#managed to actually hurt him during the performance and he's the one who said he's afraid he'll be the villain of his own story | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

nicxl333 · 8 months

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hello

Could you write about bllk boy accidentally hurting their s/o badly.

It's okay if you're too busy. No pressure

BABY YOU SOLD ME A DREAM

characters: isagi yoichi, mikage reo, nagi seishiro, barou shouei, itoshi rin

content: major angst, reader is female coded (wears a dress, heels and makeup), mentions of smut in barou’s part but nothing actually happens (lol), vulgar language

☆彡 ISAGI YOICHI

“you think you know better than me? do me a favour and go find someone else who has the time to put up with your bullshit. ‘cause it won’t be me.”

you lay in your cold, desolate bed for the umpteenth time this week alone, which, considering it was only wednesday showed just how often isagi trained past late hours. as much as you understood his passion to climb to the top, it was simply neglect at this point. to you and to himself. you woke up, he was gone. you went to sleep, he wasn’t beside you.

of course, things were never like this in the beginning. he used to be around, take you out, nurture you and show you devoted love for you each and every time.

until he wasn’t.

once his team reached the quarterfinals of the champions league a while back, he changed. 2 hour training sessions in the evening turned into 4, and the time he spent with you halved as a result. it made you feel lonely and simply put, abandoned.

your texts querying his location and when he was coming home lay unanswered and unopened, probably within the confinement of his phone which lay in his bag during training. so you went to bed alone like you always did, missing what your relationship used to be.

as you stared at the pristine, bare white ceiling you heard a key in the lock of the front door. a few moments passed and the door pushed open, pads of feet resounding in the apartment.

you decided to go meet him in the living room, wanting to know if he’s at least okay.

as you entered the room, you were met with his figure, donned in black sweatpants paired with a black compression shirt. his normal post-training gear. the same gear that never failed to make you melt each and every time. he glanced at you in your nightwear and weary expression, due to him returning back so late.

“hey ‘ichi, how was training?”

“alright.”

you immediately frowned. outside the pitch he was never so curt and void of language. especially with you.

you ventured closer towards him, trying to debunk his guarded persona.

“are you sure? did anything happen to you?” you stepped closer still, till you were right in front of him, immediately noticing his dark circles, even in the dim lighting of the living room from the hallway light. you attempted to give him a hug, shrinking back in disappointment once he shrugged you off.

“i said it was alright. i’m fine, just go back to bed, i’ll join in a bit.”

bullshit. you knew full and well he would just retire to the sofa, watching playbacks of his games to further evaluate his performance. even when he wasn’t working physically he would somehow manage to work himself further mentally.

“yoichi. what’s wrong baby?”

“y/n, i won’t repeat myself again. go to bed.”

you stood there in disbelief. as far as you were concerned, you hadn’t done anything wrong, so it’s quite unbelievable that he would take whatever happened today out on you.

“isagi,” you made sure to use his last name to make aware you weren’t fucking around. “come correct with me please. i haven’t done anything to you and i’m concerned for your well-being. you’ve been going to sleep late, training until ungodly hours. this isn’t good for you and i’m now on the receiving end of your misery, god knows why.”

the tone in the room shifted, isagi, now displaying a scowl across his features at your rebuttal. yes, he was well aware he was maltreating himself, but to have you acknowledge his moment of weakness gave him an displeasing itch of anger that no one could scratch, not even you.

before he could think, the next words that flew out of his mouth changed the status of your relationship, whether he meant to or not.

“you think you know better than me? do me a favour and go find someone else who has the time to put up with your bullshit. ‘cause it won’t be me.”

you instantaneously drew back, his words punching you in the gut and twisting your insides. your heart leapt and fell, never expecting those words, out of isagi’s mouth of all people.

it was deathly silent for a moment, both parties having a staring match. you fought back tears, trying so damn hard to not allow him to see how his words affected you. alas, your emotions got the best of you.

you lightly sniffled, before balling your hands into fists. “you know what yoichi? fuck you, i’m done.”

you turned on your heel and made a beeline towards your shared bedroom, grabbing your biggest duffel and shoving clothes into them, not minding what it was that you picked up. only once isagi was the only individual in the living room did he snap out of his state, realising the weight of his words. he listened to the loud shuffling, registering that he may have just fucked his relationship over for good.

he swiftly followed you, watching you in a frenzy, having just changed into an outfit suitable enough for outside. it was then that he grasped you were serious, and slipped into full panic mode.

“y/n! y/n please baby, i didn’t mean any of that! don’t leave me.” he reached for your arm, falling apart, the same way you did moments before, when you pulled away from his touch. you knew if you succumbed to his pleas you might— might just stay. but you couldn’t. his words resonated within you and made you accept that fact that you needed space at the most, before your relationship delved into something irreparable.

you stood, duffel bag slung on your shoulder, tears running down each cheek, until they conjoined at your chin.

“isagi, i can’t. not right now. not when emotions are running this high. i need space. we should probably talk when we’re both calmed down. i’ll be at meguru’s house so you don’t need to worry about where i am.”

he respected your wishes, he had no choice. if he wanted this relationship to survive he had to.

so he let you go.

☆彡 MIKAGE REO

“you’re very much subpar, do you think i need to keep you around? my name alone will help find me someone better than you.”

one thing about mikage reo that really ticked you off was his obsession over his best friend, nagi. simply put,

he was always there.

when you were chilling together, when you went out, even after date nights he would come to your shared condo, playing video games with your boyfriend until god knows what time in the morning. it always felt like you had to share and fight for reo’s attention, which was pretty much a losing battle considering reo gave nagi as much of his attention to nagi as he did.

you did your best to not voice your concerns to him, withholding your true feelings, that you did. but sometimes there’s just moments where you can’t help but snap.

and that moment came at your first year anniversary dinner with reo. hell, you should’ve called it your first year anniversary dinner with yourself, considering the fucker didn’t even show up.

you had dolled yourself up so nicely, a sexy silk black dress (purchased with your own money, you didn’t like to depend on reo too much) with matching heels. your makeup was done flawlessly and not a hair out of place.

you sat at an expensive table at an expensive restaurant, sipping over-expensive wine while you waited for him to show up. you hadn’t seen him since this morning, due to him training all day today, but you had planned this dinner with him together a month ago, reservations and all, with reminders here and there about the upcoming date.

you had waited for about an hour, taking into consideration that there could be traffic, although you hadn’t experienced any on the way here, thus giving him the benefit of the doubt.

however, when no signs showed of him arriving you turned to a waiter and excused yourself, paying the bill and walking out to collect your car from the valet.

once it was brought to you and you were seated, ready to drive off, the first thing you did was call reo via the bluetooth feature, beyond pissed off.

after a few rings he picked up, the sounds of video game gunfire audible in the background.

“y/n? what’s up? where are you?”

you scoffed incredulously, ignoring the city lights whizzing past you as you drove on the highway.

“what’s up? where am i? reo, do you know what day it is today?”

“no, why?”

you gripped the leather of your steering wheel, your frustration hitting a boiling point. “you cannot be serious. does our one year anniversary ring any bells, huh? the fact that i’ve reminded you, time and time again? you stood me up reo! what could you have possibly been doing that was more important than remembering a big milestone in our relationship?!”

he didn’t even have to answer for you, because the answer came in the form of a “reo, why did you stop? our team just lost.”

nagi seishiro.

if you weren’t angry before, you were absolutely livid now.

“reo, so you mean to tell me that spending time with your friend was more important than remembering your one year anniversary with your girlfriend? do i mean nothing to you?”

“y/n it’s not that deep, we can just reschedule for tomorrow or something.” you could hear his exasperation through the phone. the audacity of him, considering he was completely at fault here.

“not that deep? not that deep?! you let me sit there for over an hour in an upscale restaurant by myself and didn’t even think to worry about where i was! why is it not getting through to you that you missed our anniversary to play games? you see nagi everyday, whether it’s at training or at home. you mean to tell me that you couldn’t bear to not see him for one singular day out of the week?”

there were probably a ton of possibilities and explanations for why he said what he said next, but if you had to choose, it would probably be the fact that nagi could most likely hear the argument over the phone, which lead reo to attempt to regain control over the situation, by any means possible, to not appear weak.

“you’re very much subpar, do you think i need to keep you around? my name alone will help find me someone better than you.”

oh. you see how it is.

his words stunned you into silence, knocking the wind out of you. the only sounds that could be heard was the continuous tapping from reo’s controller and the low hum of your engine as you drove.

“look y/n i’m busy now, so we can talk later when you’re ho-”

you didn’t wanna hear what else he had to say, hanging up the call via the steering wheel and letting out a deep breath you didn’t realise you were holding.

without fail you indicated to turn off the highway, making your way to the nearest hotel. nevermind the fact that you didn’t have any clothes, you simply couldn’t handle seeing reo after the way he just wounded you.

once at the hotel and settled in your room you lay swaddled in the crisp white blankets. without any external eyes being able to see your state you let all walls crumble, tears cascading down in waves as you let all the previous bottled emotions fly free.

unbeknownst to you, your phone lay on the side table, softly vibrating whilst the screen lit up to show a picture of you and reo at a theme park, a call coming though from him.

it lay unanswered.

☆彡 NAGI SEISHIRO

“being in a relationship is a hassle already, i shouldn’t have to deal with you bitching and whining on top of that.”

you awoke to the sounds of rapid gunfire emanating from the living room, sighing to yourself. once again, nagi was devoting himself to a night of endless gaming.

it was a never-ending cycle. when he wasn't gaming, he was training and vice versa. as much as you loved and embraced the fact that nagi was lazy, he could at least make some effort to give you attention every once in a while.

rubbing the sleep away from your eyes you trudged your way through the apartment wearily, before being met with his figure, hunched on the sofa, eyes glued to the screen in front of him.

"sei, when are you coming to bed? i miss you."

"in a bit y/n."

"sei baby you said that last night, and i came back to you passed out on the sofa. the bluelight isn't good for you, especially so late."

he barely was around as it is, but when he was, he either slept, or was parked on the sofa.

it made you feel unappreciated, and majorly unloved. he never made the effort to take you out, tell you that you ever looked pretty or even acknowledge you anymore. to you at this point he was practically a roommate with a shoddy title that really shouldn't apply to the both of you.

"y/n, just leave me alone for now. i'm too tired to get into it with you."

"so you're too tired to argue with me being concerned for your wellbeing, but not too tired to invest your time into games, which ultimately drains your thought processes more? really sei?"

he was still focusing on the tv instead of your words, which ticked you off. so, determined to get his full attention, for once, you walked towards the tv and stood directly in front of it, blocking his vision, arms crossed and frowning.

"what the hell y/n? you made me lose."

"seishiro, can you stop being an ass for just a second and focus on me and what i have to say?”

faced with no way out, he had to oblige, placing the controller down with a heavy sigh, letting you know he was agitated. you couldn’t give a flying fuck though. you’d had enough of being neglected by nagi, and weren’t going to let him off this time.

“you don’t spend time with me anymore. you never take me out, we don’t ever talk to each other anymore. is it so bad for me to want to spend time with my boyfriend? is a game really more important than me? or is being with me detrimental to you in some way?”

he rolled his eyes, sinking back into the soft material of the sofa, irises piercing into yours. you shrunk back at his change in demeanour.

“being in a relationship is a hassle already, i shouldn’t have to deal with you bitching and whining on top of that.”

huh?

“nagi, where is this coming from? what do you mean being in a relationship is a hassl- i’m a hassle?”

he shrugged while rising to his feet, placing a hand behind his head and massaging his neck.

“i said what i said didn’t i? look, i’m going to bed, happy now? i don’t wanna argue with you, you’re too loud when you’re angry.”

you stood in shock, registering his words fully before swallowing and deeply inhaling.

“forget it nagi, i’m leaving. lose my number.”

“leaving to go where?” he watched as you briskly walked to the bedroom, following you in as you changed, grabbing your phone and keys.

“that’s none of your concern anymore. i’m breaking up with you.”

he said nothing as you walked to the front door, leaving with a final slam.

he should’ve stopped you, he really should’ve, for he would come to realise soon enough that allowing you to go,

would be one of the worst decisions he ever made.

☆彡 BAROU SHOUEI

“oi, i didn’t get into a relationship with you just so you can make my life harder. fix up or leave.”

when you asked barou out, you knew damn well what you were signing up for. considering he was so headstrong, particularly when it came to football, there would be moments where he might be nonchalant or absent.

what you didn’t anticipate, would be just how bad he would get.

once his mind was focused on football, specifically climbing his way to the top, there were no distractions, especially from his girlfriend, who at times he deemed his biggest distraction.

you did try to help and aid him every way you could, cooking him meals to eat after late night practices, tending to his injuries he may obtain after over-intensive sessions, cleaning up the apartment flawlessly so he wouldn’t be tempted to do it himself. all you really wanted in return was love.

surely that wasn’t too much to ask for, right?

wrong.

even after 7 months of dating, public outings with attempts to hold his hand resulted in subtle swatting away, instead opting to walk side by side. laying in bed together? don’t expect any cuddles from him. quite laughable actually that you’d ever think he’d be willing to do that. don’t think movie nights will be any different either. you’d better be keeping your hands to yourself.

fucking was a rarity, only really when he was very much pent up with frustration from football, libido overflowing from lack of release. and even then, while you were able to cum, that’s pretty much all there was to it. no making love or anything like that. he wouldn’t display his emotions to you enough in the first place for that to ever happen.

when you asked barou out, you knew damn well what you were signing up for. but you didn’t know it would be this hard. you figured he would loosen up eventually, getting used to at least some form of affection towards you. a little peck on the lips, or a hug from behind every once in a while would be nice.

one day, you simply grew tired. you were sitting on the dining table with him, having just finished dinner. barou stood up, ready to leave the table to shower.

“shouei.”

he stopped in his tracks, pivoting on one heel to turn and face you. his face remained blank, save for his usual signature eyebrow, arched in waiting.

“hm?”

“i-” you suddenly grew self conscious, afraid to voice your concerns to him. if you wanted things to change however, this conversation had to happen sooner rather than later.

“can we do more stuff together?”

his face now contorted into utter confusion, genuinely puzzled by what you were trying to say.

“what do you mean? i do enough with you do i not?”

“no, not that that sho’, i mean more couples stuff. like…couldn’t you just be more affectionate? i just— i don’t know how you feel about me at certain points, you don’t tell me anything as it is.”

he looked at you, playing with your hands, trying to look anywhere but him, clearly uncomfortable about this conversation.

“cmon y/n, you know how it goes already, i’m not into shit like that. i may like you and all, but all that lovey-dovey stuff? that ain’t me. never has and never will be. surely you should understand how i feel about you? the fact that i’ve kept you around this long should say more than enough.”

damn. fucking cold. either way, you weren’t backing down. you stood there, holding a firm staring competition with him before opening your mouth to speak.

“shouei, it’s been 7 months and news flash! it doesn’t. when you do shit like this, it makes me feel fucking inadequate. like i’m not deserving of you. long story short, you make me feel like shit. i’m tired of it sho’.”

“y/n, regardless of how you feel, i told you how i feel, and that ain’t gonna change.”

you couldn’t accept what he was telling you, believing that what you were saying weren’t getting through to his thick skull. his stance was too relaxed for your liking, arms simply crossed over the other, looking slightly bored.

“you’re not getting it shouei!” you raised your voice slightly, not quite shouting, but about two thirds of the way there. “you’re not understan-”

“oi, i didn’t get into a relationship with you just so you can make my life harder. fix up or leave.”

you halted, making sure you heard him correctly. to hear that he basically wouldn’t fight for 7 months worth of memories and time with each other left you in denial that it would be so easy for him to let go.

“excuse me?”

“did i stutter? fix up, or leave. two choices, one answer. it’s up to you but whatever you pick is your business.”

he gave you an out, an out from what you were currently going through. and as much as you did love and care for barou, you’d be a fool not to take it. things would only get worse.

you chose the latter, opting to leave, considering how little value your relationship held to barou. weeks passed, and the items you once held in the apartment decreased, leaving a half completed house, just like your heart.

he continued as normal at first, trying to get used to the newfound ‘freedom’. but as days passed on, the emptiness of the household became more apparent. the meals you used to cook were no more, barou having to take on the tasks himself. his injuries were taken care of in a subpar manner. while he could do it adequately, they weren’t bandaged or plastered as well as you used to do it. yes he would clean, but having it done already when he came back from training and to his standard…made him start to realise just how much you really did for him.

and maybe— maybe you weren’t so bad to have around. you did give him a sense of comfort that he could not achieve on his own, filling him on things that happened during your day gave him a sense of normalcy which alternately gave him that balance from his meticulous life as a quickly rising footballer.

he missed you, he missed what you had,

it’s a pity he realised only when it was too late.

☆彡 ITOSHI RIN

“honestly i don’t understand why i got with you in the first place. you’re so lukewarm it hurts.”

you were both busy. you both knew and understood that. rin was constantly abroad on travels for football and you had your own stuff going on at work, often leaving the office late at night.

when your schedules would occasionally match up and you’d both be home, most of the time it would still be you alone. rin would go off on his own to his usual training ground and work himself to the bone. he wouldn’t even tell you he was leaving, disregarding your worries or concerns that may surface.

you jolted awake randomly, looking to your left to see disturbed duvet covers, but an empty side. yet again. next you turned to your phone, squinting at the light from the screen which temporarily blinded you.

2:34am

you could take a guess or two at where rin was. specifically because you knew he lost his last match abroad and was pissed off about it, meaning double the training he usually did. you threw on some clothes, splashed water on your face and grabbed your car keys to drive to the open football field.

the massive stadium style lights lit up the field, illuminating it in a cool white, as you pulled up next to rin’s car. even from the car park you could hear the discernible sounds of rin’s foot booting a ball repeatedly. once closer, you could see him in his normal training gear, sweating profusely, enough to fill a small bucket.

“rin!”

he stopped, just short of making the next ball his victim, making eye contact with you, not expecting to see you there of all places this late.

he waited until you had crossed the distance between you, and stood in front of him to speak.

“y/n, why are you out here this early? i thought you were sleeping.”

“rin, i should be asking you that. it’s too early to be this active my love. come home please, i’m worried for you.”

all was silent for a moment, the only audible sounds on the pitch being a crow cawing in the distance, and rin’s heavy breathing.

“…i’m fine. just go back home. it’s too early for you to be up.”

you stood, hand on hip, showing your determination to get him to give up, not taking no for an answer.

“rin, you need to sleep. you’re overworking yourself. what happens when you’re fatigued and you leave yourself open for mistakes to happen? it’ll be worse for you in the long run.”

“tch, i wouldn’t expect someone who does office work all day to know the inner workings of an athlete. you don’t understand y/n.”

you sighed exasperatingly at his attempts to disarm you. he could be so stubborn when it was really for his own good.

“rin, i don’t need to be an athlete to understand that this isn’t good for you. anyone with two working brain cells can understand that constant working out and lack of sleep isn’t healthy.”

he rolled his eyes and turned back to the football in front of him.

“fine. whether or not you leave isn’t my problem, but i’m not leaving. stay or go, the outcome is the same either way.”

he took position, aiming and shooting flawlessly at the top left corner of the goal, the ball spinning against the net before falling to the ground.

he grabbed another ball, ready to complete the same procedure before you interrupted him once more.

“rin, just please come home, you can come back tomorrow. just because you lost your match doesn’t mean you should overwork yourself like this.”

this time when he turned back towards you, the tone had shifted. his face immediately darkened, eyes thinning into dark slits, eyebrows forming a crease on his forehead. his teal eyes shot daggers into yours.

“listen. we may be together, but that doesn’t mean you get to talk to me like you know what i’m going through. i’m going to be the best football player out there, and if i need to work double to make that happen, then so. be. it. i don’t need someone like you telling me about what i should or should not be doing.”

you stood in silence, effectively stunned and insulted simultaneously. you couldn’t say anything to counter yourself, rin’s harsh words opening up a side to him you’ve never seen before. that wasn’t the worst of it though.

“honestly i don’t understand why i got with you in the first place. you’re so lukewarm it hurts.”

your heart shattered, face hung in desolation and disheartenment.

after not hearing you argue back for a while he scoffed, walking to the side to collect his training bag. “whatever, i’m leaving now.”

he left you there, standing while the gears turned in your head to make some semblance of his words.

you didn’t even register you were crying until the cold nipped at your cheeks, decreasing the temperature of the liquid against your face. you pulled yourself together, just about enough to shakily make your way back to your car and press the ignition button.

you spent the whole car ride crying your eyes out, before wiping your eyes as you arrived back home. rin’s car was nowhere to be seen.

you walked up to the front door, slotting your key in and twisting your wrist to align with the lock.

pushing the door open, you stepped in to see the lights off and the aura dark.

“rin?”

silence.

“rin, are you there?”

nothing.

you sighed, tossing your keys on the table next to the door, making a beeline to your shared bedroom. it was empty, no signs of life present.

you stripped out of your outside clothes and slipped under the covers,

leaving you to cry yourself to sleep, wondering when it all went wrong.

baby you sold me a dream pt.2

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strwbrryeyes · 3 months

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𖦹°｡⋆ semi as a best friend

⟡ cw: fluff, friends to lovers,

⟡ a/n: um. ill do goshiki and shirabu later....maybe....also yes i made this music based mostly bc thats what he does okok

⟡ best friend series: tendou, ushijima || masterlist

best friend semi who you met at band camp when you were both 14.

best friend semi who you got closer to when you both fought over who got to be lead guitarist during the final performance for your assigned group. it brought you closer bc it made you realize you both love guitar.

best friend semi who won the battle but it was okay because you got lead vocals.

best friend semi who was obsessed with your singing voice and begged you to form a band with him after band camp ended.

best friend semi who was ecstatic when you agreed and even more so when you found out you would both be attending the same high school for your upcoming first year.

best friend semi who surprised you when you found out he was actually pretty athletic when he told you he was going to joing the volleyball team.

best friend semi who came up to you freaked out when he met ushijima because he was intimidating but you just laughed at him and called him a wimp.

best friend semi who you tried to recruit more band members with but failed because everyone at shiratorizawa is #lame according to him.

best friend semi who somehow managed to get you to watch him practice everyday so you guys could walk back to his house to rehearse for gigs you didn't have.

best friend semi who finally booked something for your unnamed due your second year of high school at a restaurant he visited with the team after one match.

best friend semi who told you by giving you a cake that he asked tendou to help him make that said "we booked a gig! :)".

best friend semi who had a game the same day of the gig so he had to run from shiratorizawa to the restaurant. he was almost late but he made it on time and played guitar flawlessly.

best friend semi who in his second year said he wanted to take a small break from the band because he wanted to focus on volleyball a bit more. you supported him because you wanted to focus on school a bit more anyway.

best friend semi who still had jam sessions with you for fun on weekends in his bedroom.

best friend semi who realized his feelings for you when he ended up writing a love song and realized he was thinking about you while writing it.

best friend semi who stashed away the journal he wrote the song in because he didn't want to jeopardize anything.

best friend semi who you sang to sleep after he lost his thrid year nationals because he was crying in your arms as soon as he left the building.

best friend semi who you went to college with and got an apartment with so you guys could practice music together since you were both locking in for that.

best friend semi who got more band members recruited because you both agreed you need more sounds.

best friend semi who while looking through old songs, found the love song he stashed away nearly a year prior and decided to profess his love for you.

best friend semi who set up secret practice sessions with the rest of the band to rehearse the song.

best friend semi who surprised you by singing the love song to you during one of your gigs.

best friend semi who asked you out on stage causing the whole venue to go quiet waiting for your answer.

best friend semi who didnt have to wait long because you automatically screamed yes (and into the microphone causing everyones ears to hurt)

best friend semi who is now boyfriend semi who you now write love songs with every now and then causing the rest of the band to gag but secretly they find it cute.

#𖦹°｡⋆ 𝓃𝒾𝓃𝒾 #semi x reader #semi eita x reader #semi eita #semi x reader fluff #semi eita x reader fluff #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu x reader fluff #haikyuu fluff #semi eita fluff

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maiko-san · 5 months

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TADC x Robotic Jester Reader ( Part 1 )

You have a robotic jester avatar that is straight up Fizzarolli.

(Y/o/n) : Your other name

The reader is non-binary ( Reader is a Yes ), age 23.

Ft. Kinger, Ragatha and Caine

Part 2

The last thing you remember was putting on a headset and boom, you spawned in a circus and forgot your name.

Great.

The ringmaster names Caine gave you a new name which was (Y/o/n). You accept your new name and your new life in this circus. Oh, also a new body which was a jester but a robot? You find it cool that you can extend your limbs and is incredibly flexible. At first, you find it hard to control your body parts but "practice makes perfect" and you manage to control your limbs like a pro.

Anyways, you're one of those people that accept your fate and live normally in the circus unlike the others who got obsessed finding the exit, went insane and then abstracted. It was to a point it was only you and Kinger left in the circus. ( Ragatha is actually the second oldest member but I'll make her the third after Reader )

Kinger

Kinger sees you as a good and loyal friend. Both of you are really close.

After Queenie abstracted, you were there to comfort him. The poor man's mental health had deteriorated after witnessing all his friends abstracted causing him to become paranoid, easily scared and forgetful.

There are times that whenever you're talking to him and the next thing he does is scream due to him forgetting who you were ( you were slightly hurt by it at first but you can't blame him for having a short term memory ).

Plus, your avatar is kinda scary tbh. Glowing eyes, sharp teeth and all?

Anyways, whenever Kinger made a pillow fort, you would help him make a bigger one! A castle pillow fort!

It was lonely and uneventful when it was just you and Kinger but it didn't take long for new members to pop in.

Ragatha

Oh dear lord.

Isn't she the sweetest doll you ever met? Well, really not actually no. Not in a bad way, you could read someone's body language and you know she's forcing herself to be happy in this digital world.

"Come on now, dollie! Don't force that smile, you might hurt those lil cute cheeks of yours~" you giggled, poking her cheeks.

Ragatha doesn't know whether she should blush or weirded out with you.

During her first arrival, she had a hard time fitting in and she avoided both you and Kinger at first.

She also tried to find the exit which she failed to do so.

She knows that you want to have a conversation with her but you didn't force it on her. Which she appreciates.

At that point she can see that you genuinely want to befriend her. After she sees how close you and Kinger are.

As time goes by, she starts to talk to you and Kinger. Man, you are one happy jester!

You get to know about Ragatha more, she's actually a nice person and also she knows how to knit and make embroidery!

She actually made a plushie of you and Kinger, how cute!

"Awwwww~" you awed at the sight of the plushie version of you and Kinger. "Kingy! Hey, Kingy! Look how scary my plushie is!" you said, running towards the chess king like a child who got a present. Kinger holds the plush version of you, but when you show his plush ver "AHH—"

Ragatha couldn't help but giggle at the sight.

Whenever the three of you are in the tent, you usually practice your circus act during your free time.

What is a circus without a circus performer anyway? You would do juggling balls and proceed to do the extreme, like juggling the closest thing to you like chainsaws, swords, chair, Kinger—

Dancing on a tight rope? Check.

Eat a sword? Check.

Blow a huge ball of fire? Check.

Magic tricks? Check.

Ragatha, Kinger and Caine would watch you do the tricks, they were impressed how quickly you learn all of it. Especially Caine, who assists you with all of your circus acts.

Caine

He loves how you know how to do circus acts! ( It seems the ai has a favourite child ).

What is the point of a circus without a circus performance? Him being the ringmaster and you're the performer.

Caine did try to make Ragatha and Kinger join in the fun but they ended up failing miserably. Like jumping through a fire hoop and on a spinning wheel?

"I-I think we'd rather be the audience, Caine" Ragatha chuckles nervously as she pulls out a cleaver from her head and pretends it was normal which it wasn't. Kinger on the other hand is shaking uncontrollably from the experience and his robe is on fire which you out. You tried to hold him down, only to have him clip through the floor.

"Kingy!!!!" you let out a panic scream as you scratch the floor after witnessing your bestie glitching into the floor. "Caine! Do something, what if he went to the cellar or worse, trapped in some weird endless yellow room filled with monsters?!" you shrieked, pulling on your jester hat.

Caine with a snap of his fingers teleports the chess king back into the tent, unharmed. Much to your relief. "Kingy? Are you alright?!" you asked the chess piece, pulling his head down and you checked on him. Basically smashing your forehead against his. "I'm totally fine, (Y/o/n)" he said, you let out a sigh of relief. "Did ya see a gameshow under there?" you asked him.

"Anyways! Let's head out for new adventures my fellow friends!" announce Caine, disregarding the fact he nearly set Kinger on fire and threw cleavers at Ragatha, without knowing that he had traumatized them.

Oh well, it seems that only you could do circus performance, well for now.

Anyways! Adventure, here we come!

He really likes how you would go along with every one of his adventures within the digital world and is very adventurous.

It keeps everything lively!

He wishes that the others are as adventurous as you!

Author's Note :

For characters age, Kinger (45), Ragatha (30), Gangle (26), Pomni (25), Reader (23), Zooble (22) and Jax (22).

As for now I do Kinger, Ragatha and Caine. I will do the others in the second part. The reader and TADC casts won't have romantic interest yet. I am not sure about Kinger since he's a middle aged man but I think it's better to have platonic relationship with him.

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countryrebel1995 · 7 months

Text

I didn't want to have to make this post, I've seen enough shipping drama on Tumblr over the years that I usually steer clear of it, but there’s been so much Nooshy bashing in the tags lately that I feel compelled to weigh in on it.

Why do people like Nooshy? Well, to put it simply, even though she’s never the center of attention in "Sing 2", Nooshy manages to be a girl with layers, and there's a lot to appreciate about her. When we're first introduced to her, she's a street performer so she can make the money that she needs to survive, but she’s also genuinely passionate about her craft - she loves to dance - and she enjoys getting a chance to share that passion with someone else whenever they come along.

While she can be snarky and prickly and slow to trust strangers, she’s also very nice once you get to know her. After a young turtle kid almost screws up her performance, she's still very playful and accommodating towards him. When she’s brought backstage to the Crystal theater, she compliments some dude's hat just to make him feel good about himself. While she initially agrees to help Johnny because he offers to pay her, she starts to stick up for him and genuinely support him, because the way Klaus treats him isn't right. She decides to help the Moon Theater troupe put on their big show, even though she's only known these people for about a week and their plan will surely be very dangerous, because the way Jimmy Crystal treats them isn't right either and she wants to help them stick it to the man. After Johnny tells her that he and his family used to be a gang of notorious criminals, Nooshy never judges them for their shady past, and is actually quite happy to see how close he and his father are now (especially since it's implied that she might not even have parents herself). And during "A Sky Full Of Stars", she encourages Johnny to never give up and follow his heart, because he's her friend and she wants to see him succeed.

Nooshy is snarky and mischievous, but underneath it all, she's actually a very kind girl, and very loyal towards the people who earn her respect. And by the end of "Sing 2", she gets her happy ending when she not only gets a new paying career doing what she loves, but also finds a place where she belongs among the Moon Theater troupe.

The reason why I just went off on that rather long tangent, dissecting her character, is to drive home the point that Nooshy has done nothing in the canon films to warrant the way people talk about her sometimes.

I've seen people insult everything about her and her fans for shipping reasons, because they see her as a threat to their preferred ships (even though she and Johnny are not even canonically a couple by the end of "Sing 2"). And there's a real double standard when it comes to this too, because no other character who's been shipped with Johnny over the years gets this kind of treatment. Meena doesn't, Ash doesn't, Ryan doesn't (even though the claim that Nooshy haters sometimes make - that people only like her as one half of a ship - could just as easily be said about him).

And this is really nothing new. Characters getting trash-talked over shipping wars is a tale as old as time when it comes to fandoms, and people are entitled to their opinions. The reason why I made this post is because lately, the Nooshy bashing is starting to cross a line.

Over the last few months, I've been seeing a growing number of comments complaining about people including Nooshy in their fanart. I've also been seeing a growing number of posts outright insulting people who like Nooshy or like to ship her with Johnny, saying that they're stupid and shallow and should just go away because they’re a blight on the fandom.

How about no.

In a fandom, people are allowed to like whatever character they like, or ship whatever couple they like, so long as they're not hurting anyone. If you hate Nooshy so much that you can't stand seeing any fanart of her or fanfics of her, because you don't want to be reminded that she exists, then I'm sorry but you're either just going to have to deal with that or stop engaging with the parts of the fandom where people want to appreciate her. Because quite frankly, your hatred for this character is no one else’s problem except your own and people are not going to stop liking her just for your benefit.

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storiesforallfandoms · 2 years

Text

neglected ~ shawn mendes

word count: 2091

request?: yes!

“hiii, here’s a shawn mendes x reader request i had since you’re requests are open now…

so what if the reader joins shawn on tour but starts feeling left out because shawn is only paying attention to his friends and then eventually the reader gets fed up of it and just snaps at shawn. then they have a fight about it, but at the end it’s all fluffy.

love u, stay safe :)”

description: when he starts neglecting her while on tour, she has enough and decides to voice her frustrations

pairing: shawn mendes x female!reader

warnings: swearing

masterlist (one, two)

Going on tour with your boyfriend for the first time should’ve been a magical experience. Getting to watch him perform every night, getting to go to the after parties with him to celebrate, spending a lot of alone time together in hotel rooms and the tour bus. How could it not be the time of your life?

That’s what you expected anyways. Reality was not as amazing as you thought.

You knew that Shawn would be busy. You didn’t expect him to drop his work to spend time with you. You didn’t want him to do that anyways; you were actually very excited to watch him perform and to be there for his shows and soundchecks.

No, it wasn’t the work that was making this experience less stellar than you expected. It was Shawn’s friends and his attention towards them.

You loved Shawn’s friends and you were glad they agreed to come on the tour for a while as well. Shawn had been having a hard time mentally on tour so you suggested that he bring some of his friends with him to help him feel more at home while on the road. At first, you were glad to see that it was working and to see how happy Shawn was. But then you started to notice how much more time and attention he was giving his friends versus how much he was giving you. It got to a point where he wouldn’t even notice you weren’t there.

Like the night that everything finally came to a head for you.

You had been to Shawn’s show, cheering for him from your VIP section. When the show finished, you went backstage to meet up with everyone. You were almost shocked when Shawn immediately ran up to you and gave you a big kiss.

“We’re going out for after show drinks,” he told you. “You’re coming with us, right?”

“Of course,” you said. “I gotta go to the bathroom first. I had one too many sodas during the show.”

Shawn chuckled and kissed you again before letting you go.

You were buzzing with excitement as you quickly did your business and washed your hands. You were hopped up on post show adrenaline and the excitement of being invited to the night out. You didn’t want to leave the guys waiting for too long.

Once you stepped out of the bathroom, though, you found the backstage area empty except for Shawn’s manager. He looked at you in shock when you appeared.

“I thought you were going to the after party,” he said.

“I am,” I said. “I mean, I thought I was. Are they all gone?”

“Yeah, they left a few minutes ago.”

You bit back the hurt you were feeling. You were sure this was a misunderstanding. Maybe they were waiting for you outside.

But when you went out back where the car had been, all you saw was the tour bus and the stage crew carrying the equipment out. A lump was forming in your throat as you dialed Shawn’s number. You let it ring until it went to voicemail, then tried again to the same results.

Suddenly, your sadness washed away and was replaced with anger. You couldn’t believe that he left you! He invited you to go, he was the one who brought it up to you, and for the quick five minutes you were in the bathroom, he left!

You were fuming as you ordered an Uber to the arena. Most of the fans had cleared out by now, so you were safe to stand in the front of the arena as you waited for your Uber to arrive. You hoped your driver wasn’t very talkative because you truly were not in the mood for small talk.

Your driver gave you a small smile as you got in. “Coming from the concert?”

“Yeah,” you deadpanned.

“Oh, that doesn’t sound good. Was it not a good show?”

“It was a good show until the end,” you muttered, turning to look out the window to signify to your driver that you were finished with the conversation.

You uttered a small “thank you” as you got out of the car at the hotel you were staying in. Your anger had started melting away in the car ride over, so now instead of the angry stomp you had planned, you were just barley dragging your feet to the elevator. You watched as the numbers ticked upwards until the soft ding filled your ears and the doors opened on your floor.

Your and Shawn’s shared hotel room wasn’t too far from the elevator, luckily, because all you wanted to do now was lay down in bed and cry. You couldn’t believe Shawn had so easily forgotten you, and now he wasn’t even answering your calls. This was supposed to be the time of your life, and instead all you felt was sadness. Part of you just wanted to pack your things and go home. It wasn’t like Shawn would even notice you weren’t there.

You were debating booking the next flight out of there and back home as you laid down in bed, but the minute your head hit the pillow your tears were unleashed. You curled up into a ball, allowing the tears to flow freely down your cheeks and soak into the pillow beneath you until you eventually cried yourself to sleep.

~~~~~~

You were awoken to the sound of a loud bang. You jumped awake, thinking someone was breaking into your room or something. It wasn’t until you heard a familiar laugh that you realized it was just Shawn finally coming back from his “after party”.

You looked over at your phone to see it was 3am. About time he got back.

Shawn switched on the light in the room without warning, causing you to yelp as you quickly covered your eyes.

“Shit, I’m so sorry baby,” he said. “I didn’t think you’d be awake.”

“Hard to sleep when you’re banging around the room and laughing at the top of your lungs,” you grumped. You blinked your eyes, trying to adjust to the bright light and to get rid of the spots currently in your vision.

You looked up to see Shawn had that goofy smile on his face that you normally loved to see. You knew this meant he had had a good night, which usually you’d be happy about. But the events of the night were still fresh on your mind and you weren’t about to let him get away with neglecting you this time.

“Did you have a good night?” you asked him.

“Oh yeah, it was great! We went to this local bar that had a local band playing. We drank a bunch, played some pool. One of the guys in the band recognized me and let me get up on stage with them. I actually followed all of them, I’m gonna post a video of them performing on my story and hope it helps them gain a bunch of followers.”

“Sounds awesome. Thank you so much for including me in your oh so fun boy’s night.”

Shawn looked up at you, a confused look on his face. He was finally registering the sarcasm dripping from your tone.

“What do you mean? I invited you to come, babe.”

“Yeah you did, and about five minutes later while I was in the bathroom, you fucking left me at the arena!”

“What? No, I - ”

“Yes you did, Shawn! I went to the bathroom, I told you I’d be back and I’d be down to going out after your show, and then when I did come back from the bathroom you had just up and left me! No texts, no calls, no telling me where you were going. Just gone without a trace. You didn’t even text me to see if I had gotten back here safe from the arena.”

His face was turning a light shade of pink. “I just thought...I mean I knew you would’ve - ”

“Don’t lie, Shawn,” you cut him off. “You didn’t think of me at all. You just wanted to go out and have a good time with your friends. Who gives a fuck if your girlfriend is there or not, even though you were the one who invited me to come along with you guys.”

“Hey, you were the one who told me to invite the guys on the tour with me.”

“Yes, I did. I’m not claiming that I didn’t. I did that because I knew you were having a rough time mentally on the tour and I thought it would help to have your friends here with you. But what I didn’t think would happen would be that you were spending all your time with them and none of it with me!”

“That’s not true! I do spend time with you!”

“When? When was the last time we hung out without your friends, Shawn? When was the last time we did something outside of the hotel rooms and the tour bus and the backstage areas, just the two of us, without your friends? Tell me.”

You crossed your arms and looked at him, expectantly. He was silent and you could tell by the look on his face that he didn’t have any response.

“That’s what I thought,” you said.

“Okay, maybe we haven’t been spending much time together lately, but you’ve been on tour with me longer than the guys have. I spent time with you before they were here, and now I should be spending time with you while they’re here? That doesn’t seem fair.”

Your anger came to a boil. You got up from the bed and got so close to Shawn that you were basically in his face. He had to take a step away from you because you were so close, your anger radiating off of you.

“I was on tour with you a whole week before the guys came! So don’t pull that shit on me! I have every right to be upset about the fact that you have been neglecting me in favor of your friends. I love them to pieces, and you know that, but I do not love you shoving me to the side because of them. If you don’t want to spend time with me, just tell me so I can pack my shit and go home.”

You didn’t realize you had started crying again until Shawn reached out and wiped the tears from your cheeks with his thumbs. He held your head in his hands, sadness written on his face.

“I’m so sorry, (Y/N),” he said. “You’re right, the way I’ve been treating you is unfair. I’ve never gotten to take my girlfriend or my friends on tour before. I was so excited to be able to spend this time with everyone that I forgot I should be dividing it equally, not just expecting you to want to spend time with me and the guys all the time and not having alone time together.”

You sighed and moved closer to him, burying your head in his chest as you wrapped your arms around his waist.

“I want you to be happy while you tour,” you told him. “I just want to be able to spend time with you, too, and to make memories while we’re seeing the world together. I don’t mind if the guys tag along sometimes, but other times I do want it to just be us.”

“I know, babe. I promise from here on out I will spend equal time with you and with the guys, and I won’t leave you alone in arenas when we’re going out ever again. I’ll wait for you, even if that makes us the last two people in the building and they’re forcing us out so they can lock up.”

You giggled. “I won’t make you take it that far. That’s not fair to the custodians then.”

Shawn chuckled as well and kissed your forehead. The two of you got into bed together and you settled into Shawn’s arms. You were starting to feel the tug of sleep pulling you into the world of dreams when you felt Shawn’s lips against your forehead again.

“I love you,” he whispered.

“I love you, too,” you mumbled back. “Go to sleep, I’m tired.”

His chest vibrated as he chuckled and you felt him stretch out towards the nearby light switch before the room was plunged into darkness and you finally drifted off to sleep.

#shawn mendes #shawn mendes imagine #shawn mendes x reader #imagine #one shot #request #fanfiction #fanfic #fandom

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psychologicalwarclaire · 4 days

Note

Asking some writers/artists I follow:

Is there anything in your fic/comic that you as the author know about, but won't end up in the actual story?

There is. a lot.

Spoilers for Spider's Web With Strings Attached (and a really long rant) below the cut

When she took Donnie's mask after Heinous Green bashed his head in, she kept it in her vault in case she needed to perform some sort of magic that required his DNA some day.

Big Mama never intended for Donnie to die.

That being said, she still recorded and sold copies of Donnie's death. It's her most sold recording ever.

Viper requested to fight Leo. Big Mama only agreed if she kept him alive and able to fight.

Like she got the orb that she captured all of New York in from Draxum, Big Mama got the spider brooches from Draxum many years ago. She only had two; she was lying about the other two for Raph and Mikey.

Before he knew where the twins were, Mikey kept having visions of them fighting people and getting hurt. He thought they were just nightmares.

Heinous Green was in the arena because Big Mama often partners with the Hidden City police. Criminals can work of time by serving the community. In this case, they serve the community by providing entertainment Roman Coliseum style.

Big Mama's family introduced arena fights to the humans.

There was going to be a fight where Tyrian fought a scorpion and writhed with agonizing poison for a chapter, but I forgot about it until it was too late to add it -_-

Raph and Mikey's arena names would have been Rouge and Terracotta.

Big Mama was panicking the majority of the fic. Because she kidnapped them very illegally, she had to manage their food, housing, medical care, and fight arrangements herself so none of the people who normally do that (legally) would get suspicious. Honestly, Big Mama didn't expect them to become SO well loved, and then worried about keeping audience interest by putting the twins in harder fights, but not killing off her greatest assets. She, like everyone else, thought that Leo would snap first. When Donnie snapped first and proved to be a very effective killer, some of the audience grew worried about what was happening behind the scenes and raised questions Big Mama couldn't answer. Panicking, she set up the death bracket, hoping that becoming the champion would turn public opinion of Tyrian positive again. She miscalculated, and Donnie died. She also didn't intend for Leo to get mixed up in the bracket. A LOT of people lost a LOT of money, and her stocks dropped. At that point, it became less about business and money making and much more about getting revenge via torture. By the time she offered Astros the 'out' that was one final fight, she was stressed out of her mind with upholding her reputation. Had Leo been in his right mind, he would have seen how much she was unraveling.

Todd turned his non profit lemonade into a fundraiser to find the twins back when they were first missing. There were a LOT of posters and Big Mama had a FIELD DAY trying to take them all down.

Mikey and Raph tried for DAYS to get the trackers back online, but it never worked.

After hearing that Donnie had died, Hypno, Warren, Meat Sweats, and Repo got together and made the Hamatos a gift basket.

April is failing most of her classes right now.

At some point during the recovery arc, Donnie snuck out to secretly turn every blinking red light in the Lair green. You know exactly why.

Raph was wrong when he said crime had been way down since the invasion. Casey Jr had been handling it without anyone knowing. The Purple Dragons hate him a lot now.

Draxum learned slang words from school, but April taught him what they meant

#those are the ones off the top of my head #i might mention them at some point but for now consider these headcanons from the author #writing #my writing #behind the scenes #fanfiction #swsa #rottmnt fanfic swsa #asks #cookie crumbs

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hee0soo · 1 year

Text

Jakarta

Summary: Going to Indonesia proved to be an emotional roller coaster for Jisoo

November 2022

Jisoo was silent during the entire flight to Jakarta. Since the fight, the day before, she hadn´t talked to any of the members.

Even Minho who had followed her hadn´t heard her talk once.

The only thing she managed to do was cry and when she finally stopped, she felt numb and empty!

Jeongin had stuck to her like glue but even his jokes hadn´t managed to get more then a suffering smile out of the girl.

Chan had told the other members what had happened when both Jisoo and Hyunjin had gone to bed.

The next day, Jisoo had woken up to 4 out of 8 members on her bed, reassuring her that whatever was said did not apply to any of them!

But now she was stuck on a plane with the person she wanted to see the least but at the same time was the only person who could fix this mess.

Hyunjin had sat behind her on the plane. He watched over her like a hawk, noticing how she chatted with a certain ATEEZ captain during the entire flight over KKTalk while listening to her playlist. Interesting. He would have to ask her about it after he managed to apologize!

Next to him Jisung tried cheering him up but just like Jeongin, he failed. The dancer replied with short answers only and wanted to suffer in silence.

It wasn´t until two days later that the situation took a turn for the better! The girl started talking again, well not to Hyunjin but the members guessed that it was better than nothing.

The group made their way from the Hotel to the venue, to get ready for the first concert there and when Soundcheck started, Jisoo could finally smile a little.

Seeing Stays helped immensely to lift her mood up and while the members were busy jumping around, she took the role as the cheerleader very seriously.

But the fans couldn´t help but notice the awkward and still somewhat tense atmosphere between JiHyun. Both members could feel the stares of Stays and were wondering what the fans thought.

Jisoo found out when she went on twitter after the soundcheck. The group members were getting ready for the actual concert, which meant Hair, make-up and outfits.

To find a pair of shoes that would fit her brace proved to be a hassle the stylists weren´t prepared for so the girl decided to use the widened converse she was wearing already. It didn´t look great but it did what it was supposed to do.

The show started off with Maniac as the first song and while Jisoo was happy to sing for Stays, she enviously watched her members perform on the added platform further away from her. In reality it was only a short distance but the girl still felt isolated from them.

She swallowed her bitterness and tried to do her best. Jisoo even tried to at least get closer to the members but was promptly send back by Chan with on stern look.

It wasn´t fair! The female hadn´t plan on dancing and she was allowed to walk so why wasn´t she allowed to go over.

Logically she knew that he was only looking out for her but it still sucked!

Jisoo managed to hold it together for the first segment und about 7 songs, until the instrumental of Lonely St. started playing. It wasn´t a song with choreography but it was a song with a lot of emotion and since she was confined to the chair.

The emotions of the fight and her foot started to cloud her mind, her sight got blurry and her voice grew weak.

When her cue came in over the ear peace, Jisoo tried to sing her part with confidence but the words got stuck in her throat.

8 heads whipped around to look at the 9th member but one of them was faster than the others. Hyunjin ran over to her and hugged her tightly. The other members hot on his heels while still singing!

Jisoo startled at the sudden touch but melted into the hug shortly after. Even if Hyunjin had hurt her, he was still her best friend and his hugs were still the most soothing to her.

“I´m sorry Soo-ah!” he pulled away a bit and spoke it softly but loud enough for her to still hear him. He knew that the hand held mic wouldn´t pick their voices up.

Jisoo nodded. She understood why he was so mad at her and the silence hurt her more than the words that were said.

Taglist: @alyszaen @smh-anon @andjeoidjavo

#stray kids #stray kids 9th member #9th member of stray kids #kpop added member #kpop addition #kpop au #kpop extra member #stray kids addition #stray kids female member #stray kids female addition

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it-happened-one-fic · 1 year

Text

Salsa - A Better Partner - Strictly NRC Dancing

Author's Notes: This fic took so much research. Salsa turns out to have two main forms. Professional Salsa and Street Salsa. I recommend you watch videos of both but I don't actually have any specifics to recommend for you. I sort of explain the different in the fic, so you really don't have to worry about it. I just thought the differences were interesting. I listened to "La Bamba" by Ricky Martin while writing this fic. Just like the rest of this AU/series the reader is female for this fic. I hope you enjoy!

If you would like to read more this AU/series, the fics can be found here: Strictly NRC Dancing AU Master-list

Type: Dance AU/female reader/flirting/fluff

Word Count: 708

Ruggie had, in fact, learned to salsa quite some time ago. But what the teachers didn’t know wouldn’t hurt them and, to be fair, he’d never learned the style that was done in performances. Choreography was a new challenge, as were lifts and other such tricks used by professionals to make the performance more exciting for viewers.

But street salsa, now that was Ruggie’s style.

Either way though, he played it safe. Fumbling a few steps throughout lessons so that none of the instructors would be any the wiser. He could manage a few lifts so long as his partner wasn’t anyone too big. Someone the size of Riddle. He could handle that easily.

And then lady luck smiled on him and he drew none other than you as his partner. The lone female dancer who Crewel and Vargas had no doubt pushed for the very best form from.

What he hadn’t been prepared for was for you to catch on to him quite so quickly during choreography. You’d smiled at him, mid-turn, completely relaxed and at ease as you kept up with him and leaned forward slightly, “So, how long have you been dancing salsa?”

It had taken all of his willpower and control not to react to your far-too amused words, “What makes you think I already knew how to dance?”

He flashed a grin at you, spinning you quickly and hoping he could throw you off, but that proved impossible when you met his gaze with sparkling eyes, “You’re like Leona was. Too confident for someone who has just learned this dance. Take myself for example, I still hesitate during certain parts even though I had two instructors dedicating their time only to me. You didn’t get one-on-one lessons and yet you’ve only hesitated when doing the few lifts that happen during our dance.”

“What if I’m just that talented?” Ruggie couldn’t keep the grin off his face now. He was dancing, something he enjoyed. And, even though he’d been caught, he really didn’t think you were going to out him to Sam who stood off to the side frowning as he watched the two of you practice.

After all, you’d kept up your shared little trick that you two were totally a couple and thus could definitely get the couple deals occasionally offered at Monstro Lounge and Sam’s shop.

You were his partner in crime and partners didn’t out each other for no good reason. And judging from the grin on your face he was right, “Let’s just say it’s a hunch.”

He let out a snicker as he pushed you away from him to spin separately before rejoining you, “Just another secret for the two of us to share then. Right, Pumpkin?”

He couldn’t keep the teasing grin of his face as he used your fake nickname before letting out his signature giggle yet again.

You rolled your eyes, but you were still smiling, “So I’m guessing we’re still keeping the couple gig up for the class too?”

He glanced Sam’s way pointedly and then back at you, “Well, of course. We’re NRC’s most successful couple after all. And you can’t deny you like the sales.”

He winked, reveling in the way the shopkeeper rolled his eyes. But then Sam hadn’t entirely bought your act the whole time. It’s just that he also couldn’t disprove it and was thus forced to let the two of you walk out with whatever sale item he’d offered.

“I never said I didn’t,” You grinned back, spinning again before shifting back into hold, racing quickly towards the end of your choreography practice and coming ever closer to the hour of your shared performance.

“So what do you think, will I pass?” You remained silent as he braced himself, lagging only for a moment as he used the momentum of the dance to swing you into the air as he spun and then sat you back down.

“Well, you’re smooth enough…. I think you should manage,” You leaned against him, breathing slightly heavier than usual. One of the few signs that you weren’t quite as used to the salsa’s constant energy as he was.

But, he still couldn’t ask for a better partner in crime or in dance.

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librosamarillos · 8 months

Text

passed down like folk songs

chapter 33: berries and exotic blends

Maegor Targaryen x OC

Also on Ao3

chapter index

Tags: hurt/comfort, friends to lovers, angst, mature themes, targaryen incest, violence, Maegor is a red flag himself, characters are ooc probably, MINORS DNI

this chapter contains nsfw content

Rowan and Lana stood by the bed, both trying not to glare at Murmison, who was ‘performing his miracles’ on Ceryse. It was always some variation of the same prayer to the mother every night and everyone but Aenys and Murmison were losing their patience. Ceryse, somehow, managed to mask her hostility with an amazing grace that Rowan admired fiercely. The hand of the King eventually bid them a good night and left, and all three polite smiles immediately dropped.

“I do not know how much more of this I can put up with. Gods! He is insufferable!” Ceryse sighed as she got up from the bed, crossing her arms.

“Truly! That thing he said tonight, about asking the mother to forgive you for any shortcomings that could’ve led to this? In what world was any of this your fault?” Rowan added, frowning deeply. She couldn’t believe Aenys thought any of this was actually of any help. He had the absolute privilege of an education people would kill for, and yet he was so easily persuaded by the words of that man. Rowan couldn’t understand it, where was all this charm she heard of? He was just some man.

“In the same world where that creep is hand of the King!” Lana chimed in, looking distraught. Ever since she returned to King’s Landing, she was completely bewildered by everything that she had missed. She had been involved in the narrowing down of her potential matches in Highgarden, and she had been away during the beginning of all this mess. Rowan nodded.

“I still don’t understand why he was who the King chose. There’s so many other people he could’ve chosen instead.” Rowan added, completely frustrated by the King’s choice in council. Alyn Stokeworth was a good hand, that is before his early death, and surely there could’ve been a lord that could fulfil that role better than Murmison. He had a very creepy air around him. She didn’t like it. None of the three women did, certainly not after all the prayers for this miracle he had promised Aenys.

“Asking him to choose is where you’re going to have issues. I swear, he tells everyone what they want to hear and nothing else.” Ceryse said sarcastically, finally feeling relaxed enough to not speak in the pretty lies of court. She was clearly and rightfully frustrated with the King. He hated to have people angry at him, but this was not a good way to go about it. Rowan thought for a moment.

“Maybe you should talk to him. It’s been enough time of humouring his so-called solution, he’ll have no room to push for this to continue.” she concluded, crossing her arms. Aenys was, despite everything, a kind and loving man, and he was very fond of Ceryse. He was so occupied with everything that perhaps his judgement was not at its clearest, so if Ceryse went to talk to him in private, she’d surely make him see reason.

“Do you think he’ll actually listen?” Ceryse asked, sounding tired. She looked tired of this whole situation. She had handled it all with so much grace and patience, and she looked like she was running out of both and Rowan could never blame her for it.

“Yes. Make sure he understands that Murmison is not doing anything to help him or you. That way he’ll have to tell him to stop and hopefully pick someone else to be his hand.” she replied, feeling more sure of herself. Ceryse was smart, Aenys could not deny it, and thus, he’d have to consider how she felt about this strange method and eventually, come to realise how insane it was and apologise for it.

“And mention how creepy he is too.” Lana added, her face distorted to one of disgust. Murmison had an air about him, one that made them all not want to leave any woman alone with him. Lana was much less formal about her distaste of him than Ceryse and Rowan were, and she gave them both that push they needed to start being more assertive about all this. Rowan was happy she was back.

Lana had left for bed, and Rowan was getting ready to wish Ceryse a good night, when Ceryse gave her a warm smile, her annoyance gone for a moment.

“I’m glad you’re feeling better.” she said softly, gently. Rowan stood still, confused for a second, before looking up at her. She could not deny that everything was difficult for her since Maegor left, and she could only pray that nobody suspected anything, as she did her best to drown herself in work, trying to forget, to distract herself from everything. Ceryse’s gentle blue eyes were not accusing her, but they seemed happy for her.

“What?” Rowan asked, just as softly. “What do you mean?” She already knew what her friend meant. So far, she had been keeping herself so busy in order to distract herself from her heartache and the deep betrayal, but lately, the air felt lighter. She tried to forget about the letter Visenya had given her, tucked away and hidden carefully in one of her many books, but Maegor’s words both stung her and pushed her out of that deep depression she had fallen into. She tried not to think of him too much, a task that was monumental, but easier when she relaxed and trailed the routines she and her father had in King’s Landing.

She wrote to him, to her aunt and uncle, to her cousins, to her family that she missed so deeply, even to her two uncles, who were septons in Oldtown. Her father sounded happy that she was feeling better, his words full of kindness and love, that she wanted to run all the way back to the Evergreen forest and crawl back into her childhood bed where he’d tuck her in and read her stories. But the next best thing was to do what they’d always done together, making themselves useful to those in need.

“You look a lot less sad these days.” Ceryse smiled again, treading gently with her words, testing to see if Rowan still felt fragile. Rowan was so glad that her dear friend was also interested in helping with the project, as it was a distraction for her as well, from Murmison, from Aenys.

“Oh… I didn’t know I looked sad.” she furrowed her brows, giving Ceryse an apologetic smile. She didn’t want to be a burden to her friend, not when she had so much on her shoulders. She hoped she came off as more indifferent, as more relaxed, but it seemed that nothing escaped her friend’s careful eyes. Ceryse let out a small laugh.

“Rowan, you know you’re terrible at hiding how you feel. I know you were really affected by what happened, being so close to the Dowager Queen and all. But now, you’re going out more, you’re smiling, you’re laughing, you’re much less… gloomy. That’s good, Rowan, really good.” she said, placing her hands on Rowan’s shoulders. Rowan couldn’t help but smile. Despite how much pain her betrothal to Maegor brought her, she was so happy that she and Ceryse became even closer friends. She cherished her so much.

“Thank you, Ceryse.” Rowan held her hands for a moment, thankful for this moment. It would be better, despite what Maegor did, things would be better. They’d focus on the expansion of the orphanage, then focus on making the city a better place to live. She wouldn't think of Maegor. She’d try to not.

“Are things better with her?” Ceryse asked softly, a look of sympathy in her eyes. Rowan sighed, looking down. She wanted for things to return to how they were with Visenya, when Rowan trusted her more than anyone else, before she shattered that trust, but it would take time. Visenya was apologetic, far more than she’d ever seen her being. She was trying, and for Rowan, it was enough for now.

“I suppose… We just don’t talk about it. We’ve fallen into a routine of sorts. I don’t know…” she trailed a bit. How she wished she could explain to Ceryse all the complexities, all of the unspoken secrets, all of it, to grant her peace of mind, to grant her the truth behind her goodmother’s frosty demeanour, but she could not.

“As long as she’s not causing more trouble.” Ceryse sighed in turn.

“Yes, I don’t think Aenys can handle anything more on his shoulders.” Rowan said lightly. She worried about Aenys. She hated to see how sick with worry he was, how much everything affected him deeply. She promised herself she’d help. She wanted him to stand on his own, to understand that if he tried, he could keep things peaceful, even if it would take a lot of work. She wanted to yell at Maegor, to call him a fool for leaving his brother all alone with everything. Ceryse’s face turned serious at that moment, making Rowan pause.

“I feel it, something is going to happen. For everyone’s sake, I hope he’s prepared.” she said softly. Rowan felt it too, but she tried to rationalise it as anxiety and that Visenya would not let something bad happen to everyone, but she still felt it.

The next morning, Rowan had prepared the detailed plans for the expansion of the orphanage to give to Aenys. She knew he was drowning in everything wrong with the kingdoms, so it would be nice to make him feel like he was helping with something good, even though he wasn’t really doing anything to contribute. Everything was taking a toll on him and it worried Rowan.

She walked toward the King’s solar, hoping that he wasn’t too busy this early in the morning, but as she got closer to the door, she saw Ceryse storm out of there, with Aenys calling after her. Rowan was left stunned, wanting to run after her friend, but she had gone in the opposite direction, toward her rooms. The King came to the door, looking bewildered, before his gaze landed on her.

“Lady Rowan! Would you happen to have a moment?” he asked, his big, lilac eyes pleading for help. She fought the urge to run after Ceryse, and nodded.

“I was actually coming to see you, your grace.” she said politely and formally, as the guards seemed bewildered by the encounter between the King and his goodsister.

“Good, good,” Aenys sighed and entered the room once more, “come in.” he said, motioning for her to follow. Rowan did so quickly, reminding herself that she shouldn’t rush this meeting, no matter how much she wanted to. She was now filled with worry about what occurred just moments ago in that very room. She watched him as he paced around the desk, pure confusion in his eyes.

“What happened?” she asked him gently, trying to get to the bottom of it all, although she knew that Ceryse would be the one to give her the whole truth of the matter, she still wished to talk Aenys through it as well.

“I don’t know! She just stormed out, after telling me she’s leaving for Oldtown!” he said, confused and a tad frustrated. Rowan’s eyes widened, her words gone from her tongue. Ceryse was leaving? Why? Why was she leaving when she had been so determined to stay and not give her position up?

“Did she not come to speak to you about Murmison?” Rowan asked, regaining her composure, gripping the leatherbound book in her hands. She did not wish to jump to conclusions, for she knew it was wrong, but it was now easy to see what happened, when Aenys looked down, defeated.

“Yes, that’s what she started the conversation with.” he said, opening his mouth to speak again, but closing it, regretting his decision. He seemed to understand that he had messed up, with whatever followed.

“And how did you respond?” she asked, patiently waiting for him to speak, urging him gently. Aenys seemed unsure of his own words, like he often did. Sometimes, she thought he spoke them more so to convince himself of their truth.

“I told her that his methods may be strange, but in the end they’ll prove fruitful! So many people vouch for him!” he said, now sounding more frustrated. Rowan frowned. She felt a deep sense of disappointment that he continued to be so blind and naive, so much so that he was driving his goodsister away, the one person who could truly help him with the alliance she brought to his house.

“And have you met any of these people?” she asked, her tone less gentle, but still soft. She needed him to see, to understand. There was no person that came forward and claim that Murmison truly healed them, only the words of others who had seen him do it, as they claimed. But this could all be a lie. “Do you know how uncomfortable it is? To have to lay there while an old man is praying over you to ‘fix’ you? There’s no way of knowing that any of his ‘miracles’ actually work, let alone knowing that this is Ceryse’s ‘shortcoming’ in the first place. I don’t understand why you believe in the word of this man so much!” she said, and with each word, she had to remember to remain calm. The anger she felt was for Ceryse’s behalf, for the failure of the two men to keep her safe. Aenys seemed to freeze for a moment.

“He… he said he could fix things. I thought…” his voice was soft, thin, ashamed. It gave Rowan the hope that he was finally seeing reason. She walked to him, placing a hand on his shoulder gently, before speaking up again.

“Aenys…” she spoke softly again. “There’s no magic solution to fix everything. And I can guarantee to you, the last person to fix things for you is Murmison.” she said, trying to urge him gently toward a different decision, a better one. At this point, anyone could be a better hand for him. “I know everything feels impossible, like there’s no right choice to make, but I’m sure if you try, you’ll pull through.” she assured him, trying to cheer him up a bit.

“Thank you…” he sighed, looking away for a moment. “There’s… there’s something that I think will help.” he said after some time, like he was deciding to let her in on a secret.

“What’s that?” she asked. It made Rowan nervous, worried that he had fallen for the pressures and whims of some lords that took advantage of his kindness. Aenys smiled slightly, standing up straight.

“Aegon and Rhaena will wed at the end of the year. A celebration and a royal progress, they’ll bring joy to the realm, help calm things down, don’t you think?” he asked, looking at her with pleading eyes, like he was asking for her to agree with him, to tell him he’s right for once. But Rowan stood in shock. “You don’t think so?” he asked, disappointed.

Rowan tried to pull herself out of the shock and disgust she felt, he was still her King, and more than that, he was becoming a friend. She chose her words carefully.

“I… it’s just that… they’re both so young, Aenys, they’re still children.” she said softly, trying to bring herself to sound calm. In truth, she was horrified, mostly for Aegon and Rhaena, two young children, forced to marry a sibling? Gods, the poor dears. But what could she say?

“Well, both Alyssa and I were around their age when we were wed. They get along so well, it’s a great match!” Aenys sensed her worry, and placed his hand on her shoulder in turn. He seemed so happy in his decision, the first time in a long time, and she felt a bit of guilt that she had to say what she had to. She took a deep breath.

“Aenys… The faith is already not on the best terms with the crown, not after Maegor defied them so openly. Maybe… maybe you should wait. Try to smooth things over with the High Septon, and Ceryse, first and foremost.” she said gently, softly, trying to tell him that this would be a disaster. Marrying a cousin, a distant one, was not uncommon, as the couple would be raised apart, but this? To have to marry someone in their own close family?

“You… you don’t approve of the match.” Aenys’ smile faltered, disappointed that Rowan was not happy. He looked away for a moment, contemplating something. Had he been relying on Rowan’s support? Did he tell Visenya and she didn’t give him the reaction he wanted, so he searched for it in Rowan?

“How I feel is irrelevant. But how the faith will react matters.” she said, speaking more plainly now. She had to think of Rhaena and Aegon, how they’d be feeling about this. Did they not dread it? Then again, they were not raised into normal family dynamics, who knows how they’d taken the news?

“They’ll see reason, Rowan, don’t worry. Targaryens are not the same as everyone else.” Aenys sounded more calm now, strangely calm. Who was feeding him such lies? His father was always careful with the faith, and Maegor’s actions were proof of what defying them did.

“I… Aenys… I don’t think it’s a wise choice. At least not at the moment.” she repeated. At least if he waited, if he mended things, if he got the High Septon on his side, maybe it wouldn’t be a bloodbath, but now? Now as things were this tense? Aenys did not share her worries, for what seemed to be the first time. Instead he had a look in his eye that she couldn’t quite read.

“I understand that it’s difficult for everyone to see the reason behind our traditions, but it is my duty to uphold them. It was something my father and I discussed when they were young.” he said. He sounded sad. He clearly missed his father, but it surprised Rowan that this was the Conqueror’s wish, to see his grandchildren wed to each other. Especially when he knew what kind of backlash this would cause. It was strange that he did so little to ease the realm into such actions. She decided that the Conqueror was not always the brightest man.

“I understand that, but things are fragile right now, you know this. There’s still time for them, they’re still so young, you can find the time to win over the people again before making a decision that will be so divisive.” she said, still hopeful that she could get him to understand, to get him to not do this, to prevent disaster.

“Divisive?” he asked, appearing surprised, if not a bit offended that Rowan just called their incestious traditions divisive. She looked at him, praying silently to the crone, to help guide her to make the right choice, to use the right words.

“Yes. Surely, you can see that, Aenys.” she said gently, trying to get him to see her side, or better yet, everyone else’s side. She was never truly alright with Aegon and Rhaenys and Visenya, as it always felt so wrong, so bad, so unnatural. Even more when she got close to Visenya and truly saw and understood how bad it truly was, despite her love for him. She prayed that a similar fate wouldn’t meet the young Princess and Prince. So far, Rhaena was playing with puppies and horses, and flying with Dreamfyre, and Aegon was making friends around the castle. She couldn’t imagine them in such a situation. They should be left alone, allowed their childhoods without this mess that could fall upon them.

“Perhaps we should talk another time.” Aenys said, sounding very distant. Rowan could not tell if she got through to him, but her intuition told her she had not. He was merely disappointed that she didn’t see his vision of the future, an optimistic and naive vision. She frowned.

“I understand.” she said softly, as she left the room, her book still unopened. She was supposed to discuss the plans with him, to perhaps get him to leave the castle, to show the people that the King cared about them and their wellbeing. But instead, she feared disaster was coming. She needed to talk to Visenya. Surely she’d know what to do.

But first, she hurried down the halls, passing the many unfinished rooms and half built walls, to reach Ceryse’s room. She wanted to see her, to ask her why she wished to leave. If she could get Aenys to talk to both of them, surely they’d manage to be rid of Murmison’s ‘treatments’. At her door, she found Morgan, who was deep in thought, before her footsteps alerted him to the presence of someone, causing him to reach for his sword, only to be relieved to see it was just Rowan.

“I’ve come to see how she is, she was so angry when I saw her storm off.” she told him, looking between him and the door. He seemed worried as well, but he did a much better job than Rowan in keeping it calm. Morgan nodded.

“She’s packing her things. She said she wanted to be alone for a bit.” he said softly, looking down at her. Rowan frowned. Ceryse was truly determined to leave King’s Landing. She looked down for a moment. Would she be selfish to ask her to stay, to change her mind? She was the wife, the only rightful wife of the Prince of Dragonstone, she had a place in the capital, her voice was supposed to be heard here, she was the light of Oldtown, the one that was to build the bridge between crown and faith, and yet Aenys was failing her, running her out of her new home, despite it not being his intention, and then he was planning to perform a marriage of pure sin between his two children. Would Ceryse’s presence here even help? If anything, Aenys might even pressure her to speak in support of this, risking a rift between her and her own family and faith. Perhaps it would be best if she returned home, at least to avoid the storm that was coming.

“I understand. I’ll check on her later.” she nodded, turning to leave. She wanted to speak to Visenya, to get her to speak to Aenys, this time with her there to mediate, to keep them both calm, to find a way out of this mess.

“Wait!” Morgan called after her, taking her hand in his. He looked around the hallway to make sure no one else was there to listen. “I know you’re in the Dowager Queen’s service, but do you really wish to remain here?” he asked her, looking into her eyes. Rowan was at a loss for words for the second time this morning.

“What do you mean?” she asked without thinking.

“I mean… What future could you have in this city? Sooner or later, chaos will ensue if things do not change. You should come to Oldtown. It’s safe, stable, closer to your home, your family. I know you miss them all dearly.” Morgan said, his voice gentle and warm. He could sense it too, even without knowing, he felt the danger. He was a kind man, someone she was glad she met, and even more glad to know he was devoted to protecting his sister.

“My lord… I cannot just leave…” she replied softly, barely above a whisper. She loved Visenya. She had been there for her when her true mother could not, she was in almost every sense of the word, a mother to her. She could not leave her, to abandon her, even if she was beyond hurt and barely now healing. No, she could not do it.

“Consider it an invitation. Our fathers have not seen each other in some time, I’m sure they’d love to catch up. Oldtown is where your house sells most of the wood is it not? I know Ceryse would love to have you there… as would I.” he said, holding her hand so tenderly. Rowan stood there, surprised at how forward, yet formal, he was being. Ceryse had made some comments about how fond of her he was, but Rowan was too distracted by her hurt to truly notice, to truly give it proper thought. She was flattered, yet her heart stung, as it belonged to another man, one that was far off to Pentos.

“Morgan… I don’t know… I would love to visit, believe me I do, but I cannot abandon my duties here.” she said, placing her hand on his, as he held her other hand. It was the truth. She loved their company, and she loved Oldtown, it was no lie. And Morgan was kind and chivalrous and sometimes even sweet. She felt so much guilt again. Here was a man, a knight, who was subtly making his affections for her known, and her stubborn, loyal and hurt heart felt as though she was betraying Maegor and herself. Thankfully, Morgan did not give her much time to dwell on her sadness.

“Perhaps if she gave you a few moons to relax? Surely, if your father asks her to, she will not deny it. They’re close friends, are they not?” he asked. Rowan supposed it wouldn’t do much harm, a moon or two. But it was still risky. She wanted to be here for the project, she wanted to make sure Aenys had someone to talk to, she wanted to remain by Visenya’s side. But she’d be lying if she said she didn’t wish to run away at times.

“I…” she trailed, unsure of her own words. “I’ll write to him. But I cannot know for sure. Things are so unstable, and I can only fear for the worst lately.” she admitted, giving Morgan an apologetic smile.

“You and I both.” he chuckled lightly, looking down for a moment. “But please, consider it. We’d all love to have you.” he said gently, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. “And your father as well, of course.” he added quickly, trying to not be so obvious, let alone when his sister was in distress. Rowan couldn’t help but smile at him.

“I’m flattered, Morgan.” she said, feeling a bit better.

Maegor felt another headache coming in. He had made himself some chamomile, recreating all the steps Rowan would take when she’d make him some. It was like he was becoming even more lovesick by the day. He could not help it. He only dreamt of her at night, and even in the day and yet, he drowned in guilt even more. He read the letter his mother had sent him, the cause of the headache.

‘Your brother plans to wed his eldest two by the end of the year. With how tense things are, I want you to be ready to step in. I doubt he can handle what will come, he will surely rebuke his own order of exile and beg for you to return. Make sure you and Balerion are ready. I want you ro return, looking like the King you were always meant to be.’

His chest puffed up in pride, knowing that his mother believed in him so fiercely. With everything they had planned coming closer and closer to fruition, he couldn’t help but feel a buzz of energy for it all. He had been spending all his free time training, fighting like a beast, readying himself to be a warrior like no other. He wanted to be the strongest, the most powerful, the one that could protect the people he loved the most, his mother and his Rowan. He wanted to see her again so badly, it hurt.

‘I know you will ask, and she is doing well. I gave her your letter, and she’s kept it. Her moods are lifted, and your brother puts a lot of trust in her. She has been getting involved with the people of the city, having plans to make it better, more livable, as she says.’

His heart welled up with pride. Oh, his darling, she kept his letter and did not tear it to shreds! He was glad, so glad that she was better, that she was her old self again. Of course his sweet girl would want to help, she always did, and now she had the chance. He wanted to tell her to just wait for him to return, to claim the throne and crown, and she could do upon the city as she wished. There was no one he’d ever trust more, aside of his mother. He was relieved she was happy again. He selfishly wanted to believe that his words of love had something to do with it.

‘Your wife has left King’s Landing for Oldtown, along with her brothers. She’s had a falling out with your brother. It was his fault. He listens to the fool he has made his hand.’

He frowned. Aenys and Ceryse had always gotten along, how in the world did he manage to make her lose her temper? He wished his mother had written more. Maybe it would be easier that Ceryse would not be there when he returned. It could give him time to sort everything out, and then seek her out to explain. She’d see reason, he knew it.

It was always an unwritten, unspoken expectation and reminder with his mother, the need for an heir, a son. Things were falling apart quickly under the rule of his brother, which only meant his time was coming to take the crown for himself. If he could not have a son by then, he could at least have Alys expecting one.

He sighed. Even from his room, he could hear her and Tyanna laughing. It annoyed him, it distracted him from the anticipation of any news from his mother, but now that the letter was read over and over again, he locked it away.

Tyanna was a strange woman. A beauty, yes, but she had an air around her, her black eyes seeming to know so much, but she would not outright say so. Alys was completely enamoured by her, fawning over her, laughing at even the most unfunny joke, hanging by her every word. It was a bit pathetic, but then again, he knew he wasn’t one to talk. It annoyed him how easily Alys had accepted her into her chambers, after she had barely known her, avoiding any sense in her brain.

Unlike Alys, Tyanna seemed to prefer the chase. She clearly liked having Alys fawning over her, trying to impress her and Maegor was almost certain that she might actually have some affections for Alys as well. He would never care to know any of this, had Alys not dragged Tyanna into his room, on more than one occasion, in order to get all three of them ‘closer’. He did not understand, since Alys was clearly so enamoured with her, why she’d want her in the room while they performed their marital duties in hopes of an heir, let alone want her to join in.

To her credit, Tyanna refused almost gracefully, for someone of her station. She did however, slowly win Maegor’s grace, for her vast knowledge. She had given them foods, berries and jouiced pomegranates, and teas to make their coupling more intense. Maegor just suspected that she was a common whore that charmed Alys, but she was more than that. She had tools he could use when he returned as King.

Eventually, after Alys’ annoying pleading, he relented and allowed Tyanna to join in his chambers. It was awkward at first, as Alys was trying to impress Tyanna, Maegor was trying to chase a dream of his love, and Tyanna was testing the waters. They figured it out soon enough, with Tyanna focusing entirely on Alys, taking great pleasure in preparing her, giving her foods and teas to enhance her fertility, her chances of giving him an heir, and of course, in giving her pleasure.

He was more than happy to let them take care of each other, as it gave him one less thing to care about, as selfish as he was, but Tyanna had more suggestions. She had insisted she knew how to make this even better for him, which he highly doubted, as his idea of perfection was untouchable, but he humoured her. She had him sit up on the bed, while she and Alys took turns stroking and licking him. He could not decide if he hated it. He could not imagine Rowan like this, he could not smell the jasmine, he could not escape into his dream. It wasn’t like it felt bad, but it wasn’t what he preferred. He made a note to stop them after this and tell them he didn’t care for it, but for now, they seemed to want to give him a show.

His mind however, was not occupied by the two women that pretended to compete for his attention on their knees. No, it was in the same place it always was in moments like these, to Rowan. His mind went to her and he was angry again, at the thought of that pathetic Lannister finding any excuse to touch her, be it by kissing the back of her hand or offering his elbow to her for a stroll. He’d kill him if he saw him again, he vowed it. He’d tear him limb from limb and he’d make sure he’d be awake to still torture while he lied there helpless.

He then wondered, would Rowan think the same? Did she also want to kill Alys when she heard the news and he ran like a coward. A far more twisted thought came to mind… would she kill for him? Would his darling kill the two women in front of him right now? He knew she’d never hurt a fly, she was too kind for her own good, but gods be good, she’d look so pretty covered in blood just for him. He wondered how she’d do it, a knife, an axe, a sword? He’d give her Blackfyre, if she could lift it. Perhaps he’d help her, hold his hands over hers while they took the fatal swing together and perhaps she’d let him kiss her while she’s covered in the blood of the two corpses on the floor.

He could see it vividly, far more vividly than Alys and Tyanna, who were generously giving him a show. But that was always how it was with sex. With Ceryse, it wasn’t too vivid, it was a routine, a chore that both needed to participate in and neither wanted to truly be there. But with Alys, his mind could go wild. Her hair was almost the right colour, almost just as curly, her skin tone almost the right warmth, her honey brown eyes almost green if the room was dark enough. Almost was enough for him to pretend quite vividly, and with Tyanna’s aphrodisiacs, sex could be enjoyable, if he could picture his Rowan enough. He didn’t like the thought of her joining in at first, but her blends proved helpful, and Alys was having her fun. If they were all using each other, they could at least find pleasure in it.

It was sick and cruel and he knew it, but Alys didn’t, and if she did, he didn’t care. When he got her the hair oils that smelled like jasmines, the silk nightgowns in green, the honey he made her lick off a spoon before she kissed him, it was wrong and deep down he knew how twisted it was. But he still didn’t care. He loved to take her from the back, to not look at her face, and have her hair all curled up, the candlelight adding that red warmth to the strands that made the fantasy almost perfect. He loved to have her like that, so he could grab her hair, with the same hand the precious ring was on, and smell the jasmine and pretend it was his darling bouncing beneath him. It was selfish, to use her like a placeholder doll, far more selfish than what he did with Ceryse. Alys was certainly enjoying herself, but he thought she was enjoying what Tyanna was doing to her much more. It didn’t bother him, she could have her fun too, since he was already using her so blatantly, why not allow her this pleasure?

Every night they visited his chambers, it came close to perfect, if he wasn’t so ready to pick them both apart. He never said anything out loud, for even he wasn’t that cruel, but it was obvious to both women that he was never truly satisfied with them. Alys would pout at first, before deciding that it was just the way he was and ignoring it, but Tyanna was not one to let things go, not when it was of potential benefit to her.

It was clear what she wanted. Power. He could give it to her, he took her from being a tavern dancer that worked for food and shelter, to a courtesan, because even if he was exiled, he was still a prince with massive wealth. He was no fool, he could see right through her false smiles and fake politeness. She was just like him, hungry. For power, wealth, for more. Many shared such ambitions, he didn’t blame them for trying to come close, but unlike most of the women willing to sell themselves for it, she had more to offer. Promises and potions for what he was so desperate for, an heir. She was a witch and did little to hide it. In Westeros, she would’ve been dead the second she said it out loud, but here in Pentos, she had the freedom she needed to grow her talent.

She’d make a useful ally to have. And if she proved herself, if Alys did indeed give him an heir, he’d have her with him once his brother grew a spine or his five years passed. She seemed content with having his ear, being his mistress, but he knew she’d want more. The question was if she was worth it.

taglist:@heartstalked@stupidocupido@discowizard88@slytherisstuff

#maegor targaryen #maegor targaryen x oc #maegor the cruel

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steves-strapcollection · 11 months

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wip wednesday 'peace of mind' TAKE 2

I was tagged by @steddieas-shegoes this is a snippet from my "modern rockstar!Eddie/group housing!Steve fic where Steve thinks Eddie's the tour manager and also that his name is Chris also Steve is trans it's important that you know that"!AU I'm gonna tag ppl up here, and if you've already been tagged uh feel free to ignore this? or post another wip??? so uh uh @scarcrossdlvrs, @patchworkgargoyle, @sidekick-hero, @thefreakandthehair, @inairbinad SOME CONTENT WARNINGS for this snippet: there is some FRANK INTERNAL DISCUSSION about being trans and dysphoria and Steve refers to his teenage self by his deadname (the same way I do in my head). As a trans man, I do not accept criticism for how I write transmasculine characters unless the criticism is about something other than their transness. Please enjoy the snippet!!!

“You seem really close with the band for a tour manager,” Steve commented one day after Chris told him a funny story about the frontman of the band falling off the stage during a sound check.

“We’ve all been best friends since, like, middle school,” Chris said quietly, and Steve’s smile was big enough to hurt his face. “The band got serious about the dream in high school and then the five of us just… did what we had to and made it work so we could stay together.”

“That’s amazing. I only have, like, one friend that I’ve had more than a year,” Steve said and he cringed at how pathetic that sounded.

“C’mon, no way,” Chris laughed and Steve cringed again.

“I’m serious, man. I was… I used to be an asshole,” Steve confessed lightly, thinking back to the way he was in high school and his only attempt at college.

It was a lot of desperately performing a gender that felt wrong and overcompensating for his feelings of inadequacy. He remembered the way he lashed out and held people at arm’s length, the way he would sling cutting remarks at anyone who seemed to be thriving in their own weirdness. How dare they be weird and happy, when Steve had been trying so hard to be normal and was so miserable for it?

Steve felt bad for Carly when he looked back on those memories. She wasn’t real and on some level she knew that, even back then when she had no vocabulary for it. Not being real was scary, confusing, painful, and like a wounded animal she bit and clawed anyone who came near enough to see how hollow she was.

That didn’t mean Steve stood by those actions, that he didn’t feel immensely guilty for them, but he was working on showing compassion to that part of himself. It was something he learned in therapy the handful of times he actually went.

“Hm, well, you don’t seem like an asshole anymore,” Chris said, breaking Steve out of his thoughts.

“I’m trying everyday not to be,” Steve agreed, smiling as he tapped his pencil against his notebook.

Chris paused for a bit, sighing. “Go to dinner with me,” he said abruptly. “We’re at the hotel for three nights, right? Go to dinner with me.”

Steve’s breath left him in a whoosh at the blunt request. It was more of a command and that thought left Steve feeling a bit lightheaded. “You’re my client—” Steve started and Chris made a bit of a noise.

“The way I see it, I stop actually being your client at five that Friday when you clock-out, right?” Chris said a bit suggestively, and Steve blushed.

Steve had looked up the employee conduct manual and the official rules were that dating clients was allowed as long as it happened off the clock and off-property. Their phone calls were blatantly against those rules, but they discussed enough about the room block each time to justify the conversations a little bit.

“Stevie?” Chris sounded so unsure that Steve instantly felt bad for letting his brain run away with him.

“It definitely has to be when I’m off the clock, and we can’t have dinner on-property,” Steve practically whispered into the phone and Chris made a triumphant little noise that brought a grin to Steve’s face.

“Fuck yeah, Stevie, I can’t wait! I know the perfect place!” Chris gushed and then some shouting in the background pulled Chris’ attention. “Yeah! I know—I’ll be there in a—fuck off Garebear, I’ll fucking cut you—Stevie, I gotta go, okay?”

Steve laughed and nodded. Grimacing as he reminded himself that Chris couldn’t see him, Steve said, “yeah, of course. Talk to you later.”

“You know it, gorgeous,” Chris cooed and then dial-tone was droning in Steve’s ear.

It took Steve probably a full minute to actually hang the receiver up and wipe the grin off his face.

#steddie #steve x eddie #transmasc steve harrington #wip wednesday #gerry writes

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xatsperesso · 1 year

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I don't know at what Baal thought when he choose Atori to go with Shiida at Babyls. It was the worst choice.

He was creepy since the very beginning. he told right to Balam's face "we're gonna destroy the school lol" before saying "in a educational sense". And he told that, knowing that Balam can see liars and cheaters very easely.

Dude you have done everything to be suspect since the beginning.

I dont' know what make him snap during the heartbreaker exam but he has snapped without any special reason and tried to hurt deeply Sabro, to kill Allocer and four first years and finally to try to kidnap Iruma.

Meanwhile Shiida did nothing suspect or weird. She promised "as teachers, we never hurt the students" which is the truth because for her, they were not going to hurt the kids. Even if I think that everything stopped to be "the plan" when she has decided to kick Atori to save Iruma.

Bonus: I love that Baal is totally wrong at the end because he says "Shiida kicked you to save Iruma and then have the trust of the school staff" and meanwhile Shiida is looking at Iruma and says "i'll never let ANYONE hurt you" Dude you are losing a six fingers member XD

Any member of the six fingers would have be better than Atori. Like the number one? It was the one who was with Iruma's group during the Walter Park Episode. We see him being super patient, playing with kids and all. It was also the one who managed to convince Poro to change side. He would have been a perfect "teacher".

But if he's Purson's brother (by the way it means that he has witnessed Soi's performance during the music festival, i wonder if he was proud), it would have been risky. Even if Purson doesn't remember him.

(By the way, don't you think that he also looks like Dantalion? What if it was not Purson's brother but DANTALION's brother. It would be totally a reason to not be choosen XD)

But no Baal chooses the unstable one, the one who was very creepy and who acted suspiciously from the start and who has even not hide it to Balam.

I actually think that this was his plan all along, he just didn't think it'd happen so soon

Because all they had to do get something of delkira. That's what baal said, that's what atori did.

So why send two people instead of one? Why let them stay there for more than a day if all they have to do is retrieve something delkira touched?

And why is Shiida still there? Atori brought baal what he asked for, so why do they still need to shiida to act undercover?

Shiida is a perfect candidate for infiltration. She's an honest person, and she likes children. She's strong so will be able to get out of there if she gets caught. Having someone to back her up will be beneficial in case the worst scenario happened, but that's all she needed. A Backup

But all throughout the heartbreaker, Atori acted like he was the main guy, while Shiida acted like the backup. That doesn't make sense, because as you said, Atori was the worst choice possible.

Atori grabbed everyone's attention while shiida lurked in the background.

Atori stole the misfit's result while shiida just watched

Atori was the very suspicious person balam was interrogating while shiida is the honest but kinda nervous teacher

Atori is someone who likes fighting, while shiida is someone who helps kids in trouble

And like, baal must know this. He is one of the thirteen crowns, he must be clever if he has such a high ranking. He must've known that sending atori was a bad idea

But I also think he did that on purpose

Sending atori with his loud personality with shiida, exciting him with the permission to kill a few kids, so atori would make the 'mistake' of attacking the kids, and shiida would have the opportunity to help the kids and seem trustworthy

He didn't tell atori nor shiida because honestly they look like they're bad liars, so he made it seem like the mission was for both of them to infiltrate the school

Now atori thinks shiida attacked him to gain the school's trust, shiida thinks she's rebelling against the Six Fingers. Now what? Hiw will baal get anything from shiida if she's no longer with him? (I'm going with the assumption that shiida isn't taking part in a very long elaborate plan to get iruma/get rid of sullivan)

Isn't it weird that shiida never seems to be enjoying her time with the six fingers? She's never happy or thrilled with the idea of hurting others, so why is she with them and following their orders?

Two possible reasons

Either she was found from a young age and brought up by someone in baal's cult, or baal holds something over her head. Something that she doesn't want to lose, or maybe a secret she doesn't want to go out. Something that she'd do anything for

So she can't disobey them

She can't escape

Maybe at the end of the day, baal owns her, so she must do as she's told

Or maybe baal went " aright! Shiida is perfect for teaching, but she needs backup. If I choose anyone but atori he'll whine until shiida gets back so better send him" and that was that

Also you're right it's like they're twins

Just change the haircut and bam! Basically the same person!

#mairimashita! iruma kun #welcome to demon school iruma kun #iruma kun spoilers #m!ik shiida #shiida #atori (m!ik)#atori #baal sabnock #baal #dantalion sensei #dantalion dali #the six fingers #first finger #huetoto #what kinda name is that?

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irithnova · 1 year

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More aph Mongolia headcanons:

Nowadays he is pretty chill/nonchalant but can come off as a bit aloof to a lot of people.

Resting bitch face 😍 Nah but he isn't really one to smile often. He probably gives other nations the classic "awkward smile you give to your coworker" smile sometimes when walking past them but you really need to say/do something hilarious to get a smile out of him.

Whether he is more smiley or not depends on what nations he's interacting with though.

Despite seeming aloof to people he is genuinely quite warm and down to earth once you actually start talking to him. It's just that in large groups he's more of an observer during group conversations and only really speaks up when he feels like he needs to.

This might give people the impression that he's shy but really he's just taking all the information in.

He's pretty politically savvy and is good at managing his foreign relations well for the most part! (for example, the landlocked between Russia and China situation and Mongolia's special relationship with North Korea).

Actually takes pride in his long and healthy hair a lot but doesn't really bring it up, he waits for others to mention it before he starts talking about it and how he maintains it haha.

He can be quite charismatic when needed in certain situations (trust me he knows how far charisma can get someone)

Can act like a bit of a boomer (I consider him an ancient but he's kind of one of the babies in the ancient nation grouping) sometimes towards things like texting, for example he probably complains when people use shortforms of words because he doesn't fully know all the shortforms.

In addition I headcanon him to be a tiny bit of a boomer about religion. He's definitely not as religious as say, Tibet, but he probs is a tad disappointed about the younger generations turning away from Buddhism (one of my friends who's from Mongolia told me apparently halloween was banned in some schools because it was distracting kids from Buddhism or something??).

However he is all for religious freedom sooo if they don't wanna do that they shouldn't feel obligated to.

Despite what I've just said about his boomer shenanigans, I don't think Mongolia is totally adverse to/hates technology! He's not as technology crazy as China but come on its not like he doesn't know how to use a phone or computer lol. Plus many Mongolian nomads have adapted new technologies to their way of life anyways (like the use of solar panels and TVs, plus so many nomads are on tiktok?!)

So I like to think he is interested in new technologies actually but isn't really an enthusiast like other nations. He definitely likes/finds comfort in the traditional way of life but also isn't stuck in the past. Though he does ask for South Korea's help with some things sometimes hahah.

Probably sends good morning texts like this to nations he likes:

No he does not translate it for them

I don't headcanon him as super mega depressed about his current situation and to an extent he is grateful that he's still even around. But I think it's unrealistic to say that there are things which won't get him down y'know? A lot has happened since the 13th century and not of all it has been good.

So while he does have bad memories and there are the obvious struggles of being a nation, I think he has a lot of resilience. Some people think that resilience means that you aren't bothered by hard times at all, but to me it means despite the hard times affecting/hurting you, you keep pushing forward.

Umm he loves watermelon. I've heard Mongolians really like watermelon??

Best throat singer on this planet I will die on this hill

Gives performances at naadam and wrestling events

Probably gets into regular arguments with his government tbh

This sounds weird but I think he actually kind of enjoys bickering with China sometimes (and vice versa). He'd be like "well I'm bored, I'm gonna go and pick a fight with China now."

Russia + Mongolia = alcoholic pair 😍

Nah but on a more serious note, he's not scared of Russia but he just finds interacting with him awkward sometimes. Plus he catches himself doing things like using a cloth to wipe crumbs off of Russia's face, and only then realises afterwards that what he did was odd LMAO.

Is close to South Korea and they talk on the phone often, most of the time it's just him listening as South Korea babbles on about his day but he quite enjoys it.

Close to North Korea too and defends him whenever someone says something bad about him in a conversation. Really cares about him.

He and Japan are buddies!! Okay the invasions of Japan were embarrassing and there was also Khalkin Gol (World War 2) but honestly they have the same kind of interests? Wrestling for example. There are many Mongolians who go into sumo actually and two of the best sumo wrestlers/yokozunas (Asashoryu and Hakuho) are from Mongolia! So they probably watch sumo matches with each other.

Also Mongolian dominance in sumo is just funny as hell BYE

Mongolia + China = divorced as fuck 😍💅 and China took the kids

Most divorced mfs in Asia

Russia and China enjoy annoying him sometimes by taking his glasses off of his face or randomly grabbing his braid.

If he's not Tibet's husband then they're at least extremely close with one another. Bro the title "Dalai Lama" exists because of Mongolia😔✌️ they're each others confidants and tell each other their deepest darkest secrets 😍

He and India are pretty close too!! They have a long history with each other and have backed each other up in more modern history!

I think he and Vietnam actually get along tbh. I've said in my ship post that I ship him with her and yeah they both admire and recognise each others resilience plus Mongolia respects her for beating his ass 😍 plus I saw a really interesting picture of Mongolians protesting the war in Vietnam!

Some translations: "Americans, take your claws away from Vietnam!"

"People of Vietnam always win!" (hahah)

"American imperialists stop bombing Vietnam!"

Also apparently quite a few Mongolians studied in Vietnam back then and vice versa (socialist era). Sorry they're just so powerful together!

Isn't as close with the central Asian nations as he feels like he should be? Though officially he is classified as an East Asian country, Mongolian culture is very different compared to those in the Sinosphere and is more similar to the central Asians, especially Kazakhstan. There's just not enough trade and politics going on between them for him to interact with them much but he does like them.

However I do think he is friends with Kazakhstan. In Western Mongolia, there is the Bayan-Olgii province, and this is where many Kazakhs fleed to, to escape the Russians! Since then, Kazakhs who live in far west Mongolia have maintained their traditional/original Kazakh lifestyle while Kazakhstan itself became quite Russified. I think Kazakhstan likes to visit there every so often to see how they're doing and Mongolia accompanies him.

He's really good friends with Turkey but REFUSES to wrestle with him (he has seen those Turkish oil wrestling videos and is terrified)

There's literally a joint Mongolian-Turkish school in Mongolia called "MonTurk" (full version "Mongolian-Turkish highschool") omg their ship name 😍

I think he probably tells Turkey to tell Turks to stop spamming any video to do with Mongolian culture with Turkish flags tho (in a jokey way of course)

The meme that influenced this headcanon:

Plus I've seen it a lot anyways lol

I think, when he gets the opportunity to, he likes to visit the Dakha people. These are the reindeer herders of Mongolia and they have such a fascinating lifestyle!

When things are really bad with his government he probably just. Rides out into the steppe and stays with random families until he's mentally ready to return

About his bodytype. For one yes I headcanon him as tol and I will die on this hill😔 but also I don't think he'd be skinny? I don't think he'd be fat/overly chubby either (using those terms in a descriptive sense, not a derogatory one). I do think he'd have more bodyfat on him compared to the other East Asians but he also has muscle/muscle definition which balances it out nicely if that makes sense. He's not like, ripped hahah no but he does look physically strong.

I've said this before but face scars>> hot and yes he has a nice tan

He does have red cheeks but they're less apparent now that he's not a nomad 24/7 anymore, they become more apparent when he comes back from trips he goes on during his breaks when he goes out into the countryside.

Probs invites some nations over to celebrate tsagaan tsar (Mongolian New year) with him if they have the time like Tibet, India, South Korea etc.

South Korea probably tries to lecture him sometimes if he says something that's not very politically correct hahah

Pretends he doesn't know what Kpop is to annoy South Korea. Secretly actually enjoys some songs.

Loves loves loves tea like I was watching a video about Mongolian milk tea and the dude said that like, there's a Mongolian quote about how a man can go a few days without food but not one day without tea?? Hahah

Probably finds attending the Chinese New year parties that China hosts a bit awkward and usually just let's others do the talking/listens to others conversations.

Umm feeds stray cats/dogs in Ulaanbaatars ger district (apparently there's more strays in this area) he just can't help himself 😔❤️

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bi4pan-polls · 11 months

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hello, idk how niche this one will be because despite it being my main fandom, i have no clue about the size of it, but anyway! i would like to submit max bennett and sandra wilkinson from the goes wrong universe (aka the play that goes wrong, peter pan goes wrong, a christmas carol goes wrong, and the goes wrong show)!

first i wanted to explain how this series works otherwise it'll get a bit confusing! so max and sandra (who are fictional characters) are members of the cornley drama society, which is an amateur theatre group. the general synopsis is that the cds constantly try to put on plays, but they always end up going wrong (sets break, actors forget lines, so on and so forth). this means that even though max and sandra are fictional characters, they are sometimes playing other fictional characters. so it's a play within a play vibe. which can get confusing sorry, i just wanted to clarify that they are NOT real people, but they do play other characters.

okay now a lot of rambling about them because i love them and i need to represent this fandom somehow, so don’t feel like you have to read any of this /gen. so max and sandra! their story starts when the cds are doing their production of peter pan, where sandra is playing wendy darling and max is playing michael darling and the crocodile. during one of the moments where things are going wrong, a recording of two of the other actors talking is accidentally played instead of a sound affect, in which it’s revealed that max has a massive crush on sandra, and because of this, wanted to play peter pan. max is very embarrassed over this (as well as hurt by some other mean things said about him), while sandra, who is actually dating her co-star jonathan at this point (who is the one playing peter pan) seems shocked by this, but obviously sympathises with him and looks angry at the people who insulted him. Then as the show progresses, jonathan gets knocked out, and then their stage manager trevor understudies him, but he gets knocked out as well. this leaves max to play peter pan’s part, as he already knows all the words (because that’s the part he wanted to play). unfortunately, during a wendy and peter scene, ANOTHER recording is accidentally played instead of the panpipes sound, in which we hear max directly confess his love for sandra to their director. max and sandra, who are alone on stage together, have some awkwardness where they’re both embarrassed, but then the script calls for them to kiss each other. they’re MOVING towards doing it, but then jonathan appears again, and sandra instead kisses him. BUT THEN! later on in the show, jonathan kisses a different co-star on stage (not in character), which sandra sees, so she breaks up with him. THEN, at the very end, max pushes sandra out of the way of a giant pirate ship that is crashing through the wall. sandra realises she loves max, and then kisses him, and they finish the show!

then next time we see them (a year later), they’re performing in a christmas carol. we see that they’re still dating and being cute. then, in a moment where a greenscreen goes wrong, max sees a clip of sandra talking to a co-star at a party, where she says that she doesn’t want to be dating max anymore, and is going to tell him after christmas carol. max is very upset, but sandra doesn’t realise that he’s seen that clip, so tries to do their scenes normally (leading to a scene as they’re playing young scrooge and belle where max is not even acting, just genuinely trying to convince her to stay, but sandra doesn’t know and is confused about why he's acting strange). in a DIFFERENT greenscreen mishap, a clip from that same party is played where it looks like sandra is kissing a different co-star. max once again sees this, sandra once again has no idea. for the rest of the show, in his heartbreak, max avoids sandra, which she is confused about. THEN, at the very end, once everything is wrapped up and the credits are starting to play, sandra interrupts the cast and says she wants to tell max something. max is offended that she’s going to break up with him while they’re on air and tells her this, and sandra is confused about what he’s talking about. she then says “i don’t want to be dating anymore, i want to be married”. it’s revealed that she has been planning on proposing to him, and the woman kissing the co-star at the party wasn’t her, just another person with the same dress and hair. there’s a little bit more mishap, but then finally sandra proposes to max and he says yes and they kiss and it’s happily ever after!!! and that’s the max and sandra story.

OKAY so propaganda for why they are most definitely bi4pan according to me! max first, my favourite bi himbo <3 so basically before any of the stuff above happens! in the play that goes wrong, there's a moment where sandra (who playing a character called florence) gets knocked out, and trevor (the lighting and sound guy) is forced to play sandra's part. max is playing a character called arthur in this moment, and while trevor is onstage as florence, florence and arthur are supposed to kiss. trevor is immediately like "nah i'm not kissing max", but max, the bisexual legend he is, looks suspiciously excited by the opportunity, gets the audience to hype him up to do it, and then he and trevor have a very big kiss! and i simply think that a man who is that excited to kiss another man, even under the guise of it being in character, absolutely cannot be straight. it’s simply the vibes <3

next is sandra, who is a pansexual queen. in peter pan goes wrong, during the recording between the two actors getting played, one of them basically says insults sandra by saying that she “flirts with everyone”. take note of the use of the word everyone? yeah that implies to me that it’s not just men she’s kissing. she looks offended by what’s being said, but i think that’s more at the accusations that she’s a player, not so much at who he claims she’s flirting with. is this a tedious argument? yes very, but whatever. to me that makes it seem like she’s mspec (personally i see her as being pan). additionally, throughout the goes wrong show she has a couple of moments where she kisses her girl co-stars, or just looks at them very fruitily, and she’s so real for that. so pansexual icon she is!

also here's a picture of them just because i love them <3

and that’s my propaganda for why max is bi and sandra is pan (sexualities are interchangeable, i personally hc them that way but ik a lot of people in the fandom switch them so he’s pan and she’s bi) and why they are very important to me. hope you’re having a great day, and good luck with the tournament!

(I assume when things say propaganda you want them to be shared, if im ever wrong tell me and ill delete the ask off my blog and your submission will still count!)

and oh mygosh I dont know them but they sound so cute together aweee! Plus they both just seem really cool in general! I might actually look into this because it sounds pretty neat and id like to learn more about it hehe

#propaganda #the goes wrong show

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veryrealimagination · 6 months

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“It’s okay, just to say, ‘I’m not okay’.”

Day No: 30

Prompt: Bridal Carry, "It's okay, just to say, 'I'm not okay.'"

Fandom: Murdoch Mysteries

Medium: fic

Trigger Warnings: none

SFW

James saw Watts’s leg give out on him when attending to the animals. The old wounds along his legs had been aggravated with the experiments Gillies performed to get more information on his mutated Jump Dancers and what they did. He insisted that he didn’t need the cane, having been limping around instead of asking for help.

When he fell, he carefully walked over. James had a small feeling that the young man might not take help the way he had in the past. The kidnapping and aftermath had caused several of the people in his life, himself included, to coddle him. Margaret brought over treats almost every day. Brackenreid escorted him to get projects and commissions. He helped him out during chores of the day. Murdoch and Julia were the only two to barely up their coddling. The man just quietly kept by him while he worked on commissions. Julia came out to the house to do her examinations instead of him going up to the clinic.

“Llewellyn,” he said.

“I’ll get myself up in a minute,” he protested.

He sighed, “Llewellyn, what are you trying to prove to everyone?”

His arms went around his chest and he knew he was touching on subjects that the young man didn’t want to talk about. “I’m not trying to prove anything. I can work. I’m fine.” Persephone managed to still sneak her way from the shed to force her way into his arms. A small bite to his finger and he started petting her into submission to stop more bites.

*Then you wouldn't be falling from merely walking.* He didn’t say that to his face. No, he would have gotten yelled at by an angry teen who would have then been a regretful teen who would have then been a mopey teen that would try harder to do things by himself without backup. Who then would have hurt himself more afterwards.

“Right, sun couch time,” he decided. The sun couch was Murdoch’s way of ‘testing’ dyes that he found or came up with before making some to sell to the clothing makers. It had come out of Abandoned Ruins One as a pink monstrosity before he managed to strip the original color and turned it the brightest of yellows. Then, there ended up being some red and orange, green, blue, some sort of brown, tested on the poor thing. It sat around the back, pointed toward the sea.

It was also good, because James could only get so far.

Before he knew it, James had an arm under his knees and around his back. “James,” Llewellyn yelped, holding the lamb with one hand and getting a grip with the other. He held himself extremely still before being sat on the couch. Then the man was sitting next to him, shoulder to shoulder.

He liked the warmth. Liked the presence of someone next to him. Llewellyn did want someone nearby. His aunt and uncle were almost cloying, and he usually never felt that way at all around his family, but after the events with James Gillies, he just couldn’t stand most of the people in his life. It wasn’t the same thing as being brought back from Duvos.

“I’m fine,” he whispered. Persephone had fallen asleep, letting him hold her head. “I’m fine.”

“You wouldn’t need to say it if it were true,” he said. The sigh that came out of him was slightly wet. “James Gillies is known for what he’s pulled off in the past. He’s known for what’s he’s done to Murdoch, to Julia, to even me and a couple of Civil Corps members. Knowing that he had you for days, testing things, playing with you. Everyone is concerned about how much is affecting you.”

He sniffled. “It’s not that bad.”

“Llewellyn.”

“I’m fine. I’m fine.” The little lamb sitting in his hand bleated softly. “I’m not…” It was a ragged gasp that he heard that made James want to wrap him in blankets and not let him out for a month.

“It’s okay.” He wrapped his arm around him when a couple of tears managed to get out. “It’s okay to not actually be fine. It’s okay to not be okay.”

“This isn’t even as bad as Duvos,” he complained.

“Duvos was impersonal. James Gillies has always been personal, and a tad creepy about it.” There was a snort, but he felt more tears when his face turned into his shoulder. “You’re not okay now. It’s fine, you’ll be okay later.”

There was a snort. “That sounds corny.”

“I was told it by a friendly ear.” The next sound was a groan. “I’m full of these. I’ll pop them off all night.”

“Cruel and unusual.” He didn’t move, thought, and James continued looking at the water while Llewellyn calmed down.

#whumptober2023 #no.30 #bridal carry #it's okay just to say i'm not okay #fic #murdoch mysteries #mtap au #llewellyn watts #james pendrick #dad like James Pendrick

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bitterlybisexualbard · 2 years

Text

What Makes an Ass of U and Me

Three times Jaskier was mistaken for someone's spouse and one time he made everything official

Also available on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/40889484

1. Yennefer

Given that their joking nicknames for each other include 'husband', 'wife', 'feckless layabout' and 'wicked witch', among others, it isn't too much of a shock when it happens.

Geralt, who has never understood their newfound friendship and is still working through his own twisted up feelings about Yen, is far more thrown by it than either of them. "They're not married," he snaps at the poor, bewildered barmaid.

"Don't mind him," Jaskier tells her cheerily, "he's just jealous."

Geralt gives him a sharp look, which Jaskier ignores entirely. Geralt can look as threatening as he wants over it, Jaskier is not going to be cowed by the ex boyfriend of the woman he's pretending to be married to just because the man doesn't know how to express his emotions in a healthy and productive manner. Geralt can use his words or he can go fuck himself.

The girl's unsure gaze flickers between them and off behind them towards Yen, but she turns and gets their drinks as requested and Geralt even manages to look a little apologetic as he takes his from her. Well, mostly he just looks constipated, but then that's how most emotions look on Geralt anyway when he actually lets them show on his face.

Yennefer seems torn between amusement and concern at Geralt's shift in mood, but doesn't seem to know how to bring it up. Things are still fragile between them, and as much as he might once have revelled in their fractured relationship and gloated about her lack of surety, Jaskier finds himself hating it now.

"It seems Geralt disapproves of our marriage, my dear," Jaskier says with an overwraught sigh. "Whatever shall we do?"

Yennefer's mouth twitches. "What are you blathering on about now, bard?"

"Our love is doomed. Cursed by the shadow of your former lover's resentment," Jaskier bemoans. He turns to Geralt pleadingly. "You must give us your blessing, Geralt. I know it's hard for you to see us both move on this way, and we'd never want to hurt you, but surely you know the heart can't be reasoned with? It isn't our fault that we were both cursed with such irresistably good looks and otherworldly charisma. It was bound to happen sooner or later."

It's possible Jaskier's already had rather a lot to drink over the course of his set, and on rather too little to eat before he performed. Usually, he holds with the rule of only one drink before and one drink during his performance, but they have such ridiculously tiny flagons here that he'd woefully misjudged how much he was drinking.

Regardless, it works. Yennefer laughs, either at his words or his antics, and the tension around her eyes lifts as she grins at Geralt.

Geralt pouts. Jaskier's definitely calling it a pout.

Ciri finds the whole thing utterly hilarious. Mostly because of Geralt's pout.

2. Ciri

It happens fairly regularly from there on out, and it's the one thing Yen still allowed herself to be a bitch to Geralt over, because he's never said a word about how much it pisses him off. They'll be mistaken for a married couple and both Jaskier and Yennefer will play along with it gleefully, only partly to mess with Geralt, and then they'll wander off to their separate beds and occassionally their separate roads when their travels lead them in different directions.

Yen's travels had taken her to Sodden again, which she insisted was fine and wouldn't hear a word about them accompanying her, just the other day, which is probably why it takes Jaskier a moment.

"Yes, well- Wait," he turns in place with a frown, looking back towards their table where two figures sit, neither of them Yennefer, and then at the innkeeper who'd offered them the only double bed for rent in the place on account of his wife being such a pretty little thing. "My wife?"

The innkeeper nods and looks unerringly at the table Jaskier had come from to negotiate their rooms and board for a couple of nights. "Poor thing can't be used to travelling just yet. Probably do her some good to-"

"Wait," Jaskier says again, a horrifying conclusion coming together in his head far too quickly for his liking. "You mean Ci- the um, the blonde girl over there?"

The innkeeper nods again, frowning this time. "She not the missus?"

"No! Gods, no!" Jaskier sputters. He shudders. "She's barely fourteen!"

That information doesn't seem to horrify the innkeeper the way it should. He shrugs. "My mistake. Did you still want the double room?"

Jaskier tries desperately to blink away the stomach churning idea of sharing a bed with Ciri. He's done so before, platonically he'd like to stress -- he's no nonce for Melitele's sake -- but with the assumptions levelled at him by the possibly quite noncy man in front of him, he doubts whether he'll be able to do so again for quite some time without feeling all manner of uncomfortable and icky.

"On second thoughts, I'm not sure the coin'll stretch. We'll, ah, we'll just have to be on our way," Jaskier says, avoiding the man's eyes.

"You're a bard, right? The one who sings about Witchers?" The man doesn't wait for his faint nod to confirm. "Play us a few tunes and I can give you a discounted rate."

"No, no. I'm afraid I couldn't possibly," Jaskier fumbles out. He waves his hands with a flash of desperate inspiration. "Terrible arthritis with all the rain," it hasn't rained in days, but the words come regardless. "Can't play a note."

He escapes back to the others as quickly as is possible.

Geralt glances up at him questioningly, while Ciri doesn't look away from her hand. Geralt's been teaching her gwent. She's... not picking it up as quickly as she does most things. The girl is not designed for subtley or subterfuge and cannot bluff to save her life, on top of which, she's more brash and impulsive than even Jaskier, making strategy and forward thinking a weak point for her. Which, of course, Geralt had stoically insisted was the real reason for teaching his almost-daughter to gamble; to strengthen those weaknesses. He also claims it was Lambert's idea about half the time.

"We should go," Jaskier says.

Geralt sighs. "Don't tell me this is another inn you've been blacklisted from but forgot?"

Jaskier laughs, but his heart isn't in it. He isn't sure quite why this has affected him so badly. One nonce of an innkeeper assuming something stupid with absolutely no basis for it shouldn't get to him like this. But he regardless, he doesn't like the thought of Ciri sleeping under the same roof as a person who thinks that's a reasonable thing to assume or a normal thing to happen. "You know me too well, my friend. If we want to find somewhere else for the night, we should be off."

Ciri glares at him as Geralt gathers up the gwent cards and he shoots her an apologetic smile and positions himself as far away from her as possible on their way out of the inn, all too aware of the creep's eyes on them as they leave.

"What was that really about?" Ciri asks suspiciously, Geralt's mild look of curiosity evidence that he hadn't bought the lie either.

Jaskier winces. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"Jaskier," Geralt says threateningly.

And Jaskier knows it's at best an empty threat, and at worst he'll just be made to take the uncomfortable bed or the floor should the next place they find not have proper accomodation for them all, but he also knows Ciri is like one of those annoying small dogs women like his mother keep around. She's tiny and delicate looking, but she's scrappy and loud, and once she gets it in her head to clamp her jaws around something, no amount of shaking will get her to let go of it (Jaskier will neither confirm nor deny that he has a scar on his ankle from one such goblin hound. He'd like to say he gave as good as he got, but he never could bring himself to hurt animals. Even deserving ones).

After a moment of consideration, he decides to try to play it off light heartedly. Maybe if he treats it as such, the whole thing will become a darkly funny story he can look back on and laugh at. "Geralt, be honest, does this hairstyle make me look like one of those odious poets who chases around young women because the know people their own age won't be impressed by their terrible poetry?"

Geralt narrows his eyes. "What?"

Ciri raises an eyebrow.

"Only, I thought it looked rather dashing and- and mature. Less 'courtley troubadour clinging onto youth' and more 'rugged, worldly bard whose raw magnetism negates the need for pomade'," Jaskier continues, hoping focusing on his vanity will irritate and bore them enough that they'll let the subject drop.

"Did the innkeeper think you were after his daughter or something?" Geralt asks, mildly amused. He's in a very mild mood this evening. Jaskier would hate to ruin it by informing him of his almost-daughter's recent proximity to a nonce.

"Not his daughter, no," Jaskier hedges, mumbling with revulsion and embarrassment.

Ciri catches on before Geralt does, though Jaskier has no idea how. "Oh. Oh, gross!"

"My thoughts exactly," Jaskier agrees.

"You're like my uncle or something," Ciri continues, face all scrunched up in a way that makes her look even younger.

"And also at least three times your age," Jaskier adds, trying not to let on how being added to Ciri's little adopted clan of parents and uncles has made him feel all soft and gooey inside. He's never been anyone's uncle before. Had honestly assumed that Ciri only put up with him being around because Geralt and Yen like him. "The man's an idiot. A creepy, weird little idiot."

Geralt's face finally dawns with horrified understanding. "He thought..."

"He asked if I would like the room with a double bed for me and my wife. It was awful," Jaskier admits at last, bolstered by Ciri's response. She's just as disgusted as he is, but she's not moved away or avoided his eye or anything that would indicate that she's uncomfortable around him now.

"Ugh," Ciri says, face still scrunched.

"But she's barely fourteen!" Geralt blurts, face adorably mirroring Ciri's.

"That's what I said!"

They continue to bitch and complain about the whole thing for the rest of the evening and on and off over the next day or so, though not a one of them breathes a word of it to Yen when they see her. Much as he may deserve it, they don't need to add the innkeeper's castration and murder to the list of things people are chasing them for.

3. Geralt

Elves don't view marriage as a contract designed to create ties with other families through shared interests and offspring. Who knew? Instead, they view it as recognition of the love between the people getting married, and a symbol of their committment to share their lives with each other and take care of each other. Crazy stuff.

The result is that elven marriages do not revolve around the expectation of begetting children and, therefore, it isn't uncommon for marriages to take place between men and other men, women and other women, three or more people, or even people who have no intention or inclination towards doing the necessary to beget offspring. It's practically a foreign concept to Jaskier given the understanding of marriage his own upbringing had given him.

It's almost enough to distract him from his own reaction to Filavandrel's assumption.

Almost.

"Um, what?" Jaskier asks dumbly.

Filavandrel's mouth thins with impatience, but he's still a thousand times less scary than his missus. Jaskier can't bring himself to blame her for it entirely given what he knows of her life and her dead daughter. It'd be enough to drive anyone to malicious insanity he thinks, but the fevered glint in her eye when they'd found him had been enough to scare him witless even without the knowledge of her campaign of infanticide.

"Sorry," Jaskier says preemptively. He likes Filavandrel. Or, maybe 'like' is a strong word, given the man's own (also somewhat understandable) trip off the deep end into baby killing. But there's nostalgia there, along with further first hand knowledge of how long and how hard Filavandrel has fought for the bare minimum of safety and respect for his people, only to be beaten down again and again, his people slaughtered in front of him no matter what path he chooses or how hard he tries. He can't help but have sympathy for what he's become, even as he's terrified by it.

"We know you still travel with him," Filavandrel says, "and you know we won't hurt him unless we have to. We only want the girl."

"You and every other fucker on the continent," Jaskier mumbles, sympathy evaporating. "Look, you're not the first to ask, and not the first to leave unsatisfied. Geralt won't let you near Ciri."

"We don't mean her any harm. You, however..." Filavandrel puts on an expression of regret and empathy. Jaskier can't tell if it's fake. "I think the White Wolf will see things our way under the circumstances. We'll keep the girl safe, and he can have his husband back unharmed. A far more pleasant alternative to what will happen if he disagrees."

Jaskier decides not to touch the 'husband' thing for now, it's not like it's likely to be all that persuasive as an argument; 'hey Filavandrel, I'm a far less valuable captive than you, for some unfathomable reason, assumed me to be. Geralt won't think twice before abandoning me in favour of his child.' He can't imagine that information would very good for his health. "You're a father, Filavandrel. You know it doesn't work like that."

"Was. Was a father," Filavandrel spits, a glimmer of his wife's madness showing through his more reasonable facade.

"I don't think it's the kind of thing you ever stop being," Jaskier says gently.

Filavandrel looks away.

"Ciri is, to all intents and purposes, Geralt's child. Do you really think he'll hand her over to you?" Jaskier continues. "The girl has lost enough people, Filavandrel. Merely separating them would be harming her. Let alone using her for whatever it is Francesca has planned."

"You are mistaken if you think Francesca makes these decisions alone."

"She's a child," Jaskier presses. "In a matter of months she watched everyone and everything she knows fall around her. Geralt is the only family she has left, the only sense of safety or love. What you intend to do would destroy her."

"What care I for a human child's emotional wellbeing?" Filavandrel scoffs, but he won't meet Jaskier's eye.

Jaskier swallows, thinking of all of those poor infants, struck down before they had a chance to really live. Their parents, left grieving and wounded with nothing but the promise of vengeance to soothe them. He's been told the screams could be heard for miles around, echoing through the night and all through the following morning, unrelenting and haunting. "She's not. A human child, I mean."

Filavandrel pauses. "We know."

"That's why you want her, isn't it? You know what she is," Jaskier says. He'd assumed as much, though he has no idea how they found out.

"She's our salvation."

"She's my godsdamned step-daughter is what she is!" Jaskier snaps. He has no idea where it's come from. Perhaps it's the fear and dread of what's to come making him rash and desperate, memories of dizzying blows and the snap of fingers haloed in fire sending him back to the same kind of performance that got him out of this kind of mess before. Or perhaps he's sick to his back teeth of hearing people talk about that poor young girl like some kind of tool to power when he's seen her grumpy and childish in the morning, seen trying with all her might to be grown up and sensible and strong as she's faced with things no child should have to face, seen her curse as she tries to pull a comb through her tangled hair in the evening and the way she scowls and flushes when Geralt scolds her for it like the hypocrite he is. She is not a tool, nor a weapon, nor a saviour. She's a little girl being forced to grow up far too quickly by people exactly like Filavandrel.

Some light of recognition sparks in Filavandrel's eyes.

"She may not be human and she may not be my own child, but by your perfectly styled hair, if you try to force her into some sort of martyrdom because of who her great-great-great-fucking grandmother was, I will burn down everything I've spent the last year buildling and raze your precious safe haven to the ground. Do you hear me? There will never be a safe place for you ever again! I swear it." It's a weak threat, one he can't possibly follow through on given the present situation, but he means it. He'll find a fucking way. He has enough contacts, and enough knowledge of who exactly is in Cintra, of who can get in and out of the citadel and how, and of who would very much like to know all of the above information, that all he'd have to figure out is how to stay alive long enough to use it all.

Filavandrel nods like he understands. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry. Of all the humans I've met, I truly believe you don't deserve what's coming to you."

Jaskier tries not to panic as the elf leaves and gestures two others to take his place.

"Sandpiper?"

Jaskier looks up into the disbelieving face of a young elf. A young elf he recognises. He blinks and somehow manages to pluck the name from the dim recesses of his mind. "Dara?"

Dara's a good kid. Sweet, if a little sulky and misguided. And, most importantly, he loves Ciri. Jaskier isn't sure in what way, but it doesn't really matter once the truth of it is out. Jaskier can charm the knickers off a nun. Turning a scared boy being asked to betray a beloved friend to his side is as easy as breathing.

"They're not evil," Dara insists anxiously before they part ways. "They forgave me after I..." He swallows and stares miserably down at his own feet. "They just want to-"

"Protect you all. I know," Jaskier says. "But that isn't all they want. You know that."

Dara looks back up stubbornly. "Why shouldn't we want revenge? After everything humans have done to us!"

Jaskier smiles sadly back at him. "I don't know the answer to that, Dara. All I know is that there are people I love who your noble king and queen mean to kill, and a young girl we both love who they want to use to do it."

Dara's mouth twists. "Tell her I..." He shakes his head. "Don't tell her about me."

Jaskier claps a hand on his shoulder and nods.

Dara disappears back through the trees and Jaskier resists the urge to run down the path back to camp. He has to warn Geralt and Yen so they can get Ciri away from here.

He barely makes it five steps from where Dara left him before being assaulted by an uncharacteristically clingy witch.

"You idiot!" Yen scolds him, mouth right by his ear.

Jaskier winces and slowly extricates himself. He likes hugs. He's a big hugger. But he prefers to keep the hugging and the insults separate, Particularly when the insults are snapped right down his earhole. "Why yes, I am alright, and yes, I'm glad I'm back safe, too."

"You shouldn't have gone wandering off!" Yennefer snaps at him.

"You were the one who told me to go gather firewood!" Jaskier replies indignantly, then sighs at the look in her eyes. "I'm fine, Yen. They didn't hurt me."

She turns away and marches down the path. "I know. We were watching."

"You were wa- How?" Jaskier sputters as he follows her.

Yen doesn't even glance back at him. "Two sorceresses and a witcher. You figure it out."

Jaskier can't. As many of Yen and Ciri's lessens as he's privy to, he'll never understand Chaos or its limitations. "So what? You figured you'd just leave me to figure my own way out of there?"

"You did, didn't you?" Yen says dismissively. She does glance back then. "Besides, we were waiting for Filavandrel to leave. You were the one who wouldn't stay still long enough for a rescue."

"You keep saying 'we'. Were you all there spying on us?" Jaskier asks. "How much did you see?"

Yen slows a little. "Enough to know that you're a complete idiot. A very brave one."

"Well, that all goes without saying."

Yennefer gives him a soft smile. The kind she only ever gives him when they're alone. "Ciri heard what you said. We all did."

Jaskier cringes. "Oh gods."

"It's good for her to hear. It can be hard for her. She's been rejected and betrayed by so many people," Yennefer doesn't mention her own betrayal, but it's there in her voice and in her eyes. "It's good for her to hear someone say that about her when they don't know she's listening, so she can believe it a little."

"Oh."

"Besides, I think Geralt was feeling rather left out being the only one of us no one's mistaken for your spouse," Yennefer teases.

It takes a moment before Jaskier realises. "Who told?"

Yen laughs. "Ciri. Though she made me promise not to go back and murder the creep. You all rather overestimate my abilities sometimes, you know? How the hell would I even know which inn to go to?"

Jaskier narrows his eyes at her. "I'm sure you'd figure it out if you really wanted to."

She rolls her eyes.

They keep walking to whatever meeting spot she'd agreed with the others.

"You know, according to old elven laws, the only thing necessary for a marriage to be legitimate is for the couple to announce it to an elder and for them not to dispute it," she continues when they near the others. Jaskier can hear them through the trees and see pale flashes of their hair. "I think Filavandrel may have actually just married you."

Jaskier rolls his eyes. "Ha ha, laugh it up. Why am I the one everyone assumes is married to one of you, anyway?"

"Oh, he's just my step-father," Ciri says offhandedly to the merchant she's buying sweets from, nearly giving Jaskier a heart attack in the process.

He tries his best to give a winning smile in answer to the merchant's questioning look. He knows that despite the reality of his years, he looks a little young to have a child Ciri's age. But she did say step-father, and he looks more than old enough to be a trophy husband.

Ciri chats awhile with the merchant, aimiably discussing her favourite treats and how they're made. Jaskier has no idea where she gets it from, knowing both her family of origin and her current family, but she can be very inquisitive and friendly when she's in a good mood. If Jaskier had had a student at Oxenfurt with nearly as much eagerness to learn literally whatever anyone was willing to teach them, he'd have cried tears of rapture and considered never leaving campus again.

As it is, that inquisitive girl has just called him her step-father as if the words came naturally, and he isn't quite sure what to do with that.

Eventually, the merchant has other customers to see to and Ciri only a little reluctantly takes her leave, dragging Jaskier to the next stall, and then the next, until it's almost supper time and they have to head back to the inn.

Ciri insists on going back to the sweet seller's stall the next day before they leave town, wanting Geralt to try her favourite candied nuts. Geralt, as always, grumbles about having to stay later than planned, but they all know him too well to pay him any mind. He loves sweets, as any child who was utterly deprived of them tends to when they get old enough to buy their own.

Jaskier slings an arm around his shoulder when the grumbling reaches its peak and laughs at the disgruntled glare he gets in return. "Who do you think you're fooling? You'd let that girl spend another full day dragging us all around the market if that's what she wanted. And we all know you've got money for hard toffees already counted out in your pocket."

Geralt shrugs him off and goes to join Ciri at the stall while Jaskier and Yen grin at his retreating back.

"He's such a grumpy old man sometimes," Jaskier says affectionately.

"Well, he is over eighty," Yen replies.

"Hmm. You know, he's never actually told me how old he is?" Jaskier says. "There've been hints here and there, but no definites."

Yen shrugs. "I suppose you start to lose track eventually."

Jaskier gives her a look. "Maybe you eternally young and beautiful types do, but I'm pretty sure I'll still know how old I am when I'm in my eighties."

"I suppose you'd know. You can't be that far off, now."

"Oi!" Jaskier says loudly. "I'll have you know I'm in the prime of my life!"

Yen grins at him and pokes at his face. "It's wonderful that you have such a great outlook on it. You know what they say, it's important to stay youthful in your mind, no matter how ancient your bones get. And you've certainly got that down pat. Sometimes I forget which one is the child, you or Ciri."

Jaskier sputters at her dramatically.

Ciri and Geralt return before he's managed to form a suitably scathing retort, and the smug look on Geralt's face distracts him entirely from the endeavour.

Geralt holds out a small bag to Jaskier. "The merchant insisted I pass this along to my charming husband."

Jaskier doesn't miss the gloating look he aims at Yennefer. "...Right."

"Charming? Clearly she was referring to someone else," Yennefer says loftily.

"She wasn't," Ciri says, barely paying attention as she digs into her sweets. "She met Jaskier yesterday and she saw him hugging Geralt a minute ago."

"Hugging?" Jaskier asks. "The woman has a very loose definition of hugging, but I suppose I can see where she may have got that idea."

"Well, Geralt can't have you. You already have a spouse, remember?" Yennefer says, wrapping herself around his arm and batting her eyelashes at Geralt provokingly.

"I'm afraid Geralt's the one I actually married, according to old elven laws," Jaskier joins in gamely, "but from what I understand of elven marriages, you can always share. There's plenty of me to go around."

"Half the continent can attest to how much you get around, bard, but that's hardly the point," Yennefer says, amping up her clinginess as Geralt scowls at her. "Besides, you're human, not elf. If we have a proper handfasting surely that would take precedence?"

"Why Yennefer, are you proposing to me?" Jaskier asks.

"He already married me. Get over it, Yen," Geralt says with a slight smirk.

"Everyone please! Not in front of Ciri. It's not good for her to see us fight," Jaskier says.

"He could always handfast both of you," Ciri suggests with an overabundance of wide eyed innocence. "He does have two hands."

"Excellent idea, Ciri!" Jaskier exclaims.

Geralt and Yennefer have a glaring stand off that's somewhat ruined by both of their twitching lips. It goes on long enough Jaskier starts to suspect Yennefer of using her mind reading tricks to keep the fake argument going in their heads.

Yennefer sighs and backs down at last. "Fine. But we'd better get it over with before I change my mind."

"Fantastic!" Jaskier says, then catches up with himself as he finds himself being walked further into town rather than out of it. "Wait, where are we going?"

"You're not chickening out already, are you?" Yennefer asks. "It's a little quick for even you to be getting cold feet." She's still teasing but there's a look in her eyes, one that's also in Geralt's when he glances to his other side, like a question. Are we all on the same page here?

It occurs to him then, that maybe he's missed a few things. Somewhere along the line, Yennefer's jokes had evidently become flirting without him thinking to take it seriously, and as some unknown point, Geralt had tossed his own cap in the ring. Jaskier can be an idiot in a lot of ways, and he has no idea how they ended up here, but he's not about to ruin it all by admitting that. Sure, it's a bit of a whirlwind romance from his perspective, but surely they've known each other long enought that it counts for something?

"Not at all, I just wasn't expecting you to want to do this now," Jaskier says easily.

"There's a temple of Melitele on the other side of town," Geralt says. "There won't be another one bigger than a shed for most of our way back to Kaedwen."

Jaskier swallows. "You've been talking about this."

Geralt and Yen exchange glances and Yen shrugs. "We figured after your declaration to Filavandrel, we may as well make it official. If you'd rather wait, though-"

"No!" Jaskier blurts. He's half sure he's delusional or something, and he'd rather see this little fantasy through before the vision dissipates and he loses his chance. "No. We can... We can get married here. Fuck."

"Jaskier?" Geralt asks, a tinge of concern in his voice.

He pats Geralt's arm reassuringly. "So. How is this whole... marriage thing going to work?"

"You marry me and Geralt, we continue on as we are," Yennefer says, then pauses as though losing her nerve. Though Yennefer never loses her nerve, so that can't possibly be what's happening here. She clears her throat and her grip tightens on his arm. "And if you'd like, we can explore other... dimensions of our relationship. If you only want to be Ciri's step-father in a slightly more official capacity, and to be more firmly tied into this family, then..."

Jaskier waits for her to continue, but she seems to run out of words, tilting her chin up challengingly until Geralt takes over.

"Then that is all it will be."

Jaskier stares at Geralt so long that he trips over a pothole as they walk. "And if I'm amenable to a little dimensional exploration?"

"We'd welcome it," Geralt says warmly. Then looks sharply ahead. "With either of us."

"Or both," Yen adds.

Jaskier blinks rapidly and shakes his head. If he had a drink in his hand he'd be eyeing it suspiciously. "And the both of you? Does this mean you're all patched up again?"

Geralt winces.

"Not quite," Yennefer says softly, hurt but in the way of something that's still healing. "This would be each of us with you separately."

Geralt grunts awkwardly. "For now."

She smiles tentatively. "For now."

"Besides," Ciri interjects, "they're kind of already married, aren't they? Like how Geralt's destiny and mine are linked so he's sort of my father even though he never adopted me officially." There's a weight to her final sentence, and she watches the clouds pass overhead a little too intently to be truly nonchalant.

Jaskier narrows his eyes. "Are you hinting at something there, Cirilla?"

"What?" She gives him the wide eyed innocent look again.

Jaskier sighs. "They officiate adoptions at temples of Melitele as well, don't they?"

"Yes, they do," Ciri says a little too quickly.

"And they are sworn to secrecy, so using our real names shouldn't be an issue," Jaskier ponders.

Geralt frowns. "That is why we chose a temple of Melitle for the handfasting."

Yennefer is quicker on the uptake. "How many people can adopt the same child?"

"I'm not sure if there's a limit," Jaskier tells her. It's not something he's ever had cause to know. "We can always ask."

"Ciri, who is it that you want to adopt you?" Geralt asks. It seems he did put the pieces together, but was just unsure of where the final one fit.

Ciri shrugs. "Seems like every grown up I meet tries to. Three seems a conservative number, considering."

Jaskier laughs. "She has a point. I think that merchant back there was only one more dimpled smile away from offering."

Ciri grins at him, flashing said dimple in the process.

And okay, so he's kind of gone on them all, each in their own different ways, and okay, so he hadn't quite realised that about Yen and had been somewhat actively resisting the knowledge of his newfound parental affections for Ciri, but it really isn't so scary. After all, he was always planning on being with them for as long as they'd allow. He'd just assumed it was because he saw them as part and parcel with Geralt, much as he liked them both. Cared for them both. Had apparently fallen head over heels for them both without noticing and somehow all but adopted Ciri in the process.

Well, no harm done. He gets it now.

#fanfic #geraskier #yennskier #implied geraskefer

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