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#i think she wanted better for her grandchildren than her children had
jyoongim · 29 days
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~BLOOD & BLISS~
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Human!Alastor x wife!Reader
Themes: 1930 based! Human!Alastor x wife!Reader, domestic life!fluff, smut, slow burn plot, devotion, slight manipulation, mention of children, pregnancy,  blood, murder, secrets 
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Chapter three chapter five
Chapter Four
“Oh darling look at you! And here I thought you wouldn’t give me grandchildren” your mother laughed as she hugged you.
Your mother had invited you and Alastor over since you had sent her a letter about some exciting news you wanted to share.
You didn’t know whether to take her comment as a compliment or insult.
”Why ain’t your husband with you? I know that man ain’t have you travel here all alone in your condition” she frowned displeased.
”Momma you know how busy Al is. He’s been trying to catch up on work so he can take time off for the baby” you pouted.
She sucked her teeth, before a smile dawned her face
”well that means we can go shopping! Have you decorated the nursery? Do you have a nursery? Oooh honey why don’t you come home when you have the baby? A newborn is a lot of work” she was ranting and you sighed, rubbing your heavy stomach.
”Momma im perfectly capable of taking care of my baby.  I’ve read all the books” your mother gave you a funny look
”books? Oh girl those books ain’t gonna help you. You need experience. Youre a first time mom, you have no instincts in raising a youngin ”
You pouted. You felt like a teenager being chastised.
You knew your mother meant well, but sometimes you had to stop her ‘good intentions’.
”Ill be fine. Alastor’s gonna be there and Im sure we can figure it out. Aint that what parenthood all about?”
She hummed “If you say, now lets head to town. I want my grandbaby to have the best!”
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You fanned yourself as you finally sat down. The summer heat was not kind to you as your mother had dragged you to every shop in town.
The two of you had finished up shopping and were now at a little restaurant. You smiled in thanks as the waiter sat a glass of cold water in front of you.
Your mother cooed as she looked over several items she had bought.
You think she was more excited than you and you were the pregnant one.
”Momma I think you overdid it. There’s no way the baby is gonna wear or use any of that” you mused, sipping the water.
She waved you off.
”so…how has Alastor handled the news?” She asked.
You blinked “he’s very excited. He says he don’t care about the gender, but he’s taken to thinking it’ll be a girl” you giggled.
”haha a girl? Oh no you’re definitely having a boy darling” she laughed.
You titled your head in confusion.
Your mother smirked “Your belly is big and low and you’re not even halfway through your term, that means you’re having a boy. ”
She continued “Most men want a boy on the first go. A scrappy boy is the jewel of every man’s pride”
You rubbed your stomach, smiling “Well it don’t matter im sure hell adore the baby no matter what”
She hummed and picked up the newspaper that was on the table.
The headline read ‘fifth body found in canal’
”Such a shame the authorities can’t find killer. Those poor souls. This is the fifth body that’s been found and practically in your backyard. You really need to careful dear” she said grimacing.
You weren’t too worried. All the victims were random, but they weren’t pregnant women. “I don’t think the killer is slaying harmless pregnant women momma”
She shrugged “Can never be too sure dear”
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Alastor whistled as he cleaned the kitchen. Bright red water filled the sink as he wronged the sponge. You would have a fit if you saw the state of your kitchen and Alastor couldn’t have an upset wife.
You had went to visit your mother, thinking it was time to tell the woman that the two of you were expecting. You had wanted him to come along, but he thought it would be better if the two of you spent some time together.
So he took the time to go hunting. It had been a while since he had a good hunt and he had a taste for deer meat.
Once the kitchen was spotless, he discarded what he didn’t need into a bag. He headed down to the cellar with the rest of the trash.
He tied the bag and reached for the other one.
Hauling it back to the kitchen, he turned on the radio to listen to some tunes as he prepared to cook. You should have been coming home in a few hours and he was sure you would be hungry. It was rather hot today, so instead of slaving too much over the stove he opted for a simple stew.
He pulled the meat out of the bag and began to cut it.
He pulled a pot from the cabinet and filled it with  onions, carrots, and a little water were added into the pot as he cleaned the meat.
As the pot boiled, he plopped the meat in a pan to cook it down.
The kitchen filled with the smell of herbs and meat as he worked.
He added some seasoning to the meat and transferred the chopped meat to the pot.
He turned the heat low and let it simmer.
He nodded in satisfaction and took a look at himself. Disgusting
He was covered in blood. He sighed and went upstairs.
Light red swirled down the drain. Alastor rolled his neck, a soft pop was heard and he sighed in relief.
Once finished in the shower, he gathered the dirty clothes and headed out back in the yard.
He waved to the passing neighbors as thee fire crackled, a pleasant smile on his face.
Once the fire died down, he headed back inside to check on the stew.
He stirred it and turned it off.
He fixed a cold sweet tea and took a seat at the dining table.
His mind wandered to you. He wondered how you were fairing in this heat. He was sure you were ready to come home and relax. Your mother was a handful.
Your pregnancy was coming along nicely.
You had rounded out and now you sported a big belly. His cock twitched in his pants. He couldn’t believe how insatiable  he had become since you had become pregnant. He couldn’t keep his hands off of you.
You had transformed beautifully. You always seemed to be glowing, though you swore it was sweat. You had become incredibly sensitive, your mood swings putting you both through the ringer.
You had voiced your concern about your image as you had filled out nicely, gaining weight from the baby you now carried. You couldn’t fit any of your usual form fitting outfits, opting for loose dresses.
Alastor reassured you that you looked beautiful no matter what. He enjoyed a little meat being on your bones. 
You were softer and he loved every minute of it.
His eyes traveled to the pot, he wondered if you had ate. He really wanted to see how you would react to the meal he prepared. While you love his cooking, the baby was picking, which resulted in you being sick a lot.
The buzz from the hunt still rippled through him as his lips curled in a smile.
yeeesss how would his little wife enjoy the meal he prepared for her?
He made a mental note to take out the trash later but for now, he waited for you to return home as he opened a book about parenting. 
He should ask you what color you wanted the nursery….
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Your mouth watered as you came through the door “What did you cook Al it smells really good”
Your husband chuckled as he closed the book and walked over to you. You were trying to beeline it to the kitchen, but your husband wrapped his arms around you and pressed his lips to yours. He grinned as your stomach created a space between the two of you, running an affectionate hand over the bump “Well hello to you too my dear. How was your mother? I see the two of you went shopping” His eyes took in the amount of bags you brought back.
You huffed “Yea Ma would have bought out the entire store if I let her, i tell you I think she’s more happy about a grandbaby than when we got married”
Alastor coaxed you to the couch, smiling as you sighed as he massaged your aching back. He pressed soft kisses to your exposed shoulders “I didn’t know if you had ate already, so I made a stew. Let’s hope the baby like it. I read that warm foods were better than the ice cream you’ve been sneakng” he snickered as you pouted.
”Just relax a bit and Ill make you a bowl”
You smiled at him “I want crackers too!” You called after him.
Alastor returned with a steaming bowl of stew. It smells so good and your stomach growled in hunger. “I tried a different meat but I hope you like it my dear”
You thanked him and rolled your eyes as he picked up the spoon and held it to your mouth. You blew on it softly before chomping on the spoon.
Your tongue tingled as you savored the flavor. 
The meat was softer than you were use to, maybe pork or a different beef?
Whatever it was it was good!
”Mmmhmm this is so good. The texture of the meat is a bit off but its really good Al” you complimented.
He beamed at you, pearly whites glistening at you. “Im happy you like it and you didn’t throw it up im proud baby”
You quickly finished the meal and showed him everything your mother bought for the new arrival.
Alastor smiled in content as you happily showed him the baby wares; clothing, toys,and other gadgets. Seeing you so excited filled him with an unexplainable feeling. His hand caressed your belly as you ranted.
”Did you know that there’s a killer on the loose?” Your sudden question brought his attention back. Your face was filled with worry.
Alastor tensed, but relaxed “We had gotten a few reports down at the studio but no real leads. Why do you ask dear?”
You placed your hand over his that was on your bulging belly. “I-Im just concerned. I mean we do have a child on the way and i dont really feel safe walking the streets in this vulnerable condition. My mother suggested we move into the summer house.” You looked down, Alastor kissed your forehead “Im sure well be fine. Besides it seems the killer has a little mortals. No woman has been harmed. So dont fret my dear” he assured you. 
You sighed, he was right.  There was no need to worry.
“I would never let a soul hurt you” he whispered against your forehead.
You hummed and started giggling as he nipped at your ear “Al!!!”
You tried to wiggled away, but your husband softly pushed you back on the couch, being mindful of your belly.
”Now why dont I show you that I am more than capable hmm?” He grinned down at you.
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pulisicsgirl · 4 months
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christmas on my own - mason mount
summary: when Y/N finds herself spending Christmas alone for the first time in her life, a chance encounter with Mason may prove to be just the cure she needed for her holiday blues
pairing: Mason Mount x reader
word count: 6.3k
warnings/tags: semi-established relationship, the tiniest bit of angst at the beginning but overwhelming fluff for the rest of it, Christmas celebrations, awkward encounters with meeting the family for the first time
requested: no
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notes: surprise!! Please ignore the fact that it's been three months since I last posted a fic. Life has been coming at me pretty fast this year, and it's made it incredibly difficult for me to find the time or motivation to write. But I've been thinking about and planning this one since almost October, so I wanted to be sure I was able to put this out as a little Christmas gift for you all!! Thank you for being so patient with my inconsistent posting schedule this year, and I hope you're all able to enjoy some time with your loved ones this holiday season! Also I know that Mila is still a baby, but for the sake of the fic, please pretend she's a toddler Merry Christmas to all of you, my loves!!
You blew hot air into your clenched fists in an attempt to warm them as you stood in the small Manchester café. The biting cold of the outdoors was still making your fingertips ache as you lingered near the counter, long after you had finished placing your order and paying.
You briefly surveyed the somewhat empty café, admiring the glowing lights and cheerful decorations that the owners had put out for the holiday season. A few sets of what you assumed to be grandparents and their grandchildren were also waiting alongside you, some of the children pressing their faces up against the glass display case as they relayed which pastries and treats they wanted to take home with them.
Today was the first Christmas that you had ever spent alone, and seeing the families happy and smiling together made your heart ache a bit, longing for your childhood when the season still felt magical and joyous.
To say that it had stung when your parents told you they would be travelling to spend the holiday with your brother would be an understatement. It had been unexpected, and they had only given you a little less than a week’s notice, meaning that as you were expected to work both the day before and after Christmas, you didn’t have enough time to make arrangements to go on the trip with them. You knew that your parents missed your brother as he had moved away a couple of years ago, and you understood why they would want to go see him and his wife that he had recently married. But it was hard to get left behind to spend the holiday that’s all about being together and giving to one another alone.
So now, on the afternoon of Christmas, you found yourself standing in a small bakery in Manchester, the very one that your family would always stop by on Christmas Day to get a few smalls treats to take back home after you had opened all of your gifts.
You had spent the morning at home, watching a couple Christmas films to try to put yourself in a festive mood and generally just feeling sorry for yourself. You had tried your best not to just mope about all day, but it proved difficult. By the time the afternoon rolled around, you decided that it just didn’t feel right to not make your annual trip to the bakery, even if it would be by yourself this year. So you had dragged yourself out of bed, put on a nice sweater and some black leggings and styled your hair a bit in the hopes of making yourself feel better, and decided to walk to the bakery in order to get a bit of fresh air.
You were lost in your own thoughts, fantasizing about the sweet taste of the coffee and pastry that would surely be coming your way soon when the bell above the entrance rang out. Your eyes naturally jumped over to the door to see where the noise was coming from, and your stomach sank to your feet when you saw who had stepped in.
It was Mason.
You and Mason had been going out for the last few weeks—not long enough to put an official label on it, but long enough that the two of you had gotten to know each other better and knew that you were both serious about this.
You had no idea what he was doing at the small bakery, but the last thing you wanted was for him to find out how pitiful you were, spending Christmas at home, alone on your couch.
Your hand darted up, scratching the side of your head in an attempt to hide your face from him as he approached the register only 10 feet away from you. Hoping that was enough to make sure he wouldn’t see you, your heart began to race as you realized that the worker would be calling out your name when your order was ready, and there would surely be no escape then.
You were beginning to contemplate the possibility of just leaving without the items you had paid for when his soft voice cut through your thoughts, thwarting any plans you’d had to run.
“Y/N?” he asked sweetly, and you could hear the smile in his voice. “Fancy seeing you here! Happy Christmas!”
You glanced up at him, his eyes bright as you tried to feign surprise at the sight of him.
“Mason, hi!” He drew you into a quick embrace, his scent surrounding you almost immediately. “Happy Christmas!” you mumbled into his chest before he released you.
“W-What are you doing here?” you rushed to ask, hoping to avoid any questions about your holiday celebrations.
“I’m actually on my way back home from training,” he spoke, scratching the back of his neck.
“Training? On Christmas?” you exclaimed. “That’s cruel!”
He laughed shortly, nodding along as he spoke. “I know, but we actually have a match tomorrow, so they couldn’t afford us a day off, unfortunately.” He shrugged, seeming like his cheery mood hadn’t been too phased by the interruption from his job. “But anyway, my family all came to mine for the holidays, and my nieces insisted I bring back a treat for them when I came home. I remembered you had mentioned this place, so I thought I should give it a try.”
Your heart fluttered at his mention of your conversation from a couple weeks ago. You had told him about the tradition in passing on a date when he had asked about how you and your family usually celebrated Christmas, and the fact that he had even remembered that detail meant the world to you.
“Oh, that’s so lovely that they were all still able to come up to celebrate with you,” you smiled at him.
“Yeah, they all arrived yesterday, and we did stockings this morning, but I’m sure my nieces are itching for me to get home so they can open the rest of their presents.”
Your chest felt warm at the way he always spoke about his family—especially his young nieces. Anyone could see from a mile off that he loved them all dearly.
“Are they going to be able to stay long?”
“They’ll be here for a couple of days, actually! Gonna be able to go to the game tomorrow as well, so I’m really excited to be able to have them there.” His grin spread nearly from ear to ear, the crinkles by his eyes becoming more pronounced. “But what about you? I’m assuming you’re here picking up the traditional Christmas pastries?”
Your heart sank, trying to find a way around the fact that you were alone for the holidays. You didn’t want him to pity you or to feel bad for expressing his joy over having his family with him. “Well, actually, I—um—”
“Y/N!” one of the bakery’s employees called out, placing a small to-go cup of coffee and a single, wrapped pastry on the counter. Your head dipped low, you walked over to the counter, picking up your order and quietly thanking the employee before you turned to walk back over to Mason. The look of confusion was unmistakable on his face as he looked at the single pastry in your hands, rather than the bulk order of treats that you had told him about weeks prior.
“My… parents actually went to visit my brother for the holidays,” you spoke quietly, having to force each word of your admission out. “So the order’s just for me today.” You forced a smile onto your face, hoping he wouldn’t see through the façade.
“Don’t tell me you’ve been on your own today,” Mason spoke, and you rushed to assure him that you were fine.
“I mean, yeah, but it’s—”
“Y/N, there’s no use in that. We have plenty of food and space at mine! You should’ve said something!”
“I—what?” His response caught you completely off-guard, not at all what you had expected him to say.
“Come over! We’d love to have you!” A huge smile spread across his face as he spoke to you. “There’s no reason for you to spend the holidays alone.”
“Mason, I couldn’t,” you immediately began trying to track back, but he didn’t seem at all discouraged by your protest. “I wouldn’t want to impose, and—”
“You’re not imposing, I’m inviting you,” he stated, matter-of-factly, as if it was just a simple matter. “My family would love to have you, and my nieces will be overjoyed to have someone new around!”
You were stumbling over your words, unable to fight against his persistence. “But… But I…”
“Look, we don’t have to say anything about us at all,” Mason said, sensing your resolve crumbling bit by bit. “You don’t have to meet my family as the girl that I’m dating, I’ll just introduce you as a friend. It’ll be completely fine.”
You bit your lip as you searched his face for any sign of hesitation. You couldn’t deny that the idea of joining in his family’s festivities did lift your spirits a little bit. The idea of being gathered around a Christmas tree and watching everyone opening gifts, maybe wrapped up in a warm blanket as you shared laughs with the others.
The final nail in the coffin for you was thinking about going back to your dreary apartment with the half-hearted decorations and spending the rest of the day by yourself.
“Please?” Mason pleaded with you one last time, his eyebrows raised as he gave you his best puppy dog eyes to convince you.
“You’re sure no one will mind?”
“I’m positive. My mum would be more upset with me if she found out I knew you were spending Christmas alone and didn’t bring you home.” The grin resumed its place on his lips as soon as you agreed, Mason bouncing slightly on his toes in giddy excitement.
Just at that moment, a voice rang out, calling Mason’s name, signaling that his order was ready to go. He quickly moved to the counter, scooping up the rather large box of pastries and holding it in one hand while he grabbed yours with the other and nearly dragged you out of the door of the bakery. You couldn’t help the giggle that slipped from your lips at his almost child-like glee at your agreement to join his family for the rest of their Christmas celebrations.
“Alright, you want to just follow me there?” he asked as the two of you strode into the parking lot. You had been to his place once before for a movie night, but he wanted to be certain you got there safely and didn’t lose your way.
“I actually walked here from my apartment, so would you mind if I just rode with you?” you asked sheepishly.
“Of course, love.” The pet name slipped out without him even thinking about it as he led you to the passenger side of his car, opening the door for you. Testing his luck a bit, Mason pressed a quick kiss to the top of your head as you stepped past him to get into the car, and you felt the heat rushing into your cheeks as he closed the door behind you.
He popped in the driver’s seat, starting the engine and turning the radio onto some station playing nonstop Christmas music, and the two of you were off, heading in the direction of his home.
You were thankful that his house was a little while away as it gave you time to collect yourself before walking into a room full of Mason’s closest family members. You thanked your lucky stars that you had gotten to urge to dress at least a little bit nice before leaving your apartment that morning so that you’d be presentable for meeting them.
After all, even if he introduced you to them as his friend this time around, if things with Mason went the way you hoped they would, you’d be seeing them many times again in the future, and you wanted to make a good first impression. 
The drive to his house was comfortable. The moments of silence were peaceful and never tense. The two of you caught up a bit since you hadn’t seen each other for a few days, and you tried your best not to think too hard about the nerve-wracking evening ahead of you. Mason kept glancing over at your bouncing knee—he could tell that you were nervous, and you could tell that he was fighting the urge to hold your hand.
So, in a moment of bravery, you reached over, bringing his free hand into your lap and intertwining your fingers. You couldn’t help the way your heart fluttered at the slight blush that crept up his cheeks and over the bridge of his nose as he began stroking his thumb across your knuckles, back and forth in a soothing motion.
Sooner than you were prepared for, Mason turned into the long driveway that wound back to his house, and you swallowed a nervous lump as his house came into view.
“You’re sure this is okay?” you asked as he put the car in park and turned off the engine, still somewhat nervous about intruding on their family holiday.
“Y/N, it’s fine,” Mason held your face in both of his hands for a moment, trying to reassure you to the best of his ability. “My mum loves hosting new people, so she’s gonna be super excited when I bring you in there!”
Something about the way he said that made your ears perk up. “Wait, Mason—Mason!” you exclaimed as he quickly got out of the driver’s seat. You threw open your door, leaping to your feet despite the fact that Mason was on his way around to your side to open the door for you. “Did you not at least text them to let them know I was coming with you?” you asked, exasperated.
Mason shrugged as if he didn’t see what the big deal was, shaking his head ‘no.’
“Mason! I can’t just—”
He cut you off by pressing his finger to your lips, gently shushing you. “Hey, trust me,” he looked intensely into your eyes. “It’s okay,” he said slowly.
Your shoulders slumped slightly, resigning yourself to him as you whispered a soft “okay.”
He tapped the tip of your nose and a quiet giggle escaped from your lips. You hated and loved how this boy could turn you into complete mush in mere moments. It made you feel so giddy but also so vulnerable at the same time, and it was a feeling you were still getting used to.
He held onto the car door, letting you step out from behind it before closing it and gestured for you to head toward his front door once he had retrieved the box of pastries from his back seat. He reassured you of his presence just behind you with his hand placed gently on the small of your back.
You hesitated at the front door, letting out a shuddery breath.
“Hey, it’s no biggie. Don’t freak yourself out, okay?” Mason spoke as if he had been able to read your mind, sneaking one final kiss to your forehead before stepping toward the door and reaching for the doorknob. Even though you hadn’t been seeing each other for very long, you noticed how Mason couldn’t seem to help himself from those small touches—the little gestures of reassurance like the forehead kisses, a hand on your back, and gentle touch on your knee—and it kind of surprised you how much they settled you, as you had never been big on copious amounts of physical touch in your past relationships.
Mason stepped through the doorway into his home, and you followed behind him, doing your best to still your racing heart.
It was only seconds after the sound of the door opening could be heard within the house that you hear the sound of tiny feet slapping on the floor, heading in your direction. Moments later, two little girls rounded the corner and came bolting toward you and Mason as he closed the door behind the two of you, the air filled with their squeals and giggles.
“Uncle Masey! Uncle Masey!” they screamed, wrapping their arms around each of his legs. Mason immediately matched their energy, clearly just as excited to be coming home to them as he squeezed them close to his body with his free hand. You took the box of pastries from him so that he could bend down, scooping them both up in his arms and pressing kisses all over their faces. The girls giggled and screamed as he told them how much he had missed them between kisses.
Mason finally pulled back after one final, dramatic kiss that had the older of the two wiping at her cheek and she laughed at him. If you had thought the way Mason spoke about his nieces was sweet, it was nothing compared to the way he acted around them.
“Summer, Mila, this is Y/N,” Mason spoke once the girls’ giggles had quieted.
“Is she your wife?” the older girl asked, and your mouth dropped open in shock.
Mason, clearly amused by her question, threw his head back and laughed. “No, Summer. Y/N is just my friend.”
“Oh, okay,” Summer shrugged, quickly moving on from the conversation, wiggling so that Mason would set her back on the floor. Immediately she took off, running out of sight and Mason followed behind her with Mila still in his arms.
Voices could be heard coming from the kitchen, and you remained just behind Mason as you followed him, hoping that his body would shield you from the rest of his family.
When you found the others, you first saw Summer crawling up into one of the tall chairs at the kitchen bar, surrounded by numerous others. Perfectly-shaped gingerbread cookies lined the countertop, placed on sheets of wax paper, and bags of differently-colored icing were strewn around the countertop, along with various shapes and sizes of sprinkles. Cheerful Christmas music was ringing out through the room, and a warm feeling spread through your chest at the sight of it all.
Several of Mason’s family members greeted him as soon as the three of you entered the spacious kitchen, happy to see him back home from training.
Mason wasted no time in bringing you around to his side with a gentle hand between your shoulders before he let his hand fall to his side, not wanting to make you feel self-conscious in front of his family.
“Guys, this is my friend, Y/N,” Mason smiled at you reassuringly. “She’s gonna be joining us for the rest of the day.”
His introduction irked you slightly, wanting to give more of an explanation for why you were crashing their holiday when Summer piped up from where she was very focused on decorating her gingerbread man. “And she’s not Uncle Masey’s wife.”
A chorus of laughs rang through the room, and you felt your cheeks heat up, forcing a laugh to try to play off the fact that you felt like you were about to pee your pants.
A woman who you could only assume was Mason’s mother wiped her hands off on a dish towel, walking in your direction with open arms.
“Oh, it’s so lovely to meet you, Y/N! I’m Debbie—Mason’s mum,” she spoke, confirming your guess. Mason quickly snatched the box of pastries from you so your hands were free and Debbie pulled you into a tight embrace—it was one of those hugs where you felt every muscle in your body relax a bit, and immediately you felt a little bit more settled in the unfamiliar environment.
“Thank you so much for having me.” You felt a bit silly, thanking her for being willing to do something she hadn’t even really agreed to in the first place.
“No, no, it’s nothing!” Debbie pulled back from the hug, waving her hand at you before she led you further into the kitchen, beginning to introduce you to everyone.  You met Mason’s father, Tony, who had greeted you with the same warm embrace that Debbie had, and then she introduced you to Mason’s brother, Lewis, and his sister Jaz and her husband before repeating the young girls’ names to you. Everyone had greeted you cheerfully, not even blinking an eye at the fact that Mason had brought a stranger home to join their Christmas celebration.
It wasn’t long before Debbie had you set up with your own sheet of wax paper and a cookie to decorate. You caught Mason’s eye, a sweet smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye that said I told you so.
You were surprised at how easy it was to settle in with Mason’s family. You had never been someone that was good at meeting new people, and it typically took you a while to warm up to them. But Mason’s family wasted no time in treating you as one of their own, and it almost felt natural to be there with them within minutes.
Playful banter was exchanged, Summer and Mila were shouting for everyone to look at their sprinkle-covered cookies, and everyone was laughing. Mason settled into his spot next to you, nudging you gently with his shoulder.
Mason’s family asked a little bit about yourself, but they kept the questions light, and you were thankful that they didn’t try to dig into why Mason had brought you home.
Once all the cookies had been decorated, the girls began shouting that it was time to open presents and Jaz had to wrestle them into wiping their hands and faces clean of icing before they took off, sprinting in the direction of the living room.
Once everyone had settled in the living room, some on the couch, some sitting on the floor, Tony donned a large Santa hat and beard before he began to distribute the gifts that were under and around the tree. You had kicked your shoes off by the door and tucked your legs up under you as you settled into the cushions next to Mason, a respectable amount of space still between you as you still didn’t really know how to handle yourselves around his family.
Each person opened their presents as Tony handed them out, one by one, and everyone ooh-ed and ahh-ed as each gift was uncovered. Debbie and Jaz were taking lots of photos of everyone as they tore into their gifts. Your heart swelled at the thoughtful gifts that were exchanged. It became quickly apparent that remembering small details about the things people said was something that Mason had gotten from his family.
Mason kept silently checking in on you, glancing over to make sure you doing okay. You could feel his gaze on the side of your face, glancing over and making eye contact with him before shooting him an assuring smile.
By the time all of the presents were open and the wrapping paper and ribbons had been collected and put into trash bags, it was nearing dinner time and Debbie disappeared back into the kitchen to put the finishing touches on the food. You sprang to your feet, naturally wanting to help her as a thank you for having you as a guest (despite her insistence that you didn’t need to), and Jaz joined the two of you soon after.
Conversation flowed naturally between the three of you, and you felt completely at ease talking with them as you worked to finish the finals bits of the Christmas dinner, most of it having been prepared before and very little needing to be done to finish it.
The fated question finally came up as the three of you were carrying everything to the table.
“So, Y/N, I don’t mean to pry, but I’ve got to ask.” Your heart leapt immediately at Debbie’s words. “Are you and Mason only friends, or is there something more going on there?”
You pondered for a moment how to answer her question. At the beginning of the day, you would never have dreamed of admitting the nature of your relationship with Mason to his mother. But now, after the time you had spent with him, you settled on telling her the truth. You knew you were serious about the budding relationship between the two of you, and you knew he was, too. Though you hadn’t officially put any labels on it, having decided to take things slow, you had started being more open about it with your circle of friends.
“Well, I… we’ve… gone on a few dates,” you started, and a pleased smile took over Debbie’s face. “We’re taking things slow, but he’s been an absolute gentleman and he’s been nothing short of amazing to me.”
Debbie beamed with pride at your words. “Well, I didn’t raise him to be anything less than that, so I’m glad to hear it.”
“We haven’t been going out for very long, and I really wasn’t planning on crashing your family’s Christmas today,” you felt the need to explain yourself, now that you were putting all of your cards on the table. “My family… they actually are out of town visiting my brother this holiday season, and I happened to run into Mason at the bakery this afternoon. As soon as he found out I was spending Christmas on my own, he insisted I come back here with him, and he was not taking no for an answer,” you chuckled at the recent memory.
“Oh, love,” Debbie’s face held a slight pout as she instantly read the sadness that you tried to hide over not spending the holiday with your family. She pulled you into another of her amazing hugs, placing a quick kiss on your cheek as she drew away. “Well I speak for everyone when I say we’ve loved having you here with us.”
Your mind flashed back to how unphased everyone had been by your arrival. “Does Mason do this a lot? Picking up strays for the holidays?” you tried to play off your question with a laugh, momentarily wondering if you were just another girl on a long list.
Debbie shook her head. “No, he’s never done anything like this before. And he’s certainly never brought a girl home for something like this,” she spoke, calming your nerves. You had felt a bit silly for asking in the first place, but her words soothed your fleeting insecurities. “But hopefully we can look forward to having you at many Christmases in the future,” she beamed, patting your cheek before she wandered back into the kitchen and refraining from prying any further.
You blew out a long breath that you didn’t even realize you had been holding, trying to wrap your head around the conversation you had just had—with a woman you had only met a few hours ago. And it wasn’t just some normal thing for Mason to bring girls home during the holidays, but everyone had just been that welcoming to you, despite showing up without warning. Your chest felt full, swelling with love for Mason and his family.
Debbie called the others to the table to eat, and you wandered in the direction of the living room, hoping to catch Mason for a moment before you joined the others. The rest of his family filtered out of the room, leaving you and Mason alone for the first time in the last few hours.
“You doing okay?” Mason asked, and you wordlessly wrapped your arms around him, burying your face in his chest and holding onto him tighter than you ever had before. Caught a bit off-guard by the affection, Mason wrapped his arms gently around your body, running his fingers up and down your spine.
His heart sank when you pulled your head back to look at him, arms still wrapped around his torso, and he saw the tears welling in your eyes.
“What happened, love?! Did someone say something—”
“Thank you,” you whispered, your lower lip trembling.
“For what, love?” Mason cradled your cheek in one of his hands, swiping his thumb under your eye to wipe away a tear. You noticed that he used the pet name more frequently when he was concerned.
“For bringing me here. For introducing me to your family. They’re amazing, Mason.”
A look of relief and adoration washed over Mason’s face and he smiled at you, leaning down to press his forehead to yours. “I’m so glad you came.”
“Me, too,” you let your eyes slip closed, allowing yourself to take a moment to yourselves and let your heart settle a bit.
“You know your mom asked me about us?” you broke the silence after a few seconds.
“Yeah?” he pulled back to look at your face, trying to gauge your reaction. “And what did you tell her?”
“The truth,” you gently shrugged your shoulders. “That we’ve gone out a few times and we’re taking things pretty slow, but that I think I’ll probably keep you around.”
“Yeah?” he grinned, and you nodded in response.
“Come on, we should probably head in there before Summer comes looking,” you pulled back, wiping away any stray tears with the sleeve of your sweater, hoping that no one would be able to tell how emotional you had just gotten.
The two of you joined the others at the table, taking your place between Mason and Summer after she had insisted you sit beside her, much to Mason’s fake offense. The food was incredible, as it had been a while since you’d had a big home-cooked meal like this, and you were sure to let Debbie know how much you enjoyed it. When everyone’s plates were empty, everyone took part in the freshly-decorated cookies and Mason and Lewis cleared the dishes, being sure to push you, Debbie, and Jaz toward the living room before any of you tried to help.
You were just returning from a quick trip to the bathroom when the boys walked back in from the kitchen, and you noticed everyone settling back down on the couch.
“We always watch a Christmas film after dinner, but I can take you home if you’re ready to leave,” Mason explained to you.
You thought over the offer for a moment, deciding you weren’t really ready to part from Mason and his family just yet.
“I mean… I wouldn’t mind sticking around a little while longer—unless you guys were wanting it to be just a family thing,” you rushed to add, not wanting to overstay your welcome.
Your words were met with immediate protest from the rest of Mason’s family, each of them insisting that you stay, and Mason smiled down at you. “Yeah, what they said.”
You giggled, letting him lead you around to sit next to him on the couch, allowing yourself to sit a bit closer to him than you had earlier that afternoon.
Tony even offered for you to pick the film, but as soon as Summer had shouted her desire to watch Elf, you were all agreed.
Mason threw a fluffy blanket over both of your legs as the movie’s opening scene played. “Is this okay?” he whispered, trying not to draw anyone else’s attention and you nodded in return.
You tucked your legs under your body, allowing your knee to rest slightly on his thigh and your shoulder to lean onto his, now feeling more comfortable showing some affection around Mason’s family.
The movie played on, and your heart soared listening to Summer and Mila giggle and clap their hands at their favorite bits. You felt at home there with Mason and his family, all cozied up in his living room on the night of Christmas as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Your heart swelled with the love that you already felt for all of them, and though you knew it was still a bit soon, you couldn’t wait to get to know them and get to spend more time with them as your relationship with Mason developed.
As comfortable as you were and with all of the lights in the house turned off for the movie, you didn’t even realize your eyes were slipping closed until you jolted awake, recognizing the scene on the TV as one that was near to the end of the movie. Mason must have felt the sudden movement from where your head was resting on his shoulder, and he took your hand in his, running his thumbs over your knuckles to calm you, the same way he had done in the car earlier that day.
You nestled your head further into his shoulder, savoring the last few moments you had with Mason and his family before the movie ended.
It was over sooner than you would have liked, and everyone sat up from where they had sunk into the couch cushions, stretching and yawning. It was clear that everyone was exhausted from the day’s festivities. You rubbed the sleep from your eyes, noticing Jaz and her husband quietly scooping up the girls from where they, too, had fallen asleep, and carried them down the hallway, seemingly to put them to bed.
“You ready to go home?” Mason asked you quietly as everyone began to rise from the couch. You nodded. “Okay, let me go grab my keys and we can head out.”
“Oh, Mason, I can just call an Uber or something, I don’t want to take you away from your family—”
“Absolutely not,” he cut you off. “You think I’m gonna let some stranger come pick you up and drive your back to your apartment?” You grinned at him, unable to find the words to answer him. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” His voice held an air of playful sarcasm.
Slowly, the two of you made your way to the front entrance. Everyone bade you goodbye as you made to leave. Debbie was sure to get a couple more hugs in before you left, insisting that you come around the next time they were up to visit, and you promised that you would.
Before long, you found yourself sitting in Mason’s car once again as he backed out into the street and set out on the route to your apartment. You were leaning across the center console of his car, leaning your head on his shoulder, and holding his free hand in yours.
You were feeling especially affectionate after the day you had, full of love for him and his family. The drive was silent as you listened to the music softly playing from his radio, no words needed to communicate to each other how you were feeling.
Before long, Mason pulled into the parking lot of your apartment complex and insisted upon walking you up to your door, like the gentleman he always was.
As you reached your door, you turned to face him, giggling at the cliché of it all as you wrapped your arms around his torso. He pulled you in close to him, holding you tightly as he beamed down at you.
“Was your Christmas okay, then? Even though you didn’t get to spend it the way you usually do?”
“Mason, it was wonderful,” you smiled up at him, feeling like there were no words that would do justice for how the day had made you feel. “It was better than I ever could have imagined. Thank you for bringing me home with you today. I was honestly feeling awful after spending the morning by myself and this was the best Christmas miracle I could’ve ever dreamed up.”
Mason squeezed you a little tighter, pleased that his impulsive decision at the bakery to invite you to his home had worked out. “I’m so glad you were there. I’m so glad you got to meet them.”
“I am, too. And I’m glad I got to share this day with you.” Your heart felt like it was overflowing, and you could barely hold yourself together.
You snaked one of your hands around the back of Mason’s neck, threading your fingers into his hair and pulling him down to join your lips in a long but gentle kiss. It was the first one you had shared all day, as Mason had been waiting for you to initiate it first, but you couldn’t refrain from indulging yourself any longer. This was surely your favorite kiss that the two of you had shared, even more so than your first. It was so full of unspoken passion and love, and it left your head spinning when you finally pulled apart for air, foreheads still pressed together.
Mason couldn’t help but press two more quick pecks on your lips before finally pulling back to look at you. The two of you just smiled at each other for a moment, and you studied Mason’s features as you stood there.
“Goodnight, Y/N,” Mason whispered, breaking the silence.
“Goodnight, Mason,” you replied. “Thank you for everything today.” Mason’s only response was a firm kiss on your forehead before he unwound his arms from your body, taking a couple of steps backward as he began heading back to his car.
You watched him walk down the hallway, glancing back at you with a wave before he rounded the corner, and you entered your apartment.
Closing your eyes and leaning against the closed door, you smiled to yourself. You may not have known Mason for long, but already, you were certain that this boy meant the absolute world to you, and his family had found their place securely in your heart.
tag list: @landoslover @thoseboysinblue @lovelynikol16 @swimmingismywholelife @masonsrem @brasiliangp @neverinadream @lizzypotter14 @notsoattractivearenti @chilwellspulisic @mm-vii @captainpulisic
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dirtytransmasc · 7 months
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I want to amend this post, I need multiple things from Criston next season (and season 3, cause why not?) or I will be rioting (in no particular order, with various levels of angst/delulu-ness):
Calling all three of his boys "son" and similarly Helaena "daughter", that or his "sweet girl/boy" both would be preferable.
kissing his kids heads/foreheads. some instances could be; kissing Aegon's forehead as he carries him away from Rook's Rest. kissing Aemond's hair as he holds him outside of Aegon's chambers, his boy thinking he killed his brother. kissing Hel's temple when he visits his grandbabies (Hel angst coming later, savor this while you can).
Criston taking a private knee to Aegon, swearing to him like he had his mother, promising a duty that goes beyond what is expected of him.
comforting Helaena as she is plagued by dreams and prophecies.
playing with his grand kids.
sitting at Aegon's bedside while he heals.
Dad jokes.
bear hugging Daeron when he returns from Oldtown, lifting him all the way off the ground.
the dad "one armed hug shared in moments of fondness and laughter" thing, with Daeron.
Daeron and Criston sharing similar quirks and habits (not necessarily a conscious act by either party, but I still need it)
helping care for Aegon, being one of the few faces that keeps him some semblance of calm after everything, helping change bandages or sponge him clean. just soft moments of pained vulnerability and softness between a dad and his grievously injured eldest son.
praying for his children.
more... handsy... with Alicent, for lack of a better word. just soft comforting touches, like you would expect partners to share with each other. her family has been maimed, murdered, and/or sent to both battle and madness, let him comfort his (platonic) wife goddammit. let them hug actually, that's what I need, I need him to hug her.
sitting with Helaena and Jaehaera after B&C, trying to comfort them the best he can. Helaena going in and out of tears, sometimes she recognizes him, sometimes she doesn't. sometimes she is heartbroken beyond words, others she is angry. no matter what, he is there to protect her. give me a scene of him holding her as well, she needs it, she deserves a hug.
threatening Larys, especially if he pulls a stunt against Alicent like I think he might, knowing he can't kill him, that he's to much of an asset than they can risk going with out, but still hating him for what he does to his Queen. (see this post to understand what I mean by stunt)
embracing Aemond and Daeron, doing the forehead touch thing, each time they go separate ways, knowing any battle could be their last.
his last words being him begging Alicent and his kids to forgive him, apologizing for failing to protect them, for leaving them.
if we do get Afterlife scenes out of this hellish show, give me a scene of him reuniting with his grandkids, kids, and eventually his (platonic) wife. I'm begging.
putting aside a knife of his own to be given to Jaehaera if and when he passes, as a final means to protect her, even from the grave.
let him be emotional, in passing, when he's alone, let him shed a tear or two. I want to see the stress ooze from this man. I want to watch as the pain and death that follows his family breaks him down.
a clear difference between how he advises Aegon in front of the court and how advises him in private. risking a daggar in the throat on account of his son's blind rage and grief to protect his image amongst the court, but sharing a similar blood lust when it comes to avenging his daughter and grandchildren.
at least one shot of him standing with one of his kids' dragons.
just give me Criston being a good dad and (platonic) husband.
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stiltonbasket · 8 months
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prompt for the fem!wwx au: what about the fallout of jyl's broken engagement?
On the morning of Wei Wuxian's first day back at Lotus Pier, she wakes to the sound of raised voices in the audience room.
Squinting against the light, she stumbles out of bed and opens the sliding door to the corridor outside, where she finds Jiang Cheng hovering on the threshold of his own doorway with his arms folded over his chest.
"What's wrong?" she yawns, rubbing her eyes. "Is it bad news?"
"Bad news for Mother," Jiang Cheng mutters. "Fuqin just told her about A-Jie's engagement."
Wei Wuxian feels as if someone had thrown cold water over her. In the midst of her private delight that Shijie's betrothal had ended, she had not thought of how Madam Yu would take the news: and now, both she and Jiang Cheng are about to find out.
"Did Jiang-shushu tell Auntie that I..."
Jiang Cheng shakes his head. "No. I don't think it would have made much of a difference, but Father didn't say a word."
They tiptoe across the narrow bridge between the family compound and the audience chamber, hardly daring to breathe; and then, like a firework bursting on a dark, still night, they hear Madam Yu's shrill voice rising over Jiang Fengmian's.
"Who will she marry now?" she shouts. "Ouyang-zongzhu has no children, and all the other men in the Jin clan take after Jin Guangshan. How can I let her go to Lanling without Yuyan's protection?"
"I thought perhaps Lan Xichen might—"
"I knew it. You've had your eye on him since the year Zixuan was born, but that boy will do no good to any woman as a husband!" shrieks Madam Yu. "He has had no one but Nie Mingjue in his eyes since he was a child. What will become of our daughter now, Jiang Fengmian? Zixuan was the only man who might have suited her, the only one—and now, just because he complained about the betrothal, you—"
She takes in a great, heaving breath, and Wei Wuxian hears the thud of her heeled boots striking the floor.
"And now, thanks to you," she chokes, "I will have to watch as Wei Ying marries Lan Wangji—" Wei Wuxian winces, "—and as she becomes mother to the next Lan-zongzhu, whilst my child must settle for the heir to some backwater clan in Changlun, or a commoner—"
Jiang-shushu sighs.
"If I had not broken Yanli's engagement," he says quietly, "then you would have had to watch A-Ying live as she ought to do, in comfort and plenty with a husband who cares for her dearly, while our daughter lived in a gilded prison with a man who has made no secret of the fact that the very mention of her name is a burden to him. You would have watched A-Ying's children growing up without a care in the world, and A-Ying adored by the whole of Gusu Lan as she deserves—and all the while, our daughter, who used to weep whenever she trod on an insect in the path, she—"
He sounds as if he might burst into tears. "Could you bear it, Ziyuan? Can you bear to think of A-Li's children, growing up in Koi Tower, and hearing some relation from the branch clan saying that their father would never have wed their mother if their nainai had not forced him to accept her? Can you bear to think of our granddaughters watching Zixuan treating A-Li unkindly, and entering their own wedded homes with the belief that that same unkindness was due to them?"
Yu Ziyuan falters for a moment. "Yuyan would never let Zixuan treat Yanli that way. I have often thought that she loves A-Li more than she loves him."
"Then you are a fool," Jiang Fengmian says wearily. "Quan Yuyan might be your sworn sister, but she is Jin Zixuan's mother before all else. She knows that A-Li will be filial to her husband, and her in-laws, and she knows no other maiden would make a better mother for her grandchildren. Do you truly think that she would let A-Li go, if the choice was left to her?"
"I—"
"What does it matter if Quan Yuyan can ensure that A-Li is treated well?" Jiang-shushu asks. "Jin Zixuan does not want her, and she knows it. For the love of heaven, the entire Jianghu knows it—so how could you even think of asking to A-Li waste her life with him?"
Madam Yu must have opened her mouth to say something, but Jiang Fengmian cuts her off before she can make a sound.
"It does not matter if A-Li likes him. In fact, that makes matters worse," he says brusquely. "If she marries him, she will not leave him, no matter how unhappy he might make her. And I would rather keep her here unmarried all her life than watch her in pain.
"And then there is Jin Guangshan," Jiang-shushu continues, now sounding faintly ill. "I will not speak of my fears regarding him, but you are a woman, Ziyuan. Ought you not to understand them better than I?"
Madam Yu is silent for a long while.
"If you had such thoughts," she hisses at last, sounding very much like Zidian usually does in the midst of strangling a particularly fierce yaoguai, "then you ought to have spoken sooner, so that we could have found a better match before Yanli came of age."
"I made my thoughts known the year Jin-zongzhu tried to lay his hands on Li Shuai," Jiang Fengmian replies. "You were convinced that I was wrong, because A-Shuai was too young to understand what he might have done to her; but I know what I saw, and you still refused to change your mind."
A moment later, he turns and walks out of the room. Wei Wuxian and Jiang Cheng exchange panicked glances before jumping off the footbridge to keep from being noticed; and after Madam Yu stalks off in the other direction, Wei Wuxian drags herself out of the shallow water under the bridge and makes a beeline for Jiang Yanli's room.
"Wait for me!" Jiang Cheng yelps, before cursing under his breath. "Wei Wuxian, for heaven's sake—"
But she does not slow her pace until she reaches her sister's bedroom and slams the door behind her, startling Jiang Yanli out of what must have been (judging by the look on her face) a very peaceful sleep.
"I'm glad you're not going to marry that stupid peacock," Wei Wuxian blurts out, the instant Jiang Yanli opens her eyes. "You deserve better, Shijie. Your husband ought to be the most honorable man in the world, and I won't stand for less."
Her sister's mouth twitches. "I'm glad you think so," she says mirthfully, reaching out to stroke Wei Wuxian's wet hair. "Who should it be, then?"
Wei Wuxian gulps.
"What about Lan Zhan?" she asks. "You could marry him instead of me, couldn't you?"
Jiang Yanli bursts out laughing.
"A-Xian," she gasps, "when we left Gusu, didn't you say that I ought to have a husband who loved me just as much as Third Shidi loves Li Shuai?"
"Well, yes."
"Then how could you possibly imagine that I might want to marry Lan Wangji?"
"But Lan Zhan is the best junzi in the world, in all ways. I'm certain of it," Wei Wuxian insists, ignoring the sudden ache in her chest. "He loves all things that are good and true, so why wouldn't he love you? I mean, he treats me well, and I make him carry my packages at the market and chase me all over Lufeng to keep dogs away while I'm running errands. I'm sure he'd treat you a hundred times better."
Her sister leans forward and rests her brow against Wei Wuxian's.
"A-Ying?"
"Hm?"
"You're a very silly girl, and I love you very much," she says tenderly. "Now go take a warm bath, or you'll catch cold."
Puzzled, Wei Wuxian drips her way out into the corridor and back into her own bedroom, where she finds a damp Jiang Cheng lying flat on his back on the rug under her window.
"No more peacock," he sighs, propping himself up on his elbows. "You know, I almost feel sorry for him."
"What? Why?"
"Because A-Jie could have made him the happiest man in the world, if he'd only given her a chance."
"I suppose so," Wei Wuxian says reluctantly. "But, Jiang Cheng—who do you suppose Shijie will marry now?"
Jiang Cheng puts his face in his hands.
"Not Lan Wangji, definitely," he mutters. "Did you really ask A-Jie if she wanted to take your place as Madam Lan?"
"Of course I did. Didn't you hear me?"
He looks at her in disbelief. "Really?"
Wei Wuxian nods.
"Lan Wangji has the patience of a bodhisattva," Jiang Cheng groans. "When it's time for your wedding, Wei Wuxian, I am going to laugh. Just wait and see."
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icedroplove · 16 days
Text
gruvia week
Day 2 - perseverance
Usually, romantic relationships went through stages. In that order, the couple got to know each other, one of them took the first step and asked the other out. Then, a milestone: first date. After that, it took some weeks, months even to go from seeing each other to dating . During the dating stage, some milestones occurred: meeting the parents, first fight, first reconciliation, first time, first ‘I love you’. Then, after a couple of years, moving together and marriage. After some time, boom! Children. Then taking care of the kids, watching them grow, getting old together, grandchildren and then-
Gosh, that was a lot.
There were exceptions to this scheme, though. A lot of couples stayed as friends for a long time before dating. Others broke up, went separate ways, then got back together. Some had children before marrying, some wanted pets instead of kids. Some wanted both, some wanted none. Sometimes, first I love you went after first fight and and first time before getting to know.
Now that Gray started thinking about it, there were a lot of relationships that didn’t follow the pattern everyone talked about. That made him feel better, after all, his relationship with Juvia was very different from any pattern, as he started to recollect.
The getting to know stage came right with a milestone: first fight. Enemies at first, but after a short time he showed her something she had never seen before from another person: empathy. Mercy. And then, she saw the sun for the first time (that counted as first reconciliation, right?)
For years, they stayed in the friends stage, but they had reached the milestone of first ‘I love you’ (from Juvia, not reciprocated).
After seven years stuck in Tenrou and the Grand Magic Games, they got a milestone he saw few couples achieve: first sacrifice. Even if he didn’t actually die in the end, it still counted (he stayed dead for one second, come on). And after that…
First rejection.
However, even when Gray didn’t have the courage to start exploring the feelings he was developing for Juvia and blatantly denied her advances, she persevered. 
Damn, if there was one quality that Juvia had it definitely was perseverance.
After that bitter milestone, a lot of time passed before they got to the next step: meeting the parents. This one was not only crooked in order, but also in significance. Knowing the father of your loved one as a spirit and having to set it free, ending once and for all that existence… that wasn’t exactly a romantic scenario. It meant a lot for him in other ways, though.
Moving together came shortly after. For months, they had a domestic peaceful and endearing life, even if they were just friends.
Then, he abandoned her and had her trust in him tested for the first time. She persevered, though, and they overcame it. During the battle of Alvarez, they reached once again a rare milestone: double sacrifice.
The longer he thought about it, the more he was certain their path was unique (not necessarily in a good way).
It was only after the first time he really thought he lost her that their story got into the rails. After the one hundred years quest (in which he saw that his edolas self had gone on a straighter line than him and already had a son with edo-Juvia) he finally gathered courage to do the hardest thing:
Step one, ask out.
And now, looking at his bride, walking to him as beautiful as ever, he couldn’t be more grateful for everything they went through if it meant having her in his arms for all his life.
They had persevered.
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To Be Wed To A Dragon - Aemond Targaryen
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Warnings: SMUT, arranged marriage, loss of virginity, oral (both), a little bit of breeding kink and pregnancy kink, Aemond Targaryen (Yes, he is a whole ass warning), multitude of pet names
Word count: 9k... Y’all I went overboard and I regret nothing
Also my account has been flagged and I’m trying to get it back, so if you could REBLOG this fic that would be a huge help
“My Queen, you wished to speak with me?” you asked politely, folding your hands in front of you to hide your nerves.
The queen had summoned you to her chambers with no explanation and your mind was racing with possibilities. You were sure you hadn’t done anything wrong so you were baffled by the urgent meeting she requested.
“Yes, Y/N, I do.” she spoke. “You have served me personally for several years, have you not?”
“Yes, your grace.” you spoke immediately. 
“Over the past years I have noticed that you haven’t taken any suitors. Why is that? Such a pretty girl like yourself shouldn’t have trouble getting attention from any man you could possibly want.”
You felt your face flush at her words. It wasn’t that you didn’t want their attention, you just didn’t have the time. You were one of the queens ladies in waiting. You didn’t want your time or your job to be compromised.
“I just haven’t had the time, your grace. I prefer to focus my time on serving you and your family.”
She smiled warmly at the mention of her family.
“Then you will understand how important it is when I say that I brought you here involving a family matter.” she said, moving to sit down on the sofa and patting the spot next to her for you to sit. You did as was asked of you, sitting next to her and looking at her for further information. “As you know, Aegon and Helaena have been married to each other for several years now and have given me two beautiful grandchildren.”
You smiled and nodded, having taken care of the children many times.
“Yes, your grace.”
“And yet my son Aemond is still unmarried.” she continued quietly, looking over at you, hoping you would catch on. You could feel your heart hammering in your chest as you awaited further explanation. “What I am proposing is completely your choice and it will not be held against you if you say no. But after some deep consideration, I believe you to be a near perfect match for Aemond.”
You could feel your heart drop into your stomach at her words. She wanted you to marry Aemond? In the four years you had been working for the royal family you weren’t even sure he’d spoken a single word to you, only nodding at you when you’d fill his cup during supper. He was quiet and kept to himself, but you’d seen him training in the courtyard many times. He wasn’t only quiet, but he was deadly.
Honestly, you were terrified of the prince. But not for the same reasons most women shied away from him. You’d heard the whispers from the other women, about how he’d lost his eye as a child and the trauma turned him into a cruel monster. Apparently to the other women, the eye patch was just as intimidating as his precise swordsmanship. But none of that ever scared you. In all honesty, you thought he was beautiful. What scared you was how he watched every movement that every single person in the room made, yourself included. He didn’t have to move or talk or engage with anyone. He may have been silent but he knew everyone in the room better than you ever could.
“Your grace….” you started, unsure of how to speak.
“You don’t have to answer me right away. I can give you a few days off to think about my proposition if you’d like.” she said quickly, not wanting to scare you away.
You didn’t know the prince hardly at all, but he was devilishly handsome. And you didn’t believe the stories that were told about him, painting him as cruel and cold. The thought of marrying him sent a weird feeling through you, your heart beating faster and your stomach fluttering with butterflies. This was an odd feeling to you. You could always say no and return to your daily life and forget this ever happened.
But you were of age and you had no family to speak of. This would gain you a family, a husband, and most likely children. Not only that, but you’d gain royal status as princess. If you did not accept this, you could very well end up living the rest of your life in the silk streets which is the last thing you wanted for yourself. This wasn’t an offer you could easily turn away. You’d made up your mind. No turning back.
“No need to give me time off, your grace.” you said, taking a deep breath before speaking again. “I accept.”
Within the hour you had been told to gather your belongings and were shown to your new room, only temporary until you were wed. Queen Alicent had many dresses and jewelry brought up, befitting to a princess, saying you would be joining them for supper to announce your betrothal to her son.
“Your grace, is Prince Aemond aware of our betrothal?” you asked curiously as she sifted through the many dresses, searching for the perfect one for you to wear tonight.
“He knows I’ve been looking for a good match for him but he is not yet aware that I’ve approved of one. He’ll know tonight at supper.” she answered, holding up a dark sapphire blue dress, in what looked like a velvet material, that had no shoulders and plunging neckline that would show off a fair bit of skin. “This will look lovely on you. Unless you prefer a different color? Maybe something red?”
“This one is perfect, your grace. Thank you.” you said, giving her a smile but faltering for a moment. Your nerves were showing. She finally stopped sorting through the clothes and gave you a warm smile, walking over to you.
“You will be perfect for my son no matter what you wear.” she started, her hands coming to rest on your shoulders. “He has grown cold since the accident. His childhood was spent mostly alone, never playing with his siblings or his nephews. Only training to become a better fighter. What he needs is a friend… a safe space to be himself. I’m hoping he finds that in you, his wife. Y/N, you are so full of warmth and light. I truly believe that you will be the one to melt the years of pent up ice in his heart.”
With those words, she left, leaving you contemplating what your new role in the royal family would bring. What was Aemond like? Would he be a good husband or would he treat you the same way Aegon treats Helaena? Would he think you were pretty enough? Would he even talk to you at all?
Several hours passed as you spent time taking a bath and getting dressed. You weren’t used to such treatment from the other servants, considering you were one of them just this morning. You were a bit higher ranked than they were considering you were Queen Alicent’s lady in waiting, always dressed nicer than they were as well considering you always had to be seen in public at the Queens side. But the treatment was still foreign to you, not used to being doted on like royalty.
A knock came on your door as you dabbed on some wisteria scented oil, a small betrothal gift from the queen to welcome you into the family. You gave yourself one last once over, smoothing out the front of your dress before opening the door. A guard stood waiting for you.
“Lady Y/N, I’m here to escort you to dinner.”
“Thank you.” you said quietly, following him down the maze of halls until you reached where they were having supper. You held your breath as they opened the large wooden doors, exposing you to your fate. No turning back now.
“Ah, there she is.” Queen Alicent said, standing up to greet you. You took note that all three of her children were giving her an odd look as you made your way to the table, not quite understanding why her lady in waiting was joining them for dinner. You also saw that Princess Rhaenyra and Prince Damon were visiting with their children.
“Good evening, your grace.” you said quietly as you made your way to the vacant chair between her and Aemond. Before you could pull out the chair for yourself, someone else did it for you. Glancing up you saw the gaze of Prince Aemond solely focused on you, his one eye locking on yours. You couldn’t help but feel butterflies as you saw him this closely, his attention on you.
“Thank you, my prince.” you said, sitting down as he pushed the chair in for you. He let out a quiet hum as a response and returned to his seat. When you looked over at the queen you could see her smiling to herself as she still stood beside you.
“I know you’re all wondering why I’ve had Lady Y/N  join us tonight. But you all know she has served me and our family loyally for the past several years, and over those years I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know her.” She started, reaching down to take your hand in hers, rubbing her thumb across your fingers to calm your nerves. “And I believe I know her well enough to say I would love to have her marry within our family.”
She paused, taking in the looks of shock and amusement among everyone's faces. All except one. Aemond. His expression remained stoic, showing no emotion as if his mother wasn’t even speaking. Then Alicent turned to look at her youngest son.
“Aemond, my son, I have found you a suitable wife. I expect you will treat her well, as I’m sure she will be a loving and doting wife for you.”
“Of course, mother.” he said simply, giving her a grin and raising his cup to take a sip of the wine that filled it.
Then everyone began talking at once. You blocked it all out, only nodding and smiling whenever the queen or princess Helaena acknowledged you. You quietly picked at your dinner, trying to ignore the ensuing chaos around you. You only zoned in to the one conversation that was directed at you from across the table.
“Lady Y/N, such a shame you got landed with my younger brother. If you’re ever in need of a good time, come find me. I can’t imagine having to look at that ghastly scar every time you wanted a good fuck.” Aegon said shamelessly, sending a wink your way. You could feel your face heat up in embarrassment.
A loud slam quickly followed from directly next to you, making you jump and the whole room falling silent. You looked to see Aemond’s fists clenched hard, slammed down on the table as he stood up, glaring at his brother.
“Don’t you dare speak to my wife that way! If you ever touch her I’ll cut your balls off and shove them down your fucking throat.” Aemond growled, his one eye practically burning a hole through Aegon’s head.
“Aegon, apologize to Y/N right now!” Alicent seethed, glaring at her oldest child.
“I’m sorry, Lady Y/N.” he said before mumbling to himself. “I was only speaking the truth.”
Aemond was still seeing red, his fists still clenched tightly, ready to attack Aegon if necessary. You didn’t want a huge fight to break out so you did the only thing you could think of to diffuse the situation.
You reached over, placing your hand on top of Aemond’s and squeezing lightly to get his attention. His eye flew to meet yours, seeing the concern in your eyes. His features immediately softened and you felt his fist loosen, his hand turning to grasp your fingers in his.
“I apologize, Lady Y/N. I was only defending you.” he said calmly, leaning down to press his lips against the top of your hand before taking his seat again, his hand still holding yours tightly. 
You could hear his Uncle Damon chuckling quietly at the scene and his sister Rhaenyra shushing him from the other end of the table . The conversation picked back up, mostly talking about your upcoming wedding to the youngest prince and how the two of you would be married before Autumn’s end. You looked down, feeling embarrassed that all the attention was now on you. Aemond noticed your discomfort and leaned in next to your ear.
“Would you like to leave, Lady Y/N? We can always go for a walk if you’d like to escape my family for a bit.”
You felt a slight shiver run down your spine, his breath fanning over your ear and neck making you weak in the knees.
“Please.” you whispered, hopefully loud enough for him to hear. That must have been enough as he abruptly stood from the table, pulling you up with him. All eyes were on the two of you.
“We’re going to turn in for the night. I’d like a little time to get acquainted with my wife-to-be.” he stated before quickly saying goodnight to his mother and pulling you out of the room with him.
You followed him through the maze of halls, not knowing where he was taking you. Eventually you came to a secluded balcony that overlooked the gardens. The moon was high in the sky and the night was quiet. Aemond still hadn’t let go of your hand.
“The gardens are beautiful in the moonlight.” you said, breaking the silence.
“They are.” he agreed. “But you outshine the moon itself.”
You could feel your face heat up and looked down at the gardens, thankful for the cover of darkness. He gently squeezed your fingers to get your attention.
“Are you alright?” he asked gently.
“Yes, thank you. Are you? I know this must be quite shocking news for you.” you said, turning to face him. 
“It’s not as much of a shock as you may think, Lady Y/N.” he said, a subtle smirk gracing his lips.
“Oh really? Why’s that, my prince?” you asked.
“I asked my mother for your hand. It took several months of convincing but it seems she finally agreed.” he said simply, looking out over the gardens as if he hadn’t just said the most unexpected response you could think of. Your jaw could have dropped at the sheer shock that you just experienced. He had purposely asked for your hand? He asked his mother for her blessing to marry you?
“You… you actually want to marry me?” you asked, completely at a loss for words.
“Yes.” he said, giving you a smile. It’s the first real smile you’d ever seen from the prince. He dropped your hand and moved it to cradle the side of your face. You couldn’t help but lean into his touch, his hand so much warmer than you’d expected. “Have you really not noticed, sweetheart?”
“Noticed what, my prince?” you asked almost breathlessly, the feel of him being so close was almost suffocating.
“I’ve been absolutely infatuated with you for at least the past year. I thought you would’ve taken notice by now how you’re always in my sight. Whether in court or at some lavish party I’d rather not be at, I always see you. Even when you’re the one watching me and you think I don’t notice, like when I’m training. You seem to like seeing me with a sword in my hands. I see the way your face gets flushed and your breathing becomes ragged. It’s such a pretty sight.”
“Aemond, I…” you started, stumbling over your words a bit. But he quickly cut you off.
“Say it again.”
“What?”
“My name. Say it again, Y/N.” he begged, his eye pleading with you desperately to give him this one thing.
“Aemond.” You whispered. He stepped closer, keeping one hand on your face and moving the other to your waist.
“Again.”
“Aemond.” you mumbled, leaning a bit closer.
“Y/N.” he whispered, the tip of his nose touching yours. “Can I kiss you, darling?”
“Yes.” you said, flinging your arms around his shoulders, pulling him down to crash his lips against yours.
You practically melted the moment his lips touched yours. He tasted of the Dornish wine he had at dinner and thick dragon smoke from riding Vhagar. You swore you could get drunk on the taste of his lips. You could feel his fingers digging into your hip as he pulled you flush against his chest.
“Aemond..” you mumbled against his lips.
“Yes, my love?” he questioned, moving his lips from yours to trail kisses over your cheek and down to your neck.
“We shouldn’t… it isn’t proper. We aren’t yet married.” you warned, knowing in a normal marriage these actions would be frowned upon. He playfully nipped at the sensitive skin on your neck, making you yelp before he pulled away to look down at you, grinning like a mad man.
“Mmmm you smell so good, little one. And we will be married in three weeks time and nobody shall know but us. Unless you really don’t want to, of course. I’d hate for you to think me to act like my foolish brother, forcing himself upon women without their consent. I would never force you to do anything you didn’t want.” he said, his eye sparkling with concern. You thought about it for a moment, realizing that nobody would argue with the prince if they did find out. But you still had the desire to wait until you were wed.
“Can we wait?” you asked sheepishly, feeling a little embarrassed.
“Of course, love. I don’t mind waiting for you.” he said. You looked into his eye and you had no doubt that he was being honest. He pulled away from you slightly, his hands never leaving you.
“Should I walk you back to your chambers?” he suggested.
“That would be lovely.” you admitted, letting him pull away and grab your hand, leading you silently back through the maze of hallways until he came to a stop outside your door.
“May I have one last kiss before I leave you?” he asked, giving you a devilish smirk.
“You may.” you said, standing on your tip toes and slotting your lips against his. He kissed you slow and deep, his tongue darting out to flick against your lips. You smiled into the kiss before gently sucking on his lower lip and scraping your teeth against the soft flesh, causing Aemond to growl. The noise was a low rumble in his chest and it sent heat running through you and you had to force yourself to pull away.
“I’m sorry.” you whispered, looking anywhere but at his face. He grasped your chin lightly, forcing you to look up at him.
“Don’t be sorry. That kiss will haunt my dreams until we are wed and I can have you all to myself.” he said, leaning down to press one more chaste kiss against your lips. “Goodnight, Lady Y/N. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”
With that, he turned and left you standing outside of your door with your fingers brushing your lips and wondering how soon you’d be able to kiss him again.
The following day Aemond met you outside your door and walked you down to breakfast. In fact, he spent the entire day with you. But much to your dismay, he barely touched you, only holding your hand to guide you down the hallways. It frustrated you to no end. You wanted more of what he’d given you last night. You craved his lips against yours and his hands gripping your hips. But no matter what you did, he evaded your attempts to get closer.
The following three weeks were exactly the same. He barely touched you and only kissed your cheek as he bid you goodnight. You were beginning to think you’d done something wrong. But alas, it was finally your wedding day and you couldn’t have been more nervous.
“How are you feeling, Y/N?” the queen asked as she entered your chambers. You were just finishing up having your hair pinned and curled into perfection.
“Nervous.” you answered honestly.
“I know it can be nerve wracking having everyone watching you as you say your vows, but I can assure you that my son loves you very much. You have nothing to worry about, darling.” she assured, coming up to you and placing a hand on your shoulder.
“I love him too, your grace. So much.”  you admitted, making the queen smile.
“Well it’s time. Shall we go?”
The walk down was quiet, your blue and gold dress flowing behind you as you walked. The crowd of people came into view and your eyes immediately searched for Aemond. When your eyes finally landed on him you couldn’t fight the smile that made its way onto your face. He was already staring at you, a smile on his face. 
The entire ceremony was a blur, repeating words that barely echoed in your head. You were too focused on the man in front of you who was gently rubbing his thumbs over the tops of your hands as he held them. You were only brought back to reality as Aemonds hands let go of yours, only to hold either side of your face as he leaned forward to kiss you.
Aemond was finally your husband.
After many hours celebrating, you were more than ready to be alone with your husband. And it seemed that he was too. His hand was currently on your thigh, squeezing it hard, making you gasp. He chuckled and smirked at you, knowing he was riling you up. But you were doing the same to him without even realizing it. The plunging neckline on your dress, showing more of your cleavage than he’d ever seen. It didn’t help whenever someone would make you laugh, your breasts slightly bouncing and enticing him.
“My darling wife,” he started, leaning over to whisper to you. “You look quite tired. Maybe we should retire for the evening?”
You could feel the butterflies erupt in your belly, heat rising up your neck. You knew his intentions and they weren’t to just go to sleep. You bit your lip to hide your smile and nodded your head in agreement.
You could hear Aegon shouting some crude comments to his brother as you both said your goodnights and made your way to what would now be your shared chambers. Aemond just shrugged off the comments, focused solely on you for the night. You gripped Aemonds hand tight as he walked you through the halls.
“Nothing to be nervous about, my love. It’s just you and me now.” he said, smiling at you while he continued walking.
“I know. It’s just….  You’ve been avoiding touching me for the past few weeks. You didn’t even kiss me properly again until we said our vows. I thought I’d done something wrong.” you admitted, realizing how silly it sounded now that you’d said it out loud.
He stopped in his tracks at your words, thankfully right outside of his chambers. He said nothing and opened the doors, letting you go inside before following and shutting the doors behind him.
“Now, my sweet wife, you can’t honestly believe that you’d upset me somehow? Y/N, I was only refraining from touching and kissing you for I didn’t believe myself capable of restraining myself. I would’ve taken you the very second my lips touched yours. I was only respecting your wishes to remain pure until we were wed.” He said, taking off his boots.
“So I didn’t do anything wrong?” you asked, kicking your shoes off and removing your stockings, leaving you bare footed.
He came up to you, staring down at you and smiling. His hands grabbed your waist and pulled you flush against him, your hands flying to his chest to stabilize yourself.
“You could never do anything wrong, little one. But now that we are finally wed, I believe it’s my duty to show you just how much I love you.”
You could feel your heart hammering wildly in your chest but you could feel his doing the same beneath your fingertips. He was just as excited as you were. You gave him a small nod, moving your hands up to his neck and pulling him down to capture his lips with yours. He eagerly kissed you back, his large hands splayed across your lower back, holding you so tightly it was as if you’d disappear if he let go.
His fingers pulled at the strings on the back of your dress, causing it to become loose around the middle. You took a step back from him, breaking the kiss and allowing your dress to fall to the floor. Aemonds eye went wide with shock seeing you had forgone wearing any underclothes, leaving you completely bare in front of him. 
You could feel your nerves begin to bubble up as your husband stared at you, his eyes raking greedily over your body. He said nothing as he stepped closer to you, a hand reaching for your waist. You looked up at his face only to see him focused on your heaving breasts. Your nipples hardened under his intense gaze and the cool temperature of the room, making him smirk.
“By the old gods and the new, I swear it, you are the most beautiful creature I have ever seen.” he mumbled, more to himself than to you.
You let your hands find the many fastenings on his clothing, undoing them one by one until his skin was finally revealed to you and his clothing piled on the floor. His breathing became heavy as you smoothed your hands down his chest and began to undo his pants, your hands accidentally brushing over his cock. With a little help, Aemond pushed his pants down and stepped out of them, leaving him just as bare as you. Your eyes drifted over his body and landed on his cock. He was big… much bigger than you expected. And he was thick. You knew the stretch was gonna sting. Your eyes must have gone comically wide without you realizing it because Aemond just chuckled.
“I promise it’ll fit, my love. Now why don’t you get on the bed and lay back so I can ravish you properly.”
You did as he asked, crawling onto the bed and laying back against the feathery pillows but keeping your knees bent and shut tight. He stood at the end of the bed, his cock standing proud as he looked at you in his bed, a sight he had imagined so many times. 
“Aemond…” you whimpered, getting his attention. He’d been staring at you but still hadn’t moved to join you.
“Yes?”
“Will you join me?” you questioned, batting your eyes at him.
He grinned and climbed on the bed by your feet, moving until he was kneeling in front of you, his hands placed gently on your knees.
“Open.” he said, tapping your knees.
You did as he asked, letting your legs fall open. The cool air made you shiver as Aemond ran his hands up the insides of your thighs, stopping just before reaching your heat. He glanced up at you as he moved to lay on his stomach between your legs. You looked down at him, confused as to what he was doing but he quickly explained.
“Little one, I have to make sure you’re relaxed enough to take me. I don’t want you getting hurt. And I’ve also been dying to taste this sweet little cunt of yours. Just lie back and let me pleasure you.”
Before you had a chance to speak, you were cut off by the feeling of his tongue licking through your folds. Your head pressed back against the pillows as you moaned and your eyes fluttered shut on their own accord. You could feel his hair tickling your thighs as continued to lick slowly up and down your slit, circling your entrance before coming back up to flick at your sensitive little clit.
“Aemond! Oh gods…” you whined, bucking your hips against his face.
“Not a god, my love. Just your loving husband.” he mumbled before sucking your clit into his mouth and letting his tongue flick harshly over the sensitive bud, making you thrash beneath him. He held your thighs down as he let his tongue venture to your weeping hole, slowly pushing inside to taste you.
“Aemond, my love! Feels so good!” you whined, attempting to grind against his face again, but with no luck, his hands holding you down. He chuckled against your pussy before taking one last slow lick up your slit before pressing a quick kiss against your clit and crawling up your body until his face was level with yours. He leaned down, kissing you hard and making you taste yourself on his lips. You couldn’t help but moan, carding your fingers through his white hair and tugging slightly, earning a low groan. You smirked against his lips and did it again, tugging harder and receiving a louder moan.
His kisses then grew frantic, kissing you like his life depended on it before moving his hungry kisses down towards your neck. You tossed your head back to give him more room and arched your back towards him in hopes his hands would soon find you. You didn’t have to wait long, feeling his hand skim up your ribs until his hand rested just below your breast.
“Just touch me!” you whined, grabbing his hand and placing it directly over your breast and forcing him to squeeze it.
“So needy.” he chuckled, nipping the skin of your neck gently and rolling your hard nipple between his fingers, eliciting a small yelp from you. He then let his hand slide down your body until it rested between your legs, circling your weeping hole. “And you’re so fucking wet. If you’re so damn needy you should be able to take my fingers easily. How’s this feeling, little one?”
“More! I want more!” you groaned, bucking your hips in an attempt to get his long fingers inside you.
“Is this what you want, baby?” he asked cockily, quickly pushing the whole length of his middle finger inside you and curling it gently.
Your eyes rolled back and you were rendered speechless, the feeling of his finger inside you felt amazing and you wanted more. You rocked your hips in time with the slow thrusting of his hand, enjoying the pleasure your husband was bringing you.
Aemond continued to finger you, curling his finger just right and watching the way your eyes rolled back in pleasure. He adored the little moans and whimpers falling from your perfect lips, knowing he was the one causing them. He knew that you were still a maiden and he wanted you nice and relaxed when it came time to properly consummate your marriage. He slowly added a second finger, the stretch making you gasp.
“Shh… shhh, little dove. Just relax. I need you to relax for me.” he cooed, looking into your eyes. You nodded your head and relaxed as best you could, allowing him to slowly stretch you open. Within minutes you were practically screaming as he curled both fingers against that little spongy spot inside you.
“Aemond! Aemond, please!”
He could feel your walls fluttering around his fingers. He knew you were close. And he also knew an orgasm would relax you enough to take him. He doubled his efforts, curling his fingers faster and letting his thumb rub against your swollen clit.
“Don’t fight it, Y/N. Let go. Cum for me, sweet girl! Cum!”
With his words your world exploded. You screamed as your legs shook, threatening to close only to be held open by his body. His fingers continued to work you through your high as you came back down before pulling them out and bringing them to his lips. You watched wide eyed as he stuck his fingers in his mouth, sucking your release from his digits, all while you struggled to catch your breath.
“You taste heavenly, my dear wife.” he said, smirking down at you.
“And do I get to taste you too, dear husband?” you asked, grinning up at him, catching him completely off guard.
“Darling, I do not expect you to do me any favors… Tonight is about you.” he rushed out, clearly trying not to think about what you’d look like with your lips wrapped around his cock. You could see a faint blush rising to his cheeks and his breathing was staggered. You wanted to see him become completely unraveled.
“And what if I want to use my mouth to please you like you did to me?” you asked, batting your lashes at him innocently.
“Then I would not say no if that’s what you truly wanted.” he breathed out, staring down at you.
“Then lie back, my dear husband, and let me do as I please.” you said, grinning up at him.
He did as you asked and moved from between your legs to lie on his back, his head against the pillows. His eye was shut and his breathing heavy as he tried to keep himself calm… or at least calm enough that he wouldn’t blow his load the moment your lips touched his cock.
You quickly moved to straddle him, leaning down and pressing your lips against his. He kissed you back like a starved man, but you didn’t stay there for long. You began moving your kisses to his jaw and continued down his neck. You could feel his breathing pick up as you left wet, open mouthed kisses down his throat to his chest. You nipped the flesh and were rewarded with a loud moan from your husband.
“Oh, Y/N.”
You glanced up to see Aemonds head thrown back against the pillows, his eye shut tight as he focused on the feeling of your lips on his skin. You smirked against his chest and continued your trail downwards, leaving the same open mouthed kisses on his stomach and hips, dangerously close to his throbbing cock.
“Aemond.” you said, getting his attention. He glanced down at you, seeing you hovering near his cock. “Teach me how to please you.”
You watched his cock twitch at your words and smiled innocently up at him. He leaned up on his elbows to get a better view while he was instructing you.
“Give me your hand, my love.” he said, holding his hand out for yours. You eagerly gave him your hand and watched intently as he slowly brought it down to his length and gently wrapped your fingers around him. You could feel your heart pounding as you felt the hot flesh throb beneath your touch.
He slowly began moving your hand up and down his cock, gently helping you twist your wrist in the right places. It didn’t take long until you got the hang of it and he released your hand in favor of watching you do it yourself. You looked up at him, as if asking for permission to continue. He gave you a grin and a nod.
You continued to stroke him as you leaned forward and licked up the bead of precum that was pooling at the tip. His cock twitched in your hand and you could have sworn you heard him whimper. You did it again, this time followed by opening your mouth and gently wrapping your lips around the head and sucking lightly.
“Fuck, your mouth is sinful.” he groaned loudly, his elbows giving out beneath him causing him to fall back against the pillows. “Take me a little deeper, baby. Suck a little harder and don’t be afraid to use your tongue.”
You did as he asked and took him deeper into your mouth, looking up at him and catching his eye as you did. Your tongue traced experimentally over the vein on the underside of his cock, causing him to twitch several times. Aemonds breathing stuttered, keeping his eye on you as you pleasured him. You could taste his precum pooling on your tongue and you moaned at the flavor, the vibrations making Aemond break.
“Y/N, my angel, please! I need…. fuck, I need you to take me a bit deeper and move your hand faster. Please, baby?” he practically begged.
You felt pride swell in your chest that you’d made Aemond beg for you. Doing as he asked, you moved faster and took him deeper into your mouth. You fought the urge to gag, breathing heavily through your nose as his tip hit the back of your throat. One hand came down to tangle in your hair, gently guiding your mouth up and down his length as you continued to suck.
Your eyes darted up to his face, seeing his eye trained on you. You batted your eyes innocently as you swirled your tongue around the head before pushing back down, keeping your eyes locked on his.
His moans and whimpers echoed throughout the room as you sucked him off. He so desperately wanted to finish in your mouth but he had another goal in mind for tonight. He wanted to get you pregnant. Before he could talk himself out of it he gently tugged on your hair, pulling you off of his cock. He groaned seeing the string of saliva and precum connecting your lower lip to the tip of his dick.
“What’s wrong, Aemond?” you questioned, wondering if you’d done something wrong.
“Nothing’s wrong, my love. I was close to cumming… I wasn’t ready for this to be over. I haven’t taken you properly yet.” he breathed out, reaching for you. You let him pull you up until you were straddling his lap. You could feel his hard cock beneath you and you wiggled a bit, forcing his cock to nestle between your wet lips and making him moan.
“Aemond, my love, may I request something of you before we continue?” you asked timidly, knowing he very well may deny your request.
“Of course, angel. Anything you want.” he assured you, his hand coming up to grip your waist and rubbing his thumbs over your hips. You took a deep breath before continuing, trying to work up the nerve to ask.
“Can… can you…” you stuttered, not quite able to get the words out. He stayed quiet, waiting patiently for you to find your words. You reached a hand up to his face, letting your fingers trace over the edge of the eyepatch he always wore. You’d never seen him without it but you wanted to see him… all of him. His grip on your hips tightened, his fingers digging into your flesh. You let your fingers continue tracing the piece of leather. When you finally spoke again your voice came out as a whisper. “Please?”
He turned his head to the side to look away from your face. You could tell he was ashamed of it.
“Y/N, I- I don’t want to scare you.” he said quietly. His voice cracked when he spoke and it broke your heart. He sounded so hurt and scared. You used both hands to cup his face and force him to look at you.
“Aemond, my sweet husband, I could never be scared of you.” you assured him, looking into his good eye.
“But Aegon said-” he started, but you abruptly cut him off.
“I don’t give a fuck what Aegon said! He’s a fucking moron! How dare he ever talk down on you. You are beautiful to me and I love you. A scar isn’t going to change that. But I want to see you, all of you, when you make love to me.”
He looked as though he were about to cry but he quickly blinked away the tears and smiled up at you.
“Are you sure?”
You grinned, running your hands down his chest and absent mindedly drawing random patterns with your fingers. Your eyes locked on his.
“Let me see you.” you pleaded. 
His hands slowly left your body and began reaching for the patch. You braced your hands on his chest, rubbing slow circles in a silent attempt to reassure him that you truly did love him and a childhood injury wasn’t going to change that. You watched in awe as he finally removed the eye patch to reveal a shimmering sapphire in the scarred socket where his eye should be. You couldn’t help but smile.
His gaze still hadn’t met your face, looking at the wall behind you, too afraid to see the look on your face. He was convinced you’d be scared, or worse, disgusted by the scar on his face. But he couldn’t have been more wrong. He got the shock of his life when you slowly started rocking your hips against him, sliding his length through your folds.
“My gods, Aemond… You’re so perfect.” you moaned, shamelessly rubbing yourself on his cock.
His gaze finally met yours, a look of shock and pure amazement written across his features. His hands shakily moved back to your hips, beginning to guide your movements, making you rock a little harder against him.
“You’re the perfect one, love. My perfect wife.” he groaned, feeling your wetness begin to coat his length.
“Aemond…” you panted, feeling your clit throbbing with need. “I need you.”
“I know, baby. Switch places with me. I need you to be completely relaxed for me.” he said, gently flipping you beneath him so he hovered over you. You giggled at the sudden movement and he leaned down to press a gentle kiss against your lips.
“I love you, my perfect husband. So fucking much.” you said, wrapping your arms around his neck and letting your fingers tangle in his long hair. You could feel him adjusting his hips so his tip was nudging your entrance.
“And I love you, my darling wife. Are you ready?”
You could only nod, keeping your fingers knotted in his hair. He slowly pushed forward causing you to gasp at the sudden intrusion. His cock was much bigger than a couple of his fingers and stretched you quite a bit. You pulled his face down to yours, crashing your lips against his to keep you distracted from the pain. He let you kiss him to your heart's content as he continued to push forward, feeling a bit of resistance. He paused for a moment before putting more hunger into the kiss, letting his tongue delve inside your mouth, distracting you from the moment he snapped his hips against yours.
“Aemond!” you squeaked against his lips, tears brimming your eyes at the sharp pain.
“Shhh… shhh, my love. The hard part’s over now. The pain will be gone soon, I promise.” he whispered against your quivering lips, one hand smoothing over your hair and the side of your face to help soothe you.
“Move… just move.” you said, wanting to get the pain over with. Sure enough, Aemond was right. As he began to slowly thrust his hips against yours, the pain slowly dissipated. It was still achy but another feeling began to bubble up to the surface. Pleasure.
You let a small moan out and tugged at his hair, making him groan with you. You lifted your hips to meet his and he smiled down at you.
“That’s it, little one. Such a good girl for me.” he praised, his thrusts getting harder. You couldn’t help but admire the way his sapphire eye glinted in the light from the fireplace. It honestly turned you on… and Aemond could feel it. He could feel you clenching around him as you stared up at him innocently while he fucked you open. 
“Mmm faster.” you whimpered, needing more.
“You want it faster, angel? I’ll give you faster.” he growled, snapping his hips against yours relentlessly. His pace was brutal and all you could do was lay there and take it. Your moans echoed off the walls, making Aemond grin.
He sat back and pulled your ass up to rest on top of his thighs, pistoning his hips against you, keeping the fast pace he had previously set. The new angle was perfect, the tip of his cock repeatedly abusing the small spongy spot inside you and making your eyes roll back.
“Aemond!” you squealed as he brought his thumb to rub fast circles over your clit as he fucked you.
“Yeah, scream my name, sweetheart! Let them all know who you belong to!”
“Aemond! Oh fuck! Fuck!” you whimpered, fisting your fingers in the blankets beneath you. But then you got a better idea. “Oh gods! Aemond, baby, stop.. Stop.”
His thrusts immediately stopped and he looked down at you with concern, worried he’d done something wrong or that he’d hurt you somehow. You quickly smiled at him, giving him the assurance that you were ok.
“What’s wrong, love?” he asked, still breathing heavily.
“Can we switch?” you asked innocently, fluttering your eyes at him.
“Switch?” he asked, seemingly a bit confused. You gave him a wicked smirk before answering.
“I wanna ride my dragon.”
You watched his pupil dilate and could feel his cock throb at your words. Without a word he slowly removed himself from you and plopped down on the bed next to you. A smirk graced his features and his sapphire eye shimmered in the light as he brought his hands behind his head in a relaxed position. You couldn’t help but let your eyes wander his slender frame, down to his cock that was rock hard and laying against his stomach.
“Well here you go, princess. Mount your dragon.” he chuckled, nodding down to his dick. You couldn’t contain your giddiness as you swung your leg over him, straddling his hips. You immediately wiggled your hips, grinding down on him lightly. He groaned loudly at your teasing antics, letting his head fall back against his hands and his eye closing in pleasure.
“Does my dragon need something?” you teased. His hands flew from behind his head to your hips, stilling your movements.
“You said you wanted to ride your dragon, little one. So mount me and fucking ride.” he growled, lifting your hips and angling his at the same time so his tip was prodding your entrance. You held yourself steady with your hands placed firmly on his chest as you lowered yourself onto his cock.
You whined pitifully at how full you felt in this position. It felt like he was all the way in your stomach. You rolled your hips gently and whimpered as the coarse blonde hair at the base of his cock rubbed deliciously against your aching clit. The friction made you feral, rolling your hips harder and faster, chasing the pleasure your husband could bring you.
“My dragon.” you moaned, digging your nails into his chest and making him hiss in pain. In turn his nails dug into the flesh of your thighs, making your cunt clench around him. He chuckled slightly at the feeling.
“My filthy little wife. Who would’ve thought you’d like pain?” he teased.
“I like a lot of things, dear husband. It’s up to you to discover them.”
You slowly transitioned from rolling your hips to gently bouncing in his lap, feeling his length slip in and out of you. Once you found a rhythm you liked you focused on clenching around him with every upward movement, noticing how much he seemed to like it. He groaned and let his hands wander, slowly coming up your ribcage to rest under your gently bouncing breasts that currently had him hypnotized.
“I can’t wait until these are swollen with milk.” he moaned, running his thumbs over your hard nipples. Your eyes snapped to his and it didn’t seem he even noticed he’d said it out loud.
“Yeah? You wanna get me pregnant, Aemond?” you asked teasingly, bouncing a little harder. You could feel his cock twitch inside of you, surely spilling precum at the thought.
“Gods, yes! Want you to be pregnant with my child. I’m gonna keep you nice and full of cum until your belly and breasts swell. My god, you’ll be so fucking gorgeous carrying my baby.”
“Mmm then do as you wish, husband. Get me pregnant. Breed me, Aemond.” you encouraged. His hands moved to grope at your breasts and pinch at your nipples while you bounced in his lap. His hips began to arch up off the bed to meet your thrusts, almost throwing you off balance. You had to lean forward until your face was level with his as his hands held your hips still while he fucked you from below.
His lips instantly seeked yours out, claiming them and letting his tongue wrestle with yours. He breathed in every little noise you made as he continued to piston his hips against yours. The wet squelching sounds from his cock sliding in and out of your cunt echoed off the walls. The sounds were so nasty yet so erotic at the same time, driving you closer towards your release. You could feel the heat building in your lower belly, threatening to explode at any given moment. Aemond just felt too damn good for you to hold back.
“Baby I’m close!” you whimpered desperately against his lips. “I’m gonna cum again!”
“Do it, princess! Cum on my cock! Make me cum deep inside this perfect little cunt!” he growled, thrusting harder into you. 
His fingers were digging so hard into your hips, you knew you’d have bruises but you could care less. You leaned down, scraping your teeth over the sensitive skin of his neck and shoulder as you felt your orgasm finally explode. You sunk your teeth into his shoulder while you shuddered in his arms and your moans of his name were muffled. Your pussy spasmed erratically around his cock and you could feel your creamy release dripping out of you. Mere seconds later Aemonds hips stilled and he held you tight to him. You could feel the warmth blooming in your belly as he spilled his seed inside of you, his moans loud in your ear. You quickly pulled your head back to see his face scrunched up in pleasure as his orgasm tore through him.
“Y/N! Y/N, oh fuck! Fuck fuck fuck!”
His arms wrapped tightly around you, holding your sweaty body against his as you both struggled to catch your breath. His fingers traced lazily up and down your spine and you could feel his cock begin to soften inside you, yet neither of you dared to move.
“I love you… so much.” you whispered, pressing a kiss against his neck.
“And I love you, my little wife.” he said, turning his head so he could smile at you.
“Do you think it took?” you wondered out loud, not necessarily expecting an answer, but he replied anyway.
“If not, we can keep trying. Like I said, I’m gonna keep you nice and full with my seed until you fall pregnant, my love.” he said before pressing his lips to yours, the kiss chaste in comparison to the ones you shared just moments before.
“I like the sound of that.” you admitted, giggling against his lips.
“Me too, little one.” he said before yawning.
“So sleep? And then round two?” you questioned, batting your eyes at him innocently. He groaned and chuckled at the same time.
“Oh, my darling wife, you’re insatiable. But yes. Sleep and then round two.” he confirmed.
You gently lifted your hips, letting him slip out of you, both of you hissing at the over sensitivity before you rolled over to your side and made yourself comfortable. Your head now rested on your pillow, facing your husband. He rolled to his side to do the same.
“I’m glad I pestered my mother for so long about marrying you.” he admitted. You couldn’t keep the smile off your face.
“I am too. Do you know why?”
“Why’s that, my love?”
“Because I gained a dragon.” you whispered, smirking at your husband.
“And you learned how to tame and ride one tonight. So talented you are, my little wife.” he shot back.
You smiled as you got comfortable and pulled a blanket up over the both of you. Aemond snuggled in closer, his large hand coming to rest gently on your lower stomach and rubbing it gently.
“Hopefully we’ll hatch our own little dragon.” you said excitedly, bringing a hand up to trace gently over the scar on the left side of his face. The jewel was still shining brightly as he looked at you.
“Does it really not scare you?” he asked, so quietly you almost didn’t hear him. In all honesty, it didn’t. You thought he was perfect, beautiful, everything you could ever want. You just wanted him to see that, too.
“Not at all, my love. I’d like to see you more often like this…. Ya know, without the eyepatch.” you admitted.
“Really?” he questioned, not quite believing you. His fingers still rubbed gently over your lower belly, now in an attempt to distract himself.
“Really. No more eyepatch, at least while we’re alone. Please?” you pleaded, wanting your husband to realize that you weren’t running for the hills and to accept that you loved him just as he was.
“I think I can do that.” he said, leaning in to peck your lips. You grinned, feeling his kisses leading down your jaw to your neck. 
“Baby, I thought we were going to sleep before we had round two.” you joked. He pulled back, grinning like a mad man.
“You’ll soon learn, my love, that dragons are unpredictable. And this dragon is ready for round two, so hold on tight.”
His kisses resumed, kissing down your neck and making you giggle. But your giggles soon turned into moans as Aemond made sure that you would be pregnant before the night was over. 
Oh, to be wed to a dragon was such a wonderful thing.
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waltwhitmansbeard · 7 months
Text
Perc'ahlia Week: Free/Random
we did it folks! thanks to everyone who participated in @percahliaweek, esp the good folks who organized this whole thing! it's been so much fun to explore these prompts! here's hoping i stick the landing.
Percival de Rolo III wakes up on his last day knowing that he will not see another dawn. It hardly scares him; if anything, his aching joints have been screaming for rest for ages now, each one creaking and stiff like an unwound clock. He doesn't know where the certainty comes from, only that it doesn't feel macabre or fatalistic. He is going to die today. Better get a move on.
He doesn't begrudge Vex'ahlia's stubborn insistence that he's fine. He doesn't begrudge Vex'ahlia's stubborn anything. He lets her perform her morning ritual as usual, lies still as she grips one of his hands in both of hers and pours into him every ounce of magic she has for the day. The healing doesn't work, because he is not injured, merely human. Still, he smiles and thanks her, and they both pretend that it made things better.
Over breakfast in bed (all of his breakfasts are in bed these days, as are all of his other meals, and in fact the vast majority of his time), he quietly asks her to gather their family. She freezes, her forkful of eggs halfway up to her mouth. His vision is not what it used to be, but she is so beautiful, the golden rays of Pelor's dawn sparkling in her hair, now more silver than brown. She has always glittered, something beautiful and wild, a dragon who made a hoard of his heart.
She sets her fork down. She does not look at him. She asks if he's sure. He says that he is. She believes him, because after seven decades, she knows he is not a liar. It is a feat, the way she schools her expression into something that doesn't shatter his heart in two. She smiles and kisses his cheek. "Of course, darling."
They come, because for the past year or so, they have been preparing themselves for this very thing. Keyleth is called first, and she takes it upon herself to gather the most far-flung. Percy misses most of their arrivals; his energy wanes quickly after breakfast, and he passes in and out of sleep until a pair of lips on his cheek stir him back to consciousness. "Hi, Grandpa."
Vesper's eldest, Whitney, helps him into a sitting position. He feels each and every one of his bones as he moves. Beside her, her husband, an elven man Percy remembers not trusting for years, holds their infant son. Whitney's eyes are red and swollen. "Mimi says you...wanted everyone here."
Percy lets out a coughing laugh; gods above, they're great-grandparents now, and Vex still hates being called grandma. "I don't think I have many goodbyes left in me, dear. Better to get them all out while I can."
She sniffs. "Can't...can't Aunt Kiki do something?"
Slowly, he reaches over to pat her hand where it rests on the bedspread. "Keyleth has done more for me than any man deserves, as has your grandmother, as has Pike. I have seen my share of sunsets and sunrises, Whitney. Time for...better eyes than mine to take a look."
Just then, the door to the master suite opens, and more de Rolos come spilling in like light through an open window. Wolfe is first, one arm around Gwen, clearly keeping her upright; Danny follows, his aunt Cassandra hobbling beside him, leaning heavily on his arm. Danny's followed by his son, Shaun, and Shaun's very pregnant partner, whose name Percy can't remember. It's disorienting, but not the first time Percy's memory has failed him. Once he had the sharpest mind in Whitestone, keen enough to make the inventions that set his home years ahead of the rest of the continent, technologically speaking, but most days now, his mind feels like a sieve, permeable, untrustworthy.
Still, he smiles as the rest of his family spills in, children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren, twenty in all, not including Cass, who is given the chair right by his bedside. So many de Rolos, in a castle once entirely empty of them. Percy sees so much of the family he lost in their faces—his mother's eyes, his father's nose, Ludwig's jaw, Whitney's hair—and not for the first time, he knows what it means to be immortal in the most human way.
As they say their goodbyes, as they sniff away tears, as they promise him to do right by their family name, he knows that the legacy he has been chasing his entire life, one not stained with blood and black with smoke, has been a fool's errand. His family is not his legacy. They are people, just as he is, no more, no less. They will be great and they will be terrible and they will make mistakes and they will make the world a better place because the gods know that Percy has been far from a perfect man, but he believes he has done what he can to sow in their hearts the seeds of kindness, charity, empathy. He cannot claim them as his legacy because they are still building legacies of their own, ones that will reach far beyond his time in this realm.
He lets them kiss his cheek. He whispers his love, over and over, endless and true. He smiles and looks into each of their faces, hoping the sieve lasts long enough to carry him into whatever comes next.
.
He doesn't remember falling asleep, but when he awakes, the only de Rolo who remains is Cass. He can't see the white stripe in her hair anymore, because it is all white now. Her eyes are a soft blue, belying her almost complete lack of vision. Percy squeezes her hand. "You still with me, Cass?"
"You're asking me?" They both grin. "I've been trying to get rid of you for years. It's about time you got out of here."
"Yes, well, you remember how Mother used to scold me for being so slow to rise in the mornings."
"That's because you'd stay up until all hours reading."
"Which is why I'm so much smarter than you."
She rolls her eyes, and the air shifts, cools into something more melancholy. "Are you so sure it's now? You seem in such high spirits for a man convinced he's going to die today."
Percy doesn't know how to explain to her the knowing, the certainty in his bones that he could count the number of words he has left. He thinks of a night when they were young, far younger than they are now, when Cass would crawl into his bed during a thunderstorm, shaking and afraid. He tries to explain it the same way he explained to that little girl that the thunder wasn't going to hurt her. "The gods have seen my hubris, my cruelty, my ego throughout the years...and they have loved me anyway. How else do you explain this?" He gestures weakly with his free hand, and he knows that she knows he's not referring to the castle and its riches. "I awoke this morning with my wife beside me in the home that we built, and I felt their calling in my chest. I am not long for this world, Cassandra." Tears slip quickly and silently down her nose. "I'm not afraid. Whatever is coming for me, good, bad, or ugly, it was worth what I experienced here, with my family. With you. I should have died with the rest of our siblings, with Mother and Father, that terrible night. I didn't. Everything after has been...a gift."
"A gift for me." She brings his hand up to her mouth, kisses his papery skin with her thin lips. "Your children and grandchildren, they've been a gift to me, too. Thank you for giving me my family back, Percival."
He smiles, and new fatigue washes over him. His eyes blink slow and long, and she pats his hand. "Rest now, brother. You still have work to do."
He wants to argue, but the sleep rushes over him, dark and warm, like smoke.
.
When Percival de Rolo III awakens for the last time, he is very much not alone. Perched on his left side is Keyleth, timeless and ethereal. The circlet and mantle of her station are gone, and for a moment, they're kids again, the entire world at their feet. Her eyes are glassy, and he has to be impressed that she hasn't started crying yet.
Standing on the foot of the bed, each holding onto a poster, are Pike and Scanlan. Like Keyleth's, neither's face belies much of the past seventy-odd years, but he can't find it in himself to be jealous of all the life they have yet to live. He thinks himself lucky to have had this, such a perfect little slice of the world, fit exactly to size for him.
Between the two of them, already a blubbering mess, is Taryon, the only person in the room who looks the way Percy feels. His liver spots match Percy's, which must drive Tary crazy. He wonders if this is harder or easier for him, given that Tary has already been grieving Lawrence these past six years or so. He hopes that Tary can be of use to Vex, though if he had to guess, he'd think Keyleth is better suited to the task.
Because she is also here, his heart, his Vex'ahlia. She sits at his right hand, where Cass had been earlier, and gently runs her fingers over the inside of his wrist. She has never been anything less the most beautiful creature he's ever seen, and not for the first time, though perhaps for the last, he thanks the gods for allowing her to be his. Well over half a century together, and he knows by the tremulous bob of her throat and the eyes that will not meet his that she is using every ounce of her formidable strength to keep herself in one piece.
"Hey, Percy." He looks back to Scanlan, whose shit-eating grin has not changed a bit in all these years. "If you finally wanted that six-way, you didn't have to say you were dying to get us here. You could have just asked."
Pike punches his shoulder, but Percy laughs. "You'd never...keep up with me...Scanlan."
"Yeah, I bet that's true." He reaches down to pat Percy's foot beneath the blankets. "You always were a better man than me."
"The bar is in hell," Pike grumbles under her breath, and Percy coughs out another laugh. They must be off-again, he guesses. Well, it was nice of them to come, regardless.
"Tary." The man in question cries twice as hard when Percy says his name. "Have I ever told you...how proud I am...of you?"
Tary brings a shaking hand up to wipe at his eyes, and Pike pats his arm reassuringly. "That's what I care about. If a guy like you could see the good in a guy like me...well, I knew I was gonna be okay."
And Tary is more than okay, Percy knows. He's done more good in the world than any of them would have thought possible the day they met him, arrogant and annoying and so very naïve. Percy is proud of him, proud of the work they've done together and apart. Someday, not too long from now, these same people will gather around Tary, usher him as gently from this world as they do for Percy now, and Percy can only hope that they sing his praises as loudly as he deserves.
Pike hops up onto the bed, her socked feet padding over so she can kneel by his elbow in front of Keyleth. She grips her holy symbol, now worn and smoothed, in one hand and rests the other over Percy's heart. "Everlight, please carry my friend into the next life with the same light and compassion he has shown me in our time together." Her voice is strong, but Percy can hear the tremble in it. "As faithful as I have been to you in my life, he has been twice as faithful to me, to his friends, to his family, to the people of Whitestone. And I think you and I both know that faith does not come quite so easily to some as it does to others." She opens one eye to grin at him, and he winks back. She closes the eye again to finish her prayer. "Let his soul rest among his ancestors, and may your benevolent light never stray from those he leaves behind."
There is a long beat of silence, and though his eyes are not what they used to be, Percy swears the mid-afternoon light streaming in from the wrought-iron windows flares just a bit brighter. Pike releases her holy symbol, leans down, and kisses his cheek. "Y'know," she whispers, just loud enough for him to hear, "for someone doomed by the narrative, you did alright for yourself, Percy."
"I couldn't...have done it without you."
The first of Pike's tears falls, and she slips back to the foot of the bed wiping at her eyes. Percy lets his head tip to the side, and Keyleth's face is as red as her hair, her own tears falling fast and loose down cheeks that don't look a day over thirty. "Hey."
"Hey." She sniffs, taking his hand in both of hers. "I know...I have a lot of goodbyes coming my way. Goodbyes I don't even know about because the hellos haven't happened yet. But you...fuck." She scrubs at her eyes with the back of her wrist. "I don't know what my life looks like without you, Percy. I don't wanna find out."
Oh, he truly does not envy her yawning years. He knows no one who deserves to have her heart broken less than Keyleth does, and yet he knows that so much heartbreak awaits her in the millennium to come. He squeezes her hand, and he prays to the Dawnfather that all of that heartbreak does not quiet her, does not harden her heart from the joys this world has to offer. Keyleth was made for sunlight, for spring flowers, for flight. The shadows will come, but they must not dull her shine.
"Keyleth, Voice of the Tempest." He attempts to gather as much authority into his weak voice as he can muster. "I charge you with not just the welfare of Zephrah, but with that of Whitestone, and of Tal'dorei as a whole. There is no one I trust more to act as steward of these people. Your wisdom, your generosity, your empathy...more than ever, you are needed to bestow your gifts upon Exandria. You know..." He smirks up at her. "We've met gods, Keyleth. And this may not be the best time to blaspheme, but they've got nothing on you."
She throws herself onto him, and it hurts, but he takes it. One last hug from his best friend, from the sister he gained after so much loss. Her tears soak into his neck, and for the first time today, his own prickle behind his eyes. He regrets all of the things he will miss, the wonderful accomplishments of his friends, his progeny, his neighbors. It is such a mortal thing, to know that the world will keep spinning in your absence, and to love and hate the spin for it. But someday, even the ageless Voice of the Tempest will rest, and if the gods know any mercy, he will see her again.
Before she pulls away, a shaking, sniffling mess, she whispers in his ear, "Tell him I still love him?"
He nods. He already knows, but Percy will tell him anyways.
As if on cue, there is a small commotion near the one open window on the far side of the chamber, and everyone turns to see a raven, too large to be natural, resting on the sill, as if it has always been there. There is a cracked sob from Percy's right, and he turns his head to see his wife covering her mouth with her hand.
Just enough time left, then.
"Come here." A small tug to her hand, and she's coming up to sit beside him, hip to hip. She brushes his thin, limp hair from his face, and he struggles to bring her hand, wrinkled and beautiful, to his lips. "What a life, eh?"
Her answering smile is watery. "The best one I could have imagined. It's the best gift you've given me."
"Well, I gave you quite a lot."
"It's my love language, darling, and you were always so fluent."
He laughs at that, and it dissolves into a cough. The raven flutters its wings in his periphery. "Let them take care of you?" His eyes cast over their friends before returning to her crumpled face. "We didn't create this wonderful life together for you to be alone when I'm gone. There are so many people who love you, Vex'ahlia de Rolo, and while I will always be the first among them, in this world or the next, I am not worried for you."
Her hair, unbraided and streaked with silver, spills onto his chest as she leans over him. "I'm not worried for you, either. I know that wherever you're going, I'll find you. I'll always find you. It's kind of my thing, after all." She sniffs loudly. "So take my heart with you, alright? I'll want it back when I get there."
"My extraordinary, incomparable wife. My heart, my judgement. My treasure, my salvation."
Crying, she kisses him, and it feels just like it did that first time, in a snow-capped wood, when they were kids and death was just another monster they could slay. He tastes the salt of her tears and the warmth of her skin and he knows every agony, every loss, every sorrow was always and will always be worth her. For the briefest moment, his heart pinches, a desperate wish to stay, but when his final kiss with his wife ends, he's smiling, because how many men can go to their deathbeds with no regrets?
He looks to his friends once more, each one a gift, a story, a legacy, and with a fading voice, says, "Vox Machina. What an honor it's been to change the world with you." His eyelids feel so heavy; he's already slept so much today. To his wife, he murmurs, "Dear, do you mind if I rest for a moment?"
"Of course, darling." She bends down to kiss his cheek. "Rest now. I'll be here."
The last things he sees are Vex's shining eyes, and across the room, a raven taking flight.
.
When Percy opens his eyes, he sees them, his friends, their heads bowed and shoulders trembling. They are circled around his deathbed, and Percy watches them mourn. It's far and away the strangest scene he's ever beheld.
"Percival Frederickstein von Musel Klossowski de Rolo III."
He turns, a smile already coming to his face. Oh, the ease with which he moves! He looks down at his hands—smooth and dexterous, hands he hasn't seen in years. "Would you look at that."
The black-feathered figure in the corner of the room is masked, so Percy can't see his face, but Percy doesn't need to see the smirk to feel it. "A handsome bastard once again, I see."
"Screw you, I was always handsome."
"No arguments here." The Champion of Ravens strides closer, and Percy can't help but feel a bit intimidated. "Welcome home, brother."
And they are embracing, reunited after so many decades of grief. "Thank you," Vax murmurs, in his strange, not-quite-Vax voice. "Thank you for taking care of them."
"It was my privilege." They separate, and the two dead men look at the ones they've left behind. "We still felt your loss. Every day, we navigated the hole your absence created. Them in particular." He gestures to Vex and Keyleth, who hold hands over his body's torso as they weep. "I just hope I did enough to help them find the way."
"You did. And now it's my turn." Vax sweeps a hand back, and the door to the chamber opens, but instead of the marbled hall he's used to, Percy sees only a brilliant, blinding white light.
Percy frowns. "Is Grog in there? To be honest, I thought he'd be the first to greet me. You know how bored he gets without someone to entertain him."
"I'm afraid I don't know. I only walk to dead to their doors. I don't get to see what's inside."
For the first time today, Percy's heart well and truly breaks. "Well, just know that as long as they live—" He jerks his head toward the remaining members of Vox Machina. "—your sacrifice will not be forgotten."
"I live as long as they live."
Percy chuckles. "First the mask, now the quotes—you want to be me so bad."
"Get in the light before I throw your ass in there, Freddie."
Grinning, Percy claps him on the shoulder as he passes by, letting is strong legs and youthful knees take him toward the door. Just a step away from the frame, he stops, bathed in the warm, mysterious light. He looks back one last time at his family, wonderful and perfect and his, and murmurs, "What a nice story, indeed." And then he steps into the light.
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bbygirl-aemond · 1 year
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Jaehaerys was such a shit dad he fucked up all of his children thank god for Alysanne
anon i am so sorry to ruin this for you, but alysanne really wasn't a good mom or grandmom to specifically the women within her family. she didn't have as much power as viserys, but she managed to use her power to control her female descendants' marriages to straight up ruin most of their lives 😬
she allowed 16yo daella to be married off to a 36yo rodrik arryn (she did give daella two other options, but they were both fully grown men). teenage daella soon fell pregnant and wrote to her mother saying she was scared for her life. she died in childbirth.
she betrothed 15yo viserra to the already "old" and "very stout" lord manderly, who'd already gone through four wives, and who viserra made clear she did not want to marry. she did this even though viserra was young because she disliked that viserra was currying favor with men due to her beauty. this directly pushed viserra to slip her guards and try to enjoy some freedom before being married to a fat old grandpa, which led to the accident that killed her.
maegelle was kind of alright but she was raised to be a silent sister from birth, she never had a choice in it. alysanne decided her entire life's course for her as a baby and she was never allowed to consider any other path.
gael honestly had a very clingy relationship with alysanne because by the time she was born alysanne had already lost several children. i think alysanne using gael as an emotional crutch for losing children directly contributed to gael later killing herself at 19yo after losing a baby.
alyssa was allowed to marry baelon when she was just 15yo. some people say it was nice of alysanne to let alyssa marry who she wanted, but given alysanne's track record i think alyssa's wants didn't factor into this decision as much as baelon's did. and regardless, allowing alyssa to marry and become pregnant so young put her at risk for the childbirth complications that later killed her.
saera i could write an entire essay about. she was constantly ignored by her parents since she was the ninthborn and a girl, and was punished when this neglect made her act out for attention. jaehaerys was willing to let saera marry one of the three men she favored, but alysanne refused. when saera was found to have kissed and possibly slept with these men, alysanne said she should be punished, and stood by while saera was forced to watch from afar as her own father killed one of her male companions. she then forced saera to join the faith, where she was abused for over a year (her head was shaved, she was physically beaten, etc.). i don't blame saera for running away and remaining no contact with alysanne for the rest of alysanne's life.
alysanne even did her grandchildren dirty. she allowed 11yo aemma to be married to viserys, and later allowed viserys to consummate the marriage when aemma was just 13yo even though maesters warned them it would irreparably damage aemma's reproductive system and body. this caused aemma lifelong health issues that later killed her. like this is literally what happened with daella, only much worse, and they absolutely knew better but didn't care enough about poor aemma's safety.
listen, i appreciate the things alysanne accomplished as jaehaerys's advisor. she was definitely the biggest force of good for women that we ever got under the targaryens (save for daenerys). but it's not a coincidence that alysanne's relationships with all of her daughters ended in tragedy when her relationships with her sons did not.
she is complicit in the unhappiness and death that faced her descendants like daella, alyssa, and aemma for allowing them to become pregnant so young. she was slut-shamey towards both viserra and saera for daring to have agency over their sexuality, even more so than jaehaerys which is really saying something. she had a talent for alienating her daughters and making choices for their lives without regard for their happiness. contrast this to her relationships with her sons, whom she allowed the agency she never granted her daughters: she allowed both aemon and baelon to choose their own wives, rather than following precedent that would dictate aemon marry alyssa.
basically, alysanne was definitely a feminist when it came to policy, but her internalized misogyny jumped out HARD when it came to her family's affairs. and her female descendants paid the price for it, with their happiness, with their lives, or both.
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lightlycareless · 6 months
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but what reaction would the zenins have , especially naoaki 😳🤯 with the babies
Hi!!! I'm going with the twin girls au :> although these can be in general 🤔
Off we go to the reactions from the rest of the estate.
Being real, I think most of the clan would not like the fact that the heir had two girls to begin with. However, since Naoya and Y/N are known for being strong sorcerers by themselves, it was only natural that their kids would inherit those talents.
However, they'd still find a way to make them feel less, either by giving backhanded compliments, or voicing how a "son" would've been much better.
Naoya would immediately shut down those comments. We're talking about a man that has now learned how wrong his family is (in more ways than one) and having suffered from similar comments in the past, understands all too well how hurtful they could be, so he tries to shield his children the best he can.
As for reactions, let me put it like this:
Mai and Maki would love your kids, cause they love you very much :> there's no denying that. Would play with them as often as possible, they're like (are) the cool aunts. SPECIALLY if they're girl twins like them, it's probably the first time they ever felt happy with being twins I reckon.
Junko, Mai and Maki's mom, would keep her distance. It's not like she dislikes the kids, she just feels uncomfortable—however, she would like to watch the babies from time to time, silently gush at how adorable they are and remind her of when her daughters were babies too.
Ogi couldn't care less—in fact, I think he'd hate them just because they're a reminder of what he could've had, but didn't. No one allows him to get close to the kids, not even his wife.
Jinichi is in complete awe that Naoya would want to have kids in the first place, but not surprised that he went through with it. He's very precise when it comes those things, and from there he'll just stare at him and you whenever interacting with the kids—idk, he still doesn't believe it's happening. I guess in my mind he never considered that his family would want to have kids (Toji is like the prime example of that)
Naobito is... idk. He never really cared about having kids, so anything about lineage and whatnot is irrelevant to him, but I guess that in the deep confines of his mind he likes the fact of having grandchildren. Specially if they're strong, he'd be very proud of them, show off that they're related to him and whatnot. Do not expect him to be involved, and honestly? You and Naoya are kind of happy he isn't.
As for Naoaki, Naoya's oldest brother... he'd be shocked that the two eventually made amends, enough to have a family together. He just never thought the two were each other's type, or that it was in Naoya's plans to become a father. But it happened, and he just keeps his distance as well. Maybe he hoped he'd be that man, the one to have your kids or something, who knows. Either way, in the short moments he'll be able to see the kid, he'll note that they look like you, as maybe even hope that they act like you too. This whole situation is 100% the reason he stops talking to you all together. It's the official closure of that chapter.
And I don't think I'm missing any other relevant character :> I'd say that most of Naoya's brother would be somewhat confused that Naoya is possible of having adorable children or something hahaha although everyone thinks it's thanks to your genes 😂
Thank you so much for indulging me with this ask!! I want more baby stuff :') I'll see what I can write.
Have a wonderful week, take care, and hope to see you soon!!
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kankuroplease · 9 days
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can you tell us what happened after Ringo and Wolgang's marriage, their daily lives, when they had their first child and especially how many children did they have?+ their leave Konoha ?
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I have a few quick HCs about those things~
The first thing to happen was Wolfgang placed her Uchiha robes under the floorboards of their home as she was an Inuzuka now, but he thought it would be a shame to burn them like she had wanted to
Ringo dedicated a good amount of time trying to figure out Wolfgang’s hair color sections and realized his stubble is even two toned
Wolfgang learned that Ringo snores in an adorable manner when she’s truly exhausted (he’ll never tell her that she snores as she very proud that she doesn’t)
Her cat did not like his ninken but, he eventually all got along with them after being forced to train together by Wolfgang
Ringo thinks it’s funny how serious Wolfie is about cleaning and tries to keep up with his cleanliness
Which he appreciates, but still does majority of the cleaning for his own sanity
He gives her foot massages whenever she seems stressed as those seem to relax her down and he can better contain himself unlike with back messages
They often stay up late when the night sky is clear to appreciate the stars and moon with some nice snacks and sake
She still teases him often by helping him clean up while wearing something revealing or by asking him to wash her back for her innocently
He ends up having to mend whatever he’s torn because she often wears his clothes while tempting him in that manner
They are a possissive (and somewhat jealous) pair which does lead to some negative reactions when Wolfgang sees another man eyeing his woman on her or when Ringo catches some other woman wagging her tail around her man
It’s not that they don’t trust each other; they both just view it as disrespectful for someone else to hit on their partner
Nothing a few kisses and a quick dismissal can’t fix to make it clear they’re a pair and not looking for a third
Outside their happy home; the Inuzuka ladies were eager to bring Ringo into their group of friends and teach her more of their ways
Wolfgang got her a puppy and the girls joked (it’s not really a joke) that he was getting her ready for a baby
Ringo is very much happy with her new life but is bothered that she still has to answer to her older brothers or they’re brought up in decision making (I.e. “Madara does think it’s a good time—“ , “Izuna said—“ blah blah blah she doesn’t care)
Their first child wasn’t planned necessarily but was very expected and welcomed into the world about a year and half after their wedding
Her mother came and helped with their first son
After the birth of their second child, Ebba decided it was time for her homeland and Ringo saw it as an opportunity to establish her own life away from her brother’s watchful eyes
Ebba only agreed to take them because she was attached to her grandchildren, she still told them it was probably a bad idea though given her people are welcoming, but rough around the edges Ringo didn’t listen
It wasn’t an easy decision given her family didn’t want her to leave and she’s never been away from them for more than a couple of months here and there
but she set her mind to it and promised to stay in touch with everyone before setting off
It was quite the journey to get to Ebba’s homeland and Wolfgang was surprised to see so many Inuzuka there as well
Ebba like “boy, we merged. Of course there’s Inuzuka’s here too!”
Ringo picked up on their language fast and taught their children how to speak it as well, even though it wasn’t necessary given they also spoke hers, but that earned her and Wolfgang’s little family kudos
Wolfgang gets teased that she speaks it better than him
It’s there they have the rest of their bunch. Six pregnancies leading to eight kids 🐾
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theflyindutchwoman · 8 months
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So, I guess this is our official first date. Mm, last night was, for sure. I mean, it's a better story for the grandkids. We've got grandkids now. Nice.
| ANATOMY OF A SCENE - CHENFORD EDITION 5.10 - The List
Bookending the episode with Tim and Lucy's first and second dates is such an ingenious move. Particularly since both dates have a very distinct tone : if their first one was all about Tim and Lucy setting their boundaries, this one showcases how they perfectly match each other - and not just at work...
No more awkwardness, no fancy restaurant… This time, this is just them at a food truck, a subtle callback to all the times they ate together during their shifts… And that's why it also appears more true to them. There's an incredibly romantic feel to this scene - in a way, even more than that first date. The fairy lights behind them gives off this warm and delicate glow, creating an intimate atmosphere, reinforced by Tim and Lucy sitting extremely close to each other, her thigh between his.. This feels so much more like them and it shows in how much more comfortable they both are in this setting. Right down to their debate on whether this is their first official date or their second. It's not quite their typical bickering, but it is close. Their relationship is slowly shifting, towards something even better, without losing their dynamic.
They're so much more at ease that Lucy doesn't even hesitate to casually mention their future grandkids, as if this is completely normal and not mind blowing at all. She's obviously being playful but what it underlines is powerful. At no point does she try to take her remark back or look like she might regret saying it. She looks right at Tim. And the implications this has… This is someone who has always wanted to keep things casual with her former boyfriends - a label she even had trouble using in the first place. Someone who was uncomfortable at the idea of meeting Chris's parents and who was panicking at the idea of moving in with him. So the fact that she can joke about grandchildren on her second date says how much she is committed to this. And it's the perfect echo to that first date where she was expression her desire to take things slow. It's her way of making sure that Tim understands that just because she doesn't want to rush things, doesn't mean she is any less committed. She wants that future with him.
Tim's reaction is everything. He may have been caught by surprise, as his double take indicates, but the way he raises his eyebrow, still smiling and gently teasing her just shows how awed he actually is by this. His eyes are shining with excitement and his voice is so soft. His answer is so simple - Nice. But the weight it has… He's absolutely picturing that future in that moment. And his smile speaks for itself. The man is elated. But more than that : he is finally at peace. I don't think we have ever seen him this relaxed before. This is the look of someone who has finally found his person - one who wants the same things as him - and realises that he is getting it all. It's like a weight off his shoulders… We know he wanted to have kids with Isabel but it didn't work out, Ashley didn't want them and at that point, he probably thought that it was not in the cards for him. He was ready to settle and give up on his dreams. But now? He realises that he can have it all. And it's a pure bliss. And this is something Lucy knew. She was the one who asked him if he wanted to have children. She saw how he was contorting himself into someone he wasn't because he didn't think he deserved better. She pretty much did the same, not wanting to fight because it wasn't worth the bother. And I love that all along, she wanted that love story and she's also getting it.
Not even a moron trying to steal a car right in front of them can ruin this moment. But how significant is this that Tim doesn't try to pursue him. That's not something he would do for anyone. But some things matter more… Like their first real kiss. The way Lucy has his undivided attention… how he gently caresses her face, his other hand on her thigh, before slowly leaning in, almost shyly, both smiling into the kiss… how he dives right back for more, like he does every time, as if he can't get enough… This is the epitome of softness...
And how beautiful is it that their first real kiss is completely different their previous ones. And how meaningful is it that Tim is the one to initiate it this time around. Go on this date, maybe a second date, have our first real kiss… Their checklist is now complete!
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freya-captain · 1 year
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Jacaerys Velaryon was engaged to Aegon Targaryen ii but had an illicit affair with Sara Snow when he visited the North
(Jacegon drabble where alpha!Jace not being an honorable Prince and a perfect lover (as he always is in fics))
Aegon and Jace had crush on each other from childhood. After Rhaenyra ascending to the throne and their marriage was consummated, they lived as if they were the happiest couple in town. Aegon was madly in love with Jace and very soon he gave him a beautiful silver-haired princess, Aemma. However, she neither looked like Jace nor she could very likely become their heir in future days. But Jace promise he’d love his first daughter no matter what.
And then Lucemond got married in the Sept (finally) and they started to breed like rabbits. Five years went passing and funny enough all their babies had brown hair and looked like Lucerys. Aemond was happy inside even though Aegon mocked at him saying ‘Karma for you despising and calling them Strong all those years’.
And Aemond mocked at Aegon back for not capable of bearing another child anymore due to his old drinking problem and libertine lifestyle. Aegon pretended he didn’t care but he did try so hard to change—he’s been quitting drinking a long time, going to church regularly and trying different herbal remedies which tasted like shit. He had been a brand new person. But the situation wasn’t getting any better. He couldn’t get pregnant and every time it finally happened, he just lost the baby in early months. Jace was always thoughtful and supportive as any perfect husband, telling him he couldn’t care less but Aegon started to think Aemma was merely a miracle and he was either barren or cursed.
And next time when Jacaerys returned from the North’s visit, he brought his bastard son Cregan Snow who was older than Aemma back to the capital.
Aegon was so mean to imply Luke’s kids may be bastards since Aemond used to treat him like shit but now he became the one who had to live under the same roof with an actual bastard boy, a living proof of his husband’s disloyalty. Aegon stopped laughing at anyone anymore.
Jace apologetically explained he didn’t want to leave little Cregan in Winterfall. His true firstborn deserved better education, training and comfy growing environment.
Aegon couldn’t complain cause he was not in the least a maiden when he married Jace and Jace also had this affair before he said those vows.
He figured it was Rhaenyra and Daemon’s idea all along. They thought he couldn’t have children anymore and they decided to develop the bastard boy.
He hated that the boy got Jace’s everything: his dark eyes, his curly hair, his cheekbones, and he got all northerner’s good attributes in him, determination and resolve. As a bastard, he got his prudence but also he possessed the kind of charm that makes people want to follow and die for him, just like a qualified heir to a future king.
Aegon fucking hated him and the north. He fucking hated himself as well. He hated Jacaerys when he found out it was him, not Rhaenyra and Daemon, that kept drugging him so he couldn’t have another baby of his own. That’s when he finally understood what it meant when Otto was executed and said “I died laughing because one day my bloodline would sit on the iron throne and his children and grandchildren would always have my blood” and Jace smiled cruelly saying “it wouldn’t ever happen, unfortunately”. He hated his beloved made him an idiotic fool all these years. He hated it was too late when he finally saw everything through.
Now all he wanted is to take Aemma far away in case they decide to marry her to the only living son of his husband to strengthen his claim or some noble lord in a castle. He never truly believed in Gods but now he started to pray, every single day.
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I'm curious on your take on the Ratman and ratlings' relationship with animals. Do you think they'd keep any and risk becoming attached? I feel this would outwardly effect Jack the most considering his love for all the weird shit they got in Australia but I think Arthur is also the type to be really hurt by the loss of a pet. But in a dad way. Like he'll begrudgingly take in the fucking cat one of his kids brings to his home out of the rain and the animal ends up being his partner in crime. He's stone-faced when it passes away and it takes a while for the pain to subside but he doesn't let it show for even a second. I don't imagine Matthew could handle the mental load of losing a beloved pet. Alfred is too fucking busy to properly care for one. Zee probably has a few birds whose babies she cares for for generations maybe a kiwi lol
TW for pet death
Alfred has had horses his entire life. He's got a ranch in his name somewhere where the descendants of the pair of horses, Liberty and Justice, that Matt gave him during the Civil War live. Justice got shot out from under him in 1864 but he went full Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie, dropped dead of idk, the shits and when he was feeling better Liberty was getting her hump on with a local stallion so he just made a ranch there and their descendants still fuck amongst the grasses or however the prairies work. Liberty is immortal because fuck I already killed one horse this post and I'm already emotional.
Matt... He just kept trying. Nations have semi immortal pets. All he wanted was a goddamn friend. François gave him a lap dog when he was little. It died in its first Canadian winter as was often the fate of anything smaller than a terrier. He tried a newfie. It drowned. Finally, around the 1780s he had a little black and white working dog he named Sel et Poivre who lasted a decade. But eventually he got ripped up by a wolverine and Matt was damned to eternal loneliness until Arthur had mercy on him and got attached enough to the wee fat house lion he named Flufferton he didn't die. Matt's best friend for awhile and favourite heat source at his father's. Cue 1980 with Canada finally getting it's full independence and Jan dropping him like a hot rock and Alfred got him a Samoyed puppy in the aftermath. I've called this dog Kuma, Bud and Buckwheat before. The neighbor backs over him by accident! and Matt low-key has the worst mental breakdown of his life like he's 20 seconds from getting the axe and ending up in grippy sock jail. Then the pupper pops up licks him and Matt has the happiest sob fest for like a solid week. Finally! Immortal pupper. No more perishing.
Jack is a fun example because he's very in tune with the circle of lire and his favourite pet was a tortoise named Harriet he's had on and off since 1830 when she died in 2006. So when she finally died of natural causes he was absolutely fucking devastated. Didn't get out of bed for a week after the funeral, cried his eyes out every time he saw a turtle or tortoise for years. She was his baby since he was a baby. Closest thing to losing a childhood dog a nation can express. He had plenty of snakes and spiders and dogs that passed on and they made him sad but oh Harriet 😭.
Zee has a budgie named Pavlova that Jack got her when she finally dropped the family name. Just so she can say she owns Pavlova. It spent a week with Uncle Matt during hockey season and went back to Mum telling everyone, "Give your balls a tug, tit fucker" and making nondescript sobbing sounds. And the singular devotion with which New Zealand intervenes in its bird's well-being? Oh yeah, they're her children. Entire genomes of Kiwi-birds and Kakapo and Kea. She personally hunts rats that threaten their population like it's 1916, flashlight between her teeth, knife in one hand, Arthur sweating like mad somewhere. Bird watching is something she and the old man have in common so he probably does jokingly call them her grandchildren. Zee gets beat in the shin by a screaming kiwi-bird, and he just picks it up like, "Now that's no way to treat your mother, lad! Mind your manners." Before it toddles off and any on-looker is just pure, what the fuck.
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panther-os · 1 month
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Bastard Children Update: A Surprise Non-Bastard!
Friendly reminder that this au is entirely me doing whatever I want that I think is plausible, because this one reads a little cracky but I promise it works.
Also for clarification, a bastard or illegitimate child in this au is defined as "a child with anyone you are not in a committed relationship with" rather than "a child born out of wedlock". And also Ghost's dad is one of those bastards (as in personality) who's like "it's not cheating if there's only one committed relationship and all the rest is casual" so he did only have one girlfriend or wife at a time.
Anyways, I had this thought in the shower and the process was something like
Remember that one fic where "Price" isn't Price's original surname, he changed it to the kindly neighbor's after escaping his abusive family?
That was some good shit
Okay but what was his original surname?
John Reilly sounds nice
Wait, Riley belongs to another character already
WAIT
Price = bastard big brother????
And then this is what I cobbled together:
Laswell set up an alert for whenever Simon's DNA comes up in the results of a test, that way she can see if it's something innocent or someone getting Too Close to the identity of The Ghost (TM)
They have to run Price's DNA for insert reason here (maybe something something testing for something else and the lab has some deal with law enforcement in the fine print that's supposed to help catch criminals or something) and it comes back with Ghost (and the others) as a 25% match, which is typically grandparents, grandchildren, auncles, niblings, and half-siblings
Price is only three years older than Ghost and he's operating on the assumption it's a mistake, but he's doing his due-diligence and calls his sister to see if there's any family secrets
Turns out his mum is originally from Manchester, she was married and had his older sister there, then she got divorced, got "an evil ex-boyfriend", fled Manchester in the middle of the night with his sister to her family in Liverpool, met and had a one night stand with his dad before being ready to date again a year or two later (he wasn't ready for serious at the time either and became her close friend before anything else)
Price himself was born a questionable amount of time after the fleeing to Liverpool and one night stand and came out looking almost exactly like his mum, so they just crossed their fingers and prayed his dad was also his bio dad, his mum told his dad, and his older sister is capable of doing math
On a very educated hunch, Price sends his sister a picture of Ghost's dad, and sure enough he's the evil ex-boyfriend
Price never tells Simon this because at the time family was still an armed landmine of trauma for him, so instead he just committed to doing what he was already doing and big brothering the hell out of him
Then Simon's doing better and Cam and the groupchat come along and Price is trying to figure out whether or not to fess up to hiding it from him or if it's too late
Enter Cam being like "we should all do 23 & Me! it's not a perfect science but maybe we can find out if Simon and I have even more half siblings and it would be a fun group bonding thing to find out more about our families"
And, well, Price can't exactly be the only one refusing, that would be suspicious, now the only question is if he tells Simon before the tests or acts surprised or what - and also if it's bad that he kind of wants Gaz or Soap's test results to come with major family drama that eclipses his own
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pearlsinmyhair · 9 months
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𓇢 a gasp, then silence.𓇢𓆸
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synopsis: how mo’at discovers that neteyam is gone.
warnings: angst. cannon character death, non-cannon interaction and reaction. brief mention of death during childbirth and the battle of home tree.
word count: 600 (it’s itty bitty)
an: i’m so sorry. i had to do it.
𓇢𓆸
mo’at learned quickly that the way of eywa was not fair, nor was it kind.
she had watched innocents suffer. saw children crushed by the home tree when it fell. saw mothers in labor lose their strength.
but after all her suffering, she had prayed to the great mother to at least spare her grandchildren. she knew eywa could make no promises, just as much as she knew that many others had prayed for the same for their own loved ones.
who was she to demand mercy? to take it away from another? to dare question the great balance?
from the moment she had held neteyam, a part of her whispered doom. he was so light, so precious, so very fragile in this dangerous world.
he grew, of course, a strong shell growing around his kind heart. she hated to see him hide it away, but she knew it was there. she had watched him rise to the occasion of war with concealed fear.
she had lost her husband and a son-in-law to the sky people. she couldn’t bare to lose her grandson.
so when they flew to the distant islands of the metkayina, she thought they were safe. surely no one would find them amongst thousands of villages.
she should have known better than to hope.
𓇢𓆸
she awoke sweating and breathless, wheezing as she processed the empty room of her tent.
she had seen blood behind her eyes, a wail of pain and sorrow, a heart beat stopping.
eywa’s messages were always cryptic. but this was easy to piece together.
it was more mo’at’s own will that prevented her from fully interpreting it.
the silence of her hut beat against her ears, so very unusual.
she was used to it being full constantly: of injured, of children, of voices dead and alive.
now, there was nothing. as though the great mother was giving her time to grieve.
she refused.
she pulled on clothes quickly, sliding her blade into its sheath as she set out for the tree of voices.
mo’at may have been old, but she knew the path well. eywa showed her some respect in clearing her path of creatures, allowing her to walk without worry.
the forest was quiet, too, sensing the lose, sensing her rising fear and sadness.
she approached the tree slowly, bringing her queue over her shoulder. her chest tightened with grief, with rage.
neytiri’s scream filled her ears.
she connected her kuru to one of the hanging strands.
it took a few minutes of meditation and searching, but soon she found him.
“hello, grandmother. is everything alright?”
“yes, neteyam. i just wished to see you.”
she did not dwell in the spritual realm of her grandson’s memories, lest she show too much emotion. neteyam did not know he was dead, and she would not try to tamper with that fact.
she disconnected her queue, and the titters of animals around her stopped.
she knelt there for what felt like centuries, hands clenched into fists in her lap. she felt like a child, wanting to scream and rage and wail and holler.
but she did none of those things.
instead, she layed her head against one of the many roots of the tree and wept.
neteyam’s breath in her ear, soft and steady.
in and out, went his lungs when he was born.
in and out, he repeated to himself when he completed his iknimaya.
in and out, he practiced as he prepared to leave his home for a strangers refuge.
in and out.
in and-
a gasp.
then silence.
masterlists.
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this is completely unrelated to breath of venus if you were wondering. i just really wanted to write this. i think we forget about mo’at a lot in this fandom.
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marine-indie-gal · 29 days
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Been awhile since I haven't drawn any Tabaluga lately, not since that I've finally got a chance to watch the Kristin Fairlie version online since I first found the Mackenzie Ziegler version from it's Alternate Stupid Title, "Ice Princess Lilly" only to fool a lot of people into thinking it was a Frozen knock-off from a Regular Old Dollar Store. Though it's still not a big surprise from Me for the US to give out some CGI Movie Adaptations of Kids Shows from an Old Decade under their own Cheap Titles like "Here Comes The Grump" to "A Wizard's Tale" and even "The Magic Roundabout" to "Doogal" (seriously, the last one sucked ass. Even though I haven't had a chance to watch the British version, I heard a lot of good things about the OG version of that Other Adaptation much better than how Weinstein butchered it with their own Pop Culture references).
So I had a small talk with my Friend, @djinarocks of how we loved Tabaluga and how that Arktos is one of our Favorite Villains of Musical Theatres (compare to Von Rothbart from "Swan Lake" and even The Mouse King from "The Nutcracker") after I introduced her to this German Franchise.
While that both Me and My Friend love Obscure Media a whole lot, we both ship Tabaluga/Lilli together as a Romeo and Juliet like pairing (since these Two Elemental Kids did reminded Me a lot of that Other Elemental Romeo and Juliet Movie made by Sanrio (not to be confused with the Pixar one that is)). During in one of our conversations, we talked about on how we wondered if Lilli didn't leave Iceland and started her own New Life up in Space if Arktos did raised her and treated her as his own Actual Heir (something as if his own Mother would've liked to have Grandchildren if the Son were to pass the Whole "Dictator" thing to his own Children like a Family Thing).
If you're one of the Fans who both love the Musical and the Show other than the Movie, you'd probably would know that Arktos created Her, only to lure Tabaluga in for exchange of his Fire (in which the 2018 Adaptation did by its own self, but without the Whole "Give Your Own Fire to Me" thing and replace it into having "One Last Hero to be Killed" scenario that made Arktos into a much more Sinister Creepy Dragon Genocidal Monster as an Akin Contrast to the OG Arktos). But since Me and My Friend had this "Thought" if Lilli didn't leave Iceland, what if Arktos had a different way with her? Something like raising a Heir and make them a Future Dictator for your own Country. If anything, that could've had make Lilli give her so much more character other than just a "Love Interest" (akin to the Movie's Lilli as well).
Basically, Arktos creates Lilli through Sculpture (but it goes different than the last one than in the show through a twist), instead of creating a Trap for Dragon Bait, he actually creates Lilli as a single heir of his own so that way she'd beat Tabaluga to rule all over the lands one day. After trying to wind her up with a Wind-Up Key, Arktos thought of a better solution by breathing her into Life to make her Real. He names his own Daughter, "Lilli" because after researching through a Book about Humans, he mispronounced the name "Lilith" (The First Wife of Adam) into "Lilli" and mistaken Her as Eve (Adam's True Wife) (because that's clearly how he created her according to some of the Musical's lore from what I can remember). Although while Tabaluga was deeply in love with Arktos' Humanoid Daughter, Arktos forbid their own love and didn't want to be a Father-In-Law to his own Arch-Nemesis (whose the Son of his First Enemy).
Teaching his own Child everything about Iceland Life, Lilli was somehow fascinated by the World of Greenland and wanted to explore around Other Countries instead invading to in which, She and Her Father have a Huge Conflict about. Unlike the Movie's Lilli, this AU Lilli has more personality than the one in the show of her single appearance; She is more Meek and Shy with a Quiet Personality but is still Curious about the Entire World that she demands to ask a Whole Lot of Questions (even if her Father dares to answer one of them). Despite their own disagreements, Arktos loved his own Daughter deeply similar to how his own Mother passed on her Son's Spoiled Love to Another (even James would still have to be Lilli's own Manny whenever his Penguin Butler would have to keep an eye on her whenever the Father's not around).
When Tabaluga got over his own crush for her after their first meeting, he basically decided on how to teach Lilli to be more "Independent" whenever she'd come and visit Greenland (either with or without her own Father), even with the help of her own Friends. Although that while most of the Greenlanders didn't like Lilli at first, the Ice Princess then expand more of her Kindness to her Surroundings as throughout her own Arc between Seasons 2-3, She and Tabaluga develop more of their Romance (instead of having a Rushed One). After the Frozen Defeat of Arktos, Lilli then decides for her own life that it is best to join her own Boyfriend and become the Rulers of both their own Lands after a Long Journey ahead of having Each of The Four Seasons be released every year as they start their own New Life together, thus, ending their own Families' hate feud.
I've probably should've had put this in my version of Tabaluga but oh well, at least this is probably from a Simple AU where if Lilli did had more Character than just being the Main Character's Love Interest. 🤷‍♀️
BTW, when I finally got a chance to watch the First English Dub Movie online, I was so Happy that I got a chance to seeing the Scene where Tabaluga and Lilli sing their own Love for Each Other from one of the Musicals and let me tell you it was sooooooo Adorable to see Tabaluga and Lilli's love for each other, which makes my Love for the Both of Them even more 🥰
And while that I still haven't checked out the Rest of the Musicals and their Songs (since I still can't understand German as Someone who wishes to learn more about Any Foreign Language for the Same Person who watches Foreign Cartoons all the time), I did try out the Original versions for "Devil In White" and "I'm Feeling You" as I still need to practice more of my own Tabaluga homework. XP
I was also afraid on how I would deal with my own first time drawing with Canon Arktos after doing my own version of Him (since his Left Arm was a bit hard for Me), but I think I nailed it after trying to draw out their own Canon Designs from the Franchise.
Arktos and Lilli (c) Peter Maffay, Rolf Zuckowski, and Gregor Rottschalk.
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