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tangerinesilk · 9 months

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－ I CAN SEE YOU : TANGERINE X FEM!READER

tangerine is going on a solo mission… well, at least he thinks he is. with lemon missing by his side, he’s left with one other option that is supposed to make his job easier. unfortunately for him, you’re not the easiest to work with. stubborn, strong-minded and feisty. you’re both so alike yet nothing has made your bloods boil more than each other.

rating ✷ r (18+ minors dni!)

warnings ✷ (very quick) smut: fem receiving, kisses all over bodies, a needy but quick hj, p in v, dirty talk, praising, implied rough (consensual) sex / others: cursing, drinking alcohol, mention and use of guns and violence, male hurting female (?) but not between main characters, mentions of blood and wounds.

tropes ✷ enemies to lovers!!!, person a is all talk no bite + person b knows that but still pushes them, playful banter, hiding together in small spaces, fake dating (?), if one is hurt– the other goes a bit crazy, says ‘i dont care’ then cares 5 seconds later.

word count ✷ 6k!

songs that fit the vibe ✷ i can see you - taylor swift | moth to a flame - swedish house mafia + the weeknd | king of my heart - taylor swift | attention - charlie puth | nonsense - sabrina carpenter

a/n ✷ so i made a poll a months ago and this trope + pairing won! i’ve honestly been wanting to write a dave lizewski one as well and got a request idea. so.. we will see lmao. i will probably post then maybe edit later if there's still things i don't like... also, if you couldn't tell but im kind of a swiftie so i will love to write fics inspired by whole ass albums y'all.

but i hope this is what u guys expected and wanted. i actually do love writing for tangerine. just gives into my delulu thoughts. also, if you guys would like a plain pwp fic and not all of this fluff and dialogue stuffed inside, pls let me know bc i am definitely into that idea. 🫡

“You had to go and get yourself shot… then you wonder why you have to wear a bulletproof vest. Fuckin’ hell.”

Tangerine kept his voice at a hushed tone, basically talking under his breath as he strutted through the grand hall of the hotel. Golden light glossed over his figure, passing by couples who were at standing tables with their cocktails.

“Well, Thomas said-”

“Thomas didn’t say shit. Don’t get me fuckin’ started now.”

Lemon already knew Tan was in a bad mood. Another Thomas the Tank Engine factoid wasn’t a playful move right now.

“Hey, mate. Don’t get all fussy wit’ me. You’re just mad about your new partner for the night.” Lemon rolled his eyes.

“Can’t believe I can’t be held accountable of myself. I can handle it on my own but you had to call the fuckin’ princess-”

“She’s good. Your denial is obnoxious, bruv. It’s only a night, you get in and get out.” Lemon replied, holding his wounded side as he laid in his bed back in England, “What happened between you two that you’ve got beef like this?”

“No time to explain nor do I have the patience.” He arrived at the small bar to the side of the room, “If I leave her behind, can I take half the pay that’s supposed to be hers?” Tangerine asked.

“She’s supposed to be wearing a red dress. You’ll see her there… and please don’t cause a scene.” His brother begged.

“No promises.” He replied before hanging up.

Tangerine blows a sigh past his lips, quickly asking for his drink of choice before scanning the mass of people around him. His blue eyes could only search so fast for the man that the hit was called on, causing him an instant frustration when he’s already worried about you ruining things regardless of how long you’re together.

“He’s next to the woman in the tacky gold ballgown… about two feet away from the ice sculpture.” Your soft voice suddenly spoke next to him, “But, I didn’t need to tell you that, right?”

The smirk on your face burned at his nerves and you noticed the clench in his jaw.

“Well, if it isn’t the fuckin’ Queen herself.” He said in a stern tone, “What? Germany was too borin’ for ya? Had to figure out a way to ruin someone’s operation?”

“Lemon is the one who called me in, and it isn’t about you. It’s about the pay out… you’re bound to screw something up with your ‘shoot first, ask questions later’ tactic.” You trailed, rolling your eyes as you turned your head away.

“And I’m certainly not afraid to use that tonight and not your fucked up, painfully long mind games like some fuckin’ psycho thilling killer.” He spat as his drink was place in front of him.

You narrowed your eyes at him, “Fuck you.”

“Darling, I’m flattered, but we have more important things to do right now.” He lowly groaned, purposefully looking at his target so his back was facing toward you.

Behind his tall stature, you glimpsed past his shoulder and saw your target chatting up a woman.

He won’t be smiling for long, you thought.

“Alright, I’ll wait for him to slip away, follow him and you go through the kitchen.” Tangerine said under his breath, keeping quiet for only you to hear him.

“To go where?” You ask, walking around him to stand face to face.

“Erm…” He sighed, “Whatever car or vehicle you got here in, drive yourself back to whatever place you’re staying and I’ll figure out how to wire you the money.” He shrugged, downing the rest of his drink.

He took a step but you placed your hand on the center of his chest, “Not so fast. I’m not going down if you make a mess of this.”

“I don’t make messes. Well, actually, I get away with them once I’ve done ‘em so, I don’t need to worry about a liability.” Tangerine smirked, a bit of a tilt to his head. Cheeky bastard.

“The only liability here is the one who is ready to pull the trigger in his back.” You said before huffing, “I’m not sorry for what happened in Paris, but that was my choice. So, I’m going with you because it’s our operation. You know… I don’t need a fucking helping hand either.” You practically growled.

The two of you held a long gaze, creating a tense eye contact before he sighed, “Didn’t even say anythin’ about Paris, but if you’d like to assume I’m still mad ‘bout that, be my guest, princess.”

His shoulder bumped yours, making you clench your jaw before quickly following behind his tall stature. While he seemed persistent, you grabbed his hand which made him stop in his tracks in the middle of the dance floor.

He turned, “Am I your babysitter?”

“No, you’re my date. Hold my hand, you idiot.” Your eyes pierced through his.

As he looked down at your hand, he slowly grasped it, your fingers intertwining with one another’s before he proceeded through the glamorous crowd.

Couples swayed and waltzed between each step you took, assuming you were unnoticed by your target. Tangerine kept his eyes on him, easy to with the frosty-white full head of hair he had slicked back. The woman in the tacky dress ran her hand down his shoulder, pressing her lips to his ear to whisper something which made you and Tangerine veer to the side at a standing table.

“Are they movin’?” He asked, facing his back toward them.

Your eyes smoothly shift, taking a quick glance at the assumed couple. You ran your hand down Tangerine’s arm, accidentally feeling how toned his bicep was through the thick fabric of his suit jacket. You almost glanced down, wanting to give another squeeze before clearing your throat. A heat rose on your cheeks as you turned your head to face away from him.

“Y-Yeah, near the bathroom. There’s also a backdoor that leads up to the second floor… lots of private rooms for reasons that are obvious.” You said in a hushed tone, moving away from him to the other side of the table.

“Alright, since you wanna tag along, I’ll follow them and you cover the door.” Tangerine suggested once again.

You furrowed your eyebrows, “You do understand what teamwork is, yes?”

He chuckled, “Yes, I go up there, shoot a few rounds, then we make a getaway.”

“Will you just trust me?”

“Your trust means nothing… I need to know you’re not going to fuck anything up. Just like in Paris.”

You smirked, “So you do have that against me.”

“Well, it’s not like it was your best. Leave me with a shot in the arm, Lemon on the ground and you, little miss greed, get away with your cash. If we all did this job for money, we wouldn’t be riskin’ our lives just runnin’ around killin’ or resucin’ people just for someone’s dime. You obviously do though.”

You narrowed your eyes, “You don’t know me…”

“Nor do you know me so…” He huffed, “Let’s just do what we have to do.”

There was tension between you, as if there was more fo a protective instinct than hate toward one another. You couldn't figure out Tangerine’s deal. Why was he so hostile toward you? Yes, what happened in Paris was fucked up, but he wasn’t the type to hold a grudge. He didn’t take shit from anyone, so why were you getting under his skin?

“Shit!” He grunted under his breath, seeing your target disappear into the hall.

The two of you hurry, yet still try to act casual to not raise eyebrows, and exit into the same hallway. As you push open the door, you hear the two talking in the stairwell before another door closes.

“You got your gun on you?” He asked as his hand slid into the back of his pants.

“Of course.” You scoffed, tearing up the slit in your dress. He saw the small pistol strapped to your thigh, making his mouth a bit dry.

He nodded, “Good…”

Taking a quick breath, Tangerine opened the door. You slipped through and he followed behind, your backs facing one another as you scanned the hallway. It wasn’t narrow but if anyone slipped out of one of the rooms, they were right in your sights.

“I’ll take this one, you take that one.” He whispered, pointing his gun to the opposite door of his.

With your heart in your throat, you slowly crack the door open and don’t see anyone before a body flies from behind and slammed the door open from Tangerine’s side. The woman lied dead on the floor, blood all over his dress, and just as you turned around, a punch slid across your cheek.

Instinctively, you ducked to dodge the second jab and swoop under to get on the other side of the man as Tangerine wrapped his arms around the guy to pull him to the ground.

Tan loudly grunted as he tried to gain control, basically attempting to straddle him in order to push his arm against his neck. Even with all his strength, the man gripped his hands around Tangerine’s arms to throw him off along with trying to push his knee between his crotch.

“Watch the door!” Tan directed to you.

You nodded, catching your breath with your back against the wall by the door. The adrenaline ran through your veins and heard your heartbeat in your ears as one tear of blood dripped down your cheek. The crack of bones made you turn your head, seeing the man’s body go limp as Tan began to stand over him.

He quickly walked over the man, as if he was in the way, and comes to your side.

“He nicked you bad. Lemme see.” Tan said, your eyes meeting his as he held your cheek. The touch of his hand seemed to be some comfort, his thumb wiping the blood away and trying to see how bad the wound was.

“Bastard.” He muttered, “C’mon, let’s go before someone comes up.”

Without a word in, he grabbed your hand and dragged you behind his lead. You two headed for the exit door down the other side of the hall as you heard footsteps rumble from the other stairs you came up.

“Wait a minute.” Tan said, fiddling with his belt buckle.

Your eyes widen, “What on earth are you doing?”

He smirked, “Relax, darling. You flatter yourself too much.”

You rolled your eyes as the sound of his belt slid against the fabric of his belt loops before curling the leather strap around the door to keep it locked. The two of you fled down the stairs and suddenly found yourselves in the kitchen area. A few eyes followed as you both ran through, very obvious that you were running from something, but still aimed to get to some kind of exit.

With sudden luck, Tangerine saw his car across the street, instantly knowing which way he was supposed to go. Without skipping a beat, he grabbed your hand once more and the two of you ran across the street. Hopping into the passenger seat and Tan taking off was like a blur, just happening in seconds.

“Y/N?” Tan saying your name woke you from your trance.

“Huh?” You asked, shaking your head.

He quickly turned his head, “You alright?” He said with concern, one hand on the steering wheel and his foot easing off the gas.

“Y-Yeah, I’m okay. I don’t know what happened back there.” You trailed, a bit embarrassed. You were never one to let your guard down, well– enough to get hit right smack in the face.

“Are you sure?”

You turned your attention to him, “I’m fine, why wouldn’t I be?” You asked rhetorically.

“‘Cause of that big cut on your cheek.”

You narrowed your eyes, “Alright, what’s your big plan now, Einstein? Were just going to sleep in your car and hope we don’t wake up decapitated?”

He half-chuckled, “You truly think so little of me, don’t you?”

“Is that rhetorical?”

Tan rolled his blue eyes, “We’re goin’ somewhere safe.”

– – –

You wanted to believe you were strolling into some kind of trap. The lobby had a classic aesthetic to it, pale gold wallpaper and a wall of keys behind the person at the small front desk. You two placed your go-bags on the red carpeted ground as Tangerine checked into a room.

“Hello Mr. Tangerine.”

Oh, great. He’s some guest of honor here.

“‘Ello, Colin. My usual room.”

“Is that what you say in front of all the girls?” You tilted your head, standing behind him.

He rolled his eyes, “‘Cuse her.”

The man chuckled, crinkles by his eyes, “How many nights are you staying this time?”

This time. You could scoff out loud but you didn’t want to hear the tude from him.

“Just overnight. Nothin’ too serious.”

“Well, enjoy your stay, as always.” The man nodded before Tangerine thanked him.

The two of you head toward the old elevator, watching him quickly press the up button before you stand by his side. You half chuckled, “I’ve never seen you act so kindly toward anyone, tell me, does he see you bring girls through here all the time or-”

“Has anyone ever told you to shut your pie hole?”

“Hmm, not verbally. But, those eyes of your say enough for me… you’re too predictable, sometimes, Tan.”

He gave you a lingering look as the door opened, passing him into the elevator. The two of you make your way to the fifth floor and the hall is eerily quite for a hotel full of private contractors and assassins. You had your hands behind your back then patiently waited for Tangerine to jiggle the key into the lock, opening a door to a huge room with a surprisingly wide view.

“You’d think the curtains were closed.” You muttered as he walked over, closing them anyways.

Suddenly, he stripped from his suit jacket and you couldn’t help but see how tight his button up was around his biceps and chest.

“Did you get that a size too small?” You ask as you chunk your heels into the corner.

“Well, I certainly can’t kill fuckin’ bloaks wearing baggy clothes now.”

“But, you can in a three piece suit?” You cocked your eyebrow.

He licked his lips, “As if your dress is a flexible material.” Tangerine said as he pulled his rings off, placing them on the night stand.

“I can say the same for your pants.”

Tangerine wanted to look down but didn’t give into your comment. You place your bag down on the bed, grabbing your silk pajamas nearly folded on top and changed in the bathroom.

“God, just go to bed. We’ve got a long day tomorrow.” You somewhat groaned.

You sit on the top of the bed, unfolding the duvet before shoving it off to get underneath them.

Tangerine paused, “What the fuck do you you’re doin’?”

You furrowed your eyebrow, “This thing called going to sleep. Try it sometime, you’d be less grouchy.”

He rolled his eyes, “I know that, smartass, I mean what’re you doin’ in the bed that I’m goin’ to be sleepin’ in too?”

You rolled over, putting your weight on your elbows, “I know you’re dramatic but this takes the cake for top performances.”

He faked a laugh, “If you don’t get your ass out of that bed in two seconds, I’ll throw you in the tub with a pillow.”

“Oh, wouldn’t you like to. Fine, do it.” You said before laying flat into the mattress, staring straight at the ceiling.

He didn’t care for your equal amount of sarcasm, but he just gave you a cocked eyebrow.

“Okay, fine. I’d rather sleep on the floor anyways.” He said, stretching his arms up and behind his head. Your eyes quickly admired his muscles before turning back.

“Be my guest, princess.” You scoffed, slipping on your pajama shorts, “I’ll enjoy my big comfy bed.”

You pulled the heavy duvet over your waist, curling up with the dense pillow beneath your head.

Tangerine stood there, biting the inside of his cheek as he watched you roll on your side. He tilted his head back before unbuttoning his shirt and tossing it on the desk chair. Although your eyes were closed, his side of the bed sunk in and you tried to hold back your smile at his faded stubbornness.

With your backs facing one another, you two just listened to the silence of the city. It gave you a moment to think of Paris– the last time you were with one another or much rather supposed to be against each other. You were a double agent, not exactly proud of it but you let greed take over your motivated justice.

Having to scam Lemon and Tangerine wasn’t your finest hour either, you thought about it for months and finally coming face to face with Tangerine (out of the two, he wasn’t the one you would want to bump into again), all the guilt came rushing back like the snap of an elastic band.

– – –

The morning sun runs through the thin silk of the curtains, shining over your bodies in the bed. You wake up to the sound of light snoring, happy that you could sleep through it, and Tangerine in a deep slumber with his arm over the bed. He suddenly looked like innocence, so soft and tender, simply laying there like it was any other day.

You sit up, putting your hair out of your face then head to the bathroom. When you turn the light on, you’re almost surprised to see your reflection. Forgetting about the scar against your cheek, you look more rough around the edges. You sigh as you run your fingers over it, remembering the way Tangerine did last night.

After washing up, you go back out and Tangerine is now standing up and stretching his arms above his head. Your eyes quickly shift up his body, admiring the tattoos in their random places and how the band of his briefs rest on his hips. You sealed your lips from smiling at how sharp his v-line was accompanied by the happy trail disappearing into his pants.

“Sleep good with that stick in your ass?” You retort, passing him.

He rolled his eyes, “...You’re annoying, ya know that?”

“Oh, you’ve made that clear.” You mocked him as you closed the curtains more, “That’s why I love to do it.”

Tangerine flicked on the lamp, giving the room a warm glow.

“Alright, I say we lay low today. Better to be out of sight and–”

You cut him off, “Stuck in this room together?... are you trying to kill me t–”

He then put his hand over your mouth, looking deep into your eyes, “Yes, stuck in this room where we can keep an eye on each other and you can’t screw me over again.”

Your heart stopped for a split second, as if he couldn’t have been more of the controlling one. He took his hand away and you gulped, “Yep. Fine. Fair.”

Tangerine pressed his tongue against the inside of his cheek before you go to your bag in the chair that’s pushed in the corner of the room. You slightly bend over to look inside your duffle and his icy eyes can’t help but look up the back of your thighs and straight at your ass and lower back. How he could easily put his hands on your hips and make you hold onto something.

He shook his head, feeling like he was coming down with something to even imagine that thought.

You pulled out an old novel and sat yourself back on the bed, hoping that the hours would pass as you sank further into the broken-in mattress.

Tangerine sat down in the chair nudged into the corner, adjacent from your view, and he pulled out his gun that was conveniently tucked into the back of his pants.

“Are you actually holding me hostage?” You furrowed your brows, but didn’t take your eyes from your sentence.

“Whatever fantasy you’d like you believe.” He trailed, opening his gun and emptying his rounds into his palm.

– – –

Suddenly, you leaped out of a deep sleep. Your book laid open on your stomach while an extra pillow was between your legs. Your eyes fluttered open, thinking the past few days has been a dream, until you noticed Tangerine wasn’t sitting in the chair. You quickly looked around before hearing the bathroom door open and he stepped out, shirtless and in new dark slacks that rested on his hips.

Your mouth became dry. How could you dislike him so much yet here you are, ready to jump his bones as he crossed the room.

“What are you getting dressed for?” You asked, rubbing your eyes.

He half-chuckled at your groggy voice, “I want a drink.”

“Oh, like you’re not just going to abandon me here like I did you?... Where you go, I go.” You warned him.

He rolled his eyes, “Don’t be so dramatic.”

“A bit hypocritical coming from you.”

Tangerine just ignored your smart comment and opened the door, letting you through first before he followed. His eyes, once again, trace your lower back and trailed down your legs. His cheeks flushed pink as he quickly looked away, clearing his throat as he caught up to you so you two were walking side by side.

You pushed the faded down button as you pushed a big breath past your lips. Tangerine put his back against the wall and crossed his arms, his muscles basically restraining in his light button up. As you turned around, you rolled your eyes– but not at him, just at yourself. How could you have any little feeling for someone who also annoyed you to your core?

He took your silence as a bit of a tease. To be fair, you two didn’t really know one another. You met once before and then you simply betrayed him. Quickly, you were dead to him, but now you’re forced to be together and it raised an important question to himself too. Why was he helping someone who obviously can’t be trusted?

Tangerine furrowed his eyebrows at that thought, knowing he would have thrown you to the wolves last night after you closed your eyes. He played with his watch a bit before the elevator dinged and caught both of your attentions.

After entering, the low-sounding shifting mechanics of the elevator were the only sounds between you two. You heard Tangerine sniffle, seeing him stretch his neck out of the corner of your eye, but you kept a straight view to the doors. While Tangerine thought you were continuing to give him the silent treatment, you were lost in your own thoughts of the past.

You flashbacked to your last night in Paris together, and remembered how the guilt creeped up on you knowing that, in a few hours, you’d have to betray both Lemon and Tangerine. Before knowing them, you didn’t care, but now that you’ve realized how hard you were falling for Tan, it felt like a double edged sword. If you didn’t do it, maybe you could stay with him– have a life together. But, if you went through with your selfish heist, you’d lose the guy who made you comfortable with being vulnerable after a long time.

Obviously, you regretted your decision.

“Is this what you want?” You simply asked.

Tangerine quickly turned his head, “What?”

You rolled your eyes before facing his direction, “This.” You gestured between the two of you, “The weird animosity and constantly arguing and nit-picking?”

He never thought you’d be so bold to point it out, “I mean, we don’t like each other. Simple, isn’t it?”

“I guess…” You trailed, facing back toward the doors.

Tangerine licked his lips, wondering if he should utter the words on his tongue.

“...But, that doesn’t mean we can’t start over.”

You looked over your shoulder once more before turning around to him, “You mean that?”

He arched his eyebrow, “Should I regret it now?”

Just as the elevator dinged, the doors slowly opened and the hotel lobby appeared empty. You smirked to yourself, “Why don’t we catch up over that drink, huh?” You sort of teased– not sure if it had purpose.

– – –

Your drink tasted smooth, easily trailing down your throat as you leaned your head back to finish off the rest of the liquor in your glass. Once you tilted your head back straight, you were met with Tangerine’s signature eyebrow arch.

“Don’t worry, I’m paying for my own drinks.” You sighed, placing your glass back down on the wooden table top.

“As long as I don’t got to carry you back up to the room.” He sighed, sounding more defeated than witty, then his blue eyes glanced down then back into your eyes.

You hummed, running your finger along the rim of the empty glass.

“‘right so, what’ve you been doin’ since we last…” He cleared his throat, “saw one other?”

You crossed your leg over the other, “Not much. Actually, it’s the first time I’ve been out for a while. After leaving you guys, I laid low in Tuscany.”

“For how long?”

You shrugged, “Five months? I was on the countryside and I wanted to be alone…” then, you smirked, “I heard that you were in Kyoto.”

Tangerine could chuckle about it now, “For a bit. Had a job to do for some psychotic, fucked up family. The dad called in us, they were all turin’ on each other. Whole fuckin’ thing…”

“As in…” You trailed, “Against one another? The whole family?”

He just nodded before taking a sip of his drink.

You raised your eyebrows, “Wow… and you got out with no bruises or cuts? Bullet holes?”

Tangerine licked his lips before he presented the side of his neck, lighter skin over his tanner tone to show the scar. You carefully reached out, brushing your fingers against it which made a tingle go up his spine. You sit back down as he turned back in his chair, and he seemed to tense up.

“Amazing you survived it.” You sealed your lips.

He crossed his arms, “I supposed…”

A comfortable silent fell between you, the light, jazz music playing at a low, and Tangerine’s eyes trailed up the side of your bare leg. He didn’t mean to stare this much, but he felt more vulnerable than usual. One thing you knew is that Tangerine was a layered person, you had to take time to get to the center of him and realize he’s not so cold once you get to know him.

“Five months in Tuscany, I bet that was lovely.”

“Not really. I isolated the whole time… I wanted to be by myself, but I felt bad about what happened… what I did in Paris.” You admitted, but didn’t look into his eyes, fearing that he would turn on you in a second.

Tangerine sighed, “You had to do your job, we did ours… that’s ‘bout all that can be said.”

Assuming from the lack of eye contact and his tone, he seemed hurt too. You could easily let it boost your ego, but, you actually felt a relief. This hatred you’ve held against each other has finally come down and even though it wasn’t actually said, both of you can feel hostility leave the room.

You bit the inside of your cheek, “Remember, we’re starting over. Clean slate. I hope I’m making a good impression so far.” You raised your eyebrows, lifting your glass again just to drink the mixture of watered down liquor.

He chuckled, “You’re just lovely.”

The comment made your face get hot. You blame the accent and how it can just get under your skin.

“I don’t think you’ve ever called me something so nice.”

Tangerine smirked, “Funny since we’ve just met, darling.”

Darling.

It was the first time you heard it as a term of endearment then pure spite.

You rolled your eyes, but you could humor that Tangerine was going along with it. This new cheeky side of him was something you didn’t think existed– maybe it was the liquor talking, but you hoped it wasn’t just that simple.

“So, what brings you here?” You continued to tease, placing your elbows on the table, “Business… or pleasure?” Your hand laid on top of his, brushing your fingertips along the chunky rings that perfectly fit his fingers.

Multiples thoughts sounded through both your minds.

“Maybe it’s the liquor.” “Maybe we’re a little over our heads.” “Maybe we’re bored.”

But, Tangerine held your hand on top of the table, gently holding it as his thumb grazes over your knuckles.

“Depends…” He trailed, now leaning in too, “What are you here for?”

– – –

In just a few minutes, you two were back in the room you felt trapped in for hours.

Tangerine pressed your back against the wall, a tingle running up your spine from the coolness of the wallpaper. Your lips pressed together over and over, tilting your head before biting his bottom lip. He effortlessly lifted you up with his hand under the back of your thighs, and your ankles meet around his back.

He needed so bad, desperate even… and the feeling was mutual.

He put you down on your feet again, pressing a kiss against your scarred cheek then another on your jaw. His light kisses run down the middle of your breasts as his hand lifted up the end of your skirt. You pushed your hips out as your back was against the wall still, watching him pull down your panties in an instant. You kick them to the side and Tangerine placed your leg over his shoulder, kisses along your inner thigh and your hand ran through the front of his curls.

Suddenly, his tongue ran over your swollen clit before sucking on it. With one hand in his hair, the other caressing your breast and running your thumb over your nipple.

Tangerine panted, moving his hand against your pussy lips. He pushed them apart, showing your tight hole and how you clench around nothing. He lowly groaned, running his fingers over your clit before sliding his two fingers into your pussy. You bite your bottom lip to hold back the moan stuck in your throat, watching him suck your clit and finger you at the same time.

Just as your climax neared, he felt your cunt tighten around his fingers. He couldn’t end it like this so, he took them away. You let your leg down, watching him come back up and tower over you.

“If I’m goin’ to make you cum…” He sighed, “I’m gonna be deep inside you when you fucking crumble.” He said so low before pressing his fingers against your tongue, and you tasted yourself.

You pulled his hand back, running your thumbs over his tattooed hand.

“Not if I make you cum first.” You trailed, moving his hand down so you could kiss him.

He could drop to his knees in an instant, but Tangerine surprisingly kept his composure.

You smirked as you pushed him toward the bed, the back of his knees hitting it to make him sit down. As you stood in front of him, he leaned on his elbows as he watched your dress drop to the floor. It pooled at your ankles and when his eyes shifted back up, so glossed over, your bare body was the center of his attention.

“Hmm, I don’t think you’ll last.” You taunted.

As much as he could snap back, you straddled him and pulled apart his tightly buttoned shirt. Your hands ran over his toned and tatted chest before reaching down to his pants, unzipping the fly and he shuffled a bit to shift them off his hips. His cock was hard, restrained from his boxers and you felt flattered.

You giggled, leaning forward to share a slow kiss with him. Your bare pussy rubbed against his cock as you moved closer to him. A low groan mumbled between your makeout, and you pushed him back so you two both fell on the bed.

Your hands pressed into each side of the mattress, gaining strength to help yourself grind against his hard. His big hands tightly held your hips as you continued your smooth momentum, whimpering at your clit being rubbed by your harsh grind.

As heat rose in the room, your right hand dipped between the two of you, and ran over his hard cock once more. Tan’s lips now desperately met your jaw before taking a light bite at your neck. The feeling of your hand caressing through his boxers could make him release right there.

Becoming more impatient, you finally pushed your hand into the band of his boxers and he once more moved his hips to shift out of them.

“Fuck, your cock is so big… can barely hold it with my hand. God, I want you to stretch me out…” You moaned, “Is that okay?”

You purposefully let him believe that he was in charge, and you were falling into the submissive role. Tangerine gained a bit of confidence from your desperate comments, and he sat more up on the bed.

“Fucking christ…” Is all he could say.

He moved the swollen and red tip against your wet slit, also aching and needing your walls to wrap around him now. At first there was pressure, pushing the tip inside your hole then slowly guiding your hips down to completely take in every inch of his cock.

Once he bottomed out, your body lightly shook as your lips brushed against his. He was fully inside you, the tight and warm feeling making him wither beneath you.

Tangerine moved his hand, kissing your shoulder, “God, you feel like fuckin’ heaven.”

“Don’t stop. Please…” You huffed.

– – –

Then, it was morning.

The rising sun peaked through the small split of the curtains. As you tried to shift, your body ached throughout every muscle. A small groan left your lips, but you were pulled back by a strong arm wrapped around your waist.

It snapped you back into reality. Last night really happened… and you were okay with that.

Tangerine’s tattooed arm unconsciously tightened around you, holding you close still as he still slept behind you. You barely look over your shoulder and saw his face, his eyes still shut and his curls looked wild.

You faintly smile as you turn around to face him, and that’s what woke him up. He pulled his arms back and rubbed his eyes from the brightness of the sun coming in. You run your finger along a curl on his forehead, pushing it to the top of his head and your heart melted from the sight of those blue eyes.

“Did last night really happen?” You mumbled, but with a faint smile on your lips.

He placed his hand gently on your cheek, caressing his thumb against your jaw.

“I think the real question is…” He trailed, “Do we stay another night or go back to pretending to not know each other's existences?”

You bit your bottom lip, lightly giggling, “I think we pick secret option three and go somewhere else. Get away for a while… see where this is going. Don’t you?”

Just at that moment, Tangerine’s phone vibrated in his pants that were on the floor next to the bed. He turned over on his other side, reaching down to pull it out and reading a text Lemon just sent.

“Got a call about a job in Budapest. Are you in or overstaying your weekend?”

Tangerine smirked at himself, then felt your lips press against his neck. You placed another kiss on his shoulder, leaving a tender love bite before he turned back around to kiss you. Maybe it was the natural thrill of the chase, but you loved the not knowing.

Whatever was next, you could only hope that he kept it interesting.

#tangerine #tangerine x reader #tangerine x y/n #tangerine x you #tangerine fic

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achaoticeternal · 1 year

Text

civility.

AEMOND TARGARYEN X FEM!READER

summary: since your shared childhood, aemond and you have always shared a close bond. word count: 2.4k warnings: canon typical language and violence. bullying. a/n: this is a fem!reader who is a noble lady and ward of the Queen. reader is Otto’s niece/ Alicent’s cousin so you could also imagine this with a Hightower!Reader. this was inspired from the song seven by taylor swift. i love both soft and mean aemond, you can try and pry him from my hands

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

The library was strangely silent today. It was always silent, apart from the rustling of pages and the occasional whisper. Yet, today it was a weird difference.

Helaena sat to your right, reading over a field journal she had found about arachnids. Though you despised seeing the pictures of the spiders and scorpions, you knew they delighted the young princess. Currently, nothing in the gardens or the maester’s study had intrigued her as much as the eight-legged fiends did.

In front of you was a book that briefly talked over the history of the Reach, most fondly writing about Oldtown, your home. With Lord Otto being your uncle, his daughter, the Dowager Queen, now took you in as her ward so that you would be raised in proper society. It had been a high honor to live and be educated amongst the royal family.

Typically, you were an avid reader, being able to finish such a short novel in less than an hour. But the lack of a certain prince’s presence left you feeling uneasy…

However, the door to the library opened to reveal Aemond with his mother at his side. Both of them looked upset, yet it was Aemond who was crying. Clearly, something had set him off from his usually soft demeanor.

“Aemond!” You announced and moved quickly to talk with him.

As you approached him and the Queen, you curtsied before comforting your friend, “What has upset you, my prince?”

Aemond scrunched his nose, the light freckles of his face moving too, “My brother… my nephews… I hate them.”

“Aemond, we do not say such things,” the Queen corrected her son, before dismissing herself to attend to Helaena.

Your eyes followed her until you were convinced that she could no longer hear the pair of you whisper to each other, “What happened? What did they do to you?”

Aemond shook his head at first, not wanting to relive the moment. But he did want to tell you because you always knew how to comfort him. You were a far better friend than any of his family or the sons of the nobles that visited the capital.

“They said that the dragon masters had found an unclaimed dragon. A dragon that I could bond with and fulfill my destiny to be a dragon rider,” Aemond’s lip shook as he spoke, “But they gave me a pig! A pig with wings!”

As soon as you noticed the crack in his voice, you threw your arms around him, pulling the prince into a tight hug. You did not say anything to him… simply allowing him to forget about the incident.

“Their words do not matter, because they are only words. You are the finest among them,” You softly attempted to console your friend, “You have studied and trained much more than any of them. One day, you shall have a dragon, a great dragon.”

“What if I don’t? What if I never become a dragon rider?”

His vulnerability made your chest ache for him. You wished that others could see Aemond as you saw him. Gently, you rested your hands against his forearms, “You are a prince… And even if they are foolish enough to ignore that. My loyalty and friendship are vowed only to you — you are my prince…”

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

With the matter of Driftmark now settled, the entirety of the Targaryen family was gathered in a private dining room for a feast. It had been many years since everyone was together for a meal, so you understood why the King had wished for such. It left you to now sit between your uncle, the Hand, and your prince, Aemond.

Currently, everyone was laughing or paying tribute to other members of the family. It was heartwarming to see the royal family coming together and actually enjoying themselves.

Yet, Aemond sat by your side, clutching his goblet. He only laughed at some of the snide comments that Aegon made, occasionally acknowledging the jokes from his uncle Daemon as well. You reached out a hand to playfully snatch the pitcher of wine that sat in front of his plate.

“Refilling your chalice again, my lady?” Aemond questioned you.

“It has been quite the day, my prince,” You giggled to yourself, “Indulging myself for a night might do me some good.”

As you lifted the chalice to your lips, your eyes made contact with his violet one. With a smirk, you began to sip the red liquid while maintaining his gaze. It was only when you lowered the cup that Aemond’s gaze flickered to your lips, now stained red from the wine.

“Do you ever wish to indulge yourself, my prince?”

Both you and Aemond knew there was a deeper meaning to your words. However, Jace suddenly stood to his full height while Aegon continued his torment. At this action, Aemond also quickly stood, eyeing Jace as if he wanted the young prince to act out of fashion.

Instead, Jace made a toast to his uncles — a toast to their shared youth. Then Jace lead Helaena to dance, which was far more innocent than his mocking tribute.

You immediately noticed the shift in Aemond’s disposition from the tribute. His jaw clenched, defining his side profile; while his knuckles began to turn white from his grip on his napkin. Gently, you rested your hand atop his, soothing the skin with your thumb.

“Ignore him,” You attempted to console him, “They only mean to anger you. Do not allow them the pleasure of seeing you so upset…”

A chuckle sounded from across the table. It came from Lucerys, as the servants placed a pig at your end from the table. Aemond’s eye flickered from his nephew to the pig and finally to the chalice.

Aemond slammed his fist on the table as he stood, raising his chalice, “Final tribute.”

You glanced up at him, silently begging that he control his anger. He looked down at you, but looked back to Aegon with a smirk, “To the health of my nephews… Jace… Luke… Joffrey…”

Tension quickly began to fill the room, drowning everyone under its waves. A part of you prayed to the Seven that Aemond would just bite his tongue this once. That he would sit down and have a laugh with you or ask to be excused for the evening.

But Aemond continued on with his tribute, “Each of them handsome, wise… strong”

The devilish smirk played at his lips, and while you usually enjoyed seeing Aemond like this, you wished for such torment to end.

“Come, let us drain our cups to these three strong boys—”

“I dare you to say that again,” Jace spoke heatedly from his spot next to Helaena. Both Alicent and Rhaenyra attempted to cut in and silence their children, only for the boys to speak over them.

“Why?” Aemond crossed away from his seat, standing rather proudly, “Twas only a compliment. Do you not think yourself strong?”

Before another word could be said, Jace viciously approached his uncle and delivered a right hook to his jaw. Only Aemond’s head turned, and not a drop of wine spilled from his goblet, still in hand. The sudden fight caused a great commotion to come from yourself and others.

The next thing you saw was Aegon pinning Luke to the table, and Aemond easily shoving Jace to the floor. The Queen yelped at her sons to quit, as guards seized the younger boys.

“Aemond!” You spoke crossly, grabbing his arm.

The Queen moved to his opposite side, glaring up at her son, “Why would you say such a thing before these people?”

“I was merely expressing how proud I am of my family, Mother,” His gaze looked from his mother to you, as he tugged his arm out of your grip, “Though it seems my nephews aren’t quite as proud of theirs.”

Daemon quickly stepped in between his nephews and his stepsons, glaring between both groups. As Rhaenyra bid her sons and their betrothed to go back to their chambers, Daemon turned to meet Aemond’s glare. A sigh escaped Daemon as everyone else in the room awaited for something to occur.

It surprised you, how similar Aemond was to his uncle. You wondered to yourself if the Rogue Prince was once as strikingly handsome as Aemond was. Of course, you had heard the stories, but it was hard to imagine anyone being more handsome than your friend and prince.

“To your rooms,” Alicent looked between all of her children and you, “Now!”

A moment later, Aemond looked to the door and began making his exit. Swiftly, you curtsied to the remaining members of the royal family before fleeing after the prince. It would be better to calm him now than allow his rampage to continue.

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

“What desire filled you to act like such a cunt?”

“I simply complimented my nephews-”

“You know what you said, what you implied… do you wish for your father to have your?” Your brows furrowed as he crossed away from you, “or for your uncle to take your head like he did Vaemond’s? You can not be so childish!”

Aemond moved away from you, his anger wishing to get the best of him. Even if his nephews had upset him so, you could not justify such words and actions after the King’s departure from dinner this evening. You stood diligently, waiting for an apology or even a plain response.

“Childish?” Aemond straightened his posture as he spoke, “Childish?”

Finally, the blonde-haired prince spun around to face you. His jaw clenched, just like his fist. You could see all the rage, the desire to scream at you, his eye glaring at you while reflecting every emotion that whirled inside him.

“Childish, that is your claim? Hmm?” Aemond sneered, “Childish is what I would call Aegon as he continues his drunken vices or the lords of the court who think silly words and flowers to tempt you into a marriage. No, childish is something I would call my bastard nephew, Lucerys, while he laughs at a pig being placed in front of me at supper tonight!”

Just as a tear escaped from his violet eye, Aemond turned away from you. You could tell from the tension in his neck that he despised sharing such thoughts with you.

“I… I understand what—”

“No, you don’t understand!” He shoved your hand off his arm, “You are a fine lady of the courts, I am a Targaryen Prince! A prince that no one in this damn family seems to respect.”

With a sigh, you began to approach him again… You were much softer and gentler with your tone and movements. At first, you placed a hand at the top of his back, rubbing simple circles to comfort him. Once the tension left his back, you tucked your arms around his waist, hugging yourself close to his frame.

“I respect you, my prince.”

Immediately, your words began to calm him, his breath evened out into fuller breaths. Then, you took your cue to continue to calm his spirit. “You are a Targaryen Prince, the most accomplished of them all. You ride the largest dragon. You have trained both mentally and physically to be the best of them. And if they don’t care about that,” You removed yourself from him and moved to stand before him. You gently intertwined your fingers as you gazed up at him loving you, “I care about it. You have my respect, you are my prince…”

Aemond’s hands squeezed tighter at your words. Though his demeanor had not shifted, you could tell that your words had affected him. He thought for a moment more, nodding as if agreeing with him.

“You have always been loyal to me,” His brow raised, “Why?”

You bit your lip in contemplation. There were many ways to answer the prince’s question. With a sigh, you began to answer him, “Since we were children, I could see your potential. Your very being exudes a type of power that Aegon nor your nephews will ever have. You are the best of them, and I have always seen that. You deserve the world and more in my eyes.”

Aemond was silent, and only a hum of contemplation showed that he had even acknowledged what you had said. Then he dropped your hands, his brow furrowing. You took this as a sign of dismissal. It was understandable that he would like to spend the rest of the evening alone.

Your steps were light as you made your way to the door. The tension from earlier has dissipated and allowed the natural sway of your gait to return. As you approached the exit to the chambers, you were stopped.

“My lady?”

At his request, you turned to face the man, “Yes, my prince?”

“Exactly how long have you known me?”

“Since we were… seven? Whenever Queen Alicent requested that I serve as her ward.”

“And how long have you been in love with me?”

Suddenly, all breath abandoned your body. Your jaw dropped in shock at his statement and a wave of nerve brushed over you. All words and movement were lost upon you, so you stayed frozen in time.

Aemond, however, seemed quite amused at your shock. His typical cool and devilish manner had returned to him as he began to stalk toward you. A smirk played at his lips as he continued his teasing, “I apologize, did you not hear me well enough?”

“Huh…” You pressed your back to the door, “I-I’m afraid I don’t understand the sentiment behind your question…”

“It is a rather simple question though,” Aemond rebutted, “How long have you been in love with me?”

A few quick strides later, Aemond stood before you, leaving no escape from his gaze. He would get an answer, one way or another, “My lady, did you think your affections would go unnoticed by me? By my mother?”

“I… I…” A blush crept over your face. How you wished to cower away and into your private chambers, wishing the conversation had never made the shocking turn.

“Speechless, are we?” Aemond smirked, dipping his head to your height, “I hope you are not so speechless when I ask your Lord Father to take you as my wife.”

At his words, your heartbeat increased once more, confusion evident on your face, “Wife?”

“Ah, she speaks…” Aemond tutted, raising a hand to cup your jaw as he admired your features, “Yes… my wife… I assume that you would enjoy such. Of course, you can still continue to prattle and dote on me as you do now.”

A giggle slipped past you at his teasing words. Finally, the realization of it settled in, “Is that eagerness, my prince? If it was, I would think you quite enjoy, if not even desire my affections.”

“That I do,” He chuckled to himself as his nose brushed against yours, “I desire you, the object of all my affections.”

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* 　　 *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

please like, reblog, and/or comment if you enjoyed and would like to see more aemond or hotd content.

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thisblogisaboutabook · 4 months

Text

Cowboy Like Me - Part 3

Azriel x Reader

Part three of my fic inspired by the queens of my heart, Taylor Swift and Sarah J. Maas.

Warnings: Language, references to SA

Part 1 Part 2 Part 4

“At least one of you has the agility of a spy.” The grey eyed beauty tsk’d.

A smug look of satisfaction flickered across my face. “I swear he wasn’t this clumsy when we danced on the pleasure barge.”

Nesta smirked, “He wasn’t this clumsy when we danced in the Court of Nightmares either.”

Azriel’s features contorted into that of mock offense. “I missed ONE step.”

My eyes rolled back. “Yeah, tell that to my poor foot that your one missed step landed on.”

Nesta and I both giggled before Azriel finally stated “Okay, we’re done here.” turning around leaving the two of us behind.

I cupped my hands around my mouth and shouted, “Don’t trip over your feet on your way out, Az!” to which I was greeted with a vulgar gesture.

Nesta and I once again burst into laughter. She placed a firm yet delicate hand on my shoulder as we both fought to catch our breath.

I hadn’t known what to expect when Rhysand informed me that I’d be brushing up on ballroom dancing with the fierce sister of the High Lady, the King Slayer herself, but it certainly wasn’t an afternoon of finding amusement at Azriel’s expense. I could get used to such lessons.

Before Rhysand came back to retrieve Nesta, we enjoyed a cup of lavender tea together. Aside from a brief walk-through the seating area where he swiped a biscuit off my plate, Azriel sulked elsewhere in the palace.

Poor Illyrian baby.

Nesta laughed so hard that she nearly spit out her tea when I informed her of my stealthy baguette attack on the Spymaster the night before. Though, despite all of the laughter, I could see in her eyes that she cared for the male and none of the humor at his expense was entirely malicious.

“This is good for him.” Nesta whispered. “He’s always been quiet but lately he’s been noticeably quieter - making himself scarce. He doesn’t even come to family dinners like he used to.”

“Oh.” I muttered. “Do you know why?”

Nesta started to speak but caught herself, shrugging. “I’m not sure.”

Very well, I was a spy after all. One that wasn’t from her court. I wouldn’t share too much with me either - not to mention that they were friends and it was his information to share.

We enjoyed the remainder of our tea in casual conversation with Nesta confirming that she’d return in two days to instruct Azriel and I further. She parted with what could have been a threat or just friendly words of advice, softly yet firmly put. “He’s a good male. Try not to be too hard on him.”

With a wink she walked out of the palace to meet Rhys.

~~~~~~~~~~

After a long soak in the bath, I indulged in another comfortable Night Court lounge set - this pair including a silken set of shorts falling just below the curve of my ass and wandered to the kitchen.

A meal was already placed on the table, set for two. I wandered over and loaded my plate. It felt silly to sit by myself at such a formal table but I wasn’t exactly sure of the “etiquette” surrounding dining alone in a castle - seating myself next to a fireplace would be optimal.

As I dug into the seasoned roast on my plate, I noticed a shadow make its way to my wrist. “Hello, Shadowsinger.” I stated without looking up from my plate. “Sending your friends to spy on me?”

Azriel stepped into view with a cocky grin. “Just didn’t want you falling out of your chair again.”

I scoffed. “Alright, I deserved that.”

We sat in silence for a few moments before he looked up to meet my eyes.

“You said earlier that you had trained with others,” his eyes swirled with something akin to rage before gently continuing, “others who were not so professional. Why?”

“Why did I train with them or why did I tell you?”

“No, I appreciate that you told me. It’s not easy to open up about past experiences like that.” His face turned empathetic. “but why did you train with them? What path led you there?”

I paused. Nobody had ever asked me such a question before. I barely knew this male and yet he looked at me like he cared. Perhaps it was all a part of the Spymasters rouse but… I bought it. He looked at me as if I was more than just an asset to be used for one form of gain or another - a pain in his ass, yes, but something more than that.

He gave me a moment before his deep voice broke through the silence. “You- you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“No, I just,” suddenly my nails were very interesting. “Well, I-“

here goes nothing.

“Nobody has every asked me that before. The path has been a spool of memories unraveling within me, threading itself into the the very fibers of my being. I’ve just never… verbalized it.”

His fixed gaze remained patiently upon me, allowing time for my words to form.

“My parents were murdered when I was a child - barely twelve. Amarantha’s cronies ambushed my village, our house being one of the first that they broke into. Like a coward, I hid. My mother was skilled with glamours, using her last burst of power to put a glamour over the door to our underground cellar.”

My throat bobbed as I caught my breath. “Though my parents had instructed me to hide - it ate away at me. What if I could have done something? Anything? To help them - to help the others in my village.

By the time they were through, half of the houses were irreparably burnt, and most of my village had been murdered. They didn’t light the home aflame until after their brutal raid was over and I was fortunate enough that my home was one of the last lit aflame. Someone from the town winnowed to the Summer Court gathering a group of fae with water abilities to help put out the fires. My house was damaged but fortunately, livable enough to carry on with part of a roof over my head.

I spent the next several years there. I had hoped in time the village would rebuild but the remaining population dwindled over the years. The memories too unbearable and the homes far too damaged - the effort of repairing them not worth it.”

I paused, my trembling fingers wrapping around the glass of water before me as I took a sip. Setting the glass back down, I continued.

“When I was sixteen, and word spread that the remaining villagers were fleeing, I knew that the effort of surviving would be too much. I was skilled in hunting and even growing produce but I was one person. I couldn’t spend the remainder of my life in solitude, so I decided to take life back into my own hands.

Never again would I cower. I refused to be afraid. If danger found me again, I would defend myself. I traveled from court to court, taking up any apprenticeship that could aid in building my strengths, both mental and physical. I became adept in glamours, fighting with a range of weapons, stealth and agility, forging weapons, information extraction and so forth. In turn, I would assist my mentors with everything from household duties to their work.

The problem was, over time the males would become entitled. An ‘accidental’ slip of the hand that would reoccur until it became outright groping, there were multiple instances of males attempting to force themselves on me, some would bring in sleazy acquaintances in hopes that I would offer ‘services’ to them.

There were a couple of males who kept their hands to themselves but eventually their partners would become uncomfortable and send me away. I didn’t blame them, however. It was uncommon enough for a female to practice such trades. Townsfolk would gossip, rumors would spread, and they’d be forced to send me away or ruin their reputations - they couldn’t afford to lose business over salacious gossip.”

I took another swig of water and gestured around me, “and now, here I am.”

A muscle feathered in Azriel’s jaw - an unreadable expression on his face.

“Who?” he asked, his voice as dark as night.

“Who, what?” I puzzled.

“Who touched you?”

I huffed a bitter laugh, raising an eyebrow over my next sip of water. “Remember when I said I’d never cower again? Those males are either dead or missing their favorite appendages.”

His expression changed to one that could be read as… pride? Silence momentarily overtaking the room.

His deep voice finally cut through the silence as he spoke two words that sent a wave of heat through my body.

“Good girl.”

~~~~~~~~~~

I couldn’t sleep that night. After tossing and turning for what felt like hours, I stalked out to the seating area with a romance novel I’d found on one of the shelves in the palace. I was surprised to find Azriel seated in one of the chairs, a glass of whiskey in hand.

“You’re up late.” I whispered.

“As are you.” He stated plainly.

“Couldn’t sleep.” I replied.

He nodded his head in understanding adding a two finger pour of whiskey to a glass, holding it out for me.

I accepted, sitting in the seat opposite of his. We sat in companionable silence as I read and he laid his head back, staring at the ceiling.

An hour later I was jolted from my reading by a soft snore. I looked up to see Az had nodded off in his chair. I chuckled to myself at the sight, but couldn’t help reveling in the softness of those sharp features. He truly was the most beautiful male I’d ever seen - I wondered if he realized his own beauty.

I retrieved a blanket from a nearby settee and gently placed it on him. Azriel didn’t stir, only his shadows briefly circled around me before deeming that I wasn’t a threat - one playfully tickling my ear.

I didn’t have the heart to leave him in the room alone, so I laid myself on the settee and drifted off to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~

AZRIEL

A tug pulled him from his rest.

“Look.” his shadows whispered.

“See her.”

He opened his bleary eyes, smiling as they adjusted to the sight before him.

Gods. She was beautiful. The soft glow of the fire illuminating her feminine features added a delicate warmth to her that felt almost intimate - how rarely did she allow others to see her in such a vulnerable state? In this moment, you’d never know the strife she’d been through in her life. He couldn’t help but appreciate it - this moment of trust she was gifting him - laying her guard down before him, that strength she carried herself with at rest. He couldn’t help the feeling of contentment stirring within him at the sight. So many feared him - and for good reason - yet she felt comfortable enough to not only bring him a blanket but to fall asleep in the same space as him.

He gazed at her for longer than he cared to admit before his shadows lulled him back to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning came quickly. I awoke to Azriel tapping my shoulder gently. “Wake up” he whispered.

“What- what time is it?” I asked.

“Time to get up - we’ve got a big day today.”

I let out a groan as I stretched, “I thought we were taking the day off from training?”

“We are.” He stated. “Get ready and meet me back here in an hour.”

“It’s too early for your cryptic bullshit, Azriel.” I yawned. “What are we doing?”

He smirked, arms crossed in a warriors stance. “We’re going to Velaris.”

———————————

Tags: @fxckmiup

#acotar x taylor swift #sarah j maas #a court of thorns and roses #a court of silver flames #a court of frost and starlight #a court of mist and fury #a court of wings and ruin #azriel shadowsinger #azriel x reader #Azriel #acotar fanfiction #acotar x reader #fanfiction #cowboy like me #velaris #moonstone palace #nesta archeron

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theveryfires · 2 years

Text

yail | eddie munson x reader

summary: nobody could resist chrissy cunninghams smile, unless a certain someone was already enchanted.

a/n: hi lovelies! so this could be read as a part two to missing you, but it can also be a stand alone if you haven't read it! Thank you so so much for all the love for that fic, i hope you enjoy this one just as much! it is sort of inspired by taylor swifts You Are In Love, but very loosely. anyways, enjoy!!!

“I don’t get why this is such a big deal?!”

His chest was heaving, red in the face, hair messy from running his hands through it. Eddie was angry, trying his very best not to lose it despite your spiteful gaze only egging him on further. He should of known what had gotten you so upset, should of seen the warning signs when you refused to speak to him after lunch. But he was an idiot, self proclaimed many times when he said or did something stupid that pissed you off. However, this time was different, you were hurt, and it was his fault.

“Don’t play dumb, Eddie.”

You weren’t in a better state. Your face was stained with tears, lip still quivering and arms folded over your chest as you stared him down. Everything had been going so well, too well. But then you just had to go for a walk in the woods to get some air before your next class, and you stumbled upon Eddie all goo goo eyed over the head cheerleader herself, Chrissy Cunningham. You had been anticipating the moment Eddie realised he could get better and left you behind, waiting for the day he moved on. But it had never come, despite all your faults, the fact you weren’t perfect or even good for enough for him, and yet he stuck around, he kept coming back. And after the somewhat less than christian events that followed Eddie catching you in his shirt…well lets just say you had thought that finally things would become more permanent. But all that hope had quickly dissolved as you watched Eddie trip over his words, his smile growing wider than it ever was with you, his hands practically reaching out to hold the queen b herself. You swore you had felt your heart crack in two when Chrissy giggled at Eddie, you were done for. It was all over, no man on earth could resist that. The perfectly crafted, heartstoppingly beautiful Chrissy smile that had won over every boy she had even glanced at. And all you could do was stand there and watch as Eddie Munson blushed, his ears even tinged pink with a grin that you had always thought was reserved for you. Not even Eddie ‘The Freak’ Munson was immune to a smile like that.

“Sweetheart all she wanted was some special K, thats it!”

In truth Eddie had been acting different since that night he caught you. He couldnt deny that something had changed, the electricity was working differently between you two. Suddenly he felt all hot and bothered…well more hot and bothered than before. He felt his heart hammering in his chest at the mere thought of you, never mind when you actually in the room, or next to him, near him, god help him if you were on top or beneath him. Eddie found himself hyperaware of you, picking up on silly things he hadn’t really thought about before. Like the way your perfume clung to his pillows, and the fact you always bought jumpers two sizes too big. That you exclusively bought strawberry scented shampoo and conditioner. Unbeknownst to you, he had started pressing kisses to the top of your head whilst you slept in his arms, if you moved away in the night he would pull you back into him. Jeff and Gareth had started teasing him for all the love soaked staring he did when you didn’t sit with the hellfire club, or when you were laughing with your friends, or when you were just being you. You missed all of his pining, making it easier for you to assume he had fallen for Chrissy following a week of his strange behaviour. Completely oblivious to the fact that it was your smile, your dumb jokes and infectious laughter that had won Eddie over, making Chrissy Cunningham fade into the white noise of it all when compared to you.

“Please, you were practically drooling all over one another. Don’t lie to me!”

A million thoughts at a time were running through your mind, trying desperately to figure out what you had done wrong, what you could of done better, listing reason after reason as to why he would prefer Chrissy to you. Your eyes were glazing over, tears threatening to spill as you took a step back from Eddie. You couldnt look at him any longer, couldnt face those stupid brown puppy dog eyes as you felt everything hurt all over again. You didn’t know exactly when you had fallen in love with him over the course of your little love affair. Eddie had a habit of getting in your head, he was lovable, every inch of him. Maybe it was around the same time you started spending whole weekends with him, spending mornings watching cartoons through tired eyes. Or when he picked you up in the rain, driving you back to his house after a date didn’t show. Maybe the love had grown in the little early morning chats, still wrapped in his arms listening to The Stones on low. You had told Eddie everything, dreams, fears, silly things you wanted. You had whispered to him one night that he was your best friend, and he had held you tightly, laughing at the cheesiness of it all before agreeing that you were his too. The thought of losing that, losing him to a cheerleader that wouldn’t ever appreciate him. She wouldn’t understand his stupid movie references, or let him read lord of the rings when there was a storm, she wouldn’t dance around to Metallica with him, make him grilled cheese just the way he liked it or know that his favourite movie was Ferris Bueller or…or love him like you did. Thats what hurt the most.

“I’m not lying to you! Why the fuck would I drool over Chrissy Cunningham!?”

Eddie’s own heart was breaking at the sight of you falling apart in front of him. This was different than all the times before when you had cried in his van, or in his room. All those times before he was the balm to the wound, now he was the knife. Every part of him was screaming to just hold you, itching to reach out and make you know how much you meant to him. But every time he took a step towards you, you stumbled back. It was like some cruel parallel of all those summer nights fuelled by teenage passion.

“Because she’s perfect Eddie! I don’t blame you! I’d choose her over me! I’d choose anyone over me!”

The tears were really going now, pouring down your face as you tried to get this over and done with. The best few months of your life were over, pretty soon this would all be a memory that you could look back on and cry to whilst some stupid Led Zeppelin album played. But then Eddie’s hands were holding yours tightly, and his face was staring down at you with an emotion you couldnt quite place.Your chests were heaving and the air felt static. Despite Eddie only having one working braincell at the best of times, he managed to figure out why you were so angry, why you were so jealous over a silly little meeting with a popular girl who just wanted some drugs. It all made sense, a lightbulb suddenly going off in his mind as he smiled softly. If you hadn’t of been crying he would of picked you up and spun you around. You loved him, and christ, he loved you too.

“I don’t want perfect.”

“What?”

“I want someone that knows all the words to the breakfast club and cries every time at the end, that watches stupid saturday morning cartoons and drinks coffee like its holy water. I want someone that sings under their breath when they get bored, and dances like an idiot. I want someone that is as much of a nerd as me even though she hides it incredibly well. I want you. I’m in love with you, have been since the day we bumped into each other and you accidentally spilled chocolate milk down me.”

The world possibly stopped spinning that day. Eddie had tears in his eyes, his hands holding your face as if you would break in pieces. He was red , a smile taking over that you had never seen before. His stupid brown eyes were practically sparkling, the wide grin something you had only caught in the corner of your eye. It was the smile that Eddie had for you whenever you weren’t looking. Your heart was skipping too many beats, hammering its way out of your chest as you leant your forehead against his, standing on tippy toes to reach. Those four stupid words that you had been holding back for six months finally pouring out your mouth like honey.

“I love you too.”

taglist (thank you so much for the comments lovelies! heres part two, i hope you enjoy it!) @yoongsea @youareadistraction

#eddie munson x reader #eddie munson #stranger things #joseph quinn #joseph quinn x reader #fluff #angst #they are both idiots

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isimpoveryou · 1 year

Text

joe burrow x ex!reader

fc: rosè

{𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓}

yourinstagram ✔︎

Liked by teehiggins and 8,820,118 others

yourinstagram Hi instagram it's been a while

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fan01 AINT NO WAY

fan02 A WARNING NEXT TIME?!??!

yourinstagram ops 🥱

fan03 WE ALL KNOW WHO PROBABLY BEHIND ALL THIS SHIT RIGHT?!

fan04 joe burrow?

liked by teehiggins

fan04 WAIT DID TEE HIGGINS JUST LIKED MY COMMENT?!

hater01 girl get over it he already has a new gf

yourinstagram and???

fan05 LMAOOOO

fan06 she rlly doesnt care

enews ✔︎

Liked by yourinstagram and 927,822 others

enews It's Midnights day ARE YOU ALL READY?!

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fan01 BEEN WAITING 2 YEARS FOR AN ALBUM IM SO READY

florencepugh I have my tissue box ready

yourinstagram BABES NOOO 😭😭

hater01 taylor swift 2.0

yourinstagram I'm honored that you think of me that way but im not the queen herself

fan02 30 MINS YALLS

fan03 imma scream and cry and idc

hater02 another heartbreak album. great

yourinstagram ✔︎

Liked by joeyb_9 and 15,308,280 others

yourinstagram MIDNIGHTS CELEBRATION

Thank you everyone for supporting (friends and family members) me inclueding my ex who is the real inspirations of all my album without you i probably wouldnt have 5 million listener in an hour. I'll split some money for you 🥱. No but rlly this is crazy how you all were ready to listen my album and also very impatient 😁 but its my fault since its been 2 years since i even released anything. Beside that i also want to thank everyone who is all working behind my album midnights who is my mother my queen @taylorswift💘💘💘🙏🙏 so blessed

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florencepugh I LOVE YOU

zendaya ATE AND LEFT NO CRUMBS

allisonkuch CONGRATS MY LOVEE 💘💘💘

arianagrande BABYYYYYY AHHHH YOU DID SO GREAT

taylorswift I'm so glad and honored for helping you withe your new album

joeyb_9 congrats on your new album

comments been limited

#fake instagram #social media au #instagram au #social media imagines #fake social media #x reader #joe burrow x reader #joe burrow #joe burrow imagine #cincinnati bengals

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laurenairay · 8 months

Text

taking on the world together - J. Oettinger

Summary: Gracelyn didn't realise how much of Boston she associated with Jake Oettinger until he was gone.

Warnings; light angst, fluff, friends to lovers, slow burn, ignoring the existence of COVID-19 to fudge the timelines, college years, one incident of mild harassment, some bad language.

Words: 11.4k

A/N: jumping in as a pinch hitter for @wyattjohnston’s summer fic exchange 2023! Writing for @jarmorie - I really hope you like this and I really hope I hit all your prompts! Spreading the Otter love as he deserves 💛 I was listening to this song and immediately got so inspired.

Tagging some fellow Otter fans: @senditcolton @extratragic @texanstarslove

Inspiration (and title) from Mine, by Taylor Swift

~~~

I was a flight risk, with a fear of falling, Wondering why we bother with love, if it never lasts.

~~~

September 2016.

Gracelyn Davis had never left Fayetteville, West Virginia before. At least, not before her father drove her across the country to Boston University like he had done over the past two days. Her mother had decided being in the car for that long with them ‘wasn’t for her’, and considering her father was a man of very few words, the 12 hours, spread over two days with a sleep stop in the middle, had been spent split between rereading one of her favourite books and watching the world go by out the window.

It was a quiet ride. Gracelyn was used to it.

Butterflies filled her stomach as they pulled into campus parking, the crowds of people almost overwhelming. They weren’t even in the heart of the city and already this was the busiest place she’d ever seen. Gracelyn matched her father’s silence as they unloaded the car, using the offered hand trolley to help with her boxes, her father pushing those with her duvet and pillows piled on top while Gracelyn pulled two suitcases and a large duffel bag. It didn’t take long to get herself all signed in, and once they’d piled all her belongings in the empty dorm room, she knew it was time.

With a brief hug and a ‘do your best’, her father left. She hadn’t really expected much more. Even the fact that she’d finally left her small town was more than she could ever have dreamed of.

“Whoo! Go Terriers!”

Gracelyn watched out the third storey window as small parade of energetic people dressed in red, white, and black jogged past her building, smiling to herself at the cheerful chaos. This was nothing like Fayetteville. She loved it already.

“Hey roomie!”

Gracelyn turned around sharply, hand to heart in surprise at the voice in the doorway. The campus had assigned housing to all freshman who’d applied, and she’d been put in contact with a ‘Madison’ to get to know each other. All she really knew was that Madison had blonde hair, came from Queens, New York, and was going to be studying Digital Marketing. That, and she had very strong opinions on everything from Taylor Swift to correct recycling methods to sheet thread count. Blonde, tanned, perfect white smile, and all the confidence of a city-kid that Gracelyn didn’t have.

“Oops, didn’t mean to startle you. It’s nice to meet you, Gracelyn,” she grinned.

At least she was friendly too.

“Nice to meet you too, Madison. I prefer Gracie,” Gracelyn said, smiling shyly.

“Gracie it is! And please, call me Maddie. We’re going to be the best of friends. I can already tell,” she grinned, throwing her blonde hair up in a bun. “Do you mind if I put on some music while we unpack?”

~~~

May 2020.

How time had flown by. As Gracelyn pulled out the first of her cardboard boxes to at least attempt to start packing up her half of the dorm room, memories flooded in. Maddie hadn’t been wrong – they really had become the best of friends over the past four years, forming a wider group of six of them in total. Herself, Maddie, Luisa, Jenny, Chanel, and Daisy, all girls scattered across their original freshman dorm building floor, all of them forming bonds that stuck with them over the past four years.

Each of their had majored in a different subject, each other them came from different states, but each of them had been the loyal, sweet, kind friends that Gracelyn had always hoped for, so she knew that even though their time at college together had officially come to an end, she wouldn’t be losing these friendships any time soon.

Late night study sessions, movie nights, sleepovers, makeovers, campus concerts, dinners out – all of these memories scattered across polaroid photos, Instagram accounts and genuine memories. All of the things that Gracelyn was going to miss so terribly.

She was even going to miss the parties, the wild nights out that were so often accompanied by singing at the top of their lungs, dancing until their feet ached, and nasty mornings after.

Speaking of parties, Maddie wasn’t the only person who Gracelyn met in her first week in Boston who turned her life upside down.

~~~

September 2016.

“Are you sure I look okay?”

Maddie gave her an incredulous look. “Gracie baby, you have the best ass in our group, of course you look okay. You look stunning, own it.”

Gracelyn blushed heavily, shaking her head with a laugh. The two of them had made quick friends with a few girls down the hallway, and somehow they’d all persuaded Gracelyn to go out to a party tonight. Her first proper college party. Her first proper party in general, if she was being honest.

“You know what I mean. I’ve never…you know I’m not a party girl,” she sighed.

“I’m not a party party girl either. I’m a hang out with my friends kind of girl, with music, and drink we shouldn’t have access to, and we’re going to dance and sing and have fun, okay? If there happen to be cute boys there who stare at your incredible ass, then so be it,” Maddie grinned.

The confidence of this girl was incredible. No-one had ever boosted Gracelyn up like she did either.

“It’s not too much?”

Gracelyn looked back at herself in the full-length mirror that Maddie had brought with her, checking out the deep-red tight dress that clung to her every curve, borrowed from their friend Chanel. If her mother could see her now, she’d have a conniption. Then again…maybe that was a good thing. The Gracelyn Davis of Fayetteville would never have showed off her body like this – yeah, maybe she had a slight pouch on her belly, and maybe her thighs didn’t have a gap, and maybe ass was a bit more of a bubble than she would like…but maybe for the Gracelyn Davis of Boston that was a good thing.

“It’s definitely not too much. How about you throw a leather jacket over the top and wear those comfy black ankle boots, hm? That way it’s not over the top, but still dressy, hm?” Maddie suggested, unwinding her final blonde curl from her curling wand.

That…that was a good suggestion. Thank god for Maddie.

“That sounds good to me,” Gracelyn said shyly.

“Atta girl,” Maddie grinned, “Now help me pick which lipgloss says try anything and I’ll bite.”

Four lip gloss swatches later and the two of them had headed out of their dorm room, Maddie knocking on their friends’ doors until the six of them were on their way to the alleged party, wherever that was.

“Now remember, the hockey guys are all mostly a bit dumb and will probably get a little handsy after a few hours of drinking, so don’t feel like you can’t loudly tell them no. If you’re feeling uncomfortable, stay with a group of us girls, yeah? I’ve heard most of the team are harmless, but there’s bound to be a bad apple or two in the bunch,” Daisy said, rolling her eyes.

Brilliant. That didn’t settle Gracelyn’s nerves at all. Girl time it was.

“How did you find out about the Terriers party anyway Daisy-boo?” Maddie asked, looping her arm through Gracelyn’s.

She clung on with gratitude.

“Eh, this Sophomore was trying to impress the new freshman players – I said I’d think about turning up with a few friends,” Daisy said coolly, her smile sharp.

Again, the confidence. Incredible.

“Treat ‘em mean, I like it,” Jenny snickered.

“He was harmless enough. Sounded like a good excuse for a party anyway, and the upperclassmen are providing booze with the caveat that no-one underage gets super wasted, so I figured why not have our first party in style, right?” Daisy shrugged.

As the rest of the girls sounded their agreement, Gracelyn tried to relax. She knew that her friends wouldn’t let anything happen to her. They already had a game plan for if any of them felt uncomfortable. She didn’t have to drink anything more than what she actually wanted to. She could do this, right?

“Here we are!”

Daisy’s voice broke her out of her thoughts, turning her attention to a large house that already had red solo cups scattered across the lawn and loud music blasting. Maddie squeezed her arm, dropping it so their hands were linked, the other girls pairing off in twos too, making sure that none of them got separated while they wound their way through the crowd. Gracelyn tried not to get overwhelmed at the sheer number of people squeezed into the main living area, managing to smile as Daisy waved flirtatiously at a guy she could only imagine was the Unfortunate Sophomore.

“Let’s get some drinks!” Jenny said loudly, earning cheers from around them.

Gracelyn just stayed silent as beers were passed around, Maddie just winking at her. This was it. This was her first college party. This was her first college beer. She was finally here. She’d made it. So she took a big swig, letting the cool cheap alcohol run down her throat, Maddie just whooping before doing the same with her own drink.

Time seemed to blur together after that. Not in a drunk way, but in a way that everything was so new, so overwhelming, that Gracelyn just let it wash over her. She was trying to follow Maddie’s lead, going with the flow as her New York roommate would say, so by the time she’d finished her third beer, Gracelyn was more than ready for a glass of water and a breather.

Thankfully, Maddie and Daisy had been roped into playing beer pong, which was outside on the back porch, so while the other girls grabbed more beer, Gracelyn grabbed a bottle of water and hopped up on the porch railing to watch. Despite Maddie being eagle-eyed, Daisy was swaying a bit, so this would be interesting.

“Hey, is this space taken?”

Gracelyn turned her head to the sound of the voice, not sure if it was being directed at her or not, only to come face to face with the cutest guy she’d ever seen. Tall – at least 6ft 4, if not 6ft 5 – with broad shoulders, messy dark hair and a sweet smile. Pretty eyes too. He was talking to her?

“Uh, no, go for it. I’m just watching my friends about to play,” she said, jerking her head in the beer pong table’s direction.

“Ah, yeah some of my teammates are about to face them. The blonde girl looks dangerous,” he mused, leaning against the railing himself in the space to her left.

“Oh you have no idea,” Gracelyn grinned, making him laugh.

Actual natural human interaction with a cute guy. Wow.

“I’m Jake,” he said, holding out his hand.

He immediately looked embarrassed at himself for holding out his hand, but the fact that he didn’t backtrack made her smile.

“I’m Gracelyn. Or Gracie, to my friends,” she said, shaking his hand.

“Nice to meet you Gracie,” he said, smiling.

Bold. She liked it.

“Not much of a drinker?” he asked.

She frowned until he shook his own cup and looked down at her water bottle, and immediately her cheeks flushed. Was he making fun of her?

“Um, I…”

She trailed off, before clearing her throat. No damn it, she was Gracelyn Davis of Boston now.

“I already had three cups of beer and I didn’t party back home, so I’m trying to pace myself. A little lame maybe but it’s literally first week of freshman year so…” she said, shrugging.

“I feel that,” the guy…Jake nodded, smiling still, “And it’s not lame. It’s my first week of freshman year too and I know that the freshmen will be clearing up tomorrow morning, so I don’t want to be horrendous after my first team party.”

He was a freshman too? Built like that? And he was a hockey player? Damn, what was he doing talking to her?

“Ouch, I’m sorry you have to clean up,” she said, grimacing as right-on-cue someone threw up over the porch railing a little ways down from them.

Jake grimaced himself, before shaking his head. “It’ll be worth it to play on the team.”

“Go Terriers?” she offered.

Jake just laughed, throwing his head back. Damn. Damn he looked so good.

“Alright boys, you’re going down!” Maddie said loudly.

The crowd cheered and whooped, Gracelyn and Jake included. Daisy took her first throw, immediately sinking the ball into a cup, clearly more sober than she looked. What a hustler - this was going to be a messy one. The freshman hockey player groaned but laughed, drinking the beer in the targeted cup down in one go, earning more cheers for himself.

“I have a feeling we’re going to be seeing more of each other, Gracie,” Jake said, smiling wide.

For some reason, she had a feeling that he was right.

~~~

May 2020.

Yeah, Jake was…Jake was different. Right from that first night, that first meeting, the two of them had stayed in touch, slowly becoming friends through texting as well as more hockey team parties. Maddie and their friends always dragged her along to any party at the hockey house, especially when Daisy started hooking up with the Unfortunate Sophomore, and the more she went to, the more she actually looked forward to them, mainly because at some point in the evening Jake would find her and the rest was history.

He wasn’t a rowdy dumbass like the other college players he lived with. Sure, she was cautious, a little introverted, always hesitant, but Jake was sweet and kind and patient, and never pushed her more than she was socially capable of in the moment. Maybe it helped that he was a goaltender – which she’d found out the second time she met him because someone dared him to show off his box splits and he did so without hesitation – because he was so different to all his friends, but she liked it.

She liked him.

He was a little more focused, more responsible maybe for his age, but still encouraged her to come out of her shell. Over those first few months, she found herself slipping out of her old social binds of Gracelyn Davis from Fayetteville and into her new self of Gracelyn Davis of Boston, and so much of it was because of him.

That’s why it hurt so much still, when everything changed.

There were so many memories of their friendship over the years, entwined with those memories of Gracelyn and her girlfriends, more than she dared to think about while she attempted to make a start on packing up her college life. She still had over a week left on campus, until after commencement weekend, but that didn’t mean she could put everything off until last minute. That just wasn’t the way her brain worked.

She could at least make a start on closing this chapter of her life.

But in the first shoebox she moved off of one of her shelves, she found a couple dozen polaroids, all ones she’d taken off being pinned on her noticeboard in Junior year – all ones of her and Jake. All photos of memories that made her heart ache all over again, flashing across her mind as she continued to look through them one by one.

~~~

November 2016.

“Hey, do you want to take a walk?”

Gracelyn looked up from her notebook, seeing Jake standing in the doorway of her dorm room.

“How did you get up here?” she asked, placing her pen and paper to the side with a smile.

“I bumped into Chanel and Luisa on the way through,” he shrugged, “They said you’ve been studying in here since your last class ended, and, uh, encouraged me to do something to change that.”

Yeah that sounded like Chanel and Luisa. Meddlers. Her friends weren’t wrong though – she really had been studying in her room since her last class ended, knowing that Maddie was still out in a class of her own and there was a movie night on campus later, so she wanted to get ahead of herself. It was only month three of freshman year after all – she couldn’t afford to get behind yet.

Still…a small break couldn’t hurt right?

“You want to go for a walk?” she mused.

“Yeah, it’s not snowing out so I thought it might be nice?” he said, smiling shyly.

Oh what a sweetheart. In what world would she say no to that?

“And you’re asking little old me?” she grinned, kicking off her slippers.

“You’re one of my best friends Gracie, you know that. And you’re definitely the only sane one,” he said, shrugging with a smile.

Well that much was true.

“I’m in,” she laughed.

It didn’t take her long to slip into more appropriate boots for the weather, as well as a thick coat, knitted hat and gloves to help out with the cold, and soon enough the two of them were walking out of campus along the Charles River.

“So what’s really going on?” Gracelyn asked, when the crowds around them had thinned out to only a couple of people.

Jake opened his mouth to protest, before closing it again with a huffed laugh. “You can read me that easily, huh?”

“You’ve got a pretty expressive face,” she shrugged, although made sure to smile so he knew she didn’t mean it as a bad thing, “And you’ve never wanted to just go on a walk before. Not that I mind, obviously – it’s always good to get fresh air and you know I like hanging out with you – I just hope that nothing bad has happened?”

He quickly shook his head but then grimaced, wiggling his hand to indicate it was something so-so. Hm. This was going to take more than their usual casual talking, she could tell.

“Do you want to grab a coffee and find somewhere to sit?” she suggested.

“Sure.”

It didn’t take long to pick up a couple of lattes each, and even less time to find an isolated snow-free stone bench to sit on, not far from the Hatch Shell, and by that point Jake looked a little less tense.

“Thank you, Gracie,” he murmured.

“For what?” she asked, confused, “we haven’t even started talking properly yet.”

“You’re giving me the chance to get something off my chest that I haven’t been able to bring up to anyone else. Or that I feel I can bring up to anyone else. I appreciate it, that’s all,” Jake shrugged, taking a sip of his drink.

“Well now I’m worried,” she said, trying to make it a joke to hide her true concern.

What was wrong with him? Was he sick? He couldn’t be failing any classes, right?

She waited in silence for him to gather his thoughts, taking in the sight of the river slowly flowing by, until Jake finally cleared his throat.

“There’s been scouts coming to hockey games. NHL scouts, for me, following on from my time in the NTDP,” he said softly.

“Okay. Okay, that’s a good thing, right?” she said, frowning slightly.

She may not know much about ice hockey or the NHL or the NTDP, but she did know how important it all was to Jake. So what was the issue?

“I guess? But…it’s also so much pressure.”

Oh.

Oh bless his heart.

“I can understand that. That does sound like a lot of pressure. What exactly is worrying you about it?” she asked.

The more she understood, the more she could help, right?

Jake let out a shaky breath, looking down at his hands for a moment, before lifting his head to look out over the river in front of them.

“I’m nervous. Playing in the NHL…it’s all I’ve ever wanted. And it’s so hard to even be considered as a goaltender in the big leagues so the fact that they’re looking at me? Assessing me? It’s a lot,” he explained, voice quiet, “And it’s not like I can even talk to the rest of the team about how nervous it makes me either.”

Because so many of the guys won’t get a shot in the NHL like the scouts are considering for him.

Oh this sweet hearted boy.

What really made her sad though was the look of hesitance tainted with self-deprecation in his eyes. He didn’t deserve to look or feel like that, not ever.

“Hey, Jake, will you look at me?” Gracelyn asked.

It took a couple of seconds but he eventually did, emotion splashed all over his face.

“I know it’s scary. And I know it makes you nervous. This is your dream, and you’re pouring your whole self into it. But, Jake, these scouts wouldn’t be coming if you weren’t already proving how good you were, right?”

“I mean…”

He trailed off, wiggling his hand so-so again, making her shake her head.

“I mean it, Jake. If there wasn’t something in your gameplay that they liked, they wouldn’t be coming to see you. Just show them what you’ve got. You don’t have to be anyone other than yourself, okay? You’re Jake Oettinger, badass Terrier and incredible goaltender, and there’s nothing you can’t do,” she said firmly.

Jake choked out a laugh, hanging his head briefly before looking back at her. She chose to ignore the way his eyes were shining slightly.

“How do you always know exactly what to say?” he murmured.

Gracelyn just smiled, a light blush dusting her cheeks. “Well I don’t know about that…but I’m always here for you, whenever you need me.”

“So all I need to do to get your undivided attention is to text you, meet you at our spot?” he grinned.

Her blush deepened, traitorous butterflies filling her stomach.

“This is our spot?” she said, voice far breathier than she cared to admit.

“It is now,” he shrugged, “just you and me.”

Well damn, she liked the sound of that. Did he even know how that came across? What it implied?

“Alright, deal,” she nodded, trying to keep her cool.

“Besides, I can’t have you sharing your wisdom with everyone, right? Gotta keep some of that good magic all for myself. God knows I need all the help I can get. You don’t mind, right?” he grinned.

She couldn’t stop the laugh that burst from her chest, her head tilting back as it rang out loud and clear. His teasing request was more than a little shameless – with anyone else she would’ve been put off by the audacity, but with Jake? It was just charming, endearing her to him more than ever. When she’d finally composed herself, Jake had a slightly stunned look on his face – probably from the vivacity of her laughter – so she just smiled widely at him. How could she not?

“You truly are one of a kind, Jake Oettinger,” she giggled, finishing the last of her coffee.

“I’m going to take that as a compliment,” he said, giving a little shrug as he grinned.

Like she could ever insult him.

“We should take a photo,” Jake said suddenly, digging in his coat pocket.

“What?”

“To keep this memory, of finding ‘our’ place. Of you giving me the advice I needed. Of me making you laugh like that for the first time,” Jake explained, making her smile at his enthusiastic listing, “one of the guys bought a bunch of cheap polaroid cameras at the weekend and I still have one in my pocket.”

“Well in that case…” she teased.

Jake just laughed, throwing an arm around her shoulder, guiding her to lean into his body. Gracelyn just tilted her knitted hat-covered head to rest against his and threw up a peace sign, smiling widely as Jake raised the camera in his hand. FLASH. She blinked a couple of times, listening to the camera whirring, but smiled softly to herself as Jake kept his arm around her. She appreciated the warmth from his body, if nothing else. With his free hand, he dropped the camera in his lap and pulled free the developing polaroid, shaking it a few times until the picture started to become clearer.

“Oh yeah, that’s a good one,” Jake said happily, handing it over for her to see.

Gracelyn felt her breath hitch in her chest as she looked at their photo. Their matching wide smiles alone showed her exactly how happy he’d been in that moment, but the fact that it was with her? That was everything. She didn’t even know what to say.

“I love it,” she eventually managed to murmur.

“Then it’s all yours,” Jake said simply.

“What? No, it’s your camera,” she said, shaking her head.

But Jake just squeezed her shoulder, nudging her with his chest. “I insist. We’ll have years yet to take more photos together.”

She could only hope. Gracelyn just nodded silently, sliding the photo into her pocket with a grateful smile, leaning back into his chest as he put the camera back into his pocket without moving his arm from round her shoulders still. As her heart started beating all that little bit faster, she knew she was in trouble. She may not be particularly experienced in the nature of romance, but she knew from friends, old and new, what it was like to get a crush on someone.

How could she not start falling for him in this exact moment?

Gracelyn had always promised herself to keep her guard up, especially around her heart. Her parents’ relationship was toxic enough, their marriage fuelled by arguments and spite and cold disdain, and she’d always sworn to herself that she would never end up like them. There was a reason why she had no intention of going back home for Thanksgiving or the Christmas break. But being here with Jake right now? Tucked under his arm with him holding her against his chest after all those sweet words? It was dangerous, for her emotions and her resolve.

If she didn’t get this under control soon, there was no telling the damage this crush could do.

~~~

June 2017.

Gracelyn had been dreading June 23rd ever since she learned how significant the day was. Significant to Jake, anyway. Today was the first day of the 2017 NHL draft, and she already knew that Jake was predicted to go decently high in the first round – Gracelyn Davis of Fayetteville hadn’t a clue about any of this but Gracelyn Davis of Boston now knew all too much – so she could only imagine how stressed he was today already. Over the rest of freshman year, she’d gotten more and more into watching hockey, mainly because of Jake asking her to come to games as his ‘good luck charm’, so she knew that scouts had been following him for quite some time still. Spending so much time with him this year – including studying, brunches, parties, and campus events, on top of all the games she’d gone to – hadn’t lessened her crush in the slightest, but things were definitely much more manageable. She knew what she could and couldn’t handle, and it helped that she knew Jake had no idea how she felt either, so their friendship had only gone from strength to strength.

Today could change everything. She didn’t know if she was ready for that.

While Jake and his family were in Chicago ready for the draft day, Gracelyn was at her summer job – administration at the West Virginia Science Adventures summer day camps, right there in Fayetteville. She worked 9-4 every day, helping to make sure that everything ran smoothly, and it meant that she was out of her house essentially all day, which could only ever be a good thing. That, and it also allowed her to surreptitiously listen to the broadcast of Jake’s draft day while she was typing up the stock request forms that her supervisor needed from her.

She took her time typing, making sure everything was meticulous while she listened to the draft picks start getting called.

And then came the 26th pick, from the Dallas Stars.

“From Boston University, Jake Oettinger.”

There it was. He’d done it! The first goalie of the 2017 draft was picked, and it was him! She couldn’t stop the happy squeal that left her lips, glad that no-one else was in the office cabin right now, especially since she couldn’t help the stupid smile on her face or the tears in her eyes.

Jake had been drafted to the NHL, just as he’d always dreamed. It was everything he’d ever wanted, and he deserved it so much, and even though she knew it meant he was leaving her behind, how could she not be proud of him?

To: Jake From: Gracelyn You did it! Congratulations! I’m so proud of you! I told you that everything would pay off! I know you’re busy so don’t worry about texting back. But just know that I am so so happy for you, okay? Speak to you later ❤️

With a breathy laugh, she put her phone down, exiting out of her messages and turning off the broadcast. She didn’t care what else happened in the draft – she only cared about Jake. Now that was done, she could get on with her job without feeling guilty, even if the buzzing in her veins kept that smile on her face for the rest of her day.

It wasn’t until Gracelyn was home that she got a message back from Jake, after she’d cooked and eaten dinner by herself and was relaxing with a book in her bedroom.

To: Gracelyn From: Jake Thank you so much Gracie. I don’t think I’ve stopped smiling. This is crazy. I actually got drafted. The Stars drafted me! I’m still committing to BU, for more development, but I can’t believe they want me!

Gracelyn frowned slightly at the reply from Jake, confused. He wasn’t going straight to Dallas? He was staying in Boston? Why?

To: Jake From: Gracelyn I thought you wanted to jump right into the NHL? That’s the dream right? Don’t get me wrong, I will miss you. But this is your dream?

Gracelyn chewed her bottom lip while she waited for him to reply, rereading over the same few pages until her phone buzzed a few more times. She felt so stupid for the way her heart was beating like crazy…but this was important. This was Jake.

To: Gracelyn From: Jake Oh you’re not getting rid of me that easily, Gracie Davis. This is definitely the right thing for me right now, and I know the Stars will understand. Boston is still where I need to be right now, so you’ll see me in September! ❤️

Well if that was what he wanted, she wasn’t going to complain. Still, it would only be a matter of time before Jake took his dream in both hands and leapt for it, so she would have to make the most of the time she had with him. That was all she could hope for, right?

~~~

September 2017.

“See, I told you I’d come back.”

Gracelyn jumped at the familiar deep voice, her friends just cackling at her reaction to Jake silently creeping up behind her, but she found herself smiling at him as she turned around to face him properly.

“One of these days you’re going to give me a heart attack with this sneaking up behind me,” she mused, hands on hips.

“Well we wouldn’t want that, would we?” Jake grinned.

With that, he slung his arm around her shoulder, tugging her into a hug which she returned happily, hiding her blushing face in his chest slightly before pulling away. Jake didn’t drop his arm from over her shoulders though, making Maddie smirk at her, and Gracelyn could only be grateful that Jake seemed not to notice.

“Alright superstar, let’s get some food,” Gracelyn said, sighing dramatically.

“I missed you too, Gracelyn Davis,” Jake laughed.

I missed you more, Jake Oettinger.

“WELCOME BACK PARTY AT THE HOCKEY HOUSE!”

The crowd around them whooped, Luisa and Daisy looking particularly happy about the potential frivolity, whereas Gracelyn just smiled at the interruption.

“You and Maddie are still rooming together this year, right?” Jake murmured, leaning down so only she could hear him among the ruckus.

He remembered them talking about that?

It was true though – Gracelyn and all her friends had decided to move out of freshman dorms and get neighbouring apartments in the dorm buildings available for Sophomore students. Maddie and Gracelyn had decided to stay sharing a dorm, whereas Luisa and Daisy were roommates now, as were Chanel and Jenny. It was an arrangement that worked perfectly for them, and she couldn’t wait to actually have all of her friends living together.

“Yeah we are, why?” she said softly in return.

“Well I know that you’ll definitely be coming to the party if your girls are there to persuade you,” Jake teased.

She rolled her eyes playfully. “I would’ve come anyway.”

“You would?” Jake asked, surprised.

There were so many things she could’ve said in that moment, both innocent and incriminating, but in the end she chose just to shrug. It was the safest option.

“Food! Let’s go!” Maddie said cheerfully.

As her roommate linked their arms together, Jake’s arm slipped off her shoulders, making Gracelyn look up at him properly. “Are you coming, Jake?”

“Yeah, of course,” he said, nodding quickly.

After eating lunch and hanging out for a few hours, Jake and some of his lingering friends went back to the team house to set up for the party, leaving Gracelyn and her friends to get ready. Just like freshman year, their first party of Sophomore year was going to be at the hockey house, so they spent their time getting all dressed up in pretty eye-catching dresses (with a little pregaming, thanks to the stock they’d all brought along from home), and by the time they arrived at the hockey team house the party was in full swing.

Gracelyn spotted Jake easily, and he waved enthusiastically at her from across the room, making her friends laugh and pull her into the kitchen to get drinks of their own. Over the next few hours, Gracelyn and her friends alternated between drinking in the kitchen and dancing on the make-shift living room dancefloor, celebrating the return to college and the start of the new school year. It was everything she’d missed about Boston, having fun with her friends, finally feeling like she was back where she belonged.

Soon enough though, Gracelyn needed to make a trip to the bathroom, leaving her friends where they were in the kitchen and heading upstairs to the nicer of the bathrooms that Jake had always let her use. But on her return trip downstairs, her path was blocked in the front corridor, by a guy she didn’t recognise. He was taller than her, bigger than her, and much drunker than her – she could smell the beer on his breath from a few feet away but even more so as he stepped even closer.

“Well hello. I haven’t seen you around before,” he drawled.

What the hell?

“I’m a sophomore. I’m not new,” she frowned, confused.

“Shh, sweetheart, don’t talk so much. Why don’t we get to know each other a little better, hm? That ass of yours? Damn.”

What the actual fuck.

“Don’t talk to me like that. I’m not interested,” Gracie said shortly.

“Don’t be like that baby, I’m a real nice guy,” he grinned.

The sleaze dripped off of his words like oil, making her recoil, but it was as she moved to step around him that he grabbed her arm, holding her in place. Fuck. Oh fuck.

“Let’s try again, hm?”

“No,” she said shakily.

“No-one says no to me. You should be nicer to guys that show you interest, you know.”

Gracelyn just froze in place, mind blank and body stiff. This had never happened before, being confronted like this, and it didn’t matter how much advice she’d been given over the years, it all had flown away in the moment.

She took a deep breath, ready to yell out for help, when a familiar large body appeared by her side. Jake. She felt like crying in relief, even more so as her friend easily knocked the drunk guy’s hand off her arm.

“She’s not interested. Move on, bud,” Jake said firmly, stepping up close, making the guy look up at him with a glare.

“Back off man, I was here first,” the creep slurred.

What the actual fuck. She wasn’t prize cattle at an auction.

“I said no,” Gracelyn repeated.

With her desperate glance up at him, Jake clenched his jaw and his fists, drawing himself up to his full height as he pushed himself between Gracelyn and the creep.

“Last chance. Fuck off,” Jake said angrily.

It was all she could do to clutch at the back of his tshirt, hands shaking and heart racing.

“Whatever man, she’s ugly anyway,” the guy scowled.

She inhaled sharply as a pang of hurt ran through her chest, only to gasp out louder as Jake lurched forward, pinning the guy to the opposite wall with his forearm across his throat.

“Apologise, asshole. You’re not worth the air she breathes,” Jake all but growled.

The creep choked a little, trying to get Jake’s arm off him, and it was only then that Gracelyn noticed the crowd that was starting to form around them.

“Hey, Jake, he isn’t worth it. Don’t get in trouble because of this scumbag,” she pleaded, resting her hand on his shoulder.

Jake looked down at her with pursed lips, waited a beat or two, before nodding. She let out a shaky breath as Jake shoved the guy into the wall one last time before stepping backwards, still standing himself in front of her.

“Stay away from her, you hear me?” Jake demanded.

“Whatever freak,” the guy muttered, storming off.

Jake’s frame tensed but Gracelyn just reached for his forearm, desperate for Jake not to follow after him. The last thing she wanted was for her friend to get into a fight because of her. The creep wasn’t worth it. She wasn’t worth it.

“What was that all about?”

Jake turned around to see his captain frowning behind them as the crowd dispersed, and scowled again.

“That guy wouldn’t leave Gracie alone when she told him no. Was making her uncomfortable, a real fucking creep,” Jake muttered, clenching his hands for a moment again.

“Oh shit, for real? Damn, Gracelyn, sorry about that. I’ll make sure he’s kicked out,” Jake’s captain frowned.

What?

But before she could voice her confusion, the Senior walked off, leaving Gracelyn and Jake alone.

“He’s got a no tolerance policy for sexual harassment,” Jake murmured.

Well…that explained a few things. But still…

“Are you okay?” he asked softly.

“I think so? I just…I froze. Everything about that guy screamed at me to run away and all I could do was freeze,” she sighed, running a shaky hand through her hair, “I feel so stupid.”

“Hey, no, it’s okay. So not stupid at all. I hate that you ever experienced this at all, you know? You should never…”

She could see his anger rising again and did the only thing she could think of. She quickly wrapped her arms around his waist in a hug, burying her face in his shirt, just letting herself breathe and willing him to calm his anger back down. Jake froze briefly in surprise before quickly hugging her back, clutching at her firmer than she’d anticipated.

“Thank you, Jake. I don’t know what I would’ve done if you weren’t there,” she murmured.

Jake stiffened at her words before nodding, squeezing her body before letting go to look down at her properly.

“I’m glad we never have to find out what could’ve happened. I’m pretty sure you would’ve snapped and decked him, Gracie Davis, just as he deserved, but I’m glad I could at least help,” Jake said firmly.

She laughed softly but shrugged. “You did more than help. Superstar and knight in shining armour? I’m glad you’re in my life hey?”

Jake huffed out a laugh and slung his arm over her shoulder as usual, guiding them both into the kitchen towards the beer keg.

“I told you you’re not getting rid of me that easily. I meant it,” he said, smiling sweetly down at her, “So let’s get back to the party as it should be, yeah?”

“Yeah, I’d like that. I think Maddie’s about to kick some ass in beer pong if you wanted to watch?” she mused.

“Just like when we met a year ago. Perfect,” Jake grinned.

~~~

March 2019.

Jake didn’t leave for Texas in Sophomore year. Didn’t sign an entry level contact, didn’t leave Boston, didn’t leave the Terriers. Didn’t leave Gracelyn. All throughout the school year, they only got closer and closer, somehow spending even more time together than they did previously – any time that Gracelyn wasn’t with her friends or studying (and even then, sometimes she was studying with Jake), the two of them could usually be found together. It seemed like the welcome back party of Sophomore year triggered something protective in Jake, and he always made sure that she was okay wherever they went, even to the point of scaring off guys regardless of whether they were being creeps or not. Her friends – especially Maddie – called Jake a cockblock, but it wasn’t like Gracelyn protested at all. Her crush on Jake hadn't lessened at all, so why would she be interested in other guys? Especially if Jake wanted to be by her side.

He was always her partner in study groups, in beer pong, in video games, and he always sat next to her when they went out for food, to the movies, to campus events. She was even pretty sure that some of the freshmen on his team thought they were actually dating, considering how often they asked her where he was if they couldn’t find him.

As she said, she wasn’t going to complain. She had Jake in her life in ways that she never could’ve hoped for – and the longer he didn’t leave Boston to sign a contract with the Stars, the more her confidence built, waiting for a moment when she felt sure enough to actually tell him how she felt. It was a lofty goal, but each day that passed, she got a little closer.

When Jake was named an alternate captain prior to the 2018-2019 season, her hope soared.

Throughout the start of Junior year, Jake’s responsibilities to the team kept him longer at practices, longer in team meetings, but that didn’t mean he didn’t put in the extra effort with Gracelyn still, even going as far as to stay behind in Boston with her for Thanksgiving to spend that time together that they hadn’t really been able to. Her friends all thought she was nuts for not just confessing, but she was still too scared. So scared to lose him, the most important relationship in her life, the most important friendship, so she continued to stay silent, just grateful for whatever time that her friendship with Jake could afford her.

She knew that he appreciated her – he always made sure she knew it – and she knew that she wouldn’t trade what they had right now for anything, unless she knew for sure that it wasn’t going to all blow up in her face.

She had to know, before she took that risk.

Before Gracelyn knew it, it was the beginning of March, with Spring Break coming up right around the corner. Maddie was out to lunch with her boyfriend Jackson (business major – a little dry, but adored her friend), so Gracelyn was finishing off a paper in her room alone, having spent some time with her other girlfriends that morning over coffee. She was just finishing off her last editing readthrough when her dorm door was knocked on, in a familiar pattern that made her smile.

“Come in Jake! The door’s unlocked!”

Gracelyn hit save on the word document before closing her laptop, Jake walking into the room quickly. The serious look on his face made her heart clench a little, even more so as he sat down next to her on the bed in silence.

“Hey Gracie, I’m not interrupting anything, am I?”

“Of course not. What’s up?” she asked, worried.

“I just…I wanted to tell you before I told anyone else. Well, other than coach, but yeah.”

She knew it.

“Tell me what?” she asked as lightly as she could, feigning ignorance as he sat down beside her.

“I signed a three-year entry level contact with the Stars last weekend. And I’m heading to Texas to play in the AHL in a few days time.”

She was too late.

“Oh Jake that’s amazing! I’m so proud of you! But it’s happening quick, no?”

Jake huffed out a laugh, nodding as he smiled weakly at her. “It happened a lot faster than I thought. But my agent said this is the best option for me, to start my hockey career off. I’ve got to follow my dream, you know?”

Even if it meant leaving her behind. She’d been prepared for this for a long time. That didn’t make it hurt any less. But this wasn’t about her – this was about him, and everything he’d worked for, and everything he still had to work for in the future.

“Of course you do, Jake. Anyone that tells you differently is an ass. Follow your dreams and don’t look back, hey?”

It was only then that he noticed the tears in her eyes and quickly shook his head. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily, Gracie Davis. You’re one of my best friends, and I’m not losing you. I can’t.”

She choked out a wet noise, half laugh half sob, and just shook her head.

“You go and be the superstar that you are destined to be, okay?” she said, smiling sadly at him, “The rest of us will figure out the rest.”

Jake pulled her into the tightest hug he ever had done, burying his face in her dark hair.

“I don’t know what I did to deserve you in my life.”

Gracelyn just stayed silent, letting her tears fall.

~~~

May 2020.

She never did tell him how she felt. He never did find out how much she loved him. Maybe it was for the best, when their texts slowed over the summer of 2019, because by the time Gracelyn had started up her final year of college in the September of 2019, she’d hardened up her heart enough to make it through the year without him.

She hadn’t realised how much of Boston she associated with Jake until he was gone.

The pizza place where she and her girlfriends would meet up with the hockey team after a winning game. The coffee cart they always picked up a coffee to go before lectures or study sessions or hangouts on the quad. The amazing smoothie bar that didn’t actually overcharge students and gave decent portion sizes. The little independent cinema that always smelled like burnt popcorn and only ever had two films running at one time. The Terriers ice hockey games in general. Even the yoga classes where Jake would maintain – and show off – his flexibility had become a no-go for her, which felt ridiculous the more she thought about it.

Gracelyn particularly avoided ‘their spot’ near the Hatch Shell along the Charles River, the place they’d gone to at least once a week for nearly two and a half years, unable to get all of the time spent relaxing there together out of her head, the time they would just sit and watch the world go by.

Two and a half years of friendship, gone with the wind – and she never expected to see him again. How was she supposed to cope with that?

She knew all of her friends worried about her, hated how she retreated into her shell throughout the whole of Senior year. Gracelyn did try to keep up her life as it had been before, going to parties like she used to, hockey games with her friends, but after a particularly awkward party at the hockey house in November, Gracelyn was done.

After a mild intervention before the winter break with Maddie, Luisa, Jenny, Chanel, and Daisy, following a couple of weeks of complete hermit behaviour, Gracelyn made a compromise – she would no longer go to parties or have anything to do with the hockey team, but would still go to everything else. She just couldn’t – she and Jake had always found their way together, talking off to the side away from the chaos of that side of her old social life, and for all the parties she’d attempted to go to in September to November, she’d struggled more than she’d expected – so that was her bottom line, it had to be a big no.

So life went on – Gracelyn went to all the fun campus events she used to, still went out for lunches and dinners and girls nights and all the things she’d always done with hers friends, but for her own sanity she had to stop the major things that she associated with Jake. It was the only way she was going to get through her Senior year, the only way she was going to get through her heartbreak that wasn’t even really heartbreak.

At least studying for her final papers, her final exams, gave her all the genuine excuses she needed not have that social side of herself any more anyway.

When it came to finishing off her final week of exams in May, Gracelyn was drained. She pushed herself to her limits, maybe even further than she should’ve done, andby the time she stumbled back to her dorm after her final exam, it was all she could do to collapse onto her bed into a much-needed nap.

It wasn’t until hours later that a gentle hand shook her awake, the smell of Thai food filling nose.

“Wakey wakey sleeping beauty, I’ve brought dinner,” Maddie grinned.

Gracelyn blearily opened her eyes, sitting upright with more difficulty than she expected, accepting the offered food with a thankful groan that just made her friend laugh. The two of them ate quietly, the open window giving them the ambience of campus, and Gracelyn found herself smiling as she relaxed for what felt like the first time in ages.

“You’ve finished your final exam now, right?”

Gracelyn just nodded, smiling through the noodles in her mouth, making Maddie laugh. She knew that her roommate had finished two days ago, seeing as Gracelyn’s exams were some of the last of all the Seniors.

“So…there’s a hockey house party tonight…”

Gracelyn stopped chewing, narrowing her eyes, to which Maddie just laughed and held her hands up in surrender.

“I know you haven’t been to parties all year. Not since…he left. But this is our last big blow-out, you know? And you shouldn’t let a dumb boy ruin the last big college party, right?”

Gracelyn huffed out a breath, setting her food down to the side, just running a hand through her dishevelled hair. Parties just hadn’t been the same since Jake left in Junior year, especially not ones at the hockey house – she’d stopped going to them for a reason.

But maybe Maddie was right. Jake wasn’t here. He’d left. She was still here and she was graduating and she shouldn’t let herself feel so sour when she’d worked so hard. Fuck it. This was her last week of college – she wasn’t going to hold herself back any more.

“I’m going to need to shower. And shave my legs. And I have no idea what to wear,” Gracelyn eventually said.

Maddie just squealed, clapping her hands together.

“Go and shower now. Shave everything. Leave the outfit to me and the girls. Tonight is going to be the best night ever, okay?” Maddie said happily, whipping out her phone, no doubt to text their friends of the plans.

“Can I at least finish my food first?”

Maddie just laughed, not even looking up from where she was typing.

So Gracelyn took a shower, shaved, primped, and dressed up in clothes she hadn’t worn in months. The girls all rallied around her while they got ready too, all chipping in with her hair and make-up, making her heart clench in gratitude for her incredible friends and their love. The evening, the party, was going to be the best, just as Maddie had promised. She could feel it in her bones.

She knew that a few of her former social crowd glanced at her in surprise as their group walked through the hockey house, but Maddie didn’t give her a chance to get self-conscious in the grey bodycon dress, pressing a shot of vodka and a beer into her hands with a big smile.

“We’re graduating, motherfuckers!”

Jenny’s whoop raised a loud cheer in the kitchen, more shots being passed around quickly, and it allowed Gracelyn to relax a little in the familiar atmosphere, almost like nothing had changed at all. The whole evening passed in a blur of dancing and drinking and laughter and beer pong, Gracelyn sinking into the support of her girlfriends to let loose, finally shaking off all the tension and stress of the past few weeks of exams. Of the past year, if she was being honest.

It wasn’t until after 1am that the group separated out a little bit, Daisy and Gracelyn on the makeshift dancefloor with the other scattered through the kitchen, bathroom and outside. The two of them sang along to the upbeat Megan Thee Stallion song, dancing free and wild, until a cute guy shyly approached Daisy, dancing with her briefly before whispering in her ear and making Daisy giggle. Then her friend looked over to her, and Gracelyn knew exactly what she was silently asking.

“Go! Go make-out!” Gracelyn grinned, shooing Daisy away teasingly.

Her friend just giggled and smiled her thanks, slinking off deeper into the crowd with the cute guy, making her smile. Why shouldn’t her friend have a little fun, hey?

Gracelyn moved out to the edge of the dancefloor and glanced around the room, trying to spot Maddie or Luisa or Chanel or Jenny, but the person her eyes landed on instead made her audibly gasp. This wasn’t real. He wasn’t here. How could he be here?

What the hell. What was he doing here? Why was he back in Boston, after all this time? Why was he here right now at the same party was her?

Was she dreaming?

Then Jake turned his head and spotted her too, smiling widely.

No this was definitely a nightmare. Gracelyn couldn’t move as he walked over towards her, and it was all she could do to force a smile on her face as he stopped in front of her, towering over her as he always had.

“Hey Gracie. It’s been a while.”

Yeah no shit.

His sweet smile and gentle voice still sent shivers down her spine though.

“What are you doing here?” she asked coolly.

“I wanted to surprise everyone. I know I couldn’t finish off my degree here but that doesn’t mean I didn’t want to see everyone graduate.”

Wanted to surprise everyone? See everyone graduate?

Was he even going to tell her he was there?

Obviously not.

“Well it was nice to see you, Jake. Good luck next season,” she said, smiling politely.

The confused expression on his face, paired with his flinch at her tone of voice, almost made her defensive walls crumble down – but she’d made that mistake before, letting her guard down around him. Three years she spent letting him slowly take over her heart, and she knew that if she let him in one last time that she’d never recover. She just couldn’t handle it again.

“Gracie, wait,” he murmured, reaching out towards her.

Hearing her nickname fall from his lips was almost enough to stop her, but she stepped back ever so slightly out of his grasp, enough that his confusion turned to hurt.

“Goodbye, Jake,” she said softly.

And with that, she made herself walk off, heading straight for the kitchen, hoping to find someone, anyone, because by the time she’d steadied her breathing through the house, she was done. She was so done, with the hockey house, with the party, with the whole night. It was all she could do to force a smile on her face when she found a few of her friends in the kitchen – Maddie, Chanel, and Luisa – Maddie’s eyes immediately narrowing at her expression.

“Hey, I’m exhausted, it’s been such a long day. I’m going to head back to the dorms,” Gracelyn announced.

It was just past 2am now, so it wasn’t like she was being a killjoy. Chanel and Luisa booed teasingly, making her huff out a laugh, whereas Maddie just smiled sadly. Her best friend always knew how to read her mind.

“Do you want company on the walk back?” Maddie offered.

“No, no, it’s okay, please stay and enjoy the last hockey house party. The fresh air will do me good. Thank you though,” Gracelyn said, shaking her head.

She would always be grateful for Maddie.

“Brunch tomorrow, yes?” Chanel said, smiling as she pointed a taloned-fingernail faux-threateningly.

“Of course!” Gracelyn laughed, making the rest of the girls laugh too. “I wouldn’t miss it.”

With a round of hugs and the promise to text when she arrived back at the dorm, Gracelyn left the hockey house for the last time. She hated that tears were stinging at her eyes, closing yet another metaphorical and physical door, so she wasted no time in just starting to walk away, letting her feet guide her. By the time she’d managed to compose herself, she realised she’d somehow walked out to the Charles River, all the way down to her old spot with Jake near the Hatch Shell, and she just felt like crying for real this time.

Why here? Why now? Why did this have to be the ending of her college years?

She managed to blink the tears back as she sat down on their usual…old stone bench, just in time to hear footsteps coming towards her. Her heart clenched in her chest as she snapped her head in that direction, only to see Jake jogging towards her, his cheeks flushed and his eyes wild.

“Gracie! I was looking everywhere in the house for you. But when Maddie told me you left, I knew you’d end up here,” he said, breathless but relieved.

Maddie told him? That meddler. Gracelyn felt a lump rise in her throat at his words though. What did that even mean? What was he doing? Why did he even care?

“What do you want?” she asked, frowning.

“I wanted to see you. Wanted to talk to you. I couldn’t leave Boston again without talking to you. It’s kind of perfect that it’s by our old spot – I can’t get the memories of this place out of my head.”

November 2016.

“We should take a photo,” Jake said suddenly, digging in his coat pocket.

“What?”

“Well in that case…” she teased.

“Oh, well if you want to talk now, then go ahead!” Gracelyn said sharply.

Jake flinched again at her harsh tone of voice, looking even more confused than before.

“Why…what do you mean?”

“I haven’t heard from you in over a year. You stopped replying to my texts, you hurt me. But it’s all good now that you’ve shown up again and declared you want to talk, right? So go ahead. Talk. Tell me why you think you can just reappear in my life after leaving me alone,” Gracelyn said angrily.

The moment that the ranting words left her lips, she regretted them, even more so at the upset look on Jake’s face. Here it was, what she’d always feared would happen. She wished she could use the beer and shots as an excuse but she knew they were barely a factor after all of the dancing. She’d pushed too far this time. He was actually going to say goodbye for good. And why wouldn’t he? That’s what everyone else important in her life had always done.

Braced myself for the goodbye, 'Cause that's all I've ever known.

“I’ll never leave you alone again.”

His sudden words broke her out of her swirling thoughts.

“What?”

“I should never have left you behind, not without telling you how I feel about you.”

What the hell.

“Jake…”

“I have been such an idiot, Gracie. Such a coward. I remember how it felt sitting by the water here with you, letting the world pass by like nothing else mattered, like it was just you and me in our own little world. That first time we were here? I made you laugh, and your laugh was the best thing I’d ever heard. The smile you sent me after you’d stopped laughing made my heart beat like crazy. I wanted to kiss you right then and there, but I chickened out. Every time I looked at you after that, it was like the first time all over again. I don’t know when it happened, probably moments after I met you, but I fell in love with you a long time ago, and I wanted to tell you so many times. I should’ve told you, but I was so scared to ruin everything. Turns out me not saying anything ruined us anyway.”

His words washed over her like a wave, overwhelming in their honesty and emotion, and the more he spoke, the more Gracelyn felt like crying. This was how he felt about her? After all this time?

He was in love with her too?

He wasn’t saying goodbye?

“You loved me?” she managed to whisper.

Jake swallowed heavily but nodded, eyes starting to fill with hope. “Love. Present tense. I still love you, and I am so sorry for being too much of a coward to tell you last year. Am I too late?”

“Too late?” she asked, confused.

“Too late to have a chance with you?”

Oh.

“Jake, I…I don’t even know what to say. I’ve spent this whole last year trying to repair myself after you left with barely a goodbye, and now you just…you want to give us a chance? Just like that?”

The guilt that washed over Jake’s face sent a pang through her body, but she stayed silent, waiting for him to speak. She needed to know. He needed to tell her.

“I know you’ve guarded your heart. I know it’s for good reasons. But we’re not going to make your parents mistakes, Gracie. I never want to go a day without telling you how much I love you. I don’t want to spend another day apart. I don’t know where I’ll be next season – I might start down in the AHL but it’s likely I’ll be called up again. But I’ve got to know…will you come with me?”

“To Texas? You want me to move in with you in Texas?”

Her mind was swirling, even more overwhelmed, her emotions choking up her throat as her jaw dropped slightly. That was the last thing she was expecting. Was this too sudden? Was she holding back for no reason?

“Shit, I shouldn’t be asking you that at 2.30am. I’m so sorry, so stupid,” Jake groaned, running his hands through his hair.

“You’re not stupid,” she said quickly, gently pulling his hands back down, “I just…it’s a lot? Let me think about it?”

“Of course. Whatever you need, I…”

He trailed off, an old familiar look of hesitance and self-deprecation in his eyes, enough to make her heart pang. Enough to make up her mind, at least a little bit.

“I love you too, Jake,” she murmured, smiling slightly as his breath caught in his throat, “I’ve loved you for longer than I care to admit. I was trying to build up my confidence to tell you but then it was too late, you know? When you left, and slowly stopped messaging me, it broke my heart. I know you were busy working your ass off in Texas and I am so proud of you for chasing your dreams…but it still hurt so much. I spent all of this last year essentially back in the way that you first met me, introverted and quiet – tonight was the first party I’d been to since November. But I still love you. I don’t think I could ever stop.”

As she spoke, she watched his face shift from happy to sad to devastated to hopeful. She’d missed how expressive he was, especially around her, especially because of her, even if it was terrifying to share all of her thoughts and feelings with him. Things she’d never said to anyone, not even her closest friends. But here she was, confessing everything, hoping that the tears slowly trickling down her face were the only ones she’d cry over him again.

Jake stayed silent for a moment, raising a hand to wipe away her tears, letting his hand cup her face briefly, just long enough for the warmth to seep through his skin to hers before he dropped his hand again.

“I’ll never be able to make up for making you feel like this for so long, I know that. But I’m hoping you’ll give me a chance to start over, to finally start us as we should’ve always been. To show you how much I love you.”

It was everything she’d ever hoped to hear, over the three years they spent as friends and the past year alone. Was it enough? Could she trust him? Could she trust herself?

“I have no idea what I’m going to do with my life, Jake. I know I’m not moving back home, but other than that? I don’t have any job or career lined up yet. I have no idea what I’m doing with my life after brunch tomorrow with the girls. But maybe you can walk me home tonight…and we can talk tomorrow.”

“Yeah, yeah, we can do that. I’d love that,” Jake said quickly, eagerly, “Maybe I could stay until after commencement weekend? There’s literally nowhere else I’d rather be.”

There’s literally nowhere else she’d want him to be either.

So she huffed out a laugh, nodding, heart starting to beat that little bit faster as he took one of her hands in his, threading their fingers together. She stayed silent as he stood up, hands staying linked as she stood up too, Jake just as silent as her. It was only when he lifted their joint hands to his lips, pressing a gentle kiss to the back of her hand that she made any sound, a soft sigh of his name, just loud enough for Jake to hear.

It was his answering smile that gave her hope.

Do you remember all the city lights on the water? You saw me start to believe for the first time, You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter, You are the best thing that's ever been mine.

#my writing #jake oettinger fic #summer fic exchange 2k23 #jake oettinger imagine #jake oettinger fanfic #jake oettinger x oc #nhl writing #nhl fic #nhl imagine #hockey writing #hockey fic #hockey imagine

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tessa-liam · 7 months

Text

Turning the Page

I'm the Problem -4-

Choices, The Royal Romance AU

Series Premise: As Riley Brooks journeys through life as a single parent in New York City, an epiphany strikes as she contemplates the future for herself and her two-year-old son.

Turning the Page Masterlist

Main Pairing: Liam Rys x F!MC Riley Brooks

All characters belong to Pixelberry, except William Brooks (Rys) and Matteo Magro, who belong to this series.

Category: On-going series, contains angst/fluff/depression.

Rating: M🔞Warnings - crude language – not Beta’d - please excuse all errors.

Words: 2490

Turning the Page

I’m the Problem – 4

Chapter Summary: Maxwell returns to Cordonia and sets out to find a solution for Riley while simultaneously keeping her secret. Madeleine announces her truth. Liam and Leo make plans to visit New York City.

Music & Title Inspiration: Anti-Hero, Taylor Swift

A/N1: In this alternate universe, after King Constantine orchestrates two individual scandals to humiliate and entrap Riley Brooks and Olivia Nevrakis in shame, Madeleine Amaranth secures her position as the Queen of Cordonia. Riley, as the King’s mistress and Olivia, in self-imposed exile. Tariq is never found.

A/N2: My submission for @choicesflashfics, Week #54, Prompt 3 - “Go on, say it...You were right.”

A/N3: My submission for @choicesoctober2023, Seasonal: Autumn/leaves

Cordonian Royal Palace, Capital

The cool autumn breeze rustled the leaves that adorned the grand courtyard of the Cordonian palace. It was a Friday afternoon, and the sun cast a warm, amber glow over the grounds. Queen Madeleine stood atop a raised stage, the center of attention. Flanked by Kiara and Penelope, she prepared to make an announcement that would send shockwaves throughout the Kingdom.

Madeleine’s icy demeanor and calculated actions had earned her the monicker, ‘Ice Queen’ by the people of Cordonia. Her reputation was one of coolness and sometimes unkindness, a stark contrast to the warmth and compassion expected of a queen. She had proven herself a formidable figure, always ten steps ahead of those who dared to challenge her.

As the whispers of the court swirled around her, the queen’s gaze never wavered. Her sharp, emerald eyes scanned the crowd, filled with anticipation. The reason for this gathering was a secret closely guarded until now, and even those closest to her were unaware of what was about to unfold; except for the queen mother, Regina, who stepped onto the stage in solidarity. Her mother, delighted for her daughter, remained in Fydelia; to watch the press conference on-line. Her father, in disagreement with his daughter to come forward, remained defiant but was in attendance.

The father of the child she was carrying was not King Liam, her husband and the ruler of Cordonia, but a royal from Morocco.

Godfrey watched from the sidelines, with a mixture of anger and pride. He always had ambitions for his daughter since her birth, wanting her to wear the crown that had been promised to their family by King Constantine. When Crown prince Leo abdicated, it had opened the door for Madeleine to pursue the crown once more, this time with King Liam as her partner.

But Liam harbored a deep loathing for Madeleine. Theirs was an arranged marriage, after he had been unhappily separated from his American suitor; a scandal orchestrated by none other than Godfrey himself. He had believed that by tearing his true love apart, he could pave the way for Madeleine to ascend the throne by using Liam’s sense of duty against him.

Yet, despite his selfish intentions and machinations, Madeleine found herself pregnant with a child from a foreign Royal. A fate Godfrey did not foresee and did not prepare for.

Olivia stood beside Liam, along with the members of the Royal council to stand in unity with their King. Watching the press conference from a third-floor balcony overlooking the Royal courtyard; the mood was somber, the future of the kingdom hung in the balance.

Olivia had presented the recently uncovered proof with the damning documents and letters to the Royal council. All of the materials originating from the Duchy of Karlington in England, at Godfrey’s behest. Along with proof, that Tariq had been paid handsomely by King Constantine for his part in the scandal.

Liam’s heart swelled with a strange mix of emotions today– anger, betrayal, guilt, and relief that Madeleine's ambition was finally being exposed for all to see. The paparazzi, sensing a controversy of epic proportions, jostled for position at the front, their cameras flashing like lightning. Prepared to fire questions at their queen, and demanding answers; eager to capture every detail of this historic event.

With a calm, but resolute voice, Madeleine announced, “Good afternoon and thank you all for your interest.” Looking out towards the crowd of attendees, her vision blurred with unshed tears, she took a deep, shuddered breath.

“I am here today to formally announce that I am with child.”

The court gasped, and the people of Cordonia exchanged glances filled with a mixture of shock, curiosity, and judgement. Madeleine’s carefully constructed façade had cracked, revealing vulnerability beneath a frosty exterior.

“My future is uncertain at this point. The child I carry may not be the heir you all expected, but it is a future I am prepared to face, whatever it may hold.”

The fallout from this revelation would shape the destiny of Cordonia in ways no one could predict.

***

JFK International Airport, U.S.A.

The cool autumn air swept through the bustling JFK International Airport, carrying with it a sense of finality. Riley stood beside Maxwell, the noisy commotion of travelers around them seemed to fade into the background as they shared a moment of quiet understanding.

“I can't thank you enough, Maxwell,” Riley said, her voice filled with gratitude. “For everything.”

Maxwell smiled warmly; His eyes reflecting the sincerity in hers. “It's been my pleasure, ‘little blossom’. You've brought a light back to my world that I didn't even know I was missing.”

Riley glanced down at the toy airplane in her hand, a small token of Maxwell’s affection for William. “I'll make sure Li gets this … from his uncle Max. He's going to love it.”

Maxwell nodded, a wistful look in his eyes. “He's lucky to have you in his life, just like I've been lucky to know you, Riley.”

As the boarding call echoed through the terminal, they exchanged a final lingering hug. “Remember, this meeting stays between us. It's our secret,” Riley whispered, her voice barely above a breath.

Maxwell nodded again, understanding the weight of their shared secret. The cruel clause that Madeleine added to the Cordonian arrangement. “You have my word. This is between us and no one else.”

With a final smile. Maxwell turned to join the queue of passengers, disappearing into the crowd. Riley watched him go, her heart heavy with a mixture of sadness and hope. She knew that this moment marked another turning point. Not just for Maxwell and herself, but for William as well.

As she turned to leave the airport lobby, she noticed a small display of souvenirs nearby. Her eyes fell on a Statue of Liberty keychain; a replica of the one that she had given to Liam on the night of his coronation. The memories flooded back, and she could not help but reach for it.

The key chain felt cool in her hand, its familiar weight was comforting. She paid for the little statue, tucking it alongside the gift from Maxwell, carefully into her bag. They were more than just trinkets. They were symbols of the two worlds she straddled, the two hearts she held dear.

With one last glance back at the bustling airport Riley turned and made her way out into the brisk, autumn New York City morning. She knew that even though a chapter was closing, the story was far from over. As she hailed a cab, she felt a renewed sense of purpose.

Cordonian Royal Palace, Capital

Liam stared out of the window of his study, his thoughts a turbulent storm within him. The revelation of Madeleine's pregnancy had torn through the kingdom like wildfire. It had left him with mixed emotions; relief that his marriage was over, anger at the combined deceptions against him, and a reminder of his profound regret of losing Riley, the woman who still held his heart. The world had seen the cracks in his kingdom's facade, yesterday, and the weight of it all was taking its toll on him.

As he contemplated his future and the steps to be taken to rebuild his kingdom's reputation, there came a familiar knock at the door. Liam turned his attention away from the view of the palace gardens and called out, "Enter."

Bastien opened the door and announced, "Your Majesty, Prince Leo is here to see you."

Leo stepped into the study, with a concerned expression on his face. He was aware of the turmoil that had engulfed his younger brother’s life. They had shared a close bond when they were younger, one forged by the trials and tribulations of their upbringing as princes. Although regrettably, after he abdicated, he wasn’t around for Liam. Without a word, Leo walked over and embraced his brother, offering a comforting presence.

Liam sighed deeply, the weight of his responsibilities threatening to crush him. "Leo, you have no idea how glad I am to see you. Thank you for coming on such short notice."

Leo’s eyes narrowed in on Liam, the concern deepening.

“You have always been the strong one, Liam. But now, it's okay to lean on someone else. The whole kingdom has been in turmoil since that press conference broke. You are not alone in this. We'll get through it together."

Liam nodded, appreciating the support. "I'm done with that sham of a marriage, Leo. I should have listened to you and trusted my instincts long ago. Go on, say it. You were right."

Leo gave a reassuring pat on Liam's back. "It's never easy to see the truth when you're in the midst of it.”

After placing two crystal tumblers and a bottle of Macallen’s on the desk, Leo took a seat across from Liam and poured scotch into each glass and slid one across the desktop.

“What are your plans now, Li?”

Liam’s jaw tightened, without hesitating. “First, I need to find Riley. I cannot let her slip away from my life, Leo. She means everything to me, and I’ve made a colossal mess of things. I must apologize and beg for her forgiveness. I hope that she will find it in her heart to understand.”

Liam leaned back in his chair, considering more options. "And, I'll have to address the kingdom. We need to rebuild our family reputation and assure our people that we're still dedicated to their well-being."

Leo nodded in agreement. "That's a good start. I am happy that you are not forgetting about yourself, Liam. You deserve happiness too. You should reach out to Riley, talk to her."

Liam's expression softened at the mention of Riley's name. He knew Leo was right. "I am the problem, Leo. I need to make amends. But first, there's something I need to ask of you."

Leo raised an eyebrow, curious. "What's that?"

With a determined glint in his eye, Liam replied, "I need to attend the U.N. conference in New York City. It's time to strengthen our presence on the international stage and show the world that the Kingdom of Cordonia is still standing strong."

Leo smiled and clapped his brother on the shoulder. "That's the spirit, Liam! But I have a better plan for you to consider.”

Liam looked at his brother with interest. “How so?”

“Let Olivia look after Cordonia and I will attend that party and put on a show they'll never forget.”

Liam chuckled, shaking his head. “Leo, that includes speeches, meetings, dinners …”

“Yeah, bro … not my first rodeo.” Leo grinned, mischievously.

As the two brothers continued to discuss their plans for New York, the weight on Liam's shoulders seemed to lighten.

Throne Room, Cordonian Palace

The Cordonian throne room, adorned with opulent tapestries and bathed in the soft glow of crystal chandeliers was filled to capacity. Journalists and dignitaries from across the Kingdom had gathered, their expectant gazes fixed upon the ornate golden throne.

King Liam stood before his throne, flanked by Leo and Olivia with a few trusted advisors. He took a deep breath, stealing himself for the task at hand. He could not allow the instability to persist in his absence, while in New York City.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Liam began, his voice projecting with regal authority, “I stand before you today to address the recent revelations concerning my Queen. I understand the concerns and questions that have arisen in the wake of the news presented by Madeleine, and I owe it to you, my people, to be forthright.”

He paused, allowing the gravity of the moment to settle. Murmurs and camera flashes filled the room.

“I have chosen to confront this issue with transparency and grace, as I believe it is my duty to lead with integrity. Madeleine 's past actions are her own, and she has taken responsibility for them. She has chosen to face the consequences, as we all must when we err.”

The room was silent, captivated by his words.

“I implore you to remember that as a Kingdom and society, we must learn to forgive and to grant the opportunity for redemption. Madeleine, like all of us, is capable of change and growth; albeit not in my Kingdom.”

Liam's gaze swept the room, taking in the expressions of the gathered audience, some skeptical, some understanding, but all listening intently.

“While I address this matter, I want to assure you that the governance of our Kingdom remains steadfast. My commitment to our people remains unwavering, and I will continue to lead with the same dedication and determination that you have come to expect from me.”

He could sense the tension in the room began to ease, replaced by a quiet sense of hope and understanding. The support of his people was vital to maintain stability during this trying time.

“I will now take leave to address the situation abroad,” Liam concluded. “I am heading to New York in pursuit of a personal matter. Rest assured, the affairs of our Kingdom are well attended to in my absence, and we will emerge from this challenge stronger, united and more resilient than ever. Thank you all for your attention.”

With those words, Liam descended from the dais, surrounded by his Royal guard, chased by camera flashes and questions posed.

With the press statement concluded, Liam made his way back to his study where Bastien awaited him.

“Your Majesty, the jet is ready and our contacts in America have been alerted,” Bastien reported.

“Thank you, Bastien,” Liam responded. “Leo … let's not waste any more time.”

As the jet soared through the sky, bound for New York, Liam's thoughts were a whirlwind of emotions and uncertainties. He knew that finding Riley was only the beginning. His challenge was to win her back.

Thanks for reading❤️

📌All fics & edits: @ao719 @txemrn @queenmiarys @sfb123 @twinkleallnight @alj4890 @differenttyphoonwerewolf @harleybeaumont @busywoman @karahalloway @kingliam2019 @imjusthereforliam @lovingchoices14 @kyra75 @tinkie1973 @emkay512 @malblk21 @kristinamae093 @charlotteg234

📌TRR/TRF Liam & Riley @jared2612 @irisk12 @thesvnsins @walkerdrakewalker @emersyn-in-cordonia @mainstreetreader @belencha77 @iluaaa @mysticalfangirl @queenwalton @bascmve01 @umccall71 @choicesfrog @amandablink

📌Submissions @choicesficwriterscreations @choicesflashfics @choicesmonthlychallenge

#tessa liam writes #king liam #liam #liam rys #riley brooks #the royal romance #trr #trr fanfic #king liam rys #always liam and riley #trr liam x oc #choices #turning the page #choicesoctober2023

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thatsdemko · 1 year

Text

my tiny collection of works inspired by the queen herself, Taylor swift. 🫶

paper rings

cruel summer

this love

you are in love

delicate

Tim McGraw

I think he knows

lover

you belong with me

the story of us good riddance (part two)

the archer

you’re on your own, kid

#hockey imagines #hockey #f1 imagines #f1 imagine #hockey imagine #taylor swift #thatsdemko collection #thatsdemko masterlist #imagines #arthur leclerc #mitch marner #lando norris #mason mount #Carlos sainz

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avalynlestrange · 8 months

Text

Love Story

Theodore Nott x Reader

Reader: she/her pronouns

youtube

Warnings: None I don’t think? I didn’t proof read

Category: Fluff, Modern Timeline AU, One-Shot, Songfic

Summary: In which Theodore surprises you with Eras Tour tickets.

No Sneak Peaks 😋

Request: @lucywritess requested based on @annaisabookworm ‘s post

Author’s Note: Hope you enjoy~ <3 This was really fun to write

Word Count: 1k

To The Library (my masterlist)

To The Kitchen (my WIPs)

To more Theodore Nott fics

To Fearless TV Anthology

You were quite upset when you couldn’t buy tickets to Taylor Swift’s Era’s tour. You had your boyfriend, Theodore, wait for the tickets during his work at the ministry whilst you were at home on a day off. However, neither of you managed to get any tickets.

Pansy didn’t get any tickets either, so she planned on throwing an era’s party instead at her family’s summer house. The theme, ofcourse, is to dress as an era.

“I’ve nearly finished my outfit!” You squeal. Theo slides his office chair to peep in your office.

On the tailor’s dummy was a blurple body suit inspired by Taylor’s Midnights Costume. The sparkles brings you so much joy but not as much as Theo’s coupling outfit.

“That looks gorgeous, sweetheart.” He eyes the outfit up and down.

“And you’re going to look fantastic next to me in your chair t-shirt!” You grin at him.

The doorbell rings and you jump in excitement.

“That must be my matching dress shirt and boots!~” You sing as you sprint to the front door.

Meanwhile, Theodore walks to the garage to place something in the boot of the car. He smiles to himself and sends a text to Pansy.

Theo: ‘Make sure to text her that your party changed venue to the one near the stadium so she doesn’t suspect us driving near there.’

Pansy: ‘Duh! I got you dude! I can’t wait for you two to get back from the concert!!!!’

Theo: ‘Thanks. I hope it goes well.’

“Babe! The beads are here we gotta make some more bracelets! Pansy said she’s invited a lot of people!” He hears you shouting from the kitchen.

“I’ll be there in a minute.”

⳾*⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*⳾

The day of the party is the same day as the concert. Pansy told you she set it up that way since she knew a lot of Swifties that were in the same position as the both of you. You were even more thrilled when she mentioned she managed to book a venue near the stadium so that you can hear Queen Swift herself through the echoes of the speakers of the concert.

You stayed up all night to make bracelets and finish off your body suit. It was all worth it. Theo suggest that you can always nap on the way to the event and that’s what you did. He brought you a pillow and placed your to-go make up bag in the glove compartment so you can touch up beforehand.

When you arrived he gentle wakes you.

“Darling, we’re here. I couldn’t find a parking space near the venue but I luckily found one in the stadium.” He lies but you are still prying your eyes open to realise.

Whilst you applied some make up to correct smudges, Theo goes to the boot of the car and places items in his jacket pocket. He walks to your car door and opens it.

“Ready my sweet?” He offers you a hand that you gladly take. He starts leading you towards one of the entrances of the stadium.

“Where are you going? Isn’t the venue the other way?” You ask, puzzled. Still you allow him to walk you closer and closer to entrance.

“Maybe we can go in and buy some merch before we go to the party?” His hand is firm in yours ensuring you don’t detour back to the opposite direction.

“Babe it doesn’t work like that.”

“Oh well then good thing I have these.” He takes out two V.I.P. lanyards.

You are speechless as he puts one of them on you. When reality hit you, you jump up and hug him.

“I can’t believe you did this for me!” You sniffle.

“Hey hey! Save your tears for Miss Swift.”

⳾*⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*❀⑅*⳾

Nothing could beat this feeling.

You are standing in front of the stage. Your Theo had bought you both front standing tickets. It is all like a fever dream. You exchange your bracelets with other fans and they appreciate your couples costume so much that some even asked to take photos with you.

And to add even more delight, Theo brought a muggle polaroid camera to capture your experience.

The countdown clock hits 5 seconds and the lights dim.

🎵 It’s been a long time coming 🎵

You, along with thousands of fans scream at the top of your lungs. Theo smiles and captures a photo. Jumping and singing throughout the concert. Slow dancing with Theo during ballads.

Theo swears the twinkle in your eyes is shining brighter than anything on the stage. Even brighter when the first notes of your couple song plays.

🎵 We were both young when I first saw you 🎵

You had met in first year of Hogwarts on the boats leading up to the castle. He saved you from falling off it when you thought you saw a mermaid tail swimming near the surface.

🎵 You were Romeo & you were throwing pebbles 🎵

Literally happened in fourth year. Theo on his broom throwing rocks at your bedroom door during summer holidays when he was missing you. Your family weren’t very happy with the broken window but did find it very sweet. Young love.

🎵 Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone 🎵

You both focus on each other than the crowds and the performance. Bodies swaying together, Theo twirling you, and kisses during music breaks in the song.

🎵 And my daddy said stay away from Juliet 🎵

Flashbacks to when your family disapproved of Theo when his father was sent to Azkaban. But you both fought for your love and here you were now.

🎵This love is difficult but it’s so real 🎵

Your family eventually embraced him when they saw how he protected you throughout the second wizarding war. Not a scar was on you. He made sure of it.

🎵 Is this in my head I don’t know what to think 🎵

Theo kneels down and pulled out a ring and mouthed the words to you.

“Yes yes yes!” You cry out as he places the ring on your finger.

He picks you up and swirls you. You were wrong earlier. This is the best you’ve felt in your life.

#Taylor swift #the eras tour #Theodore nott x reader #Theodore nott x you #Theodore nott fluff #avalynlestrangewrites #theodore nott imagines #theodore nott fic #theodore nott fanfiction #Pansy Parkinson #Slytherin

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cialovesklopp · 8 months

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𝐀𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐀 𝐈𝐌𝐀𝐍𝐈 𝐒𝐔𝐄𝐒 𝐄𝐕𝐀𝐍 𝐇𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍

𝒔𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒂𝒓𝒚 — in which amara is done with being nice and decides to sue her ex-boyfriend for defamation with the support of her friends and lover

𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕 — @aechii @lorarri

masterlist

Hold onto your seats because it just got messy and we are expecting a lot! Just when we thought Amara Imani had closed the old chapter with ex-boyfriend Evan Henderson, she takes him to court for a captivating legal battle. So buckle up, dear readers because lawsuits always have include unexpected twists, emotions and ugly truths.

Yes, you heard right— pop queen and music star Amara Imani is not holding back and is suing her the millionaire heir for defamation. We all remember that particular interview Evan gave about the break up— well, it seems as if not only did it cost her a lot of money, but she is also blaming him for the fallout that led to the heartbreaking cancellation of her tour.And let's not forget the web of lies Evan spun, further adding salt to her wounds. Ouch!

And that lawsuit couldn’t have come at a worse time for Henderson. Still fresh from the heartache of his spilt with model Kaia Gerber, he had even confirmed that he had played with the idea of rekindling with ex Amara Imani — and just like that she serves him the manila folder. They do say, revenge, is best served icy cold.

And yet the pain runs even deeper for Henderson as he watches his former sweetheart enjoy the power of love. While Evan Henderson finds himself entangled in a web of failed relationships, with more break-ups than fingers on hands, Amara Imani is reeking and blooming of love. From adorable Instagram stories that drop a few hints about her mysterious new love interest to being spotted numerous times in the romantic streets of Paris, Amara has the world swooning.

But that's not all – get ready for even more music! Imani has teased fans with snippets of new music that is about to come, including two more songs for the deluxe version of Mon Amour. It seems that her new found inspiration is nurturing her well with motivation.

A world wide hunt is on to find out who Amara Imani’s new beau is, with fans dying to know who she declared her love to. The internet turned into detectives, trying to piece together the clues and whispers to uncover the identity of this lucky soul. After Imani posted a picture, where she quoted Taylor swift ‘karma is the guy on the screen, coming straight how to me’, we now find actor Timothée Chalamet (Imani was rumored once to have a fling with), singer Harry Styles (that already expressed his admiration for the black singer) and F1 driver Pierre Gasly (who Imani was seen partying with) as top contenders. We’re all for sure curious as we wait for the revelation of Imani herself.

But don’t worry dear readers, we will update you regularly with news and hope to soon find out who captured Amara Imani’s heart.

𝐈𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐌

𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐲𝐰𝐨𝐨𝐝-𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛.𝐠𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐩

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hollywood-celeb.gossip just after breaking up with evan henderson, kaia gerber was seen on several dates with newly single actor austin butler. seems like there’s a new star couple

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username wasn’t it reported that evan was proposing?

username all the evan fans now jumping from the amara hate train to the kaia hate train

username i’m just glad that everyone understands now that amara was never the problem

username FR they were dragging her name when it’s clear that he’s the one with issues

username another fame gold digger after evan, look how fast she switched

username kaia was never a gold digger, she’s also a nepo baby

username i swear to god, no one can keep up anymore with the amount of girlfriends he changes

username i just wanna know why kaia even decided to break up with him

username we all know no one bought their mutual break up shit with the way kaia’s already dating austin butler

𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐚.𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢

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amara.imani gracey appreciation post because she’s better than yours (do not ask me what i was wearing in the last picture, idk myself)

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mayumiiyuu · 2 years

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ok i know i just requested something yesterday, BUT I HAVE A REALLY GOOD SONG FIC IDEA - steve harrington x reader and the song is you belong with me by taylor swift where steve’s dating a cheerleader and the reader and him have been best friend’s since forever but the reader has had a huge crush on him, I THINK IT’D BE SO CUTE

s. harrington || you belong with me

A/N: my personal thanks to u and our lord and savior, source of all my inspiration: ms. taylor alison swift

The day you met Steve Harrington was one you couldn’t quite remember, granted the two of you had been in kindergarten then. Your mother loves to recount the story on your birthdays, how he had stolen your favorite crayons and you retaliated by flicking your mashed potatoes at him. Eventually, you both made up and bonded over finger painting, and you both had been inseparable since.

Even through the awkward years of pre pubescent middle school kids to the more intimidating environment that was high school, you both had managed to remain as good friends, best friends, that was, when Steve wasn't out with his other more well known friends.

Of course you saw it coming, even from miles away, as you and Steve first set foot on the High School campus, you knew deep down that he would be swept away by the popular crowd, because even you had to admit that he was charming, the fact that he had perfect hair only ever boosted his reputation.

Passing notes and always spending you lunches together turned into short 'hi's' and 'hello's' as you passed each other by in the hallways, every time Steve and you had managed to snatch some alone time to talk, somehow one of his friends always managed to barge in, dragging Steve away with him.

Despite how dejected you felt whenever he was taken away from you, you let him go each time. It wasn't as if you were together anyway, you and Steve? The king of Hawkins High with some band geek nobody? Not a chance.

After years of being friends with the Steve Harrington, absolute heartthrob of the school, could anyone truly blame you if you told them you'd had a crush on him since the fourth grade?

For years you had buried whatever feelings you had for him deep inside you, locked up in a dungeon of your own creation along with all your dreams of becoming a ballerina or astronaut.

You convinced yourself it was never going to happen, especially now that he was currently dating the captain of the cheerleading team who also happened to be one of your biggest bullies, none other than the queen of hell herself: Heather McNamara.

You told yourself it was natural, predictable even. She was pretty, she was popular, she was actually a really talented cheer leader, and she made him smile--despite how she tormented you, you tried to force down the bile that crawled up your throat whenever you saw his arm slung around her shoulder, the little kisses she would throw him while she did her cheer routines as he played basketball, while you were the one stuck on the bleachers.

Curse the stupid made up hierarchy that was high school.

Although you and Steve seemed to be drifting apart while at school, that wasn't the case at all outside of class. Sometimes, every after school when you didn't have band practice and Steve didn't have whatever sports practice he was into at the time, you would both spend afternoon until night driving around Hawkins, with music turned up and the windows down as you two yelled out the lyrics to your favorite songs.

Those were the moments you liked most, where you could be you, and he could be the Steve you always knew him to be.

Then he'd drive you both home, which was easy, considering the fact that your houses were right next to each other, with his bedroom window only a few feet away from yours. When you were little, to avoid waking any of your parents up, you and Steve would communicate with big pads of paper, chatting through writing way past your bedtime.

You smiled at that memory.

"And then Heather said 'I'll bring my own cassette tapes next time,' like, um, what? Y'know, if she didn't like my music she could've just said that and I would've turned it off, I don't know why she had to be so passive aggressive about it, and her tone was just--"

You furrow your brows and shake your head. "Dude, if that annoyed you so much why don't you just talk to her about it?"

Steve groans. "That's the thing! Whenever I try to talk to her about something that's bothering me that she does, she always twists my words and make it so that I'm the villain! I mean-- that's not fair!"

You huff, giving him an incredulous look. "If it's like that every time you confront her for stuff that she does to make you feel bad, why are you still with her then?"

"Because!" Steve starts, shrugging. "I don't know, I think I might really like her, she could be the one, y'know."

You let out a fake barfing noise. "Gross, keep that sentimentality away from me please."

"You know, I think you'd have a better understanding if you were in the same situation." He says before turning the steering wheel down towards the park you were supposed to be going to.

You scoff, turning in your seat to face him. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean," Steve inhales before blowing out of his mouth. "You've been single for like, the longest time, (y/n), you sure there aren't any cute band geeks you're hanging out with?"

"As if I'd ever want to be all mushy gushy with someone like that." You roll your eyes for what seemed to be the tenth time during this car ride. "Like 'oh babe how are you, I missed you so much', 'oh baby I missed you too'." You tease, mimicking Steve's deep voice and Heather’s high pitched one as you say those words, right before putting your fingers together and making your hands kiss while imitating kissing noises.

"Hey! Stop that." Steve whines, slapping your hands down as you giggle.

"Now I get why no one wants to date you." He murmurs, but you hear his words perfectly, causing you to punch him square on the bicep.

"Ow! Hey, I was just joking, alright? You're great, (y/n), I'm sure you'll find someone soon."

"Last time I checked, Harrington, I don't need to date anyone simply in order to boost my popularity, okay?" You retaliate, crossing your arms.

"Ouch, (y/n), you make me seem so vain." Steve places a hand over his heart to feign hurt.

You laugh sarcastically before looking at him while batting your lashes. "Glad you noticed."

He rolls his eyes at you, nudging your forehead with his fingers and you laugh.

You'll find someone someday, his words echo in your mind.

But as you watch him laugh and smile with joy as he turns up the volume to his favorite song with the afternoon sun pouring through the car window to illuminate his face in gold, you didn't need to look any further.

Because you had already found someone.

...

It was a typical Tuesday night, your current favorite song blasting through your speakers as you read a book that you needed to understand for class. Unable to even remotely understand the author's words in their 19th century grammar, you let your mind wander as you stared at the page.

Prom was coming soon, and there was no doubt in your mind that Steve would be crowned prom king, along with his snooty little girlfriend.

You sigh, shutting the book. You spot Steve in his room from the view you had into his bedroom window, he was pacing around the room, the phone wire getting caught in his chair before he yanked it out.

You didn't know exactly what was going on, but you saw his animated hand gestures, the frustration on his face as he ran his hand through his hair.

With your eyebrows knitted together, you get off your bed, making your way towards your window. Steve finally slams the phone down, his face tinged with red from all the yelling he had done. He catches your eye, and you give him a concerned look through your window. He quirks his eyebrows, shrugs, and shakes his head.

Swiftly, you grab the big sketchbook that you usually reserved for your art classes, writing a message to him in big black letters with your sharpie.

He looks at you with confusion as you scribble down your message, his eyebrows turning upwards as he realizes what you were doing.

'Are you okay?' It read.

He grabs his own pad of paper, the yellow pad he was supposed to use to take notes in, scrawling his own message in black marker.

'Not really.' He replied.

You shoot him a frown.

'What happened?'

He shakes his head, sighing, before turning the pad of paper towards you, revealing his message.

'We had a fight again :('

The sad face he doodled almost makes you laugh. He was still the same dorky Steve under that popular mask he wore after all.

'Sorry about that'

He comes closer towards his window, opening up the latch to slide the window pane upwards.

"You wanna go for a walk?" He calls out.

You smile, opening up your own window. "Sure."

...

You sneak your way into the kitchen and out the back door, memories of doing the same sneaking out as kids when either of you were grounded replay in your mind.

You carefully unlatch the gate to his backyard, making sure there would be no noise to alert anyone, tiptoeing your way up the back porch until you stood at his own back door, waiting.

"Hey." He greets, eyes not meeting yours.

"Hey," You smile. "Everything okay?"

He makes his way past you, shaking his head while you follow him.

"No, not really."

"What happened?"

"She," He hesitates, shoving his hands into his jacket pockets. "She broke up with me."

You feel bad for him, you do, but if that meant him finally being free of a toxic relationship, you couldn't help but feel relieved.

"Oh." Is all you manage to say.

"But I'm gonna get her back." He says with conviction, nodding his head as his eyes looked far away into the horizon, as if he was imagining the ways he would somehow win her back.

You furrow your eyebrows and scoff, which catches his attention and snaps him out of his daydream.

"What?" He says, bewildered and confused by your reaction.

"You're kidding, right?"

"No? I'm serious, I'm gonna win her back, just wait and see."

You roll your eyes, incredulous at his response.

"Why? You don't even like her that much!"

"How could you even know that? You don't know me!" He cries out, emphasizing his words with wild hand gestures.

"That's another thing you're wrong about, Steve, I do know you, and I know that you're making one of the biggest mistakes in your life." You say the last few words with a hint of cynical laughter in your voice.

"Where the hell is this even coming from, (y/n)? I really like this chick, what more is there to it?"

"Oh so you 'really like this chick' but you just so happen to complain about her all the time?"

Steve stammers for a moment. "Love's complicated like that, I don't know, I just know that I need to take her to prom too--"

"Oh so that's it!" You exclaim sarcastically, moving your hands into wild gestures of their own. "Steve, the king of Hawkins High, is afraid to go to prom without a date."

"Yeah, well, at least I actually have the chance to have a date on my arm, not sure I can say the same thing about you, can I?" He seethes.

You squint your eyes at him in disbelief. "You're seriously bringing that up right now?"

He shrugged. "I figured that since you were such an expert about love you'd be in a relationship oh no wait," Steve points at you. "You're not."

You let out a laugh devoid of any joy. "At least I don't go out with people who aren't good for me for the sake of keeping my social status." You reply, words dripping with poison.

"Yeah well, at least people know me. I mean, who even are you at school besides the band geek who follows Steve Harrington around like a lost little puppy?"

You lick your lips, resolve faltering. "Is that really what you think of me?"

Steve sucks in a breath, closing his eyes as he rubs them, then shakes his head. "No, no, (y/n), I--"

"You know what? Fine, I'll stop following you around like a lost puppy. As far as I know, you're on your own, Harrington." You say, anger bubbling in your veins as you stomp away from him.

You don't even notice the look of regret in his eyes as you turn your back.

...

It had been a week since you last stopped talking to Steve, avoiding him at all costs whenever you were at school, closing the curtains to your window to make your one message very clear: Don't talk to me.

Sometimes you wondered what happened to the two of you. You two used to be like two peas in a pod, he told you everything there was to know about him, his entire life story.

Steve felt nothing but guilt as you brushed past him in the hallways, barely even sparing him a glance. He remembers those days where the two of you would sneak out to go on walks, or 'nightly adventures' as you two used to call it growing up. He recounts the moments he'd spend with you, sharing secrets, hopes, and dreams under the stars. He had told you everything there was to him. Steve was stubborn, but he knew you were right; you did know him, down to the very specs of stardust in his bones. He had told you his life story, but he forgot to mention all the chapters you had always been a part of.

...

Prom was only a day away now.

As much as you brushed your friends' invitations off, you couldn't ignore the endless pestering of your mother.

"Oh, come on, (y/n), it's your high school prom! I remember how fun my little proms were, come on, sweetheart, you need some sort of grand moment in your life to commemorate your high school days! Pleaasee." She had begged and pleaded with you.

Finally, after more pestering and nagging, you relented.

So now here you were, walking your way towards the gym after your mother had dropped you off, snapping an endless supply of pictures of you on her polaroid, gushing about how stunning you looked.

Before you left the house, you had caught your reflection in one of the mirrors by the living room, and, as vain as it was, you had to admit that you looked good.

Your hair was meticulously styled courtesy of your mother, makeup brushed on to highlight your best features, that, along with the elegant dress of your favorite color you and your mother had chosen paired with the matching jewelry made you feel the best about your appearance for the longest time.

You walked into the gym, decorated with various balloons and streamers, your mouth widening into a smile as you caught one of your friends from band. You ran over to them as best as you could with the strappy heels you wore, tackling one of them in a hug.

As you laughed and drank punch with your friends, your eyes caught a glimpse of none other than Steve 'the hair' Harrington. He glances towards your direction and you two make eye contact, which you immediately break as you turn to your friends.

"So, you guys see anyone cute yet?" You say.

"Uh, duh, Steve Harrington is literally standing right there." Your friend replies, quirking an eyebrow.

"Actually, he's walking towards us now." Your other friend says as she fixes her hair.

You bite your lip, sure, you weren't mad at him anymore, but you were still a little annoyed. Ever the prideful one, you only looked down at your drink as Steve approached you.

He waved to your friends, sending them a small smile before he turned to you.

"(y/n), can we talk?"

"What's there to talk about?" You casually shift your eyesight to the side, intent on not even making eye contact with him. While he was the pretty one in the friendship, you were most definitely the petty one.

He rolls his eyes at you and sighs. "Look, I know you're probably still annoyed at me, and I'm sorry, but can we please just talk? You and me?"

You close your eyes, letting out a breath, before you look at him. "Fine."

He grins, finally, you were talking to him. He leads you away from your friends and to the dance floor.

You quirk your eyebrow at him. "Steve, where are we--"

"Come on, (y/n), dance with me." He holds out his hand towards you.

Memories of you pining for him for years envelop your heart, and you just couldn't tell him no, not with those sweet, pleading eyes of his.

You take his hand, and as if on cue, a slow song starts to play.

Before you know it, you had your arms wrapped around his neck and his hands at your waist. Your heart thumped against your chest, still, you tried your best to play it cool. After all, the two of you were completely platonic, And, much to your dismay, nothing could ever change that.

"You were right." He says, snapping you out of your thoughts.

"What do you mean?"

"About Heather," He says, looking into your eyes earnestly. "She and I.. we just weren't right for each other."

"Oh, um, okay." Is all you can manage to say as you felt your cheeks flush pink when you caught his gaze flickering towards your lips.

"I've spent my entire life chasing after things, people, because I guess being popular and liked by a lot of people made me feel wanted, loved." He laments, gazing at your features with affection.

You let out a soft chuckle in an attempt to ease your nerves. Throughout your entire life of knowing Steve, you had never been so close to each other like this. "Glad you finally noticed."

He laughed, softly, before he licked his lips. "Guess I was too busy trying to impress the world that I forgot about the one person who I saw as my world."

When he looks at you like that, with that affectionate, kind look in his eyes, how could you ever stop your heart from melting?

"That person's you, by the way." He smiles, clearing up his words.

You squint your eyes at him, despite the smile that graced your lips.

"That was the cheesiest thing I've ever heard, Stevie."

He laughs, shaking his head. "It was worth a shot."

"What, did you spend like 30 minutes of your time practicing that line in front of your mirror or?" You teased.

He rolls his eyes playfully at you before leaning his forehead on yours.

"Can't get anything past you, can I?"

You beam at him, eyes crinkling as you smiled. "Never."

He laughs before he kisses you on both cheeks, then on your nose, then your forehead, until he reaches your lips. You practically melt into him as his soft lips move against yours, ever so gently, and you swear you could stay in this moment forever. Despite the sea of people around you, whispering and gossiping about the band geek and the king of Hawkins, all of that faded away as you swayed to the rhythm with Steve, your Steve, who you knew inside out, who knew you down to the tiny specs of stardust in your bones.

And nothing and no one could ever take that away from either of you.

#steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x you #steve harrington x yn #steve harrington #stranger things x reader #stranger things #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington fanfic #stranger things imagine #stranger things fanfic

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paracosmic-murdock · 7 months

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Tell me what are my words worth ; Benedict Bridgerton x Reader

Chapter 16: "Danser est un jeux dangereux"

Pairing: Benedict Bridgerton x fem!reader

Summary: It has been two years since your secret was exposed and you had to leave London. Two years with deep buried misery and in which you missed everything you used to have. However, neglect, novelties, and letters made sure to give you more than one reason to return to claim someone who is as rightfully yours as your estate and your people: Benedict Bridgerton.

Warnings/tags: idiots in love, eventual smut, mutual pining, (kinda???) enemies (fake, this is just pride) to lovers (surely), bisexual benedict bridgerton, feminist themes, historical inaccuracy (for the sake of the plot), inspired by mulan (1998), song: the lakes (taylor swift), other tags to be added

Chapter summary: The Queen's Ball finally arrived, and with that, another encounter with the Ton. Unwanted or not, quite the encounter: Benedict, a friend from the past, and, of course, Miss Prince... However, this time you had a plan that would give you the upper hand for long enough.

Word count: 2.4K

❁ Series masterlist

❁ mila's paracosm (main masterlist)

"It is…"

"Absolutely stunning."

"Indeed." you agreed.

You and Lady Danbury were in your bedchambers as you tried on the ballgown the Queen had sent for you.

"She certainly is rooting for you and Mr. Bridgerton."

You chuckled. "She is quite invested. There is a high likelihood that she is more invested than us altogether."

"It would not surprise me," she mentioned. "The Queen wants a victory for herself and something to do in that lengthened free period of time in her hands."

"I suppose our interests have aligned this one time."

"Very," Lady Danbury added. "You look fabulous, my dear."

"Thank you for saying that," You smiled. "Is it enough, you think?"

Lady Danbury nodded, approaching you with an apprehensive glance. "If Mr. Bridgerton makes you feel like you are not enough for him to like you, then he is the one that isn't enough."

"With all due respect, my Lady, it seems like something easy for you to say," You sighed. "You are an accomplished woman, you have lived a life, I am certain, but I… I am on the verge of having nothing. If it does not work with Benedict, I must find another husband before-"

She noticed you stopped yourself and frowned. "Before what?"

You sighed. "Before my Grandfather tells the King of France about what I did. Then, he will forget all about my Father's will, say that he would be disappointed in me; I will be sleeping under a bridge in a heartbeat right after that happens."

"My child, I am so incredibly sorry that this is happening to you," She pursed her lips. "But do not dare believe we will ever let you sleep under a bridge!"

"Figure of speech, I think," You gave her a thankful smile. "It means so much to me to know that I have your support."

"You will never not have it, dear."

You entered the venue next to Lady Danbury, your arms intertwined. A graceful walk, characteristically yours, accompanied your presence and caught the Ton's attention.

"All eyes are on us."

She chuckled. "On you, my child. Leave me out of it."

"Is this what abandonment feels like?" you chided.

"It might as well be."

You shook your head with an amused smile.

"My apologies for the intrusion," the gentleman said, giving Lady Danbury a respectful glance and you a comforting one. "May I have this dance?"

You looked at Lady Danbury, and she nodded, letting go of your arm. You took Cortez's hand he was offering you and followed his lead.

"It is nice to see you again."

You sighed. "Likewise."

"I'm sorry for the scrutiny you have gone through," he commented. "I met you both ways, and I can say first hand that you deserved better than being exposed so ruthlessly. You are a very talented artist, regardless of your gender."

You felt your cheeks go warm. "Thanks, Mr. Cortez."

"Lord," he corrected you. "My Father, he passed."

"I am so incredibly sorry, my Lord," You looked at him with sympathy as you danced. "I wish for everything to go well at your home. How are your Mother and your siblings?"

"We are all fine, it was almost two years ago," he replied, letting out a small laugh. "In other circumstances, Antoine would have been getting drunk with me and talking about the cycle of life."

"As long as chaperoned, Lady Y/N can do that as well," you offered. "We were… friends, right?"

He chuckled. "Very good friends. I would have trusted you if you had told me it was a lie without question, and I would have kept the secret without hesitation if you had confided in me."

"I am thankful for that, and I hope we can remain friends."

"You will always be welcome in our home," he promised. "One of my sisters, Maria, advocated for you fiercely. As if she knew the whole situation; I am sure she would love to meet you someday."

"I would be more than pleased to," you answered. "Would you have introduced her to Antoine?"

"Oh, absolutely not." You both laughed.

And once that dance was over, you saw him leave with a smile.

You returned to Lady Danbury's side, then.

"How did it go with Lord Cortez?"

"Well enough, my Lady."

"Did you know him from before?"

You sighed. "He was both my suitor and friend from the Academy."

Lady Danbury laughed. "My child, you have one of the most coveted gentlemen of the Ton wrapped around your gloved finger."

"What?" You frowned.

"That man will come to my house the day after tomorrow at the latest with flowers for you and an invitation, I assure you."

"No way, he will not!" you exclaimed.

"Shall we place a bet?"

You nodded. "We shall."

Both you and Lady Danbury laughed until a collective presence joined you. You smiled politely.

"It is lovely to see you all tonight." you greeted them.

"Us as well," Anthony replied. "You two ladies look absolutely ravishing."

"Why thank you, Lord Bridgerton." Lady Danbury smiled.

Colin approached you with a knowing look. "May I have this dance?"

Your eyes met Benedict for the first time that night, and the look of disapproval in his face made you smirk internally.

"Of course, Colin." You smiled, taking his hand and following his lead.

"I've not gotten a chance yet to let you know how glad I am that you're in London again."

You nodded. "I am most thankful, Colin; and I am glad to be back as well."

"Did you miss me?" he joked.

"Of course I did," You laughed. "Now, did you miss me?"

"I believe that, only second to Ben, I am the one who missed you the most."

"Eloise would beg to differ."

Colin chuckled. "My sister, she doesn't truly count."

"How so?" you asked with a smile.

"She just does not, no reason at all."

You shook your head in amusement and turned around, catching sight of Benedict and her.

Her.

You despised her with every inch of yourself. You did not want her near him, for Benedict was yours, was he not? He made sure you knew that, he told you he was yours in more ways than one… He did by making love to you once and twice, he did by telling you he loved you, he did by asking you to be his wife. He was not hers, even if she were to be his wife instead of yourself, Benedict Bridgerton would always belong to you and you only. And even if you were to spend the rest of your life by someone else's side, you still would have been his. He is yours and you are his, always and forever.

That must be why you parted from Colin's side before the dance even ended and rushed to join them. The smile you dedicated to Miss Prince was theater-worthy, you knew.

"Isn't this evening lovely, Miss Prince?" you asked politely, giving Benedict a longing stare.

She nodded. "It sure is, my Lady."

"Quite lovely," you repeated, looking around. "I, uh… I have heard you are the novelty of the town, am I right?"

"I am, yes." she confirmed.

"I sort of am, as well," you mentioned, seeing how Benedict rolled his eyes beside you. "This morning I thought of it, Miss Prince… You and I are in almost a similar position currently, so it is barely logical that we stand together."

"Y/N…" Benedict muttered under his breath, apprehension joining his voice in delivering the message: don't you dare.

You could not possibly care less.

Eloise watched from afar beside her mother and Lady Danbury.

"Is she being friendly to Miss Prince?" the youngest questioned.

"She is such an unstoppable force," Lady Danbury noted. "What on Earth could she have in mind?"

Lady Bridgerton sighed. "She certainly is a determined young lady."

"I agree!" Miss Prince exclaimed, excited to maintain relations with a figure like you.

"Would you like to join me as I pace around the ballroom?" you offered. "I should greet the Queen and thank her for having us tonight."

Benedict let out an annoyed sigh.

"Oh, I'd be honored!" she replied, being it hard to believe for her that you could greet the Queen just like that. For the sake of her curiosity mostly, she agreed and walked beside you after nodding at Benedict to inform him that she would take her leave.

"Are you and Benedict close, Miss Prince?" you asked, swallowing the discomfort it would cause you to hear the answer.

"Quite," She blushed. "I am sure we will be engaged to be married before the end of the month."

You nodded. "I hope everything goes well between you and Ben," you added, using the nickname that denoted closeness you had never said before. "He is the sweetest man I have ever had the pleasure to meet. Trust me, there is nothing more enchanting than the look of longing in his eyes. The spark of light his loving smile turns on in your heart. His assuring words full of adoration, the enamored stolen glances… If you have all of those you are most fortunate."

Miss Prince frowned. "H- how… how do you know that?"

"You surely cannot believe you are Ben's first round," you warned her. "If you are curious enough, why don't you join me at the modiste tomorrow afternoon to help me pick a new dress? I shall tell you meanwhile."

She nodded. "You know him very well, do you not?"

"You couldn't imagine, Miss Prince," you replied. "Why the question, if I may ask?"

"I was wondering if you think he would make a fine husband," she said. "Could his art be enough to provide for me? For our children? To have a nice home where we could host balls and dinner parties?"

You frowned. "Well, Miss Prince, he is a Bridgerton. I am not sure whatever you could be looking for that makes you believe he would not be enough…" You looked her up and down, making sure you were sending the corresponding message. How could she even dare speak that way about him? "... for you."

"I didn't mean it like that…" she was quick to defend herself, however baseless her arguments would be.

You hummed. "How did you mean it, then?"

"Uh, I might as well tell you tomorrow over pretty dresses, right?"

"By all means," you said. Cynical. "A fair amount of time to make up your mind. I respect that, Miss Prince."

Your mood changed as you approached the Queen.

"You look absolutely astonishing in that dress, my child," she smiled widely. "It certainly suits you very well, it is one of my best presents to date."

Around you, everyone heard the Queen's words and looked at you, the Queen's protégée.

"I am most thankful, Your Majesty," You smiled. "Certainly the most beautiful dress I have ever tried on."

"It suits you gracefully!" she exclaimed. "No one apart from me looks nearly as breathtaking as you!"

"Oh, I could never dare be compared to your gracefulness, my Queen," you commented. "Thank you for saying that, nevertheless."

She smirked. "Enjoy your evening, my Lady."

"Well, the Château de Germolles is owned by my cousin, but every other property that belongs to the Dukes remains mine," you said, sipping your champagne. "The two of you are most welcome to stay in any of my homes… As I am aware you enjoy the countryside, Anthony, allow me to offer the Château du Clos de Vougeot."

"The vineyards are there if I'm correct."

"They are indeed," you confirmed. "I would be honored to welcome you at home."

"Only if I am guaranteed wine for dinner." Anthony joked and Kate rolled her eyes.

You laughed. "For breaking the fast, even."

"When can we go?"

"Right now if you wish."

"What are you laughing about?" Lady Bridgerton interrupted your conversation as he reached you along with Benedict.

"Oh, Y/N was inviting me and Kate to spend a season in France."

"There are enough rooms for each Bridgerton to sleep in... Eight is perfect if we include Daphne and Simon, so all of you are welcome."

No one paid real attention to the calculations except for Benedict, who frowned.

Each... Mother, Anthony and Kate, himself, Colin, Daphne and Simon, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory, but how about Hyacinth?, he counted.

"Aren't you undercounting?"

You shook your head with a suggestive smirk. "I guarantee you I am not."

Realization hit him, and he suppressed a smirk. You meant he wouldn't need a room.

"You know what? I will honor that offer, if you allow me to join you once you return to France." Violet interrupted the suggestive conversation everyone was starting to comprehend finally.

Anthony and Kate looked at each other with a knowing smile, trying not to laugh at your suggestion of sharing your own room with Benedict.

"Of course!" you shrieked. "I shall show you the entirety of France."

"We should all join you, actually," Kate smirked, looking at Benedict, who was staring at you without an ounce of shame as his brain took your commentaires in. "Don't you think, Benedict?"

He was taken out of his trance by the mention of his name, not knowing whatever Kate meant or anything else that was mentioned during the conversation. So he only managed to say yes.

"That is wonderful!" Lady Bridgerton grinned. "You know what? You two must dance."

"Uh, Mother…" Benedict tried to deny, but you were quicker than him.

"You are right, Lady Bridgerton, dancing would be suitable."

He pursed his lips reluctantly, but ultimately took your hand in his and walked somewhere you could dance.

"Wasn't dancing a dangerous game?" he asked after clearing his throat.

"Well, I like taking my chances. Plus, we're supposed to have a conversation, don't we?"

"Not like this, no." he whispered.

"Then how?" you questioned him. "This is a perfect opportunity."

"I shall visit you tomorrow morning at Lady Danbury's so we can speak privately."

You looked each other in the eyes when he said privately and you let out a soft sigh, one that showed your mind had taken a turn, and, judging by the whimper you let out, Benedict could guess the question he would ask had a response he would enjoy, especially after what you had implied about him not needing his own room.

"What are you thinking about?"

You gave him a suggestive glance and kept dancing with him, and once the dance was almost over, you replied in a whisper, so close to his ear that your hot breath caused goosebumps. "About all the things we used to do in private."

taglist: @yentroucnagol @crimsonincursive @czarinera @uwumd @omgnctchina

#benedict bridgerton #bridgerton fanfiction #benedict bridgerton x reader #bridgerton #benedict bridgerton fanfiction #benedict bridgerton imagine #benedict bridgerton x fem!reader #benedict bridgerton x you

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dougtheintern · 11 months

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hey guys im thinking of a spiderverse dndads teens au.

SCARY/SPIDERLOCK a goth punk seeker of darkness that is practically a warlock. but only lame-os call her spiderlock— she prefers to go by her alias, Scary. she gained her supes cool spider powers by letting herself be tested on by some dr. asshole stampler in a lab coat. except now she like, has to save the city from villains. TOTES LAME. she’s a scene queen in 2003 and is the bitchiest spider person around

but Terri Marlowe is a snarky blonde teenaged girl who still plays soccer— just with a scowl. Her mom is married to some asshole ALSO named Terry and he just doesn’t get her!!!!!! UGH!

CHAINLINC/ SPIDERLINC is a big-city big-heart boy. it’s 2023 and lord, everyone needs saving! so he goes around and saves people as best as he can. usually he attempts to kill villains with kindness, but that mean roundhouse kick can kill them in a different way. he was born into a long line of spider-people, and continues the chain. (hence, his name). his city is never without a hero!

but Lincoln Li Wilson is just some sissy with 2 dads and a hero complex, that is surprisingly good at soccer. His dad Grant hides some killer secrets— but he does too.

SPIDER-KUN is a mecha-hero! he’s always around and in the year 2053, he needs to be! he’s japanese inspired and never is without a manga on the side, just incase the fight is boring! he was bitten by a radioactive spider, and knew that he had to fulfill his ANIME DESTINY to be a HERO.

but Taylor Swift (not that one) is just a lame kid who likes anime and manga just a bit too much— he has confusing lineage, but a kick-ass mom who voices dubs like no other. Taylor likes to imagine he’s popular, with a cool group of friends, but really… he’s not.

SPIDEY THE SPIDER is a super fun mascot that helps his suburban town in 1993 from strange monsters that plague the streets due to a nuclear plant just out of reach! he’s the school mascot-turned hero, and everyone adores him!

but Normally Oak Swallows Garcia is anything but. He’s the actual mascot, but everyone says that he should quit, since whoever is behind the mask is, like, way cooler anyways. But his boyfriend, Hermie Unworthy, from his rival school, will always encourage his dreams

—

i have their villains and a half-baked plot in mind if u wanna know more… tell me

#spiderman into the spiderverse #into the spider verse #across the spiderverse #spiderman across the spiderverse #dndads #dungeons and daddies #dungeons and dads #dndads s2 #dungeons and daddies s2 #normal oak swallows garcia #lincoln li wilson #scary marlowe #taylor swift not that one

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librosamarillos · 1 year

Text

passed down like folk songs

chapter 1: evergreen

Maegor Targaryen x OC

Also on Ao3

index next chapter >

Tags: hurt/comfort, friends to lovers, angst, mature themes, targaryen incest, violence, Maegor is a red flag himself, characters are ooc probably, MINORS DNI

After terrorising @heartstalked’s inbox with my blurbs as 🍼anon, here’s a fic based on all the breeding kink asks, but we’re gonna suffer first I’m afraid. Is this proofread? Nope. Is this just taylor swift inspired fic? Of course it is.

Dragonstone was not what she was expecting. Nothing like what she was used to in Starfall, surrounded completely by the beautiful forest. It felt cold and strange, but she held onto her father’s hand and kept walking.

Rowan wasn’t entirely sure why she was there, she was only eight, and children weren’t normally asked to join their fathers at their work. Her father, Lord Duncan Evergreen, was a favourite among Queen Visenya’s council, and was summoned to Dragonstone often. As Rowan glanced up at him, he looked a bit nervous. She wasn’t sure if that made her feel any better.

The Queen was one she was anxious to meet. She’d never seen Visenya Targaryen up close, only hearing her father’s tales of her. And of course the rumours around the Reach, about this strange family, flooded her mind, most of them about the Queen herself. Of her sternness, her coldness in comparison to her sister wife, Queen Rhaenys, that she was a witch and fed people that displeased her to her terrifying dragon Vhagar. It made her shiver. Although her father told her to pay no mind, she couldn’t help it.

House Evergreen was a small, but very wealthy house in the Reach, providing the kingdom with wood, honey and berries. Lord Duncan was the second son, his brother Lucas inheriting their house’s seat in Starfall, in the mountains. In the last year, he had lost his beloved wife, the Lady Edith. The loss of his wife affected both him and his only daughter, Rowan, greatly. His brother had offered to have her stay with them while he worked for the Queen, but before he left, she told him to bring his daughter with him.

And there they were now, making their way to the gate of the castle that looked so strange and foreign to her. It appeared so cold and distant. A loud roar startled the little girl, who clung onto her father for dear life, as a giant dragon flew above them, wandering in the sea. The great beasts didn’t fill her with wonder, they terrified her.

“It’s alright, my sweet, Vhagar is only hunting. You’ll get used to it.” her father’s calm voice reassured her.

Rowan could only nod, as she discovered her voice could not leave her throat. How often had her father seen the dragon up close that he was so calm? From the book he brought her on Old Valyria, she knew Vhagar was the name of the god of war, and from the stories she heard, Vhagar truly lived up to the name, as did Queen Visenya, she was sure.

As they entered the castle, Rowan let go of her father’s hand to fix her hair from all the wind. She knew they’d be lead to the Queen herself, and she didn’t want to make a bad impression. Her father smiled.

“You look lovely, do not fret.” he chuckled, patting her head lightly.

The guards lead them, not to the throne room, as she assumed, but to a smaller room, one that possibly held meetings. There, in the center of the room, sat the Queen. The gown she wore was much simpler than the one Queen Rhaenys wore when Rowan saw her, but she liked it best. When she imagined a warrior queen, the image of Visenya certainly fulfilled what she pictured. She stood tall, her silver hair in an intricate braid, her purple eyes stern, studying her.

“Lord Evergreen, welcome back to Dragonstone.” her voice was formal and deep, her eyes shifting from her to her father.

“Thank you, your grace, it is always an honour to be here.” he said, giving a small bow.

The Queen made her way to them, making Rowan nervously squeeze her father’s hand, which he gave a reassuring squeeze back.

“If I may introduce my daughter, the Lady Rowan.” he smiled, looking at his child.

“Your grace.” Rowan said shyly, giving a curtsy, as the Queen looked at her.

“I hope you enjoy your stay here Lady Rowan. Your father has told me you enjoy reading; feel free to go to the library any time you wish.” Visenya gave the young girl a small smile, as her face lit up.

“Truly? Thank you, your grace, thank you!” Rowan smiled, now at ease.

Visenya watched the young girl from the window, as she walked around with her father. She remembered how hard his wife’s death hit him, she imagined how much worse it would’ve been for the girl. It felt wrong to invite him to her council for so many moons at a time and leaving his daughter behind. Duncan Evergreen grew to be her most trusted advisor. She could even call him a friend, had they not been so bound by formalities. And from what she saw, his daughter was a little miniature of him. They both had the same auburn curls, freckled faces, bright green eyes and friendly smiles. She was his pride and joy, Visenya could tell, from the way he talked about her. She seemed like a sweet girl.

There wasn’t much to do for a child in Dragonstone, she had to admit, but if all her father said was true, Rowan would spend most of her time devouring the books in the library. There were no other children on the island, other than her own son, Maegor, who had no interest in anything other children seemed to enjoy. By last year, he started to use a real blade in his training, Visenya thought proudly. He was going to be a great warrior, she knew it. The maesters didn’t find him to be the most pleasant child to be around, so perhaps it would do him some good to make a friend.

Visenya thought back to King’s Landing. That’s where she should be, that’s where her son should be growing up. Surrounded by his future subjects and his parents by his side. She sighed. She knew this was for the best. Maegor was strong, she knew he could handle what life threw at him, but she was still inclined to shield him from pain as much as she could. He didn’t have to go through what she’s lived through her whole life. She wasn’t entirely sure if it was him she was protecting or herself.

Perhaps both.

She felt like she was being watched. Rowan, admittedly, was quite lost, all of the hallways appearing the same to her. It was all the same cold stone walls in her eyes, she wasn’t sure how she’d find her way around for six whole moons. For a while, she couldn’t find anyone, not a maid, a servant, a maester, nobody. It was starting to freak her out, when she had the feeling somebody was there. She froze, unsure of what to say.

“Uh… hello?” her voice was barely above a whisper, her eyes wide.

She nearly jumped when she turned around to see a boy her age standing behind her. How had she now heard him? He eyed her suspiciously, as if he was sizing her up. She calmed herself and blinked in surprise. She knew the Queen had a son, and this was definitely him. He truly looked just like his father, but he had his mother’s eyes.

She had briefly met his half brother, Prince Aenys, back in King’s Landing. The two brothers could not be more different. Aenys was cheery, welcoming and smiled freely and brightly, whereas Maegor seemed reserved, serious, even a bit scary.

“What are you doing here?” he asked sternly.

“I- I got lost. All the hallways look the same to me.” she admitted, feeling incredibly embarrassed in that moment.

“I see.” he said, as if he hadn’t thought this through, an awkward silence falling between them.

He was taller than her, wearing his sparring clothes, she assumed. He had his hair cut short, just like the King did. She wondered why he was not raised with his brother in the capital. The city was booming, there was always something to do, somewhere to go, unlike here. But perhaps the Prince did not enjoy the city? Rowan awkwardly played with the fabric of her dress, unsure of what to say, but luckily, he broke the silence first.

“You’re Lord Duncan’s daughter.” he stated, as it was clear as day.

“And you’re Queen Visenya’s son.” she replied, earning a nod.

“Prince Maegor.” he introduced himself to her.

“Rowan. My prince.” she replied, with a small curtsy.

“Mother asked for you and your father to join everyone for dinner. You should get ready.” he stated, pausing for a moment, remembering that she was lost. “Follow me.”

Before she could answer, he grabbed her hand and started walking, dragging her along with him. After a silent five minutes, they were somehow outside of her chambers. He let go of her hand, and she looked up at him in awe.

“How did you know these were my chambers?” she asked, her eyes wide.

He almost let out a scoff.

“I live here. I know which chambers they prepare for the guests. A man has to pay attention to what goes on around him.” he said, as if she should’ve known this by heart.

“Oh.” was all she could say, before biting her lip. “Well, thank you for your help, my prince. I’ll go prepare for supper.” she said, giving him a small shy smile, before disappearing into her rooms.

Maegor stood there for a moment, eyes fixed on her door, before returning to his own chambers to prepare for dinner.

Rowan quickly freshened up, pulling her hair free of the braid it was in and braided only the top half, twisting it into a bun. After some adjustment, she was satisfied with her work. She put on her evening dress and sat on the edge of her bed, playing with her rings nervously. Had she made a fool of herself in front of the prince? She hoped not. She wasn’t doing anything wrong, but she still felt ashamed of being lost and needing help the first time she met the only other person her age on the island. If he hated her, it would be a grueling six moons.

She truly pondered why the Queen resided here in Dragonstone with her son. If all the stories her parents told her were true, then it was Visenya that did most of the hard work during the conquest, thus, should she not be in the capital reaping her rewards? King Aegon and Queen Rhaenys certainly seemed to do so, the Queen basking in the glory of her fawning singers and poets, enjoying lavish feasts in her name, the most expensive dresses and jewels. Did their sister not enjoy such a life, was that it? Then again, she was the one most feared out of the three.

Rowan truly could not grasp how Aegon wed his own sisters. It was truly a disgusting thing to think about, she couldn’t imagine marrying her cousins, let alone any brother if she had one. She didn’t dare say a word though. That seemed to be the silent understanding, at least in the Reach. Although unnatural and gross, if one valued their life, they held their tongue. But that didn’t stop whispers. Her father explained it was custom to do such things in Valyria, as they wanted to contain the ability to ride a dragon within their own family, but that didn’t stop her grimace.

She thought back to the King. He was a formal man, barely acknowledging her, only doing so when he extended his condolences about her mother’s death. Queen Rhaenys, however, seemed warm. Too warm. She had opened her arms, looking at her expectantly, her pale violet eyes urging her to come in her embrace, which is what Rowan, albeit very reluctantly, did. She offered her words of comfort, petting her curly hair, while her husband looked fondly at them. Although Rowan should feel honoured that a Queen was comforting her like this, she felt uneasy. Her warmth felt empty, just like her words. Rowan decided she didn’t like her very much. Something within her said so, and it felt like a warning. So she thanked her, with a polite smile and kind words.

The Prince Aenys, who was quite older than her, at ten and six, also extended his condolences. Rowan felt at ease, enjoying his presence much more than the King and Queen’s. She did think it was quite funny that his parents gave him the same name as his mother, save for one letter. What a strange family this was.

She was glad her father worked for Queen Visenya. Although scary, Rowan felt quite at ease with her. Perhaps it was the fact that she paid attention when her father had mentioned her interests to her, when she made the generous offer of free range to the library. Or the fact that she didn’t sense any false niceties. And of course, her father trusted her.

Much to Visenya’s surprise, the two children became fast friends. She wasn’t sure how, but in just a few moons, you could not find one without the other. She was glad to see her son smile freely around his newfound friend, and the girl also seemed more at ease than when she first arrived at the castle. Indeed, she found the air lighter with another child here, although she did love the quiet solitude Dragonstone offered her.

She had become quite fond of Rowan herself. Duncan’s daughter was a sweet child, ever the proper little lady. She was like a sponge with information, no doubt just like her father. Visenya had offered to teach her High Valyrian, since many of the books in the library were not in the common tongue. She thought she wouldn’t have the patience for it, but in yet another surprising turn of events, she found it calming, especially when she needed a break from her duties.

This was one of those days. She asked Rowan to sit in front of her vanity, handing her a book on gardening, since the subject was familiar to her, it would make it easier to remember. The young girl clumsily read out to her, while Visenya tried to braid her auburn curls, which appeared to be the most challenging of the two tasks. But Rowan didn’t complain, just smiled at her with encouragement, sometimes letting out a tiny giggle. Visenya couldn’t help but smile as well.

Maegor was her whole world, but she often wondered what it would be like to have a daughter, a little girl of her own. She saw a lot of her younger self in Rowan. She remembered how much she loved reading as a child, how she loved her time with Aegon at the citadel. But she found no time for it between training, battle, war and conquering kingdoms. It wasn’t the first love that was taken from her. She glanced at the little girl in front of her, her focused eyes in the mirror. She wondered what it would be like to have a daughter like her. She didn’t think herself capable of creating something so pure and sweet. Her Maegor was born a warrior, she saw the wild, raging fire in him reflecting her own and his father’s from the moment he had opened his eyes for the first time. In Rowan all she could see was the spark of a warm fireplace, calm, safe, warm.

“Did I say it wrong, your grace?” she asked.

“No, no, in fact you’ve improved since last time. Have you been practicing with Maegor?” Visenya offered her a small smile.

“Yes, he’s been kind enough to help me out.” she beamed, happy to spend more time with her son.

It did them both good to become friends. It lifted Rowan’s spirits from the loss of her mother, and brought Maegor out of his shell. The maesters even told her of the young Prince improving in all his subjects, now that he had Rowan join in. He seemed to relax around her.

After another failed braid, Visenya sighed in defeat and began to let the hair loose. Rowan had told her that her father would help her braid her hair when she needed help, so she thought she could show her some Valyrian style braids, which proved to be difficult on wild curls.

She felt Rowan’s eyes on her. The girl had this peaceful aura around her, and her gaze felt knowing. Like she could see right through a person. Normally, this would have Visenya on high alert, but something about her made her feel safe. Like she wanted someone to see her. To understand her. That’s what Rowan’s gaze felt like, a quiet understanding. That was the thing between women wasn’t it? The silent knowing look. Something Maegor would never know of as a man.

She snapped out of her thoughts.

“Are your bags ready for King’s Landing?” she asked, earning a nod.

“Yes, your grace!”

“You seem excited.” she pointed out.

“I am. I miss the capital quite a bit.” Rowan admitted.

“And you’re sure you don’t want to join Maegor and I on Vhagar? It would be much faster.” she chuckled at how quickly the girl’s smile dropped.

Rowan, unlike most children, was terrified of dragons and did not regard them with wonder and awe. She’d get used to them, surely, on Dragonstone especially. She’d scold Maegor for teasing her for it, as her fears were within reason. Children regarded the dragons with awe because they did not know the terror they could bring. Rowan, like the good pupil she was, did know.

“I only jest Rowan, do not worry.” she offered a sympathetic smile.

The sun was gentle on their faces as they sat on the field of grass, the warmth of spring finally here. It found Maegor laying down, with his eyes closed, his encounter with his father in the morning still weighing heavy on his mind. It found Rowan carefully making a flower crown, trying to find the right words to ease her friend’s obvious pain that he was trying to pass off like it was nothing. Like always.

“You’re doing it again.” he stated, without opening his eyes.

“Hm? What?” she asked, averting her attention from the flowers in her hands to Maegor’s face.

“Staring off, trying to find a solution to a problem you didn’t create.” he stated again, as if it was so obvious he didn’t even have to open his eyes.

Rowan sighed lightly. Maegor knew her too well, it seemed.

“It’s not like that. I just hate how he makes such a show of it all. You’re his son too.” she admitted, furrowing her brows at the thought.

“I know.” he sighed. “I wish he would remember that as well.”

A moment of silence passed before Maegor sat up, crossing his legs.

“It was humiliating. His hand asked if I were to still follow Aenys in succession when he had children, and he just avoided the question. In front of the whole council! And then kept going on and on about taking Aenys with him everywhere to prepare him for the throne. How much more obvious does he have to make it?” he vented, pulling on loose strands of grass.

Her heart broke hearing the hurt in his voice. She reached for his hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“He’s an idiot not to see how capable you are. Everyone knows.” she said seriously while looking in his violet eyes.

“That’s treason, you know. Talking like that of your King?” his tone was serious, but a small smile was creeping on his lips.

“Weren’t you just making fun of me for sticking to the rules so much?” she asked teasingly, raising an eyebrow.

To that, Maegor let out a chuckle.

“I suppose so.”

Another moment of silence passed, something weighing heavy on Rowan’s mind.

“I don’t want you to be King.” she finally confessed, her eyes fixed on the flowers in her hands.

“What?” he asked, genuine surprise in his voice, as he dropped the strand of grass he was playing with.

“Kings never seem to be happy, not truly. Not the competent ones at least. And all I want is for you to be happy.” Rowan’s voice was soft as she spoke.

“And what if being King is what makes me happy?” he felt his heart flutter.

“Is that truly what would make you happy? Would it fill you with joy?” she asked, finally meeting his eyes, and for a moment, time felt like it stopped.

“Yes. I’d be the happiest on the throne, continuing my parents’ and my house’s legacy.” he said after a small pause, his voice serious once more.

Rowan nodded, her green eyes searching his for something. She then placed the flower crown carefully on his head. Had it been anyone else, he would’ve never accepted it, but it wasn’t anyone else. It was Rowan.

“If that’s what would make you happy, then I shall be your biggest advocate.” she said softly, with a smile. “I promise.”

He looked at her, wondering when he started feeling this way. Has it always been like this? Had her words and gentle smiles always made his heart beat this fast? He’d known her a year, and yet it felt like he’d known her forever. He felt his face get warm.

“…Thank you.”

taglist: @heartstalked @stupidocupido

#maegor targaryen #Maegor Targaryen x oc #Visenya targaryen #maegor the cruel

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