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samkerrworshipper · 27 days

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las 15.

mapi leon x reader, alexia putellas x reader (platonic)

warnings: the spanish federation ick

erm look at me posting something 😮 anyways enjoy haha i kinda hate it but need to feed yall somehow

“You need to be aware of the consequences of what could happen if you sign this document.”

You stared down at the mahogany surface of your lawyers desk, it was dark, sanded, smooth and shiny. Contemporary, but it also looked old, like a heirloom. It distracted your from the non stop drawl.

“I don’t care, I’m signing it.”

Your eyes travelled along the surface, lookinbg at the different waves of wood and the way that the dark colours marbled together.

“The RFEF could come for you, they could try and take your license. You might not compete at the world cup, the press will come for you, Vilda will come for you, Barca could reduce your playing time, it could be the end of your career. There are other negatives.”

You’ve thought about all of them of course, how could you not?

“I’ve already said it, I don’t care. Let them come for me, let them do whatever they want. I am done with it all. Fourteen other players have signed it, no? I will be the fifteenth and that is final.”

You weren’t a big fan of your lawyer, he was old and money oriented. He also didn’t have your best interest in mind, his sole focus was earning you as much money as possible, which had been fine up until today.

“So what? You plan to be the best in the world and never play international football again? This will ruin your career, it will put an end to the Ballon D’or campaign, it will change things for you, you can’t just do this because your girlfriend does it as well, this will be detrimental for you.”

The wood grooved at the edges, flattening out and curving so the edges weren’t too sharp.

“I refuse to stand by and submit myself to abuse. That’s what happens every time I go to that place, every time I go to camp I submit myself to abuse, torture, horrific conditions. The fact that you would even dare imply that I would do this for anybody but myself is preposterous. I am better than the condition I am being subkmitted to, I deserve better than to be objectified and treated as if I am dirt on that man’s shoe and I refuse to be treated as such. I have standards for myself and the people around me and I refuse to live by these for much longer. I’ll draft up the letter, I’ll send it to you for editing purposes and once your done you will send it to the RFEF, consequences be damned. You should be glad that I lasted two more windows then everyone else, honestly I’m ashamed that I didn’t do this earlier, but I’m ready to take a stand with everybody else now. I don’t want to play in a World Cup if it means this is how I will live my life.”

You looked up at your lawyer, hoping the fire burning in your soul was reflective in your eyes.

“This is a bad decision, you are thinking with your heart and not your head, this is unlike you.”

You pulled your eyes from the mahogany, standing up from your seat slowly.

“No, I’m thinking with my own interests, not yours, not my managers, not my bank accounts. I’m thinking with my mental health, my emotional health and my physical health. For the first time in my life I am taking time to focus on myself, so tyeah maybe it’s unlike me, but I’d like to think this might be the a better version of me, I’ll email you my letter, all you havr to do is forward it, if it’s such a struggle don’t even bother reading it, I don’t care what you have to say, I’m legally obligated to make you aware of any contractual issues so here I am. Give a fuck, don’t give a fuck, it doesn’t change anything for me, I’ve made my decision and nothing or nobody will make me change my mind.”

You didn’t wait around to hear what he planned to say in rebuttal, exiting the stuffy office as quickly as your legs would allow.

You made it to your car before you felt the tears flooding down your face. Even now, even after you’d tried to speak out you still felt like you were being silenced, like nothing had changed. That’s why you were doing what you were doing, why you knew this was what you needed to do. It didn’t make it any easier though, knowing that no matter what choices you made, even if they were for the good of you there were still going to be people around you who condemned them.

You were supposed to be at training, but you’d taken the day of to finalise all this bullshit. It was frustrating, knowing that the choices you were making for the good of yourself could end up being harmful to your career in a multitude of ways, it was all so fucking hard.

Everybody was at training, and yet here you were balling your eyes out in the carpark of your stupid fucking lawyers office.

If you hadn’t hit rock bottom at the last camp, the this was it, this was your final straw.

It was all too much, you’d been holding out for too long, but the mixture of the other 14 girls refusing to come back and Alexia’s injury had been enough of a motivation for Vilda to try and ruin your life. It had started with extra training after your sessions, then sessions in the mornings, then separating you from the rest of the team, limiting your diet, gym sessions, changing your schedules to everybody elses, punishing you for nothing, treating you like you were a slave to the Spanish Women’s team.

You were the best midfielder they had, excluding Alexia, and she was hurt, you were the scapegoat for the team, you were responsible for the wins and the reason for the losses.

You knew that with your leave, somebody else would end up taking your role, probably Aitana who was far to young to deal with that kind of pain, and you felt bad, you felt more guilty than you thought possible, but you couldnt do it for any longer, you couldn’t act like it wasn’t killing you on the inside for every second that you spent away with those people.

You hated it, you hated feeling like nothing, you hated feeling worthless, you hated living your life like it was pointless, you couldn’t do it for any longer, not when you were giving up every single part of yourself to keep yourself together.

You couldn’t stay how you were, crying in the drivers seat of your car milling over the memories of your last camp, you needed to leave, needed to go somewhere, needed to talk somebody.

Before you really knew what you were doing you’d started driving, letting the tears drip onto your lap and the steering wheel as you frantically drove your way through the city.

You couldn’t be alone, but you also couldn’t handle all the eyes of your teammates, so you drove to the one other place that you could think of where you hoped somebody would be.

You tried your hardest to wipe the tears from your face, but they kept falling, the sleeve of your shirt getting damper by the second as you tried to wipe up the evidence of your breakdown. It was useless, and eventually you gave up, stepping out of your car and ducking your head as you walked towards the lift and navigated your way through the apartment building.

The person you were looking for didn’t answer the door, instead you were put face to face with Olga.

“Hola chica, Ale didn’t tell me she was expecting visitors.”

You bit down on your lip, tapping your foot against the floor as you peeked around Olga, searching for the person you were seeking out.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t tell her, I can go home, I know she’s been busy with her rehab, I don’t even know how I ended up here.”

Olga tugged at your arm before you could spit anything else out, tugging you through the door and closing it from behind you.

“Nonsense chica, you’re very welcome here, Alexia is sitting out on the balcony doing her exercises, she’ll be more than happy to have your company, just head on through, your always welcome here.”

You nodded at Olga, smiling at her as much as you could with your lip still stuck between your teeth.

“Thank you, thank you so much, I really appreciate.”

You tried to ignore the tears that were still dripping down your face, it didn’t feel like you were crying, even though you were, it more felt like you were shedding a layer of yourself, the layer that was holding all of the trauma that you’d been holding in, like it was your way of getting rid of it all.

Alexia’s apartment was meticulously clean as ever, but you spotted her out in the sun easily.

She was standing outside, in a pose similar to ones you did in your yoga sessions.

She looked at peace, like she was calm, like she was serene, the complete polar opposite to how you felt and you really didn’t want to burden her with your problems, but you were here now anyways.

You tiptoed over to the glass sliding door, pushing it open, causing Alexia’s head to peak up at you. She looks at you with curiosity, but doesn;t move, instead her head nods you towards one of the outdoor lounges beside her, which you beeline for.

She stays in her position as she addresses you.

“The appointment with your lawyer didn’t go well then?”

You did a double take as you stared at Alexia, shocked at the information she’d somehow managed to obtain.

“You don’t take me for a idiota do you? Mapi told me you had a appointment you were keeping quiet about this morning, it doesn’t take a genius to figure it out who it must have been with, considering recent events. Although your girlfriend wasn’t smart enough to work it out herself.”

Alexia stayed in her stretch, looking at you as if to prompt you to tell her more.

“Yes, I had a appointment with my lawyer, Alexia.”

Alexia smirked to herself, she was one of the most obersvanet people you knew, nothing got by her, you weren’t all that surprised to find out that this hadn’t.

“You’ll be joining the group then?”

You hadn’t really comes to terms with it, let alone saying it out loud.

“That’s the plan, should be official by tomorrow.”

Tears were still dripping down your face, you couldn’t find yourself caring though.

“Good for you. You deserve better, we all deserve better, may we all hopefully make a change.”

Alexia wasn’t officially a part of the movement, but she was everyway besides a signature as equally involved as everybody else.

“It just feels like i’m letting the team down, that I’m letting everyone down.”

Alexia nodded at you, finally coming out of her stretch and walking over to sit down next to you.

“You’re doing what’s good for you chica, your doing something that is going to make you happier, that is going to make your life better. Nobody else matters beyond that, trust me.”

Alexia looked at you, like she was genuinely struggling to help you out in the moment. She had been your mentor at Barca for forever, you seeked out her advice more than anybody elses, especially in this moment.

“I don’t know how to do it anymore, it’s like he was trying to ruin my fucking life, like his whole purpose for everyday was to make my life a living hell, and I just couldn’t do it anymore. I couldn’t walk around camp acting like it was fine, I couldn’t smile at cameras and talk to the press and tell them about how great I was feeling when it was all lies, all I wanted to do was leave, or sleep, or die, all because of his and his staff. They were hardly feeding me, hardly letting me sleep, hardly giving me a break and expecting me to perform at the same level as everybody else, if not better. I just couldn’t do it anymore Ale, it was too much.”

Alexia’s arm placed itself on your knee, squeezing your covered skin.

“You shouldn’t have to, you needed to leave and you did, you made the right decision chica, you made a impossible decision that will make your life 100 times easier, it doesn’t make you weak, it makes you so incredibly brave for being able to identify that you were being treated wrongly and that you needed to remove yourself from that space.”

The tears kept falling, your pants were slowly becoming soaked with the raw emotion.

“Mapi did it because of the abuse, because she had a legitimate reason, I’m leaving because they worked me a little bit harder than everybody else, it feels like I’m overreacting.”

You could feel Alexia rolling her eyes from beside you.

“Really? Has Mapi told you that?”

Mapi had told you that you deserved the world, you deserved everything you wanted, you deserved to be treated like a queen, not how the RFEF was treating you. She’d told you the decision was yours, that she would support you no matter what you did, but she’d also told you that after every camp you came back with a little bit less of yourself, that Vilda was stripping parts of you away to use at his mercy.

“It’s not the same thing, Patri, Pina, Mapi, they all have good reasons, they’ve all been hurt, Vilda is just trying to make me better, trying to make me worthy.”

Alexia’s hand squeezed tighter.

“You’re lying to yourself and you know it. As long as he is in charge, you aren’t going to get treated how you deserve, none of us are. We’ve all paid our dues, yet they don’t give a shit, they break us all down until we’ve got nothing left to give. They broke me down until I did my acl, if you hadn’t of left they would have done the same to you. It’s nonstop, even if it isn’t the same kind of abuse as Mapi, it’s still abuse, they still rip out every part of you in the process. Each time you come back you have less of yourself to offer, but they keep taking, and taking, they make us feel nothing. It’s a waste, it’s a waste of the wonderful life we’ve all been gifted. We deserve to be happy, we deserve to be free of the pain.”

You nodded your head, you’d been avoiding telling Mapi about all of this. You were conscious that she was still working through a lot of her own trauma, and you didn’t want to reopen scars that were only just beginning to heal.

“I don’t know what to do Ale, I sign the papers, I write the letters and I’m taking a stand, I’m trying to make a change. I stay, I wreck it all, but I keep my career. It feels like I’m at a crossroads with myself, and I can’t talk about it weith Maps because god forbid shes already been through enough with her own struggle through it all, she doesn’t need me on top of that.”

Alexia stood back up, getting back onto her mat and pushing herself into another stretch, all whilst she maintained eye contact with you.

“Mapi’s talked to you about her struggles, si? She’s burdening you with her own problems, yet it doesn’t feel that way, because you love her and you’d do anything to make her pain less. I guarantee she’d feel the exact same way. You’ve been through a lot, none of us will ever be able to completely comprehend what you’ve been through, but if you started talking to your loved ones about it we’d be able to support you better. Or a therapist, I know Barca has been giving you sessions, but I mean a real psychologist, not just a person who tells you that you need a day off. You need somebody to help you, to actually make you feel like you deserve better than how they treated you, because I know that you know that but I don’t think you really believe it.”

The tears were slowly coming to a standstill, slipping less frequently down your face as Alexia talked to you.

“I don’t want to make her hurt any more than she already has.”

Alexia just looked at you, with that double eyebrow raise and little crinkle in her forehead.

“If you think that Maria wouldn’t do anything for you, even if it meant sucking every single inch of pain from your body and putting it into hers, she would do it and she would do it with a smile on her face. Her whole world, her whole solar system revolves around you and she’d want you to talk to her about this. She knows better than anybody else what you’re experiencing, she’s literally been where you are, so why not talk to her about it?”

It was true, for as long as Mapi and you had been together she’d tried to fix every single thing, she would do anything to make you feel better, this didn’t feel the same though.

“She deserves to live in a world where Vilda, where the RFEF, don’t affect her anymore. She signed the petition, she’s cleaned her hands of it all, and I should have done it with her, but I didn’t. I chose to keep playing for the benefit of my career, because I was greedy and decided that a Ballon D’or and any kind of accolade I was a shot at was more important then taking a stand and I hate it. I hate that now that I’ve won things that suddenly it’s all hit me that I don’t like what’s been happening, and I don’t want to support it. Mapi doesn’t deserve to go through it a second time, all because I was greedy.”

Alexia switched sides on her stretch, the sun was radiating off of her olive skin and her blonde hair, she looked ethereal.

“Have you told her anything about it?”

Alexia was frowning, like she was shocked by your actions.

“She knows that I was struggling at camp, she told me I was welcome to talk to her. After the last one she knew something had changed, she told me she was worried and I shook her off, because I thought she was being overprotective, but she was right, she had reason to be worried, I wasn’t okay. I’m not okay, i don’t know how to process it all.”

Alexia nodded.

“Go home, tell her what’s happening, see what she says, I think it’ll be a lot better than whatever you’ve thought up. Mapi has been my bestfriend for years, she’s dated my sister, she’s dated my friends and I can confidently tell you that she loves you more than any of them, you’re her do or die, all she’ll want to do is support you, please just go and talk to her.”

Alexia looked at you with such conviction and honesty that you couldn’t find it in you to try and fight her on the topic.

“Thank you Ale, I needed this, I needed to talk to somebody, needed to feel less crazy.”

Alexia did one last stretch before standing up, pulling you into a tight hug before you could pull away.

“You’re not crazy chica, you’re going through a very real, very hard time, and you deserve to have the people around you show you how much they love you.”

Alexia let go of you, shoving you back towards the door.

“Go talk to your girl, and sign those papers, and be happy, enjoy life, enjoy peace. You deserve it, chica.”

You nodded into Alexia’s shoulder, letting go of her and slipping back into her apartment, leaving her to get back to her stretching.

You shivered when you spotted Mapi’s car already parked in her spot. You knew you’d be cutting it close with getting home earlier then her, but you’d held a silent hope that you would be the first home. You hesitated to exit your car, scared of what the inside of your apartment held. You weren’t scared so much, more a little bit tentative of the conversation that you were about to have, knowing that it could majorly impact your relationship. In your heart, you knew that Mapi would love you no matter what, but it didn’t calm the nerves inside of you as you pulled your keys from the ignition, pulled out the papers that your lawyer had given you and exited your car.

The whole walk from your car, to the elevator and then down the hallway to your apartment had your heart thrumming inside of your chest. Your hands were quite literally shaking as you pushed your key into the door.

You toed your shoes off at the door, slotting them down beside the door before slowly walking your way through the entrance. It wasn’t hard to find Mapi, she was right in front of you, sitting down at the island bench, patting Bagheera and eating a post training salad. You knew that there was one meant for you still sitting on the shelf of your fridge, from when the two of you had meal planned yesterday. She looked so undisturbed, with the afternoon light coming in through the gaps in the blinds and the general silence that you were about to break.

You announce yourself by slinging your bag down against the wall, a loud enough noise that seems to wake Mapi from her happy daze.

She smiles as soon as her eyes set on you and it only makes the weight in your gut feel ten times heavier and the pain in your heart ten times worse.

You wanted to turn around and walk right back out the door you’d just walked through, but you couldn’t, not with the way that Mapi looked at you, like her whole day had been made by your appearance.

“Hola bebita, how was your meeting?”

Mapi’s smiling ear to ear, quite literally, you swear you can see every single one of her teeth. It had hurt you to lie to Mapi about where you were going today, telling her that you’d had a crucial appointment with your manager about some media things, it wasn’t a direct lie. You had met with your manager, instead of it being positive though, it had been quite the opposite.

You didn’t have any words to reiterate to Mapi, so instead you just picked up the papers that were tucked away in your hands and placed them down on the island infront of her.

Mapi looked at you with confusion for a few seconds.

“Just read them, you’ll understand it more once you have.”

Mapi didn’t hesitate, picking up the first piece of paper and scanning over it, before moving onto the second, then the third and so on, till she’d made it through the entire stack.

You stood anxiously on your toes the whole time, balancing from one foot to the other as you contemplated how Mapi was going to reply to this sudden change.

When she did finish, she looked up at you, a lot of questions hidden behind her curious eyes.

“I’m resigning, or requesting they don’t call me up. I don’t want to play for a federation that doesn’t care about me. I’m sorry I didn’t do it earlier, but I wasn’t ready and I’m sorry I’m bother you with it now but I’m also sorry I didn’t tell you about it earlier, I met with my lawyer for the first time today to sign the documents and write my statement. If it all goes to plan then they should be out in the next week. I don’t want to do it anymore, I can’t do it anymore, I’m sorry.”

Mapi blinked a few times, like you’d just blindsided her completely, and you figured you had.

“I didn’t even really know it was happening until after last camp, and I just realised that I was so exhausted and so tired and so sick of it all that I couldn’t do it again. I should have done it earlier, I should have been a part of it all from the start but I was scared and I still am scared Maps. This is supposed to be my job, I’m supposed to be grateful for the opportunities I’m given and yet I feel like I’m a fraud and I’m lying when I say that because I’m not grateful and I’m not happy and I can’t do it anymore, I just can’t. I’ve been praying every night that I get injured, so that I get a break like Ale, and I don’t want to feel like that anymore.”

Mapi just stood up and pulled you into her arms, silencing the rambling and making you realise that you were now crying again.

She slowly led you towards the couch, bringing you into her arms as you tried to take control of yourself.

It felt like every piece of anguish, every piece of fear, every piece of internal hatred was slowly being pulled from your body and it felt so good, like you were somehow being healed.

Mapi wiated until you were coherent enough, until you felt more resurfaced, and less like the bloodn was rushing through your ears and every though of self-doubt was spirally through the different ridges of your brain.

“Princesa, you’ve made this decision for you, si? Not because of me, not because of anybody else, because you believe this is best for you?”

You nodded into her chest, enjoying the feeling of your own skin pressed directly to hers.

“I’m sick of them making me feel this way Maps, I don’t like it, I don’t think it’s right.”

Mapi’s body was surrounding you, her scent, her feel, her everything, and it was all you’d needed today, everything that Alexia had assured you would make you feel better.

Mapi’s salad was forgotten on the counter.

Bagheera was somewhere else.

It was just the two of you, just the two of you to face everything.

“We’re put into boxes, as women, men try to make us be everything and yet nothing. It’s not right, we’re expected to be as good as the men, but we have to behave eloquently, say our pleases and thank yous and never be ungrateful for the piss poor conditions we put up with. We’re supposed to be passionate, but we’re not allowed to over react in any way. We can only underperform, not overperform. There are no expectations for us, because we’re women and we’re supposed to be worse than the men, but they’re are also so many expectations for us to meet. It’s okay for you to be done with that, there is nothing wrong with you saying no to constantly being abused. You’re not a fraud bebita and I’m here for you no matter what. You’re my girlfriend first, a person second and a soccer player last. It doesn’t matter, none of it matters, you matter, you’re feelings and how you feel is what matters.”

Mapi’s hand pulled your head from her neck, her lips connecting with your forehead with ease.

“I’m not doing it anymore Maps. I want to be strong, I want to say no. I want to be a part of the right side of history. I don’t want to sit around pretending everything’s fine when it’s not fine. It’s nowhere near fine and until there is a change it won’t be.”

Mapi nodded, pressing a series of kisses to your forehead.

“Then we’ll work it out, you’ll keep me in the loop and we’ll figure it out together, no more hiding these big feelings from me. We’ll go and see our therapists and take soe time off and do whatever you need to feel safe and happy, because what matters is you, nobody else, si?”

You nodded your head once again, enjoying the same smile that her face was covered in. her lips migrated down to your cheeks, pressing kisses to the rosiest parts, pushing the tears away.

“I’ve got you bebita, we’ve got each other, we’re going to be fine, we all are.”

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isolationstreet · 2 years

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Let's not talk about anything else but love is just kidzbop everybody ought to have a maid

#coming in with 12+ year old barely lukewarm musical theatre takes #im gonna have to say i perfer the boomer humor on this one #i am simply no a fan of when musicals go lets do the exact same thing as a different musical but worse #and then hope people laugh simply becuase its a reference #every body ought to have a maid works becuase it is raunchy and clever #lets not talk about anything else but love is neither #its just haha look they do the everybody ought to have a maid thing where they keep adding more people when you think the song is over #i do enjoy the addams family musical #but this annoys the fuck out of me every time

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penkura · 4 days

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Everybody Knows

Summary: You want to keep it a secret as long as you can, but living on a pirate ship makes that difficult.

Warnings: Pregnancy, mentions of vomiting, slight food aversions, loving husband Sanji (not a warning tbh haha)

Note: Everyone, hi!! I wrote this before I ever finished 'knowing', and I just couldn't help but to share it here now that that's completed! I loved writing this so much, and yes, this is one of the two one-shots that are connected to 'knowing'! I'll post the second next week most likely! This also takes place about four to five years after the end of 'knowing'! I hope you all will enjoy this!!

“Sanji, look, look!! It’s positive!”

“Wait. No way, really?!”

Your smiling and giggling while showing off the positive pregnancy test ended up being contagious, Sanji grinning when he saw it as he wrapped you in a tight hug and spun you just a little. He couldn’t do it too much after all! You’d just found you were likely carrying a precious blessing, he didn’t want to make you dizzy or sick or anything!

It’d been nearly four years since your wedding on the Thousand Sunny after the events in Wano, and just about two years since you decided to start trying for a baby, but now! Now you were pregnant! Finally, after what felt like so much longer than it should have been. You hadn’t told anyone that you two were even thinking about having a baby, you wanted to keep it as secret as possible, and it taking almost two years to even get to the point of a positive test was definitely keeping it secret.

Honestly, when you’d told him you wanted to try having a baby, Sanji was ecstatic and nervous all at the same time. Of course he wanted to be a dad, he’d thought about it for so long, especially once you two married. But, with the life of a pirate, it couldn’t be that safe, could it? Obviously others had done it, Gol D. Roger had kids on his ship, Whitebeard did too, and Big Mom had all her kids (don’t remind him of that though, poor man thought he’d never see you again). The world had become moderately safer, people weren’t as terrified of pirates anymore, specifically your crew with how much you had helped others.

When you did tell him, you had made sure no one else was around and that it was about bedtime for most of the crew. You’d stay in the kitchen with Sanji while he finished off the dishes, telling you what he was thinking about cooking the next day for meals most nights, and that was the perfect time. A few of your crewmates came through to wish you both goodnight. Nami had done so early so she could check the map and log pose, making sure you were heading in the right direction. Zoro had the first night shift and had, like always, just requested someone bring him some sake after a while. Brook had chosen to spend some time playing his violin on the deck, Franky was likely in his workshop you thought. Robin came and said goodnight a bit later, saying she’d be joining Zoro in the crow’s nest for a bit with her latest book. You hadn’t been entirely sure about where Jimbei was at first, then heard him on the deck with Brook. Luffy and Usopp had tried to sneak in with Chopper to get a late night snack, making you giggle softly when you saw them come in the door as quietly as they could, before Sanji threw bread at them and chased them out, shouting “that’s all you get! The kitchen is now closed, goodnight unless you want to work!”

Hearing your giggle made Sanji turn back and smile at you, his lovely wife! He still couldn’t believe you two were married some days, just about two years at this point. Before he even started on the dishes, he stopped and gave you a kiss on the top of your head, saying “Once I’m done with the dishes we can head to bed, okay?”

“Sure!”

You tried to keep your focus on your own book while he worked, but your thoughts kept jumping around. You started one thought and lost it, wondering what it was before it came back, and your face heated up at the thought you’d been having the last few weeks anytime you were alone with your dear husband. Every time you’d try and bring the subject of having a baby up to Sanji, someone would interrupt and you’d back down, nervous they’d hear and it would spread around the ship before you even started trying.

You just wanted to be a mom on top of being a pirate, nothing more to it. And you knew Sanji would be an amazing father. No matter how his biological father was, Sanji would be different, he’d had Zeff as his chosen father, his real father. You knew he would be okay.

When Brook started to play what sounded like a familiar lullaby from the East Blue, it made you smile. You checked around quickly to make sure the coast was clear, before getting up from your spot at the table and walking over to Sanji, giving him a hug from behind that made him greet you.

“Sanji~?”

He hummed a bit while finishing drying another dish, “Yes, darling? What can I do for you?”

Smiling just a bit and burying your face in his shirt, you quietly made your request, “I want us to have a baby.”

It was loud enough for him to hear it, nearly causing Sanji to drop the plate in his hand as he choked a bit on his cigarette. Carefully, he set the plate down before turning around and taking your face in his (still damp) hands, trying to make out if you were joking with him or not. All you did in return was smile softly, nothing but love for him in your eyes. Once he realized your smile was sincere and that’s what you really wanted, he smiled widely and nodded, kissing you all over your face.

“Of course, of course, mon amour!!” he was almost as quiet as you were, he could tell you didn’t want anyone else to hear this precious desire yet, “Absolutely, whatever you want, as many as you want!”

You giggled while he kept kissing your face and you wrapped your arms back around his shoulders. "One would be a good start."

Now, you finally had the positive test you’d been anxiously waiting for. Every other one you’d taken that came up negative frustrated both of you at times, but every time it happened, seeing how upset you were, Sanji would just hug you and say it would happen one day, he just knew it would. You’d just keep trying and praying and hoping until it did.

And finally it did. The second line on the test was faint, but you could see it. You had a positive test!

After you two had calmed down from your excitement, you decided to keep the news secret for the time being. You wanted either Chopper or a doctor at the next island to confirm that your test wasn’t a false positive before you told anyone. The ship was due to land at an island that had a large town on it the next day, so Sanji agreed on taking you to a doctor once you did, under the guise of getting some ingredients to store (of course he did need to do that shopping, but making sure you really were pregnant was top priority). You absolutely trusted Chopper as a doctor, but you knew it was likely word would spread sooner than you wanted it to, so you made the choice to go to a doctor once you docked at the next island instead.

Some of your crewmates picked up on how you two acted through the day, but didn’t think too much of it. You guys were sickeningly sweet to each other most of the time anyway, it was gross how lovey-dovey you were (to Zoro anyway). A few times you’d be doing your chores, and someone, namely Robin or Nami, would catch how Sanji, who had been handing drinks and snacks to those who wanted them, would catch you out of the corner of his eye, before quietly watching you for a moment, deciding to go over and offering to take your work off your hands. You just smiled and said he could help if he was that bored and he looked like he wanted to say something, but instead gave a smile and a nod, helping you finish your chores a little faster.

Nami noticed first how weird Sanji was acting towards you. Normally he'd be his regular self, providing her and Robin with drinks and snacks in his normal way, before going over the top to do the same for you. It made sense since you were his wife, but that day he seemed…off? Almost like something had happened to calm him down. His normal acts of treating them like queens were a bit more subdued, and then with you, the one he almost treated like a goddess, he seemed like he'd been hit with a tranquilizer that made him more gentle, soft. It was very odd.

“Hmmm, Robin? Do you think those two are being…weird?”

Robin looked up from her book just enough to see Nami watching you two again; you were playing a card game with Luffy, Usopp, and Chopper, while Sanji stayed nearby just watching. This was the most they'd seen him out of the kitchen in a while, it definitely was odd.

“Sanji is being a bit more protective of her today.”

“Is [Y/N] sick or something?”

“She seems normal to me. Maybe she’s pregnant.”

Nami laughed a little louder than she intended, but it didn’t gain yours or Sanji’s attention. It did gain Luffy's, who looked over wondering what Nami was laughing about before returning his attention to your card game.

“That’d be something.”

Neither girl dared to ask you about it that day, just in case they were incorrect and said something that could be considered offensive. They didn’t even know if you two wanted to have kids in the first place, maybe you just didn’t feel well and Sanji was just being the overprotective husband to his sick wife. The last time you'd been sick he barely left your side and got some help with the cooking so he could take care of you.

When it was dinner time, you were very careful to not let anyone notice how the smell of the fish you were having was making you nauseous. When Luffy asked why you weren't having any, you made the excuse of not feeling very well, deciding to forgo the fish to keep from making yourself sick. It wasn't technically a lie, you just made it sound convincing enough that no one questioned you further.

A silly argument broke out about who would get your share since you weren't eating the fish, and it made you laugh along with Nami. Luffy and Brook both wanted it, Usopp said it should be left for the next day because maybe you'd feel up to eating it then, while Chopper tried to ask you what was wrong and you just told him your stomach was a bit upset, he said he'd give you something to help if you wanted.

You really did impress Sanji with how well you were keeping your little secret. If it weren't for your restraint, he'd have told everyone by now, he was sure of it. It was taking everything in him not to pick up a transponder snail and call Zeff to let him know the good news. He knew you'd let him as soon as it was really, truly confirmed, he was just so anxious to tell someone.

Everyone cleared out after dinner minus you and Robin, she decided to stay behind and help with clearing the table, something you normally did to spend some extra time with your husband that he greatly appreciated.

However, this time, Sanji kept trying to make you stop helping.

"[Y/N], please, sit down! Robin and I will take care of the table." Sanji really, really wanted you to sit down and take it easy. If you were pregnant, you needed rest! You might be growing a whole new person inside you! You'd need all the energy you could have over the next few months!

"Sanji, it's ok! I can help."

"[Y/N]," Robin gave you a smile as she looked between you and Sanji, "if you aren't feeling well, I don't mind helping tonight. You should go let Chopper check you though, just to be certain it's not something to be worried about."

You bit the inside of your lip, wanting to tell Robin why Sanji was being so much more protective over you, but you weren't sure if you should. You viewed her like an older sister, and knew that if you did tell her, she'd keep your secret. Robin would take any secret you told her to the grave. Instead, you looked at Sanji with a slightly pleading look that caused him to just know what you were thinking. Sanji gave you a smile and nodded, which made you smile in return.

"Robin, the only reason Sanji is like this right now is because we got a positive pregnancy test this morning."

Honestly, Robin was joking earlier when she made that suggestion to Nami, but hearing you confirm her silly thought actually made her smile even more at you.

"Really? That's wonderful!"

Nodding, you started to almost beg for her silence on the matter.

"We don't want anyone else to know yet, so I haven't gone to Chopper for real confirmation. We're going to go find a doctor on the next island tomorrow to get a blood test done."

"That's a very good idea, to make absolutely sure your test was positive."

Sanji nodded, setting a hand on your shoulder. "So…could you keep it a secret please? Just until we have it confirmed."

"Of course. Your secret is safe with me."

Robin then joined Sanji even more in telling you to sit and relax, to the point you decided to head to bed with a laugh when Sanji said he didn't mean you had to leave. All you did was kiss him and say you'd see him when he finally came to bed himself.

You took a quick shower, before changing into your pajamas and choosing to lay in bed, hair still a bit wet but you didn't care. You wanted to see that positive pregnancy test again. It still felt surreal to you that it might be happening. You might become a mother in a few months.

The two faint, pink lines were still there, you hadn't been dreaming all day.

Gosh I hope it's not a false positive…

Eventually Sanji did come to bed with you, after his own shower and with his hair still damp too. You barely even moved when he laid down next to you, setting his hand on your stomach while you kept staring at the test.

"It's so weird."

"Hmm?"

"To think that we might be having a baby. It feels weird, doesn't it?"

He nodded a bit, while you finally laid the test back down on your nightstand and turned to face your dearly loved husband with a smile.

"You might get to be a dad soon."

"And you might get to be a mom soon."

Your giggle never failed to make him smile, even more than he already was. Sanji wrapped his arm around your waist and pulled you close to him, hugging you and burying his face in your hair.

"I love you…no matter what we find out next, I love you so much."

You returned his hug and sighed happily, content with where you were now. You really hoped and prayed your test was accurate, that soon you'd be parents, you'd have a baby of your own to care for and love as well.

"I love you too, Sanji."

All would be well.

+!+

"All right everyone, I have your allowances for today!"

The normal culprits of bad spending habits cheered or thanked Nami, while you gladly took your decent sum and pocketed it immediately. Of course you wanted to look for some clothes, but you had no idea how much a doctor would charge you for a test, so you hoped the allowance Nami gave to you would be enough for both.

Usually you'd join in on drawing straws to see who stayed on the ship to guard it, but before you even could take one from Usopp, Sanji took your hand and told everyone you had decided you were going with him to get groceries this time. Not a single one of your crewmates questioned it, the rest of them drawing straws and Zoro and Jimbei being the lucky ones to stay on the Sunny. Once everything was settled, the rest of you left the ship and broke off in different directions. You stopped a local and quietly asked her where a doctor or women's clinic was, and she was kind enough to lead you and Sanji there.

After the kind older woman left you, the two of you didn't go inside yet. Your nerves had picked up and Sanji could tell. He felt the same way, you both had the same thought running through heads.

What if it was a false positive? What if all your hopes you'd had over the last 24 hours were about to be dashed and you weren't really going to have a baby?

Despite all the fears and worries, Sanji held your hand just a bit tighter and it brought you out of your thoughts and you looked at him.

"Do you want me to go in with you?"

You thought for a second, then shook your head. "It's ok, I can go. You need to go grocery shopping so we're back on the ship at the meeting time."

Although he really did want to go with you, Sanji nodded and gave you a tight hug, kissing your forehead. "No matter what they say, I love you. You know that right?"

"Of course I do!" You laughed a bit, leaning up to give your sweet husband a kiss. "I love you too, and I know it's all gonna be okay. Meet you here in about an hour?"

Sanji nodded, letting you go but letting his fingers linger on yours as you turned and walked into the clinic. He stayed for a few minutes, before turning to go find the shopping district and get his grocery shopping done by the hour time was up, saying silent prayers that the news you brought back would be good.

+!+

The hour you had agreed on had passed, Sanji was waiting for you outside the clinic nervously. He'd honestly expected you to be outside and waiting for him already, but maybe something was wrong? Did something happen that was keeping you there longer than you expected? He prayed it wasn't something along the lines of you getting your pregnancy confirmed but being told you'd lost the baby already. That would devastate both of you after the time you'd had even just trying to get pregnant.

No, no, don't even think that. Everything is fine.

Every time someone exited the clinic and it wasn't you, Sanji got even more anxious, wishing you'd finally step out. He'd nearly gone through another two cigarettes while waiting, knowing you'd be upset with him over it but he couldn't help it. The nicotine was at least calming his nerves somewhat.

I'll have to apologize to [Y/N] later.

Finally, after another almost twenty minutes, you left the clinic and his nerves calmed a bit more but his heart started racing, wondering what you were going to tell him. You hadn't even looked up from whatever papers you had been given, you were still reading them it looked like. But once you did and saw Sanji was waiting for you, you gave him the brightest smile he thought he'd ever seen from you, even brighter than the one you had when you two got married.

"Sanji!" You ran to him and threw your arms around him, causing him to do the same. He tried to ask you what the doctor said but the words wouldn't come out, but once you pulled back from your hug, you didn't stop smiling. "It was right! We're having a baby!"

Actually hearing you confirm that your pregnancy test was positive made Sanji unbelievably happy. Even though he could feel tears starting, he smiled at you, hugging you again even tighter than before, picking you up and spinning you a bit, and telling you how happy he was. He set you back down and released you from the hug, kissing your face and thanking you for this blessing while you laughed a bit. He didn't need to thank you, not even a little bit. It was your choice and you were glad to be having a baby with him.

After one more kiss, he ended up pulling away from you with a grin, throwing his arms in the air with tears in his eyes.

"I'm gonna be a dad!!!"

+!+

Usopp and Nami were the ones to find out next. The two had been wandering the town when they came up near the clinic Sanji had dropped you off at, not thinking much about it at the time. You had a doctor on the ship, Chopper was the best one possible!

…so why was Sanji standing outside this clinic like he was waiting for something?

"What's he doing?"

"Why would I know that?"

The two were obviously confused. Had you gone inside? Were you that sick? Why didn't you tell Chopper or anyone else?? You could have stayed on the ship instead of letting Sanji drag you to town! Granted yes, he was your husband and you didn't seem to mind at all, but still. If you weren't well, you could have stayed behind and rested instead of running through the town in the few hours Nami had given you all to explore. She had just learned it would take two days for the log to reset, so you had plenty of time to explore! Honestly, sometimes Nami thought Sanji of all people could be a touch more considerate when you said you weren't feeling well.

"[Y/N] did say she had an upset stomach last night," Usopp remembered while watching Sanji light a second cigarette, "maybe they didn't want to bother Chopper and brought her here?"

"Oh come on, they have to be hiding something." Nami was trying to think what could be so important that you two would come to a random clinic on this island instead of just going to Chopper, just as you stepped out and ran to hug Sanji. The two of you were full of smiles and excitement, making her tilt her head. "What's going on?" Nami was trying so hard to hear, she was about to just discreetly walk by and eavesdrop.

"I don't know, I can't hear them." Usopp leaned in a little more, still trying to stay hidden.

The two didn't need to wait any longer to know what you two were saying, as Sanji's outburst of shouting that he was going to be a dad told them everything and Nami gasped while Usopp's jaw dropped almost to the ground.

"She's pregnant!!"

"Did…did they plan that?!"

"Who cares, Usopp! There's gonna be a baby on the ship soon!"

The two were conflicted on if they should confront you now or wait until you told everyone, while they were deciding you and Sanji had started walking back towards the farmer's market to finish the grocery shopping, neither Nami or Usopp noticing until she went to shout for the two of you.

"They're gone! Dang it!"

"Well…I bet they'll tell us later, Nami."

"If they don't," Nami's berri eyes didn't get past Usopp, "I can try offering them some baby funds, at an interest."

"Nothing gets by you."

+!+

Getting back to the ship, you helped Sanji put away all the groceries (despite him telling, begging you to rest), before putting away the very few clothes you ended up purchasing. After paying for your appointment and the prenatal vitamins they gave you, your allowance was about half gone, but you were able to find a few cute clothes you could wear now and some pieces to put away for later on. It was a bit difficult for you to find some maternity clothing items, but you did find some cute pieces! Even more difficult was keeping those pieces hidden when you were showing the other items to Nami, Robin, and Chopper. You made the excuse that they were more intimate items which flew over Chopper's head but made Nami pull a face while Robin laughed a bit.

Nami did keep pestering you about what you did and how you spent all your money this time, but it wasn't that weird to you, she normally asked if anyone had anything left from what she gave them, and if they wanted her to put it away for the next island stop. You almost, almost told her, but just claimed your clothes were more expensive than expected.

Robin was the only person who you pulled aside and confirmed you were pregnant to. She gave you a hug and congratulated you properly, sitting with you in the room you shared with Sanji to get a little more information from you.

You'd told her that yes, this was planned, about two years later than you had originally hoped. You were nine weeks along, and intending to keep it a secret from everyone else until your first trimester was over just to be safe. The doctor you saw had said everything looked good so far, and it gave you immense relief to hear that.

Your plan was to stay on the ship the next day and tell Chopper so he could start to prepare for whatever he'd need to do to help you through your pregnancy and delivery, but you wanted to wait and tell everyone else once you passed the twelve week mark. Robin said she'd absolutely help as well, she even gave you a few books on pregnancy that you and Sanji could read through.

The rest of the day, Nami and Usopp wondered if you or Sanji were going to say anything about your having a baby. Not one word slipped from either of you, and it was starting to frustrate both of them. At dinner you were able to eat, Sanji quickly catching on that fish was making you nauseous, so he ended up making some meat instead which greatly pleased your captain.

"Sanji!! Seconds!" Luffy whined a bit and Sanji told him to hold on while he got a bit more ready, making Luffy lean over on you, "[Y/N]~~~ can I have some of yours??"

"No, Luffy!" Sanji looked over his shoulder and set a small glare on him, "[Y/N] needs her dinner!"

"But she always shares it with me~!"

"She can't right now!"

"Why not???"

"Because she–"

"--I'm starving after being sick yesterday!"

You nodded, eyes slightly wide as you realized Sanji was that close to revealing your pregnancy earlier than planned. He covered his mouth when you shouted over the two, turning back to the stove and cursing at himself.

Almost blew it, holy crap.

"But I want meeeeeaaaaat."

"You can have some vegetables, Luffy."

Luffy made a face and decided it wasn't worth it, he'd wait for more meat to be cooked. Franky was willing to share with him though, which made your captain happy at least. Once you had finished eating, you took your plate to the sink and stopped to give Sanji a hug, he whispered sorry to you, but you just shook your head, leaning up to kiss his cheek.

“No worries, my dear.”

“Yohohoho, you two are so loving even with a baby on the way!”

Everything went silent. Your crewmates all stopped eating, the sound of silverware on plates was quieted as they stopped to stare at you with widened eyes, and both you and Sanji went completely stiff, you started feeling ill.

How the hell did Brook know?! You hadn’t told anyone apart from Robin, and were fairly certain Sanji didn’t tell anyone after you left him alone earlier to start on dinner. Nami had been a little persistent with you, asking you a lot of questions earlier but you didn’t tell her anything, and you didn’t know at the time that Zoro had even questioned Sanji about why he wasn’t smoking as much. Usopp knew Sanji was close to shouting at Luffy that you were pregnant, and now Chopper realized you feeling nauseous last night made more sense. Robin smiled a bit since she already knew, and Franky hadn’t thought to question anything yesterday or today, honestly thinking you were sick and Sanji was just trying to quit smoking. Jimbei had noticed you feeling sick earlier than anyone, but assumed you’d just caught something since you all were constantly out at sea and stopping at various islands, you could have picked up any kind of illness.

Luffy never questioned a thing, but hearing Brook’s statement made him break into a large grin.

“You guys are having a baby?!”

Your nausea was back, and Sanji could see it in how pale your face was becoming as you, back still turned to the table, tried to figure out whether to confirm, deny, or start asking how Brook knew.

“I…” You felt worse while trying to decide what to say, covering your mouth with your hand.

“[Y/N]? Are you–”

“I’m gonna be sick.”

You pulled away from Sanji and ran out of the kitchen with your hand still over your mouth, making several of your crewmates yell for you, while Robin had run after you. Sanji almost ran after you as well, before realizing he needed an answer from a certain musician first. He set a glare on Brook that made him shudder.

“You. Who the hell told you that?!”

Brook continued to shudder while everyone else couldn’t believe the glare Sanji was giving him.

“T-t-the test was still in the bathroom trash this morning! I-i-it was only n-natural for me to assume!”

“Damn it,” Sanji pulled at his bangs, cursing himself for not suggesting you threw that in the kitchen trash or hid it under your bed until you were ready to tell people, and really wishing he could light a cigarette right then, “Fine, all right?! We’re having a baby! She’s nine weeks and we were gonna tell you all once she was past the first trimester, but guess everyone knows now!”

“Sanji–”

“You guys take care of putting the food away and the dishes, I’m going to go comfort my pregnant wife!”

Sanji threw down his apron and ran out of the kitchen after you and Robin, causing Nami to shout for him, but she didn’t follow him.

Everyone that was left, was completely silent, all mulling over the news that you and Sanji were going to be parents soon.

“S-so,” Brook was still a little shaky after seeing how angry Sanji was, “uh, did anyone else know?”

Nami and Usopp raised their hands, heads down. They only found out by mistake, but both felt awful at your precious secret basically being revealed against your will. Surprising everyone though was Zoro who nodded.

“Wait, how did you know Zoro??”

“He told me earlier.”

“He what?!”

Rolling his eye a bit, Zoro nodded again while taking a drink of his sake. “I mentioned that he hadn’t been smoking and he ended up telling me. I didn’t want all that information dumped on me but he seemed like he was anxious to tell someone. I just happened to be the first person he talked to.”

That made more sense than Sanji just deciding Zoro would be the first person he told. It became quiet again, Luffy was thinking and pressing his index finger to his forehead before he finally said something.

“So…why did Sanji say they were waiting?”

“Well,” Chopper spoke up, a little shell shocked that he was going to have to take care of a pregnant woman on the ship, but a bit excited about it, “A lot of couples wait until after twelve weeks because the chance of miscarriage is higher before then. It’s never really zero, but waiting until after the first trimester is common practice, by then they’re more confident that the baby will make it.”

“Oh, I see!” Luffy started laughing after that, a grin on his face that seemed to start spreading to his crewmates as the information sunk in. “They’re gonna be awesome parents! I bet it’s a boy!”

“Oh no,” Nami shook her head with a small glare, “It’s got to be a girl, we need more girls on this ship!”

“I can make some SUPER toys for them!”

“I’ll make sure the baby and [Y/N] are both healthy!”

“Would playing lullabies for the child make up for this?”

“Imagine if the cook’s kid wants to be a swordsman.”

“I have some great stories of bravery and adventure to tell them!”

“I’m sure they’ll be great no matter what the child is or what they decide to do in the future.”

The other eight members of your crew continued discussing their own ideas of what your child would be like, working to clean up dinner, when Nami stopped and bit her lip.

“What’s wrong, Nami?” Luffy tilted his head at her as she stopped gathering the plates.

“I feel bad that she got sick because of this. We all made [Y/N] so nervous after Brook said they were having a baby. I hope she’s not too upset.”

“Even if she is,” Zoro had started to leave, but stopped to listen to Nami’s concerns, “the cook will take care of it. He’s her husband after all.”

+!+

“Can I get you some water, [Y/N]?”

“Thank you, Robin, but I’m fine at the moment.” You sighed a bit and leaned against your pillows, Robin nodding as she sat beside you on your bed. You’d completely lost your dinner after you ran off, Robin staying with you to keep your hair back and help you get back to your room until Sanji got there.

He almost burst into your shared room a few minutes later, running over and hugging you close.

“Are you all right, mon amour??”

Nodding, you just hugged him back. “I’m okay. I’m…upset, but otherwise just fine.”

"Rightfully so," Sanji nodded, stroking your hair a bit, "We've barely had time to process this and it's already out."

"How did–"

"The test was still in the bathroom trash can."

Hearing that, you realized it was your fault in the end, for not being more careful about how you disposed of the test. Whining a bit you leaned against Sanji again. "I'm an idiot. I didn't even think about someone seeing it there…"

"Hey, you're not an idiot. Anyone else would have done the same thing," Sanji leaned down just enough to kiss your forehead which made Robin smile before she took her leave, knowing he would make things right, "it didn't even cross my mind that we should've put it somewhere else."

"I should've tossed it overboard."

"I don't think any of the fish want something that's been peed on, love."

That made you burst out laughing, so hard you almost felt like you were going to be sick again but you knew you weren't. Seeing you smile and laugh made Sanji smile as well, as he crawled into bed by you and pulled you back into his arms. He was glad to see you smiling and laughing after the disaster that had been dinner. You deserved to be happy about having a baby, not stressed because it got out earlier than you had planned.

Once you calmed down, you laid there and stared at the ceiling for a bit, Sanji still holding you and rubbing your arm to help comfort you as you thought.

"I'm not that mad at Brook for bringing it up."

"I'm pissed at him."

"Sanji."

"It wasn't his secret to tell."

You sighed with a nod, turning to be face to face with your equally as upset husband, wrapping your arms around his shoulders. "I know…but now I don't feel like I have to agonize over how to tell everyone."

"I…suppose that's true…"

Thinking about the reactions you got from your crewmates, you smiled a little.

"Luffy sounded happy."

"He did, didn't he?"

"He probably thinks this means new crewmate, instead of what is essentially his niece or nephew."

Sanji laughed, nodding. "That's exactly what he thinks, I'm sure of it."

The two of you spent what felt like hours just talking about your day, the insanity of it all. Finding out you really were pregnant, that secret getting out during dinner and making your morning/evening sickness come back, and the likely reactions of your crewmates. You talked until you started dozing off, Sanji quieting his voice when he noticed you were falling asleep. Once you were asleep, he stayed at your side a few minutes longer, before deciding he needed a shower and to check the kitchen before bed.

Before he got up and left, Sanji tucked you in a bit, kissing your forehead with his hand resting on your stomach lightly.

"Sleep well. I love you both so much."

+!+

Breakfast the next morning was weirdly quiet. You'd helped Sanji get everything ready, once again despite him telling you to sit down and relax, to rest since you know, you were growing a whole new person in your womb, you needed as much energy as possible. You just ignored him, smiling and setting the table quickly as everyone else started to file in. Brook had found you earlier in the morning and apologized for the night before, which you accepted with a bright smile, telling him everything was fine.

Sanji still was angry but couldn't find it in him to glare at the skeleton anymore. If you were willing to forgive, Sanji would find a way to do that himself.

During breakfast, Luffy stood up with his drink in hand, making everyone look at him while he grinned. He wanted to toast something obviously, and everyone else raised their drinks to his.

"To Sanji and [Y/N]'s baby! Our future crewmate and niece or nephew! Hopefully nephew though!"

Everyone else laughed and shouted cheers, taking a drink, while you were fighting back tears. You hadn't fully expected all of them to be so accepting of the idea of a baby on board, but what else did you expect?

This ragtag group was your family now, your baby would have no shortage of protectors or joy in their life.

Sanji, the ever attentive husband he was, smiled just a bit seeing the happy tears in your eyes. He leaned over with a kiss to your temple, whispering "It's ok to cry if you're happy."

And you did, just a bit. You thanked Luffy, thanked everyone for being so wonderful and accepting of your baby, who hadn't even been born yet. Most of your crew responded in kind, telling you their thoughts of how they could help when the baby was born, offering to decorate a nursery, asking if you want a boy or girl. Everything they could think of that would help you and Sanji to settle into your roles of mom and dad in a few months. They offered to split up your chores among them, something you asked them not to do until later into your pregnancy. You still wanted some semblance of a routine before you gave birth and had to devote all your time to a tiny human.

Eventually, breakfast had its own little squabble as Luffy snatched the last piece of bacon when Usopp and Franky were reaching for it, a small brawl breaking out. It made Sanji yell for them to be careful around you, leading Franky and Usopp to drag Luffy to the deck to continue their little spat.

You laughed, leaning back in your chair and giving Sanji a smile.

"I love our weird family."

"Hmmm, so do I, mon amour."

All would be well, when you had your baby in a few short months. They would be welcomed with a flurry of love and adoration, not just from you and Sanji, but from everyone else as well.

Can't wait to meet you, little angel.

#one piece x reader #reader insert #sanji x reader #black leg sanji x reader #fem!reader

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colourstreakgryffin · 3 months

Note

Idk if you write for Vox, but can I request some headcanons with Vox being with a S/O who’s like a gamer/streamer? Like they would be streaming different games and sometimes would even get Vox to appear in their streams and have him play games with them - I can see Vox raging at a game if he loses and his S/O would just find it cute

Btw may I be called 🍡 anon if that hasn’t been taken yet??

Haha! Oooh! I actually REALLY like this idea! Vox would get even more popularity with us and we’d get a lot of popularity with Vox! I like it and the concepts is cool! Thank you so much, Mochi! Have a wonderful day!

Vox- Cameras and TVs

Vox automatically likes any partner that enjoy and use his advanced technology and since you’re a influential streamer on Tremor that uses the latest tech to keep up your career, Vox likes your tastes even more and he also likes to watch your streams. He finds them interesting

Vox, at first, was mainly your friend and your set-up provider, he’d give you the tech for your streaming career and that more casual business relationship turned into an actual one. He had grown to enjoy your streams and yes, let me say, he is actually a fan of yours

Vox eventually wanted to push up that friendship to a relationship after a few months of knowing you and getting to learn about you, so he begun subtly flirting with you, his crush growing every single day and possibly out of luck or out of his own rizz working, you agreed to go out with him. Ever since that moment, you nor him regret it

Vox may or may not travel through your gaming PC screen, just to say hi and give you a cute kiss right in front of your stream. It’s quite a surprise and he knows it’s spread around online since nobody would ever suspect a infamous streamer like yourself to be are seeing the Vox himself

Vox often only enters your streaming room when he wants to tell you something important or he wants to give you food or more Vox-like, he wants attention and hugs. Every single time he does this, he ends up playing your game with him after you encourage him

“Hmm… I don’t know, Honeypot, games aren’t my thing…”

“Come on, Voxiepie! Just try it with me! Don’t worry, i’ll help you!”

After a few seconds, Vox is already absorbed in the game that he can’t help but rage so much that the house temporarily loses power and he rushes to fix it to try save your stream. He does this a lot but you find it cute, nowhere near annoyed with it as anybody else would be

Sometimes, Vox will enter your stream then just sit you in his lap so he can watch you play and enjoy your presence, all without pulling you away from your screen or your games. To him, you look so attractive when you’re focusing on kicking ass in your little fantasy videogames

Yes, Vox promotes your merch on his show sometimes and promotes people who like streaming and videogames to watch your Tremor streams. He is a fanboy and he’s proud of how much he likes your work, he isn’t even ashamed of it. He admits it to the Vees without a single ounce of shame

Vox will wear your merch at times. Just randomly in the house you two share or whilst he is privately working as an Overlord. He loves the hoodies and the tees, they are comfortable AF and sometimes, he just goes to sleep in them

Vox is possessive so you know he is not only your Tremor mod, he’s also the one who tracks down to destroy any stalker you may end up getting from your streamer career, he also collects all your limited edition merch since he wants everybody to know you belong to him

Vox is very supportive of this career. Some of it, he isn’t a fan of but a lot of it, he loves and he is getting better at these games. Despite how often he rages at them

“Honeypot. How much have you eaten today? I hope you ate that takeout I ordered for you. Yeah? Good. What game did you take five hours to perfect this time?”

355 notes · View notes

darkened-writer · 2 years

Text

imagine| Sapphire Gaze

summary || “You remind me of sapphires.”

request || Could write a fanfic for Aemond where he and his cousin (Daemons daughter) are in love with each other and at the family dinner everybody can sense that they have a special bond, much to Daemons despise. Just some angst and fluff please🫶🏻Btw. I absolutely love your writings. :))

pairing || Aemond Targaryen x Velaryon! Reader

word count || 9,472

warnings || Minor angst, some fluff, Aemond needs a hug.

notes || This took me SO LONGGG, so I hope it was worth it haha. Enjoy!!!

The first time you met him was at your mother’s funeral.

Everyone was amongst themselves, chatting and dwelling on the memory of Laena Velaryon. Your sisters pouting and wallowing in their sadness while sitting upon a bench. Yourself, however, decided it would be better to stick by your father whom was near Viserys Targaryen; looming like a vulture seeking dinner.

You were always told, “You’re just like your father.” or “I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” All in regards to your attitude and how well you swing your sword. You mirrored Daemon’s skills as if you were his long lost twin, and that worried plenty of people, especially Alicent Hightower.

“I’m old enough to notice your gazes towards Rhaenyra, Father.”

The man let his eyes leave Rhaenyra’s figure and settle on yours, your arms folded under your cloak. It was disappointing body language yet your face was upturned with amusement.

“Old enough? You’re just two years older than your sisters, my oldest.”

“I may be good at fighting, Father. But, I also have brains.”

He chuckles and turns to look at Viserys who was also looking at him.

The winds, however, pulled your gaze to a silver-haired boy looking at you from across the way, in a similar way that Rhaenyra was looking at your father. With admiration, a sense of longing, and yet you only knew the boy's name and nothing more.

Aemond Targaryen.

His eyes were scanning your figure, almost curious of who you are. What your origins were, but your train of thought was immediately interrupted.

“Your girls are the very image of their mother.” You turn to look at your uncle, the King, “A comfort and an anguish, as I well remember. The gods can be cruel.”

A firm pause, before your father answered, “It seems they’ve been especially cruel to you.”

The King finds the comment humorous, when normally it would be taken as an insult.

“Yes…” The tension was palpable between the two, so you speak.

“It’s wonderful to see you, Uncle.” You bow your head a bit and the man cracks a sincere smile.

“Y/N! My fierce little Niece, It’s great to see you also, even if under such dire circumstances.”

“Agreed, Uncle.” His eyes find Daemon’s again, “You should return with us to King’s Landing. It’s time that you came home.”

“Pentos is my home…and that of my children.”

“Daemon… I know we’ve had our differences, but let them pass with the years. There’s a place for you in my court if that’s something you should need.”

“I need…” His mouth moves to say ‘Rhaenyra’, but he stops himself, “nothing.” The silence hits once again but before Viserys could say anything else, your father walks away quickly.

“Brother…”

You place a comforting hand on your Uncle’s shoulder before walking away also towards the stairs to head toward the beach. The sky was a pleasant shade of gray, mirroring upon the shiny sea water that called to your very soul. The Velaryon blood coursed through your veins, drawing you towards the sea but the fire was just as mesmerizing.

The sand finally touched your boots, sounding a gentle crushing noise. The waves waning against the rocks, sea foam catching on the grains of sand. It was all too peaceful for such a saddening day, but somehow you knew that the sea took your mother with open arms to become a part of it once again.

“You remind me of sapphires.”

The voice pulled you from your concentration, eventually connecting a face to the voice. Aemond Targaryen stood with his cloak flowing in the high winds, hair also meticulously moving in tandem.

“Sapphires? Such flattery should only come between those who know each other deeply.”

“Well, I’d like to get to know you better, cousin.”

You tilt your head, “Ah cousin, should’ve known we were related based on the hair color.” Your hand finds the pin holding your locks upward and slide it out, letting the silver cascade down your shoulders and flow to the side. Aemond’s eyes watched your hair with great interest, rousing a laugh from the bottom of your stomach.

“Are you always this curious and interested in hair?”

He stifles a cough, “Erm– yes?”

“You liar–”

You quickly move past him, gently shoving him with a laugh that sounded like pure heaven to the boy's ears. You seemed to be in a playful mood, so the boy chased after you, laugh intertwining with yours. And what a true joy it was to meet someone in the family that didn’t completely anger you.

Hours later, after departing from Aemond, you were safe and warm within the covers of the bed you truly loved. Your sisters were asleep, subtly snoring until they were awoken by a familiar roar. Vhagar, Mother’s dragon who wasn’t supposed to even be flying or out this late at night. It worried the two twins, so they did only what they were taught in an odd situation, they woke their older sister.

“Y/N…Y/N… Y/N– wake up…!”

Your shoulders were being shook until numbness, but you eventually let your eyes fall open and settled on Baela.

“Mm…? What is it, sister?”

“Someone stole Vhagar.”

That sets the alarm bells in your mind off, “What?!”

Quickly, you put your dress and boots on and settled the dagger your father had made for you under your gown. Telling Baela and Rhaena to wake Jacaerys and Lucerys and meet you where Vhagar was going to land. And eventually, you all met up to investigate what was going on. Though, you held your sisters back behind you so you could go first in case of an attack. The distant crash of Vhagar landing made you jump, but alas you waited to see who was riding the Dragon that was to remain unclaimed.

“Jace, what are we doing?”

Yourself and the group of children all quieted down at the sight of Aemond.

“It’s him.”

“It’s me.”

“Vhagar is my mother’s dragon.”

“Your mother’s dead. And Vhagar has a new rider now.” Venom was seething through his mouth, and you winced at his way with words, harsh and unruly.

“She was mine to claim.”

“Then you should’ve claimed her! Maybe your cousins can find you a pig to ride. It would suit you.”

Rhaena slipped from behind you in rage, going to grapple and fight Aemond but was quickly thrown to the side and to the ground. Baela couldn’t stand to see her sister hurt, so the girl took her turn, throwing a punch and landing it, but ultimately getting the same force of a punch back, knocking her down.

“Come at me again and I’ll feed you to my dragon!”

You leapt to check on Rhaena to see if the boy had hurt her, while Jacaerys began to throw punches himself. With a gentle caress, you wiped the blood from your sister’s nose, feeling Jacaerys fall to the ground and the shrill shriek of Lucerys. It was chaos, but in spite of Aemond’s meticulous strength, you helped Rhaena up and she went immediately to beating Aemond up with Baela and Jacaerys.

Blood was all over the boy’s face, while you took the liberty of staying out of the conflict and helping Lucerys up from the dirty ground.

It didn’t last though, Jacaerys was kicked aside, the girls thrown, but Lucerys lunged anyways; getting put into a chokehold. Everyone tensed up as Aemond grabbed a stone from the ground and held it up, your heart dropping to your stomach. Was he going to kill your cousin in cold blood?

“You will die screaming in flames just as your father did! Bastards.”

“My father’s still alive.” Lucerys wailed out with a bloodied face and salty tears, “He doesn’t know, does he, Lord Strong?”

Aemond’s tone became condescending, and within that rage, Jacaerys grabbed the dagger that laid upon your thigh while you were ultimately distracted.

“Jace!”

You grabbed your sisters and held them back with eyes of fear, watching as Aemond threw Lucerys to fall to the ground, but Jacaerys caught him and threw him softer to land. The boy swung the dagger you once had, missing and getting struck by the stone Aemond wielded. The dagger landed near Lucerys, who grew strength in the moment he had of being defeated. And as Aemond had his arm held up with the stone, ready to strike Jacaerys down, he looked to you and your sisters; and you shook your head in disbelief.

What happened to the kind boy you had met on the beach?

Sand and then the slash and scream that accompanied it.

Aemond cried into the sandy, night air, clutching his face in great pain. Blood pooled and spilled from his left eye, slipping through his fingers like wine being poured from a bottle. You felt a twinge of guilt for not breaking up the fight, but you knew you’d done right by keeping close to your sisters. Because they were most important to you, even if the boy who was now seething in pain was kind to you once.

“How could you allow such a thing to happen?”

The king was chastising the knight in front of him, and you let your eyes come to Aemond sat upon a chair, having his eye cleaned by a Maester. Alicent Hightower, the queen, sat next to the boy with a vastly worried expression. A mother’s worry for her son, her boy.

“Who had the watch?”

“Young prince was attacked by his own cousins, Your Grace.”

You held your sisters in a huddled hug, their blood coated on your fingers as you had tried to wipe their faces clean. Though, it had just ended with red smudges on their skin and crimson tips for your fingers.

“You swore oaths to protect and defend my blood!”

“I’m very sorry, Your Grace. The Kingsguard has never had to defend princes from princes, Your Grace–”

“That is no answer!”

Alicent’s voice chimed in, “It will heal, will it not, maester?” She sounded desperate.

“The flesh will heal. But the eye is lost, Your Grace.”

Alicent and Viserys seemingly reeled at the news of their son’s eye now being lost, and you felt bile rising in your throat.

“Where were you?” Alicent began to antagonize her son, “Me?”

The answer wasn’t satisfactory, so the woman slapped him and he quivered in fear at the anger on her face.

“Ow! What was that for?”

“That was nothing compared to the abuse your brother suffered while you were drowning in your cups, you fool.” The Hightower woman was seething in anger, a sight that was rare and never welcomed. But before anyone else could possibly speak or do anything, doors opened and Corlys and Rhaenys rushed down the stairs.

“What is the meaning of this?”

“Y/N, Baela, Rhaena! What happened? What happened?” The older woman immediately embraced your sisters, pulling you into the hug roughly but with care. Corlys went front and center while Rhaenys was comforting your sisters and rubbing your shoulder in hopes of easing you. The grand doors opened with a creak and Rhaenyra Targaryen came waltzing in with a face stricken with intense, motherly worry, but what was odd was your father was trailing behind her; making eye contact with you before leaning against the doorway to watch the commotion.

“Jace? Luke!” She rushed to kneel in front of them, trying to assess the damage of Lucerys’s nose.

“Show me. Show me.”

His small hand moved from his nose, and a fresh gush of blood fell.

“Who did this?”

“They attacked me!”

“He attacked Baela!”

“He broke Luke’s nose!”

The children continued to shout and make their own arguments and claims of what had happened, “He stole my mother’s dragon!”

“Enough.”

“He was gonna kill Jace! I didn’t do anything!”

“Enough–”

“It should be my son telling the tale!” Alicent now joined the children in their chorus of cries and shouts, until–

“Silence!”

Instantaneous silence at the King’s yell, Jace leaned down to his mother’s ear to whisper something that made her face go pale as she rose. Must’ve been the phrase that started the physical altercation, ‘Bastard’.

“Aemond…” The King made his way down the small bit of stairs ever so slowly, “I will have the truth of what happened. Now.”

“What else is there to hear? Your son has been maimed. Her son is responsible.” Alicent chimed in, “It was a regrettable accident.” Rhaenyra argued.

“Accident? The Prince Lucerys brought a blade to the ambush. He meant to kill my son.”

“We had no idea it was your son whom was riding, Vhagar!”

Alicent’s gaze turned to you now, “Past conflicts have arisen between them and yet you had no idea it was Aemond?”

“No– and it was I who brought the blade, for protecting my sisters and cousins in case of danger.”

Alicent’s eyes rolled, “And you claim to be oh so high and mighty now, protecting family–”

“It was my sons who were attacked and forced to defend themselves. Vile insults were levied against them.” Rhaenyra interrupted the Queen from continuing.

Viserys’ perked up, “What insults?”

“The legitimacy of my sons’ birth was put loudly to question.”

“What?”

“He called us bastards.”

The room went silent, even a drop of wine could sound across the room.

“My sons are in line to inherit the Iron Throne, Your Grace. This is the highest of treasons. Prince Aemond must be sharply questioned so we might learn where he heard such slanders.”

The boy peeked from the rather large chair he was sat upon, looking you directly in the eye as Rhaenyra spoke, sending a chill up your spine at the view of his now lost eye, bloody and bruised.

“Over an insult? My son has lost an eye.” Alicent’s hand roughly gestured to Aemond.

“You tell me, boy. Where did you hear this lie?”

“The insult was training yard bluster.” Alicent interrupted, “The lot of boys. It was nothing.”

“Aemond… I asked you a question.” A pause, before Alicent spoke once again, “Where is Ser Laenor, I wonder? The boys’ father? Perhaps he might have some say in the matter?”

“Yes. Where is Ser Laenor?”

“I do not know, Your Grace. I… could not find sleep. I had gone out to walk.” Your father was glancing at Rhaenyra with eyes you knew well, and your stomach felt like it was weighed down by stones. He was getting involved with his niece, on the day of your mother’s funeral.

“Entertaining his young squires, I would venture.”

No one laughed, not a single breath except for the hateful looks both Rhaenys and Corlys sent Alicent. Viserys was neglectful of the looks and continued his earlier conversation with his injured son.

“Aemond… look at me. Your king demands an answer. Who spoke these lies to you?”

Pregnant silence, before he spoke, “It was Aegon.”

“Me?” The other boy looked terrified, “And you, boy? Where did you hear such calumnies? Aegon! Tell me the truth of it!”

“We know, Father…” The room suddenly feels hotter, “Everyone knows. Just look at them.”

Most of everyone in the room peers at Rhaenyra and her sons, her hand laid on her youngest head, tears welling up in her beautiful eyes. Alicent visibly looked saddened, but you knew deep down she most likely felt satisfied about his answer, but the complete opposite could be said for Viserys.

“This interminable infighting must cease! All of you! We are family! Now, make your apologises and show good will to one another. Your father, your grandsire, your king demands it!”

The obviously sick and decrepit man, our king, began to walk away, his cane clicking against the ground abrupt against the awkward silence. Alicent looked appalled at her husband's words, tears in her eyes mirroring Rhaenyra.

“That is insufficient.” He turns around, “Aemond has been damaged permanently, My King. “Good will” cannot make him whole.”

“I know, Alicent, but I cannot restore his eye.”

“No, because it’s been taken.”

“What would you have me do?”

“There is a debt to be paid. I shall have one of her son’s eyes in return. And if not her son’s, then the one who brought the blade in the first place.”

The room began to murmur, your eyes widening at her proposition. Rhaenys’s grip around you became tighter in her own worry.

“My dear wife…–”

“He is your son, Viserys. Your blood.”

“Do not… allow your temper to guide your judgment.” He shares brief eye contact with your father.

“If the King will not seek justice, the Queen will. Ser Criston… bring me the eye of Lucerys Velaryon or Y/N Velaryon.”

“Mother!” The small boy shouts, and you turn to look at your father who looks more antsy than before, worried.

“Alicent…”

“The one you choose can choose which eye to keep, a privilege neither of them granted my son.”

“You will do no such thing.” Rhaenyra defended, beginning to look just as worried as your father; if not worse.

“Stay your hand.”

“No, you are sworn to me!” She yells to Ser Criston, “As your protector, My Queen.”

A sense of relief washed over you, Alicent looking more and more disappointed by the second.

“Alicent, this matter… is finished. Do you understand?” The king and queen share eye contact for a moment, before the king turns to leave the whole situation all together, but he must leave a brief message.

“And let it be known: anyone whose tongue dares to question the birth of Princess Rhaenyra’s sons should have it removed.”

“Thank you, Father.”

Rhaenyra leans down to console her sons once again, yourself choosing to kiss the tops of your sisters’ heads, until chaos strikes. Alicent moved steady towards Rhaenyra with the blade Viserys usually carried at his side, looking like a woman on a mission, and various people began to shout which alerted her to the oncoming attack; catching Alicent’s arms in a grapple. Luke screamed in fear and you instantly huddled towards Baela and Rhaena to protect them, not noticing your father trying to get to you but being interrupted by Ser Criston.

“You’ve gone too far.”

“I? What have I done but what was expected of me? Forever upholding the kingdom , the family, the law. While you flout all to do as you please. Where is duty? Where is sacrifice? It’s trampled under your pretty foot again.”

“Release the blade, Alicent.” Her father spoke, but she did not listen.

“And now you take my son’s eye, and to even that, you feel entitled.”

“Exhausting, wasn’t it? Hiding beneath the cloak of your own righteousness. But now they see you as you really are.” And with a push away, the blade penetrates Rhaenyra’s skin, conjuring up blood at her wrist that slips down, down, until the crimson liquid hits the marbled floor. Her face was open in shock at what had just happened, even Alicent looking shell-shocked at what she did. The blade in her hand tumbling down and hitting the floor to mirror the bloodshed.

But, now Aemond was up from his seat, eyes turning to him instead of the commotion.

“Do not mourn me, Mother.” She looks at him, “It was a fair exchange. I may have lost an eye… but I gained a dragon. And Y/N was not at fault at all–”

You both look to each other, “She didn’t even try and hurt me, she stayed out of it, so bid her mercy…”

You let the corners of your mouth slide up in a thankful smile, and he only replies with a nod.

“This proceeding is at an end.”

Ser Criston releases your father, and he makes haste in reuniting with you and your siblings and Rhaenyra, looking at Alicent with the same gaze as the rest of your family, stern, dark, and direct.

Ten years have passed since that fateful night.

Baela had traveled to Driftmark to be a Ward for Rhaenys and Corlys, Rhaena deciding to stay with you to keep you company against the hoard of boys. Lucerys and Jacerys were handfuls in of themselves, despite their older age. But now you had little Joffrey and his two brothers to mess about and yell into the halls of Dragonstone.

Your father and Rhaenyra had wed the morning after the night of bloodshed, happy and content within joining their two families, and Rhaenyra was now pregnant with yet another child after two younger boys with Daemon. You’d hope that they would be a girl.

Though, the peacefulness that was your home was breached by a letter sent by Baela, giving information about Corly’s brother challenging Lucerys’s legitimacy to the Driftmark throne. He was going to present it to the king in hopes of staking claim over Luke, which made Rhaenyra instantly angered by the audacity. And, that is when your parents decided that it would be best to travel back to the kingdom to make their own claim against Vaemond.

A ship ride and a carriage ride, and you were now arriving at the castle that held the man that weighed on your thoughts for a decade.

Aemond.

The boy saved you from losing an eye by claiming your innocence.

How would he look after ten years? Handsome? Stubborn like his mother? The question hung in your head until the carriage stopped and Rhaenyra sent you a small smile to tell you it was time to exit.

“All hail Rhaenyra of House Targaryen, Princess of Dragonstone and heir to the Iron Throne and her royal consort, Prince Daemon Targaryen.”

The bells tolled, and the cold air drifted into the now open carriage as Rhaenyra exited promptly and with a regalness that only royalty could muster. Your father exited just after her without a care of how he looked, but you waited and helped Rhaena out of the carriage before letting Jacerys and Lucerys go and then yourself.

Your whole family was adorned in black and red colors, contrasting the green banners that were in the yard you stood in. Rhaena’s rather cold hand grasped yours, and you let your thumb absentmindedly rub against the frozen skin. She felt anxiety, it was only normal considering where you all stood.

Lord Caswell suddenly came from the entry doors with careful consideration, before coming to stand in front of Rhaenyra and bowing his head. His wrinkled hands found her soft ones, eyes speaking with care.

“Welcome back, Princess.”

“Lord Caswell.”

The man kindly escorted you all into the castle, and the decor change seemed to alarm both of your parents. The green, the religious symbols, it was all so daunting for two people who were raised here. Alas, you had to separate from them as they had duties to attend to, so you followed your brothers to the training yard, their black cloaks dragging behind them like crows feathers.

Two knights were sparring, catching the eyes of the boys, however you were focused on the blades sat against wood planks to be picked up.

They were awfully shiny and caught your eye, the indistinct chatter all around you becoming void.

“See? I told you this would still be here. And you thought you could swing Criston’s morningstar. And you almost took your own head off.”

Lucerys grumbled beside you, looking at the weapons also as Jacerys rustled the boys’ hair, yet he was focused on the various people staring at you three with curious eyes. Jacerys noticed immediately, “What’s your problem?”

You picked up a shiny blade, twirling it in your grasp, “Everyone’s staring at us–”

“Hyah!” Jacerys tried to play, even smiling a bit but it was shut down by Lucerys’s sour attitude.

“No one would question me being heir to Driftmark… if… if I looked more like Ser Laenor Velaryon than Ser Harwin Strong–”

You quickly dropped the sword and placed a hand on your brother’s shoulder, gathering his attention, “It doesn’t matter what they think.”

It seemed to ease him, before a crowd had gathered and cheering began, grunts from the middle of the crowd. Jacerys dragged you two immediately to whatever was going on, and the view shocked you.

A white-haired man brandished a shield and sword, moving swiftly towards the Dornish looking knight, taking a hit to his shield and causing the crowd to react with “ooo”’s and “ahh”’s. But the white-haired mystery was smart, he threw the shield to the side and began relentless swipes towards the knight, but he dodged anyways, now revealing the face of the man.

Aemond–

This alarmed Lucerys, but you couldn’t keep your eyes off of him. He moved meticulously, like a spider on a wall, fast and deadly. His moves were awe-inspiring, and every jab of his sword made your heartbeat faster and faster; until the pointy end was at the knight’s neck and the crowd applauded.

“Well done, my Prince. You’ll be winning tourneys in no time.”

“I don’t give a shit about tourneys. Nephews, Niece… have you come to train?”

His one eye was wide and awake, an unnerving chill being sent up your spine just by his glance. But before any of you three could reply, a guard shouted.

“Open the gate!”

There was a large creak before your relative, Vaemond, waltzed through with his battalion, making a huge deal out of his arrival. Until you feel a hand grasp yours and pull you back and away from the crowd. The hand was warm and inviting, callouses from sword handling prominent but the veins in the arms were so very noticeable.

He was pulling you fast towards the library, not even giving you a second to rest before the library doors shut and his gaze was on you once again. His singular eye wandered your entire figure, starting from your face, down to your neck, your chest, your waist, legs, and then back up. He hummed a content, “hmmm”, before speaking.

“My– how you’ve grown, Niece…”

“Could say the same to you, Aemond.”

He circled you now, like a shark circling blood in the ocean, but your desire was probably ten times that. You missed him even after only knowing each other for a day, and it scared you; how much you wanted to kiss him, bite his neck, or nibble on his ear. The possibility of hearing the low, guttural noises of pleasure from him was surfacing in your mind.

You hoped whatever god or gods there were that he couldn’t read your mind right now.

The eyepatch slung on his head looked to be made of fine leather, of course made by someone of exceptional skill and yet, the man most likely saw himself as a cripple due to the loss of his eye. His hair was long and flowed down his back almost like a ravenous river, uncontrollable and wild. What brought out a slice of curiosity from you though was the blue glimmer from under the eyepatch he adorned, did he really stick a gem into his eye socket?

“You still remind me of sapphires.”

“Such flattery should only come between those who know each other deeply, Aemond–”

He smirks, lips upturning, as if remembering the very same day you both had met and spoke. Of course, it was hard to forget you, and the way you didn’t join your siblings in crippling him. You were merciful to him, yet, you were known to have the same anger and rage boiling in you as your father, Daemon. And after these ten years that had passed, there was never a quiet moment where he wasn’t pondering about you, your whereabouts, or how you might have aged and come into your own body.

And you sure had matured in all the right places.

“What did you hope to achieve by pulling me into the library?”

Were you hoping to get a rise out of him? Because the palpable tension of ten years was straining like a rope at its breaking point. About to snap.

“Privacy, mostly, Niece.”

He stood firmly in front of you, now closer than he previously was but just far enough to where you could feel the lingering touch of his hand. His fingers were long, slender, and strong; built for sword fighting and taking down armies of men. He was stronger than he looked. His hand trailed up your arm, settling just under your ear within the crease, cradling your cheek longingly. His gaze mirrored that of when he first saw you, adoring and curious. How is it that such a violent man could stoop into a passive state around a woman he cares for, admires and cherishes.

“You’ve gone soft, Aemond. Where is that daring sword fighter I just saw outside?”

“Even a man as violent as direwolves would falter under the eyes of the woman he loves.”

“And you love me?”

“Of course, I do… ever since we were kids. Ever since the day I lost my eye. I gained a dragon and a person worth fighting for.”

His thumb stroked the skin of your cheek, “Do you feel the same, Sapphire…?”

Before he could even utter another word, your lips were on his.

You didn’t see Aemond the rest of the day after the shared kiss.

He had duties to attend to and Daemon had called upon you for your sword training, which he always let you handle Dark Sister since you would be the one to inherit the blade. A powerful symbol and an even swifter blade then the dagger you’d been carrying since you were a kid.

The same dagger that took out Aemond’s eye.

The guilt of even taking the blade in the first place to the cavern was still apparent in your older age, but even your sisters liked to assure you that it was the right call.

You were their protector. Their older sister and through marital laws, could be the heir to the Iron throne if Rhaenyra deemed it so.

The oldest of all your siblings, you were also the fiercest, yet the most gentle.

‘The Realms Essence’, you’d heard in villages.

‘She embodies love and hate, the wind and the flame.’

Yet, you were always drawn to the sea and the color of sapphire blue.

The next day was the day of defending Lucerys’s claim to the throne of Driftmark, his birthright and exactly what Corlys’ would have wanted.

Rhaenyra awoke you in the morning, carrying a red and black dress with a blue dragon sutured up the back. It was the color of your dragon, Bessoarth, The Nocturnal. The glimmering yellow of the eyes of the dragon drew you in as your mother helped you put on the dress, smoothing out any creases and beginning to braid your hair in a Dragon riders’ style.

She had said she used to wear her hair the exact same way when she was younger, and a swell of pride bundled up in your heart.

You missed your true mother, Laena, but the attention and love from Rhaenyra brought new light to your inner child.

Eventually, you and your whole family were gathered in the sacred room that held the Iron Throne. The crowds chattering about whatever came to mind but all was put silent as Otto Hightower began to speak and start the meeting.

“Though it is the great hope of this court that Lord Corlys Velaryon survive his wounds, we gather here with the grim task of dealing with the succession of Driftmark. As Hand, I speak with the King’s voice on this and all other matters.” He takes a seat on the throne.

“The crown will now hear the petitions. Ser Vaemond of House Velaryon.”

Your relative walks up to speak his truth, while you immediately tried to find Aemond’s gaze, once locking, a smile arose on his lips that didn’t go unnoticed by a certain someone.

“My Queen. My Lord Hand.”

Alicent looks at Vaemond, “The history of our noble houses extends beyond the Seven Kingdoms to the days of Old Valyria. For as long as House Targaryen has ruled the skies, House Velaryon has ruled the seas. When the doom fell on Valyria, our houses became the last of their kind. Our forebearers came to this new land, knowing that were they to fail, it would mean the end to their bloodlines and their name. I have spent my entire life on Driftmark defending my brother’s seat. I am Lord Corlys’s closest kin, his own blood. The true, unimpeachable blood of House Velaryon runs through my veins.”

“As it does in my sons, the offspring of Laenor Velaryon–. If you cared so much about your house’s blood, Ser Vaemond, you would not be so bold as to supplant its rightful heir. No, you only speak for yourself and for your own ambition.”

Rhaenyra was right in her correct interruption of Vaemond, yet Alicent Hightower interrupted her immediately.

“You will have chance to make your own petition, Princess Rhaenyra. Do Ser Vaemond the courtesy of allowing his to be heard.”

The tensions between the two formal friends was sharp and unyielding, but to make matters worse, Ser Vaemond came with a rebuttal to Rhaenyra.

“What do you know of Velaryon blood, Princess? I could cut my veins and show it to you and you still wouldn’t recognize it.” Rhaenyra nods to herself, “This is about the future and survival of my house, not yours.” The man lets his eyes land on Lucerys, which you firmly reply with shoving the boy slightly behind you, looking Vaemond in the eyes with haste. How dare he look at him with such satisfied eyes, who did he think he was?

“My Queen, My Lord Hand.” He was an ass kisser, that much was obvious. “This is a matter of blood, not ambition. I place the continuation of the survival of my house and my line above all. I humbly put myself before you as my brother’s successor… the Lord of Driftmark and Lord of the Tides.”

“Thank you, Ser Vaemond.”

He sent one last glance at your family before taking his place once again.

“Princess Rhaenyra, you may now speak for your son, Lucerys Velaryon.”

She took firm steps to the front, holding her wrist with a certain amount of anxiety that was only a bit noticeable. But even in her worries, she gave off a sense of knowing it would all be okay somehow.

“If I am to grace this farce with some answer, I will start by reminding the court that nearly twenty years ago, in this very–”

A noticeable creak sounded throughout the hall, taking everyone's gaze to the grand doors behind. The almost toppled over body of your Uncle came firmly to enter the meeting, a golden mask clad on the right side of his face. His white hair was sparse and thin, just about all of it gone and yet his head still held the crown with delight. His cane clicked on the cobblestone ground, and you couldn’t help but notice the small smile on Rhaenyra’s face.

Her father was here to save the day.

“King Viserys of House Targaryen, the First of His Name, King of the Andals, and the Rhoynar, and the First Men, Lord of the Seven Kingdoms, and Protector of the Realm.”

The room bowed their heads to the King who would die being known for the kindness of his heart, and the love he held for his family. A truly noble man.

He moved slowly and with a limp, but kept his gaze on his only child, knowing what he had to do, and he would not fail.

“I will sit the throne today.”

“Your Grace…”

The determination your Uncle exhibited was noteworthy and brought a great comfort to you, knowing the bloodline you stem from ties into a man so oddly heroic, even in his last days.

Through his difficulty to climb up to his lofty seat, the crown on his head fell with a thud which prompted yourself and your father to try and aid him.

Daemon held Viserys and helped him to the throne and you had the honor of placing the crown back onto his head. Even after bickering and arguments, the brothers knew they would always have each other, even if one were to pass. And you gave your Uncle an adoring gaze and a loving smile, before joining your family once again.

“I must… admit… my confusion. I do not understand why petitions are being heard over a settled succession. The only one present… who might offer keener insight into Lord Corlys’s wishes is the Princess Rhaenys.”

“Indeed, Your Grace.”

The whole room peered keenly at the older woman, herself stepping forward with her black grown dragging against the ground behind her.

“It was ever my husband’s will that Driftmark pass through Ser Laenor to his trueborn son… Lucerys Velaryon.” Rhaenyra perked up, “His mind never changed. Nor did my support of him. As a matter of fact, the Princess Rhaenyra has just informed me of her desire to marry her sons Jace and Luke to Lord Corlys’s granddaughters, Baela and Rhaena. A proposal to which I heartily agree.”

Baela looked to be smiling a bit, Alicent shaking her head to herself as if in disapproval.

“Well…” Viserys began, “The matter is settled. Again. I hereby reaffirm Prince Lucery Vvelaryon of House Velaryon as heir to Driftmark, the Driftwood Throne, and the next Lord of the Tides.”

He wheezed after his proclamation, Rhaenys rejoining Baela and Vaemond, staring daggers into Rhaenyra, making a ‘tch’ sound.

“You break law… and centuries of tradition to install your daughter as heir.” He steps up to speak once again, “Yet you dare tell me… who deserves to inherit the name Velaryon. No. I will not allow it.”

“”Allow it”? Do not forget yourself, Vaemond.”

The man turns and points at Lucerys, face drawn up in a flame like anger, “That is no true Velaryon, and certainly no nephew of mine.”

You draw Lucerys back behind you, Rhaenyra turning and looking him in the eyes.

“Go to your chambers. You have said enough.” She looks to Vaemond with pleading eyes, not wanting to argue over something so realistically small. However, Viserys decides to chime in again.

“Lucerys is my true-born grandson. And you… are no more than the second son of Driftmark.”

“You… may run your house as you see fit… but you will not decide the future of mine. My house survived the Doom and a thousand tribulations besides.” His venom laced eyes turned to our family once again, “And gods be damned… I will not see it ended on the account of this–” He pauses.

Daemon seeks the words Vaemond wishes to utter and says, “Say it.”

The whole room seemingly freezes, the air thin, but Vaemond couldn’t restrict his tongue.

“Her children… ARE BASTARDS. And she… is… a whore.”

The crowd stirs with gasps and while Viserys tries to rise, you put a comforting hand on Rhaenyra's shoulder.

“I…” The king pulls his dagger from under his cloak, “will have your tongue for that.”

But before anything could even happen, the sound of a sword being swung erupted and Vaemond Velaryon’s top half of his head fell to the ground, soon following his body. Everyone gasped and Alicent pulled Haelena into a hug, knowing the view troubled her. Rhaenyra was shocked but even you knew your father would not let those words go without punishment.

“He can keep his tongue.”

“DISARM HIM!”

“No need.” Daemon quickly cleaned his blade with his cloak and sheathed it, Aemond now meeting your wandering eyes with one thing on his mind.

You certainly inherited your father’s flare.

The King fell back into the throne, Alicent calling for the maesters and Rhaenyra rushing to his side to check on him. The dagger sheathed at your side seemed to burn and itch every second, yet that didn’t even disturb you. Aemond’s almost excited gaze towards Daemon is what truly did you in.

With the day just about gone, it was time for dinner.

The whole family, including Alicent’s children, were all to attend. You dreaded the ordeal simply by the fact that you knew trouble would most definitely stir up. It was bound to happen with the tensions rising between Rhaenyra and Alicent, not to mention Aemond’s anger towards Jace and Luke. The only person who seemed to not even care about what was going on was Haelena, as she was sipping her wine and smiling to herself, muttering phrases that made anyone shiver. You felt bad for her.

The doors opened to the dining room and Viserys was carried in, everyone standing in greeting to his royal majesty. He had looked tired, exhausted even, and that saddened your heart.

The sadness could never really last with Aemond staring into your very soul any chance he could, wearing a lustful smile, mind wandering to where the kiss prior could have led. The feelings stirring in your heart were that of love, the very thing that slays duty. A dangerous thing.

Once Viserys was finally seated, everyone else followed suit. His lowly eye looking around the whole table, taking in the sight of his family together, even if torn all the same.

“How good it is… to see you all tonight… together.”

His adoring gaze landed on Rhaenyra, before Alicent spoke.

“Prayer before we begin?”

“Yes.”

An odd thing that your mother had pointed out to you, was that Alicent was never religious during the time they spent together in their youth. The randomness of the religion she was now devout to had caused her great confusion, though she was not one to deny someone the freedom of worship.

“May the mother smile down on this gathering with love. May the Smith mend the bonds that have been broken for far too long. And to Vaemond Velaryon, may the gods give him rest.”

Your father sent a playful gaze at you, which you dismissed with an eye roll towards his attitude.

“This is an occasion for celebration, it seems. My grandsons, Jace and Luke, will marry their cousins, Baela and Rhaena, further strengthening the bond between our houses. A toast to the young princes… and their betrothed.”

Aemond’s eye was on you once again at the mention of betrothal, and your heart skipped a beat.

“Hear, hear!”

Everyone raised their glasses, the bitter wine wrapping around your tongue and slid down your throat with an aftertaste that was oddly sweet. The aroma had accents of earthy tones that reminded you of the sea, your home. Aegon’s whispers to Jace were heard but not acknowledged by you as you enjoyed your wine.

“Let us toast as well Prince Lucerys… the future Lord of the Tides.”

“Hear, hear.”

“You’ll be great.”

Aemond’s lingering stare towards Lucerys was dark, one of extreme distaste, which reflected directly how he felt towards Jacerys also. But not you, never you, you were a person with an attitude that mirrored the harsh waves. Yet, you were delicate and sweet like his favorite fruit, the blueberry.

“You look beautiful, my daughter.”

Daemon laid a hand upon yours that sat on the table, smiling at you proudly.

“Thank you, Father. Rhaenyra has helped me pick the most beautiful of dresses. I owe it to her.”

The lovely couple now peer at each other lovingly before your Uncle rose up to speak, back hunched and breath coming out rugged and wild. Even while his face was covered, it was obvious his health was declining by the second.

“It both gladdens my heart and fills me with sorrow to see these faces around the table. The faces most dear to me in all the world… yet grown so distant from each other… in the years past.” His hand reaches up, grasping the gold mask and unclasping it, making you tense up immediately from surprise.

A skull. His skull.

The right side of his face had sunken in and molded to the bones of his face, the eye gone forever like his son’s. It was a horrible sight, but knowing that the man who had to endure it was your darling uncle made your heart ache.

“My own face… is no longer a handsome one… if indeed it ever was. But tonight… I wish you to see me… as I am. Not just a king… but your father. Your brother. Your husband… and your grandsire. Who may not, it seems… walk for much longer among you.” The mask is dropped to the table with a loud CLUNK, “Let us no longer hold ill feelings in our hearts. The crown cannot stand strong if the House of the Dragon remains divided. But set aside your grievances. If not for the sake of the crown… then for the sake of this old man who loves you all so dearly.”

Viserys shrinks back into his seat, being helped by Alicent who assists him in wiping his mouth, Rhaenyra now abruptly standing and holding her cup up. Her foot visibly shook from under the table, “I wish to raise my cup to Her Grace, the Queen.”

The two women looked each other in the eyes, Alicent’s gaze softening a bit at those words before she continued.

“I love my father. But I must admit that no one has stood… more loyally by his side than his good wife. She has tended to him with… unfailing devotion, love, and honor. And for that, she has my gratitude… and my apology.”

She takes a quiet seat, setting her cup down, and Alicent responds.

“Your graciousness moves me deeply, Princess. We are both mothers… and we love our children. We have more in common than we sometimes allow.” She stands, ringed hand grasping her cup, “I raise my cup to you… and to your house. You will make a fine queen.”

Rhaenyra and Alicent are both smiling to themselves as Alicent finally sits, and oddly enough, Rhaenyra raises her cup once again and looks to you now with a soft gaze, one of a mother.

“I’d also like to announce… Here and now, since Y/N is now my oldest child by law, I want to grant her the title as heir to the Iron Throne after me. A title very deserving of such a smart and beautiful woman, I loved your mother and she’d be very proud of how far you have come.” She raises the cup higher, everyone now doing so except Aegon whom was too busy drowning himself in booze.

“Hear, hear!”

Daemon clasps a proud hand on your shoulder, but your eyes gravitate to Aemond who tilted his cup to you with a smirk before taking a rather large gulp. A sign of respect perhaps?

The positive feelings were always to be interrupted, with Aegon now up and refilling his cup of wine. He was whispering to your sister, not loud enough for you to hear until Jace slammed his fists into the table, seat skittering as he rose quite quickly.

Jace clears his throat, but the tensions didn’t stop rising, Aemond now stood and eyeing up Jacerys, almost mentally telling him to stand down. And instead of attacking Aegon, Jace raised his cup to toast, patting Aegon on the shoulder rather awkwardly.

“To Prince Aegon and… Prince Aemond. We have not seen each other in years, but I have fond memories of our shared youth. And as men, I hope we may yet be friends and allies. To you and your family’s good health, dear uncles.” He takes a swift swig of his wine and gives Aegon another pat on the shoulder for the second time, making the man audibly groan, “To you as well.”

Aemond slowly shuffled back down into his seat and Helaena muttered a phrase under her breath while messing about with a thing in her clutches, “Beware the beast beneath the boards…”

“Well done, my boy.”

Helaena stands a bit off kilter, raising her wine glass, “I would like to toast to Baela and Rhaena. They’ll be married soon. It isn’t so bad. Mostly he just ignores you… except sometimes when he’s drunk.”

A bit of laughter choruses from the two families and the bright girl takes her seat once again, smiling wider than before. She was definitely your favorite between her and Aegon.

“Let us have some music.”

The prospect of hearing gentle tunes eased the anxiety of being sat at the table, and you visibly relaxed, holding the hand that Rhaenyra had held out to you, tightly. Jacerys stood up and excused himself before offering a hand to Helaena to dance, the girl taking his hand with a faint enthusiasm. Aegon, however, looked offended at that fact, yet the two still jumped around merrily with large smiles on their faces, putting a smile on your face also.

What shocked you was the tap on the shoulder you received, followed by the piercing eye of the man you adored staring down at you.

“Would you care to dance, Princess…?”

You hesitated at first, feeling your father’s eyes barreling into your head, yet your hand found Aemond’s, his fingers gently cusping over yours as he guided you to rise from your seat and stand near your brother and aunt.

One hand stayed clasped in his, the other on his rather broad shoulder as his free hand slid down to greet your waist with a singular touch. He guided the whole waltz, taking the liberty of spinning you and adding flare to the dance, making you giggle and laugh out into the night, all to the displeasure of your father, intensely watching the whole interaction with distaste. Yet, your uncle only watched you two adoringly, seeing himself and Aemma within you and Aemond. A tough man and his adoring wife, a misunderstood boy and the one who understands him the most.

Eventually, the man who held your very heart in his palm guided you back to your seat, kissing your hand ever so kindly before taking his seat, grabbing his chalice to take a hefty gulp of wine. Rhaenyra looked fairly happy, face turned upward and eyes sparkling with child-like wonder that she had lost ages ago. Alicent looked just about the same, smiling at her. It felt… good, and normal, and like home, to be with all the people in your family.

The moment was cut short when Viserys began to groan in pain and Alicent called for the guards to escort him back to his chambers for rest, your father’s face dropping at seeing his brother in pain. Yet, servants came in with various food items as the king was just leaving, a finely cooked pig being set in front of Aemond.

This aroused a laugh out of Lucerys, who was looking Aemond in the eye while openly laughing, the music coming to a stop once Aemond slammed a fist into the wooden table. His thin and wiry fingers curled atop the wine chalice, raising it up.

“Final tribute.”

Discomfort surfaced over every other emotion you felt, and you pleaded with him through desperate eye contact which seemingly egged him on further.

“To the health of my nephews: Jace… Luke… and Joffrey. Each of them handsome, wise…”

Alicent almost seems to stiffen, eyeing up her son, while his eyes bounced between his nephews and you. He was going to say it, you knew it, you felt it in your very heart of hearts, so you braced for the outrage.

“Hm… strong.”

“Aemond–”

“Come… let us drain our cups to these three…” Aegon raises his cup, “Strong boys.”

“I dare you to say that again–”

“Why?” He gazes at Jace, “‘Twas only a compliment. Do you not think yourself Strong?”

The two boys strided towards each other quickly and Jace quickly swung a punch towards Aemond, striking him in the face. It sounded like Lucerys was also getting in a squabble, but you were only focused on Aemond being okay and Jace being unscathed.

You quickly rose and went to grab Jace to separate him and Aemond, but Aegon took the moment to let go of Lucerys and throw you into the table with him, causing your sisters to shout loudly and stand up, ready to defend you.

The guards quickly ended the fighting, but not before Aemond shoved Jace down to the ground with a chuckle.

Daemon was quick to help you from the table, holding you with loving arms of a father who cared heavily for his first-born daughter and future heir to the throne after Rhaenyra. Your eyes were on Aemond, who seemed satisfied with the petty squabbles, and even though he wasn’t looking at you, he could feel how hurt you were, like it was raining upon him from the very skies.

“Why would you say such a thing before these people?”

“I was merely expressing how proud I am of my family, Mother.” Daemon looks at you with eyes of suspicion due to your lingering stare towards Aemond, “Mm, though it seems my nephews aren’t quite as proud of theirs.”

Jace lunges for Aemond, but you step up, “Wait, wait!”

You hold your arms up to keep distance between Aemond and Jace, everyone's face contorting in confusion. Rhaenyra excuses her sons to go to bed and you keep eye contact with Aemond.

“You went too far–”

“Y/N–”

“You went too far and you know it, Aemond. I thought you… cared for me.. Enough to at least not claim my brothers are bastards.”

His face contorts to one of guilt, looking almost sorry for even causing such trouble. His eyes suddenly look behind you, and you know your father is most likely staring arrows into Aemond.

“Mm..” You hear Daemon behind you, and Aemond shrugs it off, now walking away with haste. Before you could chase after him, Daemon gently grabs our wrist to hold you in place.

“Daughter, do you hold affections for the boy who just insulted your brothers?”

Rhaenyra stared intensely from beside him.

“If I did… then what? Would you have me exiled like you were? Fulfill what everyone thinks, that I am a mini version of you? I just want everyone to get along for once, but it seems there will always be a strain upon both of our families…” You look at Alicent, whom looks visibly happy that you are finally saying something about how you feel. Something she could never do as a young woman due to the men in her life.

“I will love who I want, and if Aemond is the one I choose… then so be it. Disinherit me from the throne, throw my name from our family books, I could care less.”

Before Daemon could speak, you walked past him, sending Rhaenyra an apologetic look with your hands balled into fists. You had to find Aemond.

You would eventually find Aemond within his chambers, clutching his eyepatch in his left hand while staring wearily out of the window to his left. You couldn’t see his lost eye from the angle you were standing at, but you could see his other eye, blue and almost glowing with the light of the night.

“You defend me against your family, yet when I insult them, you barely bat an eye… why?”

His voice is calm, low and tired. He had a point, why did you defend him? Should you have just sided with Rhaenyra and her blood children?

“Aemond…–”

“The connection we felt as young children was fleeting, yet you didn’t partake in beating me to a pulp. Why?”

You took firm steps to get closer to him, but he kept his head tilted just so you couldn’t see the other side of his face. He looked almost scared to be vulnerable with you. Yet, you brought a hand up to his cheek and slowly turned his head to look fully to you, and you stifle a gasp.

A sapphire glowed faintly in the socket where his eye would have been, the blue striking and beautiful. It held a sapphire glare, one that made your heart skip a beat.

He was beautiful, even if his mind told him he was imperfect.

“I’m monstrous, aren’t I?”

“Not in the slightest.”

His face softened significantly at your words and his head leaned down to be against yours, cold yet inviting.

“You always reminded me of sapphires, and I wanted to always keep you in my mind’s eye.”

“Such flattery should only come between those who know each other deeply-”

Before you could utter a word more, his lips were on yours.

The ocean and the flames, The sapphire and the ruby, together at last.

#xreader #fanfiction #house of the dragon #hotd x reader #hotd fanfic #hotd #aemond fanfiction #aemond targaryen x you #aemond one eye #aemond targaryen #aemond targaryen x reader #hotd aemond

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pacificwaternymph · 1 month

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Aaaaand everyone give it up for WASTED POTENTIAL

Season finale spoilers under the cut

Okay. I'll be honest. The finale was... not what I was hoping for.

I tried so hard to remain optimistic. I truly believed they could pull it all together and everything was going to have a satisfying conclusion. But I guess that's my fault. I set my expectations too high.

Is this about Tech? Primarily, yes. Yes it was. I am so disappointed. And you can make fun of me all you want but I genuinely believed, with all my heart, that CX-2 was Tech.

BECAUSE WHY THE FUCK ELSE WAS THERE SO MUCH EMPHASIS ON HIM

There was so much to suggest that CX-2 was somebody we knew. We spent so much time on him, suffered through so many completely unnecessary, in hindsight, close up shots and random pieces of episodes that focus on him, only for him to get javelined through the middle in the span of half a second.

It feels like the writers were just making fun of the viewers, at this point. Haha, can you believe they actually thought?

Yes, we did think! Did you?

Tech's death was so... unconvincing. They didn't even try. Not only was his life "cut short" in the midst of his character development, said death was caused by falling, without any other kind of injury, while we watch him disappear into the clouds. And then we see no body and only have his broken goggles as "evidence" of his death. What the hell else were we supposed to assume?

That's not even bringing up that Tech gets maybe three mentions all throughout the entire season. The show never touches on how the death of one of their squadmates, people they have known since birth, affects the batch. Not once do they ever say out loud that Tech is dead until the fucking finale.

This isn't just me reading too closely between the lines. This is genuinely bad writing. It's loading chekhov's gun and then refusing to shoot it.

Even if CX-2 wasn't Tech, or even somebody we knew, the way he is treated suggests that he was supposed to be important. He was supposed to be be relevant. And now, he's neither!

Furthermore, where fuck was everybody? Where was Rex with the reinforcements to storm the base? Where was Wolffe deciding he didn't want anything to do with the Empire anymore? Where was Cody? Where was Phee in all of this?

Where was Cid? So we're just... not going to get any kind of closure for that? She just betrays them and we never see her again? Even if they didn't redeem her, that feels like pretty damn bold move.

The Zillo beast does... barely anything. Really? It just breaks out and moves away from the biggest source of energy it will ever find after causing the slightest amount of property damage to two rooms, and storms off into the woods, and that's all we get? Seriously?

And then once we get to the time jump... Echo's gone. Again. Either still off with Rex, if he hasn't gone into hiding yet, or died off screen. Neither is a good nor satisfying ending for his character. But I guess shouldn't be surprised by that. When have the writers ever cared about Echo?

The biggest problem with the whole thing is that it didn't feel like a finale. It felt like a normal episode, just slightly longer. The Bad Batch returned to Pabu, because I guess there are no consequences from the Batch being discovered there before and the empire decided that they were just going to... leave it alone, and everything returns to the status quo. That's not what a finale does, Dave.

Maybe I'm being too harsh. There were parts that I enjoyed. I'm glad Hunter, Wrecker, and Crosshair got their happy endings. Seeing Omega all grown up really did something to my heart. But overall I am just so frustrated.

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enchantedbarnes · 1 year

Text

Uncle Buck • Part 4

Misterwives

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Single Aunt!Reader

Summary: Your nephew Benji overhears a conversation. Not liking what he's hearing, he takes matters into his own hands.

Word Count: 3.9k

Masterlist: One | Two | Three | Four | Five

A/N: Sheeeeeesh. This one's longer than the other parts. Take this as my Happy New Years! treat I guess haha. Pt 1 just passed 4k notes and my mind is absolutely blown.

Everybody thank @kilikina34512 for our latest Benji hijinx 😏 Enjoy! and thanks again for all the love 🫶🥰

Bucky joined both of you at "The Screamery" that following day. A themed ice cream shop you and Benji both love that is decked out in classic horror movies.

Benji ate what seemed like his weight in ice cream. You caved and bought him a banana split sundae which Dracula dropped off at your table in a sundae boat the size of Benji's head. Strawberry syrup was drizzled on top to look like blood and a fake candy eyeball took the place of the cherry on top. You knew it would be too much for him to eat all of it, but figured you can always bring the leftovers home.

Benji pointed out all the memorabilia around to Bucky, filling him in on both his personal favorites and yours.

After arriving back at the house, Bucky stuck around for a cup of coffee and this was the point where you royally fucked up.

It's now a few days after, reaching midweek.

"We've decided we're just going to be friends," you explained to Nora as you sat on your bed.

"What?? Why? Was this his decision or yours?" Nora stood in front of you with her hands on her hips.

"Well, both..? I think…"

"You think??"

"He didn't disagree."

"Y/N! Of course he didn't disagree if you decided you didn't want to be with him."

"It's not that I don't want to be with him. I do really like him. He has been nothing but super sweet and kind with our insanity."

"Yeah, it's always a real bummer when a super hot guy brings you flowers and enjoys hanging out with you and your family," Nora rolls her eyes.

"Yeah, I get it. I'm an idiot, okay?"

"Why are you self-destructing? I've seen the smile he gives you, are you kidding me? Smitten. Same goes for you."

"I don't know! I panicked. Holidays are coming up soon. I didn't want to drag him into more nonsense than we already have. We've probably been way over the top and too much for him to want to deal with. We practically kidnapped the guy over the weekend," you ramble on, "Plus what you said with the whole super hot thing. Like come on, how are those cheekbones and that jawline-"

"The eyes."

"The eyes! How is he even real? It's ridiculous."

"No, you're ridiculous. Please explain how the conversation happened, did he tell you this was too much?"

"Well, no…not exactly. We were just talking and my brain kind of went into this red alert mode and I started rambling like an idiot about how nice it has been hanging out and I vaguely remember saying something along the lines that we make a great couple of friends."

"Couple of friends?! Are you for real right now? Did you hit your head and not tell us? What the hell is wrong with you!"

"UGH!" you shout while slamming a pillow over your face.

Benji overhears the conversation from the hallway and shakes his head. Making sure both his mom and aunt were distracted with their conversation he grabs his hat and gloves, putting them on and then grabbing his jacket and tossing that on as well.

He does one more look back when he gets to the front door and quietly makes his way out, closing the door at a glacial speed so no noise would be detected.

Bucky was seated next to Sam at a local bar, beer in hand. Bucky explains what happened last with Y/n.

"I don't blame her for not being interested in me."

"C'mon man, that can't be it. You couldn't shut up about the great time you had bowling with her and how awesome her family and friends were. I was expecting a wedding invitation in the mail by now."

"Now you sound like the small one."

"Love that kid. He really is something else. I hope there's a video out there of him asking you to marry Y/n at that event. That was the best thing I've seen in years. Oh! Maybe I should give him my address so he knows where to mail my invitation," he grins, "We could also play the clip at your wedding."

Bucky glares over at him.

"Who am I kidding, your glare is right. He probably already knows my address. Y'think the kids gonna take this news of you just being friends well?" Sam asks.

Bucky's phone buzzes in his pocket. Pulling it out the screen lights up alerting a new call, listing an incoming call from NYPD.

What could the NYPD want? "Um, I'll be right back, I'm just gonna go-" he holds the phone up slightly and points towards the exit.

He answers as he walks to a quieter area, "Hello?"

"Hello, is this Sergeant Barnes?"

"Yes, is there something I can help with…?"

"We have a Benjamin Barnes here, he was found at Chestnut Park when he approached one of our officers. He said he got separated in a crowd and asked us to call you. Is this your nephew?"

"Yup," Bucky sighs, "That's my nephew, alright. Is his mom or aunt not with him?"

"No, sir. We checked the surrounding area but he wasn't able to spot them. Your phone number was the only one he could remember. Are you nearby to come collect him, or do you have an address we can bring him to? He wasn't sure what his address was either."

How convenient he didn't know his address or mom's phone number, but could probably rattle off all 50 states with their capitals if you asked him.

"I can come and get him."

"Officer Mills is with him now, they are near the east entrance of the park."

"Thanks." Bucky shook his head as he disconnected the call. Walking back over to the bar quickly to close his tab, "I gotta go," he tells Sam as he places cash on the bar.

"What's up? You need some help?"

"Small ones at it again, he must have heard something. Just got a call that my nephew, Benjamin Barnes, is at the park right now. He conveniently got separated from his mom and my phone number was the only one he knows," he answers with a knowing look.

"This kid deserves an award. Please can I come? I'm begging. I need to see this for myself."

"No." Bucky rolls his eyes, starting to walk out without another word. He holds his arm up to flag a cab.

Sam quickly tosses his own cash down and grabs his jacket, running to catch up with the super soldier.

"Are you going to call Y/n?" Sam asks as he finishes adjusting his jacket after he finally catches up.

"No, Sam. I thought I'd collect the kid and take him in as my own," he answers sarcastically, opening the door to the cab as it stopped in front of him.

"Well, he would probably be an excellent member of the team."

"We are not a team."

"Whatever you say, blue steel," Sam quickly opens the other side and slips in.

Once they're close enough Bucky spots Benji next to a hot dog vendor, chatting with the officer. Benji looks over and spots the two approaching through the crowd.

"Uncle Bucky!" He grins, looking over at the officer that was waiting with him, "My uncle is here, Officer Mills," he announces while pointing over at Bucky.

"Sorry for any trouble this might have caused. Thanks for having someone call and waiting with him," Bucky shakes the officer's hand.

"No problem, Sergeant Barnes. Glad to help. I was surprised when he said you were his uncle. Maybe you guys should start workin' on teachin' this guy his address and stickin' with his guardians in a crowd," Officer Mills instructs, looking down at Benji at the last part.

"Absolutely, I'm certain his parents will have a lot to say," Bucky answers, also giving Benji a pointed look.

After the officer walks away wishing them a good evening Bucky pulls out his phone.

"Alright, nephew, where is your mom?"

"She's at home…"

"And why are you not at home with her?"

"I thought it was a nice day for a walk…"

"Uh huh. Does she know you're out for a casual stroll on your own right now?"

"...Not so much…"

Bucky shakes his head and starts to open the contacts in his phone.

"Does anyone know you're out here?"

It was Benji's turn to shake his head.

Sam sits down against the ledge of the wall next to Benji. "You can't be out here walking by yourself, little man."

Bucky goes to tap on your contact, his eyebrow raising when he notices your name now seems to be under "Future Y/n Barnes 💌" with a photo of you laughing while eating ice cream he doesn't recall taking. He looks up at Benji with an eyebrow still raised.

Holding the phone up to his ear, it rings a few times before going to voicemail.

Bucky glares at the phone. He's about to start a text when the phone starts buzzing, "Future Y/n Barnes 💌" pops up on the screen with the ice cream shop photo on full display now.

"Hello, Y/n."

"Hey, Bucky…Sorry I just missed your call. What's up?"

"Do you happen to know where Benji is at the moment?"

"He's been in his room for a while, why do you ask?"

"You sure about that?" He questions while looking over at the roughly 4'2" boy in front of him that is currently in an animated conversation with Sam.

"Well, I was until you asked me that…his room has been blasting Party Rock Anthem for maybe half an hour now, but as far as I know he was in th-" Bucky hears loud music suddenly playing from your end and Y/n mutters a Benjamin under her breath, "Please tell me you have him."

"Well, not sure if he's achieved a cloning system, but I certainly have a close look-alike standing in front of me right now."

"That little punk... I'm so sorry, Bucky. Where are you? I'll come get him," he can hear you starting to rush around as the music shuts off.

"We can come to you, we're not far. We should be there in a few minutes."

"Thank you so much, Bucky. I really really appreciate it. I should probably go tell Nora her spawn escaped. Damnit, she's going to flip her lid… I'll see you soon."

"Tell her he's fine. Sam is with us too, we'll see you soon."

Bucky hangs up and joins the pair, "Alright, pal. We're dropping you back home. Your Aunt Y/n is expecting us now, and she's telling your mom about your Houdini act."

Benji's shoulders slump, "Do we have to?"

"Well, you kind of live there, and you're 8 years old. You can't be walking around by yourself. Especially without telling anyone. It's too dangerous out here by yourself, bud."

"I know, but I really needed to talk to you."

"What was so important you had to pull this stunt? You know my phone number," Bucky fixes another look at him while crossing his arms which sparks a small giggle from the boy.

"My tablet was charging and I didn't have a phone available.. I heard Aunt Y/n talking to my mom," he starts to explain looking ahead of them as they start their walk back.

"Okay?"

"Please don't give up on, Aunt Y/n."

"Not sure what you heard, pal? But we're still friends?"

"Friends is so lame! She didn't mean it. She said she panicked, but she really likes you. Even mentioned how um, handsome you were," he adjusts his answer with a side eye, "Also, she was worried we were too much for you. You don't think we're too much, do you?" He looks up at Bucky with a pout fully engaged.

"Well, Benjamin Barnes," he jokes, "I can't say you've been flying low under the radar here, pal. You certainly know how to make a statement," he ruffles his hair and puts his arm around his shoulders as they continue their walk.

Sam laughs and offers a fist bump to Benji.

Bucky continues, "But no, I wouldn't say you've all been too much. Just an adjustment. A nice one," he adds.

"You've managed to make robo-buck over here smile more than I've seen since I've known him," Sam comments. "Did you know when I met him, he ripped the steering wheel right out my car from my hands? Punched right through the windshield," Sam makes hand gestures to go along with the story. He and Bucky both glare at each other, Sam's has a smirk to his however.

"Whoa!" Benji shouts, "Can we try that with the car over there?! I wanna see!!"

Bucky huffs and pulls Benji along.

"Ignore everything Samuel says. Pretend he's not even here. I know I certainly do," Bucky mutters at the end.

"I was talking to.." Benji pauses, "Prudence.. about reincarnation. She says you knew Y/n in another life, but you never got together in that life, so your hearts are like puzzles with missing pieces and when you get together the puzzle will be complete. I know this because I'm younger and pure, so I'm more in touch with cosmic forces."

"Wait, puzzles, cosmic forces… Why does that sound familiar?" Sam asks, squinting ahead in thought.

"BENJAMIN DAVID RUSSELL!"

"Dang, full government name. Nice knowing you kid," Sam lets out a low whistle.

They were still about 5 houses back, the front steps to their destination visible up ahead. Nora stood outside their doorway with her arms crossed.

"Get your scrawny butt in here, right now!" Nora points to the door.

"Farewell fellas, it was nice knowin' ya," Benji sends a salute and a wave to the pair as he slowly walks the rest of the way ahead of them.

"Inside, let's go," Nora instructs, "Straight to your room. You'll notice your speakers are no longer in there and the door is left open, keep it that way."

"But mom!"

"Nope, I don't want to hear it right now. Inside, move it."

Benji disappears inside and up the stairs.

"Thank you so much for bringing him home," Nora greets Bucky with a tight hug.

"Hi, I'm Nora," she introduces herself to Sam, "Thank you so much, truly I appreciate it," she pulls Sam into a hug as well.

"Great meeting you, big fan of your kid. Probably not what you want to hear right now though."

"Ha. Yeah, never a dull moment around here. Please come in and join us for dinner. We have some lasagna that's about to come out of the oven. It's the absolute least I can do to thank you both. You can fill me in on what scheme he pulled this time."

"Oh, we wouldn'–"

Sam cuts Bucky off, "We would love to!" He slaps Bucky on the back and then gives him a slight shove forward towards the doorway.

Y/n hears more voices and walks into the living room from the kitchen to join them as they file in through the front door. Following the same steps Nora had done previously, you greet Bucky and Sam with a hug while thanking them.

"Food should be ready in about 10 minutes. You guys wanna grab a seat in the kitchen? I'll grab some drinks. Theo should be here any second, you can fill us in on the latest shenanigan," Nora sighs walking over towards the fridge.

"I need more stories on this kid. Has he always been like this? I'm a little offended he didn't ask me to be his uncle," Sam jokes following Nora into the kitchen.

Bucky looks over at you.

"Hi…" you offer a small wave.

"Hi," he smirks back.

"Should I be worried about what has come out of his mouth this time?"

His smirk stays as he places a quick kiss to your cheek and walks into the kitchen without further comment.

Your eyes widen, "Wait, where are you going?? Bucky! What did he say??"

The adults all sat at the kitchen table.

Theo arrived home right as Bucky started his explanation of getting a call from the NYPD to collect his nephew.

"I spoke to him quickly before I went to talk to Y/n earlier. I should have known something was up after the 5th Party Rock loop. It just kept going. I assumed he was working on a dance routine or something," Nora looked over to Theo.

"Never trust Party Rock Anthem," Theo shook his head solemnly.

"Party Rock was not in the house tonight," she answers with a deadpan tone.

"Everybody just wants a good time," Theo continues while standing up, "but he's definitely gon' make us lose our minds.."

"We just wanna see you - shake that," Nora points over at him.

"Ev'ry day I'm shuff-shufflin'." Theo dances over to the staircase, "Prisoner number 6-2-4, your gruel is ready!" He shouts up the stairway.

Benji speeds his way down, "Hiya Dad, how was your day? You're looking great today. New shirt?"

"Wow, only butt-kissing level 5? You've done better than that. Let's go, menace." He walks back into the kitchen

"It's wild here and I love it. Hey Buck, we could be brother-husbands! …Misterwives? Co-husbands??" Bucky glares at him, "We can workshop it later," Sam sends him a wink with a nudge.

Nora laughs while your cheeks heat up across from them.

"Can I show Bucky something upstairs?" Benji asks as everyone cleans up from dinner.

"In your room?" Nora asks, suspicious of more shenanigans.

"Uh, yeah…? Please! It'll be quick."

Benji grabs Bucky's hand and leads him up the stairs.

"This is my room," he points towards the open doorway leading to his room as they walk by, "but this is what I wanted to show you," he opens a door at the end of the hallway that leads to another set of stairs going up to the attic space.

"Ta-daaa!" Benji flips the switch at the top of the stairs, turning on the soft string lights set up around the room. A blanket fort with lights was set up surrounding the large plush sofa, various pillows and piles of soft and fluffy blankets scattered along both the sofa and the floor in front of it. Fake candles and lanterns dotted around the area. A large stack of movies rests on the floor next to an empty bowl labeled "popcorn" and a dusty bottle of wine.

A large projector screen was set up across from the sofa fort with lights also surrounding it, and in the middle was a projector on top of a tripod facing the screen.

"This is our movie hang out room. I made some additions to it. You and Aunt Y/n should have a movie night!" He grins up at the stunned brunette.

"Pal, this is… wow.. This is a really cool setup you have here..."

Two sets of footsteps joining them can be heard, "Benjamin if I come up here and you have Bucky locked up or something, I swear- whoa," you stop short and look around, "What's all this??"

"A movie night for you and Bucky!" Benji bounces up and down, arms out wide.

"What the shiiii-zz," Sam corrects himself in present company, "This is incredible. Now I'm really doubling down on misterwives. Does that popcorn machine over in the corner work??"

After a heavy back and forth debate, Benji somehow convinced Bucky to stay for a movie and Sam to come back another night for the next family movie marathon.

Benji had grabbed Sam's sleeve and tugged him to follow back downstairs.

"Will you sign my Captain America car Bucky got me? What's your favorite kind of car? Do you have a car or do you just use your wings? Can I see redwing next time??"

"Good luck, Sam!" You called down to him.

"Night lovebirds!"

You look over at Bucky, "I'm sorry for self-destructing the other night… I didn't want to overload you. There's been a lot of schemes by an 8 year old going on," you motion around you.

"Well, friend," he gives you a cheeky look, "with how hard Benji has been working on his schemes, your avoidance skills have been understandable. I don't blame you for not wanting to be with some well past his time grump like me that has a questionable history an-"

"That's not what I meant. I just wanted you to have your own choice in all of this. I know how persuasive that little punk can be. I feel bad we've essentially kidnapped you multiple times now."

"Not exactly kidnapping if I've been willingly showing up. I'll let you in on a secret though. When we walked out at the start of that event, I noticed both of you before Benji even walked up to ask his question. Benji was fidgeting, tugging at your sleeve and you- and your hair," he chuckles, tugging at a rogue brightly colored curl, "caught my attention almost immediately. Something was already pulling me to both of you before the schemes even began and I'm honored for whatever crazy reason it brought me here."

You hold your pinky up, "Promise you'll tell us if the crazy gets to be too much?"

He hooks his pinky around yours and tugs you in, his lips brushing against yours. You eagerly return his kiss, pushing up on your toes slightly to better reach.

Bucky pulls back and smirks, "Do your worst."

"Don't let him hear you say that," you laugh pulling him back in.

You both moved to the sofa as you looked over the stack of movies Benji set aside, "Of course…such a punk."

"What?" Bucky asks, trying to see the titles you were looking at.

"I really should have seen this one coming. There seems to be a theme going on here with his selections for us," you turn the stack towards him.

The Princess Bride,

Arsenic and Old Lace,

The Wedding Singer,

Corpse Bride,

My Big Fat Greek Wedding,

The Proposal,

Just Married,

The Wedding Planner,

27 Dresses,

Bride of Chucky,

and Shrek.

"Arsenic and Old Lace? Is this a wedding movie too?"

"Kind of? It starts with a couple from Brooklyn eloping at city hall. Mostly it's about two older aunts poisoning men and shoving them in their window seat…Fun times. The back says it's from 1944, have you heard of it?"

He shakes his head, "I shipped out in '43."

"Right. Well, one of my favorite lines from it is highly relatable. He goes I probably should have told you this before, but insanity runs in my family…it practically gallops. I should print that on a custom welcome mat for our front door," you laugh.

He holds up Shrek next, "and this one with the green guy…?"

"I actually think you'll enjoy the friendship between Shrek and Donkey in that one. Their banter reminds me of another pair you may know," you give him a side eye glance.

"He's friends with a donkey? What is the green guy supposed to be? He doesn't marry the donkey, right?"

"Yup, we're watching this one. Pass the popcorn bowl, pleease. I'll go fill it." You grin as you kiss his cheek.

(😉🧩❤️ did you catch the reference? ☝️)

If you have any diabolical ideas, my asks are open. If it sparks an idea you just might get lucky to see more 😏

Thanks again for your submission @kilikina34512 🥰

"I’m so in love already with Benji! I could see this boy somehow getting lost at the park and telling a police officer, “Can you call my Uncle instead of my mom? He’s the Winter Soldier!” and having Bucky come get him just to keep from getting in trouble with his mom! 😂"

Next: Part 5 Meddlingpunkitis

Taglist:

@pono-pura-vida @bitchy-bi-trash @random-writer-23 @jvanilly @clintsupremacy @eatingtheworldsoffanfiction @firstcashheroathlete @stany0url0calwh0res111 @sjsmith56 @eliwinchester99 @tbhidkbutok @babymady @shaking-a-jar-of-bees @its-daydreamer23 @capswife @thecubanator2 @wintermunsonreads @buckybarnessimpp @moon-light1928 @emily-roberts @jeanbarton @ilovetaquitosmmmm @lottiehernandez @tellenically @trixxietat @imdoingbetternow @maximoffrogersslut @samsgirl93 @lovebittenbyevans @inwhichiramble @jbuckybarnesfan @daemonslittlebitch @marvel88 @spiderman-stilinski @marvelfreakgirl @tinkerbelle67 @assassinscross @foolishwaitersblog @jasminex12 @buckysbaby-doll

#bucky barnes fanfic #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes fluff #bucky barnes x reader #marvel fic #bucky barnes imagine #bucky barnes x fem!reader #bucky barnes x female reader #bucky x reader #bucky barnes x y/n #uncle buck fic

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tongue-like-a-razor · 2 years

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Movie Nights with Bradley Bradshaw

Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x Reader

Summary: Headcanon in which you have popcorn movie nights once a week with your aviator friends.

CW: None, just a bit of fluff

A/N: I feel like I haven't posted Rooster content in a while so I thought I'd share this idea with y'all even though it obviously isn't fully formed. Let me know if you're interested in other half-baked ideas and headcanons 😅

Also, the season of scary movies is upon us, so I thought this might be fitting. Enjoy!

Week 1: Bradley likes you so he sits as far away from you as humanly possible. You take the centre of the couch, flanked by Phoenix and Bob. Bradley takes the floor.

Week 2: Bradley offers to grab your drink (and everybody else’s so it doesn’t appear suspicious). He sits on the same couch as you this time, but he’s in the corner. When Phoenix stands to use the bathroom and there’s a gap between you and him, he gives you a small smile and you offer him some popcorn. He takes a handful from your bowl, so you shift closer to share. When Phoenix returns, she’s wearing a smug smirk.

Week 3: You plop down onto the couch beside Bradley, completely unaware of how alarmed he is at the idea of sitting beside you throughout the entire evening. He's very still for the majority of the time, although you do end up occasionally rubbing shoulders and, by the end of the night, Bradley is both elated and extremely frustrated.

Week 4: Bradley sits down next to you, handing you your favorite drink. He gives you a sheepish grin when both Phoenix and Bob decide to join you on the same couch, squeezing you and Bradley into the corner. It’s a scary movie, so you end up gripping Bradley’s arm for the better part of the evening, hiding your face behind his shoulder a few times.

"You're missing the best part," he says with a massive grin.

"Tell me when the best part is over," you whimper.

He rubs your back with his hand, chuckling into your hair as you squeal. Anytime the film becomes too frightening and you press your body into his side is the best part in his books.

You're watching the screen with an anxious expression and the moment the music swells, you turn away frantically, burying your face into Bradley's neck.

He holds still, afraid that any movement on his part might scare you off – more even than the slasher flick. When he feels your body tense up against his at the sound of the screams coming from the television, he puts his hand over yours on your lap, squeezing it gently in his grasp. "You're okay," he mutters, his mouth right over your forehead.

You clutch his hand as his thumb sweeps lightly over your knuckles, and he weaves his fingers through yours, trying to relax your grip. You murmur something incoherent into the crook of his neck and Bradley closes his eyes, his embrace tightening around your shoulders. "Just so you know," you say in a soft voice. "You're not allowed to leave me alone tonight."

Bradley lets out a slow breath over your face. "Wouldn't dream of it," he responds.

A/N: I dunno guys, this concept has been bouncing around in my head and I wanted to get it down so I wouldn't be tempted to write a whole story around it haha Hope you liked it!

Rooster Tag List:

The rest of the list is in the comments. Sorry if I've missed you!

@simp-for-fictional-people

@ollyoxenfrees

@iamabeautifulperson18

@living-in-my-imagination88

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@peoniarose

@annedub

#bradley bradshaw fluff #bradley bradshaw #top gun #rooster #miles teller #bradley bradshaw x y/n #bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw imagine #bradley rooster bradshaw #bradley bradshaw headcanon #bradley bradshaw fic #rooster imagine #rooster x reader #rooster fluff #top gun imagine #top gun headcanons #miles teller x reader #miles teller imagine #bradley bradshaw x you

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adiluv · 11 months

Text

❥ COMPOSER + DOTING S/O HCS. ˚⊹꒷

💭୧・꒰word count꒱ 1055.

💰୧・꒰warnings꒱ possibly ooc.

🕊️୧・꒰adi moment꒱ request here! this was a really cute prompt, though i realized i was kinda drifting from it halfway, haha... they both dote on each other! this was also the first time i've written anything for frederick, so i apologize if i mischaracterized him—constructive criticism is always welcomed! hope you enjoy! ꒰˶ᵔ ᵕ ᵔ˶꒱

꒰🎹꒱・Similarly to Joseph, Frederick is also a fairly closed-off and introverted aristocrat. His struggles with family and fame often lead him to unconsciously push people away, a rather curt persona in place to protect him from pain or disappointment. While I imagine that he’d struggle to show his appreciation for a more doting partner, I do think that he’d still be deeply grateful for the concern you show him.

꒰🎹꒱・Due to the nature of his fame, Frederick also faces struggles with his confidence and self-esteem, and takes some time to fully warm up to the idea of actually dating another person. Out of everybody else, you’d really choose him..? It’s just… Forgive him for being so blunt about it—difficult to believe. Surely, there would be somebody better suited. Such thoughts lead him to becoming slightly colder once you become official, but he quickly opens up again if you continue to show interest in being with him.

꒰🎹꒱・Leading into the next point, I imagine that Frederick’s preferred way of receiving affection would easily be words of affirmation. Reminding him that you care for him, that you love him and won’t abandon him—that you genuinely believe he possesses musical talent—it all serves as a ꒰much needed꒱ boost to his confidence. If you also express your preference to receive words of affirmation, he’ll do his best to reciprocate them, though his awkwardness can lead to some relatively comedic moments. He’s… trying his best.

꒰🎹꒱・One of his favorite ways to express affection, however, is undeniably through music. This becomes the main way that he’ll show his care for you during the beginning stages of your relationship, too—as he takes some time to become comfortable with being physical and doing things like cuddling. He takes great pleasure in being the one you come to when you’d like to hear a particular song, and you’re the very first to hear any and all of his new compositions. He’ll practically memorize your favorite songs as well—even if you don’t ask him to play them that often—as he’d like to make sure he can play them perfectly for you.

꒰🎹꒱・He’s also a shockingly good cook. After being disowned by his family and before he’d simply resigned himself to playing for the upper-class, Frederick had to provide entirely for himself, and he’d been quick in picking up such essential skills. If you’re feeling down, or—Yidhra forbid—injured after a match, he’ll sneak into the manor’s kitchen and make you something in the attempt to cheer you up. You try to do the same for him, though his skills seem to surpass your own.

꒰🎹꒱・His psychasthenia has turned him into quite the hopeless insomniac, though his arrival in the manor has only exacerbated the issue. The halls tend to become eerily quiet at night, most other inhabitants tending to fall asleep rather quickly due to the exhaustion of matches. Without any music—or sound, even—it’s terribly difficult for him to block out the noises in his mind. There’s been many times where you’ve invited him to sleepover only to wake up during the night and find him watching you with a dead tired expression on his face. You nearly even screamed the first time it happened.

꒰🎹꒱・Although it doesn’t always fully block out those noises, humming along to the tune of one of his piano pieces does do quite a lot for him, and he greatly appreciates it whenever you do so. While the thought of doing so seems rather cruel to you, he knows that it would be far easier for you to just… drift back off to sleep and leave him to his own misery—and he regards those late-nights as some of the most peaceful moments within the manor.

꒰🎹꒱・Once he ꒰eventually꒱ warms up to the idea of cuddling, expect to find Frederick unconsciously tapping your skin as though he’s playing the piano. Whether it be your arm, back, or leg, it’s a rather uncontrollable habit of his—and he tends to get incredibly embarrassed if you tease him for it. This habit of his will also grant you sneak-peeks into any new compositions he’s been working on, and there have been times when he’s shot up from his spot after getting an idea for another chord or melody.

꒰🎹꒱・His room can only really be described as an organized mess. Filled with various types of sheet music and instrumental equipment, Frederick knows the location of absolutely every one of his things—even if they all seem to have been thrown around haphazardly. Before realizing just how attuned he was to the trainwreck within, you’d attempted to help him out by cleaning his room for him—though your efforts were rewarded with the sight of Frederick doing his very best to keep from yelling. Truly, he did appreciate the sentiment, but… How about you just leave it to him, next time?

꒰🎹꒱・He will, at least, try to make his room slightly more presentable whenever you decide to visit it. Even still, he usually only remembers to do this when you’re already standing right outside his door. Watching him open it with an annoyed look on his face, realize that it’s you, and then quickly close the door once again so he can rush to try and clean is incredibly hilarious—and you often have to force down your laughs until he’s out of sight again.

꒰🎹꒱・Frederick is highly prone to migraines due to his habit of overworking himself. You find yourself having to physically drag him away from his piano whenever this happens, as he’s seemingly far more willing to endure the unnecessary pain than to simply take a break and allow himself the time to recover. Even so, offers to massage his scalp are almost immediately accepted, and it’ll occasionally allow him to fall into a much needed slumber. Despite the occasional twitch of his brow, he looks quite peaceful, especially so with his hair down and spread out.

꒰🎹꒱・Has the tendency to bite the skin on his lips whenever he’s working on composing a new piece. They’re incredibly chapped because of this, his immense focus often leading him to neglect things like drinking enough water. You do bring him glasses, but they usually just pile up around his desk. A slight scolding, and he’ll make sure to clear that queue of water before getting right back to work.

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edges-of-night · 11 months

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Hi hi💕 I was wondering if you could do how the characters would react to having a vampire partner? Like how they handle reader needing blood and unable to be in sunlight

Also I love your work so much💕

Thank you for your kind words ♡ This is such an interesting and spooky idea haha! I went with a classic vampire who’s still somewhat pre-Christianity, if that makes sense. I hope you enjoy your post!

CW: bloodsucking

･ﾟ✧ Aragorn.

Aragorn would treat you with the same respect he extends to any creature. He knows and appreciates your physical strength and special powers. Being a ranger, he’d have no trouble finding a gorgeous little cave for the two of you to stay in to avoid the sunlight. He would either help you hunt animals for blood or offer his own, depending on your preference. One thing is for certain: you won’t lack anything with someone as considerate as Aragorn.

･ﾟ✧ Arwen.

Arwen had read about vampiristic creatures in her books before and is brimming with excitement when you tell her your secret – previously, you’ve only visited her on her balcony at night. From now on, you’d share beautiful nights under the moonlight and playful games with your fangs. Arwen would also play games with you that include counting, to ease your thoughts toward that compulsion. You’d slip into a romantic relationship very easily.

･ﾟ✧ Boromir.

Boromir has great respect for your powers – sometimes, he is even a bit afraid of the things you can do. Though he is wary of monsters and struggles to understand your specific needs at first, your vampiristic nature would grow on him so much that he’d eventually ask you to turn him – sharing an immortal life with you is just too tempting. He’d also tease you with garlic, in a very playful way.

･ﾟ✧ Elrond.

Elrond is a man of rules and habits – and even having an untamable vampire as a partner doesn’t change that. When he learns of your vulnerability against sunlight, he reschedules his days to spend time with you by night instead. He also creates a bloodsucking routine for the two of you. Letting you drink from his neck or wrist is no big issue for him due to his healing powers. He always makes sure you feed on time and hides the bite marks with his long clothes.

･ﾟ✧ Éomer.

Éomer is very wary around you at first. However, your striking beauty, elegant demeanour and immense powers soon bewitch him. You two could communicate without a single word, as he’d read every wish straight from your eyes. He will steal you away for nightly horseback rides where the two of you can truly be free from everybody else’s expectations.

･ﾟ✧ Éowyn.

Éowyn strikes me as a person who would, upon first encountering a vampire, try to fight them. I feel like she would have an ‘enemies to lovers’ kind of thing with a vampire partner: learning of your incredible powers, helping you get through hard times, and eventually bonding over your similarities. Éowyn develops great empathy for your ‘monstrosity’ and that both of you simply want to live freely. Together, you can do just that!

･ﾟ✧ Faramir.

Faramir worships you no matter what – he is a stronghold for your self-esteem in a world that deems you monstrous. He is very weak for your fangs and practically begs you to drink his blood instead of settling for that of an animal, even if that poses no problem for you at all. He adores learning some of your vampiric magic and spells. He considers meeting you his greatest luck and would surely ask you to turn him eventually!

･ﾟ✧ Frodo.

Frodo would be extraordinarily mischievous when it comes to his vampire partner. He’d adore to plan pranks with you to scare unsuspecting Hobbits (and Merry and Pippin, too!), baring your fangs at them with a snarl and raised claws – and he’d also find your bloodlust amusing. With him, there is never any shortage of animal blood. And on special nights, he’ll let you drink some of him ♡

･ﾟ✧ Galadriel.

Galadriel would instantly bond over how similar you are in your demeanour, humour, and language. She is delighted to find her telepathy even more powerful when used with an immortal. By day, she’d have her best quarters ready for you, and by night, you two could hardly be seen separate. With the help of her magic mirror, you would finally be able to see your reflection again, which makes her very happy. She also has a huge weakness for your claws!

･ﾟ✧ Gandalf.

Gandalf doesn’t believe you at first when you tell him you’re a vampire. You’re his sweetheart – surely he would’ve noticed something so fundamental about you! He hasn’t, because he was so enamoured. So in the days after that, he’ll try and use several (mostly harmless) spells to ‘test’ that statement. He of course finds you were being truthful and is overjoyed – a magical creature, from before this age – he’d be incredibly happy to have an immortal being just like himself!

･ﾟ✧ Gimli.

As a vampire, life in a Dwarven mountain city or a dark mine would suit you very well – no sunlight, no disrespectful outsiders, just you and Gimli living your best lives. He is very smitten with your regal beauty and mysterious demeanour. Gimli also clearly wins the award for ‘best vampire meet-cute’ when he accidentally digs into your cave: “Oh! Blasted bats! Argh – what? Are you…? Oh, just a cave of bats, lads! Nothing to see here!”

･ﾟ✧ Haldir.

Though he tries not to let it show, Haldir is immensely fascinated with your vampirism. He grants you shelter in the shadowy forests of Lórien and turns a blind eye to you sucking the blood of its animals. He connects to you on a deep level, relating to your outsider status in normal society. You bond over your perceived differences. Haldir also cherishes that you are both ageless and can be together forever, should you desire so!

･ﾟ✧ Legolas.

With his Elven healing powers, Legolas is very adamant about you sucking his blood. No second-class animal blood on his watch – only the best for you! He cherishes you very much and enjoys the intimacy bloodsucking provides, be it chaste and cuddly or exciting and spicy. But I think, as much as he loves your vampiristic qualities, he would not share your true identity with anyone – for that, you are far too special to him ♡

･ﾟ✧ Merry.

Though he is initially a bit careful around you, Merry is very enthusiastic about being your partner. He even is proud to have such a peculiar significant other – so much so that he brags about you being a “gorgeous, mysterious night predator”! He definitely has a thing for your white fangs and bat wings.

･ﾟ✧ Pippin.

Once Pippin finds out about you being a vampire, he cannot and will not shut up about you turning into a bat. Watching you transform and fly through the night sky is his biggest joy. In a quiet moment, he’d tell you how much he’d love to fly, too. He’d have absolutely no problem being turned into a vampire himself, though he isn’t blind to the disadvantages that come with it.

･ﾟ✧ Sam.

After his initial time of adjusting to your special needs, Sam would definitely win an award for being the best boyfriend to a vampire – he’d substitute garlic in his cooking, builds you a giant parasol (so that you can still partake in Hobbiton’s social life), and helps you getting ready before you despair about not being able to see yourself in the mirror. He’s incredibly considerate and always makes sure you’re comfortable!

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joka13 · 5 months

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Hello! Feel free to ignore this, but I was wondering if I could request a unrequited love trope thing with one or both of the Weasley twins! And maybe where the Hanahaki disease exists, and if you don’t want to write that and is out of your comfort that is totally chill with me!!! You can go about with the plot however you like :]

Remember to feel free to ignore, thanks! :D

Hi, there! I'm flattered by your faith in me, haha. I will say I found this prompt very interesting and was thankful for the challenge! Hope you enjoy🫰

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Dear reader,

As you may or may not know, I post extensive, multiple part fanfiction stories. I must remind you or clarify that I do not consider any requests I write as parts of those stories. Thank you for reading❤️

FANFICTION (REQUEST): Weasley Twins x Reader (Hufflepuff Girl) - Unrequited Love - Part 1

WARNINGS: none

Everybody likes to have fun sometimes. Fred and George made sure to have fun all of the time. Unfortunately for the school staff, the twins' idea of fun usually involved starting up trouble. The brothers were widely known, even outside of Hogwarts, for their mischievous hobbies. So, any time the obvious results of a prank came about, all heads turned toward Fred and George. That was fine and all with the twins; they were always responsible for every prank anyway and everyone knew it. But then, one day, they were blamed for a joke that they did not set.

In the middle of their Potions class, Fred and George were summoned outside by Filch, Hogwarts' caretaker. Normally, the twins would've given anything if it meant not facing Filch's confrontation, but they even more could not stand the Potions class teacher, Professor Snape (he was more difficult to fool than anyone else in the school other than the Headmaster; they could never have any fun in his class), so they gladly cooperated.

"Ah, Argus!" Fred and George greeted the caretaker in unison as they stepped out into the hall. "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

"Don't call me that," Filch growled. "And you know exactly why I'm here!"

"Don't worry yourself. You already spat at us about that last dungbomb," said Fred calmly.

"Just this morning," George added.

"That's not what I'm talking about!" Filch pointed a bony, accusing finger. "A bunch of fish were found flopping about inside all of the toilets in the first floor girls' lavatory!"

The twins laughed.

"We're willing to stoop pretty low, but never low enough to actually enter the girls' bathroom," George snorted (he and Fred once released a small family of gnomes into the girls' bathroom while Pansy Parkinson was occupying a stall, but the twins technically never went into the bathroom).

Fred nodded, still chuckling. "Indeed. You know us better than that, Argus! We're rapscallions, not creeps."

Filch's face reddened. "You have magic!" he huffed. "You could have easily placed the fish from outside of—"

"I'll admit, we're not so talented. I would've liked to take credit for that one," George sighed wistfully.

Fred placed a hand on George's shoulder. "Don't worry, dear brother. We'll think of something just as equally impressive," he comforted.

"You think so?" asked George timidly.

"Aargh!" Filch exclaimed in frustration. "I know it was you two!" And with that, Filch turned around and stomped away in the direction of Professor Dumbledore's office.

George snickered. "I'd say that one went rather well."

"Yes, yes," Fred chuckled. There was a pause. "I wonder how those fish might've gotten there..."

"Shall we go check it out?" asked George. "It's probably been labeled, so no one will go in."

Fred shook his head. "Na, Filch will be in to take care of the mess after he finishes fussing to Dumbledore."

"So we have time to go raid his office while he's busy cleaning up!"

"I like the way you think, George."

"Thank you, Fred."

After filling the toilets in the first floor girls' lavatory with fish you'd collected from the lake as a distraction for Filch, you quickly headed for his office to go through his drawer marked CONFISCATED AND HIGHLY DANGEROUS.

You'd hoped to find something good, but you were disappointed. All that was in the drawer were little, mostly insignificant things. You did recognize a few of the Weasley twins' inventions: firecrackers, puking pastels, dungbombs, etc. It wasn't much, but you started to pocket the Weasley bits anyway because you didn't want to have pulled that fish stunt for nothing.

Just as you were finishing up, you heard the door creak open behind you. You froze. Assuming that it was Filch who had entered the room, you turned around slowly while displaying a guilty expression, knowing you'd been caught.

To your surprise and relief, you were met with none other than the Weasley twins. They seemed just as surprised to see you.

"Merlin's beard, you blokes scared me!" you exhaled dramatically. You looked down at the objects in your hands that had once belonged to the twins and held them out, chuckling sheepishly.

Fred laughed while George simply grinned.

"Keep 'em," George said. "We've got plenty."

"Really?" you asked. "But I thought you guys only sell."

"That's true," said Fred. "But if you're the one who dumped those fish in the bathroom, then you've earned them."

It was your turn to laugh. "Let me guess: you two saw the opportunity I made for myself. I'm sorry to say that there's not much worth taking here," you said as you closed the drawer and shoved the goods into the pocket of your robes. "Well, other than your things."

"That would be our doing," George said shamelessly.

"We ransacked Filch's stash a while back. Guess he hasn't confiscated much since then," said Fred.

You nodded in understanding. "Ah... Well, I'd better get going. The sooner we're all gone, the better."

Fred and George stepped back, holding the door open for you as you exited.

"Thanks!" you said. "And thank you for these." You patted your bulging pocket.

"No problem," the twins replied simultaneously.

"See ya." You smiled and waved, then started to head in the direction of the Hufflepuff common room where you could hide your new toys.

"Wait!" Fred called after you. You turned around.

"What's your name?" George asked.

You grinned. "Y/n. Y/n y/l/n. Pleased to meet your acquaintance," you giggled, curtsying loosely, and then went on your way.

Fred and George watched in silence as you walked away.

"Fred," George eventually spoke. "Do you believe in love at first sight?"

"I didn't, George," Fred responded, still staring down the hall though you had already gone. "But... I've also never seen a girl steal from Filch... 'til now. It's kinda hot."

George nodded in agreement. "Yeah... Did you notice her house colors?"

"Yeah, can you believe it? A robbing, pranking Hufflepuff!"

"I think we just witnessed a miracle."

The twins laughed together. Though neither of them confessed it out loud, both Fred and George felt something take root (quite literally) inside their hearts that day.

TAG LIST: @jasm-1ne @tomhockstetter7-111 @costheticbabe @luthien-elvenia-asher @megablonde22 @thecuteavocado @websfromallthespiders @rubyintheforest @weasleylover4eva

#fred and george weasley #george weasley #wizarding world #fred and george #fred weasley #fred weasley x reader #george weasley x reader #george weasley fic #weasley twins #weasley twins x reader #weasley twins fanfiction #fred and george fanfiction #fanfiction

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yelenasdiary · 1 year

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In the spirit of Christmas I have a request!

Nat is a super powerful and rich CEO of the biggest company in NYC. She’s cold to everyone and absolutely merciless when it comes to business. Everyone is afraid of her and her influence.

Reader is Nat’s low level assistant. Reader has to deal w her cold boss (Nat) and all her needs. Reader is afraid of Nat and afraid of messing up as she’s seen people fired without mercy before.

One day around the holidays Nat catches reader crying or smth about how she can’t afford Christmas for her son (single mom). Maybe reader can’t afford gifts or has to turn the heat off in dead winter to save money. Nat softens up and offers reader and her son to spend Christmas with her in her penthouse. Nat spoils our son and shows a side w other side of cold CEO Nat.

Kinda like devil wears Prada with some protective and hurt/comfort stuff.

THANK YIU SO MUCH!! I know this is super specific so no worries if it doesn’t stay exactly like this!! And happy holidays to you ❤️ I love your work and many blessings in the new year!

☃️ CEO of Christmas ☃️

Pairing: CEO! Natasha Romanoff x Assistant! Reader

Summary: Working for Natasha was never easy and being a low-level assistant for the CEO wasn’t where you thought you’d be after working your hardest for 2 years. After catching you in tears on Christmas Eve, Natasha cold ways start to warm up.

Slight Angst | Comfort | 1.6K | Reader is a single mum |

AC: I love how different this request is!! Thank you for sending it! I hope you enjoy it! It’s a little longer than my other Xmas fics but anyways haha, Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!!

Day 23 | Advent Calendar Masterlist 🎄

"Y/n!" the voice of your CEO startled you as she stormed from her office over to your desk, "Yes Miss Romanoff?" you asked kindly with a warm smile. It was easier to just take her coldness than to demand respect for the way she spoke to those around her. You'd seen people get fired for little reasons that didn't matter to any other CEO that wasn't Natasha Romanoff. "Here's a list of people I have to buy Christmas gifts for. I don't have the time and I pay you, so I need you to go get everything off this list" she explained as she basically slammed the piece of paper on your desk.

"S-sure" you replied with a slight stutter when your eyes landed on the list, "What would you like me to do if one of these items isn't in stock?" you asked. Natasha frowned as she looked down at you, "Then order it in? it isn't rocket science! Now get going, I need you back within the next hour" she ordered coldly before making her way back to her office. It wasn't the first time you'd had to cover gift shopping for her, almost anytime one of her friends or family had a birthday or even coming up, it was up to you to find the gift Natasha wanted to buy. One time you couldn't buy an item on her list, even asking to get the item ordered in the store manager wasn't able to get stock. Natasha was fuming and took her anger out on you, that entire week you had the to do hours of overtime.

Lucky for you, you were able to get every item on Natasha's list, even having to have a few items delivered to the office later to avoid being late back. "Where would you like all these, Miss Romanoff?" you kindly asked while standing in the doorway of her office with bags of gifts. "Oh good, you're back. I hope that is everything off the list" she looked up from her computer looking at you in the cold way she looked at everybody. "Yes ma'am, some things I've requested to have delivered to the office later this afternoon. They were in the process of restocking some items" you explained hoping it wouldn't make her made. "I suppose there is a delivery fee" Natasha sighed with an eye roll, "No ma'am, it's all free delivery due to the inconvenience" you assured her. Natasha's attention returned to her computer, "go wrap them neatly" she instructed.

After wrapping all the gifts and making sure you did everything else that Natasha had not so kindly asked you to do, you didn't even realise that everybody else in the office had gone home. 6:30PM read on your watch as tears filled your eyes. Your son was at home with a sitter, you hated working late especially that today was Christmas Eve. Natasha didn't care for the holidays and it showed she didn't have any children of her own. You've been working for her for a little over two years and break downs became the norm for you. Natasha owns the biggest company in New York City, getting a job here isn't easy for anybody and you had never mentioned that you had a son in case she wouldn't hire you. When you first started the money was just enough to get you by and keep a roof over you and your sons head but after two years, you hoped that you would've been promoted by now.

With your son now being 5 years old and learning the tricks of Santa Claus, you wanted to make Christmas magical for him and spoil him the best you possible could. The winter was too harsh this year and already the two of you have had to suffer without heating just to save money, you've been able to guy him some toys but most of his gifts were clothing that he needed. Socks, underwear, new shoes and clothing that would fit the growing boy. You knew he wouldn't care much for the clothing and be more interested in the few toys Santa would leave him, but you hated how you weren't able to give him more.

"Why are you crying?" Natasha asked as she walked up behind you with documents that needed sorting before the new year. "S-sorry Miss Romanoff, I…I was just…it doesn't matter" you replied in a whimper knowing she wouldn't care if you even did tell her. To your surprise, Natasha pulled up a chair and sat down, "Well that's a lie, now tell me what's got you so upset. It's Christmas, aren't you supposed to be happy like the rest of the office?" she asked as she watched you wipe your tears. "I guess that's the issue" you looked up at her, "my son is at home on Christmas eve with a sitter while I'm here doing things that could wait" you explained, Natasha's face dropped slightly at the unknown news.

"You have a son?"

"I do…he's 5"

"Then what are you doing here? You should have told me; I would've sent you home a lot earlier" Natasha frowned slightly. "I needed this job…I need the money…Especially with the winter being so hard and my sitter is $20 an hour but she's the only sitter that's available for my hours so I need the overtime to cover that…I can't lose this job…" your eyes filled with tears once again.

"Why would you think I fire you?" She asked almost disheartened by your thoughts. "I've see you fire people for things out of their control before…I didn't think you'd keep around if you knew about my son" your eyes dropped to your feet, "and I'm assuring the father isn't in the picture?" Nat questioned, you shook your head "he's only met him once when he was born and said he couldn't afford a baby and I haven't heard from or seen him since".

There were a few moments of silence before Natasha spoke up, "Go home, be with your son. I'll have a car pick you both up around 8am in the morning, you both can spend Christmas with me at my penthouse", you looked up at Natasha with soft eyes, "Miss Rom-"

"Please, call me Natasha, outside of the office" she smiled softly, "I couldn't intrude on your Christmas like that" you said. Natasha shook her head, "I'm not doing anything for Christmas, I see everybody when we're all together a few days after so there isn't any excuse, you and your son will come spend Christmas with me, that's an order" she playfully winked then hanged you your coat from behind your chair, "now go home" she added.

Morning came with an excited 5-year-old jumping up and down at his new toys that Santa brought him, his favorite toy was his fire truck with working lights and siren. "Look mommy! Santa got me a fire truck!" He ran up to you with his truck in both hands, showing it off. "That's awesome honey! Are you ready to get dressed so we can go to Miss Romanoff's house shortly?" You smiled before placing a kiss on his forehead. "Can I wear my new hoodie?" he asked, warming your heart. His red hoodie with a fire truck of course. "Of course, come on, let's get ready" you replied, grabbing his outfit.

Taking the lift up to Natasha's penthouse sent goosebumps all over your body, your son holding your hand with his fire truck in the other, he looks up at you. "Mommy, why are we going to your boss's house?" he asked, "She invited us over for Christmas, honey" You smiled at him just as the lift came to a stop and the doors opened.

Natasha's penthouse was decked head to toe with Christmas decorations, Christmas music playing softly in the background and a large tree in the center littered with gifts at the bottom. "Wow!" your little boy said as his eyes scanned the penthouse, "Merry Christmas, come on in!" Natasha appeared in a deep red dress with black heels, "Hi Miss Romanoff, Merry Christmas" your son smiled at your boss with his polite manners. "Merry Christmas, please call me Nat" she smiled back at him.

Your little boy was quick to run over to the rug to play with his new truck as Natasha handed you a glass of wine, "What's his name?" She asked. "Dylan" you smiled softly as you watched him play with his new favorite toy, "Hey Dylan, why don't you see if Santa left any presents under my tree" Natasha caught his attention, but he was nervous and looked at you for an answer. "It's okay honey, Natasha said you could" you assured him.

Dylan had never seen so many gifts in his life, every gift under the tree had "From Santa" written on it. "You didn't have to go out of your way for this" you turned to Natasha trying to hold back tears from seeing how happy and excited your son was as he opened gift after gift. "I'm not as cold as you think I am, I know the chatter that goes around the office" she replied as she sipped her wine, "Natasha, I didn't mean to often you or anything last night… I'm sorry for being unprofessional but I really do appreciate this".

"You can make up to me by taking on being my personal assistant. You'll have your own office and not a cubical, less hours and you'll have holidays and birthdays off. I'm going to triple your wage on the condition that some of that money goes into a savings account" Natasha offered in her usual stern tone but with a hint of softness.

"Natas-"

"You deserve it. You have worked harder than any other assistant I have had, I've seen how hard you work and it's about time I stop being so hard on you" she cut you off knowing what you'd say. "Thank you" you whispered with eyes full of tears, finally your life was changing.

#natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff x reader #fanfiction #marvel #black widow #Christmas

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