#it's like I have to choose between making everyone in my family proud of the idea they have of me | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

lila-went-missing · 4 months

Note

I saw you wanted req's for Clarisse !! and I had a cute (well I thought it was cute) Hear me out !! You're Percy's older sister but you've been at camp for a few years so you and Clarisse have had more time to talk and get closer, sooo coincidentally once Percy came and after he and Clarisse had their fall out she finalized the relationship (not to be petty but just to get under his skin a little bit.. but also she didn't wanna do something to Percy and have you upset with her and ruin the progress y'all made.) But !! Percy only found out when you guys were eating at your table and Clarisse came by and didn't say anything to him, she kissed you but as she was walking away she muttered a half-assed apology to Percy. Bro's dumbfounded but you break the news to him, and as the loving brother he is and the fact you and Clarisse have known each other it's only fair he happy for you !! (You keep him safe from her.) SORRYYY this is so long but Clarisse makes me giggle, I hope you're having an amazing day !

I've been so excited to write this but I'm also such a procrastinator so sorry if this took a long time to come out. You're literally so sweet I hope you have an amazing day.

Warnings: Mentions of blood and wounds, it gets slightly suggestive once but nothing happens, cursing i think, I'm not going to lie to you this sucks especially the ending.

This took forever because I'm the medically expensive one in the family and I've been in and out of doctors offices for over a month now. This isn't proofread, I trust grammarly and move on. I love you all so much, enjoy my lovelies.

When the Waves Come In

Being a forbidden kid was anything but easy. Monsters could smell you more than others. The gods hated you. Trouble and tragedy seemed to track you down wherever you went, and there was nothing you could do to stop it. The only perks? Having a cabin to yourself and being slightly more powerful than other demigods. If you were being honest, that wasn't really a fair trade.

Not to mention, the other demigods at Camp Half-Blood either hated or praised you. There was no in between. You were claimed only seven months after arriving at camp, this made a lot of unclaimed kids unhappy with you. Like it was your fault that Poseidon was kind of proud of you once? It's not like he's bothered to reach out since then.

Over the last three years of living at camp, you've made some decent friends. You got along pretty well with most of the Hephaestus kids, Beckendorf immediately taking a liking to you for your stubbornness. The Apollo kids liked you, they even let you help lead archery classes. But there was one person that you were closer with than anyone else. Clarisse. Your Clarisse.

You weren't friends. You were so much more than that. But at the same time, you weren't quite together either. It was very complicated. However, there was one thing you were both certain of, you like being near each other, and hated being separated. Oftentimes, she would sit at your table during meals, Chiron choosing to turn a blind eye. You would sneak her dessert every time she lost her privileges. You were her girl, that much, everyone knew.

When a new kid by the name Percy Jackson showed up at camp, you didn't think much of it. New kids arrived all the time, 90% of them never being claimed and getting left to rot by their godly parents in the Hermes cabin. It was sad, but it was the truth. You learned to live with it.

You assumed the same would happen to him, until you saw it. The horn that once belonged to the Minotaur. Grover claimed he had killed it with its own horn. Everyone believed it except Clarisse. You wanted to not believe it, but how else would he have the horn?

Of course, Clarisse being Clarisse, she had to prove that he was a fraud. The first time she did this, she was blasted by water into a wall, effectively shattering a mirror with the impact. She came to you, of course, a bruise forming over her stomach and chest. You were honestly surprised that she didn’t some internal bleeding deal going on.

“I just want him to own up to being a liar!” She ranted. “Is that too much to ask? I mean, he’s 12, he’s like 4’11, he has no muscle what so ever! How am I expected to believe that he, of all people, killed the Minotaur?” She paced back and forth over the floor of your cabin for what felt like an eternity.

“I mean, this kid shows up out of literally no where, and is getting all the glory in the world. Is everyone here really that blind? There’s no way he managed to actually kill it, yet he’s getting all the praise? How does that add up?”

You stood from your place on your bed, walking towards her and placing your hands on her shoulders. Your hands squeeze gently, trying to ground her.

“Breathe,” you whisper, “I know it sounds highly unlikely. I know you’re pissed, you have every right to be.” Honestly, if the only way you could ever get your father’s attention was through glory and winning fights, even then, seldom getting any acknowledgement whatsoever. You have to admit, you’d be pretty pissed in this situation too. I mean the only thing you could do to get anything, even an admittance that you exist, is immediately taken over by this random kid no one’s heard of? Yeah, she’s rightfully pissed.

“But I need you to breathe before you have a nervous breakdown, honey.” Your hands rub up and down her arms, feeling her muscles slowly relax.

“I wouldn’t have had a nervous breakdown.” She mutters.

“I know, but I might’ve.” Knowing her, the way she is behind closed doors, she most definitely would have. But you let her believe that she would be okay.

“It’s just not fair you know? He hasn’t done anything. Even if he did kill the Minotaur, there’s no way he wasn’t running purely on adrenaline and rage. He wouldn’t be able to do that again if he tried. He’s getting all of this praise, and for what? Existing? Being, not even a man, a boy?” Her voice is much much quieter this time, barely making it to a whisper. If it wasn’t for your proximity you probably wouldn’t have heard it.

“I know, I know, love.” You can’t stop yourself from wrapping your arms around her. “Just think, in a week or two, people will probably forget all about it. He’ll go back to being a regular 12 year old, nothing special.” Realistically, you know that sounds kind of bad, but what else are you supposed to say to her.

There was a part of you, no matter how small that part may be, that knew that wasn’t going to happen. Most demigods aren’t able to do something like that and live through it. But you knew he wasn’t like most demigods.

You knew he would get claimed, soon, most likely. From the moment you laid eyes on him it’s like you could feel it. What happened in the bathrooms only confirmed your suspicions. While you didn’t say anything to the girl in front of you, you knew who he was.

He was another forbidden kid. Not just a forbidden kid though, your brother. A son of Poseidon.

***

Capture the flag was the next day. From the moment you woke up you could feel the energy surging through the air. This was one of the most anticipated events of the summer. The only thing you really won was a party and bragging rights. I guess to camp full of the competitive people you’d ever meet, that was all you needed.

It was definitely all Clarisse needed. She loved to win and hated to lose, a trait she inherited from her father. And she’d be dammed if she was going lose another game of Capture the Flag.

That’s why you’re so confused when she tells you that she’s changing the plan. She never changes the plan, finding solace in a good strategy.

You understood more when she explained what she was doing. Revenge on the new kid for blasting her with toilet water. When you put it like that, it sounds logical. But knowing Clarisse, and knowing what you know, you can’t just go along with it.

“Clar, I really don’t think this is a good idea.” You both paced around each other in your cabin, similar to last night.

“Are you seriously telling me that what he did was okay?” Her voice raises with every word.

“No! I just- I have a bad feeling! I don’t want you to get hurt!”

“I won’t! I can handle myself, you know this!”

“I know! But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to worry about you!” Your heart beats out of your chest with every step you take towards each other.

“I can’t believe this! You really don’t think I can do this!” Before you can even formulate a response, she’s grabbing her stuff and walking out the door.

You follow her of course, yelling her name, but it’s no use. She doesn’t turn around. She doesn’t even pause in her steps. You watch her disappear behind the door of cabin five.

The door to cabin three shuts as you slide down it. Your head hits the wood as you lean back, sure to give you a headache later. You can’t find it in yourself to care though. A tear slips down your cheek. Then another. Then another.

You know it’s a bad idea. She will go after revenge. And she will get hurt. But you also know that there’s literally nothing you can say to her. You want to, but it’ll only make things worse. That's the thing about Clarisse, when she gets her mind set on something, there's no changing her mind. All you can do is patch her up afterwards.

The red team has kept the flag near the water ever since you were claimed. They made sure that you were never far from it, blasting anyone in the face if they got too close for comfort. You weren't going to lie, it was potentially one of your favorite things to do.

So, as per usual, you were patrolling the edge of the water. No one had really gotten close enough, which was very disappointing. Until the new kid ran out of the woods and immediately tripped and fell on his face. Your whole body straightens immediately, muscles tensing. You pull out your sword and move towards him. He probably doesn't want a fight but it's better safe than sorry.

He had a few cuts littering his arms and cheeks. His clothes were dirty and he was now covered in wet pebbles. You could tell that he was disoriented and panicked. You were about to approach him when one of your sort of girlfriend's brothers ran out of the woods after him. Miles. One of her sisters followed suit, Trinity, you think her name was. Dear Hades they're actually going through with it.

Clarisse comes barreling out of the woods after them. Before you can even think about jumping in the sound of metal on metal fills your ears. Swords and shields clash. A spear jabbed at his chest. Her spear. You wanted to get between them, help him, protect him. Even if he didn't know it yet, he was.

But you couldn't. Everything moved so fast you didn't have time to react before they were all rolling over the ground. The water fed off of your emotions, grabbing her siblings and ripping them away from the fight. But it was too late. You saw the spark come from in between them. You heard the wood snap. Half of the spear was in her hands, the other half in his as his body rolled with the momentum.

It felt like time froze for those few seconds. The water was still. The wind stopped blowing, birds stopped chirping. The air around you seemed to disappear. You couldn't breathe. All noises cut out as her guttural scream ripped through the air, lasting for what felt like an eternity.

She ran forward, grabbing the front of his armor and jerking him forward. The conch blew, the blue team ran across the river carrying the flag. She ran off into the woods, it didn't take long for you to follow behind her, grabbing the pieces of the spear as you went.

Before you fully made it away, you saw the trident above his head. That's the moment you realized that you should've placed bets. You would've made bank, but that's not really your concern right now.

You find her in her cabin, facing away from the door, sitting on the edge of her bed. If you look close enough you can see the way her shoulders shake. You place the pieces of her spear on a table near her bed before kneeling behind her. Your arms wrap around her front, pulling her in.

Her back rests against your front, her head tucking back into your neck. You feel the way her shoulders tremble and shake in your gentle hold. For a long time, she doesn't say anything. A few tears slip down your cheeks that you don't mention. You don't push her. It's very rare she lets anything like this happen. She feels like showing these kinds of emotions would make her weak. It didn't matter how many times you assured her otherwise. Sometimes you can't change a person's thoughts when they're the only thing that person has ever known.

After what feels like forever, she speaks. Her voice comes out shaky. It's the kind of soft you only hear late in the night after sneaking into her cabin.

"That spear- it was the only-." A sob escapes her throat and you can feel the way it moves through her whole body, consuming her completely.

"I know honey.." You whisper in her ear. Your arms subconsciously tighten around her muscular frame.

"It was the only proof that he could ever love me." You swear you can feel your heart shatter. You've never liked her dad, but even so, you knew how much that spear meant to her. Her fathers traits were very prominent in her from the moment she was born. Her anger issues kept her in trouble, never getting help. Never being accepted. Her father was the only hope she would ever have until she met you. But even then she was so terrified of losing you...

"It'll be okay.. I promise." Your words a hidden promise of protection.

You're not sure what happens that night but you know something changes. Her arms wrapped around you a little tighter. Her breaths came a little deeper, more relaxed. Your finger over more of her scars, tracing them with the delicacy that was only ever seen in the hands of the greatest artists. When you thought about it though, she was the only work of her art that would ever be worthy of such care.

When you wake the light hits the two of you in a new way. As if Apollo made Helios shine it on the two of you alone so he could write the greatest love hymns that would ever be seen by mankind.

Her siblings don't question your presence. They never do. Why would they when it's so rare the children of Ares are able to find such peace. So rare they can find such a level of acceptance within another person.

For a while you sit there and watch the golden light dance across her bronze skin. The way it shines around her face, the face you've kissed so many times. The face you long to kiss right now. You don't sneak out this morning, instead staying curled into her side. The beating of her heart threatening to lull you back into a peaceful slumber.

Then the conch blows for breakfast, causing her to stir. Her eyes flutter open, turning into pools of golden honey as the light swims in the sweet waters. A small smile creeps onto her lips as her eyes meet yours.

"Hi." You whisper. Your hand strokes over her cheek.

"Hi, baby." Her voice is as soft as the way she looks at you. Before you know it she's leaning forward and placing her lips on yours. It's the first time but it doesn't feel like that. It just feels... right. Something about it is so perfect. The way your lips fit together like long lost pieces of a puzzle.

"What was that for?" Your lips remain parted when you pull away. "I just, wanted to kiss you." She mutters in reply. A blush covers the expanse of her cheeks. You never thought you'd see her so flustered. "Can you do it again? Kiss me again?" She smiles and nods at your words before leaning in and pressing her lips back against yours.

They're soft and warm as they slide against yours. It feels like coming home after a long day of training. Your favorite person right in front of you with open arms.

When she pulls away, she's smiling wider than you've ever seen her. "I really should have done that a lot sooner." You can't help but laugh at her words. "I've only been waiting for four years!"

"Why don't we make up for that?" She leans forward, resting her hand on her waist and pulling your body against hers. A chuckle leaves your throat.

"Maybe later, right now, I really want breakfast." You peck her lips once more before rolling out of bed. "Come on!"

It's not long before you're both dressed and making your way to the dining pavilion. As much as you would like to sit with her, she's already on thin ice with Chiron. You take your time getting your food and burning it, not wanting to be separated until absolutely necessary. Eventually though, you have to part ways and join your newly-claimed brother at the Poseidon table.

"I'm surprised you're not more banged up if I'm being honest." You say as you take your seat. There's not a single scratch on him.

"Annabeth kind of shoved me into the water, next thing I know everything is healed." He answers, you can tell he's nervous knowing your connection with Clarisse.

"Perks of being Poseidon's kid, that and our cabin is a lot less crowded." He laughs lightly at your words.

"You're telling me! It's nice not sleeping on the floor." The both of you go quiet for a while, eating in comfortable silence. The breeze is cool against your skin, a nice reminder of the weather barrier. When you look up, Percy is looking behind you with pure fear in his eyes. You expect to be greeted by a monster when you turn, instead you're greeted by your girlfriend.

You can't help but chuckle at the look on Percy's face. You really can't help but laugh at his face when she leans down and presses a kiss against your cheek. "I'll see in training later, right babe?"

"Wouldn't miss it." You kiss her jaw before she turns and jogs off towards the arena.

"She- you-" He looks utterly dumbfounded as what he just witnessed. "What just happened?"

"She's my girlfriend, Percy."

His mouth drops open with the most surprised look you've ever seen. "Oh."

"Is that an issue?" You don't really care if it is, but you ask anyway. "No, no I just, didn't take her as the type to really date anyone." He answers.

"Most people don't, I'll do my best to keep her from pulverizing you." A laugh escapes you before you take your leave.

Life didn't seem too bad.You had a new brother, you were dating the girl you'd been in love with for years. You might even be able to convince her to leave him alone. You'll get her spear fixed as a surprise birthday gift.

You can feel everyone's surprised eyes on you as you walk out. There's no doubt the entire camp knows by now, and there's no doubt that a billion rumors will be floating around by dinner time. But there's a part of that just, can't find it in you to care. How can you when you have everything you've wanted right there in front of you.

473 notes · View notes

whatsthethinking · 1 year

Text

Somebody's Lover

Neteyam x Fem!Reader

◈ Word count: 3.3k

◈ Warning: n/a? Maybe just Neteyam being in love

◈ Note: Second request :) based on this video? Maybe, I tried. I'm finally getting around to the requests that have been collecting dust in my inbox

◈ Lo’ak version

The elders of the Omatikaya clan were becoming concerned with Neteyam, he was to pass his rites in a matter of weeks and yet, he hasn’t shown any indication of even thinking about choosing a mate. It was no secret that the young Na’vi had many admirers, many fighting amongst themselves to get a sliver of attention from the Olo’keytan’s eldest son.

But none of them seemed to have a chance. Neteyam did not show that he favoured one person over another. Everyone was treated with the same level of respect, and greeted them with perfect manners. Everyone was equal, even if Neteyam didn’t particularly like you.

Some parents would even go as far as having their children befriend Lo’ak or Kiri, even little Tuk and those who were really desperate would seek out Spider but these schemes did not go very far once they were met with Neytiri’s fiery gaze, the protective mother was able to detect their plans from miles away.

It seemed like no one had a chance, Neteyam hadn’t shown interest in anyone within his clan for what seemed like years now, not that anyone was counting. There was a time when the clan thought that Tahé was to be the ‘one’.

Tahé is the eldest daughter of Jake’s most trusted warriors, she would often train alongside Neteyam in their youth and was close to the Sully family growing up but as time went on, it was clear that the Tahé and the Sully children had grown distant. You would no longer see Kiri and Tahé skipping through the forest in search of flowers to weave, or Lo’ak dragging the girl along to get into trouble. You would see Neteyam following clan members around, learning how to forage for food, Tahé would be trailing behind him with a dazed look on her face as Neteyam soaked up all of the information.

But, it was clear that the distance started to form once Tahé had started making friends with the older children in the clan. Those older children would take time out of their day to bully Kiri and Lo’ak for being different, Tahé standing behind them not saying a word. More often than not, it would be Neteyam stepping in to put an end to the teasing, Tahé would bat her eyelashes, dismissing her new friend’s behaviour but Neteyam isn’t stupid, nor is he deaf. He could hear the teasing, he could hear his siblings cry at night. As much as Neteyam disliked the girl, he knew he had to keep up appearances and bite his tongue.

And tonight was no different, the clan was having a communal dinner to celebrate this week's very successful hunt, one that Neteyam had taken part in and was being praised for. Lo’ak, Kiri and Tuk sat to Neytiri’s left, conversing with her and their grandmother. Neteyam had been sandwiched between his father and Tahé, Tahé’s father and mother beside her.

“You should be proud of yourself, Neteyam. I was told you worked extremely hard today.” Tahé’s father praised.

“Thank you, sir.” Neteyam replied looking down at his food, “Everyone worked hard.”

“Yes, yes. But you made two sturmbeest kills mere seconds apart from each other.”

“You did?” Tahé’s eyes lit up, “you’re very talented, maybe you can teach me how you did it?”

Even though Tahé’s voice filled the air, Neteyam didn’t hear her, he was too focused on the events happening in the distance. A Na’vi girl his age was swatting a Na’vi boy's hand away from her food, while their parents ignored them, indicating this was a common occurrence.

The boy stopped his antics when his eyes met Neteyam’s, the boy’s face broke out into a large grin as he waved his hand above his head enthusiastically. The older girl rolled her eyes dramatically before offering a smile in Neteyam’s direction which he returned.

“He would love to,” Jake started, looking at Neteyam and tapping the boy’s arm to regain his attention, “isn’t that right Neteyam?”

Neteyam’s face flushed as he had been caught not paying attention to the conversation. He looked at his father for any indication of what was happening but he was just met with his father’s smirk and a twinkle of mischief in his eye that Neytiri would suggest meant he was up to no good.

“I guess?”

“Great! Tomorrow?” Tahé questioned, clearly not sensing that the boy was not interested.

“N-no. Not tomorrow, I have plans.”

“Oh, the day after then?”

Neteyam looked at Tahé and her family, he felt all eyes on him. He was sure he could hear Lo’ak howling at his expense.

“Sure?”

Damn it

Something else about Neteyam that the clan noticed? His inability to say ‘no’.

—

“No,” Neteyam said flatly, adjusting the bow on his chest

“Bro come on, please, dad’s already on my ass for sneaking out after eclipse, just come with me. Please.” Lo’ak all but begged as he watched his brother saddle his ikran

“That’s not my problem, I told you and Spider not to go but you did anyways and now Spider’s wrist is broken, Lo’ak.”

Lo’ak looked at his brother in confusion, this side of him was different. Yes, he was used to his brother scolding him or helping him cover up his antics or coming along so no one got hurt, but in the past months, Neteyam had been brushing off his plans to cause trouble.

“You’re gonna ditch me for Tahé, aren’t you? That’s low.”

“Tahé?” Neteyam’s face contorted in confusion, “why would I ditch you for her?”

“You don’t remember?” Lo’ak stared at his brother in disbelief, “You really don’t remember. Oh my. You agreed to help her with hunting or whatever today. She’s been running around telling everyone it’s a date or something. You would know that if you were around yesterday.”

Neteyam lept onto his ikran forming the bond and getting comfortable, “I’ll reschedule.”

Before Lo’ak could make a snide comment, Neteyam and his ikran took off into the sky.

“Oh, I can not wait to see her face.” Lo’ak smiles cheekily as he walks off, excited to tell his old friend that the love of her life stood her up.

—

“You need to hold the bow like this or you’ll drop the arrows.”

Neteyam nodded trying to focus on the instructions being given to him, but he was distracted by his teachers' close proximity.

Y/n circled Neteyam before stopping beside him, adjusting his fingers and stepping back.

“Okay, shoot.”

Neteyam took a deep breath before releasing the two arrows, both arrows had hit way off centre, one was right at the edge of the target, a small breeze could send the arrow hurtling into the bush beside it.

“Oh?”

“Shut it,” Neteyam blushed, shooting two arrows at once was harder than the girl before him made it seem.

Y/n quickly retrieved the arrows and made her way back towards Neteyam, a teasing smile on her lips, “looks like the mighty warrior needs more practice.”

Neteyam reached a hand out, placing it on top of y/n’s that were wrapped around the two arrows and pulled her forward gently until she was standing directly in front of him

“I’ll need all the help I can get.”

Neteyam smiled sweetly, taking in his lover's face.

When he was with y/n it was like time stood still and nothing around him mattered. Being with y/n he felt like he could be himself, he could relax, there was no one to impress, no one holding him to a high standard. Being with y/n he felt nervous but also with her, he felt at peace.

Neteyam leaned down slightly and y/n closed the gap, Neteyam’s hand moved up and gently held the side of her head as their lips met. Y/n’s free hand held Neteyam’s arm, her fingers giving his arm a gentle squeeze.

Neteyam could feel his heart pick up speed as y/n dropped her arrows and raised her hands to rest them on his shoulders and then slowly around his neck. He followed suit and dropped his bow on the ground, bringing his hands to her waist.

The sound of his ikran chittering brought the pair out of their embrace. Neteyam’s face flushed as he suddenly felt shy, not looking y/n in the eye. The girl grinned, bringing a hand to his chin and moving his head so he could meet her gaze.

“Always so shy.” She teased placing a kiss on the corner of his mouth.

Neteyam chuckled under his breath, a hand gently caressing the small of her back, “What can I say? You’re absolutely stunning.”

Y/n’s face blushed at the compliment, causing her to look down slightly.

Y/n took Neteyam’s hand, leading him to her ikran. When they arrived, y/n let go of his hand and opened the bag she had attached to its saddle. Reaching in and pulling out a small parcel wrapped in fabric. She handed it to Neteyam, her hands fidgeting nervously as he began to unwrap it.

“I remember that you said you like the one I have, so I made you your own,” Y/n admitted shyly as Neteyam ran a finger over the woven cords and then the stone sitting in the middle.

Neteyam reached around and quickly untied his beaded choker, replacing it with the necklace. When he was sure that it was secure, he grinned at her before placing his hands on either side of her face and dramatically kissing her forehead.

“Mwah!” He exclaimed as she laughed, “I love it.”

—

As Neytiri chopped the vegetables, her ears twitched hearing Jake half-heartedly apologise to Tahé’s father for her eldest son's disappearance. Her eldest son had been disappearing more and more recently. She had an idea what could be going on with Neteyam for the past few months but she felt like she should leave it to him to tell him.

“Neteyam’s back!“ Tuk exclaimed, pointing to the sky, sure enough, Neteyam and his ikran were making a slow descent in the distance, moments later, the boy in question stepped through the low-hanging trees into view. As the boy emerged, Neytiri instantly noticed the change in her son’s appearance, his usual beaded choker that he wore with pride had been replaced with a woven necklace, and his hair had changed too. The beads that resided at the front of his hair were now in a different colour order and there was also an orange feather dangling behind his ear.

The whispering was almost instantaneous but it did not seem to affect Neteyam as he made his way towards the family tent. Passing Jake and Tahé’s father in the process. Seeing him, Jake said bye to the other man and followed his son into the tent. Neytiri stood up as well and walked in with Tuk rushing behind.

Just as Neteyam entered the family tent, Jake’s hand reached out toward the boy’s back, pulling a white and blue feathered arrow out of the quiver. Jake instantly noticed that this arrow didn’t belong to his son or anyone in his family and at a stretch anyone in the clan.

Neteyam spun around at the slight weight change and his eyes locked onto the arrow being twisted between Jake’s fingers.

“This isn’t yours.” Jake stated, “Where were you?”

“Practising.”

“Practising?”

“Yes?”

Jake hummed as he took in this lie, he liked to believe he knew his children well and one thing about Neteyam, he was a terrible liar. Something they clearly had to work on.

“Who did you practise with?” Jake questioned with humour in his voice and Neteyam’s eyes failed to keep contact with him.

“A friend.”

“Oh? And does this friend have a name?”

Neteyam’s mouth opened and closed quickly, looking at his mother for help.

“Ma Jake, you’re embarrassing him,” Neytiri interjected, taking the arrow from between her mate’s fingers.

“I am not, I'm just asking questions.”

Neytiri gave Jake a look before handing Neteyam the arrow. Jake cleared his throat, crossing his arms over his chest.

“You ditched Tahé, again.” Jake stated to his son, putting on an authoritative tone, “Her dad was just here telling me how upset she is.”

Tuk rolled her eyes at her father’s antics, taking the arrow from Neteyam, everyone in this tent knew that Jake did not like Tahé around his children but for the sake of keeping the peace, he bites his tongue.

“I forgot.”

“Forgot with your friend?”

Neteyam paused momentarily before nodding, “Yes?”

Jake dropped the act at his son’s hesitant honesty.

“She make you that necklace?” Neteyam nodded

“She do your hair?” Again, Neteyam nodded

“Have you kissed her yet?”

“Ma Jake!” “Daddy!”

“What? I’m just asking.”

—

The next evening, Neteyam found himself walking confidently through the camp, hoping to not be stopped on the way to his destination.

Neteyam led the pair through the bioluminescent forest, being sure to brush any low-hanging vines out of the way.

“Where are we going?” Y/n questioned, looking around, no matter how many times she ran through the forest during the day, it does not dull the beauty it holds at night

“Just a little further, I promise.” Neteyam smiled, squeezing her hand.

Walking along a thick branch, moving the flora away from her legs, he motioned her to step forward onto the mountain edge as he placed a small basket on the ground, the moss beneath her feet lighting up with every step she took.

“Wow.” Y/n breathed out taking in the view. From here, you could see almost the whole forest

Neteyam walked behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder.

“This is beautiful, Neteyam.” She whispered, placing her arms on top of his and taking in the view. “How did you know to come here?”

“Running around after Lo’ak has some advantages.” He smiled, placing a kiss on her shoulder.

Y/n laughed slightly at the thought of the younger boy that always seemed to attract trouble, he was very similar to her own brother, the only difference was that Lo’ak was the Olo'eyktan’s son so if he was to get in trouble, everyone knew about it.

Neteyam placed another kiss on the girl's shoulder and slowly made his way up her neck. Y/n turned her head and their lips brushed against one another.

“What are you doing?”

“Admiring you,” Neteyam replied softly, “is that okay?”

Y/n nodded, turning around, the boy pulling her into a kiss, much more passionate than the ones shared the day prior.

—

Y/n straddled Neteyam’s lap, her knees sinking into the moss. Neteyam’s hands ran up y/n’s thighs and rested on her hips.

Y/n placed one arm behind the back of his neck and used her free hand to trace the bioluminous flecks across his forehead, down his nose to his chin. Neteyam looked up at y/n, eyes full of love and admiration.

“I love you,” Neteyam said without a hint of hesitation or the usual shyness in his voice, a gentle smile on his face.

“I love you, too,” Y/n replied, smiling down at him lovingly.

—

Y/n walked into the clearing where other teens were training, her brother, Kalä, trailing behind her complaining about not wanting to train this early.

“We’re here for you, not for me.” She reminded him, rolling her eyes as he started to complain louder.

Y/n ignored him as she lent her bow against a tree and started to sort out her arrows.

Out of the corner of her eye, y/n noticed Tahé walking into the clearing with her obnoxious group of friends. As the group passes, Tahé eyed the girl before stopping fully next to her.

“Y/n, it’s been so long, are you here to train with us?” Her tone was somewhat condescending

Y/n looked down at the arrows in her hand and then back at the girl, “Did the arrows in my hand tell you that?”

Kalä bit back a smile at his sister's response which didn’t go unnoticed by the other girl who glared subtly at him.

“It’s just that I haven’t seen you around in such a long time, I was concerned, I thought something happened.”

Y/n resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the girl, instead looking to the other side of the clearing where Jake Sully, Neytiri and their two sons had walked in. Tahé’s eyes followed, her eyes lighting up at the sight. The girl quickly ran her hand over her hair and down her outfit before slowly turning away, y/n noticed that Kalä had extended his foot out but she pushed him to the side so he didn’t succeed in tripping the annoying girl.

“Behave.” She muttered, turning away to finish organising the arrows.

Tahé’s friends followed behind, chatting amongst themselves, none of them having the courage to walk up to the Olo'eyktan directly.

“She’s just so, urgh. I can’t stand her. Look at her, drooling over Neteyam, wait until she finds out he’s been shoving his ton-”

Y/n turned to her brother swiftly, hitting him in the arm with the end of an arrow, eyes wide in disbelief.

“Ow! I’m sensitive!” Kalä exclaimed defensively, holding onto his arm.

This caused the siblings to start bickering amongst themselves, which started to draw the attention of some clan members around them.

—

Neteyam looked around the clearing, he tried to make it seem like he was just surveying the area but in reality, he was looking for the girl he spent the whole night speaking to, the pair only making it back to their tents just as the sun was rising.

At the far end of the clearing, Neteyam spotted a familiar sibling poking each other in the shoulder.

Neteyam smiled, looking down at the grass surrounding his feet.

“Neteyam!”

He raised his head slowly to see Tahé walking toward him and his family, Lo’ak sighed and rolled his eyes as Neytiri nudged him. Jake looked back at his eldest son, s smile creeping onto his face as he saw Neteyam resist the urge to copy his brother.

“Good morning.” Tahé greeted cheerfully, a grin stretching onto her face.

“You’re very chipper this morning, so you must’ve already ruined someone's day,” Lo’ak stated only to receive a stern look from his father.

Tahé was about to retaliate but she was stopped as someone rushed forward, almost knocking her to the floor.

“Sorry! Neteyam! Finally, you’re here!” Kalä announced, skidding to a stop next to the boy, “Save me.”

Neteyam smiled at the younger boy, excusing himself from Tahé and his family, walking towards where y/n was standing, testing a bow.

“Look, Neteyam’s here!”

Y/n turned to smile at Neteyam before glaring at her brother, pushing the bow and an arrow into his chest before crossing her arms, “Go.”

“But-”

“Go, I’ll join you in a minute.” Neteyam intervened nodding at the younger boy

Kalä smiled smugly before walking off quickly to where other teens were waiting for an instructor.

“You don’t have to help him, you know,” Y/n sighed, uncrossing her arms, letting them fall to her side and placing her weight onto one leg.

“I want to,” Neteyam confirmed with a smile, watching the boy join his friends.

With their backs to the clearing, everyone was able to see Neteyam’s hand slowly make his way towards y/n’s, taking hold of it and bringing it to his mouth, kissing her knuckles, causing the girl to turn and smile at him.

Jake nodded approvingly while Neytiri smiled fondly.

Lo’ak was proud of his brother for finding someone he liked and he was even happier when he watched Tahé’s face drop and her shoulders sag in defeat.

Request from @tigermoon3

2K notes · View notes

norrisleclercf1 · 1 year

Text

Mi pequeña ingeniero (My Little Engineer)

Pairing: Sergio Perez x Engineer!Reader

Rating: R

Warnings: Smut, Crash, Angst, Fluff, protective Sergio, daddy kink (leave me alone), disgusting media, age gap (about 10 years), supportive Red Bull, relationship insecurities

Requested: Yes/No

Request: Hi!!! I absolutely adored the lance one and I was wondering if you could write smth similar with checo where the reader is the head mechanical engineer at red bull and Hannah’s (their strategy engineer) friend? You can choose if it is pure fluff or smth fluffy with a hint of smut :)) but basically just checo being a proud boyfriend™️ and everyone loving them after being a bit suspicious cuz like reader is super smart and loyal and kind and that’s abt it💓 (p.s. could you make reader abt 19-22? I wanna see some drama in the headlines 🤭) I just wanted to add that I love your writing and I will definitely be requesting more young!fem!engineer!reader because you just capture my ideas really well (and feed my delulu’s) 🫶🏻

Words: 3.8K

A/N: Thank you so much to the anon who let me bug them with messages about what’d they’d like and if I did something a certain way! I hope you love it

"Hannah...Why was I hired?" The question was interesting, but the head strategic engineer could understand it.

You were the youngest on the team. At 20, you were on your way to being the head engineer of Red Bull, even putting Newey at risk for his job. Christian was one of your biggest supporters. Even if he sometimes stuck his foot in his mouth about females in F1, you were the future of Red Bull, and everyone could see it. When news broke of you joining the team at just 17, you were a high achiever who wanted to prove yourself to the world and your family.

The news ran that you would work for Max, but you put your foot down. You'd work with both drivers and would treat them equally. Watching multiple drivers in the 2nd seater was stressful for you. Having to continually change the drivers, Red Bull finally found their second driver, Sergio Perez.

The Mexican was, at first, weary of you as he, too, heard you only worked with Max, but after spending 3 whole damn days with you, that opinion changed fast. Sergio respected you and didn't look down on you for your age; it amazed him that you have achieved so much at 20. Max and Sergio worked well together, there was the normal fighting between teammates, and you enjoyed seeing Sergio give Max a run for his money.

"You're the best at what you do. Besides, you're the only one Checo really listens to." Hannah shrugs as Sergio only makes things easy for the baby engineer.

You huff at the accusation because he did not make things easy for you. There have been plenty of arguments and yelling between you over the car and what needs to be fixed. Sergio was one to make you work for it, but it also wasn't too hard, but recently, he's been making your life hell.

"Whatever, I've got to go, Hannah. I'll see you later." You pack up your papers and walk away, heading down the quiet hallway to your office.

Halfway to your office, you feel arms wrap around you, a scream ripped out of your throat, but it's muffled by a hand. Thrashing around, you stop when you feel warm lips on your neck and that familiar Spanish accent.

"It's me, azúcar," Sergio whispers, instantly relaxing in his arms.

"Fuck, Sergio." You sigh, leaning into him as you try to calm your racing heart as the Mexican chuckles, still leaving soft kisses on your neck.

"You weren't answering my texts. Is there a reason?" He asks, pulling you deeper into the corner so no one would see you both.

You think about your answer, trying to remember what you were doing when he texted you. You were with Max, going over new ways to get the full power out of the car. Checking your phone, you realized you couldn't answer Sergio while next to Max, so you ignored it.

"I was with Max. I couldn't answer my phone." You whisper as someone walks past, unaware of the secret couple hiding.

Sergio stops kissing your neck, his arms tightening around your stomach, almost wincing at the grip as he hums.

"Azúcar, aún deberías responder cuando te envíe un mensaje de texto. No me importa quién sabe. Eres mía," (Sugar, you should still answer when I text you. I don't care who knows. You're mine) He growls and you whine learning spainsh but no where near to understand what he just said.

"Checo, I'm learning Spanish. But I don't understand." You huff, making Sergio's grip soften and turn you around, seeing your pout.

He chuckles and pulls your chin close by his thumb and forefinger, kissing your pout away.

You pull away, nervous that someone could see you making Sergio sigh, but he understands your reservations.

"Not here, Sergio." You whisper, hands trailing down his neck, making the older man shiver before standing straight and kissing your cheek.

"Are you ashamed? Because I'm older?" He can't help but ask. He wasn't the one to hide the relationship. He wanted to show you off for a while, but you deemed it inappropriate.

"Ser-" You sigh and step away from him, getting your thoughts together before answering.

"You're a Red Bull driver, Mexico's famed F1 driver, and you're older than me. People would disapprove of me dating you." Sergio wants to laugh, but he understands. The media wouldn't be kind to you. He's seen what fans have done to Kika and Pierre and refused to put you in that position.

"A la mierda lo que piensa la gente, tú eres quien quiero." (Fuck what people think, you're who I want) He spits, and you understand that one dropping your head and pulling away from his hold, completely already missing his warmth.

"I have to go. I have a meeting." You pull yourself together and go to leave, but Sergio pulls you into him again and kisses you deeply. You can't help but lose yourself in the kiss, dropping your files as you tug him closer by his hair.

Kissing him was an addiction. Taking your breath away and leaving you spinning whenever you pull away from him. He was a drug and an addictive one at that. Pulling away, he pulls your bottom lip with his teeth and sucks on it slightly, and let's go. He can't help the low chuckle as he watches your dazed face and how you blink, trying to bring yourself to reality.

"Cheating." You whisper as Sergio walks past before slapping your ass, making the fog in your brain clear, almost hitting his back.

He rushes off, leaving you all hot and bothered, knowing you'd be thinking about the kiss for the entire meeting. It was true. You sat there thinking about him for the rest of the day. Thankfully you could go home early after the meeting. Except you don't go home, you go straight to his place.

You knew he'd be home late, but you still wanted to fix him something to eat, maybe leave right after so he wouldn't have to be worried about setting something after such a long day. You slide the key into the door, walk into his apartment, slide your shoes off, and paddle into the kitchen. Sergio had been homesick recently, and you have been learning more and more about his culture and came across a recipe from Guadalajara called torta ahogada and settled on fixing that for him.

Pulling into his parking spot, he rubs his eyes before looking next to him and seeing your car in the place next to his. The slight smile on his face grows, feeling new energy at you being here. He makes his way quickly up to his place and slowly enters but stops smelling the familiar food of home.

Seeing you in the kitchen, he drops his bag, but you jump, almost slicing your finger with the knife. Turning, you see Sergio staring at you in awe. You usually didn't cook for him as you tended to get home late.

"You're cooking?" He asks, taking off his baseball hat and setting it on the counter.

"Yes. I thought you'd be back later. I was going to leave it here for you." Putting the knife down, you were just finishing having plated the meal.

"You weren't going to stay? Just make food and then leave?" Anger bubbling in his chest at the fact you refused to stay the night to worry that people would find out.

"Yes..." You whisper, watching Sergio approach and cage you between him and the counter.

He reaches down, hands grab your ass, lifts you onto the counter, and squeezes your hips.

"This is your place too. I want you here when I come home. Your paperwork spread out everywhere, lotions and anything else you want plastered around my place. But, what I want more than anything is being able to spread you wide and bury myself in you." Sergio whispers, peppering kisses over your chest, hands slipping down your pants.

"Checo....you need to eat." You gasp at the cold tile on your skin as he slowly works your pants off, staring at you.

"I am about to eat." He whispers, breaking the last of your strength as you lunge forward, capturing him in a heated kiss, having you moan into him.

Sergio pulls the rest of your pants down and off before hooking his thumbs in the sides of your panties.

"Can I?" He asks, making you blush at how he always asks permission before touching you.

"Yes." You nod, too, making him smile and getting down on his knees, pressing open-mouth kisses on your thighs.

Sergio looks up at you, face flushed and skin warm as your hips arch whenever Sergio moves closer. He smiles, knowing you have no idea that you did it without thinking. Hands gripping the counter when Sergio's hands grab your waist and yank you forward, kissing at the arch of your hips right next to your pussy.

"Sergio....please." You whimper, hating that he wasn't touching you where you craved him most.

"Why should I?" He asks, nose brushing you, making your hips jerk up, wanting some friction, but you get nothing as his hands grip you tight, making sure you barely move.

"You like to hide us, but I'm tired of it. No more hiding." He growls, licking his lips, trying to control himself from making a mess of you.

"I could lose my job, Sergio. I could lose you." The last sentence is barely a whisper, but it has the man stopping and looking up at you. The vulnerability is crystal clear in those gorgeous eyes of yours. The ones that have his heart stop when they land on him.

"You won't lose me, baby. Never." He whispers, watching his words sink in, your body relaxing and legs spread wider, feeling more at ease.

Sergio leans forward and licks a strip up you, head falling back, your fingers tangle in his hair just to play with his hair as he ate you. He moves his tongue slowly but attaches his lips to your clit, sucking it before putting your legs on his shoulders and hands on your ass, pulling you into him.

Taking his time was his favorite thing; he loved how he'd bring you to the brink of your orgasm slowly and how you'd fall apart on his tongue in such a calm and gentle way. His nose rests right against your clit, so whenever you move, his nose sends pleasure through you.

"Checo." You whisper, looking down at him as his eyes bore into your own; he pulls away, lips shiny.

"That's not my name, gatito." Your blush returns, biting your lip. It was an accident when you first called him it. During the honeymoon phase, either talking or fucking, he'd gotten you to such a point that calling him just slipped out, but it felt like heaven on your tongue and music to his ears when he was buried in you, basking in the Mexican sun.

"Daddy...please." You whine, Sergio smirking and closing his eyes as he turns you into mush.

"Fuck..." You groan, his tongue entering you before pulling away and attaching his lisp to your clit. "M...M close Daddy, please...please." Sergio hums making you shiver from the feeling before Sergio hits that sweet spot, and you moan as he watches you fall apart on his mouth.

Pulling away, he stands up and catches you as you slump forward in his arms, exhausted from the orgasm.

"Come on, let's take a bath." He whispers, but you nod, not fully aware yet of what's going on. You come too when you feel the warm water on your skin and Sergio sliding in behind you, wrapping his arms around you.

"I'm not ashamed of you." Sergio hums as you rest your head on his shoulder, turning your head so your lips are right on his jugular.

"I know that, baby." He mummers wet hand, pushing back your hair.

"They'll judge you...and say horrible things about you dating someone so much younger. I don't want that." Voicing your fears, Sergio takes them in, thinking about how he should respond.

"Don't worry. It's my job to protect you, not the other way around." He kisses you gently, but you turn around and straddle him grabbing his face and making him look at you. His eyes raking over your body before settling on your eyes, falling in love with you all over you again.

"You're my driver. I'm your engineer. It's my job to protect you, so don't tell me it's not my job, Sergio. It is." You tell him, voice stern, in the way you use when you're both at work together.

A smile spreads across his face making you roll your eyes, pecking his lips, and climb out of the tub, water dripping down your body, his eyes fucking you.

"Coming to bed, Mr. Perez?" You ask, walking into the bedroom as he ducks under the water and comes back up, his hair slicked back as he walks into the bedroom. Damn happy this was how your first night over was going.

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

"Be careful." You whisper, headset resting around your neck, watching Sergio get dressed.

"Gatita, I'm going to be okay."��(Kitten) He smiles, knowing you were worried about them crashing.

"Yeah, Y/n, we're going to be fine." Max's voice has both of you whipping around to face the Dutchman as he smiles brightly at the two of you. "Hurry up, we're about to start, so kiss, and let's get a move on," Max remarks, and Sergio stands up straight, his face hardening, getting ready to tell Max to shove it.

"Are you going to tell?" The fear in your voice has both RedBull drivers staring at you, Max's smile slipping away, realizing you were terrified.

"No, I was just messing with you both; I'm sorry." He reassures you, seeing Sergio calm down when you relax.

"I've got to go." You step further away from Sergio as he tries to stop you, but his fingers brush your arm as you rush out of the driver's room.

"God dammit, Max! Can you ever keep your fucking mouth shut?" Sergio snaps at the Dutchman, who nods, walking out so he doesn't anger Sergio anymore.

"Woah, hey, careful, Y/n." Hannah grabs your arms, stopping you as you take a deep breath to calm yourself.

"Sorry. Let's go before we're late." You move out of her hold as you hear Sergio call for you and move fast, ducking to the pit wall and sitting on your chair, the cameras panning to you automatically.

Hannah follows and sits next to you, both of you pulling on your headphones, looking behind you, seeing Sergio staring at you and holding up the rock and roll sign. But you knew better; he told you he loved you in sign language, a way to talk without people knowing.

Turning around, you watch the cars file out and get started on the track. 5 deep breaths to settle your nerves as you hear the loud ticking and the engines roar to life as they take off. Watching the screens, you see Max has a great start, but Sergio's is slightly off, and you automatically check that everything is okay.

Everything comes back normal. Hannah talked to Max and then Sergio, giving them what strategy to do and letting her know if they needed to change. The race continues until lap 42, where everything goes to hell.

You look up seeing Sergio's car collide with Geroge's. They were battling over P2 and slammed into a corner, and you can't help but freeze seeing Sergio's car flip and roll over multiple times and hit the barrier.

Seezing up, you don't think twice before hitting his button to speak to him.

"Checo? You okay?" You release the button waiting for the answer, but you get nothing.

"Checo? Hit a button or something to let me know you're okay?" You watch the screen seeing the camera zoom in, and you see no movement.

"Sergio, please answer." You beg softly, everyone waiting with batted breath.

"Cariño!" You cry into the mic, just wanting to hear his voice, a click, anything to tell you he is alive.

Christian and Hannah share a look and move to pull you off the pit wall, but they know damn well it'd be a fight to remove you. The rest of the cars file on the pit lane as marshals move quick to the car, but you close your eyes, unable to see them drag him out unmoving.

"Y/n." Hannah gasped, holding your arm, making your eyes fly open and see Sergio climbing out of the car with tense movement.

"Oh god." Sobbing behind your mouth, you unplug yourself from the pit wall and run to the medics, Hannah behind you.

The doors fly open as you are about to run into them, pulling Sergio in, the doctors and nurses surrounding him. Max flies right behind you and moves, holding you still as you lunge for him.

"Let me go." You sob, wanting to hold Sergio, but Max keeps his grip tight.

"Stop. They're helping him. You'll just get in the way." Max whispers, your voice of reason as Hannah holds you tight, trying to keep you together as you watch Sergio get checked out.

"He has to go to the hospital, but you can talk to him before he goes." You only let the person finish after bursting into the room.

"Te amo. I love you." You rush out, leaning over him as he opens his eyes slowly, but winces from the pounding in his head.

"Te amo." He whispers, feeling the tears hit his face. He wants nothing more than to hold you, but even talking hurts.

"Y/n, he's got to go, and we have a job," Hannah whispers, pulling you back as you hold his hand kissing it multiple times.

"Te amo." You whisper one last time as you watch the nurses load Sergio into the ambulance.

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

Sergio came home after a week in the hospital with a fractured wrist that was healing nicely, and you shut down Sergio coming back to race just yet, letting Daniel race the next 3 races.

"My radio was disconnected." You turn around, looking at Sergio lying on the bed, watching the crash, wanting to see what went wrong.

"I know." You move into the bedroom and climb on the bed, careful so you don't hurt him, still sore from the crash.

"Your radio calls to me went viral; people know now." You roll your eyes, seeing the goofy smile covering his face, but you are still weary of talking about the absolute terror that took over you that day.

"I don't care anymore. I'm just glad you're here." Moving, you lay your head on his stomach, his uninjured hand petting your hair as you curl up more into him.

"Good." You smile as you drift off to Sergio's heartbeat and fingers in your hair.

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

Sergio was back to racing, and the media was in full force. Thankfully, you could arrive before the press, but Sergio wouldn't be coming till later, and this was the first time since the wreck that the two of you had been apart.

Looking over some data, you look at one of the screens and freeze when you see a camera in your face and a reporter walking up to you.

"Ms. L/N? I'm shocked you still have a job, especially after sleeping with one of the Red Bull drivers." Groaning, you turn to face one of the problematic journalists in the paddock, you wanted to avoid them, but the universe wasn't in your favor today.

"Go away. You don't even have access to be in the garage." You reply cooly, not wanting to lose your temper in front of a camera.

"I'm just asking if that's how you got your job. Riding dick?" After several deep breaths, you remind yourself not to respond.

"It's sad that people work so hard to get where you are, and you're up for that promotion at such a young age. Guess if you're good at sucking di-" The journalist's voice stops when someone grabs them and slams them against the wall.

The music stops, and no one moves as your eyes widen, seeing a very pissed-off Sergio pinning the person into the wall.

"The fuck did you just say to her?" Sergio stares at the person wanting to bash his head in but controls his anger slightly.

"I-" "Actually, don't answer that. How fucking dare you say that shit to her. She didn't get this job; what was it you said? Riding dick? She worked her damn ass off to get where she is, and you want to stir shit by saying she got it that way? I know what the media is saying about me. I'm fucking her to get the better care or strategy or whatever. I could care less what anyone says about me, but it becomes personal when you involve her in those disgusting rumors. Stay the fuck away from her, and keep her name out of your mouth." Sergio pulls the person off the wall and throws them out of the garage.

"Get back to work!" Sergio snaps the music coming back on as he turns to you and drags you away into a private corner.

"Sergio." Hearing your voice, he stops and pushes into a wall, gently covering your body with his own.

"You're terrific, and you got this job on your own. I don't care what they're saying about me, okay? The work you've done here....fuck, it's the reason I love you, how driven and motivated you are to do good for this team. I'll defend to the end, please, please ignore them." He begs as you look away from him, those dark thoughts creeping in, but you know it isn't true, but it still hurts.

"Hey. Look at me." He lifts your chin, making you look at him.

"I know that none of it is true, but...." He sighs, putting pressure on you by leaning on you, knowing pressure calmed you down.

"Kitten, I know. But, I'll defend you till the end. If they say something wrong to you, I'll slap them with a lawsuit." The laugh breaks free from you, making Sergio chuckle at his stupid lawsuit line.

"Thank you, but I got this job on my own. Though I like doing those things to you, my brain got me here, not giving it." You tease, making Sergio laugh loudly before kissing you.

"Hey guys, let's go," Hannah yells, the both of you pulling away the whole garage watching, but they're all smiling as you move to the pit wall. You pass Christian and Helmut.

"Told you. You owe me 30 bucks." Christian smirks, making Helmut groan.

"Dammit." You laugh but stop seeing the camera on you. You turn around, giving Sergio your sign.

I love you

1K notes · View notes

insomniakisses · 1 year

Text

Unexpected News and Welcome Additions

Character: Aemond Targaryen (HOTD)

Warnings/notes: swear words, mentions of pregnancy, pregnancy, aegon being an ass, aemond being a sweet baby, daemon flipping his shit, protective momma rhaenyra, happy alicent, your rhaenyras daughter u can choose adopted or not, ooc daemon? Slight ooc aegon?

Taglist: @introverbatim, @neobanguniverse,

Part one.

“We have some news.” Aemond grins, standing abruptyly silencing the chatter at the table.

All eyes direct towards him and you can see the confusion on your mother’s face, her eyes darting between the two of you. Never the less you accept his hand allowing him to pull you up next to him.

“We, well..” you pause looking at daemon how his eyes seem to stare into your soul. “We are engaged!” You cheer awkwardly.

You can see otto smiling with a nod, while alicent seems to be piecing everything together and u know she knows with the dart of her eyes towards your stomach. Helaena smiling softly at you seeming excited to have someone to talk to about married life.

On the otherside if the table you see your family, your mother gaping at you while your brothers hold blank faces and you can see the clenched jaw of daemon. Yet, the king seemed to be joyfull. “Wonderful news my dear! You have made me a very proud grandsire!” He chuckles.

Thats when shit breaks loose, aegon just had to speak up. He snickers rolling his eyes saying “Dear brother is such a pushover isn’t he mother?” You see her give him a look to shut up but as always he pays it no mind “I mean fucking the whore is one thing but to marry her once pregnant? God what kind of hold has she on you?”

You’re eyes water when all eyes turn to you, closing them and flinching into Aemond’s hold when Daemon stands. Slamming his hand on the table claiming you must have been forces that the greens were taking u hostage that it was all a plan.

It seems your mother had had enough of the dramatics, sending the children to bed including Helaena and Aegon. Before clearing the room of her husband and the hand stating this was a matter for her, Alicent, Viserys and the two of you to navigate.

—

“So.. you are to be married then?” Your mother asks tentatively causing you to bow your head in shame.

“I planned to explain to you.. But we didnt know how to tell everyone and-“

“Its okay sweet child,” the queen hums grabbing your face and kissing your head. You can’t help relax in her hold, “I can’t say i am upset to be made a grandmother again!” She grins.

“And i a proud grandsire of another fine knight or beautiful princess” the king adds, looking at your mother as if to ask for her opinion. It’s only then that you realise shes crying, the sight making you well up to.

“My baby is all grown up” she chokes out wrapping you in her arms and leaving several firm kisses to your head. Her hand unconsciously rubbing your stomach.

“Your… not mad?” You ask cautiously and she chuckles and says “how, my sweetone, could i be mad at you for falling for a mischievous second son thats also your uncle” and you cant help chuckle at the similarity between you.

—

“I cant! I can’t! FUCK! OW! Make it stop-“ you screamed squeezing your mothers hand tight as the maesters told you to push again. Your body felt like it was on fire. But your mother and Alicents soothing words lessoned your fear, slightly. You had been in labour for almost the full day and the babe seemed to refuse to be born and despite your please they seemed reluctant to let Aemond in.

Well, your mother was. You knew why deep down she was afraid that if the choice was given he would sacrifice you to save the baby. You however, knew that he would not. The thought would never cross his mind. So you begged and plead once more for him stating you would not give girl until he was with you. A task they knew you very well might do so they sent for him and the second he held your hand kissing your head and telling you he was there, was the most safe and relaxed you had felt all day.

Your son came quickly after that, a heavy and healthy baby your mother had remarked kissing your head and leaving with Alicent after she muttered her own praises of her newest grandson.

—

“We should call him Aemond.” Your husband grinned, causing you to slap his shoulder.

“No, I’m not calling him after you.” You groaned.

“And why not!?” He huffs clearly disappointed and you give him a look, “do you want me to be moaning our son’s name while we fuck?”

He shudders audibly gagging at the thought. “Perhaps not.” He sighs.

The two of you had been arguing over a name for hours, your son sound asleep in his arms as he gently rocked him.

“We could call him after someone else though”

You muse, the thought making him look up at you quizzically. “Who?”

“I was thinking Laenor…” you whispered afraid he may reject the idea but he hums nodding in approval. “A fine name from a honourable namesake, a fitting name for our little knight.”

You smile up at him, thanking the gods you got such a loving gentle husband.

“Should I let the maesters know then?” He asks, setting Laenor in your arms gently. “Yes, and could you send my mother in on your way? Id like to tell her first.”

—

“LAENOR GET BACK HERE!” You hear from your place by your husband, both of your turning to see the young prince holding what seemed to be a dragon egg while your Aegon chased after him.

The sight making you laugh, especially when Aegon reaches for the egg only for your son to dodge and throw the egg at his father. Aemond catching it with ease.

“Bested by a 3 year old, brother?” He taunts him, Aegon rolling his eyes in response snatching the egg back and placing it into the pot of hot coals by your bed side.

“Well excuse me for picking an egg out for my future nephew!” He defends, rolling his eyes when Aemond corrects him saying that he is to have a girl this time. The notion making you smile, hes always wanted a daughter to spoil.

Your silence is broken when your son pulls Aegons pants down running off in a bout of laughter.

“OI YOU LITTLE-“

—

“She’s beautiful” your mother coos, her finger moving to softly stroke the babes cheek. “That she is” Alicent joins placing a kiss to your head as she congratulates you.

“Have you thought of a name?” She quizzes looking at her son and then you.

You smile, telling them that their was really only one name that came to mind when you found out you had a daughter. You smile at your mother as you say it, “Visenya.”

She lets out a soft gasp, leaning over to kiss your cheek her heart touched that you would name your daughter that. You embrace her softly before placing the babe into her arms letting her and Alicent fawn over her as you lean back into your husbands arms.

“She’s Perfect” he whispers kissing you sofly. “Plus… Aegon’s gonna be pissed” he chuckles.

ANNNNNND DONE! i doubt there will be a part three :)

#aemond one eye #house of the dragon aemond #aemond the kinslayer #aemond targaryen x reader #aemond kinslayer #hotd aemond #aemond imagines #aemond x reader #aemond targaryen imagines #aemond targaryen #aemond imagine #aemond fic #prince aemond #house of the dragon imagines #hotd #house of the dragon x reader #hotd x reader #hotd imagines

1K notes · View notes

balanceoflightanddark · 6 months

Text

As requested by @cobra-diamond. I hope this makes you happy.

If you know me, then you probably know that I have a habit of talking about problematic characters like Azula. You know, the ones who have to have an inordinate amount of hatred attached to them that boggles the mind. It's just Azula is one of the most notorious of this...I guess you can say club.

The thing is...she's not the only one out there.

Spoilers for Fire Emblem: Three Houses below.

This is Edelgard von Hresvelg. Crown Princess to the Adrestrian Empire. Leader of the Black Eagles House in Garreg Mach. And quite possibly the most controversial character in the entire Fire Emblem franchise. She's been called a lot of things over the years. A fascist. A tyrant. The old "worse than Hitler" comparison. Needless to say, she's had it rough.

And to be fair, there is a reason for that. Traditionally, she's the "villain" of the story. She's the face of the enemy faction, the one you encounter the most if you don't side with her, and she ends up the final boss on the most traditional of the Fire Emblem routes. Her design is crimson red with devil horns, and she turns into a literal monster at the end of one of her routes. So by all accounts, she's the bad guy.

Except...she isn't. Not really. Let's back up a bit.

Three Houses takes place on the continent of Fodlan, which is broken up into three distinctive factions. We have the Adrestrian Empire that Edelgard is from who used to rule all of Fodlan. We have the Leicester Alliance which is ruled by a class of nobles who are only loosely united. And then we have Faerghus, a proud people with armies of knights and ruled by a king. Above them all are the Knights of Seiros who basically run things in Fodlan, keeping stability and maintaining the balance of power between all three factions from their monastery of Garreg Mach. Here, noble children from all across the continent are enrolled to learn combat and how to be a faithful servant of the Church and its Archbishop, Rhea.

Fodlan also has a strict caste system dictated by Crests. Think of them as bloodlines that grant users special abilities and the power to wield divine weapons. Those who inherit Crests are practically seen as chosen by the Goddess and enforce her will on the earth and are on top. Everyone else essentially gets trampled on, with families doing pretty underhanded things and constantly squabbling in order to make sure their family has Crests.

Enter a mysterious faction lead by their enigmatic leader, the Flame Emperor. For most of the game's first half, they serve as the ultimate bad guy. They're the face of Those Who Slither In The Dark, (TWSITD), they're the ones who hired the mercenaries who attempted to kill the student heads at the beginning of the game, and their identity is one of the driving questions at the start.

Turns out...the Flame Emperor is actually Edelgard.

Before now, Edelgard had been one of the class leaders and one of your students should you choose to teach the Black Eagles. She's...not exactly the most open person, but she's also dutiful and dedicated to succeeding her elderly father, the Emperor of Adrestria. So it comes off as a shock to many that she's revealed to effectively be the bad guy for the first half of the game. An indeed, there are people in-universe who genuinely want her head and blame her for absolutely everything that TWSITD pulled.

The thing is though...Edelgard's position within TWSITD is less of leadership and more of a weapon. You remember those Crests I mentioned earlier? Well it turns out, Edelgard actually possesses TWO which is unnatural in Fodlan. The reason for that is...well, it was the result of torturous experiments that left her in a disgusting prison and was forced to watch the rest of her siblings die. Leaving her the sole survivor. And going back to my Azula comparison, she too was conditioned to effectively serve TWSITD to bring down the Church and tear Fodlan apart.

AKA: she was set up in-universe to be the villain.

The thing is though at the end of the day...she ultimately isn't.

Her trauma isn't brushed away. It's treated with as much respect as it deserves. And she's not treated as some monster either since all of her traits established before the reveal are still present after the timeskip where the war starts if you decide to defend her from being executed by Archbishop Rhea. Mainly, she cares a lot about her allies and forces. Even giving them an out of what is certain to be a bloody path she embarks on.

And it IS a bloody path. Edelgard's ultimate goal is to dismantle the Church which seems villainous...until you realize that the Church was responsible for the oppressive Crest system that resulted in her experimentation and a ton of backstabbing and suffering in Fodlan. As bad as TWSITD are, they wouldn't have gotten as far if the Knights of Seiros practically didn't create every opportunity for them to cause chaos and destruction. She doesn't even like TWSITD too much, and only allies with them cause they're the lesser evil in the grand scheme of things, and she needs their support to stand a chance against the dominant Church. And she already HAS plans to bring them down the moment the war is over. That seen of her in the of the routes where she turns into a monster? That's her choosing to become a monster when her back is to the wall and her last ditch effort to secure a better future for Fodlan.

What's more, she actually shows more clemency and mercy to her enemies than her rivals. Imperial troops are said to be more accommodating to citizens and captured soldiers than Faerghus who have been known to torture their captives. Edelgard is willing to show mercy and is perfectly willing to let Rhea stand down, showing the same mercy that her enemies don't since Rhea was willing to execute heretics over their rebellious attitudes (practically justifying the war). And the less said about Dimitri, the King of Faerghus, the better...

So while Edelgard is coded as a villain...she doesn't really act too villainous. She shows regret over her actions. She isn't as brutal as a lot of people make her out to be. Hell, her ending where she wins the war is arguably the best for Fodlan since the oppressive Crest system is dismantled with the only resistance coming from nobles who their claims to power are challenged. Not to mention she IS willing to let territories like Brigid peacefully secede and is going to step down from her position as Emperor once things are stabilized and she finds a successor.

Sadly like Azula, because she's seen as the villain in-universe a LOT of people think she's some power-hungry monster. Even when a closer examination of her actions and character show that it is NOT the case. Which...honestly makes her special to me and a lot of people. She's the kind of character who would be demonized elsewhere, but is given a chance to tell her side of the story and NOT be the monster everyone makes her out to be. And ultimately if you play your cards right, she does get that happy ending denied to so many characters like her.

It makes it all the sweeter that after so many years of being conditioned to be the villain, presenting herself as the villain, Edelgard gets recognized as the hero and person she actually is.

#edelgard #edelgard positive #edelgard von hresvelg #fire emblem 3 houses #three houses #crimson flower #black eagles #and now you can expect more 3 houses posts in the future #*evil cackling*

185 notes · View notes

sepublic · 10 months

Text

Luz Noceda 🤝 Miles Morales

Afro-latine teenagers with pressure on their shoulders to figure out their future, and also save the world. They love their parents and want to make them proud, but also struggle with lying to them, afraid they won’t be accepted for their strangeness. Bright, wonderful kids who meet friends from another world, and whose chosen future is to continue to engage with those other worlds and the family they made there. They’re separated from those worlds and work hard to get there, feeling lonely without the ones who understand.

They are regarded as anomalies, not fitting in with the world of others like them that they visit. They are born of chance and coincidence, and suffer a villain who is convinced of the connections and parallels they have; I made you, and you made me! But that villain wants to take away one of the families they’ve made. They question if they’re a real witch/Spider-Man with how unlike the others they are, but eventually embrace their unique identity and the unexpected advantages it has.

They struggle with the narrative, from a meta sense; They know how the story goes, the hero returns home from their adventure, the captain dies. But they hope to defy that ending and make their own, do their own thing. This puts them at odds with an older man who insists things must go a certain way, that there must be a sacrifice of some kind, particularly with their parents; But Luz and Miles ask, why do I have to choose? Why can’t we, and everyone else, have it all? Why not choose the path of compassion, instead of making others lose in order to grow? Their kindness affects those around them, sparing them what they themselves suffered, or are afraid to experience.

They’re kids caught between two worlds, but they’re also tired of being seen as just weak, ineffectual kids; They can do things too, they can fight and help! And make their own decisions! So when their mentor, a once-jaded person who got their life back together with the kid’s help, suggests sending that teen away for their own good… No, I’m staying here with all of you guys, because I love you, and I don’t have to lose my parents back at my other home either!

One could argue that these kids, by being involved, created a tragic story, made things worse by sparking the conflict at all, and they doubt themselves for that; Luz helped Philip Wittebane find the Collector, Miles took the place of Peter Parker, leading to his death. But they’re here, so they may as well make the most of it, choose themselves, and forge their own destinies. It’s okay, they can forgive themselves, too. They’re gonna rebel against the status quo to deconstruct it and change things, by asking critically; Why does it have to be this way? Question the rules, as a punk friend tells them.

Amity Blight 🤝 Gwen Stacy

On another note; White girlfriends to the above-mentioned with undercuts. Because of their own mistakes, said girlfriends lost a meek, glasses-wearing childhood friend that they saw themselves as a protector for; That friend was tired of the bullying and their anger boiled over into something destructive (and green), wanting to be seen as just as capable. Amity and Gwen struggle with a period of loneliness and isolation because of the loss of that friend, blaming themselves for what happened. They meet Luz and Miles under less than ideal circumstances, but manage to open up because of them.

Amity and Gwen struggle with approval and acceptance from their father, who works for the system and contributes to enforcing its oppression. But that father realizes he has alienated his daughter, who finds a different family without him, and chooses his child over the system, abandoning it to become a better person. Amity and Gwen both want to be with their loved ones, supporting them, and because of that break ties with the system and another parental figure. They make sure to rally the other friends their loved ones have made, to lift up the protagonist at their lowest points; They’ll answer the call to return the favor in their time of need.

#the owl house #across the spiderverse #atsv #spiderverse #Luz noceda #miles morales #amity blight #gwen Stacy #lumity #gwiles #parallels #meta

314 notes · View notes

pink-amethyst-tarot · 6 months

Text

💌A Message From The Universe💌

P I L E 1 ~ P I L E 2 ~ P I L E 3

How to pick: Take a deep breath and choose between the three images above. It corelates with the message that is meant for you. Trust your intuiton; only you know what is truly best for you.

P I L E 1 ♡ ~ A New Perspective

Ten of Wands, The High Priestess, The Emperor, The Moon, Eight of Swords (Reversed)

You feel burdened. You feel disconnected from yourself and your intuition. I feel that the man problem, is that you don't trust yourself or your inner voice. Let that voice guide you. Listen to yourself because you know what is best for you. You don't have to listen to everyone who thinks they know what is best for you. With it being the holiday season and Christmas is days away, you may be around family that isn't all that supportive of you and what you want with your life. They have put you down since you were a kid but know that you are not that kid anymore. You are capable of standing on your own two feet and it's time to stop making excuses for their bad behavior. You don't have to keep that kind of negative energy in your life, even if they are your relatives. Just because they are blood related, doesn't mean you have to call them family. For a lot of you, this person is a father figure in your life, but they haven't treated you the way that a father should. You were a kid and you deserved better then, and you deserve better now. Your anxiety around this is very loud but you know what you want to do more than anything. You know what path you want to take, and you know what people you want to cut off. Let yourself be happy. Go into this new year prioritizing your wants, needs, desires, hopes and dreams. It's time someone chose you and who better than yourself. Open up your heart and your mind to new possibilities; a world where you can have what you want. It's time for a new perspective.

Channeled Song: I'm Tired by Labrinth ft. Zendaya

now the tide is rollin' in // I don't wanna win // let it take me, let it take me // I'll be on my way // how long can I stay // in a place that can't contain me // hey Lord, you know, I'm tired // hey, Lord, you know I'm tired //

if you feel called to tip, you can on c@sh@pp at $oddlycozycottage and on p@yp@l at @oddlycozycottage

If you want a more personal reading, you can see how to book a reading here

P I L E 2 ♡

King of Pentacles, Seven of Cups (Reversed), Four of Wands (Reversed), Nine of Wands, Ace of Pentacles

You have been doing some spring cleaning around your life. You have been making changes that you saw needed to be made and it has really brought you back to reality; almost like you are sobering up. You could also be on a sobriety journey and if you are, know that I am very proud of you and I'm rooting for you. If no one else is in your corner, know that I am. You have been doing a lot of hard work and you should be celebrating yourself but, for some reason, you aren't. You may have this mindset of believing that you can't celebrate because there is so much more work to do. That may be true; we are all works in progress. That doesn't mean you shouldn't celebrate and be proud of how far you have come! I'm so very proud of how far you have come. You're looking at all that you still have to do, but you aren't paying attention to what you have done. You can rest, relax and bask in your victories. Take a break because you have earned it. You are meant to be prosperous, and you have new opportunities coming in and you should be confident in taking them because you worked hard to get them. Again, I am so proud of you and all that you have done. Keep going and do not give up.

Channled Song: A Brand New Day by The Wiz Cast

everybody, be glad // because our fear and dread is gone // freedom, you see, has got our hearts singing so joyfully // just look about // you out it to yourself to check it out // can you feel a brand new day? // can you feel a brand new day? //

if you feel called to tip, you can on c@sh@pp at $oddlycozycottage and on p@yp@l at @oddlycozycottage

If you want a more personal reading, you can see how to book a reading here

P I L E 3 ♡

The Star (Reversed), Two of Pentacles, Four of Swords, The High Priestess, Ace of Pentacles

Your head is not in the right place, right now. You are too focused on the negative and it seems that you have lost hope. You're working to balance things on your own and that is only making things harder for you. You may feel like you're at sea and the boat going up and down with the harsh waves. Let go of the things that you don't need and ask for help with the things that you cannot. I'm getting that you are very overwhelmed at this time. I'm seeing juggling and everyone keeps adding more and more balls, making it so hard to keep up. You don't have to take it. You are allowed to rest and to have some peace and quiet. You may be feeling like you can't take a break right now because, if you don't do it who will? I'll counter that with, why was it set up for you to be the only one who is able to handle things? Why is it you or nobody? Why can't people do it themselves? Sometimes, you just have to say, "if I have to do it, it's not going to get done," and that's that on that. You know that these people are capable and able. They just know they can rely on you to always do it. Stop being reliable. They need to learn to do things on their own and without you because you are not going to always be there.

I don't have a specific channeled song, but I am seeing vacations, beaches and just relaxing, which you deserve, so if you can get that, I suggest that you do.

if you feel called to tip, you can on c@sh@pp at $oddlycozycottage and on p@yp@l at @oddlycozycottage

If you want a more personal reading, you can see how to book a reading here

LEGAL DISCLAIMER: FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. THESE READINGS ARE FOR ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. no guarantees are implied. These readings are not a substitute or replacement for any professional help or services. My readings are not a substitute for any form of professional legal, medical/psychiatric, relationship, religious/spiritual or financial/ business advice nor consultations. You should always see a professional legal/trained adviser for help in any matter. I am not responsible for any decisions/ actions you take.

122 notes · View notes

fairdale · 2 months

Text

to william herondale, with love

you have two options when it comes about will.

you can choose to stay in the surface, to think of him as a sassy, sarcastic, superficial and selfish man who doesn't give a shit about anything nor anyone except for jem, who makes insensitive jokes and doesn't care if he hurts people.

or you can choose to know him. the little parts of him that make him wonderful, sweet, delicate and caring. and, oh, how much love will fill your heart when you realise how much he deserves to be loved.

and how much he craves it.

will is sarcastic, yes. he's funny, he pulls off jokes like it's nothing, he makes people laugh, he sings the demon pox song and makes everyone think he's a little crazy.

but he's also the kid who left his family too young because he thought he was cursed and he loved them too much.

he's also the kid who thought no one could ever love him anymore.

he's also the kid who felt terribly lonely after leaving his family.

he's also the kid who wanted jem to be his parabatai so badly he didn't care he was sick and that he would leave him too soon.

he's also the kid who didn't want people too close to him because he loved them and didn't want anything bad to happen to them. jem was different. it wasn't just because he was sick, it's because he was jem. because jem saw who he truly was when no one else did. his heart beat because jem's did as well.

he's also the man who loved to read. the man whose name will still be dancing in the walls of the library centuries later. the man who found a safe place between books.

he's also the man who was so in love with tessa he tried to break the curse after years of living like that, because his love was so pure, so deep, so real, he had to do something.

he's also the man who put his hands into the fire to save jem's yin fen, because he couldn't imagine a life without him. because he didn't want a life without him.

he's also the man who was desperately in love with tessa, but made himself scarce because he couldn't put his own happiness over tessa and jem's. because he saw how good they were to each other.

he's also the man who held jessamine in his arms when she died too young.

he's also the man who let jem go when he told him he didn't want to live like that anymore even though it would forever break him and he would take a part of his soul with him.

he's also the man who went to save tessa even when he felt his heart getting carved out of his chest when jem died.

he's also the man who learned how to have his sister next to him again, the man who went back to his parents even if he were terrified.

he's also the man who made sure tessa never doubted for a second that he was devoted to her.

he's also the man who travelled the world with her and wrote her letters to show his love.

he's also the man who made sure to love his children loudly, to tell them he was proud of them and that they weren't monsters.

he's also the man who fought against injustices in the clave.

he was also the man who died surrounded by his loved ones (because he was, in fact, so loved).

he was also the man watching jem and tessa's wedding dream since the other side of the river, being happy for them.

will was the man with a heart so big he didn't know what to do with all the love he held in it.

when someone asks me, but why do you love him so much? well, how can you not? how, when he tried to love so quietly but he was screaming, when he was trying not to care but he cared more than anyone.

will herondale was, is and forever will be the character i hold closest to my heart, the character who made me laugh, cry and love the most.

"he lies consistently. he always invents the story that will make him look the worst."

"but it was there, in the touch of his hand on her cheek, in the softness of his voice, in his eyes when he looked at her. it was the way she had always dreamed a boy would look at her. but she never dreamed up someone as beautiful as will, not in all her imaginings."

"all my life, since i came to the institute, you were the mirror of my soul. i saw the good in me in you. in your eyes alone i found grace. when you are gone from me, who will see me like that?"

"against his own will, almost, will felt himself understanding; he would have done anything, he thought, told any lie, taken any risk, to make tessa love him. he would have done— almost anything. he would not betray jem for it. that was the one thing he would not do."

"don’t you see, will? you’re a person like me. you are like me. you say the things i think but never say out loud. you read the books i read. you love the poetry i love. you make me laugh with your ridiculous songs and the way you see the truth of everything. "

"when she tilted her head up and brushed his lips with hers, he cupped her face in his hands. so many years, he thought, and each kiss was new as the break of day."

"wo men shi sheng si ji jiao," said will, and he saw jem’s eyes widen, fractionally, and the spark of amusement inside them. "go in peace, james carstairs."

"and in the shadows they’d whispered, reminding each other of the stories only they knew. of the girl who had hit over the head with a water jug the boy who had come to rescue her, and how he had fallen in love with her in that instant."

"she remembered when will had died, her agony, the long nights alone, reaching across the bed every morning when she woke up, for years expecting to find him there, and only slowly growing accustomed to the fact that side of the bed would always be empty."

"i don’t know how to live in the world as a shadowhunter without will. i don’t think I even want to. i am still a parabatai, but my other half is gone. if I were to go to some Institute and ask them to take me in, i would never forget that. i would never feel whole."

"i miss you. we miss you. someday, we'll all be together. not too soon, my angel tessa. i can wait."

...

"my name is herondale," the boy said cheerfully. "william herondale, but everyone calls me will."

#tsc #the shadowhunter chronicles #shadowhunters #tid #tlh #will herondale #jem carstairs #tessa gray #i love will with all my heart you don't understand #i cried while writing this #don't judge me ok #herongraystairs #the infernal devices #the last hours

64 notes · View notes

outlaw-apologist · 1 year

Text

The Gang as Fathers (RDR2)

This was an anon request :D Characters: Arthur, Hosea, Dutch, Charles, Sean, Kieran, and Micah TW: Micah’s contains graphic/violent themes Requests are always welcome~ feel free to request anything hehe AO3 link here ___ Arthur - He always pretends to be stern with his child but gives in almost immediately. “You can’t have candy before bed….” He puts on his best mean face that only lasts a few seconds. “Fine, just one piece.” - His baby will learn how to ride a horse before learning how to walk. Arthur will hold his child while caring for the horses or will cradle them in his lap during trail rides. - “I heard a little alcohol was good for babies. Makes ‘em sleep better.” He’ll stick his pinkie finger in some whiskey and will let the baby suck on it to calm down, but only during fitful crying or when his baby won’t sleep.

- As his child grows older he’ll try hard to give them a good education. Not city folk education, but enough to know about the world. There’ve been many times Arthur wished he had gone to school as a kid. - When his child draws for the first time Arthur is SO proud! He shows EVERYONE and keeps the drawing tucked safely in his journal for many many years to come. It doesn’t matter how old his baby gets, he keeps every drawing no matter what. - If Arthur had a daughter I think he would try harder to learn more about women’s rights. He might even visit the protesting lady in Saint Denis and ask her a few questions. He’s seen how the world treats women and he wants to raise a strong woman of his own who will always believe in herself and love herself no matter what. - Also- Daddy daughter dates!!! He would go to all the nice little cafe’s and bakeries with his daughter or would take her on special little picnics. - Camping trips!!!! Every weekend Arthur is packing his kiddo(s) up to go camping. He doesn’t like fishing but he’ll take his kids forging and teach them how to live off the land. When they’re bigger Arthur teaches them how to hunt small animals, like squirrels, with a bow and arrow. At night he cooks dinner over an open fire and sings trail riding songs or tells stories of his days as an outlaw. - If his child ever goes through a tween or teen phase of hating him Arthur WILL cry himself to sleep every. damn. night. wondering what he did wrong. Even if he knows it’s just how kids are at times, it really hurts his feelings. That self loathing part of him mixed with old family wounds never leaves him. - Sorry to any wife or husband of Arthur’s out there – but Arthur would save his child before all else in ANY dangerous circumstance. He’ll save his spouse next but the kid(s) come first. - “When you’re older I’ll give you my hat. It was my daddy’s hat, and now it’s your daddy’s hat. One day it’ll be your hat.” “Hey! Stop playing with my hat!” “Di’ju take my hat to school? Don’t do it again.” - Even if his children are around people he trusts he will still watch them like a hawk, almost afraid someone will snatch them away. - He really hates being away from his children so he sends letters about his great adventures to them until he can return. - Arthur really doesn’t want his children walking in his footsteps, BUT he does wish they could experience true adventure and freedom. Because of this he’ll plan elaborate activities. Sometimes he creates treasure maps and will take his children riding around the state to find a ‘hidden treasure’ Arthur himself buried. - When his child turns 13 he’ll take them out to find a wild horse of their choosing, then he’d teach them how to tame the horse as a right of passage. It’s an amazing bonding experience between the both of them, and he thinks horses are special animals. Growing up with your horse is a must. - “Seriously gimme my hat!” -- Hosea - Hosea’s always secretly wanted a little one of his own. It doesn’t matter if he has a daughter or a son, that baby will be in his arms 24/7 - Literally wants to raise his child as a mini him – in the most positive way possible. - Bedtime stories were chapter books and his children learn how to read fairly early-on in their childhood. - Every few years Hosea gifts his child a new fishing pole that matches how big they’ve grown. Fishing is very important to him and he makes a point to have a special spot where he camps with his kids and fishes for days. Playing in the rocks and trees, hiding in the fields around the camp when not catching fish. Instead of campfire stories he reads books out loud or retells old memories he finds amusing. - “I want you to understand, the outlaw life is not for everyone.” Hosea is torn. He doesn’t want his children to become outlaws like him… However there’s a part of him he can’t deny where he wishes his child would be there with him no matter where he was. If his child became an outlaw he wouldn’t fully protest it. He’d feel guilty, I think, but he doesn’t want to be away from his kid(s). -That being said, his kid is raised with the Van-Der-Linde gang. Whenever Dutch or Susan tries to parent his child Hosea will always stand up to them. He puts a lot of emphasis on Arthur and John to protect his babies; mostly because he views Arthur and John as his children too, so they should act like good brothers. - He would LOVE taking his kids out to see plays or to the circus whenever the circus is in town. He’ll take them to films too though he prefers the performing arts (theater) first. However, he loves exposing his children to any and all types of art. If his child ever expresses an interest in acting or writing he’d swell with pride and do anything to support them. - Hosea is a smart man. He know he’s living on borrowed time. Making it to your 50’s as an outlaw was no minor feat. There’s money no one knows about, not even Dutch. Money that can set his children for life. He makes sure to bury it carefully and made arrangements for his child to receive a map of its whereabouts in case of his death. - “And that is ursa major and ursa minor.” Star gazing with papa Hosea! - He is firm but empathetic. Hosea will uphold any punishments that he thinks fits the crime. However, he’s never spanked or laid a hand on his kids. He’s more interested in life lessons. If he catches his child stealing then he’ll force them to donate something of theirs to the poor, ect. - If his baby is sick he’ll stay up all night by their bedside checking their fever and making sure they’re okay. He refuses to leave their side and won’t sleep until he knows his baby is okay. - Hosea’s biggest fear is losing his child. He’s big on teaching his kid safety from a young age, even if that means using a knife or a gun. - For their 18th birthday he’ll gift his child a very beautifully engraved pistol. The engraving will be a quote or a saying that is personal to him and that child. Something with meaning only they would understand. - Even if his child is a full grown adult, Hosea will come read with them at bedtime. It’s something that makes him feel loved and cherished and he hopes his child feels the same way. - You cannot convince me this man would not put on a play with his children. He encourages the gang to act excited or amazed while watching. He’ll shoot a glare at Dutch whenever Dutch acts a little too excited. --- Dutch - Let’s be honest, Hosea raises any and all of Dutch’s children. - No kid friendly books, his children learn how to read philosophy like men. -Will completely destroy his children in any and all board games. He’ll never let them win no matter how young they are. If his kid starts crying he’ll say something snarky like “Aww go cry to mommy/papa Hosea.” - He is definitely the fun parent though. (At least in his opinion). His 10 year old is robbing trains. He’ll rob a candy store too for shits and giggles, just so his little one thinks he’s cool. - He really does love when his child sits on his knee or rides on his shoulders. It makes his heart swell with happiness. - I don’t think Dutch really knows what to do with children. He just treats them as tiny adults. - He will ALWAYS introduce his children with pride. Because of that there’s this… unspoken pressure for his children to always be at their best. They always need to be well articulated or ready for action. Otherwise there might be a dreaded “I thought I taught you better.” speech. - Dutch really did try hard to make sure his children grew up smart and capable. However, if that ever turns them against him or if they question him he immediately gets upset/angry. - His children will grow up calling him daddy and Hosea papa. Dutch might try to correct them a few times. “It’s uncle Hosea-” But he gives up rather quickly. - Dutch does mean well. He tries to take his children on special or fun outings. Unfortunately it always ends up about him or the mood is ruined with a long philosophical rant/speech. - He is not a completely useless father though. If his child is hurt he’s the first one there to scoop them up and console them. He would bandage them up and kiss their boo-boo’s better…. Up until near the end when the gang starts splitting apart. Around this time it seems as if he’s not fully present and so it doesn’t register to him that his child is hurt or injured. He starts to see it as their own personal problem no matter what age they might be. - His children are brought up seeing him as this wise, smart, powerful figure. They view him more as a savior than a loving parent. Basically they’re brought up to view Dutch the same way as the rest of the gang sees him. He provides shelter, clothes, food, and safety. He is the reason they have a free life. And because of this I do think they would have a lot of love for their father, but, they’ll never feel like they’re good enough. - If anyone ever touched a hair on his child’s head… Without fail they’ll end up filled with bullet holes or burnt to a crisp. He’s not great at showing his love but his children are his everything. ----- Charles - Charles is the type of parent that loves his children SO much he doesn’t even need to say a word. His love is always shown through his actions. He’ll gently sweep their hair out of their face or he’ll rub their back. When they’re little kids Charles will always press a little kiss to the top of their heads. - He doesn’t give in as easy as Arthur does. No candy before bed. Eat your dinner before dessert, drink more water, don’t go off alone, ect. He’s never mean about it. Charles tries to make sure his children are as healthy and well looked after as possible. - What if he’s not here one day? What if his past catches up with him or something bad happens? This is always in the back of Charles’ mind. Because of this he teaches his children how to be self sufficient from a young age. He makes a game out of cleaning up and chores become a family activity. He tries to keep it fun for them since they’re still kids. - Children are the future in Charles’ eyes. He teaches his kids everything he knows. They’re taken on hunting trips and out forging or fishing. Charles teaches them how to make bows and arrows. He’ll tell stories about his mother or his experiences. Most of all he teaches his children respect. Respect for nature and all of the animals they may meet. - When Charles’ child is an infant or a baby he will ALWAYS be holding them. Doesn’t matter what he’s doing, that baby will be on his back or in his arms. He LOVES holding his children. It helps ground him and reminds him they’re really his and life can be good. - He won’t admit it but he loves dressing his children up. He likes to make or buy clothing and accessories he thinks would suit them. During winter his favorite part of the day is bundling them up in their coats and scarves. Charles thinks they look adorable toddling off to play in the snow. - HE WOULD BE SUCH A GOOD GIRL DAD! Charles goes out of his way to learn different hairstyles so he can do his daughter’s hair different every day. I think he’d make jewelry for his daughters and would always be singing with them or playing with them. Charles would be very protective yet respectful. He’d still teach his daughters how to track and hunt, ect. - Charles carries pictures of his children everywhere he goes. On the rare occasion he’s drunk he takes out the pictures to show everyone like “Look at my babies!” - He would be that annoying parent who’s children becomes their personality. He doesn’t talk much but if he’s with someone he’s friends with he’ll casually work his children into all of his small comments. “I need to get some fresh meat for my family.” “My children would love it here.” “I would never let a man like that around my children.” - Charles would totally call his child ‘baby’. “Hi baby!!!” “What do you need baby?” “Oh no, don’t cry baby.” He wouldn’t do it in public but in private???? He is soooo unbearably loving and mushy with his kids. It doesn’t matter how old they are, that’s his baby. - Charles didn’t really have parents while growing up. He wants to show his children as much love, kindness, and compassion as possible. The world is cold and cruel. If he can be the light and warmth for his kids then he’ll do it. - When his children grow up, if they decide to pursue goals/dreams Charles doesn’t fully understand, he will go out of his way to educate himself on that topic just to show them support. -Charles is one of those parents that really don’t want their children to move away from him. If they chose to he’ll respect their wishes but you bet that man will be crying DAILY because he misses his kids. - For the same reasons, Charles can’t be away from his kids more than two days without feeling heartbroken. - Charles would honestly do so well as a single father if he ever becomes one. - He’s a huge fan of gentle parenting. He keeps his voice calm and talks his children through anger/sadness with patience. It’s important for him that his children feel seen and heard. - Charles is the type of father that’ll beat the SHIT out of anyone who messes with his baby. - He’ll play dress-up with his kids. If his children want him to be a princes… he’ll be a mf princess! ------ Sean - God… Sean as a father? The house will be burnt down immediately the first time he watches his kid(s) alone. - He’s the fun parent. He’s also the unsafe parent. He really doesn’t see anything wrong with bringing his 3yo with him on a robbery. “They had a blast, it was great!” - Let’s be real, Sean is more of a friend to his child than an actual parent. He’ll never reinforce any rules. He’s always down to clown. He’ll be your best buddy but he won’t help you with your homework. - It’s fine to give kids alcohol sometimes in his eyes. “Go on, you can have a sip of my beer. It’ll put some hair on your chest.” - If his child isn’t as bubbly or loud as him he’ll be a bit disappointed. If his child matches his energy he’ll be 10x worse. They’ll be working off of the same brain-cell. - Sean loves to dress his children up to look like him. He thinks it’s hilarious. He even calls his baby ‘Baby MacGuire’. “Hello there baby MacGuire.” “D’ju have a good day today little baby MacGuire?” “This is my wee baby MacGuire.” - He has dropped his baby on the head, probably more than once. He felt really bad about it. - He will make his kids do the “two children in a trench coat” thing to rob a store. He literally pisses himself laughing when it actually works. - Half of the gang will end up raising his child while he pops in sometimes to have fun outings with them. -Is he a good parent? Fuck no. But his children will LOVE him and I think they’ll always have a good relationship with him. - Sean has tried to get John to teach his kids how to swim. He doesn’t understand John can’t swim…. - He never forgets a birthday because he loves eating sweets with his kiddos but he WILL forget every other important event. ------ Kieran - I think Kieran would be a really good father! He’d never raise his voice. His punishments are very light, yet he’d make sure his children would know what they did wasn’t right. - He’s not great at socializing with his children, but he LOVES to listen to them. It fills him with so much happiness when his children confide in him. He doesn’t always know what to say but he’ll be there whenever they need him. - If he has a baby he’ll be so afraid of making any noises while the baby is sleeping. If he’s holding his baby as they sleep, Kieran refuses to move in case it wakes them. - He writes the names of his children on the tags of their clothes so they don’t get lost. - Kieran is a doormat for any teenage children. He hates disappointing or upsetting his child, so if he has a teenager who tests his boundaries that teen will win every time. - However, I think his children would love him more than anything. Even if they did do bad things to Kieran I think they’d feel guilty and wouldn’t do it again. - Piggy backing off of that – The best ‘punishment’ Kieran could give his kids is disappointment. If daddy Kieran is disappointed in you then you KNOW you fucked up. Because of this his children end up pretty well behaved. - All Duffy’s grow up around horses. He loves bringing his kids to the stables. Letting them pet and brush the horses. He holds them up so they can feed the horses treats. - He likes fishing even if he isn’t the greatest at it. He’ll take his children fishing or would let them work on arts and crafts while he fishes. - While most kids walk home from school, Kieran always waits outside for his kiddos so he can walk with them. - He always wishes his children “sweet dreams” before going to bed. Every. Single. Night. He’s never missed a night EVER. - I think Kieran would take his children to visit Ireland. Maybe to see his father’s extended family. - Holidays are very special in the Duffy household. Even if Kieran and his kids have to hand-make decorations he’ll do it! Anything to make their childhood special. - He takes special walks with his kids. During the autumn he’ll make his children catch a falling leaf each before they can go home. He hopes it helps them feel the magic of childhood. - Kieran is terrified his children would be orphaned like he was. Because of this he works long hours when he can. He saves up a decent chunk of money and hides it. Only his children know where it’s at and understand it’s only for emergencies. ------ Micah - God forbid Micah ever has a daughter. There is a chance he would decide to raise her as a boy BUT I honestly think he’d either kill her, make her a dumpster baby, or would pawn the child off on someone else. In the even that the child is raised by someone else Micah would probably visit once every six months and probably stick around until that child is old enough to ‘work’ for him. - If he had a son tho…. Micah Bell the IV. - He’s a very cold father. Nothing his child does will ever be good enough for him. Because of that his child would probably try to win his favor until they’re old enough to realize they’ll never have it. - “One day this empire of mine will be yours.” and he owns NOTHING! - Micah definitely has shaken his baby. He probably spanks them or whips them with a belt whenever they’re bad. - His children grow up to take care of him and do things for him. They do all the chores. If Micah needs a beer one of them always has to go get it. - If one of his children ever becomes attached to an animal (cat, dog, horse) he would shoot that animal dead to teach them a lesson. And that lesson is to ‘not be soft’ and ‘attachments are useless’. - He doesn’t do anything to take care of them. Child rearing is a woman’s job. Micah makes the money. He comes home expecting a hot meal then he fucks off. His children are probably relieved that he’s gone so much. - Once his oldest is in their late teens Micah would gift them one of his guns. He doesn’t love anything more than those guns so it’s symbolic of how much he does care for his child. Micah can’t love normally, nor does he know how to show it. His oldest will understand the weight of the gesture and it may even make that child feel indebted to him. - He’s the very old fashioned type that thinks he automatically should have respect from his children. - If no one is willing to take care of his children, every night would be “fend for yourself night” in the Bell household. He’d never lift a finger to cook for or take care of them.

#Arthur Morgan #dutch van der linde #hosea matthews #Charles Smith #Micah Bell #sean macguire #kieran duffy #RDR2 #RDR2 Imagines #RDR2 writing #My writing #the gang as fathers #rdr2 fathers #anon #anon request

465 notes · View notes

ackerfics · 1 year

Text

family line — a house of the dragon fanfiction | aegon ii targaryen x oc — masterlist

AESIRA TARGARYEN is not her father’s daughter.

He may have played a part in how she wailed in her first duet but she doesn’t crave bloodlust the way he did when he slayed the masked monsters that terrorised minds and cut off men’s cocks for their crimes. She’s sure that when the gods flipped her father’s coin, it never landed, still flying in the air — he was both a slayer of men and a natural doer of sins and debauchery; a figure so loved and so stigmatised by those who weren’t likened to the deities of the Old and the New. She doesn’t have the urge to swipe the throne from underneath the court’s eyes, doesn’t have the urge to soil and taint the innocence of her younger nephews — straying them from their birthright. Though named after a fairy tale warrior children revered so much, she steers clear of anything that her father ever touched. The way of the sword and warfare circulates her twin brother’s blood. Being the best dragonrider is her little brother’s dream, never hers.

She is not her father’s daughter.

While the second prince who had nothing to inherit (but the cries of the people) wore their House with pride, she thought it was a burden to carry. She knows the gods knew on which side her coin landed but she tries hard enough to erase it. (Can she truly change her fate, though? When the whispers in between the red bricks haunt her so about how deep her parentage is?) Instead of wearing the blood red and the coal black of their colours, she chooses everything easy on the eyes; pastel demeanour and soft disposition — I am light and he is dark; I am separate from the blood running in my veins; I overcome him through thick and thin, as the novels and the sayings go — Light conquers Darkness whichever way you see it.

She is not her father’s daughter.

Why would she be if he abandoned her and her siblings as he married the next innocent thing? Why would she consider him as her father when her twin brother cried about him never loving their mother one night when they were five name days old? Why should she be his daughter when he couldn’t even look her in the eye when the day required the family to be together?

She will never be her father’s daughter.

But she is in every way her mother’s. The lies flowing from her mind are all inherited from how her beautiful, lovely, caring mother crafted them as the woman stroked her slender fingers through the waves of her hair, “He will come back to us, darling sweetling; He loves you both so much and this little one I’m carrying as well.” Because of her mother, she can lie to save millions.

However, the anger she holds for her father makes her burst all of the edges of her being. She wants to stab him with her brother’s sword, make him hurt like the way she has been hurt when he gave them his back. Scream at him until he becomes deaf with how loud her thoughts are. The more she thinks about what could have been, the more she can see the coin the gods flipped at her birth. The madness of loneliness is truly the most pitiful thing. She’s surrounded by people who claim to love her but she longs for the family in her distant nightmares — the one that lights up a hearth in the cold of the longest winters in the lands, sharing blankets on the carpeted floor; one that rings laughter and padding feet on stone floors and expansive windows; one that has a father and a mother to cherish. She wants to burn down everything with her dragon’s flames so that everyone can feel the heavy, suffocating grips preventing her heart from breathing. She wants to claw her eyes out after hearing the remark that she has that lilac shade everyone keeps saying a certain prince holds, just as she carries the last name he is so proud of.

We are not the same. We are not the same. We are not the same. We are not the same—

And as she stares into the looking glass, all she can see is her father’s face.

There’s nowhere to hide from the truth.

AESIRA TARGARYEN is truly her father’s daughter — a piece of greatness and madness meshed into one.

AEGON TARGARYEN, the second of his name, is not the prince that was promised.

The weight of being the unnamed heir is too much for even the Skybearer to handle. He doesn’t want the moulded circlet of heavy stones simply because he knows he is the living embodiment of a disappointment — to his father who wistfully stares at the only piece his first wife left behind, to his mother who he stole a girlhood from, to his grandfather who had dreams bred out of greed and thirst for power, to everyone who dares glance at the king’s firstborn son with irises lined with disbelief. He doesn’t have to hear their words to know what they were thinking. This poor boy with wine for his blood and daring exhibitions for a daily schedule … is the most awaited son of The Peaceful King? The blasphemy is horrendous.

He is not the prince that was promised.

Because of how his father doted on his older sister even when the woman gave birth to two bastards and is pregnant with probably another one, he’s not the heir — Seven Hells, he’s not even the spare. A large part of him is whispering that it’s better this way. More time to inebriate and find himself in the places that he felt most comfortable with, where adventures welcome his insatiable need to discover. The thing about never being the apple of his father’s eye is that he can be free or as free as Mother and Grandfather allow him to be. It means he can marry for love (prays to the gods that he does; he can only think of one person anyway), and have spontaneous trips to the streets of King’s Landing with his closest friend — it means breathing through the littlest areas of his life. Yet a smaller (most likely better) part of himself dyes the roots of his static silver hair into the most melancholic shade of blue at the fact that it’s easy for Father to be this neglectful of his other children that don’t bear the name of his greatest delight. Everything he did, it was for Father. All of it to feel the sliver of pride he reserved in a waterfall for the loved child.

He is not the prince that was promised.

It’s seen in the way Mother looks at him. He’s convinced she doesn’t love him. Mothers are supposed to love their children, people say; but not when you’re the reason why she has to accept the heaviness of reality. Her anger manifested the more he grew up. A single misstep is all it took for her to shout his name. All of the things he did (he tried learning a different language in the dead of the night, read the books recommended to him by the Septa, practised the sword until he perfected the right grip, tasted dirt in his mouth with how much he stumbled) but it will never be enough like his entire existence isn’t enough for her. And despite wishing she could love him more, he strayed even further to not feel the harsh sting of her rings, which resulted in Mother taking back the smallest amount of love she has for him.

He will never be the prince that was promised.

The first sip of alcohol, when he was a babe, cemented his dependency on his eleventh name day. The numbness, carefreeness, and the occurrence of fading into black that it brings is absolutely freeing. He’s the god of intoxication and the patron of exhilaration. Nobody can touch him.

Except for one.

His personal Maiden, the girl who sauntered in the Red Keep clutching her baby brother close to her chest, the beauty every beholder says is the image of salvation, the hands that he doesn’t mind cupping his face — the remembered princess of the realm. She is in every gasp of air he intakes; in the corners of the halls; in the whispers at the back of his head, urging him to look at her from the corner of his eyes as if she’s the secret the castle never tells; in the thoughts plaguing him; and in the dreams that paint different kinds of smiles on his lips. She always smells like the lemon candies her brother munches on, the pastels she wears are ingrained in his core memory; the books her hands have touched are extraordinary; the scrunch on her face, when she finds something borderline revolting in her walks across the castle, is beyond adorable; and the way her face lights up as she picks the next ugly insect that she will give to his own sister stuns him in place. Fuck him to the Sevel Hells and back, he’s consumed with her. It’s amazing how because of her, he is willing to change. Why consume all the cups in all the lands, when a single glance at her, he’s already under the influence of her existence? It’s a fact he only realised upon reaching a certain age.

One look at her and he sees himself being a better man and a better competitor for the throne.

She is a constant in his life.

AEGON TARGARYEN, the second of his name, is not the prince that was promised, oh, no.

But with his AESIRA by his side, it will be through his bloodline that this promised prince will breathe their first breath.

And with all this chaos, there is you.

contents:

act zero: the prince and the siren

act one, chapter one: aesira and aether, aether and aesira

act one, chapter two: the red-bricked road

act one, chapter three: little boy gone

act one, chapter four: first, a dead wife; second, a dead mother

act one, chapter five: the birth of the golden

act one, chapter six: the queen of love and beauty

act one, chapter seven: ravens caw, dropping strings on smooth palms

act one, chapter eight: matters of the heart

act two, chapter one: the story has yet to be written ...

an aegon x oc story bc my love for what could have beens overpowered my need to enjoy my vacation <33

reply or send an ask if you want to be added to the taglist !! mwa

#— rory's passages 🌼#hotd #house of the dragon #hotd x oc #hotd x reader #aegon x oc #aegon ii x oc #aegon targaryen x oc #aegon ii targaryen x oc #aegon x reader #aegon ii targaryen #aegon targaryen

167 notes · View notes

joons · 9 months

Text

i finally got to see reinventing elvis, and a detail that really broke my heart was how steve binder described the first time the special was screened for elvis. with the memphis mafia in the room, the room was quiet because elvis wasn't saying anything, and no one would respond until they knew what elvis' thoughts were. after the screening, elvis asked everyone to leave except him and steve, and he immediately relaxed and watched the whole thing again, enthusing to steve about everything they'd managed to achieve, laughing and cheering and clapping for the crew and himself. i--

one thing that draws me so much to elvis and his story is this idea of your identity becoming fractured, how you always have to see yourself through the eyes of an audience. for elvis, his first audiences during childhood were his bullies and his mother. for everyone else, he slipped under the radar, until music gave him the strength to be himself. that uncertainty and anxiety that came from revealing yourself to others never left him and became worse the more his music became the way to protect his mother and family from poverty forever. he had to choose between providing for others and expressing himself. and if a bully or a critic didn't have what it took to silence him, then his own need to protect and nurture others did. just knuckle down, make the bad movie, take care of everyone who depends on you. and as his fame grew, the audiences he needed to protect and please grew more numerous and varied; they were teenage girls and mini-rockers who thought he'd sold out in the army and distinguished vegas crowds and politicians and his friends who were also employees who were also snitching to the colonel. not only is it a panopticon existence, but there's nowhere to rest without gladys, no single person he can shelter his complete self inside. he would share his feelings only if he trusted that you wouldn't laugh or be cruel. and it was very difficult to keep track of what parts of him each audience liked, whether he was allowed to cry in front of these guys, whether they'd laugh at him for knowing classical music, whether his interests would bore someone to tears. he couldn't tell them how important this special was to him, how relieved and proud he was of it. because that relief and pride felt too fragile to be shared except with the person beside him that he knew felt it too. (binder talked about how miserably nervous he was because he was having his own doubts about whether what he'd made was any good at all.)

i wonder if that was part of why he loved giving other people his time. that one-on-one connection gave others HIS audience, a happy one, where he could reassure them and take pride in them and build them up in a way he very rarely got back. he did stuff like that all the time, praying with people, giving them advice, sharing private jokes, asking about their lives. it's like he was taking in all the criticism and all the love he might get from his own audiences and reflecting it back very gently on someone else, just the two of them, so they knew he was being sincere, hoping someone would bridge that connection with him, that they would realize they didn't have to "act" for him, so he could let his guard down too, even just for a moment. he didn't ask for much more, but he deserved that full feeling of safety and belonging.

#elvis presley #reinventing elvis #meta #i am LONGING too much this night #we all fracture and hide and we are all loved

137 notes · View notes

ireneaesthetic · 1 year

Text

Pointing out some other little moments and details from the episodes that need to be remembered • part 2/2

here's part 1/2

episode 4

in my top 5 best scenes of them.

it’s pure angst and such a powerful moment, there’s the need to be understood by the other. simon starts the argument - he actively searches for a confrontation - and both of them end up speaking their mind, like they never did before but had to sooner or later.

it’s the reason of wille’s defeated expression in front of simon’s astonished one: he admitted that the crown prince role is the obstacle he's not willing to accept and overcome for the first time, not only to wilhelm - confirming his biggest fear - but also himself.

edvin once wrote : "that’s wille realizing he’s transformed into the traditional image of a prince. he is lonely, he’s accepted he has to allow simon to love someone else. the worst part for him is that it’s himself who does the makeup".

i couldn't have phrased it better.

i read a lot about simon’s recurrent behaviour in the locker room, waiting for all the boys to shower before getting in and the "i thought everyone had left" to get out. but he doesn’t make it a problem if wilhelm is the only one left in the room.

or him turning away to not be watched by marcus when he gets dressed, but not if it’s wilhelm the one who’s watching him, cos he feels comfortable and safe enough to do it - and let wille undress him too !!

the “i get it, you’re not in love with me anymore” is what gets simon to lift his head up in zero time, not lower the gaze again but focus entirely on wille’s words.

episode 5

wilhelm waving his pencil in the air to catch simon’s attention. they smile at each other right after, it’s a very simple thing but exactly the one they need the most in this moment: to share a look of understanding and reassurance - ‘it’s okay, we’re on the same page’.

simon’s concerned expression.

it’s the first time he gets to face wille's anxiety for what it truly is, seeing how bad it can mentally and physically affects him.

for unknown reasons i find comfort knowing both wille and simon happen to touch the frog in the same episode.

+ it’s the closest interaction between simon and erik we can ever get.

episode 6

when omar said this is the most heartbreaking moment for simon he’s so right.

it is sara, it’s family we’re talking about and there’s no betrayal hurting more than one coming from a person you're supposed to fully trust, unconditionally. he looks at her not recognizing who he thought he knew so well anymore.

it may be the same 'manifesto' from s1 shown again like a heavy reminder, but there is a very different and grown up wilhelm standing in front of it now.

him being the only one not looking into the camera but rather down. it really sets the tone for what’s coming.

throwback to s1 wille, when he folded the written paper of the speech in erik’s memory to continue on his own terms instead.

this is also it: the head shaking, the “nej”, the sudden choice of stopping to speak for others - not what his truth is -, throwing all away and let his heart speak. it’s such a power move.

he looks back at simon to give him a reassuring smile. it’s the first thing he does when he stops talking and what simon also needed to turn his fear and worry into relief.

simon “i want to be with you and if we have to keep it a secret, then so be it” eriksson and prince “it was me in the video” wilhelm. they love and respect each other this much.

interpreting this as a ‘i hope you’re proud of me’ look to the sky aka erik? why not.

+ bonus

boris is proud of him fr. he needs to be praised and s/o to one of the best quotes ever that was the turning point of it all: “we can’t choose who we’re born as, but we can choose how we want to live”.

#young royals #part 2/2 #prince wilhelm #simon eriksson #wilhelm x simon #wilmon

304 notes · View notes

redux-iterum · 8 months

Note

man. i really do love the way you’ve handled tigerclaw— he’s still a bastard, but he’s a bastard who GENUINELY thinks he’s doing right by his clan, his family. the shift in motivation from “i want to conquer the whole forest as a tyrannical dictator” to “i want to isolate thunderclan from its neighbors so it can be restored to it’s former glory and flourish” is WAY more impactful, imo. i also think there’s something to be said about how he’s (maybe) willing to exempt fireheart— whose entire character has been about BUILDING bridges between thunderclan and the rest of the forest— from his hitlist and make a hypocrite of himself because he and goldenflower have a fondness for him. i choose to believe that tigerclaw is still proud of the way fireheart stands up for what he believes in, even if it is conflicting with his own goals.

tldr; loving the direction of this so far. thank you guys for all your hard work!! looking forward to my heart continually being broken in the future <3

Figured answering these two together would be ideal.

It’s excellent to hear the enthusiasm and kind words, thank you! I’ve been stowing away this discussion about Tigerclaw and Fireheart for a while, and now I get to blather!

People have brought up that Tigerclaw choosing not to hurt Fireheart is unusual, since Fireheart’s the one that’s soft to outsiders and has been on track to softening the entire Clan as well, and Tigerclaw is against that. The reason for this requires a bit of a tangent.

Tigerclaw initially was a bit emotionally distant with all his Clanmates, save Goldenflower (for the most part). Not in the sense of “I don’t care about any of you”, but more like “I care about you, but I’m not so attached that I can’t kill you to save everyone else”. He’s had the thought in his mind for years that he could be a better leader than the one everyone already loves, that these cats had impaired judgement and couldn’t do what needs to be done, that he didn’t want to commit to having a family because that could get in the way of his silent and righteous crusade. He cared for his Clanmates, but his heart was careful not to get too close to anyone, even, to a very small extent, Goldenflower. What if he needed to put her out of the way too?

And then Fireheart happened.

Initially, Tigerclaw didn’t care about him. It’s some kittypet who has a tiny bit of potential. Big whoop. He was under the category of “to be Handled if he gets too uppity and does the wrong thing”, and Tigerclaw expected he’d stay there forever. That was fine and easy, even if Goldenflower got attached to him. He could kill Lionface if he needed to, why would he be unable to take out a shrimpy outsider just because his mate likes him?

The thing is, Fireheart’s got this annoying little talent of drawing out people’s kindness and affection without even trying. We’ve seen his own gentle, broad love for everyone around him, even those he just met and knows nothing about beyond them needing help from a stranger. He is overflowing goodness and fondness and empathy in a somewhat compact ginger body, and you can’t break that or scare that out of him. And somehow, with that infallible bravery to keep being kind and polite, he manages to worm his way into the core of another cat and soothingly convince them, even unconsciously, to offer a nice word to someone they don’t like, or maybe ask a Clanmate if they’re doing okay when they think they don’t care, or even just blink trustingly to calm a frightened and starving outsider they should be chasing away. It’s difficult to catch him doing it, but as we’ll see in the rest of the series, it’s a gradual, unstoppable infection.

This talent is what made everyone (well, except for Darkstripe, but he doesn’t like anybody) so fond of him, even if they preemptively think he’s just a dumb kittypet who needs to toughen up. Frostfur is a good example: she went from apathy and disdain to offering him silent support when he brought Cloudkit home and actively partaking in conversation with him when he approached her, just over the course of this book. All he had to do was, like I said, be kind and polite, and he gradually broke down even her walls. Charred Legacy, the next book, will go more into this, so I’ll save the details for now, but my point is that Fireheart is really damn good at making his Clanmates and friends care about him and others.

How troubling (and mildly amusing) it was to Tigerclaw to find that he wasn’t exempt from this. And how amazed he was to find that coming to care for this little outsider his mate was eager to adopt opened up a whole new world for him. Maybe having kits wasn’t so bad. Maybe he could be a father and still do what he needed to do, and maybe his family didn’t need to get hurt in the process. Maybe Goldenflower was more precious to him than he realized, and maybe Fireheart was someone he could see as a son, and be proud to do so.

What Tigerclaw failed to account for is that attachment complicates things. You might have to kill someone – but no, now you come up with excuses not to. They’re just misguided, you can fix them with a couple conversations. You don’t have to take them out. They’re your family! And your family is important! Surely you can let them live, just these particular cats. You can change their minds. They’ll understand and appreciate your goal in time. It’ll be just fine, you know it.

And so it went, deeper and deeper, until his twisted mind was able to justify not hurting Fireheart ever, solely because he’s his son, and his son deserves to live no matter what. In the same way he thought of his more “dangerous” Clanmates as a liability even if they didn’t really do anything wrong, he thought of his mate and son as essential to ThunderClan, even if they went against his ideals.

He never did see the hypocrisy in that. And even to the end, he never even dreamed of hurting Fireheart.

That’s his son, you know?

#ask #readmore #spoilers #burning hearts ask #tigerclaw #fireheart #gravehund #seawoven #queue #i speak

95 notes · View notes

cloversworldsblog · 4 months

Text

A View from the Victors Lounge

For @lorata because I am completely obsessed with her District 2 multiverse and because the disparity between Victor Alec's experience and how the world might see him has been stuck in my head for years. Everything comes from her sandbox so probably won't make any sense to anyone who hasn't read that first.

Every outlier hates careers.

It’s one of the things that binds every victor sitting in the lounge, watching with resignation and simmering rage as another one of Panem’s proudest psychopaths gets pulled out of the arena, hands still covered in the blood of eighteen children who didn’t choose to be there.

Every outlier hates careers, but there are some they hate more than others and in that respect, everyone’s preferences are different. Whenever the topic comes up, as it inevitably does when Two takes the crown, there’s a debate over which type is worst.

Callista is always a popular choice, especially among the Tens, who take her title as something of an insult to their district’s profession.

‘They say she misses the blood,’ Angus will snarl into his seventh glass of some backwater moonshine he insists on bringing with him to the Capitol, ‘They’re all psychopaths but at least some of them leave that behind. She’d climb back into the arena tomorrow if it would give her the chance to torture another kid.’

‘At least she was born that way,’ Cora from Nine will counter; her own preference is drugs that make the world hazy but there’s a sharpness about her which never quite vanishes, a gleam in her eyes that makes Chaff sure she see the strings controlling them better than most, ‘It’s the ones that think it’s an honour or a duty that sicken me. They tell themselves they’re morally superior because they don’t enjoy it but really they’re worse than any of ones in it for the blood. Callista might be a true born psycho but she doesn’t think that everything she did was good or moral or forgivable just because she gave a clean kill to some twelve year old kid.’

(Cora had tried to attack Devon the first time he’d made some quip about how great tesserae was. Burt and Angus had had to drag her out of the Victor’s Lounge, frothing at the mouth and screaming threats she could never deliver on)

Chaff never participates in the debates; he’s never really cared whether they’re born that way or trained, not when they’re out there killing kids and laughing about it. Haymitch might get all philosophical, spouting all sorts of rubbish about them just being pawns in the game the Capitol plays but Chaff has never bought that. There’s always a choice and the careers, whether they were born wanting it or brainwashed into it, have never hesitated to make it.

Chaff has always hated them all equally until the latest one raises his spear in triumph. For the first time since his own arena, he feels the pull of that bitter hatred that allowed him to cross the line from boy to killer.

He hates this one most; District Two’s newest murderer, who stepped onto the stage and announced to the world that he was thrilled to be following in his brother’s footsteps. Who watched his brother die an agonising death in the arena and still wanted to kill kids so much that even his brother’s death didn't make him pause. Who sat in his interview talking about honour and his brother’s spirit cheering him on as though any of it was something to be proud of.

Chaff watches him get bundled into the hovercraft and the rage builds up inside him, just like it did in the arena except this time there’s nothing he can do about it. He reaches for Teff’s bottle of rotgut and takes a long swig.

‘His daddy must be proud,’ he sneers, ‘Only took two sons to get them the victor they wanted.’

‘A family like that,’ Teff scoffs, ‘They’re probably gutted he didn’t follow in his brother’s footsteps and die for his country like a good little loyalist should. It’s the greatest honour after all,’ he raises his glass in a mock toast.

Diana lets out a bitter laugh but Chaff doesn’t join in. He drinks and drinks and his anger stays at the surface, where it’s sat ever since last year’s victor gave that interview about playing tributes in the woods and dreaming of when they’d be able to live out those fantasies for real.

‘Looks like he’s gonna sacrifice something,’ Angus slurs, as the feed switches over to footage from the Hospital, ‘No way they’re gonna keep the arm if it’s not better by interview. It’ll be just like it was with you.’

‘It’s nothing like me,’ says Chaff, his lips twisting into something ugly, ‘He’s a career; he deserves it.’

#District 2 #OC: Alec Seward #Lorata #Lorataverse #Chaff #the hunger games #thg

43 notes · View notes

teaberrii · 1 year

Text

Chapter Seven: Let's Play Pretend

Alhaitham has the looks and the smarts. He will also be the stand-in CEO for his grandfather's company for a year.

But, he's been mysteriously cursed to turn into a cat every night since his eighteenth birthday… until he meets you, an employee at his grandfather's company, who rescues him as a cat and changes him back with one kiss.

Alhaitham/You

Notes:

Cross-posted on AO3

Female reader

Chapter index at the end of chapter one

Your heart is racing when the four of you sit down for pizza that evening.

You haven't got a chance to speak to Alhaitham alone. You’ve decided to help him, but you need a plan. How are you going to sell your romance to your family? It’s not like you can suddenly come out and say you’re dating. Not after that encounter between him and your mother in the hallway. There’s also Lumine. She’d be dying to know the entire story. You have to make sure your stories are aligned and—

“So, what do you do, Alhaitham?” Lumine asks, grabbing her third slice of cheese pizza.

You and Alhaitham exchange a look as if wondering the same thing. Should he tell your family he’s your CEO? Well, you have an answer to that. You gently kick his foot underneath the table without taking your eyes off him. Your lips are in a neat line as you slightly shake your head, trying not to make it obvious.

“I’m a scholar at Akademiya,” Alhaitham says, picking up on your cues.

“Oh, really? Were you also a student there?”

Your mother's eyes almost shine when she hears about Alhaitham's career.

“Yes.”

“Ooh, I bet you were a top student,” Lumine says. "You look the type."

He glances at you, and his lips curve into a subtle smile. “I was Valedictorian.”

You almost drop your pizza. So, not only did this guy graduate a year earlier than everyone else, but he was also Valedictorian. You’re almost annoyed at his achievements. Can this man please have some flaws for you to poke fun at?

“Whoa! I guess you love to study then,” Lumine says.

“Rather than studying, I love researching,” Alhaitham says. “It gives me a sense of purpose.”

Your mother looks at you. “Did you hear that? Research gives him a sense of purpose.”

“I heard him loud and clear."

Alhaitham looks from you to your mother as Lumine says, “Mom wanted Sis to go to graduate school, but that didn’t happen.”

“We fought a lot before,” you add. “But, we’re okay now. Right, mom?”

“She was always stubborn, but I guess I can say I'm proud of her now.”

"You guess? Even after I won Best Screenwriter at the Best Hit Awards this year?"

The small smile between you and your mother doesn’t go unnoticed by Alhaitham. If he could, he would add that your mother should be proud of you. If that meeting he attended that day with your manager was anything to go by, how you talk about your ideas and how you bring them to life is inspiring.

He grabs a slice of pepperoni pizza. “My parents were the opposite.”

This gets your attention. “You mean… your parents didn’t want you to pursue higher education?”

“It was expensive,” Alhaitham explains. “Even though I was on a scholarship, they still encouraged me to find work instead.”

Lumine puts down her glass of juice. “That’s unheard of.”

“...Did they have a reason why?”

Alhaitham looks at you, and you look away as if he’ll catch the curiosity and interest in your eyes. Well, too late. He’s already seen it.

“They thought I would make more if I went in other fields,” Alhaitham says.

“How did you convince them?”

Unbeknownst to you, Lumine and your mother glance at each other at your question.

"I told them research is the start and the building blocks for many inventions we see today. In the end, I made a deal with them to give me two years to prove my research would bring monetary results."

“I guess you succeeded,” you say. “It must’ve been rewarding.”

Alhaitham smiles. “It was.”

You hold his stare for a second too long. Then, you pour yourself more juice. “You did choose a very lucrative field. Technology will only continue to evolve. With the way it’s going right now… it’s scary but exciting.”

“Scary… but exciting.” He puts his elbows on the table, not taking his eyes off of you. “Care to elaborate?”

You put down your pizza. “There’s been a lot of talk on how it’ll replace writers in the future. With how people are talking about it, it does sound scary.”

“Yet you don’t sound worried.”

“I don’t think you can ever replace human connection,” you say, looking at him. “Regardless of what you’re writing about, it requires some kind of research. Whether that research is analyzing human interaction to write better dialogue or interviewing someone for a news article, all technology can do right now is string together words to make a sentence. But, whether it accomplishes your goal is another thing.”

“You make a good point,” Alhaitham says. “In terms of your work, would the ultimate question be: does this sentence sound human enough?”

"Regardless if it's written by a person or not, you can always tweak writing to make it better or clearer." You wipe your hand on a napkin. "Still, it's interesting to see what technology can offer. I suppose it's more of how you work with it than against it."

"That's a reality some people have difficulty accepting."

"Well, it opens more doors, but we have to be cautious about how it's being used and how we respond to it."

Alhaitham chuckles softly. "...As in, take what it says with a grain of salt?"

"Is that really a problem with technology, though?"

"Or is that a problem with human nature?"

You laugh. "Some people will believe anything they see on the Internet regardless if it's posted by a person."

When you and Alhaitham stop to eat some pizza, you notice that your mother and Lumine are staring at both of you. It’s also then that you realize that only you and Alhaitham have been talking the entire time.

You finish your pizza and wipe your hands with a napkin. “Um, let’s talk about something else.”

“Oh, no, please keep going,” Lumine encourages. “That was very… enlightening.”

“It was as if we weren’t even here,” your mother adds jokingly.

Someone's phone buzzes, but it doesn't take long for everyone to realize it's yours. Then, finally, you see an unknown number on your screen. A little suspicious, but you open the message anyway. That's when you see the familiar words: Destiny awaits…

“What the…”

“Is someone looking for you?” Lumine asks.

You show your phone to your mother. “What is the meaning of this?”

“Ah… I signed you up for the matchmaking party.”

“What?! Why?”

Your mother wipes her hands on the napkin. “What do you mean why? You know why.”

“I can’t believe you’d just sign me up like that!”

“Don’t think of it as a matchmaking party. It’s just a place to relax and have a little fun chatting with people.”

“Strangers, you mean,” you deadpan. “You should know I’m not one of those people who talk to strangers for entertainment.”

Lumine laughs. “Yeah. Sis barely likes to talk to people.” You give her a look, and she innocently looks away.

“You’ve been so busy with your work and the move,” your mother says, “I thought you’d like to relax a little.”

You and Alhaitham glance at each other. “W-well… I can’t.”

“What do you mean you can’t? Don’t tell me you’re busy that day. I know you aren’t.”

That’s when you decide to risk it all.

You calmly put your hand on top of Alhaitham’s. “Actually, I am. I’m going on a date with Alhaitham that day.”

Silence.

Your heart races a hundred miles per minute until you feel Alhaitham hold your hand. You look at him, and he smiles.

“Is that true?” your mother asks him, eyes wide.

He'll probably play along, but there's still a seed of doubt. However, it instantly vanishes when he says, "It's true."

Why is he still holding your hand?

Lumine squeals. "Holy moly! Are you two... dating? Why didn’t you say something?! When did it start? How did it happen?”

“...Actually, we aren’t dating.” You glance at Alhaitham. He’s so calm that it almost scares you. “Not yet, at least.”

“Who asked who out first?” Lumine probes.

Alhaitham holds your hand tighter, and you feel the heat rush to your cheeks. You hope it’s not as red as you think it is.

"Me," Alhaitham continues. "I asked her out a few days ago… but she didn't give me an answer. So I suppose"—he looks you in the eyes—"I can take this as a yes to my offer."

Lumine tilts her head. “Offer? That’s a funny way of putting it.”

“Anyway,” you quickly say, “We aren’t exactly dating. We’re just… getting to know each other.”

“Well, who am I to break up a budding relationship?”

Your mother doesn't sound as enthusiastic as you thought she would. Is she onto you?

She stands with her empty plate. “I’m hoping to see a lot of pictures.”

“...Pictures?”

Your mother smiles at you. “It’s your first date in such a long time, dear! You must take a lot of pictures for us.”

“Why?”

Lumine claps her hands together. “Yes, I agree! It’s time for you to get dolled up, Sis!”

“Hang on a minute… I still don’t understand why I have to take pictures for you on a date.”

“...Leave it to me.” You immediately turn to Alhaitham. “I, too, would like to commemorate the occasion.”

He would like… to what?

“Wonderful!” your mother exclaims. “I’m glad we’re on the same page. It’s been so long since she dressed up.”

“Wha—”

“Ooh, this is so exciting!” Lumine giggles. “I bet Aether would get a kick out of this.”

This is not how you're expecting things to go.

Once dinner ends and the table is cleared, your mother and Lumine are at the door, preparing to leave. "Don't tell me you're staying over, Alhaitham."

"No," you quickly say. "There's something I have to talk to him about."

Lumine looks from you to Alhaitham. "What is it?"

"Something that's only between him and me."

"Fiiineee..."

Your mother opens the door. "Well, have fun that day, you two."

“Don’t forget about the pictures!” Lumine adds cheerfully.

“We’ll see about that,” you mutter.

Alhaitham takes your hand. “...We won’t.”

Lumine starts hitting her mother's shoulder, unable to contain her feelings, as she quietly squeals. "Hey, Sis. You better take good care of him!"

“And what if he turns out to be a psychopath?” you deadpan.

"Eh… I doubt it. He passes the vibe test."

“And what kind of test is that?”

Lumine smiles. “A test that determines if I like the person or not.”

“Very reassuring.”

“I’m flattered,” Alhaitham says with a small smile.

Your mother looks over her shoulder. “Well, we’re off. Call us if you need anything, dear.”

Just before Lumine closes the door, she peeks into your apartment. “Don't have too much fun!”

◆◆◆

That late evening, you and Alhaitham are staring at each other. He made his kitty transformation out of your line of sight. You're awfully curious about the process, but you respect his wishes to keep that scene private. He’s lying on his tummy on your couch. You’re sitting on the floor with your elbows on the cushions. You scratch him behind the ears, and he leans into your touch. Clearly, he’s enjoying the little massage.

“What if I just left you like this?” you ask jokingly.

Alhaitham narrows his eyes, and his quiet meow leaves you smiling. Then, you put your chin on your hand so you're at eye-level with him.

“...Well, I guess we only have one shot at this.”

Alhaitham puts his head on his front paws and slowly scoots closer until his nose barely touches yours. Then, his tail swishes upwards, and his eyes go wide.

“You sure like to take your time, Catman.”

Catman? There’s another new nickname. He went from Pervert to Catboy to Catman. Well, it’s… an improvement, he supposes. Then, Alhaitham leans forward and lightly kisses your nose.

One second.

Five seconds.

Ten seconds.

Nothing happens.

What’s going on?

You hear your phone buzz. So, you stand and walk toward the counter to check it. It’s a message from Collei, an old friend from school, and she’s asking you if you’d be interested in attending a school reunion at the end of the month.

From across the room, Alhaitham is staring at you. Is it just him, or do you look a little troubled? Now, he’s curious. Who messaged you? He jumps onto the floor and walks toward you. Even when he’s sitting in front of you, you’re still paying attention to whoever is on the other end.

Alhaitham circles around your feet, making sure to brush against your leg. When he doesn't get a response, he frowns. Is that person really that important? You nearly trip over him when you start walking and look down to see him staring at you with wide, innocent eyes.

“That was uncalled for."

Alhaitham meows. You give him a deadpan look, and he returns it with a subtle, mischievous smile. You sigh and put your phone on the table.

“Looks like that time was a fluke."

Is it, though? Alhaitham has doubts. So, he jumps into your arms. Then, he puts a paw on your collarbone and leans close to you. You think you understand what he's getting at. So you put him on the sofa and watch him clean his face with a paw.

“Well, here goes nothing… again.”

You lean down just as Alhaitham looks up. His lips touch yours, and…

Poof.

You quickly spin around just as he grabs one of his folded clothes to cover himself up.

“Very interesting…”

“Let’s talk after you put some clothes on,” you sigh, your face turning slightly red.

You’re sitting on the couch when Alhaitham comes out fully clothed from the washroom. You meet each other’s eyes. “Welcome back, Catman.”

“Looks like it wasn’t a fluke after all.” Alhaitham sits on the couch adjacent to you. “...But it looks like you have to kiss me for it to work.”

“I guess whether you get to live as a cat or a human for the night is in my hands,” you joke. You stand and put a hand on your hip. “So, you better behave yourself.”

Alhaitham smiles slightly. “Could you resist, though?”

“...What are you saying?”

“I don’t think you’d be able to resist a kiss,” he says, standing.

You scoff. “Someone’s got an ego.” Still, you look at him with a mischievous look in your eyes. “Should we find out?”

Alhaitham holds your stare. “I don’t think this was part of our deal.”

“Natural curiosity. Might as well have some fun while we’re doing this.”

Your phone buzzes again. You and Alhaitham look at it, and he’s expecting you to pick it up, but you don’t.

“...Not going to answer it?” he asks.

“I’ll look at it later,” you sigh. Then, quietly, “It’s not like I know what to say right now.”

“Is everything okay?”

“Fine.”

He clearly knows it's not, but he doesn’t ask further.

“Alright, Catman, we got an answer tonight. You ready to go home?”

You walk him to the door, but just before he leaves, he turns around and says, “I hope you’ll look forward to our date.”

You wave a hand dismissively. "We don't have to go on a date. Just take a few pictures at some popular places, and then we're done."

“Who’s the one who said we should have some fun while doing this?”

“Well… that’s…”

Alhaitham leans closer to you. “...So, you only want to have fun while kissing?”

“That is not what I meant."

Alhaitham puts his hand around your head and gently pulls you closer so that his forehead almost touches yours. “We have to make it convincing, don’t we? That’s the point.”

You hear your heart hammer once, and then you quickly pull back. “...Well, I have some high expectations.”

“Do you?”

You don’t. You’ve never really cared what you were doing on dates. It always came down to how the other person made you feel while together.

“I’m good with whatever.”

“...Are you sure?”

You refuse to look away. You don’t want him to know that he’s making you nervous. “...Yeah… why?”

He leans slightly closer. “Then, we can spend the day experimenting.”

“Wha… what are you saying?!”

Alhaitham leans upright. “Is something wrong?”

"You only turn into a cat at night. So how can we experiment during the day?"

You know you messed up when you see his lips curve into a small smirk. "I meant we can go to different places and try things together."

…Oh. Of course.

The silence is too loud for you to bear.

You awkwardly clear your throat. “Great idea.”

“Your idea also sounds nice, though.”

You frown. "Don't make me kick you out.”

“But I’d be human,” Alhaitham continues. “...If you’re okay with that.”

You point to his condo across from yours. “Goodnight, Catman.”

Alhaitham chuckles. “Goodnight… Batwoman.”

Your deadpan look doesn’t change when you close the door on him.

Chapter Eight

Tag list: @suoshiii @lordbugs @seirenspinel @lxry-chxn @sakiimeo @ashtree-and-the-cats @ceylestia @forsh4dow @deathkat657 @kalpie @elernity @sentieence @chichibleeps @sunsethw4 @hjjks @tanspostsblog @nqctre @just-simping-over-genshin @uchihaeirin

#alhaitham x you #alhaitham fluff #alhaitham x reader #alhaitham #genshin impact alhaitham #genshin al haitham #al haitham x reader #al haitham x y/n #al haitham fluff #al haitham #alhaitham x yn #alhaitham x y/n

196 notes · View notes