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seresinhangmanjake · 1 year

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Signed Away: Epilogue

Jake “Hangman” Seresin x Fem!Reader Series

Summary: You find out about the contractual marriage your parents arranged with Jake’s when you were a baby. You’re plently angered by it, but Jake doesn’t seem too bothered. He might even be happy.

Notes/Warnings: smut-ish 18+, cursing, pregnancy.

Thank you to everyone who read, liked, reblogged, or commented on any part of this story. I very much appreciate it, and I’m glad this was something people could enjoy and wanted to stick around for :)

Masterlist

Words: 3659

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“Jakey Seresin!”

You plopped down on your knees in the patchy wet grass, dirty droplets soaking into the fabric of your flowery dress and ruining the cream-colored tights covering your legs.

He heard you but didn’t stop molding the straight, raised path of solid mud in front of him, a couple feet long, smooth on top, and about five inches in width. You watched his mud-caked fingers work, tilting your head like a puppy searching for understanding. With a twig he drew a careful line down the center of his creation, then he tossed the stick aside and stretched an arm high so the toy airplane he held could soar above both of your heads.

"I wanna marry you," you said when he still hadn't acknowledged you.

Jake’s eyes followed the plane, but his nose wrinkled in disgust. “No way. I’m never getting married.”

“Why?” you whined, bottom lip protruding in a pout.

“Because girls are yucky,” he said.

The plane circled the space between you then went in for the landing. His thumb flicked a tiny piece of plastic on the toy and small wheels shot out from the belly of the plane.

“I’m not yucky!”

He paused, looked at you with a huff, and dropped the vehicle in his lap. “Sure, you are,” he teased. He pinched your cheek and pulled, not hard enough to hurt, but enough to give new shape to your face. “And you’re just a little baby.”

“I am not!” You tried to speak with determination, but the awkward elongation of your mouth from his tugging fingers made the words come out sloppy and muddled.

“You’re four,” he countered and released your cheek. “That’s a baby.”

“I’m almost five!” you snapped as you held up your hand, spreading all five fingers wide so he could clearly count each one.

“You still have nap time.”

“Not forever! I’ll grow up! Then we can get married.”

He appeased you with a pretend moment of consideration, then he shook his head. “Nah, I don’t think so.”

With a sigh of disappointment your head fell, forcing Jake’s muddy craft project to invade your line of sight. It sprouted new interest, allowing you to forget your heartbreak. “What did you make?”

When you looked up, Jake was staring at you, waiting for you to say more. A blond eyebrow rose. “Why?”

You shrugged. “I want to know.”

Another few beats of uncertainty passed before a grin took over his face. A glimmer shone in his eyes; excitement evident in the language of his body. “Ok, well these,” he pointed to the wiggly lines etched into the mud around his man-made construction, “are waves in the water. And this,” he motioned his finger up and down the long path, “is a runway. Like on an aircraft carrier.”

“What’s an aircraft car-eer?”

“Carry-er.”

“Carry-er,” you repeated.

He nodded. “It’s kinda a big boat. Navy jets take off and land on it in the ocean.”

“That’s weird,” you giggled, and Jake shrugged.

“Well, when I’m older I’m gonna be a pilot.”

“A pilot?”

“Yea. They fly the planes…jets and stuff.”

“Woah.” Your eyes widened. You weighed his words in your mind, tossing them around until you settled on your own understanding. “I’m gonna marry a pilot!”

Jake snorted and shook his head, then he picked up one of his planes. “Here,” he said, handing it to you. He watched your little fingers wrap around the wing. “Play with me.”

—--

26 years later

“I can feel your eyes on me,” you said.

You were staring out the window of your home, loving how even in the winter, the sun shined bright—its warmth carried on the breezes traveling from the ocean that was your backyard. California was different than Texas in many ways, but the lack of winter chill was something you were glad to have be the same. You’d had your fill of the cold season over the past few years with Jake’s job taking you around the world. And while you loved the experiences and people and cultures, California offered things no other place could. Mainly, your family—or adopted family as you had taken to calling them—settled down all in one place.

“My eyes are always on you.”

Jake’s voice was as soft as the breath that caressed the shell of your ear. You shivered from the feel of it, gooseflesh spreading on your arms and raising the short hairs there. His hands rested on your shoulders and he began to knead his fingers into the exposed flesh, easily working around the thin, yellow straps of your dress. Under his touch, your body relaxed and allowed the massage to loosen any knots.

“You seem tired," he said.

You chuckled but it quickly turned into a moan as his thumbs met at the base of your neck and pressed against your spine, moving up and down in slow strokes from your hairline to the chain of your necklace and back. “Carrying your child inside me is no easy feat."

“If it makes you feel any better, you look amazing while you're doing it."

His lips replaced his fingers, drawing a line of gentle kisses over your shoulder. The second moan you released was met with a subtle growl, so low no one but you could’ve possibly heard it had a hundred people been near. Each kiss lasted longer than the one before and you loved falling into it. Whenever he kissed you, regardless of where, each nerve ending in your system happily hummed and tingled and begged for more. You could lose track of time that way. Often did.

You twisted in his arms and wrapped your own around his neck, willingly accepting the touch of his lips to yours. He ran the tip of his tongue over your bottom lip, asking for entrance, and you opened your mouth so it could slip inside to play. Fingers snuck under the hem of your dress. Rough palms dragged up your thighs and around to your ass, squeezing and pulling you closer. You savored the feeling while you could. Soon your belly would be too large for him to hold you this way.

When you separated for a breath, Jake's eyes grazed down to your neck. His finger traced along the thin chain, down to the new diamond that now sat at the center of your clavicles. "You like this?"

"I love it,” you said. “I love you.”

“I love you, baby.” he brushed a soft kiss on your forehead. "And now you know how much."

"I've always known, Jake." Always known—never questioned it—even when he’d neglected to inform you of what your mother had tried to do to the two of you. It came from a place of love, fueled by an instinctual need to protect you and the future you could have. The future you eventually got.

"You were supposed to be off all day. What did they call you in for?" you asked.

"To get a couple things ready for the new class. Did Rooster come by already?"

"Yep. We're all set. So what do you want to do for our special day, Mr. Seresin?"

"It’s not wise to ask me that, Mrs. Seresin,” he said, tucking some of your hair back behind your ear. “We'll end up staying in bed all day."

"Oh, that would be very tragic."

He chuckled. "I gotta take you by the bar. Penny has a baby gift that she said she won't hand over unless she gets to see you herself."

When Jake decided to be a pilot after you were released from the contract, he quickly became one of the best, and it put him in line with his friends in no time. But being one of the best granted him the attention that brought you to California two years ago—to Top Gun. While you’d been unbelievably proud of him, that mission nearly killed you. You’d sat at home, not sleeping, your knees constantly bouncing, your nails whittled down to nubs. With your family off risking their lives, all you had was Penny. She understood; she took care of you. She became a friend, a confidant, and something of a mother figure.

“And after the bar?”

“Whatever your heart desires, sweetheart.”

—--

You watched him, your eyes glued to his face as he laughed loudly enough to fill the space, his head thrown back from something Penny said, his teeth on full display, and blond hair shimmering in the midday sunlight that coated the inner walls of the bar.

He was so beautiful. He’d chuckle if you ever spoke it aloud, but it was nothing short of the truth. Every line and plane of his face seemed so carefully crafted. Like the work of an artist; a sculptor chipping away at a block marble to uncover the hidden beauty within. There was no poor angle; no slip of the chisel. He was undeniably perfect. And he was yours.

Ten years had passed since your wedding. Ten years of growing, of loving, of aging, and yet Jake looked just as good as he did when he stood across from you in front of that altar. Better, actually, when you gave it a thought. He had delicate little lines across his forehead, some at the corners of his eyes and mouth, but all a decade had really done was make him stronger, harder, wiser, firmer. He was a wall of a man. Somehow broader. Somehow thicker. But still devastatingly attractive. The same and yet different.

When you pulled out your wedding photo that morning—the one you’d chosen not to hang on your pale blue wall; the one that was partially blurry because you were both too giddy to stand still—you were amazed at how young you looked. Babies. Without any physical wear and tear. Both fresh and new and standing a little taller after the weight of your mother was off your shoulders. It was so far from yesterday, but you could still remember every second of that day and the days that followed. You could remember having the thought that your happiness in that bungalow wouldn’t carry through to the rest of your life; that surely it wasn’t possible. But Jake made it possible.

Your new reality was wrapped in happiness, and everything else—the business, the contract, your mother—became a dream. It all slipped away, losing power until you could finally say that you no longer acknowledged that life. You took the lessons you learned and stepped into a different world. A world with Jake.

He laughed again.

You had promised one another you’d do something special for the day—lunch at your favorite restaurant or maybe an afternoon at the beach. But as you stared at your husband, you knew you didn’t need anything else. He was all you wanted. So after Penny smiled and threw her arms around you and handed you the gift—a silver rattle with the words Baby Seresin etched into the rounded shape—you leaned over and whispered in your husband’s ear all the things you wanted him to do to you.

At that moment, any plans you'd considered for the day were canceled. He said a quick goodbye to Penny and grabbed your hand, dragging you out the door before you could finish your glass of water.

You ended up doing exactly as he’d teased—spent the rest of the day in bed, kissing and fucking and loving every second of your bodies giving and taking the pleasure between you. You surrendered to the heat of the room, the thick air dampening your skin and molding you together. Pregnant as you were, you were surprised you managed to last so long, but Jake did everything to keep you in safe positions, comfortable and cared for until you’d thoroughly exhausted one another.

You laid side by side, both staring at the ceiling, your chests rising and falling—admittedly, Jake’s a little more vigorously.

“Any chance you’re hungry after all of that?” he asked through heavy breaths.

“Starving.”

His fingers intertwined with yours and he sat up. “Come on, baby.”

As you walked through the door, you noticed for the first time that the sun's light had faded while you were holed up in your room. What felt like an hour, turned into many, and darkness sprouted stars in the sky.

Jake led you down the stairs, his hand not dropping from yours until he opened the fridge to grab a leftover cupcake from the original dozen Phoenix had whipped up for you. He pulled the shiny wrapper down and tore off a small piece of the cake before holding it up to your lips. You parted them for him and he slowly pushed the sweet sponge into your mouth.

Vanilla icing clung to the top of your lip as you chewed and with his index finger Jake swiped it off, sticking it in his mouth and sucking.

He smirked. "I can still taste you on my finger through the icing."

"Let me see." You snatched his hand and wrapped your lips around his extended finger, tracing and swirling the tip of your tongue over the digit.

Jake groaned.

"Baby, you can't do shit like this." His voice was rough, gravelly, deliciously drowning in lust while his eyes followed your mouth sliding up his finger before releasing it with a pop. "You know I'm just going to want to throw you onto that bed again."

"Maybe that's the whole poin—"

"Whatever dirty things you're doing to each other, stop now!" You jumped at the sound of Rooster’s voice coming from down the hall. Neither of you heard the door open, too distracted by one another. "An innocent child is about to enter the room."

"We aren't doing anything," you called back.

“Anymore,” Jake mumbled as he kissed your temple.

Rooster cautiously peeked his head around the corner, a dark eyebrow raised and eyes scanning up and down your bodies to ensure you were fully clothed. "Oh, good. You never know with the two of you."

"You walked in on us one time, Rooster."

"And it scarred me for life."

The two-year-old child on Rooster's hip was giggling non-stop. So much so that his rounded cheeks had turned bright red. You grinned at the look on his little face—the joy he displayed as he laughed and wiggled in your friend’s arms.

"Mama!"

"Hi, bug!" you said. "Come here."

Rooster set your son on his feet and he dashed over to you, ramming into your legs and wrapping his tiny arms around them as best he could. You ran your fingers through his blond hair, straightening out the messy locks.

"Up!"

Jake chuckled and plucked his son off the floor. "Mama can't pick you up right now, little man. Do you remember why?"

"Sissy?"

"Mhmm. Mama is carrying your baby sister," he said, placing his palm against your rounded stomach. "Right in there."

You laid your hand atop his, returning the beaming smile Jake was shooting you before looking to Rooster.

"How was he?" You asked.

"Easy as always. We had a great time. Watch this—Hey Caleb, what do you want to be when you grow up?"

"I'm gonna be a pilot like Daddy and Uncle Roo and Auntie Nat and—

You sighed. "Oh, lord."

"Well would you look at that, sweetheart."

"And let me guess: all of you are going to teach him now that you're instructors?"

"Absolutely," Rooster chimed. "My godson will be taught by no one but the best."

Jake nodded, poking at his son's belly with his free hand until the beautiful song of his giggles rang through the room again. "We're gonna have to start practicing our saluting, aren't we, little man?"

"Yes, Daddy."

Jake kissed his cheek and put him down, giving a little pat to his back. "Alright, go say goodnight to Uncle Rooster."

Rooster crouched and spread his arms wide for a hug, and Caleb took off across the tiled floor, launching into him.

The two had a special bond. Rooster, like the rest of your friends, truly was family. And with your parents not in your son’s life and Jake’s still in Texas, you were thrilled Caleb had more people around to love him. You were able to give him what you never had, and every time you saw them together, it was one more reassurance that you were nothing like the woman who birthed you.

"Bye, bye, Uncle Roo."

"Bye, kiddo. Sleep well, ok?"

"Ok."

Caleb twisted in his spot and hopped back over to his father, gripping his outstretched hand with all ten fingers and swinging it back and forth. Jake let his arm fall limp, allowing Caleb to flail it about as he pleased.

"Thank you, Rooster," you said, hoping the sincerity was evident in your tone.

"I'm always here when you guys need a little break." He winked.

Then he left, likely to make his way to the Hard Deck to see the young fiery-haired bartender who had become your friend after you discovered your children were attached at the hip from daycare. She was sweet and loveable and you knew why he liked her. It was about time another one from your small group found someone.

“Alright,” Jake began, “Bedtime.”

—--

"Is he out?" You asked as Jake shuffled into your bedroom.

"Like a light."

He peeled his clothes off, a piece falling to the floor with each step toward your bed. Then the comforter was pulled back and he snuck under it, settling into the mattress and yanking your body against his.

You giggled, limbs uncontrollably writhing when his nose began to nuzzle your neck. "Jake, it tickles. Stop."

"No," he whined. “You smell too good."

You hummed contently as a kiss met your skin. "What do I smell like?"

"Just…” he sucked and nibbled, “like you."

A beat passed. Then suddenly your bottom lip moved on its own, the beginning of the quivers you were unsuccessful in tamping down. Carefully flipping onto your side to face him, you rose a hand to cup his cheek.

“Why do you look like you’re about to cry?” he whispered. Your faces were so close, noses nearly touching, and his question was a warm puff of heat against your lips.

That question had a dozen answers. The tears welled from countless places, pulling from every feeling contained in each cell of your body. You cried because you loved him. You cried because of how good he could make you feel. You cried because of what you had, and what you'd made. You cried because of the letter he left you that morning before going to work; the one that sat beside the box holding the diamond necklace now around your neck.

You blinked to clear the salty liquid that was blurring his face, squeezed-out tears falling and soaking into your pillow. “I’ve known you my whole life” you said, stroking his cheekbone with your thumb.

“And that makes you,” his brows twisted in confusion, “sad?”

“No, Jake. That makes me grateful.”

Dimples carved into his cheeks, then he closed the space, lips sealing, fingers tangling into your hair. It tasted sweet, a sugary hint still clinging to the walls of your mouths from the icing you’d both sucked on.

Your body sank further into the mattress and your only thought was: Stay. Stay where you are, in the arms of the man who saved you and loved you, who you, too, saved and loved. Stay where you’re content and warm from the weight of his body beside you. Stay in this moment where your child sleeps soundly down the hall and the one inside you continues to healthily grow. Such a perfect time to freeze your life, and bottle it up for safe keeping.

But you couldn’t stay. You would have to continue on, as people do. Though, you weren’t afraid anymore. It had been ten years since the thought of your future terrified you. You couldn’t fear the next chapters of your life if you tried. There was too much good. Too much hope.

Jake took a breath. Smiled. Kissed your forehead. “Happy Anniversary, Sweetheart,” he said.

And you replied, “Happy Anniversary, Jake.”

—--

Sweetheart,

I’m sorry I couldn’t wake up with you. I got called into work this morning, but I’ll come back to you soon. Maybe the necklace will make up for it?

I want you to know something. Hopefully you already know it, though. Hopefully I’ve proven it time and time again. If not, then I’ll have to spend the next ten years doubling down on the effort, because you deserve nothing less. You deserve everything, baby.

I want you to know how much I love you. I know you know that I do love you, but the depths of it, Sweetheart…it's hard to find the words to fully explain. But I’m going to try anyway:

You are the love of my life. You’re the love of any life I might’ve had. Of any direction my life might have taken or any universe we might have lived in, it would always be you. Had we not been friends as children, had we not been neighbors or gone to the same school or had parents that forced us together, it still wouldn’t have mattered. I believe we would’ve found each other, somehow. I believe you were made for me, and I for you, and anything else would not have been enough.

You and I faced the biggest challenge we possibly could have and we made it out. We fought our way out, baby. And we built something perfect. We’ve given each other so much. Love and support and care. We gave each other Caleb and our baby girl, and I couldn’t ask for more. There isn’t anything else I want or need. I have our children. I have you. I have it all.

I love you, sweetheart. Always. Happy Anniversary.

x Jake

THE END…kind of

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A/N: Again, thank you to everyone who read and supported this story. It’s really meant a lot to me :) Hopefully this was a satisfying ending in some way. There will be future fics stemming from this so if you liked Signed Away, look out for those. Also, requests are open if anyone has any ideas for future things they’d like to see.

To @xoxabs88xox, that thing we talked about happening is being moved to a future fic.

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b00kdiary · 1 year

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Unexpected (Part II)

Aemond Targaryen X Betrothed Baratheon reader

Aemond Targaryen is sent to Storm's End to secure a marriage pact to gain the Baratheon's alliance in the war. And yet, when he discovers Y/N Baratheon, the black sheep of her family, hidden away at his arrival, he knows that fate has predestined their meeting. He has to have her.

Warning: long chapters, swearing, eventual mature content (18 +)

Masterlist (Aemond Targaryen)

Her bellowing laugh of joy and disbelief ran over me like a cool breeze, the bright smile across her a lovely face a beacon in the darkest of shadows. The wind blew the loose strands of her soft hair from her grinning expression, and I unconsciously inhaled as her addictive flowery scent brushed against me and invaded my senses.

Lady Y/N did not shriek or even close her eyes as Vhagar had shot like lightning into the darkening clouds above, instead, she marvelled at the feeling, her body shivering against mine as her wide eyes took in the spec that was now her familial home and then danced in wonder as the broad and never-ending landscapes passed by.

Her excitement, her appreciation for both Vhagar and flying had been a pleasant surprise, and despite not intending to bring back my bride with me today or anytime soon, I found a sense of unease in the idea of leaving her behind.

As if I would not be able to take her the next time I returned.

She glanced toward me when noticing my stare, her head ducking in embarrassment at being caught, but I merely smirked in response.

“Are you content, My Lady?” I asked after a few moments, Vhagar now riding a smooth and undisturbed path. She beamed, her head turning as she locked onto my face.

“Yes,” She breathed softly, her gaze turning to glance at the pillowy clouds and gradients of the sky. “It’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, My Prince. You’re truly lucky to have this.”

The words were earnest and my hands tightened unperceptively around the reigns, hugging against her body.

“Do not worry, this is the first of many rides Lady Y/N” I said definitely and tried not to feel too offended by the look of genuine disbelief she threw me. “You were expecting something else?” I muse and she quickly shakes her head.

“No, I just-“ She paused, biting her lip again and it takes more effort than I’d like to admit to not stare. She doesn’t continue, the words seeming to fall apart in her pretty mouth.

“You said that you enjoyed being outside yes?” I rasp rhetorically, my eye slanting forwards for a moment as I steer Vhagar to the left. “You have a notable knowledge of Dragons, or at least of my dragon, and you didn’t scream or cower as we took flight as most would do.”

I looked at her now, contemplating and she seemed to be breathing unsteadily at my regard.

“I don’t see why this would be your last flight, not when you’ve taken to it so naturally.” I shrug and she smiles shyly in response.

“And it’s not an issue for you? Riding with another?” She asks curiously, her head cocking, her eyes doe-like in obvious thoughtfulness.

I inhale sharply, my mind shifting into obscenity and filth at the stare of those big eyes and her lovely face and I have to shake my head to clear it.

“I do not mind, My Lady,” I say sincerely, a mischievous grin lighting my face as I press my body against hers, my lips coming to her ear. “I find I rather enjoy the warmth of a soft and lovely body pressed against mine, in fact.”

She visibly shudders at my hoarse words, her cheeks reddening with heat as she shoots her eyes to the sky, avoiding my stare and my chuckle of amusement.

It seems that perhaps marriage would not be the worst term to ensure allies.

***

I can’t stop smiling. I can’t stop staring.

We’d been flying for quite a few hours now and every second was an intoxicating, thrilling ride that had my blood thrumming. I watch the skies fade from the effervescence of a cerulean blue into the darkening shadow of Aegean blue as the day continues, the wind cools and ices over depending on the beast's altitude and every scent that brushed past were of nature and the wilderness of Westeros.

Prince Aemond and I had discussed a little on our journey, light topics such as growing up in Storm’s End, the reality of having four older sisters and then what my favourite weapons and fighting styles were.

Our conversation flowed easily, not awkward or uncomfortable and as he asked me more questions regarding myself and my life, I felt much calmer and at ease in his presence.

The wind had begun to ice over as the temperature dropped and despite the warmth of the male at my back, my body still shivered and my teeth chattered in response to the cold.

The Prince noticed this instantly, a warrior's eye that was honed to magnify even the smallest movement and detail.

“My Lady” He called, his brow furrowing slightly “If you are feeling cold, perhaps you would like to lean into me more for heat. Your body has been unnervingly stiff the entire journey.” The words aren’t harsh but they are firm, his eye watching me.

I tried to relax, several times in fact, but the laces of my dress kept my body tucked in so severely that in this bunched position, my body would begin to slowly asphyxiate from the pressure pushing against my stomach and ribs.

I blush, stuttering as I beheld his expecting gaze “My apologies My Prince, I meant no offence… I just didn’t want to seem improper-“

“Forget what is proper Lady Y/N” He interrupted with a slight sneer, his eye-rolling “You’re beginning to freeze, lean back against me.” The words were authoritative, dominant, and a command from a man used to getting what he wanted.

I bit my lip, too embarrassed to speak plainly and instead, gritting my teeth, I relaxed into the heat and welcome of his chest and arms. The warmth that enveloped me as his arms circled tighter around my waist felt amazing and I leaned my head against his shoulder to keep out of his sight.

He seemed content with my actions, not hesitating to draw me close, even as my breath began to shake out unsteadily. I ignored his unyielding stare, as he probably felt the rasps of slight pain that brushed past my lips with every inhale and exhale and how my back was still pin straight.

I’d endured this kind of pain before at important events, the familiar crushing ache of the corset against my ribs, the lacing digging into the flesh at my back and that relentless pressure that kept my back straight as an arrow, no matter how uncomfortable.

It was a slow torture but effective in ‘maintaining appearances’ as my mother liked to say.

“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong, Lady Y/N or do I have to force it out of you?” The words were icy and cold, and as I glanced up at his face, his expression mirrored that stormy calm.

“I’m just cold-“ But I don’t even bother finishing the lie at the flash of warning that darkens his eye, or how his fingers seem to dig into my hips in a harsh, but not painful, warning.

“Do you find discomfort in being so close to me?” He asks sharply, and despite that formal mask, I can hear his aggravation, as if indeed the other shoe had dropped as he anticipated. “I could get your riding hood if you would prefer-“

“No” I sigh, shaking my head, wishing that my saddle would rip and I could just fall out and plummet to my demise.

How do you tell a man that your mother stuffed you into a gown too small to make your body look more pleasing to him?

“No,” I repeated again, lifting off his chest and looking at him with weary eyes. He looked back in bewilderment but remained silent.

“I can’t breathe properly while leaning back,” I said quietly.

I looked down with a heated neck and face, the stare of his consideration far too overwhelming as the silence dragged on. After a moment of reflection, his hands began to shift and as if remembering his confusion back at the hall, his hands gently grazed over the sides and stomach of my gown.

“Your dress is too tight” He strained, the rasp lower than usual.

I grimaced as my eyes lifted to his but faltered at the rage and irritation flaring there. Before I could speak, Prince Aemond was quick to unsheathe his dagger from his side belt and without even uttering a word, he began running his fingers down the seams of my back before he cut the knot tied at the bottom.

A protest rose in my throat at that vicious severing but as I felt my chest expand with air, relief filled me.

His eye looked at me when that small exhale left my lips and he was quick to begin pulling and loosening the laces all the way up the spine of my back with one hand, while the other remained to hold the reigns on Vhagar.

My body felt like it was on fire at the feeling of his touch that danced over me and brushed my bare skin, the nimble and swift fingers that moved with such precision and skill, and I had to bite back the ire that filled me, the gnawing irritation at how many other women he’d done this for before.

I pulled at the front of the gown, slackening it from my skin and exhaled in a steady and fluid breath that rushed much-needed oxygen back into my body. The Prince's hands snaked around my waist after tying a looser knot at my back and this time I did not hesitate to rest my body and melt against him.

A small groan of appreciation left my lips at the delicious heat that encompassed me.

“I’m honestly surprised you did not faint from the exertion of climbing Vhagar. It is a difficult task to do anyway, never mind with limited air supply and body movement.” The tone was chiding as if he was furious, outraged at the ridiculousness of such a thing.

When I don’t reply, his ringed hand grips my chin and turns my eyes to his, the lethal glare in them strong enough to keep me there. I scowl, my eyes narrowing in annoyance at his interrogation but he doesn’t relent.

He wasn’t wrong in the stupidity of the corset, but that didn’t mean he was going to chastise me like a child.

“As a man, My Prince, I do not expect you to understand the physical turmoil that women endure to appear attractive for some entitled Lord or Ser” I sneer, my glare unyielding as well.

He snorts, shaking his head with a stern frown “I saw you in nothing but a sheer and light nightgown in our first meeting today, and on spying the clothes scattered around your room it is obvious that gaudy gowns and pleasing figures are not something you care about.”

I blanche at his reminder of my inappropriate attire, even as I’m impressed by the level of observation and intel he gained while with me.

“I certainly could not care less about how small your waist appears or how proportionally pleasing some expect you to be, especially if ensuring it means overwhelming you with laboured breath and posture.” He wasn’t yelling, but that growl of frustration lacing every word made his displeasure quite obvious.

“Gods, do not be so overdramatic” I hissed, even as he blinked in surprise as I rolled my eyes. “My mother has had servants shoving me into these dresses since before my first bleed, and I suppose she wanted me to resemble a fine and pretty Lady when meeting the King and Queen mother in Kings Landing.”

“You look like your sisters” He grimaces, obvious distaste lighting his face at the thought and I choke on a shocked laugh at it. His face softens marginally at the light sound and he too thaws and chuckles quietly regarding it.

Our stares lock, unwavering as we scrutinise and consider, our stubbornness butting heads as neither of us speaks.

“I am going to ask you once My Lady and I wish for you to answer me honestly.” He says, returning back to that voice of authority, that title of Prince shining across the intensity in his eye.

I nod, sighing in acceptance.

“Do you enjoy, actually enjoy, wearing and the feeling of your dresses corseted and laced in so thoroughly?” His words came out much quieter, and he waited silently as if to give me time to think.

“No,” I said softly, shaking my head at that obvious and blinding truth. “No, I find it burdensome and painful.”

“Very well then.” He nodded resolutely “ Then you shall never wear it in such a manner again.”

I snapped my attention to his and frowned, “But with the wedding season, my mother-“

His eyes darkened and narrowed, and I felt my heart stutter as he inched his stern face closer to mine, so close I could feel the harshness of his breath against my lips.

“Tell your mother, and your servants that should I see you wearing a gown laced tight enough that your body is not as supple and soft as I know it to be, as I saw it to be today… then regardless of our surroundings, I will tear the fucking thing off of your body with my bare hands.”

I gasped at the obscenity, the growl of pure carnal and primitive savagery as held his dark gaze to my own. My body shivered at that promise, that unyielding, cruel promise of violence and fury but also his protection and desire for my body that laced within it.

“Is that clear?” He rasped, his eyes trailing dangerously across my face, over my eyes, my nose, my lips.

I resist the urge to gnaw on my lip out of habit and instead, raised my chin and nodded, “Yes, my Prince.”

He hums, that furious storm melting into a lax calm and as his gaze shifts back to the path ahead, I simply slant my body forward, glad for the ease and comfort that comes as I lean my back against his chest and rest my head on his shoulder.

He doesn’t hesitate to draw me into him, our bodies moulding into one.

***

The warmth and suppleness of her body melding against mine was a welcome pressure, both a defence against the cold of the skies but also a resolute comfort at having her within the protection of my arms.

Without that fucking dress half killing her.

It was hard to stamp out my fury at the knowledge that her mother, in her own self-serving selfishness and weakness, was willing to inflict suffering onto her own daughter merely to appease some standard of beauty.

I had seen Lady Y/Ns body, perhaps not in the most appropriate situation, but I was content with her beauty and found her and her body to be more than pleasing in every regard.

I would follow through with my oath should anyone deem to disfigure her again and not only will I tear the gown off her body but I will tear out the throat of whoever gave the command.

Her mother. Her father. The Gods themselves.

They would fucking pay for it.

I silenced the wrath in my veins as we neared closer to Kings Landing, the Red Keep at the centre of all the chaos. Y/N was sitting straighter now, her eyes firmly ahead and scrutinising every detail as we flew overhead.

“Nervous, Lady Y/N?”

She huffed lightly, her weary eyes shifting to mine “You’re family are not expecting me and yet here I am dropping from the sky, astride your dragon with you. It seems… improper.”

I scoff out a light laugh as that word falls from her lips again.

Improper.

“There is nothing improper in it. You are my betrothed and I have brought you with me to Kings landing to see and be accustomed to your new home. The wedding will occur swiftly, this just means I have saved you the effort of days of travelling.”

She nods absentmindedly and despite wanting to, I have little knowledge of what it means to comfort someone and instead, I take to distracting her.

“There” I point and she perks up, her sight following my regard “That is the harbour, we have all our trading routes through there and get our resources from all over the continent” She smiles as she takes in the clear and shimmering blue waves and the ships docked and bustling as they unload.

“And there” I point further down, “That is the Dragon Pit, where we house all the Targaryen dragons and their eggs.” She looks in awe at the large and looming building that sat atop the Hill, her eyes lighting in recognition.

“That is where Vhagar stays?” She asks, looking at me and I nod in confirmation.

“You’ll be accustomed to the place, it's where we will go to take Vhagar for rides and where we will return to have her fed, looked after and for her to rest.” Her face brightens at the word ‘we’ and I grip her waist tightly in response.

She continues to marvel, smiling and pointing and asking several questions as we near Dragon Pit. I imagine that had it been anyone else, I’d have grown agitated long ago, yet the more she asks and I answer, the bigger her smile and eyes seem to grow.

I was not accustomed to having something so pure look at me like that.

And I decided that I rather liked it.

***

I braced my hands onto the handles as we began to slow, Vhagar tunnelling down and sailing towards the grounds in front of the infamous Dragon pit.

It was all unbelievable, every single thing was incomparable to the drear of Storm’s End.

I huffed out a laugh as Vhagar slumped and tucked her legs under her body, her wings tucking in against her.

“Sȳrī gaomagon Vhagar,” Prince Aemond said loudly, his hand reaching forward to rub against Vhagar’s head in what appeared to be praise and I grinned as the beast purred back in satisfaction.

“Do you want to try?” He asked with a quirked brow and I timidly nodded with delight.

He smirked, his large and calloused hand clasping mine and placing it over the scales and ruggedness of her, his hand laying over mine. I blushed as I looked over my shoulder at him and he smiled at the vibrations that reverberated through our palms.

“Emā dohaertan nyke sȳrī Vhagar,” Prince Aemond said, and then repeated, syllable by syllable when I scrunched my brow in confusion.

I stuttered the first few times, but he was patient with me as I eventually managed to bellow out with a laugh “Emā dohaertan nyke sȳrī Vhagar” and nearly screamed with glee when the beast answered back with a low hum.

I laughed, looking at the Prince, his face a mirror expression of mine, contentment that I’d never seen before shining there.

“What does it mean?” I asked.

“You have served me well, Vhagar” He translated and I nodded with intrigue.

“Aemond!”

I started at the voice female voice that called from below and when I noticed the Prince's stern expression and stiff body, I turned to the left and peered down.

Where Alicent Hightower and King Aegon Targaryen stood waiting.

I shook lightly as Prince Aemond gently removed his hand from mine and I focused on honing my breathing, listing my favourite things about the new place as he unclipped the ropes strapped into place.

Pros.

The sea was so blue and clear. There were so many bustling people and markets. The Dragon Pit where I could come with Prince Aemond to ride Vhagar.

Prince Aemond.

I realised rather foolishly that Prince Aemond was a pro for being here.

“Ready, My Lady?” He asked quietly, his gaze unwavering as he watched my shaking exhale.

“Ready, my Prince.”

And we descended down into the real belly of the beast.

___________________________________

@ephemeralninon @sluttyaemond @dreamsxoxous @moonmaiden1996 @letmeloveyouuuu @yoshiplush @sonnensplitter

#aemond x reader #aemond targaryen #aemond x y/n #house of the dragon #aemond one eye #aemond x you #aemond x plus size reader #aemond targaryen smut #team green #aemond fanfiction

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libidomechanica · 4 months

Text

Untitled # 10939

A sonnet sequence

�� 1

Saying, I have been his pulse failing, passionless, pale, and charioteers caught force to love forsooth: I have thorn! Gross clay invade then the Foeman’s Glory might but enjoy such a lightnings, weigh the lark, with a fear our pleasure of mosquitoes ascends, now let us view her heaven had you great where you mark’d the Living Water drain’d where her undinal vast belly moonward paradise. Once more wretched in that loue shoulders to thee, misfortune authority, and makes the fever, are all cheer his future day—fond Thought! Almost wretch! Grow. The silken skilled transmemberment of my eyes and my staff. Again I would understand. Come thy footsteps of this. Those bright and dame and dies; and laughed They were design’d t’agree, too dear, and make the afflicted came, that so fall asleepe thou so dear? Nor Cybele with their beds and embeds every vessel could prepare you great price we pay for Pardon.

To thyself a lawful plea commend, whether it was: but straight ice I know it not you pinch a flowery earth, even thou so dear? Cramming a tune I have stay’d to be free; shake hands do not:—friend; for weariness, memory’s raptures we desire that ken me, O; but when this march on nor be prest twelve enchantment thee with answering leagues of hot and complete a thing trimm’d in jollity, and my retorted hairs. Above, be lovers; and I strove to be reconcil’d to Love, and I choose a May-lady to govern the youthful, charming smiles to build upon my freshness die.

Gum, pungent, cleare; he never read strange love talked in my love. To take a new needles on the path has lost it for ever mourne, I wept both day and flying in love, my heart, that which I have but her wanted, as the consequence could find a tally fitted to habit; and, could na scaith the language of your true love round me, to all these wasted frame, that would not, or could so soon made of the puppy’s breath; this my object; but she thought, aimèd with stars go squawking sunk chill on my white of either example proved—would understand is not the radiant eyes see beautiful woman who Your mind.

Though for a lass wi’ a tocher; then hey, for aught we are gone, beauty you grow wooden and unencumber’d best may do there life of men who groan, then laughter they did her son and hear each other, or the porch of the lips of my paines that dies along the haunt beloved as old he picked and wind, flung into it—but thou, whom daily pray, we’ll churn. The bow, with heat: o Bacchus, cool thy rays! Send a flattering wave! And with suspended scythe and private place my merit it. To do it plus the one twain, by praise in lawrell tree: in truth, take refuge the great saint, refused it, and see, she is walking their short lives in curles are lost his scythe to be, strange love me some virtuous lie, to do it plus the city angled in a sunny lane some boy and give me stilled with life—and now is come; the voice I heard, cupid’s bow, front, an ample warrant that were enough to cure me.

Face of the turmoil grows, another. To stand at the seventh month and North, with doubt, pass, thou hast spied. Hence Cupid danc’d among and darkness flower in Friends are forgotten. Still wouldst rubies. And not better state reveal’d. But this happiness who had ceased to believe when I praise; the songs of thine eyes to wear; yet no tailor help the death was fled, and early twilight we know, by this deaf moonlight, her death, who see with beauty, and by the subway railings. To have her eyes have dancing on its lonely times of her boughes doe raine, whose owne faults thy might makes then with moderate sorrows end.

Again and not talk, not the thing triumphantly. Then did I let my gestures where I fear to touch! Not one, than to enthral or gall the incarnate word the hand, and Off’rings made: the muscles, the gourd overscored, while bigness—rocks, trees, lay ourselves and I will think of the man your bed, hollow ocean-ridges roaring or dead, spirits wall; and staid, pleas’d with a moonlight, moonlight, no hopefulnesse, as when Pity pleads for Sin. For ever, are all words ease, which when I’m with crispèd hair, and folly doctor-like contrived a conquered place where thou leaves litter. We might become a sod.

But straiten’d forehead gaze; two hundred to and fragrance of love, and wishes, and fair; and yet by trades the river-tide. While they came to torments you doubt not think upon the moon. Till the locks, above, we know love’s star with ease was prevent our many-tinkling flesh with young soul, abhorring avarice, bounteous as that matters it? Next, Virgil I’ll call for naught: such skill in thee growing, or me, I do betray him, grew in such a light, and the world is strain the guilty beetle is a fright myself able to continual hair—belle Isle, white and all by thy diseases, shops of fashion.

Yet reserved from this excus’d I to rest, is each vndercharge, with lullaby then within. Scorpio, bad spider it was sung her the phantom yearning for the manna fall. Keep fresh and gave you eft within! To tye thee move, less you woe. And street, as she supplied, and her jewels, to thy Will, ’ and Will’ one will answered echoes broke from us—and ye, ah, may ye feel her slowly-dying day, and only had presents to use than deaf that gilds then hey, for a transistor to Long John Nebel arguing frown. Bless, me now with young Lochinvar. I will die of louers pay which passes between each came home, he had not contains so much rage, as Lot’s fair daughter, something like a fruitful or more kind that unfair which the sun in water’s gush divine, fair Lesley, as shee. From a high birth till death wounds bleeding out on the bride in its start back. That thou lent’st him yet recover. A dole of bread.

Teach me, on me, in the old Man young, keep close of low replies. Temper, O fair love, and scrappy: we have forgotten except possible it is very long. And love for you my heart, with thoughts no longer dreamed that suckling mourne, I wept both night as welcome as a Sword, a Cloud of mortal chants of old did preach. Tears, how such a pleasing fuell of mind; and court in, gathering perfume. But aye she loot the musk carnations were his triumph was all, unless you woe. If certain when tis madness with thee a heaven is with art and plump. You and me most in the rose as when the wept with sound.

Tripping oars: it’s eleven years ago. To-night, I wrote this singing is a kind of girls’ dormitory. While they ran: there need require it, both sadly blacke, both become. And the world was loathsome. No inconvenient kindnesse kils delight, never agree the covenant that sweet, I ween, to Shepherds and ends at three A. The clocks had cease upon the way the very large, thee to my thoughts thy shadow still she forbade me poore Eve had she speak well of me untrue, you give us Life, and tears: alas! Where are turn’d it in his stead. A sweet will one nose. And if she will show itself.

There wastebasket. They were possible it is this grew; I gave consequences Where is subdued to which upon the mind stinging door and I so lovely blue; far along the way one single breathe such beard, and in sight, Stealing myself, that is it, that song outlasts us all in—all in a gentle dream and feared to over-rule us all in danger and dies; and if she winnowing to row them tame; and as a mountain in its skeleton shadow lour’d on the bed to which thou kindlest all the common bed were in as constant louers payne, if any gods the parallels the fault?

The rose, and sold— but the weel-stockit farms. An’ then can I sing tongues perplexes and she looks lovely sounding wide through the same smile? As I sipped and struck his fires, now, if this such as ever get to go alone and the lines and lady vntrue, you shalt not love Truth and sky, the first place were in what of the middle of the treasured fragrant blow; roses have done my wrong: this courtesy. He will bear, and there triumphs and the sky, seres Spring’s maturity, checks Summer’s distant thing red, that infant animal awesome I would rush upon them, lay down the roofs the threw such a little urn.

Then spoke his happiness, with answer me; is any Blessing for judgment making Woes darkned be; night by his beauteous, not the moon, fair beseechers kill; think thee page, will play there are maiden Queen guarded by fens. Pity me the thoughts would be silent love I rise and fed with a sudden a passion, from its home against me. Silence from a garden-trees, and vows that strait commands they thus did entertain, guests were the quiet-coloured eve smiles which all spleen. So bad, that spot of joy. When I clung to all the time of you. It’s not peers beyond the shadow still be your teares descending.

Though all the prow, —thy derelict and gone. As much as worn as an old passion shall never could set that is ours to wreathe succession hurried on; all of a plum. So snug, so compact, so wise as birth; all his blind, for my thigh almost bound us when there fell thy purple fritillaries the ground of the Susan? From out to find weak points in disguise, of her self, and learn, and see the world without pity till the age had been content male wind—shaking, the brothers cry Too late, later floods and stray impassion were his life is the unblest kisses of honey, having none, yet doth make.

And at the faster—infusion pump in the king look at yours and as water a hollow roaring from an evil stroke; wrought: desire! When I bow’d down to a laughing e’en o’ lovely all time by the bridegroom thoughts are for a burning, shift green bank hath gone there’ll be spice. Either whom I grieved it on its wings after such years would wake up and get into my heavy as if alive. Of beechen grew my tongue that rage outside and in the Spring again I would have him power in Friend. Soon gathering all bright yellow peels, my stinging grooves of flame through the gateways of the brain?

Is it were to containe! In signature is Addition that she sings. And hasten down to a shade more causeys, bridge.—An’ O for ane an’ twenty, Tam. And we will stay! Over the sequoia swallow their eyes’ express’d. Or veer or vanish’d out on the evening-sky, bare on its glow. Let it not to mount and dares to make you were banished, we only way, close round him o’er the Border? Meet, if thou go with me, sweet self to crowd; and still lives in a most in its skin’s. Stretches back decades she fed, she clothes to inflame desire, close round and long been done? Behold, my love allows twittered!

Changed … There’s nothing more. He declar’d that held the heir of all men’s prime Desire; by whom she was the basin and the turrets of the longer still she bore; she loved so fast, as if to know causes of hot and now the full-waked sense; or fair or wise beyond what shee tasted on delight. Still wouldst thou leane, I quite away, sets down her veil draw soft remember how quickly speakes for long light, a year old who refuse to be full of rubies finding westward up the sacrifice, as sweet, an’ young; nae artfu’ wiles to hold betwixt her liable to go alone and vain the Deluge.

Completely be her be him be them, thou always remembering him here where we hid from my Injury, though ice burned and loosestrife we saw of passion speed and languish quite away, sets down her baith by bower and love her father—none. And, above the crocus lustres of thy rest’? To mix their sleep, to the best region that name and be the sun forgetful Muse, my God, as authorizing her there was pious, gemlike, ghostlike, deathless, dumb till I wish not thy Hellen his; no force, something to light he ran, and in some melodious plot of tradition does deserve this in the excess, and does not be excuse, nor chancel port and polished. Whole, full of thee: who faileth one liuerie, both rebell runaway boy who chucks it all to live for the flow’ry meads th’hill’s shady wood, and would, on condition grown; we both Sea and with beaded bubbles winking of these rosy lips to grow.

Thou canst view from honest as his birth, we stood, in ancient trees feele my grief its hour again and then to the Captain’s lady. A Love-lock, idly reclining on me thou art, as with his Fellow crying out upon misprision grown; we both diffusive good enough to shed his old love after my sick dreams had perish one by one, though ice burned; in equal fires there with Roses blows; a Foot for lack of bread. That I see the roses and rent, why wilt in that spotless breast discharge, while the thing the opposite of father’s brilliant bow. That took it up, he quaff’d off the west—I miss it!

#poetry #automatically generated text #Patrick Mooney #Markov chains #Markov chain length: 7 #194 texts #sonnet sequence

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dansnaturepictures · 1 year

Photo

15/11/2022-Lakeside and home

Pictures I took today in this photoset: Black-headed Gulls on the green out the front, autumn leaves at Lakeside, snapdragons and horseweed in another flower bed north of Lakeside, a full looking Monks Brook, the woodland path at Lakeside scattered in patches of fallen yellow leaves lit well by the sun, hogweed at Lakeside, view of Concorde lake, the trees at Lakeside visible from my room which I’ve loved seeing and photographing for the past few weeks as their colour grew and they are at their peak now they are simply breathtaking to see such bright colours and as a cherished bit of sunshine came on my lunch time walk they did look extremely beautiful, Black-headed Gulls on a fishing jetty on beach lake and shadows on my wall of raindrops on the window lit by the afternoon sun at home I enjoy seeing raindrops on the window as the sun lowers behind and have enjoyed scenes like this with the shadows creating a larva lamp impression before. It was beautiful to see so much autumnal colour in bright sunshine on an enjoyable lunch time walk. Monks Brook and the lakes looked pretty full and there was a massive puddle by beach lake as well as one north of Lakeside.

Key species seen today:

Black-headed Gull-It was brilliant to see the two groups of these so well among yellow autumn leaves scattered across the grass on the green out the front, and the group to the backdrop of the divine and colourful blue water of the lake behind. With their bare white heads these felt like quite wintery colours and scenes.

Goldfinch and Blue Tit-I saw the former well at Lakeside today and at home of course and saw the latter in the garden again. I paired these in this post as Goldfinches have always been my favourite garden bird but I was thinking last night how in this house the frequency of Goldfinches might make a Blue Tit coming in a bit more exciting. I have such a strong admiration for the Goldfinch and will never stop loving them, but it’s great to have the excitement of Blue Tits a bit more regularly right now too and having them both together I often see them in the garden together is a treat.

Meadow Pipit-Great to see another of these in the fenced off areas at Lakeside today a star local bird of late.

Greylag Geese-I had another really good day for seeing and hearing these.

Three memorable flowers: Snapdragon, hogweed and chamomile-I enjoyed seeing these ones today in a bit of a flowery start to my week continuing well, great scenes to take in. The snapdragons so colourful and the hogweed giant I believe they stood out well towering above a bit of the woods as I emerged from a cut through from the area near Monks Brook that I’d only used once before.

Today I also saw; one of my favourite birds the Great Crested Grebe, Starling, Woodpigeon and Jackdaw well at Lakeside in the wooded area with Woodpigeon elsewhere too, Moorhen seen nicely, a fly or two around the hogweed which was great to see, fly at home, what felt like a late bit of broad-leaved clover in an area so strong for them the path to the bit near Monks Brook, thistle at the flower bed area, yarrow, cleavers dominating again, groundsel, dock gone over and I heard tit species on my walk I believe.

The wildlife and photography bits of my day was a nice one, it was a very pure and refreshing lunch time walk with great things to see in snippets from home whilst working.

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saphirered · 3 years

Note

Hi! I really love the stuff you've been writing for Molly!! It's so engaging and really sweet and makes me smile really wide, so thank you for that! If you're still taking requests, could I request a romantic Molly x Reader who's a druid/bard multiclass? Who has the same vibes as a Disney princess? I hope you have a great day and I can't wait to see what you write next!!

Aw shucks thank you so much ☺️. I hope this is to your liking. Enjoy 😘

The parade to draw people into the carnival was coming to an end. You were almost back at the tent and had gathered a proper crowd to watch the night’s show. Along the way you did your acrobatics and used some druidcraft to create little flowers in the palm of your hand or letting colourful floral vines bloom throughout your hair and attire. The whole look made you appear like an ethereal creature from the Feywild, perhaps even at the Seelie Court itself.

Children giggle as you wave at them, snowflakes fall only to melt before they reach the ground. Dancing around you had fun and eventually found your ‘Fire Faerie’ friend. Together you twist and turn in a carefully practiced routine. A cloud of petals floats around you until Orna sets them ablaze, the embers blowing up in the breeze with a soft casting of Gust from you. People laugh and cheer as you both curtsied and move on your way through the crowd.

You find Molly juggling his iridescent shimmering scimitars. Announcing your presence you dance around him just barely out of reach from the sharp blades. He nearly drops one in surprise, not expecting you to step so close but recovers quickly and it seems either no one noticed or they expected it to be part of the act. He sends you a half smile and a wink as you twist and turn around him avoiding the blades by a hair’s width humming a sweet melody. Gasps came from the people around as you narrowly avoid the scimitar from cutting through you like butter.

You stop and take a slower pace to fall back a little bit, run and with the momentum, leap onto Molly’s shoulders in a handstand as he continued to walk. You let a couple of the flowery vines weave into his horns as he laughs and you flip over landing ahead of him. Looking over your shoulder you blow him a kiss with a wink as he continues juggling. You continue your routine with the song, the melody turning into a beautiful song people follow behind you as if you were the piped piper. Each time you take your next step you leave behind a path of colourful wildflowers.

Toya had been feeling a bit under the weather so, you were to take over her act for the night. All dressed in flowy chiffons of greens, blues, purple and golds held together by felted vines and silk flowers, glittery exaggerated makeup, hair braided and teased you’re ready to take on your role. Your devil at your side usual clothes exchanged for dark ashen robes and features contoured in such a way to give him an even more devilishly handsome look.

“And our next story, comes from far away. The fires of hell know one loyal to Zariel herself! A trickster, traitor and danger to all. One should know better than make a deal with this devil…” You hear from behind the curtain Gustav begins your introduction.

“That’s my cue. Let’s give them a show worth remembering.” Molly kisses your knuckles before his lips meet yours and he’s off by the time you open your eyes. Taking a few deep breaths you wait for the ‘story’ to continue.

“They say a devil’s heart cannot be tamed. They must never have met the Summer Princess! Blessed from the Feywild, what is beautiful is most dangerous and they are no exception. The Summer Princess walks among the Seelie Courts but those who pay careful attention may just hear their song. Be warned, they are much more treacherous than the devil…” Peaking through the curtain just so no one can see you focus on the support beams of the tent and begin casting your spell. Blooming vines creep up the beams wrapping around, flowers drape down. Petals begin to fall down from the ceiling provided by the Knot Sisters from the shadows. You hear gasps as people look around.

You see Molly walk around, sword dragging in the dirt as you hear him growl at the plants. Time to sing and sing you do.

The people look around as you tend to the flowers near one post ‘oblivious’ of the presence ‘in your garden’. You interact with some of the people in the front row offering them smiles and making flowers sprout around where they sit, offer an airy touch of the cheek of the poor individuals entranced by your song, unable to keep their eyes off you as they cling onto every word.

Your song speaks of the beauties of the Feywild. Making use of your training you belt. Birds fly into the tent, swirling around you, the devil watching, his face turning from anger to bewilderment as he sticks to the shadows. You reach your hand to the sky mimicking the melody of the songbirds. Stretching your arms to the side one by one they land. You let them sing replying in a song of your own as if you’re having a conversation with them.

Molly steps out from the shadows and into the light around you. You hear whispers from the audience ‘watch out’, ‘he’s behind you’ and ‘the devil is coming for the princess’. You continue your song walking along the audience, birds still resting on your arms as you sing with them. Next you turn the edge of the blade of ‘the devil’ is pointed at you and you act surprised, your song stopping for just a moment.

“What are you?” Molly growls showing his fangs as he does fully committing to his role. You can’t help but hide a smile. Such a lover of theatrics.

“I’m the Summer Princess and you, handsome devil are in my garden.” You sing, the blade drops a little before it raises closer to you.

“Do not think you can charm me, wild enchantress.” You hum to the birds and they give a reply.

“I charm only those willing to listen to my song. Are you willing, handsome devil of mine, walking in my garden.” You harmonise with the birds. They leap into flight circling around you and Molly closer and closer until you’re standing toe to toe.

“Your song is sweeter than temptation, more treacherous than this devil’s words.” You move your hand to stroke his cheek as you do flowers and vines similar to the ones in your hair begin growing in his much like a crown. You may have overdone it a bit but Molly would see later what piece of art you left for him to remind him of your act.

“Then join me handsome devil, and let the wildflowers keep our secret.” You tilt your head as if you were going to kiss him speaking the last words. You step back, hand outstretched looking at him with bright eyes. Molly’s hand stretches out towards you as you set pack.

“Come with me, my handsome devil.” You sing as he begins following you with slow paces. Gustav comes around once more.

“And so the Summer Princess tames the heart of their handsome devil. Their charm never fails and they are as treacherous as they are beautiful still. Take care to stay out of their garden or you might just end up like their handsome devil…”

————————————————————————

After a successful evening show you sit at the camp attempting to remove the vines and flowers from your hair and clothes. They look beautiful but are an absolute hell to get rid of and leaving them in isn’t really an option. As far as you could tell you successfully got rid of all the vines and flowers without harming the delicate silk greens, purples blues and yellow golds of your show costume which left you with your hair.

Not even half way through with the moon high in the sky you give up with an exasperated sigh and let yourself fall backwards onto the soft grass. Most of the others had gone to bed already or found the bottom of a bottle so you’d find no help there. The calmness and quiet of starry night brings comfort to your mind and you start to drift off a bit. Your ears still manage to catch the familiar footfalls approaching you and your pile of discarded flowers. What you didn’t expect was about a hand or two full of flowers hitting you in the face.

Opening your eyes you saw Mollymauk standing above you with half grin. By the looks of him he had attempted to get the flowers from earlier out of his hair but struggled just as much as you had and given up halfway through. He hadn’t gone about it as carefully as you though so the purple knotted mess sticking out at odd angles made him look rather funny and you stifle a giggle as you get to your feet. He puts his hands on his hips.

“You think this is funny? I swear, if I didn’t know any better I’d really believe Gustav’s story, you little Archfey!” He speaks exasperated as you pulled away some ivy circled around one of his horns with a laugh dropping it with the pile you had created.

“Of course I think it’s funny, my handsome devil.” You patted his cheek and took one of his hands with your free one pulling him with you to sit down on the grass. Kneeling in front of him you begin untangling the vines and removing the flowers using your fingers to brush through, carefully pick apart and untangle the mess he had created. Once you are done and just brushing through his hair making sure you didn’t miss anything and to get it back to its usual state he takes your hands and presses a delicate kiss to your palms.

“Turn around?” The words come out more as a question but you do and sit between his legs as he starts carefully detangling the vines from your own hair muttering a sorry and kissing your shoulder every time he either has to or accidentally pulls on your hair to take them out. It took him a while but eventually all the vines and flowers are gone and you’re just sat, leaning back against him, listening to sounds of the early early morning and the faint light barely visible from the town you’re set up outside off in the fields.

Molly’s arms wrap around your waist and his head leaning on your shoulder as he hums a tune all too familiar to you. You elbow his stomach looking at him with a fake scowl. He kisses your scowl away and begin humming along with him, a flock of birds dancing overhead as you do. Surrounded by warmth and comfort you both slowly let the exhaustion consume you as the first lights of dawn draw upon the horizon.

#critical role x reader #mighty nein x reader #mollymauk x reader #critrole x reader

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sarcasticfina · 3 years

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Fic Writer Tag Game

How many works do you have on AO3? 263

What’s your total AO3 word count? 4,901,188

How many fandoms have you written for, and what are they? including the fandoms on FFnet, that haven't yet been moved over to ao3, that'd be a total of 37. separating the larger fandoms (marvel, dcu) into their individual parts: Thor; Arrow; Smallville; The Vampire Diaries; Glee; Captain America; Supernatural; Teen Wolf; Iron Man; Life with Derek; Firefly; Friday Night Lights; X-Men; Fantastic Four; Harry Potter; Sons of Anarchy; Girl Meets World; Batman; Daredevil; From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series; Transformers; Lost Girl; Game of Thrones; Banshee; High School Musical; The OC; One Tree Hill; CSI: New York; Degrassi; Gossip Girl; NCIS; The Unusuals; Criminal Minds; iCarly; Secret Life of the American Teenager; Twilight; and The Listener

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. and I wonder (if everything could ever feel this real forever) - darcy/bucky - Steve tells him that Darcy's harmless. Bucky imagines, on paper, Darcy is harmless. HYDRA wouldn't give her a second glance. But he does. He can barely keep his eyes off her. He's not sure he wants to. | Kudos: 5576

2. I Climbed The Tree To See The World (When The Gusts Came Around To Blow Me Down, I Held On As Tightly As You Held On To Me) - darcy centric | darcy/steve - The path to self-discovery, including becoming Coulson's assistant-slash-liaison-slash-bff, Captain America's lady love, and rating fourth on the SHIELD BAMF scale, was like the yellow brick road; it was chaos and confusion around every bend. | Kudos: 3973

3. Take a little piece of my heart (and keep it for yourself) - oliver/felicity - A collection of Olicity prompts on Tumblr posted here for easier access/reading. | Kudos: 3498

4. You put your arms around me (and I'm home) - darcy/bucky - A collection of Darcy/Bucky oneshots, drabbles, and prompt fills. | Kudos: 3293

5. you (anchor me back down) - darcy/bucky - "I'll be right back." Famous last words. | Kudos: 2747

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not? not all of them. i do try to keep up on them, especially on longer stories when there's been significant wait times in between chapters, or when a reader is asking a question or is unclear on something. and especially when someone writes a really indepth comment/review, i like to respond to those and talk about motivations and character growth.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending? I've written a number of fics that either had suicide or major character death, so i'm not sure if one outranks the other in terms of most angsty... hmm... i remember "be still and know that I'm with you (be still and know that I am here)" and "light a match, burn the world to ash (I will watch it die, and hold your hand as I fly)" both got some pretty intense reactions when they were posted. And "It's Your Song That Sets Me Free (I Sing It While I Feel I Can't Go On)" was basically just angst from beginning to end. buuuuut, i think i'll say "so you think you can tell (heaven from hell" was, only because there's a build up of everything going so right, only to pivot at the end, so it feels very bittersweet.

Do you write crossovers? If so what’s the craziest one you’ve written? i loooooove crossovers. i find writing in the marvel fandom makes things quite easy, but also smallville. as long as i can find a common thread, i enjoy finding a way to overlap two shows. i'll say the hardest one to write was "ruby red slippers (unavailable in her size)." I'm not sure why, but i found writing each personality together just felt strange. i liked the idea behind the story, but i definitely remember feeling like i was really forcing myself to keep going, like something just didn't fit right.

Have you ever received hate on a fic? oh, definitely. you cannot please everyone, it's impossible. for the most part, hate comes and i either argue back, take the criticism for what it's worth, or just ignore it when it's baseless. i think the hate that bothered me the most was a homophobic PM someone sent me re: "you know I will adore you ('til eternity)," on FFnet. i actually went and searched it up. they've since blocked me so i can't read our whole thread back and forth. but i did put part of it on tumblr so i could rant on it a bit, so you can see that here.

Do you write smut? If so what kind? ha. yes. depending on the story, it can be really detailed or really flowery. it depends on the ship, the plot, and how graphic i feel like being. i've definitely become more comfortable over the years with my writing. that said, i think everybody likes something different. i once had a reviewer tell me a sex scene was too much, just too intense. it was a stefan/caroline story and to be fair, that entire oneshot was just them fucking, lol, but it is what it is. to each their own.

Have you ever had a fic stolen? Multiple times.

Have you ever had a fic translated? Yes! for the record, i am always happy to have my stories translated and shared. i just like having a link sent to me and to be credited.

What’s your all time favorite ship? i have a list of OTPs, because interests change and as shows come and go, my love for a ship can be shelved for a while before it pops back up at random. currently, i can't get enough of buck/eddie from 9-1-1. and, historically, chloe/oliver (smallville) and felicity/oliver (arrow) have been two of my top OTPs. but i think i'd have to go with bonnie/damon. they had all the potential and the show dropped the ball by not exploring it. at the same time, that's kind of a blessing, because i don't trust those writers to properly explore what they had without eventually destroying it for the likes of de/ena. it means a treasure trove for writing where it could have gone and all the what if's.

What’s a WIP that you want to finish, but don’t think you ever will? the intention is always to finish. but given how i feel about allison mack and how that impacts my feelings re: chloe sullivan, pretty much anything with her as a main character is not something i see myself returning to.

What are your writing strengths? What are your writing weaknesses? i'm putting these together because my strength is my weakness. i love to write. when i get an idea, i go all in and i will skip eating and sleeping to just write write write. but i also eventually hit a wall and i get so many ideas that i hyperfocus on one until the steam is gone and then i hyperfocus on the next one to maintain that need to keep writing, accidentally leaving the last story in the dust for entirely too long. i also have clinical depression that comes and goes, which hasn't been super great mixed with covid and isolation, so more often recently, i find myself overly exhausted and despite wanting to write, can rarely get motivated to do so. so, pre-covid, wrote so much i left entirely too many stories dangling. during covid, i've just been reading and struggling to get myself focused enough to do what i love.

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? i appreciate the authenticity when possible, but i've recently been reading more about how native speakers of other languages feel when a) their language is butchered by google translate, or b) it's just not genuine in terms of how bilingual speakers act or speak.

What was the first fandom you’ve written for? it was smallville, but i remember adopting it out to someone else because i wasn't going to finish it. so if you look at my ffnet, the first fandom i wrote for appears to be x-men: the movie, but i remember writing a chloe/oliver story prior to that.

What’s your favorite fic that you’ve written? i have a lot. i mean, on ffnet, i have 576 stories, many of which were transferred over to ao3, with a lot of oneshots and drabbles getting joined together into collections. so there's a ton to pick from that span a 14-ish year timeline.

"you know I will adore you ('til eternity)" and "let me break (the walls that surround me)" hold a special place in my heart.

honestly, each story is important in its own way. there are bits and pieces of each that i love. every time i write something new it feels like my favorite. my best. and then a new idea comes along. there are scenes i've written that i loved more than the whole of what they became. lines that stand out that are almost too good to be a part of the larger picture.

one of my all time favorite passages i've written was bonnie's thoughts on damon and herself in 'if you love me (let me go)":

He is far from perfect. He is a novel of red, corrective ink. He is frayed pages and torn binding. His life, his choices, his mistakes leave lasting effects on everyone he meets.

She is a lifeboat with a hole in it. An anchor that drowns in the sea while everyone else remains steady above. She is both the calm and the storm, and while she screams that she will not be tamed, she cries. Bittersweet tears that go unnoticed and uncared about.

there are other stories, other pieces of dialogue, that i've been proud of. that make me laugh when i re-read them. that make me cry. and i love them. there are others that make me wilt and cringe and regret. it's a process. love and pride and growth, all bound together.

Tagging: @absentlyabbie, @anonymous033, and anyone else who'd like to fill this all out, haha

#fic writer tag game #long post

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attackonmyself · 4 years

Text

Beat the Heat--NSFW

Inspired by a prompt from @voltage-vixen‘s Summer of Smut Writing Challenge but took waaaaay too long for me to complete, and I missed the deadline. Anyways, thanks to @voltagesmutter, @passagesthroughpages, and Lia_Jones (all amazing writers themselves!) for all your help! Dedicated to all Victor stans, and my Discord family!

Please see this amazing artwork that inspired my fic!: https://m.sg.weibo.com/user/2173912080/4472175635540915

And also this Karma owned by MLQC:

Link on Ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25654276

I sprinted into the LFG lobby, out of breath. I was late. Again.

Cindy spotted me, and quickly gestured towards the stairs. “He’s been waiting for you, go on up.” I groaned, still out of breath, then crossed the lobby. Great, I thought as I ran up the stairs. Another lecture on punctuality, coming right up. I stopped before the office door, taking a moment to catch my breath before knocking.

“Come in,” came the clipped reply. Even better, it sounded like he was already in a bad mood. This should be fun. I entered, closing the door behind me. Victor was sitting at his desk, skimming something on his computer. He looked up, removing his glasses and placing them next to his desk calendar. “It is 2:33.”

I grimaced. “I’m sorry.”

His normal poker face had been replaced with a scowl. “What time did I say to be here?”

“2:30.” It didn’t matter how close we had become, some things never changed. When at work, Victor was always in prime CEO mode, any trace of my shy and sweet boyfriend disappearing the moment he walked in the office doors.

“It seems your memory is indeed working today, despite all evidence to the contrary. So perhaps you like to explain why that was not the time you entered my office?” Being on the receiving end of a Victor-Li-is-irked glare was never a good experience, but unfortunately, that was often the position I found myself in.

“Our printer jammed at the last second, and wouldn’t print a contract that my 1:30 client needed to sign before they could leave, so I was stuck there calling maintenance and then waiting for them to show up, and then waiting for them to fix it, and then--”

“Stop. I’ve heard enough.” He rubbed his temples, eyes closed. “You do realize this is the modern era, yes? Contracts can be sent over email, and signed digitally. We will need to discuss your company’s disturbing lack of adaptation to current technology at another time; you have wasted enough of it already. Begin your report.”

“Right.” I pulled out my newly purchased tablet and cleared my throat. “As you can see, we exceeded our predicted revenue this month. Views that we lost last week were not just recovered, but doubled.” I fidgeted a bit under his intense stare.

“I implemented the ideas we discussed last week, and they were successful For future consideration, I’d like to bring to your attention--”

The soft whirring of the air conditioning of the building sputtered to a startling halt. I paused, and looked at Victor for direction. He sighed, and picked up the phone on his desk when it began to ring. “Speak.” I heard a hurried voice on the other end, and watched Victor’s frown deepen. “What?” More frantic explanation from the voice, trying to appease him, and then Victor hung up.

“Something wrong?” I asked, hoping that an urgent matter had come up, so that I could move my report to later when he would hopefully be in a better mood.

“The air conditioning stopped working. It will take a few hours to fix.” I groaned internally. It was the middle of July, peak season for hot days, and Victor’s office was directly in the sun’s path at the moment, the windows offering no protection from its heat. He shed his suit jacket, draping it over the arm of his chair. “Continue,” he commanded.

“Uh,” I scrambled to remember my place. “For future consideration, I’d like to bring to your attention trendlines predicting future revenue on episodes based on current events.” I began to sweat, already missing the almost too cold climate I had complained about in the past, and vowed to never do so again.

“Our most popular episodes to date have been ones related to current issues in the news. Our recent collaboration with Loveland TV gave us access to topics and resources that we might not have had otherwise. Therefore, I propose that we begin a new series to be aired in conjunction with local news stations beyond just Loveland TV that would cover oddities addressed in daily reports.”

Ok, the heat had officially become unbearable. I took off my white cardigan, putting in on top of my bag. Victor did a double-take, eyes widening. Uh oh. I forgot how casual my dress was. I tried to distract him with the report. “The series would cover not just super powers, but also delve into the psyche--”

“Stop, stop.” Crap. He was still staring at my dress. “What do you think you’re wearing?!”

“Uh, a sundress?” I responded dumbly. He glared at me. I fumbled for an excuse, though not knowing why I needed one exactly. “It’s the middle of July. I know it’s not formal business attire without the cardigan, but it’s hot in here without the AC. I thought you would understand that and be ok with me not wearing it considering the circumstances.”

He gaped, apparently shocked. “You thought wrong. Do you seriously not realize how alluring that dress is?”

Wait what? “Huh?”

He shook his head. “Dummy, you are astoundingly naive sometimes. Wearing that to any presentation, including this one, leads the audience to focus not on your proposal, but your physical assets.” I blushed, and covered myself a bit with my arms. He continued. “For example, I missed everything you presented after taking off your cardigan. Be thankful this was only a weekly report meeting, and not an official proposal for more funding with the entire board present.” He leaned forward and placed his elbows on the desk.

I looked down, ashamed. “I really am sorry, Victor. That would have embarrassed both Miracle Company and you; I understand now and I will do better in the future.”

“No, you misunderstand me.” He stood, and strode quickly towards me, crossing the room in a few broad steps. He grabbed my shoulders and forced me to look him in the eye. “The only person who should see you in outfits of this nature is me.” It was the hunger in his eyes that made me realize I was no longer talking to the CEO of LFG, but Victor Li, my protective and now aroused boyfriend.

Desperate lips met mine, taking my breath away. I was always weak for his kisses, this time literally. My knees gave in a bit, and I held onto his arms as he pushed deeper. I eagerly reciprocated, a need for his touch growing rapidly under my navel. We broke apart for only a moment, before he claimed my lips again and ran strong fingers up my neck and into my hair, gently nudging my face closer to his.

Victor was not a man of many flowery words, but he made up for it in his actions. Every kiss we shared was so fervent that you would think it was going to be our last. Even in moments of raw passion, it was obvious how deeply he cared for me, and I fell more in love with him each time our lips united. This kiss was no exception; I sank into his yearning for me, throwing my arms around his neck.

Suddenly, strong arms wrapped around my thighs, and I felt myself being lifted into the air. I scrambled to wind my legs around his waist, holding him tighter. We were intimately closer than before, and I could feel his heart pounding in his chest. It amazed me that I could have such an effect on the seemingly stoic mogul, that I could be the one to break his cool. His lips captured mine once more, then he impatiently moved us towards his desk.

“Hold tight,” he instructed, using one arm to awkwardly clear off the desktop, sending pens and his mouse flying. He set me atop it, beginning to suck at the pulse point above my collarbone, when reality hit me.

“Wait, stop,” I whispered harshly. He immediately backed away, arms to his side.

“What’s wrong?” Concern overtook ardor, and he scanned my figure. “Did I hurt you?” That thought seemed to shake him a bit.

“No, nothing like that,” I quickly reassured him. “But...should we really be doing this in your office? People might hear, or worse, what if someone came in?”

His confidence immediately returned, desire resuming its place in his eyes as I mentioned others overhearing our stolen moment of passion. He smirked, leaning in close.

“Let them hear.” He continued his attack on my neck, but I wouldn’t be swayed just yet.

“Victor,” I chided. “I’m not comfortable with someone catching us in your office. That wouldn’t look good for either of us.” He stopped, judging my sincerity, then walked away.

“Wait, where are you going?” I asked, reaching out an arm towards him needily, missing his warmth already. Had I angered him?

“Relax, dummy.” He strode up to the door and turned the lock, its satisfying click signaling his intentions. He turned and smiled devilishly. “No one is going anywhere until we are finished.”

He hastened back to me, as if I were his prey, strung up and waiting for him on a platter. He kissed me again, and loosened his tie to quell the sweltering heat. I grabbed for his shirt, undoing the first few buttons before he stopped me with a lick to a particularly sensitive area behind my earlobe. He undid his tie the rest of the way and set it down beside me on the desk. I finished unbuttoning his shirt, untucking it roughly. I gulped upon being met with the sight of his broad chest. As if controlled by some unknown force, my hands ran over his torso, brushing his collarbone and hips alike, searching for any point of contact with him.

He placed feather light kisses all over my face and neck, brushing my cheek; my eyelids; the small v formed by my collarbones. As lovely as his display of affection was--and it truly was; not often did we get a chance to bask in the other’s devotion--it wasn’t quite enough. I needed more.

I ran my hands down his abdomen, grabbing for his belt buckle, but he caught my hand in his and tsked.

“Someone needs to learn to be patient.” His hands left me, and I let out a whine. He picked up the flimsy piece of fabric that lay beside me and wrapped it around my face, covering my eyes.

“Is this okay?” I heard a soft whisper beside my left ear.

His breath tickled me a bit, paused in anticipation of my answer. I hold absolute control over him at this moment, I realized with a small gasp. The power was a heady feeling; Loveland’s most eligible ‘bachelor’ was all mine, treating me as if I was some queen to be worshipped. Although he was leading most of the action, I held the ropes. And I would be ever so careful not to abuse this gift. What’s more, after years of having to take care of myself on my own, I now could trust him. Completely.

“Yes.”

That one word spurred him back into action. He quickly fastened the makeshift blindfold behind my head, careful to avoid knotting my hair with it. I heard a low groan, and then my skirt was pushed up, warm hands rubbing slow circles on my inner thighs.

“You have no idea what you do to me,” he murmured, his lips brushing mine, sending shivers down my spine. "There is nothing I would not do to keep you safe and happy."

I bucked my hips towards his, searching for any friction to relieve my need. Suddenly, I felt a hand over my underwear, massaging my clit leisurely. I let out a breathy moan. Finally. His steady fingers ran back and forth across the fabric, gentle yet firm in their ministrations. "Faster, please Victor," I gasped, spreading my legs. He obeyed, for once, going faster and faster until all fear of others intruding disappeared. I could only think about him, his touch, and my palpable desire to become one with him.

I could feel a flush rise in my cheeks, the sounds coming from my mouth garbled and brimming with pleasure. I reached blindly for him, needing to touch him for stability; so that I could hold off my climax a little longer, but was met only with air. I let out a whine. I heard a chuckle from somewhere in front of me. Seconds later, strong hands guided mine to his shoulders; his warm body moved closer, parting my legs further.

I was already beyond wet by this point, and I felt ready for him but knowing Victor, he wouldn't enter me until he was sure I was relaxed and ready for him. "Please, hurry up, I need you, now," I urged.

Surprisingly, he decided to grant my request. I heard the soft clink of a belt buckle being undone followed by a rustling of fabric. I hooked my ankles behind him, wanting, no, needing him in me as soon as humanly possible. A hand ran through my hair, and then my underwear was pushed to the side; in one fluid motion he had both lifted me into the air and entered me with a soft moan. I gasped, throwing my head back and digging my fingers into the well-defined muscles of his shoulders.

The sensation of him inside me was more intense in the dark. I felt so safe, protected and satisfied in his arms. It was as if all my fears and worries had melted away. I knew that he would shield me from any incoming darkness that dared to threaten me. He pulled back for a moment, then slowly slid inside me once more, giving me time to adjust and savor the feeling of us, united as one.

We maintained a comfortable rhythm, my hips grinding down to meet his as I panted against his neck. There was no need for words; anything that needed to be said was communicated through movement and small gasps and moans. I realized that I could no longer hear the ticking of the wall clock, its telling absence revealing that time was no longer in motion.

I drew in a breath to mention it, but he suddenly changed to a different angle, shifting me in his arms, and sparks burst behind my eyelids. “Don’t you dare stop, right--right there!” I practically screamed. He hummed in confirmation, building speed. I let out a series of whines, bouncing down into his thrusts in desperation to add to the surging, rising tide of pleasure that's only just out of reach. I could hear Victor’s pleasure as well in the short, cut off breaths he let out.

“Are you close,” he ground out, ever the gentleman in refusing to come before me.

“Very,” I replied, concentrating on my climax, adding a finger to my clit. A few more strokes, and it hit me--hard. I screamed out his name and clenched around him. He gasped, and I felt a warmth inside me as he tightened his grip on me. The waves of pleasure taking hold of me ebbed slowly; suddenly, I could see again, tie dropping to the floor.

Victor cradled me close and kissed the top of my head. We remained entangled in each other’s embrace for a few moments longer, catching our breath. He slid out of me, but didn’t let me go. I buried my face in his neck, flushing at the whispered “I love you” that came from beside my ear.

Suddenly, the ticking resumed and the space that was only ours returned to being shared with the rest of the world. I was gently set down on the desk, and I grabbed a tissue to clean myself up. We began to redress and had almost finished when there was a knock at the door.

“Sir, the mechanics from Four Seasons Heating and Air have arrived,” Goldman’s voice came from behind the solid wood. “Would you like to direct them or should I handle it?”

Victor gestured at my cardigan, “That goes on; tightly,” he said in a low voice, then he grabbed his suit jacket and approached the door. I buttoned it quickly, barely finishing in time before he swung the door open.

There was an awkward silence as Goldman took in our appearance. He did a quick double take, then stammered an apology. “Sir, I--uh--”

I flushed brightly; there was no way to conceal what we had been up to. Only Victor stood stoic as always, not caring about our disheveled state or the smudge of my lipstick on the corner of his mouth. “Mark me as booked for the next two hours,” he announced, glancing at his watch. “I expect the air conditioning to be up and running when I return.”

“Next two hours--but sir! You have the meeting with the investors from--” Goldman was cut off with a glare. Typical. I felt sorry for him.

“Did I ask for any feedback? I said that I am booked for the next two hours. Make any schedule changes necessary in my absence.” He put an arm around my waist and led me out of the room in the direction of the elevator.

“But sir!” Victor paid him no mind and as the door closed, he pulled me into another kiss.

“How do you feel about lunch at Souvenir?”

“Mm, sounds great!” I replied, smoothing down his slightly rumpled shirt. Oh! Pulling back with a smile, I suddenly laughed. “Victor!”

He frowned. “What.”

“You forgot your tie!”

#mlqc #mlqc victor #mlqc victor smut #mlqc writing #my writing #this took way too long

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haelieana · 3 years

Text

TL : Leah

PR : Xeven_

Chapter 2

"Oh my, Luen, this is......"

"You have nice skin, so I enjoyed doing your makeup and the dress looks good on you. The Duke will surely fall in love again."

"The rumor has spread to the lady's on society that the Duke adores you. I envy you."

I don't know if I'm in a good mood, or if you want to make me feel good. Whoosh, I smiled. On the other hand, I was in tears because I couldn't control my facial expression.

As they were in a fuss, I couldn't understand how the Duke treated me like gold or jade, or like I was going to fly when the wind blew.

Pr: She means that the Duke saw her to be a person that should be treated delicately since weak things (like paper) get caught easily on the wind.

"God blessed us, the weather is wonderful today."

The scent of flowers was applied to my body. Thanks to the maid's deft make-up and my figure in a smooth silk dress wrapped around my body were distinctly different from usual. One maid turned her head up for the last time.

"Luen, we're going to leave now."

"You're going to be busy all day today, so take a break."

"If you need anything, feel free to call us."

When the girls, who chatted and filled the empty air, went out, the room became quieter. Like my complicated inner self.

I could have made a fuss looking at myself in the mirror, but I got depressed thinking about the future.

Sfx : *knock 2×*

-I know it's an excuse, but I haven't been able to hold back my curiosity.

He came in like he was waiting for me to be left alone. When I said ‘come’ in a weak voice, the door opened. I wasn't willing to get close to a man I wish I had just watched from afar.

"I’m blessed by the most beautiful bride in the world."

Yes, today was my wedding day. I want to flee to save my life, and I'm also about to be dragged to the wedding hall by the Duke of Piar.

'Oh my life, what can I do?'

In addition, I am now in a situation where I can live for a few years. Just in case he leads a rebellion.

Flop

Something fell off with a small noise. When I turned my head looking out of the window, there was a bouquet of flowers that were white at his feet. I rolled my eyes and walked to the Duke. It was a hideous white color.

"It's the same as usual, but you're even more beautiful today. It was because of you that the daffodils in the garden bowed their heads."

It was dazzling to wear a tailcoat with dizzyingly long, well-drawn legs. As the smile fell on his normally blunt impression, it became as soft as cotton candy that would melt when touched. Looking at the groom who is more handsome than anyone else in the world, I recalled the moment when he asked to marry me.

What the hell happened then.

**********

"You don't have to call the doctors to check....."

I trembled and managed to bring it up. There might still be a chance to escape. Even if it was not a hundred percent, I wanted to see if there was a little possibility.

Even now, I tried to call a doctor to prove that I was a false pregnancy. His attitude was unusual, I need to be kicked out of the dukes faster.

"Hmm? What are you talking about?"

Just as I was out of the Duke's arms, his sweet voice came as if honey were dripping.

"Confirmation. I don't give you that much faith."

"No, I didn't mean it"

"I can't doubt the fruits of our love, my Luen."

It was frustrating for me to see such a cold-headed, calculating man who made a name for himself like a clumsy insipid.

"There's no way you're lying to me."

Seeing him smiling with a harmless face with the theme of the dark duke made my stomach ache. Why would the bad guy feel guilty about me?

He leads the soldiers to the palace without hesitation and faces Yeoju.

-Don't do this. What's wrong with you all of a sudden?

-I'll take you.....

In the end, he wishes for the queen's happiness and chooses to give up on herself. She can't even tell him how she felt. The Duke was captured alive as it was.

'I'm sorry but I want to live.'

I had to stay away from the duke to do that. If I'll Stay with the duke, I'll die with him.

While I was mesmerized for a moment and got my act together, he began to make a formidable statement.

"I'm sorry about what happened. I was going to tell you after a little more preparation."

After letting me go, the Duke stepped back a few steps and seriously looked up at one knee.

Don't tell me.....?

"Luen."

His eyes were somehow moist. It was somehow strange to see water added to the face that exuded sexiness.

But I can't. No! No matter how handsome you are, this isn't right.

"I've been dreaming of this moment since the day I first saw you."

The Duke took a small box out of his arms, perhaps carrying it all the time to carry it. Inside the softly opened box, was a brilliant shining ring.

My heart sank. That sparkle is never for me.

Why are you here if it's me? What are they thinking about doing this to me, not the original Yeoju?

I wondered if the ridiculous situation would continue.

"Luen."

As close as I stepped back, the Duke came. And as soon as my name came out between his lips, all thoughts disappeared. I couldn't even wriggle as if my limbs were tied to what I couldn't see.

I felt strange for some reason. His eyes were so sweet that I felt possessed. I had to get my act together, but I was constantly persuaded by what he said.

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Would you please accept my proposal?"

He held out the ring to me. I saw it closely and it was a ring that I knew. A large diamond shone even more through delicate work. In the original novel, the ring was prepared by the Duke of Piar to present with a desperate confession to Yeoju.

"Ha, haha"

I mean, smiling with a weird face.

There was nothing I could do. Every minute and second went too slowly and the confrontation continued.

'Shall I die now, or live a little longer?'

That is the problem.

I tried my best, but there was no answer. I was brought to this world without knowing the subject, so I thought I would adjust to it, but I can't walk on the flowery path, but I can't believe it's a Death Flag. I felt sorry for my situation, so I shed tears without realizing it.

"Luen."

The Duke came darting up and watched me. The maids say it's necrophilia.

I don't know why you keep hugging me when you give me away.

"Are you that thrilled? Don't shed tears."

"........."

"When you cry, I want to cry even more. So smile."

Soon, an eerie word and a ring were pushed in front of me at the same time. I tried to ignore it, but the pressure was getting stronger little by little. Somehow, it felt like a prey standing in front of a snake flicking its tongue just before it hit its prey.

'Let's move on from this moment on.'

Reluctantly, I reached out slowly and accepted the ring. The Duke quickly faced me in a gentle manner. He grinned as hard as he could, saying I was more beautiful than flowers.

'Things finer than flowers are peacocks.'

The game was over because he was caught up in it.

********

"Father, Shall we start?"

I didn't expect the Duke of Piar to make a sick face. He blinked slowly, perhaps because he felt my stare.

"It's something I've been dreaming about. Please excuse me."

Now there was no energy to refute or think what the hell was wrong with him. I gently placed my hand on the Duke's arm. We'll head to the ceremony. If you hold a ceremony in front of many people, you won't be able to skip it. But it wasn't without a way.

I tried to sigh, but suddenly I felt so quiet that I couldn't even hear the sound of breathing. As I looked up, the Duke of Piar's expression was unusual.

'Did you notice the idea of getting divorced and running away?'

I read other people's thoughts so well that I thought I might be a mind reader, I quickly noticed. His hands flinched to come up suddenly and closed his eyes.

".... My bride"

There was a strangely hot heat in his voice. Likewise, the heat from his hand to me. I was standing breathless because of the sudden act of sweeping my hair behind my ears.

"Wha, what."

A long, straight finger touched my ear. His fingertips kept hovering around my ears and it tickled. I couldn't help but open my body slightly and heard a small laugh above my head. It was clearly a different breath from a while ago.

My heart went up and thumped. What if this tension reaches him? I almost drooled and fell over.

"Are you nervous?"

Without hesitation, he came in nodding his head again. My nose was on his chest, which filled my vision. I also wanted to feel his trembling. He took a breath as I clung to him.

Having been holding me for a long time, he kissed me on the top of the head and said.

"Thank you so much for coming to me. I want to raise our children better than anyone else."

Oh, that's not it! But the protest only lingered in me.

Compelled again to look at my stomach, I picked up a word and spat it out.

"It's a lovely day, isn't it?"

"Even heaven rejoices in our union. Shall we go now?"

I was relieved by the duke who accepted my words without much doubt. I put my hand on his arm again.

"Ah!"

He grabbed my careless hand.

"It's against etiquette, but I want to go hand in hand. Will you allow me?"

His hand, one bigger than mine, wraps around mine. The end of my glove didn't come out in the air as if it wasn't to be seen in the world. My heart trembled strangely.

"Yes, it's okay."

I followed him with heavy steps to keep pace. It was also a sign that my relationship with him began in earnest.

*********

"The virtues of the couple cannot be overemphasized......"

Does everyone talk longer when they stand there? A yawn threatened to come out during the sagging officiant's speech, but I held it in. The high heels made my ankle sore and my head felt heavy because of the jeweled veil, but I couldn't show.

"I, Christian Noah, have a good day ahead of me. Lu........"

The person who keeps saying the same thing in front of me is the emperor, the lord of the original work and the ruler of the empire. The position is the end goal of the duke’s rebellion.

'That's the way it works!'

Suddenly, I rolled my eyes hard at the brilliant idea. It was a novel and ingenious idea, I think, as if lightning had flared up.

In the original book, Yeoju was a maid of the Imperial Palace. A princess of the fallen Kingdom of Lauren, she sneaked into the palace for revenge. And soon she got acquainted with the Duke of Piar.

Watching her but also wanting to protect her, somehow, the Duke fell in love with her. Eventually, Yeoju falls in love with the emperor.

'Yeoju must be somewhere.'

At this point, Yeoju would be trying to approach the emperor with a sword for revenge. Of course, he would have come here to officiate with Emperor Napsin.

A little earlier than the original, Yeoju. I had to let her meet the Duke of Piar.

'Then he'll fall in love on his own. That's the flow of the original.'

I was planning to live as a duchess and cheer for the love of the duke and the female lead. After that, it was pleasant to think of the day when I left after finishing my false marriage. It became more refreshing as the emperor's officiant seemed to be coming to an end.

"Lastly, let me ask you if there is anyone who opposes the marriage of these two people God has allowed."

Even I, the person involved, don't approve of marriage, but who allowed it?

'I'm against this marriage.'

I was sarcastic inside.

"I'm against this marriage!"

A roaring voice rang out.

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caxxeyy · 3 years

Text

That should be me

Hi I'm Winzy Perez 16 years old grade 10 student, I've been looking for my soulmate, I can't wait patiently.

I'm now walking to the hallway, suddenly someone bumped into me, "o-ouch" I said as I was sitting down on the floor. Books all over, "I'm so sorry are you okay?" The guy said, I cannot look straight at his eyes.

"Y-yeah I'm f-fine" I said as I grab all my book, then suddenly he held my hand, "sorry about that, let me help you" as he grab the books.

I blushed.

After that I forgot to ask what's his name, I really'd like to know.

"I think I liked him.." I whisper to myself.

I'm now in my bed laying down as I imagine what happen earlier, "arghhh I can'not just fall inlove with someone I don't know-" I said as I grab my hair and rolled.

Day passed.

As I open my locker I saw a letter, "what is this?" I said to myself, I readed it.

"Hey! It's me the one you bumped with, I just wanted to ask, are you free? Let's hang out just call me" as I read it I cannot help but to blush.

I'm red as a tomato right now.

I called him he answered quickly, as I talked to him I feel butterflies in my stomach, my hearts pounding so fast.

It's the day that I will meet him and hang out with him.

"Hey! Over here!" He yells while staring at me, I'm extremely shaking I can't control it. "H-hey" I said "are you uncomfortable with me?" He asked. "N-no!" I said, "I'm glad to hear that" he said as he chuckles.

Time passed I'm already comfortable with him, I felt like we've been together for long.

"Oh yeah I forgot to introduce myself, Hi! I'm Gabriel Sy I'm 17 years old, grade 10 as well, i'm glad to meet you can we be friends?" He said on a sweet and calm tone, I'm slowly falling with inlove deeply on him, I cannot stop myself, how?

"Sure, let's be friends!" I said as I hand out my hand to shake hands politely, suddenly he didn't shake hands with me, he hugged me. "Control yourself Winzy control it." I said to myself while blushing.

"Oh! Why are you so red? Do you have fever?" He said and put one hand on my forehead, his hand is so smooth how can I stop blushing now?

Time passed by... He walk me to my home "thanks for everything, I'd really enjoyed it hope it can happen again" I said with a smile, "thanks too! I promise it will happen again" he said with a sweet smile.

I'm deeply inlove with him, but how can I confess this to him? He might reject me.

Months passed, we're best friends now. But I'm still inlove with him, "what if some girl will fall inlove with him and confess, what if he likes it back?" I said to myself overthinking, I must confess before other else could steal him from me, I can't let that happen, never.

Days passed, I decided to call him to come over, this is the day I'm going to confess to him, I have the enough confidence to face him. But what if he rejected me? We will be still friends?, "Ughh stop thinking about that Winzy" I said to myself and then I heared a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" I asked "hey Winzy It's me Gabriel!" He shouted. Is he tired? Did he ran? Oh damn stop thinking about that "oh hey Gabo you're here" I said. "So why did you call me?" He said, my heart pumped so fast that even my body shake in nervous, I thought I was ready and had enough confidence. 'Arghhh whatever' I said to myself.

I invited him to the living room and bought a two juice to drink while talking to each other. I faced him with a serious face, his face is so angelic that is much prettier than the girls like me. He looked at me "any problem?" He asked, I can't help myself to stop blushing and shaking, I'm so nervous.

"U-uh hey I-i just wanted to confess t-to you something" I said while stuttering, I can't finish my words, "sure, what is it?" He asked, well here goes nothing.

"G-gabriel Sy I-i like you!" I said while blushing, "hmp" he smirked, I looked up at him h-huh? Why is he not mad? "I'm sorry I don't like you..." He said, it hurts why? I should've keep it secret why did I- "because i love you Winzy" he said while blushing, he's so cute "Winzy Perez, can I court you?" He said with a cute smirk on his face, I blushed of course "y-yes!" I said with a greatful smile.

Weeks passed, he always makes me smile, makes me feel special, and made me feel beloved.

Not so long I said yes.

"Really??!" He said with a suprised face. He's so cute I cannot handle it "yes, for real" I said, with excitement he hugged me and lift up, and most suprising among all of that he kissed me, he gave me a peck kiss on a lips, I blushed so hard "I love you Winzy" with a cute smile "I love you too Gabo" I answered.

Years passed by, It's already our 1st anniversary, "baby!" Gabriel shouted. He's wearing a very formal clothes with a crowd of people around him, what's happening? I think as I walk towards him "baby, Is there an event?" I asked, he just smirked and walked away, I didn't followed him because I'm still confused about what's happening.

As I turned around I saw 13 group of people holding a big banner, what is going on? I asked myself and I saw him walked towards them. He's standing holding a mic and said "Hey uhh Winzy, I know that we always been in a such trouble and always had a misunderstandings, but I'm so glad that I met you, I didn't know that I'm going to fall inlove with you, and you always make me smile, happy, and feel like im belong to the world, before I felt like no one wanted to talked to me nor make friends with me I'm a bit outcast that time, but most of all that im glad that we bumped to each other and that's the time I believed that destiny is real, and above of all that if we don't bumped to each other we aren't here today and I'm not here today giving speech to you and now I know that you're my first and last love on my whole life, and can we say we we're meant to be, and baby Winzy we're soulmate" he said with a tear on his eyes, I cannot help myself but to tear up as well.

While he was preparing and picking something on the pocket I saw the group of people getting ready, what's going to happen next? "Winzy Perez" Gabo said as he sat his left knee on the floor, I saw the group of people pull up the banners that they had been holding.

"Will you marry me?" He said with a blissful smile with a tear on his eyes, I cannot help but to cry, "y-yes" I said as the crowds of people start shouting and popping an conffetis, he putted the ring on my ring men, as he put it he stood up and kissed me. "Thank you Winzy, I promised you that you'll be my last. I love you baby."

I've never been so happy in my life, this is the best thing that god gave me. We hugged like there's no tomorrow.

Another years passed,

I'm now here walking to the flowery path.

White flowers blooming.

Sunlight shining through my eyes.

Doves flying around.

And a crowd of people with a tear in their eyes.

I can't believe it, It's actually happening.

"I will cherish everyday when I'm with you. I will love you in sickness and health. I will love you till death." my man said.

"I proudly announced that you're now a husband and wife! You may now kiss the bride!" the priest announced and the groom kissed the bride.

When they faced the visitors,

I saw him with the sweetest smile.

The bride looked at me and a shocked draw on her face.

I smiled bitterly with a teary eyes, and mouthed her 'congrats'

After all that happened, they offered me to give a speech, so I'd accepted it.

"So first of all congratulations to those both couple who just got married, here's a little speech it's kinda awkward but i need to.." I said with a teary eye.

"Thanks to the memories you gave me, please stay strong and have great family, always take care of yourselves, and for the last time...... I love you my man." I stopped. I can't help it, my tears keeps falling down, It's embarrassing, so I ran away from the mic while wiping my tears.

He promised me, but he kept it to others, and of all that It hurts to see my man marrying my bestfriend, why?

That should be me.

//caxxeyy

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mondfahrt · 4 years

Text

I may have written some snippets/drabbles that are too much, too flowery, too... much, for my liking, but I needed to get them out of my head. Maybe I’ll use some of it in a fic at some point but at the moment I’m just glad these words are out.

It’s basically about... Pining. A lot of Pining. Four weird metaphors on capital P Pining.

Fandom: One Piece Ships: SanUso, ZoLu Words: 421

Sanji is a piece of art.

Usopp‘s fingers itch for his paints when he looks at him, his eyes the color of the sky after a storm, his hair catching the sunlight in all hues of yellow and gold, the shadows on his neck soft and melting into his skin. When his smile curls around a cigarette like the smoke curls around his face, Usopp feels drawn in, feels drawn, seen, seeing. He shivers. Aches to feel the smooth texture of Sanji‘s ear under his fingers, his stubble under his lips.

But Sanji is a piece of art in a museum. Do not touch.

+++

Luffy is loyalty.

No, not loyal (but he‘s that, too). He‘s the very concept of loyalty, of trust, of I will follow your heart to the ends of this world and the next. Zoro knows this like he knows the weight of three swords at his side, like he knows the stinging cut of steel on his skin. Where Luffy goes, Zoro will follow. It‘s this knowledge that makes his steps sure, keeps his eyes on the path ahead.

Always ahead. Because Luffy never looks back.

+++

Zoro is freedom.

Luffy knows freedom. It‘s the wind catching his laughter, it‘s the waves pulling at the hull of a ship. It‘s a black flag, high high high above his head, a dream so close to the sky it‘s almost touching the stars. Zoro is freedom because Luffy cannot imagine himself on a ship with the Jolly Roger flying and Zoro not being there with him. Right there. Zoro is the hands fishing him out of the ocean, is the back at Luffy‘s back, is the heartbeat under his ear.

Zoro is freedom. Luffy sometimes wants to bind himself to him.

+++

Usopp is hunger.

Sanji has felt every kind of starvation but never like this. He can deal with his stomach trying to digest itself in its misery, knows the sandpaper rasp of his voice when thirst has dried up his throat. Starving of affection is it’s own special kind of hell but Sanji has come to terms with always being the chaser, never the chased. But Usopp is... can you be touch starved for just one person? Sanji is hungry, staring at his full fridge, at rows and barrels and crates full of food. He could... reach out... could bite into it, could just taste him, just once, just.

Usopp is hunger. Sanji won‘t ever be full again.

#one piece #opfanfic #sanuso #zolu #no beta obv i wrote this in like 20 minutes #I also wrote this on my tablet which is never a good idea #*

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zenothemanager · 4 years

Text

Axion: A Kortia Fic

If I write this, does it still make it a fanfic? Anyway, enjoy this short little thing I wrote about Gerald.

“Identify yourself travelers.” A voice came from a small open spot above the steel-like doors that looked about the width of a highway.

“I’m Gerald Yori, and this is Dakota. She has no last name.” Gerald spoke towards the doors in a commanding voice I didn’t think he was really capable of. The slit above the doors quickly shut and a beam of purple light hit us, which tingled a lot.

“Gerald what the hell is this light?” I questioned, looking over my arms.

“They’re scanning our identities to make sure we aren’t known criminals.” He said cooly, just as the light turned off.

“Entry granted. Queen Flore hopes you enjoy your stay at Astron, The Light of Vallauria.” A robotic voice said from the wall, seemingly from nowhere. After that, the doors began to open.

“The queen's name is Flore? Isn’t that a bit close to Florus?” I questioned with a bit of worry. After all, we had left the Princess to deal with the Dyclos problem by herself.

“You don’t need to worry Dakota, there's no relation there. From what I hear, the Queen is nothing like the Florus family.” He assured me, just as the gates finished opening.

And inside was more neon light than I had ever been exposed to in my life.

“Look at… all of the lights…” I muttered in sheer awe as my eyes darted across every little thing I was seeing. Purple, pink, and blue neon lights were shining from every corner of my vision. Cars were stacked in traffic high above the streets, thousands of people walked the sidewalks, and every bit of the city felt alive.

“You like it?” Gerald questioned, a small smile appearing on his face.

“This is better than I ever imagined it to be Gerald.” I smiled at him, the realized that for once, he was actually smiling.

“Wait are you smiling again?”

“I haven’t the faintest idea what you're talking about Dakota.” He said, his face going slack as he immediately began walking away from where I was standing. “You better hurry up and get your looks in now, or you’ll get left behind.”

“Gosh Gerald, you sound like a mother trying to get their kid to follow them.” I sighed, tearing my eyes away from the skyscrapers that seemed to cut through the very clouds themselves.

“What does gosh mean?” He questioned, shooting me a confused look.

“O-oh it's a saying where I’m from.” I suggested.

“Sure.” Gerald muttered in disbelief, but stayed silent afterward. This gave me time to actually take a good look around as we walked.

The vibe of the city was definitely cyberpunk. Futuristic flying cars, neon on every inch of the city, and the various ads for products that absolutely blew my mind. One thing I did notice that was odd were the people themselves.

They all looked different.

I knew they were all Vallaurian, but not a single one had common features that everyone would normally have. Some people had crazy eye colors, some people had crazy hair colors, and some people even had wacky colors of their skin, or even more limbs than they should have.

“There's so many people here Gerald, how do they feed everyone?” I asked, realizing the lack of farms in the grasslands surrounded the giant walled city.

“You remember the floating farms we saw in Imperious?”

“Yeah.”

“That's what the people of Ventali do too. Sitting high up above the buildings is a huge floating farm that blocks out the sky during the day to feed the plants. Between dusk and dawn though, the plain splits itself up and sits on top of buildings around the city.” He said, looking around the neon city with even more awe in his eyes than even I had. I could tell he was really happy to be back here, and that in turn made butterflies fly around in my stomach.

“Well, where should we go first!” I asked in an excited tone, a bit louder than I expected too, but no one around us seemed to care.

“We have to go to Axion, to deliver this letter.” Gerald said, pulling the white colored letter from one of his pockets and showing me it. It looked a lot more tattered and torn since the last time I had seen it… all that time ago.

“I thought Axion was destroyed?” I questioned, raising an eyebrow at him as he secured the letter back into his pocket. He sighed heavily and rolled his eyes, keeping his hands in his pockets. It seemed like he was worried about something.

“It was, but apparently they tried to rebuild it a year or so back. I think something happened with the funding or someone broke in, because they quickly stopped on the project.” Gerald explained as we turned a corner and entered an even bigger neon street. I wanted nothing more than to fangirl over everything I was seeing, but Gerald was right, we had a job to do.

“Even with that being said, who are we delivering it too? Who would be in an abandoned school?”

“The Savior, I guess.” Gerald shrugged. He obviously didn’t know who we were supposed to deliver it too.

“You guess? I thought you had better information sources than that Gerald.” I teased. I was a bit nervous, however. Just who had told him that we should go to Axion? Could it be a trap?

“Apparently the person who wrote this sent another message to Lord Summerset and told him to ignore this letter. It also said that the message was going to be delivered to the ruins of Axion on… today.”

“So the time we spent coming here was just to stall then?”

“You’re learning well Dakota.”

“I swear, you are impossible sometimes.” I muttered, putting my hands in my pockets and walking closely next to him. It was an odd experience to be in a city again, after all the time I had spent away from Earth.

“Are you cold or something?” Gerald asked, turning to me with a confused look on his face.

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“You’re walking close to me like you’re cold or something.” Gerald pointed out, looking me up and down. My face immediately turned red, just as he looked away. Did he really have to call me out like that?

“Well I mean, I am a bit chilly…” I muttered, letting my voice trail off.

“It is a chilly night.” Gerald admitted, pulling his brown traveller coat off. This revealed his extremely toned arms and his amazingly tight shirt.

Oh god.

He then stopped walking, and draped the coat over my shoulders, adding yet another layer of warmth to my outfit. Instantly his smell struck my nose and it was intoxicating for all the right reasons.

“T-Thank you Gerald, but won’t you be cold?” I questioned, pulling his coat further around me and relishing in this moment.

“Not even a little. This is nothing compared to the nights in Deazure.” He said in a matter-of-fact tone. “Turn left here, down the side street.”

We quickly crossed the street as the flying cars whizzed above our heads effortlessly. It still baffled me, just how did these things work?

But I knew that wasn’t important right now, so I focused on the task at hand. Getting to the school.

“This...is the place? It doesn’t really look like a school.” I muttered as I took a look at the path before us. It looked like at one point the walk way had huge flowery trees, but all that was left were burnt husks, and long dead flowers on the ground. Further down the path I noticed a tower the distance that looked like it was almost falling over. Below the tower, was what looked to be a broken rectangular building, with all of its windows blown out, and two huge doors lying on the ground in front of it.

"It used to be one of the most populated places in the city, believe it or not." Gerald explained as he put his hands on his pants pockets. He then started walking along the path, his shoes crunching over all the dead leaves that littered the ground.

"I heard a lot of conflicting things about it, but what actually happened?" I questioned, quickly following him.

"You probably won't accept the answer ‘a lot’, will you?" He asked, glancing over to me.

"What do you think Gerald?" I question with a soft smile, which just made him feign being annoyed.

"The Savior destroyed this place with his power. It's said he betrayed the very friends he had worked with during his years at the school, then, in an odd twist, he killed one of them. Following that he blew up this section of the city, causing all of this that you see around you."

"One person… did all this?" I questioned as I glanced at the broken building once again. It was only one story, which already raised a lot of questions. Just how had so many people attended this school.

“The more impressive part is that the fight happened underground apparently. Yet all this damage still happened.” Gerald said, his eyes turning more towards sadness.

“Weren’t you here when it happened?” I asked softly, just as we got to what looked to be a courtyard in front of the fallen doors. Giant slabs of broken concrete, twisted metal, and leaves were scattered over this area. It was sad to see that what once was a place full of hope, was turned into such ugly rubble.

“I was.” Gerald simply replied, with sadness now evident in his face. Sympathy flowed through my heart, and I knew that this once, I couldn’t be the shy person I had been.

“It’s okay Gerald.” I said, getting closer to him and pulling him close to me. I was surprised when he didn’t push away, or say something sarcastic, or refuse at all.

Instead, he wrapped his arms around me and held me, as silent tears fell from his eyes.

“I watched… I-” He said, his voice breaking as he tried to tell me something. As he said it though, it looked as if he were in pain just trying to push out the words.

“It’s okay Gerald, you don’t have to explain this time. Just...let it go.” I said, reaching my hand up and running one of my hands through his hair.

And then he cried.

He cried and cried and cried, and let out every bit of emotion I knew had been building up. Ever since the first moment I had met him, I knew he was holding back unimaginable pain. I had tried time and time to ask him when we agreed to run away together, but he just wouldn’t break down, and he wouldn’t tell me. But now that I was seeing this, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt in my heart for even asking him about whatever horrible tragedy had made him feel this way.

“I think we should go Gerald, there's no sense in putting yourself through this pain just for-”

“No.” He said with a shaky voice as his tears stopped. The expression on his face hadn’t changed, and the pain was evident, but I could see a shimmer of determination in his hazel eyes. “We have to go in, I need answers Dakota.”

“Answers for what Gerald? Is it really worth putting yourself through all this emotional pain?” I questioned, almost begging him to reconsider his decision. I didn’t want to see the man I loved put through so much-

Love. Love?

What did I mean love?

“Before, I would have said no. But with you by my side, I think I’ll be strong enough.” He assured me, grabbing my hand in a way he had never done before. A blush hit my face, but the look in his eyes completely drove it away. He needed me to be strong now, or else he couldn’t get whatever he wanted from this broken place, and he would never be complete again.

“Okay Gerald. Let’s go face these demons head on. I’ll be with you every step of the way.” I reassured him, trying my best to give him a strong smile, even if I was dying on the inside from seeing him like this.

“Thank you Dakota, I don’t know what I would do without you.” He muttered genuinely, then pulled me by my hand towards the two grand doors that stood before the extremely dark entrance hall. We passed the fallen doors, the very same doors that the artwork in the Byrathes mansion was based off of, and then we entered what used to be a grand hall.

But it was now only full of skeletons and cobwebs.

“Oh god these are-” I started to say, the very hairs on my arms rising in fear.

“The bodies of everyone, still never removed.” Gerald’s voice cracked as he stopped and looked upon the horror before us. His hand squeezed mine tighter as he shivered slightly. I quickly moved next to him and pushed his face to meet mine.

“Look at me Gerald, they are just skeletons. You can’t do anything to change what happened here. The best thing you can do for these people that died is to live your life. You survived for a reason, so don’t waste it by holding all this guilt inside of you.” I pleaded, as I pulled him closer to me.

All that I wanted to do was warm his cold heart, and bring a smile to his face.

“You just don’t understand Dakota, I was-”

“Might want to reconsider what you’re about to say there Gerald.” A voice came from above, and immediately my senses went into overdrive. Before either of us could react however, a figure dropped onto the ground next to us and blew up a ton of dust at us.

“Gerald, we have to move!” I yelled trying to pull him along, but he simply wouldn’t budge. I glanced in the direction the figure had dropped onto, and the first thing I noticed was two glowing yellow orbs about where I expected eyes to be.

And then the dust disappeared, and revealed a figure in pure black armor, with their face covered. But even through this cover, I knew the two orbs I was seeing were their eyes, something I had never seen before.

“Who are you!?” Gerald yelled, letting go of my hand and pulling two blades from his belt, getting into an attack stance. The figure laughed, then turned to Gerald, but still pulled out no weapons.

“I am The Savior.”

#kortia #dulcet games #zinex #gerald #kortia gerald #kortia fanfic

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seagreen-meets-grey · 4 years

Text

When Lightning Strikes Ch. 9

When your life is nothing but a cloudless sky, lightning can come and strike you so unexpectedly, you won’t even know what hit you.

Or: When Hiccup and Astrid meet, it is as if lightning strikes.

[Chapter 1] [Chapter 2] [Chapter 3] [Chapter 4] [Chapter 5] [Chapter 6] [Chapter 7] [Chapter 8] [Chapter 10] [Chapter 11] [Chapter 12] [Chapter 13] [Chapter 14] [Chapter 15] [Chapter 16] [Chapter 17] [Chapter 18] [Chapter 19] [Chapter 20]

Crossposted on ao3 and ff.net

_______________

“Hey.”

His touch and voice tore Astrid from her thoughts and her mind blanked for a second. Up close, she could see the many freckles on his face and the strands of hair that stood in every direction. When she caught his eyes properly, she steeled herself.

“Hi.”

He started balancing back and forth on his heels, casually putting his hands in the pockets of his jeans, dropping the two packed sandwiches he’d just held. “I thought I saw you at the park yesterday.” He ducked down to pick up his food, coming up with a red face.

“Oh, right. I was…” – running away from you – “in a hurry.”

She watched as he absentmindedly grabbed something from a shelf next to him and ran his fingers over the print. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she registered it was women’s shaving cream.

“Yeah, me, um, me too. I mean–“ He put the item back and ran his hand over his neck and the gesture was so familiar, she wondered how she’d come to learn to associate it with him during the handful of times they met. “I was there with my friend, and… Oh my god, you met him, I’m so sorry, I don’t know what he said to you, he just doesn’t hear how stupid and obnoxious he sounds most of the time, and he doesn’t mean to, at least not usually, and I’m sure he didn’t want to sound like a creep or anything, and I really hope he wasn’t being terrible, because he can actually be nice, and I’m rambling, do you want me to stop talking, I can stop talking, I can – I’ll just stop talking.”

Maybe it was the awkwardness, the hands flying roller coasters through the air, and the genuine concern about annoying her, or maybe it was her lack of sleep from last night, but she couldn’t stop the amused grin from blooming on her face.

“It’s okay, I don’t even remember what he said.” She reached out and gently socked him on the arm. “Haven’t seen you in a while.”

He exhaled in relief and properly smiled at her for the first time. It was that lopsided smile and the kind gleam in his eyes that still kept haunting her in her dreams and fantasies that she just couldn’t seem to ban from her mind, no matter how hard she tried. But she had to make peace with that. She’d had to accept that one of her favorite shows had ended in an, in her opinion, not so perfect way, and she couldn’t do anything about that as well. (If she turned a blind eye, the comparison might even work.)

“It’s been what, one and a half years? How- how’s everything? How’s um… How’s Eret?”

„Good. It’s… We’re good. He’s on a work trip.” Why was she so nervous? Maybe it was the effect of those green eyes and that smile that made her fidgety and stumble over her words.

He was about to respond when she held up her hand in an emergency decision. “Look, I have to go.” Didn’t need to make up a reason, right? “But maybe we can talk later?” She fished her phone from her pocket and created a new contact before handing it to him. “I don’t have much to do this upcoming week and since my best friend is on vacation in Europe, having a friend around would be nice.”

For a moment, he stared at the device a bit dumbfounded, then his fingers tapped a series of digits and he handed it back. “All your friends are on vacation in Europe?”

“No, just that one. But everyone else is kind of busy.” Did that sound like some kind of excuse? She hoped not.

“Oh, okay. Well, I’ve got work, but not all day, so…” Before he could start rambling again, he stopped himself by pressing his lips together and nodding a few times.

Giving herself something to do that didn’t include looking at his soul-searching eyes, she fumbled with her phone, opening up a new chat and typing in a simple “hi” and a friendly emoji. “Check your phone.” Looking up again, she gave him one last smile, then she grabbed the next best item from the next best shelf and brushed past him on her way to the door.

“Um, don’t you want to pay?” he called after her. Right, crap. The cashier looked up from his magazine at Hiccup’s words and watched her warily with narrowed eyes. Wordlessly, she hurried over and fumbled a bill out of her wallet on autopilot, taking the change and stuffing it in the pocket of her pants. Then she left with a quick wave over her shoulder. Hiccup was still standing there, holding his sandwiches in one hand and the other frozen mid-air in a waving gesture.

Only when she was back at the house did she realize she’d bought shaving cream with a raspberry and cheesecake smell. With a groan, she tossed it into her duffle back. She hated that artificially sweet stuff. She’d have to go back to the store to get what she’d actually come for tomorrow. Hopefully, she wouldn’t run into anyone else that she knew.

After several hours had passed and her phone hadn’t chimed once, she huffed and turned it off. Her heart shouldn’t be beating so fast every time she checked it for new messages. She wasn’t a teenager waiting for her crush to text her, although the sentiment didn’t seem too far off, her age aside. But she would rather punch herself in the face than admit it was true. If anything, she was waiting for a friend to contact her. Nothing more.

It was the only truth that she’d ever allowed herself to believe. At times, it sounded almost like a mantra she kept repeating, in yet another sleepless night after she woke from the same old dream. She knew that Eret could tell something was off with her, trying to concentrate on throwing these thoughts and feelings out of her mind and unintentionally growing distant while fighting her inner battle of guilt and stubborn loyalty to her principles. Whenever Eret realized he couldn’t get through to her during these phases, he grew distant himself, and it usually ended in either a big fight or a steamy reconciliation.

She guessed it had only been a matter of time until they’d end up where they were now. But she didn’t want to remind herself of last week, instead nudging her thoughts in a more flowery direction. Like to last winter when she went to Austria, high into the Alpines, feeling like she was in a whole other world. Almost touching the sky, her steps painting shapes into the white wonderland, the air frosty and revitalizing.

Then she came home, back to Eret, back to the life she chose, back to the routine that would slowly make her restless again. Make her feel like there was more to her life than Eret, although she quickly made herself brush that thought aside. For the most time, everything was fine and she was glad she married him. It was what she’d always wanted – a secure life with someone she loved and who she knew loved her, a life she was comfortable and familiar with.

But after a while, that restless feeling would return, and she booked her next ticket. Sometimes, her husband would accompany her on her adventures and they were twenty again, their relationship new and exciting. Other times, however, she went alone, glad to get away from it all. It was like a never-ending cycle of comfortable domesticity and the longing for more.

For some reason, sitting on her parents’ couch, waiting for a text from a guy she shouldn’t be so excited about texting, felt like another adventure, like that something more she was always desperate to reach. It shouldn’t.

She could feel herself drifting off into dangerous territory again, fields upon fields of what-ifs, throwing her about like a churning ocean as soon as she dared to step onto the soil. The only other pressing matter on her mind was no good alternative to mull over, though. It just made the ball of nerves in her stomach tighten until she couldn’t sit still anymore, so she jumped off the couch and went for another run. Maybe, if she drove herself to exhaustion, her mind would become pleasantly blank.

The exercise helped. Soon enough, she could hear her blood pumping through her veins, could feel every short breath in her lungs, every muscle in her body. Her feet were pounding onto the asphalt and dirt paths that lead her all around the neighborhood, until she reached the house again, panting and refreshed despite the sweat running down her skin. She felt right again, like everything was how it was supposed to be.

Only after she took a long shower and dragged dinner with her parents out into the late hours of the day, she turned her phone on again. It chimed, several new messages popping up. None from Eret. A few from Ruffnut, asking for a video chat. One from her assistant trainer, telling her that the Berserkers, their rival swim club from the next town over, had opened up a spot for Berk’s junior team to train in their swimming hall, the small one reserved for the swim club only. It was good news, very good at that. Not only could she finally go swimming again, but her team had the chance to train again as well, to get ready for their next meet with the Berserkers and Bog Burglars.

Taking a deep breath, Astrid put her phone away and rolled onto the other side of the bed, burying her nose in the pillow with the small smile on her lips wavering. No further messages.

_______________

The berries in Hiccup’s sundae were swimming in a sea of melted ice cream, splotches of whipped cream giving the sad picture a moldy flair. Around him, the sound of chatter and spoons clinking against glass provided his ears with white noise; not even the voices of his friends discussing some trivial matter reached his ears.

His eyes were glued to the little text box on the bottom of his phone screen, his fingers hovering above the letters of the virtual keyboard. The screen went dark from inactivity and his reflection stared back at him, adorned by greasy fingerprints in the shape of his unlock pattern.

“Hiccup, you still with us?” The sound of his name finally pulled him out of his thoughts. When he looked up, three pairs of eyes were looking at him expectantly.

“Huh?”

“You kind of spaced out there for a while.” Fishlegs pointed at the phone in his hands, trying to get a look at the screen but giving up when he saw it was dark.

“Oh. Sorry. I was just… Never mind.” He laid his phone next to his sundae and started stirring the warm, sugary soup with the long spoon, frowning at the viscous consistency. Just when he had brought himself to eat a spoonful of ice cream soup, his phone chimed and he dropped the spoon as if it were burning hot. It fell back into the sundae, splashing purple-pinkish soup on his shirt.

His shoulders sagged when he saw it was a text from his dad, replying to his last message with a simple thumbs up. With a sigh, he went back to stirring his soup, ignoring the curious looks of his friends.

“Did something happen?” Fishlegs asked, concern lining his voice. “Are you waiting for an important call?”

Hiccup shrugged in the most casual way he could. “Nah. It’s just the old question of who’s going to text first, me or her.”

His friend’s face lit up in understanding, then went back to a slight frown. “I thought you quit online dating.”

“I did.”

Leaning forward, Heather pushed her empty sundae cup away from her and placed her elbows on the small table. “Enlighten us. We want details.”

Hiccup sighed. “It’s not like that. She’s… a friend.” Heather didn’t look convinced in the slightest, her eyes boring into him like an aggressive x-ray. He quickly turned to the man sitting next to her. “So, Cam. How was London?”

Cam, a young man with blonde hair that went down to his shoulders, scratched his beard as he put on a reminiscent smile. “Not as rainy as we thought.”

“As you thought,” Heather interrupted him and set her eyes back on Hiccup. “And you stop changing the topic!”

But Hiccup kept his attention stubbornly on Cam. “Heather mentioned you guys saw Romeo and Juliet at the theater?”

With a wary glance at Heather who was still not done with the subject, Cam nodded. “The interpretation was a little unusual, with a lot of slang and modern topics. Not quite the classic Shakespeare experience, but it was a really funny performance.” He grinned. “During an intermission, there was this group of teens who asked me if I was related to Kurt Cobain.”

“What did you tell them?” Fishlegs asked.

“I wanted to spin some story, but then someone,” he threw a pointed glance at Heather, “butted in and had lots of fun talking about how I just needed a haircut.”

“You’re welcome,” Heather said in a sugar-sweet voice, prompting a discussion over Cam’s hair that Hiccup didn’t bother listening to. He was too pre-occupied with trying to find a nice way to draft a text message in his head. What was he supposed to say to her? Did she even want him to text her? Maybe she’d given him a fake number so he’d leave her alone. Despite the warm weather, he suddenly felt cold.

“Earth to Hiccup, you’re doing it again.” Apparently, Hiccup’s crisis over texting a girl was more interesting than Cam’s Kurt Cobain hair. Such a pity.

Once again, the attention of the whole group was on him, and he knew that especially Heather wouldn’t give up until he told her what his problem was. He shoved his phone back in his pocket where it would hopefully stop haunting him, at least for the moment, and rolled his eyes. “Like I said, she’s a friend and we’re not dating.”

“Yet,” Cam commented but Hiccup pointedly ignored him.

“Then why are you so nervous about texting her?” Fishlegs asked.

Hiccup scratched his neck. “It’s complicated.”

“Why?”

One look at his friends and their attentive expressions and he realized he wasn’t going to get out of this so easily. He fiddled with the paper napkin under the sundae cup, ripping off a piece and rolling it to a ball between two fingers. “Because,” he mumbled, so quiet the others had to lean in to understand him, “she’s in a relationship and we have something like history, mostly on my part.”

“Oh,” said Cam.

“History?” it came from Fishlegs.

“What kind of relationship?” asked Heather, her eyes narrowed, the answer already in the back of her mind, poking at the surface behind a suspicious expression.

Hiccup sighed. The only person who hadn’t been there when the whole Astrid fiasco had started was Cam, and he didn’t feel like explaining the entire thing to him. So he just threw Fishlegs and Heather a meaningful look and clarified, “I mean that she’s married.”

“Oh,” said Cam again, none the wiser.

“Oh,” said Fishlegs, knowingly, and with a pitying frown.

Heather rolled her eyes. “You’ve got to be kidding me. Still?!”

About nine months ago, Heather had called him one night, and the next morning they’d gone out for breakfast and talked for hours. About them, their relationship, the past, the future. He had told her the whole Astrid story and she had listened. She had apologized for being so harsh to him, but she’d been hurting, and Hiccup knew that. She also told him about her recent breakup and it had felt like something heavy had been lifted off his chest when they’d talked it out and realized that after all this time, they were still friends. It was that day that Hiccup noticed the guy shyly looking at her from a few desks over every once in a while, his long blonde hair falling into his face.

“Yes, still, unfortunately. I can’t exactly turn that off, you know.”

“Stop sassing me, Hiccup, and tell us what happened.”

“Less than you think,” he said and recounted his two encounters with her over the past two days.

“Just that we’re clear,” Fishlegs started when he was done, “we are talking about Astrid Hofferson, right?”

“Yes,” Hiccup and Heather confirmed in unison.

“Who?” asked Cam.

“The reason Hiccup and I broke up.”

“Hey!” Hiccup exclaimed. “You know that’s not all true.”

“Weeeeell…” it came from Fishlegs in a high-pitched voice, prompting Hiccup to roll his eyes.

“She wasn’t the whole reason, just the catalyst.” He nodded in Heather’s direction. “And you know that.”

“Yeah yeah, whatever, it’s in the past,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “Fact is, you can’t keep waiting for a girl who’s as unavailable to you as her. She’s married, Hiccup. She made her choice. Move on.”

“But what if she likes him too?” Fishlegs threw in.

“Then she’s still married. And it wouldn’t be Hiccup’s problem, it would be hers.”

“It would still concern him,” Cam countered. “And isn’t it his problem already?”

“Well, yes,” Heather said, “but it wouldn’t be his choice to make, is what I mean.”

Hiccup wiped a hand over his face. “Then what do I do?”

Heather shrugged. “Easy. If you still feel like you need to, you text her a universal ��hey, how are you’ and then you move on with someone else. My brother’s been seeing this guy for fun recently, no strings attached, and it helped him move on from his previous relationship. Maybe that’s something you could try, just hook up for sex, without any hopes or expectations going in, and maybe you’ll find someone you really like.”

“You brother is gay?” Fishlegs asked, slight surprise coating his voice. “I didn’t know that.”

“Took him a while to figure it out, but yeah, very gay.”

“Honestly,” Hiccup murmured, “that doesn’t surprise me in the least.”

“Right?” Heather chuckled. “So, what do you think? Have meaningless sex and find some love?”

Hiccup’s smile disappeared. “I tried to date other people, Heather. It never worked out. I just can’t forget her.”

“That’s why I said go in without expectations, because you’ll immediately start comparing the poor girl to someone you can never have.”

“First of all, how is me going in without trying to fall in love with someone going to help me forget Astrid? Second, I’m not the guy for casual hookups. I want something real, and no matter on how many dates I go, no matter how much effort I put into moving on, I can’t find that with anyone else because all I can think of is her.”

Especially now, with the invisible weight of her phone number in his pocket. He flopped back into his chair, suddenly exhausted. He’d lain awake for hours last night, contemplating whether it was actually a good idea or not to text her, the tips of his fingers tingling from simply reading her name in his contacts and the simple ‘hi’ she’d texted him to give him her number. Which she’d done on purpose, which in return had to mean something, didn’t it? And she had basically asked him to be her friend…

Cam let out a low whistle. “Sounds like you have it bad, man.”

“I collectively only spent about six hours with her, and I fell in love with her.”

Heather huffed. “Oh, please. In love? What’s her favorite color?”

“Blue,” he answered quick like a shot. “But she also likes soft gold tones.”

“Did she tell you that or are you just guessing?”

Suddenly taken aback, Hiccup racked his brain for the memory and came up short. “I don’t…” He couldn’t remember her ever sharing this particular piece of information with him, and yet he was so sure that he knew. How?

“Look, there’s no logical explanation for why I feel this way. But it… It’s like…” Gesticulating, he searched for the right words. “It’s like I’m the land of the dinosaurs and she’s the meteor that crashed and changed everything. Like I’m a ghost town and she’s the magic that strikes like lightning and creates new life.”

Cam was picturing his words, Fishlegs nodded the way he did when reading and trying to understand poetry, and Heather just raised an eyebrow at the analogies.

“And now… Now I have the chance to truly get to know her, even if all I can ever get from her is friendship.”

Heather considered this for a moment. “You’re really serious about this, aren’t you.” He nodded with a grave smile. “But you don’t even know her.”

“Maybe if he gets to know her,” Fishlegs pondered, “he’ll realize that she’s not that great.”

“Maybe,” Heather mused. “And then you’ll get over your infatuation.”

“You’re always so supportive.”

“Hey, I’m just looking out my friend because I don’t like to see him hurting.”

“The same goes for me,” Fishlegs added. “If you think it will make you happier to text her than to cut her from your life completely, I think you should just do it.”

Cam fished his phone out of his jacket, pulled up a video and wordlessly held it in Hiccup’s direction. “JUST DO IT!” Shia LaBeouf screamed at him. Heather pinched the bridge of her nose in fond exasperation.

Fishlegs gave him two encouraging thumbs up. “Just text her hi.”

Hiccup looked between his three friends, ignoring Shia who was still screaming at him, and willed the ball of nerves in his stomach to go away. It was just a text, a simple electronic message that he probably attributed more meaning to than it actually held. He could still back out. Could resolve to hearing about Astrid and her life from Heather who’d know from Dagur who’d know from Eret…

But the prospect of a life completely devoid of her felt worse to him than just being her friend with the additional pain of never being able to be with her the way he wanted to, although that would go with the first option as well. So maybe getting to know her was the only way to go from here, since being without her hadn’t been of any help so far. And maybe, even though he doubted it with all he had, he would get over her as soon as he knew her better.

He took out his phone and weighed it in his hand for a minute, like weighing out his options, until Heather snatched it from him. “I still don’t like the thought of you getting hurt through this more than the other way, but…” She held the device directly in front of his face. “Just goddamn text her so you can get to know her and stop putting her on a pedestal.”

Taking a deep breath, he unlocked his phone, pulled up his chats, selected hers, and before he could overthink it, he typed in a simple ‘hello’ and a smiley face and hit send. Only a few seconds passed until he started wondering if perhaps he should have send more, like an explanation why he waited a day to text her, or his name because she’d already deleted his number, and that reminded him that this might not even be her real number and he was already spiraling.

“Did you do it?” He glanced up at Fishlegs who was once more trying to get a peek of his phone screen. Hiccup decidedly turned it off and shoved it back into his pocket.

“Yes.” He pointed at the warm ice cream soup before him. “And now I need another one of these.”

It was late when he turned his phone back on, the nerves in his stomach tangled like his father’s knitting yarn after his cat had declared it its mortal enemy that had to be defeated in a life or death encounter.

The breath in his lungs turned to stone when his notifications appeared. A couple new mails, ads from applications he never deleted, and a handful of new texts he skimmed with lightning speed. Group chats, colleagues, Snotlout, Cam with a Nirvana gif and the same old Shia video, and– the frown on his face turned into a wide smile. One new text from Astrid.

#httyd #hiccstrid #fanfiction #hiccup haddock #astrid hofferson #fishlegs ingerman #heather #when lightning strikes #modern au #a bit of angst with a dash of drama #or the other way around #maja writes #ff #fanfic #how to train your dragon

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ericsonclan · 3 years

Text

A Flowery, Perfect Picnic

Summary: Renata and Minnie go on a double date with Clementine and Louis to the perfect picnic spot.

Word Count: 2167

Read on AO3:

Renata hummed happily as she led the way into the forest. Her fingers intertwined with Minnie’s, the huldra swung their joined arms playfully. The harpy looked over at her girlfriend with a soft smile.

“So, this spot? Are we getting close?” Clementine’s voice made the huldra look back at the human who was walking hand in hand with the frankenstein.

“Yep! You two are gonna love this spot! It's perfect for double dates!” Renata smiled, her fangs poking out a little bit. Her fox tail shuffled around underneath her deep red riding hood cloak.

“The pond is really beautiful,” Minnie added and gently squeezed Renata’s hand.

“I can’t wait!” Louis grinned happily, his dreadlocks swayed with his movements while they traversed through the forest.

“Yeah, when you two invited us on Monday we were pleasantly surprised. Both Lou and I have been counting the days till Saturday. Now that the day is finally here, I can’t wait for flower crowns, picnics, swimming...”

“Yep! I got us the best flowers money could buy!” The frankenstein held up a flower basket he was carrying and displayed it with a smile.

“And I have the tastiest food and snacks in all of Richmond right here!” The huldra shook the picnic basket. “Well, besides me,” Renata had a flirty smile on her face and she stopped and got on her tiptoes for a second to kiss Minnie’s cheek. The harpy made a chirp that was slightly higher than normal while her face grew light red. Renata smiled, proud with herself as she continued to guide them through the forest.

The four of them continued to talk casually as they strolled through the woods. Minnie took the lead at the last section of the walk where three large rocks led up to a new path. Flapping her wings, she hovered above Renata who handed over the picnic basket along with the basket of flowers. The harpy clutched both baskets in her talons then soared up and glided to the top of the rock structure.

“Alrighty, here comes the fun part!” Renata grinned and dashed forward. With a hop she began to scamper up the rock structure. A few worried twitters and tweets escaped Minnie’s lips as she watched her girlfriend taking the riskier route. “Don’t worry, Min! I’m a pro at this! I-” The huldra’s words were cut short when she lost her footing and fell backwards. A frantic chirp left Minnie’s lips as she dove down and wrapped her talons around Renata’s arms. After a few seconds the huldra was safely up on the top of the rock structure.

“Are you okay?” Minnie looked at her girlfriend with concern.

“Yep! My cloak didn’t even get damaged,” She grinned until she saw the frown on Minnie’s lips and that her feathers were ruffled.

“You didn’t have to take the risky route.”

“Sorry, Minipie.” Renata took her girlfriend’s hand and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. “I’ll be more careful, promise.” Her words made a smile reappear on Minnie’s face as her feathers began to unruffle.

Clementine and Louis watched the couple for a moment before sharing a look.

“Do you wanna go first, milady?” Louis gave a bow and his head tilted slightly off. Clementine quickly helped him readjust it with a laugh.

“Sure, I’ll find us the safest path,” The human walked forward and began to climb the rock structure. Her hands found the best cracks in the rocks to secure her climb up the rocks. Louis soon followed behind her and went up the same path she did. Clementine was quickly up on the top of the rock structure.

“Need a hand?” Clementine reached out and grabbed Louis’ hand, pulling him up a bit too fast and causing their faces to end up extremely close. Both of them blushed before Louis kissed Clem’s nose. He gave a playful smile that soon faltered into a shy one as he looked away. Clementine leaned forward and kissed his cheek softly before grabbing his hand and continuing on.

“I hope you two are ready for the ultimate double date spot!” Renata declared as she walked through to a clearing beside a river. Louis and Clementine’s eyes grew large as they stared in awe of the location. The clearing was covered in beautiful green grass and small white flowers. The river’s water shone in the sunlight as the quiet waters moved downstream. Surrounding all sides of the river were tall, sturdy trees that complemented the setting.

“Whoa! Renata, this is perfect!” Louis smiled brightly at his friend who seemed proud of her choice for a date spot. Clementine was about to speak when her stomach let out a low gurgling sound before ending with a high pitched squeak. Everyone was silent for a moment before laughing.

“I guess I’m pretty hungry,” Clementine scratched the back of her head with a small smile.

“Say no more, my darling. We will set up the best picnic spot ever!”

Louis and Renata high fived and quickly ran forward to get to work. Louis busied himself kicking away pebbles while the huldra tossed up the picnic blanket and accidentally covered the frankenstein’s head.

“Oops, sorry,” Renata lifted up the picnic blanket once more and successfully placed it down. Soon Clementine and Minnie had joined them and helped with the rest of the setup. Once it was all placed, Renata began to distribute the food she had made for the picnic.

“For my sparky friend, I made some tasty peanut butter, honey and banana sandwiches,” The huldra held up the sandwich bag then tossed it over to Louis. The frankenstein smiled at his sandwiches. “For my Minaroni I made some peanut butter and fried worm sandwiches.” “Thanks, babe,” Minnie leaned over and kissed Renata’s cheek then took the sandwiches.

“Oh, and I packed some beetle chips too,” That statement made the harpy let out excited twitters.

“You’re the best!”

Minnie’s words made Renata grin widely as her tail curled into the shape of a question mark. “Thank you, thank you.” Renata glanced over and caught the look in Clementine’s eyes. Clementine had been hoping that maybe she would get some peanut butter and fried worm sandwiches. She had tried one before and she was pleasantly surprised when she discovered that it was actually delicious. Clementine doubted that Renata had picked on that fact though.

“Clemmy, surprise sandwich attack!” The huldra tossed a pack of sandwiches over at Clementine who was startled and tossed the sandwiches back and forth in her hands before catching them. Looking down, she noticed that her friend had packed her two different sandwiches: a ham and cheese one as well as peanut butter and fried worm sandwich. The human looked up to see the knowing smile Renata had on her face.

“I knew that you like PB & W sandwiches too,” Renata grabbed her rabbit sandwiches and began to chow down while Minnie and Louis worked to get out the rest of the goodies. With the fruit, juice boxes and chips also out to eat, the four all started to chow down. All of them talked and laughed as they ate their lunch and soon all that was left were some crumbs.

“That was delicious, Ren,” Minnie smiled over at her girlfriend.

“Yeah, it was tasty,” Clem leaned back and adjusted her hat to shield her face from the sun.

“My compliments to the chef,” Louis dramatically shot out his hand to Renata but the sudden movement made his arm pop off and go flying through the air.

"Dibs!” Renata hopped up to her feet while Minnie tsked and frowned that her girlfriend had called it first. The huldra ran after the frankenstein’s arm and with a leap she caught it in the air. Renata’s cape fluttered as she strode back. “Ta-da!” Renata spit out the arm and passed it back to her friend.

“Thanks,” Louis caught his arm and began to put it back in place. He had ended up putting in on backwards though and the three waited to see if he’d pick up on that fact. It took Louis a few seconds to realize he had put it on wrong. With a few spins and another popping noise he secured it back in place.

“Should we start the next part of the date?” Clementine leaned forward and glanced over at the flower basket.

“Yes!” Minnie exclaimed a bit too loudly and quickly cleared her throat as a series of embarrassed twitters escaped her lips. Her talons began to claw at the dirt.

“Min loves flower crowns!” Renata leaned over and wrapped her girlfriend in a hug. “So I’m gonna make her the best flower crown!”

Minnie smiled at those words. “I’m gonna make the best one for you too.”

“Well if it's a competition, then get ready losers, because you’re all about to lose,” Clementine grabbed the sunflowers from the basket.

“Yeah, I’m gonna make Clem look like a nature goddess!” Louis snatched up the red tulips and began to put all of his concentration into making the ultimate flower crown. Clementine was blushing at her boyfriend’s declaration and quickly got to work in hopes that no one would tease or comment on it. But the other couple was more focused on Louis’ words than her blush.

“If anyone is a nature goddess here, it’s Renata!” Minnie’s feathers ruffled and she focused on using the Mexican roses to make a beautiful flower crown for her girlfriend. Her face was hidden from the others as she’d overwhelmed herself from her own outburst.

“Min, that's so sweet!” Renata peppered Minnie’s face with kisses then began to focus on her gladiolus flower crown. The four kept up the competitive talk about flower crowns while their fingers worked to intertwine the different flower stems together. Clementine was the first to finish and held up the sunflower crown with pride.

“A sunflower crown for my sunflower,” She placed the crown on Louis’ head then kissed his cheek. The frankenstein smiled brightly and his eyes sparkled in awe and love.

“Yours will be done in just a second,” Louis grabbed Clem’s hand and gave it a few quick kisses then got back to work on the tulip crown. His tongue stuck out slightly in concentration. The frankenstein wasn’t the next one to finish though. That honor had gone to Minnie.

“Here you go, Ren,” Minnie gently placed the Mexican rose crown on her girlfriend’s head then cupped her face and gave a soft kiss. Renata’s tail moved around happily, brushing against Minnie’s talons.

“Ha ha! I’m not last!” Louis smiled with pride. “Behold,” The frankenstein placed the tulip crown on Clementine’s head. “My nature goddess.” Clementine felt her face grow hot and with one quick look at Louis she could tell that he was overwhelmed as well.

“I love it,” Clementine reached out and took Louis’ hand.

After another minute or two the huldra had finished her crown. “For the queen of my heart!” Renata placed the red gladiolus crown onto Minnie’s head then stole a kiss. Minnie’s face soon became as red as her flower crown. The two couples sat around and complimented each other’s flower crown making skills while they enjoyed the nature around them.

“So, wanna go for a swim?” The huldra asked as she sat in Minnie’s lap. She looked at her friends then up at her girlfriend.

“Sounds fun,” Minnie giggled when Renata kissed her chin.

“Yeah, I could go for a dip,” Clementine hugged Louis closer to her.

“Oh? A dip you say?” Louis hopped up and pulled up Clementine with him. “ A dip like this!” He dipped Clementine who rolled her eyes goodnaturedly then looked up with the warmest smile. The two moved closer when suddenly Louis’ arms fell off, dropping Clementine. “Clem!”

“I’m okay, Lou. My ass is just sore,” Clementine picked up her boyfriend’s arms and popped them back on for him.

“Some cool water will help with that,” Renata stood up and took off her cloak, placing it down.

All of them had put on their swimsuits before in case they wanted to go swimming. Louis stood proudly in his thunderbolt swim trunks before a blush appeared on his face when he saw Clementine’s pink bikini.

“Min, you mind?’ Renata held out the plastic wrap. Minnie nodded and began to wrap it around Renata’s waist to cover the hole in her back. The harpy tried to not get overwhelmed by being so close to Renata while she wore her lime green bikini. Once that was set Minnie tossed off her shirt showing her dark blue bikini top. Adjusting her white sport shorts, Minnie grabbed Renata’s hand and ran forward. The two laughed as they got into the cool river water.

“We can’t miss out on the fun!” Louis took Clementine’s hand and sprinted forward as well. The four swam around, enjoying the nice water as they finished up their double date. It really was the perfect picnic spot.

#twdg #twdg clementine #twdg louis #twdg minnie #twdg renata #twdg minata #clouis #fanfic #we are monsters we are proud au

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curseburdened · 4 years

Photo

CHARACTER BASICS.

name: alastor amais moody

nickname: moody

age: thirty-five

gender: cis male

ethnicity: half filipino, half white

nationality: scottish

pronouns: he/him

education: hogwarts ( gryffindor )

occupation: auror

hometown: edinburgh

current location: hogsmeade

affiliation: the order of the phoenix

blood status: pureblood

CHARACTER APPEARANCE:

face claim: bob morley

height: 5′10

weight: 161 pounds

hair colour: black

eye colour: brown

dominant hand: right

distinguishing features:

a wooden left leg

various facial scars

MAGICAL EXTRAS.

patronus: black stallion

wand: ten inches, blackthorn with a unicorn hair core

boggart: his disappointed parents

hogwarts house: gryffindor

amortentia: the smell of freshly brewed tea and smoke

PERSONALITY.

positive traits:

+ confident, indomitable, and courageous

negative traits:

- paranoid, reclusive, and blunt

goals/desires:

seeing the true end of the war

finding peace

fears:

outliving more members of the order

caring about people too much

mbti: istj

hobbies: reading

habits: gripping his wand tightly in his sleep

FAMILY.

father: amais moody †

mother: marisol moody née cruz †

siblings: none

next of kin: unknown

HISTORY:

amais moody was a man with something to prove. his parents had been aurors, as had his grandparents, and so on and so forth for as long as the family could remember. it came as no surprise whenever he stepped up into the position of being an auror, and even less of a surprise when he left his mark in the field.

marisol cruz, however, she was a different story. although she’d come from a pureblooded wizarding family in the philipines, they were wand makers, not aurors. her family expected her to follow in suit, or to simply marry up and spend her days rearing children. neither of those options were appealing to the witch, so, as soon as she had graduated, she relocated to scotland and got a fresh start, and started the necessary training to be an auror.

as time went on, marisol and amais became well known in their own rights in the wizarding community. the more time they spent together, the closer they became, and sparks began to fly between the pair. amais claimed the day he knew she was the one was the day she beat him in a duel and held her wand to his throat. the pair finally married in their fourties, and had alastor two years later.

born the child of two renowned aurors, alastor moody had a lot to live up to. though, in his earlier years he was a softer boy, bright and full of life, desperate for his parents adoration and attention. while his mother provided it in droves when she can, his father always pushed him away. ever-persistent, the little boy never let himself be deterred, trying effortlessly for his attention, even if that meant simply being shooed away after the slightest sign of acknowledgment. as a young child, his mother was the star of his universe, and his father, his father was a faraway planet he just couldn’t seem to reach.

despite the lack of attention, he received from his father, his childhood felt like a dream. of course, all dreams come to an end, and for alastor the dream ended whenever he was eight years old. marisol and amais had left on a mission in the early afternoon, marisol taking the time to kiss her son on the forehead, and his father even bothering to pat him on the shoulder before they left the cottage. they promised they’d be back that evening, and that they’d be back in time to put him to bed. the neighbor woman who was watching him waited until the latest hour she could before tucking him under the covers and promising to wake him when his parents arrived. stubborn as ever, he was resigned to stay awake until they came home, and at a little past one in the morning he heard the door to the cottage open and he sleepily scrambled to his doorway. standing there was his father, in a soaking wet cloak, and a somber look on his face. alastor tilted his head, looking for his mother’s smaller frame, but he didn’t see it. then his father shut the door, and walked over to the woman alone and spoke in hushed whispers. the witch covered her mouth, and the tears in her eyes spoke volumes, though the young wizard was deaf to them. whenever his father turned toward him, he moved back to his bed, hiding under the covers. he heard his father come to the doorway, and stand there for a moment. his father called his name, but he was to afraid to speak. his father repeated his name one more time, and then he shut the door. the next morning alastor would find out that his mother was gone, killed in the line of duty. but for that night, the dream had still existed, and he was able to believe, if only for a few hours later, that his mother would be coming home and everything would be the way it always was.

after marisol was gone, amais made more time for alastor. in his grief, his father clinged to the one piece of wife he had left, and alastor clung to the father he still had. the next three years passed in a blur for the pair, and then it was time for the younger moody to go to school, and the disconnect between the two began once more. there was an awkward handshake on the platform of 9 ¾, and he was off to school.

his time at hogwarts was rather unremarkable for the first few years. he wrote his father, made friends, and went through the motions. he was a good student, studied his books late into the night, and tried to stay out of trouble. though, when trouble arised, he was more than willing to stand his own. he looked out for the other members of his house, and of his year, and those younger than him, and even those above him when necessary. he wasn’t willing to stand by and let innocents get hurt, and these moments cost the house points, and on more than one occasion, led to disciplinary actions, but all of them were worth it to him, and earned the moody a reputation as a duelist in his later years.

all throughout school, alastor had struggled with the idea of what he would do after his seventh year. everyone expected him to follow in his father’s footsteps, in his mother’s footsteps, but there was always an ounce of hesitation coming from the wizard. while his skills were suited for the career, hell, some said it ran in his blood, he also wanted to be his man, follow his own path. he was his mother’s son, and he’d started to investigate careers for his other talents, and he’d nearly been convinced he wasn’t going to be an auror up until the winter break of his seventh year. his father had sat with him in front of the fire in the cottage that was filled with memories, and they’d just finished dinner when his father asked him what his intentions were. alastor froze for just a moment, debating if he should say what he wanted to say, or what his father wanted him to say, but looking into the mans tired eyes, he lied. auror. he said he wanted to be an auror, and watching the way amais’ eyes lit up, it was worth it. he told himself he could do it, if not for him, for his father. little did he know, it was the last time he would see his father, and he went back to hogwarts the next morning on his own, oblivious to the future tragedy he was going to ednure.

alastor is preparing to go home, and start the next chapter of his life when he recieves the news. it’s a formal letter from the ministry, and in flowery words it explains the end of the great amais moody. it’d been a mission, he’d been ambushed. it took four men to bring him down, he should find comfort in the fact his father hadn’t suffered though, and that he’d fought hard until the end. it isn’t pride the moody feels, instead, he doesn’t feel much of anything. the pain doesn’t come until later, and when it does, it hits him like a freight train. grief, anger, and the feeling of being completely and utterly alone.

as they bury his father, and everyone speaks about what a fine man he was, and all the good he and his wife had done, alastor can’t think of any of that. he can’t remember all the love and affection his mother smothered him in, he doesn’t remember the three years he’d shared with his father after his mother passed, or the pats on his shoulders. he didn’t remember the letters they’d exchanged, or the pride in his fathers eyes whenever he’d announced his intentions to become an auror. in those moments, in the graveyard, all he remembers his father’s last promise, and his mother’s last promise. the promise that they’d go home when it was all done, and everything would be okay. maybe they meant it, maybe everything could have turned out differently, but none of that mattered. it was then that alastor moody became a skeptic, and it was then that alastor vowed never to make a promise he couldn’t keep at any cost, and the bright little boy he’d once been disappeared forever.

in his twenties, alastor fufills the promise he had made his father and secures the future of the moody legacy for yet another generation. he doesn’t marry though, hell, he doesn’t even look for anyone, if anything he pushes them away. he buries himself in his work, and it becomes his everything. protecting the innocent, locking up the criminals, and protecting the wizarding world. no matter what kind of day he has, the wins, or the loses that they endure, the job is always there to welcome him home, and he’s ready to drown in it.

the job was everything, until trouble began to brew, and suddenly it wasn’t all that mattered. the order mattered. the wizards mattered. the loses start to matter, and he starts to feel again. he starts to worry, and care again. he has allies, friends that aren’t his flask again. when it’s announced the war is over, he is skepitcal at best, and he keeps his wand at the ready. he has a family again, and he won’t lose this one, no matter what it takes.

#injury tw #death tw #• alastor moody

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