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foxyanon · 2 months

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Worship

SURPRISE SHAWTY! This little idea took root and I had to get it out. Didn’t think I’d write for Masema, but here we are. I typed this up in my phone and half assed reread it. It’s officially 3am where I am and now, I can rest.

Summary: How far would you go for your obsession?

Pairing: Masema Dagar X Rhaenerys Targaryen

Rating: 18+, MDNI

Word Count: 3230

TW: mentions of death, blood, murder, slightly manipulative Rhaenerys (she’s Maegor’s daughter, that’s all the warning you are getting), no beta, we die like Maegor

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from Wheel of Time or A Song of Ice and Fire nor do I own any of the images used.

Dividers made by @arcielee 💙

He didn’t know what happened for him to land here. One minute he was fighting Seanchan soldiers at Falme, the next a portal opened around him and everyone within a 20 foot radius while Rand was busy fighting Ishmael. He vaguely recalls being pulled through the swirling vortex before landing harshly in a grass field, the salty smell of sea air filling his nostrils. While he worked to regain his bearings, he noticed multiple Seanchan soldiers fell through with him, alongside his own comrades. There was a pause between everyone involved before they started fighting again. He brought his blade up just in time to block an attack before the sound of thunder rolled across the field. He would’ve ignored it, if it hadn’t been followed by a deafening screeching roar. He looked up just in time to see a large black and purple dragon fly overhead, circling the field for a place to land.

Just as the beast landed roughly, shaking the ground and throwing several people off balance, Masema caught sight of something that would be burned in his mind for the rest of his days. There, in the saddle of this magnificent creature, was a woman. She hopped down out of the saddle, her very presence commanding the attention of the battling warriors. She unsheathed her own sword, the blade looking as though it were made for her and her alone.

“I command you to lay down your weapons or face your end by dragonfire!” Her voice rang out, clear and commanding, as she approached those assembled.

A few dropped their weapons, but Masema laid his sword down and dropped to his knees, some powerful feeling within him telling him to obey her. The closer she got, the more he could make out her unique features and he was taken by her beauty. Her long silver-white hair was pulled back into elaborate battle braids and her eyes…Creator help him, her eyes were the prettiest shade of purple he’d ever seen. She looked out over the soldiers assembled and snarled, the dragon perched behind her roaring loudly, a reminder to do as she said or else. Everyone suddenly dropped their swords and threw their hands up, probably hoping for mercy. The mysterious woman sauntered through the crowd, the blade in her hand glinting dangerously in the light of the midday sun. When she stopped in front of Masema, his heart nearly stopped. She placed the flat of her blade under his chin, tilting his head up and staring into his eyes with an intensity he became addicted to instantly.

“You were the first to kneel in my presence, so I shall speak with you and you alone. Who are you and where have you come from?” Her voice softened, but was no less as commanding as before and he was hooked.

He answered her without hesitation, telling her who they were and briefly explaining the strange situation. She tilted her head to the side, an enchanting smile gracing her lips as she pulled the blade away from his neck.

“A pleasure to meet you, Masema.” The way she said his name caused his mouth to run dry and his heart to race. “My name is Rhaenerys Targaryen, Princess of Dragonstone and heir to the Iron Throne.”

He bowed his head in submission, feeling an intense feeling of obeisance spreading through him. When he looked back up at her, she had sheathed her blade and gestured for him to stand. He did so willingly, following behind her as she separated the Shienaran forces from the Seanchan. The threat of her dragon kept everyone in line, none daring to challenge the Princess. Once everyone had been separated, she faced the Seanchan men and gave them a sadistic grin.

“My new friend here has told me you are the enemy, so I shall treat you as such. Make peace with your deity, you shall meet them shortly,” she said in plainly, staring at the scared faces of the Seanchan soldiers.

Dracarys.

With just one word she had uttered and the soldiers Masema had been fighting were engulfed in flames as her dragon responded to her decree. He looked back at the Princess and swore right then and there that he was in the presence of a goddess amongst mortal kind and he would serve her faithfully until the end of his days.

Several months had passed since his arrival on what he learned was the island of Dragonstone, the primary home of his beloved princess. He and the rest of his companions had been added to her household guard, and while some had wished to return to their world, he and many others wished to stay. He worked tirelessly to prove himself loyal and faithful to her, acting on her orders without a thought. Anyone he came in contact with, he spoke nothing but praises of her and her deeds, feeling proud to be of service to one so divine. He was naturally a charismatic man, so it took no time at all for him to secure a steady following that joyfully supported Rhaenerys’s claim to the throne.

He had met her father and mother, King Maegor and Queen Elvira, as well as her grandmother, Dowager Queen Visenya. While his loyalties were with Rhaenerys first and foremost, he would do as they commanded since she regarded them highly. He had heard the rumors of the King's cruelty, but he never believed them. In his mind, those who were dealt with harshly often deserved it and he had no qualms doing the dirty work of taking care of the problem. It didn’t take long for him to move up in the ranks, quickly becoming House Targaryens most loyal servant and deadliest warrior. He prided himself on his skills, feeling beyond grateful for the recognition he was shown, especially when his Princess praised him for his deeds. There was nothing he wouldn’t do to see that radiant smile on her face, even if she asked him to eliminate a threat to her future reign. To him, nothing was too great an ask that he wouldn’t do willingly and with a smile on his face.

His hands may have brought about the death of lords and commoners alike, anyone who wouldn’t support her claim for whatever reason, but he didn’t care. Their blood may have been on his hands, but his actions kept hers clean and pure, just as she was meant to be. It was his duty, no his honor, to carry out her orders. Wherever she went, he was sure to follow like her shadow. Whenever she held court at Dragonstone, he was there at the foot of the dais. She was the judge and jury, he was her executioner. Some of his fellow Shienarans tried talking to him, saying he was acting like a fanatic about her and that she was just as cruel as her father. He snapped back that they didn’t understand, that this was what he was meant to do and that she was a perfect princess, that they couldn’t possibly understand what that meant and how dare they speak such treason about the woman who saved them.

That night he reported what they had said to Rhaenerys, on his knees at her feet as she sat in her rooms. He felt like a failure, his own people betraying the woman who gave his life meaning. After he spoke, he couldn’t look her in the eye for fear of seeing anger in her mesmerizing eyes.

Instead, he felt her soft fingers against his chin, gently tilting his head up as she gave him a soft smile. Her thumb gently brushed across his lower lip, his breath catching as she leaned forward and whispered softly.

“You have not failed me, Masema. They have simply lost their way. Speak with them, lead them back to the path of righteousness and let them see the error of their ways. If they refuse, you know what must be done,” her soothing voice squashed his doubts and he nodded vigorously.

“As you wish, Princess,” he responded breathlessly, quickly standing and bowing deeply before leaving to speak some sense into his friends.

When dawn came, several had changed their minds. Masema was very convincing, but not enough to convince all of them. Those who refused to follow Rhaenerys met their demise by his hand. He delivered their heads to her, laying them at her feet as she broke her fast. His hands and face were still covered in blood, leaving imprints on the floor as he bowed deeply before her, his forehead and palms pressed against the cold stone.

“You have served me well, Masema, removing potential weak links from my guard. Now, I must ask another favor of you,” Rhaenerys spoke in her usual enchanting voice, impressed by his devotion to her. The sight of the decapitated heads and blood bothered her none, her gaze trained on Masema.

Masema looked up at her with barely contained enthusiasm, eager to please her again and hear praises for his deeds fall from her soft lips. “I am yours to command, Princess.”

“The time for me to marry has come. I need you to spy on the potential suitors as they come to Dragonstone. Learn everything about them and report back to me with the one you think would best serve me as consort,” she told him, reaching out and gently cupping his bloodstained cheek. Masema leaned into her touch, her exotic scent invading his senses and reaffirming his devotion to her. “You have proven to be the most loyal and faithful to me and my House. Only you can do this task for me, Masema.”

His heart swelled with adoration and pride, the knowledge that she trusted him above all others making him feel lightheaded. He kissed the back of her hand, swearing to fulfill her wishes before leaving her chambers.

None of them. Absolutely none of those weak willed, pompous fools are worthy of being in her presence, let alone marrying her. The Lannister boy was too self centered and focused on his own House, rather than expanding the greatness that is the House of the Dragon. He had no real qualms about the Stark lordling, but the stoic Northerner wasn’t interested in the affairs of the Iron Throne and that just won’t do for his princess. The Baratheon brat might’ve been a contender, but his wandering eyes and hands knocked him off the list. Princess Rhaenerys deserved someone who would be devoted to her and only her, someone who wanted to ensure the survival of House Targaryen above all else. Someone like him.

As he stood there reporting his findings to Rhaenerys in the chamber of the painted table, he felt rage at the lack of options for his sweet princess. She walked slowly around the lit map table, her grandmother sitting at the head of the table as the women listened to his report.

“None of them are suitable for potential consorts, Princess. They are either more concerned with their own Houses legacies or they care more about their own personal interests than yours. They are barely fit to lead their own Houses, let alone have the privilege of being your consort,” he ground out, his anger boiling over before he remembered where he was. Masema cleared his throat and looked at the ground, embarrassed by his outburst. “Forgive me, I should not have let my emotions get the better of me. I will do better in the future.”

“No need, Masema. Your honesty is refreshing and much appreciated on this matter. Knowing you care so much about the future of this House is a good quality, one that should be rewarded,” the Dowager Queen spoke, her voice wizened but still just as assertive. “There will be more that arrive in the coming weeks. Continue your work, there is bound to be someone amongst the nobility that will suit our needs.”

Masema bowed deeply, casting a quick glance to Princess Rhaenerys before departing the chamber and slipping into the shadows again. He was thrilled to serve at her leisure, but he felt a bit of envy towards the man she might marry. None of them deserved her, she was far too heavenly for the likes of those fools. She needed someone who would worship her as he did, but none came even close.

Many weeks went by and all hell broke loose. During another suitor's visit, Queen Visenya passed away in her sleep. Rhaenerys was heartbroken, her cries burned into Masema’s mind as she sobbed in his arms, not allowing anyone else near her when she was so vulnerable. Not even a fortnight later, during a visit to King's Landing, was Maegor impaled on the Iron Throne by his consort, Elinor Costayne, in front of numerous witnesses that included Rhaenerys and Masema. That very same day, Prince Jaehaerys returned to the Red Keep and attempted to usurp Rhaenerys of her birthright. The massacre that happened after would be written about as a dark day for Westeros. Many had flocked to Jaehaerys and supported his claim, but more had followed Princess Rhaenerys thanks to the silver tongue of Masema and the months of traveling he had done in his early days, garnering the support of the smallfolk and even many of the smaller Houses.

At the end of the slaughter of King’s Landing, Rhaenerys stood in the throne room and was crowned Queen of the Seven Kingdoms. The army of Jaehaerys met with the millions of small folk who supported the rightful heir and the outcome was brutal on both sides. Thousands lay dead, burned or maimed in the streets from both sides. Her kin that supported Jaehaerys were executed by Masema, because he refused to have her named kinslayer. Only the twins, Aerea and Rhaella, and her cousins, Alysanne and Rhaena, submitted to her rule outside the new Dowager Queen Elvira, Rhaenerys’s own mother. Despite Alysanne having been Jaehaerys’s wife, even she knew that what he did was wrong. Queen Elinor was executed for the murder of the king and since three of Maegor’s wives were already dead, the remaining bent the knee and were allowed to live out their days as well cared for widows at Dragonstone, under the watchful eye of Elvira. The dragons of the deceased riders were secured in the Dragonpit, to be cared for by the keepers until new riders had come of age.

Despite the chaos, the coronation was life changing for Masema. He always believed that Rhaenerys was beautiful, but she was truly stunning when he saw her sitting the throne for the first time. She wore the crown of her father and grandfather, Dark Sister shining brightly in her hand amid the dull blades that made up the Iron Throne. After that day, the number of men vying for her attention and hand increased exponentially. If he thought the prospects were sorry before, he was truly disappointed by them now.

He knelt at the foot of the Iron Throne, staring up at her as he reported on another batch of suitors, these ones worse than the last. She gave him a little smile when he finished and stood up, speaking in a captivating voice as he looked down at the floor.

“All these men, they are not suitable for me?” She asked as she took a few steps down the stairs of the throne.

“No, my Queen.”

“They will not further the glory of House Targaryen?” Another few steps down.

“No, my Queen.”

“They would not be loyal to me and only me?” The last few steps and she was standing in front of Masema.

“No, my Queen.”

“They would not love me the way you love me?” She walked around him, her fingers dancing across his shoulders and causing him to lean back into her touch.

“No, my Queen.”

“Perhaps I have had you looking for my husband in the wrong place,” she said musingly, stopping in front of her right hand man and placing her fingers under his chin. “Perhaps, my consort is right here, looking so pretty on his knees for me.”

Masema inhaled sharply, looking up at Rhaenerys with confusion and maybe a little excitement in his mismatched eyes. “I-my Queen…”

She chuckled darkly at his stuttering, tracing his lips with the tip of her finger. “Hush, Masema. I see it so clearly now. Those noblemen were never going to be suitable because they weren’t you. Only you can do this for me. I need you, Masema. I must have heirs and I trust only you to fulfill my needs,” her voice lured him in like a siren and he found himself instinctively leaning forward towards her before he caught himself.

“My Queen, I am not worthy of such an honor. I am a sinner, my hands stained with the blood of your enemies. I would not forgive myself if I tainted you with my touch,” he whispered, feeling her fingers thread through his hair as she softly scratched his scalp.

“Then find redemption with me. You, my devotee, shall be absolved of your wrongdoings by giving me what I want and need. Let my touch cleanse you, my sweet Masema,” she whispered in that enchanting tone of hers and he knew he would do anything she asked of him.

He hesitated only for a second before agreeing to her proposal, kissing the inside of her wrist as he was consumed with euphoria at the idea of serving his Dragon Queen in a more intimate manner.

They flew to Dragonstone that afternoon on the back of her dragon, Abraxsas, and were married in the traditions of House Targaryen as the sun set, with her family their only witnesses. Their first kiss was one Masema will remember vividly, the taste of her blood on his tongue the sweetest thing he’d ever tasted. He vaguely remembered the small wedding feast but he definitely remembered the wedding night.

He remembered the way she looked like a goddess both in her dress and out of it. He remembered the way he kissed every inch of her perfect body, taking his time memorizing her sensitive spots and paying special attention to them. He certainly remembered tasting her essence for the first time, thinking how this was where he was meant to be and that he could spend the rest of his life praying at her altar like this. The sounds she made as she cried out his name when she finished on his tongue and the way her skin felt against his when they finally became one are forever embedded within his memories.

Once they were both spent and satisfied, she had fallen asleep amidst the silk bedding as a gentle breeze blew in from the sea, the moonlight shining through the large arches and casting a pale light on her unconscious form. He had taken care to make sure she was cleaned up from their intimacy before crawling back into bed beside her. He gazed at her adoringly, feeling appreciative for having been transported to a world where such divinity was within his grasp. He fell asleep with a smile on his face, feeling cleansed of the sins he committed in her name and having found a new way to worship his beloved Rhaenerys.

Taglist: @sihtricfedaraaahvicius @whitedarkmoonflower @valeskafics @gemini-mama @bouncehousedemons @mrsarnasdelicious @synindoodles

#masema dagar #masema #Masema x OC #wheel of time #a song of ice and fire

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ebro-devoo · 7 months

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After having some time to reflect on 2x07, I think Siuan’s actions were justified and somewhat sympathetic given the information she knew. First off, Lan came to Siuan and told her that moraine have been deliberately withholding essential information from her (the fact that she was stilled ) and was threatening to pass Lans bond which both indicated that Moraine was not in a good place mentally or physically to complete their mission (train and protect Rand/the world from Ran).

Now cut to when she meets with Ran. While we as viewers know that Ran is not evil or mad yet, from her perspective he is a nuclear bomb that could either become evil or go mad in the process of saving the world. The last dragon literally killed a ton of people and destroyed the world, and as the head of the “servants of all” it’s Siuan’s job to protect the world from Rand, and so when she sees that Moraine has no power to control him if he starts to go insane and has failed to teach him anything, she makes the decision to shield/control him, which in her mind is what’s best for the safety of the world. While we know it’s the wrong choice, I don’t think this is anything like the Seanchan who literally enslave an entire group of people while I think of the dragon more as the trolley problem (sacrifice the one to save the many).

Then in the final confrontation with Moraine and Lanfear, I think her confusion and perceived betrayal from Moraine dictates most of her actions. First she finds out that Moraine and Verrin tricked Leanne into letting them escape, then arrives at the way gate to see that Moraine has channeled, meaning that she lied about being stilled making Siuan think that she could be a darkfriend. While the using of the oath was awful and definitely violating, I don’t think Siuan felt as if she had any choice because she wasn’t going to let a suspected dark friend walk away with the dragon reborn. You could also see on her face afterwords how broken she felt in that moment.

Anyways, I think both Siuan and Moraine were trying to do what they thought was right and neither of them are villains and that’s what made this episode so hard to watch.

#wot show spoilers #wot s2 #wot on prime #wot liveblog #wot #wheel of time #the wheel of time #2x07 #moraine damodred #moraine sedai #siuan sanche #moiraine x siuan #siuanraine

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deeplyridiculouslyinlove · 1 month

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I’m obsessed with the idea that Moiraine maybe sort of uses a Blue Ajah compulsion-light weave on Rand and Mat the first time they meet her.

“Embracing the Source, [Moiraine] wove Spirit in one of the Blue’s secret weaves and touched the innkeeper with it. Slight anticipation became definite unease. “Are you certain the young woman meets my description exactly?” she asked, and tightened the weave a fraction. Sweat appeared on Mistress Satarov’s forehead. “Are you absolutely certain?” Another tightening, and an edge of fear appeared in the woman’s eyes. . . .

“Drink,” Moiraine commanded, tightening the weave to just short of panic. Trembling, Mistress Satarov was unable to break free from her gaze. “Drink it all.”

Still staring into Moiraine’s eyes, the woman raised the mug unsteadily to her mouth, and her throat worked convulsively as she swallowed. Abruptly, her eyes widened as she realized what she was doing, and with a cry she flung the mug away in a spray of wine.”

- New Spring, Chapter 23 (“The Evening Star”)

“She smiled, and Rand found himself wondering if there was anything he might do for her. Something that would give him an excuse to stay near her. He knew she was smiling at all of them, but it seemed meant for him alone. It really was just like seeing a Gleeman’s tale come to life. Mat had a foolish grin on his face.”

- The Eye of the World, Chapter 2 (“Strangers”)

#wheel of time #wot book spoilers #moiraine damodred #rand al'thor #mat cauthon

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asha-mage · 8 months

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WoT Musings: S2 Episode 3

GETTING CHILLS

This is one of my favorite sequences in TGH, one of my favorite Nynaeve moments, hell probably one of my favorite series moments, and I want them to nail it so bad.

Looks like the first test is going to be about Nynaeve loosing her father and mother. Makes sense since she never faced Aginor and Balthamel in the show. The choice was about letting go of the desire to persue revenge and fight, to choose being Aes Sedai over that.

Interesting choice to make the new 'Wisdom' Natti Cauthon instead of figment tyrant. It makes what's happening cut a little harder.

'How is Rand. is he happy?' FUCKING OUCH

Offfffffffff. On one hand they don't have a whole episode to commit to this bit, so their having to use shorthand hand.....but DAMN is that some knife twisting. I dig it though. Instead of a tyrant Nynaeve could fight off, it's something she can't fix because of her own block, her anger and fear. She has to choose between cold empty comfort for a dying man....and going back to seek the power to do actual good. Very very clever.

OHHHHHHHHH THAT THIRD TRIAL DO HAVE THOUGHTS

THE SOUTHERN TWANG ON THAT SENCHAN VOICE IS WOOF

Bye Uno! I would feel bad, but I'm afraid you're a funny bit part that's an easy sacrificial lamb here. It was gonna be you or Masema, and he's got problems to cause Perrin latter, so it's you!

I am really really REALLY digging the mix of Dynastic China and Versailles Era France in Cairhien's design in the show.

I am going to need SO MANY FICS of Logain and Rand fucking nasty during that garden scene you have NO IDEA

Asmodean is a going to be a good teacher to Rand solely because Logain is going to set the bar so fucking low.

Lanfear putting forward this chill cool innkeeper lady persona in Cairhien only to invade Rand's dreams to show off the true depths of her crazy where it's safe to do so, and ALSO to trick Rand into burning down her inn and thus leave him feeling guilt ridden/indebted to her is SO ON BRAND

Elayne and Egwene's friendship is already making me So Happy. I can't wait till we get Elayne and Nynaeve road trip shenanigans later on in the series.

Nynaeve's Acceptatron test is something I am going to have to sit with. I really really like the fact that just like in the books she let the arch fade away the first time, and I really like that once again it was HER that forced it to come back by channeling, something she wasn't supposed to be able to do in the test at all. The important part of this choice in the book is that it's Nynaeve DECIDING to go back, to claim the power she needs to protect those she loves, choosing that over paradise. The show's choice to instead demonstrate that such a paradise would be empty and fleeting if she DID choose it, is....one I am going to have to chew on.

Overall the show continues it's trend of adapting the core of the books, while changing the details to better suit the new medium, and I'm board with that.

#WoT #WoT On Prime #WoT s2 #WoT S2 E3 #WoT S2 E3 spoilers #Wheel of Time #WoT Musing #nynaeve al'meara

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liz-allyn · 1 year

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sugar and vice, pt. 12 [mob!tasm!peter x fem!reader]

summary: paint it black.

words: 8.7 k

chapter warning: very graphic descriptions of drug use, sex, violence and gore. smutty sorta dubcon spicyness (under the influence), alcohol, clubbing, being stoned, dry humping, needles, small dick energy, **tw sa - groping**

series warnings: mob-typical violence, bang bang shoot shoot, whump. hurt/comfort. sexual situations. spousal abuse. family trauma. drug use. coercion. kidnapping. gore. blood. toxic/yandere!peter (maybe, sorta), negative self talk, shameless forced proximity trope. ‘only ten one bed oops’ trope, imprisonment. slowest burn. a dash of questionable and/or morally grey intentions. extremely toxic relationships.

This version of TASM Peter is not canon. The relationships and characters here are not healthy.

Please don't date a mob boss.

18+ You’re responsible for your own media consumption, but if you still can't name the Mambo #5 women then gtfo.

a/n - Part 11 and 12 were the same chapter until I looked at the word count. Read 11 first! Also, it might be fun to listen to the official Sugar and Vice playlist on Spotify for this chapter.

Go back to Part 11.

Part 12

Honey didn’t know this song, and she was nowhere near as coordinated as Felicia. Something something something about a monster and someone rapping really fast—fuck, this dress is so short!

Felicia had sectioned herself and Honey away from the crowd, up on an elevated platform two feet off the ground. It was a tiny island in the vast ocean of sweaty, pulsating bodies. She felt somewhat relieved up there, not worrying about strangers breathing down her neck or wandering hands feeling up her backside. Simultaneously, she felt exposed.

“Relax,” Felicia hollered over the sound of the music. The taller woman wrapped her lithe but toned arms around her neck, gazing down at her with a million-dollar smile. “No one’s looking at us, honey. And if they are, it’s eating them up inside.”

“Why?” she shouted back, her voice audible above the loud music. “I don’t want to make anyone... eat... themselves?”

Felicia leaned into her space as if whispering a secret, her eyes swimming with mischief. “Because they want what they can’t have. And we can have what we want.” She lifted her eyes across the room. “Speaking of which—Annabelle!”

Honey spun around to see a pink-haired woman with a long bob cut standing behind the bar pop her head up at the name. The two women locked eyes. Felicia said nothing, just smiled, pointed her index finger in her direction, then added another finger to form the number two. Inexplicably, Annabelle must have known exactly what the gesture meant because she nodded and went to work mixing cocktails.

“Come on, babe, let’s have a drink,” Felicia said, pushing back her platinum locks, slightly damped with perspiration. Honey followed her order, and carefully tread down the small staircase off the platform to floor level. Felicia cut across off the platform, marching her stilettos through the center of someone’s VIP table, then onto the seat of an open chair, then onto the floor.

She took Honey’s hand and led her to the bar. The sea of people parted in front of her as if she was Moses. Honey looked over at her in awe, as if she was a divine figure.

Danny Rand was in prime form tonight. Silk shirt half unbuttoned, skin flushed from alcohol, he poured a bottle of Cristal directly into the mouth of a fangirl on her knees front of him.

Rolling his eyes at the scene, Miguel’s voice rang out as he approached, “Well, look who it is!”

Eyes turned towards the uninvited guest as he sauntered up to the VIP table. Danny looked up from his game with a sour face, chest puffing up, nostrils flaring. He sighed heavily as he recognized the figure strolling towards him, curling his lip. Miguel held his arms outstretched and said with a boisterous tone, “If it isn’t the Boy with the Magic Fist!”

Danny tossed a dirty look at him. “It’s Iron Fist, bitch,” he growled, snatching his glass from the hands of one of his friends. The sudden shift in tone rippled outwards among his guests, the festive energy deflating like a balloon.

Miguel held his hands up in surrender. “How you spend your Saturday nights is your business. I’m here because the boss wants to see you.”

The young fighter downed his flute, emptying it. He glowered as he lowered the glass, breathing venom over it’s rim. “Your boss,” he sneered, pointing daggers. “Not mine.” He sat back on the sofa, wrapping an arm around his supermodel Barbie doll. He crossed his leg and leaned back smugly, glaring up at Miguel. “I’m no one’s lapdog.”

“Oh yeah?” he flashed a supercillious smile. “Why don’t you tell him that yourself?” Miguel leveled a hard gaze at him. “He’s here.”

The second he finished his sentence, the crowd shifted, like an icy chill blew through the area. Danny sobered instantly, his smile fading. His guests read his reaction, awkwardly averting their eyes, minding their drinks quietly.

“Hear that? Your whistle’s blowing,” Miguel added with a showy flourish of his arm. “After you, bitch.”

A little later, Honey, Felicia, and Eddie had taken over an unoccupied couch at a floor-level VIP table. It was unoccupied because Felicia had kindly asked the previous occupants to fuck off, here’s $2,000, go buy yourself a good time, handing them a wad of cash.

Honey didn’t know this song either, but she bounced her knee, pretending that it was to the beat of the music and not the beginning of a panic attack. Anxiously, she tugged at the her dress, pressing tightly against her thighs. “Does anyone know where Peter is?” she called out. “He’s been gone for an hour, right?”

Felicia chuckled, dancing in her seat as she sucked back the rest of her cocktail, “It’s been twenty minutes. Relax, Queen Bee.”

“Does anyone know what he’s doing?” she asked. “What’s taking so long?”

Eddie shrugged. He was leaning back on the couch nursing a beer, eyes redder than roses. He looked serene amidst the chaos, and Honey envied it.

Felicia met her with devilish eyes and a sultry smile, “Daddy’s workin’, hon.”

Honey gulped at the phrase, feeling her entire upper half flush red. She averted her eyes, anxiously tucking her hair behind her ear.

“Aww, so cute,” Felicia remarked smugly. “Why don’t you finish your drink so we can go dance?”

Honey looked down at the bright turquoise liquid, only a quarter-way drained from the highball glass. Something called an ‘Adios Motherfucker.’ She picked up the glass and sucked on the straw. The alcohol burned fire in her chest but did little to quell her nerves. An air horn erupted nearby. She jolted in her seat at the noise.

This was too much. This was all too much. This was stupid. She was stupid. She was down here drinking in the world’s shortest dress when if anything she should be with Peter, betraying him by digging up his dirt and feeding it to her shitbag of an ex-husband that threatened to murder her whole family—

“I can’t!” Honey overanxiously exclaimed. She brought her hands to her face, trying to seal off the stimulation, bordering on panic. “I-I can’t do this! I need—” She sighed, turning to Eddie, who looked like he was somewhere else. Maybe the moon. “Eddie!”

He didn’t respond, just stared at the spotlights, gently tapping his fingers on his thigh.

“Eddie!” Honey called again, louder this time. No response.

She carefully stood up and walked the short distance to stand directly in his field of view. “Hey!” she said, more forcefully. He snapped out of it, blinking bloodshot eyes up at her. She loomed over him with a straight face, her arms crossed. “Eddie? Hi. It’s me. I would like some drugs. Please.”

He blinked, stunned. Eyes wide. “Uhm, okay?” He stared up at her suspiciously. “That’s... not like you...?”

Her brows furrowed, offended. “How do you know?” she challenged defensively. “I can do drugs! I’m ready to do them. Give them to me. Give me drugs!”

Her voice echoed. He sat up, alarmed by the volume of her voice. “Shhhhhh! Okay, okay—first of all?” he said, whisper-shouting again. “Some discretion in public would be nice!” Apologetically, she tucked her neck into her shoulders, glancing around conspicuously. Thankfully, no one in the vicinity seemed to notice.

Eddie looked up at her, addressing her seriously, “What are we talkin’ here? Some Amps? Maybe some Bars? Some Vitamin-K?” Honey blinked at him, eyes wide. “Skittles? Slush-os, Squid Inks, Screamers?”

“The last one!” she answered. Her face crossed almost immediately. “Wait—I don’t know what any of those words mean.”

“No, shit,” Eddie scoffed wryly. “Most of ‘em I made up just now.”

She sighed in frustration, folding her arms even tighter. Eddie inspected the area, with its loud noises and overstimulating lights. It wasn’t his scene either.

“Look,” he declared sincerely, “I just don’t think this is the time or the place.”

“What is wrong with you people?” Honey scoffed. She looked back at Felicia and Eddie, her frustration boiling over. “Why does everyone always treat me like a kid—like I’m stupid or something? I can make my own choices!” Eddie and Felicia glanced at each other uncomfortably. “I know what I want,” she demanded with resolve. “And I want to just... survive this goddamn night!”

Felicia looked away, a solemn look on her face.

She held Eddie’s gaze firmly, pleading with a steel expression. “Please.”

It was the desperation in her voice that skewered him. Eddie stared, turning her words over and over again until eventually his shoulders dropped. “Alright,” he groaned in admission, rubbing his hand down his face. “Okay, okay, I might have something.”

Relieved, she clapped her hands like she was 6 and had just been presented with the exciting prospect of getting a Happy Meal after school.

Grumbling to himself, Eddie dug through his pockets, eventually retrieving a long, thin tube. Discreetly, he passed it to her. She took it in her hands, examining the object curiously.

A honey stick. She looked up at him curiously.

He put a finger to his lips in a shush. “That one’s special,” he explained. “You’re gonna wanna ease into it, okay? Only half? Or maybe half of a half. Just to see how you react—”

She quit listening after that, ripping the end off the tube and pouring the contents down her throat.

Honey didn’t know this song, but loved this song. The beat buried itself beneath her ribs, the melody hypnotic. She swayed and rocked to the music, gripping Felicia’s hand—her hand is so soft, what is this song, what kind of lotion does she use, it’s been forever since I’ve gone rollerskating, do they still have rinks—?

Something magical was happening. She was ascending. Beyond the dance floor, beyond the city, beyond the earth. She had received the knowledge of the gods—Fruit by the Foot, what a novel concept—and had become like them.

She was a god. God was a woman. And it was her. Probably.

Fuck, this stuff is really, really great.

Her mind was buzzing—no, vibrating, like it was strapped on a rocket ship headed for the sun. She was sure if she’d had an MRI done—ooh, missed opportunity—her brain would be lit up like a summer thunderstorm.

Time was moving so slow. And then fast. And then too fast. Then slow again. Time was everything. It was the key to the whole universe. Time stretched out on an endless plane. Every moment an eternity. She was immortal. She was like the gods, with her newfound ability to slow down time.

She knew two other things for sure.

Number One. She had a new understanding of what terms like Death and Heaven meant. Death was the cessation of time. Heaven was the moment you want to live in for all eternity. For her, Heaven is the maple tree in her mom’s boyfriend’s backyard, the one she would climb and fantasize about her future. Fantasize about her Heaven. Heaven was also a log cabin in the mountains surrounded by white pine with a flowing river, just a mile away from an old campground. Somewhere there’s an oak tree with initials carved into it: M + B, with a heart enclosing them both.

Number One. Section A. Or Section B. Peter Parker is also there. She’s in love with Peter Parker. She doesn’t know who Ben Reilly is, but she knows Peter Parker—add to number one, appendix C, this song makes me feel alive—and Peter’s a good man who loves The Sandlot and wanted to build his home where his aunt first fell in love with his uncle.

Section B/C. Peter Parker is such a sap. He’s a romantic. He’s broken. He’s filled with love and darkness and passion and rage. He’s terrifying. He terrifies her. It’s terrifying, the things he makes her feel. It’s terrifying, how safe she feels with him. How fucked up is that? Surely, of either of them, she was the most broken of all.

Two.

...

She forgot two.

Fuck. She might be high.

“I’d say so. Why don’t you just drink some water and not worry too much about it?” Felicia said.

Honey glanced over at her companions. Her friends. Eddie and Felicia, staring at her patiently, charitable with their attention.

Oh shit. I said all that out loud?

“Yeah, you did,” Eddie nodded with a worried frown.

Honey gazed at him, blinking. Then broke into a giggle. “I’m-I’m sorry,” she laughed, as the giggle turned into a full-body hysterical laughing fit. Eddie and Felicia gave each other a look. “I’m sorry! You can read my mind, Eddie! We can mind-meld! God, it must be so noisy in there!”

He sighed, “I’m used to it.” Honey continued to laugh herself out of oxygen, tears streaming down her face.

“What the hell did you give her, Eddie?” Felicia snapped.

His shoulders touched his ear lobes, his face whiter than a ghost. “It’s weed! Just weed!” he defended. “Not even that strong! Like... the stuff that would make your grandma call you a pussy. An insanely tame amount!”

Honey grabbed Felicia’s hand, tugging gently. Unable to stop laughing, she chuckled out the broken sentence. “I.. I don’t wan’t... I don’t want... you to think.... I’m weird... I really don’t... I just... want to tell you... that I want to kiss you right now...”

Felicia shot Eddie a dirty look. Turning back to Honey, she smiled kindly. “Oh, you’re so sweet,” she said and planted a chaste kiss on her forehead. “Sadly, I have to decline, honey bunny.”

“Do-Dou- d’you not.. wanna kiss me?” Honey suddenly blanched. “Is.. is it me? Is it... d’you hate me? Am I annoying? Am I being annoying? I’m being annoying, right? I’m sorry—”

“Shh, shh... Not at all, sugar,” Felicia crooned softly, wrapping a gentle arm around the girl’s shoulder. Honey felt her anxiety ease almost immediately. Felicia rubbed her shoulder gently, a warm smile on her face. “It’s ‘cos I don’t shit where I eat.”

Honey stared at her inquisitively, tilting her head. With a sharp snort that would put a hog to shame, she burst into another fit of laughter.

Felicia stared daggers at Eddie. “You’d better sober her up real quick. Pete’s not gonna like this—”

“Peter?” Honey parroted, her heart racing. “Where’s Peter? Is Peter here? Where is he?”

“Relax, relax,” Felicia replied with a soothing voice. “He’s upstairs working, remember?”

“He’s working?” Honey repeated her chest tightening.

“He’s in a meeting, hon.”

“A meeting?” Honey exclaimed with a shrill voice, filled with alarm. “An important meeting? What about? I have to know! With who? I have to be there!”

Felicia shook her head, shushing her again, but it was like trying to tame a wild horse. “It’s okay—”

“No, no, it’s not okay! Nothing about this is okay!” she protested, her voice nearly breaking. “This is not okay! I have to be in that room. I have to be in that meeting! It’s very important that I’m there!”

Eddie and Felicia shook their heads, trying to take her by the hands and lead her toward the exit. “C’mon, hon, let’s go wait in the car—”

“No, no, I need to be in there,” she pleaded. “He needs me to take notes! Very detailed notes!”

“It’s okay,” Eddie coaxed her. “It’s okay, someone else’s gonna take notes, I promise. You don’t need to be there—”

“No! It has to be me!” she shouted, tears brimming. Like a spooked cat, she took off, barreling up the stairs. Panicked, Felicia and Eddie ran after her.

“So they tell me you’re the underdog, despite all those wins,” Peter remarked, not unkindly. “The odds are uniquely stacked against you.”

He sat across from Danny in a secluded, private lounge. It was part of a third floor club that had been cleared out for Peter to use. The tone of this room was vastly different from the party outside. Miguel sat on a sofa adjacent to the two men, arms crossed with a terse expression. Beside him, Jessica lounged with her legs crossed, a martini in her hand, looking more relaxed than Miguel. The rest of Peter’s men lined the walls, along with a couple of Danny’s bodyguards that could’ve been former football linebackers.

Peter wasn’t concerned. Whatever Danny needed to feel safe. Remaining calm, he kept the tone light. “75-to-1, I hear.”

Danny’s temper was starting to unravel. The remark wasn’t stated with cruel intentions, but Danny glowered at it anyway. “Do I look scared?” he boastfully replied, surrounded by his three bodyguards. Peter subtly smiled. Danny muttered, “I’m in control of my own destiny.”

“I have no doubt,” Peter nodded in agreement. It was a somewhat patronizing tone, but it was the truth. “I have faith in you.” A shadow darkened his expression, “So does our old friend.”

The word slithered like a viper. Hearing it sent an uncomfortable shockwave through the room. Like they’d heard the ghostly moan of an apparition, everyone tensed, wary eyes being flicked towards one another. Danny froze in his seat, now aware of the context of this impromptu meeting. He frowned bitterly, crossing his arms. “What can I say. The fat bastard knows how to pick a good horse.”

Peter pursed his lips, dropped his gaze to the floor. “That he does,” he uttered, rueful and contemplative. He brushed his bitterness aside, meeting Danny’s eyes again. “In fact—he’s willing to bet the whole farm on it.”

The boxer lifted a brow curiously. Peter explained, “He put a hefty chunk of change up, betting you’d win the fight tomorrow. Take Crusher out before the fourth round. Millions of dollars, too. That’s not for nothin’.” Peter leaned back, sighing disdainfully. “‘Course, it’s all illegal campaign contributions and even a couple of sacked pension funds. But if you win, he’ll make a killing. And all that blood money gets washed clean.”

“Blood money,” Danny bitterly replied. “That’s rich comin’ from you.” Peter narrowed his eyes at the remark. “And it’s not a matter of if I win,” he added, as if it was written in stone. “It’s when.”

Peter flicked his eyes over to his closest colleagues. Miguel shared his same resentment, as did Jessica. Rolling her eyes subtly, she came to a stand. Stepped over to the bar to make herself another drink.

“You wanna jump on the bandwagon too?” Danny smirked at Peter. “Make a bet? Books are still open. Y’know, in case you’ve got any spare change you want cleaned.” The last sentence was thrown at him like a spear, followed by a wry chuckle.

Peter frowned solemnly. “Not this time, Danny,” he said tenderly. Apologetic. Almost. “In fact— need you to go down.”

The other man dropped his smile. His eyes went cold.

“In the third round,” Peter added. As if it was written in stone..

Danny stared. Silent. Confused. The room was quieter as a tomb, nothing but the bass booming beneath the floor. Then, he broke into laughter. “Whaat?” He glanced around at his buddies, snickering. He turned back to Peter. “You’re kidding, right?”

Peter’s face remained unchanged. Solemn. Remorseful. Even without words, Danny could read the response on his face. A fury ignited instantaneously, like the fuse on a stick of dynamite.

“Are you fucking with me right now?” he demanded, glaring. Danny glanced around anxiously at Peter’s crew, his rage rising steadily. He turned back to Peter, eyes flashing with vehement betrayal. “You’re serious?! You want me to throw the match?!”

“I’m asking, Danny,” Peter calmly replied, empathy weighing his words. “However you wanna do it.”

The humor evaporated in his hot gaze. “Are you out of your fuckin’ mind?” Peter turned his eyes downcast as Danny protested ferociously. “This isn’t some bullshit undercard match! I’m goin’ for the Belt!”

“I understand that.”

“It’s the biggest fight of my whole life!” he hissed, raising his voice. “And you just want me to walk away? To lose? In front of everybody?”

Miguel and Jessica gave each other a tense look. Pressure rising like the room was the inside of a tea kettle.

Peter retained his composure, sympathetic to his associate’s dilemma. “I know it’s asking a lot,” he reasoned, “and I respect that. You worked hard to get here—”

“Eleven million, Parker!” Danny barked back. “That’s just one endorsement deal on the table.”

“With Roxxon,” Peter nodded, a small bite added to his voice. “I know. There will be temporary consequences, I’m sure. But I’ll make sure you’re compensated fairly.”

“I don’t want your money, asshole!” he sneered. “I want my goddamn championship title!”

Peter huffed with frustration, attempting to reason with him. “You have my full confidence that you can take it in the rematch next year,” he suggested. He lowered his voice, pleading with him, “I just need you to take a knee on this one, Danny. It’s all I’m askin.’”

Nostrils flaring, he replied with poison packed in each word, “Why the fuck would I do that?”

Jessica’s breath caught in her throat. Miguel went still. Ominous, ghostly chains rattled, as Peter Parker’s patience evaporated like a rainstorm in Hell.

Peter’s eyes darkened, his gaze cold. “Because I’m asking you.”

It was both a statement and a warning. Danny bit his tongue, glaring.

“Because you hate Kingpin as much as I do,” Peter added, more composed. The next breath between the two men was calmer, composed by the clarity of having the same enemy.

“And not to mention,” Peter said matter-of-factly, “you owe me.” Peter had trapped him in his gaze. For once, Danny Rand had nothing to say, but Peter wasn’t listening for words. He followed the slowing beat of the athletic muscle, and instead listened to story his heart was telling him.

If the next words to come out of Danny’s mouth were lies, he’d know—

“No, I have to be in there, it’s an emergency!” Honey’s slightly slurred words pierced the bubble as the door swung wide open. All eyes turned towards the door as she walked through, barefoot and hold her heels, one in each hand. Desperately, one of Peter’s guards tried to wall her in with his body (keeping his arms stretched wide, hands clearly visible). It was a hopeless attempt to hold her at bay, a flimsy seawall against a hurricane. She rounded him, still babbling incoherently.

Peter raised his brows with alarm, jumping to his feet. “Honey, what’s the matter?”

“I hafta talk to him!” she barked at the guard, then turned to Peter. “I hafta talk to you!”

Miguel buried his face in his hands with a groan.

“What is this?” Danny uttered in confusion.

“It’s s’so important!” she said, almost desperately. Peter pinched his brows together as she waddled towards him, holding the hem of her dress down

“What happened?” Peter scanned her face urgently, hovering his hands above her cheekbones, observing how blown-out her eyes were.

“I-I-I’m here. I’m here!” she announced, as if that was some kind of relief. “Okay, um... I’m... here to tell you—” She hiccuped. “I have something very important to tell you! And... It’s-It’s a s-secret! An important secret!” He gazed at her pecularly as she looked up at him with bleary eyes. “I need to tell you—ugh, oof, I’m riding a surfboard, time is moving slow—Okay, you know how time is the key to the entire universe, right—?”

“Hon, come back here!” Felicia called after her, as she and Eddie rushed through the doorway. Peter turned over at them, tensing.

“What is this?” Peter demanded. “What happened to her!”

“It’s fine, it’s fine, it’s fine,” Eddie anxiously mumbled. Both he and Felicia were suddenly at her sides, each taking one of her hands gently. “We’re just gonna go find some peppercorn—”

“Uh, we don’t have a kitchen here,” Jessica supplied warily, side-eyeing the dazed woman. “Maybe we have some behind the bar—?”

“This is just great,” Miguel sardonically hissed, glowering at Eddie.

“Answers,” Peter glowered at Felicia and Eddie. “Now.”

“Take it easy, will ya?” Felicia shot him a dirty look. “Don’t get your panties in a twist—she just got a little too faded.” Felicia said to Honey, “Which is totally okay, and why we’re gonna go home, right?”

Eddie rushed over to Peter, pulling him away. Felicia took Honey by the arm, now taking over the one-sided, stream-of-consciousness conversation.

“Okay,” Eddie explained, apologetic, “so she’s fine. She’s gonna be fine. It’s just a little edible—”

Peter’s gaze could skewer through stone. “Eddie. What the fuck, man?” He hissed through gritted teeth, bringing his fingertips to his aching temple. “Why is it every time there’s trouble your goddamn name is attached to it?” Eddie reeled back as Peter jabbed his finger into his shoulder, chastizing in hushed tones. “I can’t believe you’re that fuckin’ stupid! Drugging her up, here? Now?”

“First of all, I didn’t drug her up,” he declared defensively. “She asked!”

“You should know better!”

“Hey, asshole,” Eddie sneered through his teeth, his eyes flashing angrily, “she’s a grown-up. A goddamn, full-grown, life-sized adult. Did you know that?”

“Everyone’s talking so fast,” Honey breathlessly stated, turning to Felicia with wide, nearly-tearful eyes. “Everything’s so fast. Did I make everyone mad? Did I ruin everything?”

Danny snorted, amused by the exchanged, “This is fuckin’ great. You’re doin’ great.”

Honey glanced over at him, “Oh, hello. Do you do crime to? I just did drugs!”

Danny chuckled, nodding along, “Oh, is that right?”

“Hey, wait, I know you!” she said, recognition lighting up her eyes. “You’re famous. You’re on TV!”

“Right, you are, dollface,” Danny snickered, letting his eyes travel up her body. He grinned devilishly, “And what’s your name?”

“Fuck off, limp fist,” Felicia brushed him off with a glower, turning her attention back towards the two men bickering on the other side of the room.

Eddie and Peter were at each other’s throats. “She can make her own decisions, man!” Eddie argued. “What the fuck’s with you being so controlling all the time?”

Peter’s eyes went black. “What did you just say to me?”

“I’m just saying, she’s a grown woman!” Eddie whined defensively. “You don’t need to baby her all the—”

“Jesus, will you two knock it off?” Felicia groaned.

“I’m not talking to you!” Peter barked at her, pointing his finger in her direction, then turned his wrath back to Eddie. “And what the fuck do you know about it, Brock?” Peter snapped. “You never took care of anything in your life!” The other man grimaced at the insult, a stab in the back. “All you’ve ever cared about is yourself. You’re nothin’ but a fuck-up!” Peter’s voice cracked like thunder. “You’re just a fuckin’ drug dealer!”

The other man blinked wounded eyes at him, taken aback, as he simmered with disgust. Pursed his lips. Quietly seethed. Swallowed hard. And then Eddie walked out on him. Peter was left standing in his cold wake, panting like a maniac. His gazed dropped to the floor.

“Nice job, Pete,” Felicia muttered, arms and expression both cross.

“Don’t be sad, dollface...” Danny simpered as he leaned out of his chair with one hand on Honey’s wrist. They were still locked in their own private conversation while everything fell apart behind them. “Why don’t you come sit with me and let me cheer you up, yeah?”

His hand gripped her thigh at the hem of her skirt, fingers brushing up between her legs. She jolted—practically jumped out of her skin, like someone dropped a snake in her bed.

“Hey!” she cried at the slight, brows furrowed. “No touching! We have rules!”

Danny didn’t reply. Instead, his head went sideways, his whole body ejected from the armchair. She gasped as his body hit the floor with a thud, and felt an iron grip pull her away by her upper arm.

Suddenly, Peter was in front of her, eyes filled with fire, standing defensively between her and the sorrysonofabitch that groped her. The champion boxer groaned on the floor, dazed by the ringing in his skull.

“Get her outta here,” Peter muttered as he stood over the assailant, but Felicia was already at Honey’s side, whisking her away. Everyone else remained statuesque. Danny lifted off the ground and Peter met him immediately with another wrecking ball punch.

In the back of Peter’s mind, he heard shouting. Threats. Guns drawn.

But Peter didn’t care. Because that was only the first hit, and he had more to give.

Danny was flattened after the first blow.

The second loosened his jaw.

The third knocked out teeth.

The fourth and fifth cracked bone.

The sixth wasn’t for Danny, it was for one of his bodyguards who tried to tackle Peter from behind. In response, Peter lodged the man’s body into the concrete wall.

Gunshots rang out. He didn’t know from where. He didn’t know from who. Didn’t matter.

The seventh punch was the last thing Danny would ever see out of his right eye. As it left his body, so did the ability to fight back.

Eight.

Nine.

Ten.

“Pete! Stop!”

—don’t stop—

Miguel was there. Somewhere.

—teach him a lesson—

Eleven.

—savagry will be met savagely—

Twelve.

—no one goes unpunished—

Thirteen.

Honey had a point. Time really was the key to the whole universe.

Time was everything.

Uncle Ben used to say that all anyone has is time and what they choose to do with it. Ben Parker was a good man. Ahead of his time, in many ways, and also a relic of a time gone by.

Peter used to be obsessed with time, astounded by the significance of a single moment of his life. One little choice. He imagine what his life would be like if he hadn’t intervened in the convenience store. What if he’d just let it go? He should’ve zipped up his hoodie, tucked in his chin, took off down the sidewalk, and left well-enough alone.

Maybe things would be different. Maybe Ben and May would still be alive. Maybe Peter’s whole life would be different. Maybe he’d be more than just a monster.

It was just a moment. A split-second choice.

In less than 18 hours, Danny Rand was set to become the next heavyweight champion of the world, broadcasting and streaming all over TV and Pay-Per-View.

Now, he was going to spend the rest of his life eating through a tube. That’s what Felicia was telling him, right in this moment. She was pissed. She is pissed. Pissed at him.

what did she ever see in you anyway? — monster — can’t even stand the sight of you — parasite—you’re fuckin’ pathetic. a psycho-stalker creep—

“He’ll live,” Peter said emotionlessly, still lost in a cloud of darkness. He was standing in his foyer at the penthouse—how the fuck did I get here—and Felicia stopped talking.

Peter blinked again, and she was gone. He looked at the clock, brows furrowed with confusion. It was still night, but too much time had passed. How long had Felicia been gone? How long has he been standing here?

How long has it been since he was anything other than alone?

The sound of soft giggles filled the air, and his feet were moving towards them. He was outside of himself. Watching himself. Split in two. Torn apart.

And then he saw her.

Honey was dancing, twirling around the living room wrapped in a terrycloth bathrobe, her hair wet from a recent shower. The lamps were off, but the room was lit up by her presence. Behind her, outside of his 30 foot windows, the glittering backdrop of a sleepless city sparkled like fireflies in the night. She fluttered like a butterfly, her wings beating to a melody that only she could hear.

She was elated. Beaming. At the sight of her, he felt the darkness pull back and the shadows lift. He was hypnotized. The fog melted off of his brain, and everything came into focus. Time moved on, steadily, second by second. He watched her, a smile playing on his lips that he wasn’t even aware of. Relishing every moment.

“Ooh!” She stopped suddenly, slackjawed at his presence. Embarrassed, he brought a hand up behind his neck. He really needed to stop staring at her like that, he thought. It was pretty creepy.

Honey ran towards him with stars in her eyes. She threw her arms around his waist, burying her face in his chest. Her tight embrace took his breath away, but not from the force. His body tensed, trembling hands lifted away. Slowly, he brought his arms down around her, folding her into his arms.

If only he had the power to stop time.

“Yay! You’re home!” she crooned with childlike joy. “Did you bring muffins? I love muffins. We should get some muffins. I can make some muffins.” She lifted her gaze, looking up at him as she rested her chin on his chest. “Also, I think I’m high.”

He let out a soft chuckle, cracking a smile. “Yeah, you’re high,” he laughed.

“Like really high?”

“Really high.”

“Like astronautical?”

“Astronomical,” he replied. “And yes. Like Hubble telescope high.” She giggled, blessing him with an endearingly pure grin that drew his soul from his body. His eyes flitted around her face, inspecting her eyes slightly pink from dryness, her skin naturally glowing from her face wash, her dopey smile topping it off. He allowed himself to just admire her, relishing in the warmth of her embrace.

But soon, his smile faded. The memories of that evening trickled back in.

“Are you okay?” Peter asked, eyes filled with concern. He pried his own hands from her body, allowing her to stand freely on her own. It was important that he respect the rule that he had nearly beaten a man to death to defend.

“Me?” She pointed at her own chest, as if she was unsure who he was talking to.

He laughed, “Yes, you. Are you okay? How you feelin’? D’you need some water? Need anything?”

“I drank water,” she nodded dutifully. “I love water. Your water tastes so good. Everything tastes so good. Have you tried muffins? They’re so good.”

“That they are,” Peter nodded. “C’mon, let’s get you to bed.”

She sprang to life, eyes lit up like fireworks. “But I’m not even tired! I want to stay up... Stay up all night!” There was a teasing mischief in her eyes that made him dizzy every time he looked straight at it.

“It’s late,” he remarked with a sober tone, letting his eyes fall to the floor. “You should get some sleep. You’ll feel better.” A familiar pang thrummed in his skull, piercing behind his eyes. His fingers kneaded at the ache.

“But I feel great!” she chirped, bouncing over to the couch and plopping down on it. “Let’s watch a movie! Let’s watch—ooh, we should order pizza.”

He pushed a smile on his face, although exhaustion weighed down his limbs. “No, I don’t think that’s a good idea. I think you outta be going to bed.”

“Is that what you want? To take me to bed... Daddy?”

Time stopped. His stomach clenched painfully, like he’d been kicked in the ribs and tossed down a flight of M.C. Escher stairs. Timidly, he looked back at her.

Everything had changed. He had the urge to pinch himself to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

She was leaned back, propping herself up with her palms. Her body was draped scandalously across his sofa. The white robe she was wearing was dampened by her wet locks. The cowl hung dangerously low on her shoulders, revealing taut skin stretched over her clavicle that softly curved towards her cleavage. The belt was tied loosely around her waist allowing a peek at the inside of one of her thighs.

If her body was a sin, the look on her face was the devil.

The sweetness was gone. Seared off. Caramelized by a flame burning in her eyes that threatened to melt him. Her lip curled into a sultry smile, spicy heat dusted on her lips. The thought of tasting the fire there made him sweat.

This… wasn’t a dream. Was it?

He was gawking, he was pretty sure. Staring at her with an almost virginal awe. She bent one of her knees, sliding it higher up. Spreading her thighs a little wider. He swallowed hard, eyes trained on the pathway of soft flesh leading to her core.

“You like that, huh?” she cooed, her voice an intoxicating blend of coquettish mischief and innocent curiosity. He took a step backwards. Unwilling to trust his eyes. Or his body. “You have your little nicknames and I have mine,” she grinned. “You can call me Honey if I get to call you Daddy.”

The tips of his ears were burning red. The sound of his blood pumping was like an incoming tsunami. Rushing to the areas of him that had come alive with just a few words. He swallowed hard.

“Come over here,” she said, rolling her head to the side. “I wanna tell you a secret.”

His eyes were hyper-focused on the way her teeth pinched her bottom lip. His stomach was twisted into a pretzel. He considered the distance between them, a few feet of ceramic tile, and doubted it was enough space. Not with her looking at him like that. Like she was the predator. He felt unsafe in her gaze.

“I, uh…” his voice tremored, “I don’t think... that’s a good—“

“I have a theory,” she sang. “Wanna hear?”

He slammed his eyes shut, sealing them off from her seduction. “Is it about time?”

“No. It’s about power,” she said with a Cheshire grin. Curiosity pried his eyes back open. She was giddy, shimmying her shoulders, with a sing-song voice. “I never noticed this before but... I have all of it. And you have none at all.”

He stilled. Eying her, turning over what she’d said in his mind

“I can prove it too,” she teased, glowing. “Watch.”

She brought her arm up, curling her finger in a come-hither motion. He stared at the end of her finger like it was the barrel of a gun. He looked up at her face, seeing a hunger there for more than just food.

“Sit.”

The single word made his cock twitch. He swallowed a groan, holding back a grimace. He couldn’t keep his eyes off her body. Fists clenching and unclenching. Once he met her eyes again, the look there was pure lust, implanting sinful images into his brain.

Maybe she was right. If she was all-powerful, she’d just discovered that power and was flaunting it like a kid who had just found their dad’s gun.

He was trembling. Folding like a house of cards. He was so fucked. Slowly, he treaded to the sofa, stopping at the far end opposite her, and sat down. She watched him sit back with the distance of a whole continent between them. It wasn’t enough. It didn’t deter her.

She crouched onto her hands and knees and began a slow crawl towards him. He averted his eyes from the parting of her robe at her chest, staring forward again. His headache was getting worse. Everything was getting worse.

“Now, do you wanna hear my secret?” she whispered, stalking towards him like a lionness.

His jaw clenched. His fist clenched. “I thought you already told me your secret.”

She was suddenly at his side, pulling his gaze towards her by his chin. He felt pliable. Moldable. “I have lots of secrets,” she whispered dangerously.

Unsafe, was all he could think about, gazing in her lustful eyes. He felt like taffy in her grip, melting into the sofa as she climbed on top of his lap, straddling his thighs.

His breath hitched, feeling her heat everywhere—his chest, his belly, down to the hardness beneath his belt. She was electrifying him, burning him from the inside out. He didn’t need to touch her. In fact, his fingers were buried into the sofa cushions, tearing holes in the upholstery. Just feeling her up against him made him want to rip his own skin off.

Then she rolled her hips against his. His lashes fluttered shut. Brain exploding. Muscles straining. It was like she’d dug her fingers in through his chest and ripped out his insides. He was being torn apart. It hurt. Pure, blissful agony. It dragged an involuntary groan up from his lungs and out through his teeth.

His eyes opened, softly panting, knuckles white. The person staring back at him was more than a devil.

She was temptation incarnate, wrapped up in a bow.

“My secret,” she cooed tauntingly, “is that I’m not a good girl.” His eyes followed hers, neither of them blinking, like two serpents in showdown. Each one threatening to swallow the other whole. “I never was.”

She crushed her heat against his, letting her fingers trail up the buttons of his chest. The sensation made every hair of his stand on end.

“I’m not sweet.” She didn’t say the words, rather she moaned them. He felt the rumble of her chest against his, her lashes fluttering closed. He was hyper aware of the friction between them. The two of them were like magnets pushing towards one another. Every fiber of fabric that separated them felt like sandpaper.

Her hands traveled up his chest, fingers fanning out over the soft spot at the base of his neck. Like he was made of rubber, he dropped his head against the back of the couch. He breathed deep and slow, cock twitching at the feeling of the pressure she placed on his trachea. She was riding him, rutting against him at a tantilizing, torturous pace.

Staring up at her beneath heavy lids, jaw clenched tight, he struggled to not picture what they must look like. The image of her rubbing against him would brand itself into his brain forever. A picture like that would drive him mad, or even worse, he might rip apart her robe or the couch, or both. Instead, he drove his fingers into the sofa, as if attempting to push his fingers in between the threads.

“I’m not an angel,” she breathed, her voice trembling, “or a doll, or a peach, or a baby.”

From his neck, her fingers grazed down to his concrete shoulders. He was so tight. Biceps locked up, abs were steel, every other part of him was rock hard. He was hypnotized with lust, intoxicated with want. With her hands on his shoulders, she had better control—or at least the illusion of it. A particularly heavy grind pulled a whimper from her lips, and he was terrified that if he heard it again he’d come on the spot.

“I hate being called those things almost as much as I hate being bossed around,” she breathed hotly, her mouth falling agape. He licked his lips at the sight. “I can’t st-stand being controlled by... by anyone.”

She dragged her hips up and down. A breath caught in his throat as he realized he could feel her wetness seeping through his pants. He breathed deeply through his nose, nostrils flaring. His own voice was screaming in his head—don’t look down, don’t look at her body, whatever you do, don’t look at her—while another darker voice encouraged a primal response.

“I h-hate all of those things,” she groaned, her hips grinding steadily now against one of his thighs. He wasn’t sure if she could feel the outline of his cock through his slacks, but he could certainly feel her. Her heartbeat thrummed faster. With her mouth lewdly agape, she leaned her weight over his torso, tickling the shell of his ear with her breath.

“Except when you do them,” she gasped sinfully. His heart nearly stopped at her words. This wasn’t a dream. This was the gates of hell.

“Because when you do it, it feels good. I like the way it feels.”

Every word crawling through his brain like an earworm. A parasite burrowing deeper in his skull.

“Stop...” he breathed, his voice barely strong enough to carry the word.

—don’t stop—

“Everything you do feels good.”

—this isn’t real—

“When you tell me to come to bed...”

—desperate whore, wants it bad—

“When you dress me up in pretty things and show me off.”

—this isn’t right, she’s not right—

“Even when you hurt people to protect me.”

—filthy slut—

“When you look at me like you wanna fuck me in front of all of your friends.”

—this isn’t what she wants—

—she wants to hurt you. wants the pain—

“All my life everyone’s always made me feel like I was less than. Like I was worthless. But when you look at me, I feel special. I’m your favorite toy.”

—stop her—

—silver tongue—

“It’s sick,” she breathed, her voice edging on ecstasy. She dug her fingernails so hard into his skin it hurt. Every part of his body hurt.

—she’s close—

—none of this is real she doesn’t fucking love you and you know it—

—you’re unworthy—

“I’m s-so sick,” she moaned. “So-so br-broken.”

—stop this—

—don’t stop, you worthless fool—

An unhinged laugh bubbled up behind her words. “I fucking l-l-love it...” Her eyes rolled up in her head. Peter bit down so hard he could taste blood. “I... God, Peter, fucking break me apart—”

His hands were on her like a crack of thunder. Gripping her by the shoulders, he lifted her body up, twisting around and slamming her flat on the sofa. The force punched the air from her lungs. The whole world flipped, her head spinning from the dizzying speed. The drugs in her system were only stepping on the gas pedal.

Her wrists were pinned together above her head in a move so swift she barely registered it had happened. He loomed over her, eyes blown black, chest heaving. She felt her stomach flip, dropping down into the pit of a rollercoaster. Her muscles tensed, pelvic floor twitching—fuck me that feels so good fuck me fuck me Peter punish me—

His hand clapped down over her mouth, ice shooting from his lips. “Shut up.”

She gasped at the change in tone. Eyes wide open and frighteningly alert, she gazed up at his swirling visage.

“Stop means stop,” he breathed darkly, his voice trembling with a rage that she couldn’t fathom. His hands were frigid steel exposed to winter. Colder than a corpse. For a moment, everything was blindingly clear in her mind. Washed out with bright lights that burned her eyes.

Something was wrong.

This wasn’t safe. She wasn’t safe.

Soon her own thoughts were drowned out by the slamming of her heart in her chest. In a horrified daze, she stared up at him, too afraid to blink. She read the anger on his face. The lust. The sharp line drawn between his brows. Eyes black as onyx.

Solid black.

Everything was wrong.

Her chest jolted in short gasps. She struggled to take in air through the giant palm stretched across her mouth. Her chest was tight. Whole body pulled tight. Her hands felt glued together. Even if it were possible, she was too terrified to move. Her nostrils flared frantically. She was paralyzed. Bound by darkness. By the black of his eyes.

She couldn’t breathe. The world was going darker.

Fading to black.

When her eyes cracked open, it felt like they were covered in gum and her eyelids were made of sandpaper. Harsh daylight flooded in through the windows. Immediately, she felt throbbing at the base of her skull. She ached from dehydration.

Her body was a desert. A barren wasteland. A potato chip.

She groaned weakly, dragging her hands down her face. When her vision came into focus, her brow furrowed with confusion.

She wasn’t the bedroom. Not hers. Not Peter’s. She was in the living room, spread out on the couch wearing a bathrobe that was in danger of falling open and revealing her chest. Blushing, she yanked on the sides of the robe, covering herself modestly.

Her mind was covered by a fog. A thick haze made her memories feel like fleeting shadows. Glancing around the living room, she was even more baffled by the fact that she was alone. Not a soul in sight.

Drop by drop, her recollection of the night before revealed itself, like droplets of water streaking through condensation on a window. She had tiny slivers to peek through, and in those cracks she could see the club. The music. Her awful dancing. Felicia. Eddie. Alcohol.

Already, this was a bad combination.

Peter. His face full of concern. He was worried. He was protecting her...

He was killing a man. Beating him to death. The blonde sleazeball in the tiny shirt. The one who touched her.

Her stomach lurched and buckled. Nausea choked her. Fighting off her dizziness, she cupped her mouth and stumbled out of the living room.

What had happened after that? Why did everything feel off? Unsafe? Why was that part of her mind just... empty?

Her feet carried her as quickly as they could down the hallway, anxiety twisting her stomach into knots.

There was a hole in her memory. A giant gap. She hated it. She hated not being able to remember.

She stopped in her tracks in the hall. Stilled her breath. Listened intently, wondering if she’d heard what she thought she’d heard. A voice that she didn’t recognize. And a moan. A breathless whimper.

Peter.

The recognition had a whiplash effect. Her heart skipped a beat and sank at the same time. Something was wrong.

Through the stillness, she heard it again. This time as a grunt. Grinding out in pain.

Why couldn’t she remember? What was it—it was right in front of her mind, and yet... it was too dark to see. The shadow of an eclipse. A dark spot.

A black hole.

She crept towards the sound warily, her feet like falling snow. At the end of the hallway, the door to Peter’s office was cracked open. A light spilling into the dark.

Another moan.

Something is wrong. Everything is wrong. She shouldn’t be here. This is stupid. She should run. Whatever is happening is wrong and she didn’t want to know about it. Didn’t want to see who could be in there with him. Making him make that sound.

She heard that voice again. Dark. Could only make out a single word.

“parasite”

And then another groan. It was unmistakably Peter. Unmistakable agony.

Against her better judgment, her toes propelled her forward. Easing slowly towards the gap in the doorway. Staring through the blinding light.

A lithe body laid back against the side of his desk, long legs spread out across the floor. It was Peter, wearing the same clothes he did at the club the night before. But everything else about him was unrecognizable.

His skin was pale, corpse-like. Baggy circles beneath his eyes. His body shivered like he was fighting an icy fever. Dress shirt was shredded, torn open, with bloody claw marks on his chest that look like he’d been mauled by a lion. In his lap, he cradled one arm. The other hand trembled as he held the plunger of a hypodermic needle.

She watched in horror as he injected a substance into his twitching forearm. An ebony, oil-like liquid flowed from the syringe into his flesh, blackening a vein as it traveled up his arm. His eyes rolled back, head thumping against the desk.

The black stain spread like ink through water. Cutting through his body faster than blood could travel, branching out like black bine stems across his skin. Black oil oozed from the chest wounds, and after a few blinks, the lacerations vanished. Faded as if they were never there.

Jagged lines covered his body, as if someone took roads on a map and tattooed them on his skin. Soon the etched lines followed the path of his lymph nodes, up his neck, and across the sharp curves of his face. His eyelids opened to reveal onyx orbs beneath, glassy black and void of life. Void of light. Inhuman.

Monstrous.

She blinked rapidly, doubting her own vision. Questioning her sanity. Debating her own logic, even her wakefulness, as she watched the stain spread until it had consumed his body.

Not a stain. Not a tattoo either.

Whatever it was, it was moving. And it was alive.

Continue to Part 13

[back to masterlist]

a/n - thank you so much for your wonderful feedback! please reblog fandom writers—it's such a small gesture that keeps fanfic alive.

Reblog to be tagged!

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starkdirewolflove · 8 months

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The Wheel of Time thoughts

Im really loving season 2 so far, it’s much faster paced than season 1 and we’re digging into the characters emotions and motivations more. (I haven’t read the books so this is show only).

The last episode was brilliant and had so much going on but that was really Egwene’s episode like episode 3 was Nynaeve’s episode. Watching Egwene go through so much physical and mental torture was tough but as Loial said there is steel beneath the sweet exterior and she will survive this. There are also so many of her friends planning to rescue her: Loial wants to break her out of the kennels, Nynaeve and Elayne are working out how to remove the collar and won’t leave without her, Perrin is close by with Aviendha planning to rescue his friends from the Seanchan which will include Egwene once he knows she’s there and Rand will be on his way as soon as he has his meeting with the Amyrlin Seat. One of the scenes between Egwene and Renna I found interesting was after she got Egwene to use the One Power to burn down the tree she seemed so excited and happy like they really bonded so when she told Egwene she deserved a drink but Egwene fell back in agony because she wanted to attack Renna again, her face just dropped. Like she thought they were friends now and when that didn’t happen that’s when she turned physically violent for the first time, Renna said Egwene can’t hurt her but I think Egwene’s rejection in that moment hurt and that’s when she stopped trying to “cultivate a friendship.” There is going to be such a showdown between those two when Egwene gets rid of the collar and can fight back.

Lanfear/Selene has been an interesting new addition to the cast, I knew from the first sneak peek of her scene with Rand when she tells him if he wants something to take it that she was gonna be evil/a villain but she’s a brilliant villain. Love her calling Ishamael “Ishy” and banishing him from Rand’s dreams and the way she won Liandrin over to her side instead of Ishamael. Lanfear is definitely a femme fatale and is gonna stir things up with both sides.

Liandrin seems close to unraveling now. I think she knows it’s only a matter of time before her true nature is revealed, when she said Elayne was a complication she knew her plan was fucked but she couldn’t back down. Selling Nynaeve and Egwene to the Seanchan she could’ve explained their absence by saying Nynaeve left because of what happened to her in The Arches and Egwene went with her because she was so grief stricken when she thought Nynaeve died that she didn’t want to lose her again, but having the Daughter-Heir of Andor go missing too is one lie too many. All it takes is someone to send word to the Queen asking when her daughter is coming back to the White Tower and there’ll be an uproar. We also found out a bit more about Liandrin’s backstory from Lanfear and why she hates men so much, her life sounds pretty fucked up like and then her reward for swearing to the dark was that her son gets to live but as Lanfear said “this isn’t life.” He’s sick, bedridden, too old and can’t even speak and Liandrin couldn’t watch as Lanfear mercy killed him to “set her free.” I actually gasped when I saw Liandrin at the gathering of Aes Sedai in Cairhien because it’s all gonna blow up next week with her being in the same place as Rand, Mat, Min and Moiraine as well as the two Brown Ajah Verin and Yasicca being onto her now. She looked really panicked when she was trying to find out why the Amyrlin was in Cairhien with 14 Aes Sedai.

Moiraine has been through the ringer this season, she’s trying to cope with being Stilled and having an existential crisis that everything she has been doing for the last 20 years has been wrong and only helped the Dark instead of defeating it. Like that is some heavy burdens, but I think she has being going about things so wrong this season by keeping everyone at arms length and pushing away people who care about her. I know she’s trying to protect Lan because she thinks she’s going to die in this fight against the Dark and she doesn’t want him to feel her death through the bond and end up like Stepin but she should trust him more than she has this season, he’s been her best friend for 20 years, always has her back and would literally die for her, I hope they have a proper reunion next week. There seems to be a thaw with Moiraine and her family after she apologised for how she’s been treating them, like her nephew adores her and her sister still loves her even though there’s some unresolved issues between them but they’re still going to support her even if they don’t know what’s going on. Moiraine has obviously been in contact with Siuan since there was a letter with her seal on the writing desk. It was like a scene from some Victorian romance drama watching Moiraine drafting letters to “my dearest Siuan” and then throwing them away because she can’t explain herself properly, then her sister comes in and says “The Amyrlin Seat is her with fourteen Aes Sedai and she’s demanding an audience with you.” Lol that was brilliant, Moiraine’s face was a picture of shock and surprise, can’t wait to see what happens with them next week.

Lan The Man, he’s done following orders and is taking action to protect Moiraine whether she wants him to or not. He’s been tagging along with Alanna and her warders as if they have him on suicide watch but he’s been figuring out his next move in the fight against the dark and how best to help Moiraine. I can’t believe that Alanna, Maksim and Ihvon actually thought Lan was a dark friend but their confrontation helped move things along. Alanna translated the prophecy about Lanfear, Lan found out where the Amyrlin was and got them to go with him to get her for Moiraine but he also had to tell them about Rand being the Dragon Reborn. I loved that Lan showed up at the end just outside of Cairhien to stop Rand from leaving so now everyone can share information and make a plan to fight back against Ishamael and the Seanchan.

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ameliagiovanna0 · 1 year

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Feel Your Kiss On Me

Title from For You by Liam Payne and RIta Ora

Requested by @whiskeyloverbae , thank you! 💕

“Tim has a hickey and he thinks it’s hidden by his collar but Angela calls him out on it. “

“Lucy!” Tim called from the bathroom.

“What?” Lucy returned, coming around the corner from her bedroom.

He couldn’t help but rake his eyes over her in the kimono and sleep shorts she wore, her hair wound messily on top of her head.

He grumbled, remembering he was trying to be pissed at her, and gestured to his neck and the purplish mark forming there.

“Oops,” she posited, but the mischievous grin that spread across her features betrayed her.

“Lucy, we have work today! What am I supposed to do with this?”

“I’ll go put a spoon in the freezer,” she tucked her lips between her teeth, trying to suppress her laughter.

Lucy rounded the corner once again, wrapping her arms around his waist as he dragged a razor through the shaving cream on his face.

She pressed her lips to his bare back, “You adding to the mess you’ve created?”

She smiled against his skin, “I wasn’t planning on it, but now that you mention it,” she chortled as she nipped at his shoulder.

“Luce!” he tried not to laugh, trying desperately to be mad at her, “We share a locker room!”

“Oh, like it’s the first time one of you’s had a mark.”

“It’s a hickey, Luce. I have a reputation.”

He tapped the razor in the sink before turning around in her arms to her raised eyebrow, “We both know that went out the window when you met me.”

“You’re impossible,” he said as his hand found the sides of her face.

Tim wore a collared shirt into the station, forgoing his usual henley in hopes of hiding the mark his girlfriend left the night before, the frozen spoon not doing much to dull the offensive color. He put his white undershirt on and then uniform top on as fast as humanly possible, hoping none of the other officers noticed. He adjusted the collar in the mirror on the inside of his locker door and hoped it would stay in place all day.

“I should’ve starched these,” he complained to himself.

He left the locker room, seemingly unscathed. Angela asked him to see her when he came in for the day, so he made his way to her desk with two cups of coffee.

“Ange,” he set her cup in front of her.

“Hey, she greeted, “Thanks. The name Dennis Rand ring any bells?”

“Jesus,” he groaned as he balanced his arm on his duty belt.

“I’ll take that as a ‘yes?’”

“I’ve arrested him maybe ten times over the years. Why?”

“He managed to get invol–”

Tim turned his head at the sound of glass shattering on the other side of the bullpen.

“Damnit, Smitty!” Angela barked before he even made it into her field of view.

“I’m sorry! It just slipped out of my hands!”

“Clean it up! That’s the third one this week!” she finally braved a glance at the mess of broken porcelain and coffee on the floor.

Angela looked up, Tim’s head still pulled in the direction of Smitty dejectedly slinking toward the janitor’s closet.

“Timothy…”

His body stiffened as she stood up. It was never good when she used his full name.

He turned toward her, “Yes, Angela?”

She pinched the collar of his shirt, pulling it away from his body and laughing like a maniac. He rolled his eyes at her antics.

“Tim,” she managed to get out between snorts, “Is that a hickey?”

“I’m going to kill her,” he griped.

Angela simply laughed harder, nearly doubling over, having to brace herself with a hand on the edge of her desk.

“Are you done?” he asked when she managed to stand up straight again.

“Oh, no. Not even close.”

“You two have fun last night?” She giggled again, “Oh, lemme guess. You bet on who could list the most penal codes in sixty seconds, and this was your punishment for losing?”

“No, wait! Lucy decided that she’d had enough of other women hitting on you, so she finally decided to do something about it?”

Tim blushed. This is not the conversation he’d envisioned for his Monday morning.

“No, no, I got it. Were you misbehaving?”

“I have work to do,” he turned to walk away.

“No, Tim, wait!” she tried not to laugh again.

He turned around only long enough to flip her the bird.

“Your life would be so boring without me!”

He shook his head, a reluctantly amused smile on his face as he made his way to his office. He kind of hated her for it, but it was just Angela’s way of showing affection.

Sitting behind his own desk, Tim placed his coffee down when his phone buzzed in his pocket.

A: Dennis Rand, asshole. I needed info

T: Maybe you shouldn’t have made fun of me then

A: whatever, I’ll just ask Lucy. Among other things 😁

T: I hate you both

A: You love us

Tim shot a text off to the woman in question.

T: in case you didn’t hear the cackling coming from the bullpen, Angela found the monstrosity you left on my neck

T: Maybe I should return the favor tonight

L: don’t threaten me with a good time bradford

He chuckled, setting his phone down.

This was going to be a long day.

#i know most people don't title drabbles #but i wanted to #it keeps me organzied #this is essentially a crack fic #it made me giggle #the rookie #chenford #chenford fic #chenford fanfic #chenford fanfiction #lucy chen #tim bradford #angela lopez #quigley smitty #amelia’s requests ✉#i may or may not post this on ao3 #ameliagiovanna writes

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shutupineedtothink · 7 months

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I finally landed on a Siuan theory/analysis re: 2x07! And it works prettyyyy good if I do say so myself. At the least it’s plausible. Probably. No book spoilers because I haven’t read the books, this is a show only theory. Read on at your own risk!

Background: So, at first I was on board the “Moiraine and Siuan planned this whole thing daes dae’mar blah blah blah” train. Mostly in my emotional turmoil after watching the episode initially. But, I was forced to dismiss that pretty quickly in light of some of Siuan’s lines, namely “That boy must not leave this city.” And “You lied to me.” She has to believe both of those things are truths to say them, so her somehow being secretly on Moiraine’s side still and them having conjured up some plan together doesn’t match up with either of those lines. Sadly. So that’s pretty much out. If this ends up actually being the case, I look forward to how they explain themselves out of it.

Second theory is of course that it’s playing exactly as we’re seeing it, which ultimately does work and when I can take the emotional dagger to my heart out of it, is objectively really excellent storytelling and character work. These are two women, trying to do the right thing, trying to save the world, and their love is sacrificed at the altar of duty. Duty over love is a theme that’s absolutely pounded into us with many characters, so it makes sense. (As Lan points out to Rand also in this episode, “you were born to protect this whole world, not just the people you love.” That’s kinda where Siuan and Moiraine are at too.) Plus I love the idea that Siuan comes face to face with the very real if unfathomable possibility that Moiraine has been turned to the dark based on her actions and general cageyness for the last six months, and that’s really what motivates every choice Siuan makes, up to and including invoking the oath rod. Really great stuff, brilliant subtext, two thumbs up.

However. There is a third option. *rubs hands together gleefully*

I heard some people saying Siuan could be under Compulsion, which definitely piqued my interest, because we’ve had those breadcrumbs dropped earlier in the season already and it would be nice foreshadowing for this. But most of the conversation I’ve seen seems to be around Liandrin being the one to do it. Probably because we’ve alluded to that already this season, so we know she is capable and has done it before. A tool in her dark friend toolkit, if you will.

But Liandrin being behind it never sat quite right with me either. Compelling Sheriam to change some logbook is one thing, but controlling the Amyrlin seat, for hours if not days to make this happen, is quite another. Idk what kind of strength Compulsion requires, but I bet it’s not nothing. And as powerful as Liandrin is, I don’t think she’s stronger than Siuan Sanche, or would be able to pull one over on her fast enough to make this happen. Plus, Liandrin is off doing other shit in this episode. If she was really implicated I feel like she’d be at least lurking around the other Aes Sedai. Maybe I’m wrong… but I don’t think I am lol.

So, who does have the power to do this? Who else has the means, motive, and opportunity to make this happen? There’s really only one other person.

The other scene stealer of 2x07, ya girl Lanfear.

There’s several bits of dialogue in this episode that back this theory up, both Compulsion in general and Lanfear being behind it, so let’s run from the top.

First, some general evidence that Compulsion might be happening.

Rand and Siuan meet, Rand gives his cute little introduction, Lan has prepared you I see, what else has he told you about me? Then Rand gives this line:

“That you’re not exactly what you seem.”

Interesting choice of words, writers— I mean Rand. He could have said a lot of things there, even directly repeating some of what Lan told him about Siuan, but no. And if you’re already thinking Compulsion, that’s a pretty strong nudge from the writers to PAY ATTENTION to Siuan Sanche, because maybe what she’s doing is not what it seems, even the person she IS in that moment is not what it seems. (Even if the surface level read totally makes sense and still works thematically!) This also wouldn’t be the first time that the writers seem to use the characters to say something/poke fun that’s more directed at us than the actual plot. So I definitely wouldn’t put it past ‘em.

Second, and this is kind of a throw away, but when Moiraine and Lan come in later, Lan says “this isn’t what we agreed to.” This is pretty easy to explain away, but I think it’s still notable that Lan and Siuan had some kind of conversation earlier, perhaps on their way to Cairhien, about what they were going to do in regards to Moiraine and/or Rand. And at that point Siuan at least implied that she was going to help Moiraine and Rand, not cage him. Again, pretty easy to sidestep with aes sedai truth-lies/evasions, but it’s also possible at that point she actually had no intention to cage Rand. Because she wasn’t under Compulsion yet.

Alright, still going in chronological order here, so now we’re getting into some Lanfear-did-it specifics. And I do love-hate this one.

Moiraine and Siuan are arguing over what to do about Rand, then this:

Siuan: “Can you imagine, Moiraine, if one of the forsaken got their hands on him?”

Can YOU imagine, how absolutely giddy it would make Lanfear to make her say this, to Moiraine’s FACE, knowing full well she’s got her hands all over Rand and then some? Come on, son.

Ok jokes aside, here’s the kicker.

Rand and Moiraine in the cell in the sun palace, Rand meets Lanfear in the dream world, Rand goes up to her and says “I’m in a cell, the Amyrlin’s holding me.”

And Lanfear says, so smug, “I know.”

Um, girl? You know?? HOW do you know exactly? I definitely dismissed this on the first couple watches as oh, Lanfear just knows things, but like, no. The Forsaken aren’t omniscient. Now, could she be teleporting herself here and there and spying on everything that’s going on and that’s why she knows? Sure. But that’s boring and I’m on a roll here so let’s keep going.

She knows, not just that Rand is in a cell but specifically that it’s the Amyrlin that’s holding him there, because she herself Compelled (Compulsed?) Siuan to do so.

Ok so motive. Why would Lanfear do this, why spend the effort?

1. It's definitely fun for her. 2. She sets up this scenario where she gets to “save” Rand from the big bad aes sedai, he has no choice but to ask her for help, she LITERALLY shows up in her white knight in shining armor outfit, and she ultimately hopes this helps convince him she actually cares about him and wins him over to her side. (As she tries to tell him in the finale, I’m the only one who cares about YOU, not just what you can do. Mhm sure girl.) And 3. She gets to actively pit the rest of the aes sedai against Moiraine, who she absolutely hates.

And in doing all of this SHE MIGHT NOT EVEN HAVE KNOWN about Moiraine and Siuan! That's just icing on the fucking cake! It works either way, because if she did know by forcing Siuan to tell her about their mission and she somehow gets Siuan to admit she loves Moiraine (however that interrogation goes, idk the specifics of compulsion but the show writers are playing fast and loose with the rules anyway), well now it’s game on baby because Lanfear will absolutely be using that info to wreck both of them. If she didn’t know, and her whole motivation is the first three reasons above, then she definitely finds out at the end of 2x07, because she was definitely lurking around the corner listening to that whole exchange between them and it made her fucking night.

And finally, there’s Lanfear’s last line of the episode (I think): “Lucky for you, a broken Amyrlin is more useful to me than a dead one.” Double meaning alert! Siuan is literally lying broken on the ground in that moment, but maybe she was already “broken” well before that, being under Lanfear’s control. (And there’s your Egwene/damane parallel too, damn.) And therefore Lanfear knows exactly how she’ll be “useful” to her.

This whole strategy by Lanfear could also be forecasted from a couple episodes back, when she asks Ishamael why he didn’t just kill Moiraine at the Eye. He basically tells her the same thing, that Moiraine (I believe he uses the words “aes sedai” specifically) is more useful to him alive than dead. So mayyyybe that gave her this idea to manipulate an aes sedai for her purposes, except while Ishamael is playing the long game, she goes full tilt and mind controls the fucking amyrlin seat.

On Siuan’s side of things, every bit of dialogue she has/action she takes makes sense under the assumption that Lanfear is influencing her, because she would “believe” everything she’s doing. Now I don’t know exactly how Compulsion works (in case you couldn’t tell), if it’s like someone else actually making you believe/do things you wouldn’t normally do, or if it’s more of a you’re trapped in your own head and not in control of your body sort of situation, but it works either way. And boy let me tell you, if this theory is correct, that makes Sophie Okenedo’s performance even more impressive than it already is, because it really works either way: Siuan is genuinely doing what she believes is right for the fate of the world and has her stone cold face on to do it (until the very end) OR her “real” expressions/feelings are mostly being masked/faked by the Compulsion and what she’s being forced to do by Lanfear. It tracks! Either way! Insane!!

The other big reason I think this theory works is because of what we find out in the finale — we learn from her conversations with Bayle Domon and Ishamael that Lanfear has been pulling the strings to make this whole season happen all along. (Cue It Was Lanfear All Along music lol). She sold the bits of cuendillar (although I don’t really get why… just for the money?), she seduced Rand, she played Ishamael, all of it. So why not this too? Why not control the Amyrlin seat, if she has the capability and means to do so, especially if she means to take Ishamael off the board and sort of become the de facto leader/strongest of the forsaken. Not really their leader, I know, but it’s a good power play for her is what I’m saying.

Finally, I think this could put us in a REALLY fun place for season 3, with stuff happening at the tower. We could have scenes with Lanfear, Siuan, and Liandrin. We could have Siuan acting increasingly more malevolent or just off somehow, and while most sisters are going with it, Alanna or Leane maybe starts to get suspicious (more Leane please!). We could have Moiraine send the wonder girls back to the tower, ostensibly to continue their training but also because she needs informants to know what Siuan is planning now (which kills her obvs), and because I would love to see them Scooby doo their way through some shit, the three of them figure out what’s going on and somehow (with Alanna’s help?) free Siuan from the Compulsion. Idk but it could be so much fun you guys.

Or, I could be totally wrong. Maybe this is totally not how Compulsion works. I don’t mind either way. This was a super fun thought experiment. But man, if this theory is in any way correct, this will be some of the most twisty TV/dialogue writing I’ve seen in a minute. And, you know, I’m trying to make fishwives happen here! Cmon!

Shout out to the Post Show Recaps podcast deep dive of 2x07 for questioning how Lanfear knew that Siuan had Rand captured and finally clicking this all into place for me. If you’ve got any other pulls from the episode or the season in general that back this theory up, please share in the comments!

#seriously rewatch the episode with this in mind the pieces just fall into place #the drama of it all!#wheel of time #the wheel of time #wot #wot season 2 #wot 2x07 #wheel of time 2x07 #siuan sanche #siuanraine #fishwives #lanfear #the absolute euphoria I will feel if this ends up being correct #only 2 years to find out

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e-creativemind · 7 months

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Some thoughts to share about Siuan’s behaviour after watching the 6th episode of season 1 and the 7th episode of season 2 back to back:

1) If you remember well in episode 6 it was Moiraine’s suggestion to bring the other sisters in in their mission after she realised that they hah hit kind of a dead end in their search for the dragon reborn. Siuan dismissed Moiraine’s frustrations and worries as “exhaustion talking” and dismissed her idea by remaining adamant that no one else should know about their mission and that they work together. Moiraine was indeed exhausted from having to carry the burden of the search alone but Siuan was not ready to ask for help by fear of the consequences.

2) Also in episode 6, Siuan proposes to Moiraine to go to the Eye of the world with the 4 potential dragons now as she believes that it’s the best moment to strike against the Dark One based on what she sees in her dreams. Moiraine, although against the idea first, succumbs to it and follows Siuan’s plan.

Fast forward to season 2:

1) From the first time we see Siuan riding in her wagon, her face seems exhausted, she doesn’t seem to hold herself in the same regal way that she was in season 1, she looks more human than in any other time we have seen her. We know that she has been absent from the Tower and on the road but other than that, we don’t really know what has been happening with her and to her, we don’t know if her dreams worsened, we know nothing. Apart from the fact that she looks tired. And that out of the blue one good night, Lan finds her to tell her that Moiraine has been stilled. Let’s bare in mind that when Moiraine decided to share the truth of what happened to her with Siuan, it was already too late because Lan told her first and by the time she decided to send the letter, Siuan was already at her doorstep.

2) So Siuan goes to Moiraine to see first hand what is going on with her wife but of course she will be angry and feeling betrayed. Why feeling betrayed? Because for 6 months Moiraine was pretending that everything was okay when in fact things were not. She had lost sight of Rand, she had lost any way to teach him and control him and she was too blocked emotionally to think clearly and objectively. Instead of running to Lan and Siuan for help, she closed off and convinced herself that she was still capable of helping Rand. Was she though? By refusing to accept her new reality, she kept fooling herself that she was able to help the dragon reborn and thus put everyone and everything in danger, herself included. And that is what Siuan realised in Carhiein.

3) So, in episode 7 we have a Siuan who is exhausted, feeling betrayed by her wife, and feeling lost and angry upon the realisation that her wife had created such a mess due to her inability to accept her new reality. And what does a person do when they feel all of the above? They resort to the safest option and that was to bring the other sisters in (same as Moiraine thought in episode 6, season 1) and follow the White Tower protocol. Why follow the White Tower protocol? For the same reason that protocols were created in the first place: to allow people to follow a predetermined plan that has been tested for its efficiency in times of crises where people need to coordinate with each other quickly with the least damage and loss possible. And in a way, Siuan (exhausted as she was now) decided to follow Moiraine’s plan from season 1. A plan which both women voiced in their own time of exhaustion. A plan which was equally dismissed by the other.

In my opinion, Siuan did what a good leader would do in a time of crisis: she put her own fears aside ( the other sisters finding out that they were working together and being stilled), she looked at the situation objectively and weighed the damage vs the benefit. Moiraine was stilled with no control over Rand, Rand was weak, useless and an easy prey to the Forsaken (which was proven already to us by how easily Lanfear manipulated him already) and their outside-the-box way of dealing with the dragon reborn had lead already to one failure. There was no room for a second failure and Siuan knew that better than Moiraine. As a leader what was she supposed to do? As a wife what was she supposed to do? Let Moiraine and Rand go, unprepared and weak, straight to the enemy’s embrace?

But no, Moiraine doesn’t see it this way - especially when she got her powers back. No, Moiraine believes that she knows better and allow me to say that this is very dangerous in this situation. Shes is indeed proud and selfish and in my opinion this is what leads inevitably to the big rift in her relationship with Siuan. Perhaps she will be proved right in the end, perhaps not but as Siuan said: this is too much of an important matter to let it to chance.

In episode 7, Siuan was the voice of reason and she paid dearly for it. Yes, she used the oath to force Moiraine to do her bidding but did she have any other choice, really? Moiraine was not listening to her, she was defying her orders and she was providing no concrete plans on how to move forward in a safely manner. Not to mention that within the span of a day she went from “I’m stilled” to “I’ve got my powers back”. Siuan doesn’t know what to believe anymore and what she sees in front of her is a Moiraine who is unstable, untrustworthy, closed off, stubborn and volatile: the perfect combination for a huge and irreparable mistake to happen. Her only option left was to force Moiraine to listen to her as any other option wasn’t working.

And she immediately felt bad for it and regretted it. But in front of saving the world and her wife from sure destruction, breaking the trust of her lover was a necessary evil.

#wheel of time #moiraine sedai #moiraine x siuan #siuan sanche #siuan #moiraine #wot s2 #wot #moiraine and siuan #heartbroken from this episode but trying to make sense of Siuan’s motivations #I want them back together #fishwives

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sakuyomihana · 3 months

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⋆˙⟡ Tangled Threads Of Hearts ⋆˙⟡

Hello everyone~! The update for chapter 1 is finally up, sorry for keeping you guys waiting! Thank you for all your support, I was honestly not expecting so many likes on my prolouge chapter! I'll do my best to continue updating this series, stay tune~ *Disclaimer: This is an original work done by me. Pls do not steal it or repost it anywhere else. Thank you and have a happy reading day~!

Chapter 1: Reunions & First Meetings

Year 2023, Spring

Location: AstralEx High School

Excited chatters could be heard from the students around you as they made their way through the school gate. Many were about which classes they were in, some were even about them being nervous about starting as first year students.

AstralEx High School is a prestigious school known for churning out many excellent, talented and outstanding students every year. And it really lived up to its name.

Looking over the time sheet that was provided by the school at the start of the year, you scrolled through the contents and found what you were looking for.

‘Guess my first period is homeroom with Mr Yang’'.

Smiling to yourself, you were glad that your homeroom teacher was Mr Welt Yang yet again. He was a very interesting, wise and intriguing teacher that you had looked up to since your first year here and you enjoyed the subjects that he teaches in.

Just as you were about to head into the building, you heard a familiar voice screaming your name excitedly from behind. You didn't need to turn around to know who it was, as the figure immediately glomped you into a bone crushing hug.

“[NAME] CHAN, I missed you so much~!”.

“Quiet down, March.. Hah, it hasn't been that long since we last saw each other…”, another familiar yet exasperated voice interjected.

“Ahaha, it's alright Dan Heng. Sure, it hasn't been long but I missed you too~”, you chuckled and returned the hug with one of your own.

“Bleh~, see [Name] Chan agrees with me~!”.

“*sigh*.. What am I gonna do with the two of you..?”.

The familiar sight of your two best friends fooling around with you, had made your day even brighter. The bright and energetic female, March 7th and the cool and reserved male, Dan Heng had both been your closest companion since day one. The sight of the two bickering over you had never failed to make you smile everyday.

“Now, now.. Why not join us in this group hug, Dan Heng? It's warm and fuzzy~”, you decided to tease the stoic male a little.

“!”, a blush immediately crept out to his ears and cheeks.

“Yeah~! Come on~!”, March chimed in.

You both knew that he has a soft spot for you and using that on him wasn't fair but he still agreed, while it may be embarrassing for him to admit.

“*huff* Fine..”.

And thus, the three of you ended up in the group hug.

Feeling warm and fuzzy from the contact, the three of you finally separated and began heading for your first period. Funnily enough, you all were in the same class yet again for another year.

Chatting again like old times, the three of you walked to class together. Meeting familiar faces along the way, you exchanged greetings and wished each other all the best for whatever's coming up. Amongst them, were your childhood friend, Gepard Landau; fellow literature club member and the student council president, Bronya Rand and her childhood friend, Seele.

It was a surprise that all of you ended up in the same class for your final year, not that you mind but you really appreciated all the company and support that you are getting for you to survive yet another year in this school.

Picking the seats that were the closest to the window, with you in the middle, March and Dan Heng beside and behind you respectively, Gepard in front and the other two somewhere else in the room, you guys took your seats and got ready for homeroom. Mostly everyone that were currently in class, were familiar faces that you had seen before but there were also a few in particular that you had never met before. An example would be this silver-haired male that you had never seen before your entire life. He was standing around and looking for a seat albeit nonchalantly.

“Who is that? I have never seen him around school before..”.

Girl took that question out of your mouth, just as you were about to ask the same thing. What can I say, great minds think alike. But Dan Heng would beg to differ that you were definitely better than March.

“Maybe he's a new student.”, Dan Heng replied, not looking up from the book that he was reading.

“Wow, transferring in straight at the start of the third year. He looks kinda hot actually~”.

“March..”, we all deadpanned.

“Tehee~”.

Lightly chuckling at March's usual antics, you slowly turned to look out of the window, taking in the beautiful view of spring in front of you. Seemingly lost in thought for a moment, Gepard spoke for your mind.

“Itching to recreate this scenery, are you?”.

“!”.

“Aha, you got me.”.

Smiling sheepishly at how easily it was for him to read you, you turned away from the male in front of you and back to the scenery before you.

“It just looks so beautiful.”.

“Yeah, it sure is.”, he acknowledged.

‘But not as beautiful, without you in the picture.’.

He kept that thought to himself, hiding it with a light chuckle.

Beaming back at him, you took out your sketchbook and began to sketch. Your smile had always had an effect on his heart, he wanted to protect it so bad. Trying to keep himself sane, he turned back to the book in front of him as he held back the blush that had already crept up to his ear. Thankfully, nobody had noticed.

Gepard and his older and younger sisters, Serval and Lynx had known you since you were little as your parents knew each other and were friends. Thus, hangouts became very frequent. The both of you did everything together before you were separated in middle school. The young man had already fallen for you when he first laid his eyes on you and he just fell harder as you grew up. You could say that you were his love at first sight, something that started out as a crush before turning into full blown affection, when you guys grew older.

He did try to make his move on you twice upon the urging of Serval, so that she would stop teasing him about it, however, those attempts had failed as your very over-protective older brother that loved you too much had always been the third wheel, interrupting the moments where you two were together.

Not that he wished to give up but he was bidding for the right time to tell you how he truly felt. And now still wasn't and so he waited.

The school bell finally rang, signaling that lessons were about to begin.

You had just managed to finish a rough sketch of the final product and began keeping your materials as Mr Yang took his place at the front of the class.

“Good morning, everyone. I am Welt Yang and I am your homeroom teacher for the rest of the year. To all the students that had been with us since the very beginning, I hoped that you all had a great holiday and a good rest and now it's the start of a new year here in AstralEx High. All of you are now third year students, I truly hoped that whatever we had teached you over the span of two years had not been forgotten and will be put to good use.”.

Everyone in the classroom felt the weight of the words spoken and we resolved ourselves yet again, to not disappoint his expectations of us.

“Now, seriousness aside, I would like to welcome some of the new students that we have here with us today. Let's start off with some short introductions from our lovely students and get to know one another a little better.”.

Each individual student took turns to introduce themselves and what are some of their hobbies, through a game of lottery.

Gepard: “Hi, my name is Gepard and my hobby is taking care of plants and cooking.”.

Bronya: “My name is Bronya and my hobby is reading books.”.

Seele: “The names’ Seele. Er, Hobbies..? Nothing really..”.

March 7th: “Hi, I'm March 7th! But you can call me March! I like to take pictures of all the cute and memorable things in the world!”.

Dan Heng: “Dan Heng and reading..”.

‘Ah, this is so boring..’, someone thought.

->>>>>>>>>

‘Ah, this is so boring..’.

The silverette yawned for the 4th time since the day had started. Rude, you all may say but that's just how he felt about all of these.

Caelus had been transferring in and out of different schools for as long as he could remember, as his mother was constantly moving around to different countries due to her job. Not that he could blame her but he's just kinda sick of all this constant moving. He hoped that this was the last, quote unquote hoped, you never know what life brings you.

Due to this, he never bothered making many friends as it was just too bothersome and he didn't need to touch on his emotions. This was not the first time that he had experienced this introduction thing that apparently was a requirement for him to get to know his classmates better.

Stifling another yawn, he watched yet another student introduce themselves to the class. But this time, he was starstruck.

You: “Hello, my name is [Name]. And I like to read and draw in my free time.”.

‘Who was this goddess that had just descended upon him?!’.

You were an ethereal beauty, a sight to behold. He had never met someone whose beauty could ever surpass yours in his life before. Your gentle eyes, smile and voice were like music to his ears and heaven to his sight.

Unable to tear his eyes away from you, it took like a few coughs from Mr Yang, from a light one to a hard one, to snap him back to his senses. Feeling all eyes on him, he started feeling nervous and his palms began to sweat. It didn't help that there were a few piercing glances sent his way and especially yours, he found himself stumped.

Taking in a deep breath, he pulled himself together and stood up..

“H-hi, the names’ Caelus. and er.. my hobby is gaming?”.

He swore that he saw something lit up behind Mr Yang's glasses but he couldn't care less about that now. Fuck, he just wanted to dig a hole and hide in there after such a embarrassing display（＞д＜）!

->>>>>>>>>

Location: AstralEx High School, School Gate

The first day of school had just flown by like a blur... You were now walking towards the entrance of your school with your friends, as excited chatters filled the previous hallways after such a long day.

You were grateful that Headmasters Himeko and Pom Pom decided to let all the students off earlier today, thus allowing you to head home with all of your friends.

“Mmm! So what will you all be doing after this?”, March asked as she stretched her sore arms a little.

“Seele and I will be heading off first, there's somewhere that we want to go to.”, Bronya was the first to respond.

“Aw man, just as I thought we could all hang out together today.. *sigh*”.

“Maybe next time, March~”, Bronya chuckled lightly at the dejected girl.

“I'll be heading home directly.”.

“Sorry March, Gepard and I have to go somewhere too.”.

“Aw man~”.

Everyone chuckled at the poor girl.

Truthfully, you wanted to accompany your friend, however, you already had made plans with Gepard to visit Serval's repair workshop and later on have dinner with both families, yours and his.

Gepard on the other hand.. seemed slightly distracted by something and that did not go unnoticed by Seele.

Deciding to tease the man a little, she linked arms with you and Bronya, snickering as she did so.

“?”.

“Looks like someone is a little distracted~ Why don't you join us, [Name]? Man doesn't seem to remember that he has a date with you~”, she snickered teasingly.

Catching on to what Seele was trying to do, Bronya decided to play along too.

“Ufufu, that's very true~ Shall we?”.

“E-er, wait what?!”, that finally snapped the man out from his stupor.

Seeing his panic expression, everyone burst out laughing, including the usual aloof Dan Heng.

“Ugh..”, the blonde groaned from embarrassment and face palmed himself to hide his blushing face.

It did not help that you were laughing as well.

“Ahahaha, come on guys.”.

Just hearing your laughter was enough to make the latter redder than a tomato and his yearning heart flutter. The intense laughter died down after a while, as they tried catching their breaths.

“Come on man, just what were you thinking or so distracted by, that you completely zone out on us?”, Seele asked as she wiped away her tears.

“Yeah, Geppie! Tell us tell us!”, March exclaimed with sparkles in her eyes.

“Urgh.. Please don't call me that.”.

“Now now, girls. Stop teasing him already, I'm pretty sure that he has a good reason, right?”, you quickly interjected.

“Y-yeah..”.

“Alright, alright~ Whatever you say but I'm pretty sure we all know the answer. Right, Cold Dragon Young?”, the purplette finally gave in but not before teasing the other male first.

“Hmph..”, the latter chose not to respond.

The conversation finally let up after a gruesome amount of jokes and teasing. With the sky slowly turning an orange hue in the background, the little group began to disperse and everyone left on their merry way.

After the rest had left, it was only just you and Gepard left at the school gate. The once noisy atmosphere had now turned into a comforting silence between two friends.

“Are you sure you are alright though? If you are not feeling well, I can let Brother know that maybe we can shift this annual dinner to another date.”, you asked, breaking the silence as you shared your concern.

“Yeah, I'm fine. Really.”, he replied with confidence.

“Really?”.

“Yes, really. Thank you for your concern but I'm really fine now.”, he chuckled as he ruffled your hair.

Puffing up your cheeks at how he had just ruined your hair, (to which he found adorable) you let out a little sigh before smiling again as you fixed your hair. Just as Gepard was sending Serval a message, notifying her that you guys were going to head over to her shop soon, you suddenly remembered that there was someone that you were supposed to meet.

“Oh right, I forgot that I was supposed to meet Tingyun for a little bit after class ended! Sorry Gepard, do you mind waiting here alone for a bit? I'll be right back.”.

“It's alright, go on ahead. I'll be right here if you need me.”.

“Thanks! I'll be back in a jiffy!”.

And off you went. He honestly didn't mind following you to find your friend but he thought you girls might need some girl time, so he chose to keep his mouth shut and let you go on your own. Taking this time alone, he thought back to events that had happened earlier in the day...

->>>>>>>>>

Location: AstralEx High School, Classroom Hallways

There were still students frolicking around the hallways and classrooms as you traced back your steps to find your friend, Tingyun. It was unfortunate that this time around, the both of you didn't share the same classes, thus leading to this moment.

You sent the girl a text message as you continued down the hallway, praying that she would respond asap. You were already running a little behind schedule and you didn't want your blonde friend to wait for you for too long, so you quickened your pace. Thinking back to earlier, you wondered what exactly had gotten your male friend to be so out of sorts. He may have said that he was alright but you were still a little concerned. Unable to pinpoint exactly why, you gave up and returned back to the task at hand.

“ Tingyun <3

You:

Hey, I'm here. Whr r u?

Tingyun:

Hi love! I'm outside the classroom that's next to yours~

You:

Okay~ I'm heading over now! “.

Picking up the pace, you headed straight for your classroom. Upon reaching your destination, you finally caught sight of your foxian friend's familiar silhouette. As you got closer, you realized that she was having a conversation with another student, deciding to not intrude on them, you stood a little ways further from the two.

It did not take long for your friend to notice your presence behind her, with that she quickly wrapped up the conversation with the student and headed over in your direction. She bided her time a little and after making sure that the student had already left the premises, she then pounced on you without restrain.

“Love~!!! You are finally here, it’s been too long~!”.

“Hehe, yeah~ I miss you too~!”, you returned her tight squeeze hug with one of your own.

Nuzzling you as her fluffy ears and tail twitched with affection, you felt ticklish from the contact that you let out a cute giggle.

“Ahaha, Tingyun stop! It tickles~!”.

She kept on nuzzling you for a few more minutes and finally letting go when you were out of breath.

“I can’t help it~ You are just too cute to be denied~”.

“Oh, Tingyun~ my love.”.

And she started nuzzling you again.

“Ahaha-haha!”.

She kept at it for another few minutes or so when she finally stopped. By the time it was over, you were panting and wheezing from the lack of air. Taking in and letting out a deep breath as you calmed yourself, you managed to regain your breathing.

“Gosh, that was awful.”, you pouted at your friend while she giggled in amusement.

Smiling wryly, you then proceeded to take something out from your school bag. Emerald eyes shimmered in anticipation as you passed it to her, a small white envelope. You could tell how excited and happy she was with the way her eyes lit up in appreciation, *sigh* the things you would do for her.

“It was kinda hard trying to lie to Brother about this, especially when he knows how adamant I am to his affections, be it at home or in public.”.

“But you still did~ Which means that he didn’t suspect a thing~!”.

Well, at least she’s happy, that’s all that matters.

“Now~ don’t worry your pretty little head~ I’ll of course keep my end of the bargain!”.

Yes.., that’s all that really matters.

“Wait for my good news~! Bye, love~”, with a little wave and there she goes.

‘Well, with that settled, let’s head back. Gepard should be starting to worry by now.’, you thought to yourself as you imagined his panic expression when he finally sees you, given how late it was.

Lightly chuckling to yourself, you set foot back to the school gate..

‘Hah~ The day is finally over.. Let’s hurry home and- Hmm? Is that-’.

End Of Chapter 1: Reunions & First Meetings.

********************

*Author's Note: I'm sorry for the message part of the story for mobile viewers, the entire paragraph was made to fit for desktop!

#caelus x reader #gepard x reader #honkai star rail

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