#the man who didn't grow up and the man who did grow up)

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Accidental Kidnapping [Reverse Trope AU]

FEATURING : CANDID MALE (OC) x male reader

How often does one check their car boot? No statistics for that but the same goes for our dearest (m/n) and maybe he should've opened it before driving home, unintentionally bringing an unwilling high-rank mafioso who thought the end of his life was in the trunk of your car.

reverse trope list (at the bottom), dubcon (on ocs end), con at the end, face riding, shitty inaccurate mafia depiction (i tried) profile

Find out more under the cut!

"Damn it! These guys aren't letting up-"

A bullet shot through the wooden pillar, effectively penetrating the man's head hiding behind it. Shouts and yelling of commands could barely be heard above the rain of gunfire at the entrance of the building.

Unfazed by the death of his associate, an individual crouched beside the waist-level brick wall. Strands of red hair that were loose from his hair bun tickled the nape of his neck, his sharp hazel eyes flickered before throwing a tantō behind him, killing a figure who tried to sneak up on him.

Half of his attire, premium Dolce suit, was drenched in blood, most of it didn't belong to him. His right heavily scarred hand gripping his sword's scabbath, his most famed weapon of choice.

Aito Sousuke.

Capo and a close associate to the underboss of a reknowned criminal organization. His dearest uncle, the caporegime, ordered him to settle a dispute and investigate a scheme their rival gang had carried out on the borders of their territory.

As soon as they had arrived to the building, a shootout occurred. And Sousuke's members retaliated with their own militia. Ultimately, they overpowered the mutts that creeped in on their area.

The redhead stepped over the pile of bodies, the building had an underground lab, his hand brushing over the white packets of powders on the metal table. Drug trafficking? That wasn't new to Sousuke. Did they lack clients in their own protectorate?

As his minions was sweeping out the rooms, one of them yelled in alarm, alerting Sousuke.

"Suicide bomber!"

Flashes of white struck his eyes as Sousuke was propelled to the floor by the explosions around the lab. It was an attempt to cover their tracks, getting rid of evidence in case of a blowout.

"Motherfuckers..."

Sousuke cussed, seeing his body was layered with the white powder that had torn and splattered all over him. Immediately, he threw his jacket off and abandoned the lab, the drugs effects were unknown so he didn't know how much of a danger he was in. He grabbed a piece of document his eyes laid on before abandoning the lab and his screaming minions.

Passing through the alleys, he attempted to make his way back to a safe place, their commute was jacked with bullet holes and Sousuke could feel his body slowly shaking and his legs becoming more heavy.

Reaching the end of the alley, he yelped when he tripped on the curb, his body now suddenly weak as he fell into a carboot that had been conveniently opened and it was closed shut.

"WHAT THE FUCK!"

Sousuke yelled out, banging on the cover of the hood, his surroundings now cramped with metal tools, making him panic even more with his arms suddenly growing limp.

"FUCKING LET ME OUT BEFORE I BLAST YOUR FACE OFF-"

A certain (h/c) hummed to the song he was listening on his headphones, the music blasting shielding your hearing senses, rendering himself unaware of the mafioso he had accidentally locked in the trunk of his car.

(m/n) (l/n) had just finished doing his shopping in a hardware store, buying screws, hammers, etc. to finish his mini renovation of his house. He lived in the suburbs so he had to travel quite far to reach the store. Blissful ignorance had coated him as he hopped inside his car and drove, unknown of the scared redhead in his carboot.

"Shit shit shit-" Sousuke cussed, trying to reach for his phone, he screamed in frustration having losing it in the shootout moments before. Backup is probably focusing on the target building and no one knows where he is currently. How the hell did this fucker got me?

Sousuke thought this guy was ballsy for targeting him, the culprit had to have planned this meticulously if they had managed to kidnap him out of all people.

"What should I have for dinner..." (m/n) hummed, blasting his radio as he turned his corners recklessly. The redhead shouted, his scabbard digging into his side, the side effects of the unknown drug was getting to him. His face getting hot and his body pulsing.

Finally arriving to his house, Sousuke thought it was a second location for torturing-, (m/n) exited his car, slamming his door as he took out a bag of groceries he had purchased as well. He entered his house, almost forgetting his items in the trunk as he left the door open and skipping to back to his car.

"I think tempura with udon should do nicely- WHO THE HELL ARE YOU??!!"

(m/n) screamed, stepping back seeing a redhead inside of his carboot. "HUH?? I SHOULD BE ASKING YOU THAT- WHO DO YOU WORK FOR AND WHAT DO YOU WANT WITH ME?!" The redhead screamed back at him, disorderedly searching for something inside of his drenched vest.

Is that blood- (m/n) panicked and reached for his phone to call the cops but the click of a gun stopped his movements as the bloodied stranger aimed the muzzle at him. "No cops." He hissed out, clenching his side.

The (h/c) stared at the muzzle, raising his hands. "...No cops." He repeated after the redhead. "Who are you?" "I-I'm nobody! Literally I have no idea who you are!" "You kidnapped me." Hazel eyes glared hard at him, his messy red hair now loose from his bun and his figure sitting up in the carboot.

"I didn't kidnap you?? YOU SNEAKED INTO MY TRUNK!" The average person would never have the balls to scream at a gun-holding bloodied person but (m/n) was flustered at the accusation of being a kidnapper albeit him only doing his errands.

Sousuke scanned the area, his breath heaving deeper and it was obvious he was far from his gang's territory. Either he was in the rival's or a civvie. He studied the (h/c), who was only wearing some long-sleeved shirt and slacks. This guy really tried to pretend he was normal-

"Fuckk-" He moaned in pain, the throbbing in his side worsening and the burn in his head increasing. Sousuke looked to the side and saw the open door of the suburban building. "That's your hideout?"

"Hideout-? YOU MEAN MY FUCKING HOUSE??" "Shut up. I need it. Help me inside." "And why would I do that?!" (m/n) yelled exasperated, his arms tired for holding it up for so long. Sousuke frowned. "You're willing to let your captive die? And here's this."

The redhead waved the gun in his hand, his finger resting on the trigger. (m/n) contemplated his choices, staring at the glock and the scabbard he just noticed underneath his hand.

Unwillingly, the (h/c) helped the redhead, supporting him as they walked inside his house while he loudly complained about Sousuke staining his shirt with blood and that he wasn't a kidnapper. The redhead was annoyed and was dumbfounded on how someone was casually cursing and yelling at him.

As they stepped in and Sousuke forcefully closing the door shut, he groaned, the weight of the drug crashing down on him as he knocked over a lamp and stumbling in the living room. "That's brand new..." He heard (m/n) whining about his broken lamp.

"I...I need first aid. Now." His head was hot and he feel like he could die at any time, his heart beating irregularly and his legs spasming. "Don't you need a hospital instead-" (m/n) immediately swooped in, holding Sousuke's body up when he suddenly went limp, he just noticed his scorching temperature and his shivering body. "Woah, did you get poisoned or something?"

Hazel met (e/c) as Sousuke weakly gazed at (m/n), his bottom lip quivering, his eyes dazed and his face red. "Poison...?" He suddenly remembered the document he had snatched before escaping the building. "The drugs-" "DRUGS-?!" The redhead numbed out the rest of (m/n)'s words as he hurriedly searched for the paper, crumpled near his scabbard as his blurry eyes tried to scan the words on it.

"Shit shit- hey don't fucking die here!" Sousuke went limp in (m/n)'s hold, the (h/c) unable to hold up his dead weight, laid him on the sofa, Sousuke barely conscious as he was draped out on the furniture.

(m/n) noticed the paper and grabbed it, reading its contents out loud. "-new batch, target audience in the upper-tiered , target victims for sex trafficking??" The (h/c) glanced at the redhead, disgusted. "It's not me, you fucking idiot-" Sousuke coughed as he wiped his face, blood dripping from his nose. (m/n) fastened his reading, seeing the red liquid.

"-registering a small dose can be considered lethal, effects include muscle spasms, heightened senses, drowsiness, nausea, increased libido?? If not treated, symptoms will lead to a HEART ATTACK??!"

The (h/c) clenched the paper in his hands, the stranger had almost half of the effects already. "Are you in the fucking mafia or something-" He paused, remembering the sword and the gun the redhead held which was now on the floor. There's no way.... No way that a mafia member was now in his house, dying on his couch.

Sousuke let out unintelligible noises, something of a groan with saliva mixed as he laid on his side, his face flushed. (m/n) was now desperate to cure him or something, he didn't want to face the consequences of a gang chasing after him thinking he killed their member.

"-no treatment has been developed-" FUCK. "-as the victim must ejaculate to rid of the effects in his bodily system-" HUH? (m/n) reached the end of the paper, crumbling it in frustration, his eyes wide, contemplating whether should he just let the stranger die here in his living room.

Sousuke was convinced he was going to die here. His vision was wet and blurry, tears slipping out and his face was burning so much he felt he was going to melt at any second. He doesn't have any regrets he could come up with at the moment. Only the thought of his father laid in his mind along with his uncle.

Feeling his shirt shifting, he moaned when his pants were pulled down as he struggled to focus his eyesight. "Wuh-?" "Wake up. I'm gonna help you so don't kill me after this." The supposed kidnapper was snapping his fingers in his face, catching his focus. Why does he look embarrassed?

"The drug you took- roofied? I don't know but it's gonna kill you if you let it sit any longer in your system. You have to flush it out before you have a heart attack." "...So do I have to piss it out or what?" Sousuke felt drowsy while giving out half-assed answers. The (h/c) looked exasperated.

"Y-You have to...cum it out?"

Sousuke felt his breath stopped as he squinted his eyes at the (h/c) who looks flustered and waving the document trying to explain himself. "Is this your attempt at molesting me?" "FUCK NO!"

A gasp escaped Sousuke as his bloody nose dripped even more, he coughed out while his chest was heaving. "D- Just do whatever-" He groaned as he clutched his head in pain. "You better not kill me for this." His kidnapper grumbled while shuffling down Sousuke's wide pants, looking away as he tugged his briefs down.

"A-aanh mmff!"

The redhead covered his mouth, surprised at the sudden pleasure when a hand tugged his erect penis and began stroking it with a fast pace. "That fucking hurts-!"

"Just go through with it!" (m/n) yelled, mumbling an apology as he jacked off the redhead slower, he couldn't believe he's touching someone's bare dick, much less a mafia dude, to save his life out of all situations.

If the redhead died here, the police would've questioned how the hell did he end up in his house in the first place along with the drug in his system and a crime organization would've been after him the second that news spilled and who knows who they're in kahoots with.

Hence, why (m/n) decided to assist this stranger danger in masturbating so he could kick him out the second his life isn't threatened by some weird sex drug.

"You're enjoying this a bit too much..." (m/n) mumbled, now gazing at the redhead who was crying and moaning while bucking his hips up every time the (h/c)'s hand squeezed his base, precum dripping down his cock.

The redhead's head was fuzzy, the rush of pleasure coursing through his veins and he tried to keep his moans muffled. Tears slipping out of his eyes even more at the sensual gratification as his 'kidnapper' jacked him off. He felt his body was so sensitive, his thighs trembling and his body twitching.

(m/n) was frowning, sitting on the edge of the couch, trying his best to distract himself as he pumped the- , he just noticed how big it is, -cock in his hand. The moaning redhead on his couch wasn't helping either as he felt arousal strike his pants. His cheeks were hot, the mafioso's expression was a sight to see, his tanned skin red and wet from tears and sweat. Fuck was he always this handsome?

"S-Shit- mmngg ahh!"

He didn't realise how close he was to the redhead until the redhead came, semen spurting from his cock and few bits landed on his face. (m/n) stroked him for a while longer, letting him ride out his orgasm as he wiped his face clean.

Sousuke's body trembled, better than earlier when he was shaking almost like convulsing, his mind blank as he felt his legs slack. A blanket draped over his bottom half as the 'kidnapper' walked over to him, crouching near his face.

"Your temperature seems better. Guess it really did work." Wiping the redhead's face with a wet rag, picking off the blood near his nose as he pressed another cloth on his neck, cooling it down manually. (m/n) flinched when the redhead leaned into his touch who was enjoying the cool, he shyed away as he continued to wipe down the stranger.

Is this considered aftercare?

He wondered as he took the first aid kit and placed it on the coffee table in front of the redhead. "Take this and get out of here."

Sousuke only blinked up at him, now drowsy as he closed his eyes shut, forgetting all the dangers of sleeping in his 'kidnapper's' home as he fell into a slumber. His body was now relaxed, only a few bruises from the gunfight and his scabbard jammed into his side earlier.

"Remember- I HELPED YOU!" (m/n) screamed into the sleeping man's ear as he went to wash his hands in his sink, scrubbing it ferverently. He did his chores, closing his carboot which was left open the entire time, and tried to scrub out blood on his rug and furniture the redhead had left behind.

He might need to get a whole new sofa, the previously pristine furniture now stained with red and possibly baby batter.

(m/n) tried to put trust that the stranger would leave as soon as he woke up, believing at the fact that there was a misunderstanding where he thought the (h/c) tried to kidnap him so it makes sense that he would want to leave right? After he had oh so graciously saved his life?

His words were true when a couple of hours later, he heard his front door open and closed while he had barricaded himself in his bedroom with a baseball bat while reading through a novel, waiting for the stranger to leave.

Images of the redhead moaning and crying still lingered in his mind as it fueled his shameful arousal, (m/n) cussing on why someone who was possibly dangerous had to be so handsome.

-

"How are you, my nephew?"

A tall man, with short slicked back red hair clasped the shoulder of his supposed nephew who bore a similar colour in their tresses only Sousuke's were longer and was left to drape on his clothed back.

"I feel better now, sir. I thank you for your concern." Sousuke had been recovering at his uncle's estate, who was his caporegime, aka his boss, who was worried hearing his own flesh and blood had gone off the radar for a whole day and finding him injured and flustered at the borders of their territory.

"My assistant found the man you were looking into. Although it's a wonder why you're suddenly interested in him." He gestured to the file on the table besides them. Sousuke picking it up and flipping through the contents. "You did a good job at busting out the rats' lab, albeit our boys received a number on their amount."

Their organization had strict rules in their territory, which was how they maintained their influence over their city. So when rumours flew that drugs that were not in their regulations were being passed out in their district, they suspected it was sabotage. And it was, a new sex drug that was tested on their turf, to be used for malicious deeds. And Sousuke so happened to experienced it face to face.

"Do we have any dirt on him?" Sousuke questioned, skimming through the texts.

"No." The old man puffed a smoke, his expensive suit hugging his body while Sousuke was donning a loose haori. He was the only one who would wear traditional Japanese outfits despite being in a foreign country. It was a tribute to his mother who contributed to his half-Japanese genetics.

"Looks like a civvie. Recently moved to the out of city suburbs after graduating. Parents are clean. Never contacted any of our boys too."

Sousuke glared at the picture, the small photo of a man smiling. His eyes read the name. (m/n) (l/n). So he wasn't really a kidnapper... The redhead ordered for a background check of the (h/c), thinking he was still someone out to kidnap him but let him go for who knows why. Although his footman was confused when he described him in odd details, mentioning a nice body, pretty (e/c) eyes, etc..

It caught the attention of his uncle, so he did it for him.

"Has he done anything to you?"

The old man would kill anyone who would touch a single strand of his boy, his nephew, although they lived dangerous lives and Sousuke had proven himself to become a caporegime, he still looks out for his flesh and blood.

"...No, sir."

The hesitation was clear in Sousuke's voice. So it was a misunderstanding? A coincidence that he had landed in the car trunk and driven off to a secondar location which was (m/n)'s home?

Sousuke couldn't forget his touch. His fingers stroking and jacking off his cock, squeezing his base. He wasn't one to divulge in sexual desires, he was raised that lust was a weakness so for someone like him to experience that, it was a change for him.

-

(m/n) definitely felt like he was stalked.

A week had passed since that...incident. And he was relieved to find that the mysterious suit-wearing redhead didn't appear in his surroundings, giving him a sense of peace that he lucked out and the mafia was not after his ass.

Until he started noticing a minor detail.

A car was parked two blocks down from his house. He thought it belonged to the neighbours, but he had just noticed it would disappear every time he returned from his errands and would linger whenever he was home. He suspected it was the redhead.

Is he here for revenge? After I jacked him off?

(m/n) groaned into his palm, seeing that the car was still there as he walked up to his porch, carrying a few grocery bags.

Those bags fell to his floor when he caught sight of a man sitting on his furniture, his posture relaxed like he had been waiting for him. "YOU AGAIN?!" He screamed at the redhead.

Said stranger only frowned, crossing his arms, no guns or swords in sight. "If you keep hiding your key under your welcome rug, even a toddler can sneak into your house." (m/n) flinched at his words, as he walked straight past the man to set his bags on the kitchen island, ignoring how he followed him behind.

"You bought a new couch?" The redhead asked, tilting his head. (m/n) noted that he seemed to be a lot less of a screamer when he was sober. "Couldn't get the bloodstains out." He huffed. Or the cum spots as well.

That took a pretty penny out of his pocket. "...I could've paid for it." The (h/c) glanced at him weirdly as he closed his refrigerator door. "No need. I don't want to be associated with you." "You saved my life." "No need to remind me." "It was brave of you to-"

He slapped his hand over the redhead's mouth, his palm brushing against his lips. "I said no need for reminders. Hell, I don't even know your name and what you did. Why did you come here?" The redhead was silent, before gently pushing (m/n)'s hand away.

"The name's Sousuke."

The warm kitchen light complimented him well, (m/n) noticing his heavily scarred hands and his upper lip was nicked. His long red hair, resting on his back, he was wearing a black button up, a grey vest and matching pants.

"I'm here to settle my score."

(m/n) furrowed his eyebrows. "What score?" "My score with you." "I don't want a reward or anything like that. Just leave me alone." Sousuke's grip on his hand tightened. "I assumed the worst from you and was convinced you tried to harm me but instead you saved my life. I am indebted."

"You did fell into my trunk and I didn't notice so I think it's fair." Sousuke frowned at that. It was normal for people like him to repay their debts and he was confused why (m/n) was rejecting him. "Do you know how I work?" "I can guess but like I said, I don't want to be associated."

Sousuke fell silent before he turned around and walked away. "My men will provide protection for you. At least until my debt is repaid." "I don't need it!" "You do. You look weak." "FUCK YOU??"

(m/n) was about to throw a vase at the redhead before said redhead had exited his house, closing his door. He hurriedly went to lock it and screamed in annoyance. Am I going to have more scary people following me now or what?

That's close to what happened. (m/n) noticed that scary men would follow close to him and it would be different people on a different day and they followed him almost everywhere. He caught them blending in the crowd, sipping drinks when he was relaxing at a cafe of pretending to go through the cereal section when he was shopping for the week's restock.

He had enough of it.

"Tell your fucking boss that I don't want his stupid protection!" He confronted one of the man when he slipped into an alleyway to corner him, said man only stayed silent and nodded before (m/n) left him.

The next day, he received a gift. An expensive table lamp that didn't suit the rest of his aesthetic but he remembered that Sousuke did broke one of his lamps. He used it in his bedroom's bedside table instead.

"Can you at least tell me when you're going to sneak into my house?" He scowled, seeing the redhead at his kitchen island, casually flipping through a comic book he owned as he sipped a cup of coffee.

"I see you carry your keys now." "Yeah. So how the hell did you get in?" "Spare." "MOTHERFUCKER-"

A few weeks passed by and this had become his new norm. Sousuke would drop in his house, every few nights or so, claiming that he needed somewhere to stay low even though all he did was lounge in the living room flipping through tv channels.

(m/n) at first was irked by this, threatening to kick him out or call the cops but he got used to it and sometimes would even make extra dinner so the redhead wouldn't finish his.

Sometimes, Sousuke would come in bloodied and that scared (m/n), him remembering who he was dealing with but the demeanour he carried was so different than the man he was supposed to be.

His words were straightforward and tone bland, he only seemed mad when he thought (m/n) was trying to kidnap him and now he was gentle? No, it was more like he was relaxed around the (h/c).

"Do you have a hairtie? I lost mine."

And somehow, (m/n) felt like he has a roommate now, buying stuffs that he thought Sousuke would need them such as more bandages or hairties or claw clips for his long hair. Slowly, he felt like he could call themselves friends with how often the redhead was around him.

Sousuke never brought the whole drug thing after that, not even mentioning it in the slightest and (m/n) was confused. Shouldn't he be mad that someone helped him masturbate when he was drugged? Was this normal for him??

And sometimes in the late nights, (m/n) would think about his twitching hips, his wet crying face and his guttural desperate moans and his large cock- He would get hard at times. Looking away whenever Sousuke gazed at him a bit too long, moving to a different room when he felt that the redhead touched him too casually.

He caught his face flushed a couple times and he didn't know what to make of it, only shoving it deep in the back of his mind. Into the vault it goes.

It was one of those nights, where Sousuke would randomly appear in his house and they would eat dinner together, with civil oddly enough.

"I'm trying to get the heater for my shower working again but I might need to contact my realtor for that since it happened way before I moved here." (m/n) rambled, slurping the noodles he had made as Sousuke wiped the edge of his mouth with his hands.

"Mhm. So what are you going to do next?" He would listen to the (h/c) long conversations, only chipping in an answer or two since he couldn't exactly contribute much to the talk as his life was far from a civvie's. His uncle was beginning to question why the hell did he spent so many time out of their domain.

Sousuke kept telling himself that he wanted to repay his debt, watching over him until he saved the (h/c)'s life in a similar manner to how (m/n) did but truthfully, he wanted to stick around. The peace he had around (m/n) was bliss compared to the havoc he had been born and raised in his crime-filled life.

And he couldn't help but think he was starting to fall for the (h/c), their petty arguments, their meals together was healing his soul. He couldn't help but think to that incident, the sinful pleasure (m/n) had brought him, his hand wrapped around his cock, he tried to recreate it by himself but it could never suffice.

There is the fact that the drug did amped the libido effects but he didn't want anything nor anyone else to do it, except for (m/n). But he didn't know if the (h/c) even desired for him. With his ugly scarred body.

Now here they were, sitting next together on the couches as a movie played in front of them, (m/n) focusing on the screen while Sousuke paid no mind and opted to subtly stare at the (h/c) instead, his eyes lingering on his lips and darting away when he caught sight of his (s/c) skin from the collar line of his shirt.

"F-Fuck, you're so good to me!"

(m/n) quickly grabbed the remote, speeding the movie up when a sex scene appeared. Anything sexual related was heavily avoided by the (h/c) whenever he was around Sousuke.

"Do you...abhor these things?" (m/n) raised an eyebrow at Sousuke's sudden question. "What?" The redhead pointed at the tv. "Action movies?" "Sex." He choked on his saliva, patting his chest as he calmed himself down. "I don't think much of it. Why the hell are you asking me that?"

Sousuke was silent, his hazel eyes not meeting (m/n)'s as he stared at the tv. "I don't...divulge in it. Not as much as the average person do." But every mafia movies always had girls around them. (m/n) wondered, cupping his chin.

"It was my first that I was touched. In this room." (e/c) eyes widened as he turned to the redhead. "That was your first time??" When (m/n) had stroked his dick...that was his first time ever doing so?

"I was taught lust is for the weak." Sousuke turned to (m/n), his face holding a monotone expression although something dark was in his eyes. "...Yet my strength wavers around you."

Heat crawled up his neck as (m/n) covered his mouth with his hand. Is this- a confession?! When he turned around, Sousuke's face was close. So close that their breaths mingled and his red hair was brushing against his face. The redhead's ears were bright red, complimenting his tanned skin.

"I want more." He whispered, his eyes dazed with desire.

(m/n) was stunned, his lips slowly moved to speak. "Are you drunk?" "I'm sober." Sousuke's hand moved to grip his thigh. "And I want you. Please." He spoke in such a low manner as he delved his face into the (m/n)'s shoulders, his breathing hot and heavy.

The (h/c) felt his arousal rise, his face flushed and biting his lower lip. Sousuke's body was heavy on his and he could feel all the muscle lying underneath. "J-Just this once, okay?"

Sousuke slowly pulled back as he gazed into (e/c), his face completely red as he gently pressed his lips onto (m/n)'s.

-

"Like this?"

A slurping noise struck and (m/n)'s moans followed. "Y-Yeah you can take it in deeper- mmff!" His pants were gone, his bottom bare and Sousuke was taking his cock in his mouth, the latter saying he wanted to try everything out and the second on his list was a blowjob.

Sousuke moved his throat further in, taking more of (m/n)'s dick as he calmly breathed in through his nose. His tongue swiping at the base of the penis, pressing and feeling its veins with his wet muscle, unintentionally applying light pressure which further pleasured the (h/c).

They were on the couch, a hilarious parallel as (m/n) laid on the other end with Sousuke pulling his hips up, pushing his face deep in between his thighs. His mouth sucked (m/n)'s cock, alternating between being gentle and full-on milking his precum, the (h/c) screaming having being so stimulated.

"Aanghh ah ah s-stop! You're so rough- mmff!"

Sousuke pulled himself off with a pop, gazing down at the sweaty (h/c) whose shirt was pushed down, revealing his (s/c) torso. The redhead's nose brushed (m/n)'s thigh and he bit into it, sucking and licking the mark making the (h/c) cry out.

"You good?" (m/n) nodded, taking in deep breaths. "Y-Yeah. Haa haa..." "I want to do one of those numbers." "Numbers?" He hummed. "Was it 127? Or 68?" "You mean a 69?" "Whatever it was I want to try it." The (h/c) readied himself. If this proclaimed virgin really tired him out at his first blowjob, he couldn't imagine him eating his ass out.

"Okay- ah!"

-

(m/n) was crying, his legs shaking as he tried his best to lick the dick in his face, only able to give the tip a messy kiss before crumbling on Sousuke's torso.

The redhead was having the time of his life, spitting, fingering, thrusting his tongue in (m/n)'s asshole, playing with his puckered hole until the (h/c) began to cry on his cock, choking and gagging saliva all over his penis as he numbly thrusted into (m/n)'s mouth.

"T-Too much mmngghh urgh angh mmn!" He sobbed out, feeling one of Sousuke's knuckles rubbing his rim while the tip of his fingers were pressing against his sensitive walls, trying to find his prostate.

Easily pulling him up, Sousuke pushed (m/n), letting him grip onto his arms for balance as he forced the (h/c) to sit on his face. His nose brushing his ass crack and his tongue massaging his balls. (m/n) tried to raise himself only for his thighs to be pulled back down and gripped tightly as Sousuke ate his ass out.

His butt was dripping with saliva and precum by the time Sousuke released him, he heaved and whimpered while the redhead held him close, wrapping his arms around him and shoving his tongue down his throat, drawing more of those cries that he realised he loves so much.

-

The (h/c) refused to believe that Sousuke was a virgin. Not with how he pushed his legs up to his chest, his knees touching his shoulders while sloppily fucking him up, pressing his full weight on the (h/c).

Sousuke wanted to see his face while they commit this sin, his face hot as he licked (m/n)'s salty tears, kissing his eyes and nose and he bit his earlobe too.

"S-So good! You're fucking me so good, Sousuke- aanggh!" He cried out, digging his nails in the redhead's clothed shoulder whose hair was now free and framing his face, intensifying the look of pleasure on the redhead.

"I'm glad- aanhh mmng! You're so hot, (m/n). So fucking handsome- hngg ahh!" He praised the (h/c), tears slipping out of his hazel eyes while moaning ardently into the (h/c)'s ear. His hips met (m/n)'s ass at a fast pace, wet squelches filled the living room as the sofa was slowly stained again with disgusting baby batter.

(e/c) eyes rolled to the back of his head as he clenched himself around Sousuke, feeling his orgasm pull through as his cum stained his own stomach and Sousuke's shirt. The redhead came as well, seeing (m/n)'s expression as he defiled the (h/c)'s ass for the third time that night.

Cum dripped out of the rim of his ass, Sousuke pulled out to see the naked (h/c) trembling under him, his cheeks wet with tears, his chin coated with drool and his skin littered with hickies and bitemarks in contrast with himself, Sousuke was still fully clothed except for his exposed crotch as he felt his knees almost buckling from the intense sex they had.

"Y-You're a liar. You're definitely not a dumb v-virgin." (m/n) pointed to Sousuke, his finger shaking while the redhead only hoisted the (h/c) onto his back, intending to carry him upstairs into bed. "I'm not lying." He almost stumbled down the staircase, quickly holding onto the wooden rail as he pulled himself and (m/n) up and recklessly staggered into the master bedroom, crashing onto the lush bed.

His legs were shaking lightly, this was truly his first and overboard was a statement of his performance. Sousuke laid like a starfish on a bed, pulling (m/n) under his armpit while grabbing a duvet and covering them both.

"We'll clean up in the morning. Now sleep." He shushed the (h/c) who was about to retort, immediately succumbing to slumber, not even giving a second to stay awake any longer as the post-sex was as tiring as it is.

(m/n) frowned, adjusting himself under Sousuke's hold, letting himself drift to sleep as well. This might not be the last time he lets Sousuke fuck his body. Who knows, maybe getting involved with a mafioso isn't all that bad.

[END SCENE]

[unedited]

Afterthoughts:

Sousuke a munch frfr

I'm aware of the similarities in Daisuke's and Sousuke's names- ITS RELEVANT TO FUTURE PLOT OK

I'm a PARENT atp for feeding you guys for the past two weeks since i made this acc😭

If i have to write a part 2, i would either write about how m/n got upset and ran away to sulk and smutty sex scene next or just them messing around w the sex drug (some bdsm???) HOHO comment for more ya sluts.

Oh and follow my tag pretty please

#oukabarsburg #aito sousuke #bottom male reader #sub male reader #x bottom male reader #x male reader #male reader #male reader smut #reader smut #oc x male reader #oc x reader #oc x male reader smut #oc x reader smut #male oc #oc smut #Spotify

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

AITA for killing my character and quitting a D&D game I was part of?

Apologies in advance but this is going to be rather long, I'll put a TL;DR at the bottom.

So this all started about eleven months ago when I (14, she/they/he) started getting into D&D, and joined a D&D group thanks to a friend of mine we'll call T (14, he/they). The group was made up of about five people total, but the main people in this situation are me, T, and the DM who we'll call N (15, he/him).

Now when I was making my character, T was helping me out by letting me describe what sort of character I wanted and suggesting different races, classes etc to make it work how I wanted, and what we ended up with was a Pact of the Undead warlock. The backstory of my character was that their older brother died defending them from an invasion of the village they lived in.

My character managed to make contact with their spirit in the afterlife and formed a "pact" with them, gaining power in exchange for letting him "look after them" (i.e. keep watch over them from the afterlife, protect them from harm, all that sorta thing). T told me to run the final concept past N but that they were sure it'd be allowed and that the pact idea was really sweet.

So I told N about my character and the backstory idea like T suggested and N seemed really on board with the whole thing, though he wanted to make a few slight changes to things in secret that would come up during the campaign, to make things more exciting I guess.

I told him I was alright with that, as long as nothing about who the pact was with and what it was for changed too much. He assured me that it wouldn't and that he'd get back to me on what changes he was planning, but he never did, and at the time I just put that down to him being busy.

The campaign starts, and for the first few months things are going pretty good. I do notice that a lot of NPCs, in fact nearly every non-child NPC, seems to be flirting(?) with my character, but I don't think too much of it at first, she is a young elven woman with blonde hair and silver eyes and everyone in the group has said that she's very pretty.

It isn't until one of the others who is also playing an elven character points out that they've been on the receiving end of essentially racism towards elves from NPCs who have simultaneously been showering my character with compliments that I start realizing how frequent and honestly rather obsessive it is, and as mentioned, just how many of the NPCs are doing it.

Then we get to T's character arc, exploring his character's backstory and helping them with things that come up. However, there are certain characters that are introduced that, out of character, T reacts rather negatively to, and when I ask him outside of session what's going on he confides in me that N is changing elements of his backstory that he'd told him he didn't want changing. As an example, T wrote that their character's mother was never part of their character's life growing up.

One of the characters we met was the character's mother, who was instead apparently a very prominent part of their life and cared greatly about them "not that they ever noticed". He also changed the character of T's father from "kind and caring man who did his best to raise his child alone and teach them how to defend themselves" to "stubborn, angry and neglectful father that is constantly disappointed in his son", which completely blindsided and upset T.

T also said that he'd tried talking to N about this but that the response had ended up being, to put it bluntly, "I'm the DM so I have the final say in things". This started to worry me, especially when I realized that N had never gotten back to me with his "proposed changes" to my backstory.

So I sent him a message, but because I didn't want to drag T into my own business with N I decided to say something along the lines of "hey, did you ever figure out what you wanted to change about my backstory?". He messaged back and said that he'd figured it out, but that things with school were so busy that he hadn't had time to sit down and properly write it all out to send to me yet, but assured me that he would by the time T's arc was over.

Several more months passed with no further word from N about my character's backstory, and as T's arc wraps up there's this idea that starts getting brought up, of how demons often exploit the grief of mortals to latch onto them and claim their souls by impersonating the dead person.

The others in the group all latch onto this and start speculating about how exactly the demons use impersonation to claim souls, except for T who gives me this rather worried look from across the table, and it suddenly hits me that this is probably meant to be the opening of my character arc.

I pull N aside after the game is over for the night and ask him directly if this is the opening to my character arc, and he says that it is, but not to worry because the demon thing is, to quote, "just being brought up to get the others interested". I remind him about what I told him about not wanting anything to change about who the pact was with and what it was for, and ask him again what changes he's made to my backstory.

He promises he'll have a full list to me by the start of next session, that we'll have time to sit down together and discuss it all even, and that he won't do anything I don't want him to do. Despite my concerns and the fact that he has already said several times he'll send me this list without doing it, I decide, like a fool, to trust him, even though in hindsight I had absolutely no reason to by this point.

The next session rolls around, and of course there's no list, instead a lot of NPCs who start voicing concern whenever my character brings up the fact she's a warlock, or her dead brother, especially if the pair come up in quick succession. One of the other characters figures out what's going on and asks if they can basically cast some sort of spell to determine if a demon's got control of my soul, which N agrees to, and the spell determines that yes, that's exactly what's going on.

I immediately confront N, mid-session, and tell him outright that this isn't fair, that I told him I didn't want him to change this part of my backstory, and I wanted him to change it back immediately or I wasn't going to play anymore. He started on this long-winded response basically summarizing as "I'm the DM, I can do what I want".

This is the part where I may be the asshole, because well, I saw red in that moment, and decided I not only wanted to follow through on my threat of quitting, but also do something to ensure that my point was driven home.

I fired off a quick message to T on my phone warning him what I was about to do, and while the others were talking about what to do to help me I loudly announced that my character was stabbing herself through the heart, which N had previously ruled would be an instant method of death if carried out.

Silence falls over the group. N tells me that I need to roll to see if I even hit, which I argue (with T backing me up) that if my character is willing to get hurt then it's automatically a hit. N tells me that I need to roll to see if I even pierce my heart. Okay, fine, I roll, and as luck would have it I roll a Nat 20. N attempts to send me just to death saves, but I remind him (again, with T backing me up) that he'd ruled that this was an instant death.

So then he tries to have an NPC cleric show up and revive my character, but T brings up that the soul has to be willing to return to life for that to work, and I immediately say that my character wouldn't even be able to consent to that if her soul was held by a demon, nor would she even be willing if she could. Then I tell N directly that he can consider this my official resignation from the group and walk out, and T follows along behind me after a few minutes.

Ever since then N's been blowing up my phone, fluctuating between begging for me to rejoin the group and promising that he'll do things differently this time, and calling me a selfish bastard for "ruining the fun". T still goes to sessions occasionally, though I think now it's just to spectate, and he's said that maybe things went a little far with the character death in hindsight. And honestly, I'm not exactly proud of how I acted now either.

TL;DR -- I joined a D&D campaign where the DM has made unwanted changes to my character's backstory, despite my attempts to communicate with him, so I retaliated by killing my character mid-session and refusing to let him revive her before quitting. AITA?

#aita #am i the asshole #suicide cw #not sure if it's needed for a dnd character death but just to be safe

[killerlookz]

Hello my fellow Criminal Minds fan! 😊

May I please request headcanons for Spencer falling for a female agent who’s cynical about love and relationships due to being hurt in the past?

a/n: thank you sm for the request! i'd be happy to write this for you! :-)

Falling in Love Again | Spencer Reid Headcannons

pairing: spencer reid x f!reader

content: mentions of reader having been cheated on in the past, uhhhh that's really it haha

word count: 1,478 (sorry she's so long)

Spencer Reid had always been excited about falling in love, the thought of being so close to another person- to share so much with someone was such a wonderful thing to him.

Especially after watching his mom and dad growing up, and the way his father treated her-Spencer was dead set on never becoming anything like him, he looked forward to treating a woman right and spending the rest of his life with her.

But, for as excited as he was he was probably 20 times more nervous about the whole falling in love thing.

So when you came around, and he started to experience that warm, creeping feeling in his chest- he felt a little bit like his world was going to end.

Spencer had never made a move on anyone before, sure he did make out with Lila Archer that one time but he didn't exactly initiate it.

Spencer decided just to channel all of his romantic interest in becoming friends with you, at least he got to spend time with you, that's what really mattered to him. Maybe one day it would turn into something more.

Well.. he hoped until he couldn't help but overhear...

"I went on my first date in months last night, and all this guy did was talk about himself the entire time- didn't let me get a word out, I mean, can you believe it?" Emily says, exasperated

You look up at her as she stands in front of your desk, "Oh, trust me Emily, I can believe it." You shake your head

"I mean," She throws her hands up, "What is it with men? What's wrong with them."

"Everything," You smirk, "They're men. I can't remember I had a good experience with one of them- never maybe?" You laugh. "I've given up on dating."

Your words sunk into Spencer's brain, leaving him with a heavy feeling all around he felt awful- not just about the fact that his chances with you seemed to reduce to zero right there in that moment, but because of how upset you seemed under your sarcastic exterior, he could tell you'd really been hurt before.

A few weeks later you're out for drinks with Emily, Penelope, Morgan, Spencer, and JJ. Amidst the loud, drunken conversations and music at the bar- you can hear the faint chiming sounds of your ring tone, Who would be calling this late?

As you take your phone from your pocket, your stomach drops when you see the number flashing on the screen. The mere sight of those 10 digits making you want to throw your phone to the ground and stomp on it until nothing remains.

"Ooooh, who's that calling." Morgan smirks

You look him dead in the eyes and respond flatly, "My ex."

Morgan's smile doesn't fade instead his smirk seems to deepen, "You two got a little thang goin on?"

"No," You shove your phone back in your pocket, "More like he's trying to get back in my pants after cheating on me- twice."

"Ooh!" Morgan responds, wincing, "So he's a dog."

"A pig is more like it." You scoff, "Who does he think he is. I can't even imagine giving my time to another man again, and even if I could- what makes him so confident I'd give him the time of day."

That familiar heavy pain hits Spencer again.

He's staring at you, and it's like the rest of the bar doesn't even exist. Only you, as you bite your lip, trying to hide any emotion in your face.

Spencer has become good at reading your emotions, maybe it's because he spends so much time with you- maybe it's because of how often he finds himself staring at your face. As much as you try to seem nonchalant, he could tell how upset you are.

Spencer would spend more time than he wanted to admit fantasizing about treating you well, about giving you the love you never seemed to have.

Every time you made a snarky comment about love, or how men had treated you in the past Spencer would want so desperately bad to just tell you about how well he would treat you, how he would never ever hurt you, how he would spend his entire life taking care of you.

The words were practically scratching up his throat, begging to be let out. But still, he would just swallow them down, and give you a sympathetic look, he couldn't muster up being able to do anything more.

At the very least, Spencer's plan of becoming friends with you was working.

The two of you would become very good friends.

Spencer would learn everything he could about you, he would want to know as much as possible.

Not in a weird creepy way- but in a he just thinks you're so amazing he can't get enough of you sort of way.

Every time you and Spencer hung out he wouldn't be able to ignore that nagging feeling, the thought of putting an arm around you and pulling you close, of holding your hand in his, or placing a delicate kiss on your cheek.

The thoughts would eat away at Spencer, and he would only fall more, and more in love with you.

Still, he would lose more hope every time you divulged information about your prior encounters with love. He couldn't blame you for feeling so cynical it, not after what you'd been through.

Spencer would think about his mom, about all the wives Rossi had been through, about Hotch and Hailey, about you- he would wonder why love had to be so painful for some people. He was sure he would never hurt somebody he loved.

One day you're over Spencer's apartment, watching a rom-com, and you make a snide remark, "Oh, real love isn't like that." You scoff and roll your eyes.

Spencer doesn't know what it is, but something in him makes him respond, "It could be." He says meekly

You look up at him, caught off guard at his disagreement, "Hm?" you hum

Spencer wasn't able to take it any more, he hated hearing your cynical nature. He would need you to know how you deserved the entire world.

"Love- It can be like the movies." He affirms his stance.

"Not in my experience."

"I would give you love like that." Spencer would tremble as he makes his confession, so unsure of what would happen next.

He would be terrified of your reaction, scared he was about to mess everything up, ruin any future the two of you had together, and even worse, lose your friendship.

"W-what do you mean, Spence."

"I mean, you always talk about how you've been hurt before, and it just-" He takes a deep breath in, contemplating what he's going to say next, "I love you, y/n," He looks down at his lap, then back up at you, "I would never hurt you."

Despite the obvious passion in Spencer's voice, you were still hesitant about it, but everything inside of you told you to give Spencer a chance.

Spencer would insist on taking things slow, you were his first real relationship and he wouldn't want to rush things, for both his and yours sake. He wouldn't pressure you to put a label on things, or even say you're "dating"- those would come on your own time.

Spencer was determined to make you believe in love again, and he would do everything in his power to make sure you knew without a doubt how he felt about you.

Spencer would often get to work before you to surprise you with coffee and a breakfast sandwich, or a donut on your desk in the mornings.

He would insist on having a date night at least once a week, even if the two of you were on a case, ordering room service or finding a local pizza restaurant way late at night was sufficient, as long as the two of you got to spend time together.

Spencer would be hesitant about PDA or really moving too quickly into being too affectionate, still, he would frequently hold your hand, squeezing it tight when he could tell you were stressed or upset- either by a case or by life in general, he just wanted to give you that extra reassurance that he was there for you.

Spencer would really put the work in, he'd exert more effort than you had ever seen from any past relationship into even the tiniest things.

Spencer wouldn't mind though, anything he could do to reassure you that he loves and cares about you, he would do it.

Every little act of love and gratitude would be worth it to him.

He would savor and cherish every hug, every shared glance, every peck on the forehead, on the cheek, on the lips.

It was all worth it to him, every second of it- all he wanted to do was make you smile, to make you fall in love again.

#spencer reid #spencer reid headcannons #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid fic #spencer reid imagine #criminal minds #criminal minds fic #spencer reid x you #spencer reid x y/n

[castiwls]

"uh-oh, i'm falling in love."

being Bobby's adopted daughter and falling in love with Dean... [requested - anon]

You were around 15 when your parents were killed in a hunting incident and as a result, Bobby ended up taking you in.

You’d spent the first few months sulking around the house, something which began to worry Bobby as months passed and your behaviour seemed no different.

He knew he had to break your behaviour somehow but he was completely stumped. That was until one day he woke up to John quickly shoving his sons in the door before running off to do go knows what. 

Silently cursing the man out he quickly invited the two boys inside before continuing with breakfast (now for 4 people). 

“Who are they?” You looked up from the book you’d been reading, frowning in slight confusion at the two boys who were currently standing in the doorway. The younger of the two smiled brightly before almost tripping over himself to see what you were reading while the older silently gapped in the doorway. Since when did Bobby have a daughter?

After this, you quickly found friends in both the boys. 

While Sam was someone who you could talk to about lore and any other books you might have been reading, Dean was someone who you were able to fully confide in.

Over the three weeks the boys stayed you and Dean quickly became inseparable and for the first time in months, you didn't feel grief-stricken constantly. You actually felt happy.

Over the years Sam and Dean became a constant in your life. As you grew older Bobby began letting you go on hunts with the Winchesters (something which Dean enjoyed more than he would admit.)

Over time though you felt a slight shift in your feelings towards the older boy. Every time you saw him or even heard his voice butterflies would swarm in your stomach and your cheeks would quickly grow hot.

The shrill ringing of your phone pulled you from your book. A small frown played on your lips as you noted the name on your screen. “Hello?” Placing your book down you crossed your legs sitting up properly on your bed. “Hey. I didn’t wake you right?” Dean sounded sheepish almost as he spoke. At the sound of his voice, a small burst of butterflies exploded in your stomach. “no..no I was awake.”

Late-night phone calls quickly became an almost daily occurrence whenever you weren't together, and when you were together these phone calls were exchanged for late-night diner trips just the two of you.

Every day you felt yourself falling harder and harder for Dean Winchester and little did you know he felt the same. 

After Sam had gone to Stanford Dean had showed up on your doorstep only hours later, his eyes red as he’d quietly asked to stay the night.

He’d ended up staying for a few weeks after that. You’d spent every day together over that time simply listening to him talk about what had happened between his dad and brother and how he was scared for Sam being on his own.

As happy as you were that Sam had gotten out it broke your heart slightly to see how Dean was handling the situation.

Over this time you’d found yourself more than once falling asleep beside him (something which Bobby wasn’t too happy about) and you’d also felt yourself grown closer and closer to him.

He’d allowed himself to be vulnerable around you, something which you knew was hard for him. The idea that he trusted you enough simply left your heart fluttering in your chest.

During these few weeks, Dean quickly found himself falling further and further in love with you. He’d known for a while now that he had feelings for you but the way you’d allowed him to unload onto you and made him realise how utterly in love with you he truly was.

One night when you’d both been sat on one of the old cars in the scrap yard he finally felt his feelings bubble over.

The world was quiet as you and Dean both sat watching the stars above. You knew he had to leave soon, his dad had been relentless with his calls saying that Dean needed to come back to his job and that he’d had enough time. Truthfully you didn’t want him to leave. Over the last few weeks, you’d grown used to the warmth of him beside you. “My dad’s coming in the morning.” Dean turned to face you. “He insisted this time.” He frowned, rubbing his thumb over your hand. “What time?” You asked quietly turning to look at him. “He didn’t give one,” Dean answered. You both fell slightly for a moment, simply gazing into each other's eyes. As if being pulled in by a magnet you felt your body move on its own until you met Dean halfway. As his lips pressed against yours you felt his hand cup the back of your head while your own moved to his knee.

After that night your relationship changed. Neither of you actually asked the question but the unspoken promise was there. Dean Winchester had stolen your heart and it seemed you had also stolen his. 

#supernatural #spn #dean winchester #dean winchester fanfiction #dean winchester x reader #dean winchester x you #dean winchester headcanon #dean winchester fluff #dean winchester x y/n #dean winchester imagine #sam and dean #bobby singer #sam winchester #sam winchester fanfiction #spn headcanon #spn fanfic #spn x reader #spn x y/n #spn x you #supernatural x reader #supernatural imagine #supernatural headcanon #supernatural x you #jensen ackles #john winchester #supernatural drabble #spnedit #.mine #.spn #.deanwinchester

[odyssiaca]

odysseus is generally seen as 'morally ambiguous' due to his not always being seen as the best of people- but this is a very modern and feminist take, and whilst nothing is inherently wrong with the idea of feminist takes and retellings, it skews what we have and already know of the myths, and this can be seen most predominantly in the character of odysseus. odysseus is two things:

- not meant to a hero

- not meant to be good

he is written as a man faced with impossible odds, and who loses some- if not all- of his morality in doing so. BUT where does the idea of him being 'bad' come from? the penelopiad by margaret atwood, a woman known for being quite vitriolic towards men of any kind. in recent years, people have picked up on three major things from the odyssey:

- the hanging of the maids

- odysseus cheating on his wife

- odysseus going mad at the end

NOW, to break it into points:

the hanging of the maids is so often seen in a feminist light due to margaret atwood, where odysseus is painted as some cruel, vile, disgusting predator who loathes women. this isn't true to the odyssey AT ALL. in the odyssey it is explicitly stated by the nurse that raised telemachus: 'i shall single out those who betrayed you, my lord' and by one of the maids herself- melantho: 'if we sleep with the suitors, when they become king we will be in favour with him.' and THIS is why he killed the maids. not because he was insane, not because he was bad, but because they had betrayed not just him- but his wife. not all the maids were killed, only those who slept with the suitors. the argument most often used for this is that the women couldn't say no, but this goes against what the maids themselves say in the odyssey when they believe no one to be watching.

odysseus cheating on his wife HE DIDN'T. but he is a man, and as a man, he cannot be raped. he is a terrible man for sleeping with circe and calypso when he could have- as epic decides to say- say no. which is untrue!! these are goddesses. titanesses. circe is the daughter of helios, and calypso is daughter of atlas. they could overpower him simply by looking at him. circe turned his men to pigs, even with the moly she could have easily done the same- or worse- to him. the idea of him choosing to and being unfaithful stems from madeline miller's, Circe which whilst not inherently bad, goes out of its way to put all men in a terrible light, because the heroes deserves no rights in feminist retellings. odysseus wanted to say no, but could not as hermes explicitly told him he couldn't. on the flip side, calypso threatens, ensnares him and only releases him when told to by hermes and the council of the gods. in the odyssey it is literally stated: 'and odysseus stayed on the shores weeping for home before joining the nymph in her bed.' he did not WANT to sleep with calypso, but was left with no other choice but to do so. this is a recurring theme for calypso.

but he is blamed due to his gender, and the idea of 'feminism' and 'patriarchy'.

and now, the real reason for odysseus being seen badly:

the telegony the telegony is a myth written after the odyssey with telegonus- son of circe and odysseus- as the main character. in this he travels to find his father and meet him, but accidentally kills him on the shore. (peneleope marries telegonus, and circe marries telemachus) but this is where the idea of odysseus' insanity comes from. in the telegony, it is stated he went mad after the war, and couldn't survive without bloodshed, and so he went out seeking war, and women, and battle, and went mad in this.

the statement: 'generous to odysseus' is wholly unfair, because he is a man forced to lose everything, assaulted, violated, tortured and imprisoned with no hope of survival. he goes to war knowing he won't return for 20 years, won't see his wife, and won't watch his son grow. he is a man not a god, or a demigod. he's just some dude doing his best.

#greek mythology #tagamemnon #odysseus #the odyssey #the iliad #diomedes #homer #odypen #calypso #circe #mythos

[vourequat]

GENSHIN MEN courting you.

WARNING: This is a Filipino AU set in the Spanish Colonization period, so basically all of these are inspired by Filipino courting rituals.

Contains Diluc, Kaeya, Neuvilette, and Wriothesley (some of these men are hand picked because of the languages on the banner on top tehee.), fem!reader, age gap.

Diluc Ragnvindr (Manileño)

Being the son of a businessman, he was the highest regarded bachelor in all of Manila being that he was also rather good looking.

This man is not a big fan of romanticism and would often avoid it like the plague but his guilty pleasure was to read books in the romantic genre hidden away in the depths of his library, his trips to the book store was more often than usual and many thought that he's gone book crazy but that was not the case however.

You.

You were the reason that he's now the book shop's loyal patron, you were just a simple woman from another business oriented family. You were the typical Maria Clara to the spectators eyes, quiet and modest though that was not Diluc saw.

You were ambitious and rather messy at times but that's what he loved about you, your comfortability with someone like him made him feel that he actually was able to make friends of his own that his father had not told him to befriend for the sake of business.

That's when he started to grow feelings for you.

He was still stoic and expressionless at times but whenever he sees you, his ears visibly go red under his luscious red locks.

With the encouragement of his mother and the head maid of his estate, he mustered up the bravery in his entire blood line to go to your home with the intent of asking for your father's blessing to court you.

He was shocked to see that there were other men who were after you; from a Mestizo to a Sangley, they were all there waiting for your sweet yes.

But he had an advantage that didn't have; they didn't know you the way he did.

It started from flowers to love letters, he did everything that he learnt from the romance books he had read and basically copied every single gentleman in the books that women loved.

His very next move was to bring you by the lake that he had remembered that you used to go to as a little girl, it was a bit muddy though, ruining yours and his shoes but it didn't matter as he saw that you were obviously over the moon to see a childhood place again still intact.

He saw something that your other suitors weren't able to see nor willing to, they painted you as this innocent flower that needed corruption from them but to him— you were the most adventurous and the bravest girl he's ever seen.

"Yes." You laughed.

He raised a brow, "Yes what, binibini?" he asked.

"I want to be yours..."

Those very words made his heart race as if he just ran from his house to the nearest farm in the concrete city of Manila, he couldn't believe that his awkward attempts to act out the romanticism of men in books that women seem to love had worked.

"You're pulling on my leg..." He breathed out only to be wronged by her shaking her head.

And just like that, he ran to you and lifted you into the air. The adrenaline causing the two of you to fall into the mud, it was sticky and wet but it didn't matter to him even if his ivory white blouse that his maids spent hours on to perfect was ruined because his heart was now owned by the most perfect woman he could ever think of.

"So... what should we call each other?" He asked.

Kaeya Alberich (Español)

Ever since he has set foot in the Philippines with his father who governed the Philippines in the reign of the Spaniards he has never felt the sense of nervousness, back in Madrid, he had an image to uphold as a government official's son but now he can just let loose.

His move to the Philippines was the very start of his rebellion, he now probably felt like a normal boy like he dreamt of back in Spain but his father wasn't having it.

So to set him straight, he put Kaeya in the supervision of a prayle.

The first mass where he served as the priest's assistant he managed to oversee the entire service from the elevated stage where statues of saints and Jesus were all shown in the altar made of wood and gold. One of them was you, a really pretty Filipina who was praying religiously and singing alongside the child choir.

After the mass, he was about to gather his friend of rebellious teens until he was stopped and called upon the priest he's under.

He mustered up his most innocent boy smile until he saw you approaching, turns out that you were the goddaughter of the priest and he wanted Kaeya and her to be friends since she was the best candidate of friends that could place a good influence on him.

He was beyond bored, accompanying you and other nuns and worshippers as you all prayed to the virgin Mary. There he realized that convincing you to join him to the dark side was a hard task to do, you weren't that innocent but you were the most pure and truest girl he's ever met.

Sometimes you were sassy and very witty but he felt as if you really cared for him despite just being friends with Kaeya so that his father won't worry about him while he's away, with you he learned a lot of things, mainly that he didn't need to rebel to be free.

Most of the things he did was disobeying his father but it didn't do him any good at all, with his friends he learned to become a womanizer and to drink at a very young age. But it was weird to admit that you managed to fix him.

From table manners to memorising the entire prayers in the book in Latin, he learned it all from you. You were the only friend that his father approved of however, despite being a girl and potentially seeing his son in a romantic way not that he minded having you as a daughter in law.

Kaeya soon blossomed feelings for you, it started from helping around the church like you did and almost took your job from you.

He was still cheeky as ever, his teenager instincts causing him to want to create discord but you manage to dim it down with a simple glance.

Everyone loved your pairing, almost every single one encouraged you and Kaeya to start dating already and with the blessing of his father and your father, he began to do the cheesiest things.

You were confused if whether he was doing this to sway you or just flat out piss you off.

One night, you were sleeping peacefully until you heard something from the open window of your room. Groggily heading your way there you saw Kaeya and his goons of friends who some you recognized to be the sons of the farmers in your father's hacienda.

"This is for you, cariño..." Kaeya and his poor ability to sway women with his voice began to sing you a popular Spanish love song, he was hurting your ears but it amused you.

You stayed by the window sill and watched as he sang while his friends played a guitar or a drum made out of a bucket, they were all in tune with the original song but Kaeya seemed to have his own version.

"Oh my dearest... will you give this lonesome and poor little Spanish boy your sweetest yes?" He said so dramatically, maybe you should've banned him from reading Jane Austen or Shakespeare.

You laughed at his advances before giving him the shockest shock of his life, "Sure... why not?"

He looked like was about to faint when he heard those words come out of you, his friends celebrating behind him like a bunch of buffoons while he was still awestrucked.

"R-Really...?" He had to make sure.

"Yes, now come in and meet my mother before I change my mind." You've never seen this usually spoiled man who had everything handed to him with a snap of his fingers run so fast into your house and to your living room where he met your mother and your father, ready to welcome him as their son in law.

His father would actually faint if he found out about this though. Who would've thought that his son would be able to grab a girl like you?

Neuvilette (Mestizo)

Like Diluc, he was not one to meddle in with romance since he was very busy as a foreign law maker and businessman.

He only found himself in the ports of Manila due to a business pact with a bunch of Sangley's that offered a good proposal, he never thought of soulmates because to him it was just another myth for the hopeless romantics but it was quite ironic as he was in the territory of the romantics of the south eastern islands.

Soulmates were just plain bullshit until he saw you.

A young merchant who was heavily business minded, though it was the 1800s so no one took you that seriously and that's where your brother came in. He was the perfect bridge for Neuvilette to get to know you better, to get to know what fuels that fire that made you glowing like the blazing sun of the tropics.

Neuvilette manages to strike a deal with your brother however when he asks of you, his eyes widened— you were only twenty two while he was already in his late thirties.

A blossoming flower and a mature tree stump was not exactly the most ideal to some but just like nature, it works in different ways.

In one of his tours to the factory of your brother when he saw you show your amazing leadership and logical thinking skills, he admired every single bit of what you've presented to an oldie like him and you were really pretty on top of that.

You would look perfect together, two business driven minds and great skills in making connections— but you were too sweet for him.

You were still too young for his taste so he just waited for you to grow older, not that he expected some sort of miracle from the heavens that was until one day you yourself aroused the idea of secret feelings. You may have had caught up on how he longingly stares at you and how much he admired you so you wanted to know if he wanted an amazing advice for you.

The businessman was blushing hard, it didn't help that he was pale either.

Then he just pulled out a bouquet of flowers towards you, you accepted them of course due to how pretty they were but why did he give it to you?

"Can I... Can I court you, my lady?" Those very words started the long road to your sweet approval to finally call himself yours, he began to stop by the factory more and more to help around to make use of the time he had before he had to go back to France.

And when that dreaded day came, he didn't seem to forget you one bit. Every month your house was bombarded by boxes of love letters and other items that Neuvilette scoured the entirety of his motherland remembering that you liked them.

It took about three years before he finally got the time to go back to the Philippines to see how the joint business he had with your brother was going but mostly it was to see you of course, waiting by the dock was the familiar woman whose address he kept in his head like words engraved in stone.

Too much to his dismay he began to grow white hairs while you were just starting to greet wrinkles to your beautiful face. It made him insecure and made him think twice if he should greet you until you attacked him with a big hug when he was not looking, he took it as an opportunity to raise you up in the air to view that beauty he longed years for before hugging you back even tighter.

To the spectators, it was rather weird to see an unmarried duo be this intimate but it did not matter. Neuvilette didn't suffer two grueling years of courting her without even getting to see her in person just to be ashamed of showing his love for her.

"Sinasagot na kita..." trans: "I'm going to answer your question."

And just like the first time he showed his love for you, he grew pink and became more bashful by the minute.

He tucked your stray hair behind your ear before he leaned down to admire your beautiful eyes that he'd be lucky to see every single morning when he wakes up and night when he goes to sleep, he wanted you to be his and wanted his entire being to be in your hands, that was how much he loved you.

"And I'm not too young anymore..." Your witty comment making both of you chuckle before his laugh died down as he continued to look into your eyes.

"And I won't get tired of loving you everyday of the rest of my mortal life." He was about to continue his very sappy and sweet dialogue when your brother butted in with an all too familiar smile on his face, "So can I have my business partner now?"

Right, as much as you wanted to greet your suitor and now nobyo, your brother also was here to greet his business partner. Maybe you two will talk this out later on when you two have the time but for now, you were here for business.

Wriothesley (Probinsyano)

Being the eldest of his family, Wriothesley was sent to work at the Hacienda of a rich businessman near the city.

He didn't mind the work at all as he himself wanted to do something to help around the house in many ways possible, being family oriented and too busy raising his younger siblings, love wasn't exactly his first priority in mind until he saw you.

Your father was touring him and other new workers around the farm when he saw you passing by and conversing with your friends, so this was what all the craze was about city girls.

Every time you visited the farm while he tended to the horse stable he made sure to use that as a chance to converse with you, as you were in one of the shaded benches and reading he suddenly decided to approach you.

"Hi, ma'am... that's umm... a cool looking book" he started but he was a bit nervous, you seemed to be a smart collegiala while he can't even admit his illiteracy.

You couldn't fault him that he couldn't even read or write, after all, he came from a different life than you so you offered to teach him the basics and have him full access to your library.

He was a rather fast learner and you liked that as an impatient woman, that tutoring however slowly turned to a flirting session. You had to admit that Wriothesley was a sweet guy but he just wasn't your type though he was keen on changing that.

From a bag of apples he gathered from the apple orchard to a wheel of cheese that he and his fellow workers managed to create from the left over cow milk they harvested, he did everything he can and did what he knew to sway a woman just to change your mind.

You loved his attitude and insistent nature, you were starting to like him but you just wanted to play with him and pretended to not be so impressed until you surprised him with a surprise visit to your father.

The man was shaking like crazy when he met his boss in a more relaxed setting, it was just him and your father all alone.

"So you like my daughter?" Your father started.

"I- uh...—" Before he could even answer, your father cut him off.

"And I want you to be my son in law."

Wriothesley had to check twice if he heard his boss right, he had been working under him for about a couple years now and your father saw his hardwork around the farm and trying to woo you to accept his offer of love.

"But... you need to make that cheese you made again last time, it was delicious..." Now, with your father's blessing, he gathered his friends to create the same wheel of cheese for your father to further prove that he was serious with you but he did most of the hardwork as he was motivated by you.

While he was busy molding the cheese into shape, you decided to pay a visit and stopped by his friends who were watching him from afar after helping him gather excess milk from the cows.

"That man's head over heels for you, ma'am" one of them said.

You laughed, "I know... the feelings are mutual."

"Creativity comes from those who have a lot of responsibilities but refuses to do them" — Veritas Ratio, the philosopher, probably.

A/N: I am not swaying my feet while writing this, never. And I'm running out of ideas so I may make more Filipino AUs of characters I like to make fanfics of and will probably make text AUs because I'm getting obsessed with the ones on Tiktok.

Trans: Good morning, my love. Go and eat breakfast mwah!!!

#genshin impact #genshin impact fanfic #genshin headcanons #genshin men #genshin diluc #diluc x reader #kaeya alberich #kaeya x reader #neuvilette fanfic #genshin neuvillette #wriothesley #wriothesley x reader #filipino AU

[acewritesfics]

The Clap | Tommy Shelby 

Pairing: Thomas Shelby x Fem!Reader 

Request: No.

Warnings: Swearing. False accusations. People spreading rumours. For the sake of the fic there is some slight Lizzy bashing.

Word Count: 1,325

Tommy Shelby Masterlist | Main Masterlist

Tommy sat enraged as he watches Y/N sitting at a table in the centre of the restaurant, laughing and smiling while having dinner with a man he's never met before. He is having a dinner meeting with a potential ally in an up and coming business deal and couldn't afford for anything to go wrong. But through out the meal he couldn't take his eyes off Y/N. He hasn't seen her since before she left Small Heath a month ago. She looks absolutely beautiful in the royal blue silk and beaded dress she's wearing. It's the same dress she wore when he first took her to the races. It looked so good on her that he spent a majority of the day watching her instead of the horses.  

To say he is jealous of the man in her company would be the understatement of the century. He didn't often get jealous and when he did, he could hide it in his stoic expression and thinly veiled threats. But he couldn't deny his jealousy in this moment. He was jealous that it is no longer him sitting across from her, making her laugh and smile. He was jealous that it wouldn't be him taking her home tonight. 

Before he can stop himself, he's excusing himself from the table, ignoring the confused looks the potential ally was directing towards him, and walked over to the table Y/N was sat at with her date. Her look of shock didn't deter him either. "You don't want this one, mate." 

"Tommy!" she gasps, her eyes filled with confusion, anger and bewilderment.  

"And why's that?" the man replies standing up from his seat, not thinking about who he is standing up to. He's a good few inches taller than Tommy but the Shelby man isn't the slightest bit intimidated. He's dealt with taller and meaner looking blokes than Harold before.  

"She's beautiful to look at, but that's as far as it goes, trust me," Tommy's eyes dart towards her, taking in how beautiful she looks even when she looks like she's about to kill him, before looking back at the man in front of him. "Because she has the clap."  

Y/N's eyes grow wide with shock and rage as the patrons around them start to murmur to each other. Her cheeks heat up with embarrassment as angry tears build up in her eyes. 

"Fuck you, Thomas Shelby!" Y/N shouts at him and storms away from her date and the Peaky Blinder. She walks as hastily as she can away from the restaurant wanting to get as far away from Tommy and the embarrassment she is now feeling.  

But God wasn't on her side tonight because Tommy quickly caught up with the angry woman. "Y/N, wait!"  

"I've had enough of your shit, Thomas!" she growls as she continues walking, "I never want to see or speak to you again!" 

Tommy stops her by grabbing her arm and turning her to face him, his face remaining calm but she could see the agitation in his eyes. He wasn't going to let whatever was bothering him alone. She's going to hear about it, whether she wants to or not. 

"You end our relationship so you can go on dates with other men?" Tommy glares at his former love. 

She glares back, not believing what he was saying. This wasn't like Tommy at all. He's making a fool out of himself as people found what's going on between them more entertaining than what they were doing.  

"You're the one who ended our relationship when you went and fucked Lizzie Stark," she says smacking him in the chest with her handbag, when he wouldn't let go of her arm. "I told you Thomas, the one thing I won't tolerate is you fucking cheating on me!" 

Y/N was born to two parents who didn't love each other. They'd been forced to marry because of an unexpected pregnancy but neither of her parents wanted to end it officially. She watched many women as well as men come into her home as both parents had their fair share of affairs. Y/N didn't want to end up like them, she refused proposals from decent men because she was afraid of becoming her mother and marrying someone like her father. But from the moment she met Thomas Shelby, everything shifted. She fell head over heels for the intelligent and dashing but sometimes stupid Birmingham gangster. She opened up to him more than she did with anyone else. It was the same for him. The two found solace within each other as well as a peace that they never found before.  

And then it all ended a month ago, when she heard rumours that Tommy had spent a few hours in the company of the local whore, Lizzie Stark. When Y/N went to confront Lizzie, the tall woman gave her a triumphant look proud that she had come between Birmingham's most powerful couple. Unable to confront Tommy, her heart too shattered and broken, she went to stay with her sister out in the country for two weeks. It would have been longer but she longed to be back in Small Heath for reasons unknown to her, whether it was with or without Tommy. 

"I never fucked Lizzie fucking Stark!" Tommy yells at her after she manages to yank her arm out of his grip. "You are the only one who I have been with since we got together. I would never do that to you because I love you too much." 

"Then why is every body talking about it?" she yells back at him. "Now they're going to be talking about me having the fucking clap, thanks to you." 

"I'll let every body know it isn't true because it's not," he tells her. "You don't have the clap and I never slept with Lizzie. I went to ask her if she had a client by the name of Andrew Jenkins, that's all. I was with her no longer than a minute."  

She looks into his eyes, seeing no trace of a lie. Despite who he was, Tommy had never lied to her about his feelings or what he's done. "It's been a month, why didn't you say something?"  

"Because I'm a fool," he tells her. "and got inside me own head. Told myself this was your chance to find someone better, someone who doesn't have blood on his hands and someone who can bring you more happiness than heart ache." 

She shakes her head. "I'm sorry, Tommy. I shouldn't have listened to a bunch of rumours and believed Lizzie over you," She apologises. It was her fault they broke up. She should have faced Tommy instead of running away. "I should have stayed, spoken with you and listened." 

"I shouldn't have let you walk away," he begins to apologise also. "I am sorry for saying you have the clap, but I am not sorry for interrupting your dinner," he continues, moving his hands to her hips and pulling her close. "I'm a selfish man. I get what I want and what I want is you. It's always going to be you." 

"I only went on a date with him to shut my sister up," she admits. Her sister was happy when Y/N told her that her and Tommy were no longer together. She didn't wait a day before she was setting Y/N up with one of her friend's brothers. "All the dates I've been on have been to keep her quiet. They have taught me one thing, though." 

"Yeah? What's that, eh?" Tommy asks, cupping her face, his thumb stroking her cheek.  

"No other man could ever compare to you, Mr Shelby," she smiles softly looking into his intense blue eyes. 

"I'm one of a kind, love," he returns her smile, looking back into her eyes as he brings her into a kiss, expressing how much he loves her and missed her. 

#acewritesfics repost #peaky blinders #tommy shelby x reader #peaky blinders x reader #thomas shelby x reader #thomas shelby #tommy shelby

[hwanchaesong]

Labyrinth (Unexpected Love) Preview

pairing: Sunoo X F!Reader

synopsis: You've always held yourself to a high standard, you must, because it's your pride and joy. In the middle of your journey to success, comes a sunshine that brought you coffee stains, ruined paper works, and sassiness.

word count: tba

genre & warnings: angst, fluff, suggestive, warnings tba

a/n: this is a teaser for the upcoming Enhypen: Tropes & Parallels series that i've been working on. i hope y'all look forward to it. please don't hesitate to tell me if you wanted to be added to the taglist. tysm 🩷

"This is basically kidnapping, you know? I can sue you for this."

"Stop yapping."

You laughed in disbelief at his reply, literally, who does he think he is?

"You have the balls to tell me that, Sunoo." you slumped on the leather seat of his newly bought car, which surprised you because last time you checked, driving is something that scares him and a driver's license makes him scream in fear.

He side eyes you for a second before returning his attention on the road, "I told you to stop yapping, didn't I?"

You zipped your mouth at that, but that didn't stop you from cursing him inside your mind.

The man literally dragged you out of your apartment, halting all your works and studies while continuously rambling about his new achievement in life... and that he's taking you somewhere.

He didn't bother telling you where, just that he's sure you'll love it.

You turned your head to look at the scenery outside the window. Pine trees surrounding the area, sunflowers growing randomly and the thin fog adds a sprinkle of mystery about the place.

A small smile tugged on the corner of your lips as you sipped on your iced americano, feeling oddly refreshed at the sudden drive and journey to nowhere.

Then you begun to wonder, since when did you start feeling and thinking like this?

Since when have you started thinking of having fun, letting yourself feel the joy of being free from the expectations and pressure of the people around you?

Since when have you started taking care of yourself, buying yourself the things that you've always wanted to buy. Doing skin care, eating whatever you wanted, playing games all night long until your alarm rings, signalling for you to wake up when in reality you were just about to sleep.

Since when have you started loving yourself more?

"And.. we're here!" Sunoo yells, jumping excitedly from his seat, grinning widely at you when you whipped your head to his direction, making direct eye contact with him.

Then it dawned on you.. the answer to all of your questions.

taglist

@lilyuwon @ramenoil

#enhypen imagines #enhypen #enhypen fluff #enhypen angst #enhypen smut #enhypen scenarios #enhypen reactions #enhypen x reader #enhypen hard hours #enhypen fanfiction #sunoo #sunoo imagines #sunoo fluff #sunoo angst #sunoo smut #sunoo x reader #sunoo scenarios #kim sunoo #kim sunoo imagines #kim sunoo fluff #kim sunoo smut #kim sunoo x reader #sunoo fanfic #heeseung imagines #jay imagines #jake imagines #sunghoon imagines #jungwon imagines #niki imagines #enhypen sunoo

[not-quite-graceful]

Hey, um… with the whole “Bluejay!Jason” concept… has anybody ever considered it as an Inkheart reference instead of just a play off his name?

Follow me here, and sorry in advance, this turned into a ramble.

In the second book of the Inkheart trilogy, Inkspell, one of the main protagonists adopts a Robin Hood-esque approach to defeating the tyrant king, and adopts the name of ‘The Bluejay’ from famous folk legends and songs written by a beloved poet and often sung by travelling minstrels. He’s -Inkspell spoilers ahead, though this book is unironically older than I am- known for toppling said tyrant’s throne through the binding of a magic book (a recurring theme throughout the series, if you’ve never read it, which you should). He’s a champion among the Motley Folk, who were that world’s equivalent to a travelling circus and also regularly aid him in his quest to topple the Adderhead (the tyrant king mentioned above), and sought to help the poor and downtrodden. The Bluejay is aided and abetted by his family and friends, which include a shapeshifting wife, a daughter with the ability to make anything she reads come true, a fire-dancer who can speak to the flames, and a knife-throwing 'circus' prince with a black bear companion. (They're not called the Motley Folk for no reason, people!)

Now, consider for a moment: Little Jason Todd, in the local library, absolutely devouring the Inkheart series. It's everything a little kid could dream of in a fantasy book! And there's three of these fat books, what more could you possibly want? And he has an excuse to sit in a warm, safe building for a few hours.

Now imagine, Inkspell becomes his comfort book. Of course it does- every kid had one, and I can't imagine an orphan who grew up alone on the streets of Gotham picking anything other than a story about a strange man helping the opressed and downtrodden in a land he grows to call his own with the help of his family- and The Bluejay is an excellent father to his daughter, too, of course Jason pictured himself as part of that family, as whisked away into that world.

And of course, the rest of the series is wonderful too -Inkheart is where it all began, after all, and Inkdeath is the final triumph over evil!-, but Inkspell is a story about becoming. About learning to be more than you were born as- after all, if Mo the simple bookbinder could become the hero The Bluejay, what could Jason the street orphan become?

Maybe, instead of discovering this book in a library, he found it in the trash. And maybe he wondered, as he read it, why anyone would ever want to throw away the tale of Mo the Blujay, of Meggie the Silvertongue, of Resa the brave swift, of Dustfinger the loyal Fire-Dancer? (And maybe the last one took a while to get there, but he did get there! Eventually! And maybe Jason can understand why it took Dustfinger so long to truly come to trust someone again, because trust is a terribly dangerous thing to give to someone, because you can never really know what they'll do with it.) Maybe he read it through without knowing anything about Capricorn or The Shadow or why they feared the man named Basta, because they hadn't thrown away the first book, only the second. Maybe he wept for the death of Dustfinger, at the very end, because he didn't know that Death wouldn't keep him, because they hadn't thrown away the third book.

Maybe Inkspell found its place among his most treasured possessions. Maybe, when he met Batman and Bruce Wayne in one night and his life changed forever, Inkspell came with him, with its familiar story and characters and world and sorrows.

Maybe one of the first things Bruce did, upon seeing Jason reading that same battered old paperback, was to order Inkheart and Inkdeath and leave them in his room. Maybe that was when Jason started to realize that he wasn't going to leave forever.

(Maybe Jason and Dick would play Motley Folk together, because Dick was in the circus and could most certainly throw knives, even if it gave Bruce a heart attack every time he saw it.)

And maybe, after he could no longer have Robin, he remembered that old paperback book, that old story and that old world, and he thought of a new name for himself.

Bluejay, he thought, as he picked up the book that had been his constant companion for so many years. I'll be The Bluejay.

(I don't really know what this is. I saw some Bluejay!Jason art the other day and just started thinking of the Inkheart trilogy and the fact that Jason would absolutely have read it and probably loved it. And then it spiralled.)

#dc #batman #batfamily #batfam #batman family #jason todd #robin jason todd #the red hood #red hood #Bluejay!Jason Todd #bruce wayne #good parent bruce wayne #well he's trying to be #trying to connect with his new son #dick grayson #nightwing #inkheart #inkspell #inkdeath #mortimer folchart #mo folchart #mo inheart #inkheart trilogy #bluejay inheart #I think that's everything #let me know if there's something else I should tag

[meowmeowriley]

Changes: A Poll-Fic

"Remember, you're not supposed to be here, so don't do anything stupid." Love you too, Price. The Captain had caved. He'd been begging to be part of this mission since they'd gotten the lead.

Soap reached up, rubbing his gloved fingers across the teeth of his mask. The mask he'd stolen from Ghost's room. Gaz had found him clutching it, dried mixture of tears and bile coating his cheeks, and forehead pressed to the porcelain throne. He'd been banned from drinking for the foreseeable future. That was the only stupid thing he'd done. Ghost wore a mask, Ghost only spoke when he had to, Ghost was hard on the rookies, and nobody questioned his mental state. But they did, didn't they? Well Soap didn't. And nobody needed to question Soap, he was fine.

"I wanna be like you when I grow up."

"You wanna be better than me, Johnny."

Well to be better than him, first he had to be more like him. So he'd donned Ghost's mask, to better embody the man's stoicism and presence. Definitely not as a way to hide his chapped cheeks and the bags under his eyes. He'd painted it red, wore a jaw print bandana. Different. Better. Yeah.

Price had finally caved to Soap's insistence he be part of this OP, but issued his warnings. "I know you don't need to be told, but I'm saying it anyway." He'd warned. "They've had him for eight months. Torture changes people, he may not be the same."

Of course he wasn't going to be the fucking same. He didn't need to be the same, he just needed to be alive.

Ghost never really spoke about his past, only left little hints here and there, but Soap wasn't dumb. He'd been through it before. Ghost could handle the torture, and Soap could handle the aftermath.

"I'm fine." He finally answered. "It'll be by the books, Captain." As if anything they did was ever 'by the books.' Price accepted his answer, though he didn't look convinced. It was just the three of them, with Laswell listening in. Gaz was in charge of collecting data on the bio weapon that was rumored to be here, Soap was in charge of the search and rescue mission, and Price was overwatch as the two Sergeants made their way in.

The trio hopped out of the truck, and Price slapped the side, sending it away. Soap and Gaz nodded to one another before splitting up to approach the building from different angles. Price silently made his way to higher ground.

The trek was agonizing, moreso because Soap found himself feeling more impatient than usual. Every time he had to lay low and wait for a patrol to pass he could hear the sand slowly falling, trickling away in the hourglass that was the rest of Ghost's life.

"You sure know how to keep things interesting, Johnny." Ghost had smiled at him, rare that he didn't have his mask, but then again, who other than Soap would challenge the Ghost to strip poker? And who other than Soap would cheat be really really good at strip poker? So good as to force Ghost to choose between his pants and his mask, the last two articles of clothing he had on. Soap himself had only one sock, and his jumper on, choosing to doff his pants so he could keep access to the cards in his sleeves. The  unpleasant cold of the metal chair against his junk was worth it, just to see the surprising decision on Ghost's part to lose the mask and not the underwear.

"Aye, like to shake things up, Sir." He'd said with a wink as he laid yet another winning hand down, only slightly supplemented by his sleeve stash.

He was certainly always one to shake things up. Here he was, itching to shake that damn hourglass up. He'd shake it, flip it upside down, bash it over someone's head and stuff the sand down their fucking throat, if it meant he'd get more time with the enigmatic phantom that had haunted his mind since that shitshow in Mexico.

Price gave the signal, they crawled forward once more.

"This is takin' longer than a constipated snail takin' a shit." He grit out into comms once the coast was clear.

"Soap, while it's nice to hear your voice again, one more quip outta you and I'm pulling you. Watch it." Laswell had gotten the cold shoulder, she'd fed Ghost bad intel. He blamed her, he didn't, couldn't blame her. She was just as worried. Probably.

He just needed to get Ghost back. Repay his debt. Ghost had saved him back then, after all. That's what this was. An eye for an eye, but in a positive way. They were good for eachother. Fixed eachothers problems. Complimented one another, personality wise. That's all.

He crept into the building, silent and unnoticed.

They didn't have much on the layout, just the outer perimeter, so they were going in blind. That didn't bother Soap, he was thriving for the first time in months. He finally had something to do other than run the rookies into the ground.

He dodged patrols, picked off the ones he could get away with had to, using the knife he'd kicked so long ago after Ghost had left it behind.

He found some unlit stairs leading into a basement they hadn't known existed. If I were keeping an incredibly dangerous prisoner, now where would I keep him? Three sets of teeth, plastic, cloth and bone, were bared towards the darkness. He couldn't help it, he felt giddy. He tried to quell his excitement, didn't need to make any mistakes now.

He made his way, thankful for his NVG's as there were no lights, even after descending the stairs. The hallway he entered had doors along one side, nothing much in the rooms, but he cleared each one as he passed. No fuck ups.

Near the end, he found a door with seven locks. Suspicious. Good. Suspicious was good, here. The other doors had been wood, dry rotted and deteriorating, this one was metal.

His eyes itched. He flipped up his NVG's.

Curiously, whenever he blinked, Soap could've sworn he could see symbols on the door, but they'd disappear the longer he looked. He'd blink, a sickening yellow circle with lines and symbols within would appear just as he opened his eyes, but faded so quickly, he couldn't convince himself it had ever even been there. The harder he stared the more the door looked perfectly normal, if you ignored all the locks.

Many many thanks to @stuffireadandenjoy for brainstorming with me on how to make this poll fic work, and to @resident-idiot-simp for being my beta, as always ❤❤❤

#poll fic #choose your own adventure #ghoap #ghostsoap #soapghost #tumblr polls #call of duty #modern warfare #fanfic #fanfic wips #simon ghost riley #john soap mactavish #ao3 #cod mw2 #cyoa fic #cyoa poll

[starlit-typewriter]

Genshin SAGAU, Creator of Teyvat, but not Humanity Pt2

I didn't expect such a warm reception, but I'm so glad you guys all liked it!

Your kind words inspired me so much so behold the next part!

Warning for spoilers up to 4.6

Prev Part |

~~~

It all started with a dream.

Well, a lot of things start with dreams, but this one was an actual, asleep in bed, REM cycle dream.

Well, at least you thought it was. But that's neither here nor now. 

It was, to your unending embarrassment about Genshin Impact. 

Now there’s absolutely nothing wrong with likings something so much that you end up dreaming about it, it’s just slightly humiliating when you as a person is not someone who dreams a lot and your first actual proper dream that you can actually remember past the first twenty minutes after waking up is about a fictional 2D character vowing to love and care for you.

Ever so slightly humiliating.

You'd've preferred it if it was an actual person because at least that way you knew you had a crush on a living human being rather than having a parasocial relationship with a giant block of code and text. 

Actually, can you have parasocial relationships with fictional humans?

Not the point,

This started with a series of extremely weird and slightly embarrassing dreams about Iudex Neuvillette.

Actually this started when you C6’d him.

Honestly, you did not expect to get anywhere near this lucky, especially since your past luck has been average to low in terms of wishing for characters.

But with him, 

Well,

It wasn't quite streamer luck, but you did not have to spend any monetary funds to achieve your goal. 

You did have to skip quite a few Fontanian characters, and grind out all the region’s exploration, but you’d say it was well worth it.

The night after you’d gotten that final constellation, you had the aforementioned weird dream.

You weren’t in the dream per say, as you didn’t seem to occupy any physical space, 

you well.

The best way to describe it would be a movie scene. 

You watched as the man, dragon, stood on a balcony. 

The moon’s rays reflecting off of this silver chalice, you could only assume filled with another one of his fancy waters. 

But it was his gaze that caught your attention.

It’s cheesy to say, but you’ve always been drawn to the man’s gaze. It was always so sharp, so intentional.

He knew what he was looking at and he did so with reason.

But now, at this moment.

It was unfocused, hazy. 

His gaze was not focused on the moon, nor the city lights.

He did not stare at the landscape of Fontaine, nor the glittering waters beneath.

But, he saw you.

You don’t know how you knew, but you did.

You didn’t hear what he was saying, nor could you make out the words his mouth was forming but you knew that it was a call, a call for you.

It was odd but flattering and confusing, but a deeper part of you crooned as his sentiments. A part of you you didn’t realize you had was rising to the surface.

“My child,” it crooned, “my dear Hydro Dragon,”

Neuvillette seemed to startle at that.

You knew you didn’t make any sound, you didn’t even have a body, but somehow he heard it, heard you.

His face flushed, hand grasping at his chest as his murmurs seemed to grow faster.

You didn’t know what was going on anymore, simply that this rising feeling in your chest was growing and growing. 

It was scary.

It was alien.

Feelings that were not your own, moments of clarity and nostalgia flash through you, connecting to nothing but faceless figures and a deep sense of regret and loss.

What is happening,

A part of you that you didn’t know about, that you’ve never felt.

Is this what it feels like to be possessed, you recall thinking faintly before sinking into darkness.

~~~

The Iudex of Fontaine stood above all in the courtroom.

With the destruction of the Oratrice Mechanique D’analyse Cardinale, his word and judgment were the last line holding Fountaine to its standard of justice and order.

On paper, he seemed to have it all as the youths may say.

But his identity as the Hydro Dragon may deter from that.

It is already isolating enough to be the Iudex of the nation of Justice and Hydro, but to be the only dragon, were it not something that he had spent his entire lifespan balancing, he feared he could go mad from that.

There is a sense of irony in that.

Focalors's plot put both he and Furina in the highest positions in all of Fountaine, and in turn made them both the most isolated as well.

Although, at least she was released from her duties after the job was done.

While he was and forever will be grateful for her contribution in saving Fountaine, there is a quiet part of him that he’s tried very hard to bury, that is green with envy. 

He understood Focalor’s reasoning, after all, once their act was done Furina would be able to live a normal human life and he would be able to regain his powers and authority as the Hydro Dragon. 

That was as much as she could do for him, from her limited position.

He was grateful.

But,

His brethren, his kin.

They did not have the same freedoms granted to them.

While he did not have many memories of what happened to the previous sovereigns, nor of his life before the arrival of the Primordial one, he knew that they were most likely sealed away, deprived of their rightful power and authority.

It is his duty as the Hydro Dragon to render judgment upon the Usurpers that massacred his brethren and sealed away his kin. To uphold the standard of justice he has worked so hard to maintain during his rule as Iudex of Fontaine.

He once saw a quote in a popular novel that was making the rounds. “To become God is the loneliest achievement of them all,” whilst he does not recall the contents of the book, the sentiment of the line rings true, especially now that he has regained his authority.

While he and Furina did not spend much time together whilst they were performing their duties, she was a constant presence that he knew was always there. Much like a tree you would pass by everyday on your morning commute, or the singing of birds at dawn. An ever present figure whose loss is sudden and to an effect irreplaceable. 

He finds himself missing her, sometimes.

Not that he dares let Sedene and the others know, else they’ll enact some kind of plot to get him to go out and meet more people. 

But there was a comfort in knowing that she, just like him, was alone in their positions and would serve Fontaine to the very end.

Not that he dares disturb her well earned retirement, nor does he wish to retire himself. 

It was simply,

A shame.

The melusines were the closest equivalent to his dragon kin that he has had over the centuries, and will most likely continue to be for many to come. For as much as their presence filled him with happiness, they do not, and he hopes never will, understand what it truly means to be a dragon.

To be the last survivor of the original people of Teyvat, crushed under the heel of the Usurper king and their shades. 

To have to live amongst their people, knowing that while humans are innocent, their creation was built upon the bloodshed and suffering of his people.

There is a unique sense of cruelty in her actions, he reflected, fitting for the successor of one of the usurpers.

Whilst he has no doubt she meant it as an honor, taking him in, raising him to the highest scene of this land, giving him the highest seat of power and eventually returning to him his authority after watching her death.

There were moments, especially when he first took on the mantle and was trying to prove himself worthy of the title, that we would stare out at the people of Fountaine and wonder why he was doing this.

Humans were the reason for the destruction of his people. The Usurper King, sought out this world and destroyed it and it’s civilization so that a new one could be created in place of it. So that humans could be created in place of it. 

Human are the reason why his people, why the dragons were destroyed, they were the reason behind all the suffering and pain his kin have gone through and yet.

Yet they were still innocent.

They did not participate in the war.

They did not ask to be created.

They did not deserve to be punished for the sins of their creator.

However that does not make it any easier to stomach.

There is a peculiar sense of humiliation, to be worshiped alongside those who have destroyed your brethren. To serve and protect the beloved children of those who caused him and his people great harm.

It is a cruel and angry part of him that he does not dwell on much.

He cannot, lest it overrule all his rational sensibilities.

Humans are not inherently cruel beings. They are curious passionate creatures who love and care for each other deeply, who are compassionate and curious at their very core. 

Whilst during his reign as Iudex, he has seen a great deal of human cruelty and evil, he has also witnessed selfless acts of kindness and compassion. 

It is the duality of human nature that strikes him so. He cannot blame them for acts they are innocent of, but neither can he proclaim them to be free of all responsibility.

Truly the most vexing case he has ever dealt with.

Especially since,

Neuvillete frowned as he rubbed at his chest, feeling where the small spark of divine blessing lay within him. 

As the reborn Hydro dragon he does not have access to all the memories of his previous incarnations. As such his knowledge of the previous Dragon Sovereigns and the Creator of Teyvat remains incomplete.

But what he does know, what he does remember, is warmth.

The same warmth that now resides in his chest and on his very self.

He does not remember having many interactions with the creator of Teyvat, knowing that the greatest of interactions lay between the Fromitable Dragon Father himself, and the creator of this great realm. 

 He had assumed that they had abandoned Teyvat, abandoned the dragons. He’d have preferred that to be in case rather than the harrowing alternative of their defeat and possible imprisonment at the hands of the Usurper king.

But deep in his heart he knew that not to be the case.

“A creator cannot abandon their world”, King Nibelung had proclaimed, their Dragon Father was the one who knew the most about their creator after all, he had no reason to dispute such a fact.

 Worlds are much akin to terrariums, whilst on the surface it may seem completely self dependent and a skilled enough botanist may even be able to create one that can last years without any need for direct intervention, but even terrariums need light.

They require the sun to nourish its plants and create the water cycle, for all it may seem self sufficient it requires the energy of the world outside it’s glass container. 

That is very much the situation of Teyvat.

For as much as Teyvat seems to have taken care of itself, the world is breaking. Ley lines disorders have become more and more common, abyssal energy roams around, attaching itself to unsuspecting creatures. Bodies of dead gods spread harmful miasma around, polluting the earth.

If the creator wanted to destroy Teyvat, it would be as simple as cutting off the power of the Leylines, putting out the sun, or any myriad of actions that would destroy this very world.

They did not, instead they still provided this terrarium with bits of light. Enough for it to survive, but not enough to thrive. 

They still cared enough for Teyvat to sustain it, but not enough to intervene when it so clearly was struggling.

The creator he knew was not like that, they took no pleasure in toying around with others.

The only explanation for this was that they lacked the power to give Teyvat the help it so truly required. 

That realization was horrifying.

Nauvillete could only sit and wallow in his own helplessness as he watched the situation in Teyvat decline over the centuries.

Until,

Well,

Until the Traveler,

The witness from beyond the stars.

They have been given a great many titles in their journey through Teyvat, and have undoubtedly more than earned all of them. 

What he did not realize, is that they also had another title, unbeknownst to all.

A title given by a presence beyond all that they’ve encountered.

A title that they most likely did not even know of themselves.

The Creator's ∎∎∎∎

They carried the essence of the creator within them, it was clear they were beloved, it was clear that they were back.

The creator had come back.

And they were kind.

A part of Neuvillette feared that they would be much like King Nibelung, furious and desperate to do anything to drive out those that did not belong on Teyvat.

Perhaps they were at some point, but it seems that that point is not now.

The Traveler that acted with their blessing was kind,

They cared for those around them, human and non-human alike.

But they were not naive, willing to dispense justice upon those who deserved it.

If this was the person the creator chose to represent their will, perhaps their return will be much more peaceful than their disappearance.

Neuvillette had contented himself with that thought back then, throwing himself into his works as he had to deal with the threat that was the prophecy.

Little did he know that with time, the creator would bless him in much the same way.

The same blessing that sits in his chest at this very moment.

It has been months since he had been blessed as well as the completion of the prophecy. A selfish part of him wished that he would receive more since then.

Through his investigation he has seen many others, being blessed just as he had, gaining strength and power beyond their previous limits. 

But they were not dragons.

They were not the creator’s original creation, their children.

Is it unfair for him to hope that he’d be treated differently. 

Perhaps, the age of dragons had long passed already, and humans have dominated so much of this world that it is hard to deny that they are the driving force behind Teyvat.

But still,

He hoped,

He prayed,

Until,

The skies glowed.

Not the stars, mind you,

The sky

It was akin to the opposite of a solar eclipse, the night turning into day.

A surge of energy filled his body.

Not like when he regained his authority, that one was a wave of pure power cascading upon his person, placing responsibilities and burden on his shoulders alike.

This one was kind, gentle, hopeful, excited.

Is this what it feels like to take drugs, Neuvillette thought faintly.

Synth was incredibly popular on the market for its ability to create unprecedented euphoria in its users. If this is what those people felt then he understood why they were willing to go to such methods to achieve this feeling.

“My child,” the power crooned, wrapping itself around him, embracing him with all the tenderness of a loving parent,

His mouth formed the words he could not bring himself to say,

The power purred with reassurance, erasing pains and aches that he didn’t even know he had, before fading from his body.

His arms reached out in desperation, hoping to capture that feeling again to no avail.

Their presence was gone,

But their blessing remained

It certainly remained and it was stronger than ever, this power surge he feels is akin to receiving his full authority once more. 

Whilst many worries and doubts he had about the future still remained, one thing was made clear.

He was beloved, he was wanted, and the creator would keep him safe.

~~~~~~

Let me know what you think! I love reading your comments and feel free to send me asks about it as well!

#genshin impact sagau #genshin sagau #sagau #genshin impact

[importantchaosgiver]

Where Loyalties Lie:

To The King

Summary: (Y/N) can't stay hidden for long. And when she is taken to the king, she gets an unexpected turn of events...

Warnings: Canon typical swearing, mentions of nudity

******

Two days. Baelon, Aemon and the guards hadn't found (Y/N) for two days. They had asked and most did say they've seen a girl of her description, but most didn't know about her or just saw her in passing. This girl was smart and quick. Aemon admired the child for her skill at such a young age. Being able to hide from a king's order wasn't something most people could do, especially when in the heart of the city. Baelon then went to a fruit stall. "Have you seen a young girl around this tall with (h/c) hair by any chance?" Baelon asked for the umpteenth time that day. He was quickly growing tired of searching, but Jaehaerys did ask of it. "Oh, yes. I do, my prince. She's the young lass who helps us set up from time to time," the man said. "Yes, she a lovely little girl," the woman added. Baelon perked up as Aemon walked over. "What's her name?" Aemon queried, finally glad they were getting somewhere. "Oh, I am sorry, my prince. That isn't something we know. But you can find her mother on the Street of Silk. The woman you'll need to look for is (M/N)," the woman explained. "She's a whore's daughter?" Baelon muttered to Aemon as they gave thanks to the vendors and began walking. "And a bastard no doubt. This girl gets more and more intriguing," Aemon said quietly in return.

When they came to the Street of Silk and to the brothels, it was noticeably more quiet during the day than how it was at night. So, they went from building to building, having to endure the working ladies in skimpy dresses or nothing at all. Until, finally, they got somewhere. "If you're looking for (M/N) go to the farthest room down that corridor," a woman explained, giving the two princes sultry looks, only wearing a mesh skirt. They nodded and began walking in the given direction, avoiding the people enjoying their time. When they got to said door, it was noticeably more isolated as they entered without knocking. The woman quickly stood up, looking at them as she realised she was in the presence of Targaryen royalty. "(M/N)?" Aemon asked. "Yeah. How can I help you?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest, wearing a sheer shift. "We're not looking for some time. We are looking for whom we've been told is your daughter," Aemon said. That got (M/N)'s attention quickly. "What's she done?" she whispered. "Nothing wrong. Although, the king is asking she be brought forth," Baelon said, eyeing her up and down. "Since when did whores care about their children?" he asked. (M/N) quickly put on some more modest clothing. "She's a child. She doesn't deserve to know my occupation. All she knows is that she's a bastard. But she doesn't let that stop her," she said firmly. "Aye," Baelon muttered. When they left, a couple of guards followed as (M/N) lead them out of the Street of Silk.

When they came to a small house, they went inside. There was (Y/N) holding a book with an elderly man pointing at words. They stopped and looked up. (Y/N) gulped upon seeing the princes. She had been found. "(Y/N), the princes would like to talk to you," (M/N) said gently. "Please, don't run. I would not like to repeat the other day," Aemon said calmly, seeing her stand up. "The king would like to see you, lass," Baelon said, bending down to her height. "I honestly meant no harm," (Y/N) whispered meekly. "I know. Now, come along, child," he said, the guards stepping forward. Her mother watched in worry as (Y/N) was lead from her home, two guards either side of her, a hand each on her shoulder just in case she decided to run.

She felt her stomach churn in anxiety, her throat tighten as it became difficult to swallow. She wrung her hands nervously as she was walked to the gates and into the Red Keep. It was even bigger closer up. She was lead through many confusing twists and turns until she was lead to two large doors. They opened and (Y/N) felt like her legs were about to give way. The entire court was there. The princes went in as the guards gently walked her inside. The men and women of court whispered and muttered. This girl saved Prince Viserys? This bastard, grubby common girl? When the guards stopped, she stopped and lifted her gaze. Her eyes found King Jaehaerys on the famed Iron Throne. It looked even more intimidating now that she stood before it. It's many blades forged by dragonfire and the blades of Aegon the Conqueror's enemies. She had seen paintings of the throne, but it didn't prepare her to be stood before it.

Jaehaerys recognised (Y/N) from the brief time he saw her in the Dragonpit. He stood up from the throne and walked down to stand in front of her. The guards let go of her shoulders and stepped back. (Y/N) gave a curtsy in respect of the king who gazed down at her with kindness. "You saved my grandson, little one. I thank you," he said gently. "I-I... there is no need to thank me. I only did what I thought was right. I only meant to help and protect," she whispered. Almost so quiet, no one heard it. It made Jaehaerys chuckle softly as her bent down to her height. "You are a shy one. But, I saw a pure courage in your eyes. Courage and bravery I have not seen in years, little one. What's your name?" Jaehaerys asked softly. "(Y/N) Waters, your grace," she muttered. "Born out of wedlock," he whispered. Baelon muttered into his ear about her mother too. Jaehaerys nodded in understanding. Then, he gently took (Y/N)'s hand. She lifted her head in shock and Jaehaerys managed to see her eyes and see into her soul. And he could tell, her heart was pure. Despite the scrutiny she would face as a bastard child, her heart was true and pure, untainted. He saw the truth in her eyes of (e/c) and knew she was something rare. He then thought back to a dream he had as a young man.

He dreamt of a woman with (h/c) hair wearing a white cloak, bearing the sigil of House Targaryen, holding a sword of Valyrian steel. The woman he dreamt of had been stood on the walls to the city, her sword soaked in blood, a cut along her face. He remembered how the sun shone behind her as if the gods wanted it. Jaehaerys called this dream, the White Saviour. Because his dream predicted that a warrior would protect the realm. And the courage, truth and purity he saw in the eyes of the woman in his dream was the same as what he saw in this child.

Jaehaerys straightened up and looked at the court. "I have decided that (Y/N) Waters shall be honoured for saving my grandson. It is my wish, my will and my order that she is to be trained in the ways of a knight," he announced. Everyone gasped. Even (Y/N) was stunned. She becoming a knight?! Trained as one?! But, she was a girl! All around the court, people had different reactions. Baelon and Aemon was surprised, but actually thought it made some form of sense, Viserys was shocked, Daemon found it hilarious that a girl would become a knight and -ultimately- fail, Jocelyn and Rhaenys felt pride that a girl could have the opportunity to prove the norm wrong and somewhere, in the corner of the throne room, Otto Hightower narrowed his eyes at the girl. This wasn't coincidental. Jaehaerys knew something they all didn't. It was clear in the Old King's eyes. That twinkle... something he knew would affect the realm for all eternity...

******

Okay, I'll admit, I've been sitting on this idea for a while. So I don't know how many regular updates there will be, but I'm really enjoying writing this. I hope you enjoy it too.

#alicent hightower #daemon targaryen #house of the dragon #otto hightower #rhaenyra targaryen #viserys targaryen #viserys x reader #fantasy #westeros #king jaehaerys #baelon targaryen #aemond targaryen #jocelyn baratheon #rhaenys targaryen #asoiaf

[nuctoria]

Enjoy Upthere for the both of us

TW - panic, separation, mention of death.

“M-man, it's strange being back in the Underwhere after so long. Sure brings back memories, eh bro?” the green capped man lightly nudged his distracted brother and gave him a weak smile. 

It was really strange. They knew their time was limited, they dreaded it as time grew near, but now that death had ironically taken them both at the same time they weren't as scared. The knowledge of where they were to end up and that they would still be together must have helped ease their nerves, plus they were thankful that their passings were calm and peaceful.

The brothers held hands as they walked down the hall and passed D-men who barely spared them a glance to get to the queen of this realm. Queen Jaydes. She stood tall as she patiently watched them approach her and give her respectful bows. 

“My condolences, Mario and Luigi.”

“We hope you and Grambi have been well, Jaydes” Mario politely said after rising back up to look up at her. 

“We are and it is thanks to you two and your friends that we are allowed to continue doing so. We also thank you for not letting our daughter's sacrifice be in vain” the queen responded, giving the two a small smile of gratitude. 

Mario offered his own smile but it wavered a bit. He took a deep breath and asked her, “Do you perhaps know how Peach has been? I hope she is being treated well in the Upthere. I really miss her…”.

Peach's passing hadn't been easy for anyone in the kingdom, especially Mario. He missed her more and more each day he lived and though he may not be able to join her in the afterlife, he hoped her spirit was happy as a Nimbi. 

“She's doing well, last I heard from Grambi. She really misses you.” answered Jaydes, receiving a thank you nod from Mario. 

“Now, we must delay no further. Your judgements shall be revealed” announced the queen of the Underwhere, taking a bit of time to go over their actions and deeds in life. 

Mario held Luigi's hand tightly and shut his eyes as he waited. He really wanted to enjoy Upthere with Peach and Luigi, but he wasn't going to hold his breath. Sure, the two had saved countless lives and suffered many dangers during their adventures but that could not lessen their crimes. They had ended up here when they fought Count Bleck back then, unlike Peach, and they could not deny their fates. At least he still had Luigi with him. Nothing could harm them as long as they're together. 

Finally, Queen Jaydes gave her judgement. “Fate has smiled upon you, Mario. Peach will be delighted to hear the news of your arrival to Upthere”. 

He opened his eyes and stared at her in utter shock. Was this…was this true? Was he truly going to the Upthere? Was he going to see Peach again? He couldn't believe it. 

He laughed happily and thanked Jaydes profusely, turning to Luigi and grabbing his shoulders in pure joy. 

“D-did you hear that Lu?! We're going to the Upthere! We're all going to be together again! We'll be Nimbis like Peach and live on clouds! Isn't that amazing?!”

Luigi didn't show the same excitement as Mario did, only giving him a small smile. It was a happy smile, of course, but it was also sad. This confused Mario and brought his own excitement down. 

“Luigi? Hey, what's wrong? Aren't you excited?” Mario asked his younger twin softly, growing more confused when Luigi took a step away from him. 

“Tell Peach I said hi when you get there, ok bro…?” was all Luigi said. 

It finally clicked at that moment. Jaydes had only said Mario's name, not both of their names. But why?! He had done as many crimes so why was only Luigi getting the short end of the stick?! 

“What's going on? Why can't you come along?! How is this fair?!” Mario asked in a panic, looking between Luigi and Jaydes for an explanation which the queen provided. 

“Your brother really loves you, Mario. He was adamant that you deserved to be in a better place than this. He made a deal with me to ensure your place in the Upthere while he stays here in the Underwhere with me”, explained Jaydes. 

“Don't worry, bro, I'll be fine. Besides, I'm glad I can still be useful by helping Jaydes with the roudier souls…” Luigi tried to calm Mario's rising panic. 

Mario was not willing to listen, “Have you lost your mind?! Do you have any idea who you will be stuck here with all alone?! You can't do this! End the deal, I'm not going anywhere without you!” shouted Mario. 

This declare was taken as a sign that the D-men would need to step in, getting ahold of Mario and started dragging him away to the gates of the Upthere. Mario struggled against them and demanded they let him go, pleading with Luigi to not leave him and begging for Jaydes to not do this. 

All Jaydes did was bow her head in guilt as Luigi tried to keep a smile on his face despite the tears running down his face. Mario could feel feathery wings form on his back the closer he was dragged to the gates but his focus was on his brother and his transformation into a Shayde. He started crying, his begging growing louder and more desperate as struggled against the D-men and reached out towards Luigi. 

“Enjoy Upthere for the both of us, bro. I love you…” Luigi softly said, his voice quivering from trying to keep his sobs in. 

The gates opened and Mario was forcefully thrown past them. 

“LUIGI!!!”

--------

So um... I don't know, I remembered an old comic dub on YouTube and thought of this. Hope you enjoyed!

@istadris @itsavee4117 @vulpixfairy1985 @billinshoes @silenzahra

#luigi #mario #Jaydes #Underwhere #Spm #Sad #Random writing

[penkura]

last forever [2/13]

Summary: Zoro only offered to marry you to keep you out of an arranged marriage with a man much older than you. You agreed with the caveat of ending it via annulment once you received word from your parents regarding the original engagement, despite your growing feelings for your close friend.

Pairing: Zoro x Fem!reader, mentioned Sanami later (like epilogue later so chill)

Warnings: Marriage of Convenience, Fake Marriage, referenced sex (waaaaaay later on), mutual pining, Zoro is bad at feelings but what's new there, eventual romance I promise, mention of past attempted assault (I'll warn in that chapter), creepy older dude later on

Note: Why yes I did write this after watching OPLA, why do you ask?

Of course, it just had to be a crazy clown that was your next opponent. You didn't fear clowns but you didn't like them terribly much either, so being up against Buggy the Clown and his crew of pirates was making this day worse for you.

First, Luffy had been snatched away by a freaking bird that he tried to catch and turn into food (how he expected to cook it, you had no idea). You and Zoro quickly followed after, not even stopping to properly pick up the men you found in the middle of the ocean who were calling for help. Even when they tried to rob you, the glares the two of you gave and the slight beating from Zoro, once they realized who he was, the three men you picked up took over the rowing and brought you to Orange Town.

Once you found him, Luffy had already been thrown into a cage by Buggy, Zoro making an attempt to dice the clown who only proved he was perfectly fine afterwards, stabbing Zoro instead.After practically jumping from the rooftop with him still in the cage, the girl gave the key up, before it was swallowed by a little dog. The mayor of the town appeared before you next and you asked for a place to treat Zoro's stab wound and where he could rest, Mayor Boodle taking you all to his house.

"I don't need you to treat it, I'll sleep it off."

Zoro nearly flinched at the glare you set on him, making him take his shirt off so you could see the wound better.

"Sleep it off, what a load of crock," Shaking your head, you threaded a needle and sterilized it with a match, "You know that's not how you heal from stab wounds, dummy."

As you started stitching the wound, Zoro watched you closely like he always did. You'd done this so many times at this point, having been terrified of giving him stitches at first, until the worst wound you'd seen him get. He wasn't anywhere near close to bleeding out from it, but after an hour of it still bleeding, you forced him back onto the hotel bed and started stitching him up, pushing away your fears and the tears that you felt welling up as you did so. When you had finished, Zoro was impressed and thanked you, making you smile before you burst into tears over the whole thing.

"What are you crying for?!"

"I…I've never…done that before!"

He'd never have guessed you hadn't done stitches before, but your work never tore, he took it upon himself to remove them when you said it was safe to do. He didn't want you to start crying again.

After that you stitched up any severe wounds he had, just as you were doing at that moment.

"Okay," you cut the thread and finally nodded once you were done, "Now you can sleep. Don't do anything to tear the stitches though."

"Fine."

You put your items away while Zoro laid down, telling him you were going to see if you could help get Luffy out of the cage and ask about this other girl if she was joining you all or not. Before you left, you gave him another glare.

"You better stay still and sleep."

"I will, trust me on that."

Satisfied, you finally left and Zoro smiled to himself before falling asleep.

Not so bad having her as a wife.

+!+

Your hope that you'd all get out of Orange Town without a fight was gone as you stood in front of Cabaji with your own sword drawn. You had told (yelled at) Zoro to go back to resting instead of bothering to fight this acrobat, turning it into an argument between the two of you.

Zoro believed he was completely fine and could fight, despite you noticing the small winces of pain every now and then. Still though, he wouldn't listen to you and attempted several times to move you out of the way so he could fight.

It angered you more than anything, and you finally turned around and glared at him, Zoro more so thinking it was almost cute rather than scary like you thought it'd be.

"Gosh, why the hell are you such a stubborn man?!"

"Says the equally stubborn woman!"

Luffy watched the two of you, amused at how you acted like you really were a married couple despite you saying it wasn't a real marriage. He was starting to not believe you.

Zoro, on the other hand, was getting more frustrated with you as you placed yourself between him and Cabaji, who watched you two in annoyance at the fact neither of you were fighting him, but were fighting each other.

Get a room geez.

"I don't need you fighting battles for me!"

"You're still injured, you oaf!" You screeched back at Zoro, not stopping an attack from the annoyed Cabaji in time. He threw a kick into your side, sending you towards a building. You only stopped and didn't fly right into the building thanks to Zoro moving quickly enough to stop you, grabbing you around the waist to keep you from hitting anything but him.

"You all right?" He was quiet, but the look on his face told you he was angry. At you or Cabaji, you weren't sure, but you nodded. You'd always felt his bandana made him look scarier when he was in battle, but the way he looked at you this time, despite the anger, was more like he was worried about you, maybe. Zoro would probably never admit such a thing to you if you asked.

You were in pain, hissing a slight bit when Zoro set you down. You figured it was just going to be some bruising, nothing to worry about, even though it hurt at that moment.

Zoro made sure you were safe, before standing back up and setting the harshest glare you'd seen from him yet on Cabaji.

"Don't you dare touch my wife again."

Never had you felt like someone was fighting for you or your honor before then. The fact Zoro willingly called you his wife, that stuck in your head on repeat while you watched him fight and defeat Cabaji, moving past your own pain to hurry over and protect him as he fell asleep again. Of course he'd claim he was healing no problem that was, but you still wanted him to be safe while Luffy defeated Buggy.

Luckily Luffy carried him off to your ship as the townspeople chased you off for a misunderstanding, and you could breathe easily to know you all were safe, the orange haired girl named Nami joining you temporarily.

After you checked Zoro's stitches and for any other wounds, you were surprised by Nami offering you to sit with her in the boat she'd stolen, so you didn't have to be alone with two boys. You took her up on it, and she pulled you close to whisper.

"Hey…Zoro called you his wife…is he legit?"

Your face turned bright red, having already forgotten that because of your quick escape from the town. He really had then, it wasn't just you hearing things.

Was that progress? Would things slowly change and develop for the two of you, could you live as a married pirate couple one day? Have kids even?

Were you getting ahead of yourself? Definitely, considering he'd only said it once and likely wasn't thinking, your assumption due to the possible pain he was still in, even though he would deny it instantly if you even started to ask.

"Umm, hello," Nami snapped her fingers in front of your face, making you shake your head and ask her to repeat what she said, "I asked if Zoro was being honest when he said you were his wife."

You blinked a few times, before finally smiling slightly. "Well…technically, yes, he's being honest."

Nami didn't let you go back to the boys the rest of your ride to the next island, demanding every detail despite you only knowing each other for a few hours.

It looked like you had a new best friend.

+!+

The events in Syrup Village led to your recruitment of a new member, Usopp, and being given the Going Merry as your first, real ship as a crew. You and Nami spent time learning how the ship worked, Usopp eventually joining you and telling stories that you may have known right off the bat weren't entirely truthful. You did enjoy them though, laughing through them during dinner that night alongside Luffy.

"Soooo," leaning over, you gave Usopp a grin, "Kaya huh? That was a nice little kiss there."

Nami burst into a laugh at how wide Usopp's eyes got, before he started stammering and trying to say something, you grinning even more and asking him what it was like to get a kiss.

"Never had one before so I wouldn't know."

"I…it…nice…it was nice…"

You and Nami started doting on Usopp over it, telling him how he could always write to Kaya and keep in touch that way. The romance talk flew over Luffy's head but he still talked about how nice Kaya was and how tough Kuro had been, while Zoro got more annoyed as it went on, eventually leaving the table after he finished his drink and stepping outside, which you did notice right away.

Downing the last of your own bit of wine, you excused yourself from your friends, heading to the deck and finding Zoro there, leaned against the railing with his eyes closed. Normally you'd assume he was sleeping, but since it'd only been about a minute and you knew he didn't sleep standing up (wouldn't have surprised you though), you knew he was still awake and would talk to you.

"Hey," you joined Zoro against the rail, making him look at you and nod slightly while you tilted your head, "What'd you leave for?"

"Tired."

"Why aren't you in bed then?"

"Who can sleep with all the laughing?"

"Oh please, you almost slept through a tornado once."

"Shut up."

You rolled your eyes but smiled, deciding to look out at sea and watch the waves that gently rocked the ship. You'd anchored for the night in the middle of the sea, Nami placing you on the first watch of the night since you said you weren't tired while most everyone else was. You didn't mind, it'd give you some alone time to watch the stars and think, to enjoy being by yourself as you so rarely got to do lately.

"Have you heard from your parents?"

Zoro's question made you shake your head, him sighing once you did. You'd not gotten a single letter from them, your carrier bird only bringing newspapers from home so you could keep up on how things were going that didn't involve your arranged marriage.

You wondered if they even got your first letter at all at this point.

"Not a thing…only newspapers from home.

"Mm."

"They've still got my picture in it as if I've been kidnapped."

"Maybe they didn't get your letter and the papers."

You shrugged, biting your lip. You wanted to say something about it, tell him you didn't want to do the annulment even if your parents wrote back that the arranged marriage was over, that they accepted your current marriage. You'd rather stay married to him, try a relationship before signing any papers, but you also knew that saying anything like that would likely cause Zoro to shut you out, or tell you how he didn't want to be in a relationship, he didn't want to be married whether he knew of your feelings or not.

He'd probably never return your feelings and you'd have wasted your time instead of just doing the annulment, or divorce if your six months passed without a letter.

But, maybe, you could just tell him how you felt right then, see what his thoughts were and go from there.

Maybe.

"Zoro, I–"

"I'm going to bed. Just let me know when you hear anything."

"O-Oh, yeah…sure."

Once he left, you sighed and sunk to the ground, wishing you hadn't been such a coward at the moment and asked him to stay so you could actually talk to Zoro about the situation between the two of you. Granted yes, things had moved quickly since you joined Luffy, but still. There were a few times you should have sat down and talked, but every time you wanted to, Zoro was doing something or sleeping. At this rate you figured you'd never get things settled with him.

"Hey, you good?" Usopp popped up beside you, throwing an arm around your shoulders while you just nodded, not saying a word. He didn't fully believe you, taking note of the slight sadness on your face, before he smiled. "Have I told you about the giant sea monster that attacked my village?"

"Don't think so."

"Oh it was a huge beast! At least forty, no fifty feet!"

The rest of your night was spent laughing at more of Usopp's stories on the deck, enjoying yourself and forgetting your worries for the time being.

Zoro had, however, turned back to go talk to you about your sham marriage before he went to bed. The two of you never properly spoke about it after leaving the town you'd married in, but he was sure that you had feelings for him from the way you acted at times. Overly concerned with his well being, you forcing him to rest in Orange Town, the glances you'd take every now and then too. Everything pointed to you having developed feelings for him, and Zoro didn't want that right now.

He didn't want distractions from his goals and didn't want you distracted from yours. He had to put a stop to your feelings then and there, even if all it ended up being was a pause on your end.

He didn't expect, though, for you to be laughing with Usopp when he made it back to the deck, choosing to watch you for a moment. You smiled and laughed again, shoving Usopp on the arm while he grinned and made a large gesture with his hands, likely an exaggeration in whatever story he was telling you. Zoro didn't know why he had such a tight feeling in his chest seeing this, but it was enough for him after a few minutes of neither of you noticing him. He turned around and returned to his hammock, trying to ignore the annoyance he felt when Usopp and Luffy came into the room, Usopp mentioning how fun you were to talk to.

I'm not jealous. Not at all.

#zoro x reader #roranoa zoro x reader #one piece x reader #reader insert #last forever

[saltygilmores]

Thoughts While Watching Gilmore Girls, 3x8, Let The Games Begin. Part 5 (Richard Gilmore Has A Slutty Past)

Heh, they did the thing where they say the title of the episode inside the episode again.

Goody. Our fearsome foursome is off to Yale. *drinks heavily* Emily won't allow Lorelai to bring a sealed thermos of coffee into the car. Frankly I hope Lorelai spills it on her lap and gets a mild scald. It would humble her. Ya know, It's never stated whether Lorelai has alcohol or coffee in the mug, just that Emily is adamant she can't drink liquids in a vehicle. Frankly, I would understand Lorelai's need to self medicate with booze at 9am before a road trip with her parents, but on the other hand, as I stated earlier. She also didn't have to come. She could be home playing Hide the Cocktail Sausage with Dean. We could skip to the part where Rory and Jess smooch at the gas station. Never fear. The next scene that follows, the calm before yet another storm, if you will, turned out to be a highly entertaining and enjoyable romp for me. Enter: Richard Gilmore The Man Whore.

After having already toured Harvard a year ago, Lorelai is still in awe over how many freaking geeks attend large universities. Richard: I spent a lot of time in the Yale art gallery. Emily: I'll say you did. Richard: What is that supposed to mean? Uh oh. Huh. Was this art gallery some kind of idk, hub of intellectual and artistic curiosity slash whorehouse where a young man could go to find sexually liberated artistic chicks for easy pickings? But like, in the 50's? What a concept.

Jess would kick his own ass if they called it that.

Richard GIlmore, you dog.

(you have to imagine Jess is feigning interest/ knowledge in the penis octopus portrait to a young lady or perhaps another bicurious young man and not his uncle) Emily: He was the master of the "Frown, step back, wrinkle, and sigh" Okay, my curiosity is piqued. You got me. Please explain?

Knowing Richard Gilmore was such a skankbag in college just like Jess is the gift I didn't know I needed today. Jess can do the frown, wrinkle and sigh during a poetry open mic night at the Truncheon, where he takes his latest conquest. Tuesday nights at 8pm. Light refreshments of coffee, potato chips, and chocolate chip cookies will be served.

Be proud of your skanky past, Richard. Your grandaughter's stepcousin sure was of his. RIchard: I'll have you know was happily involved in a very serious relationship when your mother decided she simply had to have me. We were engaged. She had met my parents, invitations were mailed out. Emily: You'll give these girls the wrong impression. Lorelai: That you were the Helena Bonham Carter of the society set? Emily: I did not steal your father, I simply gave him a choice. Richard: When you showed up at my frat party in that blue dress, I had no choice. I know who HBC is but that's another topical early 2000's reference that has escaped me. I guess she was a man stealer of some sort. I"m thinking it must have something to do with Jonny Depp. Anyway, I don't think you have to worry about modeling healthy relationships for Rory or Lorelai. Its too late, the horse has already escaped the barn there. Lorelai: I can't believe you were The Other Woman Emily:This is ridiculous. Lorelai: The other woman should be saying "this is ridiculous" Rory's inner monologue: I want to be just like Grandma when I grow up.

We learn Richard proposed to Emily at Yale next to a trash can, and it seems to be a tradition in the Gilmore family to get proposed to next to a trash can. And in Lorelai's case to reproduce with the trash can, continue to have sex with the trash can over the next two decades and eventually, to marry the trash can.

#gilmore girls #richard gilmore #emily gilmore #let the games begin #this was highly enjoyable #jess mariano #slutty jess #truncheon #open mic night #chips and cookies #trash can #denise rewatches gilmore girls #gilmore girls season 3 #ltgb #crusty business #Rory Gilmore #cedar bar redux #light refreshments

[rise-my-angel]

Heart of the Great Wolf

47 - Into the Haunted Forest

Pairing: Jon Snow x F!Baratheon!Reader, Robb Stark x F!Baratheon!Reader (Past)

Length: 16k

Warnings: angst/hurt comfort, character death, disturbing imagery and violence, non descriptive animal death, past trauma, mild illness, smut, oral (f receiving), p in v

Notes: The first scene of this chapter does not necessarily take place at the same time that the main chapters contents take place in. Previous Chapter Here, Series Masterlist Here

The night had been calm. Sky was dark and stars white and bright, visible with not a cloud to fog their vision of the lands below. The wind was hardly there for once, and not a speck nor sign of rain or snow meant that peace could be found. Or, it should have been found. As it was, that calmness, that serene quiet and clear skies were a lie with what laid below. The longer footsteps walked through the empty halls, the more the silence turned to muffles, which turned to the source of disturb in their home as the doors to the outside were opened.

Their shores should never have been used for such a purpose. It was an insult, a sin, a spitting on the only god they should be serving and yet it now was the sight of something red and terrible. Fear and pleading, they were chosen for no crime. Not weak men, nor selfish or stupid. They were as good as the rest of them and yet they stood on the pyres, hands forcing them tied around the poles, and wood placed just enough on the rocky shores that the waters tide would not touch them.

Torches were lit in hands of those foolish enough to believe whatever this was. Orders of a King and yet it went against what they were. This was not spoken of in the promises made when they chose him. It was all making sense until some months ago. Many travelling to here or there, and plans for more made until those months passed and something had changed. Something that changed the man from determined to a darkness growing more and more to be feared.

It was confusing for many of them, and it would only be revealed as much as he wanted to reveal it, which until tonight, had been none. The original plan was supposed to be their only one. Daenerys Targaryean had dragons, claimed to be a Queen, had vast armies, it made sense for a man like their King to come up with. This did not. Her dragons were still sought after, but the plan had changed from being sent away to find her, to leaving some place as opposite of the Slave cities of Essos as could be. But, as they walked, they knew it was their Uncle who was King, it did not matter if it didn't make sense to them.

Yara knew she had to obey whatever command she was given. Euron Greyjoy ruled the Salt Throne, not her.

Personally, she had no affinity for the Targaryean girl or her dragons. Yara was Ironborn, and their power came from their ships. Dragons were air and land and fire, not ships and water and the freedom to sail and take whatever. Raiding and taking what they need wasn't possible when one would burn said lands to take it in the first place. It wasn't sustainable, there was no end there that made sense.

But, Euron didn't make sense. He returned home from over a decade of exile as a man she did not recognize. He was rambling, and crazed, yet terrifying in his confidence of the psychotic things pouring out of his mouth. Stories she didn't know if she should believe. He hadn't made sense since he stepped back on Pyke, and it continued to not make sense as Yara walked down to the shores of her home.

Only now were she and her Uncle Victarion given details on what the new plan entailed. Who they were now tasked with finding and bringing to Euron. The only Queen which mattered he had put it, but then that witch had showed up. Slunk into the room and tried seducing words to offer one last thing before Yara, Victarion and their men departed. An offering.

It was that offering Yara approached now. The very red witch's voice loud as she stood before the pyres with Euron standing tall without question beside her. “Here us now. Accept these tokens of our faith my Lord, and lead us from the darkness.”

The men on the pyres did not beg mercy, and yet each step Yara took towards the shore did she wish to give it to them. Bloodshed was their livelihoods, but this was not bloodshed. This was cruelty and torture with nothing to gain from it. She briefly wondered if these thoughts would show her weak, but as she came to the side of her Uncle Victarion, he held the same expression. One which felt as doubting as hers as they glanced to one another.

Euron was their King, and they would let this happen, they would follow their orders, but they both felt as if whatever path this was leading them on, was going to be a war they cannot win.

Half around listened intently to the words this witch was speaking, the other half standing as unsure as the two of them were. Euron had not even shifted once. He didn't look even remotely affected by what he was about to do. Continuing the witch spoke in reverence, “Lord of Light show us the way, yours are the stars that guide us.”

He hadn't done anything like this when the plan was to find the Targaryean girl. What was it about this one though that demanded such extremes? Why was she so necessary it warranted this? But Euron had told them, she had plenty of time to come to him herself. So now they must do as Ironborn live by, take what they need. And to Euron, he only needed her. Nothing else mattered, not the morals nor the cost.

“Lord of Light, protect us.” Euron watched, his uncovered eye bright and certain with almost a hint of a smirk on his face at how little he cared about the horror he was to allow. Yara and Victarion shared one more glance, before watching the witch give her final words acting as command. “For the night is dark and full of terrors.”

In an instance, the pyres were properly set alight, and their visions all were taken over by reds and oranges of flames taking those consumed by them. Their screams did not last long, but they echoed in Yaras ears even in the silence which followed. Euron had not flinched, or moved or blinked the entire time. Whatever the reason he wanted this girl, he seemed to think this was worth it. Yara disagreed. No one person was worth this.

All passed her by, one by one returning to the warmth of the castle walls until only Victarion by her side remained. His voice was low, and hiding the doubt in them despite none else there left to hear. “I dare not think what Damphair would say, knowing what has become of us.”

Yara pretended as he did, neither voicing their doubts despite it being felt thick between them. “Have you seen him?” His silence was her answer. Face falling into somewhat of a grimace, she shook her head slightly. “This isn't who were are, uncle.”

Victarion knew that, but he gave her the only answer he could. A lie. “It wasn't once. But it is now.”

Only she was left. The fires dimming eventually into a smouldering of embers, and Yara could only think to herself that she could not decide which she wanted to feel more. If she should feel guilty she gave up on rescuing her brother as she once declared, as she now wished he was here to give any comfort to her ragged soul. Or if she was thankful she abandoned him that night, so he wasn't here to see this.

Theon would be ashamed if he knew this was what his big sister had allowed their fathers Kingdom to become. Yara knew she deserved it, she felt ashamed too. But still, once the sun rose in the sky, she had gathered her men as Victarion did his to prepare regardless of the guilt and doubt.

They had a long, cold journey ahead of them, and she had a feeling this King in the North would not let them take you from him without a fight.

For something so quick on it's feet, he moved very slowly with a trepidation which was exhausting for any to watch. The small dips within the snow creeping ever so closer to where he was sniffing out what he should not sense as danger, and yet there he paced. Taking every inch of time there was to do so. Such an amount of time taking to approach it, one would think it was smart enough to sense a trap by that point.

The little fox was not quite as clever as he was quick, and within a single breath of a wrong step did a whoosh rush through the air as sharp ends clamped down as planned. The brightness of the snow at least provided an easy way to monitor movement patterns out here for small prey, and thus far all five laid traps had given something to varying degree of sizes.

Not particularly heavy the fox was, easy to tie ends of thin ropes around two legs at a time and looping it around to much more easily lunge over a shoulder. Human footprints in the shape of boots were not the only ones leaving the scene, but a very large pair of ones owned to a wolf followed with a huff on it's breath as if to grab attention.

The hand reaching out to run along their ears and top of their head didn't last long against the affectionate shake of the wolfs head before a laugh followed. “You can wait the time it will take to cook it.” Only when the wolf did not ease up on their intending want, a small chunk of meat kept in a small side pocket, hidden away under the sheepskin fur, was brought out and tossed their way, the wolf gleefully catching it in his mouth.

A sigh and shake of a head, the wolf at least found content for now. Climbing up the remainder of the snow covered hillside, mostly forest surrounded but there were clearings such as the one coming into view which showed a grander image then preciously imagined.

Mountains which sat far in the distance looked like they spanned on forever, snowy peaks which bled down to the tops of the trees of the forest which seemed to go on for as long. Down below though, the clearing in the most immediate view was as strange as it was becoming familiar in it's own way. The remains of a small camp having mostly been cleared away, packed up on the two horses which seemed unaffected by the cold around them.

Still going strong, the fire which had been in the centre of the scene the night before burning bright with the last remains of firewood to add to it still sitting close by. The figure knelt by the fire had their head down, working away at an animal, large and immobile laid out in front of them, half of it's skin already being sliced away with ease. The wolf trotted down happily to join, only then causing the figure to glance up to the approacher.

The moment he could see more up close, you knew without a doubt already Jon was forming something far more clever to say then the still early hours of the morning should permit.

Whatever natural ability to tease and poke fun at you existed naturally in his blood, was now tenfold. Utterly relentless he could be now that there was none to hear him tease you but two horses, and Ghost. Not a soul existed for miles, not a scrap of human life was left in the fortnight you had been travelling.

Not yet words shared, as he paused in his work to pass a sharp knife to you. Ghost settling somewhat by the fire between you both as you each continued on in the quiet. Only to have you drop the movement of your hands barley able to begin removing the skin, when his voice finally found itself far more teasing then you expected. “Does five small things win or lose against me getting this one and dragging it back on my own?”

Your eyes rolled up to the sky with a grin, knowing the moment you dropped back to look at him in an amused incredulity, Jon was failing horrendously at covering up his own smirk. “Not even five minutes passed this time.”

The confidence in his voice was both well earned and yet only there to serve as mocking towards you, knowing how easy it was for him to do. “I wasn't making fun of you, I was asking a question-”

Shaking your head, you looked back down to the animal in front of you, trying very hard not to be weak and tear your gaze right back to his teasing one. “You're the one who told me to handle the traps, Snow. It isn't my fault I keep losing.”

Jons audacity to genuinely kneel there and say to you, “I never said you lost.”

Biting your tongue could barley even contain the grin trying so desperately to poke back out. Purposely now not looking at him, knowing it would only serve to amuse him more. “Perhaps if I too was strong enough to pull a bloody deer all the way back on my own, you'd finally lose once in a while too.” His voice barley rasped out before you raised your voice ever so slightly, in an almost childish defence knowing what was about to be said. “If you say anything about my fragile state, Jon, I swear to all the gods,”

His laugh gracing your ears was nothing but welcome. Only just flickering your eyes up enough to catch his, noting he had shamelessly not stopped watching you. Not even moving back to his own work, just looking far to adoringly at you for your own good, or health.

“Were you this touchy last time?”

You had not the foresight to notice he had walked you right up to the edge of a trap and gleefully watched you fall right into it regardless. Mouth falling open in offence, you tore your eyes back up in a narrowing glare. “First you make fun of me, and now you say I'm being sensitive-”

He had too much energy this early, it wasn't fair. “I didn't say you were sensitive, I asked of you were touchy last time.”

Your head dropped, almost dramatically and he laughed once more. Muttering under your breath as you returned to work. “That entirely depends.” Asking on what, you raised your eyebrows unknowing he once more was guiding you to just the right ends to make fun of you. “On how much more or less you'll keep this going depending on my answer.”

Jon said it with such a flat tone you almost found it in you to laugh, yourself. “So you were this touchy.”

Sighing deeply, you shook your head slightly glancing back up and Jon had purposely returned to the deer in front of him. Catching only your eyes with a playful glint before looking back down. Your attention glancing over to Ghost, who was relaxed as could be watching it all play out. “I thought we were a team.”

Letting out a tiny huff as he only rested his head down more, Jon laughed again. That time your eyes rolled into the back of your head, now trying to ignore them both. There was work to be done before leaving, and Jon would keep you here going back and forth far longer then time should permit.

Not that time wasn't all you had out here.

By all estimations, only a fortnight had passed. The first days of it were as unremarkable as they somehow were the toughest. Getting used to being out in such cold without any stop was something you were not yet used too. Even a building of four stone walls around a person and no fire would have done more to keep the cold out then nothing at all.

You didn't complain, but the chill sat in your bones for those early days passed. Naturally, it was as if it bothered Jon none. He didn't even seen to notice any difference of cold out here then he would in the North of his home, tending to this exactly the same but out in this open. Or, somewhat open.

The Haunted Forest went on and on for most of the known lands of beyond the Wall. It was where much travelling would be done until nearing the mountain ranges leading to the Fist of the First Men, but that was not for a while would you two get there. So for now, it was a vast array of snowy woods and forests that gave strange sight to an endless land you knew nothing about.

Once lands you heard about in stories, of dangerous creatures roaming any which way. Of the blood thirsty wildlings, ready to snatch and savage any woman they could find and their terror was why no women could ever join the Nights Watch. Instead, the lands were empty.

Wildlife still lived here, yes, but other then Jon and yourself, the only other living things anywhere by were two horses and Ghost. Nothing else was around, as if everything too had gone into hiding. Leaving the sights to not be noticed by whatever cold could come sweeping through at any moment. Likely looking out in the sunlight thinking the small party of travellers were fools heading the wrong way in the open lands to be spotted.

Some days it felt like that. In the dark of night, if high enough in the lands near a clearing, you could stand by an edge and see the shimmering green in the distance. It felt like a torment, knowing it was drawing you two near to the end, but the determination of cause acted as an invisible force pulling you towards that end anyways. But you didn't talk about it. Not now.

You both knew that this might be a journey only going one direction, but you had time for now to not think about it. The furthest any have ever gone and come back that you knew any truth of, were the Frost Fangs and it would take months to reach there. You could feel that impending, morose sense of doom when that night shimmer of green drew as close as the hospitable lands lasted. Only then would you have to face that reality. Or want too.

“How far do they go on for?”

You had asked looking at the maps, eyes trained directly over the ends of it which showed no direct ending of something. Jon had leaned more into your side, the press of a hand firmly on your lower back running ever so slightly up your spine a tad before dropping back down. Murmuring quietly, as he looked between you and the map. “We don't know. No one's ever been recorded to survive far enough to know where it ends.”

Any maps of it cut off, as if guessing it could not be assumed the degree of it's vastness and so much of it was lands none could go, see, or touch. It was something as if to keep something out, separating whatever was in there from man being able to travel freely into it. “Some say if you sail west long enough you'll end up in the furthest east edges of Essos. Maybe if you travel long enough North, you'll end up walking into the start of the Sunset Sea.”

It was quiet between you both for only a moment until Jon murmured, “Didn't you used to think the world was flat?” What was flat, was the expression on your face it fell into. Arguing back under your breath that you were eight when you thought that. “Thought you were the smart one.”

Were Jon not far stronger then you, and standing far too close to gain any upper hand against, you might have turned and shoved him for that. But still, your eyes drifted to it once more, the way the map cut off without any notion of if it continued passed that point. Gloved fingertips tapping gently against the edge of Thenn, you pushed that sensation down.

Worry about the unknown when you get there you told yourself. Worry about it then.

The days were easy, still enough time of sun in the sky to get a decent amount of the way into the lands, before finding a place to stop. Once nightfall hit though, there was no more place for a fair back and forth debate of plans. Once the sun fell beyond the sky, it was Jons word alone. He knew what lurked in the dark here far more then you did, he didn't want any risk of you finding yourself out of his sight once the only light guiding you was that from the moon, and the whatever fires sat in the middle of your camp.

But the daytime, with light everywhere shining even brighter against nothing but the white snow, it was far easier to see Jon smile and joke. Less to find in a determined terror, he could relax knowing at the least, what threats existed here some time ago no longer were to always look out for. The wildlings were once the enemy to watch out for, but now the enemy was something far different, and it hunted at night. Not in the light of day as you two travelled in.

Six villages this far you both had passed, and each according to Jon had been abandoned long before he saw them the first time. “Some fled, trying to get south of the Wall. Most joined up with Mance Rayder, though.”

Brows narrowing in the slightest, your eyes remained trained looking mostly up and around. The forest paths were a bit longer, but provided the most safe path. Yet gave nothing lacking in sights to take in, almost as if you were as surprised now how far it went on for as you were seeing the wolfswood when a girl. Voice a bit distant, as you eyes caught sight of Ghost following beside him. “Doesn't sound much like a plan. Going to war with the Nights Watch, but what happens when they crossed it? The Seven Kingdoms forgets how they got there?”

It took him a moment to answer, it had been some time since he thought back so those days so vividly, but now it was all around in him memory as it was new for you. “Don't think he had one.” Catching your gaze as you turned to look at him with a question, he elaborated further. “Mance was trying to protect his people, get them south of the Wall before winter came. It took him years to get them all in the same place, but I think that's as far as he got.”

Inhaling a bit, you considered such a fact before jumping to any unfair conclusions. As easy as it would be to. “I suppose when your primary goal is trying to not die, everything else tends to be secondary to that.” A small glint shining in the greys of his eyes spoke enough, and it almost succeeded in bringing the smallest of smiles from you before looking away. “Can we really say we aren't trying if we've both already done it before?”

Matching yours with a bit more ease, your eyes flickered to the side briefly enough to catch a smile much more free on his face, the lightness as he spoke matched as well. “We aren't out here to protect ourselves, we're doing it for our people.”

Almost interrupting his thought, you found the alternate path he was headed towards. “I'm not trying to disrespect the man. I didn't even know him. I'm only saying it doesn't seem like a great plan, if the only option he had if he had crossed was for his people to roll over everything and everyone for a thousand miles.”

A curiosity sat in Jons eyes as he watched you, no malice sat in your expression or tone but you also understood war in a different way then Jon did. The war you've seen were vast and traditional, it was difficult to change such a point of view to that of pure survival when the one you marched into with Robb was so different.

“Can't imagine what he'd say now. Learning in the end the one who betrayed him, brought all his people south without any more fighting over it.”

It caught him off guard you suspected, how quickly it slipped from your mouth without thought behind it. “What do you call getting stabbed in the middle of the courtyard, then?” Your eyes peeled over to his, and a darker bemused glaze sat in his as a nonchalant jest of smug sat in yours.

Lowering a tone in deepness, Jon was short as he replied back. “They didn't kill me for that.” You only muttered that it likely didn't help the matter, but you trusted neither of you felt any blame one way or the other. Not for that anymore, not now. “Trust me, Ser Alliser had wanted an excuse for years. Only matter of time it was before he found a good one.”

“Why?” Turning to look, everything of playfulness had dropped. You barley knew him, but you knew enough to feel the spite returning as it did that first meeting. “Why did he hate you so much? No one that day could give me a real reason.”

But Jon also sighed, looking forward once more and yet also back into such early days so long ago. Back when the worst of his life he thought was being left at the Wall by his father and leaving you to his brother. “I don't know. He did from the moment I got there. It didn't help things when I tried to kill him.”

How he almost managed to get you to pass that by, with the manner he dropped it as you knew that information. Turning with a bit of an open mouth, your eyes shined in wonder he didn't look at. “We're discussing why he hated you, and you somehow didn't think to mention that first?”

“It was only in my first few months. It was after you and my father were arrested, Ser Alliser insulted him in front of me,” Pausing you knew images and memories of what was likely an anger sunk back into his bloodstream. “Before he knew it, I was going at him with a knife. If Grenn and Pyp weren't there to stop me, I would've done it too.”

In one way it was difficult to look at Jon now and imagine such an impulsive action, but you knew the Jon then and his handle on his temper was one. His lack of willingness to control that temper on behalf of the love for his own family, was another completely. “Call it bias, but I can't say I disapprove that you tried. I barley knew him for hours and already I didn't know how you put up with that as long as you did.”

A huff of a laugh came from Jon, “You cut his head off after only knowing him for hours.”

“Someone had to finish the job in your honour.” For a moment nothing was said, until you felt that watching feeling. Turning slightly to glance at Jon, you regretted it in a moment. The look in his eye was undoubtable. “Jon. You cannot possibly be thinking about that right now.” Asking with a rougher tone why not, you felt the fluster wishing to come up your chest. Biting your tongue before finding a much more collected answer not looking his way. “There is nothing appealing about what I did.”

Jon though, switched between watching the path head and glancing to you with the same low words he irritatingly knew got to you. “You killing a man isn't what's appealing. It's how passionate you were about doing it to defend me.” There was little doubt Jon was using how much you were purposely not looking his way against you. “You'd feel the same if it were me, why can't I return that?”

Stammering a bit, your jaw clenched trying to focus. You knew what he was doing. Jon had been at this for the past three days. Trying to gauge how much more needy you were getting and enjoying all too much how hard you worked to pretend you weren't worked up more often now. If you recalled, two months was around when you begun to feel rather needy for Robb as well.

At least you two were in a camp full of soldiers. Jon had you out in the open North with no soul around for hundreds if not a thousand miles to see you but the guarding direwolf beside him. Muttering back low enough he heard, but quiet that you knew you were trying to push passed his intentions. “There's only so much daylight on our side, we can't stop everytime you-”

“Everytime I what? Want you? Everytime I want to shove you against a tree and-” You with much more of an obvious fluster all but shouted his name with wide, embarrassed eyes and instantly he laughed. “Gods, you're making it too easy.”

Oh it was even worse then what you thought. “Maybe I'm not sensitive, maybe you're just being mean, your Grace.” He didn't say anything and you both knew you were not looking at the glint in his eye on purpose. Instead, he left it in the open air, a tease or riling up it could go in either path. He was unpredictable in how mean he could be now that he had you all alone.

Further into the day you'd get and as the sun would continue to fall it was Jons keen eye which would search for a place to stop and always with enough time to settle before night fell. Arguing that it may take longer by being so strict about not travelling at night, but once it was dark and you both could look North and see the glowing green waiting for you, it was difficult to find reason to distrust his instincts.

For now, enough sun remained that he beckoned you to follow, circling more up a path to a small cliff side edge. Jon would always climb from his horse first, keeping you there until he had every reason to suspect there was nothing waiting behind any shadow.

A fortnight passed and the routine was beginning to come easy. Settling the horses first, food, water, they were the easy part. Jon nodding for Ghost to go with you as you gathered wood for a fire insisting he could handle things from there. Though, you were well aware he was giving you the less labour intensive job, with no amount of reminders that only two months you could still do everything you used to. The first night out here, Jon merely pulled you in to press his lips gently to your forehead before shoving you off a bit, murmuring, “Stop arguing.”

When you had pointed out that wasn't anywhere near an argument he had smirked. The next night he simply gave you things to do right away instead of taking over what you already started. Now you just knew better, and no amount of knowing you could do more would make it feel better in his head. So you let him give you the easier tasks, knowing it was thus lighter on the weight bearing down on his shoulders about it.

You did not think of it in that manner at all, but you knew too well, there was already much guilt in his heart. To Jon, he had dragged his pregnant wife out into the far North not knowing if you two would ever come back. He had no choice in bringing you, but he would blame himself if you made his worries any worse then they needed to be.

Ghost at least, had a much more direct manner of ordering you around. He was large after all. The direwolf would simply nudge you to the side out of his way if he decided you were not fit to carry the heavy object in question. There was no mistakening why Jon was the one Ghost bonded too. They were essentially the same person within two different entities.

On many occasions, when you would put down enough branches into the pile collecting, Ghost would saunter up and snatch a large amount in his mouth and look at you expectantly to pick up the smaller amount left. A playfulness in his eyes as he would wait for you, knowing you'd inevitably run your gloved hand over his head and ears first. Picking the rest up that early evening, you looked back up to the direwolf with a brightness in your eyes. “He wasn't so far off when he said we already have a child, was he?”

If Ghost could shake his head like a human to agree, he would have. Sometimes it was striking, how used to him you were. Moreso out here it came to you. In what a direwolf's natural home would be, Ghost fit into it perfectly and yet also was more human then some men ever behaved as. You had only ever spent a significant amount of time around three of them, and it was interesting to see what traits of their companions they took after.

Robb could be just as troublesome and playful, but Grey Wind always represented the assertive independence, the part of Robb that was undoubtedly a King was what was found in his direwolf. Jon had all the same aspects of him as a King, and yet it was his playful and gentle side which was found within Ghost. You could almost wonder if they were there, meant to bring out the best in their human companions which otherwise might not have come out so easily.

But there was a third you knew, and you didn't prefer to think of why you knew the direwolf that much. If you let yourself you could still see her face as you and Lord Stark approached her. The cutest wolf you'd ever seen, and yet she had not a clue what you were there for.

Nudging you slightly, Ghost brought you out of such a memory. Still crouching on the ground, you smiled at him before gathering the rest up. You didn't want to think about that now, what it meant. How Ghost seemed to tie so deeply into the strange abilities which seemed to exist in Jons blood, and what it meant when you help take a wolfs life away without taking the human with it.

You knew he was aware you were back, but you preferred not to interrupt when he did this part, letting him focus solely on setting things up. Already having the base of a fire going for you, your next task begun. It was nothing one could ever call a grand meal, but once the evening sky turned gold, you knew as long as wildlife was around to take advantage of, you'd make best of what you had.

Jon left nothing up to chance. With only the three of you, taking turns staying up to keep watch was not sustainable. If you'd all be asleep come dark, Jon was ensuring anything coming his way would be heard before getting there. And knowing it was not the free folk coming to hunt him down for being a crow he was on the watch for, but the blue eyed dead which could come at anytime.

Turning back though, something in his heart took a skip. It was a sight strange to him, but he had once been desperate for it. Travelling with her, there was not one day he'd wake and not prey to the gods to let it be you he'd see. Instead it was always her, and it always put him on edge no matter how recently he awoke. Jon would wish it would be you there with him, it was all he wanted, all he focused on to get through it all with his sanity.

But the sight he came upon? The camp now set, serving as what home he could give you in this place, you were a strange blend. The sheepskin was not unlike what the free folk would wear to endure such cold so normally, and Jon found himself both hating it and loving it. He hated it, because he wanted to bring you home. Let you wear the dresses he knew you preferred and live in the comfort you deserved to have. But he also loved it.

It was what he would want in his most insecure days. Dreaming of taking you into this very North to live a life where your love was not disapproved of so heavily. You knelt by the fire with a small narrowing in your expression as he knew you were trying to make something good rather then edible alone, as if it were normal. Jon knew you weren't sure of your place here, but he stood there with his heart floating in his chest at how natural you were in whichever kind of life he dragged you into.

But here beyond the Wall, you didn't fit. Or, you shouldn't have fit. A highborn girl, born in luxury within the royal family. Nothing but expensive, beautiful dresses made from fine silk, taught how to be a lady and you presented yourself as such. Smart and well read, but sweet and innocent enough that it made men everywhere want you even if you refused to believe him when he said it.

In your home you were a Queen, and you grew up the closest thing to a princess a girl could get and yet you were here with him. In a frozen land, making your way deep into such difficult inhospitable lands and giving up everything to do so. You were always more to Jon then just a pretty maiden, but for everything you deserved to be, he felt something so warm in his chest at the manner which you worked in the small campsite as if it were everything you needed anyways.

Maybe it was being back out here doing it, but something was filling him with an adoring pride at being able to call you his, knowing that you were exactly the kind of girl Ygritte made fun of. But here you were, surviving the same lands she did, but all without making fun of her for any opposite. You fit her clothes as much as your own, when Ygritte would rather have burned yours then even pretend she could fit into them.

Ygritte would've hated everything about you, and it made him feel all the more angry at her for it. Even after all this time, standing there knowing you were his wife, carrying his child, and following him to the genuine ends of the known world when you should be home in Winterfell in comfort.

These were the lands of her home, and maybe he thought, if she could watch him now, she'd understand that the man she forced him to pretend to be was nothing of who he wanted to be. Maybe she'd finally understand he willingly shared with you what she forced him to pretend to want to give. Maybe Jon thought, he should make love to you under the night sky even just once, so she could see what love was, and why Jon would never have given it to her.

By the time Jon returned, you gave him a small smile glancing from your focus. “Perfect timing, your food is just about ready.” He said nothing as you worked, not that you took any notice, you didn't need him to fill the air every moment. You were fine knowing he was in your sights by the fire now.

It was one of the few times you found something resembling a normal feeling out here. By the fire as the sun set, even past the sting of the cold everywhere else, you would look to Jon and feel a bit less unsure about it all. You both had a long way to go, but quiet moments of normalcy here, nothing but Jon and Ghost at your side, it felt as if you truly were supposed to be here. “What?”

Registering the question in your head, bringing you back to notice now Jons gaze was set directly onto you with curiosity. For only a second did you give yourself that time further to entrench yourself in that feeling before swallowing such sappiness back down where it belongs. Turning your attention back to what was boiling, you told a half truth. “My apologies, your Grace. I'll admire you out of sight next time.”

Shaking his head with an amusement, Jon choose to not reply to that. Likely knowing flustering you as you were perched over a hot fire was not the correct time to do so.

“I'm taking us on a different path then we planned tomorrow.” Glancing up at him later into the evening, your mid bite allowing him to simply elaborate for you. “We'll set up came earlier, but there's somewhere I want to go. Something I need to see before I lose the chance.”

Agreeing with whatever his plan was, you could see a distance in his eyes finding the flames. Lost in a memory you were too apprehensive to interrupt to ask about. A whole lifetime passed for Jon both in the Nights Watch and in the far north here, and sometimes it was easy to forget how little you knew of his life in the years you were apart.

Clever he was, picking to choose when to bring it back up. Kneeling behind you a the sky fell dark properly, carefully untangling the natural mess from the day in your hair as night truly begun to sink down on the North. A low murmur right in your ear, warm breath dancing along the skin and almost shivering down your spine as a result. “It seems dark enough to say we're not going anywhere now.”

A smile falling on your lips as you leaned a bit back more into his warm touch. “What is there to say about it? You were there, you saw what I did.”

Shifting part of your hair to one side, a flutter of your eyes came about as Jon rasped deep into your ear before leaning down to press his lips to your neck ever so gently. A free hand of his sat firmly on your upper arm, the other running up and down your opposite arm toying with the idea of finding your waist as he spoke. “I know you, and I know you wouldn't have done it without getting him to confess in front of everyone.” Asking lightly if Edd hadn't told him, but Jon only pressed another kiss to your neck, lingering longer that time. “He did, but he's not the one who made that choice. He wasn't the one who did it. Had you ever done it before yourself?”

Shaking your head only slightly as to not disturb his warm place by your neck, a little bit of airiness poked through the memory thinking back of it. “I killed before, but never in that way. Robb was the one who did it, I stood with him but he swung the sword.” Only quiet followed, but Jon shifted a bit to lean more back against the rock side behind, pulling your back into his chest properly. One arm wrapping across your front and sitting by your other shoulder, rightly anticipating you reaching one hand up to wrap with his there.

His other did as he always did in such a position now. As his brother once had. Firmly against the front of your stomach. Jon liked to find his hand soothing over your scar, but now you knew the possessive nature behind it had grown to something else. “Why not get someone else to do it? No one would have blamed you.”

The weight trapped in your throat, it did none to let you swallow the flood of raw grief that you had no more need to feel. He was behind you, he was alive with you, but it felt as fresh as it had in the same hours that day. “No one took responsibility for it. The ones who knew, the men I spoke to who all pointed the finger at Ser Alliser without even knowing the truth. Everyone knew it was him, and he was allowed to walk around as if he had been waiting for such a day for years.”

Nudging the side of your head with his, you turned more to the sensation without committing to trying to seek out his eyes. Were you anywhere but in his arms, Jon wouldn't have been heard. “It wasn't your fault- no darling, we're not doing this again. He wanted me dead for years, he only used me going after you as an excuse. It wasn't your duty to take justice, you shouldn't have had to.”

Mumbling a bit, there was a chance of none Jon did not pick up the wavering. “I thought you found me defending your honour attractive.”

A chuckle hummed in your ear, Jons thumb reaching up to brush against what of your chin and jaw he could from such an angle. “I do, but that doesn't mean it wasn't hard for you. I never avenged you and Robb when I had the chance, so yes it's important to me that you did for me what I didn't for you.”

You weren't sure why it was what came out, but it did and quickly. “You know what made me angry the most? Thinking that your last moments, you were forced to die alone. No one was there who cared, just let you bleed out in the snow before hiding what they had done.” Your grip on the hand close to your shoulder tightened, Jon returning the change right away as you tried to almost force the sting behind your eyes away through that alone. “He said to me he should have left you outside the gates, force me to freeze to death with you but it wouldn't have changed anything. It wouldn't have changed that you were alone. I came back without him, but at least Robb and I were with each other when it happened. The last thing the other saw, but I couldn't stand the idea of Ser Alliser getting to walk around free when he forced you to die thinking you had no one.”

His rasp deep and warm right by your ear, his hands pulling you back more into him were such a feat even possible. “When I finally realized what happened, when I was in Ghosts mind, if you hadn't come through those gates that morning I would've gone looking for you anyways. I couldn't stand thinking you were somewhere out there, thinking no one was left to care about protecting you. I didn't care what the others thought, even if I was going alone I needed you to know I cared, I needed you to know I still loved you more then anything else.”

“And that's why I had to execute him myself. I still loved you, and even though I couldn't get there in time to save you, I'd protect whatever you had left. From any of them.”

Hiding somewhat in your neck and partially in your hair, Jon stayed there. Muffled against you as you tried to lean and return the gesture back from such a spot. “I'm starting to think we've never been normal about each other.” Your breathy laugh caused a deeper one to rumble through his chest into your back. “Am I wrong?”

Rising up suddenly, he left your hand go to tilt rest at your other cheek pulling you so he could press is lips to the side of your head as he continued. “The old me would have never done any of that seeing you alive again the first time. Not right away. I'd have at least waited until I had you in a warm bed to tear your clothes off.” Running his thumb up and down your cheek still, the leather somewhat cold against the wind. “Would have said more then three words to you.”

Turning suddenly, Jons hands settled on your hips as you straddled his lap. Perched on his shoulders, able to run along his exposed neck while it was not hidden away by his curls. Bright was all your eyes shined at him with, and a sickening adoration you found yourself unwilling to downplay as he found the same instinct right back. “If I recall, I wasn't exactly begging for you to stop.”

There it was, that tease in his eyes which shined so perfectly. The need in him to hold you tighter and closer with the obstacle of how covered up you both were out in the cold. “As soon as I had your shirt off, you were desperate to get mine off too.” Leaning forward more, hands cupping both sides of his face against the scratch of his facial hair, Jon moved one of his to hold you steady up your spine as he followed suit and sat up to meet you closer.

Just barley nudging your nose with his as you tempted yourself with kissing him, eyes darting back and forth between his lips and closing to enjoy the proximity. “I was desperate for you the moment you kissed me, think I'm always a bit desperate for you. Don't know what's happened, you came back and all I want to do is hand my body over to you for whatever you could possibly want.”

Jaw clenching tightly, Jon drifted that hand up to run through the hair down your back. Slinking through the stands he had so recently smoothed out and grasping a hold of it much more tightly. Words slurring together a bit the more worked up you knew he felt. “If I did whatever I wanted to you, you wouldn't even be able to walk when I'm done. I don't know I'd even let you, maybe I'd keep you tied to by bed. Stripped and bare, legs spread for me the moment I walk in, whenever I want.”

Swallowing harsh, Jon had spotted it no doubt. Breathless against him, lightheaded in the need growing the longer you sat there but he made forgetting everything around you in his favour too common. You hadn't even said a word, only nodding obediently.

The thicker his accent, the more worked up he was, and it was as thick as could be, murmuring against your lips. “All I'd have to do is taste you for hours. Drink between your legs and never let you cum until you'd beg me for anything. That's when I'd ask, when I'd suggest it, any of it. Show you why you've always belonged to me.”

Dropping your head slightly, forcing a whine back down your throat even though Jon could feel you desperately attempting to not grind down onto him. Reaching up from your waist, Jon tilted your chin to force your gaze to meet his. Brows furrowed in a seriousness before he lurched forward. Capturing your lips with his, bruising and rough in the moment he kissed you and only pulling you closer by the hand tight in your hair.

Your hands wrapping instantly around the back of his neck, you let him deepen the kiss as he moved his lips, soft and perfect against your needy ones. Teeth nibbling at your bottom lip and you parted ways for him almost too instantly, almost too obediently. He hadn't even asked yet, but took full advantage to slid his tongue into your mouth, brushing against yours.

Keeping your lips against his, the hand at the back of your head loosening his grip only enough to slink through the strands of your hair more. Not so forcefully tight but almost controlling, his large hand pressing the back of your head to keep your lips all to himself. Stealing your every breathe but you pressed against his front as much as you could, almost wishing you could still give him more.

Only a fortnight passed which you two were alone out here, and already Jon had you utterly weak for him in such a powerful way. Nothing and no one to distract you from the burning inside your lungs which pleaded his name for more. Licking the inside of your mouth, you tried to brush against his tongue back but he kissed you just the way he wanted, you surrendering all control to him, begging for each break in the kiss to come back, chasing his lips once more Jon never refused.

But in the cold of night, you could hardly share as much as you were desperate for. Pulling back from your lips, saliva not even breaking between you as Jon husked out deep as anything, “I wanted to make love to you here, take you under the stars, but not tonight, not yet.”

Surging upwards, Jon hauled you to your feet along with him by your hips before pressing his lips to yours once more. Pulling back just as you gasped from the suddenness, “I'll take care of things here, I want you to lay down for me.” Your nod, eyes fluttering closed, was not enough. Calling your name to attention, meeting his eyes black in their desire. “Alright?”

“Alright.” A hand ran down your hair gently, and prompted you as if nothing was out of the ordinary, to where the tent was firmly set, waiting to hide you from the cold properly.

You knew the routine, after all, only the two of you it was easy to find new patterns with one another and Jon was not a difficult man for you to read. A laugh leaving you gently right away, tucked away on one side, curled up as if being in a ball did not make him one very large patch of fur, Ghost barley took notice to you interrupting the lack of cold as you moved inside.

Shocking it was how easy it was for the cold to seem so much less permanent hidden by the simplicity of four walls, or what makeshift walls a tent of such size served as. The sheepskin was the first to come off of your torso, tearing it from you to the dark shirt long down your arms underneath. Part of you wanted to sigh, you did every night.

It was as if you were in the Westlands all over again. How much wearing things such as this day in and out made you miss your dresses. Truly, you didn't know how men did it. You hated having to dance to get even most of your heavy layers off and even then your legs still firmly hidden away. In the outside it was nice, when you were in here, it was nothing but an annoyance.

Only two of you, not much could be taken. But the material hiding the snowy ground was thick enough you couldn't feel the cold under it, and at the least the fur on top was as close to the comfort of Jons bed as you two could recreate.

Listing off in your head what he was doing, knowing the routine set which you almost had down to exactly when he'd do what, right up to matching in your head the approaching of footsteps coming your way. The fire no doubt hidden as embers to not catch any possible chance of attention, it left not a peek of light as your eyes adjusted to the darkness.

Laid back somewhat, perched up by your palms against the fur, you watched as Jons figure only briefly brought the cold and light in with him before hiding away again. The sounds of boots coming off and layers shedding, you had not a clue what he left until the feeling of his warmth came to you.

Keeling down on the fur over top of you, Jon crawled over to force your back against the floor of the tent. Your hands seeking him to find he had nothing on, not a thing and yet he was so warm. The brushing of his curls now loose danced over you as Jon reached for the bottom of your own shirt. Pulling it up and tossed away to the pile without another thought. Your pants next he gently pulled them down and nothing left was in his way.

Crawling back over, one hand cupped the side of your cheek and jaw, moving your lips perfectly into place as he pressed his bare frame over yours. Your legs spreading as they bent to seek home by his hips, Jon used the other to cup the back of your head. Keeping your lips to his as he guided you to follow in his kiss. Nothing but the gentle sound of his lips moving with yours was around. Not the sounds of outside, not the crackling of a fire always close in any room. Just the two of you, as your hands roamed his shoulders and back.

Not a shred of the roughness he took you with earlier, moving from your lips down to your neck, not biting. Just his lips, his tongue, still taking his opportunity to suck marks deep into your neck, you gasped loudly as your back arched up into him. The hand on your jaw, now wrapping around your waist, keeping your hips pressed to his, the feeling of his cock hard running along you as if he could simply ignore it.

Your heart pounding in your chest the further his lips moved, your breathing heaving your chest as he came down to them. Grasping each in a rough hand, that time your gasp was far sharper, far more high pitched as you almost didn't contain a whine along with it. His eyes adjusted better then yours, Jons gaze shot up to you. Muttering quiet with a thick rasp, “Shh, darling. I know, they're sensitive this way, barley have to touch you anywhere else now.”

Your head falling back to the ground, your hands wanted to keep holding onto Jon, but his shoulders too far down to wrap around properly, only nails digging in slightly as you mumbled back. “No, please, please I need you-”

Pressing his lips gentle to each breast, despite caressing and groping them tightly together, he reassured you with deep tones to seduce rather then calm. “I'll touch you I promise, but these,” Groping more before his fingers found your nipples in a more pinch that had you gasp for him again. “You're so sensitive now, carrying my child...” More and more your core twisted at the sparks he sent through your breasts.

He was right, they were so much more sensitive now and Jon adored it. You nodded despite not knowing if he could even see, but your tongue was stinging being bitten down on to contain yourself, the worry that how suddenly Jon touch burned you would seem depraved and unhinged, but you felt it with such need as he twisted the buds of your breasts, giving them a tug before letting one hand go back to grasping to replace the twisting sensation with a bite.

A hand finding his curls, grounding yourself before you floated away Jon bit at your nipples before sinking his teeth into the skin around it. Leaving a sheen of cold from his saliva when he would drifted, only to switch to the other. His hand now yanking at the nipple against your breast stinging from how much you knew he marked it in colours.

Biting down against the other, your core burned and twisted right until you felt tears leave the corners of your eyes from where you lay, but always arching into his touch. He couldn't you thought, he couldn't finish you just from this surely. But if that were the case, why were your hips almost grinding up into his, feeling the brush of his cock.

Moving away, Jon looked up to you with a tilt of his head. “You're not going to cum for me, just from this alone..” Testing the waters, he groped them roughly with his thumbs running along your nipples and the manner in which it twisted in your gut would be embarrassing had Jon not dropped his head slightly. “Fuck..” Before returning right back. Taking your nipples between his teeth and increasing the roughness every passing cry.

It was so quick, the build without anything but the slight brushing of his cock against your core, but it was too fast. It had you shiver in his touch not from the cold, but your hands tightened in his hair. A growl leaving him at the tug, you did it again only for Jon to bite down at your breasts harder. You could feel how much they were going to sting come morning but you craved it.

“Come on.” Muttering against you, as he yanked at them once more. But it was the return of his lips to your neck which did you in. It felt humiliating, an orgasm coming from his touch at your breasts alone but you writhed up into him almost desperate for your breasts to be let go. Sloppily trailing to your lips, Jon captured another kiss as he muttered under his breath, nothing but inaudible swears until he slunk to your ear with hot breaths. “I'm not done.”

That time he did not pace himself down your body. Somewhat sitting up, Jon grasped your hips, yanking you to pull down the fur. Pulling your legs over his shoulders, Jon leaned down enough so your back remained flat but his grip on your hips kept you hoisted in the air, and more notably, kept you wide open for his mouth at his desire.

Grateful for the hidden acts, knowing were you to see the utter display Jon had you in, you would feel nothing in your bones but a deep shame at what you were willing to let him do. Licking a path right from your core up to your clit, he gave the same treatment to it as he did your breasts, teeth scraping against the bundle of nerves before sucking at it. Cries leaving you without notice but the feeling of how wet you were not anything to Jon but a feast.

Tongue flat against you, licking down before shifting enough so one hand slid down to cup a cheek of your ass, as if keeping you perched right for his tasting. Licking deep inside of you, the spinning in your head immense as you soaked him with every brush of his tongue inside. Warm his mouth was against already your warm cunt, the winter outside need not exist as the sweat built up the more you cried out, hands grasping at the fur beneath you tightly.

Grunting into you, fingertips digging roughly into your ass to the degree you felt his nails carving half moons into the skin. His other hand firmly at your hip keeping you trapped in such a position, and yet your hands yearned to touch him. To let him touch you, but words couldn't escape between breathe of pleads and begs of his name for something your desire could hardly ask for through the fog.

Nose nudging against your clit, every bit of wetness you soaked him with was not let escape to find your skin. Only his tongue, as Jon felt the pounding in his heart as his insides burned how much he could loose his senses this way. Your begs for him were the only sound he needed, knowing if he kept you this way, you'd cling to him so needy when he finally climbed back over top of you. For now though, he guided you into that darkness more around you, sucking back at your clit before nibbling down and tearing gasps from your lips.

Drinking from your cunt, were they not closed, Jons eyes may have rolled into the back of his head, the taste was so heavy but so perfect. You gave no man this but Jon, it belonged to him, this taste belonged to him and not even a sliver of what you were like down here could match to such a feast.

Were the end of you both coming to the destination of this journey, the only meal Jon wished to have before you both went was this. He'd keep you on his mouth and tongue as long as he possibly could, he knew he would need this. Almost every night Jon wanted to let his tongue run along your soaking, sensitive walls until you gifted him more of your wetness.

Which you continued to do, begging his name.

“Gods, Jon..please, you're-gods you're so good, so perfect..” Sometimes you knew you spoke but not a clue what words truly came out of your mouth. But that core inside you burned and twisted and turned until you felt your legs tensing around him, but Jon only held you tighter against his ravenous mouth.

Growling into you, it vibrated against your walls and dragged you over that edge. Tongue soaking up every slick of orgasm you poured into his mouth. Breathless cries leaving you, but Jon only growled more the longer you came, the longer you let him lick inside your cunt the perfect taste.

Only when your legs started to tense and almost pull away did Jon tear from you. Letting your legs drop, spread wide for him did he let you heave in need for air, hand running along his mouth to gather what remained before crawling back over you, hoisting your legs back up to his hips, muttering against your lips so close you already could taste what remained on him of you. “Wrap them around me.”

Somehow relaxing now that your arms could follow your legs, the later at his hips and hooking around his back and your arms wrapping around his shoulders as your nails scratched into him. His kiss deep and forcing his tongue into your needing mouth to brush against yours, making you taste yourself the way he couldn't stop craving.

A hand cupping the back of your head to keep your kiss against his lips, Jon spared no more time as he used his other hand to grasp your hip. In one single, smooth and soaking thrust Jons cock stretched you thick, sinking as deep as he could go without any resistance despite how tightly you clenched around him. Your nails carving into his back, tearing himself from your lips in almost a snarl at the sting, despite such an innocent look on your face, overwhelmed at how much his cock filled you.

Jon knew by now, he had utterly ruined everything that once made you so pure.

It wasn't the cold causing you to shiver as such, the slow drag of his cock against the most sensitive walls inside of you, making you feel his every inch. Only when he was sat deep inside of you did Jon press his forehead against yours, rasping through such a gruff need. “I'm bringing us home. All four of us, I promise.”

Eyes hooded from the spark flying through your veins, you sought after his kiss. Muttering between each press of your lips, “Stay with me, that's all I need. No matter what, that's all I need..” Pushing you back into the furs to deepen the kiss, you felt the protest in him but you raked your hands through his curls almost soothingly.

You didn't need any promises but that you'd be together. Everything you needed was already with you, right in this tent and that was all you could ever ask the gods for. Slowly, Jon begun to slide his cock almost all the way out, only the tip still inside you and he thrusted back in you just as slow. A burn hardly out of control much like the embers of the fire outside, enough to keep you going but dim and soothing instead of wild and out of control.

Breathing heavy between you both as each slid of his cock snug inside you had you cry out, and each time you clenched around such a sting he gave you Jon eased you with a kiss. For every way he could take you, nothing was ever more overwhelming then when he fucked so calm, slowly, taking his time instead of tearing you apart. One hand high on your waist slid down, running over the scar with a pressure knowing he was trying to feel any changes yet.

Brows furrowing you knew he was trying to figure it out, what did you feel like the night before what could he be imagining from hope, but your cries tore him back to the present. Somewhat hiding in his neck, you burned white hot within you, you were soaking his cock you knew it. Every thrust it got worse but you might cry if he stopped, if he pulled out. Grasping desperately around his back and shoulders, Jon tried to shift so he ran a hand down what he could of your hair.

“I know, darling. I know. It's a lot.” Nodding against him, he never changed his pace, never moved how hard he thrusted into you, but your muscles shook as your mind fogged. So hazy he could say anything and you'd nod in agreement as long as he kept his cock inside you.

Closer and closer the building in your core got, the more Jon buried his face in your hair in return. Trying to keep above instead of pressing you into the furs, but you let a whine escape enough that Jon almost groaned in your ear, even moreso when you begged so sweetly. “Please Jon, please, I want you to finish with me..please..”

Turning to kiss the side of your head, Jon nodded against you after. “I'm close, show me what you learned.” Hesitantly, you let a hand around his shoulder slide away. Drifting down between your bodies, Jon knew you found it the moment you jumped the slightest in his arms. “That's it, come on,”

Slowly sliding in and out, you refused to touch your clit at any pace Jon was not setting. Rubbing just slight circles, trying to find the right feeling when he bit at your ear, hissing against it. “Don't overthink it.”

It was a little easier, telling yourself once again to focus on his cock inside of you and you followed as such so naturally. Pressing your forehead against his, you felt his cock throbbing inside of you just as the heat in you burned enough the coil twisted tightly, small needing cries left muffled into his neck and clenching tight around.

Just as it released, just as the desire flooded your veins with a beg of his name did Jon groan yours. Pressing you flat against the fur, but not before he snatched your hand from your clit. Pushing it against the fur as well beside your head, Jon interlocked your fingers together as he pulled back to capture your lips into a rough kiss. Thick and hot, his seed spilled inside of you at the deepest point, your hand grasping somewhat at his waist beckoning him almost further.

Slow thrusts moved down to slower, and slower before almost hardly being considered moving as you and Jon both lost each other in his kiss. As if you weren't already carrying his child, Jon refused to leave as if you needed to be filled with his seed at any time.

Gentle brushes of his tongue against yours, just to coax you back to him. Smaller kisses being pressed back to your lips each time he pulled away, followed by a longer, more chaste kiss as he slowly pulled out of you. Running a hand up and down your hip and keeping your fingers interlocked on the other side as he did so. Murmuring the moment he led up, “I love you.”

For the sweat and seed shared between your bare bodies, Jon let out a boyish smile and chuckle along with it. Pressing a kiss to your lips once more muttering, “And I love you.” Until the after shocks would settle, Jon kept you in his neck and his face in your hair, running hands over one another.

Only when you could kiss him back without gasping for any air once more, Jon finally turned you in his arms. Pulling your back firmly against his chest as he pressed his hand once again firmly against your stomach. Both nuzzling back into the other, you both were fine if sleep was harder to come by out here as long as you'd find it wrapped in one another like this.

It was but another grim day in the sky, but such things felt normal no matter where in the North one travelled. Climbing off your horse, you gently led him over to where a few posts still remained, albeit more rough and more covered in snow then likely when such a place was kept.

It was a clearing of land in the middle of the forest, and yet the buildings here no longer existed as they once had some time ago. Scattered remains which in fresh days looked like they could be burnt, but the snow and ice dusting over them now hid such evidence from afar. Running your gloved hand along their mane before stepping towards what remained of an open entrance like gate.

Jon did the same not a few feet from you, but his mind was as distant as his grey eyes were hazy with something unspoken and troubled. You wouldn't rush. He had wanted to come to whatever this was, and you would give him whatever time he needed with the remains of a memory.

Your feet carrying you one path to another avoiding the rubble, but unavoidable the longer you walked around what used to be some sort of building. You had been through villages once belonging to the free folk, but this reminded you more of a home. Tucked away in the forest from the rest of the world and it was a wonder what sort of world this north used to be before the winter colds came down.

Everything was as clear to Jon as it was both times he had been here. The first filled with strange memories, visions of the very woman walking some feet around the keep from him with Jons own brother, the truth of what exactly went on with the girls living here and the stacking upon stacking of evidence that a monster of a man lived here.

It was difficult to imagine someone with spirits as bright still as Gilly had come from such a dour, horrible place. Or how she had found harmony and love in someone as unlikely thinking he'd find it as Sam. Then again, once more Jon looked to you, wide eyes searching all around to put together what Jon was not saying in the silence, and he knew you too were somehow what he never thought would be someone he could have.

Finding a voice eventually, Jon walked more towards the middle of the keep over the wood still remaining from when he himself had helped burn it down. “This was Crasters Keep.” Your head turned to look at him, and it was still so odd seeing you in such a place he hated. A place where once was full of men he would be terrified to have you anywhere near. “The Nights Watch had an arrangement with Craster. We'd bring him things from south of the Wall, and he'd let our rangers stay and sleep here on their way to wherever they were going.”

Eyes narrowing in question you asked, “I thought the free folk had all hated the Nights Watch.”

Nodding, Jon didn't dispute it. “They did. Craster included. He hated everything that wasn't himself. He just liked his greed more then his privacy.” Your expression twisting a bit, he knew that wasn't even the half of it. Jon wasn't about to tell you the disgusting truth of his wives, or the vulgar things he meaninglessly shouted towards Jon with just to try and humiliate him in front of his brothers. He only was alright with you being in this place, now that it was gone.

Some things north of the Wall Jon thought, you should never know. The world you lived in together away from here was bad enough, he didn't need to divulge the worst of this place to you. Or what his brothers did once this place became theirs. Your voice cutting through the quiet, “What happened here exactly?”

Face falling into a frown, Jon considered the most gentle way to describe it. The first half was the easy one, the second not so much, taking his time explaining to get to that second half. “I wasn't here for it, it was after the brothers got attacked at the Fist of the First Men. They were making their way back to the Wall and stopped here, but for some of them I guess they had enough.” Turning to look at him, Jons face fell a bit to something he knew you'd tell was a sorrow. “Some of them put a knife through Crasters mouth, took hostage some of the brothers that fought back, and killed Lord Commander Mormont.”

Eyes widening at him, Jon knew it wasn't pity. It was his own guilt for how it ended for him and not being anywhere near it that he was seeing. Tender your voice was, trying not to overstep what you could tell was a wound which still felt strange in his heart. “So they burned it all down?”

“No. I did that.” Training his eyes to the ground, he begun searching for any signs. Glancing to Ghost wandering by with a look asking for him to help without need of words. “Mance's army was coming this way, and I knew if they got here, the mutineers would tell them the truth. What our weak spots were and how few men we actually had. So I had men come with me to kill them all before Mance got to them.”

Not seeing your reaction, but he could tell a bit that you were on the further North side of the keep. “What about his wives? What happened to them?”

Maybe he was being too soft with you, but it wasn't just the mutineers he could see, it was Ramsay. A man like him would've fit right in with that lot. So he kept the worst of it out. “Some ran, the ones who were still here when we got there, I knew they had nowhere to go. Offered to take them back to Castle Black, find them work, keep them safe. But they refused.” Asking why, Jon once more concocted a gentler version of it. “My brothers killed their father, took over their home, and Craster wasn't exactly a good man either. So they told us to burn it down, they'd find their own way.”

Jon looking through the rubble wondered, where had they gone, who did they find. Perhaps they found a way to get South, he hoped they did. They deserved a better life then anything in the far North could give them.

A whine from the west side came from Ghost, drawing his attention. Climbing over most of it, Jon jumped down to what had his direwolfs attention. Pulling back some of the rubble, it was cracked, it wasn't whole, but it was there. Looking up with a low muttering, “You sure?” Ghost only gesturing his head back down, and Jon knew that was a yes. Running his hand over with a small smile, “Good boy.”

He picked it up gently. It was all that was left, but what was left didn't deserve to be left out here. Maege Mormont had said she knew what it felt like to have your brother die thousands of miles from where you were to protect them, betrayed by his own men. She knew that pain exactly as Jon did, and Jon had the feeling you refused to discuss certain things about Robb, because you were avoiding the conversation of why you couldn't get his remains home.

He wanted nothing more then to have a scrap of Robb to bury, but he could give Maege this. He could bring what was left of Jeor Mormont home hopefully. He'd try at least. Shifting things around he wrapped it before finding a safe place for it near the bottom of the bag over his back.

Pushing up to stand once more did Jon notice he and Ghost were alone. The horses both still there, but nowhere in the remains of Crasters Keep did he see you. Calling your name, Jon glanced to Ghost in question.

It was that dream. The one you had the night you, Robb, and Theon had discussed sending him back to Pyke. You had gone to sleep that night, and dreamt of another night in the wolfswood by Winterfell. Only as you walked through the woods north of the keep, you realized your memory had blended with whatever it was Jon had seen that night. You knew these woods from that dream, and further and further your feet carried you looking for it.

The dream had haunted you for years, you would see nothing now you knew but you had to find it.

A baby laid on the snow, as if tossed away while it cried, and a crackling of ice before blue eyes glowing as crystals picked the baby up and walked further away into the northern woods. You had woken suddenly from that point, but you knew now it was real. Standing there, you resisted the urge to reach for your stomach. The idea of giving your child up in the snow for something to take like a monster in a bed side story.

Only a monster could do such a thing, giving up life they helped to create before it ever stood a chance? No good person worth remembering would do such a thing. You hadn't even heard Jon coming up behind you until the hand pressed against the hair at the back of your head, turning you enough to pull you to his lips. A kiss left to the back of your head as that hand slipped down to grasp at the edges of the fur covered hood by your neck.

Standing beside one another, it was another wave of an oddity for you both. The sight of a vision you knew the other had seen, and only now so many years later did you meet here in person where it had haunted you both. Rasping low in your ear, “Don't wander off on me like that.”

Whispering that you were sorry, you could see from the side of your vision him nodding without anger or irritation behind it. He was as wide eyed and trapped in place as you were. “How could someone do that? Give their child up to them, abandon them in the snow like they mean nothing to you?”

Using his grip on the fur, Jon pulled you closer into his side. “He was a monster. Murdering his own children.”

You both could see it, the creature walking away with the baby. The first time for you, that ice and cold and blue haunted your nightmares. “What did they want them for? The boys, what did the Others want with children?”

Was Jons answer more disturbing or less, neither was sure. “I don't know.”

His own hand reach out to run against your stomach before using the grip to turn you around, keeping you at his side with the hand pressing at your lower back. Moving you both back up the snowy grounds to the keep, Jon didn't want to look back. He wanted to know many things by the end of this, but maybe he didn't want to know what happened to the boys Craster gave up.

That way he wouldn't have to imagine in some months, the nightmare of his own son being given up like that. Jon knew he was many things in his new life, but willing to give up his children like that would never be one of them.

You relied on Jon to guide this journey, and this you never questioned his route. So perhaps, it was being kept from you that instead of crossing the Gorge as he knew was more then possible, he was taking a bit of extra time to go around it before making the longer trek to the Fist of the First Men.

The Frost Fangs were a long stretch of ice covered mountains and the terrain was going to be the more rough part. Jon having told you that it would take the longest to get through them. “If I were alone, it may be easier, but I'm going to be taking it slow with you. We won't get there for months, so I won't rush you through them. Not now and certainly not then.”

You both knew why, not only were you not used to terrain which was coming that way, but by his estimation, you would be at least four months by the time you would reach the beginning of them. You'd be showing by then, and he wasn't going to risk you or the babies life if there was even a scrap of a chance he could get you home.

Sometimes it surprised you that even in the sort of cold around, the feeling of freshly fallen snow still was something near refreshing. For quite a while as you travelled, there was a continuous falling around you of large, almost wondrous snowflakes heavily making a home in your hair. More then once Jon however had turned to ensure you weren’t too cold, and just as many times as he would ask, would you dismiss it with your eyes squinting upwards.

The white of the cloud covered sky and the endless snow falling down against it like a blanket was a feeling familiar even though the side was more new. As Jon clarified his question, affirming that you nor the baby would be too cold, you smiled before looking back at him. “Her fathers a man of the North, and I grew up around the rains and storms of an island. I think she is well equipped to handle a little more cold then normal so far.”

All you caught at first was a vauge comment under his breath somewhere along the lines of saying that indeed, his son would be prepared for it. Continuing on the never ending battle for which you were to have persisted between you both. Boy or girl?

Glancing up ahead, Jon gestured to a coming stream. “We’ll stop here until it clears up.” Looking over to him with a bemused dismay you attempted to ask if if he heard what you had said about being fine, when he cut you off with an ease and calm. “I did, and I’m ignoring you.” You could see the grin forming as he rode up ahead of you first.

Securing both horses, Ghost around you both had begun his usual wander. Dutifully by Jons side when travelling but always eager to stretch his legs at any stop. Settling his, Jon gently took the reigns of your own horse for you, not even a question in his conscious mind of allowing you to simply do the work. He almost had to pause mid movement to think about it when you had opened your mouth. “You do have to let me do things on my own sometimes.”

Eyes narrowing up at you in thought, Jon kept it to himself for the duration it took to settle the reigns and rise back to his full height before he gave you a small shrug. “I could. I don’t think I’ve actually stopped you from trying.”

Turning away slightly with a forming grin a this ease and audacity, you arms crossed your front before looking back with a raised brow and tint to your tone of playful challenge. “You absolutely have done that.” Asking when, you sighed out with a more mocking tone of frustration both knew was not real. “Everyday. I can do things on my own still, I am very much as able as I was months ago if you let me prove it. But, even though-”

Taking a step close to you with a laugh of his own, you cut your own words off in favour of having him elaborate on what was so funny. “You’re about to do the thing my father always said.”

Head jolting back a little in question, your eyes brightened a bit wondering of his point. “What?”

An eyebrow raised on him that time with a tone filled to the brim with a smugness that it was about to get under your skin. “That everything somebody says before the word but, is horseshit.”

Your face falling amusingly flat, you tilted your head at him. “I think you’re being a bit hyperbolic. He never quite said it as crudely as that.”

Jon though had something in his eyes radiating with a memory not quite as amusing, but wrapped around a lightness of better times. Looking back down to you with something far less teasing and much more soft, as if relaying the memories to you as they played out behind his eyes. “He never said it like that to you.” Your silence taking appropriately as a question of elaboration, he turned more to the sight of the stream beside you both as you followed. “You’re a girl. He never swore around you or my sisters, wasn’t proper.”

The quiet was light for a moment, but instead of falling into the same form of memory, what slipped out of you was much too quick for your own good. “So why didn’t you ever learn that lesson?”

By the time Jon turned back to you with something smart on his lips, did you make your move towards the stream. Refilling your own water with the thought in the back of your head when you stood up to do his as well, Jon continued speaking as he came up beside you. Only, turning to him at one point to respond did you realize you hadn’t actually known what he was saying to you. Noticing you had somehow stopped paying attention.

Eyes narrowing a little, you realized you were focusing far more on a growing feeling in your stomach. You had reach two months without this, you thought perhaps new life meant you would not return to this.

Jon only noticed you were distracted, perhaps seconds before it all came up. Trying to turn from him completely, he did not let you go far. Following you in seconds, your frame keeled over as the sickness all came up. Hair gathering in his hand, the other running down your back but he was quiet as he was close.

One wave stopped and you only got as far as a wince before more returned. It was never much, but always was as unpleasant as it burned your throat no matter how little there was. Leaning more to your side, in the seconds you had to gasp for air, Jon pressed a kiss to the back of your head, but didn't speak. Just kept himself there, the gentle nuzzle on occasion doing more to calm you then he would know. Just when you thought you were done, just a bit more.

In truth, you stayed knelt there longer then you knew was needed because you were embarrassed. No you hadn't wanted Robb to fuss, but you simply didn't want to be ill like that in front of your husband, and you still didn't want to despite Jon being close by your side now. This was an unflattering, gross part of being with child and you wished it would have waited until you were alone long enough Jon wouldn't notice. Jon though, only gently promped you to drink water, knowing no doubt the burn scratching your throat. You whispering out between drinks, “I'm sorry.”

Running a hand through your hair, Jon was confused. “Darling, don't be sorry.”

Shaking your head, you hadn't looked back at him yet. Pushing up from your thighs suddenly, trying to shake off it hoping he would ignore your sudden outburst did you turn only to find Jon rummaging through something he kept on him. Tossing it to you, your brows narrowed before unravelling the small bundle and thus a bright amused look came over you instantly.

“Dare I ask why you have these on you ready to go?”

Twisting his face in a playful doubt, Jon ran his hand still through your hair. Watching you take one from it before wrapping it back up for you, and tucking it away on your own person. “I wasn't going to bring you here if I didn't learn how to take care of you.” He said it so passively that it clashed with the lift in your heart. Mint and Ginger. He had brought it from Winterfell with him, knowing it would help should you get ill at times.

The mixture easing things in more then one way, you washed the rest of it with water before Jon pulled you back to his side towards the horses. Only you grasped at his arm first, turning you back to him with a look of ask in your eyes. “You're too sweet to me, do you know that?”

Running a hand through your hair, Jon leaned right into you, only to stop inches from your lips when you raised yourself up to meet him halfway. “Didn't you just throw up?”

The drop in your expression as you looked at him flatly. “Really Snow, you think I don't now why you brought mint of all things?” He only laughed in response. Smirking with a slight shake of your head, you playfully scolded. “Taking care of me only as long as it benefits you.”

Jon nudged your nose with his, “I love you.”

Eyes rolling before you leaned up to meet his lips, Jon kept you there for as long as it took to steal the breath you had just gotten back. Somethings it seemed, sweet, teasing, or otherwise had yet to change.

And thus it continued on. Another day of travelling the cold and empty, and another night spent in routine ending with Jon unwilling to sleep without being inside of you, nor you without him. Underneath him, pressing you into whatever tree or rocks he was impatient enough to take you against, or perched in his lap as the only sound anywhere for miles in the night was skin slapping together as he would bounce you roughly on his cock, echoing through the walls of your tent.

The only things you had out here were each other, and you knew the further you got here, the more desperate it was going to get. But you knew, no matter what it cost to get there, you wouldn't wish to be away from Jon no matter what.

If your second chance together was to die at the end of his journey, you both would make it count until the very final moment. You came back to life, to bring Jon back to life. You loved many in your life and always would, but this was where you were meant to be.

Following him to the very end, no matter what unknowns were awaiting there for you.

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