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syndxlla · 8 months

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best friends don’t look at each other the way we do

A low stakes, high reward and self-indulgent Zelink fan fiction. Canon-compliant. Takes place between BOTW and TOTK

Chapter Five: My North Star

Read chapter four here

My masterlist

Song: August by Taylor Swift

Summary: Link and Zelda get a visitor from an old friend, and start to remember how to live for the hope of it all.

Warnings: brief and non graphic mentions of death and dead bodies, canon-typical violence and horror, PTSD (always for this fan fic)

Word Count: 3.3k words

Authors Note: finally some happy moments lol. Also this is unedited!! ALSO I KNOW I HAVE SO MANY UNANSWERED ASKS RN I PROMISE I AM NOT IGNORING YOU IM JUST BUSY AND LAZY kloveyoubye

It takes only three more days for Impa to arrive at their door, angrily pounding her staff on the wooden plank. It’s early, she beats the rooster, and Link is rubbing sleep out of his eyes as he stumbles to the door from his makeshift bed he’s made adjacent to the kitchen.

He’s shocked to see the old woman staring up at him, as far as he knows, she hasn’t left Kakariko village in decades.

“You completed the mission and your first instinct was NOT to come and tell me?” She asks, her wrinkled lips pressed firmly into a frown. Link looks up to see Cado, apologetic. His hair is down, shirt is off, and he’s barely wearing trousers. He yawns.

“Good morning, Master Impa.” He bows deeply to her and she just whacks his skull with her cane in the same manner she did the door. Link yelps and rubs the top of his head. “What was that for?” He asks.

“Where’s the princess?”

“She’s sleeping still, it’s barely sunrise.” Link rubs some more sleep from his lashes, his hand in a tight fist. “You know, most people say good morning when you see them first thing…”

Impa then lets herself into the house, pushing past him like the angry ball of spunk she is. “I’ll have tea.” She states, “And I’d like to see my friend.” Link and Cado look at each other, the Sheikah man staring at him apologetically.

Link nods, walking to the furnace and kneeling in front of it. He blows on the dying embers from the night before, placing a small log on them. Flames catch, and he’s setting the kettle over them, still full of water from yesterday. Cado closes the door and sits across from Impa at the table. Link eyes his bed roll in the corner of the room, kicking some blankets around in an attempt to make it look less disheveled, but the elderly woman just squints at the state of the house. If only she had seen it a week ago. Link was starting to feel proud of he and Zelda’s progress, wildflowers being placed in a vase on the table, and their plates polished and put away neatly for the first time. After Impa’s scrutinizing gaze, however, he was feeling all sorts of insecure again.

The air is stagnant.

“She's still sleeping…still.” Link clears his throat, his voice hushed. “She needs to rest because-“

“Link, two bodies were found just outside of the castle two days ago, the man who found them also reports seeing a Shadowy Figure, covered in what he suspects is malice.” Impa interrupts him.

“What?” He asks, startled.

“I didn’t want to lead with that, but it cannot be ignored.” She spoke in the same hushed tone. They didn’t want to wake the Princess, and they especially didn’t want to scare her.

“Treasure hunters? I mean it's still a war zone there, it wasn’t anything else… right? He was lying, surely. All the Malice disappeared…” Link asks, feeling the blood go from his face.

“The man was Me.” Cado frowns. He would never lie. “After we got your message from Purah, I traveled to the castle to confirm that the Calamity was destroyed. The bodies were hylian, two young people. A boy and a girl… I thought it was..”

Cado’s voice became too loud, and Link hushed him.

“We want to think it was leftover spells, but we don’t know. We don’t know who else to ask to investigate.” Impa says.

“Now that Hyrule is safe, it's time we start reestablishing civility, democracy.” Cado steps in.

“It’s been eleven days since I defeated him.” Link crosses his arms, “I’m still not sleeping through the nights, Zelda doesn’t have her full strength back yet. You promised me I would get to rest when it was all over.” He looks at the Sheikah Chief.

“Don’t lie to me, Link.” Impa shakes her head, “I know you can’t stay in one place for too long. No matter how hard you try.” She states. She wasn’t wrong, but recently Link has started to feel different.

The kettle starts to whistle. Link swallows his frustration and takes it off the heat, preparing three cups of green bell tea. Everyone feels discomfort. “Did the figure do anything?” Link asks as he pours the hot water into the cups, his back turned to the Sheikah.

“It just stared at me, it was tall, hunched over.” Cado describes, one could easily hear the fear in his voice. “We stared at each other, I couldn’t tell if it was from this world or not.”

“Tall like a Zora or tall like a Gerudo?” Link asks, still turned away.

“Gerudo.” Cado struggled to say it. “I drew my sword, and as soon as I did, it turned away from me and walked into the mist to the south. I never saw it again.”

Link swallows and then turns around finally, carrying the cups to the table. “And the bodies?”

“Cause of death was unknown, I checked for a pulse multiple times but they were both long gone. They were dressed in traveler's garb. Their dress seemed to be from the north.”

“If they have families they need to know.” Link sits, holding the mug of tea in his hands.

“You’re the only one who could inform them about such a thing.” Impa says. “Tabantha is a long way, but you could be there and back in an hour if you warp. We’ll stay here until you-“

“The sheikah slate is utterly destroyed.” Link admits. “I left it with Purah but she essentially told me it's beyond repair.”

“You’d have to go on foot like the rest of us.” Cado smirks.

“Why would I?” Link asks, perhaps too forcefully. “I did my quest.”

Impa stares at him, silent for a moment, “You don’t really feel that way.” She shakes her head, “And if you do, then you are not the same man who woke up three years ago.”

“I’m not!” Link almost shouts, and they all bite their tongues, listening for any sound from upstairs. “Impa… you know I care. You know I want to go find whatever that figure was, but I am tired.” His voice cracks. “I can’t just sleep this one off.” He can’t look at her, if he does, he’ll break. “This is much deeper than exhaustion. It’s… it’s traumatic.

I still see him. His eyes, the way His heat radiated and burned my skin, the sound of His laughter. He Haunts me at night, I swear He finds ways into my dreams and taunts me there. Like it was all just a game to Him. Because it was. It always was. He’ll do it again a hundred times, and we can’t ever stop Him. There will be countless more Links who lose their hearing and can’t sleep and won't even look themselves in a mirror because as long as the triforce exists, He will mock us all with His deviance.”

Link stares into his tea.

“Impa…” A quiet voice says from the stairs, and all three of them are turning to see her. Long, blonde hair draped over her shoulder, eyes sleepy and confused, hands at her sides.

She nearly trips down the stairs as she runs to the woman, wrapping her hands around her neck and crying. Impa immediately holds her back, laughing, taking an old, bony hand and stroking the top of her friend's head with it.

“Good Morning, my dear.”

Link and Cado share one more glance.

The day is spent with hugs and laughter and Zelda looking into Impa’s eyes and crying every time she sees that they’re still the same eyes. Link cooks for them, and gets as quiet as he was at the start of this war. It’s all he can think about. Did it return for other Links? Did it return this early?

Zelda must have noticed his distance because while Impa is telling Zelda all about the man she married, the Princess is glancing at Link. His shoulders tense, his head down, his voice silent. She frowns, deciding to ask him about it later.

Cado was delighted to meet the woman, bowing deeply for her. He eventually got on a tangent about his children while they ate the omelets Link prepared, but Link stayed silent. He glances over at the Master Sword, leaning against the corner of the room, staring back at him.

He distracts himself the rest of the day with Epona, tending to her constantly while Zelda tells Impa every single detail about her time sealed away. The two prayed over each other a few times. The sun gets low in the sky, Link stays silent.

They come back inside, and before Impa and Cado enter from the outside to begin their next hour of catching up, Zelda places a gentle hand on Link’s shoulder. “Link,”

He turns to look at her, everything about him immediately softening as her green eyes stare at him.

“You’re upset?” She says, her voice soothing.

“No I’m not.” He denies. She raises an eyebrow.

“I know you.” Link becomes acutely aware of her thumb that starts rubbing circles into his muscle and he has to remind himself how to stand. ”Talk to me.”

He knows he can’t tell her about this, not yet. “Later?” He asks. She smiles and nods.

“I’m here for you.”

Link begins dinner, and Zelda washes up, leaving the three alone for the first time since early morning.

Impa stares, Cado uncomfortably clears his throat. Link looks at them, frowning, knowing what they want.

He sighs deeply.

“I will return to the castle. Zelda and I briefly discussed returning the Champion’s weapons to their people, and can do it then.” He finally says. “Tell every leader to warn their people to avoid the castle at all costs.”

“Good.” Impa nods.

“But-“ Link holds his hand up, “I’m not going until both she and I are ready.” He says.

“What do you mean by ready?” That old woman was always so pushy.

“When Zel and I both feel ready to return to those places without it absolutely crushing our spirits, we will go. Together.”

“Hylia knows when that will be.” Cado scoffs.

“Exactly.” Link says. “Unless more deaths are reported or this shadow is seen again, it can wait. Everyone has been avoiding the castle for a century, what’s a little while longer?” Link states, silently proud of himself for sticking up for himself and not just being the obedient soldier he was trained to be. “Besides, no one should be there anyways, it’s not safe.”

“You’re in love with the Princess.” Impa states with a chuckle and Link sputters, the wind knocking out of him.

“What? Why would you say that?” He asks.

“I saw you two. The way you look at her.” Impa smirks. Link feels his ears heat up, Cado stifles a laugh.

“You are so rude.” Link replies.

“I think you two need each other.” Impa shrugs, “But do not let any worldly affection keep you in the way of what really matters here: Hyrule and its people.”

Impa always knew exactly how to remind Link that he is just a soldier.

“We will leave before we eat. At this rate we will not return home until late into the night.” Impa states, standing back up.

They say their goodbyes. Zelda promises to visit, Impa gives her a kiss on the forehead, Cado bows again. And just as the sun begins to set, the pair is headed through the bridge.

Both Link and Zelda stand in the doorway as they watch them leave. Zelda starts to sniffle, wiping a tear.

“Hey, hey, hey.” Link says in a comforting tone when he sees her cry, turning to face her. “It’s okay, we’re gonna see her again real soon.” He reassures. Zelda sighs.

“She got so old, without me.” She tries to swallow her sob but fails. She presses her tear-stained face into the crook of Link’s neck, and he just holds her for as long she needs. Zelda is the one to pull away after a moment of comfort. “I’m sorry… I know there's something troubling you, too. I shouldn’t be so selfish.” Zelda sighs.

Link swallows, “It’s nothing. Not for tonight.”

“You're sure?”

“Positive.” Link nods. “Can I show you something?” He asks, and Zelda is nodding as he takes her hand and leads her up stairs. He pushes open a hatch on the ceiling in the corner, and a rickety ladder slides down. Some dust and cobwebs fly down, but when the air clears, Link is climbing up onto the roof of their house. He helps Zelda up next, and she’s looking up at the night sky with bright eyes. It’s still not totally dark yet, but the first few stars are starting to shine.

The roof is slightly slanted, but not enough to cause either of them concern. They both comfortably find a position on the tiles, facing south, noses pointed at the heavens. There’s about a foot of space between them, and Link wants to scoot closer into her, but chooses not to. He closes the hatch from the outside, so the warm light of the house doesn’t pollute their view.

“I like to come up here to clear my head.” He says. “It doesn’t hold a candle to the night sky in Hebra or out in the desert, but it's still pretty spectacular.”

Zelda hums, “You’ll have to take me someday.” She stays looking at the sky but Link looks at her. Her profile is beautiful, hair long and cascading, ears pointed and blushed. Surely she knew he was staring, but neither of them did anything to stop.

“One day.” He nods before looking away and laying on his back. He rests his arms behind his head, crossing an ankle over his bended knee. “That one is called Haru.” He points to an especially bright star, “It’s part of the constellation Nabooru.” He then traces the warrior constellation with his finger.

“I remember, yes.” Zelda scoots into him, and he tries to stifle his smile. She doesn’t lay next to him, but now they’re a mere inches apart.

“And this is the North Star.” Link cranes his neck back to see it. “It moves though, did you know that? True north changes over time, so that one was the North Star when we were born, but over time the celestial bodies shifted and now it's that one. They didn’t even know that until I came back, because I was following the original one and ended up in Lanayru instead of Eldin. I talked with Purah and Robbie and they agreed, isn’t that fascinating?” He asks with a smile.

Zelda smiles so wide she thinks her cheeks will burst. “I never heard you speak like that before. With so much passion and eloquence.”

Link looks at her and just chuckles, “Now everyone follows the new star, but it didn’t have a name yet….”

“We should name it!” She gasps.

“Oh…I already did.” Link frowns, “I named it after I got my first memory back.” He shrugs. “I”m sorry. But there are plenty of stars without names anymore. A lot of the scientific research got destroyed with the…” He stops himself, “Well you know why. No one these days even knows the constellations anymore. I’m the only one.”

“What did you name it?” Zelda smiles.

Link looks at her again, “Zelda.”

She just about passes out from flattery, smiling down at her knees which are bent into her chest, blushing a little. “That’s very nice.”

“It was my true north.” He says. “I’d have been lost without it.”

It was fully dark now, and the sky lit up with the twinkling lights, the moon was a small sliver of a crescent and hung low in the sky near the sea.

“When did you remember the constellations?” She asked.

“They come to me slowly. It was required for all knights to know them, as I’m sure you remember.” Link described, looking to the heavens again. “I still can’t think of half of them.”

“Well isn’t that one Navi?” She points to another star.

“No, that one is Navi.” Link scoots up to her level, closing the gap further between them, and takes his hand to move her arm to the right star, his calloused and scarred flesh rough against her soft skin. “That one is the top of the constellation Hylia-“

“-Hylia”

They say it together. Perfectly in tune.

Their faces turn towards one another, locking eyes. The air freezes, time itself seems to hold.

Their hearts simultaneously skip a beat, and a soft blow of warm wind passes by, brushing through their hair.

Link makes the mistake of looking at her lips and for a split second he swears she leans in, but before anything goes any further, she’s moving away and laying down next to him.

He supposes this is alright, too.

“I wonder what she thinks of all this.” Link says.

Zelda is quiet ....“I sometimes wonder if the God’s regret making man.”

“What do you mean?” Link asks, looking at her.

“Well… man is what caused the curse of the loop anyways. If it weren’t for us, Hyrule wouldn’t have to be rebuilt every ten thousand years.” She frowns. “Maybe they wish they had left their creation to rest without our feeble beings.”

“I don’t think that.” Link shakes his head. “I think they put us here because we are flawed, not in spite of it.

I think our mistakes, our sins, our curses are what makes us special. Life would be futile if we were perfect. There would be no motivation. No growth. No passion.

You cannot have good without evil, or light without dark, or joy without pain.

That’s what’s so beautiful about life. I think the God’s know that. I think they love us because of it. That is a luxury they don’t have. I see it as a gift. To live for the hope of it all.”

Link rambles, and Zelda is stunned for a moment. She turns her head to look at him, this time he’s the one with wonder-filled eyes staring up, ignoring the gaze of the other.

“I really think you should wield the triforce of wisdom.” Zelda teases.

Link looks at her, their noses almost touching. “Oh no, I’m only profound when I’m around you.” He shakes his head, giggling. “You should see me try to talk my way through Gerudo town, there's nothing wise about it.” His tone is playful, and they both laugh over it. “I accidentally told a woman she looked pregnant instead of ordering a drink at the bar.” Link explains and then says the two phrases in Gerudo, Zelda can admit they have very similar pronunciations and the both of them are full-belly laughing at the situation. Zelda asks how he managed to get out of that situation, and Link had to describe further that he was in disguise, which made everything harder to get through. Zelda couldn’t get the image of Link in a woman’s clothing out of her mind, and Link only sets her off further when he finishes the story with him getting slapped by an elderly Gerudo Woman. It isn’t much longer until she has tears welling down her face, but this time they are finally tears of laughter and joy.

When they both finally pull themselves together, Zelda smiles at him, wiping a tear from the corner of her eyes. “Thank you.” She sighs, her stomach aching from laughter.

Zelda then takes a risk, and snakes her hand in between them before wrapping it around Link’s. They don’t lock fingers, and it isn’t even necessarily classified as a romantic gesture, but she just squeezes his hand, thankful for cheering her up, thankful for reminding her that there is still hope.

There is hope in balance.

She tries to pull it away, not wanting to overstep, but Link is holding her hand tighter, keeping it in his grip. Zelda happily obliges, and they keep their hands clasped at their sides the whole night.

—

Chapter Six

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aziraphales-library · 5 months

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Greetings and salutations! Thank you all for your hard work! I was wondering if y'all knew any slice-of-life style, character-driven type fics? Not necessarily plotless, just focusses on character drama over plot drama. Preferably on the longer, slowburn-y side and canon compliant. Sorry if this is incoherent, but I figured if anyone could help y'all could. Thanks again!

Hello! Here are some slow-burn/slice of life more character-driven fics for you...

Taking Steps by JoyAndOtherStories (G)

Crowley was in a state of shock. Admittedly, this shouldn’t have been surprising, given that his recent experiences included near-death, body-swapping, car explosions, bookshop conflagrations, and rebellious eleven-year-olds defeating the forces of Heaven, Hell, and independent contractors. But that had been two weeks ago, and though saying he’d recovered would have been not so much stretching the truth as utterly shattering it, his current state of shock was…something different. “Say—say that again, angel?” he managed. “You said…you wanted to try…new things?” Basically: Aziraphale wants to try new things. The first one he comes up with: Salsa dancing! Meanwhile, Crowley really just wants to snuggle with his angel. Fluffy pining ensues while they figure out that they actually both want the same thing.

Take My Heart (But Not My Hand) by Ghostinthehouse (T)

"You know he needs touch?" "Yeah," Crowley says, following Adam's gaze to Aziraphale. "I know. We'll figure it out, he and I. We always do. Eventually."

My Favorite Ghost by DiminishingReturns (T)

Decades after the world didn’t end, Heaven and Hell got their war — and nearly destroyed everything in the process. When Aziraphale finally manages to reacquire a corporation and return to Earth, he discovers he was gone longer than he thought and the planet has become unrecognizable. As he searches for Crowley and tries to figure out how he fits in a world that Heaven, Hell, and God have all wiped their hands of, nature works around him to reclaim the bones of an old civilization as the scraps of humanity build a new one. A lush and optimistic post-apocalypse story, told from the POV of an immortal who can't let go of the past.

Though Heaven Bar the Way by books-and-omens (T)

Nearly five decades after the Holy Water argument, Aziraphale is sent to a world-famous sanatorium in the Swiss Alps on an assignment that Heaven appears to care about rather more than usual—only to find out that Crowley, of all creatures, has already established himself there. Clearly, this cannot be good for anyone's constitution.

Pictures of You by AnnetheCatDetective (M) (WIP)

It starts with a well-meaning gift, and a hopeful invitation. Mod note: While this fic is technically a WIP that has not been updated since 2019, it does currently end on a satisfying note.

I Only Have Eyes For You by Twilightcitysky (M)

After narrowly escaping execution, Aziraphale and Crowley want to fly under the radar for a while. Worried that performing miracles will reveal their location to their former bosses, they relocate to the country and stop using their powers. Meanwhile, Aziraphale is ready to start moving faster... and Crowley has a secret. Can he keep Aziraphale from realizing what's changed while juggling moving trucks, furniture assembly, inquisitive mediums, attacks of Feng Shui, and the mortifying ordeal of grocery shopping? A fic about moving in together, finding yourself, and finding one another.

- Mod D

#good omens #ineffable husbands #slow burn #slice of life #long fic #mod d

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fictionadventurer · 11 months

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Because @maltheniel has enabled me, I'm going to tell you about William Henry Seward.

If you had the American history education that I had, you might have heard of a thing called Seward's Folly--also known as Alaska. Seward was the Secretary of State who was mocked for buying America territory in what appeared to be a barren wasteland, until he was vindicated by the discovery of oil and gold and a jillion other useful natural resources. If you had the education that I had, this is the only thing you heard about him, but the more I look into the Civil War, the more baffling this is, because this guy is everywhere in the political scene of the time.

Seward was an extremely vocal anti-slavery Whig from New York. He started as a US Senator in 1849, and he became part of President Zachary Taylor's inner circle, influencing him to support measures to keep slavery out of the new territories. After Taylor died, the question of slavery in the territories dominated politics for the next decade, with the conflict getting more heated and the positions getting more polarized. The Whig Party fell apart because of disagreements over the issue; Seward held on for as long as he could, but eventually joined the newly-forming Republican Party, and became well-known for his eloquent speeches against slavery.

When it came time to choose the Republican nominee for the 1860 presidential election, Seward was by far the top candidate. All but a shoe-in. Unfortunately, some of his anti-slavery speeches were a bit too eloquent, and gave him a reputation for being much more radically anti-slavery than he was. A significant portion of the party doubted he could win a nationwide election when slavery was such a divisive issue. This gave Lincoln's team a chance to pitch him as a less-radical option, which allowed him to come from behind and win the nomination.

Seward was extremely gracious about the loss, immediately publishing letters announcing his full support of Lincoln as candidate, and putting his own campaign manager to work getting Lincoln elected. Privately, though, he was seething. He had been in politics for decades, helped to build the party, and then lost his chance at the presidency to a guy who'd been working as a backwoods lawyer for the last twelve years.

But he knew his politics, and knew it was better to support the party's candidate than to oppose him. Lincoln offered Seward the prime Cabinet position of Secretary of State--he was qualified for it and deserved it--and Seward accepted. Seward hoped that he'd be able to help select the other Cabinet members, so he could pick people from his own faction who he'd work well with. Then he, with his extensive connections and political experience, could be the real head of the administration, with Lincoln as a compliant figurehead.

Lincoln was having none of it. He listened to Seward's suggestions, but he'd basically already chosen the people he wanted for his Cabinet, across all factions of the party. While he made use of Seward's expertise and trusted him as Secretary of State, he was going to be head of his own administration and be the one making all the final decisions. After a rocky start, Seward came to recognize that Lincoln had a shrewd mind and good judgement, and he became Lincoln's loyal supporter and a good friend.

But there was a persistent idea that Seward was the real power behind the throne, sparked partly by the prominent role he took in Washington between the election and the inauguration. States started seceding almost as soon aa Lincoln was elected, and Seward was the one who had to hold things together in Washington while Lincoln was tying things up in Illinois. He was getting reports from informants, watching out for Southern spies, and keeping Lincoln abreast of what was going on. He gave a stirring speech to Congress urging the Southern states to keep the Union together, offering all sorts of concessions to mollify them, such as amendments preventing the federal government from interfering with slavery. It was a highly controversial speech, and his wife, Frances, raked him over the coals for it. She understood, earlier than almost anybody, that this crisis would turn into a long war about slavery, and that they couldn't afford to bend on that issue, even to keep the Union together. (Lincoln privately approved of several measures Seward talked about, but publicly said little, preferring to see the public's response to Seward before taking official positions.)

Seward was a little bit like a Civil War version of Evil Chancellor Traytor. Under both Lincoln and Johnson, rumors persisted that Seward was the shadowy figure who was really in charge, secretly manipulating the president into making unpopular decisions, even though most of the time, Seward had nothing to do those decisions, and often disagreed at least partially with what the president chose to do.

Best example of the effects of this misconception is the time Seward came under attack during the middle of the war. The war was going badly, and since people couldn't directly attack the president, they started going after Seward. Chase, the Treasury Secretary, told some members of Congress that Seward was the reason the Cabinet couldn't get along, and that he was always trying to take control. These senators wanted to meet with the president and force him to get rid of Seward. When Seward heard about this, he gave Lincoln his letter of resignation, not wanting to cause problems for the administration. Lincoln responded by allowing the senators to join in a Sewardless Cabinet meeting. When confronted with both the senators and the Cabinet, Chase was forced to admit that his stories had been exaggerated, and the other Cabinet members rallied to Seward's defense, resenting Congress' meddling. Lincoln refused to accept Seward's resignation, and Seward returned to the Cabinet, having been saved by Lincoln's political acumen.

I'm going to skip ahead so I can tell you the craziest part of the story. Four days before the Civil War officially ended, Seward got into a carriage accident that left him bedridden with a broken jaw and a bunch of other injuries. When told of Lee's surrender on April 9th, Seward said (through a broken jaw, after barely surviving a painful accident), "For the first time in my life, you've made me cry." (Which is both touching and an incredibly badass claim, given what he's just suffered.)

Five days later, John Wilkes Booth shot the president at Ford's Theater. Everyone knows (or should know) that part of the story. What I didn't know was that his conspiracy also called for Seward's assassination. Booth knew his Shakespeare and didn't want to leave Seward alive as a Marc Antony to eulogize the dead tyrant. (He also wanted to kill Andrew Johnson, but that assassin chickened out, and it's not really important to this story).

While Booth was at the theater, his co-conspirator went to Seward's house under the pretense of delivering medication. When Seward's son wouldn't let him go upstairs, the assassin tried to shoot him and broke his skull with the gun. The assassin then made his way to Seward's bedroom--where, I need you to remember, Seward was still bed-ridden--and stabbed him five times in the face and neck. Like, sliced away flaps of flesh. The only reason Seward didn't die was because the splint for his broken jaw deflected the blade away from his jugular vein. And because his other son and bodyguard made it into the room and forced the assassin to flee.

Chalk this one up in the "Parts of American History I'm Furious No One Told Me About" column.

While Seward was recovering, they hid the president's death from him, thinking he wouldn't survive the shock. But he figured it out three days later when he saw the flags at half-staff through his bedroom window, and realized that if Lincoln were alive, he'd have been the first to come see Seward after the attack.

Of course, Seward survived (badly scarred) and went on to buy Alaska. Which is an interesting story. But not half so interesting as all the stuff that came before it.

#history is awesome #presidential talk #answered asks #maltheniel #i really tried to keep this short #but there's just too much that i find interesting about this guy #like i said he was involved in everything political at the time #and you've got to talk about a lot of it to get across just how involved he was #like i had the whole post written out and then realized i hadn't even talked about the between-administrations thing #i can't leave that out!#so even though no one wants to read that much about william seward i want to tell you that much about him and it's my blog so there #i also have to add that it was very satisfying to head to wikipedia #and find out that his first political party was specifically an anti-mason party #and that he got criticized for his support of catholics #he's a career politician so there's a lot to disapprove of but i very much like both of those things about him

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kuronekonerochan · 6 months

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The whole fucking world stood by and watched as millions were spent in rescue efforts for half a dozen millionaires with a real countdown clock on their lives a few months ago.

We now witness a countdown clock in the fuel left in the generators of all the hospitals providing medical aid to an entire people while under constant bombings. A countdown to when every injured individual will become a casualty in a slow agonizing way because there will be no medical aid possible and the world does nothing. Nothing at all. If you can't reason with a genocidal state to let in water, food, medicine and fuel for the hospitals to keep running, maybe it's time to do it by force. Blue helmets, whatever is needed to rescue innocent civilians. But not even an economic sanction. The European Union (from where I'm from) is giving carte blanche to ethnic cleansing and genocide, while managing to lose all legitimacy to condemn Russia in the same stead (the part they did right). Having 2 criteria for war crimes makes the EU feel like a joke. We are in a fucking alliance for cooperation and peace and the Head Representative personally goes to Israel to give her support for genocide. I think every decent human being has lost any faith left in politics and politicians over the last few days. Scandals and corruption seem insignificant compared to this.

No, I don't trust our politicians, no they definitely are not representing me.

And they definitely do not work for the people when they agree to exterminate an entire people.

This is Nazism. Ethnic cleansing check. Collective punishment check. Confining millions in a war camp with no way to leave and committing genocide check.

And don't you dare call me antisemitic. I was not the one who chose to compare this to the Holocaust. The atrocities being committed by the Zionist State of Israel are the ones mirroring it. Do we have to wait until the body count is over the million mark to finally start calling it out?

Watching this happen live until there is no power left on the cameras and phones to keep recording what's happening is agonizing. But it feels as if people and politicians mostly are eagerly waiting for the eventual shutdown of coverage to put it all past them and move on as if nothing's happening. People will keep dying in the dark.

What is happening just shattered the fake mask of this "modern civilized world with human rights of 2023". Humans still have no rights apparently and I cannot fathom how people in conflict free zones are comfortable, compliant and complacent to this. How idiotfully jolly it must be to keep thinking that you will never in your lifetime have the tiniest chance of being treated like this in your western corner of the world. I for one can't live in that fantasy anymore. However improbable it seems now, I now know that there's a chance I will someday be denied water, food, medicine and shelter, isolated with no means of escape while missiles (or whatever future horror the warlords conjure) rain down on me and if I get injured there will be no medical aid and I might be left for dead in agony....and I now also now that while this happens free thinking first world democracies might be nodding along or purposefully looking away but none will help.

#gaza #free palestine #free gaza #palestine #israel #never antisemitic #but always #anti zionisim #anti war crimes #and for the defense of #human rights

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yes-i-am-happyaspie · 3 months

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⬇ What I've Been Reading Recently! [In No Particular Order]⬇

Rivers and Roads (Rivers Till I Reach You) Series by peterparkersbff @pbpsbff

[Series Description and Notes] Zombie Apocalypse, No Powers AU centered on Peter, Tony, and Rhodey (But if we're being honest, it's pretty Peter-centric)

Updates will likely be posted out of order, but will be reordered so they are in preferred reading order. I'd recommend reading in series order.

Peter Benjamin Stark Series by MoonBoo

[Part 1, Stars Align Summary] Pepper is concerned about Stark Industry's image and organizes a tour for a group of orphans. It's during this tour that Tony meets a five-year-old Peter Parker, who is mute due to the trauma of witnessing Ben and May dying in a robbery, and realizes they're soulmates.

Time Brings All Things to Pass by MsWinifredQuale

Tony feels like he's in a good place right now. He's got a great fiancee, a makeshift but settled little family, and he's even in a fairly ok place with the former Rogues.

So naturally the universe decides to throw him some curve balls, when he gets a call one morning from the police claiming they've just picked up Howard and Maria Stark from the side of the road.

And that's not the only time-related event about to unfold.

Tony really hates time travel.

[Also includes de-aged Peter Parker]

Please obey the signs by Bergen

“This young man claims to have been invited by you personally.” Tony has learned to read Happy’s expressions. That one is disapproval, and it’s highly familiar. “Peter is helping me out in the workshop today.” “Why?” “Uh.” Tony has enough presence of mind not to carelessly throw Peter’s alternative identity around. “He won a competition.” Happy’s expression flickers, grows tense. “I did not approve any competition that included a trip to Avengers Tower.” “Okay. Well. If we had theoretically organized a competition, he would definitely have won it.” - Tony’s life lately has been a perfect storm of incompetence. But perhaps he can get some solid spiritual advice from a mischievous teenager with a secret identity he meets by the side of the road one evening, like a lucky little leprechaun. If only Happy would stop being so paranoid about Tony inviting a random kid into Avengers Tower, sheesh.

The Chill Factor by Tashie

5 Times Peter's thermoregulation caused issues +1 Time Others tried to do something about it.

Broken Thoughts (I Remember Everything) by blackwatchandromeda (avenris)

"Peter, who am I?"

He hesitates. "I'm sorry. I... I don't know."

Peter Parker has been missing for thirty-six days. When Tony Stark finally finds him, he's wandering around New York with no memories, unaware of where and who he is. The missing month is a mystery, and nobody knows what happened to him - least of all the kid himself.

Peter, meanwhile, is trying to piece together who he was. What doesn't help is the big secret he's sure Tony is keeping from him, or the way the man is avoiding him.

Nobody notices how the missing month is catching up to them until everything goes wrong.

(Not Infinity War compliant, but takes place after Civil War.)

When spiders tour their houses, chaos ensues by pirateninja9

"I am very pleased to announce that we’ve been invited for an overnight tour at Stark Industries.”

Join Peter and his Academic decathlon team on a chaotic field trip to the Stark Industries. Featuring a bullying teacher and student, a confused tour guide and many Avengers shenanigans. With luck like his, Peter should have known this would be as far from a normal tour as possible.

Mugs Are A Problem (I Do What I Want) by JAWorley

It’s not usually a problem. Tony doesn’t usually have to work so hard to hide it because Pepper, Happy, and Rhodey know. He can be himself around them. Right after the compound had been built, Tony had been worried about moving in with the Avengers full time… worried they’d notice his tics and figure out his secret. Then Germany had happened and the team had split up before they could fully move into the compound. Tony had had two years where he hadn’t needed to worry about it. Now that the Rogues are back and are living in the tower full time, it’s on his mind again and stressing him out. The problem? Coffee mugs. Well… coffee mugs, and other things and the fact that when he’s stressed out, the tics get worse. But mainly coffee mugs. Coffee mugs are the bane of his existence. OR Tony has Tourette Syndrome and he doesn’t want the Avengers (or Peter) to find out about it. The newly returned Avengers think Tony is just being a jerk when he knocks things off of tables and counters, because they think he’s doing it on purpose. Despite the angsty summary, this is all about the team coming back together and Tony learning that the people in his life can’t accept him as he is until given the chance to know him as he is.

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etherealspacejelly · 19 days

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ok so. i am currently working on a fic. its a story that has been rotating in my brain for years about an avengers OC. idk if i want to start posting it as a WIP or wait until it's finished.

what im gonna do is post the prologue here, under the cut. it is entirely worldbuilding because. i came up with a new alien species with Lore™️ that i made as canon compliant as possible because im a fucking nerd. so you kinda need to know all of that before i can tell the actual story.

if you're interested, please give it a read and tell me what you think and whether you would want to read more! if it gets enough attention i'll start posting the chapters i have to ao3. i have a tag list for my fics so lmk if you want to be added to that too.

quick summary of the fic as a whole: The last surviving member of the Light Elf race, Einar, is taken in by the Avengers when they are orphaned at 10 years old. They nurse Einar back to health, and slowly form a bond with them, helping them to process their grief and heal from their trauma. There's a lot of fluff, a lot of angst, a lot of hurt/comfort, and of course found family.

It starts during the events of Thor: The Dark World and follows the storyline of the MCU from there.

Prologue:

In the beginning, there was only darkness. The only world to exist in that darkness was a tiny, desolate rock named Alfheim. This was the home of my ancestors, the Elves, before time, before space, before light.

No one knows how long they lived like that, alone in the dark. All we know is that at some point that darkness ended. The universe began, and light and life exploded into existence. For most of the Elves, this was the most beautiful thing they had ever seen. They swore to protect and nurture all life and to serve the light. But others believed that this was a perversion of the natural order, that the universe belonged in darkness and should be returned to that state. They vowed to destroy the light by any means possible.

War broke out between the two opposing sides, an Elvish Civil War that lasted for many billions of years, with both sides only ever coming together to kill each other. And so, they evolved separately into two species: the Dark Elves and the Light Elves. Each side became stronger and stronger with each generation, evolving new abilities and traits to give them an edge in battle.

A few millennia ago, a great battle ensued between these two sides on Svardalfheim. The Dark Elves tried to use their most powerful weapon, the Aether, to destroy the universe. The Light Elves fought with all their might, but the Dark Elves had the upper hand. That is until the Asgardians arrived.

Odin's father, King Bor, and his army tipped the scales and won the battle for the Light Elves. They confiscated the Aether and sealed it away where no one would find it. Malekith, the leader of the Dark Elves, fled in his ship and bombed the planet behind him hoping to destroy what remained of the Light Elf army, not caring if his own perished as well.

Only two Light Elves survived.

They fled to find a place to hide, to recover their strength for what they knew would be the final battle of the War. They needed a primitive, unknown, safe planet to seek refuge. They found one.

Earth. Dominated by a bipedal, fairly intelligent species descended from tree dwellers. No one would think to look for them there. It was on this planet in the middle of nowhere that these two Elves decided to take a risk, one last desperate attempt to give them an edge against the Dark Elves. They had a baby.

That child, the last Light Elf baby to ever be born, came to be in England, Earth, in the spring of 2003. They named the child Einar, an old Norse name meaning 'the lonely warrior', for that is the future they believed their child was destined for. Little did they know how wrong they would turn out to be.

#fanfic #fanfiction #space jelly writes #marvel fanfiction #marvel #marvel mcu #mcu

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ao3feed-irondadspiderson · 5 months

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Who's Peter Parker and why do the Avengers want to sue him?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/52118917 by GhostBeanie Peter Parker has two Identities: the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man and the Photographer Peter Parker. Peter earns money by selling photos of Spiderman to J. Jonah Jameson. When the Avengers find out that their favorite Spider is getting slandered by a newspaper, they decide to protect their (Junior) member by suing Peter Parker. Why? Because without his photos, the Daily Bugle wouldn't be taken seriously at all. Now Peter needs a really good Lawyer to convince them that he isn't doing anything bad while keeping his identity secret. Can't be too difficult right? Or No one knows that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. The Avengers threaten Peter with legal action because he sells photos to the No. 1 Spider-Man hater. Ft. Matt Murdock as Peter's Lawyer. Words: 2703, Chapters: 1/2, Language: English Fandoms: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Daredevil (TV), The Avengers (Marvel Movies) Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Categories: Gen Characters: Peter Parker, Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Other Avengers, Aunt May Parker (Marvel), Ned Leeds, Michelle Jones (Marvel), J. Jonah Jameson, Matt Murdock Relationships: Peter Parker & Tony Stark, Ned Leeds & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Steve Rogers, Avengers Team & Peter Parker, J. Jonah Jameson & Peter Parker, Matt Murdock & Peter Parker Additional Tags: Peter Parker is a Mess, Poor Peter Parker, Photographer Peter Parker, Tony Stark Acting as Peter Parker's Parental Figure, Parental Steve Rogers, Peter Parker-centric, Protective Avengers, Protective Tony Stark, Crack, Crack Treated Seriously, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Secret Identity, Identity Reveal, Peter Parker works for J. Jonah Jameson, Peter Parker Needs Money, Avengers don't know who Spiderman is, Not Canon Compliant with Movie: Captain America: Civil War (2016), Lawyer Matt Murdock, Good Friend Matt Murdock, Other Additional Tags to Be Added read it on AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/52118917

#IFTTT #ao3feed #fanfic #iron dad and spider son #spider son #iron dad #peter parker #tony stark

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missacidburn928s-heathenhideaway · 1 month

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That First Night

POC!Reader x Nomad!Steve Rogers

Wordcount: 1986

Summary:

A retelling of the night you both finally gave in to your thirst for each other.

Content Warnings:

Nomad Steve Rogers, Smut, Gratuitous Smut, Shameless Smut, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Reader-Insert, POV First Person, Post-Civil War (Marvel)Not Canon Compliant, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Light BDSM

Notes:

I'm a sucker for some Nomad Steve and I just couldn't get this idea of him meeting someone while hiding out on the run and just having this casual relationship with them. Starting as friends and turning into more naturally. I might turn this into a series of one-shots/vignettes told from the readers POV, possibly Steve's as well. I'm not sure yet. We'll see how this one goes. This is written in first person from the readers perspective. It played out like movie in my head while I was writing and this is how it turned out.

Banner by @cafekitsune

So here's the thing. We'd known each other for only a little while. Yes, but there is nothing I find sexier than a man who's tall, dark, and damaged. I just couldn't resist him. And dammit if I didn't try.

He's standing in front of me while we chat at a party and my eyes can't help but roam all over his form. Memorizing the sway of his hair, the tilt of his eyebrows, the dark pools of cerulean he calls eyes. That jawline that just kills me.

I catch myself staring at his mouth when he speaks. Biting my bottom lip, wishing that I could just lean forward and bite his instead. My eyes continue their journey over his body, his biceps I want to wrap my hands around, his large hands that could easily engulf mine, his solid chest rising and falling with each breath, his long strong muscular legs that support his tall stature.

I take my time gazing at the bulge in his pants. Knowing that right behind that zipper there's a glorious cock waiting to give me nothing but the utmost pleasure.

A sly smile spreads across my face as I continue to stare at his crotch. I can feel a pool of wetness forming as I'm thinking about all the lovely things I want to do to him. I squeeze my thighs together trying to relieve some of the pressure from my throbbing and aching clit. It feels a little too good and before I can catch myself I let out a soft whimper.

I quickly look up to his face, hoping he didn't hear me over the chatter and music surrounding us. I watched his pupils dilate with lust and a devious smile spread across his face. Oh he definitely heard me. Damn supersoldier hearing. "What's going on in that pretty little head of yours? Please, do tell, Doll. Inquiring minds want to know." I should play coy, but why do that, I want him so badly my whole body is vibrating.

I wiggle my finger in a come hither fashion so he can lean forward and bend down to my level. I place my right hand on his chest and whisper in his ear, "I'm thinking about how badly I want you to pin me up against this wall so I can slip into your pants and finally get my little hand wrapped around that big cock of yours." I then lay a sweet kiss right below his ear.

"But there's people here all around us", he mumbles into my neck. With a light chuckle and a mischievous look in my eye, I tell him, "I know. That's the fun part. How long do you think you can last before you either A. Cum in your pants and all over my hand, B. Drag me to the first open room or bathroom you find or C. Want to leave so we can continue this at your place?"

"Challenge accepted baby". With a chaste kiss to my lips he places his hand on my hip and guides me to the wall until my back is pinned against it. His large frame pretty much hiding me from sight. I waste no time, running my hand over the ever growing tent in the front of his pants. He lets out a low groan. "Tsk, tsk there Captain. You better keep it quiet and look like we're just talking. Wouldn't want to get too much attention now would we?"

Right as I finish my question I slip my hand into his pants and wrap my fingers around his stiff length. I slowly start to play with his foreskin and begin to move my hand up and down his long, velvety soft shaft. Making sure to sweep my palm across the head every few strokes to gather up the precum leaking from the tip.

As I increase my speed, I begin to talk to him. "So, seen any good movies lately?" I giggle as he looks me in the eyes with a strained face and clenched jaw. Clearly trying desperately to stay quiet. I tighten my grip and he presses his pelvis into me. Pinning me harder against the wall, stopping my hand from moving any further.

"Ready to cum already? That was quick." He smiles, "More like, turnabout is fair play darlin."

Before I can even fully register what is happening his hand is down the front of my pants. His middle finger making small circles against my sensitive clit. I bite down on my bottom lip to keep from moaning. "Someone's playing dirty. This was supposed to be about you Steve."

To which he replies, "I just had to see you squirm for me". He sinks his middle finger in my dripping pussy, curves it and lightly strokes against my g-spot. "Now who's ready to take it someplace else?", he whispers against my ear and then pulls his hand out of my pants. Licking his finger clean, "Mmmm even sweeter than I imagined".

"If you want an even better taste we're certainly gonna have to find some place a little more private", I respond in a lust filled voice, pulling my hand out of his pants after one more slow and teasing stroke. He grabs my hand and heads down the hallway. Pushing his way through the line of people waiting for the bathroom. As we are about to pass the bathroom the door opens and he rushes us inside before the next person in line can even realize what is happening and locks the door.

He grabs me by the hips and lifts me up and onto the counter, not wasting any time. "I wanted to take it slow with you. Take you out first, but you've got me so worked up that I have to have you right now." He kisses me hard. Our tongues dancing a tango together as I wrap my legs around his waist and grind against the steel rod that's just begging to be released from the confines of his jeans. I moan into his mouth as I grab his hair, trying to get as close to him as possible.

We both come up for air, panting as we try to get our lungs to settle back down. "These leggings have got to go. Hold on to the counter and lift your ass up for me." I do as I'm told and he practically rips the pants, panties included, off of me.

He sinks down to his knees so that his face and my pussy are level with each other. He looks up at me with lust filled, hooded eyes and licks his lips. "What was that you were saying about a better taste?" Before I can even get a word out in response he licks a stripe up my folds to my swollen clit. Moaning into me, delighted with the sweetness flowing onto his tongue.

I grip his head for balance and he starts to really go to town. Feasting on me, like I’m his favorite meal and he’ll perish if he does not devour it all. As he adds 2 fingers inside me I begin to squirm and grind against his face, fucking myself with his fingers. He curls them, hitting that sweet spongy spot that has me seeing stars and coming undone on his tongue. Letting out a long guttural moan, gushing my sweet nectar and making a mess all over the lower half of his face.

I release his hair from my hands and he looks up at me, lips and beard covered in my juices, looking like the cat that got the cream. I cup his cheeks, pull him up to me and kiss him; tasting myself on his tongue.

I unbutton his pants, slide down the zipper, free his raging hard on and drop to my knees. As I start to lick the head, savoring his precum, he pulls my hair and makes me look up at him. "As much as I want to watch and feel your mouth bob up and down on my cock, I need to be inside you right now." With him still in my mouth I sink down as far as I can take him before releasing him and standing up.

"Turn around, put your hands on the sink and look into the mirror. I want you to watch me ruin you Doll." I turn around and slowly place my hands on the counter. He smacks my ass once, rubs his dick up and down my folds, teasing me, before he sinks in slowly, bottoming out, giving me a moment to accommodate his size, stretching me out. I feel so very full and begin to swivel my hips, looking for friction. I look back at him. "Please fuck me, Captain. I don't think I can last much longer. I need to be cumming around your cock." He grabs my hair turning my head to face the mirror and starts moving his hips.

Fucking me hard and fast. His balls slapping against my clit with each thrust making me see spots from the pure ecstasy of it all. I'm staring into the mirror watching his face as he grunts, swears and groans while he fucks me hard from behind. He throws his head back "Fuck baby, your pussy is so damn tight, feels so good wrapped around my cock. You ready to cum for me? I need you to cum on my cock before I can cum down your throat."

"Mmm fuck yes Steve. Fuck me harder. I want to cum all over you". He begins fucking you even harder. You know you'll most likely have bruises on your hips from the counter but you don't care. His hand still wrapped in your hair pulls tighter, the pain setting of your orgasm. "Don't close your eyes, baby. Look at yourself. See how gorgeous you look when you come undone for me." I scream out as my pussy clamps down on his cock and my legs begin to shake. He tightens his grip on my hips and continues to fuck me through my orgasm.

When my pussy finally stops clenching around him he starts to fuck me slow and deep. Hitting all the sweet spots. I begin to squirm against him again. He watches his cock sink in and out of me. Hypnotized by how well I can take his dick and still be so tight. He starts to pick up the pace again. "I'm close Doll. You ready to take my big load down your throat?"

"FUCK! Yes please" is all I could manage to say with a swivel of my hips.

He pulls out and I spin around. Sinking to my knees and taking him in my mouth before he had a chance to even pump his cock. I bob my head up and down his shaft, moaning against the taste of us mixed together on his cock. That was all it took and he was cumming hard down my throat, slowly fucking my face. "Fuck. Your mouth is just as dangerous as that sweet pussy of yours" I release him from my mouth and grin from ear to ear.

"Don't sell yourself short Captain. That mouth of yours is just as deadly", I say right as someone pounds on the door. "Guess that's our cue", I say with a laugh. He pulls me up, grabs my ass and kisses me deeply. "Oh we're not done tonight. That was just round one. We're heading to my place now and I'm really gonna make you scream. Now get your pants back on."

"Yes, Captain."

I quickly get dressed and we head out of the bathroom to a line full of eyes casting glances of annoyance and jealousy. We make our way to the car and on to a night full of orgasms and no sleep.

#poc reader #nomad steve #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers smut #avengers au #steve rogers

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carrinth · 1 year

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If I may ask, what's your take on what happened to Riyo and Fox during Order 66?

During Order 66? What like canonically or AU-verse?

I mean canonically, Riyo was likely treated the same way as Bail Organa and other senators. Not enemies of the Empire but with increased restrictions. Fox likely carried out Order 66 but did not enter the Jedi Temple since that was the 501st.

Now if it's my own AU interpretation it is as follows:

Order-66 AU 1 (Canon-compliant)

Riyo is arrested and interrogated/tortured by Inquisitors and Lord Vader himself because of her known friendship with Ahsoka Tano. However, when they learn she truly knows nothing about Ahsoka's current whereabouts, she is released at the demands of the newly elected Pantoran senator Chi Eekway Papanoida.

Fox is a complete no-show during Order 66 as he was badly injured by General Grevious while defending Chancellor Palpatine during the Battle for Coruscant. Thire assumes command during Order 66 and serves Emperor Palpatine directly.

Order-66 AU 2 (Different Journeys AU)

Very similar to AU 1 except Riyo remains the Pantoran senator. She later has a son to an ‘unknown’ father.

Fox is caught in crossfire and electrocuted by Palpatine during the battle with Mace Windu. Friendly (dark side force) fire is on apparently. Bio-chip is fried. Fakes his death and escapes Coruscant.

Order 66 AU 3 (Bio-chip semi-removed AU aka Clusterfuck AU)

In this AU, Fives doesn’t get drugged and manages to escape. He tries to secretly dechip many clones but is unable to completely stop Order 66. Clones then must decide to obey orders or renegade and side with their Jedi. As such, Order 66 purge sparks a civil war.

Riyo works in the Senate to argue for a repeal of Order 66. Pantora threatens to leave the Republic and join the Separatist. She also joins Padme and other senators to help assist and relocate fugitive Jedi.

Fox initially obeys Order 66 and is tasked with tracking down escaped Jedi on Coruscant, putting him in direct conflict with Riyo, who lures him into a trap wherein Fox is captured by Thorn and dechipped. He then proceeds to continue working undercover.

Order 66 AU 4 (Mace Windu wins AU)

In this AU, Fox accompanies Mace Windu and the other Jedi to confront Palpatine. But when Palps enacts Order 66, Fox turns on Mace. During the fight, Fox gets electrocuted and blearily comes to his senses. He comes to just in time to witness General Windu fighting a red lightsaber wielding Sith. He shoots at Palpatine, who deflects the blaster shot but exposes himself to Windu, who swiftly decapitates him.

Order 66 AU 5 (It never happened AU aka Energy Drink Fox AU)

Fox drinks a killer combination of caf and an energy drink. Ends up killing Palps in 1v1 combat. You keep what you kill. Becomes Emperor Supreme Chancellor of the galaxy.

Riyo marries the Emperor Supreme Chancellor of the galaxy and gets him to relinquish power back to the Senate and call for elections. Boo.

Order 66 never happens. Riyo retires from her role as wartime senator to live life of peace and luxury in her family estate on Pantora. Fox follows her to become a house husband. Of all the clone commanders, he married up and is the most obnoxiously well-to-do. Riyo and Fox happily raise their children while Fox continues to build his secret caf empire and rules the galaxy (again).

~*~

TLDR; I have many, many ideas of what happened to Fox and Riyo during and after Order 66. But most of them are just stories and not comics 😅

#foxiyo #so many Order 66 AUs #some are canon-compliant and some are in deep end crack lol

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the-wayward-arc · 10 months

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Can you do an AU AU of the what if the 11th Legion remain loyal to the imperium? Want to see if they remain as a legion or see multiple chapters and how they can affect all the way to the 41-42nd millennium?

The 11th was split into 5 different chapters in the beginning; The Remnant Knights, Celestial Knights, Iron Dragons, Thunder Lords, and the Shield hosts. The chapters were a mix of codex compliant, non-codex compliant, and viewing the codex in their own ways, though all held the core beliefs of their Legion and Primarch. Overtime, many chapters were created from Jaune's geneseed: The Light bearers, Void Paladins, Space Dredges, Storm Wardens, etc. The Sons of Jaune continue their defense of mankind itself, they don't cater to the Elites of the Imperium and have pure hatred for the inquisition. A few chapters have come to blows with the Inquistion when it comes to the treatment of their fellow man, even going as far to nearly start a small Civil War against them with their rivals, the space wolves during the war of Armageddon.

All the chapters know their lineage due to two things; The dark-blue eyes all scions of Jaune develop after the geneseed is implemented and the the genetic flaw known as "Fury of the Primarch".

All chapters are fleet based except the Remnant Knights chapter. The reason behind this is that Remnant is considered the chapter world for all the chapters, this was done entirely on purpose as before Jaune disappeared, he left a Protocol that was similiar to The Last Wall Protocol created by Rogal Dorn. Known as Remnant's shield, all scions of Jaune would come to Remnant's aid should their a time it would face utter annihilation. So as such, no successor chapters of the Remnant Knights have a chapter world but do take aspirants from other worlds. The successor chapters of the Remnant Knights go where they are needed, despite their differnce in beliefs and cultures, they all strive to defend the common citizenry of the Imperium. Those forgotten by Imperium itself.

The successor chapters will aid other marines in need and do try to work with them, however some they do outright hate and will never work with, rumors even suggesting any and all Marines Malevolent interactions are always hostile and Skirmishes have broken out. Jaune's disappearance was a crippling blow to the early chapters but nonetheless, All still hold out hope their Primarch will return. The Return of Roboute Gulliman and the Lion have fueled the belief Jaune will return and reunite his sons back.into the Remnat Knights legion.

#rwby #jaune arc #warhammer 40k #lost primarch au #jaune is a lost primarch au #warhammer 30k #snippet #ask snippet

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ao3feed-brucewayne · 8 days

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by shadows_of_a_memory You and Dick have been friends since he was adopted by Bruce Wayne. You were there for him as Robin, Nightwing, and Batman; through strained relationship with Bruce, through Jason's death, through Bruce's death and adopting Damian, through meeting his half-sister, through any and everything thrown his way. He's returned the favor, being your rock during your father's kidnapping, return, illness, fights with aliens, and all the struggles you've been blindsided by. This is your story together. It's a long one. Words: 675, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English Fandoms: Batman - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Categories: F/M, Gen Characters: Reader, Dick Grayson, Tony Stark, Bruce Wayne, Pepper Potts, Selina Kyle, Happy Hogan, Jarvis (Iron Man movies), James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Alfred Pennyworth, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Damian Wayne, Stephanie Brown, Cassandra Cain, Duke Thomas, Helena Wayne, Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Steve Rogers, Thor (Marvel), Bruce Banner, Clint Barton, Laura Barton, Peter Parker, Aunt May Parker (Marvel), Darcy Lewis, Jane Foster (Marvel), Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Guardians of the Galaxy Team Members (Marvel), Batfamily Members (DCU), Other Character Tags to Be Added Relationships: Dick Grayson/Reader, Tony Stark & Reader, Dick Grayson & Bruce Wayne, Pepper Potts/Tony Stark, Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne, Batfamily Members & Dick Grayson, Batfamily Members (DCU) & Reader, Avengers Team Members (Marvel) & Reader, Avengers Team Members (Marvel) & Dick Grayson, Avengers Team Members (Marvel) & Batfamily Members (DCU), Minor or Background Relationship(s) Additional Tags: Reader is Tony Stark's Daughter, Not Canon Compliant with Movie: Captain America: Civil War (2016), Not Civil War Team Captain America Friendly, Case Fic, background canon, Bruce Wayne is Brucie Wayne, Bruce Wayne Tries to Be a Good Parent, Bruce Wayne is Bad at Communicating, Bruce Wayne is Matches Malone, Dick Grayson is Nightwing, Dick Grayson is Robbie Malone, Adoptive Parent Dick Grayson, Established Relationship, Friends to Lovers, Childhood Friends, Secret Identity, Secret Relationship, Spies & Secret Agents, Reader-Insert, Tony Stark is Darcy Lewis's Parent, Peter Parker is Tony Stark's Biological Child, Harley Keener is Tony Stark's Adopted Child, Good Friend Natasha Romanov (Marvel), Other Additional Tags to Be Added via https://ift.tt/SzRcwB2

#IFTTT #bruce wayne #batman #the dark knight #the caped crusader #gotham #dcu #dc #ao3 #ao3feed

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raven-smith · 1 month

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World-Building Notes In The 'Make-It-Make-Sense' Part Of Making The Redemancy AU Work.

The Government of Ninjago(Redemancy AU)

The Government has three branches. That being Executive, Judicial, and Legislative. This system had been set in place after The First Serpentine War during a civil war that broke out afterwards due to the instability of Ninjago during that timeThe Executive Branch holds The Prime Minister and his cabinet, they aren't who really matter but in order to keep the masses compliant they act like The Prime Minister is the most important role. The Prime Minister can declare martial law, appoint judges for the judicial branch, pardon criminals, veto or approve laws(Though there is an appeals process), and happen to be commander-in-chief of Ninjago militia. The most important job here is the execution and enforcement of laws created by both the Senate and District Assemblage.

The Legislative Branch is built of two groups. The Senators and District Assemblage. There are nine members of each. The Senators are appointed by the king, queen, or sovereign ruler of Ninjago while the District Assemblage is elected by the people. They are in charge of making laws that protect their peoples' or Ninjago's best interests. They are not allowed to receive any money from stocks, bribes, gifts, lobbying, etc. Only their monthly salary is what they are allowed. They can appeal a veto with a 8/9s vote. There are nine districts in Ninjago.

The Southeastern District officially but locally known as The Mountain State due to the sheer amount of mountains there.

The Southern District but the civilians call it Ninjago's Heart and Soul due to Ninjago City and several important cities to commerce lay here.

The Southwest District, The Everlasting Desert, a personal hellscape for many but the locals love it. Outside of desert there are lush jungles full of life. The spirituality here is very alive and shows through the art and music.

The Western District, also known as The Melting Pot, this was where a group of Northerners colonized a perfectly nice warring section of peoples and forced them to be their version of civilized. The Western District is known for rich mythology that managed to survive from the natives and live on in the people.

The Northwestern District, affectionately called 'The Bank Note District' is where all the districts who didn't deplete their funds on wars but gained lots of it through colonization. They are rich and are the second most influential district after The Southern District.

The Northern District, or as locals know it, The Snow Lands, this place is rich in old mythology concerning elemental masters. Nowadays it's mostly cut off from most of Ninjago due to the freezing temperatures but lucky for The Northern District, they aren't very phased by The Serpentine due to how cold it is.

The Northeastern District, this place is known as The Wasteland. It's freezing and everyone is miserable due to it being difficult to give and receive trade with other districts. They too are protected from The Serpentine but they don't care when every winter their young die of starvation. Not because of district government, the national government is just a piece of work.

The Eastern District, the land known as The Last Piece of Classical Ninjago, is known for being immensely wealthy and has a large tourism industry due to how much old ninjago history lays here. It is the second largest tourist area. They still do public executions here on occasion, but that only drums up numbers of visitors.

The Southeastern Archipleago, also known as The Warring Seas, is the newest district of Ninjago, becoming the Ninth District. This is specifically because The Southeastern Archipelago has so much weird crime and warring factions that The South Eastern District simply cut off a bit of it's land and let the sliver of mainland Ninjago known as Hayami and Port Soto as well as all the islands they are closest to, become their own district. They have swamp-like lands and are home to The Toxic Bog as well as The Mangrove Isles which is a series of islands that build up the largest swamp in Ninjago. This area is the largest tourist industry in all of Ninjago too due to the nature of the land's weirdness cultivating a rich history.

The Judicial Branch is the section of Ninjago Government that ratifies laws based on whether or not they are in line with The Grand Compromise and The Inalienable Rights which are two documents that form the basis of Ninjago's government. They are the final court of justice in the land. They are selected by the Prime Minister.

Outside of the government's influence is The Royal Family. This consists of Queen Megumi Fujiwara and her husband King Consort Daku Fujiwara as well as their two children Kyoko and Haruki. Together they are the current Royal Family of Ninjago. They are said to descend from The Grand Creator/The First Spinjitzu Master. This piece of information is factually correct and is, in fact, not propaganda. Queen Megumi's role in Ninjago as it stands is as a figurehead and a piece of Ninjago's rich history as a nation.

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pink-strawberry-kissess · 1 year

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a vacation with you (leon kennedy x ada wong)

crossposted on my ao3

word count: extremely long (12k)

warnings/tags: fluff, slight angst, eventual smut, long build up, post damnation, (my other fic “a midnight with you,” was written pre re4r so it might make the timeline a bit weird, but ehhh ignore that), remedy for re4r, within my au timeline, alcohol abuse, leon is a mixture of puppy and cocky, explicit smut, canon compliant, Ada wears pretty outfits and Leon stares, Leon is still oblivious, talks about gun shot wounds, violence. LONG FIC

smut!, switches!, ada still tops from the bottom, oral, vaginal sex, overly emotional sex.

With a pair of smiles and a simple handshake; a civil war finally ends. But he knew that it was never really that simple. That it was all a tangled webs of lies for the sake of peace. For the idea of peace. Leon stares aimlessly at the tv screen, watching as it broadcasted the breaking news. A voice is still projected out from the cellphone on the table. His fingers are tight on the fully filled shot glass in his hand. He can hear her, but the words are mostly going in one ear and out the other. It’s the same.

Again and again.

The tv screen goes black. The now empty shot glass in his hand slamming down onto the wooden table.

“I’m not going anywhere-” he finally responds to her. Hunnigan waits patiently on the other side of the line with a concerned expression. He slowly rises from his seat, gathering the small phone in his hand.

“-in the end, nothing’s really changed,” he mutters, ending the call promptly.

Maybe nothing ever really changes.

Leon spent the last of his vacation days all at once. Choosing to stay at a tropical resort while wasting his nights away at the bar. He’d promise himself he would slow down at some point. He never really sticks to that promise.

The night had gone on far too long. Each new drink placed in front of him were all the same beach themed cocktails, mixed with the same regurgitated flavours with an aftertaste of regret. That’s a problem for tomorrow, he’s on vacation after all. They all taste the same and simply make it easier for him. So he can stop thinking. So he can stop feeling anything.

His speech is almost to the point of slurry. He’s been drunk before, but this was even too far for him. Surely, the blonde bartender would have cut him off by now, but she seemed to be more than happy to be supplying him with more than he can handle.

“Not sure I like you like this.”

A familiar voice. Soft yet firm. Her inviting scent fills his nose almost immediately.

His brows knitted together, a soon to be permanent crease was forming on his forehead. He begrudgingly twisted his head so he could catch a glimpse of her. His gaze is pointed downwards, red heels with delicate thin straps wrapped around her ankles. Without any inhibitions stopping him, he takes the time to eye her long legs until he sees the edge of her short skirt.

“I’m not sure what you mean by that,” he mutters. His hand still wraps around his glass, his finger nervously tapping against it. He feels the condensation wetting his fingertip and lets go, wiping his hands against his thigh as if to comfort himself in his seat. He reverts back to the same position, keeping himself as steady as possible despite the alcohol coursing through him.

She takes the seat next to him. Ordering some sort of dark red drink with a rum soaked cherry placed in as a garnish. In his peripheral, he takes his time to take her all in. Eyeing the flowing red dress that hugged her curves. The billowing fabric of the skirt creating the illusion of a dance, making each swish and kick of her feet as she crossed her legs all the more tantalizing. Her skin exposed from her dress had a touch of the sun, and he silently wondered if she had been staying here just as long as he had.

Ada’s playing with the cherry in her drink. Pinching the stem between her manicured fingers and swirling it around in the red liquor before popping it between her lips. Bursting the red berry as she twists the stem away and throws it into a dish on the counter.

“This,” she pauses and grasps her glass to take a sip. Gingerly placing it back down after letting out a short exhale. The contents of the glass swirl in her hand as she circles her drink on the table. The ice cubes floating around in the sea of red.

“You’ve been so drunk every night, you barely make it to your room,” she turns her head towards him. A disapproving look painted on her face as her lips flattens into a line.

“What are you, my mother?” he shakes his head and empties his glass, tossing his head back. The bits of ice clinking together as he slams the glass back down.

“Are you still angry with me?” She quips back, still swirling her glass in her hand.

Not waiting for Leon’s response, Ada’s gaze fell onto the bartender as the blonde made her walk back, gathering Leon’s empty glass in a swift single movement along the way. She offers another drink with a sly smile. One that strikes Ada as a bit too flirtatious for her liking.

“I’ll close the tab for the night,” Ada offers. The thin black plastic is pressed loosely between her thumb and finger as she presents it with a flourish of her hand before sliding it closely towards the bartender.

Leon scoffs, his entire chest shaking with his laugh.

“Just a water then,” he asks with a raised open hand.

Ada sips on her drink as they wait in an uncomfortable silence. As the bartender returns with the glass of water and the cheque for Leon’s drinks along with Ada’s. The bartender eyes widen as she flusters, her cheeks growing red as she reads the writing on the bill. Ada’s delicate cursive showcasing a generous tip. A tip that was nearly double the total of Leon’s bill.

“Uhh- thank you,” the bartender mutters with a smile. The holder is tightly pressed between her fingers before she shoves the holder into her apron and nervously grabs a wet towel from behind her.

“I really need to close up soon actually, thanks,” she sheepishly waves at Leon then nodding at Ada. A beat passes before she scurries away to the other side of the counter to clean up. Seeing some sort of prior connection between the man she had been supplying with drinks for the past few nights and the new woman in red- it was not a confrontation she wanted to deal with for the night.

“Do I even have to ask where that money came from?” Leon points towards Ada’s card as she tucks it away.

“Leon, you know I don’t mix business with pleasure,” her hand returns to the drink, swirling the last bit of the cherry liquor. The colour much more diluted with the melted ice.

“Ada… what are you doing here?” He exasperatedly asks with a dejected look on his face.

“Well it’s certainly not for business,” she raises a single brow at him.

His curiosity is piqued, his expression mirroring hers.

She knew better than to wait this long to meet up with him again. Seeing him night after night, drunker and drunker. She was more surprised he hadn’t gotten alcohol poisoning at this point. What a joke.

Leon survives disasters like the 1998 Raccoon City incident but he’s defeated by alcohol poisoning?

It was easy to keep an eye on him and she grew quite fond of keeping tabs on him. Sometimes worrying too much. She often questioned herself on why she took so much time and effort to keep him safe from a distance. Closing that distance terrified and excited her all at once. Her apprehension was cemented on the idea that he no longer wanted to see her anymore. Her distance from him always kept her heart safe. The struggle between choosing what goes on in her head and her heart has lead her here again.

The trek back to his hotel was a also a joke, as the time spent getting him to his room was exhausting for the both of them.

Leon is absolutely plastered. His cheeks red hot and even with the fan above the bed, it can barely cool him off. His only options were to suffer through it all, black out, or empty the contents of his stomach. None of them seeming to be a pleasant way for the night to end.

All he remembered was leaving the bar and somehow he was back in his resort room again. Laying on top of the sheets as he stared at the dizzying spiralling fan above him.

Ada finishes undoing the straps of her shoes, the tiny heels clicking on the tiling as she drops them off near the wall of the entrance room.

The bed dips with her weight as she leans over him. Her face grimaces, trying to determine the same options Leon had.

“Do I need to get the ice bucket?” She asks with a frown.

“I’ll tell you when my head stops spinning.”

“Ice bucket it is,” she begins to raise from the bed. Her movements are stalled she feels her wrist tightly gripped by Leon’s fingers.

“Are you going to leave me again?” His gaze meets hers, a shade of clarity in his baby blues as he stares her down.

She pauses.

“Only to get the bucket,” she finally responds. Her free hand rests against his for a moment before gently prying his fingers away from her wrist.

Standing in the bathroom, she glances around. The towels he had used were hung up still, albeit without the pristine touch of housekeeping. All the necessities are laid out on the counter, hotel shampoos and soaps all lined up in some manner. Some opened haphazardly.

Even with a government salary, he’s still using hotel soaps.

In the heat of the tropical weather, there’s a soft glow to her skin. A sheen she feels against her cheeks. Tapping it away with a tissue, she takes one more look at herself in the mirror. Her expression is vulnerable. Unsure and overly contemplative. Someone who’s letting her emotions take over. The piercing look in her eyes are too much for herself to handle. She turns, struggling to see the reflection staring back at her.

Leon’s head is pounding, his chest and stomach feeling full and like he’s on fire. The fan is circling on the highest setting and it’s still not cooling the room fast enough.

“Why are you doing this to yourself?” she whispered and delicately laid an ice cold towel over his forehead and neck. Leon lets out a few groans of relief, feeling the soft cold terry cloth already making his mind clearer.

She takes her time to look over him. His dirtied blond hair matted to his forehead with his sweat. The hot sun had tinted his skin with a warmer glow, giving him a few freckles against the high points of his cheeks. But his blue eyes were tired and lost.

With a large exhale, her chest lowered. Her fingers reached out to flip the towels over, giving him more of the cooling feeling he so desperately needed. He groaned again, satisfied with the relief.

“Get some sleep Leon,” she whispers again. His eyes are still pointed at the fan. Swirling and swirling. A few more blinks and his eyes are shut, his chest rising steadily along with each breath.

The morning light fills the entire bedroom in that pleasantly annoying way. The sun is so perfectly bright and beautiful but Leon struggles to keep the light away, shielding his eyes with his arm as he struggles to fall asleep again. He can’t. His head is still pounding. Albeit more tolerable than last night. But more sleep is exactly what he wanted, he’s on vacation after all. Already regretting his choices yet again, he takes a few seconds to recount his night.

He had dinner by the little restaurant near the hotel, the bar. Drinks. More drinks. Even more drinks. Red cherry. The red drink. Red dress. The woman at the bar.

Ada.

His eyes snap open. The ice bucket is still on the floor next to the night stand. Thankfully empty. A tall glass of water and two round white pills are set onto the table along with a note card. His shoulders sunk, already dreading flipping the card to read it.

He couldn’t remember the night fully. Like it was just bits and pieces slowly coming back to him. All of his questions flooded in waves, pounding against his temples. The tidal wave question is promptly answered as he hears the hotel door swinging open.

His heart pounds as he leans his head just enough to see the door in his peripheral. Catching a glimpse of her dark black hair cascading and framing her face as she plucked off her shoes at the entryway.

“You’re up,” she hummed. Her outfit changed, a plunging halter dress in a subtle floral pattern. In her favourite colour of course. The few flowers were accented in shades of coral, complimenting her skin tone. She looked so refreshed, like how one should on vacation.

“Did you-?”

“Stay the night?” She finishes his question.

Leon nods his head.

“Well, considering you fell asleep right in the middle of the bed and you barely made any room for me,” she smiled and walked over towards him.

“I had to sleep in my own hotel room for the night. Came back in the morning to see you were still sleeping, so-” she pauses as she offers the him the water.

“For your hangover, which I assume you have,” she drops the two pills into his open palm.

He takes them in a few seconds. Popping the pills and downing the entire glass.

Silence fills the room again. The quietness only ending as Leon leans over to drop off the glass onto the night stand. She’s still here. Even if she didn’t stay the night. She’s still here. His hand twists at the sheets that lay underneath it. Wanting to reach over to her. Ada sits just a bit too far away from him. Just out of reach.

“Why are you here, Ada?” He asks in a single breath.

“I thought you were on vacation?”

“You know to be honest, I wasn’t expecting breakfast on the beach,” Leon smiled, chuckling as he dug into his eggs. The table is delicately decorated with an array of breakfast foods, filled with more sustancence than either of them could feasibly eat. Set in middle is a freshly picked bouquet of flowers in a crystal votive. His fork is inching towards a small bowl of freshly cut fruit, the orange and pink colours contrasting against the bright blue ocean in front of them.

“Do you know how to have a vacation?” She asked as she lowered her brown tinted sunglasses, eyeing him as she grabbed her drink. The pinky coloured glass was filled to the brim with ice, topped with a pastel pink paper umbrella and a cherry floating against the surface.

He teased her with a simple shake of his head.

She smiled, her head lowering to take a sip of her drink. She stared as his fork struggled, trying to poke at the fruit in the bowl. With a hum she grabbed her own fork, piercing the tropical fruit and presenting him the juiciest piece. Teasing him as she loosened her grip on the fork, steering the fruit away from him briefly.

His eyes narrowed, smile still on his face before he leaned in further to grab the fruit with a playful bite. Her lips curl upward as she pulls back the empty fork, digging in to grab another piece of fruit for herself.

The ocean is a deep blue. Crisp and clear and goes on forever. A sense of calm showers over them at the sight and sounds of the roaring waves as it continually crashes onto the shore. After they’re both satisfied with the meal, the breakfast table is cleared. A pair of empty lounge chairs are nearby, and little time is spent thinking on it before they occupy the both of them. The hot sun still high in the sky, annoying Leon briefly as he’d forgotten his sunglasses back in his hotel room.

“I suppose we’re just going to sit here all day then? Enjoy the sun?”

“You’ve never just relaxed before, have you Agent Kennedy?” Ada groans lightly, having apparently been enjoying the comfortable silence between them. She hums and sits up straight in her seat. Reaching downward in between their seats, she digs around in a woven beach bag that laid in the sand. Leon squints his eyes, trying to keep the sun out as he watches her rifling through her bag. It doesn’t go unnoticed by her as she chucks over a pair of spare sunglasses towards him.

He holds them, noticing the rather delicate design and some sort of designer logo branding on the side. Still holding them and now staring at her, he blinks a few times as she pulls out a deep blue plastic bottle. The labelling on it is decorated with waves and a happy little yellow sun on it.

“Are you going to keep staring?” She asks with a raise of her brow, flicking the top off of the bottle and allowing a dollop of the lotion to fall into her palm. Tossing the bottle aside in a few beats as she closes it and chucks it back into her bag.

“No, I-”

“Are you blushing?” She smirks as she slathers the lotion between her hands, the semi translucent cream coating her skin as she gingerly applies it onto her arms. Taking care to avoid her dress as she takes the rest towards her legs. Leon’s head is turned away just enough, although his eyes are still peering at her as she lifts the edge of her dress just enough as she rubs the lotion against her thighs.

He swallows, “can I- borrow some?” He clears his throat as he sits up straighter in his seat, his fingers neatly laying the sunglasses on the armrest of his chair.

“Sure, knock yourself out,” she adjusts her sunglasses and lays back down in her lounge seat. Stretching out her legs as she does so. He hesitates for a second before realizing he’d have to do it himself. A second passes before he leans into the side towards her bag. Thankfully the lotion remained at the top, making it so he didn’t need to dig for it.

Ada's proposal for breakfast had encouraged him enough to take a shower in the morning. A contemplative and regret filled shower in the mornings was usually the norm. But the prospects of breakfast with Ada was enough for him to be washed up in minutes.

As he stepped out of the bathroom, Ada caught a glimpse of him as he walked over to the closet and his suitcase. In his haste, the towel he wore was loosely tied around his waist. Only when she let out a brief clearing of her throat did he remember she was still sitting on his bed.

“I’ll be outside,” she smirks, holding onto her bag as she slips out from his room.

He had changed into a light coloured and comfortable fitting t-shirt button down and a pair of dark charcoal swim shorts. The hot sun had already dried his dark blond locks. Making his hair more bouncy and fluffy looking. His feet were bare, his sandals kicked off towards the side of his seat.

Behind the tinted shades of her sunglasses, she peered at him as he struggled to open the bottle. His hand then squeezing an obscenely large amount of the lotion into his opposite hand whilst also trying to close the bottle. Then struggling as he tried to strip himself of his shirt.

“Need a hand, handsome?”

“S-sure,” he exhaled a laugh.

He blushes at the pet name while sitting patiently as she left her seat and crawled over onto his. His eyes drop towards her hips and thighs as she sits dangerously close to his lap. His body reacting as calmly as he could as she begins to pry his shirt off. He watches her as she presented her open palm, seemingly waiting for him to grasp hers with the large amount of lotion still spilling out from his hand.

In an awkward handshake, she gathers the amount and watches for him to give her the go ahead. He gives her a simple nod and verbal hum.

Her hands are so soft and supple, so much smoother than his.

She glides the lotion across his shoulders first and down towards his chest. A playful dab of it is against his nose as he loses focus for a moment. Not catching her as she rubs the smallest amount of the lotion against his nose and the high points on his cheeks.

“I probably could’ve done that on my own,” he refutes with a small pout of his lips.

She simply rolls her eyes and continues, her hands still running along his arms. Feeling every muscle, scar and pulsing vein. Reaching along his arm and towards his chest again she catches a glimpse of his scar. That one that never faded.

The one she knew all too well.

The way her hands move along him is all too familiar, and foreign at the same time. Like he has to remember her again. Like the memory of her is still there, but it’s new also. How she touches him, how it makes him feel. Lost in the comfortable pleasure of it, he barely notices her as she stalls. Her fingers barely grazing his gunshot scar. That little reminder he received those years ago. That piercing wound that rewarded him with two mirroring scars from his chest to back. A single bullet that pierced him straight through.

If it were only a few inches lower or towards his centre, he could’ve had a completely different outcome. Both of them reminisce on this for a moment, remembering how he shielded her with his body without any hesitation. Not caring where any stray bullet could have landed. Any second sooner or later, everything could’ve ended differently. It was Leon’s decision to protect her after all. His choosing hesitate will always change things, alter things. If he choose to hesitate then- everything would be different.

She’s still staring at his scar. A moment that doesn’t go unnoticed by him as the pause lingers too long.

“Anywhere else?” He swallows. His eyes catching hers, that warm shade of honey brown that he can get lost in seconds. The way they glow when the sun hits it, it’s so warm.

Her dark lashes flutter, an anxious tick she has sometimes as she tries to compose herself. Her pink tongue escapes to lick against her glossy red lips, as if to prepare herself to speak.

“Just a bit more,” she lathers the last of the lotion against the exposed parts of his legs. Rubbing the excess of the lotion between her palms.

“I don’t suppose you’re in the mood for lunch any time soon, are you?” She asks, her exposed thigh pressed against him as she stay seated nearly in his lap. The feeling of her doesn’t go unnoticed by him, her warmth from her legs only amplified from the hot sun.

“Normally I would, but with how big breakfast was- I might actually be able to wait for an early dinner,” he chuckled warmly, his eyes squinting at her as the sun shone brighter for a moment. A scatter of clouds cleared in the sky, no longer filtering the sun’s bright rays. She nods, seemingly happy with his answer.

“…And I don’t suppose you’ve already explored the island?” He asks with a raised brow.

“I have, some. I know that you haven’t,” she quips back.

“Should I ask how many days you’ve been here? Watching me?”

“Don’t flatter yourself, I’ve seen the spa, the local shops. I love supporting small business,” she giggles warmly to herself. Her laughter warms his heart in a soft way he didn’t expect. It fills him and floods his chest, giving him fluttering butterflies that spring around wildly inside.

“Well, how do you feel about showing me the best parts of the island then? Since you’re the connoisseur of vacations,” he teased with a cock of his head.

There’s a brightness in his eyes. Maybe it’s the bright blue of the ocean reflecting off of his own ocean blues. The clouds of grey seems to have gone away. A sparkle reignited. The way his smile curves, it’s confident yet he’s hesitant to hear her answer. Like his body is nervously waiting for her reaction. His eyes are only stuck on her. The ocean crashing onto the shore fills the void before her answer reaches his ears.

The waters are cooling to the skin, even against the hot sun. Despite being in the water, Ada wears a beige woven sun hat. One with a wide brim that shields her face from the sun's rays. Leon tries his best to avoid looking at her too often. Occasionally catching the bright red of her bikini top and bottoms in his peripheral It's so absurdly distracting, how thin the straps are, tied in such simple knots that bind around her shoulders and the sides of her hips.

They’ve been walking around in shallow waters, just enough to reach their calves as the water moves towards them. Bringing them closer to the shore as they venture out further and further into the sea. The crystal waters glitter in bright white lights reflecting the sun.

His hands are in the water now, swaying and playing with the tops of it. He has the urge to dive in, get fully soaked. And the urges take over easily as he gives her a playful look before clasping his hands together to dive in. The splash is loud, the water flinging in every direction as he makes a few passes with his arms, his legs kicking about as he swims a few meters into the water. His head is wet with water, his hair soaked as he wrings out just enough to keep the water from dripping onto his face.

“And here I thought you weren’t capable of having fun,” she calls out towards him, still enjoying walking around and dragging her feet in the soft sands.

“I could say the same for you, aren’t you diving in?” His eyes narrow at her, a growing grin on his face. The water feels amazing, and he can’t help but submerge himself again. He rises up moments later, shaking his head like a puppy to rid of the water. His hair flying every which was as he shakes off the excess.

“Oh I’ve done my fill of swimming for now. I’m perfectly happy walking around in the water,” she fixes her sun hat. Lifting her head just enough to see him still shaking off the water from his hair.

“That’s not as fun.”

Leon’s strong arms take him towards her quickly, the waves aiding him towards the shore as he reaches her in seconds. Her voice is caught in her throat as she feels his warm hands around her waist, bringing her deeper and deeper into water. Her laughter fills his ears as she struggles to avoid getting more soaked. Her hands tightly grabbing his wrists. The momentum of the water is too strong for the both of them. A wave splashing them and submerging them in the sea water.

“I’m sorry about your hat,” Leon half grimaces as he sees Ada struggling to shake the water out of her soaked woven sun hat.

“It’s fine. Who knew you could be so spontaneous,” she teased and held her soaking hat in her hand as they walked back towards the shore.

He watches her as they walk. Her dark hair is soaked, some of her fringe stuck against her forehead as the water drips slowly down her temples and her cheeks. He feels the urge to brush the stray hairs away, fix them for her that he knows that surely she would want them to be. And yet he can’t help but see how imperfectly perfect it is. Moments of clarity where she just seems like her most natural self. A smile on her face, a warm blush on her cheeks. The rose colour of her lips. The water droplets that continually drip down her body and along every curve.

“Leon?”

“What is it?” he asks, being shaken out of his trance.

“Still feel like exploring the island?”

The first point of their excursion consists of a small gift shop. Riddled with tropical themed items, ocean related knick knacks and a selection of key chains of various ocean related animals. Leon’s quick to replace Ada’s ruined sun hat, finding one similar and holding onto it. While her eyes are stuck on the keychains, her fingers carding through the animals and palm tree charms that were hooked onto the display.

The rest of the shelves are filled with first aid and emergency items, and an array of sunblock and lotions. The previous aisle he was in housed the clothing; sunhats, bathing suits and beach coverups. Leon is mindlessly walking down the the rest of the aisles in the shop, only pausing occasionally to look for Ada and her whereabouts.

She’s still looking through the keychains.

Standing in front of one of the shelves he looks outside the glass window of the shop. Seeing a few people as they also explored the shops, all decked out in swimsuits and tropical wear. He’s so distracted he barely notices the stand in front of him. Looking downward he’s faced with a line of personal care items. Stumbling, he sees a row of small rectangular boxes of condoms, along with a pink plastic bottle of oil, or something- He’s too embarrassed to acknowledge anything else as he briskly walks as far as he can from the shelf.

Ada’s lips are pursed as she hums and tilts her head from side to side. Her eyes set between two different keychains. Both with adorable little animals attached to them.

“Did you find anything you’d like?” Ada asks him, not even looking away from the keychains between her hands.

“Uhh, well I figure I should get you a new sun hat, since I ruined your other one,” he smiles. Presenting her with a similar style sun hat. Although a lot less refined looking. The bow around the head of the hat is a bit too cheap looking for her tastes.

“You didn’t find anything for yourself that you’d like?” She looks up at him, the two key rings still hung between her two index fingers.

“Which one do you like better?” She asks as she lifts them upward just a few inches towards his face. Leon stares between the two animal charms, his eyes going cross eyed for a moment before he alternates between the two.

“They’re both cute, I guess,” he gives her a half smile.

She pouts and whines, “you guess?” She lowers towards the rack again, picking through them again to see if she had missed any of the other animals. He can’t help but eye her as she bends over slightly. The edge of her dress hitting right at her upper thighs. A cough interrupts his thoughts, the young looking cashier giving him some sort of a sly look; noticing that Leon was clearly checking out Ada’s ass. Leon gives him a sheepish grin before clearing his throat himself.

“Uh pick whichever one you like, I’ll buy it. Along with the hat,” he gestures by raising the sun hat. The little hand written price tag still wagging and twisting on its little plastic thread.

The sun hat is packed in a comically large paper bag, along with the charm that Ada had purchased on her own, away from Leon's prying eyes and despite Leon’s protests. He retaliated by insisting on carrying the gift bag along with her soaked sunhat, while they explored more of the island. Passing by other little gift shops and art galleries, all filled with shades of blues and sandy taupes.

The selection of restaurants were few and far between. Mostly ranging from small mom and pop shops, to a few more fine dining restaurants that lined the shoreline. Opulently styled settings in private sections of the beach that allowed the most romantic outings. Ada had already been eyeing one of the tables as it sat almost too perfectly close to the waters. As if the ocean waves could’ve brushed against their feet. The table is decorated with a few glass votives with candles that burned and illuminated the space. The arrangement of flowers are unique and displayed in an organic shaped vase.

After the few hours of walking around and exploring the island, they were more than eager to take a seat for a bit.

“Let me guess, you want to have dinner there?” He smirked and gestured towards the empty tables that lined the beach. His brows raising as if he were interested as well.

“Well if you’re offering,” her expression mirroring his.

Leon watched her carefully as she sat with the menu. A page of it pressed between her fingers as she flipped it. The ends of her hair were curled inward around her neck as they dried from the salt water and sun. The rest of her hair dried in beach-y waves that framed her face. Her other hand rested against her cheek, her elbow pressed against the top of the table. Her skin was even more tanned, the tops of her shoulders blushing almost pink. The red corals of her dress were highlighted and complemented by the orange sun as it slowly set in the distance.

The skies were painted in shades of orange, pink and purples. The water slow as it moved towards them. The shade of the ocean deeper and darker as night slowly creeped along the horizon.

“Have you eaten here before?” He asks as he plays with the menu before pushing it to the side to relax in his seat. Taking a moment to enjoy the sunset.

“I haven’t,” she murmurs from behind the menu.

“Really? I’m surprised, this really seems like the place you’d want to go,” his lips turned into an upside down smile.

She responds simply by laying another page of the menu down, reading the new page as it listed its mains and desserts at the bottom.

As the night creeps closer, he takes a moment to pry.

“Ada, why did you choose here? On this island of all places?” He asks, sitting straight in his seat. Trying his best to appear as still as possible. The slight change in his tone of voice and the cooling breeze brings a chill to her skin.

The waiter returns. Of course at the most opportune time to interrupt as she lists off their specials for the night. The steak and seafood dish piques Leon’s interest, while more than a few of the specials interests Ada.

“I’ll give you two a few more moments to decide,” the waiter smiles warmly and sets down two glasses of ice cold water onto their table before briskly walking away. Ada brings the water closer to her side. Feeling the cold moisture of the glass in her fingers as she brings the glass to her lips for a sip. Leon follows suite, mirroring her to take a sip as well. The ice cold feeling shooting right through him and towards his chest and stomach.

She lays the glass back down. Her fingers reaching to play with one of the leaves in the flower arrangement on the table, “Can’t a girl enjoy a vacation as well?”

“On the same island that I decided to vacation at?”

“Oh, please, I heard of this place before you did,” she hummed, her fingers pressing into one of the soft petals of the flowers. She’d rather lie than admit she only came here to see him again.

The appetizers arrive quickly. Along with a single drink for Ada as Leon refrained from drinking for the evening meal. Each dish is fresh and tasty, not that they expected any differently. And Leon is more than happy to dig into a juicy steak. The view couldn’t be beat either. The setting sun, the scent of the ocean, the ambience of the waves and the flickering candles on the table. And Ada sitting on the other side of him, enjoying her meal with a smile on her face.

She watches him too. Digging into his meal so quickly, she’s almost afraid he won’t be able to enjoy it as well if he doesn’t slow down. She pauses to sip on her drink. She’s always been a light drinker. One drink for dinner occasionally. Rarely does she have two. The mixture of liquors and bitters in it accents the citrus well in her drink. Making her take her time with it to allow the flavours to mingle together. Her slower pace only encourages Leon to slow his as well, allowing them to enjoy the sun as begins its descent.

The wax melts, pooling into the crystal votives. The shades in the sky are even darker as the sun hits the horizon, creeping lower and lower into the sea.

Leon smiles as he watches her digging into her dessert. A strawberry pierced onto her fork as she takes the smallest bite from it. Savouring every little piece.

“You want any?” She quirks her head. Presenting him with a piece of it. Some sort of cake coated with caramel and some sort of drizzle of chocolate as well.

He hesitates only for a second and silently leans in, jutting out his chin towards her and playfully takes the bite.

“That’s too sweet,” he licks his lips clean. Tasting the sugars and creams on his tongue.

“A bit, but I like it,” she presses the prongs of the fork against her bottom lip. Tapping them against them inquisitively before digging back into her sweets.

They argue over the bill for a while. The waitress finally asking for at least one of them to pay.

“You two are adorable. How long have you two been together?” She asks with a smile, her hands still on the cheque holder as she waits for Leon to finish signing the bill.

Leon’s pen stalls on the paper, his eyes widening as he looks up at Ada, “Uh-”

“This is our first date? Maybe second?” Ada responds cooly, her almost empty glass balanced between her fingers.

“Could’ve fooled me,” the waitress smiles warmly, grabbing the bill from Leon after he quickly scribbled the rest.

“Thanks you two, I hope you enjoy your date night!” she smiles cheerfully. She bids them farewell with a playful wink and then a wave goodbye with the cheque holder in her hands, eager to walk away and see the hefty tip that Leon had left her.

The walk back towards the hotel isn’t too long. But without the commotion of the day, the night is a lot quieter than they expected. The silence between them isn’t uncomfortable. But comfortable wasn’t the right word either.

“So a date, huh?”

“Well, what else was it?” Ada hums and gathers the strap of her bag. Readjusting it on her shoulder. She quietly grimaces to herself. Spending all day with Leon in the hot sun. The fact she didn’t wear her hat for most of the day didn’t help either with preventing the slight sunburn that was forming on the tops of her shoulders and back. Leon catches on quick, noticing the redness slowly creeping onto her skin.

“Here,” he offers with his free hand. The other still holding into the gift bag from the shop.

“What a gentleman,” grins, delicately handing him her bag. She rolls her shoulders, trying to ignore the slight irritation.

“I guess I should’ve applied your sunblock on for you,” he pouts his lips, watching her as she tapped against her shoulders to try and alleviate some of the pain.

“What so you can have your hands all over me?”

Leon’s mouth falls open, “No! That’s not what I meant!” His hands splayed open, innocently facing upwards and out.

“So cute,” she responds with an airy giggle.

Leon’s free hand had been in his pocket for a while now. Palming the keycard for his hotel room as they approached closer towards their pairs of accommodations. His hand sweats as they approach the hallway towards his room. She’s still walking next to him, all the way up towards the doorway.

“I um,” he gathers the gift bag along with her woven tote bag. Both of the straps in his palm. The straps feel hot in his hand. Maybe his hands are just hot. The keycard is still in his other hand. He watches her, all she’s doing is smiling softly. Staring at him and nothing else. He fights inside of himself.

Tell her good night. Tell her you had a good day with her. Tell her that despite everything between them, today meant a lot to him. Tell her good night. Tell her good night.

“Did you want to come in? I might have something for your sunburn,” he gestures towards his hotel door with his free hand.

“Sure,” she responds and turns towards the door to slide a key card into the silver handle. The light turns green as the locking mechanism turns. He takes no time to rationalize why she had a key card to his hotel room or the fact that he’d already forgotten that in the morning that she returned to his room without any issues; and simply twisted the handle to open it.

He waits for her to enter and flicks on the lights afterwards. The entry area that greets them before the bedroom is lit up in a warm glow. The rest of the hotel room dimly lit by the light from the window. Leon isn’t unfamiliar with the sight of her in his hotel rooms. They were the few common places they’d run into together. More often than not with the night ending with them tangled between each other and the sheets; and with him finding the bed empty in the mornings.

Ada makes her way towards the other side of his hotel room. Taking a moment to have a glance outside of the window to see the ocean. “Well, I have to admit your view is better than mine,” she hums and takes a seat on the window sill.

The door closes and locks, and he drops off the bags near the door. Exhaling deeply he closes the distance in a few steps and stands next to her at the window.

“I doubt that,” he exhales a chuckle, his gaze fixated on her profile as she stares outside.

“I love being near the ocean,” she whispers, almost too quiet for Leon to hear.

“Really?” He quirks a brow, taking a moment to look out the window as well.

“It’s so freeing. The waters are so blue. They can be so calming and relaxing with soft waves, and yet can grow dangerous with strong storms. They feel unpredictable yet so tranquil and peaceful at the same time,” she explains with a smile on her face, her eyes still stuck on the crashing waves.

“I didn’t know you could be so sentimental,” he exhales a laugh through his nose. His arms cross his chest as he leans his shoulder against the wall next to the window.

He eyes her exposed shoulder again, seeing her reddening skin.

“Sit tight, I’ll grab something for your burns,” he presses off the wall from his shoulder and heads to the bathroom. The light illuminates from there and seeps into the bedroom as he digs through one of his travel bags.

Ada grazes her fingers along her shoulders again, silently cursing herself for not realizing how hot it was today. It’s tender to the touch and slightly painful each time her fingertips press too harshly.

Leon returns with a few things in his hands. Setting them on the window sill as he pours a clear substance into his palm.

“May I?” He asks firmly this time. Polite but with authority. She responds by slipping the straps down her shoulders whilst holding the bodice of her dress with her other hand. Sitting down next to her, he gently applies the gel. The immediate cooling affects already working as she lets out a soft sigh. His hands are gentle and timid. The sheer size of them taking over most of her shoulder. His two fingers are gently ghosting along the tops of her shoulders, dragging downwards towards the rest of the burn. His eyes trail along her décolleté, briefly catching the way her hands are pressed into her breasts. His eyes snap back to his fingers as they follow along and reach the other side of her chest. He eyes her own scar. A reflection of his. Hers had healed a lot better than his. A mere white circle that most would miss. He coats her other shoulder with the gel, his eyes still on the scar.

His throat is loud as he swallows, seeing her hands as she holds the top of her dress, the plunging neckline showcasing her full breasts in front of him.

“You’re staring, Leon,” she whispers in a low voice.

“I’m just making sure I got all of it,” he narrows his eyes at her. He runs his hand along her chest again finishing as he reaches her left shoulder.

“Here, use this if you want,” he offers a cool towel.

She simply shakes her head, “whatever you used was good enough. I already feel a lot better,” she tilts her upward to meet his gaze. “Thank you,” she hums with an appreciative tone, their faces are only mere inches apart.

“S-sure,” he nods.

They sit together, enjoying the ocean as it continually brushes onto the sands. As the night goes on, they relax in the comfort of his hotel room. The quiet between them slowly growing more and more comfortable. The space between them growing smaller and smaller. The inevitable always happens, and yet they’ve haven’t crossed that line yet. Leon eyes the bed. It’s been made in the same pristine way it had been every day. Crease less and clinical with how the pillows are placed and fluffed.

“Getting tired?”

Leon is not tired. He is in fact, entirely wide awake. Being on vacation, he supposes there is no bedtime. He takes a pause before shaking his head, “are you?”

She repeats his head shaking, no.

He doesn’t hesitate.

“Will you stay?”

They don’t remember how they ended up on the bed. Ada’s tucked in between Leon’s arm and chest with her head resting on him. The fan blades are circling above them, fanning them with soft cool air. Leon feels her hand dragging her fingertip against his shirt.

Both of them are still wide awake. The light is still on. Clothes still on. They’re simply silent between each other. Only their soft breathing and the thumping of Leon’s heart is heard from Ada. Leon’s focusing on the fan above them, wanting to focus on anything other than her warm body against him. Her intoxicating scent and the way it tingles through his body.

His eyes lazily fall down from the ceiling and along the wall. His head twists just enough to see her hand against his chest. Repeating the same patterns.

“What do you think we’re doing?”

“I ask myself that quite often,” she hums and twists her head to get into a more comfortable position. The way she sways her head splays more of her hair onto his chest. The soft scent of her shampoo and the air of the ocean still lingers. It’s gentle and fragrant. Contrasting the sweet and dark scent of her perfume that she often wears. He can still smell her, inhaling more of her as his chest rises.

His arm tenses around her, bringing her closer onto his chest. His other hand nervously pressing his own fingers into his palm. Pressure placed onto the meaty part of his thumb. A pressure that’s almost painful before he releases. He repeats the same action a few times.

He remembers one of the times they were in a hotel room together, she had all of the upper hand. Damn the dress she wore. Like it was made for her as it hugged every single curve of her body, like it was a second skin. The glittering fabrics caught his eye every single second he tried to turn away. Like a moth to a flame, he kept chasing her. The very memory of it is in the forefront of his mind. And he’s unsure if he wants to repeat it. She hadn’t initiated anything yet. Simply resting on top of him as she drew nonsensical patterns and shapes on his shirt.

His fingers release from the fist it was stuck in. Reaching to grasp at her wrist, pulling her hand away from his chest.

Ada’s expression is unreadable. In the dim light, he can barely make out anything from her. Any minute detail is hard to see. If the expression in her eyes change. If her lips upturn or downturn. Her hand remains limp in his grasp. Not fighting him, but not giving in either.

“I don’t want this to be a mistake,” he whispers, his fingers are tender on her skin. Pressing his index finger gently into the soft part of her wrist. Splaying his fingers and intertwining with her fingers.

Her fingers are laying straight, taking their time to curl into his. He watches as their hands fit together, like two pieces of a puzzle.

“Let’s not make any mistakes then,” she exhales. Her voice shaking only for a second. Almost imperceivable, but Leon can hear it. He can feel her loosening up in his embrace. Her body growing languid as she melts into him.

She’s afraid.

She’s never afraid.

He urges her upward, rising up in the bed with her. Her head questioning him with a small tilt. She stares at him intently, the darks of her growing. With his arm slipping away he hovers above her. His arms on either side of her head, pressed chest to chest. The muscles in his arms tense as he keeps his weight off of her, caging her beneath him. He watches her with an expression he hadn’t seen before. Although he doesn’t have much time to decipher it as she angles her head closer to his.

With the tiniest space between them, she raises her arms to grasp the sides of his face. Reading his expression one last time before she makes the surge forward.

Her lips are soft. And barely there. He can feel her warmth, her soft breath.

It’s timid. Unsure and shy.

He feels his hair falling and cascading onto her face. And her fingers spreading through his hair to push it out of the way. How tender her hands are.

The softest kiss.

Having spent the entire day with her. All he can think of is this moment. Another kiss. The soft presses of his lips against hers. Trailing along her cheeks and down her jawline and neck. He grasps the straps of her dress, watching her with careful eyes as he drags them down. Exposing her breasts to him. She’s a delicious dessert and he’d spent all day wanting it.

She helps him as he tugs and pulls her dress off. Shedding the rest of her clothing until she’s completely bare underneath him. Her bathing suit had left little to the imagination from earlier. But the sight of her like this unlike any other. He takes another moment to memorize her like this again. Remembering every detail he had somehow forgotten, praying he doesn’t forget her again.

He grabs one of the pillows that’s tucked against the headboard of the bed and places it underneath her hips. Positioning her in front of him as he spreads her legs apart. She warm and wet, pink and flushed.

With her thighs resting on his shoulders, he brushes his nose against her. His fingers spreading her open as his tongue prods and licks at her opening. Her taste is divine. The way it fills and spreads on his tongue as her wetness coats his lips. He hears her soft whimpers and whines along with the sounds of the fabrics in between her fingers as she fists the sheets. Dragging and pulling away from the bed as he works her open. Licking and prodding at her, watching as her essence leaks from her. His other hand is wrapped around her thigh, keeping her steady with each little twitch and twinge of her hips. Quivering and reaching closer towards his swirling tongue.

He looks up at her again. Waiting for approval before he slides one of his long fingers inside of her. Curling and hooking into her as his tongue flicks at her wet swollen clit. He gives no time for her to adjust as he spreads her open with another of his fingers, scissoring into her. Her hand is quick to tug into his dark blond locks, twisting and pulling for his eagerness. The pain against his scalp is enough for him to let out a breathy desperate moan.

Leon licks his lips clean, tasting her all over on his tongue. His fingers still curled deep inside of her as he stares her down. His eyes narrow, one of his angled brows raising as he smirks wide. Feeling like he’s had the upper hand for once.

She notices his arrogance. “So confident, hmm?” she tugs at his hair again. Enough for him to let out a softer pleased filled moan, the pain of it just enough to inch his head further towards her belly. He plants a kiss there, trailing his kisses up her torso and breasts. His wet fingers still swirling and thrusting inside of her, his thumb pressing tight circles against her clit. His fingers remembering exactly how she liked it.

He had barely registered what she said as he trailed his kisses back up towards her neck. Her grasp on his hair is still taunt, twisting occasionally between her fingers before letting go lightly. Her sweet moans reflect with the way she tugs at him. Her other hand is clawing into his back, her nails pressing the fabric of his shirt into his skin. But it feels dulled, the sharpness of her nails dampened by the single fabric.

He speeds up his fingers, eliciting a throaty whine from her. His head shoots upward to watch her, his eyes fixated on her face. Transcending into a higher plane of pleasure. Her lips part, more moans and whines echoing. Her eyes are half lidded, her chest heaving and curling into him. Her thighs shake, twitching throughout her body as he feels her falling apart on his fingers. Her head twists, her cheek pressed into the soft fabric of the pillow as she cums, soaking his fingers with her creamy essence.

“Be a good boy,” she breathes and slowly twists her head towards him. He watches her as her eyes darken a shade, her lips bitten red from her attempts to stifle her moans. A desperate moan escaped her lips as she feels his fingers slipping away from her. Leon licks his lips once over before pressing his soaked fingers into his mouth, licking them clean as he keeps his eyes on her. The taste of her fills his tongue again, intoxicating him as he laved at his appendages.

Ada feels more exposed than normal, the fact he’s still completely clothed did nothing to help. Her arms stretch out and grab at the collar of his shirt, hastily tugging at it and pulling it off and over his head. Passion filled and animalistic; contrasting the almost careful and timid way she removed his shirt from earlier on in the day. The rest of his clothing is removed in seconds. Leon helping her to rid the rest of it.

She swallows, seeing the strong muscles in his legs as they moved as he settles back onto the bed. His legs spread, his thick cock leaking against his thigh. He moves as if his body is on auto-pilot, reacting to his inner urges rather than his head or his heart.

“Are you going to behave like a good puppy?” She asks sweetly, crawling onto him curiously. Her hands pawing at him as she makes her way over in between his thighs. Her nails digging into him along the way, giving him jolts of painful pleasure. With his thighs spread she splayed her hand around the base of his cock. A hiss seething from his clenched teeth, Leon’s eyes roll as he feels her giving him a generous pump of his cock. Her hand gives him another faster pump as she palms the tip of his cock, gathering his slick before slathering it down the length. Her fingers wrapped around the base and playing with him. Teasing him in ways that always got him hot and heavy.

“Are you going to behave Leon?” She asks again, stalling her movements with her question.

“F-fuck, yes,” he grunts, his gaze stuck on her hand as she pumps him again.

“Yes what?”

“Fuck, I’ll behave,” he groans, this time longer with more annoyance.

“You don’t sound very appreciative, Agent Kennedy,” she elongates his formal title, her voice sweet saccharine in pitch as she gives him another agonizingly slow pump. The head of his cock is leaking profusely, coating him with his sticky precum.

His groans grow louder, more rabid and unrestrained. A powerful grunt from his chest echos as he watches the tip of Ada’s soft pink tongue swirling the tip of his cock. Her hand is at a glacial pace running up and down, feeling each and every single vein and pulse of his cock.

Her lashes flutter, her cheeks flushing with pink warmth as she hollows her cheek, engulfing the head of his cock with little warning. Offering the same little warning that he did for her. He rolls his eyes, the heat from her mouth spreading throughout his entire body. His face dampens with sweat, the air from his lips hot and releasing in desperate pants for breath.

An audible pop rings as Ada lips release from his cock. Leon’s head unconsciously presses forcefully into the bed beneath him, his hips straining to reach for her hand as she continually pumps his cock at a leisurely pace.

“Ada,” he strains his voice. “Ada, please,” his voice wanes as he whines.

Something in him snaps.

The hold on his head and his heart push forward. Ignoring whatever words she had said.

…

He can barely hear her words, as they come from her lips like a pur. Smooth and sultry. But it’s not what he wants. He needs more from her.

His ears are ringing, his cock unbearably uncomfortable as all pleasure and friction is lost as she unwraps her fingers from it.

“Please,” he begs. Desperately wanting anything she’d be willing to give, but it’s somehow not enough anymore. The desperation in his voice doesn’t go unnoticed by her. The routine they had built was shallow. With little bits of the truth slipping through the cracks. She wants more than just this.

The facade drops. As if everything suddenly fell apart between them.

The complicated web they weave is untangled each second they spend together. An innocent day filled with rather mundane activities and yet each time they end up like this. Each time they get closer, there’s a pull. Dragging them away from each other. A fear in their hearts that this is the last time. That the pleasure they want, isn’t what they deserve. She can see it in him. The fear she has all too well. Begging for something as if it’s the last time. Even she knows she’s not strong enough to avoid it this time. That she’s tied to him in ways she can’t describe.

“Leon.”

Her gaze shifts. A glassiness to her eyes that reflects the dim light. A fragility that he always sees in moments like these. A vulnerability that she never lets escape to the surface.

Still tangled in each other’s embrace, Leon finally breaks the silence.

“Let me love you the way I want to,” he asks softly.

His hand reaches to cradle the sides of her face. His fingers tenderly carding through her dark hair to push it away, allowing him to see more of her of the delicate features of her face. His touch is so tender. So soft it nearly brings the tears in Ada’s eyes to the edge. Just brimming the ends of her long lashes. Every time he gets closer to her; and every time she lets him in.

His gentle kiss asks permission for more. Chaste at first. Waiting for her to make the move. Her hands weave and wander along his neck and shoulders, holding onto him as she grows plaint. Letting him easily maneuver her underneath him. He holds her hip gently, spreading her legs around his waist. Letting her lay comfortably on the soft sheets of the bed. Padding the pillow beneath her head with his other hand. Tracing his fingers into her hair as it dances over the pillow.

The moment is tender, careful and all too loving. It’s not a intense rough fucking. One filled with teasing and reward. Nothing to work for, nothing to be earned or gained.

“Don’t shy away from me,” his finger continues to caress her cheek, bringing her back to him.

Ada feels the warmth from her chest growing slowly at first. Then spreading like wildfire throughout her body. It’s a tenderness from him she thinks she’s undeserving of; a love all too consuming. He looks angelic like this, his hair glowing in the light and haloing around his head. With each gentle kiss he places on her, his hair sways into his face, covering his eye. She raises a delicate hand to brush aside his hair. Showing her his loving gaze. It’s so warm. Her thighs squeeze around his hips, bringing him closer to her.

His boyish smile fills his face. His perfect warm smile. He places another kiss on her forehead, his eyes nearly snapping shut as he presses into her. Her mouth falls open in a silent whine. Feeling him as he stretches her open, filling her until he’s fully seated inside. His body falls a fraction, the warm pleasure radiating and taking over as he gives her a tentative pull back and thrust of his hips. His hand tightly grips her hip, nearly blemishing her skin with his fingerprints.

With each thrust he firmly holds onto her. Relishing the feeling of her warm wet walls hugging every inch of his cock overwhelms him ways he can’t describe. The lewd wet sounds emanating from where their cores meet grow louder as he desperately lifts her hips and pushes her onto his cock. A steady pace that focuses on each movement rather than speed. Making sure she can feel every single inch of him.

“Look at me, please.”

Ada’s eyes perk up, catching his gaze. Reaching for him as he chases her for another kiss. His moans against her lips are sweet and addicting. Her kisses are fervent, and still delicately placed against his face and neck. Each one eliciting an intensity growing in him. His hand near her head trails down her shoulder and arm, wrapping around her wrist and pressing into her palm. She mirrors him as their fingers envelope into each others. Grasping each other hands, all the while their bodies mindlessly rut into each other.

He buries his head into the crook of her shoulder, hot breath fanning across her neck as his hips snap faster into her. The angle brushing the head of his cock perfectly into her. He hears her, the sharp twisting of her voice. Crying for more. The airy desire in her moans. The grasping of her hand against him, forcefully digging her fingernails into the skin of his back. Her trembling thighs shake, twitching her body all the way into how she curls her back from the bed. Pressing her full breasts into his chest.

“Look at me,” he begs again.

Ada’s eyes are barely able to open, her mind fuzzy and her hearing filled with the wet slapping of skin, the bed shaking and their heavy breathing. He can barely hold it off. Wanting to bring her over the edge with him. The way her warm pussy pulls him in with each thrust nearly topples him over. His heavy cock begging to spill into her.

“Come with me please,” she whispers in a single breath.

His hips continually snap forward, her own slamming onto him, clinging onto him as she feels the beginning of her climax washing over her. Her steady and rapidly increasing heart beat pumping in her ears. The ringing starts. Her voice quickens and stutters with his name. In mere seconds her slick covered walls squeeze every part of him. Triggering his climax and following in a few weakening thrusts. Slowing in rhythm as his cock spills everything inside of her, filling her until he plants himself inside deeply.

The warmth she feels explodes into pleasure that courses through her, overstimulating her as she clings onto him, shaking and letting go of every single fibre of her being.

His weight grows heavy on her. Her core still tingling and twitching. His seed spilling out of her and onto the sheets.

“Leon.”

He hears her serene voice repeating his name, calling for him. With the bit of strength he has he lifts his head to meet her face. Immediately surging towards her lips at the sight of her smile. A warm giggle tries to escape from her lips, squashed from their kiss. A sloppy one that elicits another deep chuckle from him. Each one peppers more kisses, ones that feel like they’re not going to stop.

His stamina is tested as the night continues on. Hours spent in his hotel bed, wrapped into each other. Going until she nearly begs him to stop. She rides him until he can barely take it, their skin red and flushed. His head reeling with nothing but the chase for the high. The ecstasy of it.

In the late hours of the night, their bodies are satiated. Tingles and butterflies fluttering through every part of them. Hips bruised and imprinted with each other’s fingerprints. Lip prints marked on necks and chests.

Despite her protests, Leon takes the time to apply more of the gel for her sunburn. His hands confident on where to go, and how far he can go.

“I don’t think I have any sun burns there Leon,” she presses her chin lightly against her shoulder, turning her head to scold him with a smile. His fingers are cleaned from the gel and he can’t help but run his palms along her chest, cupping her breasts between both hands.

“Really?” He scoffs with a smile. “Better to be safe than sorry,” he finishes by leaning in for another kiss.

“This,” she simply says, a singular hum following her word.

“Hmm?” He hums as he gathers her into his arms. Pressing her into his chest as he lays down into the bed. Letting her perch herself onto him.

“I like you like this,” she replies and returns to drawing her fingertip against his bare chest.

“Naked?” He teases her with a warm laugh.

She smiles although he can’t see her. He can however feel her rolling her eyes at him.

“I like when we’re both like this.”

“Like what?”

This time she lifts her head towards him. Her expression is alluring and captivating, her dark hair framing her face, the bitten red hue of her lips. The warm flush against her cheeks that remain on her skin. The inviting look of her eyes.

The years haven’t been kind to Leon. But his good nature and strength lingers in him. It wanes and grows with time, running into obstacles but he always overcomes them. He hadn’t given up before, and she didn’t want to see him give up just yet. She watches him as he lazily lets out a soft yawn, the tension in his face released as he grows more sleepy. Closing his eyes briefly, his lashes slowly fluttering closed. He looks so much more peaceful like this, like all the pain had washed away. The tension in his brows released, his lips upturned in an effortless smile.

“Together,” she whispers.

Ada wakes as the morning light greets her. She so often rises before the sun even peeks at the sky. Always slipping away in the early morning or the night. She was never comfortable with goodbyes or overstaying her welcome. It was always easier to leave. But she didn’t want to leave him this time.

The sun is bright. Warm and inviting. Just like Leon had always been to her. She turned towards him, watching him as he slept. Still lost in a dream as he laid next to her. His arm wrapped around her even as he slept.

He looks so free.

Ada let her impulses take over, leaning in to brush his hair away from his face. Her finger ghosting along his cheekbone and jawline, feeling the soft stubble there.

“Ada,” he quietly breathes out, his eyes slowly opening.

“You’re still here,” his smiles somehow grows wider, reaching his eyes.

“You’re still here too,” she quips back.

“This is my hotel room,” he all too easily over takes her, trapping her underneath him.

“One night is all it takes huh?” She tilts her head upward towards him, trailing a lingering kiss against his jawline.

It wasn’t just the night.

The rest of their vacation was spent together. Exploring the rest of the island or back in the hotel room. Ada had shown Leon how to live a little, all the while she was breaking down her own walls. Letting him in bit by bit no matter how much she struggled. That each morning they woke with each other still there, it formed a new bond. A breakthrough was made.

When the vacation was nearing its end. Leon silently knew they would have to part ways again. The pain of it was less gut wrenching this time. The heartbreaking feeling he always felt whenever she left was no longer with him. No longer scarring and digging into his soul; instead as if the ties binding his heart were simply him holding it in place instead.

He held her one more time, breathing in her soft sweet scent to remember for next time. Remembering the feeling of her embrace. Remembering the gentle touch of her hand and the tender warmth of her lips.

It feels easier now.

The few remaining questions that bounce off in his head roll off of his tongue easier now, wanting to have them all answered before they part.

“Back before… on the boat. I said that Raccoon city changed me... and I asked you if you had changed,” he says, his head still pressed against hers.

She merely nods against him.

“I didn’t understand you back then. I’m not even sure if I even do now-” he pauses with a laugh, his hands resting on the small of her back and trailing onto her hips and waist as he held her.

“Maybe you have figured me out, maybe I haven’t really changed,” he lifts his head to meet her eyes.

“But I like to think that I changed you,” he nods with his words.

A smile grows on her face, “maybe you did,” she exhales a short laugh.

The last lingering question he has for her blurts out of his lips before he can stop himself.

“When will I see you again?” he asks, his brows furrowing together lightly, although a smile is still painted on his face.

He feels the soft press of her lips against his. A warm kiss that lingers throughout him, the soft perfume of her filling his nostrils as he drinks her in one more time. Her hands wrapped around his neck and shoulders trailed down to his hand. Her fingers enveloping into his again. It feels natural now, as if her hands were meant to be in his.

She smiles, watching his expression as slight confusion fills it. When she releases her hold from his hand, he feels a paper like texture in the palm of his hand. Before he can react much, he feels another of her kisses against his cheek before she slips away.

“You’ll figure it out. See you later, Leon,” she smiles softly. Giving him a wave before she begins walking away. His eyes are stuck on her form as she slowly disappears from him. Only when he can no longer make her out from the crowd does he look down into his palm. It’s neatly wrapped with a pastel blue ribbon tied around it. He tugs on it, undoing the perfect bow. The paper unfolds neatly by itself. A little green turtle keychain appears from the wrapping.

He chuckles warmly with a grin, “very cute.” He can’t help but eye the key attached to it, along with the zipper enclosure along the side of the shell of the turtle.

He smiles. Knowing that’s all he needed from her. For now.

#Leon Kennedy x ada Wong #leon kennedy #leon s kennedy #Leon x ada #aeon #aeon fic #ada wong #ada wong x leon kennedy #resident evil damnation #re4r #resident evil #resident evil fic #aeon smut #leon kennedy smut #ada wong smut

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discourseposter · 28 days

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i know you made that post like a week ago but the idea of the u.s. having unobstructed democracy is literally just one of the myths used to convince people that its a morally superior country. like black people and immigrants and poor people in general have to jump thru so many hoops to register to vote. and the bipartisan system is so forced that quite literally it does not work to vote third party in federal elections. i really fucking wish it did but it doesnt. the usamericans online who are all fighting over voting for biden or not voting at all are a tiny minority and they couldn't get a third party candidate elected even if they all magically agreed on one. if it was a real democracy than they would be doing what you want them to do, not agonizing over all the other shitty options that they have

AND leftists wouldve actually been successful in voting against imperialism for the past 200 yrs.. like this is not our choice. i know most americans are total pieces of shit about everyone else but the actual allies and sympathizers of the u.s.'s victims really are powerless within the system

Hi! I've left this ask simmer in my head for a whole day because I really wanted to digest it and put it down in a way that made some sense.

Fair warning I'm about to get rlly political about imperialism under the cut

I've received a lot of comments in that post about how democracy in the US is not as straightforward as it appears —I've gathered as much, which is why i referred to it as a perfectly crafted illusion of free will. But what I think most people missed from the post is that I was referencing, in its opposition, countries that literally had to bounce back from nondemocratic, violent governments through popular organizations rebelling against the system, which put their lives at immeasurable risk.

Throughout history all types of seemingly unmovable systems rose and fell. Kingdoms, dynasties, dictatorships, monarchies, caliphates, colonies, republics, you name it, its been made and destroyed. A common denominator within revolutions such as the french revolution, the haitian revolution, the american civil war and countless others was an overpowering sense of necessity within its "rebels". An overwhelming amount of people were poor, starving, and/or getting killed left and right because of their stations, races, ideologies, religions, etcetera.

It is my deeply cemented belief that the American Dream is in fact a device of the empire to keep the average usamerican content and compliant. As long as you have food on your plate, Netflix on your TV and an iPhone in your hand, you're not going to pay that much mind to which happens outside. You have the luxury to see an update on the current situation in Palestine, reblogs it, say to yourself "thank god it isn't happening to me", and move on to another amiable day in the suburbs. I'm not saying the life quality is anywhere near perfect, but it by far surpasses that of the "global south", "the third world" or however you'd like to name us.

It's strategic, calculated, a small sacrifice that the empire has to make to protect its exploitative endeavors: provide for those who have actual civic impact (reminder: puerto rico still can't vote). It's a necessary dent in the empire's funds, one they'd like to keep to a minimum, hence the dubious immigration policy and carefully crafted housing crisis in a country of such an extent — The American Dream can't be for everyone, otherwise there'd be no one else to exploit.

In essence the reason why the current democratic system has not yet been overthrown is quite simply that the usamerican people, those who have actual civil impact on the inner politics of the country, are not motivated enough to make it change. There is a reason why a significant number of the people who are most involved in the political cause of palestine happen to be marginalized sectors: people from the global south, arabs, people of color — understanding this imperialist oppression firsthand makes it harder to ignore. There is a reason aaron bushnell self immolated: his occupation put him in a position that made it outright impossible to ignore the horrors.

Furthermore, there is the knowledge that one win against the empire helps ton for the overall cause of mitigating this regime. A damn good motivation for us, not so much for the people who benefit from the current system.

TLDR you can always overthrow the government and demand a fairer system, but the the average american finds no strong real reason to.

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anjelicawrites · 5 months

Text

The winner takes it all

Chapter VII (I, II, III, IV, V, VI)

Paring: Aemond Targaryen x reader

Synopsis: inspired by the Æthelflæd and Erik's story line in The Last Kingdom. Might be spoilerish if you haven't seen it (go watch it!!!), even though I've just stolen the inspiration and went on with the story my way.

Warnings: Canon compliant violence, Aemond losing his eye, talk of murder and family annihilation, anxiety, rage.

A/N: reader is AFAB, they/them pronouns are used (they are called “lady” and “daughter of the North”). The only descriptor is that they have long hair.

A/N 1: this is an AU. Look at me taking the canon story of Westeros and yell “Parkhour!” as I jump out of the window clutching it in my hands.

When you wake up Aemond is nowhere to be seen. He’s disturbed the bed on his side to keep up the charade of sharing it with you and you are alarmed that you hadn’t even noticed him doing so. You turn your head in the general direction of the windows when you don’t hear the usual commotion in the courtyard: what is going on? As silently as possible you open one of the windows and see that the majority of the soldiers are nowhere to be found, only a small group of them remains to guard the castle.

As soon as your handmaiden arrives, you ask her and she responds curtly

“Everyone to battle”.

Your heart sinks and sings at the same time, you try as hard as you can to hide your excitement to the woman: with the castle mostly empty, will you have a chance to escape? Your personal guard hasn’t been depleted, following you around while you try to gauge your possibilities of an escape, horseless and in a part of the country that offers no hiding spots.

Your wandering is stopped by a group of women who address you in Valyrian, their tone urgent; the more you tell them you don’t understand, the more insistent they become, until one of the members of your guard, a boy with big eyes translates for you: you are supposed to organize their work, until everyone is back, since you are Aemond’s wife. This takes you aback: you are a foreigner, your people are fighting, still those Valyrian women look up to you for guidance. With a deep sigh you start working, using the guard as your translator, while plans upon plans marinate in the back of your mind, until it’s almost evening and you realize you have nowhere to go.

Your hand abandons the fork and you have to fight your stomach to keep the food down: you are not sure if the news of your marriage has reached your people, but something tells you that it did. If it didn’t, you’d still have to deal with your husband, after your fight in the cell; if you let him hit you until he’s satisfied, he’ll probably kill you, if you kill him, you need to be smart about it. This if your new status hadn’t reached your people, if it had, you are not sure anyone will ever welcome and help you: every avenue is blocked, because Aemond made you a de facto traitor.

In a fit of rage you grab the goblet and smash it against the wall, where is followed by the plate, the cutlery and the tray; the only reason you don’t flip the table is because it is too heavy. With a roar you open Aemond’s trunk and tear through all the clothes he’s left there, until only shreds remain and you are crying on the floor, knees to your chest.

When morning comes, the servants don’t say a word, they clean your mess while your handmaiden helps you dress for the day.

With a heavy heart you realized, during the night, that your best chance of survival is for the North to succumb or, at least, for the major Lords to die in order for you to seize power, as the Queen of a free North. The first option is, probably, the more likely to happen, because the remaining Houses would never accept a Queen, a traitor Queen and if a civil war were to break, the North would fall anyway and you are still in enemy territory, your chances of seizing power null.

If the North wins, you’ll still be a traitor, that you were forced to marry Aemond will weigh nothing in the scheme of things, not when your predicament can be used by other Houses to grab what belongs to you and your family.

The Gods are cruel, aren't they? They punished you two times for having followed your heart: the first time with an unhappy marriage, the second with becoming a stranger in your own Homeland or being exiled forever.

For the two days Aemond is away, you work until your body physically can’t take anymore and your handmaiden has to drag you to bed, where you fall in a dreamless sleep and wake up in tears.

You are angry at Aemond for what he did and you miss him, cursing your traitor heart when you are awake, because the pull you feel towards him is even stronger now that you know he is in battle and in danger. You should hope for his demise but tremble at the mere idea of having to go on and live your life without him. You feel no hate towards him, anger perhaps, so much that you feel like you’re drowning in it, but you know it will fade, eventually, leaving you defenseless against those feelings burning in the most hidden recesses of your heart.

The thundering of your thoughts breaks into pieces when you hear the commotion in the courtyard and the roar of the dragons: they are back.

Against your will your feet drag you outside, where you see the familiar sea of white haired Valyrians, until your eyes land on Aemond, who stands tall, shouting orders to the people around you, still in his armor. You have to move aside to make sure the people don’t crush you in their effort to… pack? You wonder, flabbergasted, turning around to follow the commotion. They are all packing the scant belongings left: what is going on? Have they lost? You ask yourself.

You jump out of your skin when a strong hand lands on your shoulder, on instinct you turn ready to punch, only to see Aemond’s face, specks of congealed blood on his face and hair.

“We need to go, ābrazȳrys, now” he says gently

“I am not going anywhere with you until you tell me what’s going on!” you answer, dislodging his hand

“I will explain, later”

“I am sick and tired of having to wait for any explanation from you! You’d better start talking, now!” you spat, stomping your foot

“You can either come with me, dignity intact, or I can haul you on my shoulder and on Vhagar. Your choice, ābrazȳrys. Either way we are flying away from here”.

You can see the anger and tiredness under his gentle façade, the haste he is trying to hide from you.

“Fear not, dōna ābrazȳrys, we’ve won. We are occupying another castle”.

For a second you can’t breathe, black spots dancing in your vision. It’s only thanks to Aemond’s hands on your shoulders that you don’t fall on your ass, his grasp firm on the skin there as he ushers you towards the enormous form of Vhagar.

“Please don’t make me fly on her again” all your fight gone the moment you face the humongous beast again

“It’s the safest way for you to travel”

“Please Aemond” you beg, trying to find purchase on his armor: why can’t he have some pity and do as you ask?

“I can’t risk anything happening to you - as gently as he can he cups your cheeks - I know the first time was scary, but nothing bad happened, right? We will fly slowly and as close to the terrain as possible. Please, we need to go”.

It’s the gentleness in his voice that makes your resolve crumble, the light in his eye amidst the chaos around you two. Why is your heart still singing for him? Why do you care about a man who makes decisions in your life, without consulting you?

You hang your head in defeat and murmur your answer; out of nowhere your handmaiden arrives, a thick cloak in her hands and fastens it around your body.

This time you climb Vhagar’s enormous body on your own, Aemond is right behind you, ready to catch you if you fall and to chain you to the beast under you.

“I wish I didn’t have to subject you to all of this”

“Then you shouldn’t have kidnapped me”.

The ride on Vhagar is saddled with a heavy silence.

You recognize where you all are, thus understanding how much terrain the Valyrians have conquered against your people and your blood freezes cold: you thought the North would have fared better, yet they've managed to steal so much from you all!

You can hear Aemond following you, the heavy thuds of each step, still clad in his armor as he is. Both his squire and your handmaid precede you to prepare your room, someone else's room, for the night.

The fire is lit and you can see some servants carrying buckets of warm water for Aemond to use and the squire ready to help with the armor, your handmaiden helps you with your cloak and shows you a screen you can use to hide while changing clothes. When you emerge you are again in the dressing gown, Aemond in his breeches and undershirt, ready to finish undressing to enjoy the bath.

"You should ask the servants to bring you some food"

"As you can imagine, I am not hungry" you answer curtly.

Aemond can feel the physical abyss carved between the two of you and his own lack of knowledge on how to cross it. You are so close he fancies he can smell you, yet so far away, you might as well be in Essos.

"As you wish, ābrazȳrys" he says with a curt nod of his head, before entering the bathing room.

That very night, the distress sounds coming from the huge settee awaken you. In the confusion that is your half awake brain, you don't understand initially what's going on, until you manage to light some candles and you can see Aemond's body trashing on the settee, his head turning from side to side violently, his mouth open to let out howls of pain and his harms moving as if he’s trying to shield himself. He sounds so pitiful you can’t help but grab the candle and rush to his side, your hands trying to stop his flailing arms, your voice gently trying to wake him, until he shoves you away and he sits up, abruptly.

Aemond doesn’t know where he is for a second, his head whips around until he sees you on the floor, your eyes trained on his face.

“Oh Aemond” escapes your lips.

He doesn’t immediately understand, then he realizes he is not feeling the eyepatch snug on his face and notices it on the floor. He snags it with haste and wears it, even though the damage has already been done.

“What is going on?”

“It is not of your concern”.

Slowly you lift yourself up, shoulders squared you march towards him to stop between his splayed legs. He didn’t just scream his anguish during his nightmare, you could hear disjointed words of regret and fear and pain.

“What happened?”.

He has to crane his neck to look into your beautiful face. You have such an air of power around yourself, you are queenly, godly in the way you are staring at him, he feels compelled to talk, but he can’t if he looks into your eyes. He lets his head hang, arms braced on his thighs, ready to commence his story.

“We didn’t have a choice, never really. We were destined to fail the moment we were born, my siblings and I. You see, as much as New Valyria wasn’t ready for a Queen, our father had forced everyone’s hand in pledging for her. He had us, the spares, in his mind Rhaenyra was supposed to inherit though. She didn’t have everyone’s support, not with the way she conducted herself and the talks around her Velaryon children being bastards. - he spats the word - Still, many Lords were ready to back her up, promises and honor, against Aegon’s claim and Daemon knew, he made his plans to take care of the competition”.

Aemond stands, his face curtained by his long hair, forcing you to step back or he’ll crash against your frame. On unsteady feet he walks towards the window and stares into the night, hands on the windowsill.

“We were told of his plan. You see, Daemon had been the head of the City Watch years and years ago, the men were still loyal to him and they were ready to act upon his command. We beat them to it. - you notice his hands curl on the sill, the knuckles turning white - There was no other choice, not when there was a plan and a date picked to annihilate all of us”.

You are rooted where you are standing, chilled to the bone by his confession. You knew what he did, who didn’t, but to hear it from his own voice, to hear the way he’s forcing himself to keep a steady tone, hits you differently. Then another realization churns your stomach

“We are just a decoy, right? A way to shift the Lords’ attention to what you and your brother did, to ensure their loyalty with our riches”.

You can see his shoulders sag, his head falling forwards against the glass

“Conquering the North had always been in my House’s plans. My father was too much of a spineless man to act upon it. Daemon might have been capable of convincing Rhaenyra to wage war - he turns around, paler than you have ever seen him - this was going to happen under a future Targaryen ruler”

“It did now, though”

“Yes. All the pieces fell into place the moment we slaughtered my half-sister and her family. There was no other choice”.

You have to walk backwards until your legs hit the bed and you fall there, sitting ungracefully like a ragdoll, your cold fingers grabbing the bedding uselessly.

“Who is Luke?” you shoot.

This is the night of revelation, as horrifying as they have been.

Aemond audibly takes a deep, pained breath and you don’t care; he’s telling you everything and you deserve the truth, all of it, after all he’s put you through.

“One of Rhaenyra’s Strong bastards, my nephew Lucerys Velaryon - unconsciously his hand goes to the scar running down his face - he’s the one who took my eye and was never punished for what he did. His mother claimed self defense, I was never going to hurt him or his brother, I just wanted them to stop”.

The defeat in his voice forces you to look at him. His lilac eye is shot open, his mouth a thin line. You want to urge him, but you are afraid he’ll stop.

“They ganged against me, him, Jace, Jacaerys Velaryon and Daemon’s daughters. Four against one because I had claimed Vhagar before Rhaena did, because she believed a dragon could be inherited. I had to grab that rock and threaten them, they didn’t like it when I told them what they were: bastards”.

You can hear the effort he’s making at keeping his tone neutral but the emotions brimming under the surface are unmistakable: the pain and the rage you can feel, threatening to break his composure at any second.

You are not looking at him, your eyes following the weaving of the rug up to where the candles lighten it, your mind weighting all he’s told you. Slowly you understand why he’s saying that he and the King had no choice, how the pieces had fallen into their places the moment the late King Viserys had generated spare heirs. You have never believed in predestination, in the fact that one’s life has already been decided by the Gods that, even knowing the future, a person has no way to change it. You still do believe all of that but can see the domino effect the late King had caused, which landed you and Aemond in this room.

“Do you truly believe there was no other way?”

“Our mutual existence was a threat to the Kingdom. Sooner or later factions would have appeared, Daemon hiring these men just snowballed what was to come”

“Your brother could have rejected the crown in favor of Rhaenyra”

“He was still the male heir and our grandsire would have never backed down, he had invested too much in Aegon becoming King. He was the threat, he had legitimate children also, whilst everyone knew Jace wasn’t a true Velaryon, his and his mother’s position were already compromised from the start. In a way, she and Daemon had no other choice”.

You understand, the same way you did when he talked murder against your other husband, the same way a cornered animal understands fighting for its life. You are both cogs in a machine bigger than yourselves, your actions inevitable and set in motion by someone else: your hands bloody, the shame yours to carry, the true culprit as innocent as a dove.

“This is why you have to believe me when I say marrying you was not instigated by political reasons. I am a kinslayer, I am the most accursed of men. Leaving you for the wolves would have been easier and I still couldn’t. I killed Luke with my own two hands and you were supposed to be nothing more than a bounty”.

You silently stand up and walk towards him until you can gently grab his chin to look into his lonely eye.

“I understand - you murmur gently - now I understand”.

That morning the servants find you two asleep on the bed, you on your side, back facing Aemond, and him on his back, one of his hands curled around a lock of your hair.

Aemond taglist: @fan-goddess

#aemond targaryen x reader #aemond targaryen x y/n #aemond targaryen

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