#how many duke gifs do you need? this many. thanks for asking

[nyrasproblm]

can you write a stilgar fic where the reader is Paul’s aunt (Leto’s younger sister) and how he likes her and gets her to like him too? Thank you so much also love you writing 💖💖😃

Hey, hope you like 🤍 I got a little too emotional about this one

The dunes erase the sadness

Stilgar x reader (+ bonus paul x platonic!reader (aunt))

Word Count: 1,6K

Warning: mention of character death

It has only been a few weeks since the down of your house and the death of Leto, your older brother. There wasn't a day that went by that you didn't think about him. Life in the desert was not easy, living your whole life one way and being forced to live another way was a nightmare.

You had studied Arrakis and the Fremen beforehand, of course, but theory is very different from practice. What comforted you was knowing that you weren't the only one, your nephew Paul and Lady Jessica also had their own difficulties.

The Fremen weren't exactly very welcoming towards you and your family, but luckily their leader was. Stilgar strongly believed that your nephew was the messiah, Lisan al-Gaib, the voice of the outside world. You didn't believe this, these ideas were planted in their heads by the Bene Gesserit, to ensure submission through faith. But you didn't get involved in these matters, you were focused on surviving and staying close to what was left of your family.

In addition to teaching your nephew and talking to Lady Jessica about the prophecy, Stilgar also turned his eyes to you, always after teaching Paul something he would come to you. He always had a spontaneous smile on his lips directed at you, he used to sit and talk for several minutes about the mysteries of Arrakis to you. It bothered you before, you were too focused on the pain of losing your brother and having someone almost constantly around talking non-stop was irritating.

You avoided crossing paths with him so he wouldn't be interested in talking to you, but you started to feel bad about doing so when he gave you a fremkit as a gift.

"Why are you giving me this?" you asked, looking at him and the gift.

"It's a gift, to show my admiration for you." he said in a hoarse voice, opening a happy smile.

"Admiration? Why do you admire me?"

"You are very strong, like your nephew and Lady Jessica. Your family was destroyed and you should be dead, but you survived and are persisting to remain." He placed his hand on yours.

You felt your stomach drop and pushed the fremkit back towards him.

"I don't want it."

You didn't wait to see his reaction, you turned and walked away.

Stilgar couldn't describe how he felt exactly, he was very excited about Lisan al-Gaib's arrival, with the prophecy coming true, and he also felt his heart beat faster when he looked at you. He had seen many things in his life, but you were by far the most beautiful thing his eyes had ever seen.

He had gone to the Palace to speak with Duke Leto as soon as his family arrived on Arrakis, and he could confirm that you were a lot like him. You carried the same determined and kind air as your brother, Stilgar could feel the pain radiating from you. It was not customary for the Fremen to remain in mourning for long, but he understood you.

You had something, something that pulled Stilgar towards you, he wanted to be close to you, tell you stories about the Fremen, about Arrakis, he wanted to share his teachings, he wanted to see you smile. But even though he was drawn to you like a magnet, he saw that you didn't want that close, he respected that and tried to be as gentle as possible. He wasn't sad when you turned down his gift, he knew he needed to give you more time and space.

Stilgar realized that you preferred tasks that kept you within the sietch, away from the sand dunes and the battles with the Harkonnen. He instructed one of the women to guide you in your task, which was basically producing some tunics, and so you spent your weeks, he saw you from afar, your gaze determined, your hands red from the effort of weaving. He smiled as he passed through the common areas and saw you interacting with the Fremen women, who seemed to welcome you better now.

To Stilgar, you were like a feeling of something good, like when you feel very tired but remember that when you get home you can lie down, or shade after walking in the hot sun for hours, or water when you're thirst. When he and Paul lead the attacks against the Harkonnen and he feels very tired he remembers you, he remembers that he was doing this to protect his people and to protect you, then his energies are renewed.

You were heading back to the side of the cave that had a bed meant for you when Paul came excitedly walking towards you, you immediately broke into a smile. Paul was one of the things your brother left for you.

"Aunt! I crossed the desert alone today." he walked over and gave you a tight hug, pulled away and held your arms. "Alone!"

"That's exciting, congratulations." you smiled brightly. "I'm proud of you."

Paul smiled wider and squeezed you into his arms before pulling away again, looking at you expectantly.

"Stilgar said tomorrow is my last test, I'm going to ride a sandworm, a Shai-hulud." he continued excitedly. "I want you to come see me, you will, won't you?"

You opened your mouth not knowing what to say. To see him ride the worm you would have to leave the sietch, you would have to wear a stillsuit, you would have to enter worm territory. You hadn't done this since the day Leto died, it was still an open wound.

"Paul..."

"Aunt, please." he looked at you the same way he looked at you when he was younger. You could see Leto in his eyes.

"Okay, fine."

Stilgar was excited to see Paul riding a Shai-Hulud, he was walking through the sietch, getting ready to leave, but as he turned one of the cavernous hallways he saw your back turned, in one of the far corners of the common area. You seemed to have difficulty connecting some parts of your stillsuit due to the impatient movements you made.

"Did the stillsuit did anything to you? There's no need to treat it roughly." he joked, but stopped smiling the moment you turned to him, face distorted into a sad expression, tears streaming down.

You stood there, eyes slightly wide as the tears continued to flow. Stilgar slowly approached and brought his hands to your face.

"No, no, don't cry, my beautiful flower." he wiped your tears with his calloused fingers and brought them to his lips quickly. "What happened, why are you crying?"

You swallowed and sighed.

"Going back to the desert and putting on this outfit reminds me of my brother's death." you held your breath to prevent any more tears from falling.

Stilgar pulled you against him and you stood still for a moment until he rubbed your back. Then you laid your head on his shoulder and wrapped your arms around him, breathing deeply.

He held you against him for a moment, then pulled you away and cupped your face in his hands again, resting his forehead against yours.

"We shouldn't cry for our dead, beautiful flower. Your brother rests in the stars now." he murmured. "You must honor his memory, not mourn his passing."

You pulled away and faced him, the stillsuit tube stuck to his cheek, his strong features, his blue eyes made by the spice. Stilgar's eyes held a lot, you could see it. Spending a lot of time with Jessica had taught you a lot, even if you weren't a Bene Gesserit. You could see the affection Stilgar felt for you.

You quickly pulled away from him and finished wiping away the traces of your tears.

"Paul should be waiting for us."

You watched with your mouth open as Paul summoned and ride the largest sandworm the Fremen had ever seen. Even Stilgar seemed impressed, Paul was congratulated, and the sietch was filled with laughter and voices congratulating your nephew.

At a certain point you left the sietch and walked just a few meters away, a safe distance, but where you knew you would be alone, so you sat down on the sand, closed your eyes and took a deep breath.

You stayed like that until you heard footsteps approaching and someone sitting on the sand next to you. You knew it was Stilgar without even opening your eyes. The two of you remained in a comfortable silence for a few minutes.

"If I'm bothering you, you can kick me out." his low, deep voice spoke from beside you.

"Kick out the leader? I'm not crazy." You let out a giggle and opened your eyes, turning your face to look at him. You fixed your eyes on him and he didn't look away or look away, he remained looking into your eyes. "I think I like looking at you."

Stilgar remained silent, then moved closer to you and placed his lips against your forehead.

"If you only knew how much I enjoy looking at you, beautiful flower." he sighed.

In a quick movement, you lifted your face and pressed your lips to his, feeling them dry from the constant heat, but you didn't mind, you wrapped one of your arms around his shoulder and pulled him closer. He held you by the back of your neck gently and let you deepen the kiss.

"Let's look at each other for eternity then." you whispered as you pulled away from him.

He let out a chuckle and remained with his eyes closed, rubbing his nose against your cheek and moving away, opening his eyes. Stilgar directed his gazeto your eyes, he could still see the sadness lingering in them, he looked to the sea of dunes in front of you.

"The dunes have seen many things, they store many things, they take them from us and they keep them. They will take away your sadness and keep it, beautiful flower. The dunes erase the sadness and keep it for themselves." he said looking at the horizon.

#writers on tumblr #writing #dune fanfiction #dune part two #dune #stilgar #stilgar x reader #stilgar dune #paul atreides

[ynbabe]

Batfam x male reader

Jason: How did you know there would be an extra uniform in the bag?

Tim: Everyone knows flight attendants are required to carry extra uniforms, in case they get called to work unexpectedly.

Dick: Or if something happens to the one they're already wearing.

Tim: Everyone does not know that. How did you both know that?

Roy (yes he’s a bat now, no idgaf abt queen): Worked airport security.

Jason and Y/n: *Simultaneously* Slept with a flight attendant.

━━━━━━━━━▼━━━━━━━━━

Jason: *sighs* I have no friends...

Y/n:

Y/n: *coughs* Bitch, what am I? A roach?!

━━━━━━━━━▼━━━━━━━━━

Tim: I can’t go, Dick’s mad at me 

Y/n: Why?

Tim: Well there was too many people watching on the Netflix account so I texted him and told him to check the news ‘cause Batman was dead and when he saw I was lying he couldn’t get back onto the Netflix because I had taken his spot

━━━━━━━━━▼━━━━━━━━━

Jason: [on the phone] Hey do you remember when I said that me and Y/n were gonna have a calm night out?

Steph: Yes?

Jason: How much bail money do you have?

━━━━━━━━━▼━━━━━━━━━

Jason: [takes off his shirt and jumps into a fighting stance] Fight me you bitch

Y/n: [picks up Harley’s shirt and puts it on] What’s your next move?

Jason: Wait what-? Gimme my shirt back

Y/n: No you’ve made your decision 

Jason: L/n I’m cold

Y/n: Should’ve worn a shirt then

━━━━━━━━━▼━━━━━━━━━

Dick: Damian loves the outdoors

Dick: That time we went camping he was like Mowgli running around those woods

Dick: I swear Y/n, he was that happy that I honestly thought about just leaving him there

━━━━━━━━━▼━━━━━━━━━

Y/n: Are you all caught up on homework?

Tim: I have a project due on Tuesday and I’m not saying I haven’t started but if you ask to see what I’ve done so far there wouldn’t be anything 

━━━━━━━━━▼━━━━━━━━━

Y/n: Pete, why did you put syrup on the shopping list?

Steph: Cause I like syrup

Y/n: Yes but now it’s all sticky

━━━━━━━━━▼━━━━━━━━━

Y/n, serious: Don't go falling in love with me

Jason, also serious: Yeah, that's not a problem

*A few days later*

Jason: *yelling as he runs to Dick's room* DICK, I HAVE A PROBLEM

━━━━━━━━━▼━━━━━━━━━

Dick: Do NOT drink the night before the awards ceremony 

Jason: Yeah yeah, be on time, don’t mess things up

Dick: NO. Alfred’s booked a bagpipe choir. You do NOT want to be hungover for a bagpipe choir

Y/n: Oh fuck

Dick: We’ll go out AFTER the ceremony

Dick: When the bagpipe choir has left the premises 

━━━━━━━━━▼━━━━━━━━━

Y/n: Tim got so drunk last night he puked all over my living room

Tim: It was the laughing! You made me laugh and I threw up!

Jason: Yeah it wasn’t the nine vodka sodas, it was the laughing

Y/n: “Oh my god! I drank so much laughter before this!”

Tim: 

Jason: You owe us a new rug

━━━━━━━━━▼━━━━━━━━━

Y/n: [climbing down the side of the building]

Tim: Y/n!

Tim: Y/n come back! You’re gonna miss your cocoa!

Y/n: [in the distance] I know!

Tim: Well can I have it then?

━━━━━━━━━▼━━━━━━━━━

Jason, after getting Tim duty: Horror movies don’t scare Tim

Dick: But Chuckie is so creepy though

Tim, spending wayyy to much time on Y/n with this: If I had to fight Chuckie I’d stand in an open field and kick him like a soccer ball every time he came towards me

━━━━━━━━━▼━━━━━━━━━

Y/n: We need to find Dami, do you have a picture of him?

Tim: No but I can draw him from memory 

Tim: How tall is he? Like 2 feet?

━━━━━━━━━▼━━━━━━━━━

Y/n: Have fun at your party

Tim: Thanks

Y/n: You know what they say: “Liquor before beer, never fear. Don’t do heroin”

 Tim: It’s a parent-controlled sociale for rich kids in Gotham I’ll be back before 9

━━━━━━━━━▼━━━━━━━━━

Y/n: Fuck sake Bruce you said I had to babysit one kid

[Dick, Jason, Steph, Cass, Tim, Duke and Damian waving]

Bruce: They don’t exactly come separately... and you only need to look after Damian

━━━━━━━━━▼━━━━━━━━━

Y/n: [waking up from a near death injury] You were scared

Jason: Nah, I was waiting to inherit your millions

Y/n: Let me know where you find them, huh?

━━━━━━━━━▼━━━━━━━━━

Bruce: Can’t you leave Damian alone?

Tim: I got all the Justice league, young justice, teen titans, titans, everyone at WE and a bunch of interns to sign this notebook I had and then I wrote “Sign here if you think Damian is stupid” on the cover

Tim: He almost cried 

Tim: It was great

━━━━━━━━━▼━━━━━━━━━

Dick: Kid, could I have a moment in private with Y/n?

Tim: Sure, I’ll just plug my ears and sing an old sea shanty

Dick: Wait-

Tim: There once was a ship that went to sea-

━━━━━━━━━▼━━━━━━━━━

Tim, crushing on Y/n: Can I just say that I’d love to listen to you talk about Hell all afternoon Y/n

Jason, dating y/n and having met in hell: And can I just say that if I had my guns right now I’d shoot myself

━━━━━━━━━▼━━━━━━━━━

Y/n: Uhhh

Damian: *scoffs*

Y/n: You want a beer?

Dick: He's ten!

Y/n: I don't know, what am I supposed to do with him!?

━━━━━━━━━▼━━━━━━━━━

Damian: I wanna ride a horse

Y/n: Alright sweetie here’s the horse

Damian: That’s a horse? 

Damian: [picks up book] I thought this was a horse?

Y/n: Damian that’s a cow

Damian: I wanna ride that

Steph: Me moo

Y/n: You’re not helping 

━━━━━━━━━▼━━━━━━━━━

Tim, clearly drunk: I don’t even know how to drink! I’ve never had one! Like what do you even mix vodka with?

Y/n: A straw

━━━━━━━━━▼━━━━━━━━━

Y/n, at a PTM meeting: Wait- that guy is the bullying you?

Cass, under strict orders from Bruce not to fight: Hmm 

Y/n, knowing Bruce can’t say shit to him: [powering up] Not my first human, doubt it will be my last 

#dc x male reader #dc x reader #dc #BatFam #batman #bruce wayne #dick grayson #dick grayson x reader #nightwing x male reader #nightwing x reader #nightwing #Jason Todd #jason todd x reader #jason todd x male reader #red hood #redhood x reader #red hood x male reader #Tim Drake #tim drake x reader #Red Robin #Damian Wayne #robin

[themultifandomgal]

Mark Sloan- Try Again Pt2

“What’s going on?” Mark says walking into the room where I’m about to have an ultrasound

“I might be miscarrying” I tell Mark as Callie holds my hand in hers and Mer holds my other hand

“You're not miscarrying” Lucy replies

“Well then it’s an ectopic….”

“It’s not a molar pregnancy is it?” Mark asks making me worried

“Why don’t you let me have a look and we can figure out what’s going on”

“Who are you first and what are your credentials?”

“Lucy Fields, Harvard MD, Duke 0BGYN resident now a Maternal-Foetal Medicine fellow at Seattle Grace Mercy West. Damn good at my job. Who the hell are you”

“For god sake just stick the thing in me and tell me the bad news”

“Everything’s going to be ok” Callie says squeezing my hand.

Lucy turns the screen towards us

“There’s your baby, there’s the yolk sac. Everything looks good. Your still to early on to hear a heartbeat, but at your next appointment you will be able to”

“But the bleeding?”

“Your a doctor, you should know that many woman experience spotting early on in their pregnancy, it doesn’t mean they’re having a miscarriage, however better to be safe than sorry. I’ll go and get that appointment arranged while you get changed”

“Thank you” I smile at Lucy as she leaves

“Here let me help you”

“I’m capable of getting off a bed Mark” I comment

“Sorry, just want to help”

“I know I’m sorry I’m just cranky today”

“I’m gonna give you two some time to talk”

“Thanks for coming with me Callie”

“That’s what friends are for” Callie smiles at me before leaving the room

“I’ve got to go. Everything’s fine in there and I can’t wait to have a niece or nephew” Mer says placing a kiss on my forehead. I watch her leave and then go to try and untie the back of the gown but I can’t seem to undo the knot

“Can you erm…” I ask turning around so my back is facing mark

“Oh yeah sure” I feel his hands undoing the knot

“I feel like Im having dejavu” I joke back to what got us into this predicament making Mark laugh

“Just this time I’m undressing you for a different reason. There” I turn back around to face Mark. We look into each other’s eyes, as if we’re having a moment, but before anything could happen I clear my throat

“I erm need to get changed”

“Oh right yeah. Erm I’ll just, I’ll go” Mark leaves the room letting me get dressed. What am I doing? I’ve already let Mark back in once and look how that’s ended up? Granted he’s always going to be in my life now.

I finish getting dresses and leave the room where Mark is still stood outside of

“I thought you would have go back to work by now?”

“Are you ok?” He asks

“I erm…”

“And don’t lie. I know you” tears starts to threaten to spill

“When I saw the blood this morning I was so scared. I’ve always wanted to be a mom and after we broke up I thought I’d never get the chance. I just couldn’t stop thinking the worst, like if I lost this baby, I don’t know what I would do. It’s not like I have a partner i could try again with and…”

“Ok woah slow down. Come here” Mark pulls me into his chest “shhhh” he strokes my hair “we’re fine. Everything’s fine. Come on let’s go grab something to eat”

“Ok” I sniffle

“Anything you fancy?”

“Baby would quite like a pizza with fries”

“Hmm they would would they?” Mark laughs. He goes to pull away

“Wait, I’m not ready to let you go yet. Just, hold me for a little longer”

“Of course. I’ll hold you for as long as you need.

#grays anatomy #mark sloan x yn #mark sloan x reader #mark sloan #mark sloan imagine

[dreamwritesimagines]

Enamored [32] - Amazement

A.N: Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback my loves, you’re amazing!❤ I hope you’ll like this chapter as well, and please let me know what you think, thank you! ❤ And as always, thank you @theskytraveler for helping me with the chapter and the story❤

Summary: Patience comes with a prize.

Warnings: Regency era society and social rules.

Word Count: 5100

Series Masterlist

In all honesty, being called “picky” was not ideal when it was about an unmarried lady in London society, and if it were a couple of months ago you were certain you would lock yourself in your room and cry upon being accused of such but now?

Now you could hardly care about that.

Perhaps it was because you were already in love. You already knew who you wanted to marry and you knew no one but him could ever make you happy in matrimony. In fact, you knew now for certain that it was either going to be him or no one so the opinion of anyone else barely mattered.

But of course, the rest of the ton didn’t share the sentiment.

“You know, considering what a busy week this has been,” you murmured without peeling your eyes off the gossip column, “You’d think what happened at the ball wouldn’t be talked about this much.”

“I mean you did turn down three marriage proposals in person,” Cecily grinned. “Scandal.”

“Shh!” you motioned at her to lower her voice. “They only know about two of them though.”

Cecily waved a hand in the air. “You know how they are. Two is still too many for the ton.”

You heaved a sigh and lowered the paper.

“Unbelievable.”

“I have about an hour of free time, and I refuse to spend it indoors, come on,” Cecily pulled you by the arm and you got on your feet. “We’re going to the back yard.”

“Don’t tell me you have finished the invitations for the ball already,” you said, walking out of the main drawing room with her and she nodded.

“I have.”

“Cece, I thought I was going to help with that?”

“You’re already helping me with everything else, I only had a dozen left after yesterday,” she said and you hummed.

“I was going to ask you,” you said. “Why is the blue drawing room locked?”

She stole a look at you before averting her gaze. “Hm?”

“Why is the blue drawing room locked?” you repeated and she cleared her throat.

“For the um… personal reasons.”

“What personal reasons?”

She cleared her throat but before she could say anything else, you got distracted by the half open door of the Duke’s study.

“Cece, you go ahead, I’ll be right there,” you said and Cecily nodded, then walked away. You pushed the door gently to see the Duke there by his desk, reading some documents and you pulled your brows together.

“Your Grace?”

His head shot up and he pressed a hand on his chest.

“Y/N,” he said, rolling his shoulders back. “Didn’t hear you.”

“I’m pretty sure you’re not supposed to be here?” you said. “I was in the room when Aunt Lavinia said no work for at least another week.”

He thought for a moment.

“If Lav ever gets tired of being a countess, she’d do wonders as a prison guard.”

You bit down a smile, shifting your weight and he motioned at you to take a seat across from his desk. You did as he asked and cleared your throat, looking around the room.

Something had changed after that conversation he had with you and Elias. You still had so many questions, and you weren’t sure you would ever understand everything between him and your mother, or forgive him for that divorce. You knew he had been manipulated by his best friend over a long period of time and he had tried to pull back the divorce request, but…

It was obvious you would need to talk to him about it when the time came, when he was fully healed.

“Even the doctor said you should pace yourself,” you reminded him. “I believe the words he used were ‘taking a break’.”

“I have taken a long break,” he said. “I’ve done nothing but resting for over two weeks now.”

“I don’t think two weeks counts as a long break after a near death experience.”

He waved a hand in the air. “It was a small incident,” he said. “And I’m well enough to be dragged to Vauxhall Gardens tonight, so…”

“Everyone says it will be very entertaining,” you said. “I can’t wait to see it.”

“You’ll like it I think,” he said. “Now, before those vultures start circling us tonight, what happened in the past week I should know about?”

You thought for a moment.

“Well, it was a very busy week,” you said. “I’m sure you’ve heard, I’ve been called picky.”

He rolled his eyes. “Considering the idiots in the ton that are trying to court you, there’s nothing wrong with being picky,” he commented. “Perhaps it’ll discourage some of them.”

“I think it might, but I’m not sure. Lady Whistledown questioned whether I was picky or too…focused on a certain suitor,” you said. “But Lucie heard from a valet that a lord said if I kept going like this, I was going to come across as—” You pulled your brows together, trying to remember. “Um, intimidating. Apparently one of his friends was going to propose but he said I struck fear in his heart purely because I already turned down two suitors.”

The Duke let out a chuckle. “Great, keep doing that.”

“What else… Oh, Miriam got married,” you said. “She’s on her honeymoon now, by the countryside.”

“My condolences to both her and her husband.”

You bit inside your cheek to keep yourself from laughing. “And everyone is already talking about Cecily’s upcoming ball.”

“The masquerade?”

You nodded. “Well, not that any of them know it’s a masquerade yet, but they will get the invitations soon. Cecily just finished them.”

“Lavinia says the theme is Legends?”

You nodded again. “I already planned everyone’s costumes, including yours.”

He blinked a couple of times. “What?”

“Yeah!” you said. “You’ll be Zeus. I ordered your lightning bolt, which will also serve as a cane if you need it but it’ll be a part of your costume so no one will know.”

“I’m attending that ball?”

“It will happen here,” you said. “In the ballroom.”

He ran a hand over his face. “I know but I was hoping I could just not attend.”

“You can’t do that,” you insisted. “It’s Cece’s first ball as a marchioness, we have to be there as a family to support her.”

He raised his brows, as if he was surprised at the fact that you had referred to him as family, but he wasn’t the only one. You paused for a moment and shifted your weight, looking around the room.

“Alright,” he said after a beat. “Zeus you say?”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t need a cane though.”

“It’ll be a decorative prop that happens to have a functional addition.”

“No to the cane.”

You leaned back in your seat.

“In all honesty, the cane could also be useful for me. I could swing it at any suitor who might have the audacity to propose to me in person,” you deadpanned. “To strike further fear, so to speak.”

“Do you promise?”

You tilted your head. “What?”

“Do you promise you’ll do that if anyone proposes to you in person?”

“I’ll consider it,” you said. “I don’t want to cause a scandal and make something that’s supposed to be about Cece and Elias all about me once again.”

He waved a hand in the air dismissively. “It was your suitors’ fault, not yours.”

“Either way.”

“Before we go to Vauxhall,” he said. “I wanted to ask you. We will be having supper there with the Bridgertons, that’s what we always do before attending the shows. Are you alright with that?”

You pressed your lips together. “Hm? Yes of course. Why would I not be?”

He shot you a look, making you shift your weight.

“Oh Anth—Lord Bridgerton and I are friends now.”

He pulled his brows together, an expression of complete distrust etched on his features.

“You’re friends now,” he repeated and you nodded fervently.

“Well yes, because I told him–” you were cut off when you heard Cecily’s giggles echoing through the walls along with Elias’s laughter and you huffed out.

“Great, Elias is back,” you sulked. “Goodbye to my time with Cece I suppose.”

“Leave them be Y/N, they’re newly married.”

“I wasn’t aware newly married people enjoyed staying in their bedroom that much,” you grumbled, making him avert his eyes, clearing his throat as if he wanted to be done with the conversation now. “But yes, I am completely alright with having supper with the Bridgerton family.”

“Great,” he said and you stood up from your seat as the footsteps climbing the stairs reached your ears before someone –probably Elias— shut the door upstairs. You shook your head slightly and turned to him.

“I won’t tell Aunt Lavinia,” you said with a slight smile and he grinned, making you realize for the first time that he and Elias shared the same joyful grin.

“Much obliged.”

“…If you promise to stop in half an hour and go rest.”

“Two hours.”

“An hour.”

“An hour and a half.”

“An hour.”

He heaved a sigh. “Fine, an hour,” he said, holding up his hands, gesturing surrender and you let out a small laugh, then walked to the door.

“I will check in an hour,” you called out and walked out of the study, then made your way to the backyard.

                                          *

Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens looked like a completely different world. They were sites for so many different types of outdoor entertainment, from firework shows to a man-made cascade, hot-air balloon ascents to illuminations, orchestra to different places to promenade, you could hardly contain your excitement.

There were so many things you wanted to see, but apparently you were to have supper first with Bridgertons, Cecily’s family and yours. Elias and Cecily seemed to be in their own world and Aunt Lavinia and The Duke were having a deep discussion while they walked, and you followed them with the rest of the family.

“I’m thinking of going as Artemis,” Edith, Cecily’s oldest sister told you. “She never married, so I gather she fits perfectly.”

“That’s a good idea,” you said before turning to her other sister. “How about you Abigail?”

“I will be Echo,” she said. “I already picked my gown, it’s made of gray silk, different shades of it.”

You pressed your hand on your chest, “Oh God, I wish to see it already!” you said. “And any Narcissus in mind?”

“Well, ever since Cece became a marchioness, the number of my suitors went up,” she said with a bright smile. “And I do have someone in mind but…”

“Who?”

“I shall say nothing until he sends me flowers,” she said, making you laugh and Hugh turned his head, distracted from his conversation with Kenneth and Iona.

“And you?” you asked Hugh. “Who will you be?”

“I’ll tell you if you tell me.”

“Mine is a surprise.”

“Oh come on…”

“Maybe a nymph?” Kenneth offered and you made a face.

“Dear God no,” you said. “No nymph, thank you.”

“Venus?” Iona asked and you shook your head.

“Cece is going as Venus—well, Aphrodite,” you said as you all reached the box. The Bridgertons were already there and your heart skipped a beat as your eyes met Anthony’s, then you hugged Eloise.

“Hello!” you said. “Have we kept you waiting?”

“No no, we just sat down,” she said. “We were a bit late, waiting for Daphne and Simon but apparently they can’t join us tonight.”

You frowned. “Is everything alright?”

“Yeah it’s just…pregnancy makes her tired,” Eloise made a face. “It’s beyond me why she keeps doing that.”

You greeted the rest of the Bridgertons and took your seat. Eloise took a step to pull the seat next to yours but Anthony was faster as he grabbed the upper side of the chair, then nodded at Eloise.

“The seat over there is empty.”

“Good to know, my seat is right here.”

“Go sit next to Benedict.”

“You go sit next to Benedict.”

“Eloise,” Benedict called out and Eloise rolled her eyes.

“Unbelievable…” she grumbled and made her way to take the seat beside Benedict’s. You pursed your lips, trying to control your smile.

“Good evening,” you said as he sat down next to you and he smiled at you.

“Hello,” he greeted you warmly. “I’m glad you joined us.”

“I would never miss it,” you said and reached out to take the small card on the table that seemed to be the map of the gardens, then looked around. “Benedict, do you have a pencil?”

“Sure,” he said and took a pencil from the inner pocket of his waistcoat before handing it to you. Anthony tilted his head.

“What are you doing?” he asked as the food started being served, but you were too busy with the map to even pay attention.

“I’m picking the things I want to see the most tonight,” you said. “So that I don’t miss anything—what is this place?” you pointed at the map and Anthony leaned in to look at it better. His pleasant scent filled your nostrils, making your heart beat even faster but you swallowed thickly, trying your hardest to control yourself.

“That’s Lovers Walk.”

“Alright, so I want to see that,” you circled it, making him smile. “And this?”

“The Orchestra, but they play all night long, no rush for that.”

You hummed. “And this?”

“Oh that’s…no,” he said. “No, that’s Dark Walk.”

“Which means?”

“Which means you can’t go there.”

You pulled your brows together. “But you’ve been there?”

“….Uh, yeah. A couple of times.”

“So then why can’t I see it?”

He looked almost uncomfortable, then cleared his throat.

“It’s an unlit path,” he said. “All kinds of things happen there, it’d be too dangerous for you.”

Your frown deepened before you held your breath. “Oh like pickpockets and such?”

His smile was soft as he hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

“Exactly,” he said. “Pickpockets and such.”

“Oh, then that’s a no,” you muttered, crossing it out but then got distracted when you heard Cecily say your name.

“Hm?”

“I was just talking about Miriam calling you picky,” she said and you rolled your eyes, putting down the pencil.

“Did anyone go to her engagement ball?”

“No,”

“We didn’t,” Benedict motioned at himself and his brothers and Hugh nodded.

“We didn’t either.”

“Whistledown says she will throw a huge ball in her new house when she comes back from her honeymoon,” Eloise said and Cecily frowned.

“I heard it was going to be in their country house,” she said. “In any case, I think I ought to send her a wedding gift.”

“No you shouldn’t!” you and Eloise said at the same time and Cecily heaved a sigh.

“We have to.”

“I mean, do we though?” Elias asked, making her nod her head.

“People will talk otherwise.”

“What are we supposed to gift her anyway?”

Anthony stole a look at you and shrugged his shoulders. “A carpet?”

A laughter you couldn’t stop escaped from your lips and you covered your mouth, making him smirk.

“A carpet sounds like a good idea,” you said, trying to control your expression and Eloise made a face.

“She was going on and on about that country house,” she said. “I’m pretty sure people will go to that ball just to see it, not for her or her husband.”

“What did she say about the house?”

“Apparently it has a huge lake and her husband’s family likes to go on boats on that lake during summer,” Eloise said. “Maybe she will fall into the lake and die during the ball along with her insufferable husband.”

“Eloise!”

“What? It’s a lake Cece, a lot of couples die in lakes.”

You swirled the drink in your glass, sneaking a quick look at Anthony.

“Drowning for love,” you commented. “I cannot think of a more noble way to die.”

Anthony let out a chuckle and pursed his lips, trying to pull himself together.

“Alright, what’s happening?” Elias motioned at you and Anthony cleared his throat.

“Inside joke.”

“You two have inside jokes now?” he asked but before you or Anthony could answer, a lord approached the table.

“Marquess Westcliff, I was wondering if I could have a word?”

Elias shut his eyes for a moment before opening them again, and he let out an exasperated breath.

“No peace even when I’m eating…” he grumbled. “Hello Lord Colborne. Are you sure you want to have a word with me? My father is sitting right there, perhaps you’d like to talk to him?”

The man turned to look at the Duke who was glaring at him as if daring him to come closer before he shook his head.

“No Lord Westcliff, I think it’s better if I talked to you.”

“Wonderful,” Elias rolled his eyes and pushed his chair back. “Excuse me.”

“Another suitor?” Colin asked and you shrugged your shoulders, watching Elias walk away with Lord Colborne.

“Who is he?”

“Colborne?” Anthony said, “You wouldn’t get along well.”

“Aw he looked like a scared puppy,” Eloise grinned. “Maybe you should give him a chance, Y/N.”

“Eloise.” Anthony said and her grin got wider while you turned your attention to the map, turning the pencil between your fingers.

“Anthony, this?”

“Oh that’s the cascade,” he said. “But it’s about to be over for the night.”

Your head shot up. “What?”

“It’s a ten minute show and the last one started…” he checked his pocket watch. “Just now, so I don’t think—”

“Wait no, I don’t want to miss the cascade!” you exclaimed and looked around. “Who can—Cece! Are you eating? You’re not eating.”

“No, I don’t have an appetite.”

“Great!” you pushed your chair back. “I want to see the cascade!”

“Wait, now?”

“It’s the last one for the night!” you insisted. “Elias will come back God knows when, come on!”

Cecily pushed her chair back. “We can catch it if we run there I think.”

“Anyone wants to come with? Eloise?”

“I’ve seen that thing for a thousand times.”

“Edith? Abigail?”

“Not really, you two can go.”

“I’ll pass, I’ve seen it many times as well.”

“Iona?”

“Um no thank you, I’m here for the fireworks not the cascade.”

“Alright, we’ll be back when it’s over!” you said as you grabbed Cecily’s hand, and both of you started running to the cascade, giggling.

When you finally got there, you were both breathing fast, the excitement rushing through you. The sight of the artificial waterfall was so striking that you couldn’t help but stare at just how real it looked, and the rest of the crowd seemed to share your sentiment. There were many people watching the cascade, some whispering with each other and some just enjoying the scenery by themselves.

“It’s so beautiful,” you told Cecily after a couple of minutes and she nodded.

“I like it a lot,” she said. “It looks real.”

“It does!”

“Edith told me all about it after seeing it once,” she said. “The mechanical device that creates the illusion of actual water.”

You hugged her sideways. “Thank you for coming with me.”

“Are you joking? I wouldn’t miss anything that’ll make you happy for the world.”

You giggled and pressed a kiss on her cheek, then turned to watch the cascade.

“Do you think Edith would tell me as well if I asked her?”

“Oh certainly. She likes talking about interesting machinery.”

You tilted your head as the cascade show came to an end and the dark curtain was lowered to hide the stage from the public eye, and you turned to Cecily.

“Do we go back right away?”

“We could but I’m not that hungry. Are you?”

“Not really—” you started but you were instantly distracted when you saw Anthony approaching you two. He looked so handsome as always, and under the dim lights surrounding you, he almost took your breath away.

“You missed the cascade,” you told him and he put his hand into his pockets, a small smile playing on his lips.

“I just came to see whether you two made it safely.”

“It was so beautiful!” you said. “I’m glad I didn’t miss it.”

“Is Elias around?” Cecily asked and he shook his head.

“Still talking to Colborne.”  

Cecily looked between you two, then bit down a smile.

“We don’t want to go back just yet but… Y/N, do you want to see the Spring Garden? We’re very close and I don’t think we’ll come this way after dinner. Firework shows and acrobats are that way.”

“Sure!”

“Anthony?”

“Of course,” Anthony said and Cecily linked her arm with yours, then you all started walking.

Cecily was right, apparently you were very close. The Spring Garden was divided into parts, each part like a room made of very tall bushes surrounding you, with flowers in the center. You approached to the flowers to see them better, and Cecily shot Anthony a look before turning to you.

“Do you mind if I went to look for the flowers outside?” she asked. “I will be just by the entrance.”

Ah.

She was going to leave you alone and be on the lookout for anyone who might see you.

You could feel your heartbeat getting faster, then shook your head.

“Of course not,” you said. “Go ahead.”

“Great,” she said and walked away from you, leaving you there in the small garden. You could barely hear the music and chatter of the crowd from the excitement pulsing through you but you managed to keep your attention on the flowers, reaching out to brush your fingertips over the smooth petals.

“So what will you be then?” Anthony’s voice reached you and you pulled your hand back, then turned to smile at him.

“Hm?”

“For the masquerade.”

You hummed and clasped your hands behind, wandering in the garden with your nose up in the air.

“What makes you think I’ve decided on a costume already?”

He tilted his head, giving you a teasing smirk.

“Maybe because I know you?” he played along. “You’ve probably decided on yours before anyone else’s.”

You shrugged your shoulders in a completely innocent manner.

“I planned Cece and Elias’s first,” you said. “But if you need any help with yours, I could help.”

“You could help by telling me yours.”

“Or maybe you could guess?” you taunted him and he hummed.

“A nymph?”

You scrunched up your nose. “I don’t want to give Mr. Sinclair any reason to write me yet another poem.”

His gaze on you was unwavering, sending a pleasant spark through your system.

“A siren.”

You bit down on your lip, then shook your head.

“No. I did consider it though.”

“Psyche then. Must be Psyche.”

You grinned and shook your head again, rocking back and forth on the balls of your feet in excitement.

“No to that also?” he asked, making your grin wider. “Well, I was going to say Aphrodite, but Elias said—”

“Cece will be Aphrodite,” you cut him off in a proud manner. “It was my idea.”

“And your costume?”

“Someone more…” you trailed off. “Intimidating than Psyche.”

“Intimidating?”

“Yes,” you said. “Why do you want to know?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “Because I want to match it.”

Then made your head shot up, your teasing grin fading from your lips as you pulled your brows together, trying to make sense of it.

“Well you—you can’t though,” you managed to say. “The whole ton would think we’re courting if we matched.”

A small smile curled his lips and he nodded.

“Good,” he said. “About time people knew of my intentions, wouldn’t you say?”

You blinked a couple of times, disbelief making your brain almost fuzzy as you stood there completely frozen.

“Your intentions of?” you said, your heart beating in your ears and he swallowed thickly, taking a step towards you.

“Y/N, I—” he paused for a moment. “You were right earlier. I didn’t do any of the things I was supposed to do.”

“Anthony…”

“But I would like to do things right this time,” he said, “The way I should have done from the beginning. If you would allow me and if you…”

He swallowed thickly as if he was nervous, then reached into his waistcoat pocket to pull something out.

“And if you would accept my courtship,” he said as he reached out to take your hand, then put what he was holding into your palm and withdrew his hand, his fingertips almost burning you.

As soon as you realized what was in your palm, you held your breath.

You had heard of love tokens before. It was a coin of any kind that a suitor would offer the lady he wanted to court; a jeweler would smooth both sides of the coin before engraving what the suitor wanted to write on the coin, and if the lady accepted it, it meant that the affections were reciprocated.

Anthony had chosen a gold coin to give you, with a tiny hole on it so that you could carry it easier as either a necklace or a bracelet. You turned the coin in your hand, the engraving catching your eye;

Heart over logic.

A giddy laughter escaped from your lips as you looked up at him, closing your palm around the coin.

“I do accept,” you managed to say softly, making him let out a breath. “Nothing could make me happier.”

He looked almost speechless before a smile lit up his face and you let out an excited giggle, your stomach doing pleasant flips. You lowered your head to look down at the coin again and he buried his nose into your hair, running his fingertips over your palm, making you close your eyes for a moment before opening them again upon hearing footsteps. Anthony pressed a hurried kiss to the top of your head before stepped back and Cecily entered the garden again.

“I just saw the love of my life coming here,” she said and linked her arm with yours. “Come on, let’s meet him.”

You bit down on a smile and let her lead you, with Anthony following you behind and Elias waved at you, then approached you.

“Where were you? I stopped by the cascade but it was over.”

“We went to see the Spring Garden,” Cecily said. “You?”

“I swear, I’ve had it up here with these suitors,” he whined, and you stole a look at Anthony who winked at you. “Anyway, let’s go back, shall we? I’m starving.”

                                  *

You could barely sleep that night after you came back. The excitement roaring through your veins was so strong that even the fireworks you had all watched back at Vauxhall couldn’t come close to what you were feeling inside, and after getting back home, you had excused yourself to your bedroom and buried your face into the pillow, letting out an excited scream.

You were nearly intoxicated by what had happened, so around the dawn you had dozed off, still holding onto the coin. Naturally, you had woken up later than usual, way after breakfast time and after getting into your gown, you kept fidgeting in your seat while Lucie worked on your hair.

“So it’s a love token then?” she asked and you nodded, your whole attention on the ribbon you were trying to put through the small hole in the coin.

“Yes,” you said. “And I will wear it.”

“Will your father and brother not ask?” she asked you. “I gather they have seen love tokens before.”

“Oh, I’ll…I’ll keep it under the bust of my gown so no one will see,” you said. “But I will know what it is—” you held your breath as you fit the ribbon through the hole. “Voila!”

She let out a small laugh as she withdrew her hands from your hair, then motioned at you to give her the coin. She quickly tied it behind your neck and you fixed your dress, making sure the coin would stay hidden in your cleavage.

“There, you look very beautiful.”

You shot her a bright smile and turned around to look at her better.

“Lucie I’m so happy!”

“Well I’m glad!” she said, mirroring your smile and you fanned at your face.

“Do you think—”

“My lady?” a maid knocked on the door and cracked it open. “They require your presence downstairs.”

You pulled back. “Is everything alright? The Duke—”

“He’s fine, everyone is fine,” she assured you. “But you…um, you should see this I think. The family is in the drawing room.”

You exchanged glances with Lucie as you stood up. “Do you know what’s happening?”

“Not at all, they had just finished breakfast when I came here,” she said, following you close. You left your room and made your way to the drawing room, and as soon as you stepped inside, you froze.

There were dozens of flowers. A maid was placing the last bouquet on the table when you stopped dead in your tracks, and looked around.

“What is this?” you asked and Cecily looked at you over her shoulder, then smiled at you.

“Uh, flowers.”

“From?”

Elias pinched the bridge of his nose. “From Anthony.”

Your heart skipped a beat as you gawked at him.

“What?”

“Is this boy trying to kill me?” The Duke wondered out loud, glaring at the desk filled with flowers. “Is that what’s going on? First the fine china, now this?”

“In all honesty Percy,” Aunt Lavinia said. “I doubt he is thinking about you.”

“I specifically said no suitors allowed, Lav.”

“Well, technically he’s not here,” Aunt Lavinia pointed out. “His flowers are.”

“How do you—” you squeaked out and cleared your throat. “How do you know they’re from him?”

“Oh I’m glad you asked, because he sent a card,” Elias said, leaning back to the table, crossing his arms. “Right on top of the bouquet over there.”

You approached the bouquet he motioned at to take the card, and held your breath as you skimmed the lines.

To the lady who holds my heart,

Anthony Bridgerton.

You could feel the smile warming your face, Aunt Lavinia and the Duke’s argument continuing while Cecily cleared her throat.

“Y/N, it wasn’t in an envelope or anything of the sort,” she said. “The card, I mean. It was right on top of the bouquet, which means all the maids saw it, which means…”

“Everyone in the ton will know it,” you finished her sentence for her and she nodded.

“Exactly,” she said with a grin. “So it is official then. Anthony Bridgerton is courting you.”

A giggle escaped from your lips and Elias threw his head back, letting out a groan.

“Great,” he grumbled. “Here comes the inevitable, I guess.”

Chapter 33

#anthony bridgerton #anthony bridgerton x reader #bridgerton #bridgerton x reader #regency fic

[jedipoodoo]

Secret Kingdoms (Sergeant Hunter x Reader Fantasy AU)

Lady Luck (Prequel)

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7

Notes: FINAL PART. Sequel to follow. Thank you for following this story and enjoying Knight Hunter and His Lady with me. Christianity-based wedding ceremony (spoilers). Beta-read by google drive Divider by @saradika

Padme gifted you the blue dress, saying it became you more than it ever had for her. Since it was the dress you were wearing when you first met Hunter, it only seemed fitting that you wore it when you married him.

Padme’s new maid, Dorme, styled your hair, and Padme threaded greenery through the twists and turns like a crown. It felt strange having Padme help you with your hair when you had always been the one to do hers. She insisted that this was what friends did for each other on their wedding days, and that was what you were, after all. A maid and a princess. No, a duchess and a princess.

“If you weren’t leaving for Serenno after this I’d make you one of my ladies-in-waiting when I become queen,” Padme lamented, her face hovering next to yours in the mirror. You traced the braid and the greenery in awe. Dorme worked magic with her hands.

“Hunter and I will be too busy helping rebuild Serenno anyway,” You pointed out.

“True,” Padme sighed, but smiled. “You look radiant. Everything a bride should be on her wedding day.”

You held your head high and squared your shoulders. You felt radiant. Confident, beautiful, everything those you loved said you were. How much you had changed in the last few months. 

Padme and Dorme walked you to the chapel, where Crosshair was waiting for you just outside the doors. 

“Are you ready, little lady?” he asked, offering his arm like a gentleman. 

You were smiling so broadly you could hardly form the words to express your excitement. Crosshair chuckled and kissed your forehead. 

“Is everything else ready?” Padme asked. 

“They're all set up,” Crosshair nodded, “All we’re missing is the bride.”Hunter's got more pent up energy than one of the hunting dogs. “

“Just so you know, I'm proud to have you as a sister-in-law.”

You smiled down at your bouquet. It was the middle of winter, so there weren't many flowers available, but you and Padme had managed to find some wildflowers growing in the woods. The tiny pastel blossoms were sprinkled in the bouquet amongst boughs of pine and ivy, all tied together with the bandana Hunter had given you. 

“That being said, if you hurt him, I'll kill you.”

You laughed nervously, but Crosshair's face was deadly serious. You quickly composed yourself. 

“I promise I'll take care of your brother, Crosshair.”

“Good,” the organ inside the chapel played a fanfare, “Someone has to.”

The doors swung open, and Crosshair escorted you down the aisle. 

Only the first few pews of the chapel were filled, with the few friends and family you'd invited. Duke Kenobi nodded as you passed him and his wife, Wrecker gave you a thumbs up, and your aunt and uncle who'd gotten you a job at the castle in the first place dabbed at their tears with their kerchiefs. 

Padme and Anakin were standing in the front row with her parents. Anakin's hand was clutching his betrothed tightly, daydreaming of their own future wedding. The wedding of the Naboo princess would be a much more lavish occasion, with delegations and royalties from all across the Nine Kingdoms venturing to wish the future Queen and Prince Consort the best of luck in their marriage. Your wedding was much smaller, but you and Hunter agreed you didn't need anything much more than that. 

With butterflies fluttering in your stomach, you looked to Hunter, standing next to the altar. 

He was standing at attention, like he would at the training grounds, but you could see his shoulders trembling as he smiled at you. Tears bubbled at the corners of his eyes as he watched you. He looked as handsome as ever, wearing a bright red tunic over his polished armor. It gleamed in the light of the stained glass windows, like a star on a dark night. 

He couldn't even wait for you to reach him. When you reached the steps of the dias, He stepped down towards you, taking your hand from Crosshair to lead you to the priest. 

The priest was a short little man who reminded you of your grandfather, and he chuckled softly as Hunter helped you kneel at the altar beside him. 

“Together, to witness this union, we are gathered.”

The priest continued his speech on the sanctity of marriage and the loyalty spouses should have for one another. You tried to pay attention, but it was hard when you could see Hunter looking at you out of the corner of your eye. 

He leaned over to whisper in your ear. “You look radiant.”

You held back a laugh out of respect for the priest, “Did Padme tell you to say that?”

“No…” that threw him off for a moment, “But it must be true if we can both agree on it.”

Hunter squeezed your hand as it rested on the altar. 

“You look stunning,” You complimented back. 

Hunter glanced at the priest to show that yes, he was actually still listening, and then quickly lifted your hand to his lips to kiss your knuckles while the priest looked out over your wedding guests. 

You wanted to get him back, but the priest looked at the two of you again. 

“Do you, Duke Hunter of Serreno, take this woman to have and to hold, for better or worse, in sickness and in health, until death do you part? “

“I do.”

The Priest asked you the same question, to which you replied-

“I do.”

“The ring, do you have?”

Hunter reached into his pocket with his free hand, cradling your hand in his palm as he produced a small ring. It shone like gold, though it was just polished wood, and the pattern of twisting vines and leaves resembled the pendant on your necklace. 

Under the guidance of the priest, Hunter slid the ring on and off your first two fingers before placing it on the third, as tradition dictated. 

“This couple, I now pronounce as husband and wife, I do. The bride you may kiss.”

Hunter took your face in his hands, gently turning you to face him. He smiled at you as he tapped his forehead to yours before he kissed you. 

You knew that people must have been cheering, it was only natural, but all that existed for you in that moment was Hunter, your husband. His hand slid down to cradle the back of your neck and you gripped his shoulders, pulling him closer. When your first kiss as husband and wife ended, you kept your eyes closed for just a bit longer to savor the moment. You could feel Hunter's warm breath inches from your face as he chuckled. 

“What's so funny?” You asked, finally opening your eyes.

Hunter kissed your forehead, ignoring your crowd of cheering friends in favor of drinking in the vision of you that sat before him. 

“You look so beautiful right after we've kissed. It's like it makes you glow.”

You doubted you had ever loved him more than you did at that moment. 

At long last, Hunter pulled you to your feet and you wrapped your arms around his. Your family and friends rushed forward to congratulate you once again. 

“Welcome to the family, little lady! “ Wrecker gave you a big hug and a whoop of joy, and his brothers gave you similar salutations while your little cousins all threw themselves at Hunter with a million questions. 

The dining hall was a bit smaller than the throne room, but it was the perfect size for your party. A few more lords and ladies were invited to the celebrations after the wedding ceremony, an effort to make a good impression on your now-peers. And if the king and queen were there, most of the court insisted on attending anyway. But if they were going to vie for Ruwee and Jobal’s attention, that was fine with you. You had more important people to worry about. 

The minstrels began to play the first notes of a waltz, and Padme and Echo dragged Hunter and you out to meet on the dance floor. 

Despite everything you'd been through, Hunter still approached you shyly. His primary objective for most of his life was working from the shadows, keeping an eye on everything from the background. 

Hunter waited until everyone had gotten a good look at you dancing before be spoke to you in a hushed voice. 

"Are you sure you're alright with this?" 

You looked at him. You had just said “I Do” to marrying him in front of the whole world,and now he was asking you if you were certain about all this? 

"Going back to Serenno," He clarified, "The last few days have been hectic, and I never... I asked if you would marry me, but I never thought to ask you if you wanted what came with it." 

You laughed softly. You thought over your answer as you swayed back and forth on the floor with your husband. 

"Hunter, I want you, and everything that comes with it." 

"Even if it means returning to Dooku's lands?" he looked at you in earnest. His dark eyes reflected the glimmering candlelight as he searched your face for any doubt.

Dooku's men had kidnapped you, yes. But Dooku was dead, killed by the man in front of you. His followers had been ousted from the Serenno, according to the letter from Captain Romar. The people who were left were the innocents who had suffered from Dooku's reign, you didn't have to fear them. 

"Someone has to take care of the people of Serenno. It might as well be us." 

Hunter sighed in relief, his cheek resting against the crown of your head as you tucked your head against his chest. 

“It takes a certain amount of bravery to be kind in the way you are, my dear wife.”

You chuckled, ”It's a good thing I have an equally brave husband to help me then.”

Hunter laughed at the compliment. He secured his hold on your waist and lifted you up in the air to spin you around, sending the train of your dress swirling around you like some kind of far magic. You squealed in delight, and your audience applauded. 

With that, the waltz ended abruptly, transforming into one of the vibrant, lively tunes that they played in the village where you grew up. 

Squeezing Hunter’s hand tightly, you took the hand of your nearest cousin. She grasped Tech’s hand, and led a good part of your guests in a circle to the tune of the music the castle minstrels played. You wove in and out of the crowd feeling lighter than air. Several people tried to talk to you, but you simply threw yourself back into the dancing with your husband and friends.

Hunter kept true to his promise that he would never let you dance with another. Even the Duke of Mandalore tried to offer you a dance when his wife’s discussion of politics with Lord Taa became too heated for his own liking. He failed, to no one’s surprise. Hunter kept his hand in yours the whole night, even when you had to stop and get a bite to eat. 

It was in the later hours of the night when you spotted Anakin and Padme sneaking out together. Old habits died hard.

Hunter noticed them too. “We should follow their example,” he whispered into his goblet of wine. His cheeks were flushed, and his hair was a bit unkempt from all the dancing, but his eyes were sharp as ever.

“Do you think it’s be rude if we left without a goodbye?” You scanned what remained of your guests. 

Crosshair and Tech had left a good while ago, thought Echo and Wrecker were seated on a bench with several other knights from the training grounds with their own casks of wine. King Ruwee and Queen Jobal had plenty of courtiers to talk to, and your aunt and uncle and their children would be staying for another week. You’d be able to say farewell before you left for Serenno around the same time. 

With all this in mind, you allowed Hunter to convince you to leave. You led him into the servant’s quarters and up the narrow spiral staircase that led to the private chambers. Upon receiving their dukedoms, Hunter and his brothers had each been granted their own guest quarters on the floor just below the royal family. You almost skipped past the door to the right floor, so used to the one you would take to go prepare Padme’s rooms, but Hunter tugged at your arm.

“I guess I have a few habits you break,” You looked down so that he couldn’t see your embarrassment.

Hunter stopped outside the door to his room- your room- and took your chin in his hand, tilting it up to look at him.

“You, my lady, look down for no one. And especially not to me. I am your husband, your equal, remember?”

Before you could say anything, Hunter led you into the room. It was dark but for a few embers in the fireplace, and the moon shining through the glass window. It reflected off the crisp, fallen snow, casting more light than usual. You stood there for a moment, staring out the window. The world was so still, so peaceful, so calm. Like the new beginning of your marriage. You didn’t even realize you’d started to shiver until Hunter wrapped his cloak around you.

“Thank you,” You whispered. Hunter stood there for a moment, just staring into your eyes. You couldn’t quite tell what he was thinking, but it felt like he was studying you, trying to engrave this memory of you into his brain.

“Hunter,” You whispered his name and reached up to caress his face. In the cool stone rooms, so far from the heat of the palace kitchens, his skin was growing cooler too.

Hunter kissed the palm of your hand and pulled you closer. His eyes fell to the pendant he’d made you, secured twice as well around your neck this time.

"When we get to Serenno, I'm going to get you a proper wedding present." Hunter said. He slipped around behind you so that he could look out the window with you. His cheek pressed against yours as his arms wrapped around your waist. You reasted your arms on his.

"A necklace made of diamonds. One for every star in the sky."

You didn't know what to say. You were still getting used to the elegant hand-me-downs from Padme when she insisted that a Duchess deserved better. You'd never even dreamed of owning a diamond necklace.

Hunter turned to press his nose to your cheek.

"I'd give you the world if you asked for it," He said, almost in a whisper.

You ran your fingertip over the flowers he'd carved in your pendant.

"I... I don't need the world," You stammered, your cheeks flushed with heat despite the chilly night, "I just want you."

Hunter breathed deeply, "You deserve everything good that this world has to offer you, my lady."

You closed your eyes, and tried to think of your childhood dreams. Some of them had already come true, and now you had the ability to make others come true, and then some. 

“It gave me you, didn’t it?”

For once, you had left Hunter speechless. You laughed softly, and he joined you, gently swaying you back and forth as he had during your dance.

You hummed softly, only for yourself and Hunter to hear.

"If that secret kingdom's ours to share, I could never wish for more, for you'd be there. Just two subjects, you and me, In our private monarchy All alone together We would love forever In our secret kingdom far away somewhere"

When I started writing this series, I was a single college student. It's been over two years since then, and now, like Hunter's lady, I am married to my own Knight in Shining Armor 👰😁 thank you guys for reading this story and for all your enthusiasm for it. I hope you'll keep an eye out for other works in this universe, coming soon!!

#lizart writes #fantasy au #sergeant hunter x reader #tbb hunter x reader #tbb hunter x you #secret kingdoms #hunter bad batch x reader #bad batch fantasy au

[blackswaneuroparedux]

Anonymous asked: I know you’re a royalist and I enjoy your insightful and thoughtful posts on the institution rather than the gossip. However I was wondering if you will be reading Prince Harry’s memoir ’Spare’? What do you make of his public interviews and his Netflix series if you have seen them?

I shall not be reading Prince Harry’s memories ’Spare’ because what’s the point?

Everything we really needed to know has already spilled out across premature leaks of the book and gleeful splashes across the tabloid press. Thankfully I don’t have to read these rags where I live.

But you can’t escape. There seems to be a media blitz by the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in recent weeks. Even out in Verbier where I was enjoying a ski vacation with my family, since my return from Dubai, one couldn’t escape the Sussexes.

I can only blame myself for watching the 6 hour snooze fest that was the Netflix documentary series by Harry and Meghan. Those are 6 hours I can never get back. Now I’ve got chatty aunts who are blowing up my WhatsApp with infuriated texts at Harry and his interview and now the book publication. I’m just glad I’m on this side of the Channel in Paris and able to focus on more important things in life.

I’m actually quite sad rather than mad at Prince Harry and his folly. He’s hurting, he’s hurting badly since the death of his mother. If you comb through my blog you’ll know that I didn’t take a particularly negative stance towards Harry and Meghan because they were constitutionally irrelevant - and these are the things I’m really interested in rather than the daily tittle tattle. I’m more interested in Bagehot than royal bonking.

I also had another reason and that was loyalty to a brother officer. We served in the same Army Air Corps out in Afghanistan but our tours didn’t overlap at all as I was a few years behind him and so what I knew of his service was secondhand. But I’ve met him on a few occasions at regimental gatherings and social settings since our circle of friends have some overlap. I hastened to add that I don’t particularly know him but I liked him a lot. He had a disdain for the typical ‘Rupert’ (male officers of a privileged class) but he was quite down to earth and funny with the rank and file soldiers. He was easy going with me and maybe that’s because I was a female officer and I didn’t quite fit into that dominant male Rupert culture. I don’t know for sure. 

Still, perhaps it’s the way I’ve been raised but I couldn’t bring myself to comment on his personal life choices, even if one had reservations as to the consequences of them.

But I have to say out of all the revelations that irked me the most it was his revelation of how many Taliban ‘terrorists’ he killed out in Afghanistan. He said he killed around 25 Taliban fighters as a gunner on an Apache helicopter.

There is no reason not to believe him. These things can be easily verified to some extent when after a mission you look over the recorded footage. That’s not what irks me. What bothers me is why he chose to say all this.

There is a code amongst soldiers that you don’t talk about this shit. It’s so unprofessional and unseemly. Even amongst soldiers we don’t talk about it. We know about it but we still don’t talk about it. War is mostly tedious, boring, and waiting around for the shit to hit the fan. But when it does you move your arse into gear and get your job done. And when it’s done, come home, crack open a beer with comrades out of shared relief, be thankful you made it out alive, and then shut the fuck up.

I think Harry really has let himself down and his fellow army brothers and sisters. Forget for a moment the security risk because of his disclosure, amongst British veterans I chat with on private social media, they feel a sense of personal betrayal. I don’t feel that but I do feel Harry hasn’t done himself any favours in regaining the genuine respect every soldier had for him for getting his hands dirty in the trenches and not expecting any special favours because he was a royal.

It’s hard not to feel some sympathy for Harry. It can’t be easy being the spare, the younger brother whose role in the royal “firm” started in a position of subordination and has become steadily more subordinate as more direct heirs arrive to dilute his lineage. There are plenty of younger siblings who have suffered in this way although none of us can imagine the particular hardship of being the “spare” to a throne. Add to that the unimaginable repressed pain and grief of losing his mother and to do so in public is something none of us can fathom. No wonder he was happy in the army where he could be himself and achieve things on personal merit, and more importantly, be away from the fierce and unforgiving public glare.

But that was then. That was the Harry before he met Meghan Markle. A very different Harry has emerged. He sounded less British and more American with all this woke gobble gook. I mean this as no slight to my American friends but Harry should really trade in his British passport and become a permanent resident of California.

What I saw made me pity him. I saw a man so seething with resentment, so unaware of his own privilege, that he is eaten up with petty grievances. He complains about his stepmother turning his old bedroom at Clarence House into a dressing room – when he was 28 years old and in possession of an entire house of his own. We see a man so dim he sees no contradiction between expressing hope for a reconciliation with his family, at the very same time as bitching about them on the world stage. A man so lacking in self-awareness he sees no hypocrisy in complaining about the press intruding on his privacy, in the exact same breath as he tells tittle tattle tales about his brother and sister-in-law. A man so self-absorbed he has no notion of duty, service or respect – either to brotherly bonds, the royal family or the ‘code of silence’ among soldiers.

Why would anyone expose themselves to the world in this way?

A common explanation is that Harry is doing this for the money - that in order to fund his Montecito lifestyle he must sell his soul to Netflix and Penguin books. I’m not sure I buy that argument fully. Certainly through the the many interviews and hours of Netflix footage show no sign of a man held hostage, with personal details being cajoled out of him against his will. Another common explanation that Meghan puts him up to it but as popular as that prevailing view is in the UK, I really don’t think he had Meghan Markle by his side to be so insufferable and whiney. Ms. Markle may have given him the ammunition of language (‘unconscious bias’, ‘white privilege’, ‘lived experience’, ‘my truth’ etc) but the thoughts are all his. This is all on him and his repressed resentments towards his own family.

Watching Harry unload is as fascinating as watching a car crash in slow motion. To me Harry is a cautionary tale of what happens when we abandon all boundaries between the public and private spheres of our lives. Harry seems to have lost any sense of a border between his interior world of thoughts and feelings, and the outside world of speech; between the private realm of family and home and the public realm of work, responsibility and social convention.

Call me a stiff arsed Brit but I am not the only one. I feel I reflect the private horror of most British people that someone could be so confessional in such a shamelessly public way. It’s like the staple ending of all romcom Hollywood movies where the guy has to confess his error before the crowd to win back the girl.

We Brits take another approach. Families argue all the time. Siblings fight. We get angry and upset. And in the heat of the moment, we say things we might later regret. Crucially, this takes place behind closed doors, in private. The privacy of the home allows us to behave badly, but also to forgive each other and move on. Making details of private squabbles public imbues them with a permanence that they were never meant to have.

If the late Queen Elizabeth II represented an old set of values, Harry and Meghan best embody the new era. The two generations of royals could not be more different. Out goes the stiff upper lip, in comes public emoting. ‘Never complain, never explain’ has been replaced by a six-hour Netflix ‘pity party’. Service to others has been redefined as sharing mental-health struggles. Where the late Queen spoke of nationhood, the Sussexes speak of victimhood. The late Queen kept her cancer diagnosis secret until her death. We read about Meghan’s miscarriage in her column for the New York Times.

The late Queen’s commitment to serve represented more than just an individual pledge. It captured a generational ethos. Harry and Meghan embody the elite assumptions of their age.

There’s the identitarianism, masquerading as anti-racism. By presenting herself as a victim of racism – on, it must be said, rather spurious grounds of ‘unconscious bias’ a term so beloved of HR corporate departments – Meghan Markle has gained status and authority. And in marrying Meghan Markle, Harry is no longer the soldier who introduced us to his ‘little Paki friend’, but a warrior against racism. He is born again. Hallelujah!

Meghan’s gender supposedly makes her a victim, too. She takes every opportunity to remind us that, as a child, she wrote a letter complaining about a sexist advert for washing-up liquid.

Then there’s the Sussexes’ insistence on proclaiming ‘their truth’. Harry and Meghan claim that the truth is whatever they happen to feel at any point in time. If you feel that you were raised without siblings (Meghan) or that you were ‘literally’ brought up in Africa (Harry), then everyone else better just accept it. Although, as the queen so succinctly put it, ‘recollections may vary’.

Woke advocates like Harry and Meghan insist that truth is subordinate to the political narrative. You don’t need to bring any evidence when you’re railing against a supposedly racist media and a Brexit Britain still not over losing the empire.

This is not just about Harry and Meghan. The values this privileged couple embody and the ideas they articulate are continually affirmed by the cultural elite. Netflix, Spotify and book publishers stump up millions for their output. Just this month, the Sussexes were recognised for their ‘philanthropic work fighting against racism and oppression around the world’ by the Robert F Kennedy Human Rights organisation. Academics and journalists lend credibility to their remarks on the Commonwealth and their criticisms of the media. An army of tweeters and commentators are permanently ready to leap to the couple’s defence.

The late Queen’s death also seems to mean that taking pot-shots at the monarchy has become completely acceptable. In their Netflix series, Harry and Meghan criticise ‘the palace’ frequently. They moan about William’s shouting and Charles’s indifference. They mock rituals like curtseying, and visibly struggle with the notion of hierarchy.

Harry seems to resent his place on the hierarchy within the royal family. His resentment is no different in character from any sibling rivalry or our place in society’s hierarchal social and class structures.

Ideas of resentment and jealousy of course echo through time - all the way back to the Garden of Eden with Lucifer resenting God’s creation of Adam and Eve. They have also played a prominent part in the 19th Century, when philosophers sought to create new theories of morality without God. Friedrich Nietzsche, one of my favourite philosophers, borrowed a French word, ressentiment, to anchor the origins of his moral philosophy. By his estimation, Western moral thinking had its roots in the master-slave relationship.

The weak and marginalised members of society (such as persecuted Christians) resented those who oppressed them (the masters) and inverted the prevailing morality, turning humility, equality and compassion into the highest virtues. Nietzsche, one of my favourite philosophers, put it best, “While the noble man lives in trust and openness with himself … the man of ressentiment is neither upright nor naive nor honest and straightforward with himself. His soul squints; his spirit loves hiding places, secret paths and back doors, everything covert entices him as his world, his security, his refreshment.”

The dominant creed of the resentful for most of the 20th Century was Socialism. As George Orwell pointed out, socialists don’t generally love the poor, they hate the rich. When Marxist materialism became discredited with the realisation of the economic failures of the Soviet Union and the rising death counts of Communists and Socialist regimes around the world, the bearers of ‘ressentiment’ turned to other domains into which to inject their venom. Key targets were the spheres of culture, family life, sex, and race.

And so was born critical theory, the bastard child of Post-Modernism and Frankfurt School post-Marxism. To this conception we owe the hierarchy of victimhood, the one to which we must now all defer; it also spawned the language of the social justice warriors - words such as “my truth”, “lived experience”, “white privilege” (or any other kind of privilege for that matter) “intersectionality” and so on.

The virus of critical theory was smuggled into the American culture via academia (two members of the Frankfurt School - Marcuse and Adorno - actually emigrated from Germany to US universities before the war). And from academia, critical theory (popularly understood as wokery) has infected the media, publishing, newsrooms, Hollywood, sports commentators, public administration, HR departments, and even Big Tech. Perhaps the last place you would expect it to appear is the British Royal family. But here comes along Harry, a Prince in the House of Windsor.

I think deep down Harry’s resentment gives credence to his self-belief that he himself is a victim and therefore a loser in life’s lottery, even if he does come from the most privileged of the privileged. Harry has no doubt been deeply frustrated by his status within the family and the nature of his “spare”ness. There is resentment and there is jealousy. Of course the woke creed appeals. And no wonder Harry adopts its language. Which leaves us, ironically, with a hereditary Prince lecturing us about ‘privilege’.

Moreover, Harry’s conduct says a lot about the prevailing norms of our culture about confessing our ‘sins’, and therefore our souls. Harry has been taught to reveal every last intimate detail of his life. More likely, he has been taught by therapists and mentors that this is the right thing to do.

The popular assumption today is that keeping things private or ‘bottled up’ is bad. Complete openness is the best - indeed, the only - way to safeguard your mental health. Harry has imbibed the message that ‘speaking your truth’ is the route to authenticity. We live in an age when being authentic to our ‘true selves’ is considered the pinnacle of achievement. Where centring our own emotional needs above our work, community and even family members is considered not selfish, but imperative.

Fear-mongering about the dark side of privacy has been a popular pastime of psychologists since the time of Sigmund Freud. Over many decades, such beliefs have moved off the therapist’s couch to take root in our broader culture.

Today, the words ‘private’, ‘secret’ and ‘behind closed doors’ arouse suspicion. Rather than conjuring images of home, or the family, a haven in a heartless world, the private sphere has come to be seen as a site of abuse. Reserve, a stiff-upper lip and stoicism are all now considered negative personality traits denoting a lack of warmth and openness. The compulsion to share, to break down the barriers between public and private, is embedded in every aspect of our culture from primary school circle-time to social media, from the advice dished out in magazines to the platitudes spouted by celebrities.

Well, I say screw that.

The irony, of course, is that our sense of ourselves does not become stronger the more it is revealed – it becomes weaker. It leaves us to depend on others to validate our feelings and desires. This is what seems to lie behind Harry’s emotional incontinence. He is not a man exercising agency, in control, seeking only a fat pay cheque. He’s become a pathetic, fragile creature, incapable of seeing beyond his own immediate feelings, unable to exist without constant public validation.  

Look, there are of course other dimensions to Harry’s story. There is the tragic shadow of his mother and the diva attention seeking influence of his Hollywood D-list wife. But to the extent that he is a victim, he is the victim not only of his family circumstances but also of poisonous philosophers and the prevailing dominance of American cultural colonialism of wokery (in this the French intellectuals and commentators are 100% correct, as both left and right see it as a specific American wokery, but fail to see that they originally gave birth to this bastard of an incoherent and nihilistic ideology). Perhaps his example can be a cautionary tale to the rest of us. Harry shows us the importance of keeping some things private....because not everything is about you or me.

So, Harry, for the love of God or even for your much beloved granny, just shut the fuck up!

Thanks for your question.

#ask #question #prince harry #meghan markle #british monarchy #royalty #wokery #woke #resentment #confessional #culture #monarchy #britain #victimhood #freud was right #marcuse #adorno #philosophy #therapy #media #class #privilege #british army #spare #book #aristocracy #nobility #privacy #queen elizabeth II #king charles III

[nocanonhere]

Happy Wyll's Week! Day 7/7

-What Time Brought (More NSFW, Fluff, and the babiiiiessss). Here they were, navigating parenthood, and everything that fell outside of that. He loves this life, but would very much like some alone time with his spouse. (centered around my Tav, Aiya. Elf-Dragon Sorceress)

A light roll of thunder slipped through the halls of the estate.

“Thank gods,” Aiya praised, sliding into her side of the bed. “That dry spell needs to break. So much more difficult to garden when there hasn’t been rainfall.”

Wyll closes his book shut and sets it on his side table. Truthfully, he hadn’t been focused on it. The past few days have left the both of them too busy to really even chat before sleep came. He had been pulling late nights and early mornings, and she had an estate to look after, among other things.

And he wanted to make up for it.

She is barely settled in before he is rolling over, encouraging her to lie on her stomach and laugh into her pillows.

“Duke Ravengard,” she teases. “You should let a lady sleep.”

“I’ll get you to sleep,” he responds, making her laugh harder.

“You really should get some rest,” she tries again. “You’ve been going nonstop lately.”

He had. His back hurt from all the sitting, his throat was dry from all the talking, and his left hand was actually swollen from how much writing he had been doing.

The summer season was coming to an end, meaning preparations for the cold were in full swing. Another storehouse needed to be built, because they had another influx of citizens settling in the city and around the outskirts. Travel ways needed to be cleared and secured in case of another freeze. Last winter had made the ports all but inoperable, and so many shipments had been delayed due to no way for the boats to travel.

Not to mention, the autumn season contained many annual celebrations in one stretch. The city would start putting out decorations soon. He had spent his lunch break earlier writing a letter to Sorcerous Sundries regarding preparations.

And yes, the heat had been harsh lately. He was just as thankful as she was to hear more cracks of thunder splitting the skies.

But right now, there was nothing else he’d rather do but have some intimate time with her.

These past few days left little time for them to talk, but their life in general lately had left even littler time to make love. And he missed her, dearly.

He threw one of his legs over her side, straddling her thighs without sinking down.

“Let me enjoy you, please,” he asks, lifting his hands to lightly massage her back through her night gown.

She sighs, but makes no further commentary. For a moment, she is content with the tender care, but eventually starts to squirm and breathe deeper. And Wyll knows that’s his signal.

He leans over her, moving her braid to the side and kissing the back of her neck. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you too,” she answers. “So much.”

His chest swells at hearing it.

He moves down her body, hands already sliding up her gown. She fakes sounding put off.

She has on nothing underneath, and Wyll is ever so thankful.

“You’re so beautiful,” he says, staring at her body. “I’m so blessed.”

“It’s nothing you haven’t seen before.”

He leans back down, kissing the small of her back, planting his hands on her hips. The days of being on the run and fighting to survive had kept her lean. But with a life where her basic needs were met, along with other factors, she had more weight to the muscle that had built there. He loved to sink his hands into it whenever he got the chance.

“I see the pink with the rising sun, and the purple of its’ setting everyday, too. And am no less enthralled by its beauty. Always ready to see it again.”

“Wyll,” she sighs.

He encourages her to lift her hips up, groaning quietly at the sight and smell of her; ready, for him.

He’s barely able to lean in before their door is opening.

Wyll flings himself to the side so quickly his head meets the headboard. He rubs it, briefly thankful that he no longer had horns to worry about. That would have scratched the wood for sure.

“Daddy? Mommy?”

Aiya is still buried in her pillow, trying to quiet her laughter. Her hands had already reached behind her and slipped her nightgown down.

This isn’t exactly how he wanted to spend this night, but he should have thought about it more. Nima didn’t like thunderstorms.

“Come here, Nima. Couldn’t sleep?” he asks.

They already know the answer, but she shakes her head, and climbs up to his side of the bed. He picks her up, joking about her being too heavy for this, making her giggle. He lays her in the middle.

“Mommy. Are you sleeping?” voice lowering into a whisper.

She is certainly not, as she lifts her head from her pillow and has tears of laughter in her eyes.

“No, mommy’s awake,” she says, turning back to her side and moving in closer. “Your daddy hit his head.”

“Oh no,” Nima responds, with every bit of concern in her voice that a three year old would have about something they truly care about. “I can kiss it and make it better.”

She doesn’t wait for his response, sitting up and giving him a kiss on the forehead.

“Thank you, bean,” he says, kissing hers in return.

“Where’s your other half?” Aiya asks.

“He’s sleeping,” she answers, sliding back down and choosing to lay sideways, leaving her head on Wyll’s chest, and feet extended in Aiya’s direction.

“He’ll be along soon enough,” Aiya mumbles. “He’ll know you’re not there.”

Seiha didn’t have a problem with thunderstorms, or loud noises in general, like Nima. But he did have a problem with not knowing his sister’s whereabouts, and not being in her proximity.

Nima starts talking about her day to Wyll, and he listens and comments with intent. They hear another patter of steps at their door, and in pops the other bean at large.

“Nima, mommy, daddy.”

Seiha trots over to Aiya’s side of the bed, climbing in over her to join the gathering.

Aiya is quiet as she watches the three of the interact. They are very sweet on their father, and he is over the moon for them. Two was certainly a surprise. At a midpoint check up, when the midwife hovered her glowing hands over her swollen stomach and her eyes widened, Aiya wasn’t sure if she should be afraid.

Wyll had not been with her that morning, but Ulder had been so kind to stay at the estate with her until her appointment was over. When she walked out of the bedroom and told Ulder the news, his eyes lit up in a way she had never seen before.

Her and Wyll were both only-children. Both had expressed to each other how having a sibling would have been nice. They are glad Seiha and Nima have each other.

It’s only been three years, but the shock of it still grips her sometimes. How had they done something so wonderful?

Nima goes a bit quiet when the thunder picks up. “When will the sun be back?”

“In the morning when you wake up,” Aiya answers, grunting when Seiha accidentally shoves a cold foot into her stomach.

“Can you tell us a story?” Seiha asks, brown eyes staring up at his father.

Wyll sat up a bit more. “One story and then we all go to sleep.”

The twins cheered in agreement, and Wyll reached back over to his side of the bed and grabbed the book from earlier. It would have its uses now.

As he starts reading the first sentence, Nima interrupts.

“Wait, can Papa come?”

Both Aiya and Wyll answer. “No.”

-

The next morning, Ulder has a child on each side as he walks them out to the carriage waiting to take them closer to the city. The kids were in school, and Ulder was happy to take them each day. He claims it was so Aiya and Wyll could have a small break, but they both knew he would do it even if they were willing.

Aiya is glad he stayed. At first, it was awkward, living with her fiancé and his father. The estate was large enough that no one was stepping on each other’s toes, but she wasn’t accustomed to seeing the man every day.

As she was, she didn’t open up to him very much. And despite Ulder’s political experience, he had difficulty navigating getting to know his soon-to-be daughter-in-law better.

When he had brought it up to Wyll, he told him that Aiya’s tendency to be more reserved was for a reason, and she would open up over time. And not that he retold their private conversations, but he did let his father know that Aiya wanted him to stay. She didn’t grow up with a large family, and she really didn’t want him to leave. Especially when they explored expanding their family in the future. She wanted whatever child(ren) they had to be surrounded by as much love as possible.

That settled his father a bit, and now here they were.

They kissed their kids as they prepared to leave for the day. As soon as Ulder opened the door, Nima yelled.

“Hello, sun!”

They set off, pulling Ulder along with them.

Aiya and Wyll sighed, standing there and watching them load up before they departed.

“Leaving soon?” she asks, still looking ahead.

“I should. But…

He trails off, and she nods her head, glad that they both seem to be of the same mind.

“Athenia and Hallael won’t be here for another hour to start on the garden. We have time.”

Once the carriage was riding off, Aiya gently closed their door, then turned around to find Wyll staring at her with mischief in his eyes.

She hardly had time to react as he picked her up and began carrying her bridal style back to their bedroom. She laughs, kicking her feet and telling him she can walk. But he kisses her face and tells her to let him have his moment.

They can’t go as slow as they normally like. It’s been weeks for them, and despite it being their home, they didn’t want to be tangled up together when more of the groundskeepers arrived to help for the day.

But he does keep their fingers interlaced, planted by her head as he kisses her. His hips move with a determination to get them both there quickly. But his searching lips make her feel like they have all the time in the world.

They hadnt even bothered taking their clothes off. He peeled off the robe she wrapped around herself and pushed her nightgown back up. And she had reached down to pull him out of his sleep pants.

“I love you,” he gasps, hips stuttering.

She looks up at him, adoration and devotion in her gaze. “I love you too,” she pants.

They finish together, his hands gripping hers to an almost bruising degree. It may not be the slow, sensual, communicative loving he preferred to give her, but it was enough to make her spine bow , and cry out his name.

He falls over to her side, both of them laughing at the mess they’ve created; chests heaving.

“We made good on time. I don’t hear anyone yet,” she said.

Wyll hums, still a bit too stunned from his climax to say much right now.

Time, he thinks. Him and time used to have an onerous relationship. He briefly recalls the night he confessed his desires to her, how he led with that speech about time erasing all.

But time has been kind to him lately. His father was here, their relationship stronger than ever. He had a council he trusted to help take care of this city and its inhabitants. He had not one, but two extraordinary parts of his and Aiya’s souls running across the house every day.

And as he turns his head, and sees his love lying there with her eyes closed and a gentle smile on her face, he silently thanks time for what it brought them too. They found each other in darkness; on the edge of the world with an abyss in front of them. And they still created something out of that. Life-long friendships with others, and loyalty to each other.

Time took him away from his father for years; left him wandering the lands searching for purpose. It brought long nights of loneliness, and many unanswered questions.

But time had given him answers too. Nights full of company, now.

Because time did erase, but it always began anew.

#wyll ravengard #wyll x reader #wyll #bg3 wyll #baldurs gate 3 #wyll is a father #wyll is a daddy #i gave him twins #bc why not #i love him #ulder ravengard #is papa #wyll'sweek #Wyll'sWeek #final day #sorry this is late #fluff

[angels17324]

Chance Chapter 5

Prince Friedrich x Fem! Reader

Word Count: 1.0k

Genre: Fluff

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(Y/n) was sitting in the drawing room of Bridgerton house with Daphne, and many of her siblings. “Are you to be a princess?” Hyacinth asked, bouncing off the walls. The two older girls giggled at her excitement. 

“Only if he proposes,” 

“Oh, I hope it happens!” 

“Should you not be with your governess?” Daphne asked her sister. “She wants to know too!” “I think we may need to take our conversation elsewhere Daph,” (Y/n) laughed. “No! No! I’ll be quiet,” Hyacinth said wanting to hear what they spoke of. The two older girls laughed as she scurried off to join Gregory and play chess with him. 

“Are you hoping the Duke proposes soon?” (Y/n) asked. “Truthfully I don’t know when or if he will,” Daphne stated. (Y/n) stared at her friend, “What is he planning to run away with you and elope?” Daphne let out a laugh, “No, it's just he still says he will never marry,” “You two are a love match it's clear as day to everyone,” “Maybe not that clear…” Daphne said. 

“Someone should talk some sense into him,” (Y/n) shook her head. 

“Well, what of you and the Prince?” Daphne asked. “He’s so sweet, he's probably the sweetest man I’ve ever met,” She smiled to herself.

“Do you know when he intends on proposing?” Daphne asked. “I don’t and if he’s asked for permission neither father nor any of my brothers are letting that information slip.” 

Daphne giggled, “Well for your sake I hope it's soon.” 

“I do too,” she whispered remembering what her father had told her in private a few weeks prior. “What's wrong?” Daphne asked feeling the shift in tone. 

“Some has asked for my hand…” 

“You said no though… right?” “My father isn’t giving me much of a choice, if I don’t secure another proposal by the end of the season I’ll have to marry this other man.” “No way…” Daphne placed her hand on the girl's shoulder. “Have faith in the prince, he’ll propose I’m sure of it!” the two shared a quick hug. 

Friedrich had invited her, and her older brother (B/n) to a boxing match the following afternoon. “If mother knew I brought you here she’d have my head,” 

“You could have said no but then I would have asked (S/b/n),” she nudged her brother, as they walked into the building in search of Friedrich. “I thought I was your favorite,” He faked offense. 

“Absolutely, not, that's (Y/b/n), he doesn’t meddle in my love life,” “Yet,” “Miss (L/n),” She heard a familiar voice call out. (Y/n) quickly turned only to be met with disappointment but tried not to let show when she saw Lord Jameson. “I must say I’m shocked your brother brought you here.” 

“The Prince invited us,” Her brother explain. “Oh, this isn’t a place for a lady though,” (B/n) shrugged and attempted to lead his sister away. “We must find the prince if you’ll excuse us, Lord Jameson,” 

“How about I sit with you and make sure the young lady's mind doesn’t get corrupted,” He said attempting to reach an arm out. “Miss (L/n) Mr. (L/n),” She heard a familiar German accent call out and saw Friedrich approach them. (Y/n) couldn’t help the sigh of relief she released seeing him.

“Your highness,” She smiled as he walked over to them. He held a singular purple lilac in his hand. Friedrich smiled and looked at the two other men. “Your highness,” Lord Jameson bowed to him, and Friedrich nodded to him.

“Here I brought this for you,” He handed her the flower, “I would have sent a bouquet but I found this to be more personable,” 

“Thank you, your highness,” She smiled and held the flower. 

“You two go find seats, I’ll be nearby,” Her brother let them go. “Your timing couldn’t be more perfect,” She told him and looked up at him. 

“Oh?” He smiled a bit and lead her to some seats. “Glad, I could help mein schatz,” “Still haven’t told me what that means,” She smiled. “I will,” He chuckled and placed his hand over hers. She smiled a bit more. She also noticed her brother keeping Lord Jameson busy which she was thankful for. “I’ll admit I’m surprised your brother actually brought you but I’m happy he did,”

“As am I,” 

“I wanted to speak with you more, and though this might not be the most appropriate place I hope you don’t mind,” He said. “I don’t, and it could turn out to be fun to watch,”

He chuckled, “Your family seems to be quite close,” 

“We are,” She smiled, “Are you close with yours?” “I am, growing up I always had serval cousins around and I hope the same for my future children as well assuming my wife would agree,” He looked at her, and caused her to smile again. 

“I would hope the same for mine, I truly don’t know who I’d be without my brothers” 

He let out a soft chuckle and they both turned to watch the match, every time one of the men hit the other she’d unconsciously squeeze his hand a bit, not that he minded in the slightest. 

That night Celina had indeed found out that (B/n) took her to the boxing exhibition. How she found out neither we’re sure as they hadn’t told her, nor did any of their siblings. 

“I can’t believe you’d take her there!” She scolded (B/n). “And I can’t believe you’d go! What if something had happened.”

“I was close by nothing happened and I’m sure the prince would have protected her if he needed to,” Her brother spoke back. “Nevertheless a boxing exhibition is no place for a lady,” 

“The things you men find entertainment,” She shook her head, “Even if he is the prince you shouldn’t go there,” “Miss Bridgerton was there with Anthony and the Duke,” her brother said in their defense. “Well, then both you and Anthony Bridgerton should be ashamed of yourselves for taking your sisters there,” “Mama, I’m fine,” (Y/n) finally spoke. Celina sighed but relented finally. Their father walked in the door. All who were in the room turned towards him. “Dad,” “I have news for everyone,” He spoke calmly, and they all looked at him in anticipation. “The Prince sought me out at the club, and he asked for permission to propose,” 

Taglist - @faye-tale @eleanor-bradstreet @colettebronte @broooookiecrisp

Next

[spooky-all-year-round]

Hello! I have a request for you if you’re up for it. What about a fluffy one where Ominis, Sebastian, Garreth, Natsai, Poppy and Imelda help calm the reader down after the reader gets a bad grade on a hard assignment?

Of course! Thank you for sending me a request! I didn't know if you meant "calm down" like sad, panic, or anger so I did all three! 🩵 I threw in Leander cause I accidentally wrote him too 🤣 I also am not realizing how many of these characters are down to throw hands.

How the HLC calm you down after a bad grade on a hard assignment

TW: Swearing, hints at violence

Sebastian:

Sebastian would be pretty flustered at first. He's not used to people crying other than Anne. But his heart hurts seeing you like this so he will jump right into trying to calm you down and drying your tears. He will try to cheer you up with an offer to go to Hogsmeade for a butter beer and some honey dukes. If you're angry he will take you out on an adventure to beat up some baddies or suggest to blow stuff up in the Undercroft.

You: (crying or having a panic attack)

Sebastian: Oh no. Come on, deep breaths with me. Want to go get a butterbeer and talk about it? (Wipes your tears away with the sleeve of his robe).

Or

You: (ranting)

Sebastian: wanna blow up stuff in the Undercroft? Or I heard there's a new group of Ashwinders setting up a camp, wanna go kick some ass?

Ominis:

He's had plenty of panic attacks and has cried more than you can imagine. So he has figured out just about every way to ground someone. He will pull out a handkerchief and hand it to you. If he's comfortable enough with you he will hold you and let you cry as he helps you through the exercises. When you're done with a majority of the crying/panicking he will offer to go on a calming walk with you, help tutor you in the subject (if it's one he takes). If you're angry he will suggest using the practice dummy in the Undercroft as target practice. He will stay down there with you in case you need him.

You: (crying or having a panic attack)

Ominis: come here (hugs you) I need you to tell me 5 things you can feel...

Or

You: (ranting)

Ominis: you know there's a perfectly good training dummy in the Undercroft. Come on, just don't burn anyone's eyebrows off.

Garreth:

He has tons of brothers and sisters so he knows that not everyone wants people around when they are sad/panicking/angry so he's going to ask if you want him there and if you want him to help. If you say yes he is going to take you away from people and hold you tight letting you cry, but soon enough he will start making silly jokes to get you to laugh, and if you do. That's it. That's how you two are spending the next hour minimum. If you're panicking he's going to hold you at arms length and help you through grounding exercises and then make jokes to cheer you up. If you're angry he's going to let you vent while making funny commentary until he gets you to crack a smile, then he will start with the jokes.

You: (crying or having a panic attack)

Garreth: come here (pulls you into a hug) who needs charms anyways. The two of us have all the "charm" in the world.

Or

You: (ranting)

Garreth: Woah now, no need to transfigure yourself into a Graphorn! Ah! Don't try to hide that smile!

Poppy:

She is going to bring you straight to where the beasts are and sit you down to pet and play with them. Beasts are very aware of others feelings and she knows they will want to make you feel better too! The whole time she's giving you uplifting words, she's sure you'll do better next time, that grade was a fluke. She listens to all your worries and will gently rub your back as you pet your favorite creatures. If you're angry she gets this little glint in her eye before saying something like "wanna go fight some poachers?"

You: (crying/ having a panic attack)

Poppy: come here! Persephone is great with cuddles!

Or

You: (ranting)

Poppy: (little grin) I'm just saying I've heard some moon calves are missing. We could go looking for the people responsible...

Natty:

She is all over it. Crying? She has tissues. Panicking? This girl will summon a glass of water to help you slow your breathing. She will hold you and rub your back as you cry on her shoulder, softly letting you know it's okay. She will help you calm down enough to walk you to the kitchen where you both will get snacks and talk about it. She will also offer to help tutor you or find someone who can. Now if you're angry? Well she happens to know where some loyalists are and she's down if you are, or you two can use the crossed wands practice dummies to wear out that anger.

You: (crying/having a panic attack)

Natty: Oh Dear it's okay (hands you some tissues) Let's go get something from the kitchen and we can figure out what to do.

Or

You: (ranting)

Natty: we could always go give a loyalist the karma they are due, or see if the training dummies are free in the clock tower.

Imelda:

This girl KNOWS what it's like to want to be perfect. She isn't used to crying or panicking as a response to not being the best. So she will do her best to be there for you. Maybe rubbing your shoulder gently and some deep breathing exercises that she used as a kid when she would get nervous. She'd suggest going on a broom ride to clear your head. But if you're angry? THAT'S her specialty! She's dragging you to the Quidditch pitch to race, both of you are gonna hit bludgers back and forth full strength to get out all that anger.

You: (crying or having a panic attack)

Imelda: (doing her best while patting your shoulder) there, there. You'll do brilliant next time.

Or

You: (ranting)

Imelda: I know EXACTLY what you need! (Begins pulling you to the Quidditch pitch while explaining exactly what you two were going to do.)

Leander:

First and foremost he's going to get you away from prying eyes. He wants you to be able to work through your emotions without people starring at you. He would have one arm around you and rest his head on yours while you let out your feelings. Unless you hug him, in which case he is going to give you the warmest hug he can. If you're angry? Well hey, he's got a prank he's wanted to pull on that one person you both hate. Want to join?

You: (crying or having a panic attack)

Leander: follow me, I know a place. (Once you're there he sits you both down with one arm around you)

Or

You: (ranting)

Leander: I'm just saying, I finally have the perfect prank for Duncan if that'll help.

#imelda reyes #imelda x reader #sebastian sallow #sebastian x reader #ominis gaunt #ominis x reader #hlc reactions #hlc head cannons #leander prewett #leander x reader #natty onai #natsai onai #natty x reader #natsai x reader

[trashybandit]

Shameless Desires

Yandere Abel Heilon x Female Mage Reader

To a certain duke, the end justifies the means.

Many thanks to @no-saints-around-here for inspiring me <3 Also, I'm pretty sure this is ooc but I'm starved for content here.

TW: drugging, yandere, dubcon, and noncon

Fiona felt guilty.

It wasn't a new emotion for her, but it was especially bitter these past few months. Whenever she crossed that room, she couldn't bear to look at it, firmly keeping her gaze on the polished floor. 

This is for her own good, was the mantra she repeated every time she was confronted with evidence of your existence. You were happy, she had now shifted to thinking, Abel was happy, everyone was happy! Of course, it wasn't like you were being hurt or anything, Abel wasn't the sort to do such a thing.

Yes. It was all fine.

So why wasn't she opening the damn door?

Her hand trembled, constantly slipping from the handle. It took almost five minutes to simply open the door and what was behind it was far from comforting.

You sat in the posh loveseat clutching a teacup as loosely as your smile. Upon hearing the noise, you turned to meet your guest so fast that you cup sloshed hot liquid. Yet, your dopey grin doesn’t change despite the scalding liquid dripping down your front. 

“Fiona~” you laughed, “you’re finally here,” you drawled. 

The woman in question forced a helpless smile before using magic to clean you up, inadvertently making contact with your blown out, unfocused irises. The more seconds she spent staring into your dazed eyes, the more she felt like a disgrace. 

“Y-yes. I got your invitation,” she partially lied. You didn’t need to know that she was two hours late from her ongoing moral conflict.

“Sit down, sit down! I’ll get you some tea-”

“A-allow me to!” she blurted out.

Fiona busied herself with serving tea, keeping her eyes trained on the delicate cup, often responding simply to your excited questions and comments, all while debating internally. Breathing in deeply, she carefully handed the cup to your shaking hands before softly inquiring about your day to day life.

“I saw a rabbit the other day! It was super cute, it even had a cute bushy tail! I asked Abel if I could have one, but he said no…”

Ah, Abel.

Fiona didn’t know how to feel about him anymore. To be quite frank, he was no longer the man she wrote or even knew. He was still Siegren’s mentor and benefactor, but it was unknown to her why he was fixated on you, a character that was originally supposed to play her role after she was kicked out of the duchy turned her teacher. Now, he wasn’t just a charismatic, powerful duke on the forefront of the war, but the sort to lock up his supposed love and drug them until they were a babbling idiot. It was wrong, yet Fiona couldn’t make herself save you from the confinement. You were safe from your impending death, safe in the hands of Abel, far far away from the battlefield. 

“Well, well, what do you have here?” a familiar jovial voice resounded in the relatively silent room. 

A soft exclamation from you accompanied in your excited rush to embrace him left Fiona feeling even more conflicted. That unrestrained happiness in your expression replacing your usual gentle, but weary, one wasn't helping one bit. Was this really wrong if you were finally happy? 

Was it really happiness if you were drugged out of your mind?, her consciousness admonished. 

She couldn't stay in this room watching the questionable couple being affectionate any longer. Gathering her remaining grace and determinedly ignoring guilt swirling in her guilt with a vengeance, Fiona made a hasty exit. 

The question of what you’d do once you broke out of that carefully crafted illusion was something she didn’t want to dwell on.

Abel watched the rapidly retreating figure of his (soon-to-be) daughter with mild amusion. Her attempts at hiding her conflicted face were commendable, but ultimately useless. A part of him was assured to see a good head on her shoulder, yet a larger part was pleased to see her not using it for once. It was important for one to know when to stop after all.

Purging his mind of meaningless thoughts, Abel finally focused on your now pouting self. Your glazed over eyes only had him within them, just as he liked. 

Stroking your immaculately groomed hair, he gently steered you back to your original position with a soft “Should we have some tea?”

You did not have tea. What did you have was the duke of the north himself in between your legs eating you out. Each movement was calculated to make you squirm in pleasure, but not enough for a release. Simply put, he was teasing you like he always did. In the past, it used to be snide comments and what you thought to be playful flirting, but now has evolved to toying with your body until you were nothing more than a mewling, begging, mess. 

Today was no different. Abel had been a bit occupied with his duties, unable to find respite in your presence at your own expense, and he was determined to make up for it all at this moment. It wasn’t long before he was using his thumb to press against your clit alongside his tongue delving into your cunt. The noises that originated from his actions left you ashamed from doing such a deed in an extravagant room, let alone the thought of being discovered or ruining the lavish furniture. Abel, of course, didn’t even give such thoughts the time of day, instead relishing your flustered form. Who cared if someone walked in? He’d just gouge their eyes out for daring to peering into your communion. 

Your pleas for him to stop not only failed but instead encouraged him further, especially when a “no” would morph into a moan. Everytime that’d happen, he’d plunge a thick finger of his into your awaiting pussy, twisting and turning it within you whilst mockingly asking you why you would want him to stop when you mewled so beautifully whenever he did this. Abel would even go as far as to lick up the juices dripping down your weeping cunt as he prolonged your suffering, unable to resist giving you a taste as he drags you into a kiss that demanded you to focus on him and not the ceiling.

His large, scarred hands trailed down your sides, easily slipping off your dress to fondle your breasts and rolling those nubs in between his still sticky fingers, all while kissing you like it was his last day on this earth. That didn’t stop the pained whimper from the weight of Abel’s dick pressing against you slipping your lips, with all the memories of being tossed and turned in the sheets while being stretched out as he practically decimates your poor cunt. Much to his twisted delight, Abel was treated to your hoarse voice begging for him to stop, that it’d hurt, and for once, he stopped.

“I-if I do that,” the shameless duke panted, “what would you do about this?” accentuating the question by stroking his drooling member. “Would you leave me like this?”

A quick shake of your head led to you being on your knees and Abel patronizingly encouraged you to worship his cock. He slapped it onto your face, enjoying how you tenderly licked and sucked it before shoving the entire thing down your throat without warning. Your gags and splutters felt heavenly around him and were practically begging him to use your throat as his personal hole, to grab your head and use it for his own pleasure. His scent filled your nostrils after he slammed the entire length of his dick down your throat as he marked your throat with his seed. 

Abel’s slightly strained breaths were contrasted to your sputters and coughs. The tears that pricked in your eyes from the mistreatment your throat just went through stirred Abel lust yet again. 

Gently wiping away those tears streaming down your face, Abel softly whispered, “I’m nowhere near done…You’d still help me, right?”

Of course you would. You could never say no to your beloved.

#abel heilon x reader #yandere abel heilon x reader #yandere abel heilon #i became the wife of the male lead #tw: noncon #tw: dubcon #tw: yandere #tw: drugging

[dunefeather]

Awesome! Here is my request then 😊 could you write a platonic Paul atreides x reader. The reader is his best friend, has been for years, and they are always doing things that could het them into trouble. So one day the both of them aren't as carefull as they should be and the reader gets kidnapped. While everyone is looking for the reader Paul feels guilty. When the reader is finally found Paul stays with them, they talk and hug and overall a fluffy ending. Hope this all makes sense! 😊

Sorry for the wait and here is your fic ! 😊

Thanks for reading, please comment and reblog if you liked it ! 😊

The Wrong Corner

Paul Atreides x Reader (platonic)

Content : best friends, kidnapping, fluff (platonic), angst.

It's not careful, it's not ladylike, it's not the moment to joke. How many times have you heard all these statements wherever you go ? Who cares if you can grab some opportunity to breathe in this castle ? And not ladylike... they can talk as much as they want but that won't change the fact that people like reliable strangers. Does the court think that looking dead inside is what will help them to remain popular ? No, because they're idiots.

Fortunately for you, as serious as Paul Atreides can be, he is the first one to get involved in the chaos surrounding you. More in your shadow during those moments, you share some mischievous blink before doing something stupid. Annoy an old lady criticizing some decoration ? Check. Pretend you were not the one that accidentally released the doves from their cages? Check - well you got caught that time but as it had been an actual accident you never got punished much. Stay late at night in the heir's quarters to the point that stupid rumors started to spread and get you in trouble ? Check - and not fun at that, the Duke is terrifying once upset.

"You are going to run late." Paul warns you for the third time.

"Yeah I know that's my goal." You mumble.

After a quick glance above your shoulder to make sure no one can see you, you lift your dress up to run more easily to some hallway situated at the opposite side of where you should go, Paul remaining at his spot with an amused sigh before you disappear at the corner. You and your stray cats, it's a long story.

The heir doesn't ask himself many questions as he reaches the hall, more than prepared to be seen as an accomplice through everyone else's eyes. But to be fair he doesn't care much, it has been the case since your childhood.

"Paul ?" His mother asks with a raised eyebrow.

"She's going to join us later."

Nothing more than an eye roll from her as he takes a seat by his father's side. The Duke turns his head to his son, and this time not even any word needed before the leading Atreides sighs, only to stand up and welcome the guests with a warm smile.

At first, Paul doesn't pay much attention to his surroundings. It's noisy, for once good and unique jokes spreading from ear to ear followed by sincere laughs. Food is good, his dish soon emptied one after the other. For a while his biggest worry is how much his belt starts to hurt his belly swollen with the insane amount of food ingested, but that soon changes as he hears your mother's voice behind him.

"My Lord I'm sorry for interrupting you, but have you seen my daughter ?"

"No ? I thought she was coming later ?" The Duke answers as he puts his fork back onto his plate.

"I asked some guards to find her but she simply disappeared."

This makes Paul raise his eyes towards your seat. Nothing used at your table, no food, no paper towel. You really haven't been seen since you went to feed those cats ? He gets that you get distracted rather quickly but still.

"Paul," his father asks him, "did she tell you something?"

"Hum... yeah she was about to go see some stray cats in the eastern aisles, the one that are going to get renovated." He admits calmly. "She loves them. I think she might have gotten them some food from her quarters."

The middle-aged woman sighs before chuckling in relief.

"She's always up to something I guess. I'm sorry for the confusion but it was starting to seriously get on my nerves."

"She is going to go back soon." The Duke says with a smirk. "She is going to get hungry, you know how she is. I can send a patrol to look for her."

"Please my Lord. I'm certain she is doing well but you know, I am so sorry that she gets in trouble all the time. I do my best not to make her..."

"Nothing to apologize for. We will find her my Lady."

Paul smiles at this, following your mother now back at her seat with his eyes. The lightness of the atmosphere soon vanishes though as he notices the worry on her face as she looks around. Same when he notices his father's stern face scanning the room as if he was looking for someone else missing. That's when he understands that this is not normal, even from you. The desserts just arrived and now that he checks the clocks, there was no way for you to spend three whole hours with cats when you were complaining about your dramatic starvation five minutes before you ran away.

Fifteen minutes later everyone is sent back to their quarters with guards escorting the small groups as the alert is given. An empty paper bag got found where you were supposed to be.

"Paul. Tell us what you know."

The young Atreides feels accused when his father interrogates him in his chamber, but he can't blame him. He actually thought you were doing fine and got distracted by some stupid shrimps, vegetables and cereals while you were vanished. How could he favor his stomach over his dear friend ?

This night is atrociously long as Paul waits for more information. He keeps his clothes on as he paces around his room them lies down on his bed. Then he gets up to put his pajamas on, his pale and anxious face staring at his reflection in the mirror. Fear feeds his mind with horrible images all produced by his own imagination, the imagination of a man guilty with all his soul.

How stupid was he to think that a young woman is safe in some abandoned part of the castle ? Or maybe you followed a cat in the garden and are playing with it. But what if a corrupt guard took you somewhere ? Or one of the workers living nearby ? Yeah you definitely followed a cat, a beautiful and cuddling cat you liked, the orange one. Your parents would repeat you not to get too far away from the adults and today the worst happened, you certainly got kidnapped. Or maybe you found another cat.

Paul falls asleep for ten minutes before jolting awake, covered in sweat as someone knocks on his door.

Quick to get onto his feet, he doesn't wait for the guard to finish his sentence. You are at the infirmary and that's all he needs to know.

This time he is the one not caring at all for the etiquette - after all as you say they can make some efforts for exceptional reasons to understand - and runs to your bed.

"Are you alright ? What happened ?" He asks hastily.

His hands don't leave your arm as he stands next to you, your tired face smiling to him. Just a few bruises, and a scratch on your hand, most likely due to a cat or something similar.

"I'm alright Paul." You whisper as you sit up. "I'm glad you survived a boring dinner without me."

"There were guards everywhere in the hallway," he whispers, "what happened ?"

"Uh. Long story." You chuckle, embarrassed. "Let's say... I saw a few kittens in a hole in the wall, you know next to the window. I didn't want the workers to bury them alive by mistake the day they start to take care of that part so I started to move them away. The mother was not that happy about it. The noise alerted a guard that... wasn't... a guard."

"Huh ? What do you mean ? And I've already told you not to touch the kittens."

"Yeah sorry. Won't happen again. Basically the guard tried to kidnap me."

Flabbergasted, the heir looks at you as you direct a forced smile to him. This doesn't last for long as shame makes you lower your head, his hands soon taken by yours.

"It's the first time I've seen Duke Leto almost acting like a tyrant when they caught the guy. They brought him to your father when they found me."

"What did he do to you ?"

"Uh... nothing. I mean he kidnapped me so it's something. Uh... He locked me up in some room bit left me there I think he wanted to abduct me to somewhere else. You are going to have to talk to your father about it I guess, he was trying to interrogate the guard before my mother could try to rip his tongue off."

"Did he hurt you ?"

"No. I mean not more than what you can see here." You sigh as you examine your forearms. "I have a few blood tests ongoing because I bit him."

"Did your parents receive threats ?"

You shrug.

"Not more than usual. I guess we won't have much answers for now. I'm just so tired."

Of course you would feel that way. How could you possibly fall asleep with that guy waiting for the right moment to bring you where he intended to ?

"Come here." He mumbles as he pulls you to him. "I can't with you, please be careful after that."

He didn't quite plan his motion and has to adjust your position when you start to mumble with your face pressed against his chest, but then rests your chin on his shoulder as he becomes the one in an uncomfortable position. He doesn't care much about it though. You are safe and he needs to express this unstoppable need to feel his friend against him. He hopes it's the last time such thing happens to you, he can't deal with a near heart attack as regularly as he could when he was a little kid seeing you doing all the risky things to make him laugh.

"You're supposed to be my partner in crime." You complain as he releases you from his embrace. "Where would be the fun in our life without a bit of risk ?"

"I feel guilty enough for not having insisted a bit more for you to come with me or even for not following you." He admits with a frown. "It could have saved us all from that. And especially you. Who knows what he could have done."

"I'm fine Paul. I'm fine." You say with a soft voice.

"Yeah. For this time." He scoffs.

It's obvious that you are hiding the shock you felt at all this, but your reassuring smile is all he needs for now.

- - - -

Thanks for reading, please comment and reblog if you liked it ! 😊

#paul atreides x reader #paul atreides x you #paul atreides #timothee chalamet #timothee chalamet x reader

[sawyerconfort]

hey I wanted to ask for a Duke angsty fluff with the prompt “your not alone, you never were” as in like the reader and Duke are friends and they find out about Dukes bulimia and try to comfort her and then Duke confesses her feeling for the reader and it ends with fluff

Hey!

It's been a long time since I've been here to write, and I'll definitely do it more often next year. It's just that, my life is completely crazy, I have too many commitments and every time I come back here, I always have a new idea for a fanfic on Wattpad instead hahahaha

Anyway, but that's not the point now. I know I've been promising you this for a while, so here it is. Anon, sorry for the delay, I really wanted to get this to you sooner, and if you didn't give up waiting, I hope you like it!

Enjoy!

No, requests are not open, at least until next year!

-------------------------

Not Strong Enough | Heather Duke x Reader

PROMPT: I don't know what to tell you, just that you were in the wrong place at the wrong time with your best friend who always swore she wouldn't hide anything from you.

WARNINGS: Mentions of bulimia, eating disorder, mental health, distorted image, anxiety.

***

"Hi, how are you? Like, class has started, how long does it take you to touch up your makeup?"

You ask. You're standing outside the women's bathroom, trying to get the attention of your best friend, Heather, who is on the other side of the door. It was a long conversation until you got the teacher's permission to leave the class, because the students had just returned from break, and it was like a school rule that you couldn't leave after break, or something like that.

Heather Duke said that she was going to walk you to class, but she needed to touch up her makeup first, and, even though you didn't know exactly how long it would take to do that, you found it strange that she was taking so long.

It wasn't news to anyone that Heather practically lived in the bathroom. The other two Heathers knew why she did this almost all the time, but you, her best friend, apparently didn't even know the half of it, and she refused to tell you, who knows why.

Determined to put an end to this torture, you invented an absurd excuse for the teacher and left the room, going to the bathroom door, where you were now, just being careful that Ms. Fleming didn't catch you and give you detention while you 'spy'.

"I'm almost done, it's just…", you heard her say on the other side, and then, the sentence remained there, incomplete, hanging in an eternal echo on the bathroom door. Heather was never silent, you were fully aware of that, and so, even if it was inconvenient, you did the first thing that came into her head.

Thankful that there were no other girls in the bathroom, for countless reasons, you opened the door abruptly, without even blinking.

The scene was a bit embarrassing and scary at first. You heard someone expel, and then you came across Heather Duke in one of the stalls, bent over the toilet, with the stall door half open because of the wind when you opened the bathroom door.

Running as if this was the last thing you were going to do in your life - and it would probably be because she was going to kill you when she found out that you had practically broken down the door -, you knelt behind her and held her long hair up.

But it was too late. Her perfect green uniform had a few drops of vomit on it, and the smell was even worse.

“Hey, hey, easy, easy…” you murmured, and felt Heather Duke gasp in her arms, scared. "It's okay, it's just me. It's okay, relax."

She took a deep breath and finally raised her head. You made her hair into a loose bun and flushed the toilet, restraining yourself from throwing up too. Then he closed the lid and took it out of the cabin, to the taps. Heather looked in the mirror and sighed, lowering her head shortly after.

"Is everything okay? If you want to throw up again, I'll hold you back," you whispered, worrying. She looked at you for a minute and shook her head. "Okay, then this is better. Now… I know it's a little inconvenient to ask, but why did you lie to me?"

"And I didn't lie, I withheld, they are two different things."

You rolled your eyes, and Heather sighed. Suddenly the idea became a little funny, and you commented, to lighten the mood. "Look, I know the cafeteria food isn't appetizing, okay? You don't need to feel guilty about telling me this, I won't tell anyone."

But his joke didn't have the expected effect on Heather Duke. She looked at you, frowned, then raised her eyebrow.

"Isn't that what you were talking about…?", she whispered, but you heard her, and it was her turn to frown.

"About what?"

"Nothing," Heather said, shaking her head and looking in the mirror again. "You know I didn't eat anything for lunch, don't you?"

You looked at her, frowned again. "You didn't? Why? Did something happen? Or because the mashed potatoes…"

"No, it's not the mashed potatoes, (Y\N), stop talking about food."

"Heather, what's your problem? Tell me, I want to help you, please. You're hiding something from me and I'm your best friend, that's not fair at all, please tell me!"

You didn't expect to express that feeling of anger and fear with so much anxiety and so much euphoria. But you did. And she opened her eyes wide in surprise, swallowing hard. Looking at the ground, you witnessed for the first time the moment Heather Duke let her guard down.

"I withheld something from you because…", she began, and cleared her throat, before turning to you, hands resting on the sink. "…no, you'll hate me forever, and I know I won't be able to handle it."

“Heather, don’t…” you whispered, approaching her slowly. "Tell me, please, I want to help you. I'm not here to hate you, I promise."

She sighed again and lowered her head. "I… I have bulimia, (Y\N)…"

"You what?", yes, that was your first reaction, and of course you couldn't hold back that reaction, such was the shock of receiving this news. "Wait, since when?"

"Since the beginning of the year", she confessed, still very quietly. "I think it started, actually, when I joined the Heathers, and I had to come to high school with this mentality of being popular. I… I didn't like my body and I thought people wouldn't think I was popular and brilliant. If I were…you know, fat."

You swallowed again.

"I didn't know that stopping eating would lead me to this kind of thing, it's just… looking in the mirror was torture, and it got even worse after I started. I wanted to eat something, and every time I saw In my reflection I saw my body distorting, enlarging, and that wouldn't make me a popular girl, so I just… stopped eating because at least that wouldn't make my image distort and people would like me."

"And why did you hide this from me? I would have done anything to help you, anything at all…"

'Because you didn't care about that kind of thing, (Y\N). You saw me and see me as the perfect girl, I know that, and I didn't want… I didn't want to be responsible for getting that image of me out of your head…", she laughed. "Or because I was maybe trying make me look tough, you know? It also helped with me being popular…"

You smiled, but Heather seemed to have something to say, something else, so you waited, patiently.

"And also because… I… I didn't want you to see me as a failure because… because I couldn't stand it," she sighed. "Look, I'm sorry for keeping this from you. I didn't mean for you to be hurt, I was just trying to protect you because… because I love you."

Heather's speech took you by surprise, and you widened your eyes, increasingly confused. She stopped for two minutes and continued babbling, saying that she knew you would figure all this out eventually, and that she felt terrible for liking you as more than a friend, and that you would say she was confusing things, and that you would definitely want to get away from her now that you knew the truth.

And you didn't do any of that. You only stopped her from continuing to speak, pressing your lips to hers and holding her face with both hands. There wasn't a moment where you said you loved her back before the kiss, but it was enough like that. Because there was nothing more like you than surprising a girl with your unexpected, impulse-filled actions.

Heather pulled away from the kiss after a few minutes, frowning in her direction. "Aren't you mad at me because I just confessed to you?"

“Definitely not,” you whispered. "I love you too, silly. And I want you to know that I won't leave you alone. And that you will have me by your side to keep you on track with your looks and your body," you touched her face again. "I love you like this, the way you are, and I don't care if you're fat, ugly, full of pimples or with thin legs like someone who doesn't exercise during the week, regardless of all that, Heather… "

She smiled, as you leaned closer again.

"I love you. I've always loved you and I'll never stop loving you, whatever that may be, in whatever sense…"

"Go out with me?", she whispered, now acting on impulse. "Please?"

Your eyes widened. "What the fuck was that?"

She shrugged.

"I'm just trying. You don't have to accept it if you don't want to."

“I’ll take it, yes, Heather,” you said, and then touched her cheek. "But only if you agree to eat with me. Even if it's measly junk food."

#lgbt #romance #oneshot #imagine #fluff #heathers x reader #angst #heather duke #heather duke x reader #there is an additional tag because this oneshot is gender neutral so interpret it however you want #it's great to write again #i missed this blog

[evita-shelby]

Tie your heart to mine

Chapter 12

Cw:mentions of death, near death expiriences and trauma

Gif by @emziess

No more lying, Diane means it.

So when she offers him a tour of the house to get away from the servant’s watchful eyes, the witch proves it.

“Ask away.” She says leading him into the gallery.

Her mom has a love for the dark, most of Francisco Goya’s paintings and other obscure works adorn the walls of her private gallery in the small drawing room.

But here she displays some you would find in a normal estate.

Some portraits of her family, one of a long dead Smith relative, Beatte Smith, that she swindled from the 9th Duke of Rutland at Belvoir Castle the moment she got proof that the Romani King, Absalom Smith, was truly her ancestor and that his lovely daughter deserved to be displayed in her descendant’s house.

“Why were you so angry at me not treating your prophecy seriously?” Tom asks looking at Waterhouse’s Pandora as he asks her.

Rather fitting, he is opening the box and unleashing everything with that question.

Up until now, she had avoided speaking of her family history.

There was no need to ruin things with all of the skeletons in their closet.

“On my tenth birthday, I predicted Aunt Polly’s death, and five months later, she was shot in the head by the IRA.

A few years later, when I was fourteen, I was misdiagnosed with consumption by doctors because my best friend who sat beside me school, Cathy Shelly, caught it and died from it that same week.

Thank God it had been pneumonia and I survived when many of my classmates didn’t, but it still changed my perspective to know it is always one step behind me.

That even if I can feel it coming, I cannot stop it. Not for me not for anyone.”

Always one step behind her and that one day it will catch up or take someone she loves forever.

Now that she knew it was stalking Tom, she was so afraid of losing him. Of having him gone just like that.

Tom knew death, perhaps more than she did. He and his sister had been so young when their mum died of Influenza.

Stupid of her to expect him to have reacted to the inevitability of death like she did.

“I’m sorry for saying those things to you that night, we all process these things differently and I should’ve known better than to judge you for how you deal with shit like that.” She apologized and he accepted it.

“I suppose I could forgive you, like you said we deal with it differently.” Tom gave her hand a squeeze and even a small smile as they made up. “But I won’t accept your apology until you are completely honest with me about this.

Do you feel it coming for me?” he asks, deathly serious, his hand growing clammy in hers.

It being death, even calling it so is enough to scare the both of them.

“A chill in my bones every time I see you in your uniform, but mama sees us married with children, so perhaps it isn’t your death I feel might be someone else.” Diane answered wishing she could lie and say no, I don’t think you’re dying.

Death was a tricky thing to pin down in visions, her mother only saw it when it was going after a stranger or when she could prevent it for a loved one.

She didn’t see Tom’s death but saw a death in his family.

Maybe Douglas, or Lois or the baby that keeps appearing in Lois’ cards lately.

“Married, eh? Can’t even work up the courage to tell you I love you and you’re telling me I either die or settle down with you.” He pushes away his fears with his jokes and Diane realizes she doesn’t mind it anymore. Not one bit.

“I think you just did, Tommy.” The witch feels herself soar with that casual I love you he had said.

“Would you like to hear it again?” he asked with that grin of his that drives her crazy.

“As if you need to ask.” Diane answered knowing those three words will stay with her forever.

He leans down, letting her throw her arms around his neck as she stands as far as her tiptoes allowed her to and meet him halfway. “I love you, and I’m going to love you even if I don’t come back.”

“He’s dying isn’t he?” her husband asks as they quietly observe the young couple hiding in the maze.

They weren’t seen by Florence, but Tommy and Eva could see them just fine from their bedroom window.

Bennett had gotten their daughter something for her birthday, a necklace he puts on her as they sit on one of the white stone benches in the walled maze.

Diane kissed his cheek in thanks and her boyfriend says something that has the two of them laughing quietly before deciding Florence and Gabriel have been tortured enough.

They were young and in love, and it was a sight that contrasted with the grim future awaiting them.

“Prisoner of war, but no, Tom Bennett’s not dying.” The witch shook her head smiling softly as she saw how sweet they were with each other.

Eva sees Douglas Bennett become a shell of himself when they tell him Tom’s missing in France, she sees him ignoring the sirens telling him to run and sees him accept death as he asks Josie to forgive him for not taking care of the children better.

“But his father will.”

#tie your heart to mine fic #tom bennett x ofc #tom bennett x diane #world on fire peaky blinders crossover #thomas shelby x oc #thomas shelby fanfic #peaky blinders fanfiction #ewan mitchell

[theredandwhitequeen]

Young royals series finale thoughts I had to wait a few hours because I had to get my haircut, so I’m ready now. I hope Ouch ouch ouch ouch, my poor crying boys Yay Felice is there so he’s not alone. Simon left that night. 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 So many fanfics this week included him not staying at the castle Boys in the lake, partying  Simon and Sara, Simon not being able to go to school, because he doesn’t want to run into Wille Hugs Micke leaving the car to his kids, kinda sweet, but also heartbreaking  Class out side Wille asks Sara about Simon They banned Hillerska from operating. Jesus Blaming going on in the dorms, Wille and Felice.  August falling apart. I wonder if he was asked to talk Been warned for 10 years already August, getting cuddled by Nils and Vincent is kinda adorable and incredibly weird all at once since they can still graduate  The school closes at the end of school year. Sara, Simon, Ayub and Rosh Talking of starting over in Gothenburg  Wille the court wants to send him to school in Norway? Parents don’t even care or thinking about him They’re just looking at Queen’s mental health not the son they totally ignore and don’t deserve. I’m old enough to be his mom so I’m taking over.  August tells Nils and Vincent he’s the back up and he’s doing royal stuff and they’re like that’s horrible, before you were in with the family without working. Truth Wille checking books back in, Simon enters without seeing him I feel empty - oh Wille Henry interrupts  Pre partying - doing shots with the house father Felice and Wille’s talk oh my, Party Prince Also telling Malin he’s going and they can follow and watch him, is hilarious  The soccer field and the plastic grass a call back How do you know if you’ve got closure Revolution remix All 4 went to the party on the bikes Wille and Simon from across the room Wille and August Erik loved you, the video wouldn’t have mattered, thank you some one needed to tell Wille that. He needed to hear that his brother loved him  I have feeling for August, but I have bigger stronger feelings for You, for Simon and for me. Oh yes good Felice told the truth to the inspectors. Good for her Got up an hour earlier to straighten her hair and nobody paid attention  Stella being awful to Rosh and Rosh asking Ayub if her gaydar is off, he’s so sweet to her Simon and Wille Nils came out, ahhhhhh Good for Sara, standing up for herself  August using emotional blackmail  It’ll pass, damn girl Oh my god the pain!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Holy hell My poor sad babies Fredricka and Stella, ok then, Felice saw and heard The Song!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The nook 😍😍😍😭 The packing, the goodbyes in the hallway He threw the frog in the trash!!!!!!!!!! 😳😍 Sara’s hair is so cute. Going to graduation  They did Simon’s version of the school song, he was so confused  Boris and Wille  August’s mom and step dad were there for him, also cute picture  The Queen and Duke managed to show up Well damn I wasn’t expecting her to apologize at all. I hope you have a nice summer. 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😂😳 Help Oh my god the talk about not wanting to be king is happening. It’s not his choice, none of it has been, his parents are listening to him. Said it’s not about Simon. 😳😳😳😳 In the limo He’s escaping his role and August saw him and his expression read oh shit He ran after the car.😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😍😍😍😍😍😍😍🎊🎉🎊🎉🎉🎊🎼 The reunion was beautiful and Sara and Felice being happy for them is so beautiful  I love this little show so much.

#my thoughts #spoilers #3.06 #young royals #simon x wille #this was so good

[supernovafeather]

Dark Secret (Part 1) (18+)

Leto Atreides x F!Reader

Content : somnophilia (sex while a partner is asleep), hypothetical noncon but agreed beforehand between the two parties, mutual pining, sex friends to lovers, unprotected sex, mention of rough sex and anal sex, slight angst, fluff.

Part 2

Tonight, Leto doesn't look like he is doing well. Instead of his effortlessly commanding aura his exhaustion and anxiety got pretty obvious. As his confident of many years, you think your time has come to bring some serenity to his mind.

There have been rumors about the nature of your relationship for years now. With the number of times you left his quarters or him yours, it was obvious that something was going on. To be fair whatever people joked about, you had done it already. They don't need to know he is the only man you granted access to your buttocks, especially dozens of times. He is insanely good in bed, between his natural charisma and his sweet side or the commanding one, you shared endless good times in sheets.

"Leto. Do you want to talk about what upsets you ?"

You walk to him as he keeps his back turned to you, his hands clasped behind it as he watches the moon illuminating Caladan from its throne in the skies.

"Accumulation of stress. All those deadline in economics, in the military, the Emperor pressuring us to respect other deadlines, then others and others..." he suspends his sentence with a sighs, his shoulders falling in defeat.

As the Duke sounds a lot calmer than all the times he ended up snapping at his other advisors throughout the day, you come closer, your hands rubbing his uniform jacket up and down.

"Do you have to work on the same matters tomorrow ?"

"As always." He sighs before cracking his neck. "As always. Yeah."

"You sound extremely preoccupied those days." You insist as you now embrace his right arm to rest your head on his shoulder. "Are you in need of some comfort tonight ?"

"I am." He admits without looking away from the moon, now sounding melancholic. "But I don't want to waste your time."

"You are not. Actually... it's been a month since last time." You coo to lure him into your game and earn a boyish grin from him. "I was waiting for you to come and see me as last time I was the one coming to you."

"I've thought of you all day long. I thought I would end up asking you for something in a corner of the hallways before midday."

Leto likes to not make it happen too often. He loves to feel the need coming back by itself thanks to apparently insignificant details. He loves to play it slow. A month is still exceptionally long for him but who knows, maybe he got a decrease in libido due to his work.

"Tonight is your night my Lord." You whisper at his ear as he shifts softly on his feet. "Do you want me to get ready and join you in your quarters ?"

"I'll join you in your bed. May I spend the night there ?" He asks as he nuzzles your nose affectionately.

"How can I refuse something asked so politely sire ?"

He opens his mouth before closing it, a hint of worry flashing before your eyes. You grin, rubbing his bearded cheeks as you notice his attention increasing. He is extremely sensitive to this kind of gesture and you wonder whether or not he is already getting aroused. He certainly is.

"Leto, Leto, Leto, Leto," you whisper tiredly next to his lips, "what do you have in mind ?"

"It is..." he starts before switching back to his serious Duke face. "It is nothing. I'll join you later."

You prevent him from leaving you abruptly with a simple touch, a peck on his cheek. He likes simple gestures like this one that is powerful enough to make him stop.

"Leto. We did everything and you know we trust each other." You try to reason him as you adjust his collar more to caress his nape while sending him the seductive gaze he loves. "What do you want tonight ? Something quick ?"

"I don't know. It's something I'm not fully comfortable with." He mutters as he looks around and behind you. "I won't talk about it here."

"Am I supposed to feel thrilled or afraid ?" You chuckle briefly.

Apparently it's something you never tried. You thought you did everything but you were wrong.

"I'll join you. Wait for me. I just want to sleep with you next to me."

"All that mystery for something so simple to admit ?"

"In a way." He barely smiles.

Not to push him too much, you nod and go back to your quarters alone. You make sure to be fully clean everywhere, just in case. Soft skin, no particular scent that could disturb him during the night, teeth brushed. Ten minutes later you open your doors, noticing that he did more or less the same thing as you. You don't talk about it, only impatient to feel him closer once in bed.

"Always so elegant my Lord."

"I'm about to go to sleep, I doubt elegance is even present." He grins as he sits on your bed, his hand soon on your bare leg below your nightgown.

"Come closer, I know you want it."

The Duke's embrace is gentle, his lips kissing your neck in a smile way as you grab his shirt on his back. He is holding back, purposefully not going any further.

"We can get some sleep if you feel too tired." You say quietly. "I'm tired too. We can wait for tomorrow morning."

"I have something to tell you before that." He whispers before clearing his throat, his eyes searching yours. "It's pretty important and I don't want to make you uncomfortable in any way but I've came to think about something unusual."

"What did your pervert mind create this time ?" You coo next to his lips as you rub his thigh covered with his loose pants.

"I love to see you sleeping in my arms you look so peaceful. And for a month I have thought of... you know, doing things to you during your sleep."

You blink at that but without much surprise.

"You already woke me up several times with kisses to have sex in the morning." You remind him as you slide your hands beneath his top to feel his warm chest. "Is that all ?"

"I mean I want to do things to you while you're sleeping. With my tongue, my fingers. I want to wake you up with an orgasm."

"What ?" You whisper as hi'e lowers his gaze.

"I don't know. I just love that thought. You know to... to make you feel that good even when you're sleeping. I love your body and it attracts me. It's... It's really arousing to me just to think about it."

"Like... when I'm actually sleeping ? Really not conscious of what you are doing ?"

"Yes."

You don't know much what to say about it. It sure sounds not really acceptable on a moral spectrum but he just talked about it to you and explained it while looking at you in the eyes. And seriously... you think you have roleplayed much worse things than that the days he would feel strongly frustrated by his day and wanting raw control back in his hands.

"I like that idea. I appreciate that you talked about it. That's why you are such an enjoyable partner." You say as you scratch his beard with a longing gaze.

"Thank you for listening to me." He breathes out. "I don't know how to feel about it myself."

"Can we talk about all the dirty little things you did to me when you came here angry and without warning me beforehand ?" You say as he lowers his eyes in half-shale and half-pride.

"I'm still sorry about that."

"We've already talked about it don't worry I forgive you Leto. And it was far from being unenjoyable. Otherwise we wouldn't have done it again, don't you think ?"

He nods as heated memories surface in your mind, the feeling of you getting pressed forcefully against your table with your anus lubricated with thick strings of saliva by two fingers making you clench underneath your nightgown. It was a good plan not to wear any undergarments tonight.

"So... I guess the best I can do for you is to fall asleep in your arms my dear Duke ?"

He doesn't answer and even without contact between your crotches you feel his hips jolting a bit. He hides it behind a gesture to get closer to you but you are not stupid. You know perfectly than when he is needy, he is quick to jump into action.

Usually falling asleep in his arms would be easy for you. There is no safer place in the universe than in Leto's arms. However this important life lesson is not enough tonight as your mind anticipates any of his actions. He remains laying there caressing your bare skin of your arms, his heart beating strongly in his chest. His own impatience is easy to read once you know him. At any of your yawns he inhales deeply and in silence, his legs spreading slightly.

You don't know exactly when your eyes close by themselves, but you can feel something. Disappointed to have woken up so easily, you decide to hide your consciousness. The finger rubbing your lower lips delicately is painfully slow, trying to create some wetness. Your nightgown got lifted up your waist, Leto's other hand resting on your belly. There is no light from what you can see behind your closed eyelids. You can only trust your other senses, feeling his fingers spreading your lips before you feel the tip of his finger taunting your walls in a feather-like touch. You risk to look with a barely open eye, your gaze set on the ceiling. It's pretty much dark but Leto must have opened a curtain due to the moonlight giving some light, certainly enough for him to see what he is doing. You close your eyes again as he moves delicately on the mattress.

Convinced you are still fast asleep, he starts to kiss up and down your belly, his beard and tongue soon next to your crotch. You feel his deep breath against your entrance as his forefinger and middle finger rub your entrance to reveal your clit. Your own arousal get awakened at the tip of his tongue poking this little spot of flesh that soon harden under his touch. He must feel it as he whispers something you understand as "good". He keeps going on, insisting a bit more. Pokes gets replaced by circles, his saliva making the contact easier. Your body arches a first time gently as he starts to suck on your erectile flesh. He freezes for a second before resuming his ministrations. His other fingers rub on your lower lips, some wet sounds audible from where you are.

"Beautiful." He sighs before spreading your legs a bit more, his tongue plunging inside you.

This has you clenching and you can't repress a low moan fully. He stops again before his weight shifts for a moment, slowly feeling between your spread legs, your anticipation so high that you are still clenching as you feel your juices drooling onto the mattress. After a few fabrics sounds, your feel something heavier than his hand rubbing your erected clit and lower belly. Warm and hard, you have no difficulty to imagine his shaft rubbing against you as it gathers some wetness to spread it all over this area. Is that what arouses you the most, or your first name getting whispered in a shaky voice when he starts circling your clit with the leaking tip of his cock ?

"I shouldn't do that, I shouldn't I shouldn't." He whispers to himself before inserting the tip in your entrance. "It's not good." He takes your hips in his hands. "I shouldn't it's not acceptable from an Atreides. That's evil." He mumbles as he gets deeper inside you. "You don't do that."

You can't stop your thighs from moving in reflex as he becomes silent again, his shaft shifting a few times in and out your body before getting as deep as it can. He lets a low sigh out as he takes your legs slowly in his hands, placing them around his waist.

Now it's complicated not to react too obviously. One of his hands slide underneath your nightgown, grabbing one of your breasts as he starts slow thrusts. You never heard him being so close to his breaking point so fast. It definitely is his favorite fantasy.

"By the Gods." He whispers with a smile.

As your pleasure starts to feel wonderfully warm in your belly you can't fake your unconsciousness after a harder hip thrust he gives you. You barely have the time to see a flash of his chest as he retrieves his hand from underneath your nightgown. Your eyesight gets obstructed by the fabrics you were wearing as he takes it off your body, his own soon covering yours as he kisses you deeply, the back of your head pressed against your pillow.

He doesn't let you breath as his thrusts get more and more powerful, brutal enough to make your bed creak slightly under his grinds. You manage to shift enough so your lips escape his, your moans now uncontrollable and pretty loud.

"Leto it..." you squeal before feeling him devouring your neck and throat, his hands grabbing your wrists to pin them against the headboard. "Leto..."

"I love fucking you it's stronger than me beautiful." He says in a hoarse voice as you feel his motions getting more erratic, his features contorted in something that looks similar to his angry face. "You're so hot."

A dozen of creaks later you are already coming hard, your body doing all it can to arch off the bed despite his weight all over you. His hips don't stop before a moment, the vein of his forehead looking ready to pop under his effort to hold back his orgasm. Your sweet torture finally ends with a low moan from him similar to the ones he lets out when you are the one in charge, his wrists tied up behind his back as you would delay his orgasm for about two hours.

It's hot in here and it's not his presence against you that is going to make it easier for you to breath. Your mutual sweat sticking to your skin tickles your nostrils as Leto remains inside of you, his eyes set on your face as his hands rub your bare chest up and down.

"Do you hate me for that ?" He asks breathlessly.

"I don't... I... I definitely don't hate you." You chuckle at how ruined he looks.

"You should. It's not normal from me. It shouldn't feel so good to get you during your sleep."

"I loved it." You whisper as you wonder how good it must feel to wake up at this. "You always know how to make me feel good no matter what. You're so nice to me."

He scoffs as you caress his hip with your leg, your seductive gaze attracting his as he finally fully relaxes.

"So... would you like me to do it again ?" He asks with hope.

"Definitely. Just tell me before. I want you to let me know." You say as you sit up, still wrapped around him as you snake your arms around his strong shoulders. "You always have good ideas my Lord."

"Stop being so nice and hot." He whispers between two sloppy kisses. "I don't deserve it."

"You do deserve it, such a good man for taking care of me."

"Shut up." He chuckles before kissing you again. "A man should be able to control himself around a Lady."

"And a Lady should control herself around the Duke." You say as you start rubbing your crotch against his, his gaze darkening as you try to make him harden again under the pressure. "I always need my second round, remember ?"

"If you want you can do the same thing to me when I'm asleep. You can use whatever you want and wake me up in the same way." He says as he looks at his seed leaking off from your entrance as you squat to take a better position. "Ride me if you want, suck on me, kiss me... do whatever you want. I'm all yours."

You raise an eyebrow and he nods, swallowing hard as now his submissive side shows up. He lies down without needing any instruction from you, and you start to stroke his shaft, making it hard again before straddling him. You have avoided his soft glances for months but now you hold it with a commanding one. You have been aware of his romantic attraction for you for a while now, a few months maybe, and you can't deny that with that mutual trust more solid than a mountain rock you may start to feel something as well.

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