much about you, she just wouldn't shut up. The boyfriend. How's things going with this bitch? Any wedding on sight?" 

Alejandro immediately frowned. Valeria tried to slap the back of your head but you dodged. She cursed you in Spanish as you stepped away, sitting back down. 

"So, you're friends?" The Scot asked with irony dripping. 

"No. She's a pain in the ass." You answered with a side glance to Valeria. 

You turned back to your plate, the rest of them taking place at the table with you. 

"So… you got a mask kink?" The Scot teased. 

You froze, looking at him. 

"You want to find out or you want to put on a mask and see how I act afterwards?" You teased back. 

He opened his mouth but didn't say anything. You smirked, shaking your head. 

Taking a deep breath you decided that it was time to talk about serious things. 

"I reviewed the file. There's nothing I don't know already in there. You said you had proof. I suppose you're gatekeeping it?" You said, looking at the captain as you took another bite. 

"We didn't send you the file." 

"Don't need to." 

"How about we start again? With names and greetings?" He answered with a smile. 

You sighed. Putting down your fork and leaning back on your chair like an annoyed teenager. 

"Alright. You're right." You agreed. 

"I'm captain John Price. You can call me Captain or Price." He introduced. 

"I'm Y/N. That's all you get sorry… you can call me tracker." You answered. 

"Well, I'm Operator Kyle Gaz Garrick. " The soft British accent grasped your attention. 

You smiled, turning to the Scot. 

"I'm John SOAP McTavish" he said. 

You frowned. 

"Soap? Your call name is soap?" You asked with a smirk. 

He smirked back, nodding. You rolled your eyes again. Your eyes fell back on the man in front of you, arms crossed, leaning back on his chair. 

"Go on. Introduce yourself." Price pushed. 

Silence remained as your staring match resumed. 

"She knows who I am." He answered. 

"Yes! Simon!" You happily claimed. 

"For fuck's sake." He cursed. 

Price laughed again, some full on bawling from Soap. Simon threw him a dangerous dark look. 

"Alright, are you both going to play nice with each other?" He asked a bit more seriously to the both of you. 

"I'm being nice!" You countered, offended. 

"You're a thief." Simon stated. 

"Let it go already! You're so hostile, you have it back no?" You answered back. 

"I'm hostile?" He asked in a darker tone. 

"Yes you are! Pouting over some knife! It's not even pretty anyway!" You lied. 

The more the conversation went, the more you both leaned forward. 

"You little stealing bitch." 

"You grumpy asshole!" 

"I do not care that you are a girl, i will knock your ass out." He threatened standing now. 

"Come get it then you Micheal Myers wannabe!" You answered standing up as well. 

"ENOUGH"

Your heads snapped towards Price. He slowly stood. 

"Both of you. Sit." 

The order made Valeria snicker, she was enjoying the show way too much. You decided to obey, crossing your arms and pouting. Simon did too, slower than you did. 

"You are both gonna have to learn to behave and cooperate." 

"Yeah. What's making you so angry?" She teased "te gusta el hombre?" She teased again. 

"Valeria. I will hit you." You warned. 

You looked away. 

"Since you both seem to like each other so much, Ghost. You'll be in charge of her." 

You froze. Looking at the man in question who looked absolutely furious. Shit…

"Captain.." he started. 

"No discussion. And if anything happens, you'll both be sanctioned." 

You opened your mouth, offended by this injustice but no sound came out as you quickly shut up under Price's warning gaze. You decided to avoid any eye contact with the masked man. A hand flew to your plate to grab a piece of food. You looked at Soap who grinned at you. You couldn't hold your own smile. Footsteps echoed again through the cafeteria, capturing everyone's attention. A woman walked to the table, her blond hair held at the back of her head. 

"Gentleman. Ladies." She greeted. "My name is Laswell. You were unexpected tracker." 

You smirked. 

"Yes, sorry. I don't like to announce my arrivals." You explained, eyeing Soap stealing from your plate again in the corner of your vision. 

"Well. You'll have to wait for us to prepare your room." She said. 

"It's alright. Kind have to go grocery shopping anyway." You said. 

"You want to leave the base?" Alejandro asked. 

"I have a contract with you. Am I a prisoner? Are you breaking the contract?" You asked in a frown. 

"We're not. Let's try to keep a minimum of trust." Laswell cleared. 

You nodded. 

"If it makes you feel better, my babysitter and the gremlin eating from my plate can go with me." The two men snapped their heads towards you as you made a show to ignore them. 

"I love going shopping with you." Valeria said. 

"You're not going anywhere," Alejandro growled. 

"Don't worry. She can come. I won't let her out of my sight and you can come by too, it'll be like a date." You teased. 

"Aww you won't help me escape?" Valeria asked. 

"Absolutely fucking not. The rule is don't get caught. You failed, deal with it." You scolded. 

Valeria scoffed, as you looked forwards towards Simon. 

"Alright. It settled. I guess it'll be like… a proof of each other's trust." Price announced with a smile. 

You nodded. Silence stood for a little second before they finally rose. Everyone took it as a sign that it was time to go. 

Walking through the aisles you tried to focus on the groceries you should buy. Unfortunately, the ADHD Scot as Valeria had called him, was enjoying the trip way too much, adding stuff to the cart for himself. Valeria was at the end of the aisle, Alejandro and Rudy very close to her. The most distracting thing might be the skull man wearing a hoodie with a military logo on it. He was clearly annoyed to be here. You had seen him get distracted by Alejandro fighting with Valeria and took the opportunity to bring Soap closer to you. 

"Do you know what skull-face likes? As snacks I mean." You asked. 

"Ohhh you want to buy him something?" The men grinned. 

"I'm trying to bury the hatchet. Should apologize…" The word almost burned your throat as you grumbled it. Of course you should apologize, you stole from him, but you had to raise yourself to be like this. You were sure he had done worse as well and never apologized.

It seemed to amuse the Scot though, who grabbed you by the hand to drag you out of the aisle to different ones. It made you smile as well. You tried to hide it, but his joy seemed to be contagious. Unfortunately, you were quickly tracked down by your babysitter. 

"What are you doing?" He asked, grabbing the Scot by the back of his shirt. 

"It's fine. We're just shopping. I'm still here. Didn't run away." You answered instead of the boy, attracting the full attention to you. He squinted his eyes as you decided to look away. 

"We're done anyway, right?" The Scot announced with a smile. 

You smiled too, nodding. 

"Fucking finally." Ghost groaned. 

You all walked towards the cashiers, waiting in line. Right in front of you was a tall man, sunglasses over his head, t-shirt on and shorts. He was huffing and puffing, clearly annoyed. The sound of a baby crying made you take a step to the left to see where it came from. You could see a woman, holding a baby, a toddler sitting in her kart. She tried to hurry, grabbing her groceries to drop them in the kart as fast as possible with her only free hand. So this was the reason for this man's mood. 

You frowned. The woman finished putting the groceries in her kart, the cashier giving her a gentle look before announcing the price. The woman fumbled to find her credit card under the grumbles of the man that you had affectionately renamed douchebag. A little pull on your shirt made you step closer to the line as you looked towards the culprit. Simon looked down at you, crossing his arms over his chest. You sent him a death look that he ignored. You turned back to the drama, now noticing the anxiety on the mother's face. You heard the cashier softly tell her that her card was declined. 

"Hey lady, move! There's people who want to shop here!" The man scolded. 

God his voice was just as horrible as his face. You started to feel a familiar anger rise in you. What made you flip was the glossy eyes of the woman. You pushed past the man, making sure to shove him in the process. The woman fearfully looked at you as you gave her your warmest smile. Turning to the cashier you grabbed your phone. 

"I'll pay." You said. 

The woman gasped, looking at you. 

"Fucking finally." You heard behind you. 

"Will you shut the fuck up?" You answered, turning to him. "You're a fucking waste of air and space. We're all made of stardust and I can't believe they stuck together to create the biggest douchebag on earth." 

You raised your phone to the machine, a little 'beep' confirming the transaction. The cashier smirked, handing the receipt to the woman. You grabbed it pointing to the pen next to the register that the boy gladly handed to you. You scribbled your phone number before handing it to the woman. 

"If you ever need help. Call this number." You said with a smile. 

"I… I'll pay you back-" 

"No.. don't worry about it really, I got plenty of money. If I can help others I don't mind." You added with a wink. "So don't hesitate to call." 

"Hey! Can you fucking move it bitch?" 

Your face fell, turning to the man behind you. 

"You little asshole. What's wrong? Tiny dick itching?" You spat. 

You barely registered the man raising his hand, pointing at your face and stepping forward because someone already grabbed him. A firm hand around his wrist, as a tall body stood in front of you. You blinked. 

".. lieutenant ?" You called. 

"I advise you to shut up. Finish your shopping. And learn some fucking manners." Simon growled in a low voice at the man. 

You stared at him. How could you not? His stance alone was frightening. The man tried to keep a facade but dropped his hand when Simon let go of his wrist, and remained silent. 

Simon's hand reached for you, trying to grab your wrist, but to his surprise you gave him your hand. He pulled back in line, behind the guy. 

"Do you often get into trouble?" Soap asked playfully. 

"More often than she'd like." Valeria answered with a smile. 

You looked down at your feet, avoiding eye contact with the big man next to you. 

"What about the, 'there's no justice in this world'?" Valeria teased. 

"If you'd listen to me more often and more carefully Valeria" you started, rolling your eyes "you'd know that i say that there's no justice in this world, not unless we serve it ourselves." 

You grabbed your phone, eyeing the man in front of you as he finished taking his groceries, sending you a dark look. You tapped a few things on your phone, Valeria eyeing it over your shoulder. The man frowned as the cashier told him that his card declined. Valeria laughed. The man tried to argue that his bank account was full. He tried again, various times before the cashier started to get frustrated. 

"Sir. Other people would like to shop." Soap joked behind you.

He visibly turned red before leaving all of his groceries right there and leaving the shop.

"Douchebag." You let out under your breath. 

Valeria laughed behind you as soap tapped your shoulder. You tried a little look at Simon who ingored you completely. The exhaustion started to weigh on you. You rang your things, paid, before heading towards the exit. The bag was taken from your hand, you watched as Simon looked down at you before walking with you to the car. If you had to be honest, you enjoyed his car. The mat black jeep was stunning. He dropped the groceries in the back seat as you stood watching the rest of the team exit the store. They had taken another car all together. 

"We'll go back to base, put this one back in her cell." Alejandro said, accent tainting his words. 

Simon nodded. 

"Well good night then." You said. 

"Good night tracker!" Soap said with a wink. 

You smiled watching them turn to their car and walk. 

"Let's go." You heard.

You sighed, heading for the passenger door. You were shocked to see him open the door for you to hop in. You thanked him in a whisper, as he closed the door behind you. 

The way back to the base was made in silence. It was awkward yet… calming. You felt yourself dozing off despite the reckless driving of the man. You even muttered something along the lines of 'did you get your license in a cereal box?' to which he answered 'I don't have a license'. The silence afterwards made you grow anxious but decided to leave it at that because that couldn't be true… right?

When the car came to a stop you had let your head against the window, eyes closed. 

"Hey…" 

This was the softest you had heard him speak. You remained still, curious if he'd keep speaking softly to you or simply lose patience. You also felt your body heavy from the long day, and even if you weren't as comfortable as you were in a hotel, the warmth of the car made you want to remain there. 

"Tracker…" same tone. 

You frowned, letting out a little moan. That wasn't on purpose. Your body was exhausted and you really had felt yourself fall asleep. 

"Y/N." 

Your heart skipped a beat. He called your name? You let your eyes fall open, blinking away the blurriness and adjusting to the light of the parking lot. You straightened yourself, looking around before looking at him. 

"We're here." He said, his tone less soft but not as cold as he was all day. 

You nodded, turning your gaze away and passing your hands through your hair. He opened his door and stepped out. The cold air made you shiver. Your door opened, a fresh breeze making you shiver. 

"Shit…" you cursed under your breath. 

He groaned. He let you step out as he walked to his trunk. You closed the door, opening the back one as the trunk closed, the sound echoing in the parking. He stepped towards you, handing you something. You looked at the black fabric, taking it in your hand. You realized it was a hooded sweatshirt jacket. His. You put it on, feeling yourself warm up a bit. 

"Thank you…" you let out again. 

He nodded, grabbing the grocery bags in one hand and closing the door with the other. You both walked closer to where the barracks were. You still didn't know where you'd be sleeping tonight but thankfully, Price and Laswell stood waiting for you at the building's entrance. 

"How was the shopping?" Price asked. 

You shrugged. Simon looked at you but had no reaction. 

"I see. Nice. Let's go up." He instructed. 

You started following behind the two superiors as you looked at Simon. 

"You don't have to hold my stuff.. do you-" 

"Leave it. I'll handle it. Walk." He answered, his cold tone back. You simply rolled your eyes. 

Climbing up the stairs you received a few looks from recruits on the different hallways and levels. The view of the lieutenant seemed to make them back off though. Once you reached the third level, a heavy door was pushed, then another one, leading into a hallway. 

"This level is solely for task force 141. It's a bit big for the squad so we also give the spare rooms to other temporary members like colonel Vargas." Laswell explained. 

You stayed silent, nodding occasionally. You kept moving forward, passing by several doors. Finally, entering a large room, a few couches and a TV and a kitchen area. 

"Hey!" Soap greeted from one of the couches. 

Him and Gaz jumped to help Simon with the bags, heading to the fridge with them. 

"I'll leave the rest to you." Laswell said, looking at the captain who shared a nod with her. 

She left, leaving you in the middle of the room. You looked around, Vargas and Rudy were on the couch. Another man, also wearing a mask, sat in a corner. You smiled, waving slowly. The man raised his hand before waving as well. He looked shy, so you thought best to let him come to you if he felt comfortable. You looked back at Price who eyed you with a glint of amusement in his eyes. 

"What's wrong?" You asked, the tiredness erasing every once of brattiness in your voice. 

"Nothing." He said, starting to walk back towards the hallway. "Nice jacket." 

You blinked, before looking down at said jacket and then at its owner. He looked pissed but didn't say anything, his gaze towards the boys next to the fridge. You followed his gaze to meet two boys who tried their best to keep their laughter in. You laughed a bit, gaining the three's attention. You shook your head before following Price. 

"Your room will be this one." He explained pointing at a door. "On your left is gaz and in front Ghost." 

You nodded. 

"Not very talkative?" He teased. 

"Honestly I'm tired… jetlagged." You answered with a smile. 

"Yes. The suitcases that mysteriously showed up at the gates tipped me off." He said with a smile. "What was your last destination?" 

"Hmm… London." 

"Oh really? You like it?" 

"Yes. So far one of my favorite places to go." You said with a smile. 

He nodded with a smile as well. He opened the door, inviting you in. You stepped inside the room. It was a basic room. A bed, a desk, a closet and a bathroom. 

"No shower?" 

"Showers are shared." 

Your eyes open wide. 

"Don't freak out. You'll be able to shower in peace. One of the guys will escort you and stay outside until you're done. We'll make sure it'll be out of hours of the recruit's time." He explained. 

You weren't exactly thrilled but you nodded. You just had to finish this contract and go back home. To your beautiful, spacious penthouse in Hightown, graciously offered by the high table after helping them with a risky contract. You looked at your suitcases at the door of the bed. 

"Any way I could shower now?" You asked. 

"No problem." He answered, head tilting towards the door. 

"I'll grab my stuff." You said. 

"Alright, I'll ask one of the boys to escort you." He said before exiting the room. 

You took a deep breath, looking at your suitcase. You really just wanted to shower and get to bed. Maybe eat a snack before. You decided to just get on with it, the faster you did the faster you could sleep. You opened the suitcase rummaging through to find some underwear and some joggings and tank top. You quickly realized you didn't have a towel or soap. You frowned. They very probably didn't have some in the showers, this wasn't exactly a four star hotel. You decided that you'd simply ask the boys for some. Probably the one who'd walk you to the showers. 

You stood, holding your clothes before stepping to the door and opening it, a tired expression on your face. You looked up, freezing on the spot. 

"Let's go." He ordered. 

Of course. Your babysitter. 

"W-wait! Sorry… hum.." you shook your head a bit, trying to focus under the man's cold gaze. "Can I ask you for a towel and some soap please?"

He stared at you for a second before sighing and opening the door to his dorm and walking in. You closed your door behind you, standing in the hallway. He quickly showed back up, holding a folded towel and a bottle of body wash. You thanked him before following him out. Again silence through the whole way. The cold air was making your body scream that a shower might and might not be the best thing. Finally reaching a building, the man swung the door open, beckoning you to walk in. 

The showers weren't comfortable. You were in a military base after all. You were glad to be alone because common showers seem to be embarrassing. You felt uncomfortable enough on your own. You hopped in the shower, feeling the water prickle at your skin. You sighed as the water relaxed your muscles. The bottle of shampoo body wash eyed you. The unknown brand brings up your curiosity. You chuckled to yourself. Picking it up to drag out a bit of it on your palm, you took a deep breath to inhale the scent. God. What was it? Damn… it wasn't strong, but it was… manly? God it smelled good. You surprised yourself as you hummed, washing your body with the soap. 

As you were bubbling up yourself, drowning in the smell that your brain was slowly associating with the masked man outside much to your dismay, a glance to the side made you jolt. There on the wall, a black centipede seemed to nag you. You retracted your hands to your body, taking a deep breath. You could just… kill it? Throw water at it and… it moved. IT MOVED. TOWARDS YOU. 

You yelped, the sound echoing in the shower room before your fight or flight instinct kicked in. Barely grabbing the towel, shoving it around you in a haste you ran out the door, skin still full of white foamy bubbles. Slamming into the lieutenant, wetting his tactical shirt in the process. 

"What the-?!" 

He looked down, your body barely hidden by the black towel. His eyes opened wide. His pupils blown. His eyes picked up on the shiver that ran through you as the cold air hit your wet skin. He threw a quick glance around after noticing the way your towel revealed your back and legs, probably barely hiding your ass, because clearly in the front, it'd take a simple-

"What." He hissed. 

You were going to say something when he picked you up, throwing over his shoulder as you yelped. He rushed back inside the showers as you felt your skin crawl at the idea of the bug inside. 

"No no no! There's a HUGE BUG." You tried. 

He was already inside dropping you to the ground, his chest rising quickly as he looked at you. He was infuriated, shocked but also… something else. 

"A fucking bug? Really?" He growled. 

You looked up at him, frowning, anger rushing through you. 

"Yes! A bug! It's disgusting! And I'm naked!" You added, voice rising. 

"I noticed! You better hope no one else did!" He scolded again. 

"Why would you fucking care anyway?" You spat. 

"These men haven't seen a woman naked in a long while, getting their attention is like attracting moths with a flame." He hissed. 

"Oh shut up! No one saw me!" You rolled your eyes. 

With the action your eyes fell on something on the ground. The bug. The centipede. Crawling on the ground. You didn't stop to think for a second, jumping on the man in front of you as he immediately caught you, your legs wrapping around his waist. In the process the towel had fallen to the floor. 

"Jesus fucking-" he cursed, his large hands squeezing at the back of your thighs to hold you in a better grip. 

"What in the world is going on-" 

Your head snapped right towards the entrance, but before you could see anything, Ghost spun around, his back facing the door, your body shielded from view. Your eyes widened as they fell on the Captain's shocked ones. The situation was too much for the curse to not escape your lips, in a low whisper, near the ear of the lieutenant, as he tensed up under you.

"Shit…" 

____________________________

tags: @thychuvaluswife @emily-roberts @warrior-of-justice @gh0stedddd @ladyelissarose

#fanfics #fanfiction #simon ghost riley #ghost cod #simon riley #simon ghost riley smut #captain price #cod mw2 #john soap mactavish #fanfic #simo #simon ghost riley x reader #ghost mw2 #simon ghost x reader #simon riley x reader #cod price #price cod #john price #soap cod #soap mw2 #valeria mw2

[ynyaan]

𝙃𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙩 𝘾𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙩 ♡ | 𝐋𝐨𝐤𝐢 𝐎𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐭 ࣪𖤐

𝐍𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐆𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 | 𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 | ♕

𝘼𝙣𝙭𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨!𝙇𝙤𝙠𝙞 𝙭 𝙑𝙪𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚!𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧 | 𝙁𝙚𝙢!𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧

Summary: Loki is in the center of his conquest, worried that he has one last tie that could bring him to ruins. "If they threaten me with you, it WILL work." The once empty man is now a mess, all for you.

.ᐟ 𝙇𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩-𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙨𝙩 / 𝙛𝙡𝙪𝙛𝙛

Loki was always sure of his plans. He planned to take over the world, but to do that, he needed an army. You were both staying in Asgard as Loki began to form and arrange his plans.

"In a rush, love?" you inquired. Knowing full well his response. You looked at Loki, the man you loved and choose to ran away with, the man who you loved that convinced you to run, to rebel against Asgard and take what's 'rightfully' his. The thought of it terrified you, of course. But in all of the days you've come to love Loki, it was the first time you'd seen him so angry, so determined. Besides, you couldn't say no to him when he asked you to support him from the side. He was the man you loved, and to love is to fight.

"I know, darling. I'm sorry, but today is an important day. I'll finally be able to sign a treaty–a promise, with them." Loki sighed as he put on his signature green cloak. 'The Chitauri.'  The ones Loki hoped to form an alliance with, to help him with the war he was about to face.

"Be safe, Loki. I'll be waiting for you." Loki approached you and pressed his lips on your forehead, then your cheek. "I'll make it up to you, my queen." He whispered. A gold-like color illuminated Loki, and in a flash, he disappeared.

... "FUCK!" Loki threw his daggers down on the floor.

"What happened? Why are you yelling?" You rush to him as he shuts the door loudly. He buries his face on your neck, breathing your scent in.

You wrap your arms around his neck, embracing him back, finding warmth and comfort in his affection. "They ran off, annoying bastards. They vetoed being led by me, and when I got infuriated, they decided to attack me. Only when I slaughtered those damn big creatures did they retreat." He huffed in anger.

You ran your fingers through his hair and caressed him softly. "It's alright, Loki. You'll find a new army, I'm sure of it." Even though you were now firmly against his plans, you still offered him assurance.

Loki always seemed so.. Anti-villain, but to you, he was simply misunderstood—afraid. "Thank you, Love—your right. I'll try to bargain with those fools. If they refuse, I'll just kill them all." He grinned.

"There's my Loki." You kissed his forehead and pushed away from his grasp. "Let's head to bed, shall we?"

You wake up stretching your arms to find no one at your side. "Loki?" You softly whisper. You sit up to see Loki dressing in his usual working clothes.

"Right. Will you be back soon?" The lack of affection you both had lately was itching in your mind.

"I'll be back soon, darling." He replied, but his face was filled with slight remorse. 'Stay.' You wanted to voice out so badly. But you couldn't–you didn't want to foil or deter his plans. So you nodded and waved him off.

You stood up, deciding that if he wouldn't spend time with you, you'd spend time with yourself. You started putting on a fitted t-shirt, baggy pants, and a flannel with the ends tied together. You opened the doors to your room and went straight to Heimdall.

"Hello, Heimdall." You greeted him with a tilt of the head. "Midgard?" He asked. You chuckled softly as you nodded your head. He opens the Bifrost, and you walk through it.

You walk through the shops of Midgard. They have so much variety compared to Asgard. Walking through the streets, you find a shop that particularly caught your eye.

You walk over to it, and the doors jingle. "Welcome to Darcy's Jewels!" A loud greeting was offered as you went in.

"Hello! Do you have any Gold Vermeil rings?" You inquired. The girl that assisted you smiled and pulled out a selection of rings. There were different designs, such as: butterflies, crowns, gems, and more. A shining green light distracts you from your side, and you look upon a ring. It was a plain gold ring twisted into a braid, partnered with an emerald green jem all around. The girl assisting you smiled as you pointed to the ring. You paid for it and went out, waving away from the store.

You look at the little purple bag and the red box inside it. You smiled and decided to go back to Asgard. As you were walking, you suddenly stopped. You looked to your right to see an alleyway—you couldn't shake the feeling that someone, something, was following you.

Suddenly, a hand reached out to you in the darkness, pulling you by the arm. You yelped and held on tight to the little bag. You caught sight of the arm that grabbed you, and it looked rather..unworldly. It pinned you to the wall with the arm now covering your mouth. "Stay put, and you might live mortal."

...

Loki was in a dining hall, a tree-like table was flooded with chitauri soldiers on both sides, with Loki seated up front.

The leader of the Chitauri slammed its hand on the table. “Loki of Asgard, we refuse once more. We do not see you as fit to be a leader. Odin has refused you the throne for a reason.”

“Really? Well, I suppose we have no other way.” Loki took out his daggers and pointed them to the Chitauri Leader. The monster chuckled at the sight of the God of Mischief. Loki raised one of his brows slightly, but instead of inquiring, it's a How dare you? Type of eyebrow.

“You must’ve forgotten that you still have a weakness, aesir.”

Loki's brows furrowed, and his eyes laced with malice. “What did you do? What did you do to her?” The Chitauri laughed as they saw the God’s expression shift into a desperate plea.

You were stuck between a wall and a chitauri with one hand clutching your gift. ‘Just great,’ You thought.

You lifted your right leg to the chitauri’s chest and pushed him away. He grunts and launches himself forward, pinning you to the wall. You slap him with your free arm and bite his left arm. He groans, and you rush out of the alley, going thru the sea of people in the streets.

“HEIMDALL-??” You scream, a blast of rainbow begins to ascend you. You caught a glimpse of the Chitauri running away in the other direction.

You arrive in Asgard. Huffing and trying to catch your breath. “Thank you-“

“He is waiting for you.” You were cut off by Heimdall speaking without glancing at you. You wordlessly try to understand what he means, a lightbulb sparking inside you. “Loki!” You squealed, getting up and running towards the Asgardian Palace.

...

You open the doors to your quarters to find Loki standing ominously in the middle of the room. His hair was disheveled, and his face in anger. “Loki!” You run toward him, craving his warmth after what you have been through.

“Where have you been?” He asked. He held you by the shoulders as you stood before him, holding onto your gift tightly.

You look at him, surprised by his tone, slightly terrifying but assuring yourself that Loki would not hurt you by any means. “O-On Midgard? Listen, the Chitaur–“

“I KNOW. THEY TOLD ME Y/N. YOU COULD'VE BEEN KILLED OR TAKEN.” Loki hung his head as he breathed deeply in desperation and anger.

You were surprised at his sudden outburst, ‘they told him?’ You were so confused about what was happening but proceeded to calm Loki down first. “But I wasn't killed nor taken. I'm alive. I'm right here. I'm fine.” You say, not moving an inch from where you stood.

“(y/n). You we're lucky- just, please, stay here. Stay inside." Loki stuttered with his words, gasping sentence's like he couldn't breathe.

You just couldn't understand, why is he acting like this? you we're safe, is that simply not enough? must he cage you? "Loki, why-"

"Because if they threaten me with you, it WILL work.” Tears. Droplets of water fell to the floor. It was Loki’s. You sighed and dropped your gift to the ground. “Loki. I'm sorry to have been such a burden to you.” You felt like you we're weakening him, holding him back from being reckless, holding him back from his true nature.

Loki lifts his face, and you see his eyes glistering with tears. “Darling, no, no. That's not what I meant.” He cups your face and kisses your forehead. “I'm sorry, I'm so scared of losing you." He breathes out.

"You're the only thing keeping me sane. If I lose you, i won't be able to take it, i'd die without you (y/n)."

With nothing to say, you bent down and smiled softly to grab the gift. “Here, this is why I went out to Midgard.” Loki tilted his head as he took the gift from your hands. He puts his hand in and grabs the red box.

His expression shifted to awe as he saw the gift inside it. He took it out and slipped it onto his finger, raising his hand to admire the ring. “It's breathtaking. Thank you. Also, i’m glad you’re safe.” He hugs you tightly, a desperate hug, a plea to never leave him.

You sighed softly. You saw the state of Loki’s well-being and thought, ‘How poisoned this man is with my love.’

“I love you, Loki.” You whisper. “you have no idea.” He responds.

𝙒𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙥𝙖𝙙: Star (@_ynyaan) ───⋆⋅☆⋅⋆── 𝐼'𝓁𝓁 𝓈𝑒𝑒 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓁𝒶𝓉𝑒𝓇 <𝟥

#loki fanfic #loki x reader #loki x y/n #loki fluff #loki x you #mcu loki #loki imagine #fanfic #loki laufeyson #loki of asgard #fem!reader #loki fanfiction #loki is hot #oneshot #protective #mcu fluff #angst with a happy ending #light angst #mcu fanfiction

[epicspheal]

Where's My Sister's Purrloin!? A Hugh Analysis

"Yeah… OK! Let's go get your Pokémon! There's something I have to do! And to do that, I need someone I can trust besides my partner Pokémon. A person I can trust! That's right! I'm talking about you! You seem like you've got good instincts!" <- Meeting Hugh outside of Aspertia City

Oh Hugh! Definitely one of the most misunderstood rivals. Also one of my favorites (also that seems to be a trend with the characters I like but that's a topic for another day). Hugh is our sole rival in BW2 and he's a rival with one of the most unique motivations for a rival character in the franchise.

Let's start by looking at Hugh's name which is rather straightforward. In all of the translations it's a homophone for the word Hue which is a major property of colors in color theory. He follows the naming conventions of Cheren and Bianca in that there all color themed which harks back to gens 1 and 2 where the main characters have color names (which makes sense as gen 5 was a bit of a soft reboot to the franchise in some respects). Of note his German, Spanish and French names of refer to the famous painter Henri Matisse who was known for his Fauvism style which opted for strong colors, again reinforcing the color symbolism. Interesting to note that Hugh as a given name that has mix of Irish and Germanic origin meaning "mind, intellect and spirit" with it actually being an anglicized version of Gaelic "Aodh" which means "fire". Hugh is certainly very intellectual, spirited and fiery especially when it comes to getting his revenge on Team Plasma and getting his sister's Purrloin back.

Next to look at his team. Like many rivals, he gets a traditional starter, but it's one that he raised from an egg. One that's actually stronger than your starter on the type chart. But honestly I think his signature Pokemon (based on what we see in Pokemas) is his Bouffalant. Bouffalant is described in a few Pokedex entries as be wild and reckless charging at everything. Which is quite reminiscent of Hugh during much of the game when it comes to Team Plasma. Indeed when you take a look at the rest of his team members you'll see that often times Hugh opts for high-risk, high reward moves such as Wild Charge on his Eelektross and Bouffalant (which gives recoil), Giga Impact on his Unfezant (forces the user to not use any move after atacking, leaving it vulnerable), Fire Blast/Hydro Pump/Leaf Storm on his starter (high powered but not 100% accuracy).

Which when you look at his character overall, makes a lot of sense. He's very passionate but the passion veers into recklessness in many respects.

Hugh gets a lot of flak from the community for going on and on about his sister's Purrloin. But people do that forget this is his driving motivation. And also most Pokemon characters tend to repeat themselves (which is less a symptom of them being bad characters, but of the writers not knowing how to vary dialogue that gets the point across without being repetitive).

But yes Hugh's very unlike most rivals in that he really isn't concerned about the rivalry. It's not that Hugh is a jerk. He's very kind to the player and generally respectful of others outside of Team Plasma (to whom he does not show a lot of mercy to in the beginning). It's just his primary goal isn't besting the protagonist. Rosa/Nate just so happen to be friends that he challenges to see if they can keep up with him while he takes down Team Plasma. In many ways he expands on the role carved out by Silver, who also was more concerned strength for the sake of defying his father than dealing with the protagonist but just didn't mind antagonizing them when they crossed paths. And Gladion and Marnie also fall in this trend as being more concerned about a goal that's not just "I wanna be the very best, like no one ever was".

"You're a little worried? Are you KIDDING me?! Your Pokémon might be lost forever! Whatever! I'll look! ! Help out!" <- On Flocessy Ranch

This a line that sticks out to me as it occurs when the owners of the Floccessy Ranch lost their Herdier and Hugh is extremely upset…more upset than Herdier's actual owners. At this point in the story he hasn't revealed the whole bit about his sister's Purrloin but this line is good foreshadowing to the eventual reveal. He's seen the trauma first hand of a stolen Pokemon can do and it causes an immediate reaction

"Shut it! You guys are the worst! You talk about saving Pokémon, but you're just Pokémon thieves! Don't think I'll ever forgive you!" <- Meeting Team Plasma in Virbank

Now I know Pokemon isn't known for writing but I honestly feel like they were doing a good job in slowly revealing more about Hugh and his motivations as we continued to encounter him during the journey. Once again we're adding more to Hugh, that not only has he probably seen a Pokemon get stolen, but that Pokemon was stolen by Team Plasma. But more importantly you can see a major flaw of his. That he is struggling with forgiveness as we see that he constantly references not forgiving Team Plasma throughout the game

"Five years ago… Team Plasma stole my little sister's Purrloin. It had been given to her as a present. I was only a little kid… I couldn't do anything… So… So that's why I have to get stronger!" <- Nimbasa City

And here's the big reveal. Now what sticks out to me is how powerless he felt. Of course this is a common trope with young characters who have been in serious situations to feel powerless and become hellbent on getting stronger to the point it kind of blinds them in a way (cough Paulo cough). But it's nice to see this in Pokemon with Hugh. It fits into the underlying theme of BW2 that deals with progression and how the region of Unova as a whole progresses from the events two years prior.

Given that Hugh states that Purrloin was taken 5 years ago that means that Team Plasma had been starting their public operations 3 years prior to the events of the original Black and White Games (we know of course N had been groomed by Ghetsis to be king as a young child but this gives us confirmation of them starting more public operations earlier in the timeline). Hugh, his sister, and countless others in Unova had been suffering the loss of their Pokemon for half a decade and that's heartbreaking.

Hugh: "Wait! I just remembered. Clay… Why? What's the reason? Why have you forgiven Team Plasma?" Clay: "There's always room for folks to grow and change, ain't there? And, if ya only go after what ya think is right, ya might end up rejectin' all thoughts and opinions other than yer own. That's mighty dangerous." Hugh: "Hmph… Is that one of those compromises adults are supposed to make? Whatever! I'm gonna fight Team Plasma! Oh yeah, what were you wanting to show us?" <- Clay and Hugh after the player wins the Quake Badge from Clay

This exchange is really important as while Hugh at the moment isn't truly ready for forgiveness from Team Plasma…it's shows he's not so closeminded to the idea as if he were, he wouldn't have even asked Clay why he had forgiven them. He's still resistant to the idea of forgiving Team Plasma as we see in later moments he's vary wary of working with ex-Team Plasma members to fight off Neo Team Plasma, but all hope is not lost. This is an important first step in his overall growth.

"That's the ONLY Purrloin in the world that my late grandpa caught for my little sister!" <- On the Plasma Frigate for the second time

This is a huge line for me. I've seen one too many people joke over the years "It's just a Purrloin, LUL. Why can't he just go get another one for his sister" and it lowkey irks me. Like his late grandfather went out of his way to catch that Purrloin for his sister. That's special. And even if their grandpa was still alive, or if someone else had of caught it, it doesn't change the fact that Hugh's sister bonded with that Purrloin. That's not a bond you can simply replace. Who knows if another Purrloin and his sister would've bonded the same way. It shows a great deal of maturity on Hugh's part to understand what that Purrloin meant to his sister compared to those (both in-universe and out) who say it's just as easy as replacing the Pokemon with another one.

"Wh-what? Don't mess with me… That's someone else's Pokémon!" "Sorry… This situation is messing with my head… I just don't know what to do… I finally found my sister's Pokémon, but now it's glaring at me… Why?!" "… … Hey… … If we let Team Plasma do whatever we want… There'll be more sad Pokémon like Purrloin and Kyurem…" <- On the Plasma Frigate for the third time upon finding his sister's Purrloin

This is such a poignant moment in BW2 for me because Hugh finally finds his sister's Pokemon…only for it to glare at him because it's now used to being under the Shadow Triad's control. You can feel his hurt through his words because this was his goal. This moment. And now he's not even sure he can bring this Purrloin back to his sister. Give Hugh a hug because he deserves it.

"Thanks to you, I accomplished what I set out to do during my journey! I wish I could've shown you my little sister's huge smile! This is my thanks!" <- Victory Road

We get a chance to meet Hugh in Victory Road and we get to hear some good news. His sister and Purrloin have been reunited! It's really touching to see such a good ending for him and his family. Hugh's dialogue is also much more relaxed in Victory Road now that his mission is over. It's good to see him more at ease after him being so wound up the majority of the playthrough

"What? I heard that Team Plasma left many Pokémon behind when they fled. And I'm helping find their real Trainers… That aside… Since you're here, you should have a battle with me before you go!" <- In Driftveil for postgame rematches

And even better? Hugh's begun to forgive Team Plasma (well at least the part that was genuinely following N). This is a huge step forward for someone who was pushing Team Plasma grunts out the way earlier and being hellbent on vengeance. Hugh honestly has one of the most satisfying conclusions for a rival in my opinion. He gets his goal, he learns a valuable lesson in accepting that (some) people can change, and he doesn't have to feel inferior to the player who is constantly beating him.

But Hugh's not done there! When he arrives in Pokemas we get to see him featured in two prominent stories. The first one is Revel In Rivalry where he gets into beef with Bede. It shows that while he has grown he still is a bit quick tempered seeing how easily provoked by Bede he was. But he learns to calm down and come to a truce much faster than he did with Team Plasma (granted there were more dire circumstances there) showing how he had grown from his journey.

Then of course there's the Unova Villain arc where this time it's Hugh that has his partner Bouffalant stolen. And to make matters worse he's been captured alongside N. What I loved about the Unova Villain arc is the focus on Hugh's growth. Yes, he's still very hotheaded. But he's learned to trust and forgive seeing as how he figured out N's identity well before Ghetsis told him in an attempt to break the partnership the two had formed while in captivity. Pre-character development Hugh would've flipped his shit on N. But hearing him talk about the people who spoke so highly of N (referencing the fact that Hugh works with the good part of Team Plasma to get the stolen Pokemon back to their trainers) and him saying he trusts N shows how much he's grown. It's really heartwarming to see him and N team up against Ghetsis' sorry ass.

So yeah, Hugh's a great character that I feel like needs more love in the fandom.

#rival hugh #hugh pokemon #pokemon bw2 #pokemas #character analysis

[daisyblog]

Back To You

When We Were Young Masterlist Summary: YN and Louis admit they want each other back.

Since their reconciliation a few months ago, Louis and YN had become practically attached to the hip. When they weren't together, grabbing a cuppa at the coffee shop or walking the streets of London together, they were texting, calling, or facetiming each other.

YN wasn't sure if this was just them being friends or if it would turn into something more, but she was happy again. It was easier to get up in the morning, she found herself smiling a lot more and she would find herself checking to see if that one name would appear when she checked her phone. Who are you, a teenage girl? She thought to herself but still continued with the behaviour.

She was currently at his home, sitting opposite him and she blushed as she caught herself admiring him from afar. Something she had found herself doing a lot of lately, she'd noticed how he changed from that teenage boy she met years ago, to a man with stubble, but was still that funny, witty and beautiful boy she fell in love with.

YN had been thinking about it for a while, she'd even written a song about it, but it never seemed like the right time. She wanted to give her and Louis another try, but the fear of rejection scared her so she pushed the idea to the back of her mind.

Louis coughed into his hand, breaking her from her thoughts "I..uh..I've written a song"

"Can I hear it or-"

Louis nodded, but he was nervous, YN could tell by the way his body and shoulders were stiff.

I know my friends they give me bad advice Like move on, get you out my mind But don't you think I haven't even tried? You got me cornered and my hands are tied

You got me so addicted to the drama I tell myself I'm done with wicked games But then I get so numb with all the laughter That I forget about the pain

Whoa, you stress me out, you kill me You drag me down, you fuck me up We're on the ground, we're screaming I don't know how to make it stop I love it, I hate it, and I can't take it But I keep on coming back to you 

YN didn't want to make an assumption that he was referring to her in the song but was this him saying he felt the same as her. When did this become so complicated?

"Uh..I..um" YN was taken back slightly, not expecting the lyrics to be so open and direct "That was amazing Lou..I really think you've got something there..I think it could even be made into a pop beat..if you-"

Louis chuckling interrupted her rambling "You've always rambled when you're nervous"

"It's funny how you still know me so well"

Louis hesitated slightly, not wanting to move too fast but he'd waited two years for this moment and he wasn't going to waste it "I want you back"

Louis didn't know what he expected her to do at his words, but roar with laughter was not it "W-why are you fookin' laughing..I'm being serious darlin'"

"You're not the only one who's written a song" YN began to explain "It's like you already knew the title of it"

"You can't tease me like..c'mon show me your magic" Louis moved closer to her side.

Why do I only remember the good? I tell myself we were just misunderstood When you never did a thing you know you should If I could just kiss you, I know that I would

I'll say it Yeah, I want you, I want you, I want you back Like, baby How can you be the worst and the best l've had? I need it I could tell you a lie, so I don't seem sad But it drives me mad 'Cause I want you, I want you, I want you back

YN didn't have a chance to sing any more of the song before fingers on the back of her neck pulled her forward and her lips met Louis's, his stubble tickling her lip. Two years of missing his touch, two years of wanting his love, two years and she was home.

Tag List: (let me know if you would like to be added) @peterholland04 @werewolfbansheelove

#louis tomlinson #louistomlinson #louis tomlinson x reader #louis tomlinson x fem!reader #louis tomlinson x famous!reader #louis tomlinson writing #louis tomlinson fanfiction #louis x reader #louis x you #louis x yn #louis x y/n #louis tomlinson x you #louis tomlinson x yn #louis tomlinson x y/n #louis 1d #louis tomlinson imagine #louis tomlinson imagines #louis tomlinson series #louis tomlinson masterlist #louis tomlinson series masterlist #one direction #one direction imagine #sixth member of one direction #one direction fanfiction #1d fandom #fanfic #fanfiction #louis tomlinson fanfic #1dff #one direction imagines

[floralembarrassment]

hi! I love your writing 💕

can I request a scene of jegulus reunion during the war, in a scenario where they never broke up just separated to keep each other safe and now regulus started to work on destroying the horcruxes and realized he will need help so he comes to james?

anyway hope you're having a great day 💕

Hello! Thank you so much! I know you asked for this a while ago, and I have been mulling it over it my head ever since. But this one I do actually like a lot and I hope you do too! with love

Tell me it's True (1/1) (jegulus)

One minute James was fighting side by side with Sirius. The next minute he and Sirius were being pulled through time and space, stopping briefly at Remus and Sirius' flat, and then James was the only one being sucked through again and landing harshly on quiet shoreline.

He panted as he lay on his back in the sand. When he got his bearings, he gripped his wand right in his hand waiting for the thing that stole him off the frontlines to reveal themselves and their reason for taking him. But as he looked up at the night sky, realized he could see Regulus. And not the star but the his heart.

That's when he panicked. "Who are you! What do you want?" James cried hauling himself up, and pointing his wand at man in front of him.

"James," Regulus said. "It's me."

James wanted it to be true but he knew there was no way it could be. The war wasn't over, so there's no way Regulus would be coming to find him now. Desperate though he whispered, "prove it."

Regulus muttered a set of revealing spells, all coming up empty. He removed his overcloak and pulled up the side of his shirt, showing James the scar that ran all down his side, the one that James helped heal shortly after his father had cast the curse that did it. James lowered his wand.

He dropped his wand, fell to his knees, looking James in the eyes and whispered back, "mon amour, I've come to find out and brought you to this place like we planned all those months ago. And on a stone that has since sunk to the bottom of the black lake is a piece of you and piece of me, that holds a secret only we know."

James rushed to him. It recognized the beach where they were, recognized the words they promised to repeat, recognized the secret that bound them together, a stone cast with each of their blood tossed into waters of the first and last place they met.

And as James crashed into Regulus he held him so tightly and let himself be held with equal force.

Without pulling away, James spoke into Regulus' ear: "what are you doing here? The war is not over?" James asked.

"But it will be," Regulus whispered back.

This made James pull back. "What, do you mean?" James asked searching Regulus' face, his eyes, his hands flying up to cup the face of the man he ached for every night.

"Horcruxes, James. He made horcruxes. Six or seven of them... I'm not sure. But I've destroyed one. And I found you because I need your help to find the rest." Regulus explained staring into the amber eyes that shone in the moonlight.

"You're kidding," James replied. Regulus just shook his head.

"I'm sorry," Regulus explained.

"Sorry? What for?" James said, shock clear in his voice.

"The horcruxes they are terribly hidden, and torturous to get at. I don't want to bring you into this but I can't.... I can't do this alone." Regulus rushed out.

"No Regulus," James said looking at Regulus with a smile forming on his face. Regulus returned the look but with a quizzical expression.

"You are telling me you are coming back? You are coming back to me and you aren't going to leave again?" James said. Pleading for Regulus to confirm, desperate to know he hasn't misunderstood.

And Regulus kissed him. Then he nodded his head.

"Yes James I'm here to stay. Always have been and I'll continue to be, yours."

#did i know i had an asks box? no #ahhhhh the reunion #okay but like what if it was a whole fox #don't look at me like that #I write shorts... #jegulus #starchaser #sunseeker #fanfic #lgbtq+ #marauders #james x regulus #regulus black #james potter #marauders era #regulus arcturus black #james fleamont potter #marauders fandom

[jozor-johai]

Dorne, Shown not Told: how Darkstar is more than his reputation.

Darkstar used to bug me as a character—not necessarily because of his edgy dialogue, but because the way he was written: he's not on-page for very long, so we're really told much more about him than we are shown anything.

I've seen this same complaint voiced before, and almost always it's brushed over as an inherent failure of Gerold as a character, or other arguments that presuppose a lack of faith in Martin.

I can understand why, without deeper analysis, some people try to make the Doylist argument that Darkstar must be lazy writing by Martin, something along the lines of "I have to introduce this guy quick, so here's a bunch of backstory told by a bunch of characters". Instead, though, I argue that this situation of being "told" so much about Darkstar is actually the Watsonian perspective of his character; it is Arianne who has been told so much about him, and we're experiencing her misconceptions.

I've come to realize that the feeling of being "told" about Darkstar, with a focus away from what we're "shown," is fully intentional. With this different approach to interpreting Darkstar's character, I've found that not only do I like him so much more as a character in-universe, but I also like him so much more as an element in George R R Martin's writing. Melisandre might be his "most misunderstood character," but I think Gerold Dayne must be up there too.

I don't understand why it took me so long to see it: ASOIAF is all about the way that information—or misinformation—spreads and changes the course of action and history. Of course this would be a theme to look out for. Once I started to dig more into this idea in relation to Darkstar, I realized just how prevalent this theme was in the Dornish arc, which is entirely about the way that people are told something, and the way that being told these things—even without evidence—has such an impact. That's what the companion post to this one is about.

If you've read that post already, and now I've got you on board to doubt the reputation that Darkstar has, and to doubt the story Arianne was told about him, this is the post where I rebuild Gerold's character from scratch, and convince you that he's actually an alright guy, a trustworthy one, and possibly even a true knight. Maybe, even, he's worthy of Dawn, and the title of "Sword of the Morning."

I'm sure I'm not the first to suggest this, as it's been so many years, but it's exciting to experience a moment of realization that makes me see the writing itself in a new light, so I wanted to share my thought process here.

2.0 Gerold Dayne, shown not told.

In this part, I attempt to look at Gerold Dayne as if I were Areo Hotah, not Arianne: to watch what he does and says, on page, rather than take anyone's word for it, and rather than interpret his actions against a prejudice that he is as dark and dangerous as Arianne thinks. This way, I want to see what kind of man Gerold Dayne actually shows us he is, through his actions and interactions, rather than who we're told he is.

Beyond just doubting Doran's story because I don't believe Doran to be trustworthy, here I'll be explaining why I think that once we get to know Darkstar as best as we can, maiming Myrcella doesn't even really sound like something he would do.

This is a long one too, like the other one, so the rest is after the cut

2.1 Early good impressions—by being early

We don't see very much of Darkstar on-page, so let's start with our very first impression of him, in the second paragraph of the chapter:

Arianne Martell arrived with Drey and Sylva just as the sun was going down, with the west a tapestry of gold and purple and the clouds all glowing crimson. The ruins seemed aglow as well; the fallen columns glimmered pinkly, red shadows crept across the cracked stone floors, and the sands themselves turned from gold to orange to purple as the light faded. Garin had arrived a few hours earlier, and the knight called Darkstar the day before.

We don't know when they arranged to meet, but I think there's room for a symbolic meaning to Arianne arriving just as the sun goes down. Symbolically, the day ending as soon as she arrives mirrors the way that her plan is going to end as soon as it begins.

In addition, it's a signature of Arianne's character this chapter, moving just slightly too slowly. In this way, Arianne is already more like her father than she wants to admit—remember the overripe oranges falling in The Captain of the Guards, or how Areo knew that Doran saying they would leave at dawn meant midday. Arianne is the same—she arrives to her own plan at dusk.

Even without that comparison, Arianne's late arrival is emblematic of her inability to structure a plan as carefully as she believes she can, which is also something that haunts her for the rest of his arc. Consider the meaning of this for her: she is the head of this plan, and yet she and her two companions are the last to arrive. Garin beats her to the rendezvous place by a few hours... and Darkstar is almost the opposite extreme. He gets there a whole day early.

Perhaps that's suspect, perhaps that's responsible; this alone is not enough to say. For a certainty, though, this clearly positions Darkstar as someone who is, say, the opposite of the "Late" Lord Walder Frey. He's a man who comes early, not late.

As the chapter continues, it's not the only time that Arianne lags carelessly while Darkstar vouches for a more responsible course of action, so keep this in mind. This passage sets the tone for the rest of the chapter.

2.2 What makes a man "Great"?

The next time we see Darkstar on page, we get his first line of dialogue and his first actual on-page action. He juts in while the others are talking about the storied hero who is Garin's namesake:

"Garin the Great," offered Drey, "the wonder of the Rhoyne." "That's the one. He made Valyria tremble." "They trembled," said Ser Gerold, "then they killed him. If I led a quarter of a million men to death, would they call me Gerold the Great?" He snorted. "I shall remain Darkstar, I think. At least it is mine own." He unsheathed his longsword, sat upon the lip of the dry well, and began to hone the blade with an oilstone.

There's a lot to unpack here for such a short passage. To begin with, we can interpret some of Darkstar's values from his additions to this conversation. He clearly has a certain pragmatism, because he chooses to see through the veneration that the stories have afforded "Garin the Great", and points out that his cause was actually poorly met. In this way, Gerold might come off like a humorless spoilsport, but we can also consider the fact that he's already learned some of the lessons that other characters, like Sansa, have been forced to face: reality does not match the songs, and not all "heroes" are good people.

Gerold also shows a concern for the ranks of the military. It's not about one man's veneration for him, it's about the success of the plan—and the survival of the men who act on it. This is actually the same concern for Dorne that Doran is obsessed with, at the end of The Watcher:

"Until the Mountain crushed my brother's skull, no Dornishmen had died in this War of the Five Kings," the prince murmured softly, as Hotah pulled a blanket over him. "Tell me, Captain, is that my shame or my glory?"

Doran has spent a lifetime hemming and hawing over this notion, unsure of whether to act or to wait, and choosing inaction over decision. By stark contrast, Gerold speaks with a casual certainty: "Garin the Great" was no good at all, because all his men died, and he lost. It might make him sound like a cynic, but Dayne knows what he believes in. Leading men to their death is no greatness at all.

2.3 Choosing one's own name

And, now knowing his thoughts on blind veneration, we might reinterpret his decision to invent his own nickname. Rather than grasping for approval from in songs (like Tywin's Rains of Castamere), his act of naming himself could be seen as a sign of honor, not blind pride.

"If I led a quarter of a million men to death, would they call me Gerold the Great?" He snorted. "I shall remain Darkstar, I think. At least it is mine own."

He does not believe in misjudged "bravery" for the sake of a title, and therefore is unlike so many others who we see across ASOIAF ready to die fighting in their desire for glory. Rather than dreaming of becoming immortalized in a song, Darkstar has no lust for public approval—he's given himself his own title, and means to prove himself against his own standard.

And at least it is his own. ASOIAF is a story where so much weight is put into names and epithets—Arya and Sansa losing their names and even their chapter titles, Brienne and Jaime fighting against the disparaging nicknames they are given. Here, Darkstar has already proven himself past all of those troubles with this one action—regardless of whatever names others should call him, or even remember him by, he shall go by this one, the name, and the fate, that he chose for himself.

2.4 Honing the blade

And then, immediately, Gerold starts caring for his blade.

He unsheathed his longsword, sat upon the lip of the dry well, and began to hone the blade with an oilstone.

Interestingly, the list of people who hone their blade on-page is surprisingly short. This shared action puts Gerold in league with the likes of Brienne:

I will, she promised his shade, there in the piney wood. She sat down on a rock, took out her sword, and began to hone its edge. I will remember, and I pray I will not flinch.

And also the likes of Yoren, Arya, Jon, Meera, Barristan, and Hotah himself; all of whom are dutiful if not also generally good-hearted. Ilyn Payne and Rakharo, care for their blades on-page, too, and though I'm not sure if they get enough story time to argue whether or not they are good-hearted, they are certainly pragmatic, skilled, and committed. Bronn, too, hones his blade on-page, and even if not good-hearted, he's these other positive qualities, the ones that make him likeable even in his scoundrel status: Bronn is skilled, pragmatic, dedicated to his craft, and even committed after his own fashion (he does name his adoptive child Tyrion, after all).

Better tying this to a morality case, the first time we see Sandor Clegane caring for his blade is after the Red Wedding, after he fully commits to taking in Arya. Similarly, Jaime is only seen caring for his blade in Feast and later, after he begins to have his own character turn towards searching for honor.

In stark contrast, Theon pulls out his blade to "sharpen" it before facing his father in Clash, but he only "gave it a few licks" with the whetstone ... what a total poser.

(It's a silly thing, but the most minor character we see sharpening a blade is a stray Blackwood... so you know these are the good guys, haha. Oswell Whent, too, which I don't make much of myself but I know others have.)

So, when we see Gerold Dayne start to sharpen his blade as his first on-page action, we might think: here is a man who is responsible, who is committed to duty, who believes in taking care of his person and his honor. Tying little actions like this to character qualities is the kind of thing GRRM does frequently.

2.5 Sober attitude

To a similar end, we also see that Gerold Dayne doesn't drink, preferring water with lemon.

Once the kindling caught, they sat around the flames and passed a skin of summerwine from hand to hand . . . all but Darkstar, who preferred to drink unsweetened lemonwater.

Which puts him in league with Brienne again:

"I would prefer water," said Brienne. "Elmar, the red for Ser Jaime, water for the Lady Brienne, and hippocras for myself." Bolton waved a hand at their escort, dismissing them, and the men beat a silent retreat.

As well as Stannis, paragon of "duty":

But not today, I think—ah, here's your son with our water." Devan set the tray on the table and filled two clay cups. The king sprinkled a pinch of salt in his cup before he drank; Davos took his water straight, wishing it were wine.

Again, this is the kind of quality that is associated with people who are attached to their sense of duty. (Note also that as Brienne feels increasingly lost during her search for Sansa, we see her increasingly drink wine. Roose, for his part, doesn't just drink wine, but wants wine sweetened with sugar and spices, which, like Littlefinger's minty breath, covers up his harsh reality).

So Gerold Dayne, in word and action, seems to have more in common with duty- and honor-bound characters, rather than being the heartless rogue which the Martells seem to believe he is.

2.6 Arianne's imagination versus Gerold's reality

Arianne asserts that Gerold would go so far as to exterminate an entire clan... but it's while she's fantasizing about ruling Sunspear with Myrcella as Queen:

Once I crown Myrcella and free the Sand Snakes, all Dorne will rally to my banners. The Yronwoods might declare for Quentyn, but alone they were no threat. If they went over to Tommen and the Lannisters, she would have Darkstar destroy them root and branch.

So we know what Arianne thinks he's capable of, but we also have heard Dayne's own thoughts that war for its own sake is not laudable. Would he really be the type to eradicate a whole family, like Arianne says? So far, he seems otherwise like an alright guy, and potentially even a true knight, so far: he takes care of his sword, he stays sober, he arrives early, he's not searching for glory from others, and he doesn't believe one should be rewarded for idiotic wars.

If I were to put this in a single quote—if I could create a single moment where I might show that Arianne's mental image of Darkstar is one way (hard, dangerous, mean) and his reality was a different way (dutiful, pragmatic, and good-hearted)—I might show it like this:

He has a cruel mouth, though, and a crueler tongue. His eyes seemed black as he sat outlined against the dying sun, sharpening his steel, but she had looked at them from a closer vantage and she knew that they were purple. Dark purple. Dark and angry. He must have felt her gaze upon him, for he looked up from his sword, met her eyes, and smiled.

Does he have a cruel mouth, and dark, angry eyes? Or does he have an easy smile? Arianne tells us the former... but so far, we are shown the latter.

And what does Gerold himself say with that "cruel tongue"? What counsel does he give, what courses does he suggest?

2.7 Gerold's bloody suggestion

Before Myrcella arrives, Gerold Dayne has the chance to offer counsel to Arianne. This moment comes directly following that moment where all of Arianne's other conspirators confide that they don't trust him, and that they don't need him for the plan. Immediately afterward, Darkstar returns and suggests that the plan isn't very good to begin with.

Dayne put a foot upon the head of a statue that might have been the Maiden till the sands had scoured her face away. "It occurred to me as I was pissing that this plan of yours may not yield you what you want."

While all of Arianne's friends have warned her of Darkstar, why is it that Darkstar is the only one to warn Arianne that this is a poor plan? It's important to remember that he's right, after all, because this plan gets thwarted, and as he goes on to say, was ill-concieved to begin with. If he can see it, why have none of Arianne's other allies considered this? Or, more interestingly, why have none of them told her?

This conversation continues, and notice how Arianne is never straightforward with Gerold about how she feels in response to his questioning. She says one thing, and then thinks another to herself. Already, we are being shown how we might be distrustful of what we are told—and again, Arianne has more in common with her father than she thinks. She knows how to speak carefully when she really has another objective.

"And what is it I want, ser?" "The Sand Snakes freed. Vengeance for Oberyn and Elia. Do I know the song? You want a little taste of lion blood." That, and my birthright. I want Sunspear, and my father's seat. I want Dorne. "I want justice." "Call it what you will. Crowning the Lannister girl is a hollow gesture. She will never sit the Iron Throne. Nor will you get the war you want. The lion is not so easily provoked." "The lion's dead. Who knows which cub the lioness prefers?" "The one in her own den." Ser Gerold drew his sword. It glimmered in the starlight, sharp as lies. "This is how you start a war. Not with a crown of gold, but with a blade of steel."

At first blush, it's easy to get caught up in the notion that Darkstar is simply offering to kill Myrcella for the ease of it all. We're told the whole chapter that Darkstar is a violent man, and here's the evidence.

Arianne herself only considers this interpretation, and it's how she remembers the conversation once she's imprisoned:

He wanted to kill her instead of crowning her, he said as much at Shandystone. He said that was how I'd get the war I wanted.

However, this conversation, though brief, is not so simple as that. Instead, while Gerold's advice to Arianne here at first seems unnecessarily violent, he's actually displaying wisdoms that we learn elsewhere in the story.

For a start, we see Gerold's disdain for vengeance for it's own sake—and his suggestion to Arianne that this quest of revenge and authority will not actually get her what she wants. In Gerold's words, she wants "a taste of lion's blood." He knows this song, as he says, as well as Ellaria, who gives an identical warning with far more impassioned language to the same audience ADWD The Watcher:

"Oberyn wanted vengeance for Elia. Now the three of you want vengeance for him. I have four daughters, I remind you. Your sisters. My Elia is fourteen, almost a woman. Obella is twelve, on the brink of maidenhood. They worship you, as Dorea and Loreza worship them. If you should die, must El and Obella seek vengeance for you, then Dorea and Loree for them? Is that how it goes, round and round forever? I ask again, where does it end?" Ellaria Sand laid her hand on the Mountain's head. "I saw your father die. Here is his killer. Can I take a skull to bed with me, to give me comfort in the night? Will it make me laugh, write me songs, care for me when I am old and sick?"

Gerold says it more simply, and more harshly: this quest for vengeance and lion's blood will not get you what you want.

He then tries another angle, saying that "Crowning the Lannister girl is a hollow gesture. She will never sit the Iron Throne. Nor will you get the war you want." This sounds, at first, like a complaint of the plan's futility, but he offers a suggestion of how to achieve said war instead: "Not with a crown of gold, but with a blade of steel."

I have to point out the metaphor at use in this moment:

Ser Gerold drew his sword. It glimmered in the starlight, sharp as lies.

A blade as sharp as lies—yet another allusion to this constant Dornish theme of lying and deadly misinformation. Seen from another perspective, we might put it another way: that lies are as deadly as a blade. This, too, is Doran's message: that the grass which hides the snake is just as deadly.

This too is Gerold's message, because in combination, his suggestion that crowning her is empty and to kill her is simpler sounds like an allusion to another wisdom we learn later in ADWD Tyrion I, given by Illyrio when Tyrion alights on the same bright idea as Arianne, to crown Myrcella:

"In Volantis they use a coin with a crown on one face and a death's-head on the other. Yet it is the same coin. To queen her is to kill her."

Gerold understands this, and he displays it in this conversation. His offer here, then, is to skip the trouble in between—the girl will never sit the Iron Throne in any case, so Arianne should just kill her and be done with it, and have your war that way.

Rather than a threat against Myrcella's life, the way Arianne remembers it, we might see this as a challenge: if Gerold sees that both acts end in Myrcella's death, and both in war, he's presenting Arianne reality of the lack of choice.

In a way, this is consistent with his earlier complaints about Garin the Great—was it worth it to make Valyria "tremble" at the cost of so many of his own? Gerold's question, though harshly put, makes Arianne face that question now, before they start off with the plans.

Like her father, though, Arianne defers the problem, preferring not to address it this night.

I am no murderer of children. "Put that away. Myrcella is under my protection. And Ser Arys will permit no harm to come to his precious princess, you know that."

Arianne makes the choice, but she does not say it aloud. Why? Because even she sees that it's contradictory to raise her up and expect her to live?

As we see so often with Arianne, she foolishly answers that it's not her responsibility. Myrcella may be under her protection, but Arianne relies on Ser Arys' action to keep it that way. Arianne tries to argue that the weight of this threat to Myrcella is not Arianne's burden to take, but rather Arys'.

Darkstar disagrees, pointing out the longstanding rivalry between the Dornish and the Marcher Lords.

"No, my lady. What I know is that Daynes have been killing Oakhearts for several thousand years." His arrogance took her breath away. "It seems to me that Oakhearts have been killing Daynes for just as long." "We all have our family traditions." Darkstar sheathed his sword. "The moon is rising, and I see your paragon approaching."

Finally, though, actions once again speak louder than words. Rather than pull his sword here against Arys, like he was just threatening to do, he sheathes his sword when he spots Arys, obeying Arianne's command. So far, whatever he's said, Gerold is still committed to following Arianne's wishes.

His threats about Daynes killing Oakhearts has another layer of meaning, though, in this complete context: Daynes have been killing Oakhearts, yes, but it's not just Daynes who wouldn't blink at killing a Marcher, it's all of the Dornish—as Arys is so intimately aware of in his one chapter.

As much as Arianne is dodging responsibility, she's also right that Arys is the final obstacle in anyone's way should they wish to do harm to Myrcella. Note, though, that despite the story Doran and Arianne later tell the Sand Snakes, it is not Darkstar who slays Arys—it's Areo Hotah. If we say that actions speak louder than words, hear this: Gerold sheathes his sword when Arys approaches, and it is Doran (through Areo) who kills Myrcella's most leal protector.

Given all the trouble Doran later goes to in an attempt to smooth over Arys' death, Gerold is probably right here that a dead Arys means war. Once again, Gerold is a pragmatic thinker, in theory. In my opinion, despite the cruelty of his suggestion, his conversation about the death of Myrcella is a reality check, not a call for wanton violence.

2.8 Gerold's good counsel and care

Later comes the second time where Arianne lags carelessly... and here, Gerold steps in to give Arianne good counsel.

Arianne had hoped to reach the river before the sun came up, but they had started much later than she'd planned, so they were still in the saddle when the eastern sky turned red. Darkstar cantered up beside her. "Princess," he said, "I'd set a faster pace, unless you mean to kill the child after all. We have no tents, and by day the sands are cruel."

Here, contradicting the stories of Gerold Dayne as a cruel man, Darkstar seems to show more direct concern for Myrcella's wellbeing than any of the other plotters. Arianne—like her father—moves to slow, and Gerold wants to make sure that the girl isn't killed. He's not just pragmatic in theory, he can also be pragmatic and considerate when it comes to the young girl with them.

Here, also, we see that Gerold does not actually mean the girl harm. The accusation that Darkstar slashed Myrcella implies this narrative where Darkstar took advantage of the chaos to finally take his chance to kill the girl and make good on his threat. If that were the case, then here Darkstar could have simply said nothing, and let the girl suffer or even die from the heat. Instead, he speaks up in order to spare Myrcella from the sand's cruelty.

2.9 Gerold's opinion of Arthur Dayne

With all of this context, I'll finally take a look at Gerold's opinion of Arthur Dayne.

As she led the princess to the fire, Arianne found Ser Gerold behind her. "My House goes back ten thousand years, unto the dawn of days," he complained. "Why is it that my cousin is the only Dayne that anyone remembers?" "He was a great knight," Ser Arys Oakheart put in. "He had a great sword," Darkstar said. "And a great heart."

He clearly loves the Dayne house, but seems to have less respect than most for Arthur. Many and more have taken this to be a sign of petty envy, that Darkstar is questioning Arthur's skill at swordplay, perhaps in comparison to his own.

But consider the quote another way: we know from his opinion of "Garin the Great" that Gerold resists the idea of blindly idolizing heroes only because they have become great in the telling. This newer hero, Arthur, is no more special to him. What has he actually done, not what stories have been told of him?

Once again, this is a return of our theming: being shown, not told. Gerold is quick to resist the allure of the songs of Arthur Dayne—to Gerold, there are plenty of other Daynes just as special, or perhaps even more so. This is not a lack of love for his house, nor for honor and glory—quite the opposite. Like with choosing his own name, Darkstar wants to create his own context to see Arthur in, as part of a ten thousand year old lineage of great Daynes (ha) and not some special, magic knight.

Perhaps Gerold Dayne is pointing out that there is more to a knight than having a sword; perhaps he is condemning the idea of equating "swordplay" with "greatness".

What we hear about Arthur is more often than not about his prowress with a sword, but consider the context in which Arthur Dayne was brought up in this chapter. When Myrcella brings him up, his reputation is marred by the fact it's own existence:

"There was an Arthur Dayne," Myrcella said. "He was a knight of the Kingsguard in the days of Mad King Aerys."

Not the most good-hearted of details to remember him by, truth be told.

I suggest that this passage instead serves to suggest that Gerold has a stricter sense of what is valorous than most. Even the great, seemingly infallible Arthur Dayne was a sword in defense of the Mad King. Does serving the Mad King still make for a "great knight"? Or only a "great sword"?

Of course, there's another interesting aspect to this quote: despite his disregard for the particular qualities of Arthur, Gerold is more than willing to acknowledge the greatness of the sword Dawn. I'll get into that at the end.

2.10 Gerold sues for peace

Finally, in his final appearance on-page, we get a last word from Gerold Dayne, who, this time, says exactly what Arianne is thinking... when she, again, is too slow to act, and is unable to say anything herself.

You reckless fool, was all that Arianne had time to think, what do you think you're doing? Darkstar's laughter rang out. "Are you blind or stupid, Oakheart? There are too many. Put up your sword."

Darkstar suggests to all that they surrender. He suggests they put up their swords. Yet again, this is a consistent characterization for Darkstar: a man who speaks against the honor of leading others in a death charge, a man who is a sober thinker, a man who plans to arrive early, and a man who considers heavily the consequences of the actions at hand, especially when they end in the death of a young girl.

After all this, I don't think it sounds like Darkstar to make a wild, reckless, opportune grasp for Myrcella's life, no matter whatever Doran says. Instead, Gerold Dayne has all the trappings of a dutiful knight, and even his brusque edges come from a certain brutal realism, not a sense of jilted pride. He may even be a good and caring man at times.

3.0 My predictions for TWOW: GRRM's next moves

I used to really not like Darkstar. I don't mind him being a little cringe, because this whole series, as well written as it is, still has plenty of pulpy 80s underpinnings which I love just as much as the highbrow stuff. I can handle a little melodrama, fine... but why is Darkstar so flat, I wondered. It felt so incredibly—uncharacteristically—clumsy to have this hurried introduction of a character, and have everyone in the chapter rush to tell the reader how dangerous he is, just so he could do the "dangerous guy" thing and run off to become the next MacGuffin of Dorne.

That is, if everything, or anything, that we were told about him is true.

If we understand that not all we're told is true, then GRRM hasn't actually spent a whole chapter telling without showing. Instead, he's been consistently playing with the same notions of actual reality vs. stories and lies that the rest of the Dornish plot revolves around (and the rest of the series, for that matter, but I'm staying focused here).

In addition, all of that telling we got about Gerold Dayne wasn't at all for the purpose of giving us a quick, surface level introduction to the character (which makes sense, because George is otherwise so good with character). Instead, all that telling is part of a larger, longer plot about Doran's scheming and lying, and Arianne's own susceptibility to Doran's stories.

Finally, and most of all, it all sets up one of GRRM's favorite things to do: a subversion of a character in a twist that involves a sudden change of perspective.

If Arianne and Doran have spent 4 (or 5, including TWOW previews) chapters now telling us what a nasty guy Gerold Dayne is, won't it be a shock once he's granted Dawn rightfully and is named the next Sword of the Morning? What's even better is that, looking back, it will be clear to see how much he isn't a nasty guy—he's actually a pretty good candidate, dutiful, smart, aware of the consequences. He's the kind of guy to take care of himself, keeping his mind and blade sharp, and to be considerate of those lesser than him, as with Myrcella or Garin's army. He may not be a nice guy, but being nice and kind are not always the same. That character of Darkstar, the knight worthy of Dawn, was there all along—except that it was all obfuscated under Arianne internal narration and Doran's repeated lying.

After all, he is of the night... which sounds super edgy, but is foreshadowing too. What comes after the night? The Morning.

Being "of the night" might not be Darkstar being an antihero, but instead being anti- heroes, he's against the concept of the overinflated hero. Like Sandor Clegane, who starts to seem more and more a true knight despite despising knights, Darkstar may be set up to take on a legendary mantle, like Sword of the Morning, despite his utter disdain for legendary heroes, like Ser Arthur and Garin the Great.

And actually, I suspect that Darkstar is quite familiar with Dawn already—after all, despite his cool words about Ser Arthur, Gerold Dayne does seem to recognize the greatness of Dawn. I expect that he's seen its value for himself.

Gerold is the type of man to take himself seriously ... and while that's very easy to make fun of from a reader's perspective, it's a very admirable quality in a knight. It's the same trajectory Jaime has been on: everything used to be a joke to him, but no longer: Jaime is learning how to shed that shield of humor and to take himself and his honor seriously. Can we begrudge Ser Gerold the same?

Rather than hunting down a villain, Areo Hotah, Obara, and Balon Swann are on Doran's truth-suppression mission. For after all, as Lady Nym pointed out, loose ends make for exposed lies. If I replace some of the names of her cautionary message from The Watcher:

If Gerold Dayne is alive, soon or late the truth will out. If he appears again, Doran Martell will be exposed as a liar before all the Seven Kingdoms. He would be an utter fool to risk that.

And so Doran sends his unbeatable Hotah, with his massive and lethal axe that already killed one Kingsguard and might well kill another. How is Gerold Dayne going to match up against that?

Well, he'll have a great sword.

#jozor thoughts #asoiaf meta #asoiaf analysis #Doran Martell and Gerold Dayne #valyrianscrolls #twow speculation #darkstar #Dorne Told not Shown

[day-drawn-blog]

Epilogue 1 : Just leave the flames and take a chance

To be with me tonight - Take my hand and hold it tight - Down by the River.

Pairing: Astarion x Reader. This is set in Act I.

Tags: angst/fluff some smut later

Part I : The outer layer. Mostly angst and jealousy.

Part II : Where you try to find meaning or draw boundaries.

Part III : maybe tonight I'll rest in peace.

Part IV : There is more to do and I still want to live.

Part V : our futures bound, our bodies known.

Part VI: These ain't my sins. I broke my chains.

Part VII: You are not mine and am I truly yours.

Part VIII : Your blood like wine, invites me in.

Part IX : I welcome my sentence, to give you my penance

Part X : I can't go yet...don't let me die

Epilogue II : Moonlight burning the Flower

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The next morning, you walked out of your tent to find Astarion pouring over his book of necromancy. Not yet in armor, his casual clothes showed a bit of his chest. You were tempted to unbutton him a bit further, but reminded yourself not to take advantage of him.

You turned, and met Shadowheart.

"Good morning" she said. "I wonder what's in store for us today" she said in her usual tone of voice. You noticed no bitterness. Reassured, you broached ... "Shadowheart, I am sorry, for not telling you... about him... " - "Oh, it's alright. It wasn't your secret to tell. If anyone it should have been him. I can't say I am not disappointed in him."

You were silent. You didn't know what to say.

"But no matter. I am willing to let bygones be bygones. Bury the hatchet, so to speak" said Shadowheart, graciously. Before you could reply - Laezel cut in. "Why would you bury a weapon? I do not understand your kind or your ways, Shadowheart,". She rolled her eyes. "It's a phrase, Laezel". They both started bantering, leaving you to quietly walk away, in relief.

Everyone started on their way.

Astarion seemed really preoccupied and walked along with Gale in the back, talking about something. The party succeeded in defeating a Drow in the underdark that had yielded a bunch of precious magical items for everyone. The Myconid colony was celebrating that night. Everyone at camp was happy. The mushrooms were ... funny.

You were feeling quite happy and light hearted that night.

The warm glow of the fire, alcohol, laughter, music. All of your favorite things mixed together. You got ready for a night of merriment and walked to the crowd, joining Karlach and Laezel. They seemed to be relishing the battle they had that day, going over all the fun details together and exchanging their favorite bits.

Your eyes searched for Astarion.

Then you saw him and wished you hadn't looked for him. On the other side of the fire, he was busy talking to ... Shadowheart! Not just talking, but smiling. Conversing, drinking. You heard him laugh. You couldn't look away, because you couldn't believe what you saw. You thought they had fallen apart.

You thought he pledged himself to you.

Why then. What was the lie? Because there most definitely was one. So he still wanted her? Or he didn't want ... you .... and then you realized. Yes he had said he was yours. He was your ally, your friend. He was loyal to you ... but never once had he said he loved you! He had said his body belonged to you, but never his heart! His loyalty was yours, but not his feelings ...

You stared at him in disbelief of your own stupidity.

You had misunderstood everything he had said, and heard what you wanted to hear, what you hoped to hear. Your heart cried out in pain. You were happy in so long, but it was all made up. By you! You lied to yourself! You wove an intricate web of lies ...for yourself. Astarion met your eyes. You didn't look away. You looked at him, in anger, in hurt. Hoping to convey the betrayal you felt...

He smiled at you, and raised his glass.

Dig the dagger in deeper, why don't you, you thought. You looked away, and considered walking away to a desolate place. And then you stopped yourself. Enough running away. You deserve to be happy too. You decided to stay. You sought out some companions. Karlach and Laezel looked fun. Lets go join them. You walked to them and asked to partake of some alcohol. They gladly obliged.

You were determined to be happy.

Soon enough, you felt good. you felt even better when Laezel kissed you. You couldn't get away in time, but it felt hilarious. You did manage to stop her from any further advances though, to her slight disappointment, but she took it well. You cheeks flushed, you found yourself laughing a lot. At things that were not even that funny. You were happy. You felt grateful. You hoped he saw you.

Then you saw Wyll.

You went up to him, and asked for a dance, in your drunken state, and he obliged. He took your hands and gave you a twirl before leading you around putting your dancing skills to the test. Had you not been drunk you could have held your own, but now, drunk himself Wyll had to hold you by the waist many times to prevent you from falling over. Karlach wanted to join in, and pulled in Gale much to his awkwardness.

May I have a dance as well?

Was that Astarion you heard? Yes. He had walked up to you both. He was, obviously talking to you, trying to break you and Wyll up, maybe. But you were having none of that. "Yes, of course" you said, before pushing him to Wyll. "Here you go" and then walked off. Being drunk had its advantages, you could act outrageous and not have to face the responsibility. You did not look back to see what they did after.

Time to find the next object of interest.

Halsin! Ah, Halsin and his big strong arms. You felt like squeezing them. And you did. Somehow Shadowheart was around. And she said something in admiration of his big strong arms as well. Was she drunk too? Oh well, no matter. You giggled with her, as you both hung over Halsin's arms and found it ridiculously entertaining. Laezel quipped something funny but you couldn't hear her well.

Your eyes met Astarion across the fire.

Dammit. You didn't intent to do that. He was sitting down, keenly watching you. Had he finished dancing with Wyll? You wondered. None of your concern you thought and returned your attention to your drunken shenanigans. You decided to pester Gale after that. So you sat down next to him, and asked him about his former lover. You barely heard what he was saying. But you pretended to pay attention. Every now and your eyes wandered to Astarion, against your will.

He was looking at you, every single time.

Across the flickering flame. As he drunk from his cup every now and then. You looked at his handsome face. Having forgotten your resolve, as you rested your head on Gale's knees. Or was it Karlach's? Was Laezel trying to get her arms around you again, or was that Wyll. Your vision was a bit blurry at this point. You felt you could drift off to sleep. You didn't care who it was that would take you back to their tent that night. The more the merrier you thought and giggled.

It was hot. You should take your shirt off, you thought.

You proceeded to do just that. "Let me help you" - you heard a voice. Yes please, you felt a hand, "Alright - enough of that" you heard another pushing the first hand away. Why? It was hot. You tried taking your shirt off again. Then you felt being picked up. Oh good, someone is carrying you to bed, just as you had hoped. The night had proceeded just as you had hoped and wished.

"I got her" you heard a voice, possibly of the one carrying you.

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#astarion romance #astarion x reader #astarion x tav #astarion bg3 #astarion angst #baldurs gate 3 #fanfic #fluff #vampire #astarion fanfic